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"Excuse me gentlebeings." said a voice. "I couldn't help but overhear your plight about dispensing military supplies of an illicit nature. Plus your actions against the fools of the AEA drew my interest. You seem a rather competant sort so If you are willing to hear me out I might just have a proposition for you."
Cale and Alinn turned to face the voice and looked upon a rather unasuming and nondescript man in a grey trenchcoat.
Cale let his right arm drop beneath the table(within easy reach of his blaster) and shrugged. "Im listening."
The man nodded and sat down across the table from Cale.
"So what name may I adress you by Mr..."
"Gier. Captain Lowe Gier." Cale said.
The man gave a slight smirk. "Very well Captain Gier. I happen to know quite a bit about you. enough to know to ask you your name. But then again, perhaps a bit more than anyone else. You see, I know who you took those supplies from."
Cale's eyes narrowed. "how the hell could you know that? we just pulled that job the otherday."
The man gave another slight smirk. "Believe me. My organization knows far more than you or anybody else thinks. But enough of that. Let me get to the point. The organization I work for is rather interested in the droid war. Two sides that we rather don't like are compelled to blow each other out of space. normally we would be content to just let them have at each other."
"However, due to recent events, we find ourselves lacking in some certain areas. To put it blunty, my organization's employers are not what they once were. we could benefit from an ongoing war between the Federation and the Republic."
Cale nodded. "So where do I fit in."
"I assume you're familiar with Privateering Captain Gier. What we're willing to do is take anything you manage to plunder from either the Federation or the Republic and pay you and your crew 50% of its worth. granted you will be taking a loss profit wise but my organization's employer will be willing to provide your crew with a number of services that would benefit beings in your situation. Interested?"
Cale pondered this for a moment. then he shook his head.
"Tempting as that is, Im not in the market for privateering. Im a Pirate. My only loyalty is to ship and crew."
"Then Don't call it privateering. Call it Privately backed Piracy."
"Mate, thats still Privateering."
"Only if you call it so."
Cale gave an irritated groan. "You're starting to remind me of someone I'd rather not think about." He sat up in his seat and looked the man in the eye. "Furthermore, the whole secrecy bit you're throwing my way is none too comforting. You want me to do some raiding for you, you'll tell me who your organization is and who backs them; your organization's employer, as you put it. Infact, you never bothered to tell me your name."
The man gave a sigh of his own. "Well now there's the rub. The reason I tried to conceal my employers is, had I told you them outright, you would have immediately refused my offer without hearing me out. As I have said, My organization, and its parent organization has no love for either side of this conflict. Both Organizations also have a considerable place in your history, weather you know it or not."
"Oh will you cut the damn suspense and tell us already!" Alinn snapped in the man's ear.
Both men stared at her as if they had completely forgotten about her.
Cale pointed at her while looking at the stranger and stated, "Well, she does have a point. Get on with it man."
The man gave a slight smirk. "well if you must know, I am Agent Dreyf of Imperial Intelligence. From that it should be obvious who my organization works for."
Cale and Alinn's eyes widdened in shock.
Dreyf noted their expressions with amusement."Thats right. The Galactic Empire wishes to Hire you, Captain "Lowe Gier". Are you Interested?"

" WHAT!!!" Novara yelled as a transmition came in.

" Hrmm.....Fine. Blue.....Get us out of here. "

The Dreg slowly turned about and left the system.

"Damn! There's something going on by the Jedi Temple." said one of the officers in the crowded command center. Reports flashed everywhere, and the room was full of urgent conversation.

"Who can we spare...?" they quickly discussed.
"Sergeant, take your fireteam down to the Temple and investigate." came the order.

***

"Right, command says there's something up in the Temple and Temple district; we're to check it out." said the Sergeant.
"Yes Sergeant." said Corporal Jorac. "A'right troopers, you heard the man; move out!"

Two squads of soldiers hustled out of the base and off towards the Temple district.

***

By the time they'd made it to the Temple, they'd lost three men, including the Sergeant, to skirmishes with the enemy. Cajin was brevet-Sergeant for the team.

"Well, that looks to be the last of them *puff*" said Cajin, huffing on his gun as he observed the bodies of several FSL soldiers and droids. Several of them had holes drilled in their heads.
It's almost weird to have a weapon that shoots straight...
"Time to hit the Temple." he said, marching off with the rest of his troops into the dark recesses of the Temple.
I'm surprised we haven't gotten mugged yet. This is a really bad neighborhood. Definitely wrong side of the turbo-tracks.

"Sarge, we've got a beacon." said one of the techs, as they marched through the Temple, weapons at the ready. "Looks like it's from one of the upper floors."

"Gotcha...let's see..." said Cajin, as he checked his datapad and read through the schematics for the Temple.
"I suppose the brass would want us to check it out. This way." he said, as they continued through the eery Temple.

Drako floated in the air in meditation. The movments of the troops was being traked by Drake. Moving like a snake in the grass Drake moved swiftly and quietly.

Drako got up and slowly walked to the troops location. He moved down hall after hall. He spotted the men moving slow and carfully. Drako looked up to see Drake ready to strike.

" Troops! Thank goodness. " Drako ran to the men acting tired and scare.

" I got lost and ran in here. I didnt know what to do! Please help me!? " Drake slowly armed his heavy blasters and took aim at the troops.

"We have reports the perimeter front line is engaguing a Force user, with skill much like your own, sir!" One soldier reported, obviously a com with the headset on his head.

"Much unlike my own, soldier. So the young senator survived his descent. Can't say I didn't expect that. How annoying. Soldier! Bring me up a bike. I have reason to head up to the front."

And with that, around three minutes later, a swoop was brought to Neb, much to the dismay of the messenger whom was using it. Of course, he was also partly glad, as he wouldn't need to go into combat as much anymore.

So far, the main armies had not engagued each other, but a definite line was being made. The Federation had seemed to find a clearing (a rarity on Coruscant), to land in, and had begun filing soldiers in there as a landing point. At least, according to military intelligence. Which we know how reliable that is.

Neb sped towards the first outpost, a major gathering point which is several kilometers south of the main senate chambers... as well as where the LZ has been said to be reported. Neb knew this area of the Imperial city quite well, having to run about it time after time with no transportation, to meet several contacts. It was where he truely learned how to develop his stamina with his force sprint, seeing as how running from place to place on a time schedule on Coruscant often makes one truely realize the size of the city. It was Neb's home turf, so to speak, and every shortcut he could make he would take.

The primary engaugement force stood before a bridge, one which many would realize. Over a decade ago, it was a scene to behold. Nearly three, it was quite spectacular. It was a bridge that one could stare west and see the Jedi temple, two kilometers away, and over three decades ago, could watch it burn down with the great Jedi purge.

But history did not allow for sightseeing, nor today. Neb managed to pull up, and watch the first scouts get sliced by a spinning saber of silver and blue.

"Yepper. He lived. I would hope he would being the leader of the Federation and leader of the agressive force user community."

Neb dismounted, and with 400 republic troopers in well-defended areas behind him, he stood out. No saber drawn, he began to simply walk towards the incoming columns, dodging ever so slightly whenever blasterfire came nearby. It was his orders that made the Republic forces stop. It was a general's call-out, one which Neb bet a lot of lives on that Imperius would recognize, and perhaps, draw the ex-senator's forces into a small delay. It wasn't truce, but only a short armistice...

Cale's Blaster hand felt very itchy all of a sudden. He favored the Intelligence officer with a glare.
"Hell no pal. Every run in with you guys Ive had has been nothing but trouble."
Dreyf nodded. "We're well aware of that. But then again, all those times you did have a bad run in with us, it usually involved you commiting a crime of some sort."
"Whats your point?"
"That we were justified in our actions against you. But please reconsider my offer. Our Credits are just as good as anyone elses, and you get the satisfaction of knowing your efforts go towards a legit government."
Cale folded his arms across his chest, his face remaining stern. "Yeah, a government that restricts free speech and treats nonhumans like second class citizens."
Dreyf arched an eyebrow and responded. "Times change. So has the Empire. Im willing to admit that our policies have been rather harsh in the past, but they are not the current Empire's policies. Regardless, someone who spend his time working for criminal organizations and who spends his ill gotten money on every vice he can find shouldn't really be telling me about moral issues."
"Hey, you keep your nose out of my buisness!"
Alinn looked to the Imperial curiously. "What? Nothing specific?"
Dreyf shruggd."Gambling, whores, alchohol, that sort of thing. but its not important now." He steepled his fingers and thought for a moment. "Let me put it this way Captain. You are an Outlaw correct?"
Cale nodded, not quite seeing where he was going."yeah."
"You like to defy authority and stick it to those in power right?"
"yeah."
"We'll we're willing to pay you to do what should come naturally to you. Pay you, repair your ship, and provide sanctuary for you when the heat is turned up. all we ask is that you don't let on to your targets that you work for us and avoid haming civilians." The man's gaze focused on Cale and he stared right into his eyes. "The Empire does not look favorably on deserters, of which there are many in the Federation. And a chance to put another thorn in the side of the Republic is too good to pass up. As I'm well aware, you have far more current beef with those two parties than the Empire. So this works to both of our interests. You get to thumb your nose at two of the galaxy's current powers-and get paid to do so- and the Empire gets a bit of revenge on the Federation and use the Rebellion's own tool against it."
Alinn blinked a bit confusedly. "Its own tool?"
"Ever hear of the Far Orbit?" Cale said. "She was an Imp vessel that mutinied. signed on with the rebellion as a privateer, the first vessel the rebels hired as such. For months she raided across the Ringali Shell in the Core, defying Imperial attempts to bring her to justice and making the whole anti-piracy capabilities of the Spacy look like a joke. Her last raid was an Imp Star Galleon. After that she retired from the life, one of the greatest or the Rebel Privateer ships."
Dreyf nodded. "Yes, she was most effective in drawing attention from the growing Rebellion and she supplied dozens of ships and millions of tons of cargo to the Alliance in her brief career. She was the First, but she wasn't the last. Despite some misgivings in the Alliance top brass, Ackbar being the loudest opponent, the Rebellion signed on hundreds of privateers that kept signifigant amounts of our fleet busy and funneled a signifigant portion of our own supplies to rebel hands."
Alinn noded in understanding. "oh, so you want to use our ship-"
"My ship. I paid for it." Cale snapped.
She rolled her eyes. "whatever. You want to use "Lowe's" ship in the same way the Far Orbit was used by the Rebels."
"Exactly." Dreyf said.
"But why this guy?" she asked, pointing to a scowling Cale. "You're imp intelligence. You could have found a real pirate with like a real pirate ship, like a corvette or a frigate. but you picked some two bit space bum with a glorified freighter."
Dreyf shrugged. "He more than meets our needs. we have a pretty good criminal profile on him. we're familiar with his motives, his personality, and what he might do. Better the Barve you have marked than the one you don't. Plus he a more aproachable being than many of our other choices."
"Well I guess that makes sence." she said as she took a sip of her drink. "You don't want someone you don't know to be doing a job like this. theres no telling what might happen."
"Yo. Im right here." Cale said to them both sourly.
"So you are." Dreyf commented, drawing a smirk from Alinn. "Now, Im going to ask you one last time. Captain Gier, will you accept the Empire's offer?"
"Just do it C-er Lowe." Alinn told him. "Its probably the best offer we're going to get."
"You seal your hatch. Its my desicion. Not yours." Cale sat back in his chair and pondered the idea.
for a good five miniutes he sat there and thought.
Finally he looked up at Dreyf he nodded. "Fine. Im in. Im not going to have to wear a uniform though am I?"

The Imperial agent gave Cale a set of coordinates that he would bring the cargo to and bid him and Alinn a farewell. the two pirates remained at their bar booth, Cale having fallen silent.
Alinn leaned forward on the table and watched the man think. After a couple minutes of this, she decided to snap him out of it.
"Hey Space Trash! wake up!" she barked at him. "C'mon, we need to get that damn cargo off our hands and replace it for money."
"I dunno. I got a bad feeling about this." He muttered. "Its not like I hate the Imps, I just don't trust them. I feel though like I just sold my soul."
"yeah yeah, dirty dealings and all that." she slid out of her seat and stood, leaving some money for her drink on the table. "listen, we got a good deal here. let hurry up and take advantage of it before they find someother loser outlaw."
Cale glared at the woman with marked irritation.
"Ok Ive had it about up to my neck with you. Seal your hatch before I do it for you." He growled. "we're not dealing with some low down criminal scum, we're dealing with the Empire. and they want to use us against two warring military powers. Privateering aint like knocking over a conveinience store kid. Theres a lot to think about aside from the looting and cop dodging, things that could end our careers real quick."
Alinn found herself getting irritated and snapped a reply back at him. "Kid?! Im a year younger than you!"
"You try living 22 years on the spacelanes and then if you live you'll earn the right to be an adult. this aint the coreworlds kid. this is the Rim. things are harder, tougher, and a lot less pretty."
"Oh yeah, big tough guy. look at you! Short, skinny, hell half the guys here could beat the living force out of you without breaking a sweat! You don't even have a good blaster!" she tiraded. "If a puny shrimp like you can survive out here in the big nasty rim, Im pretty sure I can handle myself just fine here." she placed her hand on her hips and gave him a mocking smile. "Infact I could probably kick your a** up and down-"
Alinn had always prided herself in being in top physical condition. Martial arts lessons, Self defense courses, and a few actual situations where she got to use her skills to beat the crap out of beings that thought they could take her had instilled in her a confidence about her abilities that convinced her she could take down Cale anytime she pleased. Infact, she had entertained the thought several times.
She didn't even see him coming.
Somehow, from a reclining position he managed to cross the space between them and press a knife she had never seen to her neck in an explosion of speed that boggled her mind. His blue contacts failed to conceal the coldness of his eyes as he pressed the knife to her jugular. The whole sequence positively terrified her.
"Size doesn't matter." he said calmly. "Like I said, this is the Rim. Not the Core. Things are different out here."
The knife disapeared from sight and the coldness evaporated from his eyes. he flipped some coins on the table and walked past her heading for the door.
"Now if you're done pissing me off, we got to head back to the sloop. I'm worried that the barabel may have ripped it to pieces. Before we can collect some money."