When the mission had come in, Andrelious had not been very pleased. It had been nearly a quarter of a century since he had last set foot on Cirrus. He had visited the planet shortly after the loss of the Star Destroyer that he was serving on at the time, and had made a beeline for a nearby club. The night, and his passage from the planet the next day, were long forgotten. That was until Saskia Ortega appeared. It soon transpired that Saskia was the result of the then-Imperial having to find other means of paying for his rather large bar bill.
This time, however, Andrelious had an incredibly important mission. The idea of fighting a Jedi who could potentially sever his connection the Force for good filled the Warlord with dread. He had immediately remembered the story of Ulic Qel-Droma, who had befallen victim of the same fate many millennia before. He also recalled the Horizon plague and the devastation it had caused, though he himself had only just begun to suffer from its affects by the time that the cure was designed. A return to a state where he did not have the Force was not a welcome notion, especially with the enemies that the Soulfire leader had accrued during his time as a Sith.
By the time that Andrelious arrived at Ciran Spaceport, the Cirrian capital was entering dusk. The area that Ciran resided in was in the middle of its winter season, and the Warlord flew his ship carefully through the beginnings of a blizzard. Snow whipped into the transparisteel windows of the cockpit even as the Arconan landed his ship in one of the many landing bays. He was certainly glad that he had checked what weather conditions to expect for the mission.
Wrapping up warmly in a thermal coat and a pair of thick trousers that also allowed him to conceal his lightsabers, Mimosa-Inahj stepped out of the ship. Despite the winter snow falling thickly, the spaceport was still fully open for business. After all, droids did not feel the cold. A couple of Human technicians moved towards Andrelious’ ship, pointing to a refuelling hose. The ex-Imperial nodded silently at them, before gingerly walking along an icy walkway towards the main concourse of the spaceport.
The evening rush had begun to clear and things were quieting down. Andrelious regarded the customs stations before him, and chose to join the longest, but fastest moving queue, the Force assisting his decision. In what appeared to be no time at all, the former Rollmaster found himself at the front.
“Welcome to Ciran. I’m sure you’re aware of our local laws?” a dour faced Human official asked. Andrelious did not need the Force to detect the man was extremely bored and very cold. Getting past him was not going to prove the most difficult thing that the Warlord would face all evening.
“Of course. I’ve been here before.” Mimosa-Inahj replied, caressing the official’s mind with the Force. The man waved his scanner over the Sith, apparently happy to ignore the warning that he was carrying two unknown devices.
“You may proceed.”
The Arconan smirked as he passed through the customs area. His mission was on.
-x-
Once clear of the spaceport and into Ciran proper, Andrelious took stock. He had little information on the location of Kistri Guinvi, or of whatever facility it was that she possessed. That was why he had sent his Fade, Swil Phift Erinos, to the planet a few days in advance. Mimosa-Inahj was banking on the young man’s slicing abilities finding key information that would allow the mission to proceed. The Warlord had originally asked Saskia for the help, considering her a better slicer in addition to the fact that she was from Cirrus, but the Archpriestess had declined, feeling she was unable to go back to the planet.
The sky continued to darken overhead, but the snow only grew in its intensity, whipping around the streets and making movement difficult. Andrelious raised an arm to stop the snow from going into his eyes as he walked slowly along the street.
Eventually, the Sith reached a small cantina, heading inside. The cantina was filled with locals clutching cups of caff, filling the air with a thick smell of caffeine. Heating devices had been set up throughout the room, but there was still a bitterly cold feel to the atmosphere. Mimosa-Inahj quickly ordered an Ebla Beer, and started craning his neck to find his contact. He spotted his Fade sat in one corner, quietly drinking a Corellian Brandy. The dark-skinned Human noticed Andrelious looking in his direction, nodding in greeting. The Warlord moved over to join the Mandalorian.
“So. What were you able to find out?” Andrelious asked, keeping his voice down to a whisper. He was deep in foreign territory and he knew that everyone, besides the man across the table, was a potential enemy.
Swil nodded. “It took a bit of digging, but I have the information you need. Guinvi’s base, which she likes to call her ‘conclave’, is located sixty kilometres north of Ciran. Last I checked, the weather’s even worse out there than it is here in the city. I’ll send the exact location to your datapad shortly. Will you be needing me for anything else?”
“How else will I get into this conclave? And besides, I highly doubt that the documents that Edraven and Nortorshin want are going to be unencrypted. What’s the problem? Afraid of the cold?” the Warlord asked, the attempt at a friendly jibe surprising the Erinos clan member.
“In the time I’ve been here, I’ve set up an alias as an engineer. I’ve also arranged for the Conclave to require my services to examine their heating system. We’re fortunate in that it’s snowed so heavily. However, in such an environment, I won’t be able to provide you with any real cover should things turn nasty.” Phift responded nervously.
“Then I’d better make sure things don’t turn nasty, hadn’t I? This mission could be dangerous. One wrong move, and my connection to the Force will be gone. And that’ll be it for both of us.” Andrelious warned, taking a large swig of his beer.
“The safest route to the conclave will take us seventy-five minutes in current conditions. When would you like us to leave?” Swil asked.
“We shall leave as soon as we have finished our drinks. And keep the expenses down. I’m getting a reputation for spending large amounts of Arconan funds on these missions.”
-x-
The wintery conditions meant that Andrelious and his Fade were virtually on top of the Conclave before they saw it. The building did not look like much, having been deliberately made to take the appearance of a small out of town dwelling.
The Warlord had exited his speeder quite a distance away, and was making his final approach on foot followed by a fully alert Swil. With conditions as they were, the Sith doubted that they had been detected, though he could not be certain that there was not some sort of scanner nearby that would give his position away to those inside.
“You know what to do.” Andrelious ordered, holding back as his Thyferran companion approached the building’s entrance. The taller Human rapped on the durasteel door, and waited. A few moments later, a Human male opened the door.
“Can I help you?” the man asked, gruffly.
“A Miss Guinvi sent for me. She reported some issues with the water supply in this cold weather. I’ve come to examine and possibly upgrade your heating system,” the Erinos replied.
The stranger examined a datapad for a few moments.
“Ah, yes. I didn’t expect you’d come this late. It’s almost pitch black out there by now,” he stated, looking outside at the winter’s evening.
“It’s better if I come at night. Then I can see just how bad the pipes can get.” Swil answered coolly.
“I suppose that makes sense. Come in, I’ll show you to the main boiler.”
Mimosa-Inahj smirked as his Fade disappeared into the innards of the Conclave. The plan was simple: the Mandalorian would start to examine the boiler, and then discover that there were ‘quite severe issues’ with a number of components. Meanwhile, he’d slice into the security system and download a schematic of the building. With that, Andrelious would find a safe way to get in, whilst Swil ‘worked on’ the pipes.
It was quite a few minutes before the ex-Rollmaster’s datapad indicated that it had received a file. Andrelious frowned. The vent systems were far too small, and Ciran’s sewers, while accessible, did not have a suitable access inside the Conclave. Instead, the duo would be forced to resort to the much more risky ‘Plan B’. This entailed Swil shutting down the power and Andrelious sneaking in through the front door in the darkness. With many Force sensitives around, Mimosa-Inahj had hoped that the primary plan would be executed without trouble. Now it was clear that that was not to be.
“I’m going to have to shut down the power for a few minutes!” Phift announced.
“And just why do you need to do a thing like that?” a female voice enquired. The Fade did not look around, but something told him that he was speaking to Kistri Guinvi herself.
“I need to reset the boiler’s diagnostics system. I can’t access it through my datapad,” the dark-skinned male declared.
“That’s a bit of a security risk. Are you sure that you need to do that?” Guinvi asked.
“I know my job, Ma’am.” Phift responded.
“Very well…come with me.”
-x-
Andrelious was slouched against a nearby wall, waiting for his Fade’s signal. It had been a full twenty minutes since the younger Human had disappeared into the Conclave, and the Warlord was becoming more than a little nervous. If the Jedi inside had discovered Swil was not who he claimed to be, he stood little chance of escape.
I’ll wait five more minutes. If I still see nothing, I’m going to have to abandon Swil. The risk of further losses is just too great. Mimosa-Inahj mused.
A few moments later, the former Imperial noticed the building’s external light had gone out. With great trepidation, he trudged through the snow, approaching the door that his ally had used. Its lock system had gone dark, another suggestion that the Conclave had lost power.
Grasping the door with the Force, Andrelious slid the door open with great effort. As soon as he was able, he slid in through the gap. It was pitch black inside – the Warlord could sense several beings somewhere beneath his feet. Clearly the Conclave had been built largely underground in an effort to disguise its function.
With a click, the emergency lighting came on. Everything was bathed in shades of red. The Soulfire Captain could see that he was in an entrance hall. On moving through the hall, the Warlord found himself in a small living area, that, after a brief examination, he ascertained was a decoy. Andrelious could hear conversation nearby, immediately identifying that his Fade had disguised his Thyferran-Selenian hybrid accent with a Corellian twang. Sneaking along the corridor, the Sith noticed Swil in deep conversation with a female clad in the robes of a Jedi. He could sense that her grasp of the Force was similar to his own, and well in excess of the others in the building. In the red lighting, a better physical description was impossible.
“You have ten more minutes. Will that be enough for you to do whatever it was you said?” the female asked, glancing upwards at the tall, dark-skinned Mandalorian.
“That should be adequate, ma’am. I’ll have to step outside soon to make sure your external connections are working properly.” Guinvi replied, suddenly shuddering. Andrelious moved away, heading down a nearby corridor. Hearing footsteps following him, he pushed at one of the doors, entering the room without bothering to check its contents. Telekinetically locking the door, the ex-Imperial readied himself for combat, knowing that if it came it would be a tall order to escape.
“Warlord Inahj!” a voice cried out. The Soulfire Captain peered around the room, eventually discovering a dishevelled figure, clad in a slightly ragged Arconan uniform. The man’s ankles were tied together, but he appeared otherwise unharmed.
“Ah. You must be the operative that I was told about. This may be your lucky day. What’s your name?” Mimosa-Inahj enquired.
“Reltin. Relor Reltin. I’m with the DIA. I promise that I’ve not told them anything,” the captive replied as Andrelious untied his ankles.
Reltin climbed to his feet, wobbling a little. It was clear from the lack of a deep cut on his ankles and how easily he stood that he was frequently untied and retied, probably to allow for interrogation and for some exercise. Andrelious, despite his hatred for all things light-side, had always hoped if he were to be captured, it would be by Odan Urr or another Jedi group, in the knowledge that his incarceration would be a lot less tough.
“How far into your mission were you when you got captured, Reltin?” Andrelious questioned.
“I’d successfully sent a copy of the building’s layout and pictures of several documents to a secondary datapad that is at a secure location in Ciran. If we get out of here, I’ll show you where it is. Are you on your own?” Relor asked.
“No. I have another with me. He’s the one who managed to get me this far, so you’ll have him to thank if we’re successful. The problem being…I think that Jedi bitch sensed I was here. That means we’ve got one chance at this. How often do they check on you?” the Warlord queried.
“Every three hours. Without my chrono, I don’t know how long it’s been, but perhaps about two hours ago? They’ve also taken my other equipment. They keep asking me how to get past the DIA’s encryption codes, so I don’t think they’ve managed to get past that yet.”
Andrelious smiled. “That’s good. They won’t have any luck, the encryptions on those datapads were written by the Seneschal’s team themselves. It’ll take them years,” he replied smugly.
The door’s lock clicked. Andrelious and Reltin peered towards the entrance as the door opened, awaiting with baited breath to be discovered. Mimosa-Inahj readied his lightsaber, its crimson blade almost invisible in the emergency lighting.
“It’s me!” Swil Phift declared, raising him arms in fear of his ally’s weapon.
“Swil! Just how did you get the others away from you?” Andrelious asked.
“I used my datapad to reactivate their alarm systems. We’ve got about thirty seconds before they come this way.” Swil stated, almost appearing proud of his work.
“And how are we going to get out? They’ll have blocked our passage back to the entrance,” the former Imperial observed stoically.
“You’re in luck. There’s a back door. It’ll involve a bit of a climb down some rickety old steps, though.” Reltin announced. “Follow me!”
The DIA operative exited his ‘cell’, right as the Conclave’s power came back on. The lights clicked back on, and immediately several klaxons started blaring out loudly. Reltin calmly moved towards a door at the far end of the corridor, inputting a code into a keypad by the door. Mimosa-Inahj and his Fade followed, the Warlord impressed at how Reltin had apparently learned the code even while under duress.
A set of stone steps led down to what had once been a small garden, but had evidently not been used in that way for some time. The steps were covered in snow and ice, and looked like they would be incredibly slippery. Andrelious shut the door, allowing the operative to tap in the lock code.
“With a bit of luck, we can be gone by the time they come this way,” the Sith stated, beginning a careful decent down the steps. His feet slid around on the ice, but he compensated carefully. Phift and Reltin followed, also taking great care to avoid skidding over and breaking their necks.
Slowly but surely, the Arconan trio edged down into the overgrown, snow covered garden, disappearing over a hedgerow once they were free of the icy steps.
-x-
After heading back to the speeder that they had dumped earlier, the Soulfire Captain and his Fade, now accompanied by a tired but relieved Reltin, quickly drove back to Ciran. They wasted no time in finding the datapad that the DIA operative had stowed away, before heading back to their separate ways. Andrelious, armed with the data he had been tasked to collect, headed back to his TIE Advanced, whilst his two Force blind helpers made their way to arrange passage back to Dajorra.
Another mission was complete.
