Replaceable

[Darth Abyss]

Ord Mantell, Hotel Grand

The wide window allowed a overview of the rather grimy world below. Ord Mantell was far from beautiful, it was riddled with scrap and dirt, and other then some of the rundown holes in the galaxy the planet wore it with pride as the price of their independence. All in all it was a place that easily had earned Abyss' liking, as it was just similar enough to Free Cities for something that stood without his influence. That was about to change.

Quietly the husk rested on the ground, but around him the room was busy. His men had already taken apart half of the interior, some to make room for their equipment, some to secure the entrance against unwelcome guests. The former renter of the room had been hastily stuffed in a nearby wardrobe, but only after Abyss' mind forced him to tell the personal that he didn't wanted to be disturbed under any circumstances.

The countless quickly set up terminals were overflowing with numbers and date, ranging from maps of the shadowport in which the hotel stood to a life feed of the intergalactic stock market. The Inner Eye had done clean, quick work in creating a makeshift operation center, but it was were their task begun and ended. Abyss couldn't risk to reveal his involvement, and not even his trust in his highly capable agents was enough to satisfy his paranoia.

He had no interest in a hostile takeover. Ord Mantell was already a world of crime and villainy, so there was no need to subvert it into one. Yet at the same time that meant that any violent attempt to rule the underworld was a foolish, and probably suicidal endeavourer, much like on Nar Shaddaa or Coruscant. Instead Abyss planned to establish a foothold silently, by eliminating, replacing or indoctrinating several players in the Casino district.

To further mask his involvement that task was left to someone that, at least in regards to the underworld, was an outsider to Abyss' Chorus. His apprentice [member="Vereshin"] was the one chosen for the task, even if the young sorcerer wasn't aware of that yet. Abyss message to him had been short and simple, a set of coordinates, a room number and his signature.

 

[Vereshin]

Striding from a descending shuttle ramp, Vereshin arrived at the Mantell spaceport on the fringes of the casino district. Smoke hung thick on the air, damp with mist and conflicting against the lights of the city. An unlit cigarette hung between his teeth which he ignited with a snap of hid fingers and the release of a single lavender flame. He moved along the walkway while the shuttle departed behind him, sliding a hand into his coat to find his pocket watch. Upon flipping open the lid, a bright holo-screen displayed a set of coordinates relative to Vereshin's location which he committed to memory and shut the watch close. He concealed it once more and moved forward, welcoming the grim city damped by mist.

The feint trace of jazz music lulled through the street and followed Vereshin past refute. He did not assume his master's intentions behind summoning him, only that Abyss required a user of the arcane to carry out an underworld task. Puffing away on the cylinder, the sorcerer turned a corner at a lamp post and with a skip of his heel, apparated into a cloud of black energy which soared over the city rooftops. Only a few citizens widened their eyes at the sight while most remained unmoved, having noticed nothing more than dark smoke.

Vereshin landed firmly on his feet on the rooftop of Abyss' hotel, the dark cloud assembling form and taking the shape of his flared, black coat. He flipped open the watch from his pocket a second time, to confirm the coordinates were correct and reassured himself that he had found the right place. Slipping the watch away, he motioned towards the staircase and descended into the top floor. Agents and assassins passed by as he scaled the stairs towards the room Abyss occupied. He found the door and turned the knob without knocking, slipping next to the wall and shutting the door discretely beside him.

"I answer your summon, my master. What is thy bidding?" Vereshin stood confident and still, acknowledging Abyss with a slight nod of his head without offering a full bow. He spoke softly while emanating assertion, having grown considerably in power since ascending to the rank of Sith Knight. He looked around curiously at the scene which bore all the traits of a world alien to him. Tonight Abyss confirmed Vereshin's involvement in the world of galactic crime and wrenched him away from the arcane anomalies so familiar to him.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"If you look out the window, what do you see?"

By now [member="Vereshin"] probably wasn't surprised anymore when Abyss answered a question with another, far more cryptic one. It was part of his very nature to challenge his apprentice on every step, not only in a physical but in a mental sense. The young sorcerer might wasn't the frail acolyte that the Prophet had once discovered on Malachor anymore, but his training was still far from completed. For to long Vi had spend his time furthering his skills in an art that he had excelled in since the beginning, while neglecting the many other aspects that made a Sith a being of incredible power and influence. Silently he waited for the man to answer, but despite what he would answer, the Mindeater would continue his lesson.

"I see endless opportunities, a network of possibilities that waits to be manipulated."

The Underworld required a very specific view. Other then the galaxy spanning empires and alliances the factions of crime were almost always interconnected, working in conjunction even if they opposed each other. By understanding these connections it was possible to manipulate the happenings of the Underworld to a wide degree, offering the chance to gain without doing more then lifting a hand.

The husk raised his left, and one of his agents stepped besides the pair of master and apprentice with a datapad in hand. On it was a list of names, either targets or soruces that would lead to them, as well as a collection of likely areas where they could be found. Yet it was far from a neat, obvious task presented on it, but rather a prolonged infiltration that would require Vi to make a few contacts for himself if he wanted to succeed.

"I have a list of names, names I want to see crossed off it. I am willing to pass that list on to you, if you believe yourself strong enough for such a task."

The mocking tone of his last sentence fulfilled an deliberate purpose. As always it wasn't mockery simply to amuse himself, but means to push the pride of his apprentice to motivate him for a task far outside the world he felt comfortable in.

 

[Vereshin]

With the cigarette still in hand, Vereshin strode towards the window upon his master's question. He inhaled on the white cylinder and rested his fingers against the glass, peering casually onto the scene below. He saw rogues without a faction, underworld refute and certainly not anything that the young sorcerer found particularly inspiring. Holding his tongue, Vereshin waited for Abyss to answer the question which he could not think of any constructive answer towards. When he heard the Mindeater's words, a sly eyebrow raised in an attempt to scour for any interest he might hold in the opportunities Abyss posed.

"Such a manner of life intrigues me, I will admit." The sorcerer said as he peered beyond the glass. The life of a criminal bound to no code appealed to him and as much as the Empire assisted in Vereshin pursuing his work, his loyalty towards them remained unhinged. The intricacies of the network and labyrinth of connections stimulated his mind, making the Sith wonder if his numerical capacity would prove effective in the world of galactic crime. As Abyss summoned his agent forward, Vereshin turned around to face him holding the datapad.

The sorcerer leaned over to catch a glimpse of the names and contacts listed on the datapad. He swallowed a gulp as he received his master's order, having never undertaken such a task involving leadership. "I am capable, master." Vereshin stood upright and took a further breathe on his cigarette, blowing smoke in the opposite direction of Abyss and his agent. "I have acquired three new apprentices, two of which are stealth-oriented." He explained his new developments in the Sith and mused on the possibility of recruiting his apprentices to assist with the task. "They may prove useful in future tasks of infiltration." Vereshin stated with a curt nod.

"I am ready to begin our first series of objectives at your will." He spoke assuredly, flicking the end of his cigarette onto the floor and stamping out the orange embers. The unknown in the arcane sense, always aroused Vereshin's interest. Whether or not the general sense proved any different remained to be seen and he awaited the instructions with anticipation laced with fear.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"We will see."

There was no doubt that [member="Vereshin"] was capable, but it remained to be seen if his abilities would allow him to succeed in the underworld. Abyss was about to throw another taunt at his apprentices for foolishly picking up three students at once, yet in the end he decided against it. Time had changed for the sith, and if Vi managed to make such a complex construct of master and apprentices work without a dagger in his back, then he had to accept it as a alternative solution to his own approach.

"Go now. Time is money."

The husk laughed, as he finished the short mission briefing with a piece of underworld wisdom. Following his words the agent stepped towards Vi and offered him the datapad before making his way to the door. It was likely that the young sith had seen the pale, blue eyed man before during his time with Abyss, as Pale Hand was not only a integral part of the Inner Eye, but also the one of them with the most direct relationship to the Prophet.

"Our Lord has instructed me to assist you. Follow me."

Once out the door, the agent would lead Vi out of the hotel and inside the dirty city, until they came to a stop at a abandoned warehouse at the very edges of Worlport. Yet despite the ruined state of the building, the door was locked by a fairly new looking security system, including a keypad. Quickly the thin man typed in a series of numbers, unlocking the entrance for himself and the sorcerer.

Inside Vereshin would find a small, yet functional operation center, including a place to sit back or sleep, a handful terminals and even a fully stocked armory. Wordlessly Pale Hand stepped to one of the terminals and quietly continued whatever work Abyss had tasked him with. He was instructed to aid Abyss' apprentice in the background while reporting back about their progress, but strictly without actively taking part in the mission.