Dominion Crooks of a Feather... - Darkwire Dominion of Wann Tsir

[Saija Kwann]

OBJECTIVE: 2
LOCATION: Samhain's Derelict Bridge.
TAGS: Cato Fett , Cassus Akovin , anyone else here

Saija Kwann had been approached by the Darkwire syndicate only weeks prior to this mission. She had gotten the attention of somebody who was impressed with her skills, and Darkwire could always use more technical expertise. After breaking the ice and being vetted by the organization to make sure she wasn't with the Corpos or other group antithetical to Darkwire's goals, Saija was given an assignment that would secure her position as a contractor for Darkwire. While this would mean a significant upgrade in credits, it would also mean a significant risk. With one usually came the other. After ekeing out a meager living as a mechanic and technician in the civilian world, Saija was ready to take her life and her work to the next level. The rewards would be worth the risk if Darkwire's raid came together as planned.

Her present company didn't inspire much confidence, save for the Captain and the helmeted Mandalorian who was literally sharpening his knives before battle. While he was dragging a stone across edged metal, she was busy making last minute upgrades to her hackbox, a custom computer built for jobs just like this one. Security would be high and the most important areas of the ship would be sealed off. It was her job to slice past any doors that couldn't be blasted open and also to get to the ship's data in the computer core.

Being the new girl on board, Kwann chose to remain silent unless spoken to. Except for the bad passes by a few of the males on board who got the idea to make some crude remarks to the female Twi'lek. She paid them no mind, keeping focused on the job ahead. The only difference between this job and all of her previous ones was that there was a very real chance she would get her head tails shot off if things didn't go according to plan.

Saija made a mental note to stay close to the Mandalorian if things got too hairy, since he seemed like the most capable of the bunch. Even as she was mentally telling herself not to stare, she had already gazed on the armor clad warrior for longer than normal. She flashed a subtle Mona Lisa grin to him before looking away, her face becoming neutral again.

 

[Gray Venasir]

Objective 1
Location: Ke Wann Awanga
Tags: Doc Painless

The replica was much heavier than Gray had initially thought. And harder to get a good grip on. Walking down the street with it, he had had to stop and readjust his grip several times. But he had no regrets buying it. This whole operation on Wann Tsir was an attack against Xopsaloff, and getting a replica of his home-tower for free only made it sweeter. Darkwire getting this replica was a symbol, that the Corpos were not their bosses. And, if luck was in Gray's favor, he would get the chance to plant the sharp spear at the top of the replica in Xopsaloff's heart.

The familiar voice of a man Gray had never met in the physical world almost made him drop the tower on his foot. "Doc, good to see you too," said the smuggler, and put the replica down, so he could shake the other man's hand. "You know it, Qanatain Moneybags' tower. One of the only ones ever made, though I think I saw one at a Corpo celebration once, when I was there in disguise."

"I see you've got a few things out of this scam as well. A nice speeder, medical supplies... other things I assume are medical supplies." Gray was not very big on medical knowledge, other than the basics. So it was nice knowing someone who knew his way around such equipment, in case something bad ever did happen. "If you've got space left, I'll take you up on that offer. It is surprisingly heavy for a replica." It wasn't easy, but they managed to find a good place for the tower on the speeder.

"Say, you wouldn't do operations, replace a bodypart for a cybernetic one, for a few of these vouchers?" Gray jokingly asked Doc.

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

Objective: 1
Location: Droid shop

Ruby pulled up to the curb at the droid shop. Her chestnut locks were wild and wind-blown, but more stylish now that if she'd ever tried to actually fix it up like that on purpose. She hopped down off her new speeder bike and checked her data pad.

Her previous purchase had just been loaded into the Darkwire transport ships and were already being moved. Good, very good.

She strolled into the droid shop with her hands in her pockets and her gait leisurely. Ruby turned her attention to the shelves, where there were little droids hovering about. And there were droids rolling about the floor, too. One of the astromech models bumped against her leg and then scuttled in the opposite direction. Ruby had never found much use for droids herself, but she understood that they could be pretty useful in the right hands.

Maybe some of their people could slice them and make them better; these were just consumer models, after all. Bells and whistles aplenty, but maybe not perfect for their operation. She shrugged as she looked at the beeping droids. Maybe they'd keep a few, but most were bound to be sold off anyway.

“Can I help you?”

Ruby arched a brow over her shoulder at the saleswoman that stood at her back.

“Yes, I think you can,” she smirked.

 

[Talohn Atar]

He chuckles with her as she states how lucky any of those who attack her would be to actually survive. He always found the spark she had about her enjoyable to be around. "I wouldn't stop at one bullet either,,,well actually I wouldn't be able to uh..." He pauses, frowning slightly as he scratches his head. "You'd be in melee range so I wouldn't be able to...You know what? The joke doesn't work. Scrap it. I would stare in sheer horror as you turned a man into brisket." He says, his confused frown turning into a playful smirk. That's when Madlad, as always, speaks up from it's spot atop the ship where it was repairing some damage from an asteroid.

"Don't even lie, you'd find that hot you sick bastard." It's mechanical voice states, causing Talohn to turn around and yell up to the droid, though he seems more amused than actually angry, like two siblings giving eachother a hard time. "Oh, lay off you hunk of steel. Don't give me shit, when you enjoy death more than I do!" Talohn chuckles. With that, he turns back to Zlova just as she comments about oddjobs.

He nods enthusiastically. "Oh yea, oddjobs are where it's at. I have some connections. You see, the super lucrative ones are too risky for me to do, because I have to go home to Monari. I can help you find some of the good stuff, send the risky ones your way since I know you enjoy a thrill. Or just help you find regular jobs. I know some people. The real money is in escort jobs these days. The only people that work harder than assassins are the ones that have to fend them off." A sith would know that more than anyone.

"I was actually hired to guard a crimelord once on Narr Shadaa, knew he ran slave rings that had poached people off of the Atar clan territories going into it. Provided him transport, then right after he turned over the credits, blew his brains out and turned in the bounty, double profit. No one turns members of my clan into slaves." He's got quite the hatred for slavers, but who doesn't? At least Talohn takes action to actually remove them from the galaxy when he can.

"It's true, respectable folk on Alderaan are rare." He nods in agreement. "I don't like to think about that place, makes my stomach churn. Though, I hope you enjoy those berries." He says, a genuine smile on his features. She seemed happy with them.

When she takes his arm, he begins walking along beside her. "Ah, Monari did give me a bit of a shopping list. But she'll make something good with it. I'll also be able to do the most dirt cheap grocery shopping I've ever done. That'll be cool." He chuckles a bit at that thought. Oh the food he'll be able to cook. "Might pick up some nice droid parts, or droids. Part of my goal is to resell and make a profit. The suffering of a bunch of corporations is no fur off my skin."

Zlova Rue

 

[Doc Painless]

Objective: 1 (Shop Till He Drops)
Location: Wann Tsir, Ke Wann Awanga, Streets
Tags: Gray Venasir

The Doc chuckled again, tickled pink at the idea that a rare commemorative statue honoring Xopsaloff had been bought with the very vouchers that were going to ruin him. "I hope you can find an appropriately ironic place to display it," he replied. His first thought was the bottom of a garbage chute, which would be fitting, but then no one would really get to see it. He shrugged and grinned. It felt good to smile, and even better to feel like they were actually a step ahead of the Corpos for once. Normally they were scrambling just to keep up.

"I can make room," the Doc said, reaching into the back of his speeder to adjust the items he'd bought so far on his second foray into the market. Eventually he managed to clear a space between a crate of medpacks and a barrel of antiseptic gel, helping Gray to gently lay the sculpture down on a bed of gauze pads. The Doc gathered a few bacta sprays and pill bottles strewn across the front seat and tossed them into the back, making room for the other man to sit. "Climb in," the street medic said. "The day is young, and we're still rich... kinda!"

As they pulled away from the curb, skimming over the polluted wetland slurry below and heading deeper into the market, Gray quipped about using vouchers to pay for cybernetic surgery. The Doc grinned and shook his head. "You find something you like out here, I'll put it in or on you for free. With all the supplies I'm getting, I'll be able to run free for quite a while. But no more vouchers. After today, I plan to keep exactly one of them. I'm gonna frame it and put it in my office, right where I can see it and laugh every time I walk in."

As they got further into the commercial district, the two of them could see that things were heating up. Some of the shopkeepers that Darkwire agents had first visited were now among the buyers, trading the stacks of vouchers they'd been given for new goods of their own. The Doc smiled; they'd created a self-perpetuating feeding frenzy at the Corpos' expense. Soon, profiteers who'd gotten valuable goods for almost nothing would be on their way to Denon, selling them for basement-bottom prices that would still earn them a profit in credits.

The market was going to crash like an ion-struck star destroyer, and Xopsaloff was going to be on the hook.

"Anywhere in particular you'd like to head?" The Doc asked his passenger. "This market is going to be cleaned out by sundown, and everything on a ship to Denon. We'll have to spread the word that the locals need to cash their vouchers fast once Xopsaloff starts to realize what's happening. It'll be strange to see this little pirate backwater suddenly get rich by draining his bank." Knowing the locals, they'd probably end up buying bigger weapons and faster ships to keep raiding local traffic... but hey, it hurt the Corpos.

 

[Zamas Nall]

Objective 2 (Opposition)
Location: The Death Monger
Tags: Gemma Hentz | Cassus Akovin | Cato Fett

Darkwire had taken it too far this time. Liberating a factory, and starting a local rebellion on one of CAD's industry worlds was one thing, but what the reports said they were doing on Wann Tsir was going over the line. Qanatain Xopsaloff, financier, bursar and bank manager on Denon, and member of the DireX Board, was not known for taking matters into his own personnal hands. But the current situation on the pirate world was a rare exception.

"I will make sure this is resolved fast, Bursar," assured Zamas the well-dressed Muun opposite him. "And after we're done here, I'll have everyone know what happens to those who try your patience." Zamas Nall, personnal bodyguard and security chief to Xopsaloff, had never seen his boss angry before. The Muun had never had any reason to, and after Zamas had been hired, he had made sure his boss didn't get one. Until now. "Do that, and bring me those reponsible! And after that, obliterate half of Ke Wann Awanga. Make an example for everyone to see!" The Muun was often calm and composed, but now he was almost screaming every word. "Then, we will have a talk, about how you let this happen. Now, LEAVE ME!" Zamas swallowed hard, bowed, and turned around to exit Xopsaloff's personnal chambers.

The bridge of the Death Monger was as busteling with people as it usualy was. A few more soldiers stood by the entrances, but other than that, all was normal. Except the thick nervousness in the air. Everyone knew this was no ordinary cruise tour, but an assault. On the lower decks, several fighters were ready to be launched as soon as they arrived near Wann Tsir.

"Good day, Gemma," offered the Sephi when he neared the human woman. The two didn't often work together, as their jobs were in completly different fields. But they had done jobs together on occasion. "The Bursar, as you know, is not happy. I would not be surprised of someone lost their job today. That is, if luck is on their side." Zamas was trying to intimidate her, hoping she would take it to heart, and do a bigger mistake. Cause this whole incident had been part of his job, on his watch. It had been impossible to predict this would happen, and also no way to stop it from as far away as Denon. But Xopsaloff did not care for such details. He only cared for reuslts. So, while keeping a mask of confidence and calm, Zamas was in actualitty terrified of what was to come.

"We're coming out of hyperspace in 3...2...1..." announced one of the senior bridge members. The blue and white streaks disappeared, and was replaced by the image of Wann Tsir. And a big ship, accompanied by several fighters, between the Death Monger and the planet. "So, the terrorists have a fleet now. No matter. Hentz, give the command to attack. By the Bursars wish, Ke Wann Awanga will burn."

 

[Zlova Rue]

Escort? Just the thought turned Zlova's stomach. "It may pay well," sometimes, "but you're stuck listening to some ignorant fool complain all the time until an assassin appears. Fifty-fifty odds I kill the target myself." The Twi'lek's lekku made a subtly dismissive gesture. "I know because I was the assassin stalking such people once." It had been eye-rolling enough listening to the target belly-aching from afar. "Still, I won't discount the possibility there's someone worth keeping alive, or isn't completely intolerable."

Talohn's own experience had a nice ending, though Zlova couldn't help but wonder if that had limited the man's job offers from Nar Shaddaa just a bit. Gangsters were paranoid enough without needing to worry the bodyguard they hired might turn on them.

"Droid parts?" Zlova looked over at the Cathar. "For Madlad, or are you not satisfied with one crazed, robotic creation? That's something you'll need to overcome if you hope to sell these things." That or a restraining bolt that couldn't be easily damaged. She hoped Madlad's creation was nothing more than an accident. If Talohn made a model of assassin droid as creative as Madlad able to be loyal to someone other than Talohn... "Actually," Zlova voiced her thoughts aloud, "that reminds me of an older droid model. Have you ever heard of the Hunter-Killer series?" As a student of the Times of Darth Traya, the Lethan had heard of that contemporary droid series -- one droid in particular.

"As for Corporations," Zlova smirked and waved her hand as if to brush them aside. "These people make credits like they can buy their way through the Gates of the Black City. If they were conducting clandestine experiments or amassing an army I could see the need for such wealth. So few of them are ever so interesting."

Tag: Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

"You're not stuck listening if your helmet has volume control." He points out, grinning ear to ear. "I use a knob to block out certain frequencies and boom, all voices gone. Only various footsteps and noises. Bright side, if you kill the target yourself, they likely have a bounty to turn in, otherwise you wouldn't be protecting them. Win win, right?" He lightly elbows her playfully. "Or do what I did. Wait for him to fork over the credits and then kill'em yourself. Though..." He makes a pained expression. "Touching Nar Shadaa these days is...complicated. Little known fact, people don't like it when you shoot the guy who pays folk."

"Yea, droid parts. Not for Madlad. I still make and sell droid bodies, I've just sworn off mental programming." His expression turns slightly grim for a moment, hands coming together as he fidgets nervously. "I can't allow another thing like Madlad to come into existence. If someone were to get ahold of that mental programming and mass produce? I don't even want to think about that." Then she moves on to mentioning the ever familiar Hunter Killer series, and Talohn's eyes light up like a supernova. "Yes, actually! The Hunter killer series is where I got inspiration for how Madlad's limbs function. With a few upgrades of course. But they're just a stronger and more flexible version of the HK-57 unit limbs, with more dexterous fingers for finer manipulation of objects since he's meant to hold blades. HK units couldn't really swordfight as well as they could shoot."

When she gives her piece on corporations, he nods with understanding. "Corporations are run by soft folk who view the lower class as peasants. The world isn't fair, and not everyone is born as equal as they'd like, which is easy to see considering some being born into wealth or not. But..." He chuckles. "They've no right to look down on the people when they need someone to tie their shoes for them."

They're at the market by now. It's as you'd expect for a pirate market. Lots of stalls and stores, neon signs, a few seedy bars. Similar to Nar shadaa. Though it's much more crowded than usual due to the current circumstances. Talohn stops, walking, pausing to take in the sight of the massive market before them both. After a moment, his gaze drifts to Zlova. "This place has a stench of alcohol and deathsticks, but at least everything is cheap. So, anywhere you want to go first?"

Zlova Rue

 

[Daiya]

OBJECTIVE 1
Location: Marketplace, Ke Wann Awanga, Wann Tsir
Tags: Shot Sutaz

Daiya's protests for a lack of sleeves were easily forgotten now, with her arms adorned by the handles of several shopping bags the girl could barely see them now. The sunglasses were several stops ago, now she also had a few bags full of the newest HoloStation Switch devices, and a couple bags full of self-sealing stem bolts, with an order of Tanuki Droids already en-route to the beach. That was where she was supposed to bring anything she bought today, so the goods could be shipped quickly to Denon and sold for real value. The vouchers she had today on Wann Tsir might be worthless tomorrow, but on Denon they would last for an eternity.

Who wouldn't want to be rich forever?

The girl grinned through the crowds as she mingled through, sauntering with the success of her day so far. She had taken up a hum, some tune she didn't know but had picked up from Phillippe-Naros singing it haphazardly throughout their time so far. It was definitely not a space shanty —his fur had bristled when she asked— but it was certainly catchy in its own way. Daiya didn't know enough to sing along, but now the tune of it was stuck in her mind and she couldn't help but hum it to herself, its bouncing tune aptly reflecting her cheerful demeanor today. She might have skipped along, but for the weight of the shopping bags on her arms and the pace of the crowd holding her back.

Stopping to peek at something new, Daiya found herself addressed by someone. "No, just looking right now," she muttered absentmindedly. The figure kept up their watch as the teen inspected the wares, until she finally glanced up to see a purple-skinned Nautolan woman standing before her with an expectant look on her face. She frowned for a moment, until the woman's appearance and the nature of her question finally clicked in her mind. "Oh, we were, weren't we? I totally forgot about that. I hope I didn't make you wait long or chase me down or something, Ta—uhh, I get told that I get kind of blind to everything when I'm shopping."

The girl giggled her apologies, before looking around for the Squib. "Phillippe-Naros? Can you run ahead to the beach docs? If those droids get there before we do, no one is going to know what to do with them." Yet though she looked high and low around her, Daiya couldn't find the vulpine pirate who had been serving as her impromptu mentor today. She turned back to the woman, and her eye took in the cephalopodal alien's appearance. Daiya wasn't a great judge of many aliens, but there was a low chance that this would be anyone else. "Huh, I guess he disappeared. Are you Shot?"

She tried to hold back another giggle as the obvious joke entered her mind. Daiya bit her tongue to stop herself, drawing in a quick breath before giving the woman a quick nod. "Okay, we've got a little time still. But we have to get everything," and the pirate-y girl held up today's booty for Shot to see, "to the beaches soon. The ships waiting there are fast, but they still have to beat the Corpos to the punch on prices."

"So where to, first?"

 

[Shot Sutaz]

Sutaz had the same plan as Daiya, get rich as all hell. Though she's met with confusion when Daiya says she wasn't supposed to meet anyone here. With a confused frown, she turns about to walk away. Perhaps whoever she's meeting is elsewhere? Just as she's about to wander off, the girl seems to have a sudden resurgence in her memory. Giggling a bit, she turns back around to face her contact. "Blind to everything? I can tell. You weren't that hard to find, I was sent a picture after all." She paces past Daiya, taking some sunglasses off of the rack. "Hm....probably better off looking at goggles." She mutters while moving the lenses about in her hand. She then places them back on the rack.

"Ah, you got an order of droids?" She perks up at the mention of them, smiling a bit. "I plan to get some myself. I've got a plan that'll make me never haver to depend on a corpo again. I'm quite excited to get it underway." The nautolan pauses, head swiveling about to help her smaller companion look for her helper. Her gaze snaps back to Daiya when she's addressed, and she smiles, nodding enthusiastically. "That'd be me. Shot Sutaz. I'm a mercenary...looking to get more involved with...you friends after I set myself up with some wealth."

She takes out her datapad, and shows Daiya the shopping list she made. "I plan to buy a lot of these things. Especially the droids. I do plan to buy some stuff for fun though." She states with a wink. Winking isn't something one sees a nautolan do often, they don't really need to do it. It's used as an expression more than a bodily function. "We are short on time though, let's get moving. I know where to find the southstar class droids." With that, Sutaz begins making her way over to a shop, eyes keen to make sure she doesn't lose Daiya in the crowd. Someone needed to watch over the girl.

They would soon arrive at what seems to be a shop made more for combat droids. The building is neater on the inside than it is the outside, for certain. Within, various droids are on display, standing on platforms. One of each kind of droid is on display that they have in stock. Sutaz quickly approaches the counter, having spotted the southstar class battledroid and some of the other stuff she was pursuing. "I'll take ten squads of the southstar class, 30 of the N-12, 30 of the El-10, 20 of the d-3a, and uh...." She pauses to look at her datapad. This entire idea was crazy, buying an army of droids off of a pirate planet. But it had to work, she was putting her life savings on the line. "And a 10 of the Aegrus class." She then places the needed currency on the table, the counter clerk staring at her as if she were mad. She then pulls a wire jack from her wrist, and plugs it into their computer, uploading the tags of the ship they're supposed to offload the droids to into their systems. With that done, she gives a playful salute, and turns to Daiya. "Alright, your turn. Where are we going?"

Daiya

 

[Saija Kwann]

OBJECTIVE: 2
LOCATION: Samhain's Derelict Bridge.
TAGS: Cato Fett , Cassus Akovin , anyone else here

(Mood music, I'd put the hyperspace drop at 2:01 if this was score for a movie.)​

​

"We're coming out of hyperspace in 3...2...1..." announced one of the senior bridge members. The blue and white streaks disappeared, and was replaced by the image of Wann Tsir. And a big ship, accompanied by several fighters, between the Death Monger and the planet. "So, the terrorists have a fleet now. No matter. Hentz, give the command to attack. By the Bursars wish, Ke Wann Awanga will burn."

​

The tension in the bridge compartment was almost tangible now...any minute would be the moment of truth. I close up my hackbox and double check all my slicer gear; optical cables, extra power packs, virus and anti-virus kits, logic bombs and I've even got a couple of ion spikes. Then my hand goes to my hip, blaster in place.​

​

I catch out of the corner of my eye the enemy ship dropping into realspace. That thing looked alot smaller in the mission brief holo. The proximity alert sounding off makes my heart skip a beat. I take a deep breath to steel my nerves.​

​

"Let's do this..." I mutter to myself, getting psyched for the mission ahead.​

 

[Zlova Rue]

"Not in particular," the Twi'lek confessed. "What I'm in the market for you can't find in a place like this. Not out in the open, anyway. Know of any Underground Sellers? Holocrons are my favorite thing." Holocrons and Sith Artifacts. Expensive tastes. "But if you see any interesting, light armor I wouldn't complain."

Zlova turned her head to look at the nearest stall's wares curious what they'd have on display. "So, how did you hear about this...special they have going on anyway? Can't imagine these people like what's happened. Could bankrupt any number of them." Not that she cared, mind you, but they were unusual circumstances. Well, could be completely natural and just one of those karking things that happened in life. Then again, it might not.

Suppose there was one good thing about this 'investigation' -- no immediate danger so they two of them could talk. Sith didn't have a problem holding a conversation. Common misconception all they wanted was to tear your throat out. The Cathar seemed interested in her company of late as well. Wouldn't hurt to keep in touch. Behave in a "civilized" manner every now and then. Something different.

It was a mild relief to know she didn't need to keep an eye on Talohn, however. Seemed he knew some of the risks involved in making droids too independent. Zlova wondered if there was more than the HK arm design somehow involved, but she couldn't imagine how the man wouldn't have noticed. Just a 'happy' little accident then.

Tag: Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

"Ahh, you're a fan of knowledge. I'll see what I can find." He puts up a finger, grinning. "I've come across a few jedi holocrons in my time. From what I know, sith holocrons were more rare, since very few sith were exactly eager to share their secrets." He raises a brow, asking for her to confirm. "Am I right? Madlad knows a lot about this stuff. You should ask him. Apparently some of his parts contained uh....the mental parts in specific, contained sith knowledge databanks of some sort. Probably doesn't help his disposition. But he's got stuff on the rule of two....Some stuff about Sidious....Some vague stuff about Nihilus." He sighs. "Considering your force beliefs...I should probably fill you in....you do deserve to know. I would have told you more before....but I felt like that's a lot to dump on someone on the first date, eh?" He purses his lips for a moment, before moving on.

"When I first made Madlad....it was...odd. He was like a child...that could speak. A child with a mean streak mind you. Madlad's mental processors aren't meant to deal with the weight of sentience, so he offloads data in the form of writing, typing, carving. When he first started exporting data, he used a vibroknife to carve it into the walls of his room. I recognized the code, save for....some characters. I looked it up, the code he was exporting had ancient sith writing in it at random. Not to mention the exports in the datapad that had the story of darth plageus the wise...as they would call him." He frowns slightly, continuing to walk along beside her. He had mentioned Madlad's sentience and sith knowledge before, though he didn't go into details. No point in ruing the first date with concerning stuff, right? "When I found that out, I shut him down and did a thorough study. From what I can tell, he's just naturally an angry bastard. But is loyal to those he cares about, has the ability to care, and will heed orders of the creator. The sith knowledge was just an unexpected bit that wasn't scrubbed out properly from the memory banks. I...don't really know how much he's got in there. I still can't help but wonder if that knowledge mixing with his mind when he became sentient resulted in the droid we know today." He scratches his head. "Either way, I'm not letting it be replicated."

He then finally answers her second question. "I may or may not know a few people in the group that uh...caused this incident. I can give you their info later. They've got a lot of connections and opportunities...I just uh, I probably shouldn't bring up their name here." He chuckles a bit. It's then that he notices one of the stalls, and he perks up. "Ever had a churro before? C'mon, let's get one, then we can go to the droid store right by it. After that, it's your turn to pick a place." His arm in hers, he hurries her along to the churro cart, holding up two fingers as they arrive.

Zlova Rue

 

[Gemma Hentz]

The door slid open behind her, Gemma half turned to see Zamas Nall . She didn't greet him outright, but she did give him a curt nod to acknowledge his presence. If there ever was someone bent to Xopsaloff's will, it was his security chief and personal guard. Together, they were the two that held things together.

This time, however, things were different.

Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly as Zamas spoke. Was that some kind of veiled threat? Gemma canted her head slightly, matching his gaze. “Indeed,” she said. “If someone lost their job, it would be a... pity, wouldn't it?”

As far as she was concerned, this was his mess. What was security if Darkwire agents could compromise it? Foolish, they'd underestimated the threat all along. However, Gemma would stand firm today – she wouldn't show weakness nor would she show her doubts. Her chilly gaze shifted to the captain of the ship.

“You heard, didn't you?” she asked, challenging him to say otherwise. “Do as he says.”

It wasn't so much an order, but the man still had very little choice in the matter. Gemma wasn't a commander, not even by a stretch. Nonetheless, she stepped over towards the nearest console to monitor the situation. The blips on the screen showed the ships plain as day. It was going to be interesting to see how they responded...

But Gemma had a hunch that they'd come here to fight. Why else would they be here?

Tag: Cassus Akovin , Cato Fett , Saija Kwann

 

[Echo EK0]

The right dome rolled to and fro. The left dome rolled to and fro. The center dome rolled to and fro. Strolled, the droid did through the market.

Echo had just made a delivery and didn't have additional shipments lined up. Which naturally meant there was plenty of time for sight-seeing! And the marketplace certainly looked busy today. The droid had to make sure that despite being relatively short its wider chassis could easily clip someone. Even if there was no chance a random person could actually harm Echo in response, good customer service dictated harming potential customers was a bad thing.

Slowly the miniaturized tank-like droid pivoted on its wheels and turned to face a booth. The metal digits of one arm reached out to carefully pick up a small figurine. It appeared to be a Human female in a black -- leather? -- outfit holding a gun and wearing some kind of visor. Could even be a Miralukan badass. Maybe from some kind of holo-serial? The forward dome's sockets rolled up to look at the merchant standing there with an odd look on their face. "Hi! How much for this one?" It even had a magnetic base to keep it in place in a vehicle. Or in Echo's case atop its head where one or more domes could admire it from time to time.

After the financial transaction was complete, Echo swayed on its legs from one side to the next. "Oh," all three domes rolled forward to look at the merchant suddenly. "Could you place it on my head?" The other arm lifted to gesture in the general direction of a spot. "Yeah... little more to the left. Little more. Perfect."

Creator had thought of a lot of things, but self-decoration hadn't been one of them given the positioning of Echo's arms. Maybe some day it would find some kind of add-on to affix to its chassis to help manage such things. Seemed a worthwhile investment! Assuming it could find someone that would make such a device.

With a wave of its arm, Echo bid the merchant farewell and continued down the way curious what else might be seen.

Tag: Open

 

[Cassus Akovin]

“Mr. Akovin,” He called across the bridge deck. “…Anything yet?”

"Not yet, but it shouldn't be long now before- wait hold on..." Cassus looked at the screen more closely. It was strange, he felt something, a surge. He looked out the viewport and didn't see anything, then back at the screen indicating a spike in Hyperwave activity.

"Bridge, to your stations! The whale has arrived...." No sooner had he finished speaking before the tiny shape of Death Monger appeared far from them in the viewport. "Get the Burst weapons online, activate the Disruptors, and get the boarding parties ready to launch! It won't be long before they notice us, lets make sure that when they do its already too late." He was of course, talking about the the uncanny ability of the Derelict to escape notice.

By the time Zamas Nall and Gemma Hentz noticed the Derelict, it was only a stones toss away (from a Starships perspective). Immediately, the two ships began to exchange blows, but as the Derelict was hidden until the last moment, the larger of the two ships launched a disabling Alpha Strike on the Death Monger. Whole sections of crew would go unconscious, and masterfully constructed shields were disrupted. The return fire from the Death Monger was rattling, shaking the partial hull of Samhain's Derelict. The vast variety of weapon types laid down on the Darkwire vessels was staggering, but much less than it would have been if not for the trap they had set up for the incoming Bursar.

"Feirfek, one of our boarding parties went unconscious from a Null Burst. We need more bodies! I'm going in, any of you are free to follow. Those who stay, keep those weapons disabling their systems, and once we're aboard, bugger out of here until you're signaled back! Understood?" Cassus shouted to Cato Fett and Saija Kwann .

 

[Zlova Rue]

Jedi holocrons. Couldn't discount them, there was a diamond among the rough every so often, but most of them were full of 'control your emotions,' 'do not act hastily,' 'reflect on the--' Oops, fell asleep again. Good thing most Jedi holocrons didn't have a soul bound to them so they'd notice you fell asleep listening to them prattle on.

"Probably. If you look at it another way, only those that have anything worth hearing bothered." Sure, plenty of the extremely strong ones probably didn't leave anything behind because they were going to live forever, or they didn't want to make their contemporaries stronger. They were also galactic kark sitters. Who'd want to listen to such a self-absorbed smegging narcissist anyway? Well, if they knew the secret to immortality... they wouldn't be dead. So, not worth it.

Then Talohn went in on Madlad apparently having some Dark Side 'taint' that may have given rise to his self-aware nature and essentially driven it mad from the start. That'd be about what you should expect though. Anything infused with Dark Side energy was going to be a raging murder-machine. Took it a bit literally this time.

"It is." No point leaving that question unanswered. "Not the knowledge, but the energy that gave him the knowledge. It corrupts everything. Have you seen the most powerful Sith Lords? Almost all of them look ugly as sin. Not that anyone is surprised; when you scowl that much it's doing to etch itself into your face." She turned to look over at Talohn as they continued to walk. "Be careful who you tell about that. Even I'm curious about unraveling the power influencing Madlad. There are plenty that would get ideas of a Great Sith Droid Army. Worst thing," the Twi'lek chuckled to herself, "it sounds harder than it is. You have the template already; the first one is always the hardest." If that frightened Talohn then he understood the gravity of the situation. If it didn't, well she'd trust he hadn't been forth coming for something more than it just being too much on a first date.

Perhaps unexpectedly to the Cathar, the Lethan leaned her body in close to him as though they truly were on a date. Zlova knew how to play the part. The question was whether it was ever real. A question that to date had always ended in a resounding 'no' as she skewered someone whose usefulness had ended.

"Probably for the best," Zlova sighed as though he'd said something romantic. Announcing those behind recent events in public was a bad idea. If they wanted this public they'd have claimed responsibility openly by now.

A blink of her eyes and Zlova straightened up slight once more. "Churro? Talohn, you introduce me to the strangest things."

Tag: Talohn Atar

 

[Jerec Asyr]

THE BEACH OUTSIDE KE WANN AWANGA
WANN TSIR

The shoppers were taking their time, and on the one hand that could've made Jerec antsy. In theory the corpos could regain control of, and fix, the interstellar financial relay at any point. But on the other hand, there was nothing to be done to hurry things along.

Therefore he opted to work on his tan. He stripped off gunbelt and swim trunks, draped a towel in the sand, and stretched himself out on the beach.

Three of his crew members quit on the spot, but that was fine: they'd already cleared out the hold, and presumably the shoppers would be able to help load their prizes. Worst-case scenario, he could probably use the Force to levitate a crate or two. No big deal. In fact there was no point in worrying about anything. Jerec interlaced his long hands, rested the back of his neck-hump on them, closed his eyes, and turned his face to the heavens. The warm beach sun soaked into the naked Ithorian.

 

[Talohn Atar]

"I've listened to a jedi holocron before...Certainly wasn't to my liking. Suppressing emotions like that is not healthy in the long term. Most of my experience with the force is...accidental. Went my whole life not knowing I was force sensitive. Found our from the Amalgam when she tried to force me into being her apprentice." He shivers slightly. "Eugh. Anyways, I'm able to use the force to accelerate myself. I also...it's hard to explain. But the universe, everything around us, at least to me, has a rhythm. I've learned to move and dance to that rhythm and....it all just seems to fall into place, if that makes sense? I dunno, I'm no expert force user. I just know if I follow the rhythm I don't get hit." He lifts his shoulders in a shrug. "And I think not getting hit is pretty cool."

"That's what I don't understand. How does force energy effect a droid. Doesn't that sorta thing only hit organics? I've seen the most powerful sith lords, yes, no amount of makeup could save that. And considering how they look, and I know it isn't a high bar to pass, but I still feel the need to tell you you're the prettiest sith I've met." He says with a playful grin, playing at some humor. His jokes are hit or miss, as usual. But he does really think she's beautiful, so there's that? Then again, there's no surprise either." His face grows more serious as they continue speaking of Madlad. "You're free to try unraveling those secrets if you wish, long as it doesn't include dismantling him. You may not be his favorite person....but he'll answer any questions you have." He nods slightly, sighing a bit. "I hope to never copy that template. Even Madlad fears the idea of an army of his kind. A million of him, to be cannon fodder to some random politicians? He's said he'd rather rip off his head and throw it into the lavas of mustafar. So at least he and I are in agreement that he should never be replicated.

He looks over at her, tilting his head in curiosity as she leans her head on her shoulder. He can't help but smile a bit. It was certainly a pleasant scene to be in. A woman charming in both looks and conversation here with him, actually wandering the market. "Don't worry, I'll get you your contacts. And because I can't refuse the thought of Zlova Rue excited as can be, I'll see if I can find any holocrons, and then uh, come up with some sort of holiday excuse to give it to you." He winks.

After they're at the cart, he takes two churros and hands one of the twirly cinnamon breadsticks of delight to her. "Strange? Churros are delightful. Besides, I can tell you're having fun." He reaches out a finger to poke her nose. "You like strange, don't you?" He arches a brow momentarily before taking the first bite out of his Churro.

Zlova Rue

 

[Daiya]

OBJECTIVE 1
Location: Ke Wann Awanga, Wann Tsir
Tags: Shot Sutaz Jerec Asyr

"My friends?" Daiya asked, giving the woman a strange look as she wondered what the Nautolan would want with the likes of Brie or Zo'i or Zenie. Maybe Shenn, or some of her other fixer contacts. Unless... "Oh, those friends. Right."

There was no time for Daiya to do anything with that revelation, because before she knew it the pair were off to fulfill the woman's long shopping list. The girl was actually rather impressed, Shot was a woman on a mission! Daiya's choices so far were mostly things that caught her eye, or on the advice of her erstwhile pirate friend, but the Nautolan woman seemed only to need the excuse of the neverending pocketbook to make her meticulously planned dreams come true.

The young shadowrunner could only follow along blithely, not sure what to think about her new shopping partner. The woman seemed so well put together, from her looks, to her shopping list, to the way she moved. Watching her gave the girl a sizable dose of awe, with a not too small amount of jealousy. Daiya was used to focusing so much on the immediate, it felt like forever since she truly had much to look forward to. The few times she ever really considered the future was when she was Forced to, and that was hardly a recipe for long-term planning.

So when Shot turned back to Daiya and declared it to be her turn, the girl was slightly flummoxed. "Uhh, I'm not sure what else I have on my list..." she said, making a show of looking herself over as if to procure her own datapad from somewhere. Not having some kind of plan seemed wrong now, somehow, and the girl could feel the aquatic woman's unblinking gaze on her. Daiya gave Shot a hapless look upon finding nothing, and offered a shrug with her explanation. "Must have left it in my other pants. Come on, let's go drop this stuff off with the fast ships!"

Daiya hurried forward, expecting the woman to follow, and glad to have Shot behind her for the moment. Now only strangers were privy to the mess of expressions playing over her face. The girl moved with determination, ignoring the stares and calls from others nearby who spotted the odd behavior from her. Being the obvious outside on a pirate world wasn't a great idea, but Daiya was hardly thinking of that now. Once they were at the beach and the ships waiting there, things would be better, she decided.

The girl couldn't fathom how she came upon that decision, but she didn't bother to question it. So it wasn't until the market stalls turn to wharves, and the wharves turned to the sandy beaches, that Daiya began to relax. Her pace slowed, and she found a grin once again settling onto her face. That is, until she spied what was there waiting for her.

Besides the large cargo vessel, and an impatient courier with a cargo crate likely containing her droid order, was an Ithorian stretched out on the beach. He looked quite relaxed, and rather carefree...all the way down to his all natural appearance. The teen didn't quite notice the predicament until she was close enough to be heard, but her sharp gasp and high squeak was loud enough to carry fairly well on the gentle breeze cooling the Ithorian's very nude body against the warmth of the planet's sun.

Daiya found the bags she carried dropping to the sand at her feet, which freed them enough for her to clasp over her mouth. She quickly buried her eyes in them instead, covering up her own embarrassment with a repeated, "Oh my stars, oh my stars, oh—"

Throwing out a hand in the hopes of obscuring the most glaring offense of the Ithorian's body, the young shadowrunner approached him close enough to be noticed. Her eyes squinted behind the lone hand protecting them, and the lines of her scrunched face tried to follow them, as if they could all fit behind her hand's protective veil. With all that done, Daiya threw out a question she wished she didn't need an answer to. "Please tell me you're not Jerec Asyr and this isn't where we're supposed to drop off everything bought with our unending vouchers today."

She would happily move on from the spectacle in the sand, but there were no other beachside Ithorians beside a ship that fit the description. Still, a girl could dream...of a far less awkward situation to deal with.