Two's company

[NightSister]

Scarlett had never been one of those spies who would rattle on about how they always worked alone. It was true that she usually went it solo - this was in part due to her ego but largely about money - but when the situation called for a teammate, well, the more the merrier.

Today such a situation had arisen. A rich businessman had asked her to track down some con artist who had supposedly embezzled money well over a million credits. If he could trick someone out of a million credits, hunting him down would be quite the challenge - especially given that once she found him she was supposed to bring him in rather than her usual act of obtaining intel - so rather than risk a sloppily done job, Scarlett had enlisted the help of a Mando bounty hunter she'd heard good things about. Normally she'd be unwilling to split the salary but she was having a good month for pay so splitting the fee would be a small price to pay - well, actually it was quite a big price but that was besides the point - for achieving the smoothly done job that was the bare minimum standard for her.

She had agreed to meet her new colleague at a bar in Mandalore, where they could get to know each other and discuss the details of the mission before getting on with it. As usual, she was bright on time, hair and makeup flawlessly coordinated but otherwise dressed to blend in. The bounty hunter would be able to spot her only from the knowledge that she was sat at table 19.

[member="Kiber Thaxton"]

 

[Kiber_Thaxton]

Kiber stood in front of a bar in Mandalore. Holding his helmet underneath his arm, he made his way inside and scanned the surroundings. It was full to the brim with regulars, so the Mandalorian walked up to the bar and he ordered a drink. Tapping his fingers on the bar-top, there was something that made him turn to Table 19 and then found himself staring into a pair of crimson red eyes.

He made his way through the crowd and bowed respectfully to the woman at the table. "Viper I presume?" he shifted his cape, sat down opposite her and held out his hand in greeting.

"I am glad to be working with a fellow Mandalorian. And I hope I am not too underdressed for the occasion," he smiled and took a sip from his drink.

"So, would you like to discuss your mission with me? I have done quite a few missions against con-artists in my time; when I am not chasing slavers across the galaxy mind you," he gave a chuckle and was glad to be doing something different for a change.

[member="Scarlett Orion"]

 

[NightSister]

"Hi there," Scarlett said, fixing the bounty hunter with her best smile as she shook his hand. "The Viper, at your service. Nice to meet you." A waiter came with the drink she had asked for - a quality Mandalorian whiskey. If there was one thing she loved about this planet, it was their excellent drinks.

"So, the mission. Long story short, businessman got tricked out of a lot of money and isn't best pleased. He gave me a name and a picture, so I ran a search." She pulled out her datapad and began tapping at her screen. "You'd expect to find nothing, wouldn't you? A face without a name, or with too many names - here he is." She showed him the screen: a man's face was visible at the top of a social media profile. Most recent update: Zeltros is the best, with a picture of him sandwiched between two scantily clad dancers.

"He's a con artist, remember; he won't hide in plain sight for no reason. Tricking people out of money works the same way as tricking them out of information; you have to be able to predict their next move. He knows that this guy will send someone after him, and he doesn't care: so somehow, in some way, he expects to benefit from us going after him. None of it makes sense!" Realizing that her frustration was making her loud, Scarlett gulped down more whiskey and continued.

"That's why there's two of us today. We track him down, it won't take long. You go in and take him down, I stay out of sight until he reveals his big plan. That won't take long either. He has to stay in the shadows at all times, he'll love a chance to show off." Draining her whiskey, Scarlett put the glass down with a thud and looked at him expectantly. "Any questions?"

[member="Kiber Thaxton"]

 

[Kiber_Thaxton]

Kiber looked closely at the man's profile and he slowly took in every feature of his face, so he would be able to pick him out in a crowd, if it came down to it.

"When I go in to take him down, will I have to worry about him having back up?" Kiber took a swig of his whiskey and began to visualize how he would take down the con-man; maybe some of his stun weaponry would be the best gear to use in this case?

"And would we remain in constant communication through ear-pieces or other devices Viper?" the Mandalorian was wary due to one mission in his past where he did not have constant communication which almost led to his execution.

[member="Scarlett Orion"]

 

[NightSister]

"Well," Scarlett said, twirling a strand of her hair as she did when she got restless, "it's possible that he'll have back-up, but I expect you can deal with one or two extra. Anymore than that and I'll help out, though I'll still try and stay unseen until the last possible moment.

"And yes, we'll stay in constant communication over these." Fishing around in her pocket, Scarlett pulled out a pair of earpieces and clipped one over her ear, sliding the other across the table. "Standard comms sets, nothing fancy, but the microphones are great. You'll be able to pick up almost on anything else in the area. Also, those are pricey, so if it does come down to a fight, just...don't let him punch your ear." She grinned.

"So, I think that just about covers it. The guy's checked into a hotel on Zeltros for two more nights, so we're starting there." Standing up, Scarlett pulled her jacket over her shoulders and as the waiter came, gave him a handful of credits and made as if to leave.

[member="Kiber Thaxton"]

 

[Kiber_Thaxton]

Kiber put the ear-piece in and he paid the waiter. "I know Zeltros well; I have been there a few times in the past, hunting down certain bounties and I was caught up in their constant party atmosphere..." he remembered being dragged from one party to the next, being plied with drinks.

"And see you there then Viper, and don't worry, I will be able to handle his goons if they cause any trouble..." the Mandalorian bid her farewell and slowly made his way through the crowd, thinking about the plan of attack in his mind over and over.

[member="Scarlett Orion"]