Private Rains of Vjun

[Darth Malevolum]

Title Crawl

Location: Vjun, Malevolum Sanctum.

Malevolum Sanctum rested in the center of an acidic lake. The remnants of an old Imperial power station from the era of Vader, the fortress had been remodeled by Darth Malevolum, serving to be her citadel for which she could take rest when the galaxy was just a bit too much. The day was like any other at the fortress, as the guards milled about on patrol, Tie Fighters circled about on patrol every now and then, and the master of the citadel was in a foul mood.

The reason for such would not be obvious to Malevolum's soldiers, but one could imagine the severe injury of a loved one would greatly sour ones mood. Malevolum had ordered the Darth to be assigned her personal room, with Mal's personal guard overseeing her recovery. The armored forms of her Echani security remained at attention, seemingly ignoring what their master was doing. Malevolum studied the form of her lover, lamenting what had befallen the woman, but knowing that soon all would be well. And yet, she couldn't help but blame herself for what had happened. It was her presence that caused Void injury, her ignorance had sparked all of this, and very nearly got DuCray killed. Putting a gloved hand on the tank, she took in a breath and sighed. She could feel the presence of DuCray growing stronger with each passing moment, a sign that the Darth would make a full recovery. This whole ordeal reminded her of Ines, and a slip in her focus had gotten the woman killed. She began to wonder if the fears the two had shared initially might be based in truth; did their love make them vulnerable?

Malevolum stayed in that state for sometime, the feeling the other woman in this manner was as close to an embrace as Alana could get. She wished she could stay longer, but Mal had other things to attend to. She began to step back, eyes lingering on the form in the tank, before reaching the door and exiting into the med lab. Her guards snapped to attention, going back to their posts as Mal paid them little mind. She needed to take her mind off of this, having spent her time either torturing their new padawan captive, or watching DuCray like a hawk. She hadn't done any training in the last three days, and it would do her good to get back into it. Giving orders that she be informed the moment DuCray was awake, Alana would pay a visit to the padawan she had imprisoned within her personal torture chamber. The walk was a quiet one, as the Darth radiated a force of malice that served as an excellent deterrent for her underlings. She was getting so close to breaking the Twi'lek, she could feel the last strands of the woman's willpower buckling. Moving past another pair of her guards, Mal entered her quarters, and proceeded into the interrogation room to see how the padawan was faring; she would be doing far worse by the time Mal was done with her.

With another matter dealt with, Mal left the padawan to her fate, her mind now looking to her training room, and her plans for later in the evening when DuCray was recovered. There would be no more unexpected surprises unfolding after tonight, she would see to that herself. The padawan would have to be sent off for training sometime next week, but that could wait. Right now, Mal just needed to burn off some steam. Everything seemed to be returning to normal now in her world, and that was just how she liked it.


Sakadi Marathi Sinvala Cadere Darth Void

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Theme​

The acidic lake was like a perfect green mirror. Not a single wave or ripple contorted the sanctum's reflection; and that was all there was to it. The lake was no host to life, nor to beauty. All it brought, just like Vjun's weather, was death to foreign species. No sane individual would pick this planet, of all places, to build their fortress on...

....And no sane individual would try to infiltrate said fortress....​

The two metal pods broke through the clouds at astonishing speed, shattering the reflection of the sanctum as they crashed into the deadly lake. Bubbles arose from the swiftly sinking pods as the acid began to degrade the hull; a hull that could normally withstand the vacuum of space. In a few hours, nothing would be left of their vessels.

Meaning that no one would know how they got in.

At approximately 80 feet deep, the inside of her pod began to flash red lights. Perhaps a good indication that it was time to go. After a final equipment check, she allowed the hatch of her vessel to open. The corrosive acid of the lake engulfed her, but could not penetrate the specialized survival suit that she and her former apprentice had stolen.

"My suit is in order. No leaks and no malfunctions." The Jedi Master relayed as she left her pod behind. Communicating with any other person than Cas Tynen here would've been difficult for her. She had to hide her presence, but relied on telepathy to speak. But with Cas, it was different. She could subtly reach out to him through their Force bond, creating an almost undetectable link between their minds. A link she now used to convey all information she had. "The fortress does continue under the surface of the lake, just as we suspected." Sakadi projected as she swam ahead, ever graceful in her movements. Light still penetrated the lake, giving her the pleasant advantage of knowing where she was going, and what was ahead of her.

The Jedi Master had pulled every string she could to get to this point. Contacted every information broker she knew, until she had found it. The location of her imprisoned Padawan. She had relied on her fortune to get in contact with Imperial defectors; the few who knew about this 'sanctum', and what was inside. They had given her the information she needed.

"I have eyes on our entrance. Seems like those Imperials were trustworthy after all." Deep down, she had hoped that they lied, for their 'entrance' wasn't the most inviting way in. It was a large pipe that sucked the acidic water into the building. It stood out like a sore thumb to any who dared to approach the ominous dark fortress underwater.

Once the Knight caught up to her, the Sephi spoke again. "Before we enter... I want to thank you for risking your life to help me Cas. It means a lot to me." The Sephi's gaze shifted back to their entrance. "Now..." She began, allowing the suction of the pipe to slowly pull her in. "Let's see what these Sith are truly made of."

Darth Malevolum Cadere Darth Void ​

 

[Cadere]

If there was a top 10 list of the most suicidal things he'd done in his tenure as a Jedi, this would rank pretty high... maybe even first place. As the pod shot through the clouds and began its rapid descent into the acidic lake below, he went through things in his head over and over and over again - stuff you'd think of in a moment where you think you're going to die.

And when the pod splashed into the lake, he closed his eyes tight before opening them slowly, realising they'd made it. Without hesitation, the Jedi Knight violently kicked the hatch open with the Force imbued behind it - and thankfully, the protective suit he was wearing actually worked and prevented him from melting into nothing but a skeleton. "I'm still alive too." he casually projected back to Sakadi as he swam outside of his escape pod, stopping to float for a moment, the Knight quickly hid his own signature in the Force although it wasn't as easy for him as it were the Sephi. After that, he followed closely behind her toward the fortress.

Cas hadn't been the same since his encounter with Insatious, after failing to save nearly everyone he had promised to... and tapping into the Dark side. It still ate him up at his core, so much so that... he felt it was beginning to fundamentally change him. While Cas had agreed to help out Sakadi because he cared for her and he wanted to aid her new Padawan... undertaking this dangerous mission was also to clear his own conscience. Maybe saving Mi'la, maybe risking his life again would atone for his greatest failure - or at least start him on the right path.

Catching up to Sakadi outside their, unconventional, entrance she thanked him for risking his life. Turning his head away slightly, he was silent for a moment as he began to feel guilty for his selfish reasons for being there "Having a Padawan die on you is bad for your reputation. Can't have that." he deflected with a quip before following after her once more, nearing the pipe, he felt it begin to draw him inside. He was ready for anything, now more than ever.

Darth Malevolum Sakadi Marathi Sinvala Darth Void

 

[Darth Malevolum]

It was a rather boring day operating the sensor array within the Sanctum, as TK-214 sat and watched the display continue to give off the same reading it had for the last four hours of his shift. Nothing interesting ever happened here, it was just the same old mundane thing. Once in a while a Tie would fly out of formation, and he'd just have to call them to fix their position, then file a report; Darth Malevolum was such a rules stickler, missing a single report might as well have been a treason charge. So, needless to say when he actually had a blimp in the array for a moment, he was thrown off his game. He was going to write it off, thinking he was just seeing things due to boredom; and then it happened again. Two blimps in rapid succession? Could have been a reconnaissance probe, or just a pair of meteorites. It wasn't anything massive, could have very well have been a glitch in the system, but he had no way of knowing. He sat there, hand clenching his jaw as he tried to figure out what to do. Call it in to a supervisor? Well, no that would mean going to the Darth, and if it wasn't a real threat he could risk being shot. He could issue a warning via the communication array, but that would violate security policy, which again would get him shot. The only safe play seemed to be to ignore it and file it away as a technical glitch, which meant he'd get a thirty minute coffee break. Taping his comm unit, he flagged his supervisor. "Sir, my array is glitching out, can I get a diagnostic check?" The was a pause, before the voice spoke back. "Noted, you can leave your station. Report back in thirty minutes." Pumping his fist in the air, TK-214 jumped out of his chair, and made his stroll to the break room. Maybe he'd stop by and see that new cute secretary they hired in Logistics. If he knew the level of his screw up this day, he might have reconsidered his choices; but ignorance is bliss after all.

As the two jedi would work their ways into the pipe, they would find themselves being sucked in by a mighty current, one that threatened to batter them around the insides of the pipe if they were not careful. If all went as planned, they would emerge inside a large facility, situated in a pumping station. Several walkways would hang above them, as they would be situated in the acidic pool of water. Several pumps were currently draining the pool the pair resided in, but at current they appeared to be safe. The room was filled with the sounds of machinery and the faint humming of turbines churning somewhere in the large room. If the pair waited long enough, they would notice small maintenance droids buzzing about the facility, seemingly unaware of the intruders that were now inside the chamber.

Cadere Sakadi Marathi Sinvala Darth Void

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

The turbulence in the pipe was less than pleasant. It threw her from one side to another, forcing the Sephi to absorb most shocks with her hands and feet as she did what she could to remain stable. Any blow to her helmet could cause a crack, a crack that would surely result in a most painful ending of her already long life.

After somehow having managed to remain stable and in one piece for the duration it took them to enter the fortress, the Master felt herself being ejected by the piping system in what struck her as an acid reservoir. Once she swam up and emerged, her suspicions were confirmed. The Sephi's attention was immediately drawn to the four large pumps that drained the reservoir of the excess acid that entered the fortress.

"Let's climb up. Once we're inside, we can start looking for Mi'la."

With her intent conveyed, the Jedi Master grabbed a hold of one of the large pillars emerging from the reservoir. If she went about this carefully, she could definitely reach the platforms unnoticed.

"Maintenance droids won't be bothered by intruders, right? She asked Cas for confirmation. The few times she had encountered maintenance droids, their simple programming had them being unresponsive to any inconsistencies that didn't appear in their programming. In this case, she doubted that the droids had a proper reaction to intruders trying to reach the platforms. Meaning that all they truly had to watch out for, were the actual guards positioned near the exits.

Once she reached the platform with some rather acrobatic maneuvers, the Jedi began to take off the hazard suit that had protected her from the acid lake. It was heavy and movement restrictive. Plus, without a suit for Mi'la, escaping the way they entered was a no-go anyway.

​

Cadere Darth Malevolum​

 

[Cadere]

The trip through the pipes was an eventful one, banging back and forth against the pipes as he was propelled through them Cas shielded his face, with his cybernetic arm on the outer side in order to protect him from the brunt of impacting with the pipes. Finally, it was over when he and Sakadi were forced out of the pipes and into the facility.

"This'll be a fun story to tell the grandkids." Cas sarcastically projected as he followed her to the pillar before making his way up himself. As he scaled his way up to the platform, he would answer her question "Can't be bothered if they're scrap." implying that he'd prefer to destroy them than take any chances. Taking off his hazard suit, the Jedi Knight scouted the area "Is this just... a bad guy thing? They never have railings on their walkways." Cas projected. Spotting the small group of maintenance droids travelling together, Cas raised his hand slightly and waved it over - as he did so, a small telekinetic push would swat the droids into the acid pool below.

As he felt the Dark side presence of this place loom around him, it only got stronger now that he was inside the sanctum. He was beginning to have second thoughts, maybe this was a mistake? With him still so vulnerable to the Dark side's allure, maybe this mission was too grand in scale for him. Maybe he was more of a liability than an asset. Gritting his teeth and steeling himself, Cas shook his head aggressively - he was a Jedi Knight, he trained for this and he knew he could resist it. Sighing slightly, as if he exhaled all of his anxieties for the time being he turned to face Sakadi "Where to now?" he asked

Darth Malevolum Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Darth Malevolum]

While the droids didn't pay the pair much attention, their presence in the water was noted. Not as being intruders, but rather as foreign debris. A low level alert was sent to the near by maintenance team, and they would be in route within the next thirty minutes. Of course, by the time the men had gotten down there the jedi would be long gone. Sakadi's information would inform her she had two methods to reach her padawan. One relied on reaching a turbo lift and getting access to Malevolum's floor on the Bastion, and the second called for navigating through the maintenance routes until they would get closer to Mi'la was believed to be held. Regardless, Malevolum would likely be on the same floor as the padawan, and perhaps in extremely close proximity. The maintenance routes would cause the less attention upon themselves, but would take longer, and risk their chance of discovery. The turbolift on the other hand, would be much faster, but it was almost a certainty they would be found out by the time they reached the Darth's floor. If Sakadi focused on the presense of her padawan, she could feel it on the verge of fading, the small bit of force within her was fleeting at best.

Meanwhile, Malevolum had finished setting her training room to her proper settings, wondering how the padawan was faring with the new procedure she had arranged for the Twi'lek. Taking up a vibro-staff, she proceeded into the center of the room, giving the staff a quick twirl, before setting herself up for a warm up. "Engage Training Protocol, Level Three. Setting, Mustafar." She spoke aloud, and the room was quick to anwser her. The static whiteness of the area faded, and was replaced with a blasted hellscape in it's place. A near unbearable heat flushed through the room, as several combat droids came into being through hidden compartments in the floor. Reading her posture, Malevolum didn't flitch as the droids weapons were produced, moving to flank the Echani in an obviously predictable tactic. She sighed, realizing this level was far too low for her. Then again, it was hard to get an engaging fight these days.

Cadere Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Theme​

"Depends. We will need to disable security first if we want to stand an actual chance." She began, her head turning to the singular exit that marked the end of the bridge they stood on. "For now, there is only one path we can take: straight ahead." The Sephi pointed out with a subtle gesture in the exit's direction. She knew that spending too much time in one location could be the end of their operation.​

With confident yet cautious strides, Sakadi began to traverse the maze of corridors that made up the fortress, with her former student in tow. Evading cameras, stormtroopers and personnel was no challenge for a seasoned Master and Knight. After shadowing an officer for a short while, they found the room they were looking for.​

"Wha-?. Intru-!" The officer's alarm cry was cut off by the Sephi who kicked him in the stomach as the durasteel door closed behind them. The personnel and officer locked in the control room with the two Jedi were swiftly dealt with; none of them would wake up anytime soon.​

​

"Okay, what now? I suppose we could disable the cameras and alarms... She shared her thoughts with Cas, silently hoping that he had a better understanding of technology than she did, for there was no way they could escape from this facility with the comms and alarms still active. Especially considering what was yet to come. Somewhere in this fortress a Sith Lord was waiting for them, with home advantage. Even now she could feel how her control over the Living Force was interrupted by the chaos of the Dark side. She could probably overcome it, but it could prove to be troublesome should things not go their way.​

Cadere Darth Malevolum

 

[Cadere]

Stealthily, Cas followed the Sephi through the facility and as they avoided being captured in every way it felt like old times, back when he was her student and when his biggest issues were impressing his Master. How times had changed and how the young Jedi Knight almost longed to experience the simpler times once again.

Arriving at their temporary destination following the discreet tailing of an officer, Cas and Sakadi swiftly and efficiently dealt with in a non-lethal manner with Cas knocking one of the poor workers unconscious with his cybernetic arm "You'll probably get a better night's sleep than I did." Cas whispered apologetically with a smile, he actually found that one kinda funny despite his emotional state.

Shrugging at what Sakadi had conveyed into his mind, Cas lifted his left arm slightly and scanned over his leather glove. He wondered if the new arm gifted to him by Mat would be able to solve their problem. He quickly shook his head, not wanting to damage the gift given to him, although Cas wasn't a tech genius he knew that if he disrupted the control panels it'd certainly have an effect on the cameras and the alarms.

Pulling out his lightsaber, its snap-hiss was quickly drowned out by the thrashing of the lightsaber and the impact it made with the security console. That was sure to do something... right?

Darth Malevolum Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Darth Void]

Unhinged

Pain.

That's the first thing Void became aware of.

Relentless all consuming pain.

A cool hand grasped Mal's face as she nodded once to her to indicate that she would be okay. The blood streaming from her mouth and gaping wound in her chest spoke otherwise. She just needed to hold on a few more moments before being placed into the bacta tank. Struggling to keep her eyes open, she focused on her beloved as she let out a shuddering breath and grinned tasting the dank copper as it curled at the corner of her mouth. The edges in her vision were going black. She smelled smoke. She felt heat.

A knife slashed at the backs of her eyes, stabbing the inside of her head again and again.

Summoning her strength, yellow eyes cracked open. Everything was a blur, unfocused, random blobs and colors and shapes. Her breathing once even now increased in intensity through the oxygen mask strapped to her head.

"Subject Void Vars complete. Initiating extracting protocol."

The fluid of the bacta tank began to drain from below slowly allowing the muscular marauder to float down and stand on her bare feet. The Echani security quickly stood at the ready with robes and her mask. As the glass began to come down, Void reached up and extracted herself from the breathing apparatus and with her wet hands grabbed one of the Echani by the throat "Where is Malevolum?" she hissed as she pulled her close, her muscles rippled with the swift motion as droplets cascaded down her form. "Darth Malevolum is.. in.. training.. quarters!" gasped the Echani before Void released her and snatched the robes out of her hands.

Barely sparing the security a glance, Void robed herself quickly only to stop a moment.

A twitch in the force.

There was more than one jedi among them. The Darth's sensitivity increased with her force hunger.

"We are not alone." she bristled as she stepped forward and noted she was in a private room. So that prying eyes wouldn't be distracted from their duties. Void quickly found her armor and donned it without hesitation in her movements despite surviving a lightsaber through her chest. With her armored mask secured she was hellbent on finding Mal and seeking revenge on the padawan and her kind...

The Jedi.

They were going to suffer until they begged... to die.

Darth Malevolum
Cadere
Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Mi'la Undari]

Consciousness was a mix of relief and lamenting for the Twi'lek, as her vision faded in and out. She had lost track of time in the last few days, her captor making sure that every moment here would be one of discomfort; most notably pain. A few occasions would bring her to a sense of lucidity, often the times when she was given food, or when the medical teams came to stabilize her when the torture had gone on too long. Malevolum had been relentless, her presence always filling the Twi'lek with a crushing sense of despair when the woman took part in the torment. Her thoughts were dark, her body having been beaten, cut, burned, and electrocuted several times over. Her mind had been combed over, the Sith seeping whatever dark thoughts she could divulge from the padawan, and yet the Twi'lek held out.

Despite what Malevolum had said, Mi'la didn't believe she was forgotten. Sakadi knew she was missing, and she wouldn't be left her to languish. It was all she could do really, holding onto that thread of hope, that salvation might arrive. Her time as a slave had shaped her in more ways than she'd care to admit, but one fundamental thing had come from those dark moments of her life; she'd rather die as Mi'la, rather than someone's pawn. Though truth be told, the desire to hold firm slipped further and further away from her. Up until now, she had been losing hope. Then she felt it, the faintest hint of a presence.

Sakadi....?

As she came to, her vision holding long enough to see what was occurring, it slowly began to come back to her. Her limbs felt taunt, her remaining arm was secured to the ceiling, a set of cuffs keeping her ankles secured to an anchor point in the floor, and a pair of Malevolum's droids loomed before her, electro-staffs still in hand. They had been 'entertaining' her for the Darth, which boiled down to smacking her around like a piñata at random intervals. The degree of fatigue she felt was on another level, just keeping her eyes open felt like a strain. But she had to try, tell herself she wasn't going insane, this this wasn't another one of Malevolum's mindgames. Grimacing, Mi'la reached out, her presence having diminished much during her stay, but maybe....just maybe this simple task was something she could accomplish. Her lips trembled as she spoke the words, feeling her connection begin to strain. She let her eyelids close, drawing everything she could to just get her message out.

'Sakadi, help...'

Feeling her connection sever, Mi'la gasped for air, her body convulsing as she felt the force withdraw from her. Feeling anguish in her body, Mi'la's eyes fluttered open, trying to see if Malevolum had done something to trigger this. Only to find nothing in the torture chamber had changed, her predicament remained the same.

Unfortunately, it also signaled to the droids that their captive was awake, to which they swiftly responded to. The first droid jabbed forward with its staff, striking her in the ribs. Mi'la had withstood much worse before, but with the nature of her condition, she found consciousness to be fleeting, as she was rendered incapacitated.

Darth Void Sakadi Marathi Sinvala Cadere

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

She knew that Cas had been a bit troubled as of late. But this troubled? The Jedi Master's blank stare followed him as he trashed the control room. While it wasn't unusual to treat a piece of technology to lightsaber impalement, it still took her by surprise.

"I suppose that works..."

Before she could follow up on her remark, the Jedi Master sensed several ripples through the Force. The first ripple brought with it a cold tendril, one that briefly touched her presence, before retracting to its owner. The second, was far quieter. Smaller, almost unnoticeable in the Force. Not because of skill, but because it lacked strength. Nevertheless, it reached the attuned Jedi Master.

"We have been discovered. And... I think I found Mi'la" Her transcendent voice echoed. "There's no use in hiding now." She continued, one hand held against her temple as she tried to trace Mi'la's message back to its origins. But that was not all the Master was doing.

Her presence came like daybreak in the Force. It were the first few rays of light that broke through the clouds of the Dark side, illuminating the fortress like none had done before. The weight of her presence alone would be enough to scare off what acolytes and apprentices were present in the facility, that she was certain of.

"Mi'la is in the lower levels. We don't have much time, but if we take the turbolift we might just make it." The cameras were down, and so were the alarms. It would take a while before the Imperials could organize a proper response. If the Force was on their side, they could get Mi'la out of here before that happened.

The Sephi immediately ran into two acolytes as she returned to the hallway. Both unprepared, both knocked out in a wave of telekinetic energy. What soldiers or acolytes were near would probably try to stop them. Emphasis on the try.

What came next was one-sided. Flashes of purple made troopers and acolytes drop like flies. The Sephi only wielded her shoto blade, but it was enough to incapacitate her 'opponents'. The few who faced her would likely need more than a month to recover, and those were probably the lucky ones. For they didn't have to fight Cas.

The Jedi moved fast, carving a path through every obstacle in their way, until they reached the turbolift. "The lowest level. That's where we'll find her."

Cadere Darth Malevolum Darth Void ​

 

[Cadere]

The Jedi Knight remained still, head hung slightly low as he panted heavily following his destruction of the security system. Surprisingly...? It felt good, releasing all that pent up frustration, it was enough to clear his head at least... for now. Sakadi's remark brought a small smile to his lips but things quickly shifted again when she mentioned the prospect of them being discovered, seconds after she announced it, Cas felt it too... although slight, the quiet but cold echo in the Force but with every dark reverberance felt, it grew slightly stronger.

"There's no use in hiding now."​

The words brought a confident grin to the Knight "Music to my ears." he replied out loud, pulling out his lightsaber and igniting its amber blade. In addition to Sakadi revealing herself through the Force, Cas' was quite different - instead of being daybreak, Cas' own presence in the Force was like a twilight: a soft light growing through the Dark side, slightly dimmed by his own struggles with the Dark. The apprentices and acolytes would not be as fearful of his presence.

"Better get there quick then." the Kiffar responded to his former Master, a hint of cockiness behind it. In the hallway, Cas rushed passed Sakadi and the two acolytes she had knocked out - deflecting any blaster bolts coming his way, in a blur, the young Jedi performed a swift wall jump and then kicked himself off in the direction of an acolyte, enhancing the kick off by the Force. As the Acolyte raised their blade to block, Cas lowered his and performed a Sai tok bisecting the acolyte before landing on the floor with a roll. Standing up, he deflected more shots from a lonesome soldier and approached him slowly, switching weapon hands Cas threw a devastating left cross with his cybernetic fist, knocking the soldier out cold.

The Master and Knight made light work of the Sith forces. Finally at the turbolift, Cas heeded Sakadi's words and pressed the button on the lift's control panel that would take them down to the lower levels. During the break from action they had, Cas placed a reassuring hand on the Sephi's shoulder "We're going to get her back, Sakadi." he stated, determined.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala Darth Malevolum Darth Void