Don't Forget your Blinkers

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

The Red Ronto was not the type of cantina you wanted to be stuck in if you didn't have your own ship. Unfortunately for Lysle, right now, he was truly up the creek without a paddle. The green miasma of smoke in the room was suffocating, and the former crime lord swore he could taste something sour. Instead of the usual Bith band playing upbeat jatz, they were blasting the room with ancient smazzo. It already reminded him of Frida's Spaceport Cantina back on Nar Shaddaa.

The Red Ronto could be found squatted inside Brink Station, which orbits the Chiloon Rift. Perhaps the single most dangerous flying-turf in the galaxy. Only the most daring, stupid or ingenious freighters flew through there and hoped to come out alive, and usually when they did come out alive, they came out far richer than anyone else in the nearest ten sectors. There were the few ones that ended up in the Bubble of the Lost and didn't re-appear for centuries later. Usually when someone found them, they had gone mad or died.

He took a seat at a barstool nearest the bartender, wearing a grey gunner's jacket over a loose white t-shirt. His jeans were dirty from what appeared to be freighter fuel, with some thrown in grease. His boots were surprisingly fashionable, for his otherwise smuggler-down-on-his-luck appearance. He flicked his wrist over and brought up his datapad, small enough it fit into his palm. He got a ping from another device that his own device recognised. He was genuinely surprised to say the least; Isaac Ideus was near.


{ [member="Isaac Ideus"] }

 

[Isaac Ideus]

Isaac stared at the display screen on his telecom and laughed in disbelief. What are the odds, he thought to himself. It was rare to find a single sociable soul out in this sector of space-- of course, that's why Isaac was out here in the first place. He had seen things that were meant to be kept hidden, and had stolen things which were meant to be kept safe. The noose was tightening around his neck, and Red Ravens space was too obvious a refuge. So, Isaac escaped to a place that few would expect anyone with money, the will to live, or intact sanity to be. Furthermore, it was a place that almost nobody dared venture. Shipless, the professional criminal hitched a ride with a down-and-out friend who was starting a new and depressing life as a miner in the Chiloon Rift. "It's the galaxies biggest untapped resource!" he would exclaim excitedly to Isaac. "Ya gotta get in on the ground floor, or else you'll be sorry when this place is crawling with miners when they hear about how great it is out here!" Isaac stared morosely at the bleak landscape of the asteroid field as the small ship came in for landing. Yeah well, Isaac said to himself under his breath, they're welcome to all of it.

Making his way towards the local cantina, Isaac adjusted the bag that carried some spare clothes, his pistol, and a few other "necessities". He slung his suit jacket over his shoulder and reached into his pocket to pull out his telecom. Looks like he's here...

Isaac hadn't just found somebody sociable in this god-forsaken sector of space, he had found a crime lord renowned throughout the galaxy, a violent enigma, and most importantly, the man who Isaac owed his life to. Stepping into the cantina, Isaac side-stepped a veritable swarm of low-lifes and inbreds. He threw his bag down on the bar and took a seat next to his friend and mentor. "The rumor back home is that you found God and became a monk, but I told 'em that you've already sold your soul to the devil..."

[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

Lysle kept a trained eye on his datapad, only looking up briefly to order a drink. He couldn't even recall the last time he had seen Isaac, he just upped and vanished one day, but so had Lysle not too shortly after. He never had his suspicions about Isaac, and so he didn't end up like the rest. For most, the Red Ravens was a lifetime commitment—once you were in, you were in for life, and that life could be cut very short if you tried to leave. You might make it out, might even think you were safe, that you had pulled it off, done what so many before you had not been able to do. You might even find a nice planet somewhere, far from the major space lanes, a place where an outlander with sufficient credits would be welcomed with open arms and no questions. But sooner or later there would come a knock on your door, and you would have just enough time to regret opening it before you were blasted into oblivion. No loose ends.

When the growing dot neared the cantina, Lysle threw a glance over his shoulder and watched the door. Right on cue, Isaac entered. There was a part of Lysle that thought maybe one of his innumerable enemies had taken his friends device and was tracking Lysle, as unlikely as that was. So it was a relief to see Isaac Ideus. Lysle gave off his signature half-grin at his friends comment, "You're a sight for sore eyes, Isaac." He motioned the bartender over and bought Isaac a bottle of corellian red, handing over five credit chips. The burly man uncorked the bottle and poured it into two glasses for them. Lysle asked to Isaac, "What brings you out into the Chiloon Rift? I don't think it is the company," he gave a brief look to the gruff and tough miners sitting about the cantina.


{ [member="Isaac Ideus"] }

 

[Isaac Ideus]

Lysle called the bartender over and moments later a drink was sent Isaac's way. Taking a sip, he laughed. "I came here because sometimes, fate and circumstance cross paths, like when two friends are re-united far from home. Truth be told, I found myself staring down the barrel of a gun. I figured I'd stay far from Ravens space until things clear up."

Isaac looked over at his old boss. Lysle, who was often dressed to the nines, looked indistinguishable from the average scoundrel you find crawling cantinas like these. "What about you? Looks like you've been in a fight." Isaac smiled as he joked, but he was truly curious as to why one of the most powerful men in the system would vanish, winding up in a place like this. He continued, "I'm gone for a short while and the next thing I hear is that you've vanished into oblivion. That doesn't sound like the crime lord who took a dumb kid under his wing I first met."

[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

"I jumped ship with the Ravens. Sigourney was never the type to lead, leaving me with all the weight on my shoulders, and the burden was just too much. So I'm going back to my roots, I was a smuggler before I was the crime lord you knew." He briefly furrowed a brow, he had just received a heads-up from Spook, one of the many slicers hired by the Ravens. Lysle whispered so that only Isaac could hear, "Apparently the Ravens are mobilising against the Republic." He glanced around him, making sure no one had heard before his eyes feel on Isaac once more, "That's not good news." He reached into his pocket, scrounging from something unseen as he said, "Look, I've got a job for you, if you want one last ride." He took out a handful of chips, each worth one-thousand. He dropped the pile of them on the bar counter. Someones hands got too close, and Lysle slammed a fist down on the Gan's palm, "Not for you," he barked and looked back to Isaac as the alien slunk away. "I'm looking for a new ship, if I have any hope of talking the Ravens out of this stupidity. Interested?" he asked.

{ [member="Isaac Ideus"] }

 

[Isaac Ideus]

As he listened to Lysle, Isaac witnessed a side of the man he hadn't seen before. So well did the former Ravens boss execute his duties as the helmsman of one of the largest criminal enterprises in the galaxy that one would be excused for presuming that Lysle's wiring was inherently unique. It was him who oversaw the growth of the Ravens from a motley crew of low-level thieves and guns for hire to the incredible criminal organization it is today. But few can handle the constant stress of keeping treacherous villainy in line while every hard-man and wannabe hard-man in the sector is gunning for the prestigious bounty on your head.

And now the Ravens were preparing for war with the Republic without their greatest General. Isaac shook his head in disbelief. The decrepit, bloated, and disorganized Black Suns were a perfect target for the Ravens to sink their teeth into; they were the greatest threat to the syndicate and solidified the prestige of the Ravens. But the Republic was a whole 'nother animal. They were the largest and most omnipresent force in the galaxy, well-oiled and far superior in number and weaponry. Suddenly, the thought of staying in this god-forsaken hellscape seemed rather comforting. But the idle complacency of safety was boring.

Isaac nodded in understanding as Lysle slid him a handful of chips. His legs were still tired from the long journey in his "friend"'s accident waiting to happen retro-rigged mining vessel, was he really going to get up and leave an hour after landing? Isaac grabbed one chip and flicked it up in the air like a coin, catching it in his pocket. "I don't need your money, I owe you enough as it is. My bags are packed, shall we find a ship?"

[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

"We'll go find a ship now," Lysle said, spinning on the barstool and standing up. He stretched briefly, and yawned loudly. Lysle scooped up the credits that Isaac didn't take, and made a quip, "If you don't need my money, why so eager to toss it in your pocket?" Lysle laughed. It was a free-spirited one, and one that was almost never heard around the Ravens. There was an obvious difference between Lysle in his 'business hours' and Lysle when he was free. If it said anything about him, it said he was nothing more than a manipulator. He knew when to talk the talk and when to walk the walk. Influencing situations to his desire when he saw fit. He finished his drink, tipped the bartender beyond reasonable and strode out of the cantina, presumably with Isaac in tow. "I heard there's a damaged YT-1210 light freighter down at dock seventeen, she's got a few illegal mods on her, but when has anything illegal ever stopped us. We'll just need to fix her up and get her on her way, otherwise the second best option is waiting a few weeks for the next transport out of here."

​

{ [member="Isaac Ideus"] }

 

[Isaac Ideus]

Isaac shook his head, grinning. It wasn't that Lysle's joke was that funny, but rather the whole situation was cosmically hilarious. He had no idea where this journey would take him, all Isaac new was that after that five minute conversation, he was eager go anywhere.
Grabbing their things, the pair stood up and walked out into the spaceport atrium. Isaac looked up at the glass ceiling; the dark abyss seemed to strangle your soul after every passing second you stared into it. It was no wonder most of the poor bastards walking around these parts looked like their very spirit was snatched away from them-- they were simply shells carrying on their meaningless existence. "I say we go grab that pile of junk while it's still there... a few more weeks here might kill you."

Normally the kind of person who walked with purpose, it seemed instead that Lysle had a care-free hop in his step. It was a side of the former syndicate boss that few were privy to ever see. "You still didn't tell me how you ended up in this particular ring of hell," he said, turning around towards Lysle and walking backwards. "Or perhaps this is purgatory..." As he passed a Besalisk food vendor, he reached around the side and silently snatched a couple hot sticks of meat-- some kind of space grub it seemed. Having not eaten in nearly a day, the first stick was gone in one big bite. "Want one?" he offered, mouth full. He pointed down the jetway towards dock 17: "Looks like we're that way."

[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

Glyph sighed as he had finally felt his features lessen in their swelling, his hands held before him as he smile at the ones bringing him to the place. Only then when he was brought into the same room as Lylse did glyph raise a brow and speak before the man bringing him into the room could think about speaking, rightfully kicking him in the back of the leg as his words left him. "OH, so you are Lylse, well now this explains it." He smiled as he was on his knees now and his guard held him there, waiting for Lylse to say something.

[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]

 

[Davin Jusik]

Max took a drag from his cigarette and gave a sigh as he watched the comings and goings of the cantina [member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"] had entered not long before. It'd been no small task tracking him, a feat that had only been possible through some very clever back-room maneuvering by @Mouse. Then there'd been the physical act of flying there, nearing some abysmal chasm.

"'What a wonderfully horrible little station." Max mumbled as he glanced toward a nearby camera. Mouse was watching through the local grid.

Scum of all flavors passed through this sector.

About the time the man was finishing his smoke both Lysle and a new addition, [member="Isaac Ideus"], and Max reluctantly tossed the butt to the side before moving toward the pair through the courtyard. He was dressed like a rim merc, with a blaster rifle slung around his back and a heavy blaster pistol strapped to his hip. A pair of HUD goggles sat atop his head and his boots clicked with every step he took, that military stride that was almost impossible to kick once attained. Curiously, a younger man appeared to be kneeling in front of the Ravens, which perplexed Max to no end. The soldier considered ignoring the strange man as he finished closing the gap and opted on including him in his introduction, one of the most important parts of this entire operation. He opted for a direct route.

"This guy bothering you boss?" He said relatively casually, despite having never met the man in his entire life. It didn't matter. He had a few things that the man might need, and even though it was a gamble Lysle wasn't the type you could send a holo mail too and hope for a job. Max was partly banking on his demeanor drawing the pairs attention.

It was something he wasn't used to, living in a world of maybes after years of a life of absolution. Yes or no. Armed or not.

It crossed his mind after he spoke.

 

[Nimue Stormson]

A simple hack there and bouncing a signal there and Mouse had managed her way into the systems of the security grid for the cantina, as well as half the block. This was her first actual assignment to be partnered with [member="Maximilian Vinticus"] and she hoped it was a sucessful one. Otherwise thing would end shrotly for both of them. Apparently this was all involving the dealings of one [member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"] the head of the Red Ravens A big name with a big hit to handle.

For now Mouse was just keeping track of her partner and the man they had pinned. Anything else she would need to improvise on. Thankfully there was a nearby droid refeuling station nearby with a few atrosmechs hooked up. Any one of them would he handy should the need arise. Otherwise she had a full few of Vinticus and Lysel. She panned the camera around to see [member="Isaac Ideus"] as well likey involved with the former in someway or another.

For now it was a matter of waiting and seeing what would go down.

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

"I got in this particular part of hell becau-" Lysle took the offered stick of meat, "Becaus-" this time he was cut off by the appearance of Glyph. Lysle wasn't in some room, he was in an open courtyard of the station that orbited the Chiloon Rift. There was a hustler with the man, and he promptly kicked Glyph in the back of the legs. Lysle looked up, and where there had been sincere excitement for the trip ahead, once more returned the powerful, cold steeled eyes of Lysle that so many knew too well. "What in the name of all that is foul do you think you're doing?" he barked at the Raven who had brought Glyph to him. He leaned forward and slammed the palm of his hand into the Trandoshans head, it looked like it barely affected the lizard but he hissed in fury. "You blazing moron, you know better than to dump something like this in front of me in public. I take that back, obviously you don't."

Glyph looked up and smiled at him, "OH, so you are Lylse, well now this explains it." Lysle pointed a stern finger at Glyph, "You, shut up while I deal with this." Lysle offered Isaac to take the stick of meat back off of him. "Even in the middle of no where, on the edge of oblivion, people still find a way to piss me off." A voice interrupted, "This guy bothering you boss?"
"Yeah, he is," Lysle said as he fished into his pockets, taking out a single one-grand chip. Enough to buy a decent gun, and usually a high payout for small-time bounty hunters. "Take this, get the kid off the ground and take him to dock 17, keep him there until I arrive. Don't start kicking him in public, either." He flicked the credit chip to Maximilian, and while he didn't know the man, anyone in the Rift would do anything for a cheap buck, so he trusted he would do the job. Lysle waved him off with the nod of his head, he turned on the Trandoshan, "You, mate, go back to Mr. Bane and ask for half the pay he offered you. Until you smarten up, you're not getting full pay - not if I still have any say." Lysle looked to Isaac, "Trouble has already found us." He pinched the bridge of his nose, shook his head and waved for the both of them to go after the Rift merc and Glyph, towards Dock 17.


{ [member="Isaac Ideus"] [member="Mouse"] [member="Glyph"] [member="Maximilian Vinticus"] }

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]

Glyph blinked and watched as he laugh inwards at the embarrassment of the trandoshan, served the lizard right for being stupid. But hell now it was time to get his teeth kicked in once more so her sighed and waited in the dock with the new guard, talking. "Hey by the way, names glyph, whats yours?" He knew he would get no reaction so Glyph decided why not talking to himself. "Oricion, good to meet you." "Oh well indeed a pleasure Oricion, hows life up there in my head." "Oh you know, same old same old, little crowded recently." "Ya, sorry about that, busy dealing with some internal stuff itll clear up later." Glyph then started laughing, as if he had heard a joke that was making him die laughing.

 

[Isaac Ideus]

Isaac was startled to see a Trandoshan with a slave in tow, and even more startled to see the chained man thrown to the feet of Lysle. This wasn't exactly how you evaded the spotlight, but it was expected when dealing with a man of Lysle's nature and stature. Another figure brushed by Isaac. It was somebody he had never seen in his life. A third party business associate of the "boss", perhaps. Isaac pulled his shoulder bag closer to his side-- inside was his pistol, for those "just-in-case" moments.

The confused Isaac gave a look of pity at the disheveled captive as the giant lizard-creature pulled him past. "Oh Lysle, please tell me we'll just kill this one and dump him into space. He'll stink up our ship for crying-out-loud!"

[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]
[member="Glyph"]
[member="Mouse"]
[member="Maximilian Vinticus"]

 

[Davin Jusik]

"It'll be better for both of us if you keep your mouth shut. You get to keep your jaw intact and I won't have to exert the physical effort required to kick you." Max said to [member="Glyph"] with a vanishing smile, they'd exited what most would consider public. While dragging the guy there Max couldn't help but wonder if they planned on spacing the man once they got airborne.

Didn't seem he had much of a purpose.

Max gave a sigh and cradled his rifle slightly.

It would be a nice chance to see what type of man [member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"] was, away from the stories, and figure out more about [member="Isaac Ideus"]. All relevant to the assignment. Which all things considered seemed to be going pretty well.

He wondered again about [member="Mouse"], what he, she, or it really were.

 

[Nimue Stormson]

From the way things looked everything was a mixed bag at this point. [member="Glyph"] had arrived and Mouse remembered him. She'd contracted him once for help but wasn't about to let him know she was here. Too many things could go wrong if anything went off too soon. Though given the reaction [member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"] had towards him maybe they would. She kept any and all eyes peeled on the situation, ready to comendere a droid or set off an alarm or something if need be. But she needed to wait. While she was watching [member="Maximilian Vinticus"] for protection she was also waiting on any signals he might give. This was a matter of playing as though Mouse wasn't event present. All aprt of the way she played this game after all. In her base she sat back in her ciar, waiting to see if things would go one way or another.

[member="Isaac Ideus"]

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

"I really want too, I really want too, but I have a reputation to uphold," Lysle replied to Isaac. Together they would continue their march towards Dock Seventeen where an old beaten up freighter would await them, and a rather cranky-looking miner from the Rift. The man was in his late fifties, with a belly that was as bloated as a balloon and a beard that could almost touch his knees, maybe if Lysle yanked it they would touch the mans knees. He saw Glyph and the mercenary from before, off to the side. Lysle fetched into his pocket, he took out a chip and handed it to the miner, "You didn't see this," he said and thumbed over to Glyph and the merc. Nothing had happened yet, but things were about to go south for Glyph's physics health. "Look, your ship at its best is worth maybe one-hundred and thirty grand. I'll give you one-hundred and forty if I can fly out of here now." The man would bob his head, shuffling through his trousers and produce a flimsiplast that Lysle would thumb, signifying he now owed the freighter. Lysle fished into his pockets and took out fourteen chips, each with ten-thousand worth of credits on them. The miner looked thankful, and but he didn't leave without giving Glyph a long, hard look and spitting in his direction. "As you were," Lysle said in a thick tone, wanting to be rid of the man quickly. The exchange was quick, but so was life in the Rift. "Oi you," Lysle would shout to Max, "Punch the bloke for me. If you can, break his nose. Do that and I'll pay you extra." Lysle clicked to Isaac, "You mind running over the ship and seeing what condition she is in on the inside?"

​

OOC Note

Spoiler

I'm on a partial LOA. While I am not gone, my activity is fickle at best. I'll do my utmost to reply, but with IRL demands such as university and the military, life gets stretched, and I can only stretch so much.

 

[Isaac Ideus]

Isaac let out a big breath of air and shook his head with a snicker. What a sight this must be to behold, he thought, although it probably wasn't the strangest thing most of the halfwits in the dingy space port had seen that week. Isaac turned towards the ship and looked it up and down while slowly pacing around the perimeter. It was a smaller mining freighter, maybe 70 meters in length, looking worse for wear. As he walked up the cargo hold, an old panel broke and Isaac's foot plunged through into a mess of wires and insulation. He looked to the heavens in frustration and yanked his foot loose. The inside didn't instill any more confidence. Wiring was strewn along the walls and floors with streaks of oil from some of the surely many repair jobs. Making his way into the cockpit, Isaac sat down in the creaky captain's chair and ran his finger over the control inputs. To his surprise, the nav computer flickered on with a push of a button, and the flight control dashboard lit up like the old casino facade.

Back out of the ship, Isaac approached Lysle. "It's old, it's dirty, it's ugly... but it'll fly. I hope you're as good a pilot as they say, or they'll be scraping our asses off of one of those asteroids out there."
[member="Mouse"]
[member="Maximilian Vinticus"]
[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

When Isaac returned and told the news, Lysle stood there for a moment in though, absent-mindedly scratching his head. "Alright, I'll see what magic can be done." He threw an off-hand pointed finger to Max, "Mate, take the bloke into the cargo hold and keep him there, then meet me in the cockpit if you're looking for some more extended work." Lysle stripped out of his grey gunner's jacket and held it over his shoulder with index and middle finger, the former crime lord ambled up the loading ramp and into the ship. Much alike to Isaac, he instantly fell victim to an old panel and fell forward as his foot missed what he thought would be flooring panels, but found only a deep recess of wires and coolant pipes. Something loud banged, and it wasn't his foot. "You're right, Isaac, this ship is everything but." He pulled himself free and manoeuvred into the bow of the freighter, taking an awkward seat on the captain chair and draped his jacket over the seat. "Our schedule is tight if we want to get to the Ravens in time, prepare the hyper-drive and pull up the ramp. I'll bring us off this station." Lysle trigged the ignition, the sublight drives sounded like a heavy smoker of death sticks. Coughing and jerking. When the engines roared, they sounded more like some unknown dying wail. "It'll fly?" Lysle echoed of Isaac's previous statement, "The only thing holding this ship together is hope."

[member="Isaac Ideus"] @Mouse @Maximilian Vinticus [member="Glyph"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

Glyph winced but shrugged internally as he already expected to be beaten to the point of hospitalization, right now he looked at the ship though and suddenly wondered if it would make it to that sector much less out of this one in the first place. The thought of dying from faulty ship maintenance amused him though, wondering if he could get into the innards of the ship and try and patch her up after all this... probably not.