Naboo

[Cassandra]

"Oh Sasori, you're trying to get me drunk again." She said as the waitress left. She giggled, crossing her legs.

 

Glancing over of the menu, it was just exquisite. This was a new experience for her, eating in such a fine restaurant. So many things sounded appealing, it was hard to choose. Something with pasta...and some meat. Defiantly. Sasori was rich, no doubt about it. But he was no Smash Diasku. Thank goodness. That chapter in her life was closed, she was done with the self-destruction that had been mysteriously came about. Maybe it was because she missed Alice... Maybe it was because Acid was flung in her face by this sporadic mad man. Never-the-less, she was going to enjoy the moment. She was going to enjoy life with the handsome man across the table from her.

 

"I was hoping to stick with you for a little while at least. You seem like fun." She looked up over her menu and smiled behind it. It was just a glance to gauge his reaction. then she went back to the menu. "That is, if you want a lady like me hanging around."

[Sasori]

"I won't mind at all, though, I am not sure my ship has the accommodations for two people. It just had the cargo bay and the one small bedroom, not much in terms of comfort for the longer journeys. We'll have to see what we can do about that, because I can't say I haven't had anything less than a splendid time since you decided to drop into my life."

 

When he finished that a gentleman approached the table and poured two glasses of wine for Cassandra and Sasori from the bottle the Grey Jedi had ordered. Not far behind him was a plate full of some of the most decadent treats on Naboo. Oysters, Clams, and everything similar were neatly arranged on a plate and set between Sasori and his lunch date.

 

"Looks even better than I remembered from the last time I was here. You have to try the oyster, aside the whole aphrodisiac part, they are pretty amazing."

[Cassandra]

She giggled after Sasori said the facts about oysters. "I was just about to say the same thing." She winked as she downed one of the oysters.

 

"And I as well have enjoyed your company. Thank You for your gifts." She hoped that their partnership would continue. But what would they do? It was a good question. She enjoyed the food that Sas had ordered, and being playful, she scooped up a Oyster and offered it to Sasori.

[Sasori]

Though he was never a fan of seafood back home on Abregado-Rae, he always found the cuisine from Naboo to be exquisitely good, and aside Mon Calamarian cuisine, it was the only place in the galaxy he enjoyed seafood. Sasori allowed himself to bite off of Cassandra's spoonful of Oyster, allowing the salty food to slip to the back of his mouth as he slowly chewed and savored it. After finishing the bite, he swallowed silently and opened his eyes.

 

"Yeah, I can see where that rumor comes from," he said staring into Cassandra's eyes, allowing his cocky half smile to etch across his face. Within moments the waitress had returned and the majority of the small platter had disappeared as Sasori and Cassandra ate.

 

"Have you thought of your main course?" she asked genuinely.

 

Unsure if Cassandra was ready, Sasori ordered for himself as he had already given it some thought.

 

"The Ottee in Red Sauce with the Salad if you don't mind."

 

The woman tapped on her datapad frantically and then looked to Cassandra.

 

"And for you miss?"

[Cassandra]

"I will have the same thing, if you don't mind." Cassandra's white smile blazed. She didn't really know what was good and what wasn't. But Sasori hadn't led her astray. "And if you don't mind, could you send the manager over. No rush."

 

With that the waitress left.

 

"Well, I fancy this place. And I take it you do." Leaning back in her chair, she searched her purse. "And we have to spend money to make money. So this is happening."

 

An older gentleman with a white button up shirt and black tie came over. "Is there a problem miss..?"

 

"Certainly not my good man. Please, would you have seat?" Cassandra said closing her purse, after she acquired her datapad.

 

"Certainly." The manager grabbed a chair. "My name is Edward Salvador, I am the manager of this establishment, what would you like to discuss."

 

"How much is this establishment?"

 

He looked confused. "Ma'am?"

 

"I wish to purchase this restaurant. How much is it? Or could you please put me in contact with the owners?" She said, then paused to take a bite of another oyster. "Get in touch with your owners, and run this card. Then get back to me on price. Is that OK Mr. Salvador?" She smiled. It was her primary weapon.

 

"Certainly Miss..." Edward got up to leave. But he stuck around for a name.

 

"OH! I am sorry. My name is Cassandra Kraft."

 

"Certainly." He repeated. "I will be right back."

 

"I look forward to it." Cassandra looked back down at her plate, then up to Sas. "I hope you don't mind if I buy this establishment for you, do you?" She hoped he wouldn't mind that she had money. He never really asked, plus she didn't find it necessarily to share. It was always in her interest to repay him. Buying this restaurant would hopefully put a dent in her debt that she got herself into with her shopping spree earlier.

[Sasori]

"Certainly not, though I don't think the owners will budge. Their family has owned the restaurant for twenty-five generations, I even offered them 40 million credits one time for the place and they still refused," Sasori took a sip of the Chianti, absolutely enjoying its flavor before continuing, "though I suspect they knew once I was talking that big of numbers they knew I was just playing desperate."

 

Sasori took another sip.

 

"If they refuse, it is perfectly fine Cassandra, the intention is what matters in these kinds of scenarios, and you have left a grand impression on me."

 

He shifted in his chair a bit and looked into the eyes of the angelic blonde across the table from him, wondering how he was lucky enough to fin the only person as loose with their wallets as he was. At that point a soft buzzing activated in Sasori's pocket, knowing what it was he allowed a grin to cross his face. Luckily for him though, he didn't have to answer for it as the two moderately sized ottee steaks in red sauce with a salad side had arrived, and looked as marvelous as everything else.

 

"This looks incredible," Sasori said without any regard for anyone else nearby, he looked up to Cassandra who may have been equally as enchanted by the plating of the food, "I have never had it before myself so this will be a first for both of us."

 

He took his knife and fork in hand and cut a small piece of the ottee and put it in his mouth. At first, it was strong, very strong, flavor of fish that was unlike anything else he had tried but then everything went buttery smooth and with the sauce, the acidic tones of ripened tomatoes mixed well with the tough yet smooth texture of the meat. Sasori was visibily having a foodgasm, at the bite and was unsure if he could have anymore without being overdone, as his mind came back, he wondered how Cassandra thought of it, and perhaps of his reaction to it.

 

"What do you think Cassandra?"

[Cassandra]

Cassandra lifted her eyebrow in interest of Sas's face with his enjoyment of the food. But she soon realized she would have the same face as him. It was a fine choice by the man.

 

"This is defiantly worth forty-million credits." She jokingly said, as she took another bite. She wasn't rushing through it, she was just savoring as fast as she could.

[Sasori]

After an hour the two of them finished their meals at the restaurant. Sasori was stuffed as much as he had been in a few years, and perhaps Cassandra was having a similar issue. Sasori paid the bill as it came and he escorted Cassandra out of the building, toting her bags of items in his free hand.

 

The shops were closing, and Sasori was feeling as if he was quite done with this planet, additionally, the surprise he had for Cassandra was more than ready at this point. He guided her toward the spaceport, and down the halls toward the docking bay his ship was. He stopped in front of the door and smiled.

 

"I need you to close your eyes now," he said calmly we a sense of enthusiasum in his voice, "hold my hands, so I can bring you to your gift."

[Cassandra]

She closed her eyes to show she trusted Sas. "Sasori, you are full of surprises!" Cassandra giggled.

[Sasori]

Sasori let a smile etch his face. When she saw what was waiting for her, he wasn't sure how she would react, hopefully she wouldn't be annoyed or angry at the appearance of the gift, Sasori knew it might be off a bit from conventional norms, but he knew how well it worked, and how awesome it would be for Cassandra. At this point, the money was spent and it was too late to go back, if she disliked it, he would have to deal with it, take the loss and move on.

 

He somehow knew everything would be fine though, and the Grey Jedi put his hands into Cassandra's, and held them lightly. He stepped backwards, guiding her down the hall just a bit more than they were and when in front of the next door, Sasori let one hand off Cassandra's to type in a number onto the keypad to gain entry to this hangar. The whoosh of the door pulling up came suddenly and Sasori offered his hand again, guiding Cassandra inside. Once the door had closed behind them, Sasori stopped and just looked at Cassandra for a bit. He could easily take advantage of her self-imposed blindness and make this game between them end, but he decided to allow her to make that move, it would feel more genuine to him. He smiled a bit at that thought and promptly brought himself back to the present.

 

"Ok love," he said calmly, the sense of anxiousness still in his voice, "open your eyes."

 

When she opened her eyes she would see a sight a bit unlike any other, a ship, a cerulean ship, even better a Cerulean painted Corellian Engineering Corporation Y-8 Mining Vessel that has been retrofitted for personal use and space combat, though the powerful mining laser was left in tact as an extra weapon to have on board, regardless of the long charge up time for use. Sasori felt he did a good job, the ship was one of the ugliest things externally but the color should help make it softer, and it was possibly the most functional ship type in the ga;axy having a combination of storage capacity and weaponry that made it a useful tool for any 'entrepenuer'.

 

Sasori stood and waited for Cassandra's response when she finally opened her eyelids, and had a slew of answers ready should they be asked.

[Cassandra]

A million thoughts raced through her head- obviously the ship was for her. But why? Did he not want her around? Was this Sasori's way of saying goodbye? No. He had just called her a pet name, and he held her hand on the way here. It was just one more thing that he was doing to try and get her back on her feet. Was there a catch though? Cassandra was confused, baffled even.

 

"So... I have no idea what to say..." She walked closer to examine the ship.

[Sasori]

"There will come times in the future where you beng at my side may not be possible, different deliveries, different jobs, being on the run from the Sith or Jedi or whomever we managed to tick off. Having your own ship will allow you your independence, and while I will always be there for you, and definitely wouldn't mind sharing my cabin on my own ship, you need something to call your own." he said calmly as he led her toward the ship.

 

"This is freedom, to do whatever you want, and to take matters into your own hands."

 

He looked back at her and knew she still would feel slightly off put by his decision after the last few hours of close personal bonding.

 

"I did make sure to purchase the appropriate hitches and such so our ships can be linked together and even jump hyperspace together so we don't have to part until a situation calls for us to be."

 

He smiled at her and hoped this news would cheer her up and turn her on to the idea of owning her own starship.

[Cassandra]

A lopsided smile came across her face. "Good move there, Slick." She laughed a little.

 

"Does she have a name?"

[Sasori]

"That is something I left between you," replied Sasori while he moved to a nearby table, grabbing a bottle off it, "and this bottle of New Alderaanian Champagne for when you christen it."

[Cassandra]

"I'll have to think on it." She said, still scoping out the ship. Feeling over her hull. Cassandra felt the need to have Alice back. She would have to acquire a computer with software capable of writing an AI.

[Sasori]

Sasori was happy Cassandra didn't hate the freighter, she was a wonderful person, her energy bright and wonderful to be around. He knew her past was dark and hard to tak about, so he decided he would never ask her about it again. Who she was now, a ray of optimism in this filthy and corrupt universe was something Sasori never wants to have tainted. He knew he had to make a massive change in how he went about his life from before, and his time away from here, his time with the Chiss had calmed and centered him. He was ready to be a more responsible man, he was ready to be the man Cassandra would need him to be.

 

"Cassandra," Sasori began for the first time without the tone of confidence and certainty he carried with her so far in every conversation, "I am, uh, unsure how to say this, but you are a person with limitless potential, a woman who has captured me far beyond what I imagined when reading the news in the dingy Coruscant cantina. I care about you more than a friend should, and thus, I can't ignore what you have inside. You can use the Force, I don't know how well, and frankly, I don't care about the past training. You are going to be traveling with me, and I know the dangers of those untrained in the Force, I will put my life on the line for you when those situations arrive, but I am not going to plan to put myself on death's doorstep when the Dark Side corrupts the untrained as it always does."

 

He paused for only a moment and continued.

 

"I taught myself the Force, so I have no real mentor to rely on for teaching mechanics, but I want to teach you, to show you what I know, so that we can master the Force which decided to pick us to be cursed with it's power. If you accept that is."

[Cassandra]

Sasori was a nice man, she was obviously attracted to him. And the feeling was mutual, he just admitted it. Still feeling over the ship, Cassandra listened to Sas. "I know enough to feel when someone is near me, who is also a User. That is about it..." Her voice trailed off. "You need not put yourself in harm's way for me. I can handle myself, Thank you though." Being distracted by examining the ship further she was half listening to the man. Which she felt bad about...

 

"I have no strong feelings either way to be trained, or not trained. But I know something..." She turned to look at Sasori, "I know of a place where were can get Holocrons. The databanks of Force knowledge for both Sith and Jedi." The tone in her face was serious, it was almost palpable in the air. "If that is something of to interest you."

[Sasori]

Sasori was suprised she knew of a place to get Holocrons. Of all the things he would have thought she would say when along the ride with him, that was certainly the last thing he had imagined would occur. He wondered if she meant the same place Sasori had once been and where he learned his original training in the Force, where he learned what he was. Perhaps it had answers, maybe the Force wasn't as random as people percieved and lineage does amount to everything, maybe he could find out about who came before him, or...something at least.

 

"Wow, yeah that is extremely intruiging," he began, knowing that further inquiry into how she knew this information didn't matter in the least and that it would only bring up the past, which is always a touchy subject, "I wonder if it is anything like the abandoned Jedi Library on Ossus. But in this case you are the leader so whenever you are ready darling, Lead on."

[Cassandra]

"There is a catch..." She returned to face Sasori. "And before you mention it...of course there was a catch to these. There always is. Sadly. It would require some planning to get to the devices."

 

Of course there was a catch. Always is. She still had friends at Corsec. Not friends...but people whom she knew. It was no big deal to her if Sas wanted to go and attempt to get them. Totally up to him. She would need a disguise however...

[Sasori]

A catch. As she said there usually is but Sasori was ready for it, he wasn't too surprised when she said it as, well, nothing in life is easy, and he never expected this to be a quick and easy handout. The Grey Jedi pondered for a moment on what the catch would be and decided it didn't matter, he would just have to grab some good supplies for a forced entry into wherever.

 

"I'm in, but we need better hardware if we plan to get into anyplace secure. Where are we breaking into or who do we have to harass to get what we want?"

[Cassandra]

She sighed. The shopping list would need to include a helmet. Whispering into Sasori's ear she told him where they could find it.

 

"We don't have to break in, we could try and buy the container it's in... There is a lot of possibilities." She said.

[Sasori]

Sasori wondered how they were going to pull this off given the location of the information. He thought of a hundred strategies and each were useless as they were fantasized versions of a situation that would be anything but. He paused for a moment and then looked to his companion.

 

"I am not sure that organization is as inept as to allow us to just buy the container with the information we need. Without excessive bribing anyhow, and many of those people are too far on another payroll, or brainwashed, to be stuck to mine. We can try it diplomatically, and if all hell breaks loose, we come back and blow it, but diplomacy could work given my Jedi training. I could convince them of sentimental value for me as some of my ancestors made them, etc. Which for all I know could be true. Saying I am on behalf of the order with them would only work if I had the Order's approval. I could get that if I speak to Onderin Starlisk, he and I were never on perfect terms but he knows I only mean business."

 

He thought for another second, paced, and then spun around again to Cassandra.

 

"We have a few options on how you could do this without suspicion. Miralukan or Bounty Hunter gear should do it. You decide on that, I can try to get in contact with the Jedi while you decide."

 

He walked out of the hangar bay in which Cassandra's un-named cerulean ship was docked and made way to his own, climbing into The Grey Avenger and making the proper Holocalls to get in contact with a man he spoke to once before with minimal success. Though then he was trading superior empire weaponry, and Starlisk was offended by his offer thinking he had superior armaments. Hopefully this would go over better.

 

He sent the holocall to Onderin and hoped for a quick response.

 

---------EDIT----------

 

Sasori got his response and it was not what he had hoped for. Onderin was too close to the target and had too much trust in the organization that is anything but pure good and carried integrity. The businessman in him knew that much. Still, he would try to talk with them, and get what he needed. He came out of his ship and back to Cassandra.

 

"Okay, no Jedi support, though they will definitely buy whatever leftover stock we find useless unless the Dark Lord makes a better offer. I hear he is a bit more reasonable than previous holders of that title at the very least. I can try and contact him on the way to..where ever we intend to be going to supply ourselves with less luxurious items than we found here on Naboo. I was thinking the old standard of the Galactic Gunshop, but perhaps the Mandalorians have a quartermaster willing to sell me some of their infamous arsenal of weaponry."

 

He paused for a moment, reached out and held Cassandra's hand lightly.

 

"We'll figure it out, let's get off this rock and get moving at any rate. I'll meet you in orbit so we can link our ships together."

 

Sasori let go of her hand and went back to The Grey Avenger and took off for space above.

[Cassandra]

((Wow...5 days... I suck.))

 

"Let's rock and roll." She said and followed Sas. She had a plan of her own, she would discuss with him in a little bit.

[Guest]

It was a morning like any other. The sun shown in brightly through Soren's window, its rays gently passing over his eyes bringing him to wakefulness. He yawned and lifted his hands to his face, wiping the sleepiness from his eyes. His stomach started to growl, appropriately so, he hadn't eaten in three days. The young man had been working on a sculpture of the fabled Amidala, queen of millenia ago, a woman he had seen in books and who's beauty he admired. When deep in concentration on his artwork he often fasted, allowing, well something he did not know, to sustain him. It was odd how long he could last on his own energy, but it allowed him to clear his head and focus on the creativity flowing through him.

 

Heading into the kitched he prepared a light breakfast, and after a lovely cup of juice, checked his datapad for any incoming mail. There was, much to his surprise, a letter from the local hospital. Urged by his parents he had submitted a blood sample for midiclhorian testing. The young human always had exceptional talents, borderline premonition, and the ability to truly connect with people. He could almost always tell what somebody was thinking and on occasion could predict events before they happened. There were well known Jedi talents, and although Soren always considered himself of humble origins, he figured why not find out if he was destined for something more important.

 

Sure enough the results were positive, his count was far above average for normal non-force sensitive sentients. The results truly shocked him as he never considered himself something special.

 

KNOCK KNOCK. A loud thump at the door scared him half to death. Soren was a loaner, and his parents never visited unannounced. When he peered outside he found nobody, but there was however a small parcel. He took it inside and placed it on his table. Taking a deep breath he opened it. There were two items inside. The first was a letter addressed to him. Upon reading it he found instructions to leave his home, bringing nothing but his person, and head to the local hangar. It didn't tell him where he would be going, but the letter ended with the official insignia of the Jedi Order. Word travels fast, he thought to himself.

 

The second item was a small datachip he was to present to the flight-master at the hangar. Figuring there was no time to waste he departed, bringing the letter and the chip to the local hangar.

 

Soren waited in line, fumbling for his credit chip figuring he would be buying a ticket somewhere. However, upon presenting the datachip to the man behind the desk he was given a complimentary ticket to a shuttle. He journeyed through the mass of ships until he located the one he was to board. It too had the insignia of the Jedi on it. He presented his ticket and was allowed to board. Strangely, he was the only on the ship. The craft began to rise and soon had blast off into space, with Soren aboard, and having no idea where he was headed.

[Beck Pilon]

Almost like a bad dream returning to a child, Silent Specter was back over Naboo for a second phase of his mission given to him by the High Command. Checking his scanners to see a full update on the planets surface, he could tell that no real commotion took place after his poisoning of the air, which was a great pity. If news was correct, and he assumed that it was, twenty-three deaths occurred over that time frame due to his act upon the planet. Apparently, that wasn't enough for anyone to really take notice. And his superiors wanted to get noticed. Deciding that something bigger needed to happen, Silent Specter was sent back to the planet with a mission of great effort to destroy Theed if at all possible. And that was where he stood now. Eight Seven would do his job and find a way to remove Theed from the planet. Carefully navigating the MRX-BR Pacifier scout vessel provided to him by the Imperial Remnant down towards the planets surface, Silent Specter was beginning to plan the mayhem he would have to ensue in order for his plan to work...

[Beck Pilon]

Whether he was acting upon a battlefield where the enemy returned fire, or whether he was subtly taking out a single organism to remove a potential fight, Silent Specter was trained for all aspects of combat. Unlike before during his last visit to the planet, Eight-Seven understood that this time he could not leave the damage to dissipate over a few days. This time, he was here to take out the entire culture, all in the name of the Imperial Remnant. Not armed with much, the Imperial Commando was here to work on a mini form of terror, but to keep the public eyes off naming an actual subject of which they could blame. Poisson always seemed to be the best bet when it came to working around such difficult parameters. So the Clone Commando landed his ship further away from the city this time, as opposed to his last visit. He choose a spot closer near the swamps and waters, as his target would still be the water supply of Naboo.

 

Without much this time around, with just a small dart filled with Synox and Dioxis. The dart in of itself wasn't very large, nor strong enough to kill more than one living organism. But the potency of it carried grater risks if exposed to water. He also had upon his ship, a vile of Dentriton toxin, just in case this plan didn't go well the first time through. Although even Eight-Seven knew that failure the first time around could and most likely would result in his own death, so the thought of using the other toxin was pushed aside. Climbing into a tree after leaving his ship behind, he found a good place to which he could snip out a target without being seen or heard.

 

Carefully staking out his target, Eight-Seven waited upon a few hours before deciding to move. A Gungan, whom of which the galaxy would not care to know his name, was a curious one that was constant in and out of the water, almost as if he was searching for something. Not caring too much of what his purpose was, only that he was close enough, Eight-Seven fired the dart into the creature's next. Moving fast to get the poison to release into the water upon the Gungan falling into it, Eight-Seven moved fast through his training to lift his riffle and blast the creature's next. The shot was a difficult one, due to the fact that the creature was falling towards the mater, making the neck shot, a moving one. Luckily, it was Eight-Seven's best skill, and he did not miss this time around. He stood up within his sniper spot, which was only two small branches upon a tree. He allowed a few moments of triumph as he could clearly see the poison hit the water. Soon, within a matter of days, the Gungan's blood would mix with the water, spreading it faster than hyperspace, causing an entire meltdown of the planet. Specter was sure that the planet would be forced to call in the Galactic Alliance to come to their aid. And by the time anyone could locate the body of the Gungan, there would be no proof of who, or what killed the creature that would be blamed for the mass chaos that would soon consume the planet of Naboo.

 

After his few moments of triumph passed, Eight-Seven made his way back towards his ship and took off, again out of the range of any sensors. The Silent Specter had hit Naboo again, and this time, the effects of his hit would be devastating, and would last months, if not years. He could now leave the system knowing that he fulfilled his mission for the Imperial Remnant.

[Frozen_Slicer]

The Galactic Chaos made good time from Courscant, though it was not much of a flight between the two planets. Erdrics ship landed with a soft thud, all the creaks and pops were no longer present since the ship had been refurbished on Bespin.

 

"I'm good to go. I'll see about getting some information on this Jarel person." Erdric said as he grabbed his E-11 blaster, and threw it over his back. He didnt want to be walking around with sniper rifle on him, people might send word to his target that there was a bounty hunter rolling around their town.

 

The hatch opened, and Erdric made his way to the small cantina that was located on the edge of the town.

 

Erdric had barely made it through the doors of the cantina when he heard someone shout "Jarel". Erdric stopped dead in his tracks. He worried that he stood out too much as a bounty hunter, and that someone had told Jarel to run. Erdric pushed open the door and peaked in. There wasnt any one pulling out blasters, or running for the door, so Erdric relaxed a little more. He walked in and sat at the bar. Erdric ordered a local beverage and sat back taking a long look around the place.

 

Erdric made it a point to not stare at anyone or anything inparticular, but rather gather information from all over the place. He happened to to see a group of males playing some sort of card game at a small table. They were a roudy bunch, seeming like they were well into their fifth drink and rather drunk. Erdric figured that the shout from before had come from this group, so he kept a close eye on the group.

 

It wasnt long before he identified his target, his name was used a lot in the 20 minutes that Erdric had been there. He felt that it was time to to head back to his ship and set up for the first shot of a lifetime. Erdric swollowed what was left of his drink and headed back to his ship.

 

"Hes at the bar, Im getting my rifle and going to set up in a better location to take a shot" Erdric said to Vailiance as he grabbed the D-15.

 

Erdric made his way to a small hill that was out of the way, yet still had a clear shot of the doors to the cantina, he had no idea how long it would take for Jarel to finally make his way out of the bar. I wasnt too late, though on this planet time was hard to tell, so it might take a while for his target to leave the bar.

 

Erdric layed down on the hill, and set up his rifle on the tri-pod that was attached to it. He scoped in on the doors of the cantina and waited. The moons started drifting across the sky, and it started to get rather late. Erdric was starting to get sleepy, his eyes opening and closing slower with each blink. What ever he had drank from the tavern was starting to hit him, the alcohol in the beverage was causing him to get more and more tired.

 

His eyes closed on him longer than he wanted, and by the time they opened again, a group of people were walking out of the tavern. They were walking in a tight group, making it very difficult for Erdric to desipher if his target was in the group. They walked down the road a little more, and some started to split off from the group, heading to their respective homes. One of the members of the group stopped, seeming to have been going in the wrong direction. He turned around and Erdric instantly recognized him as his target.

 

Jarel was walking toward Erdrics location, stumbling from side to side. Erdric rose his crosshairs and zoomed in on the cowardly drunk that was his bounty. With each stumble, Erdric had to readjust his aim.

 

Jarel stopped for a moment to evacuate his stomach, Erdric knew this was his chance.

 

Erdric slowly pulled the trigger.

 

BZZZT

 

The blue blaster bolt moved at lightning speed towards its destination.

 

A puff of debry spewed from a hole in the wall that was seated about 5 inches above Jarels head.

 

DAMNIT Erdric shouted in his head as he attempted to reaquire his target.

 

Luckily, Jarel was too drunk to realized what had just happened. He was still somewhat crouched over on the side of the wall, looking at the hole that was created.

 

BZZT

 

The second shot was fired, and it landed on its mark.

 

The blue blaster bolt sizzled through Jarels head, ending the poor exisitance of a man within a blink of an eye.

 

Finaly Erdric thought, he quickly packed up his rifle, and ran down to grab the lifeless body.

 

Vailiance was already on his way down to assist, he had been waiting and watching as well.

 

"you got him, and it only took two shots" Vailiance shouted in mockery.

 

"Shut up and grab him" Erdric replied in annoyance.

 

The loaded up the body on the ship, and took off. No one in the town had a single clue as to what had just happened.

[Lusef Aryan]

Luciferian Beta waited at a quiet café off the main streets of Theed. She dressed fitting the local customs. She leaned back in her seat, seeing Naboo bustling with a wide variety of people. Most were human, though a few Gungans also made up a majority of the alien races. Beta, a former Imperial, still had some of the old prejudices built into her regarding non-humans, but Lord Faust imparted words of wisdom that helped her overcome them.

 

Do not underestimate someone because of their species. Aliens, humans, droids. All have talents and skills that can be further exploited. Do not be blinded by mere prejudice to these opportunities.

 

She dwelt on that as a man in a while cloak approached her seat. He walked with a cane and a limp. His head wasn't hooded, but seemed in what looked like ceremonial wrappings. She thought she knew the particular planet and culture that did that, but couldn't recall it exactly.

 

"My lord," she greeted as the man sat down, the blue sheen in his eyes unmistakable up close. Was this another robotic body? Or had he recovered. She'd always keep asking that, even if she knew deep down her lord was unable to recover on his own.

 

"Beta," he said coolly, glancing around and taking in the pedestrians. Even while looking relaxed, he seemed to be on guard, tense. He tapped his cane against one leg, leaving Beta little doubt there was some weapon inside. "You are looking well. How are the others?"

 

"They managed to get off Onderon. We laid low until we could get off world without too much notice, arriving here seperately. The Dark Lord is remaking that world from the ground up and top down. It is no longer a safe haven for us, my lord." She watched Faust shrug at that as if it didn't matter. She sipped her drink. "That... incident before the Senate. Was that you?" she asked in a whisper. Her lord nodded, a malicious, pleased light in his eyes. "What next?" she asked.

 

Her lord rose up, careful to keep on the image of walking with a limp as he put the weight on his "good" leg. He graciously offered Beta his hand. "The incident before the Senate was about sending a message. I've not said all I need to say before the Galaxy," he said ominously. "We are going back to Coruscant. I need to have words with a contact and get a messenger droid, as well as connect with a new ally."

 

They threaded their way through Theed's streets heading back to the spaceport. Beta let her lord lead the way as they made for the Morning Star, now operating under the ID of the Dawn's Light. "Once we are back on Coruscant, the rest of my message is primed and ready to be delivered." Beta looked at her lord closely. Around them, Theed's idyllic weather and setting shone with warmth, life, and light, but she felt a cold spike run up her back as she hung on Lord Faust's words.

 

"It is as they say," he said softly, the words coming out with a sadistic merriment, "just a matter of execution."

[Lusef Aryan]

Faust's choice to resurface on Naboo was no coincidence.

 

Beneath the planet's surface, beneath the waves, other plots were set into motion. They were not Galaxy shaking as was his plans on Coruscant, but could rock several planets to their cores once it came to a head.

 

******

 

The following are a select transmission of localized Holofeeds that ran around Theed.

 

A bongo carrying a Gungan family disappeared without a trace. Last seen leaving Otoh Gungah for Theed, the vessel was charted to pass through the core and the Caves of Eleuabad. The vessel is believed to have run afoul a Sando aqua monster. Search parties are combing the area where the bongo was last detected.

 

Two days later:

 

Naboo forces are wary after a search and rescue vessel vanished searching for a missing Gungan bongo two days prior. Both are believed to have been the work of a Sando aqua monster, though vessel vanished without a trace with no distress beacons. The Boss of Otoh Gunga issued a statement expressing his concern and willingness to do what he could to see to it those lost are safely recovered.

 

Four days after that:

 

A search party in Naboo's core discovered several dead Sando aqua monsters. The creatures looked like they had been in a fight with something. Several more dead Opee sea killers were found in proximity.

 

A half-dozen bongos in a search formation vanished after reporting a finding of several dead sea monsters. The Naboo military is engaging in a full on operation to hunt down what ever is causing these disasters.

 

A Gungan mining colony and factory in the deep oceans, dedicated to mining the plasma in boomas was wiped out. It looks like there was external damage to the colony followed by a plasma explosion. At least ten score of individuals are believed lost, presumed dead after this tragedy.

 

Two more days later:

 

...reports are showing that the search by the military has turned up nothing in the planet's core or the Caves of Eleuabad. A smaller colony looks like it was attached and destroyed, killing about four dozen known individuals. The plasma explosion that wracked the previous colony was determined to have started on the outside of it. The Otah Gunga government has declared a state of emergency and heightened alerts for all Gungans living on Naboo.

 

A YV-666 Light Freighter, passing in low over Naboo's oceans to dock at port in the city of Keren suddenly vanished. Witnesses en route to Keren stated they saw an explosion of some kind, but the ship went down without getting out any distress beacon or signal. The government in Theed is launching an investigation to see if it's connected with the spate of attacks on Naboo's Gungan populace.

 

One day later [Note: This particular Holofeed was transmitted through the Naboo System and into the Mid-Rim at large, news of events escaping off-world]:

 

Reports indicate the ocean luxury liner the Star of Amidala vanished, all hands and passengers on board are presumed lost. The luxury ship, coming in at almost 500 meters, disappeared in the middle of the day. Shortly before its disappearance, transmissions from the ship itself were cut-off, though passenger communications could be heard before and after the vanishing. We're replaying one right now:

 

We've stopped. I don't understand it. Everything electronic on the ship just went dead. The droids on the ship all seem to be out of it. I've got a bad feeling about this. Wait? What's that in the water! Is it ali- [The transmission breaks off in panicked screams from the speaker and surrounding passengers before going silent.]

 

The government in Theed has joined Otah Gunga in declaring a state of emergency. A call for aid has been put out to investigate the cause of this threat. More to come.

[Aelyn]

The Open Road emerged from hyperspace above Naboo. Its pilot and sole occupant, Aelyn Talis, had never had the chance to come here before, and she had to admit she was looking forward to seeing Theed. The holos had always made the city out to be exceptionally beautiful even despite the troubles it had been through in the last few years. While Naboo hadn't made her original list of places she was going to visit on her miniature galactic tour before settling somewhere, she'd always hoped to end up here someday for at least a visit.

 

Unfortunately, she wasn't here for tourism, nor the chance to soak up the Nabooian culture and sample the food. In the Force, she could feel the unrest and tension that had settled over the place. The planet was in a state of emergency over a missing luxury liner, and the Theed Port Authority immediately contacted her asking for the purpose of her visit. "I'm Apprentice Aelyn Talis of the Jedi Order," she responded. "I'm answering the government's request for a Jedi investigator."

 

The fact that she wasn't a full Jedi Knight didn't seem to be a matter of significance to the Port Authority. They told her that they were happy to receive any help that they could get from the Order, and they directed her to the Palace itself. She managed to get a good look at the breathtaking Naboo architecture from her ship on the way over to the palace's attached hangar bay and marveled at the level of city planning that had to go into making Theed so distinctive and uniform. The hangar itself was lined with sleek ships of primarily Nubian and local make which were also consistent with their pervasive design aesthetic. The overall effect was rather curated -- at least until Aelyn's relative junker of an NK-Witell freighter set itself down among them.

 

When she disembarked, she was met by some kind of military aide or low-ranking official, who thanked her for coming and asked her how much she knew about what had been going on. When she admitted that she had only the most basic information, he began to fill her in, and she soon realized the situation was much more dire than she'd been led to believe. This wasn't just a small passenger ship that had vanished somewhere, but it was the latest in an escalating series of events. First it had been a bongo carrying a Gungan family, then one of the search and rescue vessels, then a series of Sando aqua monsters -- enormous undersea predators that dwarfed even the largest marine life on most other worlds -- had been found dead. From there a mining colony had been wiped out and then the Star of Amidala, the luxury liner in question.

 

Hundreds of people had died. Any investigation that Aelyn might conduct had a high chance of putting her in danger. She took a deep breath and centered herself, acknowledging her fear but putting it aside. She'd faced danger already since her studies began and the Force had seen her through it.