Shadows fell unkindly across the face of Ethyn Lieu. Sockets containing burnt out eyes still smouldered, giving what small amount of light fell through the room a shifting, uneasy shape.
Indra stepped back from the desk, her breathing steady as she clipped the hidden hilt of her lightsaber back onto her belt. The smell of ozone and scorched flesh hung heavy in the air, a stark contrast to the expensive cologne Ethyn had been wearing just moments prior.
Seduction had been almost too easy. He had never suspected that the woman in his arms was preparing his death until the crimson blade erupted through the back of his skull.
Turning her back on the corpse, Indra focused on the terminal built into the obsidian desk. She plugged a data spike into the mainframe, bypassing the security locks using the clearance codes she had subtly teased from Ethyn earlier in the evening. The screen flared to life, casting a cold, blue light across her sharp features as she began downloading the stolen shipping logs. Progress bars ticked upward in the silence. Once the transfer was complete, she triggered a virus to melt the console's internal circuitry, leaving no trace of her theft.
She glided out of the penthouse and up the service stairwell, pulling on her dark robes that whispered against the concrete. Pushing through the heavy access doors, she stepped out into the biting night air of the roof. The sprawling city stretched out below her like a creature with neon veins. Indra pulled up her hood and tapped her comlink, sending a silent recall command to her shuttle.
Right on cue, a sleek stealth shuttle slipped through the low-hanging clouds, guided entirely by autopilot. The thrusters whined softly as it hovered over the landing pad, lowering its boarding ramp.
