Just Another Job

[Kael Rose]

As Hutts rose and fell Kael had to find new work. This time the job was a hunt. Of some teenage girl no less. Kael wasn't usually for this type of work, but she was apparently a Sith. Kael didn't like Sith. Or teenagers, to be honest. Little chits who thought they knew anything and everything. Kael wouldn't deny that some had to grew up fast. Feth, this Sith girl probably grew up faster than most. Didn't mean she knew mud from a mynock though.

Kael grimaced. This city had all sorts of nooks and crannies. He knew she was around here somewhere. He could feel it. Kael wasn't great at the Force, but he was decent at feeling things. What the right direction to shoot was. What the right place to go was. Or maybe, where he was "supposed" to go. He may have doubted that the Force had a 'direction' in the past, but lately . . . well things change.

"Wanna buy some death sticks?" A bothan walked with Kael as he went. "You look like a man who wants to some edge off." He extended his long coat to the side, revealing a pocket with about twenty of the sticks protruding outwards.

"No death sticks today partner." Kael replied, but the bothan kept pace with him.

"Come now, I know your type. You're a merc. Smuggler. Bounty hunter. Somethin. Somebody that needs somethin. Somethin I can sell. You need spice? A blaster? A woman? A man?" The bothan pushed and prodded as he kept pace. Kael sighed. This bothan wasn't leaving, and people were beginning to take notice. Kael rounded a corner and pushed the bothan against a wall.

"I need a girl." The bothan began to smile before he felt another shove. "A very specific girl. Young. Blonde. Dangerous. Carries a lightsaber."

"Hey hey, I don't know nothin 'bout." The bothan began, but Kael had watched his eyes. There was a half a second glimmer of understanding, then a half second of fear, then a visible attempt to hide his emotions. Kael kneed the man in his gut.

"Don't gimme that shid." Kael ordered as the man groaned.

"She'd kill me if I squawked." The bothan protested.

"You've wasted my time. Time I won't get back. Makes me mad. Why should I take your time?" Kael said before pulling the bothan closer by his collar. "All of it."

"I- I-" Kael pulled a blaster from his holster and put the nose of the barrel up to the Bothan's stomach. "She runs out the east side. Does all kinds of work. She'll kill you."

"Kark that." Kael retorted and headed toward the east side of the city.

"She'll kill you!" He screamed.

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Across the east side of town, in a warehouse, Calina watched impassively as a thug repeatedly hammered his fist into the face of a twi'lek woman. This was her mothers game, not hers. She ruled her territory with an iron fist, mercy was not an option. Mercy led to weakness. It didn't matter to her mother that this woman was one of her own kind, nor did it matter that it was ultimately her mothers fault that the woman had been forced to dip her hand into the safe in order to keep her children fed.

"Enough!" she said, sliding off the table she was perched on, her heels echoing around them as she approached and the thugs dropped back. She crouched before the twi'lek crumpled on the floor. "I understand why you did it Oona." she said softly, a hand reached to turn her bloodied face to look up at her. "I do, but the Lady Apoleia does not tolerate theft or treachery. The amount you've taken isn't worth making a debt out of, doesn't send the right message to her other employees now, does it?" She wasn't really looking for an answer, fear emanated from her swollen eyes. "So, you have a choice, I let this moron flay you alive and leave you hanging somewhere in your neighbourhood for your children to find. A slow and painful death if truth be told. Or, you can die quietly, in my lab while i play with your anatomy and work out what causes you the most pain."

She tilted her head and smiled slightly. "Also, a painful way to die, but somewhat less wasteful. So, choose carefully."

"My children?" Oona whispered, tears leaking from her eyes.

"They will be taken care of. Employed and well fed by the company." This did not seem to please her and th spike in her anger and defiance warned Calina of what was coming, though there was little she could do t prevent the bloody spittle that came her way. Calina let her chin go, and rose, extracting a handkerchief from a pocket and wiping her face.

She turned to the barabel thug who hissed with laughter, eager for what came next. "Carry on, though don't kill her please, she'll come round eventually."

"Thiss one doess not underssstand why you give her a choice."

"If I didn't, you'd have nothing to do."

She returned to her perch, legs swinging like a child's as they were lifted off the ground.

[member="Kael Rose"]

 

[Kael Rose]

[SIZE=medium]Kael took a bite of a knobblypear as he drove his speeder through town. Technically a two seater, Kael could have taken a guest behind him, but they would have had to hold on tight. The town was a busy one, most of the inhabitants not curious about Kael driving by. An armed man on a speeder wasn’t an odd occurrence. The only suspicious ones were the typical sort. People with bounties on their heads, bounty hunters who didn’t want competition, thugs who didn’t want their territory inched on, and the weasel informants that worked for any of the former. Kael admittedly wasn’t being discrete, but he wasn’t advertising either. Trying to keep too much of a low-profile tended to attract high-profile attention. Attention that Kael neither wanted, nor needed. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]A warning bell went off in Kael’s head. All of a sudden he realized he didn’t need to be where he was. The speeder took a hard right as Kael swiveled around, then took a turn. It was time to go the scenic route. He couldn’t place exactly why, but he usually couldn’t. He listened to the Force, and it told when things were dangerous. He was getting the feeling no path would be clear cut, but he could smell the set-up coming. One never fought an opponent on her terms if he could help it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]It was amazing how quickly things changed after Kael turned around. Fruit vendors that were open ten, twenty minutes ago were closed. Groups of Houk and Gammoreans shooting dice in front of doors had disappeared. Children who were skipping rope had vanished. Entire streets had been cleared out. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Kark it all. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Kael remained alert as he drove, cutting a right and ending up perpendicular to his first path. There were a few people still out, but not many. All scrambling. None looking directly at him. Kael grunted, then took another right. Back in the right direction now. He’d evaded the main ambush, or so he thought, but that little informant had squealed to somebody. They knew he was coming. And [member="Calina Ovmar"] was going to make things exciting any minute now. [/SIZE]

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Saba, Calina's personal muscle still had the twi'lek blood on her clawed hands, her tail swished and thumped against the ground the anticipation of a fight pouring from her. Calina watched her out of the corners of her eye trying to understand what it was about fighting that so many people seemed to get wound up about. It was a pointless waste of time.

"He'z changed courze, heading towardz uz."

The bothan who had squealed stood behind them, trembling slightly. He'd been given a month's takings for his show of loyalty had even spread the word through the streets himself for the people to take cover at Calina's word. He wanted to be under cover himself, but Calina had dragged him with them. "Why would he change course? I told him you were that way?" His quick demand for information was lined with slight panic, concerned that the blonde girl might take the hunters change of course as his doing.

"Probably because he's a force user and sensed that I had most of my men waiting for him. Fan out, make sure you're seen by him, no one is to fire unless I order it." The market square offered them plenty of cover if things got nasty and Saba's thugs made good use of it, weapons resting over stalls that they ducked behind. The barabel herself let out a soft hissing laugh as the noise from speeders engines reached their ears.

"Saba, take out the speeder." the barabel whipped away, rifle tugging from her back as she took up position close to the speeder incoming noise. She would target the engines the moment he drew into sight. Calina herself, stood patiently, hands clasped at the small of her back, out in the open where this hunter would be able to see her.


[member="Kael Rose"]

 

[Kael Rose]

Kael continued driving at his current course, looking around at the streets as he went by. It was chilling to see a bazaar empty, stalls closed, skip ropes, dice, and other children’s toys abandoned on the street. But then, out of the corner of his eye he saw something. Was that? The Bothan? Kael pondered a moment, then kept going, but slowed his pace about 20 km/hr. He kept looking around and around, and sure enough he saw the Bothan again.

Kael wasn’t a man to believe in coincidences. If he’d seen that informant twice than he wanted him to see him, and wanted him to follow along. It was certainly a trap, but it also probably lead to his mark. Kael bit his lip and changed course, heading towards the bothan when a flash came from one of the rooftops. Kael jumped and rolled off of the speeder, the dirt scratching through his armorweave as he drug by. A quarter kilometer in front of him was a fire, his speeder having taken a high-powered shot. Kael pulled out two ladies, Sandy and Laurie, and put out four shots in the direction of the shot before finding a building to come behind. Nothing hit the assailant, he was sure, but he didn’t get another shot off with his sniper.

Phewww. Kael took a deep breath as he was in an alleyway that he thought was out of sight from the main problem, that sniper rifle. There were more coming, four or five men maybe, swarming around him. Wouldn’t pay to stay in one place long. Hugging the building wall in front of him Kael went left, away from the main shooter, and spotted a rodian around the corner sporting a disruptor rifle. He hadn’t picked out Kael yet, so one quick shot with Sandra put him on the ground, but also gave the other men a clue to his location.

Kael wasn’t the type to kill an unarmed man, but gorram it this Bothan was testing his nerves.

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina rolled her eyes as shots were fired. These people just didn't listen, so eager for a fight, they couldn't help themselves when fired upon not to engage. "Stop shooting you idiots!" She shouted into the comm's. "You're not going to hit him, pull back out of sight and let him through, or so help me I will end all of you on a slab in my laboratory."

Calina advanced as the thugs pulled back, lightsaber coming into her hand just in case. "I'd appreciate it." She called, this time to the hunter "If you refrained from putting holes in my men. Greivance payments are costly and I don't provide medical cover."

[member="Kael Rose"]

 

[Kael Rose]

Kael was an observer more than a magician, so far as the Force was concerned. Less making waves and more reading the ripples. He couldn’t lift a truck or conjure lightning but he could tell when things were wrong. Know when a path was quicker. Know when people were close, and when situations changed. So Kael knew when the hunt changed. It was less about the gang of thugs around him, and more about the Hunter. Whoever the Hunter was.

“I’d appreciate it if you refrained from putting holes in my men.” Kael heard the voice of a woman. Young, but cold. Experienced in the ways he was. Of battle, loss, and the grim reality of the galaxy worked. “Grievance payments are costly and I don’t provide medical cover.” Kael stifled a laugh.

“She doesn’t pay y’all medical?” Kael said as he kept his pistols raised, weaving through the maze of the alleyways. There was a slight grumble from somewhere, but it was quickly silenced. It spoke to [member="Calina Ovmar"] that her own crew handled dissent without her prodding. It didn’t take long for them to meet. Kael rounded a corner and spotted her short blonde hair, and the cylinder held firm in her hand.

Kael turned to her and pulled the trigger of both revolved simultaneously, one aimed at her chest, while the other went to her legs. Hopefully they’d be shot at the same time and mess with her deflection. Perhaps not. He’d wager she knew he was firing while he was firing, but if she didn’t she certainly knew now.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina's eyes widened and the revolvers spun two blaster bolts her way, she twisted, making her profile smaller red blade singing as she caught the one aimed for her chest, and the other sailed harmlessly past her legs. "Really?" She asked him incredulously. "Your not going to introduce yourself? Or explain what it is you want? You're just going to go straight for the kill?"

She pursed her lips in disappointment. "How uncouth." She raised a hand, and there was a rustle of weaponary around them, that pesky sniper rifle would be training its sights on the back of his head. "Perhaps you would like to reconsider your position?"

[member="Kael Rose"]

 

[Kael Rose]

Unlike many in the galaxy, Kael had a very negative opinion of talk. There was a saying that talk was cheap, but truth be told Kael found it very costly. Speaking stressed his lungs, to be used by running, thinking of witty things to say cost his mind, to be used for strategizing. Improper resource management could be the difference between death and life in a fight, let alone with a Sith. Kael found that most Sith knew this, at least in an academic sense. Therefore their use of it was a gamble, that they could distract their foe more than themselves. Goad them into losing their head, making a mistake.

[member="Calina Ovmar"] talked, but she ran a crime circle. Even if it was only this little block, and it usually never was, it implied she was smart enough to know this. She blocked a bolt, she swiveled her feet, but she didn’t charge. Didn’t ready lightning. Just talked. So Kael did the opposite, where Calina moved her lips Kael waited a moment, then moved his feet. A second later a blaster bolt pelted it’s way into the ground where Kael had been.

The gunslinger smiled. Sniper on the roof. Unknown distance away, 37 degrees east of south from him. The target, twelve meters away, lightsaber humming. 28 degrees west of north. Kael had to be careful, mindful that a shot could come at any time. Mindful that taking the sniper out probably wouldn’t be feasible from this distance. Mindful that the woman in front of her, the target, probably had other tricks up her sleeves.

Kael shot again at her chest, followed by a shot to her legs, strafing to his left as he did so. He’d layer another couple of shots after that depending on how she moved. Dealing with a charging Sith was far different than one who liked the distance. What happened next was her move, but Kael was stuck on the defensive. At least as long as he had to worry about that sniper.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina rolled her eyes, looking up to where Saba and her rifle were hiding. "You're a terrible shot, Saba." She muttered, lightsaber flashing once more to deflect the blaster bolts fired. Catching the second aimed at her legs only in the last moment. She turned to keep him in front of her, annoyance beggining to creep into her features, but still she did not attack.

There were two reasons for this, the first was pure and simplest curiosity. Why had he come? Who had sent him? What was he being paid? Could she turn this into a situation that benefitted herself? All these questions were unlikely to be answer if she responded aggressively. Yes, she could defeat him, strap him to a surgical table and play with his nerves until he broke and then tell her, but that seemed like a waste, not to mention too much like hard work and she already had enough to deal with.

The second reason was also incredibly simple. Why do what thugs and goons are perfectly capable of doing for you? She dropped her hand and the rest of the guns made them selves known, opening fire on the girls silent command. she reached to her ear, activating a comm peice. "Reinforcements are required at the market place. Make it snappy, I want this man surrounded and pinned down in the next twenty mins."

[member="Kael Rose"]

 

[Kael Rose]

Shots started to come from all around. Kael had let his head go, thought he could take down the crime lord quick enough not to deal with the reinforcements. Or perhaps that she’d hold them back a bit. There was no such predilection. Kael cursed, and spread out his revolvers, putting out a couple shots left and a shot right and he was out. Holstering both blasters he ran, diving for some measure of cover.

He found a speeder to sit behind, and took out a speed loader to load up Sandra, then Laura, and the bided his time, listening to the shots around him. The hum of the lightsaber was gone. Kael spat on the ground, came up and fired a few shots as quick as he could make the targets. Down went a rodian, an aqualish, and trandoshan. Kael went to duck before he felt the distinct shape a circle on his back.

“Drop the blasters.” He heard the voice of a Barabel behind him. Kael rolled his eyes before letting his down revolvers fall to the ground.

“Mistress, I have him.” Kael heard the voice of the Barabel behind him, and crinkled his nose. Things were about to get interesting it seemed.

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina found herself a solid crate to perch on as the blaster fire erupted, deactivating her lightsaber on the ground that her men knew well enough if a stray bolt hit her, they'd be dead, and content in the knowledge that this would be assassin, if you could call him that, would be too preoccupied to get a shot off at her again. She pulled a nail file from her pocket, an occupied herself with a bored expression on her face as she gave herself a minor manicure.

her mind drifted to the possibilities of who sent this man. It was highly unlikely that he came of his own volition, not only did he not seem the sort, but she'd never seen him before in her life, so how would he know her? So that meant he was hired, but by who? The people that knew Calina by face were few and far between. Competitors she never dealt with face to face, they were either eradicated by her people or given an offer via simple messages. Even if it was a competitor, they'd not have the funds to outsource such a contract to a force user.

So that left the Jedi, for her part in the attack on a temple of theres, Cerbera, though she had her own pet assassin and as far as Calina was aware, they'd squared away their issues. Perhaps it was something to do with her mother...some backwards and stupid way to get at her through Calina.

"Mistress I have him."

"Bring him here." She called in response to Saba's excited hiss. truth be told she was amazed the barabel hadn't shot him out of excitement, it wouldn't have been the first time. She stretched her hand out inf front of her, admiring her handy work as Kael was brough before her. Tucking the nail file away again she got to her feet to look at him, hand extended for his recovered weapons. She examined them for a moment, not yet speaking as she found the mechanism to release the power packs and did so, letting them drop to the floor.

"Search him"

[member="Kael Rose"]

 

[Kael Rose]

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

There was a moment of hesitation as the barabel waited for orders, then there was a prod at his back from the barrel of Saba's rifle.

"Move quickly, or my trigger finger may get itchy." The Barabel threatened, and Kael merely rolled his eyes as he began to walk forward.

"Itchy trigger finger? You're a gorram scholar aren't you?" Kael said, which earned him another enthusiastic prod. Kael let out a small grunt before he came face to face with the target. Pretty little blonde that was a heap of trouble. She ordered him searched, which allowed the barabel to find his two Emissary Revolvers, along with Veronica. He was a bit puzzled when he found it, it definitely wasn't a lightsaber, but it still looked dangerous, so he kept it anyways.

"I'm beginning to see why you're worth so much money. Not so much why you're pleasant enough to keep alive though." Kael said to [member="Calina Ovmar"] as the search was conducted.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina waved away his weapons that were offered to her, she was more interested in the man himself than she was about the weapons he carried. She fixed him with a steady gaze as he spoke, her eyes were far older than she was. They'd seen too much and suffered too much than any teenager should ever have to. "I'm sure the correct response to that statement should be that it's nice to know i'm worth something on the bounty hunters market, but is really not something I can appreciate. Alive you say?"

She pondered this for a moment. Most of her enemies would see her dead, if they could get within ten foot of her, but they couldn't. Her mother's enemies would most definitely see her dead, just to see the reaction on Anaya's face when she found out. A waste fo resources, as far as Calina was concerned, but alive? alive was another thing entirely, alive said the person was one of two things; soft or worse, wanted her for something nasty.

"Interesting. Do you have a name, Bounty Hunter? I'd like to conduct this conversation in a more civilised manner and having a name always makes pleasantries easier to exchange." she waved at her thugs to release him and back off, they had his weapons and their weapons on him whatever trouble he felt like he would cause would be limited. They hesitated and Calina swing her ice blue gaze from Kael's face the the barabel holding him, the only change in her expression was a minute tilt of the head but the silent question was there. 'Do you dare to disobey?' Saba released him with a low hiss and the circle of thugs that had been tight around them all took a few paces back, though their weapons never left him.

[member="Kael Rose"]

 

[Kael Rose]

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

A name? This wasn't usually how things went. Kael responded with the first name that came to his mind. "Name's Carth Onasi." He wasn't quite sure where the name came from. If he had paid more attention in history he might have figured it out, but he didn't, and the name was only vaguely imprinted in his mind. If Calina knew her history she'd see right through him, but perhaps she wouldn't. Her thugs probably wouldn't either. School of hard knocks forgetting to teach history and all that.

It was odd, seeing the thugs scatter around and form a sort of perimeter around the two. "What sort of pleasantries are you hoping to exchange?" Kael borrowed the young crime lord's language. She wanted something, probably information, and Kael was bettin she wouldn't be shy about letting him know what it was. She had most of the cards all.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina did see through it, Onasi was a republic war hero of old. She snorted in response but did not press the matter, if that's the name he wanted to use for today then so be it. She'd find out his true identity sooner or later anyway, such was the beauty of being the daughter of a woman who owned a rather extensive network of informants.

"Well, first of all, I want to know who sent you and see if I can determine why. Other pleasantries will be determined by how well that discussion goes. Fro example, if you chose to lie to me, like you just did, then the remainder of our conversation will be wholly unpleasant. Do you understand?"

[member="Kael Rose"]