Nar Shaddaa was not a quiet world, but when Locke stepped inside Club Vertica, his senses were overwhelmed. He saw aliens of countless different types, as if some cosmic force had put them all together at random. They made a full range of strange sounds - some shrieking, others letting out deep rumbles, and still others speaking in languages he did not understand. The club was filled with the sounds of their communication, all but drowning out the band on the corner stage. If Darkblade was here, any engagement they had have to be handled carefully.
Locke had followed the Anzati to this world. He had received reports that his Quaestor was conducting his own operations behind the scenes, away from the rest of the Clan. To a certain extent this was normal, but in Darkblade's case he had gone too far. The final straw that had broken the bantha's back was when Sadowan Intelligence had discovered the Anzati was holding his own prisoners secret from the rest of the Clan. Now, Locke had come here himself to confront the Quaestor. Darkblade was a good resource, and would be valuable to have in the future, but he needed to be reined in, lest he think he is outside the confines of the Clan.
Turning up his nose at the strange, acrid mix of scents in the club, Locke stood against one wall and looked around. He was not sure if it was the strange, two-headed alien next to him, or if the whole club smelled of a mix of alcohol and foreign body odors. The Augur decided that he would rather not know. It could be anything. Instead, he focused on finding his wayward Quaestor.
It was not easy. Many of the beings in the club were garbed in thick, hooded outfits that hid almost all of their features. Locke could not blame them. He was dressed the same, hood pulled up to hide his face and his human features. He was not out of place - many patrons here wanted to hide their identity.
Finally, by luck or perhaps the Force, Locke located his target. He saw someone sitting at a sabacc table, conversing with two other individuals. When Locke called on the Force to enhance his sight and allow him to focus more clearly, he saw the faint outline of what looked like a tentacle extending out from under the individual's hood. He sensed nothing in the Force from the individual, as if he was merely like any of the other beings in the club. Nevertheless, the individual seemed to stiffen for a moment when Locke extended his Force senses toward him. To be sure, the Augur waited until the individuals on the opposite side of the table stood up before taking their place.
When Locke sat down, he found himself looking directly in Darkblade's eyes. The Anzati only showed a moment of surprise, which he quickly masked. His voice was imperious as he spoke first. "Can I help you, Lord Consul? I did not expect to find you all the way out here, but if you have activities going on here, perhaps we can work together…"
As Darkblade trailed off, Locke replied in a flat tone. "I know about the prisoners you take from our enemies without reporting them." He stayed silent on the other topics for the moment. It was best to stick with one issue at a time.
Darkblade was quiet for a time. Locke broke the silence after a few long moments. "Well?"
"Well…" Darkblade said. Then the Anzati suddenly surged with the Force where there had been nothing before. He flipped the sabacc table toward Locke, causing the Augur to curse and jump back. Only a few of the patrons nearby turned to look at the commotion, the sound of the table falling lost in the club's noise.
Darkblade had disappeared, but now Locke could sense that he was still nearby. The Augur knew he could not deal with Darkblade with all of these beings clustered so closely together. He had to disperse them somehow. Grimly, Locke pulled one of the thermal detonators he carried from his belt and rolled it across the club like a rumble-pins ball. It passed beneath tables and patrons feet, seemingly unnoticed by anyone.
Then it exploded. A shockwave ripped through the club, silencing the band and most of those speaking. Beings howled and shouted, some likely injured or killed by the exploding detonator, which left a hole in the crowd on one side of the club, some distance away from the Augur. Someone shouted and pulled a vibroblade from their hip, another raised a blaster, and then the club erupted in a new form of chaos as a large group of patrons began fighting, each accusing the others of setting off the detonator. Others spilled out of the club, intent on leaving before they became involved, massing at the entrance in a tight pack that would hopefully be impossible for anyone to squeeze through in some time.
Locke searched for Darkblade, throwing back the hood of his cloak and looking side to side, one hand freeing his blaster pistol from its belt holster. It wouldn't do to draw a lightsaber here. That would likely be a beacon for everyone. Then it would be all of them against him, while Darkblade was free to escape.
Suddenly a disc whizzed by Locke's head, missing by maybe a few inches. Locke whirled toward where it had come from, firing twice in that direction. Still, he could not see Darkblade, if he had been the source. Locke thought about calling out to the Anzati, but decided he didn't want to draw any more attention than he had to.
Come on, Darkblade, he thought. Make this easy on all of us.
Frustrated, Locke kept a careful eye on his surroundings as he hunted for Darkblade. It wasn't over yet.
