Lucky Despot, Upper Level, Mos Eisley, Tatooine
Wrapping up the end of his day with the twin Tatooine suns high in the sky, Aylon Layshun bussed the tables and cleaned the floors.
"Hmpf!" he thought, thinking of a life of better times. A time when he was the high roller leaving behind the mess. A time when he barely was concerned enough with the busboy to even take the time to think ill of him.
Then he thought again, "Well, things could be worse. I could be..."
Greetings old friend..." a familiar voice said, interrupting his thought and sending a chill through his body. Too afraid to turn around, he quickly realized his back was to the only exit. Not only that, he and the door were separated by the visitor.
"...it has been quite some time, hasn't it?" the man continued in a natural and unassuming voice. A voice that if anyone else would have heard, they would have thought nothing of it. A voice that was calming and friendly. However, Aylon's past with man was anything but calm. Everything, but friendly. The voice brought forth a sense of dread in Aylon that very few things ever did.
"R...R...Rockhead..." he managed to squeeze out after turning around to face his visitor, "...how did you find me". As Aylon turned to face his visitor he saw him standing there, Ruh "Rockhead" Shi'od.
"Find you?" Rockhead laughed, "My friend, did you really think you could hide from me in the first place? Least of all in a city like this?" He paused."Big time crime..."
Rockhead said as he continued while looked around,"...to this?"
Rockhead jokingly referred to Aylon as friend, knowing he was far from it. "Friend" was simply a word Rockhead used to address people he met, but did not intend to kill.
Aylon knew it was risky, but he took the chance. Was he foolish enough to think a simple name change and some minor plastic surgery would be able to throw off the most determined of the high level bounty hunters? Apparently so.
"So...you have come to finish me off, have you?" Aylon asked, anticipating what was to come.
"Finish you off? If I had wanted you dead, you would have been so long ago, friend. But, I kept you alive because I saw some use for you in my future endeavors. You really think you've been avoiding bounty hunters because you've been so good at hiding?" Rockhead replied.
Aylon knew it had been a little too easy. But then he thought about the couple of bounty hunters that had come for him since Rockhead.
"Oh...and the few bounty hunters that have come for you since me...I paid them to. Just to keep you on your toes. Keep the fear fresh." He grinned. Rockhead enjoyed toying with his prey. Stringing them along through the final moment.
"So...what is it then? What has brought you to me? What part do I play in this grand plan of yours?" Aylon asked cautiously, fearful of the answer.
"Me? What do I want? Well, if I recall correctly yours was the best Mandalorian Wine in the Inner Rim. I am here simply for a drink." Rockhead said, smirking.
"A drink?" Aylon exclaimed both confused and scared. He thought back to the last time he was asked to have a drink with the man. After a few sips from the first drink he blacked out and awoke to find himself strapped to a table at the mercy of the assassin.
"Yes. I need to ask you about a mouthy Bothan who has been hanging around here lately." he explained.
Slightly more at ease that Rockhead's sights were on someone other than himself, Aylon clumsily sat in the chair nearest to him still holding his try of soiled dishes.
Following his lead, Ruh walked over and sat at the table nearest to Aylon's.
"Satim?" Aylon replied, recalling the annoying runt.
"Yes, what do you know about him. I want everything."
"He is...very obnoxious. Had plenty of women in and out of his room. All paid, I'm sure."
"Good. When did you see him last?"
"Not long ago. I was out having a smoke before I came here to clean up. He was on his way out. He appeared as though he had been spooked, he seemed worried. Like someone was..." Aylon paused, "after him. You, perhaps?"
"No, he won't ever see what I have coming for him." Rockhead said, with a bit of hate slipping from his lips as he thought back on the 29 fallen.
"By the stars!" Aylon exclaimed, coming to the realization that the Bothans stories about being involved in the destruction of the Bestine shuttles were not the ramblings of a drunken fool, "He wasn't lying..."
Realizing he had struck a chord in Aylon's memory, Rockhead angrily stood from his seated position, fiercely throwing his table across the room in the same motion. He grabbed Aylon by the collar and hoisted him high in the air, pulling him over to the bar and slamming his back against the bar's counter. "and where is he now!" Rockhead demanded, hurling Aylon's try of dishes across the floor.
Struck with fear, Aylon was immobilized. Frozen, in a panic. "I...I don't know!" He said. Gasping for what little air he could get, Rockheads grip was suffocating him.
"We have played this 'I don't know' game before, Aylon!" Rockhead said grinning, as he removed a blade from its place on his belt. "How did that go over..." he paused as he made a small cut down Aylon's cheek, "...last time."
Aylon cried out, not from the pain of the incision. Instead he cried out from fear of the memories of last time. Aylon searched his thoughts quickly, hoping for a gem of information that could save him. Something to prevent what he feared to come.
"Vex!" Aylon shouted, "Vex drove him somewhere. I...I don't know where or why. But when the Bothan left I saw him getting into Vex's speeder."
Seeing the fear in his eyes, Rockhead knew Aylon's information was genuine. "Good Aylon, you are proving more valuable to me alive. Where can I find Vex?"
"He...he is a local here. I'm not certain, but I think he works for Valara or at least some of the time. He always seems to be in the mix somehow. If anyone knows something, its him." Aylon continued.
"So, you never answered my question...where can I find him." Ruh said, as he peeled away at some of the flesh he had previously cut.
"Uuuungh! Please! Don't! No more!" Aylon cried out, "the slums! He lives in the slums northwest of here."
"and how will I know his flat?" Ruh asked, still toying with the skin on Aylon's face.
"his speeder! It is a sand colored one with some damage on the front! Please, that's all I know...let me go." Aylon exclaimed, in pain.
"All you know? Aylon, my friend. You give yourself too little credit. You must know of some of Vex's or Satim's friends"
"No nothing, please!" he begged.
"Oh Aylon. I know you know more. Perhaps you just need some...encouragement. Inspiration." Rockhead said, pulling the knife from Aylon's face and dancing it across his chest.
"Perhaps we could go back to my ship, that is where I get all of my inspiration. Maybe you could find a bit of encouragement there."
"NO!" Aylon sobbed. "Please no!"
Rockhead placed the knife in the center of Aylon's chest and pressed the point in slightly, but firmly.
"ROX!" Aylon cried out.
"Go on" Rockhead said, halting his action.
"A friend of his. A mandovial player. Vex introduced me to him when I first started working here. He and Vex seemed close. I beg of you that is all I know! Please let me go! Or kill me, but no more...no more taunting"
Satisfied that he had solidified another link with Rox's gang. Rockhead dropped Aylon to the ground. "For now." Rockhead said, kneeling down over Aylon. "You live for now. I still have use for you yet." Ruh continued as he wiped the blood from his blade onto Aylon's other cheek.
"Also, you should get that looked at. Perhaps my sister-"
"No! Keep her away from me." Aylon interrupted, with mixed emotions of fear and anger.
"Very well," Ruh grinned "Until we meet again, my friend." With their business concluded Rockhead stood up above Aylon preparing to leave. Pausing a moment to place his knife back into his place. As he stared down at Aylon no words were said, but a message was conveyed. You can run, but you cannot hide.
Rockhead turned and headed for the elevator. As he did he looked emotionless up at the camera that had captured the events.
"Sin, make sure this meeting remains a private one" Rockhead commanded to his A.I.
"Acknowledged." She replied.
"Rockhead to Outlaw," Rockhead stated, opening a secure comm. channel. "Got some hot information from an old friend. It appears Satim has skipped town."
"Thats problematic" Outlaw stated after a pause. "Although we may have another lead."
"I've got a lead of my own. Seems Satim was driven to the star port by a local. His name is Vex, he lives in the slums near the Despot. I'll be paying him a visit. I think he is going to be involved with more than just helping Satim skip town. My friend told me Vex and Rox have some sort of history. I'm betting his is going to be our driver." Rockhead continued.
"Very good. Do what you have to do. Outlaw out." Outlaw stated, as he terminated the transmission.
Rockhead always liked the sound of that, what you have to do. He grinned inwardly as he stepped from the elevator and down the barren hall. Rockhead emerged in the gaming area face to face with a familiar looking Bith. He dismissed the Bith from his thoughts and continued on with his mission.
Meanwhile, back up on the upper level Aylon laid fearfully on the floor. Not certain if his assailant was really gone, or if he was playing another game. Tired of lying in fear, Aylon picked himself up and pressed his skin up against his face. It stung, then fell back down. Looking around at the mess that remained, Aylon decided it wasn't worth sticking around. He knew he could never outrun or hide from his hunter, but he was satisfied with still trying.
Northwest Mos Eisley, Tatooine - 15 Minutes later
Rockhead marched through the slums looking for a clue to where Vex was residing. He didn't think it would take so long to find the flat. Or perhaps Vex was still out, meaning it would make the search that much more difficult. He stopped firmly several meters short of a moisture vaporator. He glanced around and caught the gaze of a passing Mos Eisley police officer.
"Sin," he called, "looking for a sand colored speeder with front end damage"
"I have located the vehicle." She replied almost right away. "Thirty-five meters southwest of your current location."
She highlighted and zoomed in on the vehicle using Rockhead's HUD.
Rockhead noted that the vehicle was parked near a rear door to a flat and directly across the front door of another. Which was Vex's? He thought to himself. It was still too early for filth to be out lurking and a thug like him would probably want a quick and discreet escape if someone came looking for him, probably parked near his back door. He gambled that Vex was still quietly nestled in bed.
Using Sin and his own lock picking skills, he quickly defeated the rear door's lock and security measure. Entering quietly he could hear loud snoring in the other room and detected the faint odor of old Corellian spice. To his right, a potted plant. On the table to his left was a loaded blaster and a few gambling credit chips from the Despot.
Could this the right one? Or is this just typical slum life. On the blaster's grip he saw a red letter "V" in Aurabesh. This was the right place. Lucky.
Rockhead slowly and quietly closed the door behind him and entered the room where his target was slumbering. He found him in his bed above the covers wearing what appeared to be few day old clothes. On the floor sat used injectors of spice. The man lay in his bed face down. On the back of his neck was inked the word "Vexxed", obviously some underworld moniker for the man. Vexed? He certainly will be.
Rockhead sat patiently watching Vex as he slept, resting his feet on the finely woven rug at his feet. He allowed Vex to enjoy his final hour. After about half an hour, Vex began to stir. He rolled onto his side and sleepily opened his eyes. Surprised to see Rockhead in the room, Vex reached under his mattress for his blaster. The blaster that was in the other room. He gasped, fearing his fate. Vex looked upon his visitor, but did not recognize him. He did however, recognize the threat he carried.
"Greetings, pal. You have information I need. Information I will get." Rockhead sneered. Ruh only address those he sought to kill as "pal".
At that, Vex quickly rolled from the bed in an attempt to reach a cabinet in the corner of the room. He tried in vain. At the same time Rockhead stepped up and quickly side-stepped to a position directly behind Vex as he sprawled onto the floor. He raised his right arm and fired a dart containing a toxin into Vex's back. Vex paused at the stinging pain and rolled onto his back. Waiting for the poison to kick in Vex laid there. Surprisingly the sting went away leaving no apparent ill effects. Perhaps the cartridge misfired? Unlikely.
"Now see. I wish you hadn't gone and made me do that. This is going to make things less painful for you and less playful for me." Ruh said as he took steps toward Vex, still lying on his back now with his feet at the foot of the steps which lead to the elevator and backdoor.
"Since you don't have much time left, unless I decide to let you live, I am going to be direct." Rockhead stated as he pulled an object from his belt. He lied about the letting him live part, his fate was sealed the moment Rockhead entered the home. The administration of the toxin just took the fun out of it for Rockhead.
"Right now you probably don't feel much, if anything. That is the way my sister designed it. In a few moments you will begin to get light headed, followed by the inability to move. Then later you will lose sensation in your feet as it progresses to your head. But don't worry, you will get sensation back. It just won't be anything you would ever want to feel." Ruh grinned as he saw the shocked look on Vex's face.
"What? What do you want" He said, terrified and already feeling the light-headed sensation.
"I want to know about Rox" He paused, watching as his eyes grew wide. "and Satim. And all the fun you guys have been having in the desert with Plexes."
"I...I had nothing to do with it. I'm just one of Rox's drivers! I am innocent!" Vex cried. This one cracked far easier than Rockhead would have thought. "It was Rox! It was all his plan. He and Olann got the plexes, but I don't know where from. Just some smuggler outside Anchorhead that Olann knows, think his name is Xiss, hangs around Tosche. Just give me the serum to stop this stuff!". Vex cried as he reached for Rockhead's clenched fist. Grasping at the cure that was not. He was horrified to find that as he reached for the item, the paralysis had set in and his arm fell limp to the floor and his body fell numb.
Rockhead was dumbfounded. Never in as many years as he had been doing this work has anyone ever cracked so quickly. Been so open so easily. Insight to the type of operation and caliber of men Rox was involved in. Scum, all of them.
"So...You want to live? Like the 29 troopers you and your crew killed." Rockhead asked.
"Yes" he managed to mumble. Barely able to speak due to the paralysis which was beginning to subside.
Rockhead threw a capsule down on Vex's chest. "In a moment you will begin to feel as though your are boiling from the inside out. That will be your chance to save yourself. Before the pain is too great....crush this capsule in your hands. The compound will absorb into your skin and deactivate the toxin." Ruh explained, lying.
"Th...th...thank you." He said with pain across his face as the pain began to start.
"No, thank you." Ruh stated as he walked out the back door. Grabbing Vex's pistol on the way out, a trophy for the kill.
Feeling as though the heat from the twin suns themselves had entered his veins, Vex grabbed at the capsule. Vainly tring to crush it in his weakened hand. A crack, finally. After several more tries Vex was able to break away enough of the shell to allow the compoung to come oozing out. A green substance began to cover his hand and then the rest of his body. Vex laid back and relaxed as best he could, still in pain from the internal burning. A calm cool fell over his body.
"Thank the stars", he thought. Feeling safe as the pain subsided.
Then the pain returned more fierce than before. This time on the inside and out. Vex lifted his hand, horrified to find the flesh melting from his body.
"A trick!" he howled his last words, a realization come too late. After the compound had finished its work, Vex was reduced to nothing more than bones and goo.
Outside the house Rockhead stood by, leaving only after hearing the final howl of Vex. He was deserving of it. A righteous kill.
"Rockhead to Outlaw. I'll be heading to Anchorhead for one more visit. A smuggler name Xiss possibly provided the Plexes. Rockhead out." Rockhead spoke into his comm. on the secure channel.
"Acknowledged. Got what you needed from Vex?" Outlaw inquired.
"He won't be a problem to anyone anymore." Rockhead concluded.
"Understood. Report your progress in Anchorhead." Outlaw stated as he ended the communication.
"Sin, ready the 814. I am heading to Anchorhead" Rockhead commanded.
Tosche Station, Anchorhead, Tatooine - Several Hours Later
Dusk was approaching when Rockhead stepped into Tosche station looking for Xiss. He was confronted by a bothan, who was trying to look threatening ... and failing. This wasn't Xiss.
"Hey kid, I'm looking for your boss."
"Names Cuan, and Xiss is down there,"he said as he pointed down a set of stairs. Rockhead descended quietly, Xiss was bent over a speeder, reading a datapad.
"Hey Cuan, hand me that scanner" Xiss asked without looking up. When there was no response, Xiss looked up to find an unexpected visitor in place of his assistant.
"Greetings, friend. We need to talk about Olann" Rockhead grinned.
Without warning, Xiss rolled behind the speeder and between a stack of crates. Before Rockhead could even move, he reemerged with a blaster. Firing two quick shots, Xiss ducked into a back room. This one was a lot quicker than his last contact, and quicker than your average gun runner.
Rockhead grabbed a flashbang from his belt and threw it into the room. Rockhead drew his blade and charged into the room as the stun grenade exploded. While his oponent was momentarily blinded, Rockhead's visor had shielded his eyes. He raced into the room and instinctively stuck the smuggler in the side, killing him instantly.
"You were more useful to me alive. He said, disappointed.
"Rockhead calling Hellion. Xiss was a dead end. Notify Outlaw, over." Rockhead spat into his comm.
Hellion turned to Outlaw, who was standing beside her. She shook her head, "Xiss was a dead end,"she repeated.
Outlaw nodded, knowing what that meant. He cursed inwardly, he was hoping to find out how the PLX-1 launchers had made it to Tatooine.
"Bring him in, we need to start pulling all of this information together"
"I am uploading our location. RV with us and we will continue our investigation. Hellion out." She said, her tone sounded annoyed.
Rockhead stepped back letting Xiss body slump onto the ground. A datapad lay on the ground next to him. Rockhead raised an eyebrow.
"This could be usefull," he said aloud picking it up.
He examined it a little more closely, noting a few saved communications with Olann. Jackpot. Ruh pocketed the datapad and began to ascend the stairs. He had to tell a little bothan kid that he needed to find a new job.