Public The Nexus; a trending bar on Denon

[Aktur Seii]

THE NEXUS
DENON

On Denon, there were a number of establishments that sentients of a shady persuasion could go. It was a city spread across a world, after all, a ecumenopolis and there was no lack of buildings or structures. Yet, there were few establishments that those same sentients could frequent, which went to such extremes to ensure not only privacy, but secrecy, and was connected to some powerful players in the criminal underworld.

And one such bar was the Nexus...

The bar was large, larger than most for the purpose, and this allowed space. There were multiple bars, multiple levels - five in total - and the more exclusive the patron the higher the level access. The lighting was low, the booths and decor sleek and very modern by most galactic standards, and security teams moved throughout with equipment concealed on them solely for outing sabotage or listening attempts. Holocomms were limited to private areas, jammers were in effect throughout the VIP areas, and bouncers were on hand to handle anyone who stepped out of line. Not only that, but some of the best music and liquor - collected from across the known galaxy - had been imported and provided; and to deliver those services were a plethora of aliens of every want and whim, from the bartenders to the servers.

A little something for everyone.

So it was, Aktur Seii sat in a private booth that overlooked the lower levels of the bar below. He had part ownership of the place, he used it for guests that he wasn't sure about, but wanted to eventually do business with. Such was the case with a proposed meeting, orchestrated by one of his Crimson Dawn employees, Candu Tabuu. The Anzellan creature had passed along details and informed his boss of a possible sentient of interest, and the small genius usually had a good nose for that sort of thing.

And here we are.

Aktur turned to one of his guards, one eyebrow raised:

"As soon as Mr. Kenn arrives, escort him directly to my booth."

"Yessir," The guard nodded and stepped away, as he left two others behind to continue watch outside of the sitting area. "Begin another sweep of the level, I'll go greet our guest."

The large Zabrak descended the stairs and moved toward the entry. He waited until Tarsin Kenn was spotted, and approached, nodding. "Mr. Nebula has a booth, please follow me." And would then lead the sentient to the appropriate seating area...

Tarsin Kenn | Open To Any​

 

[Tarsin Kenn]

The large Zabrak descended the stairs and moved toward the entry. He waited until Tarsin Kenn was spotted, and approached, nodding. "Mr. Nebula has a booth, please follow me." And would then lead the sentient to the appropriate seating area...

So far as Tarsin's connections knew, Aktur Seii fell under the heading of 'too clean.' In Tarsin's experience, dealing with too-clean contacts required a careful, shifting balance of wariness and open-mindedness.

He'd showed up unarmed except for a hold-out blaster in his jacket. Mercy , an associate, was around here somewhere. For the average sketchy meeting, that ought to be plenty. Seii struck him as neither especially lethal nor especially harmless, a blank page. Unease stirred in Aktur's gut.

"Mister Seii," he said as he slid into the booth. "I'm Tarsin Kenn. My compliments to Candu Tabuu for the introduction."

 

[Aktur Seii]

THE NEXUS
DENON

Before long, the sentient in question appeared, led to the private booth on the fifth floor by the Zabrak guard. And what an individual Mr. Kenn appeared, as even Aktur had trouble placing the species specifically. Perhaps part Muun. Nonetheless, that was immaterial, as the other approached and offered a greeting.

"Mister Kenn, a pleasure," Aktur said as he half-stood and motioned with a hand as a way of welcome. He resumed his seat, then crossed one leg over the other before regarding the words from his guest. "Ah, yes, Candu Tabuu is... something. Still, for all his eccentricities, his small body belies a great mind, so I digress."

With a click of his fingers to one of the guards, Aktur got their attention.

"Drinks. Your preference, mister Kenn?"

Before business, pleasantries. And for those to happen, drinks were required.

Tarsin Kenn​

 

[Tarsin Kenn]

"Yes, he almost makes one believe in the encephalization quotient."

Tarsin glanced up at the summoned guard, met his eyes — Togorian, male, gigantic — and smiled faintly. "Whyren's, thank you." Somewhat pricier after the devastation and painful rebuilding of Corellia, but there really was no substitute.

He refocused on his putative host. Perhaps even his actual host: he didn't know who actually owned the Nexus, come to think of it.

"Call me Tarsin. Now — how can we help each other, Aktur?"

 

[Aktur Seii]

THE NEXUS
DENON

"Almost." Aktur smirked. Encephalization quotient, indeed.

The Togorian guard went on his way after the guest's order was given, to which the business suit wearing humanoid that had called the meeting returned attention to Tarsin. With a clear of the throat, so as to subtly imply the change from pleasantries to business, but took a moment to pause--

"Just one second."

--and pressed a button on the middle table, to which the booth surrounds seemed to shimmer and change and then blur. The flexiglass was no longer transparent and provided more privacy for those who might have tried to spy or observe from other levels. Aktur continued:

"I was informed of how you handled an Ithorian, on Nar Shaddaa, recently. Or, more importantly, that you loaned the sentient credits and quickly enforced a ceasure on the spending to curb losses. All told, Candu Tabuu said you were efficient..."

Aktur uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, as he placed his elbows onto his knees, hands together as he interlaced fingers.

"...and I wanted to meet you, sentient to sentient, to determine just how many other skills or services you might have. I am currently looking for potential proletarians. Business is increasing, sometimes those I pay want to remain flexible in an ever changing galaxy, and not be wholly obligated to my organization, so negotiable employment options are a must...

"However, before we delve into those details, Tarsin, what else do you do?"

Tarsin Kenn​

 

[Taezo###]

Perhaps Taezo had been invited by Aktur Seii , but perhaps not. In either case the droid had other business to attend to a level below Aktur and his guest Tarsin Kenn

"Look, I've got your merchandise, but I ran into some complications. Some Jedi with nothing better to do got wise and came after us. We had to shake them and ended up burning a lot of fuel. Price has gone up." A Houk smuggler tried to haggle with Taezo.

"Your price was agreed upon. Your poor risk assessment is not my concern." Taezo countered, it's voice deep and mechanical.

"No can do brother. I need a premium. Thirty percent." The Houk continued. "You know, there's a lot of clientele on Denon. I can always fine another buyer. In this bar even."

"I would advise against it. Your merchandise will not leave dock Xesh-17 if you do so." Taezo replied.

"Won't leave . . . how do you know my dock?" .

"I conduct proper risk assessment, and employ several mitigation strategies. Three provided your loading dock. One provided your transponder code."

The Houk looked at him pensively, pondering the information from Taezo. "I'll take our agreed upon sum."

"Excellent. My people will begin unloading the merchandise." Taezo replied, and handed him a credit chit. Taezo updated the trust metric from the Houk Smuggler from a 51 to a 37. Anything under 40 was no longer valid for business transactions. Taezo didn't bother to tell him.

 

[Mercy]

Tarsin Kenn Aktur Seii Taezo###

This was an easy job all things considered.

Loom large over Kenn's shoulder. Frown. Filter out the actual conversation. Collect a paycheck at the end of the day. Oh, right, beat people up if they made a fuss about something Tarsin said or did or something he did not say or do.

Right now Mercy was immensely bored however.

There seemed to be some kind of witty bantering exchange going on between the two. Why they didn't just kark and get it over with was beyond Mercy's understanding.

Once the Togorian came back with the drinks Mercy accepted on behalf of Kenn. Instead of immediately passing it over to her employer, she instead leaned in to take a sniff. Then? Took a sip. "If I don't have a stomach ache in the next minute or so, you can have the rest, chief." Mercy rumbled lazily as she straightened herself back out and faded into the metaphorical background once more.

Being a half-blood had its benefits sometimes. Any poison would at most give her a nasty case of diarrhea.

Wouldn't be the first time she had to fight her way out of a situation with- well, perhaps that was a case of TMI.

 

[Tarsin Kenn]

"Don't mind my associate," Tarsin said to Aktur Seii with an air of immense patience and a garnish of wry humor. " Mercy evolved to blend in with her natural habitat: a condemned gymnasium."

He interlaced his long hands in his lap and pondered Aktur's comments for a long moment. The mention of an organization was not lost on him.

"I have a certain amount of money at my disposal. I make loans and gifts; I do favors; as necessary, I collect on those favors and those loans. It's a peaceful life."

 

[Kyric]

S C I O N
The City, Denon
The Nexus​

"I'll be there soon, Scion. Don't engage until I arrive..."

Good advice. Hell, it would've been wise to take it.

Denon was a dangerous place on a good night. The city-planet promised danger on an evening like this, with plenty of street toughs out for work. Drug dealers, hired killers, and informed entrepreneurs were plentiful. Scion could feel it in the air. The world around him pulsed with life all its own. Neon lights flashed spontaneously in the distance. Smoke rose into the night, a bi-product of an alleyway fire or the most recent arson. He couldn't be sure. Those problems were small game in comparison to the night's greatest danger.

Aktur Seii.

The galaxy's latest up and comer. Said to rival even the likes of Gat Tambor in ambition, Aktur's was practically household at this point. Local thugs spoke of him like the boogeyman. His 'Crimson Dawn' was likened to the Black Sun at its prime. From what the Mask could see, nothing about the night felt right. The streets around the Nexus were quiet. Far too subtle for a booming venue.

A bigger fish. Too dangerous to take on ourselves.

"No one else around to deal with it," Scion said aloud.

Wait for backup. You know damn well you're fucked without 'em.

Scion smirked behind his mask. "We'll see."

Reports indicated Seii was meeting with a potential ally, though Scion nor his informants could place who or what this individual was. The vigilante assumed another street profiteer. It wasn't impossible for something more significant. At some point, the Crimson Dawn would grow beyond the boundaries of planets like Denon. Their trade led to bigger, more dangerous jobs. Tonight may be the one and only chance to shut them down before they could take to the stars.

Scion knew he couldn't wait.

He stood perched on the roof across from the club, his gaze locked on the bar's front entrance. When someone finally stumbled out, piss-drunk, he watched them trundle across the street to an alleyway below him. He was still, no more than a silhouette against the pitch-black sky, practically invisible to the ill-prepared.

When the figure finally stopped halfway down the alley, Scion moved. He dropped down behind him, his movements silent, his presence suppressed. An arm shot forth and grabbed tight on the back of the man's head. Scion pushed forward with one violent thrust. He could hear the sickening crunch of cartilage the moment the bargoer's face made contact with the alley wall, but he did not stop. The Mask twirled on his heel, lifted the man from the floor, and tossed him against the opposite wall before he could cry out. As the street-tough slammed into the wall, Scion cleared the gap between them and grabbed him by the throat.

"Aktur Seii," Scion demanded.

"W-What, I don- Ack!"

His words were met by force. Scion tightened his hold on the man's throat and leaned closer. The red light of his mask dimmed as he neared the drunkard.

"Tonight is not the night to test my patience. I know he owns the bar. Speak up," the mask lowered, Scion's attention diverted to the grasping hands tearing fruitlessly at his wrist. "You have ten fingers," he reached up and took hold of one thumb. In one swift motion, he pulled back on it until he heard the satisfying snap of bone. His grip tightened on the man's throat until only pained grunts escaped him, far too low to be heard over the music across the street. "You have nine more."

Dagon Kaze | Aktur Seii | Tarsin Kenn | Mercy | Taezo###
​

Spoiler

This seems like a fun opportunity to cross paths with some big bad guys and fail to stop em. I'll try to make my way into the bar in my next few posts, so enjoy the convo!

 

[Aktur Seii]

THE NEXUS
DENON

A looming figure, broad with red hair, stood close to Tarsin. The sentient couldn't help but draw Aktur's eye, as the crime lord eyed her up and down, his tongue licked the faintest edge of his lips, as he concluded what a particularly enticing morsel the protection seemed to be. Indeed, her presence was felt keenly through the underlying instincts of Aktur, his brief glimpse into her permeating life force was alluring... but, Aktur was not a fledgling of his species, and he had business to attend to.

Perhaps later.

One of the roaming guards returned, before resuming the position just beyond the booth entry. In comparison to the bulky redheaded source of protection of Tarsin, however, the Zabrak seemed considerably smaller in comparison. The guard reached to his ear and spoke in a low voice, which sent a message through to the earpiece Aktur had in one of his ears.

<"Your next appointment has arrived, Mr. Taezo.">

"The drink isn't spiked," Aktur smiled, otherwise giving no indication he had heard, before amused observation of the drink exchange. "I avoid poisoning those I would propose to work with. The result is usually diametrically opposed to the effort. Who wants newly hired, dead employees?"

Aktur smiled further at the red headed protection.

"But, I digress, you have a job to perform."

Tarsin continued, which brought the Crimson Dawn leader's eyes back to him. Aktur listened, interested. When the slender alien was finished, the crime lord eased back and regarded him thoughtfully, enjoying Tarsin's demeanor and potential usefulness. There remained a few more details, of course, but so far the initial meeting had been pleasant enough - and after so long, Aktur had developed a good read of sentients...

"Your services are very suited to providing solutions, which makes you a good investment, Tarsin. Do you primarily work on Nar Shaddaa? And what of your current work arrangement, are you independent or under someone else's employ?"

Tarsin Kenn | Mercy | Taezo### | Kyric​

 

[Tarsin Kenn]

"Your services are very suited to providing solutions, which makes you a good investment, Tarsin. Do you primarily work on Nar Shaddaa? And what of your current work arrangement, are you independent or under someone else's employ?"

Aktur was showing Mercy a little too much attention for Tarsin's taste. He had no idea what that presaged, but it didn't bode well. Tarsin shook his head at the question.

"Independent. I'm not beholden to anyone. I won't pretend I got where I am alone, but alone I am. Now."

Let Aktur think what he would think about the kind of underworlder who could break from patronage — by escape, by purchase, by violence, by reinvention of self — and live to tell the tale.

"Let me be blunt, Aktur. I'm only familiar with your legitimate operations, but I suspect your interests are broader. Who, exactly, am I speaking with about potential employment?"

 

[Mercy]

Tarsin Kenn Aktur Seii Taezo### Kyric

If Mercy noticed the hungry look Aktur gave her she certainly did not show it.

Either way she would have misconstrued it entirely. After all, the hungry gazes of men and women were not unknown to her and she in fact thrived on that sort of attention. Perhaps it was for the best that this was a business meeting. And that she didn't kark business associates of her employer. That would probably ensure a welcome respite of being turned to 'soup' as they say.

"Not all men are as forward looking." Mercy simply responded while her attention remained on their surroundings. "It wouldn't be the first time I had a bad stomach ache from someone more ambitious than wise."

With that in mind-

Mercy couldn't feel a thing when it came to her stomach. So most likely than not the drink wasn't poisoned. She shot a quick glance towards Kenn... and then took another, slightly more covert sip, before putting the glass down next to her employer.

"Entirely clean, chief, if somewhat overpriced."

Then again expecting someone like Mercy to give a shite about 'Whyren' this or 'Corellian Gold' that was probably a bridge too far.

With that she withdrew back towards obscurity. This wasn't her meeting after all. As they had established from the start, her role was simply to look menacing and loom as much as possible. However, Kenn probably hadn't counted on his henchman to be quite so mouthy. The woman paid it forward by being fairly competent in breaking skulls without any questions about 'morality'.

As long as the paycheck cleared every time.

 

[Taezo###]

The Houk stayed in Taezo's sight until the droid received confirmation that the goods had been unloaded and audited to match the initial contract. Everything was accounted for. Taezo pondered updating the trust metric, but his state machine ultimately decided against it. With a wave of a hand the Houk was dismissed. Taezo heard several curses in Huttese as the Houk left, but none of them were threatening, so he let the sentient be.

Shortly afterward a suavely dressed Umbaran Woman made her way to Taezo's table. Perhaps she was a 'madame' of the dancers, or perhaps she had some other connection to the establishment's proprietor. In any case, she wasn't a simple dancer, yet walked with purpose unmistakeable to Taezo's logic.

"Mr. Taezo. I apologize, but you are a bit early, or perhaps your host is running a bit late on another meeting. Could I provide you a drink, compliments of the house?" Her voice was low, in a fashion Taezo had heard described as 'sultry'. She was an accomodator, a smoother. Taezo found their profession to be wasteful, but employed one all the same. Organics and their rituals.

"Your offer is appreciated, but sadly I am unable to process alcohol. The drink would be better suited elsewhere." Taezo replied. He used strong words like 'appreciated' and 'sadly'. Strong words he didn't really mean, but had noticed improved outcomes when conversing with organics.

"That's unfortunate." The Umbaran followed his lead. "But we have several other means of entertainment. Is there anything I can interest you in?" The Umbaran put the ball in Taezo's court.

"A datapad loaded with the latest Coruscant Times, Denon Post, and Tion Journal would be appreciated." Taezo replied. Information was valuable, even if it was a bit filtered.

"As you wish." The umbaran bowed and sauntered off.

Aktur Seii Mercy Tarsin Kenn Kyric

 

[Aktur Seii]

THE NEXUS
DENON

Tarsin's protection was apparently quite jocular, which was a pleasant surprise; not a lot of bruisers had a wit or wry humor to go with the thick fists, so the response was taken in the dry manner it was given, with a twist on the amusement.

"What can I say, corpses are less useful for most things. But generally cause less trouble. Ah, now I'm ambivalent..."

Still, the conversation had shifted, and it was now time to get down to the brass tax. Aktur certainly held interest in his guest's tale, the means to which he got to where he was, or more importantly if there were others that held strings over Tarsin. When it was revealed that none did, at least not any more, that was a good - perhaps even great - sign, and caused Aktur to smile moreso. He would relish discovering the story, but another time. Additionally, there was little doubt that Tarsin was an intelligent individual, and there was less doubt that he understood more was happening than perceived, especially in regard to Aktur...

"First thing first--" Aktur pointed to the redhead protection. "--you need to keep her. If you don't, I will. As for being blunt, allow me to return the favor." In front of the gathered, Aktur reached out his glass and tipped the drink within onto the table. He put the glass down, and held out his index finger, to which he pressed it into a part of the spill and began to move the digit. "I am part of an organization that is old, ancient. One that is known as both ruthless and efficient, with ties to periods of time in the galaxy that were incredibly powerful in influence and reach... one that is rapidly expanding and returning to that past display of power."

Aktur glanced down, the intent for Tarsin to follow his gaze.

"Perhaps you know of us."

On the table, drawn in wet-but-drying whiskey, was the symbol of Crimson Dawn with round half shapes, intersecting.

"Do you, Tarsin?"

Tarsin Kenn | Mercy | Taezo### | Kyric​

 

[Tarsin Kenn]

As Aktur Seii spilled a drink and drew a symbol, Tarsin covered his emotions — fear, primarily — by accepting his own drink from Mercy . He sipped the Whyren's and let it ignite his sinuses.

"I do," he said at last. "A wide-ranging operation whose reach I don't fully grasp. For reasons of personal exposure, I don't get involved in certain sectors, primarily enslavement and hard spice. Any arrangement between us would need to respect that restriction. Inviolably."

 

[Dagon Kaze]

THE NEXUS
ROUGH JUSTICE vol. I
Issue #4 w/ Kyric Aktur Seii Tarsin Kenn Mercy Taezo###

Dagon Kaze soared through the rooftops, hurrying towards Kyric's position. It was a twenty-seven block journey from the Lum Rouge across the cloud cutters piercing the night sky, leaving behind a brand new trafficker busted. That's how Denon rolled. New fish constantly diverged from their schools thinking they are the new big shark in town. Some made it, most didn't. It's an unforgiving ocean, you know. Much like Coruscant.

And much like Coruscant, Denon also had its web of establishments where these fish flocked to - a web the Nexus was part of. He still knew by heart every single one of these seedy locales, courtesy of Coruscant's previous protector - Ryv . Now that mantle fell upon the shoulders of Black Mynock .

Gracefully, he landed on the railing of a nearby building's rooftop. The Jedi's gaze swept the area only to draw a sigh after finding no trace of Kyric.

:: What did I say? :: he pinched the bridge of his nose, then adjusted the black domino mask covering his identity. Sometimes he wished it was a blindfold rather than a mask. Keep him in a state of blissful ignorance from the shenanigans Kyric and Jem and even Yula were pulling on a daily basis.

This is starting well.

The Knight wouldn't have minded Kyric's solo run had the name of their person of interest not been on the lips of every slimeball in the Suicide Slums for the past few days. His glare caught the billowing smoke in the distance... yeah, would've preferred the kid was there and not here. But gatekeeping them from the real world was no way to train, no way to learn. It was a lesson Dagon needed to learn himself.

But the kids had to learn the virtues of stakeouts. More often than not, you do more good when you simply sit and watch. Observe. Assess. It was eighty percent of the triple rule; the rest being Assembly and Action. Hell, it was eighty percent of the whole job.

:: Arthur? ::

:: He's in the back alley, Sir. :: the faithful A.I responded.

:: How many? ::

:: Nine more to go, Sir. ::

:: Ah, he's taking it easy tonight, is he? :: he murmured dryly.

:: Optimistically, I'd say that he's finally catching up on some of your lessons. Realistically - you came early, Master Kaze. ::

Tell me about it.

He dashed over the roof, then lunged into the back alley from above, landing with a dove's grace.

"Inside, inside!!" the goon groaned a confession before Dagon socked him to sleep while he still had nine working fingers.

He lifted the thug up and shoved him into the furthest garbage container. There was no slam of the dumpster, the rubber liner was still intact. They were in the better parts of town. He knew the Nexus well enough. There's no trace of street cut spice here to be found. No. Places like this are where the papers were signed on it. Aktur Seii was no run of the mill ganger.

Some were just sharks by birth.

"Been here twice before - place's a fortress." Dagon remarked, dusting his gloved hands. "But if a big expansion deal's really going down..." he rubbed his chin, the white where his eyes were supposed to be narrowed in thought, "...hmm. I'd rather hit hard and fast. No way we're gonna catch Seii with any goods here to get him under lock but could work as a deterrent. Maybe make him move quicker, more prone to trip that way."

Or maybe we'd scare him off so deep underground, we'd never catch him. Crooks are a cowardly lot.

:: Arthur, run a passive scan on the building. Some map's better than no map. ::

 

[Mercy]

Tarsin Kenn Aktur Seii Taezo### Kyric Dagon Kaze

Her attention was elsewhere until she heard the sound of... liquid being... poured?

It was drawn to it and there Mercy blinked confused behind her shades. Only the reaction of her employer stopped the comment right at the tip of her tongue. Kind of a waste of overpriced liquor to do drawing games, mate. But when she passed the glass to Kenn? His hand had been shaking, ever so slightly, impossible to detect from a distance but in that proximity?

Oh, yeah, that was the taste of fear.

So instead of running her mouth, Mercy studied the symbol with naked curiosity.

Huh. She couldn't say she recognized it herself, but she didn't have to. Because Kenn certainly did and that was all that mattered there. For once Mercy found herself at a loss of words.

She didn't like that whatsoever.

It made her feel small. Like she didn't know shite from bottom and that bothered someone like her a lot. Kenn would pick that up, the shift in mood in her, even if Mercy kept her chit together for the moment. Still. If the meeting would go on for much longer... well... nobody could probably blame her from lifting that glass straight out of his fingers to take a gulp herself.

Well, they probably could.

But shouldn't.

It wasn't polite.

 

[Taezo###]

Aktur Seii Tarsin Kenn Mercy Kyric Dagon Kaze


The suave umbaran woman returned shortly with a datapad in hand and placed it before Taezo.

"This datapad should have everything you need. I also took the liberty of adding the Kashyyyk Vine, the Kalidan Press, Bastion Post, and a few others. You should have a major new sources from every major government still kicking it."

"Your anticipation is appreciated." Taezo replied, using an emotional term with a bit of honesty. Getting the news from every major government was an objective of Taezo's, and her recognizing that meant she was good at her job. Very good.

"You let us know if you need anything Mr. Taezo." The umbaran replied, and subsequently left Taezo alone. It was an illusion most likely. This bar probably had cameras on him, and any other noteworthy subjects.

Taezo began with the Denon Post, as it was the most relevant to his current situation. Apparently a Herglic and Twi'lek had conceived a child, against all knowledge in the medical community. How riveting.

"Boss, the merchandise is en route to headquarters. Any new orders?" One of his lieutenants sent a message over his commlink, in textual rather than vocal form.

"Yes. I've been here longer than expected. Send Kwick, Lenord, Rata, and Quell to the Nexus bar and tell them each to have a drink and be ready." Taezo replied. The droid thought the meeting itself would go well, but as the clock continued Taezo continued to compute potential consequences of overstaying. Most of them weren't pleasant. Could a droid be paranoid? Probably not.

 

[Kad Munin]

Kad had never been one for bars.

Not even in his old mercenary days; bars and clubs bored him. He never minded a good drink, but he was the type to drink alone, and it was hard to find anything else of worth in a bar. Too many people, not enough that would be enjoyable to fight against, and the bar owners never liked that. But, the shift from mercenary to bounty hunter meant that he spent more time than he ever used to in bars, cantinas, speakeasies, and the like.

Wherever he had to go to find out what was going on, or find work.

Once he'd landed on Denon, he'd had a few recommendations come his way for the Nexus. A bit more upscale sort of place, even in the lowest levels—he felt a bit like a fish out of water, standing inside in his armour. Watching what was going on from one of the corners of the lowest level. It had been annoying enough to try and get in without taking it off, but a quick medical read-out, showing his damage and how the armour mitigated it, was able to gain him entry. Even then, he could tell that the advanced features within his helmet's surveillance suite were disabled as soon as he crossed the threshold.

As much as he didn't like it, he could appreciate that this was a very secure place.

Now, hopefully Aktur Seii or one of his underlings had seen the short message that Kad had sent ahead, warning of his coming. And hopefully they'd appreciate a self-starter...if not, well, he had little worries about his ability to fight his way back out.

Heh. Wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Aktur Seii]

THE NEXUS
DENON

The reaction was minuscule, but certainly there.

That was good, it saved time; and now the conversation was able to progress beyond an explanation phase as Tarsin responded with a simple, but accurate, recount of what he knew. There was little more to add, at least in such a semi-public setting, so Aktur was perfectly fine with proceeding to the next points of topic. Tarsin knew as much as he needed to make a decision.

"Correct. And I am very understanding when it comes to preference of services, and can assure you that - should those areas be outside your purview - the organization certainly has many who are willing to handle those tasks," Aktur reached down and wiped the circles of whiskey away with his palm, as he glanced to the redheaded protection. She seemed less informed. "So, should you see the benefit of employment, I can guarantee enslavement and hard spices will not be in your wheelhouse... until you decide to pursue them, of your own choice, if at all."

Aktur leaned forward, as he threaded his fingers together and leveled his gaze at Tarsin. His demeanor was less cheerful now, considerably more serious, and the dark eyes of the crime lord bore into the slender alien across from him. The next words were low, specific:

"The organization is discrete where it needs to be. Members are free to pursue their own enterprises, we understand the want for options with the galaxy as it is. To that end, resources shared for my people are used for my people, but your personal interests are your own - unless you bring them into the fold. Then they are ours, mutually beneficial. I can't go into specifics, not here, and certainly not without a clear response from you first, Tarsin Kenn:

"Are you interested in an offer from me?"

MEANWHILE...

Below, a well-dressed male human guard that worked for Aktur Seii walked through the fourth level toward a specific individual. That individual was expected, and a meeting would be happening soon, so the guard would initiate contact with the individual known as Taezo. As the suit-wearing guard weaved through the throng, he came to a stop at the table where the droid looking being was engaged with some information sources; they looked like some local news releases, nothing too complex.

"Greetings, Taezo," The guard said, as he nodded and approached. He was stocky, short for a human, but otherwise quite generic for the species, even with a shaved head. "I am Talran, I was sent by my employer to ensure that you have been taken care of, and to thank you for your patience."

The suit-wearing sentient motioned to the seat near Taezo:

"Is this seat free? I have some initial questions that Mr. Seii would like to know, before meeting..."

AT THE SAME TIME...

Kad Munin had been expected.

A similarly dressed employee for Aktur Seii, a female Pantoran with light-blue skin and white hair, approached a heavily armored individual of Mandalorian styling. She regarded the individual, noting that there were likely several weapons present on the armored sentient that were part of the outfit. With a clear of the throat, she stopped beside him and waited until the helmeted visor turned in her direction, before proceeding:

"Welcome to Denon, bounty hunter. I've been asked by my employer to greet you and begin a pre-interview, so we can assess what you can do, what you expect and what we can offer. Would you join me in one of the nearby booths? Also let me know if you have a beverage preference, I'm sure whatever it is, we have it... this way, please. You can call me A'jah."

The Pantoran guard walked a short distance, then paused at a booth that was relatively private. She waited for Kad to take a seat...

Tarsin Kenn | Mercy | Taezo### | Kyric | Dagon Kaze | Kad Munin​