A Grand Design

[Darth Inheris]

With their little efforts underway, they were coming into the final phase, one that meant to make their particular section of the drive yard nice and lucrative. And the best way to do that was to have the best ships.

That was where House Depon came in.

Designers well renowned for their starships, the House had agreed to meet aboard the under construction drive yards high above the Kuati atmosphere with two Sith delegates, in order to finalise a deal to build their latest starship exclusively through this section of the Kuat Drive Yards. It was not going to be an easy sell. But, there were plenty of things that might go wrong aboard an under-construction station,

"Make sure you get House Depon onboard, their expertise will be invaluable in getting this place bringing home a nice profit. Who knows, you might even be able to score a ship out of them" Saorise little hologram finished sarcastically,

"Do whatever it takes, I'll see you afterwards"

@Cazar @Ulysses @Exploring Officer

 

[Saric Noms]

This was the second mission that Saric had undertaken for the mysterious Saorise and equally only the second time he had met her - and only a hologram at that each time.

He looked over to his companion and was gratified. Last time, he had been the muscle. This time it appeared that he had been provided with protection and he could slot into the more diplomatic role. Good cop, if you will.

Then the thought dawned on him - presumably there was a reason that the Empire had decided, in its infinite wisdom to provide him with such an escort.

Saric put his hands instinctively to his lightsabers to one side of his belt and then his helmet clipped to the other. He nodded respectfully to his comrade and the words "whatever it takes" echoed uneasily through his mind.

@Exploring Officer @Cazar

 

[Darth Inheris]

Change of plans it seemed.

Stepping from the boarding ramp on the uncompleted station, Saorise passed through the hallways to meet Saric, each footfall landing silently across the floor. She was dressed practically, to give the impression to the members of House Depon that she was a woman of practicality, and that her and her companion had been hands on in the reconstruction efforts. A show of skill and strength, hopefully that would ensure them an agreement today. One that had been long coming.

Coming to her friends side, she found herself in the still under construction shipyards launch bays. Cathedral like halls with vaulting roofs that could hold ships far greater than any Saorise had ever stepped foot on. However if control could be secured perhaps her and Saric both would be a little closer to that possibility,

"Ready for the worst?" she chatted playfully to her companion, it was time to get down to the business. The Depon delegates should have been arriving shortly. Standing tall and proud, she was ready to woo them into what could be a rather lucrative relationship for them both.


@Cazar @Ulysses

 

[Saric Noms]

Change of plans indeed.

For the first time Saric met Saorise in the flesh. However by now he felt like he knew her nevertheless. For one, they had had a number of hologramatic exchanges; second, the noble Sith's recent swift career progression was becoming something of note.

He was surprised to see such an illustrious woman in work overalls. Part of him respected her for being willing to be seen in such attire. Saric had little time for people who thought their station was above doing hard work. Another part of him, however, thought it was a mistake. A delegation representing the Republic, inviting its subjects to offer service to the empire's cause, should look the part. His Sith robes were simple, but they were smart and professional. He may well be wrong about that, but he didn't think so. In fact it didn't even cross his mind. Some might say that that was a failing in itself. Whatever the rights and wrongs, it was too late now. They had to set off to meet the Deponi representatives.

"Born ready," Saric responded, drily. In reality, however, he still was not entirely sure what it was he was supposed to be ready for and this last minute change of personnel had not exactly helped.

Were he the sort to chatter and fill the silence when nervous, he would probably have asked hundreds of questions about what was about to happen. However he was not; and so, waiting for either Saorise to say something further or for their guests to arrive, he let the silence hang.

@Cazar @Nightfall

 

[The Storyteller]

Nerves were high as representatives from House Depon left to meet with the Imperials. News of terror attacks and civil war did not make them feel easy about these types of things. The three of them exited the shuttle together, paranoid eyes scanning the surroundings. Defense systems were still offline and getting into the yard felt like a big trap. None of them felt comfortable but they knew better than to come heavily armed to meet the Imperials. All three opted out of weaponry and instead put forth a motion of trust. All three of them hated that choice.

"There they are, Hughs," one of them whispered a bit too loudly to their leader.

The man raised a hand to silence her as they made it to where the two Sith were waiting. It was a bit awkward to meet like this but he had to try to be confident. They held the upper hand in the negotiations, but not in firepower. If they disliked a deal it might mean violence. Or perhaps terrorists, pirates, or soldiers from the other side would come kill them all. House Depon and Hughs Depon had to trust that this was the right move even if they hated it.

"Greetings, I am Hughs Depon and these are my associates." The leader said with a slight bow before motioning to the people on either side of him. "Jenna and Mairos."

Hughs glanced up towards the half finished meeting area they would be moving into. The turbolift was not fully installed so they had to take a flight of stairs. It was a bit spooky really. He wished they were further along on work but recent events had slowed them considerably.

"Follow me, please, we will be meeting upstairs where we might have a more secure room." A hint of fear in his voice as he eyed the landing areas. "It pains me to say it, but be on guard for any scoundrels. We've had issues with them lately."

@Nightfall @Ulysses

 

[Darth Inheris]

"The pleasure is ours, Hughs, Jenna, Mairos" she said, greeting them personally one by one before Hughs ushered began to usher them away. Saorise remained smiling despite the mans discussion of those worse sorts. The worry in the mans words was obvious, and much like those around her she kept her head on a swivel as she listened to the delegates, keeping an eye out for any such trouble. While the KDY was formidably defended, the mandalorians had all too recently proved that one could slip under the radar, others may very well have been inspired by such actions. And while she doubted any would invade today, she wasn't above taking the mans fears seriously,

"All Kuat knows too well what a few villains can do to fine places like this, your worry does you service. Though I assure you, should any arrive today, we'll be more than ready to assist you" she reassured the man. A promise of defence hopefully she wouldn't have to keep, though one that would hopefully only help them if a deal was to be struck today. They needed those designs or else there would be no way to compete, between her and Saric she was sure there was an argument that would ring true to the Depons,

"It would be a shame if Depon's great designs were to fall into the hands of those not deserving anyhow. Just as a bad deal can see a house in ruins, a good one can see it flourish. We're hoping today we can help both or families" she said, following the fellow up the stairs. So far it seemed nothing suspicious was going on though, but she didn't shake it from her mind. It was doing her good anyway, kept her alert to the situation, kept her mind focused on what was in front of her.

Hopefully Saric was doing the same, and could help back up her statements too, reassure the worried Hughs Depon.

@Ulysses @Cazar

 

[Saric Noms]

With the arrival of Saorise, Saric realised that his role had inevitably changed. He therefore let the senior Sith do most of the talking, though he would, of course, introduce himself when appropriate.

If there was any chance that the representatives thought that he was there in any way to intimidate them - even though his robes were formal, not military - Saric sought to allay their fears. He did this by, when Saorise mentioned being ready to assist with scoundrels, half bowing his head with a self-deprecating smile as if to say at your service - even if to actually say those words out loud would be far too pompous.

His only addition to Saorise's compelling argument would be as follows.

"A house as distinguished as yours knows that the strength of the Empire is to control those forces of anarchy - and where possible to control them at a distance. That is where your ships come in. Yes, there are times when agitators slip through, but that is the time to redouble our efforts, not to surrender. As lady Kallig says, this is an opportunity to flourish in the defence of the Republic."

 

[The Storyteller]

Hughs was nervous of any creak or shadow but tried not to show it. The stairways echoed with their footsteps as they entered and would be like an alarm to anyone waiting for an ambush. House Depon was too much of a target for robbery and this just felt unsafe after the Mandalorian exploits. It was all in his head though and he knew it. No one would dare try that again after the public response. That's what he wanted to believe at least up until he reached the top of the stairs.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is... a holdup!" Came a booming voice from the top of the stairs as a man in Ranger Scout Armor appeared.

He seemed to be holding a stun scattergun and had a couple DH-7 Pistols at his hips. It was clear the man was probably not alone as other shadows cast on the wall behind him. There were probably 2 more hiding behind the corner similarly armed and armored. The man who spoke had the gun aimed at Hughs who had been leading the way so far. Hughs was unarmed and unarmored so would likely fall down the stairs grievously wounded if stunned. It also may stun the other two Depon members based on its ability to fire in a bit of an arc. He had not fired yet, but he was ready.

"All I'm asking for is the codes to your ships and for you to drop all weapons or valuables you have. And you get to live!" The chipper tone was mocking it seemed as he then added more. "Seems like a win-win to me."

Hughs slowly put his hands in the air, hoping the Imperials could prove to be magical saviors they claimed to be now. He was too scared to speak and wanted to see how his guests handled it. It was a big move of trust but he had little other choice. Giving in to the demands would be a PR nightmare that was worth dying to prevent in his mind. All for the family.

@Nightfall @Ulysses

 

[Saric Noms]

Change of plans double indeed.

To say that Saric was not best pleased at having a blaster pointed in his general direction while discussions were ongoing would be somewhat of an understatement. He would not wait for the bandit to finish his monologue. Instead he swung his right hand in a natural upwards diagonal, bending and twisting at the elbow. With this he reached out with the force in a fairly wide angle but low intensity swipe. The stranger with a booming voice would feel this as like a slap to his left jaw - nothing too painful, but enough to throw him off his stride - and his weapon jerked up and right. As a matter of geometry, the weapon move would come infinitesimally before the slapping sensation. Therefore, if he lost his discipline and let off a shot with the surprise, it would sail harmlessly over their heads.

This sudden slap would give Saric just enough time to pull out his full length Lightsaber from his belt, while ducking under their host's raising hands, and then ignite it in his left, dominant hand, and hold it in a defensive pose. He would end up with his body between the Depon and their assailant. This was not out of any noble desire for self sacrifice, but rather he calculated it was the best place to ensure his lightsaber might deflect any bolts coming their way.

Saric would assume that Saorise would want to say something at this point and so would allow a heartbeat's pause. If not, he would shout back: "I'll give you a moment to reconsider. If you lay down your arms, you can hope to come out of this with your lives."

@Nightfall @Cazar

 

[Darth Inheris]

Oh lord. Bandits.

Theatrical bandits. One she was now caught in a holdup from.

Saric, it seemed, had the right idea. As the man redirected the leaders rifle, Saorise drew her lightsaber out with one hand, while in her other she readied her fathers holdout blaster, ready to shoot off a quick pair of bolts if any others decided to round the corner. And with her gun already levelled and aimed, she'd be in position to fire quick if any rounded one of the corners, or if this front one went for his blaster pistols. Indeed, if they did, that's what she would do, as soon as they came into view.

Saorise had equally taken a couple of steps forward, ensuring she had her body between Jenna and Mairos, just in case. Few things ruined a deal quite as much as one of the parties being knocked out cold. Or killed, for that matter. And Saorise had no plan on letting that happen to either of them, this business was far too important to be ended by some thug with a scattergun. If anything were to fire and be targeting any of the the Depons, Saorise would push them down to the ground to get them out of the way.

Breathing deep, she drew what she could of the force to her,

"It'll be much easier if you all do what he says" she added with a smile. Saric had the right idea, hopefully the bandit knew what was good for him. Doing ridiculous robin hood impressions would get you nowhere.

@Cazar @Ulysses

 

[The Storyteller]

A most unexpected consequence for the bandits was the presence of these Sith. They thought they'd be robbing some rich snobs and their guards. This was new. Fighting the Imperial Sith seemed like a horrible idea but they were in it now. Jail was not an option any of them wanted or thought they'd survive with their records. This had to be an escape attempt not a surrender. The leader fired his scattergun as it was yanked upwards, a panic shot if anything. He stepped back quickly so he was not in range of the approaching Sith weapon.

"Wha... hey!" He shouted as he fired a second time, this time lowering his weapon and holding it firmer.

The man kept backing up after firing to create more space from the Sith. At least it would be hard for even a Sith to block that stun shot if it managed to fire correctly. The other two men seemed stunned and did not move. They were held by fear for the moment so did not come out to help yet.

Hughs flinched and moved against one wall quickly as he heard the shot. It would not have hit him, but he still did it. The second shot would hit him if not dealt with though. Jenna and Mairos were both unmoved from their positions, hands in the air out of fear. They would both be easy hits for the second shot too.

@Nightfall @Ulysses

 

[Saric Noms]

By the time the bandit readied himself again, Saric was in a stable defensive position. He could therefore walk forward steadily and dissipate the stun ray with his saber.

"Stay low," he hissed back, "and follow".

If the assailants were being sensible, and running, he would be losing ground on them. Nevertheless, his main objective was to get his interlocutors through safely. Therefore he made progress up the stairs, protecting them from any shots coming down towards them.

Saric was not aware of the whereabouts of the other two attackers. Therefore when he reached the top of the stairs, he would not simply continue forward as landing opens out, but would pause to assess.

@Nightfall @Cazar

 

[Darth Inheris]

While Saric was doing good work keeping the blast dissipating, his moving forwards meaning he took more and more of the shot as he went, hopefully meaning the diplomats were all safe from its effects.

However, Saorise meant to make sure that, just in case anything blew through, she wouldn't have any of these diplomats going dark on her.

With that in mind, from her position between Jenna and Mailos, she put her arms on their backs and pushed them to the floor using her elbows, beneath the potential area of the shot, keeping them close to the ground. With her free hand she simultaneously reached out with the force to Hughs and yanked him down from the back of his shirt, pulling him flat and again out of the range of the shot.

Force, these people could hardly look after themselves, how House Depon had come as far as it had she would never understand. Perhaps they just paid for security all the time, she reflected. It left a bit of a bad taste in her mouth. While the Empire could protect its citizens, the ones in front of her needed more than that, they could barely move themselves. Hopefully her and Saric's derring-do now would nab them the deal without much more discussion,

"Take him out" she called up to Saric. They couldn't waste much more time, especially when keeping the fools from Depon safe. She'd have charged up there if she wasn't afraid that, left alone, they'd manage to get themselves killed.

@Cazar @Ulysses

 

[The Storyteller]

Hughs and his friends were safe for that moment but felt a bit abused. If that is what it took to keep them safe then so be it. They had opted out of their usual heavy security sweeps so this was a bit new to them. House Depon would need a good show if they wanted easier negotiations after being shoved to the hard stairs. They would watch carefully to see if they needed to run away. They could still get to their ships and fly away while the Sith died if things looked bad.

"Shoot it!" The bandit shouted as the next blast was blocked.

Two more versions of him popped up from either side and fired stun blasts simultaneously at Saric. He'd be hard pressed to avoid both from different directions without retreating or pushing forward. The leader then fired another stun blast right after them, straight from the front and slightly downwards. Life would be difficult for the lone Sith who had been left alone to fight all three of them. A mistake his partner might soon be forced to repeat if he couldn't stand up against this threat.

@Nightfall @Ulysses

 

[Darth Inheris]

Saorise was back, but she wasn’t out just yet. With Saric dissipating the leaders first shot completely, and the trio of diplomats safe behind, she pushed herself forward, closing the distance from her to the attackers. As she ran, the leaders cry out to his fellows cued her in, her eyes darting up ahead and catching the others as they rounded the corner to take their shots. Before they could squeeze the triggers she reached out with the force.

As the two raised their rifles to attack, she wrapped the blasters with the force and tore them from their hands and off to the side, meaning to throw the guns from the stairs and send them clattering to the flier below. With the two unarmed now they’d be easy pickings for her to finish off with her lightsaber.

Hopefully with only the leader to deal with directly, Saric could just finish him off and make this a more even fight for the two. They needed to get this done quick to show that an alliance would be valuable. Kriff, if he took the mans blaster he could hit him square in the face and take him down for good.

Either way, they should finish this handily soon, and all the better for it.

@Ulysses @Cazar

 

[Saric Noms]

As the lead bandit shouted again, Saric reached out with the force for a second time, this time pulling his legs out from underneath him. The resulting shot would sail harmlessly up into the sky and Saric would bound up to greet the man while he was still on his back at saber point.

Standing over him in victory, he would circle round to face his hosts - offering them his life to take either in death or incarceration. Their planet; their rules. He would hope it was also a show of goodwill to them.
@Cazar @Nightfall

 

[The Storyteller]

Annoyance was all the bandit could feel as his body hit the floor. Being yanked up was annoying. Suddenly having Sith enemies was annoying. This was supposed to be a robbery not a battle. As a soldier, he had seen better days. Falling had robbed him of his stun gun as it went flying behind him. Jail was not for him. He knew what Sith jail was like and he would die before going back in. By the time with Sith, Saric, had stepped up to him, he would have let his hands drift to his waist as if attempting to sit up before being confronted. His pistols were hanging out of the holsters begging to be used after that fall. The handles felt like a beautiful glove as his hands gripped them.

"No surrender!" He shouted as he hip fired through his holsters from both pistols up towards the Sith's chest, sending two shots from each pistol as quickly as he could.

It seemed the Sith thought he had won because he was looking at the Depon fools rather than the one he held at lightsaber point. Maybe this would be a nice last lesson for him. Even if the bandit died, he was happy to go out fighting rather than end up in prison. His partners might have felt differently, but he had sealed their fates as well by his actions. Their weapons were being firmly gripped after seeing what happened the first time to their boss. When Saorise tried to rob them both at the same time, it simply redirected them rather than totally disarming them. They both stumbled back a step or two in recovering which meant their boss would be shouting about the same time they got their barrings back.

No turning back for the robbers now. They were face to face with a powerful foe. One of them stepped forward in the chaos and fired yet again down the stairs in what he hoped was a joint effort to end her while the boss fought the other one. The third man did not seem to agree. He dropped his scattergun and pulled out his pistol. At first it seemed he was going to shoot Hughs but then he shoved it under his own helmet and pulled the trigger. Death before jail and was not going to take a chance. A brutal way to end his own life.

@Nightfall @Ulysses

 

[Saric Noms]

As he circled round, his eyes would never truly leave his vanquished foe. Therefore, when he saw - at least in his peripheries - the man's holsters rotate through vertical, Saric would simply lean into the bandit: the saber point at his chest going through it before he could even get a target.

He would then look over to the other robbers. By now, one had taken his own life. The other, if not already skewered, would find Saric charging towards him, with a fairly simple sweep through his body.

@Nightfall @Cazar

 

[Darth Inheris]

Saorise continued to rush at the bandit, even as the grotesque scene next to him of his friend offing himself took shape. A dreadful, if useful demise. With the pair off balance and out of focus, Saorise was able to lose the distance in short order, keeping her blade before her to deflect or dissipate any shots that came her way. She meant to end this, and it seemed the trio were giving her little choice as to how she and Saric went about it.

Poor choice on their part.

As the one surviving guard fired down, she kept her blade out and infront of her person. So close to the bandit the shot would have had little time to spread yet, meaning she could hold back the blow as she stormed his position, driving the blade into his person between his ribcage, cutting through flesh and bone in one dark movement. With her other arm she simaltaneously pushed his weapon weilding arm to face the floor. Even if he fired on instinct to get her off as a last ditch effort, he'd be unable to aim anywhere near her or the diplomats.

If the bandits laid all dead now, it would have been quite the display of strength from the two, one that would hopefully see House Depon quickly agree to the deal. She'd turn back to Hughs and offer him a hand up, checking he was alright,

"Safe and sound Hughs? We've seen worse fights, I promise you"

@Cazar @Ulysses

 

[The Storyteller]

The bandits had not been anticipating much of a fight. They had been equipped to survive an industrial accident and to rob rich snobs with no skills. None of them had an expectation to fight Sith enemies. None of them had experience fighting that type of enemy. They all went down refusing to go to jail in one way or another. Some might call it a sad ending but to them there was no better escape than death for what would have been ahead. The Depons certainly were content to see them dead.

"I am fine. We. Are fine." Hughs said, regaining his posh composure as he stepped over the bandit bodies. "Negotiations shall continue then."

A nudge in the back of Hughs mind made him wonder if that whole thing was a set up. The Sith did well to kill them, but it wasn't beyond them to simply pay people to... show up. He wondered just how genuine that threat was and whether or not the Sith were playing games. They always had something, but it was better to be their friend than their enemy. Money would come in, as would better protection. That's what he told himself. Did it matter if it was staged?

The other two members of House Depon would be a bit quieter now. They would basically agree to any deal now that they saw the Sith work. Power and merciless action. That was not an enemy they wanted to make. The proposed deal would be accepted easily enough. House Depon would do as requested more out of fear than anything else.

@Nightfall @Ulysses