NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2571621" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 277: Tavern ConversationsEvery tavern in the galaxy looked exactly the same. That had to be some fundamental law of the universe. Jyren had been in his fair share over the years, as had Shadow, and between them, neither had ever seen anything that deviated from the norm...which, obviously, was a very working model. Even the patrons were generally the same. The bartenders all had the same mannerisms and, generally, attitudes. It was actually calming, as they quickly became the one place you could go and feel at home...or at least, as home anyone could feel when surrounded by the scum of the galaxy.    Nar Shaddaa itself was already a home to the galaxy’s crime world, so the taverns were even more seedy and dark than anywhere else. This one was perfectly designed with Nar Shaddaa’s patrons in mind. Every single table was a booth...a very deeply inset booth with high walls on either side preventing anyone from seeing in except from the spot where they sat down from. This was perfect because it allowed for a large degree of privacy, and, after that, a large degree of cover from any weapons fire that erupted.    They sat in the back corner. Opposite Jyren and Shadow was another human, probably in his late 20s, with an unkempt look to his hair and scruffy beard. His eyes alone proved him to be dangerous. There wasn’t any other word to use, as that deep set, strong look in nondescript-coloured eyes could only be said to be dangerous. Anything else was an understatement or just plain wrong. The fact that one of his hands was out of view and under the table was not doing anything to help this. His name was, according to Shadow at least, Dareth.     And, of course, Shadow was doing the talking, “So do you know anything or am I wasting my time with you again?”    Those kind of sharp, vibroblade tipped statements were everywhere in the conversation that was going on between the two. Shadow’s hands were both on the table, resting calmly in front of her and obviously on display...though Jyren could tell it was not a gesture to show trust. Instead, it was simply showing that she did not need a weapon. While the two of them spoke, Jyren’s eyes carefully looked around the nearby sections of the tavern, knowing that this Dareth would not be alone, and checking for any weapons trained on them from a distance...all the while, one hand rested at his side, in perfect position to retrieve the blaster that was hidden just below his shoulder and under his jacket.    “You wouldn’t have been talking this long if you really think there’s a chance you’re wasting your time,” Dareth responded calmly, at the same time leaning forward just slightly. A devilish smile appeared on his face.    Shadow sighed...inwardly. She wasn’t dumb enough to show any sign of emotion on the outside, “How much?”    “How much you got?”    Without missing a beat, Shadow said sternly, “How much?”    A pause. It was a pause that said there was more in Shadow’s words than just her tone. That was too easy for him to have backed down all on his own. Well...then again, if he knew Shadow, maybe it wasn’t. Jyren sure knew that was a dangerous tone to argue against. A moment of tension held, but then the man said calmly, “Two thousand.”    “Five. Hundred,” her words were in the same sharp, dangerous tone, both spoken deliberately and strongly emphasized.    “Fifteen hundred.”    “Four hundred.”    There was another pause, and eyes narrowed on both sides of the table. It was plainly clear to Jyren that they were both attempting to rip the other off, and considering that the Alraxian people had no concept of money...he figured Shadow was doing pretty well. It really was all in the presentation, and no one could be more intimidating than Shadow. Well, except maybe Darth Vader, but he was long dead, thank the Force.    “Fifteen hundred is as low as you’ll get it,” the man said in a tone all too similar to Shadow’s. He was opening his mouth to say something else, but Jyren’s eyes locked onto a slight movement. Dareth’s right shoulder shifted, meaning his arm was moving, meaning he was likely going for a weapon.    In a quick motion, Jyren did the same, sliding the blaster out from its holster under his shoulder. A moment later, it was level with the table, the barrel easily seen by Dareth. Jyren didn’t say anything, though.    But Shadow took advantage of the moment, “Two hundred and I’ll forget you tried to pull a weapon on me.”    “This information is worth fifteen hundred,” Dareth said slowly, for some reason not backing down, despite the fact that he had frozen in place, “And I thought you were smart enough to know I’m not alone.”    [Second level, booth directly across from us. Don’t turn the blaster, but be ready. You have a clear shot if this gets dirty.] Shadow’s mental voice in Jyren’s head caused him to miss her spoken words, “If you keep this up, you’ll end up with nothing. This is the last time I’ll let the offer for two hundred credits stand. After that, you get nothing. And if you want to be stubborn after that, you’ll lose more than money.”    If she was like this now, Jyren couldn’t imagine her back when smuggling was her job. Between the escape from the Empire and meeting him with the mercs...she was dangerous enough then, so there was a hint at least. But this wasn’t a time for thinking about that. His eyes glanced off to where Shadow had directed him. Yes...there was the blaster aimed at them. It was an easy shot, even for Jyren, who was definitely no marksman. Was this guy an amateur?! The damned backup was in perfect line of sight!    “You kill me and you’ll get nothing,” Dareth ground out the words slowly, though his eyes did dart to Jyren’s blaster for a short second. Good. He was on edge.    “Killing you ruins the fun.”    Shadow’s words were suddenly followed by a flash of movement and noises. As far as Jyren could tell, the first thing that happened was Shadow’s arm lashing out and grabbing Dareth by the throat. If something happened second, he couldn’t have been completely sure...but he knew that as she was pulling the man’s entire body back across the table to them, Jyren caught sight of movement from their observer. He didn’t think. Quickly, Jyren twisted around, tilting his blaster up and squeezing a shot off just before the gunner did.    The yelp and subsequent thud of the man hitting the floor ended the blur, and since it was Nar Shaddaa, there was no rushing of people to see what had happened. They knew not to get involved in other people’s business. Jyren turned back, sliding the blaster back into its hidden holster, to see Shadow holding Dareth with one hand still, her eyes glaring into his. Now, both of his hands were on the table, obviously showing he wasn’t holding a weapon so she didn’t crush his throat anymore.    “Now,” Shadow said in her deadly-but-sweet voice, “If you suddenly have a boost in intelligence, you will tell me what you know and never have to see me again.”    It was amazing how much incentive that was, considering the situation.    Dareth struggled for a moment, but Shadow squeezed his throat just a little more. He croaked, stopped moving, and gagged until she eased up again. Then, after catching his breath, he gasped, “Some psycho dropped from a few levels above some weeks back! She killed two thugs and stole a ship..ggaaah! I’m not lying!”    “What kind of ship?” Shadow pressed on, though still allowing him to breathe...though she did squeeze his throat tightly for a moment just to make sure she got an answer.    Through a sudden gasp for air, he managed, “New Corellian model! Guhhh...don’t know where it went!” a very tight squeeze got a breathless yelp, which lasted for a half second before Dareth struggled into getting out, “I don’t know! Had a junk hyperdrive! Couldn’t go more then two systems from here!”    Shadow released him by throwing his face into the table hard. By the time he looked up, Shadow and Jyren were already outside and heading back to Loki.    “That didn’t tell us much,” Jyren commented as they walked through the always-crowded walkways.    Shadow shrugged, the danger gone from her entire demeanor, “Its more than we had. Check that with the nearby system security data and we can track her.”    He raised an eyebrow at that, “You think she’s going to leave a trail?”    “Everyone leaves a trail, Jyren,” she said calmly, “Its just a matter of finding it.”    “By the Force, I would hate to be on your bad side,” Jyren mumbled, shaking his head.    Unsurprisingly, Shadow grinned, “You mean I have a good side?”</blockquote>

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