777: Additional RP Server - paehhos︱forest

Night had fallen over the Paehhos forest, a sprawling region of mostly trees and alpine-like woodland the district was named after. Since the biggest thing for miles around was the actual Rehab centre (it's location specifically chosen for the calming aura of being surrounded by nature) - it was the perfect place to hide a shuttle. That is, if the shuttle hadn't been detected and reported on the descent, rendering it's advantage useless. Nevertheless, it's owner and inhabitant were confident enough that they could wait until the heat of Valak's escape had dwindled before they could leave; a camp had been set up to stay the night, then leave under cloak in the morning. The shuttle in question had landed in a clearing, and although it had been covered with foliage, Romulan shuttles were larger than the average Federation small craft - Free State ones ever more so; it wouldn't be hard for someone who was specifically looking for it to pick the ship out from the dense canopy of the forest.

LOCATION: TAU DEWA SECTOR BLOCK, NIMBUS SECTOR, DEWA STAR SYSTEM, MOL'RIHAN - PAEHHOS, PAEHHOS FOREST; COORDINATES OF INTEREST - ...

A gloved hand reached out to brush away the palm-sized leaves, revealing the dormant shuttle's warp nacelle; still warm, though that warmth was barely felt through the thick leather that protected the man's hands. Not too far away, then, if not taking into account the possibility of an on-ground getaway vehicle. As he looked around while still leaning against the hidden shuttle, his own camouflage clothes blending him quite nicely into the speckled darkness of the Paehhos forest, he could see that there was no feasible way to use one here - not with this amount of vegetation, covering the ground, creating a wall all around him, and reaching all the way up to the stars. It was getting cold. Rojin knew that rather than felt it, his body well protected by the layers of his work clothes, his breaths not coming out as little puffs of mist when he breathed, for most of his face was hidden under the mask he was wearing. It was also quiet, but not enough to be concerning - for the night birds still lamented their ghostly calls, and the tall grass buzzed with insect activity. Not here, then. He stood up and took a few careful steps towards the shuttle's entry doors, knowing full well that no living souls were in there or his vicinity, but still taking caution - Tal Shiar loved littering by leaving behind traps and other, no less unpleasant gifts. Rojin was interested in getting inside of said shuttle and rummaging around, as well as sabotaging it in case it was planned to be used further...

The first thing Valak did when he left the property of the centre was toss Lhi's PADD on the ground and smash it to pieces. All of the pictures and memories Lhi had saved on that device were backed up, thankfully. What was not preserved was the stickers and loving messages he had decorated the device with. Lhi was soemone who cherished his electronics so much and here Valak was, breaking it to pieces and burying it haphazardly in the ground before continuing on his way. When he was far enough away, Valak looked back to see green lights where he had just came from. Undoubtedly the centre had already learned of his escape and were sending people to come get him. 'Good luck finding me', Valak chuckled to himself as he slowed his pace as he drew closer to the his ride away from the planet. Valak had no doubts that the centre had guards stationed off property and with his lil legs there was little chance he could outrun them. Also.. Romulans had disruptors. So Valak was going to walk slowly for the rest of his journey, ever cautious of whoever could be lurking ahead...

TW: Animal death ...Not exactly 'lurking' per se, but definitely emerging from the shadows came a Romulan wearing a traditional Tal Shiar uniform - but underneath a thick leather jacket that hid most of it from view. Behind him, he was dragging the lifeless body of a small Iymn'Irrhae, Shiar rations were good and all - but nothing could beat the real thing, especially when it was killed yourself. Looking over at Valak, Pelmor tr'Khellian tried to grab the egg's attention. "Where on Erebus have you been?! I was in half a mind to just leave." (edited)

Valak turned his head when he heard someone approaching him. He jumped a little, fearing the person could be from the centre. Valak put both hands over his face and stepped back to run until-- he realised it was his kin, Pelmor. "Pelmor! You.. What the erebus is that?!" The egg raised an eyebrow at the corpse he had in tow. "Well I'm glad you showed up. I need to get out of here, we need to go now.•

He ripped the wires out like they were mangled guts of a carcass, leaving the pilot console dead and barren - damage that was fixable, but would take too much time and hassle for someone in a hurry to leave. On the wall above him, a small device kept blinking its light, location ping already sent out to his colleagues for them to pick the shuttle up and apart. Were someone to try and rip it off, they would be in for a blinding, dizzying surprise. Denakad's invention, the Reman's spirit living on in many little yet useful gadgets such as this little "spider." After making sure that the shuttle had no chances of getting up, the man left it, blending back into the night like some nightmarish one-eyed khalagu, straight out of a Rihannsu fairytale about their nightly hunts, searching for wayward souls to feast on... Rojin breathed deep, cool damp air rushing into his lungs. No other smells. No lit fires in his proximity. That prompted him to put his muzzle-like mask back on, it locking itself back into its place with a soft hiss and a click, before throwing on his hood and putting on his goggles, leaving his face near featureless. The world became brighter - and he could see there, ahead of himself, a patch on the ground; a recently re-buried hole. In it, remains of a PADD. Further, on the border between the clearing and the forest line, was an indent in the tall grass. In the mud was a footprint, humanoid, their height somewhere on the level of Jin's chest. Curious. His target was noted to be taller than that... The rehabilitation center was right there, and he was already alerted about the breakout. Could it be?.. Only one way to check. So in Rojin went, his boots leaving vivver footprints behind him - as if an animal was out for a prowl.

"It's food for the night, Valak." Pelmor explained. "We can't go now, the rehab centre are sweeping the entire forest looking for you - if we leave they'll be able to detect us faster than we can cloak; so we wait until morning." Pelmor explained, dragging the corpse over to the middle of the clearing. "Have you ever had Iymn'Irrhae before? It's good - chewy, but good." Sitting down on a large rock that inadvertently hid him from Jin's current position, Pelmor took out a Khellian™️ brand knife (homemade) and began prepping the meat. "Anyway, what's up with you? Last I heard you'd been kicked out the family." Not that Pelmor really cared, he just wanted to fill the silence. (edited)

Valak made a visibly disgusted face at the idea of eating that. Valak liked to play big and bad, but he did not like meat at all. As much as he complained, he had been well cared for at the centre. Aside from the threats from his flatmate and regular bullying for his stupidity, his dietary and sleep needs were met. He watched Pelmor prepare the meat, arms crossed. "... Yeah, my own sister kicked me out. I'm gonna join the Asenths now. Once we get going I'll find a way to contact Kakabam tr'Asenth. They have minimal contact with the house, which means I can probably manipulate them to help me," Valak told Pelmor, already planning how to get back into the house. "... Unless you want to help me get back into the Khellian house. I'm surprised Rh'vaurek hasn't kicked you out too."

"Eh, I stay away from that side of the family - if I drum up too much attention Rilek will find out and remove me. With the way I have it set up right now I can use the Khellian resources and not get noticed." The perfect arrangement for him. The most impressive part about it was the fact that Pelmor was able to maintain his setup without anyone else getting involved - even the Shiar didn't touch it for fear of ruining what their agent had spent years working on. Pelmor looked up at Valak, still using his knife to cut up the meat. "The Asenths? Really? There a bunch of families out there that take in charity cases like yours, no offense..." Full offense. "...And you decided to go with the family that our family manipulated and controlled for decades? Call me old-fashioned but wouldn't it be better to join a family that would actually take you in and then work your way up to be patriarch?"

Valak scoffed upon hearing Pelmor's situation with the Khellian house. He wasn't jealous, not at all. Regardless of what Rilek or anyone said, Valak knew he was an asset. Anyone who thought otherwise just didn't get him. Valak didn't watch Pelmor cut up the meat, it was gruesome even for him. He liked to play tough, but in reality Valak was used to the comfortable lifestyle of the centre and before that, he lived in the spleen of prosperity on Rator III. His Tal Shiar ships weren't nearly as comfy, but he was usually focused on work and less about five star amenities. "But I want the Khellian house. I don't want to join some no-name house, Besides, Jinsol was supposed to be my friend in the house. We were coworkers before they turned," Although it was common knowledge for the rest of the Khellians, Valak was still under the impression that Jinsol had joined the Tal Shiar on their own. Apparently Valak never got the memo that Jinsol had been an undercover agent for D'Tan the entire time. "Well... I'm houseless now. Favdt! I can never go home, Rilek would never hide me, Terrh also wants me dead. I think Tavaen has blocked me, all the Khellians blocked me. At this point, I want to kill them all and take the house for myself-- I'M SERIOUS! I want to kill Rilek and Rai and everyone. Especially Rai, ugliest motherfucker in the house," Valak said, the anger welling up again as he raised his voice. It was as if he had completely forgot they were supposed to be hiding.

There were two. He sat still in the tall grass, his position hiding Pelmor from his view, but leaving Valak in the dead center of his attention. He could hear both of them clearly, and the man shamelessly soaked in every word that was being said - juicy, juicy information, all centered around the Khellian House. Damn pests. For as long as he's been stationed on 777, they just kept coming up... perhaps an anonymous tip was in need of being made after this? Ah, but here was the issue - with his current setup and positioning, there was no way for him to strike two birds with one stone. Rojin was, after all, sent to deal with one person. Not that it was impossible - but it was risky. He had to make peace with the possibility that one of them could slither away - but not undamaged, oh no. Rojin was about to make sure of it. The wind rushed through the tree leaves. The shorter one shouted out a threat, boasting his future plans. And as soon as the word "motherfucker" left his mouth, the Romulan lunged himself out of the bushes, the throwing knife whistling through the air in a blur of steel grey to meet Valak's shoulder, followed by a ringing shot of a disruptor, aimed at the approximate level and direction of where Pelmor's head was. He felt his own blood start to rush, and oh, oh did he miss this.

He didn't have any time to react. Valak was short and this guy was tall. He had no idea who he was- but the instant he saw the Lareth charging in from the bushes, he knew he was cooked. Valak was easily overpowered by the taller man, falling to the ground. (tw: descriptions of blood/stabbing) The pain only lasted a few seconds, but the knife just kept going deeper and he could feel his arm quickly being soaked in blood. Valak couldn't even turn his head to see the damage but he was surely covered in green. The egg closed his eyes, fairly sure this would be his last stand. In his mind he cursed Rilek, he cursed the entire Khellian house. Tavaen never saved him. Rilek disowned him. Terrh was disappointed in him. He had little faith in Pelmor, that man was as absent as Valak's father. In fact, Valak's father was probably around more than him.

Ah well, he tried. Unlike Valak who didn't have time to react, Pelmor used the split second given to him by fate to heave up the Rorse carcass to catch any knives or shots that headed his way - which thankfully it did. He darted behind the rock, reaching for his own disruptor... only to realise he had left it in the shuttle. favdt. Not having much time to spare, Pelmor took his chance and ran towards the concealed shuttle.

Rojin's gaze fixed itself upon Pelmor's face as soon as the carcass was lowered and the bastard darted, the unnatural whiteness of his right eye peeking through the darkened glass of his goggles like a headlight in a tunnel. The way his head flicked back to the agent was near mechanical, bearing a promise to hurt if the fleeing hyena with it's tail between it's hind legs didn't move fast enough. A couple more shots rang out to follow the running Khellian, hoping to graze him or furthermore discourage from coming back, before the man's attention turned back to the fallen one. Gloved hand reached up to the mask, pressing down on the button that was up close to his ear: "Main target on the run, get ready to pursue," he announced, voice muffled and hoarse sounding, individuality taken away by a filter for the sake of anonymity. He then squatted down, looming over the fallen agent like a waiting vulture: "but I've got the other one..." Now both of his hands were raised towards his face, taking away the mask and goggles to reveal himself to Valak - as if to mock the man with familiar features, and the fact that he could show his face without any risk. It wasn't like Valak was getting away from this. They both knew that. divider

13:30

"Should've stayed in the rehabilitation center where it's safe, eh?" he inquired, waiting for the Romulan to open his eyes. Whenever he did, Rojin cocked his head to the side: "You Tal Shiar folk are such fascinating shitheads, I can't help but be impressed by your blind willingness to hurt, be it a stranger or your own family, for the sake of control. Well? Did you feel loved by the Empire? Was the dun under my father's wing warm and comfortable enough for you and your buddies, you fucking pest?" The last sentence was a sneer, the word "father" spitted out with bitterness that has been brewing for over 40 years. "You know what comes next. I can offer you the dignity of trying to do the one good thing in your fucking life, and telling me where the last remnants of you are hiding. "

The egg-headed Romulan did end up opening his eyes to get a good look at his assailant. As to be expected, it was a Lareth. Not Irok, no, Valak would be less mad if it was Irok, but this Lareth wasn't much better. He grit his teeth and coughed (tw:blood mention) green blood spewing from his mouth, only further drenching his clothes in the classic green Vulcanoid blood. Valak's golden Khellian eyes were large and round, just like his stupid ass head. "We... have a few... Tavaen," Oh Valak was really about to do this? Falsely accused everyone in his house? "Rh'vaurek, Jinsol," Valak inhaled sharply. "One hidden.. Kakabam.. and two m-more Letor, " Valak coughed again and his body flinched forward. "and ev'kor.. most are.. mind wiped, but they're in on the plans too. Rai.. tr'Torre'vnau, Tavaen.. everyone.. with Tavaen," Valak strained to say, more groans of pain escaped his lips as his eyes began to close again. He was going to go out how he lived -- as a little bitch.

Wide golden met half-lidded grey and white, utterly lacking interest in whatever Valak was currently going through. It was a shame that it all came to this. It was a shame that yet another Romulan chose to waste his life by serving Tal Shiar, selling them his soul, spilling blood and sweat for their bidding. It was a shame that lives were ruined because of his efforts. It was a shame that this man was foolish enough to escape the facility that kept him safe from people like Rojin, who had reasons and orders to go after people like Valak. But his face remained unfeeling, no muscle twitching even as blood spilled out of the agent's mouth. After all, tonight he was nothing but a vessel for his people's anger and suffering. A weapon, a tool with a mission - one that he was going to see through. And then Valak talked, spilling out name after name, and for a moment Rojin froze, perhaps not expecting a literal list - only for his eyes to narrow, a ghost of a smirk appearing on his lips. Really? Really?.. Fuck, it sure was a shame he hadn't met this guy sooner - this was hysterical. The fact that this man, this little pest, used his last living moments to try and incriminate his whole House, one he was promising to eradicate mere moments later, made a chuckle bubble up and escape past Rojin's lips. A warm, low, rhytmic sound, oddly reminiscent of another Lareth - one that Valak served under. divider

23:36

Gods, what a waste. He rose up and took a few steps to stand by the agent's legs, disruptor back in his gloved hand. His steady aim found it's mark on the man's forehead. "See you later," he uttered, and pulled the trigger. A flash of blue lit up the clearing, only to fade out a mere moment later - taking a life with it. The mask clicked back into it's place, leaving out the smell of hot air and plasma and something burned. He was done here - so he turned around and left the way he came, disappearing into the forest. The makeshift camp was left in deathly stillness.