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Author Topic: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs, LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - Luke, Mara & a confused Gotal (Update Dec 18)
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 Date Posted: 11/8/09 10:31am Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - Troubling Thoughts (Update Nov 8)
Once he'd tried to find out what was behind that uncanny feeling but his search had come up empty. Deep down in the building's fundaments he'd found a huge number of ancient tunnels, though, and had followed some right to the Senate Hall and the Imperial Palace. In the fundament of Palpatine's Palace he'd come across a large sealed gate which had withstood all of his attempts to open it.

This brings to mind...dammit, what was that boys name again? *thinks* Irek? Was that it?

Garrett seems to have led a very boring and sad life. The poor guy.

I like your characters a great deal.

I do hope you'll be nice to them. tongue

 

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Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. -- Albert Einstein
e-sib of the fabulous Jade_Eyes kiss
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1799 posts
6298_Imperial Shuttle
-thor- 
Date Posted: 11/8/09 10:47am Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - Troubling Thoughts (Update Nov 8) - Date Edited: 11/8/09 10:55am (1 edits total) Edited By: -thor-
Sad life? You bet. Boring life? Not a chance.

There is not much about Garret's past. You'll find out a bit more in later chapters but the essence is this: He doesn't know his origins, doesn't know where he is from and what happened to his parents. All he knows about himself is his name and his birthday, both of which was etched into a bracelet which he wore as a baby when he was delivered to an Imperial Orphanage in mid-town Imperial City. He escaped the orphanage at the age of 9 and lived in InViSec for the next decade. He learned how to stay alive through stealing what he needed ... He survived, but the experiences he made weren't pretty. worried

 

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6298_Imperial Shuttle
-thor- 
Date Posted: 11/13/09 7:44am Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - Troubling Thoughts (Update Nov 8) - Date Edited: 11/13/09 7:46am (1 edits total) Edited By: -thor-
It's Friday again. And I still don't bite. Really .. I'm totally harmless. batting

Chapter 1
Post 5

It was late in the afternoon when he finally awoke. His head hurt badly, caused by a deep rumble as if an Ewok village was partying with the big drums. He hauled himself out of bed and shuffled into the 'fresher of his bedroom. He plundered his medicine cabinet and swallowed two painkillers before stepping into the shower for a while. He changed the temperature of the water from cold to hot and back a few times and felt the haze in his brain lift. At the end he simply held his head under the stream of cold water, greedily drank a few gulps and switched off the shower. He stepped out, grabbed the fluffy towel and leaned against a heating grid.
While toweling himself dry he threw a long glance at his reflection in the mirror. He was relieved to note that the confusing thoughts and emotions which had tormented him last night had retreated into the darkest corner of his soul again, into the cell he used to lock up his darkest secrets. He was unsure what to make of them and angry at himself for even having these ideas. How could such an offer stir up self-doubt and angst? He had really thought about a relationship with Sly, a relationship between man and woman, that is. But that was impossible, unthinkable. He had no right to consider such a thing. He would misuse her trust.

I would, wouldn't I?

He snarled angrily and flung the towel onto an anachronistic cane chair in the corner before storming back into his bedroom. He pulled his favourite jumpsuit from a locker and dressed hastily. Minions of Xendor! What was up with him? Had the sum offered for the job befuddled his senses? Or had he caught an overdose of Tel'Kar's spice last night? He allowed himself a sardonic grin.

Probably the latter, he thought.

Tel'Kar had more than enough credits and did not have to buy the cheap blended stuff available on the streets. He took the real spice, unblended, undiluted – the stuff with the real punch. Of course – that was the most probable reason for him having these strange thoughts. And that headache.
He raised his face and sniffed as the tantalizing smell of food teased his receptors. His stomach reminded him with a loud rumble that he hadn't eaten anything today.

"Risen from the dead?" Sly asked with an ironic smile as he entered the living room.

"What's for eats?"

His direct approach drew a bark of laughter. "I always suspected you to think with you stomach. Now I know." She pushed a huge white bag across the tabletop. "I've been out in the town and bought some takeout food. I hope Twi'Lek is fine?"

He studied the company label on the bag. "Car'ulorn's Kavsrach? Never heard of it."

She shrugged. "It's over there in the Palace District, a few blocks from NRI HQ." She fished a piece of meat from her bag, dunked it into a small bowl with a yellow sauce and stuck it into her mouth. "Hmmm ... 'asty."

"Don't talk with you mouth full," he chided her jokingly and smiled at this minor victory. He opened his bag and studied its contents. "What did you bring?"

"'orry," she mumbled and swallowed the remnants of her meat. "I didn't know exactly what you'd have chosen so I took a simple dish. Mynock á la Sluis Van, Mynock filets fried in crownthorn oil with angatha splinters and a citrus sauce." She dipped the little finger of her right hand into the yellow sauce and sucked it clean. "I've got the same and it's delicious."

He was by no means convinced by her enthusiasm. Mynocks were space rats, parasites and not productive livestock bred just to be turned into dinners. He studied the content of his bag with a lot of sceptism but finally hunger prevailed over hesitation. He stabbed a piece of Mynock onto his fork and took a bite. For a second he had to fight the urge to spit it out again but then he realized that the meat was surprisingly delicate and tasty. He reached into his bag and produced the sealed plastic bowl with the sauce which he pried open. He speared a new lump of Mynock with his fork and dipped it into the yellow mass. The sauce was hot and spicy but not enough to overlay the meat's taste and the touch of citrus was refreshing. He silently added 'Mynock á la Sluis Van' to his list of edible dishes – up near the top.

He swallowed and reached for a glass of water which was standing on the table. "Did you find something for me?" he asked and took a sip.

Sly waved her fork - still crowned by a piece of Mynock - like a laserpointer and grabbed the remote control for the holoscreen hanging on the wall. She choked down what she had in her mouth and pointed at the screen. "Quite a lot. A bunch of trivialities but some of them are highly interesting."

At first the small statue appeared, the reason for the fuss. "As you already know," she began her lecture and stood to take place next to the holoscreen, "the object to obtain is this small statue. It's about forty centimeters high, weighs about five kilograms and is made of one hundred percent fine gold from Taremos VI. It's about six thousand years old and was kept in the old Jedi Temple." A grin crept onto her lips. Garret knew then - she'd hit the Sabacc pot. "Those are the published facts."

"And the unpublished ones?"

Her grin widened. "I've sliced into the archives and discussion boards of the archeological faculty of the university and found some very interesting details." She pressed another button on the remote control and zoomed in on the statue's face. "For starters this nice gentleman here. He is, unless half of the university is wrong, Jedi Master Tridon Getiv of Chandrila. He was one of the great heroes of a long-forgotten war between Jedi and Sith. He lived about six thousand years ago so the statue's age sounds about right."

Garret swallowed the filet he'd been gnawing on. "That's awfully interesting but I fail to see the relevance. How does that stuff help us 'obtaining' the object?"

The sparkle in Sly's eyes intensified. "Patience, brother dear. You'll be grateful for the detour. There is a tiny detail which hasn't made it out of scientific circles, yet." Again she pointed at the statue. "This little piece of art was not unique. There are hints that the old Jedi had a room full of such statues in their temple. They called it 'Hall of Masters'."

Garret's interest was roused. "How many statues are we talking about?"

Sly shrugged. "Nobody knows. When Palpatine had the temple torn down most of them were lost anyway. But considering the age of the Jedi Order I guess a few thousand sounds reasonable."

His eyes narrowed. "Could our mysterious client have come across some additional information about our golden boy here?"

"For example if it's a key or if it leads to the rest of the statues?"

He nodded. "For example."

"Well, that's entirely possible. The statue itself was found two months ago on Kaellin III, a force-forsaken boulder of a planet in the Malenstorr system in the Outer Rim."

Garret frowned. "What does an artifact of the old Jedi Order do this far out?"

"Nobody knows but as far as I could decipher the gobbledegook these dirt-diggers use for slang they found it in the remnants of an old communication hub. The few holos made by the archeologists show a battlefield – damage caused by explosives, blaster holes and extensive damage from plasma fires. Apparently Palpatine's forces wrought havoc just as they pleased and then some."

He rubbed his chin and stared at the tabletop absorbed in thoughts. "I guess we should take a closer look at this stuff once we've got the statue." He gave himself a curt nod as if to confirm his own thoughts. "Show me the data about the Senate Hall."

Sly punched another button and a schematic depiction of the Senate Hall replaced the statue's holo. "Well ... That is the target building. By the way – it was a hell-of-a-job to get these plans. Whoever is responsible for their computer security is good. I couldn't get past the safeties and so I had to fake a request of the urban planning office." She twirled a finger around an area in the upper right corner of the dish-like building. "That is the Arts Center. Security is not as tight as I had thought, though. I only found a single security system in that zone."

"You know the type?"

"ComTrex Delta-Seven-Eight-One. The newest of the new."

"Can you crack it?"

She gave him a lopsided grin. "That's the reason why I went into the town. I had to invest a few credits but I will get a Master Access Card in a day or two. This way we will be able to move freely within the building." She gnawed on her lower lip for a moment. "Getting into the building itself is another matter." She zoomed out and gave Garret the full view on the Senate Hall. "At night the Hall is closed and secured. There's a security zone of about two hundred meters around the building. As soon as they lock it down for the night you shouldn't get into that zone without an appropriate transmitter or automatic defense guns will burn you from the sky. Intrusion afoot is out of question, too. Way too many sentries." She sighed in resignation. "To be honest I'd be happy to hear suggestions."

"I know how to get in there." He rose and took the remote control out of her hands. He pressed a button and the schematic display changed. Finally it showed the lowermost levels of the complex. "Down there are the old tunnel systems of the MagLev railway."

Sly stared at him in surprise. "I didn't know about that. How do you know?"

"These tunnels have been there for many years. Most were built long before Palpatine came to power." A strained smile fought its way onto his face. "I came across them a few years ago by chance. I've once been in the maintenance wing of the Senate Hall."

"And where is the entrance to these tunnels?"

"The Works. That's where I go to when I need to be alone."

She shuddered. "Not exactly a paradisiac spot."

His smile widened. "Precisely. Most people avoid the region. You can really be alone there and that is a luxury on Coruscant." He pointed at the schematic again. "If you can assemble the data I'll try to learn them by rote tonight. If I manage to get this stuff into my head quickly we may be able to get down to action within the next few days."

"I don't think so."

Now it was his turn to look surprised. "What?"

Sly walked to the chair on which her jacket hung and pulled two envelopes from an inside pocket. "We two have an appointment tonight," she explained with an impish smile. "I've obtained two invitations to the grand opening of the Jedi Exhibition in the Arts Center of the Senate Hall."

"Come again?" He blinked. "How did you ... ?"

She gave him a self-satisfied grin and shook her head. "Oh no. Professional secret. I won't divulge my source," she clarified and winked. "I guess we're about to find out if you still fit into that suit of yours."

"'Scuse me!" His voice rose. "Care to elaborate that a bit?"

She grinned. "I say you've gained weight, my friend."

Her grin widened as he stormed out of the room spouting obscenities.


Suits. Ugh! sick

 

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Date Posted: 11/13/09 11:40am Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - "The Briefing" (Update Nov 13)
I was following this when you were posting it on fanfiction.net, are you just catching it up on this site before you start posting it on fanfiction again? Or are you still working on the next chapter?

Also I really do like this fic a lot, but the one drag about it would be the romance between the two OC's. It's too full of cliches and those parts are hard to read for me (though it could be because I've read too many of those types of fics). Outside of that one complaint this is a very good fic.

 

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B/V
"After lunch I'm going to start asking questions."
"And when someone asks you to talk to her out in the Trees of Imminent Death?"
"I say yes, and close my eyes and pucker up for a big kiss."
"There that's the Skywalker survival instinct at work."
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1799 posts
6298_Imperial Shuttle
-thor- 
Date Posted: 11/13/09 12:53pm Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - "The Briefing" (Update Nov 13)
Yep, I want to catch up here. I've got a bit more ready, but ATM real life and other obligations (and a minor case of "Darth Writer's Block") are keeping me from continuing.

Actually I need that "romance part" to go as it is. You'll see why later. In fact it's designed specifically to make Garret go down a certain path ... after an incident in a yet unwritten chapter. And - not wanting to reveal too much - it isn't going to be a romance at all. skull

 

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8040_Natalie's Eye
Maggy 
Date Posted: 11/16/09 6:47am Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - "The Briefing" (Update Nov 13)
It's Friday again. And I still don't bite. Really .. I'm totally harmless. batting

I'd not be so sure about that, folks tongue

Chapter 1
Post 5

It was late in the afternoon when he finally awoke. His head hurt badly, caused by a deep rumble as if an Ewok village was partying with the big drums.

Where is Janson for that tongue No Ewok village party with out him wink

She gave him a self-satisfied grin and shook her head. "Oh no. Professional secret. I won't divulge my source," she clarified and winked. "I guess we're about to find out if you still fit into that suit of yours."

She just has fund doing that to him tongue

"'Scuse me!" His voice rose. "Care to elaborate that a bit?"

She is sooo mean laugh


~ Mags ~

 

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The Revenant - http://boards.theforce.net/a/b10477/28313064 - co authored with Jedi Ant
"Maggy rawks cool " - YodaKenbi
Proud Recipient of the Golden Elegos™
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6298_Imperial Shuttle
-thor- 
Date Posted: 11/20/09 10:43am Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - "The Briefing" (Update Nov 13) - Date Edited: 11/20/09 11:07am (1 edits total) Edited By: -thor-
Mags - If you keep that up I'll bite. You! skull

Today our two misfits are going to mingle with the elite of Coruscant. Talk about hiding in plain sight ...


Chapter 1
Post 6

" ... and so Palpatine's hate propaganda turned the Jedi into a collection of evil, scheming and power-hungry manipulators." Skywalker spread his arms to symbolically enclose the room ahead of him. "Even today the public picture of the Jedi Order is considerably distorted. For most people we Jedi are strange misfits following some hokey religion on a far-away jungle moon; eccentrics not to be taken too seriously." His words caused a subdued ripple of laughter but Skywalker did not join the exhilaration. "Or," he continued as the last chuckles had abated, "even worse: They continue to see us as a danger for themselves and their fellow citizens."
His hands tightly grabbed the front edges of the lectern. "Exhibitions like these bring a part of the historical truth back into the light for everyone to see. They allow us to draw new conclusions about the Old Republic and the Jedi who'd served it as peacekeepers for more than a thousand generations." He put his right hand on Professor Lark's shoulder but kept his penetrating blue gaze trained on the audience before him. "The knowledge which men like Professor Lark keep rediscovering under the dust of the years is of fundamental importance to the future of the new Jedi Order, too. Because for us the task is to draw the right conclusions from the failure of our predecessors to make sure the darkness of Palpatine's reign never returns."
He pulled his hand back and turned to the person to his left. "I greatly appreciate Senator Tyyyx's efforts and would like to thank him for using his influence and expertise for making this exhibition possible." Tyyyx, wearing his crimson ceremonial robe as his position as High Prime of Ord Trasi dictated, bowed politely and put on a studied smile. "Without men like him and Professor Lark this exhibition wouldn't have been manageable as it was their scientific curiosity, their persistance, their organizing ability and their persuasion which allowed us to present all those fascinating artifacts of the old Jedi Order today."
Skywalker gestured at a second lectern to his left crowned by a big red button in its center. He and Rolt Tyyyx stepped behind the pult and put one of their hands on the button. "And so we open this exhibition. May it return a piece of the lost knowledge to the citizens of this galaxy." They pressed the button in unison and the elaborately carved transparisteel barrier sealing off the exhibition room floated up and away from the entrance. The attendants applauded politely.

Skywalker and Tyyyx exchanged a last handshake before the Jedi Master returned to the circle of his family which had been waiting in the background which had been waiting for the end of his speech. Both Luke and his wife Mara wore Jedi robes reminiscent of the style the members of the old Order had worn. The difference was the strong colours their robes showed. Mara wore an emerald green cloak with a hood above a black vest and dark green pants. Luke had chosen the more traditional colours of brown and black but had highlighted his outfit with a cloak in royal blue.
Also attending were Leia Organa-Solo and her husband Han who seemed to be uncomfortable wearing his general's uniform. Leia, however, was as serene and composed in her white senatorial robe as she had been pictured countless times before and did not seem to notice her husband's discomfort. Or maybe she'd just chosen to ignore it.

"He certainly kept it short," Sly whispered even as they were still applauding.

Garret gave her a thin smile and nodded. "Skywalker has a reputation for making short speeches," he murmured. "He's no politician after all."

She suppressed her laughter. "You're saying we should consider us lucky that Tyyyx did not hold that speech?"

His smile widened. "Oh definately. If that were the case we'd have heard just the beginning of the litany."

The two of them were standing in the background behind the other attendants consisting mostly of top representatives of politics and economy or celebrities. Or maybe just people considering themselves to belong to those circles.

Contrary to Sly's taunts the suit still fit perfectly but among the extravangant designer pieces worn by the rich he was as noticeable as a Black Hole next to a Supernova. But that was okay. He prefered inconspicuousness anyway. His female companion, however, was a completely different case ...

Even though Sly's evening gown was cut conservatively and did not stand out next to all the colourful garments of the High Society it fit her lithe build perfectly. And it did draw a lot of envious glares from females as well as admiring glances from their spouses. The sleeveless gown was made of nightblue ottegan silk and covered her from her neck to her toes. A set of matching gloves accentuated the simple platinum bracelet on her wrist the same way the navy coloured garment did with the necklace on her neck. Her usual ponytail had been replaced by a more classy and elaborate swept-up hairstyle which went with the exalted occasion.

When Garret had seen her this way for the first time she'd knocked him for a loop for a long moment. A few hours before he'd managed to regain his equilibrium but now she seemed to have started a new frontal assault on his emotional balance. He'd stammered some incoherent words and had fought to keep the panic rising within from showing on his face. It had taken a lot of willpower but in the end he'd pulled himself together and had offered her his arm.
But now there was a new and unfamiliar emotion added to the chaotic maelstrom in his soul. There was a small hard knot growing whenever another man directed his admiring gaze at Sly. He was jealous – he knew that much. And it troubled him more than he would like to admit even to himself. Was he really spicebrained enough to think about changing his relationship with Sly? Was he insane enough to want her for himself?

He shook his head and banned these thoughts to the darkest corner of his soul. He had to have hit his head recently. There was no other explanation for this insanity. Not even the punch of Tel'Kar's spice.

"What's the matter?"

He froze. Had he voiced his thoughts? But no. He gave Sly a quick glance from the corner of his eyes and saw her looking at him half questioning and half indifferent. He waved her off and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "Nothing. Just remembered something. No dice."

She arched an eyebrow and he saw she was not convinced of his excuse. But to his great relief she followed his suggestion and dropped the topic. "How many entrances does the exhibition room have?" she whispered quietly to keep the people around them from hearing their exchange.

"Only this one," he returned just as quietly and nodded towards the entrance Skywalker and Tyyyx had just cleared. "On the other side there's another way but it leads to emergency and maintenance turbolifts in the building's core."

"How convenient," she muttered and pushed a troublesome strand behind her left ear. "Do not look up but there are two holocams. One is pointing at the turbolift, the other at the room's entrance."

He nodded. "Thought so. Standard layout."

The people in front of them started moving as the Skywalkers and Solos entered the exhibition room followed by Senator Tyyyx. Garret and Sly remained in the background and were the last to enter the octagonal room which was only subduedly illuminated by light panels in the walls.
The artifacts had been placed into showcases made of high security transparisteel, either singly or grouped thematically, and were put in focus by professional illumination and arrangement. A broad aisle ran around the room and allowed visitors to stroll along the edge of the exhibition area while narrow paths granted access to the artifacts in the heart of the oom.

Sly turned to the right and drew Garret along. "Look at that." She pointed at a showcase on the wall below an old holo poster which contained a collection of more or less corroded metal cylinders. "Lightsabers, presumeably 5000 to 5500 pre-imperial calculation of times," she read the label and shot Garret a look of surprise. "I wouldn't have thought such things could still be found."

He gave her a small ironic smile. "You could enroll in the archeological faculty. They have the license to dig for such things."

Her answer was her elbow digging into his side. "Watch your words, buddy boy," she hissed and glared.

He gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "Just kidding," he affirmed and threw a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure noone else could hear his next words. "I suggest we split up. Watch out for security systems. I'll go and take a closer look at the object."

She nodded and squeezed his hand before wandering off to the right. She paused at the next showcase and studied its contents.

Garret turned to the left instead. There, in the middle of the room illuminated by a spotlight from above, the golden statue had been placed directly in the center of the exhibition. The light coming from the spotlight mounted in the ceiling brought a sparkle to the statue's metal body and gave it a bright glow. It was improbable that it had seen such magnificence for the past forty years. He avoided looking at the statue and turned to the nearest showcase instead, studied its contents before heading off to the next. He took his time, he had enough of it after all, but with each vitrine he got closer to the target of his interest.
His eyes and senses weren't on the artifacts alone, though. He did make a few interesting discoveries which had nothing to do with the objects in the showcases. The transparisteel covers of the vitrines were wired and obviously connected to the Senate Hall's security system. Additionally his trained eye spotted strange openings in the vitrine's fundaments. These were located at various levels and pointed in all directions without any visible symmetry. Obviously the room was equipped with a state-of-the-art laser barrier. He let his gaze sweep across the room and mentally categorized the artifacts and their arrangement. Yes – just as he'd thought. Whoever had designed the exhibition had attuned the artifact's placement to the necessities of security. The less valuable objects had found their place in the outer parts while the more expensive and precious artifacts were displayed in the center of the exhibition where security was tightest.

He allowed himself a tiny smile and attempted to turn towards the statue in the center of the room. But then he caught sight of a sparkling object from the corner of his eye and stopped dead. For some infathomable reason this tiny item roused his interest and he suddenly found himself standing in front of the showcase containing the curious sample.
It wasn't large, not even filling palm, but of such beauty and technical finesse that the more massive statue was jousted from his thoughts. It was a small four-sided pyramid with a squarish base and a softly glowing green core. The golden exosceleton framing the glowing core revealed a kind of delicacy and elegance he'd never seen anywhere before. But it wasn't its physical beauty which had drawn him to this spot – he felt as if the small pyramid wanted to talk to him and tell him the secrets of the galaxy.

"So you're feeling it, too."

It was a statement rather than a question. Garret jerked back to reality when the voice pulled him from his reverie. Somehow the small item had managed to ensnare him in its spell and had banished reality from his thoughts. He turned to look at the person who had interrupted his musings. "Master Skywalker," he greeted and gave the Jedi a small bow before turning back at the showcase. "Yes, I do. It feels ... it feels as if it called me here. It's beautiful."

The Jedi smiled and nodded. "It's my favourite item, too. Too bad its damaged beyond repair."

Garret gave him a look of thorough surprise. "Damaged?" He scrutinized the object but couldn't find any signs of damage at all. "To what extent?"

"It's a holocron, a very sophisticated data core the old Jedi Order used to preserve knowledge," Skywalker explained and crossed his arms. "When a Jedi activates a holocron a gatekeeper should appear to act as guide through the holocron's content. But here ..." Skywalker sighed and Garret could see mournful resignation in the Jedi's eyes. "When I tried to activate this one nothing happened. It feels as if someone used the Force to burn the data out of the holocron." There was a flash in his eyes and a cold fist closed around Garret's heart.

"Palpatine," he stated darkly.

Skywalker nodded. "He had the motive and the power. He even had a part of the Galactic Museum where items of famous Jedi had been displayed turned into his private playground. It took me months to banish the Dark Side from these rooms."

Garret looked back at the holocron. "Are there other holocrons around?"

"There had to have been thousands of them but today the Jedi Order has just six of them in its possession. The rest has been lost."

Garret nodded understandingly and continued to study the small pyramid. "It's astonishing. And a little weird."

"To what extent?" Skywalker had given up his characteristic calm for a moment and shot Garret a curious glance.

"Well," Garret said and smiled wryly. "All I know about the Jedi, which isn't much by the way, suggests the order to be leaning towards clinical dispassion. Someone called them ascetic minimalists and I thought that title fits. But such a delicate piece of art seems to contradict that statement."

Skywalker chuckled. "To a certain degree that statement is true. Making such a holocron was restricted to Jedi Masters. The creation of a holocron was part of their elevation to the rank of a Master. They recorded the knowledge and teachings of their own Masters as well as those of their own generation. To create a holocron was something very special and I guess it justified the addition of these elaborate ornaments."

"Could you make a holcron, too?"

Skywalker sighed again. "Unfortunately no. The art of their creation was lost when the old order died. While we're finding pieces to the puzzle now and then we won't be able to create holocrons of our own unless we find some kind of manual." He suddenly lifted his head and caught his wife's eye. "Please excuse me. Duty calls."

Garret followed his gaze and chuckled inwardly. "How convenient – a built-in intercom. My sister has to use the traditional methods to get my attention."

Skywalker joined his silent laughter. "Your sister?"

Garret turned around searching for Sly. He found her standing on the other side of the room talking to a female Bothan. "The young lady in the dark blue gown over there," he explained and pointed at her. "She is the art lover in the family and dragged me here."

"Ah," the Jedi reckoned with a knowing smile. "So she was the reason for the jealousy I felt in many women during my speech."

Garret gave him an embarrassed nod and glanced at his feet.

"Very well. It was nice to make your acquaintance, Mister ..."

"Zheen. Garret Zheen," Garret introduced himself and grasped the Jedi's outstretched hand.

"Very well, Mister Zheen. Enjoy the evening," Skywalker said and took his leave with a curt nod.

"Likewise. Good evening, Master Skywalker."

When the Jedi had left him alone Garret pulled himself together and turned away from the fascinating holocron. He approached the showcase with the golden statue and began studying it thoroughly. Maybe the evening would continue to be as enlightening as it had started.

*begins putting up strange looking device, connecting cables and rods to it and finally pulls a camouflage net over the whole thing*
LURKER DETECTION EQUIPMENT ONLINE

mischief

 

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Date Posted: 11/20/09 5:46pm Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - "Mingling with the Elite" (updated Nov 20)
*Steps out with his hands up* Sigh. I really hate lurking. But I have almost no time to comment anymore. This might have been the first time in awhile that I have actually been on this forum two days in a row. Just a hint life kinda sucks more the further along it goes.

Really really good story! I like that characters devolpment a lot. Bravo!

*Cower* I suppose you want to punish me now for making you set up all your equipment and such.

If you want I could comment on every past post for you???*




*Up above is a statment that turns question halfway through hence making the punctuation correct.*

 

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*I swallowed a bug.*
Two heads are better then one especially with guillotines!
When surrendering I am to hand over the sword HILT first.
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Date Posted: 11/21/09 3:59am Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - "Mingling with the Elite" (updated Nov 20)
LOL! tongue I don't hit people ... unless they really annoy me. You're safe, Raphire.

 

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 Date Posted: 11/22/09 11:25am Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - "Mingling with the Elite" (updated Nov 20)
Garret is Force sensitive, I take it? Since no one else seemed to have noticed the holocrons "callings".

I liked how he was fascinated by it. It was an interesting insight as to how holocrons were built back then. I didn't even know that. wink

And Garret is finally opening his eyes as to how beautiful Sly is?
I wonder if they'll keep up the pretense of being brother and sister?

What to do when hormones develop a mind of their own? tongue

Wonderful update.

applause

 

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e-sib of the fabulous Jade_Eyes kiss
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Date Posted: 11/22/09 8:44pm Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - "Mingling with the Elite" (updated Nov 20)
Well, all I'm going to say is that Garret is not Force-sensitive. About the rest ... my lips are sealed. shhh

 

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Date Posted: 11/27/09 8:37am Subject: RE: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc)
Friday ... again. Finally! tired


Chapter 1
Post 7

Two days later ...

It was already late at night when Garret guided the scruffy looking airspeeder out of the air traffic corridor G6-N4 and started his descent towards 'The Works'. They'd bought the old vehicle years ago and had invested considerable time and money into reconstructing and updating it. Even though its outward appearance was no indicator for its inner values the speeder was fast, agile and crammed full of state-of-the-art electronics. The shabby exterior was just camouflage.

"What a charming area," Sly commented from her co-pilot's seat and threw a disgusted glance at the smoking smokestacks below. "Perfect place to feel good."

He smirked and guided their speeder around the central tower of an old factory. "It would be an excellent neighborhood, wouldn't it? Solid historical industrial architecture, a lot of space for individual interior designs, quiet location and excellent transport connection ..."

"Not to mention the clean air and the friendly neighbors," she quipped sardonically and raised an eyebrow. "Truly the perfect neighborhood for young families."

He chuckled and grinned again. "Precisely my point."

Sly rolled her eyes and shook her head mock mournfully. "Stick to your day-job, oh master thief. As real estate broker you'd die an early death."

The look he sent her way was pure wide-eyed innocence. "That is why I am a thief. I've got no talent for anything else."

The next few minutes passed quietly, at least until the silhouette of the tower Garret had chosen as his private retreat appeared in front of them. Sproadic red flashes of anti-collision lights sketched the building's outline onto the pitch-black night sky. Directly in front of them but yet some ten klicks from the old factory complex something that looked like a broad boulevard ran towards the hulking structure. It was, however, just a broad aisle between lines of thin smokestacks used to flare dangerous off-gases – and the fires were still burning on all of them. It looked as if some titanic creature had rammed torches into the ground to mark their path in the darkness of the night. The gloomy look did a lot to enhance the already sinister vibrancy of this place.

"This is it, isn't it?" Sly asked and for a fleeting moment Garret thought to have caught a streak of fear in her voice.

"It is." He nodded and brought the nose of the speeder down, aiming at the middle of the illuminated aisle between the burning fires. "Don't worry. It does look worse than it really is."

Sly wreathed her face into a sourish smile. "Now that's really reassuring. You surely know how to soothe a girl's worries." She averted her gaze and stared out of the window at the far-away silhouettes of the Imperial Palace and the Senate Hall. "You haven't said anything about your plans for getting into the Senate Hall." She turned away from the planet's skyline and shot Garret a questioning glance. "I hope you weren't planning on hiking those eighty klicks."

He grunted in amusement. "Of course not. Just wait and see – I took precautions."

"Which happen to be ... ?"

He shook his head. "Ah-ah! I won't tell you. It's supposed to be a surprise."

"I hate surprises," she sulked and crossed her arms. "Especially yours."

"Hey," he growled back and glared.

She shrugged. "I've had to learn that your surprises tend to have a rub. Burnt Mynock dreads the main plasma conduit."

Garret muttered something under his breath and brought the speeder back up towards the main tower's top. Dark spots on the duracrete surface suggested openings which soon grew into landing bays as Garret brought the speeder closer to the northeastern side of the tower. He guided the vehicle through the gaping maw and brought it down on the surface of what looked like an abandoned loading area. Only the soft light falling through the openings in the wall lit the interior.

Sly took a glowstick and opened her door. She bent the stick and shook it to mix the two fluids within and soon a greenish glow pierced the darkness. "Eerie place," she said after a quick look around. "Feels ... menacing." She pulled her cloak tigher around her rame and shivered.

"Yes," Garret admitted quietly and and walked over to the opening they had used to access the tower. "There's nothing alive on that level, the one below and the one above – no insects, no spiders, no rats."

Sly's eyes widened considerably. "Nothing at all?"

"Nothing at all," he confirmed and pulled a lever. A heavy metal plate sank down to block the opening and a few red glow panels flickered to life. "I do not know the reason but somehow the animals seem to avoid these levels at all."

Even lit up the tower's interior wasn't any more presentable than before Sly decided and returned the glowstick to one of her pockets. "They feel ill. Something horrible must have happened here," she finally stated and stared with a stony face at an old loading crane.

Garret stepped behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.. "I know," he said quietly and turned her around. "You'll be okay?"

For a moment they stared into each others eyes and felt some strange kind of magic overwhelm them. It captivated them and made them feel a closeness they hadn't felt before. But then the moment passed and Sly turned away with a nod. "I will be," she murmured and peered around. "Where to now?"

Emperor's rotting bones! Garret wondered briefly what had just happened to them. He'd not just looked into Sly's eyes - he had had to fight the urge to kiss her. While that was bad enough on its own he could have sworn that Sly had been fighting the same conflict behind her blue eyes, too. Was there something more ... ? But no – now was not the time. And maybe he had just imagined everything. He shook his head to clear his mind and pushed the troubling thoughts aside. He pointed at a metal door in the core of the building. "That's a turbolift. We've got to descend 260 levels."

Sly grimaced. "Great! Almost three hundred levels in an ancient turbolift."

Garret went to the door and punched a button. "Don't worry," he soothed her and entered the metal cage of the lift. "I've checked the lift personally." He ignored her puzzled frown and selected a level and started the lift's descent.

On their long way down Sly did two things: at every groan of the lift she threw a half fearful and half pleading look at the ceiling. But as soon as the disturbing noises abated she trained her deadliest and most powerful glare on Garret who seemed to enjoy her discomfort immensely.

When they finally reached the basement level he left the cabin, bowed and gestured at an unlit hallway to his right. "This way, Milady." It was not hard to see that he was fighting a valiant battle against his laughter.

Sly hissed viciously, exited the lift and kicked Garret's shin. "Shut up," she snarled and stalked off into the darkness.

Garret held his aching shin and wondered at her liverish mood. "You're okay?"

She turned around. "I'm sorry," she muttered in embarrassment when she saw his pained expression. "I ... I don't know ..." She lowered her gaze and felt ashamed of her outburst.

He hobbled towards her and caught her chin, forcing her to look up into his face. "I am fine," he assured. "Nothing happened."

Sly sighed but then her jaw muscles tightened. "It's this horrible place. It has got some kind of dark aura ..." She gave him a pleading stare. "Can we please leave now?"

He nodded and snatched another glowstick from a pocket. "This way," he said and passed her. But suddenly he stopped and took her hand.

She shot him another puzzled look but didn't object as he led her through the dark passage. It was unusual for Garret to seek physical contact, even as simple as this. He had always kept his distance but for some reason it didn't seem be there anymore. She didn't mind it, though, as holding his hand reassured her in a strange way and made her feel safe. "Where are we going to?" she asked to distract herself.

"That's the surprise I was talking about," he returned evasively. "Just a moment."

Another thirty seconds later the bulkhead appeared in front of them. Garret let go of Sly's hand, approached a seemingly disconnected touchpad embedded into the wall to their left and started punching a code sequence into the keyboard. "Five-Six-One-Eight-Zero-Zero-Four," he repeated loudly. "Just in case we're separated and you need to get past this door on your own."

The door opened and Sly entered ... a brightly lit tube. She came to face two quietly humming cars of the old MagLev railway. Their once spotless finish in creamy white and yellow was tainted by cords, chipped paint and dirt traces resulting from thirty years of neglect but the windows were intact and the interior seemed to be untouched, too. She gaped. "Vader's polished helmet," she breathed. "What's that?"

His grin was pure boyish pride. "That's an old MagLev train of the Senator's Line." He gestured to the left. "Some twenty klicks this way the tube ends rather abruptly at a duracrete wall. I guess the Imps sealed it when they put up that wall around InViSec. But the other direction is still open. A few hundred meters ahead the tube starts branching out into a total of sixteen different lines. Some of them end nowhere but given the amount of duracrete which has been splashed onto this world since the days of the Old Republic that shouldn't be a surprise." His expression changed, barely noticeable but now it seemed to be more conspirational than proud. "But one line leads directly into the fundaments of the Imperial Palace while another one goes all the way to Republica-500. And as luck would have it this one has a flag stop directly beneath the new Senate Hall."

Sly laughed. "I don't assume you had to repair everything, hadn't you? How much of that was still intact?"

"Most of it," he admitted. "Just had to fix the broken power supply and patch up one or two spots where the rail had collapsed. Oh, and I had to rewire both cars. The old cables were completely decayed."

"And all of that in your generously dimensioned freetime, I guess," Sly retorted and arched an eyebrow in irony.

Garret shrugged. "Everyone needs a hobby." He opened the front door of the first car. "Be my guest."

Sly entered the car and took a look around. "And that was really how you found it? Amazing!"

He nodded. "It was certainly a nice surprise. I found both cars abandoned in an old station directly beneath Republica-500. There was of course a lot of dust but the interior was completely untouched and undamaged otherwise."

"And to think that this line was abandoned more than three decades ago ... " Sly shook her head in amazement. "I still can’t believe they just left the train in here."

"I guess they had no choice about it. There are a few thousand tons of duracrete above our heads – all of the old lines had been covered by new buildings and so they did not have a chance to get the trains out of the tubes anymore. At least not without demolishing one or two skyscrapers." He patted the back of a blue bench. "Besides the new train models were much more comfortable and faster." He gestured at one of the 1st class seats. "Have a seat. We should reach our destination in about ten minues."

Sly dropped into a seat and crossed her legs. "You know there's one tiny thing missing here."

"Ah yeah? What?"

"A bar."

Garret grinned, shook his head and disappeared into the driver's compartment.


*pulls camo net back over the detection equipment and walks away whistling*

 

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Date Posted: 12/2/09 12:46pm Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - "What an eerie place" (updated Nov 27)
Well I'm very pleased that you didn't make him a jedi too many people are making jedi out of everyone so I'm still happy about your story. Although I think the girl might be. Haven't read this yet but I will soon!

 

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Smile and the world smiles with you. Laugh and the world finds you a straitjacket.
*I swallowed a bug.*
Two heads are better then one especially with guillotines!
When surrendering I am to hand over the sword HILT first.
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6298_Imperial Shuttle
-thor- 
Date Posted: 12/2/09 11:01pm Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - "What an eerie place" (updated Nov 27)
Nope, no hidden Jedi talents in either of them. You are right ... too often people give in to the temptation to turn their OCs into lost Jedi candidates. I know, Jedi are an important part of the appeal of the GFFA, but there are far more Force-blind people than potential Jedi.

Can't say yet if I can post tomorrow. I'm down with the flu and I'm coughing out my lung here. At least no fever. frustrated

 

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6298_Imperial Shuttle
-thor- 
Date Posted: 12/4/09 11:07am Subject: Just a thief ... (epic, OCs + LM,HL,Karrde,Shada etc) - "What an eerie place" (updated Nov 27)
Since it's Friday again I dragged myself out of bed for this post. Did I already mention that I hate being ill? frustrated


Chapter 1
Post 8

"Move the light a little to the left. Yep, just like that." Sly narrowed her eyes and dug through a thumb-thick bundle of wires to severe the last connection between the door's mechanism and the central computer of the Senate Hall's security system.

Garret coughed and sent the dust of decades flying but kept the glowlight steady where Sly needed it. "Down here one doesn't suffocate – one suffodusts. "

She gave him a weak grin but didn't answer. Instead she snatched a small cutter from one of her coverall's many pockets and severed a neon-yellow wire. "Done," she sighed and wiped the perspiration from her forehead. A final twirling of two loose ends and the security bulkhead opened creakily.

Garret was already kneeling at the edge of the threshold and used his night-vision mode to check the dark corners for holocams or other sensors. If the Senate Guards had grown a brain and set up a holocam here their little joyride would be prolonged by a generous amount of time. "Clear," he reported, rose and entered the dark corridor ahead of him.

Sly, who did not have a built-in night-vision mode, fished such a device from her backpack before she followed him. A soft green glow illuminated part of her face behind the goggles. "Where to now?"

He pointed in the direction the corridor took. "Eighty meters ahead there's a T-crossing. We need to take the left corridor."

"And to the right? "

"Trash compactor." She couldn't see his grin but she heard it in his voice.

"Never mind. I did not ask," she groaned.

They followed the dark corridor, took the left-hand way and found themselves in another, seemingly endless and equally dark passage.

"How much longer?" Sly finally asked. "Crawling around in the darkness is not what I'd call my favourite pasttime."

Garret drew his datapad and studied the plan he'd saved to it. "Fifty meters ahead is a door. Behind it we have to start looking for holocams and security devices."

"And the turbolifts?"

"Directly behind that door. Luckily this lift doesn't have a holocam inside."

She shouldered past him and moved further into the corridor. "Get going," her voice droned through the darkness.

Garret shook his head and followed her.

The whole thing proved to be much easier than expected. The door ahead was not secured in any way – no code lock, no alarm devices, no holocam and no sensors. The only safeguard was a button labeled 'Open' approximately 180 centimeters above the floor. Apparently the door was simply meant to keep the strange creatures inhabiting Coruscants dark depths away from the turbolifts.
The rumors of horrific creatures living in the endless night of Galactic City's dark depths were thousands of years old. Scuttlebutt had these creatures adapting to the environmental conditions via evolution while distancing their genome from their ancestors with each passing year. Those ancestors had come from the many races which had settled on Coruscant – humans, rodians, bothans, sullustans or barabel – and had sought refuge in the nether regions of the city planet for reasons nobody could even begin to guess. Their descendants, however, had lost any relation to the civilization above them, had adapted to the evolutionary necessities of the darkness, cold and humidity of their habitat and had ultimately imbruted.
Few had ever had the bad luck of catching sight of these creatures but the horror stories circulating through Coruscant's neighborhoods were terrible enough to chill the blood of even the most viscious and hard-boiled criminal.

"Somebody's afraid of getting chtone visitors," Sly commented shaking her head as she studied the strange arrangement.

"Wouldn't want to have them visiting, either," Garret muttered and made a face before he realized she wouldn't be able to see it in the darkness. "Come on – let's get going."

"Just like that? Shouldn't we check the door for any hidden security systems? "

"Not necessary." He tapped against the datapad in his pocket. "The door is not yet part of the security perimeter."

Sly shrugged. "Okay. You're in charge." She reached up, punched the button and waited for the alarm to go off. Instead the door opened and light from the turbolift flooded into the dark hallway. She took off the night vision gear and stowed it in her backpack.

"So far, so good." Garret left the corridor and allowed the door to close behind him. "Our target is on the 80th level. There's the central control room for this wing."

"Let me do a scan, though. Just in case they're having an eye on the lift." She drew a small handheld scanning device, entered a command into the keyboard ... and stopped dead. "The lift's coming."

Garret whirled around and stared at the indicator field above the lift doors. Kark, he swore silently. It was really coming here. "You didn't …?"

She glared back. "Of course not." She glanced quickly at the door behind her. "Looks like the did have an eye on the door."

Garret cursed his improvidence. But then he decided to postpone tongue-lashing himself and acted. "Hide in that corner over there," he said and pushed her towards a dark corner to the left of the turbolift. "Don't do anything. Keep quiet unless they find you." Then he turned around and squeezed himself into the only other dark spot in the small room, a tiny space between two massive conduits.

He'd barely stilled when the lift doors opened and a Devaronian wearing the livery of the Senate Guards entered the room. He gave the room a superficial glance before approaching the door sealing off the unlit hallway they'd used to get here. He looked at it for a moment, knocked against the metal door and drew his comlink. "As I told you – as quiet as a graveyard down her." While Garret couldn't understand the murmur coming from the comlink's tiny speaker he guessed it couldn't have been to the alien's liking for his answer held definitely angry undertones. "Yes, I know the rules say we gotta check this door daily. However it was your job today, not mine." More murmurs. "Shut up, Tarus. You know where you can shove your seniority. I'm not your errant boy. I'm done here. See you tomorrow." The guard switched off his comlink without listening to the agitated murmurs still coming out of the speaker. He shoved the device into his pocket and grunted, "Sniff vac, Mynock brain."

Iatchoo!

Garret froze. Oh Sithspit!

"Someone there?" Of course the guard hadn't missed the noise. He withdrew a step and pulled his blaster. "Come out of there. And hands up!"

For the tiniest moment Garret hesitated. Then he went into action. He extricated himself from his hiding spot, crossed the space between him and the guard with two quick steps and attacked. The Devaronian had heard him coming – his boots were clattering too loudly on the duracrete floor to sneak up on him anyway – but he was too fast for the guard to react properly. The alien had managed a half-turn when Garret was upon him. He rammed his fist against the base of the right forehead horn and his opponent collapsed like an empty Stormtrooper armor.

"Kreth!" Sly had left her hiding spot and rubbed the itching nose. "Is he alright?"

Garret was crouching beside the alien and checked for vital signs. He found a steady pulse and normal breathing which he noted with relief. "Yup, he's fine. Sleeping like a baby, though." He took the watchman's blaster and comlink and dunked both into a nearby waste chute. Then he gave Sly a lopsided grin. "You sure know how to pick the worst possible moment, sis."

Sly sniffed and threw him a look of mock dislike. "Not my idea. Couldn't help it, though. Sorry."

Er waved off. "No dice. But what are we going to do with our sleeping princess here? We can't leave him here unless you know another way out."

"We're taking him along," she decided and told him how she envisioned the rest of their nightly excursion.




The architects of the new Senate Hall had been kind enough to place the main control room right next to the main turbolift shafts of the north-western wing. That minimized chances of being caught by patrols. So while Garret was waiting in a niche Sly took out a small gas cylinder, pried open an access panel and clipped the cylinder into a special bracket used by the Coruscant Fire Fighters in emergencies to flood a room with fire-retarding gas. She opened a valve and watched her wrist chrono. For twenty seconds she let the valve open before she closed it again, unclipped the gas cylinder and stowed it in her backpack. She donned a face mask, inserted the Devaronian's code card into a socket and opened the door.
The room was tiny, barely three meters square, and hideously cramped. It looked like someone had crammed all computers, recording machines and consoles he could find into it while forgetting about a decent air supply and illumination. In the middle of the room another guard had fallen asleep on the main console. Sly stopped on the threshold and sprayed sticky green colour on the lens of the only holocam monitoring the control room. When she was sure the cam would only record a green splotch she waved at Garret and entered the room.

The gas had needed just two seconds to send the human man to the land of dreams. He hadn't had time for anything – he hadn't even reached for the red alarm button on the right side of the console. SAMDAX, the trade name of the gas Garret liked to use for stunning guards he couldn't bypass, had a few remarkable advantages: it was non-toxic, odorless, tasteless, was extremely quick to work and took only a minute to volatize. The results of inhaling it were a deep unconsciousness for at least six hours and a moderate headache in the morning.

Garret was almost gentle when he put down the unconscious Devaronian. Then he plucked his sleeping colleague from the console and placed him on the ground beside the alien. Sly pulled a spool of tape from her backpack and began tying their wrists and ankles together. Finally she put a piece of tape across their mouths, just in case one of them woke up before he was supposed to. She cast a quick glance at her wrist chrono and pulled the mask from her face.

"Okay, the gas is gone."

"I'm getting old," Garret gasped, took off his mask and wiped sweat from his forehead. "Either that or I really need to spend more time in a fitness center."

Sly couldn't help herself. "That's what I've been telling you for months."

"Just wait until you reach my age," he muttered. "I'm almost thirty."

"Four pathetic years!" She gave him a mock innocent smile and added, "Maybe men age quicker than women."

"I will remind you of that when you start complaining about wrinkles," he shot back with an evil smile.

"Then I'll get myself a facelift," Sly retorted and sat down in front of the main console. "Now that's cute," she commented the array of holoscreens, camera controls and other sensor displays ahead of her. Then she started tapping commands into a touchpad.

Garret frowned as he scrutinized the screens. "You're sure you know what you're doing?"

Sly gave him an amused look from the corner of her eyes. "Can Banthas fly?"

Garret stopped ... frowned again and opened a mouth to respond but she was quicker.

"Just kidding." She tapped one last key and her masterpiece was complete. "You can go now. Remember to switch off the security systems with your MAC before you go into the exhibition room."

"Now where's your sense for adventure?" he asked and raised an eyebrow.

Sly shrugged. "I remember you complaining about your age mere minutes ago. You're a little selective when it comes to whining, aren't you? Off you go, oh master thief. I want to be home and in my bed before sunrise!"

Garret snapped to attention and saluted. "As ordered, Ma'am. Whatever you wish, Ma'am." He marched off and Sly sealed the door behind him.


*coughs and crawls back into his bed*

 

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