Having a curious officer or passanger on board was something Nikita had anticipated, so she took care to leave the computer system without any obvious changes. Still, it would be easy to see where and when it's memory was accessed...
The who was harder to come by, but with the sensors and droids onboard, it was easy to deduce who had not done it. That left the real culprit, even if she was hiding her trail... And what a nice tail it was...
But as Nikita's extra changes and her personal informations was hidden much deeper and never accessed, or not even existed, she did not really cared for the curious creature... after all, she had done the same, and more. It was everyone's prerogative to want to know more about others.
Still alert and still waiting, the Chiss girl just had a little more pieces of the puzzle every day. She was watching, as pushing any trigger should be the last action, not the first.
"Rrr, do you want to come with me to ask Rayne for the blood sample? I can ask nicely and you can give her the floating eyeball intimidation effect. Kind of like nice Droid, scary Droid. "
EV thinks for a moment. "oh, I will have to remember that one."
"I would be honored to accompany you, Lady EVE" comes the answer from Rrrr, in its rarely heard multiharmonic voice, sounding male and female at the sam time. It is like there was thousands of voices speaking towards the same goal, but with two, definitely male and female one. It would cause goose-bumps on people's back...
With a slight "click" the radio activated again. "Kaloh again. 'll tell you what I know about this place."
Some starfaring species brought Rankors with them and attempted to take the planet from the indigenous people there. At some point, both these people died off or left, leaving the rankors behind to go wild.
Later, a population of zabrack colonized the southern continent, but were believed to have devolved to a primitive society without access to civilization. These primitive Zabrack are the primary people that dwell on the southern continent. These zabrack picked up religious practices from an older society that seems to not exist anymore. Specifically, they sacrifice maidens to the local rankors, who are regarded as some sort of gods.
The northern continent is a melting pot of species and cultures from the old republic. It was once governed by a representative democracy. They seceded from the Old Republic shortly before Palpatine dissolved the senate. The new Empire tried to retake the planet. The people resisted with guerilla tactics, taking advantage of the large expanses of wilderness on both continents.
The Empire's reaction was first to shell the northern continent with defoliant bombs, and then Admiral Constantine ordered for both continents to be bombed with atomics. Grand Admiral Thrawn relieved Constantine of authority upon his arrival, but with so much damage done, what governmental centers remained on the planet gave out within a few months, though the place remained a hotbed of rebellion for some time.
We'll be landing on the northern continent, the only one with a working spaceport."
"I trust Master Kree as well," Melaara chimed in on the subject. "She isn't sending us into some kind of trap, if that is what you are worried about. We all know that the situation is dangerous, or we wouldn't be here. Captain Kaloh's, erm... pilot's warning is weil taken however. As far as the plants go, I get the feeling that it is kind of a 'we will know what to do when the situation arrives' kind of thing."
When EV came along, Melaara was half tempted to request the more potent inoculation, she was fairly tough and so would be her pups, but she decided to heed the advice of the medical droid. She held out her lower left arm somewhat nonchalantly, letting the droid do its work while she turned to a nearby screen to double check the cargo manifest and other last minute administrative tasks.
A few hours later, the two ships made it into orbit. From above, they could see the two continents. The south was mostly green, with some blue and gray mountains, and the lights of cities along the coasts.
The northern continent was more complicated. Tracts of scorched and barren earth hundreds of miles across. Planes of slag and glass that had been cities two centuries ago. A lot of the remaining green was among the mountains, where valley offered some protection from fallout. Mountains were abundant on the continent, fortunately. There were cities, too. In the mountains, on the coasts, on the rivers. The space port they descended towards—one of the largest cities they noted—was in a desert south and east of a mountain range.
* * *
Down on the planet, Leenara noticed the contrails of two ships coming in. Having occasionally used Far Seeing to monitor Melaara's approach, she suspected who they were, and could feel several force sensitives aboard the descending ships.
She noticed something else as well. Leenara had been aware of the presence of one sith in the city from time to time since her arrival three days ago. Now, somewhere in the city—north?--she detected a second, in roughly the same area.
* * *
Descending to the planet, Raynee could sense a specific presence in the space port city, steeped in the dark side. The planet had a general dark pressence, but this was diferent, the specific pressence of a Sith or other person who deliberately embraced the Dark Side.
They were getting closer to the space port. Now would be a good time to call for docking arrangements.
"I'll go prep my gear, we should be ready for anything once we get boots in the dirt." Chadra left, eyeing the droids suspiciously. "Let me know when you are ready to do the Elysium's innoculations.
Journal of Dr Leenara Thissinger;
I just landed on Donovan 5. I truly feel sorry for the people that have to live her. The neighborhood around the start-port seems go from bad to worst. After have a meal and asking the locals what passes for medical services are here. They tell me there isn’t much unless you want to go to the star port hospital and that will cost you and arm and a leg just to get some aspirin.
With all the suffering around here I can’t stand by and do nothing no matter what my orders where. I can lay low and help the suffering if even just a little.
Day two on this rock: I have set up a makeshift clinic. It is only a broken down store front no bigger that my quarter used to be on the Falcon with two salvaged cots that look like they were left here during the rebellion era. I have made a deal with the owner to pay for the short time I am using the store front with an exchange of medical services for him and his family. Seems like a fair trade. It seems that the need is desperate enough that I have a line forming straight away.
Message relayed to both ships from EV5-QT
"I have some good news. I just got a Hyperspace communication from Evie Hammond, the owner of the the crimson Falcon. She is paying the crews of both ships an extra 500 credits each as a bonus for the delivering the bulbs for our patron. She feels certain that there will be more bonuses coming in the future as we continue to impress her with our skills and abilities."
Kaloh nodded to Chadra and keyed the ship's internal comms. "Iris, could you bring up the innoculations? We'll be landing soon." He sat down in one of the chairs and strapped himself in, switching over the channel to airspace deconfliction. "This is Captain Salabik of Elysium, requesting permission to land."
Earlier, as Falcon and Elysium were approaching the atmosphere, the ever curious Nikita worked furiously with Falcon's sensors.
She had to get Elysium to check some of her results, but by the time they hit atmosphere she had some curious results. They were descending into the one spaceport on the planet, but of the 9 ships that had entered and later entered the atmosphere in the last month and a half, only the two she'd originally noticed had descended to the planet's only space port. Three of them, seemed to be heading for a similar trajectory, but plotting trajectories carefully, they were descending somewhere 2 or 3 hundred klicks deeper into the desert. What's more, the other four had descended into the depths of the southern continent.
"This is Captain Veran of the Crimson Falcon, also requesting permission to land," Melaara said as she echoed her new comrade's request. She was pacing in front of a view screen, her head tilting a little in curiosity as the medical droid delivered its message about the bonus. Did that mean that Hammond knew what the bulbs were for? Not that she had ever met her ship's actual owner. The closest she had got was the cathar who she had first met as an intermediary of sorts before the two of them become friends and more equal partners. And then a bit more...
"Umm EV5 thank you for the message. Please tell Hammond that I am grateful but maybe some kind of hint as to what we are supposed to do with them might be helpful as well."
"Elysium," a man's voice replied from a channel to the two fo them. "Falcon. We've been expecting you. If I correclty understand half of what you're delivering, then bless the Maker for your arival.
"Be advised that the local governemtn is providing military security for the offlaoding of your cargo. You are cleared for landing bays six and seven, and welcome."
Nikita collated the information and then sent it over to both ship's computers for the Captain's view, waiting for the right time to share her findings about the other possible landings out loud too...
"We have some company that are not registered with the space port..." she would be able to give the sizes of the engines and maybe the types of the ships to with a little extra work... but she was tired and felt her mind moving on other tangents to start immedietaly.
"Kaloh," Chadra reappeared in the cockpit and watched the approaching starport. "We expecting trouble when we land?" She had braided her hair into a long french braid and tucked it over her right shoulder, grey skin and black tattoos standing out against the crimson leather combat gear she had squeezed herself into. Bulges along the thighs indicated playing and pockets, probably full of tools knowing her, as well as knife sheathes strapped to her thighs, and under arm holsters for her pistols. "I'll get my baby ready for overwatch as soon as we land."
"Elysium copies, heading toward zero six." Kaloh wasn't a great pilot, and neither was Nira, but Elysium was a delight to handle. Soon the ship was on the ground and he turned to Chadra, his former design partner. "We weren't told of any, but with all the problems on this planet and all the people they brought in who aren't spacefarers, there have to be some problems waiting for us. All right, let's get to work."
Her worries about Nikita were over now, not only that she had found herself an interesting new friend with several kinks that needed to be further explored. They also shared, though each for her own reasons, that need to not reveal too much about themselves with other people as well as that desire to know as much as they could about others. Stealthy as they both were each in her own way they were a dangerous duo indeed.
EV's situation was not handled so comfortably at least at the beginning and even now, a couple of days after she could still feel a little weird about the forced intrusion the droid had performed on her but at the end Raynee did like EV, something unusual in her as she usually didn't get along with droids
Besides Nikita and the droids she had not revealed to anyone yet her true nature either as a shapeshifter or as a force user so she said nothing about her discovery, there were other in the ship who were also able to sense this she was feeling as well and she was not able to pinpoint the location of this vicious force user yet, perhaps once she was able to do so and if nobody else had said anything yet she would have to reveal herself as a jedi but until then she would only look for a chance she could spoke to Nikita without drawing any attention to either of them and tell her about this dark presence in the space port city, that of course if nobody else had mentioned it by then
Her job in the systems of the ship was nothing special under the current situation, "Systems working properly and ready for descent" she was not as skilled with computers as Nikita was so her full attention was focused on the consoles for now but she was really eager to get down of the ship already, she remained cool and serious though, only showing herself frisky when alone with either Nikita and either of the medical droids.
While still on approach the Chiss girls fingers fly over the console in front of her. A smile grows into a grin as she detects and then surprises half a dozen artificial satelites with a programmed 'solar flare'. Using the powerful active sensors and the fact that she is in contact with the other ships systems too, the hacker in her exercises and looks for backdoors and security breaches, then for any loose interface or control links...
She tries to make it look like some kind of interference, or solar flare, or maybe a weather condition for the ones checking from planetside...
Not strongarming it, just try to be a little glich in the system... before she becomes a Ghost...
Her droid and the friendly ships help, as they can, that she had already made sure. She just want the satelites more friendly, maybe provide links to planetside too, and to work for her when needed.
"Now I have friends in high places.." she murmured to herself, grinning, massaging her fingers.
Building a tactical and topographical map in 3D and real time should be much easier now. But for undergound or inter-building maps she had to wait to land and access the space port, then the city municipial computers. Hopefully they are not as back water to not have building permits...
After they landed and she had time to look around with the landing cameras and maybe through the numerous other wireless or networked eyes of their landing area Nikita fall out from her chair behind the monitor when she sees the first time what - or more like who - awaits them outside.
"Who ordered coffee? That's a lot of Jawas...."
Climbing back to the chair, she looked around in the cock-pit, grinned when that name for the cabin came foremost in her mind. Then proceeded to
turn off the unneeded systems, as someone who knew how the computers and the ship worked. She would keep it ready for a not so cold start until the unpacking started, then turned it fully off to let the process flow without any power fluctuations from the ship. While it was just three days and they had just half of the number of possible passangers, she still looked up if they could fill up their reserves, or they would be better off waiting for the next spaceport.
A hot wind gusted in from the deserts as Leenara made her way from her clinic to the space port. All up and down the street, eyes reflexively jerked towards the Geiger counter installed in a clear plasticrete booth on the corner. The sensors chittered a little bit didn't rise out of the yellow.
A blind twi'lek held up a plastic bowl, “please, my water chits were stolen. I haven't had a drink all day.”
At the next block, the windows were open at a small diner, and she could see a reporter on the vid screen—a comely young woman with no obvious cancers or mutations—an uncommon sight even among the young, especially for a human—sharing things that bordered between gossip and news. “Speculation continues to abound about the flurry of top secret diplomatic activity engaged in by the highest level of our government. We now have confirmed that Ambassador Avorna Than came out of retirement four days ago to resume her post across the sea in Martel. Soldiers on the border with Salvatore have told Channel Nine News that they've been briefed on cease fire protocols by their superior officers.
Bunker Hill
“Mr. President,” the hulking hunchback in the severe black robes said as he stepped into an underground office.
The Zabrack behind the desk had iron hair in a severe cut and tired eyes. His light brown skin was off color in a few places from old skin grafts. “What news, Cheval?”
“Word from the star port. The two freighters delivering the Ithorin relief supplies are landing.”
“Bless the Maker,” the Zabrack muttered, then rose. “Inform General Mattins to send the security detail immediately, and to mobilize the convoys. Have the ambassadors the Sherwood, Gulthomere, and Martel on standby. Bring the red phone and the gray. I'll inform Viceroy Salvatore that the ceasefire the Ithorians asked for is now in effect. Warm up my speeder, I intend to join the delivery convoy.”
“Is that wise, sir?”
“I'm an old man, Cheval. Sometimes I need to get out of this bunker.”
“I understand, Mr. President.” The hunchback moved out.
The president moved to the mirror in his office. He opened his formal robes and inspected the armored body suit underneath, the concealed holsters, and the visible one where he settled a heavy blaster. Nodding in satisfaction that his knives and his blasters were all in place, he closed up his robe, smooted it out, and turned back to the door.
The big hunchback was back, this time with a clone wars era blaster rifle over his back. He held up to com links, one red, one gray. “You needed thse, sir?”
“Thank you Cheval. I'll meet you in the speeder.”
The hunchback nodded and left.
The president stared at the gray com. He took a few deep breaths, then punched in a three digit code. He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing normally. When the phone was answered, the president spoke in a bellicose and arrogant language. “This is Matt. Tell Nalto that I have decided to accept his offer. Fazz Emeralds valuing 35,000 credits will be delivered to him in three days time. All he has to do is nothing.”
Entering the large hexagonal space port, things seemed fairly normal to Leenara. The outer promenade was a broken down but bustling business distract, something of a quiet shopping mall for locals, and the contrails from descending ships signaled for the flea markets, inexpedient guides, beggars, and hustlers to come running. So, for that matter, did off duty star dock employers.
Amidst the crowd were a good many small beings in sand gray hoods with luminous orange eyes peering from the cowls. She thought they were called Jawas? She knew some of them worked at the station as mechanics, some as just janitors. Leenara remembered the captain of the ship she'd arrived on saying, “And keep an eye on those stinking scavengers.”
Well, they didn't smell very nice...
And she noted several pressing in who didn't wear employee badges, but most of them were carrying some soft of wares to trade—restored salvage and food from the deserts.
In a cantina close to the gate where Elysium would be putting down, seven rough looking twi'lek men attended by three burly droids were monopolising the attention of the dancing girl—a an orange skinned twi'lek, topless, in an fringed short skirt. They didn't really look any more dangerous than a lot of the men around here, but Leenara noted that the locals were giving them fearful respect and a bit of extra room.
The roofs of two star ports were cycling open, and numbers lit from within coming on to guide down the ships. Station security personnel—burly humans and zabrack mostly—jogged in and started turning away the locals working to be the first to make their pitch to the spacers.
The dancing girl cooed and gasped a little as Mar Alo, to whom she was giving a lap dance, cupped her breasts and tugged on her nipples. “Mm... No touching, handsome, that's.. Oooh... That's against the... Oh!”
Vikar Karn, a red skinned man, not as burly as Mar but even more arogant, glared at the barkeep aproaching tentaively. He gave the man a level glare 'til he took a few steps back, then tossed him some hard cred.
Vikar's headsup Com bleeped, and he cocked his head to listen, then nodded, “Understood.”
He leaned back and held up his hand for a drink, fondling the waitress when she bought it. “Enjoy yourself boys. Nalto says the job is off.”
The men laughed and ordered more drinks, grabbing for the waitresses as they came.
One twi'lek, though, didn't seem included to join in the fun. “What is it, Gus?” Valkar asked.
“A lot of Jawa's here today, Valkar. I just noted one with some gold plated stem bolts sewn into it's sleeves. Do you think the Jawa Syndicate is going to make a move?”
Valkar chuckled and slipped his hand under the waitresses top, lifting her heavy breasts. “Not our concern, Gus.”
"I'll leave first, provide overwatch, if you'll prep the other ship for me?" Chadra said turning on her heel, boots ringing off the flooring of the ship as she strode purposefully towards the docking bay and to the covered swoop secured near the cargo hatch. Pulling off it's restraints, she ran her hand lovingly over the paint job, deep purple with a silver smoke finish on the nose cone detailing back into running wolves leaping from the smoke. Opening a compartment she pulled out a long crimson duster to match her riding gear and swiftly donned it and a leering death's head mask, with built in dust and sun screens over the eyes. Settling herself astride it, she flipped a few switches, the barrel and belts of the cannon inside of the nose cone humming to life and revving itself and grinned dangerously. "Cannon armed and loaded Kaloh, I'll be on overwatch as soon as we land." Eyes glinting dangerously, she ignited the engine, the swoop soon hovering in place within the cargo hold, ready to come tearing out as soon as the doors clanged open. (1d20+14 on pilot check for piloting in the lunch bay, d20(14)+14=28)
Leenara drops a few credit into the blind twi'lek's plastic bowl. "the begger obviously needing it more than I" the voice in her head says. Leenara is dressed in commoner fashion with a hooded cloak to hide her Identity from casual glances. She move through the street with easy, grace and speed. See the people gathering around the port she quietly moves closer to the ships blending into the background sensing something doesn't feel exactly right.
hmm. there are more of these small, I think they are called Jawas, around that I would expect. Unless the medical supplies are a bigger deal that I ever expected. A few of the people I have seem on the holo cams as being officials of some sort. I think patients is called for. I will get closer and blend in with the crowd close to the ships and observe for a bit. As much as I want to see Melaara, it must wait.
Nikita finds that the satellite computers are made to receive programming remotely=reasonable given that they're made to remain in space. Three of them are rather stoic and unhelpful, informing her that they take orders only from the President and military high command.
She should be able to do something about that...
Weather Satellite 1: Is now Friendly.
Weather Satellite 2: Is now Friendly.
Weather Satellite 3: Is now Friendly.
Weather Satellite 4: Is now Friendly.
Military Satellite 1: Is now Unfriendly. (rather than hostile.)
Military Satellite 2: Is now Unfriendly.
Military Satellite 3: Is now Unfriendly.
The weather satellites now greet her as an authorized user--but not administrator or owner.
The military satellites still believe she has no business accessing their data, but are no longer trying to isolate her signal and report her to the athorities.
A bit more work, lightning fast, and she was able to further improve her access, making one of the weather satelites quite friendly and helpful, and the military satelties a bit less grouchy.
Weather Satellite 1: Is now Helpful.
Weather Satellite 2: Is now Friendly.
Weather Satellite 3: Is now Friendly.
Weather Satellite 4: Is now Friendly.
Military Satellite 1: Is now Indifferent.
Military Satellite 2: Is now Indifferent
Military Satellite 3: Is now Indifferent.
Your diversion allows you 5 more rounds of hacking actions. Improved access is normally a full round action.
Crimson Falcon and Elysium descended into adjacent hangars on one side of the hexagonal space port. The third hanger on that end—next to Falcon—stayed shut. The wall between the two hangers also partially sank back into the center of the hexagon (Which was an open air landing pad easily big enough for a frigate.)
Station personnel moved in as they landed—security personnel keeping a crowd of locals out of the hangers and landing staff, 2/3rds of them jawas.
Just before they sank through the ceiling, people on sensors might notice two armored personnel carriers approaching the space port.
Chadra'ji was able to fly out to assume over watch without incident, though a lot of jawas squeaked in surprise and several security personnel ducked. An old man on the fueling crew dove for cover.
* * *
Hanging back in a corner, Leenara found herself next to a girl in a dancing girl's costume, with golden skin chiming bangles, and a long, gauzy skirt. She sang a flute like trill through her beak.
The Ryn glanced at the Cathar curiously. “This port always so dramatic?”
A curious sort of delayed reaction. Leenara had searched her feelings earlier and not expected any danger in the next fifteen minutes.
Now she did.
"Showtime." Chadra muttered to herself and gunned the swoop, tearing out through the barest crack in the door to egin circling over the dock and looking down scanning the crowds for any source of danger. She also attempted to get a look into the other hangers, attempting to get a lay of the land and anything coming before she signalled the all clear to the ships. Once she circeld she flew just high enough to maintain station over both ships, ready to rail literal hell on anything trying to attack.
Chadra notes that the central landing pad is empty. The roof entrnaces to the smaller hangers are all closed. In order to get a look inside of them, she'd have to fly into the promenade and over the heads of the crowd--and hope the doors were open.
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