Hyperion - Hunter and Master

[Nor'baal]

ISS Hyperion - Sith Space

Ners stood stock still on the Icarus-Class Star Courier as he made his way from the nearby Star Port to the warmachine that hung in the nearby void like a dagger waiting to strike. He hadn’t been on a Star Destroyer before - indeed, Ners had made it one of his aims to avoid them as often as possible, the leviathans the Empire forged something far above his paygrade to concern himself with. However, when someone was offering you as much money as this Navy Man was - Ners allowed himself to make an exception.

He had arrived an hour or so earlier via a chartered ship from Hutt Space at the invitation of the man he was set to meet, spending the time reading up on what little information he had been able to obtain about his soon to be client. Informants had mostly been useless, the few who had been willing to part with knowledge had been those he had called from within the Sith Military itself - and as usual, they had been exceedingly tight lipped. Guess we shall just have to wait and see, he thought to himself as he tore his eyes away from the Ship outside - his thoughts interrupted by the entry of the Security detail.

’’Strip your weapons and gear, now.’’ commanded the lead man of the pair, to which Ners merely shrugged. He was wearing a basic combat vest, a single D-15p pistol at his side in a hoster. He had decided to cut a more professional look than the one he wore into combat, a simple black suit and hat over the top of his vest, a vibro-knife in his boot and a data-pad at his side. He had a case with him, containing his other equipment such as his Rim Scout Armour, a minor adaptation being that the helmets functions had been applied to a neckpiece and goggles only. The case also contained two Sunspear-Class Heavy Blaster, with a further D-15p pistol stored inside. A collection of thermal detonators and other grenades sat in a separate case, alongside his two blades should a more personal approach to the contract be needed.

Ners smirked at the Security Guard, and sarcastically handed him the MD-12 he was holding ’’Boo!’’ he shouted, his face inches away from the Guards mask, causing the man to yelp and recoil. ’’No need to be so jumpy, I don’t shoot clients.’’ he added, refusing to hand over his remaining weapons, and taking the MD-12 back from the Guard as the ship came into land aboard the ISS Hyperion. ’’I ain’t made a policy on their lackeys though.’’ he added with a smile as he stepped off the ship.

The docking bay was impressive to say the least, adorned with banners and sigils of the Empire - no doubt meant to impress and intimidate the Hunter in equal measure. Ners did his best to act calm, and appear unfazed - it wouldn’t do to let the client think they had him on the back foot, well - not yet at least. Seeing who presumed to be an Officer, judging by the pips on the man's uniform, he stopped, looked the man up and down and introduced himself.

’’Ordo. Ners Ordo, here to see the Boss.’’


OOC - Death disabled.

 

[Insalius]

The officer smiled cordially at Ners, giving the man a slight bow. “Welcome to the Hyperion. I apologize for the conduct of our security team. There are many that would like to end the life of the man you are about to meet, yet haven’t placed a bounty on him yet for it. We still cannot be too careful, but he did wish to extend his apologies first and foremost.” The officer gestured for the man to enter a turbolift, taking it straight to the top. As it opened, the bridge of the ship came into view. The pits for the crew sat at the front with the large transparisteel window giving a commanding view of the ship and port. Standing in the center, turned slightly to look at his guest, was Commander Kurtis DuValle. The wolfman gestured for Ners to approach.


“I’ve heard some good things about you, Mr. Ordo. Usually I try to keep my business within the Empire, but for what I have planned next I’ll need the help of outside sources.” He smiled wolfishly at the other man. “To start with, no, I’m not trying to recruit you for the Empire nor try to chain you to my service in any way. My business would be strictly to profit us both, albeit in different ways. I can guarantee that you would be paid quite well for your work, but the tasks may seem arduous in nature at times. Are you interested so far?” He wouldn’t say too much until he was sure that Ners was on board, and now would be the time for the man to raise any basic questions of his own.

 

[Nor'baal]

Ners kept his silence as the officer greeted him offering little more than a discreet nod at the man's apology. It was important in his line of work to maintain a certain professional ‘aloofness’ when it came to dealing with the client and his representatives. He kept silent, allowing the usual turbo-lift awkwardness to permeate as they made their way to the bridge, and he stepped out of the lift into the personal domain of Commander Kurtis DuValle.

He was a man of good standing, his uniform expertly cut - boots polished to a sheen. In Ners’ eyes, here stood a man who was assured of his own authority, one that had been cemented by quantifiable acts, and judging from the man's reputation, and what Ners had managed to glean from his contacts - his reputation was well deserved. From his sources, Ners had reason to understand that the Imperial Commander had earned a great many enemies over the recent course of his career, indeed, it was a miracle nobody had stuck a Bounty on him.

’’“I’ve heard some good things about you, Mr. Ordo. Usually I try to keep my business within the Empire, but for what I have planned next I’ll need the help of outside sources.” the Commander began well, flattering the Bounty Hunters own prestige, before moving on to smooth over any worries the Hunter might have that this could be a recruitment attempt. Ners kept a passive expression as the Commander outlined, broadly speaking, the task for which he was needed and spoke once the Commander came to rest.

’’Arduous or not, as long as the Credits keep flowing I’m happy.’’ he stated bluntly ’’I need to know the basics at first, but I assume you either want people killed, detained or something retrieved. If that's the case, colour me interested.’’ he added, walking up to stand next to the Commander and look out of the viewing panels at the fore of the ship. ’’I am sure you’re aware but, if you want be to off a former client of mine, the pays double the usual rate.’’ he added as a courtesy.

Finally, he asked a more relevant question ’’I’m interested, what’s the job?’’ he finished, propping his shotgun against the wall, and turning off his commlink and datapad as a sign that - regardless of what his client said next - it was all off record.

 

[Insalius]

It was obvious to Kurtis after even just a few words from the Bounty Hunter that he was going to like this man. He didn’t mind putting in some hard work and was even willing to go after his own associates if the price were right, though it did seem that such a thing would be distasteful to the man. A measure of loyalty in a hired gun, and if the whispers were right, an extensive network of information that to most would just seem like an impossibly tangled skein. The Commander had no need to unravel it, however, as the time and resources needed would outweigh the value of the result. No, instead, he would go the smart route and pay the man his fair due for all of his skills.


“There will be multiple components to this endeavor. To start with, allow me to show you the desired finished product.” Turning to a console in front of him, he hit a few buttons to bring up the hologram of an Empyreal-class Star Destroyer. “These are the schematics of the ship you’re currently in. The shape and power of the armaments on board have made the Star Destroyer recognizable the galaxy over as a symbol of imperial strength. The Mandalorians and the Jedi have both developed countermeasures to fight toe to toe with us, which means that the naval superiority has shifted from us to a stalemate between us. I aim to change that with this new design.”


Hitting another button, he brought up a far larger ship than the Star Destroyer while using the original hologram as a frame of reference to the size of the new design. “I call it the Dominator-class Dreadnought. Its development has been approved for a sizeable investment sum from the Empire, yet if we were to just build it in a Sienar or Kuat shipyard it’s presence would be almost immediately known to our foes. So, I intend to do what I can to keep its development secret. Part of that will be to hire you, and through you the contacts that you have gained.” The Shistavanen waved his hand dismissively in the air, as if trying to swat away a concern that was yet unspoken. “No, I don’t know how large it is, just that it exists. Nor do I want to know. That is your business and yours alone. I’m willing to pay extra for your use of this network, of course.”


The plans were suddenly highlighted in certain areas, such as a round shape at the bow of the ship and the engine block. “Much of the ship can be completed with currently existing technology, but the main armament and the engine are groundbreaking. The only research corporation that has crafted pieces that can be used for the design doesn’t have any affiliations and has been unwilling to part with their creations. I was hoping you would be willing to help solve that little problem, as your first paid job.” Now would be the time for fee negotiations, if there would be any. Kurtis truly didn’t intend to short change the Bounty Hunter, he always paid the worth of a service and a bonus for effort above and beyond.

 

[Nor'baal]

Ners was once again silent as the Commander outlined his plan. Kurtis struck him as a man who liked to prepare, but it was also clear that - thanks to his hiring of Ners - there were elements of this project of his that Kurtis would prefer remained, off the record. Not that the Hunter could blame him, the scale of this endeavour was clearly impressive. Ners has little doubt that this would be his most comprehensive job to date - and he could command a fee to match it. He listened to the Commander's plan in more detail before he started to formulate a price however - it would be unreasonable to demand credits at this stage.

Ners watched as the holo shifted to show the new design, and despite himself his eyes widened in admiration and just a touch of shock. The ship was terrifying, built clearly for one purpose - victory. “I call it the Dominator-class Dreadnought. Its development has been approved for a sizeable investment sum from the Empire, yet if we were to just build it in a Sienar or Kuat shipyard it’s presence would be almost immediately known to our foes. So, I intend to do what I can to keep its development secret. Part of that will be to hire you, and through you the contacts that you have gained.” the Commander spoke.

Secret weapons development, that’s something new for the CV… the Hunter mused to himself as the man spoke, before smirking slightly as the Commander admitted to being unsure as to how large the ship actually was. It appeared that Ners was to be given a considerable amount of autonomy on this task, but he clarified just in case. ”An interesting assignment and no mistake. I would need full autonomy on my approach, no questions asked.” he said, his tone brooking little room for dissent.

He turned back on the holoprojector, tapping down the different aspects of the assignment and linking them to sections of the hologram. ”I’ll need a ship, small, fast - armed, but lightly.’’ he began ”As for payment, I’ll need a 100,000.00 Credit down payment, then it’s 200,000.00 for each part of the assignment, payment upon completion.’’ he added, attempting to gauge the Commander's response. In his eyes it was a reasonable offer, a ship to get him to his location, a down payment to cover costs and then a decent final sum - potentially upwards of 800,000.00, upon completion, and in return the Commander got his super-weapon.

Finally, he turned to look at the Commander directly, flicking off the holoprojector. ”If you’re coming, it’s 250,000.00 per assignment to play bodyguard as well as hitman.’’ he added, looking the man up and down with a smirk. Ners had little doubt the Commander would want to send someone to protect his investment, and he just hated having to play chaperone.

 

[Insalius]

The amounts of the requests were predictable, exactly within what he had calculated. Dangerous work required dangerous pay. Thankfully, he had gotten authorization from the Emperor himself to use Imperial assets in the pursuit of this project and thus had an incredible amount of funds available. The contract with Ners would be a mere drop in the bucket compared to what he was prepared to spend. First, though, was the need for a ship. Turning back to the Holoprojector, he typed in another set of commands to bring the form of an Icarus-class Star Courier to life.


“The need for a ship is understandable, and for this job you will need the best. If it pleases you, I can provide one of these Icarus-class ships to be your own to use. Naturally, you will keep the ship after the contract is done. A line of these are being delivered to the Hyperion as we speak, so you may go and take your pick after we are done here. All are brand new, top of the line.” Kurtis smiled, taking out a datapad and typing out the specifics of their contract.


“As for your fee, it is…expected, and definitely within the allotted budget. I respect your honest assessment of what is needed and what pay should be provided. There will be no need to haggle, I accept the prices you have laid out in full.” Finishing the wording of the contract, he handed the pad to the Bounty Hunter to see if it met with his approval. Most would have put a hidden clause or used misleading wording to get more out of the bargain, but Kurtis was different. Everything was listed plainly and exactly as he had said and requested. “Do we have an agreement, Mr. Ordo?”

 

[Nor'baal]

The Hunter was pleasantly surprised when the ship he had requested was added on top of his requested fee. Looks like I may wanna work for these guys again, he thought to himself. The Icarus Class was a beautiful line of vessels, ideal for his special area of work - easy to remove tracking numbers from, and with an engine that left other vessels eating dust. ”The Icarus will suffice.’’ came his naturally understated reply.

Ners made sure to keep his expression passive as the Commander stated that the fee had requested was acceptable - it was clear to him that this project was being funded, and supported by people much higher in the food chain that Kurtis, and a considerable part of the Bounty Hunter wanted to know just how high up this went. However, the promise of just shy of a million credits ensured that he did not question too much into the nature of his clients Commanders.

“Do we have an agreement, Mr. Ordo?” the Commander asked, as Ners took the Datapad out of his hand and read through it. Silence filled the room as the Hunter read every single line, keenly looking out for any shock clause. He was unsurprised to see that it did not contain anything of the sort - after all, Bounty Hunters that turned debt collectors tended to leave a sour taste in the mouth of a faithless client. ’’We do. I am happy to proceed to the first objective by the end of the day, I shall devise my strategy on en route.” he added, seeing no need to beat about the bush.

”Inform my Droid if you are bringing any resources for your personal use, so I can factor it into my calculations.’’ Ners added, handing the Commander a commlink ”My contact information, and the Droids are on there. I’ll be in the ship, so let me know when you want to head off - if you’re tagging along that is - if not, I’ll be underway by the turn of the hour,’’ he finished, nodding and turning toward the turbolift.

 

[Insalius]

The deal was struck, the operation began. Soon, the galaxy would know of a new level of power that the only the Empire could produce. The advance fee had been transferred the second the document had been signed, now just leaving the planning of their first operation to be done. As always, Kurtis had already thought ahead to this point. Contacting the droid as was requested, he relayed a video message to the Bounty Hunter that was now under his contract.


“The Supply convoy holding the pieces we need will be travelling through Imperial space soon. I will hold an impromptu inspection of this caravan and entertain the relevant crew on this ship during this process. That should leave you enough time to find and take what you need. The relevant part information and cargo manifests are being transmitted to you now. How you take the supplies is up to you. For some strange reason, my ship’s sensors will have trouble detecting you during this search.”


If Ners needed any other information, Kurtis would be happy to provide it. He looked at the diagram of his creation, an excitement boiling up in him at the thought of its construction able to start soon. Relaying the necessary orders to his fleet, he moved to a training room deeper in the ship to blow off some of the excess energy he was feeling. With a snapping hiss, the amethyst light from the gift from his boyfriend sprang to life, diligently practicing his own style of lightsaber combat as a means to protect himself in case the enemy tried to strike at him directly. Hopefully it would never happen, but he would be ready in case it did.