Setting the Hunt

[Sovereign]

Planet: Coruscant
Location: Lower Levels, Undisclosed Location

Accessing CSF criminal database...

<//searching//>

......

/Results Found

[member="Lily Rose"]
[member="Cryax Bane"]


"These are the two?"

"Why yes, these two come highly recommended. Cryax Bane, known as 'Bug' he is very skilled in his trade, after a thorough background check we've narrowed him down as the ideal choice in your... well... whatever it is you are doing."

"...and the other?"

"Luminous.. not much is known other than her hit list. She's quite successful in her kills... very skilled, very deadly."

"These two are satisfactory. Consider that debt paid Jarvis... I won't come to visit you on Nar Shaddaa... send an encrypted message to each of them. They are to meet at these coordinates... there will be a small cantina called 'Rust'. Details about the job and payment are to be discussed in person."

In an unknown location within the bowels of the Lower Levels, Sovereign spoke with his contact Jarvis over holocommunicator. Jarvis, a local crime boss from Nar Shaddaa, had an unlucky run in with the Sith apprentice and his former master Lord Havok a few months ago. The coward avoided death but owed Sovereign as a result of his unnatural moment of mercy on the mongrel. Willing to do whatever to avoid the wrath of the Sith again, he spilled out all the information he had on candidates for Sovereign's search. Sovereign had recently been in the search for a small crew to help locate a certain individual with something that didn't belong to them... of course there was other stipulations but Jarvis didn't need to know the details.

Sovereign held the holocom in the palm of his hand as he gazed at the hologram of the cowardly crime boss, "It has been a pleasure as alw." Immediately the apprentice cut off the holocall abruptly ending the conversation between the two, moving slowly out of the dark chamber into the blinding bright light of the adjoining chamber as the large iron door slid open.

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax pulled up in a taxi speeder in front of the cantina. He double checked the coordinates. Yep, Rust was the place. Low on credits, he had to undertip the pilot, but he hardly had the time to listen to the staccato curses being lobbed over his shoulder. This was a meeting he really couldn't afford to be late to.

There was something about this job that was different than the usual slicing gigs that Cryax did. The relay he got was cryptic, of course, they all were, but there was an edge of something else in the undertones of the message. He couldn't begin to explain why when it came pinging through his Datapad, it filled had him with an unspeakable dread, but the commission was too good to pass up. He'd be getting paid handsomely, and slumming it on Nar Shaada was getting old fast.

Despite the sickening feeling deep down in his guts, he moved quickly into the Cantina and slid into a booth near the back. He cast a glance around the room with glittering red eyes and he willed his pulse to stop rising. He wasn't sure who or what he was meeting, but he rationalized that however nervous he probably appeared, at least he wasn't late.

[member="Darth Sovereign"]

 

[Sovereign]

'Rust'. What a creative name.

Centered on the outskirts of the Uscru Entertainment District on the edge of the Coruscant Underworld, Rust stood out as a beckon of filth in the gang ridden lower levels. The cantina was easily recognizable by it's lack of decor and decayed street signs hovering above with dim, frantic flashes of twi'lek girls. Sovereign had little to no interest in meeting his contacts here amongst the alien vermin that plagued the club, yet it was a recognizable location for the kind of criminals he was employing for the job.

The first to arrive to meet Sovereign was the Chiss slicer codenamed 'Bug', it wasn't hard pick him out from the crowd of scum occupying the cantina. As soon as the slicer seated himself in the back of the club a lone figure rose to meet him. A male human, late 20's with pale skin and from the looks of it a death stick addiction, his face stared off in the direction of the newcomer with a soulless expression. He approached the booth where Cryax was seated and his mouth opened to release words only to spill out a soft hiss, his arm rose in the direction of the backroom sealed off by an old iron door. Finishing his task the man fell into the booth across from Bane out cold, his head hitting the table as he went to sleep.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The thwump of the man’s head hitting the table startled the high-strung Chiss, and there went his drink. He muttered a Cheunh curse word and used a fingerless glove to briskly mop up the spill. Furrowing his brow he strode across the bar towards the iron door, one that he hadn't noticed until now.

As he rapped lightly on it, he felt like he was fading. Even a seductive wink from one of the Twi-lek dancers wasn't enough to shake the feeling that he was about to do some very bad things.

[member="Darth Sovereign"]

 

[Sovereign]

Patiently waiting behind the iron door sat the dark figure of the man who contracted Bane and Rose for the job. Clothed in black robes with a dark hood covering much of his facial features the high cheeked, sulfuric eyed Sith slowly tapped his fingers in rhythm across the old metal table in front of him. The flustered server in the other room was of little distraction, his puppet had served his purpose and was of no consequence any longer to the Sith, he was a puppet nothing more. There was little care in the eyes of the bar staff when the man's head hit the table, intoxicated regulars often shared the same fate making the scene more of a nuisance than anything.

Sovereign slowly rose from his seat as the slicer entered the room, glaring at the man with his yellow eyes the Sith greeted the Chiss.

"I've been expecting you, Bug is it?"

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The blue-skinned slicer's blood ran cold at the sight of the man. Especially after he saw what had been done to that poor, unfortunate porter. The human, now slumped on the table, lifeless, was nothing but a depleted husk. He averted his eyes, everywhere, anywhere but the dark hooded visage in front of him. He hadn't a great deal of exposure to force users, but there was no doubt about it. This guy was Sith. He tried to show a modicum of composure as he spoke, but the edge in his voice betrayed that wasn't just another day in the office for him. "Fake it til you make it" just didn't work for Cryax Bane.

"Yep, that's me. I assume you're my contact about the "special job", he said his trembling hands making air quotes at the last part. He thought maybe he should try and force out some bravado. "So give me the fine points, eh? I'm the most sought-out slicer in the galaxy these days. Hope you won't be wasting my valuable time."

He winced, hoping he didn't overstep his bounds. One false move and someone was going to force choke a queen.

[member="Darth Sovereign"]

 

[Sovereign]

A sinister smile came onto the face of Sovereign as he gazed into the eyes of the Chiss, the man's eyes betrayed him. Despite the show of boldness that Bane displayed there was a look of slight fear and uneasiness in the man's eyes as he avoided contact with the Sith's own sulfuric yellow eyes. He decided to reward the man for his boldness, deep down he had earned a sliver of respect from the Sith for stepping up despite his own reservations within.

Flicking his wrist, the iron door behind Cryax would slam shut leaving the two in utter darkness. Within moments a single light emerged from the center of the metal table followed by an interactive hologram.

<Searching...>
................
................
</Results Found/>

An image of Anaxes appeared before them with the name Corvus hovering in large bold letters.

"Listen closely for I will not repeat myself. I am seeking a female Jedi known as Corvus, she holds something important that needs retrieved. Unfortunately my source information is scarce, her last name, known affiliates, and homeworld are unknown to me.. that is where you come in."

Sovereign's eyes moved from the hologram to the Chiss before him as the hologram changed it's form taking on the shape of the Jedi Archives, "Your job is to hack into the Jedi Archives and locate the information on this.. Corvus. I want everything... you will be paid handsomely if your results are satisfactory. I've hired an additional aid... a bounty hunter to aid in capturing or killing the target. Whether she arrives soon or not we will need to begin our mission on the Republic Capital of Anaxes, time is of the essence. Failure will not be tolerated."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

He had to give the Sith props for the impressively dramatic ptich. Jedi archives, huh? That could be tough. Generally their servers were protected with force security. One wrong move in there and a hundred Jedis would "feel" his presence. Or however that worked. He wasn't sure.

His new employer seemed like he was unaccustomed to taking no for an answer and in fact, had not even given him that option. Looked like he was going to do this.

He let out an audible gulp and figured he might as well get this over with. Fumbling to get his composure back, the Chiss put his hands together and rocked back and forth on his heels. "Ok then, I'm game. When do I begin?"

[member="Darth Sovereign"]

 

[Sovereign]

Sovereign nodded with a sense of approval of the Chiss slicer's reaction, "Good." Reaching outward the Sith opened the iron door flooding the chamber with sounds from the cantina. "We start now... prepare whatever you need here on Coruscant, my ship the Emperor's Wrath will await you at the spaceport in bay 56-D." He proceeded to move toward the exit of the chamber with a slow stride before halting at the doorway.

"I will contact Luminous to meet us on Anaxes, meanwhile we will begin our trek to the Republic Capital. When we are settled on the planet you will begin your mission and report back to me when it is completed."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Krip! He didn’t realize that boarding a Sith ship was going to be part of the bargain! But then it made sense to him because how else was he going to get into a Jedi stronghold by his little old self? Still getting a peek behind the curtain, might be an interesting development for the technophilic Chiss. He scratched that from his brain as soon as he realized the Sith would never let him near the ship’s central computer.

As he rose to leave, Cryax suddenly realized he had never gotten his benefactor’s name. “Before we go, one question. What should I call you?”

[member="Darth Sovereign"]

 

[Sovereign]

Sovereign lowered the hood of his cloak as he stepped into the light of the doorway which lead to the booming cantina on the otherside of the chamber doorway. Slowly he turned his head to reveal his facial features and slightly tinted skin tone all homage to his Sith Pureblood/ Human heritage, his cold yellow eyes moved to the slicer as if he was gazing into the heart of the man. He had forgotten to introduce himself due to his impatience, something he would correct now. Cracking a dark smile the Sith honored the criminal with his adopted name.

"Sovereign. You will refer to me as Sovereign."

Returning his gaze forward the Sith left Cryax in the empty room alone with only the sounds of the cantina music filling the chamber. Moving through the now busy cantina, the apprentice turned his gaze toward the body of the addict who still lied on the table in the back. The man would wake up later with no memory of what had transpired other than the haunting voice that entered his mind prior to his blackout, Sovereign still had much to learn in the ways of his 'gift' and only risked using it on the weakest of minds otherwise risking backlash to his own mentality. Slowly he strode toward the exit, the individuals of the club giving a variety of reactions to his appearance. His dark robe, sulfuric eyes, and lightsaber displayed at his waist clearly marked him as one of the Sith occupying the planet, many commoners wisely kept their eyes averted from the apprentice as he passed by, others glared at him with a sense of hatred for what his kind had done. Sovereign made no attempt to 'fix' their attitudes, they were beneath him, alien vermin with the roles of slaves lingering in the vast lower levels of the One Sith Capital.

Leaving the disgusting district of Coruscant, he would make his way toward the spaceport to prep the Wrath for their mission.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

When Sovereign removed his hood, he looked to be much younger than expected, maybe even around the same age as the Chiss himself. But his eyes met the Sith's, the slicer's nervous system crackled. He looked away, at the table, at the floor. Anywhere but those penetrating yellow eyes. What this young Sith had seen and done in his life, well, the slicer couldn't even begin to imagine. He watched as his shadowy new benefactor headed for the door, patrons swiftly clearing a path for the force user.

No time to pack a bag, he guessed. He still couldn't believe he was about to board a Sith ship. The Chiss had to admit he was intensely curious about what the vessel looked like inside. Would it have red glowing pylons and stuff like that? He tramped out of the bar and sped away to the spaceport where the Emperor's Wrath was docked. He was about to find out.

[member="Darth Sovereign"]

 

[Sovereign]

Whoosh! The taxi speeder flew out of the depths of Coruscant's lower levels into the brilliant upper cityscape populated by the various mile high skyscrapers glittering beautifully across the horizon. After several minutes of navigating through the traffic lanes, the speeder made it's final approach toward the spaceport where the Emperor's Wrath was docked. Sovereign felt the speeder slow as the taxi flew over his vessel toward a landing platform not far from the Wrath. "Here."

Paying the driver, Sovereign moved off toward his vessel gazing at the various repairs made from his less than successful trip to Oricon. The Wrath was tough, it would serve it's purpose during their assignment should he stumble upon his target in the void of space. Equipped with minor tractor beams and a docking system meant to capture freighters, he was more than confident that his now 'stolen' ship would serve his purposes well. Boarding the ship, the apprentice quickly engaged power to the vessel and began performing various system checks as he prepped the vessel for take off. It would only be a matter of time before his associate would arrive ready for the mission at hand.

Sovereign smiled at the thought of stepping foot on the Republic Capital in the midst of his enemies as they stalked down their Jedi target.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Chiss slicer arrived at Bay 56-D of the Coruscant Spaceport with no problem. Looks like the mysterious Sith had quickly made all the arrangements so that Cryax had the necessary clearance. Sovereign's preparation for this mission was flawless and he was highly impressed.

The enormous warship called The Emperor's Wrath was quite an impressive sight. They'd be well-protected in this baby. Cryax knew he had the necessary skills to help keep the ship's central computer from getting jacked by pirates if it should come to that, so he was pretty confident that this was going to be a joyride. He wondered if the Sith would let him install his own custom-made anti-slicing software. Probably not, so he'd have to work with what The Wrath's computer had. If the Sith let him even touch the ship's controls.

The gaping maw of Sovereign's ship beckoned to him and he stepped inside. No red pylons, but the interior ship of the ship was state-of-the-art. It was humming in preparation for their departure. Clearing his throat, Cryax tenatively spoke to the hooded Sith. By the Maker, the man still made him incredibly jumpy.

He dug down deep and managed to wrenched out some bravado. "Ready when you are Sovereign." He said and flopped down in the copilot's seat, giving the Sith a smirk. A micro-expression of fear betrayed his anxious state.

[member="Darth Sovereign"]

 

[Sovereign]

Sovereign turned to his co-pilot with a sense of satisfaction as the man readied himself for the trip, moving his gaze forward the Sith rested his hand over a small lever as he pushed it forward lifting the vessel into the air slowly. "Retracting landing gear." He gave off a sinister grin as he punched the vessel into overdrive lunging the ship forward at high speeds, flying through the air from the Coruscant Spaceport airspace the vessel climbed into the upper atmosphere high above the brilliant cityscape far below. "Plotting a course for Anaxes, we will need authorization codes in order to shake off any suspicion by Republic Officials." Leaving the atmosphere of Coruscant the Emperor's Wrath entered the empty void of space slowly moving through the starfield gracefully as the duo prepared to enter hyperspace. Within mere moments the ship vanished in a thunderous flash for the new capital of the Republic, Anaxes.

[member="Cryax Bane"]
((Sorry for the delayed post, computer is having issues))

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax was fairly silent on the trip. How did one make small talk with a Sith Lord anyway? He fiddled with his hands, his datapad, anything to avoid those chilling eyes.

He really wanted to investigate the ship's central computer. It was a work of kriffing art. The beautiful display of Sith computing was beckoning to him. Don't touch it Cryax. Don't touch it. Don't...oops, he touched it.

"What kind of anti-slicing measures does your ship's computer have?" He started punching in some data on the motherboard. "Since we're flying into Republic space, we really need to make sure that we have the right safeguards. I can help you if you want. I'm happy to take a look and install some software that I wrote myself, that really plugs in the glitches and loopholes..." He chattered on and on, desperate to fill the silence in hyperspace.

[member="Darth Sovereign"]

 

[Sovereign]

Sovereign's eyes moved toward the hands of the Chiss slicer as he sat tempted by the ship's computer systems, it was odd to see someone appreciate the ship in the manner the slicer had. The Sith had little to no details of the system work installed by Lord Havok, whatever upgrades were put on the ship must of been gold by the look in the eyes of his passenger.

Annnndddd.... he touched it.

The Sith's right eye twitched as the slicer helped himself to the motherboard, he cleared his throat as the man began to ask if there were any safeguards against slicers and offered his aid in the form of his own software. Sovereign's gaze slowly moved over toward the co-pilot as he continued to go on and on, "Knock yourself out.. if you damage my ship however." The air grew heavy as Sovereign gave off a dread gaze meant to pierce the very soul of the Chiss, "... need I say anything?" A soft chuckle sounded off through the air as Sovereign returned his gaze forward, today was a good day.

"It won't be long before we exit hyperspace above Anaxes."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax shivered and winced. Easy there, dread lord.

"Point taken." He smiled at the Sith. He was a damn good technician though if he did say so himself. As the tech-head Chiss eagerly peeked into the guts of the motherboard central computer, he was sure he could only improve the anti-slicing mechanisms already in place. This ship was soon going to be The Emperor's Wrath 2.0. It was crazy but he almost hoped they encountered pirates before they reached the Republic planet. It would be great to show off his skills in action.

On the other hand he was eager to get out of hyperspace and perhaps not in such close quarters with a man who could probably crush his windpipe with a flick of his pinky.

His red eyes scanned the navicomputer in anticipation of landing soon.

[member="Darth Sovereign"]

 

[Sovereign]

Sovereign watched with interest as the tech savvy Chiss did his thing with the motherboard of the Wrath, his actions had begun to show that he had been indeed the right choice for the job ahead. His attention snapped back to the task at hand when the vessel quickly lunged out of hyperspace into view of Anaxes. In a flash they had entered Republic space, the very heart of the One Sith's enemy. They would need to land on the surface of the planet and find a way to either infiltrate the Auxiliary Jedi Temple or find a way to remotely hack into the Jedi Archives. Slowing his approach the apprentice turned several knobs before moving his gaze toward the Chiss seated next to him, "I'm sending an encrypted message, we will alert our ally that we have arrived in Republic space so that she may aid us in the event of emergency or to begin the hunt for the Jedi."

"We will land on Anaxes and scope out the temple, we will infiltrate the temple at nightfall unless you can find a way to access the servers of the Jedi remotely. You are the expert, however you believe you can get that information is the route we will take. I believe you are capable of discerning the best route for our mission."

 

[Sovereign]

[member="Cryax Bane"]
[member="Lily Rose"]