Open Covert Ops

[Galen Terco]

​

Galen had been given precise orders.

Sat next to a fellow officer of the ISB, he was in 'plain clothes'. Today Galen was a member of the Scrappers Guild, here on a business trip, an impromptu inspection of - so the dossier in his case read - of a planetside facility. He was sitting on a passenger haulier, fake IDs in place and a caf in his hand.

It was a perfect cover.

When the vessel landed, he disembarked with his colleague, and they made their way to a taxi bank. Across the city, dozens of other ISB agents would be doing likewise, following their orders, to arrive under any one of dozens of cover stories and then - vanish. Once inside the cab, the journey was short to the palace of the 'Sultana', the ruler of the planet and a known Sith dissident.

The cab pulled up and out stepped Galen Terco - or, to use his cover name Hask Vandeem.

He walked to a nearby caf stand and order two - one for the pair of agents. "Blimey this is hot." he cursed under his breath. "Anyway. We've got quite a regime of inspections to undertake, so we best get our bearings." he added, seeking to kick start their endeavour to fulfil their part of this mission, and infest this world with Imperial spies.

OOC - @LadyRen @Eccles death disabled if at all possible. This thread takes place at the same time as great treachery does on Junction. This mission is a covert operation.

 

[Levik Karn]

As an Imperial peacekeeper, Lieutenant Karn wasn't used to working without his uniform or his armor on. Today he not only wore plain clothes -with a scrapper's union logo on them- but had even traded in his Peacekeeper Badge with a Scrapper's Union I.D. card showing whoever read it that he wasn't Levik Karn, but Kival Narc. He couldn't give the ISB any points for originality or creativity on that one...

"You know I scrapped on Byblos for a year?" he asked the taxi driver rhetorically. "Took us a whole year to free up that planet for civilian traffic again. Really, the bureaucracy on Republic worlds, unheard of!" the taxi driver nodded politely and smiled along. Not really trained for this sort of thing, Levik wasn't sure if he was overdoing it or anything, but his partner for this job, Lieutenant Terco didn't kick him in the shin so it was probably 'within cover parameters' still.

Eventually the cab reached their destination and they walked over to a caf stand. Finally, Levik though, for he had barely slept since he had to suddenly leave Taris in a hurry and cafeïne was the only thing that could keep him awake right now. Ofcourse, the caf was too hot and after almost burning off his lips he had to just stand there and wait for it cool down. "They're all the same these civilized planets," he complained again, having decided that 'Kival Narc' was originally from the Outer Rim. Takadona or something. "Gotta do inspections to make sure you can safely scrap buildings? We used to just detonate the foundation, watch it collapse and drive one of those large automatic scrappers across."

So he read a book about scrapping once. He knows scrappers, okay? He had overseen scrapping operations in Imperial space as an Imperial Peacekeeper Lieutenant. The ISB did their homework and picked a disguise to match. Too bad for that name, though. Kival Narc. Who in the name of credits made that up?

@Nor'baal

 

[Max Dram]

"Why the fuck is that coffee stand still in this square?" Max's blood was up and he was seething.

"I am sorry Sir, the unit is stretched thin as it is. It is on our list I assure you, but without more men. Perhaps if we just contacted Command, explained that-"

Max backhanded the private hard, his armoured forearm nearly sending the man sprawling before he grabbed the soldier by the scruff of the neck. "I, am Command now" he hissed through gritted teeth, hazel eyes warning the other three men with a look. "Or are you forgetting the HQ we knew is now run by traitors and upstarts? You answer to me, and I to Lady Celeste, are we clear?"

"Yes Sir, yes Sir!" the private stuttered, pulling himself together. Max slowly let him go, inwardly swallowing his frustration. Their hold on Rattatak was strong, but the Imperial schism meant war. They would soon be tested and they could be in no doubt about their cause.

"Get it out of here" he ordered, motioning at the coffee stand. The planet was on high alert and he needed the palace square completely clear. Celeste had charged him with fortifying their position while she was at Junction summit and he intended to do just that. The task was an excellent use of his skills at a time when he was not completely sure who he was anymore and it kept his thoughts from raging over recent events.

The four soldiers hurried across the square without a word and Max watched them go. Four men, a whole tenth of the forty he commanded. He supposed he should be glad he had held the whole platoon, all forty men putting their loyalty to him ahead of the Imperial Warmaster. But he knew it would not be enough, not even combined with the Rattataki army and the few other forces Celeste could assemble. They were on borrowed time here. But he had made his choice.

Max was about to turn back to the palace when he noticed two men buying drinks at the coffee stand. Offworlders by the looks of them. They would do little more than get in the way of his men, but today that alone was enough. He grabbed his helmet and began striding towards them.

@Nor'baal @Eccles

 

[Galen Terco]

"You know how it is; we need to keep those reports up to date, or we can't let the workers into the heaps." Galen replied. He had been well-briefed on what he liked to call 'shop-talk'. The ISB Officer noticed their Caf-ister suddenly reaching into his top pocket for his papers, mumbling something about 'Imperial overreach'. "Oh dear." Galen sighed, turning as the sound of boots hammering into the floor approached them.

Four men were approaching at some considerable speed. Fortunately, Galen was a professional and was not about to drop everything and panic. Instead, he raised his hands as the men approached, gesturing for Levik to do likewise, only dropping them when ordered to do so and produce his papers.

"Good Morning, Officers. This is Inspector Kival Narc, and I'm Inspector Hask Vandeem." he introduced the pair as the Caf vendor had his papers returned and was told to 'clear off' in no uncertain terms. Galen handed over their documentation, which the ISB had expertly crafted to appear as authentic as anyone could manage. "Scrappers Guild. You can see here our Commercial Operations and Inspections Licence, and here," he pointed to a final item "- our signed visa, for one week, starting this rotation."

He smiled politely as Max Dram made his way over. Galen recognised the man; he was on a watchlist as a critical target on this planet - his arrival had practically made Galen's day.

"Is there anything else I can provide, Officers?" Galen replied, his voice polite, his manner unobstructive as the officers inspected their papers.

 

[Levik Karn]

Lieutenant Terco took the lead and that suited Levik just fine. Only one of them was trained in covert operations, after all. Peacekeepers like himself mostly focused on catching the next Preef Callo-wannabe but lacked the training to out-draw the rodian or his followers. Instead, Lieutenant Karn followed his partner's lead and raised is hands as instructed.

He had heard of Lieutenant Dram before when the big man had been on Taris visiting the notorious Crimson Club, a haunt for debauched imperials to do spice and bet on fights, when rebels had attacked it. Levik had read the report. Apparently this 'Max Dram' was one hell of a combatant. Didn't stick around for the paperwork, though. That had been left to Commander Venn's favorite punching bag: Lieutenant Levik Karn. Truth be told, he was still kinda miffed about it.

They never met before and Levik didn't think he could be recognized, not out of his peacekeeper armor, sans helmet and wearing civilians clothes. Uniformed imperials never did care to look at civvies as anything important. Hopefully the lieutenant moved along quickly so Galen and him could focus on their original mission parameters.

@Alhon @Nor'baal

 

[Max Dram]

"Scrappers?" Max resisted the urge to spit as he surveyed the two men. One looked seasoned, the other somehow gritty. He had little time for them, chasing junk was no way for a man to spend his life.

The coffee merchant had been driven off and the four soldiers regrouped around Max, the lead private's cheek beginning to bruise. The Lieutenant took Vandeem's offered holopad, scrolling through the contents with one hand, his other on the hilt of The Widowmaker.

"Your rotation won't be starting" he said matter-of-factly, finding nothing of interest in their documents but wanting them gone. "Barterus is now under martial law. These men will see you back to the port and on your way".

He motioned to two of the patrol to escort Vandeem and Narc back to the dock. If the fools were lucky they could catch one of the last transports out before the queues began to build. Max went to turn to resume his work, when a thought struck him.

"Tell me" he said, gripping the short-arse Narc's shoulder firmly "On your way here, did you hear anything of the Sith?"

Comms were extremely difficult right now. In a game of hours and minutes, it was possible these two no hopers had heard something he had not.

@Nor'baal @Eccles

 

[Galen Terco]

"Guild.." he puffed his chest out ever-so-slightly "It's a Guild." he reminded the Imperial, after all the Guild was very proud of its status, which set them apart from mere 'Scrappers' with the official seal of a Corporate body. "But, if you get us out of the rotation, thanks!" he laughed, patting Levik on the back and walking off with the officers.

Phase two! he thought to himself as they walked across the square, away from where the caf stand had once been.

It was a short walk, about three or four minutes by his counting. Slowly, Galen started to increase his pace of breathing as they walked. Gradually the rate heightened, then, as they approached around four minutes into their escorted walk out of the square, he coughed.

His cough grew, a wheeze emerging as he staggered.

"My pills!" desperation crept into his voice, and his eyes widened with terror. "The case!" in the commotion to be moved on, he'd left the case (quite deliberately, mind you) on the stand, which now had been moved out of the square, in the opposite direction to them.

He stumbled, dropping to one knee as his hand shot up to his heart. "I need," he whimpered "-my pills." he slammed into the ground, a convincing 'thunk' as he did nothing to arrest his fall.

 

[Levik Karn]

Lieutenant Karn had followed Lieutenant Terco's lead throughout, but when they were about to be send away Lieutenant Dram grabbed him by the shoulder and roughly pulled him sideways. "Ouch!" Levik cried, clearly not used to being manhandled. The questions surprised him. It wasn't an act at all. If an Imperial officer asked a civilian whether or not they heard something about the Sith, what did that mean? Levik had always made it his life's job to avoid the crazy Force-wielding weirdo's and so far he hadn't done a bad job at all. "Eh," he looked at the much taller man, "nothing that's not on the HoloNet, sir. Eh officer, sir." he dry-swallowed and waited for the man to let go of his shoulder.

When he did, Levik would join Galen as they were escorted across and off the square. It was a short walk, only four minutes, but it seemed to take ages for Levik as he pocketed his hands and did he best to look a bit frightened and a bit annoyed that the Empire had just lost him a paying job. In reality he was using his communicator to sign the other field agents in morse code. E-TA. Extraction, Team Alpha.

It was Galen who with his superior acting skill and training started the diversion, staggering and crying for his pills. Levik turned back towards the square, saw the briefcase and the Lieutenant still standing nearby. "OFFICER SIR!" he shouted, "BRIEFCASE" he pointed towards the object, hoping the two guards that were escorting them would understand the severity of the situation and also motion for the Lieutenant to bring the briefcase over quickly. "HE'LL DIE"

@Alhon @Nor'baal

 

[Max Dram]

Max had hoped the scrapper may have picked something up about the Sith, even if only a whisper of whether they were rallying. Even the tiniest tidbit could give him some confidence Celeste would find allies, a cause worth binding themselves too. But the cretin had heard nothing and he was left none the wiser. Why had he even bothered.

He let the man go, chiding himself for ever wasting his time with the scrappers. He had too much to do as it was.

He walked across the opposite side of the square, watching as the nearby Rattataki garrison diligently began constructing barricades around the perimeter. The square had been cleared, but it would take some time to fully secure it against a concerted attack. Max thumbed through his pad between glances, pouring over reports from his sub-teams across the city. Barterus was being fortified by the hour, but it brought Max little comfort. If their enemy came, all his work would do was slow them down.

When the short scrapper came racing back into view, Max did far more than roll his eyes. The idiot was shouting something about the other one's pills, no doubt to help him blot out the monotony of his 'Guild' life. It sounded like they had left their luggage on the coffee stand. You honestly could not write it. Max turned his back on the commotion, begrudgingly releasing his last two men to go and help the fools. He could do without some old scrapper dying on the main street.

The Lieutenant flexed his neck in the unforgiving collar of his armour, the hot arid air making the heavy plate an uncomfortable second skin. His men were hard at work and there would be little sense inspecting their efforts until at least 1300. He decided he had time to cool off and clear his head. The palace had a fine swimming pool in the walled garden to the rear and Celeste had left him free run of the place. He headed inside, unbuttoning the clasps of his armour and he headed through to the outdoor pool. He would feel a lot better after a few lengths.

@Nor'baal @Eccles

 

[Galen Terco]

With the signal discreetly sent by Levik, their operation could move into its next phase. As Lieutenants, the two of them commanded a squadron of forty men each. Each man in each squadron had entered the planet over the past short period, embedding themselves as Galen and Levik had done, into the ‘background’ - some as visiting engineers, travelling salesbeing, others as natives returning home before the curfew hit the docks.

A pair of them, masquerading as a local couple returning from work, pulled up in a speeder, concern etched on their faces as the driver shouted that they would get Galen to the nearest medical facility. As this got the ‘Scrappers’ off their hands, the two security guards were only too happy to oblige.

Galen was helped into the speeder with haste, Levik with him, and soon they were on the move.

And others joined them. A collection of speeders moved down the road behind the walled garden at the rear of the palace, Galen and Leviks moving to meet them in a few short minutes - thanks to the high speed of modern vehicles. Before long, by the time it would have taken Max to walk back across the square, the ISB squadron was in position.

A speeder truck was positioned outside the palace behind a small gate that led into the walled garden. It was flanked by other solo and civilian speeders. Men in plain clothes milled about, whilst ten jumped the wall as Max entered the ‘swimming pool’.

Galen - miraculously recovered from his medical emergency - was one of the men who skipped the wall, blaster in hand. ”Fan out.” he instructed, keen to ensure a wide spread of different engagement angles for when the target came into sight. He wasted no time, levelling the blaster alongside the ten others of the squadron, their weapons set to stun. The group fired when Max appeared; his armour divested as he strode toward the pool.

There was little way he could down the combined stun blasts of Galen, Levik if he joined in, and ten ISB troopers.

Once the hits found purchase, and the officer dropped to the floor, the squadron would move in, gathering his collapsed form and whisking him away to the rear of the garden, through the gate and into the speeder - for rapid extraction.

 

[Levik Karn]

The plan wasn't going as smooth as hoped, but the extraction was spearheaded by Lieutenant Terco's excellently trained operatives and they did a convincing job as the worried locals that offered to help the poor scrappers and bring them to a hospital. Levik tried his best to play the role of concerned co-worker as he helped Galen into the speeder, "Stay with me, Hask" and think of your imaginary children!

The plan -which had been the backup of the backup- was now swiftly executed. ISB had known about Max Dram's presence here and warranted him a high-value target if they could get their hands on him, alive. Inside the speeder was a hold-out pistol, civilian make and model, for both lieutenants and Levik quickly inspected the used model. It was the perfect use and toss weapon, untraceable yet reliable. Intelligence really knew their stuff.

They reached the rear of the palace where Galen and his men got out to skip the wall and bag their target while Levik motioned for a couple to keep an inconspicuous watch. "Get ready for extraction," he told them as he planted the commlink into his ear and tried to keep the blaster in his right as much out of sight as possible. He was a mere feet from the gate and ready to support if necessary.

If they successfully stunned Lieutenant Dram and exited through the gate, Levik would signal everyone to get back into their speeders and start phase three, planet exfil.

@Alhon @Nor'baal

 

[Max Dram]

The Lieutenant brooded as he undressed, with only the silence of his quarters for company. The ornate double bed that had been the scene of many shared nights with Celeste was empty, the halls outside unusually quiet. He set The Widowmaker in its stand and hung the sections of his armour on their plinth. They were his sword and shield, but even they looked a little different. Far too many would now see only the uniform of a traitor.

He had always believed the Sith were the true power behind the Empire and he had not changed his mind. Nor did he feel any less strongly about Celeste, a woman and a Sith who embodied both power and judgement. He knew there were apparently others far less savoury, but he had not seen them up close. The Empress had been a remote figure and her reputed failings were not enough for him to rethink everything.

He was doing the right thing. He just need time to reckon with all that had changed. He headed down to the rear porch of the palace in his casuals, signing off the comm and telling the few palace staff that he did not want to be disturbed. Stowing his clothes away in an alcove with military precision, he made his way down to the poolside in just his swimwear, a pair of form-fitting standard issue trunks made for speed and ease of packing.

The stone patio burned beneath his bare feet, warmed by the late morning sun. Max paused at the edge of the pool, all six and half feet of him twisting and flexing as he stretched every muscle, his dog tags glinting in the light. He closed his eyes for a second, breathing in the open air. He still felt alive, today at least, and he was thankful for that. Every new morning had a precious smell these days.

As he opened his eyes, something moved on the edge of his vision. He just had time to snap his head around, spying several figures in dark clothes before light flashed across the distance between them and he felt himself falling. His arms went out, but lost their strength before they touched the ground and he went down hard.

Down and out.

@Nor'baal @Eccles

 

[Galen Terco]

”Target neutralised.” Galen spoke softly into his commlink as his men moved ahead with the next phase of the plan. As far as he was aware, Galen had never actually met Max before today - and as he looked down at the man, who was borne past him by two squadron members, he felt nothing. Max was just another target, another item on a report. ”Inform the Warmaster we have B-2 in possession.” he asked Levik, referring to Max by the name given to him for this mission, as he walked through the gate at the rear of the Palace wall.

Stepping into one of the speeders, Galen activated his commlink a final time ”Exfil.” he commanded calmly down the line, as, like a shoal of fish scattering before a rock thrown into a pool, the speeders went their own way.

They ould zip across the city. Many ISB agents would remain on the planet for the next few days, some for weeks, to ensure their cover was not blown by the sudden departure of eighty service personnel in the same hour. Galen would take Max with him to their shuttle, and they’d be gone within the next few minutes - the exfil practised and trained for at length, down to the last detail.

Mission accomplished.

/exitthread, with Max

 

[Levik Karn]

The relief was palpable in Levik's voice as he confirmed the order he'd been given, "Roger. Informing Warmaster we have B-2 in possession." but to send such a signal off planet and ahead of Lieutenant Terco's arrival with B-2, Levik needed to find his own way. In concordance with the exfil plans he entered a different speeder together with a female peacekeeper under his command and they sped off and away from the capital city.

About an hour into their journey they would stop at a designated spot where she had hidden a long-range communicator. Out of sight, but with his fellow peacekeeper on watch, Lieutenant Karn opened a line with Imperial Command for this sector, which would relay the information to ISB headquarters and eventually to the warmaster himself all before Lieutenant Terco and designation 'B-2' were their shuttle and casting off.

"Contact R to C for LGD. We have B2. Enroute to rendezvous."

He destroyed the comms unit afterwards and a few hours later they booked a room in a town on the outskirts of a spaceport-town. Newlyweds. The next day they'd continue their vain honeymoon tour across the galaxy.

@Alhon @Nor'baal
/ END THREAD