1313, Welcome to Hell! (Private hunt)

[Ryan]

Planet: Coruscant
Level: 1313
Location: Unknown Cantina
Objective: Capture Pirate Captain Francis deLass


The human pirate captain known as Francis was held up on the third floor of the cantina, his eyes glued to the bustling below and forever watchful. A man with a bounty on their head was man that could not rest easily, paranoia always taking over ones actions and this day was no different then any other. He had a bird's eye view of the main entrance and his peripheral vision could pick up any obvious hunters approaching him on the third floor, for it was less populated with patrons then the main and second. Here Francis believed he could enjoy his ale and spice of choice in moderate peace. The human reached into his pocket for a lighter and slightly humped forward to ignite his death stick that he enjoyed so much.

He rose his head, exhaling the intoxicating smoke from his lungs. His eyes zeroed in on a large bodies frame. Francis' face went pale as the infamous bounty hunter known as Jed Lonestar was standing only a few meters from his current seated location. So silently he had come, his footfalls for such a large old man were unnoticed by the pirate. It was as if he had mystically appeared from the shadows, evading Francis' line of sight.

Francis fumbled for his blaster. The sound of the aged warrior's BTI- Ripper being raised made the bandit shriek and drop his own blaster. The human target panicked and thrusted upwards clinging on to the balcony's railing as he desperately looked for a daring escape. He could make the second balcony below if he was lucky. Problem was, luck was not on his side and the hunter was upon him in a instant, his bionic hand gripping the mark with enhanced strength. Francis become nothing more then dead weight in the unbreakable grasp of the bounty hunter, sobbing like a child. The stench of self deification flooded the hunter's nostrils, such was the smell of victory. Jed did not hold onto his prey, but hurled him from the third floor balcony. There was a dull thud of a body hitting ground below.

The bounty hunter leaned over the railing as screams of pain rose up from the main galley. "Just his legs!" The hunter growled in his deep resonating accent to his fellow crew over their private comms, with a hint of self disappointment in the tone. "Guess this here will be live capture!" His mix matched eyes would scan his fallen prey for a few moments, judging that the man was not running anywhere fast.... or ever.

Problem was, this was level 1313 and more then not this Pirate had more friends then the bounty hunter at this very moment in time. The initial shock of what just happen would subside and the Hunter and company would lose their initiative in this engagement. What could of been an easy snatch and go was ruined the moment Jed's violent nature took over and had dropped the bounty three floors, crippling the man and making him dead weight to carry. He was worth more alive, much more.....

"look alive, this here is gonna get awful hot" He warned his crew as he hurled himself over the railing, igniting his belt jet thrusters that eased the descent to a safe landing. He would step over his prey, his blaster firmly gripped in anticipation of action .

"Everyone, just stay calm! we will be on our way mowmentarly!" Lonestar would try and compel the gathering mob of criminals and other form of lowlifes.

"About ta have some local colaw here!" He hissed into his comms just as a beer bottle shattered against his lightly armored chest.

"Best you let him go" Warned a formidable looking twi'lek, that was stepping out from the mob and challenging the bounty hunter with blaster drawn.

This was going to be a long day!

 

[Eryn]

Yep, a long day indeed. For Jed Lonestar and his band of freelancers, that is.

Mr. Overconfident Headtails, here, though? His permanent sunset was approaching. Fast.

The Twi'lek bared his pointed teeth at Jed, clearly feeling brave. His buddies were in the crowd ready to go, this yahoo was outnumbered and out-gunned, and he was on HIS turf down here. Sure, the hunter had just thrown Cap'n deLass around like a doll, but let's see him take on the whole bar solo! The alien didn't bother looking around. He knew everyone was watching. Good, maybe this sector would finally show him the respect he deserved after he took out this karking monster of a man tryin' to run off with deLass. Fantastical visions of himself, standing over the hunter's body in victory with girls on both arms floated before his eyes.

He took a confident step forward, blaster raised, ready to pay the cantina in blood and a show. "I said," he spat, "best you let him g—"

The Twi'lek blinked, eyes crossed to stare at the thin trail of smoke coming from the blaster bolt hole between his eyes, and slowly keeled over. The crowd's eyes followed him to the floor.

Eryn (or Cami, as her 'team' knew her) rested her borrowed (and now smoking) DL-44 on the table and tossed back the rest of her drink, unfolding herself from her chair and readjusting the hood draped over her head.

Sometimes, it payed to be underestimated and nonthreatening.

She shot Jed a look from her corner of the bar. "…What?" The young woman verbally shrugged, her com clicking in her ear. "He wasn't gonna play nice, and you weren't gonna ask him to." Movement, there, near the bar. "Don't even," she snapped, bringing her blaster to bear on the bartender, who'd either gone for his weapon or for that little button under the credit register that would call authorities. Neither was a good thing. He froze mid reach before raising his hands to his head in submission. Eryn backed towards Jed, eyes sharp on the assembly around them. The levels of hostility were growing tangibly. "Did we really need to throw the man over the railing, Lonestar?" She hissed into her com, voice thick with irritation. "What, the stairs too vanilla for you?"


|- [member="Jed Lonestar"] -| |- [member="Holden Tark"] -| |- [member="Varik Ryjin"] -|

 

[Holden Tark]

Aaaaaaaand people were getting shot already. Eryn was the kind of gal which didn't kark around. Holden liked that about her, but dammit did she have to shoot the Twi'lek? Likely, since the Twi'lek seemed intent on causing problems for Lonestar, and his merry band of freelance contractors. This was not the kind of group Holden would associate with normally, but Eryn went along because of her "troubles" with a certain bounty hunter which was a mutual acquaintance of the two. Ever since Holden had saved Eryn from bleeding out on his ship, he found himself tangled up with her on a more regular basis.

"You just love to get into trouble don't you," Tark asked rhetorically glancing over at Eryn.

The former law enforcement officer certainly found himself on the wrong side of the law on this one, which he hated, but he also had to make a living. While Holden would be the first to admit he was as much a thief as antiques dealer, he was not a killer, not easily anyway. Sure when it came down to him or the other guy he could pull the trigger, but that was about the only time he could justify it. There were a few other situations, but this was a stretch. His biggest problem was the fact he got emotionally involved with his work, and with people he considered friends or otherwise.

Tark quickly pulled out his twin blasters as he ensured to cover the group, and ensure no one went after their target. This was where the cop kicked in, and Tark gave instructions on how this was going to go down.

"Alright folks this is how all this works. You're going to let us walk out of here because while all the racquet has been going on, this place has been rigged up with enough explosive ordinance to send everyone here to whatever version of the afterlife you believe in."

[member="Jed Lonestar"] | [member="Eryn"] | [member="Varik Ryjin"]

 

[Rannan Kol]

...the Noghri was on the ground floor of the cantina where he could blend into the background and remain unobtrusive, out of sight and out of mind. Wearing an old, worn, duster that helped him blend into the background he said nothing, he did nothing, he was not there but to observe until the time was right to act. A toothy snout set into his facial cavity flared briefly as he scented the area, relying on a powerful olfactory ability inherent to his race that had been fine tuned to a heightened degree. As he stood there, somewhere in the background he remained apprised of the situation...

...a man almost bumped into him but he would deftly sidestep, moving around the cantina patron as though he were never in danger of being run into at all. Khar'rahkm, just Khar to those who knew him, was a short and stout creature; he was heavily muscled and like most Noghri his body was wound tightly making him a compact killing machine despite his short stature. Dark eyes stared out across the cantina, he saw the woman as she fire a blaster bolt into the head of the twi'lek but he remained motionless aware that the crowd in the cantina was becoming restless. It seemed readily apparent the man that they'd come to apprehend had allies...

...another man, Holden was his name, started to talk dual blasters in his hands. Telling the crowd about explosives didn't seem to do anything for their nerves. With a motion of his right arm the Nogrhi swept back the duster he was wearing while he moved forward to place himself in the midst of several men he considered to be possible aggressors. Tilting his head, dark eyes narrowing he stood amongst the crowd until his voice came over the comms calculated, measured..."Target?"...for Khar it was often the only question that needed asking...​

​

[member="Jed Lonestar"] [member="Eryn"] [member="Holden Tark"]

 

[Varik Ryjin]

The fifth and final member of the team, Varik Ryjin, was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he wasn't even in the cantina. No, he was the backup, perched on the corner of a low rooftop across the way. He had a full view of the cantina and its patrons from where he crouched, thanks to the long glass window that ran the width of the establishment, and even a two-foot wall to give himself some cover. Kresh stalked back and forth behind him, tail swishing as he growled impatiently. Varik had let him run when they first arrived on-planet like he always did, but he hadn't actually gotten to hunt anything yet. "Just give it a couple minutes. At the rate these goons work you'll have your choice of prey in no time flat."

The only response he got was an unimpressed snort before Kresh resumed his pacing and Varik his watching. He'd affixed the sniper attachment to his charric rifle and was gazing at the cantina occupants through the enhanced ocular resolution of a holographic targeting sight, tagging his allies in blue and everyone else in red. After Eryn shot the ringleader, the entire place was primed to burst and there was no telling what would set it off.

[member="Jed Lonestar"] | [member="Eryn"] | [member="Holden Tark"] | [member="Khar"]

 

[Ryan]

Things happen real quick when one lives on a knife's edge. For example, a tough lookin twi'leik once stood opposition to the bounty hunter's acquisition of the pirate captain Francis. Now, now he was nothing more then a lifeless sack of meat crumbled on the ground with the remnants of a laser bolt where his brain was once belonged.

"Did we really need to throw the man over the railing, Lonestar?" She hissed into her com, voice thick with irritation. "What, the stairs too vanilla for you?"

"Nope, ay sure didn't!" He bellowed a deep chuckle in response to the quick triggered beauty. Was risky to gawk in the face of their current situation but it seemed his counterparts had crowd control in hand. Holden held ground with his blasters out and uttering threats of boom boom. Was a good bluff for the cantina patrons took a few steps back away from the hunters.

He could hear his silent friend, khan, hiss over the comms. His simple question 'Target?'! was vague, and left Jed wondering what he meant. Was the current target aprhended? Jed looked down to the wimpering pirate. yes! So more then not the deadly creature was inquiring about other potential threats and a answer was given "anyone that there makes ayy mowve on us!"

The mob had a clear warning that was spelt out loud and clear in blood. So anyone further actions towards the hunters in their lawful duties will be met with absolute violence. Their life will be forfeit on their own voluntarily basis if they risk going after them.

The large human gripped the crippled mark and gave him a hard straight punch to the temple, knocking him out instantly. With slight effort Jed would hoist the full dead weight of francis over his left shoulder and would begin making way towards the exit. "alraheet layies, lets mowve out!" Jed had his airspeeder parked in the alley next to the cantina and that was their extraction plan.

The crew inside the cantina wouldn't be able to see what was happening outside. Varik, on the other hand set up in over-watch position with his sniper rifle would notice two air speeders with open tops parking near the entrance. Each vehicle would have four heavily armed looking Weequays.

[member="Khar"] [member="Holden Tark"] [member="Eryn"] [member="Varik Ryjin"]

 

[Varik Ryjin]

Varik's scope swiveled to track the incoming threats, settling on the first speeder in the small convoy as it came to a stop outside the cantina. "Bad news. Four bogeys inbound." Yes, Varik could actually count. He just didn't see much point informing the others about the second half of the incoming band of misfits because they weren't going to be an issue. Flicking the selector switch on his rifle to full power, he shifted his aim to the power cell casing and squeezed the trigger. Funny thing about power cells. They're mostly just compressed energy all bottled up and waiting to be released. Normally, that release happens gradually as the device it's powering sips at the raw energy in order to fuel itself. If someone were to introduce a high-energy particle projectile into that mix, like, say, a high-powered charric bolt, not only would it rupture the casing, it would also force the immediate and catastrophic release and ignition of all the energy remaining in the cell, which in this case was quite a lot. In short, the entire speeder and all four of its occupants were all but vaporized on the spot.

This had the unintended and immediate effect of causing the other four to scramble out of their own ride as quickly as possible in order to avoid the same fate, bursting into the cantina just as a second bolt tore through the back of the slowest Weequay's head. "Scratch that. Three bogeys inbound."

[member="Eryn"] | [member="Holden Tark"] | [member="Khar"] | [member="Jed Lonestar"]

 

[Eryn]

Weequay stank. But burned Weequay? Kriffing horrendous.

The alien hit the floor, smoke wafting upwards from the back of his very dead skull. His three companions didn't even bother stopping to look, hurrying inside and peeling off to the side for cover to avoid any further damage from Varik. She couldn't tell much from their pinched, lipless faces; Weequay always looked rather pissed off, but the way their beady black eyes flicked from their dead friend to the group heading for the door certainly left no room for debate. One of them hissed at Jed, growling something in their own language at the others, pointing at the limp Francis. Whether they were here because of Francis deLass or just looking for a drink, well, they were sure invested now.

They hadn't been present for the warnings, though even the dimmest could figure out what was going on. But when two leveled their blasters at Eryn and the others, the third, who'd been quiet so far, stepped hastily in front of them, pushing them back down with a sweep of his arm and a chiding sound. The other two stared at him, mystified as he spun around to face Jed, arms wide in a show of submission and weapons holstered. There was a glint in his eye that Eryn didn't like, and his accented voice felt slippery, too smooth.

"Well!" The Weequay smiled, tossing his hands up in the air like he'd just found something he'd spent four hours looking for. Under her hood, Eryn curled her lips in instant mistrust, blaster still aimed at him. "Isn't that just how the galaxy works? You hire all these men to help you track down the man that owes you a hefty sum, come all this way to collect his head, and there he is…" He gestured grandly at Francis, draped over Jed's shoulder like a towel. "…already subdued, half my work done." Behind him, one of the Weequay subtly moved his hand to the coms on his wrist, poking at a few of the keys. The other one nodded at their leader, trying to look like he knew exactly what was going on.

The leader stepped over his dead 'hired man' in the doorway without a glance, waving reassuringly at the rest of the bar patrons, who were watching the scene like enraptured movie-goers in a holo theater. "Please! Please, my friends, return to your drinks. Show's over, these people are with us. Go on, now. That's right." Some shuffled back to their tables, deflated and bored. Some didn't, holstering their weapons but eying Jed with murder in their faces. Die-hard deLass fans, perhaps?

"Where are my manners?" The alien turned, keeping his distance but offering a small bow. "My name is Bokk Haruum, 'businessman', and you just saved me a lot of trouble. Not to worry about my men and the mess outside, they're replaceable." The two who had accompanied Haruum had moved further into the bar, one standing near a handful of deLass fanboys and the other leaning against the wall near the back door, watching expectantly. The one in the crowd kept checking the coms on his wrist. "Francis deLass has been a pain in my rear end for years, evading my men when they come to collect, but it seems you and your..er, friends had no trouble making him cooperate, yes?" He rubbed his chin with a knobby finger, scanning Jed, Eryn, and Holden with a shrewd gaze. "If you're taking that sad sack of meat anywhere, the least I can do is accompany you. Protection, rides, anything you need! It's a bad neighborhood out there, you'll need some guidance. You helped us, now we help you."

Eryn huffed, shifting impatiently, switching her aim from his head to his leg. "Get lost, pal. We don't need your help."

Haruum's smile grew a little, eyeing the shadows under her hood with interest. "It's a mean, mean world out there, my dear. Everyone needs a little help."

"Yeah? I can help you limp, right now, if you're interested."

"Perhaps another day." He moved, clearly unconcerned with her threats. Haruum kept away from the open exit, turning his attention to Jed and Holden with a knowing expression. "Females. Let them off their leashes once and they think they're entitled," he chuckled.

Eryn forgot about her blaster and started towards Haruum, fists ready.

|- [member="Varik Ryjin"] -| |- [member="Jed Lonestar"] -| |- [member="Khar"] -| |- [member="Holden Tark"] -|

 

[Holden Tark]

Holden rolled his eyes at the alien. Jed never mentioned anything about their "employer" showing up at the bar to "help," so naturally he was curious. The CorSec past kicked in, and the Corellian was in detective mode. There was something about this guy that didn't smell right beyond the obvious pungent odor they naturally produced. He listened to the exchange, but he wasn't buying it. The weequay seemed more like a hired thug, a bounty hunter trying to play bossman, than an actual "busiensman." Even Holden caught the subtle use of the word. The more he talked the more mistakes he made, like pissing off Eryn.

The look on her face alone told the Corellian and was going to kill the guy, and they couldn't have that. Holden quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her off the ground so she couldn't go anywhere.

"No you don't sweetheart," Holden said as he set her behind him.

"Glad to see one of you still has hold of her leash...." was about all the weequay manged to get out before Holden spun around and caved his face in with a fist.

Bokk fell to the floor and cracked his head against the duracrete on impact. He was going to be out for a while, but the four had to move fast. There were only three speeders though. Thanks Varik. The guy was shoot first think later it seemed, though Holden may have done the same thing if he thought the inbound had been hostile. Holden turned and looked at Eryn, a sheepish look on his face as he shrugged.

"I punch harder than you do," he offered then turned to the rest of the group. "Let's get the hell out of here before we cause any more trouble."

[member="Eryn"] | [member="Varik Ryjin"] | [member="Jed Lonestar"] | [member="Khar"]