Private Cantina Blues

[Alliser Roche]

"Artemis" SBD-571

It wouldn't take too long for a response to come back to the war droid. It was simple and quick to the point, probably relayed by mouth to someone working in communications.

COME ALONE. INTERVIEW. FIVE DAYS. UGG'S CANTINA.

That was all that was given via slip of paper aside a little bit of funds (enough for a truck ticket, really) and the directions to this cantina if the droid didn't know it. It was off the beaten track in one of the more run-down, less visited areas of Freehold. Despite that, it looked to be in prime condition from the street. A few rudimentary defense turrets would explain that, however.

On entering in the day specified, if the droid came, it would find it completely washed out. Not a single customer stood at the bar or in the booths. In fact, the only being present was a basic droid washing the counter over with a rag. On verification, the droid would point Artemis towards one of the booths to wait.

Just another day in Freehold, though.​

 

["Artemis" SBD-571]

Location: Ugg's Cantina, Freehold.
Objective: Meet with the unknown client.
Relevant Tags: Alliser Roche

Artemis looked from the scrap of flimsiplast held in its oversized hand to the similarly named sign hanging above. The Cantina was a unique slice of quality among its dingy partners to either side. Indeed, it was as if the destitution and squalor of the immediate area came to a total stop at the storefront, and likely beyond. Were Artemis not already wary - initial research into the establishment came back suspiciously clean - then it was prepared for a fight at any turn now. The transport the droid had taken, for Artemis did not wish to risk its favoured ship going to what was possibly a trap, already left, leaving the droid stranded for the time being. With little to lose and much to - potentially - gain, Artemis trudged onwards.

Auto turrets traced the heavily armed droid's progress, likely having their attention drawn to both Artemis's presence and the startling firepower strapped to its body. Unfortunately, removing it all was entirely out of the question, so Artemis was forced to appear far more ready for combat than would be acceptable in a meeting.

The interior, as Artemis as hypothesized, was bizarrely well kept... and entirely too empty. Rows of seats, booths, and hidden alcoves, yet not a single lifeform. Even a cursory scan with its onboard infrared scanners showed the droid nothing. Another droid, one of the more custodial or service variety and thus earning Artemis's immediate ire, was working at the bar. Seeing no other avenue of progression, Artemis approached the other droid.

It looked up with glowing eyes at Artemis's heavy footfalls, not speaking a word even as the larger droid rested before it. They held this staring match for several long seconds before Artemis spoke.

"I am here for a meeting," The droid announced, showcasing the flimsy in its hand. The bartender didn't look down at the offered information, looking instead at Artemis's faceplate. Finally, with a slow gesture, the droid indicated one of a dozen empty booths before returning to its work.

Without so much as a glance at the other droid, Artemis marched over to the booth. Though it was something of a struggle, Artemis managed to place itself in one of the seats, humorous though its oversized body might look in the booth.

 

[Alliser Roche]

The Cantina remained empty. For five minutes, for seven, and then just around the turn of the tenth minute in waiting the sound of vehicles slowing outside could be picked up by the war droid. From them a great deal of footsteps passed through the entrance to the cantina to reveal a well-equipped mercenary squad of six with black armbands.

The six divided into two groups, with four of the men stepping past and sweeping through the building while two stood at guard on either side of the doorway. It was a silent, efficient affair. An oddity among privateers in this sector. Perhaps one could guess that this one particularly relished his safety.

"All clear." One of the four said with a hand to the side of his helmet. "Send him in."

The fireteam surrounded the booth where Artemis sat then in a semi-circle, with two facing him and the other two facing the rest of the room. They remained silent, defiant of any questions if the droid asked them.

The client stepped inside a few seconds following the call. He was, or appeared to be at the very least, a very ordinary-looking person. He dressed in a synthread-leather overcoat, wore gloves, and had slightly unkempt hair. In fact, the only thing differential about him was a crooked nose and combat boots. However, if the droid was at all caught up on current events and rumors then it might register that the man before them was a recently up-and-rising privateer captain.

On seeing "Artemis" SBD-571 , he raised his head with a nod and crossed over to take a seat opposite of it. "I hope the amount of precaution put into this meeting didn't disturb you." He smiled without his eyes.

"That said, I'm not sure if you and others like you have a capacity for desire." He off-handedly remarked with a look to the side in thought. He shrugged after a moment and nodded to one of the four to bring him a folder he was carrying.

"Either way, though. I looked into you before I came." He flipped a page into the folder, showing a small assortment of printed headlines and photographs. "They call you Artemis, I believe?" He spared a look up to him from the dossier. "I hear you get work done."

"Done good, too." He tapped a picture of a sprawl of dead mercenaries with a gloved finger, now facing him directly. "But, before we get into that-" He raised his hands, open palmed. "My name is Alliser Roche. You're bound to either know that already or figure it out soon." He tipped his head in greeting and lowered his hands from the pause.

"And I'm looking for people who can get this kind of work done good." He added without a beat. "So, Artemis, tell me about yourself."

He smiled.

 

["Artemis" SBD-571]

Location: Ugg's Cantina, Freehold.
Objective: Meet with the unknown client.
Relevant Tags: Alliser Roche

The moment the guards stepped in, a sense of foreboding fell over Artemis. They were too well-armed, too disciplined to be the common riff-raff that wandered Freehold. There was a military precision to them that was lost among Artemis's usual clientele and opponents, and it made the droid silently wonder just who it was being hired by. Quietly and as subtly as it could, Artemis cycled its reactor and redirected energy into its multitude of blasters.

The man that followed, the client no doubt, had the aura of authority about him, though how much of that was warranted remained to be seen. He nodded to Artemis, a move the droid physically could not return considering its body and head were one-in-the-same (and tilting its body might up-end the table). The man sat across from Artemis and, almost immediately and without breath, began his pitch. Artemis listened to the man speak, some amount of pride humming in its logic core at the mention of its previous work. However, the man's tone did nothing for the droid.

Artemis, throughout its long un-life, had learned to experience many emotions beyond the clinical lense of a droid's processor. It was part of the territory considering what that long-gone A.I. had done to awaken the B2. In that time, Artemis had also learned how to recognize those emotions, though some better than others. One that was always easy to recognize for the droid was contempt. Contempt for being a mercenary, contempt for its ruthless nature, contempt for being a droid. This man, whoever he was, did not fall under the first two categories but appeared to fall into the last. His overly genial nature was forced and it spoke of danger, a type of danger that Artemis was ill-suited to fight its way out of. Certainly, it was within Artemis's ability to easily kill the client and a good amount of the guards before they could kill the droid, but that was the issue with the double-edged sword of consciousness and personality: Artemis did not want to die.

So, Artemis ignored the perceived condescension in the man's tone or his predatorial grin and opted instead to speak as bluntly as it could manage.

It wasn't hard.

"I am a droid," Artemis stated, and had it the ability to portray emotion with its voice, sharply, "I wield significant firepower. I am immensely difficult to destroy. There is nothing else worth knowing."

 

[Alliser Roche]

((OOC: Busy for a time, will get back to you by Sunday night at earliest.

 

[Alliser Roche]

Roche leaned back into his chair and listened intently to all that the droid had to say, as blunt and brief as it was. He raised a brow at the quick conclusion, but carried on without a beat regardless. "Artemis" SBD-571 could perhaps feel as though, to the client, it was a formality rather than a genuine introduction.

"As I thought. The pay would be seventy thousand credits once work is complete, but I have two conditions for offering you the job if you're intent on accepting it. The first is that it remains discreet, not to be talked about afterward. The second-" Roche reached into his overcoat on that note and drew out a small tablet that he offered across. It wielded a camera feed.

"There will be a small gang of six or so approaching this place from the avenue we both came in from as seen on that video there. Prove your fighting ability by eliminating them and I'll give you the job."

"Even more," He continued as he reached into his overcoat to pull for a cigar. "I'll pay you a fee for it. One thousand and five hundred credits to get rid of them. If you kill some and the rest cut and run, all the same."

The camera feed on the tablet illustrated two vehicles approaching outside. They were, give or take, a minute off with traffic. "And I'll add another thousand to that check if you can keep the damage to this fine establishment at a minimum."

"Your thoughts?"