Ask Coruscant Where your allegiance lies

[Covax]

The pretty boy tried to play coy. But Covax had the edge of experience, he was a highly experienced merc and former Enforcer of the very family he was here to bring down. Not some kid playing gangster. He read the Seyd's tell as he was already leaning in the direction before his feet kicked off the stool.

Seeing this, Covax turned his left wrist as he moved his arm to lead his target like a game bird. As his wrist completed the turn, it fired the bola launcher mounted on the left gauntlet. Aimed on the gut area of the poorly leaping man (@Oreus ) the bola would hopefully rap around the scoundrel, binding his arms to his sides. At the very least it would prevent him from pulling his pistol and shooting at Covax, as the weighted balls of the bola would tangle with the wrist and suit. Perhaps even the holster under the coat.

Covax would otherwise complete his previous action of working the action of the weapon and cambering a fresh "round" with his right hand. He was about to change tactics and close the distance when the other merc ( @Sreeya ) chimed in from across the room. Causing the former Enforcer to glance at the cameras that he was aware were above the bar area. "Shit." he cursed in a whisper for not thinking of it sooner. "Security team, find the power and ready on my signal" again speaking so only the comms in his helmet, and thus his team would hear.

Gareth, in his ignorance, still tried to justify his madness. "Gin you're dumber then you look. You're just the latest mistake in a very long list of mistakes that all tie to Zaa Fenn. Preef going at the Sith, Pirates going at the President, now you commit a crime so heinous that the entire galaxy has come to an agreement. Zaa Fenn has to burn. So listen to your friend here, because otherwise I'm about to offer him 2 millions reasons to change his loyalty and end this stand off a bit quicker."

@Versok @Tulos @Altaris

 

[Aska Ryun]

Just as Aska believed she was about to descend to the rubber mats on the opposite side of the bar, her eyes shot open wide in disbelief as an invisible hand coiled itself around her waist. She was no fool, she knew exactly what had occurred. It wasn’t the first time she had stood against Force practitioners, far from in fact, so she reasonably deduced what was to follow. The fingers of her right hand grasped the opposite edge of the bar tightly as Gareth attempted to yank her out into the open, both feet and legs sliding back towards the common area of Quick Draw and down to the floor whilst her upper body had managed to stay in place. Chaos ensued. Deafening blasts from Covax’ scattergun, more blaster fire, bar stools being thrown, tables being overturned. Then just as quickly as it had begun, the calamity subsided as the words of Gareth’s young Assassin bellowed above the carnage.

Gareth had ducked into cover to answer his hired gun, allowing Aska the opportunity to finish scurrying herself over the bar in a more panicked maneuver. Pushing her back against the bar, now with her SE-45 drawn and pointed in Gareth’s general direction, her left hand dually steadied her right elbow while rubbing it to ease the strain it had suffered from the Miralukan’s response. If the White Lion so much as poked a single strand of white hair over the counter top, she was prepared to fire and burn a hole through his scalp.

Edin wasn’t wrong on each account. Gareth may have been the immediate payday with the eight million credit bounty that loomed over him but he was still a small fish in a large pond. While the ‘ghost’ still existed, the job wasn’t done. She could very well be watching at this exact moment and was preparing to slip away into the shadows as she was apparently keen of doing. ”Where’s that damn slicer?” Aska groaned within her thoughts, teeth clenched as she watched for any form of movement from down the bar.

The familiar voice of her partner, with his usual disregard for anything resembling couth, recounted every failure that Zaa Fenn had brought upon itself in recent months. The family was already done. Dead in the water. A rotting corpse devoid of any semblance of what it once was. Perhaps there was an angle that could be spun here? As the clone racked her brain on what would be the best way to proceed, the datapad on her hip flashed to life. A quick glance at the message on the display was all it took.

”How about two and a half?!” Aska called out to those around her from her hiding spot, though more specifically for Edin's benefit. ”Prime Minister Belasi just added another two million to the pot for your head, Gareth! You’re up to ten! How many credits is it gonna take before everyone here starts to turn on you?!” Her chest heaved up and down as she hollered, eyes once again glued on the position where her mark remained crouched. ”Even if your shadow leader escapes, Zaa Fenn is finished! That leaves you with two options! One way or another, we’re leaving here with you in our care. Be it binders or a body bag, that’s your call! Or,” Pausing for only a moment to judge whether or not her words had struck a chord, Aska would continue if she saw no indication of movement. ”- we strike a deal,”

@Versok @Taz @Altaris @Sreeya @Oreus​

 

[Zaid Durmaz]

Zaid kept himself crouched low behind the bar, turning to press his back against the counter while he anxiously anticipated a barrage of return fire that was bound to come from Edin. Even as a few moments passed, and the retaliation never came, the half-Orcolan didn’t risk peaking his head up over the bar to take another shot – not wanting to give the assassin the shot he was obviously waiting for.

It wasn’t until Edin started speaking that Zaid paused, taking a moment to listen to what the Firrerreo had to say. It was confirmation of what the half-Orcolan already presumed walking in to the Cantina – and that was that even amongst the people Gareth had gathered to his side, their loyalties were questionable at best. Not even his actions had effectively destroyed Zaa Fenn, and switching sides came with the promise of a payout with more zero’s than most of them could ever dream of.

The half-Orcolan didn’t verbalize a response, though his eyes narrowed harshly when Edin pointed out that they were all under surveillance and his eyes rapidly flicked towards one of the cameras in the room.

For the moment, Zaid didn't move a muscle from his cover - opting to refrain from attempting to taking another shot at Edin. If they could sway the Firrerreo to their side – and perhaps even Seyd as well - it would make taking down the White Lion all the easier.

@Sreeya @Tulos @Versok @Taz @Oreus

 

[Gareth Gin]

If Gareth had any actual eyes, chances are he would've rolled them really hard in response to both Covax and Aska's statements, not because they were inherently wrong about them being moves that certainly hurt the Zaa Fenn and that put Gareth in a bad spot, but rather because they had no idea of the original intent behind it. Of course the Zaa Fenn were mostly done for, like Covax had stated, they had been dying a pitiful death, the Miralukan simply gave them a chance to either get their shit together to survive a stronger force or be put out of their misery, with or without him, the Zaa Fenn would adapt or die.

"Now you want to strike a deal, after a failed sneak attack, really?" Gareth said from behind cover, funnily enough, his tone of voice was not one of wrath after a surprise attack a low blow done against him while trying to talk, but rather a tone akin to someone trying to call out a brother or sister for a dick move on their part. The White Lion of Zaa Fenn looked in the direction of Edin before letting out a groan, knowing full well that the assassin was, unfortunately, right, and therefore it was in his best interest to at least hear her out "Get straight to the point, if it's something that I'll agree with we can get to the details later, but we don't have that much time here."

Gareth, wouldn't attack yet, rather focusing on using the force to increase his sight as he talked and stood behind cover, getting a better view of everything that was transpiring at the moment, he was not going to let his guard down with some useless banter again, if any of the people inside the tavern tried anything against him, even his own people after the bounty on his head increased even further, he would make sure to be alert and react on time.

@Sreeya @Tulos @Altaris @Taz @Oreus

 

[Seyd Mac]

It seemed Seyd and his dance partner were the only ones actually still fighting at all. Of course that's how it would go down for the slicer. Even the big target himself wasn't being attacked. Seyd had hit the floor and was pushing himself behind cover as the Bola came into his zone. Rather than pull his pistol and fire, he decided to pull his legs in closer to his body to avoid the net incoming. The tables and stools would block it from his head or chest areas. The legs almost got wrapped up if he had not aborted his plan to fire.

Fething disloyal fools. We'd make so many more credits working together than destroying the Zaa Fenn over greedy bounties. He thought to himself as he scooted fully to a tipped table for cover. A bar to his back and table in front would be good protection if fighting began once more.

"Only ten million credits, huh?" The slicer shouted in amusement. "They can do better than that. So much for family being stronger than greed."

@Sreeya @Taz @Altaris @Tulos

 

[Covax]

"Son of ah.." Covax said behind gritted teeth. Watching as somehow managed to completely avoid yet another attack without so much a fucking scratch on his pretty little head. Had the focus not been Gareth, the towering human would see to it that the dude did not magically dodge another.

As Covax thought of all the ways to dismember the man, the droid team radioed in. "Main power located Sir, waiting for orders." Covax wasted no time, "Cut it, cut it now."

With the exception of Aska and perhaps Zaid, suddenly the entire cantina both front and in the back would suddenly go dark. As the entire building would be forcibly removed from the city's power grind. Allowing only those with a means to see in the target to see what was going on.

The former soldier activated the vision mode of his helmet, now seeing the room in thermal. The White Lion surprisingly agreed to hear out Aska, and the merc would see that as a queue to move. Moving the shotgun to his back by way of the sling, he then pulled his Peacemaker and slowly started moving toward the security doors that would lead to the actual Zaa Fenn base behind.

@Versok @Sreeya @Tulos @Altaris

 

[Aska Ryun]

”You sure you’re in the right line of work, kid?” Aska grumbled under her breath as she overheard Seyd’s comments from the other side of the bar. If he believed the type of people that thrived in the criminal underworld would hesitate on sinking a blade between his shoulders when the price got high enough, his career would be short indeed. Nevertheless, he and his concerns weren’t of any importance to her at the moment. Bated breath occurred as the lights cut out, carefully observing for any sort of attack. From the other side of the sealed door, muffled voices could be heard as they scrambled to get the power back on though she was confident it would stay as it was.

”What if, instead of shooting each other to shit, we turn this around and take everything? We work together and rebrand Zaa Fenn into something new? Fuck ‘em all. We burn it to the ground and start over,” Was it part of the original plan? No, but there was so much potential that laid at their feet. Greed was always her greatest motivator and if they could bring Gareth into the fold, they could form a triumvirate to claim every ounce of Zaa Fenn property to turn into a new syndicate. New faces at the helm where two can reign the other in before any mess like Mon Cala could happen again. A fresh start.

”Everyone gets to walk out of here happy, wealthy and alive. We work out that price on your head without burning a hole between your eyes,” Reaffirming her grasp on the grip of her SE-45 in case Gareth didn’t go for it, the clone shifted slightly to get into a good position to move if she needed. ”Either that or we blow this place to hell with you in it. What do you think?”

@Versok @Oreus @Sreeya @Altaris @Taz​

 

[Gareth Gin]

Gareth listened silently as Aska's stated her alternative idea...Which was something very similar to what the Miralukan himself wanted. Granted, he did not care that much about money, he was a warrior first and foremost, but his initial plan was to pit the Zaa Fenn against great odds in order to have it either adapt or burn instead of being a shadow of its former self, with the added result of probably fucking over the other syndicates as a very relcomed side effect. What Aska proposed was not too different from what he wanted, it was just a matter of how.

"Edin, Seyd, go and accompany Covax and his partner to take care of our esteemed leader, but don't lower your guard, you are helping them as much as you are watching them." Gareth ordered the two men under his employ, as Covax walked towards the back entrance, he would probably notice that the Miralukan was staring at him. Wondering if they were planning to make a move on the Zaa Fenn before Aska's sudden change in approach.

"I'll have a chat with my fellow legend one on one, I am sure you don't mind, right, Aska?" Gareth would stay alert until it came to be just Aska and him inside the Quickdraw Cantina. The White Lion of Zaa Fenn would then simply get out of cover and sit down once more. While still careful around Aska just in case, Gareth grabbed the glass of gin he had ordered before, taking a sip from it as he looked at Aska, not really caring about the lack of light "So...how do you plan to rebrand Zaa Fenn while working with the current galaxy's most popular man? I am quite curious about that." The White Lion said with a smile on his face, such a statement could easily be a lie, but with the two of them on their own? Gareth wouldn't mind it, it would mean this fight became much more intimate, a duel between two legends of Nar Shaddaa, that sounds like fun too.

@Oreus @Sreeya @Tulos @Taz @Altaris

 

[Seyd Mac]

Seyd was still gathering himself after a fall, crumble, and prayer for cover. It was a relief to not be in the heat of battle but at the same time he didn't trust this moment of peace. His crew had not been the ones to make an attack, there was little reason to give any trust here. He hoped for all their sakes it would stay. They could make so much more together than divided, in the slicers opinion at least.

"Sounds good to me... " He offered little more than a glare towards Covax and then towards the other two attackers as he tentatively got up from cover. Any sign of trouble he'd either fire his pistol at it or retreat back to cover. His guard was never going down. Any of those three could be a problem, but mostly his concern was on the mercenary who had shot at him.

The back of the cantina was riddled with offices, servers, and workshops. The big boss had basically no where else to be at this point. The lights being out meant by now the cameras had to be dead too. Faint glows still existed from the windows and streets outside to guide them around for the main room after eye adjustments. The back rooms might be a bit darker though.

 

[Edin Frost]

Edin was still processing the turn of events. The offer of 2.5 million credits, and then the additional 2 million that was added to Gareth’s bounty. All of it was messing with his ability to stay focused. It was more money than he had ever seen before. He had done several assassination jobs, but nothing paid like that. Even taking out the admiral didn’t get him that kind of cash. However, he was the type to bide his time and make decisions after a lot of internal analysis.

For now, the assassin rose up and followed Covax. His body language suggested that he was definitely more relaxed than his counterpart Seyd Mac. This was perhaps because he was more or less a neutral party without any strong sense of loyalty. He did things for credits, not because he felt any emotional attachment or compulsion. He didn’t give a fuck if Zaa Fenn burned to the ground as long as he got his pay.

The group moved away from the main cantina area, stepping through the doors that would lead down a hallway the end of which likely held Marissa. The chances of her still being there were slim, but it was worth a look nonetheless.

@Taz @Versok @Oreus @Altaris @Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

A gloved hand rose above the edge of the bar, cautiously feeling around until the glass rim of Aska’s cup was found and brought down to where she sat in wait. She needed to think, consider if this is what she really wanted to do, and the best method for that was over a drink. Putting the glass to her lips and tipping every ounce back in one motion, she then let the cup slide from her fingers and roll across the bar mat she was crouched upon. If she did opt to work with Gareth rather than against him, there would be scrutiny against anything and everything she did going forward. It would be a tarnish on the reputation she had spent years building. Only the desperate would hire a merc with a tendency on altering contracts mid op. On the other hand, Gareth had influence over the tattered remnants of Zaa Fenn. If she worked with him, he could guarantee that a larger portion of the Syndicate would fall in line rather than starting from fresh. But would she need that extra clout? She knew her own name had enough influence in the circles of the underworld that she could likely pull together her own group without him, the bounty on Gareth’s head giving them the solid footing for a start up crew. What was the right path forward?

The bounty was everything, regardless of her decision it was the one thing that needed to be secured. Without it, financing any sort of foundation for her own enterprise would be an uphill battle. The fighting had come to a halt, leaving room for negotiation but soon after Gareth gave away his one edge against those pitted against him. His order for his two hired guns to fall in line behind Covax in their pursuit of the Queen of Zaa Fenn would leave him without any extra guns watching over her. Standing from her spot behind the bar, waiting for the others to make their way towards the door that would lead them into the rear of the facility, the clone kept her SE-45 lowered behind the bar whilst her thumb pushed the switch to change the shot from lethal to stun.

"So...how do you plan to rebrand Zaa Fenn while working with the galaxy's current most popular man? I am quite curious about that,"

Her weapon snapped upward and the clone fired two shots towards Gareth’s chest as the door slid shut behind the others. The blue balls of energy sped towards the Miralukan, guaranteeing he would be laid out if they made contact. Given the circumstances he was in and the speed of a legendary gunslinger, there was little chance he’d be able to respond before they did. With his own associates out of the picture, two of her own standing between them and her, he had given her an ample opportunity that would be foolish to pass up. Trust; it didn’t exist between criminals.

@Versok @Sreeya @Oreus @Taz @Altaris​

 

[Covax]

Covax was no sooner through the doors of the hidden Zaa Fenn HQ when he heard Gareth (@Versok ) give his two hired guns the order to follow. Causing the human merc to turn around and face the Zaa Fenn member and the other mercenary. Because there was no way in the force he was giving them his back.

To Covax's surprise the two not only agreed, but followed into the corridor. The slicer was first (@Oreus). Entered the fetal with weapon ready and glaring at the human who only moments ago shot at him, not once but twice. Then for reason's only known to the pretty boy, turned his attention and his sight toward those behind him. Perhaps toward his presumed partner, or toward the others. It didn't matter to the towering human. Covax would quickly pull the trigger twice, firing two stun bolts. One toward the belly and one to the chest area. Sense the Zaa Fenn slicer was not totally facing Covax at that moment it would be nearly impossible to the scoundrel to dodge the ambush move. Not that he really had anywhere to go with the other merc blocking the exit.

Judging by the the other man's approach, and the lack weapon behing aimed at Covax. As the doors shut and the sounds of more bolts being fired could be heard behind it. Covax gave the man (@Sreeya ) one last offer. "2.5 mill, plus the full bounties on who ever is left back here and...him. Or we see if you can draw a gun faster than I can pull a trigger ?"

He still had plenty of bolts left in the hand cannon, and both men were point blank range by this point. He didn't want to shoot this other man, there was no money in it. But if he didn't take the deal Covax would have no choice. Gin and the Zaa Fenn had to go, tonight.

@Tulos @Altaris

 

[Zaid Durmaz]

The signal was given to clear the room for Aska and Gareth, and Zaid didn’t put up much argument. Keeping his blaster pistol handy in case either of the White Lion’s associates made any suspicious moves, the half-Orcolan cautiously rose up from behind his cover and walked around the bar - following after Covax into the other room, only once Edin and Seyd were in front of them.

Of course, Zaid couldn’t say he was entirely surprised to see their brief ceasefire violated the moment backs were turned. But that didn’t mean he was happy about it, either. The threat of Marissa and being turned over to the Rangers was a real one, every second spent fighting each other gave the actual Crimelord the opportunity to pull the rug out from underneath all of them.

Nevertheless, Zaid was loyal to whoever was writing his check - and that meant following Covax’s led regardless of what direction that took him.

The moment that Covax pulled the trigger of his weapon, the half-Orcolan leveled his own on the Firrerreo - finger on the trigger but he didn’t fire just yet, poised just in case the Firrerreo tried to defend the Zaa Fenn member. Somehow, the half-Orcolan doubted it. While Covax gave Edin his final offer, Zaid kept his blaster pistol at the ready. His eyes snapped briefly towards the door, picking up on the sounds of additional fire coming from Aska and Gareth. With any luck, the problem of Gin would be dealt with momentarily.

@Sreeya @Tulos @Versok @Taz @Oreus

 

[Aska Ryun]

As blue orbs of energy collided with the mountain of muscle they were destined for, Aska allowed herself a huge sigh of relief. Gareth, slumped over in his seat, was subdued and the bounty on his head was practically hers. Her team and perhaps even the young sharpshooter who had been under the White Lion’s employ would soon have more money than they would ever know what to do with. Of course, her own plans were already brewing. Retrieving her helmet from the counter, the clone held it under her arm and made contact with the rest of their forces outside.

”Target secure. Move in, restrain him and prepare for transport,” she ordered, a trio of droids soon entering the cantina to comply. Now all that was left was finding the Queen of Zaa Fenn and delivering the final blow to the crime family before Rangers began to pile in in droves.

”Any sign of her? Time is running out, we need to get the fuck out of here!” Aska called out to the others as she turned the helmet upside down, stuffing bottles of liquor inside for later. At this point, she was almost prepared to just burn the place down and leave it at that but she needed something to prove the job was done.

@Sreeya @Taz @Altaris​

 

[Covax]

The Zaa Fenn pretty boy never even seen it coming, taking the two stun shots he fell like a rock. Covax gave the other merc a nod of approval. Then turned his attention toward the ZF HQ. As he did, Aska chimed in his ears, "Target Secure. Move in."

"I'm never going to hear the end of this." He meant to say in his head, but likely said aloud. Meanwhile Covax quickly cleared out the offices, what few members of the Lower Five there were would surrender to the two mercs and wait for be loaded into the transport. Which Covax would hand off to Edin to lead them out.

When the former Enforcer made it to the Ringleader's officer he found the door wide open and a hatch leading to a tunnel under the desk. "Fuck, she's gone. Some kind of tunnel leading to the sewer system. I'm planting my charges, everybody out."

Covax would arm a thermal detonator, and set it for delay. Then another in the slicers area, and a third in the living quarters. The final one he tossed on the bar on his way out. Quickly sweeping to make sure everyone was out. By the time he made it to the door of the transport the explosives would detonate, one after the other. All that remained of the Zaa Fenn Crime Family was now a burning pile of slag.

Covax would snap a couple of pictures with his robotic eye for evidence that the job was done, and off they went. By the time the Rangers and ISC forces would arrive the transport would be on it's way to a privet spaceport somewhere on the Upper Levels.

@Sreeya @Tulos @Versok @Altaris

//End Thread.