Mission Hide and Seek | ISB [ DE ]

[Kyric]

After a moment of silence Damian readied himself to leave, “-I can lead us to the bunker holding the Imperial, thanks to the chip you found we’ll have an easier time gaining access.”​

"Love that," Kyric said in turn. He followed Damian to the ladder, pretending to spot something interesting when the senator looked back at the pyre, then he scaled after him rung-by-rung. His thoughts remained on the task at hand as he shimmied out from the hatch, careful not to peek out from behind the abandoned speeder.

Kyric took the offered datapad from Damian and did a quick scan of its contents. Once he visualized the safehouse address and a photo of the imperial operative, he held it back out to the senator. "While I appreciate your kindness," he tapped his head while speaking, "I have an eidetic memory." As if to prove it, the kiffar quietly recited the address.

“Once we’re there we’ll alert them about the compromised safe-house and get the Imperial transferred elsewhere until we’re ready to get them off the planet.” Damian quickly added. "I have faith in us." ​

Kyric excitedly gave Damian a thumbs-up. "Absolutely. It might be worth transportin' some of the higher-ups in this resistance somewhere safe, too. I wouldn't think to ask any of you to abandon your fight here, but I have a feelin' the Alliance will have their hands full defending Coruscant. If we can create a more organized effort without ISB breathin' down our necks, I think we'll have a much better shot at freein' your people, Damian."

Chancing a glance past their cover, Kyric spotted a large speeder blocking the mouth of the alley and felt a rising panic. When stormtroopers didn't burst into the alley and open fire, he allowed himself a deep breath and dropped back to look at Damian.

"We're gonna have to go up," Kyric grumbled. "Speeder is blockin' the only way out. These buildings on either side of us are residential apartments. They should have a rooftop access we can take to get back down to the street. Anytime spent that high up at this time of day ain't doin' us any favors." Kyric braced his shoulder up against the alley wall, bent his knees, and linked his hands together beneath a sleek durasteel fire escape. "You first. I can do the space magic stuff, so an eight-foot jump ain't nothin' to me."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Damian Du Couteau | Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood

Page Claim ! ! ! ​

 

[Ellayina L'lerim]

Torture and Interrogation Officer and Agent

Information

Objective: Capture and rescue
Location: Near to the city park, Cinnegar, Empress Teta
Equipment: 2x Sunfury Pistol | Light Armour | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | 2x Vibrodagger || Cloaking Device | 5x ASBF Probe Droid || Empyrean gland || OPBC-01m
Tag: Kazian Blackwood | Kyric | Damian Du Couteau | Open

"Galactic Common" | <"High Nelvaanian"> | ["Essonian"] | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

When we got down to the right level and Kaz offered to open the vent, I climbed down a bit to get out of his way and did as he asked. I was probably more worried about my hair catching on fire from the scorching bits landing than I was about getting it in my eyes. The easiest thing to do was to hold myself on the wire with my feet, holding on with one hand and raising the other above my head to protect both my head and face from the falling smouldering pieces. Fortunately, the whole process didn't take too long.

When the metal grille was no longer on the vent, I climbed over to another cable so I could get on the same level as Kaz and see how narrow the tunnel was. A quick and brief grimace appeared on my lips, because unfortunately Kaz wasn't wrong about the dimensions of the tunnel. I could have sent droids forward to survey the place, but I didn't expect the height and width to change. It wouldn't have been logical; especially since many places build them so that average-sized people can use them for escape. To fix it, the droids are tiny, so they didn't matter. After a few moments I spoke, quietly so that my voice would echo as little as possible in the elevator ride.

"Yes, I agree that you go first. If you get stuck, it's easier to pull you out by your legs than somehow find room to turn around and push you back by your head or shoulders." I told him; although the whole situation, if one imagined what I was saying, sounded rather comical, there was no trace of amusement in my tone.

I meant what I said, not as a joke. I was shorter than him and much skinnier, but even so, I would have had a hard time getting around. I was flexible and acrobatic, but not that flexible. Let's face it, I didn't want to crawl backwards if I was going forwards.

"Go ahead, I'll be right behind you." I encouraged him, and if he started, I would wait for him to get a few metres inside, then I would climb into the vent and follow him.

 

[Damian Du Couteau]

Damian raised an eyebrow at Kyric’s memory, a tinge of jealousy but he nodded in approval all the same and Damian stashed his data-pad back into his bag. The situation at hand was quite the tenuous one, Cinnegar was quite a large city, it was perhaps the most Coruscanti-like part of the planet. But with martial law and the Empire putting down a heavy military presence Damian was well aware of the need to be quick and discrete.

“Getting good intel will go a long way to plan an effective liberation campaign.” Damian agreed, they needed to transport this Imperial and perhaps even the General Daro Lago back to Alliance space. “-Defending against invasions is one thing, but Teta don’t suffer occupation for long.” He added with a sense of Tetan wounded pride.

“I’ll climb fast,” Damian responded as he began to climb up the fire escape ladders. Kyric was correct about staying out in the open on the roof, speedercraft and drones were a dime in a dozen. His hands and feet quickly moved up the ladder efficiently, a rhythmic thump and slap of each rung sang as he continued to climb up until finally Damian pulled himself up and onto the roof. My sister would have offered to hold me as she attempted to jump up a building. . . I think I prefer the shortness of breath of climbing.

He took a moment to breathe and his eyes ventured back towards the alley from where they came from, for a split moment memories flooded back to him of darkened skies and hordes of undead clambering up the building. Damian shook his head and refocused back to the present as he turned to look for the roof access door. He steeled himself from ever looking up, not wanting to give an off chance possibility of a drone or spy-craft identifying his face. Let's get inside and quickly head down to the streets below Damian.​

|| Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood | Kyric ||​

 

[Kyric]

Once Damian ascended the ladder and onto the fire escape proper, Kyric kicked off the wall and grabbed the bottom rung. He used his momentum to swing out to the side to extend his reach, and continued the process, scaling the ladder one bar at a time until his boots found purchase on the lowest rung. The remainder of the climb couldn't have been easier. Within seconds, he peeked his head up and followed Damian up after confirming no hidden ambushers awaited them.

"Do you know this part of town at all?" Kyric asked as he stepped up beside Damien at the door. When it didn't open for either of them from proximity, Kyric waved a hand over the terminal and even tried a verbal command.

"Damn," he sighed. "I got this one." He detached a slicewire from his belt and quickly sheared away the external locking mechanism. Trading out the slicewire for a handheld datapad, the Jedi ran a tiny cord between the two. "Kill command for most civilian tech," he explained. "Only runs for one-stage processes like doors or lights. Anythin' else confuses the software."

A tiny bloop signaled the end of the upload. The door slid open, revealing a thin staircase down into the apartment.

Kyric stepped in first and motioned for Damian to fall in behind him. "Don't answer any questions from someone who looks like a civilian. It might be hard, but any contact with your people will put them in danger. We're ghosts here, Damian. Specters."

The Jedi's metaphor may have been a tad overdramatic, but looking at the son of Seto Du Couteau, Kyric felt that way. Two sons. Two fathers. Two martyrs. Two orphans. For all the kiffar knew, they were all that remained between the Dark Empire and the collapse of the Tetan Rebellion. There could be no mistakes.

"Did you hear...?"

Voices just beyond the base of the staircase set Kyric's nerves on end. He quickly ducked low behind a decorative vase and held his breath. Thankfully, the conversation continued down a side hall.

Releasing his breath, the Jedi grinned back at Damian. "Sorry, sorry. False alarm." Kyric rose from behind cover and pictured their next destination in his mind's eye. "Where to next?"

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Damian Du Couteau | Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood ​

 

[Kazian Blackwood]

Ellayina L'lerim | Kyric | Damian Du Couteau

The vent proved no issue at all. Certainly a tight squeeze, but being built as they were for HVAC droids, the ventilation system in the hideout held my weight just fine. Ella's AI system had plotted us a perfect route, because after a few grueling minutes army crawling through the ducts, I was right above the security room. A few more feet forward and I was able to kick out the vent, backsliding down and landing in a crouch, hand diving into my coat for my sidearm as I stood.

And there I was, blaster pointing to threaten the security guards: a motley lineup of droids. A bipedal one, something adjacent to a protocol droid, put its hands in the air. A small box-shaped operations droid by its feet whirred. Above it, a small many armed probe no larger than the protocol droid's head was still tinkering on the wall behind them.

"Automated security room." I lowered my blaster.

"You, protocol droid, bring up all cameras in occupied rooms."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that sir. I am programmed only to take orders from my chief lead operator."

I rolled my eyes. It was hard to threaten droids with a good ol' wave of the blaster.

"And where can I find them?"

I heard the door to the security room behind me open up and I whirled around to point my blaster at the arrival. The moment I saw an Alliance uniform I pulled the trigger, and the man tripped backwards into the hallway and sunk to the floor against the wall.

"That is chief lead operator of the security room, Officer Zsingo." the droid chimed in politely as though I hadn't just murdered its boss.

I ignored it and took a step closer. A dead Rodian, for sure.

"Do you have the ability to lock down this hallway?" I turned back to the droid, waving the gun again.

"Well I am unauthoriz-"

"Can you do it?!"

"Violence is not tolerated."

I was fuming, and out of desperation I released a blaster bolt straight into the small box-shaped droid, which yelped a high pitch squeal that faded out as its circuits stopped running.

In that moment I realized the mistake I'd made as silently the protocol droid turned to the console next to it and began fiddling. I stepped up behind it just as its hand reached for a large red button, and plugged a blast bolt right into its head.

"Ella, I think we'll need your computer skills for this one. Fast."

 

[Ellayina L'lerim]

Torture and Interrogation Officer and Agent

Information

Objective: Capture and rescue
Location: Near to the city park, Cinnegar, Empress Teta
Equipment: 2x Sunfury Pistol | Light Armour | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | 2x Vibrodagger || Cloaking Device | 5x ASBF Probe Droid || Empyrean gland || OPBC-01m
Tag: Kazian Blackwood | Kyric | Damian Du Couteau | Open

"Galactic Common" | <"High Nelvaanian"> | ["Essonian"] | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

One of the best things about having Kaz out was that I didn't have to worry about getting stuck somewhere. If he could go through the different places, it was not an obstacle for me. Although the members of my bloodline are typically very tall, the ladies always have an ethereal physique, which has become an advantage for me. To be safe, I moved a few metres behind the man so that our weight would never be on the same metal plate. They could handle us individually, but I didn't want to risk that if there were two of us on the same one, one would break or get dented under us. If that happened, we would immediately lose our cover and probably never get out of here.

That's why I arrived at the security room a little late, although I could hear what Kaz and the droid were talking about very quietly. The vent seemed to be somewhat soundproofed; if that was the way they wanted to make sure the droids didn't disturb the people downstairs when they were wandering around or exploring. By the time I got to the removed vent cover and jumped down into the room, I saw dead droids and a dead Galactic Alliance officer. What I also saw immediately was that the room was not designed to be run by humans, but rather by droids.

Me and my computer skills... of course, being an agent, I was taught how to hack into different networks, computers. But it was easy for the man's daughter to have an HPI biochip with an artificial intelligence in her head a few minutes after she was born, and she could do that. If the system here was not able to connect to it with a wireless solution, then I had an AI, but I had to manage on my own, because the AI cannot connect to the system. True, even then it knew the codes and what I had to write and do to project them onto my retina.

"I'm going to go and hope that there's a wireless solution and I don't have to do everything manually." I said to the man quickly.

When it became clear that I would have to take over manually, I cursed a long swear in High Nelvaanian while typing on the keyboard. Luckily, MANIAC was there to help me with that too, especially since he had recently encountered a Galactic Alliance network that originated from a prison; so similar to this. So I pretty much had to write the right things I saw on my retina. It's not so easy because the program was different, so I had to rely on my own talent. I could spend about five or six minutes doing this, completely shut out from the outside world and hoping my partner had my back. Finally, when he was done, I sighed a little wearily.

"We're in control." I told him.

 

[Kazian Blackwood]

Ellayina L'lerim | Kyric | Damian Du Couteau

Pacing back and forth for five minutes as she worked felt like hours. I clutched my gun tight, envisioning a squad of soldiers wheeling around the corner to overwhelm us, but they never did.

"We're in control." I told him.

I breathed an exasperated sigh of relief as I plopped down on the sole chair in the room, where the Rodian would have been sitting before he went to take a piss and came back dead.

"Since the dead Alliance engineer over there hasn't received any back up, I'm guessing this place is operating on a skeleton crew. Can you by chance see our captive general from this security system? And what was that funny language you were speaking to the console?"

 

[Damian Du Couteau]

“I’ve recently become more acquainted with this part of the city,” Damian answered, it was an awkward truth for this Tetan.

He watched Kyric unlock the door, he remained quiet and listened to the young Jedi provide a brief explanation of his tools. Effective, well suited for a civilian environment. Damian quickly followed behind him and briskly climbed down the stairs that led them to the streets below.

“Silence indeed,” Damian agreed to Kyric’s order to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

Though when the word ‘ghost’ was brought up a thought emerged in Damian’s head, the concept of Force Ghosts. With a few blinks of his tired eyes, the young Du Couteau stored the thought for later discussion. Perhaps after a night of restful, uninterrupted sleep. Damian prided himself in being someone who needed very little sleep, but presently he had wondered if he was close to a limit.

Damian frooze when he saw Kyric freeze and moved likewise to hide behind one of the other vases and waited for him to give the all clear. The young Jedi’s grin relaxed Damian, his body’s tension was released and Damian nodded along.

“I’ve learned to trust Force User’s instincts over my own,” Damian spoke in a hushed voice. “-no need to apologize.”

With a gesture Damian led the two of them to the bottom of the stairs, careful to hear for any other footsteps and voices of tenants that could be walking about. He stopped once he saw the glass doors that showed the streets outside, he looked around quickly as he reached for the back of his head and untied his hair as well as removed his singular hair dressing that kept his bangs from his eyes.

“There is a semi-ruined market street I’ll take us through, slower but safer.” Damian explained quietly. He removed his cape and quickly folded it into a wide belt that covered the majority of his midsection. “I was always the one who needed to show my sister how to walk and dress, quite fortunate I’ve lost the weight that I did and how my parents enjoyed ordering matching outfits.” Damian explained, giving a hint at how he remained hidden, though in truth he found this disguise quite difficult. All I do is remember fond memories, happier times on a Teta that hadn’t yet seen invasion from the Maw.

With his own preparation completed he gestured at Kyric to follow and headed towards the doors and out into the streets. The duo walked at a brisk pace and while Damian kept his head bowed with limited field of vision, the devastation of the invasion had left deep scars all across Cinnegar. Damian knew better than to help every lost soul during his travels, Imperial Operatives were masters of Counter-Intelligence, but Kyric wasn’t lying about the difficulty to not simply help or even provide a word of encouragement. The young Du Couteau heir hoped he could one day repay his debt of failing to defend his people.

Damian continued to lead them through the streets, some sections of the sidewalk easier to navigate than others, debris in need of being cleaned up and large sections of the roads in need of repair. The path was indeed a slower one, carefully maneuvering away from larger crowds and Imperial patrols, but soon a clearing was eventually found. Damian stepped closer to the edge of the start of the gardens and grass, a strange sight to see after a battle, a park.

“One of the first things rebuilt at the Royal Palace after first liberation were the gardens and its expansion.” Damian spoke softly, a rather bemused smile finally threatened to crack his expressionless face. “It was suggested to make parks and gardens the entrances to underground bunkers and safe-houses, poetic beauty, how flowers hid their thorns beneath their petals and leaves.”

With a small weary sigh Damian continued on to the location of the entrance he had found on the data-chip. The area around the entrance had a lot of debris of broken buildings and the remains of the previous park, while the keypad was hidden beneath a false cover of granite. Damian noted how well situated the trees and park structure kept them relatively hidden, a chance to disappear through a nearby quiet construction zone should they need to throw off any tails.

Damian quickly moved through the large chunks of debris and discovered the hidden keypad and connected his data-pad. He nodded approvingly that access was granted and a meter in front of Damian, an opening in the ground revealed the entrance underground.

“Finally,” He said, his hands went into his bag for his hairpin and hair-tie. How do people stand long bangs? Though for a moment Damian felt warmth on his cheeks, a slight embarrassment for even voicing his complaint. “-An alert was made, once we descend there should be a security personal meeting us once we get closer to the main bunker entrance below.” Damian explained and volunteered to climb down first. Damian found himself below to what he could only describe as a subway under construction. He waited near the bottom of the ladder for Kyric before continuing ahead and hopefully finding that friendly Alliance security agent.

"-Why are you here Kyric? Instead of Tython I mean." Damian asked a bit abruptly, his curiosity finally breaking through into the forefront of Damian's mind and to what Damian believed they had a moment to breathe. "Not to sound ungrateful or to cause offense, I just assumed Tython would be the first stop for Alliance liberation." He added quickly. Damian knew the importance of logistics and careful planning, there was a reason when the Alliance pushed back the Maw out of the Core it started after Tython through Teta until finally they had reclaimed all that had been stripped by the Maw.
​

|| Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood | Kyric ||​

 

[Kyric]

Kyric followed Damian through the market with an easy swagger. Maybe the Jedi was hamming up his confidence, but his imperial disguise afforded him that added layer of deception. Recruit 7654-11V was supposed to be there after all. Appearing like anything other than a proud imperial candidate would look suspicious to the trained eye, and the last thing the two rebels needed was to bring attention to the likes of the wanted Senator or a Jedi Knight.

"I think it's pretty nice you remember so many good things among all this crap." Kyric kicked some of the rubble aside as they rounded a corner to see the park. "Maybe I'm gettin' a bad read on you, but I can almost feel... what? Shame?" He scanned the street. Fearful eyes stared out at him from within their homes, silently pleading to be left alone. No one cried out for help, but much like in Damian, he felt conflict. All of them stood helpless in this horrid occupation.

And it weighed so heavily on the young man beside Kyric.

"You're out here doing the best you can. I wouldn't fault yourself for rememberin' why you fight." Kyric fell silent after that and kept his head on a swivel while Damian sought their point of entry. He slipped down through the door behind the senator once it revealed itself and they disappeared out of sight.

"-Why are you here Kyric? Instead of Tython I mean." Damian asked a bit abruptly, his curiosity finally breaking through into the forefront of Damian's mind and to what Damian believed they had a moment to breathe. "Not to sound ungrateful or to cause offense, I just assumed Tython would be the first stop for Alliance liberation."

"I'm somethin' of a wild card right now. The Chancellor has me in play to avoid influence from the Senate or the New Jedi Order. We're not sure who to trust, and, frankly, the New Jedi Order is already preppin' for Tython. Someone needs to be here, on the inside, helpin' your people, too." Kyric paused briefly to consider his explanation and then continued. "I specialize in information gatherin' deep behind enemy lines. This ain't the sort of place you send just anyone. But I'm sure you knew that."

The kiffar expected to see the denizens of the safehouse by the time he reached the bottom, so a lack of a greeting put the boy on guard. "Say, did that datapad include any information on how many folks were watchin' the imp? I stopped readin' once I saw the locale."

Damian Du Couteau | Ellayina L'lerim | Kazian Blackwood | Auteme​