Open Byblos Bad Boys

[Tacitus Agrippa]

Byblos was like what Corellia would look like if every ounce of grit and personality had been surgically drained from the place. At least that was Tacitus' opinion as a good Corellian boy just trying to make his way through the Galaxy. The people on Byblos spoke like they were Corellian even after a couple thousand years as an independent colony so there was at least an element of the familiar he supposed but it was still not high on his list of planets he wanted to visit for a good time.

So, naturally, it was work that brought him there.

The little group he ran with his brother was fun and it made them both credits but they were small time (for now) and that meant he still had to pay their dues to some of the bigger families in the Syndicate. Tacitus did the due paying rather than @Nero Agrippa purely because he didn't trust his brother to not get offended and start blasting. He'd never dealt with the Hutts or the Pykes though - he wasn't sure if he wouldn't start blasting if he had to scrape and pay for protection to those types.

Black Sun and Crimson Dawn were much easier to get along with. Lot less about who you were and a whole lot more about how much you could earn for them - which worked for him. Meeting a contact from the Crimson Dawn often meant meeting at a place he could get a drink as well so it was a win-win in his book so far.

Entering the high-rise bar, Tacitus did his best to try and not look like he would probably fit in better at a cage fight dive bar. He partially succeeded but only because half the bar was busy doing spice... classy place gearing up for a big night, he could respect that. Making his way over to the bar, he ordered a tonic without any alcohol for now and waited.

Every time it was different.

Would he need to go to them when he figured out which one was his contact? Would they come and meet him at the bar? Take him to a private room to talk? Ah the variety kept him on his toes at least.

@Sreeya

 

[Tommy]

There were plenty of people within the Syndicates that could rough someone up in a fight. There were lots of muscles and plenty of people that knew how to handle weapons. Tommy, unfortunately, was none of that. She had brains, but she had no skill with any weapons or combat. She told herself she would at least try to learn unarmed combat, but she had simply never gotten around to it.

There were a few times when she let her ethical choices drive her. While she was okay with most crime, trafficking bothered her quite a bit. There was an operation on Byblos that she wanted to sabotage, but it meant getting data on the inventory and shipping details. Though trafficking was largely outlawed, underground operations ran rampant. She had narrowed the location down to a small base that was manned by hired mercenaries.

The trouble was that she would never convince the Crimson Dawn to give her the support needed because this wasn’t exactly a high value operation. Tommy was stuck on her own, having the skills to extract the data but no means of making her way through the thugs.

Tommy was visibly annoyed, sitting at the bar and staring at her brightly colored drink. From the way a few patrons came by to say hello, it was obvious that she was a rising name at least within internal circles.

@Nefieslab

 

[Tacitus Agrippa]

Tacitus got the word from the bartender - because it was always the bartenders who knew what was going down - that there was someone here who had connections to the Crimson Dawn. He would have preferred the Black Sun since he knew more of them but he still much preferred the Dawn to any of the other members of the Syndicate. Finishing up his tonic at the bar, he nodded to the bartender before moving down the bar.

He spotted a few people acknowledging her and that was a good sign.

Leaning against the bar a few feet from the Nautolan, he tilted his body so that it was clear he was going to be speaking to her. Didn't want to come across as the type of guy who was looking to hit on her though so he got to talking quick. He got the feeling he was going to need to grab her attention - she seemed popular.

"Bartender says you're who I'm looking for." he spoke up as he eyed her, "Someone who can get me a link up with some friends of yours."

He always hated the cloak and dagger stuff like the code phrases and junk like that.

"I've got some merchandise that needs to see the light of Dawn." he tilted his head slightly, "And I'm willing to be a good friend to make sure that happens."

Better to use stilted lines than to potentially tell some dudley-do good he was a criminal.

@Sreeya

 

[Tommy]

Tommy glanced up in time to catch someone’s eye. She wasn’t naive enough to think it was anything but business - people only came here for just that. She waited till he approached, taking a sip from her hot pink drink that was bright enough to melt eyeballs. The man cut an impressive figure, though she had to wonder why others loved tattoos so much. She had been born with markings, and it only made her seem easy to pick out in a lineup. It made it more difficult to blend in and become forgotten.

“Some friends of mine?” She raised an eyebrow, “Telling me you want my friend’s number isn’t the way to a lady’s heart,” Tommy couldn’t help but grin, taking another sip from her drink. She had some sway with Dawn, but it was limited. She wasn’t in the front lines, but her skills were priceless. There were plenty of slicers out there, but only a few were familiar with Ranger tech.

“Your merch should speak for itself,” She shrugged, turning back to her drink, “Make enough noise and you’ll get the attention you need.”

 

[Tacitus Agrippa]

Her drink made his eyes water just looking at it - a good, stiff, drink should only either be brown or clear in his mind. Anything else and you were paying for the experience more than you were paying for the booze. He wasn't enough of a novice to think that a drink choice said anything about the drinker though; that shite was for the holomovies.

Still, he couldn't help but smirk at her comment, even if it did make him feel like even more of a stupid kark for actually talking in stilted codes so he wouldn't get outed.

"Terribly sorry - would a refill fix that ache in your heart?"

If she responded positively to the joke he would signal the bartender to fill up another glass with what she was drinking - he might have said it as a joke but he wasn't about to turn down a way to seem more charming, less Corellian street trash. Always gotta reach and better yourself and all that jazz.

Hmm.

She was playing hard to get though... or she wasn't anybody important within the Dawn. Still had a better line of contact than an affiliated outsider like him though.

"Well the merch certainly can make some noise..."

A shipment of E-Webs could definitely make noise.

"I don't suppose you got any noise that needs making?" he raised an eyebrow, "Like I said - I can be a good friend."

Hopefully she was playing hardball because she needed something and she wasn't above hiring people to get it done for her. It would be just his luck if she turned out to be one of those 'do this impossible task' types though - like the arsehole who'd once told him he'd only move his merch if he came back with the mask of that freaky Sith cult leader.

@Sreeya

 

[Tommy]

Tommy was surprised at the man’s quick recovery and a subsequent joke at the end of it. Most of these muscly types usually didn’t have two braincells to rub together. She welcomed the second drink, ordering a bright blue one this time. He was clever to flip the narrative back to her, and it caught her off guard. She wasn’t entirely too thrilled about helping out some rando, but she could be convinced if they did something for her.

She drummed her fingers on the bar for a moment before she eyed him. He certainly looked like he could handle combat situations, and if he was here then it was likely because it was his specialty, “It just so happens I’m in need of a friend that can do some things,” She glanced around, “Off the record…”

Crimson Dawn wouldn’t be thrilled about her meddling with a trafficking operation, but doing this would mean she would owe the man a favor. She took a sip from her bright blue drink, “I need someone to bash some heads in around the lower 5th district,” It was known to be an especially seedy area that outright made her nervous.

“I need to get into the facility and to their main terminal so I can get some data,” She looked at him to see his reaction, “I don’t fight, so I’ll be entirely worthless in that department,” Tommy was always up front, “You do this and you’ve got yourself a deal. I’ll let you do your dog and pony show for the right people.”


@Nefieslab

 

[Tacitus Agrippa]

Bright blue this time? He was beginning to think that she just liked primary colors at this point. But who was he to judge? He'd once thought it was a great idea to have a giant skull tattooed onto his abs so... maybe having fruity-looking drinks was an indulgence that made a bit more sense if you thought about it longer. Or he was overthinking the whole damn thing and fruity drinks just tasted better.

Ah there it was...!

"Everyone needs a friend every once in awhile." he agreed with a nod, "Friends keep each other's secrets like nothing else."

So long as her job wasn't to overthrow the Dawn. If that was her idea then he would totally be running to someone higher up the chain; he didn't need the kind of heat that a coup could bring down on his head. So far though the job seemed simple as it could be - smashing heads together. Simple enough that even a droid could do it!

Which was why there was definitely more to it.

Doing an escort mission for a techie... yeah no way he was telling this story to his brother. He'd never hear the end of it.

"Seems simple enough on the surface. Do I get to know who's heads and why?" he tilted his head to the side slightly, "Or is this more of a 'I point, you break' kind of deal?"

He'd done both in the past - either worked really.

"But yeah alright, this sounds like a lovely way to spend an evening. The name is Tacitus by the way, friend."

@Sreeya

 

[Tommy]

Tommy smiled at his eagerness, but she could also see he was genuine. She looked around, not seeing anyone around that would care to eavesdrop. She knew there were several syndicate members that would immediately opt out of a job like what she wanted.

“It’s not...glamorous,” She admitted, sighing as she took a sip from her drink. She knew she was about to lose him, “There is a trafficking operation in the lower districts here. I want to get in and nab all their inventory and location data. I just….I just want to wipe the entire operation from existence so maybe you can help me get started,” She offered a sheepish smile, expecting him to simply blow it off. Shutting down operations that could be linked to Hutts was always risky.

Tommy didn’t want to give him an impossible task, “I can erase any records of us ever being there so don’t worry about that. It’s just important to me,” She shrugged, “I don’t know, guess I have a soft side.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Tacitus Agrippa]

Tacitus raised an eyebrow when she said that it wasn't glamorous because he didn't quite get what she was getting at right away. Not many jobs people like them did were glamorous in the traditional sense so... ah that explained it. As she explained more about the job it became clear that 'not glamorous' actually meant something closer to 'liable to piss people off'.

It was probably personal for her on some level - either that or she had a weaker stomach for those kinds of things. Not that he could blame her though since he wasn't exactly a fan of it either.

"Hmm... way I see it, only way someone should be sold is if they're selling themselves. If they choose to rent themselves out for murder or for a good time? Fine." He grimaced a little bit and suddenly wished he'd had some alcohol with that tonic from before, "Selling people wholesale like that isn't something I engage in."

He nodded.

"So long as you can promise me that I'm not liable to end up with my head on a pike in some Hutt's front yard? I'm in." he assured her, "I'll get you down there however you like. Bloody or quiet."

@Sreeya

 

[Tommy]

“That’s too long of a name, I’m calling you Tac,” She said simply, “Call me Tommy.”

Tommy was more than a little surprised he agreed without putting too much of a fuss. She could tell he had some very valid concerns, and she reassured him a few times that she would ensure his name was uninvolved. It was hard to hide the giddiness she had from being able to do an operation she personally cared about.

It didn’t take them long to end up in the district she had mentioned. She was used to the Hutt planets, but even that hadn’t prepared her for how filthy and rotten this place was. There was litter everywhere and drunkards still roamed around singing off key. Tommy had to grimace from the smell, walking down a street that led the direction they needed to go.

She kept shooting glances at Tac enough to where he would think she was trying to check him out. However, she abruptly stopped and turned to face him.

“Hey so um…” She shifted awkwardly, “I don’t actually know where this warehouse is. And yes it exists! I just um… we might need to ask around some of the locals,” She looked around at the ‘locals’. There were people passed out, people mumbling to themselves, a hooker smoking in the corner and for some reason an angry old lady shaking her fist at a lamp post.

@Nefieslab

 

[Davik Lorso]

The warehouse's door opened, revealing a brawny 6'3" human man blocking the doorway staring down at Davik. Now, Davik did not make the same kind of impression on people and he just stood there, looking at the large man and then back at his Personav, then again at the man, "So, ehm-" he swallowed some excess saliva, he hated accepting risky jobs from people he didn't know on worlds he had never visited before. This planet was way too advanced and crowded for his liking, too. "-I'm here for a pick-up." Davik's track jacket was loose enough to hide the small stun-pistol and port scanner underneath, but even if he did manage to find a terminal, plug the port scanner in and link it to his datapad, what would be the use if the guards looked like they could tank a full powerpack of light stun bolts and still crack his brain open against the wall? Nothing, so from this moment on Davik was completely at the employer's mercy.

The brawny man nodded and stepped aside to reveal yet another brawny man, "You Davik Lorso?" this one asked, looking at a datapad and seemingly confirming the description with the sorry excuse for a smuggler standing before him. Davik nodded, "In the flesh, hehe" Bantha-kriffer! The nervous laugh caused the mute to smile, but the other one frowned at him. "Shaddaa send us a first timer again," and without waiting for a rebuttal from Davik he shook his head and gestured for Davik to follow.

Once inside the warehouse proper he walked Davik over to a single crate labeled 'Catscratch', "We boosted a shipment of port scanners a couple of days ago, it's in that crate over there." Davik felt some eyes in his back, but honestly he was too afraid to look around and see what else these traffickers had laying around. "The package on top is synth-spice," Davik snapped to attention, his interests peaked, "Needs to go to Shaddaa, too." That wasn't in the deal.. the penalty for smuggling synth-spice in this part of space was much higher than that of smuggling stolen port scanners. "That wasn't part of the deal," he heard himself say, but when the large man turned around, stopping a mere 20 inches from his face, the smuggler caved in before you could smell a rodian, "It's fine, just get met the coordinates for the drop-off."


@Sreeya @Nefieslab

 

[Tacitus Agrippa]

Tac was the usual nickname people gave him and most people didn't even give him a heads up before switching to it so he appreciated the gesture. He had concerns about her being able to fully make sure to get rid of his face from all the holos, but, well... she started talking technical details at him.

And he kind of just stared at her until she realized that he had basically no idea what she had said. But she seemed uncharacteristically confident about it so he was willing to take it on faith that she had some idea as to what she was talking about. Even if he literally had no clue what she had actually agreed she would do to fix that problem - she clearly knew her area far better than he did.

He just said he believed her and they moved on to find that they didn't even know which warehouse it was. At first he'd been flattered by all the side looks but now he knew it was the nerves rather than Tommy trying to flirt in that cute, slightly awkward, way people did sometimes. Looking around at their options, he sighed a little bit.

"... so long as we don't end up randomly knocking on doors, it's not as bad as it could be."

He was still trying to make a good impression on the Dawn so he wasn't about to come across as a whiner - besides, some of his info gathering sessions for ops had gone down the knocking on doors route in the past. Still, he chose the hooker to talk to first, spotting a rather nervous man being admitted into a warehouse further down the road. He couldn't tell what it was for or who either man was so he instead spoke to the hooker.

"I'm looking for something - looking to get myself someone for my household." he explained to her bluntly, flashing a few credits as he did so, "Wouldn't happen to know where I'd find that kind of market would you?"

Tac almost immediately had to dodge to the side to avoid the slap she tried to give him. Backing off, eyes wide, he raised both hands as the hooker raged at him.

"Those bloody skin-sellers are putting hard working girls like me out of business! Who wants to rent when you can buy, eh?!"

She kept flailing at him and Tac batted her hands away as he looked over at Tommy for help, slightly panicked - maybe the lady would be less likely to curse and slap if it was meek-little Tommy asking? Otherwise the only other lead he had was the nervous-guy... which wasn't much in this neck of the woods where pretty much everyone was doing something illegal.

@Sreeya @Eccles

 

[Davik Lorso]

The crate and the package of spice found their way on an airlift quite easily and for a moment Davik truly thought that despite his initial reluctance it was all going a lot smoother than he could've hoped for. Ofcourse, that was before one of the burly humans returned dragging a beaten up Cathar girl behind him with a chain. "One sec, smuggler-" Davik closed her eyes, kriff. Maybe if he ignored him? "Oi, smuggler!" he felt the heavy hand on his shoulder and was violently turned around as he snapped his eyes back open and stared right into the broken soul of a teenage slave. Seeing her broke his heart and it took all of him not to draw his pistol and... oh who was he kidding. "She needs to go to the same Hutt as the spice," Davik spotted the Cathar wince. Hutts weren't known for being decent to their slaves and Davik had grown up with the Ossein's cultural hatred for anything related to slavery. "I'm not in the business of-" he began, but the chain was handed to him before he could pull away, You are now. Get her to the Hutt or the cartel knows who you are," the ganger grinned knowingly. For independent smugglers like Davik the Hutt Cartel's shitlist wasn't just bad for business.. it was a death sentence. He was disgusted by himself, by his lack of a spine, but with death as his prospect if he were to refuse the job he... well, he nodded and took the job.

About twenty minutes later the crate of port scanners stood in his hold, the package of synth-spice tucked away in a hidden compartment in the engine room and the Cathar was... chained to the bed. She was broken in both body and soul, but hopefully Davik could find a way to help her. While the Catscratch powered up its engines, Davik checked his messages and found a holo of Aster wanting to discuss something off a known traderoute. "That's the Force, innit?" Davik smiled. Aster was a known forger, so she could forge some new papers for the slave and keep her save when the Hutt Cartel came knocking..

/exit thread

 

[Nima Deleste]

.

Nima made her way through the crowd, eyeballing the warehouse ahead. "This is stupid", she thought to herself, but she couldn't get the words of that Jedi out of her head. She wasn't the type to turn on employers, but she couldn't sleep well anymore; she came to end the thoughts.

The warehouse was the same as the one she saw on a holoprojector when she worked for the Hutt on Lothal. She reached the entrance of the warehouse, where a Gamorrean guard was standing; it was the same one on Lothal, and he recognized her immediately. "Oi, whatcha doing here pinkie? You 'ready got ya creds, or you here for another job?" "Are they in there? The slaves." Nima asked. "Yep, but why do you a-" Before the Gamorrean could finish his sentence, Nima ignited her lightsaber and sliced the Gamorrean's head off. The crowd behind her immediately began to back away from her, with even a few screams.

With a bit of ferociousness, Nima used the force to rip open the door to the warehouse. Making her way in, she would have to immediately start deflecting blaster bolts before she took cover behind some crates. This was definitely the warehouse she was targeting. Nima could clearly recognize a few of the guard's voices like the ones that were on Lothal. Too bad they weren't friends, just business partners.