Star Wars: Homecoming

2 years prior to The Force Awakens...
A persistent and interactive galaxy set shortly before the events of Episode VII

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Pryde
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Star Wars: Homecoming

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Stepping back into her old home again felt like she was facing a firing squad. When she left Corellia six months ago she and her father didn't part on good terms. It seemed almost as though they were never on good terms. Isis Sinclair took too much after her mother. She was free spirited and impulsive, a stark contrast to her husband's strict and disciplined nature. She would often do things without warning, like plan a trip for the family to a resort hotel without consulting anyone. She was caring and so full of life which made it that much more difficult for Isis to cope with when she took ill and passed away from disease. The Sinclair residence had never been the same after that.

"Mistress Sinclair," a mechanical voice suddenly exclaimed, "You've returned."

"Hello, Gabriella," Isis said, "Long time no see."

G4-BL4, otherwise known as Gabriella, was the Sinclair family service droid. Gabriella had been taking care of Isis for as long as she'd been alive. "I assume my father's home," Isis continued though her tone was flat and didn't convey any enthusiasm for the encroaching encounter.

"He's in the study, Mistress. He'll be pleased you've come home."

I doubt that, Isis thought to herself. "I'm not going to be staying for long, Gabriella. I have some business to take care of and then I'm off."

If the droid could frown Isis imagined she would be doing it right now. "That's unfortunate, but I'm sure he'll be glad to see you all the same."

The droid wheeled past her and into the next room. Isis watched her leave for a moment then steeled her shoulders. She found her father sitting in the study as Gabriella said he would be. When she entered he was in the midst of a conference call between several shareholders. Isis had opened her mouth to speak but even without looking at her he simply held up a finger to silence her.

"Yes, that's good. We'll discuss this more in the morning," he said and then he turned off the holo display. He fixed his daughter with a stern stare. "You've come back."

"I have," Isis replied, she was expecting much worse.

"How much do you need?"

"Excuse me?" Isis was surprised, she hadn't expected that.

"How much do you need? I assume that's why you're here."

Now she was fuming. She balled her hands into fists and shook with barely contained rage. "You think I want money?!"

Isaac's expression did not change. "If not money then what? Why come back?"

"Because," she shouted, "Just because...," she couldn't finish that statement. Even she was at a loss for why she came back.

"Well you're room is just as you left it," he said simply then he reached down and pulled a stack of papers out of a drawer and set them down in front of him on his desk.

Isis glared at him as he sat there reading through reports. She couldn't believe how he was treating her. "Don't you have anything more to say," she demanded.

"Oh," Isaac said, looking up from his reports, "like what?"

"Like 'how are you,'" she exclaimed, "Your daughter's been gone for six months and when she finally comes back the first thing you say to her is how much?"

"When you left, Isis, you made it clear I didn't have a daughter. Are you telling me you feel differently about that now?"

"Blast it, Dad, why can't you just be happy with me?"

"I'd be happy if I didn't spend thousands of credits so you could attend school only to have you drop out."

"Great, we're back to this again," Isis said, throwing her arms up in the air in frustration. "I never wanted to go to that school, Dad, but that didn't matter to you, did it? You never once stopped to ask me how I felt about it."

"You were out of control, Isis, I had to do something to rein you in. The military would have taught you discipline if you weren't so stubborn like your mother."

The mention of Isis' mother silenced both of them. It was years ago when she passed away but the pain of her loss still felt fresh in their minds. After awhile it was Isaac who spoke up first. "Go get some rest," he said gently, "I'm sure you're tired from the trip home."

She nodded and he continued. "How long do you plan to stay?"

Isis shrugged, "A few days, maybe. I have a job I need to finish."

"Well, go get some sleep," he said, "We'll talk about it more tomorrow."

Isis turned and left the room. Perhaps it was the fight with her father or the memories of her mother but Isis was suddenly beginning to realize just how tired she actually felt. After she entered her room she took one quick look around then started to get ready for bed. Isaac was right, everything appeared to be exactly where she left it, even the pile of dirty clothes on the floor. She was surprised Gabriella didn't blow a gasket having to leave it there. Then she wondered why she left it there. Why didn't her father have her room cleaned after she left? Isis was too tired to think about it now and the moment her head hit the pillow she was fast asleep...
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

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"I forbid it," Isaac roared, interrupting that morning's otherwise peaceful atmosphere.

"You can't forbid anything," Isis shot back.

The two of them were standing in their rather large dining room, the argument having broken out shortly after breakfast. Isaac had asked Isis about the nature of the job she was on and when he found out what it was his expression changed completely.

"Absolutely not," he reiterated, "No daughter of mine is going to risk her life chasing violent criminals!"

"Oh, so I can't be a bounty hunter, but you're okay with me joining the military!"

"That's different, Isis, I could have used my influence to get you a desk job! I wanted you to learn some discipline not put you in danger!"

"Well, it's my life, Dad, and I'll do what I want with it!"

"Not as long as you live in this house you won't!"

"Fine, then I won't be in this house," she said then she turned on her heel and headed for the door, pausing only once to grab her coat.

"You get back here this instant, young lady," Isaac shouted after her but she was already through the door and gone. With a sigh he fell into a nearby chair and held his head in his hands...

Isis, meanwhile, had wandered around downtown Coronet until her anger had abated. She had a pretty good idea of where she was going, she just didn't know what Hirai would say as soon as she got there. The two of them were as close as sisters yet Isis had gone away without so much as a good bye. The thought of what Hirai might say to her almost made her turn back twice. In spite of her reluctance her feet still carried her to the old racetrack just outside the grounds of Beruss Academy. A young girl was busy running laps as Isis approached. It wasn't until Hirai rounded the next bend and saw Isis that she finally stopped.

"Hi," Isis said sheepishly.

Hirai gave her a look then kept on running.

"Hey, wait! Hirai," Isis called after her, "Alright, I get it! You're mad!"

"Mad doesn't cut it," Hirai shot back over her shoulder as she ran, "You're lucky I'm not cleaning your clock right now!"

Isis tried to follow her as she ran around the track but rather than keeping pace she just cut the course. "Are you going to stop running and talk to me?"

Hirai bounded to a halt and spun on her. "Six months, Sis! Six months! You don't call, you don't write. Where the hell have you been?"

"Here and there," Isis replied, "I got work doing--you know, odd jobs. Mostly just tracking bail jumpers, but I've had a few lucrative ones."

Hirai gave her a look and Isis averted her eyes. "Okay, one lucrative one."

Still more silence and Isis rolled her eyes and corrected herself for the third time. "Okay, it's not even lucrative but it pays five grand and that's the most I've ever been offered."

"I don't get it, Sis. You're family's rich, you live in a big house. Why are you chasing bounties?"

"Because it's the first thing I've done that I wasn't told to do," Isis said with a shrug, "Thanks to my Dad I've got all these skills I learned from Beruss. I just figured I'd put them to good use."

"You're lucky you didn't end up dead," Hirai told her, "What were you thinking running out on your dad?"

Isis made a face. "You're not going to take his side, are you?"

"Maybe I should. Maybe then you'll think of someone other than yourself."

Isis was taken aback by the harshness in her tone. "I didn't come here to fight, Hirai," she said.

"Then why did you come?"

"To ask for a place to stay."

Hirai looked surprised. "Sis, I live in the dorms. You know I can't have guests inside."

Isis gave her a hard look. "Fine, guess I'll just have to figure something out then."

She turned to leave then and Hirai's expression softened. "Sis, I didn't mean it like that. Besides, why aren't you staying with your dad?"

"Do I really need to explain why I'm not staying with my dad," Isis asked without turning around or stopping.

Hirai followed her. "Alright, alright," she said, "I'll think of something. Just so long as you remember that you owe me."

Finally Isis stopped and threw her arms around Hirai. "Thanks," she said, "I do owe you..."

**********

In the darkness of an abandoned alleyway somewhere on the outskirts of Coronet a shadowy figure stood huddled against the cold. The collar of his jacket was pulled up high and from his pocket he withdrew a small two-way communicator. "Yeah, it's me," he said, holding the communicator to his lips, "No, it's fine. I managed to get the delivery here safely."

He waited a few moments while the person on the other side of the call spoke. "There was some trouble getting off Balmorra," he explained, "Damned dock official poking his nose in where it don't belong."

He listened again and shook his head even though the other person couldn't see him. "No, the guy was a snake. He took a small pittance as payment. It won't come back to haunt us."

He listened some more. "No, of course not. My word is as good as my bond. I'll be there with the shipment tomorrow."

Then he flipped off the communicator and shoved it back into his pocket. On the other end of the alleyway a pair of lovers crashed through the backdoor of a nearby club. A human male and a Twi'lek female, they were deep in the throes of passion. Sylar watched them for a moment then shook his head. The alleyway was getting a bit too crowded for his tastes and he needed to move on anyway. The last thing he needed was some other fool poking their nose into his business...
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Pryde
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

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Isis awoke early the next morning to the sound of bugles over the loudspeaker. She rolled over onto her side and checked her chrono then moaned inwardly. "There's something I don't miss about this place," she grumbled to herself.

Behind her Hirai was already out of bed and halfway into her uniform. Isis just lay there watching her for a bit then shook her head. "Don't you ever get tired of this?"

"Tired of what?"

"Getting up at the crack of dawn. What's up with that? Nobody else on this planet is getting up this early."

Hirai threw her jacket over her shoulders and slipped her arms through the sleeves. "Lots of people get up this early, Sis. People with jobs."

"Well, thank the Force I'm not one of them," she muttered under her breath as she rolled over onto her side again. She was about to drift off to sleep again with Hirai nudged her roughly with her foot.

"You have to get up too, you know," she said, "Morning inspection is going to start soon and you need to leave before they get here."

Isis sighed heavily. "Come on, five more minutes," she begged.

"No," Hirai told her as she pulled the blanket off her friend, "You've gotta go now."

Isis rolled back over to look at her. "Where exactly am I supposed to go?"

Hirai just shrugged. "I don't know. Back home? Reconcile with your father?"

Isis made a face. "Like that's ever going to happen," she grumbled to herself.

Then she stood and grabbed her coat from a nearby chair. "Fine," she said, "I guess I have some work to do, anyway."

"Be careful, Sis," Hirai said as Isis moved to the door.

"Always am," Isis replied with a cocky smile, then she disappeared through the door into the hallway beyond.

That's what I'm afraid of, Hirai thought to herself. Then she turned around and began fishing around for her boots...
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

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Isis didn't make it far from Clara's room before someone stopped her. "Sinclair," a voice shouted and Isis immediately rolled her eyes. She waited half a second before she turned around with a forced smile on her face.

"Sergeant Ohara," she said with mock surprise, "It's so good to see you!"

"Don't play me for a fool, Sinclair, why are you here?"

"Why?" Isis pretended to consider that a moment, "Oh I dunno, visiting old friends. Checking out my old haunts. Maybe a bit of nostalgia?"

Sergeant Graham Ohara, Beruss' least humorous drill sergeant, gave her a stern look. "If you think you can go AWOL for six months and then come crawling back like nothing happened you've got another thing coming, Cadet."

"Relax, Chuckles," Isis replied, "I'm just passing through. Came to visit an old friend."

"At 0700," he said, his hands on his hips.

Isis just shrugged. "I was in the middle of my morning jog."

Graham moved closer to her until he was standing right next to her. "If I find out you're up to something--," he started but she interrupted him

"Look, I'm just here to visit Scanner, alright?"

"Scanner's been expelled," he said, much to Isis' surprised.

"Really? Why?"

Graham crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't see how that's any of your business, Sinclair. Now it's time you got off my campus."

It's not your campus, jerk, she thought to herself. She considered saying it aloud but instead opted to give him a mock curtsy before turning around and moving on. Behind her she could hear Graham shouting at one of the students in their room, probably dressing him down for not creasing his sheets right or something trivial like that. Isis had more than her share of those dressing downs herself but she was glad to not have to participate.

Outside the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon to the east. It wasn't yet visible between the city's skyscrapers but a wash of yellows and reds colored the sky. Around the campus cadets and officers alike were prepping for their morning PT. Six months ago Isis would have been there with them but she had no desire to join the military. She attended Beruss on her father's orders and much of her time here was spent pranking the officers and trying to get thrown out. Every time, however, her father would throw his weight around and get her put back in. The weekly meetings with her father and Beruss' CO were becoming a routine until finally she had had enough and left the planet entirely.

She grumbled to herself the whole way from the trainee barracks to the front gate as she tried to forget those memories. She'd come to Corellia on the word of her employer, but beyond that she had no idea where her quarry might be. She's not even entirely sure how her employer knew. She needed a place to start and Scanner was as good as she was going to get. She just hoped he still lived at the same address...
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

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It was late that morning when Isis arrived at Scanner's apartment in downtown Coronet. She rode the turbolift up fifty stories and knocked on his front door. At first no one answered so she knocked again and waited. There was a brief pause before finally the door slid open revealing Isis' old 'friend' staring up at her.

"Hey, Shorty," Isis said with a wave and Scanner made a face.

"You know I hate that name, Isis."

Isis' eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You never said anything."

"Because you never listened," he grumbled back, "Now what do you want."

"I just need your help with something," she said, "Do you mind if I come in?"

Scanner hesitated a moment then stepped aside. Isis walked past him into his opulently decorated apartment. Clearly Scanner's family did well for themselves. "Who is it," Isis heard a voice call from deeper in the apartment.

"Just a friend, Ma," Scanner called back.

Isis gave him a look. "You live with your parents?"

"I'm seventeen, Isis. Where am I supposed to live?"

Funny, I remember him being older. "Anyway, where's your computer?"

"This way," he said, directing her upstairs to his room.

Once inside Isis let out a surprised whistle. Scanner had some serious hardware in his room. She had known he was way into this hacking stuff but she hadn't realized just how into it he was. Looking at the monster machine taking up the entire wall on the far side of the room, however, brought it all into perspective. "So, how'd you get expelled from Beruss, anyway? What'd you do?"

"I stole the premium channels on the holovid in the common room," he said, "Ohara found out about it and ratted me out to the Dean."

Of course he would, Isis thought to herself. "Well, if it's any consolation with the demilitarization the Republic will probably shut down Beruss anyway," she said idly as she crossed the room over to his computer. "Now how do you make this work?"

"You haven't told me what you needed," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I just need you to help me find someone. He should've came in through the port yesterday. If you can get him on camera and tell me where he went after that...," she left the rest hanging in the air.

Scanner gave her a look. "I'm not helping you stalk an old boyfriend, am I?"

"Of course not," Isis snapped, stamping her foot. If he was standing next to her she'd have hit him. "I was hired to find someone and bring him back to Balmorra for a court hearing."

"You're a bounty hunter?" Scanner's eyes lit up at the thought. He often romanticized about being a lone wolf and upholding the law, but considering his stature he didn't really make for an intimidating figure. Nor for that matter did Isis.

"Surprised," Isis asked with a half smirk, "I sort of fell into it on accident. Got my license three months ago."

"That is so cool," he said, crossing over to her and then flipping a switch to turn on his computer. "So what is it you need me to do?"

Isis pulled a small device out of her pocket and turned it on. A blue holographic image of her target appeared above her hand and she held it out to him. "See if you can find him using that facial recognition software of yours."

Scanner took the device from her and held it up so he could see his face. "I can try, Isis, but you know that's going to take hours, right? Maybe even weeks."

"Weeks," Isis exclaimed, "He could leave Corellia by then!"

"Well, what do you want me to do? Scanning the faces of everyone in the city takes time. I can't just magically make it work on command. Unless...," his words trailed off.

"Unless what," Isis asked, giving him a look.

"Unless we try looking for him on the dark net," he finished.

Isis had no idea what he was talking about. "The dark net?"

Scanner sat down at his computer and immediately began working his fingers over the keys on his keyboard. "Information brokers exist on the dark net. Bounty hunters use them sometimes to help track down their quarry. Maybe one of them can help you find yours."

Isis crossed her arms and looked at him. "How is it you know so much about bounty hunting?"

Scanner just shrugged and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. Isis followed where he pointed and saw a huge pile of comics and memorabilia of famous bounty hunters throughout history. The most prominent of which was a series based on Boba Fett. "You read about this in a comic," she asked incredulously.

"Some of it is based on reality," he said and then he stopped typing and looked at her. "Here, you'll find an information broker at this address," he told her, pointing at the display in front of him, "Just be careful, Isis. These guys don't joke around. You say the wrong thing and they'll kill you. Oh, and don't forget to pay him."

"Pay him? How much?"

"The standard fee."

"What's the standard fee?"

Scanner just shrugged, "Whatever the standard fee is."

Isis stared at him. "That's not very helpful, you know."

"Hey, I did my best," he said, giving her a look.

"Fine, alright. I'll go see this guy. So what do I do? Call him and set up a meeting?"

"I don't know, what they do isn't exactly legal so I don't think just calling him is going to work."

"How am I going to know what he looks like?"

Again Scanner shrugged. "I don't know, Isis. I've never done this before, but he's your best bet for finding this guy. Unless you want to wait here a week for my scan to finish."

"No, that's aright," she said picking up the holograph and shoving it back into her pocket. Then she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Scanner."

"Don't mention it."

**********

Meanwhile, across town Sylar anxiously awaited the arrival of his buyer. He had a crate of weapons all packed and ready to go the instant the man showed up. He was leaning against the crate now and periodically checking his chrono as he waited. The man was late, which made him uncomfortable. Tardiness was never a good thing in this business. Usually that meant something went wrong and when he heard a voice calling out from the other end of the warehouse he knew that to be true.

"Hey, do you work here," a man wearing the uniform of an officer of CorSec asked as he approached.

Sylar resisted the urge to swear under his breath. "Why yes, Sir, I do," he said, standing up.

"Can I see some identification?"

"Of course, of course," he said as he fumbled around in each of his pockets. Finally he frowned, "Oh, you know what? I must have left it in my locker."

The CorSec officer gave him a look then glanced down at the crate near his feet. "What's in the crate?"

"Just some machine parts, nothing fancy."

"Open it."

"Sir," he asked, giving him a look.

"I said open it."

"I assume you have a warrant?"

The officer's hand strayed near the blaster at his hip and Sylar had his answer. "Alright," he said, "but the lid sticks a bit. Could you help me with that side?"

He pointed and the officer walked over to undo the latch. As soon as he bent over Sylar clubbed him in the back of the head with a hydrospanner. The officer collapsed in a heap and Sylar tossed the bloody wrench aside. He grabbed the CorSec officer by the ankle and began dragging him over towards an empty shipping container. He was going to have to move the shipment and reschedule the meeting. His employer was not going to like hearing that...
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

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To many people Corellia might have been a hellhole, but for others it was a paradise. To the woman sitting in the armored transport, moving through space towards the planet, it was simply another destination. Another place to go to, another task assigned to her by her superiors. Asha Koontir adjusted the armor she had on. It wasn't heavy shock style armor as she was used to, this was more agile, more mobile. Less protection, more flexibility. Slate blue eyes expressionlessly took in the view of Corellia as the ship cut through the void at a pace that would have torn her body to shreds but for the inertia dampeners. A member of the MUIR Security Forces, Asha was a high level operative within the organization, tasked with some of the more...interesting things that corporation needed accomplished. Quite recently, a task had been sent up the chain to her, after lower level agents' efforts had been fruitless. Someone, somewhere, was stealing from the conglomerate.

Which meant that retribution had to be swift and memorable.

Justice wasn't only about exacting some payment for one's debt to society. It was also about warning everyone else to shy away from entertaining similar thoughts. Justice was a cautionary tale to would be transgressors, and in that regard, Asha was a dutiful executor.

The MUIR Security Forces ship had already been cleared with Corellia ground control. In her mind, she went over the actionable intelligence pieces acquired over the past few months.

Weapons had started to go missing from shipments, embarrassing iron-clad contracts and endangering deadlines. Inquiries into the weapons plants had proved useless, turning the focus of the investigation to the transporters. There, Asha had found much more success, getting a name and getting the information on this man's next arms deal time and location. Fast forward thirty-six standard hours, and she watched as the ship descended through the atmosphere of Corellia. Their would-be thief had thought that he could steal from the MUIR from a shipment originating from Balmorra, the heart of the MUIR conglomerate. That stupidity would be rectified.

This Sylar person had an interesting lesson scheduled for himself, even if he himself was not aware of it.

From the moment she landed, alacrity and purpose enveloped her actions. Asha had purposefully sought out a docking bay near the one where her intelligence told her the transaction was to transpire and she entered the large, cavernous bay. A magnetized grappling hook helped her rise even higher, until she was up in the closest approximation to rafters that this docking bay could have in Coronet. A high powered blaster rifle was in her hands, the scope trained on the proceedings before her.

What unfolded before her was watching a man in the docking bay hit a CorSec officer with a hydrospanner. Even from her height, she could see a good bit of blood splatter. Messy. That would need to be cleaned up and would cut into time. She'd arrived right around when the transaction was to take place, and the fact that this CorSec officer had interfered meant bad things. After all, someone would be looking for this man once he didn't check in periodically during his shift. If this deal didn't happen soon, the authorities could be alerted. Her grip tightened. She didn't just want this Sylar character.

Whoever was stupid enough not to purchase from the MUIR at the prices set by the company, that person, that entity, they also needed to be taught a lesson.
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

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Isis had no love for night clubs. The dancing, the drinking, the loud music, it wasn't really her scene. On the other hand, during the day it wasn't so bad. The music was subdued, the crowd was sparse. If not for the giant dance floor in the middle of the room this place would be like any other cantina on the planet. Isis wasn't here for the dancing, though, or the drinks. She wandered through the empty booths until she found the one she was looking for, a lone man sitting in a corner booth by himself. Isis walked over to him and sat down.

"I'm looking for someone," she said.

The man across from her took a long swig of his drink then set the empty glass on the table. "Can't help you," he said and then he started to stand.

"Wait," Isis cried, slapping a thousand credit credstick down on top of the table. The man looked at it then sat back in his chair.

"Alright, who are you looking for?"

"A man named Sylar Fel," Isis replied, "He would have arrived yesterday."

The information broker stroked his chin and nodded. "Ah yes, I've heard that name. Seems you're not the only one looking for him, either. If I were you I'd get out, little girl, these aren't the kind of people you want to mess with."

Isis slapped down another five hundred credstick. The man just shrugged, "Suit yourself. There are a series of warehouses on the edge of the city west of here where illicit deals are usually handled. You'll find your man there in warehouse thirteen."

Isis raised an eyebrow at that. "Illicit deals? What kind of deals?"

The man leaned back and smiled. "That'll cost extra."

"Fine, I'll figure it out myself," she said then she got up and left the club.

Warehouse Thirteen at the edge of the city? Isis had a pretty good idea where that was. She headed for the nearest rocket tram platform and was in the process of crossing the street when someone recognized her. A man and a woman ran over to her, the man carried a holocamera and the woman held a microphone. Isis failed to put two and two together before they cornered her on the other side of the street.

"Excuse me! Excuse me, Isis Sinclair," the woman called out to her, "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind answering a few questions."

"I don't exactly have time," she said and she continued to walk right past them.

Still the woman insisted and chased after her with the cameraman. "Okay, how about one question? Does being back on Corellia mean you've reconciled with your father?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Isis told her and then she headed up the stairs to the top of the tram platform. Behind her the cameraman asked if they should follow her but the woman waved him off.

The tram ride to the edge of the city wasn't long but it gave Isis plenty of time to think. Her father has always been a strict man but he cared for her whether or not she chose to see it and what Hirai said about her was true. She was stubborn and selfish, she would act without thinking of the consequences or how they might hurt the people around her. Her six month absence from home was exactly what she needed but she failed to see how it might effect her friends, her family. She sighed heavily and stared out the window as the cityscape flew past her.

When the tram arrived at her destination she got off and headed down to street level. She quickly waved down a taxi and told him where to take her. By the time she arrived at warehouse thirteen the sun was just starting to slip below the horizon, painting the sky with a flurry of oranges and reds. Much to her dismay the warehouse was empty. Unbeknownst to her Sylar had long ago contacted his superior and informed him he would have to move the shipment. As she wandered through the empty shipping containers she stopped when she heard someone moaning. She listened for the sound again and when it came she followed it to a nearby container and pressed a switch to open it. A man came falling out, blood darkening the hair on the back of his head.

"Hey, are you alright? What happened," she asked.

The man looked at her but he wasn't really seeing her. It was more like he was looking through her. "Call... CorSec," he said weakly.

Isis glanced at his uniform, noting the CorSec logo on his shoulder. Then she reached into her pocket for her communicator and called the nearest emergency station. A woman answered her, asking to know what her emergency was. "Uh, hi," Isis replied, "I've got a wounded CorSec officer here at warehouse thirteen just five klicks from your position. Looks like someone struck him on the back of the head."

The woman took note of everything she said then gave her instructions on what to do before dispatching an emergency response team to her position. Isis listened carefully but stopped when she heard a sound. She set the communicator down and drew her blaster. "Who's there," she called out into the encroaching darkness, "Show yourself!"
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

Post by Mir »

There was a soft clank as the mag hook found purchase in the rafters of the docking bay. A soft zip sound reached Isis’ ears as she watched a woman in an armored suit descend from the heavens. The woman had a high undercut and piercing slate blue eyes that lazily surveyed Isis. One hand held a long blaster rifle and the other pressed a button on her belt to retract the magnetic hook.

“I’m here.” She said.

“And who are you?” Isis asked, questioning her.

“Asha Koontir.” She replied. She gestured at the shipping containers in the docking bay. “These…do not belong to the person who thinks they own them.” She said. “I work for the organization that they do belong to and I’m here to recover them, as well as punish the person who took them.” Asha cocked her head to the side and looked at Isis. “And who might you be then?” She asked, her eyes drifting first down to Isis’ blaster and then down to her own, before flicking back up to Isis’ eyes.
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

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Isis was simultaneously surprised and annoyed. Surprised because this person didn't automatically recognize her as a rich businessman's daughter and annoyed at the silent implication that her gun was bigger. She saw the way the woman was looking at her blaster and she didn't like the notion, either. Yeah, all that body armor meant she could take a hit or two but it also slowed her down a whole helluva lot.

Isis holstered her pistol then knelt down next to the CorSec officer. "Just call me a concerned citizen," she said simply, "Looking for a friend of mine, heard he might be here. Fething slamo owes me some money."

It was true--mostly. She was looking for someone and there was money involved. She checked the pulse of the officer one more time to make sure he was still alive. He groaned slightly at her touch which meant he was starting to come to. Funny, why not just kill him? Less chance he would ID you. If Sylar did this then he was willing to risk going to prison for assaulting a CorSec officer and for what? Whatever was in these crates?

Isis didn't really care what the shipment was, but if whatever it was is important enough to warrant such heavy hardware then maybe it wouldn't hurt to know what she was getting into. Plus, if it was anything really major then there was probably some money in it for her and of course fame and glory, never hurt to have those. Finally, she straightened up and walked over towards one of the crates. "Just what the heck is in these things, anyway," she asked, her hand reaching down to open it.

"Hands off," the woman snapped suddenly, her blaster raised and leveled in her direction.

"Okay, crazy lady, let's not do anything rash," Isis said, she had quickly raised her hands into the air but continued to stand where she was, "I just want to see what's inside the box, okay? Nothing to get all upset about."

"That box belongs to my employer and you'll not touch it."

"What? Like this," Isis asked, kicking the release control with her foot. The lid of the crate flew open but instead of finding the weapons Asha had been looking for she found something else entirely.

"Fish," Isis said in surprise, staring down into the crate, "You flew all the way here for some caviar? Lady, they're paying you too much."
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

Post by Mir »

Asha’s eyes flared slightly. “Then it would appear that I have the better job.” She replied. The barrel of the blaster rifle lifted up into the air, as it rested against the woman’s shoulder. She reached her free hand up to the side of her head, where a communications device was plugged into her ear. “This is a red herring.” She said, and ignored Isis’ chuckle at the unintended joke. “I want to see the data we have when I get back. The target cannot be too far from here.” She said, and her grip on her rifle returned to being a solid two hand grip. Her eyes scanned the crate once more. It appeared that only fish was in the crate and that was annoying. The faster she could be done with this, the better. It wasn't that she disliked Corellia, Asha simply wanted to be elsewhere. Wasting time was not something that she enjoyed, or even knew how to do really.

Just to be on the safe side, she went to another crate and opened it. Again, nothing but fish. Whoever it was that had stolen from MUIR thought himself to be quite the clever little thief.

“You know, that was hilarious." Isis said, and Asha gave her a sidelong glance, almost quizzical. "Really? Red herring, it’s full of fish.” Isis said, kicking the crate next to her. "You weren't issued a sense of humor, huh?" She asked, and received no answer. But there was something that Asha had said that Isis wanted to follow up on. “So, uh, what kind of data were you talking about?” She asked.

“The private kind.” Asha said and started to walk away. She stopped and looked back, leveling a gloved finger. “You’re not to interfere in this matter anymore.” She said. “Your participation is no longer warranted nor needed. Your presence at this point would most likely be fortuitous, for you.”

The Corellian woman rolled her eyes. “Who died and put you in charge?” Isis said, grumbling.

“Someone with more clout than you.” Asha replied.

“We could totally work together.” Isis added, hopefully, as Asha continued to walk out of the hangar.

“Doubt it. It would appear you want to catch your quarry. I’ll most likely kill him.”
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

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Isis ground her teeth together in frustration as the woman kept walking away from her. Finally, once her anger hit a boiling point, she hurried after Asha to catch up with her. "First of all I don't like your attitude," Isis began as she fell in step with the other woman, "Secondly, I was just being facetious when I suggested we could work together, so don't get the wrong idea. That means sarcastic or funny, in case I've lost you. Thirdly, Sylar is my bounty and I need him alive. Fourthly--," she stopped then realizing that she had no fourth point to make.

"I mean, um... Damn it, I was on a roll," she swore, "Anyway, point is don't get in my way. Otherwise, I might be inclined to see if CorSec's willing to shell out some credits for an unlawful killing."

As usual Isis was brimming with confidence, but deep down even she had to admit this woman was better equipped than her. She wore body armor, carried a high-powered blaster rifle with an electronic scope and who knows what other toys in the various compartments of her suit. All Isis had was a pistol so trying to take her head on likely wasn't going to end well. It was a good thing Isis never enjoyed taking her enemies head on... At least not fairly. She had cheated in almost every competition she participated in, which in turn had nearly gotten her expelled on several occasions.
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

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"I didn't realize that CorSec was able to detain someone for a crime before they were able to commit it." Asha said. She was close to one of the exits that would grant her access to the rest of the terminal. Stopping, she turned and gave Isis another once over. With her armor on, she forced Isis to surrender a few inches in height to her. "You look like you're new to your trade, and it's one that has a sharp learning curve." Asha said. "You should know a few things though." She added as she took out a small mask and fitted it over her face. Wires and tendrils slid out from her neck plating and secured the mask in place. Continuing to speak, her voice took on a more machine like sound as Asha hit a button on her wrist plate.

"What are those things I should know?" Isis asked.

"For starters, make sure you're carrying something heavier than a pistol." Asha said, looking pointedly at the blaster that Isis carried. "Secondly, I didn't know the name of the person who did this, but thanks to you, I at least have a first name." She said.

Isis stopped for a moment, looking over Asha's shoulder, before grimacing.

"And lastly, always remember that most knockout gases are odorless and tasteless."

"What does that even..." Isis asked, confused. Then she started to feel it. Lightheaded. Woozy. Isis swayed. Asha caught her as she fell.

Laying the girl on the ground, Asha pressed the button again on her wrist controls and walked into the terminal, taking the mask off in the process.
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

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Isis came to at the gentle prodding of unfamiliar hands. As her eyes slowly fluttered open she looked up into the face of several medical personnel staring down at her. "Where... Wha--," she started to say, her mind desperately grasping at straws trying to piece together everything that was happening.

"Are you all right, Miss?"

Isis tried to raise herself up into a sitting position but one of the medics insisted on holding her down while another finished his examination. That fething slamo drugged me, Isis swore to herself, the last image of the masked Asha Koontir flashing brilliantly in her mind.

"I'm fine," Isis told them, forcing her way to her feet despite the medic's protests. Her head still felt woozy from the effects of the gas which caused her to wobble slightly as she stood yet somehow she managed to remain upright.

"Ma'am, you should really take it slow," the medic who had spoken earlier said. He had stepped up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "You're still under the effects of the gas. We really should take you to--,"

"No," Isis said quickly, surprisingly louder than she had intended. She wasn't afraid of hospitals or anything, but being admitted to one meant having to contact her father. "I told you I'm fine, alright? Now let me go, I have work to do."

She started to push her way through the med techs when a voice suddenly called out to her. "Not so fast, Ms. Sinclair," a man said as he walked over to her, "Would you mind telling me what you were doing here?"

Isis turned to look at the man and immediately noticed the CorSec badge on his jacket. "Just fething great," she muttered to herself.

"You were the one who put in the call to emergency services, correct," the man asked her, "You may have well just saved the life of a fellow officer. For that I'd be inclined to thank you, but I find myself wondering why was he here? And more importantly what are you trying to hide?"

"Hide? Me," Isis asked incredulously, "Look, if you know my name then you know who my father is. So, if you don't want--,"

"Just answer the question, Ms. Sinclair," he pressed, "Otherwise I'll have to take you back to the station for processing."

Isis glared at the man, her hands balling into fists at her side but she refrained from striking him. "I was chasing a mark," she said finally, "I'm a registered bounty hunter and I have every right to be here."

"Really," the man asked curiously, "I suppose you have your license then?"

Isis grumbled some more before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her datapad. She hit a few keys on the device and a moment later a holographic image of her bounty hunter's license appeared floating in the air above her hand. "There," she said, holding the datapad out towards him.

The officer stared at it intently then shrugged. "Alright, Ms. Sinclair, you're free to go, but just to let you know my office will be looking into this attack. If there's something you're not telling us--,"

"I could be arrested for withholding evidence in an official CorSec investigation, I know," she finished for him. "Now is there anything else, Officer um..."

"Steele," the man replied, "Adrian Steele and no, there's nothing. However, should you discover anything more about the assailant we'd appreciate your assistance. CorSec is, of course, willing to compensate you for your time."

"Yeah, right. Sure," she said dismissively as she turned to leave the warehouse. Her head still swam and her legs still felt like jelly but through sheer determination she managed to walk out of the warehouse and back to the tram station without falling over.

Once she was on board the tram she collapsed into an empty chair and stared out the window. All the while her mind was focused on her last vivid memory of Asha Koontir. This isn't over, mystery tramp, she grumbled to herself, next time I see her I'll take that "sharp learning curve" and shove it up her...
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Re: Star Wars: Homecoming

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The punch came out of nowhere and struck Isis on the cheek sending her sprawling backwards onto the floor. All Isis could do was stare up in surprise at an angry Hirai standing over her. On the other side of the room Scanner watched the whole scene unfold in stunned horror.

"Where have you been," Hirai demanded, "I thought you were dead!"

"Well, clearly I'm not," Isis grumbled, rubbing her cheek gently. Hirai did have a fiery temper, though the same could be said about Isis as well.

"What happened to you? I've been calling you for hours!"

Isis reached into her pocket and took out her comlink. Her eyes widened somewhat at the number of missed calls. "I'm sorry, Hirai. I'd have come back sooner but this lady gassed me."

"Lady? What lady," Scanner asked, finally working up the courage to speak.

"Asha Koontir," Isis replied, she tried standing up and Hirai helped her to her feet. "Didn't tell me who she worked for, but whomever it was is loaded. She had on full body armor and carried a sniper rifle with a five thousand credit scope attached. If I didn't think he would kill me for asking I'd beg my dad for one," she added wistfully.

"Asha Koontir," Scanner repeated, "Hang on, I can run a search on her and see if anything comes up."

"Forget it," Isis told him, "I've got something more important I need you to do."

"More important than finding the woman who gassed you," Hirai asked incredulously.

"Sylar's still out there," Isis pointed out, "I don't get paid unless I bring him in and right now I have no idea where he is."

"You think I can find him," Scanner asked, he sounded about as dubious as Hirai.

"You can hack street cams, can't you? If I give you the address of the warehouse and the time of the sale you can keep an eye out for Sylar for me and then follow him on the cameras."

"Sale," Hirai repeated, "What sale? I thought you said this guy was a bail jumper. What aren't you telling me, Isis?"

"Hey, don't look at me! I only found out about this today," Isis told her, "That's what this Asha person was after. She was trying to get back something he stole."

"And what is that?"

Isis shrugged, "Beats me. She seemed pretty protective over it, though. Enough to want to kill someone for taking it."

Hirai's expression shifted to one of concern. "This is starting to sound pretty heavy, Isis, maybe you should just let this one go."

"What, no way," Isis exclaimed, "I'm not scared of some butch body builder. Sylar is my mark and I won't let her have him."

"Damn it, Isis, why do you have to be so stubborn? She already wants to kill one person, what's to stop her from killing you?"

"My witty sense of humor and charming personality," Isis asked in a hopeful tone.

Hirai gave her a harsh look. "Could you please take this seriously for once in your life?"

"I am taking this seriously, Hirai," Isis implored her, "All my life I've been having people tell me what to do, where to go, how to dress. Becoming a bounty hunter was the first choice I made for myself and if I can't hack it then why should I even bother?"

Hirai stared at her for a moment then sighed. "Fine, whatever just stop giving me those puppy dog eyes."

Isis smiled, "See, I knew you'd see it my way."

Hirai playfully punched her in the arm in response and Isis involuntarily rubbed it with her hand. "Ow," she muttered.

From the other side of the room the girls heard Scanner take in a sharp breath and then he quickly began powering down his equipment and unplugging everything from the holonet.

"What the hell are you doing," Isis demanded.

"I know who that woman works for," Scanner told them, his face had gone completely pale and his entire body was shivering, "Asha Koontir, she works for M.U.I.R."

Isis scowled at that. "I thought I told you to forget about her."

"Well I can't now," Scanner replied, "They probably caught me snooping, I am so dead."

Both Isis and Hirai were at a loss. "I don't get it, what's the big deal," Hirai asked.

"What's the big deal," Scanner repeated, "What's the big deal?! Anyone who crosses M.U.I.R. ends up dead, okay? You don't want to mess with anything they're involved with, trust me."

"I still need you to help me find Sylar."

Scanner wasn't having any of it, though. He kept unplugging his equipment and completely ignored her. "Forget it, Isis, I'm out! You want this Sylar you have to find him on your own. I no longer want any part of this. Now go! Get out of my house. Go," he shouted when they didn't immediately leave.

Isis looked over at Hirai and the two of them silently left the room and headed downstairs and outside. "Great," Isis muttered, "What now?"

Hirai was incredulous. "You're still getting involved in this? Even after what Scanner said?"

"Of course I am, Scanner's just being paranoid. A major corporation like M.U.I.R. couldn't get away with just killing people. There are laws."

Hirai was unconvinced. "I don't know, he seemed pretty spooked."

"Doesn't matter, anyway. All she wants is what he stole and all I want is him. That shouldn't be an issue. All I gotta do is--," she stopped suddenly as a thought occurred to her, "I got it!"

Then she quickly gave her friend a hug before running off down the street. "See you later, Hirai, I've got a call to make," she called back over her shoulder.

"Wait, Isis! What are you going to do?"

"What anyone else would do when they're after a criminal, call the cops," she shouted from several meters away as she kept running. Hirai stared after her a moment until she disappeared from sight and then she let out an explosive sigh. I really hope you don't get yourself killed.
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