| abstract
| - Hypolita Park - Theseus Station In the heart of the station, this central park setting seems like a bit of Kalla recreated in space. Sodium lighting over head simulates an eternal mid summer afternoon's sunlight as HVAC fans create a fresh breeze that zephyrs among trees and plants. ESPO presence is lesser with patrollers traveling in pairs to assure remote safety and order. Live birds chirp and hop from ground to tree only to battle with cute squacabe, ground rodents, over possession of a sorel nut. Water features, including a waterfall from the high ceiling, are decorated with subdued statuary to legendary sports figures from a myriad of sports. Food merchants wheel carts about, happy to cater to hungry visitors to the park. The Park takes up the greater portion of the deck but at the periphery is the racers entrance to Titania track. A clear pathway exists for the moving of swoops to and fro the freight turbo lifts. There is a Sports Hall of Fame at other end of the park and the Galactic Swoop League's Head Quarters is here as is the backstage performers' entrance to the Amphitheatre. Puck Amphitheatre and Water Park make up the center of the larger park. The performance center used on off days as a family, aquatic tourist attraction. Real Objects: Dareus Tyler Dreven Sometimes, the person in charge uses his title as a shield. Korynn Fleming, Sector Director of ISB operations, has been using himself as a shield. His first visit to Etti IV, ironically, yielded results he did not expect from simply walking through the streets, in uniform, with a pair of CompForce bodyguards. Since then, he's mobilized some of his best Field Agents to do the undercover work of his bidding, while allowing himself to be the 'overt' operative. He hopes to draw attention away from whatever his covert, undercover operatives are doing. So far, from what can be seen, it is working. Only time will tell. With the announcement of TeamCSA being opened, Korynn's next visit is to Theseus Station. Having gone through all of the necessary procedures to appease the Corporate Sector ESPO security, Korynn is now walking toward the Titiana Stables. Three of his most elite CompForce guards are with him. They are lightly armed. It is a risk Fleming was willing to take, trusting that these men would keep him safe in the chance that CSA would once again openly turn on the Empire. Walking across the way, a representative from the Titiana Swoop Track makes to greet the ISB Sector Director, putting on his best game face to hide the fear in his eyes. "Hello, Director Fleming. Your liaison made me aware of your wish to visit and tour the track about half an hour ago." The Park, a bright place uncomfortable for many of those who prefer to lurk in the shadows. The park's atmosphere is set to midday, and the lighting bright and pleasant as a stream of people go about enjoying their day here. A few beings clothed in camouflage, having discarded street clothing into a bin before entering the park, move through the local foliage. They are silent, deadly silent. Among them was Malign, wearing a bright array of colorings that matched the park's growth. His hazel eyes peer toward Korynn and his light escort. A headset comlink and the Force was all he needed to see to his objectives. Silently he pulls a mask up over his face and melds into a uniformed pack of assaulters. Those with him carried nothing illegal, small arms no larger than holdout blasters or melee weapons. "Monitor the target," the Sith commands into the comlink as the small group of beings, living or not, stand motionless in their hiding places. Malign moves against a tree, simply watching for now, deciding that the Park isn't the best place to consider an altercation, his eyes falling on the numerous children and innocent people going about their day. Chaos wasn't the order of today, stealth was, and a Sith must be capable of both. Sitting off to one side in the central park, a gruff looking man casually rolls one of his own sticks. Carefully moving out the contents on a small sheet of tobacco paper. He then licks over one edge of it and curls it around to stick to the other edge. He then holds out his hand, tapping one side, then the other. He lifts it up, placing it on his lips as he lifted up a fingertip to his ear, as if rubbing it for a moment as his lips move around the cig. "Am in position. Will continue surveillance until further instructions." He ceases rubbing his ear, lifting up his hand as he looks up, looking around before he lights the tip of his cig, taking a small drag before letting the smoke out from his nostrils. He frowns for a moment, as if at the taste, but it quickly fades. (Dreven) Quietly, Dareus is crouching behind a small shrub that obscures the lower half of a tree, the only noise is the tiniest muffled sounds from the comlink that is on his ear. Between watching the same target Malign does, his eyes drift over to a few other people and their children playing, ready to move if they start getting too close to them; he didn't need to be seen here. Pulling his wrist close to his mouth, to help block any direct travel that sound could even make, he just quietly adds, "I doubt he'll be around here too long; just some patience and we can catch him on the move; somewhere without so many people. Civilian casualties would be counter-productive here." Letting his hand fall back to his side, he ducks down a little more while a kid with a kite goes running past, visually a little angered about the close proximity. "That's correct," replies Korynn. Meanwhile, the chief CompForce agent speaks quietly into a tiny comlink attached to the shoulder plate of his light armor. "Auresh Two. Status yellow. Code Ten, check." Korynn and the representative from the Titiana Track continue to speak for a few moments, before the representative turns and leads the way into the stables. Two of the CompForce troopers hang back for a moment, their keen eyes scanning the surrounding area, before moving to join up with Korynn and his primary bodyguard, as the group moves into the stables. Once inside, the representative begins showing Korynn the various operations taking place, as if he were nothing more than a tour guide. Repair bays, storage facilities, and the like. As Korynn moves Malign nods quietly, "Target has moved, all units move to next zone." Suddenly, large groups of men spring from the foliage, working out of their camouflaged masks and uniforms. Underneath were simply Corporate Sector Technician jumpsuits, maybe for team CSA, the logos were slightly ambiguous suggesting they could be station security or even OOAG watching a target. After they get their equipment off and balled up, another being appears with a bag and they all begin tossing the discarded gear into the bag, before moving forward toward the swoop track. Dareus quickly stands up. "All units converge and maintain visual; don't make any other moves until ordered." He takes a walk along the tree laden section, moving among the foliage while others are moving in different directions; a smile on the Captains' face while he wonders just how much is noticeable around here, but it seems a few too many people are ambiguous and ignorant of everything. Without any other orders, he moves along following Fleming at a safe and less than noticeable distance. Heading to the Titiana Public Stables... Titiana Public Stables - Theseus Station Clang and bang of techs, chops & jockeys working on their bikes aurally fills the area. Gates leading off to private team paddocks are spread amidst public stalls for the storage and maintenance of swoop bikes. Cheap dinner offers greasy fair to those that seem to live breath and sleep Swoops. Bullpen area is set aside for those up in the next heat and board overhead shows close-ups of any one running the circuit live as well as updated scoring for league events. Exit to the track proper is an air sealed energy field and ESPOs in conjunction with Track officials maintain watch that no one enter the track with out a vacc environmental suit. A kiosk nearby sells them for racers that have come unprepared for the space track. A Banner for TeamCSA hangs overhead. Tyler arrives from the Hypolita Park. Tyler has arrived. Dareus arrives from the Hypolita Park. Dareus has arrived. The leading CompForce trooper continues speaking into his small comlink. "Aurek Two, proceeding to check-point six. Status yellow." These were some of the Sector's best, assigned to make sure that Fleming was kept safe. One couldn't be entirely certain who was on the other end of that comlink channel, but the casual observer could be more than certain that it was encrypted, and more than certain that those listening were appropriately prepared for any number of contingencies. Korynn Fleming may appear to be taking any number of risks, but ultimately, those risks are always calculated. Korynn stops to look over one of the team paddocks. His eyes are squinted as he observes the dirty, disorganized location, a scowl forming on his face. "Many of these team facilities are so far beyond COMPNOR specifications it's disgusting," he notes to the representative, a Zabrak named N'akorr. "There are a few things the Corporate Sector could learn from-" Suddenly, one of the CompForce troopers notices something out of the ordinary. "Aurek Four, code black." Immediately, the three troopers draw close to Fleming, hands reaching to charge their weapons. They don't bring them to bear, however, having yet to actually have a target to sight. Korynn doesn't need to ask, for he's quite well aware of what a code black is. He turns about, eyes perusing the entrance from where they came. Meanwhile, the remaining CompForce troopers waiting aboard their COMPNOR shuttle come running out of the landing ramp, immediately upon intercepting the code black. The shuttle powers up and makes to take off, in order to prevent anyone from stealing it while empty of her CompForce guards. Malign and his masked agents move quickly now, down the corridors and into the stables. The Sith pulls his cap down to mask his eyes as he steps back. Three of his agents step forward and raise their right arms with extremely synchronized movements. Three small *POOFS* can be heard as small barbs are fired toward the necks of Korynn's guards. The barbs were laced with a special tailored Sith toxin that acted as a disabling agent and wasn't designed to kill anyone. Once the barbs had contact with blood, they would dissolve into water vapor. It is an ingenious and expensive way to disable opponents and leave no signs. The guards were moving but it would be too late. The Sith turns and taps his own comlink. "Activate plan Alpha," he mutters as the men around him suddenly drop their small holdout blasters. Compartments on their legs hiss open to show a complex array of larger weaponry, from blaster rifles to repeating blasters. The Sith himself, mask over his face, draws a massive sword hidden underneath a long coat worn by techs when working in colder areas. The blade turns in his hand, switching to an offensive position and he charges forward. "Time has run out, twenty standard seconds to capture target." The only thoughts that go through Dareus' mind are 'bad timing...' oh well. Adaptation was the specialty of every single set of legs that accompanied them here, so instead he moves into the stable, drawing his trusted shotgun from his sling. Smiling a little at it's feeling, he was glad to have it back, it was big, but legal and easy to take anywhere. While the guards drop, Dareus moves up alongside the Sith, and raises an eyebrow, "Remind me to get some of those..." His fingers tighten their grip along the barrel of the shotgun, racking the action quickly and sending the heavy gauge slug into the chamber and ready to fire; though he keeps the weapon pointed towards the ground. The darts find their way directly into the necks of Aurek Three and Four. The two soldiers' eyes roll into the backs of their heads, and they drop to the ground, the barbs fizzling into vapor as they fall. Aurek Two, however, is quick enough to raise his arm and block the barb with the plating on his forearm. The barb goes singing through the air, pegging into the side of N'akorr's body and dropping him to the ground in a silent heap. "Aurek Two, code red." The last standing CompForce guard doesn't shout. He's too well trained for that. Instead, he goes rushing toward the attackers who have made themselves visible, showing his fierce and insane dedication to the cause, holding up CompForce's reputation well. As for Korynn, he's always been more about decisions than action. His eyes go toward a coolant tank nearby, and he immediately releases a shot of superheated plasma into the tank's dispersal assembly. There's a loud 'pang' of cracking metal, then the air is filled with liquid coolant, which vaporizes into a thick cloud of bluish white steam. Fleming lunges into the outer area of the cloud, using it to conceal his attempt to escape into one of the mechanical rooms. It doesn't hide him completely; if he were to move closer into the cloud, it might kill him. He hisses as the cold steam burns at his skin, but it won't cause any damage if he's fast. The guard who blocked the barb showed his worth, but it wouldn't be enough as Malign's support mechanically turns their weapons on him. There is a roar of energy as they open up concentrating stun fire on him until he falls to the ground in a heap. The Sith was fast, already closing the distance. "Keep the reinforcements busy Captain. No deaths, we're not interested in killing anyone," he says darkly, ducking down behind the vapors in pursuit of Korynn. "Director, resisting is only going to result in unimaginable pain." He modulates his voice with a device underneath the mask that hides his features. He works himself out of the Corporate Sector jump suit with a thought, underneath was a gleaming suit of red armor. He continues stalking forward, extending his senses now, he would find his prey. A dark aura begins to spill out around him as he begins to concentrate, closing the gap between him and the Director. His sword slices through a workbench with no effort and little sound save for the halves of the table slamming onto the deck plating below. CompForce was legendary in their handling of these situations, the Captain can easily see why, with their unwavering dedication, enough for him to actually have a twinge of pride for the man running at them; although there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity, this was crossing that line. Hundreds of thoughts about how to drop the man without killing pass through his mind, including non-lethal places to shoot the man; which is one option he's ready for, taking the time to wait for any alternate orders, holding the shotgun towards his lower section, something most men would be hard pressed to be able to walk, let alone pursue, afterwards; Dareus' eyes also looking up to the freezing steam that flies across from the tank. With the new orders, he smiles at the man who falls to a heap, "Seal the exits, and maintain a perimeter scan; keep all weapons on stun; we're not killing anyone today." The orders are clear and absolutely non-negotiable, as they go through the comlink, Dareus himself, slinging his shotgun, and snapping his fingers, one of the accompanying guards giving him a stun capable blaster, 'lead by example' crosses his mind. "Perimeter secure Lord Malign; but we'll need to get moving quickly." He takes one of the glop grenades, holding the mechanism down, something he was grateful to have now...these things stop people in their tracks, literally... The CompForce reinforcements are some time from arrival, having to rely on the bloody turbolifts to arrive. "Out of the way," one shouts to a teenage boy, throwing the poor chap aside with an armored forearm to make a clear way into the next turbolift. The stables have cleared out now, as nobody wants to deal with heavily armored mercenaries. It frees Korynn to slip out of the bluish cloud, where he makes a quick decision. It doesn't take more than an extra thought... the Empire could not afford the abduction of a man with such knowledge into sensitive matters. By the time Malign is able to see Korynn with his carnal eyes, the Director's blaster is poking into his own chin, at the precise angle that will cause the bolt to penetrate his jaw and sear his brain into mush. There wouldn't be time to reach him first, and there'd scarcely be time to throw a sword and disarm him. Korynn begins to pull the trigger. The Sith's actions blur with an enormous burst of speed. Within a second he was on Korynn and his hand was on the tip of the blaster. The armored hand comes down on Korynn's blaster and with a Force-augmented move the end of it is smashed into oblivion, crushing the chamber and rendering the weapon useless. The helmeted Sith's black visor turns toward the Director, ripping the remains of the weapon out of his hand and then sheathing his sword. "Do not resist, Director." His voice booms, "We are more than prepared to deal with you." The armored hand that destroyed Korynn's blaster then grabs the Director by the shoulder. "We are not interested in killing you," he hisses, "but you must come with us." His comlink comes active. "All units move. To sector thirty-seven, prepare to use utility lifts for our escape. Notify our ship for immediate launch." Confirmations move, their organization wasn't mercenary like it was hardened, military trained. Formations moved in forms and their actions matched Imperial standards, their moves mirroring the CompForce units but with enough variation to be a few steps ahead of them. The armored figure laughs mechanically, "Director Fleming, I have read CompForce protocol. I know you better than you think." Without another quick motion he places a barb on the director's hand. This one was different, it would disable his arms and legs but not render him unconscious. A pair of his aids rush forward and take the now limp Director in hand. "Get the glop grenades and cyro-ban's ready; try to stop them just at the lifts; the more distance, the better." Dareus drops to one knee, waiting patiently for the inevitable arrival of more heavily armed guards. He gets a shiver in excitement for the time being, loving the anticipation of it all, "Units three, six and 12, move along to the outer edge, we don't want to be caught up in a bottleneck either." Quickly a few more of their accompanying troops move out the door and swiftly to watch the lifts, the probably only way they could arrive. "I don't care who's in that lift, we're all here, the second those doors open, lock them down." He smirks, knowing that right now they're prepping their non-lethal grenades, the while Dareus sits ready, peeking back behind himself while he waits; checking the chrono almost impatiently. Once the order arrives, Dareus nods, "Get those cargo lifts up here now." He stands up tall, and moves out of the stables, "Prepare for immediate launch; objective complete, we're heading home." The assigned guards still watch the public lifts carefully, waiting, as the others stand and take up positions by the arriving cargo lifts, Dareus standing by the door as well; keeping his blaster ready. His jaw pressed into a disgusted frown, Korynn was about to blink his last blink. It is replaced by a look of pure shock when, in that blink, his blaster is demolished, and an armored hand is on his shoulder. Strangely, there is no fear in the Director's soul, at least no fear for himself. There is, rather, an immense fear that he has just failed the Emperor, and to him, that is worse than death. A sickly sourness fills his mouth, bringing him refusal to speak, in the moment where he decides that a word will never leave his mouth again. He merely stares into the masked face before him with a spiteful scowl, until he finds no movement left in his extremities. The turbolift carrying Fleming's reinforcements opens, and disgorges half of the men who were left aboard the COMPNOR shuttle. The others press against the walls, while one trooper throws a small device onto the floor of the turbolift. It attaches itself and begins beeping rapidly, while those yet to leave the lift flip visors down over their faces. Malign’s solders take Korynn. The CompForce soldiers would be dealt with and remain alive. The Sith marches with the Director and a small detachment of guards toward a sealed door. One guard steps forward and begins to suit up the limp director into an environmental suit capable of protecting him from the vacuum of space. The guard works rapidly, with a speed and precision that wasn't human. Once they give an affirmative the Sith turns and keys the door open as if he knew the code the whole time. The airlock hisses open and the group marches in, the doors sealing shut behind them. "All units prepare to disembark." Malign and his crew were in an airlock, while Dareus and company moved through the CompForce reinforcements to prepare the ship to pick them up. "Time for the adventure of your life," Malign says darkly as he keys the door. It opens into the darkness of space and the group is sucked out into the void. Malign uses telekinesis and the Force to slow their flight away from the station, and activates a heavily encrypted communicator as he drives the group back down to the surface. His boots hit the exterior hull with no sound, but a pair of magnetic boots were all he and his guards needed to walk across the surface of the station toward the hangar bay. Korynn can do little more than watch. While he's maintained the ability to move his neck, he's no fool. There's no way to move his extremities, making it useless to struggle. Instead, he turns to observing what he can with his available senses, even when the sounds are bottled into a tunneled oddity by the envirosuit's helmet. Meanwhile, the CompForce reinforcements are put down by Dareus's glop grenade. Those who had emerged are trapped instantly, with goo hardening around them. Inside the lift, however, the CompForce guards have planned for this. The small device on the floor stops beeping and erupts, blowing a point-vectored explosion into the floor of the lift and opening up a sizeable hole. The troopers inside are peppered with shrapnel, but that's what their light armor and facemasks were for. They begin dropping into the hole, using grappling ropes on their forearms to latch onto the lift's underbelly. Then they start dropping through the lift, hoping they can reach the docking bay levels in time to catch the Director's kidnappers. Little do they know that this tactical decision was a failure from the start. Once Malign has vaulted them into space, Korynn's eyes grow wide. He grits his teeth and growls maliciously, while working to maintain his level of focus. This situation is already out of hand, he doesn't need to soil his Imperial whites in the process. Elsewhere, over the open comlinks, the sounds of calm droids, and Dareus' voice directing them can be heard over the sounds of stun blasters going off throughout the levels of the station to get to the hangar. Once inside of the hangar bay, the entire group quickly moves towards the ship, getting inside quickly, and Dareus himself dons a Vacsuit just in case. The last few shots from the inhumanly capable guards, as they back up the ramp, before it closes, the expert pilot at the helm, his own precision, he knows, the droids can't match, "Lord Malign, we're taking off, en route to your tracking position. Stand by for pickup; all CompForce survived, as you commanded." The ship dusts off quickly and with expert speed, moving towards an encrypted signal; the likes of which both CSA and the Empire don't know that it exists, yet. He turns, the open comlink still active, "Guards, get down to the ramp and prepare for a space extraction; Dareus knows he's the only human on board, so he prematurely decompresses the ship, while the ramp descends, magnetic boots holding his forces in their places safely as he moves into position. Malign marches with his group across the face of the station, waiting for their ride. A YT-2400 launches into view slowly after a few moments below them, a very unassuming vessel with no markings. The Sith nods, "Hold the vessel steady we'll come to you. We're less likely to show up on sensor scans." The Sith kills his magnetic boots and turns toward the vessel pushing off toward the ship. The guards holding Korynn do the same, "Director, the poison I have given you will wear off in one standard hour." He says darkly, "By then you will be comfortable onboard our vessel." The group land onto the exterior of the YT-2400 and enter from the upper airlock; first the Sith, then the soldiers holding Korynn. The armored figure nods, "Prepare our decoys and false jumps."
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