First Reply Making Alliances

[Glar Ulchtar]

Time: Approximately 7:15 in the morning.

Location: A small diner, on the outskirts of Coronet City, Planet Corellia

Equipment: One DL-18 blaster pistol, one lightsaber

Coronet City was just as busy as it usually was, which was incredibly busy. As the capital city of an important shipbuilding planet, there was always a steady amount of traffic in and out, and if Glar Ulchtar’s information was correct, today there was someone passing through the city who could help him.

Glar Ulchtar was the son of Jej Ulchtar (the leader of the notorious Pyke Syndicate) and was a former high ranking member of the group. However, after a failed attempt to seize control of the Syndicate, Glar had been living in exile. Glar had joined a mercenary group, and was making a decent living doing jobs for them, but he was constantly wary of potential bounty hunters going after him.

Naturally enough, Glar did not want to continue living this lifestyle, and wanted to make some potential alliances for a possible second takeover attempt. He had heard a rumor that someone who also had a grudge against the Syndicate was going to visit the diner he was sitting at. Of course, he had considered the possibility that he was walking into a trap, and had brought a blaster and his lightsaber with him. He had never had an opportunity to use the lightsaber yet, but he was quite experienced with the blaster. He was also wearing an unusual looking mask, so it would be more difficult to identify him.

Glar was fairly certain that the person he was looking for had not arrived yet, so for the time being, he would simply sit in the booth farthest from the door, drink his cup of stimcaff, and pretend to be very interested in a book that he was reading.

 

[Dantum Kryszar]

Glar Ulchtar

Dantum Kryszar was short on time. Two contracts, both well-paying, had been offered to him. He was sure it wouldn't be too difficult to take on both., especially because the Guild recommended he do so. The first one was nearby: his home planet, Corellia. He went over the contract in his head as the space bus he was a passenger on landed. He walked down the ramp, silently cursing to himself as he looked at his datapad. In Galactic Standard Time, he was supposed to meet with his contact in five minutes. He would have to take a speeder bike.

Dan approached a Twi-lek with a speeder bike. "I want to borrow this. You can pick it up at this address. Here is your compensation".

Dan tossed some credits at the Twi-lek, who was about to complain, but then noticed the generous sum in his hand. Dan's last job had payed well, and he wasn't one to hoard credits when he saw an opportunity. The Corellain Sharpshooter pushed the throttle forward and took off down the crowded streets of Coronet City.

After four minutes of travel, Dan had arrived at a small, but bustling diner located in the Coronet City outskirts. He dismounted, and locked up the speeder bike outside the building. He wasn't too worried about it being stolen. If the Twi-lek didn't find it, he could very well buy a new one with his credits. Dan walked forward as the doors slid open for him. Out of habit, he assessed the crowd of patrons. None of them seemed potentially dangerous. He checked his datapad: one minute late. "Oh, well. You can't be on time for everything" he muttered. He walked around the restaurant for a couple minutes, but couldn't find his contact. He decided to ask the staff.

He walked up to a short man with a uniform. "Have you seen a Pyke come in here?"

"Who wants to know?" the man shot back.

"The Bounty Hunter's Guild".

Visibly cowed, the man said in a much more agreeable tone "H-he's in the back corner."

"Thank you." said Dan. He walked over to the Pyke, who was lounging back in his seat with a cup of what looked like stimcaff. "I'm here for a job."

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Dantum Kryszar

Glar found that he did not have to wait to long for the person he was supposed to meet. It was difficult to tell what species he was, as he was wearing what looked like an old stormtrooper helmet, which masked his face. The helmet was a sharp contrast to the rest of the man’s appearance, which consisted of a variety of mismatched pieces of armor and survival gear. The man walked towards Glar and told him that he was there for a job. “In that case, please sit down.” responded Glar, as he motioned towards the seat across from him. “I take it that you would rather not have idle small talk before we discuss the job?” asked Glar, more out of politeness than anything else, as he was fairly certain he knew what the answer would be. Glar didn’t enjoy making small talk very much himself, so he was glad this person (probably) wanted to discuss the details immediately.

 

[Dantum Kryszar]

Glar Ulchtar

Dan listened as his client politely asked him to have a seat. At least this one would be somewhat nice to work with. Unfortunately, anyone who picks a fight with the Pykes needs more than good manners. Maybe Dan would be pleasantly surprised.

"I'll make some small talk. What's your deal with the Pyke Syndicate?" asked Dan as he sat down with a fresh glass of blue bantha milk.

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Dantum Kryszar

Glar was somewhat surprised that the man was interested in making a bit of small talk before discussing the job, but he did not really mind. It had been quite some time since Glar had talked very much with anyone, outside of a strictly transactional context, even if it was just a preclude to discussing a job. He would have to choose his words carefully though, as he did not want to give away too much information yet.

“I think the best way to sum up my interactions with the Syndicate would be that I am no longer on good terms with them. The Syndicate has been growing in power quite a bit, and now that they have reclaimed control over Oba Diah and Kessel from the Bryn’adûl, this will almost certainly continue. However, there have been a series of schisms in the group, and I found it opportune to seek work elsewhere before a full scale gang-war started.” explained Glar.

All of this was definitely true, but Glar had chosen to not mention certain details, such as that he was the one who had started the power struggles during his attempted takeover, and that he had been forced to flee, rather than left completely on his own accord. Glar was not sure if this man would completely buy this story, and now that he thought about it, he did not recall what this man’s name was. “Also, I apologize, but I do not think I heard what your name was.” he added.

 

[Dantum Kryszar]

Glar Ulchtar

Dan listened intently as the Pyke told his story. Dan could tell that the tale wan't exactly complete, but the Pyke Syndicate was dangerous, and the bounty hunter wanted all the information he could get. You don't take chances with the Pykes. Dan had learned that the hard way. After listening to the other's anecdote, he briefly summed up his quarrel with the Syndicate.

"I was one of their favorite bounty hunters. I ran many successful missions for them. It was good work until I had to assassinate one of the Black Sun's leaders. I completed the mission, but the Black Sun's soldiers captured me. It was two years until I was able to escape, and the Pykes didn't help me at all. It was even on my contract that they, by whatever means, had to rescue me if I got into a jam. They could have sent other bounty hunters, or nondescript droids to get me out, but instead they abandoned me. The Black Sun is known for mercilessly torturing their prisoners. If the Pykes had just spent a couple credits helping their best bounty hunter, I wouldn't have spent two years pushing through agonizing pain. I want revenge."

The Pyke also listened to his story, and then paused thoughtfully for a moment. Then an unforeseen question came up: the client wanted to know his name. Dan was surprised; whether the client wanted his name for convenience, or to be polite, it was still an unexpected gesture.

"Dantum Kryszar. And yours?"

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Dantum Kryszar

OOC: I apologize for taking so long to respond to this, I was in the middle of making a very lengthy Codex submission when you last posted.

Glar listened to the man’s story, and thought about it. He seemed like he was telling the truth, but it was hard to tell through his helmet. Then the man said that his name was Dantum Kryszar. Glar definitely felt like he had heard that name before somewhere, which added credibility to Dantum’s story.

Then Dantum asked Glar what his name was. He had anticipated the question, but after hearing the story, Glar was unsure of whether or not he should answer honestly.

Dantum might recognize Glar’s last name, and figure out who he actually was, and that could potentially end disastrously for him. Glar was not sure how much (if any) contact Dantum had been in with his father, but considering that he had said that he had been one of the Syndicate’s top bounty hunters, Glar figured it would be best to assume he had at least some.

On the other hand, Glar worried that he might seem untrustworthy if he told another lie, and Ulchtar was a common last name among Pykes anyways, so Dantum might not make the connection.

After thinking about all of those things for two or three seconds, Glar replied.

“My name is Glar Ulchtar.”

Glar did not immediately say anything else, and took a pause to drink some of his stimcaff.

 

[Dantum Kryszar]

Glar Ulchtar

"Glar Ulchtar" said the Pyke, after Dan had asked his name.

The response triggered an old memory: the leader of the Pyke Syndicate, Jej Ulchtar, hiring him for his first mission with the Pykes. Jej was the one who had abandoned him when Dan had gotten captured by the Black Sun. If only Dan could see Jej again... The Corellian Bounty Hunter bottled up his anger quickly and thought about who Glar could be. He recalled Jej having a son, who was later banished during power struggles. This could be that son, looking for revenge. However, he couldn't remember the son's name. Dan waved away the idea. Ulchtar was a pretty common name among the Pykes anyway.

After telling Dan his name, Glar took a sip of stimcaff as he relaxed and sank back into the soft cushions of the corner booth, obviously awaiting the question that they both knew was coming:

"What's the job?"

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Dantum Kryszar

It was difficult for Glar to tell if Dantum recognized his name or not. After a brief pause, Dantum asked Glar what the job was. Glar put down his cup of stimcaff and responded in a voice slightly louder than a whisper, so nobody would overhear them.

“Actually, I have two different options for you. The first option involves a lengthy trip to the planet Orax, so if you want that one you will have to provide your own transportation. It involves searching for an item in a cavern system, which I believe I might need. In addition to this object, there are also believed to be hostile crystalline life forms, so I think it would be best not to go alone.”

“The other option is more involved, but I am willing to pay more money for it. It involves breaking into a bank on the planet Telos, which from my understanding is under close guard. It is also not far from Ashlan territory, so we would need to be ready for them as well. I only have enough money to pay you for one of those jobs, though.”

 

[Dantum Kryszar]

Glar Ulchtar

Dan listened to Glar's options. The first involved finding an item in a cave system on Orax, which sounded easy enough, except for the fact that there could be crystal monsters dwelling inside the caverns. Because of the monsters, if he took up that job, he would need someone to accompany him. Better safe than sorry.

The second option was to break into a bank on Telos, which is apparently heavily guarded. And to make matters worse, the bank is in relatively close proximity to Ashlan territory. Consequently, Dan would have to be ready to contend with Ashlans, which he would rather not. Because the second job was harder, Glar was willing to pay more. However, Glar only had enough money to pay Dan for one of the jobs. This would be a difficult decision.

If Dan took up the first job, he would need to battle crystal monsters, and find someone to go with him. If he took up the second job, he would have to get through a bank's tight security, and possibly have to deal with Ashlans. Dan was unsure that he could find someone to go with him to Orax on such short notice; but the Orax job seemed pretty legit. He would rather face crystal beasts than break through very heavy security, and besides, Glar acted like the item wasn't that big of a deal, although some of his demeanor suggested otherwise. Dan needed to take one of the jobs; he was low on credits. He would take the job on Orax.

"I will undertake the task on Orax. However, you might need to give me a day or two, because I need to find someone to accompany me."

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Dantum Kryszar

After listening to the two options, Dantum decided that he would pick the Orax option. Glar responded by handing Dantum a small data storage unit and telling him about its contents.

“This contains information relevant to the job. It includes the planetary coordinates where the item is believed to be, and a description of what the item looks like. It also contains information about the crystal life forms and a commlink frequency you can contact me with once you are ready for the task.”

 

[Dantum Kryszar]

Glar Ulchtar

"Understood" Dan said as Glar explained the mission and gave him a data storage unit with information inside.

"I will contact you once I have found someone to accompany me to Orax, at which point I will be going. See you then." Dan waved to Glar as he walked through the door and out into the bustling streets of Coronet City.

Since he grew up in the city, Dan knew the best inexpensive places to spend a night. Giurbal's Place was closest, and it was still nice even though it didn't cost a lot. By Corellian hotel standards, anyway. The bounty hunter walked the few miles to Giurbal's; he had to save credits if he was going to stay at Giurbal's. Finally, he arrived at the hotel. The bronze doors slid open for him, and he walked into the lobby. The lobby was gold and yellow, with some whites and coppery browns thrown into the mix. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. The hotel might've looked nice, but it was far from the most expensive. Dan strode up to the desk.

"Room for one, please."

The Aqualish at the desk acknowledged Dan's request. 'That will be 14,400 credits."

Dan handed over the last of his credits. "Thank you." said the Aqualish. "Now, if you will come this way, I will lead you to your room."

The room was on the nineteenth floor, with a nice view of the city. The color scheme was the same as the lobby, and there was a bed, a desk with a repulsor chair, a wardrobe, and a kitchenette. Dan thanked the Aqualish and immediately sat down on the bed to send a holomessage to anyone who he thought might be interested in the mission. Dan was exhausted. He changed, washed, and immediately fell asleep once his head hit the pillow.

Dan woke up early, changed back into his bounty hunting gear, and checked his datapad for any responses. They all came up negative; no one could accompany him to Orax. "Bantha dung" cursed Dan under his breath. His only option now was to ask Glar to go with him. He contacted Glar with his datapad, and a hologram of the Pyke appeared. "I couldn't find anyone to go with me" Dan explained. "Would you be interested in the mission?"

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Dantum Kryszar

Glar had woken up early, and after taking a shower, brushing his teeth, and getting dressed, he decided to take a walk down the shipyards of the city, while he waited for a response from Dantum. He did not end up having to wait too long for his response, as after only around thirty minutes, Dantum contacted him through his datapad.

Dantum asked Glar if he could go with him on the mission, as he could not find anyone to go with him. Glar considered this new development. Then he responded over the rather noisy commotion of the shipyards, hoping he was not overheard.

“Hmm… I suppose I can accompany you on the mission. It would help both of us after all. Meet me on the coordinates programmed on the data storage unit once you are ready to leave.”

Dantum agreed and ended the call. After that, Glar walked back to the docking bay where his ship was, and packed up all of his belongings and paying the docking bay manager. He then climbed into his ship, and set off for the mission.

End Of Thread.