Under the Microscope

[The Upright Man]

She had just departed from Brando the Hutt's Palace. The air was crisp and fresh. Lily was on the world of Cathar, striding along the footpath towards the spaceport, where she hoped to find a ship into Confederacy territory. She pulled up her datapad and gazed over the bounty that had been posted. She found herself placing her hand against the door of a cantina, pushing it open. The scent of alcoholic beverages overwhelmed her senses. She pulled herself through the fog of lit cigarettes as species of all nationalities gathered here. Her bottom found an empty seat as she poured over the data before her. Usually the Guild would handle the process of rewards after a successful mission, but she wasn't up for that. It was illegal and against rules to hack into the Guild network, but who would find out?

What seemed like minutes had actually been hours. Code as endless as the oceans of Mon Calamari and as hard to push through as the behemoth hurricanes of Glee Anselm. Though she was getting there. Her fingers tapped beyond a rate for common sense. Her mind lost itself in the moment, the challenge. Codes dripped away, holonet protocols were revealed. She didn't have a name, but she had an inbox so-to-speak. She could get a message through. Kicking two feet onto the table, she pushed herself back into the chair, unknowingly messaging [member="Anika Od'Manteiv"].

"I'm looking to claim your bounty, but tracing an anonymous message on the holonet is no easy business. What help you got to offer?"

She left no name. Her own current Holonet Protocol would bounce the message off various clueless recipients before landing back on her datapad, making it harder to trace. Even then, there was no identification on her Holonet Protocol that would identify her, but merely source a way to find her via coordinates.

[member="Alli Wren"]

 

[Tilda Sai]

[member="Luminous"]

The query would pop into MICO’s sights soon enough. Standard protocol would offer the following.

//: Subject: Imminent threat against Protectorate territories, citizens, and assassination request against the Heads of State.
//: Holonet request found within the twelve hour period allotted to the Confederacy of Independent Systems to evacuate.

The following message was discovered first within the area of Druckenwell, suggesting origin is within the system.


Know how to use a gun? Want some credits, Word is someone somewhere has promised payment to any and all willing to fight the OP by joining up with CIS forces. That is right all you need to do is insure that you are an approved ally for any invasion you might want to join.. Attacking the Omega Protectorate on their own soil earns you even more credits. That is right, whether you want to bomb them or kill their leader, you provide proof and you will be paid.


The following encrypted file has annotated copy of all transponder codes and data information gleaned from Protectorate Crystal Grav Traps.

Included are all the notable data information from the salvaged datacores to pinpoint specific areas with targeted holonet access, narrowing down sources to specific Confederate or non Protectorate aligned ships.

Further inquiry has determined that the origin is not that of Druckenwell, suggesting a further narrowing of the ships in orbit.

Information shall be updated as more is acquired.

 

[Harland Gates]

Only a handful of places were registered star-ports on the planet of Cathar. Most of it was devoid of any technology to speak of, or even a real urban environment. The cat-like people that dominated the planet were hunters by trade, and most of them were just as feral when it came to that task. That didn't meant that they were cut off from the Galaxy though, plenty of them had set sail through the black abyss and found new worlds and new homes. The Mandalorians had already dominated the planet a while back, and while they still let the Cathar maintain control, they'd seen plenty of tech pass through the grassy planes of their homeworld. It stood to reason why the star-port Cantina was such a bustling social watering hole for the very slight mix of other sentient beings. Nearly every stool taken, every booth occupied and a couple of people were just standing around listening to almost drowned out stereo that played some selection of music that wasn't exactly contemporary. For the attentive, or the non-deaf variety of the Cathar people, the sound in the corner booth though was a little more lively than the rest.

"No...I said I'd pay you fifteen percent after I came back from Bogdun." A seemingly irritated near-human male said to the two creatures currently occupying the booth. Gate's right forefinger jabbed at the flimsi and pushed it forward. "I didn't sign on for thirty-five and Janta knows it." He continued as he stood up from his seat to fish out a data-chip for their pad to transfer the funds. His companions at the moment were a dark black furry Cathar, and his partner in all things criminal was an equally unpleasant Dug. They had a very unique height difference, but they were just as fierce as the other.

"The price just went up to forty percent spacer, you wanna run that mouth some more?" The Dug spouted through his low hissing tones, hopping up onto the table and kicking the flimsi aside. "Janta said if you didn't pay this time, than we get to find out how many hits it takes to get to the candy prize." The articulated digit of what was normally referred to as the Dug's feet pointed right at his chest, tapping on his dusty blue toned shirt. The Cathar at his side just chuckled, as he flexed his furred arms, and crossed them over his chest. A pair of fangs shown with his overly pleased smile.

"Okay look, I know you guys are itching to scrap, but honestly...don't you think Janta would want the credits and me breathing to get the rest instead of..." He was cut off as the Dug leapt forward and used both 'feet' to push him against the wall, the Cathar followed up by grapping the scuff of his red leather jacket and forcing him to the rear, aiming to take this conversation outside. "I'll take that as a no....seriously guys I can get the money, that race was rigged anyway...." He just kept talking, and they just kept walking to push him through the door leading to the back alley. "Man you're strong." Gates commented as the larger Cathar gave him a toss and threw him to the ground, the both of them exiting the door afterwards. Harland rolled to the ground several times before he started to get to his feet. This was not going well, and he certainly had expected to talk his way out of this situation...but that rarely happened.

"What are you thinking Thane...four, maybe five until we get to bust'em open?" The Dug asked with a devious tone to his vocals as he kept a watchful pair of eyes on the fallen Nyranian.

"Less." came the low growl from out of Thane's throat as he stepped forward, and drew his right leg up and leveled a kick directly into Harland's stomach. Gates groaned as the breath was knocked out of him in one blow falling down to his knees again. Both hands instinctively reached to his stomach holding it as he lamented on the ground. "Come Gates, I like to play with my food first." The feral beast looked at the spacer with all the delight of a cat with a new toy. Thane came closer again, bringing his meaty paw up to lift Harland from the ground. A smirk touched the spacer's lips before he lifted his right hand out and leveled and uppercut directly into the Cather's exposed jaw. A full set of plasteel knuckles rested over his closed fist and plowed into his opponent. A sickening crack was heard next before the furred beast stumbled back, letting go of Gates and smashing into the dumpster behind him...dazed, injured but not out yet.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you that a clawed foot doesn't compensate for a glass jaw." Hal spit out as he adjusted his jacket just in time to see the Dug leap at him. Wrong move. Twisting his torso to the side, his hand snatched out and grabbed on of the Dug's long legs and whipped him around, sending him to the other side of the alley. "Having a special on Dug legs tonight at the Cantina, I hear it's a delicacy." While not exactly a man able to resist the allure of a 'sure thing' in a betting situation, he was certainly able to hold his own against loan sharks and their hired muscle.

[member="Luminous"]

 

[The Upright Man]

[member="Harland Gates"] | [member="Anika Od'Manteiv"]

She watched the data begin to stream across the monitor of her datapad. She knew what to do. Whilst it was no easy feat to track down a singular being on the Holonet, the information given to her drastically reduced the difficulty of her endeavour. Although the problem with the time perimeter she was given of the messages date of origin was that at such a time - the holonet had been going wild with information. Thousands upon thousands of articles, governments, journalists and all varieties of media and outlets harvested the information of sudden war and spewed it across the galactic holonet. "Gee, this will be a doozy," she said, about to begin. That was, until she was interrupted.

She watched an altercation between three different species. None of them were her own kind. Though she only needed to hear one word from the increasing volume of their discussion, spacer. Exactly the kind of person she needed to get off this planet and into Confederate territory. She not only intended to find the person responsible for this message, but she planned on bringing them back to confront the Protectorate. She would surely get a bigger pay check, and that is all she lived for; the credits. Her eyes scanned the cantina before falling back upon the trio. He was in trouble, and no one else looked ready to help him. Her eyes followed their movement as they left through the back entrance. Lily took her time, slowly pulling her crossed feet off the table. Sliding her datapad back into a pouch upon her thigh. Her helmet remained over her head.

The door parted way for her arrival, strolling outside. She was surprised by the sudden sunlight, having almost forgotten it was still day. Cantina's in spaceports were usually dark and full of filth - the criminal kind. She crossed her arms, watching the encounter. Lily wore an armorweave bodysuit, with only a chestplate and helmet to provide that extra bit of defence. She was hardly ready for a full fledged firefight, but she never participated in those anyway. Unless you consider sitting in a window at one-thousand yards with an anti-material rifle to be a firefight. At last, the man defended him. Brutally bringing down his opponents. Harland spoke to his defeated foes, "Having a special on Dug legs tonight at the Cantina, I hear it's a delicacy."
"Really?" Lily asked, stepping forward. She glanced down to the two, Dug and Cathar, then back to Harland, "That's the line you went for." She offered her hand in greeting, "You can call me Luminous, hun. I hear you're a spacer. Happen to be flying into Confederate territory anytime soon?" By her lack of care from the physical violence, she was clearly one who had seen much of it.

 

[Harland Gates]

Dust and rubble fell from the leather jacket as Harland stood up after dealing with the two amateurs that Janta had set to claim her prize. Of course it was a woman who wanted to cause Gates pain, or take his money. At least he could agree with the latter, they seemed to always want to do that. She wasn't the only one after him though, not by a long shot. There was a long line of people that wanted a piece of the pilot; but Gates was not a sharing man. The Dug across the way started to rouse himself to what that species laughably called standing, snarling at the spacer who'd tossed him out like last night's garbage. Thane was also starting to come to, and piece together the fact that his busted jaw didn't mean that his fists couldn't move. A familiar whine of two MT-14 pistols rang out as Gates aimed the pieces at both of the species.

"Don't, just don't." He said, in a disappointing tone to the both of them. However, while a blaster bolt between the lids of each would have been appreciated, he knew that they would tell the tale better alive, and buy him some more time with the payment. Janta liked Gates about as much as she did her next spinal injection, but he was a good person in the Galaxy to have in her debt. That was honestly why he wasn't already killed, that and sleeping with him a couple of times hadn't hurt either. That however was still a sore subject with her. "You can tell her that your time in the bacta tank is coming out of what I owe." Hal surmised for the two thugs as he watched a somewhat armored figure descend the steps into the alley questioning his choice of words. While it was a protective suit, complete with a face obscuring helmet, he noted the gait of her walk. Yup, female. Could they ever resist his charm? Lets steer back on subject. Both blasters slid forward before he thought better of it and flipped them over his fingers, and then slid each into the dual holster he wore just under his jacket.

"You should try them sometime. Seared and baked is my favorite." He offered with a shrug as the grumbling of the now limping Dug only snarled at the comment. "We should probably talk where the company isn't clearly plotting to do a dance on my spine." He offered shifting his posture and wincing as he did with the bruised ribs he'd encountered with Thane's heavy punch. He'd taken a hard hit, and delivered an even better one. Plasteel knuckle guards; worth every credit. Gates pushed the door back open and stepped into the Cantina once more, getting right back into the booth he had been so rudely ejected from. He preferred one on one anyway - better odds. Thane and the as of yet unnamed Dug wouldn't be bothering him this round, not when he had company that was sporting armor. They knew their chances of dealing with Janta were already on thin ice as it were.

"Luminious it is then. I'm Gates." He offered relaxing back onto the curved cushioned section of the booth, lifting the unfinished Jawa Juice and throwing back a swig. "Confederate, Republic, Moross...doesn't really matter. Sky is sky. Be it black and dotted with shiny lights, or clouds and atmo." Hal didn't have a real grasp on the concept of ownership and territory when it came to sailing across the Galaxy. What he did pay attention to were credits - every last one of them. "I'm assuming you need a ride.." He began again, letting the cup slide back down to the table. "Jaunt like that will need some more friends for the trip. The small kind, the spendable kind." The resting datapad that hadn't been touched was slid towards Luminious absently. He wanted a transfer of funds to ship her into CIS space.

[member="Luminous"]

 

[The Upright Man]

She trailed after him back to his booth where she gracefully slid down into an empty seat. Her eyes turned to his as he spoke, "Confederate, Republic, Moross...doesn't really matter. Sky is sky. Be it black and dotted with shiny lights, or clouds and atmo."
"Oh'kay, I get it. You fly a lot, boy," she said, raising both hands in mock surrender.
"I'm assuming you need a ride.." [member="Harland Gates"] began again, letting the cup slide back down to the table. "Jaunt like that will need some more friends for the trip. The small kind, the spendable kind."
"Cut the blabber, spacer," she said, making a quick chopping motion with her right hand. She continued on, "You could just tell me you wanted credits. I'm not going to squeal and run." She took the datapad from his grasp, slapping in a series of bank accounts details and immediate transfer. 5,000 credits. "You can have another ten when you get me there." She didn't care for his ship, just the ride. Though just to be cautious, she slid the datapad back, slouched into her chair and offered the question. "What you got flying?"

 

[Harland Gates]

A woman who didn't like his mouth - well that was all too familiar for Gates' track record. A lot of what got him into hot water with the ladies, and other people of ill-repute was the fact that he didn't shut his trap for two seconds and let things marinate. He had to keep his mouth flapping, whether he was digging himself a deeper grave, or actually winning an argument. There were also the cases where he knew better and removed the shoe from his mouth only to insert the other one, but he could also take care of himself as was already seen. The bright eyed Keshiri before him would have none of his fluffed up speech and required things plain and simple. He could do that, he'd have to try, but he could adapt to the needs, especially when she was wiling to fork over enough to buy herself a decent ship for just a ride into the Confederacy faction controlled sector of the Galaxy. He didn't have a particular beef with that faction or any one faction really. There were plenty of people that wanted to do more malicious things to him, but not on an entire faction level.

"Fifteen large for a one way ticket to the Independents, I wager you need to be there yesterday." Hal offered with a smirk as he took a swig of the Jawa Juice and let his his coral eyes pass over the fair complexion of his would be passenger. The ship wasn't a luxury liner by any stretch of the imagination, but what it lacked in leg-room, it made up for in speed and maneuverability. That's generally how he liked to fly. He wasn't a smuggler per-say, but he'd charter a ferry across the Galaxy and back for the right price, and Luminious had already offered well and above that. "I've got a HWK-290 sitting in the dock. She's an older model, but she'll get ya where ya need and then some." Boys and there toys, the ships were always female. It was a classic statement that didn't get passed over by Gates. His name for her though was certainly not as attractive as the ship itself was. "Any particular planet you're looking to touch down on?" The Confederate space was somewhat specific, but they had influence over several dozen worlds and moons in that sector.

The Datapad on the table between them beeped and buzzed at that point, as Gates received a call from the one and only Janta. His finger was held up as he needed to deal with this before they could get be on their merry. He flipped the pad up and let the call ring through. On screen the face of a rather ill-tempered Zeltron woman with raven black hair tied up tight in a bun peered at him with thinned eyes and a sour expression.

"Gates, I do not appreciate you ruining good muscle just to make a point. And where exactly is that fifteen percent you promised me? Hmm? Don't make me track you down spacer, you know I can, and I don't forget debts." She snapped at him, every word dripping with venom.

"Janta." Gates said with a smooth smile. "Your boys were a little uppity, thought they could bargain for more than I offered, and then we had a disagreement. Something about where Thane's jaw should be, and if his mouthy Dug friend needed prosthetic limbs." His hand waved absently, which made the red skinned woman all the more aggitated. "So next time, don't send meat heads if you're looking to deal - and if they didn't tell you I'm deducting their medical bills from what I owe, but don't worry sweetheart, you'll get what's coming to ya."

"Run Gates, run before I fin.." Click. And the holo-chat ended, his face was a mask of smug self confidence as he peered up at his current client and downed the rest of the Jawa Juice before him.

"Shall we?"

[member="Luminous"]