A Roll of the Dice (Mando Heist Prelude)

[SivWysan]

This is the prelude to a plot I am planning, which you can read more about and comment on/get involved here

Giradda's Fury, Orbit of Corellia, 2 days after the Second Zakuulan Bombardment



Lt. Commander Nylaa Korr-Wysan surveyed the shattered wreckage of Corellia's shipyards, bombarded for the second time in 5 years.  Hardly much had been rebuilt with the world's economy still reeling, but it did not stop the Eternal Fleet from its heartless rampage.  So much for my thoughts for finishing college back then... Still, she mused, arriving this time at the helm of a fully armed warship had been far preferable to her personal transport in the chaotic improvised smuggler and Wraith evacuation against a then unknown enemy.

She glanced back over her bridge at her strange company, a young smuggler and her Wraiths escort who'd spent the past year leading a ramshackle band of Hutt mercenaries and Mandolorians on a powerful warship on lease- while trying to manage the occasional drama of a Hutt wanting to drink and Luck-knows what else upstairs on the party floor and treating the ship's battles as a form of entertainment.  She'd never expected to actually join the military, let alone on these terms, but Uncle Caben had trusted her and, all told it had put her in the right place to protect their home. 

Though no small irony, given the Wysan family history with Mandolorians.  They'd actually been growing in number of late, gradually replacing the Hutt's staff as more and more Clans joined the Coalition and the Crime Lord's happily pulled their retinues back to personal security so others could foot the bill for running the ship.  But she hadn't minded them, they were more disciplined than drunken Gamorrans and and, for all the stories this bunch seemed fairly honorable, some even hailing from Republic border worlds.  The Cathar, in particular had strange customs, though, seeming to prefer camping out on deck and having the occasional campfire for stories.  Still, it wasn't much different from growing up with Caben's Jawas. 



It was a strange truce, and she wondered how much longer it would last, with the war ending.  The Hutts would expect their ships back soon... and the thought caused her no small sick feeling in her gut.  That had been the deal, ships and support from several prominent kingpins on the Cartel Council- with some vague pledge to "look the other way" for future "expansion."  She'd helped enough refugees and slaves in her time to know that that looked like for those in their way.  She'd been able to protect her home, but at what cost? 

She could sense she wasn't alone in that feeling either- the crew, especially the Cathar had been speaking in hushed, wary tones in small groups since the war ended.  Mandelorians had destroyed their homeworld, long ago, though this group seemed a strange juxtaposition of both sides of that tragedy.  She couldn't make much heads or tails of their Clans and leadership- another group, led by a Togruta seemed related in the same camp down on Hyperion. 

It had been some surprise when one of their more talkative members, a Cathar woman had asked to meet with her off-ship on a Corellian Cantina.  She was unsure what to expect, but having some answers to her people's intentions would be preferable to continuing to guess what came next. 

[SivWysan]

OOC: Slight edit to the above, as I decided Malhra kept her name and exact clan's identity secret from the Wraiths for deniability, just a bunch of Cathar and other races with codenames .

Cockpit of the light combat craft Fury's Talon, enroute down to Corellia.



Malhra adjusted her helmet, the globe of Corellia looming in her viewport as her ship dropped below the still hazardous orbital debris fields.  It was her most nondescript power armor, missing some of the personal touches of her preferred beskar'gam, but going according to carefully laid plans.  For months, Clan Vok had been working its way into the security team of Girrada's Fury with a relatively nondescript hodge-podge of false clan markings and generic Mandolorian trappings.  Some of her crew had even donned archaic bits of Neo-Crusadar beskar, despised by many these days for its uniformity, but playing nicely into expectations.  Like any skilled hunters, they had laid their snares intricately, working cheap for "spoils and glory" and displacing the Hutt slave guards whose masters were happy not to pay for the ship's upkeep.  At this point, she was fairly confident no one really knew who, if anyone had "hired them."  Lacking a formal contract with the Hutts would make this much easier. 

They had even managed to win over a number of the Wraiths, their Republic-born officers so distrustful of her kind, with largely true, but anonymized stories of their roots in liberated slaves and nomad refugees, proud of their relative independence compared to more Sith-aligned clans.  They had been cautious though, using humorous Mando'a nicknames and call-signs and rarely removing their helmets in the company of outsiders.  Just another hoard of bucketheads, such steriotypes had suited them fine in dealing with Hutts and the Galaxy's sparring empires alike. 

But this final part would be crucial.  Through careful cultivation and research she had identified the two women most crucial to this plan's success, and most likely to be favorable or at least look the other way.  But like any hunt worth its name, this final pursuit would bear the greatest risk. 

[SivWysan]

Dock's district, Coronet City, Corellia



Nyss Taviish wandered into the Hot Prospect and, finding herself early found a seat to her liking with reasonable privacy.  The place was one of those "trying to hard to be shady" dives frequented by children of wealthy shipping magnates wanting to feel Corellian without risking a blaster shot or kick to the groin.  Then Zakuul had hit, taking with it the economy and the place was just- dingy, while lacking the history to make it worthwhile.  She smiled sadly, reminiscing on days of greater freedom when she could take Bantha's Cooch into places like the Woozy Nerf out by Trallus and pick up any job and the latest rumors without worrying about stock prices or the Wysan corporate brand she had managed nearly exclusively since the family had fled the Core leaving her in charge.

For this meeting, though a stillborn dive bar was just right, from the sense she got.  Caben's niece and a Mandolorian chief of some sort meeting to trade secrets while bits of the sky were still falling and the dead weren't cold yet.  She didn't know what Nylaa had gotten herself into, but it was the least she could do to make sure Maerin's daughter wasn't in over her head.  She'd dressed discreetly, of course, rough and with a drooping hat and choose a seat far enough into the shadows to avoid recognition.  Not too hard, her bawdy smuggler-bartender ways came back naturally in a place like this.

One by one they entered, Nyss had ordered a reasonable amount of alcohol in advance and indicated a desire for privacy so the waitstaff kept their distance.  Still, playing it safe she casually flipped a proprietary nano-jammer between their drinks once everyone sat down, the air flickering with subtle ionization that would jam most recording and evesdropping sniffers. 

Nylaa was also incogneto, donning a traveler cloak to downplay her fire red hair and leave her form vague.  She smiled at Nyss, pleased to see her again.  It was not often far-flung Corellians were able to share a glass on native soil.   



The Mandolorian's armor and cloak was nondescript, though something about her struck Nyss' trained eye as vaguely familiar.  She had seen dozens of them since coming on to oversee the fleet's repairs after the battle, and could recognize a woman able to project authority, even if Mandos were tight-lipped about their hierarchies and ways. 

[SivWysan]

Working from road w/spotty battery, final post will have a few edits til its done and a pic

Once off the street, she had removed her helmet beneath her hood- enough to show hints of her Cathar features but keep her exact markings vague.  She did a quick scan of the room via a suit-HUD linked eyepiece, and confirmed the security features they had agreed were in place.