Ask Winds of Death

[Wodan]

The winds of Mygeeto ripped at the edges of Wodan’s armour, the Sith Acolyte stood on one of the large bridges connecting the different districts of the capital city. Beneath him the sky fell away into clouds, a simple wrong step ending his or anyone else's life. The thought caused him to shift back away from the edge. The thick body suit beneath the armour kept the worst of the cold away from his skin.

Turning back to face the assembled Imperial Troopers behind him, he glanced over at the commander of the mission today, a Kel Dor by the name of Sol Kenuk, Wodan knew little of the Sith Champion apart from a ruthless streak fitting the Sith of old. That mentality is probably why he had been tasked with rooting out a suspected Killik infestation on the planet.

Stepping away from the edge of the bridge he walked up alongside the Kel Dor who was about to address the assembled soldiers.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

The first thing he notices is the cold. The frigid air that whipped against his skin. Sol isn't fond of it, but he supposed that there were far worse planets in the galaxy that he could have ended up on. Regardless, the Killik threat far outweighed his personal preferences. In a way, Mygeeto wasn't so far removed from Dorin. Both were entirely inhospitable, and yet it seemed that life would always find a way, even among glaciers and jagged, crystalline towers. At the very least, everyone seemed dressed for the job. The Kel Dor, and his accompanying solders, were all fairly snug against the frigid gales of the planet.

He wonders if they expect some inspirational speech. Sol didn't really care for such things. He peers upon the troopers with a gaze that was nearly as cold as the surrounding air. Whether or not they lived or died, the Kel Dor had no preference, so long as the mission was a success.

"Local security has already provided us with a potential lead." Sol's vocals are snake-like and venomous. There is little sign of friendliness within the thundering baritone. "Suspicious activity at a warehouse distribution facility. The locals still find prosperity in mining Mygeeto's crystals, but this particular location seems to have ceased production rather suddenly." Quite unusual, given the price some of the local gems were known to catch. Of course, the warehouse had been investigated, but there had been no sign of the Killiks themselves.

That wasn't to say that the Killiks had not been sighted at all upon Mygeeto. Only recently, one had been discovered, and promptly killed, deep within a crystal mine. It was perhaps this misstep from the bugs that had led to the heightened sense of security on the planet, and the suspicion of residents acting strangely. Joined were a bit harder to root out than their insectoid allies.

Regardless, Sol only needed enough proof to warrant a purge of the entire warehouse. After all, it was better safe than sorry, and ultimately, Sol cared nothing for the residents, Joined or not.

"Once we arrive, you will all take up position around the building. If anyone that's not me or the Acolyte attempt to leave, kill them. Let us hope to contain the infestation before it spreads." If it hadn't already. Regardless, the Sith would hunt down anyone else that was suspected of being Joined. If the Killiks were allowed a foothold within Imperial Space, then the entire Empire would be at risk. That was not something Sol would allow to happen, not when his ambition relied on power gained within the Empire itself. He would sooner burn the entire city to the ground than risk the Killiks gaining a foothold.

Sol turns to head across the bridge, and he doesn't expect questions. The orders were simple enough. All the troops had to do was stand around and exterminate any roaches that decided to try and scurry away. The investigation into the potential Joined themselves would rest upon Sol and Wodan's shoulders, because quite frankly, he didn't have the patience to deal with the troops getting in his way.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

His eyes flicked over towards the Kel Dor as he spelled out their reasoning for being here along with the small plan that the Champion had conducted. The man radiated menace that colder than the icy winds that surrounded them, Sol Kenuk was a born killer, one of the more definitively dark members of the Sith Order. He reminded Wodan a little of Draugr, they both seemed to show a lack respect for the living that harkened back to the Sith of old.

Men like Sol and Draugr were needed in the Sith Order, if only to do the dirty jobs the rest of the order refused to deal with. The soldiers were quickly dismissed, Wodan wasn’t sure if they expected more from their commander and they paused in position for a moment before Wodan spoke. “Sergeant's organise your men, take up positions as the Commander ordered. Dismissed.” The little added military code helped spring the soldiers into action.

Wodan turned and had to make a little five second jog to catch up with the Kel Dor as he strode away. “Do we have any information on which of the warehouse's members are suspected Joiners, Sir?” He asked as they walked across the bridge.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

The Kel Dor says nothing as the Acolyte speaks to the troopers with a bit of military code, something Sol never really cared much for. Then again, he wasn't much of a commander when it came to Imperial soldiers. He preferred to do things alone, or with other Sith, if teamwork was required. That wasn't to say that he didn't understand the importance of the Imperial troopers, he just simply didn't care for engaging with him. Their purpose was to follow orders, and die as needed. As for the Acolyte, he knows nothing of the Kel Dor, at least nothing beyond what he has heard, so the question directed at the Champion is an unsurprising one.

Sol tilts his head, stays quiet for a few heartbeats longer than Wodan might have liked, before he finally speaks with a dead-pan drawl, "We know nothing beyond suspicion. But rest assured, the Killiks are like an infestation of roaches. We only need to know that one is Joined to know that the rest are likely the same." The blatant disregard for the civilian's lives was probably obvious then and there, but Sol had a job to do. He was simply being thorough. "When we arrive, we will round the workers up within a secure room. From there, you will interrogate the workers and I will search the warehouse for proof of any Killik or Joined activity." It seemed simple enough, but with Killiks, it never really was.

"We'll discuss what we've found when the job is done. If the workers are not Joined, they will be released." Of course, Sol doesn't really need to say what will happen if even a single one of them is found to be Joined. Better safe than sorry, after all. "Comm me if you discover anything before I return." The Acolyte was chosen to do the interrogation simply because Sol was far less friendly, and much more inclined to simply torture the workers until he was satisfied with their information. Despite his cold demeanor, Sol was on an important job, and even he was capable of some professionalism.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

He was a step back and to his right from the Kel Dor, showing some subverence to the Champion as they walked towards the warehouse in question. Sol’s comments caught Wodan by surprise, he had rarely heard anyone willingly through lives away as easily as the Champion. Any dealings so far with the Killik’s had erred on the side of caution, looking for definitive proof of each individual’s status within the Hive Mind before sentencing was decided.

“Understood.” He replied, his voice abrupt, trying to hide any emotion from his voice. Wodan had been shown a technique on how to read one's mind to check to see if they were a joiner. Unknowingly to him and any others shown it was just a PR face sent out by the higher ups to avoid panic. He hoped that he could quickly check the warehouse workers and separate any who were not joiners, just encase.

Taking a deep breath, he continued following the Kel Dor to the edge of the warehouse, the soldiers behind them were quickly taking up their positions. A pair of local law enforcement stood next to the entrance way into the warehouse. They have stiff if not sloppy salutes to the two Sith as they approached.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

With the Acolyte's understanding, the Kel Dor continued leading the way to the warehouse. It was close enough, though that was probably obvious. Sol wouldn't have deployed the group on the other side of the frigid city, after all. Winds battered the troops and the Sith with biting frost, but once they were off the bridge, towering structures provided some shelter from the might of the planet's gales. The warehouse itself loomed above them, though it was no skyscraper. Sol supposed it made more sense for the Killiks to target a smaller facility to start with, but ultimately, their mistake in the mines had the potential to destroy all that they had been working towards.

With the Empire alerted, and pest control arrived, it was only a matter of time before Mygeeto was secured.

Local security appeared to already be guarding the front entrance to the warehouse. A wave of Sol's long talons signals for the troops to take up their own positions around each exit, and they were quick to do as they had been told. The Kel Dor pauses as the law enforcement offer their salutes, and his frigid gaze washes over them, the intensity of it hidden behind his dark goggles.

"We will make this as short as we can." Sol's vocals are a honeyed promise, but the sweetness of it is laced with a poison. Not something the officers would likely notice. They wanted the threat of the Killiks gone, and the Sith had come to do just that.

Sol slips into the building, senses the unease that suffocates the stale air within. Of course the workers had noticed the presence of security at their entry-way. The first chamber appears to be a lobby of sorts, and there's a few employees eying the pair warily. One, a short, fur-covered Lurmen, seems bold enough to approach. His tail waves in silent signal to the others, as if he was attempting to soothe them. Sol wonders if the man has authority here, as he awaits the small sentient's inevitable questioning.

"Welcome sirs. We... ah. We haven't been told what's going on yet. Officers outside just keep saying that there's been some kind of security issue." Sol tilts his head, peers down at the Lurmen as he speaks to the Sith with a voice of uncertainty. "If this is about the distribution problems, it's only temporary. A Whiteworm damaged one of the mines that we get our supply of crystals from. They're still clearing away the debris." He explained.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Wodan felt concerned with Sol’s words, was he going to make it short because it was a simple task, or because he would make it simple with wholesale slaughter. The Firrerrian cursed inside at his lack of strength or jurisdiction, if he had more of either he could possibly stop any wanton bloodshed, no matter what they found inside. But no, instead he had work within the confines of his weak Acolyte self.

He gave both the guards a nod as he stepped through the entrance way and into the lobby. Tension was thick in the air, a few of the waiting workers had fear in their eyes, the rest confusion or anger. The Lurmen who approached them had the latter, Wodan stepped forward past the Kel Dor. He needed to get the tests over with quickly less they all be slaughtered. “There have been reports of Killik activity in the area. We have been asked to search the surrounding warehouses.” Panic began to rise in everyone. “Do not worry, the Empire has sent us to find the threat and eliminate it. We have also been given a technique to locate joiners, but I will need every employee assembled.”

The Lurmen stood there like a goldfish, her mouth moving no words coming out. “The quicker everyone assembles the quicker we can move on.” He continued leaning closer to the man. The golden flecked eyes of the Sith Acolyte seemed to get the Lurmen’s mind moving and he quickly began shouting around to get everyone together.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

The Kel Dor said nothing, didn't need to. The Acolyte seemed far more talkative, which meant that it was all the better that he got to deal with the interrogation. Flaming eyes burn behind Sol's mask as he watches the Lurmen summon the rest of the employees. The lobby itself had a single exit, guarded by the security outside. The interior doorways no doubt led deeper into the warehouse. Not entirely the type of place that Sol wanted them all to gather. Too many places to run to. He supposed the doors would be simple enough to barricade though, if this was where Wodan chose to hold the employees.

"I will be searching the warehouse." Sol advises the group with a graveled baritone. His head shifts upon his shoulders to peer coldly upon the Acolyte. "Be thorough." Simple enough advice, but within it also carried a warning. When it came to the Killiks, and in particular, their Joined, mistakes could be costly.

With that, the Sith strides deeper into the lobby, making his way to a set of double doors beyond. He slithers through, and into the next room. Here, it seemed, was where the packaging took place. Lines of boxes, wrappings, and even the glint of an occasional gem. To the Kel Dor, it was messy and chaotic, but the workers probably had everything organized to their liking.

The buzz of the overhead lights fills his ears, as a few Employees filter nervously past the Sith and into the lobby, answering their comms to adhere to the Lurmen's summons. Sol is silent, striding between shelves, a snake in the shadow. Ahead, a fairly small conveyer belt rests silent, but as he draws closer, he can see a few boxes resting upon it's rough surface. Each is empty though, and indeed, there seems to be a distinct lack of crystal within the facility. Perhaps the Lurmen had not been entirely untruthful, or perhaps there was indeed something darker going on.

The warehouse was still fairly large, though. Sol had plenty of rooms left to cover.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Quickly one by one the staff of the warehouse began shuffling into the room, Wodan ordered them to line up alongside the long side of the room. All had fear in their eyes, some covered it better than others but they all had it. “We shall begin now.” He said, grabbing the Lumen by the arm, the alien for a moment tried to squirm out of his grip but the Firrerrian just tightened his grip.

“Kneel, if you are clean it will be painless.” Wodan pulled lightly on the arm until he obeyed. Letting go of the arm Wodan placed his hand on the man’s head, The Force pulled into the Noble then through his hands into the Lumen. The Firrerrian was filled with flashes of memories, nothing specific or identifying to the Lumen in general.

After about ten seconds, he released his grasp on the man’s head and stepped back. “You are fine, next.” He said looking up to the que waiting for him. This was going to be a long day.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

The first room was clear, and so the Kel'dor moved on. In the meantime, he's certain that the Acolyte will have gained control of the employees, and was interrogating them sufficiently. So, out of the distribution room and into the next. Sol steps clear of two broad, swinging metal doors, and the next room appears to be storage, for the most part. Boxes upon boxes line upon shelves. Unlike the previous room, there was no conveyer belt slicing through the center. Sol moves quietly, taking in all that he could. His talons rummage through the already open boxes, finding little more than dust.

Then, something changes. A speck of blood, nearly unnoticeable. It was small, a dribble and nothing more, a dot of red against the board of an empty box. To most, it would probably be seen as nothing more than paint, or a stain from a worker taking a break for food or drink. Sol thinks differently, though. He's searching for signs of Killiks, and he'll take every shard of possible evidence as he can. Glowing eyes sweep the vicinity, searching for anything else. There, a single box unlike the rest, on the shelf across from him. It was sealed shut, but the cardboard ripped easily beneath the Sith's long claws. Tearing it open, he finds something foreign.

It was a fairly large flask of frothing, foaming fluid. Sol might have thought that it was some unusual alcoholic beverage, but the faint crimson hue seems to give off a discomforting feeling. The box has an odor to it, like the rotten innards of something indescribable. Whatever it was, it wasn't a normal drink. It certainly wasn't something that would be sealed in a box in the middle of a crystal distribution warehouse. Sol narrows his eyes, peers around him once more for further clues. A paranoia creeps along the back of his neck, and he lets the force swell around his frame, lets it poke and prod at the structure around him while he stayed obscured behind the shelving.

Despite the eeriness that the air had contracted, Sol doesn't sense any Killiks. He does sense the employees, and Wodan, in the lobby. He senses that the sealed bottle of frothing fluid was wicked in nature. But perhaps, more importantly, he senses something else, something in the ceiling above him. Sol can't make it out, and there is no life to the object, but it stood out above the ceiling tiles, where there was nothing else but dust. Behind his mask, he frowns, looks up and reaches for the ceiling with pointed talons. The force rips the tiles from their positions, sends them clattering to the floor. Something else follows.

With a thump, a heavy object crashes against the floor. Sol has to look at it for several moments before he recognizes what it is. The body of... someone. The uniform they were wearing seemed to be that of an inspector, though. His throat had been slashed with something sharp, a crude weapon, undoubtedly. There were not many signs of rot. The body was fairly fresh, and if not for the well made ventilation of the structure, Sol has no doubt he would have still been able to smell it. Did the employees know about this? Sol thinks they did, thinks that all of them were Joined, thinks that he had all the evidence he needed to justify what he decided to do next. Undoubtedly, the Inspector had found the bottle, just as he had, but he had been alone. Sol was not.

Grabbing the sealed bottle of the suspicious fluid, Sol leaves the corpse and heads back into the lobby. His other hand already rests upon the glinting hilt of his saber, still clipped against his belt. Flinging open the doors to the front room, the Kel'dor re-emerges, undoubtedly interrupting whatever Wodan had been focusing on. Interrogations were over. Sol had found all the evidence that he needed to condemn the employees. With the force, he sends the bottle flying into the air, before it lowers to rest gently upon the floor in front of the line up, between Wodan and the group.

"Unfortunate." Sol speaks with a cold lack of empathy, his sharp vision raking across the line up of the employees. "It seems local law enforcement was right to be concerned. We are standing in the middle of an infestation." Cruelty laced every word. Sol didn't care about their excuses, their lies, that they would undoubtedly make. Ultimately, even if some of the employees were not Joined, it didn't matter to the Kel'dor. Better safe than sorry when it came to annoying insects within Imperial Space.

"Kill them all." A command spoken without pity, without remorse. With talons rising to point into the employees before they could scatter, flames erupted from fingertips to devour at least a quarter of the group, and even as they screamed and their flesh cooked, Sol felt nothing.

@Braden (rolled a 20 for some slam dunk killik evidence rip lmao)

 

[Wodan]

Wodan had made it through just over a dozen of the assembled workers, around one fifth of those assembled today. It was taxing on both his mental and physical fortitude channelling that much Force energy one after another. But he was determined to find the Joined and spare the rest from its fate. Those that had been cleared stood behind him, closer to the door all with a sense of relief clear on their faces.

Another knelt before Wodan and he took a deep breath ready to pull The Force into himself again when the Kel Dor appeared through the entrance to the warehouse. Without a word Wodan knew he had found something, fury was pouring off the Sith in waves. He took a step back from the worker and turned to face Sol and the floating vial.

The Firrerrian was taken aback by the Sith’s ruthlessness, why did they all have to die, he had checked a dozen of them already and they were clean. He took a half step towards the Champion to protest their execution but was met by a wave of heat as the flames erupted from the Kel Dor and began to lance into the assembled workers.

Panic quickly erupted as the workers ran in all directions trying to get away from the maniacal Sith. But the door was locked, Wodan had sealed it himself with the way barred from the outside, only with The Force could one open it. Fists, feet and shoulders were rammed into the metal door as screams echoed around the room.

Wodan stood still in the middle of the carnage, his hand hovering over his lightsaber, was this what the Sith were truly like. Did they not have justice in their actions, how could they slaughter dozens of innocents just to strike at one evil presence. But that is what happened on Kashyyyk, millions had died because of a few Jedi. This wasn’t something he hadn’t seen before, something he had personally defended and lauded. It was just this time, he was tasked with doing the killing himself, instead of watching it on holo.

His hand inched closer to the saber hilt, yet he still hesitated. Then he felt something scramble onto his back, before a sharp stabbing pain erupted from his side. Wodan fell to the ground, turning as he did so, to see the Lumen warehouse manager standing over him. His eyes were white, devoid of understanding, he was Joined.

But how, the technique, it showed him to be normal. Confusion riddled his mind as he tried to decipher what was happening, pain laced through his side as a serrated blade was pulled from his flesh. Blood dripping across the Lumen as he stared blankly at the Firrerrian.

Fight or flight kicked in, without conscious thought Wodan lent upon the pain, during the Darkness into himself before letting out a wave of Force Lightning. It crashed into the Lumen killing him instantly, the wave continued on however, bouncing across individuals killing them one by one.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

Panic. Terror. Pain. Screams and desperate efforts to escape. These were not the actions of a Joined, but regardless, Sol does not care. He would not take chances with the Killiks, would not risk the Empire to their vile control. His Empire. The fire continues to erupt past his claws. He can smell cooked flesh, and burning hair. He can see the heat sizzling across their bodies. And in the chaos of it all, the Lurmen made his move. Sol sees it from the corner of his vision, turns to witness the attack against the Acolyte. Ultimately, the Kel'dor doesn't move to help. If Wodan was too weak to handle the oversized rodent, then so be it. Sol would inevitably kill the Lurmen himself. They couldn't afford the Joined escaping.

Blood splatters the floor as the Acolyte surges back with pain for fuel, electricity clashing with the fur covered sentient to obliterate him on the spot. Lifeless and smoking upon the ground, quickly followed by the electrocution of several others. In truth, slaughter was the only way to put what happened in that warehouse. Between Wodan's lightning, and Sol's fire, there was no life left to be found among the scorched and melted husks that had once been living, breathing people. The deed was done. The threat was eliminated. Sol was satisfied. He takes a step toward the wounded Acolyte in silence, staring at him with wintry eyes devoid of compassion. The hesitation of the other had not gone unnoticed by the Kel'dor.

"To be a Sith is to do whatever it takes to insure not only our future, but that of the Empire. There are no atrocities in war. There are no crimes, no cheating, no lines that can't be crossed. There is only winning, and losing. Victory, and defeat. The dead don't get to decide who is the hero, and who is the villain. History does." And history was whatever the victor decided to make it. Sol's vocals are chilling, callous, but the tone in which he spoke made it clear that this was something Sol believed. When it came to war, when it came to survival, everything was permitted. No good or bad. Just triumph, or death. "We will present the evidence I've gathered for the Joined presence here." Whether that was just the Lurmen or not, it didn't matter. Nobody would know.

For now, Mygeeto was safe.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

The smell of burning flesh filled his nose, once again flashes of Atravis filled his mind. Night terrors which had only just begun to subside were sure to follow this night and the next. The screams of the innocent and the guilty began to fade as each individual life was snuffed out of existence, till finally he was left with just the sound of flickering flames filling the room.

As he lay on his back, blood pouring from his wound the sprinkler system finally burst into action dousing the entire area in gallons of water. Soaked to the bone, Wodan pulled himself to his feet, pain lacing through his body as he moved. He turned to the Kel Dor as he approached and began his mini speech, Wodan only half heard the words Sol spoke. He spoke some truth, but most of it was truth disguised within Sol’s own personal feelings on how the galaxy worked.

The Firrerrian held onto his side, blood seeping through his hand. Already his advanced physiology was repairing the wound, before the day was done it would have stopped bleeding and the worst of the internal damage would be repaired. By this time tomorrow only a pink scar would show where the blade had ripped into his flesh.

As Sol exited the room, Wodan was left with the consequences of their actions, dozens of bodies laid about the room, some killed by Sol, some by him and a select few killed by their fellow workers in the panic. As he reflected on what the Kel Dor had to say, he was drawn back to the test he had performed on the Lumen, he had done it correctly, exactly as it was shown. But the alien was a Joiner, he saw it with his own eyes. Wodan’s free hand clenched into a fist, his gums retracted revealing sharp fangs, as a low growl began to emanate from his throat.

The water cut off, leaving him standing sopping wet in the centre of death. Understanding that once again the Sith had lied to him, the technique to identify Joined, was just a ploy one to keep the masses from panicking. It was another lie that had been told both to him and the Galaxy. It was another reason he began to hate the establishment, another reason for him to expand his goals beyond revenge, another reason for his Empire.

______
End Thread

@Nevermourn