EDITED 7/26/2014 Had to alter a portion of a scene because it caused a major continuity error for future stories.
CHAPTER FOUR
Face Loran, working under the alias of "Castin Phanan", moved through the guest-filled ballroom of Lecersen's mansion. Acting as a bodyguard for the fictional Prince and Princess of Ophuchi- as played by Turman Durra and Myri Antilles- he took advantage of the vigilance that came with his job by scrutinizing everyone he came across.
Besides well-known people of nobility, Face noticed several Imperial figures, of both political and military type. There were also- to his slight concern- a few Alliance people, including Senator Haydnat Treen and General Merratt Jaxton.
Face frowned. Were they somehow involved with the Imperial Remnant's plot- if indeed there was one?
He felt someone tug on his suit and he turned to see Bhindi Drayson, posing as a waitress.
"Any sign of Lecersen?" she whispered.
He shook his head. "Not yet. The presence of Alliance folk concerns me, though."
"I know," Bhindi agreed. "It's like they're trying to lure us into a false sense of security."
"Possibly," Face murmured. "Or we're doing this all for nothing."
"True, but it doesn't hurt to look into it." Bhindi turned as if to leave but then turned back around to hand him the tray of food she was carrying. "Krayt dragon tartare?"
Face wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Absolutely not. Last time I had one, I was throwing up for days."
Bhindi laughed. "I thought they just gave you bad breath."
* * *
Dropping down from a ceiling vent, Kadar rolled and came up to a wall. Pressing himself against it, he looked around the corner and saw two Imperial guards standing at the door to Moff Lecersen's personal quarters. Raising his right arm, he loaded a sedative dart into it and fire it at one of the guards.
As the one fell down, the other looked at his partner in alarm and brandished his force pike, searching for the intruder. Distracted as he was, he did not notice the Anzat hunter Zilaash Kuh dropping down from the ceiling behind him. She swiped her leg at his own, knocking him off his feet. Kadar then came around the corner and fired another sedative dart, rendering the second guard unconscious as well.
Not a single scream had been uttered. Kadar had to admit that the Anzat was effective.
As he rejoined Zilaash at the door, he looked upon the fallen guards with disdain. "Pathetic. Clearly not trained in the Echani arts like the Emperor's guards of old."
"You've encountered a Royal Guard before?" Zilaash asked.
"I've studied their ways," Kadar muttered. He then looked at the Anzat and noticed that she hadn't done anything to the door. "What are you waiting for?"
"There someone in the room."
"How can you tell?"
"I hear voices," Zilaash said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Can you make out what they're saying?"
The Anzat smiled as she held up a listening device. "I will."
She attached it to the door and both bounty hunters leaned in to listen through it. After a noise of static, the man's voice- belonging to Moff Drikl Lecersen- spoke.
"-in line. And yet you mean to tell me that one of them has been captured?"
"Yes, unfortunately," a second man's voice replied, sounding as if it were being transmitted via hologram. "I had every faith in him, and yet he's gotten himself captured by the Alliance."
"That won't do," a third man's voice said. "I'll see to it that he is released, lest they reveal all of our secrets."
"And if he already has?" a gruff male voice said.
"Then we will have to eliminate him," Lecersen said. "We can not take any chances."
"Agreed," a suave-sounding voice said. "Loose ends must be tied."
Kadar's stomach churned. He knew the voice to be that of Prince Xalren; the man he sought to destroy, with a mere door separating them. His arm moved towards his blaster rifle....
"Not yet," Zilaash Kuh snapped. "Not until I have everything."
Kadar did not so much as glance at her. "What more do you want? So Moff Lecersen is plotting a conspiracy. What more do you need?"
"I need to know who his co-conspirators are," the Anzat hissed. "I don't recognize any of the voices besides Lecersen and Xalren. Let me just wait until they mention names and-"
"I've got a faster way."
Flipping out the multi-barreled cannon built into his abdomen, Kadar fired it and the door went flying off its connections. As he stormed in, five figures whirled in alarm. He ignored all of them but one.
"Prince Xalren Mithric," he growled, making his way towards the Falleen.
Xalren's face was impassive, though his eyes were slightly widened in surprise. "Kadar. This is... an unexpected visit."
"You should have seen this coming for ten years," the ex-Mandalorian said coldly. "Ever since Metalorn. Ever since Corda."
"Kadar, please." There was a false sense of guilt in the Prince's tone. "Everything that happened back then... it was an accident. Things got out of hand."
"Of course you would say that," Kadar muttered. "You weren't even physically there. But you orchestrated everything."
Xalren glowered at him. "So I was. And since you obviously won't listen to reason...."
A large shadow fell over the bounty hunter.
"Then you leave me no choice."
Kadar moved to confront the source of the shadow, only to suddenly feel his body seize up and lose consciousness.
* * *
Static roared in Face's ear as his comlink connection to Jesmin Tainer- or "Zilaash Kuh"- went dead. His heart beat with dread; this did not bode well at all.
Contacting the other Wraiths on a private channel, he said, "Five is down. Repeat: Five is down."
"How do you know?" Trey asked.
"She isn't answering her comlink. Something must have happened to her."
"What do we do?" Doc asked.
Face sighed. "Looks like it's time for Phase Cresh. Four, you know what to do."
"Right."
The connection ended and Face waited for Trey to work his magic.
The ground shook ever so slightly, barely enough for anyone to notice. Coils of steam began to emit from the air vents. People cried out in alarm as a great white cloud began to envelop the room.
Moving through the diversion gas undetected, Face signaled the other Wraiths to follow him. Phase Cresh was underway.
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