Your Tools Are Your Skills.

[Darth Ferus]

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Scarif​

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When the One Sith still existed, still thrived, there were many untold stories. Tales of both heroics and horrors. Of Sith and of Jedi. Both waging war not just on the front lines, but in the shadows. There was no army that could not be undone by just one person who remained unseen, and both the Republic and the Empire knew it. It was why here, on Scarif, the Sith Assassins had come. The game of shadows was only beginning, and they needed to get the head start.

Aboard a Phasma Class Interceptor Darth Ferus, Red Assassin and Shadow of the Dark Lord, sat patiently awaiting the departure from hyperspace into Scarif atmosphere. He, with his apprentice the recently knighted [member="Darth Ophidia"] , would descend upon the planet like a chill in the night. Their objective, to find the Jedi Shadow base that had been built recently, according to scouting reports. Here in One Sith space it could not be ignored, and it was only fitting the best would be sent to deal with the problem.

The Sith Lord was dressed in his signature tattered red cloak, tapping his mechanical right and atop his right knee impatiently. He had never enjoyed flying, especially in such a small ship, but this was far more stressful than the normal. When they dropped out, there was a high probability that the Jedi would know they had come, and he did not want to loose that element of surprise so early.

"Remember, keep your presence shrunk. They cannot know we're here until it's too late for them."

 

[Darth Ophidia]

In contrast to her master's tattered, red cloak, the newly dubbed Sith Knight, Darth Ophidia, wore new black robes with a weaved pattern of blue tetragons down the back. They were in no way lavish by design, but appeared quite luxurious in comparison to her master's rags. Yet, to her, the newness of her clothes only betrayed her inexperience.

"Of course, Lord Ferus. They will sense nothing."

Her training had been relentless. When Ferus did not put her through trials and lessons to test her skill, she put herself through a strict training regimen in order to enhance her own abilities. Most importantly, she practised her stealth. Stealth was paramount to the life of any assassin; stealth let her put the blade to her victim's neck before he even knew to raise their own.

Saiah did not mind flying. Or to be more specific, she enjoyed the atmospheric stillness and knowing that she was always moving. However, she was not particularly interested in flying for herself. That was why she had recently begun her search for a droid to pilot her ship for her while she tended to more important matters, such as preparing for a mission. It was also quite difficult to extract herself from missions, and sentients had far too fickle allegiances for her taste.

"Drop in six seconds. Are you ready, Lord Ferus?"

A cocky smile spread over her lips, mischief in her otherwise so serious eyes. With deftness she made the last preparations for the drop-off.

[member="Darth Ferox"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

The hint of a smirk formed on the Zabraks face as he looked over to [member="Darth Ophidia"] . Perhaps his lessons in having fun finally took route. Though, given how much she trained on her own, he was a bit surprised they took at all. But the smile faded as he only offered a nod. As he did so, the hyperspace deactivated and the cloak took it's place. For the next minute the Sith Lord say with his eyes closed, his signature small and his ears open to the Force.

Had they been found after the drop?

Finally, as the ship hit atmosphere, his blue eyes opened, and his held breath was released. They hadn't been, at least not yet. It was when they hit the ground that he finally moved. The cockpit opened, and he quickly jumped out. Like a shadow he moved, naturally blending in with the darkness all around without the aid of the Force. That was not his skill after all. Expectantly he looked behind him to his apprentice however, already expecting her to have followed by now.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Darth Ophidia closed her eyes as well, and took a deep breath. As she sucked inn the air, her presence shrunk and faded. While her proficiency in the process had increased exponentially and she carried an innate 'knack' for stealth, the Rattataki still had a long way to go before it was as effortless as the cloaking of a true master.

Atmosphere, cloak, break, go.

She darted out behind her master and followed in his exact footprints to hide their numbers - A trick she had picked up in her days as a scout. While shrinking in the Force, she did not have the expendable reserves to hide her physical form through the Force. However, she was more than proficient enough in hiding to avoid being seen without it. Saiah was truly born for this life.

She looked at Ferus. The mischief was replaced with a steely determination and sharp focus. With a nod of her head she urged to proceed.

[member="Darth Ferox"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

[member="Darth Ophidia"] had a nod in return before the Lord turned his head back to the path. The next mile would be in silence, Ferus making sure to stick to the shadows as well as look down to the holomap he had attached to his wrist when he was sure there was enough cover to keep it out of sight. Their objective was further still, but the point marked on the map was a good vantage point he planned to observe the Shadow base from.

But it was close to this view point that the Zabrak stopped and dropped to his stomach. Ahead, the Jedi seemed to have expected it. For two Jedi stood on the cliff, as if guarding it from any would be spy. That figures. His eyes glanced back to the Knight, motioning to the one on the left. They would have to time their attack to make sure neither could hit their coms before dying.

After the nod, the Sith took off from his prone position, silently leaping through the air like a wolf pouncing on it's prey. Without a sound he caught his prey, a Twi'lek male, by his throat while his other metal hand grasped the Jedi by his wrist com. The sound of bone crushing and metal slipping against metal came next as Ferus broke the com and the man's wrist as well as activated his hidden blade, letting the dagger plunge deep into his throat. The Jedi slowly collapsed, chocking on his own blood with a wonderful sensation of fear coming from his mind.

The Lord stood straight once more, flicking the blood from his blade before it retreated. It was then that he let his blue gaze fall to the other Jedi, curious on how his apprentice had handled him.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Silken, smooth. Flow from one motion to the next. Those were some of the notes she had made on moving silently and unseen. Staccato movements drew attention to themselves and were more easily identified. It was also one of the notes she had made for her bladework and generally for excellence in combat. She was not particularly strong, so she would have to be quick and clever; in order to deliver force, she would have to build momentum.

Stop, quiet. She peered up at the hill, then to Ferus. As he assigned her a target, she nodded quietly. She hadn't dropped, but squeezed herself up against the trunk of a tree. Her slender form allowed her such hiding places. When he shot off to the left, she darted to the right. Slower than her master, but certainly quicker than most.

As she approached her opponent, Ophidia did not draw her lightsabre or her hidden blade, but a simple vibrodagger which she concealed along her right arm and palm. She did not know the calibre of her opponent, and creatures with foresight -such as Jedi- were difficult to sneak up on. So, she would use a feint.

As she rushed up against her opponent, the Bith managed to turn around and spot her. She poised her left hand as though she was about to strike with the hidden blade, but instead jumped and launched a flying knee at his bulbous head. Her left hand planted itself on the back of his head to help herself land the kick. However, the Bith let a foot slide back and caught her knee with both hands. With a mixture of physical bolstering and shock-absorbtion, he halted her advance.

"Too slo-"
Bind the hands.

Darth Ophidia smiled as she whipped out the vibrodagger in an icepick grip and drove it down at the yellow Jedi's cranium. She could see his eyes turning up at the unveiled blade coming down. His hands darted up, still crossed. Her combined weight and momentum provided an issue, but he was determined to persevere. The dagger stopped mere millimetres above his forehead, whirring with sonic vibrations that could puncture his cranium or cripple his hands in an instant should he give in. He put his mind to the hilt at his side and reached into the Force.

Click.

While his eyes, attention, and hands were all bound on the threat of the vibrodagger, the hidden blade on her wrist slid out and begun a series of quick - almost frantic - stabs at the lower left side of his chest. One, three, five, eight puncture wounds in quick succession ruptured his lungs and concentration as each tore through skin, muscle and bone. Then, with a downward pull of her right hand, she sliced part-way through both wrists and left a jagged scar across the Bith's face as he fell back. Over him, the Sith Knight stood watching with a cruel gleam in her eye, quite different from her usual frigid demeanour.

With each breath, her composure recollected itself. She looked at her master, eyes burning ember-like against the ashen hue of her skin.

[member="Darth Ferox"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest nodded once [member="Darth Ophidia"] before turning his gaze to where the Jedi would have been looking. "You're strikes need to be more precise. The path of an Assassin is not wild or crazed. We are a surgeons knife, cutting through with a blade so sharp many don't notice they've been cut until it's too late. Strike once, strike true, and you need not be covered in blood." Otherwise, the young Knight had exceeded all expectations. But the Jedi's death would not go unnoticed for long. A pair of binoculars was pulled free from the tattered cloak, and the Lord stared down, scanning for the camp.

It didn't take long to find. The pair of Jedi were indeed lookouts for the Shadow's camp. It was a hastily set up building, probably made off world and dropped off here. "Found it. Just ahead, under the tree line." He would pass the binoculars over to his apprentice then. "What do you make of it?"

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As her master talked, Ophidia was about to wipe off her blade, but she stopped in order to catch every word he spoke. She knew he was right, but it was not easy to sneak up on a Jedi, especially one who was already watchful. She had hoped for one of the former strikes to land, but he was too quick. In other words, she needed to be faster as well as more precise. As she accepted this learning, she wiped the blood from her hands so they would no longer be slick.

But it had felt so good - The release of rapid strikes, the feeling of the blade as it impacted upon wet flesh and punctured through like a needle through fabric, it was a good feeling. She looked down on the sanguine matter that was about to drip from her lower arm, and wiped it off with her finger before putting it to her lips and taking it in. It tasted horrible, yet she liked it.

Found it

The words jostled her out of her train of thought and she rose to her full height as she stepped up next to the red man. The Rattataki accepted the binoculars and looked through. The building did indeed look like it was constructed off-world. She took surveyed the grounds, tracing movements and looking for the entrances and exits.

"I think we can expect two more outlooks like this one placed on the southwestern and the northern side. The complex has a routine guard, walking in pairs. I only see one from here, but I estimate there is another on the opposite side. In addition, there are two sentinels by the main entrance and a look-out on the roof checking in on these outposts. He has not seen us."

She handed the binoculars back and looked at Ferus expectantly for feedback on her observation and inductions.

[member="Krest"]