Hunt the Hunter

[Domino]

((By request I'm starting a public thread to discuss a recent bounty post IC))

Bounty Hunter's Guild
Food Court

In a place where everyone but the servers behind the counter wore armor (and even they were surreptitiously armed) the Twi'lek sitting alone and drinking her tea stood out. It wasn't even good tea, but was so hot that it didn't really matter. She stood out for several reasons, the most obvious being her lack of armor and any apparent weapon of any kind. Another was that she didn't appear to be in any hurry and was in fact comfortable and taking her time even in the midst of some of the galaxy's toughest and roughest.

With a beep, the latest bounties flashed up on a large wall screen, among them was the following along with a picture of the target.

Name of Bounty: Razelle Charlotte Breuner (AKA: Kara Tracer, Irene Cognito, Sieglinde)
Name of Contractor: Domino
Bounty Price: 5 Million Credits
Condition: Alive and absolutely unharmed.
Additional Info: There is a woman out there who is something far worse than anything you have ever encountered. Her whole existence from the moment she was designed has been dedicated to being the perfect soldier. Should you survive an encounter with her, it'll be something you remember for the rest of your life, do not under-estimate the importance of such a thing. And if you should kill her, slit your own throat before I find you.

 

[Darth Vazela]

[member="Domino"]

Knowledge. Thirst. Power. Long ago, the Dark Master was a Lord of the Sith, in a time when the twi'lek was a crime lord of the Black Sun Syndicate. They had sat down to discuss a treaty, that was of no consequence in this day and age. But Vilox Pazela remembered the Dark Jedi known as Domino and subsequently he found her wanting. For she held an important piece of knowledge, hidden within her mind. He would make what she knew about the Book of Sith his own.

His lightsaber was a comfortable weight as he entered the Bounty Hunter's guild. Attuning his senses to the Force, Vilox Pazela's search for Domino and what she knew was coming to an end. He had never been closer. "Where are you?" he muttered, eyes searching whilst his senses felt for her location.

 

[Jak Skirata]

Domino.

The name sounded familiar, maybe a big time crime lord in the underground circuits, or maybe just a punk who had a few too many credits to spare and would rather have someone else do their dirty work for them. Taking a long drink from his mug at the bar counter he eyed what seemed like a promising bounty. Five million for someone alive? This wasn't a simple grudge bounty like many that seemed to be popping up now, and promised a huge reward. He wasn't too threatened by the description. If all she needed was hide and seek he could do the seek, but he needed to get some information first. Last known locations, safe houses, habits, vices; and who better to give him that information than Domino himself.

Spinning around he grabbed a piece of alien chicken-like food from the plate of the Gamorean next to him and tossed it to his anooba, Iskandar. It snapped through the bone with its jaws and set to its snack. The Gamorean was upset, but was smart enough to know when he had lost a fight. Standing from the stool he opened up his datapad and did a quick search for Domino on the Ori'ramikad Data Stream. His eyebrows raised when she was flagged as a female and Force User. He hadn't met her yet, but searching in the Force could give him at least an idea, though that was unlikely. The report was missing many things, and somethings were above even his clearance level but it said she was reclusive and hard to find.

Opening himself up to the Force his senses were heightened and-

He stumbled back into the counter, onlookers may think the Mandalorian had had too much to drink. But someone, no, someone, had knocked him off his feet as soon as he peered into the Force. Two very powerful beings were in this room. He began to sweat, not from fear but from the effort it took to stay standing after such pressure. Could Domino have been in this room? The report didn't come with a picture, or rather the picture was off limits even for him.

[member="Vilox Pazela"] [member="Domino"]

 

[Domino]

Pazela's presence spread throughout the guild as soon as he entered, forcing Domino to notice even though she hadn't been looking. "Well he's persistent at lest." Domino regretted not hiding her own presence, but then she'd been hiding something else. It probably wouldn't have helped anyways, the bounty had just gone live, only way he'd have gotten here so fast was if he'd paid someone to tip him off. Last time they'd crossed paths he'd tried bilk her out of the Book of the Sith using the Sith Empire's dockyards as leverage. Dockyards the Sun's had never needed... He'd had a hard-on for tracking her down ever since.

Domino briefly considered disguising herself and slipping out, confronting him another day when she was just as prepared as he was. On the other hand she had him here and now, and he probably wouldn't confront her if he thought she was ready for a fight. Looking around the canteen, she thought it over. Lots of mercs and hunters around. She gave her styrofoam cup a swirl and watched the steam. No, she'd stand her ground, she had everything she needed to deal with him.

Sitting forward, Domino opened herself to the force, broadcasting her presence to Vilox and... oh that was interesting. Now that she was looking, she noticed another force user as well. This might not go so well if he was Vilox's ally.

[member="Davin Skirata"] [member="Vilox Pazela"]

 

[Darth Vazela]

| [member="Domino"] | [member="Davin Skirata"] |

Pazela lowered the cowl of his robe as he entered the food court. Mercanaries, bounty hunters and so on looked up for the briefest of moments. There was nothing out of place for someone to be entering the area- this was afterall a resting place to eat, drink and relax- and you saw an assortment of people come and go. The Dark Jedi scanned the area with his yellow, predatory eyes until he found her. It had been a confrentation ten years in the making. He would endeavour to leave it with what he wanted, no longer shackled with the responsiblity of an entire Empire at his back.

He moved along the tables towards the twi'lek and settled him in the seat directly across from hers. Smoothing out the creases in his robe, Pazela lifted his gaze up from the floor after he was done settling himself back onto the woman sat before him. "Hello Domino. It's been a long time."

"You have something that I want. Let's discuss our options."

 

[Azula Tindara]

[member="Domino"]

Sometimes a sudden shift of emotion was palpable. As the five million credit bounty appeared on the screen, Thrukk did not notice the individual intakes of breath, he did not notice several Bounty Hunters start to chatter excitedly, or those who were immediately penning queries to the poster. He had just finished three plates of food, and was just lighting a cigarra. Thrukk was far from a rich man, and given his bulk, had a much larger monthly food bill than most. Still, he had enough money for a view vices, and hand-rolled cigarras – a custom order made large enough for his hands – was one of them.

He did not notice the individual changes, but the overall shift did not pass him by. As he extinguished his match with a wave of one hand and took a few prospective puffs, his eyes shifted back and forth. Almost immediately noticing the source of excitement, he saw the noticeboard. Five million credits. That was exceptional. He’d once taken a bounty for three hundred thousand, and that had taken damn near a year to fulfil.

That meant something out of the ordinary. He slid an over-sized data pad from his backpack and switched it on as he tapped some ash from his roll. Ah, an exceptional soldier. Still, five million was an awful lot. The last sentence suggested sentimental value was involved. He’d happily take sentimental value if he could take it to the bank at the end of the job. Still…five million. That suggested both a long an arduous track, and a potentially disappointing failure at the wrong end of a blaster. However, he knew an exceptionally talented tracker. At the end of the hunt, he could always hire a few thugs and pay them well below the going rate. People seemed to trust Thrukk. Perhaps it was his slow, drawn out accent, or even his massive size. Nothing was as liberating as being underestimated and lying came all too easily to the Houk.

“Reit ‘en,” he sighed as he wedged his ciggara between his lips and tapped out a message. He was completely oblivious to the fact that the originator was sat in the middle of the same courtyard. It wasn't that he hadn't heard of Domino before, he'd been working for the lower echelons of society long enough to have heard the name. He didn't, however, make the connection to the Twi'lek suddenly being paid attention by the cloaked figure.

Dear Domino

I, Thrukk Gulpdar, an experienced hunter with more than ten years field experience, would like to express an interest in the bounty. My partner is an exceptional tracker, with access to an extensive network of contacts. However, we could almost certainly do with more information to start following the trail. Could we arrange a voice call, or even a meeting in person to discuss this?

Kind Regards,

Thrukk Gulpdar

 

[Jak Skirata]

What was all the commotion? He felt his hand instinctively slide down to his blaster pistol. Noticing the slight movement Iskander growled from his prone position. Was there about to be a fight between this hooded person and this...Domino and a Houk? It didn't look good.

"Udesii..." he whispered to the Anooba. "Let's just...see what happens."

[member="Domino"]

 

[Domino]

By the time Vilox got done making his robe pretty and showing Domino how little he was concerned with her she had busied herself answering a message that had buzzed her comm-pad.

Mr. Gulpdar,
Blue Twi'lek drinking tea in the canteen. I'll be here for another twenty minutes for face-to-face time. Careful of the Sith, he's wanting to start something, though if you're bothered by him you don't need to go after this contract.
-Domino

Hearing Pazela's opening, she leaned back in her seat a little more at ease. He was wanting to talk, at least to start. Things could still go south fast in a hurry though if he figured playing nice wouldn't get him the book. "Indeed it has Pazela," she agreed "Who's shipyard are you going to try selling me this time?" It was an obvious tactic to put him on the defensive early and make him defend the mere fact that he could even be trusted to be honest with any offer, but that didn't make it any less effective as an opener.
[member="Davin Skirata"] [member="Thrukk Gulpdar"] [member="Vilox Pazela"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

Thrukk looked up from his data pad, eyes scanning the canteen before quickly settling on [member="Domino"] . Well that made him feel a tad foolish. Still, couldn't be helped now, nothing to do but get on with his job. The massive houk slid the data pad back into his bag, before he got up off his stool.

Extinguishing the remains of his cigarra at the bar, he turned and meandered off in the Twi'lek's direction. Coming to a halt at the table, he ignored the other figure and offered a polite nod.

"Min' if Ah tak' a seat?" he asked.

 

[Domino]

Inclining her head towards one of the remaining open seats, Domino indicated that the hulking alien overshadowing the table was more than welcome a spot. "Thrukk Gulpdar I take it?" She asked not that there were many other people it was likely to be. All the while Domino kept an eye on Vilox should he attempt anything.

[member="Thrukk Gulpdar"] [member="Davin Skirata"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

[member="Domino"]

“Indeed, pleasure tae meit ye!” he said, taking a seat. It creaked ominously. “Hud a wee look over yer advert. Noo aam nae much tae look at, but mah bothan associate, he's sharp as a tack! But e'en Ah ken, 'at thes is a search fur a needle, in a pile ay needles, in thee million piles ay needles.

“So, is thaur anythin' else ye can provide? Aliases, knoon accomplices, her fowk, likely jobs, place lest seen? Th' usual!”

 

[Domino]

The hulking alien's speech took a little getting used to, fortunately for them both Domino had spent years crawling around the seedy underbellies of both Coruscant and Nar Shadda where you ran into dialects heard nowhere else. It wasn't easy, but you could pick out the gist if you knew what to listen for and then piece the rest together. "Likewise Thrukk, down to business then. All of your quarry's known aliases are posted on the sheet, she's only ever worked for me and the knights of Kel Shobbel," while that wasn't strictly true, there was no need to explain things hundreds of years out of date. "She's a hunter of sorts, man or beast, it doesn't matter. She likes cold climates if I remember correctly, nothing like Hoth and she probably wouldn't go to Ilum," too many painful memories there for the both of them, "Likely a more hospitable planet with a strong warrior custom. Though you may have some luck working Nar Shaddar, it's the last system I know she was in and it's easier to slip in and out of than Nal Hutta, though nobody else has had any."

[member="Thrukk Gulpdar"] [member="Davin Skirata"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

[member="Domino"]

"Weel that's fortunate, mah pal has a few auld contacts roon 'at way," Thrukk replied. His bothan partner had always been coy about where he gained his information, but Thrukk suspected he used the infamous bothan spynet.

"Thes is big risk big reward deal. Aam guessin' yoo'll hae a lot ay boots oan th' ground, until someain gits lucky," Thrukk said, appraising the situation honestly.

"I'll look intae thes," he added after a moment's though. "Mebbe i'll be th' lucky a body an' we'll hae anither chat one day. Will ye be payin' out smaller sums fur useful information?" he said, deciding it would be worth asking the question just in case.