Ask Raxus: Cultist Hunting

[Altair Din]

Altair was never the type to work from behind a desk - but he had been stuck doing just that as he desperately tried to sort through the logistics of the Imperial and Sith split. His right hand - Val Varthra- had been captured and presumed missing. Rumors were coming in that she had been executed by the ISC. He was left largely alone in leading this new Empire he had created, and he often doubted himself.

To get away from the monotone and pressure, he took up a mission that was originally assigned to another Imperial Knight. The original candidate was injured on another job, and Altair himself volunteered to fill in, especially due to the recent breakout. As a result, he found himself on Raxus and waiting for his partner. No doubt they would be surprised to find themselves working with the Warmaster.

The tiefling was adorned in Imperial uniform with his helmet under his arm for now. His tail swished from side to side as he scrolled through his NalPhone for the latest news. It took moments before he instead switched to his favorite memes page.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

After having gone through the mission's details on their flight over to Raxus once again, Kalique adjusted her regular, red uniform as she exited her transport. She was supposed to meet her partner, another Imperial Knight whose name was however not familiar, at the rendezvous point a quick speeder ride away from the alleged first hideout.

Her blonde hair was braided into a bun so that it wouldn't get in the way and the hilts of both lightsabers dangled from each side of her hip. She fell into marching pace, not wanting to waste any time before starting to deal with those delusional cultists who had been a thorn in the Empire's side for a little while for now, but their little reign of terror and their desperate attempt to spread their foul views would come to an end today.

She was hoping that her partner would be capable and frankly speaking, she was glad that she hadn't been assigned a squire for such a potentially dangerous task, but as she rounded the last corner her gaze fell on the muscular silhouette of a very familiar face she had seen on the holonet more than once.

The Serenneo noble involuntarily stopped, her features immediately turning into a confused frown for a split second before she regained control and composure. What was the Imperial Warmaster doing here?! That...had not been mentioned anywhere. A wave of quick embarrassment and apprehension washed over her for a moment as Kalique had always respected and even admired the handsome Tiefling who had worked his way up, but she was absolutely not prepared to meet him here.

She continued striding towards him, back straightened and her walk as confident as possible, however a thousand questions in her mind. Was he here to give her an update? Had he dealt with the situation already? Had something major happened on Raxus?

The Tiefling seemed focused on his phone, but right as she had approached him, she offered a respectful bow together with an inclination of her head before slowly looking back up. "Warmaster Din...It's an honor to meet you here" She had not met him face to face yet and she hadn't expected him to be this tall actually, but obviously she wasn't going to let any of her slight inner turmoil slip through.

"I was...informed to meet another Knight here. If I had been informed of your visit, I would have dressed appropriately. I'm sorry, Sir" she added with a soft, however slightly sheepish smirk, her gaze flicking down to the regular uniform. She was suppressing any signs of nervousity even if his surprising appearance was more than a reason to get nervous, actually, but for now she held up quite well.

Such high ranking members were obviously greeted in formal wear usually, but the way he almost casually leaned and scrolled somehow told her he wasn't here for an official announcement or whatsoever...also, there was his helmet. A detail she picked up but couldn't yet place. "Something tells me you're not just here for a check in" she stated after having analyzed this all, however not daring to make any claims. Maybe he hadn't dealt with the cultists yet, but was about to. Kriff...

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

He was still fiddling around on his NalPhone when the other Knight approached. He looked up at last, almost entertained by her sudden, stiff posture. She was nervous around him. When did he become a rank where people were nervous in his presence? He was usually the theatrical entertainer that everyone cheered for or didn’t take seriously.

“You’re right,” Altair said with a grin, “I’m going to be your partner for today.”

He didn’t bother to see if the comment would only make her more anxious. Altair popped his helmet on, the piece molded to accommodate all four of his pronounced horns. The tiefling began to walk, expecting her to walk with him.

“Haven’t seen you on the field before, Knight Demici,” Altair remarked as they walked towards the district that had the cultist issues, “This job calls for some detective skills… Which is not my specialty,” He admitted. They would have to find clues to track the cultists to their hideouts. Altair was much better at overt combat and engagements, so he hoped this new girl had some insight.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

While she held him in high regards, his amused smile immediately had an infectious impact, so that she was invited to reciprocate it. "My partner...oh well. That adds up" It didn't add up. For the armor and his readied demeanor, yes, but not for the rest. What had happened to the Knight or did she randomly owed this pleasure to a voluntary decision of the Tiefling to join?

It was not like she was about to complain, as working with him was probably something most knights dreamt off, but having the charming Tiefling as a direct mission partner was surely something special - something that would keep her nervous for a while. Working with superiors always meant being even more careful and precise while executing a mission, but for now it soothed her that he seemingly chose a rather casual way of conversation instead of sticking to overly formal platitudes.

"I'm decent with investigating clues and tracking down enemies. I'm good at moving around unnoticed as well, so we'll be fine" she replied confidently, however the nervousity he still caused for now made a lot of optimism bleed in. "What do the current reports say? Where were the last sightings of those maniacs? Before talking to civilians I wold suggest taking a look around", she stated, glancing up at him as they continued walking.

She had fallen into step next to him, however she was constantly the one needing to do additional steps while he covered a larger distance with fewer. "I have to admit I wasn't expecting the warmaster to get involved here...but it's admirable. Good leaders don't just judge from above". It wasn't empty flattery or a careful flirting attempt she added after a moment, but a genuine compliment. Despite having been caught off guard severely she was admiring his unbent dedication. He wasn't just talented, but also still not afraid to take matters in his hands.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair stared at her as she asked what the reports said, “Didn’t read the mission log?” He asked her. Though he was only giving her a hard time, it would be difficult to tell whether he was serious or not. He had always been more laidback even as an Imperial officer, and it was perhaps why he had such a loyal following. Altair jutted his chin towards the district ahead. It was a rundown town and the streets were eerily quiet.

He started walking by the time she gave him a compliment. That caused his steps to slow slightly, and he tilted his head to look at her, “I’m trying to do my best,” He remarked, appreciative of her comment. With the split, he had nothing but scorn from the Sith and the rest of the galaxy. Positive feedback was rare these days.

“There were reports of insignias drawn on walls and buildings,” Altair said, “Imperials and their families have been murdered, their doors marked by the symbol,” He came to a stop near terraced housing, standing before a door that had the symbol on it in black ink. The door had caution tapes around it, and he stepped inside.

The room was dark and almost eerie, tables and chairs overturned, “This incident was reported just a day ago,” Altair explained, “If we find some clues here, we may be able to get on their trail.”

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

They made their way over to the outskirts of the district while her gaze was directed to the front, at least until he almost snapped at her. "Of course I have, repeatedly even, but I was hoping you might have even gathered more insights" she calmly explained, keeping any irritation out of her voice even though she was a little surprised by his accusation.

Perhaps it wasn't even one, but his tone was hard to place and she cautioned herself to tone it down, as she had no intention of offending him - quite the contrary even, she was grateful for this opportunity and was hoping to impress the Warmaster, and as long as the Tiefling remained a mystery, she had to be careful what to say and how to phrase her usually direct thoughts.

The way he seemed to appreciate the genuine compliment drew a smile from her while the expressions softened from concentrated to slightly more relaxed. It didn't take much longer until they reached the first crime scene and slowed down accordingly, but before Altair stepped in, Kalique already had all senses on alert, carefully reaching out with the Force and inside the deserted building while checking for any strange presences.

"Those insignias...some are the same, others deviate. I presume they're not just marking possible targets, but even communicate through them. Some seem to derive from ancient Ur-Kittât runes, but they're veiling their messages through seemingly unsystematic deviations". The woman had studied a lot throughout the years, but had always followed an academic purpose instead of fanatic beliefs...She despised the cultists' doings and was hoping that they wouldn't run into any unpleasant surprised, but with the Sith you never knew for sure.

She followed the Warmaster inside after a moment, however suddenly couldn't shake the feeling of a burning sensation on her back, so as if someone was staring at them. She spun at once, gaze fixated on the building across the street, however couldn't make out anything. No subtle movements, not even a shadow and no shift within the Force.

As she turned around, her muscles were already tense and the right hand slid to the hilt of her first lightsaber while she caught up with Altair. "As long as no one follows our trail" she added with a smirk, nodding at his comment though before starting to look around.

It was relatively dark and she was about to fetch her utility belt to retrieve a light source, however after taking another step into the seemingly empty room, she suddenly slipped as the concrete surface suddenly mingled with an unknown liquid. She was relatively close to Altair, however couldn't tell whether he was even aware of where she had stepped, but as quickly as it happened not even the Force could stop her descent into the pitch-black darkness ahead. Somehow, whatever laced the ground lead right towards a little staircase downwards and if Altair wasn't possibly quick enough, the Imperial Knight was about to find out what was downstairs in a rather painful way...

@Sreeya

Spoiler

You know the result...third post and the force isn't with her lol

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was impressed by her quick analysis of the symbol. He had learned about it in his classes, but he tended to forget things that didn’t capture his interest. Ancient Sith studies were horribly boring for him. The tiefling was unfortunately entirely preoccupied by trying to assess the household. He picked up a photo frame, looking at the picture of a man, woman and two teenagers. Word had it that all had been slain and mutilated with Sith patterns carved on them.

He was distracted when Kalique abruptly tripped over nothing and randomly tumbled into the darkness and down a staircase. Altair was so baffled by the abrupt fall, that he couldn’t even think to stop it. He slowly set the photo down and made his way down the stairs after her. As his silhouette became slightly visibly from the lights behind him, she would notice his shoulders were shaking a bit. If she listened closely, she would know he was definitely doing his best to suppress laughter. At some point, he cleared his throat to unsuccessfully cover up the sound.

“Are you..okay?” He asked with a slightly choked voice, spotting her completely splayed on the ground. The contrast between how astute she was about the symbol and how clumsy she was seconds later was too much for him. His tail gave him away, eagerly flailing around as he tried very hard not to burst out laughing.

After a few more throat clears, he walked over and extended a hand to help her up, “My bad, I didn’t see you fall,” He apologized genuinely. He glanced around what appeared to be a basement, “The investigators that originally looked at this place thought the cultists escaped and came in through a path that wasn’t obvious. They couldn’t find it, however..” Altair muttered as he began to feel along the walls. He guessed it would be some sort of secret passage that connected this house to the exterior. There were no signs of a break in.

Roll: 5/20 for clues - Altair finds nothing

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique had expected potential traps, an assassination from the shadows, but she had not expected to step on a slippery surface and tumble down the set of stairs after having been caught off guard so severely.

Splayed on the ground, pain in several areas and the sensation of newly forming bruises washed over her, but the worst was the embarrassment that followed. It was good that the basement was still dark and that not enough light was shed to reveal her completely blushed cheeks, but she tried her best to swallow all of it as quickly as possible.

"Thank you..." she gratefully accepted his hand, trying to maintain as much dignity as still possible and pretending it hadn't even been a great deal while the truth was that her limps just hurted. "Rathermy bad...I thought I would have seen something outside and got distracted...a stupid mistake" she admitted, brushing off the dusk from the uniform that had at least partly cushioned some of the brute force of the fall, but due to not wearing a helmet, shebwas feeling slightly dizzy.

She felt terrible. Not due to the pain, but due to this terrible display of sheer clumsiness...and this in front of the eyes of the Imperial Warmaster. Little did she know catastrophical events were just about to enfold. After having stabilized herself a little, she slowly let go of his hand, stepping into the dark once again.

"Hmm...so you're saying-" was the last thing she mustered after having cleared her throat before she squinted and fumbled in the dark for the nearest wall. Her eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the dark, so there was absolutely nothing that gave away the tiny string she involuntarily grazed, that immediately triggered a metal 'clack', so as if something had fallen onto the ground.

A split second later, a hissing sound filled the basement, followed by a terrible stench that immediately conjured tears in her eyes. "OUT!" she still managed to screech, however it had already been to late. The unknown substance seemed to fill the confined space within the blink of an eye while her knees already gave in.

Coughing, she tumbled forward, her lungs burning terribly and her eyes already rolling upwards while there was nothing but an impenetrable darkness filled her head. She was already blacked out as her head collided with the wall in front of her, leaving her not only paralyzed and incapacitated, but also bleeding, and the Imperial Warmasted was probably going to suffer a similar fate. Just like that, their search for clues had ended in running right into a trap, triggered out of a series of unfortunate events. The Force didn't seem to be with them today at all...

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair made yet another mistake by taking his eyes off her for more than two seconds. He heard a click and his head immediately whipped around. He was a seasoned Imperial, and he knew about traps. Before he could stop her, she was stumbling about and further ruining the evidence space. Altair soon realized that he was unaffected by the smoke. This wasn’t entirely surprising - many poisons and toxins didn’t impact tieflings the same way.

With a sigh, Altair grabbed the Imperial Knight and tossed her over his shoulder to carry her out of the building. Whatever traps the cultists had planted here were triggered and this particular house would lead to nothing.

—​

It was some time later in the night and Kalique would find herself on a roof. Altair was sitting up on the railing, one of his legs dangling over the side, the backdrop of stars and the moon behind him. He was scrolling through his NalPhone, his helmet on the ground of the roof. His tail was swishing side to side and he looked rather relaxed. She would notice her cuts and scrapes were patched up, and he was simply waiting for her to become conscious again.

Altair looked up when he heard her moving, quirking a brow as he looked at her, “Your file didn’t mention how klutzy you are…” He couldn't hold back the half smile that touched his lips.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

The impenetrable darkness had swallowed her within seconds, the last thing she actually remembered before completely blacking out was a warm liquid running down her temple and a buzzing, agony radiating off her head. The lungs hadn't ceased their burning and without having had any chance to move out of the basement, Kalique was left to her fate. Who knew whether cultists were actually luring in an alley nearby, waiting for their chance to collect the prey that had fallen into their traps (fallen quite literally).

Lucky for Kalique though, her partner for today wasn't affiliated by the gas at all, thanks to his helmet and his Tiefling physique helped as well, probably, so that she had not faced her demise down their. Still, as she slowly began to regain consciousness, she woke by a disastrous fear originating from the depth of her mind.

Her survival insticts were kicked right into life as she realized she was somewhere outside, feeling a soft breeze drifting over her face. With the sensations slowly returning to her still aching limbs, she waited a few more moments before stirring, but when she finally did, she attempted to push herself right to her feet.

Her head spun, but before mananging to even surpass a seated position, she stopped and reconsidered her choice. Instead of held in the enemy's lair, she found herself on a roof with Altair right in front of her. She was in no accute danger. There was no need to spring up and right into action, but they actually seemed to have gotten out of it...

"Oh..." it escaped her as a waved of nausea washed over her, however it was bearable. The hurting bruises were the worse, but to her surprise she soon figured out that Altair had already patched her up. "For fucks sake" she cursed under her breath as the memories slowly returned, even making her forget about the Warmaster's presence.

"I'm am so, so sorry" it immediately escaped her as she glanced up at him, her eyes still widened from the shock of the previous events mixed with an unspeakable amount of gratitude. How damn embarrassing. On a mission where she wanted to impress him, everything had gotten downhill before they had even started.

She was ashamed of having been so unbelievable clumsy and to be honest, she didn't even have an explanation how this had all happened, but to her surprise, instead of waking to a well deserved chiding, Altair seemed to take it humorously even. "I bet you won't believe me when I say I'm not even clumsy...like usually. I have no idea what it was...but the Force wasn't with me". Before her cheeks had turned red, an actual chuckle escaped her. How damn silly this all was, but at least he didn't seem mad...at least not for now, so her coping mechanism with all this mess was also humor.

"Thank you...you saved my life" she said to him with genuine gratitude as she finally pushed herself up, slightly grimacing but noticing that she was probably fine to walk. She started rummaging in her back and pulled out some painkillers she simply swallowed before adjusting her uniform and ficing her slightly messed up bun.

"Okay. So this building offered nothing. We should take a look around and either check the next marked house or the proximity". Back on track, they had to get back on track immediately. Actively blocking out the aftereffects of her accidents, her mind was already racing. "Where exactly are we now?".

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair didn’t respond as she fumbled over her words. His tail kept swishing back and forth, betraying his amusement. It was almost cute how dorky she was in spite of being an established Imperial Knight. The tiefling’s face betrayed nothing but a slanted grin. He hopped down from the edge of the balcony, using the Force to bring his helmet back into his arms, “Shit happens,” He said with a shrug, making it clear he wasn’t bothered by her antics.

“We are a few blocks away from where we were,” Altair answered as he looked over the edge, “As I expected, I saw a few figures hovering around the building after I got you out. I think they expected to find some bodies in there, but we escaped,” He looked back at her, “I saw them disappear towards that warehouse,” He said as he pointed to a path far to the left of where they stood, “Let’s go.”

Altair didn’t wait before he hopped up on the railing and jumped straight down, landing on a ledge before jumping again. He believed her when she said she wasn’t a klutz, so hopefully she wouldn’t tumble all the way down to the streets this time.

The streets were dark and there were only a few people wandering about. Altair spotted an Imperial walking back home. Almost immediately, he could see a figure in the distance following the soldier. Was he about to catch one of them in the act?

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

The grin that kept lingering on his lips began to frustrate her internally as she simply couldn't analyze it properly yet. She was truly surprised how he wasn't angry at all, or at least did a great job at overplaying it, but he was also refraining from adding further jabs so actually, he was offering the easiest way of coping with it for her. Nothing added to this embarrassment, but not being able to read him properly still kept her a little nervous.

Focusing on the mission at hand was what distracted her from the shame, fortunately. Altair filled her in and seemingly didn't have any objections in her moving on as well, but while there was still a decent sting in her lung, the painkillers seemed to dull the agony caused by the bruised skin and bones.

"So yeah...thanks again. They would have dragged my body away. I'm really glad this gas or whatever it was didn't take you down as well" she really didn't want to imagine what would have happened otherwise...but what mattered was that they were fine and ready to hunt those bastards down.

She nodded at his outlines, glancing up at the Tiefling one last time before starting to move. She was extra careful during her descend, protectively drawing the Force around her and watching exactly where she was jumping, not trusting her slightly dizzy head in terms of balance.

Once down, she slowly exhaled in relief and followed close behind, finally returning her attention to their surroundings. She walked slightly behind him, hence her gaze fell upon the Imperial as well, only a second later and she was convinced he had seen it, too. "The soldier...I'll follow him. Maybe you stay close by?" she suggested, voice immediately lowered to a minimum, taking into consideration how he had mentioned such business wasn't his strong suit.

It was fortunate how not that they were back at it, it seemed like something was possibly about to enfold right in front of their eyes and as she was good in following subjects unnoticed, she didn't want to let this chance slide. She wasn't afraid of them, regardless of how they had already gotten her already. She was as determined as ever to strike them all down one by one, and if the Imperial's life was threatened, she'd rather pursue them right away, with or without him, even if he was definitely the one calling the shots here.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair watched the scene play out for a moment, “Doesn’t it seem…too convenient?” Was he overthinking this? “They sabotaged a crime scene and not too long after that we happen to catch them in the act? It could be another trap,” Unfortunately, this meant there was only one way to find out, “You will need to be bait,” He told her, “I’ll stay behind. Go out there and engage with the soldier. I want to see if this is an ambush and lure more of them out.”

Being an Imperial Knight was a hazardous job, and she knew some missions would come with great risks. Regardless, Altair trusted in his abilities to jump to action if his hypothesis turned out to be true.

If Kalique approached the Imperial, she would start to realize he was a little drunk and in a great mood. There was a pep to his step, and he was humming a little tune to himself.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

The Warmaster had a point - there wasn't a single doubt to it. It was conveniently easy to run right into the seemingly next assaulter and this all reeked like another trap, but she wasn't going to argue with her superior in terms of the execution of the actual plan. "On it" she confirmed without any objections, however minding his words and changing her plans as she woukd have sneaked after them, but if he wanted her yo engage, she would.

Glancing over her shoulder with a reassuring nod one last time, Kalique picked up her pace in order not to lose sight on the target without knowing where the hooded figure might lead her. The cultists were obviously aware of the Imperial presence, but she was expecting they were mistaking them for regular soldiers - at least until they'd recognize Altair's signature armor. Spotting the Imperial Warmaster here would draw too much unwanted attention, so she was fine with throwing herself right into danger, knowing that such risks needed to be taken for the Empire every now and then.

The figure had vanished, an annoying detail she noticed right after stepping into the midst of an alleyway before realizing that the soldier was a little tipsy. "Hey!" she called out, a faked smirk crossing her lips as she moved closer, the bemused other soldier coming to an abrupt halt.

"Oh hello theeeere", the slightly slured language confirmed that he was indeed a little drunk, however it seemed like after a few glanced, he realized that he had run into an Imperial Knight. "Isn't it a wonderful night?", he asked in best spirits, seemingly unaware of any possible danger and Kalique decided to play her part for now - not to endanger him, but to follow Altair's instructions. Nonchalantly she jutted her chin forwards, signaling that she'd walk with him for a bit before cheerfully replying, "Wonderful indeed. A night off feels great. How long have you been stationed here?". Her plan was to engage in casual smalltalk, hoping their stalker would strike at some point, planning to catch them off guard while Kalique stayed fully aware of her surroundings the whole time while continously masking her presence within the Force just to be sure though.

Meanwhile Altair would notice that someone was approaching from behind, however once he'd spun, he'd gaze into the friendly face of a elderly woman whose smile spread from one ear to the other. "Oh my...what an honor. I never thought I'd cross paths with you in my old age. It's a dream coming true! Warmonger Din...I'm so delighted and feel incredibly honored", with shameless elderly confidence, the woman moved to grab his hand wholeheartedly in an attempt to shake it, before she'd ramble on.

"My oh my...my granddaughter is a huge fan as well! Our house is not far off...would you...uhm would it be possible to spare some of your valuable time just to drop by and say hello? She'd never believe her old nana had run into our boy!". Call it dementia or whatsoever, but the old woman was not about formalities at all. Altair would notice her smile was genuinely warm, but she was still a distraction...

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Damn. Old ladies were the bane of Altair’s existence. Within moments, he was standing there exchanging baking recipes and tips and tricks. If Kalique listened in at all, she would hear him talking about portions of sugar and how to make perfect shortening. However, when the old lady tried to take him away, he shook his head and said he was on the job.

He heard movement and suddenly paused, glancing towards where Kalique was engaged. He focused with the Force, and he could sense where the others were. He had a clarity through the plane of the Force that made every cultist stand out. They began to move in, but he knew to act. He projected his thoughts to Kalique so she wouldn’t be taken by surprise. She would know there was a cultist in the alley directly to the left of her. The man tried to coil the Force around her neck.

Meanwhile, Altair used the Force to coil around two individuals, yanking them down from a roof. They landed with a sick crunch, their limbs breaking when they hit the ground. The old lady screamed and ran away but Altair was focused on combat. He intended to capture at least one alive.

He knew where two other cultists were and he whirled around to engage them before they could attack him. Lightning shot at him, but he absorbed it with one of his gauntlets before sending it right back to fry the cultist.

Perception check: 19/20

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Quickly assessing the Imperial's status, Kalique realized that he was in no condition to fight with the needed, deadly precision, so as soon as Altair projected his perceptive thoughts into her mind, she had the rough outline of the cultists' position and knew it were only the two of them.

Ignoring the conversation he had started with the lady, Kalique spun around and faced the direction ofnthe first hiding, shadowy creature that lurked within. "Is there-" the Imperial began, rather startled due to her sudden change in demeanor right as she reached to her first lightsaber and yanked it off her belt.

Before the first cultist could summon the Force and coil it around her neck entirely, Kalique activated the orange blade and hurled it right into the alleyway, so that the lightsaber -rotating swiftly, thus forming a visible, deadly, fiery ring- zoomed inside and beheaded the first cultist who was too focused on trying to strangle the Knight. Commanding the Force, the lightsaber returned within a split second and was back in the Knight's right hand before sprinting back towards Altair and leaving the completely baffled Imperial behind for now.

Reaching the Tiefling right as he was frying another one of those bastards, Kalique reached out to yank the last one out of their retreat, however soon realized that this one was a lottle more prepared after having realized that his friends had already met their end. She was applying a stasis while pressing on and rounding the final corner, but the cultist kept resisting until she could finally see her - A tall, Devaronian woman with pointed teeth dangerously bared.

Snarling ferociously, the cultist seemed to lose her nerves which was finally what gave Kalique the crucial advantage, as not only the stasis was effective, but her follow up attack as well. Frantically trying to escape, the Devaronian was too unfocused to prevent Kalique from dulling the woman's senses, making her motionless, muscular body slump to the ground with a thud. "Are you alright?" she called back at Altair who had probably taken out the other one by now, slightly panting.

Kalique then closed the distance between the unconscious cultist and already had her still ignited lightsaber raised, about to strike the scum down as she realized she was more valuable alive. There had been reports of various hideouts and they still had to track down this high-priest, so they needed someone alive, so she deactivated her lightsaber for now.

Checking the proximity once again, it seemed like there was no one hiding nearby, thus allowing them to discuss plans. Kalique was already busy grabbing the Devaronian's left leg and dragging her across the concrete ground and back towards Altair which resulted in a comical image, giving the height and mass differences, but the Force was fortunately her ally. "I'm pretty sure we can squeeze her out", the rush of the sucessful fight made Kalique a little more optimistic despite the awkward start she had had.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair smiled at Kalique beneath his helmet, giving her a nod, “Great work,” He said as she subdued the Devaronian female. That was no easy feat, the woman was bulky and muscular. He walked over and easily hoisted the woman over his shoulder, his own broad frame and strength allowing it without issues. He knew there was a nearby empty warehouse, and he led the way there.

The woman was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, and he already had her bound and her weapons taken away. He spotted a tattoo on her shoulder that was the same as the markings on the doors.

She was slowly coming to and Altair gazed at her, “What are you?”

His helmet was off, and she knew she was staring into the eyes of the Warmaster. He didn’t use the Force on her, but she knew he wasn’t afraid to do it if needed.

The Devaronian looked from him to Kalique and then back to him, “I’m a new recruit, I don’t know anything!”

“That’s a lie,” Altair said flatly, his gaze flicking to her tattoo.

The woman bit her lip, glancing around nervously, “We follow a man that claims to be the son of Raze,” She said quickly, “A Force user in black armor. He told us to destroy Imperials and prepare for the return of his father!”

Interrogation roll: 12/20

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

The genuine praise of the Warmaster was something well received by the ambitious Knight. A soft smirk crossed her lips while she actively fought against blushing once again. "Thanks...Same for you though. Those gauntlets..." she had never gotten to behold them closely before, but they definitely came in handy, "are impressive. But so are your skills". The Warmaster hadn't gotten where he was because he had been lucky or due to his looks.

He continued by proving his strength by how casually he carried their massive yet unconscious prisoner over to the warehouse before preparing her for a little chat. While Altair focused on readying the Devaronian, Kalique took a look around, ensuring no one was sneaking up on them again, but closing the entrance they had used to buy them time if needed.

As the interrogation started, she was back at him, arms crossed in front of her chest and a stern gaze directed at the woman on the ground. "Lies" she hissed at her first remark in unison with Altair, slowly stepping closer while warningly glaring down at her.

The Devaronian probably knew that the Warmaster wouldn't ask twice and thus began talking and from what Kalique perceived, she was even honest, or well, a great lier perhaps. "Where is he and how many are there?" her voice sharply cut through the air as she knew she'd be able to answer at least one question.

Judging from the reports, this leader was engaging his subjects regularly, so it was not like he was hiding from plain sight. The Devaronian began to stutter something incomprehensible, widened eyes darting from Altair to her, while Kalique sensed her desperation. "How many...No clue. He's...meeting us in groups every now and then, at random places. There are...ancient catacombs west of here, and he seems to reside there". "How do you get in?". "I don't know", she replied, clearing her throat, but this time, she lied again.

Without hesitating, Kalique force pulled a dagger the Devaronian had previously carried into her hand and without warning, rammed it into her right thigh. Before a pained scream could fill the warehouse, Kalique rounded her swiftly and pressed a hand tightly on her mouth, thus muffling the majority of it. "The entrance" she repeated by stating her request flatly, only this time, the cultist was beginning to learn that Altair wasn't the only one she should fear.

Panting and grunting in pain, the Devaronian started cursing under her breath in her Native Tongue while Kalique softly added, "You're wasting time. A destroyed main artery will knock you out rather soon". No empty threat, but Kalique offered the truth. If left untreated, her chances weren't great. It was only for the Sith that she shared so little love that she commited this sheer brutality without flinching.

"The old sewers...they'll...lead there". "Good". A truth, this time, or so it seemed. With a snap, the orange blade hissed into existence once again, at least sharing the decency of making the death quick and painless for her compliance by cleanly piercing right through her skull and brain. It was done. At least the first part and they had a lead.

"The sewers...well let's get going then". Wiping the blood the dagger had caused of her hand, Kalique clipped the now deactivated lightsaber back to her belt and checked for the rough direction and a street map. "It's a quick walk, so we can make it by foot. We should stay aware of our surroundings though. I'm pretty sure there are more nearby". If he hadn't had any objections or a different plan, they'd head out again, choosing some diagonal streets to reach set sewers.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was more than impressed at the sudden show of efficiency. He was used to operating with people that hemmed and hawed too much, and he himself had been like that in the past. The tiefling said nothing as she worked - ultimately getting from the Devaronian what they needed. There was no sign that she was lying.

“You’re just the kind of Knight we need right now,” Altair ventured to tell her. He was tired of black and white Force users that resorted to extreme dark side or were too nice to get things done. She was a perfect blend of what was necessary.

The sewers were disgusting, and he was thankful for his helmet. Kalique was clearly not the princess type to get turned off at doing what it took for a mission, another trait he began to admire in her. For a moment it was nothing but silence, and he knew they had a bit of time.

“How did you become a Knight?” He asked curiously, his voice low and quiet.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

While she had never gotten any bad feedback at her direct methods so far, there was a moment of doubt as she reflected on who was with her again. Altair's new course was everything she had ever hoped for, yet in the field you always had a Commander above you, not the Warmaster directly and she questioned whether she had been a little too quick with her execution. Maybe he had something else for the Devaronian in mind, but as absolutely no objections nor moves to interfere came, she just carried on.

In the end, as he even praised her for her the work, she couldn't help but to feel a wave of pride wash over her before a genuinely warm smile followed. "That's...good to hear. Honestly". Could he have even said something better? After all, it seemed like she was starting to impress him and this didn't only make her proud, but happy, actually. She was dutifully serving and fully believing in her course, but after all the hard work and dedication it felt amazing to be appreciated just like that. She was thinking back to what he had said earlier, right after she had giving him a honest compliment and in a way it was just the same. It was something rare, especially coming from above and while in the process of reforming the Empire, it was good to hear she was on the right track to help.

Slipping into the sewers really wasn't that hard, but the stench was clearly disgusting. She breathed through her mouth mostly and envied Altair for his helmet a little, but despite the tears in her eyes she was holding on well. She had seen many disgusting things and while this one of the most terrible places, she simply pushed through.

They had walked in silence for a while, but it was definitely a pleasant kind of silence, not awkward at all. Kalique's eyes were adjusting to the dim light and it seemed like there was a bit of way ahead of them. His question was no surprising one, but seeing him showing genuine interest in a regular Knight was just another thing she appreciated. "I started at the Academy when I was a teen. I've always been more military driven, but obviously hadn't planned on wasting my Force sensitivity either. I was trained along side Sith every now and then, but never viewed myself as one, actually" she began to elaborate as they walked, her gaze directed up at him while watching where she stepped every now and then.

"The split was the best possible outcome and I am, among countless others, unbelievably grateful for what you did. We are finally free and becoming what we're supposed to be. The Empire we all want to embody...I was amongst the first official Knights as that was exactly where I fitted. We're teaching the new squires what I had learnt during my training because I was refusing to be trained as a 'pure' Sith. I'm proud to be officially part of the New Order". Not an interesting story, as her loyalties had always been clearly towards the Empire, but it was probably an explanation to why this was easy to her.

"Have you always expected where you'd end up and how things would turn out?" she obviously couldn't help but to wonder as well. Maybe he had joined the Academy with those revolutionary thoughts. Kalique had always felt this aversion towards those who considered themselves 'real Sith', the ones who uncontrollably threw themselves into the dark and putting their religious ideologies above all else.

@Sreeya