Private Dead Drop

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Odessen

Equipment:
Vanguard Robes | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm | Tic

/// ENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION ///
FROM: Acier Moonbound
TO: Kinley Pryse
ENCRYPTION: AES-512 // ONE-TIME KEY // AUTO-PURGE

Pryse,

I'm out. Not legally.

Need your help moving some cargo. Quiet job. No credits, but I'm cashing in that favor.

Meet me at the attached coordinates on Odessen.

Bring a freighter with enough room for multiple containers.

I'll explain the rest when you get here.

-- Ace
/// END TRANSMISSION ///

Odessen was quieter than Ace remembered. Wind rolled through endless forests, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine across weathered stone. Ancient roads had long since surrendered to the wilderness, their fractured surfaces disappearing beneath moss and creeping undergrowth. Here and there, broken towers and forgotten fortifications emerged from the trees before vanishing again, little more than ghosts swallowed by time.

Ace waited beside the weathered remains of what had once been a small landing platform. It was isolated enough to avoid unwanted attention while still offering an easy approach from orbit, a convenient place to meet before disappearing into the forests beyond.

Standing motionless at the edge of the landing pad, Ace let his gaze wander across the forest canopy stretching toward the horizon. A lot had changed since he'd last set foot on Odessen. The Hidden Path, as far as he knew, was gone. Meanwhile, the Vanguard was only beginning and progress was coming along quietly. A safehouse secured and supplies gathered a crate at a time.

The Hidden Path hadn't kept everything beneath its main outpost. Supply depots had been scattered across Odessen, hidden away in case they were ever needed. When discussions turned toward what the Vanguard would need to survive, Ace had proposed searching for whatever remnants might still exist. Assuming scavengers hadn't already stripped them clean, even a single forgotten depot could spare months of building.

Buried among fragmented records and forgotten logistics manifests lay the coordinates to one such cache. Whether anything remained there... was another matter entirely. Retrieving it alone would've been manageable, but moving it without attracting attention wouldn't. Which was why he'd called Kinley.

Lorn had understood the necessity of the mission. He'd also understood the risk. The dark side still lingered. Every day without it demanded conscious effort, and every time Ace reached for the Force, there remained the possibility of hearing old whispers answer in return.

Even so, the Vanguard couldn't afford to leave capable people idle while waiting for certainty that might never come. So Lorn had trusted him enough to let him carry this one alone. Ace intended to justify that faith.

His eyes lifted toward the overcast sky, waiting for the first sign of an approaching ship.​

 

[Kinley Pryse]

You've been hit by... you've been struck by...

If Kinley Pryse is in town, somebody's about to have a very expensive day.​

Kinley never answered the transmission. She rarely answered anybody who sent one. If somebody knew her well enough to call in a favor, they knew silence was the closest thing she'd ever give to an RSVP.

The sky rumbled. At first it was only a distant growl beyond the clouds. Then a streak of polished durasteel cut through the gray, engines flaring blue as the Canto's Belle descended with the lazy confidence of a ship that had survived far too many things to worry about a little atmosphere.

Repulsors hissed as the Belle settled onto the forgotten platform exactly where Ace had asked, kicking leaves and pine needles into a swirling halo around her landing struts. The engines wound down with a satisfied whine.

The boarding ramp lowered with a hydraulic sigh as boots hit metal.

Kinley Pryse came down the ramp one unhurried step at a time, thumbs hooked in her gun belt, duster shifting in the breeze. Her battered cowboy hat sat low enough to shade her eyes, and a toothpick rolled lazily from one corner of her mouth to the other.

She gave the forest a slow look and then her eyes settled on Ace. She stopped a few paces away, cocking one boot against a cracked section of duracrete. A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth then widened into something dangerous.

"Well, look who's still breathin'."

The corner of Kinley's mouth fully curled into a crooked grin. She looked utterly unbothered by the fact that she'd just landed in the middle of what had once been one of the galaxy's best secret sanctuaries for heroes. Then again, sanctuaries never bothered Kinley Pryse. As far as she was concerned, the most dangerous thing on this forgotten landing pad had just walked down the Canto's Belle's ramp.

She tipped the brim of her hat toward Ace.

"So... where we headed, darlin'?"

Acier Moonbound​

A Smooth Criminal

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Odessen

Equipment:
Vanguard Robes | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm | Tic

The distant rumble reached him before the ship did. Perched atop a weathered section of the landing platform, Tic gave an inquisitive trill, photoreceptors lifting toward the overcast sky a heartbeat before Ace's gaze followed.

Ace's gaze lifted from the valley, following the sound as it cut through the low cloud cover. A freighter emerged from the gray, descending with practiced ease before settling onto the landing platform. Leaves and pine needles danced across the stone beneath the wash of its repulsors as the engines gradually fell silent.

He watched the boarding ramp lower, then quietly folded his arms across his chest as Kinley Pryse made her unhurried descent. Beside him, Tic emitted a series of cheerful whistles, rocking lightly on his feet as if greeting the arriving ship himself.

A faint smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth. "Been a while, huh?"

The tip of her hat earned a small nod in return. She wasted little time getting to the point. Ace's smile lingered for only a moment before fading back into its usual calm. One of the things he'd always appreciated about Kinley was that she never buried a conversation beneath meaningless pleasantries. If there was work to do, she preferred getting on with it.

He jerked his head toward the forests stretching beyond the landing pad before turning to lead the way. Boots crunched softly over weathered stone before giving way to damp earth beneath the towering pines.

"There's an abandoned outpost nearby. Group I used to run with operated out of it when the Empire controlled the Core." His voice remained even. "They're gone now, but I have a hunch they left something behind."

The forest swallowed them quickly. Branches swayed overhead as shafts of muted daylight filtered through the canopy, painting shifting patterns across the narrow trail. Somewhere deeper within the trees, unseen wildlife called to one another before falling silent once more. He wasn't in any hurry to fill the quiet.

The outpost wasn't far. Ten minutes on foot at most. Tic remained a few paces ahead, quietly scanning the path as they continued on.

Ace eventually broke the silence. "...How's your dad?"

Kinley Pryse ​

 

[Kinley Pryse]

You've been hit by... you've been struck by...

Kinley Pryse could steal the bolts off a blast door and convince you it opened better afterward​

Kinley answered the question the same way she answered most things.

With silence.

Her boots crunched softly over damp needles as she moved between the pines, one gloved hand lazily hooked through her belt near the worn grip of her blaster. The forest was quiet save for the wind stirring through the branches and the occasional chirp from Tic somewhere ahead. She seemed perfectly content to let the silence stretch.

It wasn't that she hadn't heard him. She had. She just didn't know what to do with it.

People asked Kinley Pryse for jobs. They asked for favors. They asked how she'd pulled off impossible heists, how she'd escaped disastrous odds, how much she'd charge. They asked if the stories were true.

Nobody asked about her.

That was the price of staying alive.

People knew the swagger. The crooked grin. The toothpick. The woman who walked into impossible situations as if she'd already survived them. They knew the reputation she'd spent years carefully building.

They didn't know Kinley, and she'd worked damn hard to keep it that way.

Somewhere along the way, though, Acier had slipped through the cracks. She couldn't say when it happened. Kinley had a soft spot for him that she hated. Maybe it was the fact he helped her dad. Maybe it was the simple fact he'd never asked her to be anything other than herself.

Whatever the reason, he'd become the closest thing she had to someone she trusted in this galaxy, and that was dangerous.

Connections like that got people killed. Black Sun had taught her that lesson long before she'd ever learned to shoot. She probably should've put a bolt through the kid the first second she'd laid eyes on him.

The thought tugged a faint smirk onto her lips. It faded just as quickly.

She slowed almost imperceptibly.

"...Fine."

The word came out rough, like she'd had to dig for it. Her eyes stayed on the trail ahead. Another few steps passed before she spoke again, quieter this time.

"...Thanks."

The word sounded foreign in her mouth. She cleared her throat, almost annoyed with herself. She never looked at him.

For Kinley Pryse, that was about as close to a heartfelt conversation as anyone was ever likely to get.




Acier Moonbound

A Smooth Criminal

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Odessen

Equipment:
Vanguard Robes | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm | Tic

Ace noticed the silence almost immediately. His eyes stayed fixed on the trail ahead, following the occasional flash of white as Tic bounded several meters in front of them. If Kinley didn't want to talk about it, that was her business. He wasn't going to force the issue, so he simply carried on walking.

After a while, Kinley's voice finally broke the quiet. Ace didn't look back. A few more measured steps carried them along the trail before she quietly added a "thanks".

"No problem." That was enough.

Gradually, the dense woodland began to thin until the trees opened into a broad clearing. Across the open ground, built directly into the surrounding cliffs, the Hidden Alliance outpost came into view.

Even from this distance, it dominated the landscape. A vast circular command structure sat atop the rocky escarpment, its smooth durasteel exterior protruding from the cliff face as though the mountain itself had been carved around it. Beneath the main complex, reinforced hangar bays and massive blast doors disappeared deep into the stone, while two defensive towers flanked the entrance from elevated platforms overlooking the valley below.

It was still a fair distance away, sitting just beyond the far edge of the clearing where Ace and Kinley now stood.

"That's the place." He said quietly. "Was an underground network of rebels, soldiers, Jedi... and a kriff ton more."

His gaze lingered on the old base for another moment before he closed his eyes. The Force flowed outward in invisible threads, stretching through the surrounding forest, across stone, abandoned machinery, and empty corridors. Familiar currents brushed against his awareness as his senses expanded further and further.

Then the darkness found him. A cold whisper at the edge of his consciousness. Patient. Tempting. Promising strength if he would simply stop resisting. His jaw tightened and for a heartbeat, he acknowledged it.

Then he deliberately turned away. The effort wasn't effortless, every time he rejected it felt like forcing himself to walk away from an instinct his body still remembered. Slowly, the whisper faded back into the background as he continued searching elsewhere.

A few moments later, his eyes opened.

"I can sense others nearby." His attention remained fixed on the distant outpost. "...Looters maybe."

He lowered his gaze toward the little BD unit waiting expectantly near the edge of the clearing.

"Tic."

The droid looked up immediately with an inquisitive chirp.

"Can you scout it out? Try not to get caught."

Tic answered with an enthusiastic string of beeps before darting into the undergrowth, disappearing between the trees with surprising speed for something so small.

Ace watched the little droid vanish into the forest before turning his attention back toward the distant base. With nothing else to do until Tic returned, he wandered over to the nearest tree and leaned against its rough bark. Folding his arms across his chest, he settled into an easy, patient stance without another word.

Kinley Pryse​

 

[Kinley Pryse]

You've been hit by... you've been struck by...

Kinley Pryse is totally committed to disturbing the peace​

"I can sense others nearby." His attention remained fixed on the distant outpost. "...Looters maybe."

Kinley flashed a crooked grin around the toothpick resting between her teeth. "Isn't that what we are?"

She didn't sound the least bit bothered by the idea. Truth be told, she wasn't. After you'd robbed an orphanage or two, stripping an abandoned outpost barely registered on the conscience.

They watched the little droid bounce off into the distance until silence settled between them. Normally, Kinley didn't mind silence. Hell, she preferred it. But this silence felt different. A small, unwelcome part of her insisted she should ask about his life, the way he'd asked about hers. It was the polite thing to do.

Politeness got people killed.

She'd learned a long time ago to cut those instincts out before they had the chance to take root. Curiosity led to attachment. Attachment led to hesitation. Hesitation got you dead. Even the Jedi knew that.

She hated that the thought had crossed her mind at all. Just when she had decided to ignore it completely, she found herself talking. "You look like hell, kid." It wasn't a dig, the way it might have been with someone else, but it also didn't sound detached enough for her liking.


Acier Moonbound

A Smooth Criminal