Serenno

[MSA]

Kashi and the others were roughly in the middle of a wealthy game of Pazaak when the all hands on deck sounded, the Jedi raking in his winnings as the others did and placing them in his satchel. With a grin, he looked to the others. "Guess it'll have to wait until the missions over boys." Kashi chuckled. "Then I'll have to clean house."

 

He winked as the others laughed, and almost in unison, they departed for the briefing. Kashi eyed Aidan alot during the briefing, the Imperial Knight alien to him, and yet at the same time, vaguely familiar. Despite his distrust in these Jedi of an Empire, he felt a kindred similarity with the man. He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt better having this one lead it, with a nod of his head when he heard his part to play.

 

It was a simple plan, despite the many parts to play. But it wasn't Kashi's first time infiltrating, albeit, perhaps dealing with the Sith Empire. Force suppression would come in handy here, but Kashi had only used it a few times in the past. His biggest worry were the Sith. As the briefing concluded, Kashi approached Aidan.

 

"Excuse me, Aidan." Kashi spoke as he approached, his usual smile adorning his face despite the uneasiness on his mind. "You have experience with these Sith, yes? What should I do if encounter one during our initial sweep?" He knew it sounded dumb, as Aidan didn't know his full backstory. But in case of such an event, he needed to be prepared.

[MSA]

Kashi nodded his head to Aidan in appreciation, taking the Imperial's words to heart as he exited the briefing and prepared himself for their landing. He had never been to Serenno before, even in his time. But as they grew close and exited hyperspace, the majestic world loomed with an uneased sense of darkness. Kashi could feel it deep down in the pit of his stomach.

 

After landing, Kashi watched and studied Aidan's handling of the Customs Agent, focusing more upon his actions rather than his aura. After the Agent departed, Kashi walked up briefly, grabbing a bottle of the Chateau. "I'm taking one myself for our next round of Pazaak." Kashi spoke, some of the men lowly whooping in favor of the idea as he placed it in his satchel and back aboard the ship.

 

But now it was his time to do his part, a simple nod to Rush as both grabbed their bags and walked through customs with the wares, briefly presenting their falsified IDs at inspection before continuing on and out of the spaceport.

 

Their target was sophisticated, the First Imperial Bank of Serenno, rumored to have been nearly on par with the Scipio Vaults of the Banking Clan of old. It wouldn't be an easy task even with proper blueprints. But it was a chance they were going to have to take. Once outside the spaceport, Kashi and Rush both took public transports toward their destination, briefly changing into their uniforms before arriving. Departing the public transport a few sectors from the Bank, they continued the rest of the way on foot.

 

"Identification and purpose." Came a grizzly voice as Kashi and Rush made their entrance. 

 

"Ko'shur and Brush, New Dawn Research and Development..." Kashi spoke with authority as he and Rush flashed their IDs quickly, remembering Aidan's advice. "We're here with the software upgrade for the ZaiPeg Relay system."

 

"Isn't that done remotely from headquarters?" The Imperial Treasury Agent questioned inquisitively as he barely had a chance to eye the IDs before they were placed back.

 

"And leave it open to malware and backdoor viruses via the hyperspace relays?" Kashi snapped back, his gaze sturdy and firm. "I think not my good man. The Imperial Treasury would never allow for such weaknesses in their security protocols. Now if you'll excuse us."

 

Kashi grabbed his comm, acting as if he was contacting his higher ups, giving the Agent a look that could only perceive someone's job was on the line just as the Agent stepped aside allowing their passing. But now that they were in, Kashi nor Rush held no real clues as to where to go. The intel was old and outdated, and Kashi improvised to get them this far. Returning with a grimace on his face, Kashi questioned the Agent.

 

"Where's your mainframe interface? It seems our maps are out dated."

 

Just as he questioned, the guard pointed toward a sign saying Security Interface with an arrow point down the hall, to which Kashi thanked him as he slipped a hand in the Agent's pocket without notice, and he and Rush departed.

 

Thirty minutes later, Kashi and Rush departed the bank, complete with an security override installed in the mainframe's interface, updated blueprints of the bank, and a key card to gain access after business hours. With that, they rendezvous with Aidan and the others.

[MSA]

When the briefing was over, Kashi adorned his gear and refitting his weapons, preparing himself for what may come. He didn't like the idea of stealing, or rather from civilians who only did their jobs, but he understood the overall necessity even if he didn't agree. His things together, he moved out with the unit and it began.

 

Before moving to the server room, Kashi moved to Aidan's side. "It seems you were right. I did compromise us. It's too quiet. The Force is restless, almost chaotic. Be careful." Kashi whispered, before turning to Dengo with a nod. "May the Force be with us." With that said, Kashi moved to the forefront of the group he was tasked with and slowly began making their way toward their destination.

Edited July 29, 2020 by MSA
Mistake

[MSA]

Kashi switched to the rear as they reached the internal servers, allowing Dengo as much room as he needed to do his job, eyeing carefully his surroundings. As much as he would like to have thought he hadn't made a mistake, the more they had traversed, the more he knew better, not a single guard nor any opposition in sight. And the air, it didn't feel right, the Force swirling around them thick with malicious intent. Even the card he had swiped still worked.

 

"We're in." Dengo voiced as he sliced away, his eyes focused across the numerical formats scrolling across the screens, an unease in his voice. "Either the Imperials are lazy at their job...."

 

Just as Dengo managed to get the words out of his mouth, Kashi had to steady himself against the rocking of the floor beneath him, the structure rattling with the explosion at the Vaults. If one was to look at Kashi, they could see the unease in his own eyes, not just due to an act of thievery, but also at the fact that despite his mishap, everything was seeming to go off without a hitch. It felt almost as if it was too inviting.

 

"Let us hope...." Kashi spoke into the room, still standing at the door with two of the three guards as Aidan came into view. Cracking a forced smile, he yelled. "We're just about done here. If they didn't know we were here, surely that explosion did."

[MSA]

Kashi could feel it around him as he met Aidan, his gaze shifting off behind the Imperial Knight as the air grew heavy and thick, the intent almost stifling as it brewed. It was malicious, born of darkened hearts and darkened minds, permeating and rolling forward like mist. Kashi looked back to Aidan with a smirk. "Seems they've already known. Get the creds and men to safety. I'll handle this end. You four with me."

 

Kashi didn't leave it up for debate, following his instincts and the flow of the darkness toward its destination, the stench of its stale perspiration calling out against the light of his own heart. As he turned the corner back into the vault, through the rubble and settling dust, a red blade drew his attention.

 

At first glance, in the briefest of moments, his heart felt as if it jumped clean into his throat and spasmed. But he shook his head as he felt the Force within this one and knew he didn't face a Sith, only a practitioner, a follower of the darkness and the sins it birthed. He relaxed mildly as he stood there, watching the man step forward, a man only a few years his elder in a manner of speaking, his hand furrowing his raven hair backwards as the men behind him drew ready their armaments.

 

“Woe, destruction, ruin, and decay; The worst is death, and death will have his day!” 

 

Kashi grimaced, the four on his rear highly trained compared to the Colonials that followed him. He did not like this one bit. "Lay down your arms and leave." Kashi responded, the furrow of his brow complacent as he gazed in a serious tone. "I do not wish to fight." But as Kashi's words escaped his mouth, they were met with a barrage of green and crimson in the most applauding way.

 

Two azure blades emitted from a central cylinder grasped in his prosthetic hand, twirling in unison to meet and deflect what it could in seconds, Kashi a heavy practitioner of Form VI. With his other hand, Kashi briefly reached out and grasped at a small slab of rubble, tossing it to his left to enforce his desire to end this peacefully as the Colonials dove out of it's way.

 

Meanwhile, the four that had accompanied him spread outward, finding defensible perches amongst the rubble and had begun returning fire even as the firefight began, Kashi displeased, but remaining on the defensive. Using the Force as his ally in deflecting the incoming bolts, and away from both parties. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up, but he prayed that this Dark Practioner would realize the futility of it and retreat, even as the sounds of battle echoed vibrantly from outside.

[MSA]

Displeased at Kashi's stand, the Darksider took to the forefront, his use of the lightfoil and his variant of Makashi an undesirable advantage against Kashi's own Form VI as the two blades clashed in a vibrant display of azure and crimson. Kashi stuck to the defensive, twirling the blade to meet each parlay and pivot with rusted skill, using his adept ability with telekinesis to compensate as he stepped back with each confrontation.

 

But such was Kashi's plan in this fight. He needed just enough time bought for Aidan and the others to retreat, using the Darksider's focus on him and the four others to bide such time, shifting his focus briefly to ensure his duty was being upheld. 

 

"You seem distracted Jedi." The raven haired man spoke as his lightfoil slid against Kashi's dual bladed stave, Kashi gaze shifting back abruptly. "Worried about your men?"

 

"You could say that." Kashi responded, sparks igniting from the met blades as he felt Aidan and the others making their exit. Lifting his blade and throwing the Darksider's back, Kashi smiled as he unleashed a wave of the Force toward toward his enemies and jumped back. "Just buying them some time."

 

With that said, Kashi signaled their retreat, and headed behind Aidan for the exit, his blade deflecting recovered blaster bolts from the Colonials as the Darksider gave chase. A few of the deflected caused the Darksider to side step, but his pursuit was still relentless as his men attempted to keep up. But as Kashi neared the exit and passed through its threshold, he pulled upon its columns and caused its collapse, ending his pursuit.

 

But what Kashi hadn't expected was the visage he turned around to face, the four before him unleashing their rifles into a barrage of fully automatic fire at the Forces they met. Meters away was Aidan and his group, and in the distance, their rescuers. But between them and salvation was hell. His stave still active, Kashi reached deep into the Force and his twin shotos sprang to life, dancing upon the air as if spirits guided them, deflecting blaster bolts in unison with his own. It was going to be one hell of a fight. Looking to the others, Kashi gave his final order. "Behind me."

[MSA]

As Kashi stood before the men in his charge, his blades deflecting what bolts of plasma and gas they could, his mind wandered back centuries ago. This was war, its echoes of the past as fresh as present. His mind remembered why he chose to stay upon Iego for so long, the haunting memories, the lingering pain of so many lives shouting upon the Jedi's mind, all in defiance of the Living Force as they were snuffed from existence. And despite his defensive nature, he had taken a few himself. Tears trickled from his eyes. War would never change.

 

Reality came to as he felt the wave of energy strike upon his backside, his body wrecked with pain as the screams echoed around him in unison and his form becoming the focus of the darkness. As those he sought to protect found their mouths full of mud, Kashi felt his cranium crack hard against debris as he landed against it, his focus failing for a moment. His vision threatened to fail, it fading as it fought between focus and the abyss until he could see clearly, his hand reaching for his stave as he fought to stand despite the wavering of his legs, his mind aching with pain.

 

Sounds of fire echoed around him, screams of pain danced upon the Force as he closed his eyes to sturdy himself against the blow as blood leaked down his forehead. And as he found a sturdy standing, he opened them, reactivating his blade with justifiable vengence. The Force flowed through his form, stretching out toward the handless shotos and claimed their return, reigniting them to stave off the Colonial Police and Sith Insurgents as a calming yet eerie dogma emitted from Aidan.

 

"Go." Kashi ordered the Four the had gathered back upon his position. "Head to the Assault Ship. I will be right behind you." 

 

Kashi watched in brief awe as the Force flowed from Aidan in a cleansing manner, a vengeful saving grace aching to free the soul from darkness, before turning to head toward the assault vessels and the Grandmaster. He didn't know what power the Imperial Knight used, but it was as harmful as it was cleansing. As the twin shotos danced upon the wind around Kashi, his own stave defending his center, he began the fight toward Adenna.

[MSA]

It was Chaos as Kashi and the men fought through the Colonial and Sith Forces, the Jedi Knight ever on the defensive as his shotos danced to their own tunes, focusing his own upon his center. His men ran before him, taking pot shots and running forward as best they could and finding cover when the time called. And Kashi held up the rear, using his skills in Telekinetic Combat to allow their focus upon the forefront. It was almost claustrophobic, running a bottle necked formation against the pincer of the enemy's combined forces, aiming toward relief of those that sat just up ahead.

 

But for Kashi, this was not a place he liked to be. He despised war, loathed confrontation. And the fear, anger, hate that he felt upon the field of battle only strengthened his convictions. But GrandMaster Adenna had been adamant in this course, presenting this to be the only path in this new era for the Jedi, and as such, Kashi trusted her wisdom. If this was the only way, then it was the only way, her position as Grandmaster not taken lightly. There was a reason she had been guided to such a title by the Force.

 

Just as Kashi and men topped the hill, taking cover behind a set of offset speeders, Kashi felt the Force ache with pain, his gaze falling upon Adenna in this distance as he fell before his eyes. His gaze grew serious, the suffering he felt upon the Force echoing his own. And he took charge, leading his men in her direction. His blades swirled about, deflecting incoming attacks with intense volleys as they ran into the thick of things, his staff deflecting more focused fire in their direction as their charge continued. But when they reached Adenna's position, her own men had sacrificed much of themselves just to retrieve her as the enemy focused more heavily upon them.

 

"Get her out of here and to the Healers." Kashi spoke with a solemn tone, his gaze shifting back to the particular group the Grandmaster had been facing. "We need to get out of here."

 

With that said, Kashi and a few other Knights took up the rear to defend their retreat, his gaze focused solely upon those that had struck her down. Just as they neared the shuttle, Kashi felt a stinging sensation to his knee and shoulder despite his defense. Stretching his free hand outward, he pushed out in the Force and pushed himself backwards into the ship with his injuries fresh, the others beginning to board. Now it was just the matter of getting out of here.