A Day in the Life

[Thom Betna]

Run down Cantina
Taris

Thom Betna was seated in his usual spot, sipping his usual drink. This was the spot he came to right after taking a new contract. He had spent the last six or so years taking contracts as an independent operator. Most of his work was quick jobs from the local law enforcement, a fugitive fleeing from their jurisdiction was the most common one. Dead or alive was the usual stamp on the order, however Thom went out of his way to bring his target back in one piece.

Even now, the bartender slid another drink his way. His right hand was resting atop his helmet that sat beside him, and his left snatched the drink up before it finished its slide. Silent, Thom nodded his head in appreciation to the man. Two drinks and he was done, as he didn't want to pilot his humble ship too drunk.

According to law enforcement sources, the fugitive in question recently fled to the nearby Vanquo and found a job with one of the mining company's planetside. Thom knew his history well enough to know that many years ago Mandalor the Ultimate won his battle there, as he had hoped he would win his.

Finishing his drink, he set the empty glass down on the bar and sent another nod toward the bartender. He was good for his tab, and the grizzled man behind the bar knew it. Thom originally started coming to this bar because it was right inbetween the office where he normally received his contracts and the port in which he docked his ship. The journey wasn't a long one and soon enough he was aboard his ship and began his pre-flight checks. His list wasn't exhaustive as he knew the old machine probably wouldn't pass quite a bit of it. However it was good for what he needed it for, getting from point A to point B, and keeping a relatively angry criminal detained just long enough to cash in on the reward. With the checks done, he used a monotone voice to inform the port officials that he was ready to take off. Within moments he received his permission and left the port at a steady pace. Next stop, Vanquo.

 

[Thom Betna]

Hyperspace
Nearing Vanquo

Thom sat silently in the pilot seat of his ship. He was reviewing the file of the fugitive he was tracking down. A small time criminal by all definitions of the word. Petty theft dotted his record, with a gang-related crime being the most recent and also the reason he fled the system. A small fish in a big pond, by all accounts. Thom didn't expect a large welcoming party when he arrived to bring the kid back, his friends were probably still on Taris continuing their work as little criminals.

He had the target's real name and the alias he was going by on Vanquo. Luckily he didn't have to do the intel work, the law enforcement usually did it for him. It meant less pay but that didn't bother Thom too much. He lived a low-cost lifestyle and the credits for bringing in little fish like this one were more than enough to keep the lights on. Besides, the risk of bringing in bigger heads like the head honchos of organizations weren't worth the pay to Thom. Get paid big to either get shot down in the streets or have to watch your every move.

Nevertheless, Thom quit his reading as Vanquo came into sight. He brought his ship to dock as he had hundreds of times before, many of those times at this port on Vanquo. Those he hunted were never too bright, and a lot of them thought that working in the mines here would be adequate enough cover to slip beneath the cracks. It wasn't, however, and Thom brought them back one way or another.

Landing gear touching down on the pad, Thom Betna wasted no time in preparing his gear and exiting his ship. He had a criminal to catch and the more time he wasted here was the less free time he had before he set off on his next hunt.

 

[Thom Betna]

Vanquo
Small Mining Site

Thom Betna had opened communications with many of the companies that ran sites on Vanquo. Some were cooperative in his search, others not so much. Nevertheless, not one company disclosed the names of their new hires so Thom couldn't cash his check just yet. Some companies did however inform him that they did have new members of their crews on site, but not much more than that. So began the tedious grind of a job such as this one. Thom had to go one by one to the sites he suspected his target of hiding in to check for himself.

The first that Thom went to was no help at all. The site manager refused to let him anywhere near his workers, but the commotion that it caused drew enough of them out for Thom to believe that the fugitive wasn't stationed there, so he continued his search and returned to his speeder to move onto his next site.

The second was a bust as well, however the manager was much more welcoming than the previous. He allowed Thom to view the names of those he had brought on in the last month and gathered them for a small meeting for Thom to be able to scan their faces. His man wasn't among them, however, so Thom shook the man's hand and put his helmet back on as he returned to his speeder yet again.

He arrived at the third site now, and the manager seemed to be anticipating his arrival. He walked out of his office with a grimace on his face just as Thom hopped out of his speeder and slung his rifle across his back. Thom managed to get his helmet off and tucked under his right arm as he pushed his black hair back with his left before the man stopped to speak. "My bosses informed me of your call, I expected you to show up even though they refused you." Thom smiled warmly and responded quietly, "I understand your need to guard the privacy of your workers. However, the man I am searchin' for his a fugitive. A murderer at that. A quick look at your terminal of new hires will send me away, promise."

The manager's grimace never left his face but he waved Thom onward anyway. He followed him back into his office where he took his time in opening his terminal. With a grin pulling the left side of his lip upwards, Thom extended his gloved finger to a name on the screen. "You've got my man. If you would, I'd like to take him back with me."