The Debt of the Dead

[Darth Abyss]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugPD4mvUtPI

Deep Space, One Jump from the Smuggler's Run - Bridge of the Eldritch

After their last deal had concluded, Abyss didn't had expected to call for [member="Kilum Bralor"] so soon, at least not for a meeting face to face. Yet the contract he had to offer was both secret and slightly too complex to just throw the bounty towards the Mandalorian and wait for it to be completed. The Prophet had very precise plans for how he wanted the job done, and he wasn't willing to discuss the details in a tiring call over the holocommunicator.

Instead he had simply send a message to the hunter containing a job description and the pay. 300000 Credits to abduct a pirate captain unseen, at night on his shipbelow the noses of his crew while it was docked to Skip 1. Abyss agents had already scouted the place, and knew where the target and his crew spend most of their time, supplying the intel Kilum could use to fulfill his task.

Gideon Newport owned a great debt to Abyss. Not money, not power, but his very life. The husk had gifted the pirate a way out of the land of the dead, in return for his eternal service. As it was to be expected from a pirate captain with more then questionable loyalties, Gideon had used his gift to run as far away as he could, trying to escape the endless hand of the Prophet.

Like during their last meeting, Abyss simply rested on the ground of the Eldritch's bridge in motionless perfection. In his silent meditation he awaited the arrival of the hunter. Once his ship would come into sensor distance, Kilum would be able to notice that the Eldritch had locked his ship's signature and offered a docking clearance the second he entered into the system.

 

[Kilum Bralor]

Kilum Bralor ​

Location: The Eldritch​

Interacting with: [member="Darth Abyss"]​

​

"You are positive you require no analysis?"

"Yeah."

The Zetetic had picked up on its allowance coming from the Eldritch almost as soon as it entered the system, it seemed. Interesting. Ravage had protested the idea that Bralor was planning on interacting with Abyss, rather than simply trying to hunt and kill him. Although the AI was more than worth its use when it came to quarries and opponents, he had a one-track mind. Kill, kill, kill. Most of Kilum's jobs involved capture and return, which disappointed the simulacrum of an ancient Sith Lord. It relished the death.

As the customzed Lethisk-Class set down in the Eldritch's hangar, Ravage transferred over to the hunter's helmet to watch what was to happen. It was very curious to see Abyss in person; it had met its fair share of his contemporaries, if they could even be called that. The Mandalorian closed up his ship, allowing himself to be led to the bridge once again.

Stepping onto that hallowed ground, Kilum spoke quickly. "You needed a Hunter?" It was similar to what he'd said the last time he turned up in response to one of Abyss' bounties; more of a tongue-in-cheek joke than anything, though that was the extent of the hybrid's humour. He was never good at jokes, but what he was good at was seeing a good thing. 300,000 Credits for one target was certainly no joke, and he would've been curious even if he didn't know the employer. Part of him was just eager to get on with it.

But the details would be important.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Welcome Mr. Bralor."
Abyss followed suit and answered the hunter's question with the same words he spoke when they first meet. For @Kilum Barlor it could easily seem like the husk had not moved an inch since their meeting had concluded, still resting on the ground in the same position. Yet this time, after another moment of uneasy silence which the Prophet seemed to enjoy very much, he rose to his feet, while a twisted, hollow laugh emerged from all around them. Like his voice it was an unnatural, inhuman sound, merely consisting of layers upon layers of distorted noise.

"Glory, would you be so kind?"

Turning his head just enough, his empty eyes rested on the small holographic projector besides him. Answering his request, his A.I. Glory activated the device which began to depict a stream of data. First a dossier on the target, reaching from his name and appearance right down to his extensive and honestly a little impressive criminal record.

"This is Gideon Newport, captain of the Deserteur, and owner of a great debt to me. You already know I want him, but I also want to send him and his crew a message."

The dossier was followed by a map of Skip 1, including several marks where his agents had spotted the target in the past days. Lastly the map was replaced by the blueprints of a pirate ship called the Deserteur, a heavily modified Kiltirin-class dungeon ship. The initial message had already delivered the nature of the job, all he had to share now were the details.

"I want him to fall asleep in his bed, but when he wakes up I want him to lay on this bridge, right in front of my feet without knowing how or why. I want to see the fear in his eyes once he notices that even on his own ship, surrounded by his loyal crew, he is not beyond my reach."

There was a clear shift in Abyss' voice when he spoke about his desire, the sound shifted even further away from any sense of humanity into a near incomprehensible cacophony. It was unsettling to say the least, and most likely downright disturbing to the weaker of minds.

"The Eldritch's armory is open to you, should you require any strong sedatives or tools to administer them with, alongside with anything you could need for the purpose of infiltration."

 

[Kilum Bralor]

Kilum Bralor ​

Location: The Eldritch​

Interacting with: [member="Darth Abyss"]​

​

Apparently the Sith Lord was the one in the room with a sense of humour. That figured. Bralor made no change in his stance and didn't move in the slightest as Abyss stood, though he had been curious before as to whether he even could. If his skeletal form limited him at all, or if it was just an appearance he chose or one that was a result of whatever magic he'd thrust upon himself. Kilum was inclined to believe the latter, rather than the former.

The hunter's eyes rapidly scanned the dossier that was displayed ahead of him, and his enhanced senses allowed his eyes to keep up surprisingly well as it was swiftly read through. The criminal record was impressive, actually. He wondered if he'd maybe hunted his man before...no. He would've remembered. Maybe someone else did. He had his arms crossed, one of his fingers tapping gently on the opposite arm as he considered the conditions.

He has to fall asleep, not wake up until he's here. Wasn't that tall of an order, it was just getting the guy in and out without anyone noticing that he'd have to figure out. "Any of your spies tag him in the casinos?" He had a plan brewing in his head. This guy seemed like the 'Lucky Man' type. Which meant he might be a gambler. Meaning he might be up for playing a few games of sabaac, with a couple extra conditions added, of course.

 

[Darth Abyss]

In response the sith lord merely offered a slight nod towards the projector. The feed changed, now showing live footage from within Skip 1 consisting of multiple camera angles all aimed at the blurry image of Gideon. Abyss' Inner Eye had learned the arts of surveillance in years of service in the fallen One Sith army, and they had lost none of their edge since the old days.

"My agents are monitoring his every move. I will patch you into their communications."

One of the officers on the bridge reacted directly to Abyss' remark, and after a few presses on his terminal the helmet of the hunter would pick up a signal he could add into his HUD. From it he would be able to use the eyes the husk had scattered around the station, and even request further intel on everything he would encounter there. The Inner Eye hadn't just spend their time monitoring the target, but also collected information about anyone and anything else there that had any relation to the pirate captain. Just in case they would even be able to cover his retreat, even if Abyss would less then pleased about that outcome.

"Anything else you need?"

It was a simple, honest question. Abyss was a being born from trickery and deceit as much as from darkness, but when it came down to business he rarely added a double meaning to his words. It was easier that way, and his resources reached far to wide to care if the hunter would take half of the armory and bunch of credits to spend on the station to stay undercover.

[member="Kilum Bralor"]

 

[Kilum Bralor]

Kilum Bralor ​

Location: The Eldritch​

Interacting with: [member="Darth Abyss"]​

​

Bralor stared intently from underneath his helmeted guise, watching the camera feed he was now patched into as he observed the movements of his quarry. Not just where he was going or where he'd been, but the way he moved. When it came to prey, that was just as important. A hunter had to study, had to observe and be patient. The best way to strike any prey was to not strike them at all, from the prey's view. If the prey never knew it was being hunted, never understood to be on edge - there wasn't anything further that had to be done.

"No." It was a short and decisive answer, but simply an honest one. Kilum hadn't minced words with Abyss, and he didn't plan on ever doing so. He certainly wasn't going to start now. The hunter turned and left, not speaking anything more as he headed to the Eldritch's armoury. He'd familiarized himself a bit, but he didn't think he'd need much. Enough credits to entice a talker, and a sedative that wouldn't put him to sleep right away; something more insidious. Something that he'd never know about.

As he got onto the Zetetic and began the flight to Skip 1, he could hear the robotic voice come back, this time from the ship's computers. "Will we be killing this one, Hunter?" It might've seemed odd to those used to hearing 'Master' from droids and various servant automatons, but for Ravage, the title of Hunter was one of great respect. It was the only reason he seemed to tolerate the Mandalorian's presence at all.

"There's no credits when he's dead."

"A pity."

 

[Darth Abyss]

The Smuggler's Run, Skip 1 - Entrance of the Dancing Wookie

"Come on mates, one last round. There is two for one today."

Gideon Newport looked like a man that could only barely stand anymore, and yet the flying spit that followed his words landed precisely besides his first mate's feet. The pirate captain spoke in an obvious drunken slur, and his feet danced over the ground to keep his balance. In his right rested a small flask, its disgustingly smelling content slowly dripping out from the not fully closed lid.

"Ay Captain, you had enough. Don't make this a second Void Station please."

The first mate's reaction to the spit hadn't been annoyance or disgust, but worry. Not for the captain of course, but for himself and the crew. It was no secret what things happened when Gideon was allowed to overindulge, even for his already heavily warped standards, and no one in the crew was looking forward to deal with the aftermath. When the burned looking man seemed to ignore the words of his first mate, the Rodian besides him stepped forward, and squeaked something in the language of his people.

"Yeah, kark you too Opato. You two buzzkills should be happy I won't remember any of this tomorrow."

Turning around Gideon lazy waved towards his crew, who made their way back to the ship while occasionally shaking their head or cursing along the way. Inside the Wookie the man, shrouded in a weird mix of ragged clothes and fine, slightly darkly vibrant, jewelry, made his way straight to the bar, while ignoring the gambling tables for now. He was not opposed to play a round or two, but only should there be the right incentive to get him out of his drunken stupor.

The dim light of the casino only made him look shadier, as he waited for his drink to arrive, while his eyes searched for any interesting woman, loot or brawl that could have the misfortune of stumbling into the rundown establishment.

[member="Kilum Bralor"]

 

[Kilum Bralor]

Kilum Bralor ​

Location: Skip 1 - The Dancing Wookie​

Interacting with: [member="Darth Abyss"]​

​

It was always somewhere like this. Overly loud, overly bright. Had to stand out and be as vibrant as possible. Made sense that it attracted the same sort of clientele. Kilum had decided to go into this with a degree of preparation; and most of all, a plan. Before hitting the Dancing Wookie, he went to some of the other casinos. Oddly enough, he was scouting girls. He hadn't done that in a while. Was...odd to be doing it again, but it wasn't just to get the blood flowing this time.

A girl on the arm made a man competitive. Especially like the fiery Zeltron he'd paid for this. She'd be with him, help gather attention. She'd been more than happy to do it for some quick credits, and it seemed like she turned heads regardless. Entering the casino where his target lay, he spotted him immediately. There, at the bar. He knew it was best not to approach. Don't let your prey know you're hunting. Let them think they're the predator.

Kilum simply sat at a table not far from him. His 'girl' laughed loudly and was even less subtle about her flirting, with her more flauntable assets being right in Newport's viewport. Bralor was careful, giving her just enough attention and being just dismissive enough; to look like an opportunity, like someone another man may want to prove himself against. Especially the kind that fancied himself a smooth-talking smuggler. He'd hunted these types often, and he was curious to see if Gideon was the same. Just in case, he had his trump card.

A Sith Holocron. He had it flaunting on the table, a relic he'd 'won' from a scuffle with Koda Fett. Even without Gideon being the man he was in particular, these kinds of guys loved trinkets. Part of him was glad his previous employer turned out to not even want the damn thing; he'd still deserved the blaster he got, though.

 

[Darth Abyss]

Brown eyes continued their journey. First they disapprovingly wandered over a suit of Mandalorian armor, then to the face of an rather attractive woman. From there they moved lower, over the neck to her chest, until they finally meet the table. There they stayed, fixed with a maddened glare in them, as sharp shapes of red and black reflected within them.

In a single moment his intoxication appeared to be gone, his mind cleared by the sudden realization of what the newcomer had brought into the casino. Many of his kind liked expensive trinkets, but Gideon's interest went far beyond their worth on the market and their charming appeal to easy woman. He was genuinely, clinically obsessed with anything even remotely arcane, and a holocron was the kind of object still missing in his collection.

His eyes hadn't moved, not even blinked while they remained locked on the artifact. The woman at the Mandalorian's side was already forgotten, every of his thoughts circled around the holocron like a vulture around a slowly decaying corpse. He knew that he to do this the smart way. Despite being a skilled warrior himself, he had his honest doubts that he had a change against one of clansmen in a fair fight.

That meant that he had to even the playing field a little.

Grabbing his second drink, it was two for one after all, once he had downed his first one, the pirate made his way towards the table. His drunken stagger was sincere, and yet he was well aware what image it painted into the minds of those that watched it, the idea of weakness mixed with foolishness. Just a step away from the table, Gideon suddenly stumbled and in the process spilled his whole drink on the armored man and his date.

"I'm terribly sorry. Please allow me to clean this up."

Before the two had even time to react, he had already reach for a dirty rag to polish the visor of the warrior's helmet.

[member="Kilum Bralor"]

 

[Kilum Bralor]

Kilum Bralor ​

Location: Skip 1 - The Dancing Wookie​

Interacting with: [member="Darth Abyss"]​

​

Smart man.

As Gideon tripped forward, one of Kilum's free hands clamped down on the holocron; though he had no doubt Newport was actually drunk, he'd have enough of his senses that Bralor knew what he wanted. When the rag came forward, Bralor's hand came up, gripping Gideon's wrist to stop him getting any closer with it. He gently pulled the rag from his hand, wiping down his own visor with the other hand. "Don't apologize."

The Mandalorian tough guy act was easy to play, even if Kilum didn't really have to be that different. Plans were going through his head as he considered his options, seeming to look over Newport. "Saw you looking." He rapped his fingers on the surface of the holocron to bring attention to it, indicating that he knew what really interested in the pirate. He cocked his head to the Zeltron, a way of telling her she could go.

As the fiery pink-skinned alien made her way out, the Mandalorian's gaze went back to his target. He tilted his head at him, like there was a curiosity. "Tell you what. I overheard a couple guys - one was a Rodian, maybe. Talking about their Captain. If that's you, I'll give you a chance."

Kilum reached into one of his pouches, pulling out what looked like some odd projector. As it turned on, it displayed an odd cube with knives lining different sections. The Mandalorian kept his stare on the pirate, more curious as to his reaction to what he was about to say. It'd help him get a better idea of what to do. "If you can beat me in a game of Cu'bikad, you can have this. I win, and I take your ship."

It was a gamble. An adrenaline rush. But he had more to it than that. Bralor intentionally made his tone sound cockier, overconfident. Someone that you'd want to bring down. "But when I play, it's got to be more interesting. When we play, every time we make a move, we take a shot of a drink of my choice. Makes the late game a bit more fun."

​

 

[Darth Abyss]

The eyes of the pirate fixed onto the visor and below them dirty, crooked teeth formed a devilish, sly grin. Gideon lowered his hand with the rag, and forced himself to stand with the bravado of a pirate captain who had cheated anyone, including death, despite his utterly drunk state. Once again he offered the woman not a single second of time, and his eyes only twitched away from the Mandalorian to catch another glimpse of the Holocron.

"I see. Captain Newport, a pleasure."

Without a proper reaction to the odd projector Gideon took place on the opposite side of the table. If the warrior had thought he could surprise him with his choice of game then he had underestimated him. While many of his kind said that the game should only be played by them, it wasn't like a strict rule enforced among them. It was far from the first time that he drunkenly gambled with one of them, mostly because so many Mandalorians offered their services as mercenaries and bounty hunters in the shadiest parts of the galaxy.

"You better watch out, the last one almost lost his helmet to me. He almost cried, and stuttered something about family heirlooms or some crap."

If that story was a lie, the truth or a mix of both was up to [member="Kilum Bralor"] to decide, but what wasn't when dealing with someone like Gideon?

"Just one drink per move? At that rate I'm sober when I'm done with you."

If the Mando thought himself cocky, then he really hadn't meet Gideon before.

 

[Kilum Bralor]

Kilum Bralor ​

Location: Skip 1 - The Dancing Wookie​

Interacting with: [member="Darth Abyss"]​

​

Kilum always had a cool look across his face, even if it couldn't be seen. On the inside though, he wanted to sneer, or more appropriately reach over and grab this cock-eyed kriffer by his throat. He didn't care whether this other Mandalorian in his story was real or not, it was a form of disrespect; not towards him, but his people. Newport would have to consider himself lucky that Abyss wanted him unharmed.

He kept the holocron in his hand as he stood up and moved over to the bar, calling for a drink, something strong. He certainly got it - it was a huge bottle, probably some Trandoshan or Gamorrean drink. Kilum demanded to have something stronger added to it, and it was when the bartender (along with everyone else) wasn't paying attention that the sedative went in. His body blocked sight and his hand movements were quick, allowing it to be in and mixed by the time the server came back.

Bringing back the drink and two glasses, he sat down and poured the shots, the Holocron staying on his side of the table. Kilum reached up, slipping the helmet off his head as he put it down over the holocron, hiding it from view. He had golden skin and black eyes, hardened features spread across his face. His black hair had some silver streaks going through it - he looked like any weird alien you could find out here.

As the Mandalorian reached up and moved a knife from one block to another, his free hand downed a shot of the liquid. His body was fiercely resilient, and most importantly, it'd fight off the drowsiness this'd cause later. He was glad he got something slow-acting. He stared back at Gideon, his fingers tapping the edge of the table.

"Your move."

​

 

[Darth Abyss]

When the hunter downed his drink, Gideon followed suit. With almost impressive dedication he lifted the shot and emptied it before his mouth even had a chance to taste it, which considering the liquid was most likely the better option anyway. Like before there was little to no reaction when @Kilum Barlor removed his helmet and revealed the man below. Closer to the core he might was an oddity, but as a pirate Gideon had worked and fought side by side with aliens far more obscure then the still somewhat humanoid Mandalorian.

"Why did you order water? Did they run out of booze or something?"

It was a testament to his talents that a simple human without any weird alien DNA or genetically engineering could drink whatever Kilum had picked without even twitching. Gideon assumed that his liver had probably mutated along the way, or he maybe he was just a alcoholic. He didn't knew, mainly because he couldn't the last day he didn't at least had one drink after a long raid.

Once the drinking part was done, Captain Newport focused of the game in front of him, like he should've done before now that he was thinking about it. His last round had been a long while ago, and he honestly couldn't remember how it went. Yet none of these doubts appeared on the outside, his face still shaped by the unsympathetic grin that seemed to never fade once it had appeared.

In the end he lifted his right and moved a holographic knife into the cube. He wasn't sure if it was a good move, but knowing gambling he expected the game to be more about deception and psychology anyway, and if there was something he was good at besides being a pirate then it was pushing peoples buttons. Following his move he reached for the drink once more, downing the shot with the same ease as that one before.

"You want to spice things up a little more? I throw in my relic collection, and you your armor set. The last one I sold made me a lot of good money."