Nothing Personal

[Arlan Zy'rosh]

Thin lines of light streaked through the space above Isis, slowly pulling together and forming the visage of a ship as it exited lightspeed. It was a freighter, a small vessel, registered as a civilian transport and set to dock outside the Crystal Palace. Various men and women sat together in the dark of the hold, many loosely gripping blasters and slugthrowers, as the soft hum of the engines filled their ears. Among them, near the bow of the ship, sat Arlan Zy'rosh softly rubbing his hands upon his face. Exhaustion filled eyes as he glanced at his wrist for the time, knowing soon he would need to address the others before they set down. The business they would be dealing in here on Isis was delicate, and he couldn't risk some hot head karking things up for everyone.

Carrion Company Contracting, or more precisely Arlan, had picked up the contract on a member of Isis' high nobility not too long ago. Namely it was an attempt to further legitimize the now legally operating Carrion Company, but even more so all of Arlan's research had suggested the target would be taken down easily and without a need for violence. At least, that was what Arlan hoped for but he couldn't shake the sinking feeling the pit of his stomach that this would inevitably be more work than the pay was worth. It was, however; too late to back out now having already arrived on the planet and paid promised his men their meager cut. So instead of fretting over it all, instead of whining and turning tail, Arlan readied himself and stood.

"Alright." Arlan said in his typical monotonic demeanor, his voice harsh and raspy. "This is supposed to go easy but you, me, and everyone else that's in this business knows things rarely go how they are supposed to." His eyes scanned the faces of the Carrion Company volunteers that lined the freighter, all the while wondering if this crop would pan out. "Target's name is Thais Kallisto, she's around eighteen, dark of hair and fair skinned, and she's one of the planet's high-nobility." Various murmurs and snorts erupted from the others in the freighter. "I know I know, nobles aren't fun to tangle with on their own planets, but she's mainly a figurehead and many of her people loath her. She's not expected to be much of a threat and may come with us freely if she sees no other option so we gotta do this right." Arlan stopped and sighed, rubbing the back of his head before continuing. "We go in cold, safeties on and muzzles lowered. Absolutely no hostility on our part, we return fire only. We do this right, no shots will be fired and we all go back to Rutan a little richer."

Arlan finished speaking and leaned back into his seat. There had been a time where he no longer accompanied his men on contracts, but as things were now he was needed more in the field than back on Rutan. It was just as that thought crossed his mind that Arlan's comm came to life and a voice called out. "Five minutes out Boss." The man said calmly, letting the comm die down again. It was time now, and Arlan only hoped they all were ready.

[member="Thais Kallisto"]

 

[Liam Darkgear]

Darkgear was silently smoking a cigar, the light faintly illuminating his scars and the eyepatch covering his right socket. The experienced mercenary was here for one reason: to get paid. He didn't particularly care for who this Thais woman was, only her value in credits. He, in a way, was truly a Soldier Without Borders, holding no political affiliation or preference. It didn't matter to him.

The payment did, though.

A fellow soldier next to the Mandalorian was fidgeting with his rifle when a power pack fell. He swore and picked it up nervously, looking generally shaky and all around inexperienced. Liam laid a mechanical hand on his shoulder, the cold, red arm startling the kid, who yelped softly and jerked up, hitting his head on the top of the railing above him. Darkgear turned a grey eye to him and looked at his young face, sweat and fear dripping. Probably the kid's first job. A reassuring chat would help.

"First job?"

"Y-yeah."

"I can tell. What's your name, kid?"

"K-Kaz."

"Do me a favor, Kaz. Don't be nervous. It's an easy hit. A good first job for you. You'll be fine as long as you keep a cool head. Got it?"

The kid, this Kaz, took a deep breath in before replying.

"I got it. Thanks, Boss."

Liam patted Kaz's shoulder before facing forward yet again, enjoying his cigar while he could...

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Princess Kallisto was busy preparing for her wedding day to Xander Blackmoore. Very soon, she would take his name and become Queen of Isis, Indupar and Ec Pand. That her search for a mate ended here was much more fortuitous than Thais had even imagined. She envisioned many trade-offs with pursuing a noble suitor, but with Xander she was able to have attraction, love, wealth, security, and not one, but three planets at her disposal. The young royal was relaxed for the most part, but since her fortune had been so good lately, she assumed it could not last. She was wary of any sudden occurrence that could send her contented life into turmoil at a moment's notice.

In the Crystal Palace, Thais watched as her attendants arranged the new nursery, reviewing fabric samples and furniture. The Princess was nearly 25 weeks along. All of her lavish gowns and garments were now tailored for her growing womb. "Don't you want to pick out curtains for your daughter, Princess Kallisto?" asked Miss Janine, her most loyal and trustworthy handmaiden. Thais just gazed out of the window, looking out over the crystal landscape of Isis. "Hmmm?"

"You are distracted, Your Highness," said Janine. "Why don't you sit down and rest for awhile."

"I can't relax with Xander gone," said Thais. Her husband-to-be was off on a short business trip before they would make the journey to Ascension to be wed. After that, they would need to figure out on which planet to reside. She knew he was returning home soon, but the pregnancy had made her foggy and forgetful. It could have been today or perhaps tomorrow.

"You need to relax for Abigail's sake." The couple had already picked out a name: Abigail Blackmoore.

"There will be time to unwind later," replied the Princess. "Besides, I have a meeting with the Captain of the Guard to review security procedures here at the Palace."

Princess Kallisto went downstairs to her sitting room where the Captain would be eventually shown in. What she didn't reveal to Miss Janine was that she wasn't reviewing security procedures at all but having tea with the Captain to finish their plans of a military coup of Isis's government. This was contrary to the advice the King of Indupar had given her, but Thais could waste no more time. She needed to solidify her rule on Isis for Abigail's sake.

[member="Liam Darkgear"] [member="Arlan Zy'rosh"]

 

[Arlan Zy'rosh]

The freighter touched down just outside the Crystal Palace, in what appeared to be the civilian docks. Isis was a bit of a marvel for Arlan, having never before been to the planet it was easy to see why so many spoke highly of it. Light reflected in through one of the ship's view-ports as the sun bounded across the massive crystalline structure towering over them, causing Arlan to smile at the irony. It appeared to him as colored glass and it was that feeble looking structure they now had to go, which in fact was one of the most well guarded areas on the planet at present. Arlan shook his head and looked back at the others, trying to discern if pushing forward the way he had planned would truly be the best. Going in cautious may well keep innocents from being injured, but it could do a world of harm to his men.

"Alright boys. The Crystal Palace is our goal, the princess is our target, and despite the way many of the planet's lesser individuals think of her the men inside will likely put up fierce resistance." Arlan stopped and let the last of that sentence sink in before continuing. "But we aren't going to return it in full. Blasters are to be set to stun, and those of you carrying slugthrowers are to injure not kill. You get me?" Arlan raised a finger and pointed it out towards no one in particular. "The princess is confirmed to be with child, pretty far along to, and once we have her she is to be guarded extensively as we escort her through the streets." Arlan stopped once more and took a breath. "The hard part of this contract isn't getting to the target, it's keeping her alive as we take her to the drop."

That much was true at least. Once they got Thais out of the palace and down to street level it wouldn't be hard for someone to identify her. If that happened Arlan and his men may well have to content a few hundred angry peasants rather than a few dozen armed guards. If the choice was up to Arlan he would take the latter each time, but at the moment they didn't really have an option. The pilot of the freighter was set to come in close for a pickup once Arlan and the others left the palace, but a sinking feeling told Arlan it wouldn't be that easy in the long run. Standing, Arlan moved towards the hatch of the freighter and turned once again to face his men.

"I need two teams of fifteen. One with me to approach from the front, the other to attempt slipping behind their security." Arlan barked out. "I doubt they fire on us initially, but if they do I need contingencies set in place. Therefore, if my team cannot gain entrance the backup team can get us in." Arlan stopped and looked around. "Any volunteers to lead the backup team?"

[member="Thais Kallisto"] [member="Liam Darkgear"]

 

[Armand Temi]

It would not take long until the freighter had company. When the Sovereign ruler was in residence, she had fifty palace guards on duty, soldiers of various ranks with four officers in charge, including the Captain. Her regiment was made up of human and Gutretee natives. While the guards were all clad in heavy armor, the Gutretee had a special racial trait - their crystalline hide was impervious to blaster fire.

But the fifty soldiers were spread throughout the palace and grounds. The civilian docks had just a handful assigned to them. Isis was a bit of a backwater planet and was not normally a target for intergalactic crime. But Thais Kalliso, owner of the Kallisto Mining Company, was wealthy; her quarries were also rich with valuable crystal and quartz ore. Ships that landed near the palace without the proper permits were bound to be investigated.

Therefore, seven of Thais's guards approached, and armed with blasters, stood near the ship awaiting the occupants' exit. The Princess Kallisto often had business meetings. Traffic in and out of the dock wasn't heavy, but it also was not a deserted port. Due to the crystal landscape, most food and water had to be imported, so the Palace port was a hub of shipping activity. Cargo holds were emptied, men and droids bustling around with goods for Thais Kallisto and her court.

The leader of this small unit, a Gutretee named Lt. Shea would be waiting for the first out of the freighter, be it the contractor or one of his personnel.

Meanwhile in the Palace...

"Captain Herak," said Thais, "Please have a seat." Tea was served by efficient Gutretee servants, but Thais declined it. As her pregnancy had progressed, she had begun to feel more tired and selective about what she ate. "Do you have more thoughts about what we spoke of last?" she asked him. "And a time-frame around when we should depose the deputy-Governor?"

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"] [member="Liam Darkgear"]

 

[Liam Darkgear]

A red mechanical hand went up at the call for a volunteer.

"I'll do it."

Liam stood up and walked over slowly to Arlan. His cigar hit the floor and a dirty combat boot snuffed it out with a stomp. Once again, his face was covered in shadows, his beard, scars, and eyepatch disappearing in the darkness. The Mandalorian spoke again, his voice in a monotone Dxun accent.

"Liam Darkgear."

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"]

 

[Arlan Zy'rosh]

Arlan hadn't thought for a second anyone would volunteers to lead the secondary team, at least not so soon or willingly. Their job was what one would call an inactive-operation, due to the fact that they were too complete their task as passively as possible, and most of the trigger hungry Mercs in the Galaxy hated that sort of assignment. Still though, a man did volunteer completely surprising Arlan as he stood and made his way over. Giving him a quaint nod Arlan eyed him for Arlan minute originally so trying to place his face, but if they had ever before met Arlan could not recall. He looked capable enough though, like he had led before, so Arlan was able to give him the job with a clear conscience. Arlan stopped for a moment, looked at him then back to the others, and smirked.

"Alright soldier, take your pick of men and head towards the outskirts of this little colony. Once there circle back in to the rear of the palace, while staying off their radar." Arlan spoke plainly as he scratched his beard and moved to the rear of the hold. Near thirty men sat before him, just enough for two teams and protection for the freighter. Arlan hadn't wanted a unit heavy operation but he was beginning to doubt his logic when thinking about the palace's guards. Still though, if done right they wouldn't need many men so silently Arlan prayed. He was, however; interrupted by the sound of his comms crackling on. "Boss, we got company. I count seven men, armed but not acting.

Arlan paused, thinking quietly for a solution to this nee problem. If they went hot right now there was no way they could make it into the palace without injury a lot of people, and that's not something Arlan wanted on the Carrion Company's first official job. No, there had to be a better way than to go out shooting. "Alright, plan stays the same. First team up and with me, muzzles down, the rest of you hang back till the guards are distracted." Arlan then reached over and took hold of his blaster before opening the rear hatch followed by fifteen mercenaries.

One by one they filled the dock, the next in line looking far more sinister than the last. Arlan waited until fall following him were out of the freighter before approaching the man whom appeared to be in charge and speaking. "Sorry to disturb you all today. It seems our presence has stirred things up." Arlan would finish with a grin.

[member="Thais Kallisto"] [member="Liam Darkgear"]

 

[Liam Darkgear]

Liam pointed a red mechanical finger at Kaz, startling the greenie who was still seated.

"Kaz. You're with me. Everyone else, get ready to move."

Darkgear made his way up to the cockpit, which was right there in front of all the men, and spoke to the pilot.

"Take us around back. Somewhere quiet. We need to make a covert entrance."

The pilot looked back and gave a thumbs-up.

"Roger that, Boss."

With that set, the transport picked up. The Mandalorian looked briefly at his employer and his squad of 15 men before the exit hatch closed. Darkgear grabbed a support beam above him and spoke up, his voice heard above the clamor of guns and gear.

"Make this quiet, men. Blasters on stun, but don't use 'em unless necessary. You're gonna sneak into tactically advantageous positions. I will be dealing with security one by one. This is what I trained for. Do not turn this into a firefight. If this goes as I plan, half of the soldiers here will be out before they even know what's going on. Then you will strike. Understood?"

The mercenaries grumbled in agreement, not pleased that their itchy trigger fingers weren't being scratched.

The transport circled to a more secluded area of the palace, an area that wasn't monitored as well as it should've been, in all honesty. It was an area that was just outside of the actual royal grounds. Perhaps there had been some oversight in security, but the zone was hardly oversaw, a single soldier distracted by a holopad he held. A tactical error, one that the strike team would take the upmost advantage of.

The ship didn't even touch down. Without a word, Darkgear opened the hatch in midair and jumped the 30 feet or so to the grass that made up the slightly secluded garden in the outskirts of the palace. The other mercenaries eagerly followed. The last man to exit was Kaz, looking slightly green as he jumped with a yelp.

Liam tumbled in a crouching position, his blaster already out, set to stun. The unprofessional soldier looked up from his datapad with mouth agape in surprise. He reached for his rifle that was propped on the wall next to him, but a silent shot hit him before he could grab it. The man fell to the ground, out cold.

All the dogs of war filed out, checking their corners and clearing the area. The garden was clean. Liam looked about and spoke quietly, satisfied so far.

"Spread out."

The men went out in teams of two. Kaz instinctively went towards the Mandalorian mercenary, but Darkgear raised a red arm in a gesture to stop.

"You'll slow me down, kid."

Not allowing him to respond, Liam crouched down and moved along, beginning his infiltration of the Crystal Palace while his soldiers got into position...

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"]
[member="Thais Kallisto"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Lt. Shea peered at [member="Arlan Zy'rosh"] over his crystalline nose. "Can I see the permit for your visit?" he asked. The rest of the men and humanoid soldiers looked downright bored. An investigation of a strange ship this size apparently was not cause for concern. It attested to how safe the planet normally was. Despite it's vast wealth, Isis was no Nar Shaddaa.

And outside of the Palace grounds, the men who crept closer would be nearing an invisible trip-wire alarm system. Those who didn't trip the alarm were spotted by a four Royal Guards stationed near the southern wall of the palace who were walking along on a normal patrol. Three of them went running towards the men with their blasters out. "Halt or we'll shoot!" one of them shouted.

The fourth one ran inside the Palace and nearly stumbled into the sitting room, he was so frightened. "Intruders Captain Herak! Mi'Lady, I will escort you to the tunnels," he said with a sudden bow towards the Princess. Her heart nearly lept into her throat at the thought of intruders, but then curiosity got the best of her. Thais had many enemies, and she needed to know which one of them were knocking on her doorstep. Could it be the deputy govenor? Another lackey of Crix Meriet's? Or were these normal theives trying to steal from the palace or the quarries?

"I will do no such thing!" yelled Thais stubbornly. "I will stay here until you apprehend whoever is out there so I can get to the bottom of this."

[member="Liam Darkgear"]

 

[Arlan Zy'rosh]

Arlan sighed as he looked upon the guards before him. In truth it would have been far wiser to do all this in another way, to wait until the target was outside her fortress to attempt to apprehend her, but Arlan had no great desire to physically force a pregnant woman into that sort of situation. No, he had opted for a less viable and far more dangerous gambit, directly approaching her. For his courtesy he and his men had landed in a bad way and now he had to be the one to steer this operation unto it's correct course. So Arlan eyed the officer and his men, a wayward hand motion for those behind him to stand down, and he took a step forward. His eyes flared, cold and fierce, as he fingered the weapon at his side. An intimidation tactic he had used over the course of his career, for men were usually off-put by the thought of a man willing to open fire. These guards though were professionals and Arlan knew it would take more than childish mind games to knock them off track.

"Sorry gentlemen, we do not have a permit but we do have pressing business here. That I assure you." Arlan spoke calmly, eyes darting between the guardsmen before him. "I could sit here and lie to you, say our ship is in need of repairs or we just sat down to refuel, but I won't." Arlan's voice grew more intense as he continued, filled with malice and disdain. "I've come for the princess. Not to harm her, not to imprison her, just to escort her to my employers." Arlan could tell now the guardsmen before him were beginning to get uneasy, and he could understand why. "I know your numbers, I know your training, and I know most of you are good decent people, but if you attempt to prevent us from collecting the princess many of you will be injured." Arlan's voice grew deeper. "Twice as many men as you see behind me wait on standby, I'd rather not call in." The last line was of course a bluff, and a lie. The only other men he had on Isis at the moment were the secondary team led by Liam Darkgear, whom Arlan assumed had already reached the palace.

Of course Arlan could have lied, he could have done things as he used to. Using deception and forgery to gain access to his target, but The Carrion Company was legitimate now and he wanted this first true contract to be conducted in a manner befitting that status. Now all he could do was wait and see the reaction of the men before him. The fifteen men behind him had already trained their weapons upon the guardsmen in case they attacked, but in all truth Arlan doubted they would. No, Arlan hoped, nay prayed, that Princess Thais would see reason and allow them to escort her with little to no trouble.

[member="Thais Kallisto"] [member="Liam Darkgear"]

 

[Liam Darkgear]

Karking hell.

It was Kaz who blew their cover, stumbling over a quite obvious trip-sensor that was clearly marked so the guards of the Crystal Palace could see it. The green rookie looked over at Liam with a nervous look on his face that said, 'please don't kill me.' Darkgear growled at him before speaking up for the fourteen other men to hear.

"We're still doing this quietly. Neutralize any task force sent our way and continue the covert operation."

As if on cue, the four soldiers aforementioned ran out of a pathway, interrupted from their normal patrol by this alarm. Three of them stayed. The one to warn the royalty left before anyone could take a shot at him. Silently, the Mandalorian cursed to himself as they raised their weapons, demanding a surrender. That wasn't going to happen.

With practiced smoothness, the experienced soldier raised his Mandalorian Heavy Pistol and sent three silent shots at the trio of men as fast as humanly possible. The blaster was set to stun. All of his shots hit their marks, incapacitating the task force with silence. The men behind him looked with awe at the skill just demonstrated from the one-eyed mercenary as he turned around and began to order the soldiers of fortune again.

"Hide the boys and restrain them. And from now on, watch where the hell you're going. We have an alert on the Palace now. Make sure you're not spotted again. If you are, neutralize the enemy before they can report back to HQ. Now move out! If we're fast, we can get a good recon and still have the chance to take out some more security. Go!"

The men once again split into pairs, now heading in separate ways as they nimbly but cautiously followed orders. Darkgear squinted in mild irritation before crouching low and continuing his infiltration of the Crystal Palace, hoping to himself that his employer could pull through with this slight setback in place...

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"] [member="Thais Kallisto"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Now that the alarm had been sounded, the entire Palace was abuzz with panicked activity. But Thais refused to budge from the sitting room, which left Captain Herak in a predicament. Did he stay and guard the Princess, or did he join his own troops in fighting off whatever assailants were encroaching? Stubborn mule, he thought. Why can't she just go into the tunnels like any other teenage noblewoman would?

Suddenly another guard came in with a report, "Not only is a group of intruders on the lawn, but there's a ship without a permit in the docking bay. The owner says he's here to take the Princess." The guards eyes flashed over to Thais momentarily but then back to the Captain. "Your orders, sir?"

Captain Herak began to speak, but Princess Kallisto cut him off. "You will take the orders from me," she spat. "And you will bring those men here. How dare they presume they can just collect me like some kind of object?"

"But Mi'lady what if they outnumber us?" Captain Herak asked, incredulously.

"You leave them to me. I will welcome them, as I would any other guests to Isis. Then they will find out, that I do not intend to go anywhere with them."

"Very well, you heard the Princess," said the Captain.

So back at the Palace hangar, a pageboy came running up to the guards and whispered something in Lt. Shea's ear. The Gutretee solider appraised Arlan Zy'rosh quietly for a moment, and then said with a sniff, "The Princess invites you to the Crystal Palace. But she says you need to call off the men who are, and I quote, stomping all over the flowers in my prized flowerbeds... endquote."

As the Palace Guards cautiously escorted The Carrion Company to the glittering Crystal Palace, Thais made a holocall to the Deputy-Governor.

"Thank you, Governor," she replied after he inquired after her health and the well-being of her unborn child. "There is a situation at the Palace. I
may need some of the Isis police force down this way. Not yet... but can you send a couple of units in about thirty minutes to check on me?" Since Thais had a love/hate relationship with the Isis government, she wouldn't normally ask for help. But even though she had shown an extreme amount of bravado in the presence of Captain Herak, she also had a healthy fear of assassination. Surely letting this group your home is not your cleverest idea, Thais, she thought. But it wouldn't be the first time she let curiosity dictate her decisions.

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"] [member="Liam Darkgear"]

 

[Arlan Zy'rosh]

Of course in the beginning Arlan felt a bit uneasy about accepting the princess' invitation into the palace, but then again what better way to gain access to the young lady than per her request. This whole mission had been one risky gamble after the other. Arlan had chosen to enter with few men, using non-lethal force, and even going so far as putting his own men in danger for the sake of the target. Continuing down the current path seemed shaky at best, but at present there was little Arlan could do to change things already sat in motion. So there he stood, eyes fierce and staring at the guards with his men readying themselves behind him. Arlan's next action would be a crucial one and not one he planned on making halfheartedly. Perhaps if this princess would truly listen to reason then they could all get out of this without a life being taken, but if not Arlan would not allow those lost to be his. Nodding towards the officer among the guardsmen, Arlan brought up his comm-link and began to speak.

"Commander Zy'rosh to Aerial. Commander Zy'rosh to Aerial, over." Arlan spoke harshly and awaited a reply. "Aerial responding, over." The pilot of the freighter they had arrived on spoke in retort. "Aerial, you are to assume overwatch position. Weapons hot. Report movement of any approaching forces and offer warning. Fire only if fired upon, and remain out of range of ground defenses." Arlan relayed to his men within the confides of the ship. He had always been one to favor aerial support on any mission, even those of a nonviolent nature. With possible hostility in the near future having an armed vessel patrolling the sky above the Crystal Palace would undoubtedly be a great boon. "Commander Zy'rosh to team two, over" Arlan continued issuing orders to the other men in the field. "Team two, you are to stay your advance. All incapacitated hostiles are to be restrained and detained for the foreseeable future. You are to take up sentry positions and monitor enemy movement. Weapons hot, lethal force is permitted. Only fire if fired upon, and if so execute detained hostiles." Arlan finished, lowering his comm-link and falling in behind the guardsmen with his own men following suite.

Now Arlan would see what was to come. He had of course heard of the princess' nonchalant nature and was a tad curious as to see how she would respond to his request, though he hoped she would be reasonable. As Arlan and his motley band of mercenaries entered the palace a sense of dread fell over them. For some odd reason Arlan knew that whatever waited at the end of this short would result in the deaths of many good people.

[member="Thais Kallisto"][member="Liam Darkgear"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Arlan Zy'rosh and his men would be greeted by Napo, another Gutretee native, who was one of the Princess's most trusted advisers. At his side was Captain Herak. The Captain was the first to speak. His eyes betrayed some worriment over the situation, but his voice was steady and deep:

"Loose weapons must be left here in the foyer," he said. "Sheathed weapons must remain that way. If you do not comply with this order, you will need to remain outside of the Palace for the duration of the visit."

"Follow me," said Napo in a more congenial tone. He turned to Captain Herak. "Actually the sitting room is not the largest room in the Palace, and that's where the Princess would like to receive you. We an only take Mr. Zy'rosh and a couple of his men."

For those who did as instructed, they would be taken inside the Palace, past various crystal and stone monuments. Paintings and mosaics adorned the walls. The Princess was quite a collector of precious gems and metals, not only from her own quarries, but from all over the galaxy. These would be displayed in every corner, either within the walls of the palace themselves, of if rare enough, in a display case.

Finally, the militia would be deposited on the threshold of the sitting room, which was a nicely furnished space with an expansive view of the crystal mountains of Isis. Thais Kallisto would be curled in her favorite chair, hands clasped in her lap. She wore no crown or tiara. She did have some expensive looking jewelry on and a rather formal gown for the middle of the afternoon. Her long brown hair was plated to one side, and even though she was young, she was glowing with the expectant aura of a mother-to-be. A tense frown marred her strong, but graceful features.

"Mr. Zy'rosh, how can I help you?" she asked.

[member="Arlan Zy'rosh"] [member="Liam Darkgear"]

 

[Arlan Zy'rosh]

Arlan had waved his men down, instructing them to do as they bid for the time being. There were, of course, a few wayward grunts of disapproval from many of the men as they were asked to relinquish their weapons but they eventually did so and proceeded behind the guardsmen. Most, if not all, of the Arlan's men carried hideaway blasters just for situations such as this and Arlan was thankful for that fact at the moment. Leader of The Carrion Company or not, if he had asked his men to continue onward without any weaponry in such a dangerous situation chances are he would be out of the job, or worse. Everything did move onward though, Arlan and a few of his more well trained men heading towards Thais and the others waiting where instructed. The situation wasn't ideal at the moment, but Arlan had definitely been in worse over the course his illustrious career. Eventually they reach a set of doors, opened by the guardsmen escorting them and within, sat Thais.

"You can come with me quietly and in and orderly fashion, your grace." Arlan said flatly as he crossed his hands behind his back. "I was hired to escort you to the Society for a free Isis, alive and unharmed. Your people are on the verge of revolt and should I not deliver you have a good chance of them storming the palace themselves." Arlan continued on, staring firmly at the young princess. "I don't like the idea of tearing a woman in your....condition....out of her home but I do the jobs that are available." Arlan finished, looking at the guardsmen then to his men. "If you want to talk I think now is the time to say your piece princes."

[member="Thais Kallisto"]