[IC] Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

STATUS: OPEN

Current Plot Arcs:

[Sep]

Paradise Main Hangar.
Currently Orbiting Illos Minor.

Tallick stepped out of his old Z-95, he couldn't afford to rent the hangar space so that meant hopping a shuttle. It amazed him that when this ship had been redesigned that they had managed to increase the hangar size significantly in a way that still retained structural integrity. He had remembered when the ship had come under attack, he had heard all about it. After all, who hadn't? The story of how the Exchange had managed to pull favours was pretty well known. Not to mention the example of what happened should anyone bring conflict to Paradise. Koren wasn't known for engaging in violence very often, though that was one of the rare cases and not many people who knew about Paradise and it's neutrality didn't know that story. Which was why he was especially nervous given what he was here to do.

He knew the dangers of this job, it would mean that he would never be able to return to Hutt Space ever again, but he'd have enough credits that he'd never have to worry about money ever again. The assassination of one of Boonattas Lieutenants was just the boost his employer needed after all in order to make a power play. He dodged as some form of probe droid went wizzing past. Looking like a single floating eye with an Antenna he looked back at it with disgust. So much for top quality service aboard this hunk of junk.

He moved along towards the security checkpoint. Several old battledroids were curled against the wall in sleep mode, while super battle droids stood beside the detectors scanning for contraband while at each scanner there were two Commando droids either side facilitating the process. Behind them he could see a Gotal dressed in a coat with furs carrying a datapad. Likely an organic in charge of the security checkpoint to make sure that no-one dried any funny business with any of the droids. As he approached one of the scanners a droid raised it's palm towards him. It spoke in a deep, meant to be intimidating voice. He was sure it likely was when these droids were everywhere during the clone wars. "Halt. Identify yourself and relinquish all weapons before entering Paradise."

Tallick sighed and opened his coat, as he pulled out a blaster pistol one of the inactive droids uncurled and moved over to collect it. "Names Tallick Orson."

"Your weapon will be secured and returned to you upon your departure. Please enter the scanner."

He stepped through the scanner, no alarm bells. Good, he had paid good money for the implant for this job he'd have hated for it to not be worth his time. Upon passing the checkpoint and passing through doors he was met with an emporium of doors, the ornate design took his breath away for a second and it upset him that he'd never be able to step foot here ever again. Straight ahead was an opening to the mid-level area. The resort held for those who would probably be deemed middle-class. Turbolifts towards the hull had droids standing outside them, that would take someone down towards the lower deck for the scum of the galaxy. He'd seen pictures and heard stories, it was still nicer than anything anywhere else in this filthy sector had to offer but it was easily the cheapest place. Many of those who paid to stay on Paradise for it's neutrality ended up there, after all even if you were a rich crime lord you could only stay on the upper level for so long.

It's turbolifts stood proud, ornate paintings on the doors as organics stood outside the doors. The best treatment for those with the most money. He moved over to one of the doors as the woman in a smart suit eyed him up, from his appearance he was virtually a nobody and nobodies didn't get to the upper level without a pass signalling that their presence had been requested, after all some liked to conduct their business in person without leaving the glamour behind. He simply smiled at her and pulled a holo-projector out in his palm and thumbed the activation. A pass holographically appeared.

She smiled. "One second sir." She held up a datapad to scan the document. Within a couple of seconds it pinged, she stepped back swiping a card on the turbolift, and the doors opened. "You'll find your employer on the fifth deck, room 209. Have a nice day." He knew exactly where to find her, after all this had been his mission for months. He had infiltrated her organisation and worked his way up to the point where he would get a job from her, in person. He smirked as the turbolift carriage raised, not even caring about the mundality of it. The idea that these went to the 'upper levels' as those with money felt they were better than people like him. Things like that would have annoyed him once. As the turbolift doors opened he walked over to the door of room 209, it opened to allow him access immediately.

The room was fancier than any other lodging he had ever seen. An ornate chair was turning away from him and he could faintly see legs dangling. This was all too easy. Then as he got closer a droid exact to the one he had seen earlier in the hangar raised up and turned to face him. He stopped for a second, she never trusted droids. Why would this one be here?

Then the chair turned and instead of facing a Togruta he was face to face with a human man in a ruined trenchcoat and with old armour on his right shoulder. He was grey and his face riddled with lines. He was Koren Graeff, and he had a pistol pointed right towards his chest.

---

Paradise - Deck 5. Room 209.
Orbiting Ilos Minor.

"Did you honestly think I didn't know what was going on Tallick?" He pointed his pistol towards the bed, indicating that the man should sit. He had known this attack was coming for several months, naturally however he hadn't yet told his esteemed guest that she was a target for assassination. Instead he had given the would be assassin the wrong room. After all, one never revealed all his cards when playing sabaac. They waited until the last moment, after all that was the best way to win big. He raised his other arm, as if taking in his surroundings. "Do you honestly think anything happens on this ship without me knowing about it? Come on now, my reputation is better than this. Trying to kill one of my guests."

"Your guest-" The man practically spat the word in his face. "-Is a slave driver, who steals people from their families, tortures and breaks them and sells them to the highest bidder."

Koren wiped the trickles of spit off his face with his free hand. With his other he slid his pistol back in to it's holster. "My guests business is their own, so long as it does not harm the function, freedom, security or impartialty of this vessel. Those are things you and your employer have done, and there will be consequences-"

"You don't even know who my employer is. I've never even met them."

"Yes I am well aware that you have never actually met Timana in person. You've been very careful, I'm so very proud that people are starting to try and hide things from me. It's all very cute actually."

"If you go after him-" Koren raised a finger to shush the man.

"I know full well of Timanas power and influence, his fleet is second only to Boonattas and if I went after him directly he could easily cause major disruptions for my enterprise. Though really? I'm not that stupid. No, this is a minor annoyance and an inconvienance and I shall do the same to him. There'll be no retribution, because he won't want to play his hand just yet. This plot failed, and he knows I know about it. If he crosses me, he'll know I'll tell Boonatta and he's not ready to make his move yet, hence the secrecy around your employment."

He walked over to the wall and up to the screen that displayed a beautiful nebula. Tallick saw his chance and moved his hands together slowly, pulling at his right thumb the false implant came off, leaving him with a blow dart. It wasn't the target he was after, but his life was in jeapordy now. As he stood up slowly he heard the sound of a shot as his entire body went cold, Koren turned around as the droid that had discreetly moved behind Tallick moved into his line of sight with a smoking barrel hanging from it's chassis. Tallick fell to his knees.

"You know, it strikes me that there was an entire war where Droids were a major power in the galaxy, and people still underestimate them." Koren moved a hand over the the little droid and brushed his hand down it. "You'll be too young to remember it of course, so I won't blame you." Koren started walking out of the room, the droid hovering quite happily beside him. Though at the last moment he turned his head back, as if remembering something. His tone of voice changing from menacing to almost jovial. "Oh, and don't worry about your ship. I lined up a buyer two weeks ago." The door hissed closed and Tallicks dead body fell the floor.

Once the door closed he turned to the droid, he had never had names for his two recon droids. While he had many acting as drones on the ship these two had been with him for years, Loretta had taken to calling them Aurrie and Besh. The names had stuck, and it was actually easier having a way to address them. "Aurrie, pass word through central. I want Stin here to perform a delivery job to Timana, I'll give him full details when he arrives. He's also going to need protection, Timana isn't going to come after me however he's not known for his calm temprament and I'd rather not lose Stin and the Rapier because a Hutt has anger management issues."

He started walking down the corridor as he took the time to think, going through the list of hunters and mercenaries in his head. "I also want you to have the guestlist scanned for anyone who works protection details, someone who has worked mid or upper level though. I don't care if they're working for someone who can barely afford a drink, I want those that can hold there own whose presence is a little intimidating. Non-human or Mandalorian preferably, a human standing with a gun isn't going to put Timana off and then it's just a waste of credits."

Koren let out a heavy sigh as cleaner droids moved past him towards the room. Today was going to be a busy day.

[NightmareInd]

Paradise
Crew Quarters

Boqo awoke from the knocking on the door. He got upright, turned on the lights and quickly put on some clothes. "Come in." He said. One of the droids opened the door and walked in. "Koren has requested your presence at his office A.S.A.P." Boqo sighed, but with a smug. It meant not getting any rest, but it also probably meant he got to fly again. "Tell him I'm on my way." The droid nodded, then turned around and left the room, closing the door behind it.

Boqo's room wasn't much. It was one of the smaller single-person rooms of the crew. Koren had told Boqo that it was because the Rapier was worth a lot already, but truth be told Boqo was more than happy with his small room. He was out more on jobs than he was on the Paradise anyway, and on top of that he was used to living in small spaces with the time he spent in small ships. The few things he needed were present, which wasn't much to begin with. Running water, a bed and some private space was more than enough for the Mirialan.

He washed himself clean and put on the rest of his clothes. He walked out of his room and went straight past the rest of the bunks to the turbolift. Once in he used his crew pass to go to the floor of Koren's office. When the lift reached its destination, he got out and stopped in front of the first droid checkpoint. "HALT. State your identity and business." Boqo rolled his eyes. Some of the droids were fun, just not the ones standing guard. They were too boring, but then again it wasn't their jobs to be entertaining. That privilege was for the ones downstairs with the guests.

"Boqo Stin. I was requested to come to mister Graeff's office." The droid seemed to tune out for a bit before responding. "Identity confirmed. You may proceed." Boqo walked further down the hallway, untill he was a few feet from the office. In front of it was Ballick with some of the more elite droids. "Hey there, Ballick. The boss wanted to speak to me." Boqo said while spreading his limbs, knowing the procedure. Ballick made an annoyed growl, then commanded the droids to start to search him. After feeling Boqo from head to toe, they gave Ballick the all clear sign, who on his turn said something through a small intercom next to him on the wall. After he got a response from inside the office, he put in a code and opened the door for Boqo.

Once inside, he saw Koren. "You wanted to speak with me, Sir?" Boqo always called Koren 'Sir' when directly in front of him. It was a bit of a respect for the more experienced man that his parents always used to learn him, but also a respect for the man that gave him a new life aboard this ship. True, many people would describe Boqo as carefree and sometimes even reckless, but he knew what respect meant, especially for the man that gave him a Star Courier and a job, along with a place to live.

[Archmage MC]

Illos Minor

Low Orbit

Another day, another mission. The best part about being in Hutt space was all the contracts you could find as a bounty hunter and all the different and varied ways you could make credits on the side. It lived up to its 'lawless' reputation for sure, but then, that wasn't a bad thing considering just how much freedom that gave you. But now wasn't the time for idle thinking, Willoh had a job to do. Well rather, a delivery to make, she had already done the hard part in capturing her bounty.

Speaking of her prisoner, he wasn't the happiest of campers. Being captured by a droid did tend to make whoever was captured a bit depressed or angry, and this one was more of the latter. Of course his raging wouldn't do much of anything to the cell that Willoh had thrown him in, after all, humans were more on the weaker side of things without their weapons or tech. That didn't stop the guy from yelling colorful curse words up and down the ship, banging the walls of his cell and more or less annoying Willoh the whole trip. Thankfully they were approaching her client's abode, and she could drop off this noisy prisoner and collect her bounty.

Illos Minor

Surface

Willoh's client, a man named Lumos, had a thing for old artifacts and the money to acquire them. This was quite clear by his property, showing wealth and power, yet having a bit of an older spin to it than the more modern buildings on Illos. Landing on the ship pad outside of his property, Willoh walked out of the ship, prisoner in hand. And much like bounties of the past, once he was out of the ship, he tried to make a break for it, even with his hands cuffed. He didn't go far though, as Willoh was right there and well, she wasn't as clunky as some other droids the guy was probably accustomed to. "Now Now, no need to run. Shouldn't have stole that artifact in the first place." Willoh said, tightening her grip on his wrists as she pushed him forward.

When they approached the looming building, Lumos stepped out, escorted by some bodyguard droids. He looked at the scoundrel that Willoh had caught with detest before saying. "Good job Bounty Hunter." Ordering his droids to take Willoh's prisoner off her hands, the droids gaging him as he began to speak, taking him to who knows where, Lumos asked "I trust you also have the item he stole?" Nodding, Willoh reached behind her back and pulled a small metal cube with blue lights on each face from her back, making sure that the others thought she was just grabbing it from a hatch on herself. "There you go sir!" Willoh said, handing over the strange artifact to the man.

Keeping a business face, Lumos transferred Willoh's bounty to her account, and with a slight bow, left the bounty hunter droid to her devices. It was nice having a client who was professional for once, as her past few had made remarks like "Wow, I didn't know a droid can do that" or "I figured a droid would've died doing this bounty" or the like. Well, even if this client had those thoughts, he didn't share any of them. Boarding her ship, Willoh took off back into orbit, browsing the holonet for her next job and a bit of entertainment, her face looking much less serious than it had been when she was on the job.

[EliteCommander]

Paradise

Upper Level Hallway

Sirka was stood in front of a balding, middle-aged Human man: her client. He was somewhat overweight, and dressed in clothes that showed off his wealth far too much for her tastes. Of course, in the upper levels of Paradise, he fit right in. It was a place made to cater to the wealthy and powerful. Just in the hallway alone, she could see that it was perfectly clean, and even with fine artwork on the walls and a polished droid guard on every corner. For Sirka, this client had been somewhat irritating to work for with his general paranoia, but for the sake of her own professional reputation, she could keep being nice.

The Human rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He spoke with a pronounced Corellian accent, which made him seem all the more an outsider. “Look, I just really think I could use you here. I don’t like the idea of being alone with them. Even I know the reputation of these people.”

Sirka was not an individual that a stranger would consider “calming” or “gentle.” In fact, many people she met ended up being nervous around her, for quite understandable reasons. She was a giant compared to most species, with more muscle in one leg than some had in their entire bodies. The claws on her hands and feet could easily disembowel, and she had a massive, toothy maw that might remind one of a Krayt Dragon. Her client had been terrified of her for a while after meeting her, but that changed once she ended up breaking the legs of a Trandoshan thug back on Nar Shaddaa that had tried to shake the Human down. Now, it seemed like he only felt safe when he knew she was nearby. Personally, Sirka almost preferred it when he had been afraid.

Regardless, Sirka hunched down slightly to be more on his level. “Sir, Genrick, we’ve been through this. The dangerous part of this little venture of yours is over. We got through your meetings back on Nar Shaddaa unscathed. Now, Paradise is basically the safest place in the whole of Hutt space. No one starts trouble here; you’ll be fine. You know I’d go in there with you if I could, but they made it very clear that no one’s security is allowed to sit in. You said this deal’s important to you, and I’m not about to be responsible for sabotaging it. If someone tries something, Paradise has plenty of security to put a stop to it.” She said, motioning to the battle droid down the hallway.

The Corellian turned his head to look back at the droid, unimpressed. “How am I going to feel safe with just those relics for protection?”

“Relic or no, those droids are still deadly. And if there’s trouble, they’ll report it automatically. So, if anyone starts trouble, they’re not getting off the station unless they can destroy every single droid inside it. You know what that means? No one is going to start trouble unless they’re suicidal. That means you’re going to be perfectly fine. You’ll get through this last meeting, then you can get on a transport straight back to the Core.”

The Human took in a deep breath. “Okay, you’re right. It is hardly like I am in the slums anymore.”

Sirka put on a fake smile and patted her client’s shoulder. “Good, very good. Now, I can’t loiter in this hall, so I’m going to be in that nightclub we passed by earlier. Just a floor down. If you need me, I’m only a call away.” She said, tapping a claw against the communicator device on the side of her head.

Once her client was finally confident enough to part from her, Sirka headed back to the lift to get back to one of the lower levels. As soon as the doors closed, she breathed out a sigh of relief. She quite needed the break from babysitting.

Paradise

Nightclub

The club that Sirka was going to be spending her break did give her a few reminders of home. It was lively and exciting, with plenty of lights and fast-paced musing. There was a dense crowd, scantily-clad Twi’leks, and more alcohol among the patrons than there was bad dancing. But, it still had a certain amount of class to it that did not exist back on Nar Shaddaa. At the very least, it was not nearly as filthy. It was certainly a place that Sirka could have a good time, but she had not chosen it randomly. She had someone of her own to meet.

Despite her size, Sirka did not have much issue moving through the crowd. People tended not to stay in her way for long. She walked up to the bar and leaned over onto it, entirely ignoring the stool that was far too small for her. Sitting next to her was a Togruta woman with skin that was primarily dark-orange, with bland and white bands on her lekku, as well as white stripes on other parts of her body. It was Sirka’s sister, Delni Rhiko. She was wearing a sleek black dress that hugged tightly to her form. She liked to show off her easily-recognizable beauty: a fact that made Sirka all the more critical of men who happened to associate with her.

Delni was sipping on her drink when Sirka let out a huff. “Hmm, don’t you look like you’re enjoying yourself? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I’m paying for your vacation here. Why did I agree to let you come?”

“Like I said, sis, this is a great place to make connections. If you just let me do my thing, then I can have you another two or three jobs lined up before we even leave the station.” Delni answered.

Sirka chuckled. “Right. Guess it’s just a happy coincidence that you get to sip expensive drinks while you do it.”

Delni smiled back at her. “Hey, no one here is going to take me seriously sober.”

“You mean no one’s going to take you to bed sober.” Sirka replied, following quickly by a jab to her side from Delni.

[Sebastian]

---

Paradise

Nightclub

---

Akazin sat quietly in a secluded corner within the Nightclub aboard the Paradise, he was alone with a glass of Vosh in front of him, a pair of black goggles shielded his eye's from view darkening the room around him. In his hand was an old data pad which he was silently scrolling through the news panels on the current happenings in Hutt Space. Every couple of seconds or so he would divert his eye's to the room and the occupants around him, to say he was paranoid would be an understatement by any means. He trusted the sentients in this room about as much as he trusted a Hutt to not try and rip you off at every turn. On any normal day he would not be sitting in such a public place, but there were some clients who were either too snobby or too afraid to meet anywhere other then this heavily fortified "trying so hard to be fancy" ship. But when you are in the business of of killing or protection than you often found yourself in places like this, places that were considered "Safe" if such a thing even existed, that just came with the job.

"Stupid Hutts..."

Akazin spoke in a gruff, deep, scratchy voice lowly to himself as he scrolled through reports back from their stronghold on Nal Hutta. To be honest living in that swamp infested bantha fodder planet was far from where he would rather find himself, but the truth was that not many wandered too far into those swamps, at least not willingly due to the wildlife or the scum that find themselves out there waiting for the unprepared. It was unfortunate however that living there also made you a target, especially when you offer businesses involving discreet assassinations. Much of the scum that came to that planet or resides there often believe that they are some kind of criminal gods that should be feared. Much of the time they would try to employ the services of Prudii Verda through intimidation or threats simply because they felt it is their right to do whatever they please to who they please. many of these two bit criminals were associated with the Hutts, and the Hutts were having an internal gang war ever since Slabba the fat bit the dust on his own barge. Every Hutt worth their salt was trying to get higher in the food chain, sending their lackeys to procure mercenaries for their nefarious bidding and offering no credits for services rendered.

Then again thus was the way the galaxy tended to work, the toughest survive and thrive while the weak die, that was just a reality that you had to face. Akazin looked up almost casually when a well dressed Rodian approached his booth. The dark skinned sentient seemed to look around idly before eventually taking a seat across from Akazin whom lay the datapad on the table in front of himself clicking it off before folding his fingers on the table.

Dakar it is so nice to see you again, it is.. unfortunate that your brother was found dead, I am sorry for your loss I know it can be rough losing family."

Akazin spoke as if he was sympathetic to the Rodian, he reached one of his hands forward as if in consolation but instead placed a metal brooch down on the table right next to Dakar before retracting his hand and folding his fingers again. Dakar reached forward and quickly took the brooch and eye'd it almost a bit too closely before placing it in his inner jacket pocket. The Rodian looked around cautiously again, but no one was paying them any attention.

"You are a man of your word. I trust that there were no issues with our business arrangement? I know that circumstances can arise that are unexpected. You made sure that there were none yes?"

Akazin rolled his eye's behind the googles, that was double talk for finding out if there had been any witnesses or incriminating evidence. This was one of the reasons Akazin did not like working with rich clients, they were always trying to make themselves look flawless while they made deals in the shadows like the scum they truly were and spitting on others when they did something and got caught, acting as if they were any better. That was another way the galaxy worked though, at least in the end Akazin did not try to hide what he was unlike most of the people who employed Prudii Verda.

"There were no complications, business was conducted as always and without hindrance. Your interests are quite safe as promised and there will be no further need to worry. Now with our business concluded the other half of our agreed upon price is required as per our contract. I am sure I don't have to remind you of the consequences we discussed upon our first meeting when it comes to those who refuse to pay in full for services rendered?"

"No need for that, I am quite aware of your policies regarding failure of payment. Although one might think that such threats are useless when in a place where violence is not permitted my friend. So I think that perhaps we should renegotiate our agreed upon price while we are here enjoying this safe expanse."

Akazins face did not change from the casual expression he wore before Dakar had arrived, in fact if anything he seemed as calm as ever. Casually Akazin reached his hand forward and placed it on top of Dakar's like two old friends sharing a rather touching moment and spoke:

"My old friend, I hope that you realize that safety is just an illusion for those who are too afraid to otherwise fight for themselves. I can respect your cander in luring me to this.. droid infested ship to try and strong arm me for a cheaper price, in fact I was almost certain you might try that given it was your idea specifically to meet here. After all I know well of your past dealings and you seem to have a very large history of stiffing those who work for you. It is quite true that I can not bring you no harm in this place, and I am sure you have some plan to keep me from harming you when you eventually leave this little safe haven, hell it might even work. However... it is important to inform you that if I do not receive your payment.. in full.. here and now there is going to be and unfortunate accident involving someone you care quite a bit about. An if you think I am lieing to you, then... well."

Akazin released his heand from atop of Dakar's revealing a small crystal, it gleamed in the light above them and sparkled. Darkar was almost shaken to the core when he reached forward and grabbed the crystal from atop his hand. Akazin than leaned in real close and got eye tp eye with Dakar and spoke lowly:

"Unlike you I have no problem admitting I am a bit of a monster when I need to be, and I do things, unsavory things that most would consider fairly sick. I don't like to involve others in business dealings but with you I had no real choice. So you want to renegotiate? Then here is the new deal, you give me the other half of the payment, right now, and you can take that crystal and give it back to the one you care so much about, unharmed in any way. If you don't then you will never see them again, that is a guarantee and I always keep my word.

Dakar looked like he might say something more but then thought better against it, reaching into his jacket pocket he removed a small chip from within his pocket and set it on the table sliding it to Akazin. Reaching forward Akazin removed the chip from the table and placed it in his black jacket pocket.

"Its been a pleasure doing business with you Dakar, as always if you need another job done then we of the Prudii Verda are always at your service."

Akazin spoke the last part lowly before he took the glass of Vosh and downed the remaining liquid before getting up and putting a hand on Dakar's shoulder. Giving it a rather hard but friendly looking squeeze he nodded his head and headed for the exit out of the Nightclub.

[vietmyke]

Zaheed Kast
Paradise

"OOM, watch the ship." Kast grunted as he exited his freighter. He had hardly even registered the battle droid replying 'roger roger' before he stepped onto one of the various shuttles ferrying the occupants of the hangar too and from the main entrance to Paradise. It wasn't Kast's first time here, nor would it be the last. As much as Kast preferred to avoid relying on one particular location, the neutrality and safety the Paradise provided was incredibly useful. Kast often came here when he wanted a place to rest without being stabbed or shot in his sleep, or if he wanted to ensure that a particularly suspect party wouldn't try to backstab him- again. No one could bring weapons into Paradise, and if someone tried to beat on him with fists, Kast's skill, and an armored gauntlet would give him all the edge he'd need.

Handing his weapons off to the droids took a while, luckily they provided him with a bin so it wouldn't be mixed up with the weapons of others. Knowing he was set to visit the Paradise, he kept the majority of his equipment on the ship with his battle droid, but he handed off his blaster pistols, rifle, wrist weapons, and blades to the security droids. The droids processed his information and informed him that they would hold his weapon until their return. Once upon a time, the Paradise's extensive droid forces unnerved Kast. Sure, individually the droids weren't intimidating, but the Paradise had an army's worth of droids. Brainless or not, it only took a few well aimed blaster shots to take him down. By this point, Kast was a regular enough customer- and had spent enough time around his own battle droid, that they ceased stirring any emotion within him. From there it was a quick lift to the Mid levels. Moderately affordable and safe, some place that Kast could go without attracting attention.

Paradise
Bar/Nightclub

With the amount of traffic that the Paradise received, and due to the fact that there was no day and night in space, its bars were always busy and full of people. In spite of its business, it also made bars some of the best places to be discreet without being obvious about it. It was dark- save for the sporadic flashing lights, and no one paid much attention to him, aside from one of the scantily clad twi'lek girls who were there most likely to encourage patrons to spend more money. The twi'lek placed a gentle hand on his chestplate and traced a finger around one of the blaster scars on the armor. Kast casually brushed the twi'lek away before making his way to the bar.

Taking a seat at the bar, Kast shot a glance at a pair a bit further down. One, a large Ssi-ruu that would have looked out of place if they weren't in Hutt space, the other a particularly pretty togruta woman with dark orange skin and a black dress. An interesting pair the two made, but ultimately not the reason Kast was in Paradise. Pulling his helmet off and setting it on the bar, Kast rubbed at his beard. He should probably get a trim before his next job, it was making the helmet annoying to wear, as well as messing with his suit seals.

Pulling a slender gold bar out of his pocket, he slid it across the bar to the B1 Bartender droid. "Corellian Brandy. Neat." The droid complied and a moment later, a short snifter was produced and filled with a deep golden brown liquor. He picked up the glass in his gauntleted hand and held it for a moment before pressing the glass to his lips and downing the liquor in a single motion. Subtly sweet, but strong enough to fill Kast's stomach with warmth. He examined the empty glass for a moment before returning it to the bar. He pulled out another gold credit bar and toyed with it in his fingers as he watched the nightclub from his seat at the bar.

Twi'lek dancers interacted with the various patrons of the bar- in the mid levels the dregs and bargain-bin high class mingled regularly, all while repurposed B1 droids made their way through the crowds, attempting to serve their customers. It was somewhat amusing that the nemodian headed machines of war had been converted into an army of personal servants, but copious numbers of BX-Commando droids made their role as soldiers relatively unneeded. Paradise was peaceful enough, and with all its patrons unarmed at the gates, the BXs were more than enough to get the point across.

"Excuse me sir." came the robotic voice of the bartender. "The Durosian in the booth sends his regards." the B1 said as it handed Kast a glass of whiskey.

Accepting the small glass, Kast nodded at the bartender before taking a glance at the booth the droid mentioned. Sure enough there was a Durosian man in plain clothes sitting at the booth, facing away from him. He took the credit he was playing with in his hand and placed it on the bar.

"Guess I'll pass it along." Kast muttered, he gestured with his head towards the togruta and ssi-ru women, as he passed the credit chip to the droid. "Something nice for the torguta, and her ssi-ru companion." Grabbing his helmet with his now free arm, and resting it in the crook of his arm, he took the whiskey glass and walked over to where the durosian sat in his booth.

"Volk."

"I see you've made it back alive Zaheed Kast." The durosian said casually as Kast sat down at the booth. "Is it done?"

"Yeah." Kast replied. "One dead Republic Captain, Richard Anderson." he said quietly as pulled a green glass eye out of his pocket and placed it on the booth table.

"Good, very good." commended Volk, "I see you're still worth the credits you charge."

The durosian pulled a small briefcase from underneath the table and placed it in front of him, cracking it open slightly to reveal the contents before shutting it again and sliding it over to the Mandalorian mercenary. "120,000, minus my fee. Its all in there so don't be a boor and go checking it. Keep in touch Kast. I might have something else for you later."

"Good seeing you, Volk." Kast remarked curtly as he took the briefcase and placed it under the table between his feet as the Durosian stood to leave. Volk had been a steady source of work for him for much of the past year. Trustworthy- well, trustworthy enough, he didn't make a habit of screwing his clients or hunters over, which was a valuable trait to find in a middleman. Volk's fees were modest, and he managed to find lucrative work. In return Kast was discreet, and didn't ask too many questions. It was about as good as working relationships got.

The exchange concluded Kast's business on Paradise. Maybe he'd stay a bit. He held the whiskey glass in his hands, swirling the contents of the glass as it rocked in his hand.

[EliteCommander]

Paradise

Nightclub

It was nought but a few moments after Sirka had finished giving Delni a hard time that the bartender droid suddenly delivered the pair two drinks, and pointed them towards a Human further down the bar as the source. The timing alone was enough to give Delni a laugh. "You see, I do love drinking expensive drinks, I admit, but no one said I had to be the one buying them."

Sirka rolled her eyes at her. "Right, I forgot, you're a mammal. You can just buy drinks with your breasts."

Again, Delni jabbed Sirka in the side with her thumb. "Oh, you're so cynical. Maybe he just felt like being nice? You don't know what he intended by it."

"Oh, please. I know exactly his intentions. Gruff-looking mercenary guy sees a gorgeous Togruta in a tight little dress, buys her a drink. You know exactly what he wants." Sirka replied.

Delni took the first sip of her new drink. "Maybe, maybe not. But it's not like it would make him bad for trying. We are in a club, after all. That is kind of exactly why a lot of people come here: to meet people. Can't fault him for that. Besides, he got you a drink; maybe he's interested in you?"

That comment was enough to give Sirka a legitimately loud laugh. "Riiight. I'm sure the Human can barely control himself looking at the giant lizard. Doubt he can even tell I'm a woman."

"Again, you're too cynical for your own good. You can't be afraid to put yourself out there, meet people. In a place like this, that's how you can get yourself some nice-paying work." Delni said, arms crossed.

Sirka gave another glance towards the Human. "Eh, he looks more like the type that takes jobs than makes them."

"Sis, you're just impossible. Well why don't you tell me exactly how he's feeling right now?" Delni suggested.

Sirka flicked out her nose-tongues in the Human's direction, even though she knew before she tried that it would be pointless. "Hmph, too crowded to do it from here. I'd have to get closer to tell for sure."

Delni paused for another drink. "Well then, maybe you should shut that big mouth of yours until you know for sure what you're talking about." As she went to set down her drink, Delni looked over to the Human that sent it to her and made eye contact, smiling and raising her glass towards him to acknowledge him. She would see what he did with that.

Meanwhile, Sirka huffed again and started to down her own drink much more quickly. It was not as if she was going to pass up on it, after all.

[Zarkun]

Elias Joranis Ordo|Another Job gone Wrong

Under normal circumstances, Elias would be having this holocall with the client without his armor or his helmet on, a class of Corellian Brandy in his hand and some music he enjoyed playing quietly in the background and ended it with a thanks, a toast, and a trip back to the nearest civilized, using the word loosely, planet to celebrate in a small way, usually some new alcohol, at another job completed without incident. However, these were not normal circumstances, as the Eclipse sat in low orbit over a planet under the ownership of a formal Imperial Moff, a man who insisted that his title still held sway even though the Galactic Empire had crumbled just a few months prior. Normally the job would have him delivering a shipment of Twi'leks and conscripts, who the smuggler would normally drop off about half way to the drop point with the money to start over or return home, except that the guy always sent escorts to ensure a flawless mission.

The pair had argued about it in the past, as Elias knew that a quartet of Imperial TIE fighters following an old XS Light Freighter around would eventually call the wrong kind of attention to them. The Moff refused to budge on the escort and so, here he was, on a call with the man explaining that he'd been right. "I told you that I didn't care if the Emperor himself stopped you, those conscripts and Twi'lek servants were to be delivered. Give me one reason why I shouldn't have you shot from the sk-" Elias's fist slammed into the console next to the hologram and cause the man to visibly flinch and also startled him into silence. Of course, an angry Mandalorian looking at you in full armor does that.

"And I damn well told you that those stupid damn TIE fighters were going to draw the New Republic's attention and get us intercepted. You have four dead men and your concern is about the lost cargo that I was only picking up because you have a Star Destroyer floating over me with half it's turbolaser batteries aimed at me! You're a fool and an egotistical jack ass who's only concern is satisfying his need for the opposite sex and increasing a pointless power base! Consider me done working for you, Elarn, it's just not worth the pay anymore, never mind the chafe it gave my morals." He was already moving his ship away from low orbit by the time the Moff found his voice again, only it was angrier and much more threatening.

"Now listen here, you insignificant piece of bantha poodoo! I am an Imperial Moff and you will show me the respect I deserve! I am here with the Emperor's personal blessing and I will not be intimidated by some Outer Rim piece of trash! I had been willing to let you go, Elias Ordo, but that can't happen after your slight against me." Several blips appeared on the Eclipse's radar as the transmission was cut and the smuggler cursed. He was a hell of a pilot, but even he couldn't out-maneuver the veritable cloud of TIEs coming his way. Ramming the thrusters to full speed, he set off for the other side of moon. Of course, he knew that the TIE fighters wouldn't be enough to content the now furious Moff Elarn Taurus and sure enough, turbolaser fire soon lit up the area around him as they tried to hit the relatively small target that the Nightingale Eclipse was.

"Work for a Moff, they said. It pays well, they said. It'll be fun, they said. I ever see those Imp loving spice smugglers again, I'm putting a blaster bolt in each of their heads." He barrel rolled to the right to avoid the strafing run of several TIE fighters, but a hit from a turbolaser still glanced off his shields, depleting them by twenty-five percent. The Mandalorian knew he had to get out of the system to somewhere that was neutral, and while he wasn't fond of the idea, he quickly punched in the coordinates for the Providence ship that was known as Paradise. "You want me dead, Elarn? Come get me then."

Just as another flight of TIE fighters was about to strafe him, he flew into hyperspace, having made the jump just in the nick of time. While Elias sighed in relief at the success of the gambit, the Moff only grew angrier. "After him, you idiots! No one slights the Empire and survives! Helmsman, where would he go in this part of space?" The helmsman, who was getting tired of the Moff who'd been placed in charge of them and only wanted his two months of leave to visit home, tapped at the keys of a datapad before answer.

"A neutral zone known as Paradise. It's an old Providence Star Destroyer." And then he regretted it as the Moff's face grew triumphant.

"Then recall all TIE squadrons and prepare to follow. He will learn what happens when he fails to uphold a deal with THIS Imperial Moff."

---

The trip from the system under ownership of Elarn Taurus to Paradise was a little over two hours, and Elias spent that time simply resting, not bothering to remove his armor in case the bastard caught up with him. In fact, it wasn't until his console beeped at him that the ship was about to exit from hyperspace that he woke up and that was with a yawn. Stretching, he pulled back on the accelerator to exit hyperspace and his one safe haven from the trouble he was in came into sight. Once more he made a mental note on how glad he was he paid for a private hangar on board.

Landing was far from difficult once his credentials were confirmed and then it was a matter of disarming. Elias approached the security checkpoint with both Black Nebula blasters drawn for passing off. "Now do me a favor this time, Hanor, and don't scratch the paint. It's a pain in the ass to fix." The Twi'lek attending him, a male with orange skin, sighed in annoyance before nodding.

"Won't happen again, sir. I swear it won't. I assume you'll take the same room as before on the mid-level?" Handing off his sword after removing it's sheath and also allowing the B1 to remove his jetpack, he nods as he removes his wrist weapons. "Very good. It'll be ready in a couple of hours." Elias thanked the Twi'lek and moved through the gate after making sure his gear was stored separate from the more common folks. Those blasters alone weren't cheap to get ahold of and he didn't relish the idea of replacing them.

Approaching his regular nightclub on the middle level after the turbolift ride up, he paused just outside the door to remove his helmet. He didn't want people thinking he was there to find someone, whether it be target or client, because he was only there to relax and wait for the heat to die down. As he walked in, four people stood out. One was a person wearing goggles with black lenses on his way out, whom only stood out because the guy was a fairly larger person. The next was another Mandalorian sitting at one of the booths, though he didn't seem to be from Clan Ordo, so he wasn't of huge concern either. The next, and final, two were at the bar, one a giant lizard with deadly looking claws and the other a rather attractive Togruta who Elias couldn't help but gravitate towards. OK, so maybe he was looking for someone to replace Elarn, and it was all the better she was a pretty girl. Approaching the pair as the Togruta jabbed the lizard in her, as Elias failed to spot any indication it was male, ribs, Elias spoke when they were done and the lizard busied herself with her drink, wearing his most disarming smile.

"Well good evening, ladies. I'm Elias, don't think I've seen you here before. Anything I can help with?" Elias's charm was immediately put to work, and he was hopefully coming across as nothing more than charming, though the Mandalorian helmet resting in the crook of his arm would indicate he was more than he seemed.

---

A few short minutes after Elias's arrival, an Imperial Star Destroyer dropped out of hyperspace with two light cruisers as an escort, the Destroyer itself being a Victory Class. Immediately after, the owner and proprietor of Paradise would receive a message from the former Imperial Moff aboard, who seemed to think that the death of the Emperor and fall of the Empire were a bunch lies or Rebel propaganda that Hutt Space liked. "Attention owner and inhabitants of Paradise, this is Imperial Moff Elarn Taurus. You are harboring a wanted Imperial criminal who's name is Elias Joranis Ordo. You have ten minutes to turn him over to me or I will destroy the entirety of your establishment and kill anyone who attempts to escape. This is your only warning." Elarn then cut the communication and smiled smugly to himself, convinced that this show of force would keep the lowlifes on board from trying anything. "Game over, Elias. I win."

[EliteCommander]

Paradise

Nightclub

Sirka craned her head over to face the new arrival, flicking her nose-tongues out at him. He exuded confidence, or over-confidence as Sirka saw it, in both scent and expression. Were she alone, Sirka might have wanted to humor his charming approach, but not with her sister present. Of course, Delni could not have been happier about it. As if the drink was not enough, the timing on this just seemed almost too perfect.

"Yeah, I think you can take that helmet and..." Sirka began, but Delni immediately cut her off by reaching up and quite literally putting her hand over Sirka's mouth. Delni could not even get her hand around Sirka's snout, much less hold it closed, but the motion alone was enough to stop her.

Delni spoke up with a smile, and a far more friendly tone. "You may. We're just here trying to have a good time, but it's so expensive buying drinks for my sister here."

Feeling somewhat defeated, Sirka finally decided to relent partially for now. She would not directly chase him off, at least. Delni was clearly feeling 'social' at the moment, and ultimately, she could not really boss her around without making her legitimately upset. Still, she would be keeping a sharp eye, and nose, on him. At the very least, she may have been able to get some drinks out of it. "Won't argue there. I could drink a bantha under the table."

[Sebastian]

"This isn't over Akazin, you scum!"

Akazin stopped just barely stepping through the exit to the Nightclub, hearing his name screamed across a room full of random people from all over the galaxy was not to be expected. Even more so he did not expect it from the pathetic little wealthy Rodian who moments ago was scared to the point where he might soil himself. It became painfully obvious that Dakar was none too happy with the fact that he had threatened the well being of his daughter, it was interesting in more ways then one how the love for ones children could take an ordinary coward of a Rodian and make them brave enough to do something incredibly stupid. Akazin turned on his heels and faced the Rodian who was now on his feet, pointing and accusing finger at him. Looking around Akazin noticed a few of the patrons casting glances at him. Akazins eye's became hard underneath the blackened goggles, all clients knew better then to ever use his name in public. Akazin was tempted to go across the room and break Dakar's face, but he damn well knew the consequences of doing something like that in Paradise and the slimy little bug knew that he couldn't do anything. Akazin raised his finger and pointed it at the Rodian Dakar as a smile hit his face.

"Dakar I told you not to drink that Vosh, now you have gone and become crazy again. I told you last time that Vosh and dejarik just don't mix. Face it you lost your bet and your sister had to be my maid for a few days. Every time you get drunk I swear. Sit down before you fall Dakar."

Dakar suddenly fell backwards as if he had a drunken misstep and flew into the table yelping in surprise. Some of the patrons laughed wildly as Dakar rolled around on the ground trying to regain his composure. Akazin lowered his hand casually, the slimy Rodian deserved so much more but that should take any attention off himself. Akazin turned and walked silently to the bar, pulling out a couple large cred's he placed them on the bar top.

"My apologies for my drunk friend, he can be quite loud when he has had one too many. That should cover any possible damage, feel free to spend the rest on drinks for the patrons here at the club, my treat.

There was a small cheer from some of the more tipsy patrons, Akazin turned briskly and escorted himself out of the Nightclub before the stupid Rodian could further try to convince a room full of cutthroats, bounty hunters and mercenaries that a rather large bounty was walking right by everyone. As he exited the nightclub Akazin heard his data pad go off, pulling it from his inner jacket pocket he clicked on the screen and viewed the message.

"Sir

There is an Imperial Star Destroyer with escort outside of Paradise, came out of hyperspace just now. Caught bits and pieces of transmission while monitoring frequencies, it would be wise to get out of Paradise immediately, I think they mean to cause destruction. Prepping ship now for immediate evacuation."

Akazin was silent as he read the message, what the hell was an imperial star destroyer doing outside of Paradise? A better question was who commanded the damn thing? Come to think of it Akazin had heard rumors around some of the seedier clubs that there was small splinter factions out there made up of diehard Imperials who remained loyal to the Empire even after it fell. It would stand to reason that maybe this was one of them, in either case Akazin was not willing to stick around and find out. Paradise... it was almost too bad... if these were in fact diehard imperials and they have business here, then things were about to heat up and fast. Imperial's were never known for their patience and even more so for their need to dominate their enemies in anyway possible, Akazin would know seeming he was one. Quickly shooting off a message through his datapad, Akazin started his way for the hangar.

[POOHEAD189]

Paradise
Nightclub

Even with the catchy music and the tangent of laughter and conversation, the Mandalorian's footsteps carried an audible weight to them as he entered the nightclub. He'd given up his weapons at the front, but not out of any adherence to the rules of the Paradise. He simply didn't want to raise any alarms with what he'd come here to do. Unnecessary alarms at least. The nightclub was dark enough to conceal even his massive form from entering, unless they heard the steps of his boots.

Approaching the bar, Sol'id Fist placed both hands on the counter, bringing a hush to those who sat close to him. It wasn't everyday a powerful Mando in full armor strode in, not even bothering to relinquish his helmet. It was almost comical how those close to him wouldn't say a word, yet the bartender droid scuttled over to him as if he was anyone else, the metallic voice echoing out of its voice box.

"Hello sir. Would you like a drink?"

Sol'id sat down, but did not reply. Instead, he gazed around the room through his visor, sizing up the customers, enhancing his vision every now and then. One massive hand flexing in anticipation, before closing as inexorably as the eventual contraction of the universe.

"Let me know if you need anything." The droid said, before bobbing off in the opposite direction to serve another customer. The couple closest to Sol'id saw him looking vaguely in their direction, and rather than risk anything, they decided to move seats elsewhere. Luckily for them, the hunter had been looking past them. Past the tables that separated the bar with the outer lounges. Past the booths and the scantily clad dancer.

He gazed at the target he had sought, at the Rodian playing Dejarik.

Wordlessly, the Bounty Hunter lifted himself up from his seat, and stalked forward, past the fellow Mandalorian, as well as Delni and Sirka, as if they did not even exist. He didn't even pay mind to the theatrics of Dakar, simply using it as a convenient distraction. Below his hulking shoulders, his fists clenched.

[Sep]

Paradise - Korens Office
Orbiting Ilos Minor

Koren indicated the seat opposite him, for someone whose business was so ornate his own personal office wasn't overly fancy. It was a desk, a couple of chairs and a viewport behind him. He was sitting at the desk typing into his datapad when Boqo sit across from him. "Yes Boqo. I have a job for you, delivery job and the recipient isn't going to be very happy with the contents of the package. You're going to take the contents of room 209 to Timana. I'm going to assign some protection detail-" There was woosh as the door opened and Ballick walked in.

"Boss. We've got a problem, Central needs you." Koren immediately stood up, Ballick never interupted him while on business. So if it was important enough to interupt him it was bound to be important.

"I'll have central send your bodyguard to the ship. Be ready to depart within the hour." Korens coat billowed as he sped out of the room, Ballick in tow towards the bridge. "What's the issue?"

"Moff Taurus is threatening to engage unless we hand over a patron. He's out there with a Victory Class and two escorts."

"Patron?"

"Elias Joranis."

Koren sighed, a paying patron who rented out hangar space. It wasn't high tier or anything such as the new hangar he had added onto the ship with private security, private guards. All those kinds of things but it was reasonably high end in the regular hangar. He made sure to memorise the names of clients that put extra money in his pocket, it was only civilised after all to know the hand that feeds you. Or at least one of the hands that feed you, not to mention his daughter took a little bit of liking to him. Something he had shut down rather quickly. "Okay Ballick, well a single Victory is nothing to be overly concerned about. Thermal shielding and a fully functional armament is enough to repel that. Though the rest of the working day is probably going to be disrupted, a lot of these people are skittish." He turned to Besh who was hovering alongside him, Aurrie not far behind. He never stopped while moving.

"Contact Tara, have her work prepare compensation rates for establishments on the upper levels." The droidekas outside the bridge curled up and their shield disabled allowing him entry. Ballick didn't bother to enter instead he just stood there on the outside facing down the corridor. He knew that no-one inside the bridge would harm Koren, after all they were all droids subserviant to him. "Status."

"Sir. The Imperial vessels dropped out of hyperspace approximately two minutes ago." The voice of the Super Tactical Droid, simply known as 'Thinker' or 'Central' was cold and calculating. "Initial estimations of conflict place us the clear victors, however there is the possibility of minor damage and the expenditure of proton torpedoes will be a necessity."

Koren sighed. "Patch me through."

"This is Koren Graeff. Captain off Paradise and leader of the Golden Exchange. This vessel is a neutral vessel in Hutt Space, as is recognised by the Hutt Cartel, Black Sun, Pyke Syndicate, New Republic and Galactic Empire. Attacking this vessel or a patron of this vessel shall result in swift and immediate retaliation. He looked straight at the camera as he spoke to the next line. "Taurus. Don't be a freaking idiot, I don't care what you're smuggler did it isn't worth the life of you or your men. It's just a waste for you and it's going to mess up business for the rest of my working day. Go home, find a new smuggler and carry on with living your life. Take a page out of Orros book."

He turned to Thinker. "Cut the feed, if he makes the right choice it should be as simple as he jumps to hyperspace. Deploy fighters and power up the shields and ready all cannons." There was a reason he often ran drills with the droids on the weapon embankments, and why he ensured the weapons all fired weekly. That was so that in these situations it only took two minutes to be ready for combat. Virtually all the droids were in position already anyway. "Prepare a couple of boarding ships too, those light cruisers are probably minimally staffed and stuff like this is becoming annoyingly common. I could use the firepower."

[Zarkun]

Elias Joranis Ordo|Another Job gone Wrong

Elias grinned at the pair, allowing the lizard's started threat to go ignored since it seemed from the argument he'd caught the tail end of had put her in a bit of a bad mood. Motioning the bartender droid over, he ordered a class of Corellian Brandy for the three of them and made it three for the Togruta's lizard companion. "So what brings the two of you to Paradise? Most people here are either hiding or job hunting." He takes a sip of his brandy and enjoys the taste, unaware that his problems had followed him to the safe haven.

Meanwhile, the response from Koren did not do anything more to Elarn Taurus than anger him further, as it would seem all of Hutt Space was full of disrespect for the Imperial power. "I will do no such thing, scum! Forward Batteries, open fire!" A small tirade of green burst forth from the front of the Victory Class Star Destroyer. Elarn was fully unaware that the ship he had set his sights on was fully functional and more than capable of handling his flagship, but by this point he was so enraged, that he hardly thought about it.

[EliteCommander]

Paradise

Nightclub

While Sirka was still reluctant to answer, Delni was perfectly willing to be social with the charismatic Mandalorian. Sirka was not much closer to warming up to him, but the steady flow of free drinks was, admittedly, helping.

"Business, this time. My brave sister here is finishing up a job for a client. But as for myself, I am simply hoping to meet people." Delni explained, leaving it intentionally ambiguous on whether she was seeking to meet others for business or pleasure. "It's just so rare to find a place in this part of the galaxy where you can really just relax without having to worry about keeping a blaster at the ready."

Sirka gave an amused huff and nudged Delni's side with her tail. "Easy for you to say that when you've got 350 kilos of muscle sitting beside you." She finally joined in on the conversation, even if it was also a subtle warning to the Mandalorian, should he try something of which Delni did not approve.

"You know I'm always grateful for you, sis." Delni replied before looking back at Elias. "Ah, but where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Delni, and this is my sister, Sirka."

[Alias]

Tez Novacore

Illos City

---

The last member of the 'Gunjack' dealers stumbled backwards against the wall, his eyes darted around the battle-torn room. Many of his associates laid crumpled amongst the environment. These guys were starting to become a major problem in this Illos City, and the distribution of Gunjack was causing a small amount of the populace to become a bit more than unsavoury. If Gunjack started getting to other gangs, then their physical strength would increase and the authorities would quickly begin to struggle. Not like they could be reasoned with under the influence of Gunjack anyway. Tez raised his lightsaber, the tip hovering straight at the Houk Gangster's neck. Tez stared the gangster down, his expression of total control clear.

"I could tell before I came here, you guys don't actually make Gunjack here do you?" Tez asked, noticing the distinct lack of equipment that would be required for creating the substance. "You get this stuff from someone else, right? Who?" He asked, his tone had a slight hint of menace.

"I ain't telling ya nuttin'. I don't give two bantha ticks who you think you are. You're better off killing me now." The Houk spat, attempting to keep their boss's identity and whereabouts a secret."

Tez tutted, swishing his lightsaber around to manoeuvre his azure lightsaber horizontally across the gangster's neck, who seemed increasingly uncomfortable with the closeness and heat emanating from the blade. Tez focused onto the Gauk's mind, unlocking that metaphorical padlock and performing a Mind Trick. "You will tell me who and where your boss is." The Jedi commanded as he waved his hand.

"Sola'nuga. Twi'lek, he's going to a slave auction on the other side of town." The gangster admitted, completely under the Force's influence. The Gauk then shook his head, clearing his mind. Suddenly, the lightsaber was withdrawn from his neck.

"I'm destroying this building. You may leave if you wish, but the next time I have to visit you, I will show the same amount of mercy as your friends here." Tez warned. He watched the Gauk about to make his way out of the building, until he attempted to spin on his heels and attempt to potshot the Jedi, who easily deflected the hastily made shot and reflected it into the chest of the final gangster. Tez sighed, he did offer the gang a chance to destroy this place themselves.

---

20 minutes later...

---

Satisfied with his work with the place, Tez shut the door and used his saber to weld the door shut. Tez holstered his weapon and made his way away from the area. While the general location was vague, finding a shifty looking Twi'Lek on this planet shouldn't be too difficult.

[DELETED324324]

Above Ultmara, aboard the ISD Adamant

Moff Jacsen Orro sat behind his desk in his quarters, soft music playing in the background while he worked. First things first were operations he planned through out the sector, for some wookie prisoners he would step in and help the imperial garrison on Kessel deal with some of the prisoners who were getting unruly. In return he would take some wookie prisoners and trade them off to the hutts for some cheap slave labor, next up on his list was dealing with the other moffs within Hutt space, if he could convince them to stand down he could actually have something that could help high command could use to deal some damage. Which in his case would mean more power, and that's all he wanted. As he got lost in thought, the door to his quarters opened and in entered his second in command. "My lord." She spoke softly but that's all she needed to have his attention. "Moff Taurus is on the move."
"Where to?"
"Paradise my lord, he is apparently on the hunt for someone." Orro raised his eyebrows and put down his work, he quickly opened a channel to the bridge. "I want all hands on deck. Anyone who was going on leave to report to their shuttles in the hangar bay in the Adamant, all pilots report to their craft, and boarding teams armed and at the ready. Get us out of here." The ship entered hyperspace, and the moff stood up and left his quarters his officer on his heels.

As soon as he reached the bridge, he took a seat in his command chair and smiled. Taurus was a notoriously quick to anger moff, and he treated his men like poodoo. If he could get to the crew he could probably easily trigger a mutiny and his star destroyer would make a fine addition to his growing family, and deal with a little bit of a rival not that he considered him a rival in the first place this man was scum. "M'lord are you okay? You have a sour look on your face." His second officer said. "I'm fine." He wasn't fine, if this man was going after Paradise it could damage relations with the golden exchange and he needed them for the time to come.

Some time later, Illos Space

When they exited hyperspace, he was lucky he made it on time. Taurus had just fired, so he put his capital ship in the line of fire. Taking the volley, and at the same time opening comms with both the Paradise and Taurus himself. "This is Moff Jacsen Orro of the Ultmara sector Remnant, Taurus if you stand down we promise you and your men fair treatment. Thanks to your glorious service in the name of the empire but attacking a neutral power is not how we should conduct ourselves." He sighed as his ship shook a bit, and he continued speaking. "Paradise, prepare to accept Imperial personnel on leave." He put emphasis on leave. A insult to Taurus, a heads up to Koren, and also something that might give anyone within earshot of Taurus a bit of knowledge about how he treated his crew. Usually he wouldn't bring a star destroyer to Paradise but he hoped Koren would forgive him this time as he launched his shuttles to head toward the main hangar bay.

"Taurus, you know who I am. You know what I have at my call, if you don't not allow boarding then I will force it upon you." And with that Orro sat back and let out a shaky sigh, threatening another moff openly wasn't exactly smart but he needed the golden exchange right now, more than he needed another moff. One way or another he was going to end this and he was going to have his way.

[CaptainBritton]

Ques, Camp Valor (23.241° N, 58.566° E)
0640 hours

---

The Ark Royal's engines blared and whined as the large grey body of the Rigger descended towards the marked clearing. The stubby landing legs extended with a forced motion as the force of the engines roused dust and blew the tufts of trees and blades of grass. The deck of the vessel shuddered as the gear made contact with the uneven ground, and the engines cut swiftly and reduced the noise to the idle whirr of the door beginning to shift. The top of the door retracted first, slowly, and the ramp dropped, slapping the mud. Elias set off first, traversing down the ramp with the light drizzle of rain striking him.

He was greeted by a skeleton crew which had already set up and began maintaining the base. A particular Sergeant came to greet him. "Staff Sergeant." Remarked the grizzled supply sergeant, which looked beyond the years of Elias, with greying hair and a full beard. "You boys from Company D?" Inquired Elias, beckoning his men off of the Ark, turning back to see them already unloading the crates of supply. The supply sergeant replied, "Aye. Welcome to Camp Valor. Name's courtesy of the good Colonel himself. Will we be expectin' him or any more of you boys?" Elias retorted. "'Fraid not. We're it for now, at least." The supply sergeant's shook his head. "Well, let's be gettin' ya' unpacked."

Elias went ahead, lifting the helmet from his head. In truth, he was exhausted. It had been a long journey, checking into every outpost from the New Republic capital at Chandrila to their new station on Ques. He dragged his feet towards the bunks, and his men began to trickle behind him in a ragged line into the barracks, with the skeleton crew taking the supplies they brought. Elias entered the drab prefabricated structure and made a deliberate walk to his own isolated quarters, upon which he entered, undoing the buckles on his webbing, stringing it about across his wardrobe, and removing his jacket with armored vest, leaving him in his thin white shirt and his slacks fastened by a rigger's belt. He nestled his blaster in its holster near in reach to his bed before collapsing upon the mattress, pulling the field cap he wore over his eyes and drifting off instantly.

[Archmage MC]

Illos Minor

Low Orbit

Time after a mission was always the most dull. The only thing about being a lone mercenary, no one to really talk to, and only the holonet to keep you company. Looking over her account, Willoh figured that she had some spare money to go party. After all, her ship was cheap to maintain and upkeep, considering she could fix or produce most of what it needed and she only ever needed to buy fuel. Taking her 'eyes' off of the video she was watching, Willoh looked up nearby party or resort places and found that one called 'paradise' was orbiting the same moon she was! Firing up the engines, she circled around Illos and when she approached where Paradise was located, noticed an imperial star destroyer parked right outside.

Looking over the situation, Paradise was more than well equipped to handle a star destroyer, so they couldn't be here to commit suicide. "Well... Maybe a moff is here to party?" Willoh mused to herself as she headed for the guest hanger for Paradise. After all, Hutt space resorts were used to this sort of thing, and extravagant clients weren't uncommon. Finding a space in the mid section of Paradise, Willoh departed her ship. Making sure to sign in with the clerk droid before finding her way to the bar. Always a party in a huge place like this after all.

Illos Minor

Paradise

Grabbing a map from the local holonet, Willoh found her way to the main bar. And boy was there ever a party! The average Twi'lek dancers were doing what they did, with the usual onlookers oodling them of course. Then there was the band playing, and this time it was a good song, not that four note song some other places did. Lights everywhere, and quite a large bar. Being a droid Willoh couldn't get drunk, which was something she lamented as it looked so much fun. Before she could go off to dance with some of the patrons on the open floor, she noticed something she hadn't seen before. A giant... tiss'shar? Willoh hadn't seen one of those before, only having read it on the holonet, but they were supposed to be smaller than that, right? The Togruta and human sitting next to it weren't all that much of an interest in comparison.

Walking up to the giant lizard. Willoh tapped her on her side, not tall enough to tap her on the shoulder. Giving a big puppy dog look, she looked at the tiss'shar and asked her in a sing-song voice. "Oooooh. Haven't seen your species before. What do you do? What gender are you? How much does it take to get you drunk? Are these two friends?" This would be quite a fun thing to post on the holonet, if Willoh could get a nice chat going with this alien. (Sirka)

[EliteCommander]

Paradise

Nightclub

For Sirka, it seemed like she just could not get a break today. If the Mandalorian trying to sweet-talk her sister wasn't enough, now there was a droid trying to bother her. "Huh? You malfunctioning? These droids aren't supposed to...wait. No, you're not one of the Paradise's droids. You're not a relic like them. You're something different."

Sirka flicked out her nose-tongues, though it was of course a wasted effort. For a nose as sharp as hers, droids did certainly have their own unique scent. The kinds of grease in their joints, the types of paint on their plates, anything that could be even slightly volatile could mix into a unique scent. However, for a droid, that scent was entirely divorced from their thoughts. They did not have chemical-driven emotions that she could perceive, and for that reason, Sirka hated dealing with droids. Even if she did not have a problem with droids themselves, the fact that she could not read them nearly as well as an organic made them much more of an unknown to her.

"Okay, so what's the deal with you? What are you, and what's all the questions for?" Sirka asked.

Delni too found herself curious about the droid, though she also noted how it was distracting her sister. With a chuckle, she glanced towards the Human, Elias, and spoke more quietly. "Hmm, what kind of luck do you have; it seems this thing is distracting my sister for you? Or is it a friend of yours?"

[vietmyke]

Paradise
Nightclub

Looking up from his seat at the booth, Kast noticed the pretty torguta looking at him. He gave her a slight nod and lifted his own glass to match hers. He held eye contact for a moment before he returned to his drink. An interesting pair, the torguta and her companion. Was the large one a bodyguard, or just a friend? He logged the pair in his mind, the large one would be a dangerous foe, or an interesting ally, would've been useful on his last bounty, but then again, that would've involved splitting the profit. They probably weren't there to talk shop though, as another mandalorian- at least, Kast assumed by his armor, took a seat by the pair, blocking his vision of the torguta. He wasn't too surprised.

Mandalorians, as few and far between as they were, were drawn to places of conflict- or at least the warrior types among their kind were. So it wasn't surprising to find a second one in Hutt Space. It was when the third Mandalorian strode through the bar did Kast's eyebrows finally raise. They scaled and studded armor, a Neo Crusader of clan Fist. Last Kast had heard, they were all dead, so either this one was particularly tenacious, or it was someone wearing stolen and looted armor. The previous mandalorian's armor was clean and shiny, new, at least relative to his. Kast noticed no tell-tale markings indicating a clan, nor were the colors recognizable.

Three Mandalorians in a bar sounded like the start to a bad joke, so Kast downed his drink and placed the glass down on the table. One hand grabbed the breifcase under his feet, and the other grabbed the lip of his helmet. Knowing Volk, Kast might find work sooner than he thought. Pulling on his helmet with a single hand, and sealing it to his suit, Kast made his way out of the bar, breifcase in hand.

Paradise
Mid-Level: Trader's Hub

While Paradise was for the most part, a resort, a large number of traders often stopped at Paradise. Paradise, due to its neutrality and safety was a popular stopping spot for traders and cargo runners, and while they did most of their trade at their final destination, it wasn't uncommon for from some of them to offload some of their goods here as well. Most traders of repute liked stopping off at the mid levels, so that was where Kast was headed. In particular Kast was stopping off at one of Volk's contacts: Renn, an arms dealer.

In Kast's field of working, weapons, extra weapons, and spare weapons were never a poor purchase. Some of Kast's more exotic weapons were expensive to buy ammunition for. Luckily for him, working with Volk landed Kast a rather secure connections to people who just so happened to provide for enterprising mercenaries. Renn didn't carry any of his materials with him- there was no way Paradise security would let traders offload their goods onto the ship unless it was for the ship itself, too many people and too much material would be going through those security scanners, making it a risk. So purchasing weapons was little more than visiting the room of a trader and striking a deal. There was a risk of being swindled, but dealers with bad reputations never lived long in the industry.

"Ah, Kast, I'd heard from Volk. Thought you show up to my neck of the woods eventually." hissed the wiry rodian arms dealer. "Come in, I don't doubt that we have much to discuss."

The room itself was one of the cheaper mid-level rooms. A desk, a nice bed, a door to a bath, and some other basic amenities. Nice quality, but not lavish. The rodian arms dealer took a seat at the desk's chair and clasped his hands together, waiting for Kast to get right to it.

"A crate of spin-sealed Tibanna cartridges for small arms, another for ship weapons, two crates of charge packs. Type-12A and B rockets, semi-guided, two dozen each." Kast began, listing off his regular supplies by memory.

"Is that all?"

"No."