KYBER-PUNK 22BBY [Inspired Inventor+]

— Maine —

"I hate working for the karking Hutts…" Becca muttered.

"Likewise," Atom grunted. "Suck it up."

"But choom~…!" Becca whined. "The slugs won't let us do anything! Every little gonk I flatline on their payroll has to be run by them! I can't keep track of that shit! Records this, mandate to rule that, capable vassals too, bullshit! We're basically showpieces right now! And why the Hell do they have to be halfway competent?!"

Atom shot her a look, "You think they hold a significant fraction of the galaxy for no reason? Of course, they're fucking competent. And for the moment, we need to use that competence as a shield."

"You're the one who poked the Arasaka rancor…" Becca grumbled, crossing her arms in a pout. "Still haven't forgiven you for that… If you were planning to poke Smasher all along, you should've invited me!"

"If I had invited you, we'd both be dead right now," Atom deadpanned.

Becca, of course, protested, "But think of the blaze of glory, choom~!"

"Oh, will you two just fuck and make up already?" Lucy cut in, rolling her eyes.

That only made Becca pout more, "Can't. Sasha still has first dibs…"

"Damn straight!" Sasha exclaimed.

Maine chuckled to himself at the show. The newbies were undeniably entertaining. It helped that they'd proven themselves with the 'Saka gig. He was happy to have them under his banner. Even if keeping them around meant taking Hutt eddies until the heat blew over.

It couldn't be helped. Arasaka was on a warpath. Everyone had heard it. The carnage was impossible to miss, spread out across Night City as it was. Every Tyger Claw cell, from the lowest to the highest, was feeling what it meant to be cut off by their corpo masters.

Atom's plan had worked almost too well. Just as Maine was coming to expect from the kid. Gloria said the kid was broken. Maine couldn't see it. Atom got shit done. True, two gigs and a rescue op weren't everything. But they were a damn good start, especially when those two gigs consisted of outright dismantling two gangs, and the rescue op was for one of Maine's people. If there was a better way for Atom to earn trust and prove himself, Maine couldn't think of it.

The crew — surprisingly — seemed to pass under Arasaka's radar. For the most part. Maine still had to call in a favor to get them this new Hutt gig. And he knew Gloria had to do what she did best — talkin' fast and loose — to divert her high-up contact in Arasaka. They knew they'd been played, Gloria said, but she'd been able to convince them to turn it around and take credit for the situation. After all, the 'groundwork' Atom put into the job ensured the Tyger Claws would've fallen eventually anyway. Wasn't it better if Gloria's contact was the one to see that, take the initiative, and cut ties before Arasaka could begin taking real losses?

The world of corpo execs was cutthroat like nothing else. A win handed on a silver plater wouldn't be easily forgotten. Thanks to Gloria's efforts, the crew was likely being seen by the corpo higher-ups as an asset, not a target. The fact that they hadn't had the Smasher set on them so far could be largely attributed to that. A sort of message served through non-action. Maine wouldn't be surprised if they eventually earned an Arasaka gig or two from all of this. As usual, Gloria came through when it mattered most.

That woman was too good for this shitty galaxy, Maine thought, absently shaking his head. But even with her efforts, Maine and Dorio decided it was best to be sure and cover their asses well. The Hutts always needed mercs. Taking on a new gig would keep them from lingering on the last one. It wouldn't work too well for protection, as Atom assumed, but the kid was allowed to make a few mistakes. Taking a Hutt contract was still a good way to lay low and collect a steady paycheck for a while.

It helped that the crew's star was on the rise. Atom's gigs had made the crew the talk of the town — Hell, the talk of the moon — and people were taking notice. The Maelstrom gig, especially, was proof of violence — in violence. It showed that the crew was effective. So they could afford to be choosy. Hell, half of their current contract was based on something Dorio was calling their 'appearance fee'. It was strange being paid to just show their faces, but Maine didn't mind the new fame. The kids were getting the recognition they deserved.

Maine didn't settle for just 'any' Hutt, though. If he did something, he did it big. And that big chance just about fell into his lap. He'd been hit up by Shaitan, an old friend and mercenary colleague. That choom's legendary hatred for Arasaka hadn't faded a bit. He kept his finger on the pulse of everything related to the megacorp and clearly had anticipated Maine wanting to lay low for a while.

Presently, Shaitan was working something a bit different than what Maine knew him for. He was no longer so much of a merc. Instead, he'd been incorporated into the Desilijic kajidic — the main cartel of one of the Hutts' ruling clans. The Arasaka-hating full-Borg had risen to the rank of baron in the Hutts' mixed feudal-criminal system. That position came with certain privileges, and Shaitan had offered Maine and his crew a contract.

Maine had heard of the Desilijic cartel, of course. And not many good things. The only 'promising' — in that Hutt way of the word… — spot seemed to be Jabba, the clan's scion and heir. But he was entrenched deeply on Tatooine, not Nar Shaddaa. On the Smuggler's Moon, the kajidic was run by Jabba's father, Zorba. And thanks to the ancient slug's management, Desilijic was perhaps the least powerful of the ruling Hutt clans.

That was a roundabout way to say that Zorba had just about run the kajidic into the ground during his near-thousand-year reign. He was the worst of the Hutts — arrogant, greedy, gluttonous, cruel, reckless, and the worst sin of all: inept. But his eddies spent just as well as anyone else's.

Shaitan assured Maine that the contract was almost entirely for show. His way of rewarding them for fucking with Arasaka. Zorba was caught up in another one of his impractical and reckless grand schemes to see Clan Desilijic rise back to its historic heights. The Hutt just needed to make a show of force — emphasis on the 'show' — so he'd given the go-ahead for his vassals to hire more mercenaries than usual. Maine and the crew just happened to be one batch of them, thanks to Shaitan's vengeful generosity.

Now, they'd spent the last few days just standing around while Zorba held court. The Hutts seemed to do that a lot. Feudalism ran strong with the slugs. Hell, it seemed to be the only way they directly ran their various enterprises, leaving everything else to the many vassals beneath them. Though they were required by contract to make daily appearances, the crew were being treated more like visiting knights than as the dangerous mercs they were. It would've been more insulting if they weren't collecting a fat paycheck by just standing around…

Zorba's throne room was something of a cross between a cantina, spice den, and outright brothel. Every drug, depravity, and desire one could reasonably think of was present. And one could indulge to their heart's content if they had enough of Zorba's favor to 'spend'. Low neon lights gave the place an otherworldly glow, and Zorba seemed to have spared no expense in decking out his throne room.

The big, old slug himself sat against the back wall of the hall-shaped room. Ugly motherfucker. Maine had never seen a Hutt like Zorba. What kind of slug had hair…? Fucking dreadlocks at that! And a beard of 'locks, too! Even if it was undoubtedly some weird mutation, Maine couldn't help but feel a bit offended that the galaxy would give a slug 'locks that he didn't bother taking care of.

There was one thing Maine could give the Hutt, though. Zorba had good taste where it really mattered. The Desilijic were considered odd amongst Hutts for their open preference for humanoid females. Why that was and what it meant behind closed doors, Maine didn't want to think about. It made them keep some good fraggin' eye candy around, though. Enough so that even Dorio was enjoying the view.

It was near-human heaven. A Togruta babe with breeding hips and legs for days had slapped the shit out of Pilar once it became clear that he was a bum — as always. A Mirialan stunner showed off miles of cleavage as if to prove that her species' trademark tattoos could go all the way down, like a road leading between the valley of her tits. A pink-skinned Zeltron waitress led men and women of just about every shape and size around by the nose with her pheromones like a pack of slum puppies. And then, there were the Twi'leks. Every color under the sun — blue, green, and Maine even saw a red one who was forced to stay by Zorba's side. Lithe bodies, svelte dancers, fat fucking badonkers (Dorio's words…), and asses to dive into like your life depended on it (Maine's…).

But, of course, reality had a way of ruining the best of fantasies. The girls could put on pretty fronts, but the truth was unavoidable. They were pretty ladies in a Hutt's throne room. In other words: slaves. Unavoidable. The kind of institutional rot that followed the Hutts like a stink. There was nothing they could do about it, but Maine wouldn't take Hutt credits a moment longer than he had to. No matter how easy the payday was, it wasn't worth that shit on his conscience.

Maine wasn't the only one who thought that way in the crew. Becca's complaints were about not getting to flatline people. But he knew her well enough to see the fucking fury she was repressing. Likewise, Atom seemed to be rethinking his plan now that they were deep in the rot. Maine knew him less well, but he could already see another deadly grudge building beneath that grim face. The same kind that led to the destruction of Maelstrom and the Tyger Claws…

The others were coping better. Or at least not being brought to the edge of fury and plotting painful, drawn-out death like Becca and Atom. Sasha looked halfway there, though, just to follow her 'unofficial' output. Lucy was as implacable as she usually was. Gloria was grim, but she already knew what to expect. And David… Kark, Maine didn't want his son to see this shit.

Maine saw David flinch as the same Togruta waitress who'd smacked Pilar offered him a drink, "You, uh… You got anything flat?"

The leggy woman blinked, "Flat?"

"Non-carbonated," David chuckled sheepishly. "Can't stand the bubbles, ya know? They get all up in my nose."

The waitress just stared at him. Just like that, Maine knew she was caught. Gone and lost to depths of pureness that only David could muster. It was in her wide eyes. Love at first sheepish chuckle. She would've killed for Maine's boy and his pure-ass heart. David was damn-near making her swoon, and he didn't even realize it. Maine didn't know if he could be much prouder.

Gloria let out an amused laugh and gave the Togruta a knowing look, "I'll make sure you get his comm number, chica."

"Oh, thank the Stars…" The waitress exclaimed in breathless relief.

"Wha- Mom?!" David gaped.

Gloria adopted an utterly innocent expression, "Yes, mijo?"

He deflated in an instant, "Not cool, Mom…"

"I'll-! Uh… Can I call you…?" The waitress said, her words coming out almost frantic. "My name's Taati, by the way… It's-… It's nice to meet you…"

David gave her a brilliant, blushing smile, "David. Nice to meet you, too, Taati. I… I think I'd like that."

Taati's smile should've been blood-chillingly intimidating with all of her species' sharp teeth on display. Instead, it just about lit up the room, "Great! Oh! I'll get you another drink as well… Something flat… You'll love it, I'll make sure!"

She practically disappeared in her haste to do so. David was left standing there. Stunned. Maine caught his boy's eye and gave him a proud thumbs-up. The realization that all of that was witnessed by the rest of the crew dawned across David's face… Just in time for Becca to whoop and Sasha to whistle at his expense.

"Let's go, David! Ladykiller~! That's our boy~!"

"They grow up so fast," Sasha sighed with a smirk.

Gloria gave a genuine giggle, "Don't they just~?"

"Bullshit," Pilar grumbled. "What does the kid have that I don't?"

Everyone stopped and stared at him at that. Lucy was the one to reply with a scathing deadpan, "Everything. Quite literally everything."

"He didn't try to introduce himself by grabbing her ass for a start," Atom pointed out, his tone cutting just as deep as Lucy's.

"That's usually not a winning strategy," Kiwi snarked.

"I'm a bit offended that you even think you and my mijo are similar in any way whatsoever," Gloria piled on, an intense look in her eye that almost physically deterred Pilar's usual brand of bullshit. It seemed to work well enough to make him pause for a moment, not an easy feat for Pilar.

"Whatever!" Pilar threw his lanky-ass arms in the air. "I'm gonna go see if I can find this new Hutt spice I keep hearing about! Maybe I'll finally get a taste of that 'inner peace and harmony' they're advertising…"

Becca shook her head as he stormed off, "No idea why my bro is such a fucking gonk. He must've choked himself with the cord and hit his head coming out of Mom."

"It might be all of those death sticks he does," Lucy said. "He must've taken 30 years off his life already with them."

"Likely more when he finds this 'new Hutt spice' he's talking about," Atom scowled, glaring at Pilar's back. "No chance anything made by the Hutts is made with care, safety, 'inner peace', or 'harmony' in mind."

"Ehh," Maine shrugged. "New spice is a dime a dozen. Users always go back to ol' reliable after the novelty wears off. Death sticks, ryll, giggledust, gree, crude — ya know, the usual shit. The Hutts got a finger in it all, though, so they always profit."

"They're inevitable," Dorio agreed with a nod. "We aren't part of the Republic or the Core Worlds' naive, optimistic view of how things 'should be'. Never have been, never will be. Reality is impossible to fully avoid, and here, the Hutts are at the very top of it all, along with every bit of rot and slime they bring. For many, spice is the only escape, so obviously, the Hutts are going to control it with an iron tail."

Anger infused Atom's tone, "Are they? Or is the galaxy simply resigned to this shit? Slavery, spice, and sin… Bull-fucking-shit-…!"

"Not the time or place for this conversation, choom," Maine cut him off, advising. "Leave it off for now, but don't forget it. Best if you never do. Best if none of us do. Keep that shit tight, keep your eyes peeled, and keep your ears open. In the end, who knows where life will take us? But for now, we've got a paycheck to collect."

Atom gave him a tight, sharp nod in reply. Becca flashed him a smile before schooling her features. David's expression grew grim, but he didn't say anything. Those three were the youngest of them. The most impressionable, though none would readily admit it… Maine, Dorio, Gloria, Kiwi, Sasha, and even Lucy, to an extent, had seen more of the world. They were 'used to it'. But… Maine would give a lung to ensure those three didn't fall into the same complacency. A life of hopeless routine, unable to change anything truly meaningful, awaited them down that road. Maine would do what he could to spare his son and the rest of his kids from treading water in an uncaring galaxy as he had for so long.

Maine would act as their shield if he could. He knew he was old. Stuck. And though he was a heavy motherfucka', he'd come to understand a certain paradox of reality. The galaxy only cared about power, but no power was ever enough. Not really. Not enough to truly change anything. And especially not for an old-ass man like him. But those three — Sasha and Lucy as well… They were young. They had a certain sense of life to them that Maine had lost somewhere along the way. They could get shit done — they had gotten shit done — shit that Maine couldn't even dream of anymore…

The past few weeks illuminated something for Maine. He really was fucking old… An oldhead. A vet. Edgerunning and merc work was a young man's profession. He'd spent half a fucking century in the game. That was something to be celebrated. And maybe just… cut back on before he went out in a blaze of glory. Seeing the newbies — not that he called them that to their faces anymore after the Arasaka run — succeed had him thinking it might be time to pass the torch. To his son, to Atom, to Becca, Lucy, and Sasha… Maine could recognize legends and history in the making. And he wanted to actually be there to see it play out.

Dorio nudged him. Maine blinked. Both she and Gloria were looking at him with certain looks. Dorio's was knowing. Gloria's was as compassionate as Maine had always known her to be. They knew him well enough to see his brooding, practically peeking into his thoughts as if they were there in his head with him. And they combined forces as if they were twins to pull him out of it. Maine cracked a smile. There was that aspect of things to consider, too…

A ruckus — fuck, he was old… — at the base of the Hutt's throne grabbed Maine's attention for a moment. A pathetic, grungy-looking Toydarian fluttered his way to an audience with Zorba. By all known laws of aviation, there was no way a Toydarian should've been able to fly… Their wings were way too small to get their fat little bodies off the ground. Toydarians flew anyway 'cause they were some of the most stubborn bastards in the known galaxy.

The Toydarian bowed so low that it looked like he was about to flip himself out of mid-air, "Your Slimliness… I come to you with an appeal…"

One of many and the only reason the Hutts held court. It was the only definitively hands-on portion of their empire the Hutts seemed to tolerate. They made their subjects bow and scrape before them and an audience of their most favored. 'Peasants' appealed, and the Hutts might just deign to listen. It was all very strict and structured, serving the Hutts' ego most of all. It was also how the crew was currently spending half of their day, listening to bullshit on top of bullshit, all coated in Hutt slime.

"I seek to expand my business, Your Slimliness. In your name, of course. Profits from the new product have been good! I've paid my tithe twofold! But my competition… Slorp, Your Slimliness, he clings to the past. Unseemly for one of your fortunate subjects-…"

Zorba gave a low, rumbling chuckle in Huttese. Everyone on Nar Shaddaa was at least passingly familiar with the language, "Does he? Slorp, come account for yourself. We cannot have my genius plan and product impeded in any way."

A pitbull-nosed Klatooinian stepped up with a snarl for the Toydarian, barking, "Lies! Yer sellin' on my turf! And not the right stuff! Zorba, this nerf-fucker is hoarding your product for himself! Everyone knows the 'tricks don't work on Toydarians! He just wants to feel something! He's trying to steal your inner peace right out from under you, Zorba! ZORBA!"

Zorba practically radiated lazy amusement, looking at the dispute more for entertainment than to settle it, "Oh~? That is a very serious accusation. And your rebuttal is~…?"

Maine tuned out the appeal, just like the dozens that had come before it. The talk of a 'genius plan and product' was technically interesting but not worth listening to that slop. Or 'Slorp' as it were.

He sighed, "I can't believe we have to commute for this shit…"

Dorio chuckled, "I'm already counting down the days we have left for this gig."

"It's not all bad~!" Sasha chimed. A grin came over her face. "Since we're farther afield than usual, I found a new club that I'm having Atom take me to~!"

"Hn," Atom grunted wordlessly in reply. Maine couldn't tell if he was for or against his date with Sasha. Hell, he was decently sure even Atom couldn't tell.

Lucy smirked, "Maybe David could take Taati there, too."

"Wha- I- T-That-!" David sputtered. "I don't know if-…"

He trailed off. Judging by Gloria's gentle, approving nod and Sasha's suddenly growing grin, the decision had already been made for him.

"Double date! We're going clubbing~!" Sasha exclaimed, her excitement adding a sense of finality.

Maine couldn't help but chuckle. To say Sasha was an experienced club-goer was an understatement. A 'cyber party kitty~!' she called herself. The boys would be in good hands. Maine would put good money on them both getting lucky by the end of the night, but he knew no one would take that action.

Instead, Maine would just have to have a blunt rolled and ready to be ripped for his boy when David stumbled in all dazed, wobble-kneed, and no longer cherry from legendary Togruta passion. Some good father-son bonding, that. He'd have to break out his good-good for the occasion. A man's son only popped his cherry once, after all.

IIIII

[AN: Shorter interlude chapter today. Originally, I planned to include the club scene in this chapter. But I decided to just make it a Maine interlude and give myself more free space for that scene, the smut, and the reveal after it. And there will be a reveal. All this talk of a new Hutt product. Might fishy… I'm trying to lay breadcrumbs, so I wouldn't be too surprised if some people get it before the next chapter comes out.

Also, what do you guys think of feudal Hutts? The Game of Hutts? A Song of Slugs and Spice? Eh? Lol I'm actually planning on using both of those lines next chapter from Atom's perspective. In all, it should be fun. Club/party scene, David bumble-flirting with an aggressively hot Togruta girl, Atom-Sasha smut, and a little something extra with big future implications after it all. I'm looking forward to it :]