Don't Drink From The Chocolate River [Ask to Join]

[Miss Blonde]

As a lord of the criminal underworld, Miss Blonde was always looking to establish her dominance over others. Whether that be with other gangs that had yet to bend knee to her, or large sprawling galactic powers that thought lesser of her. It didn't matter who you were, in her eyes you either did business with her or you stood out of her way. It was as simple as that, and it was always wise to build for the future. So what dastardly concoction was Miss Blonde going to think up next? Was she going to create a deadly gun that would outshoot the most grizzled of soldiers? Or perhaps she was going to make a sword so powerful that it required a master level force user to even wield its destructive fury. With her the possibilities were endless.

But those weren't what she was aiming to grab. No what she was going for was way more valuable than any weapon from the tiniest holdout blaster to the star killer base. So you might be asking yourself what exactly it was she was after? What could be so powerful that it required her to come to coruscant to get? Well the answer was very simple, a weapon that has existed since the dawn of time.

Poop.

Yup you heard it right, poop. That smelly stuff that everyone makes. That was the ultimate weapon in any conquest. And baby, Blonde was feeling particularly medieval today.

So in the deepest parts of Coruscant's sewer system, Blonde and a team of Syndicate employees were at the raw sewage collection area. They had positioned themselves right at the point before the raw untreated sewage made its way into the treatment center, and that had a very significant reason behind it. There were over a trillion people living on coruscant, someone from just about every registered species was here. So you take that untreated sewage that had time to mix and blend with one another, and that opened a wellspring of hundreds upon hundreds of waterborne diseases. A little something from each and every race the galaxy had to offer.

"Collect as many barrels as you can. I want them to be sent off to our labs as soon as possible." Blonde said as she stared out a literal waterfall of sewage.

It was time for everyone to see just how sadistic and ruthless this crime lord could be.

 

[Miss Blonde]

With her gas mask tightly strapped to her face, the process would begin. Droids with repulser lifts would clutch onto barrels and float their way upwards towards the waterfall of raw sewage, from there they'd quickly pop open the tops of their barrels and proceed to collect the untreated and filthy water that was laced with any number of diseases. This stuff had time to fester and wait, it was some of the worst in the Galaxy and Blonde wanted it for herself. Traditionally when facing an enemy that was larger and stronger, you didn't have to fight them head on to win. All you had to do was outwit and outmaneuver them, and put pressure on their supply lines. Any little bit often helped.

"Bring me a sample when you collect the next barrel, I need to analyze it." With her order made, it was time to move the process along.

The droid levitating in the air holding now full container of actual shit, promptly flew it's way past blonde and down a dark service tunnel to deliver the goods to what was more than likely the route to get to their ship. All that crap had to go somewhere and it was coming with her back to their labs to be further developed and weaponized. Sure raw fecal matter was great at contaminating water sources, but in this day and age even the most gross and disgusting of sewage like this could be treated with the proper plant. Just like the one they happened to be above. So it needed to be modified a bit, become more potent and resistance to filtration and treatment. It was one of the best ways to help bleed an empire white.

"I don't have all day now, and I'd like to get home to shower." Blonde said with a sigh afterwards.

It was the first time she had ordered anyone to give her shit, pun very much intended.

 

[Miss Blonde]

With the next barrel being filled with the diseased ridden sewer water, Blonde snapped her fingers over to the droid filling it to have it bring it on over. Once full the droid quickly hovered it's way over to her and remained floating in order for her to grab a sample, which she really really really didn't want to do. But when faced with an obstacle such as dealing with large planetary governments, one had to make small sacrifices like this. So it was with a heavy heart that she took a deep sigh and used a ladle to scoop up a small amount of the disgusting water and place it in a small glass examination dish. Even with the gas mask on the smell was terrible and sickening, it reminded her of Manaan. The corpses floating in the water that the Sith left in their wake, the busted sewer lines that mixed with ocean water and oil. Bad memories to say the least.

"That will be all, send the barrel down the line then come back for one more. Three will barrels of the stuff will yield more than enough for a batch that can be weaponized." Blonde dismissed the droid then it too floated down a tunnel and towards the ship.

Now as for what Blonde was going to do. With the dish in hand she had a small viewing table set up to take a look at what they were dealing with. So with a smooth transition she placed the dish under a microscope and would begin the examination process. She was more of an engineer than a someone who dealt in disease, but she did however have her mask which would identify these diseases and stream information.

"Holy crap." Blonde said as a multitude of data rushed into her HUD to identify what was mixed into this water.

It was quite the find.

 

[grammaticus]

Thall Marr entered the chamber, having to quickly duck under a passing droid, its arms loaded with a barrel full of...well, shit. His armor stood out among the room around him, as he weaved his way through the pipes and other obstacles. He was glad his helmet was helping filter out the smells around him, the two guards he brought along however were not as lucky. Telling them to wait outside, Marr continued on his own further in to the complex.

Finally, he came to a chamber, with a desk set off to one side. Flexing his fingers, Marr entered the room, his boots echoing slightly as he approached the woman seated there. "When you told me we would be dealing with shit, I did not think you meant it literally."

[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

Her mask was lighting up with hundreds of cues and pages of what exactly was floating around in this sewage water. The results were marvelous, the water had everything in from simple waterborne parasites to more advanced and deadly diseases often spread through feces. Diseases of what could be compared to polio and other very infectious diseases that ripped through a population with every sneeze and cough that echoed outward. A little hardcore, and while it was certainly useful, Blonde wasn't looking to kill people with this disease. Mass body count and wholesale death wasn't something she needed from here, she needed it to cripple and plant the seeds of civil unrest.

But as her look into the hundreds of diseases continued, there came a voice that echoed off the walls of the sewer and it was of one of Syndicate's newcomers. This wasn't of course the best way to show that they were a serious criminal organization by stealing literal piles of shit. Although it was a great way to test their commitment to the cause and since they appeared to be doing a good job, Blonde would drop a little knowledge on the kid. These would be the first words she ever spoke to him, so it would be wise to listen.

"A man with no dignity but has food and water is nothing more than a sheep to be slaughtered. And to a man with dignity, food and water is nothing to him. He'll gladly starve before he gives that up." Blonde said as she remained hunched over microscope.

"But if you take away both, that's when things get dangerous. People start to rise up." Miss Blonde then would look up towards the helmeted individual and the lenses of her mask focused on him.

"Take that to heart." Blonde gave the kid a nod then looked over towards the next pile of slop to be taken.

The third droid had hovered it's way up to the sewage waterfall and started to collect the last barrel of slop. Once they were done collecting, the plan was to head back to the ship to quickly pick out what would be the best option to isolate when it came to a waterborne disease.

[member="Thall Marr"]

 

[grammaticus]

Marr stood facing the woman for a few moments, before shrugging, turning to watch as numerous droids moved about their tasks. "In this situation, dignity and pride are two different things. A proud man would never bend low enough to ask others for help. A man with dignity knows when he should ask for it." Walking forward, Marr leaned over the open vent, his helmet mapping out the huge tunnel as it proceeded down.

He turned back to Blonde after a few moments. "If you wish to speak of philosophy and the nature of man, now is not the time. For I agree, when you take things away from the proud, they do rise up. And the ones who rise up draw notice and attention. So explain to me my task here, so that we can depart before the rising up happens." As he spoke, he took a spot along one of the walls, leaning against it.

[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

"Your task, is to simply stand there and make sure nothing bad happens. It's not the most exciting job in the world, but as the Prime Executor for Syndicate this is a job I would normally dish out to the help." Blonde looked up and over at the droid collecting the third and last container of filth, they had a bit more time.

"But since you're organization has joined the ranks of Syndicate I figured this would be a good time to meet you and discuss what it is exactly you'll be needing from us. I tend to enjoy multi tasking in that regard, makes for better efficiency." She was a business woman still, and this just seemed like the best route to take.

So while doing this multi tasking, the woman hunched back over and looked into the microscope to continue to sort through the various waterborne parasites and diseases floating around in the mix. She continued to look around until she found something of interest, it was one that wasn't particularly deadly. She didn't need space polio after all, just something to put people on their ass and keep them there while propaganda and insurgency strike teams went to work. So she'd sit there and examine the disease all while carrying on the conversation with her new business associate.

"So what is it you so desire? Ships? Drugs? Guns? Manpower? Women?" Blonde said as she continued to scan and isolate the particular disease in question.

"Or perhaps something more devious?" There was a chuckle that escaped her lips and before she could go on there was ping for her mask.

The third and final barrel of literal crap had been filled and Miss Blonde was informed. The droid holding the stuff hovered down then zoomed past to head towards the ship that would be transporting the stuff back to the labs. But for now Blonde would save her current data and await her new friend's response before they headed off to get off world.

[member="Thall Marr"]

 

[grammaticus]

"Ships, drugs, credits, guns, women. All these are merely things that come and go. Power is fleeting in of itself, for once you have power, you endlessly seek more, and this has only ever led to failure. The only thing that I, and the Sons of Freedom truly desire, is freedom. All who follow me follow by their choice and that alone. Our leaders are chosen by the whole, not through money or power grabs." Walking towards the desk, Marr leaned across it, his gloved hands spread out across its surface. "What I desire from the Syndicate, is the ability to do as I wish, and find those who are like minded as me. And with this freedom, we shall rise in prominence and influence. While power is fleeting, it is a nice thing to have all the same." Standing up once more, he moved over to look out a small window set into the side of the room.

"I have brought two freighters to shuttle any cargo off world if needed, as well as a fighter escort of things go poorly. I have men stationed at all checkpoints and access zones. Your task here will proceed unhindered."

[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

Oh joy, he was one of those criminals. The kind that Blonde found utterly insufferable, you know the ones we're talking about. The idealist. The types of criminals that had a very unclear message that was a vague and empty as their heads, they wanted freedom? The hell was that supposed to mean? They were already free, as a criminal you cast off the bonds of what society expects from you and go against the grain. Now this wasn't to say that Marr was one of the people who took this to an extreme and was vexing her, but he certainly had the potential to do so with the whole freedom shtick.

"Yeah I'm gonna need you to take the whole freedom thing and just set that to the side for a bit. Cause we don't sell or offer freedom, we're not that kind of organization. If you want freedom then I suggest you go to the outer rim or wild space and set yourselves up a nice little colony of free folk." Blonde said as she started to walk down the hall to get to the ships.

"Now if you want guns and things that go boom to help your cause then that's perfectly acceptable. Just be sure to pay your membership fees and follow the seven laws and we'll have no issues. As members of Syndicate we take care of our own, just don't push your ideals on us. We're all about making money and providing for ourselves and our families to live comfortable lives." That was really the gist of it.

Hopefully Marr didn't take her words as insults, she truly did want to help him so long as they paid the credits and followed the rules. She just didn't like the angle they were playing, idealistic criminals were at times the most dangerous, they could be easily blinded by their own code or creed.

But despite that Blonde still had to multi task. With the mobile lab being picked up behind her by a few assistants and droids, she was flipping through the logs of diseases she had at the ready. There was one that really spoke to her though, a disease that caused a lot of pain and suffering without killing the infected. At least most of the time. Cyclosporiasis was its name and fatigue, cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea was its game. Perfect for what Blonde wanted in a waterborne disease, something that wouldn't kill, but put the general populace on their ass and keep them there for a while.

[member="Thall Marr"]

 

[grammaticus]

"Do not confuse the concept of freedom, and goodness. If you had taken the time to actually learn the history of the Sons of Freedom, you would know that we are not good people. If someone stands in our way, we kill them, and their loved ones. If someone tries to stop us, we destroy everything they hold dear. The Sons of Freedom seek the freedom to be allowed to do what they want, when they want, how they want to. We do not care for the freedom of others, we do not care for the lives of those who refuse to follow us." Walking forward one more time, Marr looked down at the woman seated at the desk. "Do not confuse the concepts again, and you will understand why I do what I do."

Turning, Marr began to walk towards the door and out of the room. "If you wish to speak again, I will be overseeing the security of the outer sectors."

[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

As Blonde was walking away, she stopped at the words of the junior crime lord. He was nothing to her, his organization was nothing to her's, and she had built a criminal empire atop mounds of corpses. So many she had lost count somewhere in the low millions since the Red Ravens, and this up and comer dared to speak to her like that? In the criminal underworld there were some semblance of rules and guidelines, such as showing at least a semblance of respect and professionalism. So when she stopped she only spoke very few words that would hopefully get across to him.

"I'll look into it, but speak to me like that again, and I will hurt you." That was just about all that needed to be said.

She wasn't going to kill him over a few words, that would be unbecoming of her reputation as a fair leader. But she had no qualms with giving this kid an ass whipping until he understood who he was speaking to. She had burned Voss, destroyed the crystal cities of Christophsis, and terrorized the people of Alexandria among many other acts that made people fear her, and rightfully so. Hopefully he understood that, she would much rather do business but she wasn't about to let an underling mouth off to her.

With the samples secured and in her ship, the crime lord and her assistants who had packed up the lab moved along with the valuable information they had taken from the sewage of Coruscant.

[member="Thall Marr"]

 

[Captain Keeli]

Quaz'c slithered into the sewer. He was here on a business venture with [member="Miss Blonde"] . Rope in hand, Subermallis on his body, and his balteus on his belt with a dagger in it. After overhearing a convo over at a local bar, Quaz'c found out about the little operation Blonde had going. She was gathered sewage to be used as a weapon, a very clever idea. Dropping into the sewage with a loud splash, Quaz'c made his way to Blonde. A raspy voice emitted from him. "Greetings, I'm here about this small operation you've got set up. I'd like to join you." Manners wasn't usually first on his list, but blonde was the most prolific crime lord in the galaxy. You've got to address her right, it's out of respect for all she's done.

 

[Miss Blonde]

Along the path some creature came across her path and wanted to have words with her, she really really really didn't have time for an impromptu meeting in her schedule. But as one of the more influential crime lords in the galaxy, you always needed to make time for the little people. Because you never knew if the little fish would grow up to be whales, so the least she could do was push lunch back by a few minutes before getting into growing the disease itself.

"My operation is anything but small I'm afraid, I apologize if you have had any misinformation about my holdings and operations." she said in a very kind and professional voice.

"I am currently a bit busy at the moment so I apologize that you've caught me at a bad time. If you don't have any plans you may come with me aboard my ship where we can discuss whatever it is you may be interested in. Perhaps over some coffee?" As courteous as always.

She didn't have time to stick around for an answer sadly, either the alien would come with her or not. She had to keep moving towards the ship to get out of here. There was important work that needed to be done, and this disease wasn't going to enhance itself.

[member="The Rope"]

 

[Captain Keeli]

Perhaps [member="Miss Blonde"] hadn't understood him. He caught up with and began to speak. "I'm here to help you, I understand this might not be small. I've been without a good job for a while, and I wanted to get back into shady things." Quaz'c was known to be a pestering about work, but it helped him stay afloat. Debt had constantly nagged him his whole life, so crime was normally his best option. Normally a contract killer, The Rope wanted something a bit more subtle. This task before him looked like the perfect candidate for him. He proposed an offer. "I'd love to discuss why I'm here with you on your ship, shall I disarm first. I want to talk about what it is you're doing and what I'll get paid. I'm not asking for much though. But it all depends on what you can pay me."

 

[Miss Blonde]

The man was interesting to say the least. He had approached one the more deadlier crime lords in the galaxy and just asked her for a job. That was something that didn't happen every day. Maybe he was ambitious and to the point, or maybe she should kill him since he might be a spy or enemy operative, she had a lot of those. But then again most spies wouldn't just walk up to her in that manner, so she could take his words at face value for now. Intuition and the ability to sniff out a trap was part of the reason why she was still alive today, not to mention how she was at the top of her game.

"Very well then, but unless you know anything about waterborne pathogens this job right now is over. However I may have for someone like you in the near future." As she loaded up onto the ship she reached into one of the nearby cabinets and grabbed a coin.

With the coin in hand she flipped it over to the rope and would instruct him on what to do from there.

"Take that to a place on Nar Shaddaa called the Bricktop, it's a bar. Go around the back and show it to the man behind the door. You'll be given a job from there, now I normally don't do this but here's my card." Reaching into her coat she produced a card for the man with her title and one of her burner phones on it.

"But now that's all out of the way, you may keep your weapons, and you can tell me whatever it is you want." The Rope was now free to get down to the details of why exactly he was here and rejoice in the fact that he'd be able to reach out and get a hold of her if he needed something to do.

[member="The Rope"]

 

[Captain Keeli]

[member="Miss Blonde"]

Quaz'c caught the coin, but had one more thing to do. "Perhaps a quick test of this sewage would let me know what's in it. And yes, I know about waterborne pathogens." An odd contraption was produced from his subermallis. It was a water tester that could detect pathogens and other contaminants. He dipped it into the water. "This will let us know what's in here. Who knows, you could have a lethal weapon here." The machine began to beep and whir as the results were gathered. It shook the water to separate the contaminants from the water. A loud ding emitted from the top and a hologram screen appeared. "Now to see what we've got." Nothing out of the ordinary for sewage but then, a surprise. "Dear God, do you know what you've got here? Naegleria fowleri, a brain eating amoeba. You put just one drop of this in a town's water supply, they'll all die. I thank you for the job opportunity Miss Blonde and I'll uphold your request, but I suggest you use that sewage to your advantage. You made a great find, it was pleasure doing business with you." He slowly turned and walked back towards the exit.

(By man at the back door, do you want we to post here, or is it a metaphor to pm you?"

 

[Miss Blonde]

Well that was nice to know. Sadly though the sun eating parasite wasn't going to be needed, at least not for now. Blonde needed the population incapacitated, not dead. So her disease of choice was crypto, and she was sticking with it. But this guy seemed like he was mildly useful. She'd have to keep him around and give him jobs to do from time to time, that was just the logical thing to do. So as they wrapped up this little business venture of introductions, Miss Blonde needed to get the samples to the lab and go. Thus is why she had given him her card.

"I thank you for your assistance. Now I must be off, remember to go see that bar on Nar Shaddaa. We'll get you started on some stuff." And with that they were pretty much done here.

Seeing to it that her minions gave the rope a few extra credits and a ride to the surface, soon after herself and the horrid smelling containers left coruscant and headed straight out into space to get the hell out of GA territory.

[member="The Rope"]