Andrew Lonek
(L.T.I President)
From the floor-to-ceiling transparent steel windows of his cliffside estate, Andrew Lonek stood with a crystal tumbler of Corellian whiskey resting loosely in his hand. The sprawling mansion, carved into the jagged coastline overlooking an endless sea of black water and distant city lights, was equal parts sanctuary and fortress. White duracrete curved elegantly into polished chrome, waterfalls cascaded into illuminated infinity pools, and concealed weapon emplacements hid behind tasteful architecture that would make even Coruscant's elite jealous. To anyone looking from the outside, it was untouchable. A monument to wealth, innovation, and success.
Andrew knew that was a comforting lie.
His thoughts wandered back to a visit that still lingered in the corners of his mind like smoke that refused to leave a room. Markus Chorvus. The hulking drifter with eyes that had witnessed too many wars and a voice that always sounded one sentence away from violence. Andrew had never forgotten the moment he'd found Markus casually seated in his living room, boots propped on an expensive table, sipping from a bottle of whiskey Andrew hadn't even opened yet. No alarms had sounded. No security drones had intercepted him. The estate's layered defense systems, built from years of engineering obsession and billions of credits, had never even acknowledged Markus' existence.
Instead, the man had simply smiled.
"Beautiful place," he'd said while pouring himself another drink. "Took me less than twelve minutes to get inside."
Andrew remembered every second that followed. Markus hadn't mocked him. He'd educated him. Maintenance shafts beneath the cliffside. Thermal blind spots in the sensor grid. Response delays between C.E.R.A. and automated defense systems. Emergency exits large enough to become entrances. Security designed to intimidate instead of adapt. Every weakness had been laid bare with unsettling precision.
"People think walls keep danger out," Markus had told him while setting the glass aside. "Truth is, walls only tell smarter people where to dig."
Then had come the offer.
No governments.
No Republic.
No corporations.
No politics.
Only an underground network that specialized in solving problems too ugly for official channels. Operations that existed entirely off the books. Jobs nobody admitted existed.
Andrew had declined without hesitation.
He wasn't interested in becoming another mercenary with a moral compass that shifted depending on who paid more.
Markus had only laughed before leaving through the same invisible path he'd entered.
"One day you'll realize something, Lonek."
"Armor doesn't make an army."
The memory lingered far longer than Andrew wanted to admit.
Andrew knew that was a comforting lie.
His thoughts wandered back to a visit that still lingered in the corners of his mind like smoke that refused to leave a room. Markus Chorvus. The hulking drifter with eyes that had witnessed too many wars and a voice that always sounded one sentence away from violence. Andrew had never forgotten the moment he'd found Markus casually seated in his living room, boots propped on an expensive table, sipping from a bottle of whiskey Andrew hadn't even opened yet. No alarms had sounded. No security drones had intercepted him. The estate's layered defense systems, built from years of engineering obsession and billions of credits, had never even acknowledged Markus' existence.
Instead, the man had simply smiled.
"Beautiful place," he'd said while pouring himself another drink. "Took me less than twelve minutes to get inside."
Andrew remembered every second that followed. Markus hadn't mocked him. He'd educated him. Maintenance shafts beneath the cliffside. Thermal blind spots in the sensor grid. Response delays between C.E.R.A. and automated defense systems. Emergency exits large enough to become entrances. Security designed to intimidate instead of adapt. Every weakness had been laid bare with unsettling precision.
"People think walls keep danger out," Markus had told him while setting the glass aside. "Truth is, walls only tell smarter people where to dig."
Then had come the offer.
No governments.
No Republic.
No corporations.
No politics.
Only an underground network that specialized in solving problems too ugly for official channels. Operations that existed entirely off the books. Jobs nobody admitted existed.
Andrew had declined without hesitation.
He wasn't interested in becoming another mercenary with a moral compass that shifted depending on who paid more.
Markus had only laughed before leaving through the same invisible path he'd entered.
"One day you'll realize something, Lonek."
"Armor doesn't make an army."
The memory lingered far longer than Andrew wanted to admit.