The doors of the main entrance opened, and Bril stepped inside only to come face-to-face with a human man with light brown skin and a head of kinky hair shaved low. He was dressed in beige uniform with the facility’s logo emblazoned on his chest. Upon seeing them, the man froze, clutching the datapad in his hands tightly.
“Oh, frakk,” he managed. Despite everything tell him that he should run, he couldn’t, and he didn’t know why. It was like his muscles refused to obey him. Little did he know, they had a new master, having submitted to the domineering will and frightful presence of the taller of the two intruders.
<@188018248241905664>
There was a wicked smile in Aphotis’s eyes. Her claw opened and ripped the datapad out of the man’s tight grip with an invisible force, yanking him with it. The man’s eyes widened as he now stood even closer to the tall Sith. That’s when her tail coiled around his neck.
Both of his hands reached around the appendage as it constricted him, trying to tear himself loose. It was to no avail. His feet desperately tried to reach for the floor, dangling helplessly as he was lifted up til the witch’s eye level.
“Ohh, what do we have here then?” Her voice had a mischievous tone to it as she waved the datapad in front of him.
“U-Um, I uh … I use that for work, ma'am,” the young man stammered, straining to speak as the appendage tightened around his neck. His fingers dug into the tail, with its strange texture, desperately trying to relieve the pressure.
Bril, suspecting that Aphotis may take things too far, stepped closer. “He’s a civilian,” he reminded her, though he knew that likely didn’t mean much to her. “We can probably use the datapad, though,” he turned to look at the man, “what’s your position?”
“Eng–gaack–engineer. I’m an engineer.”
Bril nodded. “There’s definitely something we could use on this, then.”
“Mhm, yes, why not take a break, little man,” she said with a sarcastic tone.
She raised him up further and flung him headfirst into the wall. The thud was clear and loud enough to make Aphotis blink. She smacked her lips as she saw him lying still.
“You are absolutely right, Bril. Let us not be wasteful with engineers. He will not have to explain anything to his superiors with the lump on his head.”
“Here, take it, see what you can find.” She handed the datapad to the Blade Master.
Bril watched the young man’s unconscious body hit the floor with a muffled thump, then gave Aphotis a disapproving, if not resigned look. “I suppose that’s better than the alternative.”
After taking the datapad, he connected his slicing pad’s code cylinder to the datapad’s scomp link. “Let’s see what we can find.
"Hm, that’s odd. The encryption code is written in a non-standard format. It’ll take a bit more time for me to slice into it.”
But time was a scarce commodity, especially when attempting to sabotage a facility guarded as heavily as this one. The sound of approaching footsteps -- heavy, metallic foosteps mingled amongst the sounds of hard-soled boots on tiled floor -- grew louder as the zabrak attempted to slice into the pad. It was up to Aphotis to decide how to proceed.
The tall Sith heard the footsteps approaching and gave Eye-ronic the order to deploy some of its remotes. The triangular wings unraveled and a swarm of floating orbs was released in the direction of the sounds.
Aphotis gave her droid an order to bring up the cam-feed of the first remote that laid eyes on the incoming wave. Her tail handed her the oval-shaped lightwhip hilt.
“Take your time, Bril.” Her modulated voice was somehow even more monotone than before.
A crimson light popped up on the Sith’s HUD as the most eager of Eye-ronic’s remotes sent its feed over. She marked two targets with triangles before stepping forth.
Click, clack.
Snap-hum!
A blood-red lash burst out of the oval-shaped hilt. Aphotis brought it back as she saw the unfortunate individuals in the flesh. Her tail snapped and flicked with sharp movements, foretelling the black-clad woman’s movements.
Electric-blue spotted unprotected section in their armor, just above their waist belts and under their chest plates. She brought forth the superheated plasma, leaning forward and flinging the whip horizontally toward the male and female Human. Mid swing the lash built up momentum, coming to its height at supersonic speeds as Aphotis coiled it up into a knot and released it with devastating force.
Crack!
With a thundering roar from the Krayt Dragon pearl, two soldiers felt only a short sting before their bodies split in twain. Eye-ronic turned its domed lens away from the gruesome display and then reluctantly sent its smaller remotes at the remaining group.
Hiss. The Sith exhaled with satisfaction, bringing Tenderlash back at her side.
“Someone who deals with split personalities, clearly.” She answered.
Many people said that once you smelled burning flesh for the first time, you’d never forget it. As the crimson whip of Aphotis’ lightsaber whip sliced the poor security guards in twain, the tremendous heat instantly vaporized any blood it came into contact with, filling the surrounding air with an acrid stench that left a coppery and sulfurous taste in the back of one’s throat. Neither of them even managed a death wail before they were permanently severed from the mortal coil.
The thick, yellowish-red skin of. the devaronian’s face twisted into a terrible grimace as he stepped backward. “You … You killed Eela and Tovin,” His eyes snapped to the two droids. “Kill her! Fragging rip her apart.”
The droids responded in kind by producing electrostaffs that crackled precariously with electricity. As they moved forward, the dowutin produced a massive slugthrower – fitting for his stature – and leveled its barrel at Aphotis.
CHAKACHAKACHAKACHAKA
Metal rounds leaped from the barrel with every intention of punching holes through the Sith’s body.
Bril, meanwhile, heard the commotion and cursed beneath his breath. He didn’t know exactly what was happening, but it sounded bad. If only this didn’t take so frakking long.
Saccades of electric-blue memory mapped the pellets, their trajectories calculated by the Sith’s assertive mind.
Click
Aphotis stepped close to the wall and placed her boot against it.
Tap
She pushed herself off the wall, walking it and then sent her tall body into a cartwheel motion as each slug passed by her hair, tail and the rest of her shiny black form.
Clack
Both platforms landed deftly on the floor. The witch’s eyes formed into a smile behind the visor as she rose up again, seeing the remotes harass the same Devaronian that had just taken a shot at her.
Hiss
She exhaled sharply and flicked her high ponytail in preparation for the fun she would have with the duo of droids.
Crack!
Tenderlash was eager too.
A jolt of excitement rippled through the young zabrak when his code pad beeped. “Got it! I’m in,” he said aloud, “Those Shadow Academy courses were so worth it.”
After transferring the schematics of the facility to his own datapad, Bril laid the datapad next to the still unconscious engineer. Now, he could join the fray.
Through the din of blaster fire, the telltale crackle and roar of a lightsaber heralded Bril’s arrival. The same icy blue saber he’d used before extended pointed away from his midline – a standard Makashi stance. But when Bril saw the body of the security officer lying in a gruesome heap, ripped in twain by what he had no doubts was the end of Aphotis’ saberwhip, he grit his teeth in frustration. The frakking Sith just couldn’t help herself. He effortlessly batted away two bolts that came his way, but when he stepped forward, one of the towering droids intercepted him while swinging its electrostaff with enough force to dent durasteel. Moving Fetter into a hanging block, he deftly parried the blow to the side rather than meeting it head on with a block, leaving the droid – with its slower metal form – exposed to a Force push that sent it careening backward into the dowutin carrying the heavy repeater.
That bought them some time, but not much. Bril’s eyes shot over to where Aphotis was. “Fall back!”
The second droid was closing in, and another contingent of guards appeared from behind the opening doors of a hololift at the end of the hall.
The Sith let out a low growl, she was just getting into the flow. Tenderlash howled and cracked as the tall woman turned on her heel, swiping out one more time at her foes. Aphotis spread her tongue out on the roof of her mouth and lifted it, producing a clicking noise to recall her droid.
Her tail curled up and opened the Envoy pouch, its tip coiled around a round metal object as it reappeared. The tail wrung and twisted around the Thermal Detonator, activating it.
Cling!
Click, clack
She strut away with unnatural speed, leaving a beeping present behind. Eye-ronic used its boosters to rise up and hover as close to the ceiling as possible, in pursuit of the black-clad witch.
“See you in a bit, lovelies.”
The explosion of the thermal detonator shook the room as the two Force users made their hasty retreat. “There’s a turbolift up ahead. We’ll need to go three floors down to make it to the manufacturing level.” he announced before placing his datapad back into the case attached to his utility belt. Most people who they passed were smart enough – or simply afraid enough by the Sith’s intimidating presence – to give them a wide berth as they hurried down the hall.
Once they were actually in the turbolift, Bril turned to face her. “I saw what you did to those guards back there,” he said to her, “I know you didn’t have to kill them, but you did it anyway. You’re making it really difficult to put our differences aside for the sake of the greater good, Aphotis.”
A warmth radiated from the tall Sith. Her breaths were long and deep, the hissing from her mask almost a symphony. Her claw clenched Tenderlash’s hilt so tight that it made the grip creak. She longed for more bloodshed, she could taste the iron on her tongue, and it was delicious.
The smile in her eyes mocked the male Zabrak for questioning her. A jolt of realisation hit her in the chest. Perhaps she had been too merciful, too careful, too trusting, even too obedient. That last thought made her feel butterflies in her stomach. The next encounter would be much more thorough. The deliberation was transformed into fuel, into passion.
“Bril, you are correct in your analysis. I did not need to kill them,” her tone of voice was low and sultry and she could not help but imagine the enjoyment it would bring to see and feel the Sleuth dip into his emotions, “I was far too efficient, they could have suffered more, fuelled me more, served me more. Death is a kindness, and I was far too kind.”
“The greater good? Yes, the greater good. I too long to tear them limb from limb, hear their screams, soak in their blood to respect their sacrifice. If they are strong and filled with sorrow, I will even steep into their misery and revel in it for a moment, see their lives flash before my eyes. There is so much to take in every time.”
A long, exasperated sigh fell through his lips, transformed by his mask’s vocal modulator into a low rumble that sounded more like a speeder bike engine. She’d twisted his words, misshaping them to her will like she did the Force. He’d have none of it. “You know that isn’t what I meant,” he fired back, stepping closer while gripping Fetter’s hilt tighter. “What you do on your own time is your own business, but we’re doing things according to my rules. Got it?”
Feelings of elation, of passion and defiance drifted across the narrow divide between their minds. But when something else, something more … carnal bubbled up from unconsciousness into that shared space, he quickly averted his gaze, staring forward at the duracrete walls that passed them by. It was stomach-turning enough that he’d even felt it, but it bothered him more than he didn’t know whose mind it’d come from.
“All your prattle about death and torture is exhausting,” he said, a truth meant to distract himself from what he’d sensed as much as it was to voice his displeasure with everything about her.
Her eyes squinted, shaping the eyeliner into daggers as the lines met. “Your rules? I am here out of my own curiosity, for my own gains. Should your rules be in the way, they will be broken.” His approach did not change her demeanor, except to pivot her head down to peer over the mask’s nosecup.
The slick, black tail flicked and coiled in short motions, aware of the rise in emotions radiating from the Zabrak. It calmed down, curling in an almost disappointed fashion when Bril looked the other way.
Aphotis picked up on the inner struggle for control. But she knew this tin can would be a terrible battleground.
“I concur, let us use that passion for the objective at hand.” The Sith swallowed away some excitement, investing it, letting it fester. There was fire burning within Bril and it would be wasteful for it to burn up too fast. There was essence for more conflict, more potential. And she could benefit.
“The power core is on sub-level 2. It’s likely to be heavily defended, but if we damage the reactor enough, we could bring this entire place down,” he said, thinking aloud as much as he was informing her how they’d proceed.
As he continued to run the potential scenarios through his mind, the sound of the hololift slowing to a gradual halt caught his attention. “Uhh …” The hololift lurched to a sudden stop, prompting him to tap at the controls, “That’s not–”
It started to reverse direction, bringing them back up to some unknown destination.
Aphotis raised her index finger.
“This should be good.”
Her tail double checked the corrugated hose and valves of her backpack and mask, making sure she was breathing from her air supply.
“Say Bril, are you sealed up?” The Sith held up a canister filled with dioxis gas.
Bril had to do a double take when he saw what Aphotis was holding. “Are you insane? Whatever is waiting for us on the other side of that door needs to be met with precision, not toxic gas that won’t discriminate between enemies, civilians, or us.”
The hololift lurched to a stop, but the doors didn’t open. Something was wrong. In both their minds, the Force practically screamed its warnings to them, imploring them to get out and away from this mobile sarcophagus.
“I would consider them collateral, but really, civilians often prove to be quite a useful distraction.”
Held in front of her mask, Aphotis activated the grenade with a nonchalant tap, and then dropped it at the platforms of her boots.
The face mask hissed in tandem with the explosive device.
“Just in time.”
She clipped the oval lightwhip hilt back on her high waist belt and her tail handed her the quantum blade.
A latex gloved hand snapped and clicked as it clenched around the grip of her Vorpal Blade. The sharp sound of her weapon was incredibly high pitched, brimming with energy. The Varpeline crystal inside further amplified the singularity’s cutting power as it melted the durasteel above them like butter.
As Aphotis dedicated her attention to securing their escape from the turbolift, Bril kept his eyes trained on the thick sliding doors. He needed to act now; the Force would offer no more warnings of the impending danger. At the far end of the hall lying behind the closed doors of the hololift, Bril could sense two lifeforms waiting for them, their minds poisoned by their own hatred and malice. In the Force, Aphotis would perceive Bril’s presence as.an ever-burning ember, its green flames tempered and kept from igniting into an uncontrollable blaze – not a balance of light and dark, but the existence of the Force as something beyond strict binaries. It was one. It was raw, wild, yet kept in check for the time being.
CRACK-HISS
Vigil‘s blade, the color of molten gold, sprang from its emitter as the hololift door slammed open, allowing the toxic fumes of Aphotis’ dioxis grenade to billow outward into the chamber. The armed assailants were too far to be threatened by it right now, though, but that didn’t matter. Bril weaved his saber in front of him, a yellow blur whipping around with all the brutal precision of Saan'kal Miras – his personal style. He surrendered himself to his senses in that moment, to the Force. And with that temporary loss of himself, he became a being a pure instinct to deflect the volley of crimson bolts fired at them.
The tall Sith scraped the still searing metal with her lightsaber hilt and then pulled herself up. Eye-ronic followed behind her. A familiar smoky and charcoal flavor stained her tongue. She peered back down at Bril. Her tail pulled a fibercord out of the symbiotic-latex covered Envoy pouch and lowered it just above the Zabrak.
Aphotis had not seen the fast-paced pattern of movements before, not in combination with each other in such an accurate manner, at least. There was little more precious than the opportunity to study a potential adversary. Electric-blue eyes saccaded, recording every muscle twitch, each joint movement and each step. She stored the imagery in a special corner of her mind, to let it fester and develop into a more coherent whole.
The crimson Nightmare Talisman on her neck-brace pulsed in emerald waves, picking up on the energy source the Sleuth was tapping from.
While she watched, Eye-ronic began to map the lift shaft, sending the most effective climbing route over to its Mistress. It released its remotes to spot potential exits or to look for com ports.
There wasn’t enough time for Bril to get a good look at their assailants. Flashes of orange light born from the clashes of Vigil’s blade and deadly blaster bolts painted everything around him. One more shrieked across the long hallway apace, only to be reflected back on the one who fired it; a loud “kark!” confirmed that it’d hit something living. That was his cue to make a break for it. Bril deactivated his saber and practically dove backward into the turbolift, then leaped upward to grab the line of fibercord hanging through the hole in the ceiling.
After pulling himself to his feet and clipping Vigil back to his belt, he looked at Aphotis. “Thanks,” he said, “For not leaving me.”
One of the remotes beamed information over to Eye-ronic, which in turn shared the feed on Aphotis’s HUD. An opening, quite a climb upward, and it appeared wide enough to pass through.
“Welcome back, Bril, can you climb, because the next entrance is quite a way up.”
The Sith neatly stowed away the fibercord with skill that only someone very experienced with rope could do.
The lift shaft was wide enough for jet-boots, but a controlled ascend was likely safer and left one less open to attacks.
Heavy platforms bent durasteel as she pushed off from the turbolift cabin.
Clang
Her claws gave the tall woman just the right amount of grip and she used her bladed heels like ice-picks. The Sith scaled the metal wall like a varactyl, almost as if she did this on a daily basis.
“Follow my tail.”
“Not a problem,” he replied. Bril planted his feet firmly on the hololift’s metal paneling, and then bounded upward with a Force-augmented jump. His hands gripped the metal wall tightly as he scaled it, moving up the turbolift ahaft apace.
It didn’t take them long to reach the maintenance hatch, which led them to a cramped space with a semicircular control panel occupying most of it. The room appeared to be connected to one of the facility’s main floor.
“Any idea what this does?”