Kyle extended his hand and shook, but before he could say anything to his adoptive fathers' friend, the doors to the tapcafe opened. A man walked in, but it was obvious he was no bounty hunter by the lack of weapons and armour on him. He simply wore the same cold weather clothing, a scarf covering the lower part of his jaw, and goggles protecting his eyes. Not only did the clothing protect his face from the cold, it also stymied any facial recognition software.
The man stopped in the doorway, taking in all of the assembled patrons, ignoring those that looked like they were regulars, and paying special attention to the hunters. Out of sheer habit, Derek put his helmet on, noticing Kyle doing the same. He also noticed that his partner had primed his gauntlet mounted railgun, and had his arm propped on the table,pointing in the general direction of the contact.
The man didn't pull out an astonishing amount of weapons, nor did he make any move towards the hunters. Instead, he walked to an abandoned table, and removed a small, circular device from one of his belt pouches. Then he turned in a slow circle, as if memorizing the faces, or armour colours of the assorted hunters. Then he turned and left. Derek found himself frowning. This was not proper contact procedure.
Which meant either the contact was new, or he wasn't part of the bounty hunters guild, which raised a whole bunch of other disturbing questions. The guild had set up the meet, and passed on the bounty. But, they'd been very shady about who it was that had posted it. The small device, obviously a holographic projector sat there, a small red light blinking at its' base.
Shrugging, Derek got up, followed by Galen and Kyle. The others crowded around the table as well, despite their obvious mistrust of one another, all of them were curious. Plus, whatever the message was, it most likely contained information on the target. No good hunter passed up information.
Derek reached out and activated the device, and watched as a mans form took shape. The hologram didn't include colour, so he was a uniform shade of light blue, but his physical aspects were still visible. He was tall, even if the hologram only had him half-sized, had broad shoulders, and a face that all but screamed of Imperial nobility. A long blade, probably some sort of energy weapon was at his left hip. On his fingers was a single ring, with a curious, diamond shaped stone.
He wore a long cloak, that fell to his ankles, and Derek guessed it cost more than his ship had. The mysterious noble had short hair, lines around his eyes, indicating age of perhaps late fifties to early sixties, and a neatly trimmed beard. The man inclined his head slightly, and them spoke in a deep, rich voice. "Greetings. I trust your trip to Cyris was not too unpleasant?" The way he spoke clued Derek and the others in to the fact that this was a recording. Not a live transmission.
"Either way, I hope you are still interested in my...proposition. You were called here because you are either the best the galaxy has to offer, or the most infamous." The man paused, then smiled, as if he was amused by something. "Ah, but enough teasing. I'm sure you are all interested in this bounty." The nobles image vanished, replaced by the head and shoulders of a woman.
She had shoulder length braided hair, a thin nose and mouth, and her face was marked in equal measure with what seemed to be tattoos of arcane symbols, and scars. Her eyes, although they were colourless in the hologram, held a cold intensity, almost as if they could see into a persons soul, and then rip it right out of their bodies. Derek guessed she was either an Imperial, or Breton. The nobles voice returned, "This is Kaylin Ataro. An...old acquaintance of mine. She is wanted dead or alive. The reward, is fifty million credits."
Derek felt his jaw drop. Fifty million creds could set someone up for life. The noble continued, as if he'd said nothing significant. As if fifty million credits wouldn't set him back in the least. "My sources indicate that she is currently on Eregin however, she is often surrounded by her men. A powerful mercenary and slaver band that operates out of Shadar. A planet known for its' less than sterling reputation. However, I strongly recommend you start on Eregin. Do be careful though: I hear that the planet is in yet another of its' civil wars"
"Finally," the man re-appeared. ",I understand that some of you are...less than team players. I offer a warning: Kaylin is not to be underestimated. She's a superb blade fighter, and magic user. I wish you luck on this expedition, and hope to hear from you on the completion of your task" the hologram disappeared, and the tapcafe was silent.
"Well...fifty million, huh?" Said Derek, simply to break the stunned silence.
