Ask Taming the Untamable

[Renfry]

These days every moment of Andruil's time seemed to be spoken for. This time, it was a crime lord from the Syndicates. No, not a crime lord, but Preef Callo. Renfry was from a backwater world and kept no pulse on crime, but even she had heard of the gunslinger Preef Callo, albeit mostly from the holocomics that Emryc had collected. It had certainly caught her attention.

The proposed meeting was at a penthouse that was within Sith territory, which made it an agreeable location for both individuals. Sheehan and one of her other guards were in tow, but they would wait outside as she went inside.

In truth, she wasn't fully sure what to expect from this meeting. She had turned some of her interest to the Syndicates and its potential advantages, but those were yet to be explored. She had done her best to read up on what they were doing, but all of her contacts she had made within the Syndicates were no longer active. It meant she was walking into this more blind than she would have liked. But she would make due, and perhaps with a bit of luck and a nudge from the Shadow, everyone would come out the better for this meeting. Perhaps.

 

[Preef Callo]

Eriadu - Zaa Fenn Penthouse

Although Darth Andruil wouldn't know the difference, there were more scoundrels present in the penthouse than there were on any other given day. Preef was cautious, for he knew how hard these Sith were to work with. His only experience so far had been with Emryc Thorne and he had always wanted to own everything, flaunting his Force powers every chance he got. In retrospect it had been easier to deal with the Eternal, or its representatives, for the planet they met on today had enjoyed a good relationship and balance between the Sith in government and the Zaa Fenn ringleaders that ran the streets despite it being so close to that elusive Sith's main powerbase.

The rodian himself was, as always, in the planning room discussing various syndicate-related logistical issues with his underlings across the known galaxy. The crimelords of his council didn't think themselves strong enough to directly challenge the Zaa Fenn and thus they never really argued any of his or Marissa Hesse's points. That made ruling over them a lot easier than before his display of power in taking Nar Shaddaa from the Hutt Cartel.

When Darth Andruil was announced and then entered, Preef ended the call abruptly and looked up at the one from all those threatening HoloNet broadcasts. War and Death seemed primarily on the new Sith leader's mind. Both of which were bad for business. Heightened security checkpoints catch more spice smugglers and government start investing in their own weapons trade, obliterating the need for a black market. If it was up to the rodian he'd try and prevent it, but he knew fully well that he didn't have enough sway over the egocentric Sith lords and their desires to own everything.

"Welcome, Empress Andruil-" he bowed slightly and offered her one of four seats in the room. If she took the time to look around she'd see the twenty square meters room had four comfy chairs surrounding a top of the line -probably encrypted- comms terminal and the walls were coated with something that no doubt blocked any other transmission that wasn't going directly through the terminal. Clearly this was the place designed to keep secrets in. "I am Preef Callo, boss of the Crymorah Syndicate-" and the only reason the Sith every managed to keep control of Eriadu by personally butchering the politicians who were opposed to their rule, but Darth Andruil probably wouldn't know that, "-but perhaps your majesty has seen me host Crime Watch News with Rynn Run. It's a shame what happened to Vana Walk, this virus is taking all the good ones" a pause followed as Preef realized that he was talking too much, betraying that he was nervous about this meeting. He didn't even know if the self-proclaimed Empress liked smalltalk.


@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Andruil entered, giving a nod to Sheehan to stay at the door and glad to see that the pair would be conducting business alone. She always had a preference for smaller meetings than large, unwieldy meetings where everyone was trying to talk over each other.

Thank you, Mr. Callo, she said with a polite nod. The truth was that Preef Callo was still a very unknown quantity to her, and that made him both dangerous and interesting. Those wild days of her younger years when she flirted with danger were always still hoping to rear their heads.

She took one of the offered chairs, and almost smiled as she sunk slightly into its cushiness. It rather reminded her of the chairs she kept in her own office. She had spent enough of her life being uncomfortable, and a little bit of extra luxury wasn't the worst from time to time.

You've made quite the climb over the years, Mr. Callo, she agreed in reference to his introduction of himself. While small talk really wasn't her thing, she afforded an extra portion of patience and tolerance in respect to his position. Even if they couldn't establish a friendship, he wasn't someone she was particularly interested in making an enemy of at the moment.

She could sense his discomfort with her being here, and wondered precisely what the nature of his relationship with the Eternal had been. Was he concerned she was here for some sort of vengeance? Or just wary of her for the position she now held?

You had dealings with my predecessor, correct? she asked, wondering if perhaps it was as simple as figuring out where the two stood. She'd have lied if she'd said she hadn't considered trying to destabilize the Syndicates for a takeover, but of course she would lie if asked.

Seemingly a mutually beneficial agreement, she said, glancing around at the penthouse they now sat in.

@Eccles

 

[Preef Callo]

It was ironic that this new Empress didn't know him or his exploits, for Preef definitely hadn't heard of her until the HoloNet broadcasts in which she proclaimed herself Empress. Two of the most powerful people in the galaxy had a sitdown and neither knew anything about the other. What struck the rodian is the clear indifference she had towards the partnership the Sith and the Zaa Fenn Crime Family enjoyed on the planet of Eriadu. Perhaps it was because Preef had once fought the Jedi alongside the Eternal when she was still.. off somewhere, and this was a way of establishing once's authority when dealing with someone who has been at the top for longer.

It didn't matter. "I've had dealings with multiple Sith Lords, including your predecessor," he replied in a way that reflected the truth of the matter. Their two factions had been intertwined to each other's benefit for years and her not knowing it was perhaps a mistake only those make that are new to being a boss. It could be forgiven, simply because Preef had no choice. It was clear that Darth Andruil wanted to forge her own legacy and not advance the ideas and projects the Eternal had put in motion. The rodian guessed that meant they were back to square one in terms of their relationship.

"The Zaa Fenn Crime Family helped solidify Sith rule over Eriadu and in return we were given control of the criminal aspects of society," he continued as one of his scoundrels wheeled in a little card with refreshments and waited politely for the guest to indicate she wanted a drink first, before pouring in an Iridonian whiskey for Preef. "It was mutually beneficial, as you put it. Under my leadership the Crymorah Syndicate has respected that partnership and not moved against the Sith or its affiliate the Independent Systems Consortium," that was one of the secrets Preef was privy too, for the rodian knew for a fact that Emryc Thorne and Darth Raze were one and the same person. He was curious to see if Empress Andruil would deny it.

He paused here to take a sip of his drink and allow his guest a moment to process the information he just shared with her. There was a partnership between the Crymorah Syndicate and the Sith Order that the former would like to see continued under her rule of the latter. How she would react to the rodian knowing the real identity of Darth Raze and thus the not-so-independent position of the independent systems consortium was the big unknown. Maybe he did need to be more obvious, "I would very much like this partnership to continue."

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She nodded as he referenced the dealings he had had with multiple Sith Lords in the past. Her eyebrow quirked as he mentioned the Independent System Consortium, however. She had no idea what he knew or what he had been told by the Eternal, but what felt like fishing wasn't going to earn extra answers.

If you consider "neutrality" to be an affiliation then I have to question the "alliance' the Empire and the Syndicates have, she said with a half-smile. She didn't linger on the statement for long, but instead moved on to his next statement: their partnership continuing. And this was at the heart of their entire meeting.

As you may know, my predecessor and I did not part or transition on a positive note, she said. The Eternal had tried to kill her and she had taken its life instead. It was not a public secret. It also explained why thorough knowledge of the Eternal's dealings with the Syndicates was somewhat lacking, though she didn't state that.

I have a proposal for you, but I cannot have rampant crime running throughout the Empire, she said, indicating she couldn't or wouldn't give a completely free pass to the Syndicates within Imperial space. She had absolutely no idea how he would respond to her proposal, but at the end of the day, it should benefit them both.

I propose that I legalize spice trade within the Empire. You deal directly to us and overnight we become your largest customer. Being a government-run operation, Imperial Law Enforcement will protect against your competitors, freeing up your soldiers for other tasks, she said. Simply put, she was offering a multi-trillion credit contract directly with the Empire for virtually no work. Not only that, the Empire itself would be enforcing the Syndicate's territory for them.

We will also support your expansion into FWA and New Republic territory, opening new markets and strengthening old ones there. We are currently working on taking control of the Wheel, which can act as a legitimate point of travel for your men and a point from which to spread, she said. It was a detail that was perhaps dangerous to give to him, but the potential payoff was large enough to warrant it. It was semi-protected by free business laws, which would offer a certain amount of cover for the Syndicate's operations.

In exchange, a member of my Council would become a member of your council as well. From time to time, he would coordinate operations to disrupt the FWA and Republic using all those mercenaries freed up from no longer having to protect your shipments inside Imperial space, she said.

Ultimately, he would find himself pushing into hostile territory one way or another. He could either do it with the support of an Empire or without that support.

@Eccles

 

[Preef Callo]

The rodian smiled, "I see Emryc gained some influence," after all, the proposition didn't deviate that much from something Emryc Thorne had once offered Preef. He had been disappointed that she had completely ignored his revelation, despite omitting the ISC from the areas she wanted to support syndicate operations in, so Preef figured he might as well just drop a name. The spice trade for the Crymorah Syndicate was only a marginal part of their income, so Preef wasn't as enthusiastic about the proposal as when he'd been the head of the Pyke Syndicate or even the Hutt Cartel. "But in the spice trade does lie our biggest conflict," he continued, taking the time to sip of his drink as he mused the Empress' words.

"The nature of our business isn't in-" he opened his arms, "-owning worlds-" the smile widened a bit, but then disappeared altogether, "-for we're everywhere. Your soldier that needed adrenals to pass the physical tests for deployment. That promising student that needs to study for an exam. Heck, there's trillions of people already hooked on the product we sell across the galaxy." And it would be a first if they needed a government's support. In fact, the costs of smuggling spice into a planet was one of the biggest excuses used for inflating the price of a single dose. "So while -I- considered us partners," it seemed the rodian was coming to a point, finally, "Your subordinate gives one of my dealers the protection so she can cheat me -personally- out of trillions of credits."

Preef had made the deal with Morata Corporation that the latter would be selling Crymorah spice through their medical dispensaries until they had completed research on and were producing their new 'miracle drug', the patent of which Preef would then legally own for fifty-percent. The miracle drug that MorataCorp produced? The AMS vaccine. Did Preef get signed on the patent? No. Was it then sold for the ridiculous price that would've earned Preef trillions? No, it was put on the market for free. Did MorataCorp then at least still sell his spice through the dispensaries? No again! "For a deal between us to work there needs to be trust," the rodian continued, "and the Sith have broken that trust." It was utterly foolish to think that the Five Syndicates were only as powerful as those worlds that were publicly ruled by the Hutt Cartel. They have always been everywhere and even owned a significant portion of Coruscant. The Sith would be fighting a war against an enemy that controlled the one substance that plagues every planet: spice, both from the mines of Kessel as synthetic from its many labs.

"So before we speak about new propositions," Preef pressed a button on the holo-console and an image of Doctor Morata appeared, "I want you to compensate me for the loss of revenue you caused." The image of Ilana was turned around slowly, claiming some attention as one of the only light sources in the room, "Destroy Morata Corporation and show me you rule Darth Raze and not the other way around," it was risky saying that, Preef realized as much, but while this new Empress had been relatively quiet for years, Emryc Thorne had enjoyed all the spotlight with all three of his persona's. What was her claim to leadership? That the Eternal had chosen to kill her instead of picking a harder target to fight?



@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Andruil listened to everything he said, listening to him once again drop Emryc's name. It was odd that he would bring it up again, and it made her question why. What was the purpose or intention behind it?

She opted not to linger on it longer as he continued to speak, listening stoically as he presented his views.

And then the presentation shifted. She had agreed to this meeting under the pretext of mutual benefit, but it was clear he had other goals. Had it only been his dealing in bad faith, she would have been able to move past it.

Her position and title were new, and thus people were bound to challenge it. She was ready to kill those who opposed her at her Council of Lords, but hadn't needed to do so. It didn't escape her notice that the "sins" of the Sith had not been brought up to the Eternal. For all the Eternal's sins, people had feared her. No one would have dared speak this way when staring down the mask. She knew that if she allowed this dissent to continue, it would destroy the Empire.

Perhaps - unlikely as it was - she could have moved past that with great effort, but the final nail in the coffin was the veiled threat. Whether he intended it or not, he was bandying about Emryc's name and title and the role of the ISC without second thought. If she declined to meet his demands, then what? He would release that information?

No, blackmail was not something she could let slide. The final icing on the cake of a very poor meeting.

These thoughts all raced through her mind as she looked at Preef and then the projection he had put up. The Shadow gathered to her as he finished speaking and she simply nodded as if in thought about what he said. Her face never shifted and her expression never changed as she unleashed the Force in a blast directly into him. As arguably the most powerful Force-user in the galaxy, it would slam into him with enough force to crack bones, sending him flying backwards and out the window behind. If the impact didn't kill him, the fall from a penthouse would. There would be no time to react, no outward indication of what was to come, and no time to trigger an ambush. Just swift and decisive death.

@Eccles

 

[Preef Callo]

Preef's Song as song by Darth Stolas, perhaps his biggest fan.

The Empress' answer was fast, Preef had to give her that. The worst part for the legendary quick-draw artist was that he truly hadn't expected it. No one had tried to beat him on the draw ever since he took down that Pyke enforcer on Kessel, maybe eight years ago, and the rodian definitely hadn't expected her to be this impulsive. What had he done? Told her that one of her lieutenants had cost him credits and he expected to be compensated. That was the way it was done in the underworld. With credits all could be forgiven, for Preef had planned to meet her in the middle to accept a payment of some credits and maybe a Sith Lord who hated Hutts, like Darth Stolas, to help kill the Hutt Cartel's council. Alas, his tactic had failed and like the rodian it was flying out of the window.

The impact on the window hurt, sure, and it would hurt for several more weeks as ribs bruised and some cracked. His blast vest and his reflexes to brace in time had saved him for worse, however, so then he merely fell. The Zaa Fenn Penthouse was at the top of one of Eriadu's tallest skyscrapers and the fall was long, too long, perhaps, for the Sith Empress to keep focusing on the poor rodian she had just unceremoniously yoted out of the window.

Meanwhile, Preef's failsaves were coming into effect. The ten KX-series Security Droids barged into small room to blast the Empress to bits with their rifles. Their programming had been enhanced by the Mothraki Crime Family and their Droid Gotra allies, so these droids each could easily overpower a rival syndicate enforcer, though no doubt the Empress was of a different caliber. The scoundrels amassed as security didn't know Preef had been yoted out of the window, so for the moment, although they knew who his visitor had been, joined in with the droid's attack. Emboldened by the knowledge of the modified KX-series' firepower. All of this, was ofcourse, only a distraction to Darth Andruil as if would've been for Preef Callo.

The rodian needed a few moments of falling before he truly realized what had happened, but when he did he simply engaged his jetboots and flew directly to his personal ship. No one knew of his falling out with the Empress yet, and she herself was too busy to confirm the kill, so he shouldn't -logically- be interrupted in his departure from Eriadu.


@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Andruil had three options. Cut to the floor below, which was a stupid option. Fight her way through a room that Preef had made quite clear to show was packed with enemies, a bad option. Or follow him out the window, something that none of the gangsters would expect, and the option she picked. She would be long gone by the time the droids arrived.

Her guards both above and below would sense the commotion and swirls of malice and violence, and they would be able to sense her will for those above to leave. Still outside the penthouse, they would manage to flee as the Empress sailed out the window in a single leap, falling just behind the gangster, saber in hand. In such a high skyscraper, the pair had over ten seconds to fall and fight, an experience she had never really expected to endure: battle in free-fall.

She wasn't fortunate enough to kill or knock him out with the impact against the window, but she was fortunate enough for two things. The first was the ribs that were cracked and the second was that he was stunned by the impact for the first several moments of falling and discombobulated about what was going on. She took advantage of this moment to attack an otherwise unable-to-resist opponent.

She grabbed him with the Force and crushed. A combat vest was not a singular piece and would provide no protection as broken ribs would puncture lungs and his arms would be pinned to the side of his body to prevent activating his boots. The same fire was in her eyes as when she had taken Dathomir or slain the Eternal. She was death, and she would have what was hers.

@Eccles

 

[Preef Callo]

Continuation of song, for only a few second lapsed.

It was a mistake to think that just because the rodian hadn't quite realized what and why it had happened, that he was stunned or unable to react. He had crashed through the window and fell down with his face upwards towards the window he had gone through, so when the Empress followed him he saw her faster than she spotted him. The immediate threat of danger moved to rodian to his reflexes.

With the speed that made him a living legend, Preef Callo grabbed his peacemaker and from the hip fired at his attacker. She hadn't had the lightsaber in her hand when she yoted him out of the window, so she must've grabbed it after or during her jump to follow him. All movements that forced her to make a choice between trying to crush the rodian with the Force and taking a heavy blaster bolt to the throat, or giving up her focus to defend the unexpected attack. After all, who expected to throw someone out of a window to his death from the top floor of a skyscraper and still be able to shoot her the moment she followed them? The element of surprise was clearly in Preef's favor.

The extra split-second was all the rodian would need as he moved the wrist with the controls over his jetboots to his shooting hand and activated them with the pinky of the latter. Benefiting from the rodian's very versatile fingers without losing grip on the peacemaker. (pop pop)

At top speed of what the jetboots allowed he would fly horizontal for about twenty feet before arching upwards. If the Empress couldn't sustain flight with the Force then the distance between them would quickly increase. Meanwhile Preef kept his peacemaker aimed at the Sith to try and counter any attack she could still make. Surely she couldn't both sustain flight and fight off the most skilled gunslinger of the known galaxy?

Meanwhile the four* KX-series droids reached the broken through window and true to their programming moved to defend their owner, firing their rifles at the Sith, no doubt further preventing her from attack or the focus she needed to use the Force.


@Phoenix
* my previous post stated there were 10 KX-series droids, but this was an oversight on my part as there are only 4 per the plot we did for them.

 

[Renfry]

While it may have been unexpected that someone yeeted out a window was ready to fire, it was no less unexpected that someone would then yeet themselves out of a skyscraper. As such, the element of surprise was not as skewed as it might at first seem.

Her saber caught the blaster shot from the falling gangster. Were she a more skilled duelist, she would have sent the bolts back at him, but she could not. Single weapon to single weapon, however, she did have the capacity to keep him at bay. Had he a second pistol, it would have taken all her focus to avoid being felled outright.

While it drew some of her attention from him and prevented her from crushing him to death, it didn't prevent her from establishing a decent grip around him.

Was that the sound of finger-hickies she heard? The horror. The jetboots activated, and with her grip still partially in place, they accomplished much of her goal for her. The force of the boots would slam him against the grip she still maintained, slamming those ribs through his lungs anyway. It would also drag him downward with her. Jetboots were notoriously unstable and she refused to let go of her grip as she fell, seemingly completely unperturbed by the fact that she was falling with greater and greater speed.

As for the droids, even they with all their processing power couldn't be alerted to the disturbance, enter the room, assess the room and situation, cross the room, take aim, and fire on the Sith all in less than three seconds. It was the kind of timing the fasted gun in the north, south, east, or west might have been able to manage, but they were not him. By the time they were ready to fire on the Empress, she would already be approaching and passing their rifle's maximum range and moving away faster by the second. Difficult shots, and ones that Preef himself surely could have made, but not so even his upgraded droids. The shots, as a result either missed or fizzled out as she fell.

 

[Preef Callo]

Despite the fact that the Empress had to find Preef and see Preef's bolt coming in time for her to react, she even managed to ignite her lightsaber in time to deflect. That alone was a reflex that no one else, but maybe Preef himself, could boast to possess. Her attempt to crush Preef's ribcage with the Force was significantly weakened however, for with his jetboots engaged she would quickly begin to lose sight of the fast-moving rodian. She went down, fast covering over 150 meters in the time it took for the KX-series droids to reach the window, while the rodian went up.

For the two seconds that she crushed, Preef's ribs cried out in pain and the fractures did grow bigger, although not so far as to break and pierce the vital organs they were protecting. Her grip, though weakened by both a lack of focus, their quickly increasing distance to each other and their opposite trajectories did steer the rodian off course a little and two seconds later they lost sight of each other as Preef veered around the skyscraper. The crushing pain in his chest immediately diminished and so did his unbalance, giving him to chance to recover it and fly straight into the Zaa Fenn penthouse's hangar.

Once inside the rodian disengaged his jetboots and landed on the durasteel floor next to the ship of one of their smugglers. He tried to breathe, but while he tried his best to suck in the air it hurt intensely and he didn't even come close to fill his lungs. The hangar was deserted except for a rodian scoundrel bearing some resemblance to him, the smuggler that owned the ship, and the young man rushed over to his hero, the legendary gunslinger. "Preef!" he cried, while his hero looked up and only managed to remark their similarities in both look and clothing, for the smuggler dressed just like his hero did. "They say the Sith yoted you out of the window and-" he hesitated and involuntarily looked over at the open door of his ship. Preef grimaced, "You were running." The young scoundrel's gulp was audible even over the wheezing sound of Preef's breathing. If there had been enough air in his lungs he'd have sighed..

Instead he shot him -point blank- in the chest, killing the smuggler instantly. Preef Callo wasn't a fool. There was no one in the galaxy that could draw a blaster faster than him. There was no one in the galaxy that was a better shot with a pistol. Yet, Darth Andruil had yoted him out of a window without any visual cue. The Force proved to be power that mere mortals like Preef could never stand up to and now those strongest in the Force and with the biggest love for impulsive and utter destruction, had it out for him. 30 seconds passed as Preef quickly exchanged shoes with the smuggler, the latter the jetboots and Preef the shoes. Another 30 and the dead body was succesfully dragged to the edge of the hangar and pushed off.

There fell Preef Callo to his death. The splat would render his features impossible to identify. They'll say that the Legendary Gunslinger, the Fastest Quick-draw artist in the galaxy, could only be identified by his jetboots.

The rodian smuggler would forever be remembered as the one that ran, fled, and flew away in his ship.

Preef's Farewell Song​

/exit thread
@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Andruil dropped like a rock through the air, plummeting rapidly to the ground below. A mix of blaster fire from above rained down around her as she fell, trying to keep her focus on the rapidly distancing Rodian without success. Even her power had its limits, and her grip weakened as the distance grew.

She lost sight of him as he flew around the building, and she transitioned her focus toward keeping herself from going splat. She pulled the Shadow around herself, slowing her descent to the point that she could land without slamming violently into the ground. She hit the ground and fell into a low crouch, saber in hand before it flashed out.

A look up showed no sign of the gunslinger so she spun quickly and angrily, addressing her entourage with efficiency.

Lock down the planet. Find Preef Callo, dead or alive, she said. The authorities of the planet began to swarm. Andruil didn't really expect anyone else to be able to kill the gunslinger, but with enough bodies they might be able to kill him and if they couldn't, then she would.

It was only a few minutes before the reports came in and the lockdown ceased. The body had fallen a great distance and apparently struck repeatedly by heavy transport vehicles. All but ground to pulp, all that had been spared the disgusting carnage was his boots.

She let out a quiet sigh as she inspected the puddle that was Preef Callo. Legendary gunslinger, head of the Syndicates, living legend, and he was gone. It was not what she had wanted, but it was done.

She shook her head once more before turning and heading toward her ship. The fallout from this would no doubt rear its head soon.

//Thread