Ask Nar Shaddaa The Night Market

[Song Wren]

There was something else with the Night Market. Neon string lights ran from one stall to the next, hand in hand with the musk of spotchka and smell of smoking claw fish and deep-fried frog. Song was tempted for a taste, but as long as she was Mandalorian, the helmet wasn’t coming off. Besides, she didn’t trust the vendors. Some were known to sprinkle spice into their food for the added punch.

What more to expect from the people of Nar Shaddaa?

This far in the Outer-Rim, she was used to it. The sprawling criminal underground, the suspicious trade outs in conveniently empty alleys, the pickpockets who wandered the crowds, none of them daring to approach her. She didn’t care for any of them, because Song was after someone specific, a bounty. A doctor.

Dr. Xavier Fields, a rogue scientist from Felder’s Robotics. Apparently, he had stolen schematics for an experimental battle-droid, and in the wrong hands, it could lead to catastrophe. The Mandalorian had heard stories of the Separatist movement, their droid armies, and the massacres which occurred by their hand.

She wouldn’t let that happen again.

Though he escaped from Coruscant, Song heard rumors of the scientist having hidden deep in the Nar Shaddaa underground. She didn’t visit the world often, but enough to know who and where to start asking questions. If Dr. Fields was looking to sell his plans or buy parts to build his own droids, the market had to be where he’d go.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

The Arcanist had come to terms with the fact that showing his face on Nar Shaddaa was a risk he wasn't willing to take. The Arcanist mask and blue saber were in the satchel over his shoulder, but it was a different mask he was wearing today. Being assailed while doing recon wasn't generally beneficial.

Unlike the Mandalorian, the Arcanist wasn't here about the bounty on Dr. Fields, but about a series of highly unsavory augmentations being done in the area. This was just the kind of thing that would gain the bloody, violent attention of a vigilante Force-sensitive.

His eyes scanned the market from behind his mask, but even more than that, he was curious about what he could feel in the Force. This place was a cesspit, and the more time he spent here, the more he came to despise its existence. Pain, futility, and misery seemed to lace every mind.

Eventually his eyes came to rest on a Mandalorian. The primary reason for this was that his last interaction with a Mandalorian - in very similar armor - had ended up with the man trying to shoot him. Now, the Arcanist could understand why since he had been blowing up a spice lab and killing people, but they were criminals. It took him a moment's evaluation to realize this one was a woman, and therefore not the same Mando. Still, Mandos were a rare breed these days and one of the cultures Talak found fascinating. His head cocked to the side and he watched the woman pass through the stalls. It was like watching one of the predators on Kashyyyk, and he recognized the distinctive pattern of someone on the hunt. It was a feeling in the Force he was intimately familiar with.

 

[Song Wren]

Nar Shaddaa was a cesspool of crime, and Song was doing her best to wade through it. Somewhere in the mess, she’d find Dr. Xaviers, and when she did, she would be sure he was returned to Coruscant in chains before he could wreck havoc on the locals.

She caught a few people watching her. Spice dealers, wary vendors, the occasional admiring passerby, nameless and faceless city folk. Song ignored them all, because none of them mattered. Her bounty was on her mind, and as long as it was, she wouldn’t stop for anything.

Though she did stop at one stall, at a vendor selling droid parts. The man was a tattooed Rodian, who seemed to tremble as she came close. An easy target, she thought.

“Hey,” said Song, leaning in close and inspecting the parts dangling from the stand, from droid eyes to processing units. “Question for you, friend. I’m looking for a droid scientist. Doctor of some sort. Dark-skinned human with glasses, right arm’s a mechanical prosthetic. Thin, maybe a little creepy. Any of that ring a bell?”

The Rodian shook his head. “Um, no. Me sorry, me never seen…”

She slid him a few credits across the counter, discreetly. The Rodian’s eyes stared at the money then at her. Money could buy about anything around here, secrets included, and it was a small price to pay for the bounty on Fields’ head.

The vendor carefully took the credits into his palm. “Me don’t know about no scientist but I know a face, a name, and an arm. He buys things from me sometimes. Parts. He comes with a friend too, some augmenter or cybernetic surgeon who...”

“I don’t need to know about some augmenter. Just tell me what you can about Fields.”

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

The Arcanist continued to watch the business in the busy market, but his eyes continuously came back to the Mando. In fact, it was far less interest in the fact that the Mando might be looking for his target and far more because he was concerned that she might be hunting him. He had a rather large bounty on his head, and anyone hunting was a potential threat.

He reached out with the Force and let it flow through his head, into his ears, and focused on the conversation unfolding between the Mando and the Rodian. Where he had been relaxed, all the muscles seemed to stiffen a bit and his heart jumped in excitement. Illegal enhancements and surgical procedures, he repeated in his mind. That was a lead...

He frowned and his mind started to mull over the implications of this one-armed man. Was he the one doing the procedures? Why was this Mando hunting him? Were there others? Did she work alone?

These were the questions that he needed answers to, and he pushed off of the pillar he'd been leaning on and prepared to follow her if she moved on.

You take best customer... pay more than that... the Rodian said. It was clear that he was going to be stubborn if he was going to sell out a regular. Part of the Arcanist wanted to go up and give him the old mental trick, but seeing as he knew nothing about this Mandalorian, he decided it was best not to lest he be simply shot. @Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Song rolled her eyes and stifled a groan. Locals were always trying to muscle her out of her cash, especially on a planet like Nar Shaddaa. Nobody was ever satisfied with enough.

The Mandalorian ought to have placed her blaster on the counter and given the Rodian some coy threat. Something along the lines of, “I’ll pay you with your life,” or “We can do this the easy or the hard way.” But, she knew that wouldn’t work. Sheer intimidation would do little more than provoke her “client.”

Especially since he was a city vendor, probably threatened twice a day, how was Song, Mandalorian or not, any different from the rest?

“Fine,” she said, reluctantly. “Here’s what I can do. If your information’s right, I can split you a quarter of the credit reward on him, it just better be…”

“Half.”

“What?”

“You give half.”

“Seriously...?” said Song, wanting to press a hand to her temple, or a fist to the Rodian’s. “Fine, whatever. Whatever you have on him, it better be good.”

She was expecting some prize secrets out of the vendor if it was worth half the credit bounty. Though Song might have argued further, she hadn’t the care or time. Besides, she didn’t care much for the credits. What she was after was reputation. Not just to honor her late brother in his own armor, but to use future connections in the Guild to find his killer.

Small prices to pay for justice. And revenge.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

The Arcanist listened in and had to wonder about the Mandalorian's negotiation tactic. Handing over half her credits for a single tip? Either she was new at this or she was planning to double cross the Rodian. Either one would tell him something about her.

He listened closely to what the Rodian said, perfectly happy to use what he heard to his advantage.

He work out of building three streets over. Terry's Tech, the Rodian said, looking at the credits he'd been given with glee.

For his part, the Arcanist was already on the move. He moved smoothly through the crowds of people and toward this "Terry's Tech." He would have to figure out how he was going to deal with this Mandalorian later, but first it was a matter of finding this tech shop.

Well, Terry. You picked the wrong aspect of business, he thought to himself. His hand reached down and tapped the satchel that held his lightsaber. The Arcanist was going to strike again. Good, he thought to himself. @Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

“Terry’s Tech?” she repeated back to him just to be sure, then finished off with a hollow threat. “This information better be worth it, Rodian, else I will coming back for you.”

With that, she turned and left. She mingled back into the crowds, occasionally shoving one or two rushed bystanders aside, much to their anger. Another time, Song might’ve cared. Today, she didn’t have the time to. All she wanted was to find Dr. Fields, put an end to whatever schemes he might’ve been cooking up, and return him to the Guild back on Coruscant.

The more she continued down the street, the more the crowds thinned. Not to the point of being empty, but enough where it was much harder for the Mandalorian to blend in. She’d hoped to avoid being spotted outside, to find a side exit to slip through, but she supposed diving in with guns blazing ought to be enough.

Itadn’t failed her before. Yet.

Song didn’t bother to notice the masked gentleman who was also making his way to the tech shop. To her, every face on Nar Shaddaa was face not worth remembering. Then again, not just any face wore a mask. Sooner or later, she would connect the dots. Either way, their paths were bound to cross at the foot of the shop.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

And cross paths they were bound to do... The Arcanist arrived at the location known as "Terry's Tech" shortly thereafter, but rather than obviously stop right out front, he stopped across the street, watching and evaluating his possible entry points.

Roof could work. Front door'll be messy. Could wait for the Mando. See what she wants, he thought. And that was when he saw her strolling down the street.

Might as well try, he thought. His mind was already tugging at the hilt of his lightsaber in the satchel, but he wasn't looking for a fight. Still, if one came, he wasn't one to leave himself undefended. For now, however, the hilt remained where it was. Invisible and waiting.

He casually angled his steps so that they would intersect the Mando, and came to a stop at the entrance to an alley, leaning against the wall right along the street.

I might be able to help you, he said. He knew he was taking an incredible risk, but it could pay off. And if it didn't, he could also kill her if she double crossed him... or just leave and let her sort out the gunfight herself. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, but he wasn't willing to risk his life on blind hope. @Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

At the shop front, Song was blindsided by a stranger. Her train of thought derailed by an intercepting voice, and a mask.

Her hand shot over to her blaster. She didn’t pull it from its holster, but it was there, it was close, and it’d only take her a split second to do it. She might have aimed it at the random stranger too, but the tone of his voice, scrambled or not, said something else about him. He wanted to help, but that begged the question: why?

“Help me? I’m sorry, but who are you again?” asked Song, her skepticism the most distinct thing they could latch onto, through her tinted visor and voice modulator.

Her focus narrowed in on him, trying to find something familiar about him. She dug up nothing, but she had the inkling of an idea.

“Were you following me?” she said, and though it might not look it, her hand moved an inch closer to her blaster.

Song didn’t want to do anything hasty, and especially not in front of the shop, but she wanted answers. You didn’t just trust the word of any random, masked man who approaches you in the middle of a dark street, on a crime-riddled world and in spitting distance from a nest of thugs. The Mandalorian was smarter than that.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Fine, so he probably shouldn't get annoyed. His own response in the same situation likely would have been similar. Externally, the Arcanist seemed unfazed by the Mando's reaction.

No, but I overheard you in the market - you weren't being very quiet - and I think we have a common enemy, he said. He didn't give much time to consider his words or dig past anything more than face value.

I don't care about your one-armed doctor, but I think he may be working with someone else that I'm interested in killing, he said. He wasn't going to sugar coat it, he was here to kill people, and if the Mando couldn't get on board with that then their alliance wouldn't work.

Or you could go about your business, and I'll just deal with it by myself later, he said with a shrug. It really didn't matter much to him. A lightsaber and some tactical planning could go a long way, but having a partner could often prove beneficial. Of course, not that he could trust said partner, but still... @Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

“So, you weren’t following me, just where I was going? After eavesdropping into my conversation? I see,” said Song, mockingly, but her hand slid inch by inch away from her blaster.

The masked man wasn’t with who she was after. Neither was he after her or her prized bounty.

The Mandalorian caught on quick to what he was implying, and the offer he was making. She might refused a partnership if he wanted a split of Fields’ reward, as if it already wasn’t low enough, but it was clear he wanted the augmenter. For money? No, else she’d have heard. For justice? Unlikely. Rangers rarely dropped by Nar Shaddaa, too far from their jurisdiction.

Maybe it was a different kind of justice.

Song could sympathize. Revenge was a word she was well acquainted with. There was never a moment she didn’t dream of shredding her brother’s killer with blaster fire. Besides, as a bounty hunter, she had no problem with death, even if she rarely dealt in it. On worlds like this, how justice was served didn’t matter as long as it happened

Thinking it over, Song eventually found her answer. “Alright, I’ll take you up on that. As long as you leave Fields to me, I don’t mind the help, but double cross me, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

She wasn’t new to it, and a random man without a name or face certainly didn’t help to relieve her, but if Song was facing more than just Dr. Fields, why do it alone?

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

The Arcanist didn't care to continue bantering about how they'd gotten here when there was a potential benefit to be had. He was here for business one way or another. He reached out with the Force, but didn't sense a direct malice toward him. He noted the hand moving away from the blaster, and he took that as a good sign for the moment.

Oh, a threat... how mundane, he quipped sarcastically, clearly completely unperturbed by being threatened. Either he was used to dealing with very dangerous people or simply extremely confident in himself.

I suppose the same goes for me, he said throwing his own vague threat into the air because why not, And now that the formalities are out of the way... he said, smiling slightly behind his mask ...that means we're to business, he said. He wondered how long it would be until the Mando did double cross him. After all, the bounty on sabers wasn't small.

He didn't turn his back as he moved further down the alleway, ushering the Mando past him, though he was certain she wouldn't be turning her back on him either. Still, he wanted her on his right side for his own defensive reasons, and the gesture was subtle enough as not to be noticed.

He stopped at the wall of the shop and looked over at the Mando. Ready? he asked, likely to get some sort of a confused look given they weren't actually standing at a door. The red lightsaber leapt to his hand immediately and carved into the wall, making a nice, circular entrance for them to climb through that was unguarded.

And now was the moment of truth. His senses were alert throughout the whole process, and if he had even an inkling he was going to be shot at, he would respond accordingly. Time to find out how this Mando felt about hunting sabers and whether the risk was worth the reward. @Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Introductions over, Song followed him into the alley. She didn’t walk directly ahead of him, as distrustful as he was, but kept him in her line of sight beside him. Was he luring her into the dark, into a trap? Thoughts raced in her mind, until they stopped at a random wall. She situated to his right, but never turned her back. Just what was he thinking, behind that mask?

“Ready,” she said, and nodded.

Her earlier question found its answer once he pulled a lightsaber from his sack with an invisible hand, the handle a polished shine under the dim light of the alley. Song was taken aback. She blinked at the surprise, but made no sudden moves.

Well, everyone had their secrets.

What really surprised her was the flash of red that followed, driven into the wall. As plaster melted and the wall gave way, the Mandalorian stared at the Jedi. Could he even be called a Jedi? She wasn’t sure.

“Huh,” she said. “That’s new.”

As much as she wasn’t sure, she didn’t much care, either. Lightsabers could fetch her a pretty penny, but she was much more than a Syndicate scoundrel. Song wasn’t in it for the money. She was there for honor and retribution. She’d collect her bounty, and go.

Now, with the hole in the wall, Song decided to make the first move: by stepping through. With her blaster raised, she moved inside, but not before she glanced back to the Dark Jedi and said, “Trust goes both ways, Jedi. Whatever happens, I hope you got my back.”

Then, the dark of the shop swallowed her whole.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

The Arcanist's saber blade flashed out again as he stepped into the darkness. He didn't need his eyes to see what was going on around him. The Force was his guide in the darkness and could tell him a great deal about the world around him.

Fair enough, he said. He wondered if he had actually found an honorable person on Nar Shaddaa. He didn't sense deception in her, but he was far from hoping. He didn't trust easily, and this Mando was no exception.

They moved deeper into the shop and through the darkness, but there wasn't any sign of anyone here. He paused a moment and reached out with the Force. He could sense others here - or at least he thought he did - but he couldn't pinpoint them. He took careful steps forward when the lights suddenly flipped on and a quartet of droids began to float around the room. They were perhaps a half meter long with shock arms projecting out of the front and starting to open up with shocks onto the two intruders. In a tech and droid shop, could you expect anything less than some security droids, after all? @Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Song tiptoed through the room, careful not to trigger an alarm or random trap, checking corners for guards and surveillance cameras. It was only when she believed the coast was clear that it became apparent that it wasn’t. Lights flickered on, illuminating the room and the several droids hovering over the floor like phantoms. They spotted the pair in seconds, and like a pack of wolves, descended on them.

"Of course," she said, mildly annoyed. "Droids."

Security droids. Inconvenient, but Song couldn’t complain. They were better than real guards.

She expected the rest of the shop was empty, since nothing living had yet to respond to their little intrusion, so she raised her blaster and fired into the closest droid. The first shot smacked into its metal plating, but it took another two before it did any real damage.

Wisps of smoke billowed out from the hole she left in the droid’s head as it fell limply to the floor. A loud thud echoed in the shop. Easy enough, she thought, but there was still the other three left to handle, and they were closing in fast.

"I hope that sword of yours is more than just for show!"

Song readied her blaster for another shot. Though, she was curious to see how her new partner might fare against them, especially with his fancy lightsaber. Sure, he could cut through walls, but could he cut through guards with the same ease?

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

The Arcanist didn't have any patience for this ridiculousness. He was here to kill the people responsible for the horrible surgeries that were taking place, and a couple of droids weren't going to stop him. For regular thieves it might have been enough, but for a Sith and a Mando... not so much.

He reached out with the Force and gripped one of the robots, yanking it toward him and slashing his saber down to bisect the thing, sending two cleanly cut halves to the ground. He then proceeded to spring into the air, taking a shock to his left arm, but brought his saber slashing down on a second as he landed cooly. That left one more for the Mando.

As the fighting ended, he flexed his left hand. It was tingling and jolts of pain shot through it. He knew it would pass with time, but he wondered how long it would be until his arm was back to full functionality again. Perhaps not for several minutes, and he hoped that wouldn't mean he was at too great a disadvantage when they found their target.

Why are you after this Fields? he asked after a moment. Fine, so it was abrupt, but who knew how long the two would be working together, and the Arcanist was nothing if not curious. @Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Song was impressed. The Jedi, or whatever he was, didn’t wait a second to show her what he was worth. He lashed out against two droids and left their melted parts scattered across the floor. The man moved with a skill and smoothness that told her he had been trained to fight his whole life. The only reason she knew that was because she had been too, but unlike her crude training as a Mandalorian, the Jedi was something else.

There was a kind of venom in his moves, an unseen power, that made even Song feel a chill run up her spine.

She ignored it, the feeling vanishing as soon as she felt it. To her, it didn’t matter how the hunt was done, just whether or not she made it to the end, and the longer she was with the masked man, the more she believed she’d find Fields.

Song fired another three shots into the remaining security droid, one missing but the other two drilling a home into its central processor. It dropped to the floor in another crash, a trail of smoke rising from its metal corpse. The Mandalorian was lucky to have avoided a shock, but it was only a matter of time before her luck ran out too. For all the guards they dispatched, they were still not alone.

An unaware, overconfident Song glanced back to the man and answered him. “He has a bounty, and I’m a bounty hunter. There’s not much more to it.”

She fell quiet a second, knowing that wasn't the truth. After a moment, she admitted and said, “Dr. Fields has blueprints to a battle droid prototype. If he uses those plans, or if it falls into the wrong hands, a lot of people could get hurt. I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“What about you?” said Song, glancing back to him. “You might not be after Fields, but you must be after his augmenter friend, aren’t you? What is he to you?”

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

The Arcanist listened, curious about the job that the Mando had taken on. He'd always heard about the way Mandos were. Quiet, harsh, untrusting, and all business. Or at least that was what the stories and history holos said. The answer he received seemed to fit with that, so he wasn't going to give it much thought.

Butt then she spoke up again. There was more to it. The Mando had a vaguely moral reason for what she was doing, and that was something he could relate to.

He's my next target, he said briefly. There was, of course, more to it than that, but he decided it wasn't safe to tell her that he was the Arcanist yet. After all, that title brought with it a lot of contention. But she hadn't attacked when he'd pulled out his saber, so perhaps there was room to be honest.

Either way, what he said next wasn't a great threat or danger to reveal. I fight heinous criminals. Or kill them, rather. The people who are doing the decraniating need to die. No one else is doing anything about it, so here I am, he said. That was what the Arcanist was all about: destroying the dangerous people and striking fear into the hearts of those who were out there hurting other people. It was an impossible task that he undertook, and he wondered if he was a fool for even continuing to try. But quitting wasn't his way. He was too stubborn for that. @Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Next target.

The words sounded like something a bounty hunter might say, but the way he said it, told her it was for a different reason. More than credits or reputation. Her thoughts were confirmed moments later. He wasn’t with the Guild, or the Syndicates. He wasn’t even a rival to the cybernetic surgeon. The man was simply a vigilante, who acted as judge, jury and executioner.

Song wasn’t sure what to think about that.

She honored her brother’s memory as much as the Creed, and she wasn’t sure if he’d ever support the idea of murdering criminals, but what about her? Song knew that, if she ever found River’s killer, she would make sure he suffered. Make sure he died.

Many times on her hunts, she floated the possibility of killing her marks, knowing what they did was too terrible to warrant even another day alive. Only thing that stopped her was the fact the Guild wanted them alive. If she was given the chance, Song wasn’t sure if she’d stick to what was morally right, but what was deserved.

“I see,” Song finally said. “So you’re like a Ranger, but without the badge and without the mercy. I can respect that. Especially here, on worlds not lucky enough to have their protection, who else is going to do it?”

The Mandalorian shrugged. She knew it was wrong to kill in cold blood, and though she didn’t bloody her hands herself, who was she to stop someone else from doing it?

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

The Arcanist let out a soft chuckle at being compared to a Ranger. He'd once told Trys that he'd have made a horrible Ranger, and she'd agreed. But the Mando's assessment that he was a more violent and merciless version of a Ranger wasn't entirely wrong.

I'd make a trash Ranger. But yes, something like that. Someone needs to and I can, he said with a nod. That was really the sum of it. He did it because he could and someone needed to. If he wasn't willing to step up how could he expect someone else to?

With that, the Arcanist turned deeper into the building. The lights further on hadn't activated with the droids, so he used his saber to light the way. Although his eyes scanned ahead of him, his attention in the Force was on the Mando in case she decided to get jumpy. He didn't trust the bounty hunter that much. He didn't even know the hunter's name.

A set of stairs led down, and he followed them. The "tech shop" quickly turned into a shop of horrors. Bodies lined the walls, most of them missing the tops of their heads. Failed experiments, the Arcanist assumed, and the anger began to rise in him.

I won't feel any pity killing these people, he said quietly as the Mando drew closer. Not even an ounce of pity for them. @Feng Mian