Strings Attached - [Archer]

[Harukei]

Under the deep maroon sky a thousand hundred lights greeted her. Nar Shaddaa was an assault to any beings vision, ugly spires that had been over constructed to accommodate habitation modules, casinos, gang dens and brothels pile on top of one and another whilst bright neon signs had dimmed the light of the stars until they were no longer visible. The constant traffic of hovercabs, personal speeders and the chatter of many visitors was enough to give a mild migraine to anyone. And the pungent stench in the air of oils, waste from the lower districts and sometimes sentient misery told anyone who was seasoned in the ways of the galaxy that they had left their home behind. 

Of course, there was always the echoes in the Force. The desperation of some and the greed of others became more than whispers, for the assassin they had become a low droning chant that ultimately reminded her how she hated this moon. She had gained freedom here, she had killed her father on that bar all those years ago in a cantina deep inside the mesh of spires and buildings, and here she had begun to understand the power of the darkside. All seemed like a lifetime ago, she had been a different person back then, a girl that lusted for vengeance. 

Syrin closed her eyes, calming her senses and placing any sentimentality away, knowing that it would do her no well to concentrate on what had happened in her past. She would move through the crowds of refugees, passer byes and locals, following the map that she had been given upon accepting the mission, until she had reached a dilapidated store in the middle of a poor neighborhood. Inside there was little to note save for junk and a feeble old man that had long strands of hair and a dirty face. 

"I am here for a type 60 engine." 

She said and the man nodded, taking her to the back of the store, whilst she awaited for the briefing to begin. 

[Archer]

To say that Nar Shaadaa disgusted Viribus was an understatement. The towers that scale up towards the lit up skies and the streets below contained the worse of the worst: gangsters, prostitutes, drug addicts, slavers, and many others of less-than-reputable backgrounds. And then there were those not fortunate enough to make it big, the slaves to the Hutts and the homeless. To think that such cities were common on this planet disgusted the proud Sith. Such expansion ruined and tainted the land, the air, and the people. The corruption of the Hutts knew no limit.

Stalking through the streets of Nar Shadaa, Viribus had covered his features with his hood and kept his guard raised. He would not feel sorry for the mugger who had the guts to try to mug him. While he never had intentions of visiting this planet before, an opportunity presented itself, one which would benefit the Empire. While he knew little else of the mission, he was willing to make the sacrifice of traveling to such a despicable planet.

Finally escaping the crowd, Viribus arrived at the assigned meeting place, a pathetic excuse for a shop that sold scrap. Taking a quick glance at the shopkeeper with a stoic expression. This was a man who had been worn out by the way the Hutts run their planet, and as such, was an ally as part as he was concerned. He lowered his hood, believing that he may have found a small sanctuary since his arrival.

"I would like a type 60 engine, please," Viribus told the shopkeeper.

The man led him to the back of the shop, where he found his partner for the upcoming mission. He gave a respectful nod and waited for the briefing to start silently.

[Harukei]

There was a few seconds of silence and the weak lights of the room dimmed if only fraction. Syrin mind jumped into action but the whisper of the dark side found no danger, no peril coming at them. A passage on wall opened and from it came a man that bore the uniform of the Imperial Intelligence. He stepped and looked at both of them, saluting the two Sith that stood before him. 

"My Lords, I bid you welcome."

The agent said with a somewhat shaky voice and stepped close to them, holding a holo-projector on his hand. Suddenly a blue gloom illuminated the room, as a display of a pleasure barge that made others look like a shanty collection of rust over a hover sled. It was luxurious beyond measure, bloated and looked like something a Hutt would fancy over. 

"Today's job should be a simple one for your skills, we need this barge sabotaged, to make it look as if it was an accident, this will help further Imperial Interests in this planet." 

The Assassin studied the hologram with detail. Looking for vectors to enter. Of course, she understood the implicit condition of the mission. They could not be detected and singled out as members of the Sith Order. Before she could question, the agent produced two boxes with the garbs of bounty hunters and the correct identifications used by the owner of the barge in order to sneak in and to the sabotage to the vehicle. 

"What's the mission timeline?"

She asked with a flat tone, devoid of emotion. 

"You have seventy-two hours to complete the mission. Our best chance shall be when the owner of barge is hosting a party, it will do many stops, allowing you to leave the area before the disaster occurs.

The agent looked at both of them, with a nervous look on his eyes. 

"Is there any question my lords?"

[Archer]

When the lights dimmed out, Viribus instinctively reached for his lightsaber. He reminded himself that this mission was sanctioned by the Sith Empire and that right now, there was no danger. The social atmosphere of Nar Shaddaa was starting to slightly affect his judgement. He released his weapon as the wall opened and the agent stepped forward. He acknowledged the agent with a nod and kept a straight face in an attempt to assure the nervous man.

Viribus grimaced at the projection of the barge, which reminded him just how much he despised about the Hutts. He looked forward to sabotaging it and seeing it come crashing down. He could think of multiple ways of destroying the vessel from within, but having it look like an accident was another problem. He was not the kind of Sith who mastered the arts of deception, but the kind that preferred a simple and blunt approach. Well, at least he had his partner to rely on.

"What is security on the barge like?" Viribus questioned, his eyes drifting over to the boxes that held his disguise. "Who is the owner of the barge as well?"

While listening to the answer of his questions, Viribus opened one of the boxes, looking through. The wardrobe of a bounty hunter was easy enough to recognize from the suit of armor along with a mask that would cover the lower half of his face. Asides from identification, the disguise also came equipped with a hold-out blaster, one that could pass through a check onto the barge. The young sith was thankful to have a weapon on hand. His lightsaber would only blow his cover, and while he may not be that great of a shot, he preferred a way to defend himself in case trouble breaks out.

[Harukei]

"Uh, well my Lord." The agent from Imperial Intelligence fumbled with his words. 

The shaky and thin man began to look through the files, until finally the hologram flickered and changed into the obese figure that was common with the Hutts. Syrin would had been surprised if she didn't know a thing or two about this world. With being the moon of Nal Hutta it wasn't hard to imagine that the race of gangster slugs would find the obscenely over constructed, contaminated and orange tinted sky that dominated Nar Shaada. 

"Grobulla the Hutt, former associate to the Empire through adrenal productions on Quesh. He accepted a deal from the Republic."

It now made sense. There was little reason for the Sith Empire to take notice from Hutts, after all they shifted and broke alliances whenever it suited them, their endgame was always to get more profit, illegally if they had the chance to and even make an Aurum statue of themselves in their most bloated and slow selves as they could. If they had to kill the Hutt, the galaxy would be better of for it. 

"As for the security, is a standard grouping of mercenaries, you will be infiltrating one of the groups as two newly hired guns."

The Assassin could see a problem or two, but nothing too terrible for them to finish the mission without any major complication. The Agent would await for either to speak, his fear more palpable by the second. 

[Archer]

It now made sense to Viribus on why they would risk striking out at a Hutt during a tense time of peace. Grobulla made the mistake of trying to cross the Empire and he would not escape retribution. Additionally, it made sense to eliminate a tentative ally of the Republic. While they were not currently at war, it was only a matter of time until that changed. The more advantages the Empire had, the better.

"That does explain why discretion is needed," Viribus commented with a nod. "Very well. The barge will be sabotaged and no one would be any the wiser on what happened."

Viribus was use to fighting on the battlefields alongside his late master, so a black ops mission such as this was new to him. Truth be told, he was still uncertain how to make the crash look like an accident. He always preferred a more blunt approach but that would not be possible.

On the bright side, he had little to fear from the security Gorbulla had set aboard his barge. Even if he was limited to a blaster, he was fairly confident that he could hold out against mercenaries. That would be his area of expertise. Perhaps his ally would know of a way to sabotage the barge. He remained silent and looked towards his partner, interested in what she had to say about their mission.

[Harukei]

The directions seemed clear, the mission parameters were rather acceptable, or at least Keres thought of it. Killing a slug would not make the galaxy a better place, but certainly the galaxy was better because of it and maybe in the process the Hutts would learn that crossing the Sith was not a good idea, although at this point whether the oversized and fat aliens understood that was rather pointless, fear and greed would do well to keep them in line. 

"I assume that our identities have been secured already then?"

The Sith Lady said with a flat tone, her words making the Intelligence Agent flinch again in utter fear. It wasn't pleasing, she had half hoped for agents of the information gathering services to be more steadfast, more fearless. If the man was the lot of them, a new war with the Republic was likely to go poorly. But she kept the counsel for herself. 

"Y-yes my lady... Our agents have captured and disposed the mercenaries you will be replacing. B-both were new and had no ties with the groups."

At the very least the other agents were good enough to do their job without a hitch. It was good enough, and it should not take them much to complete their mission. She looked again unto the agent. 

"Show us to our gear." Her voice became commanding as she stood. The man once more shook and bowed before the pair of Dark Lords. 

"This way my lords, follow me."