Company Secrets - Kiirium Echos, Part I

[Eice Frex]

MALCRAAN SPACEPORT, THE PLANET MOLAVAR.
OUTER RIM TERRITORIES, GALACTIC SOUTHEAST.

Malcraan Spaceport, like the rest of Molavar, was one of those places where Eice Frex was convinced sentient beings should never have come in the first place. How the dusty, arid world had a spaceport, let alone an indigenous population in the form of the Molavarans, the petite starpilot could not understand.

What Eice could understand even less was that Blackrow Hyperlogistics, her former employers, had bothered to open a local branch office on the planet. There was no way the place could be turning a profit with so many independents around, which really was only the second red flag which had called the young Tintinna out to investigate.

Eice moved through the throngs of people in the street, long cloak pulled up around her small form to keep the sun off, as well as the blowing dust. Molavar was a less than hospitable location for anyone, let alone a Tintinna female, who was dwarfed by most of the beings around her. Further, it was a rough crowd; the spaceport seemed to be a haven for the seedier side of spacer culture, and the place abounded with smugglers, freebooters, mercenaries, bounty hunters and other scum. In this regard, Eice fit right in, she supposed, but this fact did not quite fill her with confidence.

I just hope my friends get here soon. She thought to herself, looking around again at the milling throngs for a glimpse of the beings she had called to help her.

Since being captured and nearly executed by Blackrow management, Eice Frex had made it her business to keep tabs on the movements of Blackrow Hyperlogistics, especially in the Outer Rim. Having grown up inside the company, Eice had never imagined that the huge shipping firm could be complicit in the kinds of criminal enterprises she had so far uncovered, but being fired had done much to remove her blinders. Her investigations - and subsequent actions - had earned the wrath of the company on numerous occasions, and Eice imagined this one would be no different.

Eice had caught wind of strange activity on Molavar, through contacts with access to company comms. Apparently, a Blackrow ship had limped back from the fringes of unknown space, landing at the local starport; since then, the local branch office had been in constant, heavily encrypted contact with the company headquarters on Corellia, which was what had tipped off the contact that it could be important.

Eice knew that she had to find out exactly what was going on, and to that end, had called in a few friends to help her...

@Vilkas @Allard Keever @Henric Antilles

 

[Henric Antilles]

Henric didn't know anything about this world or it's people, though neither did he care in the slightest. Eice had literally saved his life, taking him off of Serenno after the mental fight with that behemoth of an abomination. The Antilles had been doing a lot of soul searching since then, meditating in what ways he had remembered reading in stolen Jedi texts that the Empire had taken, only just recently becoming stable enough to really interact with others again. His soul felt light, clean, and that gnawing hunger for dark secrets had seemingly disappeared. Now he was just filled with his sense of Justice, which was one of the reasons the had come here today, to repay the debt he had accrued. He may not have had his lightsabers anymore but he still had his vibroknives and other weapons. His usual suit was hidden under a beige poncho and wide-brimmed hat, useful for keeping the sand and sun out of one's face on this kind of world. He strode up to Eice casually, tipping his hat at the young lady respectfully. "My apologies if I'm late. How can I help you? Whatever you need, just say the word."

@AutoFox

 

[Vilkas]

Grimacing underneath a hood Vilkas strolled the arid claimed spaceport. How these people live in this kind of place is beyond me. Perhaps lust of credits but I don’t see much worth here as material wealth goes. The Nelvaanian had struggle to understand aliens for years while on the move and it is still maddening for him. Of course he wasn’t on Molavar to uncover the mystery of alien thoughts.

No, it was a job offer made by a fellow guild member, Eice Frex. Granted he knew of the tiny woman by association with one of their mutual employers Allard Keever. Must be quite the task if she invited a stranger like myself to it. He concluded to himself, searching his dark eyes for Eice. The air was filled with hundreds of different scents and odors for him to track a sole person at the moment. Hopefully Allard will be over here soon, Vilkas can track him more easily.

Until sometime ago, the former hunter never thought he be associated with a group like the Free Trade Guild. The strange thing is the organization seemed to care about its members as if they were bound by blood. Such a curiosity was what kept Vilkas with the Guild so far. He didn’t want to place all his secret hopes on them yet but it was gradually becoming a distinct possibility.

Rifle sling over his poncho wearing shoulders, Vilkas soon spotted two feet figure of Eice and a human nearby. Carefully he approached them and pulled back the hood, revealing his wolffish appearance for them both to see. With a nod he spoke Basic a heavy layered accent. “Greetings fellow guild members. Vilkas here as requested.”

In the back of his mind, the mercenary thought. Spirits, it’s so hard to speak this Basic without sounding like a simpleton.

 

[Allard Keever]

Allard had to admit that quite a lot of people asked him if he was interested in pulling a job with them - and he was almost always alright to do so. Normally he wasn't really ever too enthused about it but hey, they were friends so he would make sure that it got done kind of thing. But when Eice Frex asked if he would be alright to help her out?

Well he wasn't made of durasteel! He couldn't say no to the young woman at the best of times and, right now, he was rather between projects so he jumped at the opportunity to go on this job with her.

And, annoyingly enough for his Alderaanian sensibilities... he was the last to arrive.

Perfect.

He raised a hand in greeting to Vilkas first, the mercenary likely to be the first to spot him with his enhanced senses. Smiling, he nodded to the mercenary,

"Vilkas - good to see you again." he greeted the fighter, going for a clasping of the forearm in greeting before turning to the other human, smile a little smaller but still present as he offered his hand, "And I don't believe I've had the pleasure. Allard Keever."

After introducing himself to the unknown, Allard's smile grew softer as he turned to Eice. He... had a lot of time for the Tintinna woman. She was a "bit of a ray of sunshine" type and he appreciated that - the Galaxy needed more people like her.

"Sorry I'm late Eice... hope I can help you out though darling." he assured her with a brighter smile before glancing around and adding, "Can I assume it involves going somewhere less disgusting than this place?"

A wane hope no doubt.

@AutoFox @Minuteman75 @Insalius

 

[Eice Frex]

Eice's ears perked as that strange, preternatural sense that had begun to manifest recently alerted her to the approach of several beings, and she looked up at the approach of Henric, beaming when she saw the reformed Force user. She giggled slightly as he tipped his hat to her, and then looked past him at the approach of a second being, a tall Nelvaanian she had not yet met in person.

"Henric! Good to see you again!" She waved shyly past the human to the Nelvaanian. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Vilkas! It's good to have you on the team..."

Eice felt a small amount of disappointment that the third being she had invited on her little scouting mission had not shown, when as if on cue, her senses tingled again and she looked up to spot Allard Keever making his way through the crowd toward the small group. She fairly bounced up and down waving to him, grinning happily.

"Allard! You're just in time!" She found herself blushing a bit in her ears at the human's apology. "Uh... 'fraid to say that in answer to your question, it very much depends on your definition of 'disgusting,' in this case."

Eice nodded forward, indicating that the little group should walk and talk. She led the way through the throngs of the spaceport, toward a complex of blocky stresscrete buildings that housed some of the larger landing pits.

"Tell me, what do you all know about Blackrow Hyperlogistics?"

 

[Henric Antilles]

Allard Keever. It was bound to happen sooner or later, running into someone whom he had gravely wronged in his misguided past. He couldn't just let this lie, nor lie and pretend everything was fine, either. This would be something he would have to take care of now, even if it cost him his life. It was his ideal, after all, Justice. He had wronged Allard by almost having him be killed during the Alderaan Election, when Henric's assassin had tried to kill Kalendros. Allard and his friends were helping that man at the time, so there was a high chance that had the assassin been successful he would have turned his gun on them as well. It wasn't direct, but it was still a wrong he had to pay for. Well, it was time to get that over with now.

"Allard, my name is Henric. Henric Antilles. If I had been on the other side of what I'd done, I wouldn't have forgotten my name." He removed his hat, showing his noble visage. He wasn't wearing his usual mask, as he was so outside the normal planets that there was a low chance he'd be found out. "Yes, I tried to have Kalendros, as well as you and your friends, killed during the election. Yes, I was thrown in prison, which an Exile traitor on Alderaan helped me get out of. I killed him, worked for the Sith for a while, then recently left them with Eice's help. Now, I have no home and no allies. Regardless, and I know you'd probably find this amusing coming from me, but I believe in Justice. So, I confess my true identity and crimes to you, as I have wronged you. Do with me as you wish. If you wish my life, then all I ask is to help out Eice as much as you can. She deserves to have good friends at her side." He stood tall and proud, jaw set and prepared to meet whatever Justice Allard delivered upon him. While he didn't want to die, he knew that he would have earned that sentence for his deeds. If he died this way, he would have no regrets. He would have lived according to his ideals.

@Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

Eice was a delight.

The way she bounced upon seeing him was just adorable - though he was hesitant to ever actually say as much to her. She was a killer gunslinger from what he knew of her and she likely wouldn't appreciate him complimenting her in such a way. Nor would her... boyfriend? Partner?

Either way - he struck Allard as the type who would respond with violence to jealousy. He chuckled a little bit,

"Well luckily for you? Your a friend worth going through disgusting things for." he admitted with a bright smile before pausing and adding, "That probably came out wrong..."

The introduction to Henric Antilles came with some confirmation he hadn't really wanted and a reminder he hadn't wanted either. He stared at the other man for a moment before nodding... at the same time, he punched the other man in the gut as hard as he could with his right hand, the motion of nodding distracting the other man long enough for Allard's fist to land the blow. Allard's other hand caught the man by the shoulder however, keeping him steady and on his feet,

"That's for almost getting me killed." he declared before smiling a little bit and patting the man's shoulder, "But it didn't get me killed... so we'll call it even now, yeah? Start over with a fresh slate as of right now."

Patting the other man on the shoulder again, he turned his attention back to Eice, following her,

"Sorry about punching your friend." he admitted sheepishly before adding, "I've heard of them before but not much... and not much good."

@AutoFox @Minuteman75 @Insalius

 

[Vilkas]

When Allard appeared and greeted him, Vilkas nodded silently before clasping the offered hand with a shake. The man from Alderaan was one of the few aliens the mercenary genuinely respected. Watching Eice jumping, made Vilkas concluded his initial impression of her. A soul of excitement this little woman has. Quickly they were asked if any of them knew of Blackrow Hyperlogistics the wolfman was about to answer but was interrupted by Henric’s confession to Allard.

Well that was out and in front. It’s not everyday these people would confess and apologize for trying to kill one another. Vilkas thought when Keever ‘accepted’ the apology with an added punch to Antilles’ gut. Believing that affair did not concern him at all the Nelvaanian instead focus on answering Eice’s question as they began to walk together. “Very little I’m afraid.”

Corporations were one of those aspects about the greater galaxy that still perplexed Vilkas. A group of people not connected by blood nor bonds but simply in the pursuit of wealth. Such a thing in his point of view would have a shallow foundation when it came to true loyalty. As a mercenary, Vilkas had done some security jobs for a few large corporations. Some paid well enough for sure but they did not inspire much devotion in him like a real tribe or family could so his arrangements with them were temporary.

He grew curious, waiting for the explanation Eice Frex will no doubt provide.

 

[Eice Frex]

Eice tensed when Allard slugged Henric, ready to jump in and break up a fight. However, the friendly pat on the shoulder seemed to diffuse the situation, and the Tintinna breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing a bit.

"Please, just... try not to kill each-other until later, o-okay?" She asked with a nervous smile, and then nodded. "Anyway... let me give you some background on what we're dealing with."

Eice rummaged under her cloak, and removed a datapad. On it was a heavily artifacted image of a large starship, sitting in a landing pit.

"Blackrow Hyperlogistics is a massive interstellar corporation, involved in shipping, mostly. I... used to work for them, as did my parents before me, and their parents before them."

Admitting this still made Eice feel a twinge of involuntary pride. Despite what Vilkas may have thought, it was possible to feel a great deal of loyalty to a corporation, especially if said company had dominated every aspect of life from birth to death of three generations of one's family. Eice had been born in a Blackrow medcenter, had grown up in a Blackrow arcology, had eaten Blackrow food, gone to a Blackrow school and taken a Blackrow position when she was old enough to work. The corporate culture and programming ran deep, and she still caught herself humming the old Blackrow anthems, and doing things in the Blackrow approved way. Even after almost a year, it took effort to break out of the old habits.

"I was fired by Blackrow after I wound up trapped on one of their drone barges and nearly starved to death in transit before the thing docked. Since then, I've been able to look at the company from an outsider's perspective... and I don't like what I see. Long story short, they don't play by the rules; what they want, they take, and they don't seem to be above using any means to get it. They've got a fleet of ships, space stations and branch offices everywhere, a battalion of lawyers and an army of hired goons. I've even heard rumors they've been assisting the Sith with their war effort."

Eice shook her head, and held up the datapad.

"I've made a few friends who are in a better position to watch what the company does, and one of them drew my attention to this. Apparently, a Blackrow survey vessel limped back from wild space and landed here on Molavar, and ever since, the local company branch and the home office on Corellia have been exchanging almost constant coded messages. The company likes to keep tabs on things, but even so, a backrocket office like this would only be checking in with headquarters every quarter or so."

The little Tintinna folded her arms, looking serious.

"If something has Blackrow this excited about a survey ship that landed in the middle of nowhere, I doubt it's good news. I want to know exactly what it is the company is so interested in. Whatever it is that survey ship found."

She looked up at her three compatriots.

"Still on board for this?"

@Henric Antilles @Allard Keever @Vilkas

 

[Henric Antilles]

Henric didn't even steel himself against any incoming hit, wanting to take anything that Allard deemed fit as Justice. The punch hurt, it hurt deep, but he knew that it wouldn't do any permanent damage. Regardless, he coughed a few times as he doubled over, a trickle of blood coming from the side of his mouth. He wouldn't have blamed Allard for killing him, so this was a pretty lenient Judgement, all things considered. He felt he couldn't stand straight, so he knelt instead as he held his stomach, looking up at Allard. "You're...mercy is appreciated. I intend to prove your wisdom in choosing that course." He then turned to look at Eice, having still heard her explanation. He didn't mean to distract from her words, he just wanted to get any bad blood out of the way now before it could come out at a more dangerous time for them. Her mission would always be the most important.

"The Sith seemed thrilled when they came to a deal with Blackrow, so they're no friends of mine. You helped save me from the Dark Side, Eice. I'll dive into the depths of hell to bring Judgement to the Darkness itself if you but said the word. My blade is yours." He had a noble look in his eye, but his words were perhaps not as effective considering he didn't have a blade anymore, his lightsabers destroyed when he fled the Sith, and that he had just been suckerpunched and couldn't quite stand up for it yet. Allard definitely knew how to hit someone, though, that was for sure. He earnestly hoped to prove his reformed intentions during this operation.

@Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

Mercy?

Well that was a nice way to view being punched so hard in the gut you had a little bit of blood in your mouth but he supposed the likelihood of Allard killing him hadn't been something Henric would have known beforehand. He helped pull the other man up to his feet when he was ready, feeling a bit sheepish,

"Sorry I hit you so hard." he admitted to Henric before adding to Eice, "Not going to be a problem darling! Just had to get it out of my system - no need to worry about us anymore."

And he meant it.

The hatchet was buried as far as Allard was concerned so he focused on listening to Eice as she explained more about the company. Honestly it sounded like a bit of a collection of asshats if he was being honest with himself. He didn't voice that though - Eice still had some pride for them he could tell. It was easy for someone to dislike a group of people but also not be prepared for others to do the same and he figured that would be the case here.

"So, to recap, you're asking us to come with you to an unknown patch of space that's scared a Sith-backed corporation enough that they're going back with heavier firepower and you want us to come along to check it out before they return?"

He kept a straight face for a moment before smirking and giving Eice a wink,

"You're always finding ways to keep me smiling Eice - I'm still 100% in."

@AutoFox @Minuteman75 @Insalius

 

[Vilkas]

Raising an eyebrow at the tale Eice told, the Nelvaanian was rendered silent. He couldn’t imagine ever serving something like Blackrow along generations of his family. In one regard the Tintinna and him can relate was that the two were taken out of the ways of life they lived in and forced to expose their eyes to certain truths. Inwarldy he was content at least she didn’t suffer outright slavery though it sounded like her former employers were two-faced with no morals.

It seemed this organization discovered something they wanted desperately. The possibilities of what this discovery was numerous. Eice, in turn wanted to get it first before them. Vilkas couldn’t help but think of what his shaman use to say.

Be wary of what you seek. It may indeed find you.

Of course the mercenary can already tell Eice is not someone that will be talked out of what is clearly a personal quest for her. Where else Henric and Allard were friends of the tiny girl Vilkas had yet to form that kind of the connection with her. The long haired wolfman could very well choose not to go with them but...he wanted to. The main reason why is because Vilkas admired Eice’s commitment to her quest in spite of the grave risks involved. His pride as a warrior demanded he accepts this challenge offered to him.

“I will join you and see this task to the end.” Vilkas pledged with full sincerity.

 

[Eice Frex]

Eice couldn't help but blush at the replies of the three males, especially Allard and Henric. The Tintinna wasn't sure just what she had done to inspire such loyalty in her friends, but she was happy to have them at her back if things got tough. The young pilot hoped that things wouldn't come to that, but she had a gut feeling that before everything was done, she would have to change her blaster's power pack at least once.

"Y-You guys are all nuts, you know that?" She smiled. "But... thank you."

With that, Eice cast her gaze toward the blocky structures that housed the landing pits, one of which held the Blackrow ship she had come to this dust-ball of a planet to find.

"Right, so. We're going to have to break in there." She pointed to one of the bunker-like structures. "That's where Blackrow has the ship, and I need to get the data off its navicomputer so we know where we're going. I'd like to do this quietly, if we can, and maybe we can do some sabotage while we're in there." She looked at Allard, Henric and Vilkas. "You guys ready to go?"

@Henric Antilles @Allard Keever @Vilkas

 

[Allard Keever]

Were they all nuts? Probably. They had all just heard that a Sith backed company known for being ruthless in taking down their competitors through whatever means they wanted. He chuckled a little bit at the idea that this was news to Eice - he was rather well known for smuggling things he ought not to, Henric was a Sith of some power and Vilkas was a man of war. Such a skirmish was not beyond what they had done in the past and it wouldn't be beyond what they could do in the future either.

"Don't worry about it." he assured her, petting her on the head, between her ears, idly, "We are a rather crazy bunch but we're all skilled - this should go well."

Breaking in huh? Well that was something that Allard wasn't really too bad at but he knew others might be more skilled than he was. Humming a little bit, he nodded,

"Alright so we're being stealthy... want me to run distraction?" he suggest with a small smirk, "Me and someone else can cause such a ruckus that people come to see to us - leaving the other half of our adventurous party to get to the actual breaking in part?"

He shrugged,

"Or we can all break in - I'm not fussy."

@AutoFox @Minuteman75 @Insalius

 

[Henric Antilles]

Henric was feeling better, able to stand after Allard helped him up. He looked at the bunker, considering for a few moments. "I am not unfamiliar with Blackrow's systems. They came up from time to time when I was the head Justicar on Alderaan. If I can get to their computer system, I should be able to slice into it. Does anyone know what kind of defenses they have? How many men or droids they have?" He kept his gaze on the bunker as he spoke, trying to get as much detail as he could for their upcoming heist. If they didn't have much information then they would have to do what they could to gain such information as they worked. His time in the Alderaanian Judicial System had given Henric a tight grasp of just about every kind of underworld tactic, with his time with the Sith having done much to increase that knowledge. If it came down to it, he would use the Force to help them. He wanted to rely on his own strength, though, if possible.

@AutoFox @Minuteman75 @Nefieslab

 

[Vilkas]

They were all set on the course now. Vilkas stood back as Eice told them the first objective would be breaking into the nearby facility with the landing pits. So infiltration will be the goal, he realized. Once Allard and Henric expressed their opinions and advice, the Nelvaanian spoke up next.

“I can assist Allard in providing a diversion if it is agreed upon. Regardless I am at your disposal.”

 

[Eice Frex]

Eice listened to the suggestions of Allard, Henric and Vilkas, nodding in agreement. She felt a swell of pride; she had a wonderful group of friends, and if this didn't prove she could rely on them, Eice wasn't sure what would.

"I like that plan." The Tintinna replied, looking back at the low building. "So I guess Allard, Vilkas, you guys go ahead with your distraction, and Henric, you come with me."

She turned to Henric.

"To my knowledge, there are maybe a dozen guards, mainly stationed around entrances and exits. This is the Outer Rim, so they may also be using droids, although if they are I haven't been able to spot them. Security system isn't much; Blackrow doesn't own this bay, they're just renting it, so the interior is only covered by some old holocams that came with the place. Pretty sure at least some of them don't even work."

 

[Allard Keever]

Excellent!

Being the distraction was something that Allard had absolutely no issues with and was, in fact, normally something that tended to work rather well for him. Distractions didn't have to be violent after all... sometimes all it took was some well spoken words and people would be falling over themselves in just the way you wanted them to.

Or, at least, that was Allard's own experience with people.

"Alright then - see you two in a bit." he declared, idly reaching out and scratching the base of Eice's ears, nodding to Henric before stepping away, "Hopefully you guys will get your opening soon."

Moving away from the two who were going to try and actually break in, Allard patted Vilkas on the back,

"Alright... let's get to work." he grinned, "Think if I draw them out you can knock them down as fast as they come? I reckon you've got the skills."

Moving around to one of the entrances away from where Eice and Henric were going to be attempting their entrance As they were moving, Allard smirked,

"Hey... let's do Get Help!" he winked, "Always works."

He would hand his own vibroknife to Vilkas and grab the other man tightly in his arms. As they approached one of the other entrances, they would make sure that Vilkas sagged against him and that they were seen by a multitude of guards and cameras, which would lead to a steadily growing group of Blackrow guards moving to their side of the building,

"Please! It's my friend - he's badly hurt!"

More of them came, drawn in by how impassioned he sounded.

"My friend... my friend, he's dying! GET HELP!"

And with that, Allard flung Vilkas bodily into the closest cluster of guards, drawing his TS 2-Shot as he did and unloading into another grouping of unprepared guards.

@AutoFox @Minuteman75 @Insalius

 

[Henric Antilles]

Nodding to Allard's words, Henric started to walk slowly over to the far side of the building, looking like a local vagrant for the planet. He hoped that Eice would use his larger form as a kind of cover as they made their way to the bunker, glancing at the commotion only as much as a regular bystander would. In truth, he was paying attention for any surveillance equipment like cameras or other sensors. It wouldn't do for them to trip an alarm as they made their way in, it would ruin Allard and Vilkas' hard work. Thankfully the building wasn't as secured as other Blackrow facilities further coreward. Using the Force to sense other living beings combined with his natural skills led them to the back door without hassle.

Of course the door was locked with a keypad, common out this far in the Outer Rim. That was where his slicing kit came in handy. Slipping it from his pocket, he popped off the cover of the keypad and got to work. While it wasn't as advanced as other systems he had worked with, it still required careful work to not trip an alarms. After a short time the door beeped and opened, Henric returning the cover to the keypad as he held the door open. He couldn't feel anything living nearby with the Force, though he wouldn't be able to detect droids or inorganic dangers. He'd have to rely on Eice for that, she had more expertise in that area than he did. "I don't feel anything living close by, but I can't detect droids at all. Would you like to take point? Your smaller frame would make you a better scout. I can deal with anything that comes our way as needed."

@AutoFox @Minuteman75 @Nefieslab

 

[Vilkas]

As clever as Allard’s tactic was Vilkas did feel it bit a demeaning to play as a victim. Nevertheless, he went along with the plan, feigning illness while clutching the hidden blade his comrade had given him. He can hear and smell the guards gathering toward their small approaching party. Suddenly, Allard hurled him toward the men in front and when he did, Vilkas acted instantly. As soon as he collided with them and fell to the ground Vilkas sliced at one guard’s neck and impaled the other’s with his own claw hand.

With a battle roar Vilkas pulled himself up, drawing one of the revolvers with the now bloodied hand. It was time for combat.