Calling Sister Midnight

[Setzi Lunelle]

She couldn’t blame Master Centauris for backing out of the Fresia operation. It was certainly foolhardy to think that two Force users, no matter what alignment or how strong, could break into a heavily guarded Sith facility, capture a dangerous Sithspawn that would likely not recognize its creator and smuggle the creature out of there without being captured.

But after her battle on Ossus and recovery from a harrowing date with death courtesy of an amphistaff’s bite, Setzi had considered the mission once more.

So where did she go wrong? Why was Centauris so spooked? It's because she gave away too much too soon, she concluded. This time he or she s to know nothing.

The rendezvous point was established as a small, abandoned military outpost on Fresia.

The planet was no longer within the choke hold of the Sith, but that did not mean there weren’t pockets of Darkside influence that remained on the rocky, island-filled world. Setzi lingered in the doorway, watching for the mercenary she hired. She drew out a cigarette and quickly lit it, the spark of the lighter a comforting click, click sound. Darren hated it when she smoked. But there was nothing to do as she waited in the dark and humid station at midnight and the nicotine straight into her lungs seemed a small transgression compared to what she and her new ally were about to do.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Generally speaking, Sol didn't like taking a job when he had zero details on what he'd actually be doing. Even less so when that job was on a planet that was only nominally not being controlled by the Sith. Perhaps it was a stereotype to think of the Sith as being unreasonably hostile to trespassers and intruders but based on personal experience it was a reasonable assumption. All that being said meant he probably shouldn't have taken this job but the pay had been right to get him to think about it and The Force had tugged at him telling him to agree to it.

So here he was coming up behind his contact. He was using Force Stealth as always and comes up next to the woman and gives her the patent Sol stare. Which is to say utterly neutral and stone-faced. "So how crazy, stupid, dangerous, or all three is this job?" He asks without introduction it wasn't like anyone else would be standing out her waiting around. Conversely who else would approach her but the merc she'd hired?

[member="Setzi Lunelle"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

There was still an ember of dark in the lightsider, pulsating like a tiny molten core. Eventually she hoped to dose this bit of rogue heat with her attempts at rehabilitation.

Bringing back the poor Xilsaga was part of this, as was facing up to the past that created such a monster. Setzi believed in science to help fix the unnatural fruit born from her experimentation with Sage Bane only a few years ago.

Funny how I’d always blamed the Republic for allowing me to fall to the darkside, yet it wasn’t them at all. The mirror was just easier to look at when shrouded or skewed.

She heard the soft crunch of his boots on the gravel before she saw him. Flicking the cigarette away with her thumb and index finger, Setzi blew the final puff of smoke from her lungs and greeted him with a curt nod.

"So how crazy, stupid, dangerous, or all three is this job?"

“It’s safe to say all three.” She briefly inspected him for weapons and the like. He was older, rough around the edges. “You don't look stupid at least, so are you crazy or dangerous?” The Rogue Jedi withdrew a crude map and showed it to him, pointing to a specific mark where the two would be going as she waited for his response.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

The woman's answer only partially answered his question but Sol got the feeling the last part was, very. Very stupid, dangerous, and crazy wonderful. Sol's kit wasn't that impressive a simple battle suit chest piece, not much better than what most troopers wore just in a different colour was his only protection. Weapons wise he had two vibroblades in a harness strapped to his back the blade just peeking over his shoulders for easy access. His only other weapon was a blaster pistol in a holster at his waist. Overall, he wasn't well armed or armoured by some mercs standards but his bearing suggested that this was by choice, not by oversight or lack of funds.

"I'm competent." Sol says with a snort as he examines the map, then looks at her. "You're kidding." She wanted to go right to a Sith facility this was just bloody lovely. With a roll of his eyes, he hands the map back to her. "So when you die who should I deliver the corpse to?" The way he says this makes it clear that A, he was going to be going with her. B, that he thought this was suicide and C, that he was confident that he'd survive. Impressive considering how little inflection his voice and emotion his face showed but he managed to get it all across.

[member="Setzi Lunelle"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

“Competent, eh? Now that’s rather humble.” She liked the no-nonsense merc already, a contrast to Master Centaris who could be quite philosophical as most Jedi. “Just don’t leave my corpse here,” Setzi quipped. “Or else I’ll be resurrected as an undead soldier or something oozing pus and bile." She tilted her head at him and tied her hair back in a ponytail. “I’m kidding. Well... kind of.”

She felt a shiver in the air, and for a moment, thought the man before her had radiated some kind of strange energy. But it was more likely that there were darksiders roaming the halls. Maybe just one or two. The Rogue Jedi’s early pass at reconnaissance told her that the Sith only had low-level stormies on guard. Any true material assets valuable to the Sith had been moved to Bastion or at least away from the Core Worlds. Setzi shuddered momentarily, jamming her helmet onto her head so the hired gun would not see the deep frown that had suddenly gripped her lips. She pictured the Xilsaga, alone in a cell, barely alive, just letting her own solitude drive her slowly into madness and old age.

Then again as Darth Azurea it wasn’t often that she’d interacted much with the zombie.

“You better not be holding out any surprises for me,” she warned in a neutral tone. And then Setzi knelt down, placing the tips of her gloved fingers to the ground. She closed her eyes and let the Force be her guide to see across the woods and a field to the facility nearby, then slipping inside the walls to view the exact location of each guard, every exit and any kind of booby traps. Force Sight had come in handy though she did not want to dwell upon the uses for it in her past life as a Sith Lord.

Rising, her knees cracking, she was off, darting through a thin and barely tread path into the trees, expecting the mercenary to follow.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

"I'll do my best. No promises though, ensure a puss free future isn't in my contract." Sol says this in a completely deadpan tone though maybe if she really strained to hear, she might note the slightest hint of humour at the fringe. Crossing his arms he watches as she kneels down and when she delivers her little, threat? Ultimatum? General statement to him implying he shouldn't be keeping secrets he just snorts. "I'm holding on to plenty of surprises just not for you." She'd hired a random mercenary and had only asked some rudimentary questions when he'd accepted the job. He was guessing that the lack of a thorough interview was one part secrecy, one part he was probably the only applicant.

The merc is quiet as he feels her send out pulses through the force. His own connection was muted while he was using Force Stealth but overt usages like what Setzi was doing were easy enough to detect even when he was. Once she is done he waits for her to get up. Perhaps she might wonder why he didn't ask any questions or maybe she just assumed he was professional. Either way, she started running and he matched her pace. He was lithe and strong with an excellent build for running so he had no issue keeping pace with the jedi. He didn't even have to use the force not yet at least.

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

While Setzi wasn’t hiding her Force signature, she’d manipulated the energy around both of them so that they barely made a sound tromping through the dried leaves on the forest floor. “A puss free future,” she said suppressing a laugh. “I suppose I’ll have to chance that, whatever it is. Look, I'm just a farm girl from Aduba-II. What do I know?" Yet it was clear she was no simple agricultural worker.

As they continued on, the Jedi would occasionally stop and listen, looking back at Sol or forward to him if he happened to step past her as they slowly made their way to the facility.

“What should I call you then?”

Just after she’d asked the question, two low-level Stormtroopers emerged from the trees ahead, blasters firing, the noise of red lasers punctuating the night air. Setzi Force Jumped to one of them, almost faster than the blaster bolts, removed her Blade of the Satvas and quickly overcame the man as only a Jedi could do with the strength of a Cragamaloid, slicing his throat right through the soft fabric of the black body glove which separated his helmet from the white armor piece atop his chest.

He fell down with a groan and a gurgle, and the Jedi stepped back to avoid the arterial spray. “I told you I didn’t like surprises,” she said with a feral grin. "Now are you going to kill the other one or should I?"

The second guard began to run, heading into the direction of where they planned to break in.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Sol hadn't stopped to watch her jump on the other Stormtrooper. He'd rolled to avoid a shot came to his knees and right around the time she was finishing her quip he'd drawn his pistol and put a bolt in the back of troopers head. The entire exchange had taken less than ten seconds but made more noise than he would have liked, especially since Stormtroopers rarely travelled in just pairs. These two were likely part of a guard patrol and they had however long until the next time they were supposed to report in before this whole thing got a lot harder.

Coming to his feet Sol gives her a flat look. "Aren't Jedi supposed to see things like that before they happen? We've got fifteen minutes top before the entire facility is on alert, at least that is what I am thinking." Rubbing his face he considers the woman as he starts moving again. The sudden violence, savage grin, and knife weren't exactly inspiring confidence in her mental state. Still, if she was going to quip. "Don't like them all you want." He says with a shrug of his shoulders. "Life will still manage to be full of them." He heads towards where the Stormtroopers had emerged. "And you can call me Sol."

[member="Setzi Lunelle"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

The hired mercenary made quick work of the other trooper, but not realizing the man had hidden his Force usage, the Rogue Jedi quipped, “What do you know about the Jedi?”

Dusting herself off and tucking the blade back in the holster upon her hip, she peered around looking for any additional guards. “Stick to what you know, Sol.”

And again, she was off, not worry about anything - no noise, no barriers and no amount of stormtroopers would stop her now. As they’d reached the facility, Setzi pressed her back up against the wall to stay out of sight and wait for her accomplice to catch up.

She quickly melted the lock off of the door by heating it up with her mind and then slowly pushed it open. Cameras above were swiftly imploded as was the alarm.

“What we need to find is not too far from here. A left and a right and then a left. Or is it the other way around?” The brunette Jedi stopped to get her bearings and continued once again up a darkened corridor.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

"More than you apparently." Sol shot back as he keeps his pace slow enough for her to catch up. "I know plenty about The Force, force users are a job hazard after all." His tone is clipped and professional. The faintest trace of smirk leaked in though, if she wanted to be catty he could be snarky right back.

Considering that Sol had left first and had kept pace with her Setzi wasn't left waiting long. The lock melting was a neat little trick, he should pick it up since Muad had used it as well. The implosion of the cameras was something he could have done and as she stops to get her bearings he gives a snort. "So what exactly did you need me for?" He asks with a slightly amused tone. "You seem to be doing fairly well on your own so far."

[member="Setzi Lunelle"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Right after the Ossus invasion, and while Setzi was healing from the amphistaff bite, Grand Master of the Silver Jedi Order, Arisa Yune, had paid her a visit to her bedside. The conversation was grave, but also enlightening. While she showed as much promise as any of her fellow Knights to become a Master eventually, the darkness inside of her needed to be purged.

“I humbly accept your offer of training and rehabilitation,” she said, knowing there would be no second chance at forgiveness. “I won’t bluff any longer. And I’m sure the Silvers are through with favoritism if I continue on my wayward path.”

But today, Master Yune was not here. And if anything this would be her last ditch attempt at an operation which would have been labeled reckless and suicidal by the elders in the Order.

And furthermore, something which surprised the kark out of her was that she was enjoying herself.

She laughed at Sol’s challenge, a hearty guffaw, again seeming to not care if unwanted attention was drawn.

“I will need you to protect me once we reach her. We are extracting a prisoner. But I have a feeling she’s… I may not be able to… “ Sighing and slipping into further darkness ahead, Setzi mumbled, “You’ll see.”

Somewhere ahead in the corridor, Sol would hear a harrowing wail, not of pain or agony, but of abject and complete sorrow.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Yup, this girl was crazy. That was Sol's first thought when she guffawed. It wasn't just that she was enjoying this, which for a Jedi was unusual, it was that she was openly baiting the guards. She didn't care if they were seen or if they had to fight so she wasn't much of a Jedi. Which was kind of bad. She was risking her life which was whatever, but she was also risking his which he wasn't a fan of.

That meant it was time to set some ground rules.

"In that case. Start acting like you don't want every single trooper in here to come down on us. I wasn't joking about the body thing. I do the job I am paid to do but I don't fight losing battles. If protecting you means fighting an entire garrison by myself then you are in trouble, so let's try and move silently for now." He says this all in that calm level voice. Not a threat, just a statement of facts. You do A, I will be forced to do B because I like living.

The echoing wail reaches Sol's ears and he shudders slightly. That wasn't a human noise, whatever they were here for it was something Sol was pretty sure he didn't want to see.

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

To be honest, most galaxians who’d encountered Setzi recently thought she was just a touch insane. Master Centaris and the Sith Lord she’d fought on Ossus had harsh words to say regarding her mental state to which she laughed and continued exhibiting the kind of reckless behavior that would warrant that type of reputation.

Yet Darren had helped to calm that skittish, unpredictable side. He may have given her the same advice that Sol had, but perhaps in a less gruff manner.

“Aye, Captain,” she answered quietly with only an edge of rebelliousness in her voice.

As they rounded another corner, there was a row of cells with only the most unwanted experiments of the Sith, most of them barely recognizable as sentient. But Setzi stopped in front of one of the small containers which held a withered, dirty human female inside, the source of the howling no doubt.

Her matted, silvery-black hair obscured her face, but after a minute or two she lifted up her face. The Jedi Knight audibly gasped, her breathing picking up. Steady now, Setzi.

“It’s time to come home now, Chastity,” she said, her tone suddenly broken and hoarse. “Keep an eye out for the guards while I break the lock.”

But unfortunately, the Xilsaga did not want to remain quiet. She wanted a noisy reunion with her creator and began to rise up, shambling forward, whinnying and moaning to see Darth Azurea, the woman who’d been forged by black magic and Setzi’s own blood.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Why was it that so many people responded to reasonable responses with sarcasm? Admittedly Sol sometimes responded to orders with sarcasm but usually, that was only if the order was stupid. He wouldn't have gotten sarcastic if someone asked him to be quiet during an infiltration. Then again he'd never be so unprofessional as to start making undue noise during an infiltration.

They move down another corridor getting closer and closer to the source of the wailing until. "Okay, no." Sol says looking at the emaciated corpse of a woman before them. "What the hell is that thing? sith spawn." He hisses instead of doing what he is told. "This is what we are here for?" He'd heard of sith spawn before but his mind hadn't made the leap, connecting the creature before him to the ones from the legends.

Turning his head he looks either way down the corridor remembering his job and then looks back at Setzi. "That thing is a walking shambling corpse and I am pretty sure it's going to wail its head off on the way out. Why are we doing this?" There were limits to the don't ask too many questions policy most mercenaries had. This crossed the line of those limits trampled them and then spit on the ashes.

[member="Setzi Lunelle"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

“Shhhh, Chastity. Yes, I owe it to her to bring her back to Voss and try to fix her.” Behind the helmet, Setzi’s face fell, and she began to feel a raw grief take hold. Speaking in whispers, knowing they had very little time for chit-chat, she said, “In fact, can you not… I mean let’s not talk about this until we’re out of here. Her emotions are unpredictable, and if I become sad, so will she. We’re bonded…”

Dammit, she thought she was going to cry. “Quick tickle me!”

It was difficult to explain why, knowing that guards would be coming soon, if not at the sound of the Sith Spawn, than on a normal patrol route. If the Jedi Knight became even a little bit melancholy, the Xilsaga she’d named after her lost sister, would grow inconsolable and would not follow along. In fact the creature would likely just sit down in her cell and continue to sob and wail. Feth, Sol already thought she was insane - why stop now?

“I know it’s crazy, but I need to keep my emotions light. If she reacts the way I think she will if we run into troopers, we’ll need both of us to stay calm.”

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

"There is just so much wrong with this I don't even know where to begin." Closing his eyes Sol takes a long, deep, calming breath. He'd been hired by either a crazy person or an idiot, he wasn't sure which yet. Okay, back up, this woman and the creature were connected it was a monstrosity, the woman said she'd made it. What did that tell Sol? That it was some kind of Force creature, likely a Sith spawn. Based on the woman's words she wanted to make reparations to the creature, to fix it, so that meant that she viewed it's creation as a wrong worth righting. That said something about Setzi.

Finally, reluctantly, Sol rolls his eyes and holstering his blaster he sticks his fingers to her sides and sets to tickling. This was by far the weirdest thing he'd ever done for a client, which really said something. He wasn't sure what it said but it said something. He tickles her until she laughs and then he stops and gives her a flat look. "For a Jedi, you really have terrible control of your emotions if you needed me to tickle you by the way." Waving a hand he adds. "Yes, yes I know what do I know about Jedi. Let's just get going before this whole thing gets any weirder yeah?"

[member="Setzi Lunelle"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

The two must have looked like a motley pair, a Jedi and a mercenary, both armored up, standing in front of a swaying creature that seemed barely alive and then all of a sudden... tickles!

But it worked and Setzi giggled, the melancholy she felt quickly giving way to a joyous sensation, which she knew would be fleeting as they had to get a move on.

"Look Sol, with all due respect I do know how to keep my emotions in check. But I'm not immune to occasional sadness and trust me, you don't want her to become inconsolable."

Boot steps pounded up the corridor, the ruckus finally drawing a group of guards.

"If Chastity is sad, she won't be able to do this." Wariness be damned. She had to do it. But first she slammed the cell door trapping them both inside and covering the exit with her body. Sol would not be able to get out, which seemed suicidal until he would see what the Xilsaga could do.

As the stormtroopers skidded around the corner, blasters out, Setzi's voice lowered to an eerie rumble as she chanted quickly in High Sith: “Sorus nuri tu'iyia warniki zûtauha!"

A sharp scream rang out, causing the most incomprehensible fear to anyone in a twenty meter radius that did not have a defensive attack to repel it. The guards shrieked just as loudly and immediately ran in the opposite direction. Sol would be affected by the Xilsaga's Force Fear attack as well, but it's why Setzi was barring the door. The Jedi-in-disguise, unable to flee would experience the most poignant grief and sorrow, recalling memories fresh and repressed, but all of them unwanted and highly discomforting.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Being suddenly manhandled was unexpected and as the door slams shut he gives her a flat look. Setzi's erratic behaviour was beginning to worry Sol and it struck him as silly to toss the thing they'd just went to all this effort to rescue to the stormtroopers. He was about to ask Setzi what she was on about in a very respectful way that involved the word crazy and ended with itch. That changes when he hears the chanting.

A lot of bad emotions suddenly bubble to the surface and though his expression doesn't change and he doesn't go for the door. However, his grip on Force Stealth jars loss as his sorrow bubbles to the surface only to turn to angry at being jerked around. A wave of dark side force energy rolls off of him for a moment before he snaps it back under control. While he may not exactly agree with the Jedi's on a lot of things, being able to control your emotions was one area he did agree on.

However, he knew that both Setzi and the whatever it was likely felt that momentary lapse. That could be a big problem. Eying the woman for several long moments he finally says with a shrug. "From what you've shown me, no you really don't know how to keep your emotions under control. But I was only raised as a Jedi so what do I know." Maybe cracking a joke wasn't the best choice but eh, it was his go to.

[member="Setzi Lunelle"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

The Force bond between her and the Xilsaga was still incredibly strong, and Setzi could feel the creature’s darkness now fighting for supremacy in her midichlorian-laden bloodstream. Most of her concentration was spent on keeping it from fully taking over. At the same time she allowed tendrils of lightness to sooth the once-doomed being, hopefully the first step in reversing the damage she’d done, for the girl was once alive when the Jedi met her the first time, lying prone on Sage Bane’s mad-scientist examination table.

Maybe this preternatural focus was what caused Setzi to seem so strange, or it could be that the battle of between light and dark had taken such a mental toll that she was just a mili-parsec away from retiring upon Indoumodo and becoming some kind of tribal hermit.

Still, Sol’s ability to shrug off the Xilsaga’s fear spell had her on pause.

"From what you've shown me, no you really don't know how to keep your emotions under control. But I was only raised as a Jedi so what do I know." Maybe cracking a joke wasn't the best choice but eh, it was his go to.

[member="Setzi Lunelle"]

This statement too seemed to snap her out of whatever bizarre personality trance she’d been in.

“I want to hear more about this. But now that she’s scared the guards away, it should be clear to bolt out of here.”

She didn’t need to ask if the Jedi-turned-mercenary was ready.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

The first reaction to go through Sol's head when Setzi stated her desire to know more was to tell her it wasn't her business. The entire situation was finally annoying Sol, but he knew that ultimately it was his own fault. Sure, Setzi had hired someone she thought was a normal mercenary to embark on a potentially suicidal mission to save a monster without telling them what they were doing up front. However, just because she'd been reckless and had a monster that launched a surprise attack that made him slip his cover, didn't change the fact that he'd agreed to the job. It was his damn fault for not getting more details up front.

So instead of snapping at her he swallows his irritation and gets moving. She was right the weird monster had bought them some time so if they got moving they might only need to fight through half the garrison instead of the entire garrison. Yay. Why was it everytime that he paired up with another force user they always seemed to be crazy and then in that craziness decide to piss off a whole army. "Should introduce you to my friend Muad, you'd get along famously." He mutters under his breath.

[member="Setzi Lunelle"]