The Death of a Baron

[Darth Ophidia]

OORN TCHIS
The Death of a Baron

Continued from: [link]​

The Baron's residence was within sight of Macrobinoculars, its silhouette visible to the bare eye.

Darth Ophidia stood on the precipice of their camp, seemingly staring at the palace. Yet her eyes were closed. Her presence in the Force was thin, like a transparent film floating on water. If she had not stood so plainly and brazenly against the horizon, then she would easily be overlooked as a shadow.

They had set up camp shortly after the contract had been given to [member="Kilrys Serccci"] and [member="Shalla Duskwalker"] . They would team up and make sure the baron paid for his offence to the Sith and the Empire. It was of the utmost importance that his family maintain an alibi, and they had therefore all gathered elsewhere.

The Baron was alone with his servants and his guards.

The two initates had been given a layout of the palace and a selection of equipment to their taste and plan. They had also been given some time to consider how they wished to complete their task. After all, preparation was key to success.

Before they went, Darth Ophidia would like to hear their plans.

 

[Shalla Duskwalker]

Shalla looked at the datapads that was presented to the other man and herself. She caught the datapad with enough ease for missing it would be not only terribly embarrassing but a terrible impression on whatever repute she had build up so far. Reading through the newly acquired data, the acolyte made sure not to miss out on any potential key information, absorbing what information her eyes and brain deemed key. The mission was to do all of this without involving the family, leaving them none of the blame. That would something that she could indeed do.

Her mind began formulating plans and strategies, churning out ideas both successful or otherwise, and when she was done, Shalla placed the datapad back onto the table, ready to put those plans into action. She was not one to take long to make her move, and once she had her plans ready, she did not hesitate to strike. As swift as a cobra, as lethal as venom.

The family was to remain with an impeachable alibi, as that would absolve them of any blame and involvement if anyone asks or suspects. Poisoning would be the most obvious way in most people’s mind, but Shalla did prefer a blade to the heart herself. A poison blade? Even better. The Pale Assassin stood up, made her point and that was the end of that.

The Baron had to die.

---

The camp was set up somewhere not too far from where the Baron’s palace was. This would serve to be a base from which they could carry out their mission. The two of them of work together to cease the life of the Baron who had the misfortune to slight the Empire. He should have known better, or maybe that would have been too good for the likes of him. His family had already vacated the palace grounds leaving the target like a ripe fruit, ready to be plucked at will.

All they had to deal with was his guards and servants. Not too difficult, she would think. With the map of the entire palace grounds and the variety of equipment at their disposal, Shalla was more than ready and equipped to begin the mission.

Vibroknife? Check.

Small canisters of venom? Check.

Her wits? Check.

Her will to succeed? Check.

Shalla was more than ready to begin.

[member="Darth Ophidia"] | [member="Kilrys Serccci"]

 

[Kilrys Serccci]

Kilrys had followed the assassin to a camp near the settlement of the Baron. It was good to see the routines of the guards, their patrol patterns and when they switched duties. Made planning to get in, around and out easier, although it was still not an easy mission. Kilrys grinned at the challenge, while in his hunger self he would have wanted to charge in and kill everyone and everything in a bloodlust fuelled hunger. His mind was sharper now since his more recent feed. He was able to think terms of stealth and plan for his "accidental" kill.

Tech was something easily hackable and could become lethal, abeit someone with enough resources could be able to trace the hacker or figure it out to be not an accident. Poison would have to have a short half life to not be detected. Kilrys was thinking in terms of tripping down stairs or falling over a balcony. Balcony would be a definitive kill and would look accidental as long as nobody was in sight or near the area. Stairs, he would snap the Baron's neck first then push him down the stairs. A simple looking accident but the patrol of guards made him uneasy about getting to stairs without getting caught.

If Kilrys had better training in the Force, creating a heart attack by squeezing the Baron's heart while he slept would have crossed his mind as plausible. Sadly, he knew it was a pipe dream that was far from his capabilities. Instead he favoured the drop or push from a balcony. "I think the Baron might slip from his bedroom balcony and fall to his most devastating, yet accidental death tonight." Kilrys informed the assassin as he decided to take no weapons.

Weapons would tempt him to kill guards and no one but the Baron must be harmed in his mind. Tricky but necessary.

[member="Shalla Duskwalker"] | [member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

A fall - Kilrys idea was crude, but perhaps effective. Shalla looked like she was getting ready for a more diverse set of challenges.

"Kûtsizir" Assassins

The Pale turned towards the pair with ghostly grace, hands still clasped behind her back. Her eyes opened, revealing the corruption of her eyes, like burning coals set against her ashen skin.

"Your hour of reckoning has come." "I sense confidence in you, preparation, resolve."

Her voice was raspy, dry, like the crunching of frost underfoot or the crackle of a fire eating through wood. Yet, her sibilants were sharp like knives, cutting through the air like a surgeon's blade.

"Tell me of your plan. Show me that my trust in you is not unwarranted."

Her eyes darted from one to the other and back, narrowing with a certain suspicion. She sensed the discord between them, while the will to succeed was a prime mark of a Sith Acolyte, one who put one's own success before the success of the mission made for a poor assassin. The universe would not simply let you subdue it, it had to be tricked and coerced. The first step of coercion was cooperation. She hoped, for their sake, they had spoken of this before now.

[member="Kilrys Serccci"] [member="Shalla Duskwalker"]

 

[Kilrys Serccci]

Kilrys approached the second initiate and allowed his eyes to study the woman. Perhaps she would be capable in completing this mission, but Kilrys still thought he should be allowed to pursue the mission on his own, he was desperate to prove his skills and become part of the Sith. He was hungry for more power and a teacher in the Force, he wanted to conquer the Force and use it to his own end. Being weaker than others in the Force, angered him, made him hate them with deep jealousy. He clicked his neck slowly, releasing the cartilage building up.

"How do you wish to proceed with this mission then?" He growled lowly, angered that he had to seek her opinion but he could tell that the Assassin watching them wanted the job done right and if they were scrambling to get the kill first then something could easily go wrong. "I was thinking a shove from the balcony in his bedroom, the landing to the concrete and snapping of his neck would be enough to execute him. With no one near his bedroom, they would have to call it an accident." Kilrys gave the details of his plan with great reluctance.

"We could proceed with that, unless you prefer another plan." He looked at her weapons, she seemed ready to kill all the guards in the place. Something Kilrys wanted to avoid. Dead guards lead to suspicious minds thinking the Baron's death was a murder. Even an unconscious guard would raise too many questions for Kilrys liking. They needed to be shadows, to have never been there yet still the man would be dead.

[member="Darth Ophidia"] | [member="Shalla Duskwalker"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Silence

"It seems apparent to me that a division of labour is called for."

She did not want to set this all on one assassin. Should he fail, then she would lose her privilege.

"Kilrys Serccci, you will go through with the assassination as you have planned."

She held up a finger so he would not speak out of turn, she was not done and this was not a victory to him over Shalla. Not yet, anyway. He was still on trial before he could call himself a true assassin.

"Shalla Duskwalker, you will remain here and observe. Should Kilrys fail, then I will have you go in and complete his mission for him" -while I deal with him.

The last words were implied, failure was not an option. Shalla were to sit in reserve. She would have to be twice as quick if she were to capitalise on Kilrys failure and end the Baron herself. If both should fall short? Then Ophidia would do it herself. Though she believed it would not come to that point. She lowered her finger and looked at the Anzat.

"You have a plan for how you will enter and avoid his guards?"

[member="Kilrys Serccci"] [member="Shalla Duskwalker"] (this is the last post I will be tagging Shalla in, having just given an excuse for her to not proceed in posting.)

 

[Kilrys Serccci]

Kilrys looked over at the assassin, the plan had changed and it seemed to work in his favour. He just needed to infiltrate and kill the Baron, he was sure this would be his mission to undertake. Looking towards the building, Kilrys smirked to himself, he knew the guards shifted duty at dawn and dusk. That was a potential way in but meant waiting for right time and moving extremely quickly, it only took a few seconds, thirty at most for the shift change.

Another option was to use his telepathic powers, natural to his race, make the guards in the gardens chase something that isn't there and climb the building onto a different balcony. This was in some ways riskier but also less risky in others. It wasn't reliate on the guards changing shifts all at once and rushing in, but also could backfire in them being able to resist his powers and discovering him.

"I think... I think I will infiltrate through the rear. Fewer guards patrolling, those that are I will my telepathic powers to distract them from my presence. From there, I can climb up the mansion and enter through a different balcony door on the same floor as the Baron. There, I can use the shadows and my natural stealthy abilities to enter the Baron's roof and push him off his balcony to his demise." Kilrys explained, his eyes deep in thought as he planned the mission in his mind, focusing on the infiltration and exfiltration. It was the best he could think of, at least at his level of the Force.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As Darth Ophidia listened, she nodded intently. The Anzat had delivered his plan, and it was not dissimilar to some of her own early plans from the days of her own acolytehood. Though, in her own mind, hers were planned out with greater accuracy and elegance.

"He will have cameras, electronic sensors. Are you prepared to avoid them? Are you aware of their position and intend to simply circumvent them? Or do you have something that will render you more difficult to detect?"

Her eyes flickered over to the ship, inside which there were personal stealth devices she had helped the Sith Empire create.

"And if you are detected, what will you do?"

These were her last questions, more so making sure that he had thought about these things before starting off than her actually needing to know. In a sense, this was what aid she could and would contribute with: Impeccable scrutiny.

[member="Kilrys Serccci"]

 

[Kilrys Serccci]

Kilrys gave a slight chuckle. Sensors didn't worry him much, it was his biology that would protect him from them. The cameras were a little more tricky, it would have to involve some hacking, which he wasn't great in or cloak himself but he didn't own a cloaking device. He paced slowly, his fingers tapping his helmet where his mouth would be. His thoughts whirled with ideas and strategies however, he stuck on the cameras. It was something he could not solve on his own. "The sensors won't detect me, anything movement based would be set off by the guards so it won't be that, heat sensors won't detect me either, I'm cold blooded. The cameras... they have me stuck, I initially thought about hacking them, removing evidence I was there. However, I am not that skilled in tech, my second option, cloaking. Sadly, I do not own a cloaking device yet so I cannot do not. Nor can I use the Force to cloak myself."

If detected, it would be difficult to state. "If I am detected then I have failed. I could kill them but then people will discover the body and the illusion of accident for the Baron fades. I could render the guard unconscious but when awake he would inform them of my identity and then I may as well kill myself, for they will certainly know it was murder. Detection is not an option, not if you want this to be an accident. If I am detected, I will likely kill the guard to stop them revealing my identity, but at that point I have failed. I will not fail."

Kilrys swore this to himself, his honour was on the line. He had to prove he had potential. He needed the knowledge, the power these assassins could teach him. Otherwise he might as well die in a hole, weak as a critter.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

She had thought so. Visual detection was still in use because it was still highly effective, even if one could avoid parts of it. This was why the assassins had invested considerable in technology to counter visual detection, and trained themselves to move without sound or sight by aid of the Force.

"Then consider this your lesson for the day: Always check the armoury."

The middle finger and thumb of her right hand came together in tension, then made a sharp clicking sound. A droid poked his bulbous head out of the ship, then ducked back in before stomping out a few seconds later. He was tall, painted a matte black, and strangely wore a pair of boots from the Imperial Legion. In his hands he held a trapezoid metal piece with straps dangling off it.

"I will lend you this. It's a personal cloaking device."

The droid held it up quietly while the Sith Lord explained.

"It will make it difficult for baleful eyes to detect you. Still, you must be mindful of where you step; you will not be invisible."

The droid handed the device over and stood by to aid in putting it on, though it had a fairly simple design: A flat box to be strapped on one's back or chest, fitted with a switch. It was made to be worn with armour, but would not be too uncomfortable. It was certainly more comfortable than being shot, that was certain.

In their armouries, they had other versions, and more equipment that would have aided in a task such as this. One should always check the armoury.

"Do not leave it behind."

[member="Kilrys Serccci"]

 

[Kilrys Serccci]

Kilrys cursed himself for not looking in the armoury. He had wanted to complete the mission without weapons but he didn't realise there would be other equipment in there as well. Holding himself in a more humble manner, he took the personal cloaking device and put it on. The droid assisted but the device was not as comfortable on him, it felt heavy and clunky, he hadn't been wearing armour but instead was wearing leathers. This did not matter, it was too important for him not to wear it. The assassin informed him that he wouldn't be invisible but it would assist in not appearing on camera which was crucial. Kilrys nodded in appreciation to the assassin.

It was time for Kilrys to head out and take his target out. He shifted into the shadows and activated the cloaking device, appearing to have almost completely disappeared from sight as Kilrys moved through the plant life to the garden. The guards were patrolling in a slow manner, their eyes fixed on the look out for trespassers and the like. He stuck to the shadows and moved through the garden, it was heavier guarded than Kilrys had assumed, it seemed the Baron hired more guards on this night than he would usually. It was trickier to move forward, meaning that Kilrys was taking longer to move forward which meant that he was around in the mansion for longer than he wanted. The longer Kilrys was in the Baron's house, the likelier to be caught.

There was three guards that blocked the rear entrance to the building, Kilrys had assumed this would happen but the problem arisen was they would be able to see him easily if he was to climb the building. He crouched low, reaching forward Kilrys summoned the Force, he used it to confuse the guards and make them think they heard something in the opposite direction to Kilrys who was on the left side. Telepathically he told the guards, Go look, it could be a trespasser. You were told to check dangers and this could be something dangerous. The guards puzzled looking at themselves, but they headed to location that Kilrys had caused the commotion.

When they did, Kilrys used the Force to speed his movements and leaped quickly up the building, entering in one of the balconies on the same floor as the Baron's bedroom.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

When Kilrys disappeared, Darth Ophidia waited for a moment, then turned and walked to look down upon the estate once more. She could not see much unaided from her vantage point, despite her very sharp eyes. Macrobinoculars would help, however-

The Sith Lord clasped her hands behind her back, fingers turning a gold disk between them as she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. In her exhale, the Pale Assassin's shrouded presence stretched out over the landscape. The farsight of her meditative state let her see, let her feel, let her sense far beyond her body.

She could see the Anzat's trickery and how he moved, swiftly through the gardens and up into the Baron's household.

****​

Baron Nerringer was indeed in his chambers.

He sat at his desk, staring down at the object in his hands. It was a pretty thing, and powerful. He could not look away, but turned the bauble around and around, the chain winding around his neck. Then he released it, and the amulet spun back into place quickly.

When he finally tore his eyes away from it, they only fell upon other objects, the red glass pyramid on the shelf, the old dagger that burned to the touch, the leaflets of text that had been unreadable to him before he got his hands on his most priced amulet, now always around his neck. There were baubles, things from Korriban, Ziost, Dromund Kaas, Thule, even a piece of the head of a sacred statue that once stood on Krayiss II.

His fingers reached out and picked up one of the deadliest pieces in his collection. The lanvarok. He slid his hand into it and looked at the inserted projectiles, finger on the trigger as though he wanted to shoot something, or someone. It gave him dark thoughts.

[member="Kilrys Serccci"]

 

[Kilrys Serccci]

Kilrys moved into an empty bedroom, activating the cloaking device to help his body remain as invisible as possible. His heart still as always, not giving a single beat as Kilrys moved with the grace of centuries of training provided him. This was what he was meant to do, this was what his body was trained to do. To strike from the shadows and to kill enemies of his leaders. Opening the door to the hall, Kilrys looked both ways, guards blocked the entrance to the Baron's bedroom. This was problem. How was he going to distract the both of them, it was going to be another mind trick but Kilrys wasn't sure he could cause a movement in the Force without drawing attention to himself. It was time to improvise and hope that they were weak willed enough to obey.

You are parched. Your throat is dry. You must have a drink. You are parched. Your throat is dry... Kilrys repeated the phrase over and over telepathically to the guards, willing them fall for it. When one coughed, Kilrys's red eyes lit up. Perfect, his plan worked. Unfortunately only one excused themselves and went for the drink, the other remained unaffected and stoic. Having to bite his lip to keep him from cursing, Kilrys was quickly running out of ideas. All he could think of was to draw the guard in the room then sneak out of it and into the Baron's room while he was in Kilrys's current position. It was very risky and relied on the cloaking device and his acrobatics.

With no other cunning plan, Kilrys created a noise loud enough to cause the guard to be curious but not loud enough for others to hear. He didn't want to draw more attention to his position. Quickly, from creating the noise, he climbed up a corner nearest the door. He waited with bated breath. When the guard entered, he looked away from Kilrys which Kilrys was deeply thankful for. He swung himself at the doorway, holding onto the top of the door frame before rolling silently in the hall towards the Baron's room. Looking around at the room he exited, the guard was not coming out yet. He prised the door into the Baron's chamber and entered silently as possible.

He watched as the Baron fixated on the Sith artefacts. They were for the Sith and the Sith alone. Not for his grubby fingers to touch and learn from. This pleased Kilrys more as he knew that his assassination was the right thing to do. He approached the Baron from behind, his footsteps next to silent before he pounced like a predator, gripping his prey in a tight choke-hold. Kilrys made sure that the Baron could not call out for help, but instead fell unconscious. Laying the Baron on the ground, he examined the various Sith artefacts that the Baron held. The family would have to release these back to Sith hands, there was too many for him to carry on his own. He did remove the necklace and pocket it before carrying the body to the balcony and pushing the Baron over the edge. Letting him fall to his death.

Now it was time to exit without being noticed.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

So pretty, so precious. Baron Nerringer was just about to fire one of the disk-blades of the Lanvarok when an arm wrapped around his neck. He kicked his feet and waved his arms. He even tried to scream, but the air was cut short in his throat and smothered to a mere wheeze. In his flailing, one of the lanvarok disks were fired, flying out of the balcony window and embedding itself in a nearby tree.

Darkness overtook him in a velvety sleep. Not death, not yet, just sleep.

Baron Nerringer did not feel his body pilfered and lifted from the floor, hoisted high over the balcony from which he enjoyed so many a view, on which he had first serenaded his love, on which he had read his first text of the Sith. Oh if only he had the Force. His eyes did not open as he was thrown off the side of the balcony and down on the statue garden below, back breaking on the amusing fountain that spilled endless supplies of wine.

He barely opened his eyes long enough to see the figure that threw him escape, unable to move, he drowned in the fountain of wine.

____​

The guards were coming to their senses and were quite suspicious. They had no evidence, no proof that something was wrong, but the mental influences of the Anzat had left them unwary. They were coming to check on his highness, the Baron. And they would be there soon.

Would the assassin still be there or would the narrative of the tragic fall come to fruition?

Darth Ophidia watched.

[member="Kilrys Serccci"]

 

[Kilrys Serccci]

There was a commotion, guards seemed to feel suspicious of the events that had been going on due to his influence. It was time to leave but the door to the hallway was out and the front door seemed rather suspicious way to leave. Kilrys decided to do some more climbing, he moved from the balcony and jumping up, climbing to the roof. There he was out of sight when the guards rushed into the room and then out to the balcony, looking for their boss. A boss that was already dead. Kilrys moved silently on the roof, his steps steady and he was ready to exit the premises. He just needed to figure out how to get to ground level, but the commotion of the dead body drew guards away from the rear garden. Their focus now on how their boss died under their watch.

He leaped from the roof, using the Force to soften his landing into a quick roll forwards. He remained crouched as he pushed forward, his senses razor sharp for anything that could ruin his near perfect assassination. Kilrys was fortunate though, he reached the way he entered and leaped over the fence and out of the Baron's premises without being seen. Guards were only now starting to spread out and search the area for signs of an intruder, hoping that the Baron had been assassinated not being an accidental but preventable death under their watch. However, it was too late, Kilrys was nearing the meeting point with the Sith Assassin.

Moving quietly, he crouched next to her, watching the guards rustle about. He wanted to laugh at them, mock them for their incompetence but there was luck in his kill, he was not nearly as perfect as the Sith who was next to him. She could have killed the man without raising this level of suspicion. No, he needed training. Whether or not he would admit it out loud, that was another matter. "It is done. He is dead and I was never there as far as anyone can tell. I did find this." He handed her the necklace that he took from the Baron. "One of the many artefacts the scum had in his room. Hopefully his family will know better than to keep what is not theirs."

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As Kilrys climbed up into the hidden nest in which they had waited and watched the target prior, Darth Ophidia withdrew her extended senses into herself. She did not open her eyes right away, but stood as still as a statue in a moment of statue, understanding everything she had picked up. Only a few seconds after he had spoken did she open her ember eyes, though they remained transfixed on the manor.

"His soul has passed through the Nether. The Baron Nerringer is dead, and your task is complete"

She looked down at the Anzat and the trinket he held in his hand. She had seen its kind before, and used them once upon a time before she had learned the language of the Kissai priests and the high lords of the ancient Sith.

"His successor has pledged to return all of his late uncle's prizes to their rightful place."

Her legs followed her eyes, hips trailing after as her body twisted to face the assassin. Her robes, dark enough to be woven out of the void itself, twisted around her as she reached out with an ashen hand and let it hover over the amulet.

"An amulet of tongues. We assassins do not keep prizes." She gave him a stern look. "But this once, I sense the Force has rewarded you. Keep the talisman, use it to learn more. I suggest visiting the Libary Temple on Krayiss II."

The sternness in her eyes did not fade, but her lips twisted into a wry smile, revealing pearly teeth between her purple lips.

"Get your things."

Her almost floating presence shifted into a different gear as she turned away. Swiftly she barked orders in a foreign tongue. The droid in the boots started warming up the ship. The task was done.

[member="Kilrys Serccci"]

 

[Kilrys Serccci]

Kilrys frozen slightly when she criticised him for taking the amulet. "I brought it as proof of his passing, I apologise, I never meant it as a trophy." He turned his gaze downwards, giving a slight relief when she stated that the Force gave him the amulet and he studied the object. Something that would allow him to see and understand languages long forgotten. It had him curious to say the least. When she ordered him to pack, he gave a short bow and hurried on his way. Not wanting to annoy her anymore than he might have already.

There was little to pack, his Lightsaber, daggers and throwing knives. All that he required were small, concealable and silent for the most part. He also kept his belongings light, too much bulk and he wouldn't have been able to move as flexible or silently as he did. He wondered if there was a light-weight material that could be tough enough to deal with damage from wars or intense battles. It was something to explore like the Force was too. He returned the cloaking device back to its place, having done its job, Kilrys felt required to return it. Allowing it to be there for another Assassin when their turn came.

He returned to the Sith Lord, "I am ready to depart, Master." He said, standing to one side, letting her take the lead as was her right.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]