Ask Corellia One in the hand....going for two in the bush.

[Poffo Sauvage]

It was an unlikely trio. Well, at the very least Poffo was unlikely. His partner Klied and the third wheel Aska seemed to be getting along just famously. It was entirely possible that Poffo would be the third wheel when all was said and done. Poffo wasn't sure how much Klied actually liked him, but he figured that the bounty hunter at least understood Poffo's value, and if anything, Klied seem to like a good value. He seemed to value credits anyway, and good value was a great means to good credits. One thing was for sure, however. Poffo and Aska had gotten off on the wrong foot. What's more, Poffo couldn't care less. If she couldn't take a joke and spit fire with the boys without her getting panties in a bunch, she ought stop trying to be one of the boys. That's the way Poffo looked at it.

Be that as it may, Klied seemed to think that she was an asset to getting their hands on Mil Ro. Klied and Poffo already had Treeno Tairo in hand, but he had dangled exactly the right bait to possibly get released- Mil Ro. Mil Ro was worth well more than two in the bush. Because of his ties to Bragg Tyllon, the capture and return of Mil Ro to Coruscant was worth more than ten Treeno Tairos. And if they could manage to nab Tyllon and survive...well, they could all three take a vacation for a while with what he was worth. But, the bounty hunters had to get Mil Ro before they could get a lead on Tyllon, and Klied's plan had merit- Tyllon's lackey wouldn't recognize Aska.

So, Poffo sat on the ship as they left the Skids of Tyrena on Corellia to the capital city of the planet, Coronet City. Aska had access to a ship which was good, because the ship was part of the bait. Poffo, annoyed with Klied's apparent affinity for the third wheel, and a personality conflict with Aska, retreated to one of the sleeping quarters on the ship with a bottle of booze and Treeno Tairo tied to a chair in the quarters alongside. The Rodian was sufficiently warned to keep his trap shut so that Poffo could nod off. Sauvage drank himself to sleep, trying to limit conversation with the others as much as possible. Plus, the booze always took the edge off- the nerves, the pain, all of it.

Poffo woke as the engines flared and the creaking and crackling of the ship started to wail in anticipation of settling to land. Poffo took another long swig and started making his way back to the front. The sooner they got their hands on Ro, the sooner Poffo might be able to ditch the broad.

@Reyn @Tulos

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied has spent most of the journey to Coronet City sitting at a table in the ship's common area, his blaster and cycler rifle sitting in disassembled parts on the surface. The Onderonian didn't speak much other than grunts and barely looked up from the table as he took his time meticulously cleaning each piece before putting his weapons back together. And after that he simply moved on to his knife, drawing out the long durasteel blade to begin sharpening it.

Tangentially he was aware Poffo was in a bad mood, but hadn't really done anything to try and rectify it. He liked Poffo as a hunting partner. The man was smart and good in a fight, although the two of them seemed to have some personality differences that were starting to become a problem. It was to be expected, considering both of them were brought up in such wildly different environments. Poffo was a talker, a bragger, and didn't quite match the finesse Klied preferred when working. The Onderonian was all business, and he still struggled to keep to the code of honor his uncle had instilled in him. Teaming up with a Coruscanti from the lower levels, that led to a lot of conflict.

Of course he wasn't the only one rough around the edges. Aska didn't exactly strike Klied as a pillar of moral integrity either, it's why he had singled her out back in that bar on Nar Shaddaa to begin with. She, like Poffo, was dangerous, which was why he enjoyed her company. Perhaps that was the problem. Why the hell was he so obsessed with putting himself in danger?

Hearing the engines start to die down the hunter brushed these thoughts aside, stood up and sheathed his knife before making his way towards the cockpit, nodding to Poffo as the man finally emerged from his room. Hopefully he hadn't been drinking too much. As he came up behind the pilot seat he leaned forward to get a look out the viewport. "We good up here?" He asked. While the plan was generally to use Aska's ship as a lure they hadn't hashed out the particular details of their strategy. Personally Klied would have liked if their new partner could find a way to draw the Nautolan onto the ship so they could all jump him in an enclosed space and rocket off to safety. But depending on how paranoid the alien was that might not be possible.

@Isen @Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

"So did Kurtonias prove to be of any issue?" The hologram of Boola emitted directly before Aska as she sat in the co-pilot chair of the freighter with Kayto flying the vessel through the darkness of the Corellian night scape. Smiling at Boola's words, Aska reached into her jacket and pulled the folded lekku skin from her inner pocket where she had kept it tucked safely next to her lightsaber. Unfolding the green skin, she then displayed the ornate tattoo to the hologram of her employer.

"Nope, not at alll," Aska responded with a smile. Much to her surprise, Boola returned the expression with a soft laugh.

"I suppose you weren't joking when you said you'd remember that threat," Folding her arms, the hologram of Boola began to lean on what Aska only assumed was a wall as the image just showed the Rodian leaning over on to thin air.

"Like a meiloorun," she replied with a wink.

As the ship continued to cut through the darkness, the conversation with Boola now long past, Aska still remained in the co-pilots chair. The flight had remained near silent as Poffo retreated to one of the unclaimed quarters towards the back of the ship to catch some much needed shut eye and opted to bring their captive with him, though Aska couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of the giant brawler pulling the teeny tiny Treeno Tairo in tight for something of a cuddle session, the Rodian's eyes bulging out of his skull like a child's toy. The man had some serious personality flaws but if this 'Brag Tyllon' was as much of a threat as they claimed, she considered herself fortunate to have him on her side.

Much as she did with Klied. The night they met on Nar Shaddaa, while initially beginning as a fun night of drinking and moronic decisions as they usually did with Aska on her time off, took a dramatic turn as they encountered the Rodian who now employed her. How many people did they kill that night? Two? Three? It didn't matter any more. What did matter is that she learned that Klieddon Raxx was no simple push over. No, the barbarian was a threat to those he chose to hunt.

And then there was her. Much like both of her comrades, she was born to fight. She was raised to do it. It was in her blood. As this thought began to spin in her mind, Aska pulled the holocron from Onderon out from it's hiding spot beneath the console and spun the glowing prism between her fingers, staring at it absent mindedly. Soon, she would return to Coruscant. Soon, she would get answers.

"We good up here?"

Startled, Aska quickly shoved the holocron inside her jacket and cleared her throat as Klied leaned over Kayto's shoulder.

"Yes, Sir Raxx. Coronet City will be appearing on the horizon momentarily. We have made good time, the sun has yet to begin rising. This should allow us to set down on the edges of the city undetected,"

"Well, hang on a minute," Aska interjected with an out stretched hand toward the droid pilot before looking to Klied. "We need a bit more of a plan than simply showing up at this repair shop and crossing our fingers that Tairo's information was good, don't we? I'm fine with going in alone but I wouldn't mind a bit more of a plan before I just rush in there and get lit up like a glow bug,"

@Reyn @Isen

 

[Poffo Sauvage]

Everyone seemed to be congregating near the cockpit in anticipation of the landing. Poffo stopped short behind everyone, with Tairo behind him with his hands tied together. Seemed to be a little a small talk, going on, but he heard Aska showing some concern over the lack of details in the plan. She had a point. There was a lot that hadn't been discussed. They had the bare bones of a plan, but Ro was skittish and he could feel an ambush...often when there wasn't even one there.

"There are a lot of things in our favor, yeah," Poffo said. His gruff voice was calm, but still a hidden intensity that could flip a switch of chaos at any time. "Ro is skittish, but he'll feel somewhat protected in the shop. He loves a good deal, and he loves easy women, yeah he does." Sauvage lifted a finger before Aska could protest. "Not saying you're easy. I'm saying Ro thinks every woman is easy. An eternal optimist is Mil Ro. A paranoid little bantha knob, but an eternal optimist when it comes to the fairer sex, yeah."

Tairo cleared his throat, "Ahheemm...May I offer a suggestion?"

Poffo shot the Rodian a hard glance. "No." Poffo slowly turned his gaze away from Treeno Tairo and back to the rest of the group. "We need to be prepared that Ro won't even give the ship the teeniest, eeniest bit of consideration to buy if she doesn't walk in with a reference that Ro trusts."

"Um, excuse me," Tairo said again. The brawler shot a back hand and caught the Rodian in the mouth, sending him flying backwards and banging his head against the wall. "Ahhh! Damn, Poffo! That hurts!"

"Let me be more clear! Let be like crystal, yeah! Keep your damn mouth..." Poffo stopped and he may have caught on to what Tairo was going to suggest. But, if Sauvage figured if he said it first, he could claim the idea. He turned back to Klied and Aska. "Tairo would be a solid, reputable reference, yeah. Ro knows him, yeah. Trusts him. This slimy little Rodian might just be our ticket to ride. And if that gets us in the door, maybe the sweetheart here can bat her eyes and sway her hips and get Ro to chubb up in his pants and follow her on the ship. After that, it's all academic, yeah."

@Reyn @Tulos

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied watched and listened with a neutral expression as Poffo laid out his idea, raising an eyebrow as he clearly caught on to the suggestion Tairo was about to make and said it first himself. It could work, if Aska was up to it. He leaned over, staring past the brawler towards the bound Rodian slouching meekly behind him.

"That is of course unless Mr. Tairo decides to spill the plan the second he's face to face with Ro and his goons. And once again we'll end up with our friend lit up like a glow bug." Klied observed.

"I-I wouldn't do that to you I swear!" Tairo blurted out defensively before shrinking back, clearly terrified of being hit again by Poffo.

"I hope you wouldn't." Klied spoke to the Rodian coolly. "Otherwise I'd have to get real creative with you when I hunt you down. The Bounty Office might not be able to recognize what's left of you and I wouldn't get my money. That's no good for either of us is it?" He looked down at the floor and raised a hand to his chin, scratching it idly as he thought of possible alternatives. He really didn't like the idea of putting the success or failure of this operation in Tairo's hands. He didn't trust the slippery little Rodian one bit.

"We could send the droid as a messenger." He suggested as he looked back to Aska. "Try and arrange a meeting through him. It would be a lot less risky. He could get a good look at the place as well and come back to us with the layout. Then while you go in to make the sale me and Poffo can hit them sideways." He shrugged, looking between his partners. "Hell, that's the best I've got anyway. What do you think?" He looked to Aska curiously. Either of the plans already laid out could potentially work. Poffo's carried a lot of risk, but then fortune favored the bold. Klied's plan was more measured, but could also give Ro the opportunity to bolt if he got suspicious.

@Isen @Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Listening to both men, Aska ran her fingers through her hair as she debated both the merits and flaws of each plan. Far from fond of the idea of playing the alluring bait, Poffo did make a point in that a man such as this Mil Ro, who was dominated by base instincts, would likely be entirely susceptible to a woman expressing interest. Still, from the little she knew of this Nautolan, he seemed to be of the jumpy variety. Would desire be enough to break his suspicion? And then there was Klied's plan. Sending Kayto would ensure all their safety until the last moment but who was to say they would accept dealings with a droid? From her experience, mechanical citizens simply weren't worth anyone's time. And again, the suspicion of why a droid was sent was likely.

"Hey moron," Aska finally spoke up to the quivering Rodian. "You said this is a mechanic bay, yea?" Tairo, clearly afraid of yet another backhand from Poffo who towered behind him, nodded his head rapidly in agreement. Now, Aska turned her attention back to the two hunter co horts. "So then why don't we do just that? Kayto and I can drop you two on a platform close to this guy's hangar bay before sabotaging one of our landing struts or something. Then he and I will limp the ship there and see about getting their services. From there, I can survey the facility and if I spot Mil Ro, I'll signal you over our comm. Then the onus is on me to keep him there until you two show up?"

"What about the Rodian?" Kayto queried as he piloted the ship, reaching up to the over head controls to slow the ship as Coronet began to glow on the horizon. Looking to Tairo, Aska had a sinister smile as she pulled a cigarra from the pack in her pocket.

"The hyperdrive in this thing runs hot. Real hot. Let's just tie him to it, gag him. Let him cook. If the info turns out to be bad, leave him there while we jump out of system," she finished with a wink as Tairo whimpered in terror.

@Reyn @Isen

 

[Poffo Sauvage]

Poffo rubbed his huge paw over his bearded face. He understood why they were hesitant to use Tairo, but Tairo could be the only way to ease Ro's mind enough to keep him from getting skittish. Aska's plan was potentially troublesome. If she didn't see Ro and they went to get the ship fixed, then using the ship as a pirated chop vessel to draw Ro out was no longer an option. It might post the smallest risk, but it might put them back to square one and to the drawing board. There were risks with every ploy.

"Here's what we know. There's three of us inside this ship that we can count on, yeah. What we don't know is how many friends Ro has outside of this ship at the chop shop," Poffo said. "If we get word that he's in there and go balls to the wall and thirty dirty gangsters come piling out to his rescue, it's going to be a long afternoon if you dig what I'm saying. If we could get him on the ship, it would go nice and neat...other than the puddle of piss that Nautolan would leave on your ship."

Tairo made an icky face and shook his head. Poffo gave him a long stare. "But I got just the scalehead to get on his hands and knees and clean it up, yes I do, yeah." Tairo darted his eyes away and tried his best to stay out of sight, out of mind. But Poffo had his mind on the reptilian. He had massive doubts that Ro would ever get a whiff of that ship without some sort of bona fides. The ones that survived in the underworld survived because they networked and they didn't operate outside of that network unless it was absolutely necessary. Tairo was the perfect mole. They both were part of the same criminal enterprise before. They knew each other. They were alike in many ways. Slimy, cowardly. They got along famously actually. But, both would stab the other in the back to save their own skin. That was the situation Tairo was currently in. That said, Klied was absolutely right. If Tairo thought he could make a run for it, he wouldn't hesitate.

The brawler looked at Tairo and then he looked at the droid. "I have an idea, formulating in my mind, yeah. A little stroke of genius if I may be so bold. And I think I will be so bold to declare my genius, yeah!" Poffo added a flourish with his fingers wiggling off to nowhere. "Our little Rodian friend is the key, yeah, he is. He's the lynchpin to getting Ro on the ship. But we can't trust Mr. Tairo, no. That much I will agree with each and every one of you here one million percent, yeah, and that's a lot more agreeable than 100%. Here's the idea stew I got cooking in my mind, yeah. We'll send Tairo out there in a little blue, crackling version of himself, yeah! We'll send Ro a message recorded and approved that Tairo needs to get the ship chopped up fast and in a hurry even. No reasonable offer will be declined! And who will deliver this hologram you may ask, and I know that both of you are the inquisitive type, yeah! So I'll answer the question that I asked for you." Poffo wiggled his fingers in the air before pointing fingers from both hands at the droid. "Oh, yeeeeeeaaahh!!!"

@Reyn @Tulos

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied smirked at Poffo's theatrics as he explained his 'genius' plan. For all his faults he certainly couldn't accuse him of having a dull character. The Onderonian had met no one else quite like him in all his time traveling the galaxy. And his plan was sound. A scripted holo-recording of Tairo sent by the droid, coupled with Aska offering a little 'more' to the deal would likely draw Ro right into their hands.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Klied agree with a nod, and looked to Aska. "You up for it? Things go south and your droid could still end up getting scrapped." He added, and offered Kayto a sly grin.

Poffo's plan seemed the most likely to get the reaction they desired while also posing less risk than just sending Aska in with the Rodian. There was no way Klied was letting Tairo get into a position where he could rat them out. They were basically playing the part of a Sarlacc here, and Ro was the Bantha. Cautious, but ultimately not too bright. They just had to be patient.

@Isen @Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Rolling her eyes as Poffo boasted, Aska still opted to listen intently to his suggestion. Every moment they spent deciding on a plan was a moment that could have been better spent in execution. And despite her disapproval of the man, his plan did seem sound. Besides, this was only the first step in a much grander scheme. While Mil Ro was critical to advancing their goals, she had her eyes set on bringing down the child killer he worked for.

"Getting scrapped? We should be so lucky," Aska replied to Klied, which in turn warranted a stare from the droid pilot at her side. Smirking at Kayto's disapproval, Aska leaned back in her chair and looked to Sauvage. "Alright, big guy. We'll do this your way," she stated with a nod. "Once we get this slime ball to record the message, I'll leave the ship in your hands. Kayto and I will head out to this chop shop and we'll bring Ro back with us. If all goes well, then this should be easy," However, she knew that these things had a tendency on going awry and if push came to shove, she needed to be prepared.

"Does anyone care about what I think?" Kayto spoke up.

"Nope. Find us a place to land and shut up,"

@Reyn @Isen

 

[Poffo Sauvage]

Everyone seemed to be on board with Poffo's plan, and that suited him just fine. Anyone associated with T'lol knew how skittish Ro was. And more than that, Ro was more than just skittish. He was smart. A coward, but a smart coward. He had a knack for smelling trouble, and an even better knack for skirting out clean. What's more, Tairo and Ro had worked together before, and had obviously been in some sort of contact since T'lol's minor empire collapsed. How else would he know exactly where to find him? And the icing on the cake? With Tairo's business dealing in the more illicit substances, needing to ditch town, make a ship disappear quickly, and get some cash to skip the system made for a believable story indeed.

"No funny business, Tairo," Poffo told him sternly. "Stick to the story, yeah. Don't deviate even a little, teensy, little bit!" Sauvage showed him his massive fist. "I've been looking for a reason to use these clubs, yeah, yeah, I have."

Tairo nodded nervously and swallowed hard.

"Don't act so damn nervous. You might as well write 'save me' in the broad's bright red lipstick right on that scaly forehead of yours."

The Rodian tried to get himself composed, for the recording to begin. "Mil Ro! Haha...Old friend, I have heard you have settled in nicely here at Coronet City. I would like to catch up over some cheap hooch...or some expensive hooch if we were to hit a score big enough!" The Rodian laughed nervously at his joke. "But, uh, no time for catch up for poor old Treeno. I'm in a bit of a tight spot. I got Sector Rangers all over me. Caught wind of me dealing here in Corellia. And of course I matched the description of some guy named Treeno Tairo who is wanted in Coruscant because of the whole T'lol thing because...well, I'm Treeno!" Again, a nervous laugh. "Anyway, they have me connected to this ship, but I heard that you can chop it up for parts and get me some cash fast. I need to get off this rock and get a few steps ahead of the rangers and I need to do it fast. I don't have a lot of time, so if you can help me, come on to the ship and we can work out a deal for the ship. I'm in a real bind. I just need enough credits to get to Kessel. Guys like me can disappear and get back on track there. I just don't feel comfortable leaving the ship with the rangers hot on my trail. If you don't come on board in the in the next hour, I'm going to assume you can't help, you'll have to wish good old Treeno good luck....But, I'd prefer you giving me some help!"

Poffo turned off the recording. "That's enough. You talk too damn much." He turned to Klied and Aska. "Hopefully Ro thinking he has Treeno over a barrel will be too much of an opportunity to pass up, yeah. Now it's just up to the presentation, yeah." He waved his hand to Aska and her droid in a manner to show that they were up.

@Reyn @Tulos

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied leaned against a wall, arms crossed as he watched Poffo set up the holorecording. Personally he didn't consider Tairo's act very convincing. As a matter of fact the more the jumpy little Rodian talked the more suspect he became. Eventually the hunter just started shaking his head, raising a hand to rub his brow in frustration. "Oh God..." He muttered under his breath. This was going to be a disaster.

"You know we could probably stand to do another take or two..." He suggested once the recording was finished. But maybe Poffo was right. Maybe Ro would see a friend in a genuinely sticky spot and jump to his aid, or at least jump on the chance to make some easy credits off of his misfortune. Klied didn't know the Nautolan well enough to be sure, so he put his faith in Poffo's judgement. He pulled his comlink out of his pocket and waved it in front of Aska.

"Just remember what frequency we're on." He told her. "Things go sideways just give us a holler and we'll be there as quickly as possible. If this falls through Plan B is to shoot everything that isn't our Nautolan friend." He doubted she needed to be reminded, but he felt it important to reassure his partner that they had her back.

@Isen @Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

With each word that seeped from the Rodian's mouth, the twisting in Aska's stomach grew. The fear and nervousness of Treeno was undoubtfully evident and if they didn't pull this off, she very well could have been walking into a nest of gundarks with a blindfold on. It was also clear she wasn't the only one who had doubts of the effectiveness this message had as Klied spoke up about possibly giving it a second go but the recording was soon placed within Kayto's memory. It seemed this was the best she was going to get. Sighing softly as she mentally prepared herself for the task, she turned her attention to Klied as he instructed her of which channel to turn her communicator too.

"Honestly," she began as she pulled her SE-45 from her holster and moving it to one of the larger pockets on the inside of her jacket. "Plan B is starting to sound pretty damn good," Shaking her head, the woman then removed the holster from her belt and placed it on the seat beside her. "If this doesn't work, Tairo... I'm skinning you like I did the twi'lek so you better hope this Mil Ro is ready to deal," Now standing from her seat, the woman cracked her neck softly before motioning to the droid to follow her into the city. As she made her way to the cargo ramp, descending it with Kayto walking along side, Aska called back to both Poffo and Klied. "If anything happens to the ship while I'm gone, I'm taking it out of your guys' share so be careful with it, yea?"

"There... This is the place, Mistress," Kayto said, pointing to an old, run down building that encircled a landing pad in it's center. Surveying the building, Aska began to take note. It seemed there was an entrance along the north and east sides, though the possibility of a third or fourth entrance somewhere was still likely considering her current vantage point. From the outside, it didn't seem that there were much in the way of defenses but as to what was going on inside, she would soon find out first hand.

"Well then I guess this is it, pal. You ready?" Aska queried of the droid as she took a drag off her cigarra, never letting her gaze break from the shop ahead of her.

"If I get shot, I can be repaired with relative ease. For you, it isn't quite as simple. I am taking solace in this fact," Kayto responded, turning his head to face her. As much as the droid got under her skin, his tendency of simplifying danger to himself were growing on her. With a smirk, Aska pat the droid on the back of his panel before making strides to the front door.

"Welcome to Hezi's," A greasy Quarren man behind the counter reading a datapad spoke up with his feet resting on the surface ahead of him, never turning his attention towards Aska or Kayto as they walked inside. "We don't fix droids, girl. Best take that bucket of bolts somewhere else,"

"Hey pal, the droid is the messenger, not me. I'm just the escort," Aska responded, falling behind Kayto as he advanced to the Quarren, coming to a stop just before the counter and towered over the still sitting Quarren. At this point, the man finally shot a side glance up towards the droid but still didn't express any real interest in him.

"What d'ya want, droid?"

"I have been sent by one Treeno Tairo with a message for an old friend of his by the name of Mil Ro. I was told he could be found here. If you would be so kind as to bring me before him. I assure you, it is a matter of utmost urgency,"

@Reyn @Isen

 

[Poffo Sauvage]

The Quarren grumbled and stared at the droid before turning his attention back to Aska. He snarled a bit and said, "Ain't got nobody here by the name of Mull Ro or Mil Ree or whatever." He nodded harshly to the exit sending his tentacles swishing from side to side. "Take a hike, and take that bucket of bolts with you."

Before Aska or the droid could protest, a turquoise Nautolan strolled into the front office with a bright smile, expensive clothes, and a shiny Westar-AR 35 blaster on his hip. The last Westar he wore ended up as spoils for Klied. Apparently the Nautolan has an affinity for high-end Westar blasters. "Paulie, it's quite alright. I would love to hear from my good friend, Treeno." Ro looked at Aska and smiled brightly tipping a hat that wasn't there. "And madam, it is quite the pleasure."

Paulie gave a sideways glance, shook his head, and started reading his datapad again without saying a word. Ro motioned Aska and the droid back to his office. His office was small, but Ro loved to show off. He had it adorned with expensive furniture and trinkets. "Let's see what good old Treeno has to tell me."

Mil Ro watched the entire message and then motioned for the droid to turn the hologram off. He looked to Aska. "Tairo seems nervous." He smirked and shrugged. "Then again, Tairo always seems nervous. If he's offering me a great deal on a ship, how can I refuse a friend in need, right? Tell my old friend I'll be there shortly. I'll collect my things so I can inspect the ship and give him a...fair offer. At least fair under the circumstances." Ro walked past them, opened the door, and told one of his employees to walk them back to the ship and to help them get it prepared for the survey- opening all the engine ports, opened doors to all the living quarters- essentially to get the entire ship prepared to be inspected. Ro assured them that he couldn't give a price for the ship without a full inspection.

As they walked away another employee handed Ro a datapad with some news from Tyrena, or more specifically from the Skids from a mutual acquaintance of both Ro and Tairo. Apparently, Ro had been taken off site by a trio that included a big, bearded brute, a sour-looking man in a fur coat, and a confident, street-wise blond and auburn haired young woman. Well, Ro knew the bearded man and the hunter quite well. He had no doubt that it was Poffo Sauvage and Kliedden Raxx. It only made sense that those two would start collecting bounties on T'lol's former associates who split across the galaxy. He didn't know who the woman was just yet, but he very clearly had just met her. But if they made a swing to Tyrena to get Tairo, it only made sense to make a pitstop in Coronet City to get Ro. Ro wondered who he was kidding. Tairo was probably the one that ratted him out to Sauvage and Raxx in the first place. He would have done the same thing to Tairo, but still, it hurt a little.

Ro walked to the back and grabbed six gunmen loaded down with various carbines and rifles. "New plan. I have an old friend on the ship that needs a rescue." He looked over his shoulder and shrugged before looking back at the gunman. "But I don't particularly care about him. Kill him if he gets in the way. Same with Biggs who went with them to get the ship prepared for an inspection. Don't kill him on purpose, but if he's collateral damage, we'll cry over it tomorrow. I want the others on board, particularly Poffo Sauvage and Kiedden Raxx. The woman? She is not important to me. Kill her. Stun her. Keep her for a toy. I don't care. As for Sauvage and Raxx, I would like them alive if possible...but dead works to. My old friend Bragg would be most pleased with either outcome."

The men loaded up rather nonchalantly and drew a scolding from Mil Ro. "You best be prepared! Raxx is a killer and Poffo...damn brute as he is will light your ass up like a Coruscanti nightclub with one punch. He's too stupid not to attack, and people keep being too stupid to think he won't be that aggressive just because they have blasters pointed at him. If you go in there thinking this will be easy, we'll be dead before dinner. Get it?"

The men nodded their heads and loaded up some flashbangs and vibroblades in case things got hairy.

"Listen, we should have the advantage because they think I'm coming on board to do a survey," Ro told them. "You go in and don't mess around, got it? You go in like a legion of Sector Rangers are in there ready to take your ass to jail!"

Ro gave long consideration to sending a message to Bragg Tyllon that he would be bringing him Sauvage and Raxx...or least the heads. After giving it some thought, he decided against it. If things went south and he didn't come through, Brag would blame Ro for not getting it done, and that was something he didn't want hanging over his head with Bragg Tyllon. Instead, he decided it might be wise to get a few more guys to be prepared for the worse....just in case the six gangsters didn't accomplish their mission on the ship.

@Reyn @Tulos

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

While Aska was making her way to the garage Klied shoved Tairo into one of the unused rooms and locked him in for the time being. If they needed to dangle him before Ro to convince him to come aboard they could, but Klied was prepared to hit the Nautolan with a stun blast the second he stepped inside. After that he moved back into common room, doing one last check to make sure all his gear was ready to go. Looking at Poffo once more he mulled it over a bit before deciding to speak up. They should have some time before Aska and her droid returned with the mark.

"Hey..." He started a bit awkwardly as he approached the brawler. "Are we alright?" He asked. He knew things had gotten a little tense since bringing a third member into their group. And while he certainly wasn't the best with words, he figured it was better not to let things fester. Especially with a potential gunfight in the near future. "I know you and Aska aren't exactly the best of friends. And you've been... uncharacteristically quiet lately. You know I've still got your back right Sauvage?"

Poffo didn't really strike Klied as the open type either, but he was certain they both understood the importance of loyalty and reliability. Their profession demanded it. Going to work with someone who wasn't loyal, or able to do what needed to be done, that was a death sentence. Be you a hunter in the wilderness or a gangster trying to get by on the lower levels. Klied wanted Poffo to know he was still trustworthy, and that he still trusted him. Even if they weren't friends per se, they were business partners of a sort. And Klied wanted it to be clear he had no intentions of leaving his partner out to dry. Hopefully that would be made clear enough before all hell broke loose.

@Isen @Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Mil Ro was every bit the man Klied and Poffo had described him to be, and then some. As they entered the small office, Aska began to prepare herself for the one aspect she was most unwilling to meet, but he didn't put on the show of a womanizer she had expected. Perhaps Poffo had flourished the description, if only slightly. Watching the message relayed through Kayto's projector, she couldn't help but believe that Ro would have to be a fool if he believed any of those shaky words and the intimidated body language but as the hologram dissipated, she found herself pleasantly surprised.


"...I'll collect my things so I can inspect the ship and give him a...fair offer. At least fair under the circumstances,"

"Sure, whatever man. The sooner I can get off this rock, the better," Aska responded plainly as she placed her hands in the pockets of her jacket. Despite the non-chalant demeanor she was portraying, she couldn't deny the gnawing feeling in the back of her head that caused her neck hairs to stand on end. There was something about this Nautolan that wasn't sitting quite... right. Still, everything seemed to be going as Poffo had predicted. Maybe she was simply being paranoid...

Preparing to leave the garage with Ro's messenger, Aska watched as a weequay man walked in through the front door. No exchange with the Quarren desk jockey, no acknowledgment of her presence, no expression what so ever. This was a man on a mission and as he walked past the departing trio, he made no effort to move out of Aska's way, colliding his shoulder into her's.

"He look's... familiar," Aska muttered to herself as she watched the weequay vanish into Mil Ro's office, the door sliding shut behind him. Then again, distinguishing weequay apart had always proven difficult for the young woman.

"What was that, mistress?" Kayto replied. Still, as the walked away out of ear shot of their new companion, Aska stared back at the closed door.

"Nothing... At least, I hope it's nothing," She said the words but even so, she didn't believe them. Not for one second.

@Isen @Reyn

 

[Poffo Sauvage]

The massive brawler sat in one of the common rooms, reading through the sports sections of the Holonet News and other sources from around the galaxy. Now that Poffo had gone legit, there might be some legal fights he could find and make a few extra credits here and there. He just needed to find the planets and where the nicest returns would be. And, it wouldn't help if the locale had a reputation of beautiful and fast women. His reading was broken by Klied who spoke up.

"Hey...Are we alright?" the hunter asked him. "I know you and Aska aren't exactly the best of friends. And you've been... uncharacteristically quiet lately. You know I've still got your back right Sauvage?"

Poffo nodded for a few seconds. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I trust you the whole way and back, yeah." He looked over his shoulder as if out of the ship and in the general direction of where Aska would be somewhere...outside of the ship. "And in a fight, I'll even trust the broad. It's between the fights that I worry about that one." He turned off the Holonet feed and took a deep breath. "Inserting a woman into a partnership, business relationship, friendship, whatever, between two guys...it's bad news. Yeah, it is. Seen it a hundred times if I've seen it once. And I can't change, brother. I was forged in the lower levels of Coruscant. I am who I am, yeah. I'm crude. I'm rude. I joke around. That one," he nodded backwards with his head in reference to Aska, "can't take a joke. She got her panties in a bunch right out of the gate, yeah. My opinion, if you're going to play with the boys, you need to be able to take the ribs that come with it. She may be tough as durasteel nails in a fight, but her skin is thinner than a Kaminoan neck, if you dig what I'm saying."

Poffo was glad to have said his piece. The door to the ship was opening, so Aska wasn't far behind, and he had hoped, Mil Ro. But apparently, some Sullustan with a clipboard had powerwalked past Aska and walked up the ramp. Poffo was ready, standing directly behind the door, and almost clocked him, but stopped short and looked confused. The Sullustan looked at Poffo and said, "Are you Tairo? I'm supposed to find someone named Tairo and help him get the ship ready for inspection."

Poffo shot a glance over at Klied before answering the Sullustan. "No," is all he knew to say.

"Well, I didn't know there would be more folks on the ship," The Sullustan said. "Anyway, open up everything. Everything that can open, open it. We'll have to fire her up. Have to hear the girl purr and all that."

Poffo watched as he started opening hatches and panels. He started telling some story about how he's really an ace pilot, but he crashed one ship and Ro lost his mind. Now he's stuck doing menial tasks. Poffo refused to open panels. That wasn't in the job description, and he wasn't about to start taking orders from some Sullustan that just admitted he was a nobody. Plus, with the door down, he couldn't really afford to be walking around the ship for those outside to be seen. If Ro saw him, the cover was blown. Soon, Aska and the droid made their way back on the ship. But there was something amiss. He heard multiple sets of boots jogging against the concrete and moving toward the ship. He got a bad feeling and tightened the spiked brass knuckles over his hands.

He looked at Klied and Aska. "Got a feeling we've been made." Sauvage popped his neck and for the first time, a smile crept across his lips. "I guess it's showtime."

@Reyn @Tulos

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied crossed his arms as he listened to Poffo's explanation, his expression neutral. A lot of what the brawler was saying flew right over his head. He wasn't the type to keep many friends or associates full stop, so dealing with these sort of interpersonal issues were something new to him. As far as he was concerned if people were good at their job they were worth sticking with. Everything else was just a waste of time. But in Poffo's opinion things clearly weren't going to work out.

As Poffo finished speaking Klied mulled his words over a bit, trying to think of a reasonable response. Just as he was opening his mouth to speak he heard someone coming aboard. Klied nodded to Poffo in signal before pulling out his Westar and taking cover. He expected Ro or Aska. Instead he got some Sullustan he couldn't pick out of a crowd. As Pffo spoke with the man he slowly dropped his guard and stepped out of cover, revealing himself. Then Aska and her droid came back aboard. Still no Ro.

"Got a feeling we've been made." Poffo commented. Klied nodded as he set his blaster to stun. "Yeah I think you're right..." He replied before casually shooting the Sullustan in the back, dropping him unconscious on the floor. Hearing the telltale sound of an approaching group of most likely not-friendly visitors he looked back to the others as he set his blaster back to it's lethal setting. "I suggest we put the droid on the turret if it knows how to shoot. The rest of us can guard the ramp. We take out these bargain bin fools, call back to tell Ro the job is finished and then we walk back there and kick him right in his smug teeth." With that Klied would crouch near the doorway, prepared to gun down anyone that stepped in his sights.

@Isen @Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

The feeling of distress hadn't left Aska the entire trip back to the freighter and as she ascended the loading ramp with Kayto in tow, the sounds of shuffling feet on concrete behind her cemented those instincts. Something was wrong and the plan needed to change.

"Got a feeling we've been made. I guess it's showtime,"

Removing her jacket, Aska tossed it on the bench at her side and motioned for Kayto to place to unconscious Sullustan in a secure location as she removed her SE-45 from it's holster before lighting a cigarra. Poffo was right, it was time for shit to hit the fan.

"Once you're done with that, get on the turret," Aska stated to Kayto before pulling the lightsaber hilt from her jacket and tucking it into her belt.

"I must protest, Mistess. I've never oper-"

"If you can fly a ship, you can fire a gun. Now get moving,"

Turning her attention back to Poffo and Klied, Aska nodded to signal her readiness. Staying on the ship and forcing the intruders to a choke point was likely their best chance. If Mil Ro was as cowardly as her partner's detailed him to be, he no doubt sent more men than he thought would be necessary and they had their work cut out for them. Still, she had every confidence that each of them had overcome worse odds in their past.

"Alright boys, nice and clean like the boss wanted. Go, go, go!"

@Isen @Reyn

 

[Poffo Sauvage]

The droid did as he was told and started moving the Sullustan's body to a more suitable location. Klied ducked down by the doorway, and Aska coolly pulled out a blaster. Isen didn't know to be impressed by the lightsaber hilt. He had never seen one before. One thing about this group of misfits, they didn't panic, and Poffo was starting to get the impression that he wasn't the only one that loved a good scrap. Poffo took to the other side of the doorway, opposite of Raxx, standing and waiting just out of view of the gunmen. He held up one finger to Klied to wait. He would be in the blast spray zone and he didn't want to end up on the wrong side of a blaster bolt. That said, this was his plan. Sauvage was the reason they were onto Mil Ro in the first place. He felt obliged to be the first one to enter the thunderdome as it were.

Poffo had already torqued his body, turned at the waist and had a balled up fist at his side. The steps came in fast and as soon as Poffo saw the barrel of the gun and the top of a moving shoe on the floor, Poffo unwound his boundy and delivered a devastating left hook from waaaaaay back. Normally, in this type of circumstance, Poffo would aim for the lacrimal bone, one of the orbital bones that rests on the inside of the eye near the nose. Now, understand, Poffo had no idea it was called the lacrimal bone, but what he did know is that when he punched the hell out of people right there, they bled like a stuck bantha out of their eye and nose and dropped like a rock.

This time, however, with the spiked knuckles and the desire to create a bit more dramatic flair, the brawler aimed for the neck. His massive fist flew in a path just over the barrel of the first man's carbine and two of the knuckle spikes dug deep into the human's neck. One of the spikes severed his carotid artery and a mist of blood flew in all directions. The brawler had to put his free hand on the man's forehead as his lifeblood poured and spurted out of his body. With a push of the man's head and pulling his fist back, Poffo's spiked knuckles came out of the man's neck. The man fell face first at Poffo's face twitching as the his last breaths took place. Poffo's face was suddenly splotched with red and pink spots and his black beard matted with blood. Poffo didn't look to see, but it would be somewhat likely that Klied wouldn't come out of this without getting a blood shower to some degree as well. What's more, the five gunmen behind him were certainly caught off guard. The next one in line came to a dead halt upon catching some of the mist in his face and getting the surprise of his life just a few feet in front of him. He actually leaned back, and yelled, "Kark me!" The resulting crash was quite comical. Each gunman ran into the back of the next like a cartoon.

Poffo jumped out into the doorway and did one of his little finger flourishes to the sky with both hands and yelled at the gunmen. "Ooooooooooh, yeaaaaaah!!! Mr. Macho plays no games, yeee-ah! You go get that little that son of bitch Mil R..." He quickly dove back to the safety of the ship as the gunmen had gotten their wits back about them and aimed to fire. The remaining gunment opened fire into the doorway and blaster bolts rang through the ship just as Poffo was jumping to safety. He looked at Klied across the door and smirked as the barrage of bolts flew between them. "Looks like I'm ahead in the count 1-0. Side bet on who takes the most bodies down?"

Poffo checked the little Blurrg pistol at his side. He would go with the spiked knuckles as long as possible. He was better off with them than he would be the blaster, but just the same, firepower usually wins the day.

@Reyn @Tulos

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied looked across the doorway at Poffo as the brawler took up position opposite him, and nodded as he received the signal to wait. If the pit fighter wanted to take them close range the hunter was fine for that, made sense anyway considering he had the advantage at longer range.

The first dead man made his way up the ramp and Poffo started the show with a bang, swinging around and punching the guy in the throat with his spiked knuckles. Klied turned away as a few specks of blood hit the side of his face. Well, one down. With a blow like that he was either dead or soon would be. Unfortunately the unexpected shower prevented Klied from seizing on the opportunity to follow through with Poffo's ambush. The brawler taunted their assailants, and then the hail of blaster fire began in earnest. As Poffo slunk back into cover he made a challenge.

"Looks like I'm ahead in the count 1-0. Side bet on who takes the most bodies down?" The brawler asked confidently. Klied smiled back.

"You're not very fond of your credits are you Sauvage? Just giving them away like that..." The hunter replied before taking hold of the doorway and leaning out of cover, low to the ground below the random stream of fire. He closed one eye and squeezed off his first shot, blowing out the first gunman's knee in a spectacular display of blood and fire. Heavy blasters were no joke. As he fell to the floor screaming Klied didn't even have to move, having a clear shot right at the second man's chest. He gave him an enormous hole right in the center for his trouble, sending the body tumbling down the ramp and into another gunman. The last two had the sense to start backing down the ramp again, still firing to cover their retreat. This time they actually targeted the hunter.

Klied ducked back behind cover as a few shots whizzed past, then ducked out one last time to graze one of the retreating gunmen in his behind before he disappeared from view. The Onderonian looked to both of his comrades and laughed before shouting down the ramp at their assailants. "You boys wanna try that again?" He mocked over the sound of the one guy choking on his own blood and the other crying over his missing leg. "Second time's the charm!" For the moment they were silent, although Klied highly doubted this was over.

@Isen @Tulos