Ask Naboo Hunting Grounds

[Bri Valentia]

When pursuing ambition, one had to be careful with their dealings with others. Unfortunately, some of those dealings dictated working with others whose rumors of brutality weren't exactly company secret. For once, Brielle was without Tacitus or Nero, and already she missed them. Already, there was a keen hunger gnawing in her stomach, and... she was bored.

Ultimately, being trapped on Naboo meant being trapped with tasteless senators that maintained a holier-than-thou mentality, and her father was one of them. And also unfortunately?

He was opening his mouth in places he really shouldn't, and thus gained a target on his back. Now, normally such men would be ignored... but he was focusing his ire on the Hutts and other criminal enterprises, and rallying to tear them down from within. And that simply wouldn't do. So she called the one man she would hold dubious trust to pull this off... and pull it off well.

There was a mutual meeting ground, far from the private eye, in one of her few privately-owned establishments. A woman had to have her own enterprises, after all, and on this sickeningly 'pretty' planet, a few high-rises were the norm for political children.

Hopefully, he would not disappoint with his arrival.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

This was honestly below Ender's standing to do this but he couldn't refuse the opportunity when he heard it. Naboo had once been his home and he had missed its serine beauty deeply even if that's what it was only known for. It was a welcome sight at least for him compared to the rest of the galaxy and he felt sorry for the inhabitants of the planet who lived there all their life. They become too familiar with it and take its true glamor for granted.

Ender would be a tad late to the meeting as he took his time to walk through crowded streets and allowed himself to actually be with society once more. No sand dunes, no humid swamps, no creatures, just people. He walked slowly as he just took in everything, his silver orbs swinging left to right as he saw families hurdled together as they went to vibrant stores or young couples holding hands as they went to dinner together. It was an experience he never got to touch and that's when memories of the cold labs and experiments seared through his mind. The scar that traversed down his spine seemingly ached and he pressed two fingers against the top of the sinewy flesh. It reminded him of the reason for his visit as he pulled out his comm-pad once more to check the coordinates of the meeting.

He eventually arrived at the highrise that was the designated location. The only thing he had was a room number and time to meet, no entrance key or anything. When he glanced up, he could easily spot the guards that lined the doors as lavishly dressed men and women entered the building, most likely nobility, which he wasn't us. Ender was dressed in typical civilian clothing and expected that it would raise some questions. His gaze slowly raized up to the floor and specifically the balcony of the room after he counted.

A few minutes later, there would be a soft thud on the balcony as he landed on his feet with the help of the force. When he stood to his full height, he stared through the glass door for a moment before eventually opening it and entering. "Apologies for my tardiness." He turned to close it behind him before facing the woman on the couch once more, "Got caught up with... the past." Ender's gaze collided with hers and he held it for a moment before finally speaking again, "Ms. Valentina, correct?"

 

[Bri Valentia]

Well, he certainly didn't disappoint.

This was a sensation felt, rather than heard. Sensed, rather than saw. Most expected the Sith to be standing in gritty dark castles, cackling about the Darkness and moldering in small, remote pockets. The fools. Didn't they know you could formulate plans so much easier in a high-rise with your own double-encrypted data and bodyguards? Tch, some of their order had no class.

Brown eyes swiveled over to meet those of silver, calm, assessing. Long dark hair was pulled back into a modest braid, dressed in a simple white blouse and black skirt, kimono coat jacket of burgundy red and black draped over her shoulders. Hearing her name mispronounced, however, she didn't even react, but merely tilted her head. "Close, but not quite. Valentia. Thank you for coming so soon." No addressing by name, no twinge of surprise. However, a small, charming smile touched her lips.

"Before we begin, might I interest you in anything?" She rose, extending a hand to the kitchen and dining area, every inch a politician's daughter. Allowing him to get comfortable... adjust to the view of the Nabooian sky. Even she had to grudgingly admit it was a jewel in its' own right... but this jewel had already been plundered.

Cutting ties to the past was going to be so much easier.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender couldn't help the half tug to his lips when she corrected him on how to pronounce her name. It had been too long since he had been in a civilized place. His eyes drifted from her and to the apartment, soaking in the extravagance and quality that could only come from one position. "It's been a while since I've been around... nobility and their names." There was no hiding what she was, her clothing also help highlight his assessment. He was the direct opposite with his civilian clothing and his life experience.

When she stood up and made her way to the dining area, he followed behind her and reached out with the force around him. It was only her in the room with him but he could sense the bodyguards outside that could barge in at a moment's notice. She wasn't completely alone. "No, I appreciate the offer, however." When Bri would turn around, she would find that Ender sat himself down in one of the chairs and stared out of the window of her apartment and to the vibrant sun as its fingers touched every corner of the city. It wasn't etched on his face but it was in his eyes as the color of the sun reflected in his silver orbs. He was captivated by it.

When he was a kid, he imagined what it would've been like to be at the top of one of these buildings and to peer down at the city. All the bustling life that continued down below and that would never halt for anything. It was a strange feeling once being on the street and looking up at the towers with his imagination running wild and now being in those towers and viewing down below at the veins of the city. "Curious, I always wondered what it was like up here."

Eventually, Ender broke from his trance and brought his attention back to Bri, "In your message, you mentioned the Cartel and the entanglement that was. Tell me everything you know." He could explore the city later after he completed the task he came here for. "The Cartel is messy. We'll need to be careful about this."

 

[Bri Valentia]

Curious.

Seeing such a man, standing and observing from the place he had been, was a strange, almost nostalgic feeling. He was always below, looking up, it seemed... while she was above, staring down below. It was one of many places that always pulsed with life, both the best and the worst, and even in a place like this the filth of the galaxy washed up in the dark crevices of Naboo. When silvery eyes met those of brown, her gaze was fair, almost mild.

Yes, the Cartels. Even hearing the referenced name made her want to grimace in disgust, but instead she smoothed her hands down the front of her dress, standing tall. "Yes. The Cartel and it's many.. charming... members." She paused, then tilted her head. "I was informed to make good relations with the Syndicate despite... certain progressive individuals' attempts to display their own brand of justice." She turned away, pacing long-legged to a display console on a coffee table, bending to tap a few keys to display a face.

Patriarchal, handsome, the man and Bri shared a few similarities, in mouth, the shape of their jaws and color of hair.

"Certain members of the FWA have gotten particularly zealous in exposing Cartel pockets in the Core, and also routing out some of our own in the process." This wasn't news, however...

"Senator Valentia proposes a more direct strike. He seeks to find a weakness in the Cartels, sending Jedi closer to the Eternal and thwarting underground work." She paused, no emotion flickering across her features. And he would see it, feel it.

If there were any emotions of Valentia for her father, they were so subdued and concealed it would be as if there were no emotions whatsoever. Talking about a stranger, rather than her closest kin.

"Cutting off the head of the snake, subtly, and the rest will die. Of course, I cannot do it alone for risk of security compromise," she swept a hand over her surroundings, "but I was informed you had... particularly useful skills."

Once again, she eyed him carefully.

If they weren't here on behalf of business... but a pity he was. He was a handsome young man.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

It was interesting hearing the small amount of vile that she couldn't even contain as she spoke of the Cartel. Ender wondered if there was any personal history there and the reason why she accepted this mission in the first place. The possibilities of having the Syndicate as allies were endless but so were the dangers and it made him curious which reason she was choosing to have them by their side.

When she made her way to the coffee table and bent over to activate the hologram, Ender couldn't help himself and brought his gaze to her rear, enjoying the view as it was much more pleasant than the typical swamps and killer creatures that he was used to. There was quite a lot of scenery on Naboo. When she turned around, however, his eyes would be examing the face of the man that was projected from the console. Already, she would be able to see him flicking his gaze back and forth between the two as he distinguished the similarities and figured it out before she even mentioned his name.

As she spoke of her father directly, Ender made a point to reach out with the force in order to pry and really see how she felt. Family was a messy business and one he didn't enjoy. Bri would feel a sort of presence slide over as she spoke but he couldn't feel anything. When she finished, he stood up and took a few steps toward her and the hologram of her father. When he stopped beside her, he still examined the hologram while he spoke, "A Senator will be a lot of heat if he turns up dead. With you being his daughter, you will have a lot of eyes on you, whether against you or supporting you. You have preparations for that?" Naboo wasn't a backwater planet, they would conduct a full investigation and that meant they would have to run a tight operation.

Ender eventually brought his gaze back down to Bri, "I can bring you his head or I can make it appear like an accident. Up to you. But I do have one condition before I get involved." There was a second of silence as he stood there and thought about how to word his question before finally just stating it, "You have connections. I need you to find any information you can... about me. At least on Naboo." His mind wasn't trustworthy, there were only flashes of his home and people he knew and he wanted some answers. This could be one of his best opportunities to get some that were reliable.

 

[Bri Valentia]

She could feel where his gaze went as she was bending, and felt an unabashed hint of a smile touching her lips at the thought. But he was being slightly intrusive to her own thoughts... a flicker of bemusement would spark in retaliation as she slowly stood back up, then stared at him levelly, the smirk still faintly perched on full lips. He was taller than her, bigger than her... but that didn't mean everything. He was also intelligent.

However, she already planned ahead for that contingency.

"It's touching, your concern." Her voice was low, soft, as her gaze touched over the facial features of the man's projected image before her. "But I have plans, yes. When you're on the inside, you always have contingencies in place. I hope my own faith in capabilities has not been misplaced," she glanced up to meet silvery eyes, the smirk gone. "Accidents are all well and good, but as for him..." There was the faintest flicker.

A taste for her own true feelings.

Hatred. A deep, burning, twisted hatred built by years of neglect, of heartbreak, a bitter seething rage icy with sharpened determination and cold logic. Whatever he had done, whatever he was doing, though the man would never know what the Senator had done with his daughter, he would see for a brief moment just how much the man in the hologram had done. And in a second, the flicker was over, leaving once more a cool-minded intellect to stand in his presence.

"I want him to know in his last moment."

But hearing him ask for information... she hummed, eyeing him. Interesting. Was this concern? A bit of worry? Lips pulled into a smile, a warm, almost gentle one, brown eyes glimmering in the low, sunset-lit apartment.

"I accept. What name do I follow for this... information? Or simply your own?"

She was no fool. In the Sith, there were no honest words. Facades, decades of aliases and titles. After all... what was the proverb?

No honor amongst thieves.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender chuckled softly at her comment that she was touched by his concern for her. "I wouldn't be too much. The concern is mainly for me." He glanced over to her with a slight smile that told he was telling the truth before he returned his gaze to the projection. As much as she had her security and her penthouse, that was no indication if someone would talk or not. When she mentioned that in turn, she hoped she had placed her faith in the right person, Ender's only response was, "I guess you'll have to wait and see." These missions were the tip of the iceberg for him and the backbone of how he got to this point with Bri.

As Bri mentioned her father, that's when he felt it. The hatred that he was so accustomed to with his own kind. It was there somewhere and she finally revealed it to him as there would be little flashes of memories between her and her father, not enough for him to fully realize what was happening but enough to get a general sense. When it was finished, it at least confirmed for him that Bri wouldn't get in his way to interrupt at least or that she would have second thoughts about all this. "Then he'll know it."

Bri accepted his condition but he can sense the uneasiness from her by him asking. He didn't blame her but he was at the point where he couldn't care what others thought. She asked what she should chase while he did and he exhaled softly as his silver oceans collided with her brown ones. It was clear he was debating on what to tell her but maybe to his own detriment, he was running out of patience and just wanted an answer, even if that meant breaking a few of his own rules about his safety, "Ender, Ender Halcyn." It was his real name and it would most likely bite him in the ass but he saw the answers to his question as a worthwhile reason.


Once it left his lips, he knew it was out there for good and he'd just have to wait and see. Ender turned back to the hologram, committing the man's face to memory and his little blemishes. "The quicker we are, the better. Do you know where he resides at this hour? Or works? Does he have security like your bodyguards or of our kind?" If the Jedi were interested in him, that most likely meant that left a watchful eye around his target, especially with him on Naboo.

 

[Bri Valentia]

She chuckled once at his comment about concern, then nodded briefly. A man straight to business... she could appreciate it. When he mentioned Senator Valentia knowing, however, she smiled genuinely, warmly, as though he had promised her the galaxy instead of this task she was bringing up to him. There were few people in the galaxy who made her life a living hell, but her father was one of them. A man who held no love even for flesh and blood... and did so much worse when he attempted 'affection'.

She met his stare levelly, waiting for his name. It wasn't trust that brought the name for her. It was desperation. She could practically smell it, like the faintest whiff of ozone. Before he could turn away, before he could divert the topic, her voice was soft, gentle in response.

"It's a nice name."

And then he was turned away, and it was back to business. She glanced at him once, then tapped something else on the display; another high rise, similar to her own, yet less... spartan in its' aesthetics. The man indulged in beauty, it was certain, but to such a degree even Brielle found vulgar. "He lives in the second to topmost level; the top level is dedicated to a greenhouse and meetingplace for dignitaries." Even she could admire the man's wit and eye for design; in order for guests to come for the meeting, they had to first go through his own abode, and an open display of wealth and power. Gaudy, but at least passing intelligent.

"In fifteen minutes' time he will no longer be entertaining... 'guests'." The word was stated flatly, brown eyes cool. "Since his declaration against the Cartel and his efforts, he has requested two more bodyguards for his daily routine and four droid perimeter checks every hour in the night hours. You will have fifteen minutes between each shift if you approach from below. Cams and security are encoded and timestamped, so an on-site encryption break is impossible. I will do it remotely. His bodyguards hold vigil and do a vigilance check every hour, however their station is in a room to the left of the entrance."

She displayed a datastick, a coy, flirty smile on her lips. "We'll keep in touch via disposable comms; I had copycats made for my own little 'excursion' tonight."

He would notice now a svelte black bag nestled beside the coffeetable.

"I'll be in plain sight, and break down the security system while you'd be en route; exit may be difficult however, and if there are complications I'm afraid there will be little I would be able to do in combat except trigger a false alarm to provide you with an escape without a mainframe trigger." The undertone was simple; once he entered the apartment, he was on his own. She would do her best, but she was not an obvious combatant, and her appearance, even if unrecognized, could complicate things.

She tucked away the datastick, giving him a warm smile once more, brown eyes glimmering in the golden light.

"Do we have a deal?"

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Once it left his lips, it was gone in the wind and available for grabs. Bri mentioned it was a nice name but he didn't reply to it. To him, it was just words, something that could easily be interchangeable if he wanted it to be. Ender didn't want it to be like that anymore however and he hoped this would be the successful path for it. She brought up the schematics of the building both of them would be attending as she gave a detailed brief about what to expect.

The building wasn't lavish and almost too much for his taste as well. His eyes flicked between each crevice of the building as he examined it to his fullest extent. It would be crowded and that was an aspect that didn't sit well with him but he could work around it. When Bri commented that the two of them would remain in contact with the disposable comms, Ender smirked back at her, "Lovely." It would at least mean he wouldn't have to rely on some signal to let him know the security system was down.

Once he was inside, it appeared it would be a much easier ride but that was always easier to say then to do. "Don't worry. I won't need your help. You requested my assistance for a reason." Ender checked the time to gage how much he would have to spend and to familirize himself with the guard's shifts. When Bri asked if they had a deal, he returned his gaze back to her as they locked together. There was a slight twinkle in his eye of something but it was disguised thourougly to be discerned. "We have a deal." He stretched out his hand to be shook.

 

[Bri Valentia]

She chuckled once at his confidence; unlike others who used their power to brag their way into the room, his was understated, calm. She could appreciate this contained brutality; like many of the Order, his was a practiced art. There was a glimmer in his eyes; when he outstretched his hand she took it.

But instead of shaking, she pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, a smirk curling the corners of her lips.

"Good. See you on the other side, then."

With that, she bent to pick up the attache case, leaving a comm for him on the coffee table, then breezing out.

"Gigio, Vito, I feel like getting some caf. Would you be some darlings and escort me? You're welcome for a bite as well," with the door shutting behind her. She slipped on the earpiece and pulled out her original datapad, humming absently. Queueing up an idle playing game was hardly difficult, and not unusual for the Nabooian woman.

Soon she was sweeping into some boring high-scale coffeehouse, having discreetly swapped the original for the copycat.

With a leisurely smile, she plugged in the datastick and began accessing the highrise mainframe.

Let the hunt begin.

 

[Darth Invictus]

Bri took his hand but instead of shaking it, she kissed the back of his palm and he arched his eyebrow with a smirk accompanying it. Her lips were soft and his mind drifted involuntarily to warmer thoughts before he reeled himself back in. "See you on the other side." He replied back before letting his hand slip out of hers as she went to pick up her bodyguards. By the time she reached the front door of her place, Ender was already gone with one of the windows slightly ajar as he made his exit. There were preparations to be made and he didn't want to wait. The comm on the table had vanished as well.

By the time that Bri had reached the coffee house, Ender had already geared himself and was on a transport that he had hitched a ride from a droid. Well, he was actually on the outside of it, his fingers tightly wrapped around a handlebar as the air whipped through his hair. He was dressed in black leather, it tightly fitting his frame as it provided some amount of protection while also disguising any features that could link him. His lightsaber was strapped to his right shoulder vertically, it within easy reach when he required it.

The transport had been given the location of some casino to arrive at and it began to ascend higher and higher as it flowed with the ongoing traffic. His presence wasn't actually known but it wouldn't have to be. The flight path went directly over the senator's building and he planned to make a premature stop there. Ender pulled out the comm, it tightly pinched between his fingers as he stared at it for a moment before eventually sliding it into his ear. With that done, he pulled up his mask, it covering the bottom half of his face.

A few minutes went by before he caught sight of his target's building. The beauty was unmistakable, even on a planet such as Naboo. It was clear her father wanted to it be a beacon, enough to draw attention even in Naboo's lavish setting. The transport continued its oblivious path over the building and it was time for him to make his departure. Ender glanced down below and the freefall that would commence as his heart slowed. He only peered down for a few more seconds before his fingers finally slipped off the handlebar and he dropped. Personally, he wanted to avoid the majority of the security altogether.

Ender dived through the air, erecting himself into a position that resembled a spear. The wind picked up enough that it drowned out any noise that wanted to claim his attention. The only thing that did was the building that was getting closer and closer with each second. But as he neared the building, he shot out his arms and legs, the force snaking around him as it acted as a cushion and took the brunt of the fall. Ender rolled onto the ground and amongst the grass and other shrubberies until he eventually slowed and halted on one knee as he stabled himself.

His eyes slowly scanned the area across from him before he touched the comm in his ear linked to Bri, "I"m on the roof."

 

[Bri Valentia]

His low baritone in her ear was pleasant, she couldn't deny. She had been curled into a deep seat, tapping away at the datapad with a luxurious smile. "This level won't be difficult," she murmured into the mic, brown eyes half-shuttered. With her hair covering her ears, it seemed as though she was talking to herself. "Avoid the taller plants and the corners; higher traffic and cams."

A live feed was pulled up of the cams; with connection established, she inserted the dataplague she had been building since the security leak of the bank vault six months ago with Tac and Nero. Almost immediately, a loop of the live feed was played to the guards. Now came the tricky part of rerouting the live feed to the dummy datapad; it was a data dump only, and would leave a dead end for anyone that could do a tech sweep later.

The man was busy, all right. So busy with his tongue down another woman's throat, she had to swallow back bile. Her features tightened at the man's abuse. The woman seemed too drugged-out to really protest, and seemed as young as Brielle herself.

"Feed loop activated, time is short. Private access to chambers is to the left; locking mechanism will be disengaged for thirty seconds--" she suddenly cut off when a presence brushed by her shoulder, and she quickly brushed aside the live feed, instead pulling up the game once more and smiling.

"Thank you, Vito."

The man stared down at Bri passively, craggy features a mask of calm. "Forgive me Lady, I couldn't help but ask what game you're playing. You sound rather engrossed."

 

[Darth Invictus]

Avoid the taller plants and the corners. Ender glanced around to take stock of where they were and realized his path was pretty much down the center. The shadows were his allies and he pulled up his hood to mask the rest of his features before he slithered through the greenhouse. There was enough foliage that even the small passing patrols couldn't see him through the glass. The sprinklers and other machinery to water the plants masked any sound that he could make.

When he arrived at the intended door, he crouched in some shadows again and waited to be notified of the loop. Ender was already a wanted criminal and he didn't even need more of a record than he already had. It felt like half the galaxy was chasing him. When Bri finally informed him, the button on his watch was pressed to synchronize the same time and he stepped out quickly to open the door wide enough to let him slip through and close it.

He was greeted with a long hallway with a massive set of doors indeed to his left that indicated the master bedroom. "Yes, thank you, Vito." Ender quietly replied as he injected himself into her conversation. "I do hope you pick a good one. You do seem rather engrossed."

He continued down the hallway but heard footsteps soon after. It was a bodyguard and he approached the same door, his hand already clenched and ready to knock on it. The bodyguard glanced down the hall and spotted him standing dead center in the middle of it. He attempted to touch his earpiece in order to get a warning out but Ender was on the move.

The force wrapped around the man's legs and yanked him off his feet and prevented him from activating his comm-piece. He was dragged straight toward Ender and right under him in the span of a few seconds. With precision, his hand shot out and wrapped around the guard's throat, shutting him up for the time being as his grip tightened. He tilted the same hand and saw his watch, five seconds, and still counting down.

Ender whipped his head up and shot his other hand forward, the handle of the door twisting as he pushed it open a few centimeters. The lock engaged but met only open air. When the guard saw it open, he struggled more but Ender slammed his knee into the man's stomach to knock the wind out of him and the fight. With the air out and his grip tightening, it was only a short time before he completely ran out of oxygen and blacked out.

With that done, he stood up from the body and walked to the door quietly, it slowly dragged behind him by invisible hands. When he finally reached the opening, he put his hand through and made the gap wider as he pushed the body in and then stepped inside himself. Ender slowly scanned the room, wealth and ornateness blinding him, before he touched his earpiece once more, "I'm in."

 

[Bri Valentia]

Her shoulders stiffened ever so slightly at the low baritone voice purring in her ear, and felt the predatory urge to snap at Ender, or something else. Not irritation, exactly, but an unfair stirring that roused her from her focus, and she forced a smile on her lips, brown eyes glimmering. "A zombie simulation," she spoke up smoothly, full lips tilted in a warm grin. "And thank you for the caf; Gigio and yourself may relax, I do not intend to mingle just yet. Perhaps yourself and Gigio should grab some caf as well," she murmured, staring up into the man's eyes. She watched his eyes glaze, and gave a small smile as he nodded.

"Yes, ma'am," he intoned quietly, and she nodded once. "Thank you, that will be all."

And with that, the man left.

With a small beep from her datapad, she nodded, full lips pulling into a warm smirk. "So am I," she purred, once more lured into recording the live feed of Ender, maintaining the vis loop for security, and leaking an emergency signal to another part of the building.

On the other side of the door, two guards stood armed with blaster carbines, backs to Ender and passively watching their employer.

After all, who would try an assault on the roof?

"Nnno," a low voice groaned from in the room, as weak arms tried to push the senator away.

Time was of the essence.

 

[Darth Invictus]

The two guards were either oblivious or enjoying the show that the senator was allowing them to hear. When Bri informed him that she was in as well, a smirk formed underneath his mask. It meant he could move freely. "Glad you could join me." His voice drew the attention of the guards and one of them turned with rifle slightly raised but it was too late. The force weaved around the man's head and with a twirl of a finger, it yanked hard enough to one side to snap his neck.

The other guard turned then but Ender was on him. He tried to lift his rifle but it was smacked out of the way before the blade on the guard's utility belt was pulled out from it's sheathe. The weapon moved like a blur and sunk into his chest, Ender's gloved grip, warm blood quickly blossoming from the wound. The guard just stared at him but the life visibly drained from his eyes as he fell backward but with a guided hand so that there wasn't any sound.

There was still a small commotion further in the room and was only getting louder. Ender stood to his full height before calmly walking to the door and opening it. The senator was on top of the woman, his shirt already off and the clothing of the girl torn. The door made enough creek to catch the two's attention and the senator immediately jumped off the bed, "What the hell!?" He tried to rush to a nearby nightstand but it would be unsuccessful. A nearby chair would jut out and take him out by the legs before he would be dragged by the force and strong-armed into the chair.

The woman was slightly hazy but she could understand danger. She made a bolt for the nearby door but the same result happened to her as she was forced into a chair by not her own accord. "You sit too." Ender murmured as he glanced between the two of them momentarily, both of them brought to the front of the bed. Bri's father didn't stop resisting during this as he constantly threw himself to the side or forward back to try and break free. "Money? Power? What!?"

Ender simply turned and made his way toward the kitchen as the two could hear rummaging. After a few moments, he returned, "Unfortunately, this will have to be done the traditional way." As he got closer, the Senator would be able to see the glint of a metal knife.

 

[Bri Valentia]

She had to admit, watching this in the live feed, she could feel her lips pull into a genuine smile. To the end, the man she had to call Father was prepared with anything. Making bribes to the end, the old fool. How she wished she could be there, to see the man's face. To see him fall to pieces, or better, finally admit to all that he had done. All the stains he left on her life.

The man drew up to as full a height as he could muster, jaw hard as he stared at the man. In a way, he was classically handsome, patriarchal as the girl whimpered. "They'll be here any minute," he spoke up in a hard voice, staring down the masked man. "You won't scare me. She's of legal age, and consented. But what do you want? A position? Credits? I can give you more than what your employer has offered," the man bargained, but brown eyes flicked to the knife then back.

"You don't scare me."

Bri found her breathing shallow, heart pounding in her chest. Though most would have felt a second of hesitation, a sliver of doubt, she gripped the datapad hard, her jaw tight with tension as she waited. Would Ender do it, or would she have to come in to clean his mess? The woman in the chair whimpered, swallowing hard as she feebly tried to cover her face with her hands.

Similarly to Brielle, she had dark brown hair and brown eyes, and a similar build. "Please, I don't know anythin', just let me go."

The timer in the corner beeped. Bri visibly started, exhaling sharply at the notification. "Three minutes left," she murmured throatily into his earpiece, no remorse in her voice.

It was time to wrap up, this man didn't deserve the life he had in her own opinion.

Everything that was his would be hers, and she would do so much better than he ever did, even surpassing his dreams. She would make him regret ever having used her... and she would utterly destroy everything that the shallow man loved. After all, he claimed he loved her, yet already destroyed her before. Now she would watch him fade to nothing as well... if only she could do it herself.

This was the next sweetest thing, however. And a deal was a deal.

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender closed the distance between him and Bri's father with each step. The man tried to keep a straight face but there was no point. It would only be for him to think that he died bravely and not half-naked to a chair. He stood right in front of the seated man, "You can offer me nothing." With a movement that was practically a blur, the knife was sunk into the senator's chest without remorse or hesitation. The senator wheezed loudly as he looked down, the knife embedded in the man's skin as blood began to profusely pump out of him.

There was no significance to this for him and was just another soul that he made depart himself. The life left the senator's eyes as he stared up at Ender's silver ones as they remained passive as ever. The girl had her mouth agape at the sight and scoffed before beginning to whimper at the idea of what was to happen next. Bri informed that he only had three minutes left, "I'll be gone before then." Ender gripped the handle of the knife once more before yanking it out of her father with a squelch. He walked over to the girl and forced her palm open before placing the knife in it.

His fingers interlocked with hers and he forced her hand to close over it. The woman started to cry and shake her head as she realized what was happening. When that was done, he pulled the knife away from her and tossed it to the ground. "To be quite honest, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is just the reality of the situation now." Ender remembered that the Senator tried to rush for the nightstand and he walked over to it and searched through the drawers.

Ender pulled out a blaster and walked back over to the girl and stood in front of her like he did the senator. The woman didn't say anything and just stared with a scrunched mouth as she continually looked at the blaster. Ender's silver gaze calmly just met with hers before he spoke again, "Look to your right." She blinked before eventually listening, her gaze finding the vibrant night sky and the stars that littered it. It only lasted a second before he placed the blaster beside her head and pulled the trigger, letting her at least not witness it. The woman slumped in the chair and he placed the blaster in her hand. Just wrong time, wrong place.

With that done, Ender made his way over to the three bodies of guards and lifted them up with the force. He walked over to the nearby window and tossed them all into the lake below that the highrise nestled next to. Their equipment would make them sink once they hit. After that, he exited from the apartment without a trace or hint that he had been inside at all.

 

[Bri Valentia]

A burst of relief followed at seeing the knife plunge into the man's chest; the softest exhale followed into the earpiece to Ender, and though there was some sorrow to the girl's fate, it was bittersweet how he seemed to care enough for the girl to have such a merciful death. She sighed, and at first... there was no sound, no expression.

But she wordlessly tapped a code to deactivate the false alarm, then reactivate the cams once he was free and clear of the building. She would wait another half hour before she stood, then gave a smile to the guards.

"I'm ready to return home now, I think," she spoke up, her voice warm. The dummy datapad was slipped into the bag along with the datastick.

Until she would get the call, she would begin the lonely ride back to her apartment, and for the first time in her life... she felt free. A weight had been lifted from her shoulders... but a deal was a deal.

She had promised Ender to look into his past, and she would. She was a woman of her word, after all. Full lips pulled into a warm, wicked smile as she steadily climbed, tugging on her jacket.

Ender. It really was a charming name.

 

[Darth Invictus]

About half an hour later, he arrived back at Bri's apartment. Ender landed on the balcony like last time and entered through the sliding glass door once more. Everything was shut off and the only light that penetrated was from the moon as it gave the room an ambient grey glow. It allowed him to see enough and he threw his bag on the couch as it landed with a solid thud. It was equipment from the mission as he was dressed in a simple shirt and pants to appear more civilian than anything.

What transpired replayed over in his head again and again. How the knife plunged into the senator's chest, how the blaster bolt charred a hole through the girl's head and Bri's intake of breath. There was no emotional connection for him and it allowed him clarity. With the Senator's death, his wealth and whatever other assets he had would fall to her. She would be in a prime position within Naboo and Ender was taking a keen interest in his home once more. The thought of Jedi trampling their boots through Nabooian streets enraged him and stoked a fire he previously didn't know was there.

Ender had been about to activate the signal on his comm piece to notify Bri that he had returned but instead, he strode around her apartment and drank in everything as he attempted to learn more about her. She would eventually come back and there wasn't a sliver of doubt in his head. The space was kept together neatly but there weren't pictures as Ender ran his hand along with the counters gingerly and didn't collect any dust or run across anything to interrupt him. It was lavish but it was barren of personal touch.

As he continued through the room, he eventually found one picture in a frame and considered almost hidden. Ender walked over towards it and picked it up, his fingers gliding across the cold metal as he examined it. The picture was of an older woman, one that remarkably appeared like Bri with a similar striking appearance. He could only assume who it was and with what transpired tonight, he wondered how her fate turned out.