Ask Coruscant Take A Little Edge Off

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron was used to attracting attention with his armor and figure. But that did not mean he would not notice when someone stared. There were many different things people thought when it came to him or someone like him so he had no way of knowing what the freelancer was thinking. So far he was not feeling judged which he appreciated and allowed Sapphire to stare or glance freely without any hint that Black Hand was aware.

Spoiler: Music change

Song

The bounty hunter was glad he was not a buzz kill. He waited for her to answer about the music before nodding. The gloved fingers tapped and before long a new track was playing gently in the airspeeder. He took a breath through his helmet and enjoyed the night ride as the world passed.

"Fast, hard...precise." He hesitated on the last word. The first two were prioritized but certain tools like high explosives and area of effect attacks like flame projectors had their place for that reason. Hauron also knew that he needed to make a considerate effort to use the stealth tactics his father had instilled in him. The mandalorian had years of experience but they were often far from covert, at least they did not remain covert for long.

If loud weapons were off the table it was going to limit his options. But Hauron knew that coming into this. He had his grapple launcher, a stun baton and a fusion cutter. That and his wits which were a weapon in their own right. However the alternate meaning Maeve meant was lost on Hauron.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

The night sky above was dark, yet the light pollution was mostly preventing them from seeing any stars. Even if her mind was focused on driving, her gaze flicked over once again as she waited on his reply. As it came, she took a mental note - it was important to know he wasn't for subtleties after er all.

"Alright, fair". He was a Mandalorian after all. He was fascinated by the grenade launcher and so it simply wasn't surprising. "I'm pretty good at being more subtle while being precise. So in case we need that, you can count on me", she told him then, fixing the road once more.

"It seems like we're approaching", she said after a moment as her datapad didn't just indicate they were closento the coordinates, but between rows of large houses she caught a glimpse of the museum. "Should I park around here?", she asked him, knowing she didn't want to risk getting to close with this large vehicles.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

The music played throughout the interior of the armored airspeeder as they drew closer to their destination. The sunset was replaced by an unnatural skyline. Despite the world's relative uninhabited state the lights produced enough illumination for them to still see by well enough.

The mandalorian nodded at hearing Sapphire's skillset. He knew as much already since that was why he had hired her. But it was good to hear her reaffirm his expectations. "Perfect." He took a deep breath and relaxed into his seat for the remainder of the trip.

When it came time for them to land he flipped through his vision modes to get a good look at the landing zone. No heat signatures popped up and he did not see any movement what-so-ever. After the airspeeder's engines wound down the area was uncomfortably quiet. But no danger presented itself. "Nice flying." He complimented as he hopped out of the vehicle first.

Looking towards his companion he waved her to follow as he took point and began to head towards the museum on foot. His rifle was held firmly but not aiming at anything yet. When they drew closer he slung the weapon over his shoulder and pulled out a pair of macrobinoculars, training them on the area outside of the museum. There were two 40 series attendant droids that Hauron almost mistook for trash bins but their treaded locomotion and occasional fidgeting gave them away.

He scanned the rest of the area but only caught sight of a single third 40 series attendant droid on patrol inside the building. It moved slowly on the other side of a large glass wall before disappearing from view. Whispering, he relayed this information to his partner in crime before adding "There might be more droids on standby but it looks like a pretty light defense." His visor turned to see what his lithe companion thought of the place. "Do you see any signs of ingress?" She was the expert and had the best eyes for finding or thinking of ways to get in. Meanwhile the mandalorian knew which walls could be blown up without causing the building to collapse but kept that information to himself.

Spoiler: Dice

Rolled for chance of dangerous encounter
Result: success 50/100

Exterior museum defenses
Result: rousing success 84/100

 

[Maeve]

"Thank you kindly", she threw him a smirk that was followed by a quick, playful wink. Yeah Maeve, nice flying. Given that she was usually decent but no top tier pilot, she was relatively happy with how well their flight went and she was glad about the uneventful nature of their travels. At least this mission would start without any early drama or complications.

After she pulled the vehicle to a halt, they started to get going. She packed lightly enough for her to move around unnoticed and quietly, yet there were several little grenades, darts and knives in her pockets while she had her Vibro-Daggers and a blaster at her hip. She followed him on light feet, yet her muscles began tensing up.

She attentively scanned their environment and what they already saw from he museum, carefully analyzing details that might help them later. Security droids were not the best news, but it was better than animate guards she figured. "We still don't want to alert them at all", it was obvious, yet she was just thinking out loud.

Her gaze shifted down the walls and onto the ground where she looked for ventilation shafts and windows both. There was indeed some kind of a glass window that apperently led to a lower level, and she figured it was their best chance. "See that tiny window down there? We'll manage to squeeze through if we can open it silently".

She assumed it wasn't secured like crazy, and perhaps it wasn't connected to a safety network, so it was worth a try, but she was still curious for his thoughts. She wasn't too keen on running into these droids and disabling them as it was cause quite a stir and bombing their way in would probably just trigger a full lock down...

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

The black helmet of the mandalorian nodded at the advice from Sapphire. He did not want to raise the alarm. Ideally they would complete this operation flawlessly. Nobody would know anything was stolen until Coruscant was reclaimed from the abominations. But by then the two thieves would be long gone.

When his partner pointed out the tiny window he focused on it. "I'll need to remove my jetpack but it's doable." He secured his rifle on his back so he would be able to run faster and have his hands free. The Solus did not want to have a knee-jerk reaction and fire his loud weapon.

"Do you want to take point?" It was a rare question for Hauron to ask someone, especially a non-mandalorian. Normally he was always first into the room, weapons in hand. But considering their situation the rogueish woman was potentially better taking the lead. The mikkian would not have offered the chance to the human if he did not feel she could handle it. Solus was the mando'a word for "one" and "first" afterall and Hauron had learned to lead from the front. The mandalorian would not ask anyone under his command to do something he was not willing to do himself. But he would understand if Sapphire had her reservations. Hauron was more armed and armored so if there was danger it might be best for him to meet it first.

Regardless of who was in front, the badger was happy to go with the freelancer's plan of entry. Thanks to his dark paint job and skill at stealth he slunk from shadow to shadow as quietly as possible. The treaded locomotion of the security droids forced them to be fairly slow and noticable when approaching. For now the pair of looters went undetected as they approached the window. Hauron took out his fusion cutter and began getting to work on opening the window. Once it was open he would begin to take off the jetpack on his back as planned.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Maeve was happy that the Buckethead casually agreed with her and she glanced around carefully before she sneaked closer to the window. Even if it lead into the basement, a storage room potentially, she wasn't going to let her guard down, knowing that if they had valuable exhibitions like that, they wouldn't leave them unprotected.

She was half surprised that there was no one or nothing patrolling down here, but she didn't question in as long as it was in their favor. "Sure...let's go", she gave him a nod, not minding taking charge as she knew she was an expert at moving silently and unnoticed.

He let him cut the window open and held the glass in order to set it down carefully and not drop into the basement. She listened for any sounds and scanned for movements. She was convinced him spotting heat signatures would come in handy, but for now there was literally nothing, as far as she could tell.

"Follow me in 20 seconds if I don't screech or...whatever", she threw him a quick smirk before, after carefully scanning the ground, she hopped in. She landed quietly, and no alarm was triggered, but she remained vigilant. She stepped inside a little further, but still nothing but old boxes and quite a collection of dust, so she waited for him to follow before she'd carry on, attempting to locate the nearest staircase.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Finishing with his jurry-rigged entrance, the mandalorian nodded silently in response to the professional thief's direction. The warrior's jetpack was set down beside the opening so that when he eventually came through he would be able to carry it in after him. He waited as patiently as he could. The Mikkian's head tendrils twitched and wriggled underneath the confines of his protective helmet. They listened for the sounds of treads or other dangers but none came before it came time for him to follow his partner.

Entering the museum's lower level he did his best to remain silent while affixing his jetpack to his armor again. He scanned the surroundings and saw the freelancer waiting quietly in the dark but there were no dangers visible. There were plenty of things to bump into and even the non-display section of the building seemed to hold some interesting objects. Many were covered in sheets to keep dust off of them or had otherwise kept in cases that had a layer of dust on them. This area of the building did not seem to get much traffic.

Hauron walked around, looking at one item that caught his eye. What looked like a large crate emblazoned with a mythosaur sat off to one side. It was made of an ornate but functional material, one the mandalorian recognized, beskar. It was a mandalorian armorer's toolchest and while the outside was made of the valuable and indestructible material of beskar, the inside held the equipment needed to craft armor. Such a find was even rarer than the beskar itself.

The Solus reached out and touched the capsule which produced a hidden keypad on its surface. He had seen armorers activate their chests and they each had a code to keep it locked from outsiders. The warrior tapped a series of commands on a keypad. Amazingly, on the first try he managed to guess the correct passcode. The seal hissed open and revealed the array of tools within. It seemed the curator had not meddled with its contents. Perhaps he had not been able to even get inside. But now it would be amazingly useful for Rancor Squadron.

The mandalorian resealed the chest since it was far too large for him to pick up and bring with him. But not before taking a single battlehammer from its interior. He would need to come back or find an alternate way of looting the valuable. He lingered on the closed toolchest and whispered a question to Sapphire as he shifted his attention back to the task at hand. "Where next? If we can find the security center or the droid controls we'll have free reign over the building right?" If they shut down all the droids then the two of them could practically come and go as they pleased. A hoversled could be drawn up to the building and the airspeeder would be loaded up much more easily. The two could come away with much more than they would if they had to carry what they wanted to keep.

@LadyRen

Spoiler: Dice

secret storage goodies
91/100 rousing success

 

[Maeve]

Once inside, Maeve made sure the coast was clear before her Mandalorian partner entered. There were no guards around, neither animate nor droids and the shelves were filled with old exhibits. Her eyes widened as her gaze drifted over a handful of expensive looking gems she immediately slipped into her pockets before the Buckethelm joined her.

It seemed like they had already found a huge jackpot in here...whether no one expected looters to target the basement or whether after the destruction of Coruscant no one assumed that looters would dare to set foot into monster territory, she couldn't tell, but she was more than pleased with what they had already found right here.

While the Mandalorian gathered some objects of desire for himself, Maeve's gaze drifted onto rather ancient, metallic vambraces that struck her as something far more special thanks to the inscription on the plate in front of it. Phrik...very nice. She immediately slipped them on and given that the original wearer seemed to have rather slim arms as well, they fit almost perfectly.

"Found anything you liked?", she asked with a smirk, her voice still lowered and rather hushed before she looked around. Her gaze settled on the staircase, before it flicked back to him. "There surely is a security center...I guess on the ground floor. It might not be easy to get there, but I guess we can try". It was a good idea, yet this meant they had quite some work ahead of them if they wanted to avoid raising any attention.

If they made it, they'd have full reigns in here, and as this meant they could come back, she liked the idea. "You're the one calling the shots", she reminded him, throwing him a grin before she reached for a fine necklace she found on the shelf she passed. For her part, she was already quite satisfied, but she knew he was looking for the Wookie artifacts still and she...well, he had hired her after all.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Black Hand hefted the beskar hammer in response to Sapphire's question. "Yup. I'll be able to forge with what I found." Of course he would actually need to get a few lessons first. It had been a long time since Mysha had taught him anything. His eyes already settled on the phrik vambraces she wore. "What about you? Those look nice." He jutted his chin in her the direction of her armored arms.

The Solus was glad to hear the thief's reassurance. What she said made sense and the danger was not lost on him. "Let's do it." This felt like just the tip of the iceberg. He was nothing if not bold and had come for far more than what they had found. Hauron was not satisfied with just the pleasant surprise findings. Plus he needed a way to get the chest out of there. Judging based off of how quickly and deftly Sapphire lifted things from the shelves she had a desire yet to be fulfilled.

The mandalorian moved ahead and looked for signs of the security droids. One trundled on the next floor above them but they had time to move through the darkened halls. Sure enough there was a door labeled "security" in aurbesh. Hauron pulled out a spare security spike he had saved for this point. The man's port scanner was still damaged but the spike would do the work on its own and soon give the two access inside.

The door hissed open and the two were met with the image of a protocl droid standing at the viewscreens with their back turned. The audible sound of the door opening made their head turn and look towards those that entered.

Hauron held the hammer in both hands and then proceeded to hurl the heavy weapon at the head of the droid. The weapon arced across the room much like an axe-throw only it pulverized the head of the old machine. Sparks flew after the clank echoed in the room but most of the noise would hopefully be kept inside. The protocol droid fell over and was out of commission.

Moving over the security terminals there were screens showing all the angles of surveillence on the building. There were alerts on door statuses, locations of elevators, power levels of the security droids and more. The mandalorian would reopen the door if Sapphire had been caught on the other side. The two had free reign over the meuseum. The Solus did not delay and began disabling the security measures so the two would not trigger any alarms.

"Want to see what's in that vault?" The mikkian already knew the answer. The museum was theirs to do with as they pleased. The airspeeder they brought could be loaded up at and filled to the brim.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Forge? Well, it seemed like he was deeply involved with the business and as long as he was happy too, she wouldn't complain. She wondered how much she'd get for that hammer on the black market, but that wasn't on the table anyway. "Oh I'm happy for sure", she replied with a grin, her pockets stuffed with expensive gems and ancient jewelry that would most certainly get her a decent sum and the vambraces were a nice, practical add-on.

She nodded and immediately followed behind, leaving him and his fancy armor functions scout. While she was certainly more capable at moving silently, he had his fancy tech and so she relied on her companion until they slipped into the security home perfectly unnoticed.

Once inside, the door hissed open behind them just before Black Hand to try out his new found toy. She grimaced at the sound, however threw him a playful smirk as soon as she gained certainty about how this room was sound proof enough after all. "So that hammer definitely works", she teased as she moved over to connect her data spike, running a double check on the system and disabling the full lock down function of the building just in case anything went south - she had no intentions of getting locked in in this museum.

"Absolutely", she answered with a mischievous glint in her eyes before they began overwriting the security codes for the vault with her spike. "There's our clearance. I'm sure the super spicy stuff is in there". There was no doubt about it...but it was good to know they were making progress so fast. Surely, the destruction of Coruscant had come with certain perks.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

"Heh, I'll say." Hauron concured as he reclaimed the thrown battlehammer. It was perfectly fine, undamaged by anything short of a turbolaser barrage. Hefting it, the rally master slid the handle into a belt loop for safekeeping. In the forge and in battle, the Solus foresaw the tool getting a lot of use.

With the security center under their control the two thieves went about securing the rest of the building. After a few moments all of the security droids returned to their charging ports. Everything was disabled and now the entire museum was free for them to take from.

The curator's safe was more like a vault and was the next place they were going to visit. Along the way Hauron stopped in the showroom just beyond it. A few of the cases in the open floor plan contained more precious valuables than either of them could carry in one go. But for now he would stop by the case containing the throwing knives he had come for. Hauron did not see an easy way to remove the case and simply smashed the side with his newfound hammer against it. The remaining number of Werda Kar sat amongst shattered glass for the warrior to pick up and secure. At last they are returned. His shoulders rose as he took in a deep breath and let it out before turning away from the now empty and broken case.

The wookiee artifacts in their cases would eventually be taken. But the vault beckoned the pair of looters. With the access codes the massive heavy doors would slowly open. Inside were lock boxes, old crates, ostentatious furniture and more. Stacks of credits, peggats and other galactic currency were openly placed on a mahogany card table. There was probably more in some of the smaller lock boxes. There were even keys to airspeeders and even a few starships had been kept safe in the vault though where they were and their own state was unknown. Hauron whistled and nodded happily at the view before him. This was a trip for the memory books.

The black and red armored warrior looked towards his lithe companion. She had already begun packing her pockets and pouches with as many valuables as possible to the point she was clinking slightly when not trying to be especially quiet. But aside from the pure wealth of their takings he wondered if there was a personal flavor she liked. Picking up a crown adorned with blue gems that caught his eye, he then offered it to her. "Ever worn a crown, Sapphire?" There were more clothes and accessories, some of which Hauron wanted to try on. In that moment he felt like a kid again who had discovered his parent's lifeday presents for him or the ship's secret sweet snack stash. The badger could not help but want to goof off a little.

@LadyRen

Spoiler: Dice

Rolled for level of spicy stuff in safe, good or bad
82/100 rousing success

 

[Maeve]

They were soon able to press on with the museum basically being out of order and thus without any defenses. While Maeve still hated the Core, this was perhaps one of her best visits yet as she now knew that the destruction of Coruscant had certain perks after all.

They rushed over to the vault and were soon able to marvel at its contents. Even if Maeve didn't know a lot about Wookie artifacts, she could tell that they stumbled upon quite a few soon enough and so it seemed like that the Mandalorian was also even happier than before - not only had they found and acquired what they were looking for, but it seemed like coming back and loading up their borrowed vehicle would definitely happen after all.

"Oooo", now this was most certainly much spicier than the basement, and while her pockets were full and clinking already, she took a few mental notes every here and there, memorizing things she'd potentially come back later for. "I think you'll make quite a few Wookies very happy", she turned to him with a smirk, before she walked over to him, regarding the crown with widened, excited eyes.

"That...is absolutely gorgeous...and nope, but maybe it's about time", she reached for the crown and immediately placed it on her head before she pulled out her phone for an inside camera mirror. "I could get used to that...", she playfully remarked, a wide smirk on her lips before she nodded towards some kind of an old gown - apperently, it belonged to an ancient noble from Serenno.

"You should totally slip into that...", the intrusive thoughts won already as she was in the mood for some shenanigans now that they were in the room full of ancient trinkets and items. She could help him get the artifacts he needed out later.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron's smile remained as the positivity continued between the two looters. The happiness from the Wookiees would be a bonus. The secretive mandalorian was not going to return them for renown or to be owed a favor later. It just simply seemed like the right thing to do. Perhaps he would anonymously return it with a simple note.

Seeing Sapphire wear the blue crown made him chuckle. "It suites you, Queen." If his helmet was off he would have winked. "I've gotta say though, turquoise is more your color. Something like that would go with your eyes." Before he could find any other jewlry he spotted the gown his partner pointed towards.

"Really?" The young mikkian was grinning from ear to ear with a mischievous and daring expression. He was not the type to back down from something just because it was rediculous. Then again, Sapphire probably had never met a Solus before.

Hauron walked towards the gown and held it up without hesitation. The Solus gave it a once over, nodding as if he were Giim Tunn from Project Fine-Way. He was not sure it was going to work out exactly how his companion expected but he would put it on all the same. One foot after the other he stepped into the gown and pulled it up over his armor and other worn accessories. The rally master was able to get the ostentatious outfit over his broad shoulders however a tearing noise akin to the sound of ripped threads indicated he had pulled it too far with his frame. Any further and it would probably tear off of him. "Uh...oops." Hopefully it was still worth something.

@LadyRen

Spoiler: Dice

Rolled to fit into gown
barely a success 29/100

 

[Maeve]

While Maeve's mind remained vigilant at all time, she was still genuinely amused by how they had turned from hijacking a transport, scouting, infiltrating, trespassing and looting to a full blown, somewhat goofy fashion show.

Missions weren't always as fun - she often found herself in dicey or even utterly bizarre situations, but this kind of relief was genuinely soothing. "I like the sounds of that", she wasn't entirely sure whether he was joking or flirting, or both, but she threw him a smirk before she added, "how perceptive...". While her eyes were surely striking, it took some time to identify their real color, so it seemed like the Mando behind the visor was indeed a little charmer.

While Maeve browsed through some other items, the Buckethead was indeed accepting her idea, perhaps as a challenge even as he instantly began squeezing himself into the fancy gown that had piqued her interest. She watched in amusement before he almost made it - just to hear the fabric tear.

She immediately broke into laughter as the broad shouldered Mandalorian was half covered by the gown. "I dare you to keep this on when we exit", she suggested playfully before she approached him and attempted to widen the rest of the fabric a little further with some slower stretches. "It suits you", she quipped, before she slipped a golden bracelet around her wrist. For Maeve, this all had been a huge success, so there was nothing wrong with some additional bonuses and fun.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

The woman's eye color was not the only thing Hauron had noticed. She knew how gorgeous she looked and carried herself in a way that only made her more attractive. Maybe in another scenario Black Hand would have tried to be more direct and even ask Sapphire out. But the mandalorian did not want to spoil the good vibes they were sharing. It was too hard to find decent help these days and even harder to find friends.

After tearing the gown slightly it remained on the Solus's armored frame though he could not help but continue to smile at the scenario. The freelancer's laughter was infectious and caused him to chuckle in turn. Her dare also caused him to let out a hardy laugh. "Thanks. I always dress to impress." It was a bad pun but he said it anyways.

His helmet tilted to watch her hands as she got close. But she only stretched the gown a bit more to give him some freedom of movement. He finally answered her dare verbally and keeping the same upbeat tone as before. "Alright. If I wear this, you gotta wear something for me later." He left a pause in the air to judge her reaction but continued even if she declined. He would still wear the gown anyways. The Solus saw no reason he could not finish this job with it on. Worst case scenario he tore it off and made a donation to Serennian Cultural Preservation Society.

The two would have a lot of goods to load into the armored airspeeder. The museum would be cleaned out and Hauron would even take copies of relevant the digital data. Thankfully there were loading sleds and palates to help move the heavy stuff and expedite the loading process. They still had that bottle of bubbly they had discovered onboard earlier. Considering their haul it was worth opening and celebrating a bit.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

While the armored frame in the gown was a hilarious sight to behold, she was almost a little caught off guard by the answer he suddenly gave. Whether the clear double entendré was intentional or just an innocent statement in reply, a counter dare even, remained to be seen, as the absence of a smirk or an obvious sarcastic undertone made it hard to decipher.

His helmet - while efficient in the field - now left her somewhat intrigued, and regardless of the actual intention behind the response, she threw him a mischievous glance. "Sure. You know, certain things may cost extra though". With a playful wiggle of her brows, she brushed past him where she picked up a iridescent, expensive vase and soon they started loading their vehicle.

A while later, they had the airspeeder full and after they climbed back in, she offered, "should I drive again?". They'd be on their way a moment later and with their great results, she was in a great mood still. Gesturing for their loot, she cheerfully added, "this all calls for a celebration I guess...".

A wide grin was on her lips as she briefly faced him, searching for the gaze behind the visor. This Core experience hadn't even been bad at all so far and she was hoping it would end just as well.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

He watched with a smile as she tried to gather what intent he had behind the counter request. Sapphire's uncertainty made him feel like he was teasing her a little in the moment. He could not help but laugh at her witty response. "Hahaha don't worry. I'll make it worth your while." He answered confidently and in a way to perpetuate the entendre. The badger did not have the luxury of showing eyebrows to wiggle and gave a chuckle instead.

Subtle signs from Sapphire's body language told Black Hand she was flirting with him. Hauron had an idea for the invitation he wanted to extend but focused on the job for now, pushing aside distracting thoughts for later. There would be more time for playful chatter once this was done. He went to grab some artful tapestries that would serve as an expensive packing material for the more delicate items.

The airspeeder was packed to the brim with loot. There was even still some back at the museum that they could come back for later if they wanted to. Heck, they could probably fly one of their ships closer and just directly load the rest. But the armored airspeeder itself held at least two fortunes worth of priceless goods.

"Please do." He nodded and looked over his shoulder at their haul. His smile remained as he turned to look at the woman piloting the vehicle beside him, pleased at what they had accomplished. "Agreed. I'll look for that bottle. By the way...good work. We make a good team." Soon enough they would be making toasts to their success.

End Thread​

@LadyRen