Ask Nar Shaddaa Stealth and Secrets

[Lore Togrud]

Lore finished changing out of her black suit. She felt infinitely more comfortable in a looser tunic and leggings, a shawl with a hood, and soft leather boots. She paused before coming back off her ship to where Katherine was waiting, and ran her fingers through her short hair. She took a deep breath in and out, grabbed her bag, and stepped out. She had opted to leave her rifle on the ship. When she stepped down, she closed the boarding ramp behind her.

Her datapad had gone off with a simple mission from one of her more frequent clients while she and Kat had been walking back to her ship. Lore had felt generous in the moment (or maybe that was the alcohol speaking) and had invited Kat to come along with her. She tossed Kat a change of clothes, similar to what Lore had on.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat marveled at Lore's ship. Studying its contours and trying to riddle out why it was built the way it was. Ultimately, however, her lack of experience with starships and their construction did not allow her to glean any secrets from it. Awesome! She thought because she had nothing else to say about it.

She was struck from her musings by a soft impact against her head. She startled and violently whipped her hand at her attacker, only to grasp the loose bundle of clothes in a death grip. It took a moment to realize what it was, but when she did, she sighed deeply. "Thanks!" She exclaimed, summoning a smile. Kat simply put the clothes on over her shorts and top and twisted left and right to make sure she could still move. "So, where are we headed?"

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

"There is a remote building in the less populated areas of Nar Shaddaa. We are going there to free a prisoner taken hostage by a rogue syndicate member; the person in question is my client's secretary although I believe it may be more than that," she said, explaining the situation. Her client was a well-to do person on Coruscant who was not too good for scandal.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah! I've been fixing for a good fight, and beating up the local thuggery sounds positively therapeutic!" She exclaimed, pumping her arms and flexing her biceps. "So, how are we getting there? What's the syndicate? Where are we going?" Kat asked, rapid-fire. She didn't necessarily expect answers but was prepared to follow Lore regardless. Lore is turning into a good friend, Kat thought. None of her other friends brought her to seedy places to fight people.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore smiled at Kat's excitement. "We are going on my ship, so get on," she said, walking back up the ramp. Her ship was large enough to hold multiple people and some cargo. "I'm just going to enter the coordinates into the ship, the journey won't take long." she said. She paused, turning around halfway up the ramp. "Keep in mind this is a stealth mission so silence is of the utmost importance," she said, holding up her forefinger to emphasize her point.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat giggled and ascended the ramp. Starship travel will never lose its novelty, she was sure. The allure of flying wherever you wanted in the universe was powerful for the former slave; she would get her own ship, and she was adamant about this fact. She mimed, zipping her lips and throwing away the key, but the big smile never left her face. She took a seat and watched Lore go about her flight checks with her usual attentive curiosity.

"You're the boss, boss lady! You just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it. I'm sure I can sneak around with the best of them!" She said boldly. She did have experience evading detection from enforcers on her homeworld whenever something was going down, but they always seemed to catch her eventually.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore smiled. Kat’s happiness was infectious. Once she had entered all of the coordinates, she set it to autopilot and turned to face Kat, who was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat. “So, where are you from?” She asked. She didn’t know a lot about Kat but the girl seemed nice enough. It was a nice distraction to go on a simple stealth mission, so she wouldn’t be thinking about Karin or going to Glee Anselm in two weeks.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat shrugged and attempted nonchalance, but a trained eye could see the tenseness in her body. "Couldn't tell you, there were so many different names for it, and none of us could ever agree what the planet was called." Her eyes misted over, and she blinked. "Besides, I don't think I'll ever find myself back there anyway. I can't read any of the maps, and I crashed the only ship I had access to on Tatooine not too long ago," She said. Her smile dimmed.

She looked at Lore, visibly considering something in her mind. "There was this site I worked at just before I turned twelve. It overlooked this big open lake, and under the water, it was absolutely filled with crystals! It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen during midday, and the palace we built gave the perfect view from its balconies," Kat said, looking a little spacey. "Have you ever seen anything like that?"

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore considered the girl before her. “No, I haven’t,” she said softly after a while. “It sounds beautiful,” she said. She saw the tenseness in Kat’s body but didn’t press; there were many things she was not telling Kat and it didn’t matter. “How old are you?” She asked her.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat blinked and returned her gaze to Lore. "I'm seventeen. You?" She asked, curiously. Whatever Lore might have replied with was interrupted, however, by a flashing light and soft tone from the flight console. The display showed their descent into the city. Kat shook herself and flexed her jaw, standing and stretching out her arms and legs. "So, how are we going to do this? Sneak in through the vents? Maybe cut open a window?!" Her excitement and pitch built with each outlandish thing she thought of.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Before Lore could share her age, her flight console lit up, telling them they were almost there. “You are going to follow my lead,” she said. “This building we are entering is somewhat of a fighting pit, not as brutal as some others, but still dangerous.” Lore turned to Kat and an idea occurred. “Take the clothes I gave you off so you are wearing what you had on earlier,” she said, before turning to her ship to land it in a hangar. Droids immediately moved forward to refuel it and repair anything that needed repairing.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat adopted a flat look as Lore talked. She sniffed imperiously but a smirk still crawled onto her face. Finally, she shrugged and began removing the clothes Lore had given her. She had an inkling of Lore's plan, and her heart started to beat faster at the thought of fighting. Her hands flexed, clenching and unclenching into fists as adrenaline seeped through her body. Still, she smiled again and nodded her acceptance.

"Lead on Boss!" She said, sloppily saluting again.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore smiled. “Ok, now put…” she said, digging around in the back of her ship, before finally pulling out what she needed, “these cuffs on,” she finished, holding them out.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat's smile froze on her face when Lore brought out the cuffs. She suddenly had the very intense thought that Lore might have simply been leading her into a trap. She replayed their interactions over in her head, scanning the other woman up and down. Athletic woman, met by chance, wearing a self-professed fighting suit.

She stood and took a few steps back from the other woman, angling her body so that her profile is thin, with her right leg in front of the other. "Lore, why do I need the cuffs?" She asked, absently running her hands over circular scars around her wrists.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore paused when the girl froze up. “It’s part of the plan,” she said. ”It’s a fighting pit,” she said. “You’re playing the prisoner,” she continued. “I promise I’m not taking you captive,” she finished.
@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat glared, considering Lore's words. Some tension left her body but she remained watchful regardless. "I won't lock them," she warned dangerously, taking the handcuffs from the other girl. She placed them limply around her wrists, tightened just enough to be semi-convincing, before she absently threatened "And don't think I can't break you, locked or not."

She didn't feel good about threatening a new friend, but it was important to let Lore know where Kat stood.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore considered Kat for a second. She could understand why the girl would not want to be locked up; she obviously had uncomfortable history. But, in order for this mission to succeed, Lore needed her to cooperate. She genuinely did not want to hurt the girl; and she needed her to know that. "Look, Katherine, I will not hurt you. We of all people know how to lie our way through the galaxy; this just needs to be done to finish the mission. No one will believe you are a prisoner if I bring you in with unlocked cuffs. Please, cooperate with me, and I promise you will be rewarded. I can give you money, if that's what you want; or I can even take you around to a couple different planets," she said.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat made a noise in her throat, the high-pitched whine of a cornered animal. She had to fight to keep her breathing steady and to keep herself from getting hysterical. She knew this situation couldn't possibly be common. There were so many coincidences that lined up to put her in this position, that her heart screamed enemy action.

Her mind, a more logical part that wanted to trust a new friend, absently locked the manacles by pressing them against the ship's bulkhead. Her eyes were wide with adrenaline because she might very well have doomed herself, her voice was shaky when she spoke, "Let's just get this done quickly then."

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore smiled almost sadly as she watched Kat's internal struggle. "Thank you," she said, giving the girl a gentle smile. "I need to change," she said, before disappearing into her personal quarters. She changed back into the skin-tight black suit and pulled on her armored boots. She grabbed her rifle and slung it over her shoulder, and pulled her hood up over her short, dark hair. She snapped a black mask in place over her nose and mouth and walked back out to where Kat was waiting at the bottom of the ship's ramp. She smiled at Kat, her dark blue eyes glinting. "Let's make this worth it," she said. She was honestly ready for a fight; she had been idle for too long.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat sat back down in her seat and waited patiently for Lore to get changed. She didn't like the cuffs, but there was no use lamenting it now. Besides, she wasn't lying when she said she could break Lore, even with her hands tied together. She just needed to direct her bad feelings at the mooks in this fighting pit; maybe one would be a willing target for her frustrations?

She moved to the ramp just as Lore emerged and returned a tentative smile to the other woman. She wouldn't be comfortable until she was free again. Still, she would play the role she needed to. It was disconcerting how easy it was to return to the posture and attitude of a beaten slave girl. She hunched her shoulders, stood a few steps behind Lore, and looked down at the ground, waiting for Lore to take the lead. "We have places to be mistress," she simpered, glancing up with a wink.

@Reylo4evr