Agents of Gain (AoT)

[Not Ordo]

ZELOS II

Pontius was not the sweetest man that one could hope to meet in a dark alley but then he wasn't the sweetest man period. He waited patiently for a contact that was supposed to get him a bead on how to aquire some drochs for research and development of who the hell knew what, he was paid as a spy and shooter not to say what was important.

Soon a smallish man walked into the alley acting suspicious and Pontius stepped out in front of him.

"Going some place?" Pontius said darkly as the man stumbled back and looked at him.

"I I I...blast it Yan." The man said you startled me.

"And you look an awful lot like a person trying to get his tail caught." Pontius replied.

"I want out of this...those things are dangerous. Why do you think Zelosians stay inside at night?" The cowardly man asked.

"Out? What do you mean out?" Pontius said amused, "You were never, in, Reese. Give me the data and go home to Sindel, Han and Bindy. Just remember to forget, and so will I, savvy?"

"How. Did you." Reese asked.

"The data." Pontius said holding out his hand. The man produced a small thin package which Pontius took and slid into his pocket before reaching over and smoothing the fabric on the man's shoulders and straightening his labels to stick a flimsi thin tracking and listening device inside his collar. "Go home reese, you should never see me again. I promise."

The man sighed with relief as he walked away and disappeared around the corner. Pontius put on a news boy hat and mussed flipped his collar up before picking up a briefcase and crossing the street to a bar.

"Jen I got the data." He said into the subvocal microphone, "I'll be in my office."

He walked into the pub and found a nive booth and sat down with a wink and smile at the gorgeous serving girl. He had always been a sucker for green eyes and this place had plenty.

 

[Jennifer Blanchard]

This whole new gig of hers was something different. Sure, Marek had pegged her for a smart person, and her resume, the one she gave the right people, y’know the types, CEOs and Force sensitive people who might filet her with her mind, expanded on her normal resume. A student of the Baran Do sages, she was excellent at listening, and observing.

What she was doing now? She was watching @Ponitus Ptolemy through her computer terminal, and having hacked the local monitoring screens.

Right, he was doing his job and she was… well, there wasn’t much for her to do here. Monitor, and watch. When there was a firewall that needed to be taken down, she’d be there doing that. Until then she would sit in support. Wasn’t that bad, she got paid and well, the per diem was nice, even if Ponitus was a bit… Well, he was obnoxious.

“Roger that. I’ll meet you there.” Right after she linked the holocams to a server. Not to store the data, but to allow future use of the streaming so no one had to break into the system again. Really, she was helping everyone else out later on. Once that was done, she unplugged her datapad and put it into her bag, hurrying off to the “office.”

She knew he wasn’t going to get a round for her too.

 

[Emerald Sage]

[member="Pontius Ptolemy"] [member="Jennifer Blanchard"]

It was the sort of pub that parents warned their kids about. A seedy reputation for a certain type. That was its draw, in reality. It was a bar managed by a criminal family local to the planet. That of course didn't actually mean anything. It was as safe as any other pub, but the scent of danger was more attractive than pheromones to the teeming party-going masses.

Emerald sat at the bar. For most people on the planet alcohol did little. Sugar was the intoxicant of choice. However drinks were still served to the outworlders who visited the planet. She sat next to a woman, a bounty ready to be collected. This woman was wanted for stealing from a [member="Gordosa"] the Hutt. It was a poor decision.

"On me," Emerald said as she exuded some pheromones. The woman next to her was... confused to say the least. An emotionally off balanced opponent was the best to fight. They were sloppy. Attraction,and irritation induced by empathic and chemical reaction. The woman was dangerous by all accounts, deadly with a blaster, but she'd been made to check it at the door. No blasters allowed.

Another burst of pheromones influenced the men nearby. Attraction. It didn't take long for one of them to make a drunken pass at Emma. The woman flashed irritably and made a comment to the man. "Stay away from me," Emma said pushing the man into her bounty. The woman shot up and went to throw a punch, but before she could land it Emma shot a fist into her gut. Emma grabbed the other woman's hair and slammed her head into the bar before cuffing the woman. Several blasters were drawn from behind the bar and Emma looked up and smiled, "Nothing to see here boys, just a cashing in her check to [member="Gordosa"] the Hutt..." Name dropper...

 

[Not Ordo]

[member="Jennifer Blanchard"] [member="Emerald Sage"]

He looked up with a lopsided grin and slid a credit chip into the serving woman's hand as he ordered two dry martinis shaken not stirred. He recieved a quick smile and a "coming right up suger." For his overall lack of real effort.

"Well done, Pontius." He murmered as he blatantly watched her walk away.

He waited for the ever lovely and always correct about everything Jennifer as he leaned back casually watching the women at the bar. The Martinis arrived shortly and he smiled at the lovely green eyed woman.

"Thank you love." He said calmly.

"My pleasure, hun." She replied.

"I could be sure to make it your pleasure." He said as he lifted his glass. The woman stood not speaking for a moment clearly surprised by his directness.

"I'm off in 2 hours." She said, "and you can try and back that up."

"I certainly will." He said before she began walking away.

He had watched the woman at the bar since walking in. She looked like the rest, sure, but her shoulders were back muscles tensed ever so slightly, she was here on business, he didn't need to force to tell him so either.

He lifted his drink as he watched the woman shove a man directly into the other woman and then she proceeded to bring the other woman quickly under control and bind her declaring it was a bounty. Pontius was no slouch but he saw potential for a third in their party. He wondered if Jen did too.

 

[Jennifer Blanchard]

Jenn approached slowly. She wasn’t in the mood to blow up [member="Pontius Ptolemy"]’s spot. Really, she didn’t want to sleep with him so… what was the point, right? Shaking her head, she couldn’t help but laugh to herself. He was trying, that was for sure. She? Nope, she wasn’t looking to pick anyone up here. She hopped onto a stool and signaled the bartender for a drink.

Nothing too bad, just beer. She was still going to at least look like she fit in. That was the worst part, no one suspected her to fit in. “So, another successful trip.”

And that was when she heard the other woman. And making calls about Gordosa… That was interesting, She wanted to check the holonet to see where this girl was from but decided against it. Looking to her partner, she shrugged. “What do you think?” Really, about that one, the one dropping names. She looked like she could hold herself in a fight, at least.

[member="Pontius Ptolemy"]
[member="Emerald Sage"]

 

[Emerald Sage]

Emerald stood up and pulled the woman along. Thirty five thousand. It was a hefty bounty. Whatever this person had done to @Gardosa the Hutt it had been substantial, enough to offer a bounty this high. Her eyes looked around the pub. No one was moving to stop her. That was good, it meant she only needed to bring the bounty to the local office and receive her payment. Two jumps away, her mind wondered as she approached the door. Two quick jumps and she'd have her payment. She bit her lower lip as the door slid open before her.

Two men, guns drawn. Emerald pushed the bounty's body in front of her using her as a shield. "You've gone far enough, hand her over now, or else."

Narrow eyes she stared the two men down. Rival bounty hunters. Bottom feeders. "You won't risk it," Emerald said making herself small behind the woman's body. Two more men approached from the sides... Emerald drew a blaster with a free hand and took aim firing once. The red bolt struck one of the thugs in the leg downing him. "That was just a warning," Em said backing up into the doorway and ducking behind the hostage. She thumbed her blaster to stun and fired into the air ducking back again. Three to one, bad odds if this went into a gunfight....


[member="Jennifer Blanchard"] & [member="Pontius Ptolemy"]

 

[Not Ordo]

[member="Jennifer Blanchard"] [member="Emerald Sage"]

Pontius quirked a lopsided grin and winked at Jen as he downed his drink and stood. The little slip of a woman had guts and spirit and she shot first. He had to like her for that if nothing else. He took a few quick steps from the table and reached inside his jacket to his over shoulder holsters and pulled out two MT-14 Heavy Blaster pistols. The lights on the side showed red telling him the charge was full and they were most certainly not set to stun. He pointed the blasters at the two thugs that had come at her from the sides.

"Guns, Guns, Guns," he said before he made a Tsk tsk sound, "Gentlemen I believe the lady was just leaving."

 

[Jennifer Blanchard]

By the Force, what was Ponitus going to do? Jenn rolled her eyes as she watched her much larger cohort get up. Probably time to finish her drink and get out there too. Work, work, work. She had her Woebringer with her, and of course, her gear for slicing, but the former was more useful.

And she was still going to hide behing [member="Pontius Ptolemy"]. Because, well, he was better at this. “You boys really can’t get your own hit? C’mon now, this is low.” Jenn said, feeling more brave because of her company, but also, that was really lame on them. She looked over at [member="Emerald Sage"] and gave a wink.

Back up was here, for now.

 

[Emerald Sage]

That wasn't right. Emeralds eyes flashed to the side quickly at the two newcomers. Friends? Or a ruse? She didn't recognize them as bounty hunters, not that she knew all the bounty hunters in the galaxy, far from it. Hell she didn't even really know all the bounty hunters in the sector. It was hardly an exclusive club.

"See boys," she said looking at the two women. "There is no need this should ugly." And then her eyes glanced to the mans he shot, "Well, uglier." She shrugged exuding calming pheromones into the head. Level heads prevail. She said in her head. Level heads prevail. Or else get shut off by a snub nosed blaster....

"Now I'm just going to walk out of here, collect my bounty." She took a few steps forward out the door. The men were kowtowed for a moment, but her pheromones weren't enough. Drink and rage burned in them, she could sense as much through her empathic connection. One of them went for his gun, "Aw to hell with it," she was faster tot he drow striking him in the chest. "Stunbolt," she called hoping to discourage the others. It didn't work and they all drew....

She turned her pistol and took out one, but the other was too far away. She'd never make it in time.


[member="Pontius Ptolemy"] & [member="Jennifer Blanchard"]

 

[Not Ordo]

[member="Emerald Sage"] [member="Jennifer Blanchard"]

Pontius pulled both triggers as the men went for their blasters. The result? one got a whole lot uglier really fast while the other took a bolt to the shoulder and rounded on him. Pontius fired again as he dove to the side and hit the deck beneath a table and ended up face to face with the waitress from before.

"Behind me." He said as he fired hitting the man's legs and sending him to the ground. He pulled himself back up and started over to the downed thugs and kicked away their blasters before he started searching their pockets for I.D.

He looked around checking for more assailants keeping one blaster up and ready. His eyes flicked to the bounty hunter chick a few times before he pulled out a comlink and some I.D. on one thug. He was willing to bet they were local losers but who knew.

 

[Jennifer Blanchard]

Jenn was not much of a fighter. She would do more damage with her terminal before her first cup of earl grey than some people would do with their Walther PPK/S nine-millimeter short guns. But right now? Now was the time for guns. While hers was at the ready, Pontius and Emerald seemed to be a bit faster.

To her own name, Jenn didn’t dive for cover or squeal. She kept her eyes ready, and her gun ready. “Are you alright?” She said, approaching the blonde chick. Clearly her teammate was, no need to get worried on him.

Besides, he was off looting bodies or something.

[member="Pontius Ptolemy"] [member="Emerald Sage"]

 

[Emerald Sage]

[member="Jennifer Blanchard"] & [member="Pontius Ptolemy"]

"I'm alright," Emerald said. Her eyes darted between these two unknowns. "I appreciate the assist," she said not dignifying the question of her status with a response. Of course she was fine, she was a professional. There was a lot about these two in particular she didn't know. A lot of questions. Foremost on her mind was the bounty, but that didn't matter immediately, the bounty was afterall secured by man with the itchy trigger finger.

No, the first question would have to be the simplest to ask, "Why?" Emerald said. "What stake have you in this whole affair?" Were they rival hunters? Her guard still up she shifted out the door, prisoner in tow.