A cat in the night

[Desmond C'artyom]

[SIZE=11pt]Desmond stood atop a balcony arms folded. The crisp night’s air blew gently through the nights sky and he shrugged at the chill. Outside the lawn was neatly trimmed and fireflies gently buzzed around the blades of grass. The manor he was guarding was an alabaster white, rich paintings hung on the walls, while beautiful crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings. Large ornate rugs lay strewn across the floors. Huge fireplaces carved from illustrious stone provided warmth for the rooms and the walls were made from the finest wood panels. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The Manors was in fact a local Moff’s. The man’s name was Chillrend and he was an avid collector of art and riches. Recently reports of a ghost burglar had been cropping up in the vicinity. The Moff worrying for his precious works had grossly mis used Imperial resources in order to better protect his property. A few strings later and he had gotten a unit as elite as Inferno squadron to guard his home. So, it was that Desmond C’artyom and his squadron found themselves hanging around the home. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Sector one clear,” Desmond announced into his comms. [/SIZE]


[member="Nephenee Aemaris"]

 

[Nephenee Aemaris]

Nephenee breathed in the crisp nighttime air and smiled, tonight was going to be a good night. Recently she had been stealing from affluent homes in the area. Partly to build up stock to sell on the black market, but mainly she stole from some good ol' fun. It had been too long since Nephenee had stolen for pleasure rather than necessity. And this area really was fun, people had so many valuables they wished to keep safe that they paid top dollar for the best security around.

Tonight, Nephenee had saved the best for last, the Chillrend Manor. Chillrend was known for two things; his affinity for expensive art and his paranoia. So along with the most high tech security systems, Chillrend had some hired gun guarding his valuables. She appreciated that, honestly she did. Hired gun meant more of a challenge, and she was in desperate need of a challenge.

So now Nephenee sat scoping out the area around the Manor from a distance. She could only see a few men from her vantage point, but the house was so massive there was no telling how many more lay waiting inside. There appeared to be two on the ground outside, one she could see through a window on the second floor, and one on the third floor balcony.

Nephenee stood and gathered her things and put them all in her pack. She then set off towards the manor, keeping to the shadows. Once she was about 500 meters away, she started to circle the manor towards the back. From where she stood she couldn't see any men, but that was the least of her worries. She knelt down and started looking through her pack. Once she found what she was looking for, a simple smoke bomb, she stood and threw the bomb towards the house. Silently it emitted smoke, revealing lasers that crisscrossed the yard. "Really Chillrend?" She though to herself, "Now this is just child's play. Explains that lack of guards though."

Nephenee then started running as fast as she could towards the lasers. She entered into a sort of dance with them if you will, jumping and spinning to avoid the burn of the rays. Once across she pulled out her blueprints of the manor and started searching for her way in, an old ventilation shaft that got overlooked in the remodel a few years back. Once located, Nephenee crawled in and started towards her target, Chillrends personal office.

[member="Desmond C'artyom"]

 

[Desmond C'artyom]

[SIZE=11pt]Desmond looked out at the beautiful night and stared longingly at the dual moons. It had been some time since the flight commander and special agent had been in the air. Now he day dreamed that he was soaring through the cloudless sky above Chillrend’s manor. He dreamed he was a bird and that he could just fly wherever he wanted, finally free. His thoughts were interrupted when one of his squad mates spoke over the comms. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Hey boss, thought I saw some movement in sector kresh, probably nothing, but i’m going to check it out,” The voice spoke through Desmond’s comms and he simply nodded even though no one could see him. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Alright,” Des said in his rich Imperial accent then turned from the balcony and midnight sky. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]He let out a soft sigh and rubbed the back of his head where the cybernetic port was located. It had been installed the moment he was designated squad leader. A gift and a curse. He walked into Chillrend’s office and envied the soft rug that lie beneath his boot clad feet. The manor itself was a beautiful piece of work and Desmond couldn’t help but admire it. But, Desmond could not, nor would he ever have a normal life with nice things. He was a clone. In fact his whole squad was made up of clones of the original Desmond. The original Desmond had been a simple thief, in order to bind him to the Empire they killed him then downloaded his subconscious, turning it into an AI programed to be loyal to the Empire. In turn they’d put the AI into whatever clone was leading Inferno squad at the time. So, in fact Desmond was truly nothing more than a series of algorithms and numbers. Soon this clone would die and the AI would be placed in another.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]He picked up a small round of wood and threw it onto the fireplace. He lit the wood and the room took on a soft yellow glow as the fire grew. He let the warmth wash over him as he knelt close. He stood from the fire place and walked to Chillrend’s personal desk. He opened the drawer and withdrew a small decanter of what smelled like whiskey. Desmond grabbed a glass from the same drawer and poured him a tall amount of the drink. He held it up to his nose and breathed deeply from the beverage. Rich stuff, like everything else in the house. Desmond pressed the glass to his lips and downed the liquid in two gulps. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Refreshing,” He whispered as a warm buzz began to settle over him.[/SIZE]

[member="Nephenee Aemaris"]

 

[Nephenee Aemaris]

"Left, left, right, left, right..." Nephenee chanted to herself repeatedly. These vents were such a maze, she could easily get lost and end up in a room full of hired gun. After about thirty minutes of crawling on her hand and knees, she finally made it to Chillrends office. There was a grate that looked down on his desk. Nephenee pulled her pack around to grab her tools to open the grate when she heard the door open, she froze. From her vantage point, Nephenee couldn't see who it was. It couldn't be Chillrend himself, he was off on a business venture for a week. It had to be one of the guards. She waited for a while, she could hear shuffling, and then the glow of a fire. "Peculiar," she thought to herself. This must be the head hauncho, no one else would dare make themselves so much at home in their employers office. The man then came into sight as he rounded the desk and poured himself a drink.

He was not human, that's for sure. She was fairly certain he was chiss, but who really knows for sure these days. He was young, tall, and held himself with confidence. But she could definitely take him in a fight.

As he poured his drink, Nephenee took the chance to open the grate as silently as possible. As he raised the glass to his lips she leaned over the opening and pounced.

[member="Desmond C'artyom"]

 

[Desmond C'artyom]

[SIZE=11pt]Desmond eyed the room more closely as he sipped his drink. The walls were wood panels of some sort of oak and the rug was obviously from Alderaan. Probably a noble house original. The fire cast an ominous shadow in front of him and he stared deeply into it over the rim of his glass. His penetrating red eyes watched as his shadow flickered with the flames and he closed them briefly for a moment as he savored the taste of the whiskey on his tongue. That’s when he heard a noise. The faint rattle of something metallic. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]A moment later a woman fell atop him. Desmond dropped his drink and fell face first on the ground. He quickly turned onto his back and got a good look at his assailant. She appeared to be a handsome young human. Piercing blue eyes framed by a heart shaped face. Freckles adorned her cheeks and pursed rosebud lips were complimented by a dashing frown. Silky red hair made up the top of her head and Desmond stared awestruck. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“H-how did you get past th-?” He began to ask then rolled out from beneath the female. Desmond stood up from the ground and scowled at the girl [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“You are trespassing on Chillrend’s manor. State your business here,” He said a hint of blush tinging his blue cheeks. He couldn’t believe a girl such as this one could get the drop on him![/SIZE]

[member="Nephenee Aemaris"]