Easy Street

[Darth Osano]

BASTION
RAVELIN - SLUM DISTRICT

[member="Kham Nakgul"] was a name that was floating around a lot these days. Someone who was earning their fair share of ill-repute. Some of it, maybe even most of it, undeserving or inaccurate. Maleagant, and by extension the Helix Syndicate, cared little about what Nakgul had done and cared more about what he could do. Trusted lieutenants and overseers were constantly being sought out by the Syndicate's vast network of informants. The Syndicate needed men that could do the job placed in front of them with no questions asked and no fuss given. They had determined that Nakgul would be a worthwhile man to pursue in that regard.

Maleagant was sympathetic to Kham's recent acquisition of... Unwanted attention, to put it lightly. He chose a meeting spot that would allow Kham a level of discretion. There would be all sorts of hunters milling about looking for the man, after all. An abandoned alleyway in one of the city of Ravelin's many slum districts. Nakgul would not have to worry particularly much over being harassed by criminals. The Helix Syndicate kept a tight grip on this section of the slung through a proxy gang. But just in case, Maleagant was not alone. Two Helix Syndicate Specialists stood on either side of him within the alley as they waited for Nakgul to appear.

The only question now would be how long Nakgul decided to keep a potential employer waiting.

 

[Sauron Saxon]

[member="Maleagant"]

Kham walked through the streets only accompanied by his trusted companion, KX-5MO, @Are you sure this is a good idea sir? The chances of you being recognised are 78.735%. And the odds of the man you are meeting being a bounty hunter are 86.93%. As of right now it is most unwise to be out in public." Kham's eyelid started to twitch, though he was useful, KX-5MO could get on people nerves at times. What's the chance of you being broken? Kham thought, he turned into the alleyway followed by his droid, "I was told to come here by a operative of a corporation." Kham said, and by corporation he meant the Helix Syndicate. "What is your name?" KX-5MO simply stood in the background running more numbers on the odds of him and Kham being able to defeat the three men in front of them.

 

[Darth Osano]

Maleagant was only lightly armed, a sinister looking disruptor pistol hanging in a holster at his side. The two Specialists beside him were carrying powerful looking slugthrowers, but as of now showed no signs of intending to use them. Everyone else who had turned into this alleyway had turned right around after seeing the trio waiting there. That left very little room for this person to be anyone other than who they were waiting for. Red eyes sized up the exiled Witch King and his droid companion for a moment. "You must be Kham." He said. "I am Maleagant."

As most people, especially his employees, come to find out, Maleagant was not big on talking. He kept his sentences as short as his position would allow. Too much talking was too much time spent on inaction, and Maleagant much preferred to be a man of incisive, decisive action. That was how this Syndicate had been built, that was how it would continue to grow. And if things went exactly as planned, Kham Nakgul would be instrumental in ensuring that growth continued.

The humanoid continued, voice failing to shift from an aloof monotone. "You're being considered for a role in my Syndicate. What skills can you bring to the table?"

Maleagant already had a loose, incomplete idea. But it would be more interesting to hear how [member="Kham Nakgul"] described himself.

 

[Sauron Saxon]

"I can bring ships, technology lightsabers, useful though they are I find them annoying, and money. But as for me, contacts, information, skills with weaponry and stealth, among other things" Kham said in reply to the man's question, "But what do I get out of it? I will not help you for free. That would be pointless."


(OOC: Apologies for the short post.)
[member="Maleagant"]

 

[Darth Osano]

Interesting. [member="Kham Nakgul"] had more at his disposal than Maleagant had originally guessed. Anyone coming from nobility, exiled or not, was going to have access to enough credits to pursue things like contacts and information networks. But there was only so much that could be done alone. A noteworthy endeavor, certainly. Perhaps if Nakgul had Syndicate resources behind him, he could accomplish more. Only perhaps, though. Maleagant doubted either of them would ever find out for sure. "You will be paid. Handsomely. Ten thousand a month so long as quotas are met."

The humanoid nodded to one of the Specialists, who activated a holoprojector mounted on his helmet. An image of the planet Ryloth appeared, hovering in between the two parties. A location somewhere in the mountainous South of the planet's Eastern hemisphere was indicated with a glowing dot. Maleagant clearly had something specific in mind for this one.

"You will take over a spice mine on Ryloth from one of our competitors." He explained. "Most of the spice will go to me. You will keep whats left for your own ends and receive a cut of what the Syndicate makes from its sale elsewhere."

Above all else, the Helix Syndicate was a business. And running a good business meant keeping its overseers happy. So long as Kham kept up with demands, he would stand to make a huge sum of money. The hologram flickered off, abruptly returning the alleyway back into darkness.

"A division of my Enforcers will accompany you. They are waiting for us in our headquarters on Dubrillion if you choose to accept."

 

[Sauron Saxon]

"I'll do it. It seems easy enough. But may I use my own men, they are most likely better trained than yours." Kham said, he had no need for credits. But perhaps they would help him reclaim his throne later. All was well. "Will you be accompanying us, or shall I go alone?" This would be easy and Kham would be able to attend to other business soon. "I trust that someone already is in possession of the mine, or else you would already have taken it." Criminal ties were always useful, which is why most governments didn't want their people to have them. And it was precisely why Kham wanted them. After his questions had been answered Kham would turn to his his droid and say "KX-5MO ready my ship, we have places to be. And summon the Wraiths, they shall be accompanying us."

[member="Maleagant"]

 

[Darth Osano]

Maleagant frowned. An individual as... Skilled as [member="Kham Nakgul"] should have had no issue fighting alongside the forces of the Syndicate, accused gulf in training notwithstanding. Besides, it was imperative that the surrounding spice lords of Ryloth be made aware it was the Helix Syndicate who were ready to muscle over their turf if they stepped out of line. These Wraiths had no brand recognition, or at least not the brand recognition Maleagant apparently wanted. If they wanted to fight alongside the Enforcers, however...

"Your men may meet us on Ryloth." He said. "They will not be enough by themselves."

Ryloth's economy was based around spice mining. That and slavery. The Twi'lek spice princes did not easily part with their property. There would be a colossal battle, Maleagant imagined, and many people would die if it ever took place. But the Syndicate simply had to send a message.

The humanoid folded his arms over his chest. "You will not be able to locate our headquarters on your own. I recommend you join me aboard our own shuttle. Once we join my Enforcers at Fort Amaranth, we will proceed straight to Ryloth."

 

[Sauron Saxon]

"Of course. I would not want to offend you." Kham said, "Much. I will join you on your shuttle, and send my men to wait for us near the coordinates." Kham hated relying on others, but he would do so if necessary. "KX, belay that order. have the Wraiths meet us at the Coordinates given to us by our new... acquaintances." Kham would follow the other man's lead, for now. Though no one would be able to see, due to his wearing his armor, Kham's face was no longer in possession of a happy expression, in fact, his expression was that of a frustrated man.

[member="Maleagant"]

 

[Darth Osano]

Maleagant gave no indication of knowing Kham's expression one way or another. His emotional outlook was not especially relevant to Maleagant, only what money he could bring to his organization. "Follow me, please." He uncrossed his arms and clasped his hands behind his back, leading the two Specialists that had accompanied him out of the alleyway. [member="Kham Nakgul"] and his droid were presumed to follow.

The Syndicate's shuttle had not been grounded terribly far from where they had met. It was in a section of an abandoned spaceport, the walls crumbling around. They entered the remains of the hangar bay through a portion of the wall that had crumbled away. The shuttle waiting for them was not terribly remarkable- it was a civilian make and model. No weapons, only a basic shield generator, but an efficient hyper drive and a more than comfortable exterior. In addition to the two Specialists that had accompanied Maleagant to the meeting, three had been posted outside as guards. They remained at their posts until the four and the droid were aboard, joining them momentarily. After that, the loading ramp closed behind them and the engines fired up.

Inside, the shuttle was spacious and lavish. Clearly meant to entertain wealthy passengers. There were several tables, couches, a bar, a refresher. Only the finest. Two other doors led to the cockpit and the storage bay, which the three Specialists who had been standing guard excused themselves to.

"Make yourself comfortable." He said, settling down on one of the couches himself. He dismissed the two Specialists accompanying them with a flick of his wrist, and the two guards went to sit by themselves at a nearby table. "This should be a short trip."

The two planets, Dubrillion and Bastion, were not terribly far apart, after all.

 

[Sauron Saxon]

Kham followed the man, KX following Kham, to the shuttle. Kham would sit down without comment and await their arrival, but not without asking a question first, "So, I assume the plant is occupied with resistance to you. If so, do you know their strength?" This would be vital to how he planned, if their was only a few he could easily dispose of them without an alarm going off. If there were many, then stealth would be the best approach.

[member="Maleagant"]

 

[Darth Osano]

The shuttles engines became audible in the cabin as it lifted off, carrying its assortment of passengers up and out of the atmosphere. Not that there was very much to see, as the windows appeared to have been replaced with blast shields. Except for the cockpit, of course. As the planet's gravity well, Maleagant reclined, folding his arms and kicking his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. It appeared as though he was relaxing, but he answered [member="Kham Nakgul"]'s question anyway.

"The spice mine is owned by the Diatti Consortium. It's one of the largest on the planet." He said. "They employ some six hundred guards. Anti-air turrets. A shield generator. Tanks."

It was important to target one of the larger consortiums first. Made the message more clear. If they started picking off the weaker ones first, it would only give the other slave-lords the time to form a coalition to evict them. Targeting the Diatti would paralyze the others with fear. Either that or bring them to the bargaining table, which would be beneficial for everyone involved.

"We will have the hardware to match them, don't worry."