Dilapidated Discernment

[MoreThanSane]

"Another, gentles?"

"I'd bloody love another, hon. Been si'in 'ere all day I 'ave, waitin' for thish joker. I 'alf-thought 'e was a bloody tease, har!"

"Not a tease, my friend, just late." Sergeant Aelianus Atratinus watched the Twi'lek waitress walk off, making her way between grimy tables that filled the dark, smokey establishment from wall to bloodstained wall. He had the feeling that it was entirely legal, but then again legal had very little meaning in the Undercity.

His green eyes darted back and forth, missing nothing. Despite the lack of proper lighting and the horrible Togrutan-jazz band in the far corner, Aelianus kept tabs on every patron in the small club. There would be no use in making the trip all the way down here simply to have his prospective informants knifed in the back.

"Either way," said the scraggly short man sitting across the booth, "you're gonna love what I 'ave ter say. Absholutely love it."

"I'm sure I will."

"Absholutely you will." He leaned in conspiratorially, yellow teeth seeming to glow. "I gotsh proof o' murder."

"Is that so?"

He nodded emphatically. "Sho it ish!"

Aelianus sighed and smiled as the waitress set a full glass of ale in front of him. As she walked off again, he picked it up and flung it into the man's face. "Get," he ordered. The man scrambled out of the booth and ran out the exit. "A waste of time." Aelianus turned to the man sitting next to him. Terrsyn Pearot, soldier extraordinaire, obviously bored out of his mind. The man was an an astonishingly skilled killer, but this sort of low-level intelligence work wasn't what he was trained for. "Who's next on the list?"

 

[Cassanova]

TP was sitting there. He looked horribly out of place. He'd taken some of his own civilian wear and coupled it with some of his gear from his modular combat uniform. He'd pretty much just kept his vest, and pistol holster, which of course was fitted with his K8 pistol. Much to the Private's distress, he was instructed not to bring his rifle and as such, he was nervous.

Nonetheless, he was assigned as a set of eyes and as a trigger to the operation in which Sergeant Aelianus Atratinus was running. The details: need to know. TP didn't need to know. Usually in situations like this, people get curious. However, TP had gained a quick understanding of the idea that if you don't want to know the answer, you don't ask the question.

"Who's next on the list?" The Sergeant asked him. TP snapped out of his microsecond trance and focused his attention to a thin piece of paper he had been given. Upon it was a list of possible sources or assets that were potentially at the disposal of the Alliance - or at least thats what TP figured.
"Vera Prentiss - You probably know more about her than I do..." he shrugged, and stuffed the paper into his pocket, again letting his hand to fall upon his pistol. It may have been holstered, but it was fully charged, and the safety was off... TP was ready for the worst, and had expected to see it at every turn. Nine times out of ten he was right. Perhaps this was number ten and he was wrong?

 

[Holiday]

Vera was taking a risk and she knew it. She should never have come back to this place, the Underworld of Coruscant, but she knew she​

had obligations here. She had promised people she would return, and now she also had the opportunity to attempt to uproot one of the bigger gangs of the Underworld. She had heard about Galactic Alliance personnel being here, but for what reason she knew not. Nothing escaped the eyes and ears of the Underworld, and if you had the credits or the connections, you could get whatever you wanted.

It didn't take Vera long to spot the two Galactic Alliance personnel, sitting in the far corner of the cantina. She approached the two of​

them cautiously, keeping her hand off of her blaster pistol for the time being to show she meant them no harm. She was curiously dressed, with a black-and-yellow flight suit covering the top half of her body, though it only had one sleeve, and a pair of pants covering her legs. The pants were angled at such a way that a small portion of bare skin of her hip was shown, where the flight suit didn't cover. Bright blue tattoos adorned the left side of her arm, the exposed arm, in peculiar designs, and her hair was a similar blue color. She took a seat across from the two soldiers in front of her.

"I suppose you two were the ones I was told to meet," said Vera, leaning back in her seat. She put her arms behind her head and​

continued to eye the two men sitting in front of her. "I'm not sure why, but if nothing else, maybe we can help each other out." Vera had no intention to leave a potential lead for help untaken. She also thought that if these two didn't want to help her simply because of their inclination to do so, and their duty to do so none the less, then maybe the idea of having a gang leader in the clutches of the Galactic Alliance would help sweeten the deal for them.

 

[MoreThanSane]

"I probably do," Aelianus said, nodding toward a woman who'd just entered. She was short, slim, with blue hair and probably a few years younger than him, dressed in a yellow-and-black flight suit, a pistol on her hip. She moved with a seemingly unorthodox, yet quite fascinating, grace. Not like the street bum who'd been with them prior. "That's her."

The woman sat down across from them.

"Yes, perhaps we can." He scowled slightly. "You know, we've been sitting around in pubs and cantinas for hours and I haven't met one person with an ounce of promise. You, on the other hand, have that glimmer of relative intelligence. My patience is wearing thin, but you've intrigued me. So tell us what you want, what you've got, and we'll see how things go from there, all right?"

 

[Holiday]

A smirk slowly crept across Vera's lips. From the way she was being spoken to, she already liked this man. Hopefully his companion was​

just as interesting.

"To the point. I appreciate that," she said as she sat up straight from her relaxed position. Her eyes darted around the room, scanning​

for anyone who looked more suspicious than normal. She knew that there were informants everywhere, and no one's words were safe. Now was a time for extreme caution. She set her elbows on the table and looked into Aelianus' eyes. "I have information on how to get into the base of operations for one of the largest gangs operating down here, the Bloodhawks," she said in a hushed tone of voice. Again her eyes darted around the room, and not spotting any immediate danger, continued to speak, "See, this is where we help each other out. I have a personal vendetta against the Bloodhawks, and if all works out, I get my revenge and you get a crime syndicate leader for your Galactic Alliance. It's my understanding that while you Gee-Ay types may not care much for those of us here in the Underworld, I figured a major mob boss might be nice to have in your possession." Vera's eyes stayed fixated to Aelianus' as she spoke, showing just how serious she was about her information. Now all that she could do was wait to see if he was interested.

 

[MoreThanSane]

He cocked a brow. This was the sort of thing he'd been looking for. Not proof of murder like the last idiot had been offering; he'd seen four people murdered since he and TP had reached the lower levels, and several more mugged. Gangs, though--they were getting bad. Starting to reach upper-level citizens, corrupting justice systems, lowly officials. If he could find a way to stop their creep toward the surface then that was excellent. If he could eradicate them, that was even better. Either way, the Alliance benefited.

He didn't allow any of his relief, nor his eagerness to seep into his expression. "He may be. The question however, Miss Prentiss, is whether you are telling the truth. And not only that; if you do have this information, what do you propose we do? Shall we simply walk into this Bloodhawk base? Shall we simply ask their leader to come along quietly? I sincerely doubt this information will prove valuable to us."

Contrary to his tone, Aelianus had no qualms with doing exactly as he had suggested. But he wanted to see what this Vera Prentiss thought. And what she wanted in return.

 

[Holiday]

Caution and integrity. Vera was beginning to like him more and more, though some part of her felt irked at the idea that he didn't trust​

her information. She soon realized that is was misplaced frustration; they were in the Underworld. Trust was not easily found down in the pits of Coruscant.

"My intelligence says there is an old service corridor leading straight to a hallway, connecting straight to the communications room and​

administrative room," said Vera. "My plan was sneaking in through this old service corridor, which is unguarded. It's unguarded because it used to be sealed, but thanks to some technologically-gifted individuals... I was able to unseal it," she continued. "I sneak in through the corridor, take out whatever guards I come across, and open the front gate. Then, yes, you quite literally just walk in behind me. I would warn you that these Bloodhawks are not to be trifled with, and things can go terribly wrong, but you're Galactic Alliance. I'm sure you've heard that on multiple occasions."

Vera leaned back once again.​

"The only thing I want," she said, "is a few moments 'alone time' with the leader. I owe the Bloodhawk leader quite a lot, if you catch my​

drift," she finished. The Bloodhawks were the ones who had attacked and killed Vera's family while they were working for another gang. She neglected to share this information with her new acquaintances, deciding that it was unimportant and irrelevant. "A simple enough request, right?"

 

[MoreThanSane]

He eyed the woman. Definitely intelligent. Prudent too. And she had determination.

Aelianus was pleased.

"Very well. But remember, he's no good to me dead." The Sergeant nudged TP and nodded toward the cantina's entrance. Four... no, five men had just entered. Two Rodians, a Tw'lek, and two Humans. They weren't common thugs, judging by their apparel and the way they held themselves. But they were looking for trouble, that Aelianus could tell from the way their gazes swept the room while their hands stayed stiff at their sides.

There were many reasons that a group of men would be looking for trouble in the Undercity. There weren't many reasons that a group of experienced men would be looking for trouble in the Undercity, aside from being bounty-hunters, and bounty-hunters didn't often travel in groups. He sighed. It was times like these that he wished Juno Armstrong were with him, with her ability to somehow immediately sense if someone wished her harm. But she wasn't, and he would have to rely on himself.

In one smooth, subtle motion he flicked a finger toward the group, directing Prentiss' attention toward them, and then loosened his G43 sub-machine gun in its shoulder-holster. "Friends of yours?" he asked.

 

[Holiday]

Vera looked behind her in the direction that Aelianus had gestured. She laughed dryly, turning her attention back towards him for a​

brief moment.

"Not exactly," she said, "and not people you want to give the upper hand." As Vera finished her sentence, she was up on her feet and​

in one quick, fluid motion had pulled out her S-5 heavy blaster pistol, taking an irrefutably well placed shot at one of the closest assassins. A shrill scream of pain pierced the airs as one of the humans fell to the ground, dead in a matter of seconds. Soon the entire cantina erupted into a cacophony of yells, panic exploding among the masses. Patrons dashed hither and thither in an attempt to get out of the ensuing firefight, the Togrutan band dispersing just as quickly. The remaining four assassins quickly found their cover, as did Vera, and soon the firefight was underway in the small location.

"Sorry if that's not what you had in mind," Vera yelled to Aelianus over the blaster fire. "Those four are closely associated with the​

Bloodhawks. They must know that I'm back for blood." Once there was a temporary lull in the fire, Vera spun around from behind her corner, firing off a couple of more shots. One narrowly missed one of the Rodian assassins, who had just ducked back behind his cover in the nick of time. The other found its mark, but not as Vera had anticipated. The Twi'lek assassin had attempted to move, but not before the blaster fire grazed his arm. Vera quickly pressed herself back behind her cover, waiting for the opportunity to strike. She looked up at the roof, the wheels in her head turning as her eyes came in contact with a ventilation shaft. She put away her blaster and grabbed the grate to the shaft, yanking it out roughly. Without speaking she motioned for Aelianus to keep them distracted; she knew this ventilation shaft met up with another one right next to where the assassins were taking cover. She would have the upper hand.

 

[MoreThanSane]

There was a sick thud as an inebriated human caught a blaster bolt in the throat and smacked into the ground just to Aelianus' right, death already in his eyes. The soldier grimaced, hiding behind an overturned durasteel table, and nodded to Vera. He peeked around the table, then squeezed the trigger on his G43. The sound of slugs being hurled through the small establishment at supersonic speeds.

His aim was nonexistent, the goal being to keep the men from hitting Vera as opposed to killing them himself. Despite this, he managed to riddle one of them as the man scrambled between tables. TP was beside him, doing a very good job of pinning down the now-frantic attackers. Aelianus could only hope that Vera was actually intending to assist them as opposed to simply escaping. Somehow, he doubted she would.

 

[Holiday]

Vera crawled through the cramped ventilation shaft, finding it difficult to breathe despite the fact it was for ventilation purposes. As she​

made the final turn, she saw the assassins below her, all in a direct line. It was the perfect setup.

Here goes nothing... she thought as she kicked out the grate on this ventilation shaft, hitting one of the assailants in the head with it.​

"I'm back, e chu tas!" yelled Vera, taking the group completely by surprise. Her boots crashed into the neck of the last human assassin​

who was standing directly below it. A sickening crack could be heard as his head smacked into the floor of the cantia, cracking it to kill him instantly. Once she had landed on the man, she pulled out her blaster pistol once more and fired off two more shots, each finding their targets. The last standing Rodian was dead on the floor in a flash, and the already downed one from the ventilation shaft grate would now stay where he was. The Twi'lek was huddled in a corner, tending to his earlier inflicted injuries at the hands of Vera. She raised up her blaster, and in response the Twi'lek dropped his, kicking it away, whimpering pitifully. Vera narrow her eyes at him, disappointed at him for taking the coward's way out. It took all of the restraint she had not to pull the trigger on her blaster and put the bolt through his head.

"What do you think?" she asked through gritted teeth, looking back at Aelianus. She hadn't asked him his name yet, which she realized​

the moment she asked the man what he thought they should do with the Twi'lek that was left.

 

[MoreThanSane]

"Atratinus," said Aelianus, noting the woman's slight hesitation. He shrugged. "You obviously know who they were. I know they were out to get you. I like you more than I like him, and I don't think he has any information that'll benefit us, do you?" The Twi'lek shook his head vigorously. "See? Simple math." He leveled his G43 at the Twi'lek and pulled the trigger, head still turned toward Vera. The slugs tore into the alien's abdomen, and then all was silent.

Aelianus slid the sub-machine gun back into its holster and buttoned his coat. "Now, I'm inclined to believe what you've told me thus far," he said as he walked back over to their booth. His hat was still sitting where he'd left it. He donned it and turned. "But I'm not inclined to trust you. So this is what's going to happen, all right? First, you're going to put away that blaster. Second, you're going to lead us to this little abandoned corridor of yours. If it checks out, we'll go ahead with your plan. It if doesn't," he shrugged, "then you and me are going to have problems."

He glanced at TP, who'd been quiet the entire time. He was a good soldier, and Aelianus was glad to have him along. He only hoped the younger man would follow his orders willingly despite the less-than-savory nature of their current affairs. If not, then they would have problems too.

 

[Holiday]

Vera could feel the rage boiling in her blood, her stomach churning with fire and venom ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice. She​

had a short temper, but she knew that she couldn't afford to be rude and lose the only people who had been willing to assist her for who knew how long. She forced a co-operative smile on her face. Despite how infuriating this man could be, she appreciated his straight forward and simplistic attitude towards things.

"I understand," said Vera as she put away her blaster. "Follow me," she said, motioning for them to follow her as she cleared her throat.​

She lead the two of them through a long serious of back alleyways and corridors, making sure to stay as far away from the main streets as possible. In about twenty minutes the three of them had arrived. Vera stepped aside to show them the door, tucked away secretly in a small alcove in the wall.

"Here it is," she said, gesturing at it. "The access panel is right here," she said as she placed her hand on one of the bricks next to the​

door. She pressed lightly on it, the brick being pushed in with her applied pressure. It lifted up and revealed a small keypad. "The code to open the door is 1 - 7 - 5 - 8," she said, punching in the numbers as she did so. Steam expelled from around the edges of the door as it disengaged and slid open. She gestured again, showing them that all that was behind the door was a long, narrow passageway. "You can even close the door and enter the code yourself for verification," she quipped. "After you're satisfied, the entrance to the hideout is to the north then east of here."

 

[Cassanova]

TP, despite being quiet and seemingly a part of the backdrop to Aelianus' and Vera's troubles. The truth of the matter, his mind was not on the mission proper, he had been given his own set of instructions. Technically the mission at hand was above his pay-grade, so before coming he had to sign several non-disclosure agreements. It didn't bother him, his mission was simple; Keep the Sergeant alive. Would've been easier with my damned rifle... he thought.

At the end of the day, TP had nothing to add to the mission, his specialty lay solely with his weaponry, and combat. All this sleuthing merely gave the young Private a headache. He looked to the Sergeant with a pleading look, "Sarge, if we're going headfirst into a base, I'm going to need a rifle..."

 

[MoreThanSane]

Aelianus shrugged at the younger soldier. "I can't help you there, Tee-Pee." He tapped his jacket, underneath which was his sub-machine gun. "You can use this if you'd like, but you'll have to give me your sidearm." Not waiting for a response, he turned to Vera and smiled. "I am indeed satisfied, Miss Prentiss. I'm also a bit alarmed by your lack of hesitation."

He tipped his hat to the odd woman. "If I don't see you again, know that you've impressed me--no mean feat." It was truth, a truth Aelianus felt he should voice before the woman ran to what could very well prove to be her death. He'd analyzed her during their trip through the Undercity streets. The way she walked, as if the common act were a dance; swift, silent, and--he guessed--often deadly. But not only that. Her eyes were always searching, always flashing. Much like his own, he knew. Very much like his own. This and more lead him to the conclusion that she had real talent.

Real talent that was about to be put to the test.

Aelianus touched TP on his arm to get his attention, and gestured for him to follow. Before turning, he inclined his head to Vera once again. "May the Force be with you, Miss Prentiss." With that, he and TP began the walk to where she had directed.

 

[Cassanova]

TP, surprised about the offer to trade weapons, nevertheless eagerly spun his K8 (a.k.a. "Katie") pistol around, presenting the grip to Aelianus. With his free hand he offered the spare power cells for the weapon. Upon being handed the SMG, TP gave it a quick assessment, and tinkered with the sights for a moment. He adjusted the strap on the weapon, and slung it over his arm and head, shouldering it tightly.

He raised the weapon up, and followed Aelianus closely, carefully checking all his corners. TP hated babysitting duty, but at the end of the day. These were the orders that were issued, and he was damned sure going to follow them to the letter.

 

[Holiday]

Vera headed into the narrow passageway, sealing the door behind her once again. She took out her blaster and kept it firmly gripped in​

her hands, proceeding slowly down the passageway. It was eerily quiet, the only sound being her feet tapping gently on the ground as she progressed. Her footfalls reverberated throughout the passageway; a good indication. It meant that there was nothing and no one ahead, waiting to ambush her. Forward she went, ever more forward, the journey feeling like an eternity when in reality it only took less then ten minutes. As she finally made it to the end of the hallway, she noticed that there was a hole in the ground; a drop down straight into administrations office where the guards controlled the opening and closing of the front gates. There had originally been a ladder there, she could tell, but they had long since taken it out since the service corridor was no longer used. She could hear people inside, and by the sound of things there were only three. She pondered for a moment, unsure if she should continue down the corridor to the communications room first, or drop down into the administrations. As she stood there thinking, she formulated an idea. She would jump down into the administrations room, let the two Galactic Alliance personnel in, and then climb back up into the corridor. It wasn't an incredibly high jump, and given her dexterity it would be easy to clear. She jumped down into the administrations room, quickly firing off three well-placed blaster shots. Her targets fell to the ground quickly without a single sound being uttered.

Perfect, she thought to herself.​

Vera quickly put away her blaster and made her way over to the main control panel for the doors, going to work. Within seconds the​

doors were beginning to open to allow the two men waiting outside in. Vera stood where she was momentarily, waving to them so that they could see she was already inside. Surprisingly there was no one in the main room where the entrance lead. Vera went back to the hole in the roof, jumping up, grabbing the ledge. She pulled herself up into the hole so that she was back in the corridor, then began to make her way back down to the corridor, but not before leaving a note for the others to follow.

Head to the communications room, taking the first corridor on your left. There may be more people in there than I will be able to​

handle, so I could use the assistance. Once you're in the corridor, keep going until you reach the third room on your right about halfway down the corridor. Wait for my signal -- you'll know it when you see it.

Vera was in her element right now. There were no alarms, there was no excessive fighting. It was all stealth and sabotage, and that​

was what she was good at. She continued making her way down the corridor, rapidly approaching the next hole in the floor that dropped down into the communications room. Once this was disabled, the Bloodhawks wouldn't be able to call for help, or even relay to everyone else in the base that they were under an attack.

 

[MoreThanSane]

Aelianus surveyed the room, brow raised, hand holding loosely TP's K8. "She certainly managed that easily." He poked one of the dead gangsters with the toe of his boot. Their hands had fallen at angles so as to tell him that they'd not even been near their weapon's triggers when they were killed. That suggested the the deaths had been swift. And then there was the fact that there were no scorch marks on the grey walls, meaning that if they had fired any shots, they would have struck Vera, and she'd seemed uninjured for the split second he'd glimpsed her. He was beginning to suspect that the woman would be of greater use to him as more than a simple informant.

He plucked her note from the floor and showed it to TP. "Come on," he said, and moved down the corridor as it instructed. They reached the third door and paused. Aelianus tightened his grip on TP's pistol and pressed himself to the wall to wait for Vera's signal.

The woman was skilled, obviously, but he wasn't pleased at the idea of having to wait for her signal. It was most unexciting. And, being in the center of a gangster base in the lower levels of Coruscant's crime-filled Undercity, the one thing he expected was excitement. He sighed. Despite all his training, ability, and genius, the boredom of soldiering was still something he wasn't used to.

 

[Holiday]

All right, boys. I hope you're in position.​

Vera dropped down into the communications room silently. There weren't as many people in there as she had suspected. There were only​

three of them, the same as in the administrations room. She grinned to herself and stopped herself from chortling so she didn't give away her position in the room. The three of them were at their own consoles, tending to their business. Two on one side, one on the other. Vera made her way over to the man who was alone on the other side of the room. She crept up behind him, taking his head firmly in her hands and, with one quick motion, snapped his neck before he could alarm the other two. She caught his body and stopped him from thudding to the floor loudly. As she began to approach the other two to take them out as well, Vera stopped momentarily.

I better give the boys something to shoot at before their trigger fingers get too itchy, she thought to herself. She took a hidden knife​

out of her boot and caught the reflection of the light above, aiming out into the hallway for Aelianus and TP to see. That was her signal, and she figured she would give them the opportunity to finally shed some blood of their own, as they no doubt wanted to do.

I can't have all the fun, Vera thought to herself, again having to stop herself from giggling.​

 

[Cassanova]

TP shuffled forward, gently blocking Aelianus' way into the room. He didn't want to be rude, but it was TP's job to take risks on this job. Pressing his weight up against the wall and peeking around the corner, he saw the light flickering off the hallway opposite the doorway. TP dropped down and scooted silently around behind the two men.

TP tapped one trooper on his right shoulder. As he turned, he was met by TP's fist. The guard recoiled which gave TP the room to reverse his arm, driving his elbow into the temple of the other guard. Widening his stance, he lifted the SMG up and gave a short range of bursts into the chest of the first guard, who slumped to his knees. A fast glance over his shoulder showed TP that the other guard was reaching for his weapon. TP slammed his hand down ontop of the rifle that was being drawn on him, and spun the SMG around firing another few rounds at point blank range into the other man.

TP admittedly took a huge risk, but had his hopes resting solely upon Vera keeping up her end of the bargain. Truth be told, he didn't even see the third man until he stood up and asserted his stance in the room. The head peeked out from behind a piece of machinery, was the only clue that Vera had been through here. Nonetheless, TP needed to report to his NCO on the matter, "All clear."