Search and Destroy

[Darth Abyss]

Malachor V, Spheres of Ash

The Eye of Darkness was one of the many small havens for the followers of the Dark side that Abyss had created all throughout the Free Cities of Malachor, outfitted with both quarters for them, as well as a small command center to plan and oversee current operations. Normally the sith lord preferred the citadel in the Tainted City or his bunker deep below Nar Shaddaa for pre operation planning, but with the current target residing in the Spheres it was the more pragmatic decision to execute his plans from here. The target in question was a rare sight on Malachor, a jedi padawan to be precise. That alone was not a reason to take action, after all things often balanced out by itself in the Free Cities. But the way this looked, this would not be the case this time.

"Shadow Hand, I have a mission for you."

On a number of displays behind him short video feeds, pictures as well as marked maps could be seen, showing the area where the jedi resided in as well as her general optic, skills and excitement. A young Twi'lek girl, with a blade as blue as her skin had somehow found her way to his world, and stumbled right into the city of Free slaves, or "The Free Spirits" as they called themselves. As it was her way as a jedi, she saw it as her duty to help them in any way she could, and she quickly became a paragon for the people in the lower city. That alone still wasn't a problem, a symbol of hope could have its uses when keeping the cities under control. But something else had come up around her, and now there was the need to get her out of the picture, quietly. A job he could easily do himself, but his time was valuable these days. So he had called for his shadow hand to do it.

"This jedi girl is threatening the balance inside the Spheres. Clearly I can not allow that to happen. For a time I found it to be quite entertaining to watch her struggle against the odds of a city ruled by violence and crime, but recent Intel suggests that she has become a threat to my operation. See for yourself."

The displays switched their content, showing a quick series of different scenes that involved the jedi girl. The first few simply showed her compassionate efforts to share food and medicine through the population, followed by her defending beggars and other against robberies. The last few on the other hand pictured her with a group of Twi'lek goons, enforcing "peace" in a rather militant way, her eyes showing hints of yellow.

"She is rash and uncontrolled, but that makes her no less of a threat. The people are ready to rally behind her, they see her as some kind of leader. I want her out of the picture, but in a way that masks my involvement in all this to minimize the fallout. Kill her silently, and dispose of her body if possible."

The choice for this mission fell to his shadow hand instead to one of his agents for one simple reason: He was what could be considered a deniable asset, a agent that didn't wasn't affiliated with him in any offical way. Exactly the kind of operative for a Black ops.

[member="Phar'ra"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Phar'ra found his life revolving around the call of [member="Darth Abyss"] . He belonged to the Sith Lord, belonged at his beck and call, answering as a dog would. Fetch this, kill that, break the minds of those people. Every mission made the Kaleesh stronger of course, but they often made him feel less. He was not Sith, he was a shadow. But soon, he would change that. Every day he came closer and closer to his goal, to finally reclaiming his name and right.

So when the Abyss would call, the Shadow would answer. He stepped from the shadows, his black cloak covering all but his cracked bone mask. His single eye stared to the holoscreens, and he saw her. A Jedi, a Twi'lek. She would be weak, but a Jedi was not to be underestimated. Especially a fallen Jedi. Kill her, and make her body disappear. An unofficial task for an unofficial follower. Smart on Abyss's behalf. Insulting on Phar'ra's.

"It will be done."

Without another word the large alien stepped back into the shadows, letting them envelope him like an old friend. The darkness was his only birthright, and he would have to fight every day to keep it.

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss would be a fool to allow his shadow hand to go onto this mission with not at least one pair of eyes and ears on him, something to reduce the possible aftermath should the Kaleeshs task go south. He knew that [member="Phar'ra"] was quick, strong and cunning, but even the best agents could botcher a operation when things went wrong. Unforeseen complications and how to react to them was a key part of this kind of work after all. So a handful of Inner Eye Sharpshooters were tasked with monitoring the area where the jedi girl had taken up residence, both to make sure that the task was done should the Kaleesh fail, and to keep any reactions that could follow contained in one area. Very easy mission parameters: Stay hidden as long everything goes well, find and eliminate any witnesses should it not.
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Malachor V, The Spheres of Ash - The District of the Free

The jedi and her followers had holed themselves up in a half decayed 6 floors apartment complex, the flats on top already fallen into complete despair, while the lower ones became a makeshift home and base for them. Young Twi'lek men and women were patrolling the area around it day and night, fueled by paranoia ignited by a jedi that had already fallen deep. On the third floor she lived like those she had looked down all her live, surrounded by riches, by stolen and scavenged weapons, ready to wage a full out street war against the gangs of the railroad, as well as against the wealthy scum that lived above them in the spheres, under the constant guard of at least 3 bodyguards.

Getting into the area wouldn't be to hard. The goons were anger, and willing to shoot anyone closing in on their territory, but they lacked organization and communication. It would be fairly easy to either evade them, or pick them of one by one as long their wasn't much noise while doing it. But once inside, the stakes would be raised. Walking in through the front door was suicide without the right approach, and it would undermine the idea of the whole operation. From his other apprentices he would've expected to talk their way into the building, using lies and deception, but Phar'ra had never been a very vocal person.

The rooftops around the building had vantage points, but the building was eroded to a degree that every wrong step could lead to a collapse in the upper areas. That was as much a tactical option as it was a danger. The other way in would be to create some sort of diversion, drawing them out in the open to enter the building unseen.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Phar'ra kept to the rooftops as he made his way to the 'Free District'. Coming from above always had it's advantages, and in this city with such tall buildings so close together, he was able to keep from the streets and watch for his prey below. His prey. A fallen Jedi who had formed herself a powerbase. Almost a Sith in that regard, just a follower of the wrong code. A scream from nearby snapped the Kaleesh out of his thoughts on his rooftop travel.

Nearing one of the edges he looked down to find a couple being attacked by what he assumed could be the Free Spirits. They were armed with stolen blaster rifles, and didn't seem too keen on letting the lovers just leave their territory unscathed. Opportunity. As a shadow Phar'ra descended from his perch, landing so quietly behind one of the two Spirits. This man, probably in his late thirties, almost didn't notice the budding 'Sith' as the Kaleesh gripped his skull. All at once his mind torn with anger and ate was shattered, caught by surprise by not only the strike to his mind but the presence of a new enemy.

The clattering of his gun hitting the floor alerted his ally however. "Da kark ya doi- Hey! Da kark is this?" He turned to find Phar'ra still gripping the face of his friend, and immediately he raised his own gun. "Wadaya doin!? Lemhim go!" Phar'ra did as he was asked, slowly removing his hand from the face of the broken minded. His single burning eye stared down the remaining man, and as this Spirit continued to stare Phar'ra's body began to shift and change. His movements weren't right. His body wasn't right. Phar'ra seemed to come in and out of existence around his golden eye. That golden eye, it was the only constant of his body.

As his body warped, so too did the world around him, bending and twisting as if Phar'ra never belonged here. Impossible angles formed, and the gun slowly lowered as the Spirit tried to make sense of what was happening. His partner even began to warp, his body and limbs twisting and curling like a snake. Phar'ra moved then, stepping forward. His body rippled with each step, his movements jerky and almost looking incomplete. The gunman soon realized that it wasn't the movements that were incomplete, but his mind being unable to fully process the movements themselves.

"What areya..?" There was no answer as the hand of the Kaleesh wrapped around his face, and his mind too, broke.

The couple on their knees watched in silence as the Kaleesh seemed to force the gunman to lower his weapon and casually walk over to him and set his hand upon the gunmans face. They did not see the warping of the world, nor did the know what happened to the minds of the thugs that wanted to harm them both. What they did know was this bone masked alien had saved their life.

"Thank you, sir. They were going to kill us, you saved us." The single golden eye of Phar'ra turned to them. Cold, devoid of any compassion. The man who spoke found his voice caught in his throat. Phar'ra left them where they were, the couple on their knees, and the mind broken thugs standing and staring. Yet as he walked, he whispered into the air. "Begin."

The seeming brain dead thugs roused from their stupor, picking up their guns almost like robots. The couple let out another scream as the guns were levied for them, and the echo's of gunfire stopped their screaming forever. Phar'ra's plan was simple. Turn the Free Spirits on themselves, and lure the Jedi out. He leapt back up to higher ground, looking for the next group he would recruit.