The last listening devices was installed. Now that her primary mission was carried out, now all Naraana had to do was wait and observe.
Comms Chatter. Nothing. Wait… another coded signal. Hopefully a night sitting in DECRYPT would reveal something. Naraana stood up from her portable interface and stretched. Her left leg brace creaked as she stretched, her hip settling in with a slight pop. It has been… too long since she had last moved around, her feet tingling with the fresh blood that filled them.
It was roughly lunch time when she finally yielded something familiar. Another mention of Bardo Torve. Once again the Underboss had someone’s interest, this time with a position fix. It was time to put the rest of her training to the test in an effort to discover what was going on….
Bardo Torve, the man of unique taste, should have worked in a museum. His collection could have filled two corvettes. The hangar bay that he previously called home was now tastefully lit only by a series of spotlights, each illuminating another interesting artifact of the Old Times. Ancient swords, a variety of devices of all shapes and sizes, and as her focus readjusts, something massive dominating the entire back wall of the space. A giant stone tablet, nearly free standing, the floor crushed almost a foot into the ground from its weight. A number of carvings cover the entire tablet, aligned in various pathways and shapes, without a discernible language rendered anywhere on the surface. It looks heavy, and impossible to move. Quickly the Twi’lek captures a series of holo-images and scanner readings. The scanner readings don’t return any data, but the pictures do a decent job of stitching together a rendering of the artifact. None of this would be legal in Imperial Space.
Naraana moves into the accompanying office, filled with a few filing cabinets, one desk, and its computer, with data chips organized and stored next to the machine. With some deft movements, she quietly gains entry to Torve’s files, bypassing the simple password with a brute attack. She stops a moment, and leans closer, as she can hear footfalls moving along the side of the building. There’s a treasure trove of information here. An email to Roark detailing an art deal that went south almost 2 years ago. The fallout of the failed delivery is severe, and obvious. It’s no wonder that Roark was a suspect after the heated exchange. There are a number of bids on the “Tablet”, what the Twi’lek assumes is the ancient stone construct taking up one wall of the previous room. Each by an A-KV, each increasing in amount. She moves on to another folder. Background on the tablet itself, with detailed scans and theories of its purpose. It seemed to be constructed out of a strange alloy known as Stellar Material. The density readings are impossibly high. It sounded impossible to transport, and the invoices required to place it into his collection were also substantial.
The front door to the building opens, slamming aside with a clang. A single guard moves through the space with a glow-rod, completing what looks to be an obvious patrol. The man seems young, his purple helmet reflecting the overhead lights as he moves under each. His footfalls are heard clearly, but are slowly obfuscated by the rumble of large ship engines. The rumble intensifies, the data chips rattling next to her on the desk. Naraana unplugs the computer, and immediately moves under the desk when the transparisteel window behind her starts to crack, the fissures rapidly spreading across its surface.
The guard in the next room takes shelter under the tablet, which sits unaffected by the commotion, too massive to be concerned with such trivialities. Directly above him the roof creaks, and with the rending of metal, is pulled away from the wall and wrested free from the structure. The enormous ship is now fully seen by Naraana, as its lights flood the gallery. Lines deploy around the tablet, and black-clad troopers, obviously Imperial by look, rappel into position. Naraana takes the moment to push the monitor off the desk, and peel back the computer computer case, quickly picking through its innards and tearing the data core out. Unable to free it from the sinew of cabling that held it in place, she quickly hides under the desk as a light moves past the office, nearly being caught in its view.
She can only hear the firefight as the Corporate Sector Security is deftly outgunned by these shadow-cloaked troops. With a series of clicks, a docking claw and tethers are locked into place, and the ship begins to pull away. The sound of the repulsors resonates, thrumming much deeper under this new strain, kicking up dust, glass, and masonry. All at once, the roar of boosters is replaced with silence as Naraana is momentarily deafened by the cacophony of takeoff. She can only watch the silent arrowhead disappear into the night’s sky. In its wake Bardo Torve’s remaining collection is decimated, and the far wall has collapsed. Bodies lay under the rubble of what’s left of the building.
Naraana moves quickly, pulling the core free of its bonds, and stows it into a pouch. Navigating a series of fragile purchases, the Twi’lek slowly makes her way to the street. Once there she pulls a hood over her head, brushing the last of the dust off her clothes, ears ringing as they resume function. She moves away from the wreckage, trying her damnedest to look the part of someone who has no idea what happened.
She makes it no more than 40 yards before a speeder pulls by, after slowing past what’s left of Torve’s estate, and stops directly in front of Naraana.
Slowly a window rolls down, and a Zabrak woman stares at Naraana, trying to place the Twi’lek’s features. After a moment of recognition, the driver, Kith the Assassin, opens the top.
“Get in” she states simply.
Naraana complies and immediately the speeder barrels away. Buildings whizz by as Kith the Assassin berates Naraana for her carelessness, while keeping her attention on the road. The idea that anyone accused of murder would ever return to the scene of the crime was beyond reason from the Zabrak’s perspective, bolstered by years of training. Her tone shifts only for a moment, as she confirms that everyone is free, making careful mention of Yem Tandar. The conversation switches gears as quickly as the sled they ride in. Kith the Assassin presses for details about what just happened without offering any additional information, leaving both with more questions than answers. Kith the Assassin lets her guard down finally sharing all the information she couldn’t find about her boss’s murder. Naraana’s concern over the devastation contrasts with Kith the Assassin’s only priority: escaping unscathed. This eventually leads them to the path ahead, and Naraana’s skillset.
“I need your help” Kith the Assassin finally states
“Go on” prods Naraana
Kith the Assassin outlines their ladies’ agreement.
The Plan
Ingredients
- One CSA SecOps Captain, kidnapped, with Uniform and ID
- One Slicer, with infiltration skillset
- One computer system, on-site and behind the firewall
- One overwatch, extraction, team and getaway driver – Kith the Assassin
Recipe:
CSA officer is incapacitated, uniform removed. ID must be recoded, and uniform cut to slicer’s body-type. ID must be keyed to user and ID photo changed. Slicer then must walk in the front door. Slice and leave. Total time: 5 minutes.
This recipe serves 7.
The Execution
Naraana lowers her cap over her brow. It was a breezy bright morning, not her native environment of tunnels and artificially lit spaces. Kith the Assassin’s workmanship was amazing. Not only did the uniform fit well, but it also perfectly hid all of Naraana’s equipment in pockets and pouches that were both invisible to the casual observer and easily accessible. Naraana straightened her shoulders, as she passed patrolmen on the way into the building.
Both tipped their hats offering a polite “Ma’am”
It was nice to be a Captain in the CSA.
Naraana once again flips the badge backward hiding the unchanged picture, the one oversight born out of the 2 window before Mission Start. Reaching the door, Naraana lets out a sigh, to release the pent up stress, signaled by the cramp in her left hand. 7 minutes remaining before the Captain is flagged for deviating from his posted itinerary. Her covers busy day is yet another setback. Quickly the Twi’lek slides her card into the slot to gain entry to the building. 100 yards and one more checkpoint before the computer core access door she needed. Right on time. Keeping her head down, the parting sea of officers all offering their “Ma’am” as they let her pass. Checkpoint. 45 yards. Just under 6 minutes remain.
“Go ahead and check in”
Naraana slides her badge, awaiting confirmation
“Hold a moment” Sweat collects under the brim of her officers cap “Ok go ahead through, you’re clear captain”
Tip of the hat, and once again Naraana continues her path to the core. At the door. 5:20 remain.
“Heyheyeheyhey, what are you doing there?” An officer stops her, badge to pad, door still locked.
“Uh, I need to get into the core in order to process some important paperwork."
“OH yeah are you working on that case too?”
“Oh yes, I”m a recent transfer…” 4:56
“We could use all the help we could get!” The officer’s posture relaxes “Can you believe that craziness, no sooner is that guy murdered, but his whole building is just demolished!”
Shit, small talk, no time.
“I was actually on the street when it happened. I’m alarmed and I hope we can get to the bottom of this soon. The devastation and cost to civilians…”
“Yeah, oh ma’am, sorry ma’am. We lost a couple good men. Did, did you take fire too?”
“No, I was nearby, and I heard the chaos. I ran over to see what was going on and I was horrified”
“Well, here let me buzz you in, these cards get funky. Go ahead, and good luck. I’ll check on you in a few moments and see if you need anything. Ma’am”
The light turns green and the door slides open. The young officer backs away, seeking out some more StimCaf to keep from falling asleep, his eyes weary from the hectic night. The room is small and dark with one simple console surrounded by panels littered with blinking lights. Home.
“I’m in” Naraana reports
Moving as quickly as possible, Naraana makes quick work of any simple security protocols standing in her way. After closing off the obvious ports that will be used to counter her intrusion, Naraana moves to the first file. Naraana Vrei: no longer a criminal, ending the investigation creatively. Time slows down when she’s inside the system. 4:10 remaining. Kith the Assassin is next, quickly followed by R2-C4. Shit, software error, and access restriction. This will take some time.
Ok done. 3:20 remaining. 4 more files. Naraana reassures Kith the Assassin, who comms in. Ok…
Roark, the officially legit businessman (but is he really?) Corran Costi, another “innocent” man. Rebus Narcassan, fixed. Valara Skye, innocent nerf herder (but really a Jedi, how cool!). Yem Tandar. Done.
1:30 remain. Objectives complete, now time to take advantage of the moment.
Reports. Files. T-O-R-V-E. Search.
With quick work, Naraana plugs in her own gear, drawing the files into her personal data core. Hopefully a clue will reveal itself. With that she closes the connections and exits the console just as a counterslicer starts investigating her intrusion. The nick of time
“You got—- oh forget it” 55 seconds is no time to sit and think of a witty one-liner.
Naraana brushes the wrinkles out of the front of her uniform, and heads out the door. Pass the break room on the left, get to the gate. A cup of Stimcaf is quickly followed by the same forward officer.
“Oh did you get everything you were looking for, Captain?”
“Yes I did. You know I’m gonna grab myself some shut-eye before I need to meet with my supervisor. This case is a mess”
“Oh I know! You want to see what we’ve collected so far, some of the scene photographs. Ugh. they’re awful. I’d love to get your input on it”
“I’d love to, but I’m already running late so… check back with me in 3 hours?”
“I really need the input. Some experience would be great. I’m lost trying to connect the dots here”
Naraana waves as she passes through the checkpoint leaving the young officer to talk to himself. She’s back onto the street with about 3 seconds left on the clock. Kith the Assassin, quickly pulls up in her black speeder, and both ladies move hastily down the street.
An hour later, Naraana’s rebel transport blasts off planet, heading for Ord Gimmell. She spends the majority of the trip in her private room, surrounded by an assortment of equipment, deployed to crack into Bardo’s data core, which itself is in barely serviceable shape. Data, history, sample info. And these offers by A-KV. Admiral Kam Vinderhook.
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