Public Secrets in Starlight | A Core War Story

[Mercury]

SECRETS IN STARLIGHT
A CORE WAR STORY
​

The past few months have been a challenging time for the Galactic Alliance's Strategic Intelligence Agency.

Between their embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Mandalorian Enclave to the humiliation of the Dark Empire's push into the core (not to mention the cherry on top: the destruction of the historic Senate building when a heretofore unknown capital ship ripped it apart on its attempt to exit) the SIA had had one black eye after another, changing leadership like most people changed their underwear. And despite their new director (known helpfully as The Director ) putting things back to rights, it seems that their misfortune isn't over yet. In the aftermath of the Dark Empire's attack on Coruscant, and given the depth of enemy infiltration into the world, the SIA conducted an extensive audit to document that all their secrets were right where they were supposed to be.

Only they weren't.

A handful of last-gen data drives were missing from the a SIA safehouse in the ludicrously-named CoCo Town district of Coruscant. With no leads as to how they had gone missing and who had them, the SIA set about searching for a needle in a galaxy-sized haystack, until weeks later, when rumors reached SIA leadership's ears of an auction of one of the data drives with its corresponding decryption key. But it wasn't just the SIA that had become aware of the auction. Word had traveled fast, like it tended to do, among the galaxy's criminal underworld, intelligence communities, and corporate boardrooms, which, of course, was by design. The people who had the data drive didn't care who ended up with the data drive or why. After all, the credits were credits, whoever paid them.

And some said that money was plenty of motivation. Maybe it didn't get deeper than that.

Maybe. But were things ever really only surface-deep?

[ = = = [ ] = = = ]

CANTON, CANTONICA
TWO HOURS, THREE MINUTES UNTIL THE AUCTION
​

Hazel eyes peered from behind an intricate mask and through a cloud of cigarette smoke out at the bay that bordered Cantonica, where boats moved back and forth in the water, playing along the edges of the waterfall or else drifting lazily while their pampered owners took cocktails as the sun set over the water. It was an absurdity on a desert world like Cantonica, the largest man-made ocean built on a world that should, by all accounts, have been in the sticks. But Cantonica had carved itself a little niche, a playground world for the super-rich with a healthy appetite for the criminal underworld. The people here ran on credits and that was why with the promise of enough of them, the Canto Bight Casino's bigwigs had agreed to play host to Mercury for the night. The bonus promised for a successful evening didn't hurt, either.

The man in the mask, Mercury, finished his cigarette, letting his eyes linger on a black and silver boat that pushed out over the waterfall as he stubbed the butt out in a nearby ashtray. Only once he exhaled his cigarette smoke and after dragging his eyes over the fathier track in the foreground did Mercury push away from the gilded balustrade. He turned and surveyed the private box (a slight misnomer given that they were rounded, almost bulbous protrusions from the building). The stage was set: a dozen seats, with standing room for more. It would all look so legitimate. The private box was one of many, and there was nothing to suggest to anyone passing by to suspect that anything untoward would be happening. His lieutenants were scattered through the casino staff, observing the patrons for the tell-tale signs they were there for the auction. Those who expressed the interest and the means (primarily by dropping a shedload of credits at the casino tables, slots, boutiques, and bar) might just find themselves discretely provided an invitation to the auction where the data drive would be handed off.

Of course, the decryption key would be kept back until Mercury and his men were safely away. He was no fool, after all. Not a fool, no, but not a crook, either. There would be no funny business. The winner would receive the data drive and the decryption key in short order, but he had no intention of letting himself be apprehended by the SIA or any of the others. Besides, it was in the others' best interests to see how it played out. He had more data drives to sell, after all.

The SIA was another story. He fully expected them to snatch him, or worse, if they had the chance.

What a rude awakening they'd be in for if they managed. The complete publication of the other data drives would only compound their recent troubles...

He swiftly stalked out of the private box, turning to Rum, his chief lieutenant, as the cyborg fell into step beside him. "Do we have fish on the line, Rum?"

"Some promising candidates, boss," Rum said in a thick brogue that looked out of place in contrast with his waiter's uniform of a maroon waistcoat and bow tie and crisp white shirt, a brass nametag announcing that his name was M. Ortallon. "The chief of security's been helping separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. Keep our boys from identifying their regular drunken revelers from serious candidates."

"Anyone from the Agency yet?"

Rum shook his head, his brass nametag rattling a little. "None from the face book you provided. Of course, they could be here and in disguise, but so far nothing looking out of ordinary."

Mercury made an impatient noise as they passed through the stiff security checkpoint outside the private box. "No fuckups, Rum, you got it?" Mercury finally said, his irritation clear through the voice modulator in his mask. "This can not go badly. So be sure that it does not, or I'll rip every piece of chrome out of your head and you'll be stuck with just that stupid little mohawk."

If Rum was at all disturbed by this violent imagery, he didn't show it. This was tame compared to the Boss's usual vitriol, but he seemed to be more on edge now. There was something different about this operation. Rum almost thought it could be personal, but he wasn't entirely convinced that if he tore that mask away he'd find nothing but circuits and a particularly potty-mouthed artificial intelligence. "Got it, Boss," Rum said.

"I'll be in the control room. Watching the cameras to see if I can find any Agency plants. Find me when you and your men make invitations."

The two men (or cyborg and malevolent AI piloting circuits, as the case may be) parted ways.

[=] Matthias Colcrip [=] Sentapoth Findos [=] Onrai [=] Ines Pen-Ar-Lan [=] Ronval Rubat [=] The Vulptex [=] Droc’tav’nar [=] Credius Nargath [=]
​

Spoiler: OOC Notes

Please refer to the OOC thread for general ideas/ongoing discussion/plotting opportunities.

Feel free to utilize these extremely shoddy location headers for your posts if you like:

 

[Trent Veillion]

ON THE WATER
TAG: Diana Fox

They had hired a sleek but small yacht courtesy of the expense account of a local crime lord under their thumb. That was the beauty of being SIA Field Officer. There were a lot of things you could do that were not exactly legal, but also not quite illegal either. Anything to get the job done. If Trent was ever court-martialed it would cause quite a stir, but that's why the man planned to go out with a bang if it ever came to that.

Until then he'd enjoy himself and assist the Alliance in equal measures.

"You should enjoy yourself, miss Fox." He murmured as he re-calibrated the tracking equipment. "It is not always you get to experience the splendors of Canto Bight from a view like this on someone else's expense."

He pressed a button and a droid floated over to him with another mocktail.

Sadly the actual party would only begin after the mission was accomplished. Getting drunk beforehand was a quick way to get yourself chit-canned or even worse. Demoted into the paperwork department of the SIA. There were no worse fates than drowning in paper-cuts and dust accumulated over the years.

"Now, tell me, how is our little operation on Rishi going?"

Utilizing some left-over assets after busting a drug operation, they had managed to relocate the remainders to Rishi. Deep in the rain forests and meandering deltas Trent was trying to set up a minor exporting business of his own.

You had to be realistic about these things. The SIA retirement fund was not exactly something to write home about.

 

[Matthias Colcrip]

Secrets in Starlight | A Core War Story
Tag: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan
Location:

Matthias had been to Canton many times in his early exploration years. In fact it was one of the first planets he had visited shortly after leaving his homeworld of Tatooine. For him it was Tatooine with a pulse: the desert, while present, was supplemented by serene wilderness and oceans, the criminal underworld openly controlling most the planet, yet tourists here were far more common than Tatooine or Nar Shaddaa.

So criminal, in fact, that Matthias was here for that exact kind of business or rather he was here helping with that kind of business. Days prior he has received word from Blue, an aptly nicknamed Imperial Agent that Matthias had met and worked with prior, about assisting her with a mission on Cantonica. Recently there had been rumors of highly valuable data rumored to be out for auction- data straight from recent Core War that was raging.

It made sense, then, why an ISB agent would be so interested in the data leak. Really it made sense why anyone would be interested in it: after all in a galaxy of chaos knowledge was the ultimate power over your foes. But for Matthias there was always his own motive for doing things. Today he was intending to help out his newly acquired ally, true enough, but he wouldn’t be lying if he didn’t want the data for himself. Not to actually do anything with it, at least not politically, but rather to flip it further and sell it again, making his own profit from the war.

He’d keep that to himself, however, as he walked along the busy streets of Canton. Blue had informed him that this was a highly secure auction and that they’d need to be careful. Not exactly his forte but Matthias still attempted to at least dress the part: foregoing his usual armor and robes for a more traditional and formal set of robes, which sported a sandy color to signify his homeworld. His lightsabers were still locked tightly to the back his belt, always out of sight, though the armor he usually concealed beneath was truly gone this day.

He walked for a few minutes until he reached a small cafe not far from Canto Bight Casino, where the auction would take place. Taking a seat he leaned back casually, relaxing a bit as to not draw attention to himself. This was where Blue had told him to meet and he sat in eager anticipation for her arrival. When she did arrive the two could, hopefully, work out a means of obtaining the data or, at the very least, make sure the data is obtained by someone with the Dark Empire’s interest in mind.
​

 

[Diana Fox]

Diana felt naked without her signature crimson beret, but the desert world of Cantonica was no place for felt headwear, even here on the bay in front of the shining city of Canton. Her colleague -- reluctantly, on her part, though she had little choice -- had insisted on looking the part of the pampered elite, so she had traded her beret for a bathing suit and a rumpled white linen shirt as a coverup. She stood toward the rear of the little yacht, sort of behind one of the support struts in relation to the massive casino that loomed over the city. The wind over the bay ruffled her dark hair as she lifted the bincoluars to her eyes again.

"I saw the one in the funny little mask again," she reported to Trent Veillion . "In box five, last on the right. Furthest from the stairs. The location, the mask... gotta be them, dunnit?" She lowered the binoculars, eyebrow arching a little as she peered around her. "For a minute I could swear he was looking right at me." She turned around in time to see a black boat with broad silver panel detailing finish a lazy loop off the edge of the waterfall and then back.

Diana hung up the binoculars from their strap on the hook nearby and turned back to Trent. "I appreciate that as a midlevel functionary for a bloated bureaucracy you don't get to experience the luxe life as it was meant to be," Miss Fox said with a smirk. "But believe me, it's a lot more fun when you don't have to save your receipts and turn them over for reimbursement."

She went back into the yacht's lounge area and sat on a swiveling armchair, taking a cold fizzy something from the droid waiter on the way. "Why don't we just put a bullet through anyone that comes to the auction? Credits to crumpets you probably won't find out who's behind all this even if all goes to plan. People like this... well, y'know. Slippery little bastards they usually turn out to be."

Trent Veillion​

 

[Delphine Grosvenor]

Undisclosed Location
Cantonica​

Delphine watched as the feeds scrolled across her screen, an endless stream of data that she allowed to feed her analysis.

And her analysis? It wasn't good.

Someone -- and Delphine didn't even have suspicions yet as to whom -- had stolen a handful of data drives from an SIA facility on Coruscant, likely in the aftermath of the Dark Empire's attack, including information on active SIA safehouses behind enemy lines in the Dark Empire. The drives contained the location of the safehouse, the identities of the agents stationed there, and the details of their cover identities, as well as locations of highly valuable weapons and technology caches. Ordinarily, Delphine would have advised the Director to pull the agents out of the safehouse, to burn their clandestine identities, but the hard truth was that the intelligence they were providing was too useful, too valuable, to burn them unless they absolutely had to.

The ideal situation was to snag the data drive back and lock it up.

The worst case scenario would be to lose the drive and then have a race against time to destroy as much equipment and locally-stored data in the safehouse as possible and extract the agents there before they could be captured or worse.

All in all, it wasn't a great day to be a Deputy Director of the SIA.

Delphine opened up a channel to the SIA operatives tasked with the Cantonica project. "Good evening Agents, Grosvenor here. As you know, our primary objective here is to recover a stolen data drive, believed to be in or around the Canto Casino & Racetrack, by any means necessary. Our intelligence suggests that an invitation-only auction will be held later this evening for those the organizers identify as high rollers. The SIA is prepared to bankroll Agents' spending whatever is necessary to both infiltrate the auction and secure the data drive -- if it comes to that. But the data drive must be being held somewhere on the premises, so if you see an opportunity to get behind the scenes, by all means, take it. But take care, Agents. We have it on good authority that being caught where we ought not to be may result in the organizers going to ground and taking the data drive with them."

Delphine paused a moment. "Secondary objectives include identifying the individual or individuals rumored to be hosting the auction as well as any fellow auction attendees. Anyone who is interested in and in a position to obtain the data drive will be of interest to the SIA. Any other actionable intelligence is, as always, within your mission parameters. If you need equipment, be advised that Quartermaster Nakano is available in the Emerald Suite on floor six to equip you with whatever you may require."

Delphine unmuted the Agents' lines so they could answer back if necessary. "I will be on station and available by comms if you get into a jam, if you obtain the data drive, or if you require extraction or other assistance. Keep in touch, work together, and most of all: good luck."

___________________________________________________________________

@SIA​

 

[Sentapoth Findos]

The modified C-9979 Landing Craft broke through the atmosphere of the Planet of Cantonica, slowly touching down near the city of Canton. The ship emitted a low hum as it descended, stirring up dust and debris from the planet's polished surface, landing gear making contact with the ground, as a cloud of dust billowed outwards, obscuring the craft from view momentarily.

The sound of the engines died down, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. After some time, the ramp of the craft began to lower, revealing a company of Neimoidian Royal Guards and their charge, which was none other than Sentapoth Findos of the Trade Defense Force.

The Trade Federation had heard rumors on the grapevine that a few outdated data drives had disappeared from an SIA safehouse in the CoCo Town area of Coruscant, only to resurface at an auction being hosted on the planet. Securing such data drives for the Executive Board was his primary objective on the planet, and he would spare no expense in completing the assignment.

"The Executive Board is counting on us to recover those data-drives. I-I simply can't allow my career to be stagnated." The Neimoidian said to one of the nearby guardsman who merely nodded in response, as the delegation moved through the crowd of bankers, merchants and gamblers.

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Secrets in Starlight
Preparing for the auction | Interacting with Matthias Colcrip ​

Underneath the long, deep emerald green and fine clothed robes, the movement of her feet could not be seen. Instead, it would look as if the woman hovered forth with her arms crossed under wide sleeves, just like old Naboo customs would have someone of her position move. The high neck in gold melded nicely with the aggressively white face which wore makeup brought directly from Theed. She had dark brown eyes and jet black hair which was braided in two segments on both sides of her head. From the elegant but small pieces of jewelry she wore to the way her makeup was coupled with five red dots, two on her cheeks and three on her forehead, a person well versed in Naboo customs could likely tell that she belonged to nobility - but not quite as highly elevated as those who would ever be considered for Queen.

At first, she had been moving from the landing pad through the city by a barge, allowing her to get close to the people and receive every impression first hand. Even then, she sat upright with her back straight, head held high and an expressionless face. At least as expressionless as could be expected. A few children finding joy playing in an alleyway or a vendor managing to convince someone to try their product still had her lips twitch and eyes glimmer with endearment.

At one point, she raised a hand, thanked the driver and offered a tip. "Thank you, Sinde-Dar." she bowed her head whilst speaking with a nasal monotone voice, just like so many of her peers tended to do.

The Twi'lek chauffeur leaned over, his voice high and jovial "Are you sure, ma'am? We'll be there soon"

A nod was offered "I wish to experience this side before I enter" she liberated one of her hands to indicate to the large casino up ahead.

Leaning back in his seat, the Twi'lek waved his hand in the air "Very well, ma'am. I will be nearby, should you change your mind." he spoke with never ceasing enthusiasm

First, she looked up to her destination. It really was not far. But then, she simply offered another nod. "Thank you."

What followed was a slow tour through the last part of the city leading up to the casino. In most cities, a Naboo noble might have stood out - but in Canto Bight, she hardly had much reason to feel very special. She bought a small bottle of perfume, a fine pencil and ticket to a race event the next day. Besides the payment in credits, she had also offered small, minute, boxes containing dried flowers from her home. She also visited a local community center where she spent some time talking to the children and community leaders before finally writing them a cheque and offering a few of the same boxes.

Upon leaving the building, she noticed a slight smile lingering on her lips and worked quick to push it away. With a barely audible sigh, she moved on and eventually found herself passing by a café. Throwing a glance at it, she seemed keen on moving on at first. But then, the smell of newly baked bread and pastries had her change her mind.

After making the small transaction, she made her way out to find that there weren't any empty tables left. Approaching Matthias Colcrip with a bow of the head, she carefully placed the plate on his table and produced a box "Excuse me sir. Would you mind if we shared the table?" her monotone Naboo accent offered a small hint of Balmorran in the first sentence. The two of them had gone over a few details before ever reaching the planet and both knew what to do, but there were some things which needed a physical meeting. It would allow them to recognise each other and she'd be able to hand him the equipment through the box she had just given him.

 

[Olivia Pendleton]

OPEN FOR INTERACTION
​

Statuesque and slender, Olivia Pendleton stood at the casino bar, waiting for the bartender's attention. The pleasant sound of gaming and gaiety tinkled in through the broad arched doorway leading to the gaming floor, and the Chairman and CEO of Pendleton Defense Industries felt, for the first time in a long time, if not relaxed then as near as possible. The bar was crowded, hazy with the pleasantly mingled scent of half a dozen kinds of tabac cigarras and cigarillos.

It was almost enough to present to be on vacation. Not quite, though.

"Something to drink, miss?" the bartender asked, finally pausing in front of her.

Olivia leaned closer so that she did not need to shout her order. "A Ruby Bliel, please, extra dry."

"Right away."

After a few minutes the businesswoman had her drink and was standing to the side of the massive archway looking into the casino proper. It was more subdued than other casinos she had been in. Less tacky, branded slot and other electronic gaming machines. Instead there were more subdued ones, and the table games were crowded by people in elegant cocktail dresses and smart black suits (or the alien equivalent), like the chic dark green halter-neck cocktail dress Olivia herself wore. Finally, she settled on a high-limit blackjack table and asked the dealer to send over a cashier. "Mrs. Pendleton," the cashier said, bowing slightly. "How can I help?"

"I have a deposit on file with the casino. Twenty million."

"Yes, Mrs. Pendleton."

"I will take, say, two million, please. In hundred-thousand denomination chips. That is the minimum bet for this table, yes?"

The cashier produced a slip for her to sign, then signaled for the dealer to produce the chips as Olivia settled into one of the plush velvet chairs, and immediately lost a hundred thousand credits going bust when she should have stood. But winning was not the point. Olivia needed to get into that auction and if it took dumping millions of credits into this casino, then that's what she would do.

"Another," Olivia said with a bright but chilly smile for the dealer as she plunked another shiny rectangular marker on the felt tabletop. She took a sip of her drink and almost flinched. It certainly was extra dry.

 

[Torn Eskol]

DARKNESS




​

SIA SPECDIV
AGENT ESKOL

"I want you to tell me something, Torn. I want to hear it from you, word-for-word." Torn looked up at the tablet. His handler was on the other line, speaking through a voice modification service. No idea who it was, where they were, but they were in charge. Torn nodded, clicking his teeth. "Go ahead." Torn looked over at the stars as the ship was en route to it's destination. "Do it quietly, nobody knows you're there. We'll put you there, but you need to get there." Torn nodded, before putting his tablet down. "I'll get it done, nice and quiet like. Like a mouse." He said in reply. "Funny." The voice said. "You're Rabbit this time."

​

Rabbit entered with not much real, actionable information about the situation at hand.

Other than that if it was to fail, if it was to be a failure on their end, and the bad guys sold what they had without knowing where it went, well. Not a good time to be in the SIA. Rabbit had been informed that he hadn't been apart of the breach.

He wondered if the SIA even really had him on the books. The books, however, got him nearly 8 million credits. Through this account, traced, sold, bought off, and then laundered six times over is what he imagined. Clean, not-so-clean, credits. And he was having a good time. "Rabbit" was listed as an arms dealer in the Outer Rim, one of thousands. Fake documents and Holonet readouts would put him operating in Sith space, and selling to Sith-friendly militias, planets, and even some contracts to produce some items for the Empire, along with supplying a lot of militias with a lot of unsavory gear.

Rabbit was impressed with Sel Hulush's work.

And Rabbit, well- here, Rabbit was Sel Hulush.

Rabbit didn't like being Sel, but Sel liked being here. He had to drink enough to not draw suspicion, but also not enough to be intoxicated too much if the time came. He had put down one million credits, lost 500 large, and then won back 700 with various games. He puffed on a cigar, frankly enjoying this. Because, truth be told, if he was to find out something and risk his life, well. He might as well have some fun with it. The Keshian's uneasily somewhat glowing eyes leaned back, shrouded in some darkness of his card game. Pazaak was always his game, and the decks favored Rabbit. Rabbit was good at it, very good. Mostly because most people had tells, signs to break their concentration, break their train of thought and prevent them from making the moves they wanted to make. Rabbit played carefully in lieu of dangerously, and usually won.

He rolled a card in his hand, watching the other patrons of the Casino.

Too many to tell who was who, and too many eyes on him. He was ice-cold cool however, and not a speck of spook lay on him. He was an arms dealer, cold, ruthless, sure, but also charming, a businessman operating in death, misery, and warfare. He had it down pat. What Rabbit didn't know, however-

Was that he wasn't the only operative assigned to this.

The Agency had sent multiple agents to the operation. Rabbit wasn't the only Rabbit, here.

Hopefully nobody ended up with a knife in their neck or a chord around their neck that wasn't supposed to. But sometimes, that was just the cost of doing business.

 

[Ronval Rubat]

HIGH_ROLLER
Special Agent ██████ - 'R U S T Y' Mister Varlo Pavond
Strategic Intelligence Agency Chief Executive Officer of VaporPro Industrial & Engineering​

Location: Cantonica
Objective: Spend Some Cash
Equipment: Flute of Champagne, B.R.I.E.F.C.A.S.E briefcase, E.G.G.S. lucky charm, C.O.M.P.A.C.T. cosmetic holder, C.H.R.O.N.O.S. watch

Spoiler: disguise drip check

Tags:
Interacting Olivia Pendleton
Fellow SIA uh nobody in particular Delphine Grosvenor Torn Eskol

As you know, our primary objective here is to recover a stolen data drive, believed to be in or around the Canto Casino & Racetrack, by any means necessary.

The SIA is prepared to bankroll Agents' spending whatever is necessary to both infiltrate the auction and secure the data drive -- if it comes to that. But the data drive must be being held somewhere on the premises, so if you see an opportunity to get behind the scenes, by all means, take it.

Rusty got off the chair and stared into the hotel room mirror, mentally cheking his list- Torn was here, and if he was, there was a truckload of 'direct action' operatives ready to rumble. So that meant it as up to Rusty to try the diplomatic approach. Meet faces and what not. After all:

Secondary objectives include identifying the individual or individuals rumored to be hosting the auction as well as any fellow auction attendees. Anyone who is interested in and in a position to obtain the data drive will be of interest to the SIA.

The agent signalled to Yandele, a greenhorn from the academy. He was dressed in a simple valet suit- playing the assistant to Rusty's persona.

"Got what we needed?"

"No more than necessary." Rusty had allowed the taciturn young man to draft their part of the operation- no more than necessary, as he said. This was deep in hostile territory. Nothing was allowed to go wrong, or trip up security. So down with the hidden blasters and counterfeit money.

But briefcase, little good luck charms, and foundation? Well, Rusty would hardly be the only one here with backup. The young man slid the briefcase off the table.

"Good. Don't forget:"

If you need equipment, be advised that Quartermaster Nakano is available in the Emerald Suite on floor six to equip you with whatever you may require.

"There's some time before the auction. If we need more... well, I'll signal you to grab it."

"It is a little strange that I'm going to play a butler and be an actual butler fetching your equipment, sir." Yandele frowned slightly as he too looked in the mirror, checking the B.R.I.E.F.C.A.S.E. one more time.

"Ah, sir. I see you're getting into character already." Rusty gave a quick grin and turned to the door, pushing it open, taking in the sounds of gambling wafting down into the excutive suites.

Showtime.

The gaming floor was packed. Hundreds of highly disposable incomes jostling between the tables, hoped up on alcohol, greed, and a grasping desire for some feeling of burning excitement.

The Agency had sent multiple agents to the operation. Rabbit wasn't the only Rabbit, here.

Sel Hulush, ice cool at the pazaak tables, the death stare in his eyes. SpecDiv always knew how to make 'em.

'Varlo' ambled over to the bar, remembering himself.

"Varlo Pavond". Two levels of disguise. On the surface: nouveau riche- ex-yockel who hit the jackpot a decade ago selling revolutionary new evaporator tech. Key into Rusty's own technical knowledge, should anyone pry. Characteristics: trying too hard, a little gauche, slightly outdated fashion sense.

Well, they have the last one right. The CHRONOS watch certainly fit his outfit- a little too bright, clashing with his dark suit and outdated cloak. Fortunately for him, he wasn't the only dinosaur here, as he looked around. No one that raised his alarms just yet, though there were some big spenders within the past few minutes. He leaned over to order his drink.

"Bespin Ice Crush, Daruuvian, extra ice, and hold the swirl." Cool cubes for the working man. Most patrons of the establishment would not be caught dead with an ice cursh like that- even with Daruuvian, but Varlo was just that kind of guy.

Big spenders... There. The woman in the green cocktail dress. "Youngster, it's time to burn some cash." Yandele nodded, hurrying over to the chip exchange.

Second level of disguise. Varlo is a money launderer and agent of a medium-sized criminal network in the mid rim. He happily takes their money and uses their access to status, in exchange for doing their white collar work. But Varlo has been spending beyond his means, and the elder brothers are not happy with that. Varlo only has an inkling of the auction's true value- what he really wants is to get back in their good graces.

The cashier produced a slip for her to sign, then signaled for the dealer to produce the chips as Olivia settled into one of the plush velvet chairs, and immediately lost a hundred thousand credits going bust when she should have stood. But winning was not the point. Olivia needed to get into that auction and if it took dumping millions of credits into this casino, then that's what she would do.

"Another," Olivia said with a bright but chilly smile for the dealer as she plunked another shiny rectangular marker on the felt tabletop. She took a sip of her drink and almost flinched. It certainly was extra dry.

With his chips and markers, Varlo picked up the seat next to Olivia Pendleton vacated by an angry Sullustan who left in a hurry.

"Deal me in, croupier," he said, giving the big spender a confident smile...

Only to get egg on his face as he bust his cards. Real high. Accounts won't be happy about this...

"Well, that'll teach me." He laughed it off, pushing another hundred thousand marker as the cards were shuffled back in and the other gambers grumbled. Play it cool- don't directly talk to the person of interest juuust yet. Give it another round and open up conversation. He sipped from his Ice Crush. Gotta stay hydrated.

Spoiler: OOC

edited to reflect my roll of 3 out of 20

 

[Matthias Colcrip]

Tag: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

Matthias sat back in the chair while placing his hands gently on the table before him. Giving the young woman a quick glance up and down he gave a warm and welcoming smile, "Blue," he greeted her with an enthusiastic tone, "who are you today?" A joking smile crossed his lips and he began glancing around the busy streets just off from where they sat.

He wasn't a member of any of many intelligence agencies and Blue was the only operative he knew, for now at least. He was however gaining a small reputation among the various criminal organizations throughout the galaxy, and even before Blue contacted him Matthias had heard whispers and rumors of the data auction. To most people the galaxy was a big place; but to those who traversed the stars for profit or for political allegiance, the galaxy was a small place. Word travelled fast and there was no doubt in Matthias' mind that the pair wouldn't be the only party interested in tonight's events.

After a moment of examining the many people in the crowds passing by, he returned his gaze to Blue. "So besides the main event," he started, his tone returning to a more neutral state, "what fun do you have planned for us this evening?" He turned his attention to the box that was brought before him. “Ooh, a gift, you shouldn’t have and me with nothing.” The idle small talk was in part a joke, however he was also trying his hand at ‘playing the part.’

After all he wasn't one to sneak; in fact quiet wasn't his forte or nature at all. Matthias knew, however, tonight wasn't like Tatooine. If they were to finish the mission and obtain their prize, Matthias would need to lean on Blue to take the lead, and that meant being a bit more quiet and careful. "Fail," the cold and familiar chill washed over him, "Fail." While he did gently squeeze on of his hands, more so in annoyance than from the pain, Matthias kept calm before focusing his mind.

"No." He wasn't sure if the voices could even hear him or whether his thoughts were being projected into the void, but for the first time he talked back to the voice within. On the outside he appeared calm and normal, he only hoped that the voices wouldn't interfere.
​

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Secrets in Starlight
Preparing for the auction | Talking to Matthias Colcrip ​

For a few moments, she just looked at him, her features as expressionless as they had been throughout. The thick layer of makeup likely helped as it added a thick white surface ontop of her skin. Not only did it hide minute expressions and wrinkles, but she had also made sure to give her current identity more pronounced cheeks and a somewhat more heavy jawline. When he accepted the box, she nodded and spoke in her nasal monotone voice "I do not believe we have met. I am Eese, of house Arralen" She paused to allow him to introduce himself too.

Her eyes ventured down to watch the chair. Taking a napkin from the table, she brushed it off before taking a seat on the opposite side of the man. Seemingly not all to interested in conversing, the noble looked to the pastry and took a careful bite which was followed by carefully wiping her lips with a new napkin afterwards. A frown was quickly suppressed after which the woman produced a butter knife to cut through the bread to remove the top part with most of the topping. All whilst he was asking about their evening plans. Before taking another bite, she looked back up to the man to excuse her behaviour "The topping was too strong for my tastes. I prefer for the flavours to be a little more subtle."

A few bites later, Ines offered a response - but not before producing an involuntary look of the awkwardness one would have after being hit on by a stranger. "I have heard of an auction taking place tonight. I intend to participate." her formal way of speaking would have fit in announcing a royal decree. "You may also see if you can earn an invitation, of course. An acquaintance informed me that the building can be a bit of a maze. If I were you, I would make sure to not venture too far away from the main event areas. But if you do get lost, I am sure you can wave at the cameras for the security team to send someone to guide you back."

It was all she would offer in terms of conversation. Aside from a gentle "It was nothing" upon his hearing his words about the box. Once the pastry was consumed, the noble would throw the thick layer of toppings away before offering the man another nod "Thank you for offering me the seat"

 

[Onrai]

Sentapoth Findos @OPEN

Vanessa Vantai entered the auction room, standard black robes in tow. Her fingers were pursed as she considered the possibilities of the situation: data drives with sensitive information on them. She wanted them, and apparently others did as well, hence the reason they were being auctioned off. She scanned the room, eying the obligatory Trade Federation delegation and smiling - of course they were going to be here. Heading to a seat with her auction number, she moved to sit down, curious as to whether anyone else involved in the auction would seek to get involved in the shenanigans.

 

[Olivia Pendleton]

INTERACTING WITH: Ronval Rubat
​

Olivia watched another six hundred thousand credits, once belonging to her, disappear into the dealer's coffers. She took it in stride, lifting her drink to her crimson lips and draining it to the ice. The perks of being at a high limit table meant the service was impeccable; no sooner had she set the drink down than an attentive waiter in a maroon vest whisked it away with a murmured promise of another. Olivia put another credit marker in the designated spot and turned to ask the Sullustan next to her if he minded whether she smoked.

The Sullustan had turned a shade of taupe Olivia did not recognize and was busy jamming what little was left of the stack of credit chits he had brought to the table back into his pockets. Before she knew it, a man in a stunning black and white ensemble was taking the vacated spot. "It's to you, madame," the dealer gently prodded her, and she looked down at the card he had dealt face up. A 9. Not a terrible start, but not particularly strong, either.

"Hit, please," Olivia murmured as she tapped the felt tabletop. The waiter appeared at her elbow, delivering a drink, and she placed a hundred credit coin unobtrusively next to the napkin as a tip. Just as efficiently, the coin disappeared and the waiter was gone. The dealer placed another card down. A face card, equal to ten. She glanced at the dealer and waved a hand over her cards. Stay.

With a round now between them, Olivia glanced at the newcomer. "Do you mind if I smoke?" she asked, producing a chic cigarillo case from her clutch. Ever polite, she snapped it open and held it over to Ronval Rubat , offering one to him.

OOC: Edited to reflect dice roll.

 

[Matthias Colcrip]

Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan // Anyone at the Bar

As Eese spoke, Matthias smiled playfully. “Oh, my apologizes gorgeous,” he stated, standing as he did so and making sure to slyly grab the small box. Eyeing the busy streets around them momentarily, he gazed at her once more before giving a slight bow, “Enjoy your evening.”

He then turned from her and the table they sat at to enter the crowds around. Methodically he began moving through the busy streets, making his way from the small cafe he and Blue had just met at all the way to the large and intimating steps of Canto Casino.

It had been many years since he had been to any kind of casino-like establishment. Besides the occasional cantina, Matthias tended to avoided those larger public gathering areas due to his own paranoia. But when on a mission he’d break his own rules from time to time as required; so regardless of the rush of paranoia that washed over him as he began up the steps, Matthias pressed on knowing there was a job to do and work to be done.

As he began making his way towards the entrance of the casino, he thought back to his prior conversation with Blue before arriving on-world. The small box she had produced for him appeared relatively normal: taking the appearance of a decorative gift shop display box, uncommon in most places yet seemingly invisible at a place such as this.

“You read me Blue?” He whispered under his breath as he activated the small commlink in his ear. They had agreed to stay in contact with one another and had a simple plan: Blue would infiltrate the auction as a buyer, before and during which she’d being doing her secret agent work, meanwhile Matthias would sneak around the behind-the-scenes restricted areas. The ultimate goal was for one of them to either obtain the leaked data or ensure that whichever party that does get ahold of it is one that has the Dark Empire’s interest in mind.

There was of course also the fact that he wanted the data for himself to resell, essentially undoing all the work done tonight in the name of credits. But then again, Matthias wasn’t the sanest individual and his unpredictability couldn’t be demonstrated better more simply.

As he entered the casino he stopped for a moment and examined the various individuals and games. It was packed with a crowd so loud one could barely make out the music. Even louder was the sound of side and slot machines as well as all the other various games available to those who sought some thrill.

He decidedly wasn’t a gambler and being in this kind of environment, without armor and only his lightsabers, was sacrifice enough for this mission. So instead of going to a table or machine, Matthias began pushing through the crowd of partiers with the intention of reaching the bar.

The bar and langue was just as busy as the main floor, granted with a little less noise and a little louder, albeit calmer, music. “Doing recon, when the auction starts I’ll begin poking around the restricted areas,” he whispered to Blue.

Taking one of the few empty seats at the large bar, Matthias gave a small nod to the bartender while glancing a bottle of Corellian ale. The bartender was over a moment later pouring him a glass. Matthias only had to wait and not draw attention to himself, as soon as Blue gave the word he’d begin his end of the job. For now, blending, or that was the plan at least.
​

 

[Credius Nargath]

It wouldn't have been a strange occurance usually to see a multitude of droids anywhere, but one could not deny the fact that the droids that entered on this occassion were...different, half a dozen of these menacing droids accompanied and practically surrounded a single Protocol Droid , but one who wore very expensive looking clothes, a surprisingly elegant and somewhat devilish looking combination of a black three piece suit with red pipings and embroidery, black gloves and a red silk lined cloak, all adornments one would exactly expect a protocol droid to be dressed in, yet this one was. To make matters worse, upon entering, the droid's appearance changed, as a face became visible as a solid holographic overlay, completing the visual aspect of a 'normal person' being surrounded by the aforementioned horrifying droids.

The droids themselves seemed to radiate with a dreadful aura, not at all on the level of a fully fledged Sith lord or the likes, but strangely, they were tainted by a darkness which seemed to linger wherever they passed. The man in between them...or rather the protocol droid pretending to be a man, had none of this taint, this darkness upon them, even though considering their appearance one might've actually thought they'd be the origin of this strange feeling.

"The Lord's desire is our own, you are to protect me until we return to our lord's side," As the protocol droid/strange man said this, the tall, horridying droids nodded in unison, a single nod and nothing more, their faces, their glinting red, bionic eyes scanning the surrounding areas, each holding a blaster in one hand, while resting the other on the pommel of a blade that seemed to be Sith in nature, without a single doubt. Whoever created these droids must have had a penchant for theatrics and didn't care much for the idea of Jedi or other sith sensing the taint upon the droids.

"The Trade federation is present," without even trying to hide its disdain, the protocol droid took their seat, allowing the other droids to stand behind him in the box. His eyes as well started to scan the immediate area, but where his detail of horrifying droids scanned for threats, this man-droid simply scanned for one thing and one thing only: force sensitives...people who may or may not be useful to his Lord in one capacity or another. "Perhaps...today may be a good day after all."

Tags: OPEN​

 

[Ronval Rubat]

HIGH_ROLLER
Special Agent ██████ - 'R U S T Y' Mister Varlo Pavond
Strategic Intelligence Agency Chief Executive Officer of VaporPro Industrial & Engineering​

Location: Cantonica
Objective: Spend Some Cash
Equipment: Flute of Champagne, B.R.I.E.F.C.A.S.E briefcase, E.G.G.S. lucky charm, C.O.M.P.A.C.T. cosmetic holder, C.H.R.O.N.O.S. watch

Spoiler: disguise drip check

Tags:
Interacting Olivia Pendleton
Fellow SIA uh nobody in particular Delphine Grosvenor Torn Eskol

As the next hand was being dealt, the other patrons at the table continued their small talk. Varlo took another sip of Ice Crush when Olivia spoke:

"Do you mind if I smoke?" she asked, producing a chic cigarillo case from her clutch. Ever polite, she snapped it open and held it over to Ronval Rubat , offering one to him.

"Oh, not at all." Varlo smiled. He took a glance at the cigarillo blend, and politely declined it. "You'll excuse me if I don't join- been trying to kick the habit." Of course, the real reason was that this classic tabac-style blend had a classy aroma- very nice, but not conducive to the second part of the operation, so to speak, if the scent hung around him.

The next hand was finally dealt, and Varlo checked the cards- terrible hand. Might as well fold- but he was nothing if not persistent. A second hit and he was out, again. Another big one down the drain.

"Bandomeer Rustica? I see you have great taste, Miss..."

 

[Olivia Pendleton]

INTERACTING WITH: Ronval Rubat
​

"You are a braver man than I," Olivia said genially. "I have more or less quit, but something about being on vacation... well, it is a nice little treat, on occasion." She took a cigarette from the case and placed it between her crimson lips. She accepted a light from the the gambler on her other side, a Bith who had been chain smoking a quite inferior brand. Olivia shut the case and tucked it back into her clutch, then glanced at her wristwatch as she took a drag. A little less than two hours til the auction, she observed grimly. Need to step it up.

Olivia stacked five of the rectangular chits and placed them on her betting spot. The dealer raised his eyebrows, but dealt her cards all the same. They totaled to sixteen. Not brilliant. If she had been playing for keeps, she might have stayed. Instead, Olivia hit and went over. "Same again," she told the dealer, pushing another stack onto the betting space. She blew out a breath of satiny blue-silver smoke swirls away from Ronval Rubat .

"Pendleton," Olivia answered the sharply dressed gentleman beside her. "Olivia Pendleton. And besides unlucky at cards, you are...?" Her brown eyes scrutinized him a moment from behind a veil of smoke. Was he just another tourist, or was this someone who was here for the auction? That could make him dangerous.

"They were my late husband's brand," Olivia said, gesturing with her cigarillo. "I think once I exhaust his supply, I will give up the habit for good. There are plenty of other vices to enjoy while on holiday. Like putting this dealer's offspring through university with my losses," she added dryly as another stack of chips was whisked into the dealer's stash.

 

[Mercury]

​

In the control center, Mercury saw something distressing on the security vids and picked up his comlink. Upstairs, outside the private box, the security officer answered. Before he could offer even a greeting, Mecury cut him off. "Why am I seeing people in the private auction already? Have these people been vetted? Do they have credits to spare? How do they know about the auction location? And how did they get past you without you noticing?"

He watched with some satisfaction as, on the small grainy vid screen, the bewildered security man turned and pulled the curtain back to look inside the box. "Sir, I don't - " he began, but Mercury cut him off in a cold fury.

"Clearly not. Report to me in the security room. And put your deputy on the line." Mercury watched through his mask's eyeholes as the security manager hesitantly turned and offered the comlink to another. "It's Chase, right?" Mercury didn't wait for a response; he knew his men by sight. "You're in command of security now. I'll be sending reinforcements. Don't fail me again. Be sure you only admit those individuals who have a legitimate invitation. But since your comrade has already shit the bed, you'll need to be sure the people inside will meet our criteria. If they don't, escort them out."

[ = = = [ ] = = = ]​

As another gaggle of armed guards took up their positions outside the entrance to the private boxes, Chase entered in the garb of a Canto Casino pit boss. He cleared his throat and nodded deferentially to Onrai and Credius Nargath . "Good evening, honored guests. This is a private event, at which you are, of course, most welcome to stay once we have verified your deposit with the casino. This will ensure that at the conclusion of the event you will be able to depart with your winnings without delay."

A polite fiction. In reality the deposit was to ensure that anyone here for the event had their money where their mouth was. It was no place for tourists or those with limited means.

Chase approached them with a tablet computer. "You can go ahead and enter the details for your financial institutions here. The minimum deposit for this event is five hundred million standard galactic credits. On the odd chance that the event exceeds that balance, there will be an intermission during which you will be asked to authorize an additional hold. The holds will be released, of course, if you are not the lucky winner."

"The auction will commence before the final race, at 2100, or a little less than two hours from now. You may stay here (provided, of course, your bank clears the hold) until then, or feel free to make use of any of the casino's amenities to pass the time."

 

[Ronval Rubat]

HIGH_ROLLER
Special Agent ██████ - 'R U S T Y' Mister Varlo Pavond
Strategic Intelligence Agency Chief Executive Officer of VaporPro Industrial & Engineering​

Location: Cantonica
Objective: Spend Some Cash
Equipment: Flute of Champagne, B.R.I.E.F.C.A.S.E briefcase, E.G.G.S. lucky charm, C.O.M.P.A.C.T. cosmetic holder, C.H.R.O.N.O.S. watch

Spoiler: disguise drip check

Tags:
Interacting Olivia Pendleton
Fellow SIA uh nobody in particular Delphine Grosvenor Torn Eskol

"You are a braver man than I," Olivia said genially. "I have more or less quit, but something about being on vacation... well, it is a nice little treat, on occasion."

Varlo chuckled. "Well, what are vacations for if not for a little indulgence?"

"Pendleton," Olivia answered the sharply dressed gentleman beside her. "Olivia Pendleton. And besides unlucky at cards, you are...?" Her brown eyes scrutinized him a moment from behind a veil of smoke.

Varlo steadily received her gaze, appearing half-distracted between the conversation and his cards. "Varlo Pavond, humble proprietor of a small vaporator firm, which I am fortunately luckier in than cards." That got a small laugh from another player at the table, though Varlo was pretty sure he was just humouring him. "I take it you have something you're luckier at too, Miss Pendleton?"

Varlo upped again- twice the bet now, the amateur's attempt at winning back money. Luckily for the mission, and unluckily for SIA Finance, it was yet another whiff, this time a nine. Bad hand, and Varlo hit again, getting 18. This time it was too low, and the dealer swept the table again.

"They were my late husband's brand," Olivia said, gesturing with her cigarillo. "I think once I exhaust his supply, I will give up the habit for good. There are plenty of other vices to enjoy while on holiday. Like putting this dealer's offspring through university with my losses," she added dryly as another stack of chips was whisked into the dealer's stash.

Varlo nodded, his face a mask of some deep thought. He filed the name away in his head.

"It is a shame to leave behind things if they are never savoured. I can only hope you enjoy the cigarillo more than he did." The wispy smoke reached Varlo. Very nice, and definitely distinctive.

"Though that assumes leaving something behind, which I wouldn't mind assisting our dear dealer in." He smiled wryly, tossing his chips in for the next round.

Varlo raised his Bespin-Daruuvian Ice Crush before finishing it. "I suppose we know what vacations are for then! To savouring, and charity through indulgence and vice." Half-drunken murmurs of approval from a couple of the other players, who also slammed home their drinks. The smoking Bith was still wreathed in a cloud of smoke- was he a buyer too?- Varlo wondered.