Private Guavian, Guava And Bad Java

[Brehg Sha]

Well this was going swimmingly, Sha just loved being caught in a blaster fight in the middle of a dingy back-alley, this was almost as much fun as a root canal! For all her bravado and capacity to shoot someone dead, Sha was generally averse to getting shot at in return, she was precious cargo after all.

"...what?!" Sha truly had no idea what Jon was trying to say, but she did notice him rolling a distinctly grenade-shaped object toward the speeder and, in a panic, plucked it off the ground and winged it blindly over the top of the speeder and down the alley. She had no intention of seeing her hard-won-haul get taken out by a grenade, and she wasn't enough of an ordnance expert to judge what the grenade might have done to the speeder.

"FOR KRIFF'S SAKE DON'T BLOW UP THE SHIPMENT!!" She barked back at Jon as the grenade went off down the alley.

Jon Dromon

 

[Jon Dromon]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Shipment, she said. She wasn’t incorrect to be worried about it. However, nothing in Jon Dromon’s contract stated to protect the shipment but, rather, to protect the mistress. Kriffin’ Neimoidians. All they were cared about were credits. Then again, so did Jon Dromon, in the end; only he already had enough of this bodyguarding business. He was a bounty hunter, for kriffsake, not an usher.

If his employer couldn’t appreciate what the Duros was trying to do for her then so be it. He just needed her to breathe long enough to pay him and, when it came to tech-head sociopaths like Guavians, well, all bets were off the table. It was throw a grenade from hell or wait for this captain to communicate for reinforcements and then the Duros and the Neimoidian would be in for some kriffin’ chit, no mistake.

Turned out that, between the three survivors of tonight’s shindig served up with shenanigans, the Guavian cursed in Mandalorian (which the Duros found to be a bit strange but, hey, chit happens) as he most definitely did notice the grenade even if the Neimoidian didn’t.

Perfect. Jon Dromon thought as he watched the Guavian captain literally leap over the speeder toward Brehg’s position. That meant, as the grenade exploded, the shrapnel didn’t hit him. Because the explosion was further away just as the thrower intended, the impact itself hadn’t blasted the speeder back, keeping the contents of its trunk safe.

More importantly, as soon as Captain Di’kut Guavian arrived at the other side of the speeder, so exposed in the open, he didn’t get a chance to lift his blaster to the Neimoidian. Whether Miss Princess shot him or not, Jon Dromon sure as shit did, both weapons set for one heck of an interruption.

-PHWOM!-PHWOM!-PHWOM!-PHWOM!-

Twin pistols in his grip, Jon went off on that Guavian, relentless. He shot him once his target landed in his position which, given the Duros was ready for him, meant he had no chance. The bounty hunter knew to come packing with increased heat for this operation given Guavians meant business with their tech. So, the next moment, Captain Idiot went down on the ground. He didn’t get back up.

“You’re welcome,” Jon offered, sighing out cigarette smoke as he approached. “Think this means I get a bonus."

-PHWOM!-PHWOM!-

Two in the neck. Never mind the helmeted head.

"Not only are you alive but you get whatever is in that trunk." He shrugged. "Maybe not future dealings with these chitheads but, eh, who the kark wants Guavians for business?"

Brehg Sha

 

[Brehg Sha]

Sha was a bit surprised when she saw the Guavian commander vaulting desperately over the top of the speeder and landing right next to her, although on second thought she had just winged a grenade in his direction, perhaps that reaction was to be expected. She quickly raised her blaster to pop him one but Jon quick;y got off four shots that brought the man down in quick work. His liberal use of explosives aside, Sha had to concede the man did good work.

"I have to admit, you've more than earned your keep." Sha said as she climbed to her foot and got a bit more composed. Blaster fire was likely to draw attention so they would need to move fast. She plucked her datapad from the captain's belt and handed it to Jon. "The passcode is 'Invisible Hand', consider this your bonus for good performance."

It was a substantial sum, effectively doubling his rate for the job with interest. Sha knew the value of good help, and while it was clear these gangsters were far about as far from helpful as one could get, Jon she was eager to keep around.

Jon Dromon

 

[Jon Dromon]

“Music to my ears,” the noseless Duros expressed with genuine glee. Few things could make him grin in this galaxy except for dead enemies, good rum and a fistful of credits. Holstering one blaster, he kept his other ready to use in case anybody did anything funny, and tapped on the pad with his other hand.

“Passcode confirmed,” he entered, offering no other tone except that of a businessman, and transferred. He wasn’t about to just take her word for it. “That’s a pretty payout for this job. You ever need another gunslinger around…” He blew smoke away from Sha’s face. “...Just call Jon Dromon.” He looked toward the detonation area of the grenade.

Sure, blasters were likely to draw attention, but so was an explosive, and its destination was intended. “This speeder with its goods is still in one piece.” He gestured into the distance. “But that other speeder, with Guavian reinforcements in it, isn’t.” She might spy with her Neimoidian eye a couple of corpses in flames, but the rest suffered a more explosive fate within.

“More will come.” Only the Neimoidian and the Duros couldn’t part ways just yet. They had entered this scene in the same speeder. “Let me help transfer whatever over to the speeder, take us wherever, buy you a drink and discuss another job for the future.” He flicked his cigarette, finished with it. “Or we shake hands after the speeder and I don’t look back, but you got my number.” Whatever happened, for Jon Dromon, that’s what mattered; a bounty hunter who an employer could count on for the job.

Brehg Sha

 

[Brehg Sha]

"Oh no Mr. Dromon, you are not getting rid of me that easily. I say we hijack the Guavian speeder, fly out of here, and I'll buy you a real drink." While this had gone about as far from her plan as initially intended, Sha had to admit Mr. Dromon had proved to be an extremely reliable mercenary. That last kill on the Guavian commander had been poetry, four direct shots to the neck in succession. If she wasn't planning on buying the man a drink for his efforts she certainly planned on it now.

As for their escape plans, taking the Guavian speeder and peeling out of here seemed like the most logical course of action. The other speeder was a rental, nothing special or traceable, and this way they didn't have to unload all of the heavy equipment in the back.

"I'll fly."

Jon Dromon

 

[Jon Dromon]

Guavian speeder? Jon blinked. It wasn’t destroyed, for the Duros had not intended for that to happen so, naturally, it didn’t happen. However, it was a bit shredded what with the shrapnel as an aftermath of said grenade’s explosion. Then again, in retrospect, their own speeder red as a sore thumb would already have been made by eavesdroppers. Nobody suspects a Duros and a Neimoidian to escape on a Guavian speeder. It was karkin’ brilliant.

…Wasn’t it..?

“Ehhh…” Jon breathed easy. “...Let’s just hope nobody notices the damage, especially if it’s laced with a Guavian signature for its friends to trace.” He shrugged. “But either speeder is risky business, miss.” Kriff, he liked this woman. “It is what it is.”

Sure, Jon Dromon could take the other speeder, go away alone, as fitted his reputation. However, Brehg Sha had not only delivered on his payment but also a bonus, with drinks offered. Not only that, she could squeeze a trigger. Sure, not better than he did, but he was a bounty hunter by reputation while she was a trader. That just made her hotter in his opinion.

“You fly,” Jon Dromon hopped in. “I’ll ride.” At that, he leaned his head back in the passenger’s seat, hangin’ out on the passenger side of the Neimoidian’s ride, flying by the squalor of this shitty city.

Brehg Sha

 

[Brehg Sha]

"We just need to make it to the spaceport, from there we can take The Unaccountable and get out of here." Her Sheathipede was still privately docked not far from here, as long as they didn't run into any security forces or Guavians they should be fine flying back. "Don't worry, I'll fly real gentle."

That was a bald-faced lie, the second they were both seated Sha gave the engines a long, satisfying rev and lifted off at top speed back toward the spaceport. This was a shadier side of town, hardly pleasant to look at even traveling at this speed, but it made the presence of a banged-up speeder flying through at high speed less suspicious.

Jon Dromon

 

[Jon Dromon]

The Unaccountable. Jon thought about that name longer than most might. Sounds damn dangerous. He didn’t think with sarcasm, watching the world fly by, gaze out the window in silence as he listened. He wasn’t much for conversation unless the occasion warranted it.

He also wasn’t a romantic in the slightest. He was one cool cold customer, some said, and he had that reputation as much as he was a victim of his own personality, but he wasn’t oblivious to women. The situation was just a rarity.

“Not too gently, I ho— Woah.” This Neimoidian kept checking all the right boxes in his opinion, and he really didn’t mean in the sense of a budding relationship. She was crafty in selecting this side of town to fly this banged up ride around.

“Good thing I didn’t bring that shitty coffee with me.” Though he did bring his smokes, letting a cigarette sit between his lips before he lit it, cracking a window open. “The way you shot those Guavians. Maybe you ought to be in the bounty hunting business.” He joked.

Brehg Sha

 

[Brehg Sha]

Sha took supreme satisfaction in throwing Jon off in the middle of his sentence, it was good to know she could catch the man off guard. She knew the type, mercenary, seen it all, hard to rile, so that fact that she managed to wrong foot him with a little acceleration left her grinning. Well...actually it was a lot of acceleration but the point still stood.

"There's a difference between being good at dirty work and enjoying it, Mr. Dromon." She replied teasingly. "Besides, if I did my own wetwork I'd never meet charming characters such as yourself."

Sha wasn't much a flirt, she liked to tease and toy but this kind of chatting up wasn't her modus operandi, but something about the Duros seemed to bring it out in her.

Jon Dromon

 

[Jon Dromon]

Mr. Dromon. Somehow it was that comment, that form of address, and not how forceful she was with the acceleration of their speeder, that caught him off guard. Sure, employers referred to him as Mr. Dromon before, but this felt…different. It sounded better than when they did it.

“Charming, is it?” Jon Dromon blew smoke out the window. “You should tell that to my targets.” They never really found him charming. Something about missing fingers this, broken nose that, missing ear that, ruptured spleen this. That was what happened when they tended to run from him. The punks.

“What’s the difference?” The Duros looked away from the window, gave the Neimoidian his gaze. It was pointed. Like he was searching for more than her voice. “I’m good at this business, this dirty work, and I enjoy it.” He teased. Maybe. Because a guy like Jon Dromon could be as serious as playful at the same time.

"So, keep driving, don't give your eyes." He didn't want to crash even though she was a woman who knew how to drive. "But do tell me the truth." He might just like it.

Brehg Sha

 

[Brehg Sha]

Sha was starting to think Mr. Dromon was taking this teasing more seriously than she was, and she was unsure if she should rise to meet his expectations or keep things casual. Considering she was currently winging a speeder through the streets at high speed she opted for simplicity.

"The difference? Just a matter of taste. I like making credits and I'm good at driving, but I'd hate to be a chauffeur. No, I like being the one people come to for business." Her eyes never left the road but the little smirk she gave was clearly meant for her passenger.

Jon Dromon

 

[Die Shize]

oops

 

[Jon Dromon]

For a moment, Jon just watched Brehg in silence. He had told her to not take her eyes off the road. Did she listen? If she did, she would still feel his own eyes embedded into her visage with her peripheral vision. Might that unsettle her? Upset her, even? A part of Dromon hoped so. He would relish it. As he relished violence despite how he pretended to treat it as just business and something to be indifferent about.

“You’re good at it, Neimoidian,” he responded simply. Whatever his opinion on her words, on her about him, him about her, on his line of work and dirty business, he had earned his credits with his employment to this Neimoidian. There were more credits to earn. There was more work. She admitted it.

“Let’s get a drink.” If that was a flirtatious statement, Jon Dromon had already looked away, and nothing would suggest it. His gaze out the window, lips curling cigarette smoke in an O. He liked this woman. Felt like she wasn’t your average treacherous businesswoman. She was, perhaps, but more than that. Then again, someone could just as much put a target on her head and, if the price was right, well… It is what it is.

Brehg Sha