Shark bait on Smuggler’s Moon (Open to Hunters)

[Thessa Kai]

[SIZE=10pt]Nar Shadda[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]@[member="Judah Dashiell"][/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Jorus’ shotgun with alternating rounds was strapped to her back along with two hand-held blasters on each thigh. There were several flash bombs hooked to her belt like little presents waiting to go off. The mermaid was armed to the T. And why not? After what happened with Daxton, the Galan was taking no chances around force users or any other unfriendlies. Dells would be proud.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Plus there was Judah.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Her gear was there to protect herself as much as him…after what recently happened. Sparky warbled past her on the polluted streets. “You sure you got the right contact to find that priceless droid on this street level, Judah?” She stayed close to the shaggy-haired man; the man that might very well be the love of her life.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Never thought she’d fall for a nerd.[/SIZE]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]

In contrast to the walking armory next to him, Judah merely had a blaster strapped to his hip, half-concealed by his jacket. Perhaps he should be more concerned. There had been an...incident...and both of them should be laying low. However a rare droid had popped into the market - a FIII Footman droid. Judah knew he had to have it, either to resell or keep and fix for personal use in the Kai-Dashiell household.

"Of course I do. All of us droid collectors run in a small circle. The information is good."

He had done this countless times on his own, heck, several hundred times. Judah wasn't used to company tagging along except for Sparky. Yet Thessa had insisted ; not that he was protesting any.

" Surprised you came along. Isn't this too nerdy for your tastes?"

 

[Thessa Kai]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"]

She playfully nudged his shoulder at the comment...gently nudged it. Sometimes she was still scared to touch him, scared that he would break apart. Among many, many things, she hated Daxton the most for that. "Hey, I came with you on that other salvaging run, for the rebels. Remember? Or are you caught up on just what happened after."

A sassy-wink followed with a slight swagger in her hips. Looking at the piece of flimsy, she paused, looking at the molding-address on the marked apartment. She looked uncertainly to Judah. This was his stuff. And he was brilliant when he did it. "I think we're here. After you, Mister Nerd."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]

"After was nice. Didn't know hauling in scrap got you that excited"

Laughing as they stopped before the marked building, he chose to ignore the Mister Nerd comment. Judah wanted to remind her she willingly chose Mister Nerd and continued to do so. Looking back at the flimsy and then the building, he found a door chime half hanging off the building and rang it. The wait seemed like an eternity, always wondering if he was going to get shot at or if anyone was even home. Shuffling could be heard and soon a pale-skinned and ancient looking Duros arrived at the door. One eye had a patch over it and the 'good eye' swung back between himself and Thessa.

"What do you want?"

"Here for the footman droid. I believe Talis contacted you. Name is Dashiell."

A lightbulb of recognition suddenly seemed to go off into the elderly Duros' head. He shuffled aside and allowed the pair to enter, shutting the door behind him. Judah went and shook the man's hand, taking in the space. A high contrast to the slums outside the interior was neat and cozy.

"Pleasure to meet you Sir. I'm Judah Dashiell and the young lady is Thessa Kai. I heard you are looking to sell an old FIII Footman."

"I am. Follow me."

So the pair was led into a backroom, an old workshop that smelt of grease and scorched electronics. Neatly propped in a corner was the Footman in faded colors of golden rod and maroon livery. A fine coating of dust graced the droid, in addition to an cracked optical sensor. Without waiting to ask, Judah moved to the droid and felt behind the neck. Surprisingly the droid flicked to life, although the cracked optical sensor was much dimmer.

"Greetings Gentle Beings.I am Ferox." A mechanical pause as the long powered down droid tried to regain his bearings. "This is not House Lera"

 

[Mirta Kar]

[SIZE=10pt]Mirta was tracking her prey. She was on top of a building, trying to determine the perfect time to strike. There was an art to hunting for one’s prey. She needed to time it right and ensure that everything would go to her advantage. So she waited and watched as they entered the home of some native. She was armed to the teeth as always. What mando wasn’t? She giggled as she waited, a rocket aimed towards the building. She just wondered if she should fire. [/SIZE]

 

[Hannibal Oryen]

@[member="Thessa Kai"] | @[member="Judah Dashiell"]

This chick didn't do a lot of hiding for someone with a big 'ol bounty on their head. But that suited Hannibal just fine. It made his job a whole lot easier. So much easier, in fact, that he didn't even need to stick to the roofs to keep track of them. But he brought his jetpack anyway, of course. He never went anywhere without it these days, frankly. Maybe he stuck out a bit striding purposefully through the slums like he did with that thing on his back, but so what? Big and loud was how Hannibal liked to go about his business. He watched the quarry tag along with some scruffy looking mook, subsequently entering the abode of an elderly Duros man.

Hannibal felt a momentary pang of sympathy for the Duros. Wrong house guests, wrong time.

Most places in the Galaxy were all modernized, but not this place. This door was a traditional one. Hinges and doorknobs and whatnot. It was good that it wasn't one of those automatic sliding doors, because it was nearly impossible to kick those in. He would either have to slice into the connected control pad or blow it open with some kind of explosive. One was too quiet, the other was too loud. Kicking in hinged doors was just the kind of volume Hannibal wanted to achieve.

CRACK!

"Ring-a-ding-ding!" Hannibal announced his entrance as he stepped over the fallen door. "I'm comin' ta collect!"

In the Fondorian's hands was a BTI-IBC, otherwise known as the Restrainer. To droids, it was lethal. To humans, it was a stun carbine. To Hannibal, it was the best weapon for the job. Didn't even have to worry about civvie casualties. He lingered for a few moments, weapon trained in front of him. He fully expected one of the three residents he knew about would try to come up and deal with him. As far as Hannibal knew, this was the only entrance.

 

[Thessa Kai]

@[member="Hannibal Oryen"] @[member="Judah Dashiell"] @[member="Mirta Kar"]

"Nope, this is the house of Dashiell-Kai," she smiled briefly at the droid and Judah. Iced-azure gaze remained alert as Judah tinkered with the droid. Nar Shadda was a slum-hole and she didn't trust anyone, even this secret buyer of Judah's. That said, she wasn't completely surprised to hear the door down the hall burst open. Scale-speckled hand dropped to her blaster like it was a second skin.

The elderly Duros man was ticked. "The feth...get outta my house before I shoot your face off." Thessa had to hand it to the old man because he carried a shot-gun like she did. He pointed the barrel at the loud man who was probably some slum-lord, dirty tax collector and walked down the narrow hall, his back to the salvager and the mermaid.

Thee had no intention of staying for the finale, spotting the back door to the shop. This was Nar Shadda, every place had a shady back door. "C'mon Judah, let's go. I don't wanna stick around for crazy meets crazy." Free-hand opened the back door as she slipped out, still holding the blaster in her other hand and training it over Judah's shoulder.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Thessa Kai"] , @[member="Hannibal Oryen"] , @[member="Mirta Kar"]

About to start negations on Ferox, Judah was dreading it. He was about to plunk down some serious credits on what Thessa may view as just metal and circuits. Fate had saved him the trouble however. A armored wannabe commando had entered the home and was looking to collect. What wasn't the issue. Although Judah was willing to bet Ferox the droid was stolen. No one sat on such money, leaving the Footman in a corner to gather dust.

Edging out with Thessa, Judah pulled Ferox along. Feeling the weight of the blaster on his shoulder and he started to laugh. Sparky and Ferox looked at the salvager as if he had grown another head.

"I'm your human shield now?" Edging back to the alleyway, Judah grabbed the mermaids hand. "Something tells me the intruder didn't come for this stolen droid. I think he came for his catch of the day so to speak."

"Take Sparky and Ferox and get back to the Siren. Leave. I'll be the distraction."

 

[Hannibal Oryen]

@[member="Thessa Kai"] | @[member="Judah Dashiell"]

It didn't take long for a response to be tendered to the interloping bounty hunter. Soon enough, the Duros swung around the corner holding a shotgun and oozing intent to stand his ground. Unfortunately for him, Hannibal was quicker. The Fondorian depressed the trigger of his carbine, spewing forth a single Ion bolt which smacked into the chest of the elderly, eye-patch'd Duros. The alien crumpled to the ground unceremoniously, his previous objective to fill an intruder with buckshot replaced by a compelled urge to fall over and take a long, long nap.

"Ey, where's the chick?" Hannibal called, advancing slowly down the hallway, carbine raised and at the ready.

 

[Mirta Kar]

Mirta made a move, she moved towards the next roof and watched for the appearnace and was surprised as she found none other than @[member="Thessa Kai"] at the back door. Mirta stared her down, as she had jumped down and was at the exit of the alley. " Finally I can return you to your place, and see Daxton again, so stick them up fish girl and we can do this nice an easy. " Mirta was your standard Mando merc. She was covered fully by her beskar armor and a nasty looking assult riffle in her hand. she had ditched the rocket launcer on the roof to get her fast enough. " So What will it be?" @[member="Thessa Kai"]

 

[Thessa Kai]

@Judah Dashiell @Hannibal Oryen @Mirta Kar

...where's the chick?

Iced-azure gaze widened as she put Judah's warning together with the booming voice she heard within the Duros' dwelling. There were several things that happened as some bounty-chick appeared out of no where. Shotgun rifle swung from her back, locked and loaded in her hands with an armor piercing slug-round. Sparky rushed forward and seemed to zap Ferox into action. Finger squeezed down on the trigger in determined rage and terror as Daxton's name left the mystery woman's lips, firing the armor-piercing round at the woman's torso.

The footman droid raised its rail canon and fired at the one threatening its new master. Sparky took off and wheeled down the alley. Thessa assumed the little R2 unit was off to get their ship. It was a smart, little droid.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Hannibal Oryen"] @[member="Thessa Kai"]

"Chick? Normally found on farms so I suggest trying there first."

Judah let his hand fall closer to his blaster. Didn't stand a chance of getting a proper shot on the bounty hunter but it made him feel better. As the bounty hunter advanced, Judah slowly made his way backwards, towards the rumbling explosions found at the end of the alleyway. Heat could be felt on his back, along with the faint tinge of ozone from the explosions. Always making a scene no matter where they went. There was only one person who could have sent the hunter.

"Bane sent you did he? Funny, I have a bounty on him....Perhaps you'd be interested in a proposal? One where you collect money from both sides in a much, much easier fashion."

 

[Hannibal Oryen]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"Ya know what I meant, buster." Hannibal replied as he advanced, relishing Dashiell's retreat. And here he thought this would've been much more difficult.

Hannibal had already thought of cashing in on both bounties, but he hadn't thought the man who'd posted Bane's would be here. Guess that made sense. Men did not typically want their ladyfriends kidnapped. Especially when one of the listed charges was "breeding without a permit." There was probably some long, terribly interesting history between the Bane Party and the Dashiell-Kai Party, but all Hannibal saw was credit signs. Far be it from him to reject full cooperation from this guy. To shoot him in the face like Hannibal originally planned would undoubtedly jeopardize his double-paycheck.

"That was you, eh? I'm lissenin', pally." Hannibal started to lower his carbine, but not by much and not terribly quickly either.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Hannibal Oryen"]

"Thessa and I cooperate with your end of the deal, turning her into Bane at a neutral location. Because you cooperated with myself and brought Bane out then you collect the sum I had originally set forth. A tidy bonus on top of the credits the Sith is throwing out there for one measly mermaid. The delivery is done on both sides, you leave the pair to kill one another and run off to enjoy your credits."

While he didn't prefer to speak in such black and white terms about his\ mermaid, it was the only way to make it completely clear to the hunter his intention. In his mind it would work easily enough, especially if Judah paid in advance and stayed in the shadows along the way. It would look as if the hunter was only delivering Thessa. At least that was the plan. If the man went along with it.

"However, if your little associate back there blows up my girlfriend....well....throws a hitch into our plans."

 

[Hannibal Oryen]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"Pfft. Do I look like some kinda amateur? If I'm bringin' in Bane, he'll be subdued before I make like a tree an' gets the hell outta there."

Call it a matter of pride, but Hannibal wasn't keen on leaving things half-finished. Especially if "half-finished" meant leaving his client alone with a crazed, slaving Force User. Did they have any idea how bad he'd look if word got out that Hannibal delivered his bounty unrestrained and it ended up beating the ever-living daylights out of his clientele? Never mind the fact that he was planning on double-crossing Daxton. People would expect that. Dashiell's bounty was more than double that of Bane's.

"I'm inclined ta accept ya offer... Wait, 'old on... Accomplice?" Hannibal said, finally lowering his carbine to a respectable level. "I didn't bring no damned accomplice."

The fact that someone was apparently attempting to muscle in on Hannibal's double-bounty was very distressing to the Fondorian. So distressing, in fact, he immediately began marching down the hallway that he might locate the back exit. Halfway through, he abandoned his Ion carbine in favor of the unconscious Duros' loaded shotgun. Clumsy? Yes. Primitive? Yes. Lethal? Painfully so. He had a few choice words for the bounty hunter outside. Or, slugs, in this case.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Hannibal Oryen"] , @[member="Thessa Kai"] , @[member="Mirta Kar"]

"Whatever you like. Subdued is even better. Preferred in fact."

The meet up was more for Thessa than himself. Judah could live with what happened, work around it and curse the Daxton name until he was gray haired and walked with a cane. His mermaid on the other hand wanted closure. Judah was still half in the dark on what Bane had put her through but knew it was enough to warrant the hopefully final meeting. They needed to move on with their lives. Hiding out on the beach home wasn't all fun and games when one was paranoid and looking over the shoulder constantly.

Watching the bounty hunter stalk towards the end of the alleyway, Judah followed. He could only hope to see a smoking crater that contained the remains of Daxton Bane but he doubted such serendipity would befall him at the moment.

 

[Harkin Kane]

Harkin sat with his back resting against a crate inches from the hanger where the Siren's Song was docked. His eyes focused up the only corridor anyone he was interested in would be coming from. He'd bet his own ship other hunters would be killing each other trying to nab the girl. Truth be the other hunters were the hardest part of any job not the bounty-head itself. Harkin had a strange angle on this one though. He was far more pressed on keeping the girl alive and unchained opposed to collecting the pretty credit offered for her capture. Sure the bounty on Bane filed in response to that on the mermaid would generally be motive enough for Harkin to stick his nose in. But his conscious had been eating at him since the incident back in that bar. All those people dead, and he didn't manage to save a one. Hell, maybe it was a little too late for absolution on his soul, but It only served as one more reason to try. Keeping this girl safe and free would make a good point of origin in his new-found divine crusade. And to add on to all of that he was even sober!

His thought ceased and his concentration fell back to the corridor as a small R2 unit came screaming up the hall with a motive. A few clicks and beeps caused the loading bay ramp to drop to the ground. Without a second look the droid shot up the ramp into the ship. "Frack, I hate when I'm right..." Harkin, using the carbine he was cradling hoisted himself from the ground, and after peering up the corridor one last time, ventured into the ship himself. Making his way into the cockpit Harkin crept up on the droid hastily preparing for take off. "Need some help there?" Swiftly a stun rod slid to length from the R2 unit's torso. Harkin's hand shot up defensively, Hey pal, I'm wanting to help here, alright?" Harkin waited for the droid to retract his weapon or shock the piss out of him. He was relieved when presented with the less painful of the two. Harkin went to the pilot's chair and brought up the surveillance feed of the ships posterior. "Gotta name?" Harkin was presented with a doubting and insulting array of beeps. "Alright, alright sheesh!" Harkin, shrugging off the insult from the tin can began prepping for take off all the while paying close attention to the surveillance feed. Things were bound to get interesting...

 

[Mirta Kar]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"]@[member="Harkin Kane"]@[member="Thessa Kai"]
Mirta sighed as she was ignored and got out mostly unscratched, her armored was nicked by what had hit her. She just wanted to take the lovely mermaid to her love. " Damn you" She grunted as she fire towards the droid with her heavy assult blaster. She didn't care about the droid, but she needed it gone. That was the problem, the droid without it she coulld use any one of her non leathal methods of capturing the targe but the droid was a problem.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Hannibal Oryen"] , @[member="Harkin Kane"] , @[member="Mirta Kar"] , @[member="Thessa Kai"]

Coming up on the scene in short order, Judah glanced up to hear the whine of the Siren's Song engines. Just in the nick of time too. Things were getting a little too...out of control. Come to a planet to buy a rare droid, stay for the crazy line of bounty hunters. Watching as Ferox dodged the blaster bolts, only getting hit once, Judah found it impressive. Especially for a droid with only one working eye. He would have to try to repair that on the Siren.

"Trying to blow up my best droid and my best girl?" Judah had his blaster leveled at the woman in armor. Looking over to Thessa, he gave her a small smile. Hopefully his plan with Oryen would work and they wouldn't get double crossed. Then again, the mermaid would have to agree to it first.

"Doin' alright? Looks like Sparky arrived...which means we should leave our company behind."

 

[Harkin Kane]

Blaster fire echoed from somewhere up the corridor. Harkin turned to look at the R2 unit. "Friends of yours?" Harkin, searching the ground around the cockpit, retrieved his carbine. "Can you project this feed?" Harkin pointed up at the surveillance feed. The offended unit beeped sarcastically. "It was rhetorical trash can! What I really meant was scoot your ass to the cargo bay!" Harkin took off back towards the cargo bay ramp. The blaster fire was getting louder.

Harkin searched the area for anything that might cause a headache. His eyes fell on a large crescent wrench. 'That'll do.' The droid appeared quickly behind Harkin. A plate slid open from the top of the droid, and it projected the surveillance feed onto the hull of the ship. Harkin slammed his back into the hull, pressing hard against the wall, Harkin peered hard at the surveillance feed. The R2 unit begin laying out the situation "Alright, so the girl, the boyfriend, and a droid?" He was answered with an affirmative beep. With a nod Harkin concentrated back on the feed. 'A hell of a headache is coming someones way.'