In shadows of five

[Archon Kaan]

Coruscant,UnderbellyUnderscantThe Vice capital of the civilized galaxy. The Hutts might level claims that their glorious Nar Shadda is the true heart of crime in the galaxy, but everyone knows a hutt always lies. True vice. High risk, high reward vice happens in Coruscant. Because there is too much power upstairs. Too many people who know people in the right places. Too many wealthy and monied families, clans. In the darkness of lower Coruscant lies a vast planetwide cityscape few have can believe. You can lose it all in the Helter Sector. The den of all gambling on Coruscant. Or you can pay your way to heaven in Sector 88, once ruled by the famous Red Lady Brothel and her mysterious owner. Choose your vice, they have it all.But the real beauty that sets Coruscant apart from any pleasure planet like Zeltros is that here, all vice is illegal. Wouldnt reflect well on the moral character of lawmakers and leaders of the Republic to be caught engaging in such activities anyway. But boy do Senators love to gamble. And men in power are usually the one most fragile and vulnerable to such...impulses.So the criminal macabre stays down in the shadows. In Underscant. Ruled over by ganglords controlling their turf. And no one asks too many questions.The galaxy spins another turn.But things are changing. Even down here things are changing. Old legends die, new ones arise in their place. The air here reeks of fear. These days even the most vicious of killers keeps an eye on their back. A new gang is rising. Whispers snake about everywhere of their terror. Their absolute crushing power. And their cold merciless nature. They have already taken down three of the strongest lords of the realm. An unprecedented event.Yet, No one has even seen their faces. Some say, they are but five in number.

 

[Archon Kaan]

"This is insane. This is impossible....they cant get me...this is ridiculous...atrocious even."

Sevn cast one cold hard glance back at the Senator, that zipped him up good. The man had been going on for hours now. His mind had pretty much given in to the pressure. Well this was the end that awaited the corrupt.

"Sir, please calm down and remain indoors, we are gonna do a perimeter sweep again."

That eased him a bit, just a bit. Outside, the Coruscant cop and his partner took a breather and lit a cigarette each.

"You get a load of this guy? Ordering us around like we are his goddamn underlings. Why are we guarding this piece of **** anyway."

"We are guarding this piece of **** because he pays our Captain a lot of creds to keep him alive. Unfortunately someone wants him dead. And the Captain would rather not lose his constant source of creds. Which brings the story to us, the guys who get the **** detail."

"I know...I know..."

"No, apparently you dont know. Cause all I hear from you is ***** and moan and ***** and moan...listen get your head out your ass rookie if you want to survive here long. This is Coruscant, you either play ball or you play dead and get the hell out of the way."

Perhaps a bit too harsh, but the kid needed a wake up call. Its ok to be a little straight and uncomfortable around the decay of corruption. But corruption was a part of our lives here, in Coruscant straight cops died. As simple as that. And it would be better off for everybody, including Sven if this rookie wizened up really fast. For some reason the veteran cop felt uneasy at that moment.

He took in a drag and caught sight of his own reflection in the mirrored windows of the hideout apartment they had secured for the Senator. He looked so much older than he was, all hard lines and hard angles. Worn out, but not worn down. Sevn Starlighter still had plenty fight left in him. The man had grit. Oh he had grit in spades. You dont survive thirty years in the wild sectors of Coruscant without developing durasteel grit. Didnt matter who was coming for the Senator, if they showed their face here tonight....they were blasterfodder.

He felt tired, but he felt confident. Coruscant's finest was really good at what they did. They had to be after the near constant wars they fought with Hutt lords and Drug syndicates. Still, Sven could not shake off the feeling of unease that had struck him.

"Hey...did we uh....did we mirror the windows?"

And suddenly it struck him. Suddenly that feeling of unease fit into the puzzle pieces and unlocked a crucial piece of information.

No they had not in fact mirrored the windows when they had walked out of the apartment. The Rookie tried the door, locked. He blasted out the lock and charged in, Sevn following close. Something wet and hot splashed across Sven's face, blinding him. He felt a fist ram into his gut and take away his breath. He collapsed on the floor hacking and coughing.

Something moved past him and disappeared through the open door.

It was a good five minutes before Sevn regained his composure. He could see again, and soaked in the carnage that awaited him. The Senator was dead, throat ripped open. As was his partner, same MO. Blood was everywhere, to any observer it looked like an animal had torn open their throats. Except for the bloody handprint on the wall. A single red hand, marking this site as a warning to others.

"Five."

Dark Five.