Private We've been expecting you, Mr Maji

[Saone Nola-bay]

Renovated Hutt Palace - Vo Dasha, a moon orbiting the planet Taboon - Yuri Maji

Saone overlooked the poor air quality in his warehouse, concentrating on the silver filigree alignment on the High Republic naval document beneath the micro-welder. If it was even a millimeter off to the left, security scanners at any mid-rim checkpoint would instantly identify it as a forgery. He didn't dedicate 18 years to the Trade Federation to be seen as anything less than the best in this field.

His confidence might have been unfounded, yet no one in law enforcement had succeeded in locating him, at least not yet in this unpleasant part of space. He preferred it that way, as his tan lekku twitched slightly, an involuntary response while he adjusted the magnifying visor over his eyes to look for mistakes. His client was a young Pantoran who had more credits than common sense, eager to be officially recognized as a junior lieutenant in the High Republic Fleet.

Not for smuggling, but to impress his girlfriend. The Twi'lek had not laughed when the kid revealed his plan, especially since the kid had already placed a sack of pristine peggats on the worn workbench. The sheer absurdity of risking a lifetime in a grim prison just for a second date still made him uneasy.

Although he kept these thoughts to himself, he charged a premium for the hassle of replicating the unique triple-layered holographic watermark of a military branch that kept detailed records. Saone pressed a button on his terminal, watching the cold blue light of the screen shine on his hands as the machine began curing the synthetic polymer.

A drop of sweat ran down his brow, and he wiped it away with the back of his sleeve, keeping his eyes on the microscopic alignment grid. He only needed to add the digital signature of an Admiral who had retired three years prior, ideal, since retired officers seldom checked active personnel records.

His girlfriend would likely catch on to the deception as soon as she realized her heroic lieutenant couldn't even operate a standard cargo skiff without damaging the docking clamps but he trusted the Pantoran to have quick thinking. He reached for his chamois cloth, prepared to smooth out the rough spots on the card, when the sudden hiss of the shop's pressure door broke the silence.

The heavy security door slid up with a scraping sound, allowing a rush of cold palace air to enter and casting a long shadow over the work table. It was none other than his second client Yuri Maji , the rumored son of the Old Mandalorian Wardog but he didn't quite believe it. ​

 

[Yuri Maji]

With the state of the galaxy, moving around with his business was getting increasingly difficult. To make matters worse, his old permits were beginning to slip. Obviously they weren't legit, but that was beside the point. He needed updated stuff if he was going to run weapons into sovereign territories. It was a small miracle that he caught wind of an apparent savant with exactly this kind of business.

An appointment was made and the Hound hopped into Maybelle to speed off to a forgotten backwater he had only heard about a handful of times. He was naturally concerned about how good this guy really was if he was hiding there, but one look at the precise location helped to put his mind at ease. Maybelle touched down on the landing pad and bowed her head to let Yuri jump out of the cockpit, the poor air quality almost tempting him to switch the vision mode of his visor as he approached the "warehouse". Calling an admittedly grand palace a warehouse felt rather strange.

Regardless, Yuri pushed on and stopped in front of the heavy door with a curious hum. This guy really didn't want to be bothered from the look of things.

Ahead of him, seated by a neatly cluttered table, was the Tailhead he wanted to see. His approach was slow and an idle glance was spared around them to take in the contents of the room. His armoured form came to a stop just short of the desk. "You Saone?" He asked simply, hands resting on his belt. Now that he had a better look at the Twi'lek, he could see why he didn't want to be found. His rude joke was kept to himself, though a smirk still crept up behind his helmet.

Saone Nola-bay

 

[Saone Nola-bay]

Renovated Hutt Palace - Vo Dasha, a moon orbiting the planet Taboon - Yuri Maji

Saone pulled his hand away from the cloth, leaving the incomplete Pantoran ID under the light of the curing lamp. He scanned the converted warehouse for any signs of life besides the two of them, spotting only inactive droid assistants before his eyes returned to Yuri Maji , who stood in front of him.

"Of course," he replied when his client asked if he was Saone, giving a kick to the base of his stool to spin it halfway around, though it creaked under his less-than-fit frame since his job rarely allowed him time to work out with the constant stream of clients needing forged documents.

Saone leaned back, pushing the magnifying visor up onto his forehead to examine the man without any distortion. It was obvious they were a true Mandalorian just from their stance, as most amateurs wearing beskar were weighed down so their posture was slightly sagged to compensate.

"What can I do for you? I assume you didn't come here just to admire the forger at his desk," he said with a light laugh, placing one hand on his knee and using the other to gently move the Pantoran's card aside for the moment. He would complete it later, but this client was far more important and had the potential to be dangerous if delayed.
​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri huffed with amusement at Saone's remark, idly looking around them. "I'll admit, ya got a face for radio. That's admirable already." He quipped as he looked back at the tailhead. He never particularly liked them, he hated working with them. But this one was sadly useful and he needed the man's wares.

"I need permits and ID's. Personal use, no restrictions. Bottom line, I wanna move wherever and whenever, I don't wanna get bogged down with some stupid paperwork." He explained, shifting his weight to relax a little. There was no reason to stand at attention. With a final quick check of the air quality, Yuri decided to remove his helmet and face the forger directly with a cool grin. "I'll pay proper, obviously. I'd just like to get it done as quickly as possible, I'm gonna be goin' to the Core in the near future and those schuttas on Coruscant love to make life difficult." He explained calmly to Saone.

Golden eyes idly studied the Pantoran's very legitimate military ID on the workbench, earning a scoff. He was almost too afraid to ask about the details.

Almost.

"I'll pay more if you can get it done before that guy. What's he want that for, anyway?" He asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Saone Nola-bay

 

[Saone Nola-bay]

Renovated Hutt Palace - Vo Dasha, a moon orbiting the planet Taboon - Yuri Maji

"I'll take that as a compliment," Saone said with a smile, briefly touching his double chin. Yuri wanted documents that would let him travel without restriction. Forging a data card was simple. Making a heavily armed Mandalorian pass unnoticed was not.

Saone activated his terminal and entered an encrypted Aurebesh code, pulling current information on the Sith Covenant while checking his stock of laminate sheets, encryption nodes, and biometric blanks. Satisfied, he retrieved a scuffed scanner from the bottom drawer and aimed it at Yuri. A faint blue light swept from helmet to boots as the device recorded his measurements.

"Fortunately, security on Sith-controlled Coruscant is lackluster," Saone said.

"I can bring you in as a sanitation worker. For the rest of your documents, I'll need an occupation. Gladiator is usually believable." Once the scan finished, he set the datapad down and noticed Yuri looking at the unfinished Pantoran identification card.

"That?" Saone lifted it between two fingers.

"A local romantic paid me a fortune to forge a commission in the High Republic Navy so he could impress his girlfriend. Relationships built on lies rarely last, but what do I know?" He passed the card to Yuri. Its weight, markings, and official stamp were nearly flawless, with only the uncured gel coating betraying that it was unfinished. Proof enough that Yuri had come to the right place.
​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri listened to Saone's suggestions, giving a light nod in agreement. He took a step back to let the scanner do its thing while he watched. His attention turned to the Pantoran's ID chit when presented. Carefully taking it, he looked it over with a chuckle at the story. "Gotta admit the kid's got guts. I'd do the same a few years ago." He remarked, setting the card down again.

Looking at the Twi'lek, Yuri idly rested his hand on the table to lean in a little. "One more thing. Not just the Core. I want full access. Republic, Mandalorian Empire, I don't want any restrictions. You wanna put me down as a business consultant or a gladiator, it don't matter to me. I just need the schuttas to not ask questions until my cargo's gone." He explained calmly. It was an immensely tall order and he was sure that his host was silently beginning to form some reservations about the order, but money wasn't an issue.

He stepped back to give the man his space with a cool grin. "You need anything else from me, just ask. I got time." He quipped, looking around for a seat. With how many permits and ID's he was requesting, he likely needed to help the tailhead with a number of details to make the documents believable. He knew more than most in the galaxy about forgery, it helped to sprinkle a little truth in there.

"Don't need a Republic Navy pass, at least. I already got a girl." He joked with a chuckle.

Saone Nola-bay

 

[Saone Nola-bay]

Renovated Hutt Palace - Vo Dasha, a moon orbiting the planet Taboon - Yuri Maji

Saone pushed the Pantoran's card aside and considered the problem. Forging separate clearance documents for every major galactic power would create too many conflicting records. One cross-reference of Yuri Maji biometric profile could expose the entire ruse.

A neutral corporate identity would be safer.

His eyes shifted toward a secured datastack containing fresh security templates from Breshig War Forge Consolidated. The Mandalorian defense contractor possessed transit and weapons-testing clearances across much of the galaxy, making an armored field specialist easy to believe.

Saone glanced at Yuri when he joked about having a girl but kept his thoughts to himself. Paying clients were allowed their fantasies.

"Breshig," he said, pulling an unencoded card from his desk. "I'll register you as a senior field specialist. They are politically neutral and attract less attention than Strill Securities." He placed the black card beneath the laser engraver and entered the first commands.

"That should provide smooth passage through most checkpoints."
​

 

[Yuri Maji]

The Hound blinked with surprise at the suggestion and a toothy grin quickly followed. "Breshig, huh?" He echoed with an approving nod. "That'll be perfect." He continued, folding his arms as his imagination ran wild. He'd likely get shot if the mercs ever caught wind of this, but luckily his dealings with them was few and far between.

It would also be hilarious to explain it all to them if the situation called for it.

"Yeah, let's do it. Just send me a quote and I'll wire ya the creds." He suggested, sliding his helmet back on. The tailhead didn't need to see the enormous grin taking over Yuri's features at the prospect. This was probably not the worst plan he ever partook in, but it was ranking relatively high up there. He wasn't going to complain. Like the man said, they were a truly neutral entity for the most part, they dealt with any and all in the galaxy.

All the Hound needed to do was not disturb their reputation too badly if he ever used the permits. "By the way..." He looked back at Saone. "Any news happening on this side of the galaxy?" He calmly asked. Guys like this either removed themselves from the galactic scene entirely, or they made a habit of keeping their ears to the ground.

Saone Nola-bay

 

[Saone Nola-bay]

Renovated Hutt Palace - Vo Dasha, a moon orbiting the planet Taboon - Yuri Maji ​

Saone felt a small measure of relief when Yuri Maji accepted Breshig as his cover. It was the cleanest solution, though hardly without risk. If the Mandalorian mercenaries discovered a back-alley Twi'lek forging their security passes from a damp Hutt palace, they would likely decorate the ancient walls with his blood.

Fortunately, Yuri would be the one holding the card if it was ever flagged. Saone pushed the thought aside and returned to his terminal. The laser engraver hummed to life beneath his hands as he applied the deep-spectrum striping and embedded false hardware-tracking serials before adding Yuri's personal information.

The work demanded his full attention. Every line of code had to settle cleanly beneath the synthetic resin, or the forgery would fail the moment it met a scanner. Saone leaned closer to the desk and adjusted the thermal printer for its final pass, only glancing up when Yuri asked whether he had heard any recent news.

"News?" Saone repeated, blowing a speck of dust from the reader bed. He considered the question while entering the commands needed to seal the Breshig credentials.

"Nothing worth mentioning, except that the Hapes Cluster is in turmoil again. That puppet the Mandalorian Empire placed in power has stirred up the royalists. Word is they're gathering enough support to put a Dio back on the throne." The printer hissed as it applied Yuri's biometric profile. Saone gave a dry huff and shook his head.

"Suicidal, if you ask me. They lack the manpower and firepower to challenge the current regime, especially with the Mand'alor's troops executing anyone who speaks against it." His fingers paused over the terminal as he glanced toward Yuri's T-visor.

"The self-proclaimed Mand'alor, anyway. From what I understand, your Iron Covenant does not recognize the title." The printer released the finished card a moment later. Saone pulled it from the slot and held it carefully by the edges while the surface hardened​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri's brow rose at Saone's gossip. He had heard of some problems in the Hapes cluster, but nothing more than that. Watching the Twi'lek work on the forged identities, he quietly listened to the story. A chuckle escaped him as he shook his head at the news. "I'll spare you the politics." He remarked.

He was quiet for a beat, watching Saone work on the items until there was another lull to not disrupt his focus. "Hapes cluster's been a mess for years. We'll see what happens. Don't really like either of them." He shrugged, looking away for a moment. "Might test these new chits out over there." He smirked behind his visor, watching the tailhead from the corner of his eye. For the rest of the operation, he remained quiet to let Saone focus. Unless he needed anything more from him, Yuri would keep to himself.

But patience was never Yuri's strongest characteristic. Too embarrassed to ask about how long it would take, he instead kept himself busy on his HUD with his foot idly tapping the floor. The rhythmic jingle from his kit would echo with his movements, completely unintentional but still very much distracting. The silence was gnawing at him, ears ringing in protest to the lack of talking or virtually any other noise.

It didn't help that the local clock in the corner of his vision was ticking away to tell him exactly how long it was taking.

"So where'd ya learn to do all this?" He finally asked, more to preserve his own sanity than genuine curiosity.

Saone Nola-bay

 

[Saone Nola-bay]

Renovated Hutt Palace - Vo Dasha, a moon orbiting the planet Taboon - Yuri Maji ​

Saone cursed under his breath as the micro-scalpel cut into the black card. Breshig's internal layouts were absent from the open Holonet, and even his darknet contacts lacked templates for credentials at this level. The circuitry beneath the surface was denser than expected, leaving little room for error.

He placed the magnifying visor on his forehead and matched Yuri's helmet with the rotating model on his screen. Breshig's public catalog had no options with ear protrusions, so the twi'lek had to take that detail out of the wireframe and smooth the shape to look like their standard infantry gear since the company prohibited customized equipment.

He noticed a tapping sound on the floorboards from his client Yuri Maji , who seemed impatient for him to complete his work. He let out a frustrated sigh at their unspoken attempt to rush perfection. He would have preferred them to voice their impatience rather than make noise, but he stayed silent as the Mandalorian asked him about his skill set.

"Trade Federation," he grunted, lowering the visor again.

"I spent eighteen years auditing their records. They put me in a closet and thought I was only logging ore shipments." He steadied a fine applicator needle over the exposed circuitry and placed a speck of polymer onto one of the contacts.

"Spend that long buried in corporate manifests, and you learn where the blind spots are. I started altering customs records for the Directorate before I left. Moved weapons past Galactic Alliance patrols without raising a single flag."​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the impatient sigh coming from the tailhead. He was about to question the man about it but decided against making a scene, it was probably just the work he was busy with. Instead, he listened to Saone's recounting of how he came to learn his craft. An amused him faintly echoed from the Hound.

"Not bad." He remarked, crossing his arms. Desk jockeys were a completely different force of nature when they wanted to be. Unassuming, forgotten by all and, in some cases, incredibly good at what they did. He watched the Twi'lek work as he silently contemplated what was said. But there was one question that still needed answering. Yuri nodded to himself with a spare look around. "So did you get caught or just left on your own?" He finally asked.

Nobody had a clean record, after all. The successful ones got their score and disappeared, tempting fate never worked out in an industry like this. Tempting fate with one of the biggest conglomerates in the galaxy of all people? It was a gamble even he wasn't brave enough to try.

His crimson visor continued to study the work on the desk, the meticulous effort the Twi'lek put in to make this forgery as perfect as possible. Yuri couldn't help but indulge in his curiosity over the man for a bit.

Saone Nola-bay

 

[Saone Nola-bay]

Renovated Hutt Palace - Vo Dasha, a moon orbiting the planet Taboon - Yuri Maji ​

Saone set the micro-tweezers on the desk and slowly opened his hands, his stiff knuckles cracking after hours spent working over the tiny components. He leaned back until the chair creaked beneath his weight, rubbing the feeling into his fingers before reaching for a stained rag.

"Neither," he said to Yuri Maji , wiping the residue from his palms. He glanced down at the half-finished identity card beneath the magnifying lamp. "I forged a transfer authorization for a private mining outfit. Clean job. Gave them the legal right to seize a fleet of disputed cargo ships out on the Rim." Saone folded the rag over once, working a dark smear from the side of his thumb.

"It worked. Then the company decided killing everyone involved was cheaper than paying hush money." He tossed the rag onto the pile of wire scraps beside the terminal, where it landed across a stripped encryption node. He picked up the tweezers again, turning them between his fingers before lowering the visor over his eyes.

"I swapped my personnel file with a records clerk who got crushed by a loader droid in the lower decks. As far as the Federation knows, I'm buried beneath three tons of slag." The visor's lenses clicked into focus, magnifying the thin circuit paths embedded in the biometric blank. Saone leaned forward and guided the tweezers toward the exposed lock. A small spark snapped beneath the tweezers as he adjusted the contact, and tried again.​

 

[Yuri Maji]

The Hound patiently waited for Saone's story -if he even wanted to talk about it- while watching the meticulous work carried out. In another life, he could see himself doing something like this... hell, he could even play around with the concept in his free time if he wanted to. The work required patience and very steady hands, not to mention a level of quick thinking that he greatly admired.

Eventually Saone took a break from the work and explained where he came from. Yuri nodded at the man's words with a degree of admiration, he couldn't help but admire the hustle. "Karkin' hell, man." He muttered with a low chuckle. "Ballsy to kark with corpos like that. The Trade Federation of all people." He gently shook his head, a beaming grin hidden behind his helmet as he regarded the Twi'lek.

He was slowly beginning to warm up to the tailhead, even shutting up properly for a change to let the man do some work. Anyone who was willing to mess with corpos like that likely weren't too bad to be around... relatively speaking.

He had worse friends, after all.

Yuri did, however, step a little closer to focus on what Saone was doing. He watched with genuine interest as the forged chits slowly took form. At this point the fabrication itself was more interesting than the actual identity chits.

Saone Nola-bay

 

[Saone Nola-bay]

Renovated Hutt Palace - Vo Dasha, a moon orbiting the planet Taboon - Yuri Maji ​

Saone pressed the final seal over the Breshig logo and smoothed the edges down with a ceramic burnisher. The curing lamp clicked off, leaving the smell of hot plastic in the air. He glanced over at Yuri Maji and caught the look of appreciation on their face. Saone didn't mind being admired for his work given that most criminals regarded him as a piece of dirt.

The mention of the Federation drew a small smile from him. It was a massive conglomerate, but that was part of the problem. The farther it stretched, the harder it became to watch everything at once and that is where Saone came in. He slid the finished card into the reader.

A green line of Aurebesh rolled across the screen, followed by a soft confirmation tone. "System accepts it," Saone said, dropping the black card onto the desk. He picked up the secondary data-chit and slotted it into the terminal's side port, copying the ship's clearance keys onto it.

"The black card gets you through customs. The chit carries your vessel profile and weapons permit. Swipe the card when you reach the desk, then transmit the chit's code from the cockpit when they clear your ship." He pulled the chit free and placed it beside the card.
​

 

[Yuri Maji]

It took time, but eventually Saone finished up with the tall order. One card was tested after the other, all registered green on the tailhead's own system. Yuri watched the tests anxiously, already figuring out how to test it safely himself before he entrusted his life with the forged details. He picked the cards up and studied them for a moment, even letting his HUD scan it as a precaution before he put it away.

For the moment, it all looked good. Unfortunately there was only one proper way to know if it worked or not. "Lookin' good." He muttered, slipping both into a a pouch on his belt. "Let's just hope it doesn't bug out when I need it." He looked back at Saone with a mixture of amusement and sincerity with his veiled warning.

If this turned out to be one massive scam, he was going to hunt this Twi'lek down.

"Pleasure doin' business. What's the damage?" He asked, tapping at his vambrace's controls to bring up his personal info. Jobs like this always cost an uncomfortable amount of credits and he knew that this wouldn't be any different. It was a massive gamble and all he could do was trust in the Twi'lek's skill and hoped it paid off.

Saone Nola-bay

 

[Saone Nola-bay]

Renovated Hutt Palace - Vo Dasha, a moon orbiting the planet Taboon - Yuri Maji ​

Saone's lekku twitched slightly at Yuri Maji comment. Doubting the integrity of his work was a quick way to get the price hiked and for a split second he considered doubling the fee just for the insult. He stopped himself from doing so has picking a fight with a heavily armed Mandalorian over hurt Pride was bad business and keeping a customer happy was worth more than a markup.

He picked up the datapad beside the terminal and tapped a few quick numbers into the tally screen. The LED display blinked back the final sum. "Three thousand," Saone said, turning the datapad around so Yuri could see the breakdown.

"That covers the Breshig encryption keys, the biometric slate, and the rapid turn." It wasn't a fortune, but it paid for the raw materials, kept the lights on in this damp hole, and left enough profit to live comfortably without attracting the wrong kind of attention.

Saone watched Yuri's gloved hands near the vambrace controls. "And don't worry about the card shorting out. The only thing that's going to fail at customs is your ability to keep a straight face if a guard asks why a Breshig auditor is hauling heavy ordnance."

He cleared the terminal screen with a single button press, erasing the active memory caches and wiping the temporary templates clean. If local law enforcement or a surprise Republic patrol decided to kick down the heavy slab door, they'd find nothing on his drives but standard trade manifests and blank duraplast.
​

 

[Yuri Maji]

The Hound blinked at the amount given by the tailhead, he had expected a sum far more unreasonable than that for the amount of work done. Luckily his visor hid his look of pleasant surprise as he nodded. He didn't even have to use a wireless transfer. "Hold this." He muttered, setting the cards back down on the desk as he quickly jogged back to the blast door. Once it opened, he made his way back to his ship and returned a few short minutes later with a jingling pouch of physical credits.

He set the pouch down on the desk and retrieved his forged documents with a toothy grin. "There we go, as requested. Plus a little somethin' for the quick work." He spoke as he tucked the cards back into a pouch. "And I doubt anyone will be askin' questions. Everyone knows Mandalorians love their guns." He joked with an easy laugh.

Yuri turned to leave, but hesitated for a beat as he looked back at Saone. He finally shifted back to the table and extended a hand for the Twi'lek to shake. "Pleasure doin' ya." He thanked the man, a professional courtesy for the work done. It helped to be in good standing with people like this, there was no telling when the Hound would need another bogus document for something. "See you 'round, tailhead. I might need somethin' extra again in the near future." He turned to the exit with a casual salute, sparing one last glance behind him as he walked.

In truth, a sliver of relief washed over him. With how things usually went with Underworld dealings, this could be classified as nothing short of a monumental success.

Saone Nola-bay

 

[Saone Nola-bay]

Renovated Hutt Palace - Vo Dasha, a moon orbiting the planet Taboon - Yuri Maji ​

Saone dumped the pouch onto the wood and counted the credits by hand, stacking them into neat piles. Every chit was accounted for, along with a small bonus for the quick turnaround, a rarity in his line of work, though he wasn't about to turn it down.

When Yuri held out a gloved hand, Saone paused before taking it, giving a quick, firm shake and pulling back before the gesture dragged on. The tailhead comment brought a sour look to his face, but he didn't bother arguing. He swept the credits into the drawer beneath his desk, slid it shut, and looked up.

"The count is good," Saone said. He watched Yuri Maji walk out, waiting for the heavy blast door to seal the room. As soon as the Mandalorian was gone, Saone grabbed the comm-link on his desk and and sent a transmission to his crew at the docks.

"Start packing," he said into the mic. "I want the gear, the terminals, and the blanks loaded onto the ship before nightfall." He hung up, grabbing his rags, and began clearing his bench. Staying put after handing out fake military clearances was a bad idea, and so it was time to get off Vo Dasha.
​