Mouse Trap

[Xin Boa]

Six months after the fall of the One Sith

The proton shell must have landed just a street over. The entire mansion shook. The light fittings rattled and flickered out. Soldiers in several types of armour hurried towards the windows.

“They're getting closer,” a remarkably calm voice said.

“Well done, I had noticed.”

Three duros marched down the corridor together. They turned into a pair of large doors. They ended up in a wide open chamber. Pieces of traditional and holographic art lined the walls. Light filtered in through a glass dome above them. The last of the trio turned and closed the door behind them.

“They were always going to catch up with us,” he said. The tone of his voice was calm, but he bowed his head and sighed. He looked a broken man.

The first one into the room by contrast looked almost amused. “Time for the next plan then. I've told the men to stand their ground.”

“Time to stay small this time,” the second agreed. A round of blaster fire rang out. None of the men seemed perturbed by it. They had known this was coming when several Alliance gunships had been seen high over their territory a few weeks back.

“After all this, we leave them behind?” The third asked. He turned away from the doors. There was something about the emotion conveyed by those red eyes that perturbed the other two.

“The galaxy is getting smaller. They don't know enough about our assets to give them a lead. Especially not with where we're going.”

“I'm not coming,” the third one said.

There was a weapon levelled at him in the blink of an eye. “You, however, do,” called the first one. The second duros stepped back whilst the other two held each other's gaze.

“I have no intention of getting caught. But I'm out.”

The one behind the blaster tilted his head to one side curiously. “After all this time are you feeling...some remorse? Or are you just tired of the great game? Never thought I'd see it.” The Building shook again. In the next room something ceramic fell to the floor and shattered loudly. The deep rumble that started to build clearly worried all three men. That was a shuttle or a gunship.

“We're running out of time so what is it to be?” The third duros asked. His hand didn't move for the blaster at his hip. He just stared down the barrell and waited.

The first man tilted the muzzle of his blaster back and then holstered it. “We never see you again.”

All three men left the room. The pair taking a different door to the one who had decided not to follow. Before he was gone one of the pair turned and called over his shoulder. “I’ll enjoy your share Wesseq. Hope you find whatever is you're after.”

---

One week ago

“So why do we care Wesseq?” Xin asked. The duros who headed up the Dragoons was sat on the far side of the table. In the middle of it were the busts of two holographic duros. The planning room was always fairly dark. Across the wall beside them were two women sat at comm stations moving encrypted messages between their various agents. Wesseq liked to keep them close so he could be alerted of any developments that required his attention immediately. Not that Xin ever noticed getting any significant assistance when one of their jobs spiralled out of control.

“The bounty is good enough, but more importantly half the captains in this fleet would give every credit to pay it themselves.”

Xin didn't reply but turned his head to one side quizzically.

“Before Corellia was lost they headed up a special operations force for the One Sith. Turned out they had stolen and secured a large quantity of expensive artefacts from under the noses of the sith during their invasions. They had perhaps the most complete collection left of Corellian culture. Maybe a handful have ever been recovered. They've financed small coups, they ran an entire nation for a few months. They went to ground when the Alliance started looking for them specifically.”

Xin sat and absorbed this for a few seconds. “They sound...out of my league?”

“Oh, yes completely,” Wesseq replied without a trace of humour. “Hirrau hasn't the subtlety to lead this, you don't have the experience. But you do have a particular ability to sniff out trouble. We'll be getting some outside help. Watch your back, watch everyone's back. They'll have found some scheme to run to keep themselves entertained. They gather power...as if it's a drug. Then throw it all away and finance a new game just to show they can do it.”

Xin's headtails slowly curled to make them away from side to side. This one was definitely sending him out of his depth. Perhaps this Fleet gig wasn't the right fit for him.

“How much of de bounty do I get and who am I working fa?”

---

Now, Xian’tin City

The bridge swayed in the breeze and Xin braced himself with one hand. The other held down the straw hat on his head. It wasn't really a breeze. It wasn't enough to be a gale. It was definitely enough to make him regret being this height. Even with water below them he knew a fall from here would make striking that about the same as landing on rock.

The colony had apparently been created thousands of years ago by an Atrisian exploration ship. They had been looking to start a quiet life in what they felt was a more traditional manner. They seemed to suffer tourists just fine as long as they left they technology at the starport which floated just beyond the horizon. A wing powered boat had brought them here. Xin had thought it quite quaint and been tempted to swim. Almost the entire planet was covered in oceans yet the only sentients on the planet were clinging to buildings that towered over the few rocks that jutted up from them.

“Just ditch the hat Xin,” Brak chuckled.

“But it helps me blend in.”

“No it doesn't.”

“I bought it at a shop…”

“For tourists.”

“Dells, hat or no hat?”

 

[Delila Castillon]

Six Months After the Fall of the One Sith


Jungle noise was like an all enveloping blanket around her. Delila was getting used to picking out sounds by now : birds, amphibians, potential predators. When she first arrived it was one large buzzing sound but if one stopped to listen closely there were individual pieces to pick apart. Booted feet moved swiftly through the jungle. She had given up on trying to repair her vessel. Now it was more or less used for salvage, the metal and various other pieces becoming vitally important in her survival.


Used to being alone in the recent years, Delila wasn't quite bothered by her exile in terms of not having a companion. At least not yet. She hadn't been on the planet long enough for the weariness and doubt to settle and creep into her mind. Self doubt hadn't entered her mind yet. She was Delila Castillon ; former Special Forces soldier, former General to the Rebel Alliance. If anyone could deal with this type of 'mission' , it would be her, right?


The next several years would put her theory to its breaking point.



One Standard Week Ago


It seemed all her hard work for the Free World Collation had paid off. Her first experience with the government had been when she first joined, doing a security gig for the Alderaan Embassy on Coruscant. Now it seemed it had turned into a permanent option, having been recently placed in charge of all Embassy Guards in the building. While Delila had originally planned to wander the galaxy, Coruscant seemed a decent enough fit. No one knew her there, the population was too large for her to stand out. Flying under the radar was ideal at this point in her life. Young Delila had strove to stand out and be noticed, to climb the ranks.


Such validation was no longer needed or perhaps wanted.


"Albach you're in charge while I'm gone. I've gone over the Ambassador's schedule and I don't forsee any problems, looks standard. The Ambassador from Dac is arriving in two weeks, make sure the others are brushed up on the nuances of aquatic species."


Albach furiously scribbled notes as they walked down the long corridor to the hangar. The Crimson Dahlia was already waiting. Delila wasn't overly concerned leaving the Embassy in the hands of Albach. Younger but the kid seemed capable. The young man reminded her a bit of herself in a few ways.


"In the meantime go down the list I left and start preparing for the upcoming events. Make sure the rookies shine their boots. Remember if you can't see your face its not up to standard."


Present Day


Delila had a confident stride on the rope bridge. Brak was in front of her and seemed to have no qualms about the method of getting place to place in the odd city. The only one with a problem was Squidly. He bought an incredibly stupid hat at a tourist trap when they had first landed. Personally she thought the straw contraption made him look like a sea creature who had washed ashore. He thought it made him 'blend in'.


"I told you to get the hat with the strings."


Stupid but at least it wouldn't be trying to fly off right now.


"Whatever you want Squidly. I'm not here to provide you with fashion advice. Just here to make fun of you with Brak in the background."



[member="Xin Boa"]

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

"Even encouraging him is bad enough," Xin replied, "let alone join in."

At least they didn't have a problem with trying to cross paths. Each bridge was one direction only and they were made in pairs. The people coming in the opposite direction were beneath them. The laws of physics said that as they started to climb towards the exit the wind would away the bridge less. Apparently they closed them in truly awful conditions. Xin wondered just how windy it would get before they made that call.

"They did have some fetching hair pins," he said. "Gave me some ideas."

His headtails were decorated for business right now. They were bound in pairs with simple black straps. At times they could get quite colourful.

"Oh don't start that," Brak said. "You dress like a spacer then you go and decorate your tentacles with flowers."

"Yeah, well what I really wish I had right now was a blaster." That made him nervous. All he had managed to smuggle in was a comm-unit. They didn't have to apprehend the pair, just identify them and call for backup. But it would have made him feel a lot safer to have a decent sidearm.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Xin Boa"]


"Hair pins? Flowers?" Delila grinned. When wasn't there ever a chance to tease Xin? She lead the back of the pack and over the wind she had to speak up a bit. This allowed others moving on the rope bridge to listen in their conversation. "I would worry about Squidly's sexuality if I hadn't already been intimate with him. Hell, maybe I should be worried."


Unlike Xin, she had managed to smuggle in a blaster. It wasn't horribly difficult, just followed the same principles of smuggling a blaster when wearing a dress at various events. She wasn't going to tell her travelling companions just yet of her covert operation to bring a hold-out blaster with her.


"Brak I don't know how you travel with this guy. You're going to have to get used to straw-hat Squidly now. Straw-hat Squidly is his own man."

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

"Damn straight," Xin replied boldly. "Wait, not straight like...oh never mind." He gave up with an exasperated sigh. The bridge was being swung less with the wind now but the climb up a smooth surface was taxing. From here he could see silhouettes moving around platforms on the structure they approached. It seemed that most of the outer sections of the towers were open whilst only the inner building was closed off and shielded from the elements. Perhaps they really liked the breeze, Xin mused.

Brak turned and managed to catch Dells' eye with a conspiratorial look. He cleared his throat. "I suppose I can live with the hat. Can't see your tattoos with it on though."

He waited patiently. There was no outward sign that Xin had even hurt the remark.

"It is quite scratchy..." Xin finally piped up.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Xin Boa"]


"Squidly has a whole bunch of tattoos you normally can't see." There was a smirk thrown in the direction of Brak. Both were clearly teasing Xin because they could. It was probably an unwise idea to reunite the two, given their penchant for quips toward the Nautolan."Don't see why the straw hat makes any difference at this point."


Delila could see the end in sight for the bridge. Xin's pace clearly picked up, wanting to be rid of the odd bridge. She was growing tired of it herself. No way could she live in such an environment, especially one clustered on top of rocks above an ocean. She'd have to spread out, Coruscant was claustrophobic enough for her.


Feet reached the city after the long climb. She was more than happy to be on 'solid' ground for a bit. Eyes searched around, still unsure of where they were moving to. Xin had called her up asked about tracking down a few folks. Having some free time, of course she was in.


Hand touched his lower back to get his attention.


"So you're keeping me in the dark. We got a base of operations for this.... 'holiday'?"

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

Xin slowed down. With the way the wind whipped past them it was unlikely they would be overheard, but that wouldn't be the case if they pressed on into the guts of this building. The floor was actually made up of wooden planks. Xin wondered if this was a sensible choice given the weather. Wouldn't some kind of alloy or plastic have been better? It was quaint in a way he supposed. It was all very pretty really. Even if some of the paint was flaking from the wood the architecture was certainly rather eye-catching.

"We've got rooms near the top of this tower," he explained. "Gives us a good view of the next one over. They've lived nice and easy for a long time here, but we still need to be careful."

All they needed was one clear sighting of the pair and they could call the cavalry. Whether they could do that without putting themselves in danger was another matter. If it came to the worst they were going to have to drop the tourist facade and try and make a deal for weapons with a local contact and get close enough.

"Apparently they have some odd rules. No shoes indoors and the word 'squid' is entirely banned. Odd customs, but I think it is for the best if we respect them."

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Xin Boa"]


"Good thing we call you Squidly and not squid then. Entirely different word."


She caught Brak's eye and grinned. Squid was a banned word? Delila resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the obvious lie.The redhead shifted her rucksack around, adjusting the straps. It was all a ploy to look like a regular tourist. Comm was found in her pocket and she took a few holoimages of the surrounding sea and tower they would be residing in the next few days. Part tourist, partly interested in the wood planking the city was built upon. Certainly going for a old-timey,nautical ship aesthetic.


"Yeah, we're going to have to be real careful. People will be watching."


Dells glanced up at the tower.


"Brak, you my roomie for this trip? Or you and Xin? I swear when I first met you two I thought you were married."

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

"That...ah." Xin sighed dramatically in defeat on the matter of 'squidly'. Not that the ruse had been a serious attempt to being the name to an end. If it was ever going to go away it would be when they got bored of it and not before.

He turned in towards the centre of the tower. A wooden archway held no door and led into and open air market. Xin could see the stairs up just in the other side of it.

"Oh no, he'd just complain to me about how much more comfortable it would be to sleep underwater."

"And yuh'd start hissing and mumbling as the cold air started to turn your brain to mush," Xin replied.

"Now, now. Let's not argue in front of company," Brak chuckled loudly. The barabel had spotted a parts store in the market.

Xin joined in he turned as he walk, looking back at them both from under the rediculous hat to catch Dells' eye before turning back ahead. Several sellers had spotted that hat and had thoughts that there was a tourist who they could offload some crap on.

"Dey booked three rooms," Xin replied. They had done so without asking him, but then what would he have suggested? They had that one night - and oh what a good one - but it wouldn't have seemed right to make assumptions.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Xin Boa"]



"Xin did mutter a lot about water that night. Incredibly annoying."


Delila elbowed the Nautolan lightly, flashing a small smile in his direction. The market was incredibly busy but she had suspected such a thing. The cities built on the rocks made her a little claustrophobic to begin with. It wasn't bad being on the bridge or open air decking. With the towering sides in the market, throngs of people, bit of a different story.


Of course she wasn't going to let Brak or Squidly know. She liked to think her sabacc face was fairly decent after all these years.


"Three rooms? Not looking good for you tonight, is it Squidly?"


She was well aware Xin had no idea of the arrangements. Someone had to give him a hard time and it was clear the obligation fell on her and Brak's shoulder's most of the time. Normally if she was playing tourist on a planet Dells typically sought out some type of military salvage storefront. Probably not happening here. She did see Brak eyeing up a parts store.


"Mind if I tag along Brak? I need to stretch the legs and poke around some rusted metal."

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

There were several smiles that Xin wore. There was almost always one on show, but there was a subtle difference between the genuine and the mask. The one that his lips drew when Dells nudged him was very real. The nautolan had never really had somewhere he considered home, but the easy banter with people he had met since leaving incarceration was starting to make him feel like he could belong.

“Funny, don't imagine yuh saying much I could actually make out…” Xin started.

“I hope he didn't wax lyrical about oceans? Don't let him start on what moonlight is like underwater he'll go on for days,” Brak interrupted.

“Ah next time I'm coming on my own,” Xin muttered. It wasn't a serious remark, but it was clear the nautolan was signalling his defeat - in this round at least. “I'll might find something to eat, catch up to you both soon. Want a caf if I find one?” He didn't touch the stuff, but they both did.

Shoulders shook as he stepped away with a chuckle. He didn't mind the pair going off to do some light browsing mixed with a bit of acclimatising. Xin was used to the people in his life coming and going and didn't tend to get overly attached or jealous. His views had been shaped early when his father had broken his promise and Xin had forever lost his parents. There were other events that had galvanised his behaviour. For a while he had run with a crew of hot-headed young nautolans determined to rebel against the One Sith occupation. They had been betrayed from the inside and mostly been killed or put in prison - which amounted to the same thing where the One Sith were concerned. Now he was tentatively beginning to trust some people again. It wouldn't take much to break that - and likely Xin - for good.

But what he needed right now was a snack and to plot some comebacks so he stood a fighting chance against the pair of them in the next bout of verbal sparring.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Xin Boa"]


"Extra creamer if you can."


Delila ignored his comments on coming alone next time. There was no way Squidly would want to miss out on the fun by leaving the both of them behind. They parted paths and she joined Brak's side inside of Xin's. They were headed towards a massive parts store - the ones that were typically filled with unorganized rows and rows of salvaged parts.


"Growing up, my parents ran a repair yard. Spent many days in places like this with my Dad and brother trying to hunt down the right part. I used to wonder if all these places were the same - always run by some eccentric old fellow with a million stories to tell."


Delila chuckled a little. Those days were long gone.


"So what are we looking for? Or did you plan on browsing to get away from Squidly?"

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

"What, and miss the fun of him pretending to like that hat still? No I just like this kind of place," he replied. Unlike many barabels his diction was quite clear and crisp. His was fourth generation of his family who had left their homeworks behind. Basic came more naturally than his species' native tongue.

"Different places..." He murmured as he moved through the crowd and cast his eyes over the stalls "...tend to place different values on parts..."

He was an enormous lizard but he never pushed or jostled to make his way through the throng of people. He would wait patiently and more often than not they got out of his way.

"On the fleet disposable items with a shirt shelf life tend to be worth the most whilst near a big starport they tend to be cheap. Wonder what they value here..." It wasn't as if they'd seen much technology around the place.

Xin could be seen being accosted by several merchants who thought him an easy mark.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Xin Boa"]


"Brak, we're walking on wooden planks. I haven't seen much metal around here....Could be the sea spray and corrosion. However, I don't know much about their reasoning behind their odd construction processes."


Chuckle escaped her as she watched Squidly get mobbed by the crowd trying to sell him things. Poor guy stood out worse with the hat. Honestly he could have looked like a regular spacer instead of a tourist and brought less attention. Eyes drifted away from their third musketeer and back to the marketplace. Everything seemed extremely odd to her. Now wasn't the time to speak her concerns publicly. Wasn't sure who could be listening.


"I'm not sure. We are far out, cost may be the same. Doesn't hurt to poke around and look though. I'd hate to break down out here. Seems like there probably isn't a skilled mechanic on the whole of this planet."

 

[Xin Boa]

Brak turned towards her and tilted his head to one side. A smile with his teeth was a relatively disconcerting visage, but he did it anyway. Then he jabbed on big thumb towards his own chest.

“Iss now.”

To prove his point he headed towards a stall. His height had afforded him a good view and he’d spotted something in a pile alongside scrap metal. A few moments of negotiation and he walked away with a small tarnished metal cylinder.

“Universal couplings. Always running out of these.”

“Alright,” Xin called from the side. He had a paper cup in each hand. “Extra cream and as black and foul as possible,” he said as he nodded to each in turn. Knowing he’d interrupted a conversation as the caf-boy he waited to let them finish. They would need to go see their rooms and check out the view. Hopefully they could get sight of the promenade on the fair tower without making it obvious they were spying.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Xin Boa"]


Delila was taking a look at the universal couplings that Brak managed to score from a booth. They didn't look very worn, still quite a bit of life in them. Needed a bit of cleaning up but in some place like this Brak was lucky to find anything at all in her humble opinion. More impressive was his negotiation skill, didn't take long at all.


"Impressive, good find Brak."


It didn't take long for a paper cup to be presented, her caf swimming in extra creamer. Delils reached up and kissed Xin on the cheek in thanks before taking a sip of the hot liquid. Brak was putting away the universal couplings while balancing his own caf. Eyes glanced to the tower of where they would be staying.


"I'm ready to check out our rooms. See if this macrobinocs I bought actually work..."

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

Xin stepped away with a one-sided little smile on his face. "Dey needed some of dem on de Guardo," Xin said with a nod at the couplings. No matter where Brak went there would be a search for parts. And horrible strong caf.

Xin wasn't entirely sure where he was going but he headed for the stairs at the far end of the market. Needed to head up and past some residential areas. Then another little rope bridge to the little tower. He wasn't entirely sure if this all counted as one tower in this outcrop of rocks. It felt more like an organic amalgamation of buildings. Being able to swim wouldn't help at all if it all came crashing down in the wind. He tried not to think about that.

Instead he thought if what the kiss meant. People did that all the time. Even to say hello. She seemed as much of a drifter as he was. Perhaps even more in some ways. Two years in jail wasn't much compared to the years she had apparently spent marooned. Three rooms though. Was he supposed to act in a more professional manner? Would he be overstepping to say he wouldn't mind sharing. Because after that night he most certainly wouldn't. They also had shifts to manage. They had holos of the duros and a number of their associates and a good view of the balcony they were known to deal from.

Xin cast his eyes around and saw that on these stairs they were mostly alone.

"Hopefully a good view without us disturbing anyone..." He offered. At the top of the stairs was a fairly quiet area that led to the little bridge. "Dere we are," he said. At least it was a much smaller bridge than the one that had crossed over open seas. Was barely even swaying.

"Bit less wind here," Brak observed. "Might not need to hold the hat this time."

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Xin Boa"]


Delila didn't like the structural look of the tower. Granted it hadn't tipped over as far as she knew in recent storms and wind. She was going to try to not think of the possibility of drowning to death in the middle of the night or a swaying tower each time the wind blew.


Caf was still in hand as they moved to a quiet part of the wood-rock city...thing. The bridge didn't bother her in the slightest, she had to cross worse during her time in the special forces. She instead used one hand to keep herself steady and the other to sip her caf.


She couldn't help but to smirk at the mention of the hat. Dells couldn't wait until she was alone with Squidly to really tease him. Well, if they had a chance to be alone. They were going to have to work in shifts, most likely one on duty while the other two slept or poked around elsewhere. From previous experience the work was going to be tedious and boring for the most part.


"Hopefully. With any luck we'll get a block of rooms in a corner or something. Squidly will have to keep that hat off though, its going to start attracting hordes of women with its sex appeal. Not a distraction we need when we're trying to lay low."


A pause, another sip of caf.


"Challenge you to a game or three of sabacc later Brak?"

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

As he strode off across the bridge - hoping to appear a little more confident about that matter than on the previous crossing - the wind picked up and flicked the hat back off his head. It ended up against the back of his neck catching the wind like a kite. The little strap pulled at his neck as Brak started a quiet hissing giggle behind him.

Xin sighed. His fingers tugged as the strap to undo it. The straw hat was unceremoniously tossed aside and floated down towards the sea far below.

"If yuh tink he has an amazing sabacc face yuh might want to give him a poke," Xin said. "Sometimes he gets cold and falls asleep. Just sits there starring at yuh."

"I just do that to creep you out," Brak replied. "We can play whilst squidly is on watch. I've already cleared out his credits you might be more fun."

Xin gave up. As they reached the end of the bridge he could see a sign above one of the doors for a reception.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Xin Boa"]



Hmn. Shame about the hat.



Delila watched it sail gracefully to the churning seas below. Later she would have to comment about the disappointment losing the hat was - but not in company with Brak. Caf was finished and she crushed the small paper cup, tossing in a trash can as they exited the bridge.


"I look forward to it. Haven't had a decent sabacc opponent in years. I've got the cards in my luggage here. Once we settle in and put Squidly on watch, its on..."


Reception loomed ahead, Delila planning on taking charge. They entered the tower and Delila went to lean against the reception desk. Squidly and Brak loomed behind her, she was relying on both of them to look around and observe the area.


"Reservation for Dangir, Luca. Should be three rooms."


A bit of a surly look and the attendant started to type. A few moments later Delila came back with three room cards for a block on the upper floors. The tower wasn't fancy enough for bell hops or attendants to take the trio up to their rooms. They were on their own but it seemed self explanatory.


"Come on, lets go get settled in. I'm dying for a drink."