Private Lethal Cadence

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Valkyrie fortress
Undisclosed location, Mygeeto
Sometime at dusk










The snowy mountains of Mygeeto were a harsh environment for nearly any living being to survive in. Frequent and violent snowstorms and fearsome predators made life outside of the cities and settlements a dangerous affair, and few ever attempted to brave it. It was in the middle of these uninhabited mountains where an ancient fortress stood. Once it had been abandoned for thousands of years, but today it was the home of the Sith subsect known as the Valkyries. A place where novitiates were shaped into the warriors of the Sith Empire, the Dark side itself, and the Netherworld. At the helm of this sisterhood stood the Matriarch Darth Avacyn, last of its founders.

She watched the sun slowly slink away behind the mountains as cold winds rushed past her, causing her red locks to flutter around just slightly. The freezing cold bothered her little, with the Force shielding her from it. Clad in her armor, the woman stood before the gates to the fortress, as though she guarded it from those who looked to find entry. It was quite the opposite that was true, however. She had received a request, one to provide combat training. That much was nothing new, Avacyn had taught many Sith over the years, but the ones she was going to be teaching were no Sith, nor were they even Force sensitive. Instead her students were agents of SIFIA, the Sith Imperial Foreign Intel Agency. Despite this, the Sith lady saw no reason to turn down the request. A student was a student, no matter their connection to the Force.

A light appeared in the slowly darkening sky and it slowly descended towards Mygeeto's surface. As it came closer, the shape of a shuttle became clearer to make out and Avacyn saw no reason to come to another conclusion. Her students had arrived.

Kimora Min ​

 

[Kimora Min]

Slight turbulence rattled at the shuttle, shaking it up upon entry into Mygeeto's atmosphere. The crisp winds beat against the hull and snowfall rained down all around the mountains. Agent Kimora Min looked outside a viewport across the mountains until her eyes were laid upon the Valkyrie fortress. Kimora had only heard tales of the Valkyries. Female Sith warriors that soar across the battlefield like angels of destruction.

And now Kimora would get to see them for herself. Along with her fellow special agents of the SIFIA, Kimora was en route to the Valkyrie fortress for special training. The SIFIA commander reached out to the Valkyries for their aid in training the elite agents of SIFIA. Only a few of the agents were accepted, Kimora being one of them.

"Hey, Min. What do you know of the Valkyries?"

Kimora shrugged her shoulders in response to her fellow agent. "Not much. Only stories. They're supposed to be some of the fiercest fighters the Sith have to offer. We should be honored to learn from them."

"Yeah, well, I only believe what I see. People, especially soldiers, tend to exaggerate when it comes to force users."

"Well, perhaps, you will get your proof soon enough."

The shuttle descended slowly upon the landing pad and the doors opened up. Five SIFIA agents, including Kimora, stepped off the shuttle and walked towards the fortress.

Kaalia Pavanos ​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The shuttle landed and out came five figures who wasted little time making their way towards the fortress. Although the gates were open they would not need to step through to meet their instructor. Darth Avacyn stood in silence, waiting until they were before her. As they approached, the Sith lady looked the agents over one by one, but one thing she could not do in comparison to the Sith apprentices she trained was peer into their Force presence. Where the power of a Force User was often sensed, the same couldn't be said for those not so deeply connected to the Force. In a way it made them much less predictable, a strength that not to be ignored. Even in combat it was a tool to made use of.

"Welcome to Mygeeto," Avacyn said in greeting, "I am Darth Avacyn. This will be the first time I am teaching non-Force sensitives, so this is going to be a learning experience for me as well. In any case..." The redhead turned to gesture towards the fortress. "Shall we?"

The group made their way towards a turbolift and once inside, it shot downwards. Eventually the duraglass would reveal a cave of vast proportions. This would be the place where they would hone their craft.

"For convenience," Avacyn remarked as the group made their way down, "may I ask for your names?"

Kimora Min ​

 

[Kimora Min]

As the agents approached the gates, Kimora could see the figure of a slender woman with crimson hair. She had to have been one of the Valkyries. Either that, or some conveniently placed bystander. Once the agents were in speaking distance of the redheaded woman, Kimora almost immediately stood at attention. As she spoke, Kimora and the other agents listened before following her pass the gates and to the fortress.

Once on the turbolift, Kimora looked towards the other agents with a look of concern upon her face. They knew she was a bit nervous due to her not being experienced with dealing with Sith. Their presence somewhat reassured her, however. Being around familiar faces helped with being among new ones.

Upon hearing Avacyn's question, Kimora spoke up first.

"Agent Kimora Min, my lady. Ready and awaiting orders." the kiffar responded.

The other agents stifled their laughter at Kimora's by-the-book reply before replying with their names as well. As the others introduced themselves, Kimora looked out through the glass and across the cavern. It was a massive facility that dwarfed Kimora's training facility. She could already tell that the training she and her fellow agents were to receive would be soemthing extraordinary.

Kaalia Pavanos ​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

After the round of names the turbolift opened up to allow the group to enter the cavern. Avacyn was the first to step out, walking forward a few steps before coming to a halt and turning on her heel. The stifled laughter hadn't escaped her, but for now she didn't see the need to give it any attention. They would be set straight before long.

"One thing you should know is that I am not a very orthodox teacher. The setting most likely gave that away already, though." With a wave of her hand the Sith lady drew the agents' attention towards their surroundings.

"I am certain you have been informed of the fact that a group of Sith have splintered off in resistance against the empire. Any one of you may end up crossing one of them, and so it is imperative that you know how to face one in combat." Avacyn unhooked one of her lightsabers and a red beam of energy rose up from the hilt with a snap-hiss.

"Before we begin, has any of you faced a Force user before?"

Kimora Min ​

 

[Kimora Min]

As Kimora stepped off the turbolift with the others, she looked about the extensive caverns some more to get a good feel on the environment. After a few moments, Kim returned her attention to Darth Avacyn as she spoke to the group. Kim gritted her teeth slightly as Avacyn mentioned the traitors to the Empire. She was only a recent citizen of the Sith Empire, but Kimora was as patriotic as the highest Moff. She was prepared to face the traitors, but she still needed the training she was there to receive. Kimora, personally, had not faced a Force user before in open combat, but she was confident in herself.

Kim's eyes then shot towards the ingition of Avacyn's lightsaber and a cold sweat trickled down her neck. Unable to speak due to a lump in her throat, Kimora shook her head in response to Avacyn's question.

Kaalia Pavanos ​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The answer to Avacyn's question was a unanimous 'no'. It wasn't anything too surprising, but it did mean there likely were stereotypes to break. This was going to be an eventful day for them.

"The most important thing to remember that the lightsaber and the Force itself are, at its core, simply another set of weapons. Force users aren't invincible, though I cannot recommend taking one on without some kind of leverage." The lightsaber's blade retreated into the hilt and Avacyn clipped it back. "And that is exactly what our first lesson is about."

The woman took a step sideways and with directed the quintet's attention towards the cavern once again, then continued. "I have sent out five Valkyrie novitiates into this cavern. Your objective is to track one down, take their lightsaber from them and bring them back to me," she explained. There was, however, one small twist to make things a little more interesting.

"Of course, there is nothing stopping you from teaming up and taking them down one by one. The first to hand in a lightsaber, though, wins a little prize. Something that will give you an edge against any Force user you may meet." Avacyn didn't elaborate any further and instead, with a gesture, invited them to venture on in.

"Good luck."

Kimora Min ​