//------------------------------//
// On the Trail 
// Story: Bounty Hunter Anon 
// by Sunny Solaire 
//------------------------------//

Opening Crawl:
https://starwarsintrocreator.kassellabs.io/?ref=redirect#!/CMHwLJoxqcdWrMGewnMU



The sounds of various speeders zooming above and below you, accompanied by the hustle of people all around, was enough to drive anyone unfamiliar with it mad. Known for its infamous reputation, along with its stench, Nar Shaddaa was definitely no place to tread lightly.

You grin as you take a deep breath through the nose. Man, you love this place.

Turning a corner, you take a quick scan at all the luminescent signs and platforms that occupy the building adjacent to the walkway you're currently on. Your helmet's rangefinder zooms in on a few signs that catch your attention, but unfortunately, your search bares no fruit, and you continue along the walkway.

You press a button on your gauntlet and speak into your comms. "Sunset, you got your ears on?"

Your lovely partner's static voice comes back through your earpiece. "For you, Anon, always."

"I'm having a bit of trouble finding the place." You say. "Read me Adagio's bio again. I might have missed something."

She chuckles. "Sure thing. As usual, I have to come in and save the day."

You grin. "Where would I be without you?"

"Probably on your ass somewhere on Raxus Prime or something." She replies matter-of-factly.

You give her a laugh at that. She's probably right.

Your target's picture and bio come up on your helmet's HUD, and Sunset reads it to you. "Adagio Dazzle. 20,000 credits, wanted alive. Works as a dancer for various nightclubs, entertainment outlets, and crime lords. She's stolen a variety of goods from her clients through some form of... hypnosis, and is gone without a trace the next morning. Wanted for questioning. Bounty was posted by Senator Hoity Toity on Coruscant."

You hum as you look at her picture. "Looks like our dear senator got more than he bargained for with her."

"Ain't that the truth." Sunset replies.

You read her bio silently for a few seconds before replying. "Is that all the info we have on her?"

"Looks like it." She says.

'Damn it.' You think.

You take a right and head down another walkway. This one, like all the others on this planet, is crowded with all manner of alien species. Speeders are flying to and fro overhead as well. You push past a few people as you continue talking to Sunset.

"Why not come back to the ship, Anon?" She says. "She might not even be here yet. We can brainstorm and come up with another plan."

You shake your head. "No. Sonata Dusk said that Nar Shaddaa was her next hit."

Sunset hums. "Well, even if she was lying, at least we got her bounty."

You just shake your head again. "Sonata was terrified when we caught her. She didn't seem too bright, but she knew enough to know that a lie would get her killed. Adagio is here. I know it. We just need to find her."

She sighs. "Alright, if you say so. Going off what we know about her, it sounds like she only goes after high-up, posh places and people."

There's a cantina coming up on your right. "I agree." You say. "She wouldn't be able to do that right away though. She would have to work her way up. If what Sonata said is true, then it's not likely that she would be up there yet."

You head toward the cantina and move past a few more people gathering around the entrance. It doesn't look five-star, but it isn't a dive bar either. You enter the club and tone out the chatter around you.

"Anon, there are tons of clubs in this district alone." Sunset says. "It would take forever to find her."

You head towards the bartop. "I know. But she doesn't seem like the kind of person who lowers her standards too far. I'd start somewhere in the middle if I were her. I'm in a middle-tier club right now. I'm going to look around for anything out of the ordinary. We've got to start somewhere."

Sunset sighs again. "If you insist. There's another club near me. I'll scope that place out."

"Alright. Let me know what you find." You switch off your comms and take a seat at the bar. Taking off your helmet, you tap the Ithorian bartender's shoulder and set a few credits on the counter. "Get me a Bantha Blaster." He takes the credits and turns around to prepare your beverage, saying nothing. 

You turn around to look at the club around you. There are dancers providing entertainment, but none of them are Adagio. Most of them are Twi'leks. Around them, patrons are drinking while others are cheering and whooping at the assorted screens along the walls. Podracing, Swoop Racing, Duels and various other sports are playing on them. Nothing seems out of the ordinary for a cantina.

You sigh. 'This is going to take a while...' You think to yourself.

The Ithorian gets your attention after a minute and you turn around to see your pink and green drink on the bar in front of you. You take it and give it a small swig. It's got a tangy taste with a little kick, but nothing too strong. You're on a job right now.

On your right, you see a human come up to the bar, clearly inebriated. "Hey bartender! Ge'me 'nother one!" The Ithorian replies in his native language, pointing at him accusingly. The man raises his hands in front of him. "Nono! Thish'll be m'last one! I promise!" The Ithorian sighs and starts making the beverage. The human giggles and sloppily sets a hand on your shoulder, going up to you and whispering loudly. "Thesh guys'll buy anything y'tell 'em... Gullible pricksh, I tell ya."

"Right..." You take his hand off your shoulder and he starts laughing again. His breath stinks.

"You Mandosh need to stop being all serioush all the time! Lighten up, bud!" He slurrs. This part of the job is your least favorite: dealing with the locals. 

"Well, when I want to party hard, I'll definitely go to you first, alright?" You take another sip of your drink. "How long have you been partying like this tonight?"

His smile fades some and he looks at you. "Oh no... Nononono... The real party hasn't even shtarted yet.." He sits down on the stool next to you and pulls out a few red and yellow tubes from his pocket. "You know what these are?"

"Death sticks." You reply flatly.

He smiles and nods. "Yeah buddy, but these are special kinds of death sticks..."

You narrow your eyes at him. You don't like how he said that. "Special?"

He nods and holds out a red one to you. "Makesh ya really know how to party. First one's free!"

You take the drug and look at it. A 'special' kind of death stick seems peculiar. You decide to humor him and act interested. "Sounds fun. When did these pop up?"

"Thes'ns have been going around for a little while and they're all the buzz around here! If you wanna party, this is how ya do it!" He says as he stumbles.

No way in hell are you going to ever take death sticks, but you've got a funny feeling about this one. One of Mandalore's lessons is to trust your instincts. Right now, they're telling you that these are very bad news.

You set the vial in a pouch on your belt and look at the man, setting your hand on his shoulder. "You know what? You're right. I do need to lighten up a bit." You grab your drink and hold it up, grinning at him. "You get started, bud. I'll finish this and join you later."

He laughs and grabs his new drink, clinking it against yours. "Alright! Thatsh what I like to hear!"

He gets up and wanders away, taking a few big gulps of his drink as he does. He stumbles and falls down over a chair a few seconds later, causing a few other patrons to laugh at him.

Your smile fades and you set your drink down. Putting your helmet back on, you walk out of the club and make a left, heading back to your ship. You contact Sunset. "Sunset, are you at that club yet?"

She replies after a few seconds. "Almost. Find anything?"

"Maybe. This guy gave me a free hit on a 'special' kind of death stick, and it gave me a bad vibe. I'm going to head back to the ship and analyze it. See if you can find a similar story."

"How does this relate to Adagio exactly?" She asks.

You shake your head. "I don't know if it does, but I'm going with my gut on this one."

She sighs again. "Alright, you're the boss." She clearly doesn't buy it.

You switch off your comms and continue on your way back to the docking bays.