Private Target Acquired

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"Alright, I've got my blasters but keeping my lightsaber concealed in this purse," Valery said as she stepped back into the cockpit with a smirk. He had joked about her shooting before, and that it was best for her to still bring her lightsaber along, so she did. But for most of this mission, she intended to keep her identity as Jedi concealed completely. They were just another couple in fancy clothes visiting one of the big trade worlds in the outer rim.

But there was much more than just common goods that people traded here.

The intel they had gathered on Nar Shaddaa had pointed them in this direction — the source of the Hutt's cash flow, which he had used to open the casino to make even more. "I've got a few slave markets pinned on our maps, all owned by Lord Muthasch the Hutt. He owns some refineries for tibanna gas here as well, so we can start at one of those places. I think a slave market will be easier to access, though."

She sat down and watched as the ship dropped from hyperspace and began its approach. Valery had left Aldric to pilot while she got changed and made herself look the part, with her suit, blasters, and hair in a much more stylish ponytail. "What are you thinking?" she then asked with a smirk in his direction, hinting at both the mission and her new appearance for it.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"Sounds good. Nice purse, by the way," Aldric smirked back, spinning around in the pilot's chair to face her. If all went well, it wouldn't be needed. But a good agent planned for all possible contingencies.

"Slave market it is. There's one almost straight away on our trajectory," Just an example of how filthy Sleyheyron was. The whole planet practically ran on the slave trade, making it one of the most vile place in the galaxy, in Aldric's mind. A pity they couldn't just free every slave along the way. He had half a mind to try.

Before long the ship descended through the canopy of clouds and into the urban spaceport below. As it lurched to a stop, he stood up and straightened his suit, "I think you're trying to compromise my focus on the mission," Aldric chuckled, then added more genuinely, "Lovely as always." He then held his hands out to show off his own look, which was admittedly not too different from how he usually liked to style, but was dashing all the same, "And what are you thinking?"

After that exchange, he would open up the landing ramp, and offer his arm for her, "We'll take things slow for now and just… see where it leads."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"Thank you! It fits the top and shoes perfectly," she said with a grin before she let the conversation shift to what mattered most. He agreed that starting on a slave market was the best idea, so that's what they would do. But with this agreement, there was a brief but, to him, noticeable shift in her demeanor — he had seen it on Nar Shaddaa too when the Hutt wanted to buy her.

Valery had a very strong and personal problem with slavery.

"Compromise your focus, hm?" She shook her head with a smirk, "It's a professional look. If I wanted to break your concentration..." she trailed off with a playful grin and let his mind handle the rest. That dress from their Nar Shaddaa mission was still out there for her to use again. "But I'm glad you like it. And what I'm thinking... hmm," she looked him up and down a moment, making it seem like she was carefully considering her words. "You look hot, as always." Blunt but effective.

She then took his arm and leaned against him a little while they stepped out into the spaceport. "Yeah, slow would be best. I don't think I told you before, but... I have a bad history with slavers. A long time ago, I was captured briefly and exposed to it. It's easy to understand why slavery is terrible, but that perspective darkens even more when you live as one for a while, together with others who will never be able to escape it." Valery let out a soft sigh and squeezed his arm a little, as they left the spaceport and entered the incredibly busy city.

It was easy to tell Sleheyron was a trade hub, as people of all species wandered around to trade both legal and illegal goods. From groceries to weapons and, of course, slaves. A lot of slaves. Market stands were set up for them everywhere, and there was great discomfort in Valery's eyes while they were forced to walk past them and ignore it. They had a mission to focus on, and couldn't possibly hope to save them all.

"I hate it here."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric just chuckled again, "It's just that easy for you, I suppose," Professional or not, she was always a sight to behold. It was funny, in a way, how much their time together had changed him. After his first wife left, love became a very dry concept in his mind. But now with her, his former, more idealistic views had resurfaced. A self-admitted hopeless romantic, he was. To Valery's own compliment, he jokingly dipped his upper half in a short bow, "Can't get much better than that."

As they began to move out into the city, Aldric leaned in and listened closely, noticing her dissatisfaction, "I was getting that sense…" Given how things on Nar Shaddaa went, it wasn't hard to intuit that her disaste for slavery was based on more than the general sense. "It's awful. I've done missions in places nearly as evil as this. The reality of it never really leaves you…" One of his best strengths, and arguably greatest weaknesses, as an agent, was his stalwart morality. Aldric genuinely believed in the fight for good. It was why he took up this job. But sometimes agents had to get their hands dirty, and not always in ways he was satisfied with. In that sense, he sometimes struggled with the pragmatic necessities of his job. Things were never that simple. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

They passed various stalls, as well as long, tall platforms that would show off the slaves for sale. A broker at each presenting them proudly, pitching one as if they were a used speeder, "Me too." Aldric grumbled coldly, unintentionally shooting a death stare at one of the slave traders before quickly looking away, "Well, this should be Muthasch's market. Anything catching those eyes of yours?" He spared a glance at her simmering embers, a faint smirk managing to cross his face at the sight, before doing a bit of his own reconnaissance.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"It's easy for us both," Valery said playfully, but it was very much the truth. She had always been a hopeless romantic herself, and with him, she felt like everything connected just perfectly. It was almost scary to think that it was real, but perhaps the concept of a soul mate was actually possible, after all. For now, though, she set all those dreams coming true aside, and did her best to focus on the mission.

Along the way to the slave market, Valery opened up and his response was comforting, "It won't get in the way, and I can control myself. I just felt I should share it with you." He was her boyfriend so she didn't want secrets between them, and if anybody could help her move on from the difficult things in life, it would be him. Even if he struggled with all of this himself — how could he note, considering just how awful these kinds of missions were? And judging by the way he glared at what he saw around him, she really knew he hated it as much as she did.

"The auctioneer is one starting point we could try," Valery suggested as she gestured at a human male, who stood on the small platform with slaves from all over the Galaxy. There were plenty of guards around them, but only the auctioneer would have any meaningful connection to the organization as a whole. "He doesn't look that tough either, but we need to somehow separate him from all these guards." She turned those fiery eyes to him, noticing the smirk. Even now, it was hard for them both not to focus on each other, it seemed.

"Or maybe a more diplomatic approach? I brought credits so we can pretend to be rich and looking for a serious meeting to discuss business."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

“I know,” Aldric assured with a nod, “I trust you.” As far as he was concerned, her reaction was most rational. He just appreciated that she was ready to share it with him. It made them feel all the more connected, in his mind.

At the mention of the auctioneer, Aldric spared him a cautionary glance, not wanting to appear too suspicious before looking back at Valery, “Diplomatic seems wise. We start a mess out here in the street, and it won’t be long before every slave market on this half of the planet knows we’re trouble." These types of people were cautious, and well-networked. They might get a bit lazier on their own lawless worlds, but as soon as something happened to remind them why they shouldn’t, there’d be swift action. “Let’s give it a shot,” Aldric stepped forward, flashing a handful of credits towards the auctioneer, and beckoning him down.

“Somethin’ I can do for ya, sir?” He talked quickly, like any good salesman.

“Yes, actually. My wife and I are looking to build a new estate on Eliad. We were hoping some of the work could be done at a, ah, lesser cost.” He nodded cheekily, “And of course, once it’s all done, we’ll need some more long term help around the place.”

Initially the auctioneer seemed ready to point them elsewhere, but the mention of Eliad his eyes lit up, recognizing it as a planet notorious for the extravagant wealth of its inhabitants. It was a business opportunity too good to dismiss outright. “Well, ah, a construction operation is quite the undertaking…”

“Something I’m sure will take finer negotiation than a quick haggle at the market stand,” Aldric added confidently, as if reading the man's mind.

“My thoughts exactly, sir. Allow me a moment to finish up our last few sales here, and I’m sure our organization would be happy to oblige.” He went back up to the platform to continue his work, and immediately Aldric glowered, knowing that the slaves up there were incapable of being saved. One of them was a frail twi’lek woman, who seemed to catch his glance. He had to look away. “How was that?” he shrugged, acting as if that silent exchange hadn’t happened, “Now he’ll need to take us somewhere to draw up an actual contract. Should take us away from all the prying eyes.”

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"I know,"

His trust and support in her, even though she could easily expect it at this point, made all the difference. She didn't want to seem frail, weak, or untrustworthy, and he never made her feel like she was. Even when she struggled, he recognized her strength and knew just how to support her. For a moment, she quietly admired him lovingly for it, but she snapped out of it when he proposed the diplomatic plan.

"You're right, let's get this going," Valery said before she assumed the role of the loving wife again, which... wasn't all that hard with him. She kept herself wrapped around his arm and smiled at the auctioneer, hoping to influence him even just a little bit with her natural charisma. If necessary, she always had other tricks up her sleeves to get him separated, but a more natural decision from him would be best. Luckily, Aldric had it covered and showed exactly why he was a Senior Agent — his cover was perfect, his words were calculated and his confidence swayed the auctioneer into agreeing to this private meeting without any problems or suspicions.

When he left to finish up business here at the market, Valery turned her eyes away from the horrors they had been forced to witness, and looked up at Aldric instead, "You're good... very good," she chuckled and stared into his emeralds for a moment. Only when the auctioneer returned and called out to them, she snapped back to reality.

"Apologies for the wait, but why don't we find ourselves a more quiet place to converse, hm?" the man asked with the typical fake smile of a salesman. "Let's," Valery said while they began to follow him away from the market stand, and into a small building not too far from it — an office used to handle all the paperwork, but there was plenty of room to sit down. "So, how exactly can I be of help for you both?" he asked after sitting down.

"You could start by telling us exactly who you're working for," Valery said coldly.

"Excuse me?"

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"I try," Aldric said with a sly smirk. After a beat he noticed Valery locking onto his eyes, and found himself doing the same, ever entranced by the flickering flames held within her own. For those few long moments they were stuck in their own little world, free of all the cruelty around them. But it was only for so long, and at the sound of auctioneer's voice, they were both pulled back in. Valery answered for them, and the couple followed their target to a nearby office.

Once inside, Aldric slowly began to meander the dingy carpet floor. His companion wasted no time moving things along, "You heard the lady," Aldric said, spinning around to face him and drawing a pistol, "Who do you work for?"

"Hey, hey, take it easy, man-" The auctioneer raised one hand, trying to placate the two agents.

"Step away from the desk, please," Aldric quickly added, fully expecting him to either draw a weapon or hit some kind of panic button. He clicked the hammer back on his blaster to accentuate the point, "Making a mess out of things won't help either of us."

Slowly, the man backed down, raising his other empty hand out from behind the desk, and taking a few steps back, "There. Happy? Now what they hell's the meanin' a this?"

"Already asked twice."

"C'mon. If you're here, you know ain't nothin' that simple," The man clearly wasn't interested in being killed by them, but there was something else that was keeping him reluctant for the time being. Chances are the discretion of his employer, if compromised, would bring about an even worse fate…

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"You heard the lady,"

Valery hadn't felt like playing around at all, and Aldric was very quick to jump in and support her as well. With a pistol on the auctioneer, the man raised a hand defensively and was forced to back away from the desk, which Valery knew was to keep him from trying anything stupid. But to be safe, and to begin digging through his files, Valery moved quickly around his desk and checked it for buttons or hidden weapons.

A drawer that was opened just a little already held a pistol, which Valery visibly put on top of the desk to make the auctioneer even more nervous about his situation. He had been reaching for it when Aldric pulled out his blaster, and now they all knew that.

Meanwhile, Aldric pressured the man into talking, but he was reluctant, not only because his job was on the line, but his life as well. Fear was often a tactic used by the Hutts to keep these people in check, so she understood his dilemma, "If you cooperate, we can take you in and offer protection while the justice system handles the rest." This was technically beyond GA borders, but their activities were on SIA radar because they worked together with groups within GA space as well. This was simply the source.

"C'mon, there's no kriffing way I can do that!" he said, clearly panicking a little as his entire life vaporized in front of his eyes. "Ain't no way I'm goin' anywhere with you, broad." he snapped at her but now that he was taking a closer look at her, he seemed to get even more frightened because of her eyes. "Y-you're one of them, ain't ya?"

"One of who?" Valery demanded.

He just shook his head and began to back up towards the wall behind him while his hands slowly started to drop. "They gonna wonder where I'm at. You runnin' out of time and when they know what's up, you're both dead." His hand continued to drop as if he was reaching for something — either he didn't believe Aldric would shoot, hoped it wouldn't be noticed, or he felt there was no better way out.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric looked at the pistol on the desk with a stern lack of emotion, glancing between it and the would-be shooter before taking a step closer. Compared to him, the auctioneer was small and weasley, a difference that was only compounded as he seemed to shrink at their threats. "She's right," The agent tried to assure, "We can get you out of here. Maybe even lighten your sentence if you cooperate," At that he was unable to hide a twist of his lips. The thought of a slave auctioner getting off easier didn't make him happy, but if that's the convincing it took to him to cooperate…

Any traction they might have gained was still at odds with the threat of those who employed him. Something that seemed to resurface as he took a longer look at Valery. Aldric's gaze flicked between them both, uncertain as to what it was he was actually seeing that set him off.

Then he saw him reach down for a weapon. Training kicked in, and Aldric fired a shot at the man's chest, dropping him to the ground, "Shit." He quickly closed the distance, crouching down next to the auctioneer, "Val, check and make sure I didn't just bring any unwanted attention." The agent tried to check the man's injury, but their was little he could do to save him, "It's not too late. Give us a name. Place. Something. We can help you."

The auctioneer shook his head, eyelids growing heavy. He just lazily lifted a hand, pressing it against Aldric's chest, before slumping, seemingly dead. Aldric watched as some kind of small pin or token rolled out of the auctioneer's palm, then picked it up after it settled. On it was some kind of engraved symbol of which he had no knowledge. Yet there was still something about it made him uneasy. "Val…" He headed over to her, "...You know anything about this?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Bang.

Valery blinked when Aldric pulled the trigger, almost as if she was surprised. The auctioneer hadn't been hiding that he was lowering his hands, but it was still quite something to see. A Jedi would have likely tried something to stun or knock him unconscious, but Aldric was quick and efficient to end their problem for good.

"Yep, I've got it," she said before she rushed over to the door, and opened it to peak through the narrow slit that formed. She then looked back over her shoulder while Aldric tried to get some info out of the man anyway, but it seemed he would resist until the end, and dropped down dead. "Heyyy, we got two guards approaching," Valery said before she quickly closed and locked the door.

This wasn't good.

When she turned back to Aldric, he held some kind of token in his hand and showed it to her. The symbol didn't look too familiar, but she felt a dark shiver go up her spine when she focused on it. "I... this is wrong. I can feel the dar-"

Bang, bang, bang

"Oy boss, what's happenin' in there?!" one of the brutes called out. It was a human male, but about as tall as Aldric and he stood together with a huge Trandoshan as well.

"I think he'ssss in trouble~" the Lizard hissed.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"Wonderful…" Aldric grumbled dryly before heading over. Because of that shot, two guards were approaching the office room, making their mission a lot more complicated. He hadn't wanted to kill the man anyway, but in this job they couldn't just wait until it was too late. The auctioneer had been warned, and did it anyway. Aldric would have time to brood over it later.

The agent posted up by the wall, raising his pistol, and nodding for Valery to go to the opposite end. They waited a few tense moments as the thugs stood outside, voicing their suspicions. Aldric then heard the Trandoshan sniffing deeply behind the door, catching their scent and officially confirming their trouble. The lizard snarled, then suddenly broke through the door, with the man right behind him. Before Aldric could even get a shot off, the Trandoshan slashed at his hand, knocking the weapon aside. The two grappled one another, but even Aldric was no match for the beastly lizard, and he soon found himself pinned to the ground, with snapping jaws and swiping claws dangling precariously over. He turned his head to the side, keeping his face as far away as could be allowed in the circumstances.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

She didn't waste a second and drew one of her pistols before she positioned herself on the other side of the door. She could draw a lightsaber already, but she feared igniting it would only cause them more problems. The two guards then muttered something again outside, as they tried to open the locked door, but without an answer from within, they were growing suspicious. She heard the lizard sniff a beat later and turned to Aldric.

"I think h-" she was interrupted as the Trandoshan burst through the door and attacked Aldric, slapping away his weapon before tackling him to the ground. Her eyes widened but her attention shifted to the other guard first, and with a powerful, Force-augmented kick, she sent him back out of the door for now. "Aldric!" she called out before she ran over with fire in her eyes and fired a bolt into the Lizard's back, dropping him motionless over her boyfriend.

But Valery knew she had to expose herself to help him so swiftly - it had been her choice.

Bang.

Valery dropped down onto her stomach as a blaster bolt connected with her back. Their suits were made to tank these hits, but it hurt like hell, and the shooter aimed down to fire a second bolt into her back while she was still on the ground, thinking it would finish her off. While bruised, Valery kept herself down and put her trust in Aldric to handle him.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Once second, Aldric was in dire straits, accosted by the vicious trandoshan. The next, he felt the attack ease up, and saw the lizard's jaw slacken before crumpled over beside him. His savior, none other than Valery, standing over them with a smoking barrel. The agent smirked, then suddenly furrowed his brow as he remembered there was more than one.

Bang.

"Val!" Aldric cried out, in the moment completely forgetting that their suits were even resistant to blasters. Immediately he took Valery's gun, and fired a trio of shots back at the perpetrator. One hit the wall, but the other two struck him in the chest, causing him to fall onto his knees, then onto his face. Aldric looked back down at Valery and rolled her over, "Val. Val- You good?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Aldric didn't disappoint.

Less than a second after a second shot connected with her back, three more were fired and two of them pierced through the man's chest, killing him instantly and sending him down to the ground. Valery was then rolled over, and she looked up with a loving smile, hoping it would help ease the worry. "I'm okay, the suit absorbed it," she said before she tried to sit up and press a quick kiss against his cheek.

"I just feel like I was hit by a train... or you," she smirked playfully but that didn't last for long either. Outside, the commotion hadn't gone unnoticed, and more guards were scrambling while people were screaming and running after hearing shots without having an idea where they came from.

"Shit, babe, we gotta go!" She got up to her feet with him and began pushing him towards the back door to make a quick escape. Several blaster bolts were already being fired into the room, burning holes in the walls and tearing the whole place apart. It felt like the entire city was coming after them, and there weren't many places for them to go. "Quick! We need to lose them somehow!"

How easy it would be to grab a lightsaber and channel the Force — she just couldn't. It would only bring more enemies down on them.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric sighed in relief, and silently admonished himself for nearly forgetting. It went away with the kiss, and he chuckled, “I’ll take it.”

The commotion outside only grew, however, and they were forced back into action, “My thoughts exactly.” Blaster bolts rained into the room, and the rest of the building, officially putting them in the city’s crosshairs. How to lose them…

Aldric dared to peek out a window, and spotted two possible chances at escape. But not one that he was particularly enthusiastic about, “You’re not going to like this, but-” He pointed to the entrance of a sewer outside. From his jacket, he pulled out a flash grenade, “Like we did on Dorin?” Only this was probably going to smell a bit worse than an Imperial prison. Options were light, and that would at least provided them a temporary bit of cover. He then gestured to an empty airspeeder not too far from the sewer, "Or like we did on Narsh?" It would certainly get them on the move, but their enemies might still be in pursuit.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"Dorin!" Valery called out as a blaster bolt nearly blew her head clean off, but ended up splintering the wooden wall she passed apart instead. The slaver goons were getting closer, so their shots were beginning to get more precise as well, despite their lack of training or skill. It meant that a speeder escape would more than likely turn into a wild chase, and along the way, they'd only draw more attention.

So with her mind made up, she turned for the lid of the sewer system, and subtly used the Force to knock it off already, "Don't climb down, just jump. I'll catch you!" she called out, right as the flashbang he tossed stunned those in close pursuit. Valery was intentionally the first to jump down, ignoring the ladder completely, so she could use the Force to soften the impact. She then immediately got out of the way and extended a hand up to slow him down and bring the lid back over their heads to encase them in darkness.

Up above, there was a lot of yelling, screaming, and even some shooting, as they believed they could still see the two. But for now, they made managed to lose them. "That was too close..." she muttered, her hand reaching for her back to rub it. The two shots were absorbed but had been fired from up-close, so she was likely still a bit beaten up. "You okay? That Lizard didn't get you, right?" she asked now that she had the time and a chance to worry just a little.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

“Dorin it is,” Aldric nodded, secretly having hoped for that answer. It wasn't exactly going to be fun, but right now getting out of sight was of the utmost importance. Of which they were gravely reminded by a few more blaster bolts coming their way. He ducked insicintively, and on ‘go’ pulled out the flash pin. The grenade hit the ground outside, bouncing a few times before it exploded with a flash of white.

They moved quickly, not wasting any time to close the distance between the office and the manhole. Aldric didn’t even let himself hesitate, jumping straight in on Valery’s orders, and trusting her to soften the blow.

A second later he hit the ground with a gentle splash, which made him grimace. As Valery came in after him, he shook his head, “Way too close. It was stupid…” Aldric chastised himself for the shot that drew attention to them. There were few other options he could have risked at the moment, but he was still annoyed about it all.

“No, no, I’m fine,” He looked down only now getting the first chance to look himself over. Just a few scrapes and cuts. Nothing major. “What about you?” Aldric shot back, walking around to check her back.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"You did the right thing," Valery said as she withdrew her hand and let out a soft sigh. "I could feel his intent right before you shot him. If you hadn't, he would have tried to kill us." She understood that he blamed himself for drawing attention to them, but the only way this could have been prevented was if she had disabled him or at least checked him for weapons.

Maybe her skills in this field had been degrading a little, after all.

"Good, and I'm okay. Back hurts a little but nothing that will stop me." Of course, he knew she was stubborn and quick to downplay things, so he walked around and she didn't even fight it. She lifted the jacket of her suit and shirt, showing the pretty badly bruised back. Mild, all things considered, but unpleasant. "We can worry about it later. These guys have a lot of influence around these parts, so we need to keep moving." She dropped her shirt and jacket back down and turned to look him in the eyes.

"We can either try to find a temporary safehouse and lay low, or we head straight into the middle of it to end it. That pin you showed me..." Valery began to frown. "It was tainted by the Dark Side, and I could feel a cloud of it extending around the auctioneer. I think something or someone is pulling strings."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric just cocked his head to the side briefly in acknowledgement. If she said so, he'd trust her. But it still put them in a complicated position. They would just have to work around it.

Down in the sewers he gave her back a brief once-over, gently grazing his hand over the bruise before she covered it back up, "Never can get used to getting shot," He smirked a bit, trying to lighten things up, "I'll ah, do what I can to make it feel much better once this is all over…"

They marched onward, not intent to waste time down here while they could still risk being found. When Valery mentioned the pin, he cautiously pulled it back out for study. Even his merely Force-attuned senses registered the shadowy presence as a pit in his stomach. An uneasy gut feeling, confirmed by Valery's analysis, "Dark Side? That's not exactly the typical Hutt MO. You didn't register Muthasch as sensitive, did you?" Surely she would have mentioned it if she had. He stared at the symbol awhile longer, "So there's someone else even further up…" Someone with a likely much more sinister intent than criminal enterprise. "Let's find ourselves a safehouse. See if we can learn anything more about this before we jump right into the thick of it."

Valery Noble​