First Impressions

[Tasha Blackwell]

She didn’t like using her weapons if she didn’t need to. Her sabers were hidden out of sight, and she was adorned in a white outfit that complimented her blue skin. It hugged her body, but allowed her room to maneuver around if it came down to a fight. She didn’t bother with a helmet, though her arms had phrik lined bracers just in case. Her red hair fell to her shoulders, the thick locks always a stark contrast to her pigment, along with her solid yellow eyes. Tasha had a unique look about her that was always worth a second glance, and she knew it.

The post she had to infiltrate wasn’t too far from here, and she had borrowed a speeder to arrive there. She was to meet with another partner in crime, though she hadn’t worked with him before. She only had a name and nothing more, not that she cared. Tasha usually preferred to work alone, but she knew when she was outnumbered. The facility in question had many workers in it, and they would have to work together in order to break in and get what they needed.

She parked the speeder far enough away not to rouse suspicion, getting out of it to scope out the building. She could see a few guards patrolling the front of it already, and she began to think of ways to break inside. Tasha glanced down at her chrono, wondering when this ‘Zul’ character would arrive. She wasn’t known for her patience and would start making her way over if he didn’t show up anytime soon.

 

[Zul Kressh]

Zul moved through the tree's with speed, ignoring the convention of taking a speeder as he made his way to the rendezvous point. Not only does the simple sight of a Sith attract attention but with him being a Pureblood as well caught people's eye, usually him being the first time someone had seen something of his nature. Zul preferred to skip that altogether and if there was a listening post out here as reported, then they most likely would have spotted him before he even arrived. The Sith has no clue who his partner was in this, just a woman named Tasha Blackwell with skills suited for the task at hand. Zul was getting quite tired of performing these small missions for the Overseers and such. It was wasting his time but keeping up appearances mattered and he bit his tongue.

Zul eventually arrived at where Tasha was, silently stepping out from some trees and bushes as he saw her checking her chrono. He could only presume it was Tasha, her signature fluctuating with the force and a lighthouse for him with his natural affinity for it. "Greetings Ms. Blackwell," Zul's voice coming from behind her as he stepped forward, confident if it was her or by some luck stumbling onto a random Sith. He was wearing his typical black overcoat, it stretching to his ankles as it was mixed in with his Sith armor. The helmet was clipped to his belt still with the hood already drawn around his head, the sikes on the side of his chin the only thing protruding out while his golden eyes shone brightly. He could already sense she was slightly annoyed and it was directed at him with his time management. Compared to that of a speeder, he thought he did reasonably well.

Zul knelt down on one knee, immediately scoping out the small base and the guards that were patrolling it outside. One of them tried to enter the building but the front guard held up his hand, pulling out a PDA while the other produced a keycard to be let inside. There were quite a few guards out front and they had no idea how many were inside. The two were told to retrieve sensitive information and judging on the contents, that could mean a lot of extra guards. Tasha would already see the gears quickly turning his head, his eyes quickly snapping to different parts of the base and doing a quick observation. Zul then turned his towards Tasha and she would be able to fully see him and what he was, a couple of scars lining his face with one near his eye as they roamed over her body. It would look like he would be checking her out right there but at a second glance, she would be able to tell it was the gears turning in his head once more while he thought of a plan.

After a moment, his gaze snapped to hers, "They have ID cards, we can't simply walk in. I'm assuming the security inside is tighter as well if this really is sensitive information." Zul stroked his chin before turning his gaze back to the front door, "You're quite attractive enough that they won't second guess the first moment you greet them if under duress." He then brought his gaze back over to her with a simple cock of his head, "Do you think you could play damsel? At least long enough to get inside?" Zul spoke plainly, weighing the advantages they had compared to what they had to get through. He believed it would work if it went according to plan, the window would just be small for Tasha.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha didn’t react as her partner arrived, her face devoid of emotion as she took it all in. She was already formulating ways to get in, having her own ideas and plans on how to infiltrate. She turned to face him when he greeted her, noting he simply emerged from the trees like some creepy Holomovie villain. How uncivilized. Didn’t people know they could use speeders and other transports? No wonder the Republica thought they were primitive. She took in sight of him, her solid yellow eyes gleaming and unable to betray anything.

“Mr. Kressh,” She said in response, her voice like satin. It was a practiced tone, dulcet and honeyed at all times. Tasha watched him kneel down, and quirked an eyebrow. Now he was kneeling in filth too? She rolled her eyes and looked away, gazing back to follow his line of sight towards the building. Tasha also spotted someone being turned away, and she knew this was a serious facility. She had worked with these things before, but she wasn’t overly concerned. If her methods to get in didn’t work, she’d simply go get herself a drink and try another time.

Tasha glanced back to catch Zul staring at her, and she stared back at him blankly for a moment. The faintest smile began to grace her face, though she said nothing then. As he relayed his plan, she chuckled softly at his commentary about her looks, “Keen observations, darling,” She said smoothly before she tossed her hair over shoulder and began to walk away. She didn’t bother voicing whether or not she agreed with the plan or whether she’d even play the role.

They were in Republica territory, so she’d have to play the role exceptionally well. No one here cared about aliens, and she could only hope the guards weren’t humanocentric enough to shoot her on sight. As she walked, she lowered the front of her dress just enough to tease. Her pace quickened after a moment, and grew frantic as she approached the guard up front.

The man took in sight of her and held up a hand to stop her. Tasha paused there, her eyes wide as she looked around nervously, “Please… sir can you help me? My speeder broke down back near the woods and some goons tried to attack me. I feel so scared and vulnerable,” She looked him in the eye, hoping he wasn’t too xenophobic. If he was, she would have to switch to plan B.

 

[Zul Kressh]

Tasha "complimented" his observations as she said and he slowly turned his head to look at her. She had already flipped her hair and walked away, never actually commenting on his plan. Zul shook his head slightly with a smirk, "This should be fun." He hadn't met someone like her yet, he could already tell and he watched with a keen eye for his time to move as she closed in on the guards. Tasha slid on the act well as she hurried over to them with the guard putting up his hand for her to stop. The man took the bait and glanced downward toward her chest before immediately bringing it back up again. This was an unknown base and it was rare for them to see a woman like her walk around despite her being alien.

"What's happening?" He asked, stepping closer to Tasha with his rifle still lowered, not receiving her as a threat. The other guard gave her a cautious eye but still receptive, his gun lowered as he took a step to the side to get a better look at her. Before the first guard could ask her another question, they heard rustling behind her from the bushes. Both of them snapped their head in that direction and before they act, Tasha's speeder flew out from the trees, soaring towards the second guard before he dived out the way. The speeder loudly clanged against the side of the building, sparks flying everywhere when metal touched metal. "What the kriff?!" The man shouted before snapping his rifle towards that direction. The guard that was standing in front of Tasha grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him, stashing her in a crook by the door.

Zul stepped out from the trees, the mask that was clipped to his belt now covering his face and hiding his features. With the black overcoat and hood, he liked like a sort of serial killer than anything else. One of his curved sabers flew to his hand as the crimson blade sprang to life, pointing it directly at Tasha, "Nu Adata Anas Moteris." Zul spoke in his native tongue, making the appearance that they didn't know each other stronger. "Sith!!" They raised their rifles and opened fire and Zul sort of growled under the mask, still waiting as he activated his other saber and deflected some of the bolts. When there was an opening, the Sith flung his lightsaber directly towards one of the guards with the help of the force. The blade plunged into the man's chest, sending him flying backward before being impaled into the wall. That's when the other guard finally brought up his comm piece, radioing in for assistance. Finally, Zul thought to himself before recalling the blade from the man's chest with the force.

The Sith stepped forward slowly, taking his time while the man shot at him, purposely not deflecting it back. Zul's patience was running out but the door finally swung open. A multitude of guards stepped out information and wearing armor, their guns already trained on Zul. The men were too focused on the Sith to notice but before the door could close fully the force interrupted it, enough space for Tasha to slip through easily and unnoticed. Now, Zul told her through the force, her job easier now without such a presence of security and everyone focused on him. The Sith could only hold up the door so long however and this was her chance while he deflected blaster fire.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Playing true to her role, as soon as the speeder came hurtling, she screamed hysterically. She didn’t fight it as the second guard pushed her aside, getting in front of her. Tasha stood behind the guard, both him and the other guard’s focus entirely on Zul. He played his part well, appearing like some crazed maniac and perpetuating every stereotype of the Sith being monsters. Her nimble fingers reached out and casually swiped the keycard on the guard’s hip, bringing it to herself as she back up towards the door.

Moments later a flood of guards burst out and they all trained their guns on Zul. Tasha glanced over, momentarily wondering if she should help. However, since Zul decided to play this strategy, he could follow it through. Why would she risk her neck for him? With a shrug, she slinked into the background, disappearing into the building amidst the commotion. Zul had the woods as a backdrop to rush into to lure the men away, or he would be gunned down in no time.

Meanwhile, Tasha had a clear coast ahead of her as she entered the building. She quickly walked through the hallways, using the keycard she stole to get into a control room that had a terminal in it. She used the keycard to access the schematics of the building, rapidly downloading it to her datapad. Tasha exited the room and began to walk down a corridor when a guard turned the corner, preparing to rush out to join the others.

“Hey what’re you-”

He didn’t even get the words out before a saber was flung his way, driving directly through his neck. Tasha called the saber back and strode past him as he slowly fell to his knees, the silky sides of her attire brushing against his face as she walked. She followed the schematic, making her way to the main room. Tasha found the main chambers that had the data they needed to steal.

She quickly began to access the information, but as she did so, alarms began to blare all around them. Tasha looked up and around herself, the door to the room she was in abruptly sealing shut. She blinked casually, comming Zul with a calm tone, “Mmm I believe I am trapped here. Be a dear and choose a different time to come back. It appears this was inopportune,” She chuckled, looking around herself. Tasha fully expected him to abandon her, just as she would have done to him. She eyed the room, plotting ways to escape with the information before she was gunned down by the few soldiers in the building and any backup to be called. She knew she was working entirely alone now.

 

[Zul Kressh]

The amount of blaster fire was too much for Zul now, seven men in total for his two blades. When Tasha slipped inside it was time for him to move, now heading back to the forest as the men started to walk forward and continue their blaster fire. When Zul was close enough he deactivated his lightsabers and slipped into the cover of the forest. The guards stopped there, fearing the idea of following the Sith into the dark forest. "Well, what do we do?" One of them asked cautiously now that the Sith had disappeared but that's when the destroyed speeder started moving. Each guard snapped their gun to it, Tasha's speeder now being dragged into the forest rapidly by the force as the men just watched it happened.

When it went through the tree's Zul did the man in charge lifted his rifle, "Light it up!" They unloaded their weapons in the general area, the red bolts slicing through trees and bushes with ease. They couldn't see anything and more hoped they would just get lucky and land a hit. After a couple power packs clicked empty they finally stopped, surveying the damage as branches and splinters lied everywhere. The guards thought they got the job done but as they turned around they heard the sound of lightsabers once more before a ruckus of noise from the trees. They had no clue what the Sith was doing and they gave another hail of blaster fire into the forest, hoping to clip him again with another shot. Some trees even fell down, the blaster bolts cutting in half as smoke raised from their barrels.

Silence fell upon the forest and the men thought they had actually gotten him now. When one of them turned to find that the woman was gone he asked out loud, "Hey, where i-" A sharp metal shard, freshly cut by a saber flew out from the tree's, hitting the man right on his head and slicing it in half. The men jumped back in shock, aiming their guns again at the forest but it was too late. More shards flew out, piercing easily through the men's armor as they would fly through and stick into the wall behind with blood dripping. No matter where they fired more shards came, one slicing off a man's arm as it flew past and causing him to scream before another came and shot through his neck, decapitating the man's head. When all was said and done there were pieces of bodies everywhere with bloody shards laying next to them or either in the metal wall of the base. It was a horrific sight as Zul stepped out from the trees but he paid no heed to the carnage.

The alarm blared from the base and now it was only a matter of time before more reinforcements came. Tasha's voice came through on his comm unit and he lifted his wrist, hearing that she was somehow trapped. Well that worked, Zul thought sarcastically for himself. He figured she had access to the information because of the alarms and the fact that she was now somehow trapped inside the building. If he left now he didn't know where the IR would store it or just simply destroy the valuable information. There were a few seconds of silence from Tasha's comm before Zul's voice came through, "I'm coming to you." It clicked off as he came to the door, pressing a keycard he got from one of the bodies onto the reader. Unfortunately, the reader blinked red with the alarm and denied access, the Pureblood sighed before gazing at the door. He would need to do it the old fashion way and a curved saber flew into his hand, the blade coming to life as he slammed into the door and started to cut through.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha wasn’t the type to panic, and she was unconcerned with the alarms blaring. She glanced up at the ventilation system, looking back down at the schematics she had downloaded. From the looks of it, the system interconnected all throughout the building, and she knew it was the only real way out with the guards flooding the corridors. Tasha ignited her sabers and sent them both flying up, using the Force to start cutting along the ceiling. She could sense people were quickly beginning to approach on the other side of the door.

She ignored it for now, her entire focus on the two sabers cutting through top. The ceiling panel began to drop and Tasha glanced down as the door in front of her opened abruptly. Guns were pointed her way and she dove to the side as a barrage of bolts flooded the room where she had been standing moments prior. Tasha called her sabers back to herself, whirling them through the air as the blades cut through the legs of the two men that charged in.

She called the Force to herself, unleashing a concussive blast that sent two others back. Tasha glanced up and gripped the Force around the hanging panel, yanking it down and sending it flying down the corridor. This caused the panel to fly through the air and slam into anyone else that was rushing towards her. Tasha didn’t wait around, using the Force to jump upwards and grabbing onto the lip of the hole she created. She quickly scrambled up, hoisting herself into the ventilation system.

Tasha began to rapidly crawl through the pipe system, a few shots coming through here and there and barely missing her. She heard Zul’s voice through the comms then, and it was strange enough to make her pause where she was. Tasha blinked in confusion, “There is no benefit to you coming back,” She muttered back to him, genuinely confused, “I have the data on my system and am transferring it to you now,” Even under dire circumstances, her voice was smooth and matter of factly. She had already downloaded the intel and could relay it to him.

As that process started, she continued to crawl rapidly through the ventilation system, taking a turn to the right to make her way towards the entrance. Tasha was finally above a room that she could drop into, using her saber to begin cutting through. She didn’t sense anyone below, and she quickly pushed the panel out. She dropped down to a crouch into the room below, rising to stand. She was only two rooms away from the entrance, and she had a door between herself and that.

If Zul wanted to barge into the building, he had a whole host of soldiers to fight on the way.

 

[Zul Kressh]

Zul's blade slammed into the corner of the door, beginning to drag it toward the center as the door screamed in pain. Sparks flew off and reflected off of Zul's mask, focused on his task to get through this door. But his commlink rang again after a few seconds, his wrist buzzing softly as he turned it before turning on. The alarms were obnoxiously loud outside and through his comm piece but Tasha's voice came in as calm as ever, letting him know that he didn't need to do this. Zul was confused but immediately his commlink blinked again, letting him know the data transfer was complete. Why didn't you just do this from the beginning, Zul thought to himself before shaking his head as he yanked his blade out of the door.

With the data in his own hands now there really wasn't a reason for him to stay. As he began to take steps back he heard the familiar sounds of speeders and Zul turned his head in that direction, judging off the volume of how far they really were. Either way, the Sith made his way to the treeline again, stepping over the bodies of guards he had killed. Tasha's comm would be silent for a few seconds after her message, giving her the impression he had really just left right after she transferred but Zul's voice came through again, "You have about four minutes before you are swarmed. That's your window." Her comm link would blink silently this time, "If you make it out, I'll be there only for thirty minutes." By now Zul assumed they had trigged a whole grid of alarms and the planet would be too hot for them to leave soon enough.

When Zul stepped through the forest he finally lifted his helmet off, clipping it to his belt while pulling down his hood. It was nice to enjoy the cold breeze instead of the sweaty helmet. He didn't turn back to look at the base, fully believing that Tasha could escape on her own. He eventually reached the rendezvous point, it far enough that it wouldn't attract any attention for the time being. Zul found a nearby log and sat down on it, immediately pulling up the data that Tasha had sent over to him. It was encrypted and the Sith wasn't surprised about that, not with the level of security they had for whatever this was. Zul's knowledge of technology was limited at best and he scraped his mind from what he learned at the academy, prodding the barrier for the time being that was between him and the data inside.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Truth be told, she hadn’t expected to hear from Zul again. She was perfectly okay with working alone, and she knew when she was in deep shit. Tasha had always been crafty enough to get out of sticky situations, and she never relied on anyone else for that. The Old Empire believed in survival of the fittest, so if she couldn’t help herself out, she deserved to die. Thankfully, she didn’t run into anyone in this room in particular, most of the soldiers dispatched to the woods. There was a high chance Zul himself was dead, especially as he had been facing so many men outside.

Thus, when his voice came on the comms again, she was more than a little surprised. Tasha didn’t respond, focusing on getting out for now. She made it into the next room and spotted two men there. One of them whipped around and fired a shot at her, and she deflected it with her saber. The bolt angled towards the second man, catching him in the shoulder. Tasha was already on the move, jumping to the side and bringing up her second saber to cut through the first man’s flank. He cried out in pain as the second man leveled his gun to shoot her. Tasha coiled the Force around the first man and yanked him in the way, allowing him to get shot in the head by his ally.

As the second man’s jaw dropped in horror at what he had done, Tasha flung the dead body at him. While they were both down, she chucked her saber at him, the blade embedding itself into the man’s chest. She called it back walking out of this room as well and finally making her way out of the exit.

It was only five minutes left on the timer Zul had set by the time Tasha appeared at the rendezvous point. She was worse for wear, her attire torn up at some places and her hair messier than she’d like. However, her expression betrayed nothing and was as relaxed as ever. She was mildly surprised to find him where he said he would be, and she caught him fidgeting with the datapad.

“Bit out of your element?” She grinned, knowing the intel would be encrypted. Tasha wiped some dust off her clothing, dirty from being in the vents, “I’m surprised you’re still here….and alive.”

 

[Zul Kressh]

Zul had been seated on the log the entire time, his focus completely on the datapad as he made another attempt to try and crack through it. There was a mental timer in the back of his mind and he knew that Tasha was cutting it close with this. Either way, the timer hadn't run up yet so he still continued with his word. But after a few moments, he heard footsteps, knowing exactly who it was while he continued to work. "Technology and my kind never really see eye to eye," Zul answered her question with a deep chuckle. It was true, even now he would always prefer the feel of his Sith swords in hand compared to his lightsabers. It like that for most Purebloods that left their home, used to desert and nothing else.

Zul eventually put the datapad down before casting his gaze over to her, his eyes going over her messy hair and torn dress. "It appears you enjoyed yourself quite a bit." Hearing that she was surprised he was still alive and here, Zul glanced down at his commlink before shrugging his shoulders, "You had five minutes left to spare Ms. Blackwell, I wouldn't be too shocked if I were you." Glancing towards the direction of the base, he thought to himself for a moment before beginning to walk. Zul tossed the datapad towards her, "Your skills most likely surpass mine with this. Be a dear if you unlock it and please share what you find." Maybe she wouldn't have the skills, either way, Zul would rather her hold onto it than him.


With the data now in hand, all that remained was getting back to any ship that could get them off this planet while numerous patrols searched for them. Pulling out out a local map from his commlink, he examined the area around them on the map before shutting it off and looking back to her. "My personal ship is a few clicks out of here. If that fails, our last resort can be the nearby trading post. They constantly have ships docked if worst comes to worst." Nothing else really needed to be added and Zul began to walk, going in a wide circle back in the direction of their first rendezvous point. The engines of speeders were all around them and it wasn't going to be an easy task. Whatever sensitive information they had, the garrison here knew they had it and they wouldn't stop until they found the two Sith.

Zul moved cautiously through the woods, his steps never making a sound. Despite the stories of how brutish and warrior like his race was, he was nearly the complete opposite. Taller than most and lanky, to his own people, compared to their size, along with his nature of just being quieter overall. After a few minutes of walking, he spoke again, "How is the datapad coming dear?" Zul's head turned from side to side, keeping a vigilant gaze around them while he waited to see if Tasha had made any progress.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha caught the datapad as he tossed it, glancing down at it to access the information she had stolen. It was a complex encryption, and she knew it’d take some time to crack it. She was focused on it for a long moment, half listening to what he was saying. Her attention was drawn to him when she realized he was actually mocking her manner of speech. Instead of looking angry, she glanced at him with a mildly amused expression, blinking slowly as she observed him for a few seconds. For a brief interval he would feel as if he were a painting in an art gallery that someone paused to contemplate for a moment before moving along. It wasn’t an expression of anger or anything, just subtle curiosity.

“That style of speech doesn’t suit someone that quite literally looks like they crawled out from the depths of hell,” She said finally, taking in sight of his red and almost monstrous appearance. This was followed by a subtle laugh that was airy and tapered off as gently as it arrived. Nevertheless, she began to follow him as he led the way to his ship. Tasha fixed up her hair as she walked, half paying attention to the path before her as she focused on the datapad. She was cat-like in her own movement, though she didn’t miss how nimble he was. Most of the purebloods she had run into were brutish and uncultured, and they certainly didn’t have any brains. She had hated working with them in the past, and that wasn’t even including the language barrier that still existed somehow.

As he asked how the decoding was coming, Tasha sighed, “Patience, darling, this isn’t like the Holomovies where I mash a few buttons and things get resolved,” She kept up the pace with him, hearing the speeders whirling around them. After a while, things were quiet, and it seemed as if they had shed the guards that were on hot pursuit. She was about to remark on just that when a few airspeeders zoomed right above them towards where his ship was parked. Tasha paused in her tracks, staring ahead of them, “Hmm… well either we can go deal with the welcoming party or you can consider your ship gone,” She shrugged, her tone as matter of fact as usual. Tasha was already looking around for alternative places to go to in order to give herself the chance to break into the intel. So far she unearthed that it had something to do with coordinates, but she hadn’t worked out what they were for or why.

 

[Zul Kressh]

Tasha caught his obvious mock and like he expected she wasn't angry about it. It was a guess off of how she had reacted when the alarms blared but now he knew a little more about her. Zul looked back at her as he knew what she was doing, he did it himself with others. The feeling was infamous and when she spoke, he couldn't help but laugh softly as he gestured a hand toward her, "Are you referring to its cold and icy depths or raging fires?" Zul gave her an arched eyebrow, obviously referring to her blue tint as she referred to his red tint. While Tasha continued on working with the datapad, the pureblood was the eyes for both of them, a flock of birds flying off in the distance as another distant speeder flew by.

Hearing her sigh at the question and answer, Zul turned his head slightly again to look at her before bringing it back forward, "That's quite unfortunate, from what I hear in the Holomovies they don't get caught quite as easily as well." Like her voice, his was completely neutral as with his emotions too. It was a matter of fact tone and it wouldn't be easy to tell if he was directly insulting her or just speaking about what he knows from the movies. Things had quieted down but when they both heard the speeders go right above them and cause them to halt. Zul's eyes followed them for as long as they could before disappearing behind the cover of some trees. That certainly made things more difficult and if they had found his ship then they would just be walking back into a trap. After thinking to himself for a moment he glanced over to Tasha, "The ship holds no sentimental value for me. We'll make our way to the trading post. Hopefully, the discovery of the ship distracts them long enough."

Zul lifted his comm link again, pulling up the map for a quick reference point of where they were and where the base was. Turning towards the right direction, the Sith led the way as Tasha walked beside him. They continued to tread deep into the forest, Zul remaining silent the entire time to let Tasha continue her work without interruption. They were getting closer and closer to the trading post last he checked and it would only be a few more minutes until they broke from the treeline. But as they neared it they heard another roar of speeder engines and Zul ducked, hiding amongst the bushes with Tasa as an IR transport of soldiers past them. It was going in the direction of where his ship was so he hoped now it was buying them some time. "Any progress Ms. Blackwell?" It had been a while since he last checked and he wanted to know what was so secret on this datapad.

When the two of them reached the treeline Zul leaned against one of the trees, seeing the base with a few hanging landing pads as ships flew in and out. There were still IR patrols but not nearly as many, most of them still likely searching around their own base or waiting at his ship for them to return. With the flux of incoming ships, that could be their ticket off this planet but the tricky part would be getting onto the ship in the first place.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

“I will take the icy cold any day,” She responded quietly. She was the exact opposite of him - very easily adapted to freezing climates and constantly struggling in the heat. Most of the planets that were integral to the Old Empire were hot, and she despised it. She couldn’t wander around all the time in Republica space due to her alien nature, but this was a nice reprieve from the sun beating down on her sensitive skin.

Despite his neutral tone as he remarked on her being caught easily, she couldn’t help but chuckle softly, “True enough. And even then my heart skipped for a moment because I was beginning to think you wanted to be a hero and actually come back for me,” She purred the words, amusement dripping from her tone. She kept up with him, light on her feet and happy to hear he had no attachments to the ship. Overall it was a much better plan to simply avoid going towards all the commotion.

Tasha kept working on the datapad, glancing up every now and then to ensure she didn’t run into anything. She was cracking more and more of it, turning to walk the direction whenever Zul switched it. She could hear a couple more speeders rushing towards where his ship was, and Tasha knew it meant no one else was coming their way. She hated walking this much by foot, but they didn’t really have an option at this point.

As the trading post slowly came into view and they paused briefly for a moment, Tasha looked up at Zul, “Yes,” She replied, “They are trading routes for import and export. There is enough here to suggest there are some plans to strike at these routes to interrupt the Old Empire’s supply chain,” Tasha glanced towards the ships that were coming and going. Getting off this rock wasn’t going to be easy.

 

[Zul Kressh]

Zul heard her chuckle beside him before she spoke, her words causing Zul to smirk, "Oh darling, you're as deadly as your beautiful. You were fine the entire time." He knew it from the first moment she saw him, the way she walked, talked, acted. She was the cat in the world while everything else a ball of yarn. To be honest, Zul had no idea what she actually thought of him, he couldn't read her like normal beings. Usually, people were quite easy to read, rather expressive by trying not to be expressive around him. The only reason he knew this so far about her was that he was the same in how he viewed and acted but he had a feeling Tasha was much more subtle at it.

When she confirmed she made progress, Zul brought his gaze to her, arching his eyebrow and wondering what she found. When she told him they were about import and export plans, it wasn't really what he had in mind in what would be in the datapad. "Interesting," Zul pushed off the tree, his gaze locked on the influx of ships flying into the trading post. Tasha would see the pureblood disappear in his mind, the gears turning once more as he asked her a question, "Does it specify when or any specific trading routes?" Zul's eyes followed the ships departing and then entering. There was something different about it, it was too fast and even the patrols that were around the training post were a little odd. They usually preferred neutral security to show no influence but there was proud Republica standing by. After a moment, Zul gestured to Tasha with his hand before nodding to the landing pads, "They're docking and departing too fast, too irregular. It's more of an assembly line."

All the ships appeared like trading vessels and maybe Tasha couldn't see what he was but he looked down at the datapad. Zul had a hunch and now he couldn't think of anything else. "Search for the nearest trade route to this planet, not directly ours but potentially merges into one of ours." There was no buzz around the post, it was mostly workers and guards. There was no merchants or buzz of commercial success and that just added to his suspicion. Either way, they had to move before the patrols realized they were waiting for nothing. Zul started making his way towards the trading post, using the treeline as much as they could to get closer and give Tasha time to find the answers to his questions.