Public Tales from the Underworld - A Coruscant Story.

[Republic Engineering]

[ Image Source - Star Wars 1313 ]​

Coruscant.

The Queen of the Core. Once known as the figurative centre of the Galaxy, for all hyperlanes eventually led to her Starscraper-choked skies. Yet, the passing millennia wasn’t kind to the noble planet. She endured one hardship after another. There were even rumours that the world was cursed. Forever damned to ever-shifting governments in a never-ending struggle for power. It was cancerous, as the longer the falsehood stuck - the more akin to the truth it would become. Something needed to be done.

And so, the Galactic Alliance - now restored - sought to tackle the insurmountable challenge and change things for the better.

Thus, our story begins in the labyrinthine underworld of Coruscant, where the letter of the law varies from one habitation block to the next, and the darkness from decades past - festers in the absence of light.

Gangs of armed thugs strolled through the streets, instilling a perverted sense of order through brutish applications of fear. They bullied the various shopkeepers into a protection racket. Where they’d promise to safeguard their wares for a generous cut of their profits, only to send in their goons to hike up their prices - blaming their competition for the damage. It was unjust, and it wasn’t limited to a single level. The further down a person went, the more lawless the streets would become.

It was a logistical nightmare - not only for the valiant officers of the Coruscant Security Force but for the Alliance Marshals, and Sector Rangers as well.

However, that wasn’t where the ever-growing tides of corruption ended. Insidious remnants of past regimes lurked within the shadows, waiting for the appointed hour in which they’d reveal themselves. It began with several missing person reports being filed and then turning to cold cases weeks later as they were never found. What was strange, was that they steadily increased over time - and as the planet changed allegiances from one presiding government to another - the rising body count only got worse.

Doomsayers were taking to the streets, saying that the end was nigh and that the people would only find solace in the arms of the Darkness that once embraced the planet’s surface.

The Sith.​

Only through the acceptance of the Sith and their ways, could their loved ones be returned and rejoin their families. Only through bowing to the Dark Lord could they find salvation from the horrors that plague the streets.

​

As a proud member of the Galactic Alliance Judicial Forces - you’ve been tasked with tackling one of the myriad threats that endanger the safety of Coruscant’s citizens. Gather your gear, steel your resolve, and saddle up - for you’re in for just another day in the depths of Coruscant’s Underworld.

To those that dwell beneath the glittering surface of the Queen’s crumbling duracrete crust, we welcome you to participate and offer that your story becomes intertwined with ours. Whether it be securing your possessions, providing aid to those in need, staking a claim on the street-front property in the name of your gang, or spreading the message of the darkness to all that would listen.

Now is your time to shine.​

 

[Xercuv]

Deep within the foul, damp underbelly of the ecumenopolis a giant marched with a gait more akin to a beast than a man. Two gangs vied for control of level 1346 of Slum District D22. Little did they know it had already belonged to a third. The "Scani Ogres" traded blaster fire across a walkway with the "Sanctum Nova." Two bands of thugs the galaxy would never hear nor care about. The giant's own gang, the Unnamed, descended upon the chaotic walkway and added their own bolts to the exchange of blaster fire. All the present parties warred for a simple marketplace below. It held nothing special, it meant nothing to anyone except perhaps the Twilighters that called it home. But the Krayt cared little for the wants of the Bantha. The three crews wanted for more than they had, so the would fight for the claim. None of it mattered to the Xercuv though, anarchy was the beast.

Xercuv had to travel through a massive underworld portal to reach these levels and it had been well worth it. Down in the pits of the galactic jewel was a world unto itself. One without laws. Unbridled chaos. The massive Gen'dai found a delightful irony in this Nirvana of the lawless existing so close to what had once been the very heart of galactic law. In recent years it had fallen to one entity after the next. A constant exchanging of hats. Now some Alliance had taken hold of the world, yet another "superpower' the Gen'dai would outlive. The massive beast bellowed at the thought, his every step booming against the grated catwalk. He brought his rotary cannon to bear and peppered the Nova's holdout across from him, shredding the support beam that held their side of the walkway up. The floor fell beneath their feet and it all crashed onto the storefront awning of an eatery below. Xercuv then turned his attention to the Ogre's hold and repeated the process. With all of the combatants pouring into the marketplace, he looked to three of his nearest lackeys.

"Chase them, gun down any in your way!" He shouted.
"Wait, we should pick them off from up here. We're at the advantage now. It's the smart play." A human, and the closest of his goons, replied.
"Do I look like I'm playing!" The giant bellowed. He grabbed the man and threw him over the side.

Of course, this was all a game to Xercuv but their lives mattered not. He hadn't arrived with the intention of building some underworld gang but as carnage followed the Gen'dai, so to did those who believed him some figure of order. A paradox it was, that they believed him a sprouting power that would establish control over the many surrounding sectors of the underworld. He earned a nickname, the Migrant King as some had even come to see him as some form of savior. He would have none of it. There would be saving. No control. No order. Only more chaos.

The Gen'dai grabbed the remaining two Unnamed at his side, a Twi-lek and a Zabrak and threw them over the side as well. He then leapt to the battle below.

"Mow them down," he commanded, raising his cannon again and tearing the market apart.

The human he had thrown had broken his legs, but the following two got to their feet and opened fire. The forum was a light show of red and green blaster bolts until finally both the Ogres and Novas fell dead. His human attendant held his left leg in his hands and shouted. His voice cracking from pain.

"My legs, I can't feel my legs!"
"I.. I can help," A nearby shopkeeper scurried over to the man's side.
Xercuv raised his cannon and shredded the two, "weakness will not be tolerated," he grumbled. The Gen'dai pointed to another elderly human hiding behind the shattered glass wall of a nearby cantina, "you there! I want the strongest fire-water you have!" He then turned his attention to an assembling number of the Unnamed.

"Enjoy the spoils then prepare for the next hunt!"

 

[Aalto Jien]

Unbridled chaos was where the money was. Where the slaves were bought on sold on core worlds, and where trades happened like it was a daily business at the market. Small exchange cells operating on an ocean of neon lights, like a dot you could barely see amidst the gang violence and the constant rivalries below the radar. Triad wars across the void and stars.

Gangs had backers, and those backers had triads. Little players were kept in power because it suited certain parties that they be in power. The speeders pulling up to see what was going on were staying put for now. They were calm, they weren't the pykes, the hutts or the brood, they were assessing their options.

Several Exchange Enforcers stood around the armored speeders, many Klatoonines, a lot of Nikto, Duros, a three-eyed gran, and a personal Wookiee bodyguard. Not as savage as Hutt muscle might be, more cool-headed and professional for the most part, black riot armor, black weapons and almost tactical in appearance. Quiet was the way the exchange stayed alive on the core worlds and operated unnoticed.

All those pulling up were armored of course, as was Aalto and not directly in the line of sight of the disturbance, checking if it was yet another Hutt Cartel raid again, which would be the third this month. Realizing this situation was different from their celebratory mood, in the rear speeder, the careful Duros could play this one of a few ways. Kill everyone involved and the witnesses. Hire everyone involved. Partner up with the newcomers to his advantage, use it as a distraction to gain further slaves and people seeking shelter, or move on to a more secure area. The three black speeders that had pulled up nearby, didn’t seem to be asking questions so much as seeing what the gang was going to do on their turf when they saw them. This went on for several minutes.

Filtering around the cars for cover, a sniper rifle flashed on, all taking positions in different angles. This could ugly real fast if they were attacked, or they could just drive off, drop 50,000 credits on an assassin and wait for the job to be fixed later. The ball was in the newcomer's court. The window of Aalto's armored speeder came down, but he was cautious as ever because the shield generator on the speeder remained up. "About those spoils," a Duros enforcer called over, walking forward three steps, "you here to trade or settling in?"

Xercuv | Republic Engineering

 

[Ruus]

Location: Coruscant, Undercity, Level 1346, Coruscant Police Sector 1346-D25
Tags: Aalto Jien | Xercuv | Republic Engineering
Gear

Spoiler

DC-17 Hand Blaster w/ integrated Ascension Cable attachment
Vibroblade (Knife)
Handcuffs (x2)
Padded Armor w/ Chromium Plates
HUD & Comlink Equipped Chromium Helmet

Forces

Spoiler

LAAT/le Gunship (3/3)
Spaceport Police Droid (15/15)

---

In the depths of the undercity there were few that observed the law and even fewer that enforced it. The undercity, a stain, for thousands of years was yet again calling out for order. The newly instated Alliance Marshal Service would be assisting the old guard law enforcement organization of the undercity. With it the Sector Rangers would also have a hand in reigning in the criminal activity that plagued the few law abiding denizens. This was Ruus' first important deployment since his time in the Mandalorian Guard at the side of the Mand'Alor.

"Ruus." an older officer with the Undercity Security Forces called to the Ranger who sat on a plasteel bench within the Precinct's gear room "Your assignment has been listed. Seems there is a gang war in full swing in the slums." Ruus stood with rigidity from the bench and walked past the officer to a holographic assignment board and put his Sector Ranger badge against it. When he did so the screen flickered green from blue momentarily as the assignment was acknowledged. Passing by the armory wing to the speeder hangar where hundreds of law enforcement officers were preparing for their various assignments, a Protocol Droid wandered near to Ruus "Greetings, Sector Ranger Ruus, your transport has been prepared. Reiteration of current tasking: Rally at District 24 with Droid Security detail S24, Reestablish the peace in District 22 level 1346; eliminate insurgent gang activity, surrender is available to the criminals." Ruus nodded stiffly "Understood. Should I be expecting Jedi support?" the droid gave a bow "My apologies, Ranger, I do not have access to that information."

The Ranger passed the droid and stepped up into the readied LAAT/le Gunship. Once it was out and into the open air the sirens and lights blared to life as the contingent sped to the rally location. As he passed District 24 a pair of LAAT/le Gunships rose and flanked him on their swift course to put down the gang war.

Meanwhile many of the local holonet news channels began to report that undercity gunships had been dispatched and were headed to the gang war's location in the slums. Holovid equipped news probe droids captured high definition video feeds of the ensuring chaos as well as the gunships.

 

[Alejandro Bodua]

The zabrakian gun dealer was understandingly panicked. There was a war waging outside his shop doors within the market. Blasterfire, explosions and the screams of agony and fear could be heard and he wanted nothing more than to take shelter. But his one and only customer was taking his time getting a feel for the mutliple blasters displayed neatly on the counter, calm as ever to the chaos beyond. Human male in his early fourties with cold blue eyes, short greying brown hair and a magnificant mustashios dressed with two golden ringlets. He wore fine clothing, clean, styled and tailored with panache which put him out of place in these depths of Coruscant.

"Come on man! Hurry up, either buy one or get out" The zabrak nervously hissed as he impatiently wanted to seek safety, but greed kept him close to the counter waiting for the man to make a buy.

"Alejandro!" The man's voice was deep and resonating, as his hands caressed over a Westar-81 with a polished homogoni wood handle grip.

"What?"

"Call me Alejandro!" The customer demanded as he performed a talented gun trick, twirling the Westar into the nerf hide holster off his right hip that was attached to a finely tooled gunbelt. He then drew the blaster with lightening speed and then holstered just as quick. Alejandro repeated this a few times, as if his hand fingers had longed for the feel and touch of a blaster's grip. Truth was it had been a long time since he had touched a gun. Ten years to be exact. He had just been released from prison and this was his first stop.

Ten years of feeling naked without a blaster on his hip and now he finally found the right one after spending close to an hour in the zabrak's shop. What ever was happening outside meant nothing to him at that very moment. He was falling in love with the Westar and he could care less if the galaxy was tearing itself apart. See, most men would of gone to the nearest bar and whore house to scratch the needs of denied flesh and debauchery. Not Alejandro, he needed a blaster more than anything.

"This is the one!" He finally conceded, holstering the 81 into his holster, it's new home.

The zabrak was overwhelmed with happiness, credits were exchanged and Alejandro was quickly ushered outside the shop doors that shuttered closed the moment he got out. Alejandro took a few steps out into the market, fully aware now that there was violence happening all around the market if not fully engulfing it. There were lots a dead bodies about and seemed the fight was about to come to end as one side was dropping like flies. He did not care, he was just a bystander trying to get on with his first day of freedom.

.....THUD!........

Alejandro saw the man fall from the catwalks above and heard the sickening sound of bones breaking as he hit the ground. He squealed in pain and what looked to be a market patron or shop owner tried to make his way to assist him. Both were gun down by a large being above with a monstrous visage to him. The newly freed gunslinger could not make heads or tales what species he was but it was obvious he was the boss and his forces were dominating the market. Or dominated, after looking around again seeing much less blaster fire and little to none opposition.

The large being demanded fire water, pointing to the nearest blaster riddled cantina.

Is he talking to me? Alejandro looked around and certainly wasn't anyone standing near him that could be mistakened. He looked up, his icy cold blue hues glared steely at the monster. "NO!" He replied back firmly . Calmly turning on his heels and walking towards the cantina. He was no ones slave, but the monster had the right idea. Great time to quench the thirst.

 

[Darkwire Prophet]

Larz Blackheart

>> * --xING! COMM\ \\
<\Darkwire,
<\This new "galactic" alliance is untenable. Its only saving grace was a lukewarm conflict with the Corellian republic, who now play puppets to their alliance masters.
<\A stable core government is diverting shipping routes from Denon, migrating back to the safety of coreward trade.
<\For so long, Denon has been the safer, more stable alternative to a war-torn core...but how to reclaim that title?
<\I directed my slicers to create some confusion in the local Coruscant currency bureaus, forcing them to re-verify all their cryptocredits.
<\This will take place at a Ministry of Commerce datacenter located at the coordinates I have provided you.
<\Perhaps a small economic crisis will remind the coreward denizens how friendly our open shipping ports are. We will gladly welcome them back...for a fee.
<\Remember, as we rise so shall Darkwire. Failure is not an option.

"Shadowrunners, this is the game," the CryptNet message was secreted through the firewalls of the fledgling Galactic Alliance networks, but those with Darkwire could receive and understand it. "The Corpos have a new job, and the stakes are incredibly high for this one. Naturally, so is the payout." Each Shadowrunner would receive a datapacket with the coordinates and plans, including information on the target facility and its defenses. "This is the Financial District Datacenter No. 12 where all the alliance credits are being funneled temporarily as a result of Blackheart's slicers. So nice of them to trip the safety warnings on their cryptocurrency to force this failsafe for us to exploit."

"One team will disable the facility's hardwire connections to the network." The included datapacket contained a map of the Financial District, with the datacenter's level zoomed in and its connection points highlighted. "The datacenter is built to insulate against wireless signals, its only connection to the Commerce ministry and financial institutions is its physical network points. Cut them off to isolate it from outside interference."

"The other team will infiltrate the facility itself. Neutralize security and target any of the datacenter's crypto experts or slicers with extreme prejudice to ensure viability of the mission. But do not damage or disrupt the server operations themselves during this process, the facility must continue to believe it is operating as normal." An included set of blueprints warns DRAFT VERSION 0.8.3: SUBJECT TO REVISION, it includes what appears to be the completed facility inside with no notable omissions. With any luck, nothing significant changed since the draft was issued.

"Once the facility is secured and isolated, insert a datachip with the included script onboard, it will take care of the rest." Only a true slicer or crypto-specialist would be able to make sense of the program the script creates, one that was crafted by some of the finest coding minds on Denon. It took a sizeable portion of a datachip to store, but it would activate immediately upon insertion into the target servers.

The message signs off with, "You know your mission, now tell the story."

@All Darkwire Shadowrunners and Allies​

 

[Xercuv]

More and more Unnamed had accumulated in the forum and by Xercuv's word dispersed shaking the market down for anything of worth. A few outliers had remained but the fighting had abated for the moment. On his say-so they would assemble and take their aimless war to the next block, then the next and the cycle would repeat until Xercuv was confident he'd dried the underworld of any pleasure it might bring him. Here where the law was moot, and authority was but the fleeting fantasies of the weak the Gen'dai warlord found the euphoria he had sought.

"Ye- yes sir," the elderly cantina dweller replied to his earlier demand.

A human with a long mustache standing in front of a local munitions store blurted something or other out but Xercuv paid him no mind. He cared little for the wants or needs of the locals. A few Unnamed darted past the man and made their way inside the store to pick it apart. More tools for his miscreant band.

The cantina man ran out of the bar with a bottle of Shashay Idlewil Liquor in hand, not stuff Xercuv expected to fall so far from the jewel's surface but a welcome find. The front panel of his visor split open and the beast downed the bottle in a single go then tossed it aside, his attention brought elsewhere.

Alongside the block, there was some shuffling movement around a series of speeders. A small gathering of Niktos, Klatoonines and a few others. His visor sealed and he looked to the cantina man.

"You get to live, now go grab something for these mutts," he gestured to the Unnamed, few of which looked on to the small crowd.

"About those spoils,"
"you here to trade or settling in?"

Xercuv's gaze fixed on what appeared to be the small mob's ringleader, a Duros, who had called out to the Gen'dai. A grin crept across Xercuv's face as he approached the brazen fellow, his cannon lazily aimed ahead.

When they were no more than a foot apart the Gen'dai spoke.

"Here to take. Lives, goods, whatever I happen to fancy at the time," he shifted his cannon off to the side and with the squeeze of the trigger reduced a far off sniper to a charred heap, otherwise, he remained unmoving, "kind of rude to point during a conversation," he chuckled. The Unnamed began to gather a few meters behind but knew better than to interrupt.

Republic Engineering Aalto Jien Alejandro Bodua Ruus

 

[Ruus]

Location: Coruscant, Undercity, Level 1346, Sector 1346-D24 "Slum District"
Tags: Aalto Jien | Xercuv | Republic Engineering | Alejandro Bodua
Gear

Spoiler

DC-17 Hand Blaster w/ integrated Ascension Cable attachment
Vibroblade (Knife)
Handcuffs (x2)
Padded Armor w/ Chromium Plates
HUD & Comlink Equipped Chromium Helmet

Forces

Spoiler

LAAT/le Gunship (3/3)
Spaceport Police Droid (15/15)

---

The brackish air of level 1346 district 24 was now alive with the flooding flashing red lights of the undercity's LAAT/Ie Gunships that were common for these kinds of assignments. Three of such gunships rounded on the market place where the gang war had taken place and the blinding white veil of spotlights shown down on all within "By the order of Sector Administration 1346 this activity has been deemed an unlawful assembly, lay down your arms and disperse. If you refuse these orders you will be placed into custody." boomed the a voice from the loudspeaker from one of the gunship transports as fifteen Police Droids jumped down (5 from each LAAT/Ie) and raised their blasters threateningly. The gunship squadron's blaster cannons raised and targeted those which the gunners could see had long arms. One of those who could clearly see the barrel's of a blaster cannon aimed at them was Xercuv . The voice rang out again "By the order of Sector Administration 1346 this activity has been deemed an unlawful assembly, lay down your arms and disperse. If you refuse these orders you will be placed into custody."

Ruus lowered himself to the market floor by a fast cable system and stood behind the now aligned Police Droid cordon. He withdrew the DC-17 from his duty belt and aimed it at one of the armed gangers. For a third and most likely final time the loudspeaker announced "By the order of Sector Administration 1346 this activity has been deemed an unlawful assembly, lay down your arms and disperse. If you refuse these orders you will be placed into custody." This time the police formation began to slowly march forward. Several unarmed and lightly armed denizens ran off into buildings or alleyways to escape the area while others remained where they were. Had this been an easy task they would not have had all the hardware they were assigned. One of the droids caught a glimpse of Alejandro Bodua and stared for several long moments before robotically looking away.

 

[Maou]

Xiao-Town was unfamiliar territory, though his people had down their best to prepare him. Over a thousand levels down from the surface of Coruscant it wasn't exactly the underworld but this particular level was about as close as you could get to the scumminess of 1313 and still be surrounded by a human or near-human majority AND still see sunlight on good days. Maou stepped from the turbolift and took in the familiar smells of Atrisian street foods and the sounds of familiar music and the familiar language. Clad in his armor the man walked down the walkway like he owned them. While technically all of the Atrisian families ultimately served the same people, rivalries between interplanetary groups and even domestic groups were bound to arise. For decades the Oyabuuns of Corellia and other core worlds had played second fiddle to the houses that ran the streets of Coruscant's undercity and Maou had heard the stories, but he'd never set foot inside Yijun Tung's territory. Dressed to the nines with vibroblades visible and armor clearly stating who he was and where he was from, it was almost on its own a declaration of war.

But it was a risk he had to take in order to keep his own identity secret. A Jar'Kai dressed in a suit that was far too nice for the area walked up beside him casually with a few others in more casual street clothes falling in behind them out of the alleyways.

<You will come with me now if you do not wish to start a war,> The simian said in Han accented Atrisian. Maou's glowing eyes fell on the man and he heard him swallow hard through the audio amplifiers in his helmet but was impressed otherwise with the fearlessness. He'd have to give Tung a compliment on his mens' resolve. In a low voice he said,

<Take me to the Oyabuun, and there will be no trouble, ape.>

 

[Yijun Tung]

Akachōchin - the Red Lantern
Maou
​

Much had changed on Coruscant in the last few years. The fall of the Imperial Bloc eased some of the restrictions faced by those outside of the good graces of the law, but the rise of the Galactic Alliance was hardly something to praise. One problem to the next -- the nature of the business. At the very least, Tung had enjoyed an significant increase in profit from his more legitimate businesses ever since they'd opened the economy to other Galactic superpowers.

"Boss," a hushed voice speaking in Xiaolang interrupts his quiet contemplation. He was sitting in one of the Lantern's private basement lounges, stirring his drink with a finger while watching a beautiful woman gently pluck at a stringed instrument at the opposite corner of the room. Aside from the the two, only the man at his side and a personal bartender could be spotted in the lower section of the building.

The tall, bald man remains at a bow, knowing he would not get a response. Without rising, he continues "I'm sorry to interrupt your private time, but there is someone here for you. They were apprehended in Nai'Shi. We believe it is an urgent matter."

Tung removes his finger from the drink, shifting his attention to watch the whirlpool within while delicately plucking a handkerchief from his maroon blazer and drying his hand.

Finally, the younger business man answers in a bored tone, "Very well. Bring him -- and get him a drink."

 

[Doroko Bral]

Equipment: See Bio
Location: Coruscant, Financial District Datacenter No. 12, Meeting Room
Reason: A large portion of the Galactic Alliance credits are being funneled through a high security Datacenter as a result of Blackheart's slicers tripping a fail-safe mechanism.
Allies: Galactic Alliance
Enemies: Darkwire and their allies, Darkwire Prophet


The activation of the fail-safe had caused quite a dramatic response from the Galactic Alliance law enforcement agencies. While it was doubtful that all of the financial assets in the Galactic Alliance were being funneled through a single datacenter, the true amount was no small amount and loss of these assets would prove to be a damaging blow to the Alliance’s economy and trust in the datacenters. Thus, it is imperative that the datacenter is not breached and the assets remain unexploited. A large contingent of local security forces were deployed to the 12th Datacenter of the Financial District on Coruscant in addition to Galactic Alliance Marshals. However, many of the Marshals were already deployed elsewhere, so the powers that be that control the Judicial Forces had also reassigned a Sector Ranger by the name of Doroko Bral to reinforce the facility.

Doroko had only arrived just a day previous and had requested a full schematic of the facility downloaded to his portable holoprojector. As lawless and dangerous as the undercity of Coruscant is, the Financial District was significantly more secure and orderly. None, including Doroko, thought that a physical assault would take place, but protocol dictated that greatly enhanced security be implemented. As such Doroko took action to prepare for the worst case scenario.

The displaced Mandalorian was currently in a meeting with the director of the Datacenter as well as the head of security and a representative of local law enforcement. “ As you can see we have taken every precaution both virtual and physical to secure this Datacenter.” Began the director, “You can rest assured that your presence, while welcome and reassuring, will not be required.”

“That’s probably true, though the facility is a prime target for the time being. Whether we like it or not, we are obligated to reinforce the security of this facility.” Responded the local law enforcement representative.

“The way I see it, the Alliance has overreacted. Why is a Sector Ranger here? Aren’t you all supposed to be more of a hunter type? This is more the job for a Marshal.” The head of security chimed in, addressing Doroko.

Doroko shrugged his armored shoulders slightly, "The Alliance decided that it was more important for more bodies than to worry about job descriptions, apparently. I won’t be in your way.” He responded in a worn voice. It had been a long trip to Coruscant and the briefing on the whole situation gave Doroko a bad feeling about this whole thing. His experience was more offensively based than security. He had fought on the front lines of the invasion of Mandalore and several other high profile battles. That experience was invaluable to his job as a Sector Ranger, but did little for him in security.

 

[Daiya]

Location: A walkway within the Financial District, Coruscant
Objective: Disconnect and Isolate the Datacenter (Darkwire Team One)
Equipment: C1 Comlink, Holojournal, 434 Blaster Pistol, DL-13 Holdout Blaster, MP-SE Grenade
Allies: Darkwire Prophet Chloe Santhe Nyra Mazul Enigma Iuda @Darkwire

[Post Soundtrack: Alone by Alan Walker]​

"It's kind of like home!" the girl remarked to nobody as she skipped down the walkway through the Financial District of Coruscant. The buildings reaching for the sky, the veneer of prosperity plastered over the lower levels she could spy from her vantage point, and the dense pedestrial-slash-speeder traffic cluttering the path ahead looked incredibly similar to Denon. If not for the smell of the air, or the very different view when she looked up, Daiya might not have believed someone if they told her she wasn't on her homeworld. She pointed up at a holo-sign shifting through various advertisements above a storefront ahead of them, half-expecting to see one for Sakedo Tower the next time it changed.

She huffed a breath of disappointment to see a #GetRECed ad instead, administering a dose of reality to the girl. A twinge of distaste rose in her throat at the idea of being on Coruscant, the ecumenopolis world was an economic rival of Daiya's homeworld of Denon, and it was hard to escape the bittersweet glee she felt at being sent to help bring the capitol world down a notch. It was just a game of politics and economics, at least as Enigma had explained to her. No, the reality was much more pleasant than that.

Darkwire came to Coruscant not to bring war, but just simple, honest crime.

Hit a datacenter, that was the job. It was a bit unusual for Daiya's scope of experience, she had little in the way of slicing knowledge or about finances for their target of Coruscant's currency. That didn't seem to bother Darkwire so much, they needed to attack physical targets first before any of that digital beep-boopery went on. Daiya preferred to figure out things that moved and breathed. So she was grateful that this job provided her the location where to go and the task to do.

Sever some hardwire network links, whatever those were, so the target facility would be isolated. Daiya wondered why the facility wouldn't just use the HoloNet wirelessly instead, but the Darkwire instructions had included something about it being insulated from wireless signals. All that complication boiled down into the task for this job, sever the connections. The girl nervously fingered the grenades she kept in her pocket, wishing Tawrro was along for this task. He was better at the heavy hitting weapons than she was, especially anything up close.

She shivered involuntarily, which paused her momentum. The first time Daiya got Tawrro to let her go on a mission alone, and she was already nervous without him. The teen shook her head, trying to shake off the feeling. She wasn't truly alone, the rest of Darkwire agents here had been one of the convincing factors for her Wookiee guardian. It's not like she couldn't fend for herself on a city-world, she'd been doing that for far longer than the girl had known Tawrro anyway.

The girl shrugged as she considered the situation, an action she rolled into another skip as she made her way down to an intersection in the walkway. She would be fine. Daiya had her blasters, the details of her task, and —as unwilling as she was to rely on it— her inopportune connection to the Force. She had already managed to guide herself close to the first hardpoint, which was somewhere around here, but first there was someone she had to meet.

One that came recommended by an old friend of hers.

 

[Chloe Santhe]

Location: Coruscant
Equipment: CS-9001 Slicer System
Tags: Daiya
Outfit

An endless city. It went on forever, a grand circle around the planet. Coruscant had been chosen for Chloe’s current mission cluster. The Boss hadn’t liked her doing this, but he relented, it was a debt, one carried by all of the Outlaws, and her hands had been dirty long before she met the clever Jawa that led them. She owed them the world, this was a small price to pay.

Chloe dressed in a tight white tee, a blue checkered over shirt, and a worn pair of jeans. On her eyes were a pair of white sunglasses, and on her head were a pair of white cat headphones. She wrestled her way through a busy hovertrain station. It was filled with hundreds of species, and a loud clamor of hustle and bustle. As she watched, a small rodian pickpocket managed to slide the wallet from one of the humans that had gathered for the train. Silently, Chloe let their paths intersect, and as she passed by, nimble fingers stole what the rodian had rightfully stolen. The girl disappeared into the crowd, and thumbed through the wallet. She took a small number of credit chits, a finders fee, and slid the wallet back into the man’s pocket. Off she went, and used the chits to buy a ticket. After she made her purchase at the kiosk, the girl turned the music on, and began to bob her head in time with the tune.

Spoiler: Currently Playing Song

She had been on planet for a week now, and had plotted and planned her crime in great detail. It was a three part plan that would get the Outlaws out of their debt to two patrons, and ease the burden on them a bit. While it was true, she wasn’t actually a member of the outlaws, they had taught her a lot. Besides, if it went south, none would miss her. But the brilliance of her teachers?

She boarded the hovertrain and it set off at a fast clip. Her glasses followed the power that led through the vehicle. While the vehicle was self contained, it ran on a rail that connected it to the rest of the line, by way of buffer shield. It provided a way to slow the train down. It was so integral that the train would lurch to a stop if it was taken out. And it happened to be connected to a generator found in the level below this. Her slender fingers found a pole to hold onto, and her lithe body hugged it tightly to avoid the throng of people that crowded around her. There was a some what cute boy to one side. She would remember him for later.

At the corner of her eye a timer rapidly approached zero. Chloe let go with one hand and placed it nonchalantly in her pocket. Fingers wrapped around the microcomputer there. With a well practiced movement, she activated a program on it. Suddenly, the power on the train began to flicker and the buffer shields went out. See, down far below, the generator was well taxed. She had waited till this time to activate an energy shunt. It would activate a fail safe that shut down the generator by making it expend much of it’s energy by running a derelict factory. A brown out. The third this week, it wouldn’t even be a surprise or cause of concern for the people. The hover train slowly skid to a stop. The smoothness of it was a testament of it’s driver.

The train was near a large building, very near it, as the rails ran right against it. As another timer counted down on her glasses, Chloe signed and shook her head. “Ugh, this sucks, I’m going to miss the holovid….” The blonde placed her free hand on her hip and turned to the boy. “Doesn't this suck?!”

The boy was all to eager to engage in a vocal and loud conversation with the teen girl. Five minutes until the back up generator kicked in. This would be close. Another skillful button push and the virus she had inputted into an accounting droid would activate. It had been days of bugging, stakeouts, and sneaking microprobes into there to set this entire thing up. On the upper left corner of her vision a holo recording began to play. It was the interior of the bank. The droid moved over, and pushed buttons on a terminal. It was no surprise, it did so thousands of times a day. However, this time, it would funnel seventy thousand credits out of various bank accounts and sent it to another bank, into an account owned by a Tirini Conglomerate executive. Like clock work, the bank clerk in charge of overseeing the finances realized something was up. On his way to check on it….

Five….four…..three….two...one…. All while she talked and charmed the boy, and gave a good performance, she made her move. Another virus was activated through a short comm wave burst. It could have been anyone on the train, there would never be a way to know. But, when security came to investigate,they would find it difficult to trace...but not impossible. It would be a variation of a known code used by the Tirini Conglomerate a few years back, during their take down of a public figure who had been very vocal against them. The droid’s internal power supply heated up quickly. In fact, so quickly it just couldn’t contain it. The explosion ripped the body into shreds and sent them as deadly fragments all over. It would erase the droids memory and any trace of whoever had hacked it. It also sent those fragments right into that head clerk. The video cut out with the man slumped on the floor, full of wounds and burns. His blood pooled all around him. Done. Next phase.

Another comm burst, it went far away. A previously hacked Tirini Conglomerate secretary droid went for a walk. One that would lead it to the bank they used.

The train started back up, and soon Chloe gave the boy a fake number to reach her at, and headed off at her stop. Quickly the girl moved through the crowded skywalks, and towards the intercept point. Three seconds behind, this wasn’t good. She attempted to speed up, her slender body made it much more easy to slip through crowds. She ducked into an alley, hid from some thugs inside it, and parkorred her way up to the catwalk above it.

A casual stroll….she bumped into the droid as she passed by. One of hundreds who had done the same. She stuffed the bag of credit chits into an inner pocket in the blue jacket in a seem less move. The droid would continue to a drop point, while she moved towards a crowded mall. There, surrounded by shops, the blue eyed teen stopped to window shop at a wedding boutique. The dresses were gorgeous. Not that SHE would ever wear one, but they were pretty. A woman stopped next to her. One of her companions. The bag of credits was handed over, and was soon on the move to pay back a debt to a certain Sullustian.

With a sigh, Chloe moved off into the crowd again. She stopped at any store that got her interest but didn’t buy anything. She chatted with any boys or girls who were interested, and acted...normal.

A brief message was sent to her secure commlink. “Complete.” That meant she had managed to kill a Sith Infiltrator, stole the money, and had framed a rival company to her patron for the deed. It didn’t leave her with a good feeling, but what choice did she have? This was her life. It always had been.

Still….it was a good day’s work! However, she now had another mission on the planet. The short teen moved off to a repulsor bus, and stepped foot on it. Soon in a seat, she was carried off across the planet to a new district. She hopped off energetically and with a hum moved off towards the designated meeting place. Chloe had been given a full dossier on who she was supposed to meet. Her clients were never truly incognito. Eyes went over Daiya. Short, like herself, but curlier hair, cute highlights. She hadn’t met a lot of other teen girls in her own business. Now they existed, to be sure, she just hadn’t been around a lot of them. Well, might as well do this.

Earphones still in, glasses still on, Chloe swayed a bit as she walked up to Daiya, and gave the girl a bright, mischievous smile. Glasses were raised so her ice blue eyes could look Daiya in the eyes. Her arms went behind her back and she leaned forward slightly towards the woman. “Why hello there cutie. You look a little blue standing there. But, if you take a walk with me, I am sure I could tickle you pink.” The girl tried so hard to keep a straight face, but it didn’t last. A soft melodic laugh came from her that dissolved into a giggle fit. “Ahhh! I tried! Really, but it was so bad! Like really really bad! I admit though, I’ve always wanted to try something lame like that! I’m Chloe, you’re Daiya, right?”

 

[Hacks]

Location: The Works, Coruscant
Objective: Team Two
Equipment: Currently None
Allies: Darkwire, local outcast communities

A vast wasteland as far as the eye could see lay sprawled out before Hacks. The porthole from the rusted freighter gave her ample view of the smoke-choked precinct. The sky was a bleak dark red here, it almost reminded her of blood. She reminded herself, this is the type of place built with blood. Tens of thousands of sentients spent lifetimes labouring their lives away for pathetically low wages by the greed of corporate executives. The irony to her was bitter. She often worked for the same people responsible, yet her targets were almost always other corporate individuals. Bittersweet, she supposed.

The sound of feet on metal echoed in the tight corridors of the freighter, floor grates creaking underfoot as the rusted ship threatened to snap at a moments notice. Hacks believed the only thing holding a shit bucket like this together was a mix of pure luck and sheer will. A squat Talpini came into view as they rounded the corner, orange folds of flesh hung over two beady eyes that peered into the very soul of Hacks and was unwavering in its ability to make her extremely uncomfortable and self-conscious.

"Weh land ern two, remembah, yer owe meh creds when t'is job ist done orh I ain't flyin' yer back tah Denon!" he roared with a surprising amount of gusto for a species so tiny. She stared at him blank and wide eyed for a moment, he fidgeted for a second and then she answered, snapping out of her reverie, "Yeah yeah, I'll pay you, just make sure you keep the ship hot for a quick take off." She turned her back to the small alien and moved further into the ship, towards the cargo bay where a Mairan awaited her.

Several slick tentacles pooled out on the floor in front of her, leading to a large blob of flesh on a hoverchair. It was disgusting, she thought, and immediately the alien perked up and looked at her. It could read minds, she had to remind herself, don't be rude. She met the gaze of the thing and smiled nervously. Please don't wipe my mind, please don't wipe my mind, she kept thinking. Her eyes turned away as she felt her sanity remained, looking to another shadowrunner in the hold and giving them a quick nod.

"I've got people in the sector who have some gear for us," Hacks said. The freighter had been unable to transport weapons to Coruscant during the flight as the captains licence restricted him from transporting dangerous goods after a stint in jail for smuggling disruptor rifles two years ago. Although he was still able to transport other goods, and smuggle people discreetly. They had already been inspected by some authorities a few hours ago on their way into the system, Hacks and the others had been cleared as staff on the ship with fabricated ID's.

Something akin to a pop was heard far away in the engineering block of the freighter, then loud and disturbing creaking. Metal crunching, twisting, buckling. The ship lurched forward and a voice came over an intercom, "We've landed." The cargo bay was welcomed with a ray of 'natural' light as the landing ramp lowered. Smoke billowed in and she coughed at the sudden attack on her lungs. She swore she could taste something acrid in the air. Out of the smoke came a pack of humans, all clothed colorfully with a myriad of self-made clothes and jewelry. Local punks and skins from Coruscant, working class folk who spent most of their lives tucked away in The Works.

They were all smiles as they greeted Hacks like one of their own. They hugged and shook hands, chatting about how the trip had been and their own day. "So, got the goods?" she said at the end of it all, tilting her head. "Yeah, it's waiting on a transport on the other side of town," one of the skin girls said, hiking a thumb over her shoulder, "We've got the fastest speeder we could get our hands on so you'll be there in no time." Hacks nodded and looked back to the cargo bay of the freighter, "C'mon, we don't have time to kill," she said and motioned her crew to come out.

 

[The Fool]

Darkwire Team Two
Allies: Hacks

After the last few jobs across the Outer Rim packed him some heat, Roman turned his eyes towards the Core. Coruscant, more specifically; that's where his new job took him. Employed by Darkwire as a contractor, he was in for a good payday considering they were hitting the damn Financial District of the seat of the galaxy. He might just make it out in time to pay overdue bills back at the OutRim.

Stacked in a smuggler's ship with a bunch of weirdos, the professional problem-solver kept mostly to himself. No strings attached. Easier that way. No mourning for comrade goons getting whacked on the job. That was also one of the reasons he preferred working alone but, you know, beggars can't be choosers.

The ramp of the trash can of a ship opened up to reveal a welcoming committee of weirdos shaking hands and hugging with one of the infiltration team. Hacks, right? Force, he was bad with names. Anyway, she urged the band of goons, Roman included, to come out. Turns out the welcoming committee of weirdos were their suppliers of guns. He wasn't sure what to make of it but he also knew not to judge a book by its cover.

Roman's nostrils flared at the first touch with Coruscant's stench. He ought to have been used to it by now. The underbelly of Terminus was a similar heap of garbage as the works of Coruscant. Guess some things never change.

Hands in his long coat's pockets, he said 'Let's get this over with.'

His stomach rumbled.

 

[Maou]

A guarded escort through the Atrisian quarter wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he arrived on Coruscant and if the nervous Jar'Kai walking beside him and the unease he felt in the Force from the other three guards tailing them was anything to go off, they wanted to be in this situation even less than he did. As they approached the rear of the famed Atrisian establishment he was passed off to another set of guards, these ones with far more confidence than the previous set. They also apparently knew how to treat another Oyabuun. The bright reds and golds of the Red Lantern along with classic architecture reminded him of the holos he'd seen of the Jar'Kai Imperial Palace in his youth but most of the staff seemed to be from other provinces outside of the main one, he could hear it in their hushed accented Atrisian which was different from his own.

He was meters from Tung now. He wasn't as familiar with this group, but his contacts told him that they were more heavily into moving people and guns than his own outfit. Really that was just common sense, being one of the largest outfits on Coruscant or even in the Core Worlds. He needed to show deference here. The guard presented Maou as if he was some sort of present before walking off. He noticed the privacy screen that activated as he took a step closer and mentally cursed. He looked down at the bottle of Corellian Whiskey on the table before bowing deeply.

<Tung-dono,> he said in Atrisian while maintaining his bow, <I am sorry to have arrived unannounced.> A lie. Under normal circumstances, he would do anything to undermine this group if it meant gaining favor and growing in power in the Core Worlds. <The Yōkai remain in your debt for helping us rebuild when the Hutts were on our doorstep.>

Yijun Tung

 

[Yijun Tung]

Tung takes a sip from the ceramic yunomi resting on the table infront of him. Swallowing the harsh alcohol within, he offers a dip of his own head in response and simple gesture with his hand for his new guest to take a seat at the booth. In truth, the Gokudo's aid for the Yokai had been nothing more than a means of keeping face with the citizens of Xiaolangzhen. Despite their differences, the commonfolk would have likely frowned upon them standing idly as fellow Atrisians suffered under the boot of the Cartels.

But Tung knew better than to trust the man before him, as much as he'd prefer to. The two had never met in person before, yet the signature armour needed no introduction. Seemingly unfazed, the Xiaolang Oyabun concludes that something of great interest or concern must have come up to prompt such an informal visit to the gang's quiet base of operations.

"Maou," his eyes look from the armour to the bottle resting on the table, expecting his guest to pour a glass of his own "you are forgiven. I presume you wouldn't be here if it weren't a pressing matter."

Sat opposite of one-another in the gently lit lounge; one in a finely tailored suit, the other in stylistic armour, the contrast of the two Atrisian crime lords was glaring at just a glance. Nonetheless, tradition triumphed in the ways of the Gokudo. The unorthodox Oyabun of the Yokai would be an honoured guest, until it were proven otherwise.

"What brings you here, friend?"

Maou

 

[Xercuv]

Location: Coruscant Underworld, Level 1346 of Slum District D22.
Tags: Republic Engineering , Aalto Jien , Alejandro Bodua , Ruus

---

A long silence took the air as Xercuv awaited the Duros' response, but was broken by the whir that preceded three oncoming security gunships. Law attempting to seize the lawless land. This would not be allowed. They should know their place the Gen'dai thought to himself.

"By the order of Sector Administration 1346 this activity has been deemed an unlawful assembly, lay down your arms and disperse. If you refuse these orders you will be placed into custody."

"So much for decorum," Xercuv chuckled regarding the Duros and his troop. As the law forces descended to the marketplace Xercuv commanded the Unnamed, "Boys! Show the officer how we greet the farce known as law enforcement down here!"

The Unnamed swarmed the security droid cordon like a pack of wolves upon their prey. Dozens of them sprinted out from the many stores and alleyways and descended with blasters and vibro-shivs in hand. What they lacked in skill and precision they made up for in sheer volume. This was Xercuv's territory now and he'd have the rabble that called itself level security down here know it.

Above, the gunships began to fire up their canons one of which was aimed directly at Xercuv. The Gen'dai stood undeterred. The beast of a man brought his Annihilator Torpedo Launcher to bear and with the squeeze of a trigger let a single fusion torpedo away. The projectile crashed into the head gunship which exploded immediately, its wreckage crashing into a second ship on its left flank. In a few seconds time two gunships had been brought to ground. The third opened fire on the mob, some took cover and returned fire while others continued their assault on the police lines. A new war had taken to the streets of Coruscant's underbelly, both fir and bliss was in the air.

"The only law down here, is the law we make for ourselves!" Xercuv shouted as the Unnamed swarmed the block, frenzied by his words.

 

[Hacks]

The Works, Coruscant . . .

Hacks gave Roman a shit-eating grin that seemed to stretch from ear to ear. She was utterly delighted to see someone out of their comfort. One of the skins hiked a thumb over their shoulder, towards Roman, and said loud enough that all could hear, "Who's the farkin' square?" There was some laughter from a few of those present and Hacks made no comment on the antics. One of the crowd with hair split down the middle, half black, half yellow, shouted, "Oi c'mon let's get a move on."​

​

A rectangular speeder with an attached flatbed came into view and quickly gained on them, slowing down at the last moment and turning a sharp right. It hovered as those present climbed on, the blob-like alien that could read and erase minds floated onto the flatbed with its hoverchair. Hacks clambered up and joined her friends and looked to Roman, "It shouldn't take long for us to get to the centre. We'll pick up extra hardware on the way."​

​

The vehicle took off with incredible speed. The smog-ridden air of The Works whipped at the faces of those resting on the flatbed, the speeder carving the quickest and shortest path to the financial district, slowly rising higher and higher above the industrial sector. Looking down below The Works increasingly looked like an overly complicated rusty maze built of ancient pipelines and factories.​

Soon the smog cleared and with it the air became cleaner. They were flying past residential buildings now, more and more speeders present in the sky. One of which looked to be a freight speeder dawdling beside them, maintaining speed. Hacks peered at the side of the truck, turned to the skins and punks and got a confirming nod. "Huh," she said aloud, surprised.​

​

The truck got so close it threatened to collide with the flatbed. In that moment the freighter container opened up and showed a mostly empty hold with a few crates in a far corner. "That's us," Hacks said to Roman and the few other Shadowrunners with them. She gave her fellow skins and punks a mock salute, "An honour serving with you," and stepped towards the edge of the flatbed.

Down below, thousands of feet, the duracrete ground awaited her. That was if one of the tens of thousands of speeders criss-crossing the Coruscant sky didn't wipe her out on the descent. Although she wouldn't be taking the fastest route to the ground if she had any say. She looked up at the truck and sized the distance and felt her throat grow slim. "God damn this sucks," she shouted as she took a step back, then sprang forward and leapt from the flatbed and into the freight container across from them.

She glanced down at the vast drop as she made the distance, her heart sinking with a terrible feeling. Her feet landed in the container and her chest felt ready to explore with the sudden adrenaline. She laughed so loud it almost hurt her own ears. She made it. "Okay, you next," she said to Roman, and indicated for the other Shadowrunners to jump after him.

She turned her back to them and walked through the container, eyeing crates full of slugthrowers, blasters, demolition charges, grenades. Any hardware they needed this truck had it. She could spy the driver of the speeder-truck through a cross-window, a droid. Of course. She peered back at the flatbed, the skins and punks were cheering, clapping and laughing at the ordeal that was going on. They were enjoying it. Once the Shadowrunners were across they'd peel away from the truck inbound to the Financial District and head back to wait them in The Works.​

The Fool

 

[Ruus]

Location: Coruscant, Underworld, Level 1346, Sector 1346-D24 "Slum District"
Tags: Aalto Jien Alejandro Bodua Republic Engineering Xercuv
Gear

Spoiler

DC-17 Hand Blaster w/ integrated Ascension Cable attachment
Vibroblade (Knife)
Handcuffs (x2)
Padded Armor w/ Chromium Plates
HUD & Comlink Equipped Chromium Helmet

Forces

Spoiler

LAAT/le Gunship (1/3)
Spaceport Police Droid (10/15)

Ruus looked over his shoulder as the torpedo weapon's projectile zipped over head and impacted the LAAT/Ie he had just descended from. As it lurched to the side and crashed into an adjacent gunship it caused pandemonium within the market. The gunships fell to the surface of the level's streets in a burning pile. Meanwhile, as the attack was called, the Police Droids' initial volley to the assailants was on Stun. After the first fifteen blue rings of ionized plasma went into the crowd, the droids simultaneously reset their blasters to Kill. Return blaster fire was given to the Unnamed thugs whether they be at close or far range. Despite the best attempts of the gangers to shiv the droids it would prove mostly ineffective, and deadly to the assailant, to do so. Five of the droid's met their fate from multiple blaster holes in their chassis from the initial assault. The remaining LAAT/Ie gunship fired two missiles towards Xercuv while bringing to the front it's considerable firepower via the laser cannons at its bow, at the gangers below.

Ruus caught a glimpse of a figure coming from his left and quickly dispatched the Unnamed by firing his DC-17 three times. Taking a knee the former Mandalorian Guard captain fired two more times. Both bolts striking down a criminal a piece. Before he could fully turn around to shoot, an Unnamed tried to shiv him in the side. Reflexively, Ruus, grabbed him by the wrist and pulled. Both men tumbled over onto the ground. Ruus pushed his offensive by preforming a headbutt to the man's unarmored face then following with an elbow strike from his right arm towards the assailant's jawline.

With his adversary incapacitated, the Ranger, did not have time to celebrate. Lifting his blaster to return fire towards another individual (who had narrowly missed him in the scuffle). Unfortunately his aim was off and instead of hitting center-of-mass the bolt struck the Unnamed in the left shoulder causing him to twist and fall to the street clutching the sizzling wound. Ruus activated his commlink "Shots fired! Assistance required, D24 Market. Anti-vehicular weaponry in use."

Ruus had failed to protect his ward once before. He would accept nothing less than victory here.

The droid that had passed by Alejandro Bodua was engaging several Unnamed in a fire fight, though it had so far ignored the former criminal. Unless provoked the droid force would consider him a bystander under the protection of the Coruscant Security Force.