Gathering Allies and Information

[Ral]

Manda
Mid-Rim
1330 Hours Local Time
Aroo Spaceport​

Ral, the Rebel Mandalorian, ARES operative, and all around loner was walking through the Aroo Spaceport having just landed there. His mission was fairly simple: see if there is a way into Roon and what kind of Imperial Presence was in the area if any. So here he was on the planet Manda, a rather ironic or at the very least coincidental name all things considered. Manda was the metaphoric gateway to the hyperspace route which led to the refuge world of Roon. A planet lost since the Civil War and subsequent genocide of his people. Ral only hoped that there was something to learn on this planet, something he could take back to both Arya and Sisk, the two people, two Mando'ade who were most interested and most eager to get inside the Cloak of the Sith as it was called.

Walking down the streets of Aroo, the brown haired, blue-eyed man watched the crowds of merchants and vagabonds as he passed them. In a place like this one could never be too careful. Even though he was technically in Hutt space he still had to be careful about getting jumped by an over eager Bounty Hunter thinking to curry some favor with the Empire by delivering a Mandalorian to them. Luckily, that had only happened once or twice to Ral, and the Bounty Hunters were so wholly incompetent that they thought that confronting the Mandalorian directly would be the best way to grab him.

Seeing a cantina nearby called the Spacer's Respite, Ral figured that it would be a good place to start his search and begin to gather what information he could out of the locals or passersby. Stepping inside the Mandalorian could pick out a half-dozen individuals at the bar with another dozen or so spread out across the tables along the sides. Moving across the durasteel grey floors to the bar, Ral walked up to the bar. "Hey, barkeep, you hear anything interesting going on in these parts? Ships that appear unusual or Imps in large numbers?" Flicking the man a credit chip, Ral watched implacably from behind his T-shaped visor. Next to him at the bar was a woman in her mid-twenties with short black hair, dark eyes, a dark red breastplate covering her dark purple clothing, which covered the rest of her athletic-shaped body. On her hip was a belt with a blaster and a knife. "What about you, ge'l? You seen or heard anything unusual?" Ral asked motioning to the bartender to put her next drink on him, his Mandalorian accent coming through on the word girl.

 

[Assassin]

Val took another sip of her Corellian ale, then turned to look at the man speaking to her. "Me? Oh, nah, I haven't heard anything odd lately, except maybe your accent." She chuckled a bit. "Why do you ask? Lookin for someone?" She wondered if this guy was a Bounty Hunter, but then dismissed the idea. Mandos didn't much become hunters lately, and with his accent, this guy was definitely a Mando.

 

[Ral]

Raising his eyebrow at the young woman next to him the Mandalorian in green and black armor was about to speak before the Bartender spoke up. "Some of the merchants that come this way from Tatooine thought there was a little bit of activity some time back, but nothing since the... uh... genocide."

Humming to himself thoughtfully, Ral turned back to the young woman. "I'm looking for information. You've got any you think might be useful?" He asked before motioning to the bartender to pour him a drink and proceeding to place the credits down on the counter. "Specifically, more information on this rumored fleet hanging around the area of Roon." Looking at the woman he decided to make a calculated risk. Removing his buy'ce, and all the benefits it entailed, Ral placed it on the counter before taking a sip of his drink. "I'm also looking for people who wouldn't mind helping me gather information and has a good fight in 'em. Know anyone like that?"

 

[Assassin]

"I haven't heard about any fleet around here," Val said to the Mando. She was definitely interested. She was curious about this man, who had just taken off his helmet. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she figured it must be a Mando show of trust, or something like that. Not that she'd given him any reason to trust her. "I'm interested," She said. "How much are you gonna pay me?"

 

[Ral]

"That's unfortunate, but I'm glad your interested. Why don't we order another round and we can discuss the details over at that free table?" The man motioned to a table in the corner where he could watch the entrance just in case. Paying for the drinks Ral picked up his helmet, clipping it to his belt for the moment as he led the woman to the nearby table. Placing his drinks on the table before unclipping the helmet and putting it on the seat next to him, Ral finally sat down so he could watch the door while they talked. "So, introductions are in order. You can call me Ral. What's your name, miss? And since you want a price why don't you give me a bid and why you feel like your qualifications warrant that price."

His tone was very business-like, his face implacable, and his eyes watching everything, using his peripherals to view things he didn't want to risk looking at directly. Waiting for the woman to speak he took a sip of his drink while he kept one hand on the pistol on his hip.

 

[Assassin]

Val got up and followed the man to the table, taking her drink with her. "The name's Val." She noted with a bit of humor that their names rhymed, but decided not to mention it in an attempt at keeping the conversation on serious matters. She looked up and down the man, attempting to get a read on him, and failing. She'd never been good at that. "Let's see..." Damn it, she'd never done negotiations for bounties before. It'd always been Rand who'd done that... "How about a hundred credits per mission?" She suggested cautiously. "I feel I can make your payment worthwhile."

 

[Ral]

Ral was surprised when he heard the woman's name, but half so surprised when she offered only a hundred credits per mission. For that Ral could pay out of pocket; he wouldn't even need to tap the Alliance for funds. Keeping his surprise hidden under his unreadable mask of a face, Ral nodded approvingly. At the very least he could give the woman a fair deal for her credits. "I'll tell you what. You join me in my searches and I'll cover your expenses in addition to the hundred. Call it an investment for future missions. Now, tell me have you ever worked with a Mandalorian before? It's not something many people do in this day and age."

 

[Assassin]

Val figured she didn't really need the money, she just wanted something to get her mind off Rand's death. She had plenty of money already. "No, I haven't. I've only ever met a few Mandos before," She took another sip of ale, thinking. "So, what exactly will these missions entail?" She asked.

 

[Ral]

"Well, you should know that due to my people's status as wanted by the Empire I will be doing my best to avoid direct conflict with them, and hurt them where I can. If you have an issue with fighting against the Empire you might want to leave now before I go on." Ral stated, pausing to take a drink from his cup. While he wasn't sure if she would stay, he had a feeling she would. Or at least he hoped she would. Continuing, he glanced around for a moment to make sure there weren't any eve's droppers. "Well, for now we'll be doing some scouting runs in the area around Roon to try and gather some information about this mystery fleet and then maybe seeing if we can cause some trouble for them if they end up being unfriendly towards us. What do you think about all of that?"

 

[Assassin]

She laughed. "I have no issues fighting against the Empire." She was being truthful; She had no qualms whatsoever about fighting against the Empire. She had no loyalty to them whatsoever. She'd generally stayed out of the way before now, but she wouldn't mind fighting them. "Scouting runs? Mystery fleet? Sounds interesting enough. I'm in. When do we get started?"

 

[Ral]

Allowing himself to smirk at Val's respose the Mandalorian nodded enthusiastically. He could tell from her expression and her voice that she was being truthful. Clearing his throat he pointed to the second glass in front of him. "First I shall finish my drink. Then we can leave immediately if you want. I presume you have a ship you'll be taking?"

Taking the time to finish his drink and enjoy the flavor, Ral sat comfortably in the seat with his hand still hovering over his pistol. Eyeing the woman across from him, the man thought to get her to know her better. "So, Val, tell me, you got a last name? You got a story behind the name?"

Finishing his drink Ral stood up and waited for Val to join him. Placing his helmet on his head he would exit the cantina and make his way to the space port. "Anyways, Val, you have a reason why you don't mind fighting the Empire? Or are you just one of those people who get bored easily?"

 

[Assassin]

"Yes, I have a ship I'll be taking. It's right over in the spaceport." She stood up with Ral, and said "The last name's Chro. And no, I'd rather not share my life story right now. Don't want to bore you!" She laughed a bit, she followed him to the spaceport. "And yeah, I think it'd be accurate to say I get bored easy. And I don't owe the Empire any respect, either."

 

[DaBomb]

"STOP TALKING STRANGELY, IT'S FREAKING ME OUT!" The drunk screamed at Dante. Dante sighed, he only came hear to calm down and this ruffian wasn't helping in the slightest. Finishing his drink he turned to the man. He was quite tall probably 6'1" maybe taller. He was certainly muscular, he would make anyone cry for their mommy just at the sight of him. But that kind of thing didn't scare Dante. Dante was 5'11" himself, he stood up looking at the man who was quite taller then him. With his dark leather armor, his dark hood, and his mask, Dante looked like a freak.

"Is there a problem?"​

"Do you hate the way I speak?"

What'll you do 'bout it?"​

The drunk man pushed Dante quite far, into another person, someone wearing strange armor. Dante got right up and sprinted toward the drunk man. He slid under an overhand punch the man threw, and put slight pressure into the man's thigh. The man's knees buckled, as he fell face first into the ground. Stepping over the man he walked toward the bar and Dante then tossed some credits at the bartender.

"This man is quite drunk​

Please, get a taxi for him

That should be enough."​

Dante then walks over to the man, who he was pushed into, while brushing himself off.

"Sorry about that"​

"And if I hit you madam" Dante begins speaking to the women

"I too, apologize"​

Dante says the last part with a wink, but since his mask is covering his face, it looks like an awkward blink.

 

[Assassin]

Val looked at the new man strangely. He was certainly... Unique. "Uh... It's fine... You didn't hit me..." She looked him over. She wondered why in the galaxy he was wearing a mask like that. Did he have some sort of scarring, or birth defect? "What's with the mask?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, you can't be THAT ugly... Well, you can, but..." She trailed off awkwardly. Then she noticed that the man was talking in... Haikus? The hell? This guy was just getting weirder and weirder, it seemed. No matter how many odd things she'd seen in the galaxy, there seemed to always be something stranger.

 

[Ral]

Just as he was about to exit the cantina Ral noticed that a man was about to get shoved into him. Dodging back so the man in question wouldn't slam him over, the Mandalorian grabbed his pistol but didn't fire it. His eyes narrowing he waited to see what would happen next. Checking himself with his free hand to make sure nothing had been grabbed or placed on him. Nothing so far, that was a good sign. Watching as the mystery man who had bumped into him drop the larger man who had instigated the fight, Ral's face would remain implacable under his beskar helmet. Checking on Val to make sure she was alright he found her watching the fight too. With the mysterious man approaching them and apologizing for what had happened, Ral found himself unsure of what to say. With Val replying first, Ral held his hand up when she made a comment about his mask. "Your physical appearance is irrelevant. I'll just assume you aren't someone I need to kill. No damage was done to me, I'll be fine. In the meantime do you have a name, mister?

 

[DaBomb]

Dante smiled when the women mentioned the mask. What she didn't realize is that he WAS that ugly. Half of his ace was heavily scared from burns. He always wears masks so he doesn't scare away clients.

At a later time​

I will tell you the secret

of what's behind it"​

Dante shifts his attention to Ral.

"It's nice to meet you​

You can call me by Dante

And who are you two?"​

Dante extended his hand for a friendly handshake to the two of them, giving a warm smile while he does so.

 

[Ral]

Clearly, this man was a little odd if the way he spoke was any indication. It made Ral question the man's sanity, but he would keep his thoughts and concerns to himself. When the man, Dante, extended his hand forward in greeting, Ral paused to look at it. Normally, he didn't like shaking hands with people he just met; Ral wasn't that polite or sociable, but he figured it would be better to appear that way than to ostracize himself or this strange fellow in a mask. Hesitantly, Ral accepted the handshake, griping Dante's hand with his own armored one in a firm hold and shake to show that he was a serious man who meant business. "Well, Dante, it's nice to meet you... I guess. You can call me Ral, and I'm afraid you ran into us at a bad time. We were both just about to leave for the space port to go do business together."

Ral looked at the younger woman next to him wondering and hoping that she wouldn't get too caught up socializing. Whether she knew it or not his scouting run was more than just a simple stick your nose in and sniff kind of deal. If the Mandalorians, and by extension the Rebels, were every to gain control of Roon and the hyperspace corridors inside of it, they would need as much information that they could gather. Which is why Ral had volunteered for the job, and why they had sent him to find out what there was to fine. That meant he couldn't spend time playing get-to-know-you in a planet side cantina when he needed to be in space. Waiting for the appropriate pleasantries to be observed, Ral motioned to Val, "If you don't mind Val, we have a lot to do."

 

[Assassin]

"Um... Okay.." Val said, then refused the handshake from the strange man, shaking her head. "My name is Val," She said, deciding that he didn't need to know her last name. She was trying to be careful around strangers, and this man definitely fit the strange part. "Right, of course," She said when Ral reminded her that they had much to do. "Let's get to it, then..."

 

[DaBomb]

Dante just kept a warm smile while they walked away from him. What they didn't realize was that Dante was listening to their conversation the entire time and Dante was the guy who always liked to help. They would find a little gift from him when they left. He had placed his business card on each of them without their knowledge. People usually check for things that are missing but don't always check for things that weren't there before. The card in each of their pockets would look something like this:

Dante Di̱li̱tí̱rio Also Known As Pestilence​

A master of poison and venom. I can cure, identify, and create almost any poison or venom. I'm also pretty good at killing people.​

A man who's always there to help.​

 

[Ral]

Watching silently as Val seemed to bypass most of the pleasantries that one normally observed when meeting a new person Ral shrugged and frowned somewhat regretfully at Dante even though the man couldn't see it under his helmet. With a bit of a sigh Ral remarked, "Perhaps next time when we have some free time we might be able to converse more, Dante. Until then, if you find yourself on Bespin you can look me up on Tibannopolis. I have some friends who live on the station there, and it's where I make port most often. If you ever need a job and you don't mind who you fight give me a shout. I'm sure I can set you up with something interesting."

With that Ral gave one last nod, unaware of the card the man had somehow managed to slip into one of his pouches. Motioning once again to Val, the Mandalorian led her out of the cantina. Meanwhile, he was using the systems built into his helmet to access the holonet via his ship. With a series of rapid blinks Ral accessed the holonet and began a search for Val Chro. If he was going to do a job with someone, and potentially bring them into the fold of the rebellion he would need to know more about them. Unfortunately, there was nothing on her. Which meant she had a scrubbed past, something only the Empire would have done, or more likely, she had been born an orphan on an Outer Rim world so there wouldn't be a record of her in any of the easily access databases. Of course the Rebellion or Empire or Cartel might have a file, but a preliminary background check yielded nothing. Ral was going to take that as a good sign for the time being, but he would still be a little wary of this Val. "So, Val, where did you park your ship? What kind of ship is it anyways?"