Not Your Average Bounty

[Catalys Maijora]

What's worse than Tatooine? Lok.

With toxic rivers, deadly predators, and a pirate stronghold as its capital, Lok is far more dangerous than Tatooine ever was. Sure there are no sand people constantly trying to raid your settlements, but the fact is that Lok has only ever housed criminals, mercenaries, and pirates. It's all for a good reason too. One look at this backwater hellhole and the authorities won't provide a second glance. It's the perfect place for base all sorts of illegal operations.

So when a certain Exemplar of a certain organization needs support to track down and capture a fugitive? You need people who can stomach a place like Lok. Bounty hunters. One thing pirates need are those who'll hunt down their enemies for money, they're the perfect mercenaries for jobs on planets like these.

The mission? An engineer with the Primeval lost his senses and decided he was better off attempting to sell schematics for a reverse thruster design. He had hoped to get a good deal with a local pirate lord, only that pirate lord felt that the 100,000 credit bounty on Primeval information was more valuable. The objective is to find the traitor, take him back, get the data, and then execute him.

Simple... What could possibly go wrong?

[member="Elijah Rekali"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Lok was a [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]fascinating[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] world. A long time ago pirates had settled on the planet, something - perhaps the barren, desolate nature of the place - had made it attractive for them to live there. They had used it first as a base of operations, but as with many things… soon it turned into [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]more[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]. The pirates build out their fortress and it turned into a settlement, which quickly became the capital of the dusty ball.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]A seedy den of villainy half-hugged the artificial hump. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]From up far it almost resembled an ant hill with its activity, a thought that amused Elijah a great deal. But even now Lok gave him the shivers, every moment spent there was a moment that his instincts told him too many conflicting things at once.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Flee, fight, look over your shoulder. No! Don’t look. Seem composed, but not too relaxed. [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]Even after ten years of cutting ears, solving problems for local crime lords and generally rubbing elbows with the mud of the Outer Rim… they still made him frown behind his visor. No honor to speak of, family deserted for a little bump in profits and no order to speak of.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]His hands moved deftly across the controls of his heavily modified gunboat. It was a familiar sight at Nym’s Pride now and after solving a few problems for the Revenant? Well, a private and more secluded landing pad was afforded for him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Control Tower, this is Night’s Vigilance, over.” [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]Sensitive operations would have meant a silent approach and settling down. But this was a standard MO, a basic search and capture… there wasn’t a reason to be all Deathwatch about it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Aye, Vigilance we gotcha loud and clear. Proceed to your LP, Miri is already heading for the hub if you need her.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Landing codes were exchanged and the ship settled down on the pad. Powering down the systems Eli climbed out of his seat, stretching and yawning at the same time - it had been quite the trip, but he wouldn’t have the time to take it easy. Easy job or not, he would have to meet the contact in forty minutes standard galactic time. Meant he had just enough time to go take a quick shower, suit up and maybe catch up with Miri.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]One drink won’t hurt.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Catalys Maijora"][/SIZE]

 

[Catalys Maijora]

A few years ago Catalys had once dealt with a Jedi on this world, it was a rather grim experience despite the fight only having lasted less than a minute. The worst part about Lok wasn't the locals, but rather the weather. Unlike Tatooine's sandstorms, these ones were known to carry toxic material with them, meaning anyone without a rebreather was as good as dead after a few minutes of exposure to the toxic air. Although the sky was clear, you never knew when the weather would get bad, and it happened too swiftly to react to.

The exemplar entered the backdoor into a rather desolate saloon, the cantina was one of two major hubs in the area and would be the perfect place to do business. The crowd was big enough for him not to stand out, and the ambiance of arguing, fornication, and music was loud enough to distract eavesdroppers from the more important matters being discussed. In fact, it's a pirate saying that the best place to discuss lucrative business was in a cantina.

Scanning the room, his helmet's sensors detected no sign of this bounty hunter he hired. Cracking his neck, Catalys walked back around the bar and sat in a corner booth that sunk into the wall just enough to cover his presence from the main entrance's line-of-sight. Not that he was expecting trouble, but playing it safe was never a bad idea.

[member="Elijah Rekali"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Sonic showers were the fething invention of the century, if you asked Eli. Took him six minutes in and out before he didn’t feel like an oily maintenance rag anymore - you couldn’t get that kind of efficiency and speed from the normal water-based showers. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Had taken him a small fortune to install it Vigilance, but damn… it was worth every penny. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]After that it was a trip to the armory. See as a Mandalorian? Fitting your armor on yourself was kind of a tradition, at least it was a tradition to him. Eli hadn’t been with his Clan for a long time now, Yavin only a vague memory at the back of his mind; can’t really blame the kid though. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The memory has a grand way of filtering out everything that did not pertain to the task at hand… and suffice it to say that he had made sure to stay busy with as much tasks as he could.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]His armor was the only link he had to his heritage.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“No wonder I am so pathetic.” Eli mumbled to himself as he grabbed the boots of the table. “All teary-eyed about some boots and a helmet.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It were another few silent minutes, before finally the familiar hiss-click permeated through the room and the HUD sprung up. His suit had its own rebreather installed - handy for when you were fighting mooks who liked to use gas nades or… when you were visiting a world that had a toxic environment. Most of the inner city was inside of the bedrock of the mountain, but they didn’t really concern themselves about keeping everything airtight.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Was just as well. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]You couldn’t let yourself relax in this kind of life, couldn’t let your guard down. Would only cause problems in the long way.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Suited up and weapons locked in, Eli left his ship and headed for the bar the meeting was scheduled.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]He still had some time free, but it wouldn’t hurt to scout out the establishment before it all went down.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Catalys Maijora"][/SIZE]

 

[Catalys Maijora]

"You look like a queen."

A tall, muscular, bearded man approached the booth, his shadow towered over the agent. "Thanks for the shade," Catalys quipped, a small grin forming behind his helmet.

The ape man slammed his fist on the table, cylinders containing various spices tossed up in the air and even his seat vibrated violently as a result, nearly tipping him over. Grabbing onto the table, the Umbaran stabilized himself and titled his head towards the agitator. "I'm sorry, are you testing the table's durability? I can find a different one if I'm in the way." His throat was hoarse, giving off a dry, weak tone.

"Tell me you look like a queen," the man got down low, bringing his head in closer. From the angle Catalys was at he fell back down along the bench, lifted his foot in the air and gave the man a good kick straight in the nose. The guy pulled back, grabbing onto his face and roaring like a mad kath hound from the pain. "You've done it now!" He pulled out a blaster pistol after growling the taunt. Two red streaks of light escaped the barrel, marking the wall behind him in two black circles.

How do you miss at that range? Catalys shot up and slid across the table, sending another kick to the groin and a punch to the throat. Unable to dodge, the gargantuan man stumbled back and into the bar, falling backwards and behind the island table. By this point the entire Cantina was dead silent. Pirates, mercenaries, bounty hunters, and all sorts of scum were now at an impasse. Several rowdy cheers followed and suddenly the whole establishment was in an uproar. Blasters, vibroknifes, and fists were going at it like rancor in a fighting pit.

[member="Elijah Rekali"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

A smart man would have walked away at the first sound of trouble.

An intelligent man might have waited outside and just simply phoned [member="Catalys Maijora"] to come outside so they could have a conversation.

But Elijah did not consider him smart nor intelligent… he was a man who liked things simple. A cold drink at the end of a long, trying day, credits for every job executed and a gun that always fired steadily. It didn’t really get better than that - travel with your own ship amongst the stars, capture the bounty, deliver it and cash in the check, it was really as simple as that.

And in this simplicity Rekali simply pushed the door open to the madness inside. It was a complete mess, of course. Shots fired, knives thrown and fists swung at every opening granted.

Elijah sighed silently to himself as he surveyed the scene. He really hated complications, and this was slowly starting to become one.

Just as the Mandalorian decided this wasn’t worth his time, just as he planned to turn around and leave the establishment some idiot decided to make this somewhat personal. A lazy-eyed dimwit ran up, yelling and with one fist leading up for a swing - and Elijah really didn’t feel like making this too complicated, so instead of taking out his Tenloss Ambassador and shooting the crap out of the offender?

He simply kept on standing there in the doorway and allowed the fist to hit him straight in the chest: armored chest, beskar armored… yeah, suffice it to say that Elijah did not feel even a little thing.

Sadly Lazy Eye couldn’t say the same and he was already screaming over his lungs, clutching a now broken hand.

“My turn.” the metallic voice sounded over the external voice magnification system.

The statement was followed by a crushgaunt aimed squarely at Lazy Eye’s jawline.

 

[Catalys Maijora]

Catalys wasn't afforded the grandiose luxury of Beskar plating, in fact the only plating he had was a plate of durasteel with cortosis weaved into the alloy. Certainly it was durable--and energy resistant--but it hardly matched up against kinetic forces in the same way Beskar could. That said, the Exemplar was being attacked on three sides. First there was particularly angry Zabraki woman wielding a stun baton, then directly to his left a gun slinging pirate, and finally behind him--one he couldn't sense--was a bloodthirsty Trandoshan who went through a rather rough divorce just a few hours ago.

This was bad. Really bad.

"Sorry," Catalys spoke apologetically, it was actually genuine enough that for a moment all three of them were about to accept it for a split second. Enough time for them to miss that Catalys just unclipped a sonic grenade which had what an unmistakably thumb-like object pressing down on the detonation switch... Oh wait. The Exemplar's arm tossed the device which landed almost too perfectly in the center of the room.

Boom.

The shrieking, ear-drum shattering, insanity-spawning vibrations shook across the room; undoubtedly affecting anyone who wasn't lucky enough to be wearing a helmet.

[member="Elijah Rekali"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

Twelve minutes, six broken glasses, a bruised cuff, a few throat punches and some broken ribs later Elijah and Catalys were sitting in a different bar, this one was just as disreputable as the last one - but had the added benefit of having a reputation that excreted a certain level of… privacy.

No hunk of muscles was gonna just walk up to them and start a fight, at least not if they wanted to have their teeth intact at the end of the day. You don’t mess around in the Bar of Marzuka the Hutt. She had a tendency to start bashing your skull in before asking questions.

“You know.” Elijah would say, while leaning against the seat and eyeing the panorama behind his visor. “I hope you aren’t going to make it a habit of having me pull you out of bar fights and the sort.”

The strangely metallic voice hummed with the background muse of the cantina, Elijah wasn’t a fan of walking around without his armor: didn’t even like to take off his helmet if it wasn’t strictly necessary.

In a lot of ways the armor was his home, or at least a piece of it.

[member="Catalys Maijora"]

 

[Catalys Maijora]

It was funny, for as much punishment as he took, he couldn't really feel where he'd been hit. It's like his entire body was numb, Catalys tried to reach for a cup but only managed to knock it over, spilling the contents across the table. "Well, shi--" he paused, "let's just say I didn't start it." The Umbaran leaned back in his chair, allowing the worn and rather uncomfortable cushion to hold up his dead weight that felt like it was slowly sinking into the crinkled fabric.

"Sometimes business gets complicated. Either way you're being paid, can't you just consider adventure the bonus?" He chuckled.

The Exemplar knew very well that the best kind of business was the kind that went smoothly, but after too many mistakes the man finally gave into the idea that few things would ever go as planned. And if they didn't? Well, you just made the most of it or continued to be butthurt about the universe's unfair exploits of imperfection. That being said, there was still enough time to get the job done and a bar fight hardly constituted as a wrench in their plans.

[member="Elijah Rekali"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Mhm.” Eli didn’t reply right away, his back against the wall and the seat in the corner gave him a proper view of the other establishment they were in. It was better secured and less rowdy than the last one, but that didn’t make the Mandalorian less wary about whatever the feth was coming through here on a daily basis. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]You didn’t take your chances on this planet - only the locals stuck around, the rest just hoped they could finish their business and be on their way again, before their luck ran out.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“We have a job to do, give me the details.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]He knew parts of it, of course. Some kind of scientist working for the Primeval had decided to go rogue, taking plans of an experimental piece of tech with him: it was a tale as old as the Galaxy itself, and yet these same scientists never seemed to know the same fething, sad end.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It ended with their heads cut off and on a pike, as a warning for the next one in the line.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Metaphorical graphical description, of course. They would probably kill him, but Elijah doubted they would actually shove his head up a pike - seemed awfully inconvenient and sticky. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Especially when [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]just[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] the head would already do as a warning.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Catalys Maijora"][/SIZE]

 

[Catalys Maijora]

"A key personnel decided he'd like to sell sensitive intel to a black market buyer. We managed to track him to this dump, and our assets are convinced the buyer is unaware of his allegiances. So for all the poor bastard knows, he's buying something worth a lot of money." Of course it was worth a lot of money to the right person, but the unfortunate matter is its value isn't what makes it worth having.

If anyone knew what the Primeval had found and worked on, then they'd realize they were dealing with something beyond credits and a good living.

Now, this is where it gets interesting. "Honestly, it doesn't matter much if the guy winds up dead... As long as we get the data we're good, but I'd rather bring him back too. Who knows what he said or if he made a copy." It was part of an Exemplar's job to think ahead.

The bruises sustained from his fight were beginning to annoy him, the agent rolled his sore shoulder.

[member="Elijah Rekali"]