Private Not So Black and White

[Revna]

She had to admit - Dandoran was a beautiful place, minus all of the smuggling activity and the fact that the planet was collectively owned by the Hutts. Never did the small Sith woman imagine that she would be returning to Hutt space after leaving her enslavement; if she had had it her way, she would never have come back.

But her desires and wishes were secondary to the greater vision her High Priest had for the Outer Rim, and she was to be a part of that vision. She still could recall, almost as if it had happened the day prior, when Darth Strosius had bestowed upon her the title of Disciple of Faith, and charged her with furthering his mission into the Outer Rim, bringing wonosa - freedom - to those that were still shackled, and to bring them into the Sith way. It was a daunting and arduous task; a duty that she would no doubt be doing until the Hutts and their slavery operations were destroyed and dismantled, along with all those who continued slavery in the wider galaxy.

The petite Sith apprentice stood on a catwalk that overlooked a pristine lake; behind her was a former smuggler’s hideout, cleared out of its previous occupants and converted into a facility where she and a handful of her fellow Wonosans could bring freshly freed slaves to rest and recuperate after whatever trials they had endured. The facility, nestled within the forest on a moderate sized island amidst a myriad of others, was relatively safe from prying eyes, providing food, drink, rest, and medical care to those who came within its sheltered walls. She had chosen this location due to its proximity to a smuggler’s route, and that it was within Hutt space - so the movement of slaves and other items that might be found on the Black Market, wouldn’t be so out of place. But perhaps the thing that was out of place, was the fact that she was a Sith, targeting transports to and from Hutt worlds and taking their slaves, leaving only the dead behind to mark her passing. For the most part, Sith were known allies with the Hutts.

Except for a group that had been terrorizing the Outer Rim for some time. Pirates and smugglers were wary these days; one never knew when ships would emerge from hyperspace and they would come under siege by Sith vessels, led by the formidable Lord Inquisitor of the Sith Order himself. Few ever lived to tell their tale - but for those who did, would spread their stories and the infamy of the Sith of Wonosa would grow.

And inevitably, those stories would be carried into the Galactic Alliance, and perhaps perceptive Jedi ears would pick up on such tales. The Sith mainly kept to two areas of the Galaxy: their Order led by a Dead God - or the core Sith worlds, ruled by Dark Lords of the Kainate and those allied with them. Sith that fell outside of this, well that was certainly intriguing.

A gentle breeze rustled through the trees and stirred Revna’s silver streaked black hair. She took a deep breath, her perception in the Force amplified slightly as she listened in on different conversations that were occurring within the facility; a fresh batch of slaves had been received only the day prior. There was a mixture of emotions that poured into the Force, as there usually was. Fear, uncertainty, relief, joy…

Strangely, it was the happier emotions that gave the small Sith the greatest amount of satisfaction from her work. She knew what it felt like to be a freshly freed slave, and to see others experience that for themselves made all her struggles and trials worth it. After clearing their medical evaluations, these newly liberated souls would be sent onward to Formos, and given a second chance at having a purpose in their lives.

The small Sith lifted her right wrist and tapped on a comm’s device, opening up a channel to the other Sith and Squires that were assigned to her.

-“Boundary status?”- she inquired, checking in with those she had sent out earlier to patrol the surrounding areas to ensure their hideout wasn’t being encroached upon.

-“Boundary secure.”- a female voice responded a moment later.

Satisfied with the response, Revna returned to her watch over the lake and the surrounding areas, wondering idly if her Master would be pleased with her efforts out here on her own, and if she had made the right decision in choosing this location as another Wonosan field base of operations.

Tag: Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Dandoran was quite lovely, all green forests and placid waters. Surprising, for a Hutt world. Perhaps that was why they'd laid claim to it; even contemptible slave traders appreciated a thing of beauty.

It was a shame that the Sith had to mar it with their alleged presence.

Though outside their sphere of influence, the Alliance kept tabs on any galactic happenings that they could. Dandoran had yet to fall under the umbrella of any great galactic power, but rumors of Sith influence were quietly stirring. Divisive as their Order was, their combined strength was formidable.

And their growing influence, a concern.

The information Cora had received painted a picture. One smuggler, capture by bounty hunters and brought into Alliance space for suspected slaving charges had described a slaughter. The ship had materialized from hyperspace before making sound work of the smuggling vessel and departing with their cargo. The gentlemen who'd been question managed to make it to an escape pod, but he'd seen the carnage beforehand.

They'd mapped multiple points along a chain of islands to be investigated. One of them was said to be a slaver's stronghold, with reports of recent activity.

The Jedi waited at the edge of the forest, camouflaged beneath a canopy of leaves. Beside Cora sat Iveel, a Keshiri Padawan with a flair for technology. She was smart, but lacked the Jedi virtue of patience.

Cora had her hand clamped over the girl's mouth, catching her wide eyes with a harsh glare. The knight had sensed another complaint coming and sought to stifle the girl before she gave their position away.

One finger raised to her own lips. The signal was clear. Quiet.

Iveel nodded readily and Cora withdrew her hand.

“Boundary secure.”

Once the guard had radioed in her status, she was snared by a pair of roots. They coiled around her body, tightening around her mouth and limbs as they dragged her into the forest.

"What do we do with her now?" The Padawan whispered as she stared at the struggling guard, forgetting her silence.

Cora brushed a hand against the woman's forehead, willing her mind to slip into unconsciousness. The guard's frantic movements lessened and her body went slack. The roots receded, leaving her limp but unharmed as Cora's hand quickly worked at the buttons of her uniform.

"Secure her," she ordered.

Jedi robes were shed, and replaced with the guard's apparel.

Revna

 

[Revna]

Not too long after she received the secure report, Revna felt a subtle shift in the Force, more akin to a ripple than anything, and accompanied with it was a spike of fear that quickly faded to mingle with the rest of the emotions that she could feel in the surrounding area. Most others probably would have missed the strange sensation altogether, or not felt it. But the Sith woman took note of it and her head and body turned slightly to face the interior of the island, a slight frown on her pale face. Her amber eyes flickered over the foliated hideout, and traced the movements of a couple of individuals she saw nearby. No one seemed alarmed or perturbed, and this made the pulse of fear seem all the more…strange.

Turning around completely, the Disciple made her way into the compound, her steps a mere whisper as she moved. A couple individuals, fellow Brothers and Sisters of Wonosa, greeted her as she passed by them and went down a floor into the belly of the building, until she came upon what could be called a common eating area. Chairs and tables had been set up for people to sit at, and here she saw a few individuals - a mix of freshly freed slaves from a slaver’s transport, and those who had agreed to serve alongside her in her mission. A few folks looked up at her, and she stretched out her senses to get a general read over those present.

No one was fearful in here; nervous and uncertain, for sure. But even then, the presence of fear was low and Revna began to realize that perhaps what she had felt, had come from outside the compound.

Movement caught her attention, and the little Sith woman turned her head to see one of her Brothers approach her.

“...everything alright, Sister? You seem a bit guarded.” he asked her in a low voice as she turned so her back was facing the few slaves that were within the area so as not to alarm them.

“Probably nothing, but something feels…off. See to it that we have more sentries on guard around the compound. Just in case some smugglers or other undesirables come upon us.”

He dipped his head. “I will see what I can do. We are a little short on hands at the moment. Perhaps recalling some who are out on patrol might be good?”

“No, they are our only means of early warning should someone head our way. Get yourself and anyone else available to entry points on the compound that are currently unguarded. The medical staff can see to the needs of our new siblings here.”

“As you wish.” The man replied before turning around and moving off to carry out her orders. Revna cast one last look around the small eatery, smiling gently at the few souls that were within to help ease any concerns that might be growing, before she went back up to the main floor of the compound to resume her own watch. She figured the extra vigilance wouldn't hurt anything and if something was indeed amiss, then they would at least be aware and alert for it.

Tag: Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

The Jedi had spent a long few hours observing the what the guards moved, the patrol routes they took, and how often they rotated. They'd chosen to ambush this particular guard as she was nearing the end of her shift.

Cora made sure to adjust the uniform so that it fit as naturally as it could. Blonde hair was tucked into the cap, and her presence in the Force shrank. Not entirely - just enough so that she'd appear as an untrained sensitive.

She retraced the path they'd observed to the front of the compound. Their intel hadn't been able to provide much more beyond the fact that this building housed slaves, which made sense given how often smugglers and their cargo relied on safe houses.

A sudden rush of guards poured from the entrance as she neared. Cora halted - heart thundering in her chest - but several of them moved past her, spreading out in different directions along the facility boundary.

"Hey," one said, flagging her down. A zabrak male with intricate tattoos twining around his horns and spilling down his face. "What are you doing? Sister Revna ordered us to secure the compound."

"Secure?" Cora echoed, brow furrowing. "Is something wrong?"

The guard shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe the smugglers are at it again?"

Cora blinked. If these people were smugglers worried about a rival group - he would have used their specific name, she imagined. Another brushstroke that began to paint a clearer picture of this mission.

"M' on break," she insisted, injecting a gruff note into her voice. "Been out here all morning, need to go on lunch. Won't be much use in keeping out smugglers if I can't even see straight."

Revna

 

[Revna]

The Zabrak male, though somewhat new to the Order of Wonosa and still learning the structure of such small groups that were assigned to carry out missions in the field, stared at his fellow sister with some slight confusion. He had assumed that those out on their duty posts had been informed of what was going on as well, and one taking a break after hearing such a report sounded…off.

“I suppose that is true. Keep your eyes open and don’t take too long. Something has Sister Revna on edge. Not sure what it could be but she’s relying on us to do our jobs.”

And with that, the male Zabrak walked away, leaving the disguised Jedi behind to seemingly search the compound unhindered. However, when he was out of sight and ear shot, a dark frown passed over his tattooed face and he diverted and found another more seasoned Wonosan, and informed them of what had just occurred. He was told to carry on to his position, while the other individual - a blue skinned Twi’lek woman - casually made her way through the compound to lay eyes upon the suspected intruder, before carrying on towards the Disciple of their High Priest.

Revna watched the compound with a sharp golden gaze, keeping her presence as small as possible as Sister Nima gave her the report of a suspicious stranger who had entered the compound. Her suspicion seemed to have proven true, and she calmly informed Nima to go about her duties as if nothing was happening, but to secure the safety of the freed slaves and make sure that they were well protected until the threat could be properly addressed and removed.

Once Nima had walked off to do as directed, Revna moved around, her amber gaze flickering over various places and the few individuals she could see, her eyes eventually landing on a woman who seemed to be wandering about the foliated and hidden compound. She was dressed in the same uniform that the rest of them all wore and for all intents and purposes looked as if she belonged with the group.

Except that Revna did not recognize her, and she knew the faces of all those who served with her. That meant that one of her Brothers or Sisters was incapacitated out in the field somewhere, and she could not tell for certain if this was a singular intrusion, or a whole group that was closing in on them, and such a thought stirred a coldness within her chest. There was one way to discern the seriousness of the situation.

Tilting her head, Revna opened up her comms once more, and spoke into it:

-“Boundary patrol, check in and status.”- she ordered softly, waiting patiently as each who was at their post out in the lush forest radioed in their duty identification and status report. Everyone was accounted for…except for one. -"Status check on Sister Inara."- She directed over the comms, her gaze never wavering from the woman she as looking at beyond her.

TAG: Corazona von Ascania
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