One Day Prior to Zero Hour
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Location: Warehouse District, Terminus
Time: Late Morning
Affected: [member="Allie"] | [member="Sentiri"] | [member="Jude Falkrowe"]
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The sun had risen hours ago, the sounds of heavy machinery and the constant ebb and flow of delivery shuttles and speeders filling the narrow and complex system of causeways in the Warehouse District of Terminus. Val had once again assumed the identity of
Mira Volantis a transient day worker, travelling from planet to planet in search of any work that would put credits in her pocket and food in her stomach. She'd arrived on a cargo freighter carrying primarily video game equipment, a particularly odd shipment to be sure but then again,
Mira had little time for luxuries
like electronic gaming so perhaps not that odd after-all.
A loud rumble shook the street as a particularly overloaded shuttle thundered by where Mira stood. She'd been leaning against the alley wall, foot propped up against it as she smoked a cigarette. That was the cue. As the shuttle continued on its way she stood, dropping the cigarette to the ground and grinding it into the duracrete. Turning on her heel she stepped briskly across the small street and headed towards the warehouse with the green roof. It was a curved roof like many of the warehouses around her but this one had once been a burnished bronze but years of use and neglected upkeep had tarnished it, a green hue slowly taking away the shine. She could feel the eyes on her as she proceeded towards it, the cameras hidden to the casual visitor the Terminus' Warehouse District but to a trained eye such as hers they might as well have been advertised. She noticed them but continued on her way, taking care not to look at any of them directly.
Peripheral vision had been one area she'd particularly excelled at during her evaluations as a Field Agent, able to pick up on subtle movements in the very corners of her field of view. As she rounded another corner she'd seen a flicker of movement from a nearby warehouse, someone was peeking around the corner. Not human.
Mira had not been followed, that she was sure of so this must be one of Troska's men. Dismissing it she set her sights on a small admin building ahead. The meet here would also be short, but it was required. As she approached two men appeared through the doorway to the small shack.
Last time she had been a mere messenger, this time it was to instill the fear of what would happen should he double cross them. Ironic she thought, that she would deliver a message about betrayal given the circumstances. She smiled at the two men as one held up his hand. Of course, the customary weapons check. That was the thing about FOSB Agents, specifically Val.
She was the weapon. Blasters, knives, poison, they were tools to finish the job but the real weapon was the agent itself. As the guards patted her down they found no weapons and gave her a careful stare. The larger of the two reached out and swung open the door for her. Smiling she walked past them into the small structure.
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Troska grinned. He'd been pleased with the hardware, even gotten to test it. Arguably, not nearly as long as he would have liked to but it seemed in good order. The Trandoshan was a fairly high level boss in Shim's organization, helping with logistics and moving assets from place to place, usually under the local authority's nose. Well, technically they
were the authority. Maybe not in name, or legality but out here in the streets they were the law. At first it had held a decent amount of prestige but Troska wasn't happy anymore. Sure, he'd seen great success and even had a sizable nest egg in case things went south for him but he craved power. He was tired of always having to look up the chain... soon that would change.
His thoughts were interrupted as he ran his hand across one of the many heavy duty transit cases he'd received earlier in the week. For months now he'd been plotting and scheming, trying to make the numbers add up but always he ran into a problem. Shim's guards were always equipped with the latest gear, the newest weapons. Despite being an upper level boss, he was still in the little leagues, never
really being allowed to flourish without 'giving his due' to Shim. It was a raw point of contention for him, always feeling like he was the one doing all the work for less gain. Above where he stood inside the warehouse a small metal staircase led to the attached office, on the landing was his contact. He had known her only as
Mira. Normally he would have held far too many reservations but he'd had a run of bad luck lately and he was desperate.
Waving his clawed hand towards the woman she began descending the stairs towards where he stood. As she did so, he unclipped the clasps on the case, raising the lid. Inside, neatly lined and set in impact resistant foam were blaster rifles. Not your run of the mill castaways from the battlefield or found in back street stalls being sold for cash. The only similarities with their 'street' counterparts were the neatly filed serial numbers. They were clean... and powerful. If he wasn't mistaken, the supplier must have had connections, these were the newer
F11-D Blaster Rifles.
"You speak truth. Good weapons. " the Trandoshan spoke in basic as best he could. He motioned at the brand new weapons, his teeth showing as his reptilian eyes sparkled. He ran his scaled hand over the rifles and turned to face the woman. As she approached she spoke.
"Of course, I told you my suppliers were good for it. Now all that's left is to carry out your part of the deal. This could be quite beneficial for both of us, as discussed."
The Trandoshan nodded. This time speaking through a translator, his strange language sounding with a slight pause before the actuator kicked in after speaking.
"Your people bugged my shipment, why I should not shoot you now?" His fingers gripped a rifle as he pulled it free. He aimed the blaster casually at the woman's chest as her footsteps stopped. He knew well why he shouldn't shoot her, they'd promised more. More weapons, more technology. It would not only help him ascend the ladder but stay there once he took care of Shim. The woman paused, only a few feet from the Trandoshan, the barrel of the raised blaster almost point blank to her torso.
"You and I both know exactly why. Look at that weapon for a moment Troska. I'll wait."
Her demeanor had changed. This was not the same transient he'd met a week ago when their terms were finalized. No, there was something dark hidden behind her unassuming appearance. It made his skin crawl. Nervously his eyes glanced down at the blaster in his hand. That was mistake number one. In one swift movement the woman had shifted, slipping inside the tip of the blaster. The next thing Troska saw was a flash as a blade appeared in her hand and pressed against his neck. Little more than a fraction of a second had passed, all he had time to do was utter a short shout of surprise before the woman was whispering in his ear.
"Let's stop with the games, shall we? It's simple. I need you, and you need these weapons."
In the few seconds that had passed, a few of Troska's guards had drawn their own blaster pistols, the danger of accidentally hitting the Trandoshan instead of the woman the only think staying their trigger fingers. As if to reduce that threat, Troska uttered a somewhat belabored rebuke.
"Stand down!"
He shivered. He had seen it coming and yet he had ignored the warnings.
"You win... Always were going to finish job. As agreed."
Almost reluctantly the woman took a full step back from the now wary Trandoshan.
"Good." With a flick of her wrist, she made the blade disappear.
"Then I trust you will do this soon?"
Trosk growled.
"Yes. Tomorrow. You will stay clear as agreed." The translator had kicked in. "We must be the ones to do it, you will not get in our way."
The woman nodded, taking another step back and turning. As she headed up the stairs and toward the office she spoke, a sing-songy tone to her voice.
"You don't need to ask what will happen to you if you fail... best of luck!"
She exited the warehouse. Trosk violently slammed the lid on the case, frustration evident. That woman had just called his bluff, they both knew he was getting the better deal here. Weapons. Tech. A seat of power in the Terminus Underworld. He had pushed his luck. Forcing it to the back of his mind he shouted at the guards.
"Well, you know what to do. Tomorrow! Get a move on!"
There were plenty of preparations to be made despite their plans. He had always planned on carrying out the hit, and even had it pegged for tomorrow but the fact the woman had called him on it had made him angry. She would see. Once he had ascended to the top of the ladder, the suppliers could be dealt with, and by their own weapons. The thought warmed the heart of the Trandoshan, his thoughts on revenge and the events that were about to unfold.