Rian's quarters were in an apartment block connected to the Senate Tower by an arching footpath. It was an understatedly elegant building, probably intended to house visiting diplomats or delegates from other planets. It was one of the fanciest rooms she had ever stayed in.

It made her want to put her boots up on the table and drink something cheap and strong, just to mess up the place some.

She wasn't sure where Corso was. One of Garza's aides had escorted him off while Jorgan had showed her to her rooms. She had expected him to gloat, or at least make some comment about her changed status, but he had stayed silent. The Cathar had certainly been treating them differently since the Esseles. She wondered what his angle was.

She flopped onto the huge bed, deliberately knocking most of the pillows onto the floor and bunching up the blankets. This place wasn't her style at all. She felt too loud, too brash. This room was for quiet, calm, elegant people. She flopped onto her back and made a rude noise into the empty room. She hated this. She hated waiting and being at someone else's mercy.

The hours before the meeting dragged on. A silent aide brought her lunch. She ate it on the balcony, staring down into Coruscant's lower levels and remembering.

It had been a few months since she had been here last. It had been legitimate business that time - well, mostly. The Event Horizon had a few small trinkets hidden away that may not have been entirely legal to transport and sell, but most of her hold had been filled with crate after crate of computer chips.

Coruscant's Undercity was shrouded in perpetual twilight. The world-spanning skyscrapers blocked out any trace of light that might have filtered down to the people who lived in their shadows. Several of the streetlamps were out, leaving pockets of darkness but Rian strode through them, unconcerned. The duracrete under her boots was damp with substances best left unidentified, and the street appeared deserted though she was sure any number of eyes watched her from the shadows.

She could hear the rumble of machinery and the whoosh of speeders from the upper levels. Closer at hand, a steady drip-drip-drip echoed her footsteps. Something with too many legs skittered away from her as she approached. The Undercity smelt of rot and damp and despair.

The place was a maze of interlocking streets, bisected by pipelines that fed the skyscrapers above, but Rian knew exactly where she was going. Two turnings later, the road widened ahead of her into a broad square. It was bordered on all sides by shops, most of which were closed for the night, the bright glow of their signs turned down to almost nothing. Not that a person could tell it was past midnight by looking at the sky from down here, but this was a more reputable part of the Undercity, and it generally operated on Coruscant time.

A blaze of light and noise marked a cantina, and she strode purposefully towards it. She could hear the band from the street, and her steps quickened. A burst of laughter rang out as she opened the door and she couldn't help but grin in response. She squinted into the brightness and heard someone holler her name.

Kyven Alloran ran a small manufacturing plant. The entire Undercity had once supported massive processing plants but when cheaper options were found off-world, most of them had shut down. Kyven's was considerably smaller than the ones that had used to operate on the planet, but he was still moderately successful. He could afford her fee, after all.

"Rian, my lovely, you're a sight for sore eyes," he said, pulling her down into his booth. She grinned at him and let him kiss her cheeks. He was old enough to be her grandfather but to hear him tell it, he had been quite the lady-killer in his youth.

"Kyven, it's been far too long." He waved for the server and she ordered a hot meal and a drink.

"I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow," he said, sipping from his own mug with a satisfied sigh.

"Corrent had a cancellation and was able to fit me in earlier," she replied. Corrent ran the loading docks on Dac. She had known him for years, and he was usually able to help her out in some way.

"And you missed me so much you had to come find me now?" Kyven asked with a grin.

Rian laughed, leaning back when a server brought her meal and shaking her head. "I just landed. I came for the food."

Kyven clapped a hand over his heart in mock pain. "You wound me, Captain! I rate below Undercity cantina food!" He grinned at her, deliberately waiting until her mouth was full before continuing. "It's too bad you weren't here an hour ago. Darnath was in earlier."

She nearly choked on her mouthful. "He still hasn't given up?" she asked with a scowl. She had slept with the kid once - once! - and he had decided he was in love with her. The last time she had been on Coruscant he had presented her with an engagement ring and a plan to save his credits so he could afford his own apartments so they could "be together always". Rian hadn't even bothered to respond. She had just walked away. She couldn't get her launch clearance fast enough.

"He said you must have been so overwhelmed by his proposal that you were completely speechless," Kyven chortled. "He's been talking about you since you left, to anyone that will listen." He paused, sighing. "And anyone that won't. You've got to say something to him, Ri."

Rian rolled her eyes but she knew Kyven was right. "Fine, fine. I'll go find him tomorrow. After I deliver your chips."

The old man grinned. "You've no idea how much good those are going to do down here," he told her, finishing off his drink. "I was able to swing such a good price on those that I can sell this next batch for prices people down here can actually afford. There's a lot of families down here that could use the help."

Kyven's company made droids. Mostly large sweeper droids that were used in factories, but they also had some simple near-Humanoid units that were capable of doing housework and simple chores. Many of the residents of the Undercity spent so much of their time and energy just trying to get enough credits to afford food and shelter that their homes and families were neglected. Having some extra help at home - especially help that didn't need to eat or sleep - would be a huge boon to them.

"Softie," she teased him gently, finishing her meal and pushing her plate away. Kyven just smiled indulgently at her. She knew his heart belonged to the Undercity. When everyone else closed up their factories, taking badly-needed jobs off-planet, he had stayed. They had had a rough couple of years, but he had pulled them through it, and now he used any chance he could to give back to his community. She felt good when she was able to do a job for him. She liked the way he worked.

It was a couple of hours later when they finally left the cantina. The band had been good, and Kyven had insisted on a dance. Which had turned into two, then three, then a dozen. The old man was still spry, and he was a good dancer. Rian liked to dance, but didn't get to do it nearly often enough. She didn't work for many people that she also thought of as a friend. It was a rare client that she would go out dancing with. For pleasure, at least. Business was another matter.

Kyven insisted on walking her back to the spaceport, waving it off when she protested that she would be fine. "I've got an investment in keeping you safe," he told her. "You can do all the dangerous things you want after you offload my cargo."

She laughed, letting him tuck her hand into the crook of her arm. They rode an elevator up to the spaceport and she waited to make sure he got a taxi before she let herself into her ship. The Event Horizon was dark and quiet. She missed Joro and Lia. Things had never been dull with them around. But they had decided to get married, then her first mate had gone and gotten herself pregnant and decided that a smuggler's ship was no place to raise a family. Rian had visited them once after the baby was born, a pretty little thing named Ellie. The two ex-smugglers seemed happy, but Rian had fled to her ship as soon as she was able. She couldn't imagine being stuck on a planet for the rest of her life. Give her the stars any day, even if it meant she was alone.

Kyven had had a heart attack not long after the last time she had seen him. His nephew had managed to get him to a medical droid in time to save his life, but the old man had taken that as a sign that it was time to retire. He had passed the reins of the company off to his youngest son and decided to spend his last years spoiling his multitude of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Rian had talked to him over the holo, but she hadn't seen him since then. She wondered if she could swing a visit.

She had been lost in her thoughts for so long, that her door chime came as a surprise. She glanced at the computer display in the corner, surprised to find that it was already nearly time for Garza's meeting. She left the remains of her lunch stacked neatly on the table and opened the door.

Viggota was waiting outside for her, looking a little tired, but much better than the last time she had seen him. He was wearing his uniform and the material was stretched over his broad shoulders and chest. He somehow looked even bigger than he had in his armour.

His eyes lit up when he saw her. "Captain! Good to see you again."

She let him clasp her hand. "You too. You look much better than you did yesterday."

"I feel better." He grinned down at her. "Clean bill of health. Lomning is good."

Rian found herself grinning back. "That he is." She stepped through the door and let it shut behind her. "So I guess you heard what happened this morning?"

Viggota nodded, heading down the hallway. "Yeah." He winced. "Sorry about that. I didn't know she was planning something like that. It's a pretty dirty thing to do to you."

She sighed. "I guess it had to happen sometime, right? I mean, I knew the risks when I got into this line of work. At least I'm not in a cell."

The big soldier chuckled quietly. "True." He walked in silence for a few minutes, but Rian could tell he had something on his mind. "Look... about Jorgan." He made a face. "He's a good guy, really. I think you just caught him on a bad day."

She snorted a laugh. "Or several bad days."

Viggota laughed with her. "Or that. I can't give you any details, but he's not happy about his demotion. It really wasn't his fault; he just took the fall for something that someone else did." He frowned. "It was all politics, and it was such a load of bantha dung. So he's a little touchy about the rules right now. But he's a good soldier, and he knows his stuff. Can you just try to give him another chance?"

"If he stops trying to shoot me or arrest me, sure," she said. "But he's also got to understand that I don't live by his rules. I'm not Special Forces, and I never will be. He's got to cut me some slack too."

Viggota nodded, glancing down at her. "I'll talk to him, tell him to ease up on you. He's going to have to, if we're going to be working together on this."

Rian arched a brow. "Oh? Do you know something I don't?"

The trooper grinned. "Definitely. But that doesn't mean I can tell you." He waved her towards an open door opposite them. She could see a long table in the centre of the room, surrounded by chairs. General Garza was already seated at one of them.

She punched Viggota hard in the shoulder and then sauntered through the door.

Garza was watching her disapprovingly, so Rian made a point of picking a chair directly opposite the General and propping her booted feet up on the conference table. She may as well try to hit all the stereotypes if she could. She just wished she had a knife to clean her fingernails with.

"Captain," Garza greeted her, voice dripping with scorn.

"General," Rian replied, sketching a half-hearted salute with the wrong hand. Viggota snorted behind her, quickly turning it into a cough as he saluted properly.

"Have a seat, Lieutenant," Garza told him and he settled into a chair on Rian's right.

"Where's Jorgan?" Viggota asked. Rian was wondering that too. She was sure the Cathar would be one of the type to be punctual to a fault.

"Sergeant Jorgan will be along shortly," the general replied. "I needed him to collect some information for me." She had barely finished speaking when a rap on the door announced Jorgan's arrival. "At ease, Sergeant," Garza said when he snapped to attention to salute her. He had a datapad in his other hand, which he handed to the general before he sat down beside Viggota.

Garza examined the data on the pad and nodded her approval to Jorgan. "Well done, Sergeant. I think we're ready to begin." She stood and moved around the table to close the door, then powered up the holo display at one end of the room. "We have a situation that requires a delicate touch." She looked sternly at Rian. "I don't believe I need to make any tiresome threats about what will happen to you if you don't keep this information confidential?"

Rian rolled her eyes. "No, I think I can fill in the blanks myself, thanks."

She could feel Jorgan frowning at her, but he didn't say anything. The general cleared her throat and tapped out a command. The holo shifted to show a headshot of a dark-haired man with a thick moustache. "This is Harron Tavus. He is a highly decorated officer, who had just defected to the Empire along with most of his squad. He has information that we cannot allow to fall into enemy hands."

Rian felt her brows lifting in surprise. "This sounds like an internal problem," she told Garza. "Why am I here?"

The older woman frowned at the holo image. "As I said, this is a delicate matter. It must be handled with utmost discretion."

"I get it," the Twi'lek chuckled. "You haven't told anyone yet. This would be a black mark on you, and you want it cleaned up before it lands on your head." She stretched her arms up over her head languorously. "In fact, he's probably Spec Forces, isn't he? You said Havoc Squad was short-staffed. Your prized people, turned traitor? I can see why you don't want anyone finding out."

Garza made a strangled noise and she heard Jorgan leap to his feet behind her. The general held up a hand to keep the Cathar in place. "You're clever," she finally said to Rian, her voice sharp with anger. "Yes, you've quite figured it out. Well done." She pressed her palms flat against the table and Rian could see her collecting herself again. "So now that we are all on the same page, this is what we require of you."

She tapped another button and Tavus' image faded away. "Tavus has been spotted in the Undercity, in the company of the Justicars' Brigade. We need to track him and his people down before they're able to get off-planet."

"And you need my connections," Rian guessed. "Because you can't exactly go to your Intelligence people if you're trying to keep this quiet."

"Exactly." Garza handed her the datapad. "This is the rest of Tavus' squad. You will need to familiarize yourself with them."

Rian glanced down. The first image was a female Mirialan named Zora - a.k.a. "Wraith". She had been Tavus' second-in-command and specialized in infiltration and assassination. She seemed strict and serious. Vanto Bazren - code-named "Fuse" - was the squad's explosives expert. He was a young Zabrak with a charmingly shy smile, his head shaved bare between his horns except for a single long tail that fell down to the back of his neck. Bex Kolos - "Gearbox" - was a mountain of a man. Human, but absolutely massive. She had no desire to tangle with him. The last face on the holo was a slender cyborg doctor named Rylar Dorant. He was code-named "Needles", and something about the superior smirk on his face in the image made Rian dislike him immediately.

"Okay, so what do you want me to do?" she said, looking up from the datapad.

"We need a way in to the Justicars' territory," Garza told her. "They have their sector on lockdown. No one in or out without proper authorization." The woman locked her hands behind her back and shifted into a lecturing tone. "The Justicars are a militia organization that formed after the Sacking of Coruscant. They were originally intended to fight back against the Black Sun gang, but they have fallen far from their idealistic beginnings. They are now little more than bullies and they have their sector under martial law. They're imprisoning and executing people for breaching curfew and littering."

Rian interrupted, her voice hard. "I'm familiar with them." She saw the general's eyebrow lift but she didn't elaborate further. Kyven had lost a grandson to the Justicars. He had joined - against his family's wishes - to try to learn about them from the inside. He had always thought he could get himself back out again. Kyven said no one had heard from him in almost a year. The Justicars had swallowed him whole.

Garza cleared her throat. "Then you know the authorization must be airtight. The Justicars run checks on anyone trying to cross their checkpoints. You must have contacts that can forge identity cards."

Rian sat back in her chair, tapping a finger on her lips. "I might know a few people. It won't be cheap, though."

The general straightened her spine indignantly. "You will have access to an expense account for the duration of this operation. But I expect you to use it wisely." She reached into her pocket and reluctantly set a credstick on the table in front of her. Rian scooped it up and tucked it away without looking at it.

"Fine." She dropped her boots back to the floor and stood up. "Let me make some calls, then. But let's just get this straight. You've contracted me to get your people into the Justicars' territory and find Tavus. I do that, and we're square?" Garza nodded and Rian grinned impishly. "I'd ask for that in writing, but... I guess I'll just have to take you at your word."

The look on Garza's face was priceless and she heard Viggota choke down a laugh behind her. She threw the general another lazy salute and headed for the door.