Ask Poisonous Source

[Thel Xeros]

Balosar

Thel was finally back on Balosar. He had previously been on the planet to undertake a job for Fergriss Pharmaceuticals. The job involved two parts: destroying a factory belonging to Fergriss’ rival BioTech Industries; and stealing confidential information stored at the factory. Thel had made an arrangement to potentially take up a lucrative position as a contractor for Fergriss, based on the successful completion of the job. To help him, he had brought along an inquisitor called Abalon, who was also offered such a position. Furthermore, Fergriss were amenable to the idea of an alliance with the Sith Order.

Unfortunately, Abalon had decided, at the very last minute, to not undertake the job, much to Thel's annoyance. It put Thel in an embarrassing position with Fergriss, as he had to delay the job to find a replacement for Abalon. After much work, he was able to salvage the arrangement with Fergriss and find a replacement for Abalon. He took no risks with his choice of help. He had worked with Cyutadakyr before and he knew she was reliable.

The plan was simple. They would infiltrate the factory through the underground tunnel network, which was used for growing the Balo Mushrooms the planet had become infamous for. Fergriss had supplied them with explosives to destroy the factory and a data tape to upload the stolen information onto. They had each been given a small device which contained a holographic projection of the factory layout; though the layout given was potentially out of date.

Thel and Cyutadakyr moved through the dark tunnel. The tunnel was lit up by a few dim lights attached to the walls. Thel carried the small data tape. He had chosen to dress as he usually did. He had given the explosives to Cyutadakyr. He figured that she would prefer the job of planting the explosives that would destroy the factory. Given the volume of volatile chemicals stored at the factory, it was just a case of planting them in the right place. “We’re nearing the entry point.” he whispered to the Sith Pureblood. He ducked down behind some rocks as they approached a more open area of the cave. There was a ladder leading up to a hatch. “If we get up there, we’ll be in the factory.” There were four guards near the base of the ladder. Ideally, they would deal with them stealthily. “I’ll let you take the lead. Try to be discreet.”

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The surprise request from Thel to join him on a mission was a welcome one. She'd enjoyed working with him previously, having a real blast of a time and all that. Dressed in armor hidden under a dark black cloak, they would be ready to face whatever came up inside the factory, but it didn't escape her notice that one false move, and they could bring the whole thing down upon the pair of them.

"Oh, that doesn't sound very fun." She mused in a soft, mocking way in response to his request for discretion. Looking at their surroundings, she could only smile, being so far underground meant that the guards were all on their lonesome. Even if they had radios to call for backup, they likely wouldn't be able to reach through the thick walls, and thus they were isolated from help.

Pulling the hood fully over her face, Cyu walked ahead of Thel with a stiff hobble and started to feign crying as if in pain. Rounding the corner and coming into the sight of the four guards, they were instantly startled by her sudden appearance. "Halt, this is a restricted area." The swift reply from the lead guard was meant to show that he wasn't mucking about.

With a sobbing voice breaking up her attempts to speak, Cyu pushed through the pain. "Help me, please. A man attacked me and chased me down here." Genuine pain reflected in her words, and the way she shifted her body forward only aided the deception. One of the guards turned to the other, believing her but remaining quiet. The other two were not yet convinced but scanned behind her just in case.

If she could just get a little closer, it would be all over.

Spoiler: roll

8/20 to convince, partial success

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel watched as Cyutadakyr pulled the hood over her head and moved ahead. She limped slightly, feigning injury. It wasn’t what he expected that she would do, but he trusted her decision.

The guards seemed to be taken in by the ruse. It allowed her to close the distance on them. Listening to what she said, it was apparent that he would he playing the role of the attacker. He stepped out from the behind the rocks and emerged from the shadows, into the opening.

“Get back here,” he hissed at Cyutadakyr. Two guards aimed their blasters at him. “Stop, or we will shoot!” Hopefully, his presence would present Cyutadakyr with the opportunity that she needed.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

Without even making a suggestion for it, Cyu internally grinned as Thel fell into place upon the board ready to strike. Following her little plan, the guards didn't lose sight of the pureblood, but the appearance of the man she was supposedly trying to escape did a wonder for her credibility. Despite the show, two of the guards were simply not interested in the reasons why, focusing only on that they now had two intruders that they didn't want.

To complete the act, Cyu fell to the floor in a panicked attempted to run and falling squarely at the feet of the first guard. The poor man, whether driven by empathy or just on autopilot, leaned forward and hurriedly grabbed her by the cloak in order to drag the woman to safety behind the other guards.

A muffled 'thank you.' escaped her traumatised lips as her coy plan started to bear fruit. The kind-hearted gentleman wouldn't even feel pain as the dagger entered his chest and heart. A small solace for his help, and a necessarily quiet death at that. With one down and three to go, it would be difficult to repeat the same without a risk of them firing or, worse, warning others.

Instead, she would be more practical and from her favourable position, would aim to knock two of the closest together with the force using both surprise and speed to ensure they couldn't react in time. That would leave just one alert guard for Thel to manage, and if he could do so without the man shooting, all the better.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel stopped as the two guards pointed their blasters at him. Slowly raising his hands, he watched as Cyutadakyr dropped to the ground, feigning helplessness. If only they knew. The guards had made a fatal error in falling for the pureblood’s ruse.

The first was dealt with swiftly and quietly. Thel could barely even see the small chest wound, as they fell to the ground. Almost immediately after, two other guards were slammed together by the force. A loud cracking sound could be heard as they crashed together, before falling to the floor. Taking advantage of the confusion, Thel attacked the last guard. Raising them off the floor with the force, he swiftly twisted his hand which caused the guard’s neck to snap. Their dead body fell to the ground.

“That’s them taken care of.” He climbed the ladder and opened the hatch at the top. Pulling himself into the room, he waited for his fellow Sith to climb up. The room was small. Just a maintenance room. “You’ve got your map of the factory’s layout and you also have the explosives. I’ll go and download the confidential information onto the data tape. You can go and plant the explosives. Feel free to complete the task in the way you choose. Just don’t leave any witnesses.”

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

Cyutadakyr bounced up at the sight of Thel making short work of the remaining guard, joining him on the ascension to the surface. Entering the small room, she stared at her fellow Sith for a moment while he explained the plan. "Hmm." she muttered, at least they hadn't been discovered yet.

The layout on the map was detailed enough, with signs pointing to several load bearing columns that held up the massive weight of the factory and all the hefty ventilation that went with it. The chemicals themselves were a mixed bag, some corrosive, others explosive or somewhere in between.

Making a mental note of the targets of interest, the pureblood nodded to Thel before departing out of the maintenance building and hanging a left. There was a little distance to cover before she'd find the actual area she was looking for, but once she arrived and assuming there were no little fun delays, the explosives would be set, and they'd bounce before the locals knew what happened.

Or so the plan went.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Waiting for Cyutadakyr to leave, Thel then began to make his way towards his target. Stealthily moving through the factory, he was able to evade detection.

Fortunately, the factory layout he had been provided with was accurate. Peering around a corner, the room was now in sight. Stepping around the corner, he reached out and gripped the two guards outside with the force and then snapped their necks. Quickly moving to the door, he stepped inside the room. A lone maintenance worker was dispatched of in short time. He dragged the guards’ bodies into the room.

Moving over to a console, he removed the data tape from its case and plugged it in. The process of downloading the information was slow. When it was done, he removed the tape and placed it back into the case. Exiting the room, Thel began the journey back to the hatch that he and Cyutadakyr had used to enter the factory.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The walk into the factory went off without too much of a hitch, the path seemingly clear of guards and obstacles. After taking a quick glance around and spotting no signs of trouble, the pureblood retrieved the first explosive and got to work securing it against the first load bearing pole. The devices that Thel had given her were relatively crude, packing a large punch and some basic security, but they would do the job just nicely.

Moving swiftly across the floor to the second and then third, it seemed as if the job would be completed without a hitch, that was until she sensed movement. Three armed guards pounced into the factory floor with guns drawn and trained on the pureblood, their beady eyes itching for an excuse to pull the trigger. Cyu paused, considering her options.

She could try to fight her way out, but that came with the risk of blowing herself up. Another option was to admit defeat and run, leaving Thel on his own with a half complete mission. After a few seconds of thought, she smiled and spun around in apparent surrender.

"Oh no, you caught me." she cooed, holding her hands in the air. Against three, it would be too risky to try and draw her weapon as she might deflect the first and perhaps even second, but the third bolt would surely strike her. Instead, she simply waited, seeing what Thel might do if he arrived on time.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel returned to the hatch. Cyutadakyr wasn’t there yet. After waiting for a short while, he decided to get in contact with her. Silence. Something appeared to be causing an issue with his comlink. I suppose I’ll have to go and look for her.

Taking out his small holoprojector, he switched it on and checked the map of the factory layout. He made a mental note of the location of the nearest load bearing columns, put away his holoprojector and got moving.

Stepping onto the main factory floor, Thel spotted Cyutadakyr as three guards approached her with their blasters ready. Igniting his saber, he advanced on the guards quickly. They hadn’t seen him yet, but he needed to act swiftly.

Throwing his saber, the crimson blade spun towards the closest guard and sliced their head from their body. Thel’s saber returned to his hand as the guard’s head, and then their body, dropped to the floor.

The other two guards turned to Thel, temporarily losing focus on Cyutadakyr in the confusion.

“Shoot him!” One of the guards fired at him, but he easily deflected the blaster bolt into the floor.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with the guards now they could take one each.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The tiny sliver of hope that the guards might have held on to evaporate the moment Thel entered the room. No longer the one holding the surprise, the guards frantically had to split their focus, causing their doom. The first fell without remorse by her companion's spinning blade, leaving one each to dispatch.

Not to offer the mercy of a painless death, Cyutadakyr grappled the man in a vice-like grip and hoisted the guard into the air. The indignity aside, wrapped in her fingers, wrought a deadly infliction of pain and suffering as the compression around his chest severely limited his mobility and breathing. Within seconds the man's body had become still, the flailing of his life extinguished, and his crumpled remains dropped to the floor below.

The pureblood looked over toward Thel with a satisfied grin, another successful mission was on the horizon now. Assuming he finished off his prey, she would finish off the last of the explosives and nod towards him, signalling her tasks' completion. All that remained was to pull the trigger from a distance.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Once the two guards were disposed of and the explosives were planted, Thel and Cyutadakyr retreated from the factory and back into the tunnel system. After reaching a safe distance, Cyutadakyr triggered the explosives. A powerful explosion tore through the factory. Those in range of the explosion had no chance to react as they were engulfed by the flames. The various levels of the factories collapsed and windows were blown out. The cave system shook as the noise from the explosion rung out in the distance.

“Let’s go.”

-

The mission had been successful. The damage to the factory proved to be a major blow to BioTech and the information obtained from the factory proved most useful to Fergriss Pharmaceuticals. Endron Maxil, Thel’s contact at the company, was able to use the mission’s success to persuade the other shareholders in the company of the benefits of an alliance with the Sith Order. With an alliance established, the Sith Order could now set about exerting its influence on the company and utilising the Ixetal Cilona, the key component in deathsticks, for its own ends.

END THREAD

@Xorism