Faction The Score: A Family Story.

[The guy tellin’ the story]

The undercity was full of secrets.

One of those secrets was guarded closer than most, passing only through word of mouth and only to those who needed to know.

Picture a narrow, weathered street in the heart of a poor port neighborhood. Tucked amidst the row of rundown buildings, you'll find the discreet entrance to the butcher shop. Its faded sign above the entrance simply reads "Tony's Meats."

As you step inside, the dimly lit space greets you with a nostalgic, old-world ambiance. The air carries the unmistakable scent of freshly cut meat, mingling with hints of aging wood and spices. The worn linoleum floor creaks under your footsteps, a testament to years of use.

The layout of the shop is compact, with rows of meat counters lining the walls. Display cases showcase an impressive variety of cuts, from prime rib to succulent sausages. The glass surfaces are slightly fogged, giving them a well-worn charm. Hanging above are various cured meats and sausages, adding a touch of rustic authenticity.

Towards the back, hidden from view, there is a discreet door leading to a second walk-in freezer. It's colder and eerily quiet, the hum of machinery faintly audible. Inside, the low temperature is palpable, creating a chilling atmosphere. Shelves line the walls, stacked with boxes of cash, each meticulously organized and wrapped in protective layers.

The butcher shop is a local favorite, known for its high-quality meats and friendly, albeit guarded, staff. Tony, the owner, is a stout man with a gruff voice but a kind heart. Regulars often share stories of his generosity, discreetly helping those in need within the community.

The shop's clientele mostly consists of locals who appreciate the affordable prices and trust the quality of the products. While not well known beyond the immediate vicinity, the butcher shop holds a certain mystique, with whispers of its connections to the underworld floating among the more astute locals.

Anyone stupid or desperate enough to try and steal from this butcher shop would have to navigate the delicate balance of secrecy, avoiding the prying eyes of both Tony and the mob. The allure of the hidden second walk-in freezer filled with cash makes it a tempting target, but entering Tony's Meats unnoticed would be a challenging feat.

A hit during business hours would be suicide but at night…

One of the biggest score’s on Coruscant waited inside and yet those responsible left it with alarmingly little protection. No more than two guards at a time, some nights there were no guards aside from the silent alarm and Tony himself who lived in a small apartment above the butcher shop, armed with little more than a sawed-off.

The score was there. Was anyone dumb enough to go for it?

The Vulptex @The Family

 

[The Vulptex]

Cracking a joint like that was a tough ask. But to a trained thief, it wasn't too much. Problem one: Getting the guards out of the way. Solution: Light a nearby building alight.

Smoke filled the air as fire erupted from the building next door. The fire alarm rang through the air of the night, a small flame igniting what looked to be a dumpster that had been left out in the street. How did it get there? All that was seen was the garbage collection droids leaving it there the night before. But the fire quickly caught the building it was next to alight.


The guy tellin’ the story

 

[The guy tellin’ the story]

In the darkness of what passed for night in the undercity, Tony's was closed and to the unobservant was empty but to those who knew to watch closely, every once in a while through the shades in the blackness of the shop a light could be seen. It wasn't large, nothing more than a spark, a trick of the eye most likely, there one second, gone in the next and back again.

Inside Tony's two young men sat on a pair of empty crates and passed a lit spliff of spice back and forth. The two men, no, the teens, were both Korunai, an increasingly common sighting around these parts of the Capital lately. They were members of a street gang and tonight they were on guard duty.

"Got damn man, why we gotta be sitting in this mutha sucka all night." One of the guards asked.

He was clean shaven and dark skinned without a blemish or mark on his face that looked so young he was more likely to be mistaken for being twelve and not his actual sixteen years. The streets being as creative as they are, this dude was called Baby

"You got somewhere better to be fool?"the second guard asked. They called him Silo and it's probably better you didn't ask why.

While Baby looked innocent enough Silo was downright terrifying. An incident from when he was locked up —an enemy threw a pot of boiling water in his face— left the right side of Silo's face scarred and him blind in that eye. He was saving up for a prosthetic but that chit weren't cheap so for now the socket was just empty. A void as unwelcoming as the nineteen year old's personality.

"Hell yeah!" Baby says. "In yo sista." The kid laughed like he had said the funniest thing ever

"Fuxk you say boy?" Silo asked, sharp as a knife.

"Chill dude, my bad." Baby said, still laughing. "It was to momma I was posed to see tonight." He cracked up again.

"Fuxk you! Stupid mutha sucka!" Silo got to his feet in a way that could only be described as menacing. He lifted his shirt to expose the butt of the pistol tucked in the front of his waistband.

"Man, sit down mutha sucka." Baby said, unfazed by the threat. He held the spliff out for the older gangster to take but Silo didn't move. The standoff was tense but was interrupted by an alarm going off.

"Fuck, I thought this place had a silent alarm?" Baby asked, confused.

"Nah, fool that chit ain't the alarm that's a fuxkin fire alarm look!" Silo pointed to the orange glow that could be seen through the slats of the blinds on the window.

"What do we do? Do we get the old man out?" Baby asked panicked now instead of confused.

"Nah, fuxk that." Silo said, looking out through the blinds. "We ain't bout to catch on fire and I sure as chit ain't leaving the chit unless I got to, feel me."

"I feel you." Baby said trying to be as sure about it as Silo.

The score remained protected. The guards were now on alert. Darkness, once the ally of the thief was now assailed by the light of flames and time was no one's friend as surely someone would come along to put out the blaze.

The Vulptex

 

[The Vulptex]

The fire didn't work. Shame. With the fire department soon on their way, a thief would have to be quick now. Or at least, quick to enter.

Lucky for a thief, the fire also made a great cover for what happened next.

All of a sudden, the two teens were in the dark. The whole block had gone dark. A later inspection would find the electrical wires leading to the block cut by some sort of blade. High Voltage too, so whomever had done it knew what they were doing. Of course, that was hours from now. For now, only the flame from the burning building next door illuminated the now defenseless butchers' shop.

The guy tellin’ the story

 

[The guy tellin’ the story]

The energy in the shop became tense when the two teens noticed that the block lost power. They were young and high but they weren't stupid. They knew they were sitting on some valuable chit and they had been told over and over that no one was stupid enough to try and take this stash but one day someone might get desperate enough

A noise in the dark too close for comfort made both boys yell. Silo turned with his blaster raised and found himself staring at the silhouette of the old man, a sawed off scattergun in his hands.

"Careful old man, I almost blew yo mutha fuckin head off." Silo said, waving his blaster around wildly in the dark.

"Yeah, sure kid." Tony said relaxing his grip on his scattergun.

Tony curled his hand like he was holding an invisible beer bottle and made a gesture like shaking a pair of dice as he rolled his eyes

"What the fuck is goin on?"

The power to the block was out but the silent alarm was still active. The source of its power connected to a private grid. Spoiled meat could be replaced, credits weren't so easy.

Speed and silence would be the ally of thief in the dark

The Vulptex