Private Bidding War

[Darth Strosius]

To say that the Outer Rim was an orderly and lawful area of space was insulting. Pirates, criminals, vagabonds of all kinds roamed the lawless space and preyed upon any unlucky enough to be nearby. Worst of all, the slave trade was alive and well. Slavers shamelessly held auctions for all to see, advertising their newly stolen slaves and offering them up like simple pieces of merchandise.

Of course, the spies of the Tsis'Kaar were well aware of these auctions and slavers. And of course, they hated having to compete for new recruits.

Alisteri himself cared little for why his master's network had told him of this little auction that he now found himself at, their intentions didn't matter. They had offered him a chance to kill some slavers and free their captured people, he couldn't pass it up. The slaver station wasn't too impressive, a simple mining facility that had been converted into one big auction house, but it was too defended for his frigate to assault alone.

But thankfully, he and his forces weren't alone. The Tsis'Kaar had reached out to another Sith, of course they had neglected to mention a name to him, that would apparently have some ships of their own. So long as he got to spill some slaver blood he didn't really care who or why they had agreed to disrupt this auction. He sat up above the main auction stage, watching the exchanges from his spot in an airvent.

His Legionnaires were on standby as well, having infiltrated one of the cargo shipments and ready to burst out of the containers that they had smuggled themselves aboard the station in. They were eager for their job, for they would bleed the slavers the most by causing a big distraction for the guards. Now, he just had to hope that his apparent partner was in position as well. He tapped on his helmet's commlink, patching into one of the Sith channels often used by the Tsis'Kaar's forces.

"This is Knight Strosius, my soldiers and I are in position. What is your status?"

Darth Tormenta

 

[Darth Tormenta]

"My soldiers and droids are in position, shuttles ready to dock once you begin the firefight. My corvettes and frigates await my order, then they'll jump in and set up an interdiction field, they won't be allowed to flee."

Khamesi and her forces were hardly known for their stealth, instead they struck fast and hard, with her interdiction corvettes being by far the best tool in her arsenal for it. Keep her targets from fleeing, force them to terms or to risk a fight. In that nature, she had chosen to have her shuttles just out of the sensor range of the station, ready to kick it into high speed once her partner on this endeavor sprung his little trap. Whether she'd try to keep this station, or reduce it to scrap once the fight was over was still in the air. She needed more safehouses and dead drops, a shadow station like this one would be good for that, but it might not be...viable. She tended to get destructive when dealing with slavers.

"My forces will take any surviving slaves to the docking bays to sort out where they're from and so on, you let your forces focus on killing the slavers and shutting down the operation. I'll be joining you in the battle fairly quickly, they'll be hard pressed to slow me down."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"An interdiction field?" Alisteri raised an eyebrow in surprise, the hilt of his lightsaber slipping into his hand as he stood up on the ceiling strut that he had been perched on. He made a mental note to ask his fellow Sith where she had acquired interdiction tech later after their little mission. It would certainly make his cult's usual raids much easier to pull off.

"I'll see if I can herd the slaves in here to some exit for your forces to pick up, my soldiers will be more than happy to give yours plenty of breathing room." He cracked his neck and looked down at the main stage of the auction. With a final tap on his commlink he gave the signal to his Legion and his allies alike.

"Showtime."

"...And next up folks we have some prime candidates!" The auctioneer grinned as he moved across the stage to the center, speaking to his audience of bidders and guards alike as he spoke into his handheld microphone. "Now get those credits ready and those hands prepped because-" Gasps and screams followed the silence of the auctioneer, his head rolling across the stage before he had even noticed someone landing on the stage behind him.

Alisteri looked out over the shocked crowd and guards, stepping over the body with his red blade in hand. "Because the fun is over." Alarms would soon ring out across the station due to both the masked Sith Knight and the sudden emergence of his Legion from the cargo crates behind the stage and in other places around the main area.

It didn't take long for the showroom to descend into anarchy and combat as the guards snapped to attention and Alisteri leapt into the crowd.

Darth Tormenta

 

[Darth Tormenta]

Darth Strosius

Khamesi waited patiently for the the alarms to sound, the moment they did her shuttles moved in, rest of the fleet jumping in after a delay of several seconds. Ion weapons of every nature, cannons, chain, and torpedo, slammed into the station as soon as the weapons entered ranged. Keep the shields, and weapon systems, of their target shut down. Plus if they didn't have backups or proper emergency lights, the darkness would add to the confusion.

Khamesi jumped from her shuttle before it had even settled, moving with speed to the blastdoors that had already slammed shut. Simple enough to get through with a saber, but all the more intimidating when whatever security was around witnessed the Sith rip it down with her bare hands, it'd also draw more to her to try and slow her, letting her temporary ally have some breathing room. Her fists slammed home, cracking and ripping the metal until the blastdoors tore free from the wall entirely.

She stepped through, igniting one blade of her saber, and starting with cutting down a guard that opened fire on her, his weapon falling in two pieces before he even realized he was dead. She moved past, blocking bolts casually as she heard report after report of hangers being secured, of the shuttles and private ships of the doomed were secured. She keyed open a comm to Alisteri first.

"All hangars secure, my troops will move to seize engineering and security, prevent them from trying anything stupid to spite us."

She stopped and with the help of a little astromech that many of her forces brought with them, always useful to have when securing areas the fighting had stopped, keyed herself into the stations comms themselves, broadcasting for all to here.

"Slavers, and slaves. This station is done, for those that trade in captured souls, know that you will probably not see the next dawn. For those that have been trapped in bondage, whether new or old, you will soon be free. Some of you may yet return home, if you so wish. If you see a soldier with mask in the shape of a Dragon Skull, they will free you of your chains. If you wish to help us tear down your captors, they will provide weapons. If not, we have already seized the hangars, and an interdiction field surrounds the station. You will be safe in the hanger, your enemies cannot reach you there."

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri didn't discriminate in his swinging as he plunged his lightsaber through the chest of one of the crowd just to rip it back out to deflect a shot from one of the guards right back at them. As far as he was concerned everyone not in chains or allied with the Sith were enemies. And he had no hesitation or second-thoughts when it came to slaying his enemies. Especially slavers.

The masked Sith carved a path of destruction through the crowd, flinging people aside and slicing the guards that tried to rush him in half. Thankfully the crowd itself still being in a panic and mostly still contained within the main auction area meant that he could only really be attacked by small groups of guards at any one time. They didn't want to risk shooting into their clients after all, that would just be bad for business. He idly wondered if they had realized yet that their business was well and truly over from this day onward.

He would make them understand regardless.

His soldiers were just as eager to lay into the guards and crowds as they tried to rush in or out through the doorways along the flanks of the auction area, firing indiscriminately into whoever they saw as they established little holdouts and footholds within the chaotic and bloody battle. The Sith's swings paused for a moment as his commlink crackled to life, not bothering to respond despite the good news.

That meant that their enemies were now trapped in here with them, ripe for the slaughter. Without a way of escape though the guards, and even the crowds, would be at their deadliest. A wild animal lashed out the most when escape was impossible after all. With several of the doorways and exits now secured by the Legionnaires they were quick to establish little corridors to allow for the newly freed slaves to escape from the combat. Unchained souls ran out in search of their salvation as the broadcast promised them, the guards too busy trying to find cover or put a shot into the Sith and their forces to react properly to the breakout.

Darth Tormenta

 

[Darth Tormenta]

Khamesi smiled as more and more guards fell to her blade, none deserved her claws nor presented a challenge worthy of them, so instead they got a death by her lightsaber. As she advanced steadily through the halls, far afield of her forces that slowly closed the vice on the slavers, she encountered more and more resistance as she found people organizing last stands. A few guards here and there surrendered, for that they were knocked unconscious and chained down, sometimes with their own instruments. Who was just a mercenary and who was truly loyal to the slaver scum could be sorted out later, most would probably die. Still, even just one or two fools brave enough to challenge her then intelligent enough to surrender under her onslaught may yet survive, such people were always of use. Whether as new soldiers or to spread the word of her fleet.

It would be some time yet before her forces could secure central security itself, leaving the enemy in possession of it's cameras and control over most of the stations doors, but this did little to slow her. At least, for a time. One path she had to take took her unknowingly to the edge of the station, and in an attempt to be rid of her, they vented that section. Two dozen guards who had till then been putting up a respectable barrier to her advancement with multiple repeating blasters and constant fire from the rest keeping her progress agonizingly slow. They even managed to score a few hits, though her halo of energy resistance fueled by the force made them more annoying than damaging, given enough time and a clever commander, this hallway could have proved a true hitch in the plan. Instead the entire area was vented before she was even halfway to her targets. Her mask and force powers meant the vacuum would need time to kill her, time she would not give it. She crawled along the outside of the station, watching an escape pod launch only to quickly be shot down by her patrolling ships.

Grunting, she caught the closing outer airlock and slipped into the space where the escape pod used to be, letting the doors seal behind her. The inner airlock remained sealed, not unsurprising, and was quickly broken by her blade, leading her into a hallway filled with...mostly well dressed scum, only a few guards. Granted most of these scum had a pistol of some kind, but the appearance of a second Sith, not yet common knowledge among them it seems, sent them into a panic. She grinned beneath the skull mask, and laughed loudly.


"Well then, resist me for a chance to live, or flee to live a few seconds longer, what will it be?"

She was unsurprised that most turned and ran, they'd seen their first pod blown to bits and then a Sith enter from behind where it left. What was more, she was a hulking figure, wreathed in effervescent green flame, and clearly excited at the prospect. A few stood their ground and fought. Good, they would get the quick deaths. Bravery in the face of doom earned them that little reprieve, the ones that fled? Not as lucky. They would be taken alive, mostly, and they would wish they had stood their ground, they would beg for death before she allowed them to die. She marked as many as she could, tagging them so her forces would know to take those alive, before quickly silencing the handful of fighters still facing her. She opened her communicator, a direct line for her ally-of-the-day.

"Strosius, the guards bunkered down in security are getting smarter and getting creative. Avoid the outer walls, they tried to vent me. The vice is closing around them, expect more fortified positions. Before I was vented I was dealing with multiple repeating blasters and coordinated fire, enough to slow me down, I don't know how many such positions exist, but the station map will be updated as my forces find them. Use that as you wish."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Within a matter of minutes the chaotic battle in the showroom had fallen from its once loud crescendo to an eerie silence interlaced with a few last screams and the sounds of blaster fire in small bursts. The bloody ambush of the Legionnaires and their Sith leader had been brutally effective, with the guests being caught up in the crossfire between the invaders and the guards. The guards themselves were overwhelmed and became separated from one another, allowing them to be easily picked off by accurate Legionnaires or cut down by the swift strikes of Alisteri himself.

What had once been a battle quickly rose to a bloody climax as the last of the guards were gunned down, leading to a fairly quick mopping up of the remaining guests still trying in vain to find an exit without some sort of barrier or soldier blocking it. There were a handful that managed to slip out in the chaos of it all but Alisteri wasn't too concerned. There was no escape from the station at this point after all. The Legionnaires stalked amongst the floor of the auction house, now mostly covered by corpses, and searched for survivors amidst the dead. Any that were suspected were simply shot on sight as they were ordered to do. Their High Priest had been very clear on what was to be done to slavers.

Alisteri took a moment to survey the carnage left behind by the battle as he let his soldiers sort through the dead, allowing his swinging arm to rest as a result. He had been constantly swinging and stabbing for quite awhile after all. But despite their victory in the showroom the station itself wasn't fully secured, as his ally was quick to remind him.

He tapped on his commlink as he made his way towards one of the room's exits, stepping over the bodies of the fallen and around his patrolling Legionnaires as he did so. "Indeed, it would appear that they've given up trying to take the showroom as well. I haven't seen any new guards here for a few minutes. Breaching into their secured areas will be difficult but not impossible, my soldiers are more than familiar with such tactics. Some pirates are all the same." Now came the hard part.

Breaking through their fortified positions was something that he had hoped to avoid with their multi-front attack but evidently the guards were more competent than he had given them credit for. "I'm going to see if I can poke a few holes in their defenses. What's the status on the freed slaves?" His lightsaber, still ignited from the battle, was gripped tighter in his hand as he left the showroom and his soldiers begin for the time being. Alisteri intended to cleave a less dangerous path for them first before they began the assault towards the security center.

Darth Tormenta

 

[Darth Tormenta]

Khamesi called in with her various sub-commanders getting updates on the status of the evacuations, hanger lockdowns, and so on. As she waited for all the information to come in, she continued to hunt the cowards that had fled from her previously, and as she had promised, gave them much slower deaths. Fire, ice, lightning, suffocation. All were her tools on them, and fates they had chosen by not swallowing their pride and at least going down fighting. A few even tried begging. As if a Sith knew mercy, and gave it out to any shmuck with two credits to rub together. As the latest, now frozen to one of the walls of the station, faded before her eyes, she finally gave her ally an answer as she had all the information herself.

"First shuttles have started loading and being sorted into my waiting transports. The hangars that haven't departed yet have locked down and set up autoblasters of their own, a few escape attempts and pushes, but nothing that has yet breached the wall. As of right now, all known docking ports, including maintenance docks, are now under our control. There may be a few hidden or stealthed pods or disguised hangers yet to be found, but the majority of the exits have been locked down. The only question now is whether they go down fighting, receiving a quick death, or prove to be cowards and get something much slower. As some on my level have already learned, painfully."

Khamesi raised a holoprojector containing the mapped sections of the interior of the station. Her commanders had marked areas that may have hidden compartments, but they were focused on locking down the main thoroughfares, and holding all the exits. The Ash Dragons were no Legionaires, but many were veterans of, and trained specifically for boarding ships and stations. What was most valuable among them however, was their loyalty. Pirates weren't professional soldiers, this was true, many were already looting more minor things that Khamesi would pretend not to notice not being pooled for the stripping of the station. The thing was, nearly all of them owed her for their lives, their freedom, and their power. She knew many of them would lay down their lives if it meant giving her two more seconds of breath. It was to be commended, but she also knew her growing power had already brought spies among her ranks. She'd only found a handful, and none had even known they were spying on her, but where there was three or four, there were more.

She didn't really trust her ally, it was foolish for a Sith to trust any, especially another Sith, but she doubted this one was the source of the intelligence leaks. She was wrapped in the world of the competing factions of the Sith, they all had interest in what she was doing. Whether to watch an enemy, or to keep a current subordinate from supplanting them in the future. Agreeing to this raid was partially to learn of others among the Sith as much as it was to secure her own power base. This station itself was a shadowport, undocumented on the majority of maps, and soon to be abandoned. If it was not destroyed or damaged beyond reasonable repair, it would become hers. Moved, repaired, and made into a beating heart for the expansion of her own power. She wasn't sure what Darth Strosius could gain from it himself, other than the satisfaction of slaughter degenerates such as the ones that owned it now, but she'd find out soon enough.

"One of my commanders, a Leppi named Latte, is on her way to you with a connection to our current battle status, she'll give you the full run down of where our positions are. At his point, it's mainly their security center that gives us trouble, but there's pockets here and there. Some hidden compartments that might be panic rooms, and so forth. The majority of the valuables we're finding that aren't sapient are being brought to the lower hangers to be sorted. We've got a few possibly high value VIPs that we might get information out of, or so forth. You'll be entitled to your share of it all once this is over. Latte has the map that will mark all the known areas of resistance. I've tried transmitting it twice, but something is intercepting it between you and me, they're probably listening to us now."

It was mostly true, she had no doubt the security center of a shadowport full of slavers was listening in on their communications. No encryption was unbreakable after all. What she wasn't mentioning was that the interference was probably from some of her own ships jamming communications leaving the station. It had given her a little opening to see how her ally here would react, and what he would do. Latte was one of her most trusted commanders, literally only one step below her in the chain of command next to five others that made her inner circle. Latte's impression of, and treatment from Darth Strosius would tell her if he would be a friend or foe in the near future after this. Well, as friend as Sith could get anyway.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Locking themselves away to try and hold off the assault was a fairly smart tactic, these slavers knew the station far better than they did even with surveillance and scouting reports on their side. Any hidden hallway or enclosed room could become a dangerous and deadly asset to them if they were smart enough to use them correctly. Flanking and evading with small but precise attacks was the best way to weaken a superior foe and prolong a siege after all. Alisteri had no intentions of giving them the opportunity to use such a strategy though, even if he had to carve through every single barrier between himself and their security center to ensure that.

"If they're locking themselves away then they're either going to go down swinging or try a last-ditch escape. I'll have my frigate watch for any hull breaches if yours can keep an eye on potential hangars or pods." He wasn't going to let them leave alive anyway so it mattered little whether they wanted to surrender or not. Their surrender only hastened their execution as far as he was concerned, a notion which his ally seemed to agree with. It was exceptionally rare to find someone so agreeable within the Sith, almost too agreeable in truth. Anti-Slavery was not a very high priority or common belief amongst the Sith.

Alisteri's stride paused at the mention of someone being sent to meet him, concern flaring up at the thought of their communications being intercepted or jammed. It wasn't impossible of course but it was still an obstacle that had to be overcome. In hindsight having some Legionnaires storm the security center during the chaos of their ambush may have been a good idea. But it was too late to contemplate such things now. As he waited for his contact he briefly attempted to hail the Altorius to no avail, giving further credence to the words of his ally. No contact with reinforcements did complicate matters but short range communications still seemed to work fine given the call.

"Indeed, we're on our own from here on out then. My Legionnaires have locked down the auction room and are holding there until further notice, I figured that it would be better to see if I could find a weak spot in their defenses before I ordered another assault. From what I can tell they've pulled back and dug in but I haven't gotten to close to the security center to be sure." There were still plenty of rooms to be searched and sorted through before it was all said and done. He had no doubt that more than a few guests and guards were probably hiding around in an attempt to survive for a few moments longer.

If they were lucky then their little hiding spot would give them a few more minutes of wasted breath before either a lightsaber or a blaster bolt finally cut them down. "You think they've got the station itself tapped? Better to play it safe I suppose, but still. Pretty elaborate setup for a bunch of two-bit slave traders." Far from the grandest station that he had raided but still nothing to scoff at given how versatile it could be. If it hadn't been tainted by slavers then he'd almost be tempted to try and throw in a bid to keep the station for himself.


Darth Tormenta

 

[Darth Tormenta]

Khamesi wasn't the tolerant sort. Despite how she fought in battle and while she was more patient than many Sith, that was only because it was the mind that won wars, even if the body won battles. These slavers had tried her patience long ago, and were now learning quite painfully why she had learned it in the first place. Her saber hung at her side, fists and claws bloody from the idiots that stood in her way. It only came out now to cut through a wall or door when it was faster than simply breaking it down herself. She was nearing the security center from where she had boarded now, this was the only realy patch of resistance left, at least from where her and her troops where. Once it fell, the station was taken, and she would not let them destroy such a precious commodity as a shadowport, especially not with most of her trustworthy forces on board.

"A cornered rat always has tricks up it's sleeve, and slavers are nothing if not underhanded. I wouldn't put it past the last one to detonate something just to spite us in death, but you never know for sure."

While Khamesi did sport a few burns by this point, it was far from anything serious, and so she simply added another thought to her back and forth with Darth Strosius , unworried about such easily healed damage. Especially as she had actually learned some healing techniques herself, though she typically just let conventional medicine do it's job.

Latte meanwhile moved through the corridors at impressive speed, her cybernetic legs letting her push herself harder and faster than Lepi naturally could, barring extreme outliers. Her hands both held heavy blaster pistols that easily and quickly dropped any stragglers she encountered as she literally bounced off the walls to meet her target, broadcasting openly as she got closer to warn him, and his forces, that the rapidly aproaching noises where in fact her herself. She came to a halt as she rounded a corner to see him, hosltering her blasers, and removing the Dragon mask all Ash Dragons wore in battle for further identification.

"Darth Strosius sir, Captain Latte here under orders from Warlady Aivar with an update of her forces progress, and orders to assist you and your forces in battle until I am recalled or the station is under total control."

She gave a half hearted salute, though it was clear it was not meant out of dissrespect. While the Ash Dragons were by and large quite disciplined by the standards of pirates, they were still pirates, and respect was shown in ways besides words and formality. Latte herself while somewhat small even by Lepi standards, was adorned with scars of past battles, her cybernetic legs clearly armored and hardned against Ion weapons, and the trail of corpses she'd left coming up here made clear that she was still very much a deadly fighter. Like all of Khamesi's inner circle, she was not force sensitve, marking her lesser to most Sith she had met, but it was not her speed or the deadliness of her pistols that had earned her her place. No, it was her ability to read people, and managed the ever growing intelligence network Khamesi had created, she was a Tsis-kaar after all. There were better shots, better athletes, and better commanders than Latte, but her ability to absorb, process, and make use of the information that flowed in from the network made her invaluable. She had been the one to figure out the Shadowport was here, at least from Khamesi's side of the arrangement, and it was why she had been chosen to meet with Alisteri, her read on him would help her Lady decide whether he was to be friend, or foe, by Sith standards.

She held out a small holoprojector, showing a map of the station and the progress Khamesi's pirates had made from every entry point, highlighting that they had worked to secure all the exits before slowly pushing inward towards the security room, leaving only small pockets of resistance. It even showed the path Khamesi herself had taken, though there was a blip from when she had been vented out of the station, only to reboard the manual way a level up from it.

"All that's left now is the security room and this station will have fallen entirely. Lady Aivar plans to assault from the opposite side as you, and is simply waiting for your word to attack, so you may both share the final victory. All wealth seized is being piled in Hanger A, and the freed slaves are being extracted and moved to a safe facility till wherever they came from can be discovered. Any buyers or officers of the orginization are also being kept in Hanger A for...interrogation, to try and find any other tendrils that may survive with the station gone. If you want any of them, you will have to discuss it with Lady Aivar after the station is taken, she only cares that they give up anything of value before they die."

Latte's decieptievly soft green eyes studied Alisteri as she gave her updates, and final instructions, her armor scorched from a few hits but if they had injured her, she didn't show it obviously. She did hurt a bit though, maybe a cracked rib, for now all that was left was Alisteri and his thoughts, then the final battle.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

It seemed that himself and Khamesi agreed on that point as well then, although he did doubt that any of the slavers would be bold enough to try the self destructive play. Their kind had a habit of being selfish and greedy over anything else, they were far more likely to try and offer up the station or their fellow criminals in exchange for their own lives in his opinion. That was only if they realized that the situation aboard their foul station wasn't salvageable for them of course. He didn't put it past them for at least a few of their number to still be clinging to hope that they could somehow pull out some form of victory from the day.

Alisteri didn't have to wait nearly as long as he had expected to for the messenger to arrive, the Lepi proving quick in her approach to his position despite the size of the station. A possible communication breach was a fairly urgent matter as well of course so the punctuality was greatly appreciated. "Captain." He gave her a small bow of his head in respect as she saluted, or did as much of one as was appropriate for such a rushed interaction anyway, and focused on the projected map that she was quick to provide.

He clicked his tongue in response to the report and shrugged at the mention of taking any of the prisoners. "She can have all that she wishes, I have no need of captives this day. All I would take them for is to hand them off to my executioners regardless." There were always more slavers and other ne'er-do-wells to be captured if he did need any after all. "I wouldn't mind hearing of any other potential holdouts they may have though, clearing out such dens of depravity is a favorite activity of ours. But I digress, onto more pressing matters." They still had to take the control room before the slavers could do anything drastic. His own soldiers weren't too weary despite the heavy fighting but sending them against an entrenched foe was hardly his ideal plan. No sense in wasting good lives just to kill bad ones.

"A frontal assault may be risky now that the element of surprise is no longer with us, we have no idea what sorts of defenses and weapons they may bring to bear now that we've backed them into a corner." Alisteri mused aloud, his unoccupied hand idly tapping against the chin of his mask as he concocted a possible solution. "If they have an armory we could try sourcing some more destructive weaponry to give our forces an edge, but that may lead to some crucial controls being damaged or destroyed. Lady Aivar and myself are far smaller targets with a slightly more delicate skillset however. Infiltration may be our best course of action, with our forces coming in once our enemies have fully committed themselves to trying to kill us instead of guarding the entrances."

It involved a big personal risk but it was better that than sending their troops to a waiting enemy force. "Is there any other potential avenues of entry that we could exploit? Vents perhaps? Maybe even some sort of maintenance shaft? I highly doubt that the control center is fully sealed and self sufficient so there has to be some way inside that the defenders may have overlooked." If nothing else then at the very least they could attempt to draw attention away from the main doors until their soldiers could get into them.

Darth Tormenta

 

[Darth Tormenta]

Latte listened to everything Alisteri had to say carefully before giving her response, which started with her laughing quite loudly before catching herself and clearing her throat.

"I'm sorry, but with all due respect sir...Lady Aivar only does subtle strategically, on the battlefield she well....she is perfectly happy going through a blast door instead of around it...with her hands not her saber."

Latte started by loading a portion of footage from Khamesi's own suit, showing her doing just that earlier in the battle for the station. She only showed that much however, before swapping back to the map.

"She would prefer a frontal attaack on her end, but that would be sufficeient distraction for any number of more subtle schemes. There is a maintence shaft that runs over the center, it's narrow but I and probably you could easily fit, maybe some of your soldiers if you wished. It's narrow, made more for droids than organics, but we can fit if we have to."

She highlighted the map, showing the shaft. There wasn't a convient entrance nearby, but between breaching charges, lightsabers, and the force getting in would be simple. In fact, portions of the system already had some of the Ash Dragons droids inside it, mapping it for hidden charges or caches, just to be safe. Khamesi wanted the station for herself after all, she needed to know it inside and out.

On the other end of the security center, Khamesi and a small group of her pirates surrounded the security door on their end that blocked their path.

"Once Darth Strosius gives the word, I will breach. Wait till I have drawn their primary fire, then move in. Stun any officers, kill the rest, and seize the computer systems, prevent any attemptto deny us this station."

The pirates nodded silently, mostly armed with scattershots or scatterguns, scatter weapons whether ballistic or blaster were useful in boarding action, and those that carried ballistics also carried stun grenades, where the others just had a stun setting on their weapon. It had a greater chance of friendly fire than a normal blaster, but they were pirates, they were equipped for storming sealed ships and stations, not for working with militaries. They knew to watch their shot, but accidents could still happen.

"And remember, no drinks till the station is locked down and entirely secure, after that, have all the fun you want, this'll be our new home once it's deep cleaned and refit."

The pirates signaled their assent, a few more trickling in from whatever they'd been doing, wanting to see their leader lead the breach into the final enemy stronghold.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man seemed a bit surprised by the sudden laughter, glancing between the pirate and his Legionnaires to see if they had any similar reactions. Their confusion seemed to rival his own in that regard. The explanation and helpful visual did clear up the situation rather quickly though and Alisteri merely hummed in response for a moment. He knew another Sith that enjoyed beating down things with her bare hands as well, odd how prevalent that seemed to be.

"That maintenance shaft will serve as my entrance then. I can drop in and help sow chaos in their ranks before the breaches. In the interest of convenience I won't make you crawl in their with me, you and some of my soldiers can breach the other entrance instead. Hopefully the pincer assault will leave them too flustered and confused to put up a worthwhile defense." It was far from a perfect plan but it was too practical to disregard given the current circumstances. They couldn't exactly just leave the last of the slavers in control of any vital systems after all.

With a gesture of his hand the Legionnaires that had been accompanying him moved forward to cross the final hall between them and the security door that stood in their path. His own soldiers, despite their love for close-quarters-combat, would be better used mowing down the defenders from the doorway rather than storming in to control center. "As long as there are no unnecessary charges then we should be fine." Whether that remark was aimed at Latte or at his troops was unclear.

By the time his forces had taken up their positions by the door, Alisteri had cut a way into the shaft with his lightsaber and crawled inside. Moving through maintenance and ventilation shafts was something that he was far too familiar with in retrospect. But no matter, for soon he was positioned over the control center with his blade at the ready. He slowly and carefully carved an entrance from the shaft, using the force to keep the now detached panel in place while he tapped on his commlink to send the signal.

The moment that the signal was given he dropped down into the center of the defenders and began hacking into whoever was closest to him, seeking to simply cause as much damage as possible and attract attention while the charges went off the shooting began again. He still hadn't promised to take any prisoners after all.

Darth Tormenta

 

[Darth Tormenta]

Khamesi cracked her knuckles as she recieved the signal from Latte to begin the attack, before her fists slammed home into the security door, denting then finally rending it as she created an opening through which she stepped. A hail of blaster bolts found their way to her, but she used part of the door as a shield as she stalked forward, before using the heavy metal to pin the first unlucky standout to the nearest wall. From there her fists and claws did the talking, carving through any she could reach one by one even as Alisteri was doing the same with his blade.

From the other side, Latte used a breachin charge to blow open their door, and using her pistols, as well as Alisteri's Legion, opened fire on the already panicking defenders. Ambushed from above and closed in on both sides, they were doomed, folding like wet paper before the forces assaulting them. Khamesi was careful to avoid smashing any consoles, there was already enough repair work to be done on the station, and they couold hold valuable information.

As her fist found the skull of one of the last defenders, dropping him with a satisfying crack, she gazed at the destruction around them. Her forces had taken a handful alive, they'd be sorted, interogated, and executed later. Once the fighting was done, she paused to clean her hands, even as Latte rejoined her own allies instead of sticking around Alisteri's legion for longer than she was needed.

"Get the techies up here Latte, and their droids, I want total control of the station and everything on it as soon as possible"

Latte nodded and bounded off, still maintaining the interference on the comms till they could correct the 'station' for the jamming. After all, the illusion only worked if treated as real by it's creator. That, and they could probably get docking schedules and departures, and maybe ledgers, there was plenty to dismantle with the station under Sith control.

"Took longer than I'd like, but some of their security was better than bare bones, they actually tried venting me when their doors couldn't stop me."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri didn't care for who he might have been slicing through after he had dropped down into the room, whether he was cutting down a simple guard or one of the auction-goers didn't matter when all would fall beneath his blade. His Legionnaires were similarly indiscriminate in their firing, with their pirate allies being the only ones that they didn't put a few bolts into after the charge had allowed them access.

By the time the last defenders had either surrendered to the pirates or had been put down, Alisteri and his Legion had their fill of death and were taking a moment to examine their handiwork. Some of the Legionnaires even seemed rather pleased with themselves, others were solemn yet assured, but most were simply resolved and glad to have the mission done. The masked man himself had sheathed his lightsaber in favor of frisking some of the bodies for datapads or other identifiers, something that could lead back to their power bases or estates.

The prisoners could lie or not know the full truths after all, but the dead were always honest.

He did cock his head slightly to the side as Khamesi spoke, seeming to find the venting part rather interesting. Or funny, it was hard to tell really. "I'm glad that their efforts proved unsuccessful then. They certainly seemed rather panicked and flustered when half of their stock turned out to be armed soldiers." Alisteri idly drummed his fingers along a datapad that he had plucked from one of the bodies, skimming over it for a moment before offering it to the pirate leader. "Looks like some high profile criminals were here. We just did the galaxy even more of a service than we thought."

He snickered for a moment as he nudged one of the bodies with his foot. "And all that propaganda claims that Sith are the devils of the galaxy, yet here we are putting down the evildoers of the Rim." The slight amusement in his tone was grim given the bodies at his feet but he seemed undeterred by the scent and visage of death. "I must say that it has been a pleasure working with you, Lady Aivar. Your forces are efficient and impressive, not unlike yourself. I do hope that we find more missions together in the future."

Darth Tormenta

 

[Darth Tormenta]

Khamesi clearly wasn't one to sit by while her subordiantes did all the work, as she used the time Alisteri was talking to starting making a pile of the debris created by the battle, clear some room to walk and make it easier to remove whenthings got going. Mostly it was becuase she didn't really know how to just be idle, she needed to be doing things, even if it was just reading reports from her captains and intelligence reports on shipping lanes. She may primarily act as a pirate, but she took her role seriously, something no one could deny.

She turned as Alisteri finished speaking directly to her, responding as she droppd the last remnant of the very security door she'd beaten down.

"We'll be seizing as many assets as we can from the survivors, be it wealth, weapons, information, or black market goods. If you want a share of them or the profits, just let me know, it'll take some time to sort through and move everything. I'll be taking a personal hand in ripping information on their networks from the survivors. Some can be taken over, most will be dismantled and their product seized, freed, or destroyed as needed."

She tapped her comms as a message came in from one of her ships, they'd found one of the actual jammers on the station and disabled it, and disabled the communications jammers on their own ships at the same time.

"And it appears communications are fully secure once more. As for the effectiveness of my Dragons, well...a mission like this tends to bring out the best in them, the majority have personal gripes with slavers. Latte lost her legs in a raid, and was refused new ones till we liberated from the Hutt that had claimed her. Funnily, that's also where we freed the only Hutt among my Dragons, Guldud. He sadly couldn't be here today, he was dealing with a different matter. Still, boarding actions like this are what my Dragons are best at. I have begun training them for ground operations, but generally they're operating in small strike groups, so boarding or crippling ships and stations makes up the majority of their training. As for fututre missions, it is likely. I may spend most of my time away from the seats of power, but I do contribute what I can to the Order and our interests. I can be difficult to contact as we operate under radio silence when on the hunt, but when we connect I have brokers and servers set up for any messages. If it's urgent, the orbital dockyard owned by Fojannah Heavy Productions has a few members of my intel network, just tell the Dockmaster you have an urgent message, it'll reach me."

It wasn't widely known she actually owned Fojannah Heavy Productions, but she had no doubt Alisteri would drump up such info if he went digging, he may even already know. The company wasn't massive yet, but it was HQ'd on Jutrand, so she had no doubt that there were a fair few Shadows, Assassins, and so on that had dug it up, or at least suspected. She wasn't officially listed anywhere, but enough time or skill penetrating contract and legal smoke and mirrors would track back to her eventually. It was where much of her ill-gotten money got funneled through, and where much of her equipment and weaponry came from, at least for her ships.

"We'll be towing this station elsewhere once we're satisfied it's clean of anything that can track it, it's location will likely be kept close to the chest for the forseeable future, I have plans for a Shadowport like this."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri idly watched the other Sith's movements as she cleared rubble and debris, for a moment seeming to measure her form and efforts as if in an evaluation of some kind. He hadn't had the chance to see her in action much of course, not while they were storming the last defenders at such a crucial moment. Yet now he could spare a glance in observation. "I have need of nothing aside from whatever information you'd be willing to part with. The locations and organizations of filth such as this is all that I desire to gain today. My soldiers and I may have our vengeance quenched for now but there is a never-ending slew of vagabonds that need culling. I assume you know that as well."

It certainly didn't seem to be the first time Khamesi and her Dragons had fought against a group such as this after all. From what little he had seen and heard throughout the course of the battle for the station they seemed very capable and disciplined indeed. The Sith Order needed more forces like them, and more Sith like Khamesi that were willing and able to lead such forces.

He listened intently as she spoke of her Dragons, although he was noticeably relieved to have their communications restored. There was still debriefing to be done for his Legionnaires after all. It seemed as if her Dragons and his Legion shared some more commonalities than he initially thought, from a vendetta against slavers to a preference and experience in boarding actions and small group tactics. Khamesi even apparently spent more time away from the key worlds of the Sith than not, much like himself. He would definitely have to keep an eye on this one for future developments, and especially in order to organize more missions together.

"I shall keep that in mind Lady Aivar, I must admit that I am not familiar with this Fojannah Productions you speak of but I will have to look into them later. I do not usually deal with companies and corporations I'm afraid." Not in any peaceful or constructive way at least. Alisteri did have a habit of stealing from the occasional merchant that passed by Faldos and occasionally purchasing from local corporations in the area but nothing of note really. Even then his dealings with them were kept to basic necessities and supplies that his cult couldn't produce themselves.

He nodded in agreement at the fate of the station, glancing around the room as bodies and debris alike were cleaned up and moved aside. "That would be for the best. It won't be long before the silencing of this place draws the curiosity of any denizens and patrons not here today, not to mention any remnants or other organizations that may have had buyers or members here. Getting it away from its usual position is a necessity."

Alisteri paused for a moment before continuing with a slight hint of amusement in his voice. "Unless you'd want something to lure in more criminal prey of course." They did have a habit of returning to their old stomping grounds and areas of interest. He had used some similar methods in his own hunts and exterminations of gangs and pirates in the Outer Rim. "Well I wish you luck in your efforts Lady Aivar, and do keep me informed on what you choose to do with this station of yours. If you'd like of course. My Legion and I will assist in cleaning up whatever mess we've made and be on our way so that you and your Dragons can move the station freely."

He didn't want to intrude after all. The masked man offered his fellow Sith a polite bow of his head before signaling for his Legionnaires to begin filing out of the room after they had helped move some more combat debris. "Don't hesitate to send a message anytime, just contact my sect of Tsis'Kaar Lorekeepers on Jutrand and they'll relay it to me. Unless I'm actively engaged I should be able to respond fairly quickly." He soon started making his own way out of the room, glancing back at her as he spoke. "And if we do happen to cross paths in an unplanned manner while we're on the hunt for more slavers or otherwise, I shall gladly work alongside you once more. Good day, Lady Aivar."

Darth Tormenta