V.1-C.7│Deal with the Devil II│

Narro Sienar's Starliner above Dantooine.

Within the Starliner's docking bay area, a small ship had been let in for inspection before it would be parked properly. This ship let through was a sent by the Xi Char, sent under the guise of another trade partner coming in to deliver some supplies and other relevant information.

Really, the Xi Char and its religious leader known as the Prelate had wanted to claim their revenge against Raith Sienar for they had failed at their first attempt.

The Prelate had come to believe Raith could be found on the same Starliner his father Narro was on. Why? Because who wouldn't try to protect their child, and what child would not go to their father for some help to avoid danger, especially when it concerns their lives.

On the personal Starliner of Narro, the Prelate had sent some of their people to infiltrate and implant an explosive device to make sure Raith would die.

Infiltrating and stealing their technological secrets.

Narro and his son Raith was among the wealthy and secretive Sienar clan, which had a history of starship design stretching back thousands of years.

Raith ever since he was young was raised and had a wealthy but secretive upbringing, and when going into this teenage years attended the Rigovian Technical University and the young man's mind quickly turned to engineering, developing an outlook that saw life as a series of engineering puzzles.

Quick to learn and with an overriding desire for intellectual stimulation, Sienar grew restless within the upper-class confines of his family, seeking to distinguish himself and be unpredictable and innovative. In his teens, he struck off on his own to make his mark independently.

Sienar took his own personal funds and created his own scouting firm. The youth took to the star lanes, mapping new hyperspace routes and probing the Unknown Regions to find habitable and exploitable worlds.

Some of his discoveries, such as one uncharted black hole that he found, Sienar kept to himself, seeing a possible future advantage in such personal knowledge.

Others, he shared and sold, turning a tidy profit and becoming independently wealthy by the age of twenty. He had built a personal fortune without the aid of his family and untouchable by them.

Raith assumed a series of false identities and took work with competing firms, moving through the management of the Corellian Engineering Corporation, Baktoid Armor Workshop, Incom Corporation, and even the Trade Federation. There, he gained firsthand experience undercover, without the distraction of his family name, and picked up various techniques from his competitors.

Of course he later had a false identity created for his infiltration into the Xi Char.

With his corporate studies where some would say espionage concluded, Raith returned to Santhe/Sienar where his father, Narro created an internal workshop for Raith to head; Sienar Design Systems was to specialize in unique, personally-contracted work for the ultra-wealthy, and its clandestine Advanced Projects Laboratory worked on experimental, cutting-edge designs with a specialty in ion drive technology.

The Xi Char had rightly assumed and predicted the location of Raith, aboard the family yacht with his father for a pleasure cruise.

[]

A few hours had passed, and Narro had returned to the Starliner visibly upset and slightly pale. This trip was meant to be a pleasurable cruise but it had to be ruined when he had taken a trip down to that remote planet.

No one wanted to question why he had become upset for they feared losing their jobs, so too did his close family members not to question it either, especially because this trip was meant to be enjoyed. Narro may become even more upset then he was and most did not want that to happen.

He is a strict man, and this was one of the aspects that led to his son doing things behind his back, like espionage which would very soon get Narro himself and his son Raith in trouble.

"Father welcome back, how was your small escapade down to that backwards planet?" The young currently 22 year old Raith came up to his father dismissing his fathers current emotional state.

Despite Raith's experience in espionage and genius intellect he had made mistakes when it came to his infiltration of the Xi Char. What Raith did not know of was someone had managed to capture what he had done in perfect clarity through a recording device that had been planted into the Xi Char institute.

The one to do this was the mysterious 'Master' of that droid whom had approached him that very day.

Narro was not happy with his son given that he had helped him be reintroduced into his company and had given him his very own department. At least he was capable enough to create new advancements in their primary role as a shipbuilding company.

If his son had made mistakes though, he would could under punishment from the clan because their company was a subsidiary of the parent company Santhe Corporation headed by another family known as the Santhe.

If what that droid had said was correct and the evidence was fabricated it could spell doom for his position within the company.

His title as C.E.O. gone.

Narro's scowl increased the closer he drew to his son and further became worse as the youth spoke to him with a harmless smile.

"What's with that look on your face father? Did something untoward you happen?" Of course Raith does not know why his father is upset, and who is specifically upset with.

"Shut up boy. You have gone and done something behind my back that I can't ignore."

Narro was undecided about how to take the death threat. Was it serious or some sort of twisted sick joke. If it was true then he and his family and his subordinates as well helping him on his leisure trip are in danger.

It is true he is apart of a wealthy and secretive clan that sometimes sees themselves above the public but he has always had a soft spot. Hell he had even helped his competitors, the Corellian Engineering Corporation and had helped the Corporation design the successful YT-1300 light freighter.

Unintentionally or not, he had helped them come up with something that may have benefited himself if he stole some of their design plans. Being the better man that he was he did not resort to that, but his child.

His only son and done something he himself would never do despite the corporate world based off of wealthy higher ups and leaders corruption most of the time stuff like this would happen. He did not agree with their methods.

'Is this how I had raised my son.' Despite his inner worry he cared for his son, like any parent would and he believed himself to have raised him correctly, but it seems he was wrong in that assumption.

Seeing his sons young face and features he could see his wife within him, within his eyes.

For the safety of his child he would do anything and it seems that he has been caught with his pants down. Unsure with how to deal with the situation presented itself to him, he could only proceed with caution.

"Boy, get the attention of the crew and inform them of a possible implanted bomb placed on the Starliner." Narro orders his son.

"Bomb?" Raith questions.

"Yes there is possibly a explosive device somewhere on this ship. I want to evacuate not only myself and you but if possible the crew as well, but that is unlikely to happen. So I want you to take the smaller ship and escape down onto the planet."

"Father, you can't be serious? A bomb... With our level of security?" Raith being so sure of the security they have and safe in the knowledge that the Xi Char assigned mercenaries would not be able to track him here he does not worry about another assassination attempt.

"This is an order. Get onto a smaller ship and leave while I try to help out in the search for the explosive device." Narro near outright shouts at his son.

"In the event there is a device implanted here and I am unable to find it in time, I want you to know I that I love you. Now go!" Narro continues after calming down.

Raith confused and slightly concerned at the tone of his father decides to listen and escorts himself out the rest room area with no one else listening or hearing what had gone on between the two.

'Now to figure out if what that droids 'Master' said was true. I guess I will find out either way.'

What Narro does not know, is that the mercenaries have already boarded his ship, but have not planted the explosive device yet.

[]

The mercenaries that had successfully infiltrated Narro's Starliner were now quietly trying to move around the various aqueducts and ventilations of the ship.

They were a rather high priced band and because of this they have a high quality level of skill. This particular commission that had come to them came at a very high profit, but just like everything else in the galaxy it had also come at a high level of risk.

No different from a gamble and if they were successful they would become rich.

A small thud was heard within the small and tight spaces. One of the mercenary members had accidently made a sound.

"Shhhh, keep quiet don't stuff this up for the rest of us, if you want to be caught go and do so, but do not test my patience." The commanding officer in the ranks quietly berated a member through the communication device.

"Yes sir, sorry..." A short reply also spoken quietly was given.

The initial start of the mission was going quite well, where the pressure and danger level was actually overestimated, but what would one expect when the crew of the Starliner were relaxed due to the nature of the cruise was to leisurely.

Of course there was still a certain level of security kept to make sure nothing that could cause problems for the owner or his son. Usually most problems of a lower level would never reach their level because it would be deemed as incompetence had they not be able to fix the problem themselves without someone higher up getting involved.

Not many situations would occur for something like that to happen though. The mercenaries a few hours ago were having quite the time of their lives, and stimulated over the idea off of such a high paying customer caused their own level of skill to go down a bit.

This wouldn't have been a problem if everything was going accordingly to plan, but very recently the security measures were increased.

The personal of the ship were frantic and had begun a wide scale search of everywhere, starting with the docking bay where their very own escape ship had been placed.

This increased the difficulty of the mission at hand, where now their escape route had not been completely cut off, but had become heavily monitored. The personal also in a panicky search had also been bad to their cause as well.

Various droids were also patrolling multiple areas of the ship, but most importantly the engines where it was the important and their intended target.

If the explosive device they had brought onboard was planted in the designated engine areas, an explosion large enough to destroy the ship would be produced.

Checking in on his team and mapping out the path from himself and his crew, he had decided that they would need to leave this area soon, especially since there was activity indicating that the passageways they were hiding in may be checked.

Briefly turning on his communicator he speaks, "Ok, we need to move and move quickly." Short and simple commands were given.

"Righto." "Ok." "Affirmative." Various replies were given.

They quietly and skillfully made their way through the dark and claustrophobic spaces, winding themselves through the tunnels. Slowly but surely making themselves get to an area that had been checked already and cleared by the personal of the ship.

This was confirmed through using specialized technologies and programmed a virus to hack into the ships database so that they could map out the ship originally. Now it is being used to redirect them to safer areas.

"We should be safe for now."

What they didn't know was they were not as safe as they would assume, but for now they were in the clear.

For now...