Dubrillion

[The Black Sun Armada]

The operatives were confused that this man would not at least come into the base and wait. They scanned his ship once more.

 

"He is completely alone. And if he knows about this place it can't hurt to tell him the rest."

 

They returned a comm to the strange Ny'Zell.

 

"Captain Piccolo is on Artus."

[Silas]

A ship quietly enters Dubrillion airspace. The Lucky Me glides gracefully.

 

"I hope my information was correct" Jacen Onnd muttered to himself.

[The Black Sun Armada]

The Black Sun command sends a message giving Jacen permission to land his ship within their hangar. Two guards await his arrival on the surface.

[Silas]

As Jacen sets down he hopes that this is not a trap.

[Lord Ny'Zell Reign]

OOC:Sorry I forgot to post my landing at the base. My computer had locked up for a few minutes while I was posting.

 

IC:

Lord Reign instructed his droid pilot, to follow the coodinates that were transmitted from the Black Sun's landing beacon. The droid pilot was everything Reign had wanted and more, well worth the credits spent. It was truely a remarkle construct. He barely felt the shuttle change its' approach vector, then slowly descend toward the landing platform. Lord Reign walked slowly toward the boarding ramp, waiting for the sounds of the shuttle's engines to power down. A chime came over the intercom, followed by depressurization of the ships inner cabin to match the outside atmosphere. He cautiously exited the ship, waiting for a representitive to greet him.

[DarthBrendo]

Mindan landed smoothly and headed in to report to the operative he had insulted previously. Striding in he stopped at the man's desk and announced himself.

 

”œGreetings again,”

[The Black Sun Armada]

A Black Sun representative met Lord Reign as he emerged from his ship.

 

"As we told you, if we want to talk to Captain Piccolo directly, you'd be best served heading straight to Artus. It is unclear when Piccolo will be back to Dubrillion. But since your already here, I see no reason why you can't just tell me your business. I have full authorization to represent the Black Sun and Piccolo in all matters. My word is as good as his."

 

Meanwhile, an operative directed Mindan and Jacen were directed to the training area. Two armored operatives moved forward tossing a force pike to each of them. Both the fighters were also armed with a pike.

 

"It is best to start with a simplistic training excercise to see how much each of you know."

 

As the man finished speaking, each fighter jabbed the pike toward the new recruits' ribs.

[Silas]

With his quick reflexs, Jacen jumped back and quickly threw a swipe at the gaurd's head.

[DarthBrendo]

Mindan easily blocked the swipe at his ribs, and followed it up with a quick fake to the thigh, with the real blow striking the guards opposite shin with a vicious force.

[Lord Ny'Zell Reign]

[Lord Reign found the representitive to be very persuasive about his discretion in matters dealing with his boss, Piccolo. Before he spoke he wated until the two beings who had recently landed were helped and directed to wherever they may be going. He always considered himself a secretive man. Very reserved and evasive with information pertaining to his projects or himself.]

 

I am the founder of the original Black Sun on Coruscant. As far as I know there was no one before me. Smash Daisaku was one of my Vigos before I left the organization for a seat on the senate. I later returned to the Black Sun as the chief of their research and developement department for biological/chemical weapons. I created the Black Star virus that was a genetically altered Chiss parasite that fed on midchlorians. I believe there are mutated or synthesized forms of the virus still around in production in the outer rims.

 

My creation earned me status among the underworld's elite, so I decided to make my name legit by building my mobile space station Black X-1. I sold and manufactured all kinds of bio-enhancements, including weapons to all those who could afford them. For reasons I chooses no to discuss currently I had to abandon it. One of the last transmissions I recieved was that Black X-1 was being scrapped and scavenged. Then I lost contact with the A.I. aboard the space staion, only to find out that someone in the Black Sun had it destroyed.

 

So in short, here I am. Back at one, so to speak. I have come here to offer my services to Piccolo. I wish to see the glory days again by strengthening this organization into what it once was.

[The Black Sun Armada]

The Black Sun representative listened to Lord Reign's tale with almost visible disbelief. A quick check of the records verified that Reign was indeed the founder of the Black Sun.

 

"Piccolo will be very pleased to have your services. I'm sure you wish to be brought up to speed on what has happened with the Black Sun since your departure."

 

The operative once more consulted the records.

 

"I will give you a short summation. Smash Daisaku took over the Black Sun and ran it for a number of years. Upon his departure, Piccolo was named the temporary leader. Then Smash's son Kabal Daisaku made his presence known and was given leadership by Piccolo. In between, Smash made a few brief reappearances, but nothing long term. Then recently Kabal was killed, and Piccolo resumed command. The Black Sun Citadel, along with all of Coruscant's buildings were destroyed in a galactic war. Most of Coruscant has already been rebuilt, but the Black Sun has not had the time or means to do the same. We are using this Dubrillion outpost as our base in the meantime."

 

The operative typed several commands into his computer.

 

"Piccolo has been notified of our conversation here. If you have nothing else to tell me, you may report to him on Artus now. The Black Sun won a victory against the Empire. As part of the peace agreement, we were given dual ownership of the cortosis ore rich planet."

 

 

 

As the operative interviewed Reign, Malin and Jacen continued their training. The operative facing Jacen lifted his force pike to block the blow. He thrusted both their spears downward and slammed his foot into Jacen's midsection.

 

Malin's strike was more successful. The blow struck the armored plated shin. But a force pike was a dangerous weapon. It's vibrations soon sliced the armor to ribbons, and carved a wound into the operatives leg. The operative spun away grunting in pain. He turned the spin into a roundhouse kick, balancing on his good leg. Mindan was struck in the face by the attack.

 

The trainer shouted critiques of the fighter's attacks.

 

"You both have to think through your moves better. Mindan that was good thinking with the fake attacks, but you didn't anticipate what your opponent would do. A good Black Sun operative isn't going to be taken down with one blow. These guys will never stop fighting, so don't let up."

[Silas]

As Jacen flew back, he quickly did a reversal and landed on his feet.

 

these guys are better than I thought. I'm going to have to go all out o win this fight.

 

Jacen quickly raced forward trying to break through the defense of the gaurd.

 

"Surley you can do better," Jacen taunted.

[DarthBrendo]

Mindan rose smoothly to his feet grinning. He was out of practice. He should have seen that coming. He knew the trainer was right, he had to think three moves ahead. And his opponent was obviously better then he had anticipated. His own overconfidence was a weakness.

 

Gripping his force pike again, he stalked back towards his opponent. They exchanged parries for a time, testing each other again, with renewed respect for each other.

 

Time thought Mindan.

 

He faked to the guards midsection, striking to the already injured shin, which was blocked, the guard having read the fake. But as the guard moved to strike back, Mindan somersaulted himself over the guards lowered force pike, landing softly behind him and struck out with his feet, tripping the guard.

[The Black Sun Armada]

The guard battling Mindan, crashed to the floor as his legs were taken out from under him. It had shown a great deal of acrobatic skill in to pull something like that off. The trainer noted to his records that Mindan already had the necessary combat skills of a Black Sun operative. But that didn't mean this session was over. As the trainer had warned, Black Sun operatives didn't give up easily.

 

"Watch him Mindan, they need to be incapacitated."

 

As the trainer spoke, the guard pulled his feet up into a headstand, and spun his legs toward Mindan's head like a helicopter. The move was executed without hesitation, it was reflexive. That was the sort of skill the Black Sun demanded of its operatives.

 

 

Jacen charged the guard, surprising even the seasoned Black Sun warrior. But he was quick to regain his wits. As Jacen struck into him, they locked their pikes. The threw himself back onto the floor, driving his foot into Jacen's stomach and throwing the young man head over heels. The guard was quickly on his feet driving the tip of his pike toward Jacen's fallen form.

 

"Jacen, block quickly. It was brave to charge him, but you have to have some sort of attack behind a maneuver like that."

[Silas]

Quickly Jacen rolled over and hopped up just in time to see the gaurd rushing at him with pike in hand. Jacne quickly jumped backwards throwing a swipe at the gaurds head in a last ditch manuver. As he landed on his feet from the jump Jacen followed up the swipe with some quick agressive hits, trying to catch the gaurd off gaurd..

 

OOC: No pun intended.

[DarthBrendo]

Mindan tried to dive out of the way, but wasn't quite quick enough, catching a foot on the shoulder that knocked him off balance, sending him to the ground. He lay there for a moment stunned, then burst out laughing. Getting to his feet, mindan continued to laugh, a deep belly rumble that echoed.

 

Thumbing off the force pike, Mindan walked over to the guard to shake hands and congratulate him.

 

”œWell done”

[Lord Ny'Zell Reign]

"Then I shall leave immediately for Artus. You are a credit to Piccolo and the Black Sun."

 

Lord Reign gave a slight nod, then turned and reboarded his shuttle. The ship took off and streaked up into the stratosphere. Once the Lambda class shuttle entered space, Reign commed his droid pilot their new destination. The droid made course corrections for Artus, then engaged the hyperdrive systems.

[Ganelon of Seneferia]

A lone ship appears in orbit around the planet, slowly making a steady descent.

 

Its occupant, the blue skinned, worse for the wear, and now nearly completely in debted nobleman from House Bozel on his homeworld of Seneferia, warily eyes the planet below.

 

He had a certain grand ambition to re-establish his fortune. Unfortunately a round of bad drinking, a botched hyperspace jump, and so on sent him on a wild, unpleasant ride through the galaxy before he ended up back in civilized space.

 

He flicks on a comm signal, transmitting his oozy, reptilian voice down below.

 

Greetings Black Sun,

 

My name is Lord Ganelon Bozel, a minor businessman with a business proposition you might be interested in. I believe it could profit both myself and your organization emensly. I request permission to land so we may discus this in private.

[The Black Sun Armada]

Ganelon was given permission to land, and directed to the appropriate hangar. Several armed operatives were waiting as the ship touched down. The lead guard spoke to Ganelon through his comm.

 

"We would be happy to discuss your business propositions Lord Bozel, but Captain Piccolo is currently not on Dubrillion. If you wish to discuss this with him personally you should head to Artus. Otherwise, we are prepared to receive you."

 

The operatives posted here held high authority within the Black Sun. They were qualified to represent Piccolo's wishes to any prospective business partner. But it was understandable why some preferred to deal personally with Piccolo.

 

 

Meanwhile, he trainer waved Mindan off the fallen guard.

 

"I can clearly see your experience in combat is already up to the Black Sun's standards. I also see here Piccolo was impressed with your performance at the Link Casino. Given all this, I deem you ready to head for active duty. You may return to Artus, your training is complete."

 

This would make it easier to concentrate on Jacen now. Jacen showed a great deal of promise. With some work, he would be a full Black Sun operative in no time.

 

Perhaps the praise of Mindan's skill will motivate Jacen to improve his abilities.

 

The trainer waved the guard Jacen was fighting with away.

 

"You've had enough time with the easy stuff. I will take you on personally."

 

Jacen was instructed to drop his force pike.

 

"No weapons now. Let's see what you can do hand to hand. Come at me."

[DarthBrendo]

Still chuckling to himself, Mindan nodded and flicked off the forcepike. Shaking hands with the guard, he spoke a few quiet words of conciliatory praise.

 

Nodding his understanding to his trainer, Mindan sketched a salute, and headed off for his ship. Boarding, he ran through his pre-flight checklist, and headed into space, setting course for Artus.

[Silas]

Jacen was stunned. This was an unfortunate turn of events. He was just getting familiar with the guard's style. But it was to be expected. The Black Sun seemed to have high standards for their operatives. This time Jacen would show them what he was really made of.

 

Best to start by feeling out this guy's defenses.

 

Jacen knew he had to impress the trainers. Attempting to show off his skills, Jacen stepped forward and threw a kick at the trainers head.

[Ganelon of Seneferia]

Ganelon carefully lands his Exael Mark-II craft down and disembarks, smoothing out his fancy outfit. He wanted to look professional, though he was also painfully aware he bordered on foppish. Combing his green hair and shaking to clear out his dull orange, cat-like eyes, the Seneferia exits into the company of the Black Sun represenatives.

 

"I have a business proposal that could easily net the Black Sun millions. I have heard word of a recent business fall out with an old partner here, involving a certain space casino, the Golden Link. This coincides with an ambition of my own. Simply put, I wish to break the bank there and rob it for every last penny and need your help."

 

He waits a moment, seeing how this is being looked at by the representatives. Thinking there is a favorable response, he continues.

 

"I used to work for the company that laid out the construction work, obtaining very complete map of the place. In addition and have obtained a somewhat dated copy of the security detail that should still give any one interested in hitting the place a rough idea of how to best do it with minimal interference. In exchange for 40% of the net profits from the job, I'm offering this to Black Sun in hopes of gaining their assistance on this heist."

[The Black Sun Armada]

This was a convenient coincidence. The operatives had notified Piccolo of this development, and received his reply very quickly.

 

"Captain Piccolo is extremely interested in what you are planning. Whatever you need the Black Sun will provide in exchange for this information. We have several elite operatives, supplies, anything you require. Very soon the owners of the Link may be suffering from a . . . distraction. That may be the best time to pull off this heist."

 

 

Jacen's foot did not reach it's mark. The trainer grabbed the appendage, flipping Jacen onto his back.

 

He's got a lot of courage, but he's still not using his head.

 

"Use your brain kid. When you feel out someone's defenses, you can't leave yourself so vulnerable. Stand up and try again."

[Silas]

Jacen slowly rose. He knew he had to fight with his head. This trainer had to have a weakness.

 

Well time to find out.

 

While the trainer was speking Jacen walked forward and gracefully tried to punch the trainer in the head. He knew that the trainer would block so he also threw a kick at the trainers foot. If he could hit his foot and get him to concentrate on his foot for a few seconds, he could start a series of moves to disable the trainer.

 

A last ditch attempt. The way to victory was clear. If this works.

[Ganelon of Seneferia]

Ganelon smirks proudly. "I'd like a board or conference room to present my findings. I have a fool proof plan for getting the money out, though getting in to take it will be problematic. We can even record the affair for Captain Piccolo's consumption so he has something to work on.

 

***

 

A short time later, Ganelon is showing a holo display of the Golden Link, using a stolen map taken from a test run of the Casino's security systems. A record is being set up so it can be viewed personally by Piccolo.

 

"Now, when my former employer designed the Golden Link, he seized on the idea of a giant roulette wheel. The hard part is getting to the vault," he uses a small laser pointer in one hand, holding in the other a glass of fine brandy. "It's located in the middle of the central spindle of the wheel. My ex-employer's notes on the matter sum up the situation:"

 

The innermost portion of the axis is heavily armored and shielded: Inside iThe over all design is that of a massive roulette table, spinning eternally in space. It's flanked by a series of docks and bright, neon signs.

 

First off, you have the basic design: Catchy and appealing. The various adds are holo projections from special emitters. You can do flat out signs or holocasts and earn additional ad revenue right off the bat. There's be a few free floating sign boards, which in addition to being adds, would include concealed long range sensors and small laser weapons systems.

 

The outer shell turns translucent and fades away, showing the interior of the casino-craft. There are a series of hangars along the rim of the docks. The central spindle of the wheel running from top to bottom also carries hangars.

 

There's ample docking for up to even 2 capital class ships, which can include luxury liners and other massive space transports. In addition, there is a series of droid automated repair and service centers. The lower docks on the bottom of the wheel for maintenance craft and cargos, and other service projects. There are a few more defenses there- bioscans and others, as well as tractor beams which can aid in removing debris, et cetra.

 

There's enough amusements including a gravity & water park here to entertain an entire family besides the gambling. We even have a giant arcade, a special shooting gallery, ghost hotel, and large bird races there to boot, though breeding those damn birds can be a pain in the arse. I've also added on a holographic funhouse section.

 

The interior segments are now shown around the central spindle: Here are the casinos proper. I'm working on a specialized harmonics field with the engines, that in addition to keeping the gravity going, also nerfs all force use inside the place. This will make the games a bit more balanced. You have cameras and special sensors to prevent cheating. Below the casinos near the central axis are a series of enclosed rings for races- those birds, blobs, and along the very top of the roulette table, covered by a glassteel half tube, is a special pod race track.

 

Finally, the central axis is shown in detail: The bottom portions are closed off, running the engines and other technical controls- climate, shields, etc., while the very top three levels hold a magnificent, domed park, open to the stars and filled with the most romantic spots on the whole ship- featuring an "open air" cafe' and a giant dance stage.

 

The innermost portion of the axis is heavily armored and shielded: Inside is the central safe. I've studied the matter carefully and come up with a nearly fool proof security system. The roulette wheel has four hidden planetary turbo lasers at the cardinal points, and as the wheel spins, it can fire them off. There are cameras and security droids along with the other server and dealer droids, and over 10 meters of durasteel lined with cortosis keep the central safe area well... safe. There's a special gravity lock system that keeps the Link's holdings in a kind of pocket dimension, making it nearly impossible to steal.

 

"Getting inside will require something like a corusca gem cutter and a lot of time. Breaching the pocket dimension to get the loot... I'm not an scientist specializing in dimensional physics, so I can't help you there. It requires its own special shielding though to keep it stable while the Link jumps in hyperspace though, so maybe there's a way we can exploit that. In addition, there are those tractor beams that will probably need dealing with. Getting into the central part of the axis will be tough, and we'll need a lot of work. We could in theory shoot our way in, but," he states, holding aloft a well manicured nail. "I'd prefer a neater operation."

 

Ganelon smirks. "Now for getting out with the loot, we'll require a splicer of the highest calaber and we'll need to practice this. What we do..." at that he speaks of his simple, yet brilliant plan ((Piccolo, check your PM Box)). "There might be a way to exploit it in stealing the vault if we can tinker with the shielding around it and the hyperspace systems, still..." he waves a hand uncertainly. "I think we're going to have our work cut out for us."

 

He then ticks off items. "We'll need maybe 1-2 people for hired muscle, maybe someone to scout out the job (I'll do that) and direct operations, a force user could be useful if we can get around the dampening field, someone who can explain hyperspatial physics enough to find a way to crack open that damn vault, a splicer on whom this whole thing hinges, and a crack shot pilot to get us out of there in a modified space craft."

 

Ganelon closes the hologram and turns off his laser pointer. "It'll be a complex job, but I think we can do it. Any questions?"

[The Black Sun Armada]

Jacen's maneuver hit home, much to the surprise of his trainer. The man had been prepared to critique of Jacen's style, not to take one to his foot. It was almost a cheap shot.

 

But there are no rules in fighting.

 

The trainer lost his balance from the painful attack and hit the ground. As a Black Sun operative, he'd long ago learned to shrug off pain. But he pretended his injury was worse than it was. This would test Jacen's ability to press an advantage.

 

 

 

The Black Sun commanders gathered observed Ganelon's display with interest. They did indeed have several questions. The first operative spoke up,

 

"What exactly will your role be in the actual robbery? Will you go be going personally? I'd also like to here why you want to do this, other than the obvious monetary gain. Is there anything personal in all this? You seem to have a lot of information about the Link. Where did you get it?

 

A woman from the other side of the table spoke next,

 

"Also, you mentioned a . . . Corusca gem cutter correct? We are unfamiliar with this tool, where would one find such an item?"

 

A third commander also voiced his concerns,

 

"The Black Sun does not have most of the highly skilled people you will need for this. To be perfectly honest, we've fallen into more of a small time military and mercenary organization than a straight out criminal syndicate. This will be the first genuine criminal activity we've participated since the Smash Daisaku days. We can provide the funding and maybe one or two operatives, but the others will have to be hired."

[Silas]

Time to take the real offensive.

 

While the trainer was on the ground, Jacen made quick desicision. He knew that the trainer was faking to some degree, he had pulled that stunt many a time. To make sure Jacen attemted to kick the trainer in the stomach. Making sure to keep all areas of his body protected in case of an attack.

 

This might be easier than I thought.

[Ganelon of Seneferia]

Ganelon considers each of the questions in turn.

 

"As for the role in the operation, I'd be willing to coordinate it myself, from the casino floor if need be. I believe I can slip in as a wealthy fop of a patron and not attract any undue attention, and aid out in any part of the plan should a weak link develop. As for the information, early on, the Link was testing out their security systems and gave the materials to a bounty hunter, paying him to break into the place. I managed to step in and intefere, swiping the map and security detail while subdoing the brute. As for the why- because I think this will be a spectacular chance to get filthy rich. Furthermore, I used to work for the firm that did the design work on the place as chief of its Coruscant branch. It's not personal, just an opportunity. I've been in and out of casinos enough in my life, that cashing in on one would be a novelty." Though Ganelon also knew sticking one to Ronin for robbing him back on Bespin wouldn't be a bad thing either. It wasn't his motivation, just a bonus.

 

For the second question, Ganelon's answer is much more direct. "Corusca gems are harvested from the core of Yavin IV. They are the hardest substances in the known galaxy, suprassing even quantum plating. Their density and scarcity, combined with the fact you need to basically dive into the hearts of gas giants to extract them make them very impractical for military use as armor. An elite few found them useful for weapons or tools. I believe that since the vault is lined with cortosis and durasteel, a cutter edged in them would be the only effecient way to get in and out in the time we'll have. Weapons stores and specialists can probably lay hands on one no problem since there's enough on the market for that."

 

At the last news, Ganelon tries his best to hide his distress. Even with Daisaku's infamy and strength, the Black Sun still had a very criminal reputation in all sorts of illicit activities. The move to the military may have suited it, he admitted to himself, but this paradigm shift caught him off guard. Still, there was a more than easy solution to that.

 

"We outsource then. The Black Sun name still carries a premium in certain quarters, so even if you've moved away from purely criminal operations, your reputation will proceed you and attract the best recruits. Your lab boys will need to be doing a bit of work in getting the supplies we need." Ganelon purses his lips in thought. "We should meet here and try and turn this into a base of operations while getting a crew together. I think scouting out the casino discretely a couple more times might be in order. We want no surprises."

 

After he is finished, the oily Ganelon gives a smug grin on his pale blue lips. Though Seneferians might be distant cousins to the Chiss as some anthropologists have speculated (and the distance would be very great), Ganelon was surprised at how he had concocted the plan and presented it- not quite like a general or Moriarty, but confidently and with thought.

[The Black Sun Armada]

The Black Sun would assign operatives to gather the Corusca gems as soon as Piccolo was brought up to speed on what they'd agreed to. The fact that Ganelon was willing to personally accompany the heist made the commanders more confident in his commitment to this operation. It would be very disappointing if Ganelon abandoned the robbery leaving the Black Sun with a hefty bill and no way to gain reimbursement, aside from an act of vengeance.

 

"The move was necessary when we were assaulted by the Hutts, and then more recently the Empire. But criminal activity is still our preferred area. If this will help us get back to that, all the better."

 

The commanders had to confer for a moment over the use of this base. It was supposed to be a secret after all.

 

"You may use this planet to launch your operation. But we expect a very selective process in choosing who actually comes to Dubrillion. The Link will very much want retribution for this action, and even if we pull it off without a hitch we have no doubt the Black Sun will be their first suspect. It would be unacceptable for one of these outsourced people to turn Dubrillion in to maximize their profit."

 

 

 

The blow was blocked easily by the trainer. He held Jacen's foot as it threatened to crush his stomach. When he finally was able to roll free, and get to his feet, he found another operative watching them. The man signaled for Jacen to halt as he conferred with the other operative. Soon he was back at Jacen's side.

 

"You are doing better, but I still don't think you are ready. But it's not solely up to me. Captain Piccolo has dictated otherwise. We have a shortage of elite operatives guarding the installation on Artus. Piccolo has had to take a trip leaving the base and he is concerned about its security. For now, your training is complete, you should head to Artus. You'll have to learn everything else from Piccolo or in the field. I wish you luck."

 

The trainer extended his hand for Jacen.

[Silas]

Jacen took it warily, he knew it could be a trap. Making sure he could block an attack if it came he took the hand.