The beats pumped inside the night club owned by Sootoo the small-time Hutt crime lord, and were only partially muted by the walls of the building. Dianna was glad she wouldn't have to enter that part of the building. The noise could interfere with being able to hear any of the transmissions sent to tiny earpiece hidden under the skin just behind her ear.
She glanced at the boy Mannix calmly standing by with his dark suit and darkened sun visor obscuring his eyes. She could tell his calmness was on the outside only as the tiny trickle of sweat running down his cheek gave the only evidence to the anxiety that must be overwhelming inside. She knew he'd seen some cities before, but never an ecumenopolis like the Smuggler's Moon. He'd only recently left his home planet where he grew up in a small village, now here he was, standing in one of the worst hives of scum and villainy in the entire galaxy. His calm exterior amazed her and she wasn't sure she'd be nearly as calm if she was in his place. Maybe Raezyr and Trychon's faith in the kid wasn't as misplaced as she thought it may have been.
Dianna approached the male Duros standing guard on the side door and gave him the appropriate pass code, the one Sootoo had given her when she had finally sent word to the Hutt she was on her way to pay her "respects." The blue skinned alien pulled out a scanner and indicated both she and Mannix hold their hands out to the sides.
They complied and the guard ran the scanner a few inches from their bodies. When he reached the small of Dianna's back, an alarm on the scanner sounded and the Duros pulled the vibro-knife from it's sheath at her waistband. He gave her a disapproving look. Dianna smiled, "Hey, you can't expect a girl to go completely unprotected in a place like this, can you?"
Apparently the guard had no sense of humor. Instead of answering he tucked the weapon inside his coat and finished the scan, with no other incidents. "You'll get your weapon back when you leave," he informed her. He looked quizzically at the case Mannix was holding. "What's in the case, kid?"
Mannix opened his mouth to reply, but Dianna was quicker. "It's for Sootoo. A business deal. We'll show it to her only. She's expecting us, and I'm pretty sure you know that."
The blue-skinned alien looked sour. He clearly did indeed know it, but was hoping for a look in the case anyway. He stepped back instead and whispered into what must have been a hidden comlink in his cuff. The door opened for the two guests, then closed behind them again once they had entered.
The area they found themselves in was just a small foyer and a set of turbo-lift doors. There were no controls for the lift, and looking behind her, there were no controls leading outside. Looking up she saw cameras covering every angle in the small room. Clearly whomever was watching on the other side of those cameras had control, and only when they were certain would they open the doors or activate the turbo-lift.
Dianna looked over at Mannix. "Trident, we're inside," she said. Mannix just smiled back, but in Dianna's ear, she heard a response. "I copy you, Ice Queen. Sun Ray and I are working on getting into place, and Striker and Redman are standing-by for the signal. No word from Deep Blue. How is Night Rider holding up?" It was Trychon.
Dianna put her hand on Mannix' shoulder and kept pretending she was talking to him. "Everything is going well so far."
Another voice came across the comm channel, and Dianna recognized it as Raezyr. "I knew I should have been around when you picked out call signs. I mean, 'Sun Ray?' Seriously?"
"Cut the chatter, Sun Ray. Mission essential comm traffic only," Trychon's voice responded. Dianna could envision the ear to ear grin on his face as he said it. She could also picture the sour look on her lover's face and it was all she could do to keep from laughing out loud.
She glanced at the boy Mannix calmly standing by with his dark suit and darkened sun visor obscuring his eyes. She could tell his calmness was on the outside only as the tiny trickle of sweat running down his cheek gave the only evidence to the anxiety that must be overwhelming inside. She knew he'd seen some cities before, but never an ecumenopolis like the Smuggler's Moon. He'd only recently left his home planet where he grew up in a small village, now here he was, standing in one of the worst hives of scum and villainy in the entire galaxy. His calm exterior amazed her and she wasn't sure she'd be nearly as calm if she was in his place. Maybe Raezyr and Trychon's faith in the kid wasn't as misplaced as she thought it may have been.
Dianna approached the male Duros standing guard on the side door and gave him the appropriate pass code, the one Sootoo had given her when she had finally sent word to the Hutt she was on her way to pay her "respects." The blue skinned alien pulled out a scanner and indicated both she and Mannix hold their hands out to the sides.
They complied and the guard ran the scanner a few inches from their bodies. When he reached the small of Dianna's back, an alarm on the scanner sounded and the Duros pulled the vibro-knife from it's sheath at her waistband. He gave her a disapproving look. Dianna smiled, "Hey, you can't expect a girl to go completely unprotected in a place like this, can you?"
Apparently the guard had no sense of humor. Instead of answering he tucked the weapon inside his coat and finished the scan, with no other incidents. "You'll get your weapon back when you leave," he informed her. He looked quizzically at the case Mannix was holding. "What's in the case, kid?"
Mannix opened his mouth to reply, but Dianna was quicker. "It's for Sootoo. A business deal. We'll show it to her only. She's expecting us, and I'm pretty sure you know that."
The blue-skinned alien looked sour. He clearly did indeed know it, but was hoping for a look in the case anyway. He stepped back instead and whispered into what must have been a hidden comlink in his cuff. The door opened for the two guests, then closed behind them again once they had entered.
The area they found themselves in was just a small foyer and a set of turbo-lift doors. There were no controls for the lift, and looking behind her, there were no controls leading outside. Looking up she saw cameras covering every angle in the small room. Clearly whomever was watching on the other side of those cameras had control, and only when they were certain would they open the doors or activate the turbo-lift.
Dianna looked over at Mannix. "Trident, we're inside," she said. Mannix just smiled back, but in Dianna's ear, she heard a response. "I copy you, Ice Queen. Sun Ray and I are working on getting into place, and Striker and Redman are standing-by for the signal. No word from Deep Blue. How is Night Rider holding up?" It was Trychon.
Dianna put her hand on Mannix' shoulder and kept pretending she was talking to him. "Everything is going well so far."
Another voice came across the comm channel, and Dianna recognized it as Raezyr. "I knew I should have been around when you picked out call signs. I mean, 'Sun Ray?' Seriously?"
"Cut the chatter, Sun Ray. Mission essential comm traffic only," Trychon's voice responded. Dianna could envision the ear to ear grin on his face as he said it. She could also picture the sour look on her lover's face and it was all she could do to keep from laughing out loud.
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