Private Desperate times ask for a pair of good thieves

[Neriya Dahle]

“I gotta say,” said Neriya Dahle, carefully balancing her chair on its hind legs. “whoever the dude was who thought ta be smart and hire mercenaries, has gotta rethink their life choices.”

She received a look of annoyance from the man on the opposite side of the desk. A quick glance at his name tag told her that his last name was Ecken.

“The governor insisted that this matter be handled discretely by a third party.” Ecken said.

“Could’ve hired a P.I. or somethin’.”

Ecken’s face twisted in anger. “Would you like to be escorted back, Miss Dahle? Rot away in your drafty cell?” Ecken snarled. “Make no mistake, we have plenty of other prisoners to take your place. You are a disposable tool to us, Miss Dahle. And that is all.”

A smile played about her lips at his outburst. The governor had to be desperate to turn to captives, Neri thought.

“Aight. I’ll shuddup.” said Neri casually, raising her hands in defeat. It wasn’t the first-time people lost their patience with her. Although she had to admit, Ecken’s fuse was shorter than most.

Immediately after her bold claim, Neri spoke up again. “So uhh, ya gonna tell me what it is that I gotta do?” She could tell by his eyes that he wanted her out as quickly as possible.

Ecken let out a sigh. “It began as a series of robberies first, " he began. "data from private servers. Then jewels and other valuable goods. But as of last month, murder. We don't know a thing about this figure. Nothing. All we know as that they're targeting authority figures, celebrities, and anyone who comes after them.”

“So ya want me to catch ‘em?”

“You will catch them.” Ecken corrected her. “And don’t even think about trying anything funny. We will be watching you both.”

“Both?” Neri asked, leaning forward.

“Yes.” said Ecken. “We have selected a partner for you. He will be joining us shortly.”

Konor ​

 

[Konor]

Konor's palms rested on the surface of his cell's energy shield as he hunched over, forehead pressed hard against it. An annoyed sigh escaped him as the jumpsuit wearing prisoner finally moved his head away. The half-Sephi scratched his head before running his fingers through his hair, pacing around his cell in exasperation. Four heavily armed guards then suddenly appeared outside of his cell

"Congratulations, you're gettin' out." one of the guards said rather sarcastically.

"'Bout time you schuttas let me outta here, I told ya I was with Admiral Chaussidier." Konor exclaimed as they unlocked his cell and led him toward the office. "Lucky I don't snap you all in half." he grumbled as they entered the office, it was an empty threat, the outlaw was ten times stronger than the average man but his guard were armed and ready to put him down if he caused any trouble. His wrists and ankles were bound, cuffed with a purple chain of energy holding them together. The guards led Konor into a seat next to a familiar looking woman.

"What's the big idea anyway?" he scoffed, screwing his face into an exasperated expression. The half-Sephi found himself in the embarrassing predicament of being caught attempting to steal some data that related to the origins of his birth and his mother's fate. Fortunately, working for good ol' Admiral Geezer gave him some pull and, right now, he thought this meeting was the result of that.

Until it wasn't. This Ecken guy filled him in on the situation which lasted about five minutes. Shaking his head, Konor scoffed "Yer kiddin' me, right? I'm what ya call 'hired muscle'. I don't got the brains for this kinda stuff. Why me?" Konor argued as he cast a glance to the woman next to him "Why can't she handle it?" he paused for a moment "I did tell ya I know Admiral Chaussidier, right?"

"Only about a hundred times." Ecken sighed "Chaussidier might have put in a good word for you with the governor. You help us with this case, we set you free."

Konor looked at the woman next to him, then at Ecken, this repeated about three more times before he shrugged. "Seems fair." sucking air through his lips, he plastered on a cocky smile "Can I have my stuff back?"

Neriya Dahle

 

[Neriya Dahle]

Neri turned to glance over her shoulder once the door slid open. She didn't want a partner. It would just be another factor she had to take into account. Someone who could disrupt her schemes, and stand in the way of her escape.

Because there was no way she'd ever agree to this terms.

Willingly putting herself in harm's way? Risk her life to catch a notorious killer? All to become eligible for a parole? It was a ridiculous offer, or so Neri thought. But that made things only more complicated. She couldn't imagine that Ecken hadn't realized how shady these terms were. So had they done this on purpose?

"Oh," said Neri. "It's you!" She placed a finger against her chin, thinking. "Kandor, isn't it?"

"This is Konor," Ecken corrected her sharply. "and he will assist you on this mission."

Neri smirked. "I know, I know." In truth, she didn't. "Gotta tease him a lil'."

After Ecken brought him up-to-date on the current situation, Konor spoke up. "Yer kiddin' me, right? I'm what ya call 'hired muscle'. I don't got the brains for this kinda stuff. Why me?" Neri winked back as he glanced at her. "Why can't she handle it?"

"I agree, you probably won't be of any use to us." said Ecken coldly. "But this serial killer was a masterful burglar. According to our records, so are you. Perhaps you'll bring some insights we have overlooked." he explained. "And as for why miss Dahle can't handle this alone? Well, she has a reputation for being deceptive and unreliable. That is why your purpose is twofold, Konor." Ecken raised a finger. "One. Provide us with your insights." He raised another. "Two. Keep miss Dahle in check."

Neri folded her arms. "Now hold up," she protested. "I don't need a babysitter."

Ecken's brow furrowed. "Clearly miss Dahle, you do." Ecken countered. "Now, do you have any other questions before we send you off?"

Konor ​

 

[Konor]

Judging by the lady's familiarity with him, they had met before... was it business or pleasure? Regardless, Konor questioned why it was so difficult to remember her. Following Konor's reluctance to aid in this murder mystery, he listened to Ecken's blunt response which, to be honest, caught him off guard. Konor leaned back in feigned shock

"Ouch." he uttered "Straight faced and brutally honest. They don't make 'em like you anymore, Eckster." his semi serious demeanour returned as the half-Sephi recalled Ecken's explanation of why he'd be accompanying 'Miss Dahle'... Miss Dale? That name seemed so familiar, Damn, he thought to himself. He really couldn't remember. Konor shook his head as he returned to the current topic at hand. So, Ecken needed Konor to play guard dog and make sure this Dahle chick doesn't try anything stupid - that and any insights due to his past as a thief. Ecken didn't seem stupid, why would he trust Konor to be on his best behaviour when he could just as easy cause problems and escape?

"Now, do you have any questions before we send you off?" Ecken asked, brows furrowed with a face as stern as Admiral Geezer's. Almost.

Konor huffed through his nostrils and raised an eyebrow in Ecken's direction "What's the catch? You know I'm just as shady as her, why trust me?" Konor asked, crossing one leg over the other.

Ecken smirked, interlacing his fingers together as he adjusted his position in his seat. "Well, self-proclaimed 'Legendary Outlaw', we know how much you value that suit of yours." was that a hint of joy in his voice? "To make sure you're on your best behavior, our techies have uploaded a virus to your suit. If you try anything and I do mean anything, that I deem suspicious. You, and that suit of yours go--" Ecken expanded his hands and made a "poof" sound, mimicking an explosion. Well, that was loud and clear.

Leaning back in defeat, Konor scoffed "Wow." an expression of shock married his tanned features "Cold blooded too, huh. Knew I liked ya, Eckster."

And with that Ecken had secured Konor's loyalty, at least for now. As if on cue, one of the guards entered the office and dropped Konor's suit on the table and unlocked Konor's cuffs on his wrists and ankles before swifty exiting. Ecken then quickly ushered the two outlaws out of his office "Report to Officer Hixins, he'll take you to the crime scene". Doing as he was told, Konor quickly grabbed his suit and scurried out.

As they stood outside the office, Konor raised his shoulders and then lowered them as he released a deep breath "Well, that was something." inflating his cheeks, Konor scratched his head and filled the silence "Sooooo, I'mma get changed." he stated, pointing toward a nearby bathroom. "See ya later, hot stuff."

Neriya Dahle

 

[Neriya Dahle]

She saw it flicker in his eyes. The search for familiarity, and the confusion at the mention of her name. She kept a straight face as she observed it, and made a mental note of it. If she played this well, she had a potential edge over her 'supervisor' right from the start.

Yes, it was a good card to be dealt.

"Uhh question." said Neri, raising her hand. "Can I get my stuff too? I ain't got anything advanced, but this jumpsuit?" She pulled at the loose grey fabric. "It's a bit tacky."

Eckster's smirk faded as he was forced to interact with her again. "A change of clothes. That's all you're asking?"

"And my blaster?" She tried.

"Out of the question." Eckster said.

"Out of the question." Neri repeated.

He then ushered the two guards out of his office, and continued. "Report to Officer Hixins, he'll take you to the crime scene." That seemingly marked the end of their conversation. Forced out of his office, and left alone with the other unfortunate soul chosen to hunt down this serial killer.

Konor was the first to break the silence. "Well, that was something."

"T'was to be expected." Neri chuckled. "They're all a lil' uptight after the riot." She purposely left out who had been the one to cause it. "But hey, at least we'll be getting some fresh air again. S'been a while."

A short silence filled the corridor.

"Sooooo, I'mma get changed."

She followed his finger to the bathroom. "What, ye gonna get changed in there?" Neri said in disbelief. "But there's nobody here!" she pointed at herself. "Is it cause of me?" She folded her arms. "Sheesh. After all we've been through together..."

Konor ​

 

[Konor]

Raising an eyebrow at her comment about the infamous riot, her allusion to the culprit being herself earned her a smirk, he nodded as to convey a 'nice' before announcing that he was going to get changed. She stopped him in protest of heading toward the bathroom with the argument of "After all they'd been through together".

Konor stopped and spun on his heel to face her before letting out a confident chuckle while pointing at her "Ah-ha, very funny. I think I'd remember rollin' around in sheets with a lady as fine as you. Nice try, Dahle. But, you're welcome to come with if you wanna see peak physical excellence." he bluffed, he really couldn't remember but it was clear they had some sort of history judging by how comfortable she was with him-- unless, this was all some sort of ploy. He shook his head, thinking too hard hurt his head and he continued on his way to the bathroom.

After getting changed, Konor stood in front of one of the bathroom mirrors and leaned over the sink, unmasked and staring at his reflection. "Hoo boy, ya really done it now, Kon. Chaussidier ain't gettin' you outta this one." he sighed. Konor stepped back and examined his suit and huffed "They really got a virus up in here? Or are they bluffin'?" after a few seconds, the outlaw threw his mask on and let out a long "Naaaaaaw. Not gonna risk it." before exiting the bathroom.

Whether Neriya actually took him up on his offer or went to Officer Hixins, Konor made his way to where he assumed the cop would be, which was probably at the main entrance. Officer Hixins was there waiting at the entrance like he expected. Hixins was a Weequay who looked like he had a stick up his ass, and judging by his screwed up face and folded arms, he was none too happy about working with criminals.

"Why the long face, Hixins? If I'm a bad boy you get to blow me and my suit up. Sounds like a blast to me." he quipped, nudging Neriya to signify that the pun was most certainly intended.

Hixins sighed "Follow me, you damn degenerates." waving the two outlaws along and toward his police cruiser.

Stopping at the speeder door, Konor gestured for Neriya to enter first before going in after her. This was going to be interesting to say the least.

Neriya Dahle