Paying the Piper

[Gunner Stahl]

ABAFAR

BLACK HAND BASE

Well, he knew that this was bound to happen at some point. He was lucky that Leviticus had not questioned him further though that blow to his head was still a bit ripe. He had been fairly lucky or successful, depended on if one would attribute success to talent or the alignment of the stars. In either case, he was rapidly ascending in popularity within the faction. Soon, he'd have an opportunity to apply for a promotion to Commander; it just so happened that this blunder occurred at perhaps a most inopportune moment.

He wouldn't always be successful, and he hoped that dealing with these failures with honesty would be enough as long as they weren't a recurring theme. He was a confident and brash young man; whom had largely been able to complete anything the Empire asked without much difficulty. This Ilum operation however, he was woefully unprepared for what occurred in the field and he had to come to terms that the failure rested on his shoulders. He knew that if he did ever manage to climb the ladder, more power would only reflect more responsibility. Someone needed to be held accountable, and he was prepared to be that person. After all, it was his mission, and as such, the Captain of the ship always takes full blame.

Receiving word that Vex wished to speak to him, he migrated to the Shadowguard quarters after his little social drink with Draco. Weapons were removed and stored in their vaults while he quickly undressed out of the armor; freshly shaving once more as was the tradition of any officer in the presence a superior. A quick cloth with metal polish was ran over the surface of his ebony shadowguard armor before re-dressing into it. Lieutenant insignia was covered with a long and narrow emblem of the Black Hand, maroon in color as it contrasted the dark silhouette of the durasteel breast plate.

As he arrived to the office he was summoned at, he waited for the two guards to thoroughly scan and check his persons for weapons or items of danger. As they found none, he was granted permission into the conference chambers. He was un helmetted of course, cleanly shaven flesh contrasting handsomely with the remainder of his armored figure. He glanced upon the Wraith as she stood in front of her desk; approaching her, eyes noticing the single security officer standing at each entrance as the shadowguard politely nodded.

Eye contact with his superior was only made for a moment, before he glanced back to the ground with hands folded behind his back. "You requested to see me?"

@Dread

 

[The Eternal (Vex)]

The young Sith remained deathly quiet when Gunner walked in. She did not move a muscle, but just as he parted his lips to speak she reached out, wrapping the Force tightly around his scrawny neck. Pulling him up into the air as violently as she could if he couldn't or did not find a way to stop her.

"Two Jedi," she snarled, fingers twitching into a fist so tightly that her nails dug into her hand. "Three Sith and one lieutenant ran from two unknown, nobody Jedi." Her voice dripped with anger and disappointment. So much so that she wanted to bash his head onto the ground to see if there were any brains in it.

But she resisted because he deserved a chance to explain himself. Because he was a member of the Black Hand; a group of elite assassins handpicked by The Eternal and his Wraith. He couldn't possibly be as cowardly as he seemed to be. There had to be information she was missing. There better be for his sake.

After a moments pause she slammed him into the ground. Hard. Hard enough to knock out what little breath was left in his lungs before letting him go. "Explain IIum to me. Explain why you should be allowed to walk through that door, instead of being carried out in two pieces for that embarrassment." Vex's yellow eyes bore into the man. Her hand was still outstretched, ready to inflict more pain should his answer only irritate her further.

 

[Gunner Stahl]

There were little excuses to make, afterall, he knew that no Sith especially not the Wraith wished to hear him grovel and beg for forgiveness. Such were not the standards the Empress demanded and nor should they be. His eyes did not shake from their downward glance as he felt her cold touch seep onto his own armored flesh, shoving him down to the ground in a brutal display of punishment. He let out an oof crashed onto the ground, seemingly the chamber thundering with the blow as the armored breast plate clanged against the unwelcoming tile floor. Jaw clenching as he absorbed the pain, eyes shifting towards the black armored figure in front of him, finally making eye contact as she demanded an answer.

"My calculations were inaccurate. The intelligence I gathered from the Imperial traitor's data pad identified a shipment of Isotope-5 in a desolate facility. I erroneously accounted for a march through the ravine which made tracking more difficult; our superior numbers were nullified by the Jedi's better knowledge of the terrain." That was a simplified answer; he thought that maybe he'd respond with something witty and humorous such as "there was snow in my pants", or perhaps he could have thrown Halmo and the other Sith under the bus, stating that their combination as fighters was ineffective and he would have much rather preferred having Nayeli or Kaladrrl with him. But as a loyal soldier, he guarded the fallacies of those under his command and attempted to take all blame upon himself, at least unless she asked him more specifics.

@Dread

 

[The Eternal (Vex)]

Vex raised her head somewhat, giving a moments pause before bringing both lightsabers to her hands. Though she did not ignite them. Not yet. Anger still flowed through her, poisoning her thoughts and desires. To her, the terrain getting in the way sounded like nothing but an excuse. A pathetic one at that.

With that she made up her mind but she still needed information before going through with the punishment.

Stepping forward once, she wrapped the force around Gunner once more, but completely around him. Forcing his limbs out to the sides so he looked like a puppet. "Details. I want details," she growled again, taking another step forward. "That includes the names of the people who shared in your abysmal failure." Another step as she raised her sabers up in front of her. "They too will share their fair amount of blame, but you are my responsibility."

 

[Gunner Stahl]

It was customary for the Empire to show such brutality, even against its own ranks. After all, how could the greatest power in the galaxy be so if it allowed for weaklings to persist within its ranks. Thus, when the wraith pulled the blade hilts to her hands, he didn't even as much flinch. If she could reach through the force to understand his emotions, there was nothing short of frustration and the despair knowing that a conviction and promise he made to the Empire would not be fulfilled. He knew what he signed up for and punishment must fit the crime. However, a deep part inside him still felt that he could be of use, and now his goal was to convince his superiors to give him a second chance.

He tilted his head upwards into a confident angle as he looked her at eye level, making contact with the ebony helmet which concealed the true visage of the Wraith. The force fluidly engulfed his figure, strangulating his bones but not his will. "As you wish". He stated. "I have never failed an Imperial mission. I did not arrive at Ilum to start. I took the initial contract, and as acting officer, I should have been given the opportunity to select my detail and the soldiers accompanying me. Instead of my foreign legion warriors, I was paired with two Sith Masters, Halmo'de, Narri Emrour, and an unnamed Sith who I have not previously been introduced to. I had devised precise calculations to arrive in the lip of the ravine and track through two miles of snow in order to reach the shipment facility. Long range weaponry would have eliminated any security personnel while our cybernetic slicing would have breached through the computerized perimeter. Remove all hostiles and extract the Isotope-5 back to the Will of the Empress."

He paused for a moment, taking a breath in as the force hold seemingly began to extract his stamina. "My calculations did not account for the length of the ravine, however my comrades parachuted on the top of the canyon instead of my desired landing zone as I had instructed. They engaged two jedi combatants, whom they were unable to dispose of quickly on their own. I had to make a decision to either provide support or continue with the extraction. I decided to lend support. My comm link squad hacked an incoming Jedi signal, identifying two more Jedi reinforcements en route. Instead of relaying any orders, the Sith retreated. I had no choice but to call for an extraction. If their retreat failed and they were captured, I cannot count on them to not break under the will of the Jedi Force. And if they did break, they could have compromised our entire Ilum operation. It was too far risky of a gamble for me to take, I had to make sure that no imperial secrets would ever go into enemy hands."

He sighed for a moment of relief. He did not know if the wraith would be satisfied with this, but at least he did his part and told her the true tale of events. He left judgment to her. "Punish me accordingly, and allow me to return to the field to do my job. You trusted me with secrets beyond other Sith and soldiers. I am worthy of the Shadowguard title. Allow me to return to Ilum, with a team of my choosing, and I will destroy any opposition the empire faces."

@Dread

 

[The Eternal (Vex)]

The Wraith stood still again, almost as if she was an ebony statue. One could not tell if she was even breathing unless they looked closely. She listened to his story as her yellow eyes bore into him; to his plea, to his excuses. What struck her was his thought to retreat instead of calling in backup himself. That his calculations set the failure into motion. That this was his fault in the end. And the more he spoke the more disgusted she was with him.

"Very well," she hissed in return when he asked for his punishment. Raising her sabers up into place, she swung them both simultaneously. Igniting the crimson blades just in time to slice off the mans right leg and left arm at the torso. The sound and smell of burnt flesh caught her nose and she finally spoke, "One limb for each of the Jedi you were so afraid of." Her face twisted into a look of disgust.

Turning off one saber, she brought the other up and slowly, calculatedly, pressed the tip of the weapon into Gunner's left eye socket, allowing it to stay there to sear and burn and send an astronomical amount of pain throughout his pathetic body. Waiting for the obvious screams that should follow to fill every crevice of the room before speaking again. "One eye—so you will look harder next time," the words dripped viciously from her lips.

Vex turned around after, turning off her second saber and returning both back to her belt. She walked to her desk, feeling a sense of satisfaction fill her before sitting in the chair behind it this time. Resting her elbow on the sides before concluding the punishment. "You will be stripped of rank and put on a probation period to go above and beyond or face execution." She paused for only a second to nod at the guards—they knew what it meant. "Furthermore, you'll be reassigned to someone else's command. It will be him who you must impress."

She finally let go of Gunner, allowing his body to fall to the ground. Both guards went to pick up the man, to drag him out. "And as a reminder," she said, before they were able to leave. "Your life belongs to the Empire and if you do not use it better, we will take it."

 

[Gunner Stahl]

Well, he supposed this was justification for his failure. There was nothing that the wraith said which he could contest, afterall, the embarrassment he brought upon the empire was a burden that he would likely bear for the remainder of his life. And as his screams finally muffled out, the blood loss and stench of burnt flesh soon made him flirt on the border of consciousness and eventually succumbed to it.

Laying there motionless, guards came to grab whatever was remaining of his body, shuttling him off to the infirmary.

// end thread