Star Wars_ The Old Republic_ Revan - Drew Karpyshyn [18]
“Let me reach out to some people,” the Mandalorian said. “See what I can dig up. Can’t promise I’ll find anything, though.”
“I’m kind of hoping you don’t,” Revan replied. “But neither one of us is that lucky.”
CHAPTER FOUR
LOCATED IN A REMOTE SYSTEM far from any major hyperspace lanes, Hallion was a small and insignificant planet among the dozens of worlds dominated by the Sith Empire. Its only remarkable features were the seven small natural satellites that orbited the world, just barely large enough to be considered moons. On this evening four of them were waxing full, their combined glow illuminating the darkness enough for Scourge to clearly make out the details of the Uxiol Droid Manufacturing plant’s exterior even without his night goggles.
“Your blueprints didn’t show a security fence,” he whispered.
He and Sechel were huddled in a small copse of trees on the edge of a field roughly twenty meters from the plant.
“Maybe it’s new,” Sechel replied, also speaking softly. “Shouldn’t be a problem, though. Once you’re on the other side you can just open the gate and let me in.”
Scourge had noticed a remarkable change in Sechel during the mission. The sniveling boot-lick that had greeted him at the spaceport on Dromund Kaas was gone, replaced by someone who was intelligent and self-confident. Obviously, the personality he had displayed on their first meeting had been a ruse; a cover he used to hide his true nature from outsiders. He was still probably useless in an actual fight, but Scourge was beginning to understand how he had risen to such a prominent position in Nyriss’s household. He had compensated for his lack of the Force by developing his mental skills; and apparently Sechel had enjoyed a very successful career with Imperial Intelligence before becoming Nyriss’s chief adviser.
“If they’ve got autoguns on the roof, we’ll be dead before we get anywhere near that maintenance door,” Scourge growled.
“It’s a manufacturing plant, not a fortress,” Sechel assured him. “Most of their security is electronic. You know, stuff I can slice. The worst you’ll have to deal with is a couple of roving security droids.”
“Patrol drones or assault droids?”
“Patrol drones. UDM doesn’t manufacture assault droids. Too expensive for a small company like this.” After a short pause, Sechel added, “Are you always this skittish on a job?”
“Only fools charge ahead without knowing what lies in wait,” Scourge answered through gritted teeth.
It was more than the other’s insolence that grated on him; Sechel’s question had struck a nerve. There was something about this job that made Scourge uneasy. Part of it was being forced to work with a partner; normally he worked alone. Yet there was more to his unease than the presence of the Sith crouched beside him. It wasn’t anything he could put his finger on, but something felt off. It made him hesitant, more cautious than usual.
“You’re sure the entrance code will work? It’s not going to set off some kind of alarm?” he asked, trying to think of anything that could possibly go wrong. “I can handle a few patrol drones, but if a dozen of them come down on us all at once we’re in trouble.”
“The code will work,” Sechel promised. “This is a simple job.”
He was right. This was a simple job, and Scourge was forced to admit that maybe the problem wasn’t the mission.
“Taking things for granted is a good way to get yourself killed,” Scourge told him as he stood up, trying to justify his behavior even as he struggled to push away the self-doubt creeping through the corners of his mind.
He made a final check of his equipment and armor, then slid his night goggles into place. The world took on an eerie green glow as the illumination from the moons above was enhanced tenfold. He drew his lightsaber but didn’t ignite it.
According to the blueprints they’d gone over, there weren’t supposed to be any cams. But there wasn’t supposed to be a fence, either.
“Meet me at the gate,” Scourge said. Not bothering to wait for a reply, he broke from his cover, sprinting toward the three-meter-high security