There was a loud thud as the janitor sank to the floor, a rapidly-forming welt on the back of his head. Zuza Lottson reached down to check his pulse. Still beating. She sighed and brushed a strand of messy dark hair away from her eyes. Then, she dragged his unconscious body over into a stall.
"Did It have to be the bathroom, Kai?" she asked, thumbing her comlink as she headed for the far end of the now empty room. The noise of Club Vertica pounded incessently outside. Somewhere, in the next room over, a toilet flushed. "Could have at least let him clean it first…"
"No time for that," Kai replied, his tone dry and professional as usual. The Bothan information broker was always so stoic on the job, but get a little ale in him and Zuza knew he was as much a party animal as he looked. "You've got twenty, maybe thirty minutes as it is, depending on how attentive their supervisor is, so get a move on. The supply closet should be just beyond that far wall."
"Yeah, yeah, I read the schematics," she said with an offhand wave. She reached into her belt and flicked on her lightsaber. The room was bathed in a gentle green glow before she jammed it into the white-tiled wall pointed out by Kai. The ceramic sizzled and hissed as she began to cut a hole. "You sliced into their security yet?"
"Just finished actually. I put their alarm system into maintenance mode and threw the cameras into a minute-long loop. The security team ought to be none the wiser. That is, assuming you don't pop out in front of a couple of guards."
"Hmph, it's almost like you don't know me, Kai."
"I know that hack job you pulled on Corellia."
"We agreed to never talk about Corellia!"
"You told me to never talk about it, I never agreed—"
"Shut up! I'm in."
Zuza deactivated her saber and attempted to set the heavy slab of wall down as gently as possible but still winced at the audible thunk as it slammed to the ground. She gingerly stepped over the steaming slab into the supply closet. Empty, except for some tools and lubricant. She peeked into the hallway. No guards.
"Don't you find this a little too easy, Kai?" she asked as she began to make her way through the halls to the vault. She kept to the shadows, her low-light camouflage blending in almost perfectly. Even though she kept an eye, she didn't notice any employees wandering around. No guards either.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Kai replied with a snort.
"You're good, Kai, but aren't you just a little bit suspicious? Security is so lax, the place seems almost deserted. Where, exactly, did you say you got those schematics from?"
"Maybe it is. A little. The schematics came from a disgruntled employee; refugee quarter. You can probably guess the story." Zuza heard him let out a long sigh. Kai was a refugee himself. "If you ask me, Zu, the Hutts have just gotten sloppy. Nobody robs the Hutts, not on Nar Shaddaa, so why spend all the money on security?"
"Yeah… Maybe. Coming up on the vault."
"Right on schedule. Get in and take the most valuable thing you can carry, then get out before someone notices our friend sleeping in the bathroom."
Zuza turned the corner carefully, expecting to see a pair of guards outside the vault room, but the entrance was unguarded. Her sense of unease deepened into dread, but it was too late to turn back now. She took out her saber again, flipping it around and activating the fusion shunt modified to
the hilt. With a few deft movements, she cut into the lock with the bright, concentrated plasma torch.
She pushed the vault open, the door slowly swinging inward, revealing the barrels of two slug throwers pointed directly at her head.
A heavily armed merc stood in the middle of the vault, the shelves and deposit boxes picked clean behind him. His face was covered by green and brown Death Trooper armor, which would have looked hilariously out of place had he not been a trigger pull away from ending her life. Zuza backed up, thumbing her comlink only for a burst of static to nearly deafen her.
"The Bothan has other things to worry about right now. I'd put my hands up if I were you," the armored mercenary said with a growl. Zuza complied, putting on a smile even as her mind raced with worry for her friend.
"Alright, let's not be hasty now, Mr…?"
"Grot. Just Grot."
"Alright, Grot, I'm sure we can work something out, as long as Kai is safe."
Grot snorted. "Your furry friend is safe, Lottson. Dulla the Hutt paid good money to see both of you join her for dinner, preferably alive."
"Dulla?! This isn't about her yacht is it?" Zuza's eyes scanned up and down the hallway, looking for any possible advantage. They immediately fell on a service panel, just between her and Grot. a pipe runs behind that. A gas pipe? Water? Damn it, why can't I remember! "For the record, that was not my fault. Isn't it a little petty to hold a grudge like that?
"Stop stalling and tell her in person. I am sure she will be happy to hear your complaints. Your weapons, slowly."
"Of course, wouldn't want to keep Lady Dulla waiting…" Zuza grumbled. She knelt and made as if to roll her lightsaber over to Grot, but then turned suddenly on her heel, activating her blade and cutting the service panel all in one swift motion. A gout of flame erupted from the panel, sending her stumbling forward as a wall of fire obscured her from Grot's vision. She smelt burning hair and cloth but had no time to worry as she broke into a sprint.
Loud cracks echoed in the hall as Grot fired into the flames, the slugs whizzing all around Zuza as she ran. Her heart let into her throat. At any moment she imagined one of those deadly projectiles would catch her and put an end to her flight. It wasn't until she rounded the corner that she realized, with a thrill, she was unharmed aside from some burnt hairs.
She unslung her blaster and aimed it back down the hallway, using the corner for cover. Grot came charging through the fire, his armor's plasma shield sparking white and blue as he raced to catch up to Zuza. A burst of bright red blaster bolts slammed into him as Zuza fired, sending him stumbling as his shield absorbed the force of the impact. The mercenary was seemingly unstoppable, raising his slugthrowers to fire as Zuza retreated behind her cover.
"Shields?! That's so not fair!" She broke and ran. It was clear to Zuza that she wasn't going to get anywhere trying to take this guy head-on. She needed more space, more room to maneuver. She followed her ears as she sprinted down the back halls of Club Vertica, listening for the thrumming beat of the club music as it grew loud. The more menacing drum of her pursuer's boots was ever at her heels, though out of sight.
At last, she came to a final pair of double doors. The lighting was low, and the music pounding just beyond. Lowering her shoulder, she slammed through the doors and out onto the main floor of Club Vertica.
