Tea Time

[Darth Pyrrhus]

The Phasma-class Infiltrator hung still in the air, frozen, like a picture on a frame. It was currently deep within a thick, white cloud. Not that it needed it, the ship was a top of the line stealth ship, outfitted with a stygium cloaking device and a sensory system to avoid detection. It was a ship built by, and normally for, the Sith Assassins, although Tanek had somehow legally acquired his. Apparently, he was well connected.

On the ship were three people. The Zeltron, Dakita Calfur, a Nautolan pilot whose name he really should make an effort to remember one of these days, and Tanek himself. The Togruta Knight was seated on the floor, eyes closed, in deep meditation. He was reaching out with the Force, extending his awareness to envelop his immediate surroundings, and those far below the ship. The ship had sensors to pick up activities, and Dakita had her ways to get her eyes where she wanted, but he felt safer this way. He was on edge.

The Togruta was clad in full crab armour, the living Vonduun Skerr Kyrric. It enveloped his entire body, fitting him perfectly, as the trademark living armour tended to do. It even accomodated his horn-like montrals, their benefit not restricted. A long amphistaff coiled itself around him, resting on his shoulders, as well as parts of his right arm. He had a couple of razor bugs attached to his left arm, and the lightsaber attached to his belt completed the outfit. He was geared and ready.

The other two knew what they were doing. The pilot had been instructed to maintain the altitude and the ship's position, keeping it frozen in place. Meanwhile, he would observe the advanced sensor array, to keep track of the situation. Dakita was doing her thing. Most of what she said, or did, he didn't quite understand. All he knew what she knew what to do, and she did so expertly. Also, the charming presence of a Zeltron on a tightly packed ship was never wrong.

[member=Saiah] | [member=Darth Veles] | [member=Dakita Calfur]

 

[Armand Temi]

Dakita was currently on Coruscant for a well-deserved vacation before her University semester started. Her boss had paid for her tuition and dormitory room (of course, not the fancy Fobosi apartment she asked for), so this trip was her last hurrah before she would hit the books and get serious – a frightful proposition for the Zeltron hacker as partying was basically in her DNA.

But after a few days of all-night spice benders and dancing until dawn, she began to get bored. Strange. Maybe Malvern's influence was rubbing off, and she was getting more serious with her life. But when Dakita got bored, she tended to get into trouble. Trouble worse than the Zabrak biker gang member lying in her hotel bed right now.

As he snored beside her, she absentmindedly checked her favorite Coruscanti hacker job board. Maybe she would use this time to pick up some side credits before school started. She would need to purchase supplies, food, flimsiplasts, holobooks… it made her head hurt to think about it. Or the throbbing headache could be her glitterstim hangover.

Either way, she located an intriguing-sounding job which paid an extraordinarily large amount of credits. Tossing the covers aside, the Zeltron jumped out of her hotel bed, packed a small bag, and took her datapad and a portable network. Dakita then caught a speeder taxi to the secret location where she would be picked up by the crew.

Her boss on this assignment was [member="Darth Pyrrhus"], a hella cute Togruta. She had yet to meet the other crew members, except for the Naautolan pilot. On the relatively cramped ship, the Sith Knight was presently in a meditative pose. She sipped a Fizzy Bip and examined his armor… was it moving? Ugh, she couldn’t tell if his wardrobe was alive or just the hallucinogenic residue from the massive amounts of glitterstim she had consumed in the last twenty-four hours.

Unpacking her portable network and hooking its port up to the ship’s console, Dakita was making quite a clamor. She also whistled tunelessly while she did this. The combination of the clattering of electronic equipment and her making noises was certainly NOT conducive to mediation.

[member="Darth Veles"] [member="Saiah"]

 

[Darth Veles]

Arkania was cold. Very cold. A giant, massive ball of frozen tundra, ice and snow, a place where cities had to be completely enclosed to keep the unbearable cold out of the streets and everyone living there from freezing to death. As evidenced by the visible clouds of moisture coming from everyone’s mouth and nose with every breath, the cold still managed to be a nuisance, penetrating everything like an invisible spear that sent shocks through one’s body and froze it solid. Just as amphibious races enjoyed water, these Arkanians must have grown accustomed to the inhospitable weather reigning on their planet. Fortunately, a certain Mon Calamari Sith could deal with the biting cold of this planet much better than with the burning hot of N’zoth. This weather certainly played the role of lesser evil, however extreme it were. The dark, heavy cloak adoring the amphibious assassin’s shoulders and tightly wrapped around his body once again proved to be the best friend he could wish for, albeit Avreet could feel shards of ice forming on his exposed moist skin, stabbing him like tiny needles. He had survived worse though, therefore the amphibian paid no heed to the discomfort of his body and focused on the task at hand.

Avreet walked seemingly alone, yet despite several civilians rushing around him to get to work or other duties, nobody surprisingly seemed to pay the Mon Calamari any mind, not even sparing as much as a glance towards the strange creature that was by no means native to this world. A soft blow of wind occasionally washed over the amphibian, slightly pushing the cloak away and revealing the twin lightsabers clipped to his belt. Nobody cared though. Arkanians were known to be wary of outsiders, so their ignorance would have been strange if not for the Sith Lord using his specialty; mastery over light and shadow to make himself appear like a fine Arkanian gentleman, one dressed in an expensive high-class attire that could be commonly seen in this area. Snow crunched under his sturdy leather boots, his pace displaying both determination and elegance that came naturally to all Makashi practitioners. The only thing obviously missing was his favourite tea, which had to patiently wait for Veles to finish the mission first.

His – and Saiah’s – objective lied near, their target’s apartment. A curious and observant spectator might notice a second set of footprints in the snow; Avreet had rendered the Sith Knight invisible, her only task was to dodge stay close for now and dodge any pedestrian threatening to bump into her unseen form. Before long, the Sight due reached their destinations, standing still in the snow as Avreet’s webbed claw buzzed the ring. Upon closer inspection, one might discover the striking resemblance between the Mon Cal’s fake appearance and the executive who lived in this very building - obviously, given the amphibian had copied his look. The building itself appeared fairly ordinary from the outside, but the presence of an armed doorman sitting in reception pointed towards the executive being of high social status and wealth.

Before the speaker transferred the guard’s voice over to them, Avreet threw a glance towards his companion; the cybernetic eye and excellent Mon Calamari eyesight alike allowing him to see the invisible woman. Visibly hardened by many battles, yet still a woman; the Mon Cal’s chivalrous nature demanded him to ensure her well-being.

“Are you cold, my lady? Might I offer you my cloak?”

[member="Dakita Calfur"] [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] [member="Saiah"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Albeit not a master, Saiah had become quite proficient in the art of stealth through the years of training and service to the Assassins of the Dark Lord. She would say stealth was her forte, however, she had still some way to go before she could truly compete with the Lord that now cloaked her As a Rattataki, she favoured heat over cold and dry over wet by far. As Darth Veles had expertly cloaked her she graciously kept out of the way of the Arkanians, leaving them unwary of her presence. It was easy really, all she had to do was to perfectly mimic the gait of Darth Veles and let her feet fall in his tracks. It was child’s play. As he graciously offered her his cloak, she waved an invisible hand to decline. She kept the cold at bay by use of the Force. As Darth Plagueis tested his apprentice, Sidious, she would test herself against the cold, and persevere. Out of respect for her senior, she answered telepathically. She had never truly practised the skill after learning it in the basics at a Sith Academy, so certain things were fuzzy, but the words got through.

Thank you Lord Veles, but I will manage just fine.

The guard’s voice crackled through the comlink, demanding identification. He had not gotten this job by sheer luck, but by being a diligent guard, and he was quite proud of it. The Arkanian was notoriously suspicious, but also eager to please his generous employer. He smiled as he came to the door, while speaking into the comlink connected to a speaker on the door.

“Sir, I need to see your credentials please.”

As Saiah did not have to maintain her own stealth, she was free to play with other aspects of the Force, such as Mentalism. She was growing rapidly apt in the ability as she employed it for many aspects of her work. Right now, she made the guard change his mind about the credentials. He knew who this man was; surely, he could be lenient. Saiah grinned viciously as she toyed with the man’s mind, and then gave Veles a shrewd wink as the door opened to let them inside. She slipped past the Mon Cal and entered first. It was ‘ladies first’, was it not?
"Right! Have a good night Sir."

Inside the building, they faced two elevators and a staircase. The staircase would take them to exclusive areas for socialisation for the inhabitants; the lifts would take them to the actual apartments. From carefully surveys under guise as a Human-Arkanian hybrid Saiah had learned that the Arkanian executive Darth Veles was impersonating always took the left elevator. With almost soundless steps, Saiah headed towards the elevator. She expected the Mon Cal to join her without delay.

[member="Darth Veles"] [member="Dakita Calfur"] [member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

The Knight was enveloped by the Dark Side, slipping deep into its grasp. He could hear it calling to him, a light hum. It was as enthralling as it was enticing, and he followed it to its source, hoping to receive another revelation, perhaps unlock one of the mysteries of the Dark Side...Tanek's eyes opened with a frown, and glared at the source of the sound. It was the Zeltron girl whistling. For the brief second in a moment, he considered lashing out at her, punishing her from driving him out of his concentration... But he thought better of it. He needed her. Besides, the fault was with him for being lured out of his concentration anyway.

"How are you proceeding?" the Togruta demanded of her. Now that he wasn't deep in meditation, he wanted a progress report. A lot depended on her, and he would not accept failure or sloppy work. He would have her know she shared a rather tight space with a Sith. Not the kind of fella you'd like breathing down your neck. "How long will this take you?" the Sith was no longer seated on the floor, but towering over the Zeltron. Was she the first Zeltron he had met? Probably.

[member=Darth Veles] | [member=Dakita Calfur] | [member=Saiah]

 

[Armand Temi]

“Just give me one hot minute more,” Dakita said to the Togruta who was now towering over her. She had probably disturbed him from his trance, and now he was angry. But she barely looked up at him, as the Zeltron slicer herself was in her own concentrative mode. With her deft pink fingers she typed a few commands to her keypad which was now fully attached to her portable network as well as the ship’s communication system. She may actually need to use both after this was all said and done.

“Done,” she said, smiling at him. "I mean, not the job, but the set-up," she added. He was sure an impatient one! But then again she supposed what they were about to do would make anyone who was in charge of it slightly anxious. Dakita would now tap into a remote radio signal on Arkania. Then she entered the credentials of a bank employee whose identity she had stolen and began to slice into the target’s network. She had successfully disabled security cameras this way before, but only of Vong smugglers and smaller facilities. Nothing as intensely secure as an Intergalactic Bank.

“This is going to take awhile. Maybe you should go back to meditating,” Dakita suggested. She wore only a clingy tee-shirt and a short skirt, since she was going to be in the ship and not on the cold, icy planet below them. She rested her slender pink legs on the console and leaned back in her chair. Were Togruta’s susceptible to Zeltron pheromones? Unleashing a wave of them towards the Sith Knight – mostly to calm him down so he wasn’t breathing down her neck and she could properly focus - she was about to find out.

Inflitrate security system... 30% complete.

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"] [member="Saiah"] [member="Darth Veles"]

 

[Darth Veles]

The mental answer that materialized within his large head dismissed all of his worries. Casually shrugging and offering the lady an invisible smile, the Sith Lord’s head sharply turned towards the speaker when the doorman’s voice resonated from within the machine, sharp yet polite and respectful to the employer. The amphibious sentient did not even have to come up with an explanation of wanting to get in; his fellow assassin solved the situation swiftly and efficiently, leaving Veles to wonder about her abilities and , more specifically, which power she had used to make the guard open the door for them. Some sort of a mind trick, most likely, yet not anything of high calibre such as Force corrupt. Before following in Saiah’s footsteps, the Sith Lord offered the snowy city behind them one last glance before the door closed shut, separating the bowels of the building from the world outside. Sending a polite nod to the guard, the amphibian’s large eyes swivelled independently, observing the lavish surroundings. This could have been just a reception, but many expensive pieces of art hanging on walls or standing motionlessly in form of statues let everyone know this building hosted those with wealth and power in their possession.

Walking past the doorman who had seated himself in the chair behind the desk, Avreet approached the same elevator as his female companion and entered. One press of a button later, the door closed, trapping the two Sith in a metal coffin. At least it lacked the insufferable cold! A brief glance over all corners revealed an eye of a camera watching them. The illusion hiding Avreet’s physical form did not look back at whoever watched them – most likely the doorman or another guard – but Avreet made a mental note to keep it in mind. Their plan required more caution now and he only hoped and believed there were no cameras within the apartments themselves, respecting the privacy of the inhabitants.

With a clink, the door opened to reveal a hallway with several doors dotting both sides. The sheer size of this place reminded the Mon Cal of his beloved Master’s mansion – before the barbaric Mandalorian hordes ransacked the entire place and burned it to the ground. Kendy would have enjoyed looting this place, robbing rich people; she enjoyed the activity. Avreet played a different game of stealth and infiltration though, therefore after taking another peek for cameras – spotting one right above the elevator and watching the entire hallway – the Sith Lord and his photokinetic projection moved forward, passing by each and every door until the right number stopped him. Their target lived in there, either still sleeping or getting ready for work just as Avreet prepared himself to utilize the Force and disable the prying gaze of a camera for a moment.

This called for Telepathy that touched the young Rattataki's mind, brushing against gently.

“I suppose we could reach out through the Force and make the good man open the door for us. My dear lady Ophidia, would you like to do the honours?”

A flick of his wrist that could not be seen and the camera showed nothing but static. Must have been the cold weather.

Sending two assassins to capture the executive was such an overkill.

[member="Dakita Calfur"] [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] [member="Saiah"]

 

[Armand Temi]

While she let her pheromones do a number on the Togruta, Dakita continued to slice into the bank security system. The first order of business was disabling the security cameras. She did this more easily with the stolen identity, and first installed some malware into the main camera software which allowed her access:

Main-Class: com.vtesc.camera1.2.2.4.9.45.daily.txprocessor.Launcher
MalwareClass-Path: . ./txprocessor.jar ./lib/spring.jar ./lib/c.jar ./lib/ojdbc6.jar d:/common/lib/dbaccess.jar

She was able to then pull up all of the camera footage on her monitor and cycle through it. Not sure how long the heist would take, Dak re-wound the digital stream and then jammed the signals so the images that the Bank Security Division would be viewing in real-time was, in fact, footage from a week ago. Wow, I might not even need the radio signal after all, she thought. But then again if someone tipped off the alarm...? In that case, while she was in there, she re-routed the signal to the abadoned frequency versus the local authorities. If an alarm was triggered it would sound throughout the bank for sure, but the computer system would not call the police. This could buy valuable time if something went wrong with the operation.

The Zeltron slicer smiled, pleased with her work so far. But this was still only part of the job. The rest would be to disable vital entry and exit points as well as attempt to infiltrate the main vault.

Inflitrate security system... 60% complete.

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"] [member="Darth Veles"] [member="Saiah"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

[SIZE=11pt]Saiah walked with Avreet down the corridor. She was not too concerned with these cameras, trusting in the Sith Lord to utilise his skill with the best possible results. During missions such as these, Saiah was too focused to truly appreciate the architecture of any building. Perhaps she would come to ease up as her level of skill rose. One could indeed agree that it was something of an overkill to send two highly trained assassins to perform such a menial task. However, it was paramount that they succeeded. Rather overkill than failure.

Upon his words, Saiah nodded courtly and closed her eyes. Her hand touched the door to better direct her influence as she searched for the mind she was about to dominate. It was one thing to persuade a person not to perform a useless and arbitrary identification, but this required a little more power. She reached out as though four tentacles extended from her fingers. They probed and searched the illustrious apartment, looking for the Arkanian in question. Suddenly, bingo. He was comfortably asleep. She had never dominated a sleeping person before. Therefore, she proceeded with the outmost diligence, careful not to shatter her victim’s mind.

The Arkanian stood up stiffly, eyes half-open and staring forward. With awkward steps, as though drunk he wandered through his apartment and to the door, outside of which the Sith waited.

“Thank you doll.”

Saiah clapped his cheek lightly and released her hold. The moment he came to, she clamped her hand over his mouth and pinned him against the wall. Employing the Force to bolster her speed and strength. As he squirmed, she quickly gripped the syringe attached to the back of her sash, bit off the security cap and jabbed it into the man’s neck, injecting an amber liquid into his jugular vein. The drug inside was not lethal, not in that dosage anyway, however, it would make him sluggish and mentally malleable, far more manageable. After injecting him, she stared into his eyes and made a calming hushing sound. She spoke in a tone that would from anyone, but Saiah be soothing. With her raspy voice it sounded rather more menacing.

“There, there. Do not fret. This will all be over soon.”

She looked Darth Veles and nodded. They had what they needed; now they needed to get out and proceed to the next phase. She pulled out the syringe and touched the comlink in her ear, sending a message to Tanek Santii through their encrypted channel

“We have the stuff. Proceeding with plan.”[/SIZE]

[member="Dakita Calfur"] [member="Darth Veles"] [member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

 

[Darth Veles]

It was interesting to see the female assassin at work; her grasp on the Dark Side’s power certainly proved she well deserved her rank and title. Just like before, the display of her ability commanded another to do as she willed, using the subtle tendrils of the Dark Side to make him do the Knight’s bidding. If she pushed too hard, she risked breaking the man’s mind or permanently imprinting her will into his every thought – turning him into a very willing thrall. At least that is what Veles believed based on his experience with mind manipulation and using the Dark Side to bend the will of others; he still had to observe more of the young Knight’s work to further determine her chosen skillset.

Saiah’s effort went criminally unnoticed by others though; the person watching the hallway through the lenses of camera spotted nothing but static for a minute or two as the Sith Knight worked and “opened” the door for them. It didn’t even see the same Knight getting into the room to subdue their target; all the camera witnessed was the executive fixing his tie and walking through the already opened door which closed shut behind him with a hiss. Nothing suspicious at all. It looked like another quiet day.

While his accomplice did what she needed with the executive, the Mon Calamari carefully searched through the apartment, touching nothing, yet everything; extending his senses through the Force and letting the mysterious power guide him, Avreet paced around, occasionally stopping to allow the amber orbs observe what he found useful. His gaze eventually fell upon spare clothing; most definitely what the man intended to wear after waking up. Fancy clothes, neatly folded and ready for the man to wear them into the world of money and riches, clothes underlying his status of an executive.

Next to the nicely formed heap lied something else. The Arkanian’s wallet. With little hesitation, Avreet’s webbed claws seized the prize and opened it, going through the man’s ID and various cards that served both as identification and keys. Finding it quite handy for the task ahead, the amphibian swiftly hid it under his cloak and continued his search, yet found little items of use except for a bottle of Arkanian sweet milk, a particularly strong mead as the bottle’s etiquette revealed. Snatching it as well for later use, the Sith Lord offered his companion a disarming smile, practiced and used as much as the man’s lightsaber. The sight slid from the woman to her target and Veles nodded.

“Excellent work, my lady. I can see your reputation is one you have rightfully earned,” his smile grew wider, “Now we have our man and we have the key.”

His fingers gently tapped on his cloak, the same spot he had hid the Arkanian’s wallet into. The friendly smile then completely disappeared, replaced by the typical Mon Calamari expressionless face.

“Just do not hurt him, please. We are professionals, after all. Spilling blood and taking lives would be so… unprofessional given our mission is not focused on assassinations. Eh, I hope you understand.”

His lips curled into a smile again, this time somewhat involuntarily.

"You are a Sith and not some Dark Jedi, after all."

[member="Saiah"] [member="Dakita Calfur"] [member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

Tanek said nothing, but his brooding presence was enough to tell her patience was not one of his virtues. Or, actually, it was. Though this situation was a tense one, and it required everyone to be alert. The sooner they were done with this, the better. So far their operation was moving along according to plan. There had been no interruptions thus far. After tonight, things would finally be set in motion. This was but the beginning.

When she said she was done, for a moment he had looked at her in amazement, only to fall back into that judging glare as he realized that had indeed been too good to be true. At least the girl was making progress. She had been selected as member of the team for a reason, and it was for more than just her good looks, though he had to admit they were remarkable.

Tanek merely grunted a reply when she suggested he should go back to his meditating. For now, he couldn't take his eyes off her screen. She was moving fast, but observing all the monitors told him that everything was moving according to plan. She was indeed effective.

The two looked like an odd pair. Unlike him, clad in thick battle-armour, she was dressed in simple, casual clothing. He knew of Zeltrons from reputation only, and had not worked closely with one before. He knew more about their party-like planet, and preference for a hedonistic lifestyle, more so than about their racial abilities. She wasn't a Force user, and he had not expected her to have any mind controlling powers. The wave of her pheromones attempting to influence him came unexpected.

Slowly, his concerns abated, and he felt much more relaxed about this entire situation. Every detail had been dutifully planned out, ever member of the team had been carefully picked out. There was no cause for alarm. If they stuck to the plan, this would most likely be a smooth operation. And if it wasn't? They'd deal with that then. He had come prepared for that as well, which was primarily why he was looking pretty in Vong. "Excellent. Keep this up, and this will all go smoothly." he placed a hand on her shoulder, briefly, as he gave her a touch of the crabs. In a sense, it served a dual purpose, of showing satisfaction with her work, yet have the grip of his fearsome armour close at hand serve as a warning, in case she should try something funny or somehow slip up.

The moment was interrupted as Saiah contacted him. They were ready. "Good. We'll give you a ride to the store." his voice returned over the encrypted and secure comm link, now in a serious tone. He left Dakita and moved towards the Nautolan pilot. "Target acquired. Move to pick-up." the pilot nodded, his hands smoothly flowing over the consoles before the ship began moving. "Remember. Unseen." he warned him, before turning to go back to the main room. His tone seemed to suggest that if he failed doing this, the Togruta would be more than willing to rip is spine out.

The Infiltrator, hidden from both scanners and the naked eye, dove down, towards the location of their two Sith Assassins. It would be there before long. They'd meet again on the roof. The ship wouldn't touch down, but hover silently a few meters above. As the hatch opened, the pair would have to jump aboard with their cargo. They'd be tightly packed inside the small ship, but they would make it work. Then it was on to their final destination.

[member=Saiah] | [member=Darth Veles] | [member=Dakita Calfur]

 

[Armand Temi]

Now for the piece de resistance thought, Dakita still in deep concentration. Slicing in with the stolen identity, she sent a small group of messages to other bank employees and had hem validate their credentials on the network. She couldn't flood the system or the bank's anti-fraud software would detect what she was doing. But the Zeltron slicer only needed to make sure she could unlock physical safes, access points and exits, at this point since there were material assets on the ground. Maybe if this went well, she would try to steal some credits digitally. But she knew better than to double-cross her own crew, especially with a Sith Knight in charge. If they were to steal anything further, she would discuss it with them first.

After a few minutes of writing code on the fly, Dakita turned to Darth Pyrrhus and said, "When you give me the signal, I can disable all of the doors, including the one to the vaults." She didn't do this yet, not certain of how the ground operations were going. Now that she was nearly done with her part, she could get back to her favorite pastime.

Slacking off.

Her pheromones had worked on the Togruta, so much that he wasn't looming over her anymore. This gave her time to turn her attention towards him. They were together in his ship in close quarters after all. And it was always a welcome surprise when the ring leader turned out to be so attractive. But the Zeltron girl had never really been around any Sith. She spent most of her time on Nar Shaddaa now, in the Underworld or on the Promenade, with no reason to rub elbow with these darksiders.

When he came back over and put his crimson hand on her shoulder, she touched it briefly with her own pink fingers, mostly out of concern. His armor was unlike anything she had seen up-close. But Dakita smiled at his praise. After he had made contact with the pilot to arrange the pick-up, she asked him: "What are you going to do with all of these credits?"


Infiltrate security system... 90% complete.


[member="Darth Pyrrhus"] [member="Darth Veles"] [member="Saiah"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

With quiet efficiency, Saiah hoisted the executive onto her shoulders and wrapped his numbed arms around her like a scarf. Her left hand hooked his knee and gripped his right wrist to secure him. While he was not exactly light, it was not too hard to carry him in this relaxed state. As she had their target on her shoulders, the Rattataki directed her eyes to Darth Veles. She would not discuss definitions right now, not in the middle of an apartment building with quite a number of important tenants.
“Killing would be counter-productive at this point. I cannot say for his sanity, however. To dominate minds is a tricky business.”

She froze up as she felt the Arkanian’s stomach convulse. She would rather not have him vomiting all over her Corellian leather and shell spider silk clothes, but as nothing emerged, she relaxed again. She would be able to carry this person fine, but she would not be able to fight effectively. This was one of the reasons she had wanted an accomplice.

“We need to move. Our transportation will be upstairs in a few seconds. “

Without much further ado, she moved out the door and down the hallway. Mentally she was working through the building’s schematics. She recalled every turn and twist that would lead them to the maintenance stairs. The stairs would take them through two floors and to the roof. She was quite sure it was without surveillance as well. Meanwhile, she would have to rely on the Mon Cal to knock out the cameras. It was tiring to carry a grown humanoid up stairs, but Saiah kept pushing through. When her own body would not suffice, she called on the force to bolster her, and without a hitch, she got them through the corridors and up to the roof where they would meet the ship.

She could not jump on board while carrying the tranquillised body of the executive, so first she employed telekinesis to launch him onto the ramp before taking a running start and jumping on herself. Her left hand grasped onto a ledge inside the ship as she stretched out a hand to help Avreet on board.

[member="Darth Veles"], [member="Darth Pyrrhus"], [member="Dakita Calfur"]

 

[Darth Veles]

“Indeed,” Avreet stated after the pale skinned woman spoke.

Whether he referred to the killing part or the sanity destruction that came after, Saiah would not know, but he might as well have agreed with both. What he certainly disagreed with was the woman carrying the Arkanian – ever so chivalrous, Avreet initially wanted to ease the Rattataki’s burden an offer to carry the man himself, or even to take him from her without saying a word. Then again, such gesture of simple politeness might have been seen as a way of perceiving the Knight a weakling, something Veles definitely wanted to avoid if only out of respect he felt towards the competent assassin. His slight frown still silently voiced his disagreement with the woman carrying something so heavy, despite knowing very well the Knight’s body was perfect and strong, as was the body of any Sith.

Following in the younger assassin’s footsteps, Avreet’s wrist flicked gently and the annoying camera observing the hallway failed to see what was supposed to stay hidden, yet again. Just to empathize on the stealth part of their mission, Veles bent light around himself and his companion and her luggage alike, rendering all invisible to the naked eye. For her, it might have been strange as Avreet was suddenly nowhere to be seen, but he remained right behind the woman, large eyes observing their surroundings whenever they entered or left the room and hallway, swiftly progressing through the structure and getting to their desired location, both of the assassins displaying similar footwork that combined silence, effectiveness, elegance.

Cold and snow soon embraced them both on the roof, poking the trio with icy spikes. Poor Arkanian in his underwear did not suffer for too long, fortunately, as the excellent timing of the Sith provided them all with a way out inside a stealth ship. The white-haired executive rested in its warm belly first, followed by the lady. Only after she, too, disappeared within, the Mon Cal jumped. Cybernetic and the Force provided him with more than enough agility and strength in his powerful legs to travel through the air, this short flight ending abruptly as his feet touched the metal. He did not even need his allies’ help – though the gesture did not go unappreciated.

“Thank you, lady Ophidia,” he smiled and offered a thankful nod, plus his disarming smile before his steps carried him over to the internal communicator. “Why aren’t you a Sith Lady yet, anyway?”

Pressing a button, he spoke to the others.

“Everyone’s aboard, we can go.”

Flawless teamwork, what more could one ask for? The hardest part still lied before them, yet with competent and experienced assassins such as themselves, there was little reason to worry.

[member="Saiah"] [member="Dakita Calfur"] [member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

"Excellent. I'll give the order." he replied, clearly sounding pleased with her. She opened the doors for them, now all they needed to do was walk in, walk out.

After he had spoken with the pilot and gotten the ship moving, it seemed like it was time for personal questions. He did not, however, as one might've expected, dismiss them. Underneath the helmet that accommodated his face so well, he smirked. What was he going to do with all the credits? "Come with me to Glee Anselm, and see for yourself. I could use someone with your skills. You will be compensated." he returned, while examining her response.

He had great plans for that planet. There was much work to be done. Normally, he would be very selective in who he chose to include in his plans, but she had proven herself useful. Or was that the pheromones talking?

For a moment, they were exposed to the harshness of the world outside the ship. Tanek was fine, his body was mostly covered. For his lightly dressed Zeltron accomplice, however, the cold would most likely not be appreciated. He watched from the ramp as the trio dashed from the roof, and on to the ship. Once they had all made it inside, the ramp would close, once more withdrawing the ship to perfect invisibility. Stage One was complete.

Tanek withdrew to the cockpit, and gave the pilot orders to move. Afterwards, he stood in the doorway separating the two areas. It gave him a decent view over everyone else, though, in truth, it was more an issue of space than keeping up with appearances. He didn't bother to ask if they'd encountered any problems. If they had, they would tell him. If they hadn't, it was a waste of words.

As they closed in on their final destination, he examined the two Sith. He knew Saiah, somewhat, from the Sith campaign on Glee Anselm. Darth Veles, he believed may have been present as well, although they had operated in entirely different areas. Through his association with the Sith Assassins, their names had popped up, and they had been recruited for the job. So far, it would appear that the group was a well-selected, well-functioning one.

[member=Dakita Calfur] | [member=Saiah] | [member=Darth Veles]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

To be fair, Saiah had only been a knight for a brief time. How long was it now? One year? Something in that order. She felt a little flattered by his question, he had successfully stroked her ego, but it made very little visible imprint on her. She raised the area of her face that would have an eyebrow if she had hair and threw him a wry smile.

"Lord Veles, My knighting is still fresh in memory. I have a long way to go before I become a true Lady of the Sith. Your words taste of flattery."

She grabbed the executive Arkanian by the wrists and pulled him with her into the ship, dragging him like a sack of potatoes into the cramped space of the Interceptor. He gurgled a little, so she tipped him over on his side so that he could vomit and not choke himself. They needed him alive for just a little while more, he was invaluable to them until their final goal was complete. By then, there would be little more use for him.

Saiah walked into the cockpit and greeted the armoured Togruta with a simple nod. She recognized him mostly from the reports of the battles in which he had worn the Vong armour. There were also no other togruta in the cockpit, and his horns were rather visible. She found herself rather intrigued by the amphistaff he had coiled around himself. She could feel something churn inside her chest as she watched it clutch onto its master.

"Darth Pyrrhus, we meet again. I like your shell, and your snake. You should wear them more often. They suit you."

There was some mockery, but mostly sincerity in her voice. She meant every word, it was quite becoming of him. Next her pale eyes shifted to the Zeltron Slicer. She approached quietly, observing the female carefully. Being distrustful was a part of her job, and at the moment she was full of scrutiny. This was in part because Saiah had been betrayed by a hired slicer before. Since then she had put her faith in slicing droids, but they only got you so far.

"Hello."

Despite her practised smile, there was a certain thread in her voice. She was committing the Zeltron to memory so as to identify and hunt her down if she ever were to double-cross them. Or alternatively, to know who to hire if she needed more complicated slicing to be done.

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"] [member="Darth Veles"] [member="Dakita Calfur"]

 

[Darth Veles]

This stealthy beast of a ship almost re-kindled Avreet’s love for spaceships, namely the work that went into them. The Mon Calamari always viewed each and every spacecraft both as a vehicle to travel in and as a piece of art, each symbolized something he strived for as a Sith; perfection. While no ship was exactly perfect, just like people (except for the living embodiment of perfection, Lady Zarrah the Wisest), the amount of work that went into each and every of these beautiful machines was something Veles respected deeply. The ideas that shaped the hull, the necessities that forced the designers to adjust the position of its engines,… each ship presented a product of many brilliant minds, so unappreciated by those who used their creations every day. This very wonder of stealth included.

Feasting his eyes on the interior for a bit, eventually turning his gaze towards a certain Rattataki as she spoke to him, the Mon Calamari swiftly reorganized his thoughts and let out a gentle, polite laugh. His words definitely tasted of flattery, women liked that as evidenced by several Sith Ladies - even the Goddess approved of her apprentice’s honeyed words – but his words also contained many drops of truth. Such a competent Sith as the female Rattataki practically stood on the position of a Sith Lady with one foot.

He wished to follow after the Knight in question and her high prisoner, yet the cockpit looked somewhat crowded already. Something told him the designers did not plan it for so many people to socialize literally behind the pilot’s back, therefore the Mon Cal remained standing in the door, large head poking into the room and watching the sentients inside and the design alike. Soon enough, his eyes caught a certain shape that automatically made him look at it; montrals of a Togruta! This immediately reminded him of a certain red-skinned Sith Lady again, just as her ability to use the hollow horns to detect even those hidden by the incredible power of Force cloak. This made him quite a stealth detector, similarly to the Mon Cal with his large eyes that spotted everything. Unlike the amphibian, the Togruta wore armour; the shape itself was enough to make Avreet cringe. His distaste for Vong and their terrible toys was not one easily overcome.

“Nice ship, Knight Pyrrhus,” the Sith started, glaring into the Togruta’s black orbs, “Perfectly fit for this sort of mission, I applaud your choice. Once you lead the One Sith, you will make a fine Emperor. The arrival was exactly on time as well and we will undoubtedly be on our way out of this planet soon considered the overall punctuality and great competence of all presented within this ship – maybe except our executive here, although I believe he had earned his position. I don’t think I’d actually be able to do his work though; I dislike lying into another’s eyes.”

Looking down at the man lying by his feet, the Sith mentally shrugged and turned his attention to another part of the crew, immediately recognizing a Zeltron thanks to the pink skin. Luckily, her pheromones had little effect on the Mon Calamari, therefore the incoming wave of flattery meant more than empty words – Avreet’s chivalrous nature simply commanded him to appreciate any and all women.

“And you must be that wondrous slicer that can break through any security, my lady. I would like to personally thank you on behalf of myself and the One Sith for your assistance. This mission wouldn’t have been possible without your invaluable help. Nice hairstyle, by the way.” A court nod, a mysterious smirk, and Avreet’s webbed claws clapped against the metal walls of the ship, the sound barely noticeable.

If one reached through the Force and compared the signatures of the two Knights to the one of the Sith Lord, it would be possible to notice the Mon Cal’s presence actually appeared much lighter. Not Light as in Jedi-light, more like neutral on the grand scale of the Force, but still vastly lighter than the signatures of his Force-sensitive companions. Kind of awkward, then again, Veles never shied from voicing his opinion that a true Sith should command the Light and Dark alike to be the true master of the Force and not just one of its aspects. Plus it helped with one’s skin complexion; the Dark Side tended to somewhat ruin one’s skin with cracks, visible veins of black blood, unnatural colour.

[member="Saiah"] [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] [member="Dakita Calfur"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Dakita had no reason to go to Glee Anselm. Not any time soon anyway. She had an upcoming semester to start at the University of Coruscant and a boss who trusted her enough to put her on jobs with him where more advanced slicing needed to be done. But while her employer reasoned that Dak needed to get smarter, which the education would solve, the Zeltron girl wasn’t completely lacking in brain cells. It was more that she was impulsive, prone to her whim and slightly wild. No academic system in the galaxy would breed this out of her. It was in her Zeltron DNA.

So with a crooked smile, she looked at Darth Pyrrhus and said, “Sure why not? I’ve never been to Glee Anselm.” At this point, his offer sure sounded better than studying in a crowded dorm room and eating terrible cafeteria food. Besides if the Togruta had jobs like this one, Dakita would certainly be able to upgrade – her wardrobe, her ship, her spice habits. And if he didn’t have immediate jobs? If he would allow her, she could think of ways to occupy their time. The pink-skinned slicer had perfected the art of hanging around, and often times, it was in a state of undress.

And speaking of undressed, it was fething cold when the ramp opened to let in two more Sith accomplices. The blonde Zeltron shivered where she sat and rubbed her pink arms to stay warm. But once the hatch was closed, she inspected their new companions, a Mon Calamari male and a Rattataki female. The Zeltron nodded to them in greeting and said, “My slicer handle is Klepto,” she said. “But I’m also known as Dak.”

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"] [member="Darth Veles"] [member="Saiah"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

[SIZE=11pt]"Klepto... Dak. Nice to meet you in the flesh, you may call me Ophidia."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She committed the names and her face to memory and showed a practised smile. They had already mentioned Darth Pyrrhus' title; she might as well use her own. Names built an illusion of trust and connection. She was not sure the slicer was fool enough to fall for that sort of trick, but it was always worth a try. Her eyes turned to the Vong’ed up Togruta and a different sort of smile spread on her lips now, one far more mischevious.

“So, you mentioned Glee Anselm? Last time we were there was quite a party. Life changing some would say.”

She had a knowing look in her eye as she spoke, directed to the Togruta as she was reminded of their extermination of the Anselmi remnants. The last bit she directed to Kelto the Slicer. Obviously, Tanek had been working this Zeltron to come with him home, such a sly little Knight he was. Or perhaps Dak had worked a little Zeltroni charm on the Knight. He did appear a little calmer than usual. This all brought Saiah immense amusement as her eyes darted from one to the other, and then to the Mon Cal.[/SIZE]

[member="Darth Veles"], [member="Darth Pyrrhus"], [member="Dakita Calfur"]

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

Saiah's comment forced the Togruta to flash her a smirk. He enjoyed the light-hearted, yet challenging tone in her voice. In it he found confidence without arrogance. "Saiah." he returned the greeting. "I try to keep up with Sith fashion" he teased. He recognized the look in her eyes as the Rattataki examined their pink friend. Tanek had seen it on Glee Anselm, on the eve of that final battle. It was the eyes of a predator, searching its prey for weakness. One step wrong, and she could lash out with lethal effect.

With Lord Veles, the Togruta's tone was much sharper. The hint of playfulness was gone. The nature of the situation as it unfolded now removed him from the influence of the Zeltron's pheromones (unless of course she applied further pressure). "Darth Pyrrhus" he corrected the Mon Cal. While Veles may not have intended it as a challenge, Tanek certainly perceived it as such. On the job (and when was he ever not?) he was usually serious. Formalities hardly ever escaped him, and when he omitted them, it was usually intended as some subtle insult. Therefore he was quick to assume the same. The other Sith outranked him. That rank suggested that he would be more than capable of striking down the fierce Togruta if it came to blows, but none of that sufficed to keep him back. If it was a challenge, he would not shy down from it, but face it head on. To him, that was what it meant to be Sith.

"The ship will play its part" while the words Avreet spoke were nice, after the omission of his Darth title, he couldn't help but shake a feeling that they were not sincere, but merely mockery. Was the Lord challenging him? He was on his guard now, hand conveniently resting nearby the hilt of his saber. The amphistaff stirred in anticipation.

"Approaching target location. Ready to proceed to drop on your command" as if to break the tension, the pilot chimed in. He was completely oblivious to the tension, if there was any to be found at all. "Good" Tanek nodded, shifting focus to the heist at hand. "Ready when you are." he said, looking over to his two Sith companions. Their part was up. "Dak. Keep watch on the cameras. Open the doors for us." the Arkanian job began.

[member=Darth Ophidia] | [member=Darth Veles] | [member=Dakita Calfur]