Back to Basics (complete)

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Chandrila

It might be a member of the New Republic, Kazaar thought as he landed the Flying Dutchman onto the landing pad.

But Gorgja was still able to get a small foothold into this planet.

It had been almost a month since Kazaar had been attacked and captured (http://swforums.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=454850#post454850) by the crime lord, Kimiiki Crei. The pasty albino had tortured and almost killed him on Transdosha. If it wasn't for the intervention of Kazaar's close and dear friend, Estelle Russard, the bounty hunter woulda been dead.

Kazaar took another swig of his bourbon, then walked down the back of the cockpit towards the cargo area. He had something in storage back there...a prize of his...his speeder.

The bounty hunter sniffed as he slid behind the wheel of the black speeder, flicking the headlights on and ensuring the anti-grav pad was working.

A press of the accelerator and he was off.

He'd asked Gorgja the Hutt to give him some work, he needed it after all, Kazaar didn't want himself to get 'behind'. Especially with Gorgja's business being what it was. Kazaar might be a bounty hunter, but he was a damn good one. And he wanted to stay on top of everything.

He pulled the speeder sharply around a corner, heading towards one of the warehouse districts on the capitol city of Chandrila.

Gorgja had given him a fairly simple job...ensuring someone would pay the protection money that was owed them.

Kazaar was angry and looking forward to any sort of resistance the shop owner would give him.

His speeder sped up and headed towards his intended target.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

He was getting closer to the target. Or that's what his computer's scanners were saying.

The name of the place was "Naregatell's Gran Food". Kazaar was rather surprised that place was even open for business, Gran food tended to not be for the faint of heart.

Kazaar pulled the speeder sharply around a corner, hearing the engines whine as he pressed hard on the accelerator. A smile...well more of a smirk...came onto the bounty hunter's face as he sped down the lit street. The dark cigar rolled in his mouth, unlit for now, and the aluminum flask *tinked* against the metal of the blaster in his shoulder holster.

He turned another corner and began to wonder if the bat in the seat next to him would be enough. If not, he had his blaster plus a blaster rifle in the trunk of the speeder.

Kazaar's smirk-smile turned into a full smirk and he lit his cigar.

It felt good to be back.

[Estelle Russard]

Estelle looked the clerk over, not knowing wether to believe him or not.

She leaned closer to the glass cabinet. The gems set within the wrought work of the medallions looked real enough. And the price certainly attested to their authenticity. But to her inexperienced eye, she could not be certain.

The store had been recommended to her, and though it was not the most affluent part of the city, it was still reputable by all means. It was the clerk himself that gave her pause. He just had that...air..about him.

"I dont know, Im not sure. I mean, I do like them - their design is beautiful."

*The metal is pure, madam. Solid craftsmanship* the clerk assured.


Estelle hummed and hawwed. The pendants were to be a gift and she wanted them to be exactly the right thing.

"Perhaps if I could see them out of the glass once more..?"


Even as the clerk obliged her, Estelle had almost decided this was not what she was after.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar was humming a tune as he sped around another corner.

"Well I've never been to Gran...but I've been to Kuat. Well they tell me I was born there...but I really don't remember."

It wouldn't be much longer now. The restaraunt was about a mile away. As he pulled up to a stop, Kazaar looked off to his left at the Chandrila Police Cruiser next to his speeder.

He nodded at the cop within the speeder, then sped off quickly. Kazaar didn't need any trouble with a 'cake walk' job like this was supposed t'be.

Five minutes later, the speeder halted right infront of "Naregatell's Gran Food". Kazaar hefted the bat on his shoulder, then entered the store.

"Grheetings," the Gran said in broken Basic, "Whelcomhe to Naregatell's Gran Food. How can whe help you?"

Kazaar regarded the three-eyed alien with a dark smirk and a face-full of cigar smoke.

"I think y'know who sent me," he snarled, "Send Nargatell out 'ere will ya? We gotta talk bizness."

He had a nasty smile on his face as he hefted the bat.

"C'mon...move it!"

When he poked the Gran with the bat, the alien quickly ran off to find the owner.

"Frellin' idiots..." Kazaar puffed on his cigar and waited for the owner.

Gorgja didn't like not having his protection money.

[Estelle Russard]

Once more the medallions were placed back into their velvet case and locked again with in the glass cabinet.

Once again Estelle apologised for taking so much of the clerks time, and once again the clerk expelled a long-suffering huff.

She really did feel bad. But she a clear image of what she wanted, and so far, for all her looking and browsing and viewing..she had not found it.

"I may come back." she said in an effort to offer hope to the salesman.

His mortified look expressed his deep desire that she would not.

A weak smile and Estelle turned to head to the exit, taking a moment to draw the small map from her pocket and see the next "recommended" store on her list. Suddenly, her feet hurt and she felt quite weary.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

A bustling, fat Gran ran from the kitchen.

"I am Naregatell," his Basic was a helluva lot better than the help's was, "Why are you here?"

Kazaar gave a snort, "I think y'know why. Gorgja sent me. You're late on y'money."

The Gran looked defient, "Gorgja cheats us. I wouldn't pay if I wanted to."

Kazaar shot a glare, "Look pal, I'm not gonna tell ya twice," smoke puffed into the man's face.

"Gorgja wants his money. Either y'pay or I take it outta ya hide. Your choice."

Naregatell looked ever more defient, "You're up on your high horse aren't you? Well let me tell you something," he stuck his hand into Kazaar's chest.

"You don't tell me what to do. Gorgja charges me an arm and a leg to keep my business here. And I don't make that much in credits.

"Now get the mkat out of my restaurant, you vortart," he turned to go, "If Gorgja wants his credits he can come here personally, in stead of sending his trash."

As the Gran turned his back, it was then the bat caught him in the back sending him to the ground. Two more strokes followed, and Naregatell lay in pain on the ground.

Kazaar kicked him in the gut then got down next to him.

"I ain't gonna ask again. Gimme th-"

A scream from the other Gran pulled him up and the bat was raised.

"Someone shut 'er up or I'll do it for ya. 'Nd I don't like hittin' women! Shut the hell up, lady! Your boss didn't pay my boss so now he's gotta pay!

"Now," the bounty hunter was angrier now, "Where's th'creds?"

[Estelle Russard]

The sounds of the violence from next door came through the walls of the jewellery store, as if they were made of paper. The screaming especially was clear, though the splintering of wood as furniture broke was pretty definable also.

Estelle was out the door like a shot, her sore feet and shopping woes forgotten in an instant.

She bustled her way through the patrons that were trying to exit the restaurant as she was trying to enter it. They were the smart ones - trying to get out before trouble found them as well. Pressing forward, she finally got free of the bodies, and burst through into the back room.

She had collected a chair as she progressed through the restaurant, and threw it with a deadly accuracy to hit the attacking man square in the back as she came through the door. It was a trick she'd learnt from her good friend Aurelias Kazaar. He was fond of the "smash em to the ground, ask questions later" type of routine.

"You better hold it right there Mister" she ordered as she now drew out her lightsaber.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar hit the ground as the chair splintered on his back.

Damn cheap furniture.

The bat was dropped and the cigar fell from his mouth. Then the blaster came out.

The two Gran were forgotten as the bounty hunter spun around, ready to tell off and/or fry whatever 'hero' decided to come into the fray.

As he began spinning around, he realized the voice was kinda familiar.

"Look whoever ya are, I'm 'ere on bizness, why don'cha go have a drin- WHAT THE FRELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!" he shouted as he saw who the attacker was.

Estelle Russard.

Oh peaches and frellin cream.

He then gave a smirk, "Ey kid...how ya doin'?"

[Estelle Russard]

"Kazaar??" her response was at once reproachful and incredulous.

Although, now she thought of it, she should have realised. The pungent cigar aroma upon entering the back room, the brazen fashion in which the beating was conducted..all trademarks of the notorious bounty hunter (and her treasured, albeit violent, friend) Aurelias Kazaar.

Estelle strode over to Kazaar, to stand beside the still quaking Gran who trembled on the floor. She glanced at the poor man and then shot a reproving glance at Kazaar.

"I suppose there's a good reason for all this?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Gran forgot t'pay 'is protection f'Gorgja," was his reply.

"Gorgja sent me t'make sure he got his creds," Kazaar sighed and picked up his cigar, then holstered his blaster, and removed his flask.

A quick swig, then he gave an "Ahhhhh.

"The Gran wouldn't pay, so I asked him..." he saw the look he got, "Okay...demanded...for th'creds. Guy still wouldn't pay so I...gave 'im a reason."

[Estelle Russard]

Estelle bent to check the Gran, to see if he was seriously injured, but the alien shoved her hand away.

"Just get him out of my restaurant" he snarled bitterly at her between garbled bubbles of blood which he spat out onto the floor.

Two other workers had come in at the behest of the tearful assistant, timidly at first, then a little bolder as they saw Kazaar was standing still, holding the bat lazily by his side. They ran to give aid to their boss.

Estelle, angrily grabbed the bounty hunter's arm and pulled him from the back room. Aurelias made one stop as they passed through the restaurant, smashing open the register and pulling a healthy wad of credits from its draws. Gorgja would get his payment one way or the other, Kazaar made sure. He cleaned the register out, leaving only a bronze button someone had successfully passed off as a coin at some point.

Finally out on the street, Estelle focused her big gentle eyes on Aurelias.

"I hate to see you doing this Kazaar."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Look, kid, I'm sorry it's not up t'ya Jedi beliefs," Kazaar said, "But I do gotta job t'do. After what Crei did t'me...I can't lose m'touch."

He took another swig from his flask, then took a look at Estelle.

"Gotta stay ahead of th'game."

He opened the passenger door to his speeder and pulled out a briefcase. After throwing the credits in the case; he tossed the bat and the briefcase into the back.

"Ya look good, 'Stelle. What brings ya here?"

[Estelle Russard]

She considered launching into a speech about changing his ways, finding a more civilised way to make a living, but it was shortlived. If she knew anyone, it was Aurelias, and he was not about to change for anyone or anything unless it was his idea.

She sighed heavily and a smile crept to her lips as he turned on the old familiar charm and complimented her.

"Oh...apart from saving the helpless and doing my part to help restore balance to the galaxy, you mean? Im shopping."

She grinned at him, her anger of a few moments before all but forgotten.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar smirked, "Yeh? For who? The padawans? How they doin'? Still annoyin' the hell outta Hutts and th'rest of the galaxy?"

The bounty hunter walked over to the driver side.

"Get in...I know a couple shops 'round 'ere if ya wanna come 'long. I gotta get some stuff done anyway. Wanna come?"

[Estelle Russard]

Estelle climbed into the speeder without another thought.

"Yes, something for my Padawans. And they are progressing very well thank you for asking."

Kazaar and Maximas hadnt hit it off as well as she had thought. Bit of a clash of personalities..or ego's more like it. Still, they had managed to not kill one another and even work together as a team under great duress at one point. It was a credit to them both. Plo had gotten along no problem. He was the balancing factor between the three, she mused. Good ol' Plo.

A sudden thought popped into her head and her brow furrowed.

"You aren't going to be collecting more safe-being money are you?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"It's called 'protection money', kid, and no I'm not," Kazaar took a corner hard and sped down one of the streets.

"Gorgja gave no real time-line for me t'be back so I gotta couple days t'relax a bit."

The bounty hunter pointed towards the glove compartment, "I gotta couple cigars in there...gimme one will ya? 'N take the other for yaself if ya want."

Kazaar turned another corner into a semi-seedy looking district.

"Let's see...where th'hell did 'e move it too...AHA...there tis," he pointed at a shopfront marked "Ham's Tattoos and Piercings'. A minute later and the speeder was parked in front of the store.

"C'mon kid let's go. I gotta get some artwork finished," Kazaar grabbed the briefcase from the back.

"Trust m'kid...it'll be coo'."

[Estelle Russard]

It was just like old times for the duo.

But with out the explosions, and the gunfire, and the random beatings, and the killing and the maiming. Though the day was still young, and with Kazaar, anything was possible.

She trotted along beside him, intruiged more than repelled by the seedy surroundings.

The door creaked as they passed through it, and a grimey looking fellow lifted his head from reading the local comics to acknowledge their entrance.

"Hello" Estelle smiled in greeting, adding a little wave. Kazaar gave her a funny look while shaking his head and stepped forward to announce his business for being there.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Ham, you lowly sonofabitch, how ya doin'?" Kazaar greeted the human tattoo artist who was using the comics as a reference for a concept drawing of a tattoo.

Ham was a big burly guy, with a shaved head and massive goatee. His arms looked like something from an art museum, although instead of beautiful paintings it was a variety of symbols and one large lady on one arm.

He rose from his seat, "Well if it ain't Aurelias Kazaar...the hell brings ya here t'see me?"

Kazaar put the briefcase on the desk.

"For Gorgja...ya can make sure he gets it right?"

Ham smiled, a mouth that was missing two teeth. He took the briefcase and placed it on a rack, then whistled. A minute later, another human came out...this one dressed impeccably formal.

"Ah excellent," the human said, counting the credits in the briefcase.

"It's a little short..about 20 credits."

Kazaar shook his head, then tossed the well dressed man a 20 cred chit.

"Musta fallen outta m'bag when I dumped it. Sorry."

The well dressed man bowed, "The money has been deposited into your account, Mister Kazaar...Gorgja will be pleased."

A smirk from the bounty hunter, "Tell Gorgja t'give me real work next time...collectin' creds ain't m'job. Bounties are."

The collector gave him a glare, then exitted.

"Well how do ya like that piece a work," Kazaar snorted as he started unbuttoning his shirt, "Ya got time Ham? I wanna get this tat finished 'fore I leave."

Ham nodded, "Yeh sure...but first ya gotta introduce m'to ya friend."

Kazaar laughed, then took Estelle's hand, "This is Estelle Russard...friend a mine. She's a Jedi."

Ham smiled, "Nice to meet'cha Estelle...whatta ya doin' hangin' round 'trash' like Kazaar here?"

He laughed after his comment with Kazaar laughing with him.

[Estelle Russard]

"Just lucky I guess" she replied, joining in the goodnatured laughter. "Its nice to meet you."

She moved around a little, leaning on the counter, to get a closer look at Kazaar's chest. She hadnt known he had a tatoo there.


As Ham lifted his tools from a cabinet onto the counter, Estelle extended her index finger to prod the artwork on Kazaar's skin.

"Does it hurt to get done?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Yeh," Kazaar said, "But not too bad. Jist gotta get used t'the pain."

The tattoo was one of two that Kazaar had. The first one, was a simple double-winged symbol of that of a speeder bike company he was fond of. The one Ham was working on...was true art.

"I got th'first one, while back...befor' I joined th'NR. Was jus' a kid then...got it for th'helluvit."

Ham interjected, "Yeh and he didn't come t'me. I woulda made it look good."

The bounty hunter laughed, "Yeh well...you're leavnin' a mark 'ere...how long we been doin' this tat?"

Ham stared at Kazaar's chest, "Month anna half now. 'M pretty impressed by it."

The one currently being done was a dragon, or at least it looked like a dragon. The black creature stretched up Kazaar's chest, covering one pectoral, then down around the back. Half of it was filled in...but it still needed a ton of work.

"They're fun t'get," Aurelias said, as he gazed at his chest, "Worth thinkin' 'bout...if ya wanna."

[Estelle Russard]

She shrunk back at the suggestion, and crinkled her face. Yet she hadnt taken her eyes off the artwork that stretched across Kazaar's upper body.

Ham and Aurelias waited, they knew the "look" would come into her eye momentarily as the suggestion slowly took on a life of its own, and the seeds of possibility bloomed.
She leant forward once more, peering at the intricate detail of the almost completed dragon.

Yep, the men grinned slightly, here it comes.

"Can you do small ones? Girl-kinda ones?" she asked shyly.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar smirked, "Can he...heh...it ain't a question of can...it's a question of will.

"I'll pay for it, Ham...whatever the Kid wants."

Ham smiled his toothless smile, "You got it, Kazaar..."

He walked over to his desk and pulled out a book marked, 'Tribal Tats'.

"Lotta chicks come by 'ere an' get this stuff. Take a gander at it, while I finish up, Kazaar's. Gimme...10 minutes or so?

"Sound good t'you?"

Kazaar's voice came from the desk, "She's smokin' and drinkin' and now gettin' a tat. What else ya gonna surprise ya parents wit' next time ya see 'em?

"Me?"

Kazaar guffawed, as he lit a cigar.

"Want one kid?"

[Estelle Russard]

A toss of her hair, told Kazaar what she thought of that comment, and she imperiously ignored the offer of a cigar, and instead buried her nose in the book of pictures.

"Oh, this is pretty"

She spun around to show the picture (http://panic.hopto.org/swf/taylor/a_new_tribal_rose.jpg)to Aurelias.

"What do you think?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar took a look at the rose within the black design.

"Looks good kid," a puff of smoke went into the book, "Looks real good...'ey watch it!"

"Hey!" Ham shot back, "If ya keep movin' you're gonna feel pain. Frellin' bounty hunter, can't take a needle of ink..."

Kazaar gave Ham a good natured scowl, "I heard that, ya know."

"I know...now shut your trap, I'm almost done here," Ham applied the ink to the bounty hunter's skin, then placed a bandage over the area.

"Now, you know th'drill Kazaar," the tattoo artist said, "Keep that on ther for atleast 4 hours. I don't wanna hafta do any more touch ups until ya next one."

Kazaar smirked, then took a swig of bourbon, "Yeh yeh, I know...I'll be careful."

Estelle laughed out loud, "You...careful? What're you getting soft, Aurelias?"

"Hey shut your mouth, kid," Kazaar smirked, "Needles can b'painful. 'specially if there's a bruise from a chair on ya back."

He gave her a smile, "You wouldn't hafta know anything 'bout that wouldja?"

Estelle just smiled.

"C'mere little lady," Ham said, breaking up the conversation, "Lemme take a look at the selection ya made."

The tattoo artist took a look at the rose tattoo, the Jedi Knight had chosen.

"All right...where do ya want it?"

[Estelle Russard]

She pointed to her tricep area.

"There do you think?"

She looked for Kazaar's approval. At his frown she shifted her finger about, but was at a loss as to where to settle.

Aurelias got up from his stool and crossed over for a closer inspection.

He hooked a finger in Estelles sleeve and pulled it to the right.

"How 'bout right there"

"Good choice, Kazaar - that'll look good" Ham agreed.

Estelle smiled, "Ok!"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Yeah..." Ham said and he closely inspected the area right around the shoulder, "That'll do nicely."

Kazaar saw Estelle's questioning gaze, "I knew a girl, who had a tat there. Good hunter too. She knew 'er stuff."

He walked over to Ham's cabinant and pulled out a bottle of bourbon, then took a long draw from it.

"This's good stuff, Ham...where'd ya get it?"

Ham's head shot up, his cheeks flapping a bit, and he cast a dark glare towards the bounty hunter.

"Hey!, that's my bourbon! Ya better replace it, you thieving bastard!"

Kazaar smirked, taking another drink, "'Ey...'least I pay for my tats..."

Ham turned back towards Estelle's shoulder and began inspecting the area. He picked up one of his long ink needles and pressed it to her skin, beginning to draw.

Kazaar offered the bottle to Estelle, "Want some kid?"

[Estelle Russard]

The Jedi's face blanched as the needle broke her skin, yet she couldnt pull her eyes from it.

"No thanks, Aurelias. Im not feeling so good.."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Ah, don't pay attention to it, kid," Kazaar said as he took another gulp from the bottle, "It'll just make it worse."

Ham paused, his eyes moving from his work to Estelle face.

"For once, the galoot's right. Don't look at it. Take a drink from th'bottle and lemme work."

He turned back to her chest and pressed the needle back against Estelle's skin.

[Estelle Russard]

She had trusted Kazaar's advice before, and used the old "liquid courage" approach...she remembered how well that turned out. Her, naked in a shower stall feeling sick to her stomach and a dead rodian slumped in a chair 3 feet from her..

She pushed the offered bottle aside.

"No, its ok I dont...oh dear.."

The needle made due progress on her body, and Estelle was really feeling squeamish.

She snatched the bottle out of the bounty hunter's hand and scowled.."I dont know why I ever listen to you Kazaar!"

A good healthy swig or 3 or 4 later, and Estelle was finding the whole process not so bad after all.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar smirked as she took a couple of long drinks from the bottle.

"What did I tell ya kid, eh? That'll dull th'pain a bit now won't it, Ham?"

The tattooist gave a snort, "Shut up, Kaz, what the hell do you know 'bout tattoos anyway? Are you a tattoologist?"

The bounty hunter laughed, "No...but would you prefer me t'be one? I still gotta couple designs I want on me."

He was flipping through one of the books.

"Ya know, kid," Kazaar said, as he paused at one of the pages, "Ya might find this one something t'consider later on."

He showed the page to her, his hand pointing towards one of the images on there.

It was a black tribal sun, styalized and made up of a latticework of black lines.

"Whatta ya think, kid? Ya think that might be something for th'future?"

[Estelle Russard]

The design was nice- really nice. But Estelle figured she had best survive the first tatoo before planning another.

"Maybe...though I guess I will need to get used to this one first"

She watched, despite the woozy feelings of seeing the needle repeatedly pricking her skin.

After what seemed like a long time, Ham was done.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Well, Kaz, whatta ya think?" Ham said as he admired his handi-work.

Kazaar was nodding, "I like...makes ya look grown up, kid. I dunno what I'm gonna call ya now."

He smirked as Ham got a mirror and held it in front of Estelle's shoulder so she could see the rose.

"Well...whatta ya think?"

[Estelle Russard]

She scrutinized the new marking on her body closely.

"Im...Im not sure. I think so."

She smiled inwardly - her folks would have fifty fits if they saw here right now.

"Yes, I think I like alot."

She flashed Kazaar a grin.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar grinned at the smile.

"Ham whatta I owe ya?"

The tattooist pulled him aside towards the back, "Nothing it's free. Kid's cute so I'll let this one slide.

"But I gotta job for ya."

Kazaar's face turned serious, "All right."

Ham looked left and right, "One of my guys who comes in here t'get tattoos...turns out he's a cop investigating Gorgja. Gorgja said t'pay ya 300,000 creds for you to make 'im disappear.

"We can handle any heat that comes down on this place- and there's bound t'be a few cops who come sniffing 'round, but most of the business done here's legit. We just need t'get the cop off out tail."

He looked and Kazaar and smiled, "Think you can handle it?"

Finally...some action.

"Yeh...I can handle it."

[Estelle Russard]

Estelle's face drained of its smile.

She hated this part of Kazaar's life. She just could never reconcile the man she knew - one who cared for her, protected her and who made her laugh and not take herself so seriously - with this ultra-violent killer hitman.

It was like she knew two different men.

As Aurelias got the details from Ham - carefully keeping them from Estelle's eyes, she noted - the Jedi Knight mulled over what she might say that could dissuade him. Change his mind.

Nothing came. Her mind was blank.

Kazaar would never be a man to do what he didnt want to. Or what a women told him to. That much she knew for certain.

Her eyes followed him as he moved toward the door, but he would not look at her.

"Thank you Mr. Ham. I hope to see you again sometime soon."

She smiled warmly at the tatoo artist, and then followed the bounty hunter out the door.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"C'mon kid, let's go," Kazaar said opening the door to the speeder. The Jedi Councilmember slid into the speeder without a word, then had a look on her face when the bounty hunter got in on the opposite side.

Aurelias lit a new cigar, then saw the expression and sighed.

"Look kid...you got your job. I got mine. There're times I gotta do stuff that ain't too pretty."

He pulled away from the curb, speeding up towards the address on the datapad he was given. His black eyes looked right and left as he drove through the streets.

"So tell me 'bout what's goin' on for ya? How's the 'vaunted Jedi Estelle Russard' doin'?" Kazaar smirked and took a puff off the cigar.

[Estelle Russard]

Estelle refused to allow Kazaar to divert the topic from himself. Instead, she turned to face him full on, one arm stretched across the top of the seat, a frank and no-nonsense look on her face.

"You could do something else, you know."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

He raised an eyebrow, "The guy's a rat. He betrayed th'guys I work for. It's bad business, kid. Ya don't go rat out people ya work for."

Kazaar's speeder took a corner hard.

"Ya wouldn't betray the Jedi for a price wouldja?"

[Estelle Russard]

She gripped the seat tightly to avoid being tossed rudely against the inner edge of the speeder and scowled feelingly at Kazaar for his lack of driving skills.

"You could be putting your "muscle" techniques to better use. You know - work for the good guys instead."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Well if th'NR bounties paid as well as Gorgja did I would," he took another corner.

Kazaar reached into his pocket and took out his flask. After another sip he continued, "But they don't. So I stick with th'ones that keep me fit and healthy."

[Estelle Russard]

"And of course, keeps you doing the violence you love.."

Her voice had dropped low and had a strange ring to it, as her eyes held firmly Kazaar's face, an odd look in them.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

That made Kazaar stop and the speeder turned into an alley.

Sure th'kid had made mention how she didn't like him takin' bounties, hell, he wished he could retire on Coruscant instead of living in the single bedroom apartment on Kuat. But not everything came t'pass.

"All right, kid, what's ya problem?" he gave her a look, "Ya never brought up any questions 'bout my work before.

"What bug crawled up your butt?"

[Estelle Russard]

She blinked a long slow blink that expressed her distaste at Kazaar's choice of analogy.


"Nothing has crawled up my butt, as you so eloquantly say, Kazaar, but it just..after all the close calls you've had in the past, you always seem in a hurry to get yourself into those situations again.

It's like you thrive on it...And.."

Her voice trailed off, not certain how to continue.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Well sure he loved danger. Who didn't? It was his job wasn't it? Risk his neck t'get paid. Beat bein' a slacker.

"And what kid? Look I know the situation with Crei wasn't pretty. But the'NR ain't gonna take m'back. I burned all those bridges when that Imp Officer bit it durin' th'post Empire skirmishes."

Smoke obscured his face as he looked at Estelle, "And I sure as hell ain't goin' to the Empire.

"Out wit'it kid. What's th'matter?"

[Estelle Russard]

She took a deep breath and expelled it, feeling a sense of inevitability wash over her.

"One day Aurelias, Im afraid your luck might run out. Atleast if you were working with the NR I'd know what was going on with you.

The NR isnt the same, not the same people in the higher echelons. Things change, people change. They know that."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Kid, I cut a guy's frellin ear off, then roasted him," Kazaar retorted, "Th'NR don't forget too much.

"Now...I might not cut th'guy's ear off next time. But a 'Good Imp' is a 'Dead Imp'. Th'NR gives me th'cash and resources t'work for 'em...and I'll consider it.

"Besides, kid," he flashed her a smile, "Crei's gone. I ain't got nutting t'worry 'bout."

[Estelle Russard]

"Gone? As long as he is alive Kazaar, he wont rest until he requites his losses from you. His pride is on the line now."

She touched his arm to emphasise how strongly she meant the next words.

"I dont want anything to happen to you Aurelias. Your'e my best friend."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

He was actually touched by that last comment. Wasn't often someone said they were his 'Best friend'.

Kazaar paused a bit, actually looking for words. Three puffs from his cigar later he found 'em.

"Thanks kid. Ya mean 'lot t'me too," Kazaar gave her a pat on the cheek, "I probably wouldn't be here if ya hadn't gone after Crei. The hell were ya thinkin' anyway?

"You 'n a friggin' R2 unit brecking into Crei's Transdoshan Compound. Nice job. 'ts you I'm worried 'bout though. I can wear armor t'avoid a blaster.

"There's nothin' t'prevent ya from a lightsaber slicin' ya in two. I've been t'enough funerals in my time. I'd prefer t'not go to another."

[Estelle Russard]

A short laugh and Estelle shook her head also.

"That little R2 unit was worth his weight in gold. He caused more damage to Crei's compound than you and me put together."

They shared the light moment, both laughing more in relief that the whole episode had turned out well in the end. It certainly was desperate times, and Estelle had known real fear during it. Kazaar was so close to death...she wont ever forget that, and how awful that possibility was.

"Well, seems though," she smiled, "either we both be very careful, or go some place and raise chickens for a living."

The cigar smoke curled about the inside of the speeder, and Estelle cracked the window open a few inches.

"I just wish you could do something else, thats all."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar snorted, "An' do what? Every job's dangerous. A man working in a clothing store back in stock. Alla a sudden a shelf falls on him. He's dead.

"Every job's dangerous kid. Just depends on how much risk ya take. I admit, pissing Crei off wasn't a good thing. But he's turnin' business into a personal vendetta. I ain't got nothing against him.

"Just like the rat. Ya don't rat nobody out. "

He saw the expression on her face, "Look, kid, if ya want me t'do something else, then become a higher up 'n the Jedi and hire me t'be your personal bodyguard."

Kazaar smirked, "Least I'd get a pretty face t'look at, Gorgja's one ugly Hutt."

Then he laughed.

[IG-88]

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

The droid did not HAVE to make loud noises every time his large, angular durasteel feet made contact with the ground. He just liked to. It would probably surprise people to know that he could be as silent an assassin as... well, anyone. Anyone extremely quiet, at least.

Clomp. Clomp.

He had been following his mark for almost one standard Coruscant time-part now. It was a wholly uninteresting job to tail the mark's vehicle. He'd even launched a tracking beacon dart into the back of it for insurance, perhaps hoping it would automatically upgrade the mission's excitement level to "vaguely interesting". It had failed, although IG-88's visual sensors determined that the tracker performed within 0.0056 percentage marks of its touted extreme level of accuracy.

Then the mark had pulled off into an alley of sorts and come to a stop, so IG-88 had abandoned his illegally acquired vehicle to close on foot. Preferring to take this fight "to the streets", as he had heard biologicals vulgarly put the expression on eleven separate occasions, seven via prerecorded HoloNet dramatizations.

He did hope there would be a fight. Hope was not a normal attribute for droids, but this one had it. It sprang from a similar non-droid attribute, that of the lust for blood. It was enjoyable. As far as anything else was, anyway. Emotions were a distant impossibility, but for a droid with awareness the far surpassed biological sentience, ambition and therefore lust were ever-present roadmarkers along his electronic neural pathways.

He was close enough for his built-in sensors to determine - through duracrete walls - that there were two human beings down that alleyway, still seated and probably in conversation. Range: One hundred meters and closing.

Clomp. Clomp.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: It was quite simple really, just follow the Bounty Hunters, and this old war droid would lead the way. She hung back for the moment, and waited. The time to strike would present itself soon enough ::

[Estelle Russard]

"One day I may just hold you to that Aurelias."

The duo sat in companiable silence once more for a moment or two, and then Kazaar nudged the speeder throttle once more, nosing out of the alley in order to join again the endless flow of traffic.

"Lets get this over with" Estelle said resignedly.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar smirked, "You got it kid."

He pulled into traffic, heading towards the location of where the rat was. The street itself was fairly populated, it was rush hour after all, with a mass of speeders and transports crowding the street. Most of the speeders appeared to want to get out of the district fairly quick and into more luxurious areas.

Kazaar puffed on his cigar and out of habit, looked into his rearview mirror.

"What th'hell?" he coulda sworn he saw a droid, a bit like an assasin droid about 75 meters out.

Estelle hissed next to him, "What is it, Aurelias?"

Kazaar shook his head. It couldn't be.

"Nothin' kid. I musta been seein' things."

But just t'be safe...Kazaar sped up just a bit.

[IG-88]

Clomp. Clo-

The mark was moving back out of the alley. Regrettable to no longer have the mark pinned into a corner, but overlookable. IG-88 had needed to leave his vehicle behind.

The assassin droid activated a small remotely-controlled control box he had previously slaved into his speeder's circuitry. Rather abruptly, it roared backwards at maximum throttle.

Just as it was about to pass the human female that had been following him, he activated the remote trigger on a thermal detonator he'd left under the driver's side seat. If she was any good at all, she'd at least manage to be surprised by the mass of shrapnel that was currently expanding at one-half the speed of sound. He had no idea who she was or if she may have been behind him for so long simply because she was also following his mark, but he hoped she had at least died messily and amusingly.

The situation was still wholly uninteresting.

IG-88 headed after his mark's speeder at a dead run. He unslung an assault blaster ridle as he began to close the gap between them.

[HunterJodoKast]

The bounty hunter had been tailing Aurelias via probe droids on remote feed since the mark arrived on Chandrila. Then one of the probebots picked up a peculiar image, an old Imp assassin-class droid giving high speed pursuit -- on foot -- after Aurelias and his lady friend in the speeder. The mandalorian commando helmet shook with mild disbelief.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: There was a smouldering crater, only meters away from where Sorsha had once stood. The detonator never reached it's mark, contained by a teke-field before it exploded.

A micron later, the Sith Infiltrator was airborne. It passed the war droid as it targeted Kazarr's speeder in a controlled strafe, blowing a gaping hole in front of the speeder with laser fire. The speeder spiralled out of control, mowing through a group of pedestrians.

Sorsha left a wreck of collisions ahead of her target, and leapt out of the Chimera onto a rooftop as it passed by ::

[Estelle Russard]

Estelle twisted around to follow Kazaar's gaze out the back of the speeder.

A large droid could easily be seen lumbering towards them, unslining a rather large ugly weapon to aim in their direction as he did so.

"Well, this isnt good" Estelle observed as Aurelias increased the speed dramatically. Overhead a hail of fire reighned down about them sending other vehicles to carreen and skitter and eventually crash over and through the high volume traffic about them.

Kazaar began to weave and dart up and down and in between in skilled evasive maneuvering, while Estelle twisted forward again and searched the skies for the source of the fire.
She caught glimpse of a wild looking woman with blonde hair skipping to land atop a building as they passed by.

The two females made the briefest of eye contact - Estelles of incomprehending surprise, Sorsha's of cruel mirth.

Spinning about, Estelle gripped the front of the speeder dash to keep steady as Kazaar pulled hard to the left down a side spacelane cutting off 3 lanes of traffic.

"Do you think Ham set you up?! Would he do that? He seemed so nice! Who is this person you are supposed to be getting?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Ham's legit!" Kazaar snarled, pressing on the accelerator. The speeder, a classic black GTO, shot past a large container vessel and barely missed hitting it.

"Someone else wants m'bad. Didn't know I was popular."

Smoke poured from Kazaar's mouth as he clenched the cigar tight in it. He'd always been a good driver, hell he used t'race for fun back on Kuat. But this wasn't a race. This was real.

The speeder skidded, barely avoiding another transport.

"Call Ham!" the bounty hunter yelled as he shot through more traffic, "As if h'knows what th'hell is goin' on. He's not dumb 'nough t'set me up. I told him what happened t'Riz Leemur."

They skirted towards the Flowing Gardens of Chandrila, then Kazaar made another turn.

"Well... do it kid!"

[HunterJodoKast]

He watched the whole drama unfold from his 'eyes' following high in the skies above. Watching the infiltrator fire off a flurry of lasers, striking the front of the pair's speeder, effectively debilitating the craft, and causing several huge collisions in the streets below. Screams and whining engines. Metal ripping and tearing in one gruesomely hideous cacophony. An 800,000 credit bounty is going to attract the best and worst this galaxy has to offer. This may turn out to be a clean-up job. Once the dust clears of this riff-raff and cowboys.

[Estelle Russard]

"Dont yell at me!"

Kazaar wasnt helping, and he should know from their past escapades that it only served to make her go slower as she always took the time to tell him off for doing it.

"I heard you the first time! You know, sometimes you talk to me like one of your scumbag associates Kazaar. I dont know how many times you - ..."

"Kid, they're shootin bad things at us that go "boom". (his condescension was thick, she noted) Can ya gimme the lecture later and getta'hold a' HAM!"

The last word came out as a bark and Estelle jumped to the transmitter, muttering choice names under her breath that was distinctly un-jedi-like, yet so appropriate for her good friend the bounty hunter.

Relentlessly, the speeder jostled and swerved, making a clear discussion difficult, but after a few moments Estelle adressed Kazaar while remaining on the line with Ham.

"He says he doesn't know who they are or why they are chasing you, but its probly got something to do with the latest bounty on your head.... What latest bounty on your head??"

[GNN Probe Droid]

From their post in the GNN media studios in the heart of Hanna City, a trio of probe droids had been launched at the report of a violent ongoings in Gran's Foodcourt in the neighbouring town. The tip was of anonymous origin and moments before the droids arrived at the scene of the crime, they each recieved new orders from a second source and gaining altitude headed off in the direction of the disturbance on the road a few blocks away.

Shortly enough, the three diverged in course to provide their new master with sound knowledge of that which was transpiring, they were after all programmed to transmit excellent quality images utilizing the best angles and focus and nothing but the best will do.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar echoed Estelle's question. Although his was full of swears and curses too.

He yanked the commlink from the Jedi's hand, swerving and barely missing hitting a pedestrian as they tried t'cross the street.

"Ham what in th'blue hell're ya talkin'bout? Since when did I getta frelling bounty on m'what?"

Another swerve, "WHAT?!? Lovely...yeh thanks Ham yur a real pal."

Kazaar turned th'comlink off then sped up again.

"Frickin' Albino puttin' a damned bounty on mah head withou' tellin' me," he had a dark look in his eyes as he took another corner."

He took a look at his speeder readouts.

"Son of a bitch...son of a BITCH!"

The speeder was starting t'over heat. The laser bolt had hit something in the engine. Kazaar would either have t'find a new ride or go back to the spaceport and get out. But the bounty wasn't even sure if the speeder would last to the spaceport.

Behind him was another speeder, a sportier one, with a better engine. Kazaar stopped his, then got out.

"Where are you-" Estelle's question was cut off as Kazaar pulled out his heavy blaster rifle from the trunk.

"Outta the speeder!" he yelled to the occupant, "I'm takin' it!"

He threw the occupant to the concrete street, then got in.

Estelle followed him silently, though her face was a mixture of emotions.

Kazaar pulled from the curb, leaving his speeder behind. He accelerated fast, leaving the occupant, a Rodian, lying in the street screaming unintelligable insults.

Kazaar looked at Estelle, who looked slightly shocked but not surprised, "Well kid...Crei putta bounty on m'head. 800,000."

A smirk, "Ain't he sweet."

[IG-88]

The lanky assassin droid promply cracked and compressed the Rodian's head underfoot as he continued his impromptu speeder chase. He could have avoided it easily, but that was not any fun.

An idle part of his neural subproccessors speculated as to whether the Rodian's nearest relatives has specimens of his DNA. If not, they were going to have a very difficult time identifying the body.

The mark had switched to a better landspeeder, so IG had better switch his own plan. In just over a second, he had calculated the five most likely destinations the mark would have in mind at that moment. The highest probability was a 78.4% chance that he would attempt to get to his spaceship, or just to the nearest spaceship he was capable of gaining access to. IG had not managed to locate the mark's own ship yet, having not had the time to try and make a visual ID at the spaceport. But the spaceport was still where the mark should go.

The possibility was not high enough, though, so he was forced to keep the mark in sensor contact. There was a T-junction in the local road system ahead. IG-88 suddenly split off from chasing the sleeker speeder and charged down an alley to the right. He came to a flimsy steel door, broke it down without stopping, and continued through the building like a miniature World Devastator. Except that he sucked up no materials, the occupants he flashed by had a high likelihood of suspecting that disaster had suddenly struck their planet.

IG-88 burst out of the apartment complex's side wall, down the rest of another alleyway the terminated in the street - the T-junction would lead the mark through here if he was intending to get off-planet.

And there the mark was. The droid made visual confirmation within microseconds of exiting the alley, as the mark's speeder was directly in front of him. But not close enough by about five meters. There was a thick-looking transport speeder also coming down the roadway towards IG-88. This one was about one meter away, and closing rapidly, so the droid jumped and latched onto it's blunt face with a crash. He punched his free pincer hand through the transparisteel windscreen, brained the driver, and swung the lumbering vehicle's directional controls to the left. The mark was quickly gaining distance again.

IG-88 shattered the remaining windscreen, pulled himself through, shoved out the remains of the pilot, and pushed the throttle past the maximum recommended speed limit for every road on Chandrila. It was not faster than the mark's speeder was capable of, but the traffic was very thick at this time of day. The hulking transport speeder crushed or shoved easily aside everything in it's way, IG-88 noted. He was pleased. The mark had to manuever around other vehicles to progress, but the droid did not.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Sorsha never stopped moving as her feet touched the rooftop. Running at full pace, she force leapt from one rooftop to the next. She wouldn't out pace her prey for long, and jumped over the building's edge.

She laughed giddily as she fell, controlling her descent as she fired a grappling hook onto the next building. Then she swung down in a perfect arc from the grapple, straight down into the backseat of her prey's speeder ::

"I have to warn you, there's a war droid chasing us. Kinda pesky, huh?" :D

:: She burst into a giggling fit at the look on their faces as she poked around in the backseat like a curious child. She opened up an eggcrate sized box, and found pulse grenades inside. ::

"Not to worry, I'll get rid of him."

:: She grins at Estelle playfully as the grenades flew out of the box like tiny seeker balls and sped of in erratic patterns. Then they exploded in front of the IG-88's speeder, sending it careening off course ::

[Aurelias Kazaar]

The explosion turned the large transport on its side causing it to skid. As Kazaar turned to tell off his unwanted passenger (and possibly blast the blonde in the process) Estelle yelled.

"Kazaar focus on the road!"

He turned, then almost slammed on the brakes as the transport was still moving towards them. The cargo, planks of wood and metal, fell out of the back of the transport.

"Hang on!" the bounty hunter yelled as he slammed on the accelerator.

The speeder hit one of the wooden planks, then was thrown into air and over the transport. It hit the ground, pinwheeling and spinning, the engine flying in one direction...the rest of the vechicle in another.

They came to a stop, most of the sporty speeder gone, but they were up and over the wardroid's transport and away from it.

Kazaar sighed and rose from his seat.

"This is why..." he smirked, as he grabbed his blaster and Estelle's hand, "Ya always wear ya seatbelt.

"C'mon kid," he pulled her away, not sure where the blone was, "Let's get a new ride."

[Estelle Russard]

Everything was happening really fast, as these type of things tended to do. Except for the crash - that seemed slow motion. Every second appeared an eternity and it was with strange clarity that Estelle could see each detail.

The repeated cartwheeling of the speeder was like a nightmare. She remembered hitting her head, but noting that it didnt really hurt. She remebered catching a glimpse of Aurelias, one hand going to cover his face, the other reaching across to herself, trying to hold her protectively as best he could.

She remembered too, seeing the laughing blonde, one minute sitting in the back seat grinning at her, the next tossed up and airborne - where she landed, Estelle had no idea.

Finally the speeder hit hard one last time, and then was still.

Completely disoriented, Estelle sat there, until Kazaar uncliped her belt and pulled her from the wreckage.

It was then her head started to hurt.

She felt kind of sick, and sore, and for some reason couldnt make her hands stop shaking. She could hardly walk, yet Kazaar forced her forward. "That girl - the blonde." Estelle was looking back to the wreck. "She was a force user. Why would a force user be hunting you? Wait." Estelle stopped walking, and fell hard with her back against the cold duracrete surface of a building. "I need to get my wits, Aurelias." She had the luxury of rest for not even one minute, as the Bounty Hunter yanked her once again to motion, saying something about the war droid still being about.

He pulled her in through a large arched entrance and across a grand hall choc-full of people. It was the central transport terminal. The bounty hunter shoved through the throng, and in no time had both he and Estelle aboard a bullet train bound for the Chandrillian spaceport.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"You all right, kid?" Kazaar started looking at Estelle's face, for any damage.

She had a bruise forming...but she appeared all right.

"'Ey...we did good back there," he gave a smirk, then placed his hand on her face. The car, thankfully, was pretty deserted; only two Chandrilans talking about politics of all things and an Aqualish staring out the window.

Estelle looked like she was gonna pass out, so Kazaar held her close, then kissed her forehead.

"C'mon kid...let's enjoy th'trainride then get th'hell off this planet. Never liked Chandrila anyway."

[HunterJodoKast]

Jodo Kast prepped the Red Shiva for launching off planet, his employer, Mr. Kimiiki Crei had provided a sufficient yet concise portfolio on Aurelias Kazaar upon request. But most sly was the information related to the mark's craft, The Flying Dutchman. Including registration numbers (both legal and illegal) and in-flight schematic fingerprints. Standard but necessary precedurals in tracking, the hunter duly noted.

The moment he witnessed the pair flee into the transport terminal, he realized they were making their break. And weren't going to stake it out any longer. In fact, the hunter was never situated very far from the docks himself at all times keeping it under close observation and had personally planted the latest technological advancements in tracking devices, actually planted several in places only a mechanic may think to look, upon the Dutchman.

There was too much heat and chaos chasing rampantly after Kazaar, and once the pair arrived at docks they would be in a great hurry to skip outta there. And Jodo Kast would be tailing right behind them.

[IG-88]

Well. Things rarely went perfectly according to plan.

The possible bounty hunter that had tailed him had shown up again - apparently assisting the mark. So she was a bodyguard. And a Force-user. IG-88 had noticed that his thermal detonator's explosion had failed to permeate its entire blast radius, and that she had escaped. He had dismissed it as irrelevant at the time.

When the pulse grenades had started heading for the transport he was driving, he had quickly taken an important 1.7 seconds out of his life to abandon the bulky speeder and let it forge ahead into the explosives. For a moment, he stood there and debated his next course of action. Having a Force-user enter the fray quickly made all decisions but one unwise. Five thousand and forty-two nanoseconds later, he darted into side road and kept going, changing from road to road while remaining as silent and hidden as possible. Simultaneously, he summoned the IG-2000 towards him from the spaceport. It was a pity Chandrila was so technologically challenged that there was only one public spaceport within one hundred kilometers of this place.

IG-88 eventually stopped and waited in a secluded area for his vessel, while watching through both its scanners and his own sensors at the same time. There were few space-capable ships in the area, and the IG-2000's comlink was informing him that - so far - Chandrila's planetary security was not doing any more than asking him to explain his unauthorized departure.

The craft would reach him in minutes, and was bringing all the help he needed to nullify his mark's updated threat list.

[Estelle Russard]

Nestled back against Kazaar's chest, Estelle allowed herself a moment to let his strength support her. No matter what the situation, she always knew he 'had her back' and would be there for her. Just as she would be for him.

The rythmic hum of the transporter train was comforting and soon the Jedi knight began to feel herself again. As they sat there quitely in the compartment, Estelle's mind began to work.

"Kazaar..."

"hm?"

"If it was you hunting someone..."

"hm"

"....where would you expect your quarry to go? I mean.."

Kazaar sat up a little bit as he picked up on where her thought was headed.

"...would you expect your mark to make for the spaceport....?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Ya know," he said smirking, "For a farm girl...you're pretty smart.

"We're not goin' t'the spaceport."

Estelle looked at him, with half a smile, half a look of wondermant.

"We're not?"

Kazaar shook his head, "No we're not. Look where we are."

The train was going near the storage area of Hanna City. It began slowing to a stop at a small platform near the warehouses.

The bounty hunter gripped the Jedi's hand, and the two exitted the traincar.

"Kid," Kazaar was puffing on a cigar, with a large smile on his face, "I might hate Chandrila, but it's gotta lotta good t'it."

They walked down a steel staircase, parts of the black paint destroyed wear and tear.

"C'mon...let's get outta here."