It's Truth You Find, and Innocence You Lose

[Cora Passek]

[member="Darth Carach"]

There was something to be said for grand plans and untamed ambition: both can get you killed. It was a thought that had crossed the blonde's mind more than once. Run in after run in with her enemies, near and far, had taught her that this life could be over in the blink of an eye. And oddly enough, it no longer bothered her like it once had. There was a job at hand and one way or another she would see it through.

Down in level 1313, Cora sat in the backroom of a dingy little bar, along with a dozen other close associates. People that she'd worked with over the years, people she believed she could trust. Only, she'd find out soon enough, that it was not quite the case.

Glancing between the beings gathered at the table, she plucked a simple silver tube from her pack, and soon opened it, spreading a large map across the table. Using glasses she quickly pinned it down and eyed it carefully. Everything was coming together, the plan in it's final stages, which made Cora oddly calm in appearance. Though inside, her nerves and the stresses of the last stretch were eating her alive.

"Sam, you and Lex, will need to cover the ground up North." Taking the time to point out each of the sections divided upon the map.

"Aitera, you and your team to South." She glanced back to them, to confirm.

"I've got East and Baeleigh will get West."

She paused with a sigh, "Supplies will come in tomorrow. You all know the drop points, and the times. Six separate shipments to each zone. Everything will need to be constructed once in your team's hands, and set out from there. Day after tomorrow, two am, we move. By seven, all teams need to be gone. Long gone. We're working by remote for a reason, don't want to be near this stuff when it goes off. Gas masks only do so much. Stuff gets into your pores, you're screwed. So might want to keep that in mind when handling it."

Reaching down to Scotch, Cora quickly downed the rest of it, giving one more look to the group. "Questions?" Only silence followed. "Good. Then get back to the safe houses, lay low, and wait." With that she rolled the map back up and slipped it away, only watching as the others left the room and headed off into the night.

As she too finally headed to the door, she couldn't help but feel something was wrong. Something was off, and she wasn't quite sure what it was, not yet at least. Bathed in familiar smells of dank lower levels, Cora glanced over her shoulder one more time, perhaps a little paranoid, but her gut had kept her alive this long. So maybe a little paranoia wasn't so bad.

Rounding a corner a sharp pain raced through her mind akin to lightning. Stumbling she grabbed a hold of the nearest building for support, as an overwhelming feeling of darkness started to creep in. As disturbing as the feeling was, it wasn't the first time it had happened. It took a moment to shake it off, and quash that sinister presence. Soon enough it relented, letting Cora be for now.

If only she had known how right that gut feeling was. While she was headed for her team's safe house, a singular team member had his own ideas of what was going to happen. Aitera was locating a contact of his, to give warning to what exactly was about to go down in the next fourty-eight hours.

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Cora Passek"]

There was a time that secrets were easily kept, there was a time that you could trust your fellow conspirators to keep everything on the downlow. There… was a time of faith between humans. As you might expect already, this time was long since over - the Sith Empire was emerging back into existence with the invasion of Coruscant as its first prerogatory. The defense of the Capital City was one of the most important duties a man could have, and everyone in the hierarchy took their job pretty damn serious.

Few would ever know if the traitor was simply that, a man paid just enough to throw his friends into the pit or if there was something more sinister going on, if perhaps… a world filled with Sith Lords - Sith Lords who were capable of mental manipulation… had somehow gotten to the man.

Irrelevant in the grand scheme of things though, the outcome was the same for all.

Cloaked individuals incapacitated the terroristic individuals and hauled their collective asses to a deep, underground prison on the Core planet. The same happened to Cora, a few force sensitive assassins slash spies slipping up to her and knocking her out cold with some drug.

Eventually, she would awake in a cold, dark cell tied up to a chair, behind a non-descript durasteel table. Someone would remove the bag from her head, and she would blink… once, twice, thrice against the sudden light penetrating her irises.

A man sat in front of her, Darth Carach, a Voice of the Sith Lord and in that defining moment - when she would look into his burning eyes, notice his easy, nonchalant grin plastered on his lips she would truly realize… that she was utterly frecked in every sense of the word.

‘ Miss. Passek. I hope the cuffs aren’t too uncomfortable. ‘

 

[Cora Passek]

The last thing Cora remembered, the last thing was heading back to the safehouse, through some market. Then a prick of pain, and everything went dark.

Wait, did I leave the oven on? No, no ... That's not where I was... What was I doing again? Things weren't falling into place just yet, though the headache in the aftermath of the drug as she came round was starting to remind the girl that this wasn't home. This wasn't where she was meant to be. She blinked slowly. Very slowly, her head feeling something akin to a ton of bricks as she lifted it slowly. It took a moment for her to realize the gravity of the situation, to understand where she was and how exactly she'd ended up here.

It only came natural to try and lift her hands to her eyes, but quickly found them bound behind her. "You know .. Toss in a few pillows, a nice bed ... a little wine, and I might be right at home." Ah the smart ass that came out when she was afraid. "Though really, furry cuffs are much better for that kind of thing." A mask, it was all a mask, and even she knew it, though Cora would always try to play otherwise. "Leather works in a pinch too..." The softest of smiles tracing her lips.

Considering the planet, the place, Cora wasn't a fool, the chances of the man before her being a Sith were extremely high. "It's not every day I get to meet a man like you...." Options, options, what do I have? Cuffed? If I can get a hair pin out, or something ... who knows, maybe pick the lock? Ain't a clue what kind of cuffs these are, could just as well kill me if I screw up. And you think he won't? Well, yeah... that's kind of the point with this line of thought. I'd like to leave, before I become a shish kabob... Oh really? And what's the plan once out of the cuffs? Run? Well, that was the first thought... You don't even know where you are! Point taken.

The blonde sighed, the smile brightening just a little. "So, tell me for what do I owe this pleasure?" Even as she worked through all the options, that strange yet familiar darkness squirmed within. It was the same darkness she'd felt on the ship many months back, when she'd been healed by Sven's father, her life saved by a Sith, oh the irony. All by a good friend, the son of said Sith. But that dark healing had made whatever was locked away in her mind stir ever so slightly. And now, in the presence of what was undoubtedly a Sith now, it stirred again, trembling trying to get out. The lightheartedness in her eyes had faded in response, though the smile had not left her lips. Keep it together now.... Come on Corina, it's nothing just memories... Don't tell me you're that deluded? Will you just shut up now? Will you ever listen to me? No. Well, there's your answer. Bite me.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

This one had spirit and that was what it was all about, wasn’t it? The ones which spirit were the ones who were the most satisfying when broken, they lavished themselves into the darkness to forget what it was like to be truly free and unfettered.

The Sith Lord only known as Carach studied her for a moment, considering her worth and judging her - it was clear as light and day that she wasn’t exactly comfortable. Being a mentalist had its advantages, an almost innate skill to feel the emotions of people allowed Carach to understand Cora’s unease on an intimate level.

He smiled.

‘ We will see about play, right after we finish work, my dear. ‘ Carach said smoothly, before continuing. ‘ Are you aware that spreading nerve gas, or planning to do so is an act of terrorism and a capital offense? ‘

[member="Cora Passek"]

 

[Cora Passek]

Cora felt her heart leap, beating faster at his words. "Well aren't you just a sweet little gentleman."

"So this isn't about the parking ticket I got last year?" Oh, this is not going to end well. Told you so.... Go away! "No, I can't say I was aware at all." She said coolly, still trying to keep it up. "What a shame though... It seems like such a small little offense.." It was taking everything she had to keep that mask on, and not let her true feelings show. "Poor people who get caught up in that... Must be rough for them."

Taking in a deep breath, her headache growing much worse as the same familiar squirming within pressed upon her mind. Exhaling slowly, she focused her attention back on her captor as she twisted her wrists about, trying to get a feel of the cuffs that bound her. Maybe she'd find it not so difficult after all. Now her smile finally faded as the pain took over. "You could be a dear, and get a girl a drink you know? Or hell just something for the headache that I firmly blame on whatever it was your people decided to drug me with." It seemed with the headache, her mood had soured a fair bit. Or who knows the threat of capital punishment could have actually gotten under her skin.

[member="Darth Carach"]