Private The Force Finds a Way

[Nykoria Tallis]

Coruscant Underworld

Kori used to navigate these crowded streets, narrow passages, dark alleys, and giant open hangars bustling with arriving and departing ships. Avoid the crowds, watch your back, hold your stun baton close, and give the swoop gangs a wide berth. Over the years, those rules and the underworld itself became like a second nature. But that time, something felt off, and Kori couldn't quite put it. Maybe she was used to walking around with a larger group of friends than just one. Or perhaps it was the thunderous roar of one of the many ships touching down a few meters too close for comfort. The white leviathan with orange stripes on the hull struck a perfect balance between sleek and utilitarian... And would've struck the Zeltron down as well, if she had dwelled on her thoughts and the ship's looks a bit longer.

"Kriff," Kori winced at the sudden gush of cold wind; even the trusty leather jacket was having a hard time keeping her warm. Almost falling over, she covered her face with a wrist for a moment. "Almost bought it." With the engines of the vessel coming to a halt, the Zeltron's companion could probably hear the remark. "Maybe I had one glass too many." Nykoria took a few steps forward, listening to her body. The coordination and vision were ok. Then why was the buzzing in her ears slowly getting louder and louder from all directions? Shaking her head didn't help either.

It wasn't just departing ships or the lowering ramp of the nearby white transport. Despite the close call with the ship being water under the bridge, the uneasiness only kept growing; together with the distant buzzing coming from all directions, and seemingly converging on where the Zeltron was. As the humming grew louder and closer, Kori could sense something else. Ill intentions. Suddenly, the bad feeling and the noise made sense, and Nykoria wished they hadn't. Run! Hide amidst the ships or containers! Get out of here! Alone, Nykoria would've tried just that; even if she knew that she'd probably get caught either way, just exhausted after trying to outrun a swoop. But that time, she wasn't alone. Kori's eyes darted towards her more experienced companion...

Cyran Vaas | Marina DeVoe | Vulpesen | Lief | Ryv

 

[Marina DeVoe]

An Alderaani on Coruscant. Sure there were many, but mostly they were on the upper planes and levels of the greater city...more so within the interplanetary district of the political arena...the Senate Bldg..etc..

So what was the daughter of a Duke doing setting down a refurbished federalist ship a few hundred kilometers South of what used to be the old industrial hub? Slumming.
Not really. Although one would think as Marina were after all from a privileged family with ties to the royal family on Alderaan.

No, Marina were not here to see or experience how the underprivileged lived, no. She were on her usual run, dropping off surplus supplies off to the lower city's district hospitals and food banks. These surplus supplies were from campaigns...recent campaigns she herself had taken part in under the white flag of 'Doctors Without Borders'. Marina was a humanitarian as many of her represented people were. She were Alderaani by bloodline. She were a descendant from the few fortunate Alderaani who were lucky enough to be off world when the former galactic Empire under the serpent sith Palpatine destroyed her ancestral world. That were just a mere 900 years ago. A blink of an eye as galactic timelines go.

Still, the off-world Alderaanii survivors struggled as they were first hunted by the Empire as to silence them in fueling the fire against the Empire and it's remnant factions. But her people endured, and eventually came to flourish. A new world had been terraformed centuries ago after the Gulac plague and Alderaan once more lived. But that was history and now was the present.

Marina had just come back from one of the many campaigns loaded with surplus supplies from the field hospitals and refugee camps that were no longer in need. And what better place to distribute what would have otherwise been left behind during a faction withdrawl than to bring it to the lesser hospitals and trauma centers that were often not prioritized on Coruscant due to their locations beyond the normal scope of upper Coruscanti laws.

Now on with the current episode....
Naturally she couldn't navigate the old federal ship beyond the 23rd lower level in the former industrial district. She would have to make landing on one of the many abandoned lower serving docks that were once in operation when these levels had not sunk below the political line drawn at 20 sub-levels. Coruscant was constantly growing...upward and many districts which once saw the light of natural sunlight, were buried under new level constructions. But the people, the residents whom could not afford to move up, had remained below. This of course played heavily upon the many less fortunate people, forever to live under the layers of new society. in short, these lower levels became the underworld.

Marina carefully descended down upon a promising old dock, being careful of not drifting as the old structures/buildings were rather tight all around.

"Hey!
WTF?!!...
Stupid!...stupid bikers!" Marina shouted to herself.
She had to quickly fire her maneuvering boosters to avoid some reckless bikes...speed racers as she called them.
But the bikers passed under her ship and soon disappeared into the maze. Marina finally set the ship down on the old dock.
The hospital were another 2 levels down and she'd have to figure out as to how she could get her supplies down without getting hijacked again.



Nykoria Tallis and OPEN