Screaming Stars

[Darth Inheris]

Typically she wasn’t in the mode of freeing gang members. But when they had a use to her? Well, that changed things. The Screaming Stars were known for their cruelty and malice, a fierce reputation if there ever was one. Which made them prime candidates for Imperial sponsorship. Trade would be controlled or the Empire was doomed. Which meant, no matter what she thought, their leader needed freedom.
Easier said than done.

Taken high above the ground into one of Sneeves mountains, the gang that had captured the screaming stars leader his thmelsves away in a rat warren of a base, fortified against the enemy and the elements. Any major assault then was out of the question. Which is why Saorise and Saric found themselves now wrapped in cold weather gear, clinging close to the mountain as they closed in through the snow to the base,

“Sometimes I think there must be people better suited to this work Saric” Saorise said through gritted teeth as they closed in on the southern entrance. From what they knew it was rarely used, which meant they’d have a better chance of getting in undetected.

So they hoped, anyhow.

@Ulysses

 

[Saric Noms]

After one aborted attempt to find the pirate leader, Saric hoped this foray down onto Sneeve would be with it. He could definitely feel the temperature drop at this altitude, even through his layers.

"There may well be, but they aren't here." He didn't add: We are, though and so are precisely best suited. He couldn't help but think it was a cold metaphor for a conversation they had had recently in far different circumstances.

That thought was quickly driven from his mind by a fresh blast of icy air. Saric gathered his cloak closer round him.

As they rounded a corner they found a cave, only the roundness of the cave walls was far too perfect. Three tunnel, for that was what it must be, stretched deep into the darkness. There was no one to be seen.

"Anyone home?"

@Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

Saorise smirked as Saric tempted fate there, calling out into the caverns beyond. What exactly waited for them as they made their way into the bandit base was still uncertain. All she knew is that she held a rather extreme prejudice against it, some violence she needed to work out within her after all that had happened, the upheaval the galaxy was going through daily now, these last few being more monumental than any she’d seen in her lifetime.

This excursion to Sneeve was rather frustratingly failing to serve as any distraction. That was probably for the best. Better have stayed focused than allow her idle mind to wander, lest it find a reason to give it all up. She had worked too far, climbed too high to let any of it slip away. If she meant to affect this galaxy then the only way was up,

“That one” Saorise gestured to the rightmost hall, stairs cut into the stone,

“Hopefully if it leads up that’s out entrance. If only imperial intelligence had actually had something useful on this place” her own men had found nothing, and with the deadline approaching they were going in blind. Which proved to be a rather apt description of Saorise’s confidence as they worked their way onwards, the stairs looping around and up until they found exactly what they weren’t looking for:

Soldiers. A trio of them. A trio and a dead end, the ground behind the bandits falling away into some kind of drainage tunnel that fell into the earth, perhaps funneling the melting snow out in the summer,

“Hey!”

“You, hands up!” not exactly what she’d been hoping to hear. Her eyes darted up to them, the central man reaching to his coat for a large radio. He’d give up the game, no chance they’d get in and out on high alert. Which meant she only had one choice.
Yanking at the radio through the force with one hand, and pulling his legs out from under him with the other, the man suddenly thwacked into the floor, slipping suddenly back and into the tunnel, hardly able to get a handhold as he clawed at the floor for any grip before slipping away.

Good. One less to worry about.

@Ulysses

 

[Saric Noms]

Saric immediately ignited his full lightsaber: these were only irregular pirates, after all, and didn't require the full two saber treatment.

He swung wide at the left hand guard, only to be met by a surprise vibrosword. The parry threw him off his game and so he had to settle into a proper attack.

In the meantime, the remaining guard was making a break for freedom. His companion would have to silence him.

 

[Darth Inheris]

Foolish. She chided herself mentally for having been so careless in her infiltration. It was a running theme. While politically effective she often was, when she was boots on the ground it far too often went wrong, just like now. Outside of Corellia, this was not her field, command seemed to suit her better. What sort of Sith that made her, well, it wasn't something she exactly worried about. Her little methods had brought her more command than many of her peers, more respect, a higher climb. And a bigger fall, when it came to it. A moment she wouldn't allow.

So, she couldn't allow it today then either.

Whirling around to see Saric slicing at one of the pirates, she left him to finish him off while she rushed for the runner. He wouldn't make it far. Reaching out with the force, she caught the pirate by the throat, holding his whole body back as she tightened that grip. The pirate tapped at his side, trying to raise a comm device to his mouth. She crushed his throat before he could make a sound. And that left her an idea.

Leaning down she picked up the unit, simple enough to operate it seemed, she flicked the switch and spoke,

"Hello? Couldn't send down an elevator could you? One of us needs to visit medical" she said, affecting an accent that would hopefully disguise any particular Imperial affectation she held. Happily enough a response came. A service lift down the hall, that'd take them right up,

"Well. Seems he was good use then" she said, looking down at the corpse. She meant to make good on her development. this was the start.

@Ulysses

 

[Saric Noms]

As the door to the lift opened, the occupant almost jumped out of their own skin. They clearly were not expecting to see lightsabers on their travels.

He fell to his knees: "don't hurt me, don't hurt me!" He was wearing grubby overalls and no hint of a weapon to hand. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"We are justice come to your pirate gang." It was melodramatic - a little pompous even - but Saric thought to capitalise on the man's fear and weakness.

"You have someone we need. I think you know who he is." The likelihood of there being two high profile prisoners here was slim. If there were, all the better.

@Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

The mans breathed quickened immensely, they could hear every bit of his hyperventilation as he tried to speak, only managing to stammer out

"The prisoner, the prisoner is, is, is two blocks down, top floor. You'll probably hear it, the boss is working on him now. Please" he was almost pitiful. He didn't seem like a gang member, perhaps just some indentured servant working on day and night to repay some debt. Force, he could have been a citizen of the Empire before all this. And she didn't mean to cut through those undeserving,

"Thank you" a polite smile perching on her lips "Run, while you can. This place might get a little louder before long" she offered the fellow, who nodded his head intensely while picking up his tools and falling past them into the space behind. Perhaps he knew a safer way out than through the snow, but there was little else they could do. They still needed their target.

Elevator shooting up to the top floor, Saorise made a point to break it's interior cameras, limit what chances they had of being seen. It seemed it worked. As they exited on the top floor, the halls seemed pleasantly quiet, keeping quick and quiet they darted down till they heard the sounds of violence, of raised voices, the sight of a reinforced door keeping it all muffled,

"Well" she looked at Saric before turning back "That's us" gesturing forward she smirked at Saric

"After you"

@Ulysses

 

[Saric Noms]

The scared attendant passed them a key card before scuttling off.

As they got to the door, Saric pressed the card to the reader. The opening revealed a sorry sight: a naked man on a ragged chair, with three torturers. Two with whips of some description and one with a blaster who looked like he was giving the orders.

Fueled by his anger at the abuse this defenseless man was receiving, Saric threw out a bolt of lightning at the one who had the blaster.

He then ignited his lightsaber, ready to deal with whoever remained standing after Saorise had done her part.

@Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

Oh well this just got better and better.

The little criminal they were meant to save seemed to be all tied up, rather literally, and certainly not by choice. With a few vile looking wounds on him, it appeared a good thing that the pair had arrived when they did to get him out, or else there might not have been much to save.

Too bad for the ones surrounding him that she needed that man, the leader of the Screaming Stars, alive. And, generally, unspoiled. And it appeared that they would get in the way of that.

Saric shot out a bolt of lightning toward the blaster wielding leader, they looked the toughest so it was probably best the Crusader one on one anyhow, Saorise turned her head sharply to the others, their whips crackling with electricity as the first rushed at her with a ferocity not often seen, as if wild with abandon or bloodlust. Not that it would save them.

With the Force Saorise reached out and wrestled the whip from the mans hand, hurling it into the mans back as it discharged into him, sending him jolting to the floor. The other looked at her with more cautious eyes after the little display, raising their whip to send it out at her. Instead she threw her own lit blade at him, slicing across his chest and cutting him in two. If Saric looked after his, they'd have the man and it would be time to escape.

The sooner now, the better.

@Ulysses

 

[Saric Noms]

With the guards dead, Saric picked up the broken man and put his shoulder under his. He would let Saorise go first.

They retraced their steps through the hideout and Saric was always worried that being slowed down by the hulking dead weight, that someone might come across one of the many bodies they had left in their train. However, it appeared that no one was moving about as they made their way through without a hitch.

As they got back to their ship, they came across the workman who had helped them earlier.

"Take me with you." He begged. "There is no other way off this rock... Other than the people I betrayed."

@Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

They simply did not have time for this.

As the man cmae across to them and pleaded for his time, Saorise wanted to shake her head and simply move on, wordlessly. But something else struck her in that moment:

An echo.

Every word he spoke pinged off the facilities metal walls, dancing around their ears and off into the rest of the place. He hadn't said much yet, but if more than that carried, well, they could have some company on their hands. And after all the effort gone to blow through this place with a good deal of speed, there was no reason to let it all fail so spectacularly as they exited.

Instead then, she spun round and smothered the mans mouth with her hands, stifling any more words from coming out before knocking out the man. Her eyes darted round, scanning for the possible appearance of anyone. Waiting. Waiting. But, it seemed, they were safe enough.

Still, it would do no good to leave him here as evidence,

"Come on, let's get them onboard and out of here. I need to warm up after all this" she said, hauling the mans body onboard.

Knocking the ship into the atmosphere, the pair boosted off the planet and back into Imperial Space. Another mission complete.

/EndThread

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry for the delay, could have sworn I posted