Private Sharing Information

[Pal Veda]

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Truthfully Veda was just glad he didn’t embarrass himself here. Wouldn’t be the first time a wild plan went south on him.

He nodded to Val, signaling to keep an eye on the driver, and he headed toward the front transport. The internal controls were still in tact despite the initial attack and subsequent firefight. He scrolled over to the navigation logs and found what he was looking for. And more. “I need a couple of minutes,” he called out to Val, looking over his shoulder to confirm she was back with their new informant.

Veda plugged in his datapad and started extracting the data. “BB, do you copy?” he asked into his comm, keeping his voice down.

Beep boop!

”I’m transmitting some data back to the Rubicon. See what you can make of it. And send it to Rango. Tell him we hit the transports outside the shipyard, and we’re moving out now.”

The astromech beep booped a confirmation. Once the files finished transferring, Veda unplugged his datapad and slid back to the street from the driver’s seat. “I’ve got what we need,” he told Val, strolling back to her position.

”You did good, kid. Now get out of here and forget about us.” The young man nervously stood up and slowly backed away from the smugglers. Veda wasn’t one to shoot someone in the back — usually — but he certainly couldn’t blame this guy for being skeptical. The driver finally felt like he had put enough space between them, then turned and bolted down the alley.

Veda turned back to his partner. “We need to get out of here, too. I’m sure Barq pays off a few of the local patrols, but this was loud enough to show up on CorSec’s radar. We don’t want to be here when they show up.” He held up the datapad and smiled. “Plus, we’ve got a date with a Zygerrian.”

———
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Undercover Smuggler
Weapons: Blasters

"Take your time. He's not going anywhere." She flashed the driver a smirk, but he still gave her only a panicked expression in return. He wasn't comfortable in the slightest, being anywhere near her. But Valery didn't mind. She rather had him on edge, so he wouldn't dare try anything now.

They were so close to finding what they were looking for.

After a short exchange between Pal and his droid, the smuggler returned with a datapad. He had found the info they needed, so Valery allowed a little smirk of victory to show.

"Let's hope it's not a dead end." She briefly eyed the kid that ran away, but focused rather quickly on Pal again. Even if this intel gave a location, she wasn't going to feel fulfilled until they got there and confirmed it. This mission meant a lot to her, and it had to work out.

"Where is this Zygerrian hiding?" Valery asked. "Back on his homeworld? Or is this entire problem here? On Corellia?" That'd be worrying, but the planet was big enough to hide some terrible things.

Pal Veda ​

 

[Pal Veda]

”Here,” Veda replied. “Well, not here, here,” he corrected, ”but here on Corellia. The logs show regular movement between the shipyard and the warehouse. To be expected.” He showed her that datapad in his hand, getting close enough to feel her excitement from the recent firefight. “But it looks like every week or so, these transports move from the warehouse to another location, about 40 clicks outside of Coronet.“

Veda didn’t deal in human trafficking, at least not this kind. But he was familiar enough with the logistics and practicalities of smuggling, and this made sense to him. “I’d bet this is the staging area. Storin’ spice is one thing, but storin’ people is more complicated. They’re movin’ them out of the city, holdin’ them at a remote location until they have enough to ship offworld.”

“Let’s get back to the ship,” Veda suggested, looking around at the mess they’d made. “Droppin’ in on them in the Ruby may not be the stealthiest idea, but it’s the fastest. We need to hit ’em before they know we’re comin’.” He headed toward the speeder, pinging his droids to let them know to expect them. The last thing they needed was B1 gunning them down on approach.

They were close now, he could feel it.

——
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Undercover Smuggler
Weapons: Blasters

Here on Corellia?

Valery frowned at that revelation. Corellia was one of the most prominent and developed worlds within the Alliance, so she despised the thought that something as awful as slavery had reached this far. But as terrible as it was, it also gave her great determination to continue this mission and bring down this entire organization.

"We'll have to be careful," Valery said as she began to follow him away from the vehicles. "I have a feeling they're going to be protecting the slaves with a lot more firepower than we dealt with today." Not that it'd be too much for her to handle, but just rushing in guns blazing was maybe not the best strategy.

Going in with the ship, however, was perhaps not a bad idea.

"Maybe we can hit them from above. Take out the things we can see outside and then head in to free whoever they still have captive."

Pal Veda ​

 

[Pal Veda]

“My thoughts exactly,” Veda smiled in agreement.

*****

Veda closed his eyes for a moment, grabbing just a minute of rest at the helm of his ship. It had been a long few hours. But his moment of silence was cut short by his BB unit’s beeping. He wiped his eyes and took a sip of the lukewarm caffeinated beverage in front of him as he perused the data loading onto the screen. “Nice work, BB,” he complimented the astromech.

“Hey, Val,” Veda called, “Come take a look at this.” His blood was pumping again, excitement building for what was coming next. “BB pulled some information and scans together on short order. Looks like this place is an old prison, shut down a couple decades ago.“ Not a bad idea. Solid structure, holding cells built in, light defense and security systems already in place. “And since it used to be a public building, we have access to some of the blueprints, at least enough to get a basic layout.”

Hit them from above then head inside to free the captives still seemed to be the best plan. Noble’s earlier intuition had been on point. Of course. This wasn’t her first rodeo.

They were quickly coming up on the prison, a few kilometers out, and would have visual shortly. Veda was starting to see the light at the other end of this. And that light involved a few strong drinks, maybe with his Jedi partner.

——
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Undercover Smuggler
Weapons: Blasters

When Pal called her over, Valery joined him again and looked over the various scans and blueprints his droid had acquired. A prison structure is what they used as hideout? It made sense, she supposed. It offered protection and because it had been long abandoned, most wouldn't really think of it as an option.

Which made it perfect for these people.

"Let's download the blueprints onto a datapad for when we're inside." Even if they planned well, it was possible they'd run into unexpected trouble. So having the ability to find quick ways out would certainly help. "Do you see any entrance points that aren't obvious on the maps? When we go inside, it's best we're not immediately detected."

Valery turned her gaze back forward and smirked. She was quite thrilled by this mission, but she also looked forward to finally putting an end to this ring of slavery on Corellia.

If they were successful, it'd be a result worth celebrating.

Pal Veda ​

 

[Pal Veda]

“Unfortunately, no,” Veda replied. “But I’ve got an idea.“ Of course he did. And the complex was now coming into view on the horizon.

”B1, go man the lower canons. They’ll have anti-air defenses on the four corner towers. You’re gonna take out the southwest tower.”

”Roger, Roger!” The old battle droid marched off to take his position.

“BB, you take over the controls.”

Beep boop!

”I’m ten times better at flying, and you know it! But we don’t have time for that. Listen. Stay low, keep the forward shields powered. When B1 blows the tower, pull up over the main building. Get as close as you can and drop the bike lift.”

Beep boop!

”It worked for the spi…—medical supplies when we pulled the move on Nal Hutta, it’ll work for us, too.” He chanced a glance at Val as he made the slip about his previous cargo, but she no doubt already knew who she was involved with here. “Once we’re on the roof, get my ship out of here and stay on standby.”

Everything happened fast, but Val would have picked up on the plan by now. “As for you and me,” he said with a sly grin, “We’re about to get real close.”

Veda led his Jedi companion into the galley and took a pry bar from a small storage compartment. He quickly went to work popping out one of the floor panels, revealing the speeder bike underneath. Just as he slid it to the side, the ship rocked slightly from the forward shields absorbing incoming fire. He recognized the sound of the Rubicon’s own cannons firing back. ”Ladies first,” he said, motioning for Val to drop into the cramped compartment. If things went according to plan, they would be dropping onto the roof in a matter of seconds.

——
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Undercover Smuggler
Weapons: Blasters

Valery perked a brow when he began to lay out the plan, mostly because he trusted his droids to handle everything related to the ship. What would they be doing? Before she got her answer, Valery overheard his slip-up and raised her eyebrow even higher. She wasn't surprised though, considering where they had met in the first place. And he wasn't the first smuggler with a more troubling past who had turned out to be helpful.

Many had a much better heart than they gave themselves credit for.

"As for you and me."

When he said that, Valery snapped into focus but blinked at the real close part of his plan, "Is that so?" she asked with a smirk of her own before she followed him into the ship. When he revealed the hidden compartment a moment later, Valery understood and rolled her eyes.

"Clever," she said as she crawled her way inside and sat tight.

"We're getting onto the roof from here?"

Pal Veda ​

 

[Pal Veda]

Pal clamored down behind Val into the cramped space. “Don’t worry,“ he reassured her, “We’ve done this move before.” Maybe? Kind of? In reality, when his team pulled this off on Nal Hutta, Veda was flying the ship, the speeder bike had been removed, and the heroically stupid Trandoshan that jumped out with the spice was impaled through the shoulder. Luckily those lizards healed better than most. Details. Not important right now.

They could hear the explosion as B1 took out the tower housing the most immediate threat. It would be much harder for the other three to target the Rubicon from this low angle. But once BB took the ship up and above the complex, they would be sitting ducks in that moment. A little speed and a lot of luck, and we’ll be just fine.

Gravity pulled the pair close together in the tight compartment as BB sharply ascended. Pal didn’t mind. One could even say he savored that moment. But in the next second, he felt the hydraulics kick in, and the small storage space started lowering from the base of his ship. It would only descend about four feet — easily enough room to clear the bike on the ground, but not ideal for jumping out with his 6’4” frame. He could see they were now hovering about eight feet above the roof.

“I don’t think we can get any closer. Guess we jump from here!”

———
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Undercover Smuggler
Weapons: Blasters

"I should probably be worried that this isn't your first time, but... this should be interesting." She wasn't one to shy away from a little risk, and dropping through the sky from a compartment like this would be quite the thrill. Another activity to scratch off her endless bucket list of adrenaline-inducing mission entries.

An explosion and a few tight maneuvers soon caused the ship to rock around, while gravity pulled them both from one direction to the other. Valery smirked a little, but she didn't say a word as they readied themselves for the drop. This was the moment to get serious, and as soon as the compartment began to lower, she was in full focus.

They could not mess this up.

"Jump!" She called out, and with little effort, the Jedi Master threw herself out of the ship and onto the roof. The Force was her ally, allowing her to absorb the impact of the landing enough to roll to her feet without even a scratch on her body. Once she was done, she rose up to her feet and quickly looked up to check on Pal.

"You alright?" she called to him, "We've got to move!"

Pal Veda ​

 

[Pal Veda]

The Jedi Master seemed to float effortlessly to the rooftop, landing gracefully and rolling immediately into fighting position. It was a sight to behold.

Then there was Pal. He did not have the Force as his ally. The ole smuggler still had a trick up his sleeve, though. He manually extended the grappling hook from his wrist strap and jammed it into the corner of the headspace, then slid off the platform, using the device to slow his descent. He sliced the line with his knife before hitting the ground, saving himself several precious seconds so that his arm wasn’t ripped off when BB jerked the ship back toward safety. Pal hoped his astromech remembered to raise the speederbike before jetting off, but he didn’t have time to look.

”We’ve got to move!” came Val’s order, and she wasn’t wrong. They were already under fire, but at least most of it was still focused on the Rubicon. The gunners had to be careful turning their lasers on them with the base right beneath their feet. Blaster in hand, he raced behind his partner to the door across the rooftop. He fired a few shots at the door as they approached, leaving it to Val kick it through on arrival.

Poom!

The ground exploded in front of him, causing Pal to trip and roll forward. ”Kriff!” he cursed aloud, scrambling to his feet. Seems he had misjudged these hired guns’ willingness to fire on their own base to take out the intruders. ”Keep going!” he yelled through the smoke and flying concrete, “I’m right behind you!”

——
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Undercover Smuggler
Weapons: Blasters

While Pal's own landing was impressive, Valery had little time to say much about it. They immediately came under fire, forcing the Jedi Master to move. Without her lightsaber, she wasn't able to provide cover as much as she normally would, but she still paid attention. If the situation called for it, she could tap into the Force to shield them against incoming fire with a variety of Force abilities.

She hoped it wouldn't get that far.

As they ran for the rooftop door, Valery watched Pal's bolts streak past, battering the mechanism that kept it locked. A split-second later, Valery's boot kicked the door from its hinges, sending it flying down the staircase on the other side. Just in time for a bolt to explode on the ground behind her, which knocked Pal off his feet and sent her stumbling.

"Got it!" Valery called out once he scrambled to his feet, and ran down the staircase. Just one floor down, the door leading into that level already opened, a thug in the doorway. Valery was quicker, however, and raised her blaster to take him out with a single shot, center mass.

"I sense a lot more of them up ahead!"

Pal Veda ​

 

[Pal Veda]

Pal fell through the doorway, bruised and scraped but mostly in one piece. He coughed from the dust kicked up from the blast as he checked his body for holes. Nothing hurt more than it should.

Pew!

”Nice shot,” Pal managed, stumbling down the stairs as Val took out the first baddy with her blaster. She was in her element, even without her lightsaber. It would be hard to keep up, but he wouldn’t let her down. Pistol in hand, he moved in behind her.

One thing Pal always hated about Jedi is the difficulty in pulling one over on them. That annoying Force foresight allowed them to see things others couldn’t. But for once, he was thankful for that, as Val was able to sense the next wave before they arrived. “We need to get to the first floor,” he reminded her, “to the control room.“ From the control room, they would have access to the cameras, cells, and defenses. That was also the most likely place Barq would be hunkering down. But not clearing the upper levels first meant their backs would be exposed. It was a calculated risk. The weight that tipped the scale was the thought that Barq may escape while they were tied up tactically clearing the building floor by floor.

”You take point, I’ll cover your six, and we push to base level?” As he awaited Val’s response, a red box outside the stairway door on the top floor caught his attention. Pal hammered it with the butt of his blaster, easily breaking the glass, then pressed the button inside. The lights turned the same color as the box, and an alarm began to sound. Barq and his mercenaries already knew they were there. The only thug they had confronted so far was in light armor, but no uniform. Maybe the fire alarm would cause a little confusion they could use to their advantage.


——
Valery Noble