Pawn of Destruction 1: The freak and the pussycat

[Wagner]

Standing on one of the towers of his castle, the man known only as Wagner looked out at the town below. It was like every other town on the small planet of Latka. Small wooden houses, filled with people who adored their ruler. Wagner. Crime was practically non-existent, and there wasn't any major group to police them even if there was. Everyone was happy, and it was all down to him. Wagner. Indeed, only one person on Latka was unhappy.


Wagner.


Stepping into the tower, Wagner caught a glimpse of himself. A green cloak hung over a suit of armour which covered his whole body. And it was all due to them.

He had not always been a Monarch. During his younger years, he was a scientist. Working at one of the largest known labratories in the known galaxy on Coruscant, he would work alone, creating things that the majority of scientists could only dream of. This was to be his undoing.

Shortly after creating a military-class Hyperdrive that was 10% more efficient than anything else known, Wagner had been called into the office of Huck Ballan, the head of the facility. He told Wagner that the credit for the drive was being shared between the facility, before shooting him in cold blood, dumping him in the waste like litter.

Bitter and horrendously scarred from burns caused after going close to an incenerator, Wagner managed to survive. Fleeing Coruscant, he found Latkia, a small planet with vast resources. Here he decided to begin his plan to exact revenge on those that ruined him.

Studying ancient Tomes of magic and other lore, Wagner hid Latka in a spell that shielded the planet from the naked eye, as well as sensors and scanners. Having promised the people of Latka prosperity, he soon became the Monarch of the previously unled planet.


Walking into his throne room, Wagner sat as a serving droid walked up to him, carrying a tray that held a glass of wine and fruit. Slowly taking them from him, the man looked into the eyes of the droid, its look almost identical to Wagner's.

"Have the watchers found the ideal candidate?" He asked, taking a sip of his wine.

"Yes my lord. Although strange in attitude, the candidate is clever and resourceful. We believe there is a high probability of success" Replied the droid in a dull, robotic voice.

"Excellent" Wagner replied, as he titled his head, deep in thought. Strange in attitude? I must be wary. He may be...unprofessional.

[Niklos Thorson (Oddball)]

Sliding into the main room of the Coruscant aparentment he had bought from the profits of his last job, Niklos Thorson walked through to the bathroom to a beat he was making himself.

"Da da da, da da da Dancing. Dancing, in boxers!" he sang to himself as he splashed water onto his face. Hearing a knock on the door, Niklos quickly dried his face, and headed for the door. I'll get dressed later he thought to himself as he opened the door and flung out his arms.

"Hey good looking!" He said, as he looked at...noone. Seeing something just under his eyeline, the mercenary glanced down to see a strange sight. Two small human-shaped people were there, at about waist height. They wore green cloaks, with what appeared to be a suit of armour underneath.

"Every time I come to this door, I hope for it to be a Mirax Terrik lookalike. And what do I get instead? Robo Jawas."

"We are the watchers. We have been monitoring you for some time, he who calls himself Oddball." The one to the left said, in a low metallic voice.

"Awww, he speak like big people!"

"We come with a message. You are to come with us now, and meet with our master."

"I'll call you Pooky, and you Bobo" Oddball said, pointing to each 'Watcher' in turn.

"He will pay you handsomely"

"I dont care if....handsomely you say? What we waiting for, let's go go go!"

"As you wish" Bobo said, as a green gas came out of his face mask, straight at Niklos' face.

"All I wanted was...for you to love me!" said the mercenary, as he passed out on the floor.




-----




Waking up with a start, Niklos looked at his surroundings. He was on a bench in what appeared to be a spaceship of some sort, with minimal furnishings. There was a single door leaving the room, which he suspected to be locked, a further door leading to the outside and a long viewhole on the opposite side. standing motionless in front were Pooky and Bobo. He realised then he had been dressed in his standard Oddball outfit, the mask on a small table beside him.

"What did you do?" He asked, slowly reaching for the mask.

"We used a gas on you, in order to get you here with minimal stoppages" Replied Pooky.

"Where is here?"

"Where we are heading"

Sighing, Oddball put on his mask, and looked out the viewhole. He could see they were approaching a castle, overlooking a series of small homes.

"So, have you invented the bathroom yet? I like to go after an intergalactic trip."

[Wagner]

"My lord, the candidate will be here in moments" spoke a servant droid, standing just to his side.

"Excellent. Go to check that his fee is all there, and bring it to me" Spoke Wagner without turning to look at him, his body hunched forward over his throne.

"As you wish"

No sooner had the droid left than the man walked in. He dressed in a costume of red and black that completely covered his body. Around his waist hung a belt, with at least two pistols and a close combat weapon of some sort. Bizarely, he was holding the hands of the two watchers he had sent to find him, practically dragging them behind him.

"Come along children, stay close to Oddball" he said, before stopping some distance from Wagner.

"Do you know why you are here?" Asked the monarch, his eyes not leaving the Mercenary's.

"Well, I'm hardly known for my cookery expertise, so I presume you want me to do something illegal"

"A number of things to be exact. You will get details on them when you need them. All of them are things that are close to me, things I need as soon as possible, no questions asked"

"A lot of things means a lot of pay you realise" said the Mercenary, staring straight back at him.

Indicating for the droid to approach, he watched as it marched forward towards the man, carrying a fairly large box. As it opened it, Wagner watched the mercenaries eyes grow as the glow of what was inside hit him.

"Gold, precious stones. And this is just a starting fee. You will get the same amount every time you complete a task for me. Intrested?"

"Does a Stormtrooper struggle to hit barn doors?"

"Excellent. Your first task is to retrieve a precious stone from a building indicated on the Holomap you will be given. On the second floor is a trophy room. You will know what you're looking for when you get there, it is large and green. That will be all" As he finished his words, Wagner clapped his hands. As one, the two watched looked up at the Mercenary, as green gas poured out of their face masks.

"I can walk you know!" were his last words before collapsing on the floor.

[Oddball]

Waking up with a start, Oddball sat up straight and surveyed his surroundings. WIthout asking, he already knew where he was.


Coronet City. The capital of Corellia.


Turning behind him, he saw the ship that had brought him here. Completely closed up, he could see there was no way of getting inside. Seeing something on the floor, he picked it up to see it was the Holomap that Wagner, or at least that was what he was sure he had heard the man referred to as, had told him about. Flashing on the screen was an individual building, clearly the one he had been instructed to steal from. Also visible was a brief, vague list of the jobs he would have to do. Slowly getting up, he pulled off small commlink off his belt, selecting SEND MESSAGE from the buttons on it, setting the reciever of the message to "Jak". Hitting the BEGIN key, he began to speak.

"Jak, it's Oddball. Listen, I need you to find someone for me. Someone who will be able to help with jobs, on Coruscant, involving the black market and breaking into a building. Dont reply, I'll get back to you on it. Oddball out." Turning off the device, Oddball began walking in the direction of the building.




-----




"Nice building, think I'll buy it when I finish this." he said, admiring the view. In front was a large, domed building, it's surface lit up from various windows. Four large pieces of metal jutted out of it at equal distances which curved down until they reached the floor, which made the building look like some sort of animal getting out of a hole. At the very top stood a large pole, which had a large glowing orb of some sort glowing a pale blue, lighting up the enarby night sky. Overall, an impressive sight.


Which means there is only one way to get in undetected.


And Oddball hated this way. It hurt, it wore him out, it was disorientating. Also, it was a slow process to actually do. But it was all he could do.

Jogging into a nearby alleyway, the mercenary closed his eyes, and leant up against the wall, deep in concentration.

I must be small, I must be small, I must be....

Oddball didn't know how long it took him to manage it, but he knew when he did. A pain hit him straight in the stomach, and he suddenly felt as if he had been running for days. Putting all his weight against the wall, he took deep breaths, trying to get air back in his system.

It was only then did he look at his hands to see...


...nothing. Nothing at all.


It worked. Now to get inside.

Picking himself up, Oddball staggered into a walk, and begun to head towards the building's entrance.

[Lady Vader]

*LV began walking towards the entrance to the newly built building, along with two security guards that had been assigned to said building along with a few others scattered throughout it. The building was brand new, having been finished only about a week ago. It was a project that had gone under way when the Elders of TSO had decided that having an outside building in the city for clients would be better than always bringing them to the Palace. It also worked for security reasons.*

*The building still smelled of fresh paint and wood, and the furniture was newly laid. The carpeted areas were fluffy and bouncy, adding a spring to her already light step as she reached the entrance.*

*She turned to face the two guards.*

Go ahead and take your posts. I'm going to my office for a moment.

*The guards acknowledged and took their positions as LV made her way towards her office.*

[Oddball]

Breathing in strongly with his nostrils, Oddball noticed the air was thick, moist. Normally, knowing that it was about to rain was hardly vital information, but when invisible it did cause a huge problem. If it was heavy rain, then any guards or cameras would see the rain parting into the shape of a man walking around. Also, you would then get the almost comical image of wet footprints appearing through the corridors of the building.

Trying to keep his footsteps as light as possible, he ran to the corner of the building, and peered around. Two guards, and nothing more.

No point fighting, easier to walk by.

Slowly, Oddball crept past the past the pair, and into the building. Deciding noone else would be around at this time of night, he broke into a jog, darting into a turbolift to the 2nd floor, and the trophy room.

[Lady Vader]

*LV emerged from the stairwell on the second floor, having decided to take a walk rather than the lift. She made her way towards her office at a leisurely pace, enjoying the scent of the new buidling.*

*As far as buidlings went on Corellia, this one wasn't huge. It was a simple 5 story buidling, the first floor being a reception hall and guard rooms, the second containing offices and conference rooms, the third having larger conference rooms and even a large banquet hall, while the top two floors consisted of a landing site for her ship, those of TSO, and guard swoops.*

*She finally reached her office, a prime spot of the building as it was on the corner and looked out over the busy causeway for Coronet. She entered the richly furnished room and went to her desk, sitting at the seat, and activating the computer. Adjoining the office was a small room, hidden behind a large obsidian statue of a Corellian panther leaping at it's unsuspecting prey. Why would a door be hidden? Simply because it held some valuables.*

*She busied herself with some light work, but as she worked, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she looked up. Her instincts had kicked in moments before her force sense told her soemthing was amiss in the near vicinity.*

*Quietly, she shut down the computer, placing her hand on it and using the Force to cool it down quickly. She then shut out the lights and went to stand near the tall statue, hiding in it's shadow. In the pitch black of darkness, she waited, ready to pounce on her prey, much like the statue showed.*

*Outside her door, one of the newly laid floor panels creeked.*

[Oddball]

Gently sliding the Datapad he had been given out of a pouch on his belt, Oddball could see he had to go into a sideroom from the room in front of him. Putting the pad back in it's place, the mercenary instinctively moved into a more stealthy crouched stance, pointless as it was due to his lack of chance of being seen, and slowly crept into the first room, his eyes darting round for his target.

[Lady Vader]

*There were two doorways to her office; the main ornate wooden door, and a side door that matched the wall. It was the side door that opened, drawing LV's attention in that direction.*

*LV squinted in the dark room, her cat-like eyes taking in whatever small amounts of light were in the room to help her see. And with the Force, she was able to enhance her vision even more.*

*While it was still difficult to make out who the figure was creeping into the room, she was still not pleased there was someone else there. She began to wonder how the being had gotten past the guards. But it didn't matter now. Right now, she had to deal with the intruder.*

*One thing she was good at was manipulating people's minds into making them see what she wanted them to see. So, for the sake of the intruder, the giant marble panther beside her leapt out across the room and towards the creeping figure. For all intents and purposes, the statue really hadn't moved... but to the intruder, he was suddenly faced with a very hungry and very ferocious beast, claws and fangs outstretched for his head.*

[Oddball]

Gasping a silent gasp, Oddball saw a beast of some type leap at him from the shadows. What sort of place has animals guarding rooms? he thought to himself, as he did a quick scan of the area. Dark as it was, it appeared to be a study or an office of some sort. Otherwise from the animal leaping at him, the room appeared empty.

Diving to his side, Oddball narrowly avoided having his throat ripped open by the creature, instead watching it fly past his shoulder. Spinning to face it, he got himself into a stance, ready for it's next pounce. It was then he realised something.

Sithspit, I'm visible! Must have lost my concentration. Least noone's here to see me.

[Lady Vader]

*When the beings head was turned to regard the "snarling beast" after it had leapt, a few books came sailing out from behind the being where there was a bookshelf, smacking solidly against his cranium.*

[Oddball]

Feeling something hit him hard on the back of the head, Oddball dropped low and spun his leg round, connecting with the...

...book? Okay, this is getting freaky.

Looking round, slightly disorientated, the mercenary decided to fall back to a better position. Making out a desk of some sort, he ran to it and jumped on top, before spinning round the check the animal hadn't followed, nor had any flying literature.

[Lady Vader]

*And when the man turned around, both the snarling panther, and flying encyclopedias had ceased. Things were suddenly earily quiet. Too quiet.*

*Suddenly a voice, a sultry female voice, broke the silence, encompasing the room and bouncing off the walls, making it impossible to locate where it was originating from.*

As much as I enjoy company... I despise the uninvited kind.

[Oddball]

"Yeah, well I enjoy females, but prefer them to be visible" Oddball replied, looking round the room. So now we have a Panther, flying books, the invisible woman and a door that doesn't exist. Perfect!

[Lady Vader]

*LV laughed, clrystal clear, but cold as ice.*

Normally I shoot first and never ask questions... but I'm been known to make exceptions.

*The disembodied voice continued.*

Why have you broken into this office?

[Oddball]

Glancing down quickly at his datapad, Oddball tried to work out where his target was. Even now, having checked the room out, he still had no idea.

Why do they always HIDE the good stuff?

"Office you say? Oh I'm sorry, I thought this was a....jewellery store! Tell me, do you have any expensie jewels here?" he asked, wishing he had something a bit more believable to say.

[Lady Vader]

*A book sailed from it's spot on the desk and WACKED the man upside the head. LV made a sound like a buzzer.*

EEH! Wrong answer.

*The man's wind pipe began to constrict ever so slooooowly as an inviasble grip wrapped around his neck.*

Care to try again?