2863, Decisive Battle of Coruscant (10)
Coruscant, Level 1409 underground.
Inside the dim maintenance corridor, the drip of condensation struck the metal floor like a countdown. Kalad-Li crouched beside a rusted pipe, his fingertips brushing across a string of freshly carved binary markings. He quietly rolled up his sleeve, revealing a small Omni-tool beneath it. This miniature device, built using technology similar to Hard Light, glowed with a faint blue light. With a light sweep over the binary markings, they writhed and rearranged like living things.
A cold smile touched his lips. Pulling his hood over half his face, he turned and vanished into the darkness.
Kalad-Li was a Trandoshan. His finely scaled skin bore a grayish-brown sheen like grit. His family had already immigrated to the Kingdom of Dawn, and he had given himself a Kingdom of Dawn-style surname—Li. Li, rather than Lee. The pronunciation was slightly different and shorter.
Kalad-Li hurried back to a filthy tavern. The murky air, heavy with cheap alcohol and sweat, hit him in the face. He headed straight for the bar and murmured to the bartender, "It's time."
The bartender sneered and suddenly slapped the counter. "We're closed! Everybody get out! Out!!"
More than a dozen brawny, vicious-looking bodyguards stepped forward and glared fiercely at the patrons.
The drinkers, already agitated by the war outside and seeking solace in alcohol, fled in panic.
Kalad-Li slammed the door shut and gave the bodyguards a look. The bartender pressed a hidden button beneath the automatic cocktail machine. The entire liquor cabinet suddenly split apart and collapsed downward. Countless bottles of fine liquor crashed to the floor and shattered, filling the air with their fragrance.
The liquor cabinet had become a hidden passage leading down.
They headed directly down the passage and found an enormous warehouse