02-21-2018, 08:50 AM
As Dawnika exited the Joonelerie Diner with a satisfied smirk. The bizarre fusion style restaurant had piqued her interest when she had spied the advertisement of ‘eat what you kill’ on the establishment’s dataverse page. Indeed, the diner featured a discount price if customers were willing to enter single-combat with their lunch for the entertainment of other patrons. Being that she was eating on Kopaka’s dime, it wasn’t really necessary, but how could she have passed up the opportunity to show off her combat prowess against a giant octopus? Besides, the sushi had been delightful.
As the merc was pondering the sort of licenses Joonelerie needed to operate on Tier-1, she felt a cold breeze and knew that her hunting partner was near. Kopaka stalked up to her, datavice in hand, and showed Dawn a picture of a half-human Twi’lek girl designated as Chi-Owo.
“Who’s this?” Dawn asked, sipping down the remainder of a water bottle. The pictured female was skinny and haunted looking, and had apparently been employed at some sort of research facility on Coruscant’s niche pharmaceutical circuit. Being that they were headed for the city’s armpit, Dawn could already see where this was going.
“Lemme guess. Tail-head sampled some of the product a few too many times and got kicked down four Tiers.” Dawn snorted, passing the datavice back to her stalwart companion. Kopaka tucked the screen into his robes silently and gazed out at the buzzing aerial traffic patterns beyond the ledge they currently occupied.
“A near-enough guess. More importantly, she has been found to be working in one of the gangs pledged to Luci’s coalition.” Kopaka started. Dawn cut him off.
“I had always thought the EPD tries to keep out of Five. Let the rabble do their thing.” she mused. Kopaka nodded slowly.
“In so many words. But that does not mean we let them go unmonitored. It is tedious business, especially considering the gangs’ interference, but we do maintain a passable intelligence operation on the more noisome factions.” Kopaka droned. The mercenary woman nodded and let the Toa continue.
“The Twi’lek girl has not been part of Westside for very long. Reports indicate that Luci’s army of ingrates has an almost hypnotic loyalty to her. Owo will be easy to track, and may lead to other members more closely linked to Luci.” The biomech said, keeping his gaze turned outwards. Dawn moved up to lean against the banister of the sky-high balcony, the gleaming natural sunlight pouring warmth onto her pale skin. She mulled over the information, and decided she needed to know more.
“What about cons? Can we use any Westsiders currently in custody as resources?” Dawn asked, fiddling around with her empty water bottle. Kopaka smiled internally; this human female certainly knew how to pool potential resources.
“We do have a few prominent Westsiders in EPD facilities. Koloth of the Mighty Klingons and Shadowkill of the Deathblades…” the biomech said slowly, pausing to give Dawn a moment to snort derisively at the latter name.
“Koloth’s gang was a Westside affiliate, but the klingon himself had few direct dealings with Luci. He described pursuing Luci as ‘attempting to hit a moving target concealed behind a forest’. A boast, perhaps, but the bottom line is that he can do very little in providing active targeting data.”
“And the Deathblade runt?” Dawn followed up, beginning to absorb the omnilium out of the empty bottle. Waste not, want not.
“Much the same, though we did learn that he was the one who requested Luci apply bounties on EPD officials after his younger sister was killed in a raid on the Hutts…” Kopaka stated flatly.
“Stupid kids…” Dawnika breathed softly, crushing the half-evaporated plastic in her hands. The Toa could detect a hint of anger in her tone, potentially borne out of the cruel reality presented here. It was fairly straightforward to Dawnika Snow: Luci was perfectly happy to play the shadow puppet master while putting anyone and everyone in front of her, abusing their gang loyalties. Even kids, if it suited her. This alone may have been motivation enough to track the bitch down and tear her apart with high caliber rifle fire, but the fact she was being paid to do so made it even better.
“Alright, so what’s the play here? This is your turf.” the huntress snapped, tossing the remaining scraps over the ledge. Normally Kopaka would have been furious at these kinds of litterbug tendencies, but Coruscant was about as far as the Toa could get from a natural environment. There was no use in someone throwing a speck of refuse on what he already considered a trash heap.
“The first step is to install ourselves in Tier Five without attracting too much attention. To that end, it would be better if you handled most of the face to face interactions while I support from a distance. We’ll travel down by public air-tram, with me riding in the freight car. ” Kopaka said. He could sense Dawn’s body tense up slightly, and he couldn’t blame her. Neither of them were what might have been considered ‘social’ creatures, but for the sake of a solid kill, the bounty huntress would be willing to suck it up.
“Fair enough...and then?” she murmured.
“We’ll have to try multiple approaches at once. Five’s gangs are savvy; they will mark you as an outsider very quickly, but if you are able to ingratiate yourself with a few of their front-liners, that might be a good first step. Meanwhile, I can try to track down Chi-Owo and see if I can encourage some more...direct feedback from her.” the biomech said with a barely registered note of glee. Dawn smirked to herself; she had no pity for any of these lowlifes.
“Alright, it’s a start. Who else is in play here? Neutral parties? Enemies we might be able to get help from?” the human asked, thumbing the optics on her rifle absentmindedly. A particularly large trash-hauler blew past them on their perch, causing the Toa’s cloak and Dawn’s hair to flutter wildly for a second. The both seemed to take it as a non-verbal queue to begin moving to the nearest public tram station. Kopaka’s loud, metallic footfalls mirrored the small clapping bootsteps of Dawn in perfect rhythm. It was a sunny, bright day up on Tier One. Dawn wondered if such would be the case in just a few short minutes from now, when they would be beneath the artificial sky of Five.
“A few. The only two the EPD considers notable are the Gentleman Jacks and the Orc Mafia. The Jacks are a relatively new gang run by the Prime the EPD has identified as Victor Hendy, though we believe this to be a pseudonym. We also have reason to believe they were approached by Luci to join Westside, but are deliberating on the matter.” Kopaka said, speaking softly.
“Hendy? From Dante’s Abyss?” Dawn asked, perking up.
“The same.”
“Hm. Well the Jacks sound like they may as well already be in Westside’s pocket. At the very least they won’t want to make waves. What about the Orks?” the mercenary asked, glancing up at her frigid teammate. Kopaka went silent for approximately a minute, turning the possibilities over in his mind.
“I would not think so. The Orks would love to see Luci dead, but sources indicate that they’re making renewed efforts to take over Tier Five. Westside’s member factions have been able to keep them at bay in the past, and it is a balance the EPD is interested in maintaining. Giving the Orks freedom to dominate and grow in power would be just as foul as letting Luci run amok.” Kopaka murmured. Normally the Toa would have been forced to speak much more loudly, but Dawn had consistently proven that her physical senses were far above normal median levels for humans. The heavily armed young lady nodded thoughtfully.
“Right. So let the Orks and Westside exhaust each other. Eliminate Luci to prevent any consistent power shift. I gotcha.” Dawn said as the pair waited at the brightly lit tram stop. It was a large aluminum and transparisteel structure with flickering holo-ads and ONN playing over the loudspeakers. The air became even more cool than usual as Dawn and Kopaka walked into the shadow of one of the top tier’s mega skyscrapers, giving the entire area a shaded navy tint. A few rows of mulched planters hosted a wide range of leafy plants that whispered softly in the consistent winds of the open cityscape.
A few other Tier One residents were milling around, and now stared at the odd couple who walked under the awning. Despite the constant thrum of air traffic and buzzing electronics, things became very quiet for the next fifteen minutes until the immense flying bus pulled to a stop at the platform. Dawn took the EPD pass that Kopaka handed to her and discussed the arrangements with the driver, who obligingly opened the cargo doors at the back of the long transport ship. Two more minutes passed as everyone boarded and the tram was on its way down into the darkest reaches of the endless city...
As the merc was pondering the sort of licenses Joonelerie needed to operate on Tier-1, she felt a cold breeze and knew that her hunting partner was near. Kopaka stalked up to her, datavice in hand, and showed Dawn a picture of a half-human Twi’lek girl designated as Chi-Owo.
“Who’s this?” Dawn asked, sipping down the remainder of a water bottle. The pictured female was skinny and haunted looking, and had apparently been employed at some sort of research facility on Coruscant’s niche pharmaceutical circuit. Being that they were headed for the city’s armpit, Dawn could already see where this was going.
“Lemme guess. Tail-head sampled some of the product a few too many times and got kicked down four Tiers.” Dawn snorted, passing the datavice back to her stalwart companion. Kopaka tucked the screen into his robes silently and gazed out at the buzzing aerial traffic patterns beyond the ledge they currently occupied.
“A near-enough guess. More importantly, she has been found to be working in one of the gangs pledged to Luci’s coalition.” Kopaka started. Dawn cut him off.
“I had always thought the EPD tries to keep out of Five. Let the rabble do their thing.” she mused. Kopaka nodded slowly.
“In so many words. But that does not mean we let them go unmonitored. It is tedious business, especially considering the gangs’ interference, but we do maintain a passable intelligence operation on the more noisome factions.” Kopaka droned. The mercenary woman nodded and let the Toa continue.
“The Twi’lek girl has not been part of Westside for very long. Reports indicate that Luci’s army of ingrates has an almost hypnotic loyalty to her. Owo will be easy to track, and may lead to other members more closely linked to Luci.” The biomech said, keeping his gaze turned outwards. Dawn moved up to lean against the banister of the sky-high balcony, the gleaming natural sunlight pouring warmth onto her pale skin. She mulled over the information, and decided she needed to know more.
“What about cons? Can we use any Westsiders currently in custody as resources?” Dawn asked, fiddling around with her empty water bottle. Kopaka smiled internally; this human female certainly knew how to pool potential resources.
“We do have a few prominent Westsiders in EPD facilities. Koloth of the Mighty Klingons and Shadowkill of the Deathblades…” the biomech said slowly, pausing to give Dawn a moment to snort derisively at the latter name.
“Koloth’s gang was a Westside affiliate, but the klingon himself had few direct dealings with Luci. He described pursuing Luci as ‘attempting to hit a moving target concealed behind a forest’. A boast, perhaps, but the bottom line is that he can do very little in providing active targeting data.”
“And the Deathblade runt?” Dawn followed up, beginning to absorb the omnilium out of the empty bottle. Waste not, want not.
“Much the same, though we did learn that he was the one who requested Luci apply bounties on EPD officials after his younger sister was killed in a raid on the Hutts…” Kopaka stated flatly.
“Stupid kids…” Dawnika breathed softly, crushing the half-evaporated plastic in her hands. The Toa could detect a hint of anger in her tone, potentially borne out of the cruel reality presented here. It was fairly straightforward to Dawnika Snow: Luci was perfectly happy to play the shadow puppet master while putting anyone and everyone in front of her, abusing their gang loyalties. Even kids, if it suited her. This alone may have been motivation enough to track the bitch down and tear her apart with high caliber rifle fire, but the fact she was being paid to do so made it even better.
“Alright, so what’s the play here? This is your turf.” the huntress snapped, tossing the remaining scraps over the ledge. Normally Kopaka would have been furious at these kinds of litterbug tendencies, but Coruscant was about as far as the Toa could get from a natural environment. There was no use in someone throwing a speck of refuse on what he already considered a trash heap.
“The first step is to install ourselves in Tier Five without attracting too much attention. To that end, it would be better if you handled most of the face to face interactions while I support from a distance. We’ll travel down by public air-tram, with me riding in the freight car. ” Kopaka said. He could sense Dawn’s body tense up slightly, and he couldn’t blame her. Neither of them were what might have been considered ‘social’ creatures, but for the sake of a solid kill, the bounty huntress would be willing to suck it up.
“Fair enough...and then?” she murmured.
“We’ll have to try multiple approaches at once. Five’s gangs are savvy; they will mark you as an outsider very quickly, but if you are able to ingratiate yourself with a few of their front-liners, that might be a good first step. Meanwhile, I can try to track down Chi-Owo and see if I can encourage some more...direct feedback from her.” the biomech said with a barely registered note of glee. Dawn smirked to herself; she had no pity for any of these lowlifes.
“Alright, it’s a start. Who else is in play here? Neutral parties? Enemies we might be able to get help from?” the human asked, thumbing the optics on her rifle absentmindedly. A particularly large trash-hauler blew past them on their perch, causing the Toa’s cloak and Dawn’s hair to flutter wildly for a second. The both seemed to take it as a non-verbal queue to begin moving to the nearest public tram station. Kopaka’s loud, metallic footfalls mirrored the small clapping bootsteps of Dawn in perfect rhythm. It was a sunny, bright day up on Tier One. Dawn wondered if such would be the case in just a few short minutes from now, when they would be beneath the artificial sky of Five.
“A few. The only two the EPD considers notable are the Gentleman Jacks and the Orc Mafia. The Jacks are a relatively new gang run by the Prime the EPD has identified as Victor Hendy, though we believe this to be a pseudonym. We also have reason to believe they were approached by Luci to join Westside, but are deliberating on the matter.” Kopaka said, speaking softly.
“Hendy? From Dante’s Abyss?” Dawn asked, perking up.
“The same.”
“Hm. Well the Jacks sound like they may as well already be in Westside’s pocket. At the very least they won’t want to make waves. What about the Orks?” the mercenary asked, glancing up at her frigid teammate. Kopaka went silent for approximately a minute, turning the possibilities over in his mind.
“I would not think so. The Orks would love to see Luci dead, but sources indicate that they’re making renewed efforts to take over Tier Five. Westside’s member factions have been able to keep them at bay in the past, and it is a balance the EPD is interested in maintaining. Giving the Orks freedom to dominate and grow in power would be just as foul as letting Luci run amok.” Kopaka murmured. Normally the Toa would have been forced to speak much more loudly, but Dawn had consistently proven that her physical senses were far above normal median levels for humans. The heavily armed young lady nodded thoughtfully.
“Right. So let the Orks and Westside exhaust each other. Eliminate Luci to prevent any consistent power shift. I gotcha.” Dawn said as the pair waited at the brightly lit tram stop. It was a large aluminum and transparisteel structure with flickering holo-ads and ONN playing over the loudspeakers. The air became even more cool than usual as Dawn and Kopaka walked into the shadow of one of the top tier’s mega skyscrapers, giving the entire area a shaded navy tint. A few rows of mulched planters hosted a wide range of leafy plants that whispered softly in the consistent winds of the open cityscape.
A few other Tier One residents were milling around, and now stared at the odd couple who walked under the awning. Despite the constant thrum of air traffic and buzzing electronics, things became very quiet for the next fifteen minutes until the immense flying bus pulled to a stop at the platform. Dawn took the EPD pass that Kopaka handed to her and discussed the arrangements with the driver, who obligingly opened the cargo doors at the back of the long transport ship. Two more minutes passed as everyone boarded and the tram was on its way down into the darkest reaches of the endless city...
C O L D