Abnormal Archeology

[Darth Empyrean]

_______________________

The air hung dry and still on Barbatos, the distant chants of a crowd fawning over a pod race filling the streets in swings of ‘Boos’ and jeers, before erupting in a wave of joyous celebration. It would have been concerning if not for the metropolis murmurs, a constant stream of engines whirs, ion drives, multitools, and arguments of every sort. Maliphant didn’t mind it much, sitting in one of the various streets at a seat outside a well off cantina, slowly drinking from a cup of tea he ordered only a few minutes before.

It had been sent out months prior for the entire GenoHaradan to search for the Holocron of Vitiate; a sith lord from millenia past who’s righteous strength sent chills down the annals of history, giving him a strong reputation even today. Maliphant discovered its existence after study under The Telos Holocron, learning it directly from the Sith Lord and Jedi Master known as Revan; a man who was with the immortal king for more than four hundred years, and the foremost expert on Vitiate, past that of even the likes of The Outlander. It was tough information to come by, but the trust The Telos Holocron had put into Maliphant was enough to avoid pulling teeth, only to ask and receive whatever he wished;

The greatest strength he could imagine.

A smile crept over his lips at the thought, before a small buzz of his palm motioned for him to open it; a small holographic screen opening and displaying a short message from the man known as ‘Human’. It read as follows;

“[member="Koda Fett"] is on his way, Master. All the details have been forwarded to you already.”

Good.

‘Human’, as his pseudonym declared, was one of the triumvirate leaders of Barbatos, and a loyal member of The GenoHaradan; working as a Maven for the organization in the hopes of eventual immortality. What confused most on the planet was who he was, and why they held so much power; but the strength few understood was ‘Human’s unequaled strength in getting information. Even the search for some trace of Vitiate’s holocron, with all that Maliphant was able to pull from The Telos Holocron, still took him months to track, eventually bringing him to a larger pod racer collective who had recently set up shop on the massive mining planet.

Bets were driving profits up, but Maliphant wasn’t here for their profits so much as their records and details surrounding a number of races they ran years prior; and find where Vitiate’s holocron went from there. Koda Fett, the notorious bounty hunter, was here for the sake of muscle and intimidation; not many criminal organizations wanting to tussle with the masked man himself. If nothing else, he carried a stronger presence than Maliphant, who was relatively unknown since he usually just wore a mask.

Today was no different, as the stalwart, steel expression of the forsaken leader of part of the GenoHaradan laid grim on the crowds. It was apathetic to their celebration, though Maliphant watched regardless; waiting for the man of iron, Koda Fett himself.

 

[Koda Fett]

BARBATOS​

​

The Bounty Hunter had waded throughout the streets of Barbatos. There was, quite frankly, nothing entirely new to the sights that it withheld. It was akin to any other planet that withheld a metropolis, and in the current age such a thing was all too familiar. Every planet that had some modicum of civilisation housed it's own sprawling city, and with each tower that went high, it travelled twice as deep. The Underworld. It seemed to attract the most undesirable of the undesirables, and men such as Fett and Tiamat were no exception. They were different kinds of scum, but scum nonetheless. Some operated from the shadows, orchestrating the crime whilst others conducted it themselves. It was often those that chose to be the hammer that had their names etched into the stars in which they stride.

It was often better to remain from the lime-light. It was safer that way.

Fett had grown tired of bumping shoulders with the filth of Barbatos, and similar to a toddler, he couldn't stand the things he despised for long. A superiority complex? Certainly. Koda was the kind of man who was pleased to see the hesitation stretch across one's face, squirm through one's body as he entered the room. There was no greater thrill than knowing he was feared. To have such a thing disregarded had always proven irritating. A reputation well earned was one well respected, after all. Perhaps his chronological age of seventeen truly showed at times.

It was as if the cheering never ended. As Fett departed the street mid-cheer, he found himself hearing more of it from the inside of the cantina as the patrons kept their eyes glued to the screens mounted on the walls. The T-Visor scanned across the room, his Carbine slung over his shoulder. Tiamat. It was all in the mask.

The Mandalorian hadn't an eye for out for any other, and once that mask became visible he made his steps in the required direction. Ultimately finding himself alongside his employer from the GenoHaradan. Ready as always.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

As predicted, the Mandalorian on par with the current Mandalor in terms of fame came to him; identified by the mask Tiamat wore. Luckily on the street level of Barbatos, it wasn’t that odd to wear a mask, as most either attempted to obscure their identity or simply wore one for intimidation factor. It was surprising how a simple mask was able to fill general scum with a sense of fear; likely a result of the thousands of years of galactic antagonists obscured by such. Tiamat simply straightened up, however, as Koda took a seat.

“A pleasure, Koda.”, Tiamat said in the synthesized tone many octaves lower than his natural voice.

“I’m unsure if our mutual contact has told you what we will be doing today…”, he continued.

The distant crowd jeered once more, the result of the lead speeder crashing into the retainer wall; likely leading to the loss of a life considering the speed these often moved at, but more importantly to the crowd, they had just lost the equivalent of a few thousands credits all together. Dead men didn’t pay well on bets, afterall.

Tiamat, however, pointed towards a building a block away; never lifting his hand from the table in doing so. The steel expression the mask held moved back to Koda, speaking once more with its black eyes;

“We’re hunting for a holocron, that of a Dark Lord from many thousands of years ago. It likely means nothing to you, but the man went by name Vitiate.”, Tiamat said in that skewed tone he carried.

“Vitiate’s Holocron disappeared many thousands of years ago, and is in unknown hands today. After certain contacts told me of its existence, one of my contacts was able to track some trace of it back to the cartel that resides in that building.”

“We’ll be getting inside, and looking into their vault to see if it truly is there.”, Maliphant finished in the metallic tone the mask held.

“However, I’d like your opinion, how would you say we do such?”

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Koda Fett]

BARBATOS​

​

The Underworld.

It was terrible; it was fantastic. It was chaotic; it was bliss.

Perhaps the Mand'alor and the Bounty Hunter pertained some semblance of similarities in their fame, but always within different circles. Mantis maintained her regime within her borders, with the political figures of the Galaxy. Fett reigned supreme within the Galactic Underworld; an unchallenged identity that may very well be more than one man. It had been rumoured in the past, after all, and no one was able to confirm whether Koda Fett was one man or many. It wasn't as if it mattered. No matter where one ventured, hid, stood against the tide of relentless efficiency, they were to pursued. Ultimately meeting their demise one way or another.

He had remained silent throughout Tiamat's explanation.

"Two men?" Fett questioned, his right thumb beneath the strap by his shoulder. "Infiltration." It was easier said than done, but two men against a criminal corporation, or organisation was never a fantastic idea. It was time to prove versatility and become the scalpel he so often avoided becoming. It made things complicated, precise, and the hammer was an awfully wonderful chaotic mess.

"I'll need to see their complex."

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Then you shall.”, ‘Tiamat’ responded.

He seemed to pause for a moment before sliding up one of the robe’s sleeves, revealing a still fully covered undersuit, but the addition of a small vambrace with a screen and three ISR drones. A small few taps of his fingers, and one of the droids moved and began to fly, no bigger than a few centimeters. It hovered for a moment, almost like a fly, before quickly shooting off in the direction of the compound; forcing Tiamat to speak once more.

“Open up your HUD’s connection.”, he said as he typed a few more commands into the vambrace before covering it up once more.

Assuming Koda obliged, his view would suddenly be slightly obscured by a slightly opaque overview of what the small drone witnessed. The sound of its propulsion compensated for by the onboard microphone, while the camera was surprisingly detailed considering its small stature. It shot around with a mighty agility before slipping through the cracks of a slightly open window on the second floor; the first sight it got was a fatter human fanning himself with a datapad as a second fan ran over him.

The room was a mess, and even the proxy view of such seemed to fester in their noses despite no rational reason to smell it. Although odd, it seemed completely covered in a sickening measure of grease, dust, and leftover food wrappings that the sweaty man behind the desk no doubt ate a few days prior. A few days was the hope, at least. The drone only stood there for a moment before zooming past, quickly taking in the rest of the facility.

Three floors, moderate security with most of it situated on the bottom floor, but many of the offices were full of a man or woman working; while the facility itself wasn’t really reinforced in a traditional sense it was enough to see that it would be difficult to infiltrate in a conventional sense. Tiamat scanned each room, establishing a three dimensional map for the two before doing a recall command on the drone, letting it find its way back out and towards them.

Tiamat quickly spoke following this,

“Was that enough, Koda?”

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Koda Fett]

BARBATOS​

​

​"Yes." Fett replied. His voice muffled through the helmet, yet electronically synthesised through the internal microphone. The Mandalorian had seen all that he had to in order to make a reasonably sound judgement, and perhaps infiltration -- considering his current loadout -- wasn't exactly viable. Rather unfortunate, but the Bounty Hunter had become more than familiar with the sensation of the death, what it meant to take life from another. It was never anything that truly bothered him, for it was all for cause; even if he had no believe in it, the cause were the credits he was to gain from such occupations. Morality was a fickle thing. Perhaps he had too much blood on his hands to turn back now.

The Drone's feed had faded from view as the HUD connection was disengaged. He had found himself turning away, down to the right, as the Drone's footage had taken his attention. Upon it's conclusion, the Bounty Hunter turned back towards Tiamat. "Infiltration isn't viable." He spoke. Pause. "For the two of us. I can run a diversion, you can search for what you need." It was a fairly simple plan. Fett was a large enough name to warrant large enough attention, it was certainly going to create gaps in their defences that Tiamat can weasel his way into.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“I suppose that is a plan…”, he said with a faint intrigue to his synthesized voice. The modulation altered who he appeared as, even hid much of his intentions, but some still broke through the otherwise bulwark that was the voice modulator.

Tiamat slowly moved to stand, motioning for Koda to stand with him; the righteous action of a noble, even if none existed in Maliphant’s blood. His gaze, through the abyss that was the black eyes of the mask, fell upon the distant refuge for the cartel, being drawn to the second floor that the ISR drone had gone in prior. It seemed whatever records they held were on that floor, if not in that room, and it would be easy enough for him to begin his search there.

He only hoped Koda was actually able to create a big enough distraction.

“Do whatever it is you need, give me a sign when you think you’re ready. I’ll be waiting in the alley, across the street.”, Tiamat said without looking at the bounty hunter, instead moving from the two as the wrap around moved slightly to obscure the mask if only slightly. The rest of his clothes were better fit, viable for combat, but loose enough that they even failed to reveal what gender Tiamat actually was; despite the male personification of the voice.

As the two separated, Maliphant moved to the position he was meant to be at, in such a way he could keep an eye on the two guards standing near the corner door of the facility; each smoking a cigarette and passing idle chatter between themselves, each cradling a blaster rifle in their hands. They looked like veterans, probably served in a war once or twice, if not a cartel engagement that left them with more than a few kills to their name. The scars on their face were enough to imply such.

Still, the open window above them was the perfect chance to experiment with Maliphant’s newfound powers he’d been learning from the Telos Holocron. Knowing this, he prepared slightly, bending his knees while waiting for the notorious bounty hunter’s signal. Hopefully, he hurried, there was work to be done.

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Koda Fett]

BARBATOS​

​

There was never going to be the need to give Tiamat a sign. They would know it when they saw it. An unmistakable opportunity, as it were.

The Bounty Hunter had positioned himself in the position he had most deemed fit. It hadn't taken too long to find, let alone reach with the advantage of mobility with a jetpack. Height. It was always an advantage, one that he was willing to make use of in the current moment. His T-Visor had faced the complex of the soon-to-be-dead with the Rangefinder folded over. Particular vision modes he hadn't access too before had made their appearance, becoming all the more beneficial in the act of identifying threats. There were a great many of armed guards, thugs, scum. They may be veterans, but Fett packed a certain punch to every action. His armour, his arsenal, he was a one-many army as it were. Combined with the skill that allowed such a reputation? Nigh unstoppable.

​It began with the two 'veterans' that Tiamat had initially witnessed. An unceremonious end to their potentially bleak existences that came with a searing, scorching hole in their abdomens. Then, well, it explosions from wrist mounted rockets tore through the building, into the defending personnel as they scrambled to defend themselves. They were eventually capable of overwhelming Koda, but he only had to buy time. Of which he could.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Always the silent bravado, though Maliphant couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed as the legendary bounty hunter looked to just start blowing holes in folks. That’s only going to make this more complicated down the road, and Maliphant wanted nothing to do with complications. Still, as the explosion of the rocket rocked the building, he took his chances; hoping at the very least that Koda Fett wouldn’t accidently blow him up with it.

Sighing, he glanced to the window; focusing all his energy for a single movement. His body seemed to shutter as he stood, as if reality had begun to glitch around him; and in the blink of an eye he was simply gone. In his place, air, and where he once looked he now stood; the result of a teleportation taught to him by The Telos Holocron. It was a very distant power, one he had little training over, but every attempt at utilizing it was enough.

Glancing around his new surroundings however, he saw the obese body of the sweating record keeper, his face filled with grease filled off-world food and a fear in his eyes the likes of which he likely hadn’t felt in some time. Maliphant couldn’t help but think that the casual startle might have been enough to send the man into cardiac arrest, though knowing cartels on Barbatos he likely had it replaced through mechanical means already.

With disgust in mind, Maliphant grimaced as he lifted the man by his neck, his telekinetic grip tightening. Pulling him closer, the mans feet kicked and struck outwards only to slap against whatever ornaments and decorations he had set out on his desk, destroyed in his flustered attempts at escape. None of it would mean much, as no normal being, nor one as heavy and unfit as he was going to break loose any time soon. As the man was pulled, a hand rested on his head, forcing the man to cough out a terrified yet mute plea for his life.

Ignoring it, Maliphant moved through searching through the man’s memories, his thoughts, for some hint at where the location of the records he was searching for might be; yet any direct references to ‘holocrons’ or ‘bobbles’ similar were met with nothing, forcing him to grit his teeth. The man knew nothing, and it showed well enough in his mind; forcing Maliphant to tighten his grip.

The man struggled further as he desperately ripped at the skin around his neck, tearing flesh from veins as primal instinct sought to tear away the hands that held him. Maliphant refused to loosen, tightening even further until he could feel the muscle give beneath his iron grip. Blood began to form and leave the man’s mouth and eyes, only to be let go in a crumpled, defeated heap on the ground.

Maliphant sighed as he realized what he had done, resting a hand against the mask, knowing full and well that losing himself in anger was a great way to lose sight of his goals. Readjusting his mask, he took a large step over the body, moving towards the hallway that now lined with men just like the one he had murdered. Their faces showed the same expression of fear as they faced down the sight of a emotionless, durasteel mask; one that watched them with a horrid apathy that spoke far more than Maliphant had done so thus far.

In one swift movement, each of the six were lifted in the same force choke, though not nearly tight enough to kill; only stop them from screaming as the trachea was crushed. Each cried out in whimpers and halted cries of terror before one by one, Maliphant brought each to bear; each left with nothing in their minds but a single message left for the Sith;

“Its not here.”

Maliphant withheld his urge to lash out, instead snapping each of their necks one by one;a careful and clean effort rather than the cruel machinations of a berserking freak. He had to take pride in control, no matter what the sith spoke of, as it was the only thing that kept him differentiated from the monsters in the imperial armies. Wiping the mask with a gloved hand, he turned back towards the room he came in and pulled up his sleeve, bringing a small slicing microcomputer to bear as he patched it into the manager’s computer.

It took a few moments, but eventually there was some record of a podrace involving an artifact that seemed to fit the description that he was looking for, though all that was left here was a receipt as to the cartel who received it, and not the recipient it went to. Looking again, the computer pulled back a different log that pointed to a more centralized headquarters somewhere deep in Nar Shaddaa;

“Great.”, Maliphant said in annoyance.

“Koda, finish up, I know where the information is.”

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Koda Fett]

BARBATOS​

​

There were rules. Fett knew them, Tiamat didn't.

Life feeds on death.

It was something he had learned long before venturing into the Galactic Underworld, before he was Koda Fett. It wasn't that strictly stuck to that of Bounty Hunter's, but instead all that had held a life in their hand, preparing to take it, or ready to save it. ARC-4422 had known this, and it was only after those words had been read did they truly make sense. The death of the men that Fett killed so openly, so casually were to serve lives of Tiamat and Fett. It was selfish, yes, but they knew exactly what they were getting into, or at the very least they were aware of the path their mistakes led them down. Nobody ever escaped that life, not until you had enough credits to cut ties entirely. That was far easier said than it was done in reality. Fett had become entirely consumed by it all now. It didn't seem as if there was a way out, but at least he was bound to leave a legacy.

The Bounty Hunter had halted at once. Not another barrage of bolts, a hail fire of missiles, or an arc of flames departed his armour or blaster. Despite the returning fire that constantly seemed to bear down upon the Mandalorian, he turned his hide and fled. Flames spat from the exhausts of his jetpack, hoisting him into the air, and disappearing into the night.

"Set up a rendezvous." Fett had spoke over their comms. He wasn't able to walk as freely in the current area without pesky intervention.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Set up a rendezvous.”

Didn’t have to tell Tiamat twice, a statement that rang true as he glanced out the window towards the front of the building. Many of the enemy, those Koda Fett had so graciously killed, began to chase him down as he lurched through the air and road off. Some stuck behind, calling out in fear and exasperation over the death and mutilation of their likely long time friends and companions. The worst part of this, was that there would be questions, and questions Maliphant didn’t like.

He didn’t take waste anymore time as the group began to mobilize, and the cartel facility was wound into high alert. It wasn’t out of the question for a big named bounty hunter to fire on the facility in the hopes of grabbing the death of a known criminal, but that didn’t change the fact they needed to expect another assault. Maliphant quickly utilized the same ability he had before, reality seeming to warp as he disappeared and reappeared back in the alley; thought not without consequence.

The sudden relocation upset his equilibrium, forcing his stomach to clench in retaliation. Maliphant barely got the mask off before his lunch fell in disgusting, audible sloshes againt the ground; his back arching as the bile pooled beneath him. It took him a moment to recover, but wiping what saliva and acid was left on his chin he quickly lifted himself and put the mask back on; taking what confident stance he could.

“Meet at these coordinates.”, Maliphant said, quietly typing into the vambrace he had brought along, leading Koda Fett to a predetermined location he held a speeder; enough for him to get to more immediate transportation.


[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Koda Fett]

BARBATOS​

​

Gone.

The Mandalorian had vanished from the scene of his grizzly crime. The whispers of his jetpack on the wind had come to fade, and the glimmer of light that were the flames had become joined the vast nightlife of Barbatos as a whole. There wasn't a chance they could catch him now, but that didn't mean they wouldn't try.

Koda had continued on his way throughout the entirety of Barbatos. His Visor had become entirely reflective as he raced through the metropolis. His HUD had alerted him of a pair of coordinates, his soon-to-be location. An angle to the side his path had diverted, soaring alongside the traffic as a heavily armoured one-man vehicle, as it were.

Soon enough Fett was bound to touch down. Confident they weren't going to be found at the speeder themselves, but he didn't take unnecessary risks, not ever. He was rather content with boarding that speeder and escaping with Tiamat before anyone had even caught wind of their existence, despite the bodies that lay strewn about within their complex. To them, he was just Koda Fett. A miscellaneous job that hadn't amounted to much, perhaps he could owe a favour, for Hutt so desperately desired Fett to owe them something. Anything.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

As Tiamat managed to move through the crowds of people with little notice, his walk turned into a slight canter, increasing his pace to ensure him and the bounty hunter hired would end up at the speeder at somewhat the same time. That was the hope at least, but as he arrived first he paused for a moment, lifting his sleeve once more to look through the data he had collected.

The cartel they had just raided for records implied some relation to the artifact; that much was true. ‘Human’ hadn’t failed in his attempts to trace the artifact, but there was a certain hope between the two that what was at the safehouse was something more tangible than just a proof of purchase for something that fit the description. Not that Maliphant expected an outright pedestal with Vitiate’s holocron, but the disappointment was still festering, forcing a sigh from behind the emotionless black mask of the cartel leader.

“‘Human’, get me information on the following building on Nar Shaddaa. I’ll be taking a trip out there soon, and need layouts of security, blueprints, any access keys, whatever you can get me.”, Maliphant typed into his onboard messenger, sending it off to his lackey before moving back to the information he had received.

The main warehouse and inventory records of the cartel was on Nar Shaddaa, far from his usual territory of control, but not outside that of Koda Fett’s. It’d be simple enough to go on a ‘business venture’ towards the core during his disappearance, but he still didn’t like the thought of leaving his apprentices alone at Harper’s Respite for so long. Still, it was important this was done by him personally, to reduce the chance of error.

Only then did the bounty hunter he had hired land near him, forcing Tiamat to look up from the vambrace he carried, the cold expression of the mask offering no greeting even if Maliphant had hoped to offer one; out of habit if nothing else. His voice quickly followed, filtered through its microphone;

“The artifact wasn’t there, but I have proof the cartel is related.”, he said as he transferred the same file to Koda, though lacking any identifying file measures as accustomed to most data; with it the additional inclusion of various plans and addresses of where they were to go next.

“Their main warehouse and storage is on Nar Shaddaa, in this district. I imagine we should study the layout, while my contact gets me security blueprints. Our best hope would be to search up the unique SKU of the artifact and see if its there; or at the very least where it went.”

With that, Maliphant moved to sit in the speeder, glancing up to the bounty hunter;

“Need a ride to your ship?”

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Koda Fett]

BARBATOS​

​

There was that typical vacant expression concealed beneath the Mandalorian Helmet. His Carbine had become stowed by his side, held in only one hand whilst the free one had begun tapping away at a vambrace without even casting an eye towards it. That, if nothing else, told the tale of familiarity with the gear he had utilised. The Bounty Hunter had been doing this for long enough to know what it was he was doing, and what it was that he was getting himself into. Even if, this time around, he hadn't the slightest of clues. This time there were two Sith vying for one item, and both had hired Fett for the job, but it would seem that their lack of details to share had placed Fett in a position to make demands, to fall in control of the bargain. If there was one thing that Fett knew it was that this job was bound to make him far richer than any before.

Fett hadn't given much of a reply to Tiamat, there wasn't much need to. He only had to listen and do what needed to be done in order to receive the proper payment. Koda was capable of operating in all too many locations, and perhaps his diplomatic side, no matter how cunning, may prove useful in the proceeding task. Koda had credits, connections, items at his disposal to be traded.

Ultimately, at the question regarding the speeder, Koda had given nothing short of a simple, "Yes." It was a waste of jetpack fuel otherwise.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Without so much as a nod, Tiamat allowed Koda to get into the speeder before taking off, the top of the vessel quickly forming a cover over top of them to hide any passing glances as to who may be inside. The ride was short, and quiet, but as the two made it to Koda’s drop off, Tiamat finally spoke;

“Use this burner line when you arrive on Nar Shaddaa. We’ll talk more when we get there.”, he said as the Mandalorian got out of the requisitioned speeder, a temporary number quickly sent to his own computer.

Without a response, Maliphant closed the door and sped off to his own hanger, that which held an unnamed ship with a proxy docking ID; all in the efforts of secrecy. He’d leave the speeder for ‘Human’ and his associates to pick up, while he himself moved through the port to his ship, allowing its high tech interior, contrasting its rusted outside, to automatically set him on the way to Nar Shaddaa, a week or two out if all things were to go well.

Taking off the mask, Maliphant moved to the sleeping quarters, finally seeing fit to rest; if only for a moment. The planning, the use of his newly trained force powers, and the murder of almost ten people exhausted him more than he cared to admit; and so as his head hit the pillow, so too would the freighter he was aboard lift off and take him to Little Coruscant, with all the luxury of a cruise liner.

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA​

​

Death, Lies, and Treachery.

The Mandalorian had become embroiled in it all. It seemed as if the aforementioned three words were quite the fitting title for the endeavour he had embarked on. Fett was familiar with the dealings of Sith, their infighting had become infamous but in the current age it seemed as Carnifex had firmly planted his boot on the snake; preventing it, or concealing it. It was more expectant of Hutt, for those worms vied for power over one another in an Underworld so cruel that it was truly only the strongest that survived. Truly revolting creatures, but their credits were as good as any others. There was typically an ease that came with dealing with such scum too; far more killable than that of someone within a Military.

Death: Many were bound to die along the way, and Kurt Meyer's life was never something Fett truly valued. The Lady of Secrets may dispose of him once their 'business' is concluded, the item she so desperately desires within her clutches.

Lies: The Lady of Secrets had never told the whole truth in the trade, and rightfully so. You couldn't trust anyone, least of all a Bounty Hunter. Fett had shared the sentiment. If it were possible that he could discover the Holocron, take it for himself, then return Meyer to Raaf? Then it shall be done.

Treachery: The Mandalorian was to ultimately bestow the Holocron to Tiamat or to Raaf. Fett had nothing to fear, nothing to lose bar the trust of an employer. Somebody wasn't receiving the item that they paid for. It was entirely dependent on the truth, the truth that Koda was to discover throughout the duration of his investigation. Both into Meyer, and into the Holocron itself.

The Spear II had begun it's descent, traversing through the cityscape of the Smuggler's Moon. There wasn't a light that hadn't touched the Bounty Hunter's vessel, or so it seemed that was the case. It's engines thrummed, and it's thrusters roared before ultimately slinking into position after altering it's stance, if one could use the word appropriately when described a Firespray. Fett had disembarked, his Carbine resting over his shoulder as the sling prevented it from shifting outwards. He stood at the base of his starship, helmeted head craned to peer down at the raised gauntlet whilst pressing several buttons. There wasn't a need to directly Tiamat, and thus he pinged the line in an effort to alert the mysterious figure as to his presence on Nar Shaddaa.

​Fett had expected coordinates in response.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

And so they would come.

Coordinates littered into Koda’s gauntlet mounted computer from what appeared to be twenty three different sources, piece by piece until a full message could be deciphered from the bits and bobbles. The seemingly incoherent message turned map gave him a quick guide towards their would be destination, or at least nearby. Waiting there was Tiamat, layered in his training armor, with mask covering his identifying features; enough for the would be assault on the facility, if that was what they truly wished to commit to.

High above the regular streets, situated on a rooftop above the various amount of platforms the residents of Nar Shaddaa lived upon was the man with no face, at least to men like Koda. The blackened metal of the mask hid away what darkness laid within, only that a ‘Sith’ lay behind it. The man’s gaze washed over the bright horizon of the Nar Shaddaa, just crowning the night that lay ahead as darkness was contrasted by lines of speeders in air lanes and even more windows illuminated with the casual happenings of life.

The planet itself was a cityscape, the main trade hub of Nal Hutta; the greasy, swamp like planet of The Hutts who allowed very little in terms of visitors. It didn’t matter to Maliphant personally, the disgusting nature of the planet and the cruel culture of the Hutts was enough to put off any half decent person, and besides that the true beauty of the entire region was Nar Shaddaa. More importantly was its massive darkness, the way The Force seemed to swell and sweat amidst the billions on the planet; rampantly sloshing in the basin that was their life energy. Every movement, every action they took forced it to spill over, and for those with only minor control over their sensory abilities it could almost become too much.

A perfect place to keep an artifact like Vitiate’s Holocron.

Maliphant idled on the balcony, waiting for the bounty hunter to arrive. As soon as he did, they could begin their operation...

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA​

​

Nar Shaddaa, Little Coruscant, the Smuggler's Moon.

The Planet never seemed to slow itself down, hush it's tone, or rest it's eyes for the briefest of moments. There were a vast amount of planets within the Galaxy, especially this region of space, that was prone to housing the filthiest of criminals. It is, after all, what happens when the Hutt Kajidics are involved, though. They corrupt the worlds they inhabit through their unquenchable thirst for wealth, or lustful desire for power. Their pride knows no bounds as exorbitant statues of themselves are erected within major cities, damning those that dare sought refuge in the area that those Hutt worms viewed as suitable. It should, realistically, be of no surprise that all filth ran back to Nar Shaddaa. Sometimes, even a Sith's hand found itself dirty.

A distant collision had echoed a crack through the night sky-lanes of Nar Shaddaa; speeder craft crumpled within the air, plummeting to the depths of the underworld deep beneath them in a flaming wreck that was bound to claim more lives than those within the vehicle. It was the nature of Nar Shaddaa, all too many had died, and to ignore you it simply turned the cheek. Fett had arrived, standing behind Tiamat at the entrance of the balcony itself. An intimidating sight as he was near shrouded in darkness bar the reflective lights striking his visor and few choice areas, yet Tiamat hadn't a reason to be concerned, for that Bounty Hunter was on his payroll.

Loyalty to the almighty credit, as it were.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

As the mandalorian walked up behind Maliphant, he offered little more than a subtle acknowledgement of him through a small turn of his head. It wasn’t hard to sense another being so close with The Force, even if the undeniable maelstrom of the planet threatened to hinder his sensory abilities outright. Still, as the Mandalorian came to ‘Tiamat’s’ side, he pulled up a small holo display of what the building a few sectors away from them appeared like.

It was massive, many thousand levels, but what was highlighted in contrast to the blue was the red few levels near the upper middle that they were going to raid tonight. Numerous storage areas, even more offices, and it looked as though an entire dedicated entertainment district and bazaar right on their own level; a right place for a cartel member to live out his life. Maliphant simply smiled as he looked it over, moderately proud of the work ‘Human’ had managed to pull off in getting schematics of the building.

In that same vein, the security and entry points quickly began to illuminate in small blips, showing where the most reinforced areas were. Sonic patterns gave a moderate scale of where the interior patrols made the most rounds, while anything else was thrown in on as an option to be seen when required. Maliphant simple spun it slight before sliding the project across the railing towards Koda; beginning to speak as he usually did;

“This is the building of the Twin Sun, the pod racing syndicate I told you about earlier. Their involvement with the artifact is undeniable, I know this, but to what degree is still unknown.”

A few clicks of his vambrace and an image came up, that of a room deep within the compound with a computer and a series of holodisks littering the walls.

“In here is where all records and transactions are kept, incase the Syndicate ever requires the need to make a collection call. They know where the holocron is, and it will be our goal to enter this.”

With a few more taps of the wrist mounted computer, the display became fully independent and mobile for the moment as he took a step away;

“How would you like to proceed, Koda Fett?”

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Koda Fett]

NAR SHADDAA​

​

The Bounty Hunter had become consumed by a technological layout once more. His eyes had darted within the helmet, allowing the screen to take hold and flash before his eyes, detailing the environment that Tiamat was referencing. It was going to be different than the previous mission, of course. Something more dangerous, or at the very least a bit more difficult. Danger had been a constant state of existence for someone such as Fett. The Mandalorian wasn't able to go anywhere without someone wishing death upon him, trying their hand, and ultimately failing. He still stood, but for how much longer?

Fett had taken note of the choice words Tiamat had chosen. Identical to those utilised on Barbatos. He was suspicious by nature, and so he leapt to a conclusion that something wasn't quite right. Perhaps he had him beneath a trance, enacting unwillingly, but if such was the case then how was he ever able to have this line of thought? Sith Sorcery was strange, bizarre, and difficult to understand for a mere Bounty Hunter. He hadn't a connection to the force, nor had he ever desired one. There was something new to learn with each time he opposed a practitioner of it.

"You decide." The Mandalorian replied rather bluntly.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]