O Fortuna

[Rabbit]

---

It felt strange, walking the streets of Coronet City. The last time Kar'eth had done so...well, he didn't much like to think about that last time. Even if it all worked out in the end, with a Jedi Master going to bat for him and saving him from a life in prison...

Not to mention, Corellia as a whole always brought the SIS agent a slew of unwanted emotions. His family was here. Well, not here as in Coronet City...but the Tav'zra's called the largely human world "home". It was the place his parents had picked to retire to - mostly because of his mother's final assignment being on Corellia, but still. Once, the hope of Corellia had carried with it the hope for a "normal" life. Not the life of a military family, not the life of a spacer's family...just a normal, planet-side family, that would put down roots and call just one place home.

Kar had never really called Corellia home. Though, he supposed he might as well, at this point. It was where his life had taken a few wrong turns, and where redemption had found him.

He wasn't walking the streets of Coronet City for nostalgia's sake, however. No...the only thing that would bring Kar'eth Tav'zra back to his "home world" was an order from on high. In this particular case, an order to track down a dangerous fugitive.

Once Kar had caught the man's trail on Nar Shaddaa, it had been almost easy to track the man down. Almost.

Kar had only tracked him to Coronet City. But...this was the capital city of Corellia and it was enormous, to boot. Coronet City sprawled almost 50 miles in every direction and that didn't take into account how high it had been built, either. There were almost 30 levels to the city itself; Kar was currently on level three - the upper-middle class sector, which housed mostly government workers, city officials, and the like. Considering how it usually went, hunting down Underworld scum, Kar suspected he'd end up damn near the bottom-most levels of the city before it was all through.

However, the fugitive in question - Armando Tocci - had, like any good Underworld figure worth their salt, connections to the more affluent, and ostensibly law-abiding people of a place like Coronet City. In order for any Underworld operative to rise to the level where the Republic military had a vested interest in him...well, that sort of individual would be drawn to power and the protection that powerful friends could offer.

That was largely the Republic's interest in Tocci - his connections to the powerful. More specifically, to the Imperial powerful. Rumor had it that Tocci acted independently as an information broker. There were some mysterious goings-on in the Galactic East and Kar had picked Tocci in a pool of possible suspects to track down for possible information that might lead him (and the Republic High Command) to some answers. While no one was 100% sure who all of Tocci's "business partners", clients, and informants were, two things were definitely certain...he had strong ties to several of the Underworld's biggest players, and to several of the Imperial elite. There was even a rumor that Tocci had connections to, or with, a Sith Lord...but Kar'eth highly doubted that one.

Tocci was also a fugitive from his own home world, Tapani - though what for, was anyone's guess. That part didn't really interest the Republic, except that maybe they could maybe establish a tentative platform for an alliance with the Tapani by offering them up one of their Most Wanted. Again...Kar didn't know much about the Tapani, but what little he did know, lead him to highly doubt that particular outcome as well.

First things first, however. First, Kar had to figure out where to start looking for Tocci, now that he'd followed the man to Coronet City. SIS was 80% certain that Tocci had a strong "business" relationship with the city manager, Markus Amaranth. Said city manager had attended the Coronet Opera House tonight - a galaxy-wide known Alderaanian singer had been performing.

Kar had gotten a ticket to said performance. To his eternal surprise, he had rather enjoyed the opera...though, he'd only half-paid attention to it.

Maybe that was the trick to liking operas...only listening to them when something else is taking 80% of one's attention.

In any event...it hadn't been half as hard as Kar had expected, to make Amaranth sing. Kar had paid the man a "visit" in his private box during the opera's intermission. On the plus side, it only took 15 minutes for the SIS operative had gotten Amaranth to give him everything he knew. On the downside...what Amaranth knew was next to nil.

Kar had a level number, though. His search for Tocci would start on the 15th level - not the worst level, to be sure, and not half as bad as Kar had expected. The 15th level was an industrial level, with a decent smattering of business and a sector of homes for the factory workers. Amaranth hadn't known where on the 15th level Kar could pick up Tocci's trail...but that didn't bother the Mirialan too much. SIS had trained him well to find proverbial needles in haystacks.

However, the Mirialan was having a little difficulty trying to formulate a plan for when he finally reached the 15th level, as he became increasingly aware of being followed. He had switched out of his fancy clothes before leaving the opera house and looked like any other average Coronet City citizen. As the capital of Corellia, there were thousands of other-than-human species mingling in the city's life. As a Mirialan, Kar hardly stood out as a person of interest.

Kar kept the being lagging along behind him in the corner of his eye and didn't stop until he had reached the city lifts and mashed the button for the 15th floor. He then made a show of patting pockets and looking around at the ground. In reality, he was trying to get a surreptitious look at his "shadow". Surely Tocci didn't already know he was being followed himself? But, then again, there wasn't any other reason Kar could think of, that would lead him to catching a tail so early on in the hunt...

Blast it all. It looked like a human man, overweight, greasy-haired, bearded, and middle-aged. Kar stood up and sighed heavily - to the average onlooker, it would simply appear that he was expressing personal frustration in not finding what he had "lost". In reality...he was expressing frustration, but over the fact that the man didn't stop until he was coming up behind Kar.

Dammit, the agent thought to himself.

Movement from his left turned his head just as the lift door opened. Kar stepped forward automatically, as a third man stepped into view and all three of them shuffled into the lift. There was an uncomfortable silence as each of them turned to face the closing door; Kar cleared his throat as he glanced slyly from one to the other.

The middle-aged man on his right, the newcomer on his left. The Mirialan considered the man on his left for just the barest of seconds - he was tall, trim, and rather handsome. Basically, the exact opposite of the man on his right.

Kar shrugged and leaned forward to mash the button for his intended destination. He flashed a brief smile to the men standing - rather uncomfortably, he noted - on either side of him, and asked in his best conversational tone:

"What level?"

[hugo]

Lucian's duties rarely took him out of the Colonies, so it was a rare treat to be dispatched to Republic space.  He marveled at Corellia's size and the sheer number of people milling about the streets.  It was certainly one of the Republic's most impressive worlds, and it wasn't hard for him to see how Corellia could rival even the greatest shipyards of Fondor.   

The directive had been clear. He was not to report back until the source of illegal, military grade weaponry that had been flowing into Tapani space had been identified, found, and eliminated. The higher ups were concerned that high-powered disruptor weapons were passing under the noses of Royal Customs and into the hands of partisan opposition groups operating in the Freeworlds sector.



Lucian's detour on Nar Shadaa solved the identity problem. Refira, or one of her shady associates, had used their sources in the Exchange to backtrack an intercepted shipment to a Tapani national by the name of Armando Tocci. The Mecrosa dossier on Tocci was sparse on details. The government's records were only a little more informative. He was born on Fondor forty years before, but had been living in the Core for over a decade.  A Mecrosa informant on the planet suggested that he might find out more from a certain Markus Amaranth.  

Amaranth proved to be a crooked city official of sorts.  More importantly, he had several conspicuous links to Corellia's criminal underworld.  It wasn't much, but it was the only lead Lucian had been able to dig up.  He shadowed Amaranth that day, eventually tracking him to the Opera.  After dressing appropriately, he reserved a box next to Amaranth's.  He perched there, sipping a glass of Corellian brandy and reached out with the force to get a feel for his target.  Despite the show's best attempts and a second glass of brandy, Lucian managed to stay awake through the first act of the performance.

As it drew to a close, he detected a disturbance in the other room.  Distress.  Silently, Lucian stepped out of his box and crouched near the door of Amaranth's.  He gripped his lightfoil, hidden on the inside of a rather fabulous tuxedo coat.  If shit was about to hit the fan, he needed to be ready to act.  A man like Amaranth might have powerful, rather unscrupulous enemies, and Lucian needed him alive.  Whatever trouble Amaranth had gotten himself into, he was the only lead to his ultimate objective: Tocci.  Two men were talking inside.  He listened closely.

The Tapani felt a jolt of surprise when he heard one of the men ask something about Tocci.  Was someone else also on his trail?  Maybe they had more information than he did.  Maybe they were going to prove to be a hindrance.  A few minutes passed.  He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he did manage to catch a glimpse of the two men.  It was Amaranth, or at least a man who fit the profile, and another man, a Mirialin.  Curious.  He thought to himself.  Lucian eventually pieced it together that the Mirialin was interrogating the target, who had become progressively more nervous.

He heard movement.  Retreating to the safety of his box, he watched as the Mirialin exited the neighboring section.  He seemed to spring when he stepped, as if he were heading to his destination with new resolve.  Perhaps this mystery Mirialin had learned something useful.  Even if he hadn't, he was looking for Tocci too, and that was by now his best lead to the man himself.  He followed him.

By now, the corridors and lobby of the operahouse had filled as high society mulled about enjoying their intermission refreshments.  For a moment, Lucian worried that he'd lost him, only to be relieved to spot the stranger slip out the front doors.  As the Mirialin made his way to wherever he was trying to go, Lucian slinked behind him, keeping a comfortable distance. Under the tux, he was wearing a black and gray fibermesh jumpsuit, but he kept it on in the event that he was discovered and needed to blend in.

Then he discovered something rather curious.  He wasn't alone in stalking this fellow Tocci-seeker.  Ten meters ahead of him was a figure that was also trying, albeit failing, to be stealthy as he followed forty meters or so behind the Mirialin.  He was far too close to remain undetected for long.  "What the hell?" he thought to himself.  First a stranger is on the same trail he was for an obscure arms dealer, and now this third figure was following the stranger.  

Lucian rolled his eyes when they stopped to get on the turbolift.  He couldn't lose this guy, but if he stepped into the lift, the stranger would see his face.  He might even get spooked and lead Lucian on some diversion rather than towards Tocci.  He decided he didn't have much of a choice when Mr. Mysterious Number 2 joined the Mirialin in the turbolift.  Fuck.  If the third figure, who turned out to be a disheveled, rather fat Corellian fellow, intended this Mirialin harm, it could put him back where he started, with no real leads and no obvious ways to get them.  He followed the other two men into the turbolift.

He briefly sized up the two men.  The fat man was a rough looking sort, but that wasn't so strange for a place like Corellia.  The Mirialin, on the other hand, Lucian found quite strapping.  He found most anyone with an active heartbeat to be at least somewhat alluring, but this one was young, though not much younger than him, and attractive.  His face tattoos, a Mirialin custom that Lucian had always found strange, actually complemented him quite nicely.  

An awkward silence ensued.  What the fuck were they supposed to do now?  The silence was broken when the Mirialin asked his question.  Lucian waited for the third man to speak, but before he did he sensed a flash of danger.  The human man reached into his jacket pocket and drew out a blaster pistol.  In an instant, Lucian sprang across the small space and pinned his armed hand to the wall, using the Force and his own momentum to move with such velocity that he heard the man's wrist crack lightly.  He yelped in pain and dropped the blaster, but drew a knife with a free hand and tried to stab at Lucian's right side.  The humming blade slashed through his tuxedo jacket and Lucian really lost it.  He jabbed again, this time at his neck, but Lucian caught his hand and struggled to hold the brute's blade away from it target.  He kicked sharply at the man's girthy abdomen, incensed over the loss of a very fine jacket.  He staggered and Lucian wrested the knife out from his hand delivered a final, swift kick to the man's face with his krayt hide boots, leaving him stooped over on the turbolift floor, cowering and ripping blood from his mouth.  It started to run on the floor and Lucian stepped to the side to keep his boot clear of the accumulating puddle.  Lucian looked over at the blaster, now lying in the corner.  He picked it up and held it, inspecting the action very closely.  It was a disruptor.  He looked back at the other man.  "

He looked up to see the puzzled Mirialin looking at him quizzically.  He smiled.  "15th please."

[Rabbit]

The second the scruffy stranger moved his hand, Kar spun on his heel to face the man, a knife practically materializing in his hand. He was too slow on the uptake, as it turned out. The Mirialan had barely shifted his weight and dropped the knife he kept hidden in his right sleeve, when the taller, more attractive human to Kar's left sprang into action. The long-haired man moved so quickly, in fact, that the SIS agent could barely keep track of the individual movements. By the time Kar had gotten over his surprise, the first man - the one who had been not-so-subtly following him to the lift - was doubled over in a corner of the lift, whimpering quietly and trying to keep a hold on consciousness by the looks of it.

The Mirialan kept his vibroblade in hand as he cautiously turned his stunned gaze toward the handsome one. The man flashed him a smile and finally answered his question about which level button to push. The answer made Kar narrow his eyes ever so slightly.

"15th, huh?" he didn't try to hide the suspicion in his voice; this evening was getting weirder and weirder.

He pushed the corresponding button, however. Then, feeling remarkably exposed and on his guard, the agent moved to so that his back was against the button panel. That way, he was facing both of his unknown companions. Kar flipped his knife, so that the blade was resting against the underside of his right forearm, then folded his left arm on top, so that his arms were crossed defensively over his chest. He lifted a dark-olive eyebrow and eyed the "newcomer", who had just proven to be a very interesting companion - though, whether he was to be trusted or not, was currently up for determination.

"Thanks for the help," he nodded over toward the original troublemaker, who took that moment to moan loudly and then collapse on the floor, face-first in a pool of his own blood.

Kar eyed him carefully for a moment or two - the man's back still rose and fell, so he was alive. Just unconscious, then...he hoped.

"Mind giving him a good nudge with your boot, there?" the Mirialan jerked his chin toward the comatose lump in the corner. "Don't kick him, mind ya'. Just...make sure he's out, yea?"

Kar wasn't in the habit of killing, unless he absolutely had to; he figured that as long as the ne'er-do-gooder was out cold, he could tag him and send a message to CorSec to pick him up at their earliest convenience. Hell...if his memory of the 15th level map was accurate, there was a CorSec office just around the corner from the lift once they reached their destination. He could just drag the fellow out by his boots and deposit him at the security forces' front door, like a sack of tubers. After a moment, he decided that maybe that was too much effort...not to mention, the other stranger had proven himself to be a "subject of interest", as SIS-speak would label him. Kar definitely needed to prioritize the one still standing as a being he needed to keep his eye on at all times, until such time as they parted ways.

Kar'eth took a moment to consider this "subject of interest". The human man was definitely good-looking...enough so to have caught the Mirialan's interest, had the situation been completely different (and a lot less life-or-death). He was a few inches taller than Kar; normally, the agent didn't care for long hair on other men, but in this man's case, it suited him well. He was broad-shouldered and clearly at the top of his physical game - no one moved with that sort of alacrity if they didn't train ever single day of their lives and pushed their body to the top of its capacity. He had eyes almost the same shade of pale blue as Kar'eth's and seemed to be around the same age, if a couple of years older. All in all, the man cut a dashing figure...but the former smuggler knew better than to be fooled by a handsome face...and by seeming "coincidence".

The SIS agent had been counting the levels as they passed them - the lift slowed down subtly as it approached each potential stopping point. They had five more levels to go before they reached their destination. Not much time to figure out what was going on in here...but maybe it was at least enough time to catch a name.

"So..." Kar winked at the man and put on his best charm (knife in still in hand, notwithstanding). "Do I get to thank you by name, sir?"

[hugo]

"Oh don't thank me friend.  Our friend here , the great citizen that he is, would surely have done away with me mere moments after shooting you in the back." He absent-mindedly tossed the knife to the turbolift's far side 

It was true, Lucian was sure the grimy ruffian would have killed his Mirialin quarry and turned the blaster on him if he had the time, but that wasn't why he had struck the attacker with so much urgency.  Aside from the gross dishonor associated with shooting an ostensibly innocent man in the back, the bastard had threatened his only real lead to Tocci.  He would have preferred to take a subtler approach, but the viability of his mission was at stake.  It was dangerous to expose himself in such a reckless fashion in Republic space, but the mission always came first.  The fine faculty of the Mecrosa Academy had gone above and beyond to stress that point.  Failure was unacceptable, and he'd be damned if he returned to his superiors on Fondor empty-handed.

And the Mirialin?  Who could tell what his motives were?  He could have just as easily been a Hutt hitman out for Tocci's head as an arms agent for the very terrorists he was trying to root out.  Whatever the case, the Knight had little choice but to try and befriend him.  If he could somehow slip past the suspicions of this stranger, he could follow him right to Tocci and complete the mission.  His newfound friend's interest in Tocci was also an unknown factor. but his own objectives were crystal clear.  The directive the Order sent him was unequivocal: Tocci was to be neutralized. Permanently.

The downed scoundrel groaned painfully.  For good measure, Lucian delivered a sharp kick to the man's left side, eliciting a pained yelp.  He gestured innocently toward the incapacitated gent with his right hand, "I don't think we have to worry too much about our good friend here."

Lucian shed the ruined tuxedo coat and tossed it aside.  The exuberant cost of it didn't incense him nearly so much as the principle of ruining a perfectly good dinner jacket.  Now he was protected only by his dress shirt and slacks, which clung gracefully to his muscled form.   

"I'm Karlus, but my name isn't important.  The only thing that matters is that I seek the one you seek."  He paused for a moment, sizing up his counterpart.  "Anyway, if that son of a bitch on the floor there was on one of our trails, that means they're watching one or both of us.  I don't know you, and I'm sure you don't trust me, but it seems like this whole situation just became a lot more dangerous for both of us. "