Lacrimosa

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal couldn't figure what angle Eluna was playing at. Fortunately, Loklorien solved that quickly enough. Still, they needed a distraction to keep the neighbors from paying too much attention. Milivikal got next to the comm and pressed the button.

"Es okay, sorry for trouble, bad writing she got. Thank ooo." Mercifully, the steps toward the door stopped, and went back to deeper in the apartment.

Eluna shrugged, and so did Milivikal.

Wordlessly, they entered Karnage's home. It was stuffed with books and other documents. Maps, papers, books, datapads were spread onto almost every surface, barring the kitchen.

She frowned, not seeing Loklorien immediately.

"s'Ilancy?" Her voice was soft, flowing evenly through the rest of the space.

[Eluna Thals]

"We should get to work. If there's any items of interest to be lifted from this place, let's get to it."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il had made her way to the back room; what she surmised was the Colonel's study. More books and papers littered the area, and setting her duffel on the floor beside the desk, she eased her small frame gently into the leather seat. Before her was a scattering of loose papers, data pads, and other assorted volumes; some tagged with torn pieces of paper.

Hurriedly scrawled memos were brushed to the side as she picked through the random leavings, but it was the small carved trinket sitting at the base of a desklamp that caught her full attention.

Reaching a hand out she depressed the lamp switch while in the same motion carefully plucking the figurine up into a soft grip.

It was a vornskr; one that she had seen before many long years ago. Chiseled from onyx, the representation had been skillfully crafted. She should know; after all, she was the one who had made it.

Leaning back in the seat, s'Il ignored Mili's call as she held the vornskr up into the light, and smiled.

[Byl Laprovik]

Suddenly, a speeder pulled into view, bisecting Byl's line of sight, and cutting him off.

"Dammit."

He jerked his rifle back, and started to break it down again.

"My view is blocked. They were last seen entering the compound. You have maybe two minutes. I'm going to find another vantage."

"Hey, hurry up in there, you're taking forever!" A female voice sounded from outside. Byl continued to pack away his kit.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal sucked air in between her teeth, scanning the room for anything useful. She closed her eyes, and let loose an 80 kHz spectrum sweep until 100 kHz. Most saber crystals resonated in that range. Hmm.

Her eyes flicked open, and she plowed into the study. She paused for a moment, noticing Loklorien at the desk, pinged again. Yes.

Feverishly, she tore one of the drawers open. It was filled with cases of various artifacts. It was all ancient history, and right now, she cared very little for it. She opened a case, snapped it back shut, and dropped it on the floor. The drawer quickly emptied.

"Oh you little bastard, where did you put them?" She stuck her hand against the top of the drawer sleeve, until she felt a small case. Her heart nearly skipped a beat as she opened it and poured the cloth bag into her hand.

Crystals. More than one would work in a lightsaber.

"Lok..." she said as she marveled at the jewels.

"Company is coming." Eluna had the presence to remember. Mili scrambled, rolling the crystals back into the bag and stuffed it into her pants pocket. One of the nanoplast knives lept into her hands, and she replaced it into the back sheath.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna planted herself flush against the wall adjacent to the door, waiting for it to open. Unlike Mili and s'Il, she had no weapon on her at all. She didn't appear to be particuarly worried about that.

The door slid open, and one of the men entered and paused, seeing the ransacked room, as well as Mili in front. Eluna pounced him, catching his arm by the wrist and wrenching it painfully up to the small of his back, causing him to double over to alleviate the pressure. That allowed Eluna to roughly throw the much larger man clean across the living room of the apartment, where either s'Il or Mili could deal with him however they pleased.

She whirled around in time to punch the second guard as he reached into a shoulder holster, ceasing the draw and causing the weapon to tumble clumsily to the floor as she reached for the good Colonel, wrenching the bottom of his jacket over his head to disorient him as he was roughly pulled into the apartment as well.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

From her seat behind the desk, s'Il watched calmly as Mili hid the crystals away in a pocket. The sight of them brought back memories of years past, and the knowledge that she too would need to construct another lightsabre for herself.

Her eye went up to the door as it opened however, and she sat comfortably, a content spectator to Eluna's swift movements that soon enough brought both the larger men and then the Colonel himself jarringly inside. The onyx vornskr was still nestled gently in her hand, and for a few more moments the Lupine stared lazily at their three new arrivals. It was only when the door shut and locked itself that she turned her attentions to k'Vik, speaking amiably as if the two were having a pleaaent conversation over a nice meal rather than in the ransacked apartment of an Imperial.

A nod was given to the drawer that the crystals had been taken from.

"An unexpected find?"

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl tore open the curtain suddenly, walking out of the booth at a clipped pace and paying no attention to the woman who was berating him. He walked with a quick, wide gait, and panned his eyes left and right to find a suitable replacement vantage.

Suddenly he veered into an alleyway, and ran up a flight of fire escape stairs. It should lead to a rooftop.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"A pleasant surprise." k'Vik intoned coolly.

She stepped out of the study, and into the main room. Eluna had her hands full, but had bought herself plenty of time. The man was getting back to his feet when his hands shot to his ears. Strange, his mouth was open, his face twisted into a visage of pain, but no sound issued from his mouth. He fell to his knees, and then to the floor.

Milivikal watched him writhe, her gaze cold and distant. She looked through the bodyguard. He made no sound at all, nor did anyone else.

[Eluna Thals]

The second bodyguard had stooped to pick up his dropped weapon. Eluna stomped downward on the man's hand, smashing the bones within it, a half second before she wrapped both hands around the back of his neck and gave it a sharp wrenching movement, causing a clean break and instant death.

"All done here."

She snatched Karrnage's jacket from his head, and used the lapels as leverage to lift him off the ground and toss him into a nearby seat.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The sudden deposit of Karrnage's body into the chair opposite the desk she sat at - his desk - did not startle the Lupine in any way.

Quite the opposite, she leaned forward so that her arms rested on the desktop, her hands coming together, fingers intertwining with themselves while still keeping a hold of the figurine.

She stared at the Colonel until her voice broke the silence.

"Do you know who I am."

[Colonel Karrnage]

Karrnage gingerly padded down a sheen of perspiration that had accumulated on his forehead with a handkerchief. He smiled.

"Why yes, of course."

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl continued to bound up the fire escape, until he was blocked by a young man having a deathstick on one of the upper levels. Not bothering to explain a man with a large case coming up a fire escape, he spun the smoker about, rammed his head into the door frame, and kicked him into his own apartment, drawing his pistol as he entered.

This would have to do.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal kicked the flailing man in the temple hard enough for his head to snap violently to the side. She turned him over with her boot and crushed his throat for a good minute, until she heard no beat of his heart.

"How did they get through the weapon scanners?" she asked Eluna.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna retrieved the weapon and examined it.

"If they're a bodyguard detail, they may have been cleared to carry a weapon."

Rendering the pistol safe, she tucked it into her waistband.

"Either way, it's not a problem anymore."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il nodded at his answer, noting that the commotion from the front room had died down.

Her attention focused on the Colonel again, and she unwound her hands to allow the vornskr carving to stand on its' own.

"I did not expect to see this again," she started her eye going to the statuette, "I must thank you for that, it seems.

"But that is not why I am here."

She leaned back, her hands steepling beneath her chin as she studied him. "It is good that you survived the unfortunate business on Dantooine."

[Colonel Karrnage]

"Yes, I uncovered several such things. More questions found than answers it seems."

Reasurred at least for the moment that he was not going to be killed, Karrnage leaned back in the seat, and removed his oval glasses.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl quickly cleared the studio apartment, locked the doors, and bound the unconcious man and tossed him into the sonic shower in the refresher. Reassembling his rifle, he set up a perch against the living room sofa, so that the barrel was cradled by the back cushions as he slid the blinds open partially.

"I'm in position again. Report."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Eluna pressed the wristcomm.
"Package acquired, excess baggage dumped." Karnage could hear none of it.
"Oh." Mili said, feeling a little silly.

Milivikal, meanwhile, found the other blaster. It was being carried ready to fire. She ticked the safety on and slipped it next to the nanoplast knife on her back. Next, she pilfered the credits from the man's wallet. No sense in letting them go to waste.

[Eluna Thals]

With the threats killed, Eluna took a back seat, and went about gleaning anything that would be of value to Alliance Intel, as she maintained a vigil over their security.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She suppressed a smile.

"It is the nature of us, I am afraid. With only three of us left, I am sad to say that there are things about ourselves that even we do not know.

"Which is why I am here now."

With one hand she retrieved the duffel, unzipping it and pulling out a large, white, leatherbound volume. Reverently, she set the book down on the desk so that it was oriented toward him. She did not open it just yet however, instead only resting her hand over the aged leather cover.

"It seems I find myself in a situation where you and I can help each other, and what I give to you can in turn help you to give something back to me."

[Colonel Karrnage]

Karrnage instantly recognized it as a Lupine tome, and leaned forward. She hadn't needed such a thing to get his attention, but it certainly helped.

"I am interested in what you have to say."

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl put a finger up to his earbud and made an annoyed face.

"You have time to chit chat later. You need to be leaving soon."

He panned his rifle so that he had the window of the correct apartment facing him. He could vaguely see silhouettes moving inside.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Good." k'Vik said to Karnage and Lok. "Now we must move."

To a degree, they were banking on Karnage's obsessions overriding his self preservation. He wouldn't be the first academic with an unconscious death wish.

They started toward the door.

"I do have a question. The obvious aside, why bother with guards?"

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna did a pat-down on the guard she killed, and came up with some credentials. She sucked on her lip a bit, and tossed it to Mili.

"Because Imperial Intel is keeping tabs on him."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il looked up to k'Vik, and gave an absent nod.

Her eye returned to Karrnage.

"If I gave you the chance to learn everything about my kind, would you come with me."

[Colonel Karrnage]

Karrnage laughed nervously and licked his lips, looking at the two dead guards.

"The illusion of a choice on my part is a courtesy. I will humor you with an answer; I am incessantly curious."

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl had listened to Eluna's remark.

"This doesn't smell right. Why would she be on him? We need to find out."

He made a face at the implications. The natural paranoia that they may be in a trap was high on his mind.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"The Package was with Our Favorite Person, due to a mutual investment in one of our couriers." Milivikal explained. Byl was sharp. He would understand.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna gave a knowing nod, and went back to the door, cracking it open to give a brief glance. Quickly closing again, she resumed her reconnoiteering, flipping through documents with a rapid pace.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She gave the Colonel an amused hrmph.

At least he was smart enough to know that the question she'd posed had only been for formality's sake.

"Then it is settled." Her hand came away from the book, and she plucked both it and the carving up, replacing them in her duffel.

She stood, then stopped short and looked down to Karrnage.

"I need more than just you though. A medallion from House Ravenwing and... " she paused, remembering something from long ago, "... I had a journal... "

[Colonel Karrnage]

Karrnage hesitated.

"You must understand, my research relies upon material artifacts and I have so much work..."

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl began to scan the entrances and exits of the building's superstructure, to see if there was any sign of tightening security. They were verging on taking too much time. If Karrnage came involuntarily, he'd have to improvise an exit.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

She had found what she had been searching for. A nicely sized suitcase, empty.

"We have no time for this." Milivikal said firmly.

"You shall have to make due with a living artifact."

"If you have items that are absolutely needed, put them in here." She snapped the case open and put it in the middle of his work table.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna unceremoniously dumped some of the items she'd noticed that were of interest into the case, and assisted in moving the ones that s'Il and Karrnage chose, to shorten their stay as much as possible.

"What is the best way out to avoid attention?" She asked Karrnage directly.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Closing her own bag, s'Il swept it up and over her shoulder.

The case was also closed, and she pushed it into the Colonel's hands before placing a hand on his shoulder, turning him in the direction of the door and gently pushing him forward.

She looked to Milivikal then, lapsing into Bast'yr.

<"I think it best if we make no sound during our exit.">

[Colonel Karrnage]

"To be perfectly honest, the main entrance. Act casually."

Karrnage paused, then nervously stammered.

"You would...of course...probably want to leave your blasters behind."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

<"None besides our footsteps."> She said, agreeing.

Eluna could to what she pleased with her blaster. As improved as the "uncivilized" weapon was, k'Vik still did not need one, especially since she had the nanoplast knives. Her gloved hand deposited the blaster back on one of the guards.

"Any other suggestions or important slices of trivia we should be aware of?" She asked, hand on the door handle. It was a question that should be answered.

[Eluna Thals]

In a second, it was in pieces. Eluna detail-stripped the weapon by pure reflex memory, and discarded the components on the floor.

"Alright, let's go." She agreed nonchalantly, heading out with Mili ahead of the other two.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il allowed Karrnage to walk ahead of her as she herself brought up the rear of their little group.

The door to his apartment closed, and the Lupine moved to walk alongside him. He was not a tall man, but it seemed that he still held a few inches on her.

She canted her head to the side as they approached the lift, reaching out both with the Force and her own natural abilities - nothing seemed amiss, but in such a situation one could never be too certain. She gave a sidelong look to the Colonel. He'd not answered Mili, and s'Il prompted again.

"Well?"

[Colonel Karrnage]

"I would think not."

Karrnage managed to omit, of course, that he had a locator transponder on his person that would give away his position. Something that Esalis may find useful if the Lupine led him to her other friends as well.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal's eyes narrowed. There was something amiss. She knew the director was more clever than just posting two bodyguards to him. She rubbed her forehead and brushed her hair back.

"Something is amiss. The package was too easy to lift." she said subtly into the comm, and neither Karnage nor Loklorien could hear her.

[Byl Laprovik]

"He's a school teacher, not an Imperial Legion General. Armed guards seem a bit much even for that."

Byl didn't agree with Mili's assessment, but was paranoid enough to pay it mind.

"I'm not going to get burned on this guy. Just get him out, and we'll take him to a rally point."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She kept a firm hand on Karrnage's shoulder, just in case he decided it best to run. Of course, given what she'd seen of his disposition thus far, the Lupine wasn't so sure that he would try such a thing. Still.

Following the others into the lift,s'Il gave Mili a somewhat perplexed look. She'd not heard the other's words, but it was not hard for her senses to detect k'Vik's feeling of unease. Her next words were spoken in Bast'yr once more - there was no need for Karrnage to know their further intentions.

<"I will take an easy victory now and be thankful.

<"It is the next step of this endeavor that we must be far more cautious of.">

[Eluna Thals]

The lift opened, and Eluna stepped out first, walking casually but keeping mindful of the exits, potential threats, and other areas of note.

The approached the main entrance, and the gate guard, who eyed them as he was speaking on a comm device. Though she thought something was up, she gave a warm smile, and continued to approach.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Yeah, I'll be by after work. No, it's fine as long as I can grab a shower..." He paused to return Eluna's smile and went back to chatting.

Normal inane banter. Nothing of interest.

They walked through the door, Milivikal following Eluna to the extraction point. Wherever that might be.

[Byl Laprovik]

"Blue van, look sharp!"

Byl swung his rifle immediately as he saw it in the peripheral. It hadn't been there a moment ago, and now it was within 70 meters. He waited to see if the doors would open.

"Eluna, get to the speeder. Mili, s'Il, I need you to go to the causeway, half kilometer down. Get into a crowd. I'm moving."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her brow furrowing, s'Il tightened her grip on Karrnage, now pulling him with her as she turned and headed in the direction Byl had indicated.

A part of her hoped that Laprovik was simply being overly paranoid; his survival hinged upon such a thing, but she also knew that what they were doing now warranted his behavior. They were on Coruscant, after all; Imperial Center.

And suddenly, for the first time since landing, the Lupine couldn't help the smallest amount of doubt to trickle into her thoughts.

Should they have come?

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna parted ways at the walkway, heading in the opposite direction of the two Jedi and their hostage. She ducked into a side street and took off, sprinting at unnatural speed. The sound of rapid footfalls echoed in the tight alleyway as she cut hard to the right, skidding and propping herself up with a strategically planted palm before accelerating again. An unfortunate fruit salesman was knocked to the ground, and his wares went skyward.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Right."

Milivikal made a bead for the crowd, sure that Loklorien's strength could keep the somewhat diminutive Karnage in check.

Blue van... blue van... she glanced over her shoulder. Mili never told a soul, but she was slightly colorblind and sometimes could not distinguish certain shades. She wished Byl had mentioned who made it. Each speeder manufacturer's powerplants sounded different. She quickened her pace to a fast walk, a common sight on Coruscant.

"Loop his arm within yours." She said to s'Il. It would make them look less conspicuous. The lupine paused, but complied shortly thereafter.

Lok was following her as they approached the larger flow of pedestrian traffic. The causeway was lined with smaller street vendors. She kept a few meters ahead of the pair, mindful of their foot patter. If either were to stumble she would need to pick them up quickly.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl kept the van in his reticle a moment more. The passenger side door cracked open.

wrrCRACK

The side window shattered into oblivion, and a man slumped halfway out of the doorway, with a neat quarter inch hole in his cheek and a massive spray of blood behind him, indicative of the soft metal slug that had run through him.

The van lurched backwards suddenly as the driver made to get out of their parked position. The dead passenger's body tumbled out of the side and onto the sidewalk, causing a terrible commotion.

Byl punched the second shot through the driver's side of the windshield, and the van crashed into a retainer wall, tilting onto its side.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It had been long enough since her last change that the Lupine didn't hear the silenced gunshot, but the sound of glass being punctured reached her ears well enough. Her pace quickened, arm looped in with Karrnage's so that he was very nearly dragged along with her. Thankfully the Imperial had the presence of mind to speed up as well.

They were nearing the causeway, and s'Il cast a look to the side in the hopes of sighting Eluna. Wherever the droid had gone she'd no idea. A slight, disapproving rumble sounded deep and low in her throat; this business was better off being finished sooner rather than later.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna kept up her pace, taking a back route to where the speeder was parked. Another bystander was too slow to avoid her and she hit him full-on, knocking him to the side like a ragdoll as she continued running. At last she reached the thoroughfare and spotted the speeder a short distance away. By that time, she could see the nearby barracks beginning to swarm with activity, as it finally became known that something was afoot. Not wanting to waste time, Eluna jumped up, sliding her backside across the hood of the van as she popped the driver's hatch to get inside. She fired up the engine, and lifted off in a vertical ascent, hoping to forego the fracas below.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Mili heard the sound of the van start, and lift away from the scene.

"Bugger." She muttered to herself. This was more of a mess than she had wanted. Still, at least they had closed on the causeway, and the crowd became more dense as it was funneled into a comparatively narrow corridor.

Lined with shops, the dense people were in no hurry, and no one had really noticed the activity from the barracks yet. Until Byl or Eluna told her otherwise, why not go shopping.

Milivikal did not mind tasteful jewelery, and why not browse to pass the time.

"Oh Lok, you should see this." She said, spotting something rather nice, if more gaudy than her normal preference. Her accent had changed to Modern, Upper Crust Coruscanti.

Milivikal held a necklace aloft, lined with light blue stones that contrasted nicely against the Lupine's hair.

"It's just the right color for you."

[Byl Laprovik]

Giving the major surfaces of the rifle a quick wipe with the hem of his shirt, Byl did the same to the trigger, stripped the receiver and accelerator off the rifle, and threw the ammo magazine across the room before leaving the apartment and his rifle behind.

He stepped out into the sunlight, eyes panning quickly and sharp as knives, ready to mark out the nearest threat. The street below was turning into a circus, and he needed another exit.

Returning to the apartment, Byl kicked a door off the hinges before moving to the other end. He opened the main entrance doorway and ran down the hallway to the service lift. He rode the lift down to the second floor, dismounted, and went around the back end, thumbing his earbud as he did to listen discretely to his wristcomm. There was bustle and chatter, so they sounded like they were in a very high foot traffic spot. Good.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Taking her cue from Mili, s'Il paid far more attention to the piece of jewelry than she normally would have.

"It's gorgeous," she purred lightly, still keeping her arm firmly locked in Karrnage's.

The Lupine turned to give an odd, if not amused look to the Colonel. "Don't you think so?"

Whatever it was that Byl and Eluna had planned, they'd better have it done fast.

[Colonel Karrnage]

Perspiring from the quick movements as well as the thick tension, Karrnage was less convincing than his captors. He gave a very nervous smile, stammered, and kept looking back, adjusting his spectacles.

"Y-yes...nice...very nice."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna put herself into a high altitude skylane, and did a 20 kilometer circuit to keep her in the area, but out of trouble. She punched up the multi-channel comm.

"I'm on the ceiling, who needs a pickup?"

[Milivikal k'Vik]

A death glare loomed over carnage. Milivikal's face seemed otherwise calm and collected. She was even smiling slightly. But her eyes, narrowed just a touch, projected menace. Something about him was wrong.

"Oh Erasmus, you should try to relax." She said as she glanced at the necklace for a moment longer. She put it down, and tilted her head back a little. She looked at him. Being relaxed seemed the furthest thing from his mind, but, at least he was trying.

"I know that you haven't been on a walk in a while. I wasn't expecting it to be so crowded at this time of day. I do apologize." She said to Karnage, and then she smiled and nodded at the vendor

Her head tilted back. She could hear several booted footsteps walking together. No stormtroopers. Regulars from the garrison began to fan out through the crowd. It was most likely that they were being sought after.

She could hear them shuffling through the crowd, with one getting closer. Milivikal interposed herself into his route at the last minute, clumsily bumping into the Officer. She spun, but kept her footing.

"Oh dear! Sorry!"Not here. The officer gave her a quick glance and continued on.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl barged into another apartment, immediately making straight for the balcony. Now it was only a one story drop, and he did so, leaping to the alley below as he continued on.

"I'm coming your way, make for the rail transit, to your left."

He spoke to Mili and s'Il, knowing that Eluna would be hearing them all.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Projecting a calm outward appearance, s'Il reached out to place the palm of her hand on Mili's back. While still keeping Karrnage close, the Lupine smiled genially.

"We should probably be continuing on. The next tram leaves soon, and we'll be late to the museum if we miss it."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna took a deviation, heading down to a lower level to cover the transit zone. Leaning out the side window slightly, she peered down at the throng of people below, her eyes zooming and panning so that she could rapidly sort through the lot of them and find her three accomplices.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Across the overpass, a mag-rail train was disgorging it's passenger load. Milivikal spotted one of the Imperial troops. Frustration rolled off of him. They had no idea where the perpetrators were.

She nodded to Lok.

"Let's go." Said the Jedi to her... what was Karnage, exactly? Milivikal pushed the thought away as she made her way through the crowd.

[Byl Laprovik]

Coming up on people again, Byl gave a furtive glance at the area, pulling back behind cover before deciding he could afford to holster his weapon. Doing so, he stepped out, adjusting his energetic stride to the sort of listless shuffle of the mob around him.

Ahead and to his left were uniformed officers. Those were harmless unless he did something stupid. Byl paid them little attention, panning about quickly to notice any agents in plainclothes who might be in the area. Those were the ones he had to quickly locate, and either maneuver around, or destroy.

Byl slinked through a throng of people at a news kiosk, and went through the motions of pereusing through a holo index.

"Blue hat, silver jacket." He whispered into the comm, his eyes staying fixed on the holo.

"Avoid, but don't be obvious about it."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il kept her gaze forward, a pleasant smile crossing her features as she followed after Mili. Her grip on Karrnage remained, and she pulled him to her side in a gesture meant to give the outward appearance that the two were together.

Byl's comments had been taken in, and the Lupine spotted the target ahead and to the left.

A nudge was sent to k'Vik through the Force, so that the other woman would know where he was as well.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna spotted Mili & s'Il, and began to ease the speeder into position to descend, so that she'd be in a position that would be easy for the trio to make the rendezvous. Between her and the Jedi was a transit station, so she made for a public lot and touched down, hopeful that the two saw her overfly their position.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

The plant in the jacket was easily avoided, and distracted. A strange thunk only he heard in the distance pulled him away while they slipped past.

"Lok." She said, her head tilted up toward Eluna's craft.

The trio headed up the stairway over the public transit stop, not bothering with the automated lifts. Karnage looked less than pleased. He was an academic, not an adventurer. Milivikal bounded up the stairs, and turned to wait for the slowed s'Ilancy. Mili sighed, and folded her arms while she waited for him to scale the steps.

"Come on then, pick up the pace." She chided as they reached the top. She wanted to go. The trip down the stairs was still too slow for her liking. Her patience was starting to thin. Lupines were stout. She started to wonder if it would be faster to have Loklorien carry Karnage instead of trotting him around. It would be too conspicuous, though.

As soon as they hit the lot, she paused. Eluna had kept the speeder on and warm. She listened for it, finding the source of the noise near the middle of the lot. The three piled into the speeder.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl continued his slowed pace, drifting listlessly in the speeder's general direction. He even skirted within arm's reach of two Imperial officers, giving a vaguely courteous nod to each as he walked on by. They had their heads so far up themselves that they didn't even suspect him, and he approached the van.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Once in the speeder, the Lupine made sure to place Karrnage between herself and Mili, and wasting no time, she pulled his case up into her lap. The clasps holding it closed were quickly unfastened, and opening it, she went about rummaging through the hastily thrown in contents.

As an afterthought, she very nearly dropped her own duffel into the Imperial's lap. "Read what you will."

Which, while she had given her permission for him to look through the tomes she'd brought, it was no real worry on her part since none of them were written in Basic. He would simply have to make do with the few pictures interspersed within for now.

Finding her old journal was easy enough; she could smell it without question of its' origins. It smelled aged and old, and familiar

Taking it up, she passed it to Mili.

[Eluna Thals]

"I've got to get us to a holding spot. They'll probably try to set up checkpoints in this sector."

Eluna righted the speeder and accelerated into the air, angling the craft to merge into a skylane. She was nearly merged when she noticed a small swoop bike also merging.

"Possible tail."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

A small frown was the only hint as to her distaste of being tailed. Sure, if she were to channel the Force, she could pull a swoop out of the sky, but it would attract undue attention, and if it was a tail, they'd squawk for help rather loudly.

She looked behind them and watched the swoop merge into traffic. She glanced back occasionally, but the more she watched it, the more she was convinced they were heading in a different direction.

They traveled a few klicks before the swoop merged into a different skylane, well away.

No longer so distracted, she turned her attention to the journal in her lap. It was Loklorien's handwriting, filled with scrawls, trying to find the original Losstarot homeworld.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl sat in the passenger's seat, fuming. He tensed and relaxed his jaw, and glared back at Karrnage.

"You're not telling me something, and it's something I need right now. You've got five minutes to tell me before we reach a safehouse. The only thing keeping me from kicking you out and letting you freefall is that it would attract too much attention."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Pausing in her search through the quickly gathered papers of his case, s'Il looked up to give Byl a blank stare. She blinked, then turned inclined her head to Karrnage, regarding him with her sightless eye as he sat sandwiched between herself and Mili.

"What is he talking about," the Lupine hissed.

[Colonel Karrnage]

"I...I..."

Karrnage wasn't used to such direct threats against his life. If he was Esalis, perhaps he'd know how to handle such things. Now, only his survival instinct functioned.

"...I have a passive energy transponder in my shoe. Director Esalis uses it to keep tabs on my location."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna turned back now, a frown on her face.

"Get rid of it, yesterday!"

She continued to check for a tail. The fact that she wasn't spotting one unnerved her. If he was right, they might not even need one.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

She had known something was wrong.The dagger was in her hand before anyone could even take another breath. It was nice to feel validated.

"You'll have to go barefoot, then." She grabbed one of his feet and sliced the laces apart in a single stroke before wrenching the shoe off his foot. He gasped.

"The other one." She commanded. The only hesitation was the moment it took for his brain to override the fear he was feeling.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl returned eyes forward, silent for the longest time.

"Lose them." He snarled at Eluna, who complied thoroughly. They changed skylanes at least a dozen times, crossing through at least three sectors before approaching the safe house, which was an old blast furnace.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The rest of the trip, for her, was spent in silence. Unlike the others, s'Il kept quiet, her body leaning back in the seat.

After they'd stopped, she took up both her duffel and the Colonel's case, exiting the speeder smoothly. Karrnage followed, and she returned his case to him, not necessarily placing it gently into his hands, but not exactly shoving it to him either. Every move she made was swift and calculated, and without waiting the Lupine placed her hand on his shoulder, once more directing him towards the door that would lead into the safe house.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna touched down, only after making a quick pass around the sector. She'd watched the skylines aggressively while keeping a passive scan on communications channels. She was highly certain that they weren't followed. Only after that certainty did she power down.

She followed up the tail of the group, giving a quick glance behind as she slammed the blast doors behind them.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Free of most social constraints, Milivikal kept her hands occupied by rolling one of the daggers through her fingers. She slipped her free hand into her pocket, making sure the crystals were still there. They were, and the thought made her feel warm. It was a relief, to say the least.

Second to last out of the speeder, it gave her time to study everyone else, but her gaze rested on Byl. The big Rebel wasn't the prettiest thing she'd ever seen, but everything about him was purposeful, and she could appreciate that.

It had gone rather well, rather lucky. She could build a new saber, and the director would be robbed of another resource. For a moment, she thought of Orem, and decided that she didn't especially care. The only thing back with the fleet that held her interest was her massive archive of music. Orem was potentially useful, yes, but not interesting.

"Can a transmission be sent to the fleet? I have someone who shall be of use to your Intel Corps." She asked Eluna. It would keep him occupied, for now.

[Byl Laprovik]

Once inside, Byl slapped the hat from Karrnage's head and pulled his jacket from his shoulders so that it bound his arms to his sides. Wrenching him off his feet, he dropped him onto an unpadded chair and promptly unholstered his pistol.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

With little emotion, s'Il watched as Byl pulled his blaster out. Pursing her lips, the Lupine placed a steady hand on the Rebel's shoulder and eased him away from the Imperial.

A level gaze - without anger or reproach was given to Byl as she released her hold on him with a gentle pat. Her eyes went to Karrnage then, and she looked down at him for a short while before lowering to her haunches. Now looking up at him, she reached a hand out, calling to his hat through the Force, and it slid across the ground before jumping up into her waiting hand.

This she placed in his lap.

"The Ravenwing crest. Where is it."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna let Byl and s'Il take care of Karrnage, and spoke to Mili.

"We can, but it would be best to do that somewhere else. We have hijacked holonet units, and even if those can't be blocked or decrypted, you can still triangulate signal grid and intensity. Anything going beyond the middle rim would be a strong energy signal."

She walked with Mili to a holomap, and adjusted some coordinates.

"We have contacts in journalism that can piggyback strong communication signals like this with almost no risk. It's hiding a water drop in a wave at full tide."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal nodded approvingly. That was rather clever, and, when the time came, had great opportunity to be highly subversive in other ways.

"I need to simply inform Orem to be cooperative, and that I am well. I am sure he will give the Alliance useful information." She smiled and slipped the dagger back into it's sheath. Her hands switched to the small crystals in the felt bag, and rolled them within.

"How did you end up with the Alliance?" She asked.

[Colonel Karrnage]

"The crest, I always keep close."

Karrnage's eyes were wider than normal, and fixated on Byl's blaster. He would reach to his neck to tug at a necklace that held it, but his arms were bound.

"It is around my neck. Alas, I'm encumbered and cannot give it to you."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She gave a sympathetic nod, but otherwise made no move to remedy his current situation. Instead, the Lupine reached out, her fingers going to the buttons of his shirt. Quickly she worked, stopping halfway down, and with another easy motion she pulled his shirt open to expose the medallion that hung around his neck. Fingertips grazed over the soft skin of his chest before coming to rest around the crest. She was careful in her handling, pulling it slightly toward herself to admire the craftsmanship before letting it fall back against him.

And without a word, s'Il leaned in close. She smelled the medallion, its' scent now mostly his own, but she could detect the barest of traces that belonged to Arya; indeed it had been hers. The Loveloxx aroma, though weak, was distinguishable enough from the Imperial's.

Her eyes closed as she lifted her head farther up, until her lips were at his ear.

"It is a good thing that you have this," there was a low rumbling in her throat that seemed to add a second tone to her voice.

"Keep it with you for now.

"When we meet with the Loveloxx, you will return it to her."

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl scowled at the Jedi's queer eccentricities, and reholstered his weapon after a few moments.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna pondered the question, and smiled wistfully.

"They're the only family I've got. Sounds strange to say, but I feel like an outsider anywhere else."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal nodded.

"Better than what I have had." She said, and stood. Milivikal strode next to s'Ilancy.

"I am pleased you found what you were searching for. What do you intend to do with him?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The Lupine blinked, then rocked back on her heals and rose to stand fully.

"He will stay with me from now on."

She gave Mili a sidelong look then, making a small gesture to where the other woman had placed the crystals.

"And you? What do you wish to do now? You have crystals, but would you rather have your sabre returned?"

[Colonel Karrnage]

"From now on?"

Karrnage blinked, looking up. He found no refuge in Byl's dark expression, and looked to the Lupine to see if she would elaborate on this. He certainly yearned for the opportunity to further his research, but what good was science if it was hidden under a bushel? He must surely be able to report to his peers.

[Byl Laprovik]

"Are you interested in alternatives?"

The dry cut of Byl's quip led nobody to believe that he was suggesting an alternative that would be appealing to Karrnage.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Mili ignored Karnage. She was completely unsympathetic to his plight.

"Of course I wish to have my saber again." She said. "Yet I am realistic. I shall build another saber. If the opportunity arises what is mine shall be mine again." There was a degree of finality in her voice. There was sadness too, that her craftsmanship would not be appreciated properly.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Also ignoring Karrnage, s'Il gave her fellow Jedi a sombre nod.

"Patience will reward you."

At this, she looked to Byl and Eluna then.

"It is time that we left this planet."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna nodded, looking guardedly at Byl before turning her attention to Lok.

"I can arrange it. How many passengers?"

[Milivikal k'Vik]

She looked distant, her eyes pale skies high above. Following Loklorien would deny her some measure of freedom again. Milivikal was not willing to let her thin sliver go so soon.

"Two. I could be of use to the Alliance on Coruscant." She said, and looked at Byl with curiosity. By his nature, he was difficult to predict. Byl was interesting. Interesting was important to Milivikal.

[Byl Laprovik]

"Could you?"

Byl quirked an eyebrow at the enigmatic woman as he crossed his arms. That was a sudden bit of volunteer work. He didn't deny that a force user would have uses, but the unstable nature of their power was a possible liability.

"I still haven't worked out the possibility that you might be an Imperial double blind." He half joked.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

This somewhat startled the Lupine, and she looked sharply to Milivikal. She'd not expected the other woman to wish to stay, but she would also never deny such a desire. Perhaps it was their shared Jedi kinship, or more even, that k'Vik was the Arbiter; a very literal living relic of the Lupines.

She bowed her head low as Byl spoke, but said nothing for the moment.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

The corner of Milivikal's mouth pulled up a little at Byl's comment, but when she looked at Loklorien, her heart faltered a little. The Lupine's lore really did place k'Vik in the highest esteem an outsider could achieve.

The fact was that Mili was chafing under s'Ilancy's watch. She did not have the object of her desires, but a tolerable alternative. If even a needle's eye of opportunity presented itself, Milivikal wanted to be ready.

She gave Loklorien a sad, sincere smile. Beside's Mili's selfish desires and limited self-control, the Siren doubted she would be more than a dissapointment, much less an aid. She closed the distance, and placed a hand on Loklorien's shoulder.

<"I am certain our paths will cross again, but I envision you would find my character lacking should we remain together."> Her hand rose to Loklorien's cheek. Mili did not want the Lupines to end with Tak. She turned and stepped away.

"I welcome the opportunity for you to divine that."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna could tell there was more than met the eye in this exchange, but she feigned ignorance, extending a hand to s'Il and Karrnage.

"We've got a transport in another district, and we can forge some documents to get launch clearance."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Mili's touch was met with closed eyes, and an understanding acceptance. One of her own hands went up to cover that of the other woman's for a short moment. For herself it was touching the past, and s'Il breathed in deeply, pulling k'Vik's scent from the air. It was a refined aroma, yet exotic and deceptively delicate; the Lupine knew that Mili's outward appearance belied a very powerful undercurrent. It was in the very air around them, and she committed it to memory.

<"You must go where the Force takes you. I know that we will be together once again.">

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl fixated on Mili, a wry smile creeping onto his severe face.

"You say that now..."

[Karl Valten]

Across from the safehouse a man wearing what amounted to little more than rags hovered over the flames of a burning garbage bin. Despite the wealth of Imperial Center this kind of scene wasn’t uncommon in the lower levels.

However the blaster and comlink hidden under the rags were far from common. Concealment in plain sight was oftentimes more effective than anything else and a spot in front of the house gave the Alliance sentry clear view of the nearby streets and alleys.

SSSSSSLLLLLLLIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKKKKKKKk

Unfortunately it didn’t give him a view of the shadowed figure crawling down the wall behind him.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Jacek, report in.” On the roof of the safehouse walked another sentry. Up and out of sight he openly carried a heavy rifle. It was about time for the com check and Jacek had been having issues keeping the frequency.

The gunmen made his way towards the edge of the building and peaked over for a visual. He was just in time to catch the….thing….scramble down the alley wall like a spider and lop off poor Jacek’s head. Training was pretty much the only thing from keeping the poor man from falling back and panicking.

“Man down! Security breach at the front entrance.” The rebel soldier raised the rifle stock to his shoulder. Whatever it was down below turned it head towards him, he couldn’t make out the eyes under the facemask, but he felt them make contact. And it felt like the thing was laughing.

He didn’t even time to pull the trigger. The soldier briefly felt pressure on the back of his head and…

THIWP

…his brains scattered onto the street below.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal had an amused smirk on her face that suddenly disappeared.

"...hasn't reported in yet. Man down!! Security breach..." The nanoplast daggers seemed to leap into her hands. Her head tilted to and fro and her eyes flicked about the front entrance. No hearts beat where two had been.

"Security breach." She hissed loudly, ominously.

"Two of your sentries... three. Dead." Mili said, her head ticking to the side, her eyes distant. They suddenly snapped back into focus.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

At Mili's sudden change in demeanor, s'Il lifted her head to scent the air. It was off; something was not right about it, as if there was a creeping unknown about to descend upon them.

Reaching out through the Force, the Lupine let her feelings stretch out for a few moments before she recoiled, pulling a distorted face.

With one hand going down to pull Karrnage to his feet, her other remained clenched at her side as she looked to Byl.

"The weapon you kept for me; I need it now."

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl drew his sidearm with one hand, while reaching to the nearby table to throw the satchel containing s'Il's weapon at her.

The Rebel agent approached the nearest chokepoint from an advantageous angle, ready to kill their attacker at the first opportunity.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Laprovik, a blaster." She asked. He nodded a desk. Mili replaced one of the daggers into her back holster and pulled a charged DH-17 from the side drawer. She paused, weapon at the ready, eyes skyward.

A distant thump let her know that the last sentry on the roof was dead.

"On the roof." She hissed. Aside from sewer access, there were only two obvious ways in or out. It was waiting for them to come out, panicked with fear. Milivikal would destroy it. She knew where it was, where it waited.

She wanted her lightsaber, but unlike the Jedi of her past, was more than happy to take advantage of the refinements in blaster technology. Milivikal stalked outside, shrouded in silence. Nothing. She could still hear the thing on the roof. She crouched, and exploded upward.

She landed gently on her feet, her actions mute.

[Karl Valten]

In front of Milivikal a humanoid figure clothed in an all black body suit crouched over a fallen rebel sentry with its back towards her. Out of sight from Mili, it had meticulously shifted through its victim’s equipment. She had interrupted the beings progress just as it had reached the rebel’s datapad.

Silently as the Jedi had landed, the almost inaudible impact of her feet on the ferrocrete instantly caused a reaction in the predator. It whirled around to face Mili and she found herself looking at a face completely shrouded in the same material as its suit.

It took notice of blaster in her hand and burst into motion with inhuman speed. What should have been an arm pointed in her direction, but a sickening sound of ripping fabric and quite possibly flesh broke the silence. The crude assembly of a skeletal gun folded out of its forearm followed by a suppressed muzzle flash.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She'd caught the bag he threw to her easily with her free hand, and without missing a beat the Lupine shoved it into Karrnage's arms.

"Hold this," she ordered while opening it up. Reaching inside, s'Il pulled out the sabre gauntlet that had been carefully packed away. Little time was wasted in sliding it on and locking it down, after which she closed the duffel once more.

"Keep this with you until we are away from Coruscant."

Without waiting for him to answer, s'Il pushed him behind her, using herself as a shield for the moment as she squared off against the door Mili had gone through. Stretching out with her senses, she gave a confused scowl at what she felt, and let out a growl.

"Something isn't right."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna took the fight to the attacker as well, but not nearly as subtle as Mili did. Coming about from the opposite chokepoint, Eluna rapidly ascended the superstructure of the catwalk above with agile freerunning, and contorted her body impossibly to make an arched back landing. She rolled forward, knocking the door off its hinges, with the intention of diverting the assailant's attention onto her and away from the others, so that they may have a cleaner shot.

[Karl Valten]

Seeker 6-Reaver-0 had once been Imperial soldier; a young kid joining the army to pay his way through college and maybe get out and see some of the galaxy. Unfortunately it had been supposedly reutine patrol sweep on some midrim planet that suddenly turned sour when they showed up and the Inquisitor took command. The soldiers were sent charging headlong into a fray that no one in the unit understood. All as meatshields so that they do what ever they needed.

A grenade is what shoud have ended 6-Reaver-0’s life on that planet. But then they took him, changed him, killed him……..and brought him back. And now here he was, a despicable killing machine with no memory of that time, of anything before his service to them.

He, it, knew the instant 3-Tyrant-7 was interrupted from interfacing with the datapad by dark-haired female. He knew whatever 3-Tyrant-7 knew, heard what 3-Tyrant-7 heard, and saw what 3-Tyrant-7 saw.

And as he crawled up the side of the building, 6-Reaver-0 returned his brother the favor when the second female burst through the door. Reaver’s limbs flexed and he lunged into the air, his servos and increased muscle capabilities sending him flying the six meters from his perch to the newcomer. Mother would be proud of him for protecting his brother.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

The red blaster bolt blew a hole through Milivikal's jacket, a space her upper body had occupied the moment prior. For two seconds, she traded and dodged blaster fire with the thing, a horrible abuse of technology grafted to flesh. She could feel the terrible nothingness that once was properly alive. Milivikal snorted as Eluna came through and distracted the second terror.

She reached out with her dagger hand. The seeker was ripped from the air and smashed against its other, grabbed by Milivikal's invisible will.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl followed up behind Mili, drawing up for a shot as the two Reavers collided into each other. He bladed himself against the door frame, exposing himself only enough to deliver a barrage of blaster fire.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Left alone with Karrnage, s'Il found herself loathe to join the rest outside. The three of them were enough to deal with whatever was attacking, not to mention someone needed to stay behind to guard the Imperial. Of course, she could smell the nervousness rolling off of him in waves, it was like a heavy mist almost even, and somewhat stifling.

"Calm yourself," she said quietly, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket and hauling him with her towards the nearest speeder.

Her eyes scanned the interior of the warehouse, ears straining to sift through the sounds coming from outside. However many of those... things there were she wasn't sure, and the Lupine was mindful of the possibility that one may have slipped inside.

[Karl Valten]

No shout of surprise, anger, pain, or any sound at all, came from the two seekers as they crashed into each other. Reaver, or possibly Tyrant, saw the incoming blaster fire and guided the pair into a chaotic tumble away from the energy bolts.

In a flash the two seperated, Reaver flawlessy handspringed atop a ventilation unit and the while Tyrant sprung to its feet along the building edge. The seekers paused, glancing at the singed flesh on Tyrants arm. With the element of surprise lost the rebels where afforded a clear view of their foes. The seekers were lean in stature and wore black, skin-tight bodysuits that covered rippling muscle. A thin visor covered the eyes of each. But the most unnerving feature of each was the collection of wicked knives and other weapons at their waists….and perhaps the blaster that had torn its way free from inside Tyrant’s arm and the four centimeter long steel claws that that extended from Reaver’s fingers.

But as fast as the two seekers halted, they burst into motion. Tyrant raced along the edge of the building perpendicular to Mili law down a stream of fire while Reaver raced toward Eluna with inhumane speed, weaving through the opposing blaster fire.


* * *

In the silence of the warehouse interior calm was broken with the flicker of overhead lights before the structure suddenly plunged into darkness. From the far end of the building a resounding BBBAANNGG echoed as the doors pitched off their hinges. The corpse of a mutilated alliance soldier was thrown inside and for a brief moment the outdoor lights highlighted a shadowed figure before it melded into the darkness.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal found the thud of the colliding bodies and the ensuing lack of outburst dissatisfying. She traded fire with the Tyrant, it dodging mechanically as best it could from Milivikal's Force guided blaster fire. Her body rotated and dodged around her blaster, it unwaveringly trained upon her foe. The Tyrant's bolts kissed the edges of her jacket, cutting it or searing it with their concentrated energy. She moved the minimum distance to keep herself safe, but began to slowly close with the abomination. Two of her blaster bolts tagged the thing, winging it's arms.

Her icy blue eyes came wide open as the dagger snapped into her free hand. A smile crept up. If it had any shred of emotion or sense left, it should have been deeply troubled from the mad look forming on k'Vik's face as she closed faster for the kill. The Tyrant stepped back, attempting to keep the Jedi at optimal range for it's blaster, but it felt an odd vibration in it's body as it crept backwards. Milivikal charged, and the Tyrant leapt back in response. It was no longer on the ground. Tyrant found itself being drawn toward the Jedi, who accelerated forward with Force enhanced speed. The vibration increased to a frantic pitch. The nanoplast dagger slid through the Seeker's neck flesh as easily as it would through mist. It fell to the ground.

Milivikal brought the blaster over her back. She put two shots into Tyrant's head and two into the chest, and started to walk toward the Reaver.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna moved away from Reaver's charge, barely catching his leading claws with a cross-wristed block, which caused the strike to deviate and cut deep, sparking etches into the duracrete edifice behind her. The weak hand hit home, however, and Eluna was staring at two steel prongs plunged into her upper arm. With nothing more than a stern expression, she drew a knee up and snap-kicked the abomination back onto the catwalk, which wrenched the embedded blades from her shoulder in an equally unkind fashion. Red 'blood' ran freely from her wound, and she flexed the wounded arm's hand a few times to ensure it still functioned adequately.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

With a sharp growl, s'Il came to a swift halt just short of the speeder. Her grip on Karrnage remained strong; she suspected fairly well that he wouldn't try anything so stupid as bolting, but she preferred to keep a hold of him nonetheless. She crouched low, pulling the Imperial down with her.

Eyes closing, she reached out with her senses then, seeing the interior of the warehouse in shifting colors. The lack of illumination did not bother her to any unbearable degree, and pulling in a long breath, she held it in for a few moments.

There was a tinge to the air, like some thin thread winding its' way in and out of the atmosphere. It wove itself along the inner perimeter of the warehouse, and the Lupine let her head follow in its' direction. This was but a trail of one of the intruders she knew, and diligently she tracked her sightless gaze onward along that unmistakable thread.

There...

Her head snapped around, stopping dead center on the shadow within shadows, and she froze for only a moment to assess its' position. In the next second she had shoved Karrnage roughly into the side of the speeder, bracing him in place with an arm across his chest as she turned on her heel to face the thing, the twin orange blades of her sabre gauntlet flaring to life.

[Karl Valten]

Orange light from the twin sabers washed over a third seeker stalking through the shadows. Strangely, the abomination of flesh and machine kept its distance from Lok, as if almost unwilling to throw itself on the Jedi’s blade. It simply waited outside her reach wielding no weapon save for a short baton held lazily in its left hand.

The concealed face traced its gaze over the Jedi, studying her from head to foot. And yet the seeker still made no move, what it did do was more surprising altogether.

“Loklorien s’Ilancy.” An unnatural melding of human voice and buzzing machinery issued from beneath the mask. “Turn over the prisoner and surrender.”


* * *

Reaver hit the cat-walk hard on its back. It had definitely felt something snap inside of its torso, but whether it was bone or metal, the seeker didn’t seem to care. Reaver gripped a failing edge and pulled itself to standing.
His visor focused on red dripping from Eluna’s wound…and the little effect it had on her. The creature glanced down at the blood coating its hand and rubbed the substance between its fingers……then to the corpse of Tyrant lying on the ground.

Anger rose where before there had been no emotion, along with the realization that his own warped existence would most likely end here. Reaver let loose an electronic snarl.

“We see you!”

The seeker pulled a round object from its belt and tossed it at Eluna’s feet. On the object, a blinking light switched from green to red.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

A loud ping echoed from the catwalk as Eluna kicked the detonator. It tumbled and exploded a meter off the structure. The detonator's casing split into metal shrapnel. Most was caught in the catwalk, but a few flecks found their way into Eluna's and the Reaver's synthetic flesh.

Milivikal's hands jolted up to her ears the barest moments before the detonator went off. The gesture was largely symbolic and reflex reaction. The roar had been dulled to a muted bang instead of the ripping cacophony of turbulence that it was.

She shook her head a little as the sounds normalized again.

[Byl Laprovik]

"Hell..."

Feeling like a fifth leg on a Bantha, Byl pulled back in time to hear the door rocked off its hinges back in the warehouse.

"Keep on that thing!" Byl yelled back at Mili and Eluna, fuming at being led off the X at such a diversion. Of course they'd try and take the principal.

Byl bounded back inside and drew his sidearm up. Not confident at this range and in low light, he thundered down the inner catwalk, keeping low and readily expecting to take fire before he made better cover. Below, he could see s'Ilancy as she squared off to face the threat head-on.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She gave no answer to the thing that'd called to her by name. What was this thing?! It was poison, that much she could tell. Her olfactory senses painted an ugly picture in her mind's eye, and the swirling colors of the Force completed that picture. This twisted life that stood in the shadows radiated its' own sort of darkness.

The arm that she used to press Karrnage back came away slowly, and the Lupine shifted her feet, affording the thing a single shoulder and one side of her body. The blades she held to the side; they were not needed quite yet, but she curled the fingers of her hand into a fist, readying herself nonetheless.

Her head ticked to the side, and she let the blue gaze of her eye sift through the shadows, peeling them apart. She was aware of Laprovik's presence up on the catwalk above, but paid it no mind.

Her left hand came around then, fingers splayed out, and she let go with a powerful push that would send the intruder against the far wall.

[Colonel Karrnage]

Karrnage dutifully stayed where he was placed, fearful for his life to move elsewhere. His curiosity did manage to get him to peer past s'Il and into the darkness at whatever had kicked in the door.

An Imperial cyborg?

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna lay on the catwalk for a second as the din of the explosion died down. She scissor-kicked her legs to gain leverage and sprung to her feet. Half her face and side were peppered with shrapnel cuts, though none of these seemed to inhibit her. She looked ahead at her enemy, who himself had been injured by his own attack, though not as much as she.

"That won't work."

She said without any inflection of anger in her voice. She ignored Mili, and advanced, ready to exterminate this threat.

[Karl Valten]

Fresh lines of blood and some dark viscous fluid trailed down Reaver’s leg from grenade shrapnel tore into his leg. The cyborg regarded the equally injured Eluna as she advanced as pondering the little effect her own wounds had. In his two years as a seeker, Reaver had never faced an opponent who could stand up to in close combat. It was an intriguing experience to his mechanized brain, but if he had any reservations about fighting her, the sudden sensation of a coded Inquisitorial transmission removed them. Orders were orders and seekers never disobeyed.

"That won't work."

“It doesn’t have to.” A sickeningly normal human voice came from beneath the seeker’s mask; a young man as any other who should have had decades left and a bright future in sight.

But then Reaver stepped forward to meet Eluna. A cybernetic soldier against human-masquerading droid.


* * *

In the warehouse, the third seeker twisted its body in midair and coiled its underneath. It hit the wall like as a well trained acrobat, bio-mechanically enhanced legs coiled beneath it and the seeker perched on the wall. The clatter the door flying of it hinges above drew its eyes up and it caught sight the other human along the catwalks.

Pushing of with from the wall, the seeker hit the floor without a sound. Graceful motions carried it straight towards the Jedi that had thrown it. With the click of a button the inner portion of the baton it shot out to a full meter in length and revealed the Phrik alloy hiding beneath.

“If that is what you wish, adept.”

A second click and violet electricity arced along the length of the rod.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A snarl, and s'Il exploded forward in a burst of speed, her blades held off to the side and slightly behind her. The Lupine allowed the colors of the Force to invade her vision and guide her. She saw vibrations, pulsating hues that led her on.

She knew that Karrnage would not dare move, and had chosen leave him and engage the attacker head on. As well, it would not do to allow any harm to come to the man, and so the need to take this fight away from him was necessary.

s'Il barked out an unintelligible order, and suddenly without warning, the Imperial intruder was pulled toward her violently, jerked by some invisible hand.

Gritting her teeth, she brought her blades around to meet the intruder that she was now pulling inexonerably towards her with unnatural force.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

She had full confidence in Loklorien, especially with a weapon that exotic. k'Vik felt jealous, that the Lupine had a saber and she did not. Milivikal's legs sprang back to life. If she hadn't heard Eluna breathing, Mili would have thought her dead. She pounded across the rooftop, footfalls silent in full charge at the Imperial abomination, her eyes lit up with adrenaline.

Faster, her feet moved, her body accellerated. Her lips drew back as her lungs began to yell. Eluna and the Reaver squared off.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Her yell hit the Reaver with the force of a speeder. Her hand drew back as she cleared the low wall around the roof, the air around it seemed to shimmer with distortion from vibration. It shot forward into its head. The skull resisted for a split second, but began to deform as it was weakened from the matching vibration and collapsed with the blow.

[Karl Valten]

The seeker lurched as the invisible force yanked it off its feet, limbs flailing at the unexpected tug. But as the rebels on the roof experienced, shock factor did not last long on the creature. Even as it hurtled towards the twin blades, it contorted its body in the air.

Just as s’Ilancy’s sabers arced towards the seekers head, it brought an arm around. The crackling electro-rod connected violently with the orange blades and showered both of them in a sea of sparks.

Momentum carried both of them backwards before slamming into a stack of crates. The seeker pushed with inhuman strength, forcing both rod and saber closer to the Jedi’s face.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl took that moment in which the Reaver was so critically engaged to close distance. He brought his pistol up in a curt, efficient movement and snapped off four shots in rapid order as he left the catwalk and continued down the stairs to the level below.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna caught the fatally-stricken cyborg, ready to deliver a killing strike at a moment's notice. She quickly ascertained that it was dead, however, and no longer a threat. She eased the defeated enemy to the ground, looking across at Mili.

She blinked, then gasped, suddenly cognizant of her injuries and their supposed effect.

"Are you alright?" She asked Mili hesitantly.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

k'Vik looked up at Eluna from her knees. Her chest heaved. Her eyes were distant, and she looked even more pale. Milivikal puffed. She had never done that before. Dimly, she could feel her hand hurt. She attempted to stand and shake her head, but instead fell onto all fours.

She could smell iron and sweat.

"No." she finally replied, and wiped the trickle of blood off her upper lip.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The force of the Imperials attack drove her back, and s'Il held her own in resolute fashion as both her sabre blades and the baton eased themselves closer toward her face. This thing! Up close its' scent was almost overpowering, like some disease that crept up and overtook without mercy.

Pressed back, the Lupine heard the reports of Byl's blaster. There was no use calling for him to stop, and she steeled herself. Her muscles strained with the exertion of pushing the Imperial abomination straight back into the oncoming blaster fire.

Two of the bolts struck the thing, but the last shot found its' way beneath the attacker's arm to leave an ugly black furrow along her shoulder. s'Il gave a hiss and pivoted, her stance sliding her sideways and bringing the two combatants around and allowing her the opening to now roughly drive the thing into the very crates that she had been previously pushed into.

A growl, and she held the baton at bay as her forearm pressed steadily into the Imperial's neck in an attempt to dprive its' lungs of oxygen.

[Karl Valten]

Acrid smoke defiled the air, trailing from the wounds burned into the seekers back and the jedi’s shoulder. With positions reversed, the cyborg found itself straining against the bone being driven into its throat. It forced against s’Il’s lightsabers with the baton, but the blaster shots to the back had severely damaged its servos.

Both blood and hydraulics were begging to ooze out of the skin. But the thing still fought on. Its free hand gripped at the jedi’s bicep and razor claws began digging into the skin. The head pressed forward despite the choking arm.

A tear sound overshadowed the crackling weapons for a second as a pair of metallic pincers unfolded from the sides of the jaw. The bladed mandible snapped together more than uncomfortably close to s’Il’s face.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna's quick appraisal over Mili's condition was that she could move, but needed medical attention. In other words, not the best idea to keep her in a war zone.

"I'll carry you."

She stooped down, and with gentle poise complementing her competent strength, she hoisted Mili across her shoulder blades in a fireman's carry, and started for the best exit point that would keep the Jedi safe from blaster fire or whatever else.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her arm bled now, punctured by the claws of the Imperial assassin, but she continued to press into it. Whatever it was, she was determined to end its' life.

The growl in the back of her throat was cut off suddenly, as s'Il rocked her head back; the sight of such unnatural additions to the body of this thing was more than disturbing, and the Lupine pivoted to the side slightly while pulling free her sabres.

In a kneejerk reaction, s'Il smashed the gauntlet across the side of his face.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"nhhffmf." Mili sounded as some air squished from her lungs. Eluna's gait was surprisingly steady. Below, she could detect the sounds of combat. Loklorien should be more than capable of handling herself against those things. But the fact of the matter was that they would need to find another location as soon as possible.

Milivikal was angry at herself for being caught in the moment and overextending her body. Now, she watched the floor of the catwalk from Eluna's shoulder. She gave Eluna's bottom an appreciative pat before going limp to conserve her energy.

[Byl Laprovik]

Fair game to the Jedi, she'd convinced this poor idiot that she was the only credible threat to him, and paid Byl no mind.

Byl, for his part, steadied up his aim, intending to fire from cover with a more accurate shot. In an instant, one presented itself which did not put s'Ilancy into the line of fire, and his blaster barked out a bolt that, with any luck, would sear into the base of the assailant's skull.

[Karl Valten]

Intent on tearing the jedi’s face off with its nightmarish contraptions, the seeker was not prepared for gauntlet to swing about. It hit the Imperial construct hard and the creature stumbled to the side. While the instinctive attack caused little harm to the seeker, it was now well in the clear for a precise shot.

The blaster bolt sailed nearly true, burning through the thing’s throat from the side and pitching it to the floor. With a thud the body landed against a stack of crates. Instead of blood sparks flew from the wound and the warehouse was assailed with the frantic clicks and whirs as the seeker attempt to continue the fight; the mechanical components struggling on while the flesh slowly started dying.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

For only a split second the Lupine glared down at her felled enemy, lips curling back in an inaudible snarl. She kicked the stun baton away with little effort, her eye taking in the throes of the thing's biological remnants. It was easy to see that the mechanical aspects of the creature were willing it onward, but the flesh was simply too weak.

She straightened her back, her breathing becoming less labored as her arms fell to her sides.

And then a boot came up to plant itself on the Imperial assassin's chest, and taking a knee, the Lupine drove the twin orange blades clean through the mechanical monster's head.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal's blood was now more head-heavy than usual, giving her skin a red flush.

"We are to run run run now, Eluna?" She asked. Mili could hear Loklorien finish her adversary. "Compromised, would be Byl's word, no? Compromised. Language, Basic. To expose or make liable to danger, suspicion, or disrepute. Danger. They know where we are." She rambled before falling silent for a minute.

"What were those wretched things?" She asked, finally finding a moment of clairity. She sneezed a fine mixture of thin mucus and blood.

"Oh nose, I wish that you did not bleed with such ease."

[Eluna Thals]

"Try not to speak." Eluna spoke in a neutral tone to her ward.

"You're injured, and I need to find the extent."

The droid bounded down a walkway and kicked a metal door off its hinges, running inside. Like Mili, she knew from the sound that enemy contact was over. They needed to group up again.

"We'll be leaving soon, don't worry."

By now, cleaners would be arriving, both to arrange for uncompromised transport as well as to purge any evidence they'd rather not have around. Eluna knew their response time was fast.

She reached the group, skidding to a halt a she gently eased Mili to the ground.

"Tell me where you feel pain." Eluna dropped to her haunches, staring at the brunette while she herself still bled slightly.

[Byl Laprovik]

Byl's look was intense and disapproving. His jawline tightened as he holstered his pistol, and he paced about as Eluna attended to Mili.

"If she can move, we need to get out."

His words were carefully measured behind his quiet intensity, and he looked past each of them, trying to think three moves ahead. His eyes rested on s'Ilancy and her kill, and then returned to covering the exits.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Mili rubbed her nose.

"I am not injured." She grumbled. "My blood runs easily. Make a metal skull soft as downy feathers, and mmmm?" She mumbled, and looked at Eluna through tired eyes. "Too caught in the moment, she rode the wave of motion to it's end, with none left to..."

"You are hurt." Mili said, concerned.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She allowed herself a precious few seconds to kneel over the dead Imperial creature, and with a careful touch she traced a finger over the metal extensions coming from the thing's jaw. The fusion of flesh and mechanics was in many ways abhorrent to the Lupine, and in distaste she pulled her hand away, rising to her feet.

Eye going first to Karrnage, then to the rest of those in the hangar, s'Il squared her shoulders back while allowing a long breath to escape her lungs. The grazing blaster bolt she'd taken had by now become a dull throb, and she knew that soon enough it would fade away to an annoying ache before disappearing altogether.

Putting distance between herself and the Imperial attacker, she made her way to where Karrnage still stood beside the speeder she'd left him at. Absently she reached over to pick at the wound, flicking away dried blood.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna smiled at Mili's concern, wiping at her own blood as if realizing that she had indeed been injured.

"I will be okay." She said with some reassurance to the eccentric Jedi woman. The smile remained, as she seemed to genuinely care about her condition.