Private Up Where They Walk

[Thia Sas]

Thia had always been a good soldier, she had been biologically engineered Ike all of her fellows, and raised in secret with them. Life was harsh where they were, near constant training and study, no rests, no holidays, just endless training. She was one of the Dartfins, the more agile, acrobatic soldier that was trained there. The two other types were Leviathans and thunderfish, the supersoldiers and techs respectively. But Thia had always had one big problem, she was insatiably curious, and she yearned to see the outside world, to leave this bunker and go out into the world. But alas, it was not time to do that.

She had to sport to Instructor Bursk, and she could not be late unless she wanted a lady for every second late she was.

In one of the many cities of the planet, there were two men speaking, one robed, the other cloaked, and they spoke with one another, completely oblivious to the one listening.

"Are they ready?"

"Yes"

"Good, shed in your Dartfish, Kommer needs to be put out of the game for good, he's been a pain in my ass for far too long."

 

[Njeri Demascón]

Glee Anselm.

In the evolution of the planet, two species came to dominate. In the vast oceans, the Nautolans rose to dominance. On the sparse land came the Anselmi. While the Nautolans prospered and became a mostly peaceful race, the Anselmi feuded, spurred on by the limited resources throughout their limited islands and land masses. Throughout galactic history, the planet had been polarized by these two peoples. In recent memory, great battles had been fought there. But, as of late, the planet lay outside of any interplanetary government bodies, seeing rise to more independent operations. The Nautolans continued in their prosperity, ruling the oceans and the depths. But the Anselmi's warring attracted the wrong kind of attention.

The kind of attention that brought destruction with them, or left havoc in their wake. Even if the destruction was unintentional, losses happened as a result of their presence. And with galactic-scale conflicts peaking, profiteering was a natural, if appalling course. A number of priceless artifacts, some Anselmi, some Nautolan, were being traded as payment for weapons and illegal tech destined for war.

That was exactly the kind of thing that Njeri would not abide. History was a thing to be revered, not a commodity to be sold. And she would make sure that these items would be given their proper respect.

The Razorfin-class racer Starfish, set down just outside of Anselom, the war-stricken capital of the Anselmi. Nearby was a paramilitary complex. There, a large number of artifacts were being held. She'd emptied the majority of items from the cargo compartments of Starfish for immediate transport. But if she was lucky, she'd also be able to stash the larger items elsewhere while she remotely brought Filled with Grace down from orbit. But first she needed to get the lay of the land.

Njeri spent the time to cover the interceptor with a camouflage net that blended with the swampy ecosystem. Dressed in fatigues of olive green, sandy brown, and mahogany, she, herself, blended into the swampy, beachy island. She moved silently through the jungle to the complex and hoped that this paramilitary group wasn't expecting company.

Thia Sas​

 

[Thia Sas]

Myling Tyron, Ghost Ferran, Ghost Shard, Myling Grant, Phantom Dom, Specter Sas, Phantom Nia, Report to briefing room 6.

Well, looks like they had a mission. Not their first, but they hadn’t done many. Tyron and Grant hadn’t been on any missions, hence the rank of Myling. Mylings were an old piece of folklore, ghosts of dead babies, miscarriages or murder. So they were those of them who hadn’t been on a mission at all, once their first mission was completed successfully they were promoted to Ghost.

Ghosts required three successful missions and two years before moving on to the rank of Specter, then six more missions and three more years they became a Phantom, after that twenty successful missions, four years plus an officer’s recommendation was required to move on to the rank of Wraith. Wraith was the best rank you could get for them, and she aspired to be one.

She marched herself right over to the briefing room, where she and her compatriots were gathered. They stood at attention around a holotable, with their commanding officer, Colonel Grenwald, standing opposite them. They all saluted him and he said, “rest.”

They each assumed the rest position, hands behind them and feet shoulder-width apart.

“Mylings.”

Tyron and Grant stepped forward. “Sir.”

“You’re going to assassinate someone. Kommer Klenli, kill him, do it quietly.”

“Sir”

So the year we’re each given their missions. Until at last she was the only one left, and he said, “Specter Sas.”

She stepped forward, “sir.”

“You’re going to investigate something for me. There have been sightings of a small camp twelve klicks west of here, go there, determine their origin, and eliminate them.”

“Yes sir.” She said, saluted, then left.

 

[Njeri Demascón]

The trees of the island jungle were sparse but the brush was thick with shrubbery and tall grasses. Njeri, in order to avoid detection on her approach, kept low, crouching as she moved, resting her legs at trees when she reached them. She had less hope that her approach in her fighter went totally undetected. There was only so much she could do to stealth a ship up in the atmosphere. Sure, she flew low to avoid sensors, but a trained paramilitary group had plenty of ways to counter that as well. As skilled she was at stealthily moving through the brush, Njeri would need some luck if she was going to make it to the compound without incident.

She peered around the next tree aaaaand kark.

The Jedi Knight ducked back around the tree as she made out a figure moving, just as stealthily, in her own direction. The only reason Njeri made the being out was thanks to her Force Sense. Though a jungle made for tough work with the sheer amount of life around, there weren't many larger lifeforms. And this one was definitely conscious enough to have thoughts beyond >eat< and >hide<. Though the being's thoughts were shielded well enough that Njeri would need a significant amount of effort to look past the veil and into the being's mind. And that was something she just did not have time to do. There was no indication that this person was specifically looking for Njeri. They could just be out on patrol. Curiously, they seemed to be all alone.

Weighing her options, Njeri peeked back around the tree. This time, she could better make out the approaching figure. The being appeared to be a green, Nautolan woman. She sighed a little in relief. Nautolans were the kinder, more peaceful inhabitants. Sure, they could still be a threat, but they weren't as warlike as the Anselmi. Should she make herself known and ask for help? Or should she ambush?

A few more moments passed as she waffled back and forth before she threw caution to the wind.

Ducking out from behind the tree. Njeri made her presence clearly known. "Hello there."

Thia Sas​

 

[Thia Sas]

The woman she saw was a surprise. She was even more surprised to hear her say ‘hello there.’

Upon closer inspection the woman would see that the Nautolan had a number of weapons on her person in addition to a skintight suit of white materials and a knee length, hoodless cloak. Upon seeing her so close to the base she immediately and without warning struck the woman across the head with her fist. She hit the soft temple, and unless this woman was really tough, she’d likely be knocked out.

Once she was subdued, she would be bound and brought back to the base before she resumed her mission, to return in several hours, and speak with the woman.

 

[Njeri Demascón]

Njeri definitely could have thought that out a bit more. She could have been fully prepared to deal with an assailant. She was sneaking up on a hostile encampment after all. Any beings she encountered were easy to automatically paint as being a foe rather than a friend.

So why had Njeri, a trained infiltration specialist, jumped out of her cover and decided to introduce herself as if she was simply walking up to a casual bystander on the street? Sure, the Jedi was probably a little too easygoing under most circumstances. But that wasn't the case here. She had a job to do. And there wasn't anything that would let her get in the way of completing that mission. In retrospect, she knew that the Force guided her in mysterious ways. She simply had a feeling that things would turn out alright. Njeri had acted on that snap reaction and now she had a throbbing headache to thank for her lapse in judgment.

She woke up in a cell. She assumed it was a cell. It had four, gray drab walls, a gray drab ceiling with a flickering light, a gray drab floor, and a simple if predictably uncomfortable cot. She was still dressed in her stealth fatigues. But she was alive. The rest of her gear, she could feel her lightsaber nearby, must have been left out of the cell, she was definitely sure that the room was a cell. Her hands were bound tightly. She was almost entirely sure she was in the compound which, at the very east, meant that she had gotten inside. She wasn't sure yet if that meant her infiltration was successful.

Using telekinesis, Njeri started working at untying the bonds that shackled her to the bed as the door opened and in came the same being that had knocked her out in the first place. With no window, Njeri was unsure as to how much time had passed, how long she had been knocked out. The throbbing pain in her head didn't help her mood and she let out a bit more snark than was probably good for amicably talking her way out of a tough spot.

"Well, I already said hello, quite politely I might add. Maybe instead of cracking me in the head this time, you would like to offer some sort of apology and some water would be good, too."

Thia Sas​

 

[Thia Sas]

The bonds weren’t simple ropes or cord. But rather durasteel bands that were locked solidly around each wrist. They were secured in front of her, and a simple but strong durasteel cord ran from the two cuffs to the center of the floor which would let her move around the cell without being able to leave it. She had been out for about two and a half hours, long enough for Thia to complete her mission and come back.

She entered the cell, having been charged with interrogation, so that’s she might question the woman she had caught.

"Well, I already said hello, quite politely I might add. Maybe instead of cracking me in the head this time, you would like to offer some sort of apology and some water would be good, too."

She crossed her arms and said to her, “and perhaps you would like to tell me what you were doing in a restricted area? And if you would tell me who you are, that would also be helpful.”

 

[Njeri Demascón]

The intended sarcasm led to obvious results. What had Njeri expected? Nothing really. If the Jedi's assumption about being held in the complex was true, and if this green, Nautolan woman was walking around this complex unhindered, that undoubtedly meant that she was an agent of this paramilitary organization. It was unlikely that the Nautolan was just going to let her go. And further sarcasm was only likely to antagonize the woman.

The Jedi Knight took a practiced, deep breath. She smoothed out the frustrations she felt concerning her capture and her naïveté. None of that was helpful. So Njeri simply expunged those feelings like she had been taught and brought calm to her mind, heart, and body.

"You can call me Njeri," she responded to the Nautolan. Her face was placid, but not unpleasant. "And I have come to Glee Anselm to save something and take it far, far away from here. Maybe if you do the honor of telling me your name, I will tell you what that something is."

Thia Sas​