Public The Tools Needed

[Micheal Nox]

"Is it here?"

"Yes."

Micheal walked towards the Corellia Digital Building, dressed in a simple white robe. Beside him walked another, though not by choice. The thought dowser he held cared little for whether someone's choice. All would be fine. When the Force was dead, no one would be subject to this again. For a better future. He smiled warmly, turning his gaze to meet the terrified eyes of the human he'd commandeered.

"Oh, don't look so scared." She stopped looking so scared. He blinked. Then shrugged.

"Well that worked. Go on, open the door." She obliged, and once the door was open, he stepped in. Turned his gaze to the others there.

"Hello everyone! Now, don't worry. I'm here to rob you, but that doesn't mean-" He paused as he saw one of the employees already reaching for some sort of button. Then, they froze. All of them froze. "Okay. We'll do this the hard way, I suppose. Turn off the droids. Turn off the security. Then gather around here. And, of course, gather up everyone else. Sound good?"

No response. But they did already start to move to round up everyone else within the facility.

"Good, good. We'll have a little pow wow once you're all here. Be quick! Time is of the essence!"

Sor-Jan Xantha | Open!

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

THE CORELLIA DIGITAL BUILDING
MECCHA, DRALL, CORELLIAN SYSTEM

[ lonely waltz ]​

He had the music turned up.

On the coffee table, the coasters bounced with the beat as Clone Wars era music pounded from out of the speakers tucked away through the spacious apartment that overlooked the Boiling Sea. People could say what they might about Friendzoned at the Funeral or Sithspit, but they'd not experienced the magnanimous beauty of the Old Republic.

The music. The art. The sheer creative energy made possible by a galaxy that was bound together. Not ripping itself apart.

Passing through the kitchen, the sandy-haired Anzat grabbed a fizzyglug from the cooling unit. Grabbing a bag of chips had been a passing thought. More from boredom than hunger.

He felt hungry, just not... the same.

Slipping from the kitchen to the living room, the teen made a gesture with one hand to continue the project that he'd been working on.

Well, projects to be precise. He'd started reviewing the code for the next Super Dario Bros hologame and, at some point, had branched off to going over some final inputs on the next software patch to be released for the HoloStation Switch. That had led to his calling up the schematics for two of the proposed next generation consoles that were being floated as replacements for the current model. And then in one corner of a holographic window he had a rough sketch of a droid starfighter that they were producing as a contract bid for a job on Laekia.

A holocaster on the wall was showing a hologaming tournament on Duro. The Worlds of Warships Galactic Championship, where, at present, a Kushiban h-gamer was utterly destroying people with a Hapan Battle Dragon.

The fact that they had their Hapan Battle Dragon kitted out in a Hello Cathar powderpunk skin was just icing on the proverbial cake.

Distracted, the boy turned his head away...

...and then wasn't certain just what it was that had caught his attention.

A thought perhaps. Some stray bolt of emotion. Strong, for a moment, but... he didn't feel it now. With a shake of his head, the boy cracked open the fizzyglug and took a sip.

It was like ash on his tongue.

Disappointed, the boy set the can down before he started resuming his work.

Tiland Kortun apparently managed with tea. Perhaps Sor-Jan would have to ask just how he did it. As it was, food and beverage now just didn't satisfy like they had before.

 

[Micheal Nox]

"Is this everyone?"

Micheal hummed as he looked over the group that had been gathered. Some stood willingly. Others looked beaten and were simply restrained with wires, cords, whatever those following his orders could get their hands on. None of them looked happy about this. In fact, they looked horrified even. He clicked his tongue, keeping a pleasant smile on his face. Until he got a resounding no from those under his control.

"No?" He gasped in surprise. "Not everyone? How am I supposed to kick off this little conversation without everyone present. You," He motioned to on of the Mon Calamari with the Thought Dowser, who immediately straightened up.

"Who's left?"

"Our CEO. We don't bother him while he's working."

Micheal lifted a hand up to cover his mouth in surprise. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize your CEO was working still! My apologies. Were you all working too? Oh, I should've come in on a day off, shouldn't I have?"

He chuckled before glancing around. No one else was laughing. He let out a sigh.

"You three, go get him."

"The door is locked."

An exacerbated sigh escaped Micheal this time.

"Fine, jeeze. Just call him down here. I assume you have a phone, right?" One nodded as another went to get a phone and make the call in question.

"Just get him down here, I don't care what you have to say."

Sor-Jan Xantha

 

[Lina Djo]

The ship trembled slightly as they entered the atmosphere, causing Lina to lift her eyes from the datapad in her hand to briefly scan their approach. She trusted the astromech to do its job far more than she would trust a flesh and blood pilot, less emotion and far more understanding of 'don't talk to me, I'm working'.

This would be the first of hopefully many meetings. She'd no expectation to meet a CEO, simply to lay a pitch to whoever would listen and go from there. Lina Inc had been quiet for some time, sustaining itself on smaller ship upgrades but her hopes were to make Lina Inc a strong player in the shipbuilding industry and for that, she needed some support and perhaps a collaboration.

Her eyes lowered back to the datapad, slender fingers skimming the information about Corellia Digital, its products and its CEO. A child, but no younger than she was when Lina Industries was first started. She could respect ambition. The astromech gave a soft trill. "What is it?" she asked, not looking up from the datapad. R6's response skittered across her screen.

[They are not responding to communications for landing instructions.]

Lina frowned, setting the data pad aside, she rose smoothly from her seat to move forward to stand at the astromechs side. The gentle curves of Corellia Digital's building offered her no answers. "Do a perimeter sweep." R6 obliged, keeping them low, no doubt whoever was inside would hear them.

[Still no response.There is a landing bay free, shall I take it?]

Lina paused for a moment, an uneasiness settling in her stomach. "Yes, keep her running while I investigate." She moved towards the landing ramp, collecting her lightsaber and comlink en route, clipping both to her belt at the small of her back, hidden beneath the fold of the leather jacket.

Frown lines creasing her forehead, she moved for the entrance.

Sor-Jan Xantha Micheal Nox

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Using his hands, the teen was manipulating the image of the starfighter, as he rotated the wireframe holo around to...

...there it was again.

Fear? Surprise? Frustration.

Each time he felt a sudden spike of emotion, it seemed to suddenly vanish. Except for one thing. He could sense an extraordinary amount of frustration. Almost... helplessness.

"Two eight seven, is there a problem?" the boy asked, speaking aloud to the empty room with a statement that should have prompted a response from the automated droid assistant.

It didn't.

As soon as he'd started to suspect something, there was a buzz at the intercom. Raising one hand, the boy toggled the switch remotely. While he answered, "Yes?" he was pulling up the internal systems report.

The security system was off-line. Droid control circuits were off-line. The outgoing communications were off-line.

"Mister Xantha, there's a situation here that requires your attention."

The boy's gray eyes narrowed, but he tried to keep any suspicion from his voice as he adopted a conciliatory tone. "Of course," the boy answered, forcing a smile. They said you could hear a smile in someone's voice. Bringing his arm up, the boy tapped out a quick group message to Marque , Julius Sedaire , and Noriko Ike on the hololink that he wore. "I'd be only too happy to," he remarked, even as he hit send on the message.

Corellia Digital compromised. Am under duress. Contact CorSec.

Was Julius at the Green Jedi Temple? One could hope. Was Marque even in the Corellian System? Who knew. He was taking some of his vacation days, so likely not. Would Noriko even get the message in time? Here's hoping.

Buying time, the boy asked "Shall you come up? Or would you prefer for me to come down?"

What did he have in the apartment? Lightsaber? Where was his lightsaber?

Paperweight was up on the Intervention. That wouldn't be of any help right now.

Papercut? Alderaan Queen, last he'd seen it.

That Agents of Chaos one? That was here, somewhere, right? Except he thought it was probably down in the R&D Lab. Also not much of a help at the moment.

"Your presence is requested here," the disembodied voice remarked through the intercom.

"I'm on my way," the boy offered. Even as he started walking to the elevator, his mind was running through various options or possibilities.

He supposed he'd just have to wait to see what greeted him on the ground floor.

Micheal Nox Lina Djo​

 

[Micheal Nox]

"He is on his way."

Micheal let out a long, exhausted sigh. And smiled. A wide, oddly warm smile as he waved the Thought Dowser in their direction.

"See, that? I like that. Results! Always be sure to get results. I'm sure your CEO would be very pleased to know you do such a good job getting results." He slowly nodded his head with each world, punctuating every one as he found a spot to just sit down among them all. Reached his arms up to wrap around a pair's shoulders in a far too familiar way. Gave them a brief smile before turning his head to the door.

Though, not the one he expected to open. A curious look to his eyes took over as he glanced in the entrance he came in from.

"I'm terribly sorry, do you have an appointment?"

Sor-Jan Xantha | Lina Djo

 

[Lina Djo]

The tension in the force was palpable and slowed Lina's walk as she approached the doors. Pausing a few feet away she extended her reach testing the energy in the building ahead of her.

Fear...discomfort... there was something else, something inherently familiar...a source of twisted pain.

She withdrew sharply, and took a breath releasing it slowly and shaking off the shivers that ran down her spine. Whatever was happening was not good, that twisted pain reminded her of her mother and the chaos she created for a release from her internal agony. A few beats passed as she wrestled with her decision.

"Feth it."

Lina drew herself up and moved forward, pushing the doors open to reveal the scene within. Eyes swung towards her as she stepped forward and scanned the room, sweeping over those bound their eyes wide with fear, casting silent pleas at her. the CEO, she noted, was not among them. She settled her gaze upon the at the centre of it all... the one with madness in his eyes.

Nagai were lethal when they were focused, but this one...there was something of kilter. The source of the twisted pain, perhaps?

Lina clasped her hers in front of her. "My apologies, I seem to be interrupting something. Do you mind if I...?" She gestured towards the nearest chair. Better to sit back and watch before deciding the best way to play this.

Sor-Jan Xantha Micheal Nox

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The ride in the lift was eating away at his nerves.

Each second seemed to stretch and languish, as the Anzat's mind raced to try and compose some kind of response to a threat he was still uncertain of. Emotions were running high, yet there seemed a lack of panic. Just a sea of helplessness and frustration.

It was unlike anything he'd come across. He knew that there was something wrong, but found himself unable to predict just what he was going to find when the doors open.

There was a chime, as the lift arrived at the ground floor.

As the doors parted, the tow-headed teen stepped into the lobby of his company headquarters...

...was that an Umbaran?

And a woman with dark hair. Who didn't belong either. At least, he didn't think she did.

She kinda looked like... what was her name? The woman who worked in HR. She had dark hair, didn't she? Or was she a blond? Yep, now that he thought about it, the person he was thinking of had blonde hair. So he had no idea who the chick was.

"You seem to have gone to a great deal of trouble to clear my schedule for me," the gray-eyed teen remarked, in a neutral tone.

Keep the emotions in check. Stay focused on the Living Force. He could heard the words of his younger self echoing somewhere in his mind, like voices of a distant star, only half-remembered.

"Welcome to Corellia Digital," Sor-Jan intoned with a feigned politeness, as his eyes touched on the employees he could see, before returning to the two people he didn't know.

"How can we help you today?"

Micheal Nox Lina Djo​

 

[Noriko Ike]

Sor-Jan Xantha

The petite atrisian waas in her ship relaxing... Xian Xiao was somewhere and rumor was she had left the jedi order which meant two things had to happen.. find her and slap the stupid out of her... Then they could go on a proper shopping spree as she still had plenty of Corellia Digital corporate diamond black cards with priority status.... the best kind of status. THen there was a message coming in... an important message as her ship was alerting her and in typical fashion she looked at a big red flashing light was flashing as she moved. "The Xantha phone." She said it and was moving to answer but it was a one way alert.

"Corellia Digital compromised. Am under duress. Contact CorSec." Noriko looked at the message and her old master was skilled and strong... him being under duress was something that she didn't want to think about.... it didn't bode well for them in this case as she moved to look at the contacts and there was only one answer to this... contact Corsec yes but they would also likely need her help... maybe.... worse case scenario master and padawan could team up once again and be team awesomesauce. She knew there was a danger in going though but Sor-Jan was more then an old man, more then an old master, yes even more then her suga daddy who didn'tknow he paid for everything...

He was her friend. NOriko moved as she went to the comchannel and flicked on to contact Corsec. She knew there was the Green Jedi and sent an alert if they would listen she wasn't certain... she could hope they would respond but she was there talking to Corsec. "THis is jedi master Noriko Ike, I received a distress message from Corellia Digitals offices and Sor-Jan Xantha. He is being held hostage." She said it and waited a moment giving the information and sending a copy of the message she received with the authorizations and correct channels. "We'll send a patrol there and respond as needed if we find a problem." The woman said it and NOriko narrowed her eyes. "THank you."

She let the comlink go off and sat in the seat as she was thinking about it.... "I should let them do their job.. I am not in the system... but." She looked at the controls of her ship. "I could be." She set the course and was preparing for it while sending what she could through the force. 'Hang on."

 

[Micheal Nox]

"Do you see that? Hear that? So polite. Of course you can stay. Of course. Why don't you sit over here."

He kept a calm smile as he spoke, though it turned to a rather hardened frown as he lifted the thought dowser in his grasp. All his intent was on making her obey his will, though a part of him doubted the woman would fall to such tricks. He'd push the issue, if it wasn't for the other door opening. His gaze shifted, stared at the boy CEO. Once Jedi. How much did he bend the rules to get where he was with a subtle tick of the Force?

How many here did the same? He forgot the woman entirely, instead standing to lift his arms with a smile.

"Now this is excellent service! Right to what you can do for me. Oh, I so appreciate the professionalism." He bowed dramatically, the coy smile back on his face. One that again dipped to a full glare.

"I want all of your technology you created to mimic the applications of the Force. Every piece I can carry easily out of here, and no one will have to get hurt."

Sor-Jan Xantha | Lina Djo | Noriko Ike

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Corellia Digital compromised. Am under duress. Contact CorSec.

Julius had conveniently been at the Green Temple taking a break in between training guardians. The message came from Sor-Jan Xantha , a trusted and old ally if a bit of an antagonistic friendship between the two did exist. It wasn't much of a question. He flicked a comm on the wrist of his armor and sent a general wave to CorSec and his brother Cal Sedaire, who ran R&D at CEC and had high friends in CorSec. With a wave, he called over two members of his ship's crew who had came planetside for briefing. Adair and Harrison abandoned their sabaac game to approach. Both men had served on the COS Audacity with him, and when he had stepped down from public affairs had followed him to crew the Bezharl with him.

"Prep the ship, target Corellia Digital HQ and be ready to send the 'Devils in if need be. Going to see an old friend"

Without hesitation, Adair nodded and walked off in the direction of their shuttle. Harrison hesitated a moment, on the brink of saying something, but simply nodded at the look radiating from Julius and followed Adair. Checking the fit of his armor, Julius called out to the students, grabbing his two lightsabers and hefting them before igniting both blades and closing his eyes as the room fell silent at his dismissal of class early. There was a ripple around the room where he stood, an odd tugging in the Force, and in moments he opened his eyes to be right beside Sor-Jan Xantha , facing Micheal Nox and Lina Djo .

"Hey kid, got a sec? Oh! Other guests. Well don't they look a treat. So buff and intimidating. Sorry folks, but I need to borrow the kid. My gaming console is acting up and I just can't live without it these days. "

He smirked, his armor humming as did the air around him as he adopted a Juyo defense pose, waiting for either Sor-Jan to speak, or the others to do the same. All smiles and snark, the battlemaster stood ready, if aged. They would find a stern reminder if they thought him easy prey due to age. Under his breath he called out to So-Jan

"Just grab my damn arm and we're out of here. We can blow the site from orbit or jet once we're at my ship"

 

[Lina Djo]

Lina felt a wave of nausea wash over her, as the device in the nagai's hand swung her way, raking claws against her mental barriers. It took every ounce of her will not to reach immediately for the lightsaber at her back and cut him down. It would not be wise to reveal her hand so soon. She could not however prevent the angry buzz in the force that rose up around her like a disturbed hornets nest.

Before she could move to sit, his attention was snatched away by the entrance of the CEO. She reached behind her, clicking the comm link on her waist to open so R6 could hear and begin recording. She began to inch ever closer to the man, eyes flicked up to Sor-Jan Xantha and she gave a respectful incline of her head. Hopefully he would interpret it as she intended it. ‘I am not a threat, nor am I with him’

Her eyes flicked down back to the device and she inched ever closer, if Sor-Jan could keep his attention perhaps she could get it from him…

She felt the shift in the force, the draw of energy and watched as Julius Sedaire seemingly appeared out of nowhere, the hyperspace glow in his eyes, cocky and oh so sure of himself. “Jorus Merril would be ashamed at your lack of subtlety, Mr Sedaire.” she snapped. She may have been in the shadows a long time, but her information network had only grown and Julis Sedair was hardly a man to pass under the radar. Blind hyper jumping into a situation of which he had no foresight was her case and point.

She reached for her lightsaber and turned her attention to the Nagai. “You will not get what you want this way, I can feel your pain, your anguish. It blinds you. The Nagia are better than this, you are better than this. Be smart and live another day. Allow me to negotiate for you, without…” she gestured with the unlit saber to the device in his hand. “..whatever that is. Without the need for hostages and hostility.”

Micheal Nox Noriko Ike

 

[Micheal Nox]

Micheal smiled. A far too calm smile. His gaze focused in on Lina. A gaze that betrayed not hate or anger, but contempt. Annoyance. Disgust.

"If I am harmed or stopped in anyway," His head turned towards those already under his control.

"Kill yourself. If I do not get what I requested within the next oh.. Ten minutes? That seems appropriate. One of you kill yourself. Then another in five minutes, and another, and so on. In the next hour, if I am not off world and away by then, kill yourself. And after that hour, if I am gone from this world and unharmed? Be free."

He turned his gaze back, smiling ever still.

"Well, there are my demands. Chop chop, ten minutes are already ticking down."

Sor-Jan Xantha | Lina Djo | Julius Sedaire | Noriko Ike

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Oh.

As the tow-headed teen blinked with the realization of what had just happened, it appeared his earlier question had been answered.

Julius Sedaire was in the Corellian System. And had apparently gotten his message.

"Just grab my damn arm and we're out of here. We can blow the site from orbit or jet once we're at my ship"

The boy's gray eyes just blinked.

They were too close to the city of Meccha to blow the site from orbit. Not to mention all of Sor-Jan's employees.

Micheal Nox spoke up then, giving voice to exactly what the boy was just thinking.

Ever the telepath, the boy reached out to speak to Julius Sedaire privately. "I won't abandon my employees. But I haven't yet figured out how he's controlling them," the boy relayed, as he seemed to quietly contemplate the chaos unfolding before him. "I don't sense the Force."

He was after the technology that Sor-Jan had developed to mimic the Force? Was he relying on some kind of technology to control people? With that in mind, the boy's gaze fell upon the device in the man's hand that Lina Djo seemed to have noticed as well.

"I could use my telekinesis to hold my people in place, but for all we know, he could just cause their vital organs to cease with a command," the boy mused telepathically. "I think the best bet for the moment is to try and stall."

Finally, the boy uncrossed his arms and addressed the Nagai. "I think I know what you're looking for," the boy remarked finally.

All this, for a lightsaber?

Well, more of an anti-lightsaber. But still.

"It's down in the R&D lab," the boy commented, before asking, "Would you prefer for me to get it for you? Or describe its location so that you could send someone to fetch it?"

 

[Noriko Ike]

​

There wasn't any updates... she hadn't been expecting them at least not to her but arriving towards the building she gave the security the clearances she needed to.... helped that Sor-Jan haad trained her how to use a computer properly.. she could even program the clock on the marcowave for making his strange cheese and sauce on round bread things... very greasy but when your master says he needs his meditation medicine to school noobs you get your master his medicine.

"Hmm how to get in." She was searching with the force.. her thoughts expanding outwards... her senses reeling as she could feel a strangeness to the people there and she slid a hand to her interface to upload what data she could to the visual AI system. "Alright... Sor-Jan is inside... someone is holding him and who knows how many hostage... police are to be outside eventually... I could wait... or I could do as he taught me and infiltrate." SHe said it and tapped her chin but was trying to think of a plan that wouldn't involve her dying hard on the wall trying to break one of the windows....

"Hmm." Her thoughts went to one plan and it was crazy... insane it coulnd't work... well okay it could and she brought the ship up higher until she was lined up with the plan. "Alright master executing plan expendable padawan number 7." She nodded to herself before opening the hatch and leaping out as she tucked her arms in close to her body and feet together to reduce any resistance. Her interface showing the path she needed to take as she reached out with the force and her mind was focused on the grating.

She was coming down faster and faster as she focused on it and found it... manipulating the slates for a brief moment while it seemed people were occupied and opening them so she could tuck in to herself and this was totally not something a full bodied none atrisian who was shorter then most padawans could likely pull off when she slipped through the slates and pushed the force to cushion herself againsst slamming into the metal but her speed was sending her through the vents like it was a rail gun and she brought her hands up to repulse anything that might be in front of herself.

 

[Micheal Nox]

"Feel free to go gather it yourself. The sooner you do, the sooner I leave, and the sooner everyone here gets to go home and pretend they have control of their lives. It's really a shame though, isn't it? Only people like you can resist. That's what it means to be blessed by the Force, isn't it, Jedi Master?"

He kept a calm smile, even as the hate filled his eyes. Jedi. Sith. They were all the same to him. All who used the Force were the same in his eyes. And they all needed to do was reach out and these people would be under the same effect he was using on them right now. No one should have that power. His eyes shifted though at the crash of a vent.

"What the fu-"

It was all he said before he was thrown away, sliding across the ground through the crowd of employees. Who, rather abruptly, started to try and find ways to take their own lives. Scissors to their throats, bashing their heads off of sharp cornered desks. It all at once turned to absolute chaos.

Micheal let out a sigh as he sat up, rubbing at the back of his head.

"Oh, well at least that shows I'm good on my threat. Stop, those of you still alive." They froze.

"Go get what I want, or the rest will die. And please, no more poorly thought out heroics. Now you have families to give your condolences to. Has retiring from the Jedi truly stopped you from valuing life?"

Sor-Jan Xantha | Noriko Ike | Julius Sedaire | Lina Djo