Ask Securing Gains

[Nathan Braxon]

BEGAMOR, EQUATORIAL DISTRICT​

Nathan tightened the chrono on his wrist, fingering the lapels of his summer suit and stretching his neck in the mirror. Afternoon drizzle was beginning to rattle on the panelled windows, but he paid it no mind. This was a big day, the first step on the next ladder.

He headed out the hotel suite and to the elevator. His longtime head of security, Stamper, waited for him at the end of the corridor, keying the call button as the Senator approached.

”Is he here?” Nathan asked, barely giving the security chief a glance. They knew each other so well by now that they could communicate with minimal explanation.

”On his way Sir, but now is a good time to get you down there”. The bell dinged and the doors slid open, Stamper moving in front of Nathan to clear the lift before he entered. “It’s shift change and a man on the service level reports all clear”. The Senator nodded. While it was public knowledge he was staying in the Esquire Hotel, the meeting he was about to have was anything but. As always, prying eyes had to be avoided.

They took the elevator all the way down to the service level, where Stamper led the way to a rear loading bay in the bowels of the hotel. Their other man was waiting for them, nodding and keying the door to let them through. The square loading bay was quite small and dimly lit, but secure, only a small frosted window and a heavy shuttered door besides the one they had entered through. Stamper did his checks nonetheless.

Nathan surveyed the dust and grime with a raised eyebrow, careful not to get any of it on his outfit. It never ceased to amaze him the back alley places this life took him, but part of him loved it. He located the whisky he’d had brought down from the top shelf, pouring himself a measure as he watched the shuttered door.

Skyshatter - if that was even his real name - should be here soon.

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

A burly man stepped through the door just as the contact had poured himself a drink and his hazel eyes shifted toward him inquisitively as his hands were brought forth beneath fur cloak to shake his drenched robes. Shifting his gaze from the contact to his security figure head, he pulled off the fur cloak, tossing it aside as he revealed the blackened armor he wore and the Saber that swayed with his motions beneath before he spoke, a heavy accent found upon it.

"You Nathan?" He questioned right of the gate, taking seat at a lingering table and motioning for his host to pour one for him as well. "Word is you've got a job for me. Details?"

Lok wasn't much for mannerism. He was blunt and to the point, leaving words of education and chivalry to the poets and bards. Nor did he mix business with pleasure. He was here for a job. That's how intended to keep it.

@Alhon

 

[Nathan Braxon]

The guy did turn up. Unfortunately, he then saw fit to throw off his coat, sit down and demand a drink. Nathan gave him a cold stare. He was either bold, or he had a death wish.

“No, I’m the night cleaner” he answered sarcastically. ”You Lok?” He asked, reversing the question. “Word is that you’re sat at my table and we haven’t even been introduced”. Stamper stiffened, but Nathan gave no word to intervene.

Instead, the Senator simply stared at the man. “Right now is when I’d offer you a drink” he said “but as you‘ve already demanded one…“. Nathan poured a measure for Skyshatter, sitting down at the table but pausing before handing him the glass.

”Straight to the point, I respect that” he said, flashing just a little of his trademark smile. ”But we’ve a little time to get to know each other properly Lok - may I call you Lok?”. The merc had already called him Nathan, enough to have him killed in another time and place. But the Senator was prepared to roll with it for now.

”I gather you used to be a beast rider” Nathan continued, handing him the drink and leaning back, swilling his own. “Now a pretty accomplished hunter?”. He already knew what he thought about those claims, but he was interested in Skyshatter’s account of himself.

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

Lok smirked as he took the drink and slammed it back before sliding it across the table to the man before him for another as he shook off the cold. There was a small glimmer in his eye as he looked at the youthful Senator and with a stroke of his beard, he replied.

"You can call me 'your majesty' for all I care if the credits are right." Lok chuckled from beneath his stare, shifting his gaze briefly from Nathan to his man Stamper and back to Nathan. "But yes. Beast Rider, Jedi Knight, Hunter Extraordinaire. There's no reason for me to hide who I was and who I am."

As he spoke the last portion, Lok exaggerated the emphasis with his hands as the titles he once and currently held, signifying that he cared very little for such things, only about the jobs he took and the pay he saved for a rainy day. "And you are the pragmatic young Senator whom many envy with both lust and hatred."

Lok stroked his beard again, but the smirk remained and his gaze never swayed. He liked a man who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty in person. It meant there was no middleman to be dealt with and the information would come straight from the Krayt's mouth. In truth, he was surprised by this very notion and it piqued his interest immensely. "I would hate to be in your shoes."

 

[Nathan Braxon]

Nathan regarded the empty glass with an impassive face.

“That there was a Polusian Malt” he said, with a tone that could be fury or indifference. “Not intended for downing. Fine things are hard won, Mr Skyshatter“. He did so despise those who wasted them.

After a moment, Nathan nodded to Stamper and the security chief took the glass and refilled it, handing it back to the mercenary with a deliberate look.

Nathan chuckled at the hunter’s assessment of him. “Well the tabloids do witter on about one lust or another” he smiled. The local press certainly never gave up trying to undermine him, which the sector tabloids were fond of guessing his love interests. “But hatred, hardly. Over a million people put me in these shoes”. Nathan had actually garnered just under a million votes, but who was counting.

The Senator leaned back, draining his own measure of malt and motioning to Stamper for a second. “You’re a smart man, so I won‘t spar with you unnecessarily. You’re right of course, million voters or not, they’re two million who wanted someone else. Who still want someone else”.

“Chief among them is my defeated rival, a woman by the name of Elspeth Berg”. Nathan hunched forward and took a sip, the fiery liquid burning like the disdain he held for the bitch. She had deserved to be defeated and yet if he did not bury her for good, she would rise from the ashes. “I have much to do, for the good people of this world. I cannot do it looking over my shoulder”. His meaning was implicit. Berg had to be eliminated.

”I have secured a meeting with her, though not for the reasons she expects”. Nathan ran his tongue along his teeth, excitement threatening to disturb his usual composure. “We have mutual rivals too“ he added “Berg and I. I will go to my meeting and once it is underway, you will attack and kill her, bearing their insignia”. He produced an orange armoured patch and slid it across the table.

If all went to plan, it would appear a minor faction had tried to assassinate them both. Nathan may have to take some flesh wounds himself, to make it plausible, but it would be well worth it. With Berg dead and his other rivals implicated, his position as Senator would be unassailable for years to come.

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

Lok looked down at his drink and then back to Nathan. He took a simple swallow this time, smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth and his cheeks both at the same time, this time taking in the effect of the alcohol. Placing the drink down before him, his face would express his compliments as he spoke.

"Polusian Malt, you say? Meh, Alcohol is Alcohol. You can't put a price tag on a good time. You just enjoy the moment."

And Lok wasn't kidding. It could have been fermented Bantha piss and it would have had the same effect on him. Downing the second glass, he sat it down and casually interlocked his fingers as he placed them upon the table. The Senator had been upfront with him, so it was time Lok returned the favor.

"Speaking of good times, my friend....It's been awhile since I've been hired to assassinate someone. Could be fun to change the pace of things. I'm in."

 

[Nathan Braxon]

The Senator’s dark eyes flashed. “Good man” he smiled, giving the hunter a hard look.

”It won‘t be a cake walk of course”. That was an understatement, Lok was likely to be killed if he was not up to the task. “Elspeth is still furious, and she has always been paranoid. We are meeting at her place in the coastal chain, a high security villa hidden deep in the jungle”.

Nathan traced the fine cut carvings in the whisky glass with a finger. “You cannot sneak in on our shuttle” the Senator explained “she will have guards, and sensors screening our arrival. You know the wilds; you will need to use that knowledge to reach the villa through the jungle”. Nathan knew it was a tall order. A quick incursion over such hard ground would defeat any but the strongest.

“Tell me you’re up to it” he said, slowly chinking the two empty glasses together “and we go”.

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

Lok smirked, leaning back and staring upon the Senator before him as his fingers made a rolling tap upon the table's surface for a brief moment before stopping.

"Sounds like a picnic compared to Dxun." He spoke, a serious overtone eclipsing his usual chuckle. Dxun had been home for some his life, but not all. Still, however, it's scars remained ingrained both upon his memory as well as his physical form. "I can leap from your ship after entry if you can get low enough without arousing suspicion, or you can loan me a ship. Either way, I'll be at home in the Jungle."

An eye brow raised. "I suppose you want this to happen up close and personal within your presence?" He let the question sink in, gauging the man's reaction. "If so, I'll need to know what her overall defenses look like. Sentries, automated defenses, etc. Don't want her retreating before I can get close enough to run her through."

Grasping the insignia, he looked it over. "Get me that, and I won't fail you."

 

[Nathan Braxon]

The Senator considered, looking over at Stamper. After a moment, the security man nodded.

"So we drop you from our ship outside the perimeter" Nathan agreed "though know that if it goes wrong I will deny all knowledge of some reprobate clinging to my hull. You will likely be shot as a trespasser and if not Stamper will shoot you himself before you can open your mouth". He traced a finger around the rim of a glass, as if talk of cold blooded murder troubled him little.

"I'll get you the details of her defences and sentries once I am inside" he added. Nathan thought he felt Stamper stiffen slightly when he made that particular promise; the man would be wondering just how. But there were many things the young aspirant kept to himself. "You can be sure they will be formidable" he said, standing and buttoning his jacket. "But you've made a promise not to fail Mr Skyshatter, let's see if you can keep it. Stamper will let you know our departure details".

Nathan headed out to make ready, his pulse racing just a little under his collar. The board was set and the pieces were moving.

------​

A little over ninety minutes later and Nathan's diplomatic shuttle banked low over coastal waters, shimmering in the twilight. The ship rose as an island approached, sailing just above the jungle tree tops as it made its way towards two forested peaks.

"Are you ready, Mr Skyshatter?" Nathan checked quietly over the internal comm. The mercenary was lodged somewhere in the shuttle's undercarriage, likely freezing his tits off at this speed. The Senator did not much care, as long as the man had remembered to wear the orange armoured patch that was crucial to Nathan's misdirection tonight.

The Senator by contrast was still in his summer suit and shades, even though the sun had all but gone down. "We are coming up on Berg's security perimeter. Stamper will drop you just outside. Make your way in close as fast as you can, preferably without raising any alarm. As soon as I'm inside the villa, I'll let you know what you can expect deeper in".

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

As the man stood to depart, Lok would remain for a few flerting moments before departing himself. And yet, as the two motioned to leave, Lok would leave both with parting words of his own as he sat back and let the affects of the alcohol numb his mind. "My word is my only honor. And I keep my mouth shut. I was a Jedi after all, once."

And with that, the two made their departure and Lok would let a good half hour pass before he too made his own. In truth, the audacity of the Senator's doubt rubbed against his grain as a man. But Nathan was young, and Lok had seen more than his share of a singular lifetime for there to be any doubt within his own. If this was his mission, he would not fail nor would he give up his employer.

During the hour he had to kill, Lok wandered to the darker recesses of the town and enjoyed himself for the brisk moment and would likely show up to their second meeting a little more blitz than before, but still coherent and skilled. Lok had his reasons, but they were his alone, and the trip would provide the much needed sobering. "Copy" He replied in response just before he was dropped.

The evening was turning out to be a nice one for a simply stroll. Even as Lok, swaying a vine into his hand through the Force, he couldn't help but enjoy the crisp air and the fresh smell of the Jungle. And as he made his landing, he noticed the stars and how clear the sky was amidst the new moon. "The Drexl has landed."

With that spoken, he begin his way toward the security perimeter and the job ahead, his gaze shifting to the badge upon his coat before back to his forefront. He looked forward in placing it within the Senator's palm. Meant the moment would be over and the deed done. It was a heavy burden to carry, taking a life. But it was necessity. One life to affect millions. This was the name of the game that forged him long ago. And he still enjoyed playing it.

 

[Nathan Braxon]

Skyshatter dropped with barely a word in the end. A nod from Stamper was all Nathan had to confirm the mercenary had landed safely. He could only hope Skyshatter was as good as the intel suggested. More rested on it than he would like to admit.

The shuttle crossed the perimeter and a short while later swung low to land on the rooftop landing pad. The villa was vast, built into the hollow between two jungle mountain peaks. Elspeth felt safe here, surrounded by land she owned, people and defences she had bought and paid for. Nathan would delight in striking at her where she felt unassailable.

They were met by Elspeth’s people on the landing pad. The harridan herself was not present of course, she thought herself too important for that. But they led Nathan to her eventually, leading him to first floor glass-panelled office that looked out across the dark jungle.

Elspeth Berg sat ensconced behind a large desk, her back to the glass balcony, blaster proof no doubt, but tempting fate all the same. She acknowledged her staff’s introduction of Nathan, but did not look up. So petty, the woman had no class.

“Governor” Nathan said, infusing his voice with every ounce of warmth he could muster. “What a place you have here. Is that an integrated AI?”. A purple geometric projection hovered over one end of the desk, presumably representing the complex’s AI.

”Senator” Elspeth replied quietly, every syllable seemingly prized from her mouth with great effort. Nathan knew she hated him. His success. His youth. His nouse for the currents of modern politics. “Amberle yes. She is the most up to date available” Elspeth sneered, slowly closing her data terminal. “Expensive, but you can have a look at least”. She almost shoved a small data pad across the desk, containing AI Amberle’s system specs.

”Just a look” Nathan smiled, feigning agreement. Of course he could afford the damn AI. His forebears had squandered the family wealth, but as Senator Nathan was rapidly rebuilding their position. Elspeth by contrast was a fading force, if only she realised it.

”Well now that is a moon“. Nathan nodded over Elspeth‘s shoulder, forcing her to turn her chair and look out at the looking moon in the night sky. The few moments were all the Senator needed. As his rival turned to glimpse the moon, Nathan gripped the data pad in his hand, his eyes closing briefly as he concentrated hard, as he had so many times in the past.

It was a strange gift, one he had never fully understood, but one that had helped him countless times in advancing his aims. He saw the data pad in his minds eye, delving deep into the micro cables and connections inside it to take hold of the energy flow. He told it he was a friend, reaching past its defences for the information he needed.

His eyes opened again, but he read and absorbed the information on the screen faster than any normal person. Elspeth’s sentries and defences were all integrated assets, logged by her security network. Nathan saw and understood their placement immediately,

Now to get that information to Mr Skyshatter, somewhere out in the jungle.

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

To say that Lok felt at home in the underbrush of a Jungle world was a slight but profound understatement. Within the dense undergrowth, he was no more than a spirit lost its ever longing shadows. He moved without a sound, blended in with it, and became nothing more than another beast of the jungle with his presence. He was nothingness within it, but a part of it's entirety as a whole.

Grumbles and movement within the Jungle was nothing akeen throughout the night and within his trek across it. Even the air was as rigid and flowing as it was on any given night. And with the new moon overhead, only the stars illuminated its vastness. He would be able to move about it without interference nor notice. It was a fortunate night indeed.

As he moved across the threshold of the perimeter's lining, Lok would stick to the treeline and use the heavy undergrowth to his advantage, avoiding many of the sensors and sentries as he made his way toward his target. Every now and then, he would adjust his gear and let his mind flow across his field of view through the Force as he took in the information. Not even the AI would notice his movements outside that of the usual animals that roamed freely. And the animals would only notice him akin to their own and pay him no heed.

But as Lok moved closer inward toward the Governor and the Senator, as expected, it would grow harder and more aggressive. With the comm device still active, he crouched beneath some foliage and gazed out across the night. If there ever was a time to get the information to him, now would be the time. With his perked for the information, Lok waited in complete concealment.

 

[Nathan Braxon]

“It’s the same moon we both grew up with” Elspeth said coldly, turning back around. “There’s so much wrong with you, Nathan. But as far as I know you‘re at least Begamorian?”. She was understandably bemused by his strange interest in the sky.

”Oh of course it is” he smoothed, ignoring her insult “but it almost looks different out here, away from the glare of city lights”. He smiled, but as expected she only looked at him perturbed. If she was tempted to comment further, she resisted the urge, tapping away on her data terminal.

”You know, it was a long shuttle in” Nathan said “and you clearly need a few moments to finish off”. He rose before he could protest “so I’ll just pay a visit to your rest room, then perhaps we can make a fresh start”. He threw her a smile but marched out of the room, motioning to Stamper.

Once in the restroom, Nathan quickly swept for bugs and cameras and when he found none he fired up the comm. “You know my voice” he said simply. There was no sense identifying himself if he didn’t need to. “There are six in the grounds”. Skyshatter would know that meant six guards “but their intention will be focused outward. Each has a keycard; you will need one to approach the villa walls without setting off any alarms”.

The Senator closed his eyes, recalling what else he had absorbed from the data pad. “There are cameras inside and out, though fewer out. I may be able to interrupt those inside, but you will need to avoid or disable those outside”. He listened out, knowing Stamper would keep anyone from the door until he was done. “Berg’s glass office is blaster proof, but there is a secure fire exit stair to the side, and a skylight above. Most of the staff in here are administrative, but there are four guards dispersed throughout the building”.

Elspeth would be waiting. “Enter silently, strike fast. Her head and neck are unprotected, perhaps all”. He did not mention the need for Skyshatter to give Nathan himself a flesh wound for appearances, but he had a feeling the mercenary would remember.

Nathan keyed off the comm and exited the restroom, exchanging a look with Stamper that conveyed a thousand words.

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

Lok remained quiet as he took in the information and dedicated it to memory. There was nothing to be said in return, nothing spoken at least. He now held the complete scope of his mission and he would see it through to its end. At least, he hoped as his gaze turned toward the sky and the villa below. Six on the grounds, 4 in the main villa. Cameras could be a problem, but unlikely. Keycarded access. It would take finesse, but Lok was confident. It was nothing he had never seen nor took part in before. After all, War had been his greatest teacher compared to the pompous louts that sat upon the Council.

For all their reasoning, they chose what battles should be fought, those who should die, and what was the greater good. They were useless and as corrupt as any Sith he had ever faced. In all the battlefields and within every mission he partook, the decision fell solely upon their shoulders, the blood of so many upon their hands, away from the horrors he endured and no true connection to those they sent to the slaughter nor the repercussions of it. Lok took a breath, feeling the memories of the Jedi Order overwhelm him. He could go on all day about his time as a Jedi Knight, but this was not the time nor the place for such a story.

But in the context of the moments that would follow, it was one that needed to be hinted at. For it would set the scene behind Lok's perspectives and show how a Jedi could become so indifferent with killing and yet find very little sway from the Darkside.

Like any soldier of any war, there was a precipice that his very soul stood upon and pondered quite often of its meaning and its intent. To kill so casually and never falter from one's beliefs in the inevitable end was something all understood with dire consequence. To understand that a single life taken could save millions, billions, or even trillions of sentient life and yet feel unharbored by the life one was to take. It was an altered state of mind as it was of being. And for Lok, it was his only state.

Lok would reel and revel in his power over the Force as he stood below the Villa's walls, a hindered darkness within him aching to take control as he allowed its reach to grasp at the neck of the sentient above him, and with a quick snap and lift, drag the body to his feet. It was effortless, and yet, each time Lok turned toward his darkness callously, it would take a part of the dead man that resided within Lok's shell and leave his taxed by its touch. And each time, Lok found himself thrilled and exonerated by its power. He would fight the madness of it, but remember why he truly grasped upon it's existence.

He would never forget that day. Nor those months, those years, both the happiness and the pain. It was the day his soul died within him. It was the day he fell from grace. It was the day he became the hunter that is Lok Skyshatter. The Jedi had placed the darkness within him, and it was through them that Lok became a killer. If it was the Force's Will that those chosen to die could not escape their fate, then they would die. If it was in their fate to survive, perhaps it would be at his own ending. He wanted to truly see how dark the Force had become.

Keycard in hand, Lok scaled the wall in a mighty bound, stepping atop it's brick and mortar beneath an overhanging limb that settled upon his blackened form amidst the centered new moon, a shadow within the shadow of a shadow. His blood still boiled and his presence was slightly faltered by the growing darkness within him as his breath became focus. And yet, like that of a field mouse, he still remained largely unnoticed. Even if the camera facing the villa had managed to captured his presence, it would appear as nothing more the swaying tree amidst the breeze.

Five men remained on the grounds where six was once counted. Their rotations were localized, so he wouldn't be seen by their gaze two that remained upon the wall with him and three in the grounds below. Comms check, however, left him a small window to count down. Fifty eight minutes would be the time he had. Fifty eight minutes to end yet another life and keep the casualties to a minimum. As the camera nearest him began its sway opposite the direction he would take, it was a straight and unhindered beeline for the wall's access to the Villa and his target. Letting the Force flow through his form, Lok took a sprinting run, nothing more than a silent blur within the shadows of the night as a swirling gust roared across the scene.

 

[Nathan Braxon]

As Nathan walked back through towards Elspeth’s office, he noted the internal security camera squatting up in the corner of the hallway. He had assured Skyshatter that he could help with the internal network, but it was not without risk. Considerable risk.

But he could not leave open the possibility of all this footage surviving. The aftermath of tonight would be combed over, likely by more than one public enquiry. There could be no loose ends.

The Senator flashed Stamper a look, another one the big man understood so very well. They passed under the camera and as soon as they were out of its scope Stamper put his back against the hallway wall, crouching until his muscled thighs were at a right angle. He cupped his hands and Nathan put his polished shoe in the handhold, his bodyguard lifting him up to reach the camera.

Nathan stretched up and closed his fingers around he base of the camera, eyes closing briefly as he focused on the thing, hIs consciousness connecting with the extended internal camera network. Maybe it was his determination to succeed, but it was surprisingly easy to trick the thing into recalling the footage from two hours earlier, replaying recordings of empty hallways and few goings on.

Stamper lowered him down without a word, but Nathan clapped the man on the shoulder in thanks, sidling back into the office to Elspeath’s fake sigh. “So tell me” he mused, sitting himself back down. “What will it take for you to stop hating me?”.

He had cleared the way for Skyshatter now. He could only hope the merc arrived soon.


@Mythos

20/20 for tech trick success

 

[Skyshatter]

Hiding in the shadow of the Villa, Lok pulled out the armored patch and fixed it to his pauldron before he swiped the keycard and made his way in through the fire escape. The inside of the fire escape held different branching exits throughout the floors, but at the top sat an open view of his target's office. But as he sat in silence on the lower level, Lok heard a familiar sound.

Ca-clank, Ca-clank...

It was the tell-tale sign of someone in the fire exit above him. Not to draw unwanted attention, Lok would remain in silence.

Ca-clank, Ca-clank, Ca-clank...

With the echoes of the stairwell, it was hard to tell which direction it came from, the sounds of foot falling upon the metallic steps as it either ascended or delved hastening his heartbeat as he drew his TL-50 to the ready.

ca-clank, ca-clank, ca-clank, ca-clank....

That was his moment. The sound grew lighter and Lok knew it was ascending the stairs. In rapid movement, Lok too ascended the stairs in near mimicry of the stair above him until they had all bu disappeared into the complex, or at least he had hoped. Still, he kept the Repeater drawn and his finger aside the trigger.

And yet, his heartbeat did not let up, the thumping of it echoing into his ears and mind, hastening more as he climbed further upward until he felt it stop a brief and subtle moment as his eyes met that of the guard behind his hidden face from below. And rapid blaster echoed from the stairwell.

One would land center mass, another shoulder, and the finality of the burst between the lifeless gaze. But Lok was too far in to turn back now, and his target sat right before the Enforcer's falling form. Charging her form, he let loose another burst in rapid succession as the plasma tore through her body and she fell silently before @Nathan Braxon.

Not a word was said as he pointed the TL-50 directly at his employer and let loose a single burning beam of heated plasma across the man's ribs to mimic a missed shot before turning toward his target and throwing down the patch over her lifeless face. Hearing the resounding klaxons and the pitter-patter of approaching curiosities, Lok made not attempt to wait around and be seen. Descending back into the stairwell, Lok made a beeline for the landing pad.

Nathan, of course, would likely be delayed momentarily, so him as a means of escape was improbable. No. Lok would have to steal one. It wouldn't be the first time, and certainly not his last. And to play the part of an advisory, Lok would have to slaughter any that got in his way. After stepping out onto the landing pad and engaging with the outside forces, Lok quickly located a transport belonging to the Governor, Lok made his exit. Hyperdrive damaged in escape, Lok would need to find the nearest spaceport as the trailing smoke followed him and disappear amidst the masses.

Spoiler

Assassination and Escape: D20/10 - Partial Success in both endeavors, but with casualties and alerting.

 

[Nathan Braxon]

A twitch of Elspeth’s eyebrow was the only sign Nathan got that he had unsettled her with his directness, but it was still satisfying. He was known for being the consummate politician, not for charging in, and the woman was wondering what his new game was.

”You know” she said, half-seething as she slowly closed her data terminal. “You know exactly why we hate you”. She took liberties suggesting her narrow clique were a true ‘we’ but he let her go on. “The arrogance. The entitlement. The lies”. She began to wag a finger at him in spite of herself. “We are close you know, close to bringing your whole house of cards down on you”.

Nathan believed her, believed her enough to reach across the desk and strangle her himself right now. But a clatter behind him signalled Skyshatter’s arrival. The mercenary burst into the room so suddenly the look of surprise on the Senator’s face was quite genuine.

He allowed himself an almost sensual intake of breath as the blaster bolts slammed into Elspeth and put an end to her for good. Then he turned to look at Skyshatter and managed a half-hearted cry for help before the man pulled the trigger in his direction and a burning sensation at his ribs sent Nathan sprawling to the floor.

It was several long moments before the villa staff reacted. Nathan eventually felt strong hands helping him to his feet, but he shooed the guards away and demanded they chase down the attacker. With their employer dead and the Senator the only figure of authority, they quickly danced to his tune.

Stamper stayed with him of course, covering him as he casually swiped Elspeth’s data terminal and stowed it for transit. From the chatter on the comm, Skyshatter had successfully made his escape, but Nathan made a show of seeming wounded and in shock for the cameras.

He held Elspeth’s cold hand for a long while, until Stamper eventually helped him towards the door. Nathan took a final look back, glancing at his rival’s charred body. She had been the future once, but he had leapfrogged her and taken more than she ever dreamed.

He was only just getting started.

@Mythos

/End