Asset Recovery (PM for INV)

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Coruscant, as cliche and showy as it was, happened to be a necessary trip. No, it wasn't a social visit, and no, there would be no visits to a bar full of scantily clad women. Coruscant housed some of the Republic's most vile criminals, and Graxin had found out recently on Kashyyk that one such criminal was housed at the galactic core.

That had been the whole point, after all. The duel with Verrin. The conflict in the Shadowlands--the brutal murder of the Imperial deserter. All for the security of the new Empire, and on a more important not from a personal level, to find out just where this prisoner had been held.

Graxin had taken the time to patch himself up during the long hyperspace flight. A nagging guilt in the back of his mind had kept him awake--his companion had no idea what he did, or why they were going where they were going. Graxin only gave her the vaguest of answers when asked. Granted, he did pay her well, but still...

The shuttle approached Triple Zero in one of the many traffic lanes leading into the planet's atmosphere. Graxin sat in the co-pilot's chair; just barely holding control over the ship as it slowly drifted down along with a dozen or so other vessels of every size and shape. He'd changed into a plain brown hooded jacket, and removed the bandage around his forehead, exposing the faint red marks where a certain Gundark had almost bashed his head open. They were still an hour or two from actually entering the planet's atmosphere.

"So, we're here to bust out a war criminal because I thought he might teach me how to lift things with my mind." He mumbled under his breath; practicing for when Corvetta actually asked him as to why they were there. "Or, it's because my Employer told me to...because he was wrongly imprisoned?"

The infiltrator groaned to himself. It all sounded very suspicious, and very fake to him.

Aurelic Vos Talen...a Gurlanin. What do I even do when I get him out?

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

The flygirl had just pulled on her cargo pants and shrugged on her pilot's jacket when she sensed the ship dipping into a heavy gravity, meaning they were only a couple hours from touchdown. She cursed as she rubbed her eyes groggily, calculating that she had only gotten about a ten-hour alcohol-induced sleep. It might be five more days before she had another chance at it.

After grabbing a canister of caf from the galley, she crept into the cockpit to see how things were. Finding the pilot's chair empty, she unceremoniously dropped into the seat and sipped the warm liquid, watching Coruscant's dirty bronze atmosphere gradually swallow their vessel. She was mostly unmoved at the event, having made this descent several times before, but she was no less curious as to why her captain would make direct course for the Senate's home base from Kashyyyk. She supposed it might just be an extreme change of scenery, which she could hardly blame him for. She did not foresee Wookiee World becoming a resort destination any time soon.

Or he might actually be a secret agent type.

Whatever his reasons, Corvetta was chill. While not the most pleasant locale, Coruscant was never a bad place to acquire some business. She slowly spun in her chair to face Graxin, who looked like he was dressed to match the grim city-world. On a positive note, it appeared that he had recovered from his wounds decently; only minimal evidence of whatever action he had been in remained. She smiled drowsily at him. "So what's the plan, Grax?"

She paused for a moment, conceding that her employment was at his disposal. "...This where I get off?"

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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To his displeasure, Graxin had only been able to feel his companion's presence when she was close enough for him to notice without the force. He sat up straight; which sent a dull ache through his ribs, and returned the smile with a small one of his own.


"Sleep well?" He teased, hand tilting slightly to put the ship further in line with that of the others going the same way. "Well...I have to recover one more thing before the job is done." Graxin hesitated for just a moment. Not long, but long enough to be noticed. "A person. A Gurlanin to be exact. I need him."

The Infiltrator froze at her question. He had come to accept her company, and even find a bit of comfort in it. Their pleasant little talks had given him a bit of a different view on the whole galactic scale thing. Vulcanis was seeking to crush the free thinking minds of people like Corvetta. Before, that hadn't bothered him one bit. In the few days of working with her though, well, it made him a bit uneasy.

"I'll still pay you full price." He began, lips pursed as he tried to find the right words. "What I uh....what I'm supposed to do is illegal. If I'm caught, the Republic will brand me as a criminal, because I'll be rescuing a criminal." Graxin fell silent and let it do the talking for him. It was a question that didn't really need to be said, bu after a minute or so, he felt the need to ask aloud. "So if that's not okay with you, I can drop you off at the nearest port once we break atmo. Like I said, you'll be paid either way."

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

Corvetta remained silent for a minute, biting her lip as she slowly processed everything Graxin told her. Suddenly, things were getting serious. "Well..." she started, then hesitated as new theories on Graxin surfaced within her mind. She was by no means tied to any government--not even the Republic, though she liked them better than most--but she also was not exactly a proponent of helping out anyone who had done something flagrantly destructive.

"How criminal is this guy?" she asked. "'Cause, you know, I've floated some extra cargo or flipped a toll once or twice." She contributed a mockingly guilty grin.

The freighter girl turned back to face the approaching metropolis, soaking it in to allow her brain to wake up completely. She took a final sip of her caf and brushed back her hair from her eyes before leaning back and kicking her feet onto the control panel, breathing out a soft gust.

Twisting her head just enough to focus her eyes on Graxin's face, she provided her terms. "Look, I'm up for this as long as you'll have me. And I've seen my share of faulty wiring; that doesn't bother me. But if there's a reason I should start feeling scared... I'm out."

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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The ship lurched forward as it began to enter the bronze sky. Coruscant was a dirty stuffy planet. As soon as Graxin broke through the sky; he felt suffocated. There were simply far too many people bunched together on a single world. He fought back the urge to frown, and pursed his lips as Corvetta spoke.

"He was arrested during the Republic-Sith war. One of the Sith's people. He turned himself in to save his buddy's life." The words rolled off his tongue as if he knew exactly what he was talking about; because he did. If that revealed anything about who he worked for, then Graxin didn't notice. "That's not the important bit though. He's a Gurlanin. The most effective shapeshifting species in the galaxy--and the rarest. They can be become anything, not just other sentient species. I don't even know what their base form looks like."

He brought his chin down to rest between his thumb and index finger, and narrowed his eyes slightly as huge skyscrapers came into view. This would be...interesting. "I need him to find someone for me. Personal reasons...I understand, Corvetta. I'll try not to terrify you." He tilted his head to flash a huge, self-satisfied grin. "But in all honesty, thank you. You've been quite...how do I word this...hmm...I have enjoyed working with you."

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

Corvetta was alright with most of what he told her, but some shrill alarms were going off inside her head at the mention of the Sith and they were difficult to ignore. She supposed he had only said this crazy morphing guy had simply worked for them, which may or may not have been voluntary. And she felt she had no reason not to trust Graxin so far, but her current impression was that he was a glutton for punishment.

She heard him out and smiled a little at his bit of humor. Maybe it was noble--finding a long-lost friend. But maybe messing with Republic security was not the best way about it…

Eventually, she decided her course of action. "I'll hang out with the ship while you do what... you're doing," she said, smiling apologetically. She still quietly was holding on to the stipulation that whoever he was bringing back with him did not give her bad vibes. "And who knows? I might find time to check out the sights before we crank outta here." She offered him a fist.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Graxin, of course, bumped the fist. "I promise I won't be too long." He pushed the sheep into a slow dive. Nothing steep, just enough to swoop in toward the lower level spaceports. The prison wasn't very close, but that was the point. There was supposed to be a special transfer today--a transfer of Graxin's selected Gurlanin.

"Ever been here before?" He asked quietly as he maneuvered the vessel through the sky lanes. Below, a two hanger spaceport gaped, ready to welcome them whenever they landed. "I haven't. It's so...stuffy...so huge. Should make this move along pretty smoothly."

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

The girl lost her foot placement on the dash as she let out an abrupt, but very loud laugh. "Been here? Are you joking?" She shot him the most exaggerated look of incredulity. "I've been a spacer all my life. Grew up dusting hyperspace lanes on cargo ships. I'm a Brentaal IV baby."

Corvetta regained her more relaxed composure and patted poor Grax on the back. "All roads lead to Coruscant, comrade. I'm lucky if I don't end up here six times a year. Actually..." She abandoned her speech for a moment and bit at one of her fingernails. "I could take you down to whatever district you're gonna be at. No way am I going into war with you, but I'll bring you that far."

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"Brentaal what?" His voice raised a bit as he asked the question. The ship, though Imperial in design, drifted into one of the dirty spaceport hangers without issue. Graxin had only needed to provide the the barebones basics to the flight control.

"You sound like you live an exciting life." He added quietly as Corvetta patted him on the back. He tilted his head to look up at her, a slightly amused look on his face. "I just never had a reason to come here. I'm going to miss trees, aren't I?"

This could get messy.

The infiltrator pushed up from his chair with only the slightest grimace of pain on his face as his chest flared up. The ribs had been something close to broken, and it was only bacta that had made it possible for Graxin to keep moving. He shoved his hands in his pockets, made sure the old vibroknife was still there, and grinned. "You sure you don't want to just show me off to your spacer buddies?" He teased as he took a quick glance out the window.

The hanger wasn't exactly pretty; crates were left half-open in just about every corner. A fine layer of dust and grime coated most surfaces, and a rather greasy looking Sullustan was repairing the doors leading outside at the east side of the building. "Level One-six-eight-two I think. I'll need to be there to intercept and-.... The young man paused to flash the smuggest grin he could muster. "Go to war, as you say."


[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

She shook her head, this time not so much with feigned disbelifef. "Brentaal--you know, the most important hyperspace junction in the galaxy?" She was beginning to get the impression that he did not get around much. "My life has its moments. Particularly when you get picked up by a weirdo... and it's a good thing."

The spacer gal balked at his other comment, unsure of his intent. "You're a little insane, in my opinion, but I don't think you'll win 'Most Exotic'." She grinned. "Besides, I wouldn't want them seeing you in that condition. In the freighting business, hurts your cred when you bring in damaged goods."

Seeing that Graxin was moving about and preparing to depart, Corvetta hopped up as well and tugged a wrinkle out of her jacket's blast-skirt. "One-six-eight-two isn't too far down," she replied, adjusting the flyer goggles above her forehead that she really only used as a hairband. She never was one to primp. "But it also depends on your coord's. I can get ya around CoCo Town and the central districts, but I've never had the urge to visit the military district. And I'm guessing that's where you might end up for this trip..."

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"Ah, yes, of course I've heard." He lied as he strode down from the gangplank. His lips were pressed into a thin line as he gave the alien a faint nod in aknowledgement. this would have to be done quickly. Graxin led his companion out toward the speeders, and quickly paid the neccesary toll. "I'm not that damages." The infiltrator teased as he picked out a dull yellow two seater. Nothing fancy, but it would do.

"Alright then, my oh-so-knowledgeable companion, take me through Coco town." His boots scuffed across the cracked paint as he pretty much tumbled into the speeder. He sunk down into the dark leather of the seat, and folded his arms over his chest.

Insane. One way of putting it, I suppose.

"Eh, maybe. I won't drag you into it, alright? Promise. Wouldn't want you to get scared, heh." [member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

Corvetta swung her body over the side of the speeder and landed in the driver's seat with practiced fluidity. Clutching the speeder's yoke, she flicked the engine switch and let the craft float a few meters before pedaling the throttle. She rolled her eyes at his little tease and gunned the engine to show him just how scared she was, laughing all the way.

The pilot girl stuck out her tongue as her hair unfurled in the draft, kicking the speeder to just above the metal chasm that divided the rusty caps of the immense towers that held up the upper city. While playing daring humorously, she was a bit unnerved peering below and into the dark cracks of the durasteel surface, which was quite a thing for a spacer to admit. "Long way down," she commented before veering the car over the commercial district. "Here's CoCo Town. The gardens are dead ahead.

"I'm guessing you don't want to just pad into the Mil," she assumed, "so I'm gonna drop you by residential, if that's chill with you. It's just a short skip across the street from there and you can do all the sneaky spy stuff you're crankin' for."

[member="Graxin Rade"]