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Passing through the streets, her eyes met that of [member="Amadeus Ren"] for the briefest of moments. She offered a sympathetic grimace, no change on her to spare, then moved on.
Unseen or heard by anyone else however, was her infiltration into his mind. The moment they made eye contact, her voice echoed within his skull. Sweet, reassuring yet terrible all at once.
"Wait for my signal. You'll know it when you see it. Harm to the daughter of Kay should be minimised, including emotional distress. Which means watching civilian casualties and degree of violence."
The cafe door dinged as Samka entered. A bright smile on her face, the Ren hopped up to the counter and spoke loudly in a thick accent to the person serving. "Boy golly, what a day, huh? I been workin' m' ass off since dawn!" She leaned over the counter with one elbow and threw a knowing glance to the barista with both brows raised. "I could go for somethin' real strong in m' cuppa today, you get me?"
"Uh sure, ma'am do you have an ID?"
"Aw phowie," she pouted as she reached into her handbag, hands brushing against her weapon as she scrounged around. "I turned of age some time a'go, bud, but I'll take the compliment I guess." Her eyes flickered over the patrons as she scrambled with her bag. They never fell on any customer longer than any other but it was enough. [member="Loreena Arenais"] was not as hidden as the girl assumed. She'd done a poor job hiding herself from the First Order in the past and today was no different. They knew enough about her to pick that face out of anywhere. She had company ([member="Salis"] & [member="Max Arach"] ), as Sam had assumed likely. She didn't dare reach out to probe their abilities yet for fear of detection.
"AlmostgotitIswearIhadthatdarnlittlethin'whenIleftintha'morninginfactIknowIdid'cos-" She muttered quickly beneath her breath as she searched her bag. She just had to wait for the right moment....
The gift shop was filled with the usual frivolous junk associated with tourism, little more than useless trinkets aimed at offering some kind of temporary emotional connection with experiences of the area. All pathetically overpriced and cheap at the same time. Tyrcas could just about shoot the owner, given how much she prattled on about how important it was to have a memento of the visit, but that wasn't the plan. No, rather, scouting and finding the perfect location was the plan... and if the Captain, in his civilian clothing, had any say in the matter it was that it had been found.
"I'll take one of those amazing spire replicas, please," Tyrcas said with a smile to the shop owner. "It's been amazing seeing this city up close. The Jedi Lore building is particularly wonderful."
The transaction happened, with the Captain leaving the shop and stepping back out onto the street. He looked across at the Jedi Lore building, suitably satisfied, and reached into his pocket to pull out a comlink. He activated several secure frequencies, connecting through on a tight-beam channel, before waiting for the go ahead from the automated response.
"Landmark has been found, hold for further orders," The young man said, as he deactivated the comlink and put it back into his pocket. "This will do perfectly..."
Now it was simply a matter of time, as all the pieces began to fall into place...
Amadeus watched as his fellow Knight of Ren walked into the cafe.
It was almost time.
With a lurching motion, the young man hefted his armor and disguise, sliding up the wall to steady himself. His right leg was doing well, the cybernetic prosthetic barely aching at all with the sitting he was doing, and would likely be fine throughout the fight to come. Leaving the small box of random items near the alleyway entrance, the blanket-covered homeless humanoid began walking toward the cafe. Amadeus stumbled here and there, hunched as he was, avoiding the other sentients around. Some avoided him, too, while others glared and some even offered credits for his cup.
Before long, Amadeus was standing at the cafe window, one hand resting against the wall as he looked around. Various patrons were within, particularly those the Ren were interested in, as well as Decitus at the counter. Leaning forward, the beggar reached into his blanket shroud, grabbing a small item from within. He kept it hidden, opening the package, as he glanced down and began coughing heavily. His free gloved hand hit the window, as Amadeus continued to heave and cough, and then lifted the small processed food package up to his mouth - before promptly squirting the nutrient filled liquid in.
The beggar overfilled his mouth, keeping his head down and his actions hard to see.
Your opening, Decitus.
And then with a jolt, Amadeus choked on the food paste and began vomiting. Most of the spray caught the window, covering the portion in front of him with brown and green liquid. Those outside the cafe, walking past, recoiled and began seeking distance from the sick beggar, causing something of a commotion. Slapping his hand against the window again, body shaking as he deposited another heave, Amadeus sagged forward and put his dirty hat against the glass, using it for support. His free left hand reached up, wiping at the long bushy beard, freeing it of the food remains.
Then letting out a sigh of relief, Amadeus looked through the window at [member="Loreena Arenais"]...
Lori nodded in agreement to what [member="Salis"] had to say. She was right. Though the options that were layed out were plentiful. "They could be using any number of those tactics....Or all of them. So the sooner that we capture one, the better."
She looked to [member="Samka Derith"] as the teen walked in. At least she looked like a teen; with just as cheery of a disposition that she herself often carried. Her attention soon turned to [member="Max Arach"] , awaiting his thoughts.
And that was when [member="Amadeus Ren"] hit the window. His coughing soon caught her attention. She watched him as he got sick and the words of Max repeated inside her head,'How could the Empress not help them?'. Well she was going to show that her Mom did care. And so did she.
Lori got up from the table, noticing that the homeless man was looking right at her. That was strange, but it could be that he was just asking for help. Her gut told her that something was wrong, but she ignored it. There was probably First Order spies nearby. But this was just a cafe. It wasn't an important building.
"You two go on your hunts. I'm going to be sure that man is okay. Keep in touch." She picked up a glass of water and then moved through the cafe so that she could step outside. Her movements were a bit cautious while she approached, as one never knew if he was just homeless, or if he was a crazy homeless. Still she held out the glass of water for him. "Hey...are you okay? I brought you some water so that you can rinse out your mouth. Here."
LOCATION: ZAKUUL EQUIPMENT: IN BIO ALLIES: [member="The Amalgam"], @#TeamEmpire ENEMIES: [member="Tyrcas Pallopides"], @#TeamLessCoolEmpire
Ghorua had found nothing so far. It was to be expected, honestly. One simply didn't stumble into a spy. You had to know what to look for. Then you had to nail it to a wall. Finally, you had to do the dirty work of pulling it off the wall.
He hadn't quite gotten to the "knowing what to look for" stage yet. From what he could tell, he didn't have any tails. No watchers on roofs. No secret First Order salutes or people walking too crisply. No, that'd be too easy. Then again, why didn't it have to be? Would it be so hard for the galaxy to throw him a bone every once in a while?
Ghorua got a ping on his HUD. He eyed it. A message from intelligence. A face.
A face. Handsome fellow, no older than 40, Ghorua estimated. Dark hair, blue eyes. Off-planet passport. A little footage of the man walking around, which was, admittedly, rather suspicious. Ghorua trusted Kay's people well enough.
"Command: Pull up a map of the city for me, please?" The Shark's interface complied, showing him the rather detailed cartography he'd made with his probes. This was the part that could make or break this operation. What's the target?
Ah.
The Jedi Lore Building was the only thing in that sector worth anything. Unless this man planned on robbing a different, less strategically advantageous tourist trap. But it was so... open. So obvious. Too cut-and-dry.
Maybe this was the galaxy throwing him a bone.
You're too paranoid, Shark.
Still, no use rushing into things.
The Shark ducked into an alley. His holographic disguise matrix shifted, the blue lights flickering around his body until he was vastly different. A Dowutin, perhaps a few inches shorter than Ghorua's actual form. The new man, who Ghorua affectionately nicknamed Boargut, stepped out, grumbling something or other under it's breath. He began to walk towards the Jedi Lore building. It was lucky he was in the area. He ordered his Probes to scout a perimeter, just in case.
Soon, the building would be in his sights. And he'd begin the search for this spy, and whatever he had up his sleeve.
Allies: [member="BE-183"] | Werewolves Location: Civil Service and Engineering Annex, Zakuul City Objective: Download all data regarding REDACTED
The architecture archive was secluded in its own section of the building. The entire Civil Service and Engineering Annex was housed atop this basement library. Walls and walls of data files, designs both used and ancient, recovered from Zakuul's thousand year old history, and all theirs. The building, was largely empty. Only a few maintenance droids paid them any notice, and even then, they were busy just sweeping the cold duracrete corridors. "Alright ladies and lads," Dominic began, "Split up and start securing these access terminals." The FOSB man commanded, "Druce and Gord, I want the city armoury and government district."
Craig then gestured to one human female and a Zabraak man. "Constance and Horace," He barked, "Get comms, infastructure and sewerage." He commanded, "I want this whole place safe, and secure, now." The Special Agent glowered, before wagging a finger at the incognito Stormtrooper, "One Eight Three, you're with me." Craig ordered, before pressing further into the library, "We have a special assignment, from the Grand Admiral himself," He warned approaching a grand terminal. "This will be a big file." He warned, stopping before it, and popping his briefcase open, revealing a large mess of wires and computer parts.
"We're taking the schematics of target, codenamed Serf." He informed her, "And since it's a big place, I'll need you to make sure you fill each and every databank here," Upon inspection there were a number of data disks held within a compartment in the case. "We don't have room to house all the data on each disk, and not enough time to babysit this, so I'm gonna download all data methodically." He briefed the Retribution Corps operative, "And when each disk looks like it's gonna be filled, I need you to jump in, and disconnect the cable unto a change disk." He paused, before standing and access the console, "Start connection, now."
Post: 2 Location: Zakuul City, Civil Service and Engineering Annex Objective: Retrieve schematics Status: Focused Allies: [member="Dominic Craig"], Werewolf operatives Enemy: Eternal Empire security
The few custodial droids ambled along mindlessly; vaguely unsettling, but the only signs of life back here. As they entered the archive proper, a maze of file servers in a variety of formats stretched out before them. Rows of dusty towers populated the cool, dim room, humming gently and casting flickering shadows under the glow of a thousand flashing status lights. The squad received their respective assignments and got to work. Die-hard loyalists, the Werewolves were rallied after making contact with the remnant of their former military. They were ready and willing to do whatever it would take to restore the fallen power, though they didn't know the critical details of the mission. Just a contingency. It was something you got used to when FOSB was involved.
The two small fireteams had dispersed to control the physical access points at each section, leaving just the Sergeant and the spook. He was surprisingly forthcoming, without outright explaining the target, which Bee attributed to the delicate nature of the task. She simply nodded, "Understood." Compared to what she'd been through it was a walk in the park, but she still got that icy feeling that this was way above her pay grade.
Taking the case, she plugged in each disk, calling and swapping them out as they reached capacity to continue the download, while trying to keep an eye on her surroundings. She may have been a crayon-chewing stereotype but she wasn't totally mechanically dense, and had done enough technical work in her time. In her experience, Navy were experts at skating and rarely did anything beyond their MOS, so despite usually making up a fraction of the crew it felt like the Corps picked up most of the slack on the ships.
It was a dull, repetitive job going through them all, but presumably important. She wondered what this top-secret data added up to exactly, but she'd leave any private speculation for after the debrief. Eventually every disk was full and neatly back in the case. She turned back to the Agent by the terminal. "How's it look, sir?"
Zakuul City
Allies:
[member="Loreena Arenais"]
[member="Max Arach"]
Salis glanced as [member="Samka Derith"] entered, just another citizen presumably. Sure was making a lot of noise though, and had apparently forgotten an id. She could ignore most of it, though she herself didn't exactly carry an ID on her. And there was a reason for that, she didn't want it easily tied to crime. And it was instinctive for Salis to be suspicious, but she ignored it for now, returning to face [member="Loreena Arenais"] as she spoke again.
Then [member="Amadeus Ren"] slammed against the window, almost instantly Salis reached for her blaster rifle, though she didn't lift it just yet, watching almost callously as the window was covered in a disgusting colored liquid, vomit. she looked at Loreena as she mentioned going to help him and Salis narrowed her eyes, glancing at Max. Two suspicious coincidences so far. Not enough to base anything off of, but if it were Salis on her own, she'd have left immediately. Except she was hired to do a job, and so she was going to test out if her earlier theory about them infiltrating citizens was correct. She wondered what the other one was thinking during this.
As Loreena told them to go on their hunts and started to step outside, she decided to enact a test. Salis got up and started walking outside herself, but her attention was not focused ahead of her, it was focused on those behind her, intending on rounding a corner, then climbing up a building quickly just to be at a different angle and trying to look down, see if she could make out anything more suspicious. Obviously the woman had some stake in this situation. The question was what and if that made her valuable to the enemy or not. If so, it'd explain the coincidences. If not, well, perhaps she was just being overly cautious as usual.
Kay knew that [member="The Amalgam"] and [member="Ghorua the Shark"] were having things under control. But the First Order weren't so easily bested. Many had tried and it had taken an alien force to finally get them to fall. However they weren't broken. The terrorist attack and holo-broadcast were evident of that.
She sipped her tea while she continued to look down upon Zakuul City. If only she could see their Supreme Leader face to face, or at the very least have some form of communication. At least they'd be able to form some kind of understanding, however marginal it may be.
All of this waiting didn't go so well with her nerves. And she couldn't just call out to Ghorua and see how things were on the ground. He was on the hunt and she couldn't interfere unless it was an emergency.
There was no emergency yet.
As [member="Dominic Craig"] , [member="BE-183"] and others set to work in the Civil Service and Engineering Annex, the maintenance droids were continuing to sweep nearby. Not capable of much, they did have cameras on them. And those cameras were recording and sending information to Zakuul Security where it was sure that [member="The Amalgam"] could pick it up on her screens. Audio and visuals of faces were sent, though there was sure to be no record of the individuals using common facial recognition scans. The security forces were sure to be sent right to the building to bring the doors down. There was every intention to capture them. Dead operatives were worthless, afterall.
And they had ten minutes at best to make their escape.
The unmarked combat shuttle The Amalgam had been given for use to fly to anywhere in the capital she needed to be also served as a mobile command center for the witch. It allowed her to monitor the various attempts to steal the Eternal Empire's secrets as well as the actions of the agents who were tasked with thwarting them.
To that end she had gathered the finest troops, both from here as well as those from Commenor in secret, as there were hundreds still concealing their loyalty to [member="Kay Arenais"] and didn't give a chit about who she killed.
As well as a number of lovely women from the city showing signs of Force Sensitivity to assist them however possible...the basis for the shadow of power that would build the cult's greatness to new and unprecedented heights within the heart of the empire.
The Amalgam, still disguised as a Zabrak woman with black and purple tattoos turned on her encrypted holocomm and a shadowy, humanoid figure the computer disguised as having multiple stars and galaxies within his figure.
"Headmistress, your acolytes are in position, slowly cutting off the exit routes. One of the enemy agents ( [member="FN-999"] ) appears to know the game is up."
"Keep him occupied. Press him with heavy weapons but keep your distance until I arrive--"
"ALERT: Incoming Green Level Intel..." the specialized computer in the shuttle announced.
"Putting you on hold..." the shapeshifter told her field Agent switching frequencies.
"Go ahead Emerald Claw."
"Our agents have been trailing a number of odd people moving through the city. [member="Loreena Arenais"] seems to be trying to help some local. Doesn't look bad..."
The Amalgam frowned. "Tell me you have rifles trained on her..."
"Since Loreena got up..."
"Keep watching her." The Shi'ido ordered, irritated by Loreena's lack of caution given the fething capital had been attacked and here she was, trying to approach strangers. No matter...she was Kay's daughter, so she would be protected as though she were her own, and any who would dare harm her would meet 'correction'. (In essence, handing her attackers their internal organs before burning them alive with electricity.)
"There are threats everywhere in this city today. Anything else?
"Cameras we installed on the droids there show this man entering the civil service and engineering annex..."
The projector showed the image of [member="Dominic Craig"] giving orders to other such as [member="BE-183"] and the Shi'ido took an immediate interest. She had been compiling photographic footage from the attacks from various sensors and city cameras. This man's face showed up repeatedly. She knew in her gut he had a deep connection to the attacks. She would rip what he knew out of his skull and then find some horrific torment to render him a babbling, insane wreck at the end of it. Her plans had to change. It would not just be good for morale to capture that one personally it would also be a nice notch on her gun. But the man was like a ghost...there could have been any one of a thousand things he was after on behalf of the First Order. The Amalgam wasn't certain. No one was. She was still infuriated sje had not yet figured out his exact route onto Zakuul to begin with. She and Kay had ordered cameras independent of the security of major facilities be installed in a brute force option to try and capture the wiley agent in case he or any face associated with them got near. It would seem one of the mines the empire had laid had just been stepped on. It wasn't really his fault...the Amalgam had nearly gone crazy with the logistics of setting up surveillance in all major civil and military facilities. Exhaustive hours of coordination, trying to determine not just the best infiltration route, but the most likely destinations. The measures had not been fully implemented, again, lagging behind like other security changes. The Amalgam honestly suspected that in this one instance, they had gotten lucky. Civil Service and Engineering should have been put under heavier security, now that she thought about it. Oh well. Something to bring up in the next meeting.
"Lock down the district surrounding the Annex. I will be heading there personally. You all have your orders..."
The Amalgam cut contact and then went back to her first contact.
"Change of plans. You take the infiltraitors yourself. Headmistress out..."
The Amalgam pulled out her prototype blaster carbine, which had yet to be implemented and took spare ammo belts. She had confidence in her powers, and this body armor enhanced them, but it never hurt to have a back up plan.
"Pilot! Drop me off at the engineering annex!" The Amalgam ordered. "I have vermin to go all gritty licensed superhero on!"
Meanwhile...
They were the soldiers of the Moon. Of the Empress. Of The Headmistress.
They had yet to be outfitted in a standard garb so used a patchwork, makeshift appearance: Violet armorweave BDU's with a jagged black crescent spray painted on the front, their faces concealed by crimson bandages and wearing dark gray trenchcoats. Every one of the regular military knew anyone wearing that sort of stuff was both a superior and a badass so they were given free reign as the military closed in on the Hangar interior, about to take the operatives. They were just outside a major entrance, setting up the trap. The military presence around the hangars was heavy, swirling above them.
The tallest Moon Soldier, one of many who would make up the future Royal Marines, hefted a custom Argazdan Riot Buster, modded for both range and pain, but non lethal.
"The target?" The bandaged man asked in a baritone that made people straighten up.
The regular soldier looked up at the man nervously.
"We got most of his friends, but he's the holdout..."
"Not for long..." the Moon Soldier said, "We'll go in and subdue him..."
The regular soldier nodded nervously, having already heard nasty stories about the 'Zabrak' woman who had recruited them.
"Sure thing man...its your show..."
"Thank you..." the bandaged soldier replied turning to his comrades. "Push him to the far end, but don't shoot to kill. Just shoot in his general direction to make him move. Then we spring the trap from the other side."
The other bandaged men and women nodded, turned on their cloaking fields, and then slowly headed in after the leader who took point, taking a few of them to a route up a catwalk above the position where cameras showed FN-999's location. The others would flank the trooper's position from the sides, not at all intent on giving an honorable fight. This was the coralling of cattle.
The leader of the Moon soldiers soon spotted him and gave the electronic signal to the others to open fire from his flank while he sniped at the soldier from above, trying to force him from his position but not kill him...
(Bat symbol scene transition)
A group of Zakuul Knights in full gear moved through the crowds towards Loreena and @Saris, though the real goal was Loreena. They kept their distance however, both to avoid her ire and avoid drawing too much attention. Zakuul Knights were not uncommon in the streets, and they had no reason to suspect unfortunately that the nearby [member="Samka Derith"] or [member="Amadeus Ren"] meant any harm. The bandaged soldiers recruited by the Amalgam watched Loreena through a sniper scope. Her safety was paramount but there was a slowly but steadily bad feeling mounting.
The position to watch her was the best one they could get, but there were so many people in the streets precision shooting to save Loreena would be difficult to say nothing of the thousand different threats that could be springing up around her at any moment. It was also a canopy partially blocking the view of Loreena...
Meanwhile...
The Amalgam was dropped off on the roof of the Annex, immediately cutting a hole into the roof with her lightsaber and dropping into an old records room, putting her blade away and taking out her comlink.
"Headmistress to Emerald Claw. In position, moving to intercept..."
"The witch Acolytes are here..." Emerald Claw answered back.
"Excellent...have them stand by..." The Amalgam replied, grinning maliciously. "The Annex is sealed?"
"Completely. Security forces are completely surrounding the building."
"Good. Standby..."
The Amalgam made good time through the facility, feeling the presence of Dominic and his lackeys. She had already singled him out for more creative tortures. She would make certain he suffered.
Who knows? Maybe her bestie Kay would let her cut out his brain and sacrifice it to The Brain Demon. A simple lobotomy would not do for this one, no no no...
"Cut the power to the archives..." she whispered as she got closer to the archives, traveling down an ancient passage at last running into white armored, young, female acolytes armed with the same type of silenced lightsaber she had gifted Kay with, all setting up breaching charges on the wall next to the archives. As they felt the presence of the woman, rotting in the Force as it was, they got on one knee before her.
"We await your command..." one witch whispered.
The Amalgam smiled at the future of her cult. So young, so ruthless. So full of potential. So much like her daughters, except they did not foolishly reject the Dark Side.
They could not attack them immediately...even The Amalgam was not completely certain what the infiltration team was after. The witches followed her in the decaying passage, taking out her saber and activating one blade, cutting into a wall that would take them the farthest from Dominic but grant a greater chance of not being spotted by him until it was too late.
One of her acolytes, more skilled in telekinesis than she, lifted the cut away section out of the hole with her mind, and the Amalgam led the way, shutting off the blade and silently directing the witches to follow her as they slowly, quietly hid between servers, darting between the server towers as they got closer. Soon, they would strike...
There remained the small task of beginning to scout and identify nearby dangers for the coming operation, also. So this meant Tyrcas ended up walking several busy streets that ran parallel to the Jedi Lore building, keeping his holorecorder going as he took note of the alleyways, traffic conditions, numbers of people around. While it was only a snippet of possible information to gather, the fact remained that having some comparative data would be better than nothing, and knowing that a certain shop was crowded around this time of day could be valuable.
Some information passed in Tyrcas' ear, as his comlink activated, the encrypted message coming through. Some other elements on the planet were also ready, it seemed. That meant it was time to -- suddenly Tyrcas was jostled from behind, causing him to turn and reach toward his concealed weapon, blue eyes narrowed. But it seemed to be a regular citizen, who was rushing by with her face in a datapad...
I hate this world.
Returning to his intel gathering, Tyrcas held up the holorecorder and continued walking...
Amadeus was surprised when [member="Loreena Arenais"] walked out of the cafe and approached him. Given his state, purposeful as it was, the Knight of Ren had expected more revulsion and attention rather than kindness and assistance. But, it seemed that the girl's willingness to show compassion had given those who sought to take her an even better opening than previously planned. Right now, as Loreena offered Amadeus a glass of water, she was alone and away from her friends.
"T-thank you," Amadeus said in a coarse voice, as he took the offered beverage. He took some sips, before tipping the remaining water against the glass to clean it somewhat. "You're very kind... kinder than most."
Seeing an opportunity, Amadeus decided to take it.
"Would you be willing to help me back to my bed? It's just across the street," The beggar continued, hunched, as he motioned to the small collection of belongings at the alleyway entrance. "Maybe some rest will do me good."
Whether the young girl helped him across the street or not, Amadeus slowly began to limp his way toward his makeshift resting spot. The blankets on the ground, and the small box of items, were within easy view and the alleyway wasn't foreboding or uninviting. It was simply a narrow way between buildings, neither overly dark or dirty. In an attempt to further elicit kindness from Loreena, the beggar stumbled as he walked, cursing as he feigned injury to his leg. And he also noted the heavily armored individual ([member="Salis"]) who also left the cafe, rounding the building to disappear into another alleyway; though where she ended up was hard to say, without reaching out with the Force and giving his presence away, due to being focused on the opposite side of the street.
"I have nothing to thank you with, young lady," Amadeus said with a smile through his bushy beard. "Except gratitude."
LOCATION: ZAKUUL EQUIPMENT: IN BIO ALLIES: [member="Salis"], [member="Loreena Arenais"], [member="Max Arach"], [member="Kay Arenais"] ENEMIES: [member="Tyrcas Pallopides"], [member="FN-999"], [member="Samka Derith"], [member="Amadeus Ren"] CURRENT MOOD: DELIGHTFULLY SURPRISED
Not even hiding his face, is he?
Ghorua's probes had zeroed in on [member="Tyrcas Pallopides"] rather quickly. He wasn't exactly hiding, at least, not in the conventional sense. Out for the galaxy to see, unabashedly taking pictures of the Jedi Lore Building. Ghorua would've passed him on the streets completely had he not been looking for him. But now that he saw the man, it wasn't hard to see the patterns. No tourist was so dedicated to capture every angle and strategic point of interest like that.
Ghorua lurked a block away, watching his droids' feeds, and considering his next move. He could lie in waiting, drag this out, try to figure out why exactly this spy was here. But Zakuul could get that out of him later. Right now, he needed to intervene while he still could.
In his Dowutin form, he tried to look rough. He made a scene, leaning against a pillar, and growling at anyone that got too close. He tried to look as brutish and mean as possible as he walked the streets, and came to the street across from the Jedi Lore Building. He began to stalk around the building, in the direction of Tyrcas, threatening not just him, but everyone there, trying his best meathead impression.
If there was one thing he'd learned trailing targets, it was this; someone undercover didn't trust anyone, so it didn't work to pretend to be someone trustworthy. Give your enemy a reason to distrust you, and they'll overlook the reason they should. No First Order operative worth their salt would think an unruly Dowutin would be a threat to the operation. Probably would either turn up his nose, or see it as an opportunity.
But as Ghorua closed with the tourist, his hand shot out, far too quickly any being his size should be able to, and activated his "Big Shock" as he tried to grab the smaller man.
Salis watched as [member="Amadeus Ren"] and [member="Loreena Arenais"] moved off to the side, glancing around the corner to keep an eye on them. She was suspicious still. And even if he wasn't a spy, Loreena had to have some stake in this so there was some value to her life. However this was interrupted as The Zakuul Knights ([member="The Amalgam"]) started crowding around making view of the woman troublesome. She narrowed her eyes at the Knights, they just had to make things difficult. On the other hand they were supposed to be allies, so perhaps that would be acceptable.
Regardless she needed a better look at this city. A better feel specifically, Salis clambered higher up the building, looking, trying to catch onto the unusual while holding her MK II paladin blaster rifle, it was a fairly good weapon and if she had to shoot from up here, at least she'd be able to. She preferred of course close range, but regardless, she could fight from here.
Location: Zakuul, near the planet's palace Allies: None in the area Enemies: [member="The Amalgam"] (in proximity)
FN-999 checked his weapons.
He had a fully loaded blaster, with two additional ammo packets. He could afford to fire excessively to fool his enemies into overestimating him. A smoke grenade strapped to his belt offered him a potential escape route. His armor was unfamiliar, and not as high-quality as stormtrooper armor, but still protected his vitals sufficiently. Finally, he had a standard explosive grenade, but in his pocket instead of his belt. That way, if he were captured, he could quickly detonate the grenade, both killing his captors and preventing them from ever obtaining anything from his corpse.
His nerves were spiking. At any moment, a horde of troopers could rush in. FN-999 could kill a few, but ultimately could not stand against a platoon alone. Even taking cover against a box, he was still extremely vulnerable to a flanking sniper. As he thought of his last actions, he suddenly heard an ease in the footsteps outside the hangars. FN-999 turned around to see the barrel of a rifle about three meters in front of and above him.
The first shot skimmed his head by centimeters, while FN-999 rolled to avoid the next four. At the same time, soldiers flooded into the hangars, guns blazing. Desperately, FN-999 dove behind a barrel and hurled his smoke grenade. Upon making contact with the ground, it exploded, creating a dense cloud of smoke that filled nearly the entire hangar. Now nearly blinded, FN-999 slunk hesitantly through the hangar. Shots still rung out, though not as accurate as before. Additionally, FN-999 was able to pin down their general locations, and fired three shots from his own rifle in retaliation.
He nearly ran into a large labeled crate filled with small-caliber rockets. It was likely that the crate held over a hundred rockets, each meant to be fired from a handheld anti-tank gun. If they were ignited, the subsequent explosion would be enough to tear a hole in the hangar and FN-999's pursuers. However, the explosion would likely also incapacitate FN-999. It was a gamble, and one he didn't have much time to solve. But then he realized another factor. The explosion could distract counterintelligence from First Order operatives.
So FN-999 made his decision, and backing up so he was still covered by the barrel but about five meters away from the crate, he dug into his left pocket and tossed the grenade he had intended to use for suicide.
The resulting explosion was deafening, slamming FN-999 against the hangar wall with such force that his breath was taken from his lungs and his armor fractured.
Post: 1
Location: Zakuul City
Allies: Eternal Empire people: @Salis @Ghorua the Shark [member="The Amalgam"] [member="Kay Arenais"] [member="Loreena Arenais"]
Enemies: First Order people: [member="Amadeus Ren"] [member="Tyrcas Pallopides"] [member="BE-183"] [member="FN-999"] [member="Samka Derith"] @Pallopides
Zakuul, planet of empires, and home to many different people. It's a world of conflict and change and change had come to Zakuul once more. The Eternal Empire, now under Empress Kay, was making a comeback, however the former rulers of the planet didn't want that to happen. The now defunct First Order wished to keep its hold on Zakuul and had sent agents to sow cause in the ranks of the people and cause damage to various places. Empress Kay knew of these things and had taken appropriate measures against these threats, one of those being Adenn and Clan Mortui. Adenn had partially attached himself and his clan to the new Eternal Empire, all to ensure that the Mand'alors aunt lived. Thus he had been given some simple orders, ensure that the First Order operatives didn't complete their mission, capture some if at all possible, and kill the rest. That's why he found himself within Zakuul City, atop one of the high rises, looking out across the people and observing what could possible be a war zone soon.
Crouched atop the high rise, Adenn had his rangefinder down and was scanning the teeming masses for anything of note. He had some of his clan members patrolling the streets, watching the skies, and general security. Most of them were in full beskar armor, black and red armor proudly emblazoned with the Clan Mortui symbol or Mandalorian symbol on their shoulderguards or chestplates. In their hands they had weapons ranging from blaster pistols to rifles, and a select few even had some heavy weapons. Around the entire city were 100 or so Clan Mortui Mandalorians, they were patrolling the same way that the knights were and were in groups of 5 each. While it wasn't a lot, there were more in Adenns ship, the Aegis Eternum(in BIO). Adenn himself had 5 Mando'ade with him, each a warrior of renown and skill, one his second in command, Gunner.
As he was crouched there, Adenn received the message from [member="Kay Arenais"]. Grunting slightly in annoyance, he merely sent a negative message to her, stating that he hadn't seen anything of note but he'd send info to [member="The Amalgam"] if he saw anything. That being said, Adenn decided to head down to ground level and make his way closer to known allied locations. More specifically, he made his way towards [member="Loreena Arenais"]. Usually he wouldn't concern himself with one person, but his gut was telling him that something was going to happen, though what exactly was something else entirely. Deciding to be prepared, he spoke tersely with hi men via heavily encrypted comms and spoke in a language only Clan Mortui knew(following is translated from that, xD).
"Vode, head to the popular and important locations in the city. Something's going to happen soon, but I don't know what. Be on the look out for anything suspicious."
The answer from his troops was a resounding, "Elek, Alor!"(yes, leader) before they went to do as he had commanded.
Immediately those Mandalorians under Adenn went to different areas, they coordinated with one another while on the move. 10 Mando'ade made their way towards the the Jedi Lore Building, 10 to the Annex, and 10 made their way towards Adenn. The rest of his men continued their patrols, making their way around the city, ensuring that everything was proceeding normally. Meanwhile, Adenn was nearing the last location that intel had seen her, in a cafe, supposedly in a meeting with some possible bounty hunters. He didn't really know why more were needed, but if Kay wanted them, then they would probably be needed in some capacity.
Walking down the road, his men behind him, Adenn stood out as the leader here as he was the only one with a sword(on right, back) and a cloak on his left shoulder. He looked ready for war, as did his men, then again, Mandalorians usually did. All of them had their helmets on, giving them a broader range of visibility, a fact that allowed Adenn to spot [member="Loreena Arenais"] from further away. She was speaking with a random person from the street([member="Amadeus Ren"]), that simple fact set him on edge. He didn't know who that was, even if the city was rather big; gazing to the cafe, he spotted the vomit on the window and made the connections.
While he may be a tad paranoid, Adenn was immediately suspicious of the person, assuming the worst. However, he couldn't just do something about it without proof. Thus he ordered his men to spread out, 2 men going up to the roofs while still a dozen meters away, the other 2 went towards the cafe and Gunner accompanied Adenn. They didn't make their way towards Loreena, instead making their way towards some knights nearby. Gunner began chatting them up while Adenn stood there, joining in now and then, looking like he didn't give a care in the world. His attention seemed to be focused fully on the knights before him, when in reality he was keeping his eyes on the camera in his helmet showing what happened behind him.
At the same time, the Mandalorians who had come to support him didn't show up. Not officially anyways, they hid themselves in the crowd and the buildings, they were a block away from Adenn and behind buildings, but could easily hop over using their jetpacks. Adenn meanwhile was calm and collected, talking with the pair of knights before Gunner and himself. Keeping an eye on Loreena and her present company, Adenn was recording as well, hoping to catch anything untoward while being inconspicuous. Then an idea hit him, if this guy was a spy, he'd want to do anything with less possible enemies around. Ordering one of his men to come to them and bring them elsewhere, his order was followed.
A Mandalorian warrior ran up to Adenn and his present company, quickly he spoke, talking just loud enough about how there was something that needed his attention back at base. Nodding, Adenn and Gunner left the knights, following behind the warrior at a quick pace before rounding the corner. There they slowed before splitting, Adenn and Gunner making their way up to a roof while the other Mandalorian continued on, heading back to her squad. Grinning, Adenn set up shop with Gunner, keeping an eye on Loreena. They didn't know anything for certain yet, but he hopefully would. Thus, Adenn and his men waited, watching, silently.
The revulsion Samka Derith displayed when her associate covered the window with the contents of his most recent meals was a real one. An audible gasp and grimace. She'd seen much worse in the past, of course, but vulgar acts still caught her off balance when unexpected. A "proper lady" as she had teasingly been called.
However... it worked. Amadeus's actions proved more effective than she'd expected. Sweet Loreena had rushed to his aid, how foolish. Thankfully, it seemed they wouldn't have to destroy a cafe for their target. The quieter this could be, the better.
"I, erm, seem to have left it at home," she said sheepishly to the barista. No ID, no service. She could leave at the same time hopefully without arousing suspicion.
'Grotesque yet impressive. I can't argue with the results. Change of plans, take her somewhere quiet out of prying eyes, now!'Her message to Amadeus would once more echo through the man's head. It wouldn't be comfortable so she kept it brief. For now, she would do her best to keep a tail off them.
The woman who'd been sat with Loreena a moment ago ( [member="Salis"] ) had split. Samka followed not far behind, trotting along with a sulk on her face over being refused service. As she rounded a corner, Sam followed the woman's eyes to a pair of knights. Security really was tight here, she noted with a tsk. An idea formed to momentarily distract the Knights.
Sam turned her head around to look back at the cafe. Someone was leaving with a hot coffee to go. Perfect. This was an old trick she'd used before. The slightest nudge of the Force was all that was needed to throw the man off balance. The piping hot coffee spilled out of its cup and all down the man's hand. He let out a ear splitting yell in pain. Before the wonders of modern medicine, that may have left a permanent scar. He should be grateful.
On her part, Sam also let out a gasp. "H-he's hurt! Someone!" Her eyes met the Zakuul Knights and gestured to the injured man. Law enforcement was obliged to respond to serious incidents like this all over the galaxy, they weren't medics but should be able to summon someone who was and keep an eye on the situation.
She'd lost sight of the armoured woman but at the very least it should have distracted the Knights for a quick moment. Even precious seconds could be important in extracting a target.
"Well, maybe my kindness is because I was raised better? Some people just don't get the chance to learn. Life just moves too fast sometimes." That was probably the best way that she could try to describe it AND impart some wisdom. In truth she was raised better. But then she had a good family to do so. Others weren't so lucky.
Lori watched [member="Amadeus Ren"] as he started to cross the street soon after he tried to wash off his mess. Did he take the glass? She had to try to get that back. Although the cafe might not want it back. But still, she didn't want the guy to be accused of being a thief.
As he stumbled she hurried up to join him. "Careful. Just a sec. Wrap your arm around my shoulders. That'll make it easier." She gently took hold of his arm and helped him place it around her. Then wrapped her arm around his waist. "Let's try to not get ourselves ran over."
And traffic was stopping for them. Thankfully. It gave them the time that they needed to cross the street with less risk of the man hurting his already injured leg. "Your gratitude is enough. I don't help people for credits you know. Well,...not like this anyways. But I betcha the cafe would probably want their glass back. I can give it to them. I'm the one thattook it anyways." His makeshift bed looked...well, pretty crappy. But she couldn't really offer him anything else at the moment.
"What's your name?" Surely she could tell her Mom about him and then maybe she could help save him from homelessness. Yeah. The man is bound to have some useful skills!
Lori wasn't as keen on her surroundings as she should have been. Her focus was entirely on helping the homeless man. She'd learn that lesson the hard way one day.
Dominic quickly deleted the access log for the terminal, before eyeing the stormtroopers query. "Guess we'll find out." The agent took a tablet from his jacket and then flicked around on it. A smirk pursed his lips. "I think we've made the Order proud trooper." The agent grinned, before kneeling down and closing up the case, sliding the tablet inside the case. He sealed it, encrypting a lock. "Alright, all teams report in." Craig barked, standing up and taking the case in his hand. He looked around as he listened to the teams report their status, but something caught his eye. Glint of movement through a gap in the stacks of archives. Chit.
"All teams, pack up and move, we have hostiles on site!" The FOSB man barked into his comm unit. No way to check for these assholes and what they were. But in this line of work, with what was at risk now in play? Best get out of dodge. Dominic pressed forward, he could see them, coming closer and closer through the shelves. The officer picked up the pace, pressing forward and cleaving his C-51 from his jacket. He was already formulating a way out, and Dominic knew that the only way to proceed was to set some bait. Him.
The spy hefted the briefcase to his stormtrooper companion. "Alright trooper, I need you to take this, and the others to the exfil point." He commanded, before clasping her arm, "I cannot stress enough the critical importance of this data getting back to Pa'Desh." He informed the trooper, "Go, get outta here, I'll keep them tied up here." The operative waved them off, before pulling his pistol close. He could see them in the darkened halls, approaching. "Well, well, well, you got me caught!" He called out, voice echoing through the archive, "But what's the next step of your master plan?" He inquired, eyebrow arching, grip on his pistol, tightening.
There had been some debate about whether Tyrcas needed to disguise himself more fully. At the time, the reasoning was that his appearance - and status - within the First Order was relatively unknown, he wasn't truly an individual of note beyond being a Captain amid Admirals. Still, the likelihood of being discovered had been around fifty-fifty, which Tyrcas had been willing to count on. So when the acting tourist walked past an unruly individual seated on a bench, barely noticing the sentient in any capacity, it was something of a surprise when the First Order officer felt a touch to his back... and then he felt a painful jolt pass through his body, as his consciousness fought to remain. Tyrcas half turned, one arm raising to try and fend off the unexpected assault, but his limbs wouldn't respond, his muscles contracting and spasming uncontrollably!
Feth it...
With a grunt, Tyrcas toppled to the ground, the attack from behind knocking him out completely. Everything turned black, the holorecorder fell from a limp grasp and smacked onto the duracrete, and the officer slumped down beside it. Given the nature of the item used, and the lack of protection from such stun-like effects on Tyrcas' person, it had been appropriate to take him down...
