The calm before the storm (Complete)

[Zereth Lancer]

CoroNet City, Corellia

Zereth Lancer pushed through the crowds as he fought his way towards his destination. He wore his full black attire with his blood red cloak thrown over his shoulders. His red eyes and silver buckles glistened in the sunlight and his long black hair stirred in the faint breeze. Most people took one look at him and got out of his way, or found themselves shoved out of the way as they Sith Lord pushed his way through. His walk was brisk and just slow enough not to attract attention. Durocrete fragments crunched under his sturdy boots as he walked and traffic lights changed just in time to allow him to cross a busy intersection.

He had business to attend too. Two days ago he send a message to a little known mercenary by the name of Ragnarok. The war droid turned mercenary agreed to meet Zereth at a seedy little tavern on Corellia that went by the name of the Hapan Princess. The bar was secluded and full of your average criminal types- a perfect place for a meeting.

Zereth could only hope that the mercenary would prove reliable, and if not he would have to be destroyed. Zereth did not want the information he was about to give to get loose in the general public. Awareness of the renegade Jedi would surely could out of it and then the Empire would swoop in and eliminate them before Zereth and Ambrose ever got a chance to do so.

Ah, yes. Ambrose was Zereth's brother-in-arms. They had forged their momentary alliance in order to pool their strengths and give themselves a better chance at destroying the Jedi for good.

Everything was falling into place, but three parts of the dance had yet to be finished. The third to last part was getting the Mercenary to do the job Zereth had for him. The second to last part was actually finding the jedi and the last part was the destruction of those jedi. The plan was simple and foolproof. Only time would tell of the conclusion.

Zereth stepped into the Hapan Princess and found an empty booth in that dark corner that existed within all bars for the very reasons that Zereth intended to take place. Now all that remained was for the mercenary to show up, and then the show could get started.

[Ragnarok]

The door of the Hapan Princess slid open and everyone in the room turned and gasped. There basking in the sunlight was the droid mercenary called Ragnarok. In all appearances he looked like a human. His metal body was human shaped and his movements were graceful and human-like. The underlay layer of his body was matte black in color and the overlayer was a thick silver durosteel material that shone brightly and reflect all light. The front of the droid's face had no eyes, sensory nodes, or any other means of verbal or visual electronics. It was just a blank surface, half the face being the thick silver layer and the other half being the matte black underlayer. Ragnarok stood close to seven feet tall with broad shoulders and long arms.

Ragnarok was formidable to look upon to say the least.

The droid looked about the bar until it's internal sensors fell on the face of Zereth and quickly identified him from the image the costomer had sent him. His boots thumped across the floor and the sound of moving cervos could be heard, although just barely. The gigantic droid reached Zereth's table and carefully sat down, in a fashion that kept his bulk and weight from smashing the seat into oblivion, "Ragnarok reporting as desired. Let us not waste time with idle chitchat. I prefer to be off this planet as soon as possible," The droid's voice was empty and monotone, and yet had the faintest trace of a male human's voice hidden deep within it.

[Zereth Lancer]

Zereth smiled, "Yes, why waste time with all that idle talking that is usually takes place. I don't think we need to get on friendly terms and there is no dark atmosphere to conquer. So let us get, as they say, down to business. But first," He mentally smiled as he saw the droid's featureless head dip down as he said the word 'but'. The droid wanted to get on with things, probobly because he had some beef with someone on Corellia.

"First I need to know if you are willing to take place in an operation that may incur more then a little of the Empire's wrath, on you that is. My job for you involves brekaing into imperial facilities and stealing valuable information... let me correct myself; information valuable to me. Although it woudl be immesnly valaube to the empire if they knew what I did, but sadly they do not. But I am getting off subject. The essense of my question is simple: are you willing to anger the Empire?"

[Ragnarok]

Ragnarok just sat there there a few moments. The only sound heard was the slow humming of electronic components at work, "The Empire means nothing to me. If your job requires the stealing of Imperial secrets, the deaths of Imperial personel, and the destruction of Imperial property, then you have only to lay out the target and I will see it done," Ragnarok had absolutely no reason not to take the job. The Empire meant little to nothing to him and his crew of mercenaries. But for a job this delicate he planned on going alone and not risk the lives of his crew.

[Zereth Lancer]

"Very well, and now let us truly get down to business," Zereth said before leaning back in his chair, "I need you to infliltrate the Primary Imperial Base on Naboo, find your way to their datacenter, hack into the Imperial Databank, and see if you can find any traces of these people," And with that a datapad was pulled from Zereth's clothing and slid across the table to the Mercenary, "Use the names listed, physical descriptions, and start by searching the planets they were last seen on. Record any information or clues to their whereabouts that you find and then report back to me.

"Now, how much would such a job cost?"

[Ragnarok]

Ragnarok's internal thinking systems whirled inside his steel cranium as he thought it all over at a speed ten times that of the average human, "A job of that calibur would cost you fifty thousand credits. Twenty-five thousand now and the second twenty-five thousand when I finish the job. It may seem like a lot to you, but believe me when I say that the job you have laid out before me will be more then extremely difficult. Try near impossible. But there is a small window for success and I like a challenge."

[Zereth Lancer]

The sum of credits was incredible, and Zereth could hardley believe it's sheer volume, "Fifty thousand credits? You ask for a very large payment, Mercenary. but how fitting for such a difficult job. Yes, I agree to your sum. I am not in the mood to haggle you down, and I think I would fail in the attempt. You will get your twenty-five thousand tomorrow, and then I expect you to be already half way to Naboo when you receive notification of the transfer," He said before swinging his legs off the side of his chair and standing to his feet, "I do believe we have no more to disguss. I already have the payment transfer number. No worries there. Meet me here when you are finished with your job."

Zereth turned and headed for the door, but not before he returned the glare of a large, bald man in the corner. He held the gaze of the bald man for a few moments before pushing the door open and stepping out into the sunlight.

The first part of his plan had fallen into place. Only two more to go.

[Ragnarok]

Ragnarok watched the red-eyed human leave and then left himself, but out of the sidedoor instead of the front. He also watched the bald headed man, but for a significantly shorter time then the human. He stepped out and made his way to the starport and the docking bay that held his ship, the Shadow Lance.

It was time to get to work.