The Slicer Gambit

[Cassius Droma]

Lithios. It reminded Cassius so much of Nar Shaddaa that he had been uncomfortable as soon as he hit the atmosphere. The tightly-knit buildings and towering spires stretched on until the horizon. Heavy rain pelted the canopy of his A-wing fighter as it swooped in under the cover of night. As he got closer to his designated landing pad, however, it was easier to see due to the flashing neon signs and general light pollution from the city. The pilot took a deep breath and continued along the path given to the landing pad.

He was here for a reason. Had to be, or else he wouldn’t have even considered coming here. There was something he needed, and it just so happened that he actually knew someone in this neck of the woods that could maybe help him. It was someone he hadn’t seen in a long time, but the last time they had crossed paths, Cassius had helped this person out of a bind. He only hoped that the favor could be returned.

Soon enough, once his docking fee was paid for, Cassius was able to wander about the city. In these types of places, the young Jedi liked to fly under the radar. Not that he was ashamed of being a Jedi, it was just that looking like one caused some undue attention. His attire was fitting – his layered undershirt looked normal enough, paired with tan pants and a leather jacket. No visible weapons, but his lightsaber was tucked into a small holster on his thigh, which could have housed any number of tools.

There was a sabacc den where his old friend liked to frequent, according to what he’d been able to pick up from a few sources. That was of course his first destination, and he as he casually walked in the front door, he kept his head on a swivel. He took note of different security measures, and just who looked like a threat. Didn’t look like a bad place, to be honest. Then again, his friend of afford the high life.

The guffaws of laughter caught his attention. Off to the side looked to be some sort of VIP area. Quirking an eyebrow, Cassius meandered his way over. A guard started to eye him up as he approached, and without even looking the guard’s way, Cassius waved his hand, causing a bout of momentary confusion for him. The Jedi slinked past without incident.

As he stood above the sabacc table, hands on his belt, a smile worked its way across his face.

[member="Arekk"].

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

KAL'S GAMBLING DEN, DOWNTOWN ETHOS CITY​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"I went right home and I went to bed
I stuck that lovin' forty-four beneath my head."​

w. [member="Cassius Droma"]​

Cha-ching!

Credits chip flowed his way galore, claiming victory on another game of Sabaac for the evening. Some might call it a lucky strike but Ar'ekk didn't believe in such thing or something that controlled his destiny.

That was a fun thing to abide by considering he was strong with the Force and destiny was pretty much written out for those attuned with such gift, yet he liked to think that he had some sort of free will.

"Take your money and go cry someplace else, alright?" He roared, laughing at a now poor nobleman from who-knows-where. "Should've learned not to gamble."

A totally different person Cassius could expect to see. The well-spoken and respectful "defender of the light" was now a cocky but still funny slicer whose life has turned upside down like a rollercoaster for the past six months.

"Who wants to lose their money next?"

Little did he know who'd sit in front. Talk about destiny, huh?

 

[Cassius Droma]

The sly smile plastered itself to his face as Cassius observed for a little bit. He hadn’t quite broken through the crowd just yet, so he was still shrouded in shadow, but he had a good view of the table. The loud sound of plastic credit chips being scraped across the table, the smell of death sticks in the air… it was no wonder that he had found Ar’ekk here. Despite how much he seemed to have change, there had always been a streak of scoundrel in the man.

He had changed, though. Physically, it had been hard to recognize him without the bald head and scarred face. What had made Cassius sure, other than the presence in the Force, was the man’s voice. A bit more gruff and a little less eloquent, but it was the same. It was hard to believe that the Jedi he had fought beside was now a slicer. Hopefully, he’d still be willing to lend a hand.

There was an empty seat opposite Ar’ekk – a free space. Cassius slid his way past the row of people that had been blocking him. “This seat taken?” he asked, probably getting the attention of the rest of the room, and hopefully Ar’ekk. Without waiting too long for an answer, he straddled the seat and settled in.

“Sabacc, huh?” he asked, pronouncing the word slightly off, so as to convey a sense of ignorance. “So… what are we playing? Corellian Spike, Bespin Standard?” If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t exactly experienced with the game. He’d played a couple of hands a long time ago with his old Rinn Starfighter patrol buddies, but the knowledge hadn’t really stuck with him. This was all to get the attention of an old friend anyways, and Cassius trusted the Force.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

https://soundcloud.com/spuds31/star-wars-kotor-music-pazaak​

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

KAL'S GAMBLING DEN, DOWNTOWN ETHOS CITY​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"I went right home and I went to bed
I stuck that lovin' forty-four beneath my head."​

w. [member="Cassius Droma"]​

​

His pockets fell heavy due to the hard earned credits during that evening, Sabaac was a good way to increase your wealth at the expense of degenerate gamblers with too much to lose and zero self-control to stop doing exactly that. A death stick found his way, a deep inhale would make the toxic fumes travel all the way to his lungs and come back out through his nostrils.

Don't you just love the sights and sounds of a makeshift bar? Patrons screaming in the background while drinking a bunch of booze, crying gamblers at the tables losing their life savings and most of all the chips racking your way in mountains. Ar'ekk had sensed Cassius the moment he stepped through the front door, hiding among the crowd was simply an amusing thing to him.

"Feel free to sit down." He riposted while puffing from his death stick and assorting the deck of cards again. "Jhabacc, of course. Very big stakes, brother. Think you can handle that?"

Cocky man, he was. Cassius knew that Ar'ekk had enough money to live comfortably for the eternity to come and the only reason he was sitting on a Sabacc table was simply because he loved the thrill of the underworld, to mingle with scum because he felt right at home.

The days of being a Jedi, a life saviour and a goodie good shoes, were long one. No more strict codes to abide for, no need to save the world anymore.

It was all about one's survival and preservation.

"Get him a drink." He signaled to one of the guards, as if he ran the place personally, his status from Nar Shaddaa made him a well respected figure among this type of people. "You do drink, right?"

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius’s attitude could best be described as aloof and coy during this time. He was on his guard – although he and Ar’ekk had parted on good terms, he still didn’t know what to expect after all this time. The man had changed, and there was no telling just how he felt about Jedi. Either way, Cassius didn’t sense any sort of malcontent from the man, so he relaxed his shoulders somewhat.

The question was posed as to whether or not he could handle the stakes of a jhabacc game. He’d heard about it from one of his old wingmen who was a sabacc enthusiast – he had joked that with the paltry salary they made as patrol pilots, they’d lose two years’ worth of wages within a single hand. Luckily, Cassius made slightly more money now than he did then, and he had been saving up a little bit from his commissioned archaeological work.

Digging into his pocket, he tossed out the minimum credits for the buy-in, the plastic pieces clattering against the ones already in the middle of the table. “I guess we’ll have to find out,” Cassius said.

Was Cassius actually going to lose money with this? Possibly. The price for testing Ar’ekk, so it seemed.

A drink was ordered for him, and Cassius quirked an eyebrow. “Absolutely,” he said, after a pause. Usually, the answer would be no, but he knew he had to blend in as best he could. It was the whole reason as to why he wasn’t wearing his traditional garb and lightsaber openly on his belt. In places like these, bounty hunters lurked for any score they could get, and a Jedi would fetch a high price.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

KAL'S GAMBLING DEN, DOWNTOWN ETHOS CITY​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"I went right home and I went to bed
I stuck that lovin' forty-four beneath my head."​

w. [member="Cassius Droma"]​

​

Meh.

He was indifferent to all the Jedi and Sith scattered through the Galaxy, slaughtering each other when they could do such by fighting their petty wars as it had been for the past a thousand years. The time of defending the "world" and acting like a good guy were long gone for Ar'ekk and though he developed a slight bitterness over the Order and its very strict doctrine, there just wasn't enough to warrant being displeased towards them.

At least not anymore.

"Alright, big shot. Let's see if you are worthy."

Money racked in and cards were dealt out accordingly by the croupier, his gaze dragging between the table and Cassius as he read for the next move to play. Jhabacc was a wonderful game to play if you knew how and Ar'ekk had mastered every single thing there was to learn about it. That's how he had spent more than five hours beating countless of degenerate gamblers and taking all their money away in a matter of seconds.

Could his old friend beat him? Doubtful. It was also a very dubious game to play with certain individuals.

One's probably wondering how a man like Ar'ekk could be so good at a game of Jhabacc? Pretty simple, the Force allowed him to read his opponent's cards easily and such thing gave him the upperhand on getting the best result at the end.

This was the case too against Cassius after he had laid out the cards out on the table and Ar'ekk did the same, winning by a big margin.

"Sorry, Cassius." He said while laughing and drinking from his own glass, pointing at his old Jedi friend. "Let's talk outside."

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius was never playing to win – it was all to amuse his old friend. As the cards were dealt out, the young Jedi recognized the symbols on each one, and the rules started to come back to him somewhat. Then again, it still didn’t make him a match for Ar’ekk, or much less anyone else at the table for that matter. The cards were laid bare, and Cassius lost his money. As distressed as everyone but Ar’ekk looked, Cassius’s face was one of mild fascination. How could people become so addicted to this?

Thankfully, before Cassius could lose any more of his hard-earned credits, Ar’ekk had suggested they speak outside. Cassius nodded in return, and he stood up from the table, keeping a close eye on anyone that took a little too much vested interest in him. There didn’t seem to be much, however – to everyone else, he probably just looked like another swindler, a scoundrel. Perhaps the more astute observer would notice that he carried himself a little differently than the rest, but who really cared, out here?

Cassius’s face briefly flashed with disgust at the disappointment that it didn’t smell any better outside than it did inside. The rain did that, sometimes – heightened olfactory senses and made things more pungent. Finding a rather secluded spot that was sheltered from the torrential rain, Cassius leaned up against a wall and waited for his old friend.

“I see you’re enjoying yourself,” Cassius observed.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

KAL'S GAMBLING DEN, DOWNTOWN ETHOS CITY​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"I went right home and I went to bed
I stuck that lovin' forty-four beneath my head."​

w. [member="Cassius Droma"]​

​

"As much as I can, life's too short."

He knew that from experience, too many things happened in his life that brought despair to a good man. Broken mind, broken body. Someone like Ar'ekk desperately needed a break from all of that and Lithios provided the perfect places to just do such. Things seemed to be really well on the outside but in reality, it wasn't like that all the time, keeping in mind the terrible things that had transpired the last 365 days.

"You look good. How's the order treating ya, Cassius? He said while tucking a cigarette between his dry lips, using the index of his cybernetic hand to ignite it. "I assume you are not here for a game of Jhabacc."

What else could it be, anyways?

The last time they had seen each other was back in Nar Shaddaa during Ar'ekk's last day as a crime lord, putting an end to The Hawk's Circle and its operations for good. He had sold off all the information to Cassius for him to take back to the Jedi and in exchange he allowed Ar'ekk to escape with all the credits earned for the entirety of his stay in the Smuggler's Moon. Not too bad at all.

"What can I do for you?"

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius’s demeanor changed somewhat when Ar’ekk asked him about the Order. He shifted his stance, and averted his gaze for a moment before answering. “I’m… not exactly with them anymore,” he finally admitted. “Nothing bad happened, it was just my time to go.” That was the honest truth… well, most of it. It was a little more complicated than that, sure, but he didn’t need to get into specifics at that very moment.

He nodded when his old friend remarked that his presence was unlikely due to a simple card game. “I’m looking for someone.” Digging into his pocket, he produced a small holoprojector and pressed the activation button with his thumb, illuminating the space between them somewhat. A three-dimensional hologram of a head popped up and slowly spun. It was a little blurry in some places, as it had been assembled from multiple surveillance images.

“Digger Yance,” he explained. “He does a lot of trafficking through this area, and as it turns out, owns a lot of priceless artifacts that some people would rather see not in the hands of a criminal like that. There’s an apartment he owns in the upper side, but it’s got crazy encryption locks.” He cycled to the next image, which was the penthouse.

“I need to get in undetected so I can get these artifacts, and maybe steal some cash and information while I’m there.” This would hopefully serve multiple purposes – take down a slave trader, rescue some culturally significant pieces, and help fund an operation he was planning.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

KAL'S GAMBLING DEN, DOWNTOWN ETHOS CITY​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"I went right home and I went to bed
I stuck that lovin' forty-four beneath my head."​

w. [member="Cassius Droma"]​

​

"Digger Yance, figured as much. Big shot gangster from the upper east side, rolls with the Kibans. Deadliest organized crime group on that side of Ethos City. His operation on this side of town's all about spice and cyberware, top of the line stuff."

Ar'ekk was familiar with the organized crime families that were scattered throughout Lithios, most of them ran the nightclubs and restaurants that the former Jedi frequented almost daily. They were acquaintaces of him, of course, because of his line of work and also because he had been dating their daughters at some point in time that they started considering him like family but they didn't know it was with every girl at once.

Amusing.

"No need to steal his cash, you've got me. You need to fund some business? I'm your man." A grin found his way to his face, the business-man slash criminal personality flourishing all at once. "I can get you inside the apartment so you can grab those artifacts and intel, perhaps we could nail down their cyberware warehouses. Been wanting to get some sick augmentations."

Ah, the joys of criminal life. Cassius was no longer affiliated with the Jedi and Ar'ekk found relief in that, being able to talk about things "freely" with his old buddy in confidence. Not that he wouldn't talk to him about it even if they remained as a Jedi but one knows who things are with heavy doctrines and what they do to your head regardless of how you are or convey yourself with others.

Still, there was a sense of trust between them.

"When do you want to do this?"

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius quirked an eyebrow. Taking money from Ar’ekk would be… complicated. Yes, Cassius was partially responsible for the Jedi-turned-slicer obtaining such a grand fortune, but he still wouldn’t feel so comfortable accepting it up front. Now, stealing money gathered from criminal activity was something different. It would hurt Digger and help not just Cassius, but hopefully a lot of people in the Outer Rim and Wild Space territories.

“I still think I’ll swipe a few stacks of credits, if it’s all the same,” he smiled, as if trying to appear devious, but his friend probably knew him better than that. His project required a lot of resources: foodstuffs, mechanical parts, maintenance costs, ships… what better way to fund that than by stealing from the people he would be fighting against?

When he mentioned wanting to find the location of a stockpile of technology, Cassius nodded. “Anything you want to get your hands on, feel free,” he said. It was the least he could do, after all, for the help Ar’ekk was going to give him.

Looking around the area real quick, Cassius caught a whiff of the city and his face scrunched up for a microsecond. The sooner he could get off this planet, the better. Already he was fantasizing about getting back in the cockpit of his A-wing, the artifacts he was sent to procure safe in the small cargo compartment on the underside of the fighter.

“Whenever you can – tonight would be best. I don’t want him to get word that I’m on planet.” Not that Digger Yance would even know who Cassius was or his intentions, but someone would eventually find out why he was really here.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

OUTSIDE KAL'S GAMBLING DEN, DOWNTOWN ETHOS CITY​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"Life knows two miseries; getting what you don't want and not getting what you want."​

w. [member="Cassius Droma"]​

​

"Are we taking my transport or yours?"

What a good friend, huh?

Ask anyone but Ar'ekk and they will say no in front of your face but not him. In the blink of an eye, the man was ready to jump into any vessel and head down to crack heads with you even if the world was falling into little pieces. Loyal and ready to face death, despite being broken in spirit and having been sorrounded by criminals for too long... The man that Cassius once known remained within the shell of a mercenary.

"I suggest we get out of this area quick, too many eyes and ears." He said as they started walking away from the gambling den, looking over their shoulders to spot anyone following them. "When someone hears something here, you'll want to start praying or something. The whole city will come down on you."

They had to come up with a plan too, going guns blazing was already too much of a stupid idea to go forward with. Cassius and Ar'ekk would eventually figure a way inside without triggering alarms or alerting security as they weazled their way into wherever they had to go.

"Just like the old times."

 

[Cassius Droma]

“Yours,” Cassius said. “I came in on an A-wing, so unless you want to get really cozy, the Hawk is probably our best bet.” The historian in him longed to see the ancient yet revered ship, the transport of the great Jedi Revan. Yet, the pilot in him was apprehensive about flying the bucket of bolts once more. It was a four-thousand year old ship. Despite the upgrades it had gotten over the years, Cassius could still recall that the controls were rather sticky.

As the two left the area, Cassius made sure to not only scan the area visually, but with the Force, as well. It was difficult to discern just who had malcontent towards him specifically, since there were so many here that wished everyone harm in some way, whether it was killing them, capturing them, or stealing from them.

The rain was still pouring as they made their way towards Digger Yance’s penthouse. It would provide ample cover as they wanted to get through the roof. After setting the Ebon Hawk on an auto-pilot course, the two made their way to the now open ramp as they whipped through the air. The rain cut into Cassius’s face like cold needles, and he tied a scarf around the lower half of his face to keep from freezing.

As the light freighter soared over the building, Cassius leapt down, using the Force to slow his descent. With a roll, he landed safely and looked back to make sure Ar’ekk had made it. Now it was up to the Jedi-turned-slicer to get them through the roof’s security locks.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

DIGGER YANCE'S PENTHOUSE​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"Throw the rules out the window, odds are you'll go that way too."​

w. [member="Cassius Droma"]​

​

"You still have the A-Wing? You're braver than I thought."

What a time to crack a joke, one made with the intention of keeping the Hawk off the spotlight for being a few milennia old and also to lighten up the mood before the mission.

As they hovered over the million credits penthouse of renowned organised crime figure Digger Yance, Ar'ekk began to go through the plan in his head. Slinged on his shoulder was a backpack that contained all the necessary gadgets to pass through any type of security layers in their way or to break into whatever network/terminal/system they required. He followed Cassius suit by jumping after him, cushioning the fall thanks to the Force, raindrops falling on his curved cheek as they found shelter behind the main door.

"Alright, let's see. We have a Type VII SafeScreen alarm system installed with an encryption package 1a.44.87, voice coded IPI-1000 identification system and a very expensive Kambis 9400 lock. Seven 57C Holocams set in key position too. I should get around every single thing once I gain access to the network, disable them and make an entrace without alerting one."

For a mortal, everything that Ar'ekk had spewed was nothing but a bunch of mumbo-jumbo but for those interested in technology knew that the system in place was rather complex yet not unbreakable. At least for the man nothing was, did it make any difference breaking into a penthouse to the Shadowport's bank vault during the Outer Rim heist with the Genoharadan?

Nope!

Plugging the holocomputer's cables into the wall panel that controlled the penthouse's system, Ar'ekk began to disable each security measure with the efficiency of a highly capable professional and the speed of someone truly great in its job. Cassius could be even impressed if he took the time to watch and decypher what he was doing.

"Ready on your go."

 

[Cassius Droma]

As Ar’ekk rattled off the techno-babble that Cassius couldn’t hope to understand, the young Jedi pressed himself against the wall near the door, trying to feel his way through the building. He closed his eyes, focusing on the various presences that could be felt through the Force, a current running through all life in the structure. As expected, some were still awake, even at this time of night. Possibly entertaining guests, participating in nefarious deeds… whatever it was, those people were lower down.

Up top, things seemed to be much quieter. The penthouse they were hoping to break into seemed similarly quiet. Cassius couldn’t even tell if Digger was inside his penthouse or not. There did seemed to be a few signs of life – guards, perhaps, but they appeared to be idle. Hopefully, it would stay that way as they infiltrated.

He nodded to Ar’ekk when he said that he was ready. Due to the expertise of the slicer, the door clicked open and the panel lit up green. Moving swiftly, Cassius opened the door and allowed just enough time for Ar’ekk to come through before he latched it closed again. He shed the rain slick that had been shielding him from the precipitation, knowing that he didn’t want to leave a trail of rain water running throughout the penthouse.

Before them was a dark staircase. A small amount of light indicated where it ended and opened up into the penthouse below. Sensing the way so that he didn’t trip on anything, Cassius led them down the stairs. They looked to be in some sort of back hallway, with only the minimal amount of lighting on. Cassius crouched low as he continued, eventually coming to what looked like the kitchen.

“Anything else we should be worried about?” he whispered to his slicer friend, hoping that the heaviest of security was behind them.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

DIGGER YANCE'S PENTHOUSE​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"Throw the rules out the window, odds are you'll go that way too."​

w. [member="Cassius Droma"]​

​

"Nobody can call for reinforcements as I disabled the system that does that. Just hope nobody sees us and screams their lungs out. I didn't see any other type of safety measure nor I believe we'll stumble upon a secret one."

The layout of the penthouse was uploaded straight to the slicer's datapad as he held it in his palm, guiding Cassius through the narrow halls and towards a stairwell that would lead them directly to the kitchen. One of the cooks entered the room to check if the food was ready to be served and walked right back out, Ar'ekk looking over the edge of a table and then nodding back to his old friend to keep moving.

"Here's the schematics of the property. You can lead the way, I'll be right behind you."

Brandishing his K-16 Bryar Pistol, Ar'ekk felt his index finger stirring nervously as it got close to the trigger finger. If someone caught them on the spot, he was ready to shoot them without hesitation in an attempt to shut them down and avoid being detected. Dying in the house of a crime lord would not happen that night at all, that was a promise done in utter silence.

"His room should be nearby, come on."

 

[Cassius Droma]

When a chef entered the kitchen they were in, Cassius froze. His hands twitched in anticipation. He could feel adrenaline and the Force rushing through him. After his training on Ando Prime, the young Jedi had a whole arsenal of non-lethal techniques he could use to avoid detection. Stunning, making a target with a weak enough constitution fall into a deep slumber, hopefully there wouldn’t be a blaster bolt fired during their infiltration.

Grabbing the datapad from Ar’ekk, he nodded as he scanned over the layout. The trophy room was nearby – there was an easy path there. Keeping low, they exited the kitchen and made their way down another hallway. Cassius kept close to the wall, while also keeping his senses in tuned with their surroundings. If someone were to sneak up on them, intentionally or accidentally, he’d know.

They soon reached a door that was marked with ‘DO NOT ENTER’ in Aurebesh. Waiting for just a moment to try and sense any danger inside, Cassius entered after only a second. The door whished opened and then closed as soon as the men entered.

The trophy room. The space itself was small and dark – only a few small spotlights over glass display cases. It was more akin to a small museum exhibit, if anything. Grabbing the satchel he’d been carrying with him, he began to grab the items he’d been sent to secure. A small totem, the tip of a metal spear engraved with an ancient language, a dead power cell, and a few others. “You’re free to whatever I don’t take,” Cassius uttered as he snagged what looked like an engraved Rancor tooth.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

DIGGER YANCE'S PENTHOUSE​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"Throw the rules out the window, odds are you'll go that way too."​

w. [member="Cassius Droma"]​

​

"Let's be as quiet as possible."

Their rummaging inside the trophy room would be short and quick, good enough to leave the penthouse without even being detected. Using a small flashlight to beam through the dark room, Ar'ekk tried to find the small shard that required the information he was looking after. Obtaining the intel to obtain top-of-the-art cyberware and augmentations was key for his upgradeability and he'd eventually stumble upon the object resting inside a small wooden case.

"I got what I need, we're leaving on your go through the same path. If we get split up, I'll meet you at street level."

Truth be told, the possibility of getting caught was slim to none yet odds were not something he underestimated. After all on Lithios the thugs were pretty smart and prepared for the slightest of eventualities, including breaking into their million credits penthouses and stealing some important stuff from within. His weapon was at reach and ready to get out guns blazing if that's what was needed.

"What are you trying to find again, anyways? I've got a crappy memory."

 

[Cassius Droma]

He nodded as he signaled his ready to go. Cassius’s eyes were darting over all of the items in the room as he double checked to make sure he got everything. Some of them were very small, one in particular being a game piece from a board game played some thousands of years ago by an ancient Force-using tribe.

Ar’ekk asked what he was looking for, and without looking up, Cassius uttered, “Just… one more thing…” His eyes connected with the object and his eyebrows raise. “Ah, there we go,” he said. He was about to turn out of the room and leave, but then remembered something, feeling rather foolish that he nearly walked out before grabbing it. “Oh, right,” he mumbled, heading to the other side of the room.

There was a small lockbox on a table. Waving his hand over it, Cassius broke the lock and opened the box. Inside were stacks of credit chips, as well as a few blocks of precious metal that any vendor would be willing to buy. He stuffed as much as he could into his bag before feeling like we wouldn’t be able to maneuver well around with it.

“Alright, now let’s go,” he looked to Ar’ekk, raising his eyebrows.

Still in his crouched position, Cassius walked to the door. As it swished open, he froze momentarily. A chef was standing there, who similarly froze upon seeing the two intruders. Perhaps they had made too much noise in the room, and he was coming to investigate. Either way, Cassius had to act quickly. Cassius threw up his hand, the chef got off a weak croak before his entire body seized up. Raising his other hand to line up with the chef’s forehead, Cassius bade the man to enter a deep sleep, and the chef went limp in the Jedi’s invisible grip.

Levitating him into the trophy room, Cassius motioned for Ar’ekk – time to get out of there, and quickly. It was only a matter of time before someone either discovered the chef, the chef woke up, or someone else found them here.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

DIGGER YANCE'S PENTHOUSE​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"Throw the rules out the window, odds are you'll go that way too."​

w. [member="Cassius Droma"]​

​

"That was too close."

Too much for their own comfort, things could turn real ugly if they didn't get out of there fast. Even if Ar'ekk had managed to disrupt the security system, the goons inside the penthouse were packing some serious heat that would put the duo in a very dangerous position. Slotting the shard in his neurosocket, the slicer rapidly read through the information as an interface popped up in front of him thanks to his cybernetic augmentations, eye socket practically turned him into a walking computer.

"You do know we can't let this guy tell the story, right? If he tells Digger Yance, things will go south for us or even me since I live on Lithios. I won't let that happen again."

His beloved Jyn had died because of Ar'ekk's betrayal of The Hawk's Circle on Nar Shaddaa, the goons that once swore him loyalty had tracked him and his family down to Lithios and murdered her in cold blood while Atefeh, his adoptive daughter, was taken by these thugs and her whereabouts were unknown. Reaching inside his jacket, Ar'ekk grabbed the K-16 Blaster Pistol and placed the barrel against the chef's head before pulling the trigger.

"That won't kill him but give a killer headache when he wakes up. It'll be like he fainted and won't remember a thing."

The ex-Jedi turned slicer wasn't a murderer even though at first impression he kinda gave off that vibe through his actions. Carefully dragging the chef's body somewhere not visible for him to be found, Ar'ekk touched Cassius in the shoulder and signalled to move forward, gun in hand.