Private Iridium Green

[Hacks]

[ T H E M E ]

Denon, Inner Rim
District 7, Twilight Belt
Iridium
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"Keep an eye out for a kid, red hair, head about here," Hacks said to the bouncer, gesturing just below her shoulders, "Just let him in." The bouncer gave a curt nod, powerful arms crossed against a robust cybernetic chest. More machine than man, but so were most patrons at the Iridium. An elite club situated along the Twilight Belt in District 7, clientele were almost exclusively slicers. Tucked away discretely from prying eyes, one had to follow a lightless alley off a side street, past overflowing dumpsters and spice junkies passed out on the duracrete path. What looked like the plain double door of an abandoned warehouse gave no hints of the bar behind it, rust leeching at its hinges. Once opened blue-green neon lights flooded the hallway beyond, bouncers stood before another set of doors, checking identification and status to the club. Automated turrets and CCTV cameras clung to the ceiling. This place was no joke.​

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The doors opened for Hacks, music flooded her senses and a sparse crowd mingled within. Chrome flashed on enhanced bodies, others glimmered with an oil-like sheen from exotic synthskin. Slicers sat in booths, virtual reality headsets over their eyes as they were transfixed in Netspace. Some twitched, physical reactions from the consequences of streams of pure, fluid data beamed directly into the brain. Elsewhere infobrokers hassled rogue datasurfers for the latest intel, deckheads clung to a bar as they downed their tenth drink of the night. Hacks was at home here, one of the only safe places she had left on Denon. It had no associations to Darkwire or the Corpos, existing beyond the influence of either organisation. Creds were as good as dog shit down here, only one currency ruled supreme. Data.​

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Hacks saddled up to the bar and pointed to an open booth, "One hour," Hacks said, passing a datachip across the counter. The bartender, Zen, an older unassuming man who didn't share the interest of grossly excessive cybernetics as his patrons, took the chip. He clipped it into a chipjack at the base of his skull, eyes flashing red as he read the stick. Plucking the chip, eyes returning to their previous natural hazel, he winked and motioned Hacks to the booth. Zen opened a drawer and dropped the chip into a pile of hundreds of others. The information in that drawer alone was worth tens of thousands, but the servers deep below the club contained damning information worth in the tens of millions on the Invisible Market, data accumulated over decades of operation as a haven for Denons slicers.​

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Hacks pushed off from the bar, giving a two hand salute in thanks from her two left hands. The shadowrunner was a familiar sight to the crowd, a regular. While she was prone to bring her gang of punks and skins along for nights out drinking in Seven Corners, she never did so here. This place was for business, not pleasure. Hacks settled into the leather cushions and brought up her datapad, re-reading Cartri's message. Hours earlier she had left a message for him, coordinates for Iridium. Nothing more, nothing less. She ran a hand over her face, stressed at how quickly things had turned to frag. She didn't trust the kid, but she didn't have many allies to choose from right now either.​

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Cartri Keswoll


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[Cartri Keswoll]

Objective: Meet up with Hacks
Location: Iridium
Tags: Hacks

Later in the afternoon Cartri received a message from hacks with a single line of co-ordinates. His words for meeting up must of rung true with the tech head after all, but it was yet to be known if it was for good reason or to just simply talk. Eiher way, he was confident to get something out of each scenario. Spraying himself down with deodorant and dressing up in some smart attire to match the occasion, he finally grabbed his keys off the table and rushed out. There was no chance he was going to be late for this especially if it concerned his sis and Darkwire.

It took him a few taxi rides to finally reach the Iridium night club, and a heck of a lot of credits he hoped he'd get back at some point during the night. Thanking the driver, he got out and shut the door behind him. Cartri brushed himself down before he walked up to the entrance, where a tall bouncer was standing with his arms folded. As he approached, the man looked at the teen with a stone faced expression, but after making sure he got the right kid he gave a brief nod and let him through.

A flood of sound crashed into his ears as soon as he set foot in the club, along with a multitude of colours and dancing bodies on the dancefloor having a good time. He paid no attention to that though, he was here to talk not enjoy himself. Plus, he'd never be at a nightclub without Daiya anyway.

Cartri walked up to the bar and asked if he had talked to hacks. He seemed to ignore him at first, like he wasn't interested in talking to a kid. Although, when he looked up he slowly pointed to an open booth with a familiar figure sitting inside. Nodding to the bar man, he didn't hesitate to walk himself over there and make his presence known.

"Never thought you'd take up the offer hacks, but I'm glad you did" he said with a no nonsense expression. Cartri sat himself down on a seat opposite Hacks, leaning forwards slightly to stare right at her "So, I'm guessing you've called me here to discuss the direction Darkwire's going correct? unless it's an elaborate trap of some kind" the boy said smugly before leaning back in his seat.

 

[Hacks]

As Catri strode over to Hacks, she seemed to think he had shrunk. No, she had grown taller. Her legs, kicked up on the table, flashed with new chrome. She had flesh and bone sawn off. She was a giant of a person now, further descending away from her humanity. Her eyes darted across the augmented reality HUD her glasses displayed and she began to record. The kid looked all business, an opposite to the smooth and relaxed slicer who sagged in her seat and rested with a calm ease. Catris sense of fashion was slick, should could admit, but she also found it painfully simple.

Hacks own clothes were covered in layers of sewn on patches, pins, metal chains, hooks, locks. Like someone had covered her clothes in glue and thrown it into a mechanics bin, and as equally dirty as a bin. Her clothes hung with a thick stench of beer and sweat. Her gaze was drawn away from what he wore and burrowed into his eyes as he spoke, "Never thought you'd take up the offer Hacks, but I'm glad you did." A frown settled over her forehead, skin taut. Cartri took a seat and they both watched each other, "So, I'm guessing you've called me here to discuss the direction Darkwire's going correct? unless it's an elaborate trap of some kind."

"I don't do traps," Hacks lied, four arms spread wide in a show of honesty. Her feet drew away from the table and settled on the floor, then pulled herself back up the chair to sit properly. "I wanted to know why you wanted to talk," she said, biting back the urge to antagonize him about his sister. If only she could get paid for being a professional smartass, she'd be rich. She shrugged her shoulders gently and tilted her head away, "But what direction IS Darkwire going? Other than down the shitter." Her eyes looked back at his, "I didn't sign up to be a rebel, I'm a shadowrunner, corpos pay me, I do the job. Life stays simple. But what those idiots are planning? It's going to get a lot of sorry folk killed in the process, and make our lives harder."

"We got Jedi breathing down our backs while the Galactic Alliance looks to hook it's talons into the Corporate Authorities, and now some mobsters working with the Hutts are selling spice to the people on the streets and pretending to give a damn about them," she pointed a finger towards him, emphasising her point, her eyes had become distant, as if looking through him, "People think they want a better life for Denon, like the Alliance, but when the hell has the Galactic Alliance ever been a beacon of democracy? Coruscants been nuked more times than I can count because of some space wizard fascism, but CAD?" She waved a dismissive mechanical hand, "Pfft, so what they exploit resources, at least there's no fear of monks coming to glass the planet over a religious crusade we have no part in, and the Hutts Cartels don't have us enslaved by collar or by spice."

If Cartri had any wits about him, he'd know she was scared, desperate even. Her back was against the wall. She had no friends, no allies, she was alone. Now everything she knew was ready to crumble into complete and total chaos. Hacks turned away from him, ripping her glasses from her face and tossing them onto the table. She rubbed at her eyes, tired from the work of the past few days. Her hands were gently shaking from too many stimulants. She needed more. She turned back to him, leaned over, fingers danced across the table and pressed a control module, the centre of the table slid away with a smooth hiss, a small platform of drinks rose up. She plucked a green glass filled with a thick liquid and brought it to her lips. "F-Y-I, those have stims in them," she pointed out to a small selection of drinks, "The others are just Alderaan wine and Denon beer."

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Argos of the East]

"Need a smoke, kid?", Argos said as he deftly whipped out a pack. They were branded Coruscant Strikers - black label, gold trim. The lid popped and a single cigarette popped up with it, pushed by the fancy silver chrome of his hand.

"They've got stims in them too."

Without asking, Argos would take a seat - and a smoke for himself. He'd even spend the time to light it up, casual in his intrusion as thought he were always invited. He wasn't, but making them wait would make them nervous - and Argos liked to make people nervous.

"Don't tell me your names, I already know 'em."

The lighter flicked itself closed and found itself back in the tight pocket of his waxed denim jeans. The smoke he exhaled smelled of cloves and a bitter sweet sting of death sticks. Whether he was high now was hard to tell behind the mirror finish of his glasses - far too dark for the interior of the establishment either way.

"You're disappointed in where Darkwire is going. Overheard it a second ago. Turns out, I'm disappointed in it too. Could be friends, if you hear me out."

Hacks Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Objective: Meet up with Hacks
Location: Iridium
Tags: Hacks / Argos of the East

Cartri seemed to blink a few times from how tall hacks had grown, not from natural progression but from robotic enhancements that made her almost taller than him when sitting down. Compared to him, she wore her usual slicer clothes that almost didn't seem to fit in a club like this. Either way, they were only talking about business in the first place "Taller I see..." he remarked while looking straight at her, as well as gazing over to Argos who was a familiar face in the Darkwire scene. He gave him a brief nod before smirking to Hacks when she stated she didn't like traps "Yea, only time will tell for that" he said with a tilt of his head towards the cyborg.

"I thought it would be obvious as to why we're all here, Hacks. It's the fact that some people are willing to break the very foundations of Darkwire and make Denon into one magnificent bonfire" he said to the woman sternly, who began to make her own claims on the state of the once great group. Cartri sat silently and listened, nodding sometimes to the points she made in slight agreement. Yet, not all of it was music to the ginger kids ears. Hacks was more in it for the profit more than the people, something of which he couldn't really get behind "Yes... the GA has barely done anything up until now to try and make a difference on Denon. The only reason they have got involved is because we're starting to take it into our own hands, and they don't like that by any means. They seem to have great pleasure in being at the wheel and being the so called saviours, but I'd say that's harmless compared to what the corporate karks and Hutts have been doing to people for generations"

The last part almost seemed like a dig, but to Cartri it was more than true. They thrived off exploiting people and killing for fun, a far cry to what the GA were known for "Don't you think the hutts or the gangsters that swarm Denon has been exploiting the people too? believe it or not, there is a leash on us even if you don't see it Hacks. To the Hutts, the people are pawns to a bigger picture. You don't think I've seen that first hand when I represented Darkwire at their meeting?" He grunted, his upper body leaning forwards slightly "I know what they are really like, all they think about when the next big score of credits will be obsessively. Reminds me of you quite a bit don't you think?

Cartri finally looked over to Argos who had been sitting beside her all this time and smirked slightly from the request of the cig "Sure, mind lighting it for me?" he asked as he picked up the cig and leaned over to the man in order to get it smokable. The teen full well knew about the danger of stims, but little doses like this one wouldn't harm him. Leaning back in the chair, he calmly took a puff and nodded to him with thanks

"By all means, speak your mind Argos. I'll be more than intrigued to hear"

 

[Hacks]

As Argos took a seat, Hacks raised her drink to the fixer. "Argos," Hacks said, "I've heard of you, but haven't seen you about." She tilted her head, "You know some friends of mine I believe," she said, not giving out the name of Koda Fett. Their relationship was the closest thing Hacks had to a friend, but it was purely business. Seemed to be that way for everyone in Hacks circle, those who got too close tended to go missing. Frankie, Enigma.

She turned to Cartri and dipped her head as she listened, eyes scanned from the shadowrunner to the fixer throughout, assessing Argos' reactions. A scoff left her lips at the mention of a meeting, she interjected loudly, "Hell, Darkwire really went to shit while I was gone, the kids have taken over the school. No wonder the Corpos don't take any of you seriously."

She watched Cartri accept the smoke and pushed, "You think the crims are bad, and you right. The streets are filthy. Ivory and her goons try and take on the most powerful people on a planet of literal trillions, what happens? War, millions, maybe billions will die, then in the collapse? There's no utopia after. The gangs will tear whatever is left of this city to pieces. Everyone loses."

"I don't know what you want from me, I see it in your eyes," she raised her two right arms and pointed both index fingers at Cartri, "You see me as just another Corpo or Hutt, you said it yourself, just in it for the creds. You're not wrong, either. Darkwire was always in it for the creds till you kids with your bleeding hearts took over, when the rest of us got iced."

"So spit it out what you want from me, and I'll tell you what I want," Hacks said, dropping her arms and taking another swig from her drink. She leaned back into the leather seat and looked to Argos, "But I still want to hear what you have to offer to the table, before we start strangling each other."

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Cartri Keswoll | Argos of the East​

 

[Argos of the East]

Argos didn't offer Cartri Keswoll his lighter - rather he simply offered his robotic knuckle. A plate retreated and a hot plate exposed itself - with the barely noticeable remains of some letter in it. When he was done, he'd lean back and tap at the table while they spoke of high ideals and the inevitable waste of time it was on who they allied with.

"Fantasies should stay in the holobooks, kid.", he said through a haze of stim smoke, more to Cartri but didn't seem to focus his gaze on anyone in particular.

"Fight for your rights against the corporate authority, fight against the republic, fight for your right to party for all I care - reality is Darkwire needs creds, needs allies. You get picky, stingy, you get yourself open to being fucked."

He shrugged his shoulder, emphasizing his next words with the cigarette -

"Nobody likes getting fucked. Right now, I represent the hutts - best source of creds for a bunch of low lives like yourselves. Better than that, I'm an honest guy. I tell you my cigarettes got drugs in them because they do - we make a deal, ill tell you about the condom before the action. It's mutually beneficial - you keep up your anarchist bullshit, we both make a shit load of creds."

"Real simple."

Hacks

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Objective: Meet up with Hacks
Location: Iridium
Tags: Hacks / Argos of the East

Cartri brought the cigar to his mouth once more and released some more smoke into the air, not really feeling the effect of the drugs just yet. Right now, he listened closely to what Argos had to say "I wouldn't call it a fantasy" he said calmly back with a short shrug, keep quiet to what else he had to say on the matter. He wasn't wrong, Darkwire did need credits and allies right now. Although, he probably thought differently on what to use them on than he did.

"Sure we're anarchists, but we're certainly not lowlifes Argos. As far as I'm concerned Darkwire are going to be doing it the proper way, and that's to expose the corporate scum of their wrong doings to the world. If the alliance won't listen, someone in the galaxy will" the teen said back, his brow slowly raising to another questionable thing the strange man said "I appreciate your brutal honesty, but what do you mean by keep it up? are you saying we should never end the disruption?"

If that's what he wanted just for credits, then he truly was willing to play a dangerous game. The longer they kept it up, the more likely innocents were hurt and the citizens turned against them. A never ending revolution was out of the question.

Turning his attention to hacks, a cloud of smoke went into her direction. Not taken seriously? she obviously didn't hear what they were up while she disappeared "Hacks, I'd say we were take seriously long before we tried to blow up a station of theirs in space. Something of which you weren't here for" he said sternly back, reminding the tall woman that she hadn't seen the progress of Darkwire since her return "Bleeding hearts or not, we've improved it more than you think"

Cartri slowly leaned forward and glared at Hacks coldly, almost sick of the insults she was throwing at him and Darkwire itself "Your attempt at communication seems to be going haywire so I'll make this quick. I don't trust Ivory one bit. Sure, she's grown on me but all the mob bosses I know have never been straight forward. There's always a catch or a mask hiding the truth, and that's what I want to see from Stroud. If she's really resorting to all out destruction I need to know in order to the people of Denon safe as well as the ones I love. In return, the industries will stay open for your obsessive quest for credits. But at some point, the people will know who the real CorpSEC are and nothing will stop the tables from flipping. By the end of it, industries will stay open after a huge overhaul with better conditions and opportunities for the people of Denon. Trust me hacks, credits will never stop flowing for you here in Denon. You have my word.

 

[Hacks]

Hacks drank as she listened to Argos talk, she liked him, he was straight forward. No pissing around about what he had to say. Her eyes danced from the Hutt fixer to Cartri. Hacks slunk further back into the lounge, trying to make herself more comfortable as she held a thin smile towards the teen. He had some bark to him, but she had never seen his bite. It could be some teen bravado backed up by a stroked ego, or he actually knew his stuff. She remembered how she was as a teen, and all those she knew back then, she was just a stupid kid out of her depth running with gangs.

The slicer held her tongue, she wanted to call him out on what she'd call bullshit, that Argos was right, Darkwire made a living off being lowlives who took lives for creds, but that would get her nowhere. She continued to listen until the lad was done talking, and Hacks wasted no time to speak up. "See, you kinda get it," she jabbed a finger at him, "I don't give a flying shit about who runs the Corpos, better wages and conditions for the working class? Cool, so long as I get paid."

She waved her hand away in a gesture to signify the 'others' of Darkwire, "They just don't get it, I've played this game for years, I swear in the time I've been gone you all forgot how it goes. You don't like the current leader? Take jobs from their competitors. Take out those who you don't like, put those you like in power. Give it time and you'll get exactly what you want. Market Manipulation, that is what Darkwire was founded on. The DireX are just a different type of market for us to manipulate."

She took another swig from her glass, "Starting a revolution is going to get millions killed when the bombs start dropping on the rioters. Burning down this city in teen angst isn't going to get Daiya and the rest anywhere, all it's going to do is put Ivory on a throne over this city, and we'll see just how far that gets the people of this city." She then looked at Argos, "And what does the mighty fat Gorba think of Ivory pulling strings with Darkwire while the Hutts are trying to appeal to the Corpos?"

 

[Argos of the East]

Carti spoke like his pants had the crotch sewn extra wide for his gonads, and Argos didn't much care to get into a measuring contest with a child. He sucked the cigarette down until it was just a nub, then tossed it behind him while it was still lit. This wasn't his bar, he didn't care about the burn holes in the carpet - and his patience was notoriously short around anyone that couldn't kick his ass.

"Not a fantasy.", he repeated. "Kid, you're talking about a revolution that kills millions on a planet under republic rule. You don't have to be a fixer to know politics are looking against the Corporatists in the Capital. That means the 'Corpos' you want to start a war with got a timer on them already."

He tapped his finger against the table to emphasize his point as he talked.

"That means you're either an inpatient shit who thinks millions dead is worth the glory and few years you'll shave off of Denon rule, consequences be damned, or you're just a kid too deep in the story books. Drowning so deep in self righteous bullshit you can't see where the water stops. You need me to be your dad, cause I'll be your dad - but you better start bringing your mom around if you want me to keep babying you like this."

He spit on the ground and leaned back.

"And she better be a bombshell kid."

Still, he patted his forehead of sweat with the back of his hand and sighed. The club was too hot, the stims too simulating. He was getting worked up arguining about political sciences and geopolitics with a kid that could be his own grandson.

"This is stupid.", he offered.

"I'm saying you're being used, and whether or not you think you're doing the good thing - you're going to get tossed into the ditch or absorbed until your 'ideals' aren't worth what your mommy in the family says they are. Either you lose that sustainability with charity and someone much worse comes in like the Maw, or you make a deal with someone who won't fuck you around. You kill who needs to be killed, you send a message where it needs to be sent - but you don't start a revolution so you can brag about how righteous of a crusader you are kid. Let the politicans and armies deal with it before you mess it up worse."

"And I'm offering you a chance to stop that 'something worse'. Get it?"

Cartri Keswoll // Hacks

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Objective: Simmer down cyberpunk dude and his wife
Location: Iridium
Tags: Hacks / Argos of the East

"I'm glad you're starting to understand where I'm coming from hacks," he said with a brief nod and nothing more. Although, the same couldn't be said for the rest of Darkwire. That's what HE wanted, the others were intent on all out destruction that surely spelled the end of the planet. There was still money to be made after the revolution had concluded, and Hacks was beginning to believe in that vision. If she liked it or not Darkwire had changed for the better, and that was something she'd have to live with.

"The thing is Hacks, that was back then. Darkwire has changed since you mysteriously disappeared all that time ago. Yea, we used to focus on credits, but after a while, we started to open our eyes to what the citizens around us were going through. We became selfless... something of which you seem to lack." he said honestly. Hacks was clearly in it for herself instead of anyone else, she pretty much admitted that herself. In turn, that very attitude made her an outsider.

Cartri tilted his head slightly when she mentioned the fact millions were going to die. She wasn't wrong in some capacity, people were going to die. Millions on the other hand were only for if things went wrong, like if Cassus or Daiya blew up an entire sector of Denon to secure their thirst for revenge. Even then, Ivory would still never be a leader for them or the people. He'd make sure of that himself

"People will die, no doubt about it. Your estimations on the other hand seem to be quite a miss, especially with what you're saying about Ivory. I don't know what you think she has over us but it isn't being a leader" He said with a bit of annoyance in his voice. Darkwire was run by the members, never by a single person.

Turning his head to Argos with a raise of his brow, a puff of smoke coming from his mouth as he had the nerve to chuckle from his first comments "So you think an everlasting revolution you crave will be any better? wouldn't that cost more lives than anything? Denon have mercy..." he said with a shake of his head. If they continued their anarchy it would lead to a revolution from the point they were anyway, it was a matter of time before that ticking time bomb exploded.

Leaning up from his chair, he leaned forwards and squashed the cig on the table after one last puff. Being his dad? this stimhead was beginning to grind his gears "Be my guest, go find the bombshell I'd call a mom. You'd have gotten way further than I have in the last 16 years" he said expressionlessly. To any other person, it probably would have pissed them off more. Who knew being an orphan had its benefits?

"Yea, you don't say..." he grunted back before leaning back in his seat and folding his arms, curious as to what other "smart" thing Argos had to say next. And without letting him down he did just that. Cartri seemed to be happy that he dared speak up again, now he had fair game to his mind to this kark.

"Being used are we? as far as I'm concerned that isn't the case. We keep the Family in line, and if you think that mobster Ivory runs the show then you are delusional. Heck, where the hell have you been anyway? you haven't been around to see what's even going on. So please respectfully shut the feth up until you understand the situation, because all you speak is rubbish and webs of deceit right now" he said, his face stone cold and not in a joking mood. The stims were probably half to blame.

"Call me a crusader all you want Argos, I don't give a flying kark what you think about me and the kids. It's kind of like how I don't give a damn about your righteous attitude of scraping credits or brag about how much money I have by spending it on some knock off cybernetics. You must be real proud of yourself to have a hand lighter heh?" he said with a slight grin before leaning forwards from his chair to deliver his defining point.

"Same goes for the Hutt cartel, Gorba can take his slime trail somewhere else for all I care. They can also take their drug addicts and sith assassins with them on the way out. The last thing we want is them building a sith temple hybrid underneath the planet to worship the god of spice" Cartri finally finished, his blue eyes dead staring Argos in the face. He was at the first Hutt cartel meeting, and the showing of the sith didn't give them any favors.

"Anything else? or are we finished with that now?"

 

[Hacks]

"I'm glad you're starting to understand where I'm coming from Hacks," Cartri offered, Hacks wondered if he actually meant it or was trying to win her over. "The thing is Hacks, that was back then. Darkwire has changed since you mysteriously disappeared all that time ago. Yea, we used to focus on credits, but after a while, we started to open our eyes to what the citizens around us were going through. We became selfless... something of which you seem to lack."

Hacks said nothing. She could have shot him down, barked back that there was no redemption for the atrocities Darkwire had performed. Lives wasted and ruined in the pursuit of credits. A path she still found herself on, and one that was becoming very lonely. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, soaking in what the boy had to say. It was the most she had afforded him tonight.

Then Argos decided to bite. He was vicious in his verbal onslaught, to a point that Hacks almost felt compelled to say something to shut him up. He was just a kid, she thought, but perhaps that line of thinking could be dangerous for her. She too, long ago, was once just a kid.

She turned to look at Argos, taking leisurely sips from her glass as he rallied against Cartri. She smiled in humour, thinking that it was like the comical displays of an angel and devil trying to convince a person which choice to make. Cartri and his noble cause, for the people, or Argos and the thirst for credits. Unknowing of it yet, fate had already chosen her path.

Cartri fired back, trading blow-for-blow with the Consortium fixer. Hacks had front-row seats to a fight she hadn't signed up for, and was enjoying every minute of it. She knew neither of them well, and seeing them bout like this was proving a fun exercise for her later judgement of each individuals character. When Cartri had entered the club she had already dismissed him, but this was changing what she thought of the kid. Was she starting to like him? No, she couldn't stand the way he thought, but she liked the way he held his own.

"Anything else? or are we finished with that now?" Cartri said when it seemed like it had cooled down for a moment. Hacks opened her arms, emphasising her words, "I think we are finished." She then stroked a mechanical hand down her jawline, wiping away the borderline stress of that passing moment. "Honestly Cartri, I can't offer you anything. I don't think like you, I don't think like them. My time here is over. There's too many enemies on Denon for me these days. If I stay I would just be begging to get flatlined in my sleep. I'm leaving this city tomorrow."

 

[Argos of the East]

"I want no revolution kid, they're bad for business and worse for lives.", he said with a frown.​

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"Reality is, I was never apart of your club house I just gave you jobs. Kept food on your table while you killed who I asked you to kill - but if Darkwire has come to a point where they think they can start a revolution against the Corpos, make a symbol of something, show violence can get your way and expect nobody on this planet of billions to follow in their footsteps?"​

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"Millions dead is best case. You're a child - you don't understand war or its consequences, you're just talking big to convince yourself you're on the up and up.", he said as he stood.​

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"I asked for you to return to being just criminals - starting a revolution in the Republic and ignoring the political momentum the corporatists are already on - is a great way to radicalize populations against you. You do that, you ruin the non violent momentum on Coruscant to remove them, you draw their attention away from Sith-Spit's like you're already against."​

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"Reality is kid, you're the villain right now and you're too dumb to know it."​

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"Go play war hero, but if the Republic comes knocking on our door for help - they'll get it. I'm not letting your burn anyone elses racket just because you think you're Luke Skywalker."​

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He spit on the ground, squeezed Hacks shoulder, and departed.​

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Cartri Keswoll​

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Objective: Leave on a good note
Location: Iridium
Tags: Hacks / Argos of the East

"You'll be getting one either way... your urge to keep up our activities will only push the people of Denon over the edge anyway. It appears you need to think before you talk, Argos" The boy replied at first, his gaze resting on the gangster as he continued to speak his peace. He chose not to respond this time, instead respectfully letting him finish his small vent before he spoke. The criminal Darkwire was still somewhat present, but nowhere near as it used to be. Those days were long gone, and probably were never going to come back. Cartri knew what he was doing, even if Argos thought he didn't. In other words, the punk didn't know the full story of their plans or goals. He was never there to listen after all...

"Trust me Argos, if there is a knock on your door from the Alliance it certainly won't be for your help" Cartri stated, before lightly dusting himself off and standing to his seat as the man began to leave "Have fun with your obsession, I'm sure one day you'll realise credits isn't everything," he said with an emotionless tone, choosing to not even look at him as he finally left the club.

"I believe so Hacks. It was a shame we never came to an understanding, but compared to Argos I'm sure you will in your own time" he said with a frown at the fact she was leaving. Even though her attitude was toxic, Cartri respected her ability to get through anything put in front of her, the skills she had was going to be greatly missed. Without a second word or dispute about her leaving Darkwire behind, he walked in front of her and extended his arm out for a handshake. In the early days of Darkwire Hacks did a lot to get them where they are now, and that in itself was worth an honorable send off.

"I don't like you, but what you've done for us was above and beyond from what I've seen and heard from fellow members. The others may not see it now, but I do. Thank you Hacks, for what you have helped create" the boy said, sternly shaking her hand if she chose to accept it.

"Good luck out there, the galaxy can be quite the all consuming place..." Cartri remarked as he began to step away from the cyborg with a small nod "You never know who you'll turn out to be" he said with a slight smile before turning around and walking out of the club.

This wasn't a final goodbye, just a see you later between the two of them. Cartri still wasn't finished with Hacks, not yet.

 

[Hacks]

"I believe so Hacks. It was a shame we never came to an understanding, but compared to Argos I'm sure you will in your own time," Cartri said as he approached her then extended a hand out. Her eyes looked down but she didn't hesitate. Her cybernetic lower arm extended out and grasped the boys hand firmly, cold metal fingers on warm flesh, then she shook his hand once.

"I don't like you, but what you've done for us was above and beyond from what I've seen and heard from fellow members. The others may not see it now, but I do. Thank you Hacks, for what you have helped create," Cartri said and the slicer remained silent for a moment. Her eyes pierced into his, but seemed to look through him in thought. She thought of the friends she lost along the way, the blood on her hands. The friends that had turned against her. She may as well be dead, she thought.

"Good luck out there, the galaxy can be quite the all consuming place..." the boy said, peeling away from their handshake and moving for the exit, "You never know who you'll turn out to be." She watched his retreating back, offering a quiet, drifting "Yeah," in agreement.

The end of a chapter. Her time in Darkwire was done, her time on a planet she had called home for seven years was fleeting. When she left this club she didn't know it yet but it would be for the last time. She would leave Denon in the morning on a ship bound for Hutt Space. She had spent years rising in infamy and wealth, only for her world to shatter and crumble. She would spend the next year in poverty, spice addiction and slinging code for the worst scum in the galaxy. Perhaps death would have been a kinder fate.

But this was not the end of her story, not yet.
Fin.