Blood Must Spill From The Crimson Star

[Krayn]

SALEUCAMI​

A thick layer of dust had been whipped around the planet in one of the largest dust storms the locals had seen in decades. It had seen to the complete grounding of every ship currently on the planet, which had created a bottleneck of travellers and spacers all piling into whatever cantina or hovel was open to keep the spirits high. Among the various species and faces that made up those stranded it was easily to get lost or blend in and that was exactly what two particular beings were trying to do.

“Paradise found it would seem.” There was a strange mocked tone to the words as red eyes scanned the neon sign above the bar. Like the rest of the cantina it was dim and had a foul smell of smoke and spilt drink, and like every other cantina in the galaxy there was a subtle buzz of business in the air even with the apparent lack of traffic on and off the planet. Yet as busy as it was everyone concentrated purely on their own conversations and groups, which suited the red eyed one and his partner down to a tee.

“One could say as such.” The other sat at the dingy, worn table responded in turn. Her drink rose to her lips as shadowed eyes took in their surrounds as much as the other. Apart from the usual spacer crowd she could count several unusual parties among the masses, most where gangsters of some sorts, an antique broker or two but among the most valuable of all was an information broker known as Venlana Sipal. “Shall we do this then?” A curious glance towards the other at the table was offered but not returned, his eyes were purely set at the bar where this Venlana was currently sat with a small posse of Twi’lekk conversationalists.

“Patience. For it shall not be us who initiate our interaction.” Even the glass being raised to his lips did not pause his stare towards the bar. He knew that the way these things worked was to let them happen, plus there was something about this one in the Force, something of a warning that he had not fully understood, which was natural now his connection with his dark powers had been suppressed following his retreat from Coruscant. “We will be summoned in time.”

“You are have come here to see the Lady Sipal?” The question came from behind the pair, both turning to see a green skinned Twi’lekk dressed in a fine green garment that left little to the imagination. “She will see you now if so, please come, I will take you to her.” She spun on her foot and began to head away from the table, leaving the pair to look at each other quickly before following.

 

[Krayn]

There had been no hesitation to follow the messenger. Both parties, both of which went silently, picked up their drinks and allowed them to be led away from the bar and to a featureless metal door that lay at the Cantina’s rearmost wall. A curious glance proved that Venlana had departed from her most recent seating and was no absent through the crowd, a worrying aspect yet not unexpected. The Twi’lekk turned and faced the pair as the door became the only possible continuation, an expectant look carrying across her face before opening the passage with a thumb scan on a nearby panel.

The room beyond was lit by intricately carved crystal globes, not dissimilar to the ornate designs of ancient Naboo culture, each hung from the ceiling by an simple chain that gave away their foreign origins. Beneath the cast glow a large conference table dominated the entirety of the room’s centre, surrounded by comfortable, yet oddly designed chairs. Stepping into the area as a whole a bar became visible to the left, gleaming with crystal glass and bottles from civilisations both existing and long faded into galactic memory. Just beyond the light came a voice, calm, smooth and typically commanding.

“At last.” Venlana, a Saleucamian native descending from the original Pantoran colonists, stood from her seat to greet the pair, a welcoming smile plastered on her lips like the finest of actors. “I thought this day would never come. Your reputations certainly precede you.” She gave an inviting gesture towards the bar, yet it was untaken as both merely took seats at the table with the already present glasses from the main cantina, ignoring the Twi’lekk messenger enter and seal the door behind them with another thumb print.

“Our reputation?” The conversation had to begin somewhere. “Surely that is not a veiled threat beneath the precedent of warm greetings Venlana?”

A look of amused offence carried across her face, blue fleshed and beautiful, typical of her race. “I would never dream of being mistaken for giving threats. After all it is my job to know things that others don’t and it would be poor of me to not understand who exactly I have sat before me wouldn’t it Master D’etr?” She smiled as she stared across to the Zabrak who sat more relaxed then the other they had invited. He gave no indication of displeasure towards her information, so the chance to carry on her analysis continued, “Naturally the same could be said for yourself Doctor.” Her eyes were now focused on the other, the female human who had so far been the more emotionally readable of the two. “D’etr and Sinoca Jynes. Two names I very much wished to hear had walked into my Cantina. The question however remains, what is it I can do for the two of you?”

D’etr leant forward ever so slightly on his chair with his fingers playing around the glass that was now more then empty on the table. “Ironically enough, Information.” He noted the scoff in Venlana's face as he spoke, clearly as professional as she was she didn’t like to be beaten around the bush.

“I know that much my friend, otherwise you’d have been down the road at the strip using your unique talents to garner what profit you could before the sand storms lift.” She waved for a drink, the Twi’lekk at the door collecting it for her before returning to her position at the door. “Porel here is my assistant, during this meeting if any desire you may need comes to mind she shall see it through, however do not test her or my patience because I will end this before any transaction can take place. Understand?”

“We understand Venlana.” It was Sinoca’s turn to talk this time, her feet having already placed themselves up on the table as if it was her own. “We’re after a certain piece that I know for a fact has passed through your hands recently. A particularly rare piece that probably collected you a pretty penny, however we have more use for it.”

D’etr didn’t like the smile that had come across Venlana’s face as Sinoca spoke, it was a knowing look that betrayed the fact she knew perfectly well what it was that they sought. Yet he had to remain calm to assure this moved smoothly enough, Venlana would be of no use if he killed her now, he hoped that chance would come later. “We are after the Crimson Star.” He said curtly.

“Ah yes.” Venlana leant back in her chair. “Quite the unique piece, worth millions if not tens of millions on the open market, even more through the underground. I can help you that is for sure.” She took a sip of her drink. “However, please indulge me, what would a criminal and a scientist want with a museum jewellery display?”

“Opportunity.” Was all D’etr said in response which seemed to anger the Pantoran infochant.

“What he means to say is, we have an offer that will lead to personal growth if we can source the Crimson Star for a particularly interested party.” Sinoca said over the top of the silence. “We can’t delve to deep into the matter of course. You understand the method of business involved here Venlana.”

There was a tense moment of thought from the Pantoran, yet her face calmed and a drink was taken before she relaxed her posture completely. “Okay, I can help you with this one and seeing as it is a particularly interesting topic I will give you a premium chance for this information. You see I did have the Star, ready to sell it onwards to a museum who had shown interest core ward, but it was stolen en-route.” D’etr scoffed at this, clearly angered by the mention of it slipping through their fingers. “Now while losses in transit are expected and accounted for, shipments coming out of my contacts have been unusually beset by pirates as of late. I investigated and uncovered that a band of brigands known as the Veiled Sorority have been behind these raids.”

“The Sorority? As in the Pirate Queen’s Sorority?” Sinoca piped up, garnering a nod from Venlana. “Why would they purposefully be targeting your clients unless—“

“The attacks stopped once they took the star.” She paused, smiled and then put out her hand which was offered a data pad by Porel. “So back to business then? We are interested in bringing this band of pirates to its knees. They angered a few too many influential clients when they attacked those ships and the Crimson Star was the last straw for my patience. So I have a deal for you. We are issuing a bounty for its leader, referred to as the ‘Queen’. Beyond her title, we have been unable to procure any concrete data on her identity, location or background. It will be your responsibility to bring her to our justice, dead or alive, with proof it is indeed the Queen that you deliver.”

“How does a dead queen get me closer to my goal?” D’etr was starting to grow bored of story time, he was wasting time as his desire slipped further and further away into the vast emptiness of space. “What does this get us?”

“We are willing to pay handsomely for your aid. Shall we agree on ten thousand credits each for successfully completing the contract.” She slid a pair of data-chips across the table. “Five hundred each as a retainer to be safe. Should you preform with exceptional circumstance we would be willing to part a variety of bonuses to your final compensation.”

“We are not bounty hunters Sipal.” Sinoca gave a market face. She didn’t like the direction this was going, all for a piece of information. “We can find out where the Crimson Star is some other way without being pulled into a personal vendetta.”

“Okay, look.” Her finger tapped furiously against the table. “I know where the star is. They still have it and will for an extended amount of time. Bring me the queen and the star is yours. Free of charge, plus the above bonuses.” Her tongue rolled around her lip, clearly agitated at the price. “Do we have a deal.”

“I will bring you this queen. Do not worry about hiring anyone else.” D’etr said. It wouldn’t be the first time he had taken a bounty to stay alive on the rim. “What information do you have on this Sorority?”

She passed the data pad over to Sinoca who began searching through it instantly. “The first lead we have is an individual named Graf Lind. He was one of their brigands, until he lost favour with them six years ago. He managed to escape the Sorority with his life intact and we have discovered his current whereabouts. His information will be outdated, but he may have valuable intel.” She paused and waited for questions, however only found D’etr’s dark stare. “The second lead is Krezo Wasanti. A fence near the starport. He came to our attention after trying to sell one of my clients some of his own goods pillaged by one of the recent raids. He’d have some form of connection to them seeing as he is dealing in goods they have stolen.”

“Wasanti?” Sinoca scoffed, “That two-bit wouldn’t know anything. Had dealings with him in the past and he’s as dum as a Bronto’s arse.”

“You may be right, but you never know how clued in he really could be.” Velana smirked. “The last is a resource. We recently uncovered a data node called SororiNet thanks to a team of talented slicers. Though used to schedule tours of Saleucani’s more rugged wastelands, the name alone is suspicious, plus its security level is far too high for a tourism outfit. Should either of you have expertise in slicing, you may be able to learn more there.” She took a deep breath and an even deeper drink. “All the information you need is on that datapad, I do not need to stress how quickly and efficiently you must act as to not tip off the Queen to your intentions. I pray you the best of lucks.”

D’etr stood from his chair and was soon followed by Sinoca. “I don’t need luck. She will be dead before she even knows we are coming.”

 

[Krayn]

“Well that went better then expected.” The walk from the strip to the overcrowded slum clinging to the eastern wall of Taleucema’s massive crater. Dwellings hidden within from the overseeing eye as they blended into the eroding stone and cracked ferrocrete. “Although I didn’t realise we were taking on Bounty Hunter contracts now, or is that something we’ve lowered ourselves too?”

D’etr looked at Sinoca as the pair continued through the ever increasing crowds, already bolstered by the planet wide no fly law. “This criminal element will not stop me from acquiring the Crimson Star. If that requires amusing the masses in order to see it done then a simple contract shall not stand in the way.” Slipping passed a market stall he avoided the careful watching eye of several thuggish goons that had made residence in a nearby alleyway. “I also think this Sorority can become more useful then we realise. I just need to see their structure in person.”

“Whatever you believe boss.” Sinoca shrugged. She had started to notice the thinning of normal crowds and the steady replacement of the city’s poor, unwanted and homeless. Occasionally a beggar would look up towards her from their seat with a rattle of some form of collection, which she naturally ignored. “I’m with you no matter what. Even into this…”

“Pit of despair.” D’etr had a strange smile cross his face. “We should all ask around for this Lind traitor. I don’t particularly feel like searching all night in this place.” It had taken several credits and a grim proposition or two but eventually they had followed the extended fingers all the way to a prefab house that was showing decades of wear and tear, it was sprawled with graffiti matching it to every description that those who had led them here.

“Talon gang.” Sinoca pointed at a large single X that had been repainted several times on the door. “He pays for protection, or he did until recently by the way that the paint sits.” She could feel D’etr’s quizzical look begging for reason. “They’ve repainted it often until recently, if he was still paying it wouldn’t be so faded.”

“Which allows us to act immediately.” D’etr smirked and bashed his hand hard against the door instantly hearing the shuffling of the being beyond. A series of muffled yells told them both to leave and go away, neither of which bothered the Zabrak enough to not cease hitting the door again.

“What is it!” The door opened and a pair of angry bloodshot eyes appeared alongside a bushy overgrown beard. “What is with all that noise?” Sinoca went to talk but D’etr beat her too it, his hand raised and grabbed the drunk by the neck forcing him into the house with surprising speed and strength.

“Get off me!” The stink of sweat and raw alcohol assaulted D’etr’s senses causing his eyes to water as he moved into the building proper. A single room that was so small and strewn with trash it was barely noticeable as a living area for something alive, the empty liquor bottles and sweat stained mattress all that betrayed its true purpose. “What do you want!?” The man was thrown hard against the floor and D’etr towered over him with a dark purpose on his face.

“Graf Lind?” he requested and got a confused yet firm nod from the wreck of a man. “You need to tell me everything you know of the Veiled Sorority and I wouldn’t advise arguing the situation. It will end badly for you.”

“The Sorority?” Graf seemed to wake up instantly from his drunk haze. “What do you want with them? I’m afraid your out of luck, I don’t deal with them anymore.”

“We already know the story.” Sinoca added from her position leant against the wall near the door. “Hence why we have come to you, we have no intention to deal with the Sorority at all if you get my drift.”

Graf looked between the two with a strange panic of curiosity. “Okay, okay.” He sat himself up properly against his wall. “Look don’t kill me, but I’m outta the loop these days. I can help ya though. I want to help, blast it! After what those cutthroats did to me.” He paused and showed the two of them a metallic sheen to his right leg. “I been waiting for years for a chance to get back at that queen and her crew and before you ask I don’t want any money. I want justice.” He set his jaw and looked at two invaders, his eyes suddenly emotional rather then drunk.

D’etr remained silent for now, giving Graf a proper look over. A human male, mid fifties though thanks to alcohol and substance abuse he could have passed for at least fifteen to twenty years his senior. His hair was long, grey and unkempt bordering his dull blue eyes that occasionally showed a brilliant gleam if the Sorority was raised in conversation. “Tell us what you know…”

 

[Krayn]

“I still don’t understand why your trusting him.” Sinoca mentioned as the duo moved through the edges of Taleucema’s slums and into more hospitable surrounds. The streets already beginning to line with the days trade as shop keepers attempted to make back any lose of profit after extended periods beneath the cover of the recent storm. “Surely any information he has is long out of date.”

“True.” D’etr shifted passed a small group of hooded aliens who all refused to make eye contact with his anger stained stare. “However I sensed no lies in his words and looking at the sky it would seem that no traffic would have left Saleucami since the storm.” His hand waved to skyward indicating to the clear expanse, free of any starships. “Therefor this Blackwind Crater he speaks of is entirely plausible for a hideout.”
“Twenty years ago maybe.” Sinoca had her doubts, yet as they moved through the ever increasing market he did not let her worry stop the acquiring of two green fruits that were being unwatched on the corner of a food stall. One being given to her red skinned Zabrak companion. “I just feel it will be time wasted if we get all the way out only to find that the jewel isn’t there and they’ve got it off world in the meantime.” She took a bite of the fruit, allowing the intense sweetness to fill her senses. “We should at least follow up on the other leads.”

“They are being taken care of.” Was the simple and rather dismissive response by the Zabrak. “Which allows us to concentrate on acquiring transport to Blackwind Crater and assuring that if they have stored the star there until they can get it off world that we claim it.” He to took advantage of the free meal and gave no look back towards the market.

“Why is this star so damn important to you?” The question was an odd one coming from Sinoca, the young scientist usually merely following D’etr along on whatever personal crusade he had going without question. “It can’t be credits, we both know there are easier and faster ways to make credits then the stone trade. Its personal too isn’t it, your obsessed over it. Dangerously so.”

“I am not obsessed. Merely wanting to return the Star to it’s true purpose.” He began to explain, knowing that he could release certain information without rousing too much suspicion upon the true purpose. “You surely know of Kyber crystals yes?” He waited for the nod. “The Crimson Star is at its heart a Kyber Crystal. A very old and powerful one at that. I need it in order to re-establish myself within the circles of the Sith.”

Sinoca gave him a look. “Re-establish? You’re heading back to them, I thought you said they were lost and pathetic?”

“They were.” The fruit was casually thrown to the side now that it’s ripe interior was done with, much the way that D’etr used everything in life. “It is different now, this call to action. It is a Dark Lord of the Sith once more, true power and promise beyond the petty squabbling of the past rallies since the collapse of the One Sith. This Empire is going to Eclipse the Light once more, hence why I need the Crimson Star to assure a reputation that will allow comfort and wealth for all allied to me.”

“You said wealth.” A swift smile was shot his way. “That makes me a very, very happy girl.”

 

[Krayn]

THE BELT​

SALEUCAMI

Krezo’s Imports. That was the name upon the neon sign that shone bright over the otherwise neat and well presented storefront, it was enough to identify it exactly for what it was and even in the relatively sparse area it resided within held a certain business charm to it.

It hadn’t been the first time Maanis had been to Krezo’s, chances are it would probably be the last if this meeting went the way he thought it would though. Yet for the ongoing pay that he received from his Sith contact a few burnt bridges would be a small price to pay once he hit the larger jobs up the chain.

A soft chime greeted Maanis as he entered the import shop, a pleasant gust of environmentally conditioned air also embraced him, scented by Naboo Mountain Flower, a rare leaf found only in a small area south of the mountain ranges near Theed, if his nose was to be trusted. It was a bold statement, one that encouraged business within an area usually known for shady deals and credit cheats.
The shelves within the shop were spotless and as well organised as the counters, each stocked with a wide selection of luxury goods from trinkets to bottles of exotic liquors. Each corner of the galaxy was represented somehow right down to the hermetically sealed boxes of premium cigarras and Galactic Alliance uniform badges.

From behind the polished metal counter a short, olive-skinned Rodian raised his red-gold eyes from his data pad and briefly sized Maanis up. Instantly his face lit up with a welcoming smile. “Greetings, Maanis my friend.” His accent was thickly accented yet fluent in basic. “What can Krezo do for you on this fine Saleucami day?” He spared a nervous glance towards the belt where Maanis kept his blaster holstered and sealed, there was no point in making obvious threats at this point. “Perhaps a look at my new shipment, there are some particularly useful toxin sacks from Rodia that I believe you would be interested in, however I must say I do not usually expect a visit from you at this time of the day.”

“I was in the area.” Maanis responded, the Rodian suspicious already of Maanis’ daytime visit. Usually it was after dusk that Krezo dealt with his sort, during his so called ‘out of hour’ dealings. “Needed some questions answered and thought you’d be the best bet.” A pair of double doors opened near the back of the showroom and a ASP-series labor droid stomped in with servos grinding loudly before stopping motionless awaiting command.

“Questions? I’m a merchant Maanis not an info-chant.” He smiled roughly from behind his counter. “Surely Quazmido would be a better bet down at the Watertank. Now if you were after a bottle of Correllian Spiced then we can talk.”

“Quazmido can’t help with this one, but I have heard on very good authority…” Maanis squared himself up to the counter, hands now resting on the glistening surface. “…That you can.”

 

[Krayn]

Sinoca had managed to acquire a pair of swoop bikes from a dealer near the docks with the downpayment that had been given to them at the beginning of the contract, both were in poor condition but would do for reaching Blackwind Crater within the day. The Saleucami sun baring down on them as the took the two hundred and fifty kilometre journey northeast of Taleucema, but they pressed on none the less and with purpose.

D’etr had forced them to pause twice on the journey, once to speak to a nomad trading caravan whose information had been useful in ensuring that the journey was on the right path and the second was to take the time and have a meal provided by the seller of the swoop bikes. However now it was straight onwards towards their target.

“So this is it then.” Sinoca looked over the lip of the crater, met only with the sight of jungle and marshland that was a far-stretch from the arid terrain surrounding them. “Must have a network of hot springs running beneath it. It’s created an ecosystem within the crater itself. Fascinating.”

D’etr didn’t share Sinoca’s appreciation. “We will have to climb down and go on foot.” He said over the sound of bird calls coming from the six kilometre wide crater. “With me.” The Zabrak added and began to lower himself down the steep edges of the crater and with practiced efficiency free climbed his way down.

It took them a good hour to get to the ground level of the crater, a thick layer of humidity greeting them as they broke through the canopy that hid the majority of the area from prying eyes high above. Already the light became dim from the sun being blocked by the trees and the surrounds had given off a darker, more concerning tone.
“Well isn’t this a gem.”

“Clearly you have never made it to Felushia.” D’etr stretch his arms out, trying to remove the pain from having climbed for so long. “I sense something here, something curious. We should proceed with caution.”

Sinoca sighed as her companion began to head through the grasses and bush growth. “I wasn’t planning on proceeding any other way to be honest.” She stepped on something squishy that gave a squeal before squirting a foul yellow stench across the floor. “I really hope I don’t catch something. If I catch something I’ll make sure you get it too.”

The jungle continued onwards making the going hard and difficult, yet the two made easy work of it as they moved between tree trunks and through bushes with sharp leaves. Occasionally they would meet some small jungle creature that would scatter off into the undergrowth at the first site of either of them, reminding them that this was a far different world then they had climbed down from.

“Stop.” D’etr was heard saying suddenly, his hands stretched out to his sides as his eyes darted around the area. His demeanour had changed completely from the almost relaxed adventurer who had been trudging through trees before. “We are not alone.”

“We…” Sinoca looked around seeing only trees and shrubs. “What?”

“Put your hands where we can see them.” This third voice was different, unfamiliar and appearing from nowhere. Several bodies, six in all appearing at the same time with blasters raised and aimed at D’etr and Sinoca. “Now lets talk about why we have found two little rats sneaking about our jungle…”