Ivory Tower

[Nyra Mazul]

Telos was a symbol of success having been rebuilt in ancient times from a state of utter destruction. It was in many ways a testament to the hardy nature of the galaxy and it's ability to bounce back from nearly every crisis. Telos grew into an industrialized planet that invented transparisteel. Now great towers filled the sky and there was a sense of prosperity. Although the poor remained as they ever were the rich grew powerful and the culture around them grew decadent. And as a culture grew decadent, it became intrigued by art, trinkets, and eccentricity. Telos had art and trinkets and eccentricity to spare....

Hanging from the outside of an art Museum with a knew exhibit was Nyra Mazul. There was sticky gloves of various sorts that either used magnetic, microfibers, or other such devices to climb sheer surfaces. Nyra had little use for those now. Instead she clung to the side of the immense structure with just her hands, force of will, and if needed the force.

The climb was longer than many people even walked and yet Nyra found herself making the trip in record time. Resting on a ledge she looked in through the heavily tinted window and smiled. A clawed hand reached out to the transparisteel. With her hand she made a circle using her claws to cut into the material. It took nearly a full minute before Nyra reached out a leg and kicked clear metal from the window letting it fall with a thud onto the floor of the museum. The whole was barely large enough for Nyra but in a single movement she leap feet first squeezing through it.

Skipping on a leather whip Nyra viewed the various exhibits present. There was art from Zeltros, all rather lude and exciting, technology from the days of the Empire and then finally what she had wanted. An exhibit on metalworking and jewelry. Licking her lips Nyra glanced over at the various pieces. Each were valuable in their own right and yet she had a single prize in mind.

Running her hands over the display case she smiled as she looked at a gemstone the size of her fist. "Another time perhaps," she cooed instead finding a necklace with a much more modest gem in it.

Examining the case she cut into the display and saw the tremble switch. Delicately she removed the glass before reaching a hand to her side and taking out a small stick of two part pudy. She placed the pudy over the pressure switch and held it until it dried, hard as duracrete.... With a smile she grabbed the necklace and put it on before back flipping and playfully jump roping back towards her exit....

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Nyra Mazul"]

Have you ever been to a place that was so completely against your entire being that just being there made you want to throw up? The moment I walked off the ramp of my ship and felt the stained durasteel under my feet I knew this wasn't the place for me. It was the smell of a thousand unwashed bodies forcing itself up my nostrils, the cacophony of sounds drumming against my ears and the sheer despair that could be found in every face, in all their eyes and body language.

I was used to running in the open fields, hunting in the woods and climbing the mountains. I explored damp caves and traversed rolling hills with little to no difficulty.

But a single step here felt heavier than any of the aforementioned. There were thick, heavy lines filled with refugees trying to get on board, some of them got hassled by CorpSec - but most got on through easy enough. Just the ones that weren't completely beat-down and still had some sort of dignified air around them.

Those that had some money on 'em.

"Woah there, skipper." One of the guards spoke out, gauntlet raised as the universal sign of Sit Your Ass Down. Fiberglass obscured his face, he had fairly reasonable armor - duraplast pauldrons, plastisteel armoring and armorweave poking out in certain corners. He would be easily dropped, but the trick here was to not get an entire station's worth of security on my head.

"Problem, officer?"

My hand rested easily on the head of the axe, just about poking out of my belt. It grew cold to the touch and just seemed to shimmer a bit the moment skin contact was achieved.

The guard, bless him, took one look at the axe and then at me, before frowning. Behind me I could just about hear another group of refugees coming up the stage. A shake of the head, followed by him gesturing with his hand over his shoulder - inadvertently he probably realized that there was little to be gained by a conflict, when there was another group to shake-down just behind me.

I left it behind me and the steady influx of refugees into the station swallowed me whole.

 

[Nyra Mazul]

Nyra had come back to Telos station. It was a wretched place filled with downtrodden. Religious zealots mingled freely with open criminal and refugees. The large station was home to businessmen, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers. It was, in short, the perfect place for Nyra to fence her stolen goods. Because it was a shipping port that meant goods could easily be smuggled off planet. In addition to that it was large and crowded enough that another woman just blended right in.

Leaving her inter system shuttle from the surface of the planet Nyra saw a new influx of refugees. Better for her to blend in. Refugees came in all types and you would find people of all status intermingled in a crowd. Two security officers were hassling the crowds trying to shake people down. Normally a smile and wink of the eye was enough to get her through, although sometimes with a bit of a frisking. Nyra couldn't afford that right now, she was still holding onto stolen goods and even a poorly done fondling by a frisky security officer could lead to some questions that she didn't want answered.

When the officers approached Nyra she didn't have an axe to look threatening like the just before her in the line. She smirked and then said. "Uh, I'm with him," and winked at the officer. She pushed past them without looking back and hooked her arms around the young mans. "Honey," she said. "We should get to Aunt Shelly's. She said she'd have a job for you. Honest work." A real show.


[member="Silas of Ossus"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

It was the intoxicating and drowning sensation of sounds and scents that allowed her to sneak up on me. That's what I told myself right after restraining my urge to immediately gut her on the spot - but if I was completely honest... she hadn't made a sound during her approach.

I slowly turned around, my hand skidded down and resting casually on her lower back, pressing her closer to me. The guards seemed amused mostly, a few maybe... envy? Difficult to say, but what wasn't difficult to say was that said envy could turn into something more nasty if this situation wasn't resolved immediately.

"Miss." I'd whisper near her ear. All the guards would see was a man... cuddling? Maybe displaying his trophy-wife. "You can walk with me, but only because I got places to be and I have no desire to complicate said journey."

After that I pulled away from her and resumed the walk, with the assumption she would follow.

 

[Nyra Mazul]

Smiling a devilish little smile as she felt the mans hand explore her body Nyra leaned over and act as if she was enjoying it. On her initial approach she could see in subtle movements of the body, tensing muscles and such, that this man was capable. You could find signs like that when you had lived on the streets and were used to the rough life. Reading people was a useful skill. Then the man spoke, warning her off in his own way, pulled away and began to walk.

She had picked him well, both someone the guards didn't want to mess with and someone who thus far hadn't tried much. Although truth be told the hand could have been a bit higher on her and still sold the cover story. All in all she estimated that he just didn't want to be bothered, a man on mission that just didn't want to be stopped. Of course she didn't need any cues to this since the man just told her so.

Nyra did her part and walked with him, in harmony with each step. Only seconds passed before she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek to better sell the fiction they had created. Mischievously she leaned into him, her body pressing against his, and blew lightly against his ear. "But complications can be so desirable..."

After they were out of sight of the security officers and in a nearby area Nyra asked him. "So where are you heading?" She stretched her hands high above her head and let out a yawn. "You got work yet?"

[member="Silas of Ossus"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Nyra Mazul"]

The man did not physically or vocally respond to the kiss, instead choosing to stay quiet and continue their track onward. It would be a misconception to assume that Silas wasn't interested in promiscuous woman, because she was just pretty enough for him to do a stupid thing or two- but, and there was always a but these days. This day's but was the fact that this wasn't just some kind of brainless vixen or waif, ready to be put on his lap while he was drinking some ale in a tavern somewhere cold and frosty.

No, Silas could sense the intelligence. Could almost taste it as she closed the distance and lengthen it again.

And an intelligent woman with a sweet silver tongue, combined with martial skills, well that was just a recipe for disaster, wasn't it? If there was one thing that he had learned from him, it was that women like that were usually a complication too far.

"Naw." They left the hangar bay behind and entered the reception hall... or what was left of the reception hall. In the distance the turbo lifts gleamed, but there was a whole territory to traverse before. Filled with gangers, everywhere. They weren't even conspicuous about it here. Like reaving, hungry wolves just looking for prey.

Preying for the new arrivals.

"Looks like we got bigger worries than that, though." We. When had it become we?

 

[Nyra Mazul]

The two had walked a little ways and [member="Silas of Ossus"] had only managed a simple "Naw." to her question. That was until they reached a less desirable area of the station. It was rough, and looked more like the undercities of Coruscant where Nyra had grown up than a space station. Walls were, if not actually rusted, of rusted color. Water seemed to leak from pipes so that even the air was muggy adding to the decrepit effect of appearance. And then Silas spoke, we have bigger worries.

We. That wasn't as much as a surprise it might have been, at least not for Nyra. Men often felt protective about pretty women, not that Nyra needed protection, and they often tried to attach themselves to her. "Well," Nyra said playfully taking the lead. She turned around, still walking backwards toward the hive of gangers laying in wait. "You want me to walk you to your apartment? After all this town isn't safe for a queen." Laughing a bit Nyra turned around and gave each and every ganger a dirty look daring them to come at her. She'd encountered these particular delinquents before. Mostly mopes playing it hard, but as they got further in to where she needed to go it could get a little more harry. "He's with me," she called to the gang.

Turning back to Silas she added, "I'm alpha dog on this block."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Nyra Mazul"]

"Is that so?"

See, Silas understood something about these kind of situations. It was instinct, something that you couldn't learn you could only grasp it if you were born with that feeling in your chest - it was the ebb and flow of ego, reputation and pressure between people, between alphas. Nyra was walking a tight rope here and already there were heavy vibrations going up and down it.

Some gangers let it go. They saw a woman who was far too confident in that skin-tight latex suit to be worth it. Anyone so overconfident either knew what she was doing or was a complete and utter idiot.

They didn't know her. Didn't know which category she was and the fragile ones didn't want to risk it.

But the wall that just appeared in front of her as she looked over her shoulder to him... was made out of different material. He - the wall was made out of flesh, muscles, chest hair and steroids - was one of the enforcers of the Cutters. A gang that was small, but known for its ferocity amidst the denizens of the Telos Station. This meant that most stayed clear from them, because while their low population could be overtaken... it would take a lot of manpower.

And nobody really wanted to put their lives on the line just for anything.

"And who... are you." the Mountain looked down, those eyes didn't see a nice piece of ass or even anything resembling human. Just a piece of meat that would be slaughtered if she stepped out of line.

 

[Nyra Mazul]

Nyra had seen this mans type before. Her alliance with the local gang only went so far, they let her travel through her territory and conduct her business but they wouldn't back her up in a fight, especially a fight against a giant man mountain. Still there was no backing down now. Standing to her full height of damned shorter than the man in front of her she contorted her face. "I'm just a working girl, and no not that kind of gal." Stepping forward she closed the gap between the two. She was now in striking range, although her hands were not yet in a threatening pose. Her head bobbed from side to side examining the man. Show no fear. "Me and my friend are on the way to visit a man. We have business here. Business that isn't yours." Well technically his gang and the broker she was meeting all worked for the same syndicate but that didn't matter. They were different internalized groups meant to operate similar to a cell system. You couldn't take down the entire organization by a clever sting on one. Then again security on this station didn't seem particularly interested in arresting anyone never mind going against a full syndicate.

"Now if you want," Nyra continued grounding her feet and flexing her crushgaunt clad hands. "I can get a step ladder and we can hash this out face to face."

Would [member="Silas of Ossus"] back her up in a fight?

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Nyra Mazul"]

The moment he felt her arms around him Silas knew that this girl would be an issue.

A complication.

Something that would extend his exertion over and beyond the usual line of duty. As Nyra got into the face of the Mountain there was a part of him that wondered if he shouldn't just cut her loose and leave. She could probably take him, but in the progress would get overtaken by the other thugs currently at the sidelines and staring at the show.

That would probably give him a window to leave.

"The Bartender." Silas shouted out. Why did he say that? Why would he ever say that?

But it did have the intended effect. All of a sudden the tension in the air intensified, but only in the center of the conflict. The gawkers suddenly averted their eyes and went on about their business.

"What you say, boy?" The Mountain diverted his attention from the buxom lady and to the lad.

The Bartender, the Underlord. They said he was immortal- only thing Silas knew was that he controlled the Exchange.

"We are here on business with the Underlord."

He might have signed their death warrant there and then.

 

[Nyra Mazul]

What an idiot. Thats what Nyra thought. One did not simply invoke an under bosses name on this station. They couldn't. The gall! Then again, it worked up to a point. The mountain of a man stopped in his tracks and turned his attention back to Silas. Nyra smiled. Wrong move. She extended her leg kicking down and propelling her body up in a display of acrobatics twisting and twirling her body around the large hulk of a man. As she did so she was able to effect his balance and cause him to tumble to the ground. Once there she struck him several times with blows to the head and wrapped svelte legs around his neck watching the blood cease to flow to his brain.

Eyes rolled over and Nyra released the vice grip standing up and stretching about. "Better stay clear." she purred in a confident tone.

Looking at the other gang members to see if they were making a move Nyra practical growled at them. With a hand she grabbed [member="Silas of Ossus"] and started pulling him down and away through a corridor and into the clear. "I don't know where you come from, but its never a good idea to namedrop if you don't actually know the person. Especially not someone who is a boss. They usually don't take kindly to it."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Nyra Mazul"]

"We were just about to be taken by about a half a dozen Cutters, lady."

He studied the prone form of the Mountain, followed by the reactions of the other gangers around the fringes. Most of them seemed to be more interested in looking at the collapsed giant than pay attention to them, the few that did though... there was fear in their eyes, fear and anger and resentment and hate.

Oh, they wouldn't touch them now.

But Silas had a feeling that this wasn't over, not by any stretch of the imagination.

"And you might have brought him down while he wasn't expecting you, but there was little to no chance of us getting out of that situation alive if we were hit from multiple directions by eight of 'em."

He let her drag her on for a while, until the slow transition from junk criminality to respectability started to show. Not all sections of the station were as bad as what they had just left behind, some where alright, some where even decent.

 

[Nyra Mazul]

Nyra narrowed her eyes as the man talked and more respectable area of the station came up. "Listen," Nyra said. "There was multiple gangs present. I had a deal with one of them. Made them some money. The fight would have stayed one and one and in case you don't see it... well I ain't helpless."

Her eyes met his and her face contorted a little, nose wrinkling. "I have business here, I'd rather avoid that sort of trouble. I could beat a hundred men like that man mountain and still be about my business. Hell it would probably help to improve my reputation."

"If you need work," Nyra said stopping a little ways deeper into the station she began her appraisal of the man across from her. "I have to go to sector seven." Would the man follow? Something told her that he would. He was no refugee and yet he'd come this far.

[member="Silas of Ossus"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Nyra Mazul"]

Silas just snorted at the bluster.

As he saw it, the gal wouldn't have dropped the Mountain, if it weren't for his distraction. But at the end of the day it didn't really matter to him all that much, if the gal wanted the ego boost? Who was he to bring her down to the surface again.

A shrug followed the offer of a job.

"Sure, how much it pay and how long you need me for." Then Silas could figure out if this was a cost-efficient opportunity or just a waste of time for him.

 

[Nyra Mazul]

And then she had him. A simple matter, although to be honest with most men it would have been simpler. Humans were so easily fooled, their males even more so. "Moderate pay for a days work. I'll give you ten percent of the deal I'm about to make." Then she shrugged. "That could be a lot, it could be very little." She wasn't about to tell this man she just met what exactly the deal was for. She didn't like robbers and was slow to trust. "And if this works out, I might have another job for you. One that will pay much, much more."

A devious little smile crossed her lips as she walked past [member="Silas of Ossus"] and shrugged her shoulders before stretching her ups above her head. "So whatcha say, wanna stretch your legs, take me to the Red Zone in sector twenty two?"

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Nyra Mazul"]

"The Red Zone in Sector Twenty Two, huh?" Silas eyed her for a moment, while wondering to himself if he really looked that dumb. Maybe it was the beaten and bent armor that saw so many battles, the axe whose metal was scratched and burned at places. Maybe it was something entirely else, but it surprised him nonetheless.

"Just a moment ago it was Sector Seven."

It only took him a moment to center his location, before picking out the route to the nearest cantina.

"'Least keep your story straight when ya wanna con someone, cheeka." With that said the Ysanna made a beeline to the bar, where hopefully there would be some genuine work to be had- instead of hot, feline ladies displaying their wares and trying to con honest, working warriors out of their axe and possibly lives.

 

[Nyra Mazul]

"Awww," Nyra said with a tiny little laugh as the man walked off. "Big bad man is scared of little old me?" Nyra took a few strides of her legs to reach him. "You weren't working for me when I was going to sector seven," She said with a shrug, True enough, she didn't know if she could trust the man. Then again she wasn't lying when she said she wanted to go there. There was a hotel that didn't take names, and didn't ask questions. It would have been the perfect place for her to lay her head for awhile, however the little encounter with the cutters changed her plans slightly. "There is a little place called the Night's Rest where I was going to rest my head. But I intend to accelerate my plans. The Red Zone is where my contact is."

A little smirk ran over her mouth. This man was tough, or at least liked to think of himself as such. She wondered exactly where he'd come from. "Given your attire I figure you could handle a little trouble. Am I wrong? Or does the possibility of me ambushing you in an alley really scare you that much?"

She didn't need this man, and yet found that he'd be useful. Why not?

[member="Silas of Ossus"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Nyra Mazul"]

Now there was amusement in his eyes.

"Lady, I come from a world where women are as deadly as men, some deadlier still." He clarified calmly, while easing his stride so she could walk with him while they shared this talk.

"Am I scared? Nah. Cautious so I won't end up like the Mountain back there, for the promise of petty cash and some latex rubbed against me? Yep."

They were in front of the cantina now.

"So enough with your little petty games and mind tactics. You want my axe? You will be straight with me all the way through. Otherwise I am gonna go drink the dust away. Your move, silk cat."

 

[Nyra Mazul]

[member="Silas of Ossus"]

Nyra looked and smiled at the man nodding her head. She didn't speak, instead she would show. Reaching a hand up towards her throat she grabbed at the fastener and slowly unzipped her top revealing the insanely valuable necklace to the man. Eyes scanned the area, along with the other preternatural senses she pissed making sure no one else saw before zipping back up. "So follow me and get paid."

And with that Nyra left turning tail as it were and retreating from the conversation while advancing on the broker she had arranged a meeting with. After a short travel they reached the Red Zone. The Red Zone wasn't reputable, but neither was it the hive of gangs that inhabited other area's of the station. Any pleasure, any vice, could be found in the Red Zone for a price. It was easy to understand why Nyra's contacts would reside in such a place. People heard things and sold their information to brokers who arranged for deeds and facilitated in her business. In addition goods could easily be fenced and contacts made in such a place.

They approached the final destination, a seedy little club that offered women and men displayed for the tantalization of outsiders. Of course it was the little fat Ugnaught that drew Nyra's attention as she entered. "Vizrat," she said taking a seat next to him. Two large Gamorreans let her pass with a nod from the boss. Nyra lowered the zipper and showed off the goods before leaning over with a smile and asking, "So, you have what I wanted?"

The Ugnaught squirmed a little in his seat. "One hundred fifty thousand credits."

"That wasn't the deal," Nyra's eyes narrowed. "I want my merchandise."

"What you're asking for is hard to get, only one man can do it and he's been taken by the Cutters." Nyra flinched. "I can't do it. But I can compensate you, a hundred and sixty thousand credits."

Nyra looked down at the man. "A hundred and fifty, plus all the information you have on this contact, where he's being held, and the cutters on a Datapad." Nyra was going hunting.