Waking the Dragon

[Phoenix]

One more day at the office. That’s all this was. He sat out on a bench on Nar Shaddaa and watched the people go by. Kitted out in his full armor and weaponry, with his T-visor helmet on his head he looked intimidating enough that most people didn’t particularly want to sit down next to him.

He had come to this particular area of town because he had heard about a new swoop gang that had risen to power in the area. Under the control of a man who called himself “Neyo,” this group, “the Krayt Dragons,” had risen to power over the last several months by absorbing other smaller gangs into itself and had now become one of the most strong-handed groups in this neighborhood. That presented a problem for multiple reasons.

Firstly, it meant that the people of this district had come under the influence of someone who was particularly greedy and had demanded much more out of the people than they were used to. Extorting money from businesses, selling spice, and generally abusing those who lived here. Now, none of those things are all that uncommon on Nar Shaddaa, but even the citizens of Nar Shaddaa had their breaking point and they had reached it. In fact, the people in the neighborhood had gotten so sick of it that they had come together to offer a 10,000 credit bounty for the termination of this Neyo. His second reason for being out here was that the Krayt Dragons were cutting in on Cartel space and that was unacceptable. So ripping this gang apart may also garner favor from the higher ups.

With that in mind Tal came to the neighborhood in search of one of the members of this swoop gang so that he could “inquire” of him where his boss was so that he could eliminate him. He had learned that the gang members frequented the bar across the street from him often and so he had come to wait for one of their members to come out so that he could take him to a more secluded place.

After about an hour and a half of waiting two of the gangsters came stumbling out to their bikes, which were covered in the Krayt Dragon markings. He stood quickly from the bench that he sat on and made his way across the street. There were still people throughout the streets so he needed to make this quick lest someone report him or one of the other gang members came out. While the gangsters faced the other direction, preparing to move out on their bikes, Tal drew his Verpine pistol with his left hand and fired once into the head of one of the gangsters. Immediately following that he raised his right arm and fired his wrist-mounted taser into the other. As the line struck the green-skinned Rodian a burst of electricity traveled down the line and ran into the man dropping him to the ground and causing him to fall to the ground as all of his muscles seized up.

He detached the line from the seizing man and pulled a small cloth from his pouch and put it over the man’s mouth, allowing the chemical covering the cloth to cause the man to fall asleep. With his target unconscious he slapped on some flex cuffs, picked him up, and threw him over his own swoop bike. How ironic that he was going to kidnap the man using his own swoop bike. He threw the guy over the back of the swoop bike, in a not so graceful fashion, and threw his leg over the bike to take off. Taking one final look at the man he had shot he could see that there was a large pool of blood forming around the man’s head which confirmed that he would not be pursuing him. With that he revved the engine and was off to get some information from his victim.

 

[ShadowMandalore]

Swoop Gangs were always a hassle for the cartel. Every so often, a big shot would come in and make a move on its territory. They would only last about a month before their reign came to a horrible end. However, one gang in particular managed to survive and has made a name for themselves. “The Krayt Dragons”, led by the mysterious leader known as “Neyo”. At first, they were small time, like any other swoop gang. After two months, their name began to spread all over Nar shaddaa’s holonet. Which in all, was a problem for not only the cartel, but the community that suffered under their rule.

Logan would often look out his window at night watching the trouble these gangs cause. Destruction of property, innocents caught in the crossfire regardless of age. It disgusted him. Last week, he took up a private bounty from one of the neighborhood council members. The amount was ten thousand credits. It was sufficient. Usually He would decline to such a small payout, but this was not about the credits. These thugs needed to be put down.

He managed to locate the bar where the gang often hanged out in. Managing to get some information out of one of the lieutenants, it was noted that “Neyo” would be at the bar tonight. He spent hours watching gang member after gang member going in and out of the establishment, but no sign of the crime lord. After the streets were somewhat cleared, two members came out the bar staggering in a drunken fashion. About to make his move, another individual managed to kill one of the gang members and subdued the other. The assailant sped off into the night with his target.

It seems I’m not the only one who wants Dragons eliminated. However, this was his bounty. No one elses.


He made his way down the fire escape in a graceful manner, splashing into a small puddle. He threw his cape around his chest in a poncho manner covering his armor. As he made his way across the street, he carefully slid himself through the doors of the bar blended into the shadows. Hopefully he wouldn’t be seen by any of the thugs. He was entering into a den of Nexu, that’s for sure. Scanning the area quickly, he managed to find a booth in dim lit area. It was best place for him to remain hidden for the moment.

 

[Phoenix]

With a slight flick of his wrist, the mercenary slowed the bike down to a stop. The spot he had chosen to take his victim was an abandoned warehouse he had scouted out earlier in the day. The building had been shut down following its repossession after the company that owned it shut down. Now no one would be coming to interrupt the work he was going to do.

Heaving the Rodian from the back of the bike, he checked to make sure he was still unconscious before taking him inside. The warehouse was dusty and smelled of mold, with crates to one side of the room. He set the Rodian down on one of the crates, moved the bike inside, and closed the door. No external evidence that he was here.

Removing a small amount of ammonium carbonate, more commonly known as smelling salt, he stuck it in front of the Rodian’s face until the man woke with a start. In an instant the green skinned alien was spouting a stream of expletives and threats supposedly meant to scare Tal. It failed miserably. With a quick kick to the ribs and a “shut up” the Rodian began to realize the full depth of his trouble.

“You know who I work for -” the Rodian began. “Oh, yes I do,” Tal said, cutting him off midsentence. “That’s why we’re here. I want to know where I can find Neyo,” he held up a hand cutting the gangster off before he could speak, “and before you give me the bravado about not going to give me anything, I’m just going to tell you now, you are going to tell me what I want to know. It’s just a matter of how much pain you’re going to go through before that.”

This was followed shortly by the Rodian telling him to get lost in very colorful language, and Tal figured it was time to get started. He grabbed the Rodian’s wrist and allowed his crushgaunt to close, crushing the bone to pulverization. After approximately fifteen more minutes of “questioning” - these street thugs were nowhere near as tough as they acted - this guy gave him what he wanted.

“Neyo’s supposed to go to the club tonight, but it got called off. He had other business, I don’t know what it was. You’d have to ask his lieutenant, Ziven. He’s showing up at the club later tonight at 11, sharp. Set you chrono by it. That’s all I know!” Tal got a kick out of the use of the word lieutenant. Like this street gang was a military unit. “What’s this guy look like?” “He’s a Feeorin.” That was all Tal needed. Time to put this scum out of business for good. Tal drew his pistol and fired a single round into the Rodian’s head, cutting short whatever begging he was going to try. Taking the man’s speeder back to the bar he checked his HUD to see what time it was. 2240, that gave him 20 more minutes before this guy showed up.

Arriving back at the bar he could now see that there was quite a little crowd that had gathered around the dead body that he had left in his wake, and standing in the center of the group was a Feeorin, who looked to be in charge of this little shenanigan. Well, well, well, it looks like Mr. Ziven showed up early in light of the murder of his men. This might complicate things slightly. He tasked his HUD to tag all of the thugs outside the bar, which put the number of hostiles at 11 including the Feeorin.

He raised his wrist-rocket and fired at the edge of the crew. At nearly 300 meters per second, the rocket was there before any of them had time to react and Tal was on his way after it. The rocket struck one of the still-parked speeders that the thugs were gathered near. The explosion sprayed shrapnel over a five-meter area shredding five of the gangsters and leaving them in a bloody mess on the ground. With that, he opened fire on the remaining gangsters, careful to avoid shooting Ziven.

 

[ShadowMandalore]

Before his stake out, logan placed an automated cam droid on the balcony he leaped from. The droid’s on board system was connected to his helmet; Keeping an eye out on whoever went in or out. Twelve bikers stood around the body that assailant left out in the open. As of now they’re probably on high alert.

Out of the twelve bikers, one of them wore distinct markings. A Feeorin. Was this Neyo or some lieutenant? It’s Unusually for the boss to come out into the open. That’s if they’re the type to brandish what they have and demonstrate their brute force. Neyo wasn’t that type of person from what logan gathered.

This is no ordinary biker gang, it’s organized. Well trained.
If I could get closer neyo, perhaps I could-

"Damn it!"

Within a second, a large explosion erupted on the video feed.Twelve of the bikers were sprawled across the ground. He stood on his feet, placing himself on the wall near the doorway with his blaster in hand. The Assailant was on a speeder biker wearing Mandalorian armor. From the looks of his attack pattern, He’s trying to single out and abduct the high ranking individual.

He had to move. Removing a flash bomb out his utility belt, he made an overhand toss in the general area. It would blind everyone in the vicinity for a brief moment, but it would give him enough time to secure his prize. A loud thump erupted and with no time to spare, he rocketed out the bar into the fray of blaster fire using his rocket pack. Skimming across the surface, he grabbed the blinded Feeorin. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a concussion rocket straight into the direction of the rogue mandalorian.

It may or may not hit him, but it will slow him down for the moment.

He jettisoned a few blocks away from the club into a secluded alley. The lieutenant was coming back to consciousness after black out from the ordeal. Despite how much he wanted to shoot the scum, he needed to get closer to Neyo.

“Are you alright?”

 

[Phoenix]

Tal had made his way halfway across the street to the gangsters when a second grenade went off, though this one wasn’t lethal. He had no idea where it had come from although he knew he hadn’t thrown it. Had one of the gangsters dropped it after trying to throw it in his direction?

In the fraction of a second that these thoughts ran through his head he found his answer. That answer came in the form of a black armored Mandalorian that came jetting out of the bar. Within an instant this rando Mando grabbed the Feeorin, fired a frickin wrist rocket at him, and jetted off down the street. The rocket had been fired in something of a rush and not well aimed so it struck relatively far behind him. Nevertheless, he could still feel the impact knock him forward and almost off of his feet as the blast hit him in the back.

Why was it that every single Mandalorian he met these days was working for the other side? This guy was not going to save Feeorin from Tal’s wrath. No, Tal was going to find them both and end them. Reaching into his belt pouch he pulled out a frag grenade and threw it at the remaining gangsters, who by now were in a bit of shock.

After all, the last 15 minutes of their lives had been: find their fellow gang members dead, get blown up by a wrist-rocket, get blown up by a flash-bang, watch a Mando grab their leader, and now get blown up by a frag grenade. Most of them would now be dead following the series of lightning quick strikes and the remaining ones would likely be in no fighting condition.

With another impressive fireball and cloud of shrapnel behind him, he jumped back on his stolen bike and pursued his now escaping quarry. When the Mando turned down an abandoned alleyway Tal prepared to pursue. As he came around the corner he pulled a pair of special grenades from his belt and tossed them at his enemies. The first was a glop grenade designed to ensnare both his quarry and the Mandalorian protecting him. The second was an LDA grenade that would obscure his movement and lessen any incoming fire.

Switching his visor to thermal, something he knew his enemy would likely do as well, he was able to see through the fog, but the real strength of the LDA grenade was its ability to decrease the power of blasters. Keeping his distance so as to, hopefully, avoid anymore nasty gauntlet weapons, he drew his Verpine pistol, whose rounds would be unaffected by the LDA smoke, and shouted down the alleyway. “Give up the Feeorin. You’re stuck and I'll do what's necessary if you force my hand.” The guy had already launched a rocket at him with no provocation, and he didn’t know what would happen next. If push came to shove he had a second wrist-rocket that he could put down that alleyway, although he’d really like to capture the Feeorin alive.

 

[ShadowMandalore]

The alley they were in was a dirty one. Graffiti. Old fire escapes. Dumpsters that reeked a foul odor. Feeorin came back to consciousness, confused and unaware as to what just happened.
Before he reaching for his pistol on instinct, logan quickly grabbed his hand and held it tightly.
“Relax. I’m on your side.”

“On my side? Who the hell are you?!”
He had to make something up quick, something to gain his trust.

“My name is Logan Rax. One of your associates was planning on scheduling a meeting between the two of us. Remember that body you found outside? That was him.”

The Feeorin lieutenant’s expression was grim, he face was pale as dead wampa’s fur.
“Wait minute- I know who you are! You’re that bounty hunter that works for the cartel! Why shouldn’t I kill you where you stand?”

Logan’s patience was wearing thin. He leaned into the Feeorin closely, placing his hand beside his head. He wanted to shoot the scum right then and there, but needed him to get closer to Neyo.

“Listen, friend….. The Cartel is falling apart. Chaos is stirring amongst the hutt clans. In this war, There will be only one victor: Kyrat Dragons. I wish to work for someone who will provide the best credits and it seems the Dragons will provide that. You are Neyo’s lieutenant, if you die, it will casue a major blow into your organization. You need me to get you out of here.”
He placed his hand on his helmet, patching into his speeder’s comlink."

“Speeder: Emergency pick up. Coordinates: 546, 885. Sub district: Gama…..Our ride will be here shortly.”
“Hold on, I-”

Before the biker could input his two credits into the matter, the sound of a swoop bike came rushing up the corner of the alley. It was the bounty hunter again. The Mandalorian assailant threw a grenade of some kind. In response, Logan Grabbed the collar of the the Feeorin dived behind a dumpster. However, he wasn’t unscaved from the Grenade. Instead of a massive fireball, foam like substance covered his right leg, rendering immobile for a few moments.

Glob grenade, trying to take us alive. Well...him.
“Do something!”

Another was tossed, only this time it a blue gas spew from out the explosive. Dampener Aerosol. The alleyway was filled with it. Blasters would be useless;. Projectiles weapons would be the only tools to use at this moment.
Using his thermal sensors, he could see his enemy a few meters from him holding rifle. A projectile weapon no doubt. His speeder was closing their position and he had to move quickly.
Rolling into the open to avoid fire, he knelled and leveled his knee pad. Calculating the trajectory he angled his left knee and fired an acid dart at the mandalorian. At that moment he sent the missile from his rocket pack into the fire escapes, blocking the assailants path.

His speeder arrived just in time. limping he grabbed the hiding The Feeorin by the shirt and threw him on the back of his bike. Revving up his engine, he dashed into the air cutting in between traffic ways. The foam had disintegrated off of his leg, allowing mobility once more.

“Where’s Neyo’s hideout?”

 

[Phoenix]

The bodyguard and the Feeorin ducked behind a nearby dumpster and managed to avoid the majority of the adhesive from his grenade. That was unfortunate, but it wasn’t something that was totally unheard of. He pushed his way through the fog, Verp pistol still raised when he saw his adversary roll out from behind the dumpster.

A moment later, something struck him in the chest, followed immediately by a rocket tearing into the series of ladders and railings above. At first Tal didn’t really pay much attention to the smaller object that now stuck in his armor, but after a moment, alarm dawned on him as he realized that the dart seemed to be corroding his armor. He quickly ripped it from his stomach and threw it to the side.

A shower of twisted and heated metal fell down in the alleyway from the above fire escape, but it was of little hindrance. Tal raised the bike’s cruising level, and floated over the twisted debris.

Just as he did so, he saw the other Mandalorian begin to swoop off, but Tal wasn’t having any of it. As the man began to pull away, he plucked a small tracking beacon from his belt and threw it, side hand, like skipping a rock and let it magnetically attach to the bottom of the speeder. It was extremely unlikely that his opponent would be able to see it, and even if he did, it was in such a place that he would have to stop the bike in order to remove it.
Now it was time to track these fools right on back to their home base. He let them gain a slight amount of distance on him before setting out on their trail. Following the blinking signal in his HUD, his enemy none the wiser.