A Common Crime

[Adron Malvern]

​The plan had been set. It had taken quite some time to find someone who was depraved enough to kill a woman as honorable as Lady Kay. Even among Hutt Space there were few who would have her life. Few of note and skill. Of course, as with all men, there was a price for everything. Two hundred million credits, a substantial amount to be taken from Adron's purse. Of course the money was to be paid after the successful death of Kay, which meant the money would never be paid.

​Every avenue had been secured and every corner checked. Adron had provided the assassin with a detailed roster of Kay's personal guard's rotations. He had also provided the layout and systems of the Commenor palace's security system. He would have offered the codes, yet that would have revealed the betrayal to be from one of Kay's inner circle, someone with access to such codes.

He sat within his office, hosting a cup of whiskey as he watched and waited until the appointed hour. Nearly two in the morning, it was close to that time. No one would suspect Adron being up late as being out of the ordinary, he purposely made himself a known insomniac.

​A soft smile came to the Moff's face as he glanced out the window. A shadow flew up, as if thrown onto the roof of the palace. It was time. Umbaran assassins were a skillful lot, he would do his part. Standing from his place in his chair, the Royal Advisor looked to the sentinels that stood guard by his door. "I think I'll stretch my legs a bit." He told them, even they were oblivious to the fun that was about to occur.

​As he clasped his lightsaber to his belt, he made his way for the door. Opened to him, the High Moff stepped out into the halls, a soft smile on his face. Soon, she would be dead, and Adron's place in Commenor, secured.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

What was Kay doing at two in the morning? Sleeping of course! Or rather, she wished that she was. Moments ago she woke up from a nightmare; one that had her husband, eyes glowing with the Darkside, locking her into a cell and throwing away the key. There was no love in his eyes, only hate. He was lost to her...

Her heart was pounding when she awoke with a start. She half expected to be in her bed, only to realize that she had fallen asleep at her desk again. She'd been doing that a bunch lately. People were noticing her lack of proper sleep, telling her that she looked tired. Even [member="Adron Malvern"] told her to take a day off. But how could she? There was too much to do, too much to fix. At times it had felt as if all the walls were caving in on her. But that was just all in her head.

Kay got to her feet and stretched. "Tea would be good right about now..." She smirked and shook her head as she realized that she just spoke out her thoughts. "Talking to myself now... Great..." She headed over to the side table of her office and turned on the kettle. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought that she saw movement, but upon looking, she realized that there was nothing.

Yawning, she finished preparing her tea. It'll calm her, maybe give her a more comfortable sleep later. Maybe tomorrow she'll take Adron up on that offer of a day off.

Maybe.

 

[Adron Malvern]

​The halls of Commenor were brightly lit, yet still the Umbaran Assassin lurked in the shadows. The stealth field that she employed hid her from the naked eye, and her perfect knowledge of the security cameras allowed her to move relatively unseen.

​Outside of Kay's office only a single guard stood vigil, it was a simple enough task. From beneath her cowl the assassin could not help but smirk at the guard. It was late, he was tired, and no one would expect what was to come next. Pulling a credit chit from her pocket, she tossed the small metal chip onto the ground. A soft tapping would echo out, drawing the guard's attention. Glancing around, the guard was still ignorant to the Assassin's presence. So he made his way over to the source, only to find a blade planted in his neck the moment he closes the distance between himself and the awaiting Umbaran.

​An amused chuckle would erupt as the Assassin slowly dragged the body to the ground. It would be over ten minutes before the next guard would arrive, she had plenty of time.

​"Time to kill a Queen." She muttered, approaching the door to Lady Kay's office. With her cloaking field still active, she would place a hand on the door's handle. Drawing her blaster pistol, the Umbaran gave a soft knock at the door, immediately followed by her slamming the door open.

​Under the invisible cloak of her stealth field, the Umbaran would fire her blaster towards Lady Kay. The blasts would not be enough to kill her, merely disorient her to the point where she could not fight her impending death. The shots were low and muffled, the custom blaster making little sound as the stun rays flew towards the unsuspecting Queen.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Already Kay was sipping her tea at her desk. Sure it was hot, but she was used to it. The heated liquid soothed her throat, she could feel it go down into her stomach. That was what she was waiting for. The perfect moment when the first sip goes down. Now she could relax.

Or not.

A quiet knock at the door interrupted her quiet moment alone. Now what?

The door burst open, yet no one was visible. How was that....? A sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her to get down. So she did. Right behind her desk. Kay slammed her fist against the panic button and then she reached for her umbrella that she hid in the bottom drawer. Of course it wasn't just any umbrella. It was her own custom made Commenori Pluviam. This special umbrella was the perfect shield for blasterfire, all the while looking elegant. She then pushed the button to open it while she rumaged in the same drawer for the Diplomat.

Now she had to wait.

Wait for help.

And wait for her enemy's next move.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

​Blaster bolts fired danced from the assassin's blaster as she cursed in Umbaran. The room was small, and so while she was able to dance around to hide her exact position, she was not given much leeway. Rather than continue to fire down at the Queen, the assassin glanced up at the lights. Two blaster bolts flew from her pistol into the air, knocking out the lights in the room and pulling a dark shadow over the area.

​"Now you are in my domain." She whispered, her steps were as soft as feathers, making her nearly untraceable even in such a small area. Digging her hand into her pocket, she would produce a small handful of credit chits, slowly tossing them around the room to disorient her target.

​"You made the wrong enemies...." She continued to speak in the hushed tone. Her stance, like that of a viper grew more and more menacing as she attempted to slowly breach the gap between the two.

​"Do not worry, your people will be safe among the Shrouded..." She said, her hand moving down to her utility belt. She pulled a small cylinder from the belt, a soft click could be heard as the concussion grenade was primed. With this she would lose the element of surprise, and the loud sound would mean she would need to make a quick get away. But it would be well worth it if Kay died.

Tossing the concussion grenade back behind the desk, the assassin pulled her cowl over her eyes, preparing for the near-deafening sound of the disorienting explosive.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

She didn't have to wait long. The lights were blown out, leaving the room in utter darkness. Even the light from both of Commenor's moons couldn't penetrate the dark curtains over the windows.

Kay's other senses kicked in as they normally would when one of them was taken away. She heard the whisper of her assailant, as well as the credit chits being tossed about. The only thing that gave her the sense of where she was, was her voice.

The Shrouded wanted her removed?...But...but why?

There wasn't any time to answer. She needed to act fast. Kay got to her feet and fired the Diplomat with three quick shots in the direction that she had heard the woman's voice. Then, using her umbrella as a shield, she made a break for it towards her door.

Kay knew the office like the back of her hand. Her assailant didn't. Hopefully the chairs would get in the woman's way. Or the coffee table. She had no idea how well she could see in the dark.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

​The loud bang of the concussion grenade went off, and to the Assassin's surprise it was the moment her target moved into action. The blaster shots rang through out the room, causing the Umbaran to wince a bit, dropping down into a crouch as one of the blaster shots whizzed by her head. It was then that Kay charged for the door.

​This was the moment the assassin had been waiting for. As Kay charged for the door, the Umbaran's title as a Shadow Assassin was made evident. Her eyes, easily adjusted to the darkness that shrouded the room, gave her the clear path of what to do next.

​Running towards Kay. the assassin would drop from her run into a sweep, hoping to take Kay's legs from under her and force her to the ground. If she was successful she would attempt to mount the Queen, her hands poised to wring the Queen's neck. "Just die!"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was expecting to be chased, but she didn't expect that she'd be the one to fall. The assassin's foot tripped her up and she came crashing down onto the floor onto her stomach.

Just die??

So this wasn't a kidnapping. Someone actually wanted her dead. The Shroud...

It took just a second for those thoughts to run through her head. She rolled over as well as she could so that she was more or less on her back. Both of her hands held items of use. The best of the two was her holdout pistol. From close range she fired another two shots, not really aiming, just wanting to hit her so that she could escape.

Where were her guards? The panic button had been hit. Sure it was the middle of the night, but...surely they'd of heard something.

"GUARDS!!! GUARDS!!!"

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

​The errant blaster shots flied by the assassin, one of them striking her in her shoulder, causing a brief flicker in her camaflouge.

​Again, she would curse loudly in her native tongue before attempting to pin the Queen's blaster to the ground. "Thus ends the rule of Queen Kay." She hissed, brandishing her own blaster pistol and aiming it down at the Queen's chest.

​The snap-hiss of a lightsaber brought time to a stand still. A purple hue fell over the shadow filled room as Adron's lightsaber sprang from the Umbaran assassin's chest. Her hand trembled as she attempted to pull the trigger, yet the immediate shock sent through her body prevented any coherent movement. Adron revealed himself from behind the assassin, placing a hand on her shoulder as he leaned over. "There is a degree of professionalism required for a field as meticulous as assassination. Idle chitchat isn't a very wise thing to partake in." Though Adron spoke, the Umbaran was already dead, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as the man pulled her corpse from on top of Commenor's queen.

​From the hall, the two Imperial Sentinels that had joined the High Moff now entered the room, their vibroweapons giving off a soft buzz as they searched the area for any other assailants.

​"Are you harmed?" Adron asked, extending a hand down to the Queen. His eyes fell to her form, attempting to ascertain her well being. The shadow that filled the room was slightly diminished by the light produced from Adron's violet blade.

​"Come, we need to move you in case there are more assassins." He said, glancing down to the body that plagued Kay's office.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Just as Kay was about to hit the assassin with her umbrella, when the purple lightsaber came into view. She froze in place, realizing quickly what was happening. Finally someone realized that she was under attack.

She stared as [member="Adron Malvern"] 's face came into view. Clearly this wasn't the first assassin that he had ever come across.

The body was lifted off of her and she looked to the Imperial Sentinels that moved into her office, obviously searching. Where was her other guard? The one that was outside of her door? Word had not yet gotten to her that he was killed.

Adron addressed her now. Was she hurt? "I...I don't think so.." She let go of her umbrella and took his hand while she got to her feet, still holding the pistol just in case. At least she didn't have to reveal any of her secrets. But she was very close in doing so. Veiere would have told her to use the Force right away, but she was determined not to, saving it as a last resort.

"Maybe a couple of bruised knees..little shaken up. The lights were blown out and a concussion grenade blew...it's...it's a mess." She wanted to stay and just see how bad the damage was. Yet she knew Adron was right. They needed to move. "I need some tea..."

 

[Adron Malvern]

​The subtle hiss of Adron's lightsaber died down once he allowed the blade to recede back into it's emitter. He urged Kay outside of the room, the Imperial Sentinels following close behind. As they moved into a hall, a group of security officers flanked by a team of Imperial sentinels approached the two of them. "Sweep the palace and order all of your men to report in. We don't know how many more guards she may have killed." He said, glancing down to the corpse he had passed on his way into the room.

​Placing a hand on Kay's shoulder, Adron gestured down the hall. "Come on. Let's go to the conference hall. I don't think we need to evacuate you, the hall is easily defended."

​As they moved down the halls, the Imperial Sentinels would create a box formation surrounding the Queen. "Are you sure you're ok?" Adron asked, glancing over to the Queen.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay looked to tje guards, giving them a curt nod as she saw the questions in their eyes. They wanted to know if she was alright, and more or less she was.

She glanced down to the body of the fallen one. So that's why no one came straight away. "Have his family notified...They'll get survivor benefits and funeral expenses paid for...Same goes to any others that you find." Guarding the Palace and herself was a risky job. No family should have to suffer if one of their own were lost while doing their job.

"Alright." Kay nodded to [member="Adron Malvern"] as he told her where they were headed. She was half expecting to go to the kitchens again, but the conference hall was okay too. As the guards surrounded her while they began to head over there, Kay felt very much boxed in. Or maybe that was just the shock. "I think so...I don't think that anything's broken. Just bruised, I think." Hopefully that was all of it. She looked down to the pistol in her hand. "It's hard to fight against someone that you can't see...Thank you for your help, Adron." For the first time she had called him only by his first name.

 

[Adron Malvern]

As they approached the conference hall, Adron glanced over to Kay as she spoke about the Umbaran assassin. “She was Umbaran. They live on a world drenched in darkness and shadows.” He explained to the Queen. The thanks offered to Adron was returned with a curt nod as they reached the conference hall entrance. “No harm will come to you while I am here, My Lady.”

The lead guards took up a position on each side of the door, as Adron ushered the queen inside. Behind him, the trail guards would move to either side of the room, taking up a silent vigil while Adron gestured to Kay’s chair. “Why don't you take a seat? I'll have some tea prepared for you.” Turning to one of the Sentinels in the room, Adron clasped his hands behind his back. “Order the sentinels to sweep the palace. I'm no longer convinced that the palace security can provide safety for her majesty. Also, have the kitchen prepare the Queen a pot of tea.” Adron was just about to turn from the man before holding a finger up to halt him.

“And a glass and some Scotch…” He told the Sentinel before he made his way out of the hall.

Turning back to Kay, Adron exhaled softly before offering a soft smile. “You're safe now. I promise.” The ordeal was all a show. There would be no following attack, and with the death of the assassin, there would be nothing to tie Adron to this attack.

“You didn't tell me you were so…. Popular. Do you know why someone is trying to kill you?” Adron asked, arching a brow at the Queen.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay walked over to her chair and sat herself down, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them to secure them. They felt a bit bruised under her trousers, but nothing seemed serious in nature.

Unlike the situation.

As [member="Adron Malvern"] took command of the situation, she studied him. He saved her life. Sure that could be listed as part of his job, but she felt as though she owed him. "I'm in your debt. If you weren't awake, then this might of ended very differently..." Would she have died? That was difficult to say. But she would of at least of been more injured than she was.

She smirked a little as he commented on her being popular. Maybe in some respects she was. "The assassin spoke of the Shroud, saying that they would take over once I am gone. So my guess is that someone is looking to expand their influence in the Galaxy. Removing me wouldn't do that however. I don't have much of a voice outside of my own domain." She furrowed her brows a little. "There are many secret passageways and tunnels throught the Palace. They'll have to be swept too." Especially any of them leading to her office and bedchambers.

 

[Adron Malvern]

Kay’s reaction was to be expected. Even Adron, who was generally calm headed and collected was usually disoriented after an assassination attempt.

“Well, it's you're luck I'm a nocturnal being.” He said, flashing her a brief smile as he took a seat beside the woman. As she spoke of the shroud, in Adron’s mind he was sure he could pull off the plot he had set in motion, yet there was much to be done.

“The Shroud?” He said, glancing to the doorway to the conference hall. Two of the palace security walked into the room. One hosting a tray with a freshly prepared pot of tea. Setting the cup down in front of the Queen, the officer poured Lady Kay a cup before turning to exit the room.

For Adron, the officer had brought a slim bottle containing a bit of Scotch, a drink the High Moff favored. Setting the bottle and glass in front of Adron, he waived the security officers out before turning his attention back to Kay. “Provide me with the passages and I will see them searched. Personally.” He assured her, pouring the alcohol into the glass.

Hosting the Scotch in his hand, Adron took a moment to think before exhaling. “Is this the first time this has happened?” He asked her.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded in thanks as tea was poured for her. Only now did she place her pistol on the table and gather up the tea cup in both of her hands. She let it warm them for a moment and then had a sip. The hot liquid soothed her as she felt it move down her throat and into her stomach.

A brow was raised as [member="Adron Malvern"] volunteered himself to search the passageways. "That will take up quite a bit of your time if you did it on your own. There are many, all within the walls and underneath. When this Palace was built centuries ago, a network of them were created in case of siege. Each room has an entrance, my own office and chambers have two. The tunnels were in case of war, leading deep underground to fully stocked emergency shelters and the mines some 30 kilometres deep." She sipped her tea, wondering just how the assassin had gotten in. At least they had the body. They could try to find out who she was.

He asked his question then. Kay chewed the inside of her cheek a little. "Not like this. No one has tried to kill me before. I was...I was always considered to be worth more alive, as a hostage or to be used to manipulate someone. I had been captured and sold off by bounty hunters a couple of times. This...was different." If [member="Veiere Arenais"] found out, he'd be furious. She wished that he was here to hold her, to protect her. But the time wasn't right for that.

 

[Adron Malvern]

There was a welcomed burn as the Scotch fell down Adron’s throat. He could feel the heat rise in his chest before he set the empty glass down on the table. “The Sentinels can sweep them. If not, I recommend you have eyes you trust doing such.”

As Kay spoke, Adron took a moment to contemplate. “The assassin knew what she was doing. She made it as far as the palace interior without setting off so much as an alarm. Stealth technology is a truly interesting thing.” Tapping the table softly, Adron exhaled before looking to Kay with a slightly concerned look. “We need to keep this to ourselves. With Amelia’s death this is the second time Commenor’s defenses have been breached in a short time…. And the fact both of these happened when I just got here… Well let's say it may not look good for any of us.”

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded. She could get [member="Einon"] to lead the team to look. He was a good man and she trusted him with her life. "I'll contact Einon. He would want to be a part of this."

She sipped her tea, thinking of the different ways that the assassin could've gotten in. Stealth technology is one way. But they have to be open to others as well during the investigation. "She could have had help. Someone from the inside. Maybe they were bought off or something. Or maybe they are a part of some opposition that wants the monarchy abolished. I've heard rumours of that..."

But then [member="Adron Malvern"] asked for her to keep it secret. How were they to figure out who was behind this attempt without raising any suspicions.

Would they blame Adron for the attacks? It was possible. There were some that had a distrust for the Empire. She was well aware of it. "Are you sure that this is something that we can hide? I don't mean that we should blab to the media about it or the average citizen, but there are some that should know."

 

[Adron Malvern]

​As Kay spoke of the assassin having aid on the inside, Adron tapped the table absently as he looked to the Queen. "Also a possiblility. No offense, My Lady, but so far your inner circle has been shaky at best. It's entirely possible they have been delivering information to your enemies. Intentional or otherwise." He told her, running a hand over his chin.

​Shaking his head, he realized the Queen misunderstood his intentions.

​"Well of course we will have to tell some. Yet we should keep it to the smallest circles that we can. At least until we know who sent the assassin and why. Which brings me to my next point. Who are your enemies?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay furrowed her brows at the thought of one of her Ministers turning on her like that. They wouldn't...They were her most trusted friends. Weren't they? "It would have to be unintentional. It would just have to be..." Such betrayal was not something that she wanted to believe was possible.

She sipped her tea, glad that she could at least tell some about the assassin attempt. Of course in doing so, more than likely she'd lose even more freedom to wander about. But she had to remind herself that it was for good reason.

"Enemies?...Uhh....I used to have some from the Hutt Cartel after me due to my rescuing of their slaves. But that was a long time ago." Too long for anyone to enact some type of revenge. "I was abducted by a Sith Lord and tortured for months before I was brought back here. The Elders died and I was made Queen. I think that I was meant to be a puppet, but they gave up on that idea. I haven't seen him since." She chewed the inside of her cheek as she thought it over. "The only other things that I could think of would be in revenge for Veiere, or Amelia...But nothing personal. I haven't done anything against anyone for a very long time."

[member="Adron Malvern"]