Slow Day for a Mercenary

[Sturgis Tal'Verda]

The smell of ozone made him tingle with excitement. It brought back fond memories of long days at the firing range or the hills hunting in his youth. Back when he didn't have bills to pay he could shoot, swim, and eat all he wanted. Nobody expected much from a deaf Mandalorian so it was easy enough for him to skirt by. But Now?

"Get your foot off of me you dirty Mercenary!" Something struggled beneath his boot and it felt as if there was a strill on his shoulder tugging at his eardrum. Even with hearing aids all he got was a sensation, a vibration at most, when people spoke to him.

It wasn't pleasant.

Sturgis grunted and fired another blaster bolt into his captive's leg, an Rodian drug dealer who had been dealing outside of his turf. His comrades had put up quite a fight, but it wasn't anything he and his Ragtag group of Mandalorian misfits couldn't handle. The Rodian screamed, pleading for mercy on deaf ears. But the orders had been clear in their contract. Dead or alive, and this Rodian being alive so far had proven to just be a nuisance. Sturgis grunted again before leveling the barrel at the Rodian's had and pulled the trigger.

~A few hours later~

The console in front of him beeped. Someone was trying to contact the Roughcuts which could only mean one thing. Sturgis attempted to imitate a groan before swinging his legs off the console and pressing the com three times. Joura was the first to enter, as usual.

[What's up?] He signed.

[New job, take the call.] Joura didn't argue, he answered the com and the room dimmed before a blue hologram lit up in the center of the room.

[member="Tytos Ardik"]

 

[Ugoto Chivaro]

FORT AURBIS
TYTOS' OFFICE

What that impotent slug, Gorba the Hutt, was doing that was so important he could not be bothered to hire his own mercenaries, Tytos would never understand. Every moment Network Access remained in the hands of those tiresome neanderthals calling themselves the Collective was a moment weighed against them. Clearly Gorba did not feel the same sense of urgency Tytos did, otherwise he would not delegate the acquisition of mercenaries. There were not very many mercenary outfits Tytos could trust out of hand, but the up and comers lead by [member="Sturgis Tal'Verda"] seemed like a novel enough start. The Umbaran tapped his finger impatiently while a technician fiddled with the HoloNet transceiver. Eventually he looked up to his employer. "We've been patched through."

"Is the transmission secure?"

"Of course."

"Good," Tytos said. You never knew who would be eavesdropping. Since the Helix Syndicate made such a lucrative living spying on others, it was only right they be cautious themselves. The lights of the office dimmed in accordance with the ensuing bright light of the holographic display. The holographic bust of Tytos Ardik would be projected for the Mandalorian to see: a remarkably posh fellow who looked to be on the verge of a scowl at any given moment. Charming, to be sure. "This is the Helix Syndicate calling, acting on behalf of his eminence Gorba the Hutt," he explained. "With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

 

[Sturgis Tal'Verda]

Two Mandalorians would come into view. A rather scruffy looking human male with shoulder length hair slicked back seemed to be the one in charge. He sat relaxed in a captain's chair with a deathstick smoking from his lips. The other, presumably another Mandalorian, stood beside him. The second was of a much rarer species than human, the Glaucus with its avian features and thin, long limbs spoke first.

"The Roughcut unit of the Shriek-Hawk Mercenary company. This is Sturgis, he's a little hard of hearing so I'll be translating for you. I'm Joura, his second in command." Even with the distortion effect of hologram communications, the odd reverb of the Galucus was able to be heard. They were a strange species, hailing from the same world that the Vong call home a Galaxy away not many were seen throughout the Galaxy, but somehow many of them ended up in seedy places like this.

Sturgis made some gestures with his hands, and bowed his head.

"He says, 'Thank you for this opportunity Mr. Ardik'".
[member="Tytos Ardik"]

 

[Ugoto Chivaro]

[member="Sturgis Tal'Verda"]

Tytos raised an eyebrow. The people of this galaxy could send giant hulks of durasteel screaming down hyperlanes at speeds faster than light, but they couldn't get this man a hearing implant? Well, whatever. To each their own. As long as the hand gestures didn't become obscene, he supposed it didn't matter. If Gorba the Hutt didn't want a mercenary with a hearing deficiency, he shouldn't have subcontracted the job of hiring people out to a third party. Common sense. "A pleasure," Tytos said politely, inclining his head.

He did not waste time in getting to business. "His eminence, Gorba the Hutt is preparing to remove a collection of unwanted persons from a vital city district on Nar Shaddaa. Fortifications are expected to be heavy, so the use of overwhelming force will be a requirement."

The Collective were a secretive little gang. To his knowledge Network Access was the only major outpost they possessed, not just in the region but in the whole galaxy. All the easier to see them gone, but it also meant more resistance would be expected. Tytos would rather have too many mercenaries than too little. An easy preference to have when spending Gorba the Hutt's money rather than his own.

"To this end I have been charged with contracting a mercenary company for additional support. I am told the Shriek-Hawk Mercenary Company would be a reasonable choice."