Looking for 'Bug'

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

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Nar Shaddaa,
Entertainment District
Enroute to Vertigo

Lysle moved down the narrow footpath under the night sky. The miasma of narcotics, alcohol and easy living wafted through the air, an ever-present smoke that spilled down the lungs of all. He was alone. He was wanted. Seventeen Black Sun thugs and two crime bosses had been slaughtered at Frida's Spaceport Cantina two weeks ago. The Red Ravens were wanted, and Nar Shaddaa was behind enemy lines. He needed a slicer for some information on the Black Suns. He heard Vertigo was a good place to find well-connected slicers.

He was welcome at the door by a burly set of bouncers, his face still recognised. They feared him. The crowd was thick, the music roaring. The air smelled of spice and immoral intentions. He brushed his way through the countless bodies, an eerie phantom that seemed to know the perfect route to the bar. A maze of individuals he efficiently moved through with purpose. He moved towards his contact, a man named Xomich who said he could find him 'Bug'.

"Where is he?" Lysle asked. Xomich looked up, his pupils dilated. The white of his eyes reddened as he downed a glass of Corellian red. "I 'don't-know what you're talking 'bout man." A throaty chuckle left the mans lips as he smirked to his comrades. He recognised them. They weren't Black Sun, but they were the next best thing. Tenloss Syndicate. They hated the Black Suns, but they also hated the Red Ravens. "I hear yah shot up the Suns."
"I'm not looking for trouble."
"That's not up to me." Xomich looked to his associates, they sat forward. Identical twins - or identical human replica droids. He couldn't tell, but something about them seemed off. Perhaps they were droids. "Hand over fifteen thousands, we'll tell you where Bug is. Don't, and the Suns will be here faster than you can say Hydian Way."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

That night Cryax Bane sat hunched over his Datapad in a back booth at the slicer bar Vertigo, just doing what he did best. He was attempting to siphon some credits from Corellian Engineering, one of his favorite marks. He wasn’t exactly sure what the guy did at CE, some CEO or CFO or COO, or in other words, a loaded suit. The higher up you got in a corporation the easier it was to slice the Chiss had found. Once most CEOs (and for that matter, high-ranking politicians like heads of state) rose to the upper echelons of their organizational structure, they usually thought themselves to be untouchable demi-gods. So their passwords were stupidly easy to figure out. Case in point, his current mark’s alphanumeric access code for his credit account was “GOD.” He smirked and started draining the credits. Only enough to get his rent paid through the next week. The Chiss wasn’t greedy. Just desperate.

A trendy Bothan couple weaved drunkenly close to his table laughing a little too loudly for his tastes, and as his fingers moved across the Datapad with almost preternatural speed, he rolled his eyes at how trendy the place was becoming. He made a tsk sound and went back to scrubbing his trail.

[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

"Here," Lysle said, reaching into his coat. Three five-thousand chips. He wasn't happy, but this was blood money. And knowing credits, everything could be tracked. He didn't keep much of it on him, a few dozen thousand at a time, but for a man like him, that was pocket change. When you spearhead a multi-billionaire enterprise coupled with strings in two different corporations, along with the off-the-record jobs he orchestrated, it was no wonder Lysle Rigger was becoming the richest man on the moon.

"He's over there," Xomich tilted his glass in the direction of Cryax Bane's table. Lysle made no effort to speak to them, choosing to talk and walk. "Not even a thanks?" the two Tenloss thugs asked to his retreating back. Definitely human Lysle decided. He made his way to the booth, and the moment he sat down, uninvited, his hand reached forward and began to grasp for a button under the table. There, he thought. He pushed it and a tranquility screen rose up around their booth. Yellow radiance poured over them, and the loud discussions of countless belligerent individuals became muffled whispers. "Bug?" Lysle asked, "I heard of you a few months ago, been looking for you since."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Chiss jumped at the faint hiss of the privacy screen as it curtained them off. There was an unexpected guest joining him tonight, and for a moment he thought Corellian Engineering was finally wising up and was sending someone over to take care of their little cash flow problem. When he dissected the guy's wardrobe thought otherwise. The human was wearing a suit that cost more than the blue-skinned slicer's rent on Nar Shaada. While not overtly friendly, the sharp-dressed man didn't really give off a malicious vibe either so that was a relief. However, the fact that the guy knew him caused him a surge of paranoia, and he made a mental note to come up with some new aliases.

The Datapad placed safely face-down on the table, the Chiss forced a nervous smile and thought he'd take a chance with the guy. If anything, maybe he could get some fashion tips.

"Yep, that's me. Bug." He forced himself to make steady eye contact with the man. "I'm assuming you're here to hire me for some sort of special project. And you are...?"

[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

"-Mr. Rigger," Lysle interrupted him. "But call me Lysle." Lysle reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small rectangular datapad. He tossed it onto the table a bit too roughly. The screen was activated and showed some simple text. He didn't want to say it out loud, and would rather Bug read the file. There were enemies on Nar Shaddaa that would still love to get a scent on Lysle and come howling after him; tearing him apart. The datapad read; THE RED RAVEN'S ARE LOOKING TO HIRE SLICERS. NEED TO KNOW WHERE THE BLACK SUN WAREHOUSES AND SHIPMENTS ARE, AT WHAT TIME, AND WHO THEY'RE WITH. THE PAY IS 75,000 PER WAREHOUSE / SHIPMENT, AND EXTRA 5,000 CREDITS PER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

"So, what do you think?"

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Chiss's red eyes scanned the Datapad and he blinked twice at the amount of credits being dangled in front of him. He'd never made that much money on his slicing. This was a primo opportunity and Cryax's nervous system went into overtime. He looked around to make sure this wasn't some kind of joke that some other slicer was playing on him and then back at the good-looking gangster. The Black Suns though. That was dancing with the karking devil. Still, he had to make a decision and the human seemed like he wasn't the kind of guy who took kindly to his time being wasted. Slicers didn't make names for themselves doing incremental credit draining and taking table scraps from Hutts.

He looked up at the man and confident that he could get Mr. Rigger the data he wanted simply stated. "Consider me interested."

[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

"I'll keep it sweet and quick," Lysle said. "Check the files on the datapad, you'll find a location to our casino. There we can give you whatever tools you want and need to complete your job. You'll have to find your own ride." He stood from the table, leaning down only to deactivate the tranquility screen. There was a rush in his tone, and the way he moved. It was clear he shouldn't be here - and if he remained here any longer he could be in serious danger at the hands of the Black Suns. "I'll meet you there. Just tell the staff that you want to meet the boss. They'll bring you to me." Lysle turned and began to push himself into the crowd.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

//Exit Thread//​