Bounty

six

The noisy atmosphere inside of the castle easily drowns out any thoughts. As the two bounty hunters carve a path through the crowd, the owner herself catches a glimpse of the pair.

"Can it be? Little Callie all the way out here?" Maz asks, causing the lingering conversations to halt as all eyes turn towards the two women.

Calista smiles as she finally meets Maz's gaze.

"Oh I know that look." Maz says, gesturing for Cal to follow her before jumping down from the tabletop.

The conversations and shouting immediately resume as Calista and Bazine follow the smaller woman. They reach a table that's tucked into a far corner and settle in.

"Stars I feel like I'm on Canto Bight." Calista sighs as she sits across from Maz. "How'd you even spot me?"

Maz smiles as she adjusts the lenses over her eyes. "Oh please, I'd know that head of blue curls anywhere." She curiously eyes Bazine before turning back to Calista. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We're looking for a relic." Bazine speaks, interrupting Calista before she had the chance to. "It was taken from me on Taris by an officer."

"An officer?" Maz hums. "What exactly is this relic you mentioned?" She questions, earning a defensive look from Bazine. Maz chuckles. "Dear girl, knowing what it is will help us figure out who could possibly want to take it from you."

"She doesn't know." Calista takes point. "We were hired to retrieve it. The employer didn't exactly give much detail."

"I see." Maz sits back. "Well this could prove more difficult than I'd hoped."

Bazine sighs and puts her hands on the edge of the table as she stands. "I need a drink." She states.

Calista grabs her arm and looks her in the eyes. "Stay at the bar. I'll find you on my way out." She threatens, sending a wave of pheromones her way to help persuade her.

Bazine nods before heading to the bar in the middle of the room. Unbeknownst to Calista or Maz, she also left an open comlink under the table to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"I like your friend." Maz teases the girl.

"She's not my friend." Calista laughs.

Maz adjusts her lenses again as she looks at the Zeltron. "You seem troubled. What is it?"

Calista sighs as she shakes her head. She forces a flat smile as she looks up. "Just work."

Maz narrows her eyes. "I've known you since you were a small thing. You're going to have to do better than that to convince me." She points.

"This relic." Calista swiftly changes the topic. "I believe it has some sort of affiliation with the Sith."

"I know what you're doing." Maz points, knowing that she's avoiding something. Calista doesn't acknowledge her accusation and instead waits for her response to her information. "Well if it's a Sith relic, the Acolytes will probably be on the lookout for it."

"That's who it was stolen from." Calista explains.

"Hmm." Maz taps her chin. "I've heard about a group of smugglers from Corellia branching out in partnership with various syndicates. If they've gotten a hold of your relic, it's likely that it's somewhere in Coronet City—most likely the underworld."

Calista nods. "Well it's worth a look. I haven't got any other leads."

Bazine smirks as she sets her glass down on the bar and turns off her comlink. She slips out of the castle, only briefly looking back when she bumps into someone on their way in. Calista and Maz seem to be saying their goodbyes so she glares up at the slimy Arcona she bumped into before continuing on her way to the ship.

"The nerve of some people." Reeg scoffs as he watches the strange woman scurry out of the castle.

"Let it go, she's probably just some smuggler scrounging around." Reveth points. "Captain sent us in here to get provisions for our journey. Best not to keep him waiting."

As the pair finds a spot at the bar, the Zeltron stands from her seat at the table. She glances around the crowded room in search of Bazine but finds no sign of her.

"Callie." Maz calls after her. "Take care of yourself."

Calista offers her a small smile in return before hurrying out of the castle. "Bazine!" She shouts, spotting her as she boards her ship. A look of confusion crosses her face as she distinctly remembers telling her to stay at the bar.

"Oh Calista." Bazine laughs. "I should've warned you, your little tricks don't work on me." She holds a blaster up and Cal stops in her tracks. "I was trained from birth to become the perfect weapon. They made sure I was unable to be compromised, don't you remember? You should, considering they drained your pheromones and injected them into me to build a tolerance."

Calista clenches her jaw. "We had a deal."

Bazine tuts as she closes the ramp of the ship. As soon as Bazine turns away, Calista makes a break for the slow-moving ramp of the ship but it closes before she can reach it.

The sound of an engine firing up causes her to step back but she looks up to find Bazine's ship unlatched and hovering above her own. As the ship turns to face her, Calista's eyes widen and she backs away. The explosion of her ship sends her flying towards the castle, landing on her back.

Bazine's ship turns towards the stars and quickly disappears, leaving Calista stranded on Takodana. She coughs as she pushes herself up, earning a sharp pain that shoots up her back.

The sound of the explosion has led to a few nosy bystanders gossiping to one another—most likely coming up with stories on what had happened. It's not long before the cloud of smoke can be seen from the other side of the castle.

"Captain." Quiggold addresses Sidon as he sits in the cargo hold, waiting for his crew to return. "There's been some kind of disturbance."

"Disturbance?" Sidon lifts his head to face his first mate and spots the new member of the crew gathering various supplies in a hurry. "What are you doing?" He questions the clone.

"It was an explosion, sir." Kix explains, having had his fair share of experiencing such disturbances in the past. "People could be hurt. I need to get over there and-"

"You are not a trooper anymore." Sidon places a hand on Kix's shoulder. "This is not your responsibility."

"All due respect, as a former medic this is my responsibility." Kix counters, rushing off of the ship.

"This will only hinder our progress." Sidon calls after him.

"Those clankers aren't going anywhere." Kix states, continuing away from the Meson Martinet.

Sidon shakes his head as he watches the clone disappear into the spreading smoke. He glances down at Quiggold, who just shrugs in response, and sighs as he heads to the cockpit to chart their next course.