"Perfect Square Act I" Pt. 1
An even longer time ago, in a galaxy just as far away...
Nar Shaddaa
1335th Year of the Empire
A middle-aged man paced across the room, checking his chronometer every once in a while. Though his living space was by no means the worst in this decaying, crime-ridden ecumenopolis, it still offered no view of the moon outside. Not that such a view would give him any sense of time here, for Nar Shaddaa, like the planet it orbited, was polluted terribly, most of its sky and natural light blocked out by a thick haze of smog.
The man, approaching an old age, soon tired of waiting and sat down on his bed with a nervous sigh. It was at that moment that footsteps became audible outside. Immediately he sprung to his feet with uncanny speed, as if he had been trained to react quickly, or that he had been looking forward to this moment for the entirety of his fifty-something year life.
He moved over to the cupboard he kept beside his bed, pulling open one of the bottom compartments. Within lay several weapons- a blaster pistol, several knives and a small row of spherical grenades. Reaching in, the man grabbed the pistol, not bothering to close the cupboard as he took position beside the door. He tapped the control panel, unlocking the entrance to his home and cautiously aiming his pistol at whoever was coming...
With the door slid open, time began to slow for the man as he waited for someone to appear . He heard the footsteps draw closer before falling silent, yet nobody walked across the threshold. A bead of nervous sweat began to hesitantly form on his brow as the aged grip on his blaster pistol trembled ever so slightly as the adrenaline of the unknown rushed through his tired body.
Then it came; the subtlest of touches that given a few more years could easily lead to a heart attack for him - a gently tap on the shoulder with a single digit. Spinning around as he jumped with surprise, he turned his gaze just in time to see the owner of the tapping finger on his shoulder deactivate a stealth field generator and ripple into full view.
His eyes widened slightly as he took in the delicate features of the woman who now stood before him; her shoulder length dark hair framing a classically refined imperial face; accented by her violet cosmetics and bright green eyes. She brazenly carried a DLA-13 blaster rifle on the back of her full length black & purple accented jacket. But most remarkable of all to the man was that this woman appeared to be half his age, or close to it at least - never had he expected any visitor to be one so young. Whilst her appearance would give her heritage away to only those who would know how to identify it; the accent she greeted him with marked her as a clearly upper class Imperial as she addressed him, "Is that how you welcome all your guests around here?"
The man relaxed once he heard the distinct Imperial accent, breaking into a smile as he lowered his weapon, "Most of my guests knock, you know."
He peered out the entrance, looking both ways down the litter-filled hallway that led to his dwelling to ensure that the young woman was not followed. Satisfied, he pressed the control panel again, closing and locking the door before taking a few steps into the room. The man returned to his pistol to its place in the cupboard, gently closing it before turning back to the individual he had invited inside.
"Sorry about that. Necessary precautions for living here. I'm Tanric Mallis. You must be the one Keeper sent. What was it...Me-Cha?"
"Mischa" she corrected; her tone carrying the subtlest hint of disapproval at having to do so which so naturally accompanied her accent. She followed him into the centre of the room, taking in the typically native appearance of the dwelling as she settled to stand just beside his junk filled dining table with her hands folded behind her back, "Though Agent will suffice." she added as she looked upon the man, taking in every aspect of him from his less than immaculate appearance to the hard worn experience written through the discreet wrinkles showing across his brow, "I understand you have some information for me?"
Tanric shook his head, "I've only just been notified, I know even less than you do. Our instructions are coming from up top. All I was told was to prepare for your arrival and use the secure holo-frequency."
He stepped across the room again, proceeding to a Dejarik table beside one of the walls. Kneeling down, Tanric opened a compartment from the bottom of the table and tampered with the wires and buttons inside the gaming device. The holoprojections on top of the table surface began to flicker wildly, displaying Dejarik pieces all over the board before the image of a balding man in an Imperial uniform came into existence.
"This is Keeper. Agent, I take it you've made your way here without issue?"
Approaching the table; Mischa folded her hands behind her back and held an equally formal posture to the image of Keeper as she looked down at the flickering image, "Keeper" she greeted, "I have arrived without incident. What is the mission status?"
"Good," Keeper nodded. "You'll need your anonymity for potential infiltration. The situation is this- one week ago, an Imperial businesswoman named Kelly Haron went to Nar Shaddaa to negotiate with Gundo the Hutt. Haron is one of ours, an informant for Imperial Intelligence in the financial and black market world of the Empire. She was travelling with Cipher Sixteen, one of our best agents; he was using her credentials as cover to investigate Gundo. After arriving, they both went silent." "It's not unusual for Cipher Sixteen to disappear unannounced for weeks at a time when conducting a mission. However, we've just received a signal from Gundo's Sky Palace, an encoded Imperial SOS signal. We need you to get in there and find out what's happened. Extract our people if necessary."
Mischa nodded, "I am not familiar with Sixteen; I was able to study the schematics for that district during the trip here however and believe I can secure a route into the palace. If there is nothing more, Sir, time is of the essence."
Keeper nodded, "Find our people and make sure they're safe. We can't afford to lose Cipher Sixteen or Haron. That is your mission priority. Keeper out." Once the hologram fizzled and disappeared, Tanric turned to the young agent, "Gundo's Palace...now that's not going to be an easy place to get into. For one it flies around the moon and only docks for refueling, and they'll expect someone to try to sneak on or attack during that time. Disguise is our best bet, I guess that's why Keeper chose you, judging from your files." The middle-aged informant stepped away from the Dejarik table, lowering himself onto the nearby bench to rest, "I've been keeping an eye on the Hutt for some time. Gundo's hiring quite a number of mercenaries of late, I don't know why but the rumour going around is that he's preparing to attack a rival of his. Approaching as a mercenary'll probably get your weapons to at least the doorstep, but I don't know how far they'll let you in. Alternatively, one of his lieutenants is responsible for picking dancers for his palace, and they say the man barely checks background, as long as the dancer's pretty. It'll be easier to get in that way, but you'll have to go unarmed, and with nothing to hide a weapon in."
Mischa smiled subtly, clearly impressed by Tanric's level of information, "I do love an interesting challenge" she commented while pacing the small run down apartment deep in thought at considering her options. After a few moments she stopped and turned to face him, "I think have just the thing in mind. I should depart immediately to make preparations". With that she turned to the door, hitting the panel to slide it open before glancing back to him with a playful smile - seemingly enjoying her work at this point, "Don't wait up now!" With that she again hit her stealth field generator and slipped away unseen into the shadows.
Later that day at the Slippery Slope Cantina, Gundo's recruiter sat idly at a corner table; the boredom written across his face as it sat slumped against his hand which rested against the tables edge was there for all to see - including Mischa as strolled confidently into the bar and right up to the man, addressing him in her perfectly rehearsed Republic accent as he looked up from his staring into space with eyes growing ever so slightly wider as he looked Mischa over, "I hear you're on the lookout for new talent?" She smiled down sweetly at him. As the recruiter took her in with his eyes he sat up straight and more attentive, "Always got room for a... talented little thing like yaself. But I'm afraid sweet cheeks; it takes more the right look to get in." He grinned a seedy grin as he patted the tabletop in front of him before leaning back with his hands folded behind his head. Mischa simply smiled sweetly at him, "Sure thing sugar!" she purred, resting her hands on the table top before hoisting herself up with calculated precision and timing to emphasize every feature of her disguise. With a nod to the band playing in the opposite corner, the music changed to something more upbeat and she began her perfectly rehearsed show piece.
As the song ended, Mischa settled onto her hands and knees on the tabletop in front of the recruiter; leaning in to him ever so subtly whilst blatantly posturing to emphasize her curves in the revealing dancer's disguise. His hungry eyes and licking lips told her that she had him right where she wanted him as she gazed at him with wide green eyes and the same sweet smile she wore when she entered. With a deep breath the recruiter strained to hold his eyes directly upon hers, "Not bad..." he nodded, "But, I have dancers a plenty. Ya want in... I'm going to need something... more!" He grinned devilishly expecting this to be the point where he might have his way with the eager and nubile young dancing girl begging for his attention right before his nose, "Not a problem" she smirked as she swung her hips around to slink off the tabletop with crossed legs just off from his lap, and... made her way over to the band?
After a few muttered words in the Twi'lek xantha player's ear, she leaned back with a puppy dog look in her eyes as she folded her hands at her front and swayed ever so gently side to side as she awaited his reply. After a moments contemplation he gave a confident nod and she took a microphone from him, turning to face the now curious - albeit somewhat disappointed - recruiter, as she grinned confidently and began to sing a huttese classic...
After finishing her performance to a welcome applaud from the cantina populous - to whom she bowed gracefully before tossing the microphone back to the Twi'lek and hopping off the stage - Mischa returned to the recruiter, standing with her arms folded across her chest now, which still heaved subtly from the workout given by her energetic performance, "Now tell me you got plenty of dancers who can also do /that/!"
He grinned and nodded more respectfully this time, "Alright... you're in - you clearly got talent, I can make use of that" He reached for a datapad and began to type out her registration to the palace, "So, err... what should I put ya down as?" She beamed happily at him, "They call me The Princess!"
"C'mon then, Princess," the man grinned. "Ya got a ride to catch."
The recruiter led Mischa out of the cantina and into the Promenade beyond. Night was setting in on Nar Shaddaa, and for the place known as the Smuggler's Moon, this was the busiest time of the day. When on other worlds, activity would be dying down as the civilians headed to their respective homes, here, the fun was just starting. Tourists and locals alike moved across the Promenade, some heading to the high-end stores, some to the bars, and some to the taxis which connected to the casinos.
The two of them headed for one of the speeder pads, though their flight was not to the popular visitor's locations. Beside all the taxi vehicles was parked a privately owned speeder car painted in green with sleek black stripes down the centre. Gundo's lieutenant took the pilot's seat while motioning for Mischa to take the one beside him. Almost as soon as they lifted off, a message from a female Zabrak enforcer of the palace began to play.
Aside from the initial recording, the remainder of the other end of the conversation played directly into the recruiter's cybernetic earpiece. The topic of discussion was apparently security precautions concerning some special guests. What bits of the cryptic dialogue Mischa did manage to catch informed her that the lieutenant's name was Darnel, and in addition to the hired dancers he was also responsible for dealing with slave dancers and by extension the holding cells of the palace.
In about ten minutes, their speeder pulled up, and Gundo the Hutt's grand Sky Palace came into view. Unlike the Promenade, which was a big, rectangular construct jutting out on the moon's skyline, the palace possessed a smooth, rounded design. Bright lights shone from across the structure, not bright enough to make it stand out from the flashy cityscape around it, but it was certainly attractive. Its elegance, however, was put off by the windows on its side, which gave it a slightly bulbous feel, as if the floating complex was a monument to the gluttony of the Hutt who inhabited it.
"C'mon then, Princess," the man grinned. "Ya got a ride to catch."
The recruiter led Mischa out of the cantina and into the Promenade beyond. Night was setting in on Nar Shaddaa, and for the place known as the Smuggler's Moon, this was the busiest time of the day. When on other worlds, activity would be dying down as the civilians headed to their respective homes, here, the fun was just starting. Tourists and locals alike moved across the Promenade, some heading to the high-end stores, some to the bars, and some to the taxis which connected to the casinos.
The two of them headed for one of the speeder pads, though their flight was not to the popular visitor's locations. Beside all the taxi vehicles was parked a privately owned speeder car painted in green with sleek black stripes down the centre. Gundo's lieutenant took the pilot's seat while motioning for Mischa to take the one beside him. Almost as soon as they lifted off, a message from a female Zabrak enforcer of the palace began to play.
Aside from the initial recording, the remainder of the other end of the conversation played directly into the recruiter's cybernetic earpiece. The topic of discussion was apparently security precautions concerning some special guests. What bits of the cryptic dialogue Mischa did manage to catch informed her that the lieutenant's name was Darnel, and in addition to the hired dancers he was also responsible for dealing with slave dancers and by extension the holding cells of the palace.
In about ten minutes, their speeder pulled up, and Gundo the Hutt's grand Sky Palace came into view. Unlike the Promenade, which was a big, rectangular construct jutting out on the moon's skyline, the palace possessed a smooth, rounded design. Bright lights shone from across the structure, not bright enough to make it stand out from the flashy cityscape around it, but it was certainly attractive. Its elegance, however, was put off by the windows on its side, which gave it a slightly bulbous feel, as if the floating complex was a monument to the gluttony of the Hutt who inhabited it.
Listening to their dialogue, Mischa pieced together the likely scenario; Kelly had been captured and may already have an escape plan in progress - though still no news of Cipher Sixteen. As they walked she looked sideways to the Rodian, while keeping an ever watchful eye on her surroundings - surveying every noteworthy detail of the areas they passed through, "So what was all that about? Sounds like your boss's got his hands full already; nothing serious I hope!"
Zonda responded, once again in Huttese as it became clear that the Rodian understood Basic but could not speak it. "Just a small problem with a prisoner. I tell the boss not to sleep with everyone that catches his eye but he never listens, not even after that Togruta almost killed him. No need for worry, though. No one has yet left the palace alive without Gundo's permission." The Rodian led Mischa through the entrance lobby and into one of the side rooms. Despite possessing a similar architectural style to the Imperial informant's apartment, Darnel's quarters stood in stark contrast. It was not only a paradigm of luxury, but a display of the wealth and status of its inhabitant. Racks of wines and weapons adorned the space, and in the centre lay a rug made from the whole skin of a wampa, a fierce predator from the remote Outer Rim world of Hoth. The room featured a massive window on one side which was illuminated by built-in lights, as if the view of the vibrant city beyond was not bright enough.
Zonda stood beside the entrance, leaning casually on the doorway, "I'll wait here until the boss returns. Please don't touch any weapons or datapads. Or the drinks- he's very sensitive about some of those. And don't step on the rug, he's told me many times it's decoration, not for...actually, just take a seat and don't touch anything."
Mischa slowly meandered her way around the room; taking in the details and what they told her about Darnel. Knowing this was too good an opportunity to pass up and that time was of the essence, she grinned mischievously as she activated her stealth field generator. A few moments later, Zonda's attention was drawn by the sound of shattering glass. Cursing in huttese, he bolted into the room and over to Darnel's bar only to be greeted by the sight of a spilled Nal Hutta vintage pooling on the floor from a broken bottle which had been toppled from a high shelf behind the bar - but no Mischa. Scratching his head, he looked around curiously; completely unaware of the stealthed woman stood right behind him and quietly slipping a blade out from under her glitzy belt at the base of her spine. He did not see or hear it coming - she made it quick and painless, and silent for him, as she swiftly wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and slid the blade across his throat - easing his body to the floor behind the bar as the life left his limbs, "Sorry old chap, but I don't have time to waste just now. Know that this is a good and honourable death." she spoke softly as she laid him down, sliding his eyes shut with the palm of her hand before standing with a quick and alert glance to ensure the position had not been compromised. Now she could get to work.
All was quiet, and it seemed that no one had witnessed Zonda's assassination. There were no security cameras in the room, at least none that were visible- it was possible that the high status of Gundo's lieutenants could afford them privacy in their own quarters. There was, however, a clear monitoring device just outside the door, which meant that someone would notice that the Rodian had disappeared inside. This, combined with the fact that Darnel had gone off to 'deal with' a prisoner that was likely one of the people Mischa came for, meant that she had only a little time to do whatever needed to be done in the room. Most of the weapons on display in the room were functional, including the collection of blaster pistols, rifles, vibroblades and shock batons. There were not many other technological gadgets aside from the weaponry, though, and the only computer was a small terminal located beside the bed. Several datapads were also scattered across the room. Unlike the rest of the palace that Mischa had seen so far, Darnel's quarters appeared to be entirely devoid of droids.
Working quickly, Mischa sheathed her blade back under her belt and made her way around to the central seating area to grab the datapads which she bundled up and carried across to the bed; spreading them out for a quick review while hacking into the personal terminal to see what information she could glean from it. Idly adjusting the tiara which sat uncomfortably through the hair on the back of her head as she worked; Mischa focused her search on anything pertaining to the location and status of her missing agents and security & layout information to help her reach them.
The computer terminal was the most well-encrypted and contained numerous details on his personal life, including a journal which confirmed Zonda's story- that Darnel had apparently been seduced by one of the prisoners. The information on the terminal also explained why he did not use droids, as he mistrusted them and disagreed with Gundo over the deployment of droids through the palace. Darnel once lived alongside an assassin droid owned by his father, a low profile bounty hunter. He was so fond of the droid that he removed its restraining bolt, and it proceeded to murder his father before escaping. Despite Gundo's claim that their combat units were not true droids and thus not sentient nor capable of developing sentience, Darnel refused to use them and hired guards for the holding cells. Ironically, his tendency to trust organics may have turned out to be his downfall. The datapads, on the other hand, appeared to be mostly work-related material. The most difficult to slice was actually a roster of all the dancers in the palace, complete with Darnel's own comments. Another datapad had exactly what Mischa sought- a full documentation of recent activities relating to Gundo's holding cells. According to the prisoner information, they had locked up one Kelly Haron for corporate espionage and planned to hand her over, though the datapad did not specify whom to. There was also a roster for the guards and their rotations as well as a map of the holding areas. No information on Cipher Sixteen was present, but having arrived undercover, the agent would likely be listed under an alias if he was indeed among the prisoners.
Quickly registering all of the pertinent information; Mischa was expedient in logging back out of the console before making a final sweep of the room. Satisfied that there was nothing of further use she proceeded to make a sharp exit from the room under stealth, deactivating the field and moving more casually throughout the palace once she was clear of that corridor so as not to be seen on camera exiting his quarters. She meandered through the long and winding corridors to find her way towards an elevator which would take her down to the holding cells. Once inside, she idly checked her sheathed blades readiness and prepared to hit her stealth field generator again once the elevator arrived.
The holding area was down the hall from the elevator, normally sealed off by a gate as shown in the floor plan, though now the gate appeared to be wide open. Just in front of where the gate would have closed, a Weequay stood beside a body on the floor. The clothing made it apparent that the corpse was Darnel, but only as Mischa approached could she notice the hole burnt through the exact centre of his forehead by a precise blaster bolt. Darnel's pistol was not beside him, but instead in the hand of the Weequay, who pointed it towards the inside of the chamber beyond. Standing opposite the Weequay, amidst the bodies of both guards and prisoners, was a woman and a Wookiee. Both were armed with rifles of the same design, presumably looted from the two dead guards. The woman had short brown hair and a very well-honed physique, a slender yet muscular form that was almost a perfect amalgamation of beauty and strength. Despite looking tough for a human, however, she was much less imposing than the giant Wookiee that towered over her, and the two of them were clearly more than a match for the Weequay.
"I'm not sticking around here to get killed," the Weequay exclaimed. "I'm getting out of here while I still can!"
"If you go now, we all get killed," the woman replied in a distinct Imperial accent similar to Mischa's own. "I have a plan that can get us out of here, but I can't have you running around informing everyone that we've escaped!"
"We owe her our lives," howled the Wookiee in his native language of roars and growls. "She's the one that freed us. We can trust her."
"She freed us to swarm the guards and got half of us blasted!" the Weequay argued. "If we trust her she'll just get the rest of us killed!"
"Don't pretend you care about anyone who died, you just want to save your own skin," the woman cut in. "And I got you this far, didn't I?"
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