Boogeyman

[Darth Abyss]

Katarr, Defiance - Memory Hall

Someone would probably call Abyss a spider if there weren't already a sith lady that had claimed the title before he had been able to. Like a many legged monstrosity he rested in his endless web, strings running through every little piece of land that was in the metal hand of the Prophet, the title he had picked for his dealings in the underworld.

The memory halls were a very special trademark of Defiance. Not a single network of tunnels, but instead various underground structures spread throughout the whole city build out of what the former inhabitants of Katarr left behind before Darth Nihilus devoured the world whole. Some were places of twisted art, others places of secret meetings or hideouts for those that did not desired to be found. Abyss personal one fell in the last category, a small, utterly dark room that could only be found by those that knew their way through a labyrinth of smaller tunnels that lead to it. From here his mind stretched across the city of outcasts he had build, seeing, hearing and knowing everything that happened in the half faded ruins.

Yet it was not completely impossible to meet him, at least if he wished so. His agents, his tainted chorus, crawled through the city, their presence found on every black market, inside any major club or bar that someone could stumble into. Not all of them carried his insignia openly, in fact those who did normally had as little clue about his location as the common lowlifes staggering through the dirty streets.

Those hidden in the shadows like their master, the Inner Eye, were the only ones that could contact the twisted contraption of cursed metal, ancient spells and pure darkness that resided below the earth. All one had to do was to somehow get their attention. Maybe by enlisting in the Tainted Legion as an off worlder, or by seeking out the hidden cells of darksiders that the Prophet commanded. Or in any other way that was important enough to be news for the all seeing eye of the Mindeater.

[member="Avo"]

 

[Avo]

Defiance was a city that inherited its own namesake with pride and diligence; a great beast of independence tainted yet by the shadow that swarmed its corners, alleys and skies. It was a strong, austere city that reflected that of its people and its leader. Its denizens were hard people, cynical and fierce, brimming within from the storms that engulfed the skies above them. Around every corner, a shadow lurked and whispers were heard just out of earshot. Privacy was impossible, and silent was an unheard-of treasure. Yet, much of this place held secrecy; a darkness that surpassed the ill-fated tomfoolery of the city's citizens.

This was the calling that Avo had answered. This place maintained secrets that she sought to reveal. There was much to learn, much to discover, and as the Diathim priestess glided in utter silence above cobbled stones and concrete paths, her huge, black, emotionless eyes spied every corner, scoping all movement and life. Many of these people were commoners who could offer nothing to her cause, and thus she did not acknowledge such rabble. But somewhere there was a key to the chambers of wisdom she so desperately sought to unleash.

Her gaze lifted to view the grand spire that shadowed over the rest of the city; the seat of the 'desired one'. It hummed with powerful magick; a deep shadow of Force energy emanated from it, threatening to consume and destroy everything around it with its very existence. Yet, it nourished its surrounding environment witth the energy it relied on. Avo blinked slowly, and glaced to her side as a creature garbed in armour maneuvered its way towards her with curiosity and caution. It was a man, perhaps a a soldier, bearded, lanky and malnourished, and he stared for a while at her.
"Yes?" Avo said, finally breaking the silence. The soldier blinked and assumed his regular stance.
"Just curious. Don't see many of your people here." His voice was rough and old like his face.
"You are a soldier? A guard?" said Avo, ignoring his initial remark, her gaze moving to the blade that hung at his belt and the rifle on his back. Around his neck he wore an ornate chain.
"Indeed. Tainted Legion. Protecting the citizens of this grand city in the name of our Prophet." His voice riled up in pride.
"I see..." Avo considered for a moment, and then, without further delay for contemplation, allowed her mind to penetrate his.
"Wh... Wh-wha..." The man could not muster speech as the witch pushed further at his mind. She ravaged his memories, seeking, burning, like a bucket of hot coals, and she could hear his fruitless attempts of screaming from outside of his skull, somewhere.

Then a word came to her. Several words, stuttering through the man's curdled mental speech.
'Sssssspiiiirrreeeeee! Ssssp-piiiirre o-of D-Darknessss! Me-Memmmmmmmoryyyy Ha...Haaaallsssss! Weeeee... Weeeeeee don't knoooowwwww! Caaaaaaan't knowwwwwww! He... Heeee... He luuurrrks!"
This was not enough information. In frustration, Avo pushed deeper, forcing her will deeper into his mind, uttering a single word with unforgiving ferocity to echo into its darkest chambers. "How?!" The soldier, with all of his remaining will, would not betray his Master above.
"Nnn-nnnnooooooooo!" he screamed, and blood began to seep from his eyes.
"HOW?"
"THHHEEEE INNNNNERRRR EYEEEEEEEEE!!!" There was a flash of an image. A single man, his face stern and unmoving; a servant of the beast she sought. Then there was nought but darkness in his mind. Avo's fist clenched, and the soldier crumpled into the ground. She had what she needed.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Finding a member of the Inner Eye was easier said then done, as most of them had many names, and quite a few even multiple faces. Many people were considered to be linked to the Prophet's most faithful, and most skilled agents, but most of them were merely eyes and ears working for the True Inner Eye, former elite intelligence officers of the One Sith empire that had already stood at Abyss side when he had been a mere knight running a slave and drug ring on Nar Shaddaa. One sign to look out for was the mark of the Prophet, a small talisman that transformed into a knife upon speaking the right spell.

Yet not all that secretly wore the mark belonged to the Inner Eye, many were simply influential merchants or owners of highly successful establishments throughout the Free Cities. Another problem was that those who were gifted the mark stood under the personal, eternal protection of the Prophet, and any attempt to harm, threaten or kill those individuals was an easy way to end up as a set of neatly chopped up pieces in a back alley trashcan.

Yet violence wasn't the only language understood by the people of the Free Cities. A second, equally important, one was money. With enough it was possible to simply buy a meeting with the Inner Eye. For those that couldn't afford such a thing it was still a clue to go by. Generally it was safe to say that those with considerable wealth had at least one contact inside the Inner Eye, making sure that the Prophet had all the strings in his hand to keep the city on course.

They, among a few others that belonged to the followers of the darkness or to the military elite of the Prophet's army, knew that the selected few carried another object besides the mark. The Prophet's Blessing, a stone imbued with fear born from the dark side, was the even more secret symbol that only a handful of people besides the Inner Eye had ever been given. Yet to get this information out without drawing the Prophet's wrath was a challenge in itself.

[member="Avo"]

 

[Avo]

"What happened, sir? A Force wielder?"
"Clearly. Pushed into his mind until it collapsed."
The gruff-looking man rose from his crouched position and scratched his beard, looking over the corpse once more; its swollen veins, blued skin and bulged, bloody eyes. He gave a reserved sigh.
"Treachery in the city?" The guardsman began to panic.
"No. This is an outsider's work," corrected the agent.
"He seeks the Prophet? We must warn him somehow!" The fellow was jittery, weak-willed and anxious. The agent scolded him in frustration.
"Shut up. I will handle this." He turned up the collar of his thick coat and returned his gaze to the Legion soldier "You did well to contact me directly. You have truly proved your loyalty to the city and the He who guides us... But I am afraid I cannot allow you to see any more." Before the soldier could react, the agent had forced his palm upon his head and a stream of blue energy channeled into his skull for mere moments, until his body fell limp and lifeless.
"Clean this up. Quickly." Shadows crept from the corners and walls, tugging the corpses out of sight as the agent's yellow eyes narrowed, staring into nothingness in deep contemplation. "I will have you, subverter."

---

The Black Sea was a sight to behold. A storm of filth devoid of life, it offered itself up as a worthy counterpart to the grim city of Defiance. Along its many shores, rough suburbs broken by the ocean's might still stood against the endless beatings. A little further inland stood one of the many micro-districts found scattered around the city. It was here where answers would be sought. The White Lotus Den was stingy, dark, dank and musty. Its name implied beauty, but this place was far from that. It had made some attempt of high societal presentation, but such an accomplishment was difficult to achieve in such a city.

Many eyes twisted to her direction, curious and spiteful of an alien clearly very different to the local culture. Ignoring them, Avo stepped carefully to the bar where a thin, young man stood waiting for her.
"Yes? Need a drink?" Avo smirked at the idea of her needing physical sustenance, let alone recreation.
"No. Information. I hear this is the place I need to be for that." The man snorted and swallowed.
"Yeah. It is. What do you want?"
"The Inner Eye. Know anything about them?" The man stood still a moment, and his eyes crept behind Avo, and then around her.
"There's a big price for something like that," he said, finally, breaking the silence.
"I have no money."
"Then you're getting nothing. Get out of here." As Avo glided a turn, he spoke again. "Wait... Maybe... you can help me with something."
"Speak."
"An... informant has gone silent. He was supposed to have reported in two days ago. But we have heard nothing."
"What do you want me to do about it?"
"Find him, or at least an idea as to his whereabouts. Go to his home. Find clues, and report back."
"Fine. Give me co-ordinates." The man nodded, reaching under the bar for a datapad.
"Take this. It has the co-ordinates linked, along with the correct credentials to access the building and the room without any problems." Avo nodded, taking the datapad from him and turning towards the exit.
"I shall discover this for you. But you better keep up your end of the bargain."
"We will."

---

In the back offices of the White Lotus Den, the young man reached into his pocket for a small comlink, his direct link to the upper echelon of the city.
"Hello?" he spoke quietly. There was no response, but for an eery white noise. "I have the person you were looking for. I sent her to the following co-ordinates..."


[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Once the message had traveled the way into the network of the Inner Eye they acted quickly. With the speed, efficency and precision only found in agents so secret that they were designated as deniable assets. Agents that could live behind enemy lines for years, that could level whole cities in cells not larger then four, the best of the best. Three of the highest ranking members of the organisation had moved to their position around the building, waiting for their target. The building was an actual home of an informant who had quickly been evacuated from the vicinity.

On a rooftop across the street, with direct sight of the structures main windows, rested a man shrouded in brown and grey that allowed him to blend in with the dirt of the city, in his hands a heavy sniper rifle.

"Trainwreck in position. Ready to fire on your mark."

In a nearby building, in front of a myriad of modules and terminals, a young woman had taken places. She was one of the more recent members of the Inner Eye, her clothes and the tattoos across her arma marking her as a true Malachorian. Her screens jumped to live, showing videofeeds from multiple surveillance drones overseeing the area.

"Void Control in position. Target in sight, ETA two minutes."

In the streets, completely indistinguishable from the common populous, walked a pale, thin man. Pale Hand, the Prophet's most skilled liar, conman and facechanger. Shrouded in a brown jacket alike those commonly worn by smugglers he circled around the building, looking unassuming no matter how often he walked by. When the witch finally entered inside he reached for his comm.

"Pale Hand in position. Let's do this."

With that the pale agent entered into building, drawing his revolver the second he stepped in. His steps left little sound as he sneaked through the structure. The most important part was to confront her near a window so they had leverage to force the answers out of her. Slowly he slipped into the living room, allowing himself a quick glance through the window towards the position of his colleague. The he raised the weapon into the air, firing a shoot that could be heard loud and clear through the whole building.

[member="Avo"]