[Episode IV – Cat. B] The Keep

Beneath the towering heights of Coruscant’s upper levels lay the underbelly of the city. Dank and dangerous, Coruscant’s Undercity was home to scum; pirates, mercenaries, bounty hunters, criminals, all who ran from the light of the sun, hiding in the darkness of the underworld.

In one corner of this undercity lay a set of buildings known as the Keep. In the many blocks of buildings that made up Coruscant, the Keep was known for its rather isolated position. Infamous for its residents and the citizens who frequented its walls, the Keep was a well known stronghold for the scum of the Galaxy. From the hands of one crime lord to the next, the Keep was always within the grasp of the criminal world.

As the night set over Coruscant, certain parties sought to use the dark to their own advantage.

A whisper in the night, drowned out by the voices of the sentients passing by, the hum of machines, and the passing of speeders.

The whisper came out similar to a hiss. “This is Blurrg to Bright Sun, you never mentioned how busy the Keep was.”

Blurrg stepped under the cover of one of the buildings, the man trailing him staying in his shadow. Blurrg spoke into the comlink. “How’re we supposed to complete an extraction with so many eyes around?”

The comlink whirred to life, filling the two men’s ears with Bright Sun’s words, a sarcastic drawl. “There are so many bodies on the street, what’s three more to them? You’ll look like nothing but the riff raff who already loiter.

The interior of the Keep is short of men as well. The Keep used to be in the hands of the Pyke, but the Night Prince and his men have seen that those spiceheads have blown away in the wind. It should be easy for a pair like you.”

Blurrg’s eyes locked with his partners, and he spoke back into the comlink. “Yes, it will be. You’ve already explained the Keep’s lack of defense, we just didn’t expect the area to be so busy.”

Bright Sun’s voice echoed in their ears.

“Of course, the Night Prince doesn’t even know the value of the prisoner they hold, and so it is business as usual here in the Keep. And the Prince’s men are preparing it for the Black Sun’s arrival.”

This time Blurrg’s partner spoke up.

“You’re sure the prisoner is still in there?”

He was met with a scoff that hissed sharply through the comlink. “Of course, Dianoga, my Stars have been orbiting the Keep all day. The target hasn’t left through any of the exits, she’s still in there.”

Blurrg spoke up. “Okay, we’re close to our entrance. We’ll be silencing comms unless an emergency arises. We’ll contact you once we have the target in hand.”

They stepped out of the alley, into the bustling street.

This past day had been no good. Most of his men slaughtered or scattered, ran out of their own stronghold, and worst of all, they had left their hostage behind.

This was a huge boon for his family, he was lucky enough to be stationed on Coruscant, lucky enough to have a bounty worth a small moon fall into his lap, but that luck was too good to be true. It ran out and he was caught in that storm of misfortune. And it came in the form of the Night Prince.

The Night Prince’s men had stormed the Keep, caught his own by surprise. And it seemed the little bit of luck that he had left allowed him to escape from the Prince with his most trusted men. But in the process, they left their bounty behind, a treasure he doubted the Night Prince’s men even knew the value of.

And so it was in one last attempt, to grasp the cusp of glory he was so close to, that he led his men back into the keep. To claim the prize that was his by right.

Equipped with only the weapons they had on them when they ran, they made their way back to the Keep.

The familiar streets surrounding the Keep were a welcome sight, the amount of people moving about allowed him and his men to easily push towards the stronghold that was once theirs.

It angered him, how easily they lost their foothold. He had guards stationed at each entrance, keypads locked the doors to all who didn’t know the code. Yet, the Night Prince’s men still managed to get in, take his men by surprise and push himself out of his seat of power.

There was a womp rat in his midst, but by now he was long gone; or still in the Keep, telling the Black Suns all they needed to know.

What was the price for his stronghold? Or was the rat’s price to be found inside the Keep: a prisoner worth more than she looked.

It mattered not. All he had left to do was to reclaim his prize or die trying; or kill the rat who had turned coat.

They hadn’t gotten around to changing the code on this entrance it seemed. Slipping into one of the unassuming doors that lined the street, he and his two men entered the building, traversing the twisted halls, walking into the depths of the Keep.

The holo of the disc flared to life, their benefactor’s form flickering in and out of existence. Before they could get a word in, the red one snarled.

“The jobs compromised – before we even got here those damn Pykes had already lost their grasp on the Keep. We’ve heard they’re either dead or ‘roamin the streets like womp rats!”

Before anyone else could overhear, the white one grasped the other’s shoulder.

“Yyile, you’ve got to be quieter. I understand your frustration, but we can’t have anyone overhear us.”

There wasn’t anyone in their direct vicinity, but it was a good point. Taking a breath, Yyile locked eyes with his partner.

“Sorry Weel, but this was ‘sposed to be our big break.”

Before Yyile could say anything else, the holo spoke up.

“I understand as well, and I suppose I should have informed you two. But this was well within my calculations, even expected, based on our intel. But, I didn’t want to worry you both. Just bide your time. Know at the moment there are parties moving into the Keep who will be doing the heavy lifting for you.”

Rolling her eyes, Weel spoke up. “This is just like you. Would it hurt to trust us with a little bit of information beforehand? We’ve done enough jobs for you to have a little faith in us.”

Their benefactor spoke up. “I suppose you’re right, I do apologize. I appreciate the fact that you took the initiative and reached out to me before you both did anything reckless. For now just sit back and wait for me to reach out to you. My intel should update me soon.”

And the hologram sputtered out, the call ended.

“Just like him to pull something like this, can’t ever trust us with anything.” Yyile shook his head.

“Hopefully he realizes that we can do him good, let’s just wait it out like he told us, he may leave us out but he always manages to lead us back on the right path.”

The Zygerrian spoke with a heavy accent. His words dangerous, even this deep in the Undercity. He was charismatic and convincing. But even under the influence of the drinks they knew this wasn’t a business they wanted a hand in.

Even under the influence of the drinks they were consuming, his offer wasn’t tempting enough. The Prince was powerful, and they saw that power firsthand. His men took the Keep in one fell swoop, and if word on the street is true, they’ve managed to take much more as well.

In their line of business it’s imperative to be flexible, to know who holds the cards – and tonight, the Prince held them. It seemed his hands never stopped grasping, for after the Keep was taken, he had reached out to offer a job, an opportunity. And it was a good one.

Better than this Zygerrian – even if it seemed great – and all the luggage that came with accepting his offer. Tonight, they’d drink with the Zygerrian, entertain him and nod along. But tomorrow, they’d make sure the Prince’s night sets over the Undercity.

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Other Comments

While this was an incredibly fun and satisfying build. It was also a great learning experience. I've realized I don't like building this big, it's tiring and complicated. I got burned out and that caused some issues, including me rushing the build and the post. I would've loved to include more figs, more builds (for this episode), and better presentation, but I also really wanted to get this in on time. So damn my wants, and I did what I could for the build and got it in on time. I still enjoy how it turned out greatly, but as always, there's so much more I would like to do. But for now this'll have to pass!