Private Bound Bones and Frigid Cages

[Varin Mortifer]

THE BOX

Location: Kamino

The Box, a specialized prison to house only one prisoner, Varin Mortifer, drifts along the currents of the oceans beneath it. The walls are battered with massive waves that rock the facility, but its gravpulses anchor and stabilize the ship as it travels. Along the outer edges of the upper walls, heavy automated blaster turrets scan the skies for any incoming vessels approaching without proper clearance.

Within The Box, security patrols at all hours, watching over runways, walkways that weave through the buildings' many halls and circular shape, checkpoints and even the massive door to The Vault. A specialized cell built to hold the only inmate within the prison. Throughout the building are many rooms that serve as personal sleeping quarters for the many guards as well as a mess-hall for dining and a chamber for showers and cleanups.

Cameras and security droids await for any heavy resistance. Armed with heavy riot gear and heavier weapons than the security guards, these droids are few but formidable. They await on standby.

Two weeks had gone by since Varin was moved into his cell. His body lying weak and malnourished. His consciousness slips in and out at a constant rate. Pain from the his shoulders and the shackles that pierced his wrists make sleep very difficult to maintain. The only way he could pass time was to meditate and to pray.

He would pray to Bogan not for strength, or for endurance. If you prayed for those then you were not worthy of his blessings. No, he prayed for opportunity. Fourteen days of meditation and prayer, his musings were starting to run dry. Then…

Several familiar feelings he felt broke through orbit. His fists tightened as his heart thudded. A flicker, a glimmer of something he thought he would never feel.

Revna Marr | Darth Strosius | Lysander von Ascania | Shade | Seren Gwyn | Allan Alhune​

 

[Shade]

The ocean below rolled in a state of endless, slate-gray violence. From orbit, the world had appeared peaceful, almost serene, but from the cockpit viewport, it was anything but. Waves the size of buildings battered the drifting prison complex, which rode the currents like a stubborn parasite clinging to the planet's surface. Even from kilometers away, the automated turrets were visible, rotating slowly along the structure's upper ring as they scanned the sky with mechanical patience.

"The Box," Shade murmured, her gaze fixed on the installation.

Streams of sensor data, thermal signatures, power routing, and targeting arcs scrolled across her console in a continuous neon blur. To her, the fortress screamed overconfidence: a massive, armored monument built to contain a single man. Beneath her fingers, a borrowed Republic Intelligence encryption suite threaded itself through the Box's external traffic, probing for the specific authentication handshake used by supply craft. They were prepared, but Shade knew that preparation only held value if the system was convinced they belonged there.

She flicked her crimson eyes briefly toward the others gathered in the cramped space, Revna, Seren, Strosius, and Lysander. Each carried a presence that pressed against the Force in a distinct way, like different storms gathering along a single horizon. It was a formidable group, but certainly not a subtle one, which made the initial approach the most delicate variable in the equation.

Returning her attention to the console, Shade tapped a final command, watching as the ship's transponder shifted. A new identity slid into the Box's incoming traffic network, buried deep beneath layers of legitimate supply requests and maintenance logs. As the system finally accepted the handshake, she let out a slow, controlled breath.

"Their external sensors are active, but they follow a predictable rhythm," Shade reported, her voice carrying calmly through the cockpit to the rest of the team. "Supply vessels are cycled through the first perimeter every six hours, and we've timed our arrival to sit right inside the next window. If we maintain this approach vector and keep the transponder code active, their automated targeting should treat us as nothing more than routine logistics."

She adjusted the display, projecting the rotating patterns of the turret arcs across the forward viewport so the others could see the gaps in the defense.

"This should get us past the outer guns and through the first checkpoint without raising an alarm," she suggested, her gaze moving across the group to gauge their reactions. "But once we're inside, the window of opportunity narrows. I've pieced together a schematic from the fragmented files I could find, security corridors, patrol routes, and the path to the Vault itself."

She tapped the display again, highlighting the prison's internal layout.

"I can confuse their cameras for a short time and loop the security feeds long enough for us to slip between checkpoints," she added, her voice lowering as the battered hull of the Box grew larger in the viewport, looming over the raging sea. "However, it's a fragile deception. Once they realize the system has been compromised, the entire facility will go into total lockdown. My suggestion is that when we make our move...we make it fast."

Varin Mortifer Revna Marr Darth Strosius Lysander von Ascania

 

[Allan Alhune]

Though the outside of The Box was battered and shoved by waves, following along a massive oceanic current. The stabilized gravity within the building kept everything motionless. No one rocked from balance issues, items did not fall off shelves, even wires maintained position as they dangled from monitors that watched over the various icy halls of The Box.

Allan stood with his arms folded behind his back watching over the various video feeds with rapt attention. Various machines hummed and beeped as security and engineering personnel manned the screens and reports of activity within and around the facility. Beneath the sleeve of his arms, a clawed finger lightly tapped the metal of his arm, a hollow scratch barely audible screeched as he drug his nail over the surface.

His violet eyes focused on the camera watching over Varin. The boy had not moved since he had been imprisoned. Surely he would have made some sort of movement out of discomfort within the span of these couple weeks, his body did not even sag when he attempted to sleep. The entire time Allan watched him, unblinking, unmoving. Patient as the grave. But within him a rolling hunger of hatred stirred within the recesses of his very subconscious.

He wanted this boy to suffer. How dare he fight back and live to tell the tale of how he took his arm.

This…petulant child that had burned him with lightning from his very jaws.

His hand tightened over the metal of his arm.

“Lord Alhune.”

His gaze flicked to the officer that approached him, silent, he gave him a slow nod to continue.

“It would seem the boy is ready for his next dose.”

Allan smirked.

“It’s about time. I will accompany you on this journey to The Vault.”

Darth Strosius | Revna Marr | Lysander von Ascania | Shade | Seren Gwyn​

 

[Varin Mortifer]

VARIN MORTIFER

Equipment: Durum Mantle | Black Blade of Chandrila | Eye of The Dragon | Heavy Sith Mace​

Silence…

Two weeks of silence and darkness. No sight, no voice. Only breaths and prayers. The cold floors had already blistered his knees and split the skin long ago. What hurt was not numb. Even his fingers. He could not tell if he was tightening his fists or if they stayed relaxed.

The throbbing pain in his shoulders made it hard to breathe for the first few days, but by now he was used to it.

Over and over he thought of the moment with his father. The aching pain in his ribs that had spread up his entire side. He had done something to him to make the time here just a bit more bearable.

Massive locks disengaged from the far room as footsteps approached, Varin did not shift, he did not make a noise. He kept breathing.

Someone stepped up to him.

“Kneel boy. Master Alhune is gracing you with his presence and you will show respect.”

He did not acknowledge the voice. He did not even shift his head as if to “look” at him.

After a long pause a hard impact crashed into his sternum knocking the wind out of his chest, before the familiar shock reverberated through his body, a muffled yell attempted to rip from his sealed lips to no avail. The shock baton held in place as pain flooded his body. His legs lurching up to try and push back only for a cold metallic hand to grip his throat, cutting off whatever air he had in his lungs.

For a split second the grip tightened before he was dropped back to his knees, his shoulders jerking back into position as another muffled snarl of pain attempted escape from Varin’s body.

“Dose him.”

Varin did not move. Not even when the prick of a needle embedded itself into his neck.

“Reduce his caloric and water intake. He will learn respect eventually.”

The footsteps began to head away from him, the echoes of boots fading until the massive mag locks of the doors latched back into place.

Varin’s body sank lower as he reeled from the pain.

Then…

A trickle. A feeling.

Someone was coming.

Shade | Seren Gwyn | Lysander von Ascania | Revna Marr | Darth Strosius | Allan Alhune​

 

[Revna Marr]

Tags:
Varin Mortifer // Seren Gwyn // Shade // Allan Alhune // Lysander von Ascania // Darth Strosius​

Revna listened quietly to the Chiss woman, as she explained the details of the mission at hand. Beneath the vessel they had all gathered aboard was the ocean world, Kamino. It was also the apparent prison site for her Apprentice, Varin Mortifer. Ignati had given her the warning of Varin’s capture through a dream, and it was also where she had first seen Seren - a young Sith woman who seemed to have a close connection with Varin. If matters were not so pressing, she might have pondered the relationship between the two - but now was not that time. She could figure it out after Varin was back in safe hands - where he belonged.

The dark haired Vahla flickered her gaze towards the masked and robed Sith Lord near by; not so very long ago, her own Master, Darth Strosius, was assaulting Dromund Kaas alone in order to get her back from the clutches of the Kainate.

How ironic that history was repeating itself - except this time, she was the one rescuing her apprentice, and not the other way around.

There was another presence there with them - her cousin, and a former student who had gone his own way. Lysander. Though he and Varin were no longer co-apprentices, they were battle brothers and she had a feeling he would do whatever he could to help take Varin back from those who had dared to chain him.

The prison wouldn’t be their only obstacle; there was a person of interest - the one responsible for this mess to begin with.

A fallen Jedi by the name of Allan Alhune.

He had been the one to destroy Varin’s family - events which had led the young man to Korriban and ultimately, to her. The cold hate and rage she felt towards this individual was deep and abiding, but she kept those buried deeply for the time being. No point in letting such emotions run freely before the true battle had even begun.

She waited until the Chiss finished giving her report, before inhaling a deep breath - as if to steady and ground her mind for what was to come.

“If this Allan confronts us, which I have a feeling he will - then I think some of us should remain to occupy him while those amongst us most skilled at infiltration should secure Varin and get him out.”

Her burning gaze settled on the Chiss, and then to the young woman, Seren. “I may not know the two of you - but I do know my Disciple is important to you both for whatever reason. So I trust that both of you will not hold anything back in the conflict that is to come."

Her attention shifted back to Lysander and Alisteri. "We work together and we will be a force to be reckoned with. If our enemy thinks they know who has come to reclaim Varin, and believes themselves to hold the upper hand - then let us show them just how mistaken they are.” ​

 

[Darth Strosius]

Varin Mortifer / Shade / Allan Alhune / Revna Marr / Lysander von Ascania / Seren Gwyn​

The masked Sith Lord had by and large kept rather silent during their flight thus far, content to sit back with one leg propped atop the other with little movement aside from the subtle tapping of His heel against the floor and the shifting of His head to regard the other passengers and the pilot herself. The plan, as it was at present anyway, was relatively straightforward. Enter under the guise of the typical supply drop off time, use what little information they had on the prison to make their way to the Vault as fast as possible, and be prepared for it to all go to pot somewhere along the way.

Darth Strosius watched the displays and noted the information with a hidden yet critical gaze, memorizing what He could even as the Box's presence beyond the viewport grew ever more prominent. He was already noticing a distinct lack of an exit strategy within the steps that were listed out, especially in the event of their seemingly inevitable notice by the prison's systems and guards. Not that He was too concerned with what a few automated turrets and some guards under the command of one Jedi could do of course but it did give Him some pause all the same.

He was only here to aid His daughter, Lysander, and of course rescue the young Varin from the Box's clutches after all, the rest of their little group hardly mattered. However given that they had all gathered together for the same purpose He suspected that His grand-apprentice must have some form of attachment to the other two on this little venture as well. Meaning that ideally all of them should make it out alive this day, which was a decidedly more difficult task than simply retrieving Varin and leaving with Revna and Lysander in tow.

He idly hummed in agreement at His daughter's statement on engaging the Jedi, easily the single most threatening individual even if the prison itself proved to be their deadliest adversary this day. As for who would be the ones to occupy their foe though was at present vague and Darth Strosius imagined it would remain that way until the Jedi revealed himself during their mission. What He agreed even more with however was her mentioning of their combined force being necessary to overcome the Box and its Jedi guardian, given the less than ideal circumstances.

"It all seems like quite the trap has been laid." The masked man spoke with a nod towards the sight beyond the viewport. "The moment they discover something is amiss they'll know exactly who we're here for and will undoubtedly attempt to cut us off from him at every opportunity. They play with a full hand while we're still drawing, as it were." An undesirable state of affairs to be sure, but He'd done more with worse. "We should have someone break off to see if we can find their control centers. If we can shift the lockdown into our favor then this prison becomes just as much of a trap for them as it is for us, not to mention it would go a long way in ensuring our exit isn't hindered by those turrets."

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren stood near the rear of the cockpit, where her presence remained quiet but far from passive, as her amber eyes stayed fixed on the looming structure of the Box while it rose from the violent ocean below. She did not interrupt as the others spoke because she preferred to listen, as she always did, allowing each individual perspective to settle into place before she finally decided where she stood among them.

She could feel Varin through the Force in a way that was faint and fractured yet remained completely unmistakable to her senses. The sensation threaded through her spirit like a pulled wire that started subtly but began tightening with every passing second that they drifted closer to the sea-bound prison. It was not merely a matter of physical proximity but was instead a deep recognition of a presence she had come to know in ways that went far beyond simple familiarity. He was alive, and for the moment, that was enough to sustain her resolve.

Her gaze shifted briefly toward Shade as the Chiss outlined the specific infiltration window, then to Revna as she spoke of the inevitable confrontation, before finally settling on the masked Sith Lord as he raised the matter of control and escape. Each of them was correct in their own specific way, even though each of them was also planning for a different version of the chaos that was about to happen.

Seren exhaled slowly, then stepped forward just enough for her voice to carry through the small space without rising in volume.

"It is a trap," she said while she looked at Strosius to affirm his suspicions rather than dismiss them. "The danger exists not because they expect us specifically but because they are prepared for absolutely anything that tries to take him back from their grasp."

Her eyes flicked once more toward the Box so she could track the rotation of the turrets and the rhythmic pulse of its automated defenses.

"Once we are inside the structure, it will not matter how careful we were during our entry because the moment we touch the Vault, all necessity for subtlety ends."

There was no trace of fear in her tone but only a chilling clarity that seemed to sharpen the air around her. Her attention shifted toward Revna as she met the Vahla woman's gaze with an even, unwavering intensity.

"You are correct in your assessment," she said quietly. "If this figure named Allan appears, then someone will have to hold him rather than merely delay him."

A slight pause followed as she let the weight of the requirement sink in for the group.

"He is clearly not the kind of opponent you can afford to divide your attention against without facing dire consequences."

Her gaze moved briefly to the others in the room while she weighed the obvious candidates for that brutal role before she returned her focus forward.

"Shade will get us inside, and she will keep the system blind for as long as it is possible to do so. When that eventually fails, we must not waste our energy trying to recover control of the facility."

She glanced toward Strosius again to acknowledge his point about the environment without yielding her own tactical stance.

"We must move faster than their ability to respond because control rooms and turrets and system overrides are nothing more than distractions unless they sit directly in our path."

Her voice dropped slightly, a sign of intense focus rather than lingering uncertainty.

"Varin is the only objective here, and the prison itself is of no consequence to our mission."

Only then did something shift beneath the surface of her composure in a way that was not enough to break it but was certainly enough to be felt by everyone in the room.

"I can feel him," she added in a softer tone that remained no less steady than before. "He is weak, but he is still alive, which tells me that they have not broken his spirit yet."

Her jaw set almost imperceptibly as she stared out at the dark water. "The fact that he still holds on means they will try even harder to shatter him."

Her gaze returned to the viewport, where the Box now dominated their field of vision. "So we simply do not give them the time they need to succeed in that endeavor."

A brief silence followed her declaration before she spoke again with a finality that brooked no argument. "The insertion must be clean, and the movement must be direct with no hesitation allowed once we finally commit to the path."

She turned slightly so her eyes could move across the entire group in a manner that was not commanding but was entirely resolute. "If you are the one holding the line, then you must hold it completely. If you are moving for the Vault, then you must not stop for anything that is not him."

A final pause followed as she let the gravity of their situation settle over them. "We are not here to fight a war against this place."

Her gaze hardened just slightly as something colder threaded beneath the warmth they had all come to recognize in her quieter moments. "We are here to take him back."

Darth Strosius Revna Marr Varin Mortifer Lysander von Ascania

 

[Allan Alhune]

The ship carefully navigated through the darkened clouds of Kamino. The storm winds attempting to whip and reel the ship, an attempt to bend the creation of man to the will and force of nature itself.

But the ship persisted. Despite the whipping winds and the pressuring waves, they landed smoothly as smooth could be on a lurching surface slick with oceanic water.

Inside the command room high ranking officials oversaw the landing as their access code gave them the greenlight of a supply drop.

“Command to unload team, the ship is cleared for landing. Prepare to unload.”

The officer looked down to his console and flipped a switch, hailing the vessel.

“Pilot, I will need you to power down your ship and open the ramp. Prepare for boarding parties and droids. Once everything has been unloaded and cleared you will be clear for take off. Hail back if you understand.”

He left the channel open, allowing the vessel to hail back in response. As he waited he sent the notification to the droid team. One by one small and medium units were deployed. These droids were not battle ready by any means, only strictly worker droids. As they approached the vessel, the security force stopped them, waiting for the reply from the hailing ship before continuing.

Shade | Seren Gwyn | Lysander von Ascania | Revna Marr | Darth Strosius | Varin Mortifer​

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Varin Mortifer Shade Seren Gwyn Revna Marr Darth Strosius​

Lysander had positioned himself just close enough to see the scrolling telemetry and be counted among them, but far enough to keep a quiet boundary intact. With arms crossed and his datapad at rest, untouched by idle fingers, he absorbed the data and dialogue. There was no tapping, and no shifting from foot to foot. For a time, he was simply present in the moment, thoughtful gazed fixed on the Box as it expanded within the viewport.

It was strange, really, coming to terms with Varin's capture. Disbelief wasn’t an emotion he indulged in. Something else. Surprise, perhaps. But deeper than that, a colder, internal recoil took hold. What made it land harder was because he believed, for a Sith, this was a fate worse than death. Even so, he knew what needed to be done, and he would do it, no matter the cost; for loyalty and duty were the foundations upon which his dark heart was built.

Vivid memories flooded his mind, taking him back to those early days when two young men were thrust together in a dormitory on Kor’ethyr. Something of a bond forged in the fires of rebellion which led to sinking a city in Republic space, followed by carving their way through noble houses in the Tapani massacre. Together they conquered the Core, eradicating Imperial filth from Coruscant and its neighboring planets. A journey unlike any other. Varin was his brother in the only way that mattered.. earned.

Within time, the ship finally settled, and inquisitive eyes followed the pattern of the rain as it cascaded down the viewport. Gloved fingers tapped once against a chair's frame. "You’ve all made your points. The Box is prepared, the Jedi is waiting, and Varin is running out of time." Personally, it felt like a declaration of war. "Let them call it what they will, but our mission remains the same. And if they choose to stand in our way," a break smile played on his lips, tugging the scar along his cheekbone, "they will only meet their own downfall."

He didn't doubt the others, but he quite didn't trust the illusion of plans either. From experience, the galaxy rarely cooperated. Retrieve Varin, and let the rest burn.. it was a pleasing sentiment.

Whatever the others settled on today.. he would move with it.

 

[Shade]

Shade remained still as the last of the discussion settled into silence, her attention shifting between each speaker not with impatience, but with quiet, deliberate consideration. Every perspective had been weighed, not against preference, but against outcome. Revna's structure. Strosius' contingency. Seren's clarity. Lysander's resolve.

All of it formed a picture that was already tightening.

Her gaze lingered briefly on the viewport, where the Box loomed larger with each passing second, before returning to the others. When she spoke, her voice was calm, measured, and entirely free of urgency, yet there was a quiet decisiveness beneath it.

"Revna is correct."

There was no hesitation in the acknowledgment.

"If Allan appears, he is not someone you divide your attention against. He becomes the engagement."

Her eyes shifted briefly, not lingering, but marking the presence of those most suited to that role without naming them outright. It was not her place to assign it, only to recognize its reality.

"Which means the retrieval cannot belong to anyone expected to hold that line."

A small pause followed, not for effect, but for precision.

"It needs to be handled by someone who can move without drawing focus, adapt without hesitation, and disengage without becoming anchored to the fight."

Only then did her gaze settle again, steady and unflinching.

"That is where I am most effective."

There was no pride in the statement. No claim of superiority. Only fact.

"I will get inside, and I will take him out."

Her tone did not rise. It did not harden. It simply remained certain.

"I am not suited to holding Allan's attention if he commits to the fight, and assigning me there would reduce our probability of success."

The words were clinical, but not detached. They carried the weight of someone who understood exactly what she was choosing to step away from.

For just a fraction of a second, something sharper flickered beneath the surface, something personal, something unfinished.

Then it was gone.

"Once the alarm is triggered, subtlety becomes time, not invisibility," she continued, folding seamlessly back into the operational layer of the discussion. "I can extend that window, but not indefinitely. When it collapses, I will already be moving toward extraction."

Her gaze shifted briefly toward Seren, acknowledging the connection without intruding on it.

"You can feel him. That gives us direction. I will use it."

Then, back to the group as a whole.

"You hold the line. You keep him occupied. You make them believe that is where the outcome is decided."

A slight tilt of her head followed, subtle, but intentional.

"And while they are focused on you…"

A brief pause.

"…I remove the reason this place matters."

She did not say more than that.

She did not need to.

Lysander von Ascania Allan Alhune Darth Strosius Revna Marr Varin Mortifer