Private Rime of the Mariner

[Sinestra]

Previously...

As Sinestra delved deep into meditation within her chambers, she tightened her grip around the Force, willing the ethereal to guide her consciousness through the currents of time and space. In the depths of her trance, a vision unfolded before her eyes—a fleeting glimpse of a navigator, whose fate was intertwined with the future of the Core; their presence illuminated by the Force amidst the shadows of a distant cantina. The seer's senses sharpened as the vision took hold, imprinting the location of the establishment into her mind.

Emerging from her meditation, she wasted no time in relaying the details of her vision to the Emperor. His command was clear—find the navigator... and expect a Sith to join you in your journey.

Now...
Formos, Outer Rim Territories

Pushing through the worn durasteel doors, the cloaked figure of Sinestra was greeted by the dim glow and swirling smoke of the cantina. Laughter and chatter filled the crowded room, blending with the lively music from the corner stage. At the bar, a diverse crowd exchanged hushed words over drinks, while sabacc players leaned in over scattered tables, their faces illuminated by flickering holograms. The bartender, a grizzled Rodian with wary eyes, meticulously wiped down the counter, his antennae twitching at every new arrival.

"...heard the Alliance is tightening its grip on the Hydian...."

"...you see the price of tibanna at the last station? I swear, we're being gouged at every turn..."

"...I tell you, I saw it with my own eyes. Ship vanished without a trace..."

"...you see that group over by the corner? I heard they're looking for a crew for some kind of spice-run. Dangerous work, but pays well..."

She couldn't help but overhear the snippets of conversation painting life out here in the fringe as she took a seat on a vacant table, awaiting the arrival of Kali'ka — the Sith blessed with the gift of retrocognition.

Kali'ka​

 

[Kali'ka]

The summons was greeted with eager delight. The command, for it was not an invitation, to serve the Emperor's Elite was an honor the sorceress welcomed greedily. While she continued to steep herself in her study of Sith magic, her inherent gift was proving more practical in the service of the Sith Order and the Empire's goals. The woman was born with the gift, as the rare Kiff children were, that Kira'ka had nurtured from childhood through her training with the Jedi, and even as a practitioner of Sith magic. For, as natural as breathing, Kali'ka could read the story of an item like a book. But more recently, in the void of Kiff or Jedi restraints, the witch found that she could do the same with a corpse, and even with the living.

For this precious oracle Kali'ka was called to meet one of the Emperor's Elite. This particular member of that revered cadre was known to Kali. Sinestra had drawn the attention and admiration of the sorceress who's time among the Sith was still young. Kali'ka found Sinestra an exemplarary model of the Sith ideal that inspired her. So, as instructed, The sorceress made her way to the Outer RIm, to a speck in the galaxy, a rock under which the scum of the spacelanes huddled.

The Kiff witch slipped into the cantina. Her dichotemous gaze swept the room, one eye inky dark, the other glowing crimson. When she spied Sinestra, she stalked to the table. A subtle twitch of her fingers and a murmured incantation surrounded her with an aura that spread a vague unease to those nearby, discouraging any of the denizens from interrupting her progress to the table.

Pausing before the Dark Side Elite, Kali'ka bowed her head slightly, then shifted to the seat across from Sinestra. Her gaze again swept the room, the cyber inplant scanning for anything threatening. Then she turned to the imposing warrior across from her. "I am here to serve." Kali'ka offered, her voice low and smooth as oil.

Sinestra​

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[Sinestra]

Sinestra's gaze swept over their surroundings, as if tracing the aura of disquiet the Sorceress had cast, before returning to Kali'ka, carefully appraising her. A tingling sense of familiarity nagged at the back of her mind, yet nothing concrete came to her recollection.

"I am here to serve."

"Very well." the seer nodded, then looked beyond the Sith, eyes shifting between three individuals in the cantina, "The Mandalorian bounty hunter at the bar, the spiced-up pirate with a tattoo on their face, and the Pantoran spacer playing sabacc." each of them had been a highlighted silhouette in her visions.

"One—or all of them—has some knowledge of the navigator."

She leaned back and added, "The Emperor claims you only need but a touch." her statement was more of a question laced with a challenge.

Kali'ka

 

[Kali'ka]

The Seer spared no idle words. Kali'ka required none. Sinestra wanted to see if what was reported about the ex-Jedi padawan was true. The sorceress, though pricked by the slightest anxiousness at the immediate test, nevertheless settled confidently in her abilities.

"His Dread Excellence would be correct." Kali'ka replied with the slightest tug at the corner of her mouth, the hint of a self-confident smirk. The sorceress turned to study the three marks. Her cyber optics slid over each target, scanning, noting hidden weapons, unusual heat signatures, and magnification.

"The Pantoran is cheating." Without another word, Kali stood and strode over to the sabaac table. In a sudden snatch and grab, she laid hold of the blue-skinned gambler's wrist, twisted his arm around behind him. The man protested vehemently as his companions stared in surprise. "What do you know..." she murmured, holding the man firm for a moment. Then Kali plucked three cards from his sleeve and tossed them onto the table. She turned and walked away, leaving the Pantoran to the rukus of his companion's wrath. Though a few heads turned, it was apparent such isolated violence was not unsual in that establishment.

Shooting a glance at the sulfur-hued gaze of the Seer, Kali moved across the room towards the pirate. The man was standing up, barely, drinking at a tall table consisting of a plasteel disk screwed to the top of a defunct R2 droid. He looked lonely. The sorceress toyed with his mind. By the time she arrived at his table, all he saw was a scantily-clad zeltron. "Got a cigarra, handsome?" She cooed, tracing his jaw with her finger. It wasn't enough. The pirate awkwardly produced the cigarra, which Kali plucked from his fingers. "Thanks, hon." she replied, leaning in to press a kiss to his cracked lips. She lingered long enough to get what she wanted. Then strutted away, flicking the unlit cigarra to the floor.

Kali returned to the table, taking her seat. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "I need a drink...something strong, and antiseptic." then she stood up straighter, as if to make a formal report. "The Pandoran lost a sum of money to the navigator three days ago. The pirate saw him leaving yesterday in YT-2400." Her black-red gaze darted to the helmeted Mandalorian. "What are the chances he knows where?" It was a rhetorical question, though she had no idea if Sinestra already knew the answer. "He will be trickier, I have to touch skin. "

Sinestra​

 

[Sinestra]

Sinestra blinked.

The raised eyebrow of doubt turned into a pair arched in surprise as the seer followed Kali'ka's work in action; unbridled and purposeful. Handling the Pantoran was one thing, but the way she dealt with the pirate was straight out of an ISB agent's handbook.

She collected herself as Kali'ka returned to her seat, a short smirk tugging at her lips at the sorceress' remark for an antiseptic drink before the latter reported her findings. Her eyes followed Kali'ka's to the last target of their inquisition—the Mandalorian.

"He's a bounty hunter." Sinestra said. Visions, after all, were useless without the legwork.

"A card shark loses credits to a navigator, a pirate sees him departing the world on a freighter—random or as a target for his crew to seize in deep space..." the seer mused aloud, her eyes still fixed on the Mandalorian who was now making his way out of the cantina. "...and a hunter's on his trail?"

"You'll have you drink later, let's go." Sinestra shot up from her seat, narrowly avoiding a droid with acute audio receptors serving a near-black beverage to Kali'ka. Whether the sorceress left her drink untouched or took it with her, the Dark Jedi was already exiting the establishment.

The quiet streets greeted her outside, with a faint hint of processed spice in the night air. The hushed night breeze brushed a few strands of her hair loose before a jolt of precognition seized her. Her hand lunged forward, willing the Force to serve, telekinetically capturing in place a blaster bolt intended for her chest.

A dark T-visor stared from the roof of a nearby salvage shop.

Kali'ka

 

[Kali'ka]

A bounty hunter. Kali'ka watched the Dark Jedi quickly string together the clues provided by her own vision and research, and the sorceress's information. The pieces fell into place in an instant Sinestra was up and on the move. Her comment was all Kali'ka needed to know it was time to go. The Sith grabbed the drink from the droid without stopping, downed the dark liquor and cast aside the cup as she trailed the Elite out into the street.

Outside, the stringent alcohol still burned in Kali's throat, sharpening her senses. A breath later, she heard the hiss of a blaster and stepped back as the glowing bolt streaked towards her companion, only to halt before striking Sinestra's chest. A snap of her head following the bolt's path revealed the shooter atop a nearby roof.

The sorceress gathered dark energy between her hands and brought them together, pushing them towards the shooter. The power was controlled, assuming it was the bounty hunter, whom they needed alive. A blast of directed dark energy streaked from her towards the roof, aimed at buffeting the assailant. Then she ran towards the building.

Sinestra​

 

[Sinestra]

Sinestra sidestepped, her hand releasing the blaster bolt to scorch the wall behind her as Kali'ka dashed forward. The Sorceress unleashed a blast of energy, carving through the edge of the roof and striking the Mandalorian across his armor. His jetpack came to life instinctively, propelling him upward as he retaliated at his pursuer with a salvo of blaster fire.

With his attention taken by Kali'ka, the seer leaned forward and extended one arm back. Pressing its button, the lightsaber ignited with a snap hiss and she hurled it at the hunter. The crimson blade twisted through the air like a thrown glaive, slicing through the Mandalorian's jetpack and sending him spiraling out of control.

This was the opening.

"Now!" she shouted to Kali'ka.

Kali'ka​

 

[Kali'ka]

Her dark assault halted the immediate attack, but urged the mandalorian into the sky, his blaster railing against a new target. A bolt clipped her shoulder, leaving a shallow but searing wound. "Fethin' bucket head." She yelled in anger and pain. Kali'ka dodged the next few shots as she snatched a metallic cylinder from behind her cloak. A shaft extended in a quick snap from the cylinder, than a crimson short, thick lightsaber blade ignited at one end. The weapon whirled in her hand, deflecting the rest of the bolts until Sinestra's own saber carved through their prey's jetpack.

The dark jedi barked "Now!"

"Now...what?" Kali retored as the mandalorian spiraled around above them. The sorceress sucked up more dark energy and tracked the erratic flight of the mandalorian. She let it burst forth as he dipped low. She struck him, catching his legs, which twirled him into the front of a building. Permacrete cracked with the impact and the armored man slid to the ground.

As Kali made his way to him, she was already plying his rattled brain. The red blade receeded and the shaft retracted into the hilt and it was hidden again. in its place, a silver one appeared in her hand. At the Mandalorian, she crouched near him, grabbing the collar of his armor. "Why do you attack your friends? How will we catch him if you work against us?" She crooned, casting her magic in his mind. "We can cut him off, hold him for you." She added. "We just need to know where he went."

The Mandalorian mumbled under his helmet, his brain still foggy from the impact and Kali's dark aura. He held up a small device. "The ship has a tracker..." He answered groggily. The Sith took the offered device. Kali'ka's fingers found a gap in his undersuit that reached his skin. She skimmed sthrough his recent actions. "Thank you, love." The silver cylinder was pressed to the gap between his curaiss and helmet. With the flick of a button, a songsteel blade shot out, throug his head to erupt through the top of the helmet. Just as suddenly, it retracted. Blood ran from under the helmet to pool in the dust of the street.

Kali'ka stood, closing her hand around the tracking reciever. Returning to Sinestra. She held out the tracker to the Dark Elite. "His ship is bugged." Then she added from her mystical method. "The bounty is from a Hutt on Ryloth."

Sinestra​

 

[Sinestra]

"Good eye for weakness." Sinestra remarked, a subtle smirk playing at the corners of her lips as she glanced at Kali'ka's cybernetic eye. The vulnerability of the famed beskar'gam was something she had only recently heard, but not something she herself had ever exploited or even had the chance to.

The seer took the tracking device from the Sorceress and plugged it into her datapad, "I am sending this to the ISB. They will decipher the chain code to give us the face of the navigator and initiate a tracer program providing us a close to real-time update on their approximate location." she explained, aware that the Bureau would most likely have limited access to relays on this side of the galaxy. It required them to get closer for the tracker to be fully effective.

"But we must not slack." Sinestra asserted firmly, her tone resolute. "The control tower logs all flight plans departing from Formos." the two had to do their own job, while ISB worked on their magic. They could not afford to let the navigator slip too far away from their reach.

Putting the datapad and tracking device away, she turned to leave, before adding, "Well done, Kali'ka." the Emperor had taught not only to punish failure, but to reward good service..

CUT
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Central Spaceport,
Formos

Two shadowy figures cloaked by the night stood perched on a roof observing the control tower. A few stories high, it loomed against the backdrop of the stars in the sky. The occasional, distant rumble of departing ships drowned out the faint chatter of nearby patrols.

"We strike at the tower and soon the city will be up in arms. The Pyke Syndicate's spice, mined on Kessel flows through Formos for processing before spreading its poison across the rest of the galaxy." her gaze shifted to Kali'ka, "How would you prefer we go about this?" her tone was laced with curiosity, almost a challenge even that sought to further study the Sith her Emperor had seen fit to sent on this hunt.

Kali'ka​

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[Kali'ka]

As Sinestra used the tracker to contact the ISB, Kali'ka secretly beamed at the Dark Jedi's approval. To have the affirmation of one who Kali highly respected, like Sinestra, was motivating. Knowing that Sinestra had the Emperor's ear was even more encouraging. Perhaps mention of the sorceress' successes would make their way to his dread hearing.

The Mirialan Dark Elite wasted not time, and as soon as the data was transmitted, Sinestra revealed their next task. As always, time was of the essence in the pursuit of their prey. They made ready to take what they needed from the spaceport.

---

Night had fallen and the sorceress found herself crouching next to Sinestra, overlooking the spaceport. Kali'ka understood the complications of simply going in hacking and slashing to get what they wanted. That was not the Kiff's style anyway. She watched the frequency of departing ships, the pattern of the patrols. Kali was confident in her ability to distract, avoid and delude most opposition they would encounter, she did not know the stealthiness of the Dark Jedi.

"I'm not the charging in type. How stealthy can you be?" The sorceress inquired of the imposing warrior. Kali could cast a spell that would conceal them as they moved. "I can make us mostly unseen. With the sound of the departing ships and their own weak minds, we can make our way to the tower. "

Sinestra​

 

[Sinestra]

Sinestra fell silent for a few moments, assessing Kali'ka's plan. So far she had proven capable at the tasks she had been given.

The roar of an arriving freighter boomed over their heads, deafening thoughts and words. She followed its dark form as it began to land, noticing the heavy armament welded into its hull. A Pyke escort freighter, if she had to guess, to keep any bold pirates at bay when the Syndicate's spice transports traversed the Channel from Kessel to Oba Diah before making the jump to Formos.

If things turned from bad to worse, the Emperor's duo could be facing a whole platoon of goons that would be disembarking from that ship.

"Let's find out." a small smirk curved her lips, "Lead the way."

Kali'ka​