A Little Research Never Hurt Anyone... Right?

[Anastacia Bootes]

Denon was a heavily populated, ecumenopolis world with a robust economy that was growing faster every day. Nestled nicely between the Silver Jedi’s and the Confederacy, and not too far from the Core, the city-planet had a particularly good powerhouse going on. Industries were rampant – including a heavy focus on research that was funded by third parties and the government alike.

Anastacia herself had found herself employed by one of the many labs ran on the planet. A Xenobiologist at heart, and recently out of school, it was a perfect opportunity. A good job in the field she loved – it was perfect. The only downside was that it was far away from home, and while the reputation overall was fairly well, there were some black holonet memes and conspiracy theories about the organization as a whole.

Too bad the stories and conspiracies turned out true. Anastacia found that out the hard way – being tested, drugged, and then locked underground for the past 3 weeks along with several other people who had no idea why they got bagged in the middle of the night. Or even how they got their samples.
The media got paid off – no one Denon really knew what was going on. But outside of that? Several journalists posted a variety of stories. Hear say and the like spread fast.

The lab was one of the few buildings that mostly went underground. Armored guards roam the facility with badges. Retina, thumb, and voice scanners litter. Really, the only areas that Anastacia had been in was level 1-34, where most of the ‘public’ work was. Levels 35-128? Heck, who knew.

Well, Anastacia knew now… But would she be able to get out?

[member="Talon Richwood"] | [member="Alden Akaran"] | [member="Vytal Noctura"] | [member="Voph"]

 

[Talon Aegis]

Talon sat there scoping out the front gate, it was going to be fun and he was looking for something challenging. At the gate stood four guards that were easily scene, and one that was hidden. This one he dealt with first, snapping his neck then taking the one closest with a throwing knife. One tower down, and no one was triggering that alarm. Onto the next tower the guard realized his comrade was gone but it didn’t matter. He turned and was knocked out, and finished with a knife. The two down below he just threw daggers in them and hid the bodies.

The building was sealed off but he decided to infiltrate a window. They really liked their electronic locks, so he was in there easily. Walking down the steps he had killed six guards and dragged there bodies off into closets. He was now at the lower levels, the detention center. He spotted rows upon rows of cells and just muttered, “Damnit.” Pulling up the picture he had of who he was saving.

On the walk down the cells, it was eerie. There was the occasional guard, he didn’t target any of them. Eventually after an hour, he got through level 35, nothing. Mostly dead people, and this was annoying he had about 20 hours before the work shift resumes after a weekend. His planning should’ve not taken so long. Pushing the button in the elevator and applying a blood soaked key card he muttered. “This is going to be a long night.”

[member="Anastacia Bootes"]

 

[Nyx N1X3]

The synthetic recreation of a sigh filled the room.

A woman in a lab coat lifted her head, paused, and then turned to look up and over at the droid by her side. "Am I... boring you?"

Nyx's optical units met those of the organic as the woman looked up. "Forgive me. I fear there has been a development requiring my attention elsewhere in the facility."

"Wait, but what about the calculations," the scientist cried as the metallic woman strode toward the door. That had been why they'd purchased -- hired? -- the unusually humanoid droid in the first place. She'd managed to solve some rather intricate problems that they themselves only recently answered; there were high hopes she'd help unlock some other incredibly important questions. Their research was paramount. It was only after Nyx had gone and the woman felt crest fallen that she noticed a datapad at the edge of the desk. She picked it up and blinked as the formulae all possessed the necessary calculations with all variables accounted for. How long...?

What Nyx hadn't bothered confessing was much of the impressive application work had been the result of stealing the answers from the company's own servers. Little detail. No need to know.

To think she'd gone through all of this trouble for some... one to break into the facility and go on a murderous rampage. Vexed a Droid considerably. Acquiring access to the lowest levels had taken quite some time to pull off, and she'd scheduled just the right moment to move. Now all of it would be for naught as every security measure would be checked, double-checked, and checked again after this. Not to mention they might fire, kill, or otherwise shuffle personnel paranoid of potential infiltration or insider threat -- much as they could given the available skill set.

It would seem Nyx had no choice, but to proceed with the plan.

A few tiny monitors in her display kept an eye on various locations in the complex. One of which had been the front gate, which an assassin just merrily walked through on their way inside. Well, at least she'd notice an army arriving. Or backup. Sometimes happened when you were undercover. People didn't know you were there, thought the situation needed handling, and 'handled' it. Often inefficiently. Organics, what could a droid do?

Tag: [member="Anastacia Bootes"] | [member="Talon Richwood"] | [member="Voph"] | [member="Alden Akaran"]​

[OOC: Vytal Noctura Alt Here]​

 

[Kyyrk]

OBJECTIVE: Rescue the hostage, Uncover the truth of this facility​

EQUIPMENT: Voph's Armored Robes, Ciniel and Isatha​

TAGS: [member="Nyx N1X3"] || [member="Talon Richwood"] || [member="Anastacia Bootes"] || [member="Alden Akaran"]​

​

Denon. The last time Voph had been here, he was captain of the Desolation. Bad memories, from this one. Just one of many worlds that had fueled the fires of rebellion. But, that was of no consequence now. He wasn't here to take in the sights. He was there on a mission. The Droid had been planted some days ago. Intelligence had suspected there was something...off about this facility. And they were there to find out why. As it turns out, they weren't the only ones interested.

"Team, unknown quantity at play. Not a threat to us directly, but...he's sloppy." Voph whispered into his earpiece. His hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, save for the same rebellious strand that hung about his left brow. Voph looked down at the interloper from his perch on the roof, hidden among pipes and architecture. "Nyx, be a dear, start finding alternatives for when he throws this place into lockdown?" Voph stood, and pressed back into the shadows, heading for the access port he'd targeted on the roof. "Alden, it's time. I'm moving in."

The access hatch opened easily, and Voph dropped to the floor below, black cloak shrouding him in the darkened corridors. He paused, still crouched on the floor, head turning to see if he'd been noticed. He hadn't. He began to sneak down the hall, the Force swirling around him to offer him cover from prying eyes. All he had to do now was get to the meeting point. Hopefully this...unknown quantity wouldn't cause trouble. But he had run more than enough ops to know that today was about to be far more interesting than he, or his team, cared for.

 

[Talon Aegis]

Standing still he looked into one of the cameras and waved, he knew exactly who was behind it. His intel was correct, he shifted through logs for hours and read up on the security. Each droid was accounted for, and this one he could get anything on. He wasn’t the only one trying to break in. Going back to his search the cells on level 35 had people in them but not the one he was looking for.

Wondering how long it would take for the opposing team to catch up to him he stepped back into the elevator. Going up a floor he decided to lock the elevator controls. The system was shut down and wouldn’t be noticed for a while. He avoided killing guards because he had studied their schedules and they all called in. If one weren’t to he would have a problem. Walking past each cell.

On the next floor he read his HUD, it read 79% complete. His face wore a wicked grin. This was his job and he wasn’t losing the paycheck. The floor had more of the same, not who he was looking for. When he went up the stairs for the next floor, it read 100% on his HUD. Then he had the door in the security room locked. This was fun he thought, he locked one in and he wondered if there was another. Anyway they must be annoyed right now.

[member="Voph"] [member="Nyx N1X3"] [member="Anastacia Bootes"]

 

[Luca Donskoi]

[member="Anastacia Bootes"] | [member="Talon Richwood"] | [member="Nyx N1X3"] | [member="Voph"]​

[SIZE=10pt]Well this certainly hadn’t been the place Alden would have seen himself in before recently, but being handicapped in the manner he was now, his duties had shifted from the cockpit to a diplomatic nature. And so his capacity in this situation - this mission - were far from what he’d grown to be accustomed to. However, even as such, this did not mean he didn't have the ability to achieve his goals.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Word had reached confederate leadership some time ago now about the rumored underground grumblings surrounding this company, particularly the shadiness behind some of its research practices that had no regional oversight. And even though out of the jurisdiction of the sprawling and ever expanding superpower that was the Confederacy, it simply could not allow such things to persists. Especially not this close to its borders. And certainly not if these rumors and third party investigative articles that had surfaced held merit to them. And so this is where this team of three had been assembled. And none of them, to Alden’s knowledge, outside of himself were to be a direct representation of the Confederacy. And even then, Alden’s authority as such were strongly limited to diplomatic dealings. Outside of that, he would simply another visitor to this sprawling ecumenopolis that was Denon. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Nyx had been implanted into the corporation days ago, if not longer. Fronting as a droid supermind that had been sold to perform complexion equations in a manner that might even make the Givin jealous. And if all had been successful on that front - and everything pointed toward such - the droid would have gained a sense of trust from the workers and scientists the mingled within the bastion. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Voph, well Alden hadn’t been to certain on what the Miralukan’s particular role was. Only that he had a particular set of skills - and a familiarity with the planet - that were likely to find themselves useful is this intricate plan of theirs as it began to unfold. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Now that simply left Alden. The High Marshal from the Confederacy acting in somewhat of an official capacity here on this planet. Although that [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]diplomatic[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] capacity may even have turned out to be a false flag presence. It had, after all, allowed him to set a date time and meet with this company’s board of owners and CEO to discuss presently unnamed matters. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Alden was just entering the building when Voph’s message rang into his earpiece. He reached a hand toward it to open the secured channel back to the man which the droid would also have access to. ::Acknowledged. I’m going black.:: His words were soft spoken, as to not draw any unnecessary attention to himself. That, and because he was generally a soft spoken individual. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Soon enough Alden found himself at the reception desk where he was greeted by a young, [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Firrerreo[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] woman. “Good morning, Sir. How can I help you today?” She sat at her large, white, ceramic-like desk shuffling some papers around on her desk and straightening them, before returning her attention to the holo-terminal in front of her as she awaited his approach.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Casting a warm, and welcoming smile, Alden returned the receptionist’s greeting. “Good morning! I believe I have an appointment. Could you be so kind as to check for me? I received an invoice stating the start time had been changed.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“Certainly,” she said, beginning to type in a few commands at her station. “Can I get your name, please?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]The High Marshal rested his hand on the desk now, and leisurely kicked a foot out behind the other, bending the knee. “Alden,” he said. “Alden Akaran.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“Just one moment,” came her response. A few moments passed as the system loaded what could only be assumed was a calendar. However, the receptionist’s eyes seem to deviate from the monitor, locking in on his arm. Or rather, lack thereof. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Missing his right arm was something Alden was still getting used to and to deny the discomfort he felt with all the additional looks the lack of the appendage brought him, would be a complete and utter lie. His eyes fell to somewhat of a leer of unamusement toward her seeming infatuation with it. “Ma’am,” he asked in as polite a way as he could, trying to force her attention back to the current matter at hand.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“My apologies,” she said, as her face flushed with a sense of embarrassment. Her gaze turned to the screen again and quickly located his name and saw to the nature of the meeting and whom he would be meeting with. Straightening up quickly, she answered him. “Sir, your meeting with the board is in twenty minutes. Would you like to be escorted there now?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“Please, Ma’am. It would be greatly appreciated.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“Right away,” came her response as she reached to open a commlink to radio the closest security personnel. Once complete, she spoke to Alden once again. “If you would be so kind as to leave any electronic devices or weapons here it would be greatly appreciated. They will be secured and you can retrieve your personal effects upon your departure.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“Absolutely,” he said and began removing various items from his person to include the ear piece which earned a curious expression from the woman. “Just a simple commlink, ma’am.”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]As he removed the device from his ear and placed it in the container to be secured, the security attache arrived. Alden followed the men as they brought him to an elevator and then hopefully to his [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]meeting[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt].[/SIZE]

 

[Anastacia Bootes]

Anastacia leaned her back against the cold, dreary cell. A bright, illuminesant light shined over the small cell. A bed, a chair, a little metal desk, and a washroom. They had provided her with a black hair tie, at least, to keep her hair relatively out of her face. A dreary grey shirt and pants - no shoes. And man, were her feet cold.

[member="Talon Richwood"] successfully made it into the secure lab - and while he managed to kill the guards outside, the camera's still caught him. Before anyone knew, the building was on a minor lockdown. A full lockdown for one person would cost too much productivity. Guards were easily replaced anyways, and there was definitely no way he'd be able to infiltrate the lower parts where the most important scientists where.

Regrettably for him, the more senior officers of the company moved in to ambush him. About 10 - that was how many people usually were on each floor. Armed, professional, and trained to kill.

[member="Voph"] managed to be completely unseen - his stealth working perfectly. Likewise, no one would ever figure out, at least not yet - [member="Nyx N1X3"] had done an excellent job in infiltrating the shop, with trust well developed despite her limited time there.

[member="Alden Akaran"] arrived right as the board finished setting up their presentation. After all, it wasn't someone so connected to the Confederacy paid them a visit! Imagine if he managed to get them into their markets... It could be such a great deal for the both of them, wouldn't it? And so, the human Mr. Kinsington brushed his insanely expensive suit as he waited for him at the entrance - the security attache would arrive any minute with Alden.

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Nyx calmly strode down the hallways like any other day. There were subtle signs of increased activity in the facility, but evidently a complete lockdown had not yet been issued. Fortunate for them. However, she expected it would only be a matter of time should this unknown party continue disrupting site functionality or pose a direct threat to a possession of importance -- be it physical or electronic in nature.

Voph's voice had carried over the link as she'd been in motion. Obviously the man anticipated original routes and access plans being compromised as well. Then again, his resume in the Confederacy alone was quite impressive. It was not often she worked directly with one known to use the Force either. A number among the Ministry did, but they were not 'Lords' or 'Ladies' of Light or Dark powers. Not as far as any had bothered to confess openly anyway.

A brief touch on the buzzer announced her presence outside the security operation center. Her red optical units stared at the door for the longest time before someone groaned and stepped quickly to the other side of the door.

"Now isn't the best time."

When would it be a better time, Nyx wondered? "I have come to lend my services. I believe you are attempting to locate an unauthorized person or persons?"

Obvious confusion and suspicion crept into the man's voice, "How did you--?"

"Security movements. Muscular-skeletal rigidness, heightened alert in eye movement, and a lack of social niceties," the droid explain. It was all rather plain when you examined each person individually. Admittedly that was easier when you measured time in nanoseconds and had a literal photographic memory where you could replay any particular second over and over again, while simultaneously running various simulations and calculating probabilities of cause and effect.

Right. "And your services?"

"Complete audio-video surveillance review with timeline composition, quantitative analysis of prior movements, likely objectives, and predictive movements within the facility, of course." What else would she possibly be suggesting? Not hunting the intruder down, of course. She was merely a humble droid.

They had computer programs that helped with that, but there was an intruder that already made them all look foolish. Sooner they caught the jackal the better off they'd be -- or at least, they wouldn't look any worse. "Alright. Fast as you can." Wasn't that dangerous? Letting strange droids on their systems. Well, Nyx wasn't a strange droid, and he'd be watching over her shoulder making sure she didn't access anything she wasn't supposed to.

Nyx strode right on into the room and followed the man to the designated terminal. A terminal connector popped out of her wrist and slid into the port for a direct system interface. Manual input was an option, but would hardly be faster than an Organic doing the work and would defeat the entire point. In just a few seconds various screens in the room changed to show even the faintest trace of the unidentified threat -- as much for Nyx's benefit as security's. Oddly enough, the droid failed to notice any indications of Voph's movements. How peculiar.

"Their movements appear somewhat erratic, however they do appear to be searching for something..." Nyx continued to narrate as she slipped in a command here or there along with a few blocks of code. Even if they weren't distracted by what she showed them on the monitors, an Organic's eye would be hard pressed to follow everything she entered into the system. As for the audit logs well that was dreadfully easy to erase. Evidence of their having been erased wouldn't matter, and would only be of note long after today's affair. Assuming Nyx didn't get nasty.

The security cameras watching the interior of the security operations center then went dark; and the signal given.

Tag: [member="Anastacia Bootes"] | [member="Talon Richwood"] | [member="Voph"] | [member="Alden Akaran"]​

 

[Kyyrk]

OBJECTIVE: Rescue the hostage, Uncover the truth of this facility​

EQUIPMENT: Voph's Armored Robes, Ciniel and Isatha​

TAGS: [member="Nyx N1X3"] || [member="Talon Richwood"] || [member="Anastacia Bootes"] || [member="Alden Akaran"]​

​

Voph moved with the shadows, almost seeming to be of shadow himself. His movements, silent and measured spoke volumes to his years of experience. In spite of the armoring laced within his robes, Voph still moved with a grace and precision that only a small number of individuals could replicate. Pausing at the doors to check if they were locked, and manually unlocking them. When he could, he waited for a patrol to pass through the doors, so as to leave no trail for the cameras. Nyx was supposed to have dealt with them. And while Voph had every faith that she was nothing but successful, one always assumed the worst as a precaution. Or at least Voph did.

Voph didn't respond to Nyx's statement that now wasn't a good time. After all, it wasn't a good time for chit chat. Silence was perhaps the best acknowledgement in this case. Nyx would make contact when she was able. Until then, Voph stuck to the plan. Nyx would find a terminal, jack in, and start influencing the system. His target was the Security Ops Center. Get in, clear the room, and start looking for what all the fuss was about. Voph made mental note of the location of the elevators as he neared the security wing. He'd need to get down to the lower levels somehow. And that seemed to be his best option.

Voph arrived at the door to security. The next few moments could make or break this entire operation. Voph checked that his lightsabers were secured on his back, hidden by the cloak. Then, pressed against the wall, he reached over, and knocked audibly on the door. "Who's there?" Voph called out in response, ​"Maintenance Team!" The accent was starkly basic. Generic. A far cry from his usual crisp imperial accent. The ease with which he summoned a second voice also lent credence to the idea he'd done this a time or two before.

The door opened, and Voph sprang into action. He stood up, deploying the grapple cable on his right gauntlet by a foot, swinging his arm such that as the security guard opened the door, it wrapped around his neck, and landed in Voph's waiting hand, which pulled the line tight. Voph pushed his way into the room, using the guard as a shield against the other two officers, on the off chance they were quicker on the draw than Voph was. Blasters were drawn, and Voph sprang into action, reaching out with his left hand to grab the blaster out of the hands of one assailant, and launch it at the head of the other. Silent, efficient, practical.

In the same fluid motion, Voph swept the leg from under the guard held by his grapple line, bringing his left hand down to slam into the man's chest, thumping him against the floor. Voph's right arm was already moving, grapple line going slack as he whipped it around his head, and let it fly towards the man he'd just disarmed. As it wrapped around his leg, Voph pulled his arm taut, sweeping the man off his feet with a crack as his head impacted the computer bank behind him. Voph exhaled in satisfaction. Three guards disabled in record time, and with no casualties. Not bad, even for him. As the grapple line retracted, Voph looked up to the lone conscious individual in the room.

Voph knew that it was risky, leaving the guards alive. But there was already another individual in the building. Voph just had to keep his lightsabers out of sight, and anything he did could be pinned on them. Security check-in wasn't for another six minutes and fifty-four seconds by Voph's count. He stepped over to the computer bank and looked over the shoulder of [member="Nyx N1X3"] as she worked. "Alden's in position. Unless our new friend tries anything stupid we should be able to continue with the plan. Find anything worth checking out?"

 

[Luca Donskoi]

[member="Anastacia Bootes"] | [member="Nyx N1X3"] | [member="Voph"] | [member="Talon Richwood"]​

So far, so good. Everything seemed as if it were following the plan to the letter. Even with the interference of this third party that seemed to be on a mission of their own here. Whether or not their objective was the same, was yet to be seen, but if Voph’s words from earlier were any indication, they very well could have the potential to throw a huge wrench into their highly developed plan. Namely, if their sloppiness as it had been so quaintly described to him managed to trigger any kind of security lockdown.

Alden scratched at his right shoulder - where his arm had once been - and frowned slightly, as the stump served as a grueling reminder to a grave failure of his. And not just in the fact that his body had been marred by such an account, but that he’d allowed himself to fall into a darkness that was far from who it was he wanted to be. He hadn’t wanted to be possessed by pain and anger, but in that moment, it had been all he was. A rage filled husk, driven mad by frustration and self loathing. But that was something he could not allow his focus to drift to now. Not if her were to be successful in the forthcoming endeavors before this corrupt board.

It took a few minutes for the security team to escort the man of the Confederacy to an elevator that stood alone from the others - obviously constructed to cater to a select few and not the common man. And why would it? Why would the dignified and esteemed leaders of this company wish to wait upon piddling workers from below their own station to disembark at various floors, when they, themselves, had exorbitant amounts of work to accomplish? They couldn’t, and wouldn’t, be held up by the lesser man.

The lead officer of the team reached out and pressed a thumb to the scanner which, after a moment, chimed back at him with a nefarious buzz sound. An obvious indication of his authorization being revoked. He cocked an expression that mirrored his confusion for a moment then took the edge of his sleeve and wiped down the face of the biometric scanner and rubbed the surface of his thumb hard against his pant leg. Pressing it the surface of the scanner again, the security team lead was met with the same negative response, again revoking his authorization. Pausing, he scratched at his jawline and turned to his subordinate, giving him some kind of orders. Hopefully the orders were to call some sort of maintenance or retrieve someone with the proper authorization. Whatever the orders were, the subordinate security officer went directly to contacting someone on his wrist comlink.

The security lead turned his attention to Alden now, who met his gaze with sapphire orbs. “I apologize, Sir, there seems to be an issue with the elevator. A maintenance team should be along shortly to sort this out.” He gave a slight, yet respectful, bow of his head toward the Confederate as he finished.

“There is no need to apologize, Sir. But perhaps you can contact the Board for me? Inform them of my delay?” Alden words would appear to fall upon deaf ears as the captain pressed a hand to his own ear, likely receiving some kind of message from the other end.

Alas, a frown found its way onto the man’s face soon after as his attention returned to Alden. “I’m sorry, Sir, but it seems sensors have triggered a low grade security lockout. I’m sure it’s nothing and the lockdown will be lifted shortly. These things happen more often than any of us would care to admit.”

“Technology, right? Can live without it, but often seems to be a bigger hassle than it’s worth.” Alden offered in response. The High Marshal was no stranger to technological glitches and certainly not in the realm of security protocol. It didn’t seem to matter how far along the technology came, there was always something like this that made its way alongside it. “Better safe than sorry, though, I suppose.” There was a brief pause that would eclipse them before he would continue. “But really, Sir. Would please contact the board for me and inform them of my delay? It would not carry a good appearance for those I represent if my tardiness is not given its proper respect because of extenuating circumstances beyond my own control. Thank you.”

The captain simply offered a nod of his head in acknowledgement to his request. No even so much as a simple few words. Not even a smile. Nor an apology for casting a deaf ear when he’d made the oration moments before. It seemed common courtesy was absent from this man’s toolset. A pity, really, because a man in his position should be well acquainted with dealing with the public by this point in his career. But hey, perhaps the common phrase held merit here - just with a slight twist of the wording. Common sense isn’t so common was how it was normally expressed, but it seemed to ring true of courtesy too. Common courtesy isn’t so common either it seemed.

Nevertheless, the captain fiddle around with his wrist commlink for a moment, thumbing in a few commands, before ultimately relaying Alden’s message to what he only hoped was the board.

Alden closed his eyes for a moment and allowed himself to be wrapped in the power of the Force. By submerging himself to its embrace, he allowed his mind to expand and, in a way, brush against that of any other lifeform present. Only those sensitive to the Force would be able to notice. And even then, that was only if they were paying enough attention in that moment to take be aware of it. It wouldn’t be long before his subconscious would press against that of Voph’s where he would then focus his attention opening a hidden, and secure, pathway of communication between the two. <<The meeting is delayed. It seems as though some kind of sensor has triggered a low grade lockdown and even shut down the elevator network. Whether a glitch in the system or not, tread carefully. Security is likely to be at a heightened level of alert now.>> His faded soon after and his mind returned to where he stood. And he patiently waited for something to change among them so that he might be able to finally get on with his meeting with the board.

 

[Anastacia Bootes]

"Sorry, Ana."

The voice on the other side of the metal door to her cage almost had a hint of empathy in it. The small opening in the held a nutrition bar and a metal cup filled with water. Anastacia recognized his voice - he had been one of her interviewers when she first got the job.

At least he felt somewhat sorry for her. But he didn't stay for a chat - nope, he was already gone by the time she scrambled forward from the edge of the wall to get the food. And the water. How she savored it. Granted, there wasn't much of any taste in the bar. Still, it was something. And considering how hungry and thirsty she was...

Kark, she'd kill for a burger. A big, juicy, meaty burger. She decided to press herself, once more, against the metal wall. The coldness from it tingled into her skin as she sipped the water.

How could someone just leave her here? Where there others, trapped and prodded like animals? She held her breath for a brief moment - trying to process what had become of her. And what would become of her...

Luckily for the infiltrators, almost everything was going to plan - [member="Nyx"] successfully made it through security, changing codes here and there. [member="Voph"] made it into the security room. The only problem was that the board member was inside the building during a lockdown - and suddenly, the minor became a large lockdown.

A guard entered the room where the board member waited, carrying a rifle. "We need to leave, sir," he muttered as he motioned back towards the exit, which would lead to a hangar for them to leave.

"I have a meet--" The captain sent a message to him. Huh, they were stuck. "A shutdown?" He glared towards the guard before nodding. "What is the damage so far?" The guard shrugged, "A couple low level guards were killed... Probably nothing to worry about. You know how those protesters are, always trying to get in and save people." At least with the boards fingerprints and retinal scan they could bypass the lockdown.

Whether things got more intense and dangerous would depend on the next few moves made by the droid and the two sentients.

[member="Alden Akaran"] | [member="Voph"] | [member="Nyx N1X3"] | [member="Talon Richwood"]

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Nyx continued to work when Voph decided to make his entrance. The droid didn't so much as move a servo as the man had worked. Simulations showed there would not be an appreciable increase in efficiency in disabling the security personality with her intervention. Instead, she focused on the task at hand in order to accomplish the mission.

"There are a number of confidential projects currently underway not present on any public or official accounts. Various shipments in and out of the facility of a clandestine nature. Personnel movements, reassignments, and curiously timed absences," Nyx listed off as she continued to rifle through every system her code could find, exploit, and pivot from. Start small and find what amounts to a backdoor to something larger. Or, perhaps... "A Board Member's credentials." If she were organic, Nyx believed now would be when she would smile like a cat that ate the canary -- it was an expression she'd once heard. Colorful.

A moment later the droid's cranial unit pivoted a few degrees to one side. "It appears personnel are able to trigger a full lockdown from a remote location. The acquired security codes may have limited or no access throughout the facility. According to documentation, a Board Member's fingerprints and retinal scan is accepted at all locations even during a lockdown."

The computer spike unlocked and withdrew into Nyx's chassis once more. As Nyx stood she turned to face Voph. "Are you aware that unless an Enterprise is prepared to cease any and all functionality that even the most stringent of computer defenses allow certain connectivity to occur? Often seemingly benign traffic such as power distribution and utilization. In this case, I believe through correlating the data I have located at least one Person of Interest currently held many floors below. I also have reason to believe through physical security access logs one of the Board is presently on the same level. Therefore," in case Voph was getting impatient with the underlying facts of her proposition, "I recommend we use the disabled elevator shaft to descend to the appropriate level, break in, and then use the Board Member's biometric data to exfiltrate said Asset. Do you concur?" Nyx might have also tossed in some of that information just to demonstrate the usefulness of her being a part of the mission. Not that Voph seemed to behave as some in the Confederacy did toward droid counterparts.

Tag: [member="Voph"] | [member="Alden Akaran"] | [member="Talon Richwood"] | [member="Anastacia Bootes"]​

 

[Talon Aegis]

Walking down the hallway he was getting bored there was nothing except the occasional guard, most cells were people in pain. Looking around a corners guard had his back turned and Talon waited for him to pass the other corner. Right on schedule. Walking back, she wasn’t on this floor. Going up the stairs he thought about what was so important about this girl, this wasn’t going to be an easy job, but he suspected he was spotted already, not by the guards though.

Walking up the stairs he got onto the next level, laughing to himself he wondered if the guards had set up an ambush. No they weren’t that smart in his opinion, they would probably rush him and try to kill him that way. It would be a pitiful effort for they would fall like the rest. On this floor he had a good feeling he would find her, so he moved quickly down the hall.

[member="Nyx N1X3"] [member="Anastacia Bootes"] [member="Alden Akaran"] [member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

OBJECTIVE: Rescue the hostage, Uncover the truth of this facility​

EQUIPMENT: Voph's Armored Robes, Ciniel and Isatha​

TAGS: [member="Nyx N1X3"] || [member="Talon Richwood"] || [member="Anastacia Bootes"] || [member="Alden Akaran"]​

​

Voph's brow furrowed as Nyx began relaying information and he began processing. Person of Interest. Held? Voph frowned slightly at Nyx's choice of words, but he didn't question it. Droids were always very specific in how they said things. Voph never liked working with droids. And he guessed he never would. War after war, battle after battle, there was one lesson that Voph had learned from all of it. One lesson that made him stand out among the Confederacy: Never use Droid soldiers. Efficient? Yes. Accurate? Deadly. Instinct? Non-existent. And there was something about instinct, or as some individuals called it, the gut feeling that Voph found irreplaceable. It was no secret either. Voph's own fleet, the Octarchy Covenant, were comprised entirely of organics, an extreme rarity in the Confederacy.

But, in spite of all this, Voph nodded. He disliked working with them. But that didn't diminish how far better they were at some tasks than organics. And this was one of those times. Voph tapped the datapad built into his gauntlet. "Get me a copy of those credentials, I'll worry about biometrics. Get records of these ghost shipments, anything you think Alden might be able to use as leverage against them. We need to be prepared to shut this place down and the three of us aren't going to accomplish that. Not in a meaningful way."

Voph checked his gear, and unhooked his grapple dispenser from his gauntlet, attaching it to his belt instead. More secure for descents. He looked back up at Nyx and nodded. "In the meantime, do what you need to do to maintain cover. I'll make contact when I've got the...prisoner." Voph turned to leave, and paused in the doorway, looking over his shoulder. "Keep me updated if you find anything else I'll need to know about while I'm down there. If things get hairy, get Alden out. I can take care of myself."

Voph left the Security Office and strode over to the elevator shaft. Lockdown, just as the droid said. Voph grunted with effort as he pried the doors open into the shaft. When the door was open enough for him to get through, Voph tossed his grapple hook at an exposed pipe, and gave the line a test. It held. So he jumped down, and began his descent to the indicated floor. It was easy enough to get himself down there. But getting someone else up? Presumably while being shot at? His brow furrowed again as he looked down at the movement below him. "Nyx, that merc's here. Chance I'm going to encounter him is...likely. Chance he's going to trip the alarms is even more likely. If you can do anything to suppress them, do it."

Voph came to rest at the appropriate floor, and swung over to the door, gripping tight on the twin slabs of metal and pulling them apart. He disconnected from his grapple line, but left it secured in the shaft as a quick way up. Just in case. He turned to scan the halls around him, and pulled the hood of his robes up over his head. He wasn't bothering to hide his presence now. It would get loud soon enough anyways. Big ventures like this didn't like it when secrets were stolen. Particularly secrets that could talk. He figured that as soon as the door to the prisoner's cell opened, it was only a matter of time before security descended upon them in a swarm...