A gambler’s den of the Vertical City’s greatest bettors, Club Vertica is a casino reserved for the wealthiest of Nar Shaddaa. Cardshark droids are used exclusively to deal hands to those willing to risk their credits at the sabacc tables. Cheating is rendered near impossible under the surveillance of the droid's six photoreceptors. That of course does not stop the downtrodden from accusing others of being a fraud, which can often happen before someone receives a blaster bolt between the eyes. The few that have able to use skiffers undetected are counted as some of the best swindlers in the Galaxy.

Cerulean lights illuminate the tables, making concealment during a game difficult. Seated around most of the oval tables are a mix of gamblers from different species, succumbing to their addiction for the ultimate prize—the sabacc pot. Credits are tossed onto the tables forming mountains that draw in fierce competitors with deeper pockets and faster wit than the usual patrons.

Behind the games of sabacc, drinks are being served from the alcove of a small bar. Most of these are a shade of blue in color, expertly mixed to dull the senses of all but the hardiest individuals. Onstage, a local band sets the mood of the venue with an upbeat number that deafens out most conversations. The stakes are always high at Club Vertica.

Lucine took another sip of her violent blue concoction and tried not to grimace at its nauseatingly sweet taste. She did not ordinarily drink while she was working, but it would have looked odd for her to be sitting at the bar without a beverage. She could only hope that her contact did not keep her waiting; the idea of consuming much of her drink turned her stomach.

It was almost time for her associate to arrive. While she waited, she amused herself by observing the people around her. The sabacc table nearest to the bar was starting to get rowdy; apparently the Rodian sitting next to the card-shark droid was winning. There were four others sitting at the bar: a Besalisk with a decided air of depression around him, two Twi'leks locked in an intense, drunken debate, and.... She turned her attention to the fourth, and quickly realized that she recognized him.

With war on the horizon, she made it her business to know all of the key players within the Brotherhood, and had turned her information network to the task. She had sent two of her informants to gather intel on the Consul of Taldryan, but only one had returned. The intelligence he had imparted was enough to convince her that Rhylance was one that she never wanted to meet. And here he was. Wonderful.

The redhead turned back to the sabacc table while keeping the Chiss in her peripheral vision. What is he doing here? She did not know, and did not want to hang around to find out.

It was then that she noticed a Nautolan approaching from the opposite direction. He moved slowly, pausing to study each sabacc table in turn. At last he reached the one nearest her, and frowned as he examined each player. “I'm in need of some luck. How's this table been?” he asked her nonchalantly.

Finally! Lucine thought as she recognized the code phrase. “That Rodian is winning big. I am down to my last few credits because of him.”

The Nautolan tsked softly. “Well, that's a shame.” He pulled a credit chip from his pocket and tossed it to her. “Here. Thanks for saving me from a fleecing.”

Lucine smiled pleasantly as she caught it. “I am always happy to help. We gamblers have to stick together.” As the Nautolan wandered away, she turned the small chip over in her hands, feeling exceedingly pleased with herself. A few months ago, she had exchanged a large number of favors to obtain data on certain employees of the Voice's office. Janitors, maintenance workers, secretaries, all those whose work was so often overlooked yet so integral to day to day operations. That data had been stored on a disk, cleverly disguised as a credit chip.

She tucked it into her cloak and signaled to the bartender that she wanted to settle her tab. She was eager to get to work on the next step of her plan, identifying likely targets. Yet as she waited, she realized that the Chiss was no longer in his chair. He must have slipped away while I was dealing with my contact, she thought with a small frown. But where—

Her thought process was interrupted when someone ran into her from behind. “Watch it!” she snapped, and whirled to see Rhylance smiling down at her. It was then that she realized there was a sharp, stinging sensation in her back, near her spine. Numbness shot through her as her legs gave out underneath her.

The Taldryan caught her easily, and waved away the bartender's surprised look. “She cannot handle her alcohol,” he said by way of explanation, as he began dragging her limp form toward the door.

Rhylance dragged Lucine’s body towards the door, making a slight turn. As he passed through the crowd of enamoured denizens of Club Vertica he apologized, lying about her state of intoxication. The Chiss made his way over to a dark, secluded table on the far right side of the establishment. A club worker waved to him as he approached the table.

Lucine had gone limp in Rhylance's arms, unable to struggle as the Chiss’s poison did it's work. He pressed the tip of a knife into her back as a cry began to escape the woman's lips before she got the message.

“I do not wish to kill you,” the Consul confided in a hushed voice, “I only wish to speak with you. Remain silent and you will go unharmed. Attempt to cry out and I will thrust this knife into the third vertebrae of your cervical spine, severing it. You will be paralyzed for the rest of your life, which will not be long because you will lose the functionality of your diaphragm. You will be unable to breathe, trapped in an unmoving body before suffocating unto death. Blink twice if you understand,” Rhylance gently moved her head so he could see her eyes. Lucine hesitantly blinked twice, “Good, now we can be friends”.

“Hello sir, your table is ready for you, as requested,” the green skinned Twi’lek club worker announced as the two approached the well hidden table.

“Why, thank you, Rask. Your payment is waiting for you at the front counter. Thank you for your service,” Rhylance responded politely as he carefully sat the paralyzed body of Lucine at the table.

Despite her efforts, Lucine was only able to make the slightest of twitches; the paralytic toxin that had been introduced into her system was in full swing. Rhylance grinned at the sight. He always marvelled at the effectiveness of his poisons. His hands began to search over her pockets as she continued to try to struggle.

“Don’t bother, that toxin will stay in effect for at least two hours. But I could give you the antidote,”

Finding what he was searching for, Rhylance pulled the credit chip out of her pocket. He also grabbed a small antidote kit attached to her belt. After circling the table to his seat, the Consul sat down and placed the chip on the table. He opened up the antidote kit and extracted three small tubes of liquid.

“I like to think of myself as a fair person. I have, so far, kept my end of our little deal and brought you to this table unharmed.” He pulled out a small green vial from his jacket and began to mix the contents with the fluids from the antidote kit. The resulting mixture was a bluish liquid.

“Un...unharmed?” Lucine struggled to speak, “is that what you c-call poisoning me...and dragging me to this t-table? And for what...a small amount of credits?”

After speaking, Lucine began to concentrate, willing the Force around her to help her. Bending it to her will in an attempt to save her body, and her life.

“Now, now, Lucine. We both know what this chip really is,” he taunted. It was times like this Rhylance was grateful for Rian Taldrya assembling the Taldryan Intelligence Directorate. “I know who you are, Lucine Vasano of Clan Arcona, apprentice of Atyriu. And," he smiled, "I know what is on this disk.”

The Chiss pulled out a syringe from his medical kit, and filled it with the blue mixture. He then placed the syringe on the table alongside a sharp scalpel.

“I will tell you nothing. That disk will be mine again soon enough.”

Rhylance let out a slight chuckle. Under the table Lucine could slowly feel the blood returning to her feet, the Force assisting her as her focus remained intact.

“You can have this back,” he said as he slid the chip across the table. “by the time we're finished, you'll choose to give it back to me. What I want from you is information about Arcona’s dealings against the Grand Master. Taldryan wants to help take him down.”

“So, this is what, an extended hand in friendship?” She replied skeptically.

“Call it an audition. Tell me what I need to know and you go free. Fail to do so, and things get far more painful.”

Lucine spat in his direction.

Rhylance merely shrugged. “So, the hard way it is then.”

https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/acc/acc_battles/964

As Lucine's hand closed around the chip, her senses screamed a warning. She tried to jerk out of the way as the Consul's silenced blaster gave a muffled report. She screeched with pain, tumbling out of her chair as the bolt seared into her knee. She gracelessly rolled under the table, stuffing the disk into her pocket as she moved.

Rhylance smiled mirthlessly. The acrid smell of burnt flesh was proof that he had hit her. He rose from his chair, taking a step back in case she tried to use her lightsaber. “This really is futile,” he said. Blaster at the ready, he leaned down to pull her from her hiding spot.

Lucine crooked a finger, using the Force to pull his glasses toward her. As they landed in her right hand, she lashed out with her left. Rhylance bellowed as the blinding dust caught him in the face. Reflexively, he pulled the trigger, missing her by inches. Lucine was already moving, crawling away as fast as she could.

It took several minutes to clear the dust from his eyes, but Rhylance knew that the redhead would not get very far in her current state. Rubbing his eyes, he began to survey his surroundings.

“An audition, hmm? And how would you rate my performance, darling?”

He turned in the direction of her voice, but saw nothing there.

“So far, I am not impressed,” the Chiss replied. It sounded like her voice was coming from approximately five meters away. Noting a security mirror, he smiled slyly.

“The feeling is mutual,” the Arconan said. Quickly, Rhylance snapped off a shot. The bolt ricocheted off the mirror, tore through the space where the voice had come, and seared into the wall.

“With your reputation, I thought you would be more...competent,” Lucine continued, her voice coming from a spot eight meters further away. She was moving toward a more populated area. Apparently, she presumed he would not shoot her in front of a crowd.

The Chiss paused, frowning slightly. Something was off about the situation. She is wounded and poisoned. Why would she stay to taunt me?

He scanned the area slowly, until his eyes landed upon a trail of blood leading underneath another table. He considered following the trail, but the memory of the blinding dust was fresh in his mind. This time, I will let her come to me.

With a small smile, he turned and continued to follow the voice.

Lucine huddled in her hiding place as she heard his footsteps moving away. Safe, for the moment.

She focused her fear and pain, letting the Force course through her. As the Arconan watched muscle, tendon and flesh knit together, she considered the implication of the Consul's words. Someone had sold her out. I will find them and make them suffer. As for Rhylance, I will pay him back in kind for this humiliation.

As the last traces of the poison left her system, she tested her knee. It was not fully healed, but it would have to do. She slowly got to her feet, but her injured leg buckled. She dropped back to the floor as a blaster bolt flashed overhead.

The Chiss tsked. “Did I not tell you that I know who you are? I know about the little tricks you rely on.”

The redhead grabbed her lightsaber and shakily stood up, the emerald blade flaring to life. “Well, I shall simply have to be less predictable,” she replied. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted the scalpel still sitting on the table.

“Now you are just wasting time. You can barely stand.” The Consul smirked.

Lucine sank into the semblance of a proper stance as she gestured her free hand toward the scalpel, hoping the Consul would assume it was some flowery part of her form. The scalpel rose from the table and turned, its blade pointed toward him. “You said it was the third vertebrae of the cervical spine?” she asked.

“What?”

The scalpel hurtled through the air, impaling itself into the center of the Commander's back. Spinal cord severed, Rhylance fell to the floor. His blaster bounced out of reach.

“That was not the cervical spine,” the Consul growled.

“Seemed effective enough,” Lucine said with a shrug. “Now I really must run, darling.” She showed him his glasses. “But I think I will keep these,” she added sweetly, before turning and limping for the exit.

Picking up the scalpel and standing up, Rhylance sauntered around the table to Lucine. He grabbed her arm, pressing the blade to her skin. Lucine could now move her leg and could feel her hands twitching, but it wasn’t enough.

“I will give you one last chance to tell me what you know of Arcona’s plans for dealing with this threat.”

“I’ll tell you nothing,” she seethed. Her words came out much stronger as she slowly regained the use of her muscles. Watching the Chiss rest the scalpel on the flesh on her arm caused her heart to race. Her focus waned slightly as signs of fear appeared on her face.

Rhylance applied pressure to his blade and a trickle of crimson fluid ran from the open wound. With a swift flick of the wrist, the scalpel seemed to glide across Lucine’s skin and she grimaced as pain wracked her senses. The Consul noticed her legs jerk and a slight edge of concern stalked him.

Rage was apparent on the Arconan’s face, her jaw clenched and her teeth bared. Her eyes flared furiously and her arms twitched, fighting against the paralysis that plagued them. Lucine could feel the Force vibrating in the air around her hands and with all of her strength she willed her hands forward. Releasing the pent up Force energy, an invisible wave sent the glasses and the antidote flying from the tabletop at Rhylance.

As the glass crashed against the floor, Rhylance was nearly pushed off of his feet. The unbalanced Chiss had to grab ahold of a nearby chair to stay level. As he steadied himself, a hissing sound returned his attention to his opponent just in time to see Lucine’s blue lightsaber swing in his direction. He jumped a few steps backwards, narrowly missing being bisected at the waist. Luck was on his side as the Arconan’s movements were still slow by her sluggish muscles.

As he backed away, Rhylance bumped against a small knee wall that separated his table area from another and he fell backwards over it, crashing to the ground and into a few guests of Club Vertica. As their drinks fell to the ground, staining his pristine coat with alcohol, the patrons screamed in frustration before realizing that an angry Sith stalked towards them with a sapphire lightsaber.

Lucine paused her advance as she noticed the faux credit chip lying on the ground, and stooped to pick it up. This momentary distraction was enough for Rhylance to stand up and draw his Synergy WLD-5 Peacekeeper. Lucine looked up with wide eyes and jumped out of the way of his first two shots, as if she knew where they were going to be. She ducked into a serving nook to hide from the blaster shots.

As she hid, her newest wound from Rhylance began to burn and itch, the bubbling blood leaving behind a growing rash. She thought fast, escape foremost on her mind as fatigue and after effects from the poisons ate at her. She was not prepared for an encounter of this caliber.

Rhylance quietly walked towards the wall that Lucine hid behind. Springing around the corner, he trained his weapon to where Lucine had been, but she was no longer there. The Club goers were rushing towards the exit in a frenzy, and the Chiss realized that he’d been tricked. Ripping off his useless glasses, he scanned the hurrying crowd.

After several seconds he noticed one of the patrons was limping and holding her arm in the exact location he had cut Lucine. A smirk crept over his face as he ran forward, switching the setting on his blaster to stun. As he approached the female he aimed and fired, a series of blue waves flowing forward. As they collided with the human’s back she let out a grunt and collapsed, crashing into a table and hitting her head.

As Rhylance stood over his prey, the air around her shimmered, her altered visage dissipating. He bent down and rummaged through her pockets, again grabbing the chip, storing it in his jacket pocket.

“Now for some real fun. I wonder what Atyiru will say when she discovers you belong to me now.” Rhylance said chuckling deeply, thinking of implementing his new control chip in the downed Sith.