The Betting Kind (The Cartographer)

[Cryax Bane]

The Dragon Palace Casino with its cerulean and pink neon lights and raucous sounds, its sin for sale and souls for rent, could be heaven or hell depending on where you stood. For Cryax Bane, the President of the Red Ravens criminal organization it was just home. And of course his livelihood. Tonight it was also the setting for a unique business meeting. The young crime boss had invited a man named Bael, but known more famously by his pseudonym [member="The Cartographer"] to meet him at the casino. The bio-scientist had been invited to Antecedent for a chat about a new project that Cryax was developing. The Chiss, a former slicer, was interested in seeing if the man could help him devise a unique computer virus.

Bane had met the enigmatic man at one of his notorious parties and Bael had made quite the impression on him. In an effort to keep up with the stylish man, the Chiss wore a slim black suit with a red shirt that contrasted nicely with his blue skin and matched his glowing red eyes. Topping off the look was a pitch black tie. With his usual security detail of droids and henchmen nearby, Cryax waited in one of the casinos VIP clubs, Club Lush located towards the back of the casino and cordoned off from the rest of the gamblers with velvet ropes and enormous bouncers.

As he heard the laughter of gamblers at the Sabaac tables the crime boss found it amusing that people would be so eager to throw their credits away. But the Dragon Palace was designed to be a black hole for those willing to part with their money. After all, the place literally had no chronos, no reminders for gamblers to stop spending their credits because they had somewhere else to be. These were the things that crossed his mind as the Chiss waited at a table with a bottle of champagne on ice, typing away on his Datapad as usual, the blue glow from the screen forming a halo underneath his face. Bane was already two-thirds of the way into a martini, and he only hoped that he could behave himself around such an attractive potential business partner.

 

[The Cartographer]

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Bael wondered in the back of his mind if he had under-dressed for the occasion. Antecedent was a relatively classy planet, after all. He shook his head, brushing the thought aside. He was comfortable, and it wasn't as if he'd rolled around in garbage or anything. He looked down at his attire just to reassure himself as he walked through the broad doors of the Dragon Palace Casino. Four burly Cathar followed him as his security detail. He was never one to bother with them, but they had insisted that guards were mandatory for someone of his status on a questionable world.​

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Making his way to the back, Bael saw the entrance to Club Lush. He was quite impressed with the layout of the place. Open, lively, colorful, and packed with people. He went into the VIP section, and almost immediately spotted [member="Cryax Bane"] waiting for him in a roped-off booth. He told his guards to relax and go enjoy themselves a bit while he attended to his business before making his way over to the Chiss. That suit... It made him even more easy on the eyes than when Bael had first seen him.​

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"I have to say, Cryax. This place just about puts my party life to shame. And your outfit definitely outshines me on multiple levels." He said, giving Cryax a wry grin.​

 

[Cryax Bane]

"Good evening, Bael," said the Chiss who couldn't help the large grin that spread over his face when he saw the other man approaching. Careful there, Cryax. His boyfriend wasn't here to keep watch over him so he had to practice his own inner restraint. For better or worse, restraint was not a quality that the young Chiss, in his position of power, was used to having, but there was a first time for everything he supposed. He shook the other man's hand as he joined him at his table, and despite his inner monologue about caution, let his fingers lightly brush Bael's palm as he pulled away.

"Thank you," Cryax said humbly as he took a seat. "I'm glad you appreciate the grand beauty of the place, as there are some in the galaxy that would call it seedy." Cryax was extremely proud of the Casino since he himself had put so much blood, sweat, and tears into the place, especially the anti-slicing safeguards on the Red Raven's Cryptnet and the casino's security systems which were practically impenetrable by all but a small army of slicers of Cryax-level caliber. At the comment about his suit, the Chiss blushed profusely. "This old thing?" he said tugging at his lapels with a smirk. "Just something that I had lying around. Admittedly, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't envious of your style, Bael. And you definitely didn't disappoint tonight." Cryax let his red eyes linger over the man's frame for more than a few seconds. Then he snapped his fingers and his Bothan executive assistant popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and poured the men a couple of glasses.

Cryax finished off his martini and handed it to the Bothan, so that he could start on the champagne, turning to Bael with a crooked smile."I have to admit I'm very glad you decided to meet with me about this project. Some businessmen and women balk at working with criminals. Are you sure you don't have any qualms about what it is that I do?"

[member="The Cartographer"]

 

[The Cartographer]

Bael had to admit: It was adorable when Cryax blushed. Instead of turning red, he went into a deeper shade of blue or even slightly purple. He noticed the way that the Chiss's fingers lingered on his hand and the way his glowing red orbs swept across his figure just a bit longer than was normal. Obviously [member="Cryax Bane"] was tempted. This thought caused an amused smirk to play across his face.​

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"I have always kept both myself and my work on neutral grounds, Cryax. I offer my services when I feel the urge to do so. Whether you're the lowest scum to hit the ground or the purest of souls, if I want to help you, I will." Bael took a sip of his champagne and took a seat next to him. "So, what can I help you with today, my handsome Chiss friend?"​

 

[Cryax Bane]

Lifting his glass to clink it against Bael's, Cryax chuckled. "I like that attitude of yours." For a moment the Chiss simply sat back and looked at the other man's dangerously attractive smile. "Among other things," he added with a grin. Then his face turned more serious, his glowing red eyes darkening for a moment. "So as for your help, I have a couple of different topics I want to discuss. One is the project I'm developing. Which I'll get to later." He paused and furrowed his brow. "The first is a unique, ah, procedure I need done. I feel with your expertise you may be able to lend a hand? "

Cryax took a generous gulp of champagne and deep breath, the subject causing obvious discomfort for him. "Do you know anything about the Yuuzhan Vong practice of implanting slaves with something called a Yorik-Kul?" The Chiss winced oddly after he spoke, as if lightning would strike him down for mentioning the subject. It was weird behavior for sure, but if the biologist had any experience with the topic at hand, he'd most likely be able to put two and two together.

After a moment, he reluctantly continued, one hand trembling as he reached for the stem of his champagne glass. "I'm not even sure if this is possible, but I need to find someone who can remove a Yorik-Kul from someone's brain. That someone being me."

[member="The Cartographer"]

 

[The Cartographer]

Bael's smile faded. He was most certainly familiar with Yorik-Kul. He had seen many victims of the surge-coral. It was used to give mental commands to Vong slaves as well as cause tremendous pain. In more serious long-term cases, it even killed the host. "Cryax... How long has it been inside you?" He asked in a concerned tone, placing a hand on the Chiss's shoulder. If the Yorik-Kul was in its host for an extended amount of time, it spread, growing on muscle tissue and even bone matter. If this was the case, then it would be exceedingly difficult to remove all of the coral without causing serious damage.​

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[member="Cryax Bane"]​

 

[Cryax Bane]

As Bael lay a hand on his shoulder, Cryax smiled. Although he knew that the biologist only meant it as a concerned gesture, the Chiss couldn't help but notice how electric the other man's touch felt. In response, Cryax blushed again. Then he reluctantly explained the details. At least the ones he wasn't too mortified to share. "It was implanted a few days ago, so not long," said the Chiss with a shudder, recalling the morbid torture that the implantation entailed. The tentacles snaking into his nose and ears. And the agony afterwards. Cryax was surprised that Dredge, the puppet master, hadn't delivered a long searing jolt of pain for his suggestion that someone remove the surge coral. The Yuuzhan Vong had been monitoring every thought since the night that he had given Cryax his special gift. "It's a long story, but lets just say I pissed off the wrong Yuuzhan Vong overlord."

"Do you think there's a chance you could remove it? Or is it too late?" He almost hoped that the biologist would decline since an attempt to remove the mental link to the Yuuzhan Vong named Dredge would put Bael's life in as much jeopardy as Cryax's. And he couldn't in good conscience risk that yet someone else close to him would be harmed by the monster.

[member="The Cartographer"]

 

[The Cartographer]

Bael sighed with relief. "No no, that's a very good thing. Had it been a month, I wouldn't be able to do anything." He pulled out a small datapad from his pocket. He always kept at least one on him in case of emergencies. His fingers began typing rapidly across the screen. "I'll have to do some initial tests to make sure that it hasn't caused any serious cranial damage..." He looked over at Cryax for a moment. His eyes changed into two golden cat-like orbs, studying Cryax's face. In reality, Bael was using the X-ray scanner that was built into his cybernetically-enhanced eyes. "I looks like it's attached itself to the stem. It isn't very deeply dug in, but I'll have to remove it soon to keep it from trying to go in further. Does Thursday work for you?" He blinked, his eyes going back to their normal deep brown.​

[member="Cryax Bane"]​

 

[Cryax Bane]

Relief washed over him such a flood when Bael told him that he could remove the Yorik-Kul that Cryax was practically shaking. He ran both hands through his blue black hair and smiled widely at the other man. "I'm so glad to hear you say that," he said with a long exhalation. "Knowing that you can get this karking thing out of me is amazing, and I can pay you whatever credits this kind of procedure demands." Cryax paused and with a frown lightly traced his finger around the rim of his champagne flute. Then he continued. "Bael, I'd be lying if I said it was safe for you to do this. If you attempt this operation, the Yuuzhan Vong who holds my strings, will come for me and then he will come for you. And trust me, this is a creature with armies of graug and Yuuzhan Vong soldiers at his behest. I spent a week on his ship as a slave and it almost broke me."

"I'd be a very bad Chiss if I didn't warn you, and well, I am very bad Chiss in many ways," here his tone was coy and he smiled wickedly. The Chiss gestured around at the casino with a blue-skinned hand. "But this business hasn't stolen my soul. Not yet anyway. You don't have to give me an answer today but I have to ask you. Are you really sure you want to do this?"

[member="The Cartographer"]

 

[The Cartographer]

Bael returned Cryax's devilish smile. "Cryax, let me tell you something. This isn't my first time around the racetrack. I've been in so many high-risk situations in my line of work that it's almost mythical. If I let a little thing like mortal danger stand in my way, I'd still be doing long division and wearing plaid sweaters." He took another sip of champagne. "And I knew you were trouble when you walked into my party. But that was why I invited you. I like trouble. As for payment, don't bother. This is what I do for a living, red eyes. I'm more than a little bit covered in the financial sense." He threw the nickname in for fun. Something he usually did to people he considered close friends.​

[member="Cryax Bane"]​

 

[Cryax Bane]

"I don't know how to thank you," said Cryax gratefully. "Truly. And yes, Thursday works. Assuming I live until then." he let out a sardonic laugh that clearly said the sentence would be alot funnier if it weren't true. "You are like a ch'an'he'at, Bael. That's the Cheuhn word for angel." Here he smiled at the man with the amber cat eyes. Deep down Cryax knew that it was a long shot that he'd be able to make it to Thursday without Dredge paying him a visit as that was the overlord's modus operandi, but he felt a glimmer of hope. "Maybe I'll actually get a good night's sleep tonight." he mused aloud.

Then the Chiss crime boss started typing away on his Datapad as he talked. Not only was he putting in the Thursday appointment, but he was also contacting someone. "Since I mentioned this "problem" of mine, it's probably not safe for you to be seen with me until Thursday." He looked up briefly from his typing to meet Bael's brown eyes and then back down at the screen. "So for this next project that I wanted to talk to you about, I'm going to have you meet with my brother, Sage, who is spear-heading it. He's not nearly as dangerous to be around as me." Then Cryax chuckled and raised a brow. "Well, perhaps he's dangerous in other ways." He smirked to himself, knowing that his brother would flirt relentlessly with the beautiful biologist.

Cryax stood up and put out his hand for Bael to shake. "He should be along shortly and as he arrives I'll take my leave. It's been an absolute pleasure, Bael."

[member="The Cartographer"]

 

[The Cartographer]

Bael arched a brow at Cryax's words. "An angel? Hardly. But you flatter me nonetheless..." He grinned coyly at the Chiss, standing up with him. He took Cryax's hand, but instead of shaking it, he simply held it and placed his other hand on top of it. "Have a little faith, red eyes. I won't let you die on my account. That I promise you." His eyes met Cryax's gaze. It was a solemn promise that he would keep come Hell or high water. No amount of begging or threats could dissuade Bael when his mind was made up.​

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[member="Cryax Bane"]​

 

[Sage Bane]

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Sage Bane just so happened to be at the Dragon Palace casino that evening to discuss some shipments of Ryll his cartel was supplying to one of the local drug kingpins, when he got the text from his half-brother. Cryax was a rich crime lord and the younger Bane badly needed any credits he could get his hands on so took the odd job here and there with Cryax. The two men were steely with one another as they were little more than strangers, but their relationship was slowly growing less so, which was a good thing for the orphan from Nal Hutta who spent most of his life as a slave toy to the Hutts, and could use the comfort of family. Whether or not he'd find that in the Red Ravens crime boss with his sunken eyes and tortured soul, remained to be seen.

Sage sauntered up to the table at Club Lush in the Dragon Palace Casino and stood before the two men with his hands folded behind his back, watching them with a smirk on his face. His half-brother had told him in the text that he was to finish discussing a special project with a man named Bael, a biologist. What his brother didn't tell him however was just how beautiful this biologist was.

Looking at the two men holding hands, he grinned, his smile disarmingly like his Chiss half-brother's. "Hope I'm not interrupting something. I'm not a believer in spoiling anyone's fun."

[member="The Cartographer"]

 

[Dredge]

[member="The Cartographer"] [member="Cryax Bane"] [member="Sage Bane"]

With the snap of his fingers a deafening scream would ring out through the halls of Dragon Palace Casino, it was the scream of Cryax's mother. The surge coral had been In her for weeks now and she was Dredge's way to get whatever he wanted from his thrall Cryax who had been not so loyal by the looks of it. Dredge somewhere with a Yammosk at his side stepped into the mind of Cryax bane and assumed direct control of the man. Cryax was now a cell phone for Dredge and he was calling the human filth in front of him.

Cryax's body language changed to that of a hungry predator and a sick smile came on his face as a toothy little grin. Inside of his own head Cryax would become a prisoner, capable of hearing and seeing everything that his own lips uttered. Bane stepped forward to [member="The Cartographer"] and kept that little grin on his face. "Wretch, Wretch, Wretch. You disappoint me, you act like I can't see and hear everything you are saying to anyone. You act as if I don't have ears all around you. No, you will not defy me Wretch. You will not defy my will." Cryax's voice had audibly changed, what was once a broken chiss was now the deep bellow of a demonic entity (Gravemind from halo) Dredge laughed slightly and spoke again

"And now for that, your mother will pay." The screams of his mother grew louder and then Dredge shifted his attention over to the Atrisian.

"Oh I'm afraid Wretch will be busy next Thursday. You see he has a prior engagement he forgot to tell you about. He's going to help me kill you." Dredge smiled at the Atrisian and took another step forward in Cryax's body. "You see I don't like people touching my property, makes me really nervous someone might damage it." Dredge kept walking forward and using Cryax's body he gestured to the droids around the casino to train their blasters on the Atrisian. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you here. I'm going to kill you myself. And I'm not going to stop there Bael. I'm going to kill your loved ones, I'm going to kill your friends, I'm going to kill your friends loved ones, I will kill your neighbors and your family. Consider yourself marked by Dredge. Be seeing you real soon Bael." With a snap of his fingers Dredge left the body of Cryax and the chiss would awake to massive pain from the surge coral and the screams of his mother

 

[The Cartographer]

Bael turned to see a man that nearly made his heart skip a beat. The spitting image of Cryax, but human. He was about to greet said man when a deafening scream surged through the room. Bael had to plug his ears while it lasted. And then, he noticed Cryax change. He became cold and dark. Bael's Force power may not have been strong, but he could sense the other presence as well as hear it in the voice of Cryax's words. Instead of looking frightened or surprised when the possessed Chiss spoke to him, he appeared calm and brave. The victims he had seen before? Some of them had had this kind of problem. Their old masters breaking through the distance to threaten him and everyone he knew and loved. He knew how to deal with this. He knew how to help [member="Cryax Bane"] .​

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Not a second after the voice left, the Chiss was on the floor writhing in agony. Bael knew he would have to act quickly if he was going to save this man.​

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[member="Sage Bane"]​

 

[Sage Bane]

As the spectacle played out in front of he table, Sage Bane merely watched with an anxious stare, his hand hovering over the blaster holstered on his thigh. His brown eyes flashed to a fiery translucent red for a moment and then flickered back. The younger Bane had been debriefed about what was happening with his brother, and therefore the unfortunate turn of events didn't surprise him in the least. Once the puppet master left Cryax's body, the Chiss crumpled to the floor in pain, and Sage waved his hands at the President's security droids signalling for them to lower their weapons. Programmed to serve Cryax first, they first hesitated, but finally their Chiss master was able to compose himself long enough to give them to the signal to stand down. The sounds of a woman screaming upstairs reached an eerie crescendo, and then slowly died out. As casino security ran around, speaking into their comlinks in hushed, frantic tones, Sage stooped to carefully help his brother into a chair where the Chiss slumped, barely conscious.

With a surprising calm in his demeanor, Sage Bane turned to look at Bael. "My brother is a moron," he said. "I'm not sure how you got mixed up with Cryax, but he's one of the most lying, manipulative bastards this side of the Outer Rim, and quite frankly he brought this on himself. How ol' red eyes here got to be the head of the largest criminal organization in the galaxy I'll never know." Sage straighted out his suit jacket with a smirk, and snuck a gulp of champagne. "I can fill you in later, but right now we need to get you out of here. You're not safe here, Bael. At all." He gestured to his brother with a nod of his head. "Him? He'll be ok for a while, but neither one of us will be doing him any good by staying here."

"I can take you to Ession," he suggested. "That's where I'm staying, training to be a Jedi," he smirked again as the thought of being a Jedi amused him somewhat. "The place is protected by powerful Jedi Knights. You'll be safe there." Giving Bael the same coy grin that he shared with the Chiss, Sage held out an arm for Bael to take. "I mean, it's your funeral, but I'd hate to see something bad happen to someone so kriffing gorgeous."

[member="The Cartographer"]

 

[The Cartographer]

Bael did a quick look-over of Cryax with both his eyes and his hands, double-checking his pulse and making sure there was no internal injuries. Luckily, nothing appeared to be wrong. "The same has been said about me on multiple occasions. But I'm not one to let threats stand between me and my work." He flashed a smile at [member="Sage Bane"] . "Your brother should consider himself privileged. He's going to be my new project focus for the time being." His tone was joking. This Vong's threat hadn't scared him as much as it should've. If anything, it only made his will to help that much greater. After all, when someone tells you that you can't do something, doesn't it just make you want to do it more? ​

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He slid his arm into Sage's with a playful smirk. "I'm so flattered that you think so. I was about to say the same about you." ​