Star Wars CLOSED Turning Point - The Betrayal of Darth Revan

IC: Colonel Scherp
His office, Sernpidal

"Well then," he says, absently noting that the four droids in the corners were coruscating with electricity. He reached into his desk, and removed the code cylinder. "Suffice to say, I don't believe Lord Revan is concerned with my conduct; Sernpidal is secure, and I have been rewarded it only yesterday. Considering where the Dark Protector currently is," his smile was full of teeth, "I doubt he sent you to warn me so soon after my promotion."

Duplicity shone in the Force, but Scherp eyed Cadera. "Your answer helpfully tells me everything I truly need to know."

He pointed to Atin-Kot. "Double agent."

Then to Cadera, Yula and Zeseem. "Jedi, or Jedi support team." He eyed Zeseem. "Though you remind me of some of the Sith I walk with, something about your gait?" He was clearly attempting to draw their attention to him, and not to the outside, and if he could add some tension to the team he would do so.

"There is a cargo ship at the freight entrance; you can take that and I won't say a word," Scherp turned to Yula, and tossed the cylinder to her. "The fleet codes you require are on there." He nonetheless remained behind his desk.

TAG: @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @darthbernael, @TheSilentInfluence, @Mitth_Fisto

 

OOC: Movement of the Colonel approved by the GM

IC Atin-Kot
Hmmmm, too easy

Atin-Kot stood where he had, near the point of the formation of the group as Scherp tried to impress them with what he thought he knew. It was obvious that he was stalling and attempting to keep them in his office, for a short period at least, by doing so. And it was glaringly obvious in the energy he was putting off in the Force that he was lying, to what degree depended on who one was to ask. His eyes began to glow, a smoldering yellow color as the Colonel spoke, which those behind him wouldn’t notice, yet.

Seeing the code cylinder be thrown he noted that the Twi’lek he’d worked with earlier to take the transport was the one who had caught it. The corner of his flipped V mouth turned up, revealing the over large K9’s at the side of it as he saw how delicately she handled it. It may not explode in her hands but he was sure that whatever it represented was explosive, possibly to drive a further wedge in the team or cause more to be captured or die.

Nor did he miss the intense expression on the Padawan’s face. The introspective, considering look that told volumes even if she didn’t know it. He almost wanted to chuckle at her, but also caught the look she passed to the Twi’lek which caused that female to gain her own look that closely mirrored the human’s.

Instead he turned back toward the Colonel, where he smiled and laughed, a wet, harsh sound, ”Who ssssaysss that inquiriessss into your actionssss didn’t begin well before you reccccieved thisss planet? And when do you think would be the perfect time to bring thingssss to a head with a snivelling creature assss you are, Colonel, excccept in the moment he thinkssss he’sss in triumph. Asssss to being an agent, double, triple, who’ssss counting, but you, no you’re not ssssstaying here. And you didn’t answer my quessssstion.”

His eyes flared a deeper, brighter yellow as he stepped forward, one hand held out in a lifting gesture. As he lifted his hand the Colonel, even as he struggled, was lifted from his seat. ”I hope you are prepared for whatever treachery you have planned, Colonel assss you’re going to experienccccce it all with ussss.” he continued as the man drifted around his desk toward them, stopping, hanging in the air twenty centimeters off the floor, two meters from Atin-Kot.

His hand dropped again but the man stayed hanging in the air as he turned toward the others, ”Whatever my reassssonsss for being here, I am here to assssssissssst and complete thissss misssssion, with or without your collective asssisssstanccce. Or have you lot forgotten thossssse he already captured and brought here in your hurry to leave, or why he’sss been trying to keep us from paying attention to the outsssside?”

Propelling the Colonel through the air toward the viewport, Atin-Kot stayed out of sight of the port while extending his senses to figure out what the nearest danger was that the Colonel was attempting to get into place to cause them harm. ”Ssssay hello to you minionsssss, Colonel, and asssure them all issss on plan.” he said, sure that defences were falling into place to cause them the grief he knew this man was capable of.

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @TheSilentInfluence, @Mitth_Fisto

 

IC: Colonel Scherp
Ouch

The man slammed into the viewport and dropped to the ground before his desk, spitting out a tooth. As he pushed off the floor with two hands, he eyed the Jedi team, especially Atin, and from the inside of his now open command uniform a second data cylinder rolled. It bounced, and by the time he looked down it was rolling towards Zeseem. "Kill them!"

He howled and began to rush, on all fours, back around his desk.

As he did, the four crippled droids fell into the room, one toppling upon Yula, and from behind them stepped down four hardened security assault droids; essentially more heavily defended versions of the ones standing in standby node that Atin had crippled. Each droid lifted a pair of blaster arms point to point at them each, and so Atin, Zeseem, Shysa and the downed Yula suddenly had guns pointed at them.

TAG: @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @TheSilentInfluence, @darthbernael, @Mitth_Fisto

 

IC: Darth Revan
Elsewhere, above Nouane

While Darth Voren became a pocket tyrant of the Dark Protector, Darth Revan headed to the surface of a world poised to oppose him. A relatively knew member of the Republic, it and its 212 colonies had only joined the galactic community when threatened by the Mandalorian Clans - the forces he had defeated in detail two years earlier.

So while he encountered a force of Republic soldiers at the spaceport, clearly Nouane hadn't mobilised every asset it had to stop him.

Twenty four men and women faced him with rifles, blasters, even some positioned turrets and a handful of looming battle droids.

All died.

Extinguishing his twin blades of crimson and violet, the Dark Lord of the Sith strode through the wreckage and greeted a man in a brown cloak, his visage covered. A gloved hand choked the man, exposing a human as he dropped to his knees.

"What can - can I do, to, ach, assist, Lord Revan?"

He glared at the man through his mask.

The cloaked man stood, quickly nodded. "Of course, of course. I will take you to Clock-Tower, my lord."

He rushed, leading Revan the way through the emptied streets of Nouane. His troops remained behind, a squad of four to defend his shuttle against a world. A world that dare not touch him.

The Sith Lord ignored the prattling of the nervous man as he spoke. "Might I enquire as to why you have come to Nouane, Lord Revan? There is usually an angle that the... pilgrims that come to the Clock-Tower follow. Perhaps you are researching the Sages of Dwartii, those ancient philosophers of Sistros, Yanjon, Braata and Faya that influenced the foundations of the Republic twenty-one millennia ago?"

Revan said nothing though, yes, he was interested in those tales.

"Or perhaps you discovered one of the various Holocrons or indeed lightsabers that are said to originate from this world?"

Another moment, and Revan enjoyed the knowledge being accidentally handed over. Most of the Sith Holocrons in the galaxy had been - irritatingly - hoarded by Jedi Master Atris, and he was unaware of where she had hidden them. Indeed, she had proven particularly difficult to locate in all of the carnage of war.

But he would locate them, soon enough, or indeed new Holocrons, plumbed from Korriban's hidden depths.

"My lord, if not those, then which?"

Revan stopped in the marketplace, abandoned by the citizenry in advance of his coming. He could feel their panic, their fear, as they rushed home. He looked at the Clock-Tower, north where he now stood, and he opted to speak softly.

"I found his writings on Malachor; in Sith hermetica."

The man - the Recusant, he would discover - wilted.

"Oh."

TAG: No One

@darthbernael, @Mitth_Fisto, @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @QueenSabe7, @TheSilentInfluence

Mid-week NPC updates after all.

 

OOC: Actions involving Colonel Scherp approved by GM

IC Atin-Kot
Surprise, surprise

Atin-Kot gave a barking laugh as the Colonel scurried behind his desk, the bloody tooth left behind. The rat would do all he could to survive but his usefulness was not at an end. He saw Dunkel whirling and retrieving the second cylinder so there was less he had to focus on. He chuckled again as he felt the emotions from the other Jedi, let them think what they would, he would deal with it later.

In an eyeblink, he erected a defensive shield around himself and a hand stabbed out, the Colonel collapsing in a heap behind his desk, stunned and unable to direct his droids. He whirled back and saw that the Twi’lek was free, another ally free and able to respond.

The same hand that had stunned the Colonel stabbed out again, his fist closed and he yanked. As the droid nearest him flew toward him his double bladed yellow saber sprung to life. He spun in a circle, slicing through the droid’s midsection and the two halves clattered against the far wall.

Finishing the spin he saw that his was down and the Nautolan and Twi’lek were hampering the efforts of the other three to accurately respond to the team’s actions. Satisfied with their efforts he kept his shield up and advanced on the Colonel’s desk. Whirling his saber in a circle, he sliced through the middle of the desk. Deactivating his saber for a moment he slipped it back onto his belt and grasped the halves of the desk, ripping them away from each other.

One slid across the floor and smashed into the top half of the droid he had thrown against the wall. The other half flew toward the remaining droids, aiming to disrupt their lines of fire more. He stalked forward, until he stood over the limp form of the Colonel. ”Hmmmm, what sssshould I do with you, little rat? The othersss are dissstracted, to a degree, by your droidsss, but I’m ssssure they would feel your death. Sssso, hmmmm, you’re coming with me.”

He gestured and the limp form rose, then stiffened as invisible bands went around his limbs, trapping them to his sides. The body floated several centimeters off the floor, moving behind Atin-Kot as he turned back to see if his allies required any further assistance to defeat the droids so they could take advantage of the real map that the Nautolan had retrieved from where the Colonel had dropped it.

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @TheSilentInfluence, @Mitth_Fisto

 

IC: Scherp
Caught like a rat

The Jedi team had downed the droids with aplomb, with Yula blinding and actually decapitating her target, as much as Atin-Kot split his in two, and the rest were done by the end of a single round of violence. The entire office was pockmarked with blaster damage and lightsaber scarring - but nobody was hurt. Indeed, the room was sound-proofed so that his private communiques could not be overheard, so they were very much in the clear - incredibly.

"Alright, alright!" The bloodied and terrified Sith colonel said. "The first code cylinder was a fake; I admit it. But the real codes are on the second one. You caught me." Scherp eyed Dunkel, who had it. "I'm sorry, alright?"

He held up his hands. "You need to take me, or kill me, because Revan will - and Malak will torture me for days if he finds out what has happened today."

Now the encounter has been resolved, the heroes will need to make their escape, especially before any more troops arrive. The most expedient way is through jumping into the delivery speeder parked at the loading dock in the back and driving it through the delivery gate - but that would draw attention on their way out. Any other route will have the heroes face against the Commander’s troops and sentry droids in groups of four - the man was insanely paranoid, and he kept his Estate at high guard, even now.

Indeed, beforehand Scherp had told the truth; he was so afraid for his life that he just wanted them to leave as expediently as possible and ideally with the fake cylinder. He emphasised that again now he was clearly outmatched. "I won't be able to get you through the rest of the Estate without someone getting suspicious - the delivery speeder was designed as my own escape route if an enemy force arrived. It's not watched by any cams, nor patrolled."

The Force rang true with his desperate honesty.

He truly wanted them to go, and the chance to live.

They had enough time to decide what they needed to do, but every moment they had those codes was another moment the Republic couldn't use them - and another moment closer to the Sith changing the codes, making everything they had done a dangerous waste of time.

TAG: @TheSilentInfluence, @darthbernael, @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @Mitth_Fisto

 

IC Atin-Kot
Time to leave

The upside down V of Atin-Kot’s mouth twisted up at the corners. ”Why do you think I wasss sssent, jussst enough of the Light to asssissst thisss team and tell when you are truthful or not. But ssstill what I am and will enjoy whatever happensss to you.”

He turned to look at the man suspended behind him, the Colonel was showing his true colors as had been suspected he would. Of course, he was correct, Lords Revan or Malek would enjoy his slow torture, not just for his failure today but also for the past. Which caused him to cock his head in contemplation. The Colonel's access codes must be good but for someone who had been sent to this dusty planet, suddenly reappearing at the flagship, or appearing to, through his codes, was going to raise some red flags.

He looked to the others, still sensing the distrust they held, which was expected as only the Council knew of him and what he did, before he turned back to Scherp. ”Sssspeed isss important, but do you think thossse captured would be left behind by thisss team before we departed. I do know what Revan’sss interrogation teamsss can do and get out of prisssonersss. But I will leave that up to the resssst of the team.”

He turned toward the exit, the Colonel’s body bobbing behind him, in the air. Walking past the others, ”Either way you decccide, we mussst hurry, hisss codesss will only be good for a ssshort time longer.”

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @TheSilentInfluence, @Mitth_Fisto

 

IC: Major Scherp
Sernpidal, Office

I wish I was dead, Scherp bemoaned mentally, as that would make the rest of his life that much easier. He winced as an idea entered his mind but held up his hands to the others. "I often tell my staff to leave me alone for prolonged periods of time so I can... entertain?" He didn't know if Jedi would get the gist - weren't they supposed for forego relationships? - so he went a bit further. "When I have female company," he clarified.

"All I need do is tell them that I am entertaining and not to bother me, and they won't speak to me unless a superior is in touch. If you're lucky, nobody will realise I'm gone..." The Sith officer smiled slightly. "I mean, I could call the agency, too, and really sell the story. Unless one of you are volunteering to chaperone, of course."

A shrug. "Me unconscious, staff ordered to leave me alone... it should work out."

"I can record a message anytime you like."

TAG: @Mitth_Fisto, @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @TheSilentInfluence, @darthbernael

 

IC Atin-Kot
Time to get a move on

Atin-Kot sighed, the Colonel was certainly showing his colors, but desperate to be taken without becoming a human shield. And the others, those taken, well, given the time constraints, would have to find a way to fend for themselves. He turned back, bringing the floating Colonel to the remains of his desk. Lifting sections, he found that he’d somehow managed to not destroy the comm function. Setting it to audio only, ”Make the call, but any funny business and you will ssssee the end of all.”

He kept an eye on the others as he moved, knowing they had their own agendas and their fears that he was not on their side. Turning toward them, ”Oncccce he’sss finissshed, we mussst hurry. Get to hisss sssecured vehicle and get to orbit. If we are not sssswift enough, I will have to return to the fleet and feign ignorancccce until you arrive.”

He turned back to the Colonel, ”Sssstop ssstalling, and make the call and then I will give you the blisssss of ssssleep.”

He stood, with the comm close enough to Scherp that he could make the call and waited.

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @TheSilentInfluence, @Mitth_Fisto

 

IC: Major Scherp
Hostage situation, never fun

With a slow motion, he pulled out his comlink. Scherp had no intention of dying today.

"This is the Major. Please hold all my calls for the rest of the day. I am entertaining, and do not wish to be disturbed."

"Yes, sir," came a gruff reply. "There was a noise from your office recently, is everything alright?"

Scherp tensed, but managed to push through his fear - and temptation. "We're being a little athletic today. The desk moved." He chuckled in a self-depreciating manner. "I've pushed it up to the wall now, so it shouldn't shift mid-flow again."

The security officer managed to somehow sound nonplussed. Clearly Scherp had over-shared before. "Of course, sir."

He clicked off loudly, and Scherp sighed. "Can someone stun me now, please?"

TAG: @TheSilentInfluence, @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @darthbernael, @Mitth_Fisto

 

IC Atin-Kot
Scherp’s Office

Atin-Kot stood silently as Scherp made the call. The corners of his upside down mouth turned up in what could generously be called a smile as he listened to the conversation. He would have snorted at the mention of noise, it seemed the Colonel’s troops knew he had interesting tastes. Which made him wonder if they had as low an opinion of the man as most of the Sith had. If it weren’t for the mission itself he was sure that Revan or Malek would be amused that he’d stooped to eliminating the Colonel.

He kept his senses open in the Force and could feel the continued sense of distrust from the others, the stink of fear radiating from the Colonel, and in the distance the sense of his troops moving about on their rounds.

His attention was brought back to the conversation at the emphasis on a word. The smile dropped and his eyes smoldered. He kept his silence until the comm called closed.

”I think not, Colonel. You may be the ssscum you are, but you have yet to give us precissse directionssss to your bolt hole. And not jussst a map in a ccccylinder, I want you to persssonally direct uss there. And, ssshould that have been a code word, I want you awake to ssssee your doom coming.”

His talons pulled the commlink from the man’s hand, dropping it to the floor. Turning to the others, ”Thisss man hasss done thingsss even the Sssith find abominable, have no ssssympathy for him. Once he doessss give usss the directions one ssshould take point, one covering the ssspace behind usss, and the remainder near me and my friend here in the middle.”

As he said ‘friend’ he tapped Scherp, on one side, making the floating man begin to gently spin in place. He looked over his compatriots once more, shaking his head, still unsure they would complete this task before one of them decided he was not an agent of the Jedi and things fell apart. But those were the stakes that one played with in such a game, and game it was.

Turning back to Scherp, ”Sssso get to it, sssooner out of here, sssooner on our way to the next ssstop.”

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, @TheSilentInfluence, @Mitth_Fisto