Finding a Thread

[Kori Buor]

Spoiler: OOC

This thread takes place around the time of the Sith incursion on Chandrila

Chandrila
Hanna City
​

The day had started as any other day might in Hanna City; the political elite went about their day moving from the Senate or the attached office buildings to lunch, meetings, or to the spaceport. Beyond the senatorial staff there were thousands who lived and worked in the capital city of the Republic largely oblivious the the horrors of war rapidly encroaching on their sanctuary. As it was the Republic was a floundering ship, stuck on the shoals and taking on water, only most on board were too blind to see this fact the way the other major powers in the Galaxy could. The Jedi, Sith, Mandalorians all knew the Republic's days were numbered.

This is what brought Aethon Kast to Chandrila. Both he and his superiors knew it was only a matter of time, but that did not mean it would necessarily give up easily, and there would be those who would wish to take as much as they could intact. To this end he had been ordered to go to Chandrila to gather info and see where that got him. So that is what he was doing now; gathering info. Or perhaps more accurately, he was looking for someone to convince them to help him get information.

Walking down one of the wide and packed city streets the Mandalorian Protector had gone bereft of his usual armor and weaponry keeping only a blaster pistol and knife concealed on his person, and had dressed to be more of a professional Republic citizen who might belong there. He was looking for a woman whom his contacts suggested might have a way to get the information he was looking for. All he had was a name, Adella Lux, and a picture of her along with some very basic and general information. One of his contacts had set up the rendezvous as a business meeting, but Aethon was hoping to see where else it would go. After all, the Mandalorians would need friends in the coming months and years, and getting the best of the Republic now would be ideal.

Approaching the outdoor cafe where the rendezvous was supposed to take place the Mandalorian could already spot Adella sitting at a table by herself occupying herself with something. As he moved closer he would get an idea of what she actually looked like in person. She was lithe and dark, and very attractive. There was an air of intelligence and confidence about her that Aethon could see just by the way she sat there. The Mandalorian could respect that. With a few more steps closer he'd present himself to her and clear his throat to make sure she knew he wasn't just getting close to be a weirdo. Extending a hand once she looked at him he'd smile. "Miss Lux? I am Mister Kast, we spoke earlier about meeting about business? Do you mind if I take a seat? I'd love to hear anything and everything you can tell me about what you might have to offer my organization. After all, we are at the forefront of Outer Rim expansion and would like to protect ourselves from the Sith."

@skyggedal

 

[skyggedal]

Adella had arrived early for the meeting as usual, early enough to ensure she had time for some words with the maitre d', and to set up the meeting spot at the table she'd chosen in advance. The street was bustling with people, and the outdoors cafe was quite busy, but none of the tables closest to hers was taken. Dressed in black wedge sneakers, black capri pants, a white, low-cut top and light grey suede jacket, she had a long, woven leather cord around her neck which held a pendant made from various machine parts pieced together by expert hands. On her fingers were a number of gold rings with various ornaments, and she wore a wrist-mounted computer like so many around her. Her two small vibroknives were hidden on her person as usual, but she'd be relying on the two bodyguards that had been sent with her if something should happen. Seat of the Senate or not, Chandrila wasn't free of crime. They were unobtrusively staying in the background, just within sight, a man and a woman - both human.

There hadn't been much information for her to find about the person she was meeting, but she'd spent some time looking anyway. The fact that Greymarch had her take care of this meeting meant someone with connections had set it up, yet not someone so close that he would personally attend. They could be anyone. Perhaps even criminals, although Adella did not have the impression Mr. Yun dealt with such folk... at least not directly, like this.

Unaware like most inhabitants of Chandrila about the trouble soon to descend on their planet, she had a final look through her notes, keeping herself busy until she became aware of a human man looking in her direction. She smiled and stood up as the man approached, quite confident that he was the one she was meeting. He looked rough, handsome and dangerous, like he could walk through a firefight and come out on the other side unscathed. Like perhaps he caused such firefights when the occasion called for it. She felt a little shiver go down her spine, a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

Reaching out her own hand and grasping his firmly, the Lorrdian woman read his body language, judging his personality both by his words and the minute movements of his body. Knowledge of the kinetic language was uncommon outside of Lorrd, but she was sure he was doing the same with her, even if non-Lorrdians weren't as good at it. He seemed.. a little worried. Nothing unusual.

"Lox," she corrected him gently, moving on to the welcome so swiftly the word might not even have been spoken. After all, she did not want it to be the focus of their conversation. "Welcome, Mr. Kast. Please, have a seat."

She always appreciated it when people wanted to go straight to business. "We have a number of options that might be interesting for your organization, both in security, development and entity resources and personnel management. It is possible to provide on-site training as well as advanced manufacturing assistance. Really, anything is possible, depending on your budget."

She had a few different graphs prepared that she would show him depending on his response. One thing she hadn't been able to determine in advance was their budget, so she had taken the time to prepare a larger than usual number of alternatives, just in case.

@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

"Lox," Aethon replied bashfully, his cheeks becoming a little pink from his mistake, though only barely. Taking a seat the tall Mandalorian warrior sat down filling the chair, but not uncomfortably so. Listening as the woman speak of all the services the organization she worked for could provide to him, Kast gave a small smile. Adella was very good, that much he could tell right off the bat from this small snippet of a conversation.

Taking a look at several of the graphs Adella had prepared to discuss their budget, Aethon raised his eyebrows in surprise; he hasn't expected her to go this far, but that was really quite good. She was a thinker, and it seemed that the intelligence he had first noticed was well-justified. The Mandalorians could really use someone like her as an ally. More than that, Adella intrigued Aethon. Taking a moment to smile as he finished looking over the graphs, Kast looked up to meet Adella's gaze, holding it and trying to read her expression and thoughts. Unlike her, he was not a Lorrdian, and had to rely purely on intuition and experience for such things.

"I am quite impressed with these charts, miss Lox. You should be very proud of all the work you put in here. As far as budget you needn't worry about it too much. Let's just say it will have the budget of an entire solar system behind it. I am more than interested for you to keep going though, my group plans on expanding outwards here soon, and could use all the help we could get in whatever your organization can provide." Aethon waited a moment to see how Adella would respond. While there was no doubt in his mind that her boss was an influential and powerful individual, Aethon was beginning to think that she would be more than sufficient than some big wig. Still, Aethon had a job to do and he would do that to the best of his abilities. "Why don't we get something to drink and you can tell me a bit more of your operation and I will tell you a bit more of mine? Then if it's not too much to presume, afterwards I wouldn't mind seeing your operation in person... like at the office. See what it looks like!"

@skyggedal

 

[skyggedal]

Adella met Kast's gaze, looking into his intense blue eyes and wondering what those eyes had seen to give them such an edge. Yet, there was a hint of kindness about them as well, and she found herself momentarily lost within their depths until she lowered her gaze as social conventions of modesty eventually demanded.

She nodded and adjusted her figures when he said the size of the budget was on the large end of the scale; the graphs and numbers all adjusted to factor in the wealth of a moderately developed solar system, which sounded like what Kast's organization had at this time. She smiled and blushed faintly at the praise, moving one hand in a tiny wave from left to right which she followed up with the words "It's all part of the job, Mr. Kast," although she did sound pleased that he had noticed the effort she had put into it. "It would be good to hear more about your organization, that would allow us to customize our offer to best suit your needs."

She didn't answer about taking a tour of the office, not just yet. After all, they were still only establishing a tenuous mutual trust which both of them would have to reinforce before business was concluded. The fact that someone had already vouched for Mr. Kast's organization counted for a lot though, she was inclined to trust him sooner than she would have a normal would-be associate. "As you probably already know, I represent a corporation with several subcompanies, we specialize in development and management of resources," she explained while signaling for a waiter to approach them. That information was publicly available to anyone who had time to look for it, so Mr. Kast probably already knew as much. As the man, a local Chandrilan by the look of him, approached, she added "All kinds of resources, really. Minerals, credits, personnel.."

She paused as the waiter arrived, and waited for Kast to order first.

@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

"Of course," he answered with a polite smile when the woman remarked it would help her to create a more accurate model if she had more information on his organization. At this point Aethon decided that the truth would be the best, though he would hardly tell her the whole truth at the moment. He had no idea how she would react if she knew he was with the Dominion. It was wise to keep this close to the vest for the moment. Nodding in understanding at Adella as she talked a bit more about her corporation and what she could do for them. Ordering a very light meal and one of their more gourmet cups of caf, Aethon then looked at Adella.

"My... faction, if you will, is a motley collection of people from the same region of space. We come from the same system and we've been growing and establishing footholds in neighboring systems and sectors of space. We have a very large military to ensure we are safe, and we also manage to produce enough product to sell to the Galaxy which brings in a modest profit, while still maintaining enough a good production to keep our military forces equipped. Our military is growing, and with each system we annex or liberate we find more flocking to join us. We are... rather close to Sith space as well, so making sure our defenses are strong to protect our people is important."

The Mandalorian Protector would go into a little more detail about the size of their armed forces, the population of a few of their core systems, their mining operations, trade, and the financial revenue and profit they made from the commercial sales of their surplus stock which was mostly weapons and starships. Of course, Aethon made certain to avoid giving any information that implied he was working for the Dominion. Once he finished he looked back at her, gazing into her dark eyes and finding himself rather enchanted by them and the rich chocolatey color of her skin. To be sure, Adella was quite attractive, and that no doubt would help her in negotiations, and it even took Aethon's military discipline not to just ogle at her. Looking down at his folded hands for a moment, the man waited for Adella to respond.

@skyggedal

 

[skyggedal]

(Sorry about lack of formatting, I'm otw to/from work!)

Adella ordered a white tea blend from the waiter and listened intently as Kast spoke, watching the way he shifted slightly when he decided how much to tell her. She understood the need for secrecy, there was always some give and take in these situations.

"Sounds ambitious," she suggested, meeting his gaze once more and smiling. "It is not a small operation, but you are already doing so well, that is impressive." She said it with a subtle inflection to insinuate that she meant him personally, leaning forward a little to indicate her eagerness to hear more as well as having the much-appreciated side benefit of making her low-cut top reveal slightly more of her chest while still remaining modest. She made some adjustments to her numbers while he spoke, which in turn updated the projections and graphs. "Yes, Mr. Kast, I believe we shall do a great deal of business together. There is much for us all to gain from this partnership."

Their drinks arrived, along with Kast's light meal. Adella nursed her cup of tea with both hands while she considered who in their organization would be the best fit as liaison to Kast's as of yet unnamed faction.

"I believe Mr. Yun himself is busy with meetings all day, however we could go over to headquarters so you can meet your future liaison," she suggested after he'd had time to eat a bit.

@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

"Thank you, it is ambitious, but I trust in my leaders as much as I trust each man and woman beneath me. They got us this far, and I certainly intend to do my part," he smiled, noting how she had seemed to infer that he had done well, but choosing to play the part of the humble soldier. As she leaned forward, Aethon could see the cleavage of her chest exposed from her low-cut top. While he did his best to remain a gentleman, he couldn't help but notice the view, and imagine, if only for a moment, what she looked like beneath it all. Focus. The Mandalorian said to himself as Adella continued on agreeing with the notion that they would do a great deal of business together.

As their orders arrived, Aethon went into explaining a little bit more about the Dominion while still making sure not to drop any hints as to it's actual identity. Trying to play himself and his faction up, Aethon even shared more information regarding how the Dominion came into being and his small part in ensuring that Mandalore became free as it fought it's corrupt overlords. He even talked about how he was currently a man with a lot of responsibility in his organization, who was trusted to not only guards its leaders, but maintain the peace, and even in situations like this represent them or be entrusted with tasks too important or complex to leave to the rank-and-file members. He even went on to discuss a little about how they had even established control over a few sectors of space to the Galactic South-East. All the while he ate his light snack and drank his cup of caf.

When he was done he looked at Adella somewhat expectantly as she spoke about going to the headquarters and meeting their future liaison. With a devious glint in his eyes and a playful smile on his face he commented. "What, you mean I can't have you be my liaison? I'd think you'd be perfect for the job. Intelligence and charming is rare enough as it is, I'm sure that's exactly the kind of person my organization would want to deal with... in fact if I become the liaison, I think I'd much rather deal with you, then someone I don't know with a considerably uglier mug." Aethon laughed as he looked at Adella, hoping his words would be viewed as a compliment and seen for their sincerity. In truth, Aethon liked Adella, and would love to get to know her better if time and circumstances would permit it, as well as Adella herself.

 

[skyggedal]

Adella listened intently as Kast spoke; this was what she really loved, when people would talk about something that interested them greatly. When they relaxed a bit and let their true selves through to the surface. It was clear that Kast was rightfully proud of his own accomplishments, even though he was modestly downplaying them, and that he felt strongly about his organization and its cause. He seemed to trust her a bit now, adding more details and facts about the organization, shrouded behind a veil of anonymity that she wondered if she could pierce with the information he had given her. That would have to be an exercise for later, however. She was not about to spoil the moment by delving into the details with her analytical mind and boundless curiosity.

She chuckled at his suggestion she be their liaison, accepting it as the compliment it was meant as and recognizing the sincerity behind the words. She wouldn't have minded working alongside him, for sure. He was fascinating, with admirable integrity and a fire in his soul, his movements revealing a person confident in his own abilities. These were all qualities she valued. Perhaps she would find good reasons for checking up on his organization's progress as time passed, her mind already provided a handful of them. However, Greymarch needed her here, and she was very happy with their arrangement and the work she was doing creating and maintaining their web of contacts on Chandrila and beyond.

"Unfortunately, I have too many tasks here on Chandrila to be an effective liaison, it would be less than optimal for both our organizations. I assure you, Asha'an is highly capable, she's one of our best liaisons," she reassured Kast. "I dare say, a month of working with her, you'll barely remember me at all," she added with amusement.

@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

Aethon gave a little chuckle when Adella mentioned that he would barely remember her at all. "Oh, I doubt that very much, miss Adella. You have a very memorable face and personality... And besides you do yourself too little credit, it is rare to meet such a woman with your intelligence and aptitude for numbers and planning. I should think I will remember you for quite a while. I mean no disrespect to this Asha'an, but I'm sure she's no where near as good as you."

The Mandalorian gave her a polite smile as he signalled the waiter over so he could pay the tab, dropping the credits and informing the waiter to keep the change as a tip. Nervously rubbing his legs free of imaginary crumbs, Aethon looks at the woman with curiosity and wonder in his eyes before speaking, "Well, miss Adella, shall we check out these headquarters of yours?"

With that he stood and offered the dark woman his hand and smiled warmly at her. Being a gentleman by the Republic's standards was something he had grown quite used to doing with all the undercover missions he had been doing lately. Once Adella had gotten to her feet it would be her prerogative if she wished to appear being escorted and hold Aethon's arm or not. It would be there and he would not mind either way. As they walked to the headquarters, Aethon would glance down at her with a smirk and ask, "So, tell me about yourself, Adella? Where do you come from and how did you manage to score a big wig job like this? Did you go to school for it? Or just lucky"

 

[skyggedal]

Adella took Kast's offered hand with a gentle touch as she stood up, but politely declined his offer of an arm to hold as they walked. She tapped in a few instructions for Asha'an to meet them when they arrived, then strolled alongside Kast in the direction of headquarters. The two bodyguards shadowed her as normal, one staying slightly ahead, and one slightly behind, neither one losing sight of her or Kast as they walked.

The streets were still full, people in high-class clothes walked this way and that, most on their way to or from meetings, many on their handheld communicators taking care of business while they walked. But there was a hint of shadows in the air, as if there were a few more shuttles arriving or departing than usual. Adella shivered slightly as a gust of wind momentarily interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to Kast as he addressed her, and smiled at the questions. "I worked hard to get where I am now," she said, sounding amused. It was true, for sure, but others had worked far harder and ended up far worse than she. "I grew up more or less everywhere, we were never in one place for long. Eventually I got into an academy on Brentaal IV, where I studied galactic law. I probably was lucky," she added, thinking back. "I could've been one of a million lawyers working with minor matters like tax evasion or parking tickets. Mr. Yun offered me a job doing something far better."

They were approaching a large skyscraper, one among many in this district. The plaza in front of the skyscraper was usually bustling with activity, but now there were only a few figures walking briskly across on their way to somewhere else. The same high-class people, going the same kinds of places. Adella slowed a little, not noticing it herself at first. A feeling of disquiet settling around her spine, she suddenly wished she had an arm to hold on to after all. "Well, this is it," she said as they stopped near the center of the plaza, looking up at the towering skyscraper. She didn't get the usual sense of satisfaction looking up at it, spotting her office windows far up above. What's wrong?

@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

The Mandalorian gave an interested hum as Adella told him that she had worked hard to get where she was today. The chocolate-skinned woman had an interesting story to tell him, even if it was a fairly brief summary of what he was sure was a telling and fascinating tale. There was a quiet chuckle as the Mandalorian heard how her boss gave her a chance to be different, and when he considered the rather mundane alternatives he couldn't blame her for choosing this life for herself. "Well I certainly think you made the right choice there. This is certainly better than going after tax evasion or parking tickets. Your hard work paid off it seems, you should be proud."

As they arrived at the destination, a large sky scraper stood before them and Aethon gave a low whistle as a small group of high-class citizens strode by arrogantly. "Not bad." He agreed with the beautiful woman standing beside him. "Show me inside then?"

Before they could move inside an alarm went off, or perhaps it was more like a siren as a loud wailing could be heard from the edge of the plaza. Over a public address system a female voice spoke in a calm and measured tone indicating Chandrila, and Hanna City in particular was under attack by Sith forces. It seemed that the Senate and the Spaceport were being assaulted by the Sith forces. "That's not good," Aethon looked to Adella. "Let's get inside. If Sith are here being outside won't help us. Inside there might be some sort of protection." Gently, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the doors of the skyscraper, pulling her through the sliding glass doors. "Is there some place we can go, Adella? I'd rather we make sure that's whatever happening over at the Senate doesn't affect us... are you doing okay?"

 

[skyggedal]

The alarm triggered an instinctive worry in Adella, reminding her too much of those close calls on various ships and stations in her childhood, when things had gone wrong and their lives had been just a short distance from ending in the vacuum of space. Being outside, they had no escape pods to run to, but she was hardwired to look for escape options nevertheless. Call it a curse of being a spacer for much of her life. She cast a nervous look around, seeing the others around them stop and do the same. The two bodyguards drew closer, not drawing their weapons yet but being ready to do so if needed. There were no invaders in sight, but that oppressive feeling of something going wrong was growing stronger.

Sith. The word alone was enough to remind her of her worst nightmares. She was glad for the distraction as Kast took hold of her hand and gently pulled her towards the building, spurring her into action. She lengthened her strides, not wanting to be outside in the open any longer than necessary, and held on to his hand like it was an anchor keeping her centered in a storm. "Are you doing okay?" he asked, and she took a look around the deserted lobby, feeling her heart beat faster. "No, I don't think I am," she managed, waving her free hand to indicate the empty hall. Where usually you'd find people sitting around tables waiting or discussing, where people would usually queue up to talk to a concierge for directions and access passes, there was not a single soul to be seen. Asha'an was conspicuously absent as well. "Where is everyone?"

Surely, the attackers couldn't know about Mr. Yun's connections in the Senate. The ties they had cultivated within the ruling body of the galactic Republic were subtle, innocuous and well-hidden. Her mind did the math quickly. It was an attack not just on the Senate, not just on the political figures at the top of the Republic's hierarchy, but on the Republic itself. This wasn't a terrorist attack designed to create fear and eliminate some Senators. Not if they were seizing Republic assets as well, that made it a takeover. The Republic... could it really be falling? The thought made her feel faint for a moment, but she tried her best not to show it.

"Asha'an should've been here to meet us, something is wrong. We should get up to the 51st floor and figure out what's going on." She realized she was still holding Kast's hand, and blushed. She let go, ostensibly to write another message for Asha'an. The female bodyguard, a grizzled-looking woman with a grim facial expression and short, white hair tied back in a strict, low ponytail, went over to the elevators. The male bodyguard, fair-skinned with short, black hair and steely blue eyes, drew his blaster with a look over to Adella for confirmation. He also moved closer, placing himself opposite of Kast so that Adella was now between them. He shook his head slightly when Adella raised her eyebrows slightly in an unspoken question. No contact. Normally, security personnel would be the ones most up-to-date on what was happening.

@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

As the Mandalorian entered the building's rather spacious atrium, Aethon had barely even registered the lack of people, or even a security guard manning the desk. It was only when Adella answered his question about whether or not she was alright and gestured to the empty expanse in which they stood did the older Mandalorian realize the apparent lack of presence and gave a low grunt. Giving a possible explanation to Adella's voiced concern, Kast replied, "Perhaps they had already received advanced warning and evacuated the building?"

It was an optimistic appraisal as the alternatives were exceedingly grim, and he did not want to dishearten his attractive companion. For in truth, the Mandalorian Protector found it somewhat too worrisome and far too likely a possibility that a Sith agent or strike team had arrived and had begun clearing out the whole building.

Letting go of Adella's hand as she released and pulled away from him, Aethon followed the dark-skinned woman to the turbolifts with an apparent plan. As she mentioned making it to the fifty-first floor, the Protector raised an eyebrow, watching the two companions that had recently joined him. Both seemed like they could handle themselves in a fight, Aethon just wasn't sure they would be up for killing a Sith. "What's on floor fifty-one?" He asked watching Adella and the guards; information she could provide him the better as the disconcerting emptiness of the large building began to press in around him.

Within a few more seconds the lift had arrived and Aethon had stepped few, putting Adella next to him but a little behind in case he needed to save her from a stray bolt. He also drew his small side arm as he walked in, now waiting for the two guards. Once they were in they headed upwards until they came to floor fifty-one. Before they could arrive he'd look right at Adella and ask, "Does your company have any emergency safety protocols or something like that? Anything that I might use to our advantage or figure out what's all going on?"

 

[skyggedal]

"I... Perhaps, yes." Adella felt a little better as Kast suggested the others had evacuated, her spirits lifted at the thought. It didn't explain why she hadn't received a message, but perhaps there had been unforeseen issues with the communication network.

"Our main offices are on floor fifty-one, that's where Grey- Mr.Yun, other executives and I have our offices, as well as the central hub of our communication network with the various subcompanies," Adella explained as they waited for the turbolift. She didn't normally call Greymarch by his first name in front of others, nearly slipping like that really alerted her to how stressed she actually was. She took a deep breath, centering herself. This was no time to let worry take control.

Entering the turbolift with the others, she took another deep breath and felt a little better. "Emergency protocols exist, yes. We have had a few hostile takeover attempts over the years. There's a panic room with a secret escape route from Mr. Yun's office, as well as two secondary routes from other locations. Data is routinely copied and distributed to secure locations, and we have a small number of security droids in addition to regular security personnel." She looked at the numbers swiftly counting up to 51. "If it comes to it, I'm authorized to activate explosives that will destroy anything sensitive in our section of the building."

She wasn't sure how strong the explosives really were, but Greymarch had assured her the building would not collapse if they ever had to be used.

"What do we do if they are up there?" She asked as the lift passed the high thirties. She was acutely aware of her vibroknives, ready to draw them if it should become necessary, although she didn't know how much use they could be against a sith.

@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

Listening to the woman as she spoke to him and answered his question regarding her organization's emergency protocols and what exactly was on the fifty-first floor of the skyscraper, Aethon's mind swam through the possibilities of what might be up there. While it was certainly nothing as fantastic or mysterious as he might have hoped, getting to the office space of Adella's faction would prove to be useful if only to help them focus and think of what to do next. Though, he hoped that there might be some information or revelation that would assist them.

"The panic room might prove to be useful, perhaps we'll find someone up there." Aethon remarked, thinking over the possible escape routes from a floor that high up or the accessibility of the safe room. In truth, the Mandalorian doubted the security droids and most of the organic protection force would likely barely hinder a Sith or a well-trained commando team.

Glancing at Adella when she asked him what they would do if "they" were up there, and her body language was clear enough to him that she was clearly referring to the Sith. Drawing his pistol up to eye level and checking its power levels he looked down at her. "We'll fight our way out if we have to. What do your security protocols say we should do if the building is compromised? Do you need to go to a rendezvous? We may want to go there if the building has Sith in it, otherwise, I can only suggest that we make for the nearest ship and get out of here before a Sith fleet shows up and takes the world."

Just as he finished speaking, the lift came to the fifty-first floor and the doors opened wide. Looking out into a rather luxurious and ostentatious foyer, Aethon could see a pair of dark-armored warriors with weapons raised turning towards them and he could tell they weren't security guards. Assuming the worst, he aimed his pistol and immediately started shooting as he pushed inside the foyer. One of the dark figures fell as several blaster bolts burned holes in his chest and limbs. "Looks like someone is here!"

Blaster bolts fired back and the Mandalorian knew they would have to get moving quickly if they wanted to get out of there before reinforcements arrived and trapped them in that tower.

 

[skyggedal]

"In that case..." Adella ducked as she saw the two warriors, and scrambled for cover behind one of the large marble counters which formed their reception area. She didn't have time to say the rest, but as the two bodyguards fell in beside her and the woman shot down the remaining warrior, she drew one of her vibroknives with a fluid movement and looked around for signs of what had happened. There were few signs of a struggle, so either the Sith attack had come as a complete surprise, or most people had made it out. She was hopeful, and nodded in the direction of the server room. She had to go there to hit the physical kill-switch before activating the explosives to make sure nothing remained that could be used. If it came to it, they could try to make their escape without going to the server room, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

No one else had come out yet to join the firefight after the two warriors had been dispatched, but the elevator started moving all of a sudden, going further up. "I think they're bringing in reinforcements, we better hurry," she whispered to Kast. "I need to get to the server room, it's over that way." She indicated with a wave of her free hand a corridor leading down to the right. "Then to Mr. Yun's office and the escape route from there, I don't think we'll be able to exit the same way we entered."

Her left hand curled around the hilt of her vibroknife, and she felt all right, despite everything. "There's a ship at the rendezvous spot," she added, thinking as Kast did that getting off-planet might be their next course of action. After another quick look around, seeing the turbolift stop up on the 75th floor, she got into action and led the little group down the corridor towards the server room. It was strange to see the offices from this angle, in this situation. There had only been one other attack since she'd entered Mr. Yun's employ, and she had been at the Senate while it happened. It'd taken the clean-up crew a full day to get the offices back in order. Today, when she was finished, there would be nothing left to clean.

The corridor was quiet, and she made the mistake of looking into one of the meeting rooms. Five bodies were piled up in there, the blue-skinned Twi'lek Asha'an was one of them. Adella's right hand went to her mouth to stop herself from screaming, recognizing a few of their business partners and the always friendly receptionist in the pile. Ahead of them, an angry voice could be heard from the server room.

@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

As Adella's guards managed to down the second guard, the room became incredibly silent. Moving around the room to make sure it was secured and hoping to find hints of what might have happened there, Aethon saw that whatever occurred must have been fast as there didn't appear to be any significant signs of a fight or struggle. Noticing the elevator moving, the Protector nodded at Adella's assessment of reinforcements being on the way. Glancing back at the dark-skinned woman, Aethon had to shake off the wonderment he felt when he noticed how composed the woman remained during everything; even during a firefight and with the imminent arrival of more foes she still managed to seem focused and beautiful.

"Alright, I agree, the lift is out of the question now. Too risky. Lead the way then, Adella. I give you my word I will ensure you make it there, and that you will make it off this planet alive." Aethon gave Adella a small smile, nodding when she informed him that there would be a ship waiting at the rendezvous spot; he only hoped it would still be there by the time they got out of this blasted building.

Following after the petite woman, he noticed how she seemed to move naturally with the small vibroknife in her hand, like she was born to do this, though he doubted that she was a trained warrior like him. That made his awe and respect for her only increase, after all, few people would be able to manage to stay composed during a situation like this where their whole world would come crashing down around them.

As they passed one of the open office rooms, Adella stopped and looked through the open door, her jaw dropping open and her hand shooting up to her mouth, the expression on her face was one of pure shock. Stepping up next to her, Aethon saw the pile of bodies, and gave a quiet sigh, bringing a hand up to Adella's shoulder and giving it a small, reassuring squeeze. He was about to give his condolences when an angry voice shouted from a room ahead of them. Bringing his pistol up, he looked in the direction of the voice.

Moving closer, Aethon could hear the voice demanding to be given access to the servers. The doors to the room that the voice was coming from were closed, but Aethon had the feeling they were unlocked. Looking at Adella and her guards he motioned for them to move in on three. Counting down with his fingers for all to see, the Mandalorian kicked open the doors as soon as he reached zero.

As soon as the doors opened up Aethon could see a man sitting down with a gun aimed at his head by another man in dark armor. More men were positioned around the room at the corners, with two in front of the massive servers and another four in front of the door they had just entered. Without thinking Aethon fired twice, striking two of the guards in their backs. It would be hard to kill them all, but Aethon knew that if they wanted to get out of there they would have to kill them all. Leaving the other two warriors to Adella's guards, Aethon stepped to the left and fired at one of the men standing near the servers before shifting his aim to the left and firing a bolt into the chest of a warrior in the front left corner.

Just as he turned to the man in the back left corner he could see him aiming at Adella, "No!" He shouted as he leapt towards the woman just as the dark-armored warrior fired his blaster rifle. The Protector managed to tackle Adella right as the blaster bolt struck him in his left shoulder. The searing pain caused him to grunt as they crashed to the ground, and his eyes began to water. Swearing silently to himself, he rolled over and brought his pistol out to fire at the soldier who had just shot him. The blaster bolt struck the soldier in his armor helmet, dropping him to the ground. Looking back at Adella he asked, "Are you alright?"

Once he was sure she was, he'd stand to find the man pointing the gun at the man in the chair to be the only one still standing. Helping Adella up, Aethon waited to see what the man would say or do, his pistol trained on the man with the gun, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

 

[skyggedal]

((Ack, I'm so sorry! I didn't see the post this morning ;A; With the timeskip so fast approaching, I think it's best if we make this quick. ))

Adella wiped away tears from the corner of her eyes with the back of her free hand, smiling a shaky smile as Kast put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She pushed the grief back, swallowing a cry and forcing herself to look forward. They had to get out of here, they had to survive. She could grieve later.

She followed Kast, noticing how his movements told a story of battles and fights from a young age. She was so fortunate he was there, he seemed to have more experience than her two bodyguards, maybe even than any one person she could've named working in security for their corporation. At least at headquarters, she couldn't pretend they didn't have paramilitary forces in certain locations.

The next events happened very quickly. They kicked in the door, Kast and the two bodyguards took out the soldiers in what felt like the blink of an eye, and which was not that much longer in reality. She should have been paying more attention to her surroundings, she chided herself after the initial shock of being tackled by Kast only to see him hit by a blaster bolt which surely would have hit her square in the back. It was impressive how he rolled with the tackle to be able to fire at the attacker so quickly. She nodded in response to his question, still a little dazed by the moment of closeness, and accepted his help in getting to her feet, then looked over to the reason she had been so unable to react to what was going on around them. The unknown man was holding a blaster to the head of Greymarch Yun himself. A fair-skinned human man in his early fifties, clean shaven with a stoic expression on his bruised face, blood matting his normally combed-back black hair. His almond shaped, single lidded black eyes held hope of rescue where moments ago only a stubborn refusal to concede defeat had existed. But it appeared the man with the blaster was unaware of who he had at his feet.

"You fools!" the man screamed at them. "You resist, yet you have no idea what is coming! You've only succeeded in making your own death inevitable!"

He was waving the blaster around, and Adella could tell from his movements that he felt the situation had gone out of control.

"You want what's on the servers, right?" She asked in a calming tone, hiding the knife in her hand and standing straight. She ached to check on Greymarch and Kast both, but there was so very little time left. That elevator would arrive soon.

"Release him to us, and I'll give you my access card. It will grant you access to everything in this room." She held out a small card with the corporate logo on it, making a minute hand sign to the female bodyguard at the same time. The unknown man's eyes fixated on the object, which she moved so he couldn't help moving his eyes with it. It wasn't a very advanced trick, but the lure of the access card was great enough. She had judged him correctly. The female bodyguard fired the moment the man's eyes left Greymarch, and the two men crumpled to the floor.

The male bodyguard rushed to Mr. Yun's side while Adella ran over to a small box on the wall. "I... already hit it, he was... too late," Greymarch explained before she had time to open it.

"That's why you weren't in the safe room like you were supposed to," Adella accused him, to which he replied with a bloodstained grin while being helped to his feet.

Looking over to Kast she bit her lip at the sight of his wound. "Let's get out while we still can," she ordered the others, taking on the role of organizer. Her tone when facing her savior was softer, though still insistent. "I'll make sure your wound is tended to as soon as we get to the ship, there'll be some painkillers in the safe room you can take while we move... will you be all right?" She looked up at Kast with worried eyes.

Upon his answer, she would lead them to the safe room, with its own private turbolift taking them down to an underground tunnel leading towards a private starport where their vessel awaited. Far up above, the tower's fifty-first floor exploding outward in a glorious shower of glass and flame.


@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

Adella made a rather risky gambit offering up a datacard with what was supposedly access to the servers on it, it was a risk Aethon had to respect though as the dark-armored warrior did have a hostage at gunpoint and was surrounded and outgunned. That usually led to desperate and rash decisions. Still, Adella had managed to get the warrior to drop his guard just enough as he considered the deal leaving an opening which Adella's guards took advantage of and gunned down the warrior. With the situation momentarily resolved Adella ran to a small box mounted on the wall nearby. Just then the man explained that he had already "hit it" which Kast assumed was the self destruct for the servers. Once the exchange had passed Adella looked at the Mandalorian and bit her lip as though she were worried about him. Speaking to the others she ordered them to get moving, then she looked at Aethon and her tone changed to one of concern and he could see the twinkle of worry in her eyes.

"I'll be fine," the Mandalorian managed to say through gritted teeth, the pain was intense, but nothing he hasn't handled before. Of course, it was easier in the firefight when adrenaline and action kept the pain away and the mind focused on more pressing matters, now it was all Aethon could do to not think about it. Stepping closer to her, he brought a hand up to her dark cheek and brushed off a smudge of dirt she had picked up from when he tackled her. With a painful, but genuine smile, he replied, "Let's just get out of here first, then you can attend to me injury. You're safety is more important than mine."

It was a statement Kast believed even if his superiors would have disagreed. Adella had talents and skills few people possessed, and the Mandalorian knew she would be an excellent friend and an even better ally. Having someone like her on your side with her level of connections was never a bad thing.

Letting Adella lead them to the safe room, Aethon would take a pair of painkillers that she offered and then followed them to the turbolifts and to an underground tunnel. From there they made it to a transport. Aethon might not have been able to get the information he wanted, but given the circumstances he was given the next best thing, and in his mind she was far more valuable than any bit of information.

Sitting down in the medbay of their new transport once it took off, Aethon watched Adella as she made certain wound was treated. "You know, you're not half bad in a fight, I wouldn't mind having you around for a few more scuffles. But for now I think I'd be satisfied just meeting up with you after all of this, maybe continue or previous discussions in a more informal manner? Like friends, or something? If you're interested anyways."

 

[skyggedal]

Adella didn't relax until they were safely in the ship, a light vessel capable of great speed, taking them away from the planet. The reports they were receiving told a terrifying tale of conquest and loss, of the death of the Republic itself by a strike to its heart that the body could not survive.

She stayed in the medbay, earplug in one ear with a newsfeed of current events, helping to treat Kast's wound while Kiyama, another human man in his low thirties from their office who usually worked in records took care of Mr. Yun. The corporate president had been beaten up, but thankfully the wounds were nowhere near life-threatening, and he was in good spirits. Discovering that another dozen or so survivors had made it to the rendezvous from headquarters and a secondary location nearby had lightened the mood greatly. Currently, however, she only had eyes for the two wounded men, focusing on the one in front of her.

Having disinfected the wound and cleaned it gently but thoroughly, Adella was spreading a painkilling gel over it when he spoke. She smiled, blushing a little at the praise. "I would like that as well," she replied, thinking on how he'd risked his life for her, and gone out of his way to help even though nothing bound him to their side. "Come with us, we're heading to a safe house where you can rest and recover in comfortable surroundings. Unless you have somewhere else you need to be? We could continue our talk there," she suggested with a smile.

The ship left the planet quietly, moving elsewhere just in time to avoid witnessing the true fall of the Republic.