Ask Asset Reclamation

[Kolran Targall]

Mon Gazza.

The forsaken dustball of a planet was only a few stops down the Corellian Run from Kolran Targall’s home planet, yet he had always tried to avoid this place throughout his career. But The Siren was here and the elderly scoundrel needed his ship back more than anything else in the galaxy. It was his ticket to freedom, a way to make avoiding people hunting the bounty on his head significantly easier.

Kolran walked through the poverty stricken streets towards the rendezvous point he had arranged with the two he’d hired to help him with this job. There was a market happening in a nearby square that they could use to meet up and blend in with the masses, especially with the traders all packing up their stalls at this time of the day. The planet’s sun was gradually setting behind the mountainous horizon, casting the city in a deep orange light. The local gang that had got hold of his ship would surely be more active at night, but it would also be easier to get in and get out under the cover of darkness.

Rounding a corner past a group of miners wandering back from their work shift, Kolran entered into the large market square busy with tradespeople carrying various produce back and forth. He saw that neither of his contacts had arrived yet, which suited him well. Taking a seat on a rusted metal storage crate abandoned in the corner of the square, Kolran began to watch the crowd for his allies to arrive. He'd only met one of them before, but the warehouse his ship was being held in wasn't far away so they wouldn't have long to be acquainted before the action started anyway.

@Catbert @TweedPawn

 

[Kel Dryden]

A young man walked through the streets of Mon Gazza. Among other spacers, scoundrels, and civilians, the man didn't stand out in the crowd. Under the brown jacket, he wore a black flight suit (without the bulky helmet and life-support box). A trusty DL-44 blaster holstered on his hip completed the picture. Carefully dodging some unsavory characters who might bump into him and try their hand at pickpocketing, the man walked into the market.

Under different circumstances, Kel would look through the stalls to see if there was any worthwhile tech. However, the time was late, and the scoundrel was on the clock. He had met his employer a while ago, over a game of Pazaak on Nar Shaddaa. Although he had lost the game, he was promised a good reward for helping with... "aggressive repossession" of a ship. Or maybe it was a "quiet asset seizure"? Kel would have to meet his employer to find out.

Speaking of the employer... "Where is he?" Kel thought, looking around. Eventually, after a minute or so, he'd notice the familiar graying hair and a goatee. That was Kolran—sitting on some crate in the corner of the square, and being rather inconspicuous while at it. Trying not to draw attention himself, Kel would walk in the direction that he had been walking in, slowly turning towards the corner of the square.

Eventually, he'd end up approaching his employer. "Kolran," the scoundrel decided to go with the shortest greeting. A single word meant: "Hey. I'm ready. When do we start? And how do we do it?"

 

[Kyle Stewart]

A shaggy mop of blonde hair shook off the dust of the hair. Kyle wasn't worried about chasing down some boss. If the universe wanted him there, it would make it happen. So far the traffic was a breeze. The ruby-red colors of the natural formations gave off a desert retreat vibe that was , like, totally chill. Did anyone know where the nearest sweat lodge was? Kyle was down for some mind trips once this run was over.

Day dreaming about cool, crisp, vegetable sandwiches helped Kyle keep the frustrations at bay. Come to think of it, frustrations never seemed to happen to him. Everyone else got irritated, angry, and stuff. Why couldn't they just be calm? Let life just be.

Kyle recalled some Sith taking issue with his laid-back personality. There was some question about his use to the group. Just why was it that this gungy, dopey-faced cheery lad allowed to be in their ranks? Kyle wasn't sure himself, but apparently the higher-ups liked the weird way Kyle just seemed to find things whenever he had a vision. Lost bits of lore. A flash of a face that was apparently on a hit-list, and even glimpses of the future. Kyle had his uses. He wasn't going to be a lord anytime soon, but he wasn't exactly wasting credits.

It looked like the Universe got him to where he needed to go. In front of him were two men, one older and the other his age. Kyle bet that they could both drink him under the table.

"Yoooo! How'sit 'angin' bruhs?" The youth flashed his legendary puppish smile that tended to make the girls smile back.

 

[Kolran Targall]

A familiar young man wearing a flight suit casually approached Kolran, who noticed how he avoided drawing attention to either of them. "Kolran." Kel said to the Morellian sat on the crate. A warm smile spread across Kolran's face as he greeted his former Pazaak opponent. "Kel Dryden! I was beginning to doubt anybody would turn up." He said with the tone of someone greeting an old friend. Kolran liked to make people feel welcome if they were working with him. He'd been stabbed in the back too many times in the past to risk a cold greeting with a potential employee. "Our third man should be turning up any time soon." He continued in a quieter tone, making sure not to raise his voice too much above the noise of the square.

After a few moments, a shaggy, almost dishevelled-looking man wandered up to the pair, not a hint of urgency in his stride. He was similar in age to Kel by Kolran's estimate but carried a far more relaxed demeanour. "Yoooo! How'sit 'angin' bruhs?" He said with a non-threatening smile. "Kyle Stewart, I presume?" Kolran asked, standing up from his crate and reaching out towards the man, extending his hand for a handshake.

 

[Kel Dryden]

Kel was surprised with the warm reception he got. To a point, the welcome has lulled his vigilance and the suspicions he might have had about Kolran... But not about the job itself. He responded quietly, trying to maintain the air of confidence: "I always come through."

At the mention of the third man, Kel nodded, but made a note to himself. A job like that required knowing the people who'd be going with you. Not just being acquainted with them. Even working with Kolran was a gamble; involving more people meant that things could go to Malachor in even more ways. However, Kel didn't voice his concerns just yet.

Then the third guy appeared. For a moment, Kel thought that he was just a passer by. But it turned out that it was indeed the man that Kolran had hired for the job. The stranger—this "Kyle Stewart"—didn't look like much. "Don't rush it, Kel. Looks can be deceiving."

Once the introductions would be over, Kel would direct his attention to Kolran: "So, how do we play it?"

 

[Kyle Stewart]

"Hey there old timer!" Kyle gave the greying man a firm, if over-enthusiastic, handshake. Kyle stood proudly before his new cohorts.

"Kyle Stewart, righteous freer of information! Seer for flow of the universes." The youth wasn't sure if these two could sense the Force, but he wasn't the type to flaunt his talents. The Force flowed in its own way, like an ore vein. It just needed the right people to tap it. He didn't look down on those who couldn't tap into it. Maybe the Force just hadn't awaken in them yet. If the Sith did everything right, everyone would one day have the chance to ascend and expand their minds to the new level of awareness.

"If everything goes right, we'll be skybound, right?" Kyle crossed his arms. He oozed cool confidence. No matter how this went, the Universe would make use of it.

 

[Kolran Targall]

Kolran returned the young man's enthusiastic handshake with a similarly firm grip. Kyle seemed eager if nothing else. "Hah. Old Timer." The admittedly aged Morellian thought, mainly finding humour in how true that was these days. "Good to meet you, Kyle." He said as their third member finished speaking. "If all goes to plan, then yes, I'll be off this planet soon enough. I'm happy to drop you wherever you need to be once I've got The Siren back if needs be." Kolran continued in response to Kyle's question. "This is my friend Kel Dryden and as you know I'm Kolran Targall." He said as he gestured to Kel and then himself, maintaining the warm, relaxed expression he'd adopted. As far as Kolran was concerned they were all friends here, unless someone decided they weren't.

"So, how do we play it?" Kel asked, once everyone was acquainted. "Excellent question, Kel." Kolran answered with a nod. "We'll try this one quietly at first, you can both follow my lead. I've done my research and I wouldn't be surprised if things get noisy with these kriffing idiots." He explained with a more serious expression. A hint of malice entered his voice when referring to the people that had taken his ship from him. "Don't worry about making a mess, but if you have to take any drastic measures make sure you take them very shortly before we leave. The last thing we need is the local authorities turning up ten minutes too early." Kolran continued. He spoke with the confidence of a man who had done this kind of thing hundreds of times, which to be fair wasn't far from the truth. "As far as any law enforcement is concerned, this will just have been an especially violent part of a gang war. Any questions?" The Morellian finished, shifting his gaze between Kel and Kyle.

 

[Kel Dryden]

The young scoundrel shook his head when Kolran asked if there were any questions. He still considered this whole thing a gamble—especially since he and another associate would learn the plan only now. Of course, one couldn't prepare for any outcome, but it didn't mean that planning should've been thrown out the window.

But it was Kolran's show, and the young scoundrel hoped that his employer had survived that long in the criminal underworld for a reason. Like knowing when one could wing it.

The only thing Kel did was unbutton his holster, to be able to quickly draw his DL-44 when the time is right. Then he summarized his understanding of the plan to Kolran: "No questions from me. I follow your lead, try to keep it quiet, and shoot only when it's about to go south. Ready whenever you are."

 

[Kyle Stewart]

Kyle wondered often if lightsabers were right for him. He had one, of course. Aware of its intimidation factor, Kyle never kept it visible, preferring to have it in a secretive pocket of his baggy pants. Kyle may have been a space case at time, but even he could sense the danger of a "forced distribution to the common man".

"Lead the way." He said. He really hoped he wouldn't have to lop off any limbs today. It really harshed his buzz. Kyle thought about his fellow Sith brethren and their penchant for violence. It wasn't Kyle's place to tell them how to live their life. Those types and Kyle kept their distance. Least one warrior got too happy with a saber, and least Kyle decided to withhold a vision that could be a game changer.

Keep me fed. Stay out of my head. That's all I want. Kyle had told the Sith that had discovered him.

Of course, it helped when Kyle did something useful like infiltrate some security, or help hijack a ship.

"Same" Kyle replied. He looked over Kel. He seemed like a serious guy. Life probably had given the guy a rough hand. Shame. He seemed like the type that would have enjoyed an easy life if it had been given. Once all this war stuff was over, and the chains of society were gone, Kyle hoped that Kel would be given a new chance.

"I can do a few tricks. If I'm only having to interact with one dude." Kyle offered helpfully.

 

[Kolran Targall]

Kolran nodded at Kel's concise confirmation of the plans. It was always good to have employees that knew how to listen. But it was also helped if they could think for themselves, which it seemed like these two could. Whilst they had their uses, this wasn't a job for a mindless goon. Kolran turned to Kyle as he chimed in. He understood that this young man had some tricks up his sleeve that could come in very handy this evening. The sun dipped behind one of the surrounding buildings of the market square, shrouding it in cool evening shadow. "I'm glad we're all on the same page." Kolran said with a smile as he turned to his left slowly. "The compound they're keeping my ship in is about fifteen minutes this way. The sun should be completely down by then, so we'll have that on our side." He said, motioning the two to follow after him as he began walking.

15 minutes later

The compound was a warehouse nestled away in the industrial district of the city, quite unassuming save for the armoured guard waiting outside the side entrance. Kolran, Kyle and Kel stood close to a wall down the end of the street, attempting to blend in with the few miners and warehouse workers that still lingered in the area after their shifts. With a subtle nod of his head, Kolran gestured towards the gangster guarding the rusted door. "From what I've seen this is the best way in. One guard and much less busy than the main entrance around the other side. If we get through that door, nobody will be waiting for us on the other side." Kolran explained, his gaze flitting between Kyle and Kel. "Now, I've talked my way into a number of secure locations such as this one over the years." He said before a brief pause. "However, Kyle, I believe you might make shorter and easier work of it than me, am I correct?" Kolran asked. "Unless anyone has any other ideas?" He finished with a raised eyebrow, turning towards Kel.

 

[Kel Dryden]

A 15-minute walk? That was fine by Kel; any change from Nar Shaddaa was a good one, and even the red dust hasn't bored the young scoundrel yet. Despite looking around and pretending to enjoy whatever "sights" the place had to offer, Kel casually kept a hand by his hip, near his DL-44. Just in case.

Soon they were near the warehouse, looking at a single gangster guarding it. Piece of cake. Kel's first choice would be to set his blaster to stun and deal with the guard that way. But the noise of a gunshot would probably draw unwanted attention. Not the best way to start this whole thing, as they didn't even know the number of people inside.

"My suggestion is a gun butt to the head," Kel shrugged and replied quietly, with his hand around the grip of his blaster pistol. "But it's the last resort. If you or Kyle have a better idea, then by all means."

 

[Kyle Stewart]

Fifteen minutes was long enough for a cantina song to earworm itself into Kyle's conscious and sit there comfortably. Kyle sometimes was a tad annoyed by the music the cosmos picked out to jive inside his head, but it sometimes allowed for a crudely efficient method of preventing most mind infiltration. Kyle recalled with a brief snort the time when a fellow acolyte had tried to mind trick Kyle into leaving the order. The poor bastard ended up humming "Gimme Gimme Gimme a Twi' after Midnight" for three months straight.

Which was coincidentally the song Kyle was starting to hum to himself.

If Kyle was laid back, then Kel Dryden was wound up like a spiced-Zeltron that was forbidden from swingging those sweet hips. Kyle nudged the stressed out gunslinger with his elbow.

"Nah, bruh. You gotta walk like your dad owns the place and you just slept with the best looking person here." Kyle made his point by slumping his shoulders and making his legs stride out. "Relax. The adventure hasn't started yet."

When the guard was presented as the first challenge and Kyle knew exactly what he needed to do.

"Say no more, my dudes." Kyle took a moment to readjust his composure. He took a deep breath. Showtime. Now he was a disgruntled gang member looking to avoid pissing off the boss.

The reformed Kyle made a jaunt toward the guardsman.

"Hey! Hey! What the hell are you doing here?" Kyle paused within comfortable distance from the guard. The Guard had already drawn his weapon as a warning. He was a grumpy looking bastard.

"Listen. It's MY job to watch the door today. I refuse to piss off the boss today" Kyle said making intense eye contact. The guard lowered the gun. There was a bit of a vacant look in their eyes.

"So get your ass to southside. " Kyle continued, making damn sure that the guard would hoof it.

 

[Kolran Targall]

Kolran smirked as Kyle reassured them both before casually making his way up to the guard. He could easily sense the personality clash between Kyle and Kel, but he was also fairly sure this wouldn't get in the way of their business tonight. After a brief conversation that Kolran couldn't quite hear from his position, the goon watching the door began wandering in their general direction. The Morellian watched with a look of amusement as the guard passed them with an absent look on his face, as if in his own world. Kolran had seen force users do things like this a few times before, but it never ceased to amaze him.

"Nice work, Kyle." Kolran said as he approached the door. With his right hand on his holster, he lowered his voice. "Now hopefully, the other side of this door will be gangster free." He continued with a grin to his two companions, pressing his finger into a button on the door's control panel. After a slight creaking, the door slid itself open, showing the age of the compound.

Kolran took a second to process what stood before him inside. A Sullustan wearing a tattered flight suit stared up at him in half confusion and half alarm. The guard raised her blaster rifle at the elderly man as anger flashed across her face. "Woah, woah, hey! I've been let in! The boss is expecting me!" Kolran said with his arms raised level to his shoulders. "Who are you?!" The guard demanded, gesturing with her rifle at him. Kolran made his best effort to put on a relaxed, confident expression, something he was used to faking. "Me? I'm Twillan Voz. The boss-" He stopped mid sentence as a human gangster approached down the corridor, locking eyes with Kolran after a second of glancing between the two. The newcomer opened his mouth to speak. "Kolran Targa-" His voice was cut dead as two blaster bolts rang out from Kolran's pistol, striking him in the chest as the scoundrel dived for cover outside the door. "Get ready for a fight!" He shouted to the other two as the Sullustan's rifle bolt scorched the floor next to him. This wasn't going to plan...

 

[Kel Dryden]

Kel's cautiousness about the newcomer gradually decreased as Kyle brought results. The scoundrel tilted his head curiously, as he saw the guard just... walk away from his post? How the kriff did that nerf-herder pull it off? Maybe Kolran knew what he was doing after all. The young scoundrel prepared to follow his employer into the compound. Then things took a turn for the worse...

From his position by the door, Kel only saw the female Sullustan, who was instantly suspicious of her guest. Before Kolran could work his magic, another gangster—whom Kel didn't see coming from his position—tried to address the Morellian by his real name. With the group's cover blown, Kolran did the only reasonable thing: draw a blaster and end the charade. So much for talking out way in.

The sounds of a shootout sent the scoundrel's heart pumping. Kel had only taken a quick glance at the Sullustan guard, but that was enough. In cover by the door, he fired one shot from around the corner, at the range that was close to point-blank. An abrupt pained scream and the thud of a falling body indicated that the shot landed. Whether the guard was dead or wounded and unconscious remained to be seen.

A peek into the corridor. Empty, apart from a crate not far from the entrance. A perfect cover. Kel hastened inside, blaster at the ready. However, before the scoundrel could reach cover, the door on the opposite end of the corridor opened, as 3 more guards—a Rodian, a human, and a Weequay—stepped in, armed with blaster rifles and prepared for a fight.

The bodies of a human gangster and the Sullustan provided a momentary distraction, which Kel used to take a quick shot at the Rodian; at the same time survival instinct pushed the scoundrel to fall on one knee, to hopefully dodge a shot that'd otherwise hit his head or chest. It felt like Kel's DL-44 was alive, guiding his hand towards the human's chest. As the scoundrel took that shot, he'd jump and roll to the side, behind the protection of the crate.

After reaching cover, Kel would rest his back against the crate and catch his breath. There was at least one guard down the corridor, and there was a real risk of getting stuck in positional warfare. Then time would work against Kolran's team. Something had to be done there and then, without delay.

Taking a deep breath, Kel readied his blaster, leapt up, and sent his body to the opposite side of the corridor, giving the guard a perfect target. The Weequay didn't disappoint—he appeared in the doorway again, but was met with a blaster bolt to the face as Kel hit the opposite wall of the corridor with his shoulder.

Sliding down the wall and regaining his breath, the scoundrel looked at the damage that he and Kolran had done. That was one dosh of a feat, but the young scoundrel doubted he'd have the strength to pull off something like that again that day.

Spoiler: Dice rolls

Reinforcements and Kel's entrance

 

[Kyle Stewart]

"Aw man!" Kyle groaned taking cover beside Kolran. Of course there would have been additional reinforcements within the hangar. Kel was buying them some time with some smart shooting. Now Kyle needed to think of another plan. They needed to make sure reinforcements would get stuck into a bottle neck.

"Hey Old Timer, you got a map? I might be able to overload some circuits and get these womp rats stuck and out of the way. " Kyle looked around at the place, hoping there would be some heavy object he could haul at the next wave of trouble.

Man now would be an awesome time for those weird force visions to show me something useful. Kyle thought to himself. At least he wasn't unarmed. Blasters may not be elegant, but they didn't raise eyebrows. Nothing wrong with a force guided blaster shot. Just needed a target.

 

[Kolran Targall]

Kolran watched as Kel sprung into action, firing off his blaster in an attempt to cover the young man as he took out the next few guards with surprising efficiency. It seems like he might have underestimated the scoundrel back on Nar Shaddaa. Kel Dryden could certainly hold his own. "Nice shooting, Kel." Kolran said with a smirk. With the corridor now clear for the moment, he took the time to collect himself as Kyle spoke to him. "Hey Old Timer, you got a map? I might be able to overload some circuits and get these womp rats stuck and out of the way." The now less laid back man asked him.

"I don't have a map of this place, but I do know the general layout." Kolran said, raising his hand to point towards the door the gangsters had just come through. "If you can lock that door down, I get the feeling this ladder will take us to the upper level of the warehouse." He continued, turning towards a ladder in the corner of the room that led up to a rusted access hatch. "I'm thinking we'll be able to drop down into where they're keeping The Siren from above with less trouble than risking more of- that." Kolran said, gesturing towards the bodies on the ground to punctuate the end of his statement.

 

[Kel Dryden]

Kel looked at the mayhem and the commotion that they had stirred up. Only now did he realize how foolish it had been to go in like that. Had he done that? How the kriff had he pulled it off? Still sitting on the floor, the young scoundrel wiped his face after Kolran had praised him for nice shooting. "Mhhhhm," was all that Kel could reply to that. Leaning on his free hand, he'd get up and join his partners in crime.

Kyle had a point—blocking off paths for reinforcements was a great idea, and something Kel wouldn't have thought of in the heat of the moment. Despite initial doubts, Kel was slowly taking to the stranger. "Yeah, the less of that, the better. It was a bit too dicey," he replied to the remark of their employer without a hint of sarcasm.

Kolran's plan was as good as any other, and Kel had no better ideas: "I've got your back, just tell me where you need me. We should also keep an an eye out for the door we came through. Who knows if reinforcements arrive from there."

 

[Kyle Stewart]

Kyle took a deep breath.

"I mean, I have a fool-proof way to keep the door closed, but it'll cut that way off from us. " Kyle said.

Then again, he could always just throw them back open couldn't he?

"Watch my back." Kyle said. He closed his eyes. He reached out with both hands. Imagine the doors are just sheets of paper. Density is relative. What is impenetrable to you, isn't to a rancor. Atoms shifting. You are their enforcer. On the atomic level, there is no difference between durasteel and wood. Everything is made of glass and you are the forger.

The metal doors groaned and began to buckle. Kyle pulled his hands towards his core.

Bend to me. Please. There is nothing dividing us. Your carbon and mine are forged from stardust.

Twisting. Warping. The doors finally deformed past the point of movement. They would not be opening back up any time soon.

"All right, my dudes." Kyle said with lopsided smile. Damn, that took too many calories. He took out a ration-pack and hastily crammed its nutritious content into his mouth. He was still a newborn to the power of the Force. But that was some good thinking.

A brief flash of an image. Oh. So that was what the ship looked like? The Force finally gifted him with knowledge he could use. It was going to get sticky. There was something preventing it from being an easy takeoff. A device.

"Get ready to fire! They're going to swarm in a bit!" Kyle said. He could sense the new waves of bodies coming towards them.

 

[Kolran Targall]

Kolran grabbed the rungs of the ladder, gesturing for Kyle and Kel to follow him up. "Get up top before anyone else appears." He said as the creaking of the now deformed doors died down. Once again it had been made obvious just how useful it was to have one of these force wielders on your side. Kolran shuddered to thing about the few times in his career things had been the other way around. It was no fun fighting against someone who could take your own blaster bolts and chuck them back at you. The access panel hesitantly slid open above him to reveal a small maintenance corridor.

Climbing up onto the dust covered floor panels and peering down the end of the corridor, he could see an entrance into what looked like a large open area. The hangar. It had to be. In the room below he could hear the shuffling of feet towards the ruined entryway as his companions climbed up after him, shortly followed by confused and angry shouting. "They're going to be looking for us. Keep that in mind." Kolran said with a hushed voice.

 

[Kel Dryden]

The stranger Kolran had brought in for the job closed his eyes, reached out... and then the kriffin' door started to deform. "Blast," Kel could only mumble in response. There was way more to Kyle than met the eye. The scoundrel sure was glad to have someone like that on his side.

Kolran lead them to the maintenance corridor above and opened the way. For a plan that was being developed on the spot, things were going surprisingly well. "You got it," Kel replied to his employer quietly, as they proceeded through the maintenance corridor. The guards below them would probably have a very fun time figuring out who had messed up the door like that. It suited the scoundrels just fine.

Kel was the first to end up on the opposite end of the corridor and open the door. As it turned out, the path had led him to the upper catwalks, with a view on the ship that Kolran was after. Curious. He flies the same model as I do.

From this vantage point, the young scoundrel had a good view on the situation, and could remain unnoticed. A perfect chance to figure out the plan and scope the obstacles. Kel was mainly checking for people between him and the ramp. However, he also looked out for anything that could prevent an escape: docking clamps, attached filling hoses, and hangar bay doors.

Spoiler: Dice and OOC

Kel's roll for stealth