Private Black Medicine <Code-Zero>

[Kivah]

Etti IV
District VII

Curls of exotic smoke twirled through the small pub, laying hazy traces through air that had hosted their kind thousands of times before according to the deep musk of the place. The seats were covered with a dark green synth leather upholstery and quasiwood paneling lined the walls. Faded pictures of old customers or famous people that had supposedly drank there hung in their frames to complete the décor. Kivah leaned back in a chair holding a cool glass to her bruised cheek. A shiner she'd earned during a cage match last night, winning had been proof to the promoter to vouch for her to be here now. Across from her and someone she'd met for the first time at a warehouse party, sat a dark-haired man in a business suit that wasn't out of place from what the Cathar had seen of the people around here. One of any thousand humans if it weren't for the blue glow of his cybernetic eyes.

"The task is a simple one," He enunciated in a clipped core-world accent. "Early tomorrow morning a routine VeriHealth transfer from Etti Five will be setting down in Mondder Spaceport. From the transport it will be loaded onto a hover truck with a two speeder escort and moved to their warehouse in subsection two-thirty five of District Two. You can hit them in space or on the streets, but my client would prefer to avoid the publicity of an attack on the spaceport or their secure warehouse." He activated and then slid a datapad showing the supposed route over between them. Tapping it changed the image to a series of hardened transport vials. "Five hundred vials per crate, fifty credits a vial. No negotiation, no up-front fee." Kivah's promoter had warned her not to mess with this guy, but he'd also said this was a 'feeder job' like an interview of sorts. Pass the test and better would be coming her way. Even if it didn't, a single one of those crates was more than she was scrounging a month.

She looked over the pad again, looking at the suspected routes and the weight of the cargo before meeting those blue eyes with her green. "Yeah, I'm in." The two of them turned to look at her supposed partner, waiting for their reply.

 

[Das]

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//: Tags: Kivah | OPEN
//: District VI, ETTI IV...

​

Das' eyes widened slightly when the fixer spelled out just how much the crates would go for. And this was the feeder job? Hell yeah, she was in. Kivah was first to the punch, which was fitting for the bruised-up Cathar. Das agreed with her own "I'm in," taking just a moment to review the details of the shuttle's flightpath before sliding the datapad back. Without much more to say, the fixer stood and left just as stoically as he entered, leaving Das and Kivah there to think over the job.

"This is... kinda big," Das said in a low voice. She was honestly impressed with how many credits were riding on this. And a physical break-in? Most of these entry-level casting gigs were data heists. Corporate espionage committed from the comfort of her flat. It made her a bit skeptical, but she trusted Kivah and Kivah obviously trusted her promoter to find promising work.

When the waitress droid rolled back their way, Das raised two fingers to flag her down.

"A stimcaf to go," the girl said. There was lots to discuss, but the middle of a pub wasn't the place to hash out the details of a drug heist. Das knew of a few safe places to go and brush up on the mission. She looked to Kivah with a raised eyebrow.

"Want anything?"

 

[Alicia Drey]

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Tags: Kivah Das

Etti IV
District VII

It's wet. Dark, and wet. The kind of weather that penetrates. Makes your skin feel itchy and oily. Dirty, kind of, but real too. That's good. Information is my commodity, and I am it's broker. If I have a soul left then this dystopia is what speaks too it. I traverse a black ink canvas on which the Galaxy is drawn, and as I weave myself into the tapestry of the Sith'ari I follow in his seminal efforts to fulfil the promise.

A pair of binoculars found themselves held between two gloved hands. It was situated beneath cowl of a robe, the hem of which was doing little to stop the pouring rain that assault it and it's wielder. A transport containing the goods passed by and Alicia trained the binoculars in on the ship. For the rest few hours she had been standing there with the only company of her thoughts, and the BCA which hung from her palm. As she scoped in on the ships designation number, and compared it to the code that she had been given prior hand, the holographic hue which surrounded the binoculars fizzled in static.

Word on the street was a heist in play. Their target was VeriHealth - whoever they were. For Alicia it didn't matter the target nor did she have much interest in it's cargo. She was a rich, powerful, influential. If she wanted to get her hands on products then she had the money to back it. What mattered to Alicia wasn't the why, or the what, nor the how. It was the who which interested her. From Obulette to Lianna to Carlac and Ord Cantrell Alicia was gathering information. Intelligence of which could be useful to a multitude of designs, and plans- some in play in the furthest reaches of Empires and Alliances- to Etti IV where this reasonably small time heist had become an interest to a Sith Lord who was building something in the shadows set to influence, and perhaps, topple the powers that be across the Galaxy.

Alicia deactivated the BCA and the holographic binoculars that she had been using dissipated from sight. Turning her way from the ledge that she had been standing on the Phantom Menace made her way closer to the VeriHealth transport that had just landed.

 

[Kivah]

Tags: Das Alicia Drey

Etti IV,
District VII

"Yeah, the same." Kivah answered Das while setting the glass of ice aside. The Cathar was in no real rush, the two still had to gear up, or at least kivah did as she hadn't wanted to wear armor and multiple guns to a meeting, and the fixer had specified the truck they wanted would be a few hours yet. "So do you have a ship I don't know about or is the truck our only real option?" She asked figuring she already knew the answer as she pulled the pad back over to start looking over the route in depth. There had to be a good spot to wait it out away from the espo and their patrols but far enough out from the warehouse to give them time to stop a speeding truck.

Really she should have asked if Das had her own speeder, she'd be able to squeeze in on Kivah's bobber, but she figured her bike could only hold two, maybe three crates. The truck was kinked for sure, even if they could bypass its codes, it was for sure being tracked. Maybe she could find a backpack, or better yet, the storage bag she kept her armor in. She could cram a few hundred loose vials in there if given enough time. Shifting in her seat, she looked at Das, eagerness plain on her face. "You excited about this? I'm excited about this."

 

[Das]

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//: Tags: Alicia Drey | Kivah
//: District VI, ETTI IV...

​

“I’ve got a speeder,” Das offered with a grin. It was her pride and joy, that thing. When she fled Denon last year, she had no choice but to abandon her prized Hex Fathier GT racer. It won her dozens of street races in the Seven Corners, but it couldn’t stowaway with her to Etti IV.

She missed it, but her new ride - the Aratech Phantom GT - made Hex’s speeder look like a chump. It also conveniently had enough storage space to hold a good chunk of the haul from the VeriHealth truck.

“It’s fast, it’s roomy, and,” she said with both thumbs pointed to her chest, “you’ve got Denon’s former street racing champ to pilot it.”

Das giggled, making finger guns to drive home her point. She knew Kivah was good in a fist fight. Probably with a blaster, too. Pair that with her own driving skills and they were golden. A moment later, their cafs arrived. Das took hers gingerly and breathed in the aroma that drifted from the little hole in the lid.

“It’s not a Corellian Star Chaser,” she mused with a wink. “But it’ll get us over.”

She took a sip, savoring the bitter earthiness that the megacorps tried so hard to emulate. It wasn’t often you find a place that still brews non-synthetic coffee. Her eyes turned to Kivah then, and she nodded.

“I’m beyond excited. Been a little bit since I got my blood pumping! And there’s credits to boot? I wouldn’t miss out on this for anything!”

 

[Kivah]

Etti IV,
District VII
Tags: Das Alicia Drey

She breathed in the scent of the caf and took a sip of the hot liquid, letting it flood over her tongue before swallowing it down. The fact that it was real and not some soy mix wasn't lost on her and she took a moment to enjoy it. "Nah, but taking one of those before waiting would suck." She agreed about the Star Chaser. "And the credits are great, especially with a two-way!" She was smiling now as she tipped back some more of the warm drink, glad to have it before heading out into the rain again.

Standing from the table, she pulled on the dark rain slicker that had lain tossed over the back of her chair. "I figure we take both. Riding in this rain isn't going to be any fun, but I can get two, maybe three, crates strapped to its rack. Plus we can come at the truck from two sides and split up if necessary." Mindful of the bar only being mostly empty, she spoke in quick, hushed tones that wouldn't carry. "Just need to run by the stash and grab it and my gear. Meet you up...." She looked over the pad again. "Five before the shuttle lands here?" Her finger tapped a side street along the truck's route along where she figured would be a good stretch of road to ambush it from.

 

[Alicia Drey]

Tags: Kivah Das

Rain assaulted the hooded Sith as she navigated her way through the streets of Etti IV. Secrecy was her weapon here, so she had elected to bring no weapons, and her identification would be crystal. That is if the Secrecy Intelligence Agency in the Galactic Alliance hadn't secured a warrant for her arrest this far out in the Outer Rim Territories. Eventually, with the degree of inevitability, someone would be sent into the Corporate Sector to find her. You simply did not escape from a maximum security ward on Coruscant and remain unwanted. The days between then and now were simply preparation for the Jedi or some other spook sent to deal with her.

As she walked Alicia passed by the homeless. Castor Crane had been right. The Corporate Sector had seen better times. On Lianna it was illegal to be homeless in the ecumenopolis. Of course, that didn't outright solve the problem. It just meant that the homeless went underground and out of the sight of the Empire, where there were no Stormtroopers to arrest and bring them into Stygeon Prime. That didn't stop the NISB being aware of them, however. Such as the extent of the intelligence apparatus that Alicia had oversighted as Staff Director that there was rarely anything happening in the Empire of the Lost that she was unaware of, and of course, being the person behind the creation of the systems in use Alicia knew how to avoid being followed, or listened into.

She wondered if Crane and his board of executives had similar systems in place. It would warrant further conversation when they next met.

With the Mondder Spaceport looming ahead Alicia continued her brisk walk through the streets and slums of Etti IV's District Two while two vagabonds conspired to rob the hover track that was now being loaded with the precious cargo they had desires to rob.

 

[Das]

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//: Tags: Alicia Drey | Kivah
//: District VI, ETTI IV...

​

Das wasted precious little time finishing her stimcaf and warming her bones before she too was heading into the cold rains that showered Mondder’s streets. It always amazed her how chilling the ecumenopolis could feel despite the warm glow of neon signs and speeder traffic constantly shining down. Perhaps that was the subtle, inescapable price of stripping a planet of its natural resources and paving it from one pole to the other. Regardless of philosophical dilemmas, Das had a job to prep for.

Her Phantom was parked only a few blocks away in an alley that was comfortably distanced from the public eye. Inside was her trusty sidearm - an X-8 Night Sniper - and few other pieces of tech she’d need to crack the payload: a slicer equipped with custom software, a pair of EMP grenades, an an old stun baton she lifted on Denon during her escape. When those were accounted for, she slid a finger across her holopad and sent Kivah an IM: ‘Ready 2 go, b there in 5.’

The Phantom was an impressive enough low-orbit craft on its own, but with Das’ array of modifications and upgrades, the thing might as well have a hyperdrive just for chits and giggles. Rain pattered against its sleek black exterior before being swept away by the windshield wipers. Das gave her systems a final look then pushed the accelerator, setting off into the stormy night sky. The airlanes were surprisingly quiet tonight, but she chose to take that as a sign rather than an omen. She zipped through the lanes, passing the occasional car on her way to the rendezvous.

“Won’t be long now,” the teen commented as she closed in. Streaks of neon-purple light dragged through the air behind her as the Phantom cut through the darkness. She decided to taise Kivah over comms as she drew nearer.

“Two minutes out,” she said into the secure channel. “You ready for this?”

 

[Kivah]

Etti IV,
Moving to Truck Route
Tags: Das Alicia Drey

Back in her 'stash' which was really just a small room she rented as cheaply as possible with the looks to prove it. Kivah was quick to pull her armor from its bag and pull on the baggy dark blue under-suit before strapping on the rust red torso and arm guards, protective boots and gloves. Das's message arrived as she was seating her goggles over her head. 'Maybe ten myself.' She typed back out before turning to her small collection of guns. She had four to choose from, even if two were the same Z-14's. She really wanted to bring those and her heavy repeater but she wasn't going out to start a war and the heavy gun would likely prompt a heavier response while drawing more eyes to the heist. Instead she clipped on her only pistol that had a stun setting and one of the auto blasters in its shoulder rig along with plenty of extra power packs.

She pulled her rain slicker back on as she headed back out the door. The persistent rain had been bad enough before racing through it on the open speeder bike. At least her goggles and helmet would keep it out of her eyes. They along with the facemask of the armor would have to do to protect her identity.

The engine roared to life with the second kick of the starter and she was off. Racing to the rendezvous over the rooftops as Das's second message came in over the comms. "Be there soon." She replied, trusting the hacker to have used their encryption but still glad the human was being non-specific or saying weird stuff over the radio. Hunching behind the scant protection of the bike's theadian windscreen in the hope it'd protect her from the near horizonal appearing rain, Kivah pushed the accelerator further, only letting off and dropping to a more reasonable speed and alighting to the roads when she was a few kilometers out from the meet spot. It wouldn't do to roar into position like a maniac and then expect to have not drawn attention.

Spotting Das's slick airspeeder already waiting for her, she pulled up alongside it and rapped a knuckle on the side window. "Excuse me mam? This is a no parking zone."

 

[Das]

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//: Tags: Alicia Drey | Kivah
//: District VI, ETTI IV...

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“If I stay, you’ll have to cuff me!” Das teased with a wink. She turned down her tunes but still had to speak loudly to get any sound out over the noise of the city, the rain, and the hum of their engines.

Despite it, she kept the next part of their exchange face-to-face out of caution. Das had no reason to think her speeder was bugged, but she’d seen crazier chit catch a shadowrunner with their pants down. ‘Better safe than sorry’, she could hear her dad say.

“It’s almost showtime; wanna go over the plan again?” she asked eagerly. Only a couple of minutes and one tough lock stood between them and a massive payday. Even the portion Das had already committed to Code Zero as a ‘gift’ would leave her with a huge chunk of cash.

The first thing she wanted to buy was a new accelerator for her Phantom. Then, a nice steak dinner for her and Kivah; and not one of those synth-meat mystery slabs either, she was springing for the real deal. Third? The strongest sleeping chem she could find.

She wanted a solid 24 standards of catatonic rest after the last few months of running.

 

[Kivah]

Etti IV,
In Ambush Position
Tags: Das Alicia Drey

"Mmm, don't tempt me," She teased back in a purr despite the rain. Then they got serious. She didn't know of Das's plans for her cut, and it didn't matter much right now either, even as dreams of her own ship filled the back of her mind with a permanent place to call her's.

Plans, right. "Should be simple, I get on the truck and stun the driver before forcing it to a stop. If there aren't controls to open the cargo you slice the lock, then we load up as much as we can and we hightail to to the drop-off. Try to do it all in under three minutes from when I jump on incase the driver hits the panic button."

Climbing into Das's speeder was tempting, but she wanted to stay on the bike incase the truck was early. Besides it was easier to stay in the rain with the warmth of the engine was keeping her legs warm and sending heat up her slicker than the thought of leaving the warm air car for the cold rain was. Instead she hung with her head half in the window to hear Das talk as they waited.