EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Colors finished his drink long before Sabine or Kaleeth, though he was able to simply act as if there was something remaining in his mug for a few minutes. When Sabine finally decided that it was time, Colors gave her a silent nod, then stood up from his cushion. He did not have to go far, as there was a particular woman he had his eyes on for the last few minutes. She was a young Breton woman standing nearby with her eyes on the other patrons. Her face was all smiles as Colors approached her with his usual confidence. Regardless of her actual opinions, she could keep any kind of act she wished for her job.

Colors had only to exchange a few words with the woman before counting out some gold coins and handing her a small bag of them. From that point, she was completely receptive to any advances he made. Colors walked alongside her, his arm wrapped low around her waist, towards the private "rooms." Although, as he was just starting to step out of sight, he glanced back to Sabine and Kaleeth with a flash of concern. He did actually hope that she knew what she was doing.

Kaleeth, meanwhile, was looking nervous, but she trusted Sabine. She knew the plan, so she just had to follow her lead. She sat close enough to Sabine to make it easy to speak quietly. "Okay, what's the first step now?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Colors shrugged. "We could just kind of...peer out around the curtain. Look through a gap just big enough for our eyes. If we have stalls on the opposite side of the hall from each other, we could still have a good view of the main room. And it's not too loud; we'd probably be able to hear his voice in the crowd. You two could probably hire one together and go through with whatever plat you have. I'd have to hire a different one. I can't avoid going through with it, but, well, I don't have any problem mixing business and pleasure." He grinned.

Colors gave another glance across the room. "I guess ales first, though?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Colors lightly shook his head. "Just sitting and watching for too long would be unusual. Hiring them is the simplest option, certainly, but strictly speaking, no, you don't have to. We'll have to be creative. Delay properly to blend in as much as we can. It would be easier if I could buy skooma, but Fendros gave his orders. Only thing left is the prostitutes, so I don't have that many options. You could both buy a bit of time if you order an ale. They're stronger than normal to try to get their patrons drunk faster, but one of them won't get you there by itself. Wouldn't order a second, though."

Colors turned his head towards the curtained-off stalls in the hall of to the right. "If we can get into one of those unnoticed, we can hide for a while. Probably until our contact comes in. I could get in by hiring one of them, and make an excuse for resting there for a bit. Just got to figure out how to get you two in."

Despite how he behaved the previous night, Colors was not actually encouraging Sabine to indulge in what the establishment had to offer, as he intended to. He seemed to actually be sympathetic to Sabine and Kaleeth's discomfort.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth was not sure how to answer, nor entirely what Sabine was wanting. Meanwhile, Colors nodded. "You just have to put on a good act. Avoid suspicion." Colors said speaking as quietly as he could while still being audible to them. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on the perspective, the establishment was not too loud. They did not need to speak too loudly to hear one another, but at the same time, they did not want anyone else eavesdropping on them. It was, after all, not normal for one to willingly go into a brothel while taking objection to everything they offered.

"I can stay here a bit longer. Need to finish my drink, after all. What do you intend to do? Anything I can do to help?" Colors asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The Breton leaned in and turned one side of his head towards Sabine. "Hmm? My apologies, I couldn't quite hear you. Are you interested in anything I have to offer?"

Kaleeth spoke up a bit louder, mostly repeating what Sabine had said. "Not right now. We're, um, just getting a feel for this place."

The Breton bowed his head. "Ah, but of course. You know where to find me when you decide it is time for some entertainment."

As the Breton walked away, Colors moved himself closer to Sabine and Kaleeth so he could speak more quietly. "There don't seem to be any Imperials here right now, so he'll at least stand out if we see him." He said, pausing as he took in a deep breath. The air was somewhat thick with smoke from skooma pipes. It's scent was unmistakable; pleasant for Colors, though not likely as much for Sabine or Kaleeth. Not to mention, their enhanced hearing made it all the more easy to hear any noises from the direction of the private rooms. "Think you'll be okay. I know this isn't really your kind of place, but...you may want to try to look like you're having a good time. Attract less attention that way." He explained. Surprisingly, his expression was actually showing what looked like genuine sympathy.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmm, well, here is good enough." Colors answered, motioning to the nearest set of empty cushions to them. "We have a clear enough view of the room. Well, other than the private rooms, but I doubt you want to go peering in those. Just, uh, wait here a moment while I go get my drink."

Colors stepped away for only a minute or so to buy a mug of ale from the bar, but for new guests to the brothel, the employees would not be keen to simply ignore them. By the time Colors returned, one of the prostitutes had made his way over from across the room to greet the new arrivals. He was one of the males, a Breton. In all likelihood, he did not get near as much business as his female co-workers, so he probably approached almost every female patron. He looked down in particular at Sabine, standing in such a way as to call attention to his more attractive features. "Welcome, is there anything I can do for you beautiful ladies?"

Colors returned at about the same time, but he did not say anything directly to the Breton. Instead, he simply took a seat next to Sabine. He could not exactly interrupt the Breton, as that could be seen as strange. Sabine would have to be able to handle herself. Kaleeth, meanwhile, just tried to stay quiet and hope that no one put too much attention on her.

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

~|Nar Shaddaa, Docking Bay 32|~

~|Day 3, 6th Hour|~

---

Fa-Val-Kuul was sitting in the back of the shuttle, right alongside the rest of her soldiers. It was nothing uncommon for her. In this war, she commanded a battalion of Republic soldiers, but they were very much accustomed to her leading from the front. Any battle they fought, she joined personally; she slept in the same quarters, ate at the same tables, and sat around the same campfires during long nights deployed on strange worlds, light years from civilization. For her, the war was not distant in any sense. It could not be any more personal.

This time, Fa was not going into a battle. She had taken on a different, even more important mission. Darth Nyiss: one of the most reprehensible and dangerous of the Empire’s leadership. Simply put, she needed to be stopped, and that was simply not something that would be accomplished in open battle. Thus, she had called upon a team of the most skilled specialists in her battalion. Even so, there was no illusions among them that survival would be guaranteed, or even particularly likely.

Fa was among the last to step off of the shuttle. Her appearance was not much different from usual, because she usually did not look like the standard image of a Jedi. She simply wore an ample number of belts, bags, and pouches to carry all of the equipment she needed. The only difference this time was that her lightsabers were currently hidden within a tall satchel on her waist. But, it would only take a simple pull from the force to draw either or both of them quickly. The port was as decrepit and decayed as the rest of the moon, though that did not stop its ports from being crowded. Regardless, they would have some opportunity to speak privately, so as long as they did not stray from their shuttle.

Fa addressed the team, in particular Vebra, the Zabrak commander of the squad. “You all know the mission. Discretion will be a priority, at least initially. The bar, and the streets around, will be crowded with innocents, so we need not instigate a fight unless it is absolutely necessary. Vebra, Eyes, you will head inside with me to confront her. Have the rest of your men secure the exits. Once inside, if she is present, I will be able to sense her. Failing a peaceful conversation, you will fall back on any non-lethal option at your disposal. Stun grenades are acceptable if necessary, but no sonic charges if there is a Bith in the blast radius. Use lethal force only as a last option, but do not hesitate to do so if your life is sufficiently threatened. This is not the most dangerous mission we have undertaken, and I do not want to see any casualties.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It was later in the evening when the group made their way to the south side of town. They made some attempts at finding out more information about Viper during the day, but met with only limited success. The contacts that Colors had identified were not always easy to find, and not forthcoming with information. The most they managed to learn was that Viper did not actually own the brothel. He was merely a frequent patron. At the very least, it meant that he would not likely have many guards with him, if at all.

Colors led Kaleeth and Sabine into an alleyway: a place that was out of sight, out of mind, and easy for the city guard to turn a blind eye to. The rest of the group was waiting nearby in case they heard any obvious trouble, but they would have significantly less they could do this time around. They could not wait as close to the building as they could to the tailor's shop.

"Okay, so, just keep a good eye out once we're in. Oh, and try not to talk to many people. Not many go to these places to be social, so you'll want to keep to yourself. Unless someone is on skooma, then they might try to talk to you." Colors explained as they approached the door. Stepping up to the decaying wooden door, Colors gave two quick knocks, and a few moments later, a tall Orc with an axe on his hip opened it for them from the inside. For a few seconds, he stood with his arms crossed, looking over the trio, before finally giving them the nod to enter. In all likelihood, he was not looking for anything in particular, but rather just wanted to give them ample opportunity to be intimidated by him.

There was a short, narrow hallway that led to another door, inside which was the main room of the establishment. Strictly speaking, it was not exceptionally crowded, but the way the room was arranged made it feel a bit cramped. Most of the furniture came in the form of cushions and blankets strewn across the floor upon which the majority of people were seated. Across the room was a bar, likely which sold far more than just alcohol. About halfway across the room to the right, there was a wide hallway, on either side of which were the "private" rooms. Though, they were not actually proper rooms at all, but just stalls that were divided off from the rest of the room by curtains.

The prostitutes themselves were a majority female, though there were two men in one corner. They were mostly Humans or Orcish, though there were some elves and a single Khajiit. They were easy to identify, as they all wore the same, small loincloth. It was not particularly noteworthy attire for one who lived in a lycan clan, but everything from the way they acted, to the way they moved, to the way they simply looked at patrons showed that they were primarily focused on seduction. There were some patrons who seemed clean and fairly normal, but as Kaleeth has suspected, many had the look of skooma addicts, between their gaunt figures and ragged, torn clothing.

"All...too familiar." Kaleeth commented, turning her head towards Sabine. "So, um, do you know what a Colovian accent sounds like?" She asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Colors suppressed his grin, but his tone was nonetheless unmistakably pleased. "If that is your will, then I shall spend my time with their lovely and hard-working women. Why, it is possible that I may be required to keep the establishment fooled for hours on end while we wait, but rest assured, I am willing to do anything for the success of our mission. I shall be up to the challenge. Although, I would like to request permission to order a single drink when we first arrive. Just a simple mug of ale while we scout out the establishment, nothing that would intoxicate an Argonian. I believe your cover story will work for us just fine. It's as good as one I would come up with."

Kaleeth could not help but to roll her eyes at Colors' remarks, but nevertheless, she remained focused on their actual mission. "So I will be acting as his sister? We don't really look much alike, but I doubt a Human like Viper would be able to tell all the subtle differences anyways. I've been in a place like Colors describes before; Janius showed me one years ago to try to...dissuade me from something. It is not a pleasant place, but most of the people there seem more, well, pitiful than dangerous. I don't think you'll have to worry too much about us getting hurt. Our comfort will probably be more at risk." Kaleeth explained, attempting to be somewhat reassuring. "Should we go ahead and do this right now? There is still plenty of time left in the day."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Colors saw the eyes of the others turn to him, and he did his best to maintain a fully serious expression. "Hmm, well, for this particular endeavor, I suppose we need someone who is willing to engage in the vices that an establishment like that provides. If one of the pair is buying from them, then their security will be less inclined to confront us. Now I understand, naturally, that this is a part of life that you all are inexperienced with. Skooma, moon sugar, the pleasant company of women. One of us will have to, well, subject ourselves to purchasing their services, and if it is for the good of the mission, them I am, uh, willing to make that sacrifice." Colors said with a grin.

"Now, um, I'm sure my joining you will be more valuable than anything I could learn through dubious contacts. Though if I am to partake in those services, I will need something of an allowance of gold." Colors added.