Nar Shaddaa

[Parangor]

It took Drogan a moment to realize he was being addressed, he had been focusing on the droids and how the men were monitoring their progress. He turned his attention to the women addressing him and in what he hoped was a pleasant manner took her hand and looked her directly in the eye. "My apologies for the lack of introduction, my name is Drogan DeDroska, I command the group of Ex Sun Guard monitoring your droids. I am glad that we managed to meet your expectations on delivery and am glad to hear you are pleased with the service." He hoped his handshake was not overly aggressive but he had to admit he found both of these women to be interesting, they were both attractive but something about their confidence and movement made he begin to re-evaluate their actual danger level.

 

Releasing her hand he went back to accessing the droids as they worked. "I must say I am slightly surprised to be delivering such an expansive number of droids to your organization, these droids are not cheap. Especially the customized bodyguard models you have purchased. " As he was speaking he noticed that while the droids were working flawlessly the speed they were moving was for some reason being reduced, it was at that moment that he realized the larger body guard droids that had been spread out as flankers were actually directing the more standard models. His eyes began to dart from the droids to his men as he noted they were also monitoring the droids and their strange communications. It was good to know his men's combat awareness was still at a peak.

 

"I must say they are impressive, I will have to update some of our combat routines to deal with these tactics should we ever come across them on a mission." Turning back to women whose hand she had taken, "That is not to say anything about your security or the purchase I apologize if my thoughts wondered. Is there anything more I can do for you or your associate? If not would I be able to request the location of a reputable or at the very least clean Cantina? I will allow my men a few ours shore leave before looking for further employment."

[Sapphire]

Sapphire wasn't sure what to make of the man. He clearly hadn't heard of them, as he questioned their credit limits as if it was his business. She was tempted to take him down a notch at that comment. After all, a stranger, and a man at that, doubting that they'd have the resources to make a purchase like this? Inconceivable.

 

But she decided to let it pass, choosing only to narrow her eyes and turn her attention on the droids themselves. They were indeed impressive, and Sapphire felt that they seemed like they'd be worth every credit.

 

When Drogan turned back to them, Sapphire gave a disbelieving chuckle. "A reputable or clean cantina? Your first time on the Smuggler's Moon, I take it?"

 

She looked pensive for a brief moment, sensing an opportunity here. "Tell you what, why don't we buy you and your men a drink and you can tell us about this 'Sun Guard' group that you command."

[Parangor]

Drogan noticed the slight narrowing of the womens eyes, though he wasn't sure what slight he may have commited. When turning back to inquire he couldn't help but smirk at the comment about the Cantina's. "I will admit when we were part of a larger band, the smugglers moon was avoided. We never were sure if it was worth the trip due to not being sure exactly how the power structure was set up. I know very little about the moon other then it has an interesting reputation." He wasn't quite sure what to make of this place even now. His men were alert as always but they were not accustomed to this type of environment so he wasn't sure about staying to long, no sense in having his men slay a bunch of smugglers should trouble arise. Her sudden invitation was an interesting proposal and he gave it the briefest moment of thought.

 

Turning from her briefly he shouted out to his men in Thrysian and had them immediately snap to attention and stop watching the droids. Turning back to the women standing next to him "It would be our pleasure to share a drink with you, if you are willing to provide my men a few moments we will prepare to depart."

[Ajani Lainthok]

0900. That is what he’d said. She would have been there on time...if she had known where the blasted place was. She found the most strategic place - for a bar - to stand to be visible for this agent she was to meet.

[Dordjooba the Hutt]

Kaldesh pushed the center button of his 'card' once more and stowed the device in his belt pouch before hearing a belligerent droid barking at him. The large Trandoshan turned an incredulous eye to the angry droid. Easily taller than the bucket of bolts, Kaldesh was the picture of bewilderment, which was odd considering his reputation for being large and intimidating.

 

"Your supervisor? My s-supervisor told me to patrol down here..." The lizard's sentence trailed off. He leveled his gaze on the corridor, trying to find some way to ascertain his position, but was at a loss. Desperation wasn't helpful in this situation. So, without another way to reason his way out of what he THOUGHT was his indicated task, the Trandoshan nodded quietly. "S-sorry. I will leave. It appears either my coworkers were playing some prank on me or my supervisor didn't know this wing was under construction."

 

With another small nod, the Trandoshan brushed his way past the droid and lumbered down the hall. He followed whatever direction he could until he found a landmark he recognized and used that to find where he was.

 

I don't think it's safe to communicate from here... After work... yes.

[Sapphire]

The droid sent a holo of the Trandoshan to its supervisors, as was standard procedure. The being would be monitored to make sure it left the building.

 

___

 

Sapphire nodded. "Of course."

 

She and Emerald turned and walked back towards the entrance, giving the man his moment with his men. "He could be a useful asset, if we play this right," Sapphire murmured to Emerald. "Let's see where this goes. Shall we take him to Fri'thinia's Cantina?" The suggestion was made with a sparkle in her deep blue eyes. The cantina wasn't far from their towers, and it had the right amount of character without being too seedy, at least by Nar Shaddaa's terms. Just enough for Drogan to have a taste of what the Smuggler's Moon had to offer.

 

Meanwhile, several of their people were taking care of making the credit exchange and taking the droids away to get programmed and settled into their new roles with the Blood Gems.

 

___

 

An agent for the Blood Gems, a green-skinned Twi'lek woman in a clean suit, approached the bounty hunter. "Ajani Lainthok?" Two Gamorreans and two Gran entered not far behind her. "I'm here on behalf of the Blood Gems, to take custody of the bounty." She motioned to the bruisers. "They'll take care of him." Meanwhile, the Twi'lek pulled out a datapad. "If you'll just sign here, and we can transfer you the rest of the credits."

[Parangor]

Drogan walked over to his men and began to address his men in Thrysian. "I will be concluding our business with the Gem organization, they have offered to take us for drinks. At this juncture three of the six of you will remain with the ship to monitor the ship and prevent unauthorized access. Two will be sent back with drink and food for those that remain behind while my second and I conduct any finalized business." As always there was no grumbling or complaints as the men drew straws and chose those that would remain behind. After wards, he checked over his armor and weapons one more time while making sure the clasp on his cloak showing his bands emblem was still in place. He had never gotten used to the formal cloak worn for meetings and ceremony but his grandfather had always insisted. He personally just believed it inhibited his ability to quickly access his sword. When he as certain all was ready he approached the ones known as the Gems.

 

Approaching the Gems flanked by his small retinue he was curious as to why they wanted to drink with a band of Thrysian mercenaries. Either way he hoped if nothing else to learn more about the moon and have a pleasant conversation but it never hurt to make business contacts either. Though he had to admit his men would require combat soon, Thrysian blood lust was nothing to sneeze at and regular combat helped to keep the rage at bay.

 

"If you are ready please lead on, we look forward to seeing more of your moon and learning a bit about it." Turning to his group he spoke bluntly in Thrysian "You will all act as though this is a mission and maintain your composure at all times, when you return to the ship you may rotate out being on leave and relaxing, but not a moment before am I understood." As expected they all agreed and offered up their salute. Turning back to the two women he smiled as warmly as he could, or at least what he considered warmly and gestured for them to lead on.

[Emerald]

There was a corner table at Fri'thinia's that was nearly always kept forcibly vacant. When the cantina was full to capacity, with a line out the door, still, burly bouncers took up their stance at the table's edge, taking down any unfortunate slob that attempted to worm his way to the table. It was rather famous in the Corellian district, and would have invited shock and awe for any who watched a pair of lithe Hapan women strut through the crowded bar and make their way directly to the forbidden table, brushing aside the bouncers with a wink and a smile and settling in on the same side of the table as they watched their Thyrsian guest and his entourage take their seat opposite.

 

"So, Mr. DeDroska," Emerald said by way of an introduction as the serving droid ran off with their orders, "tell me. How long have you been hauling for Lemnos Industries? It's a fairly young company, isn't it?"

 

She dipped her little finger into the glass of water before her on the table, swirling it around in slow, deliberate circles. To the normal onlooker, it would have appeared just a gesture borne upon the back of flighty female boredom, but to Sapphire, it was a coded signal. The blonde was planning a job. They were looking for information.

[Parangor]

He had to admit the cantina was nicer then he expected to find on the moon and he was pleased to see it pulled in a large number of clients. He had to chuckle quietly at the respect these women commanded. They certainly were well known around here and seemed in complete control of their surroundings. Before taking his seat he sent his second and other soldier off to get food and drink and return it to the ship for the men that had to remain behind. After sending them off and checking his weapons he proceeded to sit in such a way as to offer easy access to a number of his weapons. Old habits never seemed to far from his mind and while he worried the set up would seem threatening he hadn't lived his whole life as a soldier to let his guard down now.

 

Nodding to the women sitting across from him as she stirred her water. "I have actually only done one job for them at this point, the delivery which you recently received. They do seem to be fairly young, though they don't seem to mind tossing around large sums of credits for minor jobs." Thinking for a moment he scanned the Cantina to make sure his men had gotten their orders and moved back to the gunship. "Their headquarters on Nubia were surprisingly well guarded and no expenses seemed to have been spared on both decor and security. However unless they offer me another job or you have a return request I am currently once again looking for employment, and while I will offer them my services in the future, they are now just a past employer whom I have a decent record with."

 

As he watch the women across the table he continued to occasionally scan the cantina. He was curious as to why they really brought him here. They were obviously rathre important on this moon and he doubted they had invited him here just for his company, most people found spending to much time with him unsettling as he was almost always on guard. This was going to be an interesting meeting but he was also curious as to what he could learn from them.

 

"If you don't mind me asking ladies, what exactly does your organization do?"

[Sapphire]

As Emerald began to question the man, Sapphire reached up and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Message received. Emerald's plans were usually profitable for the Gems, though often dangerous, and occasionally disastrous. Sapphire wasn't quite sure what the blonde had in mind, but she'd keep the man talking. "Where do you think they came up with their ideas and resources?" she queried.

 

As Drogan bluntly turned the questions back on them, Sapphire laughed lightly. "We're only the best pirates on Nar Shaddaa," she said blithely, "and probably in the sector." It was the truth, although it wasn't the whole truth. Since she was still in the dark about what Emerald was pushing for, she'd leave it up to the other woman to expand on that if she chose.

 

Just then the server returned with their drinks and placed them in front of them. Sapphire sipped hers, then sat back and pulled out a datapad nonchalantly. Let's see what information I can dig up about this guy and his gang...

[Parangor]

The reply really didn't surprise him that much. He had assumed they were smugglers or some form militant organization. When his drink was set in front of him he picked his up and examined it briefly before taking a small sip. He noticed people always were somewhat surprised by a merc that didn't drink but it was also a policy of his to never drink any large quantity til discussions/negotiations had concluded.

 

"Piracy seems like quite an interesting occupation, and it seems to be highly profitable." He looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment and upon seeing the one pull out a data pad he couldn't help but smirk a little on the inside. So it would seem the one stirring her water would be the one asking the questions and trying to gather the intel over all. He thought a moment and then decided to answer the ones question, even if she was more interested in gathering intel on him. "As to the ideas and resources of Lemnos, I am not overly sure. The droid designs are streamlined and effective but as to the backing of the company I am not overly sure. However they seem to wish to impress not only with their droids and credit limits but also with their collection of rare antiquities. They had amassed a rather expansive collection on Nubia." He paused wondering what these women had in mind but he also was enjoying the company so he was willing to be patient. It had been some time since he spoke to someone that didn't immediately dismiss him as nothing more then a killer out of hand."

[Emerald]

"Nubia," Emerald intoned, her eyes sparkling with interest even though the rest of her body language belied such a fact. To all onlookers, she would appear nothing but simply polite. However, internally her mind was spinning. "Quite the collection, you say?"

 

She leaned across the table, Falleen pheromones tinting her words with a thick pull that would be utterly irresistible to most hot-blooded men.

 

"Tell me, Drogan," she said with a sultry tone. "Are you interested in continuing your employment with Lemnos Industries? Are you interested in jobs that stay... purely on the level?" Her eyes sparkled with an otherworldly green fire, baiting him to lean into the questions she posed.

 

An idea had struck her, should the man continue running security details for Lemnos Industries; a lucrative operation could quickly grow from such an affiliation, and Drogan stood only to profit from her mental arrangement.

[Parangor]

He immediately realized something was off. Without trying to give to much away his training and years of meditation instantly told him something was attempting to influence his mind. His eyes began darting around but he couldn't see any decernable threat comeing from someone in the cantina, and no one else seemed to be showing any signs of discomfort. As he tried to refocus his mind he had to pulle his eyes away from the beautiflu emerald orbs across from him. Was it in his drink, some form of contact drug. He was not happy at something trying to influence him in this way. Pausing a moment he fell into a moment of meditation and was finally able to speak, there would be an edge to his voice but he was not concerned about that. Someone had the audacity to try to drug him, whether it was the beautiful women across from him or not he was no longer in a good mood.

 

"My interests with Lemnos industries are my own..." that was where he intended to stop but he couldn't help but add "however if they provide continueing job offers I will not turn them down. However I will not be turned into a simple security guard, my men and I require more action then that to keep our combat edge." He was still having trouble forming full thoughts but he would be damned if what ever was trying to influence him would win. "As to jobs being purely on the level, my years as a mercenary have taught me that a job being on the level depends on who is giving the job and what they consider the level. If you are asking if I have done some unsavory things the answer is yes, my only requirement is that I don't kill those that can't fight back, there is no honor or sport in it." Why in the world was he tellilng this women his honor code. He was becoming increasingly angry at what ever was trying to influence his mind. Pausing again he looked around again and decided the only two options for this odd feeling were his female companions or his drink, a drink they had ordered and provided. Narrowing his eyes he centered himself and began to truly study the women across from him. He couldn't deny he was impressed they had made him this loose tongued but it ended now. Having a focus for his mental defenses would hopefully allow him to counter act whatever they had done.

 

Leaning back away from the women slightly he rested both his hands on the table. "I must admit you are a curious pair, and I am impressed with your tactics and your apparent information gathering, " he gave a nod to the red head, "however while Lemnos has been good to me on this job as I said it will be a job I take periodically for the money but I am not sure how steady a security job I would want with a larger corporation. Now if you would be good enough to answer my question, what were you hoping to gain from my fledgling relationship with Lemnos?"

[Emerald]

Assessing the reaction of the Thyrsian man across the table, Emerald found herself duly impressed by his resistance. Most men became slavering hounds at even the slightest application of her unique talents. "You want action?" she said suddenly, straightening. "We have plenty of work for someone who doesn't mind getting his hands a little... dirty."

 

A cat-like smile crept across her face as she regarded him, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in the booth. "Your men are disciplined, not the sorry hacks that Dorjoola left behind him here. It's a refreshing change of pace."

 

She had laid the groundwork slowly. Now, it was time to speak plainly, she thought as she sipped her drink. "I want information. Cargo manifests. Itineraries. I want to become Lemnos' personal poltergeist. Those shiny bits of tin go for a pretty penny, and I love pretty things. We would expect to pay handsomely for this kind of information. If, and only if, it is accurate."

[Parangor]

So it seems his suspicions were confirmed, somehow the beautiful women across from him had attempted some form of manipulation. Its partial sucess seems to have earned him the right to a quick and consice answer. He could respect that, there was no sense in paying full price if you could force the talks to go in your favor. He found himself smirking a bit, something he was not accustomed to doing in the pressence of potential business associates, especially after the tricks. Yet while is first instinct was to simply cut them down and move on he found them to fascinating.

 

"Hmmm, well I will be the first to admit that corporate espionage is not my strong suit I will make you an proposition. I will reach out to Lemnos, after you provide them a review of service that is, and request they send me a list of potential jobs they may have for me. I will select one of those jobs and perform it as expected. The remainders on the list will be" and here he added air quotes, "hacked off the transmission to my ship. It is Nar Shaddda, they couldn't expect the signal to be absolutely secure. All you would need to do is select a few of those extra jobs that have delivery dates and planets, if not the exact landing place, and pluck them like ripe fruit from a tree. My job will not be tampered with, I assure you both sides would lose in that situation. Once my job is completed and you have taken your share I would request 15 percent of what ever profit you may net from the shipments. I also expect you to make sure that the jobs are in no way traced back to me. This includes you providing the fack hacking of the sigan so if they become suspicious it will lead to some other orginization or mercenaries." He paused briefly and looked both women over again.

 

"I feel it goes without saying that this could be the begining of a valuable relationship, however I at the same time put the safety and care of my crew above all else. If for some reason you feel the need to betray them or me, I will find a way no matter how dangerous to strike back. I respect you both quite a bit, you have a keen sense of what you want and are not afraid to make bold decisions, as seen by what ever you were attempting a few minutes ago. So I will be blun, it would be an honor to work with you, and once I take a job I complete it regardless of barriers, all I will ask is the same level of respect and loyalty."

 

He decided to take a calculated risk and drank some more of his beverage. No futher problems arose with his perception confirming it was somehow one of the women. He maintained eye contact with the one he suspected and finished off the drink setting it down with one hand and dropping his other to his side. His bold statement and action either just earned him their respect and the job, or he was about to have to fight his way out of this place, a place they obiously held sway. Either way things were about to get interesting.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Guest

[Ajani Lainthok]

Ajani took a sip of the warm liquid of her drink - she’d become addicted to tea when she’d transported it and was offered a sample as, she presumed, a sales tactic - before taking the datapad and slowly reading the terms laid out. Standard procedure of transfer of merchandise, she’d read plenty before, but you can’t be too careful. She’d once found that out the hard way. She silently took another calm sip before she smiled at the Twi’lek agent.

 

“Thank you for seeing me. Everything looks in order. However,” She paused gave a hard look to the agent, “I can’t sign this until I see who I’m dealing with in person. Please contact your employers for a meeting. You understand. I’ll be waiting over there.”

 

She pointed a corner and nodded to the Twi’lek before collecting her tea and crossing the bar to a booth for privacy. Settling in for her wait, she thumbed open her wrist comm and replayed the message from the Black Sun agent for further contemplation. She’d heard rumors of the agency that she wanted confirmed or dispelled before aligning herself with the company.

[Sapphire]

Sapphire's research turned up much about the Thyrians and their mysterious Sun Guard. She just skimmed the info, but it was enough to confirm the idea that they could be potentially great assets for the Blood Gems. So when he laid out his terms and expectations, it was a win-win for the Gems. "We have an accord," Sapphire replied after a pause. "We agree to all of your terms. And as a gesture of goodwill..." She pulled out a large-denomination credit chit and slid it over to him. "As an advance."

 

She tossed back the rest of her drink. The man was clearly wound tightly, but he'd be a good asset, and that was all that mattered. Exchanging a glance, the two pirates rose. "Any other questions?"

 

___

 

The Twi'lek crossed her arms. "You crazy? No one sees them in person. Look, you want the credits or not?"

 

Ajani however had immediately run off to a corner to nurse a hot drink. The Twi'lek threw up her arms in exasperation. Heading outside, she pulled out her comlink and made a quick call.

 

Twenty minutes later, Tarvil came stomping into the cantina, clearly out of sorts. He headed directly for Ajani, and stood glowering at her with his arms crossed. "Didn't we come to an agreement last night, Huntress Lainthok? And now you drag me all the way down here for--what? To assuage your own self-importance?" The bruisers flanked him, while the Twi'lek hovered a few meters away.

[Parangor]

He was a little surprised they agreed to all his terms, but was even a little more surprised at the offer of a down payment. He picked up the chit examined it for a moment before setting it back down on the table. "I appreciate the offer of a down payment but until I know if Lemnos is willing to hire me or not I won't be taking any of your money. No sense in you paying for something if it doesn't come to pass and that way there is no bad blood." He did however call over the serving droid and order them all another round of drinks. As he gave the order he also took a moment to send the all clear signal to his ship by tapping the comms. At least now his crew knew no foul play had taken place.

 

As he turned back to the women seated across from him he leaned his one arm on the table. "Now that a small amount of business has been concluded, I would like to know exactly what it is you tried to do to me. I don't mind the attempt I am more interested in discovering how you normally do business and a little more about your organization. You seem highly organized and have a longer reach then I expected to find on the smugglers moon." He wasn't sure if they would answer him but until the decided the meeting was over he was going to find out just who he had suddenly began working for and what they were involved in.

[Emerald]

Appreciatively, Emerald marked the passage of the credit chit back to Sapphire's possession. A man who stood by his word and his honor rather than taking the easy credits was a rare find on Nar Shaddaa. His actions proved to Emerald that her gut instinct to invest in him was warranted.

 

Not least because he bought the next round of drinks. The Gems resumed their seats.

 

"We are the Blood Gem Pirates," Emerald answered simply. Knowledge was power, and her experience had taught her not to give it away without reason. Their associates would be given enough information to work on a need-to-know basis, but she would offer no more than what the average scoundrel might have picked up wandering the streets of Nar Shaddaa. "Many accuse us of some kind of manipulation. Whatever you think we tried to do is simply a result of what you bring with you. Many a stronger man has found us... irresistible."

 

She met eyes with the redhead and grinned before turning back to their new business partner. "Our organization has expanded to include several assets and business holdings formerly belonging to the Hutts, and as such, we have ears to the ground all over Nar Shaddaa and eyes to the sky across the whole of the galaxy. We prefer not to disclose most of our operations; I'm sure you can understand."

[Parangor]

Drogan couldn't help but admit that they were stunning, but he was almost certain that they had tried something. He was also aware that pushing that subject would be potentially insulting so he decided to shift his focus to the more interesting topic at hand. His respect for them had risen with the news that they had somehow taken control of a hutt organization.

 

"So you have managed to bring together a large grouping of former Hutt businesses and now control what one might consider the majority share of a planet. It is quite impressive. As to watching the skies why do I have the sneaking suspicion that you do not only watch the skies for prizes but for potential entertainment." He couldn't help but assume that these women enjoyed the thrill of battle nearly as much as he did. Leaning back to appear more at ease, or at least as at ease as he could look he took a small swig of his drink. "And you are absolutely correct about me understanding not wanting to give away to much information about your inner workings, I am sure I can pull up some generic information of of several data networks but if I had to guess it would be all of the general fluff that surrounds organizations such as yours. Just as I am sure the general data you pulled up on your data pad earlier is a rather interesting view on Thrysians." At the last statement he cocked an eyebrow and raised his glass in salute. These women were interesting and deserving of respect and he found he actually enjoyed their company.

[Ajani Lainthok]

She sighed heavily, clearly annoyed at the words flung at her, but that was the only retaliation she took. She eyed the three in front of her, gauging her chances of survival in a fight, weighing in who in here were also loyal to these Gems, before remember the incredibly dangerous game she found herself playing. She remained in her relaxed posture and turned her hands palm-up in a truce-like gesture on the table.

 

“Mr. Tarvil. Good Morning.” she gave him the exact smile she had the Twi’lek, making sure the latter spotted it from her vantage point, “We did have an agreement, yes, but the terms of such has changed. I do not assume I have any importance at all, as my own tribe, every being I’ve met, and now you has taken every pain to make me aware and then remind me that I am not.”

 

She watched them, unmoving, making clear that she was not seeking pity and would not take any if her words elicited any. She survived, simple, no more and no less.

 

“However, from when I left my homeworld to now, I have always met with whom I do business with. No exceptions. I am prepared to sign this upon the condition of one simple meeting of your employers and the answering of a few simple questions. Or,” and she took out the chit that was given to her the night before and laid it beside the datapad, “I can give this back, break our agreement, and sell this to someone who would dain themselves able to speak with someone as lowly as I am.”

[Emerald]

Tarvil shrugged, clearly unperturbed. "What's it to me if you think you can sell it for a higher price elsewhere? I'm doing you a favor honoring one of Dorjoola's bounties. We've got a use for the thing, but if our credits aren't good enough for you, take it on down the road. Your need to see them is of no interest to me; they don't need to see you. Unless you have a whole host of ysalamiri up your sleeves, we're done here."

 

It was likely that the casual name-drop of the famous Myrkrian creature would not go unnoticed by the feline bounty hunter, but Tarvil's nose was already in his datapad. The Gems would get what they wanted, and they would find the right person for the job. If this merc was too self-important to take good "honest" work, be it on her head.

 

-----

 

"Thyrsians are predictable," Emerald said airily. "Chip on the shoulder, something to prove, warrior spirit, blah blah blah. No offense," she added. "All that is well and high-minded, but we don't do business with ideals and morals, we do business the way the galaxy does business. Sharp swords, fast blasters, dirty tricks, booze and credits, to the victor go the spoils."

 

She took another sip from her drink. "Emphasis on the dirty tricks."

[Parangor]

His eyes narrowed for only the briefest of moments, before he did something he had not done in years. It was strange but he couldn't help it. He laughed, and not a snarky or condescending laugh but a deep rich laugh, something he was unaccustomed to doing. Picking up his glass he held it across the table at the two women. "My dear ladies, you have described something that is absolutely true, the need to prove oneself and having a chip on your shoulder is no way for a warrior to live, and my band and I stick only to the warriors code and its use to fill our bellies and fulfill our dreams." He pauses a moment as he chuckles a little more. "As to dirty tricks, well like I said before, it all depends on what side of the trick your on whether you consider it dirty or not. May you ply your trade in whatever manner you see fit if it helps you to fulfill your dreams."

 

He waited to see how they would respond and for once looked across the table not at pirates, or odd merchants but at what they truly were. Warriors in their own right that fought to fulfill their dreams and shape the reality around them to make them come true.

[Sapphire]

"I would say emphasis on the credits," Sapphire contradicted lightly. She eyed Emerald's drink. "Although perhaps the most accurate analysis would be emphasis on the booze," she teased.

 

Drogan's guess that she had been researching him was a shot in the dark, but accurate, and she was unsure whether to be offended or to give him props. She decided the latter didn't hurt. As he offered a wish for them, Sapphire raised her glass. "I'll drink to that." After touching her glass to the others', she downed it.

 

"Well, not that this hasn't been pleasant, but we should go. Places to go, people to ruin, credits to make; the usual stuff." She wondered if he'd take her words seriously or not. It mattered little. Her mind was already jumping ahead; she ached to be behind the controls of the Nebula's Glory again.

[Parangor]

"I understand completely, as agreed I will contact Lemnos to inquire as to other job and after selecting one for my crew and I will pass on the information I have gathered to you." Standing he crosses his one arm over his chest in salute with his right fist resting on his heart. "It has been a pleasure doing business with you and I hope to do so again sometime. Till then may your fortunes be what ever you make them and your enemies be left in your wake."

 

Still smirking slightly he exited cantina. As soon as he was outside he contacted his ship to alert them of his return and to have them prepare for departure to orbit. He would make good on his deal with the Gems but he didn't think they would appreciate him occupying their tower while he did it. As he walked he wondered just what all the Gems were truly involved in and just how clever they really were, its not often you met someone that could out class a Hutt cartel. Either way it was time to get off Nar Shadda, there wasn't to much keeping him here at the moment.

 

As soon as he boarded the Crimson Star he gave the orders to make for a low orbit. As his second took the ship out of atmosphere he checked his crews finances and was pleased to see the payment for the last job had come in. While the ship was well supplied and in excellent condition he never hurt to invest in upgrades for both the ship and crew.

 

After settling into a nice orbit he made the call to Lemnos. "Lemnos Industries this is Captain Dedroska aboard the Crimson Star. I am transmitting to request any information on other jobs you may have available for my crew and I. Please send all pertinent intel to me for inspection and job selection." After pausing for a moment he decided to go ahead with his idea. "I would also like to discuss the creation of a custom droid drone/bike for my ship." After sending the message he called his crew together to split out the previous jobs reward.

 

"We have done well men, and we may have made valuable business contacts so here is to the future of the Crimson Sun Mercenary Company"

[Sapphire]

Sapphire and Emerald sauntered out of the club and hopped into one of their private skycars. Sapphire saw her comm was flashing. After checking it, she glanced at Emerald. "Looks like Kalen and Amethyst made it to Coruscant."

 

Starting the engine, she pulled a sharp turn up and they shot off into the Vertical City. They had one more stop to make before they could go home for the day. Sapphire had spent the last planetary rotation dreaming up ways to ruin that Hutt-slime Jalos, but in the end, she had decided against a drawn-out campaign against him in favor for a quick takeover. He didn't deserve that much attention, anyway.

 

Rummaging under the seat while she steered one-handed, her fingers finally grasped the small velvet bag she had stashed under there earlier. It contained five tiny Corusca gems of average but significant value. Hooking the bag to her belt, she pulled out her hair tie and let her hair blow free in the wind. "Let's do this," she said, her tone darkening.

 

With the whine of engines, the skycar landed at Jalos' Garage. The first person the Gems saw was Jalos' second, a dark-skinned middle-aged human woman who always wore a colorful bandana over her curly hair. "Hey Khava," Sapphire said, greeting her. "Jalos here?"

 

"He's due in an hour," Khava replied. "You here for the Glory?"

 

"And more," Sapphire replied. "Gather the team; they'll want to hear this."

 

Over the next half hour, Sapphire laid down the offer to Jalos' techs. It was simple: come work directly for her. They'd become the Glory's exclusive techs, and whenever they weren't working on her, they'd be in charge of the entire mechanics team the Gems employed, fixing up any ship that the Gems requested. Instead of being paid per job, they'd receive a salary and housing in the Duros District. As a bonus, Sapphire pulled out her bag and showed them the Corusca gems. They'd each receive one if they signed on immediately.

 

There was no hesitation. The crew held no loyalty to Jalos, and Sapphire's offer was generous. She was determined to keep them on her good side so they'd do their job to the best of their ability, and nothing spoke like credits. Upon their agreement, she nodded. "I'll expect you at work tomorrow at 1000 hours. Now get out of here."

 

The crew gathered their things, including their new gems, and scattered to the four winds, leaving Sapphire and Emerald sitting alone in the empty garage. Now all that was left was to wait for Jalos to show up. And deal with him.

[Dordjooba the Hutt]

Kaldesh was a bit grumpy.

 

He wasn’t new to co-worker shenanigans, but the Gems weeded out a lot of the old crew that were still loyal to the Hutts, or so it seemed anyway. Kaldesh’s loyalty to the Hutts was really a loyalty to getting paid, so it was easy to sway him. However, the new crew that the Gems brought in were always trying to get Kaldesh in trouble. First, they sent him to go and protect a small cargo area on the east side of the complex. It turned out, in the end, that the boxes were empty. And when Kaldesh went to move them, an entire bucket of Bantha refuse fell onto his head. He had to walk the length of the complex back to the break room, letting the stench of feces fumigate the halls.

 

Then there were the restrooms. For some reason, Kaldesh’s superior told him that he had to go back to check on the bathrooms. Then, when he got there, he heard some fizzing coming from the stalls. The Trandoshan was asked to check, so he went to investigate. Then… BOOM. The refresher exploded in his face. Kaldesh was blamed for the whole thing and returned to the break room to a cacophony of laughing and ruthless jeering. He could kill them. He could kill all of them if he wanted. But then he wouldn’t get paid. And he needed pay to get food.

 

Damn them all…

 

This time, there was no one in the break room when he got there. He expected them all to rib him and throw all sorts of criticisms. But there was no one there. No one except Kaniika. Kaniika was probably the only newbie that showed him any respect. She was a timid little thing. But she opened up to Kaldesh sometimes when the others were gone. It was a smart move. If she showed him any attention when they were there, she would share in his pain. And Kaldesh wasn’t sure she could handle it. Her family was killed by Cordoba the Hutt ten years ago. It was to enforce loyalty. But she rebelled and killed Cordoba’s entire crew, by herself. It was easy to see why the Gems chose her. But with such a reputation, Kaldesh always wondered why she was so reserved.

 

Kaldesh moved carefully toward the Nikto and grunted his customary greeting.

 

“Hello Kaniika, I see the day is treating you well,” Kaldesh said, his smile illuminating the points of his teeth.

 

Kaniika responded with a smile of her own. “Hello.”

 

Kaldesh pointed at the rest of the room. “Do you know where they went?”

 

Kaniika hesitated a second, trying to think and nodded a little. “They uh… They went to tell the staff that you were in an unauthorized part of the building. I tried to stop them but…”

 

Kaldesh noticed something that Kaniika was shielding. Carefully, the trandoshan moved closer. Kaniika recoiled with a violent attempt at trying to continue masking her face. But her spasm only egged him on.

 

“Kaniika, please show me,” Kaldesh asked. His voice was calm and measured.

 

Kaniika shook her head quickly, but couldn’t protect every angle. Kaldesh’s keen eyes picked up her broken eye. Apparently, they punched her so hard that they pierced her eye. She defended him and they hurt her. Kaldesh’s rage broiled. He was here to make money, true. And it was true that he didn’t have a reputation for being the most gentle or kind mercenary. But this… This was senseless. What did they possibly have to gain from this? This woman, haunted by demons and careful to trust anyone, beaten by the only people she could afford to associate with right now.

 

This had to stop.

[Emerald]

Footsteps announced the arrival of the slimy garage boss. He paused as he entered the garage, clearly expecting to hear the sounds of industry; but the welding torches, hydrospanners, and the hum of activity had fallen silent. In its place, Sapphire and Emerald stood, arms crossed as though dying of boredom. His eyes passed to and fro in angry indignation before falling on them.

 

"Hey, I don't get it. What are you two backwater schuttas doing here?" he yelled.

 

Emerald circled around behind him, drawing her fingertips across his shoulders.

 

"Jalos, Jalos, Jalos. Did you really think you'd get away with screwing us over forever? You crossed the line one too many times," she purred seductively.

 

With a sudden movement, she tucked her arms under his, holding him firmly with strong arms behind his back. He was strong, there was no denying that: years of heavy lifting as a mechanic had not neglected his physique. But she was stronger, and he was pinned by her swift and decisive strike.

 

-----

 

A shuttle departed from Nar Shaddaa, crewed only by two custom-made droids, en route to Coruscant to rendezvous with their new owner.

[Sapphire]

[[violence and gore warning]]

 

As Emerald wrestled Jalos into a hold, Sapphire slowly drew a 6-inch blade from a sheath at her side. "You're finished," she said, her quiet voice brimming with deadliness.

 

She brought the blade close so that it rested on his right cheek. She could smell his putrid breath. Even now, though, he scoffed at them. "What are you talking about? You won't do anything."

 

"I won't? Are you so sure?" Like lightning, she slashed out with the blade, cleanly taking off his right ear.

 

"WHAT THE KRIFF?" he shouted in pain. Several more expletives filled the garage.

 

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you not understand me? For too long you've treated us like sithspit," she gritted out. Another quick slash of the knife took off the tip of his nose. "But no more."

 

Rage filled his eyes. "After everything I did for you!"

 

"You?" she scoffed, unbelieving. "You, doing something for me? More like bullying me," she slashed off several of his fingers, "keeping me under your heel, making me whore for you..." She paused. Even his bravado was weakening now, and she could finally see the fear in his eyes. It was about time, for she was done warming up. Reaching down, she expertly undid his trousers. The fear was palpable now, but it was as if he still couldn't really believe what was happening. She grinned wickedly. Then with one hand, she roughly grabbed his manhood, and with the other, brought the knife down to cleanly slice it in two.

 

He screamed, writhing in Emerald's iron grip. His screams echoed through the garage. Sapphire was breathing heavily, the years of fury and impotent anger venting into her actions. This Hutt slime deserved every bit of agony. She turned away for a moment, and then turned back. "Open his mouth, please," she told Emerald primly. Jalos' screams intensified, and Sapphire leaned close. "You son of a bitch," she said calmly. "You're nothing anymore."

 

Finally, she reached in and sliced out his tongue. She motioned to Emerald to release him, then tossed the knife over the edge of the platform, sending it plummeting to the depths of the city. "Crawl away, crinker."

 

The garage boss would live, if he was lucky. Frankly, Sapphire didn't care. He was less than the dirt beneath her boots now, and she knew she would never see his slimy face again. "C'mon Emerald, let's go."

[Emerald]

"Kriff, Sapph, you weren't kidding," Emerald scoffed to her friend as she walked away, inspecting her boots for telltale splatters of his blood, "Hutt-slime really did piss you off."

 

They slipped into the throng of Nar Shaddaa's diseased underbelly, both of them blending in with the nameless and faceless scum of the earth, having put aside their fineries for the typical trappings of bounty hunters and thieves. It was time for a little planning and plotting, and first, they needed a bounty hunter willing to make an excursion to the home planet of the most notorious lizards in the galaxy.

 

But first, there would be time for drinks.