Private Somewhere Else

[Mercy]

Tag: Varin Mortifer | Lysander von Ascania | Lily Rhodes
Continued from: Parade on Alderaan

Things happened in very short succession after the threat was delivered by the Jedi.

Mercy's image had blurred and from one moment to the next she had suddenly appeared behind Lily. Her hand already moving to grip her neck, to make a point, and perhaps that quick blurring had caused the Alderaan forces to see it as a direct threat to their leadership. The Sith Lord would never know what went on in their minds, because a moment later the sky began to rain fire down on the city sector. The threat materializing exactly as it was promised by their leaders. Mercy wasn't sure if they managed to evacuate every civilian from that sector, it sounded like a tall order, but the Jedi had a way of surprising her.

She wouldn't be there to find out the amount of property damage done to the city however.

The moment the sky lit up into flames, Mercy's presence in the Netherworld unfolded. Back during the Kaggath she had grafted mutilated spirits of the Sith onto her. It had left a connection to that dark place in the shape of wings that followed her wherever she went.

Unlike some of the Lords of the Sith Mercy couldn't just teleport wherever she wanted.

Those dark shadowy wings wrapped around herself, Lily and also Lysander and Varin.

What she did was something far less graceful.

One moment they were on Alderaan. The next they were ripping through a maw in reality and flying through horrors. The Netherworld was a dark place at the best of time, but Mercy's direct intrusion into that nightmarish realm riled up all kinds of nasty things. And the only thing between them and that was Mercy's wings sheltering them. The screams of spirits of past, monsters beyond call... and perhaps the most terrifying thing of all.

Mercy herself, cackling like a psychopath, with gleaming eyes taking the nightmare in and welcoming it as a friend.

She had aimed for the sling-shot maneuver to bring them to Coruscant. To Throneworld itself. They'd be safe there... more or less. But Mercy's traveling was never graceful or all that accurate... and as another maw opened up and spilled them out of the Netherworld?

They found themselves somewhere else.

A large clearing with an even larger temple dominating the scene. Dark obsidian stone and workers around it like ants in a hive.

"Hm..." The wings were gone as the maw closed behind them, but the shadows were there for them to see. They might realize they had always been there, hiding in Mercy's own shadow. "I don't think this is Coruscant..."

Head tilted to Lysander.

"Thoughts where we are?"

Not even making a comment about the insane shit that had just happened.

And yes, she was still casually holding Lily by the scruff of her neck.

 

[Varin Mortifer]

VARIN MORTIFER

Equipment: Durum Mantle | Black Blade of Chandrila | Eye of The Dragon | Heavy Sith Mace | Cross Guard Broadsaber

It all happened so quickly. First Varin had noticed the Jedi and security surrounding them, he had prepared himself for some defensive maneuvers. Then Mercy moved first, a blur grabbing the back of the neck of the woman he and Lysander were to meet with.

The next thing he could remember was speed, but something else, something wrong. He remembered the screams, the shrieks the feeling of something…dark, like the absence of anything besides pain and torture.

But just as quickly as it came, it was gone.

They had landed in some form of clearing, just outside a busy large temple.

Varin ripped his helm from his head in a fit of rage and frustration, slamming it hard enough to dig into the earth by their feet.

“Damn it!”

His steps fell aggressively in a circular pattern around the helmet as he paced, his breathing harsh and rapid. The combination of fury and whatever else he felt from the moment that just barely slipped his memory seconds prior. He had not even noticed that Mercy asked Lysander a simple question.

“My one time of seeing some parade and of course the threat of a turbolaser comes into play!”

His fists tightened before a yell ripped through his throat down towards the empty clearing away from the group and the temple, the sound of his voice ripping through dirt and stirring sone as the soundwaves burst from his body.

Mercy | Lily Rhodes | Lysander von Ascania​

 

[Lily Rhodes]

Hell erupted around her.

Figuratively and literally.

One moment, she had felt the mountain of a woman's hand close on the back of her neck, the next fire had bloomed in the sky as the Jedi had made good on their threat. She didn't have time to react not at the speed things shift around her as the stone that had been beneath her feet was pulled away. It wasn't like her own travel, where the fabric of space ripped violently around her. This version of travel came with violent scream that didn't belong to any of them, echoes of ghosts that tried to reach through the wings that enveloped them.

Mercy's manic laughter rang high above it all, like this was nothing more than a harmless rollercoaster.

Lily felt ground beneath her feet again as the wings retreated, pulling the shadows with them. She didn't hesitate, wrenching free of Mercy's grip she staggered forward a few paces before her legs gave out, her breathing hard as nausea threatened to overwhelm her. She wrapped her hands around her stomach and curled over herself squeezing her eyes shut.

Deal with the physical first, unpack the rest later. She focused on her breathing, trying to regain control of it while her heart thudded loudly in her ears.

What the fuck had just happened?

Deep breath in, slow shaky exhale.

Where the fuck was she?

Another breath, another shaky exhale.

Slowly, she uncurled, her breathing slowed, the sound of blood rushing in her ears fading to a steadier thud, still elevated, but more controlled. Lily opened her eyes and looked up at the obsidian temple before them. This wasn't Alderaan, or Coruscant. It had started out a really good day, she'd landed a solid job, it had been a breeze and she had to go and do something dumb like approach sith. Fear gave way to frustration, adrenaline leaving her system slowly, leaving a tremor in her hands as it did.

She pushed herself to her feet, brushing her dress off as she muttered to herself. "Go talk to the Sith Lily, it'll be fine Lily—" whatever thought she'd been about to finish out loud was cut off by a scream that made her whip round. the one with the funky eye was letting off some steam apparently.

"Will you shut up!" she snapped. "Stars, you're like an attention magnet. Wouldn't know subtle if it punched you in the face. We have no idea where we are and your first instinct is to throw an tantrum. Idiot."

She folded her arms across her chest and turned to face the other two.

"This is just fucking perfect."

Varin Mortifer Mercy Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

The retort was at the tip of his tongue, ready to put the elderly blowhard in his place without ever raising his voice. Half a breath from delivering it. And of course there was the anomaly whose movements didn't match the parade's rhythm. Then.. everything shifted. Reality folded inward, and even through his helm the sensation became suffocating. A sudden hitch snagged his breath, struggling against the rasp of the rebreather..

Six months ago the sound of Mercy’s laughter, wild and gleeful, would have been a warning. A precursor to something terrible. For most, at least. Back then, her mirth meant someone else’s suffering, and he’d learned to brace for the fallout. Now, some foreign steadiness took hold. Strangely so, familiar chaos offered more comfort than negotiations concluding with bloodshed.

The landing hit hard. Reality snapped back into place with a jolt. His boots dug into dirt, lungs dragging in a ragged breath. Adrenaline spiked and drained just as quickly. Fingers found the helm’s release valve; a hiss followed. Sweat traced down his temple and pooled at the brow as the helmet lifted away

Varin's fury was loud. Better directed outward than inward, surely. High emotions kind of came with the territory of being a Sith, right? Mercy’s voice cut through it all in a way that was almost too casual. Lysander glanced around at the temple, workers. The answer was there. A name sat on the tip of his tongue, and for a moment he hesitated. Guessing wrong would signal ignorance, almost a gamble too, given his role within the Covenant, and the considerable time invested in studying the Core’s worlds, histories, politics. The list went on.

“Empress Teta. The Koros system sits just off Coruscant’s lane." A calmer breath left him. "We can work with this."

His gaze shifted over to the one that was spectacularly honest. “Your choice of words is delightfully.. colorful.” He reached up, ruffling his unruly hair. "Frankly, if subtlety punched me in the face, I’d probably return the favor."

 

[Mercy]

Lysander von Ascania | Lily Rhodes | Varin Mortifer

Even as Mercy waited for a response from her star pupil, her attention shifted lightly towards Varin and Lily.

At first Mercy was sympathetic for the boy. Who didn't have a story of a battle they had been looking forward to, before it was snatched from them right before it would start to get good? Mercy had a number of those. Battles that would have been legendary, the kind of fights that would cement itself into the annals of time and immortalize everyone inside the story, if not for the fact they were cut short or entirely thrown out.

The reasons petty, but no less painful.

"There, there, Mortifer, I will make sure-" To put you in a battle that will make your blood sing. But those words died on Mercy's lips as he continued to rage and made it clear where his ire was aimed at.

Eyebrows went up as Mercy found herself perplexed.

"Oh."

She shook her head, as if to make sure she wasn't getting deaf. "I am sure... it would have been a... lovely parade?" She offered there carefully, not entirely sure what to do with it. Luckily Mercy was rescued by the outburst from Lily, she hadn't even noticed the little brat had escaped her grasp, so focused she had been on Varin.

Mercy laughed out loud at her reaction however.

"Oh, this one has spunk." Voice dripping in amusement and approval. "I am glad I pulled her ass out of that fire."

Lysander's voice brought her back to the present and Mercy turned around.

"Hmm..." Mercy looked at the temple again and then finally nodded. "Good boy, Lysander. That does make it easier. Remind me to tell you of the time I tried that sling-shot maneuver and ended up on Denon, smack dab in the middle of the High Republic."

"Boys and girl, let us approach the kindly Temple workers and see if we can hitch a ride to Coruscant. Shall we?"

Mercy did not wait to see if they followed.

She was already marching forward. Every step she took making the ground tremble... just a touch.

 

[Varin Mortifer]

VARIN MORTIFER

Equipment: Durum Mantle | Black Blade of Chandrila | Eye of The Dragon | Heavy Sith Mace | Cross Guard Broadsaber

Oh I could name someone right now I would want to punch in the face.

His fists tightened after she spoke to him, it wasn't until Lysander spoke that he seemed to calm down, a small sigh leaving his chest before he breathed deep.

When Mercy spoke he looked right at her, frustration in his eyes.

“All because of some damn dress code?! A turbo laser because I wanted to wear some black?! Starting to think even the Jedi do not want peace.”

His hand snapped down to his side using the force to pull his helm back to him then he walked past Lily, the tension within him still high.

But now he was just itching for a fight to get his mind off of his ruined plans.

“I should have turned the old man inside out and marionette him with the parade.”

He spoke quietly to himself as he followed behind Mercy, drawing nearer to the temple.

The thought was absolutely ridiculous to him, Bogan forbid someone wore darker colors on a planet full of Jedi who could not see past beige.

That's when the thought hit him, he had also missed out on what possibly could have been an entertaining fight and he stopped midstride releasing a deep breath that caused his shoulders to sink.

“I swear if these people have a turbo laser too…”

Lily Rhodes | Mercy | Lysander von Ascania​

 

[Lily Rhodes]

Empress Teta?

Lily’s eyes snapped from the brute to the black armour, who had now removed his helm. His face was familiar, maybe she’d seen him somewhere in the Order? More than likely, but she couldn’t place where and she wasn’t about to go poking that bear. This was already a bad situation; she didn’t need to make it worse by bringing family history into it.

Her face wrinkled in distaste at the ‘good boy’ that oozed from Mercy’s mouth. Oh to b,e anywhere but here. But here she was, and Empress Teta was too far from Alderaan for her to risk travelling, which meant she was stuck with them.

“Girl has a name!” she called after Mercy as she stalked away without waiting. What was she doing? “Actually, girl is just fine, I’d rather you didn’t remember me after this.”

She took two steps sidewards as Varin marched past her, giving her as much room as she could, the tension bleeding from him in the force was enough for her to know he wanted to break things and as something pretty breakable she’d rather not be the target. And yet?

“Gee, violence, how original.” The sarcasm came too easily. She was going to get herself killed.

Turning towards the temple she let out a sigh. If they could hitch a ride to Coruscant, maybe she could get one to Alderaan? She reach into the top of her dress, pulling the datachip free, more to make sure it was still there than anything else, before tucking it back into place and following reluctantly.

As much as she hated it, her best odds were with them.

Lysander von Ascania Varin Mortifer Mercy

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Mercy Varin Mortifer Lily Rhodes
​

The helm spun lazily in Lysander's grip as he considered Mercy for a time. Then the Sith Lord mentioned a slingshot and Denon. His brows furrowed without permission. In another universe, he'd be there right now, blowing spice with the Republic's High Chancellor in a nightclub, fooling himself by calling it 'redemption to the Light,' or some other nonsense. There was still some unfinished work between them since that episode aboard the Trinity.

"I'm kinda hoping to pick up that skill someday, Master, if you ever find a free minute," affected a tone threaded with warmth. One shoulder rose and fell. Perhaps the apprenticeship was no longer formal, but of course some things remained. An affirmation of loyalty, if nothing else. The Covenant was a strange close-knit family in its own way, sharpened by experience on shared battlefields. There had been no shortage of those since Deservro..

What truly gnawed at his thoughts, however, was that his freighter was still sitting on Alderaan. Or rather, no longer docked. Probably vaporized by the turbolaser. An irritated sound was exhaled through the nose.

Varin muttered something about dress codes. Lysander's mouth twitched. "I'll take all black over robes that look like repurposed theater curtains," fired back smoothly. There was certainly more he should have added, with venom too. Nineteen engagements with Ashla's faithful by the age of eighteen left little room for fondness. Not exaclty a highlight reel. And well.. no need to stoke Varin's fire needed no further kindling. His brother was already vibrating with enough rage to destroy a moon.

Lip parted to answer the comment about another turbolaser, but his attention shifted, drawn back to the other woman. "Before mum dubs you with something that's regrettable, perhaps you'd consider offering us your actual name?" Proper introductions were one of the few civilized things left in their galaxy. He glanced sideways. "I'm Lysander."

His pace never slowed as the temple drew closer. Naturally he was mapping out a few different entries and exits. Two out of the three people present he'd bled alongside. Statistically speaking, the odds of them encountering an obstacle they couldn't tackle were favorable.

"Right, then," unfurled the next words, dry as Korriban's red sand. "Mercy intimidates the workers, Varin terrifies them, our guest insults them, and I negotiate. What a stellar equilibrium." In truth, it was nice to set the Point Emissary mask aside for a day.

 

[Mercy]

Lysander von Ascania Varin Mortifer Lily Rhodes

"I'm kinda hoping to pick up that skill someday, Master, if you ever find a free minute,"

A soft hum there.

"My way is carved through violence, Lysander." The large woman said over her shoulder. "I would not recommend it, but of course I will show you, if that is your desire."

"But it might be easier to ask my battle-sister for a lesson." Somehow Srina Talon made it easy, the way she traveled from one place to the other, slipping in and out of rooms. Like a shadow gracing its presence on those she wished to visit. Mercy would never be able to do something like that. Her travel was loud and explosive.

Even now the figures around the temple were in a fright, running panicked.

Because their travel had caused an rupture in the air that could be heard for miles and miles around.

"Before mum dubs you with something that's regrettable, perhaps you'd consider offering us your actual name?" Proper introductions were one of the few civilized things left in their galaxy. He glanced sideways. "I'm Lysander."

Mercy chuckled softly.

"Always the diplomat. But yes, you best spit it out, lady. I have a million nicknames and they are bound to annoy you. I am Mercy." Confirming that, yes, Lily somehow found herself wrapped into an 'adventure' with the Empress of the Core and one of the Butchers of Tapani.

She stretched as they finally reached the Temple grounds.

The chaos before had been a mere impression. Figures in the distance running around like chickens without heads. Now here, they'd find the chaos had calcified into panic and fear. Some of the workers were wielding hammers, pickaxes, while guards were holding blasters. All of it pointed towards the new arrivals.

A head tilt there.

"Well, Lys? You want to diplomat your way through this? Or is Varin going to smash through this sad picture of a fortification?" She'd prefer not to slaughter her own citizens, but neither was she about to explain herself.

 

[Varin Mortifer]

VARIN MORTIFER

Equipment: Durum Mantle | Black Blade of Chandrila | Eye of The Dragon | Heavy Sith Mace | Cross Guard Broadsaber

The heightened frustration within him made it difficult to catch that they were all making introductories as he followed along with the group. His fist repeatedly balling and releasing as they drew nearer to the temple.

He noticed the sudden defense the temple dwellers and their guards had taken up oh so pitifully.

His hand hovered over the hilt of his saber, ready for them, no, daring for them to fire upon them.

Not going to introduce yourself boy? Are you really this worked up over some parade?

Varin ignored Ignati's voice in his head as he stared down the guards.

Mercy | Lily Rhodes | Lysander von Ascania​