06-08-2016, 07:29 PM
Coruscant’s Tier 1, now that she was not skulking through its shadows, was significantly easier to navigate. A quick check with her eyepieces confirmed that the cyber expert she had hoped to consult had replied, providing a hefty attachment to run. She forwarded the package to Chip, with an explanation as to what it contained. There was another message from one of the forums she’d made an account on for her real name, something from a Karl Jak. She put that to one side to deal with later.
There was a light drizzle in the air, though the temperature was warm and it felt like a spring shower more than a winter’s misery. Carmelita stepped out of the portal square and took a few moments to summon her red overcoat, fastening it loosely by the top two buttons.
She made her way through the open gardens to the nearest pedestrian lift, idly looking at her surroundings and subconsciously searching for each camera and stormtrooper guard as she walked. Stepping into the lift on her own, she made to go down as far as it would take her… namely Tier 4.
There was a two minute descent to handle, and Carmelita received her reply from Chip in the form of a Tier 6 address and a note that their new electronic friend was still half asleep. She took that to mean Chip was trying to keep her mind off her brother’s plight by fixing the AI. She turned off her earpiece as the lift came to a halt, the smell of cigarette smoke wafting through the opening doors.
Tier 4 was a chaotic mess of neon to Carmelita’s first glance, the section of the tier she was in set to night. She took a moment to look for signs to one of the industrial lifts down to the lowest tiers, stepping out of the busy street to peer at one of the ill-lit street markings.
She clamped a hand down on the wrist of of a man who had been going for her overcoat’s pocket. There wasn’t anything in there, but she gave a warning growl anyway without turning her head and the sound of running feet soon receded into the darkness of a nearby alley.
The industrial lift was a iron monstrosity, closely guarded by a contingent of stormtroopers. She flashed her badge at them with an air of confidence as she approached, nestling herself between two empty vans as the screech of the cables and motors reached her ears. There was a noticeable jerk and the grimy lift began descending even further.
There was a stop for Tier 5, one of the vans leaving to be replaced with a truck full of scrap, before the lift ground to a halt for Tier 6. Carmelita was the only pedestrian to leave at this point, walking confidently past the heavily armoured stormtroopers and into the hustle and bustle of the wood and breezeblock jungle that she had come across.
The only light available down here were the stuttering roof lights, the flickering strong enough to give her a migraine. There were screams and shouts all around, the riot of hard-done by citizens all around a cacophony of sentience. Carmelita turned on her eyepieces and began trawling the dataverse, finally coming across something that might barely function as a map. The section of the tier she needed to go to was at least a half hour walk away, so she wasted no time in heading off.
Once she had left the vicinity of the lift, her surroundings rapidly degraded into hovels. She was well aware that her quality of dress and the fancy earpieces would mark her as an outsider, and she wasted no time in finding a suitable doorway and activating her collar’s cloak. The familiar smell of singed air replaced that of feces and sewage, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
--
The sight of children playing barefoot in an alley whilst two muscular men stood watch was her first indication that she had entered gang territory. Before now people had been scared to even stand in the crime ridden streets that demarcated the areas, but here it seemed that those who were in were either confident enough in their affiliation or were being strong armed to let their kids stay under a gang’s protection. She frowned quietly. Her destination was slap in the middle of this gang’s neighbourhood, no doubt intentionally trying to throw off more cowardly pursuers, and she now had to decide how to proceed from here.
From a quick check of prices, the healing abilities of bacta led to it being a highly valuable commodity. Likely the gang did not know about its presence on its turf, or else it would have been requisitioned very quickly. Nimo was probably here under a pseudonym and flashing a picture of him would draw way too much attention. Whoever this Sullivan was, Carmelita intended for him to never learn she was here.
Carmelita looked carefully. The ideal spot to learn about new people in the neighbourhood would be…
A trio of old ladies sat in a rough porch, discussing events as they washed clothing clean of suspiciously red stains. Carmelita carefully sat nearby, relying on her cloak to keep her hidden as she listened in.
“Did you hear Mirka got shot twice yesterday?”
“Oh dear, I knew that boy was going to die young. Much too eager to beat his chest at the street corners. How’s Mildred?”
“She’s got together with a girl from the Two Teeth, they’re making money from their bodies while making the ten limbed beast together in their down time. My grandkids know better than that, of course.”
“Ours too. We brought up Adrian’s fate of dying from Exrig and that scared them straight not to market their junks.”
“Enough about that, what about Jess? She could do with a partner now she’s old enough to run for Old Fakir. What about that young man that’s in Regi’s old home.”
“A monoeye and a trieye? Can’t say it’d work out. I think we should give Tom a chance, nudge him and tell him Jess was making eyes at him.”
“Stop that, you’re getting worse. Pass me those rags, I’ll get them clean for Yixy and he’d better pay up on time.”
With the new information under her belt, Carmelita smiled and began preparations to find this home of Regi...
There was a light drizzle in the air, though the temperature was warm and it felt like a spring shower more than a winter’s misery. Carmelita stepped out of the portal square and took a few moments to summon her red overcoat, fastening it loosely by the top two buttons.
She made her way through the open gardens to the nearest pedestrian lift, idly looking at her surroundings and subconsciously searching for each camera and stormtrooper guard as she walked. Stepping into the lift on her own, she made to go down as far as it would take her… namely Tier 4.
There was a two minute descent to handle, and Carmelita received her reply from Chip in the form of a Tier 6 address and a note that their new electronic friend was still half asleep. She took that to mean Chip was trying to keep her mind off her brother’s plight by fixing the AI. She turned off her earpiece as the lift came to a halt, the smell of cigarette smoke wafting through the opening doors.
Tier 4 was a chaotic mess of neon to Carmelita’s first glance, the section of the tier she was in set to night. She took a moment to look for signs to one of the industrial lifts down to the lowest tiers, stepping out of the busy street to peer at one of the ill-lit street markings.
She clamped a hand down on the wrist of of a man who had been going for her overcoat’s pocket. There wasn’t anything in there, but she gave a warning growl anyway without turning her head and the sound of running feet soon receded into the darkness of a nearby alley.
The industrial lift was a iron monstrosity, closely guarded by a contingent of stormtroopers. She flashed her badge at them with an air of confidence as she approached, nestling herself between two empty vans as the screech of the cables and motors reached her ears. There was a noticeable jerk and the grimy lift began descending even further.
There was a stop for Tier 5, one of the vans leaving to be replaced with a truck full of scrap, before the lift ground to a halt for Tier 6. Carmelita was the only pedestrian to leave at this point, walking confidently past the heavily armoured stormtroopers and into the hustle and bustle of the wood and breezeblock jungle that she had come across.
The only light available down here were the stuttering roof lights, the flickering strong enough to give her a migraine. There were screams and shouts all around, the riot of hard-done by citizens all around a cacophony of sentience. Carmelita turned on her eyepieces and began trawling the dataverse, finally coming across something that might barely function as a map. The section of the tier she needed to go to was at least a half hour walk away, so she wasted no time in heading off.
Once she had left the vicinity of the lift, her surroundings rapidly degraded into hovels. She was well aware that her quality of dress and the fancy earpieces would mark her as an outsider, and she wasted no time in finding a suitable doorway and activating her collar’s cloak. The familiar smell of singed air replaced that of feces and sewage, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
--
The sight of children playing barefoot in an alley whilst two muscular men stood watch was her first indication that she had entered gang territory. Before now people had been scared to even stand in the crime ridden streets that demarcated the areas, but here it seemed that those who were in were either confident enough in their affiliation or were being strong armed to let their kids stay under a gang’s protection. She frowned quietly. Her destination was slap in the middle of this gang’s neighbourhood, no doubt intentionally trying to throw off more cowardly pursuers, and she now had to decide how to proceed from here.
From a quick check of prices, the healing abilities of bacta led to it being a highly valuable commodity. Likely the gang did not know about its presence on its turf, or else it would have been requisitioned very quickly. Nimo was probably here under a pseudonym and flashing a picture of him would draw way too much attention. Whoever this Sullivan was, Carmelita intended for him to never learn she was here.
Carmelita looked carefully. The ideal spot to learn about new people in the neighbourhood would be…
A trio of old ladies sat in a rough porch, discussing events as they washed clothing clean of suspiciously red stains. Carmelita carefully sat nearby, relying on her cloak to keep her hidden as she listened in.
“Did you hear Mirka got shot twice yesterday?”
“Oh dear, I knew that boy was going to die young. Much too eager to beat his chest at the street corners. How’s Mildred?”
“She’s got together with a girl from the Two Teeth, they’re making money from their bodies while making the ten limbed beast together in their down time. My grandkids know better than that, of course.”
“Ours too. We brought up Adrian’s fate of dying from Exrig and that scared them straight not to market their junks.”
“Enough about that, what about Jess? She could do with a partner now she’s old enough to run for Old Fakir. What about that young man that’s in Regi’s old home.”
“A monoeye and a trieye? Can’t say it’d work out. I think we should give Tom a chance, nudge him and tell him Jess was making eyes at him.”
“Stop that, you’re getting worse. Pass me those rags, I’ll get them clean for Yixy and he’d better pay up on time.”
With the new information under her belt, Carmelita smiled and began preparations to find this home of Regi...