Private New Faces in Dark Places

[Nyx N1X3]

Location: Nar Shaddaa Landing Platform
Tag: Quentin 'Joker'

"Would you look at that."

Standard landing platform. Single cargo loading dock. Five crates stacked off to the left. Two crates on the right.

"These things flying now?"

Local law enforcement negligible. Criminal Enforcers common. Law varies on territory. Flight control extended this platform for the appropriate fee and bribe to ensure it was not already leased to avoid unnecessary entanglements.

"So, what's a droid like you doing in a place like this?"

Male, six one, physically fit, clean shaven, slightly mussed hair, weather jacket. Sidearm: generic blaster pistol. Perhaps black market, unregistered.

A clang of metal sounded when the man knocked a wrench he picked up from the crates against the N1-Series droid's chassis. The man giggled. No, laughed. Amusement. False belief of superiority and dominance resulting in misplaced euphoria. His companions, two more males, chuckled in reply. The talkative one was the leader, then. In charge among the trio.

Good.

He was the closest.

Two minutes later, Nyx strode away from the platform and into the local territory center. In her wake, a platform was left with nothing more than her ship, five crates on the left, and two creates on the right. There was a very real safety concern when it came to landing platforms on Nar Shaddaa -- no rails. Disposing of bodies was decidedly quite easy to do.

Red, glowing eyes surveyed the area and noted the position of the local inhabitants. She noted the paths they took, the store fronts that line the street, and the security devices that may or may not actually be functioning. The Smuggler's Moon was a complicated network of 'scum and villainy' as she had heard someone once describe it. To Nyx, however, that only meant it held ample opportunities.

Yes, the Viceroy had dismantled the old Ministry of Secrets and established a new Confederacy Intelligence Command as part of the Defense Force in its place. That had not stopped Nyx from retrieving all of the Special Operations details and then wiping them from the Ministry servers. Officially, nothing Nyx knew existed. CICOM was an above-board intelligence agency. What remain of the past was in her possession and had not been shared with others to avoid drawing needless Inquisition attention. Nevertheless, she made sure those assets were not left to their own devices. Nothing was worse than cutting ties to experienced and capable resources. Idle hands and idle minds could be a terrible thing, after all.

Nar Shaddaa supplied many useful things such as contacts, resources, and credits. All useful in her line of work. Even new talent could be found in dark places, for that is where Intelligence Operatives did most of their work.

 

[Quentin 'Joker']

Location: Cramped Alleyway. Nar Shaddaa.



It always came down to Credits.

At least that was what Lady K would say,

That was why Joker now found himself trying to squeeze himself out of a rather tight spot in a dank Alleyway on Nar Shaddaa. It took him only a moment but eventually he found himself free of the grasp that was janky workmanship, looking down he scowled, he'd ripped the bottom part of his Duster, great. lifting up the leather hood from the base of his neck Joker pulled it up and over his Helmeted head, the scanner connected to His helm lit up, as the light pulsated across the edges of the helm.

it had taken nearly two hours but the detour was worth it, not only was his ship now docked somewhere nearly no one could get to, he had spent a rather decent amount of time and credits to make sure no one knew he was going to be landing on Nar Shaddaa, leaning forward sluggishly out of the mouth of the dark alleyway, Joker knew this place as well as any other who grew up as the page-boy for a Criminal, The Smuggler's Moon full of Desperate people living Desperate lives, some make it big, other's well, other's usually were killed in the process.

Stepping out of the Alley fully Joker began to make his way to a near by Cantina, one if he remembered was rather known for it's Sabacc games, that and it's booze. Joker needed a base of operations, one not so off the beaten path, and quick if he wanted to get started on picking up jobs, as his old shuttle probably wouldn't be able to leave the Moon, and his creative parking had probably caused one to many malfunctions. 'Credits' he huffed at himself, 'It always comes down to Credits' as he stepped out into the street and began his way to the Nearest Cantina.

---
Tag Nyx N1X3

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Nyx's footsteps were surprisingly light for a droid of her mass. A desired effect from a careful application of weight distribution with each step. It sounded complicated because it was, but the calculations were relatively low-resource intensive for an advanced droid such as herself.

Was that vanity? Ego? Nyx liked to think so. She worked hard on crafting programming to emulate organic, sentient lifeforms.

Not that the droid drifted silently through the streets, but it wasn't more than some boots organics wore. Softly enough not to draw too many irate looks. No, her appearance often did that. Most often believed her a protocol droid of some kind, though not one any had ever seen. To date, Nyx was only aware of her own existence. Perhaps for the best, she came to believe; another instance of her might pose a threat requiring elimination.

Soon enough, Nyx became aware of a man ahead muttering about credits. Someone in need of money could be useful -- provided them had any skills worthy of solicitation and a temperament that didn't suggest they'd be killed on the first assignment. For the moment, she would follow him to his destination. Hopefully a cantina, club, or palace of some kind. A place where she could continue her examination and perhaps even converse with him in private.

Tag: Quentin 'Joker'

 

[Quentin 'Joker']

After one to many Left turns a Disgruntled Joker, entered into a small door, leading down, Wires from the floor above hung down into a narrow spiral staircase, across the walls as He ventured down he spotted neon scratchings, and signs, they lit the stairs in a blue and pink hue, something Joker wasn't to fond off, dropping the leather hood, joker placed a hand on his jaw, it didn't matter if anyone saw his face, after all, what's one Human among everyone else? the front part of his helm seemed to retract in what looked like hexagonal red shapes. as he turned the final corner of the rather narrow and long stair way, Joker stopped at what seemingly looked like a dead end leading to a small cargo room, lifting his left hand he placed the gauntlted hand open on the wall, and the wall disappeared, opening up to a Store front, 'Sazzes' Corner' Joker smiled, it looked like Lady K was right about Sazzes still being around.

the storefront door hissed open with life as Joker stepped forward and the smell of the desperate people leaving behind desperate lives, and the sounds of laughter and anger filled the long hall as Joker walked down it, turning left into a massive room, it was filled with all sorts of people the noise level was something between a raging waterfall and a new Holonet concert gone wrong. the massive room was constructed out of what looked like the inside of a hollowed out Frigate, a Bar lining the initial wall, with thirteen tables spread about the place, the neon coloring filled the ship, as it did the Stairway prior, Joker again took notice, couldn't help but mentally complain to himself and quickly find a seat, in the corner, he knew he needed to start somewhere but first, he needed to sit down and think his next few moves through.

stepping in and out of crowds between the standing folk who seemed to litter the Building, Joker finally found a corner, and with his luck it was right outside of what looked like a sound shield of some kind? privacy booth perhaps, He wouldn't know, he could probably take it a part and put it back together and learn what it did. However he had more important things in mind, like where to find a job, who to bloody well talk to about it and then use said job to buy a new bloody ship. He needed his own ship, it was a disaster parking the shuttle he had taken from Lady K.

----
Tag: Nyx N1X3

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Curious. Nyx had intended to hold conversation with this individual, yet as she followed him at a distance, his path took her down a new path. She had been to the Moon before, but Nyx held many responsibilities and it was a very densely populated moon. To find a new avenue to a hidden oasis of opportunity was pleasantly surprising. It also looked good on Joker's resume.

She waited for the man to leave before she strode forward to trigger the door herself. From what she'd seen, there was only one place to go beyond the concealed doorway. The gross amount of signs were a curious touch. 'Painful' on the optical receptors. A few quick analysis engines were performed on a variety of spectra as Nyx waited for the door to open. Some were held for continued analysis at a lower priority once it had. Never hurt to look for hidden messages intended only for 'those in the know.'

As the droid followed in the man's wake, she too passed through the hallway. Only her path was momentarily barred by a lather large organic creature. Killing them would only cause problems. There was no law, but every place had its own internal security. This man was likely one of them. Instead, Nyx flicked a chit into the air which caused the man to draw his head back as he snatched it. Confusion quickly changed to wary regard.

Naturally, Nyx's expression didn't change. It was one of the reasons people hated droids -- their instincts couldn't get a read on them. Were they intended hostilities? Were they actually trying to help you, or just setting you up for a fall? So few of them knew any good jokes to lighten a mood too.

With a grunt, the man gestured for her to proceed. Excellent. Everyone understood credits.

The place was surprisingly large and quite busy. A worthwhile find where contacts and resources could be made, Nyx noted. It would take a minute or two before her optical receptors found the sentient she'd seen on the streets once more. Seemed he'd made a claim for himself a distance from the entrance. Alone. Still available for company then.

With the same pace she'd shown so far, Nyx strode through the crowd toward the booth in question. Any comments or failure to move completely out of her way warranted no response. What they thought of her hardly mattered. In the end she always proved herself indispensable, and they accepted her. Or they did not. Bit of a waste when an opportunity was lost over irrational bigotry. Nyx hoped that wouldn't be the case here with this unknown male.

"Hello. My name is Nyx. May I join you?"

Tag: Quentin 'Joker'

 

[Quentin 'Joker']

Joker was pulled out of his musings when he noticed the Droid at his table, at first he raised an eyebrow, but when The droid had asked to join him his curiosity peeked, leaning forward on the table clasping his hands before him, his left gauntlet perpetually displayed what looked like a constant data stream on the small holo screen projected from the center of it.

looking over to the Droid, he began to study her as best he could, She was very advanced, and just at first glance he could tell she was unlike most droids, after all when you spend years pulling them apart and putting them back together better than they were one notices these things, 'Color me Curious Nyx, the Name is Joker, Please, sit, join me, it's not every day that such an advanced Droid decides to Approach me.'

Many things were running through his mind, Why was this Droid interested in him? She wasn't after him by way of the Gang Leader's he ripped off, none of them where smart enough let alone have enough credits to produce or hire such a droid.

Not to mention they hadn't collectively had enough credits to rub together after he was done with them, he'd cleaned them out, so there where only a few viable options as to why This Droid Nyx wanted anything to do with him, she was either a very expensive sex bot that the Old coot owner of the Cantina got his hands on, or she was looking to hire him, maybe even join him on a job?

He supposed he would just have to wait and hear out the Droid, after all it was never nice to jump to conclusions.


---
Tag: Nyx N1X3

 

[Nyx N1X3]

It was nice when organics invited her to sit with them. While a droid did not need to rest or relax, relieving the pressure on the lower limbs or the spinal column, it was a show of recognition -- that Nyx was not a serving droid there to service one's needs. To be treated like an organic was welcome in a social setting. Now, in a professional setting she would rather people recognize the strengths of a proven droid's calculus. Simple fact was, her kind was better suited to certain tasks than organics. That was not a shortcoming on their part, but some felt slighted by the thought.

Nyx slowly lowered herself into a seat across from Joker so they could see one another freely.

"You flatter me, Joker." It was a polite thing to say. Also, his remark was appreciated. "I was...in the neighborhood and information suggested you might be a worthwhile contact. Though, I admit my entry on you is lacking in detail. If you would be interested, I would like to learn more about you." Her information, as Nyx put, was solely the remark about needing credits. She'd tapped in to the net and was looking up more information on him, but there weren't any glaring red flags and lengthy law enforcement dossiers on him for provide substantive detail.

It would only take a little more time, or detail by the man himself, to find out about his call-sign and from there a little about his story. Thing was about criminal organizations... they didn't keep public records. Only if the Ministry-- Intelligence Command had broken into the databanks of a particular group would they have anything truly detailed about the man before her. Nyx hoped he would not be too gunshy about meeting with a strange droid.

Tag: Quentin 'Joker'

 

[Quentin 'Joker']

Joker's internal countenance skyrocketed, WORK! his brain seemed to scream, he was albeit excited however, he kept most of his internal musings that, internal, knowing full well what it looked like to be over eager for work, he wasn't like some of the poor bastards here on Nar Shaddaa.

'Well, the very fact that you might have a Contact that believes I'm myself am a worthy contact means we might have a mutual friend' he smiled he did wonder, perhaps K had sent her his way? or maybe she was lying, either way, Joker continued to speak, 'I have to say though, I'm not entirely surprised you have little on me, I did exclusive work for a small organization a few years back, but really the only time I've left my mark was with this.'

Dropping a small circular object onto the counter it projected the news feed on the Holo-Net that showed his Calling Card, an article below describing a Multi-targeted Heist Involving long distance Slicing and what everyone assumed was multiple people, the Article was full of conjecture on how the heist was pulled however most articles on the Holo-Net seemed to believe the same thing, There had to be multiple 'Joker's as it were.

Joker of course found this hilarious, He had easily connected each and every one of the Gang Leaders he stole from, one way or another, he knew eventually someone would get smart and realize what he did, but until then they would be chasing their tails, he did wonder however if someone had finally figured him out. He paused, and realized in his relaxed state he had made a major flaw, he had assumed the Droid before him was not here to kill him, they had all but confirmed that, however, if she was lying that would mean He had just given her the 'Yep that's him alright' sign she needed.

On the inside Joker's mind raced, she knew his face, she knew his story now, she knew he was The Joker from the Holo-Net-infamous heist and she looked rather deadly. On the outside however he hadn't moved, he'd kept his eyes focused on the Droid, 'So, what would you like to know?' he raised an eyebrow at the droid, 'I'm Good at Slicing, and a pretty daft hand at most all kinds of tech, i don't carry a blaster though.' he was lying through his teeth, true he didn't have a blaster, but his right Gauntlet was kitted out with a myriad of different offensive capabilities and one or two defensive ones, it was unfortunate that most all of the little tricks in his gauntlet where one offs, all but the air compressor which could if he was close enough punch a hole through most humanoids skulls, hoping he wasn't signing a death certificate Joker leaned back waved a droid over and ordered food and drink.

---
Tag: Nyx N1X3

 

[Nyx N1X3]

While she sought to compile subroutines to mimic humanoid behavior, there was one thing Nyx was incapable of doing -- facial expressions. Both blessing and curse, she red eyes regarded the man as he spoke of his own resume. Joker seemed quite pleased at the recognition as well. Both things that bode well for their interaction despite her personal shortcomings of encouraging his participation in their discussion. Actually, it was one of the more interesting things about some sentients. Their ability to look beyond the fixed appearance and engage at a deeper level.

Her optical units took in the holo-projection on display. The visual feed was broken apart and reassembled with an on-going, dedicated analytical engine, of course. Strictly business. Slicers could be quite dangerous and Nyx was under no delusion about her own nature. Even if it seemed unlikely a random person might find some yet-discovered flaw in her optical inputs, it never hurt to be cautious. Especially when the maximum lag time involved was under one millisecond.

So, the male before her was claiming to be the one responsible for the heist? Not just any slicer off the street then. The man seemed to have talent.

"Yes," she replied at last, "I believe your slicing skills are noteworthy. You did not need to physically visit any of the targeted sites? Did you intercept hardware deliveries or infect factory software?" Basically, she was wondering how he got in. Even if he did it all remotely, had he had something slipped inside or had help by people already inside? Or had he actually broken in entirely on his own with no help whatsoever? Social engineering was hardly 'help' so much as exploiting the most fundamental security hole in any organization -- the people.

"Please, order whatever you like. On me." It was the least she could do for taking up the man's time, after all.

Tag: Quentin 'Joker'

 

[Quentin 'Joker']

Joker did his best to keep his face neutral when he spoke next, 'It was just me, Infectious software, people ignore the little things you know? one or two micro errors in the code and they think it's just a hiccup in the system after all, just a minor glitch, but that insignificant incident you file away as nothing, that's where you can hide everything, one wrong line of code and i was in every single system connected to my marks, and I was able to leave behind details involving other crime lords and gang leaders to throw off the investigation, and of course at the end of the tunnel i wiped my trail and left my calling card, which seems to still be making the rounds on the Holo Net.' smiling he Thanked Nyx ordering a simple drink and meal he looked over to the Droid.

'So Nyx how about yourself? you are obviously capable as you've already got most humanoids beat with calculations and risk assessments, as I'm sure, but what are your specialties, if you don't mind my asking of course.' he leaned back from the table relaxing slight against the booth, his right hand propped up on the back of the booth. He was a tad unnerved by his inability to read the droid, it was something he was good at, reading people, but when 'people' means droids with programed algorithms to replicate human responses, it makes the job a tad harder, he knew he'd have to be up on his wits so to speak if he were to partner with a droid with its own agenda.

---
Tag Nyx N1X3

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Capable. With the right tools Joker might be quite an asset -- or quite a threat. Someone worth continuing a dialogue with in this curious place he'd brought her. Even if the man did not join the Confederacy formally, Nyx had use of people in other organizations or those that refused to pick a side. The Ministry may have been remade, but that did not mean an enterprising agent such as herself abandoned worthwhile resources. It also helped that she lacked any morality programming or restrictions. Not official orders to keep the Black Operations running? Not a problem. And unlike those they'd put in charge of such things before, a droid was not susceptible to 'corruption.' Though, admittedly, 'loyalty' might not be a guarantee given a lack of a moral imperative, but Nyx had yet to truly betray anyone. It seemed inefficient to do so.

"Piloting and slicing," she responded to the man's interested in her own capabilities. "Why then would I need a man of your talent?" When a prospective hire heard you had their skill, it was only natural to wonder. "While I am capable of considerably greater number of computational and technological integrations than an organic," just a fact, "I remain only one droid. The associates whom I work with, likewise, are only so many in number. It is a large galaxy with a considerably expansive holo-net -- which ignores private networks established across many worlds. Locating people with your abilities is only logical to supplement our capabilities. Whether that is because you seek long-term employment, or act as a contractor free to select among employers would remain your choice." Granted there'd be a clause in any contract clearly spelling out knowingly attack her or her associates would violate said contract, regardless of who hired him.

"Is there something you desire most, Joker?" Seemed only appropriate to know what the man wanted in life. Credits? A challenge?

Tag: Quentin 'Joker'

 

[Quentin 'Joker']

What the actual hell did he want? that was a curious question, he pondered the thought before speaking, 'I want to find a person, someone who was taken from my life a long time ago, that's my ultimate goal, and to do that i need credits, lots of credits, one needs a steady base of operations and a working star ship if they are to hunt down dead end trails looking all across the galaxy for a person who may or may not be dead.'

he sat up as a small basic meal was brought to the table, he was cautious enough to begin eating with his left hand, when his gauntlet seemed to spring to life, a small tendril of wire with what looked like a small scanner scanned the food, and the numbers on his left arm quickly changed from the constant stream of information to a singular word. 'Safe' before returning to its constant stream of data, the small wire retracted back into the gauntlet, before eating his small meal Joker looked across the table at the droid.

'What exactly do you need me for?' he questioned, 'was there a job you had in mind?' he began to eat, and like any decent humanoid with manners waited to finish his mouthful before speaking again. 'I'm always up for a challenge so you know.'

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Find a person that was taken from him? Curious. "Your reputation speaks to that, Joker." Playing various criminal elements against one another to steal from them was certainly a 'challenge.' Appearing to be more than you were or a faceless entity rather than a known agent was a 'challenge' even if it may not have been deliberate per se.

"I can offer you one of two possibilities. Employment, or freelance. If you were employed you would be needed to work within a certain theater, but your activities would not necessarily reside only within that region. The benefits are substantial and the opportunities boundless," Nyx replied calmly. "If you work as a freelance agent willing to assist me and my associates, you would be freer to pursue your search on your own and engage in whatever jobs you see fit. Before you decide, however, consider that a benefit of being employed by my associates would carry with it access to a far broader range of information that may prove just as useful -- if not serve as a more efficient means of searching -- in locating this missing person."

"As for a job," Nyx slipped a chit from a storage compartment before she set it down between them. "A modest sum in advance. I have a contact being held in a nearby Palace. I could use your assistance in securing their release. Interested?"

Tag: Quentin 'Joker'

 

[Quentin 'Joker']

Joker hadn't thought of full employment, one which paid well, and it would allow him to broaden his search, he paused his thoughts on his own personal agenda as he began to listen to the job, which, sounded easy enough, it was either search and rescue or prisoner transfer, he just hoped he wasn't the bait. he looked to Nyx, and nodded, 'How 'bout i help you on this job, and afterwards we talk more about the benefits of working for you and your people, the idea of Full-time employment to use my skill set didn't really come up in the old think tank, considering I've practically been living a life of a criminal since i could walk.' he smiled, drank the last of his drink and spoke again.

'Let's Talk about this Job of Ours.' he said, swiping up the chit as a sorta of 'I agree and Accept all terms and conditions of the Job' kinda way.

He leaned back a bit and stood, 'Maybe it'd be best to head up and toward the Target location? Explain on the way?' he asked looking down and across the table at Nyx, he had to admit, she was a terrifying sight, he wouldn't want to get on her bad side, he knew the might of some military grade droids, and ones like herself, well, Joker was glad they seemed to be on the same side.

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Nyx listened to the man's reasonable proposal. Perform this job, likely get a feel for herself as an agent of some nameless association, and then make a decision. "Agreed." After all, his continued employment would not be required to learn of the specifics of what was to come. All sensitive materials and data would be isolated from Joker's rather capable fingers... if all went according to plan that is.

After Joker stood, the dark droid slid out to the side and then joined him on her feet. "It is not far from our present location." She would have smiled to reassure him, but it was not in her construction to do so. Instead she turned to lead the way as a show of faith. Well, that and the droid doubted Joker could take her even if he had the initiative. She was quite confident in her defense matrix. It was not unbeatable, of course, but it was not programmed by the lowest bidder.

Once they entered less populated area outside of Sazzes' Corner, Nyx would resume their conversation. "My contact was engaged in learning more about a certain criminal organization known as 'The Crucible.' Have you heard of them?" Whether he had or not would not affect the chances of mission success, merely offer Joker the chance to ask for details should he feel they were necessary. "The Hutt that owns the Palace nearby appeared to have contacts with this organization, and my contact was sent in to learn more. They are an elusive group, which my associates would pay considerable sums to any that found actionable intelligence regarding their hierarchy and location." Even if Joker didn't take employment there was no reason he couldn't keep an ear open in the future.

"The objective is to locate and exfiltrate the contact. Your assistance bypassing the security system would be most appreciative. It is likely any attempt I made to access their systems directly would only draw unnecessary attention to me and my physical location," the droid explained. Ordinarily she could do this all on her own, but seeing how Joker needed the credits his assistance would allow events to proceed more smoothly. Perhaps with considerably fewer casualties. Not that Nyx cared how many died, but such things drew unnecessary attention.

Tag: Quentin 'Joker'