Money Talks- Act 1: Recruitment

[Karl the Unfettered]

Bothawui, a largely urbane planet and the acknowledged capitol of the Bothan Sector. Obviously home to the Bothans, an entire race of spies, politicians, and information dealers that held no equal anywhere in the galaxy for treachery and greed; indeed, such qualities were considered the highest virtues in Bothan society, at least from what outsiders could understand.

Naturally they quite understood secrecy, especially when it was backed up by large amounts of credits; Konstantin Faraday had both secrets and credits in abundance, and the proprietor of the Strangling Wookiee Cantina was one of the few people in the galaxy who knew who he really was. He would never tell a soul about any of it, and Faraday paid him in both stories and credits over the years of their working relationship.

Currently the Shadow Ninja was using it to stage a meeting; he had a mission, and as per operational guidelines he could not use sanctioned resources in organizing and staging it. Other spies whom he did not know had unearthed startling information: Senator Bandros of Corellia was potentially a double agent, though the extent of his involvement with the Sith Empire could not be ascertained at the moment given the nature of the intel. On the surface it wasn't much, merely that he had a number of large accounts at a bank on Muunilinst, but analysts (whom Konstantin also didn't know and probably would never meet) had been alarmed by the subtleties of the information.

The accounts were unusually well sealed, being completely shut off from remote access; one had to actually be on site to open them and make deposits or transactions. It was only through a complicated jury-rigging of shaky transmissions and one-time hacks that they could determine the amounts held in the accounts and the size and frequency of the transactions, but not the name or source of the money. The size was alarming enough; innocuous notations found within the digital ledgers led them to yet another durasteel wall that no amount of jury-rigging could penetrate: a branch of Sith Intelligence, on par with their own, was closely involved.

The spies did not exist, their missions never happened; the analysts were legally dead, their hacking attempts chalked up to systemic anomalies and "circuit ghosts"; Konstantin Faraday was also dead, and in his place was a washed-up old CorSec officer named Dipple, investigating classified financial discrepancies on behalf of mysterious people who probably didn't exist either. All completely and totally deniable, and erasable in an instant should anyone not authorized stumble across too many non-existences at once.

He had called up his contacts in search of mercenaries, good ones, offering twice or three times their usual going rates; his terms were much steeper than usual, hence the steeper pay scale. They had to take orders without asking: they had to work without knowing all the details; they had to be stealthy, quiet, discrete; most of all, they had to operate without casualties, without killing. If they killed anyone it was twenty percent off; more than five deaths, the pay was nothing. If the operation went public, two-thirds of everyone's pay went away.

Konstantin was harsh, and very strict, and his terms were not open to negotiation, but the sort of money he was offering made him confident he would get the right people. The mercenaries had gotten a message: High-risk, high-rate job for experienced, highly skilled mercenaries and independent operators; discretion, secrecy and restraint more important than an itchy trigger finger. If interested, inquire at the Strangling Wookiee Cantina in Drev'starn city on Bothawui, three o' clock, in a months' time. Ask for Grendelev. Faraday had a private room for that day, and the proprietor, who was also the head waiter, knew what to do.

((Alrighty, here we go. You guys can control the proprietor to facilitate your entrance; his name is Shev.))

[Wayra]

Erikis Alim was moving through one of the larger Bothan cities, Drev'starn. The sergeant shook his head once more. I'm a scout, I trained to be a scout, I'm trained to spend days on end without a large amount of supplies or any contact. I am NOT trained to bloody well spy. This was the second mission he had been sent on to investigate a 'strange transmission;' however this one came from a Republic contact. Once again, this one had been highly encrypted.

Erikis had found it strange he was being sent on such a mission. Despite the obvious lack of training, the message itself seemed harmless. "Harmless right now, perhaps," his commanding officer had said. "But whoever this is could be sith, and he's looking for high-rate mercs for a quiet stealth mission, could be an assassination, sabotage, any number of things. Not to mention the amount of credits he's offering. You're being sent to investigate. Your new ship and your gear are ready. Get to it, Sergeant." It was a short briefing.

The new ship was probably the only good thing about the mission. It was small, fast, basic ships for most Republic scouts. And it has a hyperdrive. Which, to Erikis, was the only upside besides the much more comfortable cockpit than his old ship.

His 'gear,' as his CO had put it included a few changes of clothes, some communication gear, a collapsible sniper rifle, and his blaster. He'd gotten used to the hip mounted holster, and it no longer made him wary of using anything but a sniper rifle. He'd also grown accustom to his clothing, which was a pair of black pants, a white undershirt, and a black zip-up coat, including black boots.

Erikis stopped outside of a bar, not a bad looking one, either. Far from the worst scumpit of the galaxy. "Strangling Wookie Cantina.." I probably shouldn't ask about the name. He thought as he walked into the bar. He looked around and familiarized himself with the surroundings. It wasn't very busy at this hour, and he didn't see anyone trying very hard to not be noticed. He did take note of the private rooms, however.

Shev, the bartender, had noticed the human male who had just walked in. He knew what the man was doing, as well, familiarizing himself with his environment. After the second it took for a quick scan, Erikis moved over to the bar, and nodded to Shev. "I'm looking for Grendelev." Although it wasn't meant to be, it almost sounded like a question, more than a statement. Shev nodded, "Follow me." He led Erikis to one of the back rooms, opened the door, and ushered him in, closing the door behind him.

Erikis looked at the man infront of him, seizing him up. He noticed the weathered face and the grayed hair, and took special note to the prosthetic eye. He knew then this was the man he was looking for. I should've gone into acting.. He thought before taking a seat infront of the man, trying to look cool and relaxed. "You the guy I'm lookin' for? Grendelev, or somethin'? Name's Les, Les Morril. Lotta credits your pushin', what's the job?" Erikis sincerely hoped he had practiced his 'speech' enough for the man to not notice anything. He wasn't very confident, however; and awaited the man's response.

[Cirith An'Gol]

"High-risk, high-rate job for experienced, highly skilled mercenaries and independent operators; discretion, secrecy and restraint more important than an itchy trigger finger. If interested, inquire at the Strangling Wookiee Cantina in Drev'starn City on Bothawui, three o' clock, in a months' time. Ask for Grendelev.

That was the message Arwyn had found waiting for her aboard her 'new' ship, the Scarlet Sabre, her AI "Winter" saving it to her command console. She'd still been on her home-world of Dxun at this point. She still wasn't absolutely certain about Kiala, but enough of her fears were laid to rest that she could take off without worrying about whether the half cyborg female would attack her family and friends. She'd made quick goodbyes, telling Thel and Kiala that another mission awaited her and that she had to leave. She warmed up the Sabre's engines, ran her system checks and lifted her father's ship from the damp earth of Dxun.

A few seconds later the landing gear retracted into the ship and she pointed the nose toward the gray sky and hit the accelerator. It had just stopped storming at the time, settling into a light drizzle. Arwyn silently wished she could stay a bit longer and enjoy the cooler weather but, a job like this was very hard to pass up. It presented a challenge to her and that alone was worth the trip in her mind. Then there was the promise of a high amount of credits that was being offered, for skilled mercenaries only worked high risk missions if it was worth it financially.

Well, usually anyway.

Arwyn uploaded the coordinates into the navicomputer and jumped into hyperspace the moment her ship left Onderon and Dxun's gravity well. Then she stripped her armor off and went to clean it in the "Captain's Quarters", it was really beginning to stink. She walked the ship in nothing but her skin. The only other person on board was her AI, and she doubted he would raise a fuss. After she scrubbed all the gunk from her armor and put her Beskar fiber mesh armor through a rinse cycle, after using all the appropriate methods and precautions of-course. Then she washed herself. Walking into the 'fresher, putting the water pressure on a nice medium with the temperature toward a warmer heat, and just let the water relax her as it massaged aching muscles.

About an hour later... she stepped out of the 'fresher, wrapped a towel around herself and went to check on her fiber mesh armor. She put them into a dry cycle and went to sit at the captain's chair to watch the stars streak by. Eventually she dozed off, only to be woken by Winter, alerting her that her Beskar fiber mesh armor was done drying. She usually did this stuff while in hyperspace anyway, she knew the odds of being attacked in hyperspace and they were extremely low to her knowledge. She thanked the AI and went to retrieve her armor, throwing the towel to the side and enjoying the freedom it brought. Retrieving her Beskar fiber mesh armored suit she slipped it on and started sticking the heavy Beskar plates back into their relative positions. Grabbing her helmet she made her way back to the bridge, whistling a tune she'd learned as a child, the whole way. Showers really are the best, the only thing that beats them is a full blown bath Arwyn thought to herself.

A few minutes later she walked into the bridge, flopped down in the "Captain's Chair" and placed her feet on an empty space of the command console. "Nice to see you fully clothed at last. I really don't see the benefit to walking around like that while flying in space of all things" Winter said coming to life on a holo-emitter on the center of the console.
"Oh, pipe down Winter. I may be Mando'a but I don't have to smell like a barbarian. Besides, whose gonna see me besides you?" Arwyn said a little hotly, annoyed at being lectured by an AI of all things "Annd..if you don't, I'll travel all the way from our current position to Bothawui in the nude just to tick you off. You know I will too." The AI simply shook it's hooded head and sighed "Very well, no more lectures on proper behavior aboard a starship." She rode the rest of the trip out in silence, thankfully, doing whatever minor repair work needed done when she grew bored.

Finally Winter alerted her that they were coming up on her destination. She flicked the alert tone off and decelerated out of Hyperspace. A few seconds later the Sabre was entering Bothawui's atmosphere after receiving landing coordinates. A few minutes after that she lowered the forward loading ramp, armed with her trusty E-11 Blaster Rifle and left the ship, after raising the ramp, and making sure the security systems were in place. Then she made her way to the Strangling Wookiee Cantina. An odd name for a cantina but, I probably won't want to make enemies there she thought and not for the first time.
Finally she arrived, first taking note of her surroundings and then walking up to the bar and asking the bartender for a man named "Grendelev".

"Right this way, please follow me. The name's Shev by the way, anything you want from the bar while you're here?" Shev had asked. Arwyn politely refused and Shev had just shrugged, showing her to a private room in the back of the cantina, where two men waited for her. One was older with gray hair and a weathered face that looked like he'd seen plenty in the galaxy.
"You're Grendelev I take it?" Arwyn said walking up to the older of the two. "The name's Arwyn An'Gol. You're offer intrigued me. No weapons, no killing, just stealth and it's high risk at that. Let's talk about the mission and the price" Arwyn said as she took off her helmet and stuck her hand out for the older man to take.

[OOC: If anything needs to be changed just let me know and I'll edit it. Though everything I've written is what Arwyn would do]

[.:Falcon:.]

A job. A high-paying job, at that. War was lucrative: this was a lesson Larrine had learned well over the years. Play one side, you could make a fortune. Play both sides, your risk factor would go up, but the exponential increase in profits was worth it. The Demon's Head had entered the Bothawui system two hours ago, and so far, Larrine hadn't discovered anything amiss. They were headed in for a landing now.

She was looking forward to this job, whatever it was. If she couldn't ask questions, that was fine. No killing was fine, too. Larrine could exercise restraint. Her main focus was, as always, on the monetary factor involved. It was an obscene amount of money that was being offered. All the better.

Larrine focused her attention back on their approach to Bothawui. The planet grew ever larger, the buildings taller, and finally, the repulsorlifts took over, and the Demon set down with a slight bump in a landing bay. The ship was soon secured, and Dex followed Larrine to the hatch. Dressed as she usually was in a spare, functional black suit, a belt slung about her hips with a blaster and comlink neatly slotted in, she turned to face him as they reached it. "Stick here. Don't do anything stupid, and don't try to call me. Of I run into problems, I'll call you."

"Don't we always run into problems?" Dex inquired sarcastically, but Larrine brushed the comment away. "Just hang tight." with that, she left. The Strangling Wookiee Cantina was a short walk away. Larrine briskly walked it, and made it there only some ten minutes after she had left the bay. Her eyes ran over the cantina as she approached. It was rundown, it appeared, but that was nothing new. Old smuggler's haunts invariably were. Inside, it was relatively roomy. Larrine's gaze sought out escape routes, points of cover...

The proprieter approached. "I am Shev. Might I interest you in a drink?"

"No." Larrine said bluntly. The bartender's face showed dissappointment, and Larrine could see why as she scanned the nearly empty interior. Business must he down. Tough luck. "I'm looking for Grendelev."

"Oh yes." the tender said with tired resignation. "This way." he led her past the tables and to the door of a private room. "Here you are."

"Thanks." Larrine said. As the man turned to go, Larrine caught his attention with a slight clearing of her throat, then flipped a cred chip into the air for him to catch. "Corellian Ale and fiska water, separate glasses. Ice the ale." Gratitude shone from Shev's face, and Larrine allowed herself a tiny smile smile ss she turned to the door and opened it, stepping inside.

Withinthe room were three other people- an older man, another man, and a woman. "Larrine Gibrenn. Smuggler Captain." she inteoduced herself. The younger man and the woman seemed to be looking to the older man. Grendelev, apparently. His weather beaten face just seemed interesting, especially with the prosthetic eye.

This might end up being fun as well as lucrative.

[Miri Mojito]

"High-risk, high-rate job for experienced, highly skilled mercenaries and independent operators; discretion, secrecy and restraint more important than an itchy trigger finger. If interested, inquire at the Strangling Wookiee Cantina in Drev'starn City on Bothawui, three o' clock, in a months' time. Ask for Grendelev."

That had been the message recived by Nikki Styx, a young but seasoned and experienced mandalorian. She had started taking jobs again recently after being released from service from the DLA. Massive casualties and unbeatable odds had lead to her contract being terminated, and many of its members finding ways off the planet and seaking out better lives. It had not been her first choice to leave, after all she had had her own personal reason for fighting alongside the brave men and women, but she had been ordered to go, and she was not one to disagree with an order from her commanding officer. After that howevre she had to start working again in order to recoup her losses from her time spent on Dantooine, having never been paid.

This job however was off putting, something about the add screamed that they were lookng for expendables for a suicide mission. It wasnt so much the concept of high risk that stood out ass odd, but instead the idea that it was high paying. In her experience High pay meant a no return policy on the contract. It also worked to draw attention, regardless of risk lord only knew how many mercs would come just for that same high level of pay being advertised. Though she assumed that most would not posses the skill set listed, they would still try.

She sat in the cantina now, armor clad and waiting. on the table in front of her was a small holopad with the message displayed on it. She had spent the last hour reading it over and over, looking for hints, or hidden codes that might reveal more information to her, but alas it was pretty simple, black and white. She had also gotten here early to learn, not only her surroundings, but who was here, and who might get in her way if she needed to leave. The bartender had asked her a few times if she would like a drink, or if she had any reason for being here, and each time she had not moved, not spoken, not paid any heed to indicate she was listening. The mandalorian had not even removed her helmet.

From her booth at the far end of the cantina she had watched many individuals, looking of the mercenary type, come and talk to the bartender, And all but a small few had been turned away. It seemed that the bartender was not just their to serve drinks, but also acting as a filter, sorting out the potentially unwanted from the qualified individuals. Watching him work brought a smile to her lips as she witnessed him sending a pair of heavily armed individuals home.

Nikki continued to watch in silence now taking note of a female who entered the bar and approached the bartender. Seh quickly checked the time listed on the HUD in her helmet, nearly three. This was her time, she had to either go and learn about the job or walk away now. Given that only 3 seemed to be gaining access she chose to go and learn about the job. SHe stood up quickly, not taking her focus off the woman or the bartender, and followed them. SHe moved swiftly and in near perfect silence, passing a few bar patrons without so much as catching a glimpse from them. The woman and bartender were heading for a private room, on the far end of the bar, no doubt thats where this meeting was.

The mandalorian continued her approach even swifter now as the door pened and the woman entered the room. Before it could close however she quickly put her foot in to keep it open. Immediatly the bartender looked at her, with suprise in his eyes. He had obviously not expected anyone to be there nor had he wanted someone to try and force their way in. He had reached fro a blaster hung low on his hip. Nikki had known it was there, she had seen it earlier, and it had not suprised her, this was a dangerous place and he needed a way to keep the riff raff out. She was not however going to allow him to pull the gun on her, and noticably placed a hand on the spear on her own hip. SHe shook her head now as if to say dont even try it. SHiv caught sight of her hand, and gesture, and put 2 and 2 together, she was here for the job, and was exercisng her ability to be steathy and show restraint all in one go. With a small sigh he realesed his grip on his blaster and walked back to the bar, to carry out his duty and continue serving drinks.

Nikki slipped silently into the room now, taking a standing position beside the door which closed behind her. Others were here, the same individuals she had watched enter earlier, and an older man. No doubt this man was the contact, the one who was putting out the contract. His appearance suggested he had experience, and knew his way around a battle or two. But that would not be enough to win her over, and so she stood waiting for him to begin, with her arms held behind her in a disciplined fashion.

[kozeph]

High-risk, high-rate job for experienced, highly skilled mercenaries and independent operators; discretion, secrecy and restraint more important than an itchy trigger finger. If interested, inquire at the Strangling Wookiee Cantina in Drev'starn city on Bothawui, three o' clock, in a months' time. Ask for Grendelev. That encoded message Kivesh received was exactly how the Ubese worked, he wasn't one to ask question or particularly care about his assignment if the pay was high enough, and this one was perfect.

Kivesh sat in a small park in Bothawui, roughly three blocks away from the strangling Wookiee Cantina. The Ubese was wearing a set of bulky and black robes to hide his features, below the robe he wore his armor with the exception of most of his weapons and his signature mask, of course he was far from being helpless the hunter carried two blaster holstered around his thighs as well as a hidden knife. Below the dark hood of the robe Kivesh wore, those that went at great lengths to watched the Ubese would see a sickly pale yet beautiful face with piercing and brilliant blue eyes, that no regular human could naturally have. The lower half of Kivesh face was being covered by a specialized made breathing mask that took two functions for the Ubese hunter, the main one was that like most of his race that was born in Uba IV, where the air was tainted he had develop very peculiar requirement for breathing, so most types of healthy atmospheres were on the long run bad for Kivesh and so he was stuck to wear ninety nine percent of his time with a breathing mask, the second reason not really important for the hunter was that his race had very weak vocal cords and the Ubese natural voice was barely above a whisper, so to better communicated with others Kivesh wore customized breathing mask that aloud him to have a more average voice tone.

Kivesh forced himself up from the bench and watched his surroundings with a little disdain, he didn't like most places, races or people he met. So he did not enjoy the outer beauty of Bothawui like any first new comer would. The Ubese hunter proceeded to make his way to the Cantina where he was supposed to meet a certain Grendelev who would give the specifics of the mission. Kivesh made his way out the small pleasant looking park and down the streets, the dark figure moved easily and fluently through the street. In grace or speed Kivesh was rarely matched, his steps made almost no noise.

Kivesh looked at both sides of the street before entering the cantina, checking for anyone who was tracking or watching the Ubese, he saw no one so Kivesh walked in. He wasn't a big fan of closed spaces filled with people but it couldn't be helped, this was the rendezvous point where the hunter would be given his assignment. Kivesh removed his hood, showing the face that seemed to be human but not quite human few people knew how a Obese looked liked so it was always amusing for Kivesh see what people thought about what race he belonged too.

Kivesh walked up to the bartender, watching him with his unrelenting blue eyes Grendelev he said after a couple of seconds, his voice obviously being amplified by the mask that covered his lower face "I'm here to meet him" he said after another short pause, the man nodded knowing instantly that Kivesh wasn't one to take kindly for being sided tracked and he showed the way to the Ubese to Grendelev private room. The bartender accompanied Kivesh to the door and left him there, the hunter wasted no time to get in. The Ubese walked in and quietly sat in a chair fardest from the other people assembled in the room, he watched each for a couple of seconds not turning his eyes if their eyes met "Ugh" he said inside his head, it seemed this job would need more than one person. Kivesh locked eyes with the man he supposed was Grendelev "Kivesh... I got your message, and I'm interested..." he said while he crossed his arms "whats the mission?"

[Karl the Unfettered]

As Erikis came in, Konstantin frowned. "I didn't ask for a grunt," he muttered in reply, reaching out and grabbing the younger man's hands. He ran his thumbs over the man's callouses, and the frown receded slightly. "Sniper, eh? Staff sergeant, I'm guessing. Army special ops, recon school." He leaned back and smirked slightly. "You look like an overachiever, Sergeant Alim; that's the sort they recruit, generally, and they don't recruit very often. Just hang out, I'll explain things when the others arrive." He leaned back and crossed his arms, blue eyes focused on the door.

Sure enough a woman in armor came in, crossing the room and offering to shake his hand. "Su'cuy, ner vod," he said in return as he shook Arwyn's hand. "I'm glad you showed up, and not your brother; from his reputation he wouldn't have done so well on this little jaunt I have on hand." His grip was firm without being harsh, and the smile on his face was genuine. "Please, sit down; I'll go into details once the others have arrived. No sense repeating everything, right?"

After that two more showed up in quick succession, a cheerful-looking blond woman and another Mandalorian female. "Meet the transport, ladies and gentleman," Konstantin said, indicating Larrine. "Miss Gibrenn and the Dragon's Head will be taking us into trouble, and hopefully back out. She's a fast ship with a lot of guns, from what I hear; hopefully her stealth and maneuvering will be in more need than her firepower." He glanced at Nikki, noting the armor patterns and the revealing nature of the armor itself, then realized who she was.

"Usually it's polite to introduce oneself, Sergeant Styx," the older man said as he rose to his feet, "as opposed to making someone else introduce you instead." He liked her discipline, and noted the lightsaber hanging from her belt. "Everyone, this is Staff Sergeant Nikki Styx, one of the best spear and shield fighters the Mandalorians have ever trained. Word has it she even served with the Dantooine Liberation Army for a time, though I can't imagine it turned out very well. Sit down, miss, there's only one left."

And then Kivesh walked in, his artificial voice grating throughout the room. "Mister Geeve," Konstantin said with a nod. "Glad you made it, have a seat." He stuck his head out the door, just as Shev was coming up with Larrine's drink. "Dump that out," he ordered, "and make sure no one else comes in. We're full up." The Bothan looked crestfallen, and the old spy smiled. "Alright, bring lunch in later on; generic stuff, nothing exotic or specific. There's a schedule, after all." That made the barman brighten up, and he left to get things ready.

That taken care of, Konstantin turned back to the others, closing and locking the doors. "Alright, enough small talk," he said sharply, all pleasantries gone from his manner. "As you have surmised, I am Grendelev of Corellian Security Intelligence; I sent the message you all received, I organized this meeting, I'm writing your paychecks." There was a long table in the room, and he walked to the head of it where a projector and a screen had been set up before hand. He picked up a remote control and pressed a button; the lights dimmed, the machine turned on, and the screen was filled with the face of an aristocratic Corellian man.

"This is Senator Nathan Bandros, of Corellia," he went on. "Sources have indicated he is dealing with the Sith Empire, betraying his vows as a representative of the Republic; numerous bank accounts on the Imperial capital of Muunilinst have been linked to him and his financial activities, but specifics could not be ascertained." The image shifted to an outside view of the bank in question, an imposing structure that looked more like a military fortress than a center of finance and trade. "This is reputedly our target, the Bank of Nations; standard security is moderate, with heavier guard the farther in you go."

He turned and faced them. "Our goal is to infiltrate this building and penetrate to the innermost rings of security, hack into their closed systems to determine the extent of Senator Bandos' involvement with the Empire, and escape without being detected or raising any alarms." He paused briefly. "I will say this again: without being detected, without raising alarms. Stealth is of paramount importance here, we cannot risk exposure of any sort." The image shifted again, showing a group of dour-looking people in heavy armor and weaponry.

"This is the Iotran Guard," the spy explained. "A reserve is permanently posted off site, providing advance warning counterattack capabilities; they are extremely efficient, able to mobilize within minutes of an alert. If they are roused, the mission is over, aborted, failed; you will be caught and you will die at their hands, slowly and painfully. Not only that but your names, faces and personal histories will be plastered all over the HoloNet, and the Empire will use this as an excuse to escalate their aggressions against the Republic.

"As for payment, you will each receive three million credits upon successful completion of the mission," he went on. "But there are several conditions, and I will not negotiate them. Every man you kill is twenty percent off your pay; kill more than five people, you get nothing. If the operation goes public and for some reason we're still alive, you get nothing; if we managed to retrieve the intel before everything went to hell, your check drops to a third of what it would have been. Once again, this is non-negotiable; take it or leave it. If you can't take it, get out.

"Once we leave you will follow my orders to the letter, without backtalk or any sort of worming around. You will be silent, you will be discrete, you will not question what I tell you; if you can't do that, get out." He looked every one of them in the eye, his glare unyielding and intractable. "If you can't keep your mouth shut and your murderous impulses in line, get out now; I have no use for commandos with overdeveloped trigger fingers."

Again he paused, and sat back down. "If you can accept my conditions and follow my orders, you will be provided with specialized stun weaponry and tranquilizer guns to assist you in keeping to the conditions. I have done my best to tailor the weaponry to your specific skill sets, but I can only do so much without knowing first-hand your particular combat talents; you will have to make do, or use your own kit in non-lethal fashion if this is at all possible."

He leaned back, and once again regarded them all. "Any questions? If you are unclear about even the smallest details, speak up; I don't mind repeating myself, within reason." This was also a chance for any of them to leave, if they chose, but he didn't say that out loud.

[Wayra]

Erikis fully expected his 'disguise' to fail, not this quickly, however. That wasn't what caught him off guard, though, it was how quickly Grendelev knew who he was. He let the man inspect his hands, though he doubted he actually needed to see them. If the man knew who he was, he probably got his rank and occupation from the same source. Once Grendelev sat back, he did the same, his own brow furrowing.

Erikis remained quiet, noting all of the ones that had made it in. He thought he might have recognized one or two of the names, but doubted it. He did listen to the introduction the man gave each of them. The final count came to six, including him, not including Grendelev.

Corellian Security Intelligence? Why would they need mercs? He thought quietly, looking over the projected image of the senator who appeared on screen. Then the image shifted to a bank on Muunilist, Ah, that's why.. The bank of Nations. He studied the structure, then raised his brow at the plan. It's going to be difficult, if not impossible, to get in and out without leaving any evidence behind.. and I doubt there's more than guards in our way. When the image of the Irotan Guard appeared, he didn't pay too close attention. He had not intention of being caught.

Erikis didn't much listen to the payment, either. If this would eventually harm the Empire, he was in it for the mission. He also didn't pay close attention to his rules. He could follow orders, if there wasn't a moral dilemma. It didn't seem there would be, he was fighting against the Empire, without killing, he'd certainly be up to it. He could also be quiet, he was trained to be quiet.

"I have two questions," Erikis said, "I doubt we'll be up against just guards. What kind of security systems does the bank have? And how long will it take to slice into their transaction records?" He figured the longer it would take, the odds of everything going wrong would go up.

[Cirith An'Gol]

He's a sniper eh? Interesting Arwyn thought as Grendelev continued to talk to the young man. Finally he finished with him and turned to shaker her hand.

"Su'cuy, ner vod," Grendelev said after he'd finished talking with a young man that was more than he seemed. "I'm glad you showed up, and not your brother; from his reputation he wouldn't have done so well on this little jaunt I have on hand." His grip was firm without being harsh, and the smile on his face was genuine. "Please, sit down; I'll go into details once the others have arrived. No sense repeating everything, right?"

"Right. Repeating stuff is just a lot unnecessary work" she said, gripping his hand firmly but not challengingly in any way. Arwyn moved to sit down at the large long table in the center of the room. The only one adorned with a holoprojector. Replacing her helmet, she flipped a chair around and sat in it. The fact that he knew the standard greeting of Mandalorian's caught her momentarily off guard. It wasn't like they went out of their way to teach their language to others. Which meant that either Grendelev was either a fellow vode or he worked closely with one and picked up a few words.

The comment about her brother made her smile, a rare and beautiful thing. It was true that she was quieter than Cirith when it came to combat but, he could be stealthy as well. Then there was his natural ability with the Force that their mother helped to train him in. If he really wanted to he could probably force people to ignore him. She didn't know just how far he'd grown in his abilities and didn't really care anyway. Abilities like that were unnatural. It cheated everything that made everyday life enjoyable and surprising. I wonder if he knows Cir'ika personally or just knows him by reputation? she thought as she turned slightly so she could take in the three new people that had just walked into the room. An Ubese possibly she thought as she took the robed and armored stranger in.

His features were smoother than a normal Human's physique would've been, and his skin wasn't tinted in a radically different color like a Zeltron's, a Chiss or any other near human race. Her gaze turned to the other 5 occupants in the room. A woman, a fellow Mandalorian judging by her walk and appearance, another two women, the sniper, Grendelev himself and Arwyn herself. Interesting group to say the least she thought as she turned her attention back to the table as Grendelev took his position at the head and began to explain the mission. Arwyn switched her internal recorder on with quick movements of her eyes, and began video taping, making sure to catch all the details so she could review them later during their trip. When she was familiar with the who's and what's then she'd dump the data, out of professional respect for the job.

When he was done Arwyn had to admit to feelings of disappointment. Arwyn lazily waved her hand to get Grendelev's attention, barely raising her hand at all before recrossing her arms on the headrest of her chair. "Alright, I'm all with the boy scout way of doing things and all but, I've got a couple questions. So, you're telling us that all that we're here for is to provide the CSI some intel on this politician that might have connections to the Sith Empire and we don't even get to shoot anybody? Also, how come you guys are hiring mercs like us? I mean, why don'tcha just save yourselves a bunch of creds and go in yourselves? You've got trained teams for stuff like this right?"

[.:Falcon:.]

Larrine negligently lounged against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. She prefferred that to sitting. It gave her more options, more ability of movement. Being on the fringe had taught her many things, not least the importance of staying on your toes. As she listened to the recounting of the mission they were going to be embarking on, Larrine found herself getting a bit more intrigued.

Quite apart from the monetary compensation- which was quite hefty, to say the least- Larrine enjoyed a challenge. It had been awhile since one had come her way. Running blockades and being an established part of the black market just really didn't count as a challenge anymore.

As Grendelev wrapped up, Larrine's gaze ran over the people who would be climbing aboard her ship. They seemed an interesting group, all told. A couple Mandos, at least. That should be fun. Grendelev wrapped up, and opened it up for questions. Larrine's mind, of course, instantly jumped to matters of money and just how far it would stretch.

Straightening up from the wall, she rested her hands on the front of her belt and came forward a few steps. "What about damages? Let's say the Dragon gets banged up. Yeah, there's a few mil, but I've gotta pay fees, routine maintenance costs, then divvy up the profits. So let's say my weapons get banged up or something. Will you be in a position to make it all good?" she asked.

[Miri Mojito]

Nikki watched now as Grendelev introduced Captain Gibrenn, the pilot, and the woman she had followed into the room. So transport had already been arranged, with a fringe pilot no doubt, possibly a smuggler skilled in avoiding attention. And if not, they could atleast rely on the stealth of the ship that had been mentioned. Still Nikki had no idea what to think of this pilot, given that she had never heard of her or her ship. Grendelev now turned his focus onto her, addressing her in front of everyone.

"Usually it's polite to introduce oneself, Sergeant Styx,"

Nikki froze now locking her gaze onto Grendelev. He knew who she was, and she had never met him before. SUddenly alarm bells were going off in her head and the woman thought she may have walked into a trap. Either that, or the message she had recived was more than a general want add. Perhaps he had intended for her to get the message, even sent it to her. That would be the more probable scenario as she had never met him and he had no reason to set a trap for her. Nikki nodded her head now as he spoke rather highly of her unique fighting style.

"...Sit down, miss, there's only one left."

At this Nikki nodded again, taking a few slow steps toward the table and pulling a chair out. She took a seat next to the other Mandalorian. No doubt a pair of armor clad mandalorians sitting side by side would prove quite a sight, atleast from an intimidation standpoint. Intimidation would not be needed here, nor would it be needed on this mission from what she could tell so far. Slowly Nikki turned her head now as the last member of their party entered the room and had been addressed by Grendelev. Kivesh. For a moment she was unsure of the man, him being rather concealed, but she was certain that he was an Ubese.

It seemed this was the last of their group as Grendelev got up and addressed the bartender instructing him that they were full. Nikki still was not certain of the members of the group that had arrived first, having missed their names, but this was of little concern, so long as they were able to follow orders she could call them whatever she needed to. as Grendelev walked to the head of the table Nikki clicked on her own recording device. Instantly her HUD changed from a yellow green display to a blue one that indicated she was in fact recording.

As Grendelev went on explaining the mission 2 things caught Nikki's attention.The first being the Bank of Nations. She had heard of this peticular bank many times, and even famliar with its immediate reputation. This was not some low collar, easy to knock over establishment. In fact they had gone to great lengths to keep unwanted individuals out. The second thing to catch her attention was the picture of the heavily armed individuals, The Iotran Guard. While she had not heard of them persay, she could immediatly see that they could be a large problem. Not one that she wasnt confident she could handle, but still a problem none the less.

Grendelev had started talking about payment now, and his conditions for getting paid. Each was certainly do able, though each made for the mission to increase in difficulty. Not killing anyone was certainly a tough but achievable goal. Nikki had faith she could handle this so long as she was careful with her strikes, didnt need to break someones neck with a shield strike.

"Once we leave you will follow my orders to the letter, without backtalk or any sort of worming around. You will be silent, you will be discrete, you will not question what I tell you; if you can't do that, get out."[/1]

This was not a problem for her, she was a soldier and a good soldier followed orders. She was not one to question or talk back anyways, unles it compromised the mission, or her CO was in no state to give orders. When Grendelev sat down Nikki discontinued recording and saved the file for future viewing. He had stated he had specialized equipment packages, tranquilizers and suck. Her own Brylar pistol could be modified to shoot tranq's so all she would need are the clips.

The floor had now been opened to questions, and while she had had a few, she waited now to see if they might be addressed by the others of her team. The Mandalorian next to her did bring up a valid point, one that she was curious about. Why Hire mercs? Her suspicion revolved around he idea that perhaps if they were caught it would look like a pirate group was trying to rob a bank and nothing more. No ones reputation would be slandered and no one would think twice.

"From start to finish what is our time frame? How long do we have and what time do we begin insertion?"

[kozeph]

Kivesh silently gazed both female Mandalorians, watching slowly the one that carried a lightsaber with his cold yet bright blue eyes that hardly blinked and seized the girl up with no emotion behind it "A prize of a hunt or is she one of them?" By them he referred to those force users he seemed to despise so much just like most of his race. Kivesh blue eyes shifted to the man Grendelev who activated a projector and he began giving a briefing of what the mission was about.

With each word Grendelev spoke, the more dangerous the mission sounded, the more challenges the corellian spy spoke about the more Kivesh was entertained, he cared not for the republic, the sith empire, the Corellians or those Iotran Guards. Kivesh had already had runs ins with sith forces, he even faced off with a detachment of republic commandos once killed most of them and even managed to wound a young Jedi and out ran the republic ships, only to later turn against the man who had hired the Ubese and hand him to the Republic. Kivesh way of life always put him in danger, he had nothing to lose... he was one of the last of his clan. His sickly father and his sister was all that remained and they where unknown to all but a few Ubese in their wrecked home world who had been deleted from all records and space charts by the Republic, So Kivesh didn't feared the consequences of his choices. The Ubese hunter didn't particularly liked the Republic for all they had done to his kind, but he preferred them rulling the galaxy over the Sith empire mainly because at least the Republic wasn't ruled by the so called protectors of the galaxy, while the sith were ruled by force users.

If one could see the Ubese mouth they would see him smiling wickedly, this was the kind of mission that he loved, the ones that challenged every aspect of the hunter. He waited in silence watching the questions asked by his companions, he especially nodded at the question of the mandalorian known as Arwyn choosing to step in the conversation.

"I can answer that, the Corellians don't know about it or even if they know of it they are not willing to dirty their hands with a unproven traitor... So they send us" his raspy and augmented voice spoke from the corner of the room watching from the shadows "That way if we fail they don't become the prey themselves" his eyes fixed on Grendelev "As to your question human" he said as he turned to stare the other male human in the room "I can deal with those other security measure the banker have if I can get access to a security terminal or even better the command center" he smiled behind his mask, his voice unemotional and with no attempt to brag about his skill.

Kivesh eyes returned to address Grendelev "I have no complains with your terms" he said as he rested his back against the chair he was sitting, remaining in silence not interested in speaking more with the humans who he would join in a possibly suicide mission.

[Karl the Unfettered]

Konstantin was pleased; this lot wasn't unduly distracted by the money he was offering, and their questions were direct and to the point. He didn't show it, though, as he leaned forward and folded his hands on the table before him. "Exactly what sort of electronic security they have is unknown, but it will not be a problem; Mister Geeve and myself have more experience than most with that sort of thing, we can disable or shut down their systems if we can reach a terminal. As for how long it takes, that cannot be answered until we get there; it'll be your job to watch our backs until it gets done."

His gaze flicked to Arwyn. "Yes, that's what you're here for," he replied once Kivesh had said his piece. "CSI isn't directly involved because that would require politics protocols, operational oversight, forms and paperwork; that all adds time, extra steps, it puts more and more people in the know with every signature and every movement. It increases the chances of a mole discovering the operation, ratting us out and turning this into a suicide mission.

"Me, I am one man with complete discretion; you are all professionals, you report to no one, you are unconcerned with politics and I am paying you far more than any enemy could hope to match, something standard squads cannot aspire to." He paused, and his expression became wry. "And, well, if on the off-chance we're found out, what is it? A bunch of mercs making trouble and pointing fingers at vague conspiracy theories no one in their right mind would believe. I won't lie to you; this is all completely deniable, it's all on me and you. We're acting alone, something CSI can't do.

"As for times and insertion schedules, we leave tomorrow, 0600 local time; ETA depends on how fast Miss Gibrenn and her ship can get us there." He glanced at Larrine. "On the off chance your ship is damaged I know people who will repair it without asking questions, and if you're concerned about your weaponry you can leave it behind and use the kit that I provide you." His gaze swept across to include the others. "I have arranged for a local hotel to accommodate us for the night, and there is a shooting range nearby if you wish to acquaint yourself with the gear I provide, or if you want to practice with your own weaponry. Stay at the hotel or not, it's up to you; either way you'll be at Miss Gibrenn's ship at 0530 sharp.

"Now, Shev is making lunch; you can eat or do whatever you like the rest of the afternoon, but do not leave the city or cause trouble. Sergeant Styx, Mister Geeve, I want to speak with the two of you alone once the others are gone; the rest of you are dismissed." They would have already realized that they hid no secrets from Konstantin; he knew everything relevant about them and their abilities concerning the mission, and more besides. During the briefing, aside from a wry smirk or a brief chuckle here and there he had not once dropped the brusque, yet courteous professionalism he had greeted them with from the start; they would not be able to say, afterward, that he had not been entirely honest with them.

Of course he hadn't been entirely honest, and hadn't been for about forty years. Not even with his family or his handlers was he completely honest; it was instinctive to him, and in fundamental ways the truth was as anathema as killing to his outlook, to his very non-existence.

[Wayra]

Erikis listened to the answers given to the questions. He was glad the man was at least confident, he didn't strike Erikis as the type who overestimated anything. He'd had a fair idea why mercs were hired, but he hadn't considered the paperwork, time, and chance of a mole. Only the implications if a Republic squad were caught, it would only be used against the Republic.

A few hours to store the equipment I brought and practice with his equipment. Erikis thought as the meeting concluded. He nodded to Grendelev and stood, trying his best to smile at the group of complete strangers, although the gesture probably came out more awkward than friendly. He didn't wait around for the food. He had left most of his gear with the ship, but the stuff he did bring along he had to return. On his way back, he saw the hotel, and kept an eye out for others. When Erikis had placed his gear securely within the confines of his ship, keeping his weapon case, he returned to the same hotel. At the desk he told the receptionist he was under Grendelev, and was given a room.

When Erikis arrived at the room he saw a small box, and opened it to find a selection of weapons. A few hand blasters, ranging from hold out to heavier models. Rifles were also among the selection, and he opted for one with a higher scope and a sturdy stock. He placed that in the case he had held his other weaponry in, along with a stun blaster that had good balance and decent sights. He took the case down to the main lobby, and asked where the shooting range was. With directions he made his way there and rented a few hours. Erikis decided he needed to spend most of his time on the rifle; so he went to a stall that had targets set up a fair distance away to get his period of pistol training out of the way. He set his rifle aside and leveled the stun blaster, and let a few shots fly.

[Cirith An'Gol]

Arwyn listened as Grendelev answered her questions shortly after the Ubese, Kivesh, gave his input to the Corellian's reasoning. All in all both explanations made sense, the beaurocrasy wanted this done fast with no added paperwork, which meant fewer leaks, and at the same time providing themselves a scape goat. Arwyn was fine with that, either way she'd be getting 3 million creds for a job well done, which was more than enough incentive for her. A job like this would make her brother extremely jealous, which was a nice little bonus. With a quick glance at her HUD she stopped the recording and filed it away, as she mentally ran through the information for the mission. Be at the ship at 0530 for an 0600 departure, no kills while in the bank. Recover the information and leave. Sounds simple enough but, I've been in this busness long enough to know that you should always have a backup plan. What's Grendelev's? Arwyn thought as she got up to leave. Grendelev had asked for only Styx and Geeve, the Ubese she guessed since he wasn't moving toward the door, to remain but, she hesitated for a moment before walking out into the lobby area of the cantina.

"Grendelev, we've all been at this long enough to know that even a sound plan can go terribly wrong, even with scape goats like us covering the CSI side of things. You do have a back up plan right?" Arwyn said turning to face her employer.

[.:Falcon:.]

The plan was straightforward, easy to remember. Once assured her ship would be taken care of, Larrine was satisfied. This was a simple job, like millions she had undertaken over the years- slip in, do the deed, slip back out either to a happy homecoming or to deliver something else. Maybe this job would be a little less easy than some she had undertaken, but it would nonetheless be easy enough for her and her crew to take care of.

She left the cantina silently, heading back through the streets to where she had left the Dragon. She had dismissed the two members of her crew she wouldn't be needing- Lee and Tolis were people she didn't want to see get hurt, and besides, she didn't need them. She and Dex could handle the ship quite well on their own, and if it did come to a shooting battle, hopefully some of the people Grendelev had hired would be willing to man the gunports.

Even if not, Larrine had a few tricks up her sleeve. She had stopped by the hotel on her way there, grabbed the kit that he had left for her, and brought it with her. No way was she staying in an unfamiliar hotel, not tonight. She went into the lounge of her ship and dumped the kit on the bench, ignoring the clink of machinery inside it. Dex looked up, his face tense. "We good?"

A smile flickered across Larrine's face at the thought of the six mill that was waiting. "We're most definitely good. We need to get the ship ready to go. We're going to have some fun before all this is over, I can tell you."

[Miri Mojito]

Nikki had felt the gaze of the Ubese man on her. It seemed for some reason he had taken a partial interest in her, at least enough to warrent his attention. She had wanted to address him now, ask him what he had found so interesting about her, or atleast why he had taken to staring. She hesitated however when his attention turned to the recently asked question, providing an anwser that interestingly enough mirrored her own thoughts on the subject. At the very least it proved this man was no fool, then again staring at a mandalorian could be one of those things to be considered foolish.

She sighed silently to herself now, realizing that her own thoughts were drifting from her now current mission. More than anything Nikki needed to start planning, start researching and get herself prepared for what lay in store. This was going to be difficult no doubt, and anyone who said otherwise would have been lieing. Then again The Mandalorian felt her own skill set was not overly suited to stealth not like the other in her party. If anything from her time with the DA had proven, she was best in active combat, working defencivly to protect others. Again she wondered if she wasnt here as a backup plan in case things went wrong.

She was stolen away from her own thoughts now by Grendelev addressing her again. He had asked that she and Mister Geeve to stay behind after all was said and done. This in itself seemed odd to her, but then again she had learned to accept that things were often not as they seemed, and in this line of work, normal and odd were relative terms. SHe nodded in response to his request, wondering now why she was being chosen to stay behind. As far as she could tell she hadn't done anything wrong, yet, and to have the Ubese stay as well only acted to confuse her further.

As members of the group started getting up to leave she tipped her head silently again, as if to bid them goodnight. In this moment she found herself wondering about each of them, where they come from, what they do, and even wondered how well each one was suited to this job. She looked up now as the other Mandalorian posed another question. It had pertained to a backup plan in case of disaster. It was a great question, one she had wished she had asked. Though perhaps such a question was better left unanwsered. In her experience Plan B had often distracted from Plan A, and was so better left unspoken.

[kozeph]

Kivesh raised to his feet seeing that the meeting was over, he had no interest in sharing a meal with his companions, so the dark figure hoped to go and claim his new equipment and get what the rest of his gear which he had stashed away safely. The ubese while not making any expression other than flashing annoyance in his blue eyes gritted his teeth on being asked to remain behind.
"What is it human?" he said speaking now in his natural language not interest or caring if those that remained understood what he said.

The Ubese crossed his arms and watched both his employer and the female mando with the lightsaber that went by the name of Styx. Getting a vague idea of what Grendelev might brought up, but he couldn't say for sure, that human was a tricky one that had many friends and Kivesh wouldn't want to anger him. Kivesh ignored the second mandolarian question, he being more of a playing with his instincts and on the fly creativity to accomplish his mission, crafting plans on the go. If others wanted to make plans so be it, but in the Ubese experience it was rare for any plan to survive it's execution.

Hoping to get things moving along so he could move on, Kivesh pushed the subject back into speed "So?" he said with the metallic feel of his expressionless voice.

(Crappy I know )

[Karl the Unfettered]

Once they were all out save Arwyn and the two he had requested, Konstantin motioned for the two to hold their silence briefly while he addressed her concerns. "Backup, Miss An'gol?" he asked politely. "In this instance there isn't much we can back up to; we'll be in the middle of enemy territory, indeed at the heart of their fastness. If we're caught, all you can do is run like hell and hope not to die." After a second he smirked, and shook his head. "No, no. I have a plan, don't worry, but you shouldn't be worrying so far ahead when the game hasn't even started off. Focus on your part, and make sure you're ready for when the ball gets rolling. I have it all in hand, don't worry."

Once Arwyn was gone, he turned to the other two. "What I have to say may seem a little awkward," he began, his face becoming slightly uneasy, "but it must be said. I have worked with individuals of your race before, Mister Geeve," and he looked right at Kivesh. "I know your racial feelings regarding the Republic, and the Jedi in particular; I saw you looking at Sergeant Styx and her lightsaber. Your people have been recruited en mass in the past, for the express purpose of hunting down and slaying Jedi, and by all accounts you are quite good at it.

"I must have your assurance that you will not attempt to carry out this vendetta on the mission," he went on gravely. "Sergeant Styx is not a Jedi; she was deemed unworthy in her younger years and sent to the ExplorCorps outpost on Kashyyyk, but she escaped and joined the Mandalorians from there. She never received the advanced training of a true Jedi, and I believe she now disavows any relation to them save for carrying their weapon; even that is simply a memento, I'm sure, to spur herself on with."

The old spy realized Nikki might not appreciate him being so candid about her backstory, but some things had to be said. He knew well that some hatreds were stronger than duty or money, and the last thing he needed was infighting in the middle of a mission. Especially this mission, with so much riding on it; he needed his team working at their highest capacity, and racial xenophobia could break that apart quicker than anything. "You both understand my concerns on this issue, I trust," he concluded. "This does not have to leave this room, I promise you that, but I must have your promise in turn."

[Miri Mojito]

For a moment Nikki felt like speaking out against what Grendelev was saying. She understood why he was mentioning this, but it was the way he was doing it. She was slightly insulted by the way he mentioned that she had been deemed unworthy. WHile it was true, and the Jedi had not chosen to continue her training, she had managed to hold resentment about it. She believed that she was truly worthy, and the Jedi could not see past their own noses to the true potential she had. But that was not something she could change now, and besides, she had become better than a jedi, she had become a mandalorian.

Still she felt like there might be something that needed to be said, something that she needed to prove, atleast to be on neutral terms with the Ubese. If anything their mission could depend on their ability to get past old grudges and co operate. She let out a sigh, one that echoed both frustration and exasperation. "Your grudges have little to do with me Ubese. As Grendelev said I am no Jedi..." Nikki hesitated a second looking both between Grendelev and Kivesh, before removing one of her gauntlests exposing the POW info branded into her green skin from the republic camp. "And I am no friend of the republic. I am a Mandalorian, that is that."

Once she felt everyone had had a good enough look she recoiled her arm, and carefully re equiped the gauntlet. Already she had stepped out of her comfort zone for the good of the mission, it was not something she wanted to do, but felt it important none the less. After a moment she turned her gaze again back to Kivesh, awaiting his response. SHe wondered what he might be thinking, if he would carry a grudge further, or if he could let it go. Regardless if he tried anything he would learn the hard way that she was no jedi, that she was much more dangerous. She was also curious to see if Grendelev knew about her POW status, and that she was probably still being sought by the republic for her escape.