Private The Merc and the Mechanist

[Mazrim Caide/Taim]

Time: Undisclosed
Date: Undisclosed
Location: Undisclosed

Taim maneuvered his way through the crowd of criminals, refugees, shady businessmen and street peddlers of the no name town. The offer had popped up on his pad out of nowhere, managing to bypass all of his vetting software. Whoever it was, they were good, and if their offer was genuine then they had the money to afford him. Meeting on this backwater no name planet was the kind of move experienced clients employed to protect themselves should the deal break down. As his Visor notifies him that he has reached his location, he takes a second to scan the alley bar for any traps or danger. Finding nothing, he heads inside. Whether this was a trap or not, it was at least interesting.

Tags: Cara Dorniarn

 

[Cara Dorniarn]

Music. Lousy music. Typical.

Unlike most dives there was no foggy miasma to pollute the air, sparse lighting picking up the slack to lower visibility. The few patrons that populated the bar nursed drinks alone or remained quiet around the sabacc table staring at their cards.

The only individual active was at the bar, a Bothan who looked like they had seen the worst end of a few fights. Two cybernetic eyes glowed in the low light as the Bothan wiped a glass clean. In a tell-tale whir the cameras of their eyes widened as Taim entered, and the Bothan's head slowly moved upward to follow the line of sight.

"You drink with that helmet on or did you come here for some visor polish?"

The words were rough, and if one listened closely they seemed to be spoken with a touch of static. The voice was male, yet any hint of how the Bothan looked during his younger days were gone.

Mazrim Caide/Taim

 

[Mazrim Caide/Taim]

Taim walks up to the bar and slides him a credit chip.

"I'll be in the corner. Don't send a server, don't let any employees near me, don't let anyone sit near me. I'm meeting someone here. She'll hold up three fingers twice for you. If someone attempts to approach me without doing so, ask them if they want a screwdriver, that will be a signal. Are we clear?"

Taim is already turning around and walking towards a corner booth, not waiting for a response. Taking a seat where he could watch the whole bar, he pulls his slug thrower pistol from his leg and hides it against his leg, safety off.

Cara Dorniarn

 

[Cara Dorniarn]

The bartender shrugged and gave a roll of his camera eyes. He looked to one unmoving patron and threw a thumb over his shoulder as if to say, "Did you see that?"

As Taim made himself comfortable in the booth the music switched tracks and played a recording of an old classic, the slight scratch of the tune testament to its centuries of use throughout the galaxy. At the bar the Bothan paused in his duties, his artificial gaze stopping on an empty sink. The sabacc players then began to move, playing their rounds in a fluid sequence as one table would be active then pause to look at their cards, the actions then mirrored by an adjacent table. After all hands were played the patrons settled back into a contemplative stare, the cards in their hands holding their unwavering attention.

Stray light strobed in the entrance after the doors opened. A hunched figure clad in thick brown robes strode inside, at their side were two smaller humanoid persons dressed in black, their faces obscured by hoods like their apparent master. A metallic clink accented the figure's heavy pace, the toes of their metal-clad digitigrade legs slipping into sight with every step taken. The Bothan perked to life, turning at the waist to spy the new arrivals. The persons at the figure's side held up three fingers each then continued alongside the robed thing.

After being shown the sign the bartender quirked his head and remained motionless. With a swift jolt he took a single step forward, turned on heel, then began pouring drinks.

The figure, though hunched, still managed to loom over the other patrons. It beelined for the corner booth, its attendants turning their back to the pair as the figure slipped into the seat. Obviously mechanical, the neck of the thing twisted to have its face eye level with Taim.

Beneath the hood were three green camera eyes, few whirring sensors, and appendages resembling an insect's mandibles. It spoke in a short and graveled digital tone, "Mercenary Taim, I presume?"

Mazrim Caide/Taim

 

[Mazrim Caide/Taim]

Taim nods, his black visor expressionless. His voice remains neutral and distorted as he speaks.

"I've been called that, among other things. I am not a conversationalist. Whatever the purpose of this meeting, I suggest you cut to the chase before I get a better offer. I'm a very busy man."

That said, Taim leans back, the sensory equipment in his visor keeping an eye out for any sudden moves or weaponry among the patrons of the bar or his mysterious robotic clients. One hand remains casually on the grip of his slug thrower pistol.

Cara Dorniarn

 

[Cara Dorniarn]

There echoed a repetitive metallic skip after Taim spoke. Perhaps it was part of normal function, or perhaps it was a chuckle. Joints in the figure's neck ratcheted upward to gain an upper angle of the mercenary, camera eyes softly whirring as their scans neared completion.

"As per usual mental profiles you are a confident (see: arrogant," the mechanoid clarified, "mercenary. You function within predictable parameters so far. There is only one query and sub-query for you. While I've no concern with paying your price are you worth it? And in relation, are you capable of proving your value?"

Mazrim Caide/Taim

 

[Mazrim Caide/Taim]

"Killers are a lot like hookers robot. You want enthusiasm, it costs extra. My record speaks for itself, which I'm sure your master looked at thoroughly before reaching out to me with an offer. If you were expecting to manipulate me into giving you free work, think again. Until I get paid, I wouldn't save you if you had a gun to your head right now." The modulation on his voice combined with the relaxed posture of the mercenary projects confidence and deadly calm. As Taim's Visor continues to scan for threats, he silently fights back visions of his mission on Mandalore. Dead civilians, killed by his blaster, a whole room of bodies, and the crushing, deafening silence of the universe watching what he had done. He shakes his head slightly.

"Now make your decision. I'm starting to get bored."

Cara Dorniarn