Sluis Van

[Irako of the Desert]

Sluis Van is a rocky planet famous for its enormous shipyards and docking facilities.  

[Dracosoroth]

Fendar grumbled as he prowled through the waiting rooms of Orbit Dock V-475. He had followed the Sith woman to the Sluis system and lost her trail. He had decided to dock at Sluis Van and wait for the Council's next instructions. However, he had gotten no contact whatsoever with them. He snarled, tail lashing. He was a pirate for chrissakes. He began to regret listening to that stupid message. Of course it had been a prank. There was no way any being in the galaxy would risk carrying around even a million credits in cash.

A Bith bumped into his shoulder.

"Hey, watch where you're going, scum! I'm trying to walk here." He turned, growling in irritation.

"How dare you call me such names? And here I was going to get you a fine new ship." The Bith's voice was low and slurring, as if he didn't have full control over his mouth. Fendar stared in confusion.

"Ok, I don't recognize you from that holomessage. So stop screwing with me and get lost."

Suddenly, an invisible force slammed him into the wall. The Bith staggered towards him, laughing a little crazily.

"Of course you don't recognize me... I'm Sartor. I was the one who had the Council make that offer to you. I have plans for you, Fendar. Now, do you want the ship and the credits or not?"

Fendar glowered at the Bith. "I didn't even do what I was supposed to. I couldn't detain that crazy woman even one bit."

The Bith slurred and weaved a little bit before finally answering, "No matter. She will be here soon. I expect results. As for the ship, head to Docking Bay 32. Tell the technicians 'The Sithspawn is home again' and they'll open up the ship for you. The cash will be in the 3rd floor panel from the left. Perfect for smuggling, I think." The Bith turned and staggered down the hall without a backwards glance.

Fendar watched until the Bith had gone out of sight, then experimentally pushed himself off the wall. He found he could move again. He flexed his claws thoughtfully, trying to decide whether or not to go after the Bith. He shrugged and headed the opposite direction instead. He had to find a directory in order to find his new ship.  

[Irako of the Desert]

She pressed her hands together and exhaled slowly, forcing her anger under rigid control. Voice dripping with deadly sweetness, she pressed the comm button and spoke to the irritating docking traffic officer with false patience.

"Surely there is something you can do. I would like to get planetside as soon as possible in order to procure new provisions. I have been traveling for weeks now, and it is an understatement to say I am weary of it."

The comm crackled and hissed, then the traffic officer's voice came through.

"Sorry ma'am, but we have to dock first in importance of emergency, then in order of arrival. A big cruiser that was hit by pirates just came in and we're doing the best we can. Everything must go in the proper proedure."

I'll procedure you if you don't do what I want! Stupid bureaucrats, slag their procedures! Rather than shout what she was thinking, she sighed and spoke again.

"Perhaps you could put me in touch with your superior officer? Maybe there is something he can do for me."

"No can do, ma'am. The procedure states-"

"Listen to me." She used the Force to imbue her voice with all the persuasion she could muster and projected it with her aura. "I am in dire need of docking. If you cannot speed the procedure, then put me in touch with someone who can immediately." She sensed the traffic officer's struggle, but her Force persuasion eroded all his barriers like water flowing over mud walls. Her apprentice raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Instead, he folded his arms and leaned on the doorway.

"Right away, ma'am." The comm hissed with static for a while, then crackled back to life within a few minutes.

"This is Commander Frakto Cumis. Who am I speaking to?" The commander's voice was irritated. She sensed the wracked nerves through the comm unit and smiled. It would make this all the easier.

"Cumis, darling! It's been a while, hasn't it? It's Scarlet!" Her voice had an accent that wasn't there before. It was something she'd learned while infiltrating slaver gangs with her master. An accent made a good disguise completely impenetrable.

"Scarlet? My god, it's been ages! Well, now, what brings you to Sluis Van?"

She chuckled and winked at her apprentice before replying coyly, "Why, sugar, I was just on my way to Tatooine when I remembered what a great time we had on Coruscant and decided to drop in for a spell! Surprise!" She giggled for effect.

"Well, uh... That's wonderful, but, um... Couldn't you have called first? Or sent a message via Holonet?" She sensed the commander's nervousness and smiled. Time to swoop in for the kill.

"It wouldn't be a surprise then, darling! Now, could you do a gal a favor and find her a place to dock? It's been a long trip from the Core to the Outer Rim, and I'm tired of space right now. That's not too much to ask of a gentleman like you now, is it, dear?" Her voice was all innocence and sweetness.

A sigh came over the comm. "Of course, Scarlet. I'm sending the coordinates to my private docking bay now."

She giggled again and said, "Thank you kindly, darling. Can't wait to see you again, ta-ta!" She shut the comm off and glanced over at her apprentice, who's eyes were wide with shock. She cleared her throat and nodded towards the pilot's seat. "When the course comes in, I want you to guide us in. I'll be in the refresher, changing." She strutted off, head held regally.

"Mistress?" She stopped, not daring to turn around.

"Yes, Apprentice?"

A pause, then, "Is your name really Scarlet?"

A blush came to her cheeks and she was glad that she hadn't turned to face him. "Of course not. But it's the name Commander Cumis knows me by, so don't slip up. We'll introduce you as my nephew-in-law on my sister's side. You wanted to see the Mos Espa Pod Races, so your auntie Scarlet did your mother a favor and brought you out here. And no, I don't really have a sister, at least that I know of." She stalked off into the sleeping quarters to grab a change of clothes she hadn't expected to need.  

[Dracosoroth]

Fendar found Docking Bay 32 easily. After giving the passphrase to the the technicians, he was led to a beautiful Naboo star skiff. Fierce-looking black and red stripes adorned the graceful curves of the skiff, giving it an almost feral appearance.

"The Spaceway Huntress, sir." One of the technicians spoke with a loving tone bordering on worship. "Packed with some of the finest sensory equipment I've ever seen. Her hyperdrive has been modified to .8 and extra weaponry and deflector shielding has been installed. There's also a long-range communicator and extra cargo space."

Fendar nodded and gestured towards the ship. "Mind opening it for me?" One technician handed him a datapad with all the relevant code while the other hurried towards it to key it open. The hatch opened and he stepped inside, followed closely by the technicians. He inspected the interior briefly, then turned to the technicians and said, "That'll be all, thank you. I'm pretty impressed with her. Good job." They nodded and left the ship, the hatch closing behind them.

Fendar began carefully walking through the ship. His clawed feet made loud clicking noises on the floor panels. He examined the walls for any hidden cams or recording devices while casually thumping his tail on the floor. After a few minutes of this, there was a hollow thump and the floor panel shifted slightly. Fendar grinned and marked the spot mentally in his mind, continuing in his search for spy equipment.

He checked the ship from stem to stern and found nothing. No homing beacons, no hidden mikes, no cams. He headed towards the bridge and began familiarizing himself with the controls. They were pretty standard and easy to understand. At the touch of a button, displays immediately were projected into the air, where he could examine 3d star maps, technical layouts of the ship's interior, or scans of the surroundings. He smiled and began warming up the engines, ready to take the ship for a test flight.  

[Irako of the Desert]

The ship landed in the docking bay smoothly, as befitted a ship belonging to a rich lady traveling with her nephew. She bounced out of the ship to a welcoming committee of Commander Cumis and a small detachment of security.

"Cumis, darling! It's so wonderful to see you again! I'd like you to meet my nephew, Mark. Mark, this is Commander Fracto Cumis." She blushed and said coyly, "We met on Coruscant at a party." Inwardly, the Sith lady had a flash of satisfaction of seeing the Commander blush as well and sensed a flash of guilty shame from him. The meeting had consisted of a drunk Commander clumsily trying to seduce a gorgeous woman. She had simply put an illusion in his mind and let him sleep in the corner undisturbed. The illusion had convinced the Commander that their encounter had been much more intimate, however.

"Ahem, yes, well, it's very nice to meet you, Mark." Commander Cumis extended his hand for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you, too, Commander. My aunt's been in a tizzy over seeing you again." Iva'an drawled slowly, a careless grin on his face. She very nearly scowled, but remembered at the last minute the role she was playing, and giggled instead.

"Oh, you're always trying to embarrass me, I'm sure, dear nephew." She sent a flash of annoyance through the Force as well as a feeling of warning. Do not overplay your part or you'll jeopardize everything. She fluttered her eyelashes and asked, "Do you think we could go get some refreshments? I could really go for something sweet right now. Ship rations are filling, but they do leave much to be desired in the way of taste." She flashed a stunning smile. The Commander smiled back and snapped a few orders to the security detachment, sending them ahead to make the preparations.

"What brings you out to the Outer Rim, Scarlet?"

"My nephew here has a desire to see the Mos Espa Pod Races. His mother didn't feel up to space travel and his father... Well, the less said about him, the better." She made a face as if disgusted by the imaginary father. "Anyways, I volunteered to take him personally. A little bit of bonding between me and my favorite nephew!"

'Mark' rolled his eyes, unseen behind the Commander and his Master.

"I see," Commander Cumis sounded amused, "Well, it's a good thing you stopped over here for restocking on supplies. They'll strip you of your credits on Tatooine for water and all that lovely stuff. I'll be sure to order your ship new supplies immediately."

"Well, thank you for your generosity, Cumis dear."