Private Have Fun Storming the Castle!

[Zandra Ruus]

Location: Groth, Hutt Space
Objective: Cross off one nasty Hutt
Tag: Nisk Keldau
Gear in Bio

It was standard wet work for The Covenant, with a rather non-standard crew. Zandra didn't know anything about the new squad that had come up in The Covenant's rankings. Apparently they were followers of some old Mandalorian god, but that was about as good as nothing. Zandra had enough sense to know poking around them was bad news, and so she'd stayed away. That was, until she was paired up with one for a mission of course.

Some weeks ago, there was a deal where a Hutt had contracted Covenant hunters to take out a rival warlord on the planet Groth. This Hutt, Grokka the Rotund, was a particularly gross example of his species. Not only did he have a sadistic streak a mile wide, but he was incredibly deceitful. He'd made a decision to double-cross the Covenant hunters.

While the squad got out alive, they were nearly killed when Grokka had the palace of his rival bombed with the hunters still inside. People didn't cross The Covenant without getting a black eye in return. So it was by command of their higher-ups that they were sent to infiltrate the world of Groth, a favorite hangout of The Hutt boss. Groth was a gambling world famous for its connection to the Hutts. They often booked VIP parties and spend millions of credits on the arena fights on the planet.

They had it on good authority that their target would be on the world, he made seemingly dozens of trips there every year. If there was anywhere he'd show up, then it'd be here. An investigation would be needed to dig deeper into the world's underbelly. Even if Zandra had problems trusting other hunters, they would need to work together to kill their target.

An old apartment complex on the outskirts of a city on Goth made for a good safehouse for their investigation. Zandra and Nisk had been there for a few days now. A board set up in one of the rundown rooms was all they had to connect clues and details together. Planning to kill a Hutt wasn't easy, and it'd take all their wits and equipment to bring him and his good down. Still, Zandra was confident in one thing, they were getting closer to the target...

 

[Nisk Keldau]

Normally the Hunters operated in a different capacity than the rest of the Fleet, but a slight was made against their people and the Scorekeeper demanded reckoning. Nisk was dispatched along with another Mandalorian to hunt down the being who crossed them. She wasn't a Sister, but she had apparently proven herself to their brethren in the past.

She could perhaps be useful.

But she would learn that the Chosen's methods were different from how others operated on Hunts like these. A safehouse was designated and cleared for their operations, though Nisk had barely interacted with her in the few days they were together. To make matters worse, his desire for secrecy made his comings and goings rather unorthodox. The door was never used, instead a window on the other side of the building made for good entry and exit. In one moment the safehouse was quiet, the next a translucent figure stalked through to rest a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Sseen anything?" The Trandoshan hissed, his stealth field disappearing to reveal his large, armoured frame.

A cold, emotionless mask stared down at the tiny human. Warm, small, proven to fight, good prey if she wasn't part of the Creed. He turned to place a packet of goodies on a nearby table. "You humansss are weak. You musst eat." He hissed, tongue flicking to taste the air. With his helmet depressurized, his senses were far sharper.

"I may have found uss a lead..." He continued, peering through the windows from a corner.

Their target was a slippery one, always on the move. But good intel indicated that he would come to Gorth for a party. Tracking down one of his men could provide the two Mandalorians with a wealth of knowledge on the Hutt's movement and plans.

Zandra Ruus

 

[Zandra Ruus]

Location: Groth, Hutt Space
Objective: Cross off one nasty Hutt
Tag: Nisk Keldau
Gear in Bio

It was strange being given a bag of food by the usually silent Trandoshan. He had barely said two words the past few days. In that time Zandra had come to expect only the sound of her own thoughts in the small safehouse, his voice was enough to give her a start. Still, she took the bag, expecting to be gifted sweet things she would buy herself. She would be swiftly disappointed...

In the bag was some kind of pastry that smelled of barbequed meat. She raised an eyebrow at this, before looking up at the now visible hunter. "Not even gonna ask what is stuffed in this thing. Smells like a spice cabinet got chucked into a furnace."

Zandra's fairly undeveloped tastes not withstanding, the gesture was a kind one. She gladly took the pastry from the bag and began to eat. As her left hand was occupied by the meat pie, she grabbed up one of her beskads. The blade looked comically oversized for the pink-haired punk, as they'd been designed by Clan Ruus, and their advice was to grow into your blade.

She used the beskad to point to several pictures taped to the board, first was a picture she'd taken of a race track. "They've got a Fathier races three times a week. I think one of the underbosses runs the racetrack. Grokka ain't there, but if we can catch one of his flunkies there, we can start figuring out how to flush out the sleemo."

She then dragged the beskad's tip over to a picture of a Gamorrean named Tu'k. "This guy runs a racket on the far side of the capital. Fething slug lover is a small fry, but he travels with a gang. Shakes down anyone smaller than him for their pocket creds. Not irreplaceable, but he might be connected well enough to be a good target."

 

[Nisk Keldau]

The empty gaze of the Hunter's visor idly watched Zandra as she retrieved her nourishment. He remained quiet for a beat as she complained about the pie, simply watching her. "Meat." Was his only neutral response to her remark. Whether on purpose or accidental, he waited until she took a bite to continue. "The ssstorekeeper ssaid it'sss hot." He spoke, though she would likely be able to taste the spicy nature already.

His attention turned to the board she had set up to spread out the details they had. His visor fixated on their first likely lead for a long moment as he listened. "Gamorrean... worthy prey." He remarked, his tongue gliding along his sharp teeth. "I may have tracked the sssame group. There iss ssuposedly a club the gang iss rumoured to frequent. The one I ssspoke to told me that there iss a meeting that will take place." He shared with her, sparing a slow look at Zandra.

"Hisss friendss might be looking for him." He continued.

His slow gaze would return to the board in front of them. "The meeting will happen tomorrow. For now we can track the Gamorrean." He suggested. "Finish your meal, then we move." His voice was somewhere between an order and a simple statement. Waiting for her to finish up and get ready, he decided to sit down on the worn down couch... putting a hefty dent into the already weathered cushions.

Zandra Ruus

 

[Zandra Ruus]

Location: Groth, Hutt Space
Objective: Cross off one nasty Hutt
Tag: Nisk Keldau
Gear in Bio

There was something almost funny watching the huge Trando sit in an awkward fashion on the beaten down couch. Roach motels like these were hardly fit for someone like Nisk, he'd probably be more comfortable in a rainforest than hunkered down in the concrete jungle. He was a primal specimen, something that Zandra had much respect for!

Her mouth was occupied by the spicy meat pie at the moment of him speaking, so she simply nodded in agreeance. The beast they were tracking had a routine, and that was something they could exploit. Even an inexperienced slum kid could do that. She wasn't raised in hunting like Nisk was, so he'd need to guide her.

"So first we smoke out the club, then we chase the pig that comes running out," She said, grabbing a bottle from nearby. She needed to wash the heat from her tongue. "Jeez that stuff burns, I don't hate it though..."

Hot curried beef aside, it seemed like they were planning quite the caper. All they needed to figure out was timing. There was an element of hunting in the urban environment that was unique. The existence of security forces and emergency response. Lighting off blasters in a nightclub would draw out shooters from the local area. Nothing Mandalorians couldn't handle, but certainly a complication.

"Local security has a twenty minute response time in the deeper city, for emergencies it's probably closer to fifteen. That gives us a time limit to ghost this guy then be out of there before it turns into a bloodbath."

Zandra was unsure that Nisk wanted to avoid unnecessary casualties, she hadn't yet gotten a read on his personality. She knew The Chosen were psychos, she guessed now she'd find out to what extent.

 

[Nisk Keldau]

Nisk slowly turned his head to look at Zandra as she spoke before a slow shake commenced. "The other way around." He corrected her, rising from his seat. "You will be inssstrumental in thiss capture. They will not trussst my face. Yourss isss pleassant. You can draw the Gamorrean out." He continued, turning to make his way to the one solitary bedroom. "Remember to check your gear. We have a long flight to the other ssside of town." He took his leave with that.

He was gone for a while, checking his gear and weaponry for a long time before finally emerging with his electrostaff in hand. The weapon collapsed and was holstered below his jetpack as he turned to look at Zandra. His helmet was in his other hand, a final check over it to make sure everything was in order. Red eyes regarded his fellow Mandalorian, tongue flicking at the air before the helmet was slid back on. He had given her plenty of time to finish her meal and gear up, she was bound to be ready to move.

"Let usss Hunt." He hissed, turning to open the door. He waited for her to join him before blasting into the air toward their eventual destination. It was a relatively long flight, but eventually he motioned for them to land on one of the many rooftops once they approached the supposed area of operation. Almost immediately after they landed, he engaged his stealth field and hunkered down in the shade of a chimney.

"Now we mussst find him." He commented, his translucent form turning slightly to look at Zanrda.

Zandra Ruus

 

[Zandra Ruus]

Location: Groth, Hutt Space
Objective: Cross off one nasty Hutt
Tag: Nisk Keldau
Gear in Bio

It was a tough job to follow her fellow Mandalorian though the city, Her 'gam was not built to fly, so she was forced to run along the rooftops on foot. She hopped and slid, freerunning her way through all the obstacles in her path. It was times like is that made her reconsider her stance on jetpacks. It was a chitload easier than trying to jump over half the AC units in the city.

The club was loud enough to be heard half a block away. Bass was bumping in her helmet so hard she felt like her brain was going to turn into soup. The least these bastards could do was mix the audio properly before cranking up the volume!

"Sounds like that's my queue Nisk, if I'm not back out in twenty minutes, then you can crash the place." There was a jovial lilt to Zandra's voice, she enjoyed these kind of hunts. It felt like she was part of one of the books she used to read as a kid, though with more stabbing involved. Strangely that wasn't a deal breaker.

The inside of the nightclub was about as expected, dark as Hell and full of people dancing like mad. It was the kind of place that existed in every major hub of the galaxy. Only thing that changed were the faces of the patrons. How hard was could it be to find a pig in a dark club?