SWRPF Archive Casino Royale

Conference Room 11
MI5 Headquarters
Coruscant
0907 Standard Coruscant Time
4 days before departure

The numbers on the chronometer flashed as another minute rolled by.

"Late..." muttered M. The meeting was scheduled to start at 0900, but it appeared that some of the agents had found themselves somehow delayed. It was going to be a long day, and the head of MI5 wasn't about to let it get any longer on their account.

The gray-haired human turned to face the present agents.

"Good morning Agents, let's get started. Not much has changed in the past forty hours, our reports are as vague as ever. A few covert calls to the Starlight Cruise Line have revealed that the company is playing coy with the press in an effort to enhance the mystique of the cruise. So far, it seems to be working; the rampant rumors are making it difficult to find any concrete information and seem to be incensing the public imagination. Tonight's auction for the last batch of tickets will almost certainly fetch record prices.

As you all know, the haze surrounding this event means we're effectively sending you in blind on what could amount to a futile and pointless mission. But with so much at stake, we can't afford to allow any sort of failure. Since we want the best, we're sending the best, and since we want the best results, you'll be left to your own initiative. Use whatever works best for you, whatever means and methods you have available to ensure the best outcome."

M swept a steady gaze from agent to agent.

"I shouldn't have to tell you this, but remember that we are not sending you in there to make enemies. You are elite agents, not common thugs- don't ever forget that."

M glanced back at the chronometer, then at the agents.

"Unfortunately agents, I have an appointment to keep with a Senate Committee regarding the state of our finances. I trust that you'll make the most effective use of this time to plan ahead for this mission. If you need anything, Ms. Mny'Karedito-"

A female humanoid looked up from her portable workstation, waving her hand briefly.

"-will likely be able to assist you. Good luck."

M turned and walked out the door.

OOGM: Well ladies and gentlemen, this is where we start out. Those of you who have already been approved are free to start your characters off in this room. I imagine most of you have at least heard of each other, but this organization does have members all over the Republic, so make of that what you will. There will be a few more agents showing up fairly soon as I approve them, these would be the late agents M referred to (though if you would like your character to be late, I'm not about to stop you). Right now, your primary objective is to figure out what you have to work with and how you're going to get aboard the Empress of the Stars. It's all up to you, but I really recommend you work together on this one.

Also, I recommend (but will not make) you send me some sort of instant message contact information. I use MSN messenger and g-talk, though I can fire up some other systems if things absolutely call for it. IM is a useful way to get quick information, confirmation or affirmation while making a post if you don't want to wait for PM or post tennis.

 

IC: Boz

Conference Room 11
MI5 Headquarters

Boz looked round the room at his fellow agents. The Zeltron was in an intresting choice of profession, from what Boz knew of their species. 'But appearences can be deceptive' he thought wryly to himself. After all, creating deception with his appearence was why he was here. Some of the agents here had been with the organisation a long time. Boz reminded himself that he would have to maintain a professional composure. He cleared his throat to speak.
"I believe protocol dictates we organise the best possible way for agents to get on board as discreetly as possible. After all, our aim is to maintain secuirity on the cruiser and protection for those on board. Posing as pasengers would be the obvious choice, but that may be problematic in some areas."
He paused. As a new agent he was unsure whether speaking out straight away was allowed.

TAG: all in conference room.

 

Stent Kannat
Conference Room 11, MI5 HQ

The Zeltron subconsciously brushed his stylish blue business tunic and ran a hand through his neatly combed hair - spending all those years in the diplomatic corps, where presentation was just as important as substance, would do that to anyone - but payed attention to the Lorrdian all the while. Hah, Stent thought to himself, if he could pay attention to those tricky humans... Boz'rir Girange was his name, Stent believed, from hearing him being mentioned as someone that did work not too dissimilar from his on working "with" people.

"I believe Mr. Girange has brought up an excellent starting point," he spoke to the assembled group in a clear voice while making eye contact with the other agents in the room. "With our given skill sets, some of us posing as passengers would be an wise choice, and perhaps having others appear on board as members of the crew would be more appropriate especially for those that are more technically gifted: They can do more damage that way." A sly smile escaped from his face with the last words.

"What does everyone else think of this," he asked the group as he rested his hands in his lap. "And for curiosity's sake; Ms. Mny'Karedito?" He glanced at the female. "Would you have any information pertaining to how many agents MI5 can get on board the Empress of the Stars as legitimate passengers - that is, will MI5 be able to obtain any tickets and what that quantity would be? Also, is it known if Starlight Cruise Line is still hiring crew members to serve aboard the Empress of the Stars? I know it is fairly late in the game for that, but it still may be worth a shot."

TAG: lightwarden, all in room

 

IC: Halon, MI5 HQ, Coruscant

A small electric jolt ran down Halon of Clan Turak?s spine as the steely-eyed gaze of the man known as M passed over him during his final sweep of the conference hall. The Ubese agent had been present for many of the spychief?s briefings in the three short years since first joining MI5 and the senior human's innate ability to quietly command the room never ceased to impress him. Unfortunately however, this particular briefing had ended up providing him with little more useful intelligence than the transmission that had summoned him here had.

Even so, Halon was more than pleased to be here. His last mission with the Service had been several months ago (far too long a time for his liking) and he found himself growing restless waiting for the next assignment. And besides, anything was preferable to all the wedding preparation hysteria currently awaiting him back home.

Slipping his datapad into one of the pouches sewn into his armor, Halon rose from his seat, intent on talking to the woman M had indicated before departing. But some of the agents he gathered were rookies were already addressing the assemblage. He halted where he stood, following the Zelton agent?s proposal for getting them all aboard the Empress.

He certainly didn't warm to the idea of coming on as a crew member; it would mean too many constraints on his time and of his movement, not to mention the dramatic loss of anonymity that always came from wearing a uniform.

Tag: Any/None

 

Approved: (and posting Bojangles' sheet/entry for him)

Name: Ruana Trebond
Age: 25
Species:Human
Gender: Female
Profession: Heir to House Trebond, Shadowcat's Claw, mother.
Appearance: Short, slender, long red hair, pale skin, green eyes. Has discarded for the most part her old styles, and now tends to wear somewhat formfitting black pants, and a flowing shirt, usually green.
Bio:Born the heir to one of the richest merchant houses on Coruscant, Ruana ran away following Chadrian Thorn when she was fifteen. She learned how to use the Force, and returned home, leaving often on missions for Chadrian, also called Shadowcat. She joined MI5, serving on a number of missions, meeting her husband, Joss Vendu. The pair now have a child, two-year-old Alisa Trebond-Vendu.
Anything else: Ruana usually carries a blaster on her belt, but often has a lightsaber on clips concealed in one sleeve. For discretion's sake, she does not always go openly armed anymore.
Skills: Ruana is talented in both armed and unarmed combat. Being of less than imposing build, however, she often relies on deception, stealth and persuasion instead. Agile, both verbally and physically. Generally fairly knowledgeable, can pilot a ship, and has been practising her cooking: can now follow a non-complicated recipe without burning the end result. She speaks a certain amount of the more common languages, like Zabraki and Huttese, understands more than she speaks, and has a deplorable aptitude for the obscenities of numerous languages.

Name: Joss Vendu
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Profession: Commando/Infiltrator
Age: 23
Appearance: Dark Hair, Tanned, Muscular, Handsome
Short Bio: ex-Military now full time MI5 Agent Joss Vendu is a mildly Force Sensitive Operative and is married to Ruana Trebond, and father of young Alisa.
Anything else you'd like to add: Joined the military early, suffered some unfortunate traumas, but is almost entirely recovered from their lasting effects. Became a member of MI5, proving successful in a number of missions.
Skills: Vendu's skills lie for the most part in the areas of athletics, piloting, deception and disguise, in addition to his definite skills in combat. He's also not bad at cooking, which is just as well given his wife's lack of aptitude in that area.

IC: Ruana Trebond

Ruana and Joss arrived late, looking somewhat apologetic as they caught the last of the announcements. Their lateness had not been their own idea; rather, little Alisa had picked that moment to protest about being sent to visit her grandmother's family in the Senex sector. With the abruptness common in small children, something that had been no problem the night before became the grounds for a serious upset in the morning, just as she'd been about to get on the ship.

They had calmed her down and convinced her to go, but it had taken somewhat longer than planned for. It had been Ruana's wish that her daughter stay with family, somewhere nice and safe while a mission was in the works.

Now, though, it was time to consider the mission. Another agent had a suggestion.

"I believe protocol dictates we organise the best possible way for agents to get on board as discreetly as possible. After all, our aim is to maintain secuirity on the cruiser and protection for those on board. Posing as pasengers would be the obvious choice, but that may be problematic in some areas."

"Good point," Ruana noted. "Roles as passengers would probably be the ideal way to get on there. I'm guessing the security is extremely tight, so sneaking on isn't likely to be an option, or assuming a place serving."

With that idea, she turned away slightly, putting together a rapid message in her head. Moving to a quiet corner, she sent a discreet enquiry to a friend on her com, to see if anyone in their social circle had tickets they were prepared to exchange for any reason. The message would be passed around, until it found someone who might know. Luckily, Ruana had a very good excuse; a desire for relaxation away from her toddler. T

 

Markus Carfax
MI5 HQ, Conference Room 11

Also, is it known if Starlight Cruise Line is still hiring crew members to serve aboard the Empress of the Stars? I know it is fairly late in the game for that, but it still may be worth a shot."

Markus lounged back in his seat, crossing his arms and looking disdainfully at the assemblage of rookies and lunatics that generally made up the ground crew for most MI5 missions. In the years since he had become an active MI5 member, he'd attended dozens of these meetings, gone on dozens of missions. They almost always ended badly.

"I can save you the trouble, mate." He spoke up. "D'you seriously think that there's any way a big, fancy cruise ship embarking on a multi-million credit venture is going to hire four random people just days before the launch?" There was a pause. "Here's a clue for you; they're not."

The hacker reached for the pocket where he once kept his cigarras, stopped, cursed softly and satisfied himself with drumming his finges on the handrest of his chair.

"Posing as passengers is our best bet." Markus continued. "That is, unless any of the rest of you have any bright ideas you'd care to air?"

[TAG All in room]

 

IC: Boz
Conference Room, MI5 HQ

Boz looked over at who had just spoken, the small human male with a distinct air of disdain for everyone in the room.
"But surely it's still worth a shot. After all, as...ummm..." He looked over at the Zeltron, "I don't believe I got your name. But yes, as was pointed out, having some people as staff would make things easier to operate. Plus, we do have to consider the MI5 budget. These cruiser tickets aren't exactly being given away for free."

He considered things for a moment.
"The only other option I suppose would be to arrange for some of the staff to be indisposed for one reason or another and have one of our agents step in. Nothing harmful, mind you, just a better job position at another facility or something of the sort."

TAG: any in room

 

Karka Dza?ki
Conference Room 11

Karka?s fur rippled with agitation at the lack of information available on this mission. Sure he?d gone on ops with little or no background info, and come through them fairly well, but he hated relying on luck to get by on. Even if he was lucky most of the time.
He listened to the conversations among the others, some he recognized but none that he really knew. He heard on of the agents, Stent Kannat? he thought, put forward the idea of trying to get hired on as crew before the Empress left.
"I can save you the trouble, mate." Markus Carfax, a fellow slicer, spoke up. "D'you seriously think that there's any way a big, fancy cruise ship embarking on a multi-million credit venture is going to hire four random people just days before the launch?" There was a pause. "Here's a clue for you; they're not."

?Normally I?d be inclined to agree with you Agent Carfax. But I?m sure that the two of us, with our skills, could? Adjust? the duty roster a little. There?s gotta be hundreds, maybe up to a thousand crew on board that ship. Adding a few extras shouldn?t be too difficult. All we need to do is slice into their personnel files and change a few bytes.?

Tag: Livi-Wan, all in room.

 

IC: Jacen Darrast
Conference Room 11

"That's it?" Jacen thought to himself as M finished her briefing. "So much for our intel. Looks like we're figuring this one out on our own." The rest of the agents began discussing how they would be able to board the ship. Two options came up, posing as crew members and posing as passengers. Posing as a crew member would suit Jacen, he could easily pose as a mechanic, and would allow him to keep anyone from tampering with the ship's engines and such.

?Normally I?d be inclined to agree with you Agent Carfax. But I?m sure that the two of us, with our skills, could? Adjust? the duty roster a little. There?s gotta be hundreds, maybe up to a thousand crew on board that ship. Adding a few extras shouldn?t be too difficult. All we need to do is slice into their personnel files and change a few bytes.?

"I find myself agreeing with you...Agent Dza'ki," Jacen finally spoke up. "And someone with skills such as myself could easily work on the ship as a mechanic."

He paused for a moment, "And then we have this option. There will be several of the rich and elite on board this cruise. One of us should become one of the rich and elite. We make up an entire different persona. The Agent's cover could be as some starship mogul or something of the lot. That cover could also get some more agents in as the...um...entourage. But that could prove rather expensive."

TAG: All

 

IC: Boz

Conference room, MI5 HQ


"And then we have this option. There will be several of the rich and elite on board this cruise. One of us should become one of the rich and elite. We make up an entire different persona. The Agent's cover could be as some starship mogul or something of the lot. That cover could also get some more agents in as the...um...entourage. But that could prove rather expensive."

"I think that's where I may be of use." Boz spoke up. "Disguising myself as some kind of rich social ladder climber would be simple, but the matter of tickets is obviously the main obsticle at this point."
He leaned back slightly in his chair. "I think we should still try to arrange for staff positions, but the entourage idea may be our best option."

TAG: any

 

Stent Kannat
Conference room, MI5 HQ

"My name is Stent," the Zeltron replied to the Lorrdian.

"And yes, this is good. Certainly if we cannot obtain legitimate passage on the ship, either it be via ticket or employment, I would imagine that some of us here," he nodded towards whom he imagined were the slicers from their talk, "would be able to probe the ship's and the cruise line's roster to see how manipulable it is.

"The idea of a rich elite and an entourage I do like. That would be especially fitting for those of us here that are better speaking with their fists than with their mouths - bodyguards for the elite. With my background, it is quite possible that I would encounter individuals on the ship that may know me either in person or by name, so I may be of best use being the majordomo, adviser, or whatever you would have it of this noble. I would imagine that if I was a member of the crew and encountered someone that did know me, it would be rather unbelievable that a former member of the diplomatic corps would be working such a 'lowly' job unless I was suddenly the host of the ship. I highly doubt that position is open, nor would I want to take any suspicious activity to replace them so close to the day of departure."

TAG: all

 

Mny'Karedito spoke.

"Your slicing plan would work a lot better if the company was stupid enough to keep its employee records in publicly-accessible areas. All the slicing skill in the world won't help if it's only contained in an internal network. And unless your position involves never speaking to your co-workers ever again, someone is going to realize that you're new. If you want positions aboard that ship, you won't be getting them easily through subterfuge."

She pushed back her display visor as it threatened to slide down her nose.

"It's not going to be easy any other way either. The cabins are being sold off in batches, with the last batch being auctioned off this evening. Each cabin will go for however much people are willing to pay. Highest bidder wins the cabin and registers those who will be staying in it. So if you have any bright ideas for getting cabins, you'd better move quickly."

OOGM:
Remember kids, obstacles are to be overcome, and some paths are cleverer than others. Nice job working with each other, keep it up, it's a very important part of the game.

Also, I would like to remind you guys that no one here is a rookie. Your character might be arrogant enough to look down on others, but everyone here has served for years and done fine work, even if they haven't worked with each other. You wouldn't be here otherwise.

With Rilwen and Bojangles in, I'm pretty much closing applications for people aboard the Empress. I'm just not that good of a babysitter to deal with more than eight characters in the same place at one time.

Since I've pretty much locked down character applications, now would be the point where I tell you where you guys are going. This is something your characters already know, but I chose to conceal it for the moment as if you had any sort of contacts on those particular planets, it would be a happy coincidence, thus I let you choose your connections ahead of time to reflect that.

And the grand tour is...

-Starting at Coruscant
-Head to Corellia (a more "minor" stop, less for vacationing, more for picking up people from the other side of the galaxy)
-Continue around the Core to Spira
-From Spira, head Rimward to Bespin
-From Bespin, head along to Sullust (where MI5 also has a fairly large branch, since it's a good location for the organization)
-From Sullust, it's down the Rimma Trade Route and then a jump over to Zeltros
-From Zeltros, it's back to the Outer Rim for a stop at Vorzyd V
-From Vorzyd V, the return trip stops at the planet of Vortex
-Finally, from Vortex, it's a jump back to Coruscant (and to Corellia afterwards for those who got on later)

It's a galactic tour of extravagant proportions!

(Eh, it was either mention it here or wait for the opportunity to do a long, boring, and rather insultingly obvious "as you know" tangent)

 

"Your slicing plan would work a lot better if the company was stupid enough to keep its employee records in publicly-accessible areas. All the slicing skill in the world won't help if it's only contained in an internal network. And unless your position involves never speaking to your co-workers ever again, someone is going to realize that you're new. If you want positions aboard that ship, you won't be getting them easily through subterfuge."
She pushed back her display visor as it threatened to slide down her nose.
"It's not going to be easy any other way either. The cabins are being sold off in batches, with the last batch being auctioned off this evening. Each cabin will go for however much people are willing to pay. Highest bidder wins the cabin and registers those who will be staying in it. So if you have any bright ideas for getting cabins, you'd better move quickly."

?People wont necessarily realise we?re new, there?ll be a lot of staff on that ship, there?s no way any one person knows everyone. But you?re right, if they keep everything in an internal network then the only way were gonna get access is a break in.?
Karka quickly glanced around the room, comparing faces with what he knew of their backgrounds before continuing.
?If I may make a suggestion, Agent Carfax and myself will attempt to gain external access to the Starlight Cruise Line's network and see if we can shuffle things around a bit. I doubt we can get any cabins, but the work rosters should be under much lighter security. If we need physical access to the mainframe them we can see about getting inside their facility, although I think we?d all rather it didn?t come to that. What do you all think??

Tag: All in Conference room

 

MI5 HQ, Conference Room
IC as Joss Vendu

The dark haired human male leaned against the back wall of the Conference Room pouring over the mission file in his hand in a hurried attempt to catch up. Joss Vendu had missed the briefing's opening remarks from M because of his daughter's haughty protest over staying with the "In-Laws". He smirked at the remembrance of him telling little Alisa he didn't envy her position. The disregard for authority from Alisa was definitely taken from her mother's end of the gene pool... at least that's what he thought.

Joss gazed up at the mixed groupings of Species he'd yet to meet discussing just how to get on board the Empress.

Since the choice was between posing as maintenance crew or a member of the Entourage, Joss felt he'd fit best as Security Personnel for whoever played the part of "Socialite". That role should be perfect for Ruana, he laughed knowing he couldn't hide his thoughts from her.

However he felt he had something to add nonetheless, "Well, if you are going as part of the Ship's Crew, then you should probably either try to pass yourselves off as Mechanics or Security Guards so that access across the Ship won't be any problem. As for myself, I'd volunteer as a Bodyguard in the Entourage."

"Which poses another question..." he said, "How are we sneaking our weapons aboard? Nothing like an Assault Rifle, mind you, but I wouldn't feel good about being armed with anything less than a concealable hold out blaster of some kind."

TAG:AGENTS

 

IC: Sevrin Snabb, W-3PO
MI5 Conference Room

Dub-Three, having a bit more experience with MI5, spoke up well before his Master, "Sta-" his new master had been trying to break him of that habit for a while now, "Apologies. I just calculated the odds of us getting outbid. They are not pleasant. I might be able to refine the statistic if I had more information on MI5's budget and on the people likely to be present at the auction, but I cannot guarantee that the odds will be better.

"Quer- er...do we have an idea of who might be at the auction with significant ammounts of money? And more importantly, do we have a plan for disposing of these types of people."

Sevrin spoke up in Sullustan, <What my Droid means, of course, is nonlethally, like their banks misplacing their account information, or forcing an issue with their companies that prevents them from making the trip.>

"Of course, Master," Dub-Three translated. If he could vocabulate anything close to nervousness at a failed subterfuge, he was vocabulating it now. "Nonlethally disposing of people who would prevent us from getting aboard."

Tag: MI5

 

IC: Halon
Conference Room, MI5 HQ

W-3PO.

Halon watched and listened to the droid, marveling at at the fact that no one had attempted to shut it down yet. He swore long ago never to turn his back on the accursed machine. Even so, he couldn't help but take some little solace from the fact that, under his latest master, Dub-Three had been acting somewhat less psychotic than usual.

"As much as I am loath to admit it," Halon finally spoke up, his signature electronic-sounding voice less harsh now than it had been earlier in his career, "He is right. The auction is this very night and we currently lack the funds to compete with the sort of scattergood this event will invariably attract."

Halon's helmeted head lowered for a moment, then raised again as he turned to their resident slicers. "Markus...would you able to establish some type of phony account for us?" He felt uncomfortably odd, essentially asking other agents to commit wire fraud.

Desperate times... he reminded himself.

Tag: Markus Carfax, Karka Dza?ki

 

Markus Carfax
Conference Room, MI5 HQ

"Markus...would you able to establish some type of phony account for us?"

"I could." Markus replied frostily, "If I wanted to get landed straight back in jail."

The hacker sighed in irritation. "I'm a slicer, not a miracle worker. Karedito already told us we can't access the network externally, and it's an extremely bad idea to try and sneak about on this ship and change their work rosters that way. I still say we bid for cabins tonight, maybe try and remove some other competitors from the running, and worry about finances after that."

He paused, then added, "If you're all still so keen to play-act janitors afterwards I'm sure you can have a go on the ship."

[TAG All in the room]

 

IC: Boz

Conference Room, MI5 HQ

Boz looked up sharply.
"I think that any attempt to hack into the system would be unwise, and also possibly against MI5 regulations." He pasued, licking his lips in thought.
"If we were to arrange something with the captain or the owners of the liner we may be able to get rooms and then we would also be able on good terms with them. This would make it easy for us to carry out operations."
He looked over at the agent called Carfax, the slicer.
"Although if we are unable to arrange anything we.......may have to resort to taking out some of the bidders." Boz finished reluctantly. He preferred doing things in a legitamite manner if possible.

TAG: Livi-Wan, any

 

W-3PO, Sevrin Snabb
MI5

"If we were to arrange something with the captain or the owners of the liner we may be able to get rooms and then we would also be able on good terms with them. This would make it easy for us to carry out operations."

"Sarc-... My apologies, once again. I am still getting used to this style of communication." Without announcing beforehand, the droid took on a sarcastic tone of voice. "Because, of course, announcing our presence would not in any way alert the very people we intend to stop. St-... If the villains we have no intelligence about are positioned among the crew -a possibility we must keep in mind when you consider that, given our knowledge of the scenario, anything is possible- announcing our presence among the crew, even simply the captain, could jeapordize our cover, if not our existances."

The droid looked around the room, marking the agents whose existances he would not object to the compromising of.

<What my droid so ineloquently pointed out is true,> Sevrin added, <When you are on the vessel, it is unlikely you can trust anyone until we know what precisely is going on. The fewer people know you are anything more than passengers, the more freedom you will have, and the less danger you will be in.>

Dub-Three dutifully translated, for those who could not grasp the subtleties of the Sullustan language.

Tag: MI5

 

OOGM: Wow, it seems I approved ten characters because I can't count. Go me. At any rate, only nine of you are trying to get aboard the vessel.

Just a reminder, they are:

Halon: Male Ubese, specializes in slicing fleshy things, tracking things and wandering around
Karka Dza?ki: Male Bothan, specializes in slicing electronic things and gambling
Markus Carfax: Male Human, specializes in slicing electronic things and general weaselese
Stent Kannat: Male Zeltron, specializes in talking and being pretty
Boz'rir (Boz) Girange: Male Human (Lorrdian), specializes in being other people
Sevrin "Earmuffs" Snabb: Male Sullustan, specializes in working with droids
W3P0: Droid, specializes in drawing fire
Jacen Darrast: Male Human, specializes in exploding things and un-exploding things
Ruana Trebond: Smurfette, specializes in using the Force
Joss Vendu: Male Human, specializes in hitting things

Of these characters, Sevrin will be staying behind, leaving the remaining nine (or eight, since droids are property) to board the vessel. Plan accordingly.

 

Markus Carfax
Conference Room, MI5

Markus was rapidly losing patience with the complete and utter failure of his new team-mates to reach a consenus. He didn't even have cigarras anymore to surround him in his usual haze of smoke, affording him the advantage of being able to nap occasionaly, undetected, during briefings.

"Look, it's clear that one of us needs to have a coherent plan." he snapped. "So this is what I've got. We bid for at least two cabins, which as far as I understand is still doable. We work out backstories and groups- say, our resident couple can be honeymooners, pinkie here" -he shot a glance at the Zeltron- "could be on a business trip with the droid, and the rest of us could be tourists- register, and then board the ship. We investigate, we stop the bad guy, and we all go home for tea and medals."

The slicer looked around at the rest of the group. They were all veterans, he knew, but excluding Vendu and Ruana, he was the only agent that had seen action on the infamous Ryloth, Naboo and XANA missions. That counted for something, even if it was the whispered rumours and cut-off glances that followed them like ghosts.

"Well?" he spoke into the silence. "I know it doesn't involve dressing up as crew but for Feth's sakes, we're working to a deadline here."

[TAG all]

 

Stent Kannat
Conference room, MI5 HQ

Stent nodded at the gruff human. "I have no objections to your suggestion other than if we divide ourselves into groups, it may be more difficult 'living the lie;' that is, acting like we do not know one another in front of the passengers although we would be rooming together. With our professionalism I do not doubt that we could successfully pull that off, although if we group ourselves together in an entourage of sorts we would not have to worry about our interpersonal interactions outside the rooms.

"My first preference is the entourage scenario. Either way we should go ahead and bid on those rooms and worry about getting them through other means if we lose the auction."

TAG: room

 

IC: Jacen Darrast
Conference Room 11

Several of the other agents discussed Jacen's proposal, along with some of their own. But still, nothing concrete was established. The crew member file server would be difficult to hack into, and the cabins were still too expensive to reserve eight of them. Jacen spoke up again.

"You know...there is always the possibility of stowaways. I'm sure some of you here can specialize in stealth, and sneaking around. This ship is a big one, and would be easy to disappear on. I am also quite confident that there are several 'masters of disguises' here as well. If we are not able to secure enough cabins, we could just take someone else's."

Jacen removed a cigar from his pocket. He smelled it, and then began chewing on it. It seemed that getting on board this ship would be harder than he previously thought. So much for the MI5 pencil pushers securing a way. It looked like they were going to be completely on their own.

"And I would definitely forget about informing the crew of our presence. There's an old adage that says the best way to keep a secret between two people is to kill the other person. I'm not really looking forward to killing any civilians on this mission."

TAG: All

 

IC: Halon
MI5 HQ, Coruscant

"Either way we should go ahead and bid on those rooms and worry about getting them through other means if we lose the auction."

One way or another, it looked like they were all stumbling headfirst towards a plan.

"Ms. Mny'Karedito?" Halon turned back to the seated woman. "When and where is this auction scheduled to take place? Oh, and what sort of credit line can we expect to be provided by the agency?"

M had grumbled something about a Senate committee and the state of their finances right before he left. All of which did not seem to bode well for them...

Tag: Mny'Karedito

 

Mny'Karedito continued staring at visor, flashes of data scrolling by.

"Well, it looks like the auction will take place in two different areas. There's something of a live promotional event later this evening that will include dining, entertainment and an auction of some of the cabins from the last batch. The remainder are being auctioned off electronically starting this evening and running for a day or so.

As far as money goes, don't expect to be able to buy a cabin for everyone, you'll have to share. Our finances cover the operations of agents across the Republic and when some go dramatically over-budget, everyone else feels the ripples. A certain incident resulted in an agent tapping a large hole in the discretionary funds, and after some rather large bills we've been a little wobbly. We've got some credits set up for this mission, but most of it will probably go to paying these ridiculous prices on the cabins."