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OOC: The events of this thread are occuring simultaneous to the events that occur in 'By the Sword'. If you are present in that thread, sorry, but you can't participate in this with the same character. Aside from that, the thread is open.
'What is it, Corran? My naptime isn't finished yet...' the man grunted grumpily.
'Shut up, Will...and look,' the man, Corran, snapped at his partner.
'Oh, she's a looker alright...you manage to tune into the late-night holo programming again, did you? I thought they blocked the signal...'
'No, you idiot. She's here. Now. And look at her. She's walking almost casually, but she's not tripping a single security beam. It's like she can see them with her naked eye,' Corran was in awe. Whoever this woman was, she was good.
Too good, he thought to himself.
* * *
She took care with all of her steps. Every one of them had to look natural, but she couldn't touch a trip signal. If she did, the heist would be much harder.
Good thing the Museum uses basic Republic security equipment, she thought, trip lasers on a grid installation. Every third square has a cross beam several millimetres below the standard grid. Almost too easy.
She rounded a corner and smiled. In the middle of the main hall, of course...those arrogant curators, didn't even put it in the more secure rooms or anything.
She squinted slightly as the sudden light hurt her eyes. The chamber in itself was fairly impressive - three levels of balconies, including the ground exhibition floor, with a myriad of staircases joining the levels. Above the open chamber - tackily decorated in white marble, gold and rich timber, and rich red carpets - a great transparisteel roof enclosed the entire chamber. Usually the chamber was lit in white lights, perfectly placed to make the gold and marble positively shine. However a special exhibition came ith its own light.
The famed Ring of the Stars sat within an enclosed transparisteel case in the center of the hall. The ring itself was of little importance, merely a circle of silver used to hold something far more valuable. The Starfire Jewel from which the ring took its name sat within, glowing vibrantly. Any light that touched the ring, no matter how insignificant, was trapped within and bent in such a unique way that the jewel itself seemed to glow, as if a star had been plucked from the skies and set within the stone. To all knowledge the Republic possessed, the jewel was unique, and therefore infinately valuable.
The jewel was also infinately valuable to the numerous crime lords and rulers of those systems not in the Republic's jurisdiction. The difference was, these crime lords would pay that value to get their hands on it. The Republic didn' deserve to hold onto such an artefact if they weren't even willing to protect it in a deserving manner.
Stepping over another cross-beam covered grid, the woman smiled as her long, slender fingers stroked the transparisteel case. As soon as the ring was moved, the alarms would go off and she would have to make a swift escape. The route was already planned.
'Freeze!'
The smile vanished from the woman's masked face as she turned around. Two men - security guards, from their poor physique, pungeant odour and obvious lack of discipline - stood at the far end of the room, stun blasters raised at the ready.
'I said freeze!' One of them shouted, the same one who yelled the first time. His voice cracked slightly as he yelled the second time. The woman laughed, a rich, near maniacal tone. Whether it was intended to or not, it certainly unnerved the security guards.
'Don't fool yourself, boy,' she purred, 'The Republic pays well, but not that well. You either leave with your tail between your legs or in a bodybag.' She looked to her right hand, which suddenly crackled with some sort of energy. The light that hit her hand suddenly distorted, almost inverting, turning her dark glove white, her pale skin dark. 'Your call,' she smirked.
Not ten seconds later, she once more was alone. She was quite sure the one who hadn't spoken had soiled himself - the odour had filled the room just as the pair of them fled. She returned to her task, muttering strange words under her voice as she placed a nail on the transparisteel. With a burst of anti-light, a small circle in the transparisteel fell out into her palm. With her other hand, she held it up to the hole and whipsered, barely audible, a command to the ring, 'Come.'
And so it did. Alarms suddenly cried out as the ring moved from its resting place, security and blast doors slamming shut all around her. Without her pulse even quickening, the woman placed a pair of pazaak cards in the case - a +7 and a -2 - before placing the transparisteel circle back in its original resting place. Looking around casually, she noted all exits from the room were now sealed shut - save one.
She looked up, brnging up a palm of one of her hands with her gaze. Two of her fingers made a strange cross-over gesture as she muttered the word, 'Bang.'
The transparisteel roof suddenly burst out, as if an explosion had gone off within. Smiling with satisfaction, the woman leapt up to the first balcony, then the second, and finally the third. Measuring the distance and making a practice go at her run up, she finally swallowed her fear, ran up to the balcony edge...and jumped.
In the dead of the night, all sorts of creatures and filth issue forth from the bowels of Coruscant. From the dark depths of the planet, these rogues rise under the moonlight to terrorize those sections of the planet with anything of real worth. Few, however, have the skills or ambition to cause any serious damage. On occasion, those with real skill will appear.
It is these rare cases that make working the midnight shift at the Coruscant Museum of Galactic Antiquities and Curiousities actually interesting. It is these vagabonds that forces the Republic to pay security at the Museum so well. Incidentally, security is rarely, if ever, harmed during a burglary. Coincidence? Perhaps. Is the Republic powerless to stop it? Pretty much. Such is the selfishness of men.
The beep of the chronometer to mark the strike of midnight woke up the security guard with a start. Nearly falling out of his chair in the security room, he quickly made sure to look around and make sure his fellow guard hadn't seen him flailing around like a fish out of water.
Sighing with relief, he settled back in, taking a sip of his lukewarm coffee and lazily glossing over the monitors as he prepared himself for another 'short nap.' Such was not the case tonight. Just as he went to close his eyes, a slight blur beyond the screen of his eyelashes caught his drowzy senses. Rubbing at his eyes, he leant forward. He nearly couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Walking nonchalantly across the museum floor was a...woman. She looked about average height, and the sleepy guard noted with some satisfaction that she was indeed in very good shape...until he realized the museum had been locked up for hours. Taking one last glance at the monitor to catch another glimpse of that body, cocooned so tightly in a black material...and then he had to look again. Astounded, the guard nudged his friend awake, who grunted as he leant forward.
'What is it, Corran? My naptime isn't finished yet...' the man grunted grumpily.
'Shut up, Will...and look,' the man, Corran, snapped at his partner.
'Oh, she's a looker alright...you manage to tune into the late-night holo programming again, did you? I thought they blocked the signal...'
'No, you idiot. She's here. Now. And look at her. She's walking almost casually, but she's not tripping a single security beam. It's like she can see them with her naked eye,' Corran was in awe. Whoever this woman was, she was good.
Too good, he thought to himself.
* * *
She took care with all of her steps. Every one of them had to look natural, but she couldn't touch a trip signal. If she did, the heist would be much harder.
Good thing the Museum uses basic Republic security equipment, she thought, trip lasers on a grid installation. Every third square has a cross beam several millimetres below the standard grid. Almost too easy.
She rounded a corner and smiled. In the middle of the main hall, of course...those arrogant curators, didn't even put it in the more secure rooms or anything.
She squinted slightly as the sudden light hurt her eyes. The chamber in itself was fairly impressive - three levels of balconies, including the ground exhibition floor, with a myriad of staircases joining the levels. Above the open chamber - tackily decorated in white marble, gold and rich timber, and rich red carpets - a great transparisteel roof enclosed the entire chamber. Usually the chamber was lit in white lights, perfectly placed to make the gold and marble positively shine. However a special exhibition came ith its own light.
The famed Ring of the Stars sat within an enclosed transparisteel case in the center of the hall. The ring itself was of little importance, merely a circle of silver used to hold something far more valuable. The Starfire Jewel from which the ring took its name sat within, glowing vibrantly. Any light that touched the ring, no matter how insignificant, was trapped within and bent in such a unique way that the jewel itself seemed to glow, as if a star had been plucked from the skies and set within the stone. To all knowledge the Republic possessed, the jewel was unique, and therefore infinately valuable.
The jewel was also infinately valuable to the numerous crime lords and rulers of those systems not in the Republic's jurisdiction. The difference was, these crime lords would pay that value to get their hands on it. The Republic didn' deserve to hold onto such an artefact if they weren't even willing to protect it in a deserving manner.
Stepping over another cross-beam covered grid, the woman smiled as her long, slender fingers stroked the transparisteel case. As soon as the ring was moved, the alarms would go off and she would have to make a swift escape. The route was already planned.
'Freeze!'
The smile vanished from the woman's masked face as she turned around. Two men - security guards, from their poor physique, pungeant odour and obvious lack of discipline - stood at the far end of the room, stun blasters raised at the ready.
'I said freeze!' One of them shouted, the same one who yelled the first time. His voice cracked slightly as he yelled the second time. The woman laughed, a rich, near maniacal tone. Whether it was intended to or not, it certainly unnerved the security guards.
'Don't fool yourself, boy,' she purred, 'The Republic pays well, but not that well. You either leave with your tail between your legs or in a bodybag.' She looked to her right hand, which suddenly crackled with some sort of energy. The light that hit her hand suddenly distorted, almost inverting, turning her dark glove white, her pale skin dark. 'Your call,' she smirked.
Not ten seconds later, she once more was alone. She was quite sure the one who hadn't spoken had soiled himself - the odour had filled the room just as the pair of them fled. She returned to her task, muttering strange words under her voice as she placed a nail on the transparisteel. With a burst of anti-light, a small circle in the transparisteel fell out into her palm. With her other hand, she held it up to the hole and whipsered, barely audible, a command to the ring, 'Come.'
And so it did. Alarms suddenly cried out as the ring moved from its resting place, security and blast doors slamming shut all around her. Without her pulse even quickening, the woman placed a pair of pazaak cards in the case - a +7 and a -2 - before placing the transparisteel circle back in its original resting place. Looking around casually, she noted all exits from the room were now sealed shut - save one.
She looked up, brnging up a palm of one of her hands with her gaze. Two of her fingers made a strange cross-over gesture as she muttered the word, 'Bang.'
The transparisteel roof suddenly burst out, as if an explosion had gone off within. Smiling with satisfaction, the woman leapt up to the first balcony, then the second, and finally the third. Measuring the distance and making a practice go at her run up, she finally swallowed her fear, ran up to the balcony edge...and jumped.
