The Fox and the Hound

[Rhen Ordo]

It had been some time since the Mandalorian mercenary and bounty hunter both had received a job, and even longer since said job had proved a real challenge. Certainly there were those who had made things difficult for him, but never to this degree. But instead of being upset or even frustrated about it to a degree, he was more than satisfied with things. Any sort of challenge gave room for improvement, and although he was twenty-seven himself, it helped to further hone his skills. In his line of work especially, there was hardly any room for weakness, if any at all.

The description had seemed simple enough: take any members of the Lower City Renegades swoop biking gang out of comission. Whether that was by killing or simply restraining them was up to him, but proof of death was required. Unfortunately enough he'd had to dispose of two, but the others had managed to escape relatively unscathed. One, however, he had managed to restrain with the use of stun cuffs. His employers hadn't made note of whether the man was Force sensitive or not, so Rhen had assumed it wouldn't be an issue, or he would have settled on better restraints.

Now all that was left to do was bring the man back to his employers, those he didn't know by name but rather by location. If he had to guess, he would have said that it was most likely a rival gang that had insinuated the bounty, something unsurprising on a planet such as Taris. Surprisingly enough they had made decent business partners, but he wasn't inclined to stick around and see if that would hold. For the moment all he was concerned with was making his way back to the ship he'd been given to complete the task. The capture had gone routinely enough, but he was continually half-expecting the man to try something in order to escape. The last thing he expected was a gang member of all individuals to go down so easily.

[member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

Spitting mad, Diego Ticon trudged along the streets of the Lower City with a wily bounty hunter who had ambushed his gang, the Lower City Renegades. The durasteel cuffs were chaffing against his wrists, he had a blaster to his back, and his captor had just taken out two of his buddies. Diego Ticon was not having a good day at all.

In desperation, the young swoop biker jeered at the man. "Usually when someone puts me in cuffs, they at least buy me dinner first," he snarled. Karking bounter hunter parasites he thought to himself as he was pushed along. When his quip was met with cold silence, he tried another tactic. "I think you have a case of mistaken identity, my friend. I ain't with the Renegades. Totally different gang, my man."

Diego hoped that the man wasn't familiar with LCR gang tattoos since they literally covered his arms. He waited to see what the hunter's retort would be. If he couldn't talk his way out of this, he had a secret weapon. Too bad it wasn't one he was entirely sure how to use yet.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

The fact that the man would try to talk his way out of things wasn't surprising, nor did he expect anything less. But, rather unfortunately for the one he had captured, Rhen knew exactly who it was he had hunted, and had taken great pains to ensure that he was indeed after the correct gang, and not some offshoot or subgroup. "I know who it is I'm looking for, or I wouldn't have bothered. Unfortunately for you, your paklalat won't save you this time." His Basic was fluent enough, though he spoke with an accent that, although foreign, was hard to place. The single word he spoke in Mando'a seemed to flow easier off of his tongue.

Though typically kindhearted under any other circumstance, when he was on a job, he was all business. There had been a time in the past where he would have entertained the man's sarcastic comments, but that era was long past. Now his only concern was receiving his credits from his employers and perhaps returning to Mandalore for a time before heading out once more. His way of life may have seemed monotonous to some, but the life of a warrior was never without its pitfalls and surprises. Least of all when one took up other professions on the side.

Due mostly to the fact that they were still in the Lower City of Taris he hadn't conceded that the mission was coming to a close just yet, knowing it was completely possible that the others of the gang he hadn't managed to root out would attempt a rescue or a diversion to whisk his captive away. It was something he'd taken into consideration, and an eventuality he had prepared for as well. Should anyone try something, the bounty hunter would be more than ready.

[member="Diego Ticon"]

Mando'a

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

Seething with white-hot rage, Diego continued to walk the streets with his captor. He had no idea who had placed the bounty as it could have been half the gangsters in the Lower City. Whoever it was, they were sure to have him tortured or killed. He had to get away somehow. "Look man, whatever you're getting paid, the Renegades will double it. I swear." It was another shot in the dark. The Lower City Renegades were a bunch of scruffy Nerf herders who were well-known for reneging on their end of whatever bargains they struck. It was never going to fly.

And sure enough, no dice. The man just kept on walking, barely giving Diego a second glance. With no other options, the young thug played his wildcard. He concentrated deeply on calling upon his Force powers, especially the ones which fed on his anger and fear. After a few minutes of intense concentration, the power unexpectedly came flooding through his body, almost like a demonic possession. He clenched his fists and with sheer will focused on the cuffs, unlocked them with his mind. Breathing heavily, Diego considered bolting immediately, but he thought that maybe it was best to get his wits about him first and figure out if the man had a holstered weapon he could make a play for. Training his blue eyes on the man pensively, he kept on walking.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]