“How are things here? How is your recovery?” Bes'uliik asked of the Chiss-Mandalorian as they began to walk.
She looked curiously towards him, even though he couldn’t see her face. “I’ve been doing… fine,” she said with a little hesitation. She didn’t know how much he knew of her situation exactly. “I just wished the memories would return of what happened.”
“Understandable. This is the way.”
Zxyl turned to make sure they weren’t being followed, before continuing, “I apologize. Things have been quite… Tense.. in recent times between me and Taldryan. But one way or another, we’re going to find that man and bring him home. Have you seen any professionals regarding your memory loss?”
Anders, in the meanwhile, had every intention of dispatching the Collective in that warehouse. He could kill the scum laying at his feet. It was oh so tempting and yet, he had a better idea.
He waved a hand over the Human’s eyes, tethering the Force to his target’s mind.
“You will show me the way to the warehouse, won’t you?”
The Human slowly rose to his feet, gave a slow nod, then proceeded to walk. Anders was in complete control of his mind, like the master of one life-sized puppet.
“They couldn’t find anything other then "side effects” of being lost in the ethereal realm,“ she said in a hushed voice. She looked back towards the others before continuing, "can you keep a secret?”
Zxyl nodded. By now, they were a small distance away from the statue, patrolling the waterfront. Nobody was likely to hear, and even fewer likely to be able to understand what she was saying in Mando'a anyways.
“Something has changed me… by doctor’s rule I’m blind, but yet I somehow still see, just not like before.” She shakes her head slightly, “It must sound silly… or crazy. Aylin said my eyes were white when she found me. I’m now even less Chiss then before.”
“As you must know by now, I was not born into the Mandalorian culture. I was a foundling. I originate from a planet where witches conjure up green magick. Nothing sounds crazy to me,” he said lightheartedly, trying to make her feel better about it in his own way, “The fact of the matter is, changed or not, you can still see something. Even if its not what you’d like.”
“Part of the reason why I follow the Way of the Manda'lor, I might add.”
She smiled slightly, “Just like me, I was a foundling too.” Ankira was glad he didn’t find it crazy and was happy she could tell someone who might help her more than Aylin could. Even if Aylin had the best interest in her wellbeing.
“Another thing is that that gut feeling before something bad happens is way stronger. As if I can see a split second what would happen before it happens.”
Sitting back at the river, she tapped the inside of her wristlet and a small communicator lit up that she had stored in the laces of it. Her fingers flew across the small screen as she wrote a message to <@645466919415054357> informing her of what Anders had found, if she wanted to take some of the guard and join him. She was going to head back to the tower gardens and meditate on some things.
As a final note, she urged her to be careful if she did go with before she sent the message and turned it off. There was only a few hours until she had to be in the conference chambers to meet with the Strategic Operations Council regarding operation ‘Drake’ and its activation.
It was one of the few things that excited her, and would definitely help in giving reassurance to the senate that everything will be fine.
Wherever she was, Erinyes saw the message and sighed. The Collective. Again. Clearly they hadn’t learned their lesson the first time. Part of her hoped it would lead to a rematch with Battle Group Scargill, but… no, Taldryan had too much happening right now. The fanatics would have to wait until after the 19th Saber was handled.
She grabbed her comlink and opened a channel to <@837236610684813342> . “Where are you going? I’m sending people to establish a perimeter, unless you’ve figured out how to be at every building exit at once.”
“Vice-chancellor. I can assure you that I am not that foolish. I am well aware of potential exits, even those unseen. Hence my insistence on contacting you,” even though she couldn’t see him, Anders couldn’t resist the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m sending you the co-ordinates now. I have a willing drone escorting me there right now.”
“Are you only taking willing support, or will you accept indifferent help, too?” She tapped an series of orders into her datapad. “Two KPP platoons are on the way. I’ll spin up an assault team in case they aren’t enough.” Then she hauled herself out of her chair and sauntered down to the vehicle bay, headed for the Summit Guard barracks.
The Regent nodded, “I know what you’re talking about. The Ethereal Realm has changed me, as well… though I’m not sure if for the better, or worse. I have always loathed spoonbending.”
The two rounded a couple corners, eventually ending up at the statue once more.
“If you ever require anything of me, you must only ask. I will be there for you, regardless of which side of this Republic versus Traditionalists conflict you rest with. You and Appius are family.”
Ankira chuckled at the spoonbending comment. She knew Appius loved the gift and used it to help people, but she wasn’t used to it at all and it scared her more then anything else.
“Thank you, I’m glad you will be there for me. I have no idea which side I end up with, if I even pick a side.”
“Most appreciated. Will you be making a personal appearance, or is it too beneath you?”
Soon enough, the mind-controlled Human stopped himself in front of what was once thought to be an abandoned building. Anders however, knew it was anything but.
“I must thank you for escorting me. However, that particular service is no longer required.”
Snap-Hiss!
Anders’ crimson blade tore through the human’s flesh and bone like it was made of butter. The Human whimpered on the ground.
“Oh, do be quiet. You are not dead… yet. I still have use of you.”
With a slight glance, she sensed the two approach the statue again, but remained out of their way down by the river.
She had received an acknowledgement from Erin, who was in the process of meeting up with Anders, and saw the assignment notification for two different platoons. Good, they were going in strong…that reassured her.
She reached down to her side and pulled out a small datapad from a pouch and after turning it on began typing away with her fingers. She glanced at the breakdown of the two platoons, the members, their training, accuracy rates, experience…did she really need to though?
She knew Erin’s style, and that if they werent adequately capable they wouldn’t be on any of her rosters. Stop worrying she told herself before she sat it down and laid back on the ground, staring at the sky while still listening to the movement sounds of the Ektrosis river.
Troops from the KPP were the first to arrive and much to Anders’ liking, they immediately got to work securing the warehouse.
“Spymaster Anderson, sir. I am Major General. We have the building secured,” the leader of the platoon approached him, a Human giving a salute.
“Major… General?” Anders raised an inquisitive brow.
“Yes, sir. Is there a problem?”
Anders shook his head.
“Good. The assault team will be arriving shortly. Private Ryan over there suggests that we attack whilst we have the element of surprise.”
“Hello!” Private Ryan waved.
“No need,” Anders said, retrieving his datapad. “Ensure any and all exits are properly secured. A small, expert assault force will be more than proficient and luckily, I know just who to call…”
A young man arrived on the scene sporting his usual Jedi garments. He was tall, and his brown iris’ locked onto Anders with a mix of relief and concern.
“I got your message. Sorry it took me so long to get here. I was in a holocall with Melissa and…” Draca took notice of the man on the ground at Anders’ feet. “What… what happened to him?”
“He is a Collective spy. This warehouse is their base of operations.”
“Why is he so hurt?” Draca asked tentatively. “Anders, what did you do?”
“I did not kill him. He should be thankful for that.”
“Anders!” Draca protested.
“We can prevent a lot more heartache if we deal with this now before they have the chance to harm anyone else. Do you understand?”
Draca opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. He gave a small nod.
“Good. Now, tell me what you can feel inside.”
After Ankira got the message she finished everything up with the others and went to the location given by Anders.
When she got there she felt and heard a few familiar persons and went towards Anders.
“I’m here,” she stated flatly.
“I may be along later to check in, but I’m sure you have things in hand.”
Anders rolled his eyes. Of course Erinyes would say that. At least Ankira had answered the call.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ankira. I’m sure your skills will be valuable he-”
“Anders, we have a problem,” Draca interrupted him, concern wracking his face. “I think they have hostages inside. I can sense a lot of frightened people gathered in the middle of the building.”
“Tch,” Anders scowled. Of course it wasn’t going to be that simple. “I will contact the Supreme Chancellor. It seems negotiations are in order.”
<@61385159655559168> <@417336769181122562>
Anders reached out telepathically to Cassandra;
‘Are you being ignorant, or are you just ignoring me now?’
<@61385159655559168>
Clearly, they were dealing with this on their own. Erinyes and Cassandra were as bad as each other. This was definitely going into his After Action Report!
“What’s the plan, Anders?” Draca looked to his mentor for an answer.
“Infiltrate and rescue. Ankira will fly to the top and infiltrate from the top. You and I will enter from the ground floor and work our way up. We will meet in the middle and attack from two fronts to secure the hostages.”
“But…”
“Lethal force is authorised, though ideally I would like as many of the Collective captured alive as possible for interrogation,” Anders raised a brow at the young Zabrak. “Does that please you, Draca?”
Draca gave a small nod. “How about you, Ankira?”
<@417336769181122562>
Ankira hesitated for a bit. She wasn’t sure going in alone would be a good idea, but she also could not let them down even if she had her problems.
“I’m ok with it,” she finally said, “How many hostages are we talking about?”
“I sense twenty. Draca?” Anders turned to the young man beside him.
“Yeah, twenty, with thirty hostiles inside.”
What are you talking about? she responded, with a genuine confused mental thought. This immediately told Anders one very important fact…if she didnt get the communication, that meant they were jamming them. And if they were jamming them at this point when they weren’t earlier…
…they knew they were there.
After Ankira had taken off to Anders and whatever assault they had going on, the Mandalorian stayed at the statue with arms crossed as he stared at it. He had done enough in recent times to meddle in Taldryan affairs, and he was sure they were more than capable in dealing with whatever issue was presenting itself at this time.
After paying his respects to his comrade, the Regent turned away and began pacing away from the statue. He’d keep his promise to keep looking for Wight, and find his brother.
Bes'uliik had taken four full steps before bending his knees slightly, pushing off the ground as he fired his covert edition jetpack at maximum thrust with his hands at his sides, the Dathomirian-Mandalorian rocketed towards the spaceport where the ACE Flagship, a modified Cosinga-class Heavy Corvette he had dubbed the Eternal, waited for him there. After a few minutes of flight over the city, taking a moment to glimpse the recently erected Taldryan Tower, the Mandalorian touched down at Port Kasiya Spaceport and prepared to board the elegant, midnight black corvette. He turned to look at the tower in the distance, reminiscing of his time as Proconsul of the former First Clan of the Brotherhood. One of his lead hands at The Exchange, wearing a uniform of the Iron Navy descended the loading ramp. The man saluted as he made his way down, beginning to speak.
“Sir! We’ve just received reports th-” his words were completely cut off as the Cosinga-class Heavy Corvette detonated from inside, exploding outwards in a massive fireball. The blast completely consumed the aide, the shockwave sending the Regent flying backwards and cranking his skull against the durasteel floor of the large landing pad. The Regent General was completely knocked unconscious by the force of the blast and ensuing knock to the head, though his helmet’s internal padding saved him from any life threatening damage. The shockwave rippled outwards, shattering nearby windows and engulfing several starport workers in flames. The speed of sound caught up to the blast, ringing a large noise in the surrounding bays and landing pads.
The Eternal was completely destroyed by the blast, with several Iron Navy ensigns and the few Arx Capital Exchange personnel onboard immediately and tragically losing their lives in the initial explosion. Klaxons began blaring all over the Port Kasiya Starport as the explosion registered on various sensors around the facility, the entire area going into instantaneous lockdown.
Cassandra’s head shot up and straight towards where the starport was on the other side of the Ektrosis Waterfront and City Center where she watched as smoke began to billow up into the sky. Immediately her instincts kicked in and she stood up and touched her wristlet where her communication device was. “This is the Chancellor, Summit Guard forces in the vicinity of the Starport and Taldryan Tower converge on the starport. Inform emergency services to dispatch medevac teams as well. I’m enroute now.”
“Understood, Lady Second.” a voice came across the comm as she took off at incredible speeds, augmenting her already athletic frame to push herself to her limits. “We have already locked down the area, security personnel on site are gradually responding though we do not yet know what has happened.”
This has to be the Collective… she thought to herself as she made it to the edge of the waterfront and telekinetically launched herself off the end of the pier to land on the other side where the starport’s external water cargo areas were. As she approached, she saw two individuals she was unfamiliar with that held blasters in their hands and were firing on security personnel as they tried to flee towards the water.
The white and gold Taldryan crested saber snapped from her side and into her hand where the brilliant frost-colored glow ignited as she was immediately upon them. One of the two noticed her and redirected their blaster at her though the first shot they managed to get off was immediately redirected right back into their leg and sent them to the ground. The second one, now aware of her presence, opted to take the safer route and just run away as they knew facing off on two fronts was suicide. Though, that decision ultimately had the same outcome, as security personnel gunned them down.
As she stopped, the group of security guards came up to her. She turned her head towards them with an affirmative nod. “Secure the perimeter, I’m heading inside.”
“Yes ma'am!” the group said as they turned and moved around the exterior of the starport. Cassandra noticed the sealed blast doors ahead, choosing instead to take a more direct route as she looked up and lept up and over the massive wall of the starport, landing inside the bay.
There she saw the ruins of the Cosinga, several burned workers and guards, and there was the Regent as well. She turned off her saber and made her way to him, kneeling down as she looked him over. She saw no blood, and only mild scorch marks most likely from the explosion. “Regent Bes'uliik! Can you hear me?”
One of the blast doors opened as members of the Summit Guard and medical personnel made their way inside towards them. Two of them stopped in front of the Regent and Cassandra, both grabbing different items as they worked to check on him. One of them, a female Bothan, began to reach for his helmet but her hand was quickly pulled away.
“No,” Cassandra interjected firmly as she shook her head, “Do anything else you need, but the helmet stays on.”
The medic nodded, a little dejected by the scold, but understanding.
“Make sure he is stable and bring him to tower medical on the 94th floor, inform Krieger as well. And don’t worry…you aren’t in trouble, it’s how he is.” she responded reassuringly and calmly as she placed her hand upon her shoulder with a smile.
With a smile in return, a stretcher was brought and carefully the medics moved the Regent onto it. Together they raised the stretcher and began moving out of the spaceport as more security personnel arrived, along with investigators. Cassandra went with the medics to a waiting medical shuttle outside of the spaceport and just as quickly it was in the air and headed into the sky towards Taldryan Tower.
Roughly at the same time, a crimson colored glow shot upward from the peak of the tower and filled the sky as the moon’s shield went active.
Anders and Draca could practically feel the explosion from where they were. The shoeld generator covered the moon, basking the sky in a crimson glow.
Anders heard <@61385159655559168>‘s train of thought.
'Understood. We will make this swift and rejoin you post-haste.’
Anders approached the door to the Collective warehouse and activated his lightsaber. He plunged the crimson-blade into the durasteel as the door began to buckle.
“Ankira, if you intend to move, do it now! Draca, prepare yourself!”
Thr young Zabrak did just that, gripping both his lightsabers in hand and taking a deep breath.
He was ready.
<@417336769181122562>
Ankira nodded and shot up into the air, landing quickly onto the roof and made way into the building.
Anyone who she encountered was shot, she didn’t care if they died or were in terrible pain. She wanted the hostages free, and quick.
The Mandalorian Armorer snapped straight upward on the stretcher inside the medical transport as they neared Taldryan Tower, groaning. Disoriented and confused, the last thing he remembered was approaching the Eternal.
His felt like he’d been hit by a repulsor train, his head pounding and chest heavy. The General tried remembering what happened, why he was inside this craft being accompanied by medics and others, but couldn’t for the life of him remember. His memory of that moment was just… gone.
The Regent grasped the sides of the stretcher, pushing his legs to the side to let them hang towards the floor. It had been quite some time since he’d been on a stretcher, and come to think of it, that time was also during a trip to the Caelus System.
It was a few moments before the Councilor even realized that the Taldryan Republic’s so called Supreme Chancellor was even inside the craft with him. Lady Second, she was known to her constituents as. The Dathomirian-Mandalorian put a hand to his faceplate.
“Tyris,” he said acknowledging the redhead, “What happened?”
“It’s still being investigated, but when I arrived at the starport several terrorists were trying to escape. One is dead, another wounded but captured. Planning to interrogate him. Your craft, though…” she replied back before trailing off for a moment, “It’s been destroyed, medics are tending to any survivors. How are you feeling, any headache or anything? Medics wanted to examine your head, but I would not allow them to remove your helmet.”
“Which, I guess that makes us even for you getting me and a bunch of the others off of Ostara back then…never did get to truly thank you for that.”
“I’m fine,” he muttered as he slowly pushed himself up to his feet. He was not fine.
“Thank you,” the Regent said in regards to his helmet being removed as he straightened himself… Mostly. He thought for a minute about what Cassandra had said. The Eternal was destroyed? That Corvette had served as the flagship for Arx Capital Exchange for over a year, used to ferry around the Regent and any other Exchange representatives conducting business on behalf of The Council’s galactic-spanning mega-corp.
“There will be no survivors, if what you say is true. Any representatives and Iron Navy personnel were in the belly of the vessel. A dozen good men and women have lost their lives this day. It will not go unpunished.”
“You’re welcome.” She said calmly as she gave a firm nod. “And I agree, this will not go unpunished. With the shield up, if there are any more to be found they will be and we will deal with them.”
She looked down afterwards, her eyes closed as she let out a sigh. More unneeded death…right back to the interference from the senate in draining funding from the OSI. This could have been avoided entirely, I was afraid something would happen, but…once again, I failed. This can’t continue.
“Taldryan tower, this is medivac A-17 requesting clearance to land on consular pad seven. Chancellor is on board as well as the Traditionalist leader.” the pilot called out from the front. The response was slightly staticy but understandable.
“Roger that A-17, clearance granted. Medical personnel and Dark Fire Brigade members are standing by.”
She cringed at that last part from the pilot. “Pilot…”
“Ma'am?”
“It’s been made clear, that Regent Bes'uliik is to be referred to by his official title as it stands within the Brotherhood. Or do I need to remind your superiors?”
“…forgive me, ma'am. And I apologize, Regent. I meant…no disrespect.” he replied, but the last part had overt tones of insincerity easily picked up on. She glared at the front silent now, with every intention of reminding the security and medical corps of proper protocol etiquette.
The ship rounded the side of the tower before it came to land on a pad that had extended out from the side of the tower. As it touched down, a blast door opened and Kreiger followed by another medic and four members of the brigade made their way outside. The pad itself was a significant ways up the tower, near the reconstructed summit; at least 470 floors up.
The ramp lowered and the pilot shut down the engines, the noise around them gradually going silent.
She offered out her arm and shoulder for Zxyl to lean on, if needed. “Need a hand out?”
Zxyl waved the offer away. Not that he wasn’t grateful, but here, of all places, the former Proconsul could not be seen as being weak. He stepped out under his own power, looking about the landing pad as he began tapping furiously on his vambrace. He cracked his neck, head still pounding away.
He’d get to the bottom of what happened, and who decided to strike at him. The Mandalorian General had been clearly the intended target, and had he not taken the time to survey and pay his respects to Appius’ statue he most certainly would have been aboard the Eternal when it blew - either above Kasiya or in hyperspace.
“OSI is transporting the one we injured here for questioning. Bringing him to the interrogation wing a few floors down, you want first dibs at it, Regent?” Cassandra asked as she looked at her datapad which was receiving live feeds from the scene as the brigade took positions flanking her.
She kept quiet on one part, which he had predicted - there were none aboard that survived. This made her heart sink even more, and want to resolve this. And if Zxyl didn’t want a crack at it…she would use a part of her she rarely ever used - and give that murderer true terror beyond anything which he could even comprehend.
“Should be here in less than five. Also, they found a damaged sewer grate near the starport that had been tampered with. They’re thinking maybe the others are down there.”
Meanwhile…
Draca and Anders entered first and their senses were ablaze with red plasma soaring in their direction. Red and blue blades sparked to deflect the blaster bts away from them. Anders’ one handed-deftness proved invaluable as he closed the gap between two adversaries, cutting them down.
Draca himself was a blur of motion. Hid twin blue-blades were like podracer engines in tandem with one another as he moved from one target to the next. The two worked in tandem, years of practice culminating in a fighting team that had near-perfect unspoken co-ordination.
Eventually, only one remained on the bottom floor. Anders held out his hand and choked him with the Force.
“You have one chance,” Anders loomed over them. “Tell me what you know, or you die here.”
More of them fell under her assault as she continued to clear the upper floor. When she heard the swishing of the lightsabers she knew that they also had started. She chuckled softly to herself, when she realized that even if she couldn’t see normally, she could still see enough to be an effective fighter. This eased her mind a lot and gave her her confidence back.
After a moment it was quiet. When she looked down she saw a man struggling and Anders close by.
“I will observe. Once you have extracted all the information you can, I will follow the sewers to whatever they may lead.”
The Regent’s blood was at a near boiling point… They had been attacked time and time again by mischievous forces, but none had been so bold as to attack the Regent in such a place. Whatever forces were at work here they were playing with fire, and the Mandalorian General’s fury was going go scorch them. Whether or not the area shield generator was active or not, Zxyl still had overall control and command over two of Taldryan’s most important vessels; the Axios and the Orthanc… And he was not afraid to make use of them in his quest for revenge. He looked for a moment in Tyris’ direction as members of the Dark Fire Brigade started taking up positions around her.
He couldn’t blame them. One of their primary landing areas at the starport on Taldryan’s “capitol” had just been blown to smithereens and now Bes'uliik, an enemy of the Taldryan Republic as leader of the Traditionalists that - his previous history, current position on the Council, and being a named Taldrya not withstanding - was now walking freely among them.
He was somewhat surprised that Tyris had taken the tone she had on the shuttle, but it seemed even she recognized the decorum his position on the Council afforded him. Though he would probably never say it, he was thankful for her efforts and medical assistance.
“Have Erinyes rendevous with us at the interrogation room, I want Zaesti and the others present as well.” Cassandra spoke as the group made their way inside. Kreiger was following behind Zxyl anticipatingly, watching his movements, his posture, everything he did as he tried to assess if there was any major injuries that were outwardly visible.
These upper levels of the tower were far different than the ones Zxyl had been used to when Appius was here last before the tower had been fully rebuilt after the Kasiya War. While the lower floors and sections of the tower were very Coruscent-style and republic feeling, the structure here was very reminiscent of the Citadel on Ostara, clearing having had Cassandra’s direct influence in its construction.
As they reached the turbolift, she produced a black and red keycard that she slipped into one of the creases where two metal plates met, just above the floor selection device. The doors closed and the lift descended…to floor 457 and a half.
As it opened, a sequence of five red security shield barriers stood before them. Inside, there were officers that sat at control panels between each of them and disengaged them one after the other as the group progressed and reactivated them once the last person was through each barrier.
Inside and after a left turn, they were all able to see the injured terrorist was being strapped onto a slanted table, his left leg bloody from where the redirected blaster bolt went into his knee. He was cursing up a storm, spitting at personnel, and aggressively ripping against the bindings to no avail. Cassandra stopped in front of a transparent durasteel window and quietly stared at him, arms crossed.
One after me… she thought openly to herself, her left hand cradling her right elbow as her right fingers sat upon her chin, the index finger tapping her lip. One after Zxyl…
“S-47.” Cassandra said, with one of the brigade members immediately at her side.
“Yes, m'lady?” a modulated and filtered female voice responded, clearly intended to hide her actual voice.
“Send a communique to the Chyronian Chancellor, <@414705077484257280> Na'trej. Priority crimson. Inform him that attacks have been made against both myself and the Regent, we potentially anticipate an attack upon him as well if one has not already occured.”
“At once.” the brigade member responded before they turned and pressed the side of their helmet. Whatever was being said now, was in complete silence isolated within the helm.
I hope I’m wrong about this. Or else that also means Koda may also be in danger.
Ankara saw Anders’ hand loom over his scalp. The man’s eyes seemed to roll into the back of his skull as gargling noises escaped his throat. Finally, Anders released his hold on him, Letting his body slump to the floor.
“Thank you very much for the information. Unfortunately, you are no longer required.”
Anders’ blade cut through the man’s neck, his head rolling across the floor. Draca winced at the brutal display.
“Did you have to kill him?” He asked.
“It is the way of the galaxy, Draca. If I let him live, he could harm the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of others. Justice must prevail.”
Draca shook his head, noticing Ankira on the edge of his peripheral vision. “Did you find the hostages?”
Anders, meanwhile, reopened his telepathic link with Cassandra.
‘Lady Second. I have information for you that may prove valuable…’
<@61385159655559168>
Ankira motioned behind her. “They are held in locked rooms up here… I…” She trailed off as she heard something besides her.
It was a shot fired by one of the guys she shot down before, apparently not good enough. She wasn’t fast enough to evade the shot completely and hit her square in her shoulder, knocking her over.
A slur of Mando'a curses escaped her lips as she held her shoulder and crawled back. Her vision wasn’t good enough to see which of the bodies did it and if he still lived, but she knew one thing for sure that it hurt a lot.
Draca could move faster than a blaster bolt when required. With the Force empowering his body like a funnel, he closed the distance between himself and Ankira’s attacker, planting his boot in the shooter’s face and rendering them unconscious.
“Are you okay?” Draca turned to Ankira.
She pulled her hand back from her shoulder to feel if her fingers were tacky, not really, so far so good.
“Yeah… I should be fine,” she said as she got up, grabbing her shoulder again when it moved to much.
“Guess I didn’t see him.”
Jorm read the message in one of Chyron’s terrace gardens, in the homely shine of a burning tree and with a slowly closing gash on his cheek.
Assorted bits and pieces of both plants and pale bodies laid motionless around him, and the red mist on the spot where one of his assailants had collected first-hand experience with Force Railgun© began to settle and dissipate.
Only one other body still lived, cocooned into thick layers of duct tape he surely hadn’t anticipated being so animate.
The Chancellor kicked him in the groin once more to stop the unnerving muffled mumbling.
Well duh, he texted back and snapped a holo for the message, you want a word with him before I get creative with this lawn bandit?
The first brigade member that had contacted Jorm looked over at Cassandra and once again spoke in her modulated voice. “Chancellor Na'trej confirms an assault on him as well, advises if we would like a word with the terrorist or not.”
She shook her head negatively. “We have our information, he may feel free to do as he wishes to that one. Maybe even find a sect in his dominion, as I doubt they would strike there without their own foothold. Let him know that, S-47.”
<@414705077484257280>
‘What are our orders, Cassandra? Myself, Draca and Ankira can descend into the sewers now, or we can rendezvous with you instead if you prefer?’
“Anders,” Draca stood by his side. “Who are you talking to?”
“Shush.”
Anders silenced the young man as he awaited his answer.
You two head in from the sewer direct from where you are, apparently there’s a main access at a club in the Tursa district of Holmes. Headed to that location on my end.
‘Understood. We shall meet in the middle. Anders out.’
“I was speaking with Lady Second. We will head into the sewers directly from where we are. BUDD-E has a map of Port Kasiya downloaded into its database. It will show us the way.”
BUDD-E chirped happily.
“Will you be joining us, Ankara?” Draca asked. “It’s OK if you don’t want to.”
“Of course she wants to,” Anders scoffed and rolled his eyes. “She is Mandalorian. A warrior. She will be joining us, won’t you, Miss Irr?”
<@417336769181122562>
Jorm shrugged upon reading the reply.
Creative it is.
With a snap of his fingers he threw the duct-taped would-be assassin against the blackened tree trunk and bound him there with even more tape, courtesy of a maintenance locker blown open during the short, brutal clash.
Heavy steps from within the building came to an aprubt stop as the boots’ owners looked into the monstrous muzzle belonging to Jorm’s sidearm.
“Sir! Are you alright? What happened here,” a constable inquired shakily.
“Stupid games were played, stupid prizes were won,” Jorm replied with a smirk and tossed him his com.
“Hit ‘wide angle’ and ‘record’ please.”
The constable holstered his blaster and raised the com instead, signalling readiness with a nod.
“Hello there, Chyronites. It’s me. We’ve gotta talk.
Just now, a group of assassins tried to burn me to a crisp, along with one of our terrace gardens. I take issue with that.”
He tore the tape off the survivor’s head, exposing the sickly pale chem-scarred face and bald scalp.
“This guy here isn’t an Umbaran, Pau'an or Rattataki on a bender, but a soldier of the Collective, a radical anti-Force group. Zealots and murderers who don’t give a crap about anyone as long as they can kill Force users. They won’t spare your children, they’ll poison your air, they’ll walk all over you if they think that’ll get me or any other Forcie killed, including riots and suicide bombings, and not all of them quite look so obvious.”
Jorm paused and lost his smirk. Any trace of humor or levity disappeared from his voice.
“But you’re not blind ants in a burning hive. You’re intelligent people. You know your neighbors, you know your neighborhoods, you know who doesn’t belong. Find those frakkers and call them out to the militias, to be handled with the careful application of grenades. Grab your guns, band with your trusted neighbors, protect your children.”
“The Wild Hunt is on!”
He reclaimed his com and sent the holo to Mica. Cut and send in five.
Ankira nodded, “It will take more then a little pain to stop me. We will pay them a nice visit were no one escapes alive.”
With that she held her weapons ready and waiting for Buddy to show the way.
“Very well,” the Mandalorian Regent nodded, following behind the Taldryan Supreme Chancellor Consul, uncrossing his arms. He wasn’t exactly sure what they’d find, but the General was keen to end it. The Collective had struck out at him personally, killed others in the process, and so he’d make them pay for it.
He noted the mention of the Drake. Could that have been the new warship that Taldryan had recently commissioned from The Exchange? Perhaps. It was quite the design, to be sure, using a Mandalorian vessel as its base. He approved it, of course, because it was well within established limits.
The General continued occasionally tapping on his vambrace, relaying the events of what was happening back to his Inquisitorius-visible secured server Mattock Station. Whether or not he wanted to share what happened was irrelevant. If the Collective were re-mobilizing, whether under a current or former leader, the Brotherhood as a whole needed to know that what was transpiring here may not be the end of it all.
Now he needed to find or come up with a replacement for Eternal. Although he had really enjoyed its design and the luxuries it provided, it was clear that the Cosinga-class Heavy Corvette had been too easy a target. Ideas already rumaged their way around the Regent’s head… but that was a problem for a later date.
Erinyes, who had apparently been listening in on the exchange, piped up into Cassandra’s comlink. “You’d better not be planning to go down there without your security—or sending me to the commissioning ceremony, for that matter.”
Cassandra paused for a moment, with a deep inhale followed by a frustrated exhale. Even amidst the chaos, she was still unable to get away from her guards.
“You’ve long been scheduled to attend with me. And if you want to come with, meet us at the consular landing port. We leave in five.”
“I have my hands full trying to make sure there aren’t any more attacks coming—especially if you keep insisting we both go to a crowded public event while there’s an active threat of assassination. There are only a few people with enough access to travel plans to be able to stage something like this, and they’ll all have details of the commissioning’s security arrangements.”
BUDD-E led the group to a tunnel system near to the warehouse. It seemed to lead directly into the sewers.
Anders nodded approvingly. It was certainly better than going into a manhole.
“Lead the way BUDD-E,” Anders said, gesturing for the little droid to take them inside.
Ankira followed them and wondered how the Collective got their guts together so quickly. Did they miss something when they were rounding them up the first time?
She shook her head slowly and frowned. Something else must be behind this, but what.
She bumped into Draca as they had suddenly stopped.
“Sorry,” she whispered
“It’s OK. Don’t worry,” Draca smiled at her.
Anders, however, had noticed her little stumble. He intended to keep a close eye on her. It appeared she was struggling with her vision somewhat.
Then again, it was dark in here.
“Buddy, light.”
The BD-Unit droid shone its torch into the tunnel.
She nodded slightly in return and looked around. Buddy might have turned on the light, but she wasn’t seeing its effects.
She sighed softly and closed her eyes, wishing her vision would be better once she opened them. The Mandalorian knew the Force didn’t work that way, but it was all she had.
After a moment she opened her eyes again and slumped her shoulders, nothing had changed.
“We best keep moving if we want to close them in,” she quickly suggested to hide her frustration.
“You were the one who insisted you could be both my Vice-Chancellor and lead the Summit Guard. But, that is true…if they have access to that, it means they know our upcoming movements. Just hope that means they dont know about the Drake…” Cassandra said back over her comm as her and Zxyl boarded a shuttle that had arrived for them. “Also, Anders, Ankira, and Zxyl are on this as well; the lattermost being with me now. The less who go, the more inconspicuous. Ill call you later when we arrive and know the basics.”
<@645466919415054357>
Draca walked beside her, placing his hands behind his back in an attempt to look inconspicuous, but also somewhat mirrored Anders.
“Are you OK? Like, really OK?”
It wasnt long before the shuttle was in the air and she was foraging through a footlocker that was on board. She pulled out some random clothing which consisted of a white shirt, brown pants, a pair of dark brown boots, and a long dark grey trenchcoat.
With a glance, she looked at Zxyl before she moved into a different compartment for a moment. It was less than a minute before she came back out, far more inconspicuous than she would have been given everyone knows her typical garb.
“So what do you think? Go in through the front and act normal and try to find the access, or…?”
<@260640060775464960>
The Mandalorian glanced towards him and frowned. “Other then being shot? I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
‘And why do you try to be like Anders?’ she sillently thought.
“Quickest path, resistance be damned,” he said defiantly. He was prepared to just charge in and mess stuff up, if that was the quickest path to their objective. He was ready. He was ready to make them pay, and to avenge those Arx Capital Exchange and Iron Navy personnel lost aboard the Eternal.
The shuttle landed at the end of a street on a small landing pad, dozens of people walking about.
Outside, they immediately saw large purple neon signage for the Nightfire club. Loud music could be heard inside, with a Togorian standing in front of the door talking to several Twi'lek’s that wanted in but he was not having it.
Cassandra strode up to him and gave him a glare. He looked down at her, his eyes glaring back before they slightly widened. He wanted to speak, but could not. His nature wanted him to stand his ground, but he found himself having moved to the side.
There was naught he could do but continue to stare at her; he didnt understand why, but knew his body was telling him to avoid her at all costs.
Inside, there were dozens more people, a large bar, and numeorus seating areas and doors.
“I can sense the Force in you,” Draca whispered. “It’s only slught, so either you’re hiding it or…”
Ankira startled by that claim and halted a bit, “I… I don’t know what you are talking about.”
Draca, being the kind soul that he was, placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It’s OK. I understand if you don’t want to talk about, but sometimes it helps to talk about these things.”
She sighed, “Something in this war changed me, but I don’t know what exactly happened. Only that I lost my sight, but still see… in a way.”
Draca nodded, sympathetic to her plight. He wrapped his arm around, pulling her into a side hug.
“It’ll be OK. I know things are scary right now, especially when you’ve never felt the Force before, but I promise you’ll get used to it.”
She had to stop herself from pushing him away in a reflex. No one had hugged her like that in a while. Ankira looked for Anders and wondered how much he had heard and if he had what he would think of it.
“Please don’t go tell everyone. I’m a Mandalorian, not a Force user like you two.”
Cassandra stepped inside of the establishment and glanced around through the crowd inside trying to examine the building itself, though nothing immediately stood out to her that could even resemble a hatch or cover which could lead to the sewers.
The bartender, a grey haired Bothan, was wiping down the bar counter before he glanced up and noticed them approach and waved to them. “Welcome to Nightfire, what can I get you two tonight?”
<@260640060775464960>
“If you two are done bickering, we have arrived,” Anders declared as BUDD-E’s torch lit up what appeared to be a sealed vault.
Both he and Draca reached out with their senses to get a feel for what was on the other side…
Ankira narrowed her eyes and drew both her Westars, she wasn’t going to be surprised again.
She waited for what they would tell her, if there was anything to tell.
Noises, crashes, screaming.
Draca’s eyes widened when he heard the sounds coming from the other side. He grabbed his lightsabers and made his way to the sealed vault.
“Anders.”
That one word, it wasn’t asking for permission. Draca was going to do this whether Anders wanted to or not. There were people on the other side that were suffering, dying. Draca was going to help them no matter what.
Anders, thankfully, simply nodded his head. He aided Draca with cutting into the vault, allowing the large opening they’d created to drop to the ground.
Anders wasn’t about to let down his guard. His eyes peered into every corner of the room, searching for a trap of any kind, an illusion perhaps. He wouldn’t put it past the Collective to use hypocritical methods if it achieved their end goals.
It definitely wasn’t an illusion. Kids stood there in the basement of what appeared to be a preschool, with drawn art pictures on the wall, kids holding hockey sticks as others were holding dodgeballs aimed at them. Some were bouncing after being freshly thrown.
“Bad people!” a young Twi'lek yelled as she threw a dodgeball directly at Anders. Others followed suit, also yelling the same phrase.
Some even waved the sticks in front of them trying to shoo them out, as another ran upstairs calling for the teacher.
Anders stood there as dodgeballs pelted him. These were just kids, he kept telling himself, but what was a school doing in a sewer system? Did they not realise how unsanitary this was?
Draca intervened, grabbing a ball out of mid-air before it struck Anders in the schnozz.
“Please, we don’t mean any trouble. We thought you were in danger,” the young Zabrak attempted to reason with them.
The Children, mercifully, stopped attempting to obliterate Anders with dodgeballs when they heard the distinct tapping of a cane that could freeze warm water.
An elderly-looking woman descended a small set of stairs, back upright, glasses and white hair as marks of her aging Human appearance.
“I am the caregiver and teacher here, though you may call me Mrs Starson. What is the meaning of this disruption? We were told to retreat down here by a kind Taldryan Republic official and his subordinates.”
“Taldryan Republic Official?” Draca asked. He was about as suspicious of this as Anders was.
“Yes! And they warned us about you!”
Collective forces emerged from crevices and hideaways in the sewer, pointing their myriad of weaponry at Anders, Ankara, and Draca.
The latter retrieved his lightsabers, activating the brilliant blue-blades. Anders, however, remained firm. His hands behind his back.
“My dear, you have been sorely misled, but do not worry. This will be over quickly.”
Ankira turned towards the sounds of weapons being pulled and leveled her weapons towards it. How did they dare to involve children into this madness?
“Get the ade to safety. Now!”
Blaster fire rang out, but not against them. Several of the Collective’s own forces had turned on them, killing their comrades before they could take another breath.
One stepped forward, a masked female. “Spymaster Anderson. Infiltration was a success.”
“Very good, Agent Talus,” Anders turned to face her. “Take your squad and escort these civilians back to the Taldryan Tower.”
Anders turned a very confused Ankira and Draca. “Yes? You have a question?”
Ankira narrowed her eyes, “If you want to work in a team you need to share info like this. Else you go solo.”
She had enough of these games.
“I had my OSI agents infiltrate Collective ranks here on Kasiya. In truth, I had suspected something was afoot and there mat be more within.”
“Anders, you can’t keep this from us,” Draca shook his head.
“I’ll keep whatever I desire from you until I deem it necessary. Understood?” Anders’ tone held a certain snap to it.
“Yes, sir…” Draca relented.
“Very good. Now, there may be more of them inside. Shall we proceed?”
“Get these ade out of here first before we do anything stupid,” Ankira nearly hissed at him, “I do not want to have any of them hurt.”
She glanced towards Draca, “How can you put up with this?”
“He has good intentions. It might not always be obvious, but he can be a good man when he wants to be… sometimes…” Draca attempted to reassure her, causing Anders to groan and roll his eyes.
“Nothing even indicates in that direction, he just cares about himself,” she protested.
Stepping into the room they had gained access too, she looked around. Many of the children had retreated back and she ushered the other kids to do the same, to find a spot to stay save. She was determined to teach those idiots a lesson, but not in front of them.
“You are calling me selfish? Then I suppose I would make a good Mandalorian,” Anders commented, locking eyes with her helmet. “Do yourself a service, my dear. If you have issues with me, take them up with me personally once this mission has been completed instead of commenting with snide little remarks to the side like a petulant child. I expected more professionalism from the likes of you, but perhaps my expectations were too high.”
Anders began to walk further into the sewer.
“I was wondering why the First Supreme Chancellor vanished and I think I have a better idea now. He was sick to death of dealing with your attitude.”
“Anders!” Draca’s voice echoed down the tunnels, aghast at what he’d just heard.
If Ankira could kill him there and then she would have surely done so, but it would bring so much more problems then the annoying bastard he was now.
“Leave him he is not worth it and he knows that. That is why he acts like he has a broom up his ass.” Ankira said softly, trying to hide her inner pain.
“We have lives to save, if we want to keep our jobs.”
She followed after Anders.
Zxyl removed his custom WESTAR-35 blaster pistol from the magnetic holster on his left thigh, approaching the bartender. He wasn’t exactly sure how well the Taldryan Supreme Chancellor Consul was going to go for this tactic, but he was going for it anyways.
Those that serve The Council serve the entire Brotherhood, and the men and women lost in the explosion deserved retribution and justice.
As he reached the bar, the Regent plunked the pistol down sideways on the top surface, continuing to hold it firmly and with his finger on the trigger no less. Only one word escaped his lips.
“Information.”
The bartender stared at him, the plunk of the pistol catching the attention of those around them. Even those in the separate rooms poked their heads out in curiosity and watched the two of them. A couple of the bouncers pulled blasters from their holsters and pointed them at Zxyl.
Cassandra looked around at them and carefully brought her saber out from her jacket and into her hand. The tender was already slightly apprehensive, but now the bouncers were as well as a strong aura of fear blanketed the room. Cassandra was ever known as the kind, considerate Jedi…but utilizing fear? That was a new factor. “Not something I would recommend, friend.”
Ever slowly the two lowered their blasters and started to back away.
“In-information about what?” the bartender stuttered in confusion. “What could I possibly know that you would want to know?”
The Regent was not about to mince words, nor did he usually. He stared at the grey haired Bothan coldly from behind his helmet.
“Connections to outside actors.”
“I am so, so sorry about him,” Draca pleaded with Ankira in an apologetic tone. “It’s a tense situation and he’s stressed and…”
“I also have excellently good ears and can hear you clearly. I am perfectly calm, thank you very much,” Anders retorted without looking back at them.
Draca could feel the anger and rage pouring out of Ankira like a sun set to implode. He gulped.
“I’ll be right back…”
He shot forward until he was at Anders’ side. “Anders, that went too far.”
“Be quiet,” Anders’ tone held a snap to it.
“That was deeply personal to her. She’s angry and she’s hurting…”
“I said be quiet.”
“No! I will not be quiet! You went too far and you should apologise to…”
Anders clasped his hand over Draca’s mouth.
“Be quiet and listen. Both of you!” Anders hissed.
Sure enough, they could hear a conversation coming from further in the sewer.
“Stay close and keep quiet,” Anders removed his hand from Draca’s mouth. “Oh, and Draca? Defy an order from me on a mission again and there will be consequences. Understood?”
“Yes, sir…” Draca relented.
“Good,” Anders tapped his shoulder, letting Buddy hop on up as it deactivated its flashlight. “Stay close and keep quiet.”
<@417336769181122562>
Ankira shook her head slightly as she quietly stepped closer. He wasn’t going to hear another word from her. Closing her eyes she tried to sense what was up further ahead of them, trying to make out how many were up ahead.
The conversation seemed to change and a hustle could be heard. Something must have alerted them.
A humming could be heard coming down the tunnel. Two seeker droids started scanning the area around them.
“Quickly, hide!” Anders ordered.
The Mandalorian quickly moved back and ducked down between a set of large pipes, making herself as small as possible
Anders and Draca hid behind some old rubber that had been left and not yet been discarded from the Port Kasiya invasion.
The two droids scanned the area around them, searching for any sign of life. They found nothing and moved on past them further back into the sewer.
She sighed softly as she heard the sound move away from them and glanced up from her hiding place. If those droids were on patrol they might get back in time again. As she got up she signaled to the others and moved slowly towards the tunnel again and the location of the voices.
Anders and Draca nodded, the former signalling to start proceeding further in. They weren’t far now. The voices were getting louder and louder…
The bartender sat there, trying to talk but only stutters coming from their lips as others entered the room and the music all but stopped. A click could be heard toward the front, similar to a door being closed. “I…I…”
Despite the aura of fear that Cassandra was giving off, there were a small amount that still approached and began to pull their blasters; while others hid and stayed away.
“I would not advise this, friends…” Cassandra started as she ignited her saber in response to several more blasters being lifted now in their direction. “We all want to help each other.”
“What do you mean help?” The bartender finally stammered out. “This whackjob is holding a blaster at me on the bar!”
“See, that’s exactly it.” Cassandra replied as she gave him her attention. “Unless you answer his questions, and have your friends stand down, the first thing that will happen is he’ll put a blaster bolt in your head. I’ll cut down the two in front of me, the two by the back rooms will open fire and we will both direct them back and take them down. Even if the others did take us down…you’ll be dead regardless.”
“……..”
“Your choice, friend.” she reiterated, giving more emphasis to the fear present in the room. The bartender’s eyes widened as he leaned back against the back of the bar’s wall, clearly fully in panic mode.
“I-I can’t say anything…or I’ll die either way….”
This was a hairy situation, with no optimal solution available. It was possible that the denizens in the car were Caelus citizens just stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time, but also possible they were part of the Collective cell that had destroyed the Eternal. There was no good method to deduce either in the time they had.
H.A.L. had started compiling target firing solutions the moment the blaster weapons had been raised in their direction. Once the bartender had made clear he was going to die either way, the moment to strike arrived. In one fluid motion the Regent lifted his pistol from the bar, spinning around and firing off several shots in the various directions of the weapon holders as he did so, with the intent to disarm or prevent them from discharging their weapons entirely, drawing his beskar-forged gravity hammer and ripping it from his back as he finished his sweep.
With dead accuracy he did so, fingers and hands getting shot as the weapons all began to fall to the floor. Several others that entered the room immediately after and fired several shots, Cassandra caught the bolts with her frost blue saber and redirected the shots right back to their hands as well.
A group of seven quickly ran into the room from a back area with blasters raised. She quickly turned and slammed her fist into the ground as a wave began to distort the air immediately in front of her before it struck the group and threw all of them backward and to the ground. With a fast movement she was suddenly now all but on top of them as they scrambled to pick their blasters back up, unable to do so as their hands were severed one after the other on those who did attempt. Those that did not saw either sharp kicks to their chins or leg thrusts to their throats to disable them.
“Call the boss, we need reinforcements!” the bartender called out as he tried to slink away after hiding behind the bar. “Get them up here!”
Zxyl cranked his head in the direction of the bartender as he tried to make a break for it, extending his pistol arm with the custom WESTAR-35 sideways. He pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession, sending two bolts into the back of the Bothan’s legs to disable his movement before turning his helmet covered head back to Cassandra in a dead stare
“It appears we have found what we’re looking for.”
Now, they waited.
The voices got louder and louder, echoing down the tunnel as Anders, Draca, and Ankira approached what appeared to be a meeting of sorts between Collective officials. They were able to observe the conversation taking place from their vantage point high up. Whoever they were, they were armed with an advanced militia to protect them anmt each corner of their meeting room.
“The Eternal has been destroyed!” Declared one officer, a burly Human with a large, grey mustache and a scar over his left eye. “They are on the defensive! We waste time whilst they regroup and fortify their position!”
“And defy direct orders?” A younger officer, a Twi'Lek with blue skin answered back, shaking her head with disgust. “We are to assess the current strength of the Taldryan Republic via hit and run tactics. Destroying the Eternal proves that the Republic is vulnerable to inside espionage and guerilla tactics. We will lose footing if we fight them on open ground on their home turf. No matter how much you want to be a warmonger, it makes no sense!”
“Why you…”
“Enough!” A third called out, another Human with various medals adorning his armor. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “We have confirmed what we need too. We must regroup, gather our forces and continue to infiltrate the auxiliary divisions of the Taldryan Republic. Then, and only, then, can we assure victory.”
<@417336769181122562>
“Indeed.” Cassandra shot back as she walked behind the bar. She noticed a bottle of tsiraki and immediately poured two glasses.
As she raised hers up to drink, she turned her back to Zxyl in case he did want it. If not, she was content with the offer.
At this point anyways, it was a matter of waiting. Probably wouldnt be long before the path down was revealed and the first wave came, then they head down.
“Hey, help is being requested at the bar above.” another voice called out that Anders, Draka, and Ankira heard. “Gonna send about two dozen up, that fine?”
“Yes.” A burly deeper voice said. “I will head that way myself behind them. Let’s get this done, then back to orders.”
“Understood.”
<@837236610684813342> <@417336769181122562> <@260640060775464960>
“Draca, what do you sense above?”
The Jedi closed his eyes, taking only a moment to allow the sensations to come to him.
“I sense the Supreme Chancellor up there. The tunnel must connect both locations.”
That would explain how they were moving atound so freely. The sewers acted like a landspeeder highway under the city. Anders closed his eyes, connecting telepathically with Cassandra again.
‘Two dozen hostiles heading up to your location. Evacuate or brace yourself.’
Ankira glanced back towards them, holding her Westars ready to attack.
“Are we going to do a two sided attack?” she whispered back to them.
She knew they could throw down a good opposition, but they might also flee into the tunnels if they didn’t plan it.
“Not yet. Wait for the troops to leave. Those three down there,” Anders pointed at the commanding officers. “They are our targets.”
She nodded slightly and looked back at the three leader figures down there.
Cassandra’s back was still firmly to Zxyl, not a single muscle moving to face him as this new revelation came up. She raised her glass to her lips and took a long, drawn out gulp.
“Got about two dozen apparently on their way. Anders, Draca, and Ankira are in the sewers below behind them. Ready for some fun?” she continued before she sat the glass down, interlaced her fingers, and cracked them outward.
<@260640060775464960>
“That’s all?” the Regent scoffed. Two dozen would be nothing for the two of them, let alone the three others that had taken up position behind them. The Regent re-attached his pistol to its magnetic holster on his thigh, drawing his lightsaber hilt from his belt as to hold both it and his gravity hammer.
Soon, he thought, retribution will be ours.
The two dozen had left, leaving the three Collective commanding officers alone.
“There. Now we strike.”
<@417336769181122562>
Anders held put a hand, weaving the intricate threads of the Force through the Twi'lek woman’s mind. She seemed to stare into the distance with a foggy expression in her features.
She calmly walked over to her lieutenant, the non-General, and retrieved her blaster. She pointed it at their head and pulled the trigger.
The blaster shot echoed throughout the sewer he was dead instantly.
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!? LOWER YOIR WEAPON!” The General roared.
Her arms twitched as she raised her blaster not to him, but her own chin. Tears streamed down her face as she uttered her last words.
“Scum… must… die…”
She pulled the trigger, her body slumping to the floor amidst the General’s shock.
“Anders, what did you do!?” Draca said alarmingly.
“The others were unimportant. He is the trie target. Miss Irr, if you wouldn’t mind neutralising him alive, that would be much appreciated.”
<@417336769181122562>
She didn’t need to hear that twice. Putting her blasters on stun she jumped down and shot at the General before he could fully react after what happened in the room. She hit him square in the chest making him fall over without killing him.
Looking around she made sure none of the other collective goons returned.
Anders reached out telepathically to <@61385159655559168>.
‘Enemy leader secured. Eliminate their forces and we can put an end to this farce.’
The Mandalorian walked over to the General and made sure he was unarmed. As she went through his items she found a notepad. She looked at it, but she couldn’t read what was on it, her new sight didn’t work that way.
“Anders? This might be useful, but I have no idea what it says,” she said as she held it up.
*“Bring the leader to us, in one piece. I want to speak with him.” Cassandra mentally sent back to Anders before she took her saber back in hand herself.
It wasn’t long before the rush of footsteps and the hissing of doors could be heard from behind the bar…but also from the VIP section towards the front.
The doors to the main area opened and immediately there was a flurry of blaster fire from the front and the back, where Cassandra immediately began blocking and redirecting bolts from the front; leaving the back for Zxyl. Quite evidently, there was much more than just a dozen, almost as if it were a trap.
As some came through the door, she reached up and with a flick of her wrist closed the door on two of them with crushing force, one taken apart in half.
<@260640060775464960>
Anders sifted quickly through the notepad that Ankira handed to him. A small smirk graced his face. Yes. This would prove to be invaluable.
‘Understood. I have more information for you once we approach the surface.’
Anders turned to face his comrades for this endeavour. “It appears we are to bring this scum before the Supreme Chancellor. Draca, Ankara, would you mind?”
He gestured to the stunned body as he basically asked them to carry him.
<@417336769181122562>
Ankira frowned for a moment and then just hoisted the limb body onto her shoulders.
“Lead the way,” she said to Anders, “I don’t promise he gets up there without bruises.”
Anders smiled an evil smile. “Good. He deserves no less. Bring him along, Draca.”
The group proceeded up the stairs…
The Mandalorian followed him up the stairs, the head and feet of the prisoner hitting the wall more than once.
As they reached the top, they saw Cassandra in a much more casual attire and completely different hairstyle along with Zxyl, and about three dozen dead bodies.
“Anders, I thought you said a dozen…” she said as she wiped the side of her sweaty face, as it had been a considerable workout to this point.
“I thought you could use the exercise,” Anders quipped back, gesturing to the body of the stunned General. “I brought you a present.”
Cassandra glanced over at <@260640060775464960> Zxyl and motioned. “Pass him off to the Regent. He’s earned this one.”
Ankira moved past Anders, making sure to give the General a good snox against the counter before dropping him in front of Zxyl’s feet.
“One fool for you,” the Mandalorian said
Zxyl looked down at the man strewn over the floor. A general. He scoffed for a moment, nodding to Ankira, before lowering himself to a crouching position over the body. There were SO MANY THINGS he wanted to do to this man. So many. But they would have to wait. His cell had already paid the price, and for now, that would have to suffice.
The Regent turned his head up towards Taldryan’s Supreme Chancellor Consul momentarily, then back to the Collective soldier’s.
“If you do not mind, I require transport to the Sepulchrum on Arx.”
She gave a brisk confirming nod. “You shall have it, I will ensure passage on the Drake. Just as an added precaution, in case there are other plans against you. And please, when he is awake, give this thing my regards. And for the others as well.”
“Very well. I would like to depart as soon as possible,” the Regent noted as he grabbed the man by the front of his collar and returned to his full height, lifting his chest off the ground as his head slumped backwards..
Ankira looked between the people and frowned slightly. “Is there anything else that needs to be done?”