[center][h1]Meeting Zaid Vas'ah[/h1][/center] [center]collab w/ [@Honesty Crow][/center] [hr] Zaid's estate had been built in the forests near the planet's capital of Drev'Starn. It was a compound composed of several buildings with a central house in the middle. A space port sat at very edge of the compound within the walls, with a squad of about eight X-Wings. Defending the compound were two heavy turbolaser towers positioned to the sides of the main house. The moment elements of Rogue Squadron and Gold Squadron approached the compound, all the ships were contacted by a voice over their radios, [i]"You are entering restricted airspace. State your intentions or be fired upon."[/i] The voice sounded robotic and monotone. Probably belonging to one of those IG-series assassin droids. [color=bc8dbf][b]“We’re closing in on the coordinates,”[/b][/color] Nareia announced, putting an end to all immediate chatter on comms. She could make out several buildings enclosed behind large walls, and as they drew closer noticed two turbolaser towers beside the central building. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Our contact isn’t defenseless. Shields up, just in case this goes south.”[/b][/color] Rogue Group doublechecked that their shields were set to full and adjusted course behind Nareia, who veered several feet higher before beginning to encircle the compound. Tilting their ships just enough to keep it in sight at all times, they each started to examine the compound thoroughly. Not a moment later, Nareia’s eyes found familiar ships resting on a landing pad, far from the rest of the buildings. [color=fff79a][b]“Anyone else see that, on the landing pad?”[/b][/color] Rayce asked, blinking to make certain his eyes weren’t deceiving him. [color=fff79a][b]“He’s got X-wings. Why?”[/b][/color] [color=f26522][b]“I think you mean how,”[/b][/color] Kyrin corrected, contemplating opening his S-foils. [color=f26522][b]“Either he stole them, or there’s an entire unit of New Republic Pilots down there that we don’t know about. I don’t like either of those answers.”[/b][/color] [color=f6989d][b]“What if he purchased them directly from Incom?”[/b][/color] Alara meekly chose to ask, trying to find the less accusatory answer to all this. [color=f6989d][b]“We shouldn’t just jump to—”[/b][/color] In the middle of Alara’s sentence, a monotone voice—robotic, Alara could tell more than anyone—opened a line with each of them, demanding they state their business. Each of them maintained visual scanning of the compound; the rotation of those turbolasers and any movement on the landing pad were watched closely. As acting Squadron Leader, Nareia responded to the transmission for the rest of them. [color=bc8dbf][b]“This is New Republic pilot Nareia Norre requesting to speak to a “Vaid Vas’ah”. We’ve obtained information we can’t retrieve alone, and we’ve been informed by our superiors that there is no one better to crack the ciphers on this item.”[/b][/color] A mixture of authority in her tone and flattery in her plea, she hoped her explanation was sincere enough to at least get her a chance to speak to the man himself. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Forgive our sudden intrusion into your airspace, but this mission was time sensitive. My escort is with me only as a precaution against any unwanted aggressors.”[/b][/color] [color=f6989d][b]“Scan the ships. Look for callsigns, and how long their systems have been idle,”[/b][/color] Alara whispered to Zee, who chirped twice in response. While Nareia handled the communications personally, Zee would check the status of those X-wings settled below them. If they did belong to any New Republic pilots before, she wanted to know. [i]"He is expecting you. Only three of you may land. The rest, you must leave our airspace."[/i] The monotone voice replied before cutting comms completely. That was a droid with a short temper. Zee discovered that the X-Wings had just recently landed. What little they could access suggested that someone had either bought the ships brand new from the company or had somehow installed new software into New Republic computers. Either way, those X-Wings were probably not New Republic and were likely there as part of this... Vas'ah guy's security detail. Considering how much external security there was, this guy was either paranoid or very important. When the comm channel between the compound and herself closed, Nareia swore under her breath. Vaid never answered; pompousness and paranoia weren’t qualities that attracted her whether they be from allies or enemies. Wedge wasn’t happy to point out that this was the only man that came to mind when it came to cracking the data chip. Her hands were tied, and she would have to comply with those rules. [color=f26522][b]“Why just three?”[/b][/color] Kyrin was the first to speak again in their comm channel. [color=f26522][b]“Interesting number.”[/b][/color] [color=bc8dbf][b]“If he asked me to come alone, I’d be less willing to do it. Maybe he knew,”[/b][/color] Nareia suggested. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Or maybe he didn’t. That landing pad looks like it can hold just a few more ships, but not all of us.” [/b][/color] [color=f6989d][b]“Zee scanned those X-wings,”[/b][/color] Alara quickly cut in. [color=f6989d][b]“They haven’t been down there long. Nothing ties their systems to the New Republic; there’s no callsign data or coordinates related to any New Republic territories. It could just be coincidence—the X-wing is a fantastic ship; I can’t blame someone for wanting one.”[/b][/color] [color=f26522][b]“Could be system wiped,”[/b][/color] Kyrin muttered. [color=f26522][b]“Don’t know if this guy is legit or not. Did Wedge know?”[/b][/color] [color=bc8dbf][b]“If he knew, he would’ve told me.”[/b][/color] [color=fff79a][b]“But he was also in a hurry,”[/b][/color] Rayce added. [color=fff79a][b]“This wasn’t a formal briefing and even minor details are something Wedge would gloss over to save time. If he knew about the X-wings, I don’t see why he wouldn’t warn us. Seems important.”[/b][/color] [color=bc8dbf][b]“Knowing Vaid and meeting Vaid are two different things. Besides, we’re burning time and that makes us look suspicious. I’d rather give him the benefit of the doubt, even if he’s hiding behind a lot of defenses. His house, his rules.”[/b][/color] Nareia took another look at the landing pad; those X-wings were becoming a source of paranoia for not only the others, but herself as well. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Gold Leader,”[/b][/color] she said loud and clear. [color=bc8dbf][b]“That droid said three could land; I’m tempted to take Rayce and Kyrin with me, but if the worst should happen, I don’t want you alone with only one X-wing to back you up.”[/b][/color] She broke off from her encirclement; the rest of the ships followed, listening intently. [color=bc8dbf][b]“I’m going to land on my own—Zee will ping my R2 unit every other minute to check in and make sure it isn’t vaporized. If I don’t contact you within twenty minutes, you’ll know something is off.”[/b][/color] [color=f26522][b]“You can’t be serious! You know this guy is shady,”[/b][/color] Kyrin argued. [color=f26522][b]“At least let Rayce go with you. Security guard might come in handy down there. Or, yours truly.”[/b][/color] [color=bc8dbf][b]“No, I’m already overthinking this as is. If something goes wrong, the better pilots should stay safe. Keep an eye on Gold Squadron and hope we can all laugh about how paranoid we’ve gotten an hour from now.”[/b][/color] With that, Nareia’s X-wing broke off from the group and turned back towards the compound as the others exited its airspace and headed for the nearby capital city's spaceport. [color=fff79a][b]“Nareia—”[/b][/color] Rayce started. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Get going. I’ll get back in touch when I can. Nareia out.”[/b][/color] The comm channel fell silent after that; it was for the best, she thought. She cruised alone to the compound and started her landing sequence; her engine power slowly died, and her landing gear lowered once she found enough space to set down. The power to her shields was the last system with power before it, too, was cut. Taking a deep breath, she removed her helmet and opened the canopy. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Keep talking to Zee,”[/b][/color] she told her R2 unit, reaching into a compartment on her right side and retrieving a blaster as she set the helmet on her empty seat. She doubted they would let her keep it, but maybe by coming alone they would feel less intimidated, allowing her to hold on to it for her own comfort. It was worth a try. [color=bc8dbf][b]“If you see the ships taking off, warn the others.”[/b][/color] Descending the retractable ladder down her ship’s side, she patted her left thigh and felt the shape of the data chip safely tucked inside it before making towards the landing pad’s exit ramp. She expected some sort of escort. Nareia walked across the barren front yard of the home. To her left was the landing pad full of X-Wings and to her right was one of the massive turbolaser towers. Standing next to it was a Zabrak who was fixing something on one of the tower's control panels. This guy was bluffing. Those towers were probably not even functional. As she passed by, the Zabrak mechanic shot a glare in her direction before closing the panel and going on his way to a nearby storage shed. The house before her had two floors and was filled with antennas and a satellite dish at the very top, ruining the otherwise beautiful mansion. There were also a pair of speeder bikes parked near the main entrance. When she approached the door, it immediately opened before she could even think of knocking. Standing in front of her was an IG-series assassin droid, painted in different shades of purple. [i]"You must be the New Republic contact."[/i] Said the droid, in a familiar monotone voice. This was the same droid who had 'greeted' them earlier. [i]"Before you go any further..."[/i] The droid pointed at her holstered pistol. [i]"Your weapon. Hand it over."[/i] [color=bc8dbf][b]“Of course,”[/b][/color] Nareia replied with a forced smile, slowly reaching to her hip and retrieving the blaster. She flipped it upside down before handing it to the droid. [color=bc8dbf][b]“I’ll want that back before I go.”[/b][/color] Taking the pistol, the droid tossed it in a container right by the door drame. [i]"Follow me and don't wander off." [/i] The IG-series droid led the New Republic pilot through the colossal house, passing through an entry hall and then an interior courtyard. Nareia saw multiple expensive pieces of art like busts, tapestries, and paintings. The interior courtyard had a beautiful garden which surrounded a large statue of a Bothan right in the middle. The IG droid led Nareia into a room to the right side of the statue. Opening a set of double doors, she followed the IG droid into a lounge. The lounge barely fit the more posh exterior. It reeked of smoke and alcohol and the dimmed lighting made it look like some back alley death stick dealer's den. The droid walked over to a Bothan who was sitting in a circular sofa right in the middle of the room. From the looks of it, this was Zaid Vas'ah, the guy she was supposed to meet. He was surrounded by males of several species. The Bothan's fun time with his 'escorts' was suddenly interrupted by the IG-series droid who leaned in and gestured toward Nareia. Rolling his eyes, Zaid, who was wearing a intricately decorated purpoe bathrobe stood up and walked over to Nareia with a Quarren wrapped around one arm and a Shistavanen on the other. [b]"So, you're Wedge's contact."[/b] Said the Bothan, drawing a chuckle from his Shistavanen escort. [b]"You don't look like much, girl. I hope whatever you brought is worth my time." [/b] Zaid barely made eye contact with the Rebel pilot. He considered her to be beneath him. The pilot was merely a middle man. No response. Wonderful start. Between the cheerful disposition of that Zabrak performing maintenance on the turbolaser towers outside and a security droid careless for her belongings, Nareia’s loathing of the mission understandably increased. Her forced smile tightened once the DL-44 was carelessly tossed into the container, but her composure was kept. It wasn’t built for hospitality, and neither were the people she presumed worked for Vaid. With a welcome this warm, she couldn’t fathom what it would be like to deal with the Bothan himself. Following behind the IG droid, she gave his collection of art a good look; the garden in the courtyard was gorgeous, and the statue of the Bothan were beautiful pieces of work both. If she in a better mood—and her company conversational—she might’ve asked a question about the works they passed. Vaid obviously possessed a great amount of wealth; the art across his home was quality regardless of her personal feelings on their designs. She didn’t need to be Alara to tell that great care went into them. As she wondered what the other homes in the compound possessed, the IG led her into another room. The sharp stench of strong alcohol and airborne narcotics made her nose wrinkle and her eyebrows furrow. Her eyes narrowed to adjust in the dimmed lighting, several men towards the center of the room catching her eye. Guests? No… upon a closer look, they appeared to be “entertainment”—not the kind she enjoyed, but clearly Vaid’s tastes were quite unlike her own. She eyed the only Bothan in the room who was seated in the circular sofa, and upon catching sight of his eyes rolling once he noticed her, that tight smile of hers made a reappearance. The feeling was mutual. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew the data chip and held it in her left fist as the host approached, backed by two men who—of course—had to come along. He dressed finely, but a well-tailored robe didn’t mask his terrible attitude. The insinuation he made about her not measuring up to his unimportant standards would be dismissed. The mission wasn’t to impress him, and she certainly wasn’t about to waste time trying. At his mention of Wedge, her eyes narrowed hard into his own. [color=bc8dbf][b]“I didn’t think Wedge would let you know we were coming,”[/b][/color] she admitted freely. That explained how he was expecting them. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Anyway…”[/b][/color] she raised her hand and opened her fist, the data chip resting on her palm. [color=bc8dbf][b]“I imagine he already explained to you how time-sensitive this is, and arranged fair payment for aiding the New Republic? Because we don’t have a lot of time, and I’m sure you’d love to get back to… [i]them[/i].”[/b][/color] Nareia gestured to the Quarren and the Shistavanen with two nods. [color=bc8dbf][b]“I heard you were good,”[/b][/color] she continued, bolstering his inflated ego. [color=bc8dbf][b]“I’m looking forward to seeing how fast you access this.”[/b][/color] [b]"Thank you, girl. I do appreciate when people recognize my genius."[/b] He said, giving Nareia a smile and a wink. The Bothan then handed the chip over to the Quarren who took it over to a console at the other end of the room. Zaid followed closely behind his escort who inserted the chip inside a slot in the middle of the computer. The Bothan then stepped forward and started typing in a few codes and finished once the console made a loud beeping sound. [b]"I'm the best cipher specialist in the known Galaxy. Did you know that? People come to me from all over just so I can break ciphers from both the Empire and your little group of hoodlums and hopefuls. I work for your people more often just because you guys pay me much, much better." [/b] The Bothan paused for a moment, taking a good look at the human woman. She wasn't really his type, but he knew a few who would appreciate her. [b]"Say, girl. I know a few people who would pay good money to have your at their side. I hear the New Republic these days is pretty stagnant. May I suggest a career change? It pays well."[/b] Surprisingly, Zaid gave the chip to the Quarren soon after receiving it. As he turned, so did Zaid; and as Zaid moved to follow the Quarren, she was right beside him. It appeared the Quarren’s only task was to insert the chip into a nearby computer. From there, Zaid took over. She was just about to keep a close eye on where his fingers darted to in the hopes that she might learn a thing or two, but the process seemed to be completed in mere seconds. A loud beep emitted from the computer console, then nothing. Looking from the computer to Zaid, Nareia’s eyes widened. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Wow,”[/b][/color] she said with genuine surprise, nodding in respect. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Wedge sent me to the right guy for the job.”[/b][/color] He chose to speak a little more rather than conclude the business there, talking of cracking both Imperial and New Republic ciphers before. She almost insisted he turn down the Imperials outright, but she was no diplomat. Convincing Zaid to make his skills exclusive to the cause she fought for would need to be the job of someone far more charismatic than herself. A Jedi might fare better, she’d make a note of it. After a pause, he looked her over with interest he did not have a minute ago. [color=bc8dbf][b]“What?”[/b][/color] she asked. He spoke of turning her skills over to the highest bidder instead, to which she smiled; not forced, not sardonic, but genuine. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Sorry, these skills aren’t for sale. You don’t even know what I’m capable of, unless you and Wedge spoke about more than just the chip.”[/b][/color] Now it was her turn to be flattered. It was a fleeting joy before the seriousness of the situation settled right back in. His comments about the New Republic couldn’t be left unchecked. [color=bc8dbf][b]“The New Republic has hit a few walls but we’re going to survive this,”[/b][/color] she said with certainty. [color=bc8dbf][b]“I don’t suppose you’ve heard of any pilots looking to get hired in Drev’starn by chance? We could use fresh blood considering recent events.”[/b][/color] She wasn’t talking about Endor, although Zaid could assume as much. Zsinj’s Super Star Destroyer came to mind more than once on the trip to Bothawui. Zaid couldn't help but to laugh. So naive. It was almost... cute. He didn't elaborate much further on it and turned back to the console to finish the decryption. [b]"Interesting."[/b] The Bothan remarked, as he put up the chip's contents on the display screen. [b]"Looks like a mission briefing."[/b] Going over the contents, Zaid laughed again. [b]"Your New Republic friends are messing with forces they barely understand. They were trying to crack open a Sith Holocron. Hah!" [/b] As soon as the screen showed the contents, Nareia saw movement out of the corner of her eye. The Twi'lek male moved away from behind the bar and approached the Shistavasen. Suddenly, the Quarren pulled out a baton from the leather jacker he was wearing, striking the Bothan in the face and knocking him to the ground. Zaid cursed as he hit the floor. [b]"What the...? What do you think you're doing!?"[/b] Shouted Zaid, glancing over to his IG droid who was about to shoot the Quarren before it was disabled by the Shistavanen using an EMP device. The Twi'lek drew two pistols and pointed one at Nareia. [b]"Don't move, Rebel. This doesn't concern you."[/b] He warned, as the Shistavanen drew a gun as well. Zaid chuckled, realizing his situation. [b]"Fools, the lot of you. Your Emperor is dead! I'll remember this. I've got friends-"[/b] Before he could speak anymore, the Twi'lek used the stun mode from one of his pistols, knocking the Bothan unconscious. The other escorts on the couch froze in place, covering their heads as they expected a shootout. The Quarren picked up the decrypted chip from the console and walked over to where the Shistavanen was. [b]"Let's go."[/b] He told the other two, before they ran out of the room. The trio rushed to the exit to make their escape. Shrugging off his failure to answer her, Nareia returned focus to the screen ahead of them. The decryption was completed and the answer to the questions the Rogues wanted was displayed. However, none of it made sense to her. She knew of the holocron only because Zsinj mentioned it. Alara described it as a storage device used by people with that thing Jedi called the ‘Force’. But the term ‘Sith’ wasn’t familiar to her. Maybe Alara knew something about that, too. She reached for her comlink to inform the others, but her hand never made it inside her pocket. The approach of one of the men drew her attention, and the blunt sound of metal against flesh caused her to turn in time to see Zaid fall to the floor. The IG droid was dealt with quickly with some sort of EMP device; before she could even question what was happening, the man from the bar pointed a pistol to her face. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Easy, easy,”[/b][/color] Nareia said gently, raising both hands up in surrender. [color=bc8dbf][b]“What is this? Who are you?” [/b][/color] Zaid chuckled and muttered something before promptly being stunned; the Quarren took the chip while those uninvolved in this trap cowered. It was a lot to process and, once the trio of men’s footsteps started to fade, she lowered her arms and hurried to the fallen IG droid. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Don’t just sit there!”[/b][/color] she snapped, shooting a look at those still idle on the couch. [color=bc8dbf][b]“At least get him off the floor and some medical attention—this party is over!”[/b][/color] Gripping the E-11 in one hand, she grabbed her comlink for the other and carefully hurried out of the room. She made for the house’s entrance, watchful for any unknown elements that might identify her as part of the trap against Zaid. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Rogue Group, Gold Group—do you read me!?”[/b][/color] [color=fff79a][b]“We hear you!”[/b][/color] Rayce immediately replied; reading her tone and not trusting Zaid at all, he was already prepared for a disastrous outcome. [color=fff79a][b]“What’s your status?”[/b][/color] [color=bc8dbf][b]“Zaid’s unconscious; some men turned against him—they’ve got the decrypted chip and they’re moving to escape. At least three with them, maybe even more!”[/b][/color] Nareia said hastily, glancing over her shoulder to make sure there were no pursuers before continuing forward. She could see the doorway just ahead. [color=bc8dbf][b]“They betrayed him at the drop of a credit, so I need you to assume everything in this compound that can shoot you down will do so!”[/b][/color] [color=fff79a][b]“What about those turbolasers?”[/b][/color] Nareia thought back to when she first arrived. The unfriendly Zabrak was messing with the control panel of one of the towers. Whether he was working to fix it or disable it was unknown. She couldn’t take any chances with the lives of her friends and allies. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Unknown. If they’re active, use your proton torpedoes to bring them down again,”[/b][/color] she decided. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Gold Group, prep your ion cannons. I don’t want them to escape with that chip, but I also want some answers if we can get them!”[/b][/color] [color=fff79a][b]“On our way!”[/b][/color] Rayce announced; the sound of multiple X-wings powering up could be heard over the line. Nareia changed the com channel as she reached the container at the front doorway, replacing the rifle in her hand for the blaster she was forced to leave behind earlier. Best cipher specialist in the galaxy with the worst security measures in history. Unreal, she thought. [color=bc8dbf][b]“Peethree, prep the ship for launch!”[/b][/color] The R2 unit beeped twice in acknowledgment and initiated her ship’s startup sequence. Pocketing the comlink again, she hugged the doorway wall closely before opening it and risking a peak outside, her DL-44 at the ready. The trio had rendezvous with the Zabrak who had supplied them with a hidden cache of weapons and proper clothing. Putting it on quickly, the Quarren looked over to the house, seeing the door slightly ajar he shot at it with his pistol. [b]"Don't follow us!"[/b] He shouted. At the same time she heard a whirring noise and soon, the pilot heard the group speed up in the distance. If she stepped outside, she would have seen the four fly off into the distance in some kind of small hover shoe that allowed them to levitate above the ground. Soon after they left, the X-Wings on the platform began to explode one by one. Luckily Nareia had landed far enough for the explosions to not catch her own X-Wing. Upon closer inspection, she also noticed that the turbolaser towers had been deactivated. Whoever did this, they either wanted to send a message or wanted to make sure they weren't going to be followed. In the direction they were going, the group would soon reach the planet's capital city...