A Strange Brand of Friendship. [ATTN: Charli]

[Kreeps]

Coruscant
From space it looked so beautiful. A glimmering jewel of light in the spotted void of space. A city the size of an entire planet. A testament to the will of sentient species of all kinds, a marvel of technology, history and determination. A gleaming, legendary world, its surface lined with towers that stretched endlessly across the horizon and into the sky. Beautiful. Magnificent. At least, on the surface. But Corucant was like an orange, a bright and shiny exterior, but peel away the skin and you get to the real meat of the world. The top levels of Coruscant were a testament to wealth and success. Billions of people lived in luxury among is sparkling metal and glass towers, with their luxury speeders and their yachts. But go a little deeper, and it's a completely different world. No city is perfect. There must always be a lower class, there must always be beggars, killers, drug dealers, whores and criminals. This was a fact Jester knew all too well. A fact that Jester relished in. It was those scum that paid his "Salary". Those scum had bought him the ship he flew in on, his clothes, his weapons, his food, his drink. There was plenty of scum to be found on Coruscant. There was a demand for his product. No, not a demand, a need, a longing, a love. But unfortunately for Jester, many people had stepped up to satisfy that need. This was unacceptable. Jester wanted this whole world in his hand. He would start small. He had built his enterprise from the gutter of Nar Shadaa, the Cantinas of Hutta and Tattooine, the slums and clubs on many an outer rim world had been fed his fruit, and now, he had come to the core. The heart of the Galaxy. A heart that Jester would hold in his fist.

He walked through the streets of the underworld. He was on level 1217, miles below the surface. A slum gripped by an endless night, draped in the shadows of the wealth from above, illuminated only by the neon lights of its many clubs, bars, cantinas and whorehouses. The streets were crowded. Around him stood beings from every corner of the Galaxy. A display of "people" from every star system, every planet, every moon. So many, each of them with their own story. But this deep in the bowels of Coruscant, for many that story could be summed up by one word: Spice.

The dark underbelly of Coruscant was the largest drug market in the Galaxy. Billions of users, all dying, literally, for their next fix. Jester would give them that next fix. He would feed them their beloved Spice until they drowned themselves in it. But first, he had to take out his competition. This level would be his first conquest. The trade on this level was dominated by countless gangs, constantly killing eachother for a street, or an alley, or a club. But Jester didn't give a shit about that. They all got their product from one supplier, a Rodian named Kelso. Kelso had to die. Without him the market would gasp for air, the demand would skyrocket with no supply to fill it. And when demand skyrockets, so does price.

Jester would cause that flutter of level 1217's Spice fueled heart, and he would come in as the savior, and it would make him rich.

But right now, he had a simpler need. One must know their market and their clients in order to run a sucessful business, and for that you must network. Jester noticed a tantalizing club on the corner of one of 1217's dark, grim streets. The building was adorned with flashing, neon signs, with holograms of Twi'lek women dancing and drinks being poured. "Perfect." Jester whispered under his breath as he entered.

The interior of the club was bustling. The chatter of friends, comrades, space captains, gangsters and lovers filled the place. Music could be heard thumping from the back room, and in the center was the bar, the heart of the establishment. Jester walked up and took a seat, watching the crowd around him. Observing. Almost 90% of them were on some sort of Spice, he could smell it in the air. It drew the ghost of a smile to his lips as images of credits ran through his minds eye.

"What can I get for ya?" a grizzly, somewhat overweight human bartender said in a hoarse voice. Even the bartender does it. Jester thought when he heard the guys voice and looked him in the eye. His pupils were dialated ever so slightly, a telltale sign on being under the influence.

"Best thing you've got." Jester said as he laid a credit chip on the table.

"You sure about that? It's Correlian Brandy, it cost 500 creds for a shot..." the bartender said, sounding surprised. Something told Jester that the extent of his average customers wealth was enough for a shot of cheap firewhiskey and a deathstick.

"Did I stutter? Best thing you got buddy, pronto." and with that the bartender nodded as Jester continued to scan the crowd.

 

[Charli]

Sometimes you needed a little something to get you going, and the Coruscant undercity was the perfect place to find it. There were hundreds of spice dens in the lower city but Ashton preferred the one of 1217. The drinks were free and the spice was plentiful. Ashton was by no means a spice-fiend, but when he had a craving this is where he came. Glitterstim was his spice of choice, not the gutter shit most of the junkies partook in here. Ashton was familiar with most of the people in the club, he frequented this place often, but one person did seem to pique his interest; someone he had never seen before. There was something a little off about the man's demeanor that caused Ashton to wonder. It seemed he was constantly scanning the crowd, looking for something, searching for something, Ashton wasn't sure. But he wasn't acting like someone who just happened to stroll in for a drink and a little spice, no, this man was here for a reason. He had a purpose.

"Excuse me miss, I'd like another of my usual." Ashton said to a passing waitress. They all knew him here, his appearance alone was hard to forget. "Also I'd like to order another drink for that man there," he said pointing to the unknown man at the bar. "Whatever he's drinking." A smile crossed Ashton's pale lips. He would make sure the man had a few nice drinks in him before it was time. He had plans for this man, plans that would make a normal person's skin crawl. It was going to be a good night, it had been awhile since Ashton had killed someone. He wasn't sure if it was the spice or the particular turn of tonight's events, but Ashton felt an unusually high sense of excitement. Reaching into his jacket, Ashton withdrew a thin cigarette.

For now he would wait and hope his quarry would come to him.

 

[Kreeps]

Jester sat at the bar and stared down at the Correlian Brandy that had just been placed in front of him. It was a nice golden color and it smelled of alcohol from the table. He wrapped his finders around the shot glass and knocked it back, reveling in the warmth of the drink. It was pretty good, definitely not fitting for the environment he was in. Then again he'd had better swill at worse establishments, and every podunk bar has to have something classy to feed the gangsters with few credits that think their shit don't stink.

Before he could even look up, another shot glass was sitting in front of him. Filled with the same golden brown liquid as before.

"Hey buddy, I didn't order this. You better not be trying to run up my tab..."

The bartender looked up with a hazy film over his drugged out eyes.

"Oh no, that guy over there ordered it for you, names Ashton he's a regular here."

What the hell? It wasn't the first time a random person had bought him a drink in a bar but something about this struck him as odd. Nobody knew him here, he was new to this planet. Either that guy could smell the spice in Jesters pockets, or he wasn't playing for the home team. Jesters inner drug pusher took over and before he could think he was sitting next to the mysterious, generous drink buyer.

"Thanks for the drink, hope you know this shit ain't cheap. You in the market for something a bit stronger than brandy?"

What the **** am I doing? Jester thought. It was like he was 16 selling on the streets of Nar Shadaa again. Too late now at any rate.

 

[Charli]

Ah, so this was the strangers identity. A drug dealer with expensive tastes. Probably not an amateur, but certainly eager to let people know he has what they need. Maybe a new brand of spice to push, ready to meet the faces of the unsuspecting masses and line another greedy Hutt's slimy pockets. It was irrelevant. This man wasn't going to be pushing drugs much longer, Ashton had something a little different in mind for this one. Taking a long drag from his cigarette, Ashton let the smoke flow from his mouth and nose like exhaust. The game had begun.

"You let me worry about the price of the drinks friend," Ashton said politely. "I'm more interested in what someone like you is doing here. It's not every day we get someone new in here pushing spice." The neon lights from the club danced on Ashton's silvery pupils. The waitress brought them both another round. "Though there are few people around that carry what I need, another contact is always welcome. Assuming the price is right of course."

Reaching into his jacket, Ashton withdrew a small vial of glitterstim. It's golden hue made his heart race. Maybe just a little bit more before the fun started.. no. He needed his wits about him. Ashton would use the spice later, after he had his fun with the new spice pusher. Placing the vial back into his jacket, Ashton took another drag from his cigarette before snubbing it out on the table. Reaching for his glass, he downed the shot with no hesitation. A little more alcohol to take the edge off. Even though he had done it hundreds of times, the thoughts of killing someone made Ashton nervous with excitement.

"You never did tell me your name." Ashton said with a smile.

 

[Kreeps]

Jester listened as Ashton spoke. He seemed awfully curious for a spice fiend, but shit, that wasn't Jester's business. His business was drugs and money. When the guy showed him a little vial of golden glimmerstim Jester couldn't help but smile. Sure, that shit looked okay, but compared to his stock, it was dust.

"The name's Jester. I'm here on... business. Glitterstim eh? I just got a brand new batch of that from an... undisclosed lab. Genetically enhanced spiders, fed Carsunum and Ryll from hatching. This my friend is the best Spice in the Galaxy."

As he spoke, Jester slide a large vial of this devious concoction from his sleeve. It had the texture of glitterstim, but instead of the standard golden hue, it refracted light, reflecting all the colors of the rainbow. It also had a slight glow to it.

Jester knew what was going on now. Instinctively, he poured a small amount onto the table. It shined brilliantly as it reflected the neon lights of the club.

"That's all you amigo. Try that and see how you feel. Consider it payment of debts owed."

That's the way Jester saw it at least. Part of him was trying to get this guy hooked so he could hand Jester's future pushers his money until his untimely death, and the other half legitimately thought of it as paying of a debt. Jester didn't understand the concept of a "gift". Growing up like he did, nothing is free.

 

[Charli]

The spice looked splendid. Ashton was genuinely impressed, something that didn't happen often. This Jester fellow seemed to be quite serious in his attempt to move into the Coruscant spice market, and if all he claimed was true, Ashton was sure he would have no problem. Except that this up and coming drug peddler had met the worst possible person he could have. He had met Ashton and Ashton had made the decision that it was time for Mister Jester to die. How unfortunate, he was that this guy would probably make something of himself if given the chance. That is until he was wiped out by a Hutt. A befitting end to an operation doomed from the start as far as Ashton was concerned. He had lived on Coruscant long enough that it took more than some fancy spice to move into Hutt territory. So maybe Ashton was saving Jester from an untimely death staring into the barrel of a blaster. At least this way his death would be glorious.

"Oh you aren't you a generous one tonight." Ashton said with a laugh. Declining the spice might offend Jester, so Ashton knew he had to take it. Offending Jester meant he might leave, and the chase wasn't really something he was interested in. Not when his quarry was already sitting within arm's length. It was a funny thought really, Jester had no idea that the last person he would ever see was sitting across from him at the table. That the pale man sitting there would usher in his death. A funny thought indeed.

Feeling the spice with his fingers, Ashton marveled at its beauty. The club lights danced playfully across its glistening surface. He had a good feeling this new spice would be wonderful. Ashton took it, and he took it all. Feeling its effects wash over his body, Ashton laughed. It was a thousand times better than gliterstim. A shame this man had to die tonight. "That's some good stuff you have there Jester. Perhaps we could meet somewhere outside, talk business. I can push that stuff for you in no time. Get your name out there. I know a lot of people in 1217." Ashton was doing his best to seem nonchalant. If Jester took this bait, as Ashton almost guaranteed he would, if it's one thing spice pushers like it's the idea of credits lining their pockets, this would be when he would strike. Ashton eyed Jester with a serious intent, his silvery pupils seeming to shine like neon lined shooting stars.

 

[Kreeps]

Jester watched as Ashton fiddled with the Spice before knocking it all back. He smiled. Perfect, absolutely perfect. Jester knew that once anyone gave Spice like that a try they were already hooked. This guy would feel like a god for the next 30 minutes, a feeling so incredible that a Jedi would sell his lightsaber for a second taste. Well a second taste and to stave off the hellish comedown that comes inevitably from such quality Spice. After the aforementioned 30 minutes were over, the man would crash like a Star Destroyer hitting a moon at full speed. His body would feel weak, his head would pound and his eyes would tear up for hours, or at least until the next dose entered his system.

Then the man dropped an offer, he wanted to push it for Jester, get his name out and what not. That was excellent. He already had a client with connections, and he hadn't even eliminated Kelso and his business on 1217 was already en route to an explosion. Such is life in the Spice World.

"Talk business already eh? You cut straight to the chase huh? Sounds good to me, lead the way. But so help me if you have five goons with blades and blasters waiting for me, you'll regret it."

Had to throw it out there. Normally friendly club people had deeper motivations, and this was a textbook set up for a robbery. But it was also a textbook setup for a new connection, so Jester was ready to take the risk. Besides, everyone who had taken the robbery route thus far had failed, and as long as Jester kept his guard up, he felt invincible. He wasn't of course, he knew that all too well, but whats to point of living without a little Spice in your life anyway?

 

[Charli]

Ah the moment had finally come. Ashton could feel the spice affecting his mind, it was euphoric. But being a more than occasional spice user he knew that sooner or later he was going to crash. And the better the spice, the worse the crash. Time was of the essence now. The thought of him having armed men with blasters outside was a hilarious thought to Ashton. Robbing someone was a petty thieves business, he was in the business of death. Slow, agonizing, glorious death. Not to mention Ashton would never conceive of letting someone else partake in his killings, the glory was his and his alone. He was a god, a rider of the pale horse. Death was his to own, his sickle to bring down on the necks of the unworthy masses. Rising from his seat, Ashton motioned for Jester to follow him outside. The poor spice dealer had no idea what he was in for. What he was about to experience can't be described with words, it was a ritual Ashton had perfected over time with hundreds of unsuspecting victims to play as his lab rats. Jester was about to walk head first into the gaping maw of Hell. And it was going to be glorious.

"After you, my friend." He said with a simple smile and a motion to the door.

 

[Kreeps]

After you my friend. The man said in that strange tone Jester had noticed. After me? I don't know where the hell we're even going. That was the first thing to hit Jesters mind. Then again this man had carried an air of formality, and chances were he was trying to be polite. Well not really Jesters style, but not really strange either.

"All right let's go then."

He stood and walked towards the door the man had pointed to. It wasn't the front entrance, so it probably led to the alley between the club and the neighboring building. Fair enough, this guy knew the neighborhood better than he did, he was probably taking him through a shortcut or something. That or he's gonna try to rip me off. Jester had that paranoia that all long time Spice dealers had. Never trust anyone, never ask questions, and never answer them. A common saying on The Smugglers Moon. Despite the man's intentions, Jester wasn't particularly scared of him. He wasn't a big guy, and he didn't appear to be armed. If push came to shove Jester was confident that he could handle it, assuming their wasn't a group of gangsters outside.

With that train of paranoid, criminal thoughts, Jester opened the door and stepped outside.

The alleyway was dark, filthy and dilapidated. It was also eerily empty, save for the trash and empty glass vials littering the ground. Jester glanced back at Ashton, waiting for a direction.

 

[Charli]

Oh if walls could tell tales. The dark and dingy walls of this alley had seen many deaths, spice overdoses, murders, muggings gone wrong. You name it and it's happened here. The locals call it "death alley", but then again they were too out of their minds on spice to be very creative. Of course a new person to 1217 would know none of this, which was just the way Ashton wanted it. Stepping outside the club behind Jester, Ashton walked a little further down, away from the door and away from the street. The alley got darker the further you went down, the pale streams coming from the streetlights had trouble penetrating the darkness this far back. Bu this too was part of Ashton's plan, darkness conceals things. Darkness confuses people. Ashton knew everything about this alley, but Jester didn't. It was perfect.

"Follow me Jester, we'll get a little further away from perked ears and prying eyes." Ashton said motioning for Jester to follow him. If Ashton had gauged Jester's greed accurately, he would inevitably follow Ashton even if his reservations told him not to. At least that's what he hoped. "So tell me more about this spice of yours, it's like nothing I've ever seen. Do you own the lab that produces it?" Ashton was trying to goad Jester a little more to follow him.

 

[Kreeps]

Damn this place is a pit. This alley was easily as sketchy as anywhere on Nar Shadaa. That fact was somewhat amusing to Jester. the capital of the galaxy, culturally and politically, had slums that rivaled if not surpassed some of the most destitute locales out there. Hell, he might as well have been on Nar Shadaa again. Walking through an alleyway, talking about spice with some club thug, plotting possible worst case scenarios, it was same shit different day at this point. And I thought things would be different. Jester hadn't imagined Coruscant to be this bad, at the very least he thought it would be a step aboce Nar Shadaa, but he couldn't have been more wrong.

He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he barely registered Ashtons question.

"Oh the spice? Yeah it's something else huh? And yeah the lab is somewhat of a personal asset yet. The strain you're on is G3C. At least that's what the tech calls it. Some sort of chemical term, something about Glitterstim and Carsunum. I like to call it Glow."

Jester liked talking about Spice. He wasn't much of a user himself, but one must love their work. Sure he had dabbled around and liked to indulge in a dose here and there, but he had seen many a good distributor spiral into a common fiend too many times to really get into it. As a matter of fact, he hadn't even touched Glow yet. It was designed to be addictive and mind altering, not something he wanted to risk. He wasn't comfortable letting clients know that however.

 

[Charli]

They were in almost complete darkness now, the pervasive light from the street signs could do little to penetrate the inky blackness this far down the alley-way. As they neared the end, an impossibly tall durasteel wall rose in front of them. There was only one way out, back the way they came. Ashton loved this place, no light, no sound, just him and his prey in the last few moments of their life. His head was starting to throb a little bit. The comedown from Jester's spice was a little more brutal even at the beginning than anything Ashton had taken before. Withdrawing the vial of glitterstim from his pocket, Ashton finished it off in the hopes that it would stave off his comedown if just for a little bit longer. Turning towards Jester, Ashton smiled. They were so close now, so close.

"Well Jester," Ashton began, his voice filled with a little excitement mixed with apprehension. "I guess it's time to really get down to business."

Reaching into his jacket, Ashton withdrew a stiletto knife. Most people mistook a stiletto as a weak weapon, not meant chopping or lopping off limbs as most vibroweapons were designed for. But it was by no means something to be trifled with in the hands of an expert. It could pierce almost any clothing a person was wearing, assuming the knife was kept in good shape and the blade was well sharped. Which Ashton's always was. He never knew where he was going to meet his next victim, so Ashton was always prepared for his work.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way Jester, you showed so much promise. But your death will be one more than fitting for a simple spice pusher as yourself. You should feel honored."

Rushing forward, Ashton attempted to bury his stiletto into Jester's stomach. More than likely not a death blow, not for someone as hearty as Jester, but a debilitating one. Just good enough for Ashton to get Jester somewhere a little more private, so he could finish his grand work.

 

[Kreeps]

First rule of a knife fight, you're gonna get cut.

Jester had a fraction of a second to react to the aggressive attack charging his way. Yet another attempt on his life, it was far from the first. The man was charging him with a long, intimidating knife gripped firmly in his hand. Jester had no time to reach for his blaster or vibroknife, so he only had one option. Ashton had pulled the knife back, cocked and ready to explode into Jesters gut. The knife flew forward, just as it did, Jester used his left hand to deflect the stab as best he could. The blade was pushed away from his vital organs, but still managed to make a nasty gash on his side, just below the ribs. As the deflection threw his attacker off balance, Jester cocked back his free hand and aimed directly for Ashton's temple. He threw the punch with all his strength, magnified by the adrenaline coursing through his veins. At this point he hadn't realized that he had been cut, but his warm blood was oozing from the fresh, clean wound. As he threw the punch he shifted his hips, bringing power up from his legs and core into his arm. A move he had perfected after spending years on the mean streets of Nar Shadaa, his rough, calloused knuckles were evidence of that.

 

[Charli]

Well this was a surprise, Jester actually knew how to fight. Ashton should have anticipated this, given Jester's drug dealing background. It was inevitable that he would have at one point or another had to fight for his life. Probably been fighting all his life. Irrelevant. Ashton may not have been as physically strong as Jester but he was a lot more agile than you would expect from his long thin frame. His balance was thrown off a bit by Jester's strong deflection, and Ashton could see Jester's fist aimed at his temple like a missile. He was going to get hit, that much he knew, but the damage could be lessened. A direct hit with that much power to the temple would more than likely knock his ass clean out if it didn't kill him. The body's natural response to threats to the face is to lower the head, which is exactly what Ashton did. Ducking down and lowering his head, Ashton took the brunt of the hit to the top of his skull. Still incredibly painful, but not game breaking. Ashton staggered back a about a foot and fell to one knee, spitting out a small sliver of his tongue he must have bitten off.

"That was a nice hit Jester," Ashton said spitting out a mouthful of blood. "I like it when they put up a fight."

It was time for Ashton to play a little dirty. Reaching down, he picked up a handful of dust and debris from the filthy alley. Gripping it tightly, Ashton slung the myriad of debris towards Jester's face. Pushing off with his leg, Ashton swung his arm forward, his knife aimed for Jester's knee. Crippling, painful, not deadly. Ashton was going to make sure he had his fun with this one.

 

[Kreeps]

This guy had been in his fair share of fights too. Anyone who's been in their fair share of fist fights knows that punching somebody full force in the skull hurts like hell. Jester would have been in some serious pain if it wasn't for his calloused knuckles and flowing adrenaline. He soldiered through the dust in his face, he had bigger fish to fry and a little dust was like a pinch to Jester. He shifted his right leg back to line up another strike when he felt something cold slide into the flesh just above his knee. Dammit. He thought. Stabbed yet again. It certainly wasn't the first time, and this would be a knew addition to his laundry list of scars. He was loosing a solid amount of blood now. But there's always a back up plan for life and death situations like these. Fight or flight. Jester was't big on flight, and all he knew was fight. He could feel the rims of his vision start to go red as the instinctual rage built up inside him. every drop of adrenaline in his body was being dumped now. His opponent was below him once again, sliding the knife out of the clean puncture wound in his thigh.

First rule of a knife fight, you're gonna get cut.

Jester raised the blade of his elbow up, and slammed it down with all of his strength. The point of his elbow was aimed at the back of the assailants neck, sure to ring his bell if it connected. But he needed to level the playing field. With his free hand he began to reach for his vibroknife...

 

[Charli]

Ashton had little time to react to the elbow destined to collide with him. It hit him, and it hit him hard. The force of the blow pushed Ashton flat on his stomach, knocking a little air out of him. The pain in his neck and head was tremendous, he could feel his vision beginning to blur. Whether that was from the pain or him coming down from the spice, Ashton couldn't determine. All he knew was that this fight had gone on long enough and it needed to end now. Focusing all of his will power, Ashton rolled away from Jester and staggered to his feet. His legs felt weak, but Ashton attempted to hide the severity of his injuries from Jester. Rule number one in a fight: never show weakness. Ashton could see Jester going for his own knife, now the fight was even more serious. Blows from a fist Ashton could handle, stabs from a vibroknife not so much. Ashton wasn't much for disarms, so some fancy hand to hand maneuver wasn't going to work here. The best thing he could do was attempt to incapacitate his free hand. At least it would delay him from drawing a weapon at least for long enough for Ashton to take advantage.

"It's time to end this, Jester. No more games." Ashton hissed. His stiletto was aimed for Jester's bicep. Hopefully it connected, and it connected well.

 

[Kreeps]

Jester saw the knife flashing towards his bicep. He twitched to the right slipped just out of the way and seized this golden opportunity. The world seemed to move at half speed as Ashtons knife skimmed past his arm. He could hear the blade whistle as it cut the air, and he wasted no time pulling an old trick out of his sleeve.

"I agree." Jester growled as he grabbed Ashtons wrist and began pushing his hand down and forward at a 90 degree angle. That was a little trick he had learned when a Hutts bodyguard thrashed him up as a kid back on Nar Shadaa. He remembered the pain being excruciating. Funny how that works. With his right arm he brought the vibroknife flying towards Ashtons throat. Jester was no psycho, if he was gonna end it, it would end. Or so he hoped...

"Time to die dumb ass!" He yelled as he propelled his own knife forward.

 

[Charli]

The only thoughts that passed through Ashton's head were how much head underestimated this guy. For the first time since he started doing the work he did, Ashton had a genuine fear for his life. A feeling Ashton had felt for no other living human in his life crept into Ashton's head. He respected Jester. It was an odd feeling, but anyone this willing to survive was someone that didn't ask for respect, he demanded it. But now was no time to process new feelings. Ashton had to act quickly or his death would be swift. The move Jester performed on Ashton was something Ashton himself had seen before. A common technique used to incapacitate or open up an enemy for a death blow. His mind was racing, and Ashton could only think of one thing to do. Either option was going to end in pain, he just hoped his option wouldn't end in death. Using the momentum of Jester yanking his wrist down, Ashton pushed off the ground with his legs. What resulted was a six foot three man doing a sort of awkward flip in the air. Ashton landed hard on his back. Looking down at his leg, he noticed Jester's vibroblade had still hit him, leaving a very deep wound in his thigh. He could see the blood pouring from the wound. It had been a long time since Ashton had seen his own blood.

Using what strength he could muster, Ashton yanked his arm from Jester's grip and hastily crawled to a nearby dumpster, using it to aid himself crawling to his feet.

"You're a lot tougher than you look, Jester." Ashton said in between intense throbs of pain coming from his head, neck and leg. "You really are a worthy adversary. I respect your skills." Ashton was trying to buy a little time to catch his breath. Hopefully Jester would entertain his semantics.

 

[Kreeps]

One minute Jester is sending his trusty vibroblade towards the neck of this psycho, the next, he's on his back, his vibroblade missing and his head spinning. Does this guy ever give up? Wait a second... Jester realized what had just happened. This guy was a total psychopath sure, but he really knew how to fight. It was a rare occasion when somebody could take Jester in a stand up, one on one fight. Maybe this fight to the death was something more. Jester needed people with skills in combat. A little psychotic streak? Hell, even better. The man had scurried over to a dumpster and opened his mouth. Some how after all this he kept that tone Jester had noticed in the beginning. Jester listened to what the man had to say. At this point, with all of that adrenaline gone, he was less worried about killing this guy and more worried about getting some bacta on his fresh stab wounds. Besides, it seemed like this guy had a "thing" for killing and Jester could use a killer.

"Heh, thanks. Pretty good fight. Something tells me it isn't over yet. But maybe I can make you an offer, don't spill another drop of my blood, I'll return the favor. I think you might be the type of guy I'm looking for. Now before you try to kill me again, hear me out. I can give you all the blood, credits and spice you could ever ask for. Interested?"

Hopefully this guy was sane enough to know a good deal when he heard one. Besides, they were both bleeding, Ashton was nearing a crash and Jesters head was pounding, a common symptom after your body uses up all of its adrenaline.

 

[Charli]

Ashton listened to Jester's words intently. If he was hearing what he thought he was hearing, this was not what Ashton had expected at all. It seemed Jester too had been impressed with what he saw, and for good reason. Ashton was very good at what he did, probably the best. At least on this planet. But the idea of getting paid to do what he did had never occurred to him before. Ashton had seen the product Jester was pushing first hand, and it was the best spice he had ever had in his life. And Ashton had had a lot of spice. And it was obvious that Jester had the will power to accomplish his dreams. Ashton chose his next words carefully, the thought that might just all be an elaborate ruse to distract him so Jester could finish him off.

"You make an impressive offer Jester," Ashton said, taking a cigarette out of his jacket and lighting it. "But the question remains, how can I trust that you can give what you are promising?