Open Hacking the Unhackable

[Vizim]

Vizim decided that of all the worlds he had visited, Manaan was one of the nicer ones. Lots of sun, good resorts, fresh sea food, and pretty friendly locals.

He leaned against the railing overlooking the water, his typical brooding-style clothing left behind this time in favor of a much more relaxed set of casual wear and with only a few small concealed knives instead of his typical arsenal. Weapons on Manaan were highly regulated and fights were incredibly frowned on.

Vizim took a deep breath of the fresh, sea air as he waited for Cinere and his contact a - Zilkin - to arrive. Zilkin were an odd species, but he had a set of skills that Vizim had need of on multiple fronts, so he simply leaned against the railing and waited.

He turned around and started watching the people walk by as he took a drink of his lightly flavored fruit water. The galaxy was full of odd people. The Selkath were a strange species, and the fact that they had managed to avoid open war for most of their existence was shocking. And yet, they always seemed to be at the center of someone's designs. It was interesting, and yet the galaxy had all but left them alone. Good for them, Vizim thought.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

Cinere was likewise dressed casual, a pair of black shades covering his eyes, white hair spilling out among his shoulders. He'd even gone the length to cover the bruises on his face to give him a more lively appearance. He knew that this mission would need discretion. His lightsaber had been left behind--instead he was carrying a small concealed switch-blade. He didn't need more. He had the Force.

He moved through the crowds of people toward the spot he'd be meeting the two, looking for the man he'd heard described in the briefing. He stepped up to Vizim casually, stopping and reaching out his hand for a handshake.

"It's good to see you," he declared, displaying the facade of two businessmen meeting.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

Vizim nodded to the other man. Titles, weapons, and posturing were thankfully left behind for this particular mission, and he saw their third approaching in the distance.

Good to see you as well, he said. And it looks like our third is just arriving as well, he said, nodding in direction of the Zilkin. Barely coming up to the knees of the two men, it didn't seem to bother the alien one bit. He had a solid reputation from what Vizim had heard and was a consummate professional.

He jumped up onto a chair and then onto the table next to the two men. I'm ready to get to work. Let's not waste any time, he said, motioning for them to lead the way.

This way, Vizim said, leading them to a set of stairs and down to a lower level along the water. There was fewer people down here and Vizim led them inside a building after a moment. It was adjacent to their target and shared a wall, which was precisely what Vizim was hoping for: a vent for their Zilkin to climb through for access.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

Their last partner arrived and the three set into motion. Cinere was in the dark from now. They arrived to a lower level and stepped into a building, and Cinere looked at the vent then at the Zilkin. The man looked back at him, and then realized what he had to do. He could tell the Zilkin was sighing internally, despite his poker face. He couldn't blame him.

Cinere idly considered the lack of law enforcement on the planet, but then again--weapons were illegal. No crime if there's nothing to commit it with. At least that meant they would not have to deal with any guards.

A door next to them hissed open quietly, and Cinere stepped inside first. They were in a dimly light hallway, the Zilkin standing by the door's console, having just opened it up. The door of the vent lay on its side against the wall, the man triumphant.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

The vent opened and the Zilkin jumped up, sliding across and into the other room. Vizim felt weird just standing there because there really wasn't much for the pair to do.

He'll get in, upload the files, and then all we have to do it get off world, he said to Cinere. It was a relatively simply job, but they weren't here for if the job went right, there were here for if it went wrong.

The Zilkin would plant false data files that traced back to the Republic. Watered down kolto for everyone but the Republic and cheaper prices for them as well. The digital footprint would lead back that way as well. All according to plan.

He's good. Works for the highest bidder, no questions asked, moves around. Used to work out of Gamorr, he said. Rumor had it he was operating on Gamorr when that Hutt had been killed back in the day, inciting the bounty on lightsabers by the Hutt Cartel. Long and ancient history at this point, but you couldn't really believe rumors per se.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

"No kidding about that," he said in response to the assessment of the Zilkin's abilities. "Always nice to work with professionals." Never mind that working with a mercenary made Cinere mildly uncomfortable, considering their alliance hinged on credits and nothing else. The possibility of being backstabbed due to a counter offer was never too high, but also never impossible. Though that clearly would not be the case today.

"Gamorr? T--" He was interrupted as he sensed movement around the corner, the echoing of footsteps ringing out. A man turned the corner a few moments later, his face a mask of confusion.

"Err...I'm sorry, are you guys maintenance? We've been waiting on someone to fix the algorithmic logic unit for weeks!"

Cinere looked at Vizim, at the Zilkin, and then at the man.

"Yes," he replied, words dripping with persuasion. "It will take a while though, so make sure to turn around and avoid this area. Also make sure to let anyone you meet know that it is closed for maintenance. We wouldn't want anyone prowling around and getting zapped by exposed wires."

The man nodded. "Yeah, thought as much," he agreed, a strange glint in his eyes as if the words he were speaking had been planted in his mind. "Thank you, gentlemen."

With that, he turned and left.

"That solves at least one problem."

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

Vizim glanced back at the man that had been persuaded to go elsewhere. Vizim looked back through the vents to the Zilkin who had managed to climb through and work on the terminals on the other side. This had worked out this time, but he didn't want to risk another intrusion.

Let's start a diversion outside, he said, moving his head to motion to Cinere to come after him and outside.

He headed along the water again, ascending outward and up to the front of the buildings they had just exited.

See that guy over there, he said, nodding in the direction of a man sitting by himself at a caf shop. I'm going to get him to bump into... that guy, he said, pointing with his head toward another man.

Wanna convince guy 2 that he's in a real bad mood so a fight breaks out when guy 1 bumps into him? he said. Simple mind tricks, less violent than a murder, and enough to draw attention away from the buildings with luck.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

Cinere followed Vizim outside, saying nothing, but smiling as the plan was laid out before him. He nodded.

"Yeah," he declared. "I can do that." And it would be fun.

He strode up to the guy in question, waving at him as he closed the distance.

"Hey," he greeted as if the two were old friends. "Haven't you just had the worst day?" His words were not a question, they were a declaration.

"Uhh...I gue--oh! Oh yeah, I have had just the worst of days."

"And you are so tense that you could take it out on just anybody"

"And I am so tense that I could take it out on just anybody, truth be told." The man shrugged.

"In fact, if someone were to knock into you right now, you are prepared and eager to resort to violence."

@Phoenix

 

[Kara Zaa Fenn]

Vizim's post

• The vent opened and the Zilkin jumped up, sliding across and into the other room. Vizim felt weird just standing there because there really wasn't much for the pair to do.
  
  He'll get in, upload the files, and then all we have to do it get off world, he said to Cinere. It was a relatively simply job, but they weren't here for if the job went right, there were here for if it went wrong.
  
  The Zilkin would plant false data files that traced back to the Republic. Watered down kolto for everyone but the Republic and cheaper prices for them as well. The digital footprint would lead back that way as well. All according to plan.
  
  He's good. Works for the highest bidder, no questions asked, moves around. Used to work out of Gamorr, he said. Rumor had it he was operating on Gamorr when that Hutt had been killed back in the day, inciting the bounty on lightsabers by the Hutt Cartel. Long and ancient history at this point, but you couldn't really believe rumors per se.
  

The Zaa Fenn Crime Family had been looking for ways to extort the large intergalactic governments, albeit on the downlow, and the KnowOnes had come up with the perfect idea: disrupt the flow of kolto. If the slicer's collective could plant a dataplague in the kolto processing units and stop the flow altogether with a press of a button on Coruscant, then they could extort almost the entire galaxy.

One of the KnowOnes' newest members, LEO404, was send to Manaan and she had been using her port scanner to find an opening that -suddenly- presented herself. Kara was able to hitch a ride with another slicer who seemed to have found a direct access point. She immediately realized from the other slicer's movements that she might be watching an extortionist's wet dream in the making, so she recorded everything.

It seemed like what this slicer was attempting would be taking a while, though, so Kara made herself comfortable and readied her own dataplagues to be uploaded either simultaneously or after the other slicer left the system. There was no point in getting detected, after all.

Kara was in a nearby building where she had rented an apartment. Her blaster, which was registered, had been confiscated for the duration of her trip planetside. That was fine, Kara never liked to shoot anyway.

@Phoenix @vamp

 

[Vizim]

Vizim approached the other man, reaching out with the Force to press on his mind. He could sense the man's anxieties and frustrations, amplifying them and bringing them to the surface.

As he reached the man, he moved his fingers ever so slightly. You're going to bump into the man in the green shirt. Your frustrations can be taken out on him, he said. The man repeated the words quietly and got up to walk across the small open area before bumping into the man as directed.

Hey, watch where you're going buddy, the man said, one step short of a shout.

Meanwhile, within the building, the Zilkin was still at work, leaving fingerprints that could be followed, but not too obviously to point back to the Republic.

@Eccles @vamp

 

[Veles]

Cinere had barely just finished his sentence when the two men collided, and the guy he'd just spoken to did not even comment--he just swung. A crippling right hook hit his victim's face, but the other man was not having it. He threw his whole body onto the assailant and the two toppled, colliding on the floor in a writhing mess. Blows were landed and missed, and a crowd was quick to gather.

Several law enforcement officials pushed through the crowd to get to the scene. They intervened, practically dragging the two men from each other. All seemed well until both men began throwing out punches at the police, and surprisingly landing them.

"Code 7! Requesting backup!"

@Phoenix @Eccles

 

[Kara Zaa Fenn]

Vizim's post

• Meanwhile, within the building, the Zilkin was still at work, leaving fingerprints that could be followed, but not too obviously to point back to the Republic
  

LEO404 watched how new data files were uploaded and read them. When cross-referenced with the documents in the same maps she quickly deduced that someone tampered with processing and financial reports for kolto shipments going out. The only one not affected by it seemed to be the Republic. It would be interesting to explain the discrepancy of the actual kolto received and the credits paid, when the local datafiles were compared to the business partners. Either the Republic was trying to influence future deals or this 'evidence' was supposed to be a smoking gun.. either way, LEO404 was flagging all new and altered documents.

She also started a tracking dataplague on the other slicer so she could identify his datapad and then send a message to it later. If he was as good as he seemed he might be open to join the infamous KnowOnes. if he wasn't, well, Kara could delete all the datafiles he uploaded and restore the ones he altered if he didn't pay the credits she wanted.

OOC: round 1 of 2
@Phoenix @vamp

 

[Vizim]

Vizim was satisfied by the distraction as guards from the main building focused their attention on the scuffle outside, and the Sith slipped back around toward the waterfront again.

Inside the building, the Zilkin was just finishing up his work, not wanting to linger any longer than necessary. Kara would get her recording of what had happened, and even get partial access to the system. However, as soon as the Zilkin unplugged, it would become clear that the core data files were not typically online files. Access to rewrite what he had done wouldn't be so easy as pushing a button remotely. It was why the Sith had had to break in in the first place... and hire someone small enough to fit through the tiny vent.

Should she choose to, she could still bring down much of the system for a time and implant her own code to disrupt the flow of kolto and blackmail Manaan or the FWA.

Let's get out of here, he said, replacing the small vent in place. He'd need to remember this guy for future jobs. Top tier contractor.

They closed the door behind them, heading out toward the waterfront once again and into the light of the sun. Now just time to check into a resort, order a couple of drinks, and get some sun.

//Exit @Eccles @vamp