Clothing rustled as the shuttle’s engines roared to life, drowning out the chaos of sounds coming from the bustling crowds of Corsucant’s level 1313. A cloud of dust rolled across the platform chasing the now disembarked passengers as the ship took off back into the cavernous pit linking the various levels of the planet together. TuQ’uan stood leaning against the railing looking down towards the planet’s core, the levels below fading into the darkness as they got further and further from the natural light of day.
He turned around, one hand holding his hat in place to ensure he didn’t lose it into the seemingly endless chasm, searching for his companion among the shuttle's passengers. The hulking reptilian wasn’t hard to miss, his height made him stand well above the other passengers and his intimidating stature guaranteed that everyone gave him a wide berth.
“You made it,” TuQ said, checking the time. “Don’t worry, I’ve only been waiting a half hour.”
“When the Dread Lord’s Wrath calls,” Rak'vhul hissed with more than a little contempt for the non-Force user. “Of course I answer.”
“But of course.” TuQ began walking away from the shaft, not checking to see if the Sith was following. “And remind me to put you in touch with my starship supplier, it’s much more efficient than public transport. You might even be on time for once.”
“What’s the job?” The reptilian Sith quickened his pace to keep up.
“You’ll see,” TuQ replied. “You hungry? I think we can find you a bite to eat around here somewhere...” he trailed off, glancing around before settling on a new direction. “Wait here a moment.”
A look of puzzlement crossed Rak’s face as the Kel Dor sauntered off towards what looked to be the darkest and dingiest alleyway he could find, crammed between two seemingly abandoned shops with broken windows facing the promenade. Rak obeyed the order, leaning against a nearby pillar and watching his Proconsul casually enter the alley with hands in his pockets, seemingly without a care in the galaxy. Moments later a group of shifty looking men followed.
TuQ made his way further into the alley, the already dim light of level 1313 fading away even more with every step he took between the grimy, uneven durasteel walls. He could feel the oppressive weight of the city-wide planet above giving off a claustrophobic feeling. His eyes subtly darted back and forth taking stock of all the nooks and crannies one could use to hide in. A little ways down the alley, TuQ found a small pool of light and turned to watch the group that had followed him in. Four men approached, a Weequay taking the lead.
“Ah, Mikla, just who I was hoping to run into in this picturesque locale,” he greeted the group with his arms spread before him. “I want to see your boss.”
“Funny,” Mikla chuckled. “He wants to see you too.”
“Alright then, let’s go.”
“Sorry.” A smirk grew across the Weequay’s face as he leveled his blaster. “You should have let me finish. He wants to see you…dead. Something about cheating him out of a pile of credits.”
“Look, that was all a misunderstanding. But either way, I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint. Say, weren’t there four of you a moment ago?”
The smirk faded as the three thugs quickly looked around searching for their comrade. The only sign of the fourth man was a smear of fresh blood leading from where he had been standing just moments before and into the darkness. The group immediately spun to see TuQ with his own blaster raised.
“Sorry,” he shrugged. “Looks like it’s lunch time.”
A low growl rose from the shadows as the alley erupted into blaster fire. Streaks of red plasma racing back and forth. The man at the back of the group swung his blaster back and forth, unsure of whether he should be firing at the known target or keeping an eye on whatever monster was behind them.
Best get their numbers down before more show up, TuQ thought to himself. Taking advantage of his confusion, he quickly fired off a volley of plasma at the scared thug. One shot burned through his calf, dropping him to his knee.
The thug began to cry out but was quickly cut off by a reptilian hand grabbing him by the throat and pulling him into the darkness. And at that point, three became two.
