An hour later, Sith Rick steered the Lambda class shuttle out of the SSD's Docking Bay 42. Sith Rick was much to young to be fully trained as a Sith, and therefore, could not partake in Whyren's Reserve sessions. Nevertheless, he was given the important assignment of Designated Driver for the Sith Investigator team. Skate, Palin, Seven, and Star were passed out in the crew compartment of the shuttle. They would probably begin healing trances in about two hours. Until then, Sith Rick had the entire cockpit to himself. He had even ordered Star's astromech droid, Mayhem, to stay in the back and keep an eye on the Siths.
About five klicks away from the SSD, Sith Rick turned the shuttle towards the hyperspace vector. He doubled checked the coordinates and pulled back the levers. The stars leaped into lines around him and then turned into a dizzying swirl of blues and whites. He kicked back and looked over the itinerary for the trip. They would spend the next three hours in hyperspace before dropping out into Commenor's system. Palin believed that the transmission was either sent out of one of Corellia's sectors or one of Commenor's sectors. Either way, though, Rick was in for a long and quiet three hours.
The control panel of the shuttle began bleating a five minute to reversion warning. All of the Siths were awake and preparing themselves. Skate was still mad about having to travel in a shuttle and not their snubfighters. They piled into the cockpit as Rick dropped the shuttle out of hyperspace. They had come out of hyperspace well away from Commenor. There were a few outcropping casinos and bar stations positioned along travel routes.
Palin checked over the list of possibilities streaming on the datapad, "There! Let's stop by this one first, the one called Under The Table Casino and Bar. Put in the heading and bring us in slow. Let's make like tourists."
"As ordered, Eight," Sith Rick responded as he turned the shuttle towards the establishment.
The rest of the Siths headed to the back to change into the garb of Bakuran tourists. Seven had suggested that they disguise themselves as Bakurans who were out to see what was changing after the death of the Emperor. Plus, most individuals were unfamiliar with Bakuran culture, customs, dress, and speech. This would make any of their mistakes and their poking around more acceptable to the surrounding patrons and citizens.
Palin stepped into the cockpit with a change of clothes for Rick, "Here ya go Rick. Put these on. When you're done, get back up here. You will stay with the shuttle while the rest of us head out and explore the station and its entertainment centers. You copy that?"
Rick, with as much disappointment as he could put in his words, answered back, "Compliance."
Seven joined Palin in
the cockpit to assist with landing the shuttle at the Under
The Table Casino And Bar Complex. The comm channel hissed
to life, "Lambda class shuttle Seal Breaker, please
state your intentions."
Seven chuckled at Palin, "Nice name for the shuttle. You
wanna answer the control tower or should I?"
Palin flipped the comm switch, "Control Tower, this is Seal Breaker. We request permission to dock at your complex. We would like to rest and refresh at your complex."
"Seal Breaker,
this is Control Tower, permission granted. Please dock your shuttle
at Portside Docking Bay 314, copy?"
"Control, this is Seal Breaker, we copy."
An hour later, the shuttle
was shut down and docked safely in the docking bay. Palin, Seven,
Star, and Skate headed though the hatch to the corridor connecting
the docking bay to the main structure of the casino. Sith Rick
remained behind with an open commlink to eavesdrop and record
everything that happened to the others. Mayhem, Star's astromech,
had left with the investigator team; however, Skate's astromech
droid remained with Rick in the shuttle to assist with duties.
The four Siths entered the massive foyer of the Under The Table
Casino And Bar. They stood there in silence for several moments.
They were overwhelmed by the variety of small taverns, restaurants,
bars, casinos, and various entertainment facilities located around
the hub of the foyer. It took shear discipline and some confusion
to hold their tiny group together. The Siths were nearly overcome
with the intense desire to run off in different directions to
the various facilities that promised good times.
Palin snapped out of the trance first, "Alright, let's find
a terminal and plug into it. There is a private one over there.
Come on."
The tromped over to the private terminal with their mouths agape
and drool slipping down their faces. Palin stepped into the terminal
with Mayhem and shut the terminal doors. The other Siths stood
outside and marveled at the advertisements and signs. A few moments
later, Palin and Mayhem emerged.
"Ok, this is the deal. I sliced into the system and downloaded
some information. That transmission was definitely not from Baron
Reno. Conclusion: it must be from the notorious Tommy G. I bet
he is up to something and probably working for someone. I think
we should hang out here for awhile and see what we can find out
from the staff. Any disagreements?" Palin was nearly bowled
over by the Siths' sudden dedication to carrying out her plans.
Together, they headed out into the dangerous and unknown depths
of the Under The Table facility.