Let me in!...Please?

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Raugh felt the unsteadiness of the ship as it passed into Nar-Shaddaa’s atmosphere. It was a slight jarring and then a continual, steady vibration that came from the outside and effected every-part of the ship. Raugh could feel the hum of the force, the life on the ship he was in, a simple passenger shuttle. He was among the others, sitting on a bench calmly, perfectly visible in the darkness of the shuttle.

He came to Nar Shaddaa for both business and pleasure. An old friend whom he’d thought dead had contacted him in need of assistance. After helping with whatever trouble his friend was in, he planned on sticking around for a while longer. His friend was an ex-pirate hunter from the past, from Raugh’s old crew. It relieved him greatly that he had survived, though Raugh had never known; he’d thought he had been the only one to survive the horrible crash. Perhaps more had escaped?

These were speculations he had dwelled on the entire journey to the crime-planet. Now, however, was not the time for him to speculate on such matters.

Now was a time for action.

The shuttle came to a rough but suitable landing. The ramp slowly came down and the engines shut off, a flight attendant kindly directed the passengers off of the ship. Raugh went last, allowing everyone else to move in front of him. He stepped off of the shuttle and into a new world entirely.

Unlike Tatooine, Nar Shaddaa was more stable. It had a hierarchy, though internal disputes and power-struggles are definitely constant. The Hutt’s control this world and their laws and traditions, twisted as they are, were firmly in place. In Tatooine, no laws could hold water. Here, there was still a basic structure.

It was still just a cheap imitation of Coruscant, which, although it had it’s own problems, was much more refined. Raugh scowled, between the few planets he’d been too, he knew this would be one of his least favorites. At least in Tatooine slavery was done behind people’s backs; here it existed in plain view.

Raugh made his way through the bustling streets of Nar Shaddaa. He neared an apartment complex, the one where his friend had told him he’d lived in. The halls were musty and dark. It was certainly a cheap place to live, and when Raugh arrived at the front door he found it already open. Inside, he saw his friend shrugging his shoulders and talking to two brutish looking Twi’lek’s. They were armed with a sword and blaster pistols.

Raugh hesitated, sensing hostility in both of the thugs, “Can be of assistance to you two?” He asked through the door-way.

“This has nothing to do with you.” One of the Twi’lek’s said, turning to the doorway, but hardly seeing anything, for Raugh was almost a ghost in doorway.

“Being that you seem to be making my friend uncomfortable within his own walls, I would suggest that it is.” Raugh replied.

“This ‘friend’ of ours owes us money, and he can’t collect. So we’re going to collect for him!” The Twi’lek’s face.

Raugh reached out with the force, using his powers of persuasion, “I can help this man with his debt, we just need a few days. Leave now and you shall get what is due in a few days.”

One Twi’lek seemed enthralled by the idea, perfectly accepting it. The other was confused, he looked down for a moment, then slowly said, “But…We should be making an example…Of him…”

“Plenty of examples have been made, best to get money than blood, let this be a warning to him.” Raugh told him.

“Yeah…Yeah, I’m warning you, cretin, you don’t pay up within a few days, I’ll have your head on a stick!” With that, both Twi’lek’s left calmly.

After they were a good distance away, Raugh approached. He looked at his old friend, recognizing his presence in the force from a long time before, but not quite recognizing his features, it was difficult to see such things in the Ultra-Violet spectrum. Raught slowly turned his head, becoming for visible as he approached, stepping away from the more lit hall and transitioning into a darker area.

“Raugh! That was surreal!” The old Pirate Hunter exclaimed, moving to shut the door. He hit a button on the panel and it slid closed, “You really saved me some trouble, thought I’d have to kill them!”

Raugh nodded, knowing he could do it. Rejik, as he was known, had been one of the best fighters on the crew. He was more than a match for two thugs five feet away. It was a good thing Raugh had intervened when he did, though, because Raugh didn’t think Rejik could possibly handle the rest of the thugs that would come; this time prepared.

“It is only a temporal solution.” Raugh replied.

“How did you do that?”

“I have spent many years in training, Rejik. I have picked up on a few skills with the force that I did not have last we met.”

Rejik sighed, pointing to the wall, "Just throw your bags down there, and we'll discuss the details over dinner."

~*~

Two hours later Rejik sat with a Taresian Ale and Raugh with an Alderanian tea. "So what type of establishment do you owe debts to?"

"It's called the Soaring Mynok. It's a gambling establishment. Everything's normal up-front, I owe about five hundred credits to the normal gambling establishment..."

"Five hundred credits isn't nearly enough to start sending thugs." Raugh said, "What else?"

"There's a back-room, it's a large pit. They take slaves and force them to fight in these duels. Audience places bet son the favorable odds. Normally, I'd never go near the place, but a friend of mine had told me of incredibly favorable odds on the under-dog. Nobody else knew. I went in and placed a really high bet on the under-dog..." He replied.

"How high?"

"Ten thousand credits."

"And you lost?" Raugh asked.

"The opponent cheated! It was rigged, no way my guy should've lost!" Rejik snarled.

"Then you should get to work." Raugh stated.

"Uh...What?" Rejik asked.

"Ten thousand credits is a lot of money, Rejik. You should get to work on gettin' that money."

Rejik stood up, flustered, "What? No! Just get me a shuttle out of here!" He demanded, "I'll never be able to pay that money off in time!"

"Sure you will." Raugh said, "Those blaster pistols of yours are very nice, Rejik. As well as the apartment you own."

"You wouldn't!" He snarled back.

"Rejik." Raugh said with an intensity in his voice, "You gambled, and now you owe them. That is the chip you bargained for. I will not allow them to take your life. However, you're responsible for the promises you make. I will not help you be untrustworthy."

"This is a matter of life and death, not honor!" Rejik retorted.

"In Af'el, where I was born...We had a very trusting society. Those who would break a deal, under any conditions, were exiled from the rest, and cut off from any community. Those practices may not be practical in a society such as this, but I hold them dear. I cannot associate with those who break their promises." With that, Raugh stood, and started to leave.

"Wait!" Rejik said, "Alright, we'll do it your way. But they're not looking for money anymore good buddy. They're lookin' fer my head."

"You have the means with which to get your own money and pay it off. Worry about that, I'll worry about your head. Where is the Soaring Mynok?"

Rejik rubbed his temples stressfully, then stated, "It's in the Commercial district on the North-side, but go with caution, you'll need more than Jedi tricks to change their minds!"

"I do have more than just tricks." Raugh said.

"And, uh...they've got this new bouncer. He's a droid, he's very large, and he won't be happy to see you." Rejik replied, "But good-luck!"

"Who's the owner of the establishment?"

"That would be the Quarren Zerb'd. The booky's a human named Talik."

[Karl the Unfettered]

"Irritated Statement: Master, I am bored," the huge droid declared, in no uncertain terms. "When will these malcontents and debtors-at-large show up on this doorstep?" The huge droid, at ten feet tall and four tons heavy, was indeed huge, and the murderous tools on his arms were clearly not to be trifled with in the least.

"Do not complain further, Excon," Zerb'd snapped as he walked by, "or I will have you fired." He was beginning to regret hiring the immense machine; as stunningly effective as he was at bouncing and keeping the peace, he had an attitude no droid should have been allowed to have, an annoyingly mercenary attitude that kept Zerb'd and Talik on their toes. He was nominally cheap, though; system maintenance, replenishment of his weapons systems, and oiling and greasing. Not much compared to the piles of credits normal freelancers would demand.

Still, though...

"Weary Resignation: Very well, Master, but know that I am displeased with the lack of real action," Excon went on, turning to his duties once again. The lack of bloodshed was starting to grate; Zerb'd had been quite clear that non-lethal force was to be employed unless the situation was truly dire. And while non-lethal force usually consisted of Excon's mere presence and hissing, threatening voice modulation, it was still intensely boring. A moderately-sized database of debtors and known trouble-makers to be on the lookout for helped, but not a whole lot unless one of them showed up.

After a while, he noted a man coming up to him, one of those curious little Defel things. A quick scan brought alarms up; this was Raugh Haulthe, one of those trouble-makers in his database, a notorious pirate-hunter, and an associate of one Rejik. Rejik, also a pirate-hunter, was high on his list of debtors, owing the crazy sum of ten thousand credits over a loss in the slave rings. What's worse, Haulthe was flagged as a known Force-user, who belonged to some group called the "Will of the Force".

Whoever they were.

Excon knew nothing about the subtleties of the Force, or the differences between the various factions; all he knew was that those meatbags associated with the Force were unusually troublesome and hard to deal with. "Threat: Stop where you are, Raugh Haulthe!" Excon declared loudly, the arm with his arc welder rising into position. "State your business here, and explain where your 'friend' Rejik and his credits are! You will not get another chance to do this peacefully!"

Excon's loud declarations brought Zerb'd and Talik, along with a good number of bystanders, running to the scene. The first two took up positions behind the droid, while the others gathered in a loose circle to watch the show.

((Sorry for the wait, but you never replied to my last PM. Anyway, hope this works!))

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

( Np, sorry 'bout that. Got caught up. )

As Raugh approached the front doors of the gambling joint, his usually optimistic mood was peppered with a sour, almost spoiled spice as he saw the looming figure of Excon. Still, he kept his approach, cautious as always. He hadn't done anything wrong, even by their standars...yet. It was a thin line he was walking on. He had no credits on him personally, he wished only to negotiate terms, and he had brought only his lightsaber and a few personal affects. However, Raugh was a formidable foe even without most of his equipment.

So, too, was a lumbering droid of this size. With a single quick glance, Raugh noticed two things, 1. the original design of this droid, while being aptly and skillfully able to adapt to it's new proffession, was as some sort of heavy conditions mining droid, probably incredibly durable to both heat and various other attacks. His lightsaber may have little effect; if any. 2. Excon was a droid, no amount of force manipulation would change his mind, unless Raugh could rework it's circuits from his position(which he would have no idea where to begin even if he had the capabilities to do so), he would have to be able to talk his way out of this. Literary arts was not his focus, but his knowledge of such things would have to suffice.

The Droid recognized him, calling for a halt and getting into a threatening position ( it's original position being only slightly less menacing ). Raugh stopped immediately, complying with the droids rules. Raugh could not tell if the droid was just 'doing it's job' or if it was a volatile guard, but he was appreciative of Excon's show of potential peace-making.

Ever the one to make peace, Raugh nodded, speaking up in his scratchy, Defel voice, "I do cherish peace," he lifted his hands in the air, "Give me a second here," he slowly reached down to his belt and unclipped it, removing the entire belt along with his lightsaber, and tossed it to the ground before him, "See?" He could easily force lift the lightsaber and belt back to him in case of emergency, but Raugh felt as though the show of submission was needed.

"I have come to negotiate terms of peace between one Rejik and this joint. Even now, he scrounges the money, of the that I am sure! However, as I can see these credits are -very- important to your employer, I would ask for an extension of time. Credits do not simply grow off of tree's, afterall! A few days, possibly a week or so, will be required."

[Karl the Unfettered]

"He's had plenty of time already!" Zerb'd declared. "Who are you to come in and-"

"Statement: He is Raugh Haulthe, according to the database," Excon interrupted, stomping his foot; the ground shook alarmingly, and several people including Zerb'd and Talik fell over. "He claims the meatbag Rejik is collecting the credits." A pause, filled by humming and clanking from the terribly unsubtle machine. "Disclaimer: I have no means of discerning truth or lies in little gizka meatbags," he admitted, "but given Rejik's history as a fighter it would not be hard for him to claim bounties."

Naturally, Zerb'd saw an opportunity. "You! Rough Halt, or whatever your name is!" he snapped, pointing a finger at Raugh and advancing on the diminutive Force-user. "You and Rejik are warriors! You kill for us, kill enough troublemakers and debt go away! Excon will help you!" He turned again. "Excon! Help them!"

"Query: Help them with what? You hired me to bounce the door, not collect your dues."

"Do not argue! I want my credits yesterday!" the Quarren yelled, put out by this public humiliation. Were it not for Excon and the crackling arc welder on his upraised arm, the crowd around them would doubtless be roaring with laughter.

"Resigned Threat: Very well, but when we return we will renegotiate, or I will redecorate," Excon warned, lowering the arm. His optic sensors flashed red, then went back to their usual orange as he thudded forward toward Raugh. "Cheerful Declaration: Raugh Haulthe, for now I am with you. I trust you will lead me to copious bloodshed and mass destruction. Lead on, but not too quickly."

The Defel's lightsaber and belt were mere inches from Excon's massive feet, and judging from the continual deep thrumming that foot contained electromagnets; it was decidedly a bad idea to leave his stuff near such a thing.

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Raugh found himself staring at the Quarren as it walked turned away. He narrowed a glare on him, but said nothing. Raugh couldn't go around killing people, he wasn't some mercenary or bounty hunter! He'd killed in the past, and he figured he may have to do so in the future as well, but the last thing he wanted to do was go out of his way to kill for other people. In the middle of his thought process, Excon stepped forward, pounding across the ground. Raugh kept his balance as the massive thing continued on its way. He noticed an odd phenomona when it neared his equipment.

He used the force and brought both belt and saber to him, then clipped them on, he didn't know much about magnets or droids, but he knew that sometimes when technology came into contact with other technology, bad things happened.

Now Raugh recognized that he had a real -big- problem on his hands. Raugh did not want to cause carnage and destruction, but Excon expected him too. When Excon found out that the blood and destruction would not come, then he would certainly begin improvising his own, probably on Raugh. So what to do?

He could tell the Quarren that he couldn't go around killing for him...But that wouldn't end well. The Quarren was a rather easily frustrated fellow with large friends. The only plausible option would be to lead Excon to a place with no bystanders and take his chances then and there.

Or he could attempt to go out collecting these debts but try to resolve them peacefully. Excon wouldn't like that, but sometimes you don't always get the things you like. If it meant not killing anyone, Raugh was willing to let Excon be unhappy.

He looked up at the big droid, wondering how to disable it if worse came to worse. A couple of cannons at the front of a dreadnaught should do the trick...

The Defel perked up, sitting down on his rear, thinking. He was all set-up to perform his trickery, then remembered the very words which he had spoken to Rejik earlier that day. A true Defel honors his word. His hands were honor-bound not to betray the Quarren should he decide to play along, and his mouth was honor-bound to say, "Zerb'd, I cannot do as you request. It is not my job to kill debtors for you, nor is it your place to demand so of me." He turned to Excon, "He would have you running around the whole of Nar Shaddaa hunting loner Gizka. A task rather unbecoming of you, no?"

[Karl the Unfettered]

"Sarcastic Declaration: Nothing is unbecoming of me," Excon replied. "I am a droid, I am an object, I am property. I do whatever the master tells me to do, no matter what." A pause, full of whirring and clanking. "Addendum: Obviously that was sarcasm. At the moment I must do whatever Zerb'd tells me to do, and he has ordered me to assist you in tracking down troublemakers and collecting the bounties on their heads. I have no doubt I will hate every minute of it, since you will of course order me to deploy strictly non-lethal force, but I must carry out my contract."

He made a sighing sound, then raised his foot and stomped again, harder; this generated a much larger shaking of the ground, and before it died down the droid bent down, wrapped his massive hand around Raugh's slight form, and deposited him on one shoulder. "Explanation: This will go faster if you ride, little short-legged gizka," Excon said as he started off. "Now, the nearest target is one Jarken Marble, a serial rapist who prefers underage Twi'lek girls. Apparently he started brawls with some regularity before Zerb'd hired me, and my presence has since driven him off; he is still in the area, however. Details indicate he annoyed one of the Hutts, who has put a thousand credits on his head; the Soaring Mynock is also a bounty-collection office, we can collect Marble, dead or not, and take him straight back."

While speaking he moved across the decaying urban landscape of Nar Shaddaa, toward a particularly rundown section of flophouses and shacks. He walked straight for one of the larger makeshift structures, speeding up very slightly; a rending crash signaled the utter ruin of the front wall, and Excon stopped in the rubble. Apparently Marble had heard the approach and was ready; a hail of blaster shots and Devaronian curses flew their way from behind an overturned table, neither of them doing any good at all.

"Declaration: Justice has come for you, Jarken Marble!" Excon said loudly, swinging one hand to the side and disintegrating the nearest wall. "You can come intact, or in pieces!" Every move the droid made was incredibly loud; even when he stood still, he couldn't help but raise the noise level everywhere he went.

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Raugh heard the words of Excon, and at first he did not believe them. Excon, while admitting displeasures, was agreed on deploying non-lethal force. He paused in thought, not immediately sure what to do in light of this new information. A few moments later, however, Excon made the decision for him. He felt the massive droid's hand grip his body. His first reaction was to struggle against Excon's grip.

Excon dropped Raugh off on his shoulder's, gently enough, and he instantly calmed down, "Explanation: This will go faster if you ride, little short-legged gizka," Excon stated, and then he began moving, the great shocks and vibrations of the ground troublesome and ten-fold when actually riding upon the steel behemoth, but Raugh kept his balance, and accepted the situation. If Excon agreed to non-lethal force, then Raugh was perfectly comfortable with this mission. He just hadn't thought Excon would oblidge.

"Now, the nearest target is one Jarken Marble, a serial rapist who prefers underage Twi'lek girls. Apparently he started brawls with some regularity before Zerb'd hired me, and my presence has since driven him off; he is still in the area, however. Details indicate he annoyed one of the Hutts, who has put a thousand credits on his head; the Soaring Mynock is also a bounty-collection office, we can collect Marble, dead or not, and take him straight back."

Raugh hardly heard the second half of the statement. He was frozen after the first part; frozen with rage. He could not speak, he could hardly think. A serial rapist...A Known serial rapist...just walking down the streets. Raugh couldn't say anything. What would he say, 'That's good, let's bring him in!'

Excon approached the building. Jarken was inside. With the subtlety of a charging rhinoceros, Excon crashed the wall open. Jarken had been waiting, Raugh figured, for blaster fire came at them as Excon stepped through the broken section of wall. Raugh lifted one hand up above his head, reaching into the force and extending his reach to the falling bits of rubble above him, stopping all excess rubble from knocking into his head. He raised his other hand at chest level.

He reached out with the force once more, focusing upon the laser fire. One stray bolt of fire was coming his way. His hand moved quickly and with precision, the stark white gauntlet open palmed, the bolt hitting against it. There was a flare of light, but no heat managed to get through to his hand.

"Declaration: Justice has come for you, Jarken Marble! You can come intact, or in pieces!" Jarken was a large and brutish looking man with narrow features. He looked as though he were a fighter, which matched Excon's description. However, in seeing Excon, he knew he was outmatched, and immediately surrendered upon further observation of the giant machine and the perched Defel. He dropped his weapons and put his hands up, a wiry grin popping up on his features, "Ya got me..."

A moment later, he began to run. He hardly moved when Raugh reached out with the force, gripping the man with it and lifting him up into the air. The man gasped and flailed as best he could, but with Raugh using the force to hold his center of gravity in the air, he didn't budge, save for the flailing limbs.

Raugh distorted his features, that disgusting grin of Jarken's stuck in his head, an image he despised. This perverted man...The thought of him doing terrible things was fresh in Raugh's mind. A fit of rage came over him and with a feral Defel growl, he used the force to throw the man backward into the wall. He hit the wall hard, causing Jarken Marble to gasp in pain. Raugh released him and he fell to the ground in a coughing sputter.

Instantly, Raugh began to calm down breathing heavily, "This trash..." He said slowly but clearly, "is not worth protecting. Do whatever you wish."

[Karl the Unfettered]

So, the Jedi had buttons to press. Excon recorded this in his databanks, and looked at the stunned rapist. "Decision: I will impale him through the ground," he announced, raising his left arm and locking the other about it. The room filled with the harsh humming of incredible energies building up, until the vibration alone would have killed a Bothan; Marble could only cower and hold his ears, screaming, but no one heard him and no one would have cared anyway.

The noise built to a crescendo; blood spurted from Marble's ears and nose as his eardrums and sinuses ruptured. A loud, ratcheting clank was heard, even over all the noise, indicating one of the immense five-foot spikes, triple durasteel tipped with neuranium, was loaded into position; one final, horrifying spike in sound and power, and the spike erupted forth on an immense expulsion of air and gathered power. It pierced through Marble's neck, just below his jawline; the head became a pointless splatter of blood and gore, and the rest of the body spurted blood as if it hadn't realized it had no head anymore. Which, given the speed and cleanliness with which that head had disappeared, could very well have been the case.

The terrible weapon had also blown out what was left of the flimsy walls of the flophouse, in the displacement of compressed air, but Excon noticed none of it. "Statement: Gather the body and put it on my shoulder, gizka Jedi," he instructed of Raugh. "We shall remove him and present it to Zerb'd as proof of the first bounty. And then on to the next!"

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Raugh grimaced at the carnage of Excon's attack. It had been so powerful that he'd used the force to mask him from the vibrations and deafening sounds that had rendered the rapist so easily crippled. The shot literally destroyed his body, completely. There was no way he could gather the pieces, so he'd just take what was left of the center body mass and whatever limbs may still be attatched.

Raugh hopped off, finding a large blanket. He gathered it and moved it toward the body. Blood splashed all over his fur as he lifted the body onto the blanket, blanching and wretching as he wrapped, soaking the corners of the blanket in blood so that he could twist them and make ends of them, then using these new tips to tie a large knot on the top of the blanket, effectively making it a sack.

He dragged the body with little effort, then focused the force around the blanket to lift it up to Excon's shoulder, then using his acrobatic skills combined with the force to leap and climb up Excon's body, getting onto the shoulder and holding the sack.

"Let us move as fast as possible," Raugh scowled, "Before he begins to smell." The blanket was already dripping wet with the constant out-pour of blood, but at least Raugh didn't have to look at it and it decreased the amount that would splash onto him.

[Karl the Unfettered]

"Cheerful Statement: Your appearance is much improved with the blood of that gizka little hoodlum soaking your fur," Excon said happily as he marched back to the casino. He did not bother knocking; he simply walked through the door, stepping inside and filling the room with his noise and presence. It was hard to say which was larger, or more filling.

"Exclamation: Zerb'd! We have Jarken Marble!" the droid declared, shrugging a shoulder to displace the body and knock it off. The crowd gasped in horror and recoiled en masse at the sight of the mutilated corpse; Zerb'd could only stare, and tried to form words that would question the identity of this pile of tenderized meat, but no words came out. Excon indicated his impatience with a flare of his red photoreceptors, and the Quarren finally found his tongue.

"F-Fine, fine!" he stammered. "Account credited, whatever, j-just get out and don't come back for a while! And someone clean this up!" His casino was nigh empty thanks to that troublesome metal wall, and it would be smelling up before long in Nar Shaddaa's humidity.

"Satisfied Statement: I've been wanting to do that ever since he hired me," Excon told Raugh as they turned and left again. "Well, since we've been kicked out we may as well take a break somewhere. Do you have any particular spot, or would you rather leave and not come back?" Excon was already having more fun with Raugh than he'd ever had under Zerb'd; the only problem was he still had a contract with the Quarren.

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Raugh sighed audibly at Excon's transgressions. But there was little else he could do, "Yes." Raugh said, "I know a place." He said, "It's a nice quiet place." He started, but then realized, no place is quiet with Excon around, so he stopped after that, not really sure of where to go anymore, "As far as I'm concerned, this whole planet has little worth enjoying. But a gander at a local holo-book-store or something wouldn't be bad. It's been a while since I've read a good Holo-book or Holo-net news page."

Raugh followed Excon in tow, but was a bit confused, "Do you know anything of that riff in this place? If not, I'd settle for a cantina where I could relax." He said.

After a few moments of thought, he shrugged, "Or we could move on to the next one on the list and get this done as quickly as possible. Something tells me that you dislike that Quarren as much as I." He said, "The faster we get this done, the faster we could move on. You're not under contract with that squid, are you?"

[Karl the Unfettered]

"Regretful Statement: Unfortunately I am," Excon declared as he strode through Nar Shaddaa's crowded streets, Raugh on his shoulder. "I am the bouncer and door guard, for an unspecified time. Of course that would only last so long as there is a cantina to bounce and guard the doors of." He thought about pursuing the next target, but decided against it; that would only be what Zerb'd wanted. "Decision: We shall laze and loll about like wastrel bums," he declared firmly. "Such activity would annoy that slimy Quarren to no end at all."

So he turned a corner and thudded to a stop before another cantina. "Threat: Let us in or you will be rendered into paste," the immense machine hissed, his voice almost lost beneath dark waves of static. The bouncer quailed and fell back, leaving room for the two of them to thunder inside. "Demands: Music for me, and some water for my companion!" Excon shouted as they came into the main hub of the cantina.

Most of the activity ground to a halt as everyone turned to stare at the interlopers. Any pugilistic tendencies were thankfully killed at the mere sight of Excon, so they would likely be safe for the moment. At least until someone got drunk enough to overcome their cowardice and stand up to play at being a hero; if that happened, Raugh better hope whatever diplomatic skills he knew would be enough to defuse the situation.

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Raugh thanked the droid that placed the water down next to him. He took to drinking it in large gulps. Raugh could not see much of the faces in the room, due to the various light sources, but he could see the general shapes of everyone, bright forms walking about in the ultra-violet spectrum. Of course, he did not have to see their faces to understand their hesitation, and not just because it would be the obvious reactions.

He could see their movements, jittery, nervous, quiet, shy. All traits of a frightened patron. Raugh wasn't used to being a source of discomfort, but rather the opposite. Some people got a strange thrill from being feared. Raugh certainly did not. In fact, he hated to be feared, and resented the timidity of the other patrons, even if it wasn't directed toward or from himself...What, though, was there to do?

"So, if squid-face were to break his side of the contract," Raugh trailed, "Would that then mean that we would have permission to break your end of the contract?" Raugh asked.

On that line of thought, he looked up at his huge, antagonizing, steel friend, "Actually, what exactly are the terms of your contract?" He took another large swig of his water, "I would like some tea please." He said to the same serving droid as earlier ( which Raugh now had figured was assigned to them and them only ).

If Raugh could, he'd find a loop-hole around all this. He'd figure out a way to end Excon's contract and get him out of here. Raugh didn't exactly know why he wanted to do this, other than the fact that he himself didn't want to work with the squid.

'Perhaps' thought Raugh, 'Perhaps I should hire Excon.' Raugh had been entertaining a thought. That thought was that if his old friend had survived the pirate battle long ago, perhaps there were others...Regardless of whether there were others, there's always more pirates out there. The pure nastalgia had jeered him into more and more thought. Perhaps it was about time that the Pirate Hunter formed his own band of hunters.

He looked at Excon, 'It would be a start, and a valuable ally. He smiled inwardly.

Perhaps, if he did this right.

[Karl the Unfettered]

"Statement: I am in the service of the Quarren Zerb'd for an unspecified amount of time, guarding the door and keeping the peace of his establishment, the Soaring Mynock," Excon stated. He made no attempt at whispering or hiding his voice, which would have been futile anyway. "He has, however, already broken the terms of our contract: he did not hire me on for bounty hunting or active debt collection. Once this chore is over with I intend to break our professional relationship, preferably in as painful a manner as possible."

For a second he seemed to zone out, but then he didn't. "Query: Perhaps you could make use of me once I am through with him?" he went on out loud. "I won't have anything else to do, and that look on your face reminds me of several individuals in the past who were minutes or even seconds away from some very lucrative propositions." Which probably went to show that he got a large number of propositions for work, despite the obvious risks of having him around.

"Warning: It is somewhat hazardous to have me around," he went on. "I get bored easily, and when I get bored I start disassembling things. To keep me from getting bored one must either constantly reinforce one's orders or give me people or things to violently destroy. The bloodier they are, the better."

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

"I will tell you no lies." Raugh told Excon, "I am a being who seeks peace and justice." He sighed, "Unfortunately, one cannot coexist with the other, for justice is often times a violent course of action. I do plan a road ahead of me which is slightly unbecoming of my claims toward peace. I am not sure if a droid such as yourself makes distinctions between good or bad, scum and innocents, but I certainly do. There are many scum out there who prey upon the innocent who are too weak to fend for themselves."

"I cannot allow this, and I have dedicated my path to ridding the galaxy of some of the worst of those scum. Pirates. When this business is all over, I plan on rebuilding my old band of pirate hunters and exacting justice. And Excon, my brand of justice is a bloody and violent one."

He took a large sip of his drink and laughed, "You can just as easily fit with me as you could with those scum. So I don't see any reason why I wouldn't want you on my side, if for nothing else than to prevent you from being on theirs. However, I don't take endentured servants or contract hitmen. I only let volunteers onto my crew, who have the choice to stay or leave as they please. The fun would be good, and 10% of any booty found goes to the crew members, while the rest will go to the ship, anything left over after improvements will make its way to charity."

He stood and handed over some credits to the bartender, downing the rest of the cup and then hobbling toward the door, "You don't have to make up your mind right now. But, uh, friend, I'm eager to be done with our current business."

[Karl the Unfettered]

"Statement: You are correct, I make no distinction in what I do," Excon said in agreement as he followed Raugh out the door. "I appreciate honesty, death and carnage all in equal measure; I care not for causes or rules or anything frivolous, so long as I am in my element. And my element is mass destruction." He was merely being direct, as Raugh had been, though it was also something to do while his circuits processed the little being's offer.

"Musing: Your offer is intriguing," he went on as they stepped outside, "and I am inclined to accept. I have no need of money, only maintenance and periodic data systems overhauls. I do not tolerate malicious movements of any sort upon my core security and software, and will respond with extreme prejudice to such attempts.

"With all that in mind, and provided you can remember what I am and where I stand in your archaic good vs evil vendettas, I am certain we can cultivate a wonderful working relationship." The droid seemed quite pleased to have a purpose, even if it was one he wasn't programmed to believe in. "Retraction: But we are getting ahead of ourselves: we must deal with Zerb'd first."

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Raugh smiled at Excon’s last statement, “That’s an excellent transition to my second question. Your contract was that you were to guard the Casino, correct? Zerb’d sent you out on a mission that was not on the contract, therefore putting him in violation of the contract. Now, I’m not saying that you are free from Zerb’d. But wouldn’t it stand to reason that while you are collecting bounties, you’re not liable for guarding Zerb’d. If anything were to happen to Zerb’d, you would not be obligated by contract to do anything about it, correct?”

He looked ahead and continued walking, “I don’t like Zerb’d. I find him to be scum, just as bad as pirates; led by greed, undercutting, cheating, stealing, harming. If I could I‘d deal with him just like pirates.” He concluded, “And I believe I can pay off Rejik’s debt. Why don’t you continue seeking more debtors, and I’ll go get Rejik.” Raugh winked, “Then me and Rejik will rendezvous with you and we can pay Zerb’d and end this whole ordeal.”