Ask The One-Eyed Man

[Jon Dromon]

Spoiler: Music IC

Wolves. Dingos. Hippos. Badgers. Where would Jon Dromon be in this universe without his blaster? A poor bounty hunter, that was for sure, however he was no assassin outright. Dead. Or. Alive. That was his motto. His MO. So he kept his weapons close: blaster and the stuncuffs just in case the bounty is better without being so lifeless.

Then again, sometimes shit just happened. One way or the other, once Jon Dromon took a contract, he got paid for it. He made sure of it. From Hutts to thugs. Jon got his paycheck in the end.

He thought about that, sipped his rum, smoked his cigar, watched Casany Praxor and Zaia Krodas, listened to the former. Yet he saw credits, he saw promise, he saw opportunity even amid his agreement with this Mandalorian.

Beskar. Shitload of profit there. Assassin. Lots of credits the Daggers are offerin’. Two Mandalorians? Priceless…that they’re sitting right beside me…and they don’t even know it.

Jon really had to weigh his options. He could confess his secrets, reveal the call with Perla the Hutt, or keep that tight-lipped, simply suggest that he had been given a lead on the location of Endyr Ratheon.

If they find this assassin then maybe they find him. Maybe we split the credits. Credits that were already being split with a Hutt who didn’t like to split credits as much as the hunter didn’t? Priceless.

He could strategize a way to capture the assassin and both Mandalorians. Maybe the former could be the lure. Set the trap. Spring it. That would turn a catchy credit. Give Dromon more business with more Mandalorians. They loved their conflict as much as a Hutt loved profit.

He could wait for this treasure to be unearthed, if it even existed. Casany hadn’t found it. Had Endyr found it? That would make sense why no one could find him.

Unless my sidekick has. Unless my ‘partner’ really does know where his former employer is and their shared presence in this shitty city isn’t a coincidence.

“It’s been a challenge,” Jon Dromon nonchalantly added to the mention of Endyr Fucking Ratheon. “Tryin’ to find him. We asked the Badger some time ago, before he went missing, kept up our efforts. One infobroker after the other. He already knew about the beskar before Praxor came here, so where else would he end up?”

“Good question.” Casany took another sip. “If not in Gravenell, which is a big city and we haven’t searched everywhere, maybe another settlement on Sevenmoon, maybe another moon in this system, just hopefully not in the grave or in hell.” She sucked some Mandalorian liquor from her lip in that Mandalorian vehemence. “That would deprive me of my vengeance.”

Maybe they were approaching this situation the wrong way.

“Krodas,” Jon asked as he sighed out the tail end of his cigar. “If you were Endyr, if you wore the black and gold beskar'gam with religion in your fist, with the sword and shield signet, and you were looking for beskar as much as revenge against Casany, where would you be?”

@Sicadorito (@Zaia Krodas)

 

[Crux]

Amer Dragata spoke again, and Crux’s eyes narrowed. She claimed she wasn’t the Badger, but where was the proof of that? On the other hand, there wasn’t much proof that she was, but the bounty hunter’s patience was running thin. Her sass wasn’t helping to make him feel much better, either.

“Nope. You’re gonna be the one beggin’, Marine.” His arm stayed up. Although the Ranger was slightly more polite about it, Crux never listened well when it came to cops. He cracked his neck, his blaster still fixed on the woman. Even as Hippo began to read, Crux kept his eyes trained on her, ready to shoot if she made even the slightest move.

Until he saw someone else enter. A certain Sergeant Ki’dut. These kriffin’ hippos never know when to stop multiplying, do they? Ki’dut, Krogan, couldn’t care less. When the Mandalorian pointed at him, Crux had had it.

“Now whaddya want?” He spread his hands in a gesture of frustration, momentarily forgetting that he’d been pointing the blaster at Dragata. “Cant’cha see we’re busy in ‘ere?” This day was getting worse and worse.

@Die Shize

 

[Amer Dragata]

Spoiler: Music IC (Recurring)

“Nope. You’re gonna be the one beggin’, Marine.”
Beggin’ for you to shut up when you scream maybe.

The Empire taught the marines how to kill, primarily, but they also taught them how to hurt, to get hurt and make others hurt, and the Dust Dragoons, Amer’s team, packed a fuckin’ punch as much as they could take one.

Haircut’s arm stayed up. Good. Amer liked this position. Kept her gun up too. Liked this pose. A soldier’s pose. Meanwhile he just looked like a criminal, like an idiot, like a thug. The Dusters ate thugs for breakfast…or somethin’.

Queue the arrival of another kriffin’ hippo in the room. If Amer and Haircut were on the same page about something it was definitely the stupidity emanating from the shared presence of two purple Mandalorians and two Security idiots. But did that make Haircut a smaller or bigger idiot for pointing his blaster at an Imperial Marine Sergeant?

Maybe Haircut had been distracted at that moment but, against her better judgment, so was Dragata. So plainly fixated on Sergeant Di’kut or whatever his name was as he addressed Haircut.

“Busy?” Ki’dut looked left, looked right. “Huh. I don’t see any customers if that’s what ya mean.”

“I think he means we’re busy pointing blasters at each other.”

“Anywhat! What I want is an answer to my question, burc’ya.”

“Burger?”
Only Amer’s accent made that come out as “burga”.

“No, no. Burc’ya.”

“Wot the fuck even is a burc’ya?”

“It’s Mando’a for…”

“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”

“So what happened here, huh?”

“I just waltzed in for a kriffin’ book to be honest.”

“I gotcha, chief.”

“Sergeant.”

“Zad. Zad Ruzed.” The Ranger flashed his teeth and his badge.

“Yyyyyyyyyep. We’ve met.”

“Ahem. My partner here, Deputy Pood—Wolf—and I were chasin' your boy—”

“Vodbrother.”

“—Krogan here ‘cause we mistook him for another Mandalorian in black and red instead of black and purple, I reckon.”

“Hmmmm,” Ki’dut rubbed his chin or, rather, the part of his helmet that would be his chin. “I see the resemblance. Krogan here has a distinct amalgamation of burgundy and murrey, a kinda red purplish blend, in fact our vodfather personally selected it during luge lessons in Bestoon where we’d make meat helmets—”

“—And that Mandalorian we were after, rememberin’ it’s in the service of Sector Rangers like yerself, Sarge—”

“Sergeant.”

“Is the Badger.”

“Badger, huh?”

Ki’dut pulled an object from behind his waist, a pink canteen, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, as if forgetting he was wearing a helmet, so the liquid dripped down his visor, down his chest, but he didn’t seem to notice this.

“Last I heard he was seen with a pirate. Yeeeeaaaahhh ya might wanna try reachin’ out to Bone Katana. Know ‘er? She’s my vodsister. Hangs out at a…ah what the crap was the name o’ that cantina…”

“...”

Haircut looked away again, but whether it was to lower his gun or keep it up as he picked up his phone, Amer would know the next moment.

“Pi…rate…re…minds…me…of this one time I read a book called Pirates of the Mandalorians.”

-BURP-
"That was me, sir."

@Sicadorito (@Crux)

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music IC (Recurring)

Those Hippos just kept going and growing. Soon enough, the Ranger reckoned they would take over the whole galaxy, replacing every Force-user from Jedi to Sith, corner to corner, and even every other Mandalorian. Like a virus. Like the AMS virus or…sommat.

-BURP-
“That was me sir.”

“That’s it. If any of you jackasses burps or farts again yer gonna be countin’ stars, ya dig?”

“SIR YES SIR WE DIG SIR”
“YES SECTOR RANGER SIR”

Queue Wolf getting on the phone the moment Ki’dut mentioned Bone Katana. Zad didn’t know what the hell was going on. Bone Katana? Does this idiot mean Bo-Katan? The Mandalorian? Ki’dut did have a way with words and not making sense as it were.

“Wow. Rangers. Security. Marines. Mercenaries. Mandalorians. Now bounty hunters? What’s next? Jedi? Sith?”

“This sounds like a wonderful movie. Exxxxxciting!”

As Wolf spoke over the phone, Zad used this opportunity to blow smoke in everyone’s general direction before giving the marine his attention, remembering what she said earlier.

“Okay. So let’s say you’re not the Badger.”

“I do say I’m not the Badger.”

“You know of the Badger though? Said you might have some answers?”

“I said maybe I can help, maybe I can’t.” Blaster either still hovered or lowered based on Wolf’s blaster.

“Pick one.” The Ranger gestured to their audience. “The sooner we get to ditch these idiots without dealin’ with paperwork the better.”

“Fair. I know someone who was seen with the Badger and who may know of his location.”

“Who’s this then?”

“An assassin.”

“Location?”

“No can do, friendo.”

“Oh.”

“I can take you to them instead.”

“Oh?”

“I came to a bookshop in the spaceport for a book. Yeah. I’m that bored so, fuck it, let’s do it.”

Oh. Shit. Finally. Karking. Finally.

“Lemme make a phone call. S’cuse me.”

Zad turned away, cigarette ‘tween lips’, breathed and waited for Zaia Krodas to pick up the line on the other side.

“Yo, Zaia, it’s Zad. I got someone here who says the Badger might be with an assassin. Willin’ to take us to the location. Don’t know if this tip is legit. Already wasted my time and ain't interested in spendin' another dime but she doesn’t seem too shifty. Anythin’ on your end?”

@Sicadorito (@Crux | @Zaia Krodas)

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Casany’s mention of a Yautkan was interesting. If she recalled correctly, Zaia remembered that Zad had blown one up a while back. That one had been after beskar too, and she got the awful feeling that this was all connected in some twisted way. The galaxy was a small place, after all.

She was about to bring up her concerns when Jon interrupted their conversation. He brought up his partner, Wolf— and Endyr Ratheon to boot. She hadn’t seen the significance of the human bounty hunter before, thinking he had been just a regular freelancer, but now that they were speaking of beskar…

“You think he’s still working for Endyr?” It wasn’t impossible. The fact that they were all here at the same place at the same time had to mean something. Even if Ratheon had left the man for dead on Ventooine, a bounty hunter didn’t have much more on his mind aside from credits. A hoard of beskar would likely be payment enough to buy anything he wanted.

Ratheon was as elusive as the Badger, it seemed, and Zaia took another sip of her water as Casany and Jon mused over his location. She only looked back at Jon when he addressed her.

“I dunno. I’d find someone like the Badger to get him to tell me where it is, take him and go.” Zaia shrugged. “Once I got the beskar down I’d be looking for, well, Casany.” She wasn’t so sure how Endyr would do it, though— she was glad she was nothing like that man.

Just then, her datapad began to vibrate at her side, and Zaia picked it up once she saw it was a call from Zad.

“An assassin?” Zaia glanced at Casany. That might mean something. But then he asked about things on her end. “You know Wolf? Jon told me and Casany— she’s a friend— that he was working with Endyr Ratheon.” She didn’t know if Zad knew who Endyr was, but she’d go on. “He’s a Mandalorian too. Long story. Cut Wolf’s arm off, by the way. Anywho he was in the city for a haul of beskar… might still be. We’re not sure.”

She wasn’t sure about anything at this point. Whatever it was, though, it was a lot bigger than she’d thought.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music IC (Recurring)

Casany took the opportunity to think about so many things as Jon asked Zaia what she thought about Endyr’s location.

What did Casany really think? That was Zaia’s own question. Was Endyr working with Wolf? All three Mandalorians had essentially left him for dead, but namely Ratheon. Praxor and Krodas had gone back for him.

We didn’t learn much. Just that he’s a thug. But he wasn’t as dumb as he might have let up. Wolf had his wits, his street smarts, had to in order to survive this business this entire time. What about his grudges? Did they run as deep as a Mandalorian’s? Maybe not. Beskar fetched a fine price in these parts and in the stars beyond.

Casany listened to Zaia’s answer. Admittedly it wasn’t much of one but her sister was a straight shooter. She wouldn’t offer any theories unless she had evidence to support them and, as it was, none of them did. Nobody knew Endyr’s location as much as the Badger’s or the Daggers’ for that matter.

While Jon talked on his phone yet again, Casany sat in silence as she listened to Zaia speak to her companion over her pad. Assassin? Cas looked from Zaia to Jon who looked as curious as she was. Yet Casany was suddenly just as curious of what her vod was talking about as to who she was talking to.

Zad. Zad Ruzed. Her friend. Sector Ranger. There were plenty of those in the galaxy, but Zaia Krodas was one Mandalorian woman who picked her friends wisely. She might not have been one of those Children of the Watch fanatics, she could take her helmet off in public, but she was religious in her own manner.

Cas got the impression that Zaia hadn’t been keeping Zad a secret for any major reason. Both women were friends, were comrades in arms, but had been apart, had their own business. Maybe, whoever this Ruzed was, Zaia had just been protecting his identity all this time. Must be one hell of a guy.

“An assassin?” Cas interjected into Zaia’s conversation. “Something to do with my Endyr or with your Badger?”

“Tell me more about this pirate.” Spoke Jon Dromon over his phone. Now Casany’s attention had been suddenly divided.

-RING-RING-

And her own phone rang.

"Who's this? ... Not interested."

-CLICK-

Cas looked left, looked right, sipped her drink and sighed.

"Hutts." Whatever Zaia did, Jon just blinked. "I don't fuck with Hutts."

@Sicadorito (@Zaia Krodas)

 

[Jon Dromon]

Spoiler: Music IC

To be honest, Jon Dromon was just asking the question to be curious. In the end, Zaia Krodas had given him nothing to think over with her answer, but ultimately what could she say? They were all in the same boat anyway.

Whether they were looking for Endyr or for the Badger, whether the Badger actually knew the identity of the Daggers or nobody did. The Duros sure as shit didn’t. He didn’t know the Wolf. He didn’t know the Ranger. He didn’t know the Vornskr or the Anvil. All Jon Dromon knew was, well, Jon Dromon. That was enough.

-RING-RING-

“Who is it?” Maybe he should have checked the screen before asking. “Oh. You again. What is it? … Woah, woah, slow down a kriffin' second. What’s this about another Hippo again? … A marine? … Heh. Ya gonna shoot each other? Bet I can guess who pulls the trigger first.” Smoke twirled from his lips.

“All right. Hey. How’d we go from hippos, security, Rangers and marines to pirates? What’s next? Elephants?” Cigar flicked. Just about finished with it. “Give me a minute.”

An assassin?

As spoken from Krodas’ lips on her own phone or datapad or wotzitwhozit.

The term wasn’t lost on him but he gave nothing away on his face. Can’t be any damn coincidence. Not in this tiny shitty galaxy. They had enough coincidences already as it is. As it is? As it was? One sentence is past tense, one is present, but one phrasing sounds better than the other anyway and there’s your damn semantics.

Distracted, thoughts could be thoughtless, as Jon Dromon thought about those options of his. In that moment, he could spill the beans, or the peas at least, assuming one saying means something differently.

Tell ‘em about my call? Leave out the deets about the Hutt? Mention I was tipped off ‘bout the assassin?

“Tell me more about this pirate.”

Jon listened, blinking at Casany who had hung up on the Hutts. Shit. My judgment is itchin’.

“Wait. Lemme get this straight. So Sergeant Di’kut said a pirate might know where everyone’s favorite Badger is? And what the chit’s this got to do with Bo-Katan?”

“Bone Katana!”

Everyone at the table looked up at a purple black Mandalorian in a black purple helmet again.

@Sicadorito (@Zaia Krodas } @Crux)

 

[Crux]

Crux could only stare incredulously as the second hippo attempted to drink whatever it was from that pink canteen of his by pouring it over his helmet. He could only hope that one day, one of his bounties would be to catch one of these di’kuts. They would be easy credits, and he’d probably be able to convince them to bring along a vodka brother or two for an extra bonus. Or whatever it was.

When he brought up a Bone Katana though… Crux racked his brain. Hadn’t Jon said something about that recently? He thought he did. So he pulled out his phone, dialed to the Duros again. He’d better pick up. They might actually be onto something here.

“Dromon? Wolf here. A sergeant Ki’dut just mentioned a Bone Katana at that cantina o’ yours.” As he spoke, he kept an eye and an ear on the woman and the Ranger. He didn’t trust the former, and the latter was still, well, a Ranger. “She might know some pirate who was the last one to see the Badger. Could be a lead.” Given that he was now on a call and the Marine seemed to have a lead about the man they were looking for, Crux reluctantly lowered his blaster. He was satisfied to see that Dragata had lowered hers too. Good girl.

He saw that the Ranger was calling his partner too, but he wouldn’t be able to do anything about that as Jon asked for clarification.

“Yeap.” He heard something over the phone, something that sounded like a “Bone Katana!”

“Is there somethin’ you’re not tellin’ me, Dromon?”

@Die Shize

 

[Amer Dragata]

Spoiler: Music IC (Recurring)

She wasn’t lying. Amer was pretty generally a straight shooter. Blunt. Honest. Direct. She was a soldier. Well, a marine, technically speaking, but maybe there wasn’t much of a difference in this universe, and she wouldn’t take offense to the word as an airman termed a sailor or whatever. In other words, she was trained to fight, taught to kill, not to waste time with politics or dishonest nonsense.

So, yeah, she came to this bookstore in this spaceport because she was bored and maybe a good book would be a great way to pass the time. She wasn’t undercover despite having no armor. A bit of shore leave, maybe, but not really. Amera Dragata lived and breathed as a marine, and she was in this city for business as much as pleasure.

And, standing in this bookshop, with one Mandalorian coming in after the other, purple or whatever, triggered her like the finger on her trigger but, well, more like it made her remember what an acquaintance if not companion once said about a certain Ranger, about a certain Dagger, and she wondered…Is this that Ranger?

Haircut lowered his blaster as he spoke on the phone. Amer lowered hers too. Good boy. He made the right choice. Ranger asked to be excused and got on his phone. Amer got on her phone too. Didn’t walk away from Haircut, didn’t look away, just in case the di’kut decided to be as big of an idiot as Ki’dut and raise his gun her way again.

“Hey there sunshine … Yea guess moonshine makes more sense … Sorry. Don’t have any. Maybe I’ll bring you some tequila, however, along with a Ranger … Yea, Ranger, and a Chihuahua … Yea, Chihuahua … No Hippo though … Oh. Don’t worry about that one. Still in the same location? … Okay then. See ya soon, blue moon … I dunno, blue moon sounds like the name of a stripper … I'll shut up when you shut up ... I don’t use sex as weapons. I use weap—”

-CLICK-

Amer shrugged and spoke to no one. “They hung up.” She checked to see if anyone else was done with their convo. “Ready when you lot are. Sooner we leave, sooner we get there, sooner we find out if you find this Badger, sooner I get to read my book.” She finally picked it up from the scattered remnants.

“Commander…what…can I…do…for…you…” Spoke Krogan.

“Sergeant.” Corrected Ki’dut.

“I won’t be shared. If it’s going to go anywhere, everyone on this ship needs to know you’re mine.”

“Whatever you’re reading, shoeshine, sounds like one fucking boring story.”

“As the only Mandalorian Sector Ranger in the city, sometimes you gotta unwind, right?”

Ki’dut appeared to be asking Amer but she couldn’t be sure given his eyes were hiding behind his visor. Is he…actually…winding a toy hamster? It appeared to come from the same third dimension as his pink canteen whose water-or-vodka had traded places with his helmeted face.

“Yeeeaaaahhhh I better remember to check in with Herglic Division come to think of it. Still haven’t figured out that shrinkage, no ma’am and no sir, gayiylir gayiyla like majyc magic if ya get my burger, sister.”

Well, while ‘sister’ definitely suggested he was addressing the only woman in the room, the fact that he faced a pillar dead center suggested otherwise. And this is the part where Amer Dragata loses her mind.

“Vast…Impact…a tale…of…a team of avengers who save the galaxy or maybe just a city really I haven’t finished it yet.”

“Yep. I’ll settle for The Extent.”

“Another Mandalorian? No problem, long as it isn’t purple, they can come with … Good. General vicinity works as a start. I'll cross-reference that address with my new friend and both teams will meet at the location then finally find out whether these leads of assassins and pirates take us to the Badger. See ya later.”

-CLICK-

“Finished?”

“Do. Done. Did.”

"Perfect. Let's hit it."

@Sicadorito (@Crux | @Zaia Krodas)

 

[Zaia Krodas]

At Casany’s question, Zaia put a hand over her mic and nodded. “Both,” she answered her vod before she returned to interrupt Zad for one moment.

“Not purple,” she assured him. “Mhm. Sounds like a plan to me.” Once Zad hung up, she would turn to Casany. “We might have a location on the assassin. We just need—” She was cut off by a loud voice above. Zaia lifted her head to see Bone Katana back in their group, still sipping on her lemonade.

“Did someone say PIRATE?” She stuck her helmeted head between Jon and Casany, looked between them both.

“He did.” Zaia nodded in Jon’s direction, getting the hippo’s attention. “Why? You know something?” Bone nodded enthusiastically, nearly spilling her drink in the process. Then she stopped, tilted her head in a question.

“Know something about what?”

“The pirate.”

“Ohhhhhh the pirate.” She slurped on her drink, and Zaia stared.

“Do you know one?”

“YES! We were hanging out. Nice fella if you ask me, one time when I—”

“Can you take us to them?” The hippo sipped again, thought about it, and then slammed the drink on the table next to Zaia. The vornskr scooched aside, but Bone Katana didn’t sit down.

“Yup yup!” Zaia exchanged a glance with Casany and Jon.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music IC (Recurring)

Casany blinked at Zaia’s answer. Both? What did an assassin have to do with either the Badger or Endyr exactly? Either way, whether one could lead one to the other, both the Draugr and the Praxor within her were less interested in an assassin or the Badger for that matter.

Both Cas and Jon had already tried the latter more than once to find the former, to track Endyr, and neither Mandalorian’s disappearance helped matters. The mercenary, however, that other bounty hunter partnered up with the Sector Ranger, Terrier or whatever his name was, was surely a sure lead to Endyr better than the Badger.

"What assassin?"
"What the chit’s this got to do with Bo-Katan?”
"Bone Katana!"

Whether Mandalorians who wore red and gold, gold and black, blue and white, a Mandalorian of black and purple just entered everybody’s world as Casany stared with a glass of Vod-Ka in her hand and a vod and Jon Dromon on either side.

So much for guarding those bozos. Though hopefully they weren’t giving that drunk Zabrak any trouble. Casany would have to see about that on their way out of this piss-shit establishment; minus its good tastes in beverages if out of place taste in tasteful Mandalorian folk music, but Praxor wasn’t biased.

As Saviin Ne’tra nearly spilled her drink, Casany blinked in that way you do when you’re anticipating getting wet out of the blue or getting poked in the nose. The problem with this Mandalorian woman in violet was she didn’t appear to be drunk in the slightest. Just. Well. An idiot.

Casany decided to sip on that as she listened. The red gold Mandalorian wore that expression of having just said something ten seconds ago and hold the helmet.

“I mean. I think. One time I thought the sun was hot and the moon was round. Imagine how dumb I felt when someone said they were not!? What do YOU think?”

Bo-Katan—eheh—Bone Katana looked between Jon and Casany and Jon and Casany, only she had a helmet with a black visor over her face, so the only way to tell it was her head shifting left and right and right and left.

“I think I need a drink.”

“What pirate?”

“Wolf called. Think that’s his name anyway. Said something about a hippo who knows a hippo who knows a pirate who knows a badger.” Jon sipped on his drink in thought. “Or whatever.”

“What the KRIFFIN' KARK's this got to do with Endyr?”

“What on earth is an ender?”

“Gar serim. Listen, everyone, I want Endyr Ratheon. I’m going to get Endyr Ratheon. If it takes a dog, a hippo, a badger, a Duros or my vod vornskr to do it then I’m going with. And no arguments."

The Praxor finished her Vod-Ka with a hiss, thudded the glass on the table, and cracked her knuckles.

“So get ready, Gravenell. Call me Ghost but know my blood and bones. The Praxor of Mandalore and Kad-Stor and this Mandalorian aims to misbehave and cause some trouble.”

“Gravenell?” Bone pointed to herself with all eight fingers and hold the two thumbs. “No! I’m Bone Katana of Clan Hippo!” She lifted her glass. “A toast to us brave warriors! We who are the chosen ones! Let the universe smile upon our courage and give us many potatoes! Look out cruel world! A girl is a girl! LONG LIVE THE DEUCALIANS”

“...”
"..."

@Sicadorito (@Zaia Krodas)

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music IC

Good. This was better than good. No, this was kriffin’ awesome. Amazing. One lead was good enough. Two leads were better than good.

Forget about Ki’duts and di’kuts, mall cop security and bad haircuts. Forget watered visors and bad book readings. Forget Herglic divisions, Mandalorian magic, sisters, brothers, burgers. Forget Vast Impact and The Extent. Finally, after agony and bittersweet memories, Zad Ruzed was going to get his revenge. Aight den.

“Do. Done. Did.”

Not only did the team have a lead on an assassin that might take them to the Badger but a pirate who might do the same damn thing. Didn’t matter if they were or weren’t related. If they were actually in the same vicinity then even better. Maxmized Zad's chances for the win.

Zad Ruzed was a Ranger who was desperate but would take his chances. And they had a marine to take them there. Amer. Unfortunately, her name triggered another memory. Aemi…

A name who made Zad Ruzed the man he is today.
At least, that’s what happened following her death.

“Deputy,” the Ranger breathed smoke ‘tween his teeth. “You ready?”

Whatever Wolf’s response, the Mandalorian Krogan finally got up just then.

“How long was I out?”
“...”
“...”
“You sayin’...”
“...You were asleep..?”

“I…get…bad…dreams…”

“Hoooooooold up there glorious loras and hold the shuner and butter. Nobody’s goin’ anywhere until this purple-helmeted gorgeous Mandalorian—Sergeant Ki’dut—” He pointed to himself with both thumbs and hold the eight fingers. “—Investigates just what the hell happened here."

“You serious? I just…I just told you that…moments ago…”
Zad Ruzed looked like he'd just said that ten seconds ago.

“Right.”
Captain Di’kut stood with his hands on hips for a moment.
“I’m comin’ with.”

“What?”

“Wot?”

“Clearly there’s more to this story to the extent of vast impact—ahaheh—and I’m the only Mandalorian Sector Ranger in this city. Turns out we’ve had more than a caped crusader vigalante sweeping these streets and forget what they said earlier about the Herglics, mister and sister. Yeeeeaaaahhhh there have been a number of reports toward uncharacteristic shenanigans to do with sabotaged fire hyrdants and this Mandalorian ain’t talkin’ ‘bout no stuffed spinach in the hose if you catch my Mando'a, burc'ya and bucko."

“Nope. I really, really don’t.”

“Annnd what’s this got to do with going with us exactly..?”

“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”

“Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh I’m coming with you to determine if this assassin and this pirate are dangerous or not and by the power of this Sector Ranger badge this is how it is, ya dig?”

“Aight.”
“Fine.”
“Right.”

And, whatever Deputy Wolf had to say about any of this nonsense, the lot of them were off.

Two Rangers, a marine, a mercenary, a purple black Mandalorian and a toy hamster, together.

@Sicadorito (@Crux)

 

[Jon Dromon]

Spoiler: Music IC

“Is there somethin’ you’re not tellin’ me, Dromon?”
Was there something that Jon Dromon wasn’t telling Wolf or Dog for short?
Oh. So. Many. Things. I probably know a lot you don't.

“More than one thing, huckleberry.” He breathed easy “For instance—”

-CLICK-

What was it that Ranger said? Rad Zuzed or whatever? Ah. That’s it.

“Do. Done. Did.”

It was good enough to whisper it from those blue lips of his as Jon Dromon listened to this other idiot with her black purple outfit. It was all just so curious as much of a coincidence that two members of Clan Hippo in two different zones both knew either an assassin or a pirate who apparently knew the Badger enough to evidently take everybody to his location in the end of all this nonsense.

From this Duros’ perspective? Easy money. As Bone Katana spoke of pirates and completely chaotic science in more than one definition, Dromon thought of credits: from his Badger employer; from baggin’ an assassin; from potentially stealing the booty of a pirate; from the treasure of beskar if it proved to be more than a rumor; and, of course, from turning in two True Mandalorians—if the occasion catered to it. For an opportunistic and unscrupulous bounty hunter like him, it generally did.

Ohhhh the possibilities…the options…Jon Dromon…

Bone spoke, raised a toast, but by this point Jon had already lost his voice as much as his rum and his smoke. No, he didn’t drink, he didn’t breathe, he just kept thinking, but his lips weren’t empty. He was playing his harmonica from his corner of the cantina, and hold the lyrics, the idiots, the Deucalians, the Mandalorians and the Mando’a.

Music drifted from his lips in a waa-woo-waa kinda twang. The Duros didn’t always play this musical instrument but, when he did, it was generally to do with tables that shifted and circumstances that favored him within these stars. The harmonica tended to taste as good as rum, as good as a cigar. Delicious.

“So…” Jon paused as he spoke and other conversations promptly finished. “Both teams meet in the given vicinity and then maybe we split into two teams yet again to find Bone Katan’s—”

“Katana! Er...not find my katana but that's my name...BONE KATANA!”

“—Pirate and Captain Di’kut’s—”

“Sergeant Ki’dut! The only Mandalorian Sector Ranger in the city!”

“—Assassin and hopefully one of those ends up showin’ us where the Badger actually is. Capeesh?”

Everyone exchanged glances.
Casany Praxor nodded.
Zaia Krodas nodded.
Jon Dromon watched.
Bone Katana began to dance.

“MANDALORE MANDALORE IT RHYMES WITH A ONE-EYED MANTICORE EATING A BLIND DINOSAUR AFTER THERE WAS AN ATTEMPTED ROBBERY MADE BY THREE PRIVATEERS LOOKING TO SCORE A PROFIT ON SELF-SEALING STEM BOLTS AND HOLD THE GOLD”

“Nope.”
“Let’s go.”
“Aw poo.”

GO.

They do!

@Sicadorito (@Zaia Krodas)

 

[Crux]

Crux glared at Amer as she spoke into her phone. Chihuahua? She clearly had no idea who she was dealing with. If there was a bounty on her, he would gladly show her that this wolf could bite.

The disrespect he received from his own partner was shocking too. Crux had done him a favor by calling him and giving him the information he’d just learned, and all he got in return was being called a huckleberry and a sudden hangup. Someday, they would all learn not to mess with him.

Only the Ranger had some decency to refer to him as “Deputy”. Crux disliked what his life had come to.

“Yeah, sure,” he muttered, putting his datapad back into his pocket. Then Sergeant Di’kut insisted that he come along too. He didn’t react. He was done for the day.

Following Amer’s lead, the merry group would later find themselves in a district near the edge of Gravenell City. It looked to be some kind of industrial zone, with factories of this and that as far as the eye could see and hazy smoke floating just above the road. Dumpsters dotted the side of the street, and there were little to no beings around. Crux put his helmet on— he wouldn’t be surprised if there was some kind of poison in the air here.

“This assassin hangs around here?” Crux looked at Amer, ever suspicious of her intentions. “You’d better not be lyin’.” This was an easy place to dump bodies, and he might just dump hers if they didn’t find who they were looking for.

@Die Shize

 

[Bo'roth Nazzat]

Spoiler: Music IC

He wasn’t much of a reader. More of an eater. Not much of a drinker either so he didn’t need to go to the cantina. However, he needed to go to this bookstore to follow a lead, and he needed to follow a lead because he had a score to settle. And its jazz sounded better than some club’s heavy metal.

He wasn’t much of a sadist. He wasn’t in this game for the pain. He was in it for the hunt. Yet the hunter was also a flayer as much as a killer who took the skin from his victims as trophies, typically from their dead bodies, because he was a particular kind of hunter.

He was Bo’roth of Clan Nazzat. Though the Nazzats were not Mandalorians like some of their species had since become. They were different. They were forbidden. Outcasts. Exiles of their king’s kingdom. Their way was an old way, the Old Way, but for them it was the only way.

Yet, this Yautkan had come to this city of Gravenell, not for clan, but for himself. His business was his pleasure. His business was a debt. He had a pistol. Well, he had more than one pistol, plenty of weapons hidden on his person amid a grey hooded cloak, but only one pistol that mattered at the moment.

It wasn’t even his. Not really. It wasn’t even a trophy. More of a trinket. A reminder. A memento. It was a lead, a way to track down his target from Endor to Sevenmoon, and finally he had. Bo’roth Nazzat carried the blaster of a Sector Ranger, and he knew his name was Zad.

Farms & Baron, a bookstore at a spaceport, in a city with more than one store and more than one port. More than one grave and more than one hell. This specific establishment had evidently experienced some commotion, a ruckus, but was cleaned up after some moments, and all involved parties departed.

Except for a Mandalorian in purple black beskar’gam who stood behind the checkout counter nodding at customers.

“NEXT” he waved. “How…can…I…help…you…sir?”
“Your sign over there says if I buy all three of these together—The Fraternity of the Necklace, The Three Pillars, The Reply of the Queen—there’s something about a discount?”
“Nope. NEXT”
“Wait wait but your sign says—”
“Oh I’m sorry about that. I actually don’t work here, sir.”
“But…you’re standing at the register…”
“Hel…lo…if…you…buy…all…three…of…those…books…to…ge…ther…it…is…chea..per…”
“...I just said that ten seconds ago though…”
“I apologize but it is store policy to follow and comply with all signs appropriately in this facility so your automatic discount cannot be argued against have a nice day NEXT”
“Question.”
“Have…you read…a book called…The Extent?”
“No. I have a question.”
“Y…e…s..?”
“There was a Sector Ranger in here earlier. I’m…looking…for…him…”
“One sec lemme page him just gimme a second please…show…pa…tience…”
“...”
“Hey yeah I got that guy from The Predator here I dunno if you’ve seen it but said he was looking for you … Oh it’s a movie about this Yautkan who stalks these potato heads in a forest or village or something and eats their bones for breakfast sometime at some point maybe in the future I dunno … Oh? Oh is Bone there? Oh tell her I said—sorry…ma’am…I’m…almost…done…with…a customer over the phone—oh okay welllllll I’ll let ya get back to it, my vodbrother, and if GCPD calls I’ll simply tell them you’re busy.”
-CLICK-
“NEXT”
“I haven’t finished.”
“Oh…hello…sir…would…you…like…to see…my collection…of lightsabers…”
“Was that the Ranger?”
“Yeah.”
“Location?”
“One sec I’ll write down where he’s headin’. Don’t wanna say it out loud in case some crazy Yautkan lunatic overhears it like that one guy in The Predator. Seen it? No? Here ya go, sir.”
“Thank you. I will see you...soon.”
“Oh?”
“A hunter…remembers.”
“...”
“...”
"I AM KROGAN"
"I am Yautkan."
"Pleasure to meet you, sir."
"Indeed. Until...then."
“NEXT”

And a Yautkan left.

@Sicadorito

 

[Jon Dromon]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Jon figured the best way to bag this assassin was to be in their presence. He further figured that it may be best to wait until they discover where the Badger was located. Beyond that, maybe one of them knew the location of this treasure of beskar. So, weigh his options, Jon Dromon did.

In this Industrial District of Gravenell City, the air appeared to be breathable enough. A city under a dome probably wouldn’t function much if pollution and poison were permitted on such a toxic level. However, that just paralleled with whatever lurked beneath its surface.

Then again, this was one Duros who preferred a simpler life. He'd take the grave to his demise. The Jedi and the Sith could keep their hell.

Cigar smoke languidly curling from his lips, the bounty hunter straightened his jacket and checked the environment for a second. Some of these factories churned out machines and equipment for the government, or whatever governed this makeshift city-state.

Others were more corporate. Signs on the outside designated their names. Dromon spotted Banana Inc. which actually manufactured smartphones and other electronics. Another sign was for Valt Ventures, a prime player in the technology and pharmaceuticals industries to name two. Suddenly their motto dawned on Jon.

‘We must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures.’

Maybe it meant something. Maybe I just saw it on a bus once. Another direction, another facility, another sign: XiCorp. Whatever their industry was, unfortunately Jon Dromon wasn’t versed in every company in the universe. He was a bounty hunter, not an astronomer.

“This assassin hangs around here?”
“You’d better not be lyin’.”
“Wot if I was, peewee?”
Amer turned toward Wolf, blinking.

Jon sighed out a cloud of smoke, hoping he wouldn’t have to babysit these two idiots for the entire duration. Whatever their encounter in that bookstore, clearly they did not get along but that was their problem, not his.

“I get the whole secrecy stuff, don’t get me wrong,” the Duros beckoned as they walked and talked. “But I hope you’re takin’ us to the exact location and I hope we’re not just waitin’ on an ambush. That’d be…bad for business,” he promised, flicking ash with a flick of his wrist.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head,” Amer said. “If I wanted you dead you would be. If my assassin friend wanted any of us dead then we wouldn’t be walking. As far as their exact location goes, well, I wouldn’t be escorting you to the front door if I didn’t know where now would I, sunshine?”

Jon caught her smile as she went on.

"Rest assured this killer knows the players and the game. Whether they currently know where the Badger is at this very second they have enough resources to find them. If a pair of muppets—er, mercs—are already on the hunt then even better for them."

Jon responded with a nod and thought but before he could go on someone caught them off guard.

“SUNSHINE! That’s what happens when sunlight shines down! They call it sunshine! Sunshine is bright! Like lime pie when you turn off the lights! Moonshine, though…” Bone Katana froze.

“..?”
“..?”
“..?”
“..?”
“!!!”

“...Isn’t sunshine! The moon isn’t the sun! That’s why when I go to sleep at night I imagine making pie on the sun instead of the moon because the morning sun is up when I am sleeping during night time in my absolute favorite Blue Moon cantina pajamas that I once spilled moonshine on while dancing to blues tunes at Uncle Steven’s! He was a relentlessly self-improving Kesh pastry baker owner from Belderone! Bone has spoken!.”

“Did that just happen?”

"And what about you? Can you take us to this pirate's front door or what? I gotta lot ridin' on this ticket, kid. This is one dusty old man in a duster who can't afford to wait much longer, ya dig?"

"Leave it to me, buddy! I once digged up treasure in the desert using just my visor! This pirate and I go waaaay back! They'll probably be waiting for me with a whole bunch of cookies! Do you like cookies!? Who likes pie!?"

"I like cookies. And I love cucumbers."

"That's right, vodsister! You show these fine folk from the edges of outer space how Clan Hippo treats its enemies! We shine the mighty badge of Sector Ranger tranyc justice oyayc ra kyrayc and burn hettir the utyc yaiyai'yc jari'eyc etyc ulik into hetikleyc, hokan'yc and talyc jatisyc cuz we're ori'beskaryc if lararyc alcoholics who don't take kindly to unkind rowdy bunches like summa the type round these parts, so know that there's a new sheriff in town, Charley, or they don't call me Sergeant Ki'dut and hold the coconut donut, capeesh?"

"Kyr'amur ni."

@Sicadorito

 

[Amer Dragata]

Spoiler: Music OOC (Recurring)

Some time later, Amer could have walked with her hand by the holster at her hip, showing her contemporaries she’s ready for anything in case they want to try something. Yet she reckoned just her fists would do the trick so, zipping up her jacket, she walked with her arms crossed.

One of these punks she knew already—Haircut—whose helmet didn’t hide the haircut. The other was a Duros who liked to walk with his hand by the holster at his hip, and a cigar between his fingers.

The marine wasn’t unaccustomed to sharing the presence of civilization’s finest galactic citizens like these, from bounty hunters to mercenaries, assassins to pirates, given her occupation took her to different locations and a whole bunch of cantinas.

However, she didn’t know much about either one of these thugs. Wolverine had an attitude and armor as black and red as the red and black Badger, though he looked like perhaps he might have a nice ass behind the lower half of his armor to Amer.

For that matter, Jon Dromon seemed to be a cooler customer, not as hotheaded as his sidekick. A bounty hunter could go either way, however, and Amer was one Imperial Asskicker who had to wonder who she could trust under the current circumstances.

At least she had Sergeant Ki’dut to keep her company.

“Ah, there’s one!” The Mandalorian Hippo pointed into the distance. “That there’s a fire hydrant.”

“Yea. I can see it.”

“What of it?”

“...”
“...”
“...”

“I got nothin’.”

“As I was sayin’ this assassin has a vested interest in the Badger as much as you two and your troupe.” She glanced between them both. “How long you been workin’ for the Badger anyway? How’s the pay? You mind not blowin’ that cigar smoke in my face? This way.”

They went on their way. Together. Amer wasn’t going to just give them directions. She had to take them to the assassin in person for this. For her mission amid pleasure and business.

She had to deliver that Sector Ranger. Not Sergeant Ki’dut but the one in a leather duster. He was another one who walked with a cigarette and a hand near his hip. Apparently he had information on the Daggers and never mind the Badger.

Yet Zad Ruzed had insisted on him and Amer keeping on separate teams, something about a Ranger’s trust in a marine to get the job done as much as watch Baldy and Haircut. She didn’t want to spill the beans on actually bringing him in for information just yet.

Whatever Ranger Ruzed was with his vengeance, he was still a Sector Ranger in the end, and an assassin was an assassin as much as Amer was once undercover.

A marine, on the other hand, was Sergeant Amer Dragata of the Dust Dragoons, AC-IAF. She wouldn’t hesitate to crush someone’s ass to dust if the occasion warranted it.

Amid the presence of this pair of bounty hunters, well, it could happen in the end if things went south somehow in Gravenell, but at least the marine would have one hell of a story to tell.

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Zaia had been eager to get out of that bar, so she’d taken Bone Katana’s offer to track down the pirate quite eagerly. Even better, now she could do it with friends. She didn’t know how well those two would get along, but neither was the kind to start anything unprovoked and both had their own reasons for being here. Maybe they were somehow connected, too.

Either way, she was glad to have Casany and Zad at her side instead of the bounty hunter. Jon had been alright, but nothing could beat friends.

After splitting up from the larger group, the pirate crew was now in the warehouse district. Here, there were plenty of large steel buildings marked with the names and logos of various corporations that Zaia didn’t really know or care about. From the looks of it, she wouldn’t be surprised if everything the city needed for a full hundred rotations could fit in here. Bone Katana led the way, occasionally whistling a song or cracking a joke at something she saw. Zaia didn’t pay the hippo any mind as long as they were getting closer to the pirate.

“How far are we from where you saw them last?” she asked as the group took another turn.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Crux was once a dog on a leash until he broke free. Dog. That’s what Endyr Ratheon had called him. Then he was promoted. From Dog to Wolf.
He wasn’t another dead dog, or whatever Ratheon was fond of saying, what he called everyone who wasn’t a Mandalorian. He certainly called Casany Praxor worse. Yet, in his defense, at least he never referred to Mandalorian women as whores.

There were strippers and whores galore in The Gabagool. Casany had to admit it. However, she was only ever in that establishment that sickened the thick skin of Zaia Krodas because of business over pleasure to begin with.

Not as Casany Praxor, not even as Anvil, but as Draugr, as Ghost. A Deucalian name, but a Mandalorian beneath the surface. Beneath the skin, underneath the black and the red and the mask, there was a Mandalorian woman even without the beskar’gam. She had done this before. Most Praxors once did amid the forges of Kad-Stor. Walked the cosmos without her armor on her.

From those days to these days, even though the wolf in her midst had not sniffed her out as Casany Praxor amid her disguise as Draugr, and unless Jon Dromon had ratted her out as being the former, she decided to keep Crux distant for now, interrogate him later or somewhere in between the pirate and the assassin.

If he was in league with Endyr, and Jon still wanted his beskar, the Duros would contact her if he found out without worrying about Casany’s cover being blown. Zaia was of course on board. Though, as for the Ranger, Zad Ruzed, he didn’t say much about it, or anything, and was Casany’s kind of guy already when it came to silence and compliance.

Worst came to worst, maybe the pirate or the assassin led them to the Badger if not Endyr, and maybe the Badger if no other finally had information on Endyr’s location.

Bone Katana, however, was another matter.

“How far are we from where you saw them last?”

“The squirrels?”

“No. No, not the squirrels, girl.”

“This pirate you mentioned. What’s their name, anyway?”

“Pirate!”

“Yeap. Pirate. Name?”

“Pirate!”

“Okay.”

“Anyway.”

“This is the way!”

"Yeah yeah, I've heard my fair share of Mandalorian slogans for the day."

"No! No! This is the way! This way!"

They walked along. Across the duracrete and durasteel of buildings for corporate storage and other things, the warehouses in this vicinity of the Industrial District of Gravenell City was separate if not too distant from the factories.

Hopefully the other team would find their assassin like Casany and company would find their pirate. Hopefully one if not both teams would either encounter the Badger or get the last lead they needed on his location. Hopefully the wolf would howl loudly if he knew where Endyr was and, if he didn’t, would still howl loudly.

“No wonder.”

“What?”

“Why a pirate might hide out around here. Warehouses mean goods, goods mean good plunder.”

“Thunder is what happens when it rains on Planet Koobakus in this one hologame I played when I was eight.”

“I feel like I’m on Planet Koobakus the more you keep talkin’, dorkus.”

“How did you two meet?”

“Me? Him? We only just met. I’m a Hippo. He’s a Sector Ranger like my vodbrother Sergeant Ki’dut so ya see what happened was we—”

“No, no. How did you and the pirate meet, I mean?”

“Ohhhhhhhhhh that is a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong story. So ya see—"

@Sicadorito (@Zaia Krodas)

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC (Recurring)

“—And that’s when the Ortolan and the Orcolan decided to get vicious and they turned over the mythical wagon to stare at whatever was inside it which turned out to be a round cheese wedge next to some suspiciously edible cheesecake and that’s when I said ‘Well how do you know those men were escaped convicts, sir?’ and he said 'Doesn't matter. Now that I have the Dagger of Knives I can inform the Jack of Blades to come eat pie at the lake.' "

“...What?”

“I don’t even...”

As for why everybody rode with the notion that an idiot like Bone Katana actually knew where a pirate was who might just know the location of the Badger, well, Zad Ruzed had already vouched for her. Even the biggest idiot could be the most honest.

Zad had met as many honest folk as dishonest scum. Bone was honest. Ki’dut was honest and maybe that was his trick for managing to be the stupidest Mandalorian Sector Ranger in existence. Amer was honest. That’s why Zad was fine with letting this chick keep an eye on the likes of Wolf and Jon Dromon.

Casany, who Zad didn’t know, seemed to be one of those honest Mandos, whatever her own code and the creed of her family. Zaia, who Zad did know, his surrogate daughter if he got to be the bad father, was honest, straight to the bone.

Wolf, for all his thuggery, seemed too much of an open book to worry about lying. Jon Dromon, though the Ranger and the hunter didn’t really know each other, well, was not honest. He was dishonest. His lies were conscious like whatever hides behind those orange lights of his.

Ultimately, though, Zad Ruzed just picked a direction. Pirate. Assassin. Someone was bound to have information on if not the exact location of the Badger to in turn take the Sector Ranger to the last Dagger.

Only nobody in this city except for Zaia Krodas and Zad Ruzed, the man who enacted vengeance as much as justice on those damn bastards, knew it. To them, the Daggers still existed as six, because no one knew who they were to begin with.

Now I just need to know where the last one is…then I’ll show that piece of shit who’s the last man standing after what he did to Aemi… I’m sorry, baby…but justice is coming…as is my proposition…

“...And hell’s coming with me…”

Zad Ruzed blew smoke ‘tween his teeth. The simple fact in all this nonsense was that Sergeant Ki’dut might have been a di’kut but he had his resources. Gravenell had been contending with an increasing number of pirates; something about one ship, the Endless Song, stealing a shipment of violins.

“I love that movie!”

“Huh?”

“The one ya just quoted! Only he goes ‘HELL’S COMIN’ WITH ME!’ ”

“I need a whiskey.”

“Vodka for me.”

They turned another corner, reportedly getting closer to their quarry. In the end, this was a warehouse section where they might encounter more than one pirate as much as police, but only one pirate was their lead.

“You a drinker?” Zad asked to break the quiet he suddenly found awkward.

“Got that right. When the occasion fits. I’ll drink myself stupid in my ship on occasion but not on the job.”

“What’s your secret?” Zad snickered, if yet serious, straightened his jacket, suddenly conscious of the hip flask within it, if not his Proposition.

“Ask Krodas. She reminded me...why we fight.”

“That true, kid? Ya’ll sound like war buddies.” He wasn’t breathing smoke. Zaia had already shown Zad how tough she was, especially when he needed her at the toughest moments. She earned the right to be termed 'pardner'. Clearly these other two partners were close.

@Sicadorito (@Zaia Krodas)