Nothing But Trouble

[Cryax Bane]

Location: Dragon Palace Casino on Antecedent, Office of Cryax Bane

Scanning his appointment calendar with a furrowed brow, Cryax Bane realized that he had become a very busy Chiss in the last few weeks. The Red Ravens business ventures had picked up immeasurably since he took the job as secretary and he ran around the Dragon Palace Casino, never shaking the sneaking feeling that he was forgetting something.

It looked like he had an appointment with a potential new recruit by the name of [member="Keira Ticon"]. He smirked at the familiar surname of the Ravens Sargent at Arms. Nepotism ran rampant in the galactic criminal underworld so it wouldn't surprise him if Colap had arranged this. He shook his head. Guess it didn't matter what the young woman did, he'd probably have to hire her for something unless he wanted to have a pissed-off Merc on his back.

He'd arranged to have a security droid confiscate Keira's weapons at the door and escort her to his office for their meeting. The Chiss slicer chuckled to himself. If the woman was anything like her relative, she'd most likely need extra security.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

In her nineteen years of life, Keira had certainly been to many upscale places, and others that were called dives as a formality at best. Something made this particular casino different from those other locations, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It might have been the fact that a security droid had been sent to gather any weapons she might have had on her person, which for the rogue Padawan was merely her lightsaber.
That would have been acceptable, had the droid not insisted on escorting her to the office where this meeting was supposed to take place. Even after assuring and reassuring that she knew the way and would be able to find it easily enough should she get lost, it had continued to persist and trail after her.
She had begrudgingly resigned to the situation, studying each face she chanced to pass in the halls, knowing the Red Ravens were a family business of sorts when it came to the Ticons. It wouldn’t have surprised her to learn that she had relatives in every niche of the faction, but for now reuniting with any long lost family wasn’t her biggest concern.
Stepping through the door of the office with the droid still tagging along behind her, she studied first the surrounding area and then the Chiss male in front of her both with physical sight and the ethereal tendrils of the Force. To say she was necessarily worried about something going especially awry would be a false statement, but she had learned from time spent amongst much the same crowd that taking any extra precautions certainly couldn’t hurt.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

When he saw Keira in the doorway, Cryax smiled. "Please come in." With a nod of his head, the Mirari Bodyguard Droid strode to a corner of his office and stood there, its head straight forward, unmoving. The Chiss's office was big enough to contain not only run of the mill office furniture, but also an enormous computer deck as well as monitors which fed him every security cam in the casino. It was also littered with wires, servos, and droid parts. Cryax definitely wasn't a neat freak.

"Sorry about the Droid. It's just a precaution. I'm Cryax Bane, Secretary of the Red Ravens." He grinned and stuck out a hand. He was expecting her to look like a female version of Colap, shudder to think. But she looked nothing like the grizzled merc. Keira was much younger and less rough-around-the-edges. Pretty, but not in that overly coiffed way that was the fashion on Antecedent. It disarmed him a bit.

"Please have a seat." Gesturing to a seat opposite his desk, he flopped down in his office chair, clunking his boots up on the desk casually. The lanky bespectacled Chiss wasn't at all a threatening sight.

"So, Keira is it? You want a job with the Ravens? Tell me a bit more about how we can help you? And how you can help us."

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Casting another glance to the droid and wondering when exactly she would be getting her lightsaber back. It wasn't often that the weapon wasn't close at hand, and the feeling of being without it was odd. Keira decided then that she would much rather have it either clipped at her waist or tucked away in her robes at all times. Things were much more reassuring, that way. And, well, it had been a part of her life since her pre-teen years. Sentimental value certainly had something to do with it.
As he proffered his hand she shook it, thinking for a few seconds on just how to introduce herself as she released his hand and sat. "Keira Ticon, as I'm sure you were previously aware. Rogue Jedi, and a freelancer for lack of a better word."
His next questions gave her pause. Why exactly did she want to join the Ravens? Being closer to family certainly had something to do with it, as she'd only just recently connected with her relatives, whether immediate or otherwise. There was also having something to come back to, and just the genuine sense of belonging. But something told her the Chiss, Cryax, would want something a bit more than that. "If I'm being completely, a large part of why I'm looking to join is because it's the family business, or so I've been told. But that's beside the point. Having trained as a Jedi for a good few years, I think I'll bring something new to the table when it comes to combat, or the missions that require a bit more subtlety." Another pause, though this one only lasted mere seconds. "I'm not looking for anything in particular, when it comes to joining."
The interview was progressing much better than she'd first expected, at least. But she couldn't say what the one interviewing her thought of things thus far.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Leaning back in his chair, Cryax carefully examined the younger Ticon with his glowing red eyes. So she was related to Colap Ticon as he suspected. What he hadn't expected was a Ticon Jedi.

The Chiss sat up in his chair and gave her a tight-lipped smile as he recalled a painful memory. "You might be surprised to hear this, but Colap and I spent some time in a Black Suns prison together. He helped break us both out. That man is part of the reason why I'm still here today. I owe him big time."

"That being said, I want to make sure that you know that the Ravens will hire you for your skills. Not favoritism." He looked down at his Datapad. "Your references here all had the highest praise for you. Yes, we did some digging. Don't be alarmed. It's pretty standard."

The Chiss grinned widely and put his Datapad down, folding his hands on the desk. "I have to say, having seen Colap in action, the idea of a Force-wielding Ticon is well, frightening to say the least." He laughed.

"I think what I'm trying to say is, you're hired. See, that was easy right?" he shrugged his shoulders with a smile.

"Do you have any questions for me?"

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Flashing an easy smile Keira shrugged, trying to conjure up an image of what one of the Black Suns' prisons might look like and deciding that she would much rather not figure that fact out for herself. Albeit new to the criminal underworld, she'd heard enough to know what factions, gangs or otherwise you didn't want on your bad side, and they were definitely at the top of the list. The only rumors she'd heard were stories similar to his, and none sounded all that pleasant.
Instead of continuing to ponder she tucked that thought away for another time, making a mental note to see what information she could dig up on the Black Suns that wasn't already glaringly obvious. "I wouldn't be too worried about the idea, myself. If anything I've heard about my supposed older brother is true, it's that he's not usually one to fight without reason, and I try to be the same way. And, well, Force-sensitivity runs in the family, so I don't think this is the last you'll be seeing of any Ticons with the ability." As if to demonstrate, she straightened one of the monitors with a slight shift of her hand.
"I can't think of any questions off the top of my head. However curious I may be, I won't pry any about those references you mention. But I'd be more than a bit surprised if any Jedi, former or not, are mentioned. It isn't like I was a horrible student, but I don't think I managed to make it on anyone's top ten list either."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax ran his fingers through his blue-black hair and gave her a crooked grin, "Don't sweat it, Keira." he said. "If there's one thing that Ravens have in common, it's that we all have a past."

The Chiss rose from his seat and offered his hand again, then, quickly realizing it was the wrong hand, fumbled sheepishly and offered her the right one. "Welcome aboard, Ms. Ticon." he said.

Cryax whistled at the Mirari, who instantly sprang to attention and marched towards them. The Droid took Keira's lightsaber hilt out of a hidden compartment and offered it to her. "You can have that back. You're an employee now." He grinned boyishly.

"I assume that when you were contacted about the interview that Lysle or Daxton already worked out your salary and whatnot. An whether your going to live onsite or off." He shrugged. "I don't deal with that end of it myself. I'll set you up with your CryptNet credentials though. I'm kinda like the company IT guy among other things."

As his office door opened with a hiss, Cryax dismissed the droid, letting it go back to its regular rounds patrolling the casino floor. "I guess that's about it. I'm here if you need anything. Seriously, my office door is always open."

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Keira only returned his grin and shook his hand, taking her weapon's hilt and flicking it around her fingers for a moment before hooking it at her right hip, deigning not to call the blade into existence just yet, lest she alarm the man. And, well, she had a feeling that if she did the droid wouldn't hesitate to spring into action and disarm her once more. Not one keen to be without a weapon for longer than necessary the Padawan kept the lightsaber at her side, studying the droid for another moment with a mild curiosity. Maybe she'd have to see about doing more looking into it.
"I might have to see about giving you a demonstration about just how a lightsaber works, sometime. You did say the idea of a Jedi Ticon wasn't the most heartwarming thing, but I think I'd be able to change your mind." She grinned again, tugging on one of the sleeves of the loose robe she wore. "I might not fit the label anymore, but that just makes it more interesting. For all parties."
Stretching for a moment she glanced around his office for another moment before taking a step back towards the door, adjusting the same monitor from earlier once more. "I'm not much of a technology person myself, but I have respect for those who enjoy it and are good at what they do. Not many realize it takes just as much skill to work with a Datapad as it does with a blaster, or a weapon of a different caliber."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Humbly Cryax shrugged and waved his hand, unused to compliments. "Well I'm all thumbs with a blaster so they had to give me something to do, right?"

Suddenly, his eyes widened, not at her, but at a figure who was standing right behind her in the doorway. A tall Trandoshan with a toothy grin came murderously barrelling into the room, armed with a blaster, an electrowhip, and stun gauntlets. He quickly moved towards Cryax with predatory speed and hit him with the full force of one of the gauntlets, knocking him to the floor with a sickening, crackling sound. Then hauling him to his feet, he snapped an electro collar on the neck of the Chiss and yanked him by the arm.

The T'doshok turned towards Keira and blinked his reptilian eyes. "Your little boyfriend's coming with me. He's got a date with the Black Suns." The bounty hunter's eyes flicked down to her lightsaber. "If you try anything funny with that thing, we might have to make it a double date."

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

A flick of the wrist and the lightsaber hilt was in her hand. Keira quickly assessed the situation, noting the weapons the bounty hunter had on his person and keeping in mind the few that were most likely concealed as well. It just wouldn't be an interview with one of the biggest factions of the criminal underworld without an attempted abduction.
The smart thing would have been to throw the Trandoshan off balance by surrendering for just a split second before going for her weapon, but the rogue had never been one to do the most obvious thing. And she did belong to the Ticon family, after all. "Listen, how about I make a different suggestion? You let him go so I don't have to try anything funny, and I'll think about not sending you back to your boss in assorted shipping containers." It was then she thumbed the ignition switch of the saber, the orange blade springing into existence with a snap-hiss and a quiet hum of focused light energy.
In truth she most likely wouldn't make good on her threat even if he did try to take the both of them in. On the chance that he did succeed, which wasn't something she underestimated, she intended on making it difficult for him. Though she was still just an apprentice by all standards, she had enough confidence in her abilities to disarm him and keep him occupied until someone else was able to intervene.
"Let's dance, then. You know how rude it is to keep a lady waiting."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Trandoshan grinned, the lightsaber glinting in his beady yellow eyes, and held up a small device in his gloved hand, a dead man's trigger that was linked to the collar. "Can't dance when you got no legs." He cackled. "If you come near me, I blow this Chiss and this whole wing of the casino sky high." He said.

The man's reptilian eyes flicked nervously to the lightsaber again. "If you got the credits, and you wanna pay me more than this son of a tairn's worth to the Suns, we can talk. I'm a reasonable T'doshok. I just got mouths to feed." The bounty hunter flashed a teeth full of fangs.

Meanwhile, Cryax, still reeling from the electric shock of the gauntlets, his arm held tightly in the grip of the bounty hunter, fearfully weighed his options. He had been so stupid to let the Mirari droid leave like that. The only saving grace: it wasn't going to be easy for the bounty hunter to drag a Chiss kicking and screaming out of the casino without a thousand security guards noticing, so there was that. As for how the guy got those weapons past security in the first place, Cryax suspected the bounty hunter had handsomely paid someone off. If he survived this, he'd need to ferret out a mole among their ranks.

He shifted his eyes nervously towards Keira, relieved to see the lightsaber hum to life in her hands. Taking on a battle stance, she glared at the Trandoshan with no trace of fear in her eyes. Those Ticons sure were a gutsy bunch.

Paralyzed with fear, he spoke up, "Just let him take me, Keira. It's not worth you getting hurt over this." His voice couldn't have sounded less sure of that plan, but how could he ever face the man, or himself for that matter, if something happened to Colap's little sister.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Her eyes narrowed as the bounty hunter revealed the device that would detonate the collar, killing everyone in and around this particular wing of the casino, herself included. Keira wasn't too concerned about her own life, but former Jedi or no, the lives of innocents weren't something to be regarded casually. And she was nothing if not stubborn, especially with those who made threats like this, and not idly. Patience was not her virtue in any circumstance, less even in this one.
Taking a step towards the Trandoshan she let the tip of her blade stray enough to point towards him, a blatant but unspoken threat. "If you're half as smart as your employers you'll know how unwise it is to threaten someone with a lightsaber. More so when said person in question happens to be one step away from seeing just how well that armor of yours defends against a blade of superheated light energy. But by all means, go on ahead. Make my day."
Despite her brave words she found herself exhaling shakily, having to rely on the Force more than she would have liked to cement her courage. But this one didn't have to know any of that. "You should know the Ticons better than that, I would think, Cryax. You've been working with my older brother for longer than I have, anyhow."
Turning her attention back to the reptilian in front of her, she watched him steadily for a long moment. "If you're so keen on bringing him, then he won't be coming alone. I don't negotiate with caymo like you." Though she only knew a few phrases and choice words in Old Corellian, it was still a language she dabbled in. "That is, if you've got the guts to fight a Jedi." Provoking him could be just as dangerous as coming face to face in a fight, but she wasn't one to wait around for him to calculate his first move on his own time.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Trandoshan bounty hunter narrowed his eyes. "Suit yourself, girl!" he spat. "But one of you is coming in a frelling body bag and since it can't be him, it might as well be you."

With one hand the Trandoshan roughly shoved the Chiss to the ground and dropped an armored boot on his face, pinning his head to the floor. With the other hand the ruthless bounty hunter reached for his blaster, pulling it from its holster and leveled it at the Jedi, attempting to get off a shot before she swung her lightsaber.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Okay, so maybe provoking the Trandoshan wasn't such a bad idea. But no one got hurt. Too badly, at least. As he fired she stepped to the side, shrugging out of the brown robe she wore and not bothering in bringing her saber up and around to deflect the bolt, trusting in her reflexes that were only augmented by the Force. That didn't prove to be too bad of a decision. The bolt only skimmed her shoulder, resulting in a minor burn, but hopefully not much else. A scar was fine, provided she lived to tell the tale behind it.
Keira still didn't attack, instead raising her right hand, the one not holding the blade, and curling her fingers, holding the bounty hunter's blaster arm in place and shifting his aim away from any of them. That was one less threat to worry about, but the source still hadn't been neutralized, and he most likely wouldn't take this kindly. But she hadn't expected anything less.
"Let's try this again, shall we? Let him go and I'll stop thinking of a more, hmm, creative way to disarm you, as it were. You can take me in if you feel like you need to, and I'll even let you boast to all of your friends how you captured a Jedi singlehandedly. But do anything else and that arm won't remain attached to your body for much longer. Do you understand, or should I repeat everything a bit slower?" Maybe she should have left that last comment out. Today definitely wasn't shaping up to be her day by any means.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Trandoshan hissed as the Jedi took control of his arm. He suddenly brought his foot down on Cryax's face, breaking the slicer's nose with a loud crack and eliciting a howl of pain from the Chiss. The Trandoshan waved around the dead man's trigger as a warning.

"I'll do worse than that if you keep me held like this, Jedi scum. You won't pay my rent girl. I want the Chiss." He looked down at Cryax. "You had so much fun in prison the first time, didn't you, boy? Well, believe me, next time is gonna be an even bigger party. You should see what the Suns do to second-time offenders. Let the T'doshok give you a little taste." The bounty hunter then gave Cryax a nasty kick in the stomach.

The Trandoshan tilted his head at Keira. "What is this Chiss to you anyway? Look at him. Scrawny thing. Surely he's not worth your life?"

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Taking a step backwards Keira kicked the door shut, raising her other hand that held the blade and slowly managing to lift the Trandoshan with the Force, focusing for a moment before pulling her hands sharply to the side, slamming the man into the previously closed door, releasing her grip on him and lifting the orange blade to brush against his throat, lifting the dead man's trigger from his grip with the same ethereal tendrils. "None of that matters now, really, when you think about it. Because now it's your life on the line, and I think you've managed to convince me to stray away from mercy."
She glanced to Cryax for a moment and offered a slight smile. "Well, you certainly attract more attention than I thought. Perhaps I'll get just as famous, after working with the Ravens for a time. One can only hope, right?"
Now she turned her attention back to the bounty hunter, her gaze not once straying from his. "You're going to want to pay very close attention to the words coming out of my mouth. If I ever see you in Ravens' territory again, I won't be so nice as to let you go with just a few bruises and a warning. That is, assuming I decide to release you this time, instead of sending you back to your friends in the Black Suns as a warning. I'll even let you make the decision. Would you rather go back to your boss of your own accord, or be taken there in a body bag? Because I'll happily arrange either." A pause, accompanied by a grim sort of smile. "Oh, and I'm not a Jedi. But I wouldn't expect someone of your mental capacity to be able to tell the difference."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax slowly got to his feet and put his hand up to his nose, which was bleeding profusely. "Getting my bacon saved by the Ticons seems to be a common theme running through my life." he smirked and bent over his computer, flicking on a commlink. "Requesting security in Cryax Bane's office, please."

"Seriously, thank you."

The reptilian bounty hunter spat at Keira in response to the insults. The Trandoshan then flicked his eyes to Cryax. "Hey Chiss! Good luck getting that electro-collar off." The man grinned. "It's password protected. Maybe you can hack into it, slicer?" he teased. The office door opened with a hiss and two Mirari bodyguard droids roughly grabbed the bounty hunter, dragging him away as he lobbed staccato Huttese curses at them.

Cryax flopped down in his office chair and took off his shirt, pulling it gingerly over the collar. Ripping it in two, he used one side as a makeshift handkerchief for his bloody nose. He looked at Keira as he ran his hand over the collar. "Do you know anyone who might be able to, um, get this thing off me?"

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Shooting back a string of insults in Old Corellian, Keira extinguished the orange blade, keeping it in hand as she slowly made her way back over to the chair she had sat in for the interview, all but collapsing back down into it with a sigh and reaching up to massage her temples, letting her hands fall after a moment and looking to Cryax with a grin. "I try my best not to disappoint, y'know. It would be horrible if I didn't live up to the family legend. You're very welcome though, in all seriousness."
At his question regarding the electro-collar she studying the piece of technology for a moment with a slight frown. "I suppose I could try, but I'm no expert when it comes to this sort of thing. As much as I hate to say it, I'm not much help in that department. But I would pursue one of my relatives for any assistance. Unless the one trick I actually do know works..."
She stood, still slightly ill at ease after their encounter with the Trandoshan, not having used the Force in such a capacity for quite some time. Parlor tricks such as levitation she could manage, but never something - or someone - of that size. Anything more powerful that she had the skill level to do was better saved for other situations.
Stepping around his desk and studying the electro-collar she made conversation as she fiddled, "Straightening out your broken nose is something I have a bit more experience in, but I'm not sure whether it's a good thing." Having finished with things she stepped back to see if the collar actually disengaged, or if her efforts had been ineffective. "If that didn't work, I'm sure the Ravens have much better mechanics with plenty more skills than what I have to offer."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax yanked at the electro-collar, but it stayed put. "Frell. I think I'm gonna have to call someone about this. I don't have any experience with electro-collars, especially not explosive ones, and don't want to be my own guinea pig." He sighed and clicked around on the Holonet, seeing if he could get the right kind of technician for the collar removal. Once he'd found someone he looked back at Keira.

"Did you say you could fix my nose?" He asked from behind his bloody t-shirt rags. Cryax knew he wasn't the most well-built guy in the galaxy, but he was rather fond of his pretty face.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

The youngest of the three Ticon siblings nodded at his question, staying on the same side of the desk as him for the time being. "It's not too difficult to straighten it out, but you can bet any amount of credits that it isn't going to feel the greatest by any means. It'd probably be wise to have some kind of painkiller around for after, and I'd ice it, too. Besides numbing the pain, the swelling shouldn't be as bad afterwards if you do." Keira smiled sheepishly, nodding in the direction the droids had taken the Trandoshan bounty hunter. "Too much experience with encounters like that. Not necessarily people looking to see me dead, but I've made enough of the wrong people mad to learn a few things about medicine on the spot."
A grin now. "Well, I look at it this way. If you weren't sure about hiring me before, this little encounter certainly changed your mind. And you got an up front demonstration of just what I can do in a fight, so everybody wins. And our friend figured out just what the consequences of messing with the Ravens and one not quite Jedi. Maybe it'll even deter the Suns for a little bit."
She turned her attention to herself for a moment, taking stock of her own injuries, finding that the only one that really concerned her was the burn from the stray blaster shot, and she looked to Cryax with another crooked smile. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd owe you one if you happen to have a medkit hidden somewhere in that desk of yours." She gestured to the burn on her left shoulder. "Unfortunately, I didn't get away as clean as I'd hoped. But I guess it hasn't been a good day unless someone walks away nursing an injury or two."

[member="Cryax Bane"]