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Objective: 5 (joined the party late)
Location: Chasing down a lead
Post: 3+1/20
As OK-3103 roared across the sky in his commandeered scarlet cloud car, he hooked sharply off to the left. Then he jerked the controls and accelerated even more, spinning around in a sideways loop as the pursuing men fired their weapons.
The bolts sizzled through the air, and OK-3103 could smell the ionization drifting up, a taint of ozone and other burned gases from Bespin's atmosphere. The scarlet cloud car lurched from one side to another, letting the bolts pass harmlessly beneath the hull.
As OK-3103 soared along, though, his sensitive ears detected a flutter in the cloud car's engine. The craft may well have been unused for months or even years, and it was severely out of tune. With one glance he confirmed that he had very little fuel as well.
He looked behind at the predatory craft that followed.
Objective: Do Your Own Thing Secure and Remove Underground Assets Allies: Who knows Enemies: #TeamFirstOrder Posts: Kira [04/20] / Ileris [04/20] = Total [08/20]
KIRA
Kira’s mind raced as she hit the ground and Onasi came over the top of her with his face rippled in anger, his finger was pointing sharply towards her yet she could hear no words. The clitter-clatter of plastoid boots hitting the floor taking her concentration as her eyes turned to see the pair of stormtroopers that had been at the door moving towards them with signals to cease. “Citizen cease your agress—“ The first stormtrooper hit the ground in a slump as he was shit by the blaster that suddenly had appeared in Onasi’s hand.
The second trooper had instantly gone to return fire but Kira had been faster with her own weapon, hitting the trooper square in the chest and bringing him down.
“Good shot.” Onasi extended his hand and helped Kira to her feet with the flash of his brilliant smile. “Sorry about that, I felt we were being indecisive.”
“A little warning next time would be nice.” Kira said, her back still aching from the fall. “We should move fast, the rest may have heard that.”
“Agreed.” Onasi kept close behind her as they made their way to the docking door before peering through. “I think we got lucky.”
A single stormtrooper and a First Order officer were stood by the closed ramp go the Millennium Falcon with some form of computer that was attached to the nearby docking console.
“Too lucky.” Kira smiled as they turned around the corner and each let off a shot to down the pair. “Get that damn thing outta the docking module. Bee open the ship I know you can hear me.”
Kira moved to the loading ramp of the Falcon and slid open a small panel that was on the nearest gear hydraulic, it revealed a series of buttons that activated the disengage for the ramp and allowed it to come down and allow them access.
Objective: 3
People Involved: [member="Natasi Fortan"] [member="Viktor Alexander"]
Posts: 5/20
Ludolf and Natasi had just settled into their seats when a representative from the One Sith suddenly announced himself, apparently by invitation from Baron Korper himself. The plot thickens, Ludolf thought. This would certainly be interesting, and as usual, having a One Sith representative at the table would be an inconvenience for Ludolf's plans. The General was completely unaware of any behind-the-scenes dealings between Natasi and Viktor Alexander, thus VIktor represented to him nothing more than an annoyance; an obstacle to be overcome.
"Well, Mr. Alexander," General Vaas began with a slight smile, "You are a long way from home indeed. I trust that we can all conduct this evening like gentlemen, and avoid any unnecessary... confrontations."
As a member of the One Sith, Viktor surely knew that Ludolf and Natasi were formerly members themselves before escaping to form the First Order, which made them officially traitors in the One Sith's eyes.
He wasn't one of those Pantorans who could pass for eighteen in middle school, and he was getting solicited by the local drug dealer not even five steps inside of the so-called 'Brown Sector.' A ghost of a smile played across the youngling's face as he breezed past the Duros that was tweaking as he came down from his own supply.
Some people would look out on a place like this and say that these people were the salt of the earth. The dealers. The pick pockets. Con Artists. Merchants, some legitimate and a few who operated outside the law. More and more, it was the legitimate ones who merely had something going under the table. Fixing the books to reduce what they paid in taxes. Working in auriodium ingots so there was no traceable credit transaction. They thought that they were getting by. And, in a way, that was true. Soon, however, the city in the clouds would be made into a more obedient example of order. The order which only the governance of the Supreme Leader could provide.
As though making his point for him, the boy nearly collided with a passing patrol of stormtroopers.
"Hold on."
One of the stormtroopers put out a hand, halting the boy in his tracks. The other two moved so that the boy was surrounded, though they seemed less interested in the youngling and more concerned about possible threats from the crowd in the bustling market. Flipping his hand over, the stormtrooper made the more-or-less universal gesture for 'papers, please.' Dipping a hand into one pocket, the blue-skinned youth produced an identicard. Flipping the card-chip over, the stormtrooper ran the ID. Through the back of the hologram produced by the datapad, the boy could see his own false entry. One of three 'fake passports' he used, depending on the location of the job. This particular one used his actual name. Boo Chiyo, a natural born citizen of Coruscant, employed by the commercial delivery company known as Plutonia Courier Service.
Passing the identicard back to the boy, the stormtrooper seemed to look the boy over, as though performing a cursory check for weapons. Then, finally, motioned for the boy to go. "Move along," the stormtrooper said. "Move along."
Ironically, perhaps, the Pantoran and the stormtroopers were after the same goal. The stormtroopers were merely a more public display of the Supreme Leader's strength.
And Boo? His role was slightly more complex.
One of the first things that the Ministry of Intelligence had inquired into when the Ugnaught Rebellion came to light was where the credits funding Ugnakaaraar's activities were coming from. That answer had come in the form of micro transactions traced from Cloud City to off-shore accounts on Druckenwell, Chazwa, and Denon. Those accounts, in turn, had been deposited into by various holdings on Cyrillia, Zenon, and Mandalore. By the time the analysis droids had completed the circuit, they'd been through every financial institution from Bastion to Lothal, Coruscant to Laekia.
And Laekia was where they'd found the answer. A minor remnant of the so-called Rebel Alliance, a Selectivist who'd been a minor governor or bureaucrat on Lamaredd, Davos Kai Shodon. Further, their agents had learned that an agent of Davos was en route to Cloud City with the financial codes for a substantial sum of money intended to support Ugnarkaaraar's continued activities against the Supreme Leader.
Now, as a practical matter, it was unlikely that Ugnakaaraar posed any real threat to the First Order; however, that variable would soon be removed from the equation. If it hadn't been removed already. However, the credits intended for the Ugnaught Revolt would find a good home in the treasury of the Supreme Commander. Where they would, no doubt, be put to better use.
Under the guise of his courier cover, the Pantoran's job was to covertly intercept the courier and take possession of the financial codes. And then send a message to this... Davos Kai Shodon.
Objective: 5
People Involved: [member="Kriel Firin"]
Post: 6/20 (5 as alt)
The battle was progressing well for the First Order. As such, Greifen Ren's presence was not required in the depths of Cloud City... yet. Unfortunately, the Stormtroopers were not saving any fun for him. There would be no battlefield glory for Greifen Ren here today it seemed, unlike on Skye. His service to the First Order, and by extension to the God Emperor he worshiped, would be elsewhere it seemed.
Approaching the cloud car bay on a dropship, Greifen was accompanied by a crew of Stormtroopers. The bay, once quiet but a moment ago, suddenly roared with the fire of the dropship's engines, their nearly deafening sound echoing throughout the entire chamber as the black-clad Ren departed from it, his shadowy figure fluttering to the ground. As the Stormtroopers unloaded behind him, they began spreading out throughout the hangar bay.
There was only one source of energy present. A lone man, directly ahead of him. If Greifen were to take a moment, he might sense the odd amount of Force potential in this man, yet at the present moment he was preoccupied with his orders. For now, he would carry them out to the letter, and hope that this person did not interfere.
"The vehicles in this bay are being commandeered by the First Order," He informed Kriel, thinking him just another commoner. "I suggest you step aside."
Objective: 5 (joined the party late)
Location: Chasing down a lead
Post: 4+1/20
His pursuers pushed closer, firing their weapons. Unfortunately, their vehicle did not appear to have the least bit of engine trouble.
OK-3103 ducked and looped, then finally spun around and headed back toward Cloud City. In the clouds and rising tendrils of mists he saw no place to hide.
Then his cloud-car engine popped and sputtered again. He wrestled for control as the vehicle suddenly began losing altitude. The engine picked up again and he climbed... but during the brief interval he had lost most of his lead. His pursuers came right behind him. The roar of their engines filled his ears.
He ducked his head as a blast streaked directly above him, so close that it scored his armour. He did what he could, accelerating, punching all the controls in an attempt to find some kind of emergency override. Then, with a disheartening pop, the hum of the turbines dropped to a lower pitch. The engines barely managed to keep the cloud car moving along.
Objective: 5 (being found)
Location: Cloud car hangar
Post: 4+2/20
Then it came. The delicious anticipation of a challenge. The local militia? The crime-lord, come to see what had been taken? These were everyday run-ins he’d come to enjoy – albeit found the opposition lacking of late.
But the noise of the approaching ship grew ever louder. Nothing commercial sounded that ominous. A drop-ship? If so, it meant the First Order. He had nothing against them personally, but such regimes tended to look down on his antics. They may be evil dictators, but they kept law and order in a way that a flourishing democracy failed to do. Was there irony there? Quite possibly.
He moved slightly to get a view of the entrance – or was that the exit – and saw them. A number of troopers – too many to take on and too obedient to be swayed be mere words. Credits might do it, he had enough. But his eyes were on the bay door as it opened, and the single figure that his eyes refused to deviate from – his mind simply wouldn’t let them. Tall, dark, cloaked, with its face hidden by the shadows its hood created, it seemed impervious to all around it and walked unerringly in his direction.
His mind was racing – wondering what the arrival of that singular figure might portend but not daring to inquire.
Then came the order to step aside. Kriel was many things but there were a number of things he could not be considered. Like a coward, or compliant. So combination of swagger, bravado and sheer stubbornness made his mouth say things his mind knew were foolish. Very foolish.
“And I suggest you find someone else to intimidate, because it won’t work with me. I have more money than you’ll see in your lifetime. I fear no-one. I bow to no-one and I certainly don’t take orders from your government. I plan to leave in this car – so I recommend you step aside.”
Objective: Do Your Own Thing Secure and Remove Underground Assets Allies: Onasi & The Falcon Enemies: #TeamFirstOrder Posts: Kira [05/20] / Ileris [04/20] = Total [09/20]
KIRA
“There they are!” The sound came from the blast door that gave access to the loading bay and the area where Kira and Onasi were hovering at the base of the Falcon’s ramp. “Blast them!” Seven stormtroopers in all stormed through the bulkhead and onto the extension firing their blasters towards Kira and Onasi. She could smell the bolts as they burnt through the air around them, sparks flew from the hull of the YT as wide flying shots impacted against her armour, for Kira it was a message enough.
“Get inside!” She shoved Onasi who sprinted up the ramp and into the ship allowing Kira a quick second to return fire and give herself a moment of peace as the troopers attempted to find cover. She took two steps backwards up the ramp, released one final shot and then moved into the Falcon at a sprint the hissing of the hydraulic pumps rising the ramp sounding behind her.
“Bee get the gun down!” She shouted as she moved over the BB-Droid that was rolling in the other direction, his head spun around and shouted a series of panicked bleeps before rolling off towards some other part of the ship. Kira turned and found Onasi leant against the wall of the cockpit access tunnel, “Co-pilots seat. Now!”
The pair made their way down into the cockpit as the sounds of blaster fire impacting against the hull continued to increase. Kira took the chance to glance out of the cockpit and saw that the stormtroopers were starting to set-up one of their bigger commission blasters, one that could cause damage if it was allowed to.
“BEE!” She heard the click beneath the hull as the ground buzzer deployed and sent a flurry of shots towards the stormtroopers, sparks and white armour flew as one shot hit a convertor and caused it to overload.
Her fingers darted across the controls pulling the pitch and engine velocity to a ready state before hitting the release on the lock clamps. The result was the Falcon surged upwards and fast, her hands moving quickly to pull the form of the ship around in a sharp turn to face outwards towards the orange backdrop of Bespin.
With a roar the Falcon ignited its fuel load and shot off out of the loading pad, leaving the stormtroopers nothing but a far moving target to shoot at. One problem over.
Another had just started though.
“TIEs.” The blips on her radar didn’t have to scan what they were, nor did it have to alert her. She already knew, she somehow already understood that four TIE-fighters were baring down on their position and fast. “Get to the gun.”
“Which one?” Onasi said as he removed himself from the co-pilots seat.
“I don’t care!” Kira just had to hope that while TIEs were fast, the Millennium Falcon was faster.
Greifen gave the vagrant before him a quizzical look, cocking his head to the side. He did not expect such defiance from the locals; they usually fled and ran on sight. However, there were always a few brave souls who attempted to stand and fight... in vain. Well, Greifen would dispatch him from this mortal coil if that's what he so desired. After all, he did give him a warning - which was quite generous, if Greifen thought so himself.
"Very well then. If you choose death, I shall have no problems obliging."
Those who stand in the way of the First Order must be destroyed, without exception.
Then, the silence between them was suddenly broken by the hiss of Greifen's crimson lightsaber springing to life. Humming menacingly in the air, Greifen gripped the blade and channeled his energy, swinging in a downward arc at Kriel. he would either have to come up with some fancy moves to defend himself, or find himself cleaved in half from shoulder to waist in less than a second.
Cloud City was a truly massive engineering marvel.
Three million tonnes of durasteel dedicated to the altar of human greed. Casinos. Clubs. Auctions. Anything you could buy on credit, you could find it here. Situated away from the Republic-Sith War, Bespin benefited from how the tibana gas industry fed the machines of a war it held no fear of. A fact which brought in traffic from the Core and Wild Space, and all points in between. Hutts. Black Sun. Techno Union. Mandalorians. Allegiances didn't matter here, only money. Those who possessed it lived like kings for while they could hold on to it. Those who lost it found themselves turned out into ghettos that would have made the projects on Coruscant look like diplomatic quarters. The upper levels catered to a revolving door clientele of tourists, made possible through the exploitation of Ugnaught workers stuck paying through the nose for hovels in the so-called 'brown sector'. Habitation areas adjacent to the sewage processing.
"...Naboos is crazy baby. Don't forget that Bith told you get, that, dirt off your shoulder..."
As he passed through a bustling market, the boy's eyes were drawn up toward the flash and color of the holographic renderings overhead. A Gungan hip-hop group performing in an advertisement for a concert.
"Gunganlicious: Resurrection. The galactic reunion tour, here at Cloud City!"
Turning his eyes up, the youth admired the holographic advert. Perhaps there would be something interesting for him on this assignment after all. But, for now, there was work to be done. Passing over the threshold into a package store, the blue-skinned 'tween' made his way toward the counter. A Zygerrian gave a low growl in greeting at the sight of the boy approaching the counter. "I'm here to pick up a package," the boy remarked simply.
It was a set phrase, intended for his contact on Cloud City.
"A package for who?" the Zygerrian demanded.
"Plutonia Courier Services."
The Zygerrian gave a grunt rather than a response. Reaching under the counter, the gruff felinoid planted a small package down. It was small, like a jeweler's case. As the boy reached to take it, a large Zygerrian paw slapped down on top of the boy's hand. "For our Leader," the Zygerrian uttered softly, before withdrawing the hand.
"For our Leader," the youth agreed, glancing up at the merchant before sliding the case toward himself. Finally, he picked it up and then simply turned to make his way out of the store.
As he emerged from out of the shop, the boy popped the top on the case, exposing an ear link that was resting inside. A flashing indicator on the side revealed the presence of a stored message on the device. Pulling the link from out of the box, the boy chucked the case into a trash bin as he walked. Fitting the ear link into place on the side of his head, the youngling tapped the play-back feature.
"Good morning, Chiyo Ren."
"Kark off," the boy whispered back to the recording, tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked through the market.
"At approximately twelve hundred hours, Laekia standard time, Taungsday, a Mu-2 long range shuttle departed from Oswaft Station for Bespin carrying an individual identified as Bree Kai Shodan. She is the daughter of Davos Kai Shodan, a Rebel Alliance and Selectivist supporter. Her shuttle should be arriving at landing pad Twelve-C, thirteen forty-nine local time. Our intelligence believes that Miss Kai Shodan is carrying a case, with encrypted banking codes. Her contact on Cloud City will have the decoder. Your mission is to retrieve the case and the decoder, and eliminate Bree Kai Shodan. Should you be captured, either by Cloud City or the First Order stormtroopers, the Knights of Ren will disavow all knowledge of you or your assignment."
Typical. It was the Bleeding Sun all over again. "-tt-" the boy uttered with a click of his tongue. Davos had become a minor bureaucrat on Laekia, so the bastards in the assignments division were afraid of pissing off the Silver Sanctum Coalition. They wanted to preserve the First Order having complete and total deniability over this assassination. So, it was the standard. Either way, the First Order was in a win-win situation and Boo was the karking sacrificial lamb if this went south.
He'd still do it. For the Supreme Leader, not for whatever lackey had stuck him with this nerfchit job. But he didn't have to like it.
"This message will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Chiyo Ren."
An Ithorian florist was chatting it up with a Bith customer. Plucking the ear link from out of his ear, the boy casually flipped the device into the flower cart as he passed by. He'd gotten three steps before a muted bamf sounded behind him, like a cherry bomb firecracker going off. Flower petals shot up into the air, drifting over the market as the Pantoran vanished into the shadows.
Object 3
Post 5/20
ATTN: [member="Ludolf Vaas"], [member="Viktor Alexander"]
"Fortan," Natasi answered. "But it's not Miss, it's Lady Natasi Fortan. Or Governor, depending on how you choose to slice it," she said delicately, glancing over at [member="Ludolf Vaas"] for a moment before turning her gaze back to [member="Viktor Alexander"], her dark eyes clouded a little. She wondered if Vaas thought the One Sith were here for them. It had been a long time since they defected, and at least for Natasi's part, she had not been of a level high enough to warrant any attention, even upon her defection.
"You're rather far from home," Natasi observed to [member="Viktor Alexander"]. One Sith space was lightyears away. "What brings you all the way to Bespin?"
"I have heard the pen is mightier than the sword...........but really how much damage could I really do?"
His smile never left as he turned to address Natasi.
"Well LADY Fortan I imagine the same thing that brings you here..................."
Viktor let it hang in the air for a moment before he finished.
".........attempting to secure contracts for a valuable resource." "Figured it would go over better than sending an overly aggressive Sith Lord with a lightsaber........wouldn't you agree?"
Viktor glanced at Ludolf before turning back.
"You know being gentlemen and all trying to avoid those pesky confrontations."
Not to far away a man and woman having ducked into a maintaince room got to work. The woman no long seeming to to feel sick watched the door. The man went into operatin mode quickly scanning the room until he found what he was looking for. Steppign over to a secondary console the man pulled out of his pocket what looked like a small Data Pad. Opening it up he hit a button or two before he attached it to the base of the console. He turned back to the woman with a nod signalling the job was done. A simple shape charge attached to the base of the console. When trigger the explosion centered only on the console would knock out the power to that section of the station. More specifically to the dining room the guests were gathered in. The down side is it would only work for a few moments before the slack was picked up by the next nearest link in the relay.
The triangular shape of the Mu-class shuttle appeared from out of the clouds.
Descending slowly, the lower wings folded upward as the landing struts emerged from the underside of the craft. Pressure release values on the hydraulic systems painted the landing pad in a wash of white fog, as the release of gases under the weight of the shuttle turned to vapor as the craft settled on landing pad Twelve-C.
A loading ramp appeared as a rectangular-shape of light, revealing the interior of the small vessel as the durasteel ramp touched down against the deck. A woman, shrouded by the wrappings of a scarf around her head, face, and neck, appeared from out of the shuttle. Her boots rang out against the metal as she stepped out onto the landing pad, surveying the area as though taking in the first sight of Cloud City.
...or was it, something else? Frowning slightly, the Pantoran tween's amber gaze watched as the woman seemed to linger at the lip of the shuttle for a few moments, before she was joined by a mercenary-looking figure. Heavy clothing. Full face helmet. Bounty hunter?
Neither of them carried a briefcase, or anything so showy. They wouldn't need anything larger than a datapad or a card-chip for the banking codes, however. So what the boy was after could just as easily be on their person. As they walked inside of the city in the clouds, they passed within a meter of the boy, without so much as noticing him.
Passing from out of the shadows, the Pantoran regarded their backs with a look of calculated suspicion.
Objective 3
Post 6/20
ATTN: [member="Viktor Alexander"] [member="Ludolf Vaas"]
Natasi frowned thoughtfully. "Some might wonder what the point would be to pay for the milk every day when you can pay for the bantha only once. But I suppose that's a question for the economists, isn't it?"
She leaned back as the firrst course was served -- her back never actually touching the back of the chair, of course -- and found herself presented with some sort of prawn concoction. She looked across at [member="Ludolf Vaas"] and raised her eyebrows in silent humor and then picked up her smallest, outer-most fork. "My dear Baron, if I'm not much mistaken this is rather a rare breed of prawn, semi-sentient, found only in the southern hemisphere of Mon Calamari?"
"Advantage, Governor Fortan," the Baron chortled indulgently.
She cut a prawn in half and dipped it in the sauce provided. "The Tibanna business must be very good."
Objective: Do Your Own Thing Secure and Remove Underground Assets Allies: Onasi and the Falcon Enemies: TIEFIGHTERSSSS!!! Posts: Kira [06/20] / Ileris [04/20] = Total [10/20]
KIRA
Onasi had disappeared into the midst of the ship as Kira shifted herself in her chair, now without a fully pledged co-pilot in the chair next to her she had to have all her wits about her. Several proximity alarms started to wirr as the TIE-fighters began to close in on the Falcon their twin ION-engines bringing them in from the flanks with startling speed. Fortunately the Falcon was faster, she just had to actually get the chance to remember. “Onasi, Sector three and five.” She said into the comm-unit around her head as the first of the two fighters caught up and started to unleash a series of green bolts towards the fleeing freighter. She felt the Falcon shudder as one of the TIEs found its mark and scored a hit against the rear panels, the shields held up though the barrage and Kira flipped the ship to the left where it forced the pursuer to reconsider his location.
The roar of the Falcon’s own cannons ripped through the air as Onasi started to return fire on the First Order fighters. He was saying something down the communication line but the system was failing, shooting out only static into Kira’s ear. “Frell!” She ripped the headset off and chucked it onto the empty seat next to us. “Have to do this the old fashioned way. BEE! Get jump set four-twelve-R set and into the Navi-computer I need us ready the second I get a window.” She could feel the forces playing against her body as she threw the Falcon down into a sharp diving roll and turned her back towards the floating city in the sky. “Hit something Onasi. For the love of everything please hit something!”
Turn.
Kira shook her head. The voice was odd and by no means attached to her own thoughts. Maybe it hadn’t even been there. She had more important things to think about then a stupid voice.
Turn now.
Almost subconsciously Kira’s hands shifted the controls of the Falcon and the ship dove to the right only moments before a series of heavy blaster fire ripped through the area from another pair of TIE-Fighters that had entered the fight.
Now run.
An opening appeared, a clear run gap between the two groups of TIE’s that had started to swing around wide. If she could get the speed she could break through and leave them biting trail. She flicked a panel and revealed a switch that was promptly clicked at the same time as applying throttle. The SLAM released an excess of fuel reserve into the Falcon’s Sub-lights and with a painful jerk the ship accelerated through the gap in a blur. The clouds started to fade behind her and soon the darkness of orbit began to cover the ship’s viewport. She had dodged the fighters yes, the danger however was far from over.
The woman and the bounty hunter moved through the city in the clouds.
They had probably intended to stick to public spaces. The markets. Casinos. Cantinas. The appearance of the First Order had disrupted those plans, as the pair moved to duck the approach of stormtrooper patrols through the more well trafficked parts of the station. They made use of a comlink, and were clearly agitated at something.
They had come here with a plan in mind. Probably rehearsed it again and again so that they knew it instinctively, in case anything went wrong. Now, they were changing the plan on the fly. It made them feel exposed. Vulnerable.
The pair ducked down an alleyway, skirting around where a sergeant had assembled a check-point for those passing between the green and brown sectors of the city. All the while, they were oblivious to the fact that there was a third shadow lingering along the wall behind them, as they wandered from out of the market district and into the industrial park. The old manufacturing facilities. A carbon freezing room.
An Ugnaught was waiting for them when they arrived, nervously wringing his hands as the man paced in a semi-circle, anxious.
That would be their contact. The man Intelligence believed would possess the decoder.
The stage was set. The players in their roles and the curtain pulled back for the play to come. Which meant it was time for the villain to enter, stage right.
Holding out his right hand, the boy reached out with the Force to pull and wring the moisture from the vapor in the air. Any sensitive to the Force would have felt it. The Dark Side. A disturbance, as a shiv of ice formed in the boy's hand. While he moved into position for the coup de grace.
Serj Sularis was a long, way away from Harnaidan. Whilst Cloud City was everything it has lived up to be, the wryly Muun longed to be back home on Muunilinst, to enjoy the sincere beauty that he and his people had managed to maintain since the Galaxy became aware of the Muun homeworld.
Despite the ridiculous amount of natural resources, which were a treasure trove of wealth, Muunilinst had survived the toxicity that plagued other rich worlds like it. The Muun's did not suffer the pollution that ravaged Eriadu, nor did they need to hide away their home, as Rothana had been by Kuat Drive Yards. No, there was no other world like it, and so, Serj couldn't wait for his business on Bespin to be concluded in due haste.
Why would a Muun be all the way out here, on the other side of the Galaxy? Well, the answer was simple. Business. Specifically, business on the behalf of one Alicia Drey, who happened to be a very old and trusted client Serj had kept in the intervening years since he had helped Chandrila DataTech stay afloat. Indeed, for a Human, the woman had a keen eye for business, one that had helped him secure profits on behalf of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, and so for a commission, Serj was here to secure a property on behalf of his associate.
Turning away from the clouds, the Muun set off to conduct and with some luck, conclude his business in a fast, but tidy fashion.
"...the First Order arrived shortly before you did."
The meeting of the minds was not going as either had intended. Driven into shadows. Away from public view, where stormtrooper patrols presented an omnipresent eye for the Supreme Leader. The tangible proof of his presence. The long reach of his shadow. The Ugnaught was nervously glancing at everything which moved, as though expecting the soldiers of the Order to come crashing down on all of them at a moment.
His contacts from Laekia were equally on edge. This was looking less and less like a cohesive meeting of rebel minds and more like a spice deal on the corner that was about to go south. "The codes we're carrying should help Ugnakaaraar..."
"Bespin is fallen," the Ugnaught snapped, cutting the woman off as she spoke of the Ugnaught Rebellion. Eyes darting about the room, the alien leaned in close as he said, "I haven't been able to get in contact with Ugnakaaraar. I don't even know if he's still alive."
That changed things considerably, for everyone. The Ugnaught was awaiting the headman's noose. And his contacts? They seemed to have only now realized that they'd stuck their necks out for a man who couldn't protect himself from the march of the Supreme Leader, let alone his allies.
They'd chosen the wrong friends. Now, they would pay for it.
Leaning in, the Ugnaught dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "There is... another this could benefit," the alien uttered, wringing his hands even as he prepared to speak further blasphemy against the rule of Order. "A Resis..."
The Ugnaught jerked back, silenced as he seemed to suffer a momentary spasm that brought his head up with a look of sheer panic in his eyes. Then he toppled forward, dead before he'd hit the floor. A dagger of ice protruding at the base of the skull, the crease of skin where the head met the neck.
It was the woman, not the bounty hunter, who drew blasters out from underneath the scarf that was wrapped around her form. But, then, the boy had already deduced the rouse. And not even a clever one. Bree Kai Shodan was the one in the mask. The suit intended to hide her female form and direct any attention onto her bodyguard.
The woman brandished her blasters. Pointing them left. Pointing them right. Pointing them in every direction, yet finding nothing there. The sound of a door sliding shut turned both of them toward the far side of the freezing room, and again when the door behind them slid shut as well. And seemingly of its own volition.
He struck as he'd been trained. The way an amphistaff strikes when it has ambushed it's prey. From out of the shadows, a flicker of sudden movement as the Yuuzhan Vong biot became like a whip. The crack of its tail sheared through flesh, sinew, and bone -- neatly severing the left leg of the 'bounty hunter' at the knee. Her scream shattered the icy silence, as she hit the ground hard while the boy turned his attention to the more tangible threat.
The 'lady' got off two shots, the bolts narrowly avoiding the youngling's slight frame as the mercenary or bodyguard stepped back to avoid the sweep and reach of the amphistaff. She was good. Trained in Teras Kasi. She matched him, move for move. Feint for feint. She managed another volley of shots, the Pantoran deflecting them down into the floor before catching the third along the center of the amphistaff and bouncing it back. The bolt struck the 'lady' in the head. A burst of red and gray vapor seemed to erupt from out the back of her skull as the shot exited out the back of the skull. The scarf-wrapped body guard fell over onto the floor, as it's flesh expanded to reveal the form of a Clawdite.
With a burst of static, the amphistaff once again became the pliable, living snake. Coiling around the boy's arm and shoulder, the pet hung from its master as the youth turned and reached out with his left hand. The 'bounty hunter' was sobbing quietly, clutching at the bleeding stump which remained of her leg.
As though seized by an invisible hand, the masked figure was lifted off the ground, hovering in mid-air as the young Pantoran calmly walked toward her. "And now, your Highness, we'll discuss the location of your hidden rebel case..."
Objective: 5 (being found)
Location: Cloud car hangar
Post: 4+3/20
Kriel should have backed down. It was logical to defer after all. But he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it. Bravado? Perhaps. No, it was more than that…he simply refused to believe he was inferior to anyone – even this mysterious figure in front of him. So not bravado then – it was stupidity.
A smile played on Kriel’s lips. “Death? Perhaps, but don’t be so sure whose.”
Then a snap-hiss indicated a weapon being drawn. Kriel had heard of them – laser swords – but never seen one. In truth it appeared a foolish choice of weapon. Surely from this distance, the man would be taken out by a well-aimed blaster bolt. He smiled again; this kill would make him a local legend.
But the man was upon him before he could even draw his blaster and instinct kicked in. It was always like this in fights. It was as if the opponent was going in slow-motion – telegraphing his moves to Kriel.
Except this time was different. He could sense the move coming but had far less time than usual to respond. And reacting was all he could do. This was not going to be a fight – he already sensed it – but rather a test of how long he could stay alive.
As the energy blade came arcing down, he jumped backwards. He didn’t even take into account the distance he’d placed between them – some five metres – surely an unnatural feat. Instead he was focused on that crimson saber – judging what the man was going to do next, and simultaneously looked around for any available objects he could use as an improvised weapon.
Serj reviewed the property market on Bespin, and sure enough, there it was. The First Order's arrival on Bespin heralded a change in an ever changing Galaxy. It seemed rare to find any star system- let alone a planet like Bespin- that remained still, settled and accessible to valuables, such as Tibanna Gas.
The property market was in flux, and the wryly Muun was shrewd enough to pick the right property for his client. Whether or not Alicia would be able to secure a contract with the First Order, to have rights to the Tibanna Gas for Imperial Arms Incorporated, remained a mystery to the Muun. But Alicia Drey had a tendency to get what she wanted, when she wanted it and so Serj guessed that his client already had arrangements in place on Bespin.
That he was only there as a formality- although important- as I.A.I moved away from the decadence of the Imperial Remnant and into the sovereign power that was the First Order. Placing an order for the property, Serj waited for a response.
