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[Arla]

Perhaps unexpectedly, Arla didn't seem annoyed with the slicer at all and didn't complain or chastise them for having been compromised. She understood that things went wrong, and the unexpected came up. From everything she'd seen, Envy still seemed to be a competent slicer, and they had both made it out alive. As long as they weren't compromised, then it was really no harm, per se.

She listened as Vy explained the power draw and the speculation about them being a cyber rig. That made sense, and it certainly would have explained how things turned out the way they did. There was, however, one question Arla needed answered before they went further.

Can any of your gear left behind or your digital footprint be traced back to either of us? she asked. Worst case scenario, they cut their losses and walked away, but if their names or IDs were associated - Vy's more likely than Arla's - then that would be a problem.

We're not going to be able. to go in again right now, she added, feeling like maybe the entire plan was just better off left alone. A shot operation that was better to regroup elsewhere. Or maybe go after the other gang. Arla wasn't sure.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon listened to Arla's concern about leading the gang back to where they were at the ship. They were concerns they held as well.

"I don't think I left anything. They were only in my systems for a few brief moments before I cut power and ripped the hard drive." Yvon said, holding up the removed hard drive. "There shouldn't have been anything on my rig anyways. I'm pretty thorough." It wasn't a brag, just a fact. Almost an obsession.

"My bigger concern, is that they already knew. They caught on quick which means we probably weren't as sneaky as we thought. And with a rig like they might have..." Yvon trailed off for a moment as they thought about what they could do with a slicing rig that size. "Well it's no wonder the Paladin's run this city and the Pentastar can't crack them. They know everything, everything digitized anyways." Yvon shook their head.

"Whoever sliced my rig... I want them dead." They said, eyes empty and cold. "But the Syndicate would probably be the more logical target at this point, if it's even worth continuing to pursue." Whether they took the Pentastar Syndicate or not, they had likely just made an enemy in the Paladin's for themselves. Short of an army to march on the fortress or some other similar level of force, the Paladin's were likely to stay. Unless.

"The ice, back in the stairwell. Explain." It wasn't a command, more of a statement. Yvon had begun to develop their own suspicious, and if they were right, it could prove advantageous to their position in the sticky situation they had landed themselves.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla didn't look at Vy because she was cooking, but she listened closely to every word. The fact that it wasn't traced back to them was the most important factor, but it still left them up the creek without a paddle.

Breaking in again right now to kill your competitor is not an option, she reiterated as Envy stated that they wanted the other slicer dead. Arla wasn't going to die for someone else's grudge, even if it did have a potential payout for her. Right?

So Vy had noticed the ice in the hallway. Arla had almost forgotten she done that at this point, but now there was no real point in hiding it. Not that she was hiding it, per se. Just not advertising it.

I am connected to the Force. But I assume you already guessed that, she said. And there was no further attempt to elaborate. The question was asked, it was answered, there was that.

I am inclined to cut losses and leave, she stated frankly, but she hadn't just packed up and left yet.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon was silent as Arla expressed her opinion on the matter of killing the other slicer. Of course it wasn't just their ego they wanted satisfied. There was the matter of the other party feeling vengeful for them breaking into their stronghold and in killing some of the Paladins. Short of waging a full shadow war on the organization, expending resources and lives that neither of them had... The Paladin's were there to stay.

The revelation of Arla's connection to the force confirmed the slicer's growing suspicions which was confirmed to Arla with a nod. "I am not highly familiar with the force cults of the galaxy. Jedi? Sith?" Yvon asked bluntly. They had of course done a modicum of research into the two major players, though their influence had shrunk greatly in the current years.

"Logical." Yvon agreed with the general premise of abandoning the plan, they had taken no great losses yet, apart from the hit to the pocketbook that Yvon had taken in losing the slicing rig. "I have no attachment to continuing this plan without a clear route to success." Yvon lingered on that thought, still grasping at maybe some path forwards that didn't leave them at a loss.

"Where does that leave us? I have completed the job you hired me for, and this endeavor is a bust." Not particularly through any fault of either of theirs. They had simply bitten off more than they could chew. The scent of cooking food had begun to fill the cabin which had Yvon leaning over slightly in curiosity to get a view around Arla to whatever she was working on.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla didn't particularly care for the term "cult" but this probably wasn't the time to correct on it. What good would it do, anyway?

Nightsister and formerly Sith, but not anymore, she said. She didn't expect Envy to know what a "Nightsister" was but the name was scary enough.

Now I work for myself, she said, which was mostly true. After the confrontation with her mother and Jaikus, she had decided she needed space. She figured she would probably return to her Sisters someday, but it wasn't today. It wasn't until she figured out if she even wanted to be Queen someday. If she wanted that responsibility or if she just wanted to be "Arla."

Those were thoughts that Envy probably didn't need to hear and Arla didn't volunteer them because she rarely volunteered any information.

She finished up the food as Vy started to ask what the next step was. That was a great question. Part of Arla thought she'd be better to just go back to hunting. Finding and killing her prey across the galaxy either alone or with the support of the slicer perhaps.

She poured the stew into two bowels, passing one across the Vy. It was a thick broth filled with a large portion of dark meat, potatoes, and a variety of vegetables.

She started spooning it into her mouth as she thought about where that left them.

Our skills compliment each other, she stated. Perhaps we should consider a longer-term partnership, she said. At least on a tentative basis.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon's familiarity with the term Nightsister only extended as far as the fact that the former Sith Empress, Andruil, had her origins as one. Formerly Sith was a... complication. Yvon's familiarity with the Sith only extended as so far as what was publicly available. They were powerful fighters, certainly. What limited knowledge she had on their philosophy was a mix of admiration and wariness. She could agree with them on a personal level but knew that to work within the orbit of one highly increased the danger to oneself. Similarly to working with a Hutt.

Arla passed Yvon a bowl of stew. A thick broth with floating bits of meat and vegetable. They took a spoon and poked at the meal for a moment as Arla stated their take on the situation. A piece of meat blubbed under the broth as Yvon poked at it, thinking on the proposition.

Despite what had turned out to be nearly a nightmare of a scenario, they had shown good working chemistry. They had survived, not much worse for wear, in a situation that likely would have put most other teams under the dirt. Yvon was impressed with what little amount of Arla's skills they were aware of, though not quite satisfied with the limits of that awareness. Yvon ran calculations through their head on the possibilities that came from a longer-term partnership with the woman, finally giving a nod after a moment.

"There is potential in such a partnership." Yvon stated as they finally settled on a piece of food, a glistening potato, spooning it into their mouth and chewing thoughtfully. They looked at Arla hard for a moment as they chewed, as if trying to see past whatever barriers lay between them and the thoughts in that mind. "Shall we discuss terms?" They asked, wondering if the Nightsister woman cut deals as sharply as she cut throats.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla continued to eat in silence as she waited for Vy's response. It wasn't a small thing to form a partnership, though it could be abolished at any time. That was the beauty of something like this.

She was glad to hear that Vy seemed to agree. Arla knew that when it came to technical skills, she was next to useless. Vy, on the other hand, wasn't. And Arla was very good at killing people.

Terms, she repeated. We could take it job by job, she said. Given the wide variety of things they might be doing, it seemed any blanket agreement was perhaps not the best way to handle it. She wasn't used to making deals or splitting things with people. Was this how it was done? Was there supposed to be some demands made? Threats? She didn't know, but that sounded dumb.

After a few more bites, she just shrugged. She certainly cared about the money and the power, but there was more to it than that. She enjoyed the excitement, the honing of her skills, and the reputation as well.

 

[Yvon]

The fact that Arla wanted to leave the terms open ended was a bit of a wild card to Yvon. It made it difficult to define the partnership in terms of authority, hierarchy, etcetera.

Good. Yvon hated all those things.

Of course the deal could easily become not a deal at the snap of a decision from either of them. A fragile, tenuous bond at best. Perhaps it was better that way though. It left them both to be free agents pursuing their own workings and goals in the galaxy. Goals that Yvon was not yet certain of, though their experiences on G'wenee and elsewhere were helping to form a clearer picture for the Echani slicer.

"Alright." They said, nodding in agreement. Yvon was finding that the wider galaxy was filled with uncertainty beyond what they had imagined from their stuffy life on Begali. A partner with a connection to the mysterious power called the Force by many was a valuable ally to have. A partnership implied equality. "I suppose the usual method of binding a deal is the shaking of hands, however I don't really do... hand shaking." They said, looking at their hand for a moment and then at Arla's with a vaguely queasy look on their face.

"It's nothing personal." They reassured after a moment. Some would be offended. Yvon took another small bite of stew, chewing for a moment and swallowing before looking to Arla again. "You may call me Yvon." They said after a moment before returning to the stew. If they were going to be business partners than they could probably trust the woman with their more personal name. Sitting there in simple pants and a tank top, the woman had already seen more of them than any other being besides a few back on Begali.

"Your blade is in the other room." Yvon motioned back the way they had came. "I cleaned it, it's a good sword. I haven't wielded one since I left home." They divulged. The nightsister's direct and terse manner was favorable to the slicer, preferring such conversations over subtleties and implications.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

While Yvon was having lots of deep thoughts about the essence and terms of partnership, Arla was not. Her mind was first on the stew and then on the steps that would lead her ahead. There was always work to be done, and she wondered if this was some sort of a sign from the Shadow about her path forward. She doubted it, honestly, and wasn't usually one to look for "signs" where there weren't any. Still, there was something to be said for looking at patterns.

Arla just shrugged when Yvon said that they weren't big on handshakes. That's fine, she said, not seeming to take any offense at the notion.

Yvon, she repeated with a nod. She wondered if she'd forget that fifty times and just end up calling her Envy anyway. Probably.

They are well-crafted, she agreed. She was a bit surprised that Envy knew how to use one so well, but then Arla had no idea what setting they'd grown up in.

It's prudent that you know how to fight despite preferring slicing, she said as she finished up her bowl and turned to clean it off.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon made a slight face at the implication that they didn't know how to fight. Yes, they definitely preferred slicing in a passionate obsession sort of way. It was always favorable to fighting in their mind. But they had spent their entire life training in basically just the two things. One because it was the thing they enjoyed, the other out of necessity.

"I am Echani." Yvon said, jutting their chin out just a little bit in a show of pride. "I grew up on one of the Six Sister Worlds of our people. To fight is to live." They felt cheesy repeating the line drilled into them again and again by instructor after instructor. It was however the way of life they had grown up in. "Fighting is a lifestyle that is expected where I am from."

Seeing that Arla was done with her food, Yvon picked up the pace on their own meal, getting up to clean their bowl.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla didn't know a great deal about the Echani, but she had heard about their martial skill before, and now that Yvon declared their heritage, it all made much more sense to Arla.

I understand. I respect that, she said. Not that Yvon had asked what she thought about it, but it was certainly something that Arla understood better than most.

All the more reason to have a partnership, then, from Arla's point of view.

I suppose we should find the next job, then. Ever done any bounty hunting? she asked. That was another job that could easily make use of a slicer. One of many, though if they wanted to go after another criminal organization, she supposed that wasn't impossible. It would probably require better planning, though.

 

[Yvon]

The Echani valued the respect of few people in the galaxy that they had met so far. Arla probably ranked up there as one of the one's whose respect might actually matter to them, especially if they were to be embarking on a business partnership. They didn't need to ask whether Arla could fight or not, having clearly seen that they could.

"I have never done any bounty hunting." They admitted, it wasn't one of the things they had considered before. "I believe I am up for the task however, gathering information and executing on said information is what I am good at. Bounty Hunting cannot be much different than that." The slicer had some knowledge of the methods of bounty hunting, and knew their skillset could certainly be utilized efficiently in such a role.

"I would be willing to give it a try, at the very least to recuperate from my losses here." While they still had funds, losing the slicing rig that they had put together for the job was no cheap loss.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Your skills will be quite useful for it. Tracking people through electronic means has got to be easier than doing it face to face, she said. She made her way over to a terminal and took a seat, logging in to the network for bounties and starting to scroll.

There were a variety of low-end targets not even worth the money it would take to fly to the planets they were on, and then she ran across one that caught her eye.

Not because it was a droid and not because it was put out by Crimson Dawn, but because it was for way more money than any of the others. In fact, she had to blink to herself at first to make sure she was reading it right.

150,000 credits for a droid? Wanted for theft? she said. Some artifact that needed to be recovered, too, apparently. Of course, that was interesting too.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon agreed on that. So long as someone existed, they would have a net footprint regardless of whether they actually used the holonet or not. The individuals that could make themselves invisible, ghosts, on the net were few and far between. People like Yvon or the mystery Paladin slicer for starters.

Yvon followed behind Arla as she logged into a terminal, eyeing the screen over the woman's shoulder. Nosy? Yes. Mostly just curious however as to how the process worked. It appeared these bounties were posted to some sort of secure network exclusive to licensed hunters.

"I do not have a Bounty Hunting license. I assume we will conduct this hunt under your name." They said matter of factly. The Nightsister seemed surprised however at the bounty they had found interesting, a whopping 150,000 for a droid, one that had merely stolen some artifact. That was intriguing. A mystery that already had Yvon's mind turning.

"That must have been some artifact for the droid to be worth that much." Yvon stated aloud. "Does the bounty call for the droid to be brought in dead or alive?" Yvon asked. Those were important details after all, and would inform the nature of the hunt. If they had to guess, it was likely the recovery of the artifact that was of most importance.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Yes, we can hunt under my license, she said.

Dead or alive if you have the artifact and alive for a lesser fee without the artifact, she said. She wondered to herself if the artifact was even anything valuable. There certainly were valuable ones out there, but there were also plenty out there that weren't worth much of anything. Basic baubles that people still thought were valuable.

Droid was last spotted on Nar Shaddaa. Ever been? she asked. She hadn't, but she had a feeling she'd be spending a lot of time there in the future. It seemed to be a real hub for criminals and the like in the galaxy.

I imagine you have your own ship, she said. Meet there? she asked.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon listened to Arla explain the details. They wondered if the artifact was perhaps worth more to them than the docked payment if they only brought in the droid. Something to consider. The fact that the target was last located on Nar Shaddaa was... well, it was problematic.

"No, but it seems this will be a day of firsts." Yvon commented. The fact that Nar Shaddaa still likely had plenty of AMS victims wandering the layers was a bit squick, but Yvon was vaccinated as most were in this day and age. Better to take a shot or two that have your brains rot out from the inside.

"Yes. We can meet there, you have my com." It seemed things were decided and they had a new course of action. The trip would give Yvon a little time to get things situated, alterations to their kit for this new field of work they were embarking on and such. It was a shame that they had made no money today, but there was always time for money tomorrow.

//end.