"Rebellious Liaison"
by Zale Tregat - Crimelord and Entrepreneur
and Marty Argo - Rebel and Hacker
Location: Tregat Syndicate Compound, Thanatos, Tae'Karada
Date: Praeda 12, 4ABY
***
The desert was never really much to see, but the wind picking up sand and
dancing it across the dunes was always a sight that fascinated Zale Tregat.
He turned away from the large window and approached his desk again. He sat
in the chair and looked at the datapad on his desk again. When he agreed to
ally himself with the Rebellion, he hadn't thought they would send someone
to watch over his shoulder. But, according to the message in front of him,
that's exactly what they were doing.
He hadn't agreed to that, and would most likely throw the interloping fool
out on his head. He didn't have time to babysit some Alliance whelp when he
had more important things to do. The Hutt was starting to become a nuisance
and the Twi'lek was maneuvering into a position he didn't like. Both of
them were going to make things that much more difficult for him. He did not
need to lose focus on his businesses now.
A gentle knock sounded at the door. Moril stood there with a young girl
behind him. "The representative from the Alliance is here," he said with a
questioning eyebrow. He stepped back and motioned for her to enter. As she
did, he vanished from the doorway and down the hall.
Zale sat up in his chair and looked her over. "I'm Zale Tregat," he said.
"Have a seat." He had to wonder if the Alliance was insulting him by
sending a child, or if their resources were so strained it was all they had
left. "I understand you're here to work with me."
Marty stepped inside and tossed the loose strands of black hair from her
eyes. "Apparently," she muttered less than enthusiastically. She eyed Zale
carefully. He's alright, she concluded as she slowly took a seat,
cross-legged. "An' I'm sure ya know who I am," she said in her heavy
Coruscant street accent.
Her gaze drifted from him to the window for a moment. The golden sands
caught her eye; she'd lived on Coruscant all her life and had never seen
such wide open spaces. It was nice here; she liked it. The teen diverted
her gaze back to him when she heard a slight noise from where he was
sitting. Her street instincts were still very strong and on the streets,
one small noise meant the difference between life and death. Luckily he
probably wasn't going to try to kill her. Of course, then again, she
wondered if
he'd be able to. "Well, 'm here. Whaddya want me to do?"
Zale smiled. "Well, that all depends," he said and leaned forward in his
chair. "You're here as a liaison between me and them. But, if you're going
to be here, I need to know what you can do. What sort of skills do you
possess that will help me in dealing with the Alliance and with the Imperial
forces on this planet?"
Marty half smiled at the Zale and leaned forward. She rested her chin on
her fist and regarding him with her dark gaze. She said, "Just about
anything you want me to. Need me to crack a database, you got it;
assassinate someone, you got it; just go in there and kick some major ass,
you got it... Lay it on me, I'll get yer job done."
Zale chuckled. "Well, I don't have anyone needing to be assassinated or
kicked at the moment," he said. "So your main skills are in computers and
assault? What sort of weapons skills do you have?"
Marty leaned back in her seat. "Well, if you're talkin' guns, the basics
from boot camp. Sniper rifles, blasters etc... I also did some explosives
trainin', but after I nearly blew up the Drill Sergeant they decided to move
me to something else. Of course, I did that on purpose." She smiled to
herself for a moment; she hadn't liked him anyway. "I'm pretty sure I can
handle most of the weapons."
Zale smiled. The girl was here as a representative of the Alliance, but
wondered how far afield she would be willing to work. The Alliance was
mainly interested in defeating the Empire, and Zale wished for the same
result. However, he also had other obstacles that persisted in trying to
block his way. "I am trying to gather intelligence data on a competitor.
I believe she may be preparing to move against me. I need all the data that
can be found on her. Can you do this?"
Yes! Finally something real to do! "Yeah, you betcha. Gimme a bit of
background info, like who she is and whatever else ya got and I'll start."
She hid her excitement rather well. She didn't want to appear giddy in
front of this guy; she didn't want him thinking she was an idiot or
anything. He seemed like the kind of guy who'd toss her out if she messed
up, so she'd watch her back and make sure she did everything right the first
time.
"She runs a crime syndicate with operations here on Tae'Karada," he said.
"The name of the organization is Tarabassic, and she wants to take over my
operations in both New Plouton and here in Thanatos." He tapped a few keys
on the computer interface built into the surface of his desk. He placed a
datapad on the output port and sent the data through to the storage cell.
Once the transfer was finished, he slid it across the desk to Marty. "All
the information you need is on that datapad. Any questions?"
Marty picked up the datapad and turned it over in her hand. "No, can't
think of any at the moment," she said distractedly. Alright so this was her
chance, all she had to do was go in and find out about this Tarabassic and
this woman. Now the first question: exactly how would she to start?
Zale watched her for a moment, then nodded. "Good," he said. "The sooner
you can get this done, the better."
Marty grinned. "A'right, so exactly where should I start? Ehm, you got a
computer or do I need to infiltrate enemy lines?"
Zale shook his head. "I've got a room here with a computer," he said. "It
has full connection to the New Plouton, Thanatos, and Tae'Karada data grids.
I believe she's got a private host, and that may take a little work to break
into. You need any special equipment to do what you do? Or are you set
with just the computer?"
Marty smiled. "Nah, got everything I need," she said. "Well, I'll get
started then. Ya wanna show me where the room is or do I gotta go look for
it?"
"My assistant will escort you," Zale said with a smile. "If you find you
need anything else, let either him or myself know." He signalled for Moril,
who showed up in the doorway immediately. "Please escort Ms. Argo to the
room we've set up for her. See that she has everything she needs."
Moril nodded. "At once," he said. "Please follow me, Marty."
Zale watched as they left the office. He allowed himself a satisfied smile
as he turned out to face the window again. Soon, the Tarabassic would no
longer be standing in his way in his bid for taking over the underworld of
Tae'Karada. "Thank you, Rebellion."
"Thing To Do..."
by Alisson Blair - Jedi Knight
and Kal'Aran - Jedi Master
Location: Yesdol District, New Plouton
Date: Praeda 12, 4 ABY
It was well after getting back from the far forests
with its enormous canyons that she got some time to
rest. A well scented bath seemed like just the thing
at that particular time, and that was exactly what she
aimed for. It seemed that every ounce of her body
ached with tension. This struck her as odd since in
her final test apparently she hadn't even moved from
her initial stance.
She knew her Master would say something like "the mind
makes you believe, so it is as real as if it were", so
she needn't ask questions at all. She understood the
answer but was still amazed by the question she posed
to herself. Still, it could all be washed away with a
nice warm bath with all the right oils and scents. A
relaxing bath followed by some concentration perhaps.
As she began to run the water to fill her tub in her
room, she smiled to herself. She had expected this
moment in her life forever, and now that she had
achieved her goal she didn't know what to feel or how
to act. Well, she knew how to act. She would just do
as she had been before, as she had been instructed, in
the ways of the Jedi. She had never thought she'd get
there still, and yet there she was now.
The bath was relaxing and it smelled just nice. The
water was just on the spot, steam coming out of the
tub. As she undressed she had to think about what was
to come afterwards. Well, the future was always hard
to predict. Even in visions she knew could be the
future, the element was "could". It was just a
possibility. Always in motion was the future, she had
been taught by Kal'Aran as he had been in his days.
After a couple of hours she made it out of the tub.
She had even caught a bit of sleep as she was dipped
in the warm water, foam and petals mixed with oils
amidst the steaming hot water. She felt a lot better
now that she had her bath. She made her way to her
room and put on nothing more than a robe. She sat on
her mat on the floor and closed her eyes for some
meditation. After breathing in deep a couple of times
she was able to come apart from her surroundings and
feel what was going on at the same time. She could
feel the Force flowing all around her as if chains all
linked but moving independently.
She relaxed her body and she knew tension was gone, no
longer there as it had been only a couple of hours
earlier. She opened her eyes and got up. She dressed
herself in some white tight pants with long cream
coloured boots and a tight cream top that showed her
belly. She tied her hair in a ponytail and came out of
her room. There she saw her Master, Kal'Aran. At that
vision she had to think about it. There he was dressed
in his Jedi robes as she had always knew him to dress.
This made her wonder, now that she was a fully trained
Jedi, if she was to dress alike...
"Do not worry child..." said Kal'Aran as she saw the
look on Alisson's face. "You don't have to change your
wardrobe in order to become a Jedi. Clothes do not
make a person. Actions do. I dress this way because I
find it practical for me and because it is simply what
I have gotten accustomed to use."
"But Master Kal'Aan, in your time, did the Jedi not
all dress as such?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They did Alisson, that is true. But it is not a rule
in the Jedi counsel, not that there is a counsel
anymore... It was merely how we dressed," he explained.
"I guess I have grown accustomed to dressing fashionably,
although I don't appreciate very much the former Royal
dressing code... Too exposed," she commented as she
remembered of her youth days in ceremonies where
almost her whole body was bare for everyone to see.
"Humm..." Kal'Aran nodded. "I must admit I had never
seen such tradition. But it was tradition nonetheless
and one shouldn't forget his roots." And as he said so
he thought about whether he ought to continue this
conversation. But he had nothing to hide from Alisson
nor did she deserve it so.
He walked up to her and placed his hand in her
shoulder. "Alisson I must tell you that I do not think
the High Princess is dead at all... Alas, I cannot be
sure of this. No one can, except maybe Admiral Tarkin,"
he told her.
"What... What makes you think it so? And if so why did
you not tell me before?" she asked, somewhat confused.
"I never felt her death. But I can be wrong. And I am
sorry for keeping this from you, but I couldn't let
you go back without your training complete. It would
be a suicide mission!"
"And now you want me to find her?" she asked.
"I want you to know this is my best guess. And if she
is alive she has not been captured or we would have
heard it so. It would be a secret, but one Tarkin
could use to show his power, so naturally everyone
would know of it. I have seen yet no proofs of her
death, only of the High Prince..." Kal'Aran told her.
"Well, this is true. And I hope you understand then
that I have to go and find her. Or at least try to. I
could go to some locations where she could be. She is
my only family, or the closest thing I've got!"
Alisson said.
"I understand Alisson, and you have my blessing. If
there is anything I can do to help you..." Kal'Aran
offered.
"Thank you. But this I have to do alone..." And with
that Alisson went back into her room and got her
blaster and her lightsaber and went out of the
apartment, closing the doors behind her.
"In Seclusion"
Kalaira - High Princess
Telben - Her father
Location: Somewhere on Tae'Karada
Date: Praeda 12, 4ABY
"Has she spoken?" the elderly man asked.
"Not a word, Sir," the maid answered.
Telben approached his daughter carefully. She sat staring out a window at the landscape. Deep in the country, she was well hidden, but he had to find a way to get her off planet. He had spent two weeks working on getting here and trying to be sure that none followed him. "Kalaira, love?"
Kalaira did not move nor did she answer him. She just sat still as a statue staring out the window. Her face was pale and she had lost a great deal of weight she could ill afford to lose. He had to break this silence.
"Kalaira, love, the time for mourning has passed. Your people need you."
"My people deserted me," she answered quietly, not looking up.
"Our people who are not in the military itself, have never been known for their skills in such things. You and the High Prince did all you could, you were just overwhelmed and betrayed. It is a common tale in the Empire's wake." Telben sat down and took her hand. "If our planet is ever to be rid of the Empire, the people must know you live."
"I don't want to live." She burst into tears for the first time.
Telben pulled her into his arms and let her cry. In time, he would get her back on her feet and then they would find a way to let the people know. For now, it was time for the Princess to heal.