Sapping the Walls

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz had arrived on Cloud City with zero fanfare, claiming to be a Corellian private contractor. In that corner of space it meant he was there to attempt to work out a contraband cargo of Tibanna Gas without coming out and saying as much. The autopilot had brought him in exactly as the ATC demanded, and set him down in a large public hanger. Through sheer luck he'd even been given a birth near the back, in a corner, where his out of date appearing vessel wouldn't be noticed too much. That was not to mention the advantages of being next to two interior walls. He used the name Terrik for his registration in the city just to avoid his contact being able to track him back too easily.

Hood up, robe closed, and pack over his shoulder he disembarked. The silent figure was recorded only once, ordering a refuel for the ship before disappearing into the interior of the floating structure that housed 99% of the sentience on that world. He moved through the halls, Force blinking the occasional security cam in the wrong direction for later cover up purposes, and working his way toward the casinos. From there he could truly disappear, take a look around, and prepare for his upcoming meeting. He needed to check the scheduled arrivals for his formal cover but otherwise he had some time.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz got settled into a sublevel... well, accomodation was probably too formal a word for the janitor's closet sized space he had rented but at least there was a bed in it, and the communal refresher at the end of the hall wasn't too far away. Settled probably wasn't the correct word either. He walked in, hid his travel pack, turned, and walked out after changing the personal code that got him into the room in the first place. If anybody really wanted in they weren't going to be stopped by the cheapo security on this level but at least they weren't gonna get in just by memorizing the issued code.

There were no security cams on this level, at least none that he was able to find with his eyes or through the Force. For as little as he'd paid for the room that was about par for the course. Still, he kept his hood up and his head down as he moved, looking every inch the poor spacer who was just out to do something mildly inappropriate. Even a live guard would be inclined just to let him keep moving if it looked like his intended goal was in another patrol area. Fortunately, Cloud City was one of those places in the galaxy where one could look like nothing and still be allowed to move about unfettered as long as one didn't cause trouble.

It took him almost a full standard hour to get to where he was going, winding as he did through the casinos, common areas, various halls, and pretty much through the field of view of every security hub in the public areas of the place he could find as he meandered his way toward (and away) from his ultimate goal. There was an access door, rarely used, from one of the casinos into the maintenance halls. It was in an open area, making it difficult to get into without somebody noticing the attemp but Kaz had figured out a solution to that problem before he'd ever arrived on the station.

It was as easy as finding a suspicious mind and showing it what it wanted to see. As he strolled by a sabaac table near his target Kaz reached out and gave the slightest push in the Force, to which a very large Quarren suddenly stood and slammed his heavy 'hands' down on the table as he began shouting about the dealer being a cheat, grifting cards, that sort of thing. As everybody else turned their focus onto the Quarren, including several cameras, Kaz simply moved passed their focus and casually to the door. Half of looking like you belonged in a place was confidence. No hesitation, no fumbling, just getting it done. Kaz walked up to the door, slid the miniature vibro saw into the locking mechanism, and pulled upward as it did it's job.

The sounds of the scuffle, and it's much more attention grabbing aspect, kept everybody focused away from Kaz's endeavor until the door slid open. Kaz stepped through and closed it gently behind him. He had no illusions that security would catch on to his action sooner or later but he was in the service halls. He had access to the entirety of the city from there and, unlike most, he knew where he was going and it wasn't the penthouse suites. He turned left, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and walked on at a quick and deliberate pace very different than the one he'd been using before.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

"Where'd it go?" "How am I supposed to know, last time a security camera was working down here Palpatine was still on the throne." The two guards flashed their glow tubes around in the quiet machine room. The stacks of shelves and the horribly mismanaged maintenance on the lighting making it the perfect place to lose what they were assuming was a squatter or somebody trying to syphon off a little Tibanna gas for private sale. "Check the storage lockers, then lets get out of here. The guy is just as likely to fall off one of the walkways or starve to death down here as he is to cause any trouble."

The other guard walked over to the row of lockers, each big enough for even a Wookie to hunker down in, and opened them one by one while his partner covered him. One by one they all turned up empty. "Nothing." "Alright, lube it. Let's jet." "Lube it?" "Shut up." The two left, one poking at the other about the archaic use of slang dating back to the second Galactic Civil War. A few moments passed by in the dark silence before one of the storage lockers opened up and Kaz stepped out. "Weak minded, full of expectations," he intoned as he closed the locker behind him for good measure. Kaz headed out into the hall, checking to make sure the two beings had gone on their merry way first, and then went the opposite direction.

He'd been dodging security teams for three standard hours but it had been more a matter of numbers and their lack of intent that had made any challenge out of it, rather than skill. They seemed disinterested in finding him and it made it difficult to track them as trouble in the Force. If they had been so casual on a populated level he would have been hard pressed to avoid them at all, but in the service halls, where there was usually no living being above a rodent, he'd been able to feel their living Force signitures and dodge them that way.

He made his way down several levels, simply slipping around another security team in the pipe filled tunnel in which he encountered them, leaving them none the wiser for his presence. They were tightening up around the Tibanna processors, protecting the substance of value. However, that had been Kaz's plan all along as it left his route to the carbonite storage facility unencumbered with unnecessary guards. He slipped in with ease, the door unguarded as it held nothing more valuable than the 'packing foam' of the local industrial process. Within he began attaching a series of devices to the mixers, all designed to add a single chemicle to the carbonite. It would do nothing to the freezing process, it wouldn't raise any alarms unless somebody was really looking and knew what they were looking for in the first place, but it would have a very unique affect on the Tibanna gas that was frozen within.

Knowing that the effective range of a great many Imperial turbo lasers were about to get quartered, Kaziki Halcyon withdrew from the mixers, took a data copy of the outgoing lot numbers that would be affected by the finite amount of chemicle the devices carried from the control computer, and started the long journey back toward his room. There would be an access hatch around there he could follow a maintenance droid out of without too much trouble, then he could get ready for his meeting and departure.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Security was still searching for a robed being in the tunnels when Kaziki Horn, heir apparent of the Horn estate, stepped off the turbolift in the latest fashion of suit. Admittedly, he wore the outfit more casual than most with the top two buttons undone on his shirt, the coat open, and his hair in untamed spikes. He was clean shaven, as always when the facilities were available, with his face baring a smile of charm and confidence. He moved through only the most crowded and expensive sections of the city on his way to the casinos. The young Corellian was on the second half of his mission and it required an appearance of a character he'd spent most of his life portraying.

He arrived in the casino, snagged a glass of some gently bubbling alcohol, and headed toward the high stakes tables. Kaz ignored the chip exchangers, he wouldn't need any chips where he was going. The young 'nobleman' mounted a set of steps and flashed a black card at hulking Twi'lek guarding the velvet ropes, causing the behemoth to step aside and part the barrier for him. They had well trained security here, though Kaz had the distinct feeling that if trouble started it wouldn't be the big beings in the formal wear that he'd have to deal with. That sort of thing was for show in an industry that prided itself on more advanced security measures.

Following the pull of the Force Kaz meandered his way through the various gaming tables, his eyes scanning those who sat at them in search of a familiar face. It didn't take long before the galactic energy that guided his life brought Kaz exactly where he needed to be. He'd not been able to spot the face of the man in the chair because his back had been to Kaz's approach. Security wasn't an issue, at least six people at five other tables were focused on Kaz's approach with concern for the man in the chair. That concern lessened greatly when Kaz's smile brightened in mock recognition.

Kaz sat down quite abruptly next to the older Corellian he'd been searching for. "Lord Penterbrook. I've been thinking of looking you up of late and here we bump into each other."

The older man pulled a cigar from his mouth and eyed the younger being who had just joined him. "You're Baron Horn's boy..." It wasn't a question but rather a statement of fact. The question was implied, and more along the lines of why are you bothering me?

Kaz was all too happy to answer that question. "Why, yes I am. My father has spoken highly of you to me as well. Small galaxy huh? Anyway, I'm told that through various channels and the like, you and I actually hold equal stock in a particular company that needn't be named at this juncture..."

"Corellian Engineering Corporation, though most of your stock is in the fleet systems division." The older Corellian cut off the younger absently as he turned over his newest card as dealt by the dealer.

"Exactly," Kaz didn't miss a single beat, maintaining his happy go lucky exterior appearance. However, it was suddenly time to start showing the two of them were on more even footing than his counterpart had realized. "And most of yours is in R&D, not to mention the stipend you pay to the second division head to give you heads up on any break throughs on your favorite projects. It's a pretty forward thinking set up but outside my purview of interest to be honest."

The older man turned his head slowly to regard the Baron of Coronet's son fully for the first time that evening. How the boy had come across that last tidbit of information was a matter of security that he'd have to address in short order, as great pains had been taken to make sure that arrangement remained completely secret. Still, the message that had been sent had been received. The boy's carefree attitude, his reputation for pointless joy seeking and endless leisure, were to some point misleading. It wasn't about blackmail either, not where the Baron was concerned, or Lord Penterbrook would have just received a gift of flowers and a carefully worded note.

"Ah, closer and closer to the same page I trust. At any rate, as investors in this company I can't help but wonder if you find yourself faced with the same problem that I do. Namely, the vagaries of the galactic market as effected by the seemingly random yet always damaging whim of the Emperor." When the being on the throne decided that he wanted something to happen a certain way, it did. By hook or by crook. If a corporation like CEC came out with a revolutionary technology, no matter how well copyrighted or insured, the Emperor could just snap his fingers and make that technology the sole property of his 'government' without recompense or recourse. To the financial detriment of all who had involved themselves with said technology as investors both fiscal and intellectual. It was known to happen a great deal in the military technology and ship building fields. The exact fields in which Kaz and Lord Penterbrook had invested.

"Nobody with enough investments to call it a portfolio has managed to dodge that little reality. And those who have tried have met with even worse downfalls, so don't even think it." The older man turned his attention back to the card game as he thought he'd come to the end of a foolish suggestion to attempt to trick the Emperor. He already used what meager options were available to hide his money when possible, to avoid the always heavy Imperial taxes as much as he could manage. He also paid more than a few bribes yearly to make sure he didn't have to grease the palms of every low level inspector in the Corellian Sector too. The cost of doing business.

Kaz continued to smile but when the older Corellian stood resolutely against any criminal trickery it became a more clever smile. "I assure you, Lordship, that is not what I suggest."

"Then what do you suggest?" Penterbrook asked abscently.

"Rebellion."

Penterbrook choked and spluttered for a moment while going bug eyed. To his credit, he managed to keep his response to an enraged hiss through clenched teeth, "Have you gone mad?!"

"Quite the opposite. Madness, a wise man once said, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. In the history of the galaxy business men like you and I have attempted to co-exist with the Sith whenever they have reared their ugly heads. Every single time the men like you and I have been used, abused, and then killed or tossed to the wolves of justice when things fell apart for the Sith. Their promises of wealth, power, and prosperity only apply to themselves. Theirs is a religion of power, pain, and violence. They get the power, the rest of us get the pain and violence. Simply put, they are bad for prosperity, no matter how you define it." Reasons to do it, check. Next came ways to do it. "Now, don't get me wrong. I don't suggest 'we' do any fighting ourselves. We aren't soldiers. We are business men. Investors. I suggest we invest in an alternative venture and then do what we would for any investment... you wouldn't invest in a bank and not hire security, right?"

Penterbrook had remained hesitantly attentive through the rhetoric against the Sith but as the business speak took over and the basics were laid out he couldn't help but take comfort in the fact that all that was being suggested was what was known in the business as investing in the competition. If you didn't like the way one business was run, or were shut out of it, you supported a business that had a chance of defeating the first. But that left one question. [color+blue]"Such a... 'startup' would have to exist in the first place before one could theoretically invest in it."[/color]

"Then, your lordship, do I ever have an investment opportunity for you..." Kaz grinned as negotiations commenced.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

At first, it would be information only. Whatever could be observed or gleaned from the informants that Lord Penterbrook already had in the Corellian Engineering Corporation, Corellian government, and even the Corellian system as a whole. It wouldn't attract attention because nothing would change. Slowly, Penterbrook was to begin taking a more active hand in caring for his agents, building a small and subtle level of trust with them so that if anything ever went wrong they would be inclined to come to Penterbrook where they could be debriefed to the benefit of the rebellion rather than having that information disappear into a hide away in some asteroid belt or into the clutches of the ever mercenary Hutts.

Later, as the investment began to show results, Kaz was certain he could get his new friend to double down in the form of turning more stock holders toward a vote of no confidence in the Emperor and thus turn CEC to the side of the Jedi rebellion. All in good time, of course, but that would help pave the way to a solid hold on the Corellian system and the Corellian sector after that. Kaz's personal desire to see his home free of the clutches of the Sith aside, it was truly a tactical strong point in the galaxy. One of the major locations that any force would need in order to wage a galactic war. In the months and years to come, the major shipyards of the galaxy would spend a great deal of time glowing brightly on many a tactical map and Kaziki Halcyon had already sapped the walls of one in favor of the Jedi.

So, it was with a satisfied smile that the hooded figure of Kaz made his way back to the shuttle that had brought him there. He knew Penderbrook would investigate Kaz's presence on Cloud City, but he would find the only evidence of the young nobelman's presence to be security footage dating to just prior and just previous to their meeting. He buckled into the pilots seat after securing the vessel, ran the hidden camera feeds and security scan, waited for the scan to finish and then launched. He had several erroneous stops to make on his way back to the Jedi base, plenty of time to watch the security feeds for people placing tracking devices.

It was never too soon to get paranoid, after all.