Bones to Pick (Red Ravens, Ask)

[Cryax Bane]

It was a Saturday night at the Dragon Palace Casino and the main floor was packed with gamblers partiers and those who would prey on them. With a strong hatred of crowds causing some irritation, Cryax Bane, Red Ravens President made his way through the throng, which parted for the Chiss crime boss and his security detail like a sea. He stopped at a nearby Sabacc table to greet a high rolling Mon Calamari couple and then moved to the center bar where he ordered himself a Cognac. His red eyes scanning the room, he waited patiently for two new Ravens [member="Deborah Waller"] and [member="Neskar A'toll"] to arrive.

The Chiss was eager to talk about a few new jobs the Red Ravens had on their dockets. With an unknown enemy kidnapping Red Raven members as well as a few weirdos spiking the drinks at the casino, the Chiss crime boss had some new bones to pick His hope was that these new Red Ravens would be able to sharpen their beaks for the killing.

 

[Blair]

The large Mantis ship had docked at the nearest port on Antecedent. It was spary painted with a few alien logos and symbols, one being a star with sharp looking points on a dark red circle. The boarding ramp lowered and out stepped six individuals. Three of them were human, the others were a zebrak, a rodian and a chiss. All wore matching uniform leather jackets, each with their own little customizations or alterations to whomever wore them. Leading the group was a tall woman, dark skinned with large afro-styled hair and a long sleeves red jacket; similiar to the others but not as altered.

Looking towards the Dragon Palace Casino Deborah Waller, leader of the small gang known as the Star Striders, told four of the men to watch the ship while the other two followed her; one of the men and the zebrak going with her. It was clear she was here on business, and rightfully so. It was only a few weeks ago that through secondary parties Waller had made contact and eventually partnered her gang with the Red Ravens. It was only now that they'd been invivted to their base of operations for an actual assignment. She was eager, to say the least.

Upon arriving at the door and introducing herself to the bouncers they made it clear no weapons were allowed. Understanding such a rule Deborah and her men gave up any and all weapons they carried; she only having two blasters on her body holster while the others had blasters and knives. Once they were cleared Deborah looked about, trying to see where their contact was. Sure enough there was [member="Cryax Bane"] over by the Salaac tables and mingling with "his people".

Walking over to him Deborah's men had helped clear the crowds out of the way so she had an easy trip from the front door to where he was. Upon reaching him she said "Mr. Bane. Deborah Waller. Star Strider leader." she extened her hand out for a shake while saying "I understand you've got a job for us, right?"

Upon touching her hand, or looking down at it, Cryax would realize it wasn't rreal but robotic. Even if he hadn't noticed that then the grip she would give when shaking his hand would be clear enough.

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Chiss crime boss tilted his head to look over the new Raven, [member="Deborah Waller"]. She was well-built and looked to be a bit older than and a lot taller. Perfectly toned and dressed like a badass, just the way he liked his Ravens. "Nice to meet you Deborah," he said shaking her hand and briefly noting that it was cybernetic. Turned out they had artificial parts in common. "The Star Striders, eh? I've never heard of them, but I take it they're your crew?" Cryax poured himself a glass of whiskey from a bottle sitting atop the bar, and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Drink?"

Then he drained half the glass and continued. "Yes, we have a few jobs you could take on depending on your skills. One is simply information gathering. The other job is that and something more, uh, lethal. Which one would you be interested in Deborah?" Upon looking at her, Cryax thought he could correctly predict her answer.

[member="Deborah Waller"]

 

[Blair]

Feeling his returned grip it was clear [member="Cryax Bane"] had cybernetic impalants as well. They must've been more expensive since she didn't notice any sort of robotic skin or metal outline or the like. Hers was more of a bronze design with a skeletal outline yet obviously reinforced inner parts to make it more "full". Already she and this chiss had a lot in common. It was good to know that the Ravens weren't opposed to cyborgs, even though Deborah herself wouldn't consider being a cyborg.

After bane mentioned not knowing her crew she said "We're not what you'd call a big operation, like you Ravens. But for those who know us they'll say we get the job dne. And we DO get the job done." When offered a drink she said "Never hurts to have one at a party like this." She leaned against the bar, her elbows resting on the top while letting her rear stick out. She didn't care if others saw, as some obviously did, just as long as they didn't touch without permission. After taking the shot of whisky and hearing his missions she said "Well we've never been the subtle types to collect information." She pushed her glass in front of him, indicating for a refill, while smiling and saying "So we'll take the more dangerous one."

 

[Cryax Bane]

"Good. Good. That's what I was hoping you'd say," said the Chiss. He pulled out his Datapad and typed in some data, pulling up the part of the Red Ravens Cryptnet that held heavily encrypted information for Ravens' eyes only, including their bounty board. He pointed at the screen with a blue-skinned finger, showing Deborah a bounty that was currently unclaimed. "There's a group out there in Unknown Space that has been kidnapping our people. I don't know much about them, but I need good, talent like you to find them and bring them to me, either dead or alive."

"It's not much but here's what I know. The group may be Umbaran and they seem to be some sorts of religious zealots. They go on and on about some baloney like the 'Rite of Service' and the 'Rite of Pain.' And there's someone in their ranks called 'Vile.' I wish I had more info for you, Deborah, but unfortunately that's all my source remembers. I will provide you with any help that you might need from equipment to a teams of slicers and infochants."

"What do you say? Will you and the Star Striders take the job?" Cryax desperately wanted to send a message to these extremist freaks. That no one karks with the Red Ravens and gets away with it.

[member="Deborah Waller"]

 

[Blair]

Looking over the info as [member="Cryax Bane"] presented it Deborah looked as though she was calculating everything in her head. As she thought about it she said aloud "Unknown targets are usually the ones you don't want to mess with. Too much unknown variables. One minute you think it's just an ordinary guy before it turns out he has a pet rancor waiting for you in the basement." She sipped down another shot of whisky before saying "Still if these religious freaks, or whatever they are, have been snatching up your men it could be some sort of hostile takeover attempt. Widdle down your forces. Maybe try to brainwash them to your side, and then make their move while you're trying to fix things up." She held up her glass and looked at it, still thinking on her answer, before putting it down finally and saying "I'm going to need whatever you can spare. I don't like risking my men in unkown territory, but if you want us to find these guys the we will."

 

[Neskar A'toll]

Neskar strode into the casino with cool demeanour, accompanied with malice dripping from his tall, fully-armoured clad figure. It was a busy night. Like every night, I guess. Casinos must make a mint here. Let's put that down on the list of future investments. Stalking through the crowds with ambition, he cut his way towards the centre bar, glaring at the casino-goers through his darkened visor. Most of them had a fair few credits on their person, no doubt, the establishment was certainly esteemed. Or so he heard. Hearsay is never reliable.

Guy was a Chiss, apparently. Never met one of them before. He hiked up a few steps leading to the central bar. Never thought they'd be into crime. Then again, I'm here. Theeeeere he was. Neskar moved swiftly to the bar, betraying the appearance of the seemingly bulky armour. Signalling to the bartender for a drink, nothing specific, he sidled up to the pair there. Shame he was a tad late.

"Heard you was lookin' for some... help." A grin came to Neskar's face, concealed by the helmet. The voice came out a bit muffled. "Yeah... this side of space is always looking for help."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Soon the other new Raven finally arrived. Late. Cryax detested lateness, but with a few drinks in his system, he wasn't feeling like hassling the new guy. Not yet anyway. Right now the Ravens needed all the help they could get. Not only had the syndicate grown so large, that more and more rival gangs were chomping at the bit to get a piece of them, but Cryax himself had also made a few personal enemies over the last few months. The current rulers of the galactic underworld needed good people like [member="Neskar A'toll"] to help them weather the coming storm.

"You heard right my friend," said the Chiss and stuck his hand out. "I'm Cryax Bane, President of the Ravens." At that a flashbulb went off, a paparazzo trying to make some credits off of a good shot of the Chiss for some Holorag. "Parasites," he muttered with a scowl as he nodded to his security guards to escort the man out. "I was just telling Deborah here about a couple of pressing jobs that we have. Someone's been kidnapping Red Ravens, and we're gonna make 'em bleed for it." The Chiss crime boss took out his Datapad and began to type like a demon. "Neskar, right? I'm sending you the relevant details right now." He said, his glowing red eyes scanning the screen. "It's the second bounty on that list."

[member="Neskar A'toll"] [member="Deborah Waller"]

 

[Blair]

Upon seeing the other man arrive Deborah had to admit he was handsome, in the rugged sort of way. He looked the sort who'd been through a lot in his life, something she could relate to. Still in knowing that he was another newer member of the Ravens called into join as she was it did seem odd he arrived late. Whatever the reason he was here now and Deborah didn't mind one bit.

Walking over she offered her regluar human hand while saying "Hey. Like he said, I'm Deborah. Guess we're working together on this now, huh?"

[member="Cryax Bane"] [member="Neskar A'toll"]

 

[Preliat Mantis]

The Holomessage box on [member="Cryax Bane"] beeped.


And beeped again, as a reminder of the opening. It was from Preliat Mantis himself.


I'm going to kill you.


And he left it at that.



Preliat, meanwhile, was sipping tea with Aditya and reading the paper after his morning run.

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Chiss crime boss was in the middle of sending the two new Ravens information about the “person of interest” that had been spotted outside the apartment building where Keira Ticon disappeared, when suddenly he got a Holo message from none other than [member="Preliat Mantis"]. “Interesting,” he said aloud. The message was short and sweet, an idle threat, and unfortunately for Mantis, completely traceable. Feeling a bit like a kitten in a koi pond, Cryax sent a message to his team of Red Raven slicers to start working on getting the call’s origins. If successful, the hackers would pinpoint the location of the Holocall, hopefully Preliat’s home base, and the Chiss would then hand it over to [member="Dredge"] in the hopes that the overlord would trade the information for the removal of the Yorik-Kul from his brain.

Preliat would need some pretty heavy-hitting counter slicers to combat this intrusion, especially since Cryax himself had trained this recent crop of network saboteurs. Once he’d issued the command, he turned back towards the two Ravens. “Now where were we?” he said with a huge grin that spread from ear to ear.

[member="Deborah Waller"] [member="Neskar A'toll"]

 

[Darth Assimilus]

The Red Raven Security did not like the new comer, Ally and Mercenary for Hire. Down the Halls the flooring shook slightly with each step, the doors opened up and their he stood 8'5ft tall Armored head to toe. Kezeroth the Malevolent... 'Mr.Malice' Was his bounty hunter name. His Presence reeked of the darkside, the sensation of Agony and dread was heavy with him. He had called no meeting nor was summoned, he came when he wanted too. The guards by [member="Cryax Bane"] stepped forward as the Giant armored Brute got closer, they stopped Kezeroth from going any closer.

A deep growl emitted from Kezeroths helmet as he started at the body guards.
-Oh how fast i could gut them all...- he thought to himself stareing at the Chiss Crimelord. " Tell your hounds to sit... Or have them put down." he chuckled.

[member="Deborah Waller"]
[member="Neskar A'toll"]

 

[Neskar A'toll]

[member="Deborah Waller"] [member="Cryax Bane"]

"Yeah, I can deal with your rodent problem. Speaking of which," Neskar gestured to the newcomer - [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] - "it appears you've a new visitor. You seem like a popular guy." Neskar grinned, then switched his gaze back to the woman there. "Nice to meet you. Guess we are." He never pretended to be a man of few words. Keeping a cool demeanour, he leant back on the bar, presenting the front of his body to the visitor. A trained eye could see that Neskar was armed, but his hands were far from his weapons. He didn't come here to fight tonight, certainly not. Far from it, he expected himself to be neck-deep in Corellian Ale and spinning around the casino tables in no time. His mind drifting, he wondered whether he had packed enough credits to blow them all in a single night, or whether it would take two. Curse my fat bank account.

 

[Blair]

As [member="Cryax Bane"] seemed to perk with interest over some new information Deborah shrugged it off before trying to get "familiar" with [member="Neskar A'toll"] after they'd met. However things were intterupted with the arrival of [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] and his already intimidating build. His size was already a lot to swallow, but add the armor and weapons and the guy, or THING as Deborah thought, was like a walking tank. Hearing Neskar's comment about Cryax being a popular guy she added "Remind me never to invite a guy....thing...whatever, like that to any of my parties." Even her men, seeing the monster, had seemed ready to make some sort of counteract. She gestured with her robotic hand, making them stand down for now; especially when they remembered they had no weapons.

 

[Cryax Bane]

As much as Cryax didn't like to be told what to do in front of his own men and women, the Chiss definitely had a reverence for the nearly unkillable Gen'dai. During a skirmish with the Black Sun on Barab I he had even seen one eat a grenade and live through it. Rolling his eyes, he sighed. "Fine." he said, looking up at the ridiculously tall Gen'dai, then turned his head to his security guards. "Stand down," commanded the Chiss, with an edge of irritation in his voice.

Cryax crossed his arms testily and looked at the motley crew. "This better be about the bounty on those religious zealots because I'm only going over that job one more time, for him." He jabbed his thumb towards the Gen'dai. "You folks seem to have me confused with someone who repeats himself. Work together. Work separately. I don't give a kark. Just get the job done."

[member="Deborah Waller"] [member="Neskar A'toll"][member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

 

[Darth Assimilus]

Kezeroth tilted his armored head to the side. " Smugglers, Body Guards, Crimelords, Religious Zealots.. Slicers.. Hehe. They all bleed the same." He said looking around the room and then crossed his arms against his chest and looked down at [member="Cryax Bane"] " Besides the fun of killing, Whats in it for me" He asked cutting to the important stuff, he was not the type to take crap or listen to it he wanted to see his interests were peeked too.

Corner of his eye he examined [member="Deborah Waller"] the woman with the metal hand and [member="Neskar A'toll"] the other armored hunter, both seemed well equipped but that did not mean much to Kezeroth. To him they were obstacles in the way of his pay checks.

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax craned his neck at the Gen'dai again. Kark he was a tall fellow. Then he looked at all three mercenaries. "What's in it for all of you? You could get rich. The more cultists you kill, the more credits you get. And any further information you can bring back about these freaks will yield even more credits. So here's the deal, and I'm not going to say it again. There is a group out there in Unknown Space targeting the Red Ravens. They kidnapped one of our members right under our noses. We got her back, but they might come for more of us. I want to send them a very bloody message. No one kidnaps Red Ravens and karking gets away with it."

"Here's what we know about these crazies. The group may be Umbaran and they seem to be some sorts of religious zealots. We think that they have a female leader but we don't know her name yet. They go on and on about stuff like the 'Rite of Service' and the 'Rite of Pain.' And there's a "person of interest" who was seen around the apartment where Keira was kidnapped. All other revelvant details are on our bounty board on the Cryptnet."

Cryax took a deep breath, realizing he had been rambling like a madman. "Any other questions before you three get cracking?"

[member="Deborah Waller"] [member="Neskar A'toll"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]