Bounty A Night at the Opera

[Val Drutin]

Evening at the Galaxies Opera House on Coruscant.​

Tonight the directorial role was filled by a red-skinned, ram-horned Devaronian named Giryl, a crusty old impresario with the voice of a drill sergeant and the temper of a rancor.

Ten minutes before the show, he was pacing beneath the stage, yelling at his crew as they prepared for the evening’s performance.

“The lights aren’t pointing in the right direction! Where the hell is the guy in charge of the lights?”

“This set looks awful, which one of you jackasses is responsible for it? Too late now, we’re on in seven minutes.”

“Ho-ly feth. Do I look like a pornographer? Don’t answer that. Either wear a sheet over your head until you get on stage, or don’t bend over in my presence again.”

As the Devaronian stalked through the tunnels leading to the dressing rooms and storage areas, his attention was drawn to the presence of a small, anxious crowd gathered outside one of the dressing rooms. He approached the group, getting close enough to read the name outside the door, and let out a groan. It was Val Drutin’s room, and while Giryl had only gotten this job a month ago, he was already familiar with the mercurial nature of the company’s star dancer. The kid wasn’t just a typical diva—he was a fething basket case. A consummate genius and one of the best human dancers he’d ever seen, but a total nut nonetheless.

Pushing his way through the crowd, he punched in the code to open the door. Inside was a neat and well-kept dressing room. An empty dressing room. Four minutes before showtime.

Giryl’s blood pressure skyrocketed. He whirled on the congregation standing outside the door. “Where the hell is he?!”

“He left in a speeder, sir.” One of the crew members managed to pluck up enough courage to respond. “Said he was in danger.”

Another one piped up. “He was all ready to go, costume, makeup, everything, and yet he just up and took off. Someone must be out to get him.”

A third chimed in. “Do you think it’s bounty hunters?...”

Cursing under his breath in an alien language, Giryl stormed out of the room. Bounty or no, the bastard had just cost them millions of credits in wasted time and resources, as well as abandoning them to an angry audience that would soon be demanding refunds. Star of the company or no, he was calling the cops on the little ballerino. And considering the costume for tonight entailed Val Drutin attiring himself as the specter of the rose, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find the only human for miles around dressed like a fething flower.

Spoiler: OOC

This thread is technically meant for bounty hunters (see this thread for more info) but I guess y'all can join in if you like. Be an angry audience member, a taxi driver, a performer, whatever. Let's see what happens.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

In the days leading up to Val Drutin's performance, Cassus had made a habit of having his droid, "Mr. Follow" under an assumed identity using a Holographic Disguise Matrix, simply walking the streets near the Opera House without catching the attention Cassus might in this higher class level of Coruscant. Miles away, Cassus was monitoring Mr. Follow's surveillance, watching for the movements of patrons and employees, being careful not to interact with anybody. It was boring work, but this was the best way to gather the information he needed to catch his first Bounty. He literally couldn't afford to screw up.

Yesterday, Cassus caught sight of his target. Today, the target might have caught sight of his agent in disguise, as his most recent behavior seemed suddenly extremely skittish. Then as Cassus was monitoring the situation, the flower dressed humanoid seemed to flee in unusual fashion on a speeder bike.

"Feirfek," Cassus cursed under his breath, Screwed up, He thought as he bolted out of his ship quarters with only half his kit ready. The time to act was now, there wasn't time for more advanced setup, it was clear what was happening in his mind. Cassus was too regular, too close, too consistent, and it all tipped off of the target. His only saving grace was the fact that the target seemed to be in as much of a haphazard state as he was, easily recognizable.

"Mr. Follow, give me an estimate of where he might be going," He sent the communique to his droid as he pulled out the Tracking FOBB the contractor had supplied. It was a useful device, but Cassus didn't have a way to outrace a target on a Speeder, so he'd have to cut him off at his destination. Cassus was running through the street full bore, without concern of people in the way or watching, he had somewhere to be and a Bounty to catch...

 

[Alyssa Shinobu]

The opera house was in total disarray as people began rioting over the sudden cancelation of tonight's show, A sure-fire way to get a blade shoved down your throat for sure. But what Alyssa wasn't getting was the why From what she could sense there was no mishap setting up the show and no mistranslation in tonight's schedule. Alyssa pushed past panicked stage crew their faces as contorted as those rioting outside. "They must be angry about Val Drutin leaving as well." Alyssa thought to herself. Any information was useful, especially when you know almost nothing about the person your chasing.

She was not a Bounty Hunter not by a long shot, but she was a Jedi and most people with a bounty on their head are either running from the law or some shady criminal organization, Either case this person probably needed her help. Alyssa turned the corner only to collide with a tall Red Devaronian with a sharp grimace now directed at her. "Shit. This can't end well," She thought.

"The Feth are you?!" He yelled. "No way in hell you're that constable I called down here!"

Not good, This guy intended to have Val arrested...Or worse. Still, his rant had given her a decent cover to get the Info she needed from him.

"And what makes you so sure I'm NOT the constable you summoned?" Alyssa spoke with a deep accent as if to sound like she was native to the area (Which she clearly wasn't)

The Devaronian gave her a hard glare before pulling away.

"SECURITY! GET THIS FETHING KID OUT OF HERE!" Before she could protest Alyssa was grabbed by two muscular men in black tee-shirts. They made a spectacle of throwing her out by yanking her hair throwing her over their shoulders.

"HEY! Put me down! Ouch! Watch the hair!"

The guards were having none of her BS as they finally got fed up with her yelling and landed a hard smack on her bottom. "Shut up kid!" With that Alyssa was thrown out by dumpsters filthy and with a sore rear. Maybe I'm not cut out for the detective thing after all. She thought to herself. Alyssa turned to leave puffy-eyed and defeated when she noticed a garage...An open Garage.

Cassus Akovin ​

 

[Val Drutin]

A couple of minutes after the cancelled show was supposed to have started, Ronymus the Bothan cab driver pulled over to pick up a passenger from a platform several miles from the opera house. The new occupant quite literally dove into the backseat, hissing "Drive fast." Never one to ask too many questions of the strangers he ferried around, the Bothan complied immediately, tearing away from the platform and into the crowded night sky of Coruscant.

Only after he had rejoined the air traffic did Ronymus risk a glance at the rearview mirror. The Bothan's fur ruffled and his lips pulled back from his teeth as he let out a barking laugh. "What are you supposed to be, the queen of Naboo?"

He was referring specifically to the insect-like makeup painted over Val's face, with the lips vaguely resembling the scar of remembrance worn by Naboo royalty, but the rest of the costume was just as amusing. Sprawled across the backseat, only the dancer's arms, neck, and face were left bare. The rest of his body was covered by either dark pink tights or the hundreds of artificial rose petals sewn onto his bodysuit. Whoever had made the costume should be commended - despite going through a speeder bike chase in the open air of Coruscant and the subsequent abandonment of said speeder in favor of the anonymity of public transportation, every petal remained attached.

Val started to sit up, but then remembered that he was trying not to be seen and swiftly ducked back down. "I'm supposed to be the spirit of a rose," he muttered.

The Bothan chuckled again, shaking his head as his fur smoothed down. "Whatever. Where are you headed?"

"I don't know." Grimacing, Val tried to stretch his limbs in the confined space. "You know anywhere a guy could get lost?"

"Not as long as you're wearing that getup, kid. How about I take you to a nice clothing store, so you can dress like a normal human?"

"No thanks." Val usually wore castoff costumes anyway, favoring the mobility afforded such outfits. Unfortunately, such clothes always made him stand out. "Just take me to the spaceport, I guess. I'll change out of this once I get to my ship."

Cassus Akovin | Alyssa Shinobu

 

[Enigma Iuda]

As the set up for the opera continued, the fact that the star had gone AWOL was attempted to keep under wraps, as the search for any of the of the alternates began in earnest. While anybody paying attention would have been able to tell something was wrong, at the time of Val fleeing, Enigma was in the soundbox dancing terribly with his headphones on, enjoying some delicious form of traditional Tusken chants mixed over a street band.

It was only when his masked face looked out to see the director running back and forth as well as the dancers looking stressed that he realised it was probably time to shut down the audio.

“How we looking boss man?” He said into the mic, his mask distorting his speech. The regular sound engineer had unfortunately been unable to attend work, mostly due to the electronic locks on his apartment malfunctioning and rendering him virtually s prisoner in his own home.

I hope the snacks I left him weren’t expired.

In desperation, they had been only too happy to accept a last minute application, especially when they had seen all the experience and references he had.

Some were even real. I really do need to spin another Kashyyyk doof.

“He’s gone!”

Well that bites.

Turning to his set up, The slicer began to rapidly plug and unplug various ports, beginning various scans and looking at what system settings may have changed. While it probably would have been easier to have ambushed his target in the dressing room, the plan had been to crack the speeder he was taking and direct it to a secluded area.

Drop in a gas grenade, have enough time for a quick smoke and the. Take the comatose body, that was supposed to be the play.

Fingers blasting across keys, Enigma began to upload pictures of Val through various servers, mostly to ensure that he couldn’t get off the planet but also on social media areas, chucking up the usual “lulz ne1 seen this guy bail on his show?” To see if he got any hits.

If he made it all the way to any legal freighter or transport, a nasty cavity search was the least of it worries now, always contain first.

Setting up a trace, Enigma began to try and locate Val through his comm signal although if he was smart he would have ditched it.

But, what’s this? The tracking fob has more than one port....

Piggybacking the signal of the FOB, Enigma accessed the audio link attached to Mr. Follow.

“This is Big Bounty 7 here, it seems the chicken has flown the coop. Maybe two foxes like us could find him easier than going solo. Oh and also, new connection, who dis?”

While locating the target and cornering him shouldn’t be too hard, actually springing the trap out there? IRL? Not if I can avoid it.

Tags: Cassus Akovin Val Drutin Alyssa Shinobu

 

[Be'iqaronn]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Knowing this can change one's opinion on matters, fracture realizations, or even cause conflict. Plays had a tendency to fall into the category. All that was required was to bring him in alive. Renn had him on a tracker, his cab was going fast, but then again, many bounties move fast. He was in a truck near there cab Val Drutin was in.

His R82 was aimed at the back door of the truck. Hitting the window in between the drivers side and the back he said, "Get in front of them, when I say, open the back." This was going to be an easy task, the play canceled, so his, 'blow up the theater' stick wouldn't work, this was a contingency, but it could work.

Cassus Akovin Enigma Iuda Alyssa Shinobu

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"I am calculating a probable trajectory based on known local topograph-zzzt." Mr. Follow started to say before a signal intercepted and pushed its way through the droid into Cassus' earpiece. Big Bounty 7? That's not facetious... Cassus thought sarcastically as he continued to sprint.

"I'm not calling you that, this is Cresh Aurek, if you can provide me an accurate destination of where the target is headed we'll split the reward, we'll deliberate later. Who else is tracking this guy?" The boy replied back to the enigmatic voice, knowing that if someone had the resources to plow through his droids communications systems, they likely had more information they could give. He also deduced that if they were approaching him, their physical presence was probably lacking despite their hunting capability, so Cassus would play along, maybe even cede reputation to the other Hunter so long as he got as much of the reward as they were willing to part with. While Cassus could certainly capture the target physically, he was admittedly lacking in his ability to track the target with accuracy, something this mysterious Bounty Hunter might provide.

It would also be handy if a person like that could perhaps tap into the same tracking mechanism other nearby hunters were using and misdirect them...

Cassus found a taxi terminal and pushed a couple out of the way rather violently, latching the door behind him. "Drive, I'm in a hurry." Cassus said calmly while pulling out his highly illegal Sound of Silence pistol, loading it with its sonic ammunition. Though the driver likely didn't recognize the weapon, he wasn't about to argue with a masked man with a gun, and certainly wasn't paid enough to refuse service at the expense of bodily harm. Cassus wouldn't likely hurt the man, but he wouldn't stop that perception of him if it was useful in getting him closer to his target.

Enigma Iuda , Be'iqaronn , Alyssa Shinobu , Val Drutin

 

[Alyssa Shinobu]

Alyssa sprinted down the dimly lit streets of coruscant her continued speed fueled only on her determination and worry. What if Val Drutin was some sort of hardened criminal? What if he hadn't gone in the direction she was following now? What if he was kidnapped by some criminals or worse killed by bounty hunters before she could arrive? Alyssa stopped dead in her sprint taking a breather in an attempt to calm herself. Fear was the beginning of a dark road that was the dark side. "Can't let my inner darkness control me." She started back on her sprint finally arriving at the taxicab garage.

The young Jedi entered the small garage the smell of oil and paint hitting her as she walked to the front desk. At the front desk sat a Zabrak with their face dug in some...Unsavory content. Upon seeing the girl they immediately shut off their monitor and turned to face the girl their perky smile part of an attempt to play off what they were just doing.

"What can I do for you tonight little lady?"

"You can zip up your pants for starters." She thought to herself. "Hey did any of your drivers pick up a man dressed as a rose? His name is Val Drutin and I believe he might be in danger."

Alyssa already knew that Val was Force sensitive, she could feel his aura still lingering around the open garage from earlier. She followed his trail up until it went dark around a corner 3 miles back. It didn't matter for she already had an idea of where he would go next. The Zabrak's eyes widened as she told him Val's description a wide grin appearing on his face.

"All drivers what cab was the spring flower riding in again."

The comm lit up with laughter and jokers poking fun at Val's appearance. Alyssa admittedly couldn't stop her self from snickering at some of the things said. Finally, a driver mustered the courage to identify Val's position and where they were headed. "The spaceport...He's trying to get off-world." No way in hell was she letting that happen without some sort of explanation for all of this. Without sparing a single moment Alyssa bolted out of the office intent on finding a way to catch up to that cab. She looked around for a moment before staring down a dark alley a speeder bike hidden behind a dumpster bin "Thank you Val Drutin." She was off heading in the direction of the nearest spaceport and hopefully Val Drutin.

Enigma Iuda Be'iqaronn Cassus Akovin ​

 

[Val Drutin]

The taxi radio suddenly buzzed to life. "All drivers, what cab is the spring flower riding in?"

Ronymus' fur bristled and he cleared his throat to keep from laughing. The other drivers in the area, however, responded with hoots and jeers - and one of them revealed where Val was headed.

"Hey!" Val exclaimed in shock, still pinned down in the backseat. "How do they know that? Did you tell them?!"

The Bothan sighed and pointed toward a small box on the dashboard. "All the cabs are bugged. It's a new Imperium policy."

"I live in a surveillance state?!" Val shrieked. "And no one bothered to tell me?!--"

Just then, his danger sense flared. There were two threats behind him. The more immediate of the two, Be'iqaronn , was following close behind. Val grazed his mind through the Force, determining that he was armed and...

"Oh, yuck!" He was being chased by an Agents of Chaos operative.

Farther off, Cassus Akovin had joined the pursuit, though he was too far away for Val to discern his motives. As Val reached out with the Force to detect the two of them, his attention was brought to a third pursuer, Alyssa Shinobu - a fellow Force user who made no attempt to disguise her powers. She didn't appear to be dangerous, but Val didn't want to deal with a potential aggressive fan or employee from the theater trying to chase him down and drag him back.

"We're being chased," he warned the driver. "You have to lose them."

Clenching his canine jaw, Ronymus complied, veering off suddenly across several lanes of air traffic. But he had his misgivings, and was intent on making them known. "This isn't a getaway car, flower boy. If you're in trouble with the law, you're better off surrendering while you still have a choice."

Val pursed his lips, hunkering down lower in the backseat. In the months since he narrowly escaped imprisonment at a facility on Hoth, Val had become increasingly paranoid. He sensed something was going to happen to him, but he hadn't known what it was. Now that all these people were chasing him, it seemed his fears had finally come to pass. But why were they coming after him? Who or what had he pissed off to warrant a space terrorist and a couple of armed teeny-boppers trying to get him?

"Just get me to the spaceport," he said. Jumping out of the car and going into freefall was not an option. At least, not yet.

Extra Tags: Enigma Iuda

 

[Enigma Iuda]

“Fiiiiiine but I’m just saying, if anyone ever listens in to your comm, saying ‘BB7 come in, this BB8!” sounds like to two droids just having a chat. But that’s okay…”

Looking to the popping notifications on social media, pictures that had been snapped of Val running in his outfit began to stream in, whether it was someone nearby laughing at his outfit or a fan taking a photo to try and gain some additional popularity. Regardless, it gave Enigma the digital breadcrumb he needed to start following the trail, getting the identification number of the cab and company it worked for.

Running a scan through open radio frequencies, the cab was too far out for its signal to be picked up. Typing the keywords of Cab and registration of the cab into the media website, notifications and comments were flowing in as various groups either complained about the erratic driving of said vehicle and similar such qualms.

Well then…

Switching the frequency, he opened up to one of the law enforcement cruisers nearby.

“Calling all cars, calling all cars, we have an anonymous tip that a cabby, identification place X-ray Niner Niner Whisky Foxtrot has been hijacked, subject inside has information on a kidnapped child and must be taken in alive, I repeat, taken in alive. Vehicle last seen heading westbound along the Black Line, Verity District.”

Nodding, content with his work, the young slicer started when a voice came back through the static of the link.

“This is Officer Uublest, who is this on the line?”

Looking around frantically through the pages he had open, Enigma cursed under his breath for not creating a false identity in the law enforcement database before arriving.

It’s not like they were supposed to be involved anyways…

“This is..This is BB7! Communication router droid, installed in the Verity district router office. How may I direct your call Officer Uublest?”

With his fingers crossed, he listened as the officers on the other end of the line gave some choice phrases about their opinions on droids before coming back to their comm.

“Just keep us updated droid.”

“Order confirmed Officer Uublest. Enjoy your day and thank you for using the Verity district rou-‘

Enigma whistled with relief as the link was closed from the other side, spinning around in his chair as he looked around for his caff-stimm can, needing something to take the edge off his nerves. Enjoying a mouthful of the drink, he flicked back to the frequency he had dubbed ‘BB8’ Cassus Akovin on his datapad.

“I feel like the name ‘Crash-or-wreck’ is a bad omen in this case, but that’s your business my friend. I have our target heading down the Black Line, but, our friends in Coruscant’s Finest are setting up a roadblock just at the end of the end. My recommendation would be wait beneath there for if he tries to make a break for it, but you know what you’re doing I’m sure.”

With that piece of business sorted, he began to try and work his way into the CCTV in the area.

Val Drutin Be'iqaronn Alyssa Shinobu

 

[Be'iqaronn]

Renn's truck was remaining behind the cab. The driver leaned back, "It appears that he is trying to avoid us." With this Renn sighed. Must be a force user, that would explain his knowledge of Renn. They were behind him, so it should be fine, the shots he had were armor piercing. Through the window in between the sides he pointed his barrel through and aimed quietly. He was going to try and hit the driver, and if it misses it may hit the engine.

The shot could screw all of the bounty up so it had to be precise. Renn knew little about this target, his skills or size. For all he knew this could splatter his brain all over the windshield. "Get as close to that car as you can after I fire." Aiming down the sight he peered closely and fired the shot.

Val Drutin Enigma Iuda Cassus Akovin Alyssa Shinobu

 

[Val Drutin]

Still hunkered down, Val had shut his eyes and stretched out with the Force. He was vaguely aware of Ronymus talking in the background, but he was concentrated on feeling his surroundings, getting to know the vehicle like the back of his hand.

He sensed Be'iqaronn approaching as the terrorist continued to tail the cab. His mind was not barred from Val, who dug deep and greedily to ascertain the man's next move even as his danger sense warned him of an incoming attack.

"All I'm saying is that you could still--" Ronymus' sentence was cut off as a shot rang out. But no bullet pierced the Bothan's body. Rather, Val had taken control of the cab by way of the Force, jerking it out of the way of the armor-piercing projectile, which just barely scraped the nose of the vehicle instead.

"...What the hell just happened?" Ronymus asked, tentatively clinging to the controls.

The effort of controlling the cab, coupled with the typical anxieties and pressures of a high-speed chase and attempted murder, had turned Val into a complete mess. He was hyperventilating, his breaths coming in short ragged gasps and his face contorted with obvious distress. "Oh no, oh no, oh no," he could be heard whimpering. "He's shooting at us... he's demented... I don't want to get anyone killed...!"

This was followed by a muffled shriek of terror as the truck suddenly pulled up alongside them. Ronymus yipped as control was once again wrenched from his hands. The cab nosedived, dropping through several lanes of traffic, narrowly avoiding several collisions along the way.

"Hey!" the Bothan yelled. Between the seatbelt squeezing the life out of him in an effort to keep him from flying out of the vehicle, the rumble of the overtaxed engine, screeching brakes, honking horns, and the whistle of air as they plummeted through several levels, his voice was more or less lost to the noise. "You're going to get us both killed!"

Val was not tied down by a safety harness, yet somehow he remained in the backseat. To the Bothan driver's eyes, he appeared to have fainted. But this was not the case, as he was still controlling the cab. His harebrained piloting skills came into play here, as he dragged the air speeder through a series of violent twists and turns around the famous Verity District towers. Despite the lunacy of the dancer-pilot, this scattershot technique seemed to work - even the best driver in the galaxy would have a hard time following his unpredictable movements.

At least, until the police showed up, bringing the cab to a screeching halt.

"...There goes my job," Ronymus muttered to himself as he caught sight of the instantly recognizable blue and red flashing lights. "Not to mention the rest of my night..."

Val stirred, his trancelike state disrupted by the wailing sirens. "The cops?" he murmured uncertainly. "Are they here to help?"

He reached for them through the Force, but was confused by the reading he got. The officers seemed to think the cab had been hijacked... something about a kidnapped child? Well, if it was all just a misunderstanding, he could explain himself. Although now that he thought about it, the police likely couldn't offer him much protection from his pursuers, if what he'd already had to deal with was anything to go on...

Extra Tags: Alyssa Shinobu | Enigma Iuda | Cassus Akovin

 

[Alyssa Shinobu]

Alyssa bobbed and weaved through multiple lanes of traffic her meager driving skills almost crashing into every oncoming car. Her frenzied voice attempted to apologize to every passerby for she was legitimately sorry for what she was doing."Sorry! Excuse me! Coming through!"

It was then a feeling washed over her, she felt as though she were naked and an entire room full of people was inspecting her body. "Someone has just read me like a book! I hate that feeling!" Her speed picked up as she heard shots in the distance followed by the sporadic change in traffic around her. "There must be something going on up ahead!" The young Jedi was going so fast she almost didn't notice the sudden flashing of red and blue light next to her. The cops had arrived and seemed intent on arresting the entire party, Alyssa assumed it was for their atrocious driving skills but a tremor in the Forcesiggested otherwise. She pressed forward her bike coming adjacent to Val Drutin. She pulled in close and tapped on the passenger seat window much to the surprise of the driver.

"Hey! Your driving is TERRIBLE. You should consider a different profession! How about fast food?" Before Alyssa could finish berating the driver the cab was pulled downward...into oncoming traffic. Without a second thought, the young Jedi descended after the cab her speed great outmatching that of the cab. With only a few inches between her and the cab, she leaped forward her slender hands grabbing hold of the Taxi sign on the cab. Alyssa pulled herself onto the roof her frail little body waving like a flagpole as the cab zig-zagged between lanes of traffic.

It was then the flashes of red and blue caught up to the cab once it had leveled itself out. "Nows my chance to get that explanation!" Alyssa leaned over the roof and poked her head in front of the rear window causing her to come face to face with Val Drutin.

"Number one, You're going to get yourself and others killed! Number two, Why were those guys chasing you? Are they crazed fans? Or do you have a bounty on your head? Number three, Stay out of my head! I sensed you in my mind you PERVERT!"

Enigma Iuda Cassus Akovin Be'iqaronn ​

 

[Val Drutin]

ignore

 

[Be'iqaronn]

Renn looked at the driver, "Open the back." With this the truck's back opened, and he hopped on to the roof. He shot a grapple down onto the hood of the front part of the truck, walking closer to the cab. He yanked his sniper back out as the other person pulled up and he loaded a round where one was missing. Aiming at Alyssa Shinobu he attempted to fire a grapple attaching her to another vehicle.

He aimed back at the cab and fired two shotgun rounds, quickly reloading them back. This bounty was going worse than expected, it was just going to be him shooting out the engine and catching the vehicle. Aiming down his sights he fired two more of his armor piercing rounds, one at the driver and one at the other side of engine. (For if you steer off, can still be avoided.)

Val Drutin Enigma Iuda Cassus Akovin

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"No it's not crash or- nevermind." Cassus said slightly frustrated before looking to his driver.

"End of Black Line, get ready to cut someone off, do as I say and you'll get a cut for your troubles." Cassus said definitively, as he placed a Manipulation Projector on his chest along with a standard power cell, from his supply pouch, and pulled out a Magnetic Anchor. Then he opened the cab door mid flight, and placed the Anchor on the cabs roof. Activating the projector he linked up to the Anchor, and climbed onto the roof on his belly.

Cassus arrived under Black Line's end just before the police finished their blockade. He waited a couple minutes, before he heard the whirring of an overstressed repulsor engine falling like a meteor, followed closely by at least on other vehicle.

Great, more people are after this guy. Cassus thought to himself bitterly, as he readied his Relentless Blade, an item best never left behind. The targets cab arrived at the blockade as expected, he heard some kind of exchange, a shouted command from a police officer, before the cab began to whir again and stun blasts started flying. Cassus banged on the roof of his taxi and it took off at the same time as Val Drutin's on an intercept course. Once he got close, Cassus lept from his Taxi towards the target's, Lightfoil ignited. If he could manage to get close enough, Cassus had another anchor prepared and would throw to the roof of the Bounty's taxi so his Projector could latch on to a new target. Then rounds began flying towards the Bounties cab.

Cassus shouted over the din, "People are going to get hurt if you don't come with me," He pleaded, not knowing if the other hunter would even stop if the Bounty was captured by some one else...

(OOC: Can we please slow down or stick to an order? I was writing a post and two new ones showed up, I only have a limited time to write so new posts makes it difficult to get them out quickly)

 

[Val Drutin]

(OOC: You got it, bucko.)

Shortly after they came upon the police's roadblock, Ronymus had managed to press a button on the dashboard. A roof slid over the top of the speeder cab, providing some level of protection that had previously been absent. The Bothan only wished he had done it sooner.

But not long after, there was a thud as something landed on top of the roof. Val jolted, panic surging anew.

But instead of Be'iqaronn peering at him through the rear window, it was a teenage girl. Alyssa Shinobu immediately launched into a tirade about his driving skills, demanding answers as to who was chasing him and why, and finally culminated with her calling him a pervert.

Val's head was spinning. It took him a moment to remember that he had sensed her chasing him earlier. His face flushed indignantly under his makeup, but his mood shifted just as abruptly as it occurred to him that she was just a child. An obnoxious padawan was the least of his worries at the moment.

Still, he couldn't resist a scalding retort. "Sensing your mind for a few seconds makes me a pervert, but chasing me down and climbing on top of my vehicle is perfectly justified? Mmm, that's not how things work." He sat up, trying to get his bearings. "I don't know why they're chasing me. I didn't do anything to them. But apparently I do have a bounty on my head now, for whatever reason, and you are not helping the situation!"

Just as he was finishing his rant, a grapple arced through the air, aiming for the girl. Val jerked instinctively, trying to maneuver the cab out of the way. A hail of bullets followed soon after.

Val pitched the speeder up and then back the way they had come, for all the good that would do them. He reached out with the Force, taking hold of the girl's body. Unable to move her somewhere safer, he concentrated on keeping her flat against the roof, ignoring any protests she might have against this rough treatment.

As he tried to get away from the terrorist without getting the padawan or Ronymus killed, Cassus Akovin pulled up alongside him, jumped on, and started shouting.

The Bothan driver's fur rippled. "I hope you're listening to this one," he muttered.

The bounty hunter's words weren't very reassuring. No doubt the terrorist would continue to chase him no matter what Val did, but at least it would remove the threat to the two innocents in or on the cab. The dancer chewed his lip, not sure what to do. His hesitation could cost them all dearly.

"...Fine!" he blurted. Returning control of the cab to Ronymus, Val opened the door and climbed onto the roof. Turning toward Cassus, he glared at him, his face set in the begrudging pout of a petulant child. It looked quite comical under all that stage makeup, especially with the petals on his costume being whipped by the wind. "I don't know why all of you are so hell-bent on getting me, but if it stops that guy from trying to murder everyone, I'll go with you."

Extra Tags: Enigma Iuda

 

[Enigma Iuda]

Tags: Val Drutin Alyssa Shinobu Cassus Akovin Be'iqaronn

Fingers a blur as he rapidly sliced through various levels of encryption, Enigma had to shake his head in bewilderment that such levels of surveillance were put in place by both the authorities but also by various criminal elements. Then again, maybe that makes them feel less bad, they put a camera up to monitor the local corner, the spice slingers then put a camera up to see if any heat is coming so Corpos but another one up on that corner to monitor the look outs and so on and so forth.

Finally getting a clear visual feed, he threw is hands up in the air with joy as he saw Val climbing into the van with Mr. Crash-or-Wreck and by his own volition too! You suave bastard Mr. Or-Wreck. Seeing the flash of the Police lights surrounding them, he cleared his throat before standing up, looking out across the Opera set far below him, people still running amok below.

“This is Inspector Chalmers of CUPD, am I speaking with Officer Uublest?!” he tried his best to mimic an authoritarian tone, similar to some of the Bounty Hunters he had heard recently.

Seeing through the camera feed, one of the officers lifted a comm up as the others of the roadblock remained facing the trio. Trio!? Who the hell is that chick!? And an Uubese named Uublest? Really!?

“This is Uublest, who am I speaking with?”

“Uublest, good man! This is Inspector Chalmers of the Coruscant Underworld Police Department, now it’s my understanding you’ve been sent on one hell of a goose chase after our man by a droid??’

“You’re ma-yes we’re responding to a call but-“

“Yeah yeah, bloody droids I know, now I don’t need to tell you son that those bloody clankers ain’t worth a half a toothbrush that just scrubbed a Hutt’s beeeehind now do I? The man there in the armour, that there is Detective Crash-Or-Wreck there, now he’s been undercover working this job for the last few months ya hear?”

“But, Coruscant Security HQ never infor-“

“UNDERCOVER Son, it ain’t undercover if y’all all know about it now is it! Listen Uublest, you’ve done a damn fine job here and I am currently looking at getting you transferred over to our unit, yer talents are wasted over with CSF son.”

“What? Uh I don’t, I don’t know what to sa-“

Tapping away as he spoke, a quick social media search had brought up a few Uublests but only one with a profile that had an image similar to the man he was speaking with on the datapad.

“Now think about this son, you know our unit comes with a bigger pay, you can take little Uublest Jnr and the missus, Arcuushina I believe? to that trip you’ve always wanted. But I need you to let our man pass here son.”

“I-I should clear this with-“

“This ain’t a discussion Uublest! You let our man pass now with his target, don’t worry about the woman, she’s the butterflies crazy ex or whatever and they’re leading him to the girl, our man will handle them. Now I’m getting’ a report of shots fired is that right?”

“Well I he-“

“Damn it son! Let our man through and deal with the assailant GOD DAMN IT! Then, come and see me at HQ, can I trust you son? ‘Course I can.”

With a click, Enigma shut the link down before clicking over to the BB8 signal.

“Get the hell out of there BB8 before whatever's behind you starts dropping bodies!”

 

[Alyssa Shinobu]

Alyssa's face turned bright red at Val Drutin's comment, his rant outclassing hers. "How could I be so STUPID!?!" She had completely ignored her series of shenanigans before now and decided to rip into someone who saw the whole thing...Not her brightest move. She withdrew from the window taking a moment to rid herself of her pink hue. This wasn't good she had shown emotion which not only went against her Jedi training but was...well embarrassing! Besides, Val had a point Alyssa wasn't exactly helping his dire situation here.

It was then Alyssa was wrapped in a metallic wire it's iron composition cutting her as it contracted to lock her in its embrace. She barely had time to look up to see who the shooter was when she was suddenly ripped from the roof of the cab her cable having been attached to another car. This was it, she was being pulled towards oncoming traffic and would surely be killed. She shut her eyes accepting her fate as a red speeder came barreling towards her. In the split second before impact, Alyssa was torn from her flailing position and back onto the roof of the cab...Except being unable to move.

"This must be Val's doing! Damn pervert!"

Alyssa slowly inched her fingers towards "Tann" in an attempt to cut herself free. A loud thud was heard on the roof and above her stood a tall figure and judging by his garments he was probably a bounty hunter as well. Great just great! Alyssa is exposed and vulnerable to attack! Still, even with her terrible position, she couldn't help laying into whoever just landed on the roof.

"Hey, don't get any funny ideas about hurting me, you massive pervert lord! You stupid idiot! You stupid, no good, lice-ridden, off-brand protocol droid! You brainless Rakghoul! You fake-ass monkey lizard! And have you considered taking a bath?! You smell like rotten oranges! Ugh and that outfit! If you were any more edgelord you'd be dressed in all black sulking in your room while writing stupid poems!"

She was in the middle of her tirade when Val Drutin climbed onto the roof and proclaimed that he was going to...Surrender?! Just like that? Not if she had any say in the matter. Alyssa rolled over on her side getting a clear view of Val so he could stare into her giant crimson pupils.

"Hey! Don't think you're getting out this that easy you pervert! These guys can kill you! Besides, I still have to slap you for that stunt you pulled earlier! And just now too now that I think about it! You knew you didn't have to grab my whole body to hold me down! You're a complete perv and a butthole! No wonder the cops are after us!"

Speaking of, where had all the cops run off to? They were just on the group earlier and now they've left? There must be some external force at play here and who knows? They might be responsible for everything that's been happening tonight.

Be'iqaronn Enigma Iuda Cassus Akovin ​

 

[Be'iqaronn]

Renn laughed as Val Drutin proclaimed a surrender. This was too easy, more bounty hunters were arriving so this had to be quick, he fired his final grapple at the actor attempting to tie him up and drag him inside the vehicle. This grapple was made of pure beskar he had stolen off a Mandalorian, saving the best for last. Turning to the girl, he pulled his R82 and shot the cable he had shot at her, breaking it. His emotionless mask stared back at her.

The other hunters weren’t going to take this from him. Looking at his wrist he typed into it causing blinding flares to fire out from the trucks hood, causing vehicles to swerve into each other. His ship in low orbit powered up and started its descent.

Enigma Iuda Alyssa Shinobu Cassus Akovin