Private Crunch

[Arris Windrun]

Usually, a big job required a big crew, but not today - no, today would just be two.

Arris was the first, of course, as it was her job to put together. Recruitment wasn't exactly her strong suit, so she went through a contact who put her in touch with a different contact, until eventually she was arranged a co-conspirator by the name of Maghr Hu... She didn't recognize it, but...

"He's the real deal. Seasoned pirate, a captain at that... though don't let that detail fool you. He's no slouch in a fight either."

"Hu? Yeah, I know 'im. More guns than meat."

The remarks went on, in fact, that she practically interviewed him through word-of-mouth alone.

Better live up to the rep, then. She thought to herself as she rounded a corner at a busy Nar Shaddaa spaceport.

This was where they were to meet, and so she awaited his arrival.

Maghr Hu

 

[Maghr Hu]

A hundred years hence and the world had not moved yet another centimeter since he last set foot in the material. Rock was still rock, steel was still steel, and credits made the galaxy turn no matter how different the night skies looked these days.

What was it that the doddering fool had told him? That time was a flat circle? That the more things changed the more they stayed the same? It seemed apt.

The stench of sulfur proceeded him, a cigarra smoldering between his teeth as he approached. He had come alone, a foolish mistake or a show of confidence he would not let on. Metallic and plastic rustles and clanks sounded under his flamboyant coat as he approached the woman waiting for him.

"Arris, darling~," His words oozed deep from between his teeth with surprising rumble for his smaller stature. A huff of sulfurous smoke billows from his nostrils, "Casting quite a shadow these days..." He comes to a stop, just a step or two too close for comfort and looks her straight in the eyes for just a beat too long.

"Tch!" He clicks his tongue, "Quite the little plot they've 'atched." The devilman smirks before backing off, leaning against the wall and taking another drag of the cigarra.

Arris Windrun

 

[Arris Windrun]

The cyborg crossed her arms and stared with little discernible emotion.

"Only person who gets to call me 'darling' is Mercy , and that's because she calls everyone darling."

Not entirely true, but true enough for Arris to relay the message. She glanced at him up and down. Not quite what she imagined, and very forward at that. Hopefully, these were acceptable quirks and not her contacts burned her by sending her a shithead no one else wanted to work with.

She slowly paced in front of him while he took a smoke.

"Yeah, quite... So let me run the high notes by you again. We're looking for a protocol droid with special programming. Made to run the odds of an entire casino... Profit maxxing shit they use to squeeze every last credit out of slot jockies and table rats, ya feel?"

She figured he got the gist and kept going. "So we're gonna snatch it," then grabbed a little data chit, "and swap its matrix with this one.

"It'll still run the numbers, but send data over an encrypted channel to interested parties."

Effectively, a way to play the odds with an unfair advantage. Easier than trying to get away with card counting or any other banned skill that the house hates to see, but not cheating in the traditional sense, so a lot harder to catch.

Maghr Hu