Following A Lead...

[Sylis Eldurra]

Sylis Eldurra was walking through the congested boardwalk of Coruscant's lower levels when he got a sudden chill up his spine. He couldn't escape the feeling that someone had been watching him. Usually, he managed not to draw any unwarranted attention. Outside of having a slightly above average build for a human, his unassuming features—dark skin, black hair, brown eyes—allowed him to blend in with the crowd effortlessly. He wore a grey form-fitting undershirt with a slightly darker grey pair of pants. The thin jacket over his shirt made it convenient for hiding his shoulder holstered blasters, and the heavy leather flight jacket he wore over that added a comforting layer of protection with Amorweave interwoven beneath the inner fur lining.

He'd stick out like a sore thumb in Coruscant's upper levels, but down below, it was much like Nar Shaddaa. The rotten stench of the alleyways and the heaps of garbage strewn about reminded him a lot the world he currently called home. With only the street lights to provide a light source for a level so far away from the surface, the gloomy dark atmosphere made it easy for Sylis to disappear in the sea of underprivileged citizens and average lowlifes.

He darted left into a cantina to confirm his suspicions. Once inside, he moved cautiously through the crowd of people enjoying the loud music. It was a busy night. Various alien species were dancing vigorously with one another while neon lights covered them from head to toe. It was jarring having to move through it, but Sylis was focused and made sure to keep a keen eye out for his stalker. He leaned on a support beam and waited.

"Come on...Take the bait." he said to himself.

After a moment, he saw the silhouette of a figure appear in the entrance of the cantina. It was an average-sized humanoid creature with tall cone-shaped horns on its head. It had a rugged look and seemed to have an impressive muscular definition, visible even under the cloak it was wearing. As it moved through the doorway, the neon lights made it a little clearer to tell what it was. The cone-shape horns were mandrels connected to long head tails that drooped down to its chest. The vibrant color patterns on its head and face made it clear that Sylis's stalker was a Togrutan male.

Sylis could tell that the alien was trying to be inconspicuous. To an average person, spotting the weapons on a cloaked individual was hard enough, but it was obvious this person was heavily armed, at least to Sylis. Outfitted with two thigh holstered blasters, a fully armed utility belt, and a vibroblade attached to his chest rig, the Togruta slowly moved through the crowd. He was most likely a bounty hunter hired to kill Sylis, but why? He'd always been careful not to piss off any criminals when he pulled jobs, at least not too much. Never enough to warrant a bounty being placed on his head. Then, as the alien moved further into the crowd, it suddenly dawned on Sylis why the alien might have been after him.

Agrippa must have gotten word that somebody stole his latest shipment of weapons, weapons that Sylis was supposed to deliver. In all the years working for the Hutt, no one ever got the drop on Sylis, not like that. It was bad enough that someone knew where and when to hit the shipment, but those weapons were under Sylis's watch. If word got out, it wouldn't have been good for his illustrious reputation.

Sylis then moved from the support beam to an empty booth while keeping both eyes on the Togruta, making sure not to lose sight of him. The cantina was dimly lit with dark blue lights, and the neon lights only covered the dance floor. In the booth, warm iridescent lighting illuminated Sylis. It revealed where he was in the room. Soon, the bounty hunter saw him, and they both met each other's gaze. Realizing he'd been spotted, the Togruta intensified his stare while slowly reaching for one of his blasters. He took one step when suddenly, a small group of people walked by the booth Sylis was sitting at. As soon as they passed, Sylis vanished, seemingly into thin air.

Cautiously surprised, the Torgruta tried to trace where Sylis could have gone. He first looked at the small group that just passed by and found no trace of him. Searching slightly more franticly, the bounty hunter started looking all around the room, skimming as many faces as he could to reacquire his target. Then, he noticed the flourish of a leather flight jacket leaving out of the cantina's back door.

"Got you..." the Togruta whispered.

He moved quickly to pursue his prey. He pushed and shoved those dancing on the dance floor and headed to the back. Aggressively pushing the door open, he exited the cantina, and the loud slam against the alleyway wall frightened a group of Loth-cats scavenging for food. As they scurried away, the Togruta slowly began to move, darting his eyes left and right.

"Looking for someone?" said Sylis.

With a sudden stop, the Togruta reached for his blaster and looked over his shoulder. There Sylis was, standing behind him, just as mysteriously as he vanished. Reg could see slight bewilderment on the alien's face as it turned around to face him.

"You snuck up on me," said the Torgruta. "No one sneaks up on me."
"Well, there's a first time for everything," Sylis said brazenly.
The Togruta smirked. "I guess what they say about you true. You are a magician."
"What do you want?" Sylis asked a little more firmly.
"You," he replied. "As you've might have guessed, I've have been hired to kill you."
"I don't remember pissing anyone off that much," Sylis said as he stroked his chin. "Who would want me dead?"
"It doesn't matter. You'll be too dead to do anything about it."

The Togruta gripped the handle of his blaster holstered on his right. Seeing this, Sylis quickly drew his own heavy blaster pistol and fired a single shot. With the blaster bolt nearly missing him, the Togruta dodged out of the way. At the same time, he drew his weapons and sprung himself off the wall, ascending high off the ground. With a swift gesture, the bounty hunter clicked a button on his utility belt, activated his rocket boots, and then fired three shots at Sylis. Not noticing the rocket boots beforehand, Sylis was surprised to see his attacker was flying in the air. Luckily, he was focused enough to react to the incoming fire. Lunging himself forward in a dive roll, Sylis managed to dodge the blaster bolts. The forward momentum lifted him up enough to vault over a large crate to take cover. The Togruta then fired ten more shots in Sylis's direction.

Now under heavy fire, Sylis drew his second blaster pistol and waited for an opening. The deep hum of his assailant's blaster fire was almost deafening in the narrow alleyway. He could feel the crate move from the impact of the blaster bolts, and the bright flashes from the sparks bursting off of his surroundings were almost blinding. Sylis's senses were flooded with the smell of chard debris and the sound of bolts splashing on the ground. Sylis knew he couldn't peak out to take a shot. There was no way for him to shoot without getting hit himself. He was pinned. Stressed and under pressure, Sylis looked around to see if anything could help him get out of this situation. All there was were some loose trash and scraps of metal. Then, he spotted a rusty pipe almost on the other side of the alleyway. He knew what he needed to do. Re-holstering one of his blasters, Sylis prepared himself.

Focused, Sylis dived out of cover and rolled towards the pipe. Seeing this, the Torgruta adjusted his fire. In that split second, Sylis managed to point his blaster at the alien as soon as he was upright. He moved too fast to focus his aim, so Sylis pointed and trailed his blaster in the Togruta's direction. Somehow, he knew where the alien was going to be without looking at him. With bolts flying all around him, Sylis fired a single shot, and in one fluid motion, he grabbed the rusty pipe the moment the blaster bolt left the barrel of his heavy blaster pistol. The Togruta was hit on the left of his chest armor. Then, Sylis pivots and throws the pipe at an angle, hitting the Togruta hard enough to knock him off his balance. His rocket boots began to jet forward and flew him downward. The Togruta lands hard on the ground, with an audible thud echoing off the walls.

Seeing this, Sylis takes this opportunity to charge his assailant. Before the bounty hunter could get up, Sylis steps on one of the Togruta's hands, partially pinning him and one of his blasters to the ground. The bounty hunter tried to raise his other blaster, but Sylis slapped it out of the way and attempts to point his own blaster at the Togruta to shoot him point-blank. Before he could shoot, the Togruta managed to yank his hand out from under Sylis, pivot, and grab the blaster with his other hand. Now off-balance, Sylis tried to fire a shot but missed. The Togruta also tried to fire, but Sylis managed to grab the blaster before he was in its line of fire. The Togruta kicked one of Sylis's legs, putting him further off balance, then yanked Sylis's blaster and torques his body to lung Sylis forward. Disarmed and in an awkward stance, Sylis needed to regain the advantage. Repositioning himself, Sylis managed to lean over the Togruta to gain leverage and yanked his blaster out of his hand. Sylis went for an elbow strike to the face, but the Togruta dodged it and pushed Sylis off him. They both quickly got up and prepared themselves.

After a moment, the Togruta stepped forward and threw a front kick. Sylis blocked it, and in one fluid motion, took a step forward and put the Togruta in a rear arm-triangle chokehold. He jerked and twisted, trying to get out, but Sylis had him trapped. As a last resort, the Togruta reached for his utility belt with his free hand and discreetly sent out a distress beacon. Sylis now knew he had a bounty on his head, but he didn't necessarily know how many bounty hunters were after him. For all he knew, this Togruta was acting alone. However, he wasn't alone, and unbeknownst to Sylis, this encounter was about to get far more dangerous.






Dracken Pryce Agrippa Agrippa The Hutt

 

[Lao Pak]

Lao Pak's com beeped, its chime nearly lost in the thump of music that rocked the hovering cloud car. It was a MSL from Daw Motors, an older model from a few years back. It still cost more than most people on his homeworld made in ten standard years of hard labor, especially with the economy now, not to mention the Black Wing virus that still left entire sectors in heavily enforced quarantine that essentially ensured the death of all within.

But Lao Pak was far past that stage of his life. He'd never liked the planet anyways and the life of a high rolling mercenary and information broker suited him. If his luck kept going the way it was it wouldn't be long until he was a Fixer. Then he could start working his way into the various crime groups. Black Suns, Hutt Cartel, Crimson Dawn, hell even the Pykes would be good to work for. He'd learned to steer clear of the Atrisians. Especially the ones on Coruscant. The leaders here were too formal for his excentricities and the second most powerful and influential group on Corellia was just plain crazy. Cyber ninjas and near all-out war with CorSec in the undercities...Just not his style.

The music thumped and pulsated seductively in the low light of the interior glow rods that lined the ceiling casting the occupants in low purple light. Thick, sweet-smelling smoke filled the air along with laughter and idle chitchat. Lao Pak gripped the hose and pulled the mouthpiece to his lips and took a long drag, holding the smoke in his chest before letting out a long stream of smoke. It flew over his compatriots causing a flurry of giggles from the girls and a wide grin from the man they were clinging to. He was a large Devaronian, one of his horns sliced flat, he claimed by a lightsaber. His red skin took on a purple sheen in the light and his thick beard head smears of lipstick on it. The two girls in his massive arms were a Devaronain of the furred variety, her pelt a healthy white, and a Zeltron with blue hair and bright pink skin that melded nicely with the lighting. On Pak's side, he had a well curved Miriallian University student snuggled into his chest. Oh, and L9, his annoying co-pilot and partner in crime. His gunmetal frame and skull-like face didn't dampen the mood, however. The Zeltron's pheromones were doing their job and along with the Spice, there was a sort of lucidity in the group that couldn't stop them from grinning.

Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep. Lao Pak ignored it.

The scrunched up form of L9 turned its photoreceptors to his compatriot and then to the blinking com in his chest pocket.

"Master Lao Pak," he said, his voice polite, not unlike a protocol droid. Lao Pak rolled his eyes and took another drag, blowing it into the giggling face of his lady friend. "Ah," said the droid, turning its head to look straight ahead. Its eyes flashed green and then the thumping car began to move, jolting the passengers and sending the girls into a panic.

"Haaaaiyaaa, what you doing? Dumb droid!" Lao Pak kicked the Corellian Hunter Killer.

"Where are we going Pak?" came the gruff voice of the Devaronian. The Car responded.

"We have an engagement. Unfortunately, I will be dropping you off here." Suddenly without warning, Lao Pak's safety harnes strapped itself and the car tipped to the side, its doors open wide. The party ensamble screamed and fell out onto a platform.

"HEY!! YOU OWE ME FOR THAT SPICE!!!" The Devaronian took out his blaster and fired at the escaping car. Lao Pak felt as if his heart would leap out of his chest. Lao Pak's face was a mask of surprise and amusement as they sped away.

​

"She was good girl L9!" Lao Pak whined.

"Sir, she called you Uncle." Lao Pak pouted and grumbled. He wasn't even that old! The car flew through the city tracing the beacon and Lao Pak sighed pressing a button on the armrest of his chair. The opposite side of the car, where his fellow revelers had been sitting flipped. Unbuckling himself he reached over and grabbed a blaster out of the weapons rack that turned to meet him. He checked the charge pack and the gas and when he was satisfied he shoved it haphazardly in the small of his back. He had Veshets on both arms but he always liked to take something with a little more umph. The car flew over one of the pits that led to deeper levels for air traffic and shortly they were floating over an alley where the beeping was almost incessant. The bastard must have clicked it twice. With a sigh Lao Pak opened his car door, the smoke escaping as a rush of Coruscant evening air flushed in. It stank of the lower levels and he hated it.

"hup!" He fell to the alley with a squelch and he groaned. "Not the new shoes! Ughh," he had landed in a pule of muk. Frowning, he reached into the small of his back and pointed his blaster at Arnis. The Togruta looked beat up but oh well.

"Why you no handle this?" He asked harshly, "Why freelancer always sooo stupid? Always need help." A moment later a loud metallic thud rang out as L9 landed beside him, its eyes flashing red and then yellow as it stood towering over Lao Pak, its gaze fixed squarely on Arnis Oprin. No weapons had deployed from its yet though.

"Sir, there is a 97% chance the authorities were called when we dumped your guests. They will probably be tracking us. We must hurry if we do not want to lead the authorities to our bounty." Lao Pak groaned and looked up at the droid.

"That your fault," he shouted and pushed a finger int the chest of the droid. Bounty hunting was illegal on Coruscant unless it was authorized by the government. And this certainly wasn't authorized. He focused his glare back on the smuggler then on his freelancer partner.

"Mehhh," he said, his face contorting into a half frown half sad face. The Togrutan's face registered what he was about to do and raised his blaster at Lao Pak, but before he could the droid had spun its attention to him, a laser cannon deploying from its arm and fired. The blast meant for taking down enemy fortifications and light aircraft like speeders punched a plate-sized hole through the bounty hunter and sent him flying into the garbage. Lao Pak sucked his teeth and looked lazily back at Arnis.

"Okay Smuggler boy. You our bounty now we get full pay, no split. No games. Come. Lao Pak already in a bad mood. We leave here now, I kill you later and take your mark. You gon make me big credits. Maybe use it to pay back Dravorah for lost spice tonight. Maybe employer even owe me favor now when I tell him you kill his guy." He waved his blaster in a motion for him to come forward. "Come on, no have all day!"