The Bold Survive

[Rhen Ordo]

There was a quiet, nearly imperceptible click of a power cell being slid into place, accompanied by a low hum that would go unheard by all but those who were intimately familiar with the art of war in a way that any of the Mandalorians had been in the ages past and still were in the present. With a final check that the relative systems of the weapon were operational the mercenary and bounty hunter both in question, who happened to belong to the famed warrior culture as well, sighted carefully through the scope of the rifle, simply scanning the surrounding area with the greater zoom that the technology allotted him.

Typically not one to utilize any kind of ranged weapon, preferring to be in more close quarters, this was a bit of an odd scenario for Rhen. But the relative familiarity that he may or may not have had with using the rifle wasn't a concern of either him or his employers, so he lay prone on the rooftop, surveying the scene. Thus far there was no sign of his mark, this or that apparent criminal mastermind who was to be meeting with [member="Sage Bane"], leader of the Ko Hentota cartel. The latter man was of little to no concern, though he was listed as a person of interest at the very least to the hunter.

Minutes passed, and finally, slowly, his target stepped into sight. A man of nondescript appearance, he was no different than what one would typically expect for Nar Shaddaa. Besides, what he looked like didn't concern the Mandalorian, unless it came to whatever weaponry he may have had on his person. But with his playing sniper in this situation, even that wouldn't be much of a concern. All there was left to do was wait for him to come within a reasonable range, and it would be over in enough time that it took either of them to blink.

As the man walked he followed him in the crosshairs, letting them drift over first his chest and then his head, only observing for now, waiting for the meeting to inevitably begin, during which he would hopefully be given his chance to fire.

 

[Sage Bane]

A cigarette dangling precariously rom his lips, Sage Bane, the young Drug Lord of the Ko Hentota glitterstim cartel waited on a Nar Shaddaa street corner for a possible new supplier. The man was named Malcolm Klusto and he had some excellent connections. Wildspace connections, which were hard to come by these days. Apparently, Klusto was one of the only suppliers who trafficked from planet Dredd, and he was reputed to personally know the infamous gang leader, Cheshire Kat from Wonderland, where the glitterstim was produced. The Cheshire glitterstim was apparently the best in the galaxy. Clean, perfect rocks with none of the twitching and heart palpitation that some batches caused. The telepathic effects of the Cheshire batch was also said to be much more powerful than anything sold on Nar Shaddaa. If Sage could make this deal happen, the Ko Hentota cartel stood to make bank, and his entire bloodstream hummed in anticipation of trying a sample of the merchandise.

As Sage saw Malcolm, a nondescript human of indeterminate age, approaching him, he absently wondered if a street corner wasn't the best place to meet. After all, Malcolm had an infamous temper and had pissed off more crime bosses than you could shake a deathstick at. But the street corner was Klusto's idea, and Sage wasn't about to argue with a man who cut off people's ears for making him repeat himself. So he just spread his arms wide with his cheesiest smile and simply said, "Klusto! How's it hangin' you bastard?"

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

Four meters...three...one meter and closing... Rhen quickly made note of the small rangefinder that was integrated into the scope of the rifle. With the arrival at the meeting place the man was now in range. All there was left to do was to take the shot, something that would come in time. One could never be too careful, but oftentimes prolonging things only led to being forced to restructure the entirety of the mission, leading either to a sloppy retrieval or the escape of the bounty, typically the latter. That was a lesson that had been driven home mostly from experience and his dealings with other hunters, the second proving more informational. And he wasn't going to let this turn into another of those lessons.

Making the final adjustments for movement, the safety was flicked off at the same moment he centered the crosshairs on the side of his target's head, once more finalizing the trajectory of the shot. Most would typically have aimed for the body, as it presented an all around bigger target, but people like this were always taking precautionary measures, and on the off chance that there was armor beneath his clothing, the chase would have continued on a bit longer had Rhen taken that route. No, it was better to shoot for the head in this situation, in his mind.

Slowly he squeezed the trigger, the only indication that the weapon had fired to any outside observers being the sudden collapse of the man as he stood on the street corner. On his part, however, the weapon kicked back into his shoulder, something he was adapted to and thus barely registered. As for the noise and flash of the weapon, well, that was the reason the decision to use a slugthrower for this particular was a pertinent one. The silencer affixed to the muzzle suppressed any sound or sight that would warn others of his position, useful on planets like Nar Shaddaa, or any others for that matter.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

The icy ping of sniper fire rang out in the air, and suddenly Klusto slumped to the ground. A tiny river of blood ran from his head down into the gutter. Eyes widened and darting around for the source of the weapon, Sage froze and put his hands up in the air in a universal "I surrender" gesture. He had considered running for it, but decided against it on the off-chance that it made him look guilty of whatever it was that Klusto did. The last thing he wanted to do was look like the guy's accomplice. Maybe surrendering wasn't the smartest choice either, but it wasn't like he had alot of cover handy.

Sage stood there on the corner, his heart beating like a baby bird's, waiting for the assassin to either show themselves or not. After a few tense seconds the young half-Chiss started to inch back very slowly. If he could make it to the alleyway which was about twenty feet away, it would be a safer place to make a run for it.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

Almost immediately after the kill had been determined a success Rhen began disassembling the rifle, the miniscule holocam in the scope having recorded the entirety of what had transpired. The weapon, once stored away, would be picked up by his employers, along with the small datacard that could be easily removed from the side of the scope, one of the panels sliding away to reveal it. All that was left for him to do was walk away as if nothing had happened, his pay being directly deposited into his account. All told it was definitely one of the simpler jobs he'd taken on in his life, but simplicity was a nice change, sometimes.

Rhen navigated off of the rooftop with ease, making his way through twisting back alleys in order to step onto the street from a direction different than where his shot had come from, dressed casually, his demeanor nonchalant for all intents and purposes. To anyone that didn't know any better, he would appear to be just another individual walking the streets of Nar Shaddaa aimlessly as so many did, with no place to go and no better place to be at that particular point in time. He, however, could think of a few better planets that he'd been on in his life, but also many worse ones as well. This moon would have to settle, for the moment.

His path had taken him to the opposite end of the alley where [member="Sage Bane"] stood, and he remained just around the corner, seemingly preoccupied with the streets around him. Still deliberating at what approach to take if someone decided to speak to him, he simply waited for events to transpire as they would.

 

[Sage Bane]

The effects of glitterstim were generally in Sage's system twenty-four seven, and so the man could pick up on certain vibes that others around him emitted. Behind him, Sage felt something. Still inching backwards, he used his Force powers, combined with the potent empathic drug to mentally investigate. He wasn't sure, but he picked up a cold apathy that he usually associated with the murderers and bounty hunters.

It seemed that the killer of Klusto lurked close. Too close for comfort. It could have been the glitterstim talking, but Sage panicked as he convinced himself that he was being stalked by the same killer. So he inched back a bit further and put his hand on his blaster, slowly removing it from its holster. Once the barrel had cleared the holster, he whirled around and aimed his pistol right between the man's eyes.

Watching him carefully, Sage kept his arms taut as he clicked off the safety. Then he spoke in a low growl. "If you've got a weapon on you, I suggest you drop it now, my friend. Or else you and Klusto can walk hand-and-hand as you meet the Maker."

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

Where most would have reacted with immediate hostility, removing any possibility of the man firing his weapon before training their own on him just as steadily, Rhen simply watched. After all, unless he was mistaken, this was the one [member="Sage Bane"] that he'd been informed about. Not to bring in as a bounty, but more so an individual to keep an eye on. And with his apparent disregard to any threats that concerned his own personal safety, he could see why. He was bolder than most, the Mandalorian would grant him that much, confronting a killer where others would have chosen instead to save themselves first and worry about the specifics after the fact.

Seemingly unbeknownst to the one currently aiming a blaster at his head, he was speaking to one who had been taught to fight since childhood, ergo meaning that his experience in disarming an opponent greatly outweighed however many times the other had fired a blaster, even if he was a drug lord. It was a quality he would have almost been able to appreciate, had he not been on the wrong side of a blaster pistol at that particular moment. Still he didn't respond or give any sign that anything unusual had happened.

His dark gaze remained steadily trained on the man behind the weapon, and he kept his hands loose and open at his sides, not raising them in a gesture of surrender while still keeping a position of relative harmlessness. That was the only measure of compliance he would show, especially if the other man insisted on keeping him at blaster point. When he did speak, his voice was even, Basic accented but understandable, "I suggest you lower yours before I have a chance to draw mine, then we can talk."

 

[Sage Bane]

With the blaster still lifted at head height, aimed for a kill shot, Sage stood unmoving, his body taut and ready to spring at any sign of a counter-move by the assassin. While not powerful enough to control thoughts or put his own words into the other man's consciousness, Sage let his Force powers get a thin read on the other man's mindset. He felt an interest there, but it wasn't laden with malice, and Sage let his shoulders relax a hair. He also sensed a feeling of overwhelming confidence. The man was adept at the killing arts and he fething well knew it. The amount of bravado he possessed was dangerous. The killer was also so handsome it should have been illegal, but now was hardly the time to let the man's appearance shake his focus. Nor the beautiful accent he spoke with.

Unlike his craven brother who would have been instantly on his knees, the younger Bane didn't cower that easily. For better or worse, the drug lord stood his ground. "First you're going to tell me who you are," he demanded with gritted teeth. "Then you're going to tell me what you want with me." Sage paused and slowly fell to one knee in order to get a steadier aim. "Then, I'll lower my weapon. Got it, brown eyes?"

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

Due more to studying the model of the weapon still leveled at him along with the stance of the man holding it, Rhen only paid vague attention to what was being demanded of him. Certainly, he could have already drawn his own weapon and put an end to things, but he wasn't one to kill without prior reason. As much of an irritant as all of this was, he had to admit that he'd brought on a part of it himself, and had the shoe been on the other foot that he would have reacted in much of the same manner. Violence wasn't always his first inclination, but, as it seemed the other man had learned, in some situations it was best to draw first and ask questions later. Doubly so when it was proven that ones would-be assailant was already one trained in the art of battle.

Still maintaining his relaxed posture, he deliberated for another moment over the best answers for the questions posed to him. On one hand there was complete honesty, which never usually settled well with these types. On the other there was a sense of obscurity, in which he would answer the questions as had been asked of him while still keeping up a relative idea of mystery about just who he happened to be. That was the wiser of the two approaches, and so it was the one he decided to go with. Whether it caused Sage to lower his weapon or not would remain to be seen.

"Who I am is of no concern. And you overestimate your own importance, shabuir. It was the other man that was of any importance to me, not you. Now, are you going to put your blaster away, or am I going to have to show you how?" He didn't speak the threat with any air of superiority, simply stating it as if it were another everyday fact of life.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage was no stranger to curse words, and he knew exactly what that word in Mando'a meant. How rude. Sage liked folks to at least get to know him to find out he was an nerf herder and not just assume. However, he didn't make a stink out of it because the Mandalorian in his aim seemed to be telling the truth about where his interests lay. At least, Sage couldn't empathically sense any anxiety, a sure sign of a concealed lie. Watching the other man's every move, Sage slowly lowered his blaster and exhaled deeply. Taking a chance, he placed his pistol in his holster and spread his hands.

"Look ma, no weapons," he said and smirked. Then he reached into the front pocket of his shirt, eyes watching, making sure the assassin didn't see it as a threat, and pulled out a deathstick. He lit it up and blew pink smoke though his lips and nose. "So let me guess. You're from the New Vertica cartel, huh? Come to give Klusto a little come-uppance? I can dig it."

Sage's brown eyes lingered a bit too deliberately over the man before him, and then he glanced back at the corpse behind them. "You gonna do anything with that?" he gestured towards the body with the deathstick between his fingers.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

While usually one content to let others make assumptions about just whom he worked for or was affiliated with at the time, this was one of those exceptions. As a bounty hunter, he was adjusted, to say the least, to most referring to him as less than savory monikers. But being associated with any drug cartel wasn't the name Rhen wanted to make for himself in the galaxy, so he would grant that one correction. Any more knowledge of who he was, however, would be more of a challenge to gain, if possible at all. "I don't associate myself with anyone on this planet aside from my employer, and even then briefly. There are a number of words for what it is I do, but I trust you're intelligent enough to come to a conclusion yourself."

The blatant onceover of his body wasn't overlooked by the Mandalorian, though he brushed it off for the time being. If it came to it, he would simply politely, or less so, depending on which approach was most effective, decline Sage's advances. Instead he directed his attention to the inquiry concerning the body that had been unceremoniously allowed to lay uncovered on the streets. If he was to guess, sights such as that weren't uncommon, and thus left alone. "Nothing more is necessary, no."

Thus far he was being vague and short in his answers, not giving the man anymore to work on than just the very basics, if that. Nor did he return the questions with any of his own, remaining for all intents and purposes an unknown entity that had made its way into life on Nar Shaddaa and would just as quickly depart, leaving no trace other than that of the corpse in his wake.

It was his typical mode of operation, and little could be done by any to change that. With a sense of the unknown about him, it would make things all the more difficult for those who may want to hunt the hunter in return. And in places like this, advances of that sort were all too common.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Since the man who was obviously a bounty hunter didn't need the body, Sage was happy to help him dispose of certain possessions of Klusto's. After all he wasn't going to take all that glitterstim with him. Sage turned to find that Klusto's body was being descended on by all manner of decrepit addicts, and Sage bounded over to it and hissed them away. Rifling through the corpse's pockets, he found a sizable payload of the Dredd glitterstim. Then he made his way back to the assassin. He wasn't exactly sure why. Perhaps boredom. Perhaps fascination.

Sage held up the packets of glitterstim in front of the other man's face. "Seems I got a consolation prize." he said with a smirk. "It's amazing how an alleyway standoff can make a man surprisingly thirsty. How about a drink, brown eyes? Or better yet, share a hit?"

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

It shouldn't have surprised Rhen that Sage was an addict, and in the grand scheme of things, it really didn't. Most, if not all, on Nar Shaddaa, were and are some kind of addict, whether it's to some kind of drug or alcohol or another vice altogether. He himself chose not to partake in either, but didn't necessarily hold it against those who did, unless he had reason to do so. In this case that was still up in the air, but just as with earlier he would let it pass. That didn't mean, however, that he would do much, if anything, to curry Sage's favor. This was merely a sidetrack of what began as a simple, unordinary assignment.

Simply shaking his head at the offer, he finally pushed off of the wall he'd been leaning on to stand straight. "I don't drink," His gaze flitted briefly to the packet of glitterstim before shifting back to the man that held it. "Nor do I do drugs."

Among the things that he noted about Sage, the nickname he seemed to have chosen for him didn't go unnoted. Still, he didn't give his name, not trusting the man or anyone in the immediate vicinity to act on the information later. It wasn't that he was paranoid so much as practical, whether times called for him to act as such or not. That was one effect of his upbringing that would be hard-pressed to wear off. His gaze remained steadily on Sage as he awaited his reply.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage blinked. Finding a man on Nar Shaddaa who didn't drink or do drugs was a bit like finding a purple unicorn. But stranger things had happened in Sage's young life. The bounty hunter's cold fish demeanor was one that he felt tempted to try and crack. "Well, you're a little ray of sunshine," he said with a shrug. "So, what is it that you do for fun?" he asked, putting deliberate emphasis on the last word, letting it roll slowly off his tongue, pink smoke wafting up from the side of his mouth. "Let me guess...women? Come on now, everyone's got his vice."

With a playful grin spreading across his face, Sage inched closer to the man, looking him up and down. Then he put out his hand, "Sage Bane," he said, holding the deathstick between his teeth.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

There was only a moment of hesitation on his part in which he studied Sage for a moment before Rhen shook his hand, matching his grin with a more reserved smile of his own. For the moment he deemed not to reveal that he was already perfectly aware of not only exactly what his name was but also what he did to scratch out a living on Nar Shaddaa along with a few other miscellaneous details. Sometimes, that information was best left unmentioned in certain company. So he settled for his own brief introduction. “Rhen Ordo.” It was plain to anyone versed in his people’s culture that he was Mandalorian just by hearing his surname.

In answer to the remark about his vices he simply shook his head. “Nothing that is of your concern. I don’t consider it my responsibility to make you happy, and it isn’t my problem however offended you may or may not be because my answers to your questions weren’t satisfactory.” He was operating on autopilot at that point, not taking much time to calculate his responses and simply speaking what was natural to him in these types of situations. Most times what he had to say didn’t please the other party, but that was never really the intention in the first place.

“Your relative happiness isn’t of my concern, and nor should mine be yours.”

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

As Rhen spoke, Sage inched ever closer to him. By the time the Mandalorian had finished his speech, the half-Chiss was almost close enough to touch the other man, who was proving to be an engrossing challenge for Sage. There had to be a reason that the man was still interested in talking to him, but Sage had no idea what it was. Despite the stony demeanor, Rhen smiled cordially, so he didn't feel completely unwelcome, but the other man wasn't exactly oozing friendliness either. There was only one way to find out, of course. Push his buttons! And the man standing before him looked like he might be one giant button. "Rhen," he said, letting the man's name slowly roll off his tongue. "Nice name."

Sage smiled sweetly and finished with the deathstick, tossed the empty into the nearby garbage. He pocketed the Dredd glitterstim and then reached out one his hands to slowly trace it along the other man's arm. "Offended? Hardly. I'm just making conversation, brown eyes. I have to say, you certainly seemed to enjoy killing Klusto. That must be how you get your kicks, huh? My brother could use a good mercenary like you in his ranks, the Red Ravens. Interested in a job?"

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

Barely stifling a sigh and just managing to not roll his eyes at Sage's behavior, Rhen raised an eyebrow at the mention of Cryax. It just happened that he did know exactly who the Chiss being referred to is, but his reputation among the Mandalorians wasn't the best one. Still, he wouldn't expound on such, but make it known nonetheless. "With the threats of war that have been coming from the Ravens the last I heard of anything, a job with them isn't something I'm looking for." The faintest, imperceptible hints of a smile flashed briefly across his lips. "As for your brother, he and I have already met. I don't have any further interest in pursuing business dealings with him."

There was a pause, as if to let that information sink in, before he spoke again. "His death was just another job. I don't take any particular enjoyment from the killing of others." He stopped there with the explanation, not feeling any particular reason to explain himself to this man, a stranger he'd just met moments ago on the street. Or, well, almost a stranger, if it weren't for the information he already had on him previously.

By now, if it hadn't already been blatant to him before, it was evident Sage's interest went a bit beyond just your typical curiosity. Unfortunately for him, not only was he already in a relationship, but he wouldn't have reciprocated the advances had he been single. So, almost casually, he shifted his arm just a millimeter, no more, out of Sage's reach, the only sign that he'd done so intentionally being the smallest twitch of a smile at the corners of his mouth, gone as quickly as it had come in the blink of an eye. Nothing would be spoken on the subject, as he wasn't too keen on revealing all that much about his personal life to those it didn't concern.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage himself had also heard about vague threats of war against the Red Ravens by the Mandos, but frankly who wasn't threatening who in the galaxy these days? He usually didn't put much stock in it, but here was a Mandalorian himself that had inside knowledge of the clans who might be targeting his brother's organization. This doubled the odds for Sage. If he could somehow get information from Rhen that his brother could use, perhaps he could garner some favors from the dumb Chiss. And maybe, just maybe Cryax would forgive him for hitting on his boyfriend. He decided that he was not going to let Mr. Rhen Ordo out of his sight.

When Rhen moved his arm away, Sage's face dropped. There went plan A, B, and C, as B and C were highly dependent on A working out for him. The bounty hunter didn't drink, so he couldn't dump a Zeltron elixir of truth in his beer. Sadly the more the tenacious half-Chiss wanted something that was out of reach, the more determined he became to get it. He inched closer once again, biting his lip as he looked into Rhen's dark eyes, then leaned his head in as if to whisper in the other man's ear. As he was hopefully distracting Rhen enough, he reached back to pull a freshly-sharpened vibroblade out of its hilt. If Rhen weren't too careful, he'd find himself with the blade humming at his neck.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

Of all the possible moves that Sage could have made in his favor, pulling a knife on a trained warrior of the Mandalorians definitely wasn't on the list, and if it was, it was on the bottom. These were signs he'd been taught to detect since adolescence and even beforehand, and they were signs that he responded to nearly instinctively. There was no need for a flashy display when simply halting the progress of the weapon would do, so he did just that, holding Sage's arm in place with the blade at a stalemate between the two men. Whether it was activated or not would matter little at this point, as the vibroblade wouldn't be harming either of them.

Not wasting another moment he drew his own blaster from the inside pocket of his jacket, leaving the safety on but leveling the weapon at the other man all the same. If Sage was wise enough he wouldn't make a move for his own that currently sat in its holster, and instead leave well enough alone. On the off chance that he wasn't, which was becoming more likely at this point, Rhen would have to resort to violence, if just to resolve the situation in its current tense standoff.

For a long moment he was silent, steadily meeting Sage's gaze with his own, his demeanor having changed from relatively nonchalant to straight and serious in less time than it took most to draw breath. "If you're smart, you'll put the knife away and not try anything else, di'kut. I don't think you can afford any more holes in your head, from the way you're acting."

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

So maybe that wasn't Sage's best idea in the galaxy. As blaster barrel met face, he dropped the vibroblade to the ground, and put his hands up next to his ears. Despite his fear, Sage let his brown eyes wander over the man's body. "Your flirting technique is different, Rhen, and I think I like it." Then he paused and grinned widely, teasing. "But if you wanted me to show you my gun, could you have just asked," he said with a raised brow.

Sage was up a creek, but he had one more trick up his sleeve, his Force powers, however untrained they were. Teeth grinding together, the half-Chiss's eyes flashed red momentarily as he let the Force flow into this body. He squinted at Rhen's arm and felt the powers start to move the other man's taut arms upwards. However powerful Rhen was, it would take great strength to resist the maneuver. Given the man's powerful built, Sage figured he had a fifty-fifty chance of pulling it off. Meanwhile he surreptiously reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a syringe filled with a very large dose of ryll, a powerful sedative that made the user a drowsy, happy mess of giggles. He moved forward, and his eyes flashing red, jabbed at Rhen's midsection with the syringe.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]