Mare Ondus reached the private couch where the troublemakers had settled and before he got himself seated, one of them, a Twil'ek with pale skin and red eyes, asked with astonishing nerve

“Where are the girls? What have you done with them, Ondus? What kind of a casino is that, without girls and dancers and pleasure for the hungry eyes?”

“This is an exclusively gambling facility. We do not offer anything more than clean, legitimate gaming, characteristics that also appeal to the quality of the drinks we offer, as you might have guessed already. So no, if it is girls you are looking for, then you have come to the wrong casino, sir.”

The Twik'ek turned his head to the rest of his company and, as if Mare was not standing there, said

“Ha ha, this one's good! He even calls me sir. No wonder why his booze is so clean and legitimate” He gave a mocking tone to the three last words, something that annoyed Mare Ondus, but he knew that all the brute wanted was to get under his skin. And he wouldn't permit that, at any point of this “conversation”.

“You mentioned that the purpose of your visit is to discuss business. So, there is no need for me to hold you up from your other activities. I am listening” said Mare, as he took his place in a strange cubic stool that he placed in the other side of the table, exactly opposite the three enforcers, obviously agitated.

“I like you, Ondus. I like the fact that you try to run a dirty business in the cleanest way possible. Even more than that, I like what I see you are hiding inside. Something you probably don't want to admit yourself” said Brax, in a very calm tone.

Mare felt a sting somewhere on the back of his head. Hadn't he been such a proficient and reserved speaker, most probably he'd ran away from the Cathar's comment. Instead, he kept his composure and adding an ironic tone in his voice, said:

“I beg your pardon, but I thought we were going to have a professional conversation concerning common gain and interest. I was not under the impression we were going to chit chat about my traits and personality.”

“As you wish, human. Just mark my words, above anything else. We are all monsters, no matter how hard we try to mask it. The only difference is, some of us have embraced it. Even enjoy it” and as he finished his sentence, the over-sized Cathar took his blaster of its scabbard and pretended to shot unaware customers.

“Has your Vigo sent you here for target practice, Brax? If so, there is a sporting facility in my Hotel that could please your need for improvement” Mare said, while remarkably keeping his anger at bay.

“You better watch your step now, Ondus. You should be careful when you refer to a Black Sun Vigo. You never know how your words will be transferred to his ears and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like to be misunderstood.”

As much as Mare didn't want to admit it, Brax was right. If these enforcers found it hard to deal with him, the easiest thing to do would be to crawl back to their Vigo and tell him how offensive and disrespectful the human has been to him. That would be enough of an excuse for Nesared to send more of his brutes and just kill Mare in cold blood. That was a rather common course of action for a Vigo, especially since the Empire didn't want to mess with these Crime Syndicates yet, only four months after it's installment.

“We heard you have some new friends, Ondus. Trustful eyes have seen Imps around your estates and a certain envoy talking to you in your office. Vigo Nesared was not happy about that, since he is interested in making a deal with you for your mines, too. It would be such a pity if this “clean” and “legitimate” establishment of yours went to dust, due to some electric circuitry malfunction, don't you agree?”

“By all means, it would. But that hypothetical scenario aside, what could Vigo Nesared offer that the Empire couldn't? After all, I am a businessman.”

“Our Vigo is currently one of the most powerful men in the system and soon-to-be one of the highest in Black Sun hierarchy, throughout the galaxy. As you might have guessed, hyperspace travel will be essential in growing his operations and since you are capable of providing never-ending Tibana gas, Vigo Nesared is offering his most generous friendship, along with every privilege that comes with it.”

“I see. So my never-ending provision of Tibana gas would be repaid with friendship and privileges. I am most certain that even you can understand that mines and workers cannot be maintained with friendship and privileges, Brax.”

“Cut the bantha poodoo, Ondus. We know all too well how the Empire treats its partners. They exhaust your resources, let you have no profit at all and if you don't agree on their terms, they just rip you off your property and name you a traitor. Seems to me that my Vigo's proposition is far better.”

Mare was caught unprepared. He didn't realize that these people knew the rules of this game so well. He needed time to evaluate the situation and make the best choice possible for his enterprise and his employees.

“Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot here, Brax. How about you become my guests for the night, spend your time here in the Casino as much as you like and tomorrow evening we come to an agreement, after I have found a way to turn down the Empire's proposal harmlessly?”

“No need for that, Ondus. We are our own guests wherever we go. You have less than a day, then. Just try not to play games with Vigo Nesared. He is well known for not forgiving the ones to cross him.”

As they got up, the third member of the company, a Devaronian of almost crimson skin, gave an intimidating stare to Mare Ondus and seemed like he measured him with his reddish eyes. The noble businessman stepped back and let him pass in front of him, as the three of them moved away from the main hall of the Casino. Before they finally exited the room, the Devaronian completely emptied the contents of his glass upon the ludicrously expensive carpet and turned his head around to face Mare, with a smirk on his face. The human remained calm, even when the Devaronian decided that the glass was of no use to him anymore and attempted to dispose it inside a credit terminal's slot, evidently just destroying the interface, in a way that would render the terminal unusable.

Eyes rolled and heads turned when members of the Casino security intervened almost instantly, but what was even faster than the Black Sun men's fingers racing to their blaster's triggers was Mare's own voice.

“Stand down Khel! Let them go, we had our taste of blood this evening!”

“But sir, the terminal is useless. And the carpet nearly destroyed.”

“I prefer having to repair a carpet and a machine, than sending body capsules in dutiful people's families. Stand down.”

It was with a sign of relief that the security officers lowered their weapons. They knew all too well that Black Sun men were not common thugs or drunkards that caused small trouble. Even stormtroopers would think twice before engaging them in a fight, with all their equipment and armor.

When the three left the establishment, Mare Ondus hurried to his office. He went straight past the large desk and using circular gestures on the wall's surface, he made a pair of cloaked handles appear. By pressing both handles with the palms of both his hands, a drawer-like door opened vertically upwards under the sound of a servo-mechanism rolling efficiently. Inside the secret compartment laid a safe, whose door revealed an eye sensor. Mare took a deep breath and held the wall around the compartment's edges with both hands. A silver, almost invisible beam started scanning his eye, while he made certain expressions with the rest of his face, as if he the whole procedure gave him terrible pain, although it didn't last longer than mere seconds.

When the safe's door was open, Mare quickly gathered it's contents and without hesitation moved to his desk. He pressed the corresponding to the desired communication channel buttons and when the connection was established, said in a low voice

“Mister Nhuk. I believe we have a serious situation in our hands...”

https://swdoe.wordpress.com/2016/12/08/chapter-5/