Dark Diamond Palace

Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:46 pm by Lita Trykk

*Trask did not pick this room by mere accident. The private quarters of Lita Trykk were unique in the palace. They were smaller than any of the other chambers, including those reserved for guests and dignitaries. Set on the perpetually dark-side of the pyramid, what trace amounts of natural light that might have made it through her window were snuffed out by heavy, deep colored drapes that lined the glass and walls. Within, minimal artificial lighting revealed a simple studio, with sleeping arrangements, living area, and even the refresher exposed to share the same confined space. It look as though there had once been a dividing wall between the refresher and the rest of the chamber, but it had been artfully removed years ago.

But more importantly, it was the one chamber in the palace in which the window glass, screening out the harsh Iridonia elements, could slide open, allowing the black-ops dignitary another means of discrete entry and exit from her room. There was no one left within the palace who knew of this alteration, the only other record of it being kept within the dataprints of the Trykk fleet. Dataprints Lita failed to recall that Trask once had access to.

With no expectation of invasion on the upper private floors of the palace, there was little foot traffic outside of Trykk's chambers. But, there few places to hide. The halls, in true typical Zabrak style, were a wide and elaborate network of bridges with interspersed orange-tinted lamps overlooking the lower halls below. In the center of them all is the main turbolift, though by the dimness of it, it did not appear operational.

At certain intervals, the occasional art or architecture changes, appearing heavily influenced by Kaminoan culture.*

Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:39 am by Bloodrage Pirates

*Krax took the cloaking device from Trask and fixed it to his armour, he did the same with the No-Show but was yet to activate them. Next he took the comm-link that Trask offered, nodding in response and pushed it into his ear. He took a few moments to make sure it was securely attached and comfortable before speaking.*

=Krax=

My name is Krax and I have no questions about the mission.

*He then simultaneously activated his cloak and No-Show device to become completely invisible. However he remained where he was, no orders to move out had been given!*

Mon Feb 06, 2012 9:57 pm by Fiáin

Fiáin wrote:Fia narrowed her eyes when the man handed her two odd bands of some sort. Copying the Vong she put them on, not understanding their use but wearing them anyways as the blue man seemed to want. Then he said Gref couldn't come and she narrowed her eyes in irritation, not at all happy to leave her companion behind. He was a valuable asset in a fight, and she doubted that rescuing Arkan would be violence free. The Vornskyr was unaltered and still had the venomous tip on his whip like tail, enough to kill a small animal and badly stun large creatures like the Vong. Pushing down her frustration she kept silent. This blue man was her best chance at getting Arkan back, and she knew it. Letting Gref know he was to stay where he was she sensed his anger and felt him battering her mentally. He wanted to come, last time she left him he had panicked, as in their life together they were never apart. She started to snarl and Fia hunkered down next to him, looking in his eyes. She asked his apology quickly before sending him a quick psychic blast through their connection. With a cut off whine he slumped to the ground, unconscious from the mental blow she sent him. She had no choice, but the knowledge that she was forced to betray Gref for these men filled her with a deep and simmering anger. Her head throbbed from the effort as she stood, feeling odd as her mind felt empty, the mental tie to Gref was silent for now.

Turning to the blue man her eyes flared with anger, but his back was turned to her. Crouching beside Gref again she stroked his fur, guilt being replaced by a determined anger. Once Arkan was back she would prove the Vornkyrs worth to him...and she would never again betray him

When the ship stopped the blue man handed her another odd thing, and as she watched the others she saw them put the thing in their ear as instructed. Fia's face scrunched with displeasure at this idea, inserting something into her ear even just on the outside gave her pause. However, again, to obey she followed suit...disliking the commlinks feeling but tolerating it. Trask said her and the other man would be following him, and Fia gave a stiff nod of agreement.

Tue Feb 07, 2012 7:27 am by Nem Yin

*Discretely as possible the Intendant slid the glass door open and entered Lita Trykk's quarters. His mqaaq'it peered around the room, looking for signs of security devices and other potential alarms. After a moment he eased, rising from a crouched position and nonchalantly strode across the room.* *Chances were that if there was an alarm system, it would have been tied to the door. In which case it should have gone off as soon as he slid the glass pane open.* *He didn't hear anything and as each minute passed, he grew more certain that there wasn't a silent alarm system.*

*Dropping back down into a crouch, Nem slowly made his way out into the hall. It was empty for the time being but that didn't mean it would stay that way for long. Relying on his background imitating camouflage, he surveyed the hall, following its path to the turbolift that connected all the bridge-based corridors. He scowled as he looked over the lift, displeased by its centrality in the pyramid structure.* *This had to be the main lift that fed to all the floors. Which would mean that it was also the most used turbolift. There was danger in that.* *He shook his head and looked around for another means of descent but found none.* *Checking the random quarters spread throughout the floor might prove fruitful, but it would also further the risk of detection. Better to hope Trask had some means of slicing the lift controls to prevent unwelcome visitors from greeting them at every floor.*

*Five minutes later he was back in Lita Trykk's quarters. He lifted his hood to momentarily reveal his scarred and skeletal visage, floating there as though spawned from nothingness. In a hushed tone he spoke to the Chiss leading the operation.*

"The path through the hall is clear for now, but it looks like the only way down is the central lift. No guards on this level, again, at least for the time being. They could be making their rounds. Though if they were expecting us then they didn't foresee our use of this point of entry. We should move quickly if we are going to take the lift, unless you've got something else up your sleeve."

Tue Feb 07, 2012 4:12 pm by Trask

*Trask nodded at the report as though he had been expecting it, and in fact he had, then disappeared back into his ship for a moment before returning with a long coil of flexible cable and a small, yet powerful, winch.* "I assume you know how to rappel? Hold this, and follow me in ten minutes." *Then he activated both his cloak and the no-show function of his armor and slipped out of the room. Making his way down the halls to the central lift, he moved methodically from one security device to the next, using one of the two electronic lock breakers he had purchased to bypass each device, not shutting it down or setting it to standby, but decreasing it's sensitivity to the point where even a dozen wookiee's yelling warcries would go unnoticed. In the case of cameras, the procedure was slightly more time consuming, as he had to both set it on a loop, and also make sure the timers would continue counting uninterrupted despite the replaying of empty footage.*

*Ten minutes later he was at the lift shaft, slicing into the door alarm, when the rest of the team approached, the locators in the comms he had given to the reaper and the woman notifying him despite the fact that they were cloaked, and he assumed the yuuzhan vong was with them as well.* "You can deactivate the cloaks for the time being, but leave the no-show's active. If any of you do not know how to rappel, now is the time to speak up." *As he spoke, he finished the slice of the shaft's security system, decreasing it's sensitivity just as he had done with the others, and moved to face the door.*

*Taking a ready stance with his right foot back and left foot forward, he drew back his right hand, straightening the fingers into as close a semblance of a blade as a hand could assume, and drove it forward into the split between the doors. The hand drove through the space almost effortlessly, thanks to the armor he wore, and bent the durasteel around his hand. He then repeated the movement with his left hand just above his right and forced the doors apart. There was little mechanical resistance, and the doors would remain open once they were forced, but the doors were not light and they moved slowly. Once they were open, he took the winch and cable from the reaper and affixed the winch's magnetic plate to the surface above the doors inside the shaft, then turned to face the others, motioning the yuuzhan vong to go first.*

Wed Feb 08, 2012 10:40 am by Bloodrage Pirates

*Krax followed Trask off the ship with his cloak and no-show active. He had slipped the comm-link into his ear under his helmet when he was cloaked. He thought it was strange that he could tell where the other cloaked beings were, strange but convenient! He carried the winch and cable for Trask through the simple room to the central turbolift. He wondered what a guard might think that came around the corner the see the lift open for no apparent reason? They wouldn't be able to see the pirates but then they'd be killed fairly quickly so they wouldn't be confused for long. He made sure his rifle was ready and knelt down to cove the hallway as the team began to abseil down the lift shaft.*

Fri Feb 10, 2012 3:12 pm by Nem Yin

*Nem nodded and took hold of the winch as his writer attempted to recall the one or two times he went rock wall climbing many years back. Quickly and quietly the Intendant rappelled down the turbolift shaft, praying between each push that the infidel tech was quality enough to support his weight.* *Lean though he was, both his bones and epidermis were considerably heavier than that of a common humanoid. Ordinarily he would have called it the reward of genetic superiority, but in situations where weight was a factor, it proved more problematic than beneficial.* *Despite these concerns, the cable did indeed hold his weight, with ease even. Before he knew it his feet touched the bottom of the shaft where the detention level was located. He gave the cable a quick jerk to let the others know he was at the bottom and the cord was free for use.*

Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:38 pm by Lita Trykk

*On the opposite side of the turbolift, where the doors had been pried open, the sound of two pairs of approaching footsteps could be heard, echoing lightly off the suspended bridge network.*

----

*Lita's hurried footfalls were silent as a shadow. She hurried through the grand halls towards the center of the ground level of the palace. One of the vibration alerts had been triggered within the inert shaft of the primary lift, which was still shut down, and Lita had ordered the palace guards to check the lift doors at every level of the pyramid. Several floors had already reported the all clear, but Lita wanted to be there personally for the most likely entry point.

When she reached the primary lift, she was almost disappointed to find the pristine doors were untouched. The guards stepped aside as she neared them and ran her bronze hand along their smooth surface. Not a single dent or scratch, no signs of forced entry to be seen. Had it been a flux in the security system, some glitch? Her instincts were on high alert, screaming at her. Something was amiss. She pressed her ear against the doors that lead to the shaft and closed her eyes, listening. Silence.*

"Keep a post here and return the rest to patrol. I will see to the prisoner level myself."

Mon Feb 13, 2012 8:05 pm by Fiáin

Fia followed behind the blue man, copying him and the others in turning on her no-show and cloak. Seemingly nothing happened, but at this point she stopped questioning these creatures odd ways. It did not endanger her as far as she could see but she was staying aware of everything just in case. Trask asked about rappelling and she crinkled her brow, not wanting to say she didn't know how to but also slightly nervous as to what it was. Watching the others she realized it was nothing more than what she used to do when scaling cliffs, except with a oddly large amount of extra equipment. Looking at the harness she frowned and ignored it, grabbing the cable she lowered herself down the shaft. It was easy for Fia as despite her muscled body she was rather light, and that made descending the cable easy. Reaching the bottom she waited for the others to join her.

Tue Feb 14, 2012 4:25 am by Bloodrage Pirates

*Krax saw no need to wait, he had abseiled and climbed inside and out of many structures to get to loot before and this was no different, except he could hear foot steps. He glanced at the lift shaft, and saw that only Trask remained on this level. Not wanting to be responsible for closing the doors after them, the Reaper took his opportunity. He got up and quickly grabbed the cable and pushed himself off. His normal abseiling technique involved a few big pushes off the surface so he could get down quickly. That would bee too noisy for this occasion so instead he took it slow, walking gently down the lift shaft. This took longer but nevertheless he was at the bottom fairly quickly, he was not one for hanging around, literally!*

Thu Feb 16, 2012 2:58 pm by Trask

*When the line finally slackened, there was no time left for the chiss to follow the reaper down the shaft, so instead of beginning his own rappel, he set the winch to reel its cord in and deactivated the magnetic clamp that held it in place, moving it to a vest pocket. He knew he would be invisible with both the cloak and no-show active, but that wouldn't stop one of the guards from bumping into him, so he slipped into the elevator shaft and began a much slower descent than that of the others. There were more than enough hand and footholds throughout the shaft, but the necessity for silence forced him to move slowly and he was only half a dozen meters down when the pair of iridonians stuck their heads into the shaft through the open doorway and looked around.*

*Trask held himself motionless, not daring to make a sound, while the two Iridonians made their inspection. Once they withdrew, he carefully removed the winch from it's pocket and attached it to the lift wall in front of him, then set it to run out slowly and began a quicker descent than climbing would allow. Once he reached the bottom, he remotely disengaged the winch's magnet and let the device fall the rest of the way down the shaft, then caught it and returned it to the pocket.* "Once we're inside, I'll hack the database and locate the captain, but since his most likely location is on the third level of the dungeon, you three will head there immediately. Krax, decloak so Nem can find you. Nem, keep a hand on his shoulder at all times until he tells you where the captain is. Otherwise you could end up wandering around down here until long after we've gone. Everyone clear?"

Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:39 am by Nem Yin

*Claustrophobia threatened to overwhelm the Yuuzhan Vong whose previous scouting activities mostly involved trekking across outdoor planes and open city districts. The close lifeless walls of the shaft seemed to press in, clouding his thoughts with concern and dredging up old memories of a time spent physically confined while mentally alert. Consciously he sought to shake himself from the dream by focusing on the present. He had been so lost in thought that he only managed to catch the second half of Trask's orders.*

Trask wrote:"Krax, decloak so Nem can find you. Nem, keep a hand on his shoulder at all times until he tells you where the captain is. Otherwise you could end up wandering around down here until long after we've gone. Everyone clear?"

*Nodding his head, the Intendant replied, his tone absent emotion and almost droid like in its delivery.* "Gotcha." *Well, a droid probably would have said 'acknowledged', but you get the point.* *Attempting to regain a bit of joviality, he reached out and placed his right hand on Krax's left shoulder, kneading the merc's muscular flesh in an imitation of massage. He leaned forwards and brought his thin lips next to the pirate's ear and whispered vilely.*

"Mmm, what a specimen you are. I knew we'd embrace before this plot was through."

*A raspy chuckle escaped his throat as his free hand came up and pulled the flesh hood of his cloaker up over his head, now rendering him entirely absent from sight. The only sign of his presence was the secure squeeze of his palm and spindly digits on his shipmate's shoulder.*

Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:18 pm by Lita Trykk

:: Empty? You're certain? ::

*Lita tapped the comlink device against her lower lip, her horned brow furrowed. There was little illumination here, even by Zabrak standards. A single lamp hung above the lift doors, casting an orange light that did little to chase away the darkness of the detention level.

Why would an infiltration team move to the top of the pyramid, the least likely to hold the pirate prisoner? Perhaps that was not their destination, but rather, their starting point. She cursed herself that she did not think of it before. But to open the doors of the lift and then not even enter the tube? A distraction, perhaps?*

:: Check the other lifts. They may be traversing through the palace by another means. I want everyone moving except for the stationary posts. Keep your senses up...we should have seen them, by now. ::

*Her last words were muttered as she clicked the link off. Lita knew better than anyone how many tricks one could use in the force to coneal their own presence, but also knew how difficult, and exhausting, it would be to move under such camouflage for extended periods of time. And, it was unlikely an entire team would all be capable of such advanced force abilities. A single infiltrator? A scout?

Still, both logic and instinct dictated that there was one place the invaders would have to pass through, sooner or later. The only way in or out of the dungeon was through those doors. Lita leaned back against the shadow-engulfed pillar...and waited.*

Thu Feb 23, 2012 12:10 pm by Trask

*After everyone was once again cloaked, Trask moved to the right of the door and pulled one side open, staying clear of the opening in anticipation of weapons fire. When none came, he climbed out of the shaft onto the first floor of the detention level and as his ocular implants adjusted to the shadows filling the edges of the room, he couldn't make out a single guard; until his gaze fell on Lita, standing in the shadows next to a support pillar.* :: Find the stairs and head to the third floor. Find the captain. I'll deal with this one. :: *The message was not spoken, but composed in his head and sent via his implanted processor, which gave it a mechanical tone in the earpieces worn by the others. He had no way to communicate with the Yuuzhan Vong without speaking, and that would give away the presence of the others, but he knew the man would follow the instruction he had been given, for his desire to find the captain if not for his obedience to orders.*

*Then, stepping forward, Trask deactivated the cloak and no-show, seeming to step out of thin air, and promptly ran a scan of the surrounding room, making sure they were alone. Aside from the three pirates, who were quickly and quietly making their way toward the stairs, they were.* "Stand aside. I am going to retrieve the captain. If you stand in my way, I will remove you." *His tone was cold, matter of fact. It held no hint of doubt that he could do what he claimed. But he knew she would not simply stand aside. He had betrayed her, taken the trust she had given and turned it against her to achieve his own ends, an action he found revolting despite the good it would achieve in the end. He had been wrong to do what he did, but what he did had been necessary.*

Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:33 pm by Lita Trykk

*The door opened haltingly, as though by an invisible hand exerting manual labor upon it. Her senses heightened. Lita could hear the almost silent footfalls enter the seemingly empty corridor, but she saw no one. She sought the illusion within the force, but found none.

When the Chiss shimmered into view, her suspicions were confirmed. Not an illusion or trick of the mind, but rather some foul technology. Resourceful. Her lips briefly curled at his words before returning to their neutral expression, and she leisurely pushed away from the pillar, stepping into the orange glow of the solitary lamp.*

"It would be a tremendous thrill for me to fight you. It is the way of my blood, and I admit, I am sorely tempted. Unfortunately, that is not my intention. I am as eager to rid myself of your pirate leader as you are to obtain him. He is....a bad influence on Iridonia's young emperor, and a nuisance I will not miss."

*Her tone remained impassive, almost dismissive, though the attention of her hard gaze was intensely fixed. She knew there were others that had arrived with Trask, but she had no idea how many, or where they were precisely located. She was relying entirely on a very unreliable force ability to forewarn her of any unseen attack. After a moment's pause, she resumed in that same deadpan way of hers.*

"There is my pride to take into consideration, however, so I will require a barter for my cooperation. I will lead you to the pirate. I won't even alert the guards to the presence of you or yours. All I ask for in exchange is the immediate return of my property...the saberstaff you took into your possession."

*She unfolded her arms from her robes and extended one open palm.*

"You know I'm a Zabrak of my word, Trask, to my own detriment. I must warn you not to try my patience by attempting to negotiate the terms, as I am being more than generous."

Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:46 am by Bloodrage Pirates

*Krax shivered as Nem placed his hand on the shoulder of his armour. The Xeno had always made the Reaper uncomfortable but he had tolerated him until now. This was a bit too close so the job needed a bit extra speed. He did not need to be told twice to move to the stairs and find the Captain, that is what they were on the planet for in the first place. He made sure Fia was in direct contact with him before he began to walk out of the turbolift. He paused for a moment to witness the brief exchange between Lita and Trask, nothing out of the ordinary. He then hurried the group along towards the stairs, they had a mission to accomplish!*

Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:45 pm by Nem Yin

*Concealed by his invisible attire, Nem's mqaaq'it widened in surprise as the group came across the Iridonian woman.* *Not because they ran into someone, for they had been expecting that, and certainly not because she was a horn head like everyone else on the planet. What surprised him was that this particular Zabrak was the very same that had greeted them when they first entered Malidris. From the brief few words he managed to catch before Krax began to move them forwards, it seemed all too clear that she and the Chiss had something of a history. Perhaps that was why Trask turned to words when he should have just put a blaster bolt between her eyes.* *Inwardly he scowled, removing his free hand from the hidden sheath on his outer thigh, then placing foot to stone as he matched pace with the pirate he was holding on to. The fleshy padding of his cloaker muffled his steps as he moved further into the detention centre. Back and forth his vision flickered, uncertain which cell held the man they had come to rescue.*

Sat Feb 25, 2012 10:48 pm by Trask

"Very well." *It didn't take him long to consider the offer and reach a conclusion. Even if she hadn't offered the captain in return for the weapon, if she had simply asked for it, he owed her that much at least. Unclipping the weapon from where it hung on his belt, he hadn't had time to remove it since taking it from her, he held it out on his palm for her to take.* "Lead the way."

Tue Feb 28, 2012 5:07 pm by Lita Trykk

*Her fingers curled around the weapon as her eyes appraised him. That was almost too easy.*

"...Your friends are welcome to follow. I imagine we'll catch up to them at the door to the stairwell, unless they mean to try a lock breaker. I wouldn't recommend it."

*She turned without waiting for a response, as though it didn't really matter. She walked at a brisk pace, taking a circuitous route through the grid of cages to avoid the synchronized patrols. It was a failing with the palace guards...their perfect training was utterly predictable.

When they reached the heavily circuited door, she saw no one there, but that didn't mean they were alone. Lita placed her hand against the bioscanner, and the door whispered open.*

Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:55 am by Bloodrage Pirates

*Krax made sure his foot falls were quiet, if not silent most of the time. The slightest noise would've ruined their advantage of invisibility. He made sure the group made it to the stairway door ahead of Lita or Trask but then he was stumped. The security was biometric, something not easily sliced and definitely not quickly. He thought momentarily about blasting the control panel to open the door but quickly realised how stupid that would've been. It was only shortly after this that Lita approached the console, opportunity knocked.

Krax quickly backed the group up to give the Zabrak room to open the door, which he assumed she would. A few seconds later and the door opened surprisingly gracefully with a hiss. Krax quickly made sure both the people following him were attached and moved quickly through the entrance before Lita did. She was clearly waiting for Trask and there was no time to lose. He had not been privy to their previous conversation and he caught a glance of the saber-staff as he passed, he did not like those weapons one bit. He did not pause though, continuing up the stairs with the others in tow.*

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