Faction Search for Shadows

[Darkwire Prophet]

"Then have the Captains of Wann Tsir reached a consensus?"

There were grumbles. There always were, low utterances to be carried away on the winds that flowed constantly through the open-air skiff. Hovering above the city of Ke Wann Awanga, the Council of Captains meeting was a public affair, so much that being on visible display was a crucial factor. In concept, any being of their dominion, be it a member of one of the captain's pirate crews or even just a visiting tourist, could take a speeder up to the skiff and sit in on the proceedings. There were no backroom deals, no closed-door sessions, just open discussion to reach consensus.

A clever tactic in theory. The old Wookiee understood the true score here, the real dynamics that brewed under the surface. The public venue was a means for hubris more than honesty, a display of power and strength. Captains boasted of it in various ways, with hats, lightsabers, blasters, or armed crew hovering in speeders just off the skiff's leeward side. No captain was here by courtesy alone, they had either proven their worth themselves in some fashion, or by virtue of their master's worth.

It was for that reason that Tawrrowaldr found himself standing among the Captains of Wann Tsir, the hairs of his shaggy coat rippling in the wind, his voice silent among the scattered grumblings cast into the wind. He dipped his great head, signalling his assent, and by that extent Darkwire's as well.

The meeting quickly adjourned after consensus was reached. There was no more need to speak, and Tawrrowaldr felt no need to linger as some did, boasting or pontificating to stroke his own ego. He was the face of exploits he no longer performed, danger he no longer faced. Some days, he heard of Darkwire's latest accomplishments through the compliments of his fellow captains. It didn't matter, Darkwire had earned its place there, and none were going to question his presence. Not many were willing to match the sheer prowess of a Wookiee warrior, nor were they eager to restore the Captain Dione whom Darkwire had brought down.

"I wonder if Darkwire's stomach is as big as its eyes."

The words made the Wookiee pause on the way to his speeder, turning instead to face the owner of the heavily-accented voice. A slight figure, to his eyes at least, the woman was attired in dark clothing better suited for stalking in shadows than a public meeting of pirates. The Council of Captains hosted a small handful of them, outsiders for whom Wann Tsir felt parlay was better than the alternative. Rurylis D'ilan, envoy from the Mistryl of Emberlene, was more a counterpart to the Wookiee than other such outsiders, both the Mistryl and Darkwire were borne of class warfare and there was often greater purpose than simple greed to their shadowy endeavors.

"Your shadow —runners are they?— took down a public figure. I hear he was not so public as his figure would suggest," the woman's lips twisted to form a misanthropic sense of approval. "You found him...on a comms station? Quite the turn of fortune for your organization, Tawrrowaldr."

He stayed quiet, letting the woman enjoy her wordplay. Rurylis rarely said much of her own achievements, like Tawrrowaldr himself, yet she still radiated the aura of a long and storied career. The way she carried herself hid the discomfort of old scars, and she heard far more than the simple words spoken by others. The venerable Shadow Guard didn't need more than his willingness to listen and humor her shrewd assessment of Darkwire's latest exploit.

"Darkwire has courage and fortitude, this is good. But you're audacious like a bantha calf, and one who has just stuck its nose into the gundark nest." Rurylis paused, giving Tawrrowaldr a moment to respond. The Wookiee set his lips into a line, knowing all too well the impression that Darkwire gave off at the moment. It mixed with his own consternation for his erstwhile ward, the bubbling blonde girl whose foolhardy ventures sent her careening into danger, and binding her future to Darkwire's on their daring raid to take out a DireX himself.

Though Qanatain Xopsaloff would give Darkwire more trouble, the Direx Board would not let the loss of such a pivotal colleague go unanswered. The Corporate Authorities were soon to come breathing down their necks, and it was not difficult to imagine the Corporate anguish would infect or accelerate their ventures elsewhere. Such as a renewed push for Wann Tsir, or on toward business cousins on Emberlene.

Tawrrowaldr understood why the Shadow Guard was concerned. Now he was simply curious about her intentions.

"We faced our worldly demons eons ago, and those who remain on Emberlene may do only what we permit. It is a balance we earned through much hardship and pain, but those are only harbingers of a greater sacrifice. We see ourselves in you, and the Mistryl would rid Darkwire of the coming pain if it could."

The woman let out a sound, something between a sigh and a groan. "You and I are too old to entertain such fantasy, but some of my younger sisters still believe it is our place to be a guide. I would see Darkwire as an ally, instead, just as I see one in you, Tawrrowaldr. You are more than you give yourself credit for, my friend, and I believe Darkwire is more than my sisters have given it credit for as well."

She withdrew a datapad from within the folds of her attire and handed it to the Wookiee, who took it without looking away from her. "There is my proposal, my challenge to Darkwire. A test of two parts. Prove me right, Tawrrowaldr, and I will ensure Emberlene stands side by side with Darkwire to face whatever future it has wrought."

>> * --xING! COMM\ \\
<\Our reputation is increasing!
<\Mistryl Shadow Guards from Emberlene want to offer us help against the Corpos
<\But first, they have jobs for us to do, jobs worthy of our rep
<\Should be easy
<\Could be fun.

Spoiler: Objectives

OBJECTIVE 1: Enter the Enchanter (Emberlene)
No one turns down an invitation to join the Mistryl Shadow Guard. Not even Phalsi Drynchen , an Emberlene native turned Jedi Padawan. She has been lured back to Emberlene, it is your job to bring her in to fulfill her destiny. Find her, capture her or make her an offer she can't refuse.

OBJECTIVE 2: Brave the Betrayal (Denon)
The Mistryl have reach, enough to find a rogue Shadow Guard wherever she goes. One has stumbled into Darkwire territory, meeting with a Corpo representative in a secluded location on Denon. Look but don't touch, the Mistryl need information on what their rogue sister, Zhana D'voni , is up to before they take any action. Stealth and secrecy is paramount here, the Mistryl do not tolerate sloppy intelligence gathering ops.

OBJECTIVE 3: Understand the Unknown
Bring your own objective.

Spoiler: Tags/Mentions

Airal Thamne
Anakin Stormrunner
Aren D'Shade
"Bloody" Bill Renfroe
Brie Jaxx
Cartri Keswoll
Cassus Akovin
Chelara "Chel" DuCote
Hawthorn
Daiya
Deryn Kaaldos
Elkin "Big Cheese" Magor
Gray Venasir
Haden Del
Jerec Asyr
Kole Eckttor
Kimiko Taiyou
Lilash "Jade" Covegra
Pogu Tucs
QEMD-15 Echo
Saija Kwann
Spark
5-WCH (Switchblade)
Subject 648 Slipknot
Xan Deesa
Yula Perl

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

PHALSI
Objective: Wallow? Go where? Ponder life?
Equipment:Armored clothes-How they look, The Mask, Just in Case Cloak, Scope- kept on the utility belt until used, Wrist Device , Pair of Blue Lightsabers, Slicing/Gaming Tool, Hard Light Weapon, The Encoil, Zerek Stowaway Node, ICE/iBorg Clarion Personal Translator
Ship: Gray Messenger
Tags:​

They had called her home. A checkup they had said over the holo-mail. A glimmer of light in the dim outlook on the future that she had when she had first left Emberlene. At fourteen she had been ejected from her planet, ousted by her childhood friends, and given little more than a goal to achieve to clear her record.

Alone. She had been sent to the Silver Jedi upon her discovery of force attunement. The one saving grace from being plopped on another planet and left for dead. The rain pelted from the sky over her, causing her outer cloak to sing a chorus of soft sounds in her ear as the rain fell. Her eyes stung now more than her implants ever had.

Staring at the door in front of her in the slum block, words ringing around her clear as the day they had been spoken the first time she had the great misfortune of hearing them.

We don’t have a daughter, she died. Go away.

Biting her bottom lip, she stood in silence, letting her hand fall to her side. Blinking did little to alleviate the rain from washing the tears that slowly streamed down her cheeks, the small hope of a young child finally dying after eight years away.

The door had not opened, and her parents had not asked to see her.

Who would play such a nasty trick on her? Old associates on the planet with a grudge? She had paid for them also, being pointed out as the ringleader for slicing the corporates bank account and not cleaning her tracks. None of them had been so thoroughly destroyed by their teenage rebellion. None of them had lost everything.

So why did they attack her like this?

Her feet moved slowly, the equipment about her hip suddenly weighing as though she were stuck in a gravity well. The rain did little to hide the sniffling hiccups that came with the final rejection.The admittance that the life she once had was truly well and gone, and something she would never get back.

That she was still less than trash.

Her somber walk was only stopped by the reprieve of an archway that sheltered her from the onslaught of rain. Leaning against the wall, she slowly slid down until her knees could be pulled close to cover her face. The whip that had driven her to achieve this moment, anger, self loathing, and sheer stubbornness shifted the sniffling tears into the harsh sobbing of a dream shattered as she pulled her legs tight against herself.

All of the effort had been in vain, and had meant nothing to the parents who would not see her again.

MISTRYL GARGRELL

A figure watched silently as the girl crouched down, hidden from view as they activates a device they kept on hand. It cut off the electronics that Phalsi was carrying, but also that of the area around her. A tight and focused blackout to keep their interest from easily summoning help and ruining the fun for the night.

Four Mistryl's, all roughly the same build and description as the mark had been pulled from different cells across the network. They had been told little of the current task, except to avoid being found and caught.

And to not use deadly force when resisting.

Gargrell had at least been that kind before sending the coordinates of all five girls as Asyr had requested to these Darkwire folks. She hadn't seen the worth in taking on these Shadowrunners, when the Mistryl's were more than capable of doing the job.

The small beep of their communication device alerted the four look-alikes that the game was afoot, Gargrell watching the true target as they ran interference to truly test their ability to discern the false from the real. They has dyed their hair, adorned similar clothing, even used a disguise kit to help make their faces far more convincing. The final touch was that of a cloak similar to their new and unknown sister of the shadow's.

Gargrell watched the four doppelgangers move away from the real target on her scanner, a sadistic smile appearing as she transmitted the last known locations of all five beings. She wasn't technically lying about the girl having been spotted in those locations. But she didn't believe that these Shadowrunners had what it took to be more than some low class assassins and troublemakers.

She would watch though, as Asyr had ordered her to do and evaluate both Darkwire alongside miss Drynchen. There was no flinching from the dark and rainy atmosphere as she watched the military-police patrol begin to sweep the slum district and look for loiterer's.
​

​

​

​

 

[Kal]

Objective II: Gather intelligence on the Shadow Guard.
Opposition: Daiya | [Whoever Else, Come Mess up Kal's Day]
Current Host: Young Male Changeling; Tall and Blond in Business Casual.

Denon, either a hive of scum and villainy or a beacon of freedom, particularly of the commercial variety, depending on who you asked. Kal was firmly of the opinion that it was both and more wrapped into a cramped, polluted, and thoroughly corrupt package. At least it wasn't Nar Shaddaa.

As it turned out, however, some degree of lawlessness was good for business. Especially when your business was information.

Hosted as he was by a very convincing simulacrum of a mid-level corporate manager of the interstellar soda manufacturer FizzleCo, the Shadow was taking his time enjoying the street food of this most vibrant city-world as he awaited some sort of message from his contact. It was all a bit too over the top for his taste, but then he supposed you did not survive long as a rogue operator in her profession without healthy paranoia.

Information on the nebulous Shadow Guard - these Mistryl - was worth it, certainly. In some ways, they could even be considered competitors - and while Kal was not one to eliminate the competition, a not unreasonable amount of espionage was another matter entirely.

There were those who would argue that invasions of privacy were something of a hallmark of his.​

 

[Daiya]

OBJECTIVE II: Wait for the Shadow Guard
Location: First Floor Bazaar, Misery-Upon-Dream, Seven Corners, Denon
Tags: Kal Lilash "Jade" Covegra

The waiting was the worst part of it for her.

The din of the crowded bazaar didn't truly bother the girl, she was hardly a person who needed quiet in her life. Nor did being stuck in one place for so long, the bazaar had endless sights, smells and people to absorb. The mostly-finished container of gluk sat just out of reach on the table in front of her, the noodle soup wasn't the tastiest thing on Denon but it was filling. A good meal for a stake-out, or so she had thought at the time, now the girl wished she might have pushed her hunger just a little further to avoid feeling the creep of fatigue tickling the back of her mind.

Still, it wasn't the risk of falling asleep that Daiya was most worried about. If she found herself at that point, the teen would simply get out her holojournal and sketch to occupy her hands and mind, or take a stroll around the market to look at the other stalls beyond her vantage point. She had been there for some time already, one knee propped up against her chest with her arms wrapped around it, the other foot swinging idly below her chair. The issue was being stuck in place, seated in full view of FizzleCo branded food stall, on good authority that her target would be arriving soon.

Soon is what she had told herself an hour ago, too.

Daiya trusted Jade's intel, that wasn't something the girl worried about either. The Jenet had proven her worth and reliability on several occasions before, enough for the girl to recommend the murine woman to others. No, if Jade believed that the meet would happen here, today, then it was going to happen. The only real question was when her target would make an appearance, not if.

Her target was an odd thing to consider. The name had come from higher levels in Darkwire than the young shadowrunner had attained. The actual source had only been whispered about, a hint of it, though once Daiya had caught wind she had confirmed it with Shenn almost immediately. Tawrrowaldr, a voice she trusted beyond even what Jade could supply. Though she couldn't bring herself to be around the Wookiee any longer, the girl was willing to follow his guidance, at least from afar. So much that she wasn't even going to question why the target today belonged to the Mistryl Shadow Guards and wasn't actually the Corpo she was meeting with.

Not that Daiya was going to pass up any opportunity to learn about the Corpo while he was here. He, she, they, something like that. The young shadowrunner had already spotted a few beings who matched the description of the Corpo, and her eyes had followed them beyond the view of her corner of the market. One had even circled twice, catching her attention, but the man had met up with another alien who was certainly not Zhana D'voni, unless Zhana was a two-hundred kilo, suggestively-clad purplish Ugnaught obviously leading her john towards someplace Daiya's mind refused to follow.

Well, sure it was possible, but if that was the case then the teen was going to have a serious talk with Jade next time she saw the Jenet at the Blue Flame.

The girl let out a breath of air at nothing in particular, taking a moment to rub at her forehead with the tip of her thumb. A little shake of her head, accompanied by a brief yawn, and she was back in business. Determination had seen her through worse jobs than this before, a little waiting wouldn't kill her. Or the Mistryl lady, either, or so she assumed. For all Daiya knew, it was some strange personal reunion job that had nothing to do with the Corpo at all.

If it meant that the Corpo was free for the taking, this might have just become a more interesting job.

Assuming it didn't turn more interesting very soon.

 

[Lilash "Jade" Covegra]

OBJECTIVE II: Wait for the Shadow Guard
Location: First Floor Bazaar, Misery-Upon-Dream, Seven Corners, Denon
Players Nearby: Daiya, Kal,

tictictictic....tictictictic....tictictictic

The rhythmic tapping of her nails against the wet stone she leaned upon brought Jade some sense of comfort within the situation. The information she had collected was one of difficulty on her part to acquire, but many years of experience and a few friends helped to turn the information over. It seemed Darkwire had held a certain interest for a name, one she did not remember which was awfully strange seeing as to how one of her business partners asked it of her.

Though her past had to lead her to not ask questions in such times and merely do as is asked while also learning of the situation itself first hand. It was the ones with the information who held the greatest power in Jades' mind. With it plans can be warped, alliances can be shattered, and opportunities can arise with a certain whisper in a certain ear. These past couple of weeks seemed to be a hunt for a shadow, one which even evaded the veteran spy and budding spymaster, up until this point.

She had spent weeks on this information, only going off a single name as well as the shadowy institution that they had embedded themselves within. The Jenet had little in the way of a large web upon the planet of Denon, and with the news of a target arriving from interplanetary space was a challenge for sure. Small-time work for one or two operatives had been her regular clientele, and Jade couldn't help but watch as the investigation deepened, her net seemingly needed to get wider as each day passed. Soon, she was forced to get involved in the trade she continued to try and step away from. A quick bait-and-switch upon an undercover Corpo convoy rolling through the city would grant them the breakthrough they needed, as a short interrogation lead to the meet location being revealed to her.

Despite Darkwire's hatred of all things Corpo, she let him live in the end, blackmailing them with the fact that their life was in her hands should she decide to tell where the leak came from. To her, it was simply business, and another door that could now be left ajar should she wish it to be. It was common in her line of work, for few knew that it was most likely more than half were unwilling informants, more giving more information out of past errors Jade hung over each of their heads only to dig themselves a deeper hole by doing so.

It all had lead her to here. Some bazaar out of the hundreds of thousands on the planet is an important enough spot for a member of a shadow organisation to meet. She could have picked a much more suitable location for what Jade could only guess at what the contents of the meeting are talking about. She had certainly given Daiya her information, but Jade was far too curious to let such quarry slip by.

A secret member of Mystril Shadow Guard, she had to see what was attracting the attention of even Darkwire. An interplanetary agent and a Corpo meeting on Denon is certainly a mission that only grew more interesting as each snippet of information was dropped into her lap. Now, her curiousity was insatiable, and with crimson eyes, she monitored the bazaar.

Knowing Daiya was likely somewhere in the crowd, it still took Jade sometime before she could recognise the young Shadowrunner within the crowd itself. Lightly shoving herself off the stone wall, she strutted her way towards the woman, approaching with a curious gaze. "So, have you seen our little bird yet?"

 

[Doc Painless]

Objective: 1 (Enter the Enchanter)
Location: Emberlene, Slums

Stepping off the shuttle and into the rain, Doc Painless pulled his jacket tighter around him. He blinked twice in rapid succession, then held his eyelids open, triggering hydrophobic weather shields to descend over his cybernetic eyes. There wasn't much he could do about the cold drizzle already seeping through his clothes, though; he could feel trickles of water cascading over his durasteel augmentations, trickling over flesh and metal where his shirt and slacks were soaked through. The street medic sighed; he could feel the craving for a good cigarra, something to soothe his rattled nerves, but there was no fething way he could light one up in this downpour.

The Doc had always said he hated leaving Denon, hated starship travel, hated the idea of being a runner rather than patching them up from the safety of his clinic. He'd meant every word of it. His excursions - to Belazura, Wann Tsir, Xopsaloff's yacht - had been exceptions to his own rules, and it had been stressful for him to make those exceptions, even though all had been for a good cause. He'd come to Denon to get away from all of this, to live a simpler life where he could still do some good. He didn't like to remember the life he'd lived before that, a life he never talked about, a life that had been full of these kinds of trip. It'd been a life where a lot of people had gotten hurt.

He couldn't fix that, and he couldn't forget it either... unless he drank a truly epic amount. He didn't want it to continue.

When the Doc had heard the description for this particular mission, though, he'd immediately known that he was about to break his own rules again. Someone he knew, someone he wanted to be safe, was the target. If it wasn't him that found her, if it was a runner more callous or greedy, then that someone was going to get hurt. The Doc had never been to medical school, but he'd taken an oath all the same, even if it was only to himself - and only witnessed by people who were long gone now. He had promised to do no harm, and in his eyes, that meant he couldn't allow harm he was capable of preventing, either. So, Emberlene. So, Phalsi Drynchen .

The Doc had only met the young Jedi once that he could recall; he'd hired her and a friend for that job he'd tried to pull in Sakedo Tower a while back, hacking into a corporate office database. It hadn't gone exactly the way he'd wanted, but that hadn't been Phalsi's fault, and even if it had been she still wouldn't have deserved this kind of trouble. The Doc understood all too well what it was like to have your past rear up and bite you, and he didn't want to see it happen to someone he'd worked with, someone he'd cared about, even if only briefly. But he also had an obligation to Darkwire. He'd been complicit in killing people for their ideals now. He couldn't let that be for nothing.

So he had to find Phalsi, and he had to talk to her. He had to help her, but he had to make her understand what Darkwire needed, too. The Doc sighed, wiping moisture from his forehead with the back of one metal hand. He had no idea what he was going to say... but he had time to think about it, because he also had no idea where the young Jedi was. Well, almost no idea. He'd been given five locations, five places she'd supposedly been spotted. The Doc couldn't help but feel like the infamously deceptive Mistryl were playing with him, but he had no proof of that yet. He was just going to have to start shaking the trees around here and seeing what he could make fall out.

He had been good at finding people, back in his old life. He wished he hadn't been, after what had happened.

Setting off at a brisk walk, the Doc headed toward the first set of coordinates he'd received. Who knew, maybe he'd get lucky, and Phalsi herself would be sitting on a railing right where the string of decimals pointed. And maybe the Corporate Authority would all step down and turn themselves in, he thought, snorting at the overly optimistic thought. He kept his awareness up, ready to spring as necessary; this was a poor area, and he knew that poverty bred desperation. People would assume that, because he was obviously an offworlder, he had money. That was dangerous around here, so he needed to say on his toes... even if he didn't actually have much.

Enough to grab a hot bite to eat, though. He wondered what Emberlene street food was like...

 

[Anakin Stormrunner]

Objective: III Find and Protect Phalsi
Location: Slums, Emberlane
Tags: None

People never look up. Even in a city of thousands, with entire livelihoods sitting just above the head, no one ever looks up. It is a fact Anakin takes full advantage of. Now, as the Trail searches for their target, he soars overhead, darkness trailing his form like a cloak.

Bellow him and spread throughout the slums, tens of dozens of Amavikkans kept careful eyes on the streets. Five locations had been given, and though Anakin doubted Phalsi would be found at any of them, they would be good starting points. It was why he was flying, and why far bellow in a separate part of the slums, the homeless and the downtrodden migrated towards these areas. Not all of them of course, but enough to spread out upon arriving and cover a truly staggering amount of land.

It wasn't the type of job they would normally do, but they had been issued a challenge. Or more accurately, Anakin had been issued a challenge on behalf of the trail. Find and protect Phalsi, the mistryl contact had said. If they do well, then a deal would be struck. The only catch? A stunt like this would reveal the trail to Darkwire, and show Anakin as one of its leaders.

Water blue wings flapped once, adjusting his altitude and keeping him aloft. His comm beeped in his ear. A long noise, followed by two short ones. She'd been spotted. He had a name and a location, and with that he adjusted his flight, rounding a corner and making a beeline for the coordinates. It was then that his comm beeped once more. Long, short, short. The same as before, followed by a set of coordinates. This time different. His brow furrowed, wrinkling the scar on his forehead. Two? They must have sent out decoys.

Swooping down to a ledge, Anakin sent back his own message. Short, short, long, short, pause. The noise was sent through the old comm system with a tap of his finger. Short, long, long. Send images.

The first image to arrive on his comm was from an unknown number and depicted a blond woman with blue eyes and the same height as Phalsi. The next image was minutes later, and depicted a woman of similar appearance. He pulled up the picture of the real Phalsi and began comparing the three. As he worked, his hand tapped out another message. Short, pause. Short. Follow.

There were two known possibilities. They had been given five locations. Gears turned within his mind as he thought the problem over. Without warning, he tucked his pad away and shot into the air once more. Even with the wind in his ears, the beeps were loud and clear as he tapped.
Short, long, short, short, pause. Long. Possibly five. Another message was sent out, informing his contacts of his current position and destination. Knowing there were multiple, it was imperative that he check out one of the coordinates given.

 

[Bryn Celli Ddu]

Location: Emberlene
Objective: 1
Post: 1
Interacting with: Phalsi Drynchen

It was a good thing Bryn had been trained in these kinds of missions. Normally, she would be here to assassinate a person but this was different. Her target was wanted alive. However, she could use violence as needed and this was right up her alley.

Wearing what she had worn on missions for years, her body was covered with a suit that kept almost any details about her hidden. Over her face was a mask and one would only be able to see her eyes. One was an organic brown and the other was clearly that of a cyborg.

There was a limited amount of information that Bryn know. One little tidbit was that there were four copies of Phalsi and then the real one. With five floating about, she drew one of the tokens out for a location to observe and bring in the target.

Taking the token out, she flipped it on in the rain and started searching for the person it displayed.

 

[Gael]

Objective II: Wait for the Shadow Guard
First Floor Bazaar, Misery-Upon-Dream, Seven Corners, Denon
Daiya | Lilash "Jade" Covegra | Kal
​

"Four." Gael held up his fingers with his thumb tucked over his palm to emphasize his request. His other hand pointed to the daily special, grilled scalefish slathered with fish oil and spices. Both gestures together, he assumed would be enough to convey his order despite the obvious language barrier between him and the Sullustan taking his order.

Holding up two fingers in contrast to his four, the Sullustan began to babble syllables and sounds that were entirely alien to Gael. He couldn't speak Sullustese, or really anything else outside of Basic.

"No, four," he repeated. Fingers wiggled for emphasis as his arm extended further toward the alien taking his order. The Sullustan shook his head, spoke his incomprehensible tongue, and held up two fingers insitently. It was very possible that the alien understood Gael perfectly, and was trapped into his own language by nothing more than biological factors, making the conversation almost entirely one-sided in terms of comprehension.

"Two," he took his other hand off the menu to hold up two fingers. "Two," he echoed, changing his other hand to holding up the same number of digits. An exaggerated movement saw his hands crash together, and four fingers suddenly stuck up on his dominant hand again as the other dropped to the table. "Four." This time the cordial tact in his voice had dropped, clearly inflecting impatience. He half-hoped someone passing in the bazaar who understood Sullestese would stop to interpret.

No dice.

The Sullustan had a longer-winded retort this time, but all of it fell flat on Gael's non-bilingual ears. Finally, the alien held up three fingers rather than two. Gael blinked. Once. Slowly. He hemmed and hawed before waving a hand dismissively. "Whatever, fine," he conceded. A thumbs up sought to convey approval beyond linguistic barriers.

The alien used a stylus on a handheld holopad as he walked away, presumably taking down the order. Gael released a harsh sigh as he leaned in the rickety chair and kicked his feet up onto the stall-table he was likely sharing in immediate proximity with others, giving the packed nature of the bazaar. He was either aloof or unaware of the blatant lack of tact as he crossed his arms tightly over his chest, body teetering slightly as near-subconsciously kept the chair balanced on its back legs.

The clamor and din around the bazaar returned to his ears now that he was no longer locked in attempts to get four scalefish. It was little more than white noise. Natural, chaotic cover for anyone having conversations they didn't want to be overheard. A camouflage that could make even the loudest individual fail to seem out of place. It was a good place to make a meeting appear unassuming. Possibly an even better place to watch someone while remaining clandestine, even in plain sight.

Gael had been brought along on some attempt to snoop on a Mystril and her Corpo contact. It'd be a lie if he claimed to understand it any further than that. This was the first he'd ever heard of a Shadow Guard, and as for the identity of the expected Corpo he was none the wiser. Gael wasn't exactly what you'd call an Edgerunner, Shadowrunner, or whatever identifiable lingo applied here. A few endeavors on Denon since his recent arrival had apparently caused his name to drift into the 'runner' circles.

And so, here he was.

The Sullustan returned suddenly, dropping the plate of scalefish onto the stall-table beside his feet with a loud, glassy thud. Gael pulled his feet down, grabbed a utensil, and began working on his meal. It had already been an hour, maybe more, no use staking out on an empty stomach, right?

"So, have you seen our little bird yet?"

A furtive glance stabbed toward the Jenet, then back down to his plate. The question wasn't for him, although ostensibly it could have been, had he seen anything. He hadn't. Gael feigned ignorance to their coming conversation, pretending to be an unrelated bystander.

He ate.

 

[Kal]

Objective II: Gather intelligence on the Shadow Guard.
Opposition: Daiya | Lilash "Jade" Covegra | Gael
Current Host: Young Male Changeling; Tall and Blond in Business Casual.

Occupied with the small buffet of tiny dishes before him - he had to at least taste all of it, after all - Kal remained entirely oblivious to the presence of the Shadowrunners watching for him and his contact, which ironically was to his advantage in keeping him from standing out.

Soon enough, however, his OmniLink beeped as a message ticked in.

- CONFIRM RNDZ / APPROX 30 M TO YOUR RIGHT / RODIAN IN YELLOW / CHEZ'S BURGERS -

Raising a single eyebrow, he nonetheless finished his meal in a hurry, made sure to complement the cook, and strolled off as instructed. Given the obviously male nature of the Rodian, it seemed his contact preferred to do this indirectly, at least for now. No matter, he was willing to play ball.

"Fine day, isn't it?" Raising a single finger to flag the cook's attention, Kal made yet another order. "Nerf burger, double cheese."

"Your Rodese is better than expected. Our mutual friend believes she may have attracted unwanted attention. Seems to me that a bit of interference might make your earlier suggestions more appetising," said the Rodian, tone casually conversational, as if discussing the weather with a friend.​

A hireling, most likely. Darkwire or independent? Hard to say, but it mattered little so long as he remained in the dark about key aspects.

 

[Pogu Tucs]

Objective: 1
Target: Phalsi Drynchen

Pugo Tucs looked down from the roof of a building to see what was on the holoprojector the other hunter had on.
However he had no idea that this one had the force, and was quickly dragged from the roof. Pugo took his glaive and extended it. "We want the same thing, we split the reward and work together for now, now let's see that holoprojector." The Selkath hunter stated.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

PHALSI
Objective: Figure out what to do. Got all the time in the galaxy now.
Equipment:Armored clothes-How they look, The Mask, Just in Case Cloak, Scope- kept on the utility belt until used, Wrist Device , Pair of Blue Lightsabers, Slicing/Gaming Tool, Hard Light Weapon
Cybernetics: The Encoil, Zerek Stowaway Node, ICE/iBorg Clarion Personal Translator
Ship: Gray Messenger
Tags: Yula Perl | Doc Painless | Anakin Stormrunner | Bryn Celli Ddu , Pogu Tucs​

She sat in the rain, sobbing for a time as things moved around her. The force seemed to fluctuate and bend, unrelenting in it's display of the storm that raged across the planet's surface. Her cloak had sputtered a moment, interrupting her hiccupped breathing, cursing and giving a cutting laugh at the luck she was having in the whole situation. First, made to look like a fool knocking on what amounted to stranger's doors. Being caught in a storm on a planet she didn't want to be on, and now dealing with a shorted out cloak that would need to dry out before she could use it again.

She pondered putting on her mask, sitting in the archway as she heard boots scuff across the platform several floors below her. The mil-police were sweeping through, cursing loudly their own luck at being caught out tonight.

"You and me both." She hissed, still curled into herself as she watched the rain splatter across the ground. at least on her ship she could get some dry clothes, but it was about finding the motivation to move at the moment that had her stalling. She wanted to sit and be miserable. Wanted to let the feelings go on a planet that didn't matter to her anymore. Wanted to be done with Emberlene completely.

The Mistryl watching over her sat quietly, laying her chin on her arms that rested atop the decorative work around the top of the building she perched on. There had been no communications just yet from the four dopplegangers, and she wasn't about to reach out to them. It broke their radio silence, and would be a dead giveaway of the False-Phalsi's.

For the time being, she sat, and watched.

FOOD AND SOCIAL COURT​

Doc Painless would find himself walking towards the food court, a cloaked figure watching from a railing above as he came into the area. There was no nervous energy from the girl, a Mistryl Shadow that had worn a disguise kit, and matched the relative looks of the young jedi girl. Even down to the silver dyed tips of hair that poked from beneath the edge of the cloak.

Upon seeing him enter, the False-Phalsi would begin to move in a direction away from the real target. Keeping to the catwalks and platforms that ran to higher and richer sections of the food vendors. There was no attempt to speak being made from her, and she kept glancing back to keep an eye on them. One of the more subtle things was the difference in posture and movement, like the good Doctor, the False-Phalsi's had been given little chance or information to better mimic their target.

BUSINESS DISTRICT​

Anakin Stormrunner would find a False-Phalsi meandering the business district, window shopping in a similar getup of long cloak, dyed hair poking out from beneath the edge and keeping an eye about them as discreetly as possible to notice any attention they were receiving. She would match the rough description of the girl, and even be dressed in a similar manner.

When spotted, she would begin walking in a direction away from the real Phalsi, keeping a tab on the being chasing the False-Phalsi as she made her way in front of different shops.

BACK ALLEYS​

The back alleys of the richer resident districts were riddled with small nooks and crannies where the wealthy elite of the planet liked to plant their little gardens or hide their extra bit of spending. One such spot had garnered the attention of the False-Phalsi that Bryn Celli Ddu had picked up on. The tracker would take her to the far side of town.

 

[Doc Painless]

Objective: 1 (Enter the Enchanter)
Location: Emberlene, Slums
Tags: Phalsi Drynchen

The food court did not look (or smell) particularly promising. Back on Denon, the Doc had learned a pretty solid rule to determine where he ought to eat: look at where the locals were eating, and go there. Places that catered to tourists in Seven Corners tended to be either overpriced, terrible quality, or both, so it was best to steer clear of them. This particular gathering of 'restaurants' was all but abandoned, and while the rain could explain some of that, the Doc also suspected that these booths weren't well attended at the best of times. Though his stomach grumbled at him, he decided to save his credits for something less likely to make him sick.

It was as he started to turn away, though, that the street medic caught a flash of silver-dyed hair, illuminated by the neon glow of a noodle shop sign. The girl - he was pretty sure she was that, given her build - wore a cloak that swirled around her in the wind and rain, making it difficult to make out the particulars of her features. Still, based on the glimpse he'd gotten, she could plausibly have been Phalsi. The Doc wished he had that Jedi gift to reach out and touch someone's mind; that way he could be sure whether it was her in an instant. But he lacked that talent, so he was going to have to confirm this young woman's identity the old-fashioned way.

The fact that he'd spotted her at the very first set of coordinates he'd tried meant that he'd either gotten uncharacteristically lucky or was being hoodwinked... and that was running up his bull-chit meter pretty high. Still, the Doc jogged after her, trying to close the distance. The girl didn't slow down, even as she looked over her shoulder. The street medic wasn't making any effort to disguise himself, so she ought to recognize him. Would Phalsi avoid him? Maybe. They'd really only worked together the once, so they weren't close. Maybe she wanted to be left alone. Or maybe she was in trouble, and didn't want anyone else involved.

Or maybe, that nagging sensation murmured in the back of his head, that isn't her.

"Phalsi," he called out, keeping his voice low enough that it wouldn't draw too much attention, but loud enough that she could definitely hear him. "Hey, hang on. You know me. I just want to talk." She didn't slow down, and the Doc frowned. Something was wrong, but he had no way of knowing exactly what. He hadn't been physically with Phalsi on the mission he'd brokered for her, but he'd seen her in action, guided her by camera and comms through the lower levels of Sakedo Tower. This girl seemed... different in the way she moved, the way she carried herself. But was he just imagining that? He didn't know Phalsi particularly well, and time had passed since they'd met.

Only one last thing for it: he'd try to cut her off. Half-focusing his attention on a readout projected onto his cybernetic eyes, he pulled up a map of the slums, scanning the dizzying maze of alleyways for an interception point. It was a gamble; he might lose her entirely. But the real Phalsi hadn't been back here in a long, long time, so she wouldn't have much more of a home turf advantage any more than he did as a total stranger. If she lost him, that told him something too. Racing along a side street that ran straight where the main road curved around, the Doc did his best to arrive at the same time that the young woman he was tailing crossed the mouth of the alley...

 

[Daiya]

OBJECTIVE II: Wait for the Shadow Guard
Location: First Floor Bazaar, Misery-Upon-Dream, Seven Corners, Denon
Tags: Kal Lilash "Jade" Covegra Gael

"What are you doing here?"

Daiya stared, bewildered, at the furred woman who crept up on her table. How she had failed to spot the info broker's approach, the girl couldn't fathom. She blinked, a little more forcibly than normal, but the figure of the Jenet stayed the same. Her eyes panned out to the crowd in a panic, wondering if she had somehow fallen asleep or been daydreaming, but nothing major seemed to have changed barring the woman's approach.

It didn't make sense, Jade never came out on missions. That just didn't happen. The Jenet woman was supposed to stay sitting in the Blue Flame, in her customary booth, nursing her Merenzane Gold, and offering up tidbits of intel to entice customers. Seeing her out in the field was just wrong somehow, like catching Shenn with a blaster. Which had happened once, and Daiya could still feel the stark revulsion of the sight, it was the closest thing she had ever felt to unnatural.

Besides the Force, that is. For a moment, the girl wondered if this was some new aspect to it, cursing her with a waking vision of someone who wasn't there. There had been no precursor to it, no painful windup, nothing to indicate that this was anything but the real world.

Weird.

A clatter of dishes made the girl snap her head in another direction, toward a dark-haired boy and the Sullustan who was serving his food. The same one who had struggled so much to place his order before, trying without success to communicate his intentions in Basic. "You know he's just fething with you, right?" Daiya called out to him. At least this kind of confusion she could navigate, especially when it wasn't her own. "Most beings just switch to Huttese around here when Basic fails, you didn't. At least grab a holobook on Huttese so you don't come off like a tourist."

Daiya turned back to Jade, figuring the boy would learn from the situation or not. It wasn't her problem, and she probably shouldn't have even said anything. Still, at this point, it was hard to avoid the inner frustration from wearing down her discipline, boredom and the long task was gnawing at her. Just like the soreness coming from underneath her, reminding the girl that she had been sitting for far too long.

"Did something change? the young shadowrunner asked the Jenet. The woman had asked her a question before, and now Daiya finally recalled the query past the shock of seeing her. "Oh, no I haven't seen her yet, Jade." Daiya's brows drew together and her nose wrinkled as she gave the woman a look of confusion, "Shouldn't she have been here by now? You sure about that intel?"

 

[Bryn Celli Ddu]

Location: Emberlene
Objective: 1
Post: 2
Interacting with: Phalsi Drynchen

The rain did not bother the cyborg when she was covered from head to toe. Even if she hadn't been wearing her garb, Bryn was on a mission. There wouldn't be much that could take her attention away from her target.

Looking at the image displayed, she got a ping from it indicating the person was on the far side of town. Replacing the token to a pocket in her suit, she jumped from the top of the building she had been observing from. Keeping to the shadows, she silently approached the area she had been directed to.

Jumping up again to the top of a wall, it seems this area was like a maze. Taking the device out again, she flipped it on for a moment to get another reading and find out if the Phalsi she was on the trail of had moved or not.

 

[Lilash "Jade" Covegra]

"What are you doing here?"

The Jenet smiled slightly at the question, the hint of surprise in her voice somewhat appealing to the Info Broker as Jade made her approach. She met the question with a brief moment of silence as she neared the chair beside Daiya, before softly batting her jade-green jacket out of the way for her to take a seat with a soft thud. As she swiveled with no small deal of confidence, she raised a finger to the sky as her gaze shifted towards the young Shadowrunner hoping to spin a flowery tale with a devious smile. Only as her body moved to face Daiya, the young woman already was already distracted by some lack of communication between a couple of other customers.

Her pointed finger slowly recoiled back into her hand as her expression faded into something of mild annoyance, not too overjoyed to see that the question had seemingly been so easily dismissed by the other woman. "Let them have their fun. Any fool deciding to visit a planet like this deserves to find themselves swindled for all they have. Especially when such a fool is deciding to dress in such a way." Jade noted as she eyed his fine bantha hide jacket. The metallic grey cybernetic hand that held the bowl was also a giveaway to Jade, though his lack of environmental awareness led her to believe he was more the idiot son of some wealthy Corpo or trade baron, wishing to find out what it's like to live it rough. "Fething Drifter." She muttered scornfully. He'd most likely be dead by the end of the day by the hands of the gangs, or whoever was the guardian of the kid deciding to drift between the clouds and the slums.

She snarled slightly at the realisation the boy had already taken up too much time and attention already, before returning her gaze back to Daiya.

From their brief talks over a drink and a few credits parting tight lips, Jade understood that Daiya was an impassioned being of righteous fury, one who Jade silently enjoyed watching succeed. The Jenet didn't know the when, why, or who, but all she knew was that Daiya seemed to be an ace up Darkwires sleeve, and an ace would be what she needed when a curveball was inevitably thrown her way.

"Nothing changed, though my curiosity has indeed gotten the better of me." She chuckled slightly, watching as the boy and the Sullustan tried to negotiate payment. The drifter slapped what seemed to be triple the credits, and the Sullustan acting as if it was just enough in order to fool the customer. Jade could merely chuckle in amusement, believing that the event unfolding before her was the natural order of things. Fools were robbed, and those who knew how to play a situation right reaped the rewards. "The intel is strong, don't question it. Though I have heard conflicting reports and stories of her likeness seemingly being in multiple places at once. I can't yet tell if she has paid people off to spread this in order to try and take us off the trail, there is more to it, or people are simply trying to take me for a fool."

Though the waiting did bring uncertainty. The talk either way could mean that their target was either being hyper-cautious or already knew that she was being trailed. Though a rogue agent of any organisation even somewhat similar to what she has heard about the Mistryl would take every precaution necessary. "My information has narrowed it to somewhere in the area, but my best guess was somewhere here. Could my guess be wrong? Unlikely. Could the intel be wrong? Impossible."

Worst came to worst, she might just need to make noise elsewhere to drag them to the bazaar.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

DENON MISTRYL SHADOW GUARD
Objective: Meet The Representative
Tags: Daiya | Kal | Lilash "Jade" Covegra | Gael​

The woman had watched silently from afar over the area. People coming and going about their daily lives without much humdrum about their environment. Without much fanfare to the regards of just how well they had it here on this planet. So far away from the squalor the Mistryl Shadow Guard gardeners kept on Emberlene to ensure that their will was absolute.

Zhana D'voni however was no longer blind to the hidden agenda of those witches that sat atop their stolen thrones. The woman was barely into her thirties as she watched a few tables go back and forth about their order, one yelling at the other about speaking in basic and being ribbed by the server. Their company had finally shown it seemed, alleviating the suspicion that the person sitting there had been waiting for their appearance.

There was little more of interest, or of concern seeing as how most of the people here were settling into their food. She had already kept the representative waiting, his nervous fidgeting from the corner of a building finally irritating her to the point of action.

She hadn't been the best about operations within her flower bed. Others were more suited to the task of covert work. She was usually the brains, or at least the technical side of the job. A door opened here. Monitoring the situation elsewhere. That was her strength within the flower bed, and had kept her plenty busy assisting the others around her. Problems arose, and Zhana had delved to deep into the systems of code and information that the old handlers tried to keep to themselves. That they so often shifted to keep the girls from figuring out what the handler codes were.

She hadn't meant to stumble close enough to hear them talk, to grumble over the corporate offices squeeze on their delicate control of the people of Emberlene in their withered tongues and codes. Or something like that. She hadn't been able to snag the whole conversation, and by the sound of it the pair had been going for a while. But it had shifted her perspective enough to wonder what the Mistryl's were actually doing.

Enough perspective to make her doubt the handler's intent, and attempt to secure the future of the people she had helped keep under heel. Which brought her to the moment before her. A steadying breath had her slipping away from the turbo-lift entry way before making her way to a round table pushed perilously close to the balcony.

She wasn't apparently dressed for a fight, but that didn't mean a few tricks weren't up her sleeve as the sleazy looking human corporate representative came shuffling over to the table with an all too eager expression on their face. They brought with them a large case, of which Zhana made it clear she did not appreciate.

"You couldn't have brought a more conspicuous case, could you?" She sighed, a confused expression on the man's face. "Never mind. What offers have been made?"

It pained her to do this, having seen what corporations could do to a wretched and desperate people within months of their arrival. How easily they could gut a planet of everything that made it unique; of the culture, the heart, the fiber of those living there. But Emberlene needed better than the Mistryl's in her opinion. Needed more than scraps and handouts.

And she would gut the Shadow Guard itself if she had to.

 

[Kal]

Objective II: Gather intelligence on the Shadow Guard.
Tags: Daiya | Lilash "Jade" Covegra | Gael | Phalsi Drynchen
Current Host: Young Male Changeling; Tall and Blond in Business Casual.

Liar, liar, pants on fire. The Rodian seemed nice enough at a cursory glance, but Kal had the distinct feeling he was hiding something.

"She is too concerned to handle matters face to face?" Her hireling answered nebulously in the affirmative, if in a way intended to make his employer look in control, but Kal was only halfway paying attention. Other senses were more important by far - and they told him the man was trying to screw him over. Had he been suborned somehow? Possibly. Had the rogue Mystryl started seeking greener pastures elsewhere? Also possible.

Either way, something needed to be done if he was to land this deal. Briefly switching back to Basic for a bit of small talk - whatever happened drawing attention to himself was unlikely to serve his purposes - they returned to the business at hand, only for Kal to pursue alternate routes.

"My sources indicate that your employer may not be safe in her current location." Leaving no room for the Rodian to respond, Kal pressed the point, lacing his words with the insidious persuasiveness of the Force Sensitive. "Her people are catching up. She may need help - and quickly."

"We should help her, I doubt you're getting paid if she is taken." It was all hogwash, of course, but still plausible enough.​

 

[Doc Painless]

Objective: 1 (Enter the Enchanter)
Location: Emberlene, Slums
Tags: Phalsi Drynchen

The Doc wasn't exactly in peak physical shape, but most of what was wrong with him boiled down to a liquor-addled liver. He ran in the mornings, before starting his day at the clinic, and that gave him pretty decent stamina - and nice legs, he was told. It helped that the augmentations in his throat and respiratory system, designed to filter out dust and toxins, also ensured that the oxygen hitting his lungs was particularly pure. He knew how to pace himself for distance, and he knew how to sprint. As he moved to intercept the figure - Phalsi? - that was fleeing from him, he focused on the latter, burning energy in a mad dash down the alleyway.

The street medic's quick calculations and decent physical conditioning paid off when he caught up, emerging from the mouth of the alley at the same time the cloaked woman was passing it. He could have tackled her, or grabbed her arm, but he restrained himself. Instead, he activated the powerful cams in his cybernetic eyes, capturing a high-resolution image of the face beneath the hood as it turned toward him in surprise. That was enough. The Doc skidded to a halt, breathing hard, his boots sliding on the rainy street. His arms pinwheeled, and he rebounded off of a lightpost, but he didn't fall. The chase was over; that woman, whoever she was, certainly wasn't Phalsi.

And that was more than enough evidence for the Doc to smell a rat.

He still wasn't sure exactly what was going on. Had Phalsi, not wanting to be found, hired body doubles? It was possible... but it didn't really sound like her, at least as far as he knew. It was more likely that the Mistryl were up to something shady, but what? If they'd hired Darkwire for this job, why were they making it more difficult? The Doc immediately wondered whether any of the coordinates he'd been given for the young Jedi were remotely accurate. But then, he was on an unfamiliar planet with no other leads, so he was going to have to hope they were; he could track down just about anyone in Seven Corners, but he didn't know the rules of the street on Emberlene.

The false - phalse?, he thought wryly - Phalsi was long gone, still running, trying to draw him along after her for Force knew what reason. There was no point in following. Had the Doc been a different kind of man, perhaps he would have tried to capture the decoy and dangle her off a building vigilante style until she told him what he wanted to know... but he didn't have it in him. Besides, he suspected the young woman had Shadow Guard training, which meant she almost certainly would have wiped the floor with him if he'd tried. The memory of the last time he'd gotten into a fight, the ill-fated brawl at the Blue Flame, reared its head in his thoughts, and he winced.

Feth, he needed a drink. Like always, he just wanted to forget.

But the Doc supposed he needed to stay sharp until he found Phalsi; the kid might be in trouble, and he couldn't leave her like that just because his first lead hadn't panned out. Pulling up the job details, he scanned down the list to the second set of coordinates, another place she'd supposedly been spotted. He'd go into this one more carefully, in case another decoy was waiting; he had no intention of letting his time be wasted, especially if he wasn't sure what was happening to the person he was here for in the meantime. Finally catching his breath from the sprint, he turned and jogged up the street, his eye systems pulling up the quickest route to his next destination.

He had to keep trying, or this whole trip would be for nothing.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

PHALSI
Objective: Figure out what to do. Got all the time in the galaxy now.
Equipment:Armored clothes-How they look, The Mask, Just in Case Cloak, Scope- kept on the utility belt until used, Wrist Device , Pair of Blue Lightsabers, Slicing/Gaming Tool, Hard Light Weapon
Cybernetics: The Encoil, Zerek Stowaway Node, ICE/iBorg Clarion Personal Translator
Ship: Gray Messenger
Tags: Yula Perl | Doc Painless | Anakin Stormrunner | Bryn Celli Ddu , Pogu Tucs​

The Mistryl standing vigil over the real target of interest quietly watched, looking over their datapad as one of the Falsi's reported their failure. Seemed someone had caught up enough to reveal the game was afoot. She wondered quietly how well the shadowrunner's would take the addition to the test. Or if they could appreciate what they were doing here.

It mattered little in the end, so long as the Shadow Guard got their blooming bud, all would be right with the galaxy. She watched the girl fall into herself beneath the archway, ignoring the downpour around her.

FOOD AND SOCIAL COURT​

The face Doc Painless found himself staring at was a near alike face to the one he sought. But to his eyes, the differences were worlds apart. She spat in frustration, frowning before running off in a different direction. Her intent to mislead him proved fruitless as he gave up the chase and she finally realized he had figured it out. She huffed, moving to her spot once more over the food court.

SLUM APARTMENT WALKWAYS​

In a tantalizing treat, two signals danced dangerously close to one another. The real Phalsi was some five stories up while the Falsi signal Doc Painless was now chasing was further down. The Falsi waited silently, watching the military police scan the platform below for troublemakers as she snickered to herself. Much the same as the last, she was covered in a cloak and bearing the same silver streaks in her hair.

This one was more relaxed than the last. Her arms rested on the railing and her face peaked over the rail below. The rain gathered on the tips of her cloak, heavy drops occasionally falling down and landing around the bodies below her.

BACK ALLEYS​

The Falsi that Bryn Celli Ddu had picked up on kept moving slowly, taking note of the walkways and secret hidey-hole spots that dotted the area. She hadn't been through here in some time, never mind acting as another. She enjoyed the sights of growth that dotted these alleys, stopping once or twice even to lay hands upon the heavy blooms that decorated the paths.

Laden with rainwater, they glistened in the lights around and cast a long shadow on the woman walking through as she listened for someone approaching. They had warned her of the shadowrunners but had done little more than explained it was a test for them. She wondered to herself how well they were doing.