NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: This is a side-story to Fall From Grace (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=542295) and will involve the corruption alluded to by EWT. Until further notice, Huntaer and I are the only ones to post here.

IC:

Bastion

"It is such a quiet thing, to fall. But far more terrible is to admit it." - Kreia, also known as Darth Traya, Dark Lady of the Sith.

It was once the stronghold world of the Imperial Remnant, but now it is the 4th Fleet's Headquarters and one of the most vibrant urban worlds of Coredia, fourth in power behind Jurai, Konoha and Issus. It is here that the Empire challenged and lost a battle thanks to Admiral Basque Gran's leadership. It is here that many Coredians fled to as a stopgap before fleeing to other Outer Rim worlds. It is also here that the corruption in Coredia begins...

In a mansion bought by the riches he has gained over the years, Hyuuga Hiashi and his Inner Circle of businessmen, politicians and even military officers waited. They waited for the one they knew only as Bunta, who has guided them to the means by which they have amassed riches and influence within Coredia, for the sake of protecting the nation of course.

And lately, they did not like what they saw. Because of the foolish Jedi who slaughtered a Woodian, they lost a potential market that would have brought them even more in the way of profits. They could still do so, but the fact that the Woodians were quite vigilant in their anti-corruption laws (as if they were corrupted! What man doesn't want to make an extra buck?) would have to make them extremely careful in the future.

Well, that was the opinion of some of the Inner Circle. Hiashi, however, had only good intentions for what he does. After all, it would keep his grandchildren safe from harm. But one thing, even in his sixty plus years of wisdom, that he has forgotten, or perhaps ignored, was that the road to hell is paved with good intentions...

"Huuurry!" A voice croaked from the darkness. It came from a pool of black liquid of sorts. A couple dozen Coredian servants rushed around, scared shitless of the guy they were serving. He was late for the meeting, and it was their fault too. For all they knew, he could kill them for incompetence for delayig the meeting. They quickly gathered the Bunta's robes, and waited for their signal.

"Robe meee..." The voice hissed once more. A crooked skeleton-like finger emerged from the tub of black liquid. Then a body, a face, and legs. All dripping with the black substance. It's boney arms reached outward, and the servants placed his black robes upon him. "This body disgusts me..."

"We tried to make it as close to your prefferences as possible. These were as close to the results we wanted without revealing who you are to the members."

"Bunta sir, Hiashi and the others are in the chambers. They are unsettled."

"Theen it'sss time..." The Bunta fasened his robe's together, and walked forward into the light revealing a mummified figure. His skin was tight as can be, revealing the bones and muscles which kept him together. It was a dirty gross brown color of sorts, like it was rotting away. And his face... Was gaunt as possible. It revealed his cheek bones, the very edges of his skull. And he had no eyes. His eye sockets were completely empty, revealing a blank black space where flesh and blood was suppose to be. The Bunta picked up a pair of sunglasses nearby, to hide his eye's deformation, and then retreaved a cane which had a small skull upon the top for a handle.

The Coredian servants were stunned by the look of their Bunta, but didn't dare say anything for they knew the extent of his powers. And with the recent events unfolding within Coredia, he would not be one to cross anyfurther. The Bunta walked forward almost ghost like, stumbling a bit. He put is weight on the cane, and continued to walk forward more confidently. He pushed the chamber's doors open to find a waiting crowd of business men, military men, politicians, and of course, the Jedi. "Welcome genlemen, to my humble lair," came the scratchy voice. Their Bunta had finally arrived.

"I welcome you to Bastion, my lord." Hiashi said, kneeling as the others kneeled. "I do hope the accomodations are sufficient. May I interest you in refreshments?"

The servants, members of Hiashi's Branch Family, waited on their master for instructions. One of them thought it odd that this man would have sunglasses inside a building. Was he a vampire or what?

"Your accomidations is considerable, and as to refresshmentss... I do not eat in this body, but I thank you for your consideration. But please, don't let that stop you from eating. I can't afford to have my men to be hungry at the table." The Bunta motioned for the servants to serve the food. "Now then, to business. I've been hearing disturbing reports about the ever growing investigation as to where our government's credits are disappearing to. How did this happen?"

"The Woodians, my lord. They are extreme in their measures to destroy corruption and have reached even here to root it out. The Masaki boy crumbles under their onslaught and will soon be forced to throw them at us." Hiashi explained.

"We can use our laws to keep them at bay." A senator said.

"But only for so long." Hiashi replied. "Before the Woodians start snooping around."

"Which they undoubtably will, so won't the Dornalians and the Masaki's if only to satisfy their own curiosity. You all fail to see the reason why they are poking around. If you had kept your corruption down to a minimal... You would've lasted longer. You lot have much to learn about maintaining control of your lust for instant gratification. If you knew how to keep it down, you would last a hundred years without the government knowing or caring. Now that you've quickened it. Yes, it's only at 13 trillion for now but that's still too much. You fools had it up at twenty. TWENTY! The only places where corruption that high go unnoticed are pure Empires, like the Huntarians, Tenetians, and Chronosians." The Bunta let out a low but loud hiss, "there is still time to fix this all, but we will have to remain silent for a long period of time. And we need to fix the sources of these corruptions, and the investigators."

"What would you suggest then, my Lord?" A businessman asked.

A servant came by with refreshments. Hiashi waved her away after taking the wine...

"We must lower our consumption to a bear minimum. I can see you've already started, but your damage is already done. Now we must move quicker to stop all investigations. Sometimes, this will mean killing. But our goal here must be to simply scare them into stopping the investigations. Send them the message that as soon as they stop, more money is going back to them. Yes, this would also include the funds going to the servants and myself. All of us will be affected, if we wish to survive as a group. We all contributed to this course of action, so we must suffer for it." The Boss's eyes glanced around through his glasses, to see if he can read the expressions of his loyal men. If any one of them, even the servants, show signs of severe dissapproval, they will be dealt with, and swiftly.

The corrupted men and women looked stricken at the idea of lowering their consumption of funds. A servant who overheard gasped at the thought of losing the money he needed for his family, but closed his mouth as quickly as he could.

Hiashi remained serene. Who could know what was going on in his mind? "I see. Then we shall lower our profile. If it means we must lower our consumption to the minimal, we shall do it."

"How do you plan on stopping these investigations?" Senator Gatou asked.

Then the servant could take no more. "Hiashi-sama, you cannot be serious!"

Hiashi suddenly fixated the servant with a terrible, icy glare. The other members were also angry at the servant for speaking out of turn.

"I-I...forgive me!" The servant kowtowed in terror. "I spoke out of turn!"

Hiashi slowly raised a hand and formed a seal, preparing to kill the servant for his cheek by breaking the seal that kept him in bondage...

The corrupted men and women looked stricken at the idea of lowering their consumption of funds. A servant who overheard gasped at the thought of losing the money he needed for his family, but closed his mouth as quickly as he could.

Hiashi remained serene. Who could know what was going on in his mind? "I see. Then we shall lower our profile. If it means we must lower our consumption to the minimal, we shall do it."

"How do you plan on stopping these investigations?" Senator Gatou asked.

Then the servant could take no more. "Hiashi-sama, you cannot be serious!"

Hiashi suddenly fixated the servant with a terrible, icy glare. The other members were also angry at the servant for speaking out of turn.

"I-I...forgive me!" The servant kowtowed in terror. "I spoke out of turn!"

Hiashi slowly raised a hand and formed a seal, preparing to kill the servant for his cheek by breaking the seal that kept him in bondage...

The Bunta held his hand firmly onto Hiashi's, and looked down at him indicating to hold off his attack, "your reaction is understandable, and I am not a just man. I shall answer your outburst with this simple action." The old man hoisted himself up from his position and walked to the now tembeling servant and took off his sunglasses. Revealing the horrible empty black space inbetween where his eyes and flesh should be, and narrowed his thin eyebrows. He began to speed up the sevant's molecules, heating them up until he reached to the point where the servant would catch on fire, and spontaneously combust...

"Aaaugh!" The servant screamed and burst into flames, his bones turning into ashes in a matter of seconds, horrifying the men and women around the table.

"Clean up that mess." Hiashi said coldly. The servants scurried to clean up the mess as fast as they could, keeping their lips sealed to prevent them speaking up again. "Forgive me, Bunta for the outburst. I assure you it will not happen again."

He made a mental note to ensure that the man's family was also disciplined.

"I think I assured it myself. I assume no one else wants to be turned into ashes... Now, to answer the Senators question," the Boss sat back down in his previous position, "yes, this is a good question. I have many spies within the Coredian systems. I will be sending one of my men or myself to an investigator's house to speak to them about the situation and... I'll make them an offer they can't refuse."

"Excellent." Gatou smiled and proposed a toast. "A toast, to the future of Coredia in our hands!"

The little group toasted in reply.

=====

Some time later, one of the investigators, a man named Henry, was presented with a man who walked up to his house while he was mowing the lawn. Aye, he could have had a droid do it, but he liked the smell of freshly cut grass and the feel of the mower in his hands. The man waved at him to come by. Henry idled the mower and walked to him. "Hello. What can I do for you?"

The man was no taller than the average Coredian, roughly 5'8," black hair, brown eyes and an unusually pleasant smile. "Greetings, I'm a representative of a group of people within our government. Mind if we have a chat about your ongoing investigation?"

"I'm sorry. You know the rules. I can't talk about the investigation." The investigator said pleasantly, but was wary. What the hell is this guy on about?

The man continued to walk with the investigator, until they finally come across a field of Banthas, "see, my people receive some... 'Special Bonuses' from the government, and they'd hate to have the government waste any extra and unnecessary forces on this pathetic investigation. They are willing to withdraw all of their 'Specail Bonuses' from the government's budgets, so long as you withdraw the investigation, or at least your part of it. They're also willing to write a rather large check to you if it'll help convince you further," the man glanced up and noticed the herd of Banthas, "what's with the herd?"

Fucking hell! Bribery of an officer! The investigator thought angrily. But he had to maintain decorum and not make any sudden moves. He read the man's face, seeking to memorize important features that can be used for later. "Well, I'm afraid that those suggestions aren't possible. They're illegal, you know? And those banthas? Oh, those are my prized banthas. Makes lots of noise, but it's quicker to get milk from them than to go to the store." He added a chuckle. "I'm a rancher when I'm not working."

The man nodded smiling, seemingly ignoring the mention of the illegal offer, "ah yes, the simple job of a herder. A very interesting way for relaxation. I assume they costed you a lot of money then yes? Bantha's aren't that common in this region of space if I remember correctly..."

Go away. Please. The investigator thought as he smiled. "Well, there are other ranches around here, but yeah, they're not as common as on, say, Dantooine. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my mowing. Busy busy."

The man smiled back and said "but of course. I feel that we are done here. I hope the investigation goes well..." He gave him a polite bow, and then walked off leaving Henry to do his herding.

Later on that night...

The man quickly and quietly returned to the herd of Bantha's, which were sleeping at this point. He carried a small dufflebag which contained a saw, a pair of gloves and newspaper clippings. He quietly snuck up to the nearest Bantha, and took out a saw and gloves from the bag. Putting the gloves on and picking up the saw, he raised it above the beast's head...

That morning...

There was a package left on the front entrance to Henry's house with his name and address on it, leaving no return address.

The next morning, Henry got up to get the morning paper when he nearly tripped over a mysterious package. "Hey, how'd this get here?"

Looking over the box, he saw that there was no return address. That was quite strange...and suspicious. Being an investigatior means that you'd have to have strong common sense. The thing could be a bomb, after all. For that reason, he left it outside and sent his family droid outside to collect it and open it out in the backyard.

Seeing as the bomb or whatever it was didn't explode, Henry went outside to take a look and immediately jumped back as the bloody head of Sandy, one of his favorite banthas, stared up at him with cold, dead eyes. "Egad! Sandy!"

Henry then recalled what the man said yesterday about the bantha and decided to go on sick leave for a while as he suddenly feared for his family...

The Bunta needed to stretch out his legs, to get use to the fit of the new body. Instead of sending one of his many delivery boys, he decided that he'd go out to his next senator's house and deliver the message himself. 'Course, this time it'll be something different he assigns to do the next target. The old man walked up to a certain Richard Jacov's house. Impressive..., where the man placed a letter stating to be in the near by allyway, around eight that night. The Bunta looked around, and then decided that he'll get back the easy way. He dissapeared in a puff of red and black smoke.

When he came home from work, the Senator took the mail out of the mailbox and headed inside. He kissed his wife of thirty years hello and then got down to opening the mail. After getting rid of the junk mail and setting aside the bills, he oepend the one from Bunta, read it, looked at his watch and thought that it shouldn't take long to meet whoever this guy is. Probably his contact from the investigating team.

After dinner, the senator decided to take an evening hike that would take him to the alleyway by the appointed time. Soon enough, he arrived and waited for his contact.

At first, there was nothing amungst the shadows. Then, the sound of a hover car on the far end erupted. A tall bald headed man walked out. He wore robes of sorts, and a tiny metallic object could be seen on his right shoulder. He saw the senator at the far end of the ally way, and slowly walked downward.

"Senator Jacov I presume?"

"Yes. You are my contact, I presume?" Senator Jacov asked in reply, noticing that the guy appeared to be a Jedi or something along those lines.

The man raised his arm revealing the Empire's common HBP 59, and fired it on stun setting. Afterwards, the bald man turned around to the wall in front of him and carved in the words "give it up" written on it.

"What the--" The Senator exclaimed as the man pulled out a gun and shot him.

When he came to, he distinctly noted the words 'Give It Up' scratched onto a wall. Alarm bells began to ring in the Senator's head. He realized then that there was more to this investigation than simple corruption. And he's going to need help. Lots of help...

Soon after the Senator was attacked and the headlines blared about the attack, the Circle met again for a progress report, and as the Bunta hinted, something more...

OOC: Here's the cue to begin.

The Bunta walked into the room, along side with a strainge bald man who's hair line and voice were oddly similar to Robert Picardo's. He wore a small metalic device on his right arm, and wore armor similar to that of the Mandalorian design. The Bunta sat down, his eyes glancing across the table at the men who gathered in front of him today.

"Gentlemen, it it time for us to begin. Allow me to begin this conversation with my newest toy, the Superior Holographic Imaging Trooper, or as my scientists have come to call it, SHIT." The bunta let out a small sigh of embarassment. Dispite the chilling command he has on his scientists,

The hologram sighed as well, "Holographic Imaging Trooper will suffice for now. Gentlemen, I'm sure you're aware of my usual standard design. I am a rather advanced design for holograms. Specifically programed for military combat, to assassin missions, all of the necessary data has been downloaded into my memory banks ranging from all eras and all known species from Coredia, Huntarian, Thrashian, Chronosian and much more. I can preform tasks small as arranging a hit, or to something as large and drastic like military coups. I am a learning computer, my program is designed to adapt to unusual cituations so that I can better serve those who may need my services."

The Bunta nodded his head, "thank you sergeant that'll be all. Remain here though." The old man placed a crooked finger on his chair's button, "Send in our guests."

The two men walked in, flanked by their own bodyguards in a semi-majestic fashion. As majestic as two ganglords could be, sauntering into the room with great arrogance and pride in themselves, but also great confusion. They had not expected to be going so far away. And, they didn't expect to be meeting the Bunta himself.

One of the two men wore a simple leather coat, cigarette jauntily hanging out of his mouth. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Senor_Nb3/244learydenis091906.jpg) He was accompanied by two men, one small and thin (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Senor_Nb3/DuoMaxwell1.jpg), the other relatively large and coarse (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Senor_Nb3/220px-Brian_Johnson.jpg). He exuded an air of street smart confidence, and he seemed in control of himself. Looking about, he smiled before noticing the other man, and glaring. He then said, "The fuck are you?" in a pronounced Boston Irish accent.

The other man, Chinese, tall, and exceptionally well-dressed and wearing sunglasses, tipped them forward to look at the intransigent lo fan who had dared to address him in such a manner. No matter. It was the way of most lo fan to believe they were in charge when they really were not. He simply replied, with a curt nod and a polite tone: "Wait a moment. Maybe you will find out." He then walked forth into the room, his two female bodyguards, twins concievably due to their similar appearance (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Senor_Nb3/180px-Black_Lagoon_episode_12.png), following him.

They then stopped, both of them, and bowed to their host in a Dornalian manner, a stiff 45-degree sign of respect to the assembled. Well, at least the Chinese did it well. The Bostonian, new at this bowing thing, did so rather stiffly, and with some clumsiness, before getting back up.

The Chinese then proceeded to speak, adopting a gentle, warm tone that involved some simple, spare hand gestures.

"Good day, Bunta, assembled parties. I am Wong Kai-Shek (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Senor_Nb3/AnthonyWong.jpg). You may prefer to address me as Jimmy, or James. I spoke with the Bunta earlier in my office in Taipei, Taiwan, on the planet you may know as Earth SSR. In civilian life, I am a legitimate businessman, the head of Far East Import And Export Investment Corporation. In our line of work, I am known as the head of the United Bamboo Organization, a fraternal brotherhood of our kind that is one of the largest organizations of its kind in all of East Asia."

The Bostonian then rolled his eyes at Wong's attempts to make himself respectable. He then thought to himself, "Hey jerkoff. Do us a favor and spare the "legitimate businessman" bullshit. You're a Triad, no need to drown yourself in brown sugar."

Wong then finished, by saying, "Some would identify me as a Triad boss, I prefer not to use that term. It was invented by ignorant Englishmen when they came to China. And, it makes me seem like a two-bit axe-wielding thug, which I am clearly not. After all, I did graduate from Tokyo University with a master's in business administration."

He then turned back to the assembled parties and then said, "Excuse me. I must now allow my friend here to speak."

He then stepped back, and bowed once more. The Bostonian took his place. He then lit up another cigarette, and took a deep drag before continuing, frankness in his voice and some eagerness to distinguish himself from Wong apparent as well.

"Well, I ain't gonna be as fancy as this guy here. After all, I sure as hell didn't go to college. I got a degree from a vocational school, and run my own plumbing business."

He then pointed to the small man, and then said, "My son here, Tim, is going to Harvard Law. He's the college kid in the family. Real smart guy. Too bad he's too damn pretty for his own good. But enough 'bout him."

Tim looked somewhat nervous, and then the Bostonian replied, "Relax, Tim. I'm praising you. Your mother likes that."

He then continued with a proud smile, like a father who just heard his son aced a major test, "Anyhow, I run a big outfit myself. I got more street smarts than a New Orleans pimp. Enough to know that when a guy like your boss calls me in my home, and offers me a good deal, I'll take it."

He then grinned hungrily, and concluded with bravado: "The name's John McSweeney. I'm from South Boston, born, bred, raised, and NOT a Communist. And I am the baddest son of a bitch you will ever meet."

"Welcome, my friends." Hiashi nodded, taking note of the boy that appeared similar to Lord Masaki, if far less capable. "I understand we are together for a reason, to ensure two things: that we, not the government, run Coredia, and that no one, least of all the Royal Family, catches wind of us. And of course, to make a little profit on the side. To that end, I must thank the Bunta for ceasing the majority of investigations into the so-called corruption. But that is not enough. We must also take care of those who have the spine to speak out against the likes of us. For that reason, you are here."

"Welcome, my friends." Hiashi nodded, taking note of the boy that appeared similar to Lord Masaki, if far less capable. "I understand we are together for a reason, to ensure two things: that we, not the government, run Coredia, and that no one, least of all the Royal Family, catches wind of us. And of course, to make a little profit on the side. To that end, I must thank the Bunta for ceasing the majority of investigations into the so-called corruption. But that is not enough. We must also take care of those who have the spine to speak out against the likes of us. For that reason, you are here."

Wong nodded. The Bunta had spoken to them about elements of Coredia's Senate that needed to be told to keep quiet. Naturally, Wong assumed, the United Bamboo would use their way, the rough Irishman would use his.

And indeed, he was right. For McSweeney then took a drag from his cigarette before declaring, "You mean Senator jack-off, right?"

He then beamed and folding his arms, boastfully pointed to himself as he said, "Well, don't worry. We've got some of the best cleaners in South Boston. More than a match for the friggin' Hutts or the Yakuzas. I know a lot of good men personally. And they're very nasty when it comes to it. Hell, even their own mothers won't call them anymore."

He then took another drag off of the cigarette, and then said, "And if we can't find a guy in Southie, then we know where else to find them. I know people."

Wong then interjected, saying, "As do we. However, we of the United Bamboo prefer a strategy of cooptation. It is the way we have maintained our presence on Taiwan and the Pacific Rim for many years. Many politicians find it better to do business with us, than to be our enemies."

John then turned to Wong, and shook his head. He pointed at Wong, and then said, "Well, maybe in the Pacific it works. But in case you didn't listen to the Bunta fully, I think we're dealing with some fucking crusaders who don't want any more bribes."

Wong then tapped his toes, and then held his finger up. He knew when to compromise and be flexible, and now was one of those times. He retorted with, in a voice all could hear, "Then, we perform a carrot and stick manuever. I am sure they say that in South Boston, yes?"

John nodded, saying, "Your point?"

Wong then replied, "I propose a strategy of plomo o plato. Lead or Bullets. My organization will attempt to subvert the remaining Senators who may pose a threat. Should these recalcitrant elements refuse, then Mr. McSweeney may use his organization's men to make them examples for the rest."

He then turned to Tim, and said, "The boy may prove valuable. He does bear a resemblance to the Son of the Revolution."

The Bunta nodded and arched his boney hands together, "I concur, however there is a chance that we can still have the senators on our side as Mr. Wong suggests. Wong, use whatever method you feel necessary, pull some toe nails, spill some guts but keep them alive. I hear the Tri ads are famous on earth for those kinds of things. Mr. McSweeney, go ahead and dispose of one minor and major investigator you see fit to show those Mr. Wong deals with that we're not afraid to use other methods. Oh, and Mr. McSweeney, be creative in how you dispose of the bodies. Send a message."

The Bunta nodded and arched his boney hands together, "I concur, however there is a chance that we can still have the senators on our side as Mr. Wong suggests. Wong, use whatever method you feel necessary, pull some toe nails, spill some guts but keep them alive. I hear the Tri ads are famous on earth for those kinds of things. Mr. McSweeney, go ahead and dispose of one minor and major investigator you see fit to show those Mr. Wong deals with that we're not afraid to use other methods. Oh, and Mr. McSweeney, be creative in how you dispose of the bodies. Send a message."

Wong then nodded and replied, "Excellent."

McSweeney then said, "Heh. I know a few people...."

Vector Industries HQ, Bastion, Imperial Republic of Coreworlds

It was no secret Vector Industries was one of the largest corporate entities in the Imperial Republic. The technological and defense industrial giant made a lot of things happen for the Coredian war machine, and it was a key cog in any war, especially the one currently being fought now.

Which was why Mr. Wong had been informed it was one of the places his organization had to pay a visit to. Specifically, to its CEO, Mr. Leingod, a person whom he was informed had some influence. Wong figured if said CEO could be coopted by the Circle, then they could win a vital ally against the Moral Crusaders who decided to interfere with their business.

So, at his orders, Mr. Wong rolled out one of his old tricks. Specifiically, an honest politician's kryptonite. A beautiful woman, with a lot of qualities to spare, if you catch my drift. He used it against the KMT before MacIntyre came, he used it against the KMT when they joined the Democratic Coalition, and he used it to get his way with the Harbormaster of Seattle too, all without firing a shot. And with all that, he prayed to General Kwan that it would work again.

The woman in question hired by Wong and now entering Vector was a relatively tall woman, with, um, we'll, call it the right physical assets for her job. (Don't want to sound too creepy.) Asian in look (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Senor_Nb3/Unbalance_x_Unbalance_Cover.jpg), she was part Chinese, part Japanese--her father had been a businessman from Japan who fell in love with Taipei, her mother a secretary at the firm he worked at. She inherited her mother's good looks and grace, and the cunning mind of her father. The perfect resource for Wong's part of the job.

With said grace, she walked into the room, carrying a briefcase and a Dornalian PDA. She walked up to the reception desk, and then said, in impeccable Dornalian English, "Hi, my name is Katherine Matsumoto, and I'd like to speak with Mr. Leingod, please. I had an appointment."

Los Angeles, California, Earth SSR

"....and that's all she wrote. Nation, this is Chess Headman, signing off! Stay classy!"

The cameras cut, and he wiped the sweat off of his brow. The stories about the economy, military progress, a rant about Woodian Interference in the Revolution, another part of a Story about the investigation into corruption in the Coreworlds that was congratulatory, and an interview with a particularly uninteresting economist, rang in his mind but for a few moments, before slipsliding away into nothingness. He then organized his papers, put them in his suitcase, and sipped his coffee before walking off the stage and highfiving the teleprompter guy.

As he walked out to his car, a gravelly voice, like that of a German woman filtered through a synthesizer set on "demon," greeted him evilly with the words, "You are Percival 'Chess' Headman?"

Chess turned around and said with inquiry, "Yes?" He didn't see anybody. Shrugging, he turned back around and opened the door to his Nissan 900Z sports car, before hearing the voice again, saying:

"I need to talk to you."

Chess turned around and saw nothing. "Humph," he uttered, confused and not amused by this person who was certainly some college kid from UCLA with time, money for a voice changer and a stale imagination. Turning around, he lept back, dropping his keys and feeling for his DX-20 railpistol as he gazed upon the visage of the interloper.

It looked like a woman, dressed in a stained tan-blackish trenchcoat, with a widebrimmed fedora hat also stained. Underneath the coat, Chess could see the faint remnants of pre-Treaty of Los Angeles German fatigues in faded and bloodstained Flecktar. Her skin was pale white, and her hair long and rather disheveled. She had, on a sling, one Thompson M1 Submachine gun, that seemed to show wear and old bloodstains. The figure leaned her head up a little, cracking an evil smile as she revealed a pale, deathlike face, with sunken eyes and ears that denoted that of a German Elf.

Cocking the Thompson, she said with eerie calm, "Are you a praying man?" Chess simply shook his head no, as he pulled out his pistol and said, "Don't come any closer, bitch. I'll call the cops!" The woman leveled the Thompson at him, and said, "I am afraid your much vaunted Los Angeles Police Department will do nothing of assistance. When it comes to my kind, they are....useless."

She then opened fire with the Tommy Gun, causing Chess to dive under a newsvan as she sprayed the lot with .45ACP fire hitting the newsvans and the other cars in the lot as Chess tried to get to cover inside the studio. The woman then ran after Chess into the lot, looking around and sniffing the air. Then, she spotted the entrance to the Studio, and then chambered a .45bullet marked with a red skull. Aiming it at the door, she shot at it, then snapped her fingers, as the door blew inward in a furious swing that knocked down a couple of orderlies. She then walked into the Studio, and sniffed the air. Her quarry was around here somewhere. Mr. McSweeney didn't have to tell her that.

One of the security guards then tried to stop him, saying, "Ma'am, I'm gonna-" before he was silenced with a burst from the Tommy Gun. She then continued walking forward, using the Force to blow down security cameras as she tried hunting for Chess.

Chess, meanwhile, was trying to evade this psychopath and find a way out. He was in the security office by this time, and he had requipped himself with a Cadian Lasgun. The guy operating the cameras wasn't much help, he had looked at the monitors and said, "Well, Chess....whoever this chick is, she really hates you. Hell, she's blowin' down the monitors and the men in her way." With a flash of light, the man said, "Whoops. There goes Lurleen with the coffee. Now she didn't deserve that."

Chess winced, and said, "Can the play by play. How the hell do I get out of here?"

The man said, "Well, there's B Lot out in the East Wing. Use B Lot, I've a car there." He then picked up a shotgun and said, "Let's go to it. I don't wanna die anyway."

The men then left the office, and began running to the lot. As this occurred, the woman knelt down, and closed her eyes. She saw Chess and the guard running, and felt their Presence as they tried to flee. She smiled evilly then, and knew the hunt was on.

With the wave of a hand, she then disappeared in a poof of smoke, and then reappeared behind Chess and the Security Guard. She then decided to toy with them. Stalk them. Her Freigauneren training would serve her well here. She began flitting about from alcove to alcove, slamming doors closed to try and spook Chess and the Guard, who kept turning and looking about. Knowing they were much more agitated now--along with being more cautious, she decided to up the ante. Teleporting into one of the side broom closets, she popped out and opened with a burst on the legs of the guard and Chess, before teleporting away. The shots grazed the two, but they hurt, and that's what she intended. When they went down a few more feet, she did it again, appearing out of a breakroom and aiming for their arms. This time, Chess and the Guard opened fire, but missed as she dissapeared.

Then, she warped behind the Guard, and unsheathed a Fairbairn-Sykes knife, snatching him and making him disappear with a teleport.

If the other actions hadn't scared Chess silly before, now he was worried. This woman could teleport, and though he was getting close to B Lot, the fact his Guard friend was missing was bad enough...but even worse was being hit by a flying object. Chess looked down, and recoiled with horror.

It was the guard's severed arm.

Chess tried to run, the woman warped right in back of him and began shooting, eager to make the kill. Chess lept awkwardly to the side of a vending machine, and opened with a series of shots from his lasgun. The woman said nothing, as she replied in kind.

Chess then ran backwards, as he opened fire with bursts rather wildly at the incoming figure. His lack of experience with long guns meant he missed more often than not, and it was only after the Woman shot him in the leg that he managed to find the door and limp out of the building. He couldn't use the guard's car, as the man was now desceased, but he wanted to get out of there. He began screaming "HELP!!! HELP!!!!" as he nursed his leg with one hand and shot with the other clumslily. He then collapsed, and the woman caught up with him. She loaded a fresh magazine and aimed the gun at his face, but as she was about to fire, an officer on his beat said, "PUT THE GUN DOWN!" The woman turned around, and teleported away, leaving the officer to ask Chess, "Jesus! You okay buddy?"

Chess said, "Hell no! I was about to be murdered by a psychopathic assasin from Hell, and the security guard I was going to escape with had his arm used as a missile. SO NO!"

Vector Industries HQ, Bastion, Imperial Republic of Coreworlds

It was no secret Vector Industries was one of the largest corporate entities in the Imperial Republic. The technological and defense industrial giant made a lot of things happen for the Coredian war machine, and it was a key cog in any war, especially the one currently being fought now.

Which was why Mr. Wong had been informed it was one of the places his organization had to pay a visit to. Specifically, to its CEO, Mr. Leingod, a person whom he was informed had some influence. Wong figured if said CEO could be coopted by the Circle, then they could win a vital ally against the Moral Crusaders who decided to interfere with their business.

So, at his orders, Mr. Wong rolled out one of his old tricks. Specifiically, an honest politician's kryptonite. A beautiful woman, with a lot of qualities to spare, if you catch my drift. He used it against the KMT before MacIntyre came, he used it against the KMT when they joined the Democratic Coalition, and he used it to get his way with the Harbormaster of Seattle too, all without firing a shot. And with all that, he prayed to General Kwan that it would work again.

The woman in question hired by Wong and now entering Vector was a relatively tall woman, with, um, we'll, call it the right physical assets for her job. (Don't want to sound too creepy.) Asian in look (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Senor_Nb3/Unbalance_x_Unbalance_Cover.jpg), she was part Chinese, part Japanese--her father had been a businessman from Japan who fell in love with Taipei, her mother a secretary at the firm he worked at. She inherited her mother's good looks and grace, and the cunning mind of her father. The perfect resource for Wong's part of the job.

With said grace, she walked into the room, carrying a briefcase and a Dornalian PDA. She walked up to the reception desk, and then said, in impeccable Dornalian English, "Hi, my name is Katherine Matsumoto, and I'd like to speak with Mr. Leingod, please. I had an appointment."
"I see. Ah, yes. There it is. You may enter." The assistant smiled.

Doctor Richard Leingod (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AizenAnimeEp60.jpg) was one of the most powerful men in the nation and his family often has dinner with the Masakis when they're not busy. Hell, his kids used to play with the Heir when they were in kindergarden! Sometimes there was an aura of power about him that makes it clear that he was the CEO and on other times his employees would be understandably remiss if he was mistaken as one of the regular eggheads.

Still, the first impression that Katherine Matsumoto had of the CEO was that he should be in a lab and not in the banthahide chair he sat in. A tall, thin brunette scientist with classic glasses, he definitely does not look like the businessman he should be with his lab coat. Well, it's well known that Coredians generally hate formal wear and only wear them on formal occasions.

"Come in, Ms. Matsumoto!" The good Doctor said with a cheerful smile and ushered her to a chair. "Would you care for some refreshments or do you want to begin right away?"

Vector Industries HQ, Bastion, Imperial Republic of Coreworlds

It was no secret Vector Industries was one of the largest corporate entities in the Imperial Republic. The technological and defense industrial giant made a lot of things happen for the Coredian war machine, and it was a key cog in any war, especially the one currently being fought now.

Which was why Mr. Wong had been informed it was one of the places his organization had to pay a visit to. Specifically, to its CEO, Mr. Leingod, a person whom he was informed had some influence. Wong figured if said CEO could be coopted by the Circle, then they could win a vital ally against the Moral Crusaders who decided to interfere with their business.

So, at his orders, Mr. Wong rolled out one of his old tricks. Specifiically, an honest politician's kryptonite. A beautiful woman, with a lot of qualities to spare, if you catch my drift. He used it against the KMT before MacIntyre came, he used it against the KMT when they joined the Democratic Coalition, and he used it to get his way with the Harbormaster of Seattle too, all without firing a shot. And with all that, he prayed to General Kwan that it would work again.

The woman in question hired by Wong and now entering Vector was a relatively tall woman, with, um, we'll, call it the right physical assets for her job. (Don't want to sound too creepy.) Asian in look (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Senor_Nb3/Unbalance_x_Unbalance_Cover.jpg), she was part Chinese, part Japanese--her father had been a businessman from Japan who fell in love with Taipei, her mother a secretary at the firm he worked at. She inherited her mother's good looks and grace, and the cunning mind of her father. The perfect resource for Wong's part of the job.

With said grace, she walked into the room, carrying a briefcase and a Dornalian PDA. She walked up to the reception desk, and then said, in impeccable Dornalian English, "Hi, my name is Katherine Matsumoto, and I'd like to speak with Mr. Leingod, please. I had an appointment."
"I see. Ah, yes. There it is. You may enter." The assistant smiled.

Doctor Richard Leingod (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AizenAnimeEp60.jpg) was one of the most powerful men in the nation and his family often has dinner with the Masakis when they're not busy. Hell, his kids used to play with the Heir when they were in kindergarden! Sometimes there was an aura of power about him that makes it clear that he was the CEO and on other times his employees would be understandably remiss if he was mistaken as one of the regular eggheads.

Still, the first impression that Katherine Matsumoto had of the CEO was that he should be in a lab and not in the banthahide chair he sat in. A tall, thin brunette scientist with classic glasses, he definitely does not look like the businessman he should be with his lab coat. Well, it's well known that Coredians generally hate formal wear and only wear them on formal occasions.

"Come in, Ms. Matsumoto!" The good Doctor said with a cheerful smile and ushered her to a chair. "Would you care for some refreshments or do you want to begin right away?"

"Come in, Ms. Matsumoto!" The good Doctor said with a cheerful smile and ushered her to a chair. "Would you care for some refreshments or do you want to begin right away?"

Matsumoto sauntered in with a graceful stride, handling herself with a kind of charged grace as she sat in her chair, her carefully cut pantsuit hugging her curves and showing off the wares without getting her arrested. Whipping her hair back subtly Charlie's Angels-style, she then replied with a cheery, silky voice, "Well, since you were so kind, sure, Doctor Leingod. I'd like an Amaretto Sour, slightly sweeter than usual. And some shortbread."

Katherine tilted her head slightly, and smiled at Leingod, then crossed her legs, and began calling up some notes on the PDA.

"Very well." The Doctor pressed a button. A servant in the obligatory cute maid outfit arrived quickly to give them some refreshments. Shortbread and Amaretto for her, water for him. "Let's get down to business then..."

"Very well." The Doctor pressed a button. A servant in the obligatory cute maid outfit arrived quickly to give them some refreshments. Shortbread and Amaretto for her, water for him. "Let's get down to business then..."

"Yes, let's." She adjusted her chair gently to face Leingod, as she sipped the Amaretto sour. Smacking her lips, she put the drink down onto a nearby end table and folded her hands and placed them on her lap. She smiled and said, "Doctor Leingod, what would you say...."

Her voice trailed off, but in a way that was tantalizing. Almost calculated to make you want to listen in, and hear more. She tilted her head to one side, and then another, subtly displaying her charms as she then finished with, "...you research here?"

Dr. Leingod's mind began to think about the question. Better not divulge anything.

"Well, like our mission statement says, we make Coredia a safer and better place to live. Our research is along the lines of that statement." The good doctor smiled.

Dr. Leingod's mind began to think about the question. Better not divulge anything.

"Well, like our mission statement says, we make Coredia a safer and better place to live. Our research is along the lines of that statement." The good doctor smiled.

Katherine looked at the Doctor and said with a smile, "I see, Doctor." Making eye contact with the doctor, she gazed into the Doctor's eyes, as she said, "Doctor, I won't presume to tell you your business." She sipped the Amaretto sour and said, "Your staff makes a good drink." She swirled it around playfully, and then continued, "I'll get to the point, Doctor. I know some people who would be willing to help you in your quest to make Coredia a better place to live. They could get you funding for research, help with the bureaucracy, et cetera."

Ah. Another industrial suckup wanting to feed off my hand! Dr. Leingod thought, but continued smiling. "I thank you for your offer, but you see, we do not require any assistance. Vector has more than enough influence within the nation to do what it needs to do without any additional assistance. We are not the number one military-industrial complex in Coredia for nothing."

Ah. Another industrial suckup wanting to feed off my hand! Dr. Leingod thought, but continued smiling. "I thank you for your offer, but you see, we do not require any assistance. Vector has more than enough influence within the nation to do what it needs to do without any additional assistance. We are not the number one military-industrial complex in Coredia for nothing."

Katherine then chuckled, and got up. Walking about the room, pacing about even, she began to speak.

"Doctor Leingod, it is never possible to have too many friends! My dear Doctor, the people I speak of are no ordinary circle of industrial lobbyists or corporate bigwigs. They are very influential people. They recognize that you have plenty of influence, and that you are indeed a key player in the economy."

She then walked to his chair, and caressed the banthahide, and leaned close to Leingod. This is what Kathy was good at, and as she leaned in, she spoke in a silky, gentle, almost seductive voice as she said, "However, they are men of some status who truly decide matters in the world of Coredian politics. Ingratiating yourself with these men would be a wise decision, for their benificence would be a boon to you."

Doctor Leingod wondered how he would explain to his wife this situation as the woman actually tried to seduce him. It seems that there was more to her than an industry rival's spy, if the story of her 'benefactors' is true. Still, the good doctor didn't receive a Ph.D. by being stupid. As the woman leaned on him, his hand brushed against a corner of his desk, activating a special system that would ensure that this woman will be shown the way to the door, one way or another.

Dr. Leingod pushed her back lightly, chuckling. "Ahem. I'm sorry, Miss Katherine, but I do not believe in allying with people whom I don't know. And as you say, there are those who truly run things in Coredian politics, but I already know them. The Masaki Clan are far more faithful than your superiors, I'm sure. Besides, I'm already married."

He sighed theatrically. "Much as I like your company, Miss Katherine, I am a very busy man with a full schedule ahead of me today. I would very much like it if we conclude our business...now, if you please."

He pointed nicely towards the door, leaving Miss Katherine no doubt what he wanted of her.

Doctor Leingod wondered how he would explain to his wife this situation as the woman actually tried to seduce him. It seems that there was more to her than an industry rival's spy, if the story of her 'benefactors' is true. Still, the good doctor didn't receive a Ph.D. by being stupid. As the woman leaned on him, his hand brushed against a corner of his desk, activating a special system that would ensure that this woman will be shown the way to the door, one way or another.

Dr. Leingod pushed her back lightly, chuckling. "Ahem. I'm sorry, Miss Katherine, but I do not believe in allying with people whom I don't know. And as you say, there are those who truly run things in Coredian politics, but I already know them. The Masaki Clan are far more faithful than your superiors, I'm sure. Besides, I'm already married."

He sighed theatrically. "Much as I like your company, Miss Katherine, I am a very busy man with a full schedule ahead of me today. I would very much like it if we conclude our business...now, if you please."

He pointed nicely towards the door, leaving Miss Katherine no doubt what he wanted of her.

Katherine bowed, and said, with her own sigh and a pout, "As you wish." She then picked up her briefcase. Turning to leave she pulled out a business card and slipped it onto the Doctor's desk. Smiling, she said, "If you change your mind, call me."

She then left, and when she was out of the building, stopped in a small cafe and opened it up. Sure enough, the briefcase contained a ) money, and b ) a small video camera. She smiled. The camera wouldn't lie.....

She then closed the case, ordered a perfunctory sandwich, ate, then;left. Calling a number on a payphone, she then said, "Hey, it's Kathy. The deal went sour, he didn't bite. I think I might have come on too strong."

A gruff voice, McSweeney's, greeted the news with a sigh.

"Goddamnit."

Katherine rebutted evilly with, "Relax, Mr. McSweeney. Look, my briefcase has a special prize inside of it. Some leverage. Can't discuss what it is here, I'm on a payphone."

McSweeney then said, "Well, get over to the HQ, now! Show me!"

Katherine lept back, and sighed, saying, "Bossy.....fine....." Hanging up, she then left, briefcase in tow....

Dr. Leingod sighed in relief after the girl walked out. Then he had a thought and pressed an intercom button. "Maria, was this meeting recorded?"

"Yes, Doctor. As per Security Arrangement Code 3, Section 5, all meetings with the CEO of Vector Industries has been recorded with full spectrum analytical instruments. Is there anything wrong?" His secretary replied.

"No. Thank you, Maria." The good doctor said. "Now, back to work..."

And so, the CEO of Vector Industries went back to his paperwork...

The blackmail footage was thus delivered by Katherine to an agent from McSweeney's gang at a drop, and was thus processed on film. It was then delivered to Vector HQ by a courier who left as quickly as he came.

It was a simple manila envelope. Inside was a disk, containing black and white footage of Katherine's meeting. The footage itself was unedited. But, it came with a message as such.

"Mr. X didn't like the way you treated my envoy. We really do have a lot more influence than you realize.

Perhaps we would be willing to release this footage on the HoloNet, and skew it appropriately to make it look nefarious. Or, perhaps you would be willing to consent to hearing us out, to avoid our having to make such a fuss over this matter.

The choice is yours."

"Sir, a package for you has come in, it appears to be someone attempting to blackmail you." Maria said over the intercom when Security opened the package and found the disk and the letter.

"That witch! I knew I shouldn't have trusted her." Dr. Leingod said angrily. "Ok, pull out the *real* film and prepare it for Holonet access. As soon as they try to pull blackmail, get Legal on it too."

"Yes, sir!"

"Someone is going to get his ass kicked for this!" Dr. Leingod vowed. Then, he smiled grimly and commed Maria again. "Actually, after you call Legal, call the Order's Criminal Division. We need to find out what's going on here. I have a plan."

A few hours later, Katherine was contacted as if the CEO finally bowed to pressure...

"Sir, a package for you has come in, it appears to be someone attempting to blackmail you." Maria said over the intercom when Security opened the package and found the disk and the letter.

"That witch! I knew I shouldn't have trusted her." Dr. Leingod said angrily. "Ok, pull out the *real* film and prepare it for Holonet access. As soon as they try to pull blackmail, get Legal on it too."

"Yes, sir!"

"Someone is going to get his ass kicked for this!" Dr. Leingod vowed. Then, he smiled grimly and commed Maria again. "Actually, after you call Legal, call the Order's Criminal Division. We need to find out what's going on here. I have a plan."

A few hours later, Katherine was contacted as if the CEO finally bowed to pressure...

Safehouse, Bastion

Katherine got the contact, and proceeded to move out. It seemed Leingod had decided to agree to her benefactors' good graces, and moved out to meet the good doctor in due time. Putting on a dress similar to last time, and making the decision to "go commando," she left her small safehouse and drove to Vector's HQ. Per usual procedure, she treaded carefully. In her line of work, it didn't pay to fall into enemy hands, especially as it meant your old friends could easily turn against you out of paranoia.

Upon entry, she talked to the receptionist, and let herself through to Dr. Leingod's office. She then walked in and said, "I see you decided to call me back. Did we have a change of heart?"

Dr. Leingod nodded. "It seems that after a review, I have decided to learn more about this thing of yours. After I have the necessary information, I will make a final decision."

Dr. Leingod nodded. "It seems that after a review, I have decided to learn more about this thing of yours. After I have the necessary information, I will make a final decision."

Katherine smiled and said, "Glad you decided to consider it. My benefactors are quite generous."

"Quite. So, what do these benefactors want of me?" The doctor asked.

"Quite. So, what do these benefactors want of me?" The doctor asked.

Katherine sat down, and said smiling, "Well, they would only require that you attend some meetings--you know, backroom, closed door sort of things." Leaning her head on her hand, she muttered, "Also, I'm sure they would only require that you participate, maybe help other people out in certain respects when asked to, and so on."

Crossing her legs somewhat and leaning back somewhat, she then finished with, " It is really rather simple. Surprised it took you this long."

"Well, I had a busy day." Dr. Leingod smiled. "However, I'm still on the fence when it comes to something like this. What's in it for me?"

"Well, I had a busy day." Dr. Leingod smiled. "However, I'm still on the fence when it comes to something like this. What's in it for me?"

Katherine leaned in close again, and opened her briefcase. From said briefcase, Leingod would find her pulling out animal shelter records, and a few gold coins stamped with some old markings on it, along with an Airsoft Walther PPK.

She said, serious in tone: "The pistol represents protection. You will recieve the beneficence of my benefactors, ensuring that no harm comes to you from troublemakers of all sorts. Environmentalists, animal rights activists, labor organizers, so and so on. We can ensure they don't prevent your good works from coming to fruition."

Pointing to the gold brick, she said, "This here is just a sampling of the wealth my benefactors possess. You are of means, that is certain. But to ease along your research and avoid troubles, we are prepared to share some of this wealth with you."

She then picked up the coins, and said, "Let's see....lemme see what this says....ah ha! My Dutch, German, whatever this is, is a little rusty." Katherine then haltingly read the text on the coins, which said, "Krugerrand, fyngoud, 1oz. Or, Fine Gold, One ounce. Made in South Africa. Dates from 1984, well from the 20th Century. Krugerrands are quite pricey."

She leaned in and said, "Doctor, this is about, oh, six thousand five hundred American dollars, or Universal Standard dollars as they call them now, of gold bullion. You can see if my benefactors can afford to send me, a field agent, these as a sample, which by the way I do intend to keep to avoid being labeled a briber, think of how much they truly have."

Kathy then went back to the briefcase, and pulled out the animal shelter files. She then said, "As for your experiments, we can guarantee a steady supply of willing subjects under the table, in good health. Animal, human, alien, we can get it to you. After all, we know people at Harvard University who have eagerly used our services to obtain chimpanzees, and have benefited nicely. Here's a listing of what we can get."

She then sat back and smiled after handing over the forms, and then said, "And that is what we can give. We can even do more. It really depends upon your needs, I just tailored a package to suit your needs."

Gotcha! One bribery conviction, served on a golden platter! The CEO thought with hidden glee. The Doctor beamed. "I must thank you, Miss Katherine. You have given me everything I need to make my decision."

He stood up, triggering a cue. Instantly, pops of teleportation occurred as three Jedi Knights appeared, their lightsabers ablaze. Several more Coredian National Police and Vector Security officers burst from various entry doors, including a hidden panel. All have their sidearms leveled at her. There was no hope of escape.

Doctor Leingod continued smiling as if nothing happened. "Miss Katherine, you are under arrest, pending charges of bribery and blackmail of a high Coredian official. Perhaps I can stick more charges if I can find 'em."

"You have the right to remain silent." An officer growled as they moved to cuff her. "Anything you can say or do here can count against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand?"

"You have the right to remain silent." An officer growled as they moved to cuff her. "Anything you can say or do here can count against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand?"

Katherine's smile turned to horror when she saw the Jedi come in and put the cuffs on her. She knew she had fallen into a trap; the Krugerrands would now become evidence against her and Wong and his American friend, McSweeney. Plus, these were Jedi. They had the Force....a form of skill she wished she could have in her seductions.

She sighed and handed her hands out to be handcuffed, saying, "I do." Grimly, she hung her head low, and decided to cooperate. After all, it didn't look like running or resistance was an option, and she wished she had a bigger gun than that Airsoft PPK.

Katherine was soon lead to a deep, secure interrogation room where she would sit until someone from Interrogations came to speak with her. As promised, she would be able to speak to a lawyer or have one appointed to her. All her belongings were confiscated for evidence. Now, it was only a matter of time before she would confess to everything else she knew and then be put on trial...

The Bunta mediated in his private chambers when the Hologram approached him, "sir, it would appear that McSweeney's attempts to commit Dr. Leingod has failed. His agent has been arrested by the Jedi Council on bribery charges."

The Bunta narrowed his eyes, "this is rather unfortunate," he hissed. He slowly got up from his position and straightened his robes, "I shall take care of this matter myself if that...Man... Can't take care of it. I shall arrive at the Dr.'s Office myself very soon."

The hologram conjured up a datapad, "would you be going there purely on business, or initially for pleasure and you just so happened to see an opportunity you couldn't ignore?"

The Bunta raised an eyebrow, "I prefer to make it up as I go along."

"Excellent. I shall tell the others to expect your arrival within the next two days. Have a safe journey."

"You should be saying that to Dr. Leingod. No doubt he will provide me with a plentiful supply of energy."

"No doubt."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vector Industries HQ, Bastion, Imperial Republic of Coreworlds


A man wearing black robes and a mask (http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/31419.jpg) soon appeared at the same office building where McSweeney's assistant was just taken hostage. Unfortunately, there were some guards stationed at the front door. He continued to walk forward.

Vector Industries HQ, Bastion, Imperial Republic of Coreworlds


A man wearing black robes and a mask soon appeared at the same office building where McSweeney's assistant was just taken hostage. Unfortunately, there were some guards stationed at the front door. He continued to walk forward.
"Sir? I'm sorry, but you'll have to turn back. This building is closed until further notice." One of the guards said.

The Bunta lifted his mask off and revealed a skin eaten/rotted face, "I require a powerful generator to help me with my skin regeneration. My friend said he would like to meet me today he could provide me with ample energy to help me with my problem."

The guards hopped back in shock at the man's rotting face. The lead guard waved him back. "I-I'm sorry, sir, but I really must insist you go to the hospital for that. We don't have the facilities here."

The Bunta slowly waved his hands in front of the guard, "you do have said facilities," and waved it one more time, "you will let me in."

"I..." It was clear that the guards, being Vector Security officers, were trained in mental resistance. Alas, it wasn't enough for one such as the Bunta. "You may enter. We have the facilities for you. Have a nice day."

"I..." It was clear that the guards, being Vector Security officers, were trained in mental resistance. Alas, it wasn't enough for one such as the Bunta. "You may enter. We have the facilities for you. Have a nice day."

The Bunta bowed, "thank you my good man," and he finally entered Vector Industry's building. He looked around and wasn't very impressed with what he saw. I've seen better offices... And equipment. as he walked passed what appeared to be starship computer cores. He proceeded towards what appeared to be the receptionist desk, "I'm looking to see if Dr. Leingod is available. I believe I have an appointment with him today."

"I'm sorry, but all appointments have been canceled until further notice." The receptionist replied. "May I take a message or something?"

The Bunta raised his eyebrows with interest, currious... "I see. Is there any other way I can reach him?" He subtly waved his hand again, "like his current location perhaps? Or someone who would know?"

"Um...I don't know sir. Perhaps I could call in a vice president?" The receptionist said under the influence of the mind trick.

The Bunta nodded his head with approval. "I'll be right back." The old man quickly walked over to the nearest bathroom where he looked around to see that no one was in the area. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a mobile emitter and pressed a few buttons. Almost instantaneously, the Holographic Trooper emerged.

He appeared to be slightly startled, "what the... *Sigh.* Where have you taken me this time? I was catching up on some security reports, minding my own business when suddenly my program was downloaded into this thing again."

"Remind me to talk to your engineers into programming proper manners into your system." Bunta snapped back. "Now, here's what I need you to do. I need you to go the receptionist saying that you're ready to see the Vice President now. When you're escorted up stairs, I need you to use your abilities to... 'Interrogate' him on the location of Dr. Leingod."

The Hologram smiled "aah, I knew there was a purpose for my services besides being the general paper boy." The hologram then resumed the shape of the Bunta, down to the last perfect detail, save for the Bunta's cloak. The Hologram frowned, "apparently, my program wasn't upgraded to include your cloak."

The Bunta growled, "another reminder to your engineers. Here," the Bunta took off his outer cloak and gave it to the Hologram when the bathroom door began to jiggle. "Shh! Someone's coming."

A Vector Security guard came inside and rushed to the nearest urinal. As he sighed in relief, he didn't notice that there was someone else in the bathroom...

The Hologram and the Bunta looked at each other, "dispose of him," the Bunta whispered. The Hologram nodded and walked up to the unsuspecting, and rather semi-retarded guard and tapped him on the shoulder.

The Hologram turned off his safety features which enabled his arms to interact with objects as though they were solid. Now, he could say... Swing his fist into the guard's chest and pull out his heart and lungs, or twist his esophagus causing him to gasp for air. "Excuse me." The hologram decided to grab the guard's esophagus.

The guard gasped for air and tried fumbling for his sidearm, but to no avail. The guy who did him in was just too good and he went out like a light...

The Bunta pondered over what had just happened here for a few seconds before coming up with a new plan, "change of plans. I want you to go in as the guard here. I'll dispose of the body as I usually do, in the meantime, I'll be waiting for you in the shuttle and will transport you upon your signal."

The Hologram nodded, "hold on a minute though before you dispose of the body..." He reached down and started to snap off one of the guard's hands. "I'll probably be needing this."

"And how do you intend on keeping the blood from falling out and onto the floor?"

"Simple matter really. We'll just position the body as though it was occupying a stall and we leave the arm to drip in the toilet."

"All right then, but what about the smell?"

"It's a bathroom sir. Someone always leaves a smell."

Moments later the Bunta and the Hologram, now as the guard, left the bathroom. The Bunta walked up to the front desk, while the Hologram wandered off to see the Vice President. "on second thought, I better be leaving. I think I've come down with something."

"All right. Have a nice day!" Said the receptionist, who smiled.

As the Bunta leaves the building the Holographic Trooper walks down the corridor, following the maps which are occasionally laid out on the walls. He eventually reached the area where the Vice president was said to reside, but it required a hand print access. He looked around to make sure no one was looking and took out the severed hand of the poor security guard. On the other side was his target talking to someone. He is so close to completing his mission...

As Vice President Balboa was talking on the phone, he noticed one of the Vector Guards coming in. Expecting a package, he just waved him to the corner. "Yeah, just put the thing over there. Yeah. I'd say that's not a good idea. Really? Really? I don't know...sounds like a load of bantha shit if you ask me....yeah, might want to get someone down there if it's that bad, but I dunno. Eh? No, no. It's fine. Just needs tweaking, I'm sure..."

He didn't even notice that the guard didn't have the package, so intent was he in on the conversation...

The Hologram noted at the Vice president's lack of observation. He noted that this will likely be an easy kill. However, he was at the temporary loss as to how he can get information from the man besides using the cord to choke him with... Then he got an idea. The Hologram placed the package down where the Vice President told him to put it, and then slowly walked next to the man. The next movement had to be quick and precise, because if he didn't get that cord around his throat quick enough the vice can call for security. He slowly moved in for the strike, quickly grabbing onto the excess cord behind the unsuspecting Vice... Then he struck.

Suddenly the Veep was gagged from behind and the guy on the other end, noticing the lack of voice, spoke, trying to get his attention: "Hello? Hello? Mike? You there?"

Unfortunately, he was no longer available...

The Hologram tightened his grip upon the Vice president. "I'm afraid you'll have to finnish your call another time. Now, you can make this easy for yourself, or harder. Where's the President?"

The Veep gasped. "I-I don't know!"

Wrong answer...

The Hologram tightened his grip around the man's throat, and pulled him close. "I see you need some persuasion..." The Hologram lifted one of his hands, and slammed it inside the Vice President's chest and squeezed one of his lungs. "The fun thing about being a hologram is that I'm not limited by touch like you solids are. Now, I know you know where he his... He's talking to a friend of mine, and I need to talk to your President before he finishes. You can either tell me, or you'll suffocate... Painfully."

The veep wanted to be brave. He really did want to show this idiot the Coredian spine. But when this hologram -of all things!- stuck his hand inside his body and squeezed his lung painfully, all such thoughts and feelings were useless. "Please...don't kill me! I'll...I'll...tell you! I...know...three...locations where the President...*gasp*...may be hiding your friend!"

He fearfully rattled off those three locations and sobbed.

The hologram released his grip on the Vice Pres's lungs and pulled his hands out. "Thank you, you have been most helpful." Then, he jammed his hand in between the Vice President's chest and twisted his heart around 180 degrees.

The Veep gasped in horrendous pain as his heart was twisted and he died swiftly, almost instantly. Unfortunately for the murderer, just as instantly, alarms began to blare as Vector Security arrangements were activated and soon, guards would break in the office. What's a hologram to do?

The hologram looked at the alarms and lifted the gun which he took from the guard he killed earlier. He shouted into his comlink, "activate transporter lock. Get me out of here."

"Transport in progress."

"I think that progress better hurry up. At this rate, the guards will be on me faster than the Jedi... Or not..." Just then, the hologram looked down and saw the bright red beams of light surround him as he was materialized out of the room.

The bright light dimmed just as the guards entered, blasters drawn. The lead guard swore as he saw the vice president was clearly dead. "Dammit! I want a lockdown of all Vector buildings, and someone notify Dr. Leingod of this! We're going to need a new vice president!"

Meanwhile, in one of Vector Industries' most secure facilities, the interrogation of Miss Bribery Suspect went on and the President himself watched from a one-way window. As he watched one of Konoha's Interrogation specialist try to work on her, a guard whispered in his ear about the dead vice president.

"What? When did this happen?"

"Just a minute ago."

Dr. Leingod gritted his teeth in anger. "I see. Someone's really after Vector, I'd wager. Step up the interrogations!"

"Yes, sir!"

It was one of the most secure locations Vector Industries Security could find on short notice. A nondescript interrogation room with glaring lights and an uncomfortable chair was all that the girl was allowed at the moment. Dr. Leingod was on the other side of the one-way transparisteel, watching it unfold...

Katherine looked smugly at her captors. She crossed her arms, a smile of forced resistance on her lips. Katherine scoffed at them and said, "You Karate Kids won't get anything out of me."
:
She especially sneered at the Konoha Intelligence agents. Mr. McSweeney had told them that Konoha Intel used kids.

The teenager before her was in classic ninja garb. IE, the flak jackets, the navy-blue garb, the shuriken holster. He could be any ninja of Konoha, but he was skilled in the interrogation arts, trained by Master Morino Ibiki himself. "Funny. This 'Karate Kid' has quite a few interrogation techniques at his disposal. Let's make it easy for yourself, hmm?"

Katherine laughed. "And what will you do? Use that Pussy Deflector on your head to get me to talk?"

She then spat at him. "Go on, big man. Go on."

"Charming to the last." The young Chuunin wiped the spit off. "Let's start simple. Who are you working for?"

Katherine smiled and said, "Mommy doesn't tell secrets, sonny."

Tendrils of the Force went out to poke in her mind. He moved his hand slightly. "Surely there's someone you could reveal. It only needs to be a secret between you and me."

Katherine winced and then yelled, "RAPE! RAPE!"

She then glared at the kid and said, "Mommy doesn't swing that way. Do that again, and I will not talk."

"I didn't touch you."

Katherine then smiled evilly and said, "What was the Force for, then?"

The Chuunin scowled slightly. So, she has mental defenses. We'll just have to work harder on that.

"Perhaps we'll try something else. What were you doing with the President?"

Katherine looked at his eyes and laughed bitterly. "A lady can't come into this town and chat with an executive now? I thought you boys weren't Woodians. Auditor this, auditor that. Gonna make me do my taxes next."

"Perhaps. What were you talking about?"

She grows reticent. "Some business."

"What was this business. I am authorized to learn of it, after all."

Katherine glared. "Don't I get a lawyer? Fifth Amendment?" She added an emphasis to the last part. "Or whatever you people call it?"

The kid smiled coldly. "You forget that we are looser on such matters than a democracy would be. We are a monarchy, and proudly so. What the High Council orders, we execute. But we are generous. Give us a name, or perhaps just your real reason for bribing the good Doctor Leingod and we'll allow you your lawyer."

Katherine folded her arms in defiance. She said simply, "That wasn't a bribe. It was merely a demonstration. And I thought you people had civil rights. Fuck is this, Saudi Arabia?"

"I mean, I show a man the capacities of my people, and you think it's a bribe."

"We do have high standards of conduct. Perhaps not as high as the Woodians, but high enough. It looks enough like bribery that it's quite hard to tell the difference."

Katherine raised her eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Really. So what were you doing that would not be construted as bribery?"

Katherine let out a "Harumph."

"I told you. I wasn't intending to give the money to him."

"So what were you intending to do with it?"

"I was intending to keep it and use it to display my wares. A woman can display her wares and let people window shop, yes?"

"Are you sure? Because from what the President tells us, you were intending to bribe him for something."

"Your president's a well meaning fool. But no, I did not intend to bribe him." She smiles and begins to get ginger.

"Hmm. Then how do you explain this?" He snapped his finger, and her recording was piped into the system. "Security cameras aren't silent these days, you know."

"Again, that was just me showing the wares. Promising what my contacts could do for him. I wasn't going to very well give him the money."

"Hmm. You know, I believe there might be a fraud charge in there somewhere. After all, your clients are unknown and what if their products were defective? What if your clients were doing this just to squeeze money or influence out of the good doctor? Goodness knows there's enough rivals to try such tactics."

Katherine grows stern. "My benefactors would never do that. They had only the best in mind for the Doctor.'

"Ah, but who are those benefactors, anyway? If we can't talk to them and clear them, then we'll just have to 'shoot the target' we know. You. Fraud on top of bribery. Perhaps fifteen to twenty with a good judge."

Katherine then crossed her arm. She turned away and refused to say any more flipping them off in the process.

The Chuunin shook his head sadly. "A cute chick like you inside a prison cell with Mrs Bubba? Surely you'd like a life better than that."

She then plugs her ears with fingers and begins singing loudly:
"When they kick out your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun

When the law break in
How you gonna go?
Shot down on the pavement
Or waiting in death row

You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'll have to answer to
Oh, Guns of Brixton!"

She then flipped the bird again.

The Chuunin grumbled. "Fine. We'll be talking again."

He walked out of the door.

"No go, sir." The Chuunin sighed. "Unless you want to ramp it up?"

The President looked at her with faint disgust and nodded. "Do whatever you must. We need whatever information we can get from her."

Katherine, meanwhile, continued to glare at her guards, warbling old punk songs with no care for key or tune.

Reentering the interrogation room the Chuunin formed a seal and concentrated...

Katherine stopped and said to the Chunnin, "What'cha sowin', momma's boy?'

Let's see...what genjutsu should I use...man slaves, horror movies, fake escape...? The Chuunin then smiled. She sounded like a Dornalian, so perhaps... "We have some presents for you."

A man and a woman in crazy cowboy getups entered the room and then strummed their guitars. Then they began singing a random country song...

In front of Katherine, a conjured spirit duo of Conway Twitty and Dolly Parton emerged and begin singing. Katherine winced appropriately. She covers her ears and begins singing Clash songs louder in reply. Yep. Definitely Dornalian, because Coredians love country songs, as well as jazz, techno, J-pop, and that sort of music. They also hate heavy metal. The country singers began hiding secret messages in their songs, and grew louder. The messages were all telling her to reveal all and it will end. Even so, Katherine still wouldn't reveal her secrets, brave girl. She even swiped at them, reduced to a gibbering maniac. But unfortunately, all that did was make them sing louder. It became deafening to her. She eventually pounded on the windows, wanting freedom from the horror of the country songs.

"Come on, guys! Make it stop!!!!" She's not brave anymore, it seemed.

They continue to sing, but interposed with the country song is a message. Reveal everything and you will be free.

She sobbed.....and then shouted, "ALRIGHT!!! I WAS SENT BY THE IRISH MOB! FUCKING MICKS! YOU FUCKING PUT ME IN THIS POSITION, YOU GODDAMN MICKS!"

Who sent you?

She then kicked the chair and said, "I told you guys. The Goddamn Irish Mob!"

Names!

Locations!

"McSweeney! JOHN FUCKIN' MCSWEENEY of SOUTH BOSTON! GODDAMN AMERICANS!" Katherine then began smashing furniture, letting out the anger of being tricked into revealing it all.

Thank Youuuuuuuuuuuuuu! And the genjutsu ended, with the country singer leaving. She then collapsed, looking blankly at the wall and breathing in and out.

The Chuunin smiled. "Thank you, miss. Now, you'll get your lawyer."

Katherine then glared at the Chunnin. "Thanks."

The Chuunin headed to the President. "The Irish Mob is a Dornalian criminal organization. This John Sweeny of South Boston must be a member of the mob."

Dr. Leingod nodded as the other investigators wrote down the information. "I see. We'll have to inform the Dornalians of this, then. We'll get her a lawyer."

Little did they know that she would not need a lawyer...

OOC: As discussed on MSN. If ND or CW have any problems, gimme a holler

IC:
The hologram emerged inside the Shuttle craft. *"Thank god they didn't have any anti-teleporters in there, they probably could've destroyed my Emitter on the spot. *We have our next coordinates for where she is. *She's in one of three complexes, he didn't know exactly which one, but he did know those will be her likely locations. *Now, what we can do is make duplicates of myself here on this shuttle craft and teleport me inside each one until we find her..."


The Bunta shook his head, "While I'd normally agree with you, I have a simpler solution." *The Bunta sat down and meditated for a few moments, expanding his visions within the force to find Katherine. *He knew her pattern and mind well enough to go searching for her, and with the narrowed down locations, it'll be even easier. *Stupid mortals. *He opened his eyes and looked up at the Hologram, "she's being held in this chamber here. *Set a course."

The Shuttle Craft lifted up from it's hangar bay platform and flew off towards it's next location. *The Bunta got up and stood over a computer consul, where he began to input data to change the Hologram's image into something that of a lawyer. *The hologram suddenly twitched, and his image changed once again. *He sighed, "would you mind actually telling me you're going to do that next time? *It's rather annoying to suddenly find that you're no longer in the same body you once were in."


"You were programmed for this, get used to it."

"Your technicians also programmed me to be annoyed by these things too. *Now, I just need a convincing brief case and we'll be all set."

The Bunta walked up to a replicator, "black brief case. *Standard Lawyer issue," *moments later, a brief case appeared in the Replicator and he handed it to the Hologram, along with a pistol. *"Remember, shoot to kill."

The hologram nodded, "of course," and was teleported into the building. He straightened up his suit and proceeded down the hall which Katherine was being held. He continued down the corridor which the woman was being held, and came across a pair of guards who were blocking her doorway.

"Excuse me, I need to get through."

"Only other person allowed in here as of now is her lawyer." The hologram sighed and showed the his ID. The guards raised their eyes in suspicion, "you're here early aren't you?"

"I prefer to be early rather than late. Doesn't matter who the patient is, now let me through or I'll have your superior officer issue orders to be cleaning this entire hallway with a toothbrush, six times over."

The guards looked at each other, "fine, go through. But no funny business. We have a camera in there to watch what's going on."

The hologram nodded his head, "thank you. That's all I ask." He walked on in to a disgruntled Katherine. He placed his brief case on the table, walked up to the camera, and pulled the wiring to make it stop working. He sat back down, and folded his hands on the table. "Mrs. Katherine Matsumoto?"

"Yes?"

"I'm your lawyer, Doctor Hiroshi Morioka."

" 'bout time you got your ass down here."

The hologram smiled and opened his brief case, "now that we have the formalities in place, lets talk about your defense." He made it look like he was shuffling for papers, instead he lifted a gun and fired and she fell onto the table with blood pouring out of her head. The hologram packed up his suitcase, and started to stand up when the guards outside busted down the door.

"Freeze!"

The hologram just glanced at the two guards, and was surrounded by the familiar blueish light of the transporter. The two guards opened fired, only to find that their bullets had only hit air as the hologram mockingly tipped his hand to the guards. He materialized on the shuttle. "Mission success, now lets get out of here. I think they're alarmed."

The Bunta nodded and activated the thrusters, "we need to stop by Hiashi's place now. He said that there's something important which we need to discuss."

As Dr. Leingod was talking with ISB agents, a guard just rushed in fear. "Sir, someone just offed the suspect!"

"What?" The doctor roared.

"Yes. Someone claiming to be her lawyer came in and offed the suspect, then transported away."

"Transport?" The doctor asked.

"Yes. After the guy killed the chick, a blue light surrounded him and he disappeared."

"I thought we had anti-teleport devices in here?"

"Evidently not, sir."

"Well, damn. That will be rectified, then. Too bad about her. Well, I'd better get back to my call with ISB. They need to know." Dr. Leingod said.

"Right." The guard nodded.

=====

Lord Hyuuga Hiashi, head of his Clan, scowled as he read the latest holonews report. Not only did Dr. Leingod's bribery attempt fail, but recent news indicated that New Dornalian ISB is raiding a certain South Boston safe house meant for his Dornalian criminal allies. He was getting a bit concerned lately with the lack of successes. What is to be done to turn it around? Well, he hoped the Bunta could help him clear it up...

South Boston, Earth SSR

The Internal Security Bureau's Anti-Smuggling Unit was the key organization meant to fight organized crime in New Dornalia. One of the more extensive and powerful branches, it had any number of Special Agents and units under its command, and could be found working the beat on any of the mean streets anywhere.

South Boston was no exception. Tipped off by Coredians that the Irish Mob was involved in trying to bribe members of Vector Industries and now a murder of a witness, the Anti-Smuggling Unit decided to pay a visit to the rough and tumble place.

It was a tough beat for Agent Jackson, the Special Agent who bore a resemblance to Tommy Lee Jones. Boston was different than Texas. Tighter, smaller, deathly cold in the Winter, it was a neighborhood that seemed insular, and yet teeming with diversity. Boston Irishmen, those who hadn't gone "lace curtain," lived in brownstones and townhouses that had seen better days, intermingling with blacks and Puerto Ricans rather uneasily. Signs for "Checks Cashed" could be seen all over, and it was clear this was a place to tread lightly. Especially since the McSweeney Gang called it home.

He and his partner from Boston PD, Sgt. O'Donnell, and two other ISB Special Agents parked on the corner around from the simple white townhouse that was said to be the McSweeney Residence. They got out, and Johnson said, "Alright, hang back. I'll take it from here. Bob, Tim, take positions. Get ready."

Walking up to the house, he knocked as the others got ready. The door opened, and a scruffy woman with blonde hair and a cigarette in her mouth stuck rather lazily said, "Hello?" She looked rather unhappy to see him.

"Mrs. McSweeney?"

"Yeah, this is her."

Agent Johnson said, flashing his badge, "Hi, I'm Special Agent Tom Johnson from Internal Security. I need to ask you a few questions, can I come in?"

She looked about, and then said, "Suhre" gruffly. The house revealed itself to be somewhat well maintained, working class but getting to be middle class now. It was obvious that McSweeney's job had netted him a large sum. He was said to deal in crack cocaine, sweetened with some special chemicals from Hajarra. Little wonder that his gang came to be the dominant force here, and it showed.

"Nice place, Mrs. McSweeney."

The wife grumbled, saying in a thick and bitter Boston accent, "You California Cawps already seahrched this place up 'n' down. You know there's nothin' here, ya cahn't get mah husband on anythin'."

Laughing, Johnson replied, as he looked at the bookshelf and saw IRA propaganda--not unusual for South Boston--"Now, Mrs. McSweeney, I haven't come here for a search, you need a warrant. I just want to talk."

She glared at him, "We'll, I've talked to you bastahds already. I don't know anythin'. I'd ask ya to tahk to the kids, but they don't have any idear eithah."

Johnson then nodded and said, "Very interesting documents your husband's got here. 'The Ballad of the Little Armalite?'" He smiled, looking at the IRA propaganda books. He knew that under certain law codes, he could get McSweeney Al Capone style on that.

At that, Mrs. McSweeney shouted, "So what!? Mah huzband is proud of bein' Irish. Not like you California Cawps and your damn MacIntyreism."

He then picked up the book he mentioned, saying, "Very interesting. Tell me, does your husband watch the news?” He flipped through the volume, and put it back, nothing suspicious found. He then shook his head and replied, “Humph.”

Mrs. McSweeney grumbled and said, “Yeah. That ‘Peeple’s Newz Net.’ With that Jap on it. Alberta Tak-taka—tucky, was it? Yeah, he watches that much news. Othawise, he ain’t home often. He’s usually at that pub, tha ‘Black Maria.’ That’s Ma-Rye-Uh.”

“Fascinating,” said Johnson monotonely, as he looked about. He then decided to go upstairs. Mrs. McSweeney became agitated at this, and said, “Wait! Ya cahn’t go up there! Remembuh, ya need a wawrant!”

Johnson then chuckled, and dryly said, “I almost forgot. I have one right here.” He then pulled out a piece of neatly folded paper from his coat pocket, and then took it back, smiling slyly before he made his way up. She fumed, and followed him, saying, “Wait jus’ a minute!”

He opened the door to what was presumably Mr. McSweeney’s room, stopping for a moment and scanning the hallway before doing so. Whilst doing so he used an unusual power—an example of his augmentations gone right. He detected a room with considerable stocks of home office papers and a computer. He then walked in and sat at the desk.

As Mrs. McSweeney watched, he touched the computer and a monofilament wire went into the computer from his fingertip. He then stared at the computer, as he began sifting through his hard disk, mailbox, and other goodies as well. He eventually found what he was looking for—e-mail’s with incriminating language. He printed them out, and uploaded them into the data management sectors of his brain. Releasing the monofilament wire and then x-ray scanned the room, eventually finding a wall safe. Cracking it open with the deftness of a bankrobber, he opened it and began sifting through the papers, as Mrs. McSweeney said “He’s a plumbah, ya know. He’s got tha right to have a safe.”

Johnson grabbed a few papers, and said, dryly to Mrs. McSweeney, “Does he have the right to use it to hide death orders and replies couched in the language of his job? I can tell the code of murderers when I see it, and this looks an awful lot like he was connected to that murder somehow. Besides, some of these books look rather funny, dontcha think?”

Mrs. McSweeney let out a “humph.”

Johnson then left with the papers and called the other ISB agents in…..as he did so, he dropped casually, “Oh and by the way, you know your husband has cybersex records on that machine. Pay for view service named Pet Shop. Furry porn. Well be stopping by again to complete apprehension of your husband. I expect him to come quietly, or we’ll come with force.”

The Bunta's shuttle slowly descended from the atmosphere of Bastion, and proceeded to land in Hiashi's private mansion. The Bunta and the Hologram strolled over to where Hiashi said that he was going to meet them. The Bunta also had his own bit of news to share with Hiashi... For better or worse.

He proceeded up to Hiashi, appearing to be not in the best of moods, "it would appear we have problems. One of our friend's was captured by the Coredians in an attempt to bribe a senator. We managed to kill her, but I suspect that she already gave us away. Have you left anything... Incriminating behind while you visited Earth or elsewhere which she might've mentioned?" The Bunta knows that Hiashi probably did but he needed to be sure. If things were to proceed as he has foreseen, then Hiashi would have indeed left something behind to incriminate them. The Bunta wants to be found.

"As you have requested earlier, I did leave behind a document that would eventually lead back to us." Hiashi frowned. "Although I am uncertain as to the reasoning behind allowing us to be exposed. After all, it was we who planned the bombing at Caprica. Should the Masakis realize that..."

He cut himself off, seeing the noose around his neck and the angry pitchfork-wielding Clans in his mind's eye.

The Bunta paced around, his hand clutching his cane as he paced forward and back in the room. "I have many goals in my time which I need to have accomplished. The reason why would be too complex for a simple mortal such as yourself to be able to comprehend. But since you have proven your worth, I'll see if I can simplify it for you..." The Bunta paced around for a few moments, thinking carefully about what he must say next. Hiashi's part in this story is not yet over, though it will be soon enough. He cannot risk the Jedi Traitor to suddenly go to the Jedi Council and confess...

"This operation of ours is but just another part of my elaborate methods of acquiring one of my goals. The Jedi Council has only discovered the tip of the ice burg, which I need them to discover if I am to complete the next part of my plan. The extent of the corruption which you and I have caused would be devastating news to the Jedi's liability to protect the public. If word gets out, then the public would be just as skeptical of them as the Woodians are. They would loose their trust in the Council to be able to control things. They'll likely send a powerful master in secret, or a small squad to come after us. Nothing we aren't capable of handling."

"Very well." Hiashi let it go for now. Still, as a master ninja, he was naturally wary of allowing the enemy any chance of discovery. "Until then, what do you propose we do?"

"We get our defenses prepared, which we shall leave the hologram of mine to do. In the mean time, I suggest that we should meditate to conserve our strength for the battle to come." The Bunta turned around, and slowly limped on his cane toward the meditation chamber.

"Very well." Hiashi nodded. He moved to the meditation chambers and began to meditate and cultivate his strength for the battle to come.

ISB National HQ, Los Angeles, Earth SSR

"So this is it, eh?"

"Yup."

The packet of data siezed from the McSweeney residence made its way over three thousand miles by courier from the Internal Security Bureau's Field Office in Boston to the National HQ in Los Angeles. An imposing tower to end all towers, it symbolized, along with the JRCCC in San Diego and the Hall of the Soviets where the People's Congress now met, the might of the state. Having wound its way through the offices and cubicles of the complex, it ended up in the appropriately shadowy and secluded office of one Victoria "Shadowdancer" Lew. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Senor_Nb3/1209436222851.jpg) Like many spymasters, Mary Sues and wannabe ninjas, she generally kept her identity secret, and besides the name Victoria Lew, and a tendency to fume at lawyers, nobody really knew what she was thinking. Some even said she was a psychic null, but that needed a blood test, and she was a lady who convulsed at the mention of one. Whatever she was, she made you nervous just looking at her. Maybe it was that insistence on dying her hair pink.

Having said that, let's go to the subject at hand. Lew had in front of her a fascinating packet of data, the one from the McSweeney residence. And she then said, perusing it whilst eating something from a can, "Hmm....I see.....the Coredians have to know about this. What else did that Special Agent find in that...rathold?"

"Rathole, ma'am."

The woman then looked up and said, "Excuse me?"

The adjutant then said, "Rathole. Not Rathold."

Victoria then frowned and said, raising he voice "I know what I said. A place where scum and malcontents live is a rathold. Moving on."

The adjutant coughed, knowing that when Vicky Lew said, "Moving on," she meant, "Moving on." He then said, "Ma'am, Special Agent Johnson also reported e-mail correspondence to a contact operating from a secure server. Said server seemed to be based in Coredia, judging by the rotation of HoloNet IPs, and it seemed to be used by a go-between beteen McSweeney and whoever he was talking to. Also, there was a plethora of financial info, linked to a series of bank accounts. Some in the Cayman Islands, some in Hajarra, some in Switzerland."

The adjutant then concluded, "Finally, the Johnson Search revealed contacts with the Triads."

Lew then looked up and frowned.

"The Triads? How? How is this guy dumb enough to leave all of this data in his room?"

The adjutant then said, "Well, that took Johnson some searching through the suspect's PC and some further followups with local cops. But apparently, Boston PD records of some Chinese customers of his that recently used his plumbing and narcotics services show two trends. One's that many of those guys are from a corrupt wing of the old Koumintang. The other's that many of those guys work for a known front for the United Bamboo Gang. Circumstantial, but if he's been dealing with these guys, they may be involved with whatever McSweeney's been cooking up."

Lew frowned, then sat Indian style, popped six reddish peanuts into her mouth and chewed loudly with her mouth open. Then, she then swallowed, and replied thusly.

"Thank you, Mr. Smith."

Dismissing the adjutant, she then said, "Oh yes! I want you to go make copies of this information, and deliver them BY HAND to the Coredian Embassy. I'll call to let them know you're coming."

Thus, the calls were made....

"Coredian Embassy, Los Angeles. How can I help you?" A beautiful Twi'lek receptionist asked kindly.

"Coredian Embassy, Los Angeles. How can I help you?" A beautiful Twi'lek receptionist asked kindly.

"Hi, this is Jay Smith of the New Dornalian Internal Security Bureau. I have some top level data that's real important. It concerns the recent bribery attempts at Vector."

"Hi, this is Jay Smith of the New Dornalian Internal Security Bureau. I have some top level data that's real important. It concerns the recent bribery attempts at Vector."
"I'll patch you in to the Ambassador, then." The girl replied and then linked to the Ambassador.

"Hello? Miss Smith?" Ambassador Eragon Watson replied, picking up the comphone and switching to a secure line. He is one of top diplomats in the Corps, and a Jedi to boot! "What is it?"

"I'll patch you in to the Ambassador, then." The girl replied and then linked to the Ambassador.

"Hello? Miss Smith?" Ambassador Eragon Watson replied, picking up the comphone and switching to a secure line. He is one of top diplomats in the Corps, and a Jedi to boot! "What is it?"

"I'm calling to let you know that I'm coming to the Embassy right about now with some data. Apparently, one of our agents discovered some information concerning the Vector Bribery Attempt. It concerned that man in Boston revealed by that interrogation--John McSweeney of South Boston. Well, let's just say he's not very good at hiding incriminating data."

Calling from a car, Jay Smith, one of many adjutants of Vicky Lew, all named "Smith," the enigmatic boss of ISB, drove to the Coredian Embassy. Getting past the crowds of Masaki fangirls, who were having their usual LAPD supervised shouting match with a group of Japanese Ultranationalists and Skinheads, after a security check she went to the receptionist's desk to inquire about the whereabouts of Ambassador Watson's office.

"I'm calling to let you know that I'm coming to the Embassy right about now with some data. Apparently, one of our agents discovered some information concerning the Vector Bribery Attempt. It concerned that man in Boston revealed by that interrogation--John McSweeney of South Boston. Well, let's just say he's not very good at hiding incriminating data."
"Very well. I'll have the receptionist call you in." The Ambassador said.

Calling from a car, Jay Smith, one of many adjutants of Vicky Lew, all named "Smith," the enigmatic boss of ISB, drove to the Coredian Embassy. Getting past the crowds of Masaki fangirls, who were having their usual LAPD supervised shouting match with a group of Japanese Ultranationalists and Skinheads, after a security check she went to the receptionist's desk to inquire about the whereabouts of Ambassador Watson's office.
"Right in there, Ma'am." The receptionist smiled, showing her teeth.

"Very well. I'll have the receptionist call you in." The Ambassador said.


"Right in there, Ma'am." The receptionist smiled, showing her teeth.

Jay walked into the office, and bowed and extended her right hand for a handshake. This was done rather awkwardly, since she had a very fat and taped up manila envelope, presumably with what looked like an alarm on it. She placed it on Watson's desk, disarming the alarm, and said, "Sir, here's the data. Inside are e-mails, letters, financial statements--everything we've dug up on McSweeney. A good portion of those financial statements are linked to secret numbered accounts in Switzerland, Cayman Islands, and Hajarra. As for the e-mails, a good number of them are with a secure server, with rotating IPs corresponding to a location in Coredia. There's also some coded letters too."

She then continued, "Some of these contacts--and McSweeney's own file--are here from the Boston Police. There were a number of Chinese individuals he was contacting over a period, and BPD records indicate a number of them are tied to a front organization with the United Bamboo Gang, and with a corrupt wing of the now-defunct Koumintang--er, Chinese Nationalist Party."

Ambassador Watson looked over the documents in silence. The accounts were damning enough, but when his eyes swept to the location indicated by the emails, he was stunned. He knew the location. "No...this can't be true..."

The location corresponded to none other than the Hyuuga Compound at Bastion. Someone within a Clan that was second only to the Masakis in power, influence and loyalty to Coredia...was a traitor.

"Damn. This is hotter than a blue giant star!" The Ambassador breathed. He looked up at Jay. "I'm going to need to inform the Emperor of this, but I can't trust any transmission whatsoever. Can I trust you to personally deliver this information to him?"

"Damn. This is hotter than a blue giant star!" The Ambassador breathed. He looked up at Jay. "I'm going to need to inform the Emperor of this, but I can't trust any transmission whatsoever. Can I trust you to personally deliver this information to him?"

Jay Smith nodded, and said, "I can deliver the information to the Emperor personally, sir. I am sure my superiors can get some people together to provide appropriate escort for me."

It was plain to see that, though Jay Smith was not a Force user by any stretch of the imagination, she could understand that look the Ambassador had in his eyes. This was something seriously big, big being an understatement usually in this business.

"Thanks," she said, blushing at the sudden responsibility thrust on her. "Is that all?"

"No. Go quickly. We have little time to waste." The Ambassador shook his head.

"No. Go quickly. We have little time to waste." The Ambassador shook his head.

"As you wish." Jay then began running out of the Embassy, bowing and saying, "Thank you, Ambassador" before exiting. She then quickly arrived at ISB HQ, put the papers into a secure envelope, rigged the envelope with a nanoshredder to destroy the documents in case she was captured and the envelope compromised, and then quickly requisitioned two things.

One: two pistols. One a beefy railpistol, another a Walther PPK in .380 ACP as a holdout, complete with specialized rounds cooked up by ISB Armory.

Two: An express ticket to Issus, whereupon she boarded the next available flight and flew there. After going through security and vaguely explaining how she was on government business--and presenting proper papers and ID--she then went to the one spot where the Emperor could be.....

Office of the Emperor, Issus Jedi Temple

Once again, I found myself chained to my desk dueling with some paperwork, courtesy of my slavedriver, ahem, secretary Sciezka. Man, what a grouch! So anyway, as I felt the sting of the whip on my shoulder and the salt of my sweat on my brow, a chime alerted me to something that could quite well deliver me from this...slavery!

"Yes?" I asked as I pushed the button on my comlink.

"Sir, you have a Ms. Jay Smith from New Dornalia at the door." My secretary said in a bubbly fashion. "She says it's urgent."

"New Dornalia? Send her in!" I said.

"Yes, sir!" Sciezka chimed and then told the woman to enter...

Office of the Emperor, Issus Jedi Temple

Once again, I found myself chained to my desk dueling with some paperwork, courtesy of my slavedriver, ahem, secretary Sciezka. Man, what a grouch! So anyway, as I felt the sting of the whip on my shoulder and the salt of my sweat on my brow, a chime alerted me to something that could quite well deliver me from this...slavery!

"Yes?" I asked as I pushed the button on my comlink.

"Sir, you have a Ms. Jay Smith from New Dornalia at the door." My secretary said in a bubbly fashion. "She says it's urgent."

"New Dornalia? Send her in!" I said.

"Yes, sir!" Sciezka chimed and then told the woman to enter...

Jay rushed in at Sciezka's command, and upon entry, saluted and delivered a stiff 45-degree bow. It was only afterward that the ISB agent noticed the Lightning Emperor's unfortunate situation, finding him a thrall of mountains of paperwork and the unfortunate captive of a stern taskmaster. Thus it was Jay introduced herself sheepishly with a simple, "Jay Smith, Internal Security Bureau. I have something here from the Anti-Smuggling Unit you should see, Your Excellency."

She then handed him the papers, disarming the nanoshredder and enabling Danny to open the envelope without the documents being turned into something like cookies.

As she did so, Jay said, "Sorry if this is more papers for you to do...."

"Can't be worse than the rest of this..." I took the papers and began reading them. Oh, how wrong was I when I realized just what I was holding. I took in a deep breath and began radiating the anger beginning to boil out into the Force, but even so, some of it managed to leak. Someone within the Hyuuga Clan was a traitor, or using the Hyuugas to fan the flames of betrayal. Either way, things were beginning to get a lot deeper and more dangerous than ever before. And if I didn't do something to stop it, Coredia was going to fall apart like a house of cards.

"Thank you, Ms. Smith." I managed to peel my eyes away from the documents. "You are dismissed."

I turned my chair around, contemplating what to do with this information. I'm going to need to uncover two things: who is the party to this betrayal and if there's more evidence of treason that I could use to take down whoever did it, especially when I know that I have to convince the Kokkai of the idea. Either that or send an assassin to deal with the traitor and then clean up the the aftermath, but that sort of tactic always leaves a bad taste in my mouth, considering it'll make me no better than Palpatine. If anything, that would have to be the absolute last tactic after all other options are exhausted...

"Can't be worse than the rest of this..." I took the papers and began reading them. Oh, how wrong was I when I realized just what I was holding. I took in a deep breath and began radiating the anger beginning to boil out into the Force, but even so, some of it managed to leak. Someone within the Hyuuga Clan was a traitor, or using the Hyuugas to fan the flames of betrayal. Either way, things were beginning to get a lot deeper and more dangerous than ever before. And if I didn't do something to stop it, Coredia was going to fall apart like a house of cards.

"Thank you, Ms. Smith." I managed to peel my eyes away from the documents. "You are dismissed."

Smith left, somewhat disturbed at the look on Danny's face. The documents she had delivered were obviously big.....

OOC: NEW THREAD HERE!

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13739363#post13739363