Location: Tatooine, Mos Espa Settlement
Allies: None, Imperials indirectly
Enemies: [member="Nadstic Sunshu"]
Beltran had managed to slip away from the scene of the brief battle without being identified by any of the approaching Imperials. Though he was technically working for the commander of their garrison, he doubted that the Captain would want it known that he had brought in an outside contractor to do what the Stormtrooper Corps apparently couldn’t. He followed the footprints for a few blocks before they suddenly disappeared. Apparently the woman he was after had realized her mistake.
Squatting down on the ground, Beltran took a long look around.
You’ve let her get away! A mocking voice called out within his mind.
“Perhaps,” He murmured out loud, talking apparently to nobody. As he looked around, he took in several small alleyways and numerous nooks and crannies where someone small and lithe could easily get off the street and hide themselves. In one corner, a blanket appeared to have been left strewn on the ground. While noting its location, the Lorrdian paid it no more attention than he did any of the other possibilities. “However, I find it doubtful. Judging by the tracks I saw, she is obviously hurt and limping. It is unlikely that she has gone far.”
Normally, the Lorrdian didn’t respond out loud to the voices in his head. He found that in addition to bringing attention to his affliction, which was something he preferred not to do, it also seemed to encourage the manifestations of his psyche to act out in more concrete, destructive ways.
Today, however, he had a reason for doing so.
That reason was: he was fairly sure that the woman hadn’t travelled any further than this junction. He believed that she was here somewhere, hiding because she was likely too injured to keep running.
Speaking his thoughts out loud would hopefully do two things: unnerve her enough to give away her position and perhaps open her up to the opportunities that Beltran saw in their situation.
As he remained, he was aware of two men entering the area. Both appeared to the Lorrdian to be civilians. Nothing in their body language suggested otherwise. They appeared to be each heading to a different destination, this simply being a single moment amongst thousands in an otherwise forgetful, mediocre life. Then, as Beltran watched, one of the men fell into the other. Angry voices filled the air as the men began to fight amongst themselves.
Beltran watched the scene, slightly bemused. At first glance, it was a completely innocent turn of events. But to Beltran, who was a Lorrdian and as such an expert on the non-verbal cues that most humanoids gave off, it was something much different.
The man who had fallen hadn’t moved like someone who’d tripped. His movements echoed that of a man who’d been pushed. The differences were subtle, but distinct and since Beltran hadn’t seen anyone actually push the man, that left only one other explanation.
Someone had used the Force.
If that was the case, then Beltran was right and his quarry was close by. He wanted her to know he was aware of her presence, even if he wasn’t entirely sure where she was quite yet, but he didn’t want to give away the situation to the fighting men. So he called out to them.
“Gentles, it may have escaped your notice but the Imperial garrison is out in force today. It may be that you reconsider your foolish argument in favor of getting indoors, lest you find yourself explaining your situation to a group of trigger happy troopers, yes?”
Though his voice was not especially loud, it seemed to carry clearly on the breeze. Both men stopped and looked at the masked figure who stood in front of them holding an intimidating looking rifle. They then, it seemed, took Beltran’s warning to heart and each headed off in differing directions without another word.
Alone once more, he called out, this time to the woman that he was fairly sure was hiding somewhere around. “I know you can hear me and it behooves you to listen to what I am about to say. As I’m sure you’ve figured out, I was hired to come here and end your life. It will probably annoy you to learn that the commander of this settlement’s garrison believes your death is worth only a pittance. Normally I wouldn’t even consider a contract for what he has offered, but in all honesty I needed the money. Now that I am here, however, and have seen your handiwork.” Beltran nodded back in the direction of the previous battle. “I see a better opportunity if we were to join forces.”
He paused again for a moment, looking around at the area. If nothing else, the surprise of his offer might cause a small slip in the woman’s movements and betray her position. While his offer was on the level, if she refused the mercenary had no problem killing her to fulfill the original contract.
Some credits were better than none.
“While the garrison Captain has only limited funds at his personal disposal, I imagine the garrison’s payroll vault would yield a far better take.” In this day and age, Beltran knew that the majority of Imperial soldiers received their pay electronically. However, on such a backwater world as this, it was unlikely that many, if any, of the major galactic banks operated and even less likely that any of the local merchants were set up to take electronic payment. That meant that the soldiers stationed here would need to be paid, at least partly, in hard currency.
And that meant crystals, and that meant untraceable.
“Now obviously I couldn’t hope to breach whatever security they have surrounding the vault by myself,” He continued. “But with someone of your…talents, I might have a shot. So here’s the deal, you reveal yourself. We get off the street and I treat your wounds. I have a couple of bacta packs that should get you at least halfway back to fighting strength. Then we go to the Imperial garrison. The majority of the troops are out here looking for you, so it will be less heavily guarded. We break into the vault and steal whatever we can. Assuming we get away intact, we divide the spoils evenly. I then take my money and get off this dustball and back to somewhere civilized and you…well, you’re obviously fighting for something here. I can’t say I care much about what it is, but certainly your cause would benefit from a large infusion of cash.”
Taking another breath, Beltran glanced around. No sign of his current target and potential partner in crime yet. His ears picked up the sounds of boots running and the sound of coms systems flaring. The Imperials were sweeping in their direction. “Better make your decision quickly, for I believe our opportunity to act will soon be gone.”