One Shot To Kidnap A Moff (Writing Challenge)

[Leo Gorgano Tritum]

(OOC: A couple of years ago there was a writing challenge of which one was supposed to write how one's character would pull off a kidnapping of a Federation Moff. I won the challenge and was awarded with a ciridium-mullinine sword. This thread serves as part of the chronicles of Aaric Tritum's rise to Knighthood)

 

[Leo Gorgano Tritum]

To Kidnap a Moff (Part 1)​

(Information gathering stage)​

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156ABY​

Mecrosa Order Headquarters​

Nyssa, Mecetti Province​

Tapani Sector​

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Aaric had arrived back to his home planet straight after he was briefed and given the dossier by fellow apprentice Silenius. If he was going to kidnap someone who called himself a Grand Moff then he would have to assume that he was a very powerful and influential person indeed.

The apprentice had to thanks his lucky stars. If he weren't the scion of House Mecetti and the Mecrosa Order, he wouldn't have access to the wealth of information and the skills that the Sith cult had to offer.

"Back home so soon, Aaric?" A lone woman's voice echoed through the hallway. "I doubt your apprenticeship at the Empire would have finished so quickly."

"High lady Brezwalt." Aaric bowed to his High Lord's current wife. "Always a pleasure."

A gentle smile graced the older woman's lips. "You come seeking the services of the Order, I suppose?"

"I've been tasked by the Empire to conduct a highly classified mission. Please forgive me if I cannot divulge it's details." The apprentice apologised, then gave her a knowing smirk. "Then again, that won't stop you from trying to find out would it?"

"No I suppose not." Lady Brezwalt returned a foxy smirk of her own. "It would be an interesting information I'm sure, but as long as it doesn't compromise House Mecetti's position here I don't give a damn. Go ahead. The Mecrosa Order is at your disposal."

Aaric bowed respectfully once again. "Thank you, Lady Brezwalt. Rest assured I will repay your generosity one day."

The high Lord's wife simply turned and waved. "I will be waiting, young Aaric. Show the Empire what you can do."

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A week later...

The members of the Mecrosa Order were highly skilled assassins and spies. Collecting intelligence and killing those who stood in the way of House Mecetti's dominance within the Tapani sector. But that didn't mean that they were blind to affairs outside of it. They simply saw no need to put in as much effort into it unless ordered to by their high lord or lady.

Thus, thanks to Lady Brezwalt, they were ordered to serve under Aaric's direction. Within seven standard days, their report was transmitted to Aaric's datapad as he read the details from his personal quarters.

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Grand Moff Kilean Drumph; A high ranking, loyal and exemplary naval officer by day but secretly a black market arms dealer selling surplus federation military hardware to interested third parties by night.

The man was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but was also intelligent and cunning. He used his intelligence with his family's connections and wealth to quickly rise up the ranks of the Federation Naval Academy as well as form secret relationships with mega-corporations seeking to market their military products to the Navy.

'Grand Moff' was awarded to him by the top military Brass for services rendered during the initial conflict with the Empire. But it seemed to be only a cosmetic title since it gave him no extra formal responsibilities or authority. Not even the current incarnation of the Sith Empire issued the title anymore since the end of Palpatine.

It seemed that he was put in charge of overseeing the Federation's aging naval assets and logistics together with a wide leeway to get the job done however he seemed fit. Thus, he took advantage of his position to modify the manifests and sell off spare parts or even entire ships that were outdated and mothballed in far flung bone-yards to pirates and other interested parties like the Corporate Sector Authority or Black Sun Syndicate.

Aaric scoffed. No wonder the Empire wanted to bring him in. If he could be turned then the wealth of information and connections he had to both the corporate sector and the underworld would be staggering. He would be instrumental in allowing the Federations foundations to rot and fester before it was taken out from under it.

Thus, Aaric added another supplementary objective to his mission: Grand Moff Kilean Drumph had to be kidnapped without anyone realizing his absence. If this could be done, maybe Silenius would be able to turn the Grand Moff to serve the Empire as a key agent.

Scrolling through the data further, it read that his deals would always be done through another person acting as his representative. He almost never met with his prospective clients unless they made particularly large or special orders in which he would invite the buyer to a special meeting in his personal residence in Coruscant. Reconnaissance on said personal residence was a mansion situated at the top-most level of a skyscraper near the Federation Senate building.

Which meant he would be facing stiff security and constant surveillance. He would have carefully get the Grand Moff to lower his guard. Before striking.

Before long, Aaric would begin to draw up the plans for Operation Anthropoid.

 

[Leo Gorgano Tritum]

To Kidnap a Moff (Part 2)​

(The planning stage)​

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156ABY​

Undercity Streets, Coruscant​

Coruscant System​

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A couple of weeks later...

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Aaric found himself waiting at one of the more prominent and established bars in of the upper levels of Coruscant's undercity. It was low enough on the levels that Coruscant's security would avoid the area like the plague, but high enough such that there were less seedy character's laying around. He had discarded his aristocratic robes for something a slightly less conspicuous wear.

While waiting for his contact, the apprentice went through what he had planned so far...

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He managed to have the Mecrosa Order agents identify the Grand Moff's representative: A Bothan by the name of Raziff Tarzai who used his connections to the Bothan Spynet to scout out potential buyers as well as do background checks on anyone who wanted to do business with Moff Kilean. He also frequented this bar where most of his meetings with underworld and pirate customers would be conducted.

Aaric had gotten the agents to organize a meeting with Raziff and he would bait the Bothan and the Grand Moff by claiming to want to purchase an entire fleet of Victory-II Star Destroyers for the House Mecetti Defense Forces. Though they were massively outdated in terms of age, it would be considered a huge deal in terms of the amount of credits that the entire flotilla would value at.

If he was able to convince the Bothan that he was a genuine buyer, then the first thing the Bothan would most likely do is a background check on the apprentice. Once he was cleared he would notify the Grand Moff and would hopefully the request would take his notice and he be invited to his personal residence.

He wasn't going to strike then. No. This was just the first part of the plan. He would use the chance to surveil his residence and assess the location and security defenses.

With that, he would plan for the second stage which would see the Grand Moff convinced to come along with him of his own accord and create plans to allow himself to leave without raising suspicion. If not, then there would be a contingency plan to bring him in by force with as little evidence and collateral damage as possible. With luck, he wouldn't need to risk the lives of his Order's agents to intervene.

But for now, he had to execute the first stage as best as he can...

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Soon enough, his target has arrived. The Bothan looked nothing special for his species: Short, furry but cautious and always on the lookout. Their kind had always had a policy of being wary of anyone who was not in league with them. If someone wasn't with them, they were to treated as an enemy until proven otherwise.

The apprentice had to give it to the Moff. He had an eye for selecting people to do his dirty work.

Once he entered the bar, Aaric waited for at least ten minutes before he exited the nearby alley and followed him in to avoid suspicion. Even though he was born a noble and chose to be a warrior, his upbringing with the Mecrosa Order did allow him to be significantly stealthier than most pthers, albeit not to the level of full-time spies and assassins.

Once he spotted the Bothan sitting at the table, Aaric sat nearby and observed him. Intel said that the cue to go ahead was when he ordered Alderaanian ale. He would have to pay for his drink.

Dirty, slimy bastard. Aaric thought. It was nothing less than genius. By doing so the Bothan would be able to get a first impression and know that his contact was clean and had the funds to go through with the transaction. Alderaanian Ale was extremely hard to come by and was priced almost to the point of insanity; and that was already for a single shot.

Soon enough the cue was given and an unmistakable glass of Alderaanian Ale was set in front of the Bothan. Making sure no one else made a move or showed that they recognised the cue, the apprentice strode over and took a seat next to the Bothan.

"What the-, aw kriff." Was the Bothan's intelligent remark as he stated at the young human incredulously. "You gotta be kriffin' kidding me."

"Get me a Corellia whiskey with a dash of durindfire and a slice of Endrolian apple, shaken not stirred." Aaric shot off without hesitation.

The barkeep nodded and proceeded to produce Aaric's drink. Within a couple of minutes it was done and the apprentice casually flipped a credit chit towards the barkeep who deftly caught it. When he saw the digits on it, though, his eyes went wide with shock.

"Err, sir. I think there's a mistake." He exclaimed. "There's a zero too many."

"It's to cover my drink and his." Aaric pointed his thumb at the Bothan, his brow cocked in curiosity.

"But it's still too much!" The barkeep protested.

"Then keep the change." Aaric shrugged. "As long as you reserve the seats beside me and my friend here so that we can have a nice, quiet conversation."

The barkeep's eyes widened in realization and he slowly nodded and pocketed the chip. "Understood, sir. Right away."

Once he was gone. Aaric turned to the Bothan and gave him a subtle but triumphant smirk. The Bothan returned a deadpan expression.

"Alright, alright." Raziff rubbed his nose. "You got spunk, kid. But you're still far off from proving you're legit. So whatcha lookin' for? Luxury skiff? Ain't there alot of them back up in the commerce sector?"

"I'm from one of the noble houses in the Tapani sector." The apprentice explained. "I'm in charge of procuring ships for my house defense forces but I want to do so without raising any red flags. You think you can do that?"

Raziff shrugged. "Depends on what yer lookin' for. Gunships? Frigates?"

Aaric smirked. "How about a Victory-II Star Destroyer?"

"Interesting." The Bothan raised a brow. "How many?"

"Ten."

"T-Ten?!" Raziff choked and sputtered his drink. "Even local sector forces don't purchase that many capital ships! And not that many at the same time! The kriff do you need that many?"

Aaric deadpanned. "Do you really want to know?"

"Okay. Fine, fine!" The furry make raised his hands in mock surrender. "I don't want to know. Sorry, it's a habit of Bothans wanting to know everything... ya know, with the Spynet and all. It's a big ask but I can do that. Problem is, an order this large'll have to go through my boss first. If he's agreeable, then I'll schedule a meeting with him to discuss the order in more detail."

"I'm more than happy to meet him, if that's what it takes." Aaric agreed.

"Now hold up a minute, kid." Raziff pointed a finger at him. "You're still a first time customer. Not a regular. I need to know if you got the credibility to back up all the credits of yours. I'll consult with my boss, then I'll contact you... That is if you're lucky. Thanks for the drink, kid."

With a single gulp, the Bothan drank the entire shot in one sitting and left the bar. Once he was out of sight, Aaric casually finished his own drink and left the bar as well. But not before he discreetly motioned towards the shadow at the corner of the establishment.

A hooded figure melted out from the darkness and proceeded to leave the bar, hot on the heels of the Bothan.

Now all Aaric needed to do again was wait and hope for the best.

 

[Leo Gorgano Tritum]

To Kidnap a Moff (Part 3)​

(The execution stage part 1))​

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156ABY​

Hotel room, Senate district​

Coruscant, Coruscant System​

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It had been another week and Aaric was beginning to wonder if his planned had already derailed. Information about him was already scarce since he was basically forgotten from the time he was frozen in Carbonite almost four millennia ago and just resurfaced. Was the Bothan Spynet really that effective in smoking out many millennia old data on him?

Suddenly his holocommunicator beeped to life and Aaric answered the call. To his hidden relief, it was Raziff.

"Hey kid. Looks like you check out." The Bothan nodded. "Boss wants to meet ya tonight. I'm sending you the coordinates. Meet me there at the specified time and I'll bring you to see him. See ya there."

With that the holograph cut out and Aaric grinned. So far so good.

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It was already night when the apprentice arrived in his standard Count Dooku-style outfit with vest and cape. It was simple, yet elegant and fit for the occasion.

"Damn, you weren't kidding when you said you were a noble." Raziff whistled. "You some Count of Serenno or somethin'?"

"Or something." Aaric grinned.

"Wise-ass..." The Bothan muttered, rolling his eyes. "C'mon, my boss is waitin'."

The pair entered through a seemingly abandoned rear gate which unlocked with the use of the furry's passcard. Once inside the building the apprentice was greeted by bright lights and extremely high quality furnishings. Aaric was impressed. This was the epitome of being a social elite.

As they walked through the halls they passed by a security patrol almost every five minutes. Each room and hallway seemed to be monitored at every angle possible. When they reached a turbolift, the Bothan pressed the button indicating the top most level.

The amount of security clearance was almost insane: Code cylinder scan, Handprint scan, ocular scan and a passphrase to be uttered at the right pitch and frequency before the lift was able to start climbing all the way to the top at breakneck speeds.

If Aaric was to infiltrate and kidnap the Moff from the building. It was definitely going to be extremely hard to pull off. He would have to bring the Moff out of the building where he could control the variables to his advantage.

Soon, they reached the penthouse level and the doors slid open to reveal a majestic mansion with a balcony that showed off Coruscant's skyline. Standing next to his work table in his evening wear was the Grand Moff himself, who stood up and strode over excitedly once he saw the young noble.

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"Ah! My newest customer arrives! Welcome, welcome." He exclaimed. "Please, sit. A drink perhaps? I have some Alderaanian Ale to cover the cost of buying it for Raziff the other day."

"Just an Endrolian ground-apple juice... Fermented of course." Aaric smiled and nodded. "And please forgive me but we haven't exchanged pleasantries."

The middle-aged man laughed. "Oh dear me! Yes I suppose we haven't. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

"Aaric Etherall Tritum of House Mecetti." The apprentice bowed. "I hail from the Tapani Sector. And you?"

The Moff stood frozen in surprise. "You've never heard of me?"

Aaric had to play the ignorant noble from a far-flung sector. He couldn't show that he already knew who he was or else he would have suspected something. People from the colonies and the core had very little interactions after all.

"My apologies, I haven't good sir." Aaric said. "The Tapani Sector is in the Colonies so not much news from the core reaches there."

"My, my. I'm sure it is." The admiral shook his head. "I do know of the Tapani sector, though. But that aside, I'm Admiral Kilean Drumph. Most would also know me by the title of Grand Moff."

"A pleasure." Aaric smiled.

"Now that we've got the pleasantries aside let's take a seat and discuss business." The Moff motioned Aaric towards the sofa opposite him. The Bothan took his place standing behind the seated admiral. "Raziff here has said your house navy requires ten Victory-II Star Destroyers, yes? All at once?"

"That is correct." The apprentice agree. "Purchasing them through normal means is going to raise eyebrows to the public and especially to our rival houses in the sector. If you could procure them as quickly as possible and deliver them to a discreet part of space, we would be able to jump them directly through our side of the Tapani sector borders."

"Hmm I see." Kilean rubbed his chin. "That would take a bit of time and effort. Victory-II's are hard to come by these days. But I'm sure I can scrounge up ten of them that haven't been cannibalized for parts. I would have to add an extra fee for bringing up such a large order."

"How much?"

"Two hundred million credits with another fifty million more to ensure everything is in working order with no missing parts."

"Done. "

The admiral was taken aback by Aaric's quick answer. He meant forward with a concerned look on his face. "Are you sure? They may be definitely worth less than originally priced but it's still a hefty sum."

Aaric simply smiled. "House Mecetti prides itself of its wealth and status. When we purchase something we don't do it with deposits, loans or instalments. We pay directly in cash."

"Dealing in absolutes. I like that." The man grinned. "And it'll have to be through the Intergalactic Banking Clan. To keep accounts private and secure, if you know what I mean."

"Crystal." Aaric smirked inwardly. The IBC was still secretly under Sith control since before Palpatine's Empire. If things went south, he would be able to request that the spent funds be routed back to House Mecetti's accounts. "My high lord will be pleased. I have been informed to invite you to the Tapani Sector so we can partake in a grand feast to mark the delivery of our new fleet of ships."

"Ah! I'm sure such a reception isn't necessary-" The Moff blushed.

"Oh, but it is Grand Moff!" Aaric interjected with great enthusiasm to keep up the appearances of a excitable young man with money. "I'm sure your duties are strenuous enough on your mind. If you could fulfill the order for us we will be highly grateful for your work and a hosting of a feast is the least we can do. I'm sure a short holiday and tour to our fine capital city of Procopia would refresh your mind and body."

From the corner of the Sith's eye, the Bothan twitched and frowned ever so slightly at Aaric. Not that the apprentice gave anything away to show that he noticed.

"Well, if you insist then who am I to refuse?" The Grand Moff took the bait.

"Excellent!" The Mecettian clapped his hands. "Then if you don't mind shall we discuss more on the details of the handover point?"

"Yes we shall." The Moff grinned. "Now let's see..."

The discussion went on for a couple more hours before the details were hammered out. Of course it wasn't put in writing to ensure nobody could trace the transaction back to either of them. Aaric was grateful that his education at House Deena's universities helped him to acquire skills in diplomacy and negotiation.

Once it was done, Aaric left to plan his second stage.

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Once the young Nobleman left, Raziff went up to the Moff.

"Kilean. I want to congratulate you on closing this deal but... Something's off." The Bothan exclaimed.

The admiral simply continued pouring his drink without a care. "Didn't your background check turn up nothing unusual?"

"That's the thing." He explained. "Everyone has skeletons in their closet. It's only a matter of how many you have. This guy has none."

"He's just a boy! Barely a man as it is," The Moff exasperated. "he isn't old enough to even have skeletons in his closet yet. Don't be so paranoid Raziff. All those times you said something was unusual then in the end it's always nothing. How different is this going to be?"

"It just feels different!" He snapped. "At least when you go to the meeting point bring a bunch of guards with you. I'm sure he won't protest if he's really grateful."

"If I did that it would seem as if I lacked faith in the contract!"

"Please, Grand Moff." Raziff pleaded. "At least this one last time. If nothing happens, I'll apologize and I'll never doubt you again."

Kilean rolled his eyes. "That's what you said last time."

"Okay I promise that it'll be the last!"

"Ugh. Fine. I'll schedule my leave. Make preparations immediately."

 

[Leo Gorgano Tritum]

To Kidnap a Moff (Part 4)​

(The execution stage part 2)​

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156ABY​

Secret meeting site, Deep space​

Somewhere in the Colonies region​

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Aaric stood at the bridge of the Tapani-class assault frigate that he borrowed from the House Mecetti navy.

With him were the crew and twenty pilots and co-pilots who were paired up and assigned to each star destroyer. They didn't have to wait long when an entire flotilla of ten star destroyers jumped out of hyperspace with not a second to waste. Aaric smirked. If all went according to plan both House Mecetti and the Empire would benefit from this Operation.

Soon, all then transport shuttles were boarded and made their way to the respective star destroyers while the Grand Moff's personal ship met with the frigate and docked to each other.

When the air lock opened, Aaric was met by the Moff, Raziff as well as a full squad of security personnel. Not that Aaric didn't foresee this. He knew that the Bothan would be too careful for his own good.

"Welcome! It is a pleasure to see you again, Grand moff." Aaric bowed.

"Now now, there's no need to be so formal!" Kilean laughed. "I'm sure the handover is going as well as a scheduled. If you would excuse the extra guards I brought together with me, Raziff here is a little too cautious whenever I step outside the safety of my apartment."

"No problem at all, good Moff." The apprentice replied. "They are very much welcome to stay with us as well. Please follow me to the conference room. I have a little tea reception served up."

Hearing of food perked the admiral right up. "Do you now? That's so very kind of you. Shall we?"

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Both the Moff's party and Aaric alone were present in the conference room while servants served up some refreshments and snacks. They talked about galactic politics, latest rumours and all manner of subjects.

Soon enough, a servant came in and whispered to the apprentice; the handover procedures were complete but the pilots' escorts had not left yet. Aaric nodded and sent the servant away. Sitting up and taking a deep breath, he addressed the admiral.

"Now that's done." He began. "There's only one more thing left to discuss."

"Of course!" The grand Moff smiled. "Anything for a satisfied client."

"What do you think of this... truce between the empire and Federation?"

The Moff's smile dropped a little. It was an odd question. "Well... I think peace is good. It's good for business it's good for everyone."

Aaric nodded. "And what if I told you that war is coming?"

Kilean put down his glass and leaned forward. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." The apprentice's tone becoming chilly. "You're an admiral yourself. Don't you know the saying? When one desires peace, one must also prepare for war. Don't you think the federation has been resting on it's laurels? Everyone thinks this peace will last and then when conflict starts again everyone is shocked and thinks 'who knew?'. War is coming. In all its glory, in all its horror."

Raziff's alarms were going off in his head. What the hell was going on?

The Moff's eyes narrowed. "How do you know this?"

"You think the Empire has been sitting around doing nothing?" Aaric continued. "Since the truce the empire has been consolidating their power, infiltrating your governments and compromising your defences. The Federation's time is up and there will be no stopping the Empire this time."
Kilean's eyes widened in realisation. This young man was an agent of the Empire and he would have very well be placed in a trap!

"Against the power of the Empire, there can be no victory. You must join us, Grand Moff." Aaric declared. "You must join the Empire. It will be wise, my friend."

"Hn. Tell me... friend." The admiral scoffed. "Since when did you abandon reason for madness? Or did you plan this all along?"

Aaric smirked. "Your connections to the underworld and the corporate sector are much desired, Grand Moff. It would do you well to use that for the side that will win. You can have a better future with the empire."

The Moff slowly stood up and dusted himself off. Raziff and his men were already fingering their blasters. "I'm sorry, Aaric Etherall Tritum. I may be corrupt. But I'm still a loyal Federation soldier at heart. I won't join you... And I'll be putting you under arrest for treason against the Federation. The Senate will forgive my transgressions for bringing in a traitor like you. Men! Take him into custody and abort the handover procedures immediately!"

"It's too late now, admiral." Aaric was grinning maniacally now. "You should've joined willingly when you have the chance. As we speak my highly skilled agents masquerading as the pilots have most likely killed or disabled their escorts and are in full control of the ships."

True enough, Aaric had the Mecrosa Order adepts put on House navy pilot uniforms to deceive their escorts. Once they had full function of the ship, two of them were more than enough to take down a squad of security troopers.

"Sir! We can't contact any of the escort details!" A guard hissed to the Moff.

"Damn it to hell!" Kilean cursed. "Cuff him! He's coming with us and we can use him as a hostage to get out of here!"

Aaric stood up, his action earning the entire party drawing their blasters at him."The only way I'm exiting through that door is with your men dead and you under my custody."

The Moff sneered. "Feh! How do you imagine that's gonna happen?"

Aaric gave him a pointed look. "With my hands around your neck."

"Bantha crap!" The admiral snapped. "Whatchya gonna do, huh? You've got nothing. Nothing but your fancy clothes off your back; we have blasters!"

"No, what you have are power packs and you'd better hope that when your cells are empty I'm no longer standing, because if I am..." Aaric yawned. "you'll all be dead before you've even reloaded."

"That's impossible!" Kilean roared as he trained his blaster at the young Mecettian. "Kill him."

A cacophony of blasterfire filled the room as the hail of plasma bolts struck the apprentice. Aaric threw up his arms to protect his face as his Armorweave cloak and vest took the brunt of the hits... though it didn't help with the pain. The bolts kept on coming with few missing but most hitting their mark. The hits forced Aaric backward until his back hit a wall and the hits almost brought him to his knees.

Seconds felt like minutes, but eventually the hail of blasterfire stopped. To everyone's shock, Aaric rose back up with his irises turned to a bright golden hue.

"My turn." He whispered.

In one swift movement, Aaric unclipped his twin lightsabers and flung them towards his targets. The plasma blades struck true and took out two of his men. Enhancing himself with the force, he shot forward and quickly took down each guard one by one before they even had the chance to reload.

Raziff tried to pull the grand Moff towards the door and escape but they found the door locked from the outside. Knowing that their only chance was to try and take down the Mecettian, Raziff rushed forward to try and engage Aaric in hand to hand combat. But they did him no good.

The apprentice lifted up his hand and the Bothan sudden found himself in mid-air and choking as an invisible force closed around his windpipe. With a flick of his wrist, the furry's neck was snapped and the body dropped onto the floor in a crumpled heap.

The Grand Moff scurried towards the blast door and pressed himself against it as fear leaked from his visage.

"H-how? W-why?!" He stammered.

"Beneath my skin there is more than flesh." Aaric declared. "Beneath my skin is the dark dide, Grand Moff. And the dark side always wins!"

A hard chop to the back of the neck knocked out the poor Moff and sent him crumpling to the floor like a ragdoll.

"Guards, take the Moff into custody and prep him for transport." Aaric ordered while pressing the intercom button beside the blast door.

Operation Anthropoid was a success. And soon Silenius would have himself a Grand Moff just like he asked for.

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END​