Making a Deal with Ghosts

[Chask274]

As a boy, Aiden had been in awe of the tales he was told of Mandalorians crusading across the stars and striking fear into people's hearts with the mere mention of their name. They told of a time when one could be truly proud to be numbered among them, but he sadly came to find those days gone and his people under the rule of the Republic. He had long wished for the Mandalorians to return to power, and Prudii Kyramud and Talia Kryze had managed to do just that.

In the years since the fall of the Republic, Aiden had watched as his people grew in power, influence, and territory, and he found that he could turn his focus to the sorry state of his clan and house. The betrayal of House Genet, and later the treachery and cowardice of House Kryze, had left House Fett a mere shadow of it's former self, barely worthy to be called a house at all. Recently, thanks to the increase in authority and influence his promotion to Captain gave him, Aiden had been doing his part to rebuild his house's holdings and increase their standing. One such endeavor had found him seeking out a meeting and potential alliance with a mysterious organization known simply as Guardian. What little he could find on them told him that they were a clandestine intelligence network with former ties to the Republic that could prove to be a useful ally in power plays against the other houses. So he went about setting up a meeting.

Using his own admittedly modest network of contacts, he got word out through the underworld grapevine that he was looking to make contact with Guardian for a potential deal. Like most situations such as this, he had to wait for them to come to him. And thankfully, he did. One day, he got a simple message from an unknown source, giving him a location to meet on Nar Shadaa, and merely mentioned to "watch out for tigers". Figuring it was worth the risk of a scam or trap, Aiden made arrangements, and soon found himself sitting in a corner booth in a pcked bar in the sketchy part of the Smuggler's Moon.

'Well you walked straight into it, Aiden, so you better hope to Manda that this isn't a set-up.'

 

[Oncaro]

The bar that Aiden was currently in was indeed packed, as Nar Shaddaa and Hutt space in general was mostly untouched by the Sith war machine or the Mandalorian Dominion-- and as such had become a home to even more people fleeing both than was usual. Beings of all species and all walks of life were drinking, gambling, chatting, or simply staying out of everyone else's way.

Unnoticed by the patrons, a figure moved toward Aiden's booth. It was a woman, standing tall in a pair of heels and wearing a flattering minidress that clung to her curves, looking as if she was a less a patron and more a dancer, or perhaps a singer in the vein of Vesper Almec. Her brunette hair done in a way to keep it out of her eyes, she effortlessly navigated through the throngs of sentients milling about, as if she had done it plenty of times before. Because she had.

After all, she knew Nar Shaddaa rather well.

Stepping closer to Aiden, she slid into the seat across from his own and flashed a smile as beautiful as the rest of her.

"Hello there," she said with that grin, her dark eyes meeting his. "You're the one who wanted a meeting, aren't you?"

The question was a courtesy. She knew perfectly well who he was, and what he looked like, as her associate had tracked the man from a distance after arriving on Nar Shaddaa.

@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

Thanks to how crowded the bar was, Aiden didn't see the woman until she was sliding into the bench across from him. He sharply looked up from the dent in his gauntlet he'd been inspecting, initially tense and ready to spring into action, only to relax in confusion as he realized it was a gorgeous woman and not some goon. Nodding in response, he replied, "That I am, who do I have the pleasure of meeting with?"

As he finished speaking, he reached up with his right hand and popped the seal on his helmet, pulling it off and setting on the bench next to himself. This was done for two reasons. First, it let them talk face to face, something he was sure would be appreciated since he would no longer have an expression less visor to hide behind. Secondly, it let him get a hand below the tabletop and out of sight without being suspicious. After setting down the helmet, he'd ease his hand to the grip of his pistol and pull it out of it's holster, setting it to stun and leveling it at the woman's stomach. He kept up a polite and friendly expression while doing this.

"So, where should we begin?"

 

[Oncaro]

The woman continued to smile disarmingly to Aiden, crossing her lovely legs under the table.

"The name's Raine," the woman said after he asked-- something that even Aiden would be able to tell was simply a pseudonym. Her eyes briefly followed the movements of Aiden's arm after he set his helmet down. Two things stood out to her: First, his hand didn't come back up afterward. Two, his upper arm made subtle movements as his muscles worked, in a way that she figured meant that he was pulling something out of his pocket. A blaster, maybe a blade of some kind... or a fistful of credit chits, who knew?

She brushed back a lock of her hair behind her ear, a finger deftly activating a button hidden behind her ear to ping an identical device on the other side of the room. And the figure with that other earpiece responded, with "Raine" able to hear his words through a tiny speaker in her ear.

"Think he's pulled out a blaster. Play it cool," he said, and "Raine" did her best even as her heart began to beat more quickly. She hated guns. She hated guns aimed at her even more. She uncrossed and recrossed her legs, willing her face to remain unchanged as she leaned forward slightly.

"Uh, I think we should begin with some small talk," "Raine" said, with a falsely chipper tone. "I'll start: I don't put out on the first night, I don't actually drink very much, and I'm, uh, not really okay with guns. So I have to ask, Mister Mando... Is that a blaster you're aiming at me under the table, or are you just happy to see me?"

Stupid. A stupid, cheesy line that was far from playing it cool. And even her friend knew it as he let out a slow hiss in her ear, sounding like a gas tank with a loosened valve. But she had frakked up and now there was no going back.

So she went deeper.

She spread her arms out a bit, unintentionally putting her cleavage on full display.

"I mean, seriously, I'd very much prefer it if you were just happy to see me. Because I'm about as far from a threat to you as someone can get, and my best friend will be very unhappy if I'm shot. And you wouldn't like him when he's unhappy. So, um. Please put it back in your pants, cowboy?"

She spared only the briefest of glances to where her associate was supposed to be as she put her elbows back down on the table. He didn't appear to be there anymore. He was sticking to the plan, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. But through it all, she didn't lose that very pretty smile of hers, though it did become a bit more nervous.

@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

Aiden listened to "Raine" respond with a a smirk, a slight narrowing of his eyes being the only reaction when she called him on pulling a blaster. He let her finish saying her piece, then responded in kind. "Well, regardless of how much of a threat you may or may not look like, I've learned the hard way that in this line of work, looks can be deceiving. Especially considering the nature of the organization you work for and where this meeting is at. Hell, I don't even know if you really are from Guardian, so I'll keep the gun where I can use it until I'm certain this isn't a set-up. Seem reasonable to you?"

His smile had been replaced with a slight frown, but his tone remained neutral and cool. The fact that she mentioned a friend who could possibly be nearby set off all sorts of alarm bells with the veteran Mando, and he was have some doubts about coming here.

 

[Oncaro]

"Raine" kept her smile up, but her eyes told the story: She was afraid, and valiantly trying to keep herself from hyperventilating. There was no way for this man, a warrior born and raised, to know her experiences. She hated guns. She hated danger. She hated the fact that her best friend was so willing to put himself in danger, and thus put her in danger, even if it was for a noble cause. But he had told her that if she was unwilling to follow him he would set her up a nice life somewhere in the Mid-Rim, Naboo perhaps, as a thank you for sticking by him for so long. What made this significant was that she was his only friend, his one companion, the one person in the Galaxy he knew he could depend on fully. As such, he was willing to sacrifice his own comfort for her own if need be.

It was a testament to their friendship, their bond, that she was willing to do the same. But that didn't stop her heart from beating frantically in her chest, or her face to slowly go from false cheer to panic.

"Please," she said softly, more insistent this time, as her chest rose and fell rapidly. "Please, I have bad experiences with guns in my face, please just put it away, I can't handle it, I can't--"

She stopped as her friend spoke into her ear, in the soothing voice he always had when she suffered these anxiety attacks.

"Cienna," he said. "Bring him to me. Focus on that, not his gun. Bring him to me."

"Raine" swallowed a lump in her throat, and did as she was bade, and nodded nervously.

"Okay," she said, both to her friend and to Aiden. "Okay, just... Come on. Please. It's not a trap, I swear."

She stood, and began moving across the bar's interior, checking every few moments to see that Aiden was following her, to a far door that led to the back of the building and into a dark, lonely alleyway. Moving about a block down, she turned a corner to a dead end, and looked to Aiden.

"Okay... the guy you're really supposed to talk to is here," she said, though there was no immediate sign of anyone else in the dark of the night around them, illuminated only by dim, dingy lighting. Until a large, cloaked figure smoothly stepped between "Raine" and the Mandalorian, taking a protective posture.

"You will put the gun away, and you will not threaten her again," the figure growled low, in a surprisingly calm voice. "Or you will regret coming to make this deal."

Throwing the cloak off, Aiden would be able to make out the figure's appearance: The being had several inches on him, with a reptilian, almost serpentine form that was lean, but clearly muscled. Saurian yellow eyes with cat-like slits for pupils betrayed a very obvious intelligence that was backed up by sharp teeth in his elongated mouth that were revealed with a low snarl. Further, the being's hands and feet were clawed, particularly two toes that had wicked sickle-shaped claws that seemed several inches long.

But perhaps the most striking feature was the pattern along this figure's hide: An orangish coloration throughout much of his frame, with a beige coloring along his undersides and from throat to tail. But most telling were the black bands along his form, and Aiden would be reminded of the warning given to him.

Watch out for tigers.

 

[Chask274]

Aiden found this situation getting more and more suspect as Raine began to loose her cool and panic. He fixed her with hard glare, his voice becoming threatening and angry. "Ok, that's enough of this! Either tell me what's really going on here, or you're gonna see just what's it's like to have a gun really in your face." Why in the hell would an organization with Guardian's rep ever send someone on a job like this who couldn't handle a blaster being pointed at them? When she said she would take him somewhere, presumably to whoever was actually important in this meeting, he merely nodded and gestured towards the door. As she got up, he grabbed his helmet and slid it on, then got up and closely followed her out of the bar, lightly pressing the muzzle of the pistol into the small of her back to ensure she didn't try anything. As they headed outside and came to the dark alley, his patience ran out and he raised the gun and pointed it between her eyes while switching on his helmet's night vision with his off hand. "Alright, missy, start explaining or I'll put a bol-holy fecking shit!!"

Vaas had taken his position between the two just as the night vision finished properly focusing, giving Aiden a very clear view of the massive snarling reptile in his face. Quickly backing up a few steps as the pistol was slammed back into it's holster and he put his hands up in a placating gesture, Aiden nervously chuckled. "S-s-sure thing, big guy, no problem there. So, uh, I take it you're the actual guy from Guardian then?" He really hoped the answer was yes and this was all still legit, because if it wasn't, he knew he was screwed. He'd encountered a Tss'shar once before, and knew all too well what one could do to a man's throat if given the opportunity.

 

[Oncaro]

The Tiss'shar looked away from Aiden as soon as he was pacified, as of the human were little more than a mildly interesting amoeba, and turned his gaze toward Cienna. The woman was trembling in her heels, visibly crying and clearly upset by Aiden's willingness to shoot her.

"Cienna... I'm sorry this happened. Forgive me, please. Go back inside. Have a drink, calm your nerves. I'll see you shortly," Vaas-Nal-Tor said, in a gentle tone, and the brunette woman nodded shakily, hugging herself tightly as she hurried past them, her eyes downcast. When she was out of sight, Vaas rounded on Aiden, his features conveying a calm, cold fury.

"You threaten an unarmed woman at gunpoint in a dark alleyway when she had already made it quite clear that she is not comfortable around blasters, and asked you several times to put it away," Vaas said while slowly, deliberately advancing on the man without a trace of fear.

"While I understand your skepticism, and that you had no way of knowing the experiences she has been through, you went too far. Tell me truthfully, and trust that I will know if you lie: Did you intend to shoot her? And after you answer this question, I would ask another: Clan Fett, specifically, asked my organization for help, yes? If you are a member of Clan Fett, then tell me precisely why I, personally, should hear you out after what you just did, and not cut you open and eat your intestines while you watch."

Truthfully, Vaas was not actually planning to harm the man-- however much he might want to. The man was a potentially valuable asset, and he wasn't going to throw that away and risk angering the Dominion. From what he understood Clan Fett was nearly extinct, and thus Guardian was going into these negotiations in a position of advantage, but he wasn't going to reveal this knowledge to this man just yet. Righteous intimidation seemed to be working just fine.

 

[Chask274]

Aiden watched the girl leave out of the corner of his eye, wincing when he saw just how badly she was shaken up, realizing there was some credence behind her pleas. While he had been prepared to shoot if pushed, he had never intended to truly harm her, and was simply trying to get answers and avoid getting hurt himself. Though any further thoughts on the matter were quickly squashed by the issue of the pissed off Tss'shar facing him. Barely managing to keep his voice from trembling, Aiden spoke up. "Truthfully, if it had come down to it, yes, I would've shot her. But I never intended to hurt her. Watch..."

Moving very carefully and slowly, Aiden pulled the pistol back out of it's holster and pointed it at the wall next to him. He then fired, sending the distinctive blue ring of a stun bolt streaking into the brick, where it dissipated with a fizzle. "I've had this thing set to stun since I first drew it. I may be gruff, but I'm not a heartless murderer. Your friend would've been fine. As for your other questions, yes, I contacted your organization on behalf of House Fett to talk. In regards to you hearing me out, I can imagine Guardian would greatly appreciate having a safehouse or two in Dominion space, as well as over a hundred Mandalorian shock troops on speed dial. Wouldn't you agree?"

 

[Oncaro]

Vaas was back in Aiden's face now, his stance shifting so that he was in his "hunter" position and face to face with the man, the tip of his snout nearly touching the Mando's faceplate as he growled low. Even after being shown that the pistol was set to stun, his expression didn't change much. In fact, he seemed to be sizing the human up, and only moved away after several tense moments, visibly relaxing and standing fully upright again.

"It would be easier to gauge you if I could see your face, Mandalorian," he said, his long tail swaying back and forth slowly. "I know little of your people, save for that they are capable of fighting the Sith well enough to remain independent of them. I hear that Mandalorians have a sense of honor, but of the few I've encountered I have yet to see it. Now, then... You have told me what Clan-- House? I apologize for not knowing the difference-- Fett can offer to Guardian, but I must ask what you expect from Guardian in return. Do you represent the wishes of your Dominion as a whole?"

 

[Chask274]

Aiden snorted, "You aren't exactly the easiest to get a read on either, and I prefer to be able to clearly see who I'm negotiating with." He paused a moment, then sighed. "But I suppose it's fair that we do this face to face, so I'll take it off as a show of good faith." Reaching up, he pulled the helmet off and clipped it to his belt, blinking a few times to help his eyes adjust to the dim lighting.

"It's fine, most aruetii aren't familiar with our political system. I'm representing House Fett, and only House Fett. Any agreement we come to tonight only applies to my House, and won't tie Guardian to any other House or the Dominion as a whole. In return for what I offered, I was hoping perhaps Guardian could offer assistance in keeping tabs on Fett's rivals, and perhaps even lend a hand in a future power play, should the need arise." Without the distortion of his helmet's electronics, Aiden's voice was casual and conversational, though his body language showed he was nervous being up close to Vaas.

 

[Oncaro]

Vaas cocked his head in a birdlike manner, one fierce eye facing Aiden as the Mandalorian finished speaking. His toe claws briefly tapped along the permacrete underneath them both as he considered what to say to the man.

"Guardian is not your personal army," the Tiss'shar said. "Our goal is the destroy the Sith. If I were to speak to my superiors about this alliance you wish to propose, I need to know-- Why have you come to us, and to what end? If you simply want power for the sake of power, then you can consider this meeting finished, as Guardian does not have the time nor the resources to engage in political machinations for a House that will not honor its promises..."

He began walking back toward the bar, before stopping and looking over his shoulder at Aiden. Now, he figured, was as good a time as any to start revealing what he knew.

"... Especially not a House that is in as difficult a position as your own." he continued. His words indicated a finality to their dealings, but the tone of his voice clearly said: "Make this worth our while".

 

[Chask274]

After Vaas had finished speaking Aiden nodded in agreement. "And it never will be. Guardian was contacted because, as you pointed out, House Fett isn't exactly is the best of positions right now. We want to continue to fight the Sith, but we need help to do it. We can't fight the Sith and watch our backs for another betrayal at the same time, there just isn't enough of us to do so anyone. If you know of my House's position, then you should know something of how we got there. When the Sith first reappeared, we swore to stand and fight, and we did so, even after the other houses who'd promised to aid us went back on their word and left us to stand alone. Even in the face of decimation, we held to our word. Take that into consideration when you report back to your superiors." He remained silent a moment, then turned back towards the bar. "Now, unless there's anything else you'd like to discuss, I think it's high time I went and apologized to your friend. That ok with you?"

 

[Oncaro]

Vaas watched Aiden the entire time the Mandalorian was speaking to him; he again cocked his head in that birdlike manner, appraising the figure in front of him; his voice, his expression, his body language. He was serious, Vaas realized. He wasn't trying to make a deal only to stab the other party in the back... and he meant to apologize for his behavior to Cienna; in Vaas' book, that alone was enough to give the man the benefit of the doubt. Manners were hard to come by in the Galaxy.

"Yes... That's more than okay with me," Vaas replied, sounding rather impressed as he began following the shorter figure back to the bar. They turned a corner, and Vaas' senses went alert as soon as he heard a sound he never wanted to hear, one that cut through the noise of Nar Shaddaa.

Cienna's voice, letting out a scream of terror.

He whipped his head around and let out a hiss, which was actually a loud curse in his native language, and bolted in the direction of the scream as Cienna let out several smaller ones. From what Vaas could gather she was apparently struggling against something or someone.

Turning into another alleyway, Vaas stared as he watched a group of armed and armored men force Cienna into a speeder. The last thing she managed to scream out before the door closed was one pleading word.

"VAAS!!!"

Vaas let out a saurian screech as the speeder moved off, and he immediately charged along the street to the closest speeder he could find. Pushing aside the would-be driver, a hapless Rodian, Vaas leapt into the open-air speeder and shifted into the driver's seat, rapidly working to figure out the vehicle's controls. The Rodian attempted to complain, but Vaas simply let out another screech that very plainly showed off his very sharp teeth before going back to his work.

 

[Chask274]

Aiden smiled warmly, and followed alongside Vaas as they exited the alley. That smile quickly disappeared when Cienna's scream cut through the air. Cursing loudly, he spun on his heel and sprinted towards the source, though Vaas quickly outran him. Aiden rounded the corner just as her final pleading scream rang out. Running as fast as he could, Aiden put helmet back on and reached the commandeered speeder just as it's owner backed away babbling in fear and smelling like fecal matter. 'That poor Rodian...'

Seeing that Vaas was having some difficulty figuring out how to work the controls, Aiden nudged him in the direction of the passenger seat. "Move over, I'll drive." It wasn't said with malice, just in a matter of fact manner. By the time Vaas would've figured out how to work the controls for the speeder that was obviously designed with a more humanoid operator in mind, the kidnappers would have gotten away. Assuming Vaas moved, Aiden would hop into the driver's seat and have the vehicle speeding after the fleeing speeder in seconds. "So, any idea who these thugs are?!"

 

[Oncaro]

Vaas let out a hiss toward Aiden, but did as he was told, moving to the passenger's side of the speeder. He turned his head to watch the fleeing speeder before them, and spoke once they were moving.

"Mercenaries!" he spat. "Fodder hired by Als-Mok-Tyr, no doubt. Bastard had me captured and left for dead around ten years ago, dropped me off on Gamorr. It was where I met Cienna," he continued as they weaved in and out of traffic. The fact that Vaas-- and Cienna-- had survived for years on a planet that was effectively blacklisted from the wider Galaxy due to how dangerous it was to set foot there would no doubt impress Aiden once he had time to think about it. Vaas, however, did not elaborate further on his time there or why he had been targeted in the first place, instead saying: "After we escaped the planet, he must have figured out I was still alive. The last time he sent people after us was around... two years ago. He's a Tiss'shar like me, so he attempts his assassinations carefully. The people he sometimes hires, not so much!"

The two speeders wove through the skylanes, dodging through oncoming traffic at breakneck speeds. Vaas looked as if he were going to ask Aiden for one of his weapons, but seemed to think better of it. Following them would no doubt be the better option, and it proved fruitful as the two were led to a moderately-tall building, several hundred feet high. The enemy speeder parked on the roof, but Vaas and Aiden were rocked by a blaster bolt hitting their speeder's front, apparently from the rooftop. The bolt went right through the thing metal of the speeder's hood an hit the engine.

Oh, that can't be good...

 

[Chask274]

Weaving in and out of traffic, Aiden listened thoughtfully to what Vaas said, only giving a surprised snort when it was revealed Vaas and Cienna had spent an extensive amount of time on Gamor. As they closed in on the thugs' speeder as it touched down, Aiden glanced over at Vaas. "They're using her as leverage. So long as she works with you, this Als-Mok-Tyr guy is gonna use her to get to you. A gun shy young woman is decidedly more easy to handle than six plus feet of angry reptile. Maybe you ought t-fierfek!" Holding onto the controls in a white knuckled death grip, Aiden cursed as smoke began pouring out of the hole in the hood. "Aww feth, the repulsorlifts are losing power, we won't make it to the roof... Hang on tight, I'm gonna crash us into one of the offices."

Wrestling with the controls, Aiden hunched down behind the windshield as the airspeeder smashed through the plate glass window of an executive office three quarters of the way up the building that the kidnappers had landed on. Pulling himself out of the wrecked vehicle with a groan, Aiden sighed as he heard muffled voices getting closer to the closed door of the office. "You alive, Vaas? Sounds like the idiots in the speeder had friends, get ready for a fight."