Secret Motives

[Cardinal Paroaria]

Cardinal waited in one of the many meeting rooms located on the first floor of the Estate. Cardinal had arranged a meeting to discuss the plan for the attack of a rival gang. No one had showed up yet, except his rival. In the middle of the conference room, a long table lay, chairs neatly organized on both sides of the table. At the head of the table, Cardinal sat, his back straight, glaring at the person who sat directly opposite of him. Cardinal rubbed his hands, the man on the other side of the table was number three, and the only member within the Paroraria Mafia who held the same rank as Cardinal. Cardinal's entourage filed into the room, and a minute later, his rival's men came in. Cardinal stood up, and greeted everyone, his grim look turning into a smile. "Welcome everyone, please have a seat." Cardinal watched as the men and woman took their seats. Cardinal sat back down, and took a sip from a glass of water positioned directly in front of him. Arranged on the table were plates of food and drinks. Cardinal set the glass back down, and acknowledged the awkward silence. He had offered a moment to see wether his rival wanted to speak. Several moments passed, and people nervously glanced around. Cardinal spoke up, "We are going to attack a rival gang. This gang has consistently harassed our shipments, and needs to be put down. I have put together an operation to put down these fools. I have sources that have informed me that the gang are planning to attack one of our smaller bases today. I went ahead and informed the base of the attack, and to proceed normally. We will go to the base, and attack the gangs."

@Equinox @Wall @Pyrenees @KinkyPrawn

 

[Aurelie Fleury]

Long time no see, it was certainly a thought that passed through the young woman's mind as she entered the room and saw Cardinal rising to his feet by his seat at the short-side of the table, right where a director would be at a board meeting. She threw a quick glance at the one opposite to her ally - that one she did not recognize. Although it wasn't too hard to guess that it was one of his relatives, considering their similarities in appearance and the fact that they were indeed meeting in the Paroaria Estate. And judging by the tension in the room, it was more than likely not a relative he got along with too well. With that, she could understood that the situation might call for something a little more formal than a casual wave and a "Hiya mate!"

Naturally, Aurelie entered the room together with Cardinal's delegation, but this time she didn't come alone. The girl was now working for Hask Jen as his co-pilot and having a rough idea of Cardinal's plan, she knew that her captain would be an invaluable member of the team - and the employer of the day seemed to agree as Hask was getting paid for his participation too.

The clothes she came dressed in would allow her to fit in anywhere but the most extreme environments like luxurious galas or among the homeless sewer dwellers of Coruscant. The thief had hidden her blaster underneath her jacket well enough and kept her vibroknife at the ready, already having loaded it into the N.E.V.D.A hidden underneath her sleeve. She kept her back straight and head held high in addition to letting her hair out of its ponytail as they entered the room - this seemed like the occasion where a person either needed to look respectable & well-kept or rough & tough. And she didn't do tough very well. "Thank you, it is a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Paroaria" she said with a gracious nod and then looked towards her ally's rival and greeted them with a smile and a nod too.

Aurelie stayed with her captain if he felt like greeting more people, but after that, she walked over to the chair immediately to Cardinal's left and stood by it until he sat down himself. His plan sounded good enough and even if there were disagreements, this didn't seem to be the time or place to object. With that, she simply remained in her seat in silence while regarding the others in the room.

@KinkyPrawn @Wall @Equinox @Brick

 

[Hask Jen]

Hask knew that his services would be asked for when he signed up to join in on a life of crime, though he didn't expect to be working for a mafia any time soon. Whatever the case may be, they needed the credits and what better way to make some easy credits than to flex a bit here and kill a bit there for some crime boss.

At least he wasn't going in alone. He was following closely behind Aurie as they walked through the doors with a bunch of other people that he did not recognise at all. In his typical nature he wasn't very well dressed for the occasion, with his durasteel armour, poncho covering his body and weapons, and of course his Pureblood face he was standing out like a sore thumb in between all the crime bosses, gangsters and other...interesting individuals. Though in a business like this one had to put on a 'tough guy' look every now and then and he was most certainly doing it right, judging by the looks he was receiving by the other guests.

"Thank you for the invitation, Mister Paroaria." Hask said politely as he stood next to Aurie by the table, waiting along with everyone else for the crime boss to sit before sitting himself. When they finally got seated, Hask placed his helmet on the floor next to him and proceeded to take a long sip of the water in front of him. He was essentially flying blind in this conversation, so he ultimately decided to just sit back and observe until he felt the time was right to speak up.

@Brick @Pyrenees @Wall @Equinox

 

[Titus Kold]

Titus entered the room the same time the rest of Cardinal's associates flooded in. He took a long look at his surroundings and instantly knew this was nothing like an "Outer Rim business meeting" usually consisting of beer, girls, and blasters. Everyone present seemed dressed to kill in either meaning of the phrase. Perhaps he should have worn something more formal than his old synthleather jacket? Hell, even the pureblood didn't dress up and still fit the atmosphere just by being Sith.

None-the-less he wasn't raised in the outer rim and knew how these events worked. He made his polite greetings to the other guests via a respectful nod and personally greeted his boss, despite the greeting just being for formality. The kid already knew he would be there. "Mister Cardinal, thanks for havin' me, Boss" he chimed, offering the usual customer service smile he had perfected over fifty years. With his pleasantries completed, he took his place beside the rest of Cardinal's party. He quietly double checked his trusty DH-7 to ensure it was still safely concealed in his belt, before sitting at Cardinal's order.

After sitting, Titus remained quiet in his chair recovering from the fact that even the chair was more dressed up then he, but more so not interested in starting the dangerous game of which Paroaria family member can he piss off first. Either way, he knew the kid always had a plan and a backup and didn't feel his input was needed.

@Brick @KinkyPrawn @Equinox @Pyrenees

 

[Katra Bell]

Katra skulked near the back of the group, distinctly (and probably visibly) uncomfortable. It wasn't the people around her she was wary of - or at least, no warier than she was of anyone she didn't know she could trust - but rather the environment itself. It was just so... clean. She knew slums and filth and gutters better than anyone in the room, she'd wager, but in a room like this, a ragged and half-starved urchin stuck out like a sore thumb.

Still, she was here because Cardinal (the Cardinal, she called him in her head) had decided that she had something to offer the Black Tails and that put her on even footing with everyone else here. She nodded to those she recognized - a very few, none whose names she knew except the Cardinal himself - but for the most part lurked at the fringes of the room until it was time to be seated. At that point, she picked a seat with a comforting view of the door she'd entered through, fidgeting with the vibroknife in her sleeve.

She listened silently to the Cardinal's explanation of the meeting, waiting for someone else to speak or a more detailed plan to be explained. Her particular talents laid in thievery and sneaking, so she assumed there was some part of the plan that would allow her to play to her strengths.

@Brick @Pyrenees @KinkyPrawn @Wall

 

[Cardinal Paroaria]

Cardinal smiled and nodded in acknowledgement to Aurelie Fleury, a person who had helped Cardinal rise several times. Cardinal also nodded at Titus and Katra. Both helped Cardinal successfully rob a bank. A new person Cardinal noticed aside from the men and women part of the other Sub-Boss’s group was a tall red skined alien. A friend of Aurelie named Hask Jen. Cardinal knew some of Hask Jen and that he was part if the exchange, and used to be a Sith. Cardinal glanced back at the other Sub-Boss in the room and waited to see if he had any input, he remained silent. Cardinal continued, “Objective is wipe out the attackers, and do not let anyone escape. This time there is no need for anyone to be spared.” Cardinal said refering to the his first mission of taking a base. The men and women they captured were present in the group, and now absorbed into Cardinal’s gang. “We need to show the other gangs we are back and we are powerful. We will send a message not to mess with us by killing everyone. Myself and Sub-Boss Boris will lead the attack. Its really simple just kill all the gangsters. You know your job, lets take a break and go get geared up. Meet back here in 10 minutes to load into the trucks.” A “woorah” was chanted throughout the room. People got up and left going to the restrooms, or talking to friends. The other Paroaria told his men to come to him. Cardinal got up and waved for Katra, Titus, Aurelie, and hask to come forward, plus his four guards. Cardinal knew seven were completly loyal, and he could trust them. Hask was different, but if he interferred with what Cardinal was planning, Cardinal would have his head. “Ok i first want to say thanks for all coming. Hask Jen nice to finally meet you, i have heard great things from Aurelie. Ok what im about to say next, listen carefully. The objective is to yes, defend the base from the rival gang, but also in the fight Boris needs to disappear. It needs to look like a mistake. Its only a matter of time before he challenges me, and he is the only member with the same rank as me. Short story, he has to die. I dont care how, but do it.” Cardinal said a grim look on his face. His hand guided to one of his lightsabers, willing to use it on anyone who betrayed him. Cardinal had practiced alone how to use the saber, of course he wasnt as good as a Sith or Jedi, but it still gave him power and an advantage over ajyone willing to step in his way. Cardinal didnt need an excuse to kill one of his men. He was the boss anyways, or soon to be, he told himself.

@Equinox @Wall @Pyrenees @KinkyPrawn

 

[Aurelie Fleury]

Aurelie took note of the others who sat down by the table along with herself and Hask. The older man seemed nice enough, a pleasant smile and a generally matching demeanor. She couldn't help but to feel that there was something off about what she saw, but putting a finger on it proved to be quite challenging indeed. As of now, he just looked like the perfect grandfather she'd never had - perhaps a little worse for wear, but that wasn't something which the thief minded much.

The other girl, appearing to be even younger than Aurelie didn't seem very comfortable. In some ways, Katra reminded the young woman of herself. With a friendly smile and a nod, she greeted the others while Cardinal was still talking - perhaps they'd be fortunate to run across each other in the future.

There didn't seem to be any need to stand out, which resulted in Aurelie simply staying with the group and doing whatever it did. Soon, Cardinal called them over to share his real plans. She threw Hask an awkward smile as the crime lord told him that he'd heard great things from her. "I might've elaborated a little over text when he offered the job. But just a little!" she chirped enthusiastically as she tried to explain how little she had said about him. It didn't take long for her to pipe down as Cardinal told them to listen carefully. He had quite the treacherous plan - this was not about retaliation, this was about cold-blooded murder which made her less comfortable than she had been just a few minutes earlier. Regardless, there was no need for her to speak here either. She remade her ponytail and was ready to move out along with the others.

@KinkyPrawn @Wall @Equinox @Brick

 

[Hask Jen]

Being force sensitive, and a pretty decent one at that, Hask was able to pick things up in the room that no one else could. The old man that looked like he's been to hell and back that still managed to hold up a fake smile was one of things, though Hask didn't recognize him from anywhere. But there was something else in the room, something that he could feel through the force. A few seconds later he heard a soft, feint whistling. Something he hadn't heard or felt since...he last encountered an untrained force sensitive.

He scanned the room, until his golden eyes fell on the young girl that looked even more out of place here than himself. There was something about her that reminded him a lot of Aurie. For a second he thought that they were perhaps related, but the resemblance wasn't nearly as accurate for that to be true. But the presence came off her, that much he established. She was most definitely a force sensitive. He was paying too much attention to the strange guests in the room with them that he almost completely shut Cardinal out. He regained his attention just in time as Cardinal told everyone to take a break and called him, Aurie and the other two over.

He rose from his seat and walked over to Cardinal along with the rest. With how he spoke, it seemed that he was familiar with the others, especially Aurie. Aurie's quip caused a small chuckle to escape him. "Well as long as it was all good then I'm happy. Pleasure to finally put a face to the name, mister Paroaria." Hask spoke cheerfully, but remained quiet as the gangster explained the master plan to him. What caught Hask's eye was the strange hand gesture...and the unmistakable form of a lightsabre as he stole a quick glance. An interesting weapon for a gangster to wield. Whether he could actually use it was a different story entirely.

"Accident, huh? Should be a walk in the park...might have a 'tool' for the job. As long as our deal holds up, mister Paroaria, you can rest easy." the Pureblood spoke casually, but with confidence. He rested his right hand on his hip as his robotic left hand held onto his helmet. Trying to make something look like an accident would be tricky for a normal person...but at least Hask was no normal person by any stretch of the imagination.

He slid his helmet over his head, stealing a curious sidelong look at the young street urchin and grizzled old man from behind his visor before pulling the hood of his poncho up, ready to move out.

@Wall @Equinox @Brick @Pyrenees

 

[Titus Kold]

Titus had always been a people watcher and his curiosity loomed on the Sith. He knew of the species enough to stay clear of them almost entirely, rumors of child snatching and the likes. What brought this one to a life a crime, he wondered? More importantly, Titus questioned the Sith's interest in the kid Katra whom he caught the Sith glancing at longer than the rest. The kid seemed like an average street urchin trying to reach the stars. She reminded him of himself at a younger age. The thought ran through Titus's mind that he would be willing to gun down the Sith in her defense if he had to, but it was quickly interrupted as Cardinal called a recess.

He joined the group huddled around Cardinal to listen to the real plan. There was always something not quite on the level with these mafia types, but it was always something exciting and worthwhile. A smirk emerged as Cardinal mentioned killing the other mob boss. "If Big Red here doesn't do it first, I suppose I can make it work." He piped out with a shrug. It'd just be another dead body to haunt his dreams, and he was ok with that.

@Brick @KinkyPrawn @Equinox @Pyrenees

 

[Katra Bell]

As the Cardinal spoke, Katra took a moment to size up her companions. Titus she knew at least a little, and she shot him a wry grin when she noticed his pensive expression. He seemed worried. Don't be, she wanted to tell him, we can take care of ourselves. As she followed the old man's gaze, she felt her skin prickle. Her eyes landed on a red-skinned alien who seemed to be regarding her rather intently. She could feel something off him - a sense of solidity, and the weight of his thoughts. What he was thinking remained a mystery to her. The woman next to the red-skinned man nodded, and Katra returned the gesture before tuning back into the Cardinal's briefing.

When the Cardinal asked a few others to hang back, Katra fell in near Titus. "The red-skinned man won't hurt us," she murmured, quiet enough to not be overheard. She didn't know why she was so confident of that, but she was. She listened to the Cardinal's plan and nodded, already thinking of scenarios that could lead to a tragic accident for Boris.

@Brick @Pyrenees @KinkyPrawn @Wall

 

[Cardinal Paroaria]

Cardinal glanced at each member. They all answered in the affirmative of doing the deed. "Fantastic, i don't care how he dies, or who does the job, i just need it done. Remember, don't be seen and get it traced back to me." Cardinal said. Cardinal nodded and walked past them. "Alright everyone, recess is over, back to business. We have three hover trucks waiting outside, and several ships outside. Choose whatever, just make sure it comes back the way you found it, no more no less." The men and women who had left for a break had come back a little before Cardinal had said his words. A few seconds later, they all went outside, and filed into their trucks and ships. The leadership of the Mafia, meaning only Cardinal and his rival moved into a truck. Cardinal's men moved in with him.

@Equinox @Wall @Pyrenees @KinkyPrawn

 

[Aurelie Fleury]

"Well as long as it was all good then I'm happy" Aurelie smirked at her mate's comment. Of course it was all good, she could hardly imagine herself talking ill of Hask. And of all people she could possibly share her ill thoughts of her captain, doing it with someone such as Cardinal certainly wouldn't happen. With him, it was best to just remain loyal and not start any problems - the man payed well, afterall. (@KinkyPrawn )

The older man quickly lost his perfect grandfather status as soon as he felled the comment about her Sith friend. The young woman couldn't help but to feel like there was a scent of hostility which the man directed towards Hask. Mostly since Big red, although fun and creative, was rather far from how a person would normally address their new Sith ally. With that, Aurelie crossed her arms and gave Titus an annoyed glare while trying to look as menacing as she could. The other girl whispered something to him, but what the contents of the communications was couldn't be heard - and with that, Aurelie kept glaring on the man until Cardinal spoke again. (@Wall + @Equinox )

The thief looked to Hask as the group was dismissed to go to the transports. Remembering the last time she had worked for Cardinal, the girl knew what method of transport she did not prefer, the truck. "Alright, off we go!" she said as they parted, her quickly heading for one of the ships.

@Brick

 

[Hask Jen]

"Big Red". Rather catchy name although he wouldn't be caught dead giving himself that nickname. He eyed the old man through the helmet's visor, lightly chuckling as he also felt Aurie's anger rise next to him. The girl next to the old man whispered something to him, but the Pureblood couldn't hear what. Either way, as long as they didn't get in the way there would be no problem between them.

He looked back at Cardinal as he spoke further, giving them the order to move out. Aurie didn't even give it a second before she broke off and headed to one of the ships. Hask gave Cardinal a nod and fell in close behind Aurie and caught up to her, walking right beside her to the ships. "Don't worry, Aurie. Let the man say what he wants, as long as he doesn't interfere with us or the job, there's no need to get angry." he spoke softly to her to try and calm her down. His hands disappeared under his poncho as he made sure he had all the essentials on him for the mission.

He followed Aurie to the outside and boarded one of the transport ships. He took a seat right next to her and secretly hoped that he didn't need to share a shuttle with the salty old man...

@Wall @Equinox @Brick @Pyrenees

 

[Cardinal Paroaria]

The ships and trucks started on their journey, and in a few hours, they arrived, minutes before the rival gang arrived, unleashing hell. Already, the shooting was starting and explosions could be heard. The ships landed, and Cardinal's soldiers ran out to join the fierce battle. "LETS GO GO GO!!!!!!!" Cardinal ran out of the ship, blaster in hand. Bodies from both sides were already littering the ground, and the rival gang was beginning to move back. Cardinal could see his rival Sub Boss alone, shooting at some of the gang's men.

@Equinox @KinkyPrawn @Wall @Pyrenees

OOC: Skipping Equinox and Wall b/c it's been a superrrrr while.

 

[Aurelie Fleury]

Exiting the ship wouldn't feel as risky as leaving the truck did last time, knowing that Hask could probably take care of any bolts flying their way until she had gotten into cover. Unlike last time, however, the battle seemed to be raging on everywhere, as they didn't have a group of Mandalorians to keep the grounds clear and droids which could accompany the thief as she went off to calmer areas to aid in her own way.

She may have been a thief or a scoundrel, but describing Aurelie as an assassin or a murderer would be quite misleading. She scurried in behind one of the trucks and observed the battlefield for a while, noting how there was a divide between Cardinal's men on the east and his rival's men to the west. There was, however a more mixed group in between them, which connected the two lines and worked to create a united front against the enemies.

Turning to Hask, the girl said "I'll keep'em busy" before rushing over towards the rival's lines, dodging from cover to cover as she moved. Once she reached the middle group, Aurelie started firing a few shots in the direction of their enemies and slowly made her way westwards until she was finally located. From her position by the west flank's troops, the young woman made sure to fire at enemies further away from their sector, making sure to draw the attention of the foes who were currently fighting the middle and eastern groups. With the increased attention from their enemies, the western flank started collapsing and had to make several retreats. While this could give them a long term advantage, Cardinal's rival had to commit all his men to the defence and would eventually be on his own by the back lines. This was what the thief had been aiming for as she kept firing off a few shots from behind her cover.

@KinkyPrawn @Brick

 

[Hask Jen]

Hask leapt out of the ship, immediately igniting both lightsabers and deflecting a bunch of bolts as he covered himself and Aurie. He stayed close, following her and taking cover behind a nearby truck along with her. The lines were pretty clear, with the only mess being in the middle as the two gangs fought at close range. What made it so convenient was that this is where Cardinal's rival was located.

Aurie said that she would keep them busy, allowing him to figure out a plan to take him out. Eventually one of their flanks collapsed and the rival diverted just about all his men to reinforce the broken flank, leaving him alone. The fire started getting more concentrated and more bolts started coming at Hask and Aurie. He kept deflecting it in all directions. One bolt came a little close to the rival leader, causing him to turn around and look at what imbecile was shooting so close past him, giving Hask a perfect opportunity to strike. With them rather out of sight from other friendly troops, there would be no witnesses other than Aurie and maybe Cardinal that could see what Hask was about to do.

Hask focused with the force and as another bolt came their way, Hask deflected it and hit the rival leader square in the chest. He spun around from the recoil and collapsed to the floor, heaving one last breath before going limp. To keep up the act Hask pointed to him and shouted to a nearby gangster after drawing his attention. "The commander's down! Get him out of there!" he barked as he deflected a bunch of bolts once again.

No one saw where the shot came from. No one saw which way he was facing when he went down. Only thing people saw was the body of the former leader of the gang being dragged to safety as others provided covering fire.

@Brick @Pyrenees

 

[Cardinal Paroaria]

Cardinal shot a man in the face, and ducked behind a crate. He turned his head towards the rival and could see Hask, deflecting bolts. The next thing Cardinal knew, his rival had been shot dead, and was being dragged towards one of their ships. Cardinal smiled, job well done. Cardinal's army was pushing back the diminishing numbers of the rival gang, and soon enough, there were no survivors left. Everyone regrouped, and cardinal said, "Well done, folks we won the war." Cardinal nodded to his special squad.

@KinkyPrawn @Pyrenees

END THREAD