Hook, line and sinker

[Daxton Bane]

[member="Sidon Eshe"]

The last thing Jack Devon wanted to do was run, but the former Red Raven book keeper knew he had no choice. Called Fisheye by his former associates due to a genetic abnormality that caused his eyes to bulge out of their sockets when he under a lot of stress like right about now.

So he skimmed a few million here and there, it wasn’t as if Daxton would miss it, the man had so many revenue steams it would take a droid or someone with photographic memory like himself, a week or two just to touch the tip of the iceberg.

He was lucky, having bugged out with the credit certificates before IA could pay him a visit. But since then he has always been looking over his shoulder, as he tried to book passage to the Outer Rim. In a couple of days, he would be going under knife to change his appearance then off to Paradise.

Until then, he hired a couple of mercs for added protection just in case any Ravens came calling.

 

[Chance Bonaventure]

The Core Worlds. ​

Corusca Sector,​

Coruscant​

​

​

Coruscant.

It was a big place. It was bigger than big, it was a literal maze within an endless maze. If you wanted to lose someone - anybody - you only had to step off a public shuttle on any landing bay in Coruscant, and you became another face in the crowd. One of the trillions of sentients that were spread out across an entire planet-city. If you had the means, you could stay in the upper levels, pay to see the sky, a luxury for the obscenely rich; if you were well-off, you could stay in the upper-middle, still catching glimpses of sky every so often. But if you were anything below that, you soon forgot what the sky looked like, and all you saw was an endless canopy of buildings, vehicles and bridges. And lower than that? You didn't even want to know...

Sidon Eshe, Bounty Hunter, had arrived on planet little over an hour ago. He had been given a time-sensitive contract and knew that the longer he took, the harder it would be to find his acquisition. As it was, the man known as Jack 'Fisheye' Devon, someone who had been caught stealing and had decided to take the money and ran. In some ways, these kinds of bounties were Sidon's most despised; not because he didn't enjoy his job, he did, but because the ones who committed fraud were always so gutless, so administrative. Once you found them, they folded like flimsiplast and the rest of the job was them sobbing and begging and offering to double what you were being paid.

It didn't matter. A job was a job, and Sidon had to focus on getting it done.

"How's the search going?" The Hunter asked a young Twi'lek who sat at a holonet terminal. The young slicer was hard at work, lekku twitching as often as his fingers typed.

"Yeah, yeah, good," The Slicer said, eyes narrowed as he stared at several displays. "I've narrowed it down to the... to the mid sector. He's in the middle levels, for sure."

"Okay, good," The armored Bounty Hunter nodded, though his companion didn't notice, being too engrossed in his task. "I'm going to head down there, so I'm near by when the facial and biometrics click."

"Yeah, no worries, all good," The slicer muttered, reaching over to grab another stim. He inhaled it quickly, tossed the thin container to the corner, and continued typing rapidly. "As soon as I see him in real time, I'll contact you right away."

"Thanks, Cip," Sidon said over his shoulder as he passed through the rooms door, it closing behind him.

The kid was a great slicer, very capable, but he had bad habits. One day they were going to catch up to the Twi'lek. Cip'muviz had a lot of debt, mostly because of addiction, so he took as much work as he could handle - even if that meant not sleeping for days at a time. Still, Sidon couldn't do what he did, so the Hunter respected the kid's talents...

​

​

A short transport ride later, and Sidon was walking through the crowded mid-levels. Surprisingly, for someone dressed so heavily in armor, he didn't stand out as much as one would have thought. A number of sentients were in all sorts of clothing, some large aliens in body armor as well, likely guards or mercenaries. Every so often Sidon saw an unaffiliated Bounty Hunter, a non-Guild member, and gave a nod despite their not wanting to have anything to do with the Bounty Hunter's Guild. It always paid to be nice, especially if you could slowly change someone's opinion of you, which could net a new member...

<"Are you there, Sidon?"> The commlink in the helmet went off, Cip's voice coming through relatively clearly. <"I think... I think... I found him, or someone who looks close enough to check out. Co-ords incoming.">

The Bounty Hunter watched as a nearby establishment appeared on his HUD, and set his sensor suite to predicting the best method to get there. If he could find his acquisition sooner rather than later, it meant he could get off the planet and be away from the confines of endless buildings all around...

"Got it, thanks, Cip."

[member="Daxton Bane"]​

 

[Daxton Bane]

[member="Sidon Eshe"]

Tossing the sabbac cards onto the table, Jack grumbled on his luck. Two hours of gaming and 10,000 credits into the hole. Not that he couldn’t afford it, it just ticked him off to lose. Killing time until his appointment with the cutter and a whole new identity, seemed to stretch out the minutes. Not that he was worried or anything, that was what the trio of muscle he hired as protection was for,

Supposedly they were Storm Troopers moonlighting for a little extra pay, it eased his mind a little while they were about. Most of the locals left him alone, and those that didn’t were paid to pay attention elsewhere.

Jack suspected Daxton would be close, the Sith Lord was known far and wide for his vindictive streak. The credit certificates were his ace in the hole, the Sith would never risk a direct attack without securing them first.

 

[Chance Bonaventure]

The first hit on the potential acquisition had been a miss, with the individual looking similar but not being Jack Devon. A quick follow up of a second opportunity also failed to materialize, as Sidon approached yet another possible. It wasn't until the third time Cip contacted the Bounty Hunter that the tables turned, and Sidon locked eyes on the acquisition. Jack was in a gambling hole, throwing down credits and generally enjoying life before making his final trip to freedom. It wasn't as uncommon as one would have thought, as very few criminals tended to play it smart and lay low until they had actually gotten away - but that suited Sidon just fine.

Outside of the gambling establishment, Sidon approached one of the patrons who was leaving. Offering a credit chit, the Bounty Hunter described Jack, placing emphasis on his bulging eyes, and the two guards he had around him. The Rodian had a simple task - go over to Jack, say a Hunter was asking about him, and wanted to lure him out the front... but he'd 'decided' to warn him instead, in hopes of a reward, and to suggest the back exit. The plan was mostly reliant on Jack panicking, as surely even he couldn't ignore such a warning - especially with only two exits, one of which was supposedly watched for an ambush.

In the meantime, Sidon walked around to the side alley. He positioned himself so that he could see the side door where he expected the acquisition and his bodyguards to come through at a moments notice. Pulling out his hand cannon, the Bounty Hunter prepared for a quick non-lethal fight, his ammunition flash bangs; while in the other hand, he had his Tir Stunner blaster on low yield, charged and ready to stun the three once he was in close...

[member="Daxton Bane"]​

 

[Daxton Bane]

Jack nearly spat his drink when the Rodian approached him, offering news that would be of interest. He never did like their kind, something shifty, always lookimg for a better deal. Tossing some credits to rat, he eyed his surroundings with more than the usual paranoia. Jedi wrinkled nuts, how the hell did the Ravens trace him here? If hunters were nearby, it wouldn’t be long for a Raven Tac Team to arrive and just mow down everyone where they stood.

Settling his tab, he and his muscle were headed to the kitchen, he staffs protests were easily quelled with the flashing of some credit chips. Gutter rats scrambling for scraps, he was done with this life. All he had to so was make to the cutter and he would be free. BUt first he had to lose the hunter, who was probably aiming at the entrance with a sniper rifle. How stupid did they think he was? He called for his driver to have his car pick them up at the rear of the building, as the muscle opened the rear doors to secure the alleyway.

[member="Sidon Eshe"]

 

[Chance Bonaventure]

Sidon waited, watching. He was crouched low, in shadows. Not one to leave things open to chance, the Hunter had positioned his droid at the front entrance, to keep an eye on those coming and going. Its feed was linked into the helmet, taking up a small portion of the three-hundred and sixty degree view it offered, among other things. Around the time Sidon expected the Rodian had done his job, a vehicle turned into the alleyway and pulled up with a flare of repulsor breaks. Eyes narrowed in his helmet, Sidon wondered if another opportunity was presented to him... perhaps he could take out the driver, take it's place, and ambush the target in the back seat?

Nah, too many variables, Sidon thought, deciding against it. Instead, he would deal with the driver if he tried anything after the guards had been taken car of.

The rear door opened to the gambling den, three figures rushing out. One the target, clearly Jack, and the other two larger in slim-line armor - likely to blend in a little better, and not to arouse as much attention. In this instance, that was a benefit to Sidon, who was kitted out in some of the heaviest and armed equipment currently available in the galaxy. With the Tir Stunner pistol in hand, the Hunter stepped around the edge of the building and pulled the trigger, catching one of the mercenaries from the flank before it had a chance to react; the setting was low, enough to drop most humanoids including Wookiees.

And those mercs weren't as big as Wookiees.

Rushing forward on enhanced legs, his speed near doubled, Sidon fired again, sending the blue ring of the stun shot at the second merc, catching him wide, not applying the full effect. With a grunt, the Hunter lashed out with his boot, planting the sole squarely against the merc's armored chest in a forward kick - and watched with some satisfaction as the creature went tumbling, a huge impact dent where the boot had landed. Facing Jack, Sidon raised the pistol while also reaching across his back with his free hand and pulling out his Vornskr Mark 8 Scattergun. The latter was aimed at the driver side window, ready to turn the sentient within to paste if it so much as moved - especially since Sidon had every direction covered, visually, so he could keep checking back and forth on the two targets.

"Jack Devon, there's a bounty on you posted by Daxton Bane," Sidon said, inclining his helmeted head. "You can come with me easily, or I can hit you with a heavy stun that'll make you wish you had."

Sidon allowed the acquisition the time to make a decision, all the while keeping his eyes scanning on targets around him. Above, the small droid had returned, hovering as a small verpine shatter gun unfolded from the bottom of the disk-like body. It was aimed primarily down the alleyway, at the second merc that had been kicked and was hopefully out for the count, like his friend...

[member="Daxton Bane"]​

 

[Daxton Bane]

Jack could not believe his luck, one moment he was walking a free man and the next he was staring at the business end of a weapon in the next. The bounty hunters declaration clearly indicated how screwed he was, where there was one bottom feeder it was certain there were others lurking about.

Fortunately, there was one thing that @Sidon Eche had overlooked and that was his car was a civilian versioned armored against small arms fire. The driver pretended to meekly stay in place but reached for the switch beside him which released several stun and smoke grenades on either side of the vehicle.

The concussion wouldn’t hurt the hunter, not in that armor but it would be enough to temporarily scramble him for the driver to get his principal into the car and away from here under the cover of the multicolored smoke. Heading skyward they made for an escape attempt by merging into the chaotic mess of vehicular traffic to lose their pursuers.

 

[Chance Bonaventure]

The sudden explosions of sound and light going off caused Sidon to react, as be pulled the triggers on both weapons. The pistol missed Jack, judging by the lack of a yelp and thud to the ground, and the scattergun impacted against reinforced armor glass, scuffing the surface but not penetrating. Hearing the clack of the vehicle door closing, the Hunter growled as he slipped the pistol back into its holster, before taking aim with his wrist launcher and sending out a tracking dart - the small transmitter stuck to the vehicles rear, silent as it impacted with a highly sticky substance.

"Vena, bring the ship around," Sidon said as he shot at the fleeing vehicle impotently, mostly just for show so as to avoid suspicion about the tracking device. "I've planted a homing beacon. Signal should be coming through to the ship now... stay nearby, I'm going to pursue and lose them. Then we follow him to whichever mynock hole he crawled out of, and see if we can fetch a bonus for returning stolen property."

Running to the front of the gambling den, Sidon shouldered the scattergun, before sliding onto the seat of a sleek but powerful speeder bike. Revving the engine, the small droid that had been watching the front entrance zipped down, attaching to the Hunter's back plating with a small click. Twisting the throttle, Sidon arced out into the heavy traffic, dodging and weaving as he inched closer and closer to the get-away vehicle. Using the HUD on his helmet, he was able to follow the beacon easily enough, but wanted visual from above just in case...

<"In position, Sidon,"> Came the pilot's reply through the comm. <"Should I prep Big Boy? Or do you want to handle this solo?">

"I don't need him," Sidon replied, smirking. Though bringing the battle droid could prove interesting. "Alright, I'm on them. Get ready to maintain visual when they lose me."

And gunning the engine, Sidon brought the speeder bike close, showing he was on the vehicle, keeping pace as they weaved through the intense traffic. Up ahead a series of turns and buildings littered the path, and it would be there that the Hunter lost his acquisition, before falling back to a more appropriate following distance...

[member="Daxton Bane"]​

 

[Daxton Bane]

Jack was still cursing his luck as he ducked behind the plush seats, while his driver took a series of what appeared to be wild turns in and out of Coruscant traffic. The blare of horns, sirens and vocal curses slowly tapered off as they left the lower levels into the relative civility of upper level traffic.

Peering over the side, Jack couldn’t see any pursuit so he took a deep breath and released a sigh of relief. Apparently the bounty hunter, whoever it was, was no match for him at all. Still he did not holster his weapon until his vehicle reached the apartment he was renting. It was rather famous in its own right, having been rented out before to celebrities and senate officials who wished for a discrete place to lie low. The outer perimeter was patrolled by sentry droids designed to foil intruders before they could enter, while the interior was protected by a small squad of 6 former Galactic Empire special ops gone mercenary.

Two of the squad were with Jack in the alley, so that left only 4 still up and mobile at the home base, athough medical aid was already dispactched to assist their fallen brothers.

 

[Chance Bonaventure]

Sidon hovered a distance away from the apartment, scanning through his HUD as he assessed the situation. The droids surrounding the balconies were tough looking, but certainly nothing a little slicing couldn't handle, especially with the Hunter's droid on his back. Deciding now was as good a time as any, Sidon waited as the droid detached, before giving it orders to take down the droids in sequence. The small construct flew across the traffic lanes, weaving and dodging, before it reached the closest security droid; and with a small directed burst of transmission, began slicing into the other droids programming, performing some sub-routine wipes and data package deletion.

"Hey, Vena," Sidon said over the comm, revving the speeder and taking it up and over toward the upper apartment. "Remember that thing we did on Corellia that one time? Let's do that again..."

A confirmation came back from the ship that floated high overhead, outside of the traffic zones. In fact, if Vena remained in position for much longer, without moving to or from a specific location, she would probably be pinged by law enforcement for loitering - which meant time was of the essence. And as Sidon rapidly approached the apartment, seeing several droids now smoking from optics and vents on the balconies, a single turret shot lanced out from above. The reinforced ferrocarbon of the structure remained intact, but the glass exploded; and without hesitating, Sidon launched off the speeder, drawing his hand cannon, as he began firing at the guards within. This time, given the stakes and the force brought to bear, the Hunter couldn't rely on the non-lethal approach; and the highly powerful shatter fun, filled with armor piercing rounds, made very short work of the humanoid guards caught by surprise within.

Several shots rang out, catching one before he had a chance to react; another several shots caught the second closest guard in the chest, slicing through the armor easily enough. Landing with a burst of repulsor pack, and a crunch of armor, Sidon ducked behind a solid kitchen bench, listening as blaster fire sounded. Not wanting to be pinned by the remaining two bodyguards, Sidon popped up from behind cover and held out his gauntlet - and sent a burst of burning hot flame from the flamethrower attached, causing the guards to cover their faces and step backward to avoid severe damage. Using that moment, the Hunter aimed with his hand cannon, and promptly shot both humanoids in turn, his advanced helmet systems allowing for near-perfect aim and target acquisition... and with that, it was over.

Except for Jack.

"Come out, Jack," Sidon called, hand cannon reloaded, now with flash bang rounds. The Hunter had some surprises to use, should the acquisition prove difficult to persuade. "I'm only asking once. Drop any weapons and come quietly... or we do this the hard way."

[member="Daxton Bane"]​

 

[Daxton Bane]

Crouching behind his desk, Jack silently cursed having placed his weapon down to grab a drink to steady his nerves. The expensive amber liquid soaked his trousers where he spilled it when the world exploded all around him. The good news was he had no hole in him just yet, the bad news meant that they probably wanted to tske him back alive.

“Look I don’t know who the hell you are but you seem capable enough. Let’s make a deal. Whatever this job is worth to you I can double, no triple it, if you help me. Your employers are criminals and thieves, I’m just doing the right thing. I can’t go back, they will kill me.”

[member="Sidon Eshe"]

 

[Chance Bonaventure]

Sidon narrowed his eyes, peering at Jack's location behind the desk, from the confines of his helmet.

"I'll tell you what," The Hunter said, as he stepped closer, moving to one side of the room. "That information you stole... I suspect that's worth something. You have the data copy with you? I might consider the offer if you include it. But I want the only copy, no duplicates laying around."

Whether the acquisition knew much about Sidon remained to be seen, but fortunately there was always the shady business practices of some Bounty Hunters to fall back on, especially those that were open to negotiation when it came to bounties; and while Sidon wasn't one of those, perhaps Jack didn't know that. And it wasn't as though the Hunter was lying, as he would certainly think about the offer, but ultimately there wouldn't be a deal change... which was good for Sidon's client, but bad for Jack.

"I don't have all day, and my trigger finger is getting itchy," Sidon said, prompting, as he moved closer along the wall, angling for sight around the desk. "Oh, and before you think about lying to me, consider that I have all kinds of wonderful sensors and life scanners in this helmet... so someone showing those traits is pretty obvious."

[member="Daxton Bane"]​

 

[Daxton Bane]

Jack emerged from his hiding spot, armed raised over his head to show he was unarmed. Fickle spot to be in but if he was anything Jack knew a good deal when it was placed before his eyes. Screwing up his courage to sound more confident, he straightened his suit and lowered his hands.

“I’ll trade you the information for my freedom. Once you have it we go our separate ways, agreed?” If Jack was being scanned it would show no signs of lies or deception in his statement. He in turn waited for [member="Sidon Eshe"] to agree before revealing what he knew.

 

[Chance Bonaventure]

"You have it with you, or at least here?" Sidon inclined his head, watching as Jack stood still. "I'm not about to deal when I have to trust you've left it where you say so, and I'm sent on a wild Hutt chase... show me first, then we deal. You're the one hoping for this, not me, so I don't owe you any favors."

The Hunter remained still, weapons raised, for a moment. Above, in the transport, Vena received the comm call, which was sent privately from Sidon's helmet. She acknowledged before pressing several buttons on the ships communications panel, sending out a simple message to a nearby source - it belonged to Daxton Bane's people, with a update and location of where to pick up Jack. Sidon was confident, but the sooner he could hand over and leave Coruscant space, the better...

"I'm done waiting," Sidon said, clearing his throat as he aimed down the length of the hand cannon. "Now or never."

[member="Daxton Bane"]​