Disclaimer: I own nothing; this is purely for recreational purposes.
XXX
"Ok now... Let's see if I've got this done right..." I muttered to myself as I worked on my latest project within the hold of a new ship of mine. It had been over five months since I had appeared in the Star Wars universe, around the tail end of 38 BBY, soon to be 37 BBY, if my conversion of dating systems was accurate, then again, I had a feeling that even those in charge of keeping the calendar straight had trouble doing it themselves. I shook my head in amusement as I leaned back in my chair, glancing around the hold of my ship, a rather nice G9 Rigger-class light freighter that I had ended up calling Dakka Hunter as a bit of an inside joke.
Even if it wasn't all that funny.
"Ok... That looks about right... Now, time to test to see if I did everything properly." I muttered to myself as I ejected a disc from the computer I was working on, a copy of a complex program that was designed to function as the main operating system for a machine that I believed would be invaluable to me in the future. Turning in my seat in the cargo bay of my ship, I took in the sight of what was awaiting me in the middle of the rather large chamber.
A four by two grouping of droids that looked vaguely like T-800 Terminators, but with a much more intimidating appearance, thicker plating and with what looked like a pair of massive fangs on their jaws that could be used to bit into targets for more damage. They had been one of my more recent projects, an attempt to start making a work force that could take on anything I might face, within the current time frame, and come out on top. They were A-63 All-purpose Heavy Robots, or Droids based on the local terminology, each one made as a replica of those used within Rifts and each one just as dangerous.
Of course, with them, I had programmed the new AI for them to not only include their old skills, but new ones like acting as Protocol Droids with knowledge about the most common languages, Starship engineers and even Assassins. All of that was possible thanks to the fact that I had spent a good, long time looking for the Droid Protocols needed to install these different abilities, along with learning enough to be able to dissect them and integrate them into the machines. Now, though...
Now, all that was left was to turn the machines on and see if it worked as I wanted it to.
With that, I breathed in and out before stepping forwards, kneeling down next to a crate that had another computer terminal resting on it, from said computer terminal, a web of wires came out and connected to each of the eight machines, connecting to hidden access ports that were located under the armor plating around the left side, tucked under a panel that was in the gap between the side of the lower torso and the ribcage that came out from the upper torso. I knew this was rather well done, a very good way to keep the damned things hidden and make it as difficult as possible to reprogram them, something that I knew would be difficult, since they were programmed to self-destruct upon their destruction.
Though, even as I plugged in the disc and watched as it compiled, running a few final tests before I installed it, I smirked as I considered the alterations I had made. Mainly, those came in the form of a new power source built using the local technologies, each of these machines now being supplied with energy via a Nuclear Fusion generator that, without refilling it, would be able to last for years and was capable of burning most elements with the exception of Iron or any element heavier than Iron. A Fusion torch was included as well, mostly to prevent Iron from forming and recycle it all, but it still needed to be refilled every once in a while. Along with that, these Droids also had an augmented amount of advanced sensors to make them even more dangerous, Bio-scanners included.
Looking down, I saw the error check come back with no errors in my work, rather happy with that as I considered the knowledge dump I had been given once more with a half-smirk before pressing the enter button on the keyboard in front of me. A progress bar filled the screen a moment later as I sat in front of the screen, allowing myself to fall deeper into thought.
The knowledge I had been given was useful, but it had its limits, the skills had countless uses, but the technological information was a bit more difficult to use since it relied upon a completely different, and more advanced, tech-base than what was currently available in this universe. M.D. materials, something that I required, were made using nanotechnologies to finely intermesh and craft the materials from their raw materials, sometimes skipping any form of refinement and simply using the raw ores as well. I had already build one such device, a crude replica of what was supposed to be a much more advanced system, but one that I barely understood due to it feeling like I only had partially completed blueprints for the technology. Still, it managed to do the job I required when it produced enough parts for me to see the completion of these eight robots, the production of parts wasn't particularly fast, but it did work, and it worked well since the parts were designed to resist Mega-Damage level weapon's fire. Such weapons were, as I had come to realize, rare in Star Wars, the closest thing I had found were Disruptors for infantry level, but, aside from those, nothing short of the weapons mounted on some heavy vehicles or starships would be all that effective, as I had found out when someone had shot me in the face and the visor of my armor took the shot without difficulty. It was a pain in the ass fixing it, but it was worth it.
However, as I thought about such things, I considered the downside of such technologies. Chief among them was the hardwired directive to prevent the nanotechnology from self-replicating along with the physical lack of manipulators precise enough to do just that. Not only that, but the stuff wouldn't work outside of a narrowly defined environment, meaning I couldn't just drop a single nano-machine on an asteroid and get a new ship in a day. Honestly, I thought it was rather impressive, even though it was annoying, since it effectively prevented any chance of a Grey Goo scenario playing out.
I blinked as I heard my terminal sound off that it was finished, causing me to look up just in time to see the optics of my machines blaze to life as each of them straightened up from the slight slouch in its posture, absently grabbing the cable that connected each of them to the terminal before pulling it out as they looked over to me. Taking a few steps forwards, I couldn't help but smirk as I saw them moving with an efficient, almost graceful, step, very different from this universe's Droids.
"We await your orders, Master Michael Drake." The leading machine stated as the others followed it along, it's voice being little more than a metallic growl. I smiled at that as I considered the name, the Archangel of War and the surname of Francis Drake, an English Privateer and Explorer, I thought it worked well for a new name as I nodded towards them as I stood up, grabbing my helmet with a smile still on my face.
"Begin work on this ship. Maintain and guard it should the need arise, along with operating the Nanofabrication unit in order to create a number of items." I gestured towards the terminal on the crate. "That terminal contains the information regarding the items I want made, along with the number of which I wish to be produced. Aside from that, remain out of sight and do not attract any attention to yourselves, or myself. Is that understood?"
"We hear and obey." They replied in unison as I nodded.
"Good. You may begin work as soon as possible, I will be leaving shortly to see about gathering more materials and funds, close the ramp behind me and I'll open it back up when I return." I stated as I started walking out of the cargo bay. On the way out, I grabbed my helmet and slapped it into place over my head, sealing my armor shut before walking out the ship, the sound heavy metal impacts resonating behind me as I walked down the ramp before it sealed behind me. I smiled at that.
At least I had one less thing to worry about.
XXX
"Humm?" I hummed as I heard my comlink beep to inform me that a new message had just come in. A subtle gesture and I had the message appearing on the inside of my helmet, an integrated HUD allowing me to read it without anyone being the wiser.
"Humm... Well, isn't that interesting..." I muttered to myself as I read over the message once more to make sure I had all the details before closing it down.
Apparently, it was a message to show that a new bounty was out, and it was out on a former Bounty Hunter within the Guild, a female Hunter that had always worn her armor around others, kept quiet and always got the job done. It seemed that someone really didn't like just how effective she was, since she had apparently just gained a bounty worth over five million Credits alive, half that dead. I honestly couldn't help but think that something was off about that, since, as far as I knew, that kind of bounty only came about if you either knew something that someone didn't want being spread around... Or you had really pissed off the Hutts.
I was willing to put my money on the former.
Still, either way, I'd get my answers since I had apparently gotten lucky, the Hunter, called Avun, was on Eraidu.
Yeah, as some of the locals would say, the Force was with me.
With that in mind, I looked around me, taking in the dense crowds of people around me as I looked around for what I needed before I spotted it in the corner of my eye, a small computer terminal built into a wall near what looked like a cafe. I smiled at that as I walked over to the cafe, for what I needed, I merely had to be close to the machine as I went in, ordered a cup of Caf, no milk or sugar, as I let my mind wonder through the cyberspace of the planet. It didn't take more than ten minutes to find the target I was after either, though that had nothing to do with me being good at what I did since she was currently in the middle of a high speed chase on Repulsorlift craft that were currently flying through the afternoon traffic. Avun was currently in a hijacked EasyRide Passenger Airspeeder while the various thugs chasing her seemed to all have grabbed similar, yet modified versions of the same model. A quick check and I found that the chase was currently only a few kilometres away, something that was more than good enough for me as I made my way to the nearest Transit point and hopped on a Taxi as I checked my weapons.
Whatever was going on, I intended to sort that out before I considered whether or not to turn her bounty in.
XXX
Kammi'avun'nera, known to the wider Galaxy as Avun, cursed under her breath in as many languages as she knew, not out of anger, but due to her own sloppiness at having not managed to make a clean escape nor having managed to escape unharmed. Now, she was in the middle of a mid-air chase through the busy skyline of Eraidu with at least three Airspeeders filled with thugs chasing after her, each one spraying Blaster Bolts her way rather indiscriminately, not even bothering about the potential collateral damage.
And, if things weren't bad enough, she now had to worry about the bounty on her head, since she had gotten the customary notification telling her as much during this little chase. Internally, she felt her annoyance flare as she leaned out of her cover behind a padded chair and fired off a few more Blaster Bolts with her Rifle one-handed while keeping her free hand firmly attached to her abs, pressing a rag drenched in Bacta into the hole in her Durasteel armor as she worked to stop the bleeding. Avun dared not take her armor off to fix it properly, but she had little choice in the matter, not to mention the fact that she still had other injuries to worry about, like the metal rod stuck in her left thigh or the second degree burns along the forearm of her free arm.
Truthfully, she gave her chances of escaping after she left this Airspeeder a rather low chance of success, never mind her chances of getting off the planet and out of the system.
Leaning back up, she fired off another few bolts with a calmness that belayed her nervousness at the idea of her own death, scoring multiple hits, killing five men outright while injuring several more, three men were even tossed off the side of the Speeders as the impacts, along with their own foot placements, did the rest. She allowed a small smile to cross her features before she frowned slightly as she glanced around, noticing another group of Speeders approaching, all filled with thugs.
Kammi'avun'nera sighed in annoyance at that, especially as she used the controls on the side of her helmet to magnify the images, much to her own despair.
At least five of the new thugs carried what looked like rocket launchers, their faces twisting into smirks as her eyes widened in slight surprise, having not expected that level of firepower from a low-level smuggling syndicate. Twisting slightly, rammed her boot into the searing wheel, sending the Airspeeder into a nose dive towards the ground below as she kicked it once more, throwing the craft into a virtually unpredictable flight path.
Still, it wasn't enough even as she fired off a few bolts at the approaching thugs, killing a few more with her gun camera-augmented aim, but it made little difference as the missiles launched. The four missiles, due to killing one of the gunners, roared through the air towards her Airspeeder and high speed, twisting the controls once more, she tried to avoid them, but such a maneuver was only a partial success as only two of the missiles were thrown off, the other two hit the rear of the craft, rocking it into the air as she grimaced in pain as her injuries were jostled and she was thrown from her seat.
Keeping a hand on her injuries, she was lucky as the blast was dampened by the remains of the airspeeder, however, the blast wave still threw her from the craft with a significant amount of force, the only saving grace being that she was near the ground. Thus, when the hidden Chiss hit the ground, the padding on her armor worked to save her even as she rolled, though she groaned as the metal rod was pushed a bit deeper for an instant as she was glad she had taken the time to use armor sealant to keep the wound from getting worse and keeping the rod in place.
"I will not be doing that again..." Avun remarked to herself as she struggled to get up, knowing that she shouldn't remain idle for long as she didn't wish to be killed or, worse, captured.
"You can be damned sure of that, bitch." Came an unwelcome voice as she glanced in the direction of the voice and frowned, the biggest display of her despair that she was willing to allow as she saw the gathered forms of the thugs that had been chasing her, the speaker being a Human male at their head with an oversized Heavy blaster pistol, a mechanical eye and a rather large Vibro-Axe at his side. He was grinning victoriously as she glanced around, being sure to not give any indication of her internal panic as she looked for an exit or her weapon, the former were rapidly closing as thugs spread out to encircle her and the clearing. As for her Blaster rifle, that was out of reach as her gun camera informed her that it was on the other side of the clearing with a good view of her right side, giving her a perfect view of just how kirffed she was.
Still, she allowed none of it to show as she saw the thug marching forwards with an air of satisfaction to him.
"Well, bitch, normally, we would have you dragged back to the boss for him to make an example of you, to show the others why you don't mess with the Hidden Hand, but it seems you're a bit of an exception..." He stated smugly as he lowered his Blaster rifle and pointed it at her chest, right over her heart. Absently, she noted the oversized power pack and XCiter, meaning that each individual bolt was about three times as powerful as a normal shot from an unmodified version of the weapon, which was actually a sawed-off Blaster rifle. At this range, she knew it would punch right through her Duranium-plated Durasteel armor.
Then again, she mused, it hardly mattered, especially since she could feel the blood lose finally getting to her as darkness crept around the edges of her vision. By her mental math, she would be dead before the Bantha Herder standing over her was done gloating and finally kill her.
However, just as her vision finally faded to black, the last thing she saw was her wound-be executioner disappearing in an explosion of red as an equally explosive Bang! rang through the air.
XXX
The first thing I saw as I rushed into the clearing was a thug standing over my latest project of curiosity with an oversized and, probably, overpowered Blaster pistol that looked like it had been slapped together from random parts that barely fit together. I didn't bother rolling my eyes, thinking about how it had been forced together and barely operational, I was much too busy moving, assessing targets and selecting which one to target first, as such, I drew two of my four pistols, one in either hand as I began the fight, both had only been made in the last month, upgrades to my personal armory.
In my left hand, I held a modified CP-20 Laser Pulse pistol, it's E-clips replaced with the power cells of this universe, giving it over sixty shots and with its sound maker removed to allow me to move with supreme stealth. In my right hand, I held an unmodified BigBore 'Big Boss' Magnum Revolver.
I fired with my right hand first. The results were, as I had learned quite a while ago, spectacular.
As was the recoil.
Still, my first target didn't even get time to consider what the hell had just happened as he suddenly found himself exploding in a shower of gore as I stepped into the clearing and kept moving, already pulling back the hammer of the massive revolver and firing three more times until it was empty, glad I had the physical strength to do as much as the next three shots exploded in the midst of the thugs, taking killing five of them as two others had wandered a bit close to my targets and were killed in the blast as a result. I smirked at that as I holstered that weapon and drew my spare CP-30, the one in my left hand already firing away as I started killing, invisible beams of light killing each thug they hit as I saw the beams burning through flesh. I found it amusing as the thugs rapidly found themselves being cut down, but were unsure as to where the fire was coming from until I stepped more fully into view and, by that point, their numbers had been cut down from around 57 to just under thirty.
When I came into view, what remained of the thugs scrambled for cover as I continued walking, taking note of a few of them raising heavy weapons, mainly missile launchers, but dealt with them with two swift shots, one to the weapon and another straight through their brains. Return fire came rapidly, but the aim was absolutely abysmal, those few shots that did hit weren't much of a bother as I brushed them off, once more amused by just how weak SW weapons were in comparison to those of Rifts Earth and the Megaverse. Still, the result was the same as I fired off a few more shots, scoring kill shots through the chest and face even as a few grazed the legs and arms of others, punching through cover and burning flesh and muscle. Painful wounds, survivable wounds, but still very painful.
Twisting into cover behind a thick pole holding a set of lights above it, I smirked as I glanced down to check my guns, both still having plenty of ammo as I glanced back out to see some of the thugs trying to make a getaway, something I wasn't willing to allow as I leaned out an fired, killing them as Laser fire punched through whatever armor they had. Low-quality Durasteel did very little against a pistol that had inflicted Mega-damage on its target, something the thugs found out when shots burned through their hearts and out their chests. It didn't take long until only a few were left, but those few that remained were of little use as their aim was shaky, at best, and they were slowly starting to stutter back, limbs shaking in turn as I saw their panic and fear, even without my Psionics.
"P-please... Have M-mercy..." One whimpered as he collapsed to his knees and begged, I just glanced in his direction before a snap shot burned through his forehead. The total engagement lasting little more than a minute, but that was enough as I turned back to the main reason I was there as I swiftly holstered my weapons and speed walked over to the downed Hunter. Once I was within arm's reach, I got to work to quickly stabilize her with what healing abilities that I was proficient at, which was a fair number since some bounties were required to be... Recognizable when I was forced to turn them in alive.
Using a mixture of Induce Sleep, Healing Touch and Stop Bleeding, I healed her, not enough to say that she was fully healed, but certainly enough to allow me to move her quickly as I had no wish to remain in the immediate area while more thugs were, without a doubt, on the way. Within moments, the Hunter had stopped bleeding, the more life threatening injuries were repaired, somewhat, and I was ready to pick her up as I absently placed a hand on the remains of the blaster that belonged to the lead thug. Object Read had long since become an ability that was beyond useful, as it proved once more as I suddenly learned about the weapon's owner, and the organization that he had belonged to.
"Interesting..." I muttered out as I quickly stood up, using a Telekinetic Lift to aid me in lifting the woman up before I made me exit from the scene of the crash and slaughter.
It would take me a twenty minutes to reach my ship, which I then put on lock down, and another five minutes after that to scour the local networks to see if I had been caught on any cameras or the like, another three minutes after that and the film was doctored and changed, making it seem like the woman had managed to make a successful get away without my intervention. However, I honestly wasn't sure how much the film would hold up to scrutiny, though, that hardly mattered as I got to work back at my ship.
Once the ship was locked down, I had the robots start moving to the entry points of the ship, ensuring they were guarded while I tended to my guest, placing her on a cot inside the modified Cargo Chef's station that I had converted into a series of cells. Without much ceremony, I quickly removed the armor pieces that covered the woman's body, raising an eyebrow in surprise at seeing that she was, in fact, a Chiss, before carrying on without much more ceremony as I used other abilities to aid her healing. Mainly, I focused on speeding up her recovery as I worked to close her wounds and, hopefully, prevent some scaring as I left her in little more than a skin-tight thermal suit, a one piece suit that left everything but her hands, feet and head from the neck upwards covered. There were a few holes in it, but those hardly mattered as I searched for any weapons before reinforcing the Induce Sleep I had put on her, keeping her under for another six hours while I implanted a few Hypnotic Suggestions into her.
Honestly, that power alone was something I really found morally ambiguous, but it was something that, I had found, when paired with Telekinesis, was beyond potent as it meant that suggestions no longer needed to be worked into a person verbally. It had come in useful more than once to obtain one Bounty or another, even for something as simple as haggling with shifty as all hell Merchants for something I needed, and now I was using it to make sure that this Chiss wouldn't try attacking me or making a run for it once she woke up, nor trying to arm herself unless she came under attack. Along with that, I also made sure to add a compulsion not to try to either flee, sabotage my ship or my equipment, or try and steal my stuff.
With that done, I left the room after being sure to lock the cell behind me, mostly to check on things, but also to see about preparing some food for my guest and doing a bit of research as well. Absently, on the way to the refurbished Crew Quarters that I had turned into two bedrooms with attached Refreshers, I noted the progress of the machines in fabricating the items I had requested.
I smiled especially when I saw the medical supplies, those would come in useful in the future, especially since I wouldn't need to expend energy to use them, along with their improved effectiveness. Not to mention the fact that they were a shit load more effective than Bacta.
XXX
Upon regaining consciousness, the first that Avun noticed was that was, unexpectedly, alive. She noted that even as she looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling and frowned slightly as she slipped her eyes closed once more, stilling herself as she considered the most likely outcome from what she remembered.
She remembered being in the clearing, surrounded by thugs of the 'Hidden Hand' and about to die. Then, as she had fallen unconscious, her would-be executioner had exploded into a mist of gore, something that she could only assume was caused by the person who had brought her here, wherever 'here' was. Still, if she was alive, that meant that her rescuer had wanted her for something, the first of which that immediately came to mind being for her Bounty as she considered the fact that she was unarmed, unarmored and wearing nothing but her Thermal suit and undergarments. Suddenly, she heard the sound of heavy boots on Durasteel that were coming closer as she listened, the sound of a cell door being opened, making it clear that she was a prisoner, as she heard the boots continue to move.
"You can stop pretending to be asleep, Huntress Avun. There is little point in continuing such a facade, especially when I mean you no harm." The voice came suddenly, as she noted that the speaker was close by as she opened her eyes and turned to the source of the voice. Leaning up, she kept her eyes on the speaker as she noted that, yes, she was in a makeshift cell of some kind. As for the speaker, he looked to be a Human male with dark brown eyes and hair, a face with sharp features lacking baby fact with a hard chin. His hair was cut short and looked like something one would expect from a highly disciplined, planetary military, like what was expected back in the Chiss Ascendency, but what really caught her attention was his eyes, eyes that, while being primarily brown, seemed to have a ring of silver around the pupil that made them stand out. Turning her attention elsewhere, Avun noted the armor of her savior/warden and felt her lips slip down from their neutral position, she recognized it with ease, having always been one to keep an eye on the competition.
And the Bounty Hunter known as Michael 'Rancor Hunter' Drake, was one that she had definitely counted as serious competition, despite the man only appearing a few months ago. Within those few months, he had become a figure of not-so-minor interest as he turned in Bounty after Bounty after Bounty with a speed and efficiency that she found impressive, almost Chiss in a way. Most of his targets were returned, usually dead, but a fair number were turned in alive and with their faces intact enough to recognize, but with a fair number of bones broken and organs ruptured, making it a near thing. His nickname of 'Rancor Hunter' came from the pair of facts that, for one, the man had a serious temper when someone pissed him off, the main example being that he had once chased a target halfway up the Hydian way just because said target had destroyed a recent purchase of materials that he was, without a doubt, going to use to make something in his ship. The second reason for the name was due to him being hired to hunt down a former Jedi that happened to have some skill at controlling animals and had taken refuge on Felucia. He took the bounty before disappearing for three weeks, before returning with his target, chained up and sedated with a complex rig of injectors and medical scanners he had rigged up.
However, according to the story, what really earned him the name was that, the day after he turned in the bounty, he made a trip to the markets of Nar Shaddaa and sold a few dozen cured skins along with a number of skulls and bones.
Rancor Leather along with Rancor skulls and bones, giving him his new name.
"What do you want?" She asked after her moment of thought, considering the man for a moment. He looked her back and, surprisingly, nodded.
"Good, you're not jumping straight into things and are asking me as to what I want. I see that you are not suffering from any cognitive injuries, though I have already checked just to be sure. Then again, I didn't want to risk it since I have little biological data regarding the Chiss." Her head snapped round as she heard that word, her eyes wide as she fought to keep her shock and surprise from further showing.
"Then I can say that you have done an excellent job. Though, I find such an action counterproductive since you are bound to hand me over to the Hidden Hand soon enough." She remarked smoothly, staring at him in what she had learned was an unnerving manner, but, instead of being unnerved, the man was amused.
"Not quite. I merely wish to hear the full story as to what happened for you to get such a large bounty placed on your head so soon after you just turned in your last one." He remarked as he leaned back in his seat, arms crossed and a frown playing across his lips.
"The whole situation struck me as odd, hence why I haven't turned you over to them, since I wish to get some answers first." Gesturing to her, he continued on as she simply remained silent. "About three hours before your Bounty was posted, you had just turned in a Bounty for one Lassas Gussist, a freelance Deveronian Information Broker and Slicer that had gained a five million Credit Bounty from the Hutts after being caught stealing information from them and selling it to third parties. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but Mr Gussist also happened to have a rather good relationship with some members of the upper management of the Hidden Hand, and, when you turned in the Bounty, they decided to get back at you for removing one of their sources of information among the Hutts, their competition."
Avun considered those facts, along with how to answer, since it was clear that Michael had done his homework and researched the topic while she was asleep, healing from her injuries. She nodded in turn, rather impressed by the accuracy of the information since, she had learned, few people seemed to value doing their research to learn more about potential enemies, unless they were already enemies, which, to her, showed a lack of foresight.
"That is correct, though I did not believe that they would react so violently to having one of their sources cut off, nor did I think the Broker had such potent allies." She remarked, getting a nod from the other Hunter.
"Understandable, they tried to keep that relationship rather low-key, usually communicating through drop-offs and the like, they were careful, but they still left a trail of breadcrumbs that one could find if they knew where to look." He stated as the Human, at least that is what he appeared to be, pulled a datapad out from the inside of his coat and handed it to her.
"The man that posted the Bounty on you was a Human by the name of Ashtale Weasill, the one of the top officers of the Hidden Hand. He is an accomplished Smuggler himself, along with a rather colourful past as both a Mercenary and a Pirate. He has done work with a large number of corporations, mostly to transport a number of less-than-legal cargos along with intercepting their rivals to ensure that some cargos either arrive late or don't arrival at all, as a means of discrediting them. He was the point of contact for the Broker, along with a few other Brokers on and off the planet, but there is something I'm sure you will be more interested in..." He remarked as she glanced down at the bottom of the page and, while her face remained passive, she felt vindictive anticipation at what she saw.
"He has a Bounty on his head." She remarked as the Rancor Hunter nodded with ease.
"Him and a fair number of his upper management. The collective bounty of all of them together is in the region of 32 million Credits if all of them are dead, or up to 47 million for them all alive. They apparently earned that much through repeatedly interfering in the operations of both the Hutts and the Black Suns, neither of which were really interested in gaining more competition over the galactic underworld." He remarked as Avun nodded at that, it was understandable that criminals didn't want more competition, more competition meant they would have to work harder for their Credits, especially for some of their more lucrative endeavors. However, one question came to mind.
"And what of my Bounty?" She asked, curious as to what he would say. He shrugged as he answered.
"The Guild does a Credit check on the accounts of those that posted the Bounties, to make sure they have enough to pay it off. If the account doesn't have enough, they automatically remove the Bounty until the account does. If it is either closed or does not manage to meet the agreed upon amount within a week, then the Bounty is removed and not put up again unless it is reposted." He stated calmly, once more impressing her slightly by the fact he had clearly researched what was happening.
"So the most effective method to remove my Bounty would be to track down this Weasill, kill him, hack his account for all the funds within it and then turn in his Bounty as I would no longer be a target, correct?" She asked, getting a nod.
"Yes, though you should know that the man apparently has several accounts under different names, along with an amount of funds he keeps in Credit chits and out of circulation, not to mention as bars of valuable materials. Though, those would probably be a good start since, while you were out, the man ordered your ship to be destroyed, sorry about that, but there was nothing I could have done about it without linking myself to you and painting a target on us both." He remarked as she nodded, understanding the logic, even if she disliked it since it meant she would need to find another ship and modify it the way her old CSS-1 Corellian Star Shuttle. She had kept a fair amount of equipment on that ship, and felt annoyed of having to either make, buy or modify everything all over again, not to mention her keepsakes...
As if understanding what she was feeling, the other Hunter stood up from his seat and walked away from her, giving her some time to herself in order to come to terms with her last traces of home being destroyed.
As he left, she finally noted her lack of attempts to escape, nor even any attempts to harm him even when he had come into arm's reach of her.
"Curious..." She muttered as her mind started analysing what had happened and why there was a disconnect between her thoughts and actions before turning to see the retreating form of the other Hunter as he left the chamber.
It seems that she might have been a bit quick to consider him Human, or, at least, a normal Human...
XXX
I made a note to remove the compulsions in time, though I was more likely just to put timers on them so that they would remove themselves after a given amount of time, easier that way and less likely to get me in any bother. Though, I already knew that Avun, as her file stated her name was, already suspected something, her thoughts having already filled with possibilities of what I might have done along with considerations as to what I might be capable of. She seemed to be approaching the problem with the typical Chiss mentality of looking at all angles of a problem to find a solution, however, the problem with that was that she didn't have enough data to work with, something I had worked hard to ensure since I didn't like the idea of people knowing all my tricks, nor of becoming too predictable.
Still, Avun was actually making a few interesting theories about me, more than one seemed to be that I either was a former Padawan of the Jedi, a self-taught Force User, or a member of a race of beings with natural Force abilities that merely looked Human. I found that last one a bit funny due to the fact that, while I did have that odd silver ring around my pupils, I had done multiple DNA tests, just to confirm that I was, in fact, Human.
Mentally, I considered about whether or not I should have the results out for her to see before I shook my head, no, it was better to allow her to reach her own conclusion based off of assumptions that was nowhere near as accurate as the truth.
Stepping into the Hold, I glanced around before moving over to a crate where I had piled up her equipment after having fixed the holes in the armor. The armor itself was rather nice, looking rather similar to the armor worn by the bounty hunter from the 'Deceived' trailer, but without the jetpack or the hose connecting it to her chest plate, along with the colours being white, silver and black. A rather odd choice of colours, especially with white as the primary colour, even though it was dulled, but it seemed to work for her. Fixing the Durasteel plates was easy, but fixing the Duranium coating was a bit more difficult as I had to go out and buy a few ingots of the stuff off a local merchant who dealt with the materials.
As for weapons, she had lost her rifle along with her pistol, so I ended up getting her something else since I had been out anyway, not to mention the fact that having her unarmed for this would have done more harm than good. As a result, I planned to give her a pair of WESTAR-35 Blaster Pistols along with a Blaster Carbine that looked like an enlarged version of the same weapon, if she didn't like it, then she could pick up a few new weapons once the job was finished, I had little care for that as I checked over the stuff, just to make sure it was good to go even as I felt something shift. With a quick Presence Sense, I found that the Chiss had decided to move on from her grieving and had joined me in the cargo hold. I glanced briefly her way as I got a better look at her, her thermal suit really leaving nothing to the imagination while I saw her scanning the room, clearly trying to figure out what everything was even as she cast a cautious look at the robots I had guarding the room. I said nothing as she came closer, but turned as I saw her approaching.
"Feeling better?" I asked quietly as I nodded to her. She nodded back as she walked over to me, letting me see that she was quite tall, at least fifteen centimetres shorter than I was, while I stood around 2.1 metres tall. Though, I could have done without my mind automatically telling me that her three sizes were around 96-62-89 centimetres, though it was nice, it was also rather distracting.
"Yes, though, I will feel much better once I no longer have a Bounty on my head. Especially after those piles of Bantha Poodoo are no longer among the living." She stated as she glanced at her armor and the weapons I had laid out for her. I took that as a chance and quickly undid a bit of the Suggestions I had planted in her before leaving the others on timers to undo themselves in a few days.
"Impressive work repairing my armor, though I'm surprised about the weapons. Were they yours?" She asked, looking for more information as she glanced to my side, along with glancing to the heavy-looking rifles held by my robots as I shook my head.
"No, got them while I was out looking for more information on the targets and getting a few supplies. Figured you might want something a bit more familiar to you than what I use." I remarked as she nodded to me before grabbing the armor's chest plate and running a hand over it, the dull white giving away nothing as she glanced at me from the corner of her eye, even as it was hidden by the pixie cut of raven hair.
"It will take me a few minutes to change into my armor, I assume that you will be ready by then?" She asked as I simply nodded, seeing no reason to say much more as she nodded back before walking away, my eyes being drawn to her ass as she moved.
Seriously! Why was it that every female in Star Wars was either average looking or virtually drop dead gorgeous!?
XXX
For the female Chiss, she found herself surprisingly refreshed as she worked alongside the Rancor Hunter. As she had long since learned, most Hunters tended to work by the seat of their pants when carrying out a Bounty, simply selecting it by which one had the largest Bounty before going from there, often times without doing anything but the most basic of research on their target to find their location before moving in on their mark.
With Michael, however, she found someone that seemed to share her same method of researching each Bounty, usually by what had the most gain for the least amount of risk while still offering her the chance to gain decent bounties. He mostly did so on a case-by-case basis, but he was effective at what he did as, during the twenty minutes it took her to finish putting on her armor along with checking all her equipment for any faults he might have missed, he had compiled detailed files on each member of the Hidden Hand's upper management. These files included comprehensive information regarding favored weapons and tactics, their ship registrations and even things like where they liked to frequent to give a more in-depth examination of the people they were hunting. Honestly speaking, that kind of thoroughness would have fit right in among the Chiss, causing Avun to, out of amusement, think that Drake might have actually been a Chiss born with the wrong colour of skin.
An hour after he had managed to gather all of that information, they had learned that their targets, with the exception of a few of the lower ranking members, were going to be meeting at a high-end bar and nightclub called 'The Drop Zone', near one of the smaller Spaceports for the planet. The bar itself was apparently run by one of their members, but that really didn't change much as Michael drove the pair of them to a rather nice spot where they could overlook the nightclub. Even then, they were even able to see straight into the room their targets were in thanks to the large number of windows that they had before them.
It was also at that point that Michael pulled a rather large Sniper rifle-like weapon from a holding bag, along with a what looked like a briefcase, before placing the latter under his coat and just behind his left belt holster, holding it in place with magnetic clamps, while he laid down and took aim with the sniper.
"I've got eyes on at least fifteen of out targets. I repeat, one-five targets. Can you see any of the others on the list?" He asked as she shook her head even as she answered, again, it hardly mattered, but being thorough was a rather nice thing to do as it meant that they wouldn't have to deal with stragglers and revenge seekers.
"No. Aside from a few guards located around the room, nothing else. Though, from what I can tell, that room is soundproofed since my microphone isn't picking up any of the music from the lower levels of the club." She replied as she regarded them for a moment, she could hear them as a sensitive beam bounced back from the thick windows, carrying audio back with it, but with none of the heavy bets that she could hear coming from the opening and closing doors of the club, even with them being a good few dozen floors below her and her temporary partner.
"Good. Means that we won't need to worry about being interrupted if we do an on the spot interrogation of their leader." Michael remarked as Avun regarded him for a moment.
"... Would it not be easier to carry him back to your ship before doing such a thing?" She remarked as he gave a shrug.
"I have a few tricks that could make it easier either way, but doing it on the spot means that we won't have to worry about being compromised as we drag his sorry ass back to the Dakka Hunter, though, that still depends on you." He remarked as she felt an eyebrow rise at that remark.
"Me?" Avun repeated as Michael nodded.
"Yes, since he was the fucker that wronged you." The other hunter noted as she took a moment to consider that before nodding, it only made sense that she was the one to 'settle the debt', as she had learned was the term.
"Very well, kill everyone but their leader, cripple him and we can carry out the interrogation within their conference room if we're quick enough to prevent any alarms from being raised." Michael nodded at that.
"Don't worry about the alarms, those have been taken care of." Avun felt her eyebrows rise once more, wondering just what Michael Drake had done if he was so confident, but, before she was given the chance to ask her question, the Rancor Hunter opened fire as she watched.
The first shot hit its target instantaneously after the trigger was depressed, hitting what was, without a doubt, armored Transparasteel before melting right through it and carrying on to hit the first target, a male Zabark, in the head. Said target's head exploded on impact by what she had learned to be an invisible laser beam of impressive power, certainly more potent than any Blaster bare either vehicle-mounted weapons, heavy weapons with either a backpack-mounted power source, a tripod mount or something mounted on a starship. The other fourteen targets weren't even given time to rise from their seats as they found themselves being shot in rapid succession, one after another being shot and killed with a single shot to the head. By the time they had managed to drop to the ground, all but five of them were dead, not to mention the four guards in the room as they had taken to trying to hide under, what they believed to be, sufficient cover but were proven wrong when the next few shots hit right through their cover, killing them, before Michael turned to the last target.
Four shots later and he was done, as she saw when he stood up, threw the sniper around his shoulder, even as he got up and turned to her, gesturing towards their waiting airspeeder.
"Time to collect a few Bounties."
XXX
Under my helmet, I smiled as I stepped through what remained of the Transparasteel window that should have protected the idiots from anything short of direct Heavy Blaster cannon fire. Honestly, I found that funny as I glanced around to see my handy work.
Heads had been popped as water molecules were agitated by the beams of laser light, causing everything to be splattered in blood and brain matter of a few different colours before I turned at the sound of a few shards being crushed under foot. I glanced over my shoulder to see Avun stepping into the room, I could hear her thoughts as she considered the damage done by my rifle, a nice TX-SL12 Sharpshooter Laser rifle, and I knew that she now wished to have one of her own. Rolling my eyes at that, I had already made sure to use a mixture of Electrokinesis and Telemechanic Operation to shut down any kind of alarm along with locking the doors shut, something that would keep this as a private matter for the time being. Hearing someone groaning, I smiled as I stepped around the large conference table before coming to the main person of interest.
"Hello, Mr Bo Prorn, I trust that you are quite well this fine day?" I remarked sarcastically as I heard him screaming in pain as he tried to crawl away from me on non-existent limbs, each limb having been burned off with concentrated Laser fire, something that I had long since practiced how to do in order to be able to not kill targets on instinct since, apparently, it was easier for me to kill than it was to cripple.
Go figure.
"Please... Help me... Just... Just name your price..." I heard the Quarren mutter as I looked at the squid-shaped head of the creature and couldn't help the smirk that only grew on my lips as I glanced over to Avun, who was standing to one side of the room, her Carbine in hand while she glanced around. I already knew that she was watching me out of the corner of her eye, but I didn't truly care since, if I continued, I was sure that my abilities would become public knowledge, at least within the Galactic Underworld, sooner or later. Reaching into my belt as I knelt down next to the cripple, I drew out a Hypodermic Gun filled with shots of nano-machine enhanced Bacta, the stuff had been programmed to heal the target before the machines self-destructed to leave no evidence in a target's body. I used them from time to time as a cover for when I didn't want to expose my abilities to heal in front of witnesses.
"Don't worry, the pain won't last long, just relax and don't attempt to fight me or my friend here. After all, we're your friends, really damned good friends. You trust us completely, so much so that if we ask you a question about any your secrets, stuff that you'd normally never tell even your own mother, you'd gladly tell us because we're such good friends. Isn't that right?" I asked as I laced my voice with a Hypnotic Suggestion and leaned on the idiot. Hard.
People could be resistant to the stuff, but I had long since found out that pain numbed their ability to focus and resist such techniques. The Quarren's expression changed from a grimace of pain to a bastard cross of a smile and a grimace as he nodded.
"Yeah... We've been good friends... For years..." He muttered out as I injected him with the Bacta, the Suggestion firmly planted in his mind as the medicine got to work. It wouldn't regrow his arms or anything, but it would heal him to the point that he was no longer in pain and could function reasonably well.
"Good. Now then, you mind answering a few questions for us?" I asked, already knowing the answer as I leaned the Prorn up against a table leg that still connected the thick platform of Durasteel to the ground. I smiled as he nodded.
"What do you wanna know, my friends?" He asked as I glanced over to Avun, who had long since given up trying to be surupticious about her glances my way and was now openly staring at me, her mind running a mile a minute.
"A few things. First of all, I want you to tell us the account numbers, access codes and any other relevant information to do with any and all Credit accounts you currently have access to, whether they belong to yourself or the Hidden Hand, along with what Bank they are in and the relevant security. Secondly, we want a list of any and all funds and assets in the forms of precious gems, artwork, valuable materials or anything else that you might have stocked up encase you lost access to your accounts or if they were not suitable methods of payment. Thirdly, we want to know where you kept any information of value, both the primary copy and any kind of backup copies, along with anyone that might have known about their locations. Forth, you mind telling me how many people knew about the business between that Information Broker and the Bounty Hunter you posted a Bounty on? That alright with you, my friend?" I asked after explaining what me and Avun had already concluded was our primary interests seeing as the Bounty on her head would be taken care of as a matter of course, especially since I knew which account was linked to it. Sure, I could have dealt with it without having to leave the ship, but that would have simply meant that the fucker would have needed to just post another Bounty. This way, it just meant that all the loose ends were tied and it wouldn't come back to bit the pair of us in the ass further down the line.
"Of course, my friends. Currently, I have 23 accounts spread over three different banking groups with nineteen of them being handled by the Banking Clan. The Account codes for them are Four-Seven-Six-Three-" I smiled as the delusional Quarren kept on talking, spilling his secrets to us as I felt the astonishment, surprise, interest and wariness radiating from Avun even as she came closer to the pair of us. I knew I had little to worry about from her, the commands that I had put into her were still in effect so I knew that I wouldn't have to worry about any surprise Blaster Bolts to the back of the head.
Even with the brilliant armor I had, I still felt something from the impacts, especially if they hit the head and were especially powerful.
XXX
For moments after Michael had started to 'interrogate' the Quarren crime boss, Avun couldn't help but freeze in stunned amazement and surprise at what she saw. With just a few simple statements, the Rancor Hunter had Bo Prorn dancing to his tune as the Quarren answered each question as fully and completely as was possible, leaving nothing out and practically giving them the keys to his entire fortune, and then some.
However, while amazed at what she was witnessing, Avun couldn't help but feel a slight bit of dread building in her stomach as she considered what he had just done and then considered her own state, the main thing being her seeming inability to actively harm her temporary partner as she thought of what she had just learned. Michael apparently possessed the ability to directly influence another being into believing anything that he said, meaning that he could implant commands directly into other beings. Avun wasn't sure about the actual nature of the ability, nor the mechanics behind it, but the implications were enough to draw interest, curiosity and caution in equal measure as she continued to watch what was unfolding before her.
However, even as she watched, making a recording for future investigation, review and analysis, Avun also couldn't help but find the entire situation darkly amusing, mainly because this idiot was now being played like a puppet and, in the process of such, was going to get them both more Credits than they could have ever earned otherwise. Avun had already collected the heads of the other targets in the room, placing them in a duffle bag that was now over her shoulder before approaching the pair at the edge of the room.
"-And that's everything. Is there anything else you need, my friends?" The Quarren asked with what could only be described as a 'happy-go-luck' tone of voice. Avun felt her eyes roll in her sockets as Michael shook his head to his conversational partner.
"No, thank you, you've been a great help." Michael remarked with a vicious tone as he looked at her, drawing her eye as his off-hand grasped the front of his hat before he jerked his head towards the Quarren. Avun instantly knew what he was implying and didn't hesitate in what happened next, merely lifting her Carbine and pulling the trigger twice before the limb-less body of the Quarren dropped to the ground, twin holes burned into his forehead as Michael nodded and drew a knife, kneeling down to the corpse as he started the process of removing the target's head.
The Bounty poster was oddly specific in that regard.
Now, after ten minutes of the 'interrogation' the room was suddenly dosed with silence.
After half a minute, with nothing but the sound of the knife moving through flesh and bones, Avun finally broke the silence.
"... What was that? How did you get him to become so... Compliant so easily?" She asked, doing her best to sound casual, but she had a very real interest in what he might say next, getting a snort from the, supposedly, Human.
"Wondering if I've used that trick on you?" He fired back as the female Chiss remained still, not wanting to say anything since, no matter what she said, it would have revealed her interest and the urgency with which she wanted the answer.
"..." Her silence was met with another snort of amusement from the other Hunter as he kept cutting through the Quarren's neck.
"To answer the questions currently going around in your head, the name of the ability I have is called Psionics among my people; the power of the mind. It's a trait that, while not exactly common, is not entirely rare either, and allows the user of the ability any number of talents to draw upon. The talent that I used on him was called Hypnotic Suggestion, a trick that lets me influence another through vocal ques into doing what I want, whether that being answering a few questions or simply not putting up a fight, to implanting compulsions for them to follow, varying from simple things to things that could completely shift a person's personality. And yes, before you ask, I did use this ability on you while you were recovering from your near-death experience following the Airpseeder chase through the city." Listening to the full extent of the 'talent', as Michael had called it, Avun couldn't help her eyes widening as her mind ran through light-years of implications, possible uses and the power that his people must wield if what Drake said was true.
Then her brain stalled as she heard his last remark, reviewing it multiple times in her brain to make sure she heard him correctly, before she turned to regard him as he finally finished dropping the Quarren's head in a small sack that was then tied around his waist.
"... What did you do to me...?" Avun asked, her mental discipline helping to cover the trepidation in her tone as she feared what he might have done, images of being enslaved, her mind and body being twisted until she was a willing slave to him, flashed through her mind. With every second that passed, such images only grew worse, before they were cut off by another snort of amusement from the Rancor Hunter.
"Nothing much, just some stuff to make sure you didn't attack me once you woke up, stuff to make sure you didn't try to steal or damage my belongings, and a few other things, but all of them were time sensitive compulsions, so they will erase themselves from your mind within a certain time frame." He remarked as he started moving passed her frozen form.
"... And how do I know that you are telling the truth?" She asked, a clear hint of anger and trepidation coming through as she mentally searched herself of any other sign of compulsions or implanted commands. She found none, but her own paranoia was driving her, making her think that this was simply a ploy to get her to drop her guard in order for him to spring something on her. Once more, she was surprised by the snort that came from his helmeted head, this time one of disbane.
"You don't. However, I like to think that I can hold myself to a moral standard, well, not really a case of morality given some of the things I've been involved in, but, I guess one could call it common decency. Slavery was a big problem back home, especially in coastal areas. I used to fight the Slavers that came around those areas from time to time, and I have seen the things they did to those they captured, as such, I have very little interest in becoming a slaver myself." Michael remarked, somehow, with just a few words, getting rid of all her trepidation and nervous energy as she heard real disgust and disbane in his voice at the mere suggestion that he would do something similar. releasing a sigh of relief, Avun smiled slightly under her helmet as she nodded.
"Then, with that out of the way, I suppose it is time that we get back to your ship. I'd much rather continue this discussion somewhere else, somewhere that we will not have to worry about possible intrusions." Avun remarked, but was then confused as Michael suddenly tilted his head to one side before slamming his hand into his silver faceplate.
"You just had to invoke Murphy, now didn't you?" He retorted in a mutter before looking up at her, grabbing her shoulder and throwing her to the ground behind the solid cover of the conference table.
And not a moment too soon, as the doorway to the conference room suddenly exploded inwardly and filling the room with expanding gases and heat. Smoke poured into and out of the room before it was followed by Blaster Bolts and battle cries as Humans, Twi'leks and Weequay gangsters all came rushing into the room. The Chiss didn't wait, and neither did her partner as they both drew their weapons of choice, only Avun found herself surprised when Michael drew that suitcase from earlier, though, she and everyone else did make an important discovery soon afterwards.
It was most definitely not a suitcase, as shown when a Weequay suddenly found himself missing a fair portion of his upper torso and his neck was annihilated to the point that it looked like his head was dangling from a thread.
XXX