Take Off The Mask

[Alric Kuhn]

“Well then.” Alric said as he replaced the cigarette holder within his jacket and pulled free a small fire-starter. “It's a good thing that all major worlds occupied by the One Sith's Yuuzhan Vong are controlled mostly by Titan Industries.”

Oh how sad that that was true. The Hrosha-Gul were a powerful force. They flooded the galaxy, evoked terror, haunted the dreams of the Republic, but they were also clueless administrators.

Titan Industries controlled most of the worlds that held sizeable Yuuzhan Vong populations. Mostly because the former leader of the Hrosha-Gul had also controlled Titan Industries. That gave Alric a certain amount of influence over the planets, he could get away with most things. Having a few Vong to test out the Alpha Red was doable, or rather, the appearance of it was entirely doable.

Slowly he reached over and sparked the flame, lighting the Viper between her lips. “I'm a fantastic actor, you know.”

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

At that very moment, Danger gave a half snort. Cheeks sank in as she took a deep drag, the cherry tip aflame and crackling as it was lit.

"And give an absolutely stimulating performance," she'd said in a sardonic sugary tone, breathing smoke in ffr Was that a challenge? Perhaps. Or maybe not.

Her head went tilting to the right, appraising the Titan in his entirety. The corner of her mouth perked. "I'm sure you'll get a standing ovation."

Was she being flippant on purpose? There was a spark in her eyes that would make one believe so.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

"Oh I'm entirely confident I will." Alric said quite simply.

He let a moment more pass by then he reached up and plucked the Viper from between Danger's lips.

Alric placed it between his own and took a long drag of the cigarette, smiling at her and letting the smoke fill his lungs. His thoughts fled away from there however, and instead turned to the future. He was no spy, but he thought that he could do this. He was in a position of power, of strength, one that he could exploit to get what they needed, that meant he had to make sacrifices, that meant he had to do what was right.

He knew that, but that didn't mean there wasn't a part of him that was scared.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

“Didn’t your momma ever teach you manners?” Danger would quip with a wry tone, not too amused at how the Titan simply helped himself to the Viper. Let’s not dawdle on the fact that it did belong to him first. That was just a minor technicality.

She would come to her feet, leaning forward in an attempt to pluck the Viper from his grip in the midst of his reverie.

“Take, take, take… “ she went clucking her tongue in mocking disapproval. “Never returning the favor.”

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He scoffed.

"If you recall Miss Arcenau." He let the Viper be pinched away from between his lips, not minding it as smoke pulled free from the hole left there. A smile touched his lips, and he looked down at the woman as he continued on with what he was about to say. "I can be very giving."

Were this a sitcom that likely would have elicited some laughs.

Yet his mind was still focused on what he was about to do. The danger of the situation did not elude him, and he felt an odd tightness within his chest. It seemed and odd thing given that he had just faced a few days ago, what he had gone through on that wretched ball of sand. An odd itch crawled up his back, as if reminding him of what had happened.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Her eyes turned into slits at that. Just like him to have to remind her of that fact. She pinched the Viper between her lips and would continue her saunter, moving back towards the viewport.

“Yes… well, reckon a few sacrifices will have to be made to play the part.” she’d say, mulling over just what this would ask of her. Ever since she took over Arceneau Trade, her focus was on maintaining that precarious level of neutrality. It was that sweet spot of profit that allowed her to brush elbows with anyone in the ‘Verse without repercussions.

Depending on what Alric and her might need to do, that just might put everything at risk.

“Still certain you want to do this?” she asked, looking over her shoulder. Once they got the ball rolling, there was no turning back.

It wasn’t just their companies on the line, but their own lives. She needed to know if he was all in or not. Decisiveness was the word of the day.

Did he have it?

 

[Alric Kuhn]

He nodded.

"Who else?" That was a question that was rather funny. They could have told others, they could have told governments, people, independent agencies. There were many options, many choices to pick from, but they wouldn't. There wasn't anyone to answer. There wasn't anyone they could trust, there wasn't anyone who could do what they could do, who had the resources and the clout.

It was funny.

"No." Alric said quietly. "We'll do this, and we'll do it right."

It was the only choice. It was what they had to do. Alric frowned slightly, not even paying attention to the Viper anymore. It didn't matter what the danger was that lay ahead of them, it didn't matter if one of them died, they had to get this done. The Alpha Red could kill billions of people, and not just Yuuzhan Vong.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

A month later...


So the plan and the trap was laid out.

Danger returned to Tatooine, but not before sending her most trusted Noghri guards on a mission of covert information gathering. The Queen of Trade herself would lightly tug at the strands of her network, a word here and a question there. Nothing enough to flag her, but pour enough liquor in enough glasses and tongues were sure to loosen and wag.

For the most part, neither would communicate with the other unless absolutely necessary. There was a need to continue to their lack of connection. While Danger's desire to keep her reputation untarnished, the secretive nature of their objective was the nail that would shut that coffin shut. From this would spur on their need to ensure neither were in each other's public company, and if they did find themselves together, it was for the briefest of seemingly cordial and strictly business only.

None would know how strong nor how intimate their true relationship lay; all the better considering whom they were dealing with.

The first string of information would come in. Belsavis. With the production of vine coffee and vinesilk, it gave a reason for Danger as Arceneau Trade to come to the planet for inquiries with then Omega Star Corp - the company under the purview of the Omega Pyre.

With parts of Belsavis's tundra actual Protectorate prisions, there were specific protocols to cover. Getting through those would be .... problematic.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric sat inside of his ship.

There was a blaster on the inside of his coat, a knife tucked onto his shin, and an off device wrapped around his wrist. It clung tightly to him, almost too tightly, but it was fitted in place. They would be walking into danger, and this time he wouldn't be caught unaware. Kiran had taught him some things, a few survivalist techniques and one or two tricks that would be useful.

He had no idea what the day would bring, no idea what would happen, but he wanted to be prepared.

His hand washed through his hair, pulling apart black locks and dark curls as a yawn tore from his lips. He was tired. The last month had seen little sleep. Preparation had been the name of the game, and with preparation had come an ungodly amount of work. In the end it had been worth it thought.

Alric had already received feelers from the Star Cabal, and soon it would be more.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

An Energy Spider didn't simply weave a web without care and attention. No, she ensures that it is perfectly set, taking her time. Each strand of silk is perfectly set and perched with a grander scheme in mind.

Danger was that Energy Spider now, carefully setting her trap, weaving her web and laying every piece to maximize the opportunity of gaining the Star Cabal's attention.

Vinesilk and Vine Coffee were currently under Omega Pyre Company rule; Star Caf. However, gleaning a contract to ship would be an ample amount of excuse to settle on the tundra planet.

So while Danger would shine a smile at the guard escort meeting her at the end of the ramp, her two concealed Noghri would slip from the ship to pick up on the trail that they'd had traced from Tatooine to here.

"Miss Arceneau, a pleasure to have you here." Said the Star Caf representative, a bundled thin man with a mustache that would curl up in the end. "I am Rudolf VanTey, your escort for the day in the plantations"

"The pleasure is all mine." she'd coo, extending her hand in greeting. He took her hand, bending down to kiss the back of it.

"Mistah VanTey, you'll make a girl blush..." she shined down in a seemingly warm smile.

"Please, follow me. Miz Arceneau. "

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He had always liked setting traps.

Most people didn't realize they were walking in to one before it was too late, most people didn't even realize there was a trap. That was part of the game, part of what made them so effective. Alric had never much thought of himself as a Master of anything, but setting traps, strategy, the game, it was what he excelled at.

There were better players to be sure, but Alric had always found a way to come out on top.

The Star Cabal would be smart. They would have the best and the brightest working for them, the smartest and the most powerful people in the galaxy, but he was Alric Kuhn. He had the resources of not one, but two of the galaxies biggest companies backing him. With those resources he could set any number of traps. Eventually the Star Cabal would fall into one.

For now all he had to do was wait. They would come to him, ask for him, he just had to wait. Slowly Alric moved a piece forward on the dejarik board, grinning as he did so.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Mistah VanTey had plenty to show her, but that wasn't what was on the menu for Danger. So while she would cater to the Omega Pyre Representative of the Vine silk and Vine Coffee plantations along with StarCaf, the two Noghri would silently and quietly make their way out of the compound.

Belsavis was world of contradictions; tundra and frozen wastelands with scattered tropical biomes across its surface. Each was unique, with a wealth of flora and fauna of varying species and hues. At some unknown point in the past, the planet became one of the many worlds that belonged to the Rakata Infinite Empire. During that time, the Rakata made use of the world as a prison colony, where they placed many dangerous prisoners that remained trapped for the millennia. It entered an ice age around 5000 BBY. Its inhabitants dwelt in three volcanic jungle rifts. Later, during the Great Galactic War, the Republic used Belsavis’ prison, The Tomb, to confine dangerous Sith Lords and war criminals.

Murmurs of the Star Cabal and the trail the two Noghri had tracked led them here. And it was in the direction of the Caves of the Primeval Wardens that they headed. It would take hours, and there was the question on if the routes and maps they acquired were still valid, but it was their objective.

The Caves of the Primeval Wardens was a region of the Tomb on the planet Belsavis. It contained the entrances to numerous vaults and facilities in the Tomb. Perchance, more information on the Star Cabal and why they came to Belsavis would be learned there.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

His prediction proved to be true.

They came to him eventually. Oh it wasn't obvious, it wasn't even really subtle. It was a small thing, something so innocuous that a much less clever man would not have even noticed it. It was a small invitation, a small sending that caught his eye. There wasn't much detail in it, just a single message sent by hand.

His assistant had to bring it to him, a card, written on a piece of thick and ornate paper.

"Congratulations."​

That was all the card said. It was written in a single script, one single word, scrawled out in a neat pen that he couldn't quite identify. The person had obviously studied calligraphy, and truthfully the writing in it of itself was beautiful. Someone else might have thought it was a simple message regarding Titan's achievements, but Alric saw it for what it was, he saw right through it.

There was no doubt in his mind that it was them.

A small step, but a step.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

With Belsavis under Protectorate protection for so long, there were areas untouched for millenias. These areas were the key locations that the Nohgri investigators would find.

There, within the Temple, was Megasecurity Ward 23. Erkard's investigations would reveal that Megasecurity Ward 23 was a secret vault that originally acted as a section of Belsavis prison and was later used by the Star Cabal. Using their craft, the purpose for such a ward became perfectly clear.

Its purpose was to store a number of weapons, technologies, and other treasures the organization had created and did not want released to the rest of the galaxy, including Microdroids and genetic maps. But this was not the most astounding discovery.

The most respected members of the Star Cabal were kept in stasis in Kolto tanks in the Ward with one of their number being over 800 years old by 3641 BBY. These individuals were kept alive because of their experience even though they themselves lamented on how the Star Cabal had become subverted from its original purpose.

Individuals who were currently still dormant in their stasis. Power to the receptacles would allow Erkard to activate the technology to bring them to consciousness...

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Things progressed slowly from there.

It was a simple fact of what he was doing, how he was playing the game. Alric was not proactive, only reactive. Perhaps that was foolish, but he figured that any attention he had needed to draw was already there. The Star Cabal was already interested in him, now he just had to make it seem like he was still doing what had first interested them.

That was easy.

Titan had thousands of projects, hundreds of thousands of employees, and he was already sure that some were spies.

All he had to do was convince those spies that he intended on turning on the Sith. Of course only a fool would do such a thing in Alric's position, he was making trillions, but fools often thought of themselves as untouchable. So as the days went by, Alric quietly began to shift funds and move projects, altering things to make things appear as though they were not.

Then he called Danger.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"Miss Arceneau,"

An auburn head rose at the call of one of her assistants. "Yes?"

"A Mister Kuhn is waiting on the line for you." she replied.

An eyebrow would perk, and then Danger would slowly lean back against her chair, the leather creaking quietly as it went tilting back.

"Patch it through." came the request.

"Of course." the door of her office would slide shut, and a few seconds later, her comm would beep. With a slight tap of her fingers upon the desk, the Queen of Trade slowly pressed the accept call button on her holocomm.

"Mistah Kuhn...what a pleasant surprise." came her sugary drawl.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He sat at his desk.

His feet were propped up, a small cigar was placed between his lips, and a steady stream of smoke fell from his nose and the hologram of Danger Arceneau would pop up on his table. He smiled at her, her lips tucked into a small cordial smile, her eyes set forward with a determination that only she could have.

"Yes, I imagine it is." A smug smile carried over his face. "How have you been, Danger?"

He very pointedly used her name, he always did. "I must admit, I have missed your company as of late."

Alric looked at her, taking another deep breath of smoke.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]


His audacity was grating to her nerves.

The corners of her lips would purse slightly in displeasure, but it did not wipe the cordial expression on her face. No one would have typically noticed it, but that slight tick was there.

"I'm sure you have your hands full with the Star Cabal, Mistah Kuhn," the emphasis on the surname would not be missed. "As have I." she would add.

A few press of buttons and she would transfer the encrypted pack of information that would reveal Mega Security Ward 23.

"I've found something our little friends have left behind. I take it you were successful with your own activities?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He smiled. There was a certain joy in dancing on the nerves of Danger Arceneau, a hint of pleasure that couldn't be gotten any other way. His fingers came up, plucking the small cigar from his lips and letting out a deep breath. His eyes scanned the information that she had sent him, his eyebrow perking as he realized what it all meant.

A small smirk tugged at his lip, but he didn't allow the grin to follow through.

"I have." The Titan confirmed to her. "Though perhaps I've made a bit more personal progress."

He mused on the word slightly, then used his other hand to scoop up the card from the desk. He showed it to the camera, offering the script up for her viewing pleasure. "It looks like they've noticed me."

There was a certain pleasure in that victory, a mutual step for the both of them. Together they had pooled their resources and each come up with something that would help the other. They had both made progress.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]


"Well aren't you a bundle of good news," her voice would sing across the encrypted holocomm, a perk of her brow detailing the note of amused sarcasm one would find in the Trade Queen.

"I take it a series of tests to ensure your secrecy and loyalty will come a callin soon enough," it always went that way. A show of proof, a method to ensure that he was who he he said he was and that he was committed to 'the cause.'

"I've my own reckoning with finding a way to get Megasecurity ward 23 up and running again... I've an inkling to find out just what else is there to find." The objective was not just for the Star Cabal, but for that missing Alpha Red vial. Gathering the data may bring to light more of their high security locations. They may be from the past, but it served some inquiry.