[CARTEL CONTRACT] Another One Bites the Dust

[Attom]

"There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter."

Spoiler: <{TARGET: Salo Kaul}>

[WANTED LEVEL]MEDIUM

[TARGET]
SALO KAUL

[BOUNTY]15,000Cr



[SPECIES]
HUMAN

[GENDER] MALE

[AGE] 27

[HOMEWORLD] CORUSCANT

[HEIGHT] 5'10"

[WEIGHT] 64 KG

[ALIAS] "DICE"

[STATUS] ARMED AND DANGEROUS

[CONDITION] DEAD OR ALIVE


[DESCRIPTION] SALO KAUL IS A MINOR BOUNTY HUNTER WHO KILLED A VALUABLE CARTEL EMPLOYEE. ATTOM DRAL'TRACEN HAS BEEN DISPATCHED TO KAUL THAT THE CARTEL IS NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY.

Things Just Got Personal​

"He's heading to the hotel," A voice said over the com, waking me from my trans of emptiness. "get ready, we didn't come to Denon for nothing." I had set up in an opposite hotel nearly one-hundred meters east of the targets choice of refuge. "Remember, Kabur, we're taking him alive."
"I still don't understand why we don't just drop him right now,"
"Because death is too quick, Kabur," I said while setting up the sniper rifle with attachment cables, "Killing Kaul will get a message across, but the message is that the Cartel just gets rid of it's trash. If we bring him back alive we prove that the Cartel doesn't just let you off with a simple pop in the head. By the time it's all done..... he'll be begging for death."
Kabur scoffed, "Whatever you say," He looked up towards the tower in an attempt to see me, "as long as I get paid it makes no difference to me." After a few moments Kabur started walking with the crowd as Kaul began to get closer to the hotel. "I'm going up top now," he said as he took a sharp left and into the hotel.

"You still up there, Mazen?" I asked as I peeked my head up over the ledge and towards the top of the neighboring hotel.
"I'm still here and getting the cables ready now," He began draping over the side of the building two lines of 550-chord for repelling and saddled himself with a harness while he lay another adjacent to him on the ground. "we're ready."
"Good," I replied, "Kabur should be with you shortly." I knocked back the stock on the sniper rifle and set the cables to automatically fire when I give the word. "Any eyes on the target?"
He's in the elevator," Kabur said as he arrived at the top of the hotel, stepping out of the elevator and lifting the harness onto himself, "Alright, I'm strapped up. Give the word."
It was nearly two minutes later that I first saw the target and his smirking face. He had met up with two other people whom I assumed to be merely pawns or associates of his. He acted like nothing could hurt him, like the galaxy was his playground. "On my mark," I said as I whipped out a long metal bar with a bow in it, "Execute."

At the moment I gave the order, both Kabur and Mazen jumped from the top of the hotel and let their repelling cord stretch out as they plummeted towards the bottom. I, myself, had set the sniper rifle to fire, and it did. A three-prong steel grappling hook fired from the rifle and whizzed through the air in a blink of an eye as it slipped through the glass seamlessly and into the concrete walls where it expanded and caught itself inside. I quickly kick the rifle up and detached the 550-chord, stick it to the side of the hotel he was atop while he plunged himself off the roof and used the bowed bar to grind onto and towards the enemy. By the time Kaul knew what had happened it was already too late. It was the perfect heist, or at least it was, until things started to take a turn for the worse. I successfully smashed through the window and rolled to my knees as I looked up at Kaul now standing in a sea of glass. "Now son," I said with a condescending tone as I rose to my feet, "we can do this the easy way or the hard way." Moments later Mazen successfully entered the same window I had opened and drew a weapon. After what I thought was the most intimidating entrance quickly turned into a disaster as I heard Kabur over the com.

"MY HARNESS IS MALFUNCTIONING," Kabur exclaimed as he struggled to activate the emergency breaking on the cord's repelling device to no avail. After jerking and jerking the harness snapped almost in half, leaving one side to holster his body, causing it to then spiral out of control. "I CAN'T GET IT TO ACTIVATE! I'M SPINNING TOO FAST TO GRAB THE LEDGE!"
"You grab him, I've got the target!" Mazen exclaimed.
Without a second thought I turned as fast as I could to the window and outstretched my arm and barely grabbed Kabur by the collar. As I clasped his spinning body I was jerked out of the window itself. I quickly grabbed and held onto the platform the glass formally was placed in as hard as I could, grinding me and Kabur to a halt. "I have you," I grunted out as we dangled nearly 700 meters from the ground, "I won't let go!".

"I think we need a better strategy next time we attempt this," Kabur said jokingly, "just pull me up please. I don't typically enjoy feeling like I might plummet to my death at any given moment.
As I pulled us back up onto the level floor of the flat I was greeted with a blaster barrel shoved against the back of my head and a familiar voice.
"Hands up, Tracen." It was indeed Mazen, my second in command, or at least now he would be my FORMER second in command
I rose to my my feet and turned to face him, as did Kabur. The look of disgust on my face could not be seen, but it sure as hell was felt was we stood silently staring at eachother beneath our helmets for what seemed like an eternity. I quickly glanced and saw Kaul retreating like the coward he was, eagerly mashing the elevator buttons. I myself could do nothing. My weapons, it seemed, were taken from my belt while I went to grab Kabur, but who would think to secure their weapon when they were trying to save a comrade? I broke the silence with a query, "Why did you do it, Mazen?"
"Money. Power. Hell, I did it to save my own skin. If you think that you're of any importance to the Cartel, you're wrong. They are just using you like they used Kaul, and the moment you slip up they send the hunters after you. I've been watching, planning and waiting. Waiting for the moment that I secure an alternate future outside of the Cartel. We can't Hunt forever, Attom."
I could sense the fear among the tension, a fear that I had not taken into consideration, 'what happens once we've run out of uses'. "You're delusional, Mazen," I spoke out while gritting my teeth, "you've let your greed get the better of you. Now you try to cover that greed with lies and scenarios you've conjured in your head. YOU might not be able to Hunt forever, but I sure as hell can. I LIVE for the Hunt."
"I'm not you, Attom."
"The truth comes out," I said with a smirk as I caught Kabur gathering glass shard int he corner of my eye, "if you were me you might have had a chance of leaving here alive."
"And what makes you think YOU'RE getting out of here alive?"
"If you wanted to kill me you would have kicked me down while I was saving Kabur," I said before exclaiming, "NOW!" And in a split second Kabur completely unloaded the debris into Mazen's eyes, giving me enough time to grab my weapon from the ground, but not enough to set it to fire, which gave Mazen an opportunity to shoot me while I was exposed. Mazen stumbled slightly and realized his open shot in that moment and took it. My heart stopped, my mind went blank, and all I could see was Kabur standing infront of me as I raised my head up after the shot went off.

I watched as Kabur fell to his knees and I did not hesitate to unload my entire clip into Mazen. Bolt-after-bolt, I pummeled the bastard until his mid section looked like ground meat. I quickly dropped my weapon and ran to meet Kabur only to find the shot had hit him just below the neck. By the time I had rolled him over he had already passed. What was I to do? I cursed Mazen, I cursed this heist. I had known Kabur for many years and had served with him during the Sith and Mandalorian wars, and now he was gone. I had let the Bounty escape, alerted the police to my location and completed destroyed a flat and my former crewmate. What was I to do? I could not stay there, I need to leave, so I evacuated the area and have been tracking Kaul ever since......

The Hunt Continues......​

It's been almost 3 months since the last sighting of Kaul and that was the same night when things hit the fan and I lost my crew. However, I hadn't been dormant and I was nowhere near ready to give up on tracking down the schutta. I started branching out, finding new crew and traveling to different parts of the galaxy to get leads and listen in on rumors with even the slightest significance to Kaul. I had gotten myself a new hip, new hide-out and a new crewmate, Zane Galla, an aspiring Bounty Hunter with a knack for getting himself out of tight situations. It's been a while since I have served with anyone, so my social skills aren't exactly pristine, nor do I put any trust in the individuals I deal with these days. Nevertheless, he and I were to meet today outside of Mos Eisly in a Cantina near the requisition offices. Hopefully he would show, but if not the Cartel had told me they were sending another Bounty Hunter to assist in the capture, or death, of Kaul, one with a little more experience than even me and someone they think I could trust for the short amount of time; Elohim Aeon.

The only thing to do now is wait. Normally I wouldn't mind waiting, I was actually a decently patient person, but even since the failure 3 months ago I could not wait one second without going insane. I had leads on Kaul, but no crew to help me capture him. I surely was not going to go against him myself after witnessing how many henchmen and bodyguards he has acquired to protect himself since last we encountered eachother. I had been trained to kill Jedi, and I was good at it, but I doubt even I could stand against an army of decently trained henchmen and droids. But if I had an ally, or two, watching my back, then we'd be an army in ourselves.

 

[Zay]

Zane pulls up on a beat up old speeder that appears to be on it's last leg. He throws the repulsers into landing mode and hops off before it finishes touching the ground. Zane adjusts the two blaster hung at his hips and shrugs his shoulders moving the dark brown duster jacket back into place. Zane starts walking toward the entrance to one of his favorite places on this hell whole of a world. The Mos Eisly cantina. As Zane approaches he scans the bustling street for his new crewmate mumbling to himself as he approaches the building.

"Hope, I'm not too late..."

 

[Insoulent]

Arkantos, or Elohim Aeon as he was known to the rest of the Galaxy, had just arrived at the Mos Eisley Spaceport. Tatooine. How anyone would want to live on such a barren and lifeless planet was beyond him. If there was one thing Arkantos hated it was heat. Arkantos would much rather freeze his balls off on Hoth that be burned alive on Tatooine. The Twin Suns were as unbearable as ever, but Arkantos didn't care much as he'd only be on the planet for a bounty, a temporary stay sort-to-speak. He was here to help out an up-and-coming Bounty Hunter in the Cartel, Attom Dral'Tracen. Arkantos didn't know much about Attom, but his bounty was someone Arkantos had actually worked with before, curiously enough.

Salo Kaul, though Arkantos knew him as Dice, was a thorn in the Cartel since his entry. In his first hunt, Arkantos had also tagged along to help the newbie, though his big mouth had nearly got him killed and got him the iconic scars on his eye. Saying the wrong words to a Shistivanen pirate captain does those kinds of things. Regardless, that same mission is the first time Arkantos tallied more than ten deaths, and gained him some notoriety for a few weeks. That was the last time Arkantos would work with Dice, despite Dice's pleas to work again since. Still, Dice was a man who thought his skills much more than what they truly were, often over-exaggerating himself. He was ego-driven, brash and very stupid. Sure, he was smarter than the common Cartel lackey, but that didn't say much. Dice had a reputation of sometimes even biting off more than he could chew, and if he had half the brain he believed he did, he wouldn't of been in the situation he was in today. Arkantos wasn't exactly sure what Dice did to get himself on the Cartel's personal Bounty Board, but personally, he didn't care. The Cartel, like any criminal, still had a code and one that everyone within it had to abide by. Dice crossed it. And it wasn't like he wasn't the type of person to cross it, Arkantos himself was simply surprised it took him this long to get caught crossing it.

And so, the Cartel thought it'd be best if Arkantos tagged along to make sure they got their money's worth, considering Attom had lost two of his previous partners and Dice in the process. Attom himself wasn't to blame, but his trust in the wrong people seemed to have caught up to him. Fortunately for Attom, the Cartel still had faith that he'd succeed, but they needed the added insurance. Arkantos himself was fully armored in his HERMES-exoskeleton suit, with a Mandalorian ripper slung on his right hip. On his left thigh, a vibroknife was sheathed nicely as his only melee weapon. Carried in his hands was his REC-74, his mobile railgun. Arkantos had a thing for slugthrowers and non-pure energy-based weaponry. Easier to get through pesky armor and less flashy. Still, the weapons were cumbersome for the most part, especially the REC-74. He had hoped to find something more suitable, but for the time being, the railgun did the job, and if it couldn't his Ripper would finish any problems he would get. The Bounty Hunter he was helping had enlisted the help of some other less-known Bounty Hunter from what he was told, a new member for Attom's personal crew to help him, which didn't much bother Arkantos so long as he didn't slow down the others he was fine with Arkantos. This bounty had to be completed of course.

He walked through the streets of the bustling city, making his way to the infamous and inglorious Galactic-renown Chalmun's Cantina better known as Mos Eisley cantina, was where the three would meet. Hopefully Attom had the last bit of information they'd need to bag Saul and collect the funds. If not... well, Arkantos would have to cause of a bit of ruckus and personally, he'd rather go about it more quietly than that.

 

[Zay]

Zane reaches the rendezvous point and leans against the wall scanning the passersby for the two he is supposed to meet. As he waits he rests one hand on the hilt of his blaster and runs his other hand through his hair. This will be the biggest job Zane has run and he can't wait. He catches a glimpse of a fully armored bounty hunter heading in his direction and his hand grips around the blaster a little tighter. Zane starts trying to remember the name of the other hunter that would be joining the search for Kaul but he can't quite put his finger on it. Zane smiles and chastises himself for being so excited when he got the news from Attom about the mission he didn't pay attention to the finer details. Zane calms himself and takes a breath. "I swear his last name started with an "A"." Zane shrugs, sucks his teeth and watches the man approach. "Well, I guess I'm about to find out" He pushes himself up off the wall and stands waiting for the approaching bounty hunter to close the distance. being sure to keep both hands on his blasters just in case.

 

[Attom]

I had been in the Cantina the entire morning and I had become fed up with just sitting around. So I got up and went outside. I made my way to the door and turned the corner only to have the heat of the sun and the ever-blinding light shine now directly on me. I raised my hand, but only for a moment before the white flash went away and my eyes became adjusted to the world around me. I saw people moving up and down the streets fluently and quickly, I could even see a figure just around the bend holding his holster as if he was about ready to draw a weapon. I looked further down the lane and put two-and-two together when I saw a heavily armored male walking towards the cantina. I lifted my helmet from underneath my arms and secured into over my head, locking the clasps against the adjoining mail of my upper cuirass, and made my way over to the trigger-happy figure across the street by swerving in and out of crowds until I arrived just a few feet behind him. I looked him over and noticed now that there were two sides to his holster, much like the description of my new crew member.

Upon looking up I could tell this was he. I reached out my hand and put it over his own which had grasped his blaster. "Stay your hand, Zane," I said, raspy as my helmet distorted my own voice, though not at all strange for a helmet to do so, "we don't need a riot on our hands." I removed my hand shortly after and draped my slightly worn cape over my left side, though you would think it would be hot enough without it. "I think this is the Hunter the Cartel has sent to assist us."

 

[Zay]

I watched as the armed and armored man drew closer and closer. when suddenly I felt a hand touch my own snapping me out of my current focus and causing my head to turn faster then womp rat running from a dewback. Chula! I took a few startled breaths and let my hand drop from my blaster. I examined the armored man for a second noticing the strangely medieval style of his armor and knew this must be Attom "Thought you might've left without me. I nod toward the armored hunter walking toward us. "I wasn't going to start anything, but I wasn't going to be helpless is he wasn't friendly. So, he's the last member of the crew?"

 

[Attom]

"No," I replied, "He's just helping us this one time. It takes more than two to take down Kaul, trust me." I let my eyes gaze over the Hunter, I could tell he had seen quite a few battles. Some might not always have been from bounties either, it might seem. "You and I are the only crew members here," I stated, "he is an outsider. I trust you, but I don't exactly trust him, for the time being, and neither should you. But he is our ally and we do need him. So try to be pleasant." Although, I knew I was going to be the one who would be harder to get along with, given my social skills weren't exactly 'up to par' on galactic standards. I stepped out into the open, unlike before. The only this to do now was wait for the Hunter to approach.

 

[Zay]

I ran my hand through my hair while listening to Attom. Attom seems like a straight shooter someone I can trust. If he is cautious of the extra muscle being sent by the cartel then I'll keep my eyes open and my mouth shut and watch for anything out of the ordinary. "Got it." I hesitated for a moment before saying "I can't wait to take this guy down. You have any leads on him?"

 

[Insoulent]

Walking down the main street on a less populated world like Tatooine with a rifle in their hands, well it only meant one thing: a bounty hunter was there. While Mos Eisley was one of the most populace cities on Tatooine, that didn't say much as it was no bigger than a large settlement. The people there all knew each other in some capacity, and everyone knew the signs of a traveling criminal on the planet. Arkantos had been there a few times before, and each time more people would recognize him. They knew very well to stay out of his way, being the sign of the Cartel did that kind of thing. As he got closer to the Cantina he could see the signs of it's patrons littering the buildings that surrounded the cantina. Drunk-stupor men with the stench of alcohol on them, didn't they have jobs to do or something? Then again, there wasn't much to do in a backwater world like Tatooine, so he couldn't much blame them for drinking their existence away on a miserable world such as Tatooine.

Two men caught his eye, more armor. Though one of them was odd, more reminiscent to Borga's own gladiators, an archaic form of armor if he ever saw. Not even mechanized from the looks of it, so it would only mean that was Attom. He read a bit of him before arriving, gathering information was Arkantos' best-known skill. And so he stopped to the two, "Attom, right? Elohim." he said introducing himself. Arkantos was often friendly and open to talk, Elohim on the other hand was direct and stern. He learned that as a Bounty Hunter, he had to keep a serious persona for the most part, especially against his enemies, he had to be taken seriously and even intimidate them. He shifted his eyesight behind his visor to the other, "He's with you, I'm guessing?" he asked.

Though Arkantos was probably the most experienced in Bounty Hunter of the group, he was only there to take over if or when the mission turned sour, his skills would be more than enough to take on Dice, but he was only there to observe how Attom worked and see if he could truly get the job done. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to take over, and if he did, somewhere near the end. The Cartel couldn't tolerate more incompetent Bounty Hunters like Salo Kaul. But from the looks of it already, Attom had the fire in his eyes, the one that yelled "I will not fail", a good fire to have Arkantos thought.

 

[Attom]

"He is," I said as I eyed over the newcomer, "this is Zane, my second in Command of our crew. They won't be joining us, or at least not now, only him." I observed his armor and his carbine, one I had seen on a taskmaster on Nar Shadda, and the more I derived from his stance, his walk, and the presence of his voice I could tell right away that he was human, most likely of Mandalorian decent. There was something odd about him though, a presence I had felt before, but not when dealing with Bounty Hunters and I could not just yet determine what it was. "So," I started, "I was told Borga sent you to oversee that the contract gets completed?". It didn't bother me that Elohim was there, but the fact that the Cartel did not fully believe I could handle the job did. But, at the same time, I knew that Zane and I alone stood no chance against them. A fire did stir in my heart, reflecting in my eyes, as I reminisced about the loss of Kaul, a fire that did not stop. But now, finally, I had an edge on Kaul and I was ready to use it and soon as I could. I would have taken Elohim inside the Cantina immediately, but I wanted Zane to get a feel for this character himself for the bond between us all would be fragile if not everyone was properly introduced and knew how to work with one another. I still, however, did not trust Elohim, but I was willing to compromise so long as me and Zane both kept our eyes peeled and our blasters in check on the hunt.

 

[Insoulent]

Arkantos rested the carbine against his shoulder, as the man spoke. He grinned behind the pitch-black visor, he could easily tell Attom was the ones who was cautious, a good trait in a criminal organization. Not easily fooled, Arkantos hoped he kept this trait within the Cartel, continuing to speak asking his question. "Borga sent me to make sure you get paid, yeah." he returned in a quip. "Be careful how you word certain things around the Hutts, saying something like that on an bad day won't keep you alive long." he said as he moved his head to look around the cantina. "Let's go find a table, first round is on me. Good to meet you, Zane." he said quickly, moving into the Cantina.

The Bounty Hunter led the other two inside the cantina, finding a table big enough for them between a group of rodian drunks, and a group of local criminal scum, part of some swoop gang from the looks of it. Either way, the table sat all three, as a human boy came to take their order. "Kiddo..." he said looking at the impoverished youth working in such harsh conditions. He felt bad, for a moment, but wouldn't simply show this. It seemed the nice girl that worked there before was gone, probably sold since then. That's how things went in the Hutt world. "I'll take tihaar, if you have it. If not, an Ithorian Ale will do. Whatever these boys will want..." he said leaning in to slide the payment secretly, as he gave him two credits, a 20 credit chip which would of covered the drink, and a 100 credit chip which he slid into his shirt's pocket. "Keep that other one hidden, alright?" he said leaning into the child's ear, tapping his back to take off after the boy took the other men's orders.

 

[Attom]

I looked at Elohim in a constant gaze. I hadn't let my guard down yet and I hadn't planned on doing so any time soon, so I turned Zane for just a moment and sat down at the table. I looked to Elohim once more as he ordered his drink and deferred the young waiter to us. I hesitated and moments later caught a glimpse of him whispering to the young male and slipping something into his pocket. I smirked underneath my helmet before I lifted it off, laying it next to me. I turned my head and whispered into Zane's ear, "Don't order anything," I said abruptly, hoping Zane would heed my warning, "just trust me." I turned to the boy who came to serve us and was confused by his facial expression, it was if he had never seen my kind in there before. "Nothing for me, lad." I said as I turned to Elohim. I had never taken my helmet off in front of a Cartel employee except Zane. My skin was violet as could be, like a typical Zeltron, and my eyes shined an even brighter yellowish gold as the sun came in through the windows. Out of armor I didn't appear to be the typical Bounty Hunter and I considered that a blessing, it gave me a better edge on blending in with the natural commoner.

"Now," I started as I leaned in, keeping my eye also on the rodians behind Elohim, "I have- eh- "acquired" information from one of Kaul's middle-men....... and found his location." I pulled out of my pocket a hologram and placed it in the middle of the table. One side of the hologram projected a planet, one which was of frozen classification. It was Hoth. On the other side of the hologram projected Kaul's base, 200 feet below the ice beneath a the remnants of an old sith outpost. "I also have an idea of how to get in," I smirked, "Kaul transmits his signal for ten minutes exactly at 12 at night. In that window a ship lands over the hideout and his henchman unload the supplies. They have turned the old outpost into a base and have fortified it quite well. They have even fixed the turrets to faction properly when activated. The idea is to take out the technicians before they get them up and running, then we might stand a chance against his remaining security in and outside of the base." I left the hologram on the table and sat back in my chair awaiting Elohim's reaction. "What do you think?"

 

[Zay]

The warrior that approached immediately struck me as seasoned. He reminded me on one of the commanding officers back on Corellia. He was confident and cool nearly emotionless as he introduced himself. These are qualities I need. If I hope to gain any success in the cartel I need to get stronger. Smarter. I shook these thoughts out of my head and memorized his name. Elohim. He was covered head to toe in mandalorian armor. I suddenly felt naked compared to both my allies.“I’m gonna need to get some more armor apparently just to fit in around here…”
I thought to myself.

Attom introduced me which was fine. I’m the low man on the totem pole here, but I won’t be there for long. I’ll prove to both of these bounty hunters I’m worthy to carry my blasters. I refuse to be left behind or left out. The more I thought about the reports regarding this Salo “Dice” Kaul the more I wanted to bring him in. His elusion of the cartel would end with us joining forces. I looked to Attom sensing more than seeing the passion he held for this bounty. I couldn’t help but smile. ]“Dice… you just rolled snake eyes.” I thought to myself.

I stepped forward to introduce myself to be polite extending my hand to the would be ally“I’m Zane Galla. Nice to meet you Elohim. I’m eager to see you in action.”

 

[Insoulent]

"I think the plan is sound. But they must have something powering a base that big. On a planet like Hoth, they're underground I suppose? Their equipment can't all be underground, it would be more efficient to keep the energy output on the ground level, that way they can exceed it's normal capacity by allowing the planet's natural weather to cool it from overheating. In other words, they have a power generator somewhere close, and it's more efficient to keep it cool from Hoth's natural atmopshere. Why don't we take that out? It'd be hidden under snow or even ice if it's been used long enough, more than likely, maybe even a cavern side, is there any odd formation like that around? I mean, if we can take out their power... it'll be a bit easier to move through that facility and scare the living crap out of them. We'll have to pack warmly of course. It's not the Hellhole this is." he muttered the last part, as one of the nosy pirates from around them stood up to turn and face the sitting-down drinking man, obviously offended in his drunk stupor.

"Look, whatever false sense of attachment you got to this shitty place, it's not worth losing your life over, pal." Arkantos said as the carbine resting on his shoulder suddenly filled with life, humming loudly as static sparks ejected from the barrel, and it was aimed directly at the pirate's face. The worried look suddenly flashed over the pirate who turned around quickly, as the pirates that were apart of his crew simply laughed it off and using it as fuel to torture the drunk for the rest of the night. At that moment, the child came back with the drink, placing it on the table. Arkantos placed his hand over his helmet, taking it off for a moment, placing it on the table next to the glass with his Mandalorian alcohol. He lifted the glass a bit, tilting it to the side and bowing his head, "Cheers." he said as he inhaled the drink whole, and a grin grew on his face.

"Either way, so long as Dice is brought back, me and my guns are yours to command, your choice." the Bounty Hunter finished, as he placed the glass upon the table.

 

[Zay]

I watched the exchange between Elohim and the boy and heeded Attom's warning. I listened very carefully to the formation of the plan. Both warriors offered valid points on the infiltration of the base. Taking out the power generator would cause mass confusion and would make the prefect diversion for the attack force to make their assault in the ten minute opening. I looked back to Attom waiting for his reply before I said anything.

I smiled as I watched the moronic pirate turn back to his table completely embarrassed. I even chuckled a few times at the other continuing his agony by constantly brining up the event. I studied the hologram closely looking for anything that might resemble a generator or a large piling of snow or ice. Listening to Attom and Elohim discuss the plan. I was stick on the last few words Elohim spoke however. They held a rsther ominous tone to them as if his presence was as much of a warning as it was to help.

 

[Attom]

I nodded, scratching my chin and looking among the hologram to see if anything stood out in particular. I saw a curved over crevasse nearly 50 yards from the initial outpost and upon a closer look I could see a large coil just barely showing above the snow. Elohim was onto something. The base indeed did have another power source and it was most likely within this cave-like structure. "Here," I pointed to the location, "if there is a power fueling the base, it's there." I continued to strategize in my mind and after a few moments I spoke my mind, "If we have someone up on the ledge here," I pointed to a frozen ciffside, "they can take out the guards AND technicians while the rest slip past the dead guards and destroy the generator." I looked among us all and observed the weapons of us all, "Zane, I've seen your accuracy before, so I want you on the ledge. Once you've taken out the enemy guards I'll signal you to bring the ship. I have a sniper rifle for you to use if you don't have your own."

I turned my head to Elohim, "You should take out the generator and I'll fend off any security that's dispatched as you're doing so." I stood up from my chair and took the hologram into my hands. I then leaned over and picked up my helmet. "You two can contemplate the plan I have given you and decide whether you are willing to follow me or not," I placed my helmet on my head, "there is a ship in the spaceport, docking bay 88. I'll see you both when you arrive, I have some thing to attend to before we leave." With that I left the cantina and made my way down the street. I would be at the ship by the time they arrived, it was only for them you get there until our journey could continue.

 

[Insoulent]

Arkantos nodded as Attom finalized his plan of attack. He ended up taking Arkantos' advice on destroying their power source, though Arkantos was sure they had a backup, it wouldn't have enough power to keep their security up, just enough to keep the doors from locking them in, and powering weak light through key parts in the facility. Nothing major. It was the element of surprise that they needed, so they'd have to work fast.

As the man in charge got up, the child returned to see if they needed anything else, "You wouldn't happen to know where to buy some hotties, would you kid?" the Bounty Hunter said, as the kid nodded. "Calvo's Emporium, should ask for a Gloveman Special." he said, as Arkantos smiled and nodded. "Thanks for the tip." he said as he got up, tossing a few credits on the table, and grabbed his helmet. "I guess I'll see you both at the ship, Zane." he said, as he placed his helmet back on his face, walking out of the infamous cantina and back into the sweltering heat.

He eventually made his way to the Emporium the child told him to go to, and purchased his illegal goods. While Tatooine was too sparse and barren to form any true government or laws on the planet, thermal detonators usually had to be bought through actual vendors as the manufacturers had to keep tabs on their sales, by government standards, it wasn't uncommon for the illegal sales of thermal detonators to happen in lawless planets such as Tatooine. Arkantos had purchased for or so and ran the last of the credits he had brought with him, but it seemed he'd probably need just one or two, it was good to know he had the back up for some other time.

He arrived at the spaceport where Attom told them to meet up. He was ready to get off this damned planet. As quick as possible.

 

[Attom]

Once Elohim reached the spaceport it was obvious to which of the ships was Attom's. Unlike the simple freighters or starfighters, this ship was meant to handle a beating and able to drop off personal quickly without having to land.

Spoiler: Attom's ship

was fairly decent, from the outside, and heavily modified on the inside. Ranging from everything a Bounty Hunter might want, or need.

"I see you've arrived," I said as I walked down the back ramp to meet Elohim, "though I see Zane is missing." I looked at some crates and made my way over to them. "I went ahead and ordered some things. Sniper rifle for Zane, ammo for your carbine and mine and heat seeking visors to see during the skirmish if a storm kicks up." I sealed the casing over and clamped it shut, dragging it up the ramp and placing it in the hold. "There are winter suits in the armory in case you need one," I chuckled, "it's going to get VERY cold tonight."

 

[Zay]

I listened as Attom gave the final instructions and I was proud to be trusted with the ship and the snipe spot. Picking off the scum from a far would be simple. I'm not sure why but aim has never been a problem for me I can simple feel where the gun is suppose to be. As Attom stood and left in a hurry I gave him a nod farewell. Shortly after he left the server returned and Elohim asked the boy about "hotties" The kid gave him some good info but not the cheapest. Oh well the server was just a kid after all. As Elohim stood to leave he seemed as if he had every intention of continuing the mission. "Yeah, I gotta grab some warmer clothes then I'll be right there." I watched him leave then as I went to stand up the pirate that was so meek around the two experience bounty hunters decided to find his backbone...

Hey you punk! You think you can sit there and have a good laugh all night at my expence and get away with it? Well you got another thought coming! I was already on my feet when the idiot started talking. I attempted to pretend that I didn't hear him and made for the exit only to have two of his pals block my way. I looked the two gnarly men in the face and smiled. C'mon now fellas. I'm just the little guy. Will it really make you feel better knowing you beat up the weakest of the three who embarrassed you? As is finished talking he heard the scrape of his chair on the floor and could tell by the sneers on his buddies faces I was going to have to fight my way out of here.

Actually, it'll make me feel ALOT better! the buffoon snarled. By the sound of his voice I could tell he was about three meters away. My first thought was to put a blaster bolt into his skull to shine some light on his bulb less idea maker, but that would draw to much attention and I was supposed to be meeting up at the space port soon. I turned around and looked the pirate in the face and with a smile I said "Just think about how bad you're gonna feel when I take you down." this comment sent him over the edge. The pirate charged both arms straight out in front of him. As he cam within grasping distance I ducked under his hands and to the left leaving my foot out stretched causing him to topple to the floor like a baby bantha. The cantina erupted in laughter as he squabbled to his feet. The pirate finally stood seeming more calm then before approaching with more caution this time.

I knew he was ready to throw down this time and I also knew my time was running out. I needed to drop this low life and get to the general store before it was time to leave. The pirate advanced throwing a wild haymaker and whiffing the air where I was. I cam up with a sharp elbow to his chin that knocked him back a few paces and followed with a one two combination connecting with his ribs and his cheek. The pirate stumbled a few more paces and shook his head trying to literally shake off passing out. He came in at me again this time throwing a combination of his own. He threw a hook at my temple which I barely avoided and then he connected with two strong low upper cuts to my stomach that drove the wind out of my lungs. I pulled my hands into a protective stance covering my face to my waist and struck out at him with a few jabs hitting his face twice and missing the third. I watched as he wound up for another haymaker and as he threw it I caught his wrist in his full motion stepped into the punch turning so my back faced him. Then I drove my hips in to his throwing him off balance and allowing me to throw him over my shoulder and straight into the ground. As he connected with the floor I could tell the fight was over. He was a crumpled mess on the floor and not moving other than his ragged breathing. I turned back to the door only to be caught by a sucker punch right to my jaw.

As I staggered backwards and the stars receded from my vision I realized that the two men who were blocking the door earlier didn't particularly care for me beating their friend. "Let's see how you handle us you little punk" I quickly assumed a fighting stance and inspected my mouth with my tongue feeling the usual swelling and tasting the blood. I spit to the side and smiled my teeth now slightly covered in my own blood. "Gladly." I slowly began my approach trying to keep the two in each others way allowing me to fight one at a time, but clearly these two liked to gang up on people because they kept me centered between them.

The one to my left moved in first feinting a jab at my face and ducking under my guard to come up behind me and put me into a hold that enabled the use of my arms... Kriff... this is gonna hurt. The second attacked walked up and began raining blows down on my face and torso. I knew there was a way out of this I just had to wait for the right moment. The pirate hit me a few more times in the stomach then stopped abruptly turning to the now cheering cantina crowed. That's when I felt his partners grip go slack. I dropped to the ground my sweat allowing me to literally slide out of his grip and rolled coming up directly behind the pirate I drove my elbow in to the back of his head dropping him with one hit and spun on the second attacker as he realized what happened as he took a step forward I fired.

The bolt hit the exact spot he was about to step causing him to jump a little. "One more step and I will blow you away." The pirate put both hands up and started to plead Whoa.. we-we were just having some fun c'mon don't kill m- He didn't get to finish the last word. While he was talking I crossed the room and put the butt of my blaster into his temple dropping him to the floor. I looked around at the rest of the now silent cantina and then walked out.

I threw my leg over my speeder and fired it up turning to the direction of the nearest general store. I purchased a cold weather coat, gloves, goggles, and back pack to put it all in then I walked out side fired up the speeded and headed toward the space port. I knew which ship to look for I had met Attom in his ship before when I agreed to be on his crew. I walked into the hanger to see the two armored bounty hunters waiting on me. Great. "Sorry, I'm late. Ran into a little trouble back at the cantina after you guys left. Turns out those pirates like to fight as a group." I walked up to the two men and gave each of them a nod. "Well, looks like the party is finally here. You guys ready to go?" I couldn't help but smile as I waited to get into the ship.

 

[Insoulent]

Arkantos was a bit impressed by the ship, glad it was in decent shape at least. Arkantos' own ship probably wouldn't help in being discrete, given it was black and grey it wouldn't mix well with Hoth's white landscape, and it was quite larger than the personal transport of Attom, making it a eyesore even in the night sky. This ship, it was sturdy, compact, and it even looked fast. Perfect for this operation. He simply stayed quiet, observing the items the man bought. Arkantos' helmet already had a thermal mode though it was nice that Attom thought it over, they would come in handy in case it got too cold or heavy with snow that it clouded their vision. He was also relieved there was some heavier clothing to keep them insulated, though Arkantos would probably make some last-minute alterations to the winter suits to suit better for his armor -- he didn't want to be restricted in movement of course.

It was only a few moments before last member of their hunt group arrived. He caused trouble with pirates? Damn. And how easily he moved on from it as if it was nothing. Arkantos looked behind the man to see if anyone had followed him. "We should leave now, before the pirates come looking for you. We should also keep our eyes out when we get to Hoth. If they have booze in them, and you caused some trouble with them, they'll be looking to make it even." he stated as he moved into the ship. "But no use in worrying about it unless it happens, for now we should continue the bounty." the Bounty Hunter said. And he was right. If the Pirates came, was only a possibility, not a certainty, and the quicker they moved, the less of a possibility it would be.

Frackin' pirates. Never worth anything but a few good stories when drinking. Other than that they were a pain in the ass.