Two Cats, One Mouse

[Atton Korvas]

It wasn't the first time the Courier had to work with somebody else to collect a bounty. Some people just seemed not to trust him enough and insisted on sending at least two people after whoever troubled them enough to send a death-squad after. This time it was a small-time crime boss, smuggling deathsticks and other drugs into the planet Nubia to sell them by illegal means. Some law-enforcement agency in Nuba city was sure this man was trouble, but they didn't have the slightest evidence to prove that point. So they had secretly placed a nice bounty of fifty thousand credits on his head.

Unfortunately for the Courier, when he talked to the mysterious man who placed the bounty, the man had already hired another merc—some guy called [member="Daniel Tresk"].

The more, the merrier, he had told the Courier. You can't take Merrik down singlehandedly anyway.

The Courier strongly disagreed on having some random amateur slow him down, but the bigot had insisted, and finally the bounty hunter was seduced by the fifty thousand credits he'd been offered.

His target's name was Merrik Decameron, a middle-aged human who, according to the agency who hired him, would be meeting some other individual in the outskirts of the city. Without Merrik's expertise, the band of thugs conducting the operation would eventually mess up and give the local authorities a nice reason to slot them. The man hiring him gave the Courier two possible meeting places: an abandoned factory to the easthern side of Nuba City, and a gas station several kilometers to its south. Needless to say, he'd probably have to wait until midnight.

"Don't keep your partner waiting," the mysterious man finally said. "He should be just outside the building."

The Courier nodded, frowning under his helmet, and walked off, hoping that his new 'partner' was not another Boba Fett wannabe. Those seemed to be popular these days. He left the government building and looked around, searching for Daniel Tresk between the countless speeders and pedestrians of Nuba City.

 

[Daniel Tresk]

Daniel quietly sipped from the whiskey he held in a simple paper bag. "Hey, you know your not supposed to be here. No loitering." A security guard condescendingly told the bounty hunter. "How about you don't tell your boss you fethin' bureaucrat, I don't shoot a hole through your head?" Dan responded with a cold and emotionless tone. The guard scrambled to yank his pistol out of the holster on his belt, only to see a gun aimed right between his eyes. "Do you really wanna do this?" The guard yelped, and raised his hands in the air. "Drop the gun, and just walk away." He commanded in a casual yet bored tone. He ran off, as Daniel went back to drinking from his beverage.

While he was never against working with a partner, he was extremely angered when his mysterious boss hired another merc behind his back, and only told him right before the mission was supposed to start. "Karkin' hutt-spawn..." He muttered under his breath as he thought about the whole situation.

Dan was told that he was supposed to kill some small-time dealer and crime lord by the name of Merrick Decal. Or was it Decaneron? He wasn't really interested in the reasoning of why his mark was wanted dead, as he only had ears for details involving the specifics of the assignment and anything involving payment. That's why the fact that another bounty hunter was called in without his knowledge angered him so much.

He scowled when he noticed the bottle was empty, which he tossed aside. The bottle shattered against the pavement, spilling shards of glass all across the sidewalk. However, Daniels attention was caught by the masked man walking out of the building, who he assumed was his partner. "Hey, buddy! You the guy workin' for the bounty?" Daniel asked in an uninterested tone.

[member="The Courier"]

 

[Atton Korvas]

"You the guy workin' for the bounty?"

Ah, his new 'partner' had found him. The Courier turned his gaze to the source of the voice. It was a scruffy-looking man, with a scar running across his left cheek and a long beard that didn't look very nice, at least to the Courier's eyes. This one didn't look like your average citizen, but wasn't the most intimidating figure either. The Courier didn't care much for looks though; even if it was the ugliest Weequay standing before him, he'd hold his judgement until he saw the man in action.

Is it too much to hope for some psychotic Gen'dai or battle-hardened Mando?

The tone of the man didn't sound too enthusiastic. The Courier nodded as an answer and approached Tresk. "Daniel Tresk?" he asked, his tone almost identical to his partner's, with the same...coldness. He extended his hand for shaking, something of a habit for him despite his not-so-friendly nature. "You can call me the Courier."

He couldn't trust this man with his real name yet. Besides, the Courier doubted that Tresk would care about the identity of the guy he would work with, as long as the credits flowed.

[member="Daniel Tresk"]

 

[Daniel Tresk]

'Oh karkin' Sithspit, we got ourselves a special snowflake.'
Daniel wasn't particuarly impressed with his coworker, especially since the man decided to go with a special nickname. Dan had worked with many bounty hunters before, and many aspired to be some kind of legendary outlaw known by his equally legendary nickname. However, many of them were a bunch of inexperience, naive lackwits who thought bounty hunting was the adult equivalent of tag. While illegal, it's a serious business that isn't based around looking cool in front of the galaxy. It's based around skill, courage and most of all, wit.

"Whats with the alias, o' mysterious loner? Have you saved the galaxy from the evil clutches of the Sith yet again?" The bounty hunter mockingly asked his partner. "I mean for the love of Jedi, what kind of 'serious' bounty hunter uses a nickname? It shows naivety." Daniel looked at his partner condescendingly, assuming he was a kid who was way out of his depth.

[member="The Courier"]

 

[Atton Korvas]

The Courier would have punched the man right there if he wasn't his new 'partner'. He'd do that later, once they were done with the bounty. No need to give the guy a reason to shoot him in the back while eliminating their target.

Besides, it wasn't the first time someone mocked his alias. The Courier tried to remain calm, hardly resisting the urge to just pull out his revolver and put a nice hole between Tresk's eyes. "Or could it be because I'm not particularly interested in giving you my real name, o' professional-bounty-hunter?" he replied coldly, staring the man down before adding, "If you're looking for a fight, now is the place...partner."

If the man was foolish enough to swing a punch, the Courier was more than ready to defend himself and beat Tresk unconscious.

[member="Daniel Tresk"]

 

[Daniel Tresk]

Daniel dryly chuckled as he saw "The Courier's" aggravated body language. "If ya' didn't want to tell me your name, all ya' had to do was say it, 'stead of introducin' yourself with the nickname. How 'bout you share the fact you don't want to share?" He replied to his partner. Dan was trying to hold back a torrent of laughter that was threatening to come out at any moment. However, his mirth at his comrades explanation was interrupted when he challenged him to a fight. Daniel had spent years on Coruscant fighting with both guns and his hands, so he could handle himself when it came to blows.

However, Daniel was a smart man. He quickly swung up his SMG and shoved it into his partners face. "Do you really wanna try that 'fore we even start the mission?" He coolly asked.

[member="The Courier"]

 

[Atton Korvas]

The Courier didn't flinch at the sight of the SMG aimed at his face. Why? Because he had raised his own revolver the moment he saw the man reach for his weapon. Now his revolver's barrel was almost touching Tresk's chest, ready to create a hole in there if words turned into actions. However, there was no point for him to kill or fight someone over almost nothing, especially if that someone was to help him eliminate a bounty. He'd try to keep his trigger finger from taking another life for now.

He slowly lowered his weapon, expecting Tresk to do the same. "No point in that," he said coldly. This new partner of his would be a pain in the ass, and the Courier would have to keep an eye on him, just in case he tried anything... stupid. "Now are we goin' after that bounty? Or would you rather keep squabbling here?"

[member="Daniel Tresk"]

 

[Daniel Tresk]

'What a pain in the ass.' Daniel thought as he lowered his weapon. This guy seemed less like a bounty hunter and more like a cheesy Holonet movie star, someone who imagines himself involved in adventures of intrigue and high-octane action. Daniel smirked as he saw the revolver aimed at his chest. It wouldn't do any harm to him, as he wore the finest grade matieral, but it was rather comforting to know his partner was rather skilled when it came to drawing their weapon.

"Only if you'd like to Skywalker. Now, lets get down to business: I was thinking we should head to the gas station down the road, as I doubt our target would go to the factory. While he doesn't know 'bout the bounty, he would know people are out to get 'im, so he wouldn't go somewhere secluded. Now, if you even suggest we split up, I will disagree, though I'd love to be without you. He's small-time, but he manages to pack some serious heat. Do you think that's a good idea, or should we go in guns blazing and rescue the damsel in distress?" Dan asked condescendingly.

[member="The Courier"]

 

[Atton Korvas]

And now the guy was lecturing him about strategy. Well, at least he had it right. Decameron, if he knew that he was being hunted, which the Courier assumed he did, wouldn't be in a secluded spot, where someone can easily take him out without worrying about local authorities and the such. Even if he wasn't there, they could always go check the factory.

The Courier crossed his arms and nodded, ignoring his coworker's condescending attitude. Normally, he'd rather go in guns blazing and shoot whoever's on his way, but this time his target was out in the open. Which meant he probably had men among the dozens of civilians around the gas station, or maybe even a couple of snipers. Sure, the Courier was suicidal, but not suicidal enough to waste his life in such a stupid and meaningless way. "That's where I'd go too. If the man knows he's being hunted, he's gon' have thugs in civvie clothing all around him. So I say we scope the area out, find a nice little spot on top of a building and wait till he arrives. Then we shoot the bastard and get the kark out." He said, before pausing for a moment. "Pretty simple, eh? Or would you rather go in 'guns blazin'?"

The Courier would have loved to use Tresk as bait to lure Decameron and his thugs out. But the bounty hunter wouldn't be stupid enough to do that.

"Ah, and our friends at the Agency have prepped a speeder for us. So let's stop wasting time here and get moving," he said as he started walking towards the building's parking lot without waiting for Tresk's answer.

[member="Daniel Tresk"]

 

[Daniel Tresk]

Daniel shrugged and began casually strolling towards the parking lot a couple of yards away from him. He saw the speeder, and whistled in appreciation. "Man, they really went all out on giving us the good stuff, didn't they?" The bounty hunter muttered, as he began walking around the vehicle. It was plated with some chrome metal that was tinted a dark blue, with yellow streaks splitting the middle. He grinned from ear-to-ear as he hopped on the speeder, and did a little circle in the lot. "I know this may seem stupid, but growin' up on Coruscant, you gotta learn to appreciate speeders, and this is one fine speeder!" Dan told his partner enthusiastically.

He began slowly driving towards the entrance to the parking lot, and honked the horn rapidly. "Hurry up! It's gettin' near dusk, and I ain't got all day!" He shouted at his fellow bounty hunter.

[member="The Courier"]

 

[Atton Korvas]

The speeder didn't seem like anything special to the Courier, except for its high-quality paintjob, but then again he wasn't really a speeder-enthusiast either, like his partner appeared to be. As long as it's fast and maneuverable. He nodded and entered the vehicle, taking a seat next to the other bounty hunter. Luckily for the duo, the road to the gas station seemed clear—the trip wouldn't take more than ten minutes.

The Courier was silent as Tresk drove the vehicle out of the parking lot and into the streets of Nuba City, studying his revolver to kill time until they arrived. Once they were there, it would simply be the matter of finding a nice vantage point, and wait for the bounty. Another relatively easy job...too easy for two bounty hunters. The guys at the agency hiring them must've reaaally hated that 'Decameron' fellow.

 

[Daniel Tresk]

The speeder came to a sudden halt, as Daniel parked about a block away from the gas station. "Alright, start helpin' me find a vantage point. Once we find one, I set up my sniper, you do whatever the feth you want, and bam! We are outta this chithole!" He stated as he began scanning the area around them. There was a few apartment buildings, and a large office building, but none of them had a good view of the station, and where their target was supposed to be.

"Ya' see anything? Anythin' at all?" Dan asked the Courier.

[member="The Courier"]