Ask Nar Shaddaa Just Kidding, Money Tomorrow

[Arla]

Per my new OP template, thread is death enabled​

Arla hadn't been to Nar Shaddaa before, but it was even worse than she'd imagined. Everywhere she went had some new, horrible smell. There was no fresh air anywhere on this planet, but at least it wasn't crawling with AMS anymore like she had read it had been.

She had brought along her lightsaber, energy bow, and hunting knife along with her and was waiting on the landing pad the two had agreed on before arriving on world. Arla wasn't unaccustomed to working with partners, but she was unaccustomed to trusting people, so that would come slowly. Still, thus far, Yvon had proven useful.

She glanced back down at her datapad again as she reviewed the bounty, still at a loss as to why the droid was worth so many credits. Whatever it stole from Dawn must have been extremely valuable.

Well, for the moment, she'd have to just keep her eyes open. More money usually meant more danger, too.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon had never been to Nar Shaddaa before. That didn't mean they weren't aware generally of the planet, and of course they had spend much time on the hyperspace flight to the planet doing research. Whatever they had read however, it wasn't enough to prepare them for what was coming as they lowered the Xukun tu Puxzoure down onto the landing pad they were going to be sharing with Arla.

The Slicer had spent a bit of time updating their gear, still holding onto a nest egg kept from previous jobs. There were some additions made to their armor would allow them a little bit more flexibility in terms of defense and mobility and they carried a few more blades than the before as well. Still no blaster, the Echani had so far found little desire to carry the primary armament of the rest of the galaxy. So far it hadn't put them into an early grave.

Alongside arms and armament they of course carried all of their slicing gear with them in various tactical pouches on their armor. They were the main tools of there trade after all. After a brief check over everything on their person, Yvon took a deep breath to steady their nerves before they lowered the landing ramp of their ship and walked down and onto a surface on the planet of Nar Shaddaa.

What they had seen from the sky had been illuminating, buildings in various stages of construction and decay as far as the eye could see. Traffic that clogged the sky lanes. And of course an ever present smog that made them wish their helmet had a filter as soon as the first breath hit their lungs.

"It somehow smells worse than I thought it would." Yvon commented as they came to stand near Arla. The woman of course would not see the Echani's pale and tattooed face, but rather the specter of their slicing armor's helmet. She would however recognize the voice, Yvon leaving the helmets voice distortion off for the familiar person. That would change once they hit the streets of course. "Are there any leads in the bounty posting? Or is this moon all the information we have?" They asked. The smuggler's moon was a big place after all.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

It's a droid, so no tracking fob, she said. It was a personal assistance droid working out of an office here on-world belonging to Crimson Dawn, she said. It would be a big question mark how much poking around they'd be allowed to do, but if they were lucky, they would be given access as it was Crimson Dawn who put out the bounty.

Arla grabbed a wrap for her head and slid it on, covering over her face as she prepared to move out.

We can go there first. I imagine we won't be the first Hunters to pass through the area, she said. With a contract that large, there would be other people looking as well.

Will it be easier for you to track him since he's a droid? she asked, heading back along the docking bay's ramps and into the main square. They were already well above the surface, but everything here was built on top of itself. Skyscrapers stretching up into the air hundreds of feet above the surface. It was like being on a mountain all the time.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon listened intently as Arla detailed what they knew. The lack of a tracking fob wasn't an issue because Yvon had never even used one before. The fact that the droid had been owned by the Crimson Dawn was interesting.

"I doubt that they will let us take more than a peek." Yvon commented. If there was one thing the slicer knew about criminals it was that they were notoriously private, being one and all that.

"It's worth looking into. The fact that it's a droid... fifty-fifty. Could be easier or harder. Depends on the droid, some are smarter than others." It was true, there was a big difference between tracking a personal assistance droid and say... an assassin droid. But seeing as it was the former and not the later. "I think with this style of droid it shouldn't be a problem, unless the Dawn had some crazy after market upgrades on it." That would make things tricky.

They walked into the main square and it was hard for Yvon not to take a peek over the edge of one of the rickety guard rails that didn't look like they would guard anyone from falling to their doom. Yep, that was a loooong way down. The walkways were a seething mass of crowds that went every which way, thousands of sentients going about their most likely shady business on the smuggler's moon. Yvon was glad that they had no exposed skin showing that might accidentally brush up against someone as they pushed through and towards their destination.

"What are the chances we will have competition on this hunt?" Yvon asked quietly as they thought about one of Arla's earlier comments. "And what do we do if there is some?" The question had to be asked. Personally, Yvon was not shy about the possibilities of taking out the competition if it meant they came out on top, but they knew that some people could be squeamish about such direct measures. There was of course a whole list of contingency measures they could take that didn't involve flat out murdering other bounty hunters.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Well that wasn't really any answers, but Arla knew what that was like. Sometimes there was just no way to know what the future held. That was where adaptability came into the picture.

Hopefully, she said, though it didn't sound like Yvon was all that confident about it. They'd find out soon enough... maybe.

If we have competition then we have to beat them to the prize, she said. The Guild prohibits direct action against other hunters, she said. Of course, she imagined that out in the field where no one was watching, that often went out the window. Arla wasn't going to stop short if she was attacked, but at least for the moment, she preferred the idea of not attacking her competitors... for the moment.

They continued on and Arla spotted Yvon looking over the side of the platform.

Do not fall off, she said. Yes, Arla was full of the helpful advice. They were able to make their way to the building in question and Arla hit the button out front to indicate there was a visitor.

Yes, what do you want? a bulky-looking guard droid asked as it approached the gates to look at them.

 

[Yvon]

It seemed that eliminating the competition was not considered sporting by the guild. Yvon was not a part of the guild however... It was something they would keep in mind. The woman warned her not to fall off as they peered over the edge and Yvon replied with a not. "Good idea." It was a good idea. Falling off would not be.

They approached a building that Arla seemed at least vaguely familiar with which led Yvon to believe it was the Crimson Dawn building in which the droid had worked. It appeared to be staffed by more than just the single droid as a guard droid approached the locked gate, asking why they were there. Or rather what they wanted.

"We want entrance to the premises. We are here about a bounty." Yvon responded to the droid. They realized afterwards that they should probably have let Arla lead on this social interaction. Too late for that though as the droid turned it's head their way.

"Let me see your Guild Identification." The droid monotoned and held a hand out towards the pair. Yvon glanced at Arla expectantly. Not like they could pull one out of thin air. Perhaps they should have forged one on the way in.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla reached into her belt and pulled out her Guild ID, passing it across to the droid. It looked down at it before inserting it into a dataslot on its own belly. There was a slight whirring sound as the droid ran some unknown check and popped the datacard out before passing it across to her again.

And this one? the droid asked, looking to Yvon.

My partner, though not a member of the Guild, she said. Come on, the sooner we get in there, the sooner we bring the target back, she said, giving off an aura of impatience that was more real than not.

Entry into the facility is not allowed. However, a packet has been made ready for your review, the droid said, reaching for something behind the gate and handing it across to them. it was a small datacard with a wealth of useful information. Included on it was the droids manufacture number, origin, role, security footage, and more. Plenty for Yvon to sift through.

As always, payout will be given to the first hunter to return the acquisition. Return him here when you are finishd, the droid declared before returning to promptly ignoring them.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon watched the exchange passively, observing the interactions. The droid handed over a data packet over at the exposure of the Guild ID. Perhaps they would have to get themselves one of those.

"Is a data packet like this usual on bounties? Yvon asked as they glanced around the street. Foot traffic was still busy, and there didn't appear to be anywhere safe or private to access the information.

"Unless you want me looking at that thing right here out in the open, I suggest we find somewhere private." They stated as they scanned the nearby businesses for something of the type. The setting was fascinating in a way, dark slums lit by neon lights. Foot traffic that seemed to bustle and bump while individuals tried to avoid each other. There was a brief moment where Yvon could see what looked to be a stabbing happening right out in the open.

People just walked on by.

"We should keep moving." Yvon said after a moment, proceeding to just walk on by as well as someone was left slumped in the street, bleeding. The last thing they wanted to do on a world like this was stay in one place. It took a little bit of walking, but Yvon managed to find a dimly lit holo... something. They weren't sure from the outside if it was a bar or a cafe or something more risqué.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla shrugged at the question. No, she said. Probably like you said: they didn't want a bunch of hunters poking around their facility, she said. And who could blame them? Hunters - especially ones working for Crimson Dawn or on Nar Shaddaa - weren't the most upstanding group, and who knew what kind of activity went on in the house. Hopefully, the information would be a good enough substitute for looking around themselves.

We'll find a restaurant or something and head for a back table, she agreed. She didn't miss the altercation happening across the way, but she didn't pay much mind to it. Like Dathomir, this place was free of any "laws" or such absurdities that got in the way of nature simply taking its course. This was nothing new, and although sentients fancied themselves above it, she knew that when you stripped away the pomp and frills, they were just survival of the fittest as well.

As Yvon stopped at a location, Arla looked up at it. The name was in Huttese - which Arla didn't speak - and she just grunted.

She motioned forward for them to head inside, and crossed the threshold first, immediately being hit in the face by the scent of spice hanging in the air. Most of the people she walked past looked entirely absent from their bodies, but that was good for the pair. People were way too high to pay attention to a couple of people sifting a data packet.

She found a seat in the back and slid into it, waiting for Yvon to pull the information up. We might be able to get some other security footage from around the area, she said. It might point them in the direction of their fleeing droid or at least on to the next step.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon stepped into the establishment and a pungent, zingy odor came through the helmets filters. A quick glance around revealed the majority of the establishments occupants were in some sort of daze or stupor. Was this spice? Yvon had heard of the stuff but had never encountered it before.

Either way, this place seemed as good as any and it was unlikely there would be many lucid ears to hear their conversation, even less who would be able to remember. Taking a seat next to Arla, Yvon pulled out their datapad and inserted the data shard.

"It's a possibility." Yvon murmured about the cameras as information started to roll across the screen. "I wouldn't depend on consistent camera coverage in this place," a reference to the moon of Nar Shaddaa, not the spice den, "but its worth a shot."

The information on the screen mostly had to do with details and schematics of the droid. Serial numbers, service history, etc. Useful but not exactly what they needed at the moment. A security footage roll showed a video of the droid walking out of the Crimson Dawn facility carrying a small satchel and disappearing into the crowded streets.

"Useless. I'm gonna try to strip the security footage down to its meta data." Yvon said as they got to work. Extracting the date and time of the footage was the most important piece to this puzzle and that's what they were working on when a service droid rolled up to the table.

"What is your pleasure this evening lady and gentlebeing?" The droid asked in a smooth electronic tone. "We have Rylothian Ryll, Glitterstim, and even some Gannarian sniff along with our usual inventory" The droid claimed before going silent as it awaited their response.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

No, but even a lead could help, she said. She didn't expect they could track the droid all the way, but perhaps even the right direction could get them going.

Arla had no idea what Yvon said next, but Yvon seemed to know what they were talking about. Yeah, try that, she said.

Arla's attention was pulled away from the work Yvon was doing and toward the person that came up to her to bug them. Arla just stared the droid down, annoyed that she couldn't just mind trick it into leaving her alone.

We're waiting for a friend before we get started, she said to the droid, hoping that would be enough to get it to go away.

As Yvon went about looking through the data, they may have an idea to back check the serial number against access to any restricted locations on Nar Shaddaa. Like checking a chaincode's access through various checkpoints.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon looked at the data that spooled out on the screen of their device while Arla interacted with the droid. The slicer was vaguely aware of what was going on around them, but their eyes remained glued to the screen underneath their helmet, rapidly flickering from line to line.

"There." They pointed to a data point within a string of code and numbers. "The time and date of the droid's theft. Three days ago." They said. Three days. On a place like Nar Shaddaa three days was simultaneously no time at all, and all the time in the world. The droid could be halfway to Coruscant by now.

They pulled up the data on the droid, cross referencing it with that particular timestamp. It took a few moments, time during which the droid had rolled away, though it consistently glanced between the two un ordering patrons and the door.

"Jackpot." Yvon murmured as they chased a relevant lead. It wasn't much but it was somewhere to start. Hopefully somewhere that none of their competitors would have looked yet. An irregularity in the service report which had remained consistent for years.

"The droid was serviced at a different establishment than usual the day before it's disappearance." Yvon said simply, looking at Arla. "I have the location." Yvon said, tapping a few buttons to send the relevant info to Arla's comm as well on the off chance that they split up. Of course, Arla could just take the information and bail to chase the entire reward for herself. But there was a level of trust Yvon had to commit to if they were going to establish a partnership.

"Let's go. This place stinks." They said as they stood up. Turning to start walking out the door, Yvon was confronted by the server droid as it rolled to a stop in their path.

"Leaving so soon? You haven't paid." The droid said simply. They hadn't ordered anything, but it appeared there was an expectation with walking through the door of the place. Yvon glanced to the side slightly, catching a pair of toughs, Aqualish, stepping through the front door. Behind them on the far side of room stepped another pair of Aqualish out of a backroom.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla was so glad that the droid had finally gone away and left them alone, though it was giving them the stink eye. She didn't care. The news that Yvon had found a lead was excellent. She pulled out her comlink and her eyes scanned over the information. Some of it was gibberish to her, a string of numbers and letters but at the end was a set of coordinates that Yvon had pulled out more specifically.

She punched them into her datapad and it popped up as only a few klicks away from their current location at the edge of the old AMS region. Lovely.

She headed for the door and slipped the information away when a droid and a pair of Aqualish appeared in front of them. Arla cast a glance over her shoulder to see two more behind them. Her jaw tensed, eyes narrowing in anger as she looked at them.

It would have been prudent to hand over a few credits and be on their way, but this was an insult that Arla wasn't going to abide. No, this would be met with equal and opposite force.

You will regret it if you don't move out of my way, she said, her voice quiet and a touch more strained than normal. She took a deep breath in, feeling the heat building in her hands as the first hints of green embers began to drift up from her palms.

No, we will not regret it, you will, the droid said.

And then it was off to the races. Like a flash, one of Arla's hands shot up and sent a concentrated bolt of energy straight into one of the thug's chests, sending him flying backwards with a hole in his chest right over his heart.

She was already stepping into the other one ducking a wild and surprised haymaker from the man before gripping him in tendrils of green energy and slamming him upward into the ceiling hard enough that she could hear bones crunching.

She hoped Yvon could handle the others or at least distract them until Arla could finish them off. It sure was nice that the slicer was Echani. Arla appreciated that.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon observed the exchange between Arla and the droid, noting the change in the woman's body language. A quick tilt of the head confirmed another pair of thugs at the back of the room and Yvon shifted their body weight subtly in preparation, gauging the distance. Perhaps it would have been easier to hand over a few credits and be on their way, but Yvon could tell that Arla wasn't having any of it.

Besides, the handful of credits was worth far more to Yvon than the lives of the aqualish thugs.

In a moment it was up and Yvon was in motion. As Arla blasted a hole in one of the front pairs chest, Yvon was pivoting with a twist, a knife flickering across the room to gout crimson from the hollow of one of the alien's throat. The Echani wasn't still as the knife flew however. In true fashion to their upbringing they too were flying across the room at full tilt, vibroblade in hand as the remaining thug saw his partner go down and reached for his blaster.

An Echani battle cry that was turned to undulating static of a voice modulator filled the room with an echoing howl as Yvon flew upon the Aqualish just as his gun cleared leather. The buzzing, flickering vibroblade slashed across. Blaster, hand, and guts fell to the floor as the blade swept across from hand to midsection and the Aqualish stumbled back, roaring it's own pained scream. A scream that was quickly silenced as Yvon's blade came in on the reverse to glide deeply across the aliens throat.

Patrons in their spiced stupor stared at the sudden start and stop of action. Some laughed, pointing. Others mouths hung in horror. Yvon ignored them as they stopped and plucked their thrown knife from the throat of the dead thug, wiping both their blades clean on his shirt before sheathing them.

"You just made a big mistake!" The droids voice echoed. If a droid could sound afraid, this one certainly did.

"Out of the way, or you will be the next one." The electronic buzz of Yvon's distorted voice responded and the droid backed away from the entrance quickly.

"Let's go." They said to Arla with a nod, exiting the establishment and making their way down the street. After they had travelled a suitable distance from the place, Yvon glanced at Arla and spoke, voice modulator turned off. "I hope that doesn't come back to bite us." They said emotionlessly. It would be a pain, but there was no regret there in the Echani's voice. Just a resigned acceptance that consequences may come.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Excellent, Yvon had quickly dispatched the pair of thugs at the rear, and the droid was still going on about how they'd regret it. Arla's eyebrows pulled together tighter into an even deeper scowl.

A big mistake? So you're telling me I should rip you apart and grind down your processor until none of the information about us is present anymore? she hissed, taking a step closer to the droid, green fire crawling up her hand.

If I so much as think you've sent someone after us, I will grind you done and shove every circuit into a smelter, she said, gripping the droid in a wrap of green and forcing it against the wall to emphasize her point.

Only then - and when Yvon had reminded her that they should get going - did Arla finally step away and head for the door. It was Nar Shaddaa, and it was unlikely that anyone would care or that the droid had the resources to chase down a couple of people they had decided to mug. Still, it didn't hurt to cover your bases.

You don't have a sticky cam to leave behind and keep an eye on this place, do you? she asked. Arla didn't, but she had no actual idea what Yvon carried.

Even if they want to, our footprint is small, she said. They were offworlders on a planet where people came to disappear. There was risk, of course, but ultimately... Arla didn't have the unsettling feeling in the Shadow that told her of imminent risk.

She headed off in the direction of the shop, catching a local civilian transport to carry them to the location in question. They had a few moments to catch their breath in the meantime.

If they reprogrammed the droid to leave, then we might be walking into something bigger here. People don't steal from Crimson Dawn for no reason, she said. It was occurring to her that they may be walking into something far bigger than it appeared.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon had watched keenly as Arla threatened the droid, noting the curl of green flame from the witch's hand. The droid had seem adequately terrified and if it valued its circuits it would go to a back room and give itself a memory wipe. The question about sticky cams gave Yvon a pause.

"Unfortunately, no." The slicer replied, though there was some merit to the idea. "I burned through everything on G'wenee, haven't had a chance to restock yet." There was a slight solemnity to their tone as they felt the regret there. There was also the issue of funds. Such supplies didn't come cheap.

"We took nothing of value but their pride. I would hope that whoever owns that establishment learned enough about defeat from that to know better." There was always the chance that it was some gang or another that would take great offense, but killing some lowly thugs was likely just another day on Nar Shaddaa.

Arla's words rang true and Yvon nodded in agreement. "I have no doubt that this is something bigger. The fact that a service call was made to an irregular establishment implies the presence of an insider with the power to make such a decision." It was likely that they were walking into someone else's game, a dangerous one at that. It was not lightly that one crossed the Crimson Dawn.

"The reward for this acquisition tells us the Dawn has a vested interest in this beyond just payback for a petty theft. Perhaps there will be more credits involved if we were to present them with further information than what the contract asks." Or rather, if they presented that they had said information and that it was up for sale.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Unfortunate, she agreed, but there was no point in dwelling on it, then. It was a luxury and nothing more. They would manage to make due without, and she would keep the proverbial eyes in the back of her head peeled. The Shadow was better for that than any spy's honed senses.

She hoped that Yvon was correct, and based on her own calculations, she would guess that the slicer was. No one was going to worry about a few dead thugs in an independent establishment.

As the two of them reasoned through the situation that they had gotten themselves into, Arla just nodded. She had learned to adapt over time, but she had also discovered that she didn't like not knowing what she was walking into. Part of her said that she should just give up on the job, but that wouldn't do.

Agreed. And even if there are not more credits, knowing what we are getting into could keep us alive, she said.

The transport slowed to a stop and the two were able to disembark before making their way to the repair shop. Arla stepped inside first, looking around at the junk seemingly piled everywhere. It hung from the ceilings and piled in the corners. The place had a particular scent in the Shadow that was... not normal. It was different than the rest of the planet like the poverty here was only a front perhaps.

What can I do ya for? a besalisk in a grease-stained shirt greeted them.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon simply nodded to Arla's comment about knowledge keeping them alive regardless of credits. It was hard to spend credits when you were dead. Yvon was aware of the risks, but confident in their own abilities, and the partnership with Arla that they were working towards forging.

The transport brought them close to the shop and it was a short walk to it. The pair of them walked into the repair shop to be greeted by a greasy besalisk. Yvon's eyes scanned the room, the assorted junk that seemed to hang in every available ceiling space, piling up in the corners and on tables. Yvon had been to plenty of shops that sold technological scrap, hunting for just the right processor or holodisplay. There was something here that seemed... off.

"We're here to buy a droid. Have any for sale?" They asked, eyes still wary behind their helmet. The piles of junk had no order to them. Many of the parts were worthless to their trained eye, not even worth paying to scrap. This wasn't a place that sold the junk that was staged in the room, staged for appearance. This was a front of some sort.

Yvon glanced at Arla and gave her a little nod. This was the place. If they didn't find the droid here, they would find something, that was for certain. Whether it pertained to the job or not, this place was dirty and not in the grimy, germy sort of way. Well, it was. Yvon's skin crawled at the layers of filth that seemed to cover some of the junk.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla took a proverbial backseat as Yvon talked about buying a droid. For a moment, Arla almost thought she sensed a flash of confusion in the man's very alien mind, but it was difficult to tell. Anything that wasn't near human tended to think in a very different way, and Arla wasn't well versed in all the potential variations in the galaxy.

Uh... yeah, I've got droids. What kind you lookin for? the man said, shifting around uncomfortably and flicking his eyes back toward the other room where he had just emerged from.

Something small and multi-purpose. Like a BD, she said. She was pretty sure that was a good model. She'd thought about getting one to assist her with the operation parts of the job that she was bad at.

Hmm, don't think we have any of those, he said unhelpfully... almost like trying to get them to just leave. Arla was half-tempted to just start looking around for herself.

Can we see what you do have in stock? she asked.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon let Arla take charge in inquiring about the 'droid' that they were there to 'buy'. They started to walk around the shop, picking up a piece of junk and inspecting it. Yep. Junk. It was helpful however in letting them notice the large gout of aqualish blood that had sprayed up the arm of their suit earlier.

"Yuck." Yvon muttered to themselves as they looked around for something to wipe the gunk off with. Glancing over at the besalisk as he started eyeing a doorway under pressure from Arla, a small grin formed underneath their helmet.

"I think you have the droid handled. I'm gonna use the refresher. Gotta clean this blood off my suit." Yvon said to Arla, pointing to the blood spattered across their forearm before walking towards the door the besalisk had been eyeing.

"No! I mean... You can't go back there. No public refreshers." The besalisk said as he turned his attention to Yvon. His attention was split between the two of them now, with most of his focus on Yvon who was wandering far too close to something he clearly didn't want them near.

"What? I'm just gonna use the sink real quick." They said, continuing towards the door and reaching for the switch to open it. They kept their peripheral on the besalisk out of their helmet's hud however, despite acting nonchalant towards the man.

@Phoenix