Ask Nar Shaddaa That which plagues the mind.

[Edwast Broelm]

Edwast had been spending days at a time in his room, pacing and considering his options. While he did his best not to bother himself with the burdens of others he didn't have a choice anymore. This was an opportune moment after all, a chance to get live subjects, something that had been eluding him since he joined the Eternal. Several pristine subjects lie in wait, all he would have to do is take them from under his nose.
​

Edwast had spent several years establishing his identity as Ricard Delone, with the help of the Eternal he was able to receive proper schooling and certification under that name. He spent most of his teenage years seeking knowledge about the world around him, answering the questions that have so long eluded him. He was now working at a small research lab on Coruscant as Ricard, a good friend to most everyone he came across. His team was studying the effects of constant space travel and the interactions that has on the body. His team specialized in Environment suits used in such tasks, but that's not what was important to him. What was important is that it provided a stable income and access to his own personal laboratory, along with some minor connections to the scientific community. One of his contacts had came to him about a job on Nar Shadaa, and mentioned it was rather urgent. A bit of smog had built up in the residential area of one of the "poor" sections of the city, slowly poisoning the people that lived there. They were calling on Biologists from around the galaxy to help find a method to protect the civilians from the smog and for doctors to aid in the treatment of it's victims. And this situation could not be more perfect for him.

Long had he been seeking to test some of his more experimental applications of the force on the mind. He knew one was able to temporarily trick the mind into thinking a simple command or thought, something like "These aren't the wookies you're looking for" or some such. But this was his chance to prove that you could go beyond that, you could perfect it and permanently alter someone's memories, even if it was just a minor detail. He had drafted out how he would test his method, but his notes on the subject had been collecting dust. He didn't have anyone to experiment on as he most certainly couldn't do it to another member of the Eternal without poisoning or knocking them out, and he didn't want to expend such effort with risk of getting ousted. He grinned to his contact, a young woman who had formely been an assistant of his.

"Give me a few days to prepare, and I'll gladly accept, though I might be bringing some help if that's alright."
​

Which leads us to now, he had begun pacing at the thought of having to offer his aid in return for someone else's, something he absolutely hated. He viewed the need for other's help as a weakness, especially when you only had a favor to offer in return. But he was past that now, he needed those subjects. He decided to meet a few of his potential helpers so that he knew they were capable of keeping up a charade for long periods of time. Once he concluded the meeting he knew who he wanted to involve in this mission. He made the call and asked them to do two simple tasks, or so he thought they were simple. Provide a fake name and a picture with which he can use to make their ID tags. He would naturally go under the name "Ricard Delone" An empty name to him but a name that held meaning to others. He gave them the meeting location on Nar Shadaa, a housing area near the clinic where they could go over the details of the mission and everyone's roles. He also told them to arrive at the location with their uniforms on along with the badges he printed. And he grabbed his light saber, not that he saw any use for it but wanted to keep it handy for whatever emergencies occur during this task.

Once he was set he entered a transport ship sent to pick up the involved scientist and prepared for the task ahead. Immediately he was greeted by his former assistant, who beamed at him from across the cruiser. She was a young Twi'lek who stood a few feet under him in height, she was also a brilliant Engineer. She had been working under him when his team was designing an Environmental suit that could be used in combat situations a few years ago, though they never got past the testing phase before funding was cut. The unfortunate curse of working at an under funded lab.

"Looks like you'll be working for me now doesn't is Mr. Delone?" She said, making her way over to where he went to sit as he breathed with a sigh. "I'll try to go easy on you when I start whipping you around like an old Ton ton."

Uppity little runt isn't she? He swallowed his anger and disgust, no easy task for him that nearly caused him to lose concentration on hiding his presence from any potential force users.

"Well, I wouldn't stand to work under anyone else in the project than the most brilliant." He said to her, with a warm smile as he spoke. While he was angered at her high and mighty attitude, he had cared for her some time ago as a pupil. He was pleased to see her grow so much after her departure from the labs. "And it's Doctor Delone, don't forget you were still just an assistant a few years ago." He laughed as he spoke, he wouldn't soon forget this slight but right now he needed to relax and focus on the mission. During the ride there all he could think about was planning ahead, doing the calculations in his head as the transport ship took off. It was going to go perfect, no matter what he had to do.

It wasn't long before they reached the outer rim and then shortly after Nar Shadaa, he waved off the scientists as they called for him. "I have to go arrange housing, I forgot to do it on the way." He then made his way to the rendezvous location and waited outside the housing area. He was the first to arrive, naturally, as he had told them to come an hour later than he planned to arrive. They may be on a mission but he still wished to observe them.

@Bran @Strabo @Swain Mephisto ​

 

[Magos Otahn]

Magos had been on several city worlds before, but never Nar Shadaa. A his TIE glided out of Hyperspace into the edge of the Y'Toub System, he set course for Nal Hutta. The world was as swamp planet, and as an amphibian he should have loved to go there, but even from orbit, it looked polluted and toxic. As much septic as swamp, he was glad it was not his destination. Hanging above it in a slow orbit was his true destination, Nar Shaddaa, The Smugglers Moon. He hailed the port he would land on.

"Port 83, permission to land?" There was a bit of a long silence. A faint giggling was followed by a the oter side slapping their headset back on and an out of breath voice replied, "Let me see here, TIE Ranger piloted by a 'Rish Ankula' here for the humanitarian work. Your cleared to land at Pad 19, begin your descent. And friend, if I were you I'd be careful, being sick doesn't stop those folks from being scum." Someone in the room called with a laugh, "Yes love, I know your still on the clock." The head set slapped back onto a surface and cut out.

Magos had a feeling that that was a fitting introduction to the moon. The Ranger glided down trough thick smog lit only by neon, until it came to rest in a small fighter sized berth, sunken into the port. He called back to Sevengee behind him as he clammered out of the cockpit, "Do some routine maintenance on her while I am gone, could be awhile. And if I give the signal that I'm not coming back with you, you got the launch codes, right?"

He saw himself in the reflection of his viewport. A strange sight for sure. The aging Gungan wore a black tunic, with a white lab coat over his shoulders. He also brought a wooden cane with him. Worshyyyr wood from Kashyyyk, could brain some fool with it and not worry abut a crack. Of course, his curved light saber was safely tucked within his "doctor's bag" under the lab coat, containing his personav and datapad as well. After bribing the Vodran tech assigned to his berth to look after his ship, he proceeded to the rendezvous point, nearby.

Magos thought of himself as a hunter of scum, and he had to try hard to keep his blinders on while on these streets. Working girls, thieves, muggers, speeder jackers, and scum of all types lined the streets. However, he could tell there really was a health crisis here. Under his medical guise Magos received no trouble, and even some curt nods from the various low-lives, sometimes between wheezing coughs. 'Rish' was to meet 'Ricard' at an older housing development, just around the corner. He had sent his cover 'Rish Ankula' a Theed nurse practitioner, to the man ahead of time.

He turned and there the Human was. He approached eagerly as if greeting an old friend, "Ricard! Its so good to see you! How's the Core treating you? Sorry I'm late to the party, had to get my datapad replaced, but I seem to the first one here, other than you of course. So terrible whats happened here, but at least we have an opportunity to each other with this tragedy." He inwardly grinned, a bit of acting was always fun.

@Deflubber
@Bran
@Swain Mephisto

 

[Ventrik Storm]

Ventrik was in one of his very rare good moods, he had gotten a surprisingly normal amount of rest and was able to avoid the company of others for a great while. Upon receiving the initial offer to join in this "experiment", he had gladly accepted. The additional incentive of this Edwast owing him a favour was also very appealing, I'll have to save that for an important occasion... Ventrik already knew what his cover name would be, Vorace Fenni, his old name, long-forgotten following his banishment from Eshan. Nobody outside his old village knew of this name, and even they would have likely forgotten about him in the many years since his departure. Even the thought of that horrid old homeworld of his would not dampen his mood, Ventrik was determined to make this mission a success. As his YT-1200 neared the end of its hyperspace journey, he changed into his disguise, concealing his rather large lightsaber within a baggy and inconspicuous overcoat. He also placed a long vibroblade inside the other side of his coat, he would avoid using the lightsaber for as long as he could here. His uniform fit him well, surprising considering his height and large build. Right at the end of his journey, Ventrik began to hide his presence within the force, determined to maintain as covert as possible.

Upon exiting hyperspace and nearing the scum-filled moon of Nar Shaddaa, Ventrik hailed the port officials, "This is Vorace Fenni nearing the atmosphere in my YT-1200 Light Freighter, requesting permission to land at my assigned dock 94." He waited for what seemed to be an eternity before beginning to repeat his hail with a less patient undertone to his voice, "I repeat this, this is Vora-" Suddenly there was a surprised gasp heard over the receiver, followed by the tired voice of an old man who had clearly been asleep. "HUH!? Wha-ah right my job.... Ahem, uhh yeah umm just head ovah' tah dock 93, or was et 94? Whateva' just go tah yer dock and cause no trouble or I'll have ya head!" Rolling his eyes and ignoring the incompetent fool's clearly empty threats, Ventrik began his descent to dock 94. As he neared his destination, he noticed that the area surrounding his allocated docking station was thankfully empty, save a few repair and refuelling droids roaming aimlessly about.

Ensuring that all of his equipment was secure, Ventrik, now completely under the guise of Vorace Fenni, exited his ship and referred to his datapad. After locating his destination, he safely tucked away his datapad and began to move through the streets. Passing a window, Ventrik spotted his reflection, noticing that his hair was a long mess, he decided to quickly tie it up in a bun and straighten out his uniform to maintain the appearance of a professional for the duration of his stay. After this, he continued along his way, navigating through the slums of this disgusting wreck of a home. He thought back to his lodgings on Tattooine, he had been surrounded by an excess of scum and villainy there, but this was worse in his mind, much worse. Everyone around him was sick and dying, or just poor and pathetic, had he not been in such a good mood already, he may have put a few of them out of his misery.

As Ventrik arrived at the rendezvous point, he noticed that he was not the first. Closest to him, seeming to have only recently just arrived was what appeared to be a Gungan. He took note of the creature's abnormally muscled build for one of its kind and its dark eyes. This one has a darkness to it, it's also quite older than I am so I should be wary of its experience and prowess with the force... He then looked over at the other creature. He was simply a human, roughly six feet tall with normal dark features, Ventrik noticed that this one was also quite older than himself. This one has an air of arrogance about him, he looks different to the last time we met, he is clearly putting up an act for appearance's sake. Ventrik approached his two companions and gave them both a polite nod, noticing both of their name tags before speaking, "Ricard! Rish! It has been too long! I hope your travels have been well?" He maintained a polite, even kind, demeanour as he continued to speak to the duo, "I must admit that I underestimated just how dire the situation is for these unfortunate... people.." He ended his sentence with an obvious undertone of boredom. Ventrik did not care about this place, nor its inhabitants, the scum could all perish for all he thought.

@Deflubber @Bran @Strabo​

 

[Trinity]

THEME​

There were very few places in the galaxy where Trinity felt like she could figuratively 'let her hair down'. Her brash and careless attitude did little to fit in with the prideful, wealthy upper class of planets like Naboo and Bespin and neither did it hope to win her any favour among the meek. This was not the case on Nar Shadda however. On this putrid and festering tumor of a moon, the young assassin could walk the streets with her vibroblade close at hand and with little regard for the opinions of the rabble. To try and act normal in a place like this would garner more attention than were you to run around, frothing from the mouth like a crazed spice addict. The Smuggler's Moon was a haven for those who sought to hide from the law and thus the need for an alias was all but nullified, whether you told them your real name or the name of some fictional hero they wouldn't bat an eye. Nothing was real here, and everything was permitted.

The raven-haired cultist moved deftly through the thronging crowds of the transit space port, making her way past a seemingly endless row of outstretched begging hands. To them, this planet was a spider's web and they were the flies, lured by prospects of employment and illegitimate wealth, they were now trapped, stuck without a hope for escape. As Trinity walked, a young twi-lek child covered in grime and wearing a tattered rag walked up to her and tugged on her hand. "Please miss, spare a credit." Trin's amber eyes met the girls, tears were welling and there were bruises that lined her arms and legs. In one swift movement, the amber-eyed cultist swiped her hand away and continued walking. A convincing act, Trinity concluded but she knew that the girl was just a front. No doubt if she had given any amount to her and revealed any form of wealth, that she would report back to whatever crime boss that owned her and Trinity would've been marked as a target. Even if she was just a hopeless girl looking for money to pay for her next meal, it would've only prolonged her suffering and she would most likely have just been accosted, and maybe beaten for the mere change that she had received.

As Trin neared the designated housing complex that was to be their meeting place, this rendezvous point slightly more apt for the occasion than the last, she made sure to do a quick sweep of her surroundings to make sure there was no one on her trail. One could never be too careful in a place like this. Once she deemed it clear, she proceeded to enter the complex and immediately she recognised the good doctor and his fellow compatriots. With a dip of her head she acknowledged Edwast and the gungan, Magos. She did little to greet the third member of the group. Now is not the time for pleasantries, Trin reasoned. It seemed as if they had taken on the guise of some humanitarian medical team, Trin released a drawn-out sigh. How foolish, she thought. With her hands in her pockets and her cap pulled down over her amber eyes she walked up to the group and spoke in a hushed tone. "While I appreciate the effort boys..." Her words were sharp, "I suggest you guys drop the act before some gang of junkies with blasters tries their luck at acquiring their next fix of chemicals to shove down their intake ports." With a slight raise of her head, Trinity's vivid amber gaze met Edwast's, "Let's get this over with quickly." Her mind flittered back to their meeting on Naboo, she had no desire to happen upon another Jedi this time... In truth though, there were much worse things to happen upon here.

@Deflubber
@Strabo
@Swain Mephisto

 

[Edwast Broelm]

Edwast's master had once told him something he's carried in his heart since he first heard it ten years ago. It happened when he nearly slipped up and revealed his identity to someone, a girl he had fallen for, if he recalled correctly though such emotions were a bit lost to him now. When his master caught him attempting to bring her to his lodging, he had pulled Edwast away and beaten him bloody. He had looked down at the battered young man and told him these words:

"We work in the shadows and in fear of the light, not in tandem with it. You may be comfortable now thanks to the efforts of the Eternal but do not let that go to your head, one fatal slip and it all comes tumbling down. Never forget Edwast....
Trust is a luxury of the Light, Paranoia is the tool of the dark."
​

This thought crossed his mind as he sat waiting, watching the passerby as they traveled through the slums of this city. Pathetic he'd think to himself as he looked around. These people are the clear signs of how corruption can harm the weak, bend them, make them prey. His disdain for the criminal underbelly of this planet was only met by his contempt for the weak, the ones who spend their lives under the boots of the corrupt and cruel. He pulled out his datapad and began to run through the escape routes and plan again. While this wasn't the first time he would do an operation like this, it was the first time he worked with people unfamiliar to him. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect. So there he stood, running over the notes again and again and again until he had it down to memory.

Magos was the first to arrive and greeted Edwast with a demeanor that matched their meeting on Naboo. This was good, and he saw Magos as one of the people he could rely on to tackle this situation with professionalism. "Rish! It's good to see you too." Edwast relaxed as he spoke, giving his usual fake smile and appearance. His glasses that he would often wear as "Ricard" were hanging from the breast pocket of his lab coat as he spoke. "I gotta say, the differences between between the core worlds and the outer rim is staggering, you have to feel for these people. Especially the sick." As he spoke he began to put on his glasses again, it was showtime. He figured he'd keep Magos close for this one, just in case their cover was blown he knew they'd be able to maintain theirs and escape.

The second arrival was someone Edwast had a meeting with privately, he had effectively seen Edwast but had yet to see Ricard. He was rather large in build, and seemed practically built for combat. While this operation required stealth, combat expertise would come in handy for the coming days. He greeted him with as much of his usual fake enthusiasm as he could muster. "Vorace! It's about time we finally met again how are you?" Edwast could feel the boredom come from the Echani as he spoke of the sick. "That's why they're lucky to have you, isn't it?" The irony in this statement was enough to almost make him chuckle. But he understood where the Echani was coming from himself.

And finally there was Trinity, the assassin. Edwast knew better than almost anyone of those in the order who were bored of the cloak and dagger methods of the Eternal. While they had cast aside the name Sith and chose to create their own path to the dark side, some of them still felt out of place in the galaxy. Her brash introduction was a clear sign of this to him, but he would let her have her way, he had already made the necessary preparations anyway. "Yes, well, so long as you don't blow our cover inside of the medical facility you're free to do whatever you please here. You don't have to worry about concealing yourselves here, I'd already bribed a few of the Hutt muscle to give us free reign of this area for a few hours while I debrief you. The doctors here are under protection from the Five Syndicates. Seems like keeping their little moon from being poisoned is a convincing argument to leave us at peace." His smile faded as he spoke and he began to relax his body, seems his fun was over.

"Now that we're all gathered I am going to quickly tell you how this operation will work. I've sent you a map of the facility we'll be working from along with the location of the medical ship we'll be commandeering. Magos, you're with me while I select subjects who are physically and mentally capable of being subjects for my research." His usual happy demeanor was now replaced with a sour expression and an almost robotic speech pattern. "Ventrik, i've sent you a route to the docking bay from the main lab, ensure that it remains clear. Once done meet with Magos and I in the main lab, Trinity will cause a distraction in the reception area, Magos your job from there is to follow the group as they leave and make sure they stay away from the main lab while we move the subjects, keep watch for any law enforcement. Trinity, you are to take out any guards at the aforementioned docking area and ensure the pilot I hired remains safe until we arrive with the cargo."

He paused for a moment and gave a blank and meaningless smile, he had been speaking so long he'd let himself slip into a robotic trance. "Once all of this is complete and we've moved the bodies, Trinity will make sure they arrive at the designated drop off point on Tatooine and...deal with our transporter in any way she deems necessary. Once everything is said and done, Magos you are to wipe the selected subjects from the data banks. Everyone save for Trinity will remain here until my work with the disease is done so as not to rouse suspicion. I should take no more than a 10 hours following the completion of our task to complete my research." He clapped his hands as he began to get back into his "Ricard" mask. "No killing unless necessary, do not get caught, if you are caught do not reveal our brotherhood, never use my real name or allow it to be revealed, keep your connection to the dark side a secret, all subjects must remain alive and do not cause a major brawl to occur. When this ends we won't just be walking away, we will disappear." He pushed up his glasses as he finished speaking and then placed his hands in his pockets as he looked at the group. "Questions?"

@Bran
@Swain Mephisto
@Strabo

 

[Magos Otahn]

Magos listened intently. He was happy that he seemed to be the one Edwast trusted with the most fragile part of the operation. A guilty memory of his chat with Ember came to him, "Is not the pick better than the hammer?" He had told the woman. He shook his head almost imperceptibly, now was not the time for quiet heresy. Regardless, he knew how to be cool and professional.

"My dear Dr. Feline, I'll gladly assist you with our ... triage. But I do have a question or two. First of all what criteria are we looking for? Weak willed? Dementia? Young? Old? And secondly, who exactly is this group I am following? The subjects? Other victims? The staff?" Dumping the names out of the records would be easy, and his role at least seemed relatively air tight. He didn't know Ventrik and Trinity had always made him uneasy, so those were who he had doubts in.
Regardless he was ready to carry out there mission, and he was excited by any research into the dark side of the Force.

@Swain Mephisto
@Bran
@Deflubber

 

[Ventrik Storm]

Ventrik couldn’t help but give the slightest grin when Edwast spoke to him, neither of them cared about the sick fools living here and they both knew it. This final member, however, Ventrik neither liked nor trusted. Perhaps it was abruptness on the matter at hand, however now wasn’t the time to quarrel. Listening to Edwast’s directions, Ventrik nodded in understanding “I take it that you don’t want me to leave any unfortunate fools alive that wander into said docking bay? Any loose ends that aren’t tied up could lead to disaster later.” It was clear to him why he has been chosen for this task considering his massive build and intimidating figure, he was the muscle of the group and relished in the thought. “Also how long do you require that I keep the bay clear before rendezvousing back with yourself? And even then what tasks will you require of me once I have rejoined?” He was eager to complete this mission swiftly and get away from this land of death and sickness as soon as possible.

@Bran @Deflubber @Strabo

 

[Trinity]

The raven-haired assassin simply stood silent while Edwast completed his briefing. She understood her function in the whole operation and quite frankly, she didn't feel like it was to be excessively difficult. While she appreciated the emphasis on subtlety, she also knew that getting through this entire ordeal without taking a life would most likely prove more difficult than anticipated. Her mind was already going through different iterations of the plan and its outcomes. While there would be countless eventualities should things not go to plan, she would plan for a few... contingencies. At the end of the day she would need to make sure at least the doctor comes out of this unscathed, after all, she has a vested interest in his survival.

"Understood." she spoke with the slightest nod of her head, "Just need to know exactly what kind of signal I'll be receiving to cause the distraction." All in all the plan seemed solid and well thought out, all she hoped was that the pilot in question was up to the task... As well as the others in the group.

@Deflubber

 

[Edwast Broelm]

Edwast turned to Magos with his hands clasped over his mouth, he seemed to be in a very animated state, a mixture of his natural self and "Ricard". His voice was calm but rough as he spoke, almost like a loud whisper. "Age doesn't matter, however they would have to be physically capable of surviving my experiments. We're specifically looking for people who lack connections. Friends, Family any sort of guardian." He began to pace as he spoke, his hands moving in a circular fashion as he ran through the list. "This should be included in the register so that should be no issue. As for the group you'll be following, most of the subjects are bed ridden from the nausea so you'll only need to concern yourself with the staff. Nurses, Doctors and my former assistant will be among those to keep in the room." He relaxed his hands and then smiled.

Next to grab his attention was Ventrik. "I would attempt to lead them away peacefully at first should they wander out there, however should they become an issue then they need to be taken care of. Most of the staff should be away by the time you return, so simply join us once Trinity begins the distraction, so keep the path clear for as long as that takes and on your way to me to ensure we don't accidentally bump into anyone." He stopped pacing and relaxed. "Once you have rejoined Magos will be gone or on the way out, so it will be up to you and I to move the subjects while they are away. We'll likely gather 2-3 so as not to rouse suspicion. It should likely take us one trip." He then turned to Trinity, her question appeared to be the simplest and straight forward, which please him greatly.

"I will be having one of the lab assistants hand out food to the people waiting in the reception area you are to start the distraction three minutes following this. Any method is fine so long as a corpse doesn't appear. Give us five minutes to move the subjects, the route isn't long." He put his hands in his pocket as he began to relax and put on his usual fake smile. "Once that is done, have them lead you out and make your way to the docking area from the outside." He then clasped his hands and took a deep breath, almost as if adjourning the meeting without saying a word.

"Let's get to work."

@Bran @Strabo @Swain Mephisto ​