Private Operation: Supply Drop Recon

[Rowynna]

Dominick von Ascania

Location: somewhere on Ukatis, specifically a collection of buildings being used by those of higher status to plan, regulate and 'distribute' supplies for the relief effort.



It was a quiet night at the makeshift relief compound. Guards had been thinly stationed throughout the area to 'assist' in case there was suddenly another attack, and they rotated shift every hour. Rowynna had watched them for at least a week; mapping their patrol pattern, learning to differentiate the Guards by how they walked, all to put her plan in motion.

Tonight was the night.

Rowynna was ready. Her face was barely visible beneath the mask, and her dark hair was not only tied back but fully covered by the hood as well. Giving herself the moniker of Robynhood may not have been original, but it certainly fit. Dressed in black from head to toe; sneaking in should be a breeze if she stuck both to her plan and the shadows.

Dark eyes watched from the shadows, staring at the central building where a guard was posted. The room where it happened. Relief plans were received and discussed, logs of how the relief supplies would be distributed, as well as when and how the next shipment would arrive. She needed to get into that building, all that was keeping her was...

...Three... two... one...

Like clockwork, the guard would turn to his communicator as it sprung to life, alerting him to the change in shift. Robynhood slunk forward, a few building away, working to close the distance between herself and the door. The guard stretched, clearly not worried as he then turned and walked off, heading for his next post.

She snuck closer, sticking to the dark corners and shadows as much as possible, the guard disappearing from sight as he rounded a corner. Nine and a half minutes, thats how long Rowynna had to get to the door, slice past the lock, get inside, get the supply plans and get out, all without being caught. It took her thirty seconds alone just to get to the door.

Step three of her eight step plan was now complete. Just five to go.

Successfully slicing the door wasn't an issue; the amount of time it took to do so was. If she couldn't get the plans and get out in under 9 minutes then she'd be stuck in the building for at least another hour, before the next shift change gives her a chance to escape.

It took some time, especially when Robynhood thought she heard footsteps nearby. Rowynna's time was up. Thankfully the door slid open just then, and without a thought she leapt through the door, settling down against it as it closed and locked again. With a long, quiet sigh of relief and the biggest hurdle (the door) behind her; she could get to work.

Time to find those supply plans.

 

[Dominick von Ascania]

"M.. My Lord! You shouldn't be out here, especially so late! The fighting just ended and-"

Dominick turned his gaze to the rather nervous looking lieutenant. His arrival hadn't been announced, for good reason. There were rumors. The kind that he prayed weren't true, but had an inkling they were regardless. The world had been thrown into pure chaos under the invasion of the Mandalorians, and recovering meant all hands on deck. Everyone needed help, and everyone needed to help where they could. Which meant nobility getting the same as everyone else.

Much to the chagrin of many nobles.

"I'm only here to help." And not those who likely paid him off, if the nerves were the result of a guilty conscious. The man looked about for another to maybe pawn this off on, but there wasn't anyone else. He was the leader here. And he couldn't say no to Dominick. It was through the young man's efforts and that of his sister that these supply runs were being made in the first place. He begrudgingly nodded before motioning ahead.

"T.. This way, my Lord. I can show you the supplies we'll be handing out."

"No, lieutenant. Show me the books, if you would."

A gulp that only confirmed what Dominick feared.

"R.. Right this way."

Rowynna

 

[Rowynna]

Oblivious to the trouble heading her way, Rowynna searched for the supply run plans. The room was rather bare; a single table, a few chairs, and some storage racks against the far walls. A singular datapad sat on the table, amongst scattered papers with nonsensical notes upon them.

A grin spread across Rowynna's face, the datapad lighting up with just a touch. "Perfect..!" She murmured. This was it. This was what she needed! The plans were here--

Rowynna froze, hearing footsteps outside the door. "Blast!" She hissed under her breath, ducking beneath the table and out the other side, slipping behind one of the storage racks.

Was it the patrol? No, couldn't be; there were too many footsteps to be just one person.

Rowynna hid behind the racks, holding her breath, praying they would walk on, unknown to her that she had left the datapad open to the very supply distribution plans she needed.

Dominick von Ascania

 

[Dominick von Ascania]

"It's just in here my Lord."

The door opened as Dominick and the Lieutenant stepped in. To the Lieutenant's credit, he seemed much calmer now that they were here. The why was easy. Contingencies. He had a datapad with the actual orders, and the 'correct' orders, all so if anyone like Dominick tried to look through they wouldn't find anything amiss. Easy. Way too easy. He was practically giddy as he stepped in to go and retrieve the 'correct' datapad.

Not that Dominick waited. He glanced to the one currently on and stepped over to look through it. And immediately frowned.

"Here it is my Lord, the li-"

He paused as he realized the young Lord was currently scrolling through the actual manifest. And broke out in a cold sweat. "M.. My Lord, how did you..? I can explain."

"I would very much appreciate if you did, Lieutenant. My ears are very open to hear your explanation." Dominick turned to face him, setting down the tablet beside him on the desk and clasped his hands behind his back. Calm as ever, though he was no longer smiling.

Rowynna

 

[Rowynna]

The Lieutenant and a Lord? Blast!

Rowynna stayed crouched behind the boxes, tense and still. The two males were in the center of the room by the table; sneaking past them without being seen would be near impossible. Would she have to hide there until they left? How long would they be there--

Her ears pricked up as they spoke, however, her interest piqued by the partially jumbled situation. Rowynna turned ever so slightly, peeking out from behind the boxes, and saw the datapad in (who she assumed to be) the 'Lord's' hands. It was the same one she'd been looking at! He wanted an explanation? Why? About what specifically?

Maybe this was an opportunity for her to get more information... she certainly wasn't getting out of here anytime soon with them standing there.

The young woman turned, no longer her back to the storage as she continued to peek around the storage and listen in on their conversation.

Dominick von Ascania

 

[Dominick von Ascania]

"M.. My Lord, there is a very valid and purposeful reasoning behind all of that. It's-"

"We both know there is not, Lieutenant. Were you bought?"

Dominick's calm voice cut through the stuttering voice of the older man. Anger flashed in his mind, of course. How could this young Noble have him in such an precarious position? He cleared his throat before looking down on the boy. "How dare you insult my honor as such. Nobility's duty is to their people. They will distribute the supplies themselves." A clever lie. Dominick however, wasn't buying it.

He might've, once.

"I want names, Lieutenant. The people won't hold you in contempt if you simply tell me who they were that bought you."

The man bit his lip. Then, desperation struck. He raised a hand, a fist, and punched the noble. Dominick blinked in surprise as he weaved back enough to dodge the first strike. Something told him to. But the second smacked him clear in the chin to send him sprawling back. He blinked in a daze as the Lieutenant rather swiftly turned to the door to lock it. "It doesn't matter! I'll figure out something to do with you and then- I'll figure something out!"

Rowynna

 

[Rowynna]

"Ugh... why can't missions just always go as planned.." Rowynna hissed under her breath. The Lord was on the ground, rounded on by the Lieutenant. Weren't nobility supposed to be on the same side?

Regardless of this young man being nobility or not, she wasn't about to see someone get hurt (or worse) while she sat idly by; especially not if it meant her being trapped in there as well. Rowynna struck without a second thought, grabbing one of the smaller boxes and chucking it straight at the Lieutenants' head before ducking back behind the storage rack to find another.

If the other two weren't paying attention it would more than likely look as if the box and flown from nowhere all on its own by unnatural means.

Dominick von Ascania

 

[Dominick von Ascania]

The Lieutenant stumbled forward. Dominick blinked. The man looked at him and blinked.

"Don't- Just stay in here, damnit!"

It was painful, but the man was still a soldier. Dominick just stared in a daze before looking to the box. Had he done that? Subconsciously? It wouldn't be the first time he'd done something without meaning to. Within the tunnels during the Mandalorian invasion he'd done something similar. Not that he was really thinking all that clearly. The punch had sent him straight to the ground after all.

The door closed with a lock before the man stormed off, leaving the young heir laying on the ground and now staring at the ceiling. At least the room had stopped spinning. He cleared his throat before sitting up. Frowned. Now he had to figure out a way out of here.

"People really are determined to be greedy, huh.."

Rowynna

 

[Rowynna]

"Are you just figuring that out now?"

Rowynna wasn't going to make her presence known, but she couldn't trust the young lord to get both of them out of there. Staying silent would only make this more difficult for the both of them.

The black cloaked figure stepped out from behind the racks. Her face was still covered by the mask, leaving her barely visible from the eyes up beneath the hood. She moved carefully, preparing to leap or dodge to defend herself if need be, if the young man attacked her. She brought up her hands in defense, hoping he wouldn't immediately attack.


Dominick von Ascania

 

[Dominick von Ascania]

He jolted upright at the sudden voice. There were a lot of things he was slowly figuring out, but voices in his head was a hard pass at what he could imagine was his doing. Dominick looked right at her, blinking slowly. There was a whole other person in here? That was quite the surprise. And by how she was dressed..

"Are you a thief?"

Rowynna

 

[Rowynna]

"I helped you and that's all you have to say to me?" 'Robynhood' huffed softly to herself, frowning at the young lord from under her hood. "A thief, huh? It's not exactly something to be proud of, but yeah. Guess I am a thief, today."

She moved, walking towards the door to inspect it. "And what of you, 'my lord'? What are you today? Well, other than trapped."

Dominick von Ascania

 

[Dominick von Ascania]

"Sorry. Didn't expect to.. Well, didn't see you." Dominick frowned a little, scratched his cheek. He wasn't trying to be insulting. Alright. Still, he shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, not sure. I didn't expect to be punched today. So I guess a punched lord?"

He stepped beside her, looking down at the door. "He locked it, you know."

Rowynna

 

[Rowynna]

"Are you trying to be...?" She squinted at him, uncertain of whether to be concerned or disappointed. Was he being serious or did he have just a very dry sense of humor?

"Thank you for the observation, Sir. Obvious." Rowynna snorted, smirking from under her mask as she reached into her satchel. "That is..." She hummed, taking a moment to tug her security spike back out from her bag. "..What this beauty is for."

A few strands of black hair fell from her hood, though Rowynna was oblivious to it as she crouched before to the terminal for the door. Without a word she'd start slicing, her gaze flicking back and forth from the spike to the datapad.

Dominick von Ascania

 

[Dominick von Ascania]

He blinked slowly, watching as she gathered up the supplies to.. Hack the door. So she was a thief. He stepped over, more curious than anything as he looked to the datapad in her hands. There were no lessons on slicing to be taught at the academy. Nor did he imagine his father would have appreciated if any of his children had learned such a skill. Maybe he should've, though. Otherwise he would've just ended up trapped here.

"How does this work, exactly?"

Rowynna

 

[Rowynna]

The hooded female frowned, shifting a slight glare Dominick's way. She waited a few beats before letting out a sigh, rolling her eyes. "Do you often take lessons from your adversaries, my Lord?" Despite the sass, Rowynna explained how it worked, walking him through it. Her words were short and to the point, describing how to do it in as few words as possible; they never knew when the lieutenant would return after all.

Rowynna cracked the doors lock in a matter of minutes, a little longer than usual as she split her focus, to make sure they wouldn't get caught trying to escape. The door clicked after a moment, opening up. The desperate lieutenant had left the area unguarded.

"There you are, my Lord. Now you can escape." She took a step back, hoping the lord would be distracted by the now unlocked door so she could copy the distribution plans.

Dominick von Ascania

 

[Dominick von Ascania]

"No, but I also don't think you're my adversary." Dominick paid quite a bit of attention to what she was saying, his eyes watching the screen, the device. Truthfully, he wasn't going to understand what she was doing. Not without his own practice, and quite a bit of it. But it was still fascinating to see first hand. One the door was open though, he blinked, glancined to her, then the door. Then motioned a hand respectfully as he dipped his head.

"Ladies first, my savior."

Manners never died.

Rowynna

 

[Rowynna]

Rowynna tensed, taken aback by the gentlemanly attitude. "I appreciate the thought, my Lord, but please. Status before gender." A bit of venom tinged her voice as she quipped back, dipping her head in return. She pulled her spike back out as she took a step back, heading for the datapad. As nice as his gesture was, she wasn't leaving without the plans.

"I won't be long, don't worry." She glanced back over her shoulder to keep an eye on him as she attempted to get the distribution plans once more.

Dominick von Ascania

 

[Dominick von Ascania]

"We're all equal, regardless of status." As gentlemanly as he was being, he didn't like that suggestion. Status before anything wasn't alright in his mind. He stayed in the doorway, though. He had no intention of leaving her behind. Though whatever she was here to do had him far more curious now. The datapad with all the information on the Lieutenants and the nobles activities. Was that was this was all about?

"You're not a thief, are you?"

Rowynna

 

[Rowynna]

"Is your memory failing you already?" The frown was quite obvious from beneath the hood and face mask, a sigh escaping from her.

"We already went over this... Will you try to stop me?" She turned, her tone challenging. Rowynna was ready to go, to defend herself if she had to. "I'm not leaving without this data, little Lord. I may have helped you, but that doesn't mean we're allies."

Dominick von Ascania

 

[Dominick von Ascania]

They had?

Dominick blinked slowly before he ended up smiling. Just a little. He raised his hands a bit, nodding. "Right. And I said I wasn't going to stop you, so.. I won't. That information needs to be put out there. .. That's what you're going to do with it, right?"

Rowynna