Tricks of the Trade

[Aila Roas]

​

Jacob Tagger needed information. Apparently. And Aila Roas needed pay. And a chance to stick it to the Empire while doing so had become increasingly hard to turn down, even when the jobs were becoming a little more dangerous.

Good thing her employer had decided to come along for this one. And as far as it went, he certainly wasn't as worrying to her as some of the others had been. Plus, as a general rule, infiltration type stuff was a little more straightforward if you had someone on the lookout who could run a little interference if need be.

From what she understood, House Dalaigh was their target. Happily low value compared to some of the other houses on the planet, but any trip back into imperial space was enough to put Aila on edge.

Evidence of wrongdoing, that's what she was to be looking for. And she had no doubt there'd be some, if everything Jacob had told her was true. For security logs from the Dalaigh Manor were relayed off site, to a less conspicuous location in an high rise in the neighboring capital. That's where they found themselves now.

While through the front door, this was when things got tricky,

"Jacob, it's been a pleasure," Aila said as she looked up the many floors, trying to spy out their target "but..." she paused for a moment. She was about to say she was going to go up there alone, and honestly that wasn't something she exactly wanted to do. She didn't know if she was brave enough to do so yet. But life had a way of forcing things like this,

"I'll head up, get into the system, get your info if I can find anything that looks juicy. You're welcome to come, but I could need interference. Or a distraction. And a lookout. And time. I think that might be you" she said biting her lip, her face reading something like 'sorry'

"Tell me you're not afraid to get your hands dirty?"

@Lucid

 

[Jacob Tagger]

"Aila, it's been too long," Jacob said warmly. He had worked with the slicer before when he needed sensitive information. Nobody would ever know where the information came from; journalists protected their sources even more closely than they did their lives. "You should know me better than that, of course I'll get you a distraction."

He looked around the lobby, security station with a bored looking guard who was clearly playing on a datapad in his lap and a couple of disinterested Kuati going about their business and it was entirely what he expected. It wasn't about to stay so peaceful for long. If Aila needed a distraction, he'd get her one. He leaned in as though laughing at something funny she had just said and handed her a pair of glasses with false lenses and a small rock.

"Go to the bathroom, put your hair up, put the glasses on and the pebble in your shoe," he laughed genuinely at her surprised look. "You can't be recoginzed as the lady I came in here with. You'd be surprised how much a different hair do, glasses and rock in your shoe to change the way you walk can do. Nobody will think twice. Once I see you go into the washroom, I'll start heating things up. Give it a couple minutes and then head to wherever you think you need to get."

Once he was sure she understood what he had said, he gave her a wink and watched her head off to the washroom. He ran a hand through his hair and pulled his portable holocam droid from his bag and set it to float next to him and record everything. With a confident stride he doubled around back to the entrance and walked up to the security guard at the desk.

"Jacob Tagger, Holo Net News," he said professionally, flipping his press ID open and showing it to the guard. "I have a meeting with the House Dalaigh treasury. Would you be able to direct me to their offices?"

The security guard grunted and, looking away from his datapad, checked a readout on another monitor. "Mr. Tagger...nope, not on the list. I'm sorry but you don't seem to be on the meeting schedule."

"That's funny, I'm sure the network called to arrange the meeting. I have the confirmation email right here," it was a printout of a HNN internal communication that detailed that he, did, indeed have an appointment with the House Dalaigh treasury in 15 minutes. It was false, of course. He had manufactured the whole thing, but it would stand up to scrutiny and throw things off for the obsessively organized Kuati House. "As you can see, I clearly have a meeting. Surely House Dalaiggh isn't trying to avoid meeting with me...perhaps the treasury office would have a better idea of the schedule. Just those turbolifts over there, yes?" He turned and began to walk away towards the lifts.

The guard looked alarmed and pressed something on his desk, no doubt alerting others that he was here and causing problems. That was perfect, just what he needed. Aila had her distraction in spades.

@Nightfall

 

[Aila Roas]

"Mr Tagger, I think you've got the right idea" she replied casually, looking up the many floors of the building, scanning the floors to try and identify the office she needed. With all the workers moving to and fro, sending documents and notes to eachother, flirting and bunking off as they would. And all their work for such people as the Sith. She felt a little less sympathy once she remembered that. But, Jacob was right, if she could blend in to that look as someone else, then this whole operation got a whole lot easier.

As Jacob approached the desk, Aila made her way into the bathroom, trying to keep her profile low. Shaking her hair out in the mirror, she threw on the glasses and slipped the stone in her shoe. While it lightly stung at first, she adjusted slowly and made it more comfortable, though it raised her gait oddly. The glasses sat oddly, though managed to frame her face in a new way that, with her brushed down and to the side, made her look just that little bit more official and distinguished. Happily, however, her fortunes were still growing.

From one of the toilets came a lady, pulling on a shoe and trying to adjust herself into a frock that had no place in a building like this, like she was going straight from work to the embassy ball. And from the sounds of her nervous phone call for a taxi, it sounded she very much was, and was very much late,

"Oh you forgot your-" she couldn't finish before the lady ran out the door.

Terribly convenient then, that in her haste she left her work uniform crumpled in a bag on the ground. It wouldn't be perfect, but with these 'borrowed' clothes she'd look every bit the office clerk she did in her days still in the Empire. It would have given her bad memories if it weren't for the absurdity of it all.

With a smile and kick, she hid her gear about her person and sauntered to the elevator, hardly out of place among the rest. Speeding up to the floor marked 'Dalaigh', their goal grew rapidly closer. Hopefully there wouldn't be hiccups on the way for either of them, and they could be out of here in a jiffy.

@Lucid

 

[Jacob Tagger]

The crowd wasn't quite as big as Jacob would have liked it. He had been hoping for more security guards and perhaps the local police to be called. What he got was a good chunk of the security guards being called but no police and fewer gawking spectators speaking in hushed tones. That said, there was still a sizeable crowd and his holocam droid had been forgotten amid the uproar. It hovered to the back near the desk where he had originally started. The many cameras in the droid were capturing beautiful, full resolution images of the security gang trying to prevent Jacob from going to a meeting...for which, for all they knew, had confirmation for.

The lack of police though was sad. It would have been nice to play that angle.

From the corner of his eye he saw Aila slip from the washroom and vanish into one of the lifts on the far side. Where she had gotten that outfit was anyone's guess, but it was perfect. Jacob turned back to the crowd of guards and faced them and the crowed, a look of mock outrage on his face. He puffed himself up and strode to the guard chief.

"How dare you prevent me from going to my meeting, sir," he snapped angrily. It wasn't hard to pretend to be offended. "What is the meaning of this. I demand to be granted entrance. I have my confirmation. I will take this to mean that House Dalaigh has officially stepped in to silence the free press. A constitutional right under the laws of this Empire!"

The guard looked momentarily confused but after listening to something in his earpiece came forward and tried to stare Jacob down. "It's not that at all, Mr. Tagger. You must understand that you have been deisgnated a potential threat to House Dalaigh. If you are to go upstairs we must search you for weapons or other devices."

Jacob took an exaggerated moment to look exceptionally offended. Everything was calculated to buy Aila time and draw attention away from her. By the way more people were flooding in to watch the spectacle, it was most certainly working. "My good man," Jacob said in a tone of supreme superiority and dignity. "I am a journalist! Not a fighter! Though if you insist..." He stood back, spread the lapels of his jacket and started to remove his pants.

The security guard looked horrified and rushed to him.

@Nightfall

 

[Aila Roas]

Well, Jacob was causing quite a scene down there and no mistake, which meant few batted an eyelid at her as she rode the elevator up and up to the Dalaigh offices high above, too busy with watching the combative man down below. Amazing what you could do with a bit of luck and confidence,

"Now, security, security, security, where will you be?" she tutted under her breath as she finished, lowering her glasses to get a good look at her surroundings. It seemed though, she wouldn't have to look long. Approaching her suddenly was a trio of guards, storming out from inside a room and making their way to the elevator. They looked somewhat bemused, probably having just seen what Jacon had done, they were off down to either get him away or take a closer look.

Either way, they were making her day much, much easier. Leaving the door open behind them, Aila spotted a set of monitors that seemed to relay the footage from cameras not only in this building but ones beyond. This was her target, and no doubt about it. And left oh so invitingly open for her, free from anyone who might stop her.

Time to finish this.

Connecting her drive to the pc, she booted up her software and let it run, searching over for vulnerabilities. Of which there were more than a few, allowing Aila entrance to the system without too much effort on her behalf,

"Alright you Sithies, let's see what you're hiding"

@Lucid

 

[Jacob Tagger]

The security man seemed to have realized he might have pushed things a bit too far...or perhaps the thought of having a naked journalist in his looby, on his order, was just too much. Either way, he began to stammer an apology once Jacob started to undo his belt. With a suggestion that, of course, Jacob could continue to his meeting, he left and returned to his station. The other officers in the area seemed to realize that they were being signaled to back down and went back about their business.

Miffed that he wouldn't be able to buy any more time in the lobby, Jacob grinned as though this had been his plan all along, did up his belt and vanished into the lift. His cam droid zoomed in after him and for a moment there was silence. As the lift zoomed its way up the tower, Jacob thought about what to do next. Aila still needed time and he had pushed too hard in the foyer downstairs. Maybe he could ambush an official in the House Dalaigh office lobby. Hoping that there would be someone important enough to ambush for questioning he stepped out into the beige hallway and wandered down it to a pair of vast double doors.

As though he had belonged there all his life he pushed them open, making a show of checking his watch as though to make sure he was on time or early. Seeming satisfied, he glanced around the room. As luck would have it, there was a haughty Kuati woman heading for a door off the side hallway. He thought he recognized her from his research into House Dalaigh. He couldn't remember her name, but he was sure it was their treasurer. With a start he strode forward and caught her just as she was wrestling with the doorknob.

"Excuse me," he said professionally, his holocamm droid hovering at his shoulder. "Madame Secretary, would you be able to address the concerns that House Dalaigh forged paperwork during the Kuat Drive Yards reconstruction effort?"

Her face went white but she composed herself quickly. "Mt. Tagger, I'm sure you know better than to ask such foolish questions," her voice was silky and the lie came easily. "Of course House Dalaigh would never do such a thing. All of our actions have been recorded and published for the public to view. After the trouble you caused at Saorise's initial press conference, we thought it best to make sure that everything was available for scrutiny."

Jacob paused as though he was stumped to continue, every second was critical. Aila had to be close to finishing by now.

@Nightfall

 

[Aila Roas]

She was in. And it seemed whoever was in charge of House Dalaighs security should have been fired long ago. Firewalls were few and their passwords were brute forces far too quickly, even for her.

Not that she was complaining.

Records and security footage lit up the screen in moments, more than she had expected to have been stored at a facility like this. Jacob had been searching for something very specific though, and she meant to find it. Apparently records were kept for almost everything though, even the Kuati houses couldn’t escape the levels the demands of imperial bureaucracy it seemed. Scanning through the files, folders and documents marked ‘Reconstruction’ came up in the recently accessed. It was all too easy.

A set of files, voice files. Lord Kuats voice at that. Some complete others trimmed, edited it seemed. A final one, him agreeing to assist in the House Dalaighs reconstruction efforts. That alongside the paperwork to support it.

Though that wasn’t all.

Another file. Security footage from what looked like a dining room. A woman and a man at respective heads of the table, what seemed like the mans husband and another younger one to the side. Tensions high, at the woman’s words the older man drew a gun, firing on the boy before collapsing against the wall dead. A bloodbath, as the older woman wailed. She could see it was Saorise, Jacob had described her to her. Whatever this was, Jacob would want to see it.

Removing the drive in a flash, she was out of the room without so much as a glance from another. Tapping her comm, she keyed in Jacob,

“Got everything, maybe more. Ill be outside” she said, to the point,

“Nail her for me Jacob” she said with a smile as she rode the lift down and out, safely exiting the offices without a hint of suspicion. The pair had down good work today.

@Lucid

 

[Jacob Tagger]

Jacob listened to Aila over the comm and smiled at the haughty Kuati lady he was speaking to. It seemed that they had accomplished everything they came to do. He listened with polite disinterest to whatever standard denial she was giving and waited for her to finish.

"Thank you, Madame Secretary," he said, "It seems as though my meeting here is no longer required. It seems that we managed to cover the substance of it rather quickly. How nice it is to not have to worry about formalities." He bowed slightly and excused himself with a somber 'Good day'. Slowly, so as not to attract unwanted attention, he made his way back down the turbolift. He was careful to keep an expression of distress, as though his meeting had been rebuffed or had not gone well.

Behind the facade though, he couldn't believe how lucky they had gotten. He had more than enough to nail Saorise and her many minions. He'd have to be quick though, if he wanted to get his report drafted before he met with her for a final test of will.

//THREAD
@Nightfall