Delivering a message (Salem)

[Teroch Tor]

The city of Iziz was overrun, and they were blissfully unaware of the true danger. Mandalorians were allowed within the city's walls in the form of Mandalore and his party. It was not difficult to infiltrate the walls and blend in as one of the other Mandalorians. The first step had involved meeting secretely with one of Legion's contacts within the city outside the wall to lay their plans to get her in. The inside contact, a man by the name of Daniel Comb, left the city on his merchant ship to go to Tatooine, but in reality he had only disapeared into hyperspace to come back on the other side of the planet and picked up Teroch Tor. Then they actually went to Tatooine, hung out for a week, and then returned to Onderon and Iziz. Tor had gone unarmored and passed as a new crew hand dressed in dirty coveralls with a hat covering her bright purple hair. Once on the ground they unloaded a few crates of things, some where indeed merchandise brought from Tatooine, but a few select crates contained Tor's weapons and armor. Once back at Daniel Comb's luxurious home she slipped back into her armor, equipped her weapons, and left via the back door. People were getting used to seeing a few Mandalorians walking around the city, and one more was not going to stand out.

Tor made her way to the Palace. The guards at the front gate stopped her, of course, and asked her business, "I carry a message from Mandalore to be delivered to High Advisor Salem Ave." The guard in charge, a rough looking fellow, activated his comm unit, waited a few moments to be connected to High Royal Guard Jecht Tar, "Sir, we have a Mandalorian here wanting to see Mister Ave..."

[Jecht Tar]

A buzzing sound and vibration from his belt caused Royal Guard Captain Jecht Tar to look down at the comm unit on his belt and see a green light flashing at the pinacle of the device, an incomming message. He pulled the device from it's place and pressed it near his ear, the voice of the frontdoor guardsman coming through and filtering into his ear;

"Sir, we have a Mandalorian here wanting to see Mister Ave..."

"Hold on, Guardsman. I will see if Lord Ave is available," He closed the line and started connecting to Salem Ave's personal comm unit. In a normal circumstance he would not bother the upper crust, but this was not a normal circumstance. A mandalorian put anything into the high priority list and at such a point Jecht was required to consult his superiors, especially in the case of a mandalorian wishing audience with his superiors. Hopefully Salem Ave would have his comm on him, otherwise Jecht would have to track the man down, and that could take all day in a building as large as the Onderon Royal Palace.

[Salem Ave]

The soaring strings of an Onderonian symphony were abruptly, jarringly, brought to a halt by a shrill, monotone beeping. Salem Ave sighed. “Yes?”

“Sir. Captain Tar, on line one.”

Click- the channel opened. Ave's voice filtered crisply through to Jecht. “Yes, Captain?”

[Jecht Tar]

"Sorry to disturb you, Prime Minister," Jecht apologized, while at the same time walking steadily for the front gate, "We have a Mandalorian at the main gate requesting an audience with you. Claims she is carrying a message from Mandalore for you."

[Salem Ave]

“From Mandalore?” Salem paused, his frown deepening. “Retrieve the message, explain politely that I cannot attend her personally due to work and send her on her way.”

[Jecht Tar]

Jecht arrived at the front gate, the pale sunlight flowing from above and causing him to squint as he approached the gaurdsmen and the mandalorian. He, or rather she; as her armored breastplate declared, looked like any other Mandalorian to him; tall, armored, proud, and heavily armed. The light shone in such a way to glint off of the surface of every weapon located on the Mandalorian's person. The guardsmen parted to allow Jecht through to the Mandalorian, "I apologize, but Salem Ave is unable to see you at this time. He makes the request that you leave your message with me, I will see it safely to him," The Mandalorian, despite having no visible face, did not look happy.

[Teroch Tor]

Stone the fool! She could not accomplish what it was she wanted if she could not meet Ave in person, but then again... maybe this would prove just as good, and much safer. She requested a datapad, which was provided, and the message was imputed and the datapad shut off, so that the gaurdsmen could not read by accident before it arrived in Ave's hands, "There is also a package," She said as she pulled a package out from somewhere under her short, ragged blue cape and presented it to the gaurdsmen. A few of them took a step back, afraid of what might be contained within the box. She had taken many percautions for this mission and the box contained a wild assortment of things, allowing her to use many things as may be needed. Of course the box contained the severed hand of the Onderon Guard Legion had captured, the hand was still adorned with a Onderon Military ring on his finger, and the chunk Legion bit out of the palm would made it all quite festive.

She handed the box to Jecht, who took it cautiously. Without another word she turned around and headed away from the palace, a smirk on her hidden face. The message on the datapad was nothing important. A simple command: Open the package...

[Jecht Tar]

Jecht took the package headed into the little outpost building located at the gate for guards to stand in when the weather was less then agreeable. They had a scanner here for just the purpose Jecht wanted it for, scanning boxes, packages, and parcels. He slipped the package on to the scanner and activated the machine, which instantly caused it to glimpse through the wrapping of the package to reveal the dark outlines of the objects contained within. There were two distinct objects, one was metalic and the other was organic, but what they were exactly could not be determined. Whatever the box was made out of made it difficult to scan the contents. What a disaster.

"Sir, the Mandalorian left her message, and a 'gift' for you; a wrapped box with unknown contents. Could be something deadly," As head of the royal guard it was Jecht's duty to keep his superiors alive- keeping them safe was just gravy, "I advise opening it somewhere safe, away from everyone. I can report the contents back to you. Would that agree with you, sir?"

[Salem Ave]

Salem's initial irritation at having being interrupted had now transformed into fully-formed curiosity. In his mind, something did not feel right – something was out of place, and he had to know what.


“That would be most agreeable, Captain Tar.”

[Jecht Tar]

Jecht put the comm on standby and laid it down on a nearby table while he opened the box, carefully; pulling away as far as he possibly could while still keeping his hands on the package. The seal was broken and the flaps of the box were opened, and with it came the assualting scent of decayed flesh. Upon further invenstigation the contents of the box were revealed. The most prominant one was, as Jecht pulled it out, a hand with a familiar ring on it's finger. All soldiers in the Onderon army were given a ring with the symbol of Onderon engraved on it. It was a token of their service they could carry with them after retirement. The ring on this hand was rather new looking, a rookie's hand perhaps. One of the guardsmen behind Jeckt quickly ran over to the window just in time to be sick. The hand was set aside and the second object was removed. A comlink, but not a normal one. It was a long range comlink of the sort designed to only contact a single other comlink. A two way radio of sorts, and quite old by the look of it.

"Sir," Jecht said, his voice icy now as he raised his comlink back to his mouth, "The contents of the box is the hand of one of our soldiers and a two way comlink..." What was he suppose to do in this situation? "Sir, what are my orders?"

[Salem Ave]

The line went quiet for a moment. Salem inhaled calmly, then spoke.

“... Tell me what state the hand is in. Does it appear to have been freshly removed?”

[Jecht Tar]

The hand was manipulated, twisted, and moved as Jecht examined it. The cut was very clean, separating the hand from the arm right as the wrist joint, not the easiest area to cut through. There was no blood left in the hand, because all of it was all over the bottom of the package, the smell was nearly unbearable, "The cut looks fresh, no more then a few days old, sir," He reported. The package had been airtight, meaning the hand could have been in there for longer without decomposing to badly, but the hand had no decomposition at all so far, which meant it was fresh, very fresh.

[Salem Ave]

“It was removed with a metallic blade, then? Have it placed into cold storage. I'll have an analyst look over it later.” Swords were archaic weapons, confined primarily the Royal Guards and courtiers. In his mind, Salem had already begun to list the possible suspects.

“Bring me the commlink.”

[Jecht Tar]

"Yes, sir," He returned the hand to the package, slipped the comlink into the pocket of his trousers, and handed the package to the guardsman beside him, "Take this down to cold storage, those in charge will know what to do," He patted the pale guard on the shoulder and then trooped out of the gatehouse and headed into the palace. As he walked he checked the comlink over, checking for any traps, such as a gas capsule or an electric shock mechanism. Nothing external was located, and he did not risk opening it, less the electronics were damaged.

It took several minutes for him to reach Salem, who was on the other side of the palace. Jecht pushed the ornate door open and slipped within, closing it behind him and then walking quickly over to Salem, his shiny black boots clicking on the ground as he walked. The comlink was presented. It was larger then your typical comlink and more square, with a long range antenna affixed to the top. A two way radio was a better name for it then a comlink, but an archaic term like that was not used often.

[Salem Ave]

Salem gave the device a cursory inspection, turning it over in his hands. “Interesting...” There was a small button on one side of the radio, intended to open communications. Salem pressed it and said: “I'm listening.”

[Teroch Tor]

Half way to the front gate the silver and green armored mandalorian paused and ducked into a covered doorway as the communit on her belt began to chime. She patched it into her helmet's internal comm system. It was time to deliver the message:

From the other side of the line came a monotone, yet feminine, voice, "Greetings, Salem Ave. I trust that you got your gift. My lord, Legion, sends his regards. I do hope you enjoy the holiday meat."

Sithspit! The gate was so far. She had to get out of the city, now. Pushing out of her cover she headed for the gate, moving fast as she could without drawing unwanted attention from any soldiers, guards, or coppers who may be watching. Just a Mandalorian leaving the city, heading home, doesn't have many weapons, looks harmless, why stop her. And it could only be a her with a breastplate like that.

Remembering the commlink she used her chin to activate the comm button again, "This is only a sample of what he is capable of. Be fully aware that more is to come. Today a guardsman, tomorrow all of Iziz. You have been warned," that bit was not part of the message she had been sent to give, but she gave it regardless. She rounded a corner and the great northern gate came into sight. It was still some distance away, but already she could taste freedom and safety.

She left the line active, just in case the Prime Minister wished to beg for a mercy he wouldn't recieve.

[Salem Ave]

With a flick of a switch, Salem killed the connection between the two radios. He pressed a button on the communication panel of his desk. “All units... secure the city walls. I want any Mandalorians attempting to leave the city detained for questioning.” With that single command, guards all across Iziz became alert.

[Teroch Tor]

Something was wrong. The guardsmen around the gate were scrambling around in a very controlled mad rush. The gate, which was open nowadays turning this time of day, a symbol of peace towards the Mandalorians, but now the gate was slowly closing. The massive gate was not designed to be closed quickly, but rather to, once closed, to withstand attack. It was heavy and thick, made of solid metal. It's great hinges could only move it so fast. Sithspit!

Tor quickened her brisk walk into a spring, running straight for the gate. People shouted at her, telling her to stop. She paid their words no attention. Instead she drew one of her hip holstered laser blasters and fired upon the closet guardsmen. Three shots, three guards dropped to the ground, each shot cleanly through the knee. Their cries filled the air. More guards appeared, both on the ground and on the wall above. More shouted at her to stop, others opened fire. A few stun rounds bounced effectiveless off her armor, only serving to slow her down as the blasts hit her and bounced off.

It didn't take them long to switch to full power settings.

Dodging and weaving she continued, firing upon the guards as she went. She was moving slower now as she carefully dodged shot. The Guardsmen were good, but she was better. She reached the gat, slipped through the meager crack left and ran on towards the distant forests. A fine blue laser skimmed through the air just milimeters from her head. Crap! She had opened herself up, given them room to employ sniper rifles. She had to get to cover and now. She continued to run, dodging erratically, and occasionally firing over her shoulder randomly. There, a clump of trees. So close, yet so far. She reached out her hand, as if touching it would make her safe.

A sound like "Fssst" filled the air and then her world turned head as pain shot through her body. Her left leg stopped moving, causing her to fall to the ground. Without missing a beat she rolled over and looked at the gaping hole in her leg. The sniper blast had pierced her armor and flesh, and going out the other side. Blood was oozing from the wound. She feared the bone was vaporized, but it didn't matter so much now. It was over. Already gaurdsmen were pouring out of the re-opened gate, while a dozen men armed with snipers and heavy laser rifles stood at the edge of the mighty wall. She could feel the various scopes, laser pointers, and crosshairs pointed at her. She was a sitting bantha... and a very dead one at that.

There was only one option left. She lifted her blaster and pressed it to the side of her helmet. her finger tightened around the trigger. She wad ready for this. Fssst, the barrel of her gun, and most of the stuck, melted away while the force of the sniper round caused several bones in her hand to break. She grit hidden teath in agony and clenched her hand to her chest, craddling it with her other hand. The pain, oh the glorious pain. She loved it, every moment of it. But...

Nothing more coursed through her mind as she slipped into unconsciencness...

[Jecht Tar]

The call came in, a Mandalorian was sighted rushing for the north gate. Jecht departed the palace and headed for the north gate on foot. He disliked speeders and didn't have his mount to ride. Besides, he always liked a brisk run through the city. It kept him in shape. More calls came in. Shots had been fired, soldiers were injured. Jecht was out of his authority when he left the Palace, but his experience in the Beast Rider Corps. had gained him some respect from Onderon's military, and they listened when he told them to send reinforcements to the gate, and informed them that he wanted the Mandalorian alive, if possible.

He reached the North gate just as the Mandalorian was taken down. He would have to applaud those snipers who managed to bring down the Mandalorian. He would have been hard pressed to make such a clean shot. He, and a group of soldiers, made their way across the hard ground to the fallen form of the Mandalorian. Weapons were confiscated, wounds were bandaged as best as they could then and there, and then the Mandalorian was half carried, half dragged toward the city. By the markings and armor colors Jecht identified it as the same one that had delivered the package. They had their perpetrator.

The comm unit was activated and patched back into Salem's "Sir, we have the Mandalorian."

[Salem Ave]

“Perform a full search. With caution,” Salem added, though he was almost certain the clarification was not necessary. “The woman in your custody may well be a terrorist. Treat her accordingly.”

[Jecht Tar]

She was taken, stripped of her armor, which was quite difficult and some parts had to be cut away in order to remove them. Her weapons were confiscated and stored in the armory until further notice. The woman herself had her injuries treated and bandaged, and then she was dressed as any Onderon criminal and thrown in a secure cell beneath the palace in the dungeon. A tight guard was placed on the cell and the necessary security measure were all taken care of.

Jecht, now free of the duty of jail keeper, made his way to where Salem was. "She has been properly incarcerated, Prime Minister," He said as he bowed stiffly at the waist, rising quickly, but his tense stance did not fade. "What are you plans for the assassin, my lord?" He really did wonder. He wanted to kill the woman. She was an enemy to the crown, a messenger of death. He also wondered if the Queen should be involved in all this.

[Salem Ave]

Salem sat behind a wide desk, a number of data-pads spread before him. As the Captain arrived, he glanced up with a seeming lack of interest, as though the matter of the so-called assassin was trivial at best. “I shall have her... interrogated,” he replied, carefully.

“Tell me, when you searched her, did you find anything of interest? Were there any... noteworthy marks upon her body?”

[Jecht Tar]

He shook his head, "Nothing except for Mandalorian Clan markings and tattoos. I have experts searching for the meanings of such markings, perhaps we may be able to discover which clan she comes from. One of the tattoos however, a dark, spiky symbol, is something we have found branded to all of Legion's assassins, or those that were in enough pieces to examine," He was, of course, referring to the numerous assassins that tended to explode upon their deaths. "Nothing of interest was found among her possessions. She only carried her armor, weapons, and some food rations on her. With such provisions she may have never made it back to wherever she came from. Perhaps it was a suicide mission. It would seem likely taking in account of all the previous assassins that have come to take the lives of the royal family, and your life as well, sir."

But she had not made a suicidal attack. She had delivered a message, that was all. There were no traps, no bombs, nothing that actually did any harm, although her message was quite a painful one. It puzzled Jecht to no end.