Private Devil in the Details

[Aldric Laurent]

Coruscant - Outside of SIA Headquarters
Silas Westgard​

Aldric's operations alongside Valery had made good progress on exposing criminal elements posing a threat to the Alliance. Together they and dismantled a powerful Dark Jedi's syndicate, and with it, a number of illegal enterprises. But the work never ended, especially when dealing with the galaxy's underbelly. There was always a new criminal, ready to fill in the power vacuum. Hence why Aldric was less than surprised to hear than the SIA had a new lead; A black market ring, active in Alliance space, and in need of dismantling.

Valery had enough of her plate being Sword of the Jedi, not to mention recovering from their last venture. Aldric hadn't walked away scot-free either, but he was able to recover much quicker. So when the call came, he was content to go it alone. That is, until he learned that one of Valery's own padawans had some familiarity with the very network they were up against. Normally, bringing a teenager to an undercover operation was, to put it mildly, unwise. But Silas was a Jedi, and given his unique circumstances, could be trusted as well as prove useful.

Silas and Aldric had yet to properly break the ice, something that was not lost on him, but he trusted they could both get past that for the sake of the job. If anything, perhaps this would be a good opportunity to make some progress on that front. He hoped so, at least. These thoughts and more wandered through the agent's mind, as he awaited for the padawan's transport to drop him off at the edge of the SIA campus. Then, they could begin.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Listen to Aldric
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Silas had been expecting an assignment by Valery Noble any day this week, but when it finally came he wasn't expecting it to be anything like this. Today he was going on an undercover mission for the first time with Aldric, a man who Valery had been seeing some time after Kahlil died. To say the least, he was still skeptical of the agent. Silas didn't have any dislike against him, it was just the fact he was being quite protective of his master. Especially after the things she had gone through recently.

The reason he had been selected for such a mission was due to his knowledge of the Coruscant underground scene. For a few years, he had been coming in and out of it almost every week. He normally helped transport items, help make deals and be a message to some of the higher crimelords within. As time went on, he actually made a few contacts and "friends" along the way. However, he was unsure if they'd still see him the same way after going off the radar for a long time.

He'd just have to wait and see until the time came

The ship's hull rattled as the shuttle slowly came to a halt on one of the landing pads within the SIA headquarters. Soon after, the ramp began to lower to the floor to reveal a casually clothed Silas who had been told to dress the part rather than an active Jedi. It was a nice change, but he didn't want to think about that right now. Silas rolled up his sleeves and approached Aldric in a calm, yet serious manner. His light blue eyes looked up to his when he came to a halt, placing his hands naturally behind his back to listen to the man.

"Sir..." he said to Aldric with a light nod, looking to keep things professional "It appears I've been assigned to help you with a few things on Coruscant, a place of which I knew well for the wrong reasons..." he said with a sigh, keeping his glare locked on him "I presume a plan is already in place?"
​

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric watched patiently as the shuttle touched down, revealing the frame of a familiar young padawan. As asked, he dressed inconspicuously, and seemed ready to go, "Aldric is fine," He nodded, "And yes. I think your knowledge is going to come in handy for this op. Good to have you on board Silas."

With the olive branch offered, he turned around and waved an arm for him to follow, "Ever been in the SIA Headquarters before? If not, now's your chance," Aldric glanced back briefly, anticipating some sort of reaction. Kids liked cool gadgets, right? He walked inside, and after a brief check at security for clearance, led the padawan to a turbolift.

"Before we get into the plan itself, I was hoping you could tell me how it is you came to be involved with this scene… If it's not a bother, that is," He added assuringly, not trying to interrogate Silas or put any pressure on him.

Silas Westgard​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Listen to Aldric
Tag: Aldric Laurent

​

"And yes. I think your knowledge is going to come in handy for this op. Good to have you on board Silas."

"Uh... thank you, Aldric. I'll be happy to help wherever I can," he said with a brief nod of his head. Silas was quite fascinated to see what happened during undercover missions, and the fact he knew the thing at hand somewhat made whatever nerves disappear. At least he knew what he was getting into before it even happened.

Walking towards the turbo lift, Silas couldn't help but look around in curiosity at what the SIA headquarters had to offer. For a while, he had been wondering what kind of things happened in here, and now he was getting a tour of the building first hand "I haven't, but I always think about what happens in a place like this" he said as they stepped in and began going up towards their intended location. He was quite impressed so far, but compared to other kids his age, he was still very calm and composed.

Silas looked over to Aldric and frowned slightly at his question. However, after some hesitation, he finally opened up "At the age of thirteen I was forced into their way of life after a large gang killed my parents on Azbrian. I'll probably never know why they did what they did, but sometimes my father got into things that were way above his weight" he said, his eyes looking away from Aldric to look at the floor with a stone cold expression "Instead of killing me too, they saw the potential of using a force sensitive in their business and kept me as a slave. From the start, they made sure I never dared tried to leave or mess up. Like all the others, I was fitted with an explosive collar around my neck to keep me grounded and seen at all times"

The collar itself was a nightmare, it almost felt like he was getting choked at all times. The only time it was off was when he was back in his cell on the ship. Other than that, it was always on "As time went on I started to gain their trust, as well as the business partners they communicated with. The more times I was successful the more things they trusted me with carrying. Secrets, valuable items, you name it. Towards the end, they were starting to regard me as one of them. Only because I had to do unspeakable things to gain their trust. I had to get through oblivion to get out of it..." he said in a lowered tone, his eyes finally looking back to Aldric.

"Is that all you wanted to know?" he said in a stern tone as if warning him not to dig any further and push his boundaries. He was only going to tell him the information that was beneficial to the mission, not the mental scars that still plagued him to this day.
​

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric nodded, trying to get a study of Silas' reaction as they moved on. He wanted to form a positive relationship with Valery's apprentice, but didn't want to come out of the gate too heavy-handed. Hopefully working together on the mission would allow it to develop a bit more naturally.

"Well, I trust you can handle a bit of discretion?" He asked as they moved to the lift. Already it was obvious that Silas possessed a level of maturity, or at least equanimity, that most of his age group did not. Given his Jedi training, under Valery Noble no less, Aldric trusted the young man to know what may or may not need to be kept secretive in a place like this.

With a special input on the keycode, their turbolift went down, descending into the sublevels. Then Aldric dedicated his focus to Silas' story, betraying little more than stoicism all the while, except for when he mentioned, "Azbrian?" The agent piped up, but said nothing more. Given the context, now was probably not the time to express something they had in common. Silas had been through even more than he anticipated. Aldric's brow furrowed, "That's… fine. I'm sorry you went through that, really. I don't mean to dig up old wounds."

They lift doors slid back open, revealing an austere underground room. There was a firing range on one end, and a vault of lockers and displays on the other. They contained weapons, gadgets, and many other tools that an SIA agent might have need of in the field, "Here we are. If anything strikes your fancy, let me know. And I'll see if we can get it sorted for you to bring along."

Silas Westgard​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Listen to Aldric
Tag: Aldric Laurent

​

"That's… fine. I'm sorry you went through that, really. I don't mean to dig up old wounds."

"It's fine, if I'm to be involved in such a mission my past was bound to be brought up at some point," he said with a slight smile as the elevator continued to go down. Something made him think though. When he mentioned Azbrian Aldric seemed to react highly to it. Silas was curious to ask him now, but even he knew it wasn't the best time to do such a thing.

Slowly, the lift doors opened to reveal an underground room filled with lockers and gears. His eyes seemed to light up from the number of items that were available to them. To Silas, it was just a shame he couldn't bring them all "We can take any of these?" he asked again to confirm his thoughts entirely. Even Silas knew they'd only be able to bring concealed and small items along, any of the bigger gadgets were off limits.

"The thing I'm thinking about right now is a concealed communicator and a weapon I could use just for last resort. I won't accept blasters, I don't even know how to shoot one"​

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric nodded in silent gratitude, and said nothing more of it. What Silas already shared was enough for context. He understood who he was dealing with, and was no less confident in their ability to work together. The elevator touched down, and he couldn't help but smile a bit seeing how the padawan reacted to the sheer volume of gadgets on display, "Just about," There might be a few restricted items here or there, but for their purposes there would still be plenty of options to choose from.

"A communicator would be standard for our needs," He confirmed, grabbing a small pair of comlinks and tossing one to Silas, "Pin this one to the inside of your shirt." That way, they could speak without him looking conspicuous by holding up a communicator in his hand. He then handed him another tool, "Use this too. It'll keep anyone from eavesdropping on us."

"As for weapons…" Aldric began looking around, then found something of interest, "Well, we don't exactly have a lot of lightsabers slaying around. But if blasters aren't your style, maybe something like this?" He presented a wrist mounted gadget, which could fire a concealed bolt from beneath a sleeve. He then pulled down his own sleeve to reveal he was wearing one himself.

Silas Westgard​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Listen to Aldric
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Silas glared at the communicator and examined it further when he threw one over to him. It was certainly going to be hard for any of the enemies to pick up on the communicators, especially when it was inside their shirts. Nodding to his instruction, he carefully placed the comms securely inside his shirt in preparation for the mission ahead "Extra security for our communication? that's wise" the teen said before also placing the extra item safely within his clothes.

The padawan glared over to what the man suggested and picked it up in his hands. It was something small he could put on his wrists just in case he needed to get out of a tricky spot. However, there was still one thing left unanswered.

"Does that mean I'll have to leave my lightsaber behind? It's not exactly something I can hide too well" he was fine either way, it just left him a bit more vulnerable than what he was used to. ​

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric finished setting up his own gear, and they were just about ready to go, when Silas asked a new question. The agent paused, and look at him for a moment, "Hm. Well I'm sure we've got a spare jacket around if you'd be alright with hiding it in that. Otherwise I'd agree- it's a bit too conspicuous to just lug around in the open. Especially down there."

Aldric walked over to one of the bigger lockers, searching through it for something that would fit him, "Have you done many missions like this before? In your Jedi training?" He shrugged, a bit curious as to the inner workings of a padawan's day to day. It's not like he had much of a frame of reference himself. It would also give him a sense of any further experience Silas might have up his sleeve.

Silas Westgard​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Listen to Aldric
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"Yea, you're right. I will leave it here instead. I have enough knowledge to look after myself without a saber nonetheless" Silas said with no doubt in his voice. Jedi may heavily use their lightsaber, but it didn't mean they were utterly useless without it. Silas had fought and beaten opponents way bigger than him before, so it wasn't going to be anything new to him.

At the asking of his question, Silas seemed to shrug "Not really, I have gone to expression lessons in my spare time and learned how to forge emotions when needed" he said to Aldric while he casually rolled up his sleeves and made sure the last ditch weapon was placed tightly on his wrist.

"Will I be given a fake identity and other things related?" he asks curiously, his eyes curiously looking over the other weapons "Because there's someone down there bound to know my face and name"​

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric looked at SIlas curiously, "They teach you that in Jedi class?" It was interesting to hear, given his admittedly limited understanding of the Order. What Silas spoke sounded not too different from training Aldric underwent as an agent. Albeit, with a bit more mysticism attached.

At the mention of alternate identities, he smirked a bit, "I have one, yes. Credentials to get into the meeting inconspicuously. But- getting you in…" He gestured to the fact that Silas was still just a teenager, "Well, that's a bit harder to pull off convincingly."

"Instead, we were hoping that, once the meeting starts anyway, your infiltration will be free of witnesses," Rather than a secret identity and waltz in, he would have to sneak his way through, "We'll be relying heavily on our communicators for this one," He confirmed, given that they might be apart for at least some of the mission's duration.

"Is that alright with you?" He was certainly free to suggest some ideas of his own. Silas was here in an advisory capacity as much as an active one, given his familiarity with the organization. And considering he was a Jedi, they always seemed to operate a bit for fast and loose anyway.

Silas Westgard​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Listen to Aldric
Tag: Aldric Laurent

​

"They teach you that in Jedi class?"

"Hand to hand combat? yea we have occasional classes on that. Expression training was more of my choice outside of things like the order" he answered back to Aldric, who probably didn't know the ins and out of the training Jedi had to go through. Upon asking his question, Aldric seemed to agree it was going to be a bit harder getting him in with his own identity. There was a chance that someone down there knew or saw him over the years as a Jedi.

It seemed like Aldric had a plan in place already, all Silas needed to do was follow and do what he said. One mistake undercover would potentially ruin the whole operation "I trust you know what you're doing Aldric. I will not question the plan so far" he said with a calm nod towards the man. If Valery could trust him with his life, then he'd be more than capable of it.

Double checking that his communicator was in place, he folded his arms and looked up to Aldric "Where do we start?" he said with a smile brewing on his lips. ​

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"Jedi are full of surprises," Aldric said, intrigued by what the padawan had told him. Much more went into their training than he might have guessed. Perhaps it was only natural, given they spent their entire lives in dedication to the Order.

Their plan was more or less ready to go. Now it was just a matter of acting on it. Aldric would infiltrate under a pseudonym, while Silas would take a more indirect route in, using stealth to his advantage. In some ways, they would be working separately, but communication and teamwork would be crucial in making sure each of their roles went according to plan. Aldric seemed to have Silas' trust, and so he would offer his in turn.

"Now, we just need to reach the sublevels," He gestured for Silas to follow, leading him back out of the range and into a hangar, where a small unmarked ship was ready for them to take. Once they were in, Aldric would grab the pilot's seat, and lead them off towards one of the many tunnels that drilled deep into the planet's core. Numerous other ships came and went through the same path, making them appear as just another passerby with business in the underground, "…You ready? Anything else you want to add? You're a lead on this mission as much as I am," If Silas had any of his own ideas to suggest, Aldric wanted to hear them.

Silas Westgard​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Listen to Aldric
Tag: Aldric Laurent

​

"Jedi are full of surprises,"

"The same can be said for agents like you," he said back lightheartedly when he looked back at him, seemingly ready to set off whenever the agent was prepared to do so. Due to being known in the underworld, Silas was going to be separated a lot from Aldric. That's why their communicators were going to come into use heavily. He trusted Aldric with his life, all Silas wanted was his in return

"Lead the way," he said with a brief nod before following closely behind the agent. Even though Silas was unsure of him when they first met, Aldric had been nothing but professional so far. If he kept up that attitude, they were sure to complete the mission efficiently. Not long later both of them were in an unmarked ship heading straight towards the under levels. Silas sat in the seat beside Aldric and ran a hand through his hair, keeping it there to think momentarily when the agent asked another question.

"I wouldn't have it any other way Aldric. And yes, I do have a question. Considering we will be separated, will I be the one meeting and coming face to face with anyone that could provide us intel?" he asked curiously with his eyes still looking straight ahead "I fear they may get suspicious if they see me with someone else. Most times I did business alone, a change like that will raise a few questions..."​

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"Touché," Aldric smirked. He was glad to see that Silas had seemingly lightened up to him some after their icy first meeting. Both for the sake of their mission, and the long-term.

They were off soon after, taking their transport down through the vertical tunnel. Aldric wanted to be clear that Silas was of equal standing for this mission, and though he seemed content with the current plan as is, the padawan did have an additional question. "I will be doing most of the interaction, so to speak. I'm posing as a prospective buyer, and will case the area as well as provide an additional distraction to help you sneak in."

He paused a moment to let Silas process the information, before continuing, "What you'll need to do is, ideally, find data that shows proof of their dealings. On a computer console, probably, but be as thorough as you can. Then, once you have the data, find a way to shut off the power. That's when we'll spring our trap and take them down." The information would ensure that these criminals are exposed in court after the bust was finished. "If you run into anyone, use whatever means you deem necessary to make sure they don't reveal your location." Some Jedi were less comfortable with killing than others. He would leave it up to the padawan how he chose to handle any potential run-ins.

Silas Westgard​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Listen to Aldric
Tag: Aldric Laurent

It would have been a lie to say Silas was starting to like the agent. He was professional and no-nonsense on the job, qualities that Silas appreciated when it came to situations like this. That was probably one of the many reasons Valery liked him, he always put the task at hand first. The same could be said for this as they zoomed down the tunnel toward their target. Silas was surprised that Aldric would be all the talking, but considering he knew more than him on missions like this Silas was not going to question his decision.

"Sure, I can do that" he responded with no hesitation to his plan of him sneaking. Aldric was probably far better at speaking than he was, so sneaking around and gathering intel wouldn't be a probably to a Jedi like Silas "Do you have a chip of some kind I can use to extract the data, or do you wish for me to transmit it somewhere?" he asked Aldric, concentrating and making sure everything was set before they arrived.

"I'll do whatever's necessary to get what we need, killing only when needed" Silas knew a mission like this didn't require him to kill everyone he came across, knocking them out was good enough "We got a signal for if we're in trouble?"​

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric nodded, and pulled a small device out of his jacket, "Upload it to this. It'll help you break through encryption and seize the data," He clutched it a little tighter for a moment, "Just make sure you don't lose it," He added, before handing it over.

"Good," Silas was a Jedi. He knew how to handle himself in the field, so Aldric trusted him to do what was necessary. No more, no less. "If you tap your comm device, it'll send a nonverbal signal to me. Use that as an SOS if you can't speak."

Eventually they reached the sublevel they were looking for, and landed. Aldric led Silas out before sealing up the ship, activating a few external defenses to keep people from stealing. "There," He pointed down a long street, where an inconspicuous warehouses stood among the rows of old, dilapidated buildings that made up much of this level, "That's where they deal is going down. It's probably best if we split up before getting there," That way, there was no connection to be formed between him and Silas in the event that one of them got ousted, "Any final questions before we head in?"

Silas Westgard​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Listen to Aldric
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"I won't lose it, I promise," Silas said sternly before taking it off him and placing it safely in his pocket. Even though he had to look after himself, there were things like the data he had to keep in mind. Losing it on the way back would put their operation to waste, and the lives of possibly thousands of people.

"Got it," he said with a confident nod, making sure to keep a mental note of the instructions that had been shown him so far. Aldric had proven to show good judgment so far with instruction as well as guidance on how to go about being an agent for the alliance. There was much more to it than Silas originally thought, but so far he was enjoying the change of role and making the most of the opportunity. Looking ahead, they seemed to have reached their destination.

Jumping out once they had landed, Silas stared at where Aldric pointed "Agreed, splitting up will be for the best " the boy agreed as he took a few steps away from him "No Aldric, I know what we both need to do" he said calmly before giving him a respectful bow "May the force be with you" Silas ended before beginning to walk off down the street to where he needed to be.

It was go time...​

 

[Aldric Laurent]

No questions. Silas was ready to go. Aldric offered him a faint smirk and a nod, "And with you." He was liking this padawan already.

They split off, with Aldric heading straight for the warehouse. Rather than his typical SIA strappings, the agent was disguised more casually for this operation. He wore jeans, boots, and a black leather jacket with a symbol emblazoned on the back. He knocked on the large warehouse door, and waited.

A moment later, a hatch opened up, only revealing a set of large alien eyes staring back at him, "Open for business?" Aldric asked. The pair of eyes squinted.

"Who's asking?"

"The Black Nexu," Aldric twisted around to reveal the symbol on his jacket, distinguishing him as a 'member' of the biker gang in question. There was a tense pause, before the hatch abruptly slammed shut. Then another pause, before the door unlocked and was slid open, revealing the interior, where a number of other unscrupulous types had gathered. Several of them looked back at the new arrival, but said nothing. Aldric took a step forward, but was stopped by the man behind the door, now revealed to be an Aqualish.

"Need to search you before you can just walk in."

"Sure," Aldric replied calmly, subjecting himself to a search. The Aqualish confiscated his gun, but never found the well hidden comm device. The agent smirked to himself for a moment, but quickly wiped the expression away as the doorman finished.

"Welcome to the club," He stepped aside and shut the door once more, leaving Aldric to meander around the stores of crates, all no doubt containing contraband from across the galaxy. Before he focused on mingling with the assembled criminals, he muttered into his comm.

"Silas? Any progress?"

Silas Westgard​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Coruscant
Objective: Listen to Aldric
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Silas jogged off down the street and looked for another way in, one that wasn't going to be as closely guarded as the front entrance. Upon reading the mission report of the building, there was a stairway that went up the side of the building. It was more than likely going to be locked, but he had a few tricks up his sleeve to get inside. Carefully, he went up the metallic stairway and hesitated. If it was a proper meeting, they'd have all entrances covered by at least one man. He'd have to be sneaky if he wanted to enter.

Coming up to the door, he took a deep breath and casually knocked on the door. If he was going to get through this without suspicion he'd need to play his role as a regular kid well. Behind the door, he heard some movement and the sound of a lock turning. Slowly, the door opened to reveal a thug with a blaster aimed right at him.

"Whooa!" Silas said in a makeshift surprised tone, stepping back with his hands up innocently "What do you want kid!" the thug grunted to him, his blaster lowering slightly from not seeing him as a threat "Is this not the meeting spot?!" Silas replied in a good scared tone, lowering his arms at the same time to get ready to strike "What meeting spo-" before he could finish Silas slammed a fist into the hand carrying the blaster and kneed him hard in the stomach. To make matters worse, his head was slammed face first into the rail outside leaving him in a heap

"Sorry pal..."

Picking up the blaster and placing it under his shirt, he slowly moved inside "I'm inside, just trying to find any intel now" he said back to Aldric as he began to hear voices talking further down the corridor. ​