Bounty Hunting for Dummies

[Matreya]

Valashu silently listened to the words of Fos Misao, his closest ally and friend. The man had come to him, knowing that now Valashu was the Kyr'am for the Kop'ad Beroya, that he was looking to forge a name for himself within the Mandalorian Crusaders. There had been a bounty placed recently, for a man that had once been Skirata, but something happened and now he was a target of the Clan.

This would make for a perfect chance to show he was useful to the Manda'lor.

"I think that Ajihad might just be your best bet, should you feel the need for assistance." Fos finished up, to which Valashu perked an eyebrow, "Valashu, you do not know your target, I hardly know your target, little more than just heresy."

"Very well, Fos. I will trust your judgement. Get into contact with your friend, tell him to meet me at the DZ." Valashu said, nodding his head as means of showing the conversation had ended. Moving to the room adjacent, he knew that Damien - err, Fos - would find his way out, then he stepped to the closet. Swinging open the door, he began the steps to open the safe within.

As the door flung free, he slid on the Gauntlet of Crassus, then his Baka Bodyglove, Archer Suit, Gear, Mask, then lastly the Jal Shey armband that went onto his bicep. Next he moved to the bed, where in he flipped a hidden switch that moved the headboards foremost plank to the side. Inside was his Compound Bow and Quiver, both went to separate hips.

With himself now ready, he stretched his arms, loosened his shoulders, then headed for the exit to the hall outside. Before long he was moving through space, letting his tracking skills take over. The Force always led him to his target, so he simply flew where it felt most logical.

[member="The Gray Assassin"] [member="Davin Kal'Bith"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

Utapau
12:55 UST

How long had he been on the road? Several weeks at least. It was a long walk from the tiny sinkhole town he landed in to Pau City. Luckily, his journey was almost at an end. On the horizon he could see the edges of what looked like the Pau City's giant sinkhole which could only mean food, water, and a place to sleep that wasn't the Bantha he was riding. With a smirk the traveler dug his heels into the sides of his Bantha, spurring it forward. With its poor excuse for a gallop he crossed the arid landscape.

It would be at least four more hours before they made it to the edge of the sinkhole. The sprawling metropolis went on for miles in every direction and the sound of starship and speeder travel filled the air. He needed to find work if he wanted to live in this place.

[member="Valashu Elahad"]

 

[Matreya]

Valashu dropped from hyperspace, his gaze traveling the horizon of Utapau. The Force pushed him here, and so he came. But now it had gone utterly dead, in no way showing him directions, "Terrence, contact Fos, let him know that I don't know the DZ just yet, that he should watch me then tell our partner. Also, use SARRAH, tap into the major cams and like topside. Give me a heads up when Davin is located." At that he guided his organic ship to the ground below.

He knew not what city he went to, only that it was a decent sized hub. Leaving the ship behind with a message to stay close, he entered a cantina. Sitting in a booth, he reclined, waving a hand with a finger extended from the palm, "Scotch. Rocks. Two. Cold glass." He shouted over the music to the nearing bartender. She nodded and went to fetch it.

A few hours later he received contact from Terr, "Signs suggest he is on his way to the city your in. You could possibly catch him off guard."

Valashu continued drinking, nodding to himself. He would wait a moment then approach his target.

[member="Davin Kal'Bith"]

 

[The Banshee]

When Valashu had made contact with the former Sith Lord Ajihad, he had asked for the assassin's assistance in the pursuit and capture of a bounty. Though he and Fos were good friends, the Demon's Fist had more pressing matters to attend to than than a small bounty of 50,000 credits. However, Ajihad had contacts and allies beyond imagine, most of which were connected to hundreds of false identities and aliases. Therefore, he had contracted one of the Paladin Consortium's best hunters to take this job.​

​

Enter: Axel Vizsla​

​

Perhaps an hour after [member="Valashu Elahad"] had arrived in the bar, another figure walked on in clad in an expensive-looking suit of armor. A sword was strapped across his back, while an assault rifle and shotgun were secured at his hips. An assortment of grenades and gadgets were strapped to various locations across his body, making him a fearsome sight to behold.​

​

Helmet retracting into the back of his armor, he strode over to the man Janus had apparently labeled as his partner. He took a seat next to him at the bar, and turned his head to the Twi'lek pouring the drinks. "A few shots of your strongest liquor." He then glanced over at his fellow bounty hunter. "So, where's our target?"​

​

[member="Davin Kal'Bith"]​

 

[Matreya]

Valashu offered a nod to the man that sat near him, Fos having just transferred the message to await for a different ally. At that point his drink arrived and he lightly sipped at the warming fluid as it slid past crystalline entrapment then into his mouth. His eyes slowly roamed the cantina, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of all of the crazed partying occurring. When the man asked the question, he gestured at the door, "On his way into the city." He shouted over the music, then, downing the rest of his liquor, he rose to leave.

A second gesture signaled his readying to leave.

Drawing his hood into place, he finally dropped the illusion of a well dressed executive, embracing his true nature as Matreya the Kensûrai Archer, Kyr'am of the Kop'ad Beroya, the only known member of the Jensaarai-Ka. He was a top tier archer, an impeccable stealther, an intricate telekinetic, and now he would see how he fared at bringing people back alive. These thoughts traced delicate patterns in his mind slowly as he fit his mask into place, which immediately activated his HUD, showing his surroundings. Lastly he pressed the voice modulator on the base of the mask that would allow his voice to sound garbled and demonic.

From there he made his way out the door. A zip line attached to the gun at his belt sent him skyward, landing atop the nearest roof. As the cable retracted into his belt, Valashu dropped to a knee, his gaze gone to the ground ahead.

His target would hopefully be approaching soon enough.

[member="The Banshee"] [member="Davin Kal'Bith"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

It had been a long day of travel and the Mandalorian was tired and hungry. He walked the slightly dusty streets on the seedier side of town, his bantha causing a ruckus all the way to the bar/inn he had been directed to by one of the locals. His bantha was so big and fat that she kept bumping into all the parked speeders in the road causing surprised and angry shouts. A few threats too, but none were serious.

"Alright girl," he said soothingly, running a hand through the bantha's long and unruly pelt, "We're here. Stay out of trouble yeah?" The bantha grunted in response and plopped down next to the large post sending dust and debris everywhere. Davin coughed as he tried to tie her around the durasteel post. A Jack from Concord Dawn yawned, its ears twitching.

"Odd to see one of you all the way out here, eh?" He chuckled before walking into the bar. Davin wasn't wearing anything fancy. He had a face wrap with a red mythosaur logo embroidered on to it with a pair of goggles strapped to his forehead. A plain and dirty white tunic and a spacer's leather outfit with boots was all he wore. His trademark blaster was at his hip and what looked like some spare parts hung on his left side.

[member="Valashu Elahad"] [member="The Banshee"]

 

[The Banshee]

As [member="Valashu Elahad"] ever-so discreetly ziplined to a nearby roof, Axel stayed put. Instead, he would lean against the doorframe of the cantina looking like a bouncer. He allowed his helmet to slide into place over his head, the glass dome looking quite intimidating compared the mediocre gear of the other local bounty hunters.​

​

His partner told him their target was coming into town, so he turned his head towards the nearest entrance. Sure enough, his HUD identified [member="Davin Kal'Bith"] a block or two away from where he was standing. After waiting for the man to get settled, the Banshee would stride over to a nearby bathroom. Thankful his helmet filtered out the smell, he ducked into an abandoned stall. Pressing a button on his wrist, the stealth generator would activate and he would vanish from sight.​

​

He made his way to the short roof of the building, leaping from rooftop to rooftop until he was on top of the bar the man had walked in to. He slipped inside, careful not to bump into anyone. Leaning up against a wall near the bar where Davin was sitting, he sent a vocal transmission to his partner.​

​

"Target in sight. You watch his escape routes from the bar. I'll try and bag him."​

 

[Matreya]

Valashu kept eyes on the prize, treating this as if it were an assassination. Moving to the edge of the building he was currently stationed upon, he dropped his gaze downward as the man walked along the street. Before long he entered a bar, where in he got a brief contact from Axel. He wished to take the bounty, but have Valashu hold the door...

Very well. Valashu would be the guard, as he did not see this ending so easily. When it became necessary, Valashu would run to assist. This was the last thought he bore before jumping from the roof, his line connected to the topmost section of a vent up top. At the last moment his speed slowed, letting his feet touch down with a soft tap.

Next he moved do the door, slipped inside, then waited.

[member="The Banshee"][member="Davin Kal'Bith"]

 

[Julian Valentine]

'Julian Valentine missing!'

That's what had been printed on the front of the holonews on the ShadowNet almost a year ago. At the time Julian had been the biggest and baddest bounty hunter around, a clean and perfect record. He had a one-hundred percent success rate. But when the hammerhead-toting hunter took a spill and lost his first hunt, it went all downhill from there. Hunt after hunt, each was more failure than the last. Then he simply upped and vanished.

But he was here, on Utapau. He hadn't been in hiding, he had been recuperating. The bounty hunter strode into the cantina with powerful mechanical legs. Legs that had once been flesh and bone before he went missing. The last hunt had been more than just another loss on his record, it had taken his legs. The skimming blade of a lightsaber was all it took to fell Valentine. Yet even with the news of so many failures after such a promising career, there were some scum in the darkened corners of the cantina that seemed to shy from the presence of his hammerhead helm.

Unshaven and graying, Julian Valentine beelined for the bar.

[ [member="Davin Kal'Bith"] ]

 

[Jak Skirata]

A familiar chill shot up his spine. For the first time in a long time it was his instincts, not the Force that guided him. His body relaxed as the cheap beer flowed down his throat as he sat at the bar. He could feel people moving, whispers on the wind told him a legend was in the room. He cursed under his breath. The bounty hunter had hoped that he wouldn't have to fight or flee any longer in this literal sinkhole of a city.

He smiled at the bartender, a dusty Togrutan. She gave him a weird look before shrugging and taking the credit chit he had placed on the counter. With a grunt he stood from his bar stool and began to walk casually towards a side door.

[member="Julian Valentine"] [member="Valashu Elahad"] [member="The Banshee"]

 

[The Banshee]

Axel frowned as Davin got up and made for the door. Had he recognized the hunter? Unlikely, as the Banshee wasn't a renowned hunter throughout the galaxy. His eyes scanned the bar until he spotted [member="Julian Valentine"]. Things were about to get a hell of a lot more interesting.​

​

"Target is attempting to leave through the side entrance. Another BH's here too, Julian Valentine. He's a pretty well-known hunter, very successful. I'm going to take a shot. Get ready to move in."​

​

Axel raised his wrist about halfway up his chest, as if he were checking the datapad on his forearm. He would slip his other arm underneath, holding a pistol loaded with stun rounds. It would be a tricky shot considering he was firing from the hip. He had made the shot hundreds of times before in training, now it was time to see if it had at all paid off. He subtly took aim for [member="Davin Kal'Bith"], then pulled the trigger.​

​

[member="Valashu Elahad"]​

 

[Julian Valentine]

Just as he made for the bar a seat vacated. His first instinct was to take it before someone else got front-row seating to the bartender, until he saw who had stood up. The man was making a move for the door, but Valentine couldn't let him leave so soon. He knew him, Bounty Hunter's Guild, maybe. He couldn't quite recall. They met once, he thought, Coruscant perhaps, or even Nar Shaddaa. One of those jobs that went unfinished.

"Hey, buster," Valentine called. Not only did the bounty hunter recognize Davin for their previous meeting, but he had seen his face going around. Valentine kept his ear to the ground, it was how he had always stayed ahead of the rest of the competition. An armada of informants ready at a moments call and the CryptNet helped keep him up to date on the latest bounties across the net. Davin had been on one such bounty listing, but he wasn't after him. Honour among thieves, you could say, and he liked his nose unbroken.

Just as Valentine caught up to him, hand extended to tug at Davin's shoulder, there came a loud ting! Valentines head snapped left, as though suddenly shoved. There was a dint in the fin of his hammerhead helm that hadn't been there before. His vision blurred briefly, his neck ached and for a moment he could have swore someone punched him across the jaw. That wasn't possible, it was something else, and his instincts kicked in.

This was Davin, a known target standing in front of him, Valentine had just taken a shot mean't for Davin. His hands reached down and unclasped the twin sidearms held at his hips, a pair of MT-14 heavy blasters. Valentine kept an array of weapons, from a wide array of explosives to an archaic slugthrower rifle, but he was best known as a pistoleer. He was a crack shot with a sidearm, but not so much with anything else.

With the ease of a brute, Valentine rose his metallic leg to strike a table. The sheer force of the impact the cybernetic made was enough to rip the bolted table out of the floor, dent the surface and flip it over onto its side. Unlike the holonet movies would have you believe, it didn't land on its side and stay as such, in fact, it fell over onto its front. So much for cover. "I'm a bit rusty," he excused himself.

[member="The Banshee"] [member="Davin Kal'Bith"] [member="Valashu Elahad"]

 

[Jak Skirata]

"Hey Buster!"

He ignored the call. Something had sent a shiver up his spine, or rather he felt something tugging at him. The Force was trying to tell him something. He froze and concentrated as he attempted to hone in on the feeling. His eyes were shut, he could feel himself falling into pool, a flow that he knew went through the entire galaxy. Immersed in this current he concentrated on the moment he had felt that uneasy feeling and honed in on it.

He was reverse tracking whatever had caused him to tense up and-

Ping!

Snapped out of his trance he whipped around with his heavy blaster pistol and fired, letting the Force guide his hand. He hadn't gotten a clear path of who he was tracking but the shot was sure to scare them. The red bolt of plasma flew through the bar and scorched the wall behind the bounty hunter [member="The Banshee"].

After realizing what he did he looked to his left. The man, the legend, the only bounty hunter in the guild that shared his 100% record.

"I'm a bit rusty."

"Julian Valentine?"

It wasn't even a full second before the bar erupted into chaos. Shots had been fired in a seedy bar. Things were about to get hairy. Davin sucked his teeth,

"You coming?" He didn't wait for an answer. His foot planted itself square in the center of the wooden door, sending it hanging off its hinges and he dashed out into the alley behind the bar. It was evening now, the long shadows cast by a setting sun painted the dimly lit alley with their inky blacks.

[member="Valashu Elahad"]

 

[Matreya]

Valashu laughed at the way things had gone by now, taking this long to not reach the end the duo wished. Racing through the door, he flew into a combat roll. While returning to a vertical placement, he snatched his bow from his hip then let loose a dual partnership. Both arrows sought the rear meaty section of thigh where would be most painful, yet not deadly.

All the while, Valashu also began a slow but steady influx of energy from the Force. When it came to the living energy, he didn't know much, but what he did, he did well. He could conjure the most realistic of White Current illusions, and utilize intricate telekinesis, and that was basically it. Sure he had other skills, tracking and the like. But it's like saying a galactically famous pianist also could fold laundry. They were simply better at other things than folding.

He hadn't decided what his next step would be however, so he just focused on the arrows watching to see if they met their target.

[member="Davin Kal'Bith"] [member="Julian Valentine"] [member="The Banshee"]