Search for the Sage: Justice of the Emperor

[Hiro Protagonist]

The hacker pushed in the simple wooden door to the Velvet Dolphin and was slightly surprised to see that it was filled with gleaming, armored Stormtroopers. If the Sage had come here, then why was his bounty still up? He would have been immediately arrested, unless something else had happened after his visit. Hiro walked over to the man in officer's clothes and cleared his throat to get his attention. Looking up from his dirty glass of amber brew, the officer sneered and waved with one hand. "Shove off, boy. This isn't a tavern anymore. No sailors allowed, unless you're with the Navy."

-thunk-

The officer froze for a moment, a look of surprise and anger on his features. The hacker had buried one of his tanto in the bar counter, an annoyed look on his own face. "Sir."

The Officer, who's name tag read "Belt", hissed with rage, a vein pulsing on his temple. "What did you say?"

"I said, Sir. As in 'Shove off, Sir.' " Hiro pulled out his EPD badge and stuck it two inches away from Officer Belt's nose. "Agent Hiro Protagonist, and you will address me as such, or I will notify Central Command about the lack of respect their frontier officers show to established Primes." Putting the badge back, he took a seat across the bar from Belt. "Is that clear, Officer Belt?"

It was amusing to see just how quickly the man's posture changed. All the bluster had gone out of his demeanor, replaced with resignation and a hint of boredom as he raised his beer mug to take a long sip. "How can I assist you, Agent Protagonist?" The hacker smirked and withdrew his tanto, repeating the gesture in the air and displaying the hologram of the Sage. "I'm pursuing this man. A fugitive from the Emperor's justice. He was last seen entering this establishment."

Belt grunted and pulled up a datapad, flicking through it. While he looked for the info, Hiro took a second look around the bar. It seemed to have been converted into a barracks break room, numerous trooper and officers playing cards or reading-slash-filing reports. The hacker guessed that the bar had been commandeered by the Empire, most likely as another attempt to keep the borders of Costa del Sol under control. The numerous islands of the Deeps had proven very hard to corral into line, so most of them were left to their own devices, and periodically checked for signs of rebellion.

"Mmm...I didn't see him myself, but I suspect the tavern's previous owner helped hide him. He's probably long gone by now, Agent Protagonist." Officer Belt disguised his glee at being supremely unhelpful with another sip of his beer, while Hiro frowned. "You shouldn't be drinking on duty, Officer."

Belt shrugged. "Might as well. Not much else to do at the moment. We're just a temporary detachment, all the heavy troopers were sent with the diplomatic delegation to Cinnabar Island. Ha! You might check there, they have a wonderful tendency to shelter enemies of the Empire." Nodding, the hacker-ronin brought up his verse map. "Cinnabar...hmm. I see there's a supply ship due to head in that general direction. I could hitch a ride and make the rest of the way on my own."

Officer Belt burped loudly and shrugged. "Don't let me stop you Agent. And please, don't hesitate to ask if you need anything." He grunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Hiro gave him a satisfied grin.

"Good. I'll be taking the anti-grav compensators you have listed on file in the armory. Good to see that Coruscant's finest still file their reports punctually." Belt began to protest, before Hiro held up a finger. "Ah-ah-ah, Officer. File a requisition for another one if they're that important here. I'll even compensate you."

A short while later, there was a cred chip in the officer's pocket, and two small grey disks strapped around Hiro's ankles. He leapt gracefully across the rooftops towards the docks, the new compensators allowing him to sail through the air like he was on a spacewalk, arriving at the supply ship just as a huge belch of smoke went up from it's stack. The nautically dressed hacker landed on his feet a yard away from the first mate, skipping a little to disperse the extra momentum. "Room for one more?"