Ask Coruscant NetDespot45 Meet LEO404

[Kara Zaa Fenn]

Name: NetDespot45 (NPC)
Wanted: Alive
Bounty: 25,000 credits
Contractor: Coruscant Planetary Government
Wanted for: Slicing into Sector Ranger Command and stealing Ranger Onn's dataplague.

• Target is a member of the elusive KnowOnes
• The Sector Rangers request every trace of the dataplague to be permanently removed from NetDespot45's devices and the Net

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kara wasn't sure if something had gone horribly wrong this past month, or if she had found her true calling. Either way she was glued to a TDS-4400 Portable Computer for most of time. The Proletariat Bounty Board had put up a bounty for some slicer that called themselves 'NetDespot45' and Kara figured the only way to get even remotely close to slicers is to become one. It was way easier said than done. She had just about mastered the trick of remotely uploading a digital Security Spike by scanning a local network with a Port Scanner when word came in from the Proletariat:

"Going to slow. Job was flagged as a rush job. Sending additional hunter to your address."

Well, kriff. No time to really get the hang of it before slicing a known slicer's collective network. What could possibly go wrong. After receiving the message, Kara threw some laundry in the machine, took a shower and put on some fresh-smelling clothes. Sitting inside for a whole week doing nothing but slicing and eating noodles wasn't exactly a boon to your personal hygiene and they had to prowl the lower levels to find the KnowOnes first. Better you walked around in style and with swagger, right?

Last thing she did was take a bag and put her slicing equipment in. Surely that other hunter would be there soon and Kara knew just the place to start at: The Feisty Feline. It was a Blackened Jet Empire haunt and those Barabels were especially cut-throat, but their territory was being encroached by the other gangs of their sector and the competition? The competition was rumored to be linked to the KnowOnes. Them and Preef Callo's Zaa Fenn Crime Family, but what were the odds of meeting one of the rodian's closest associates? Pretty much zero. Kara hoped the Blackened Jet could point her in the right direction of a known KnowOnes rackets. After all... an enemy of your enemy is your friend.

@Rhogar

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

Tal had been operating on Coruscant since he first came into the service of the Zaa Fenn. And though the Enforcer had his own crew and bases of operation, there were still days he loved nothing more than to get his hands dirty. Some of the Lower Five had started to think that with Preef's extended vacation, that they were free to do what they wanted. Their mistake.

Few people in the Coruscant Underworld had a bigger rep than Taldorak. He had initially brought the Lower Five under heel and had pretty much made an imprint. From being wanted by the Rangers to successfully being sheltered by the denizens of the lower levels, he had truthfully been focused on his hunting of the Hutts, adding to their false sense of security. That was going to change, and for that to happen, he had to make some examples of people.

So when word reached him of a dataplague, that Coruscant unis wanted, he just had to have it for the Zaa Fenn. Especially with the KnowOnes being involved. He put the word out, he would personally see to it and aid the current hunter tied to the task. A woman named Kara Lok. He didn't know anything about her, but the last name was interesting to him.

Arriving at her place, he'd knock on the door, clad in his usual beskar. "Lok. Open up, help's arrived."

@Eccles

 

[Kara Zaa Fenn]

She had just lit the cigarette when the other hunter knocked on her door and took her time to put the pack back into her pocket before pushing herself off the wall and opening the door she'd been waiting by. Her 'help' was a Mandalorian. Not her first, but hardly the kind that didn't stand out on a Coreworld like Coruscant. That might make the job trickier. Can't convince someone a man in full Manadalorian armor is just a normal wageslave like the rest of the common folk. The local crooks will have their eyes on them, always. "Ah, you wore your inconspicious armor today-" she said as she closed the door behind her, "-call me Kara. Yours is what? Mando?" Okay so maybe she wasn't the biggest fan of Mandalorians. They were too prone to violence and subtletly, the backbone of all the work she did, was stranger to them than it had been to her last hunting partner.

Motioning for the man to follow, Kara made her way over to the local transit stop to board the metro to level 1215. From there on it was about a thirteen minute walk to the Feisty Feline if you didn't include the short level-sprinters and up-and-down elevators you needed to use to navigate the levels themselves. Just thinking about it made her bag heavier.



@Rhogar

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

"This armor is gonna speed meetings up." His visor didn't move as he appraised her. She'd get the real name and if she tried to double cross him, hed leave her body as a message. "Taldorak. But you can call me Tal." His name was synonymous with bouts of violence, though unknown to her, Tal had a string of very successful covert missions.

Having been on Coruscant for some time, the Mandalorian had a good idea where their targets hung out. His visor shifted back to Lok. "You used to hikes with gear?" Hed hold out his hand for her pack. "You'll want to save something for the escape, in case anything goes tits up. Because I won't be carrying anyone during an escape."

@Eccles

 

[Kara Zaa Fenn]

After a few steps Kara readjusted the strap of her back to put it further on her shoulder. She'd carried worse when she had worked at a Byblos factory in her teens, but she wasn't going to tell the Mandalorian that. Professionalism, or something. "Well, Tally-" she clearly made no motion that even remotely looked like she'd be willing to give her bag to him, "-that's why you're here, isn't it? Catching all those bolts so I don't have to run." Such heroes, those Mandalorians. But Kara now regarded herself as both a Fixer and a Slicer and no slicer worth her salt was going to let some beskar-plated brawn bump her precious computer around.

No, Tally-siree. They went the route everyone else went, for the droid-taxi's were expensive and Kara didn't want to waste credits on them like some middle-class or rich person. "So my plan for this is simple," she briefed him underway, "Chatter says Blackened Jet Empire's territory is being encroached upon by gangs affiliated with the Five Syndicates," and the KnowOnes were rumored to be backed by the Zaa Fenn Crime Family, "so we're gonna go for a your enemy's enemy is your friend kinda deal." With any luck those Barabels could finger a known KnowOnes access point that Kara could slice into and then point Tally towards the physical location of their target slicer. He does the pew-pew, Kara downloads the dataplague and wipes his devices afterwards. That plan was easy enough, but it all depended on cooperation by the Blackened Jet Empire and what they wanted in return for the information she needed.

Speaking of which.. they had arrived at the Feisty Feline bar, recognizable not just by the neon-lighted cathar licking her own arm, but also the dozen modified swoop bikes parked out front. Kara looked at Tally, "So you got any pull with these guys or is gonna be all me?"


@Rhogar

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

This girl had fire. It was kinda cute. Had he been younger, he would have scrubbed the op and just shot her between the eyes and gone about his day. But, he had different motives for being here. Hopefully, she didn't need to be crossed off. The Syndicates needed that fire. "You can keep telling yourself what ya like Karly. I'm not here to catch em for ya, I'm here to return em."

He nodded his head as she shared the plan. Blackened Jet Empire. He had to execute a few of them back in the day. He was sort of hoping one of them was a relative of a slain. Would make for quite the entertainment. After all. Blackened Jet was on his list of people to muck up. "You ask nicely, maybe make an offer. If not, I'll apply some pressure to get an agreement." Plan was good, made sense. He could probably speed it up, but this was more fun.

The Feisty Feline. It was just as dirty as he remembered it. Hopefully this bar wouldn't end up in a bloodbath like the last bar he sat down with the Blackened Jets for. "Oh these guys? They love me." he said with a laugh. "C'mon, Karly and Tally. Sounds like a really bad pop band."

They would reach the door, the pair of bouncers were about to stop the pair before the neon lights illuminated Tal a little better. The one in the back would tap the one in front of him and whisper something. Cursing, the closer Barabel would immediatly pull the rope back for them and wave them past the rest of the line. "Come in.. Come in..."

@Eccles

 

[Kara Zaa Fenn]

Kara chuckled. Karly & Tally did sound like a really bad musical act. But whatever she might've thought about the Mandalorian before it was hard not to notice the sudden recognition in the Barabels. These weren't a species that got easily frightened, so they either had a really bad history with Mandalorians or with this one in particular. Kara guessed there had been a lot of hidden meaning behind the "They love me" that Taldorak had replied to her.

Entering the Feisty Feline, the smell was surprisingly neutral for such a distinct collection of aliens from backwater planets. A lot of heads turned towards them, no, towards the Mandalorian, as they entered and a few hushed whispers later and a particularly scarred and menacing-looking Barabel approached to greet Taldorak, "Ah the Zaa Fenn's Enforcer," Kara's eyes widened as realization suddenly hit her. What was going on? Why would a Zaa Fenn enforcer try to rip off the KnowOnes, who were a known affiliate. Was NetDespot45 going rogue? If so, then there was no way Kara would be able to bring him in alive.. the Mandalorian was no doubt meant to make an example of the slicer. Kriff

The Barabel's body language suddenly shifted, "We heard Preef Callo is dead. Your partnership with the Sith was what kept you on top-" he bared his sharp teeth as other Barabels, members of the The Blackened Jet Empire no doubt, suddenly rose from their seats. Kriff. Why didn't the Mandalorian tell her that her plan, introducing yourself as an enemy of their enemy, namely the Zaa Fenn, was doomed to fail? Kriffing Mandalorians and their mistaken sense of invincibility. "-but now-" he made a show of looking around, "-no more Preef Callo and no more Sith protectors." he pulled a dirty vibro-knife from under his belt and for a second there Kara was of a mind to let him shank the other half of their musical duo, but then she remembered that they'd entered together. Taldorak's fate was her own.

"Now hold up," Kara raised her voice, "you really think he'd walk in here if the offer we're putting on the table wasn't worth it?" Kriff, Kriff, Improvise! "Government is cracking down on you and yours, bounties up everywhere, Coruscant Underworld Police surveilling your Swoops as we speak." She noticed that she got their attention, good. "We ain't Sith. We all know that credits are more important than-" she looked at the vibro-knife and motioned towards the Mandalorian with her head, "-grudges. A dead earner isn't any use to any of us."




@Rhogar

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

Now this was the interaction that Tal had been waiting for. Unfortunately, he didn't know the name for the one Barabel who had found his voice. All he knew about him, was that the box they shipped him out in would be a tad too short for his head. In fact, the Mandalorian couldn't even help his signature laugh. Normally, he would have cut the lizard off halfway through and continued to the rest of the bar, but this guy at least deserved to share his last and final words.

Word had spread about Callo, that meant the Lower Five would need to be pulled back to reign. Nothing worked better than a message. When the Barabel finished, Karly spoke up, and he could see the realization on her face as she pieced all the parts together. Unfortunately for the Barabel, his gaze was focused on the hacker. His mistake.

"-grudges. A dead earner isn't any use to any of us."

Just as she finished, he pulled his peacemaker quickly, flicked it up and put a bolt into the speaking Barabels eyes. Smoke would exit the once full orb. Barabels scales were blaster resistant.. Eyes? Not so much. As the corpse hit the ground, Tal raised his peacemaker at the next closest Saurian. "Let's correct some wrong terms, shall we? Preef didn't bring your Syndicates to bear, I did, with two other members of the family. The Zaa Fenn didn't need the Sith to protect it. And those of you ignorant louts here on Coruscant -know- who does the killing in this Underworld. The next time one of you decides to threaten or mouth off to a member of the Zaa Fenn, I'll skin them and wear them for fun."

His visor would scan the Barabels in the room. "Now, with him dead, there are no grudges, right? You can either deal and survive? Or I leave this whole bar as a message to your Syndicate. And then I go open season on the Blackened Jets. You -don't- want that. Give the girl what she wants or friendly goes out the door."

The Zaa Fenn seemed for the most part, leaderless. On the back foot. He knew there were higher ups left, but he wanted them to know that he could keep the Lower Five in check. After all, it was always a good day to kill some scum.


@Eccles

 

[Kara Zaa Fenn]

Kara's heart sank as she quickly grabbed her own blaster pistol and pointed it into the room. Violence was exactly what she didn't want, but apparently the Mandalorian didn't quite understand her words. Kriff, there's Barabels weren't bouncers or slicers, they didn't necessarily respond as expected to violence. A cruel voice was heard from the back, "You didn't succeed last time," and it seemed to be the cue for all the present Barabels to show their own blasters, scatterguns and vibro-knives. Hopefully Tal would see that this wasn't a battle that could be won, not even for an enforcer with his beskar. "And now that you are at your weakest," for everyone knew the Zaa Fenn Crime Family had fled from Eriadu and either sought the protection of their droid army on Nar Shaddaa or here on Coruscant in their new high-tech bunker on the most populous planet in the Galaxy. "You would declare war on the Blackened Jet Empire?" the Barabel who the voice belonged came in view as he rose to his seat and towered above the others at an easy seven foot. His leather-skin was covered in scar tissue and he held two peacemakers in a loose grip by his side. Everything about him showed that this wasn't just an ordinary member of this infamous lower level gang.

"We came to make a deal," Kara told him, but her voice was weak despite the volume for she knew the odds of getting out of this without a fight were getting slimmer and slimmer. "I'm just a hunter going after a KnowOnes slicer." her words, her identifying specificallyl as someone not affiliated with the Zaa Fenn, was hopefully increasing her chance to leave this place alive.

Her words did seem to have an effect on the large Barabel, "Gressk," the fearsome gang lieutenant who had a bounty on his head for manslaughter, "said the KnowOnes have been messing with out expansion on level 1398."

An opening! A possible peaceful solution Kara just had to take, "I'm after NetDespot45," she lowered her blaster to show she didn't want this to dissolve into shootout. "Looking for an access point in the KnowOnes network. I'll pay for it, and-" she looked at the dead Barabel on the floor, "-compensation, for him."

@Roghar

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

His visor would fix on the larger barabel. "We still got a tribute from you, so i would consider that working." Whistling birds, flamethrower, repulsor. It would be a very tough fight, but he didn't have to win it.. he just had to kill enough of them to break their will. Then came the dumbest question the lizard could have asked.. start a war? He did that on almost every other trip off-world. "To defend the Zaa Fenn? Always." The usual entertained tone had left his voice for the last part. If there was one thing the Barabel could understand, it was loyalty. Even the criminals of their kind had it. His blaster would still remain drawn, however.

The fact he was willing to deal meant that the Barabel wasn't sure his people could win the fight. Or better yet, win the war. There was a reason the Lower Five, were the Lower Five. Even on their best days they couldn't go toe to toe with one of the real Five.

Level 1398. Tal had a good idea of the spot in question, but he'd let Lok work out her own deal. This would be hit later. Without an eye witness and when they least expected it. "You'll only get compensation for him, if the information pans out. If not.. consider it an.. incompetence tax. And if it does, you'll be down a KnowOnes slicer giving you troubles. Makes the territory easier to push on."

@Eccles

 

[Kara Zaa Fenn]

Despite Taldorak's aggressive method of haggling, the Barabel seemed to consider Kara's offer and eventually nodded his large head. "Level 1225, droid shop called the 'Corporate Rache' has what you're looking for," despite giving the information, none of the Barabels lost their focus or the grip on their weapons, all of them ready to rip Taldorak a new one if he tried anything. "I trussst-" he didn't get to finish his sentence as Kara pulled her datapad from her pocket and started swiping and typing on it for a moment, "There you go."

The barabel's own datapad bleeped and he seemed content with the amount she had transferred as he motioned for the other Blackened Jet Imperials to stand down and return to their drinks, "What is your name?"

Kara hesitated for a moment. As a Fixer her name was everything, but it also gave you a target on your back if you wasn't careful and on these lower levels it paid to be both careful and not having a target on your back. Still, she could use the contacts.. "Kara Lok. Need me, contact the Proletariat." That would tell them all they needed to know. The Proletariat Lounge was one of the Bounty Hunter's Guild premier spots in the Core and the location of the well-known Proletariat Bounty Board.

She then turned and tapped Taldorak on the shoulder, "Let's go," and walked out the same door they had come in through. Their new destination was 'Corporate Rache' on level 1225. Kara knew that was in Zaa Fenn turf, so Taldorak would no doubt know the way.

@Rhogar