Cargo

[Shikari]

Mimban
​

With a flash of sunlight glinting off the hull, the VT-1100 freighter shot out of hyperspace in orbit above the planet Mimban. Flicking a few switches, the Sith Crusader Shikari Gale checked her post-jump readouts ensuring that all systems were operational. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, Shikari pulled her pilot's seat back from the consul and turned to her MIA-01 astromech. "Take the controls and bring us in. Head for one of the smaller mining operations facilities and prepare to land. Try not to make too much of a fuss about it either. I'd prefer it if they didn't see me coming." Shikari rose from her seat and headed out of the cockpit. These long hyperspace flights were much more manageable in a larger vessel like this one than in the old fighter she had used to travel in. This ship was even better than her shuttle as it actually provided living quarters and amenities. In all honesty, Shikari wondered why it was that important Imperial figures even bothered with the fancy shuttles and all? Why not travel in style, like this? But then, she supposed it was her past which made her feel that way, not having been raised in the sith tradition.

Shikari made her way back to the lounge area. "I appreciate you making this trip with me. Your capacity for gathering knowledge on various subjects is highly desirable to me and this mission. Perhaps this is not an especially important mission, but it is vital to my efforts to increase our military holdings to better counter the insurgency we are facing from the Mandalorians and Rebels, as well as the incursions by the Old Empire. In short, your assistance is recognized." Shikari walked over to a sink in the kitchen area and ran some water, running her hands in it and brushing some across her face. Much better than a shuttle. She then turned to look at her traveling companion.

@Brick

 

[Harrison Fletch]

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Harrison sat on one of the long chairs in the lounge area. He was on aboard one of the newly promoted Crusader's shuttle. Harrison had found himself yet again on Mimban. He was assigned at a labor camp recently there, but was forced to escape as Jedi terrorists attacked the camp. This time however, the mission would go as planned, he would make sure of it. Harrison checked his gear, and looked up when the Crusader approached him and turned to go to a sink in the kitchen. Harrison glanced around the ship while listening to his partner speak. He had never seen a shuttle with a whole kitchen area, what was the purpose? Nevertheless, Harrison remained alert and snapped out of his curiosity. "Thank you lady Crusader, I am truly honored to partake in this mission with you. If you would be so kind to explain exactly what our mission is? I did not recieve much information at the breifing. I however have to disagree with you to an extent, every mission no matter the goal is important. If it were deemed unimportant, it would not be active, and would serve no purpose." Harrison smiled as the ship decended.

@Yuan

 

[Shikari]

Shikari smiled at the imperial agent's apparent eagerness. It was somewhat rare to see such fervor in an Imperial. Most were greedy and only interested in actions that would further their own standing within the Republica. This one was somewhat young though, and it would seem that his youthful energy was overflowing with the urge to help her on her mission.

Shikari leaned back against the kitchen counter, thinking about where to begin. "As you know, the Republica is in dire straits. We are under attack on all sides from various sources throughout the Galaxy. The loss of our empress is not a factor that has been lost on our enemies. And just as they had predicted, it has left us in a rather poor state. Our government is now led by the Senate presumably, but as they have always traditionally been lead by a single figurehead in the form of our emperor or empress, they are now consumed by chaos as they all vie to further their own selfish ends. Our military seems to view itself as leaderless and the various admirals have locked down all ships under their control and are not allowing them to take military action, apparently even in defense of the realm, despite our efforts to call them into action. This situation cannot stand, so I have taken it upon myself to try to accumulate some military-grade vessels to bring into action under the command of those of us who are actually trying to fix the situation. That's where this mission comes in. We are currently entering the atmosphere of Mimban, as you probably surmised, in order to accquire a shipment of the valuable mineral Dolovite. I will then take this shipment and offer it for trade on Kessel. It is unfortunate that Kessel has been lost to us in the recent attack on former Imperial Hutta, but the Pyke syndicate is once again in control of the planet and I believe that they will do business with us if they stand to profit, and Dolovite is rare enough to tempt them in my opinion. I will acquire as much prescious coaxium from the Pykes as i can and bring it back to Corellia where it will... Grease the wheels, as it were, and allow us to claim a battle-capable ship which I can then call into action. So, what i need from you agent Fletch is aid in negotiations with the mining owners here on Mimban to get as much Dolovite for as little cost as possible. Any information you can provide which could be used as... Blackmail I suppose... To twist their arms into helping our cause could go a long way, as my funds are not unlimited. I have heard that there have been attacks on Mimban by the rebels recently, but it is still an imperial-controlled world, so we will hope that fear of the sith and the government will still work to our advantage. Any questions?"

@Brick

 

[Harrison Fletch]

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Harrison nodded, his excitement and eagerness slightly increasing. This could be his chance to redeem himself from that little mishap on the planet right below him. Harrison continued to listen, and when her secondary, more informed briefing was concluded, Harrison smiled, he of all people understood this mission, in fact the right person for the job. His time in Imperial Intelligence, and recently in ISB, he had come over some files of the Pyke Syndicate. Yes, blackmail indeed was the answer. "Yes ma'am, I feel I am more qualified for this job, as the time I have spent at the ISB and Imperial Intelligence I was able to go through several documents, the Pyke Syndicate included. And yes to agree with you, the planet is still under Imperial influence, at least that's what reports said. All that was lost was a single labor camp, minor, but could limit resources, nonetheless, let us get this shipment and trade with the Syndicate. Blackmail will do, if not, I am well-versed in other methods of compliance. While negotiation would be our primary hand, let us not trust it will help, I have other means of extraction." Harrison smiled, yes the good old days, now he would be able to actually test his skills in the real life with real targets, provided the syndicate members didn't shoot them.

@Yuan

 

[Shikari]

​

Shikari smiled as Harrison finished speaking. She had figured that an intelligence agent was the right call for a mission such as this. In truth, she might actually keep him on after the fact in order to use his skills on her next mission as well if what he said about his knowledge of the Pyke syndicate was true. From the cockpit, a series of whistles and beeps issued forth, confirming Shikari's suspicions that they were nearing their destination. "Well, lets stay focused on the job at hand shall we? We are about to dock at one of Mimban's smaller mining facilities. I will need you to aid me in negotiating a more-than-fair price for the Dolovite. If your skills are sharp enough I may ask you to accompany me to Kessel in order to aid in my negotiations with the Pykes as well. But for now, the job is to acquire the Dolovite."

As they spoke, the ship's landing gear dropped and they could feel the vessel coming to rest on the landing pad. Shikari donned her black mask with the glowing white fangs across the bottom of her face and brushed her hair into place with her hands. From the back of the ship, a 5U-Infantry Droid came walking forward carrying a blaster rifle. "This is my personal battle droid. It will be accompanying us as a bodyguard. I would advise not to put too much faith in it's abilities though. These 5U's are better in larger numbers and are somewhat lacking in capabilities on their own."

The ship's ramp began to lower in the hallway to their side and Shikari indicated that Harrison should follow. The sith and her droid walked down the ramp and out onto the landing platform, presumably with Harrison, and gazed around at their surroundings. The mist of the planet was thick enough that it looked as though it were night, or perhaps a large storm was brewing. Off in the distance, Shikari could see streaks of lightening dashing through the sky. She had heard that there were violent electrical storms that frequented this planet. She supposed that she was lucky that they hadn't flown into one, though she had included precautions against these in her entry calculations. From across the landing platform, several humans could be seen walking towards them. They appeared to be the dock master along with a couple of business-looking types. It was time to begin the deliberations, though Shikari did not intend to do business out here on this cold, wet dock. Once they learned who she and Harrison were they would undoubtedly invite them into a more comfortable meeting room.

@Brick

 

[Harrison Fletch]

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Harrison nodded, and checked his gear one last time, he may need it. The ship landed, and Harrison watched as the droid approached them. He nodded once more, and followed the droid and Shikari down the ramp. Harrison surveyed the surroundings and noticed several individuals approching them. Harrison smiled and straightened his back, hands clasped neatly behind him. The individuals approached them, and Harrison could see more clearly and distinguish them.

@Yuan

 

[Shikari]

Shikari stood with her 5U bodyguard and Harrison next to her as the representatives from the mining colony approached. They seemed less bothered by the damp mist than she was. She supposed living in it must grant one the power to ignore the annoyance, but to her it felt like she was swimming in it. Shikari's EL-Tattoos glowed a bit more in the dim light of the mist than they normally did, causing the representatives to give her some slightly confused looks. As the men arrived in front of them, one stepped forward. "Greetings, I am Dam Ketch, chief sales director of the mining colony Eclipse. These are my fellow executives Kii Ren chief of operations, and Soi Fan chief engineer. You should know that we normally don't take meetings unless they are scheduled at least 3 days prior. You just happened to catch us as we were completing business with another client. I must ask who you are and what business you have here? We are always happy to do business here at Eclipse, but it must be conducted in the proper fashion. If you are just some independent traders looking to catch us off guard and score yourself a good deal, then I am afraid we will have to insist that you leave. We have no time for you right now."

Shikari gazed cooly at the man as he spoke, crossing her arms and allowing him to finish his short speech before speaking up herself. "Greetings Chief Ketch. This is Special Agent Harrison Fletch of the Republican Intelligence Division. I am Shikari Gale, Crusader of the Sith Order of the Imperial Republica. I do hope that you don't mean to try and chase us away today, as I would hate to have to remove your head from your shoulders and replace it with one of theirs." Shikari nodded towards the other men behind Ketch. "I am sure if I did, though, your seconds in command would be much more agreeable when we took our business to them." Ketch's face turned white and fell into shock as Shikari announced their identities. It would seem that she had made the right choice by coming to one of the smallest mining facilities on the planet. They clearly weren't used to dealing with Sith and Imperials here.

@Brick

 

[Harrison Fletch]

.

Harrison watched and listened as the entourage approached, speaking. Harrison was patient, but was boiling with anger. Did these fools not know who they were speaking to? Harrison calmed a bit when his partner spoke up. Surely she would put these blubbering idiots in their place. Hopefully Harrison would be able to see someone killed, he was surely aching for a little action, especially after that long trip. After she finished her threat and explanation, Harrison could see the faces of the men turning unnaturally white. Good thought Harrison, let them be scared, it would make the mission a whole lot easier, plus they would be a more easy to manipulate. "Uh. I..I, what a pleasent supprise, we were not expecting representatives of the Empire coming, I had thought the Imperial Republica was of no more." The man in charge stopped, realizing his mistake of who he was talking to. "I apologize, but you must understand, we are very busy, but we can help you. If you come this way, i am sure i can erase my past mistake. I have a nice meeting room for us to discuss." Harrison nodded, and followed the man.

@Yuan

 

[Shikari]

Shikari glared over her dark half-mask at the man speaking. Suddenly, one of her twin lightsaber hilts pulled itself free from her belt and snapped into her hand. swinging it up and across, Shikari ignited the red blade and brought it to an immediate halt directly next to Ketch's neck as he spoke. The blade almost touched his skin and Ketch fell back onto his rear, scooting back across the ground in fear. Her 5U infantry droid raised it's rifle at the other two men who raised their hands in the air in submission. Shikari's yellow eyes watched Ketch with disdain as he crawled backwards in fear, her arm and saber still outstretched where his head had been only moments before. In another time, she probably would have removed the man's head for speaking aloud against the Empire, but times were changing. From what she understood, the Rebellion and the Mandalorians were gaining strength and throwing various systems into revolt with ease largely because of the Sith's tyrannical ways. Perhaps they needed to work on curtailing their rage if they were to keep the galaxy in check.

Shikari lowered her arm to her side and strode, hips swinging arrogantly, saber still lit, up to stand above Ketch. "You should watch your tongue around us Mr. Ketch. We are representatives direct from the Republica and the core worlds. Despite what rumors might be circulating, Mimban is still a member planet of the Imperial Republica. Should the senator of Mimban learn that one of the lesser mines on their home world was declaring independence from the Empire, you may find your mining permits revoked and yourself thrown in jail." Shikari tilted her head slightly as she looked at the man. the corners of her eyes seemed to raise slightly, indicating that she was smiling beneath the mask. "Or perhaps one of our warships would have to blast this miserable little operation off the face of the planet. Either way, things would end poorly for you. Now, take us to your office, and let us finish our business and be on our way. I'd rather not waste too much time here." With that, Shikari extinguished her lightsaber and walked towards the doors to the office which was set in a hangar. She gave a quick wave of her hand at the door controls off to the side as she walked and the large hangar doors began to slide open.

Shikari walked through the doors to the hangar as they slid open, her 5U droid lowering it's rifle and following after her. She assumed Harrison would follow her lead as well. Inside the hangar there was an office set into the starboard wall with windows looking out over the hangar which appeared to be filled with loading equipment. Shikari snapped her fingers at several workers off to one side and motioned back to her VT-1100 freighter. "You there. Bring my ship in and begin loading Dolovite. As much as she can carry." Shikari pushed the men's minds with the force as she spoke, and they jumped up from the table they had been sitting around apparently eating lunch and ran out to their towing tractors and loaders, firing up the equipment. The still shaken Ketch and the others watched the men run to work with fear as they slowly followed in Shikari's footsteps. Inside the office was a long table with many chairs lining the sides and one at the head of the table. Shikari walked to the seat at the head and sat down, kicking back and placing her feet up on the table. "Now, I'll be taking a full shipment of Dolovite, about 20 Standard Tons is my cargo capacity, and I'll expect a fair price from you gentlemen. My colleague Agent Harrison is here to aid in negotiation."

@Brick

 

[Harrison Fletch]

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Harrison watched as Shikari killed one of the men. Harrison didn't hesitate bringing his weapon up, the droid following suit. The situation diffused, and they were able to continue. Harrison followed behind his partner, the droid in front of him. They passed through the hanger, and Harrison noted the Sith's ability to make people do things...almost unwillingly. They continued on, and finally arrived in the office. Harrison took a seat at the table, and saw Shikari's laidbackness. Harrison listened and nodded. The men frightened by the events nodded, "Of course any any thing you want. I can give you it for 760 credits."

@Yuan

 

[Shikari]

Shikari leaned back in her chair and glared at the men over her half-face mask. She wasn't about to pay the fair market price for the Dolovite. Even a slight discount wasn't enough for her satisfaction. Clearly these men still didn't get the situation at hand. She would walk out of here with the merchandise at a much lower price. In truth, the only reason why she didn't just take the dolovite was because she needed a bill of sale. If she just waltzed in and took what she wanted, the company could report her to the Imperial authorities as a pirate. While she doubted that the Empire would actually imprison one of their crusaders on such a charge, the fact that she was in a private ship rather than an official Imperial vessel might lead to her being chased down and captured, and then she might get in trouble for causing a fuss for the local governors. It was all just a big mess that she didn't need to get into. "Oh, my. I'm afraid that simply won't do. You're going to have to bring the price down significantly if you don't want to face further trouble." Shikari shifted her gaze over to Harrison. This was the part where she desired him to step in with some form of corporate blackmail or perhaps some juicy secrets he might be privy to about the company or their leaders. That was why she had brought him along, after all. It was his time to shine. If he failed, she would have to fall back on her powers to ensure her demands were met.

@Brick

 

[Harrison Fletch]

.

760 credits! Did this man forget who he was talking to? Yes, the empire had an unlimited amount of resources and credits at it's disposal, however, this man was outright cheating them. While this was market price, Harrison would've assumed they would get a major discount. Harrison watched as Shikari spoke up. "Yes, the price must be lowered lest you would like us to freeze your accounts, and prevent you from selling in imperial space. Remember who you're talking to, we have the power to make you disappear." The man was completely horrified. "Alrighttt, I'll bring it down to 250 credits, but no less, I have to make money too. If this is acceptable, I have men waiting on standby to help load the cargo into your ship."
@Yuan

 

[Shikari]

Shikari frowned at the annoying little man before her as he came back with the offer of 250 credits. In truth, Shikari was no expert on the value of the Dolovite, but it would seem that the man had been trying to cheat her out of an exorbitant amount of credits. This infuriated her and she fumed silently for a moment, masking the anger she felt by pretending to consider the offer. At another time she would have cut the man down for trying to take advantage of her in such a way. She could show all three of the men in this room how superior to them she was. With the power that she wielded, she could have them all licking her boots in a short period of time. But that was the problem. Time... Her mission was somewhat time sensitive, and she needed to get to Kessel soon before the Pykes lost interest in her offer and their hatred of the sith overwhelmed their greed. She would have to take the deal as it currently sat. Her eyes shifted to Harrison. He had played his part well, despite the fact that he hadn't had to do all that much. She would have to make use of his services again. "Very well then. I shall overlook the fact that you just tried to swindle me with your first offer. Why I am choosing to be so generous, I really couldn't say. It's certainly not in my character to do so. But so be it." Shikari stood from her seat. Tapping rapidly on the keyboard of the tabletop computer, a little light began blinking on the console next to the trio of salesmen. "The credits are transferred to your account. Have your men finish loading quickly. I have more interesting places to be."

@Brick