Dominion A Stab in the Dark | TSC Dominion of Obulette

[Eurydice]

Mercy Varin Mortifer Lysander von Ascania Milla
​

Varin raised a good question: how did she get here.

Eurydice's fingers had laced together beneath the billowing fabric of her sleeves. Now, they squeezed together.

"I am here at Lord Mercy's grace."

Conveniently, she skipped over the part where the Sith Lord had dangled her over a ledge on Fiviune. Everything had just gone up from there, but the bar was in hell.

Eurydice was bad at saying no. Especially when she was at the bottom of the pecking order, surrounded by dark gods and monsters who were more power than they were mortal. Even among acolytes, she was lacking in both ability and backbone.

Varin had been the first person among the Sith to show her an iota of kindness. Eurydice's fingers twisted together. She thought to ask about his eye, molten and glowing like a little core of lava, but they were in strange company.

Eurydice pointedly avoided eye contact with the Ascania Scion who, frankly, she did not want to be in the same sector as. She knew well the aristocratic families of Ukatis; it has once been her job to observe them. Now, she wanted nothing to do with that heretical, cursed family who couldn't seem to stop murdering royals.

The mission details were laid out, and Eurydice tilted her head in a soft bow to the pair of acolytes as they disembarked. She swallowed thickly as Mercy's hand landed on her shoulder, surprisingly heavy for something so small.

"Y-yes," she squeaked, pausing to draw in a slow breath that might steady frazzled nerves. "I apologize for my subpar performance on Coruscant. I will improve. What is my task-"

Varin lifted his hand, cutting a scream short with a sickening wet crunch. Eurydice stilled, mouth agape in horror. Her hands rose quickly to shield her dismay behind the opaque cloth of her sleeves.

 

[Mercy]

Varin Mortifer | Lysander von Ascania | Milla | Eurydice
​

She squeezed her shoulder as Eurydice assured her that she'd do better.

Somehow Mercy doubted it.

In truth Mercy was beginning to wonder what Eurydice was doing here. She understood it before. She had been afraid, shook to her core, by Nefarion and as such believed she had no choice. There was no Sith bone in her body. All her instincts were wrong. Weak, fragile, soft. That was only confirmed when Varin crushed someone to death and the sound of it made Eurydice freeze in a moment of horror.

"Oh, my sweet darling, what ever shall we do with you?" Mercy murmured gently, taking her chin in hand and guiding Eurydice's face up to have their eyes meet.

"Do you truly think you can do this?"

Leaning in there, until those amber eyes were the only thing in the young girl's vision. Letting all the rest fall away, besides the continued sounds of battle from Varin and Lysander.

"Do you have it in you to kill? That is what it means to be Lord. To not just watch how lives are taken without a twitch, but to have no hesitation in taking a life yourself."

Her arm wrapped around her shoulders, gently guiding her along, off the ramp and onto the hangar bay.

Among them was the beginning of a carnage left by Varin and Lys.

"Look at those boys," Mercy said with pride in her tone. "I never thought I'd ever have a good thing to say about sentients with their obvious deficiency. But time and time again they surprise me. Maybe they are not all lost. What do you think, Eury... can you be as strong as Varin? As formidable and ruthless as my Lysie?"

 

[Arris Windrun]

OBJECTIVE 3
Nilira Vornix | Lucianus Adair

"I'm not."

Arris stopped. Hell, even the Gran cook stopped, though it was more likely he was waiting for them to place an order or fuck off.

"What do you mean you're not--"

"Go ahead and starve, then."

The masculine voice cut through her thoughts. Arris turned to see the man himself, her look partly confused, mostly waiting for him to say something else.

"You're not where you're meant to be."

"Says you," she scoffed.

The cyborg turned back to the acolyte. "Just..." She fished her pockets for some money. "Go ahead, go order something. Eat." Impatient, more than demanding.

The Gran turned to Nilira, expectantly. Though his expression was devoid of anything except the quiet apathy of a service worker, he was remarkably patient with her now that a transaction was on the table. His blank stare really might've said, 'Okay, so are you going to buy something?'

With Nilira (hopefully) occupied, Arris gave the mouthy stranger her full attention, her cybernetic hands resting on either hip.

"Got a problem?" She asked. Her tone flat.

His demeanor was different from the rest. Not apathetic. Not fearful. He alluded to knowing her and what she was supposed to be doing. So what the hell gives?

 

[Ives]

Obulette
Loading Docks, somewhere
Break time gambling

Ives really didn't know what to call this feeling he had. Like some shadow had descended on him, pupeteering his every move to guide him to exactly the outcome he desired. Each small nudge to the coin balancing on his fingers made his gut-instincts shift. Too far to one side and his insides squirmed like he was looking at a row of perfectly aligned picture frames where one was ever so slightly out of alignment with the rest.

When he nudged the coin the other way, the world came into alignment again. The discomfort faded, and he was left feeling a deep sense of correctness. Like the coin was exactly in its right place. And all he'd done was push the coin a little this way or that. He'd never felt anything like it, but for some reason he trusted himself completely.

With one final breath, he tossed the coin skyward.

It struck the table on its edge, against all odds, but it didn't stop there. It was carried by momentum, bouncing back into the air. When it came back down, it hit the table with its edge again. Then agian, and again, until...until it hit the table and began to roll. It followed a smooth curve over the tabletop. Every moment some of its momentum was lost to friction, which made gravity's pull stronger. The coin began to sway side to side. It couldn't make up its mind on which face to fall on, until eventually its roll nearly slowed to a halt and it looked as though it would topple.

Bortram shifted in his seat, turning toward Ives.

But the coin didn't fall over. The last of its momentum carried the coin into a semi-circle arc, where, rather than fall over completely, it was propelled on just enough to keep rolling.

And it came to a stop, still standing on its side.

Both Bortram and Zhuk gawked, unable to believe the sight before them.

 

[Madelyn Lowe]

Anet Raine | Rae Cooke | Darth Amaymon | Acier Moonbound ​

The girl in front of Madelyn seemed confident, arrogant, and very much reminiscent of how she herself had acted back when she was a recently- graduated junior officer. She already considered herself above her station. Perhaps, then, she needed to learn a measure of humilty, to understand exactly where she shaped up in the pecking order. Still, Madelyn could appreciate a woman with ambition, and she could tell from the way that Anet carried herself that she had plenty.

She held out her hand as Anet introduced herself, her eyes not wavering from the girl.

"My name is Madelyn." she flashed a smile. "You are Anet Raine." Her gaze flicked to the young man standing behind Anet. He was another who looked confident, but perhaps not as eager as Anet. Behind her and across from her, lights had come on from the other lifts, signalling Madelyn would have more guests soon. She turned her attention back to her Acolytes.

"And your name is Acier Moonbound." Just like with Anet, she held out a hand for him to shake, never taking her eyes off him, never blinking, eyes seeming to glitter in the lamplight. "You are here to assist me." she answered with a pearly smile.

There was a chime that broke her concentration, and she looked to see the turbolifts open again, and a massive red figure stepped out. Madelyn gave the man a gracious bow and waved him over.

"Darth Amaymon, welcome, I am glad you could spare the time to attend. Please, come watch this, I think you will enjoy it." Loyalty was not a word Madelyn would ascribe to Kezeroth the Hateful. But, she understood he was a Lord within this Covenant, and despite supposedly having died a decade prior he carried fearsome authority.

"I take it I'm not here for a date."

Madelyn raised an eyebrow.

"With you?" she laughed, a sound that started melodically and ended slightly strangled and strange. "No, your betters have engaged me on a c-"

"I sure hope not,"

Madelyn stopped mid-sentence, spinning around in an instant at the familiar voice with a yet distinct Imperial twang that awakened a hundred old memories. She knew before she even spotted her, but even so, the sight of Rae Cooke standing in front of the lifts made Madelyn jump as if electrocuted. She opened her mouth to speak and made a choking sound, a distinct blush creeping across her cheeks.

There were very few things that could throw Madelyn off her game these days, but the arrival of such a ghost was one of them. How humiliating, and at such a pivotal moment too... She would make Allyson pay for that one later.

"Ahem." said Madelyn, shaking her head as if to clear it. "May I introduce Ms Rae Cooke. She is an employee of mine and will be assisting us tonight." She shot Rae- That is, Allyson, a nasty look, even though secretly she was thrilled to see her again, especially in this disguise. "Ms Cooke, there is a black plasteel case in the back room, fetch it for us." Madelyn had already returned to her normal shade, but there was no denying the ground she must have lost with the Acolytes.

"Sit." Madelyn commanded, pointing to Anet and Acier, then at the wine coloured velvet couches in the centre of the room. All the friendliness had left her demeanor, and the words were delivered with a cruel snarl. Madelyn had never been good at hiding her annoyance.

 

[Anet Raine]

OBJECTIVE TWO
Acier Moonbound | Darth Amaymon | Madelyn Lowe | Rae Cooke

So that was Acier on the elevator behind her... Ugh.

Anet tossed a glance over her shoulder at the fellow acolyte, whom she'd now run into what was it... Two, three times? Hard to keep count, but each time was less forgettable than the last. Good for him.

Yeah - Anet was in a mood since Coruscant.

That mood changed, though, when entered that fucking ghost-demon-thing-man she hadn't seen since The Pit. His armor drew as much attention as his physique and aura. When he spoke, Anet wondered if this man knew more than the others. Was he part of some inner circle? The acolyte struggled to understand the Covenant's inner workers. Especially since their conquest of the Core, which led to many changes and even more questions.

Madelyn? Anet hadn't the time to really weigh what a pretty name that was for someone who looked so done with the galaxy before her last name rolled off Madelyn's tongue. She knew Acier, too, which was more of a surprise to her, actually. Was he someone important? Why hadn't Anet heard of him before?

At this point, the half-pantoran nearly fumed in frustration. "Assist you how?" She thought to ask.

Of course, she'd have spoken out of place, because now Madelyn addressed the behemoth in the room, confirming that he was a Sith Lord. That surprised Anet... not at all. It made sense. Just look at him!

Before she could settle back into focus on their host, another individual stepped forward. This one looked nothing like the others. Not in the least a Sith, as far as she could tell, and the way spoke suggested she knew the jaded woman more intimately, referring to her as 'boss' of all things. This earned a raised brow from the pale blue Sithling, and her head followed the woman's movements as she stood beside the blonde.

It seemed this employee's words managed to catch Madelyn off guard, and Anet couldn't help but grin.

And then, she told them to sit. Her smirk contorted into a poorly suppressed scowl.

Anet found a seat on the couch. The fact that it was so comfortable made her even more paranoid than she already was. What the fuck was going on? Were they all about to be executed by this paper pusher?

Finally, she spoke. "What's going on?" She tried her best to hide any emotional discomfort.

 

[Ives]

Obulette
Loading Docks, somewhere
Break time gambling

Ives lit up a cigarette while Bortrom counted his money. He inhaled the acrid smoke, filled at once with amazement and indifference. That the coin landed on its side had felt inevitable. Like no other possibility had existed. He'd known it would land that way. But how could he have known that? It didn't make no sense. He'd felt it, the right way to position the coin, the exact force to put behind the toss, the way he needed to angle his hand. He'd simply known in that moment.

And precisely that knowledge gnawed at him now. He'd tossed coins idly now and then, but he was no magician. He didn't know any parlor tricks, nor was he particularly dextrous. There was some piece missing in all of this. Some void that gnawed at him, even as he knew it all made perfect sense.

He exhaled the smoke. The cloud danced briefly in the quiet breeze under the starshine. Nothing more than ash carried on spent breath, but still it held its own little beauty.

Ives watched the smoke with each exhale. If he kept thinking about what he'd just experienced he'd go down an old familiar pathway down an anxious spiral. He preferred to avoid it if he could.

Whatever had just happened, he'd figure it out. Later. Maybe he'd pay the med-tech a visit. That episode might have been a brief stint of mania. His luck simply an impossibly improbable chain of coincidences. Better to get checked out. But, not too soon. Only once his contract was up. Any earlier and the corpo in charge of this dump might void his pay on account of medical complications.

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Arris Windrun Lucianus Adair

"I mean that my stomach does not grumble. That I am not particularly looking for nourishment. Need I continue to spell it out for you?"

At the sudden arrival of someone new, Nilira didn't seem to bat a single eyelash. He didn't seem to even be acknowledged by the Acolyte. It was clear that his interest wasn't in here anyway, but was more focused in on Arris. It made sense of course.

Either way, she took the credits from Arris...and just simply wordlessly passed them over towards the Gand. She had meant it when she said she hadn't been hungry. None of this food seemed particularly appetising to her anyway. And that was the only other reason you'd want to eat something. If you weren't hungry, you'd only eat something because it looked good.

And with that all said and done, alongside Arris seemingly occupied with the stranger, Nilira just took out her diary once more, starting to scribble down against it, with a regular bog-standard pen.

​

 

[Skael the Patient]

Objective 3 / House Ministry of Inquiry
​

She must think me crazy or senile.

I believe she thinks there is a discussion to be had, Baron.

A discussion? These psychopaths decapitated centuries of rule. They have murdered old Lords and young Ladies. They have butchered the past and the future of the Tapani people. There is no working with them. They must be destroyed, all of them, massacred like they massacred us.

Well, yes, sire. But we are currently in a precarious situation. They have destabilized the Core and are fattening themselves on its wealth. There are rumblings of armies being raised by them. If we stand against them, we will stand alone.

The High Republic-

Must think of its own people with the Sith Order right on their border. Not to mention those damned criminal scum on the other side. They might send money, maybe weapons, but odds are they will not send us any bod-

They killed my niece, Armand, she was barely of age! My nephew they threw over the balcony. They laughed while my wife was pleading for her life. Then they looked me in the eye and told me to await further orders or I will be next. I will not, I shall not sully their memory by cooperating with these vermin. They will regret coming to our homes, I promise you that.

...yes, sire. I will... relay to the Lady Contessa that her proposal to cooperate with the Covenant has been declined.

Thank you, old friend. I am sorry I yelled, I-

Think nothing of it, sire. We have all been through a lot. You should stay here for the time being. Once the sabotage and assassinations start, they will suspect you. It is best if you are not found.

I hate that you are right. If I was younger... stronger...

We know, sire, think nothing of it. You fought for us in your youth, now we will fight for you in the twilight of your life.

_________
​

The conversation died off as the Baron and his footman left the office. One suspicious bird cocked its head as it thought about the implication. There was one man standing between the MI cooperating with the Covenant. Preventing this 'Lady Contessa' from establishing a partnership. Skael wondered if it truly could be that simple.

Kill the man?

Eat his eyes? Maybe his tongue, Tapani tongues were rather tasty, Skael had noticed during the initial campaign.

He sounded old, which made Skael think he could probably end his life, that it wouldn't be that difficult. Once more the bird pushed itself off of the balcony, letting the currents carry it up and up. At this time of the night an old man would most likely prepare himself for sleep. The bird circled the building, looking for any windows that were open or from where a light still shone.

Eventually it found one.

He slipped inside.

Quiet as a bird.

 

[Lucianus Adair]

Arris Windrun • Nilira Vornix
​

"Says you," she scoffed.

Snark.

"Just..." She fished her pockets for some money. "Go ahead, go order something. Eat."

Impatience.

"I mean that my stomach does not grumble. That I am not particularly looking for nourishment. Need I continue to spell it out for you?"

Attitude.

As if he hadn't heard these innumerable times. Suppositions travelled his thoughts in two directions... but he wasn't on the hunt, nor were these his subordinates. He had no reason to clock these observations. It simply occurred as a matter of nature.

"Got a problem?" She asked. Her tone flat.

Lucianus blinked once. "Quite the opposite," he flexed a hand, idly, and the leather groaned as fingers curled back in, though his gaze didn't waver from her, "the rabble below are... have been doing me a favour."

Albeit unknowingly. Too long had his children strayed from the pact. This Covenant could do as they wished with those lives, but they would find the deepest vaults and archives inaccessible without his imprint.

"May they dine well."

Voice Sample #1 • Voice Sample #2​

 

[Hasuras Na-Gerra]

Fare fortune, little spies.

A voice in the minds of each. Deep as an ocean. Mighty as a volcano. The voice of Hasuras na-Gerra, cast by some sorcerous design across time and space.

The House Mecetti has an object I desire.

The object arose in the mind's eye, crystalizing into view.

A talisman. Should you find it on your excursion, bring it to me and you shall be rewarded.

If not, no matter. After my fleet is finished with them I shall pull it from the ashes of their house.

Varin Mortifer , Lysander von Ascania , Eurydice , Mercy​

 

[Milla]

​

Objective 3: Mercy Lysander von Ascania Varin Mortifer Eurydice

Milla watched with more interest than anything else, the very sudden and what seemed cosmically inevitable carnage happening only a dozen meters from where she lurked in the shadow of one of the older ships. She knew oppressive and violent force use when she saw it, and had little interest in getting in the way of the bloodletting being brought forth by Varin Mortifer and Lysander von Ascania . That didn't mean she didn't WATCH of course.

Messy, no regard for useable pieces, she thought to herself.
You just can't help your obsessive nature, can you? Not your fault, but it will be your downfall.
Well, waste not, want not.

They might have left a mess behind them, but there were useable bits and bobs remaining, yes? As the two men surged forward, leaving the dead behind, Milla slunk out of the shadows of the ship. She didn't realize that one more unfamiliar and one rather familiar figures were coming down the ramp and into the bay, she was focused on crouching to see if all of the internal organs of the first casualties were completely wasted or not.

"Ugh these are just a mess," she muttered, more to herself than anything else and poking a bit at one of the bodies, not seeing Mercy or Eurydice as they descended down the ramp.

 

[Varin Mortifer]

OBJ:3​

All he could do was pretend she was not there. He had to follow through with everything he did. Every strike, every step and every breath had to be commitment. It was just unfortunate Eurydice had to see partly what Varin was really capable of.

Varin watched Lysander sneak into their surroundings, just as a guard started to process that someone was there he was already cut down. Swift, clean and silent. Lysander was always effective with what he did, and it was why Varin always called him a battle brother. They did not truly have to communicate to each other what to do next, they just knew.

As Varin walked forward he heard a slight rustle behind him. He stopped in his tracks, and quickly turned around grabbing his mace as he watched a peculiar figure inspect the bodies of those he just crumpled into balls of unrecognizable flesh. He slowly relaxed the mace. Especially when he noticed the figure did not seem to show any harm towards him or his crew.

Gerra's words bled into Varin's mind. He wanted something, and it seemed precious. His eyes sharpened at the request, silently he acknowledged the request. If he found such a thing, he would gift it honorably.

He shot a glance to Mercy and Eurydice, then placed his helm over his head. The visor's red light glaring ahead of him as he turned to continue the massacre.

A security member seemed to notice what was happening and quickly ran to Varin with a shock baton.

The baton impacted the armor, electrifying the surface, the officer's eyes changed from determination to fear when he realized the baton had little to no affect.

Varin's fingers gripped the guards neck hoisting him up. He grunted at first, then his body started to smoke, before screams ripped through his throat followed by flames erupting from his eyes and mouth.

Varin dropped the charred corpse at his feet, crumpled in a heap of blackened bone and cooked flesh.

Lysander von Ascania | Mercy | Milla | Eurydice
Hasuras Na-Gerra
​