Spy-where? [Adeline]

[Dashal Vance]

Axxila

Hand over fist and back again, the ecumenopolis that was often called Coruscant inside out had been traded, overthrown, taken, and sold to the highest bidder and best tyrant for ages. There was no loyalty here, not when the population were less than law abiding citizens. Kessel was a prison mine, but at least they had a lock-down every now and again - this place was thick with thieves, sinners, and vagrants alike. An infamous place for known pirates to congregate and sail around the city planet in near limitless freedom. If the criminals weren't running a business in the shopping district, it was very likely they were getting a cut for the protection generated by their fearsome demeanor. Still, despite the rampant crime, there was still a society - and with people looking the other way out of sheer tradition, it made it one of the prime places to pick up some wholesale products - although getting to them was often a little more difficult than simply laying down a stack of credits for over the counter merchandise. Especially if you wanted it to work, and you want to keep it.

High above the city streets below, the lanes of the sky were packed with criss-crossing layers of urban aerial traffic. Ships of all sizes from personal escorts to large bulk freighters zipped by in regulated skylanes managing to format each controlled path while the residents of the world sat back in autopilot towards their destinations. Several tiers worked their way higher into the atmosphere where a select few lanes were reserved for the droid traffic that were meant for all kinds of occupations no longer suitable or sustainable for the masses. Gliding along on repulsors a single shipment container pushed by a thankless robotic pilot moved through Sector Eight and headed on the journey towards reclamation, and eventually the incinerator. Sparks of blue and white flew from the corner as an intrepid and rather daring youth perched precariously on the south-east edge cutting a hole into the durasteel in order to recover a piece of tech he'd lost in a rather problematic sale an hour prior.

:: There are three more transponders a year above that model listing for half that price on Janta's holo-auction next week. :: DARCI chimed in her thoughts on the matter as the SPHERE transmitting her most sage advice whizzed along at the same speed as the container, while keeping an eye on Dash's progress. A pair of goggles covered and protected the slicer's eyes while he bore into the metal, careful not to cut too deeply and ruin his chances of getting the prize. Apparently DARCI was not a fan of this insane plot to recover some artifact technology. In her rather brilliant mind, the risk was not worth the reward - even if she had calculated the many uses for such a piece of outdated scrap.

"Hardware's version is the last to be universally compliant with the Hyperwave transceivers prospecting droids use on Subterrel." He shouted, but the SPHERE could decipher it above the wind and relay the communication while he worked to free that bit of swag. Dash had gone to much larger lengths to acquire the parts he need, but he was also handy at improvising. He'd rigged up a working junction array on a backwater planet with a lot less, but he knew he'd have to really get creative if he couldn't get this piece of shiny out of the lock box it was currently housed within. Ironically enough, he was the one who chucked it in there, only if to keep it out of the grabby handed posse who'd wandered into the sale and though they could have a three finger discount -- they were Ansionians.

:: And reprogramming the droid would be a problem because...? :: DARCI let the question hang, as it was a logical fallacy to get the desired result with so much wasted effort, when a far easier path was presenting itself.

"I'm surprised you're even suggesting that." Dash glanced up, looking at the ball with a smirk and a hint of confusion. DARCI never advocated the slicing of droids unless there was really no other way around it. Apparently she looked out for them out of some misplaced virtue setting that had buried into her artificial subconscious. She could be quite maternal sometimes.

:: Logic mode. :: The A.I. droned back, using a phrase Dash often utilized when challenging her voice of reason. :: Prospecting droids are mindless machines capable of cutting rocks and commuter. :: The vocabulator in the SPHERE hadn't flaked, but even in the deadpan tone of no actual surprise, Dash took the hint and fell to a prostrate pose on the container as a renegade skycar whizzed overhead disobeying ever ordinance of traffic dictation. :: Registration downloaded, autopilot engaged - navpoint? ::

"Staryacht sector club, rent out the VIP station of the local heir, and park it." Dash said with a certain malice to his voice, as the process went through and DARCI's abilities kicked into gear tearing the trajectory of a very self important nerve burner right into the society of the elite and board. "Flag the local holovid for later." It was surely going to make headlines when the aristobrat met the laser-brain who took his spot without understanding where exactly he was, or how much he was going to pay for that misuse of air traffic. The plasma torch lit back up, and soon the metallic housing caved in, and Dash quickly swiped up the transponder unit. Tucking it into a belt pouch, and holstering the plasma torch, Dash gave a nod towards the floating SPHERE and rolled right off the side of the container clipping onto the ridge on the side before watching the path as they came across the last intersection before dropping right ontop of a bulk freighter.

"Not good!" Unfortunately hitting a bit too hard, the slicer bounced right off the roof and flew through the air, only to be snagged into the backseat of a three person speeder, thrown into the back seat only to be staring at the back of a brunette's head as the craft traveled in the opposite direction. "If you're going my way.." The slicer mused once he got a bit of his bearings, wondering if [member="Adeline Vaska"] would even hear that song worthy phrase. One hand on his head looking for a bruise, the other holding onto the backseat, hoping she was a good enough pilot to keep the craft upright after being rocked by his falling form.

 

[Adeline Vaska]

Her soft fingers tapped a gentle and slow rhythm into the dash board of the speeder. Adeline knew how dangerous [background=#232323]Coruscant [/background]really was. In fact she was stationed there for at least a year in the later days years of her training. Even though she was in a closed ship there was no telling what someone might do. Shipjackers were certainly not uncommon. Just to be safe Adeline wore her mission gear, which didn't consist of much armor. Reaching up she tucked the loose strands of fallen hair behind her small ears. Turning her head to the side she worked out a crick in her neck and gave long sigh as the minute grew longer and longer. At one time the young woman found herself starting at the time but once the number was flipped and changed from thirty nine to forty she took off. She knew it would take her at least ten minutes to reach her objective in a timely manner. Adeline had absolutely disregarded the safety of the rest of the lifeforms who found themselves on the same path as hers.

The Coruscant speeder she piloted was tiny despite the ability to hold two other people, not counting the front seat. She zipped around, in, out, and above as many ships as she needed. They slammed on their brakes to avoid a collision with the transports in front of them but there was no stopping Adeline. Of course they all threw up harsh hand gestures and honked as she whirled on by them. It was a miracle she hadn't totally wrecked into the other ships. Gently she leaned forward as though it would help her concentrate but it only brought her closer to the windshield. Her dark blue eyes narrowed and then she took a sharp breath as she discovered the shipment she was supposed to have caught up with by now had been going in the other direction.

Holding her breath she knew what she had to do. Without hesitation she made a sharp and hard turn. Whipping around and then dodging the speeding ships now moving in her direction. A few more seconds and another freighter would have completely destroyed her and the speeder. Again the blared their horns and then even one swerved to avoid hitting Adeline. Quickly she fell into line with the rest of traffic but not before she had to guide the speeder down to evade yet another possible collision and then shoot back up to catch [member="Dashal Vance"] at the same time. She had to speed up slightly so his body would hit the seats and not come crashing down on top of her. Pushing in a small bottom on the control panel, the shield above her head retracted just as he slammed into the back seats. It gave the speeder a jolt and even Adeline gasped, a little fearful that she'd fail another an objective. Before turning around to see if he was intact she popped the glass back over their heads.

Her hair had been placed into the same braids and wrapped around in the back in her normal fashion. Adeline turned her head to the side and kept her eyes on the ships ahead of her but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of her temporary partner. One he began to sing a song she'd only heard a thousand times, her pearly white teeth showed and softly gave a chuckle/giggle. Shaking her head the tune began to echo in her head and it probably would be there for the rest of the night. With laughter in her voice she spoke, "I wasn't aware that I'd be taking part in a musical orientated." Turning back she focused her attention back on the speeding transportation in front of her. Without warning she practically swerved into another layer of traffic.

Sharply she forced her two hands forward and down to take them almost spiraling downwards. Below her traffic was much, much slower. In turn she reduced her speed and followed in line with the rest of the pilots. Pulling back on the handles she gripped, Adeline reduced her speed by several mph. With a slight jerk the ship yielded and then almost a abrupt halt. Her back hit the seat and she took in a deep breath. Reaching forward she pressed onto the risen rectangle that read "Autopilot" and gently it followed behind the rest of the vessels.

Adeline then turned completely in her seat, examining the man who she was working along side. She remained silent for the moment but her facial expressions spoke volume. The arch of her left eyebrow was arched, her eyes scanned his gear and possessions, and her lips were slightly pressed together to show content with herself knowing that he had remained full intact despite the theatrics. Goggles hid his eyes which she wasn't very happy about because for her, it was much easier to get a full read on someone when you've seen the emotion in their eyes. Something about him appeared familiar. Not like they've crossed paths before but more like a species relation. Her head turned a little, he was an attractive man, she wouldn't lie about that.

Either he was Hapan or some other man who just bore handsome facial features. Adeline extended her hand as for him to take it. This was the first time they had actually met face to face. She waited a good second before taking a quick glance behind her. Making sure the autopilot had not derailed them.

 

[Dashal Vance]

Of all the speeders in all the skylanes of Axxila, and Dash had to land in hers. Well, it wasn't complete coincidence - the two of them were certainly not entirely strangers. Lately the slicer had found that sometimes you needed an ally, even if a temporary one to get some of the larger jobs pulled off. Thankfully he still continued to remain mostly anonymous, even to the litany of his contacts. This is where his attention deficit disorder came in handy. He multi-tasked like a pro, and was able to juggle the various aliases he had in a continual looping protocol to keep his anonymity intact. However, no matter how good he really was (and he certainly was), a slicer was always going to be a poor imitation of Vaska's profession - to which he hadn't even hit the tip of her proverbial iceberg. The little intel he had gleaned was most likely a front, and so far she'd not given him much to go off of in terms of slicing into accounts, and checking out a backstory. Two relatively perfect strangers paired up through circumstance to play at a game that would be beneficial to both of them.

Normally the best face forward option was one of either giddy excitement, or casual cander when Dash was in the presence of a lovely lady. Circumstances had cut that particular grace from his tongue once the brunette had decided to take the speeder for a joy ride. There wasn't actually much joy coming from her impromptu backseat passenger once Adeline pitched the nose forward and dove headlong into the traffic patterns of vehicles clocking hundreds of meters per second. Dash was all for the daring lifestyle, but he preferred something with a bit more control than being pinned by the G-load while facing fleets of ships missing them by inches. However panicked the slicer was, there was nothing brewing in his mind that could match the ferocity of annoyance and anger that was currently firing in the proto-synapses of DARCI. That lovely little black sphere was lost in the traffic and trying to cut its way through the path of swoops and freighters to get back to Dash's location. On such a small repulsor engine integrated into the tech, it was going to be a little while until the droid catch up.

Those goggles certainly weren't coming off anytime soon as they currently glossed over the eyelids covering the teal orbs. Dash wasn't exactly enjoying the ride, and was more akin to holding on quietly for dear life. He wasn't sure exactly what you called this sort of maneuver - other than 'your last', but even in his days on Hapan slicing into the protective lock of the speeder array, he'd never gone nose first through skylane traffic without applying the brakes, or having an exit strategy. However short-lived the initial shock of the dive was, the slicer was coming down from the precautionary death grip was he giving the upholstery of the backseat once the craft began to slow down and shift upwards into a far more sane method of transportation. He'd never been so happy to see auto-pilot being engaged to keep the vessel in a nominal queue for cutting through the hustle and bustle of mandated traffic patterns. Normally one of the most useless bits of tech for anyone that had half the sense to maintain manual control - but it seemed as if Vaska was going for organized chaos - without the organization.

"Somehow I think crashing would have been an easier and less stress=filled ride to this level." Dash finally spoke up, peeling off the goggles from his visage and placing them atop his crown with a slight adjustment. A pair of dull teal eyes reflected back towards the intergalactic woman of mystery. "Kudos though for sticking the landing, my limbs thank you." He offered signifying just that by a shake of her hand. "Hopefully they can thank you again after the job is complete." A wry smirk touched the corner of his lip before an indicator light flashed on his vambrace, which caused the smirk to turn into a smile. "Just a fair warning, she's not gonna be too happy with you." He let the cautionary statement sink in for a moment before a metallic sphere outside of the craft gave a thunk against the glass before spinning and righting itself, looking for an opening to breach the speeder's interior. Dash was correct; the A.I. transmitting in that dull black orb was quite perturbed with taking her slicer hostage, and recklessly abandoning sense to haul tail to this level of Axxila traffic. Whom she was mad at, that was an entirely different story.

[member="Adeline Vaska"]