Now It's Personal

[Phoenix]

Tal Veren’s last run in with BX-99 had been less than stellar. Not only had he discovered that there was a bounty out on his own head, but he also discovered that the droid he was hunting was closely associated with the man who had not only placed the bounty, but also had facilitated the murder of his father. Suffice it to say, Tal wasn’t going to let that stand.

He had spent a considerable amount of time now tracking and gathering information on this pair of enemies. BX was a long-time smuggler who the Cartel wanted permanently shut down, and Vasil was the Trandoshan whom he worked for. Both needed to die. The first because the Cartel had decreed it, and the second because Tal wanted revenge.

Tal was no fool though. He had seen what had happened last time he went after BX, and he didn’t want to be unprepared again. To that end, he had sought out the assistance of another member of the Cartel: Eric Silver. He was a Cartel prospect who showed exceptional promise. Tal would be glad to have the man along with him to watch his back.

Tal’s recent reconnaissance had pointed to a position for the two enemies Vasil used a cantina in the Nar Shaddaa underbelly as a front for his mercenary operations. Assaulting the cantina without too many casualties would be the key, though first they’d have to make their way there. Word had it that Vasil had a fair few Trandoshan mercenaries guarding him. Luckily for Tal he would be able to kill two birds with one stone given that BX and Vasil were in the same place.

He ran his mind through his weapons making sure everything was in order, and as he did so, a realization dawned on him. I wonder if Vasil has Bevan’s Beskad, he thought to himself thinking of his father’s old sword. It had never been recovered after his father was killed and he had to assume that the Trandoshans had taken it. All would be revealed in time, he figured.

For now he waited. His eyes flicked to the chrono in his HUD. 20:58. He and Eric had agreed to meet at 21:00 so his partner should be here anytime. They were meeting just on the edge of the gun markets on Nar Shaddaa. It was an easy and nondescript place where no one would question the fact that he had come out in full armor with weapons enough to challenge a small army. After all, that was possibly what he would end up doing.

 

[Chask274]

As he walked down the street towards the markets, Eric did a final check on his gear. While he'd taken the time to memorize and drill the layout of his new armor, he was still getting used to the feel and weight of it. His usual vest of reinforced armorweave worked well in most situations, but the one he was about to walk into merited a bit more protection. So, he'd found and equipped the Knight-Series Armor that the Cartel had given him after helping with the stuff that went down between the Anjiliac and Besadii Kadijics. Aside from powerpacks for his rifle, the vest's pouches contained an assortment of grenades. Thermal detonators, frag grenades, flashbangs, and several ion grenades. The target was a droid, after all. A Mandalorian by the name of Tal Veren had asked Eric to accompany him on this hunt, and mentioned something about how the droid had some well-armed friends that he'd need some help with. As long as he got paid, Eric didn't care too much about why he was being brought along, though he would have preferred a smuggling job over a bounty hunting one. But, since he was only a Prospect, Eric took what he could when it came to jobs.

As he came within sight of the meeting spot, Eric almost immediately spotted Tal. He definitely had very nice looking armor, Eric would give him that. Giving the Mandalorian a nod as he walked up, he adjusted his rifle's sling so it sat better on his shoulder. "So, what can we expect for this? Aside from Becks himself, didn't you mention he had some Trandoshan buddies when you contacted me?" Eric found it a bit funny that Tal was several inches shorter than he was, but between the fact that he was an Enforcer, and that he'd probably be more than capable of kicking his ass, he didn't point it out.

 

[Phoenix]

Tal saw Eric approaching and, as just like Tal, he was loaded up for bear. Good thing too. He gave a slight nod. “I’m Tal,” he said extending a gauntleted hand. “Though I’m sure you could have already deduced that.” They had communicated before and he had made sure he was familiar with what Silver looked like, though they had never actually met in person.

He moved immediately on to business. “That’s right. Becks has been working closely with a Tandoshan by the name of Vasil. Now, Vasil runs a jack of all trades merc group. I’ve had run-ins with his men in the past. They’re decently trained, though not outstanding. The real danger is Vasil himself. Former Wookiee slaver, he’s a good fighter, but above all he’s well connected. Without him the group will crumble. If we’re going after Becks that will almost certainly lead us to conflict with him.”

He paused a moment, letting the information sink in. He didn’t know how much Silver knew about Becks so he went on with a bit more information. “Becks used to work for the Cartel, until he got greedy. Took from the Cartel and now the Cartel is going to take from him, if you get my meaning. He’s a dangerous target, but he’s only one droid. Any questions?” he paused to allow for questions, and would answer accordingly. “Payout for this job is 8,500 creds each, not too bad for a day’s work.”

“Let’s get moving. Vasil’s headquartered in a Cantina not far from here. If Becks isn’t there, Vasil will know where to find him,” he said and began to walk. It was about three klicks to the Cantina from their current position, which shouldn’t take too long.

 

[Chask274]

Returning the handshake, Eric grimaced at Tal's explanation. "It's idiots like Becks that give smugglers a bad name. No wonder I haven't been finding too many smuggling jobs with the Cartel lately. Anyways, sounds like we have our work cut out for us." Eric walked in silence for a few minutes before realizing something. "Ok, what's the entry plan? Between the fact we're both armed to the teeth and that they've had prior experience with you, they're gonna know something is up as soon as we walk through the door. Then there's all the bystanders to worry about...crap, this might get a bit complicated."

Eric thought for a second, before an idea came to him. "Is Vasil's group exclusively Trandoshan, or are there other species as well? If it isn't only Trandoshans, maybe I could walk in and act like I might be interested in joining. If he runs his group like others I've seen, he might take me someplace where he can see what I've got skill-wise, and along the way, we take him down. Unless you already have a plan?"

 

[Phoenix]

“Yeah I certainly don’t think that he’s been helping your cause,” he said with a smile and a slight laugh.

“You’re right, we can’t just walk in the front door. His group is primarily Trando, but they do have a few others as well. Your plan should work, at least to get you in the door. As for me, well I might go with a slightly more aggressive approach. Like you said, I’m not gonna be able to just walk in.”

He considered their possibilities for a moment. “Leave your comms on so I can hear what’s going on inside. Once you’re in a suitable position, like in his office, I’ll come in. It’ll probably be violent, but hopefully I can at least keep the civilian casualties down. Most likely there’ll only be a few guards, maybe half-dozen at most.” He didn’t want to kill any civilians, but casualties were a part of any war.

“Suffice it to say, I hope you’re ready for a fight, and I hope smuggling has gotten you used to lying to people.” They approached the Cantina and he could see the flashing lights. He took up a position across the street in a semi-dark alley and out of sight of the guards.

Outside he could see a pair of guards, the bouncer type, standing out front, though they weren’t preventing people from going in. That would have been bad for business. The street was far from empty as people wandered back and forth in the streets going every which way.

“Well, if you’re ready there’s no time like the present. You’ll probably have to talk your way past those guards. They probably won’t want to let you in with all that kit,” he said nodding to the man’s weapons and armor. “Anything else before we get started?” Things were about to get interesting.

 

[Chask274]

Grinning widely, Eric winked at the Mando, "Don't worry, ya don't get into smuggling without learning how to talk yourself into and out of places. Once I spot Valis, I'll say 'Howdy'. That's your cue to make an entrance." With that, Eric set off for the cantina's door, discreetly setting his earpiece's mic to 'open'. As he approached the door, he noticed the bouncers tense up at the sight of him. Fixing them with his best smile, he stopped just a few feet short of them. "Hey there fellas, I was wondering if I could speak to Valis. You see, I'm looking for a job, and I hear he's running a decent merc crew."

The bigger of the two just laughed, "What makes you think just anybody with decent gear and a charming smile would be able to waltz in here and talk with the boss? For all I know, yo-" The bouncer suddenly yelped as Eric lunged forward, swept his feet out from under him, and locked him into a chokehold. As his friend spun to face the commotion, he suddenly found his pistol flying out of it's holster and into Eric's outstretched hand. Looking down at the bouncer, Eric's gaze hardened. "What I was thinking was, 'what would Valis think if some random merc from off the street was able to just walk up and deck his two bouncers before they ever noticed something was up'. He'd probably be much more interested in hearing what that guy had to say, than the incompetent excuses for bouncers currently working for him, don't you agree? Now, you both are gonna let me talk to Valis, and I won't tell him just how horribly you screwed up, sound like a deal?"

Dropping the bouncer, Eric stood, dusted himself off, and tossed the pistol back to it's gawking owner. With a smile and a bow to the shocked onlookers, he stepped into the cantina. He got half-way to the bar before he was intercepted by a Trandoshan packing a large blaster pistol. "I'm told you're here to sssee Valisss. Come with me, and I'll sshow you to hiss office." Tal would be able to hear that while there was a lot of people about, the cantina was far from packed to capacity. After crossing through the dining area, they came to a doorway flanked by two guards, beyond which was a short corridor that ended in a closed door. Eric was lead inside, and directed to sit at a table opposite a large chair. A moment later, and a door at the other end of the room opened, and a scarred and tough looking Trandoshan stepped in. "Ssso, I hear tell you smacked my bouncers around a bit. What can I do for you?"

Well, howdy, you must be Valis. My name is James Phillis, and I was looking for a job in your crew."

Spoiler: OOC

Assume they keep talking a bit while Tal makes his move.

 

[Phoenix]

And the word was… howdy. Which meant violence was afoot. Moving from the shadows, he drew his Verpine pistol. Speed, stealth, and violence of action were the three tenets of a raid like this. He didn’t run, but moved at a brisk pace as he raised his pistol. His sights fell on the first bouncer, the one further away from the door, and less likely to be noticed when he went down in a crumpled heap.

The trigger gave way under the pressure of his finger, and one of its alloy slugs traveled silently through the air. It struck the man just under his left eye and smeared the contents of his head all over the wall behind him. Before the crowd could even begin to scream, or notice for that matter, his sights were moving to the second man. Again, he fired and again, a man fell to the ground, life and blood seeping out of his body.

Now the crowd was beginning to notice what was going on, but luckily, he had managed to kill both men before either could radio in a report. That was the advantage of a silent weapon. He holstered his pistol and unslung his rifle as he covered the remaining few feet to the door.

He could still hear the two men inside talking through Silver’s comms, and he decided to remind him of a very important point, “Remember, we need Valis alive.” It was something that, although he figured his partner already knew, you could never be too sure.

The door to the cantina slid open, and Tal set his HUD to begin tracking individuals with weapons. With his own rifle out, he would draw unwanted attention, but he was moving quickly enough through the Cantina that by the time people were reacting, he was past them.

After a few moments, and a few startled patrons, he could see what he assumed was Valis’s office, with a guard to either side. “I’m outside his office, and I’m about to shoot the guards in three, two, one,” he counted down and fired, hoping that Silver was subduing Valis himself.

 

[Chask274]

Valis grinned, "Well, Mr. Phillisss, with your 'demonstration' outsside, it's clear you should be at least considered for a sspot. One of my men noticed something strange, however. Are you a Force user, per chance?" Eric gave him a knowing smile, "Well, your guy is a bit more observant than I thought. Allow me to answer your question with a demonstration."

Spotting a pistol sitting on the tabletop, Eric extented his left arm, and after half a second, it slid for a few inches before leaping into his hand. He noticed that it was a heavy blaster pistol modified to fire an abnormally high-power stun bolt. Most liking a slaver's gun, meant to incapacitate large victims. Perfect, especially given Tal's reminder on how they needed Valis alive. Valis was about to respond when Tal's warning came through Eric's earpiece. The Trandoshan snapped around to face the door as blasterfire came from the other side. His scaly hand made it to the grip of his own pistol before the click of a safety switch made him freeze. "You're not here for a job, are you?"

"No, my friend and I are here for Becks." The lizard had enough time for an expression of what Eric assumed was shock and anger to cross his face before two stun bolts slammed into the side of his head. He hit the ground with a satisfying thump. "Valis is secure, how's it going out there?" Tossing the pistol aside, Eric unslung his rifle, brought it to his shoulder, and opened the door back towards the cantina's main room.

 

[Phoenix]

His finger squeezed around the trigger twice on the first man and he went down in a heap, the echo of the shot ringing loudly throughout the Cantina. Patrons began to duck and roll as a shrill scream reached his ears. It was inconsequential. He lined up for a shot on the second man, but was momentarily interrupted as a blaster bolt ripped through the air in front of him. The shot was wild, and missed its target, but Tal could feel the heat in the air. A moment later, his own shot went flying through the air and burned into the chest of the Trandoshan.

He did a quick scan of the room, searching for more guards, but found none. His legs carried him quickly over to the door to the office, and a moment later it slid open. He still had his rifle up and instinctively pointed it at the man in the doorway, though his tension was relieved a moment later at the realization that it was Silver.

“Good work,” he said as he made his way into the office. “Let’s grab him and get him out of here.” He made a move further into the room and searched for Valis’s keys. It was only at this point that he noticed it. A beskad that he knew all too well because it had once belonged to his father and now it was on display in this scum’s office like some trophy. He grabbed it and looked it over for a moment before sheathing it on his back and returning to his search for the keys.

Ah, there they are, he thought to himself, and snatched them out of the desk drawer. He returned to Valis’s limp body and began to pick him up. Between he and Silver, they got Valis outside and to his speeder. Only on Nar Shaddaa could you kidnap someone in the middle of the street and nobody would care. And kidnapping him in his own speeder, no less. Oh, the irony.

They made there way to a nearby warehouse where the interrogation would begin. Valis was just beginning to awaken and mutter some threats and obscenities that Tal ignored as they dragged him into the warehouse and dropped him, not so gently, onto the duracreet floor. As he began to awaken further, Tal saw what he assumed was recognition and anger cross his face. “You!” he said accusatorially, almost hissing it, as only Trandoshans could do. “I should have killed you a long time ago!”

“As I recall, you tried. Twice, actually, yet here I am,” he paused, savoring the moment and smiling under his helmet. He had waited a long time for his vengeance, and now he would get it. The fact that he was getting paid to do it, just made it all the sweeter. “Now, as I believe my associate already told you, we’re looking for Becks. I know you know where he is, so tell me or I’ll start breaking bones,” he said wrapping his crushgaunt around the man’s ankle, ready to clamp down and break bone if he didn’t answer.

 

[Chask274]

Valis snarled, and attempted to kick Tal in the face with his free foot. Eric had stepped back, as Tal obviously had personal business with the guy, so he had no problem letting Tal lead the interrogation. However, he'd noticed something as Valis had lashed out with his boot; his hand had brushed one of his vest pouches, and he now appeared to holding something in that hand. Just as Valis' hand pulled back, Eric lunged forward, and as the thrown vibroshiv arced towards Tal's neck, it was stopped as it impaled itself into the palm of Eric's left hand. Wincing as the prosthetic's pain and pressure sensors went off, Eric pulled the shiv out of the robotic appendage, before flipping it into a reverse grip and pinning Valis' own hand to the floor with it. As the Trandoshan yelled in pain, Eric fixed him with a glare, "Pull something like that again, and you'll lose a hand." Eric quickly patted Valis down, and tossed aside two more vibroblades and a holdout blaster. "You're lucky as hell that was my prosthetic hand, lizard breath, or I'd have done something much worse. Now, where is Becks?"

 

[Phoenix]

Tal saw the shiv just as it started coming forward. He began pulling back, but as he did, he saw Silver’s hand come out and catch the entirety of the blow. At first Tal was in shock. The man had just taken a knife in the hand for him, and then an explanation came. It’s a prosthetic, he realized. Even so, that was the kind of loyalty that couldn’t be bought. Tal would remember it. He was always good to those who were good to him.

His appreciation suddenly changed to something else. Anger, unbridled anger. Valis just tried to kill him AGAIN. “You’re gonna pay for that,” he said, the anger obviously seeping through his voice. He had already had his hand pinned to the floor by the smuggler, now he was going to endure more pain than he had likely ever known.

He let his gauntlet close fully around the man’s ankle, and this time made no threats. He simply squeezed, the gauntlet giving a slight whir until the bone finally cracked. The man gave another howl of pain. It took about 15 minutes as Tal methodically worked his way over the Trandoshan breaking another 5 bones and removing one of his eyes before he finally gave up Beck’s location.

“He’s flying in from off planet!” the Trandoshan yelled in an attempt to stop the pain. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” he said still gripping a finger and ready to snap it at a moment’s notice. “Check my datapad. His flight record is on there!” Tal paused for a moment and pulled the pad from the man’s vest.

He tossed it to his partner. “Check it, see if he’s telling the truth.” He waited for confirmation from his partner, and upon receiving it, he turned back to Valis. “Well it looks like we don’t need you anymore,” he spoke softly. “May you rot with your Trandoshan friends.” He removed the beskad from his back and Valis began to speak, stuttering a reason why Tal couldn’t kill him. He didn’t care. He didn’t actually listen to a word the man said, but swung the sword and removed his head from his shoulders in two swings.

“Mando'ad draar digu, hut’uun.” A Mandalorian never forgets, coward. It was the same thing he had said to Valis’s three underlings after he killed them, and he said it again now. His business with Valis was finished, but Becks still remained.

He turned his attention to Silver. The man had been smart enough to stay more or less out of it, though he did ensure that Tal didn’t catch a knife, and for both of those things, he was incredibly grateful. “I don’t think thank you quite covers it, but thank you. If you ever need anything, I owe you one,” he said with a nod. “Now we know where Becks is, let’s go get him.”

 

[Chask274]

While Tal put the screws to Valis, Eric inspected his hand. Thankfully, aside from some superficial damage to the synthskin covering, the hand was perfectly fine. Sliding on a set of fingerless gloves, the smuggler brought his attention back to the interrogation just as Valis finally started
talking. He had to give the Trandoshan credit, most would have squawked or passed out from pain quite awhile ago. Catching the datapad, he linked it to his wrist computer, and after a few keystrokes, manged to bypass the security. Another minute of looking, and he found the flight plan. "He's telling the truth, Becks is due to land in half an hour at a landing bay a quarter mile away from here."

As Tal raised his blade, Eric involuntarily flinched as the sword decapitated the Trandoshan. It wasn't the brutality of the act that made him flinch (A lifetime in places like Nar Shadaa kinda desensitizes you to that), it was the sound that it made. It just creeped him out a bit. When Tal thanked him for catching the knife, he just shrugged and smiled. "Don't mention it, we're partners, aren't we? Besides, it was a dirty ass trick to pull. Lets go get this guy."

As they got back into Valis' speeder, Eric turned to Tal. "Becks' flight plan lists him as coming in to pick up some cargo for a job he recently accepted. If I was Becks, picking up cargo on Nar Shadaa, one of the biggest hubs of Cartel activity in the entire galaxy, I'd be nervous. Jumpy even. We need to approach this carefully, or he's gonna turn tail and we'll lose him. The ion grenades I've got should cap him easily enough, but he's been around awhile, he'll expect something like that. We need a distraction.

 

[Phoenix]

“You’re right. Becks is arrogant and narcissistic; the kind of guy that thinks because of his connection he’s untouchable, but he’s no fool. What he hopefully doesn’t know is that his connections are now dead.” It was an obvious reference to Valis who was no longer a threat. If Becks had somehow gotten word of Valis’s execution already, he would certainly be ready for them. Here’s to hoping that he doesn’t realize what’s happened.

As the speeder ripped through the night of Nar Shaddaa, he kicked around a variety of ideas for capturing BX. An ion grenade might work, the only problem was Tal had no idea what kind of rewiring he might have had done to negate EMP and Ion weapons. Still, it might be worth a try. A good old-fashioned blaster would work for sure, but if Becks holed up in his ship, or worse, took off before they could get to him, Tal didn’t have the explosives to deal with that. They would have to find a way to bait him off his ship, or as Silver suggested, distract him.

“We’re going to need a distraction that won’t spook him. We might be able to pay a dockworker to get him to come in to talk about an “error” in his flight manifest. Smugglers are inherent liars, you said so yourself. He’ll try lying his way out rather than running outright. We could get him then when he comes away from the ship or into the office,” he suggested it, unsure fully of its viability. It seemed that it would work, but he was interested in the input of a smuggler as to what Silver would do in a similar situation.

 

[Chask274]

"Hmm, that could work. The cargo is perfectly legal here, its his destination that doesn't like it, so he shouldn't have a problem clearing any manifest issues. Any spacer worth their salt knows that the quickest way to get port authorities after you, especially in Cartel space, is to run from an inspection. Problem is, there's a chance the worker may unintentionally tip Becks off that something is up. One of us should hide near his ship, while the other waits to jump him while he's trying to fix the issue. That way, if he spooks, somebody will be there to stop him from getting into his ship." Reaching into one his armor's pouches, Eric handed Tal two metallic spheres. "Here, these are some of those ion grenades I was talking about. If he's built like most droids, they'll only short out his servos. Memory banks, CPU, and all the other important electronics should still be intact, or at least salvageable."

As the speeder pulled to a stop outside the landing bay, Eric hopped out. They only had fifteen minutes before Becks was supposed to show up, so they'd need to work quickly.

 

[Phoenix]

Tal took the pair of grenades and slipped them into his belt. “Sounds good. I don’t know what advancements he’s had over the past 130 years, so be ready if these don’t work.” Nevertheless, they were a good idea. They pulled up to the landing pad. He left the speeder behind some boxes that were nearby, in case Becks saw it, he would most certainly recognize it.

The landing pad was open topped and solitary. It was the only one in the area, likely so that others wouldn’t see the cargo being loaded and unloaded. Behind the pad was an open drop toward nothing but the open Nar Shaddaa air. It was as he surveyed the pad that his heart jumped. There was already a ship landed and unloading. Dockworkers were scurrying around, but Becks was nowhere to be seen. He was sure the ship belonged to BX, there was no way they would schedule ships that close together. That meant he was already here, somewhere.

His mind worked feverishly through their options. BX wouldn’t just leave his ship. Not while others were on it. No, he would be somewhere nearby; they just needed to figure out where. “Alright, well he’s already here. I think we should stick to the plan. You go in and talk to the dockmaster, but be subtle. Hopefully he’s not in there yet. I’d go, but if he sees me, he’ll recognize me in an instant. I’ll watch from here and when he makes his way inside, I’ll follow and we can take him.”

It was a variation of the plan that they already had, but a little bit more dangerous. Well, you know what they say: no plan survives contact with the enemy.

 

[Chask274]

"Alright, let's do this." With that, Eric set off for the dockmaster's office. He arrived to find a simply dressed man sitting at a desk reviewing shipping manifests. As soon as he spotted Eric, his eyes widened in fear. "Fierfek, I knew that droid was no good. What do you want? Is he wanted by somebody? I can tell you I didn't know anything about it." Grinning, Eric shook his head, "I know you didn't. But if you don't help me take him out, it's gonna be real easy to make it look like you did know something. Now, here's what you're gonna do..."

---

As Becks strode down the boarding ramp of his ship to do a final pre-flight inspection, he spotted the dock's foreman approach him. "Dockmaster needs to verify something on the manifest with you. Says it'll only take a sec." Sighing in irritation, Becks made his way up to the office, which overlooked the landing pad. As he entered, he was given a form to sign. "Sorry, new policy says pilots have to sign off on their cargo. Helps to prevent smugglers from pegging anything back on us." As Becks reached out to pick up the pen, he noticed that the dockmaster's hand had a slight shake. Upon closer inspection, the droid noticed he was sweating slightly as well. "Dammit, Jim, I really liked you." As Becks drew one of his pistols, there was a loud pop and zap, as the two ion grenades taped to the underside of the desk detonated, sending arcs of energy into Becks' arms, legs, and torso. Once he collapsed onto the desk, Eric stepped out from the office's closet, rifle up and at the ready. Closing within feet of the droid, Eric was about to pull the trigger when Becks' hand snapped out and smashed Eric across the jaw with the butt of his pistol. Eric was sent reeling backwards into a filong cabinet as Becks sprinted out the door.

Blinking the stars out of his vision, Eric triggered his coms, "Tal, he's making a run for it!"

 

[Phoenix]

Tal watched as BX made his way toward the building. Initially, the Cartel had wanted the droid tracked because of a shipment he had stolen, and no doubt sold by now. Unfortunately that meant that there would be no recovering the original spice shipment, but hopefully they would at least be able to bring whatever he was hauling today back to the Cartel.

Tal saw BX finally open the door and disappear inside and he waited a few moments to ensure he didn’t come back out, and then made his way toward the entrance to the building. As his hand pressed the button for the door, he heard Silver’s warning fill his helmet. The door slid open and out came BX in all of his 350 lbs. of glory. That being said, Tal had absolutely no intention of engaging this droid in CQC since the droid had almost 200 lbs. on him.

BX’s sudden rush through the door was followed by a quick pair of blasts from the droid’s pistols. The first shot went wide, but the second grazed across his armor, just catching it as he turned to the side. Tal fell backwards as he lost balance from his dodge and he returned fire with his rifle mid-fall. Unfortunately, the shots were wild and hardly aimed during his fall. They all went wide as BX made his way toward his ship. Not happening. You are not getting away again, he thought to himself.

He raised his right wrist and triggered a button with his other hand. With a slight puffing sound a fibercord whip shot out of his gauntlet, and wrapped around Becks’ right leg. It wasn’t lethal, but at least it would trip him up and prevent his flight. As BX’s leg came forward, it didn’t move as planned and he came down, face-first onto the ground.

With his right arm tied up, literally, to his enemy, Tal forewent using a rifle and instead drew his P-710 and fired three times. Firing one handed and with his off hand, his shots weren’t quite as accurate as they would have been with his right hand, but they did well enough he supposed. The pistol bucked as the bolts traveled out. The first shot went just high, the second went just to BX’s left, but the third struck home, though only in the droid’s shoulder.

Luckily for Tal the droid was facing away from him given the way he had fallen, and Tal had every intention of taking advantage of that. He kept firing and emptied the other seventeen rounds into the droid’s back using the pistol's built-in rapid fire feature. If the droid was still alive now it would be a miracle, but he didn’t put anything past his opponent. He was a revamped assassin droid after all.

He dropped the power pack from his pistol and began to slam a fresh one in, ever ready to use a gauntlet weapon or the like if the droid stood back up.

 

[Chask274]

Becks managed to flip himself onto his back, and weakly raised one of his pistols to fire, only to realize half a second too late that he'd crushed the barrel closed when he landed on the weapon. There was a high-pitched whine of built-up energy before the pistol violently self-destructed, taking the lower half of Becks' arm with it. Shifting his gaze to Tal, the droid could only shake his head. "Should've know it was you...You're a persistent bugger, I'll give you that. I take it Valis is dead then? Always knew I'd outlive the bastard, just didn't expect the margin to be so close."

Eric stumbled out of the office, still recovering from the strike to his jaw. Walking up to the two, he looked to Tal, "So, whadda we gonna do with this piece of poodoo?" Talk had the higher rank, and prior history with the droid, so Eric would leave the final choice up to him.

 

[Phoenix]

Tal could see the barrel of the pistol was caved in, but BX didn’t realize it in time. He fired a shot only to suffer from the back blast himself. With resignation, he made his final statements. Silver came stumbling out and wandered over to Tal. He considered the man’s query and honestly didn’t know the answer.

He considered trying to take the droid and refit it with a memory core to use as a personal assassin, but to be honest, that was just a bit more risky than something he wanted to try. Besides, it was the Mando way to do your dirty work yourself. He could bring the droid back to the Hutts, but why would he? Just so they could dismantle him themselves? No, he would finish him off here and take his memory core back to let the Cartel’s techs and slicers to see if there was anything worthwhile in it. Then he’d be done. His business with was Valis finished, and now BX would never get to be the one that got away. It was a good day, all in all, and he was glad that this nasty affair had come to an end. And a favorable one, at that.

“The Cartel doesn’t need him. Only his memory core and whatever he’s got in there,” he nodded to BX’s ship. “You had to know I’d come back, Becks. This is the end of our affair. Rest in peace, or whatever it is droids do,” he said and pulled his beskad again. He wedged it between the droid’s neck and popped it off. With a final whirr and zap Becks came to an end.

He held up the head for both of them to look at. “The Cartel can probably use the information in here. We’ll take it as proof of death as well.” He picked up BX’s hat that he always wore. He’d keep this as a trophy. While he wasn’t overly into trophies, this one had been a bit too personal. “As for this,” he said nodding to the ship, “it’s not the shipment that he originally stole, but at least it should cover some of the costs.”

“It’s been a pleasure working with you Silver. If you ever need anything, just let me know,” he reached out his hand to the smuggler. He was a good man, this one, and in Tal’s mind, there weren’t enough of them in the Cartel.

He moved toward the ship and contemplated what would become of BX-99. One more scrapped droid turning to rust somewhere in the underbelly or trash compactors of Nar Shaddaa. After all, men turned to dust and droids turned to rust.

 

[Chask274]

Eric returned the handshake with a warm smile. "Likewise. Take care of yourself out there, Tal, and good luck. You ever need a ride somewhere, just give me a call." Returning to the dockmaster's office, Eric tipped him handsomely for his help and made arrangements for the ship and it's cargo to be sent to the Cartel. 8,500 was a good payday in Eric's book, and he'd gained a new friend in the process, so the smuggler walked away with a grin on his face.