Coronet Crimes

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

Location: Corellia, Coronet City, Blue Sector.
Time: 843 ABY, 8 galactic standard years ago.

(OOC: A continuation of my characters background story I've posted about before and been wanting to write out. Feel free to jump in if it fits your story. See where it goes!)

No. Not again. This was the second time they had lost that sneaky slimey rat of a being. A balosar and spice dealer since long in debted to them, one of the many street gangs that pretty much did govern the underworld of Coronet City and were based out of the infamous Blue Sector. As with many criminal organisations, it was made out of complex structures and networks with ties reaching from one end to the other. Above the dealers were the suppliers, above the suppliers were the manufacturers and so on. What would affect the bottom of the hierarcy would, in one way or the other, soon affect the top.

It was late, way past 3 am, and the living-block in the district were fairly quiet and the streets were empty. The vague sound of a night-departing shuttle from the nearby shuttleport broke the peaceful breathing sound of the city. A static and distant humming from generators and powerplants to flickering neon lights and what few suspected people that were still up and roamed the dark streets. With the back leaned against the wall and one black booted foot up against it, she placed a cigarette between her lips and lit it up. Lit it up with a lighter that did raise doubts wether it was purchased or looted from somebody wealthier than her. She took a large puff of it and the smoke escaped from her mouth and dissipated in front of her.

Looking to the side, she could see the apartment from here. Mitch would surely be up waiting for her and the word of the outcome of their nightly task. Being in command she would be held responsible for their failure. She realy didn't want to do this. If knowing him, nobody would want to do this. Thanks to their relationship though, she was more protected than anyone else. While not wanting to do this it would be worse if she didn't. She was tierd and she didn't want to involve her brother into this by sleeping at his place. Another puff on the cigarette and after a deep sigh aimed to the sky, she lowered her chin into the warm olive green military scarf. Feth!

The cigarette fell to the solid ground and she straightened herself up, putting out the faintly glowing cigarette with her foot. She placed her gloved hands in the pockets of her black leather coat and walked towards the door of their apartment. She brought the keycard from one of the coats pockets and with a second of thought, hovering the card in front of the reader, she inserted it. The reader beeped twice, accepting the card and the door opened with a swishing sound before she entered and the door closed behind her.

It was quiet. Maybe he'd gone to sleep after all? Atleast he was home as she saw his boots on the floor and jacket hanging in the hallway. She wished not, though. She turned back to the small lit-up panel by the door, locking it secure. Turning back she jumped, startled by his sudden appearence in front of her. Mitch. The two year older human guy who had recruited her to his band and who she soon got into a relationship with. When they first met she didn't know of his connections in the underworld, that he was running with street thugs and criminals. Unknowingly, he had lured her into the same world as his and she went with it. Working at the shipyard by day, doing gigs by the evening and all kinds of criminal activities by night.

''Oh, feth!'' she uttered before her body started to relax again from the scare. As relaxed it could be, giving what she had to tell him.

''Thought you were asleep...'' she continued before starting to unwrap the scarf around her neck, tossing it up on the hanger. Forcing forth a smile.

''Asleep? You know I wouldn't go to sleep without you...'' he said in a surprisingly sweet tone as he approached her and touched her shoulder after she had taken off the cloak and hang it by his jacket. Underneath she had a simple gray top with short black sleeves and a pair of black leggings with leather patches on the knees. She unbuckeled her utility belt with the KYD-21 blaster and hang it by the coat.

''How was the night?'' Of course, she knew he primarily meant the task of collecting their debt.

''Can I get to undress first, okay? I'm tierd...'' She reached down to take off her boots, breaking his hands contact with her shoulder. Alright, here goes nothing. ''Night was good...'' she began and stood up again. ''Except... Except the karkin' CorSec showed up and... Well, we lost him... Please Mitch, can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm realy tierd...'' she said, trying to sound more tierd than nervous which was easier said than done. She took steps to round him into the apartment but were suddenly stopped and pushed into the wall, Mitch holding a firm grip around her upper arms.

''You did what?!'' he exclaimed a few inches from her face and his blue eyes met with her hazels. His voice and mood had changed in a second and her heartbeat began to rise.

''We lost him! There was nothing we could do about it, okay?! Nothing!'' her hazel green-yellowish eyes changed more into the yellow glow she got when her heartbeat and adrenaline rised, which often indicated anger. ''You want the CorSec to be swarming all over us?! Now, let me go!'' she demanded and tried to twitch herself out of his grip. He let one arm go and the second later she felt a burning sensation across the cheek, he had hit her with an open fist. Head now turned to the side into the apartment she could see the glass of brandy and tray of spice on the living room table. Sure. What else?

''I'm the judge of that! How about doing your farkin' job for once!'' he yelled before releasing her but still pinning her with that angry gaze of his.

She looked back at him, now with an even more intense glow to her gaze. That gaze usually had a frightening effect on people, but on him it was useless. She didn't say a word, she couldn't. Instead she awaited something else from him, something which never came and with that she went into the apartment and out to the kitchen. They would probably not say a word to each other until tomorrow, when everything would be different. So it was, but somehow they had a bond to each other that couldn't be easily explained. If they were to be succesful he needed to concentrate his anger on the business and not take it out on her. It was complicated, to say the least. She searched the shelves above the compact kitchen unit and found a nutrition bar and a bottle of soda that she brought with her to the living room. Mitch were gone, probably laid crashed in the bedroom. She cuddled up into the sofa and turned the holonet monitor on, it kept her company until she herself fell asleep.

The next day.​

A cold splash of water to the face got her to wake up from her morning daze. She had woken up late, almost lunch, laying under a blanket she knew she didn't have when she fell asleep. The nights genesis must have been forgotten and Mitch were probably out somewhere. They needed to work out another plan to snatch the indebted alien, but not today. Today, she felt like doing nothing in particular. Maybe a meal at one of the vendors in the streets. Yeah, she needed some air. She needed to do something. She changed her top to a simple white one with short sleeves. Putting on her rylothian headpiece which she had taken off before falling asleep. The same leggings would do just fine. Making finishing touches before going out to the hallway and put on a black leather swoop-biker jacket and buckled on the utility belt with the blaster. She got out of the apartment and locked the door. It was a nice day, some of the suns beams reached beyond the tall buildings and hit the street levels. Her portable holoprojector buzzed and a red nikto appeared.

''Achute, Duee. Jee babau vehpobaee bu tapka. Panbocn mevag tee! Paknee ata mi pin bapionh tee-tocky, hatkocanh uba? An jeejee hatkocanh yoieu bu dotkohu.'' the nikto said in hutteese, mentioning last nights misfortune and offered his help for the next try. Next time, they would get him, alright!

''Rat... Jee sanuba Jee nah jot uba doi bu uahloba bapionh tee-tocky. doth tee peee uahloba nan banki danko, pionpoe... Uba banag bai pomka wa yafullkee? Manpanh mi ree bu Mae an ta woha boonowa kaa, ahu?'' she replied and said to promise not to leave him out of the fun next time. She thoughtfully lost track mid-sentence when mentioning the homecoming. Changing the subject she asked him if they were to meet up at Treasure Ship Row, the large outdoor mall of the Blue Sector, to grab a bite. An offer which he agreed to. A slight smile appeared on her lips and she turned the holoprojector off and headed off to ''the Row''.

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

Well crowded as ''The Row'' usually was it was easy to blend in with the wide variety of people that visited the place, from outerwordly aliens to fancy locals that were often a target for their business. However, like a nexus didn't hunt that close to it's lair, they knew better than to commit open crimes that close to their homes. Even though the CorSec rarely visited the district, an agent of theirs could be nearby when you least expected it. Or they could do stake-outs just like the one last night. As in any other criminal organisations, people leaked and talked occasionally, an action that could cost the fools executing it a one-way trip to ''The Pit''.

Skillfully and swiftly cruising through the crowded streets, she soon ended up at the outdoor mall. Sort of in the middle of it, at the curb of the main street, was a popular fast-food joint amongst the locals. Consisting of an long outdoor counter with a roof above and about ten barstools along it. Behind the counter was the kitchen area where human staff worked hard to serve the guests todays lunches. The establishment had a small inside section to the right of it but Tan and most of the others prefered either take-away or sitting outside by the counter, offering more room for a quick disapearence if needed.

The Kintan derived alien stood waiting for her at the corner of the counter, having claimed two seats for them. The walk was refreshing but it had also made her even more hungry. ''Heya, big guy!'' She gave the nikto a smile and tapped him on the padded brown leather cuirass he wore on top of simple black coveralls. An old belt, stretching around the aliens rather massive build, in which he carried a blaster and a two simple but very effective vibro-blades. Weapons rarely needed by a nikto who could handle themselves pretty well in an unarmed brawl, but you never knew when you would end up in a gunfight in the district.

''You know what kinda joint I like, that's a good thing! Feth, I'm starving!'' she said as they took their seats. The smell of freshly prepared food reaching them. Slightly leaning on the counter, her green-yellowish eyes searched the menue above the kitchen.

''Oh, I know. Best place in Blue Sector.'' the nikto replied in knobbly basic.

Letting the menue go for a second, she looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

''Wow... You've been practicing your basic. Sounds good!'' she said with another smile before them both turned back to the menue, trying to descide about their lunch.

 

[The Midnight Man]

"Two." He said, displaying two fingers.​

​

The man behind the counter scowled, chewed on his lip, then nodded, bodily tossing the small package in Vincent's direction. The tall, handsomely forgettable Corellian caught the flowers, inhaling their scent immediately as they filled his vision... then his green eyes betrayed a hint of mirth, tossing the taller brute of a shopkeeper the agreed-upon amount, plus 1. Nyax turned smartly on a heel and strode away; leaving the red-faced bugger to collect the change. If he could find it.​

​

The large, open-air market was surprisingly busy, as literally anything could be found there. The Blue Sector, which surrounded the area, was notoriously dangerous, and The Family's influence was light, here. Taking his flowers, Vincent blended easily, taking a few moments to window-shop... wandering past stalls of clothing, roasting street-food, two gift shops selling hand-crafted artworks & decor, and a small hut filled with sunglasses of all shapes & sizes before he found the turn he'd been looking for. The street took him on a curve which dumped him out on the main road.​

​

Ahead, a popular fast-food restaurant seemed to be getting busy - he had an hour to kill until his appointment, and the bar provided the perfect opportunity for the assassin to practice one of his beloved hobbies...​

​

People-watching.​

​

Jorus Keter slid into a seat at the bar a few spaces away from the other occupants. He appeared distant, removed enough to seem at peace in quietude, minding his own business, easily lost in a crowd. He was dressed casually in grey, and wore a pair of glasses. The two small bouquets were laid on his left-hand side. He'd ordered a drink and a sandwich, his voice low.​

​

And Jorus waited. There were a few shops ahead, as well as an apartment entrance into a set of lofts - an alleyway broke off into a number of shops and split in two. This entire main section of the road was the gateway to The Row... and he hadn't seen it in a long time, indeed.​

​

[member="Tan'yill"]​

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

After some time of consideration she decided to go with a meaty sandwich and a jawa juice. From one of the pockets of her jacket, she dug up the credits for the meal and put them on the counter, pushing them over for the clerk to take. Her nikto companion went with the ahrisa, spicy balls made out of greens and meat substitute, served with haroun bread, and a cup of caf.

Even though this was a casual meeting, they both had learned to always keep her eyes open. You needed to in their business and in this part of Coronet, if you didn't want to end up in trouble. It was easy spotting coming and leaving people around the joints counter. She didn't recognize him though, the black haired man that just showed up. Strangers. Tourists. Outlanders. Potential targets for a quick and easy rob, but at another time and another place. The two meals was served them by the clerk and her stomach pulled her thoughts and discreet glance from the man back to why they were here.

[member="Vincent Nyax"]

 

[The Midnight Man]

With a sigh, the dark-headed man reached up to remove his glasses, massaging his eyelids. He seemed exhausted, but smiled easily enough at the few patrons seated at the outdoor restaurant... Making eye contact for the briefest of moments, enough to say "Hello", without really saying it. He replaced his glasses, blinking from behind them as-if he were clearing his vision. After a few moments, he reached into one of the pockets of his coat and produced a small data-pad; tapping the screen to wake it up, then placing it down on the counter in-front of him. Every few minutes, he'd appear to be typing on the screen, as-if he were making notes.​

​

The two small bouquets of flowers rested at his forearm.​

​

He was a handsome fellow, tall and thin, with a full head of pitch-black hair. Malachite-green eyes glimmered with intelligence, and he seemed to be seeing... everything. Every so often, he'd raise his head to pay attention to Treasure Ship Row; as-if he'd never experienced the Blue Sector, nor the sights & sounds of Corellia at its' most adventurous.​

​

His manner of dress was casual, as-if he were a scholar or lecturer - on Coruscant, the man could have been anything. He accepted the offered drink, speaking Basic and sounding as-if he were from someplace off-world. Perhaps deeper in the Core. With his drink, the green-eyed fellow busied himself with glancing about The Row, with all its' thriving presence. One could pick up conversations in a half-dozen dialects, and the constant shuffle of feet blended with music, and the scents of smells of an entire galaxy of cultures wove a tapestry of experience... A feeling all-too-often overlooked by natives. But not this one...​

​

This man seemed content to mind his own, inspecting the Row, eyeing store-fronts, watching faces beyond on the other side of the street, and glancing about like a curious onlooker. After a time, he received his food, delivered by one of the staff of the fast-food landmark, and paid immediately.

As he was eating, he checked a fine black & silver wrist-chron, continuing to take notes every so often, though his pace had slowed with his repast.​

​

[member="Tan'yill"]​

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

LOCATION: "THE ROW", CORONET CITY​

CURRENT MOOD: CONFIDANT​

​

Ghorua was not always the Shark. At the beginning of his career, he was known as the Fish.

Ghorua the Fish was a minor character. Not minor in size; his full height reached up to a respectable 8'9'', but minor in importance. He wore black, thick armor, and carried a laser gatler on his back. He was still just as bombastic and intimidating as the modern day, but back then, he was a blunt knife; he would just as soon cut himself with his own foolishness, trying to stab another.

A new bounty hunter, trying to make a name for himself.

- - -​

​

The Fish had never been to Coronet City before. He had to say, he wasn't impressed.

It felt dirtier than Coruscant, and only a step or two above Nar Shaddaa. It didn't have much that Ghorua cared about; he obviously couldn't be bothered with dingy street signs, or herds of people moving this way and that, or bad restaurants.

On second thought...

The Fish was here on a job, one of his first. He was hired by CorSec, to root out a few criminals. Yesterday, there was some kind of scrap, and CorSec got some faces for him to sniff out.

To be a successful hunter, fighting was less than half the battle. Play your cards right, the fight doesn't happen at all. That's what Valentine taught him, at least.

He was still getting the hang of that particular concept.

The enormous being walked through a mall, as if he owned everything inside. He wasn't in his armor, but his civilian clothes. Dark greys and blacks, accentuating his giant frame. He wasn't on the job yet, of course, but he still had his fair share of weapons on him. Vibroknife in his boot, blasters at his sides, gatler on his back. Ghorua couldn't help but notice that he hadn't been stopped on his way in by any security. Perhaps they were used to this particular breed of attire.

To be fair, he wasn't in the mall for business. He was hungry. He'd just arrived on the planet that morning, and needed sustenance. He hadn't even looked at the new briefing from last night yet.

The Herglic stepped under the roof of the restaurant, admiring the menu with tentative eyes. He ordered something cheap at the counter, and stepped to the side. The Fish absentmindedly looked over the crowd, letting others look at him. His skin was smooth, unmarred. Eyes, deeper than sinkholes, but holding an unquestionable spark of happiness to them. Perfect conical teeth, rounded into a soft smile.

He'd hadn't looked at the descriptions CorSec sent him yet. He'd get to that when he started eating.

- [member="Vincent Nyax"] - [member="Tan'yill"] -

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

The first bite of the sandwich made a look of satisfaction appear on her face. Not too surprising, their reputation as the best fast-food joint in the block still held up. After nights like this, a good meal that you didn't have to prepare yourself were most welcome. She munched down the bite with a sip from the cup of jawa juice. Glancing over on her nikto friend he was already half way through his meal. She smiled to herself and continued with the sandwich. Then, the appearance of the fish-like species was hard to miss. She had met alot of unusual species through her day job at the shipyard and the nights playing at the clubs of Coronet but this one was something she had never seen before. Towering over all else around the counter he had to duck under the roof. With the lack of pupils it almost felt like you didn't know where he was looking, so deep and so dark... To not be catched looking she went into the sandwich for another bite.

Suddenly, her datapad beeped and she took it out from inside her jacket and placed it on the counter, tapping on it. It was Mitch that had sent her a text message. It read: ''They're onto something. Keep low... And sorry. See you tonight.''. How thoughtful of him. Some times she thought he had split personalities. Now, he seemed to have gone back to who he were when they first met. She put the datapad back inside her jacket and took a discreet glance around them before taking a few good drinks of the juice.

[member="Vincent Nyax"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua took his time, that was for sure.

The meal wasn't bad, for mall food, but it was mall food. There was a hard cap there. Ghorua imagined this was what the best prison food looked like. Not good, but a few steps up from grey slop.

The Fish fished around his belt, and placed his holopad on the table he sat at. He booted it up absentmindedly, paying more attention to his sub-par food than the small list of suspects and brief video footage. It was a lot of information, given his experience with info-gathering. CorSec wanted these criminals enough to hire him, and went out of their way to give him the tools he needed to succeed. He would have to up his prices in the future.

Ghorua spared a glance at the holopad, and scanned over a few of the stills. The first face was the most distinct. A blue-skinned Twi'lek. Tattoos. Eyes that stared into his soul, even from the confines of the screen. The Shark took a moment to commit the face to memory. If he were being honest, those eyes would be hard to forget.

Ghorua suppressed the urge to look around his immediate area for his target. There was no way she was within eyesight at this very moment. It would have been incredibly unlikely that she was even still on-planet. Well, mildly unlikely. Which meant there was a chance...

No. Don't check. You'll look like an idiot.

But no one would know! No harm in taking a peek.

You'd know. And you'd kick yourself for it later.

The rational side of the Fish's brain won out, and he simply moved on to the next face, committing it to memory.

- [member="Tan'yill"] -

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

Almost finished with the sandwich, Mich's message made her feel uneasy inside. That gut feeling that told you something was off, something you could not put your finger on but made you think that someone were watching you. A concerned face grew upon her and her young green-yellowish eyes carefully swept over the people at the counter; No. None. None that her instincts, achieved from running in the underground, pointed out a possible agent or bounty hunter. Neither did she recognize anyone from any rival gang. The feeling hang onto her like a phantom.

She left the small bit of sandwich on the plate and finished the jawa juice, before grabbing a napkin from a nearby metal container and wiped her mouth. Not too hastely, as she did not want to look like she suddenly was in a hurry. She nudged her nikto friend in the side and glanced at him, nodding to him that it was time to leave the place. They both rose from the chairs and she took the lead past the counter.

That aquatic looking guy she saw earlier, right there by the table they were passing in this instant. Had he something to do with it? CorSec consisted of mostly humanoids, but would they employ him? He sure stood out from the crowd, most agents didn't want that, they wanted to blend in til the right time came to bring you in to their interrogation division.

Feth! She found herself not knowing for how long she had, yet discreetly, looked at him as they passed and quickly let her gaze off him. Not too fast and not too slow, they left the area of the food joint. The old but quite reliable tactic of getting lost in a crowd felt needed right now.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Vincent Nyax"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua finished looking at the last face, confident in his ability to remember them. He still had plenty of his food left; in his studies, he'd barely touched it. Didn't help that the food was awful.

The Fish put down the holopad, and finally took a scan around the room. He was half-hoping he would see them, but wasn't surprised when he didn't. His cheeks burnt a little as he realized what he'd done.

"Told you," he mumbled to himself.

Ghorua took a large bite of his slop, and politely scooted his seat out of the way for a passing blue twi'lek with striking eyes. He tried to scratch his brain. If he were on the run from CorSec, where would he go? Not off-planet, at least not immediately. The security force would be in arms up in the sky. Plus, many of these criminals probably lived on-planet. There would be nowhere to go. Which meant they were somewhere here...

Wait, wait, back up.

Passing blue twi'lek with striking eyes...

Ghorua not-so-sublty looked over his shoulder, catching eyes with the woman for a second. Deep black met amber-green, and Ghorua knew it was her. Then, like her, he slowly looked away, trying not to look conspicuous. When he checked over his shoulder again, she was at the door. And she wasn't alone.

Kark. I'm gonna lose them.

Abandoning subtlety entirely, the Fish stood up, and began to pick his way to the door as well. He would rely on his height over the crowd to keep eyes on the outlaws. How hard could blue be to spot, anyways?

- [member="Tan'yill"] -

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

They did not stop. They could not stop, something or someone observed them from a distance. She could feel it. The feeling instinctively made her feel for the KYD-21 blaster in its holster on her hip, just so it were where it should be if things hit the fan. The shaft of a sharp and deadly vibroblade stuck up from inside her left boot. Since long, the time in underground had teached her not to go stark naked, with a forged license she had fooled many cops and given them an invisible mental middle finger.

The time was past lunch and people had returned to many of their workplaces, but the Row were still fairly busy with people either having too much money not having to work as much or people having no money at all. She picked up the pace a little and skillfully cruised into a crowd and alongside a building wall, passing by shops and cafés. The nikto knew well what was going on and kept an eye out for any followers.

While in the hurry, she turned her head and suddenly spotted him a stone-throw away behind the nikto. His height and unusual species were not exactly made for this kind of cat and mouse game. She threw a glance up at her nikto friend.

''Hmm, I think we've got company... Just follow me and we'll loose him.'' she said and glanced back at their pursuer. ''If not... You know what to do... Come on!'' she continued coldly and turned forward again. Let's see who better knows the streets of Coronet, fish...

A moment later of criss-crossing through the crowd, they turned a corner and into a narrow alley, heading for the other side of the block.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

They saw him.

That was the only explanation to their movements. The Twi'lek led a Nikto across the mall, hugging walls and dipping between crowds. The only reason Ghorua could keep up was his size. The crowds parted for him as he walked, giving him a wide berth. The Herglic tried his best to tail at a reasonable pace, but he knew the jig was up when they ducked into a back street. And he knew they knew the jig was up. And they probably knew that he knew that they knew the jig was up.

What an interesting game they were playing.

Ghorua wasn't built for this game.

So let's cut out the middle man, eh?

Once he lost eyes on them, Ghorua began to push through the crowd at a quicker pace, illiciting a few grunts and yells. But it got him there. Ghorua wasn't particularly quick, but he had long strides, and made it to where he last saw them relatively quickly. He spied them there, going through a narrow alley.

That's a death trap, he thought to himself. He took off at a sprint around the building, hoping to cut them off around the other side of the block. He drew his two laser pistols, setting them to stun. He could only hope he could make it around quick enough to catch eyes on them again.

- [member="Tan'yill"] -

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

Hurrying through the narrow alleyway, they passed trash containers and side enterances to the various shops that inhabited the Row. Looking back past her nikto protector, she did not see anyone following them. A slight sigh left her lavender lips as they continued through the alley and right through an open fence and gate. The fish-like sentinent must have lost them, Hah! He was a slow one! She thought but did not get the time to reflect on their thought before the creature appeared in front of the end of the alley, blocking their way out. She must have misjudged the lenght around the block. Chit! How tall were he? Like 9 feet? With as big of a muscle?

Instinctively, she turned her blaster-side away from him and laid a hand on the now hidden blaster. Raising the other hand at him in a surrendering gesture, her slightly stressed green-yellowish gaze searched for his deep bottomless black eyes. She begun to back down very slowly, the vision of the enormous creature getting her heart starting to race. No! She couldn't be caught right now!

''H-hey, big guy...! Look, I don't realy know what you're looking for... But I can tell you, it ain't here with us...'' she said slightly surprised and continued to back down to her nikto protector.

''I'm sure we can sort something out, anyways... No need to brandish your blasters at us, right?'' she continued and tried to sound as convincing as possible. What could that tall sentinent want or need? Credits? Services? Information? As big of a tank he was, their gang could actually have alot of use of him. The red nikto frowned and straightened himself up with a self-assured stance, but did not draw his blasters just as of yet. If the fish would shoot first, he would shield her so that she could either fry the fish or escape back where they came from.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua had worked as hired muscle for a few years before making the shift to become more professional. He'd like to think he knew when someone was packing. It was the way they held themselves. They had a certain energy to them. Sometimes nervous, sometimes confident, always just under the surface. Ghorua would like to think he'd sensed that energy in the Twi'lek and the Nikto.

He didn't. He saw the way the woman swiveled to her side, hiding a hip holster. And the man wasn't exactly hiding his piece. That energy, he did recognize. The kind of energy that said 'if you do something I don't like, you've got a hole between your eyes'.

The Fish didn't want to get into a shootout without his armor. That certainly didn't favor him.

So when they started talking, Ghorua barely suppressed his sigh of relief. Now, he had to figure out how to keep this razor-thin peace. At least, until he came up with a new plan.

Why did I have to karking chase them?

"Hey yourself," The Fish said cautiously, his smooth bass voice marred by nervous tension. He kept his eyes on them, paying attention to their stances, where they held themselves. He had the advantage of his guns being out and drawn. He'd have to lean on that.

"Hands up, before we continue." Every syllable was slow, as Ghorua concentrated on their movements. Or, at least a hopeful lack of them. "Then... we can talk."

Ghorua took a step forward. A slow, tentative step, as if he were testing the waters.

How far could he push them?

- [member="Tan'yill"] -

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

''Hey! Not a step closer!'' she exclaimed demandingly when the sentinent clearly made tries to see how far he could go with the two gang members. She pinned his big black eyes with her own green-yellowish gaze, freezing in her slow back-up to the nikto to show she meant business with the demand. If the move worked or was just foolhardy were soon to be found out, but the truth was that they were two on one. The sentinents massive build did worry her, and the fact that he had the upper hand with drawn blasters did not ease that feeling. She could guess, but she wanted to know who he was and why he was following them.

''What do you think I am? Stupid?!'' she continued and held her stance with the arm raised, showing she would not do anything if he didn't.

''There's two of us and... one of you... Besides, you're clearly not knowing who you're dealing with. I wouldn't point a blaster at us if I were you...'' she said sternly in a ominous concealed threat.

The options raced through her head. Going up close with that thing would be a suicide, if not having the element of surprise with her and the vibroblade would cut through that smooth skin as a wooden knife through warm butter. Darting in the opposite direction, letting the nikto take the fight would be a first alternative to many but some how she relucted to that thought.

''Holster your blasters... and I promise I'll be much... much more convinced to talk to you.'' she said, trying to meet him half way without this situation getting out of control.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Okay, the answer is "not much".

Ghorua didn't take another step forward, staying light on his feet. He tried to read her body language, get the sense of how much of this was an act. He'd seen some footage. Got a face. But CorSec didn't give him a name. And that infuriated him. He really was walking in blind. She could be the greatest blaster this side of the Hydian Way, and he'd have no idea.

But when she told him to holster his blasters, he couldn't help but crack a smile. "Don't think so. Remember; two of you, one of me, right? This seems fair to me."

The Fish considered how to proceed. Maybe he could learn something. FIgure out why CorSec wanted these criminals so much. Catch them while they yammered, if things were going sour. And, he supposed he was genuinely curious. Why not just send their own guys after them?

He figured the best way to do that was after he caught them.

"So, tell me..."

He fired his blasters, pumping both triggers at the pair of them. Circular stun blasts rocketed out, blanketing the alleyway. Ghorua then crouched to the side, trying to protect his considerable girth from the inevitable counterattack.

- [member="Tan'yill"] -

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

Her intense green-yellowish gaze had learned from past experiences to look for the opponents small movements and tensions, theirs fists clenching or their fingers preparing to pull the trigget. Therefore, she foresaw that the fish would not just settle for her demands and the triggers being pulled at them. She threw herself to the side and behind the cover of a carbage container, drawing her own blaster in the move. She did not land particulary gracefully, more like crashed against the wall as one of the stun cones unfortunately hit one of her legs, making it numb.

Dam it! She thought as she saw the red nikto protector laying stunned on the ground of the narrow alley. A boiling mix of anger, fear and desperation overwhelmed her. One leg short were not ideal in this tight spot, it were devestating. She clenched the grip around the blaster and held it tight to her chest, trying to regain a bit of breath the adrenaline and feelings had taken from her.

She could put one and one together. Was it the CorSec intervention from last night? Had they sent this big bozo to apprehend her? About a year ago, she had spent some days in one of their interrogation cells, and had they taken drastic meassures recently to put preassure on the underground. You did not want to be there! She definately did not want to go there a second time!

''Mine is not set for stun...! I warn you...!'' she exclaimed while listening for his steps, if he would move on her and reveal himself for a spray of shots.

''What... What am I supposed to tell you, fish?'' she continued between slight panting, to meet his request a little bit.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua couldn't help but grin slightly as he got one, the Nikto passed out on the ground. Like a defenseless little babe. He might have clipped the other, he didn't see much of it as he took to the corner, peeking out the corner.

He heard the threat. More posturing. He figured she didn't want this any more than he did. Then again, he did just knock out her friend. Maybe that had something to do with it.

It dawned on Ghorua that this intense Twi'lek wasn't running. Either he had clipped her with the stun blast, or she was sticking around for the Nikto. Either way, it meant she wasn't going for a while. It'd take a long time, even a Nikto, to recover from that many stun blasts.

Then she spoke again. Ghorua couldn't help but smile, despite the tense situation.

"What'd you do to deserve me?"

Two outlaws who didn't know when to shut their mouths. Birds of a feather.

- [member="Tan'yill"] -

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

The situation were almost ludicrous. Ludicrous to the point that a chuckle left her to the fish's question, not knowing wether to laugh or break.

''I stole fething candy from a drall baby!'' she uttered sassily, throwing pure sarcasm all over the place. What had she not done? This was the blue sector, but the fish apparently didn't know half of all the shady and violent things that went down when the shops were closed and every ordinary man and woman slept safely in their beds.

''You never been here before, right? You're new in town!'' she said with another chuckle. ''I figured, because you seem to know next to nothing of how things are done around here!'' she stated and took a look at and checked the KYD-21 blaster she tightly held onto. The numb leg reminded her of the seriousness in the situation. She could still defend herself but she were pretty much stucked to where she was taking cover behind the container.

''You've read my file... What does it say? What are they paying you to hunt people like me just trying to survive?'' she asked, maybe not expecting an answer but the fish wanted to talk, so...

''Thinking about it... I've got a business proposition for you. I mean, whatever those corrupt and cheap cops are paying you we could double it!'' she laid it out for him, trying on a different approach.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Candy from a baby? Doubt CorSec would care.

Note to self; research what a 'drall' is.

"You're right!" He said, his voice carrying across the alley. "Don't know Corellia. I've never been here, so I see the confusion. But I do know how this works. You live. You fight. And eventually... You get caught." Ghorua's voice sharpened on that last statement. Perhaps he knew this life better than the criminal before him did. She may still be writing her tale, but he knew how it inevitably ended.

"Sure, I'll take your credits." he said, disregarding her question of wages. "Just step out into the open with them."

Ghorua sent a stun blast down the alley, to let her know he was joking, and remind himself as much as her that he was armed. And to attract any CorSec officials in the area. The Twi'lek and Nikto were on a timer, whether they knew it or not.

Valentine would've told Ghorua to leave it there. Charge the alley. Or back up, follow them to whatever hideout they thought was safe, when he had his full kit. They aren't people. They're acquisitions.

But that had never sat right with him. People were people. Survivors were people.

"Revise my question, then. What'd you do to survive?" He peeked the edge, to make sure they both were there. "Did you need that candy?"

- [member="Tan'yill"] -