Private You Know I'm Bad

[Kinley Pryse]

You've been hit by... you've been struck by...

Tags: Zenva Vrotoa

Kinley's boots thudded against the cold metal floor as she made her way through the dimly lit corridors of Hunter's Quarry, an asteroid shipyard that hummed with the distant sound of machinery and the low whir of automated drones. The station was a fortress of industry, a sprawling, complex facility nestled deep within an asteroid belt. Massive starships, gleaming like sentient beasts, were anchored in docking bays, their hulls still warm from construction or heavy repair. On the lower levels, vehicles designed for planetary surface operations lined the hangars, their rugged frames ready for deployment. Personal body armor of all shapes and sizes hung like mannequins, designed to protect those who lived on the edge of space warfare and danger. But Kinley wasn't here for the ships, the vehicles, or the armor. She wasn't even here for the cutting-edge technology that Hunter's Quarry was known for producing. No, she was here to steal something far more valuable: the data that held the key to the station's most closely guarded secrets. The kind of secrets that could change the balance of power across the galaxy if she could get her hands on it. Or at least that is what her boss Stryker thought. Personally Kinsley had heard tale there was a cannibal runing this operation and that gave her the hebejebes so she would just as soon stay away. But when the boss said jump she had to say how high. So the young woman tried to blend in with the other customers and not look out of place while she scouted for a terminal she could slice into.

A SMOOTH CRIMINAL

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

The massive asteroid facility known as Hunter's Quarry was like a third heart for it's Mistress, Zenva Vrotoa. The beating heart of her legal businesses, and often her literal home. Buried deep beneath rock and Durasteel, beyond the War Droids and armed security forces roaming the halls, at the very core of the asteroid was a lavishly decorated apartment. Zenva's personal apartments.

Getting into the Asteroid was a simple enough task. Personnel shuttles of every description carried customers and representatives to and from the Facility regularly. The docking area was massive with people and Droids moving about in seeming chaos. Leaving the dock was another matter. Pairs of heavily armored War Droids stood sentry at every major doorway and junction in the labyrinth of hallways inside the facility. The people leaving the station were already starting to board the shuttle which had unknowingly brought an intruder into the Crimson Devil's home, and those who had just arrived would soon be ushered into meetings and personally guided tours. All of which appeared to be under armed guard.

It wouldn't be long before the security systems noticed an unregistered visitor. It would only be a matter of time before the Devil was alerted to an irregularity. Unfortunately for the uninvited guest, Zenva took trespassing in her home very personally. Worse still, the Zabrak was in her apartments, enjoying a meal in her marble floored dining room.

A holographic image appeared above the dark hardwood table at which Zenva sat. A human woman, or near enough, she didn't recognize hovered before her. A moment later the soft voice of Zenva's niece echoed through the otherwise silent apartments. "A thousand apologies, Matron. Before you is an image of an unknown intruder. She was seen entering the Quarry, but is currently unaccounted for. She isn't a registered customer."

A deep growl of annoyance boiled from the Crimson Devil as she wiped blood from her coal painted lips with a napkin. "Send out a few Harvesters to locate her. I want live video of what she's doing. Don't kill her immediately." The image and voice disappeared as Zenva's off hand flicked through the air in a dismissive gesture.

The Zabrak returned to her meal, awaiting the next development. Elsewhere in the Asteroid however, new Droids began to activate in pairs. These deadly Assassin Droids were the newest in Vrotoa Industries growing line of killer Droids, and were expressly created for moving through Starships and Space Stations in search of targets. No audible alarm had been raised. No living security or staff had been informed. The Droids of Hunter's Quarry communicate exclusively through encrypted comm-links built directly into each and every one of them. Before long one of them would be able to provide Zenva with a live video feed.

Kinley Pryse