Private Ordo Ab Chao

[Auria Blackmoore]

TAG: Konrad Harrsk

O~~>PAINT IT BLACK<~~O​

What was balance if not order?

Since stumbling onto some literature, a single line had stuck with Auria and had set her on an irreversible course: Without order, nothing can exist. If that was not balance, she did not know what was.

That line had brought her to Wayland. The proud sorceress had lowered herself into service to the self-proclaimed warlord that had taken over control of New Nystao and, by default, the fortress of Mount Tantiss - the end goal of the rogue witch.

She was not interested in the treasures that had been hidden there centuries ago and had since then been forgotten in the bowels of the mountain. To her, the earth would still speak volumes. The secrets that would be revealed would be invaluable.

Would tell her if it was worth digging into the labyrinth of tunnels.

Being battlemage and advisor to the most powerful man in the area, she was free to go where she wished. She knew, however, that a ritual like she wished to perform, would raise questions that she was not willing to answer. That was the easier part, however.

The hard part was the fool standing in her way for the tenth time that day.

"I ask again - what would be your business here, Augur?" the guard at the immense blast doors asked her.
It was making her eye twitch.
"Since when does the Augur have to explain herself to someone like you?" she asked him, her tone growing colder with each answer she gave.
"Since this is a restricted area." he shot right back at her.
"Oh good grief!" she almost growled before unleashing a wall of flame on him.

The armour he was wearing just cemented his fate of charbroil.

The other guards stared at her wide-eyed for a minute as the stench of burnt flesh wafted through the air.
"Anyone else want to question my job?" she asked as the flames in her hands still burned brightly.
"No, Ma'am." they said in unison before scrambling to open the giant doors.
"Good. Keep the doors open. I won't be long." she said, dousing the flames before marching past them.

Finally inside, she made a beeline for the Hall of Records towards the center of the mountain, adjusting the bag that was slung across her shoulder as she went. Upon reaching her destination, she got to work unpacking the conduits from her bag.

Nestled into the heart of the earth, Auria took her place in the center of the circle she had created before calling on the ancient ground beneath the immense foundation to yield its secrets to her - that which no one has bothered to ask for yet.

And it started to oblige with a sigh and a shudder.

 

[Konrad Harrsk]

Mount Tantiss rumored to hold the secrets of the ancient Galactic Empire, the knowledge of it mostly lost to the Age of Darkness wrought by the Gulag Plague. The New Imperials, and to a larger extent the galaxy, believed these secrets to have been long plundered over the decades after the disappearance of the plague. Konrad wasn't that certain, or rather he was a most distrustful person.

He had to find out on his own.

After his unit was allowed a brief leave of absence after their return from aiding the Silvers against the Bryn'adul monsters, he'd taken that time to further his own agenda. Something he had been doing on the side in every minute of his free time. That's how he'd found himself within Mount Tantiss. Unmarked, he'd donned a mostly civilian clothes in the style of a typical soldier - a long-sleeved shirt, vest, multipocket trousers and hiking boots, but with the addition of a black stormtrooper chestplate, an armed vambrace and a bodysuit that extended into a mask that covered his face up to his nose.

All was well in finding his way covertly through various guard checkpoints established by the local warlord's force. Hardly any complication - given the blueprints he'd acquired from New Imperial databases- until he saw her. Konrad couldn't discern any affiliation on her, somehow she didn't look the type the warlord would surround himself with unless...

A concubine?

Didn't sound one bit logical for a concubine to be meandering about in Mount Tantiss, hardly the place for an afternoon stroll. The Imperial's questions were brushed away when she drew what looked like a circle on the ground and not long after the whole mount began to groan, shake and rattle as trying to remove stitches zipping its mouth.

He raised his hand over his head from the falling bits and pieces of rock and soil, while his gaze did not leave her form even for a second because whoever she was did not matter, only what she was.

And right now she was an obstacle.

Opting for the vibrodagger instead of the loud blaster pistol, Konrad shuffled silently towards her back. Half-crouched and with a muffled step, he had one target and one target only - her throat.

Auria Blackmoore

 

[Auria Blackmoore]

TAG: Konrad Harrsk

O~~>MY DOMAIN<~~O​

The war-torn earth had much to tell.

It was musing about the myriad Mandalorian and Sith feet that have walked across its face. Auria was especially interested in what business the Mandalorians had in a place such as this and what they had done with the treasures that had been buried in the labyrinth of tunnels. The ancient ground was ready to tell her everything...

...until the musings became a warning.

Amber eyes snapped open. Who would dare?
"I'd stop right there if I were you." she warned the intruder without turning around. Instead, she held out a hand to the side, causing the earth to growl a similar shuddering warning underneath his feet. He did not need to know that she was not yet strong enough to bring the entire mountain down on their heads.

Illusion was powerful enough, itself.

Glancing over her shoulder, she then finally turned to face her would-be assailant, her brow furrowing slightly at the sight of him.
"Show your face, Stranger, and state your business." Auria demanded. The warlord's men knew better than to try and sneak up on her - that much she knew. They had learnt very quickly to fear her. This man, for the frame was clearly male, however, did not seem to be quaking in his boots.

He was either brave or stupid.

Hopefully, for him, it wasn't the latter.

 

[Konrad Harrsk]

Konrad was halfway when she with eyes on her back caught him off-guard. The violent shuddering of the ground beneath his feet halted his movement more so than her words. Somehow, he believed both to be connected. The assumption curled his brow into a grimace as he stared the lady from head to toe. If he'd throw the knife from this distance, Konrad was certain he wouldn't miss but he opted not to; something about the enigmatic woman brought curiosity to the surface.

"Show your face, Stranger, and state your business."

Palms itched as he considered her demands. There was power in illusion, in the unknown - keeping the enemy in the dark was common strategy. But there was also power in the public display of strength. Konrad knew that well enough when he dons the white helmet and leads a hundred faceless stormtroopers straight into the cowering enemy. He opted for the latter.

Sliding the mask beneath his chin, the blonde replied sternly, "Reclaiming what belongs to the Empire." to me.

"Get on board or get out of my way."

Auria Blackmoore

 

[Auria Blackmoore]

TAG: Konrad Harrsk

O~~>PLAY DIRTY<~~O​

A brow lofted.

Auria cocked her head to the side in surprise at this man's moxy. She did, however latch onto one word.
"And which of the many Empires would that be?" she asked, equally stern. She had very little love for the Sith or the other Dark-aligned zealots that had hammered out an existence as an empire through pure chaos. Even the supposed democratic system she had been part of was nothing more than a haphazard empire in disguise.

Amber eyes narrowed at the ultimatum he gave her. In a swift motion, a ball of fire was conjured and shot out to hit the ground right in front of his feet. A small, smoking crater was left in its wake.
"Don't ever threaten me, Sir." she snapped. "You would do well to play nice, as I can help you find it much faster than you would on your own." The Battlemage never was one to be told what to do.

She'd rather break.

Moving sideways out of the circle, she kept her eyes on this very demanding, square-jawed man. She felt slightly out of her depth in this place with no backing to rely on - just the elements and her resolve.
"Who are you?" she asked warily.

 

[Konrad Harrsk]

The Imperial dove out of the way into a roll, then into a trained crouch with the blaster pistol out of the holster aimed at the witch. He didn't pull the trigger; any blaster fire would alert the guards, bring them here and screw his odds completely. One lady of the supernatural was already a lot as it was. A sideways glance showed him the ball of fire had struck two feet from his last position.

She didn't want to fry him.

Yet.

"Konrad." he gave his name plainly, then added, "There's only one true Empire, witch." a wicked, cocky smirk followed, "The only one capable of erasing the Sith from the face of the galaxy."

"And who the hell are you?" the pistol remained trained on her figure, center mass.

Auria Blackmoore

 

[Auria Blackmoore]

TAG: Konrad Harrsk

She glared at him.

At least him not being a Sith trooper was his saving grace.
"Don't bank on chaos being gone completely. It has a nasty habit of crawling out of holes when you least expect it." she said cynically and with disdain. She had learnt that the hard way. Sith and their ilk have been a thorn in her side for quite a few years now.

"Auria." she offered in kind. "And do drop that toy before you hurt yourself." she added. nodding at the blaster that was still pointing in her direction. She did know, however, that the chances of stopping the bolt from hitting her, would be slim if he chose to fire.

Not that he needed to know that.

"Now, Mister I'm-an-Imperial," she said, resting a hand on her hip. "We are both looking for something in this dung heap. We both could use the others information. Either that or I call down the entire garrison in this ruin." No one ever accused her of being the nicest kid on the playground. This was the most cordial she has been since leaving her coven.

He can be glad she had already fried one person before he showed up with a bad attitude.

 

[Konrad Harrsk]

Auria.

He'd remember the name. You don't forget the name of someone throwing fireballs at your feet that easily. Perhaps she could be of use; the thought lingered for longer when he heard the unhidden contempt of the Sith that her words carried.

Perhaps.

Konrad leveled the toy to rest by his side. For it was a toy, indeed. His father had taught him, even indoctrinated in him the use of the verpine shatter technology. It had been the late Harrsk's favored weapon of choice. Hardly surprising given Jaeger's intense and vocal disdain for Force Users.

He moved to approach her closer as he slid the vibrodagger back into its sheath. Halting a few feet from her, he spoke, "So you are with this rat of a warlord that's come to rule the place, Miss Witch-for-Hire." he derided her choice of employment, "No matter - I'll take you up on your offer, so how about you use this magic of yours to find the Mount's mainframe."

Auria Blackmoore

 

[Auria Blackmoore]

TAG: Konrad Harrsk

A cynical laugh escaped through her lips.

If only it were as simple as being with the warlord.
"Oh, that moofmilker is lucky he's still alive." she answered with a sneer. "So be careful with your choice of words, Konrad." Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked him up and down as he stood in front of her.

"You don't need magic to figure that one out, Genius. You're standing on top of it. Come on." she scowled before turning on her heel and headed in deeper between shelves of data. There was no shortage of information on them. Between the Mandalorians and the Sith these last few years, the place had become a treasure trove.

Upon reaching the far side wall, Auria led the way through a door and down some ancient, stone-hewn stairs. The sub-terrestrial tunnel was almost hospital-like in it's white-washed walls and sterile floor as it led down to a set of solid blast doors guarded by some more goons.
"Who goes there?!" the one fool called out.
"You're nightmare." she deadpanned. "I'm the Augur, you dolt. Open the doors."
"Y-yes Ma'am." he stammered before turning to face the keypad. He stopped, however, and looked back at the duo. "Forgive me, but who he?" he asked, motioning at Konrad.
"New bodyguard to break the kneecaps of those that question my comings and goings. Now are you gonna hurry up, or do I need to make a fire under your arse?" she replied, resting a hand on a hip again.
"No, Ma'am. That won't be necessary." he almost squeaked before finally entering the code to open the doors.
Auria snorted before leading the way through the doors, glaring at the guard as she passed.

Finally inside, she stepped aside and swept an arm in the direction of the giant core and the numerous panels that ran all around.
"Have at it - if you can crack it. Just make it quick, before that idiot outside realises I played him." she told Konrad as she glanced towards the doors.

 

[Konrad Harrsk]

"Oh, that moofmilker is lucky he's still alive." she answered with a sneer. "So be careful with your choice of words, Konrad." Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked him up and down as he stood in front of her.

Konrad scoffed at her veiled threats as both stood examining each other, wondering if she was assessing him as he was her. Both dared not to act against each other; the power of mutual interests, he assumed. As she led the way forward, the Imperial considered various uses of the witch. Clearly not a lover of Sith and hardly possessing any loyalty to the moofmilker, with evident powers in sorcery. Where Konrad's father shared infinite disdain of Force Users, junior found them quite useful.

Perhaps...

He barely kept a straight face when the Augur introduced him as her bodyguard. Not a minute ago Konrad was planning to slit her throat open, while Auria was being picky with the grilling menu. Once inside, he halted to scan the area in a brief awe. The mainframe chamber was for more intact than he expected it to be. The Sith hadn't simply pillaged the place and left, not fully at least.

"Have at it - if you can crack it. Just make it quick, before that idiot outside realises I played him." she told Konrad as she glanced towards the doors.

"Can't you just grill him alive?" he asked as he plugged into the nearest computer panel. The vambrace flashing bright blue as its A.I core slithered into the mainframe. "...and the moofmilker, too, for that matter?"

"Or are credits that much important to you?" there was more to his questions than it met the eye. He was profiling her. Seeking to find what she valued and who exactly was she beyond just a mere witch.

Auria Blackmoore

 

[Auria Blackmoore]

TAG: Konrad Harrsk

Auria frowned back at Konrad when he spoke.

"Believe it or not, Sunshine, but it's not always that fun boiling someone in their armour. If I don't have to do it or if someone doesn't get solidly in my way, I prefer not to. It stinks." she said in an almost bored tone before turning her attention back to the door.

But the idiot's insulting musings weren't done.

With an annoyed huff she looked back. "Listen, Shabuir," she snapped, opting for the Mandalorian insult she had picked up working with Karjr from the Encalve. "If I were all about the credits, I wouldn't be down here holding your stinking hand. You'd be rotting in a cell already. I'm on this Hoth-forsaken spit of planet for one thing only - information." Dark eyes momentarily flashed amber once more in annoyance. "This mountain held some powerful relics at some point. Know your enemy if you wish to vanquish it properly, Imperial."

Witch-for-Hire.

Auria scowled. She had not been insulted like this in a good long while. Yet, despite the insolent bravado, Auria was curiously interested in this New Imperial.
"Why are you so aggressive toward the fool that presides over this place?" she asked, interested to hear the motivation behind the caveman-like manner.

 

[Konrad Harrsk]

He huffed an air of mocking laughter through his nostrils when she switched to Mando'a. The barbaric language of the barbaric subhumans known as Mandalorians. Well travelled, Konrad assumed. The ashen rock, the graveyard that was called Mandalore lied a stone's throw away from here. He found no pity on the victims of the Sith holocaust, and if it was up to the stormtrooper? He would've used the Maw's superweapon on that barren, breeding rock of anarchy.

For that is what the Mandalorians represented - chaos.

With his back turned to her, Konrad's eyes shifted through the data his A.I was acquiring while she spoke. He hoped she wasn't frothing at the mouth, it'd look ugly on an otherwise pretty face.

"Why are you so aggressive toward the fool that presides over this place?" she asked, interested to hear the motivation behind the caveman-like manner.

"This weak vermin has crowned himself over a world that is rightfully Imperial." he almost growled, "If I had my way, he'd be hanging from his crumbling spires... a job for another day."

Turning around to her, he asked plainly, "So what information are you looking for..."

"...and what makes you think I'll divulge it to you?" the assessment continued.

Auria Blackmoore

 

[Auria Blackmoore]

TAG: Konrad Harrsk

Auria lifted an eybrow.

Resting a hand on a hip, she exhaled sharply while giving Konrad's back a look before turning her attention back to the door.
"I have not seen a trooper of a day old on this rock since the Sith left. I'll believe that statement once the Imperial armada actually starts hanging over this place. But if that day comes, I want a free pass to be the one hanging him. No negotiation." she said. She had no love or loyalty to the Lord of Chaos on Wayland.

On the contrary....she was ready to leave the planet after she had gotten what she had raised the earth for. It all depended on her mood whether she was going to torch Caveman-in-Charge or not.

Konrad's next question pulled her out of her stewing hatred.
"What makes you think I don't already have my information, hm? Before you so rudely interrupted a conversation by sneaking up to me." she said pointedly. "I was looking for a very specific holocron that used to be here. Interestingly enough, Mister Buckethead, the Force leaves an imprint in the area it was in. The Sith took their most prized information. What they didn't take is the air and earth that surrounded it. I know who took it and who, by default, has it." she then answered his very veiled question.

The groaning of the blast doors snapped her attention back to them.
"I honestly hope you got what you came for. Time's up." she said, readying her stance as the doors slid open.
"I am sorry, my Lady, but there is nothing authorising you to be here." the guard said, emphasising her title sarcastically. "We are to take you both into custody. I'd appreciate it if you do so quietly."

Auria's eyes darted between him and his comrades-in-arms behind him, thinking quickly. Six guys. Not all in a bunch.

Ah hell.

With the flick of a wrist, the earth below three individuals' feet bucked, knocking them down hard on their foolish arses.

And then all hell broke loose.

 

[Konrad Harrsk]

What reply he was brewing for her was cut short by the untimely entry of the warlord's guards.

"Whoever's got your holocron has got what I'm looking for, too." he muttered as the cable disconnected from the terminal.

Auria was already on the guards, willing the ground to shake and rattle.

Damn witch.

Before the other three could get their sorry ass bearings together, three shots rang from his pistol leaving a gaping hole in their chestplates. Those that fell on their backs were given a quick, executioner's death when Konrad reached the door. For a second he considered locking the witch behind but he figured the schutta would simply melt her way through.

The Imperial gestured for her to hurry, "Clearly you need a better taste in hiking gear, Augur." he flashed a nasty smirk, "Maybe I'll buy you some when we're out of here since you're not 'all about the credits'."

"Call it Imperial Charity for Downtrodden Witches."

And up they went the stairs back to where they tried to kill each other first. This time, though, the Hall was crowded. A flock of pests forming a circle around the two and leveling their guns to meet their forms. Fire erupted from their barrels but Konrad was quicker. Dropping a small gadget on the ground before his feet, it erupted into a spherical shield of energy to envelop them from death.

"It's not going to hold for long and I don't care if it stinks - burn them, witch!" he ordered through a growl as his eyes darted around looking for a quick escape.

Auria Blackmoore

 

[Auria Blackmoore]

TAG: Konrad Harrsk

Huh. He could actually handle a pistol.

"Who knew Imperial Soldiers could actually hit the thing they were aiming at. Well done, Starshine." Auria quipped as she followed to the door. Of course, the laserbrain had to give an equal quip back at her choice of clothing. She scowled at him.
"Why thank you kindly. Provided you get off this rock alive to be able to make good on that." she scoffed as they headed up the stairs...

....and straight into a circle of fools.

Great.

As Jawline threw his little gadget while giving her a stupid order, the flames were already in Auria's hands.
"Yeah, no chit, Smartass. Get down." she said before the wall of flames shot out from both hands in a rage straight from hell. Sweeping arms in all directions, the inferno roared throughout the Hall.

The heat beat against her face but she did not ease the torrent. It did not take long for it to obliterate even the shield that covered them. By then, most of the guards were lying on the ground, smoking in their armour and the few that were left, were cowering behind anything that wouldn't immediately burn.
"Might want to move, Imperial. They won't be hiding for long." she said as she started moving forward, still keeping up a torrent. Sweat was beading on her forehead at the immense strength it took to keep the inferno going.

She seriously needed to practice more.

 

[Konrad Harrsk]

Konrad ducked in the last moment from the blazing inferno Auria unleashed upon the guards; she wasn't pulling any punches and he could feel that on the burning sweat breaking on his brow. "Learn to aim or I'll teach you myself." he growled as he stood back up, deactivating the shield and picking it back up.

Without another word they were off again. Barked orders in the distance made him turn into a side tunnel, then into another; apparently the weasel of a warlord had figured out his precious Augur was to be tried for sedition. Never trust a forcer, son, Jaeger's words echoed in his mind and he could see why.

"Over here, witch." he turned into yet another side tunnel that led them to a dead end. A glance at the wristpad's blueprints, then up above, he could barely make the railing of an unfinished bridge a few levels above. The vambrace rose up and fired a grappling hook, tugging it to test its hold, he offered Auria a hand. "It's an old emergency exit your employer wouldn't know about. You coming or would you rather stay with the vermin's army?"

Hopefully - for her - the question was rhetoric. Should she take him up on the offer, the hook would pull them both up and into safety. As safe as it could be with these two at each other's throats all the time.

Auria Blackmoore

 

[Auria Blackmoore]

TAG: Konrad Harrsk

Well the writing was on the wall.

There really was no going back after this. Auria felt oddly at peace with it, even while she was being hunted by rabid dogs or dragged along by a caveman.

If only the dolt could stop calling her Witch.

Scowling, she ducked into the side tunnel after him.
"Oh well done! A dead end!" she quipped.

"It's an old emergency exit your employer wouldn't know about. You coming or would you rather stay with the vermin's army?"

Huh. Perhaps he wasn't as idiotic as she thought.

Glancing back momentarily, she could hear the sound of running boots getting closer. She would not be getting out of this place alive if she stayed. With a huff, she opted for the lesser of two evils and grabbed onto Konrad's hand.

Her stomach stayed behind momentarily as they zipped upward. There's a reason why she hated flying - she couldn't stand the feeling of not having her feet solidly on the ground with her intestines where they were supposed to be. As their feet hit more solid ground, Auria staggered slightly, steadying herself on the rail of the bridge.
"Thank you." she said, shocking herself with her gratitude towards the man that had tried to kill her not too long ago. How odd the Universe could be. "Now can we get off this dustball, please?" she rectified with a half-hearted sneer.

 

[Konrad Harrsk]

"Thank you." she said, shocking herself with her gratitude towards the man that had tried to kill her not too long ago. How odd the Universe could be. "Now can we get off this dustball, please?" she rectified with a half-hearted sneer.

Her thanks caught him off-guard, not expecting such words to come from her sorcerous mouth. His widened eyes shifted to that well known chit-eating smirk - serfs, even those of the thaumaturgic caste, were mandated to thank their liege.

"You are welcome." he replied, each syllable drawn out deliberately, then, "Sure we can. We're going to Bastion; we can find more about this thieving Sith pest there." leaving his ears deaf to any protests, Konrad meandered forward towards his hidden ship not far from Mount Tantiss.

Little did he know that Imperator was killed and his leave of absence would be cut short for a gruesome deployment on the cold, treacherous world of Carlac.

Auria Blackmoore