Private Reconnoiter

[Makai Dashiell]

"I think a different plan would require a lot of knowledge that perhaps is not first hand or easily accessible information. Barring this, you probably went about the right route. I don't think you should be surprised that they brought you right to Dad. People hear Jedi and freak out."

Hand ran through his hair as he thought, Kuro hopping off his lap to go explore.

"I would have posed as a pilot looking to haul cargo. Would have allowed you access to the floor to find this item. In the end, I guess it worked out well for you."

Shoulders shrugged.

"Not that I'm some amazing criminal mastermind. Just some thoughts. I imagine being on the fringe of the galaxy makes these things a little easier."

Gaze glanced to the controls.

"Looks like we will be dropping out of hyperspace in fifteen minutes. Interesting to see our first stop along the way,what it will be."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Pilot, that's a good one. Not bad for a lack of criminal mastermind practise."

"I've actually thought about this one since. I should have hired a bulk freighter and claimed to own a transport business and been looking for bargains.

" The important point would have been to find a genuine bargain in the hold and then try and tack on the ship with the transcoder onto the deal. You need people not to know what you're after."

Azula frowned.

"Also, don't tell your dad I started teaching you how to swindle. But we can do a lesson in cheating at sabacc on the way back. That's more innocuous."

"Hopefully for the first few minutes nothing but empty space, otherwise I did a bad job."

Azula closed her eyes. Her bag opened and her long lightsaber floated up and onto her lap.

"You don't freak out at hearing jedi though?" She asked. It was probably better, she decided, to fully cross this bridge before she needed to use her abilities.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

But we can do a lesson in cheating at sabacc on the way back. That's more innocuous."

"Where were you two years ago when I needed to cheat at sabacc at university parties? Really would have been invaluable then. I supposed better late than never."

Makai pondered the fact for a moment. Maybe if some of the guys got together these skills would not be wasted. Or, thinking ahead, if he was playing a legitimate game perhaps he could spot someone else cheating and avoid falling into a trap.

Now he was disappointed he wouldn't be learning these tricks until the end of the trip.

Azula closed her eyes. Her bag opened and her long lightsaber floated up and onto her lap.

"You don't freak out at hearing jedi though?"

"Why? Because of some mystical powers? That doesn't make someone better than the next. However, a lot of people look to Jedi and Sith with this god like awe."

Shoulders shrugged.

"From the outside looking in, looks like more hassle than it's worth."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Where were you two years ago when I needed to cheat at sabacc at university parties? Really would have been invaluable then. I supposed better late than never."

"That would have been deeply amusing," Azula said, in complete honesty. "I bet some of them turned up in sunglasses after watching a few games over the holonet."

A group of rich teenagers playing would have been a few easy credits, as well as a great deal of fun.

"From the outside looking in, looks like more hassle than it's worth."

"Kind of a refreshing point of view," Azula replied. "Not everyone is as well traveled, some people outright panic at the sight of the use of the Force.

He seemed level headed for his age. A good kid and a reflection of his father. Azula was going to have to resist asking of the mother during their time together.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"Kind of a refreshing point of view," Azula replied. "Not everyone is as well traveled, some people outright panic at the sight of the use of the Force.

"Don't worry, no panic on my end. Maybe an eyeroll depending on the context."

Small alarm sounded and he turned back to the controls as they reverted back to real space. Azula had plotted a course fairly well in his opinion - they had emerged in front of a green-blue planet. Makai spotted a large cyclone storm off on one of its poles, lightning visible from this far back in space. Potentially violent storms - noted. Three moons off in the distance. Something that looked like white capped peaks, mountain ranges.

He audibly groaned in frustration.

Then he remembered he had company besides Kuro.

"Sorry. I see some snow down there. Not a fan of any real cold temperatures. Uh, I mean, of course we still have to go investigate closer since its our job but I can't say I'm not hoping the scans are negative, we can just keep on flying."

Makai drew the vessel closer, starting various scans of the planet. Powerful geoscanners had been outfitting onto the ship, not only looking for mineral and ore deposits but for other important bits of information. Volcanic activity, geothermal information, and if any major seismic events were occurring. Wouldn't be wise to land in a volcanic earthquake.

Eyes caught something along a mountain range and he slowed the vessel down, circling back.

"Looks like an outpost....or trading post of some sort. D'you think its inhabited? Any feelings in the Force? I mean, we can do a scan for life but if that base is overrun with wild creatures of course it will come back as an affirmative."

Makai glanced over to her.

"How do you feel about landing? I see several spots for us to do so safely. Mountain ranges tend to be rich in ores....two birds with one stone. We solve a mystery and see if its the right type of ore we're searching for."

 

[Azula Tindara]

Azula was hunched over a console, blue and white face lit from below. True to her word, she was not an expert in mining.

"These get impressively deep below the surface," she remarked. Given they were in orbit they were making quick work of the search. The vessel, she realised, was probably quite a valuable asset to them. Much like a military spy ship that scanned deep into enemy territory.

Azula closed her eyes at Makai's request. She stretched out with her senses. The Force was a difficult thing to wrangle. It ebbed and flowed and refused to be contained for long.

"Getting a sense of something here. Hard to say if its...now...or something large that happened that left it's mark here."

She leaned forwards, peering through the viewscreen.

"Take us in close but keep our profile low and a hand on the power. This thing have flares?" She asked, being overly cautious.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"Getting a sense of something here. Hard to say if its...now...or something large that happened that left it's mark here."

"Large like mass murder or large like a man-eating creature?"

Makai wasn't sure if she could tell difference, he had no idea how the Force worked. He had heard from old miners and prospectors that some minerals and rocks had the power to old energy. He wasn't quite sure how true the statement was but coupled with the Force, maybe there was some weight behind it.

Makai made a loop around the mountain top structure, slowly bringing them in closer.

"No, this is just a small scouting vessel. No room for bells and whistles with all this equipment plugged in."

Despite being the one flying, Makai was also doing his best to peer out the viewport and look for signs of well, anything.

"I don't see any signs of turrets or turbo lasers. Off on the port side, by the bridge, carbon scoring?"

Makai flipped through a few sensor displays.

"If you don't feel or see anything I think we should land. I'm too curious now."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Too curious? Well take us down the," Azula replied. "Keep a hand on the throttle. If I sense trouble give it everything."

Azula had a good look at the scanners. The deep ones that looked below the surface were now dormant, more local, fine-grained tools like LIDAR mapping the ground around them and waiting to pick up any external signals.

"This thing can dump so much power into deep scans I bet we could jury-rig them to blind the scanners of anyone who did want to take a shot at you," she mused out loud.

Even with the inertial dampeners, she felt the thud of them coming to rest on the ground.

"Place could have been left for a thousand years," she said. "I don't know how long blast marks might stay on stone, but I suppose up here you'd think the wind would clean em off within a few years."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," she asserted, getting out of her seat. "But I'm bringing a gun."

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"This thing can dump so much power into deep scans I bet we could jury-rig them to blind the scanners of anyone who did want to take a shot at you," she mused out loud.

"Sounds like something we can explore between the sabacc tips. I've got equipment on board, might be as easy as crimping some wires and flipping a switch."

Makai knew such a thing wouldn't be as easy as crimping wires and making an override switch. However, it seemed Azula knew what she was talking about and he had enough knowledge to assist in helping make the idea possible. Being blind to scanners sounded useful, especially when flying in around unknown territory.

"I'm sure we'll be fine," she asserted, getting out of her seat. "But I'm bringing a gun."

"I thought you had a lightsaber?"

Makai called as he left for the cargo bay. Weapons were stored there, along with gear for mining and the elements. He slipped on a jacket and put on a holster, checking to ensure the blaster was ready to go as he did so. Azula had mentioned 'something big' so he also grabbed a blaster rifle and slung it across his back. Makai kept the weapon on board due to a number of close calls. Often stopping at planets meant hostile wildlife and the rifle had saved his skin on more than one occasion.

He started down the ramp after Azula. The young man muttered a string of curses as the biting wind hit him, regretting he ever called the outpost interesting enough to land at. Ice-blue eyes squinted in the bright sun as he moved to feel a piece of the stone that made up the structure, blaster in hand.

"This isn't native stone, this is bodrite. Expensive." Makai supposed his degree was coming in handy after all. "This structure was made by someone who had credits."

Various ideas on the origin played in his mind. Force users, warlords, military outposts, smugglers.

 

[Azula Tindara]

"I thought you had a lightsaber?"

"Lightsaber's are great, but when some smuggler thinks his stash has just been found and is on a castle wall with a blaster..."

She was professionally quick to ready a blaster rifle. She did not sling hers over her shoulder, she let it rest in her arms. Azula wasn't a soldier, but she knew her way around an arsenal of small arms.

"This isn't native stone, this is bodrite. Expensive." Makai supposed his degree was coming in handy after all. "This structure was made by someone who had credits."

"It looks too new to be pre-Gulag," she said. Her eyes were very firmly on the walls ahead of them.

"A bit of luxury and a remote location. Signs of a battle. We take this slow, I'm not going back to your father having walked you into a hospital stay."

She decided death was going a little macabre. The situation didn't give her a sense of real impending doom.

"Damn windy place for it. Got any cameras on the ship? If we go inside I don't want someone arriving and taking the ship."

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"A bit of luxury and a remote location. Signs of a battle. We take this slow, I'm not going back to your father having walked you into a hospital stay."

"You're awfully concerned about what my father thinks. I don't anticipate him holding you responsible for any of my actions."

Makai held the hold-out blaster tight, he planned on letting Azula take the lead to begin with. She had mentioned the Jedi training so it was clear she had skills. All Makai had was self-defense training designed to prevent rich kids from being kidnapped.

He eased in closer to the building to cut the wind. Surveillance could be anywhere and he wondered if they were being watched right now.

He patted his pocket at her mention of the ship.

"I've got a slave circuit and recall system in place. It comes in handy."

He was shivering now and prayed he didn't have to take a shot in a split second. Might be a little off the mark.

 

[Azula Tindara]

"You're awfully concerned about what my father thinks. I don't anticipate him holding you responsible for any of my actions."

"You say that, but if I sent my progeny somewhere dangerous with... well... me. I'd expect to get them back."

She slipped the sight from her rifle and used it as a monocular to check the building across the divide. There was no sign of anyone, but a closer inspection of the blast marks showed that they couldn't have been more than a few years old. A lot had happened across the Galaxy in a few years.

"Hopefully that lets you know if someone is trying to get in," she remarked.

Azula was carrying less of her pleasant and friendly demeanour now. Some of the professional thief had risen to the surface.

She approached the first door carefully. It was unlocked. The metal door groaning on its hinges as she pulled it open. There was light streaming into the next room from behind her and a window, but she suspect there would be dark areas ahead.

"See if we can find any power systems? We might be able to bring a pack over from the ship."

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"You say that, but if I sent my progeny somewhere dangerous with... well... me. I'd expect to get them back."

Makai rolled his eyes from his position behind Azula. While he knew little about the woman, it was clear she thought herself as some type of odd mix of thief-warrior-ex-Jedi that was going to go in and get the job done no matter what. It sounded good on the surface but Makai knew there were too many variables in life to guarantee results. That included keeping another person safe, especially when they were an adult.

He was grateful to be inside the building, away from the icy cold winds. Eyes were adjusting to the space as he looked for a power source. They had come in on the surface and he had noticed the outpost was built down into the mountain. If he had been in charge the power would be something simple - geothermal or wind - with the power banks in lower levels. A fancy building such as this would not have power sources right inside the doorway. Even if it was a spice dealers den, Makai suspected for security purposes the powerbanks and controls would be tucked away safely.

"Got it."

Blaster in hand, he walked away from Azula, determined to find the power systems for this place. He was moving to one end of the corridor, looking for a stairwell and bingo. He didn't wait for the Togruta to join him, figuring she was busy trying to solve the mystery of the outpost. Besides, he operated alone most of the time and wasn't used to having 'backup' so to speak.

He slowly worked his way down, using the light from his comm. Definitely getting closer to the utility area. It was clear these areas were behind the scenes, not as fancy with pipes and wires running along one end of the wall instead of hidden. Comm light was used to follow the pipes to a room. Locked.

He backed up a bit and used his blaster to melt the control panel on the outside, letting the door slide open. A bit of looking around before he pulled the main power lever, the outpost immediately flooding with light. He could even feel the heating system start to work, trickling in warmer air from the vents.

"Alright, now we're making some progress."

'Progress' had also included a reactivation of the security systems.

 

[Azula Tindara]

This was a fortified structure. The lack of lighting and thick, reinforced stone walls made that more and more obvious. If it was genuinely military, there would be elevators leading deep down below the mountain.

Unless someone brought a superweapon to the table, digging under a mountain remained the safest way to hide from orbital fire and missiles.

If it had been a military outpost at some point, she started to think it had been used for other purposes since.

It was like walking through a time machine. Repulsor carts laid empty looked relatively new. A room with a wartable and stained flimsiplasts with curled up edges had to be ancient.

She was trying not to enjoy the strange walk through time and the mystery it held.

A flutter through the Force. A groan, a crash as a security door slammed closed behind her.

"Makai?" She called into her comm.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

He was off exploring in a different way. Makai had followed a maze of pipe to another boiler room, one where the station drew energy. Light bounced across equipment as he took in the system ; geothermal as he had suspected. That didn't give him pause though. What he found unusual was the fact the system had newer replacement parts pieced in. Looking closer he estimated within the last three years or so, just from the lack of rust and wear, they seemed relatively shiny.

Comm crackled.

Oh right, Azula.

Makai had forgotten about her for a moment, engrossed in his own world. She was probably wondering where he had run off to.

"Azula?I'm down in the utility area."

Little did both of them know, the owners of the station were taking the turbolift up from the base of the mountain, alerted to their presence.

 

[Azula Tindara]

"You think someone else was calling? Do you have someone else on the line?" She called back.

Azula checked the magnetic seal on the blast door ahead of her. It was perfectly functional. The one behind her was working too.

"I've been locked into a corridor. I can cut through this but have you got any buttons down there to turn the security nonsense off?"

The door behind her seemed more solidly put together. That was frustrating, given her plan was to go back on herself and meet up with Makai again.

"I've not found any signs of new activity up here."

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"You're really sassy for someone who needs my help."

Makai didn't consider her predicament a real emergency. She had a lightsaber, didn't they cut through doors? Might be a slow moving process but it was something. Even an air vent could be useful, but no, he was supposed to drop what he was doing to try to override security. He may not know much but he was aware most security measures being turned off required some type of password.

He could shut down the main again. Blast some equipment. Again, even this was low on his priority list.

Makai was suddenly about to have bigger problems. The sound of a moving turbolift - the one he had been looking for - had finally reached his ears. Someone had came all the way from the base of the mountain. Comm was quickly silenced and he moved behind a bunch of dusty cargo crates, crouching down low. Blaster came out his holster, not reaching for the rifle yet. He would need to maneuver.

Turbolift doors opened, Makai couldn't see and he didn't dare risk it.

"Gildram says she's here. Says he saw her on the security systems - shut down a corridor and everything." Annoyed voice reached him from his spot behind the cargo crates. "Said she ain't alone - saw her talking in her comm. The useless witch couldn't do a job right if it killed her. I thought Gildram disposed of this trash anyway?"

"Los told me they shot her and she disappeared like the Jedi she claims to be. She's got a lot of nerve showing up here."

Brows furrowed as he listened. Obviously Azula. They hadn't spotted him and that indicated there were no security measures in the maintenance corridors he had been poking around in. Yet they knew she wasn't alone. Makai had zero idea who Gildram was but obviously Azula was in deep with his guy or girl. There had been no mention of them not landing on this outpost - she probably didn't know the gangsters had claimed it as their own.

Makai had silenced his comm. He wasn't going to risk calling Azula. Instead he sent a quick message he hope she would see.

Not alone. Coming to you.

Cryptic but it was the best he could do. First order of business on his list now : get back up the geothermal room and cut the power.

 

[Azula Tindara]

Not alone. Coming to you.

Azula almost skipped the content of the message. Makai had gone dark on the voice channel, but that could have been down to the bandwidth available down through the layers of the rock.

Not alone.

Her first thought was that the site was still in use, but that they were using the deeper levels of the mountains. If there were people landing near his ship, then he would have called.

"Kark."

She didn't want to be caught between these blast doors. Feeling a flutter of panic she activated her lightsaber and plunged it into the blast door.

It was thick. She had to turn her head away from the heat radiating off the metal. She swore under her breath as she lifted the blade, slowly working through the hinges.

The door eventually fell, but if anyone was close they would know roughly where she was. Azula rushed ahead, freedom to hide in a string of storage rooms ahead of her.

Finding somewhere to hole up. How many?

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Finding somewhere to hole up. How many?

Three that I know of. The way they speak someone is waiting on their ship.Security is lax in the corridors.

Makai didn't know if that someone was a modified assassin droid that could easily take control of a vessel or someone not involved with the actual dirty work, a chauffeur so to speak. As far as he was aware, security seemed to have a lot of flaws in the corridors. The rooms where power and things were stored? Most likely had some type of hook-up if he had to guess.

No one had noticed him yet.

Footsteps had passed him, voices growing dimmer as they moved towards some of the main areas Azula had been in. Slowly stepped out of his hiding spot behind the crates, deadly silent. He had to think quick. No one was aboard the mining craft otherwise a diversion could have been created. He had thought about taking the turbolift down to the unknown vessel but problem there was he didn't know his odds. Could have one hundred beings aboard and he wouldn't know until he reached the vessel.

Only option : circle back to the power. Makai quickly made work of back tracking, it was easy to do, a very linear system where he could use the utility pipes as a guidemap. Coming back to the control closet, he raised his blaster, pumping a few shots into the various control panels : energy , security, and heating were the only ones he could remember.

They were plunged into darkness.

---

Meanwhile, the three had made it to Azula's previous location. Two were looking over the metal melted by the lightsaber as the third looked up at the ceilings, using the butt of his rifle to smash the grates, trying to flush the woman out.

"The witch has been here. Recently, the metal is still warm. She couldn't have gone far - be careful she has a lightsaber again."

Suddenly, darkness. The sounds of blaster fire rang out.

"Back down to where we just came, go!"

 

[Azula Tindara]

She could deal with three. She could have dealt with more with some preparation time and an environment in her favour.

Instead she was in a secure maze that might not have been of their design, but was under their control. Her main defence was the size of the environment. It could have taken a hundred soldiers some hours to find her.

Azula would have to decide the terms of this engagement. If she chose to fight.

Stretching out with her senses, she found the group approaching.

Damn.

They already had her location and had picked a direct path.

"The witch has been here. Recently, the metal is still warm. She couldn't have gone far - be careful she has a lightsaber again."

Suddenly, darkness. The sounds of blaster fire rang out.

"Back down to where we just came, go!"

Azula stayed close enough to hear them. Hidden behind a storage locker, she hoped they hadn't brought life form scanner. Azula waited a few moments before stepping out into the corridor.

They are coming back towards you. As am I.

A few dull red lights came back on. They bathed the corridors in an eerie glow. She hoped the security systems that had found her were not yet back.

She rounded the corner to closed elevator doors. Those were still powered.

Azula ran for the elevator doors. She forced a knife into the gap and wrenched them open. Without pausing she stepped into the shaft. Azula called the Force around her, landing as light as a feather on the roof of the elevator as it descended.