The streets of the city left little to be desired for those unfamiliar with the lawless planet. Poyus had once been a thriving world, transitioning from its focus on heavy industry and mining into tertiary economic sectors. It once acted as the source for a large percentage of the galaxy's natural fuel industry, due to its vast natural resources, allowing the former inhabitants of the planet to become a blossoming society within a relatively short period.
But as was the case with a number of similar worlds, greed had infected the population, the over mining of its natural fuel deposits and raw materials led to Poyus quite literally being bled dry of its value. Many attempts were made to invest the wealth that had been accumulated over the centuries to turn the tide, to move into sectors that allows Poyus to build an economy that could no longer rely on mining. Unfortunately for the population, the leadership spent frivolously, but lacked the acumen to invest in industries that would breath new life to the planet's fledgling existence. It reached a point where those who possessed exorbitant wealth decided to abandon Poyus altogether, selling off their stakes in the sprawling cities by piecemeal, usually to unscrupulous gangs and organisations that had more illicit uses in mind.
Poyus became a safe haven for the sort of scum that thrived in an environment of disorganization and unfettered criminal acts. Those individuals that found themselves on the wrong side of galactic law enforcement bodies could travel to the lawless planet and easily hide amongst its crumbling infrastructure. It was a seedy bed where illegal deals could be made without the fear of any authorities breathing down the necks of certain shady life forms.
It was the last planet Samus ever wanted to find herself on. As she disembarked her vessel, the smell of old oil and fumes from the rows of ships that were parked along the site of a former mining hotspot struck her. Poyus was a constant danger for those that weren't familiar with how it functioned, countless cases of missing persons built up over the years following the transference of the planet's ownership, many of whom happened to be female. It didn't take much guessing for the veteran warrior to determine exactly where those missing women ended up.
It was dangerous territory for any bounty hunter, only those sure enough of their skills and the validity of their contacts would even dare set foot on the surface. Fortunately, Samus was one of those few. Part of her effectiveness came from the judgement aimed towards her by those who didn't know her reputation, basing their opinions on her looks alone. Samus was far from the typical, grizzly image most species conjured up when they thought of what a bounty hunter looked like. She had a tall frame, her body had the curves and figure most women would die for. Long blonde hair and entrancing blue eyes, along with her soft facial features gave her an almost ethereal quality. She used people's pre-judgement of her to her advantage, her deeply feminine features became her greatest asset when she wasn't wearing her power suit.
The ever eye catching, tight fitting blue zero-suit and tall wedge heels created a striking contrast compared to the gloomy, desolate outskirts of the surrounding city. The old mining site had been flattened and converted into a stop for large cargo haulers, heavy vehicles usually driven by beings desperate enough to deliver cargo that needed to pass through areas occupied by bandits and hijackers. Samus's eyes locked onto the place where her alleged contact had agreed to meet her, a dingy looking cargo stop, with a diner sat at the very centre of a forecourt full of haulers from across the galaxy.
Samus rolled her shoulders and stepped across the poorly laid tarmac, forced to alter her gait as she avoided the webs of cracks that stretched across the length of the surface. Approaching the diner, she spotted a number of scantily clad women pacing around the sheltered area where many of the haulers were parked, some eyeing her suspiciously as she entered into the section illuminated by strips of fizzing, fluorescent tubes. Samus turned her view to the drivers of the haulers that were crowded outside of their vehicles, listening as a couple of the braver ones shouted lewd comments in her direction, waving a handful of seguru as a means of enticing her over. She turned her nose up at them haughtily, disgusted by the fact they had mistaken her for the working girls that stalked the rows of haulers.
Samus made it to the diner, ignoring the glaring neon arrow that pointed towards the entrance, and strode inside with a superb level of confidence, creating an imposing presence as she stood in the entrance way. Some of the occupants looked up, looking at her with a mixture of curiosity and hunger, others kept their heads down. The bounty hunter didn't care either way what they thought or what they were involved with, she just wanted to gain the information she needed and get off world as soon as feasibly possible.
She stepped over to the scratched up bar that ran across the length of the furthest wall and bent over it, resting her arm across it as she took in the sight of the various trinkets that decorated the wall. Clearing her throat, Samus attempted to get the attention of the owner.
The owner of the diner held up a thick finger, sending over the order notes to the kitchen in the back. "Not right now, sweetheart."
Samus wasn't deterred, tapping her finger against the rusting surface of the bar. "I'm looking for a man."
The owner shrugged his shoulders, still with his back turned to her. "Not my concern. But I've made it clear that I don't want your sort hanging around in my diner. If you want to find a trucker to suck off for some seguru, go do it on the forecourt. I don't want my customers getting pestered."
Samus could feel herself growing heated by the implication, but decided that losing her temper would only serve to waste her time. "I don't care for the insinuation, I'm certainly not here to fellate any of your so-called customers! Someone by the name of Choris is expecting me, he has information regarding a bounty I am currently in pursuit of."
The owner turned around at the mention of the word 'bounty', his frustration morphed into a leering grin as he clapped eyes on Samus. "Well, well, the famed Samus Aran. I've certainly heard a lot about you, but I must say, seeing you in the flesh is certainly a pleasure. You should know better than to walk around Poyus without that armour of yours. A body as sexy as yours clad in that bodysuit will send men wild, especially those with less... restraint."
Samus bristled as she listened to him, but it was nothing she hadn't heard during her years on the hunt, she definitely didn't feel any fear when it came to the down and outs of Poyus. "Well, they can keep looking, because that's all they'll ever get close to doing! Now, has anyone by the name Choris come through her? Or am I wasting my time."
The owner brushed his tongue across his lips, his eyes fell to the tantalising swell of Samus's breasts. "You ain't wasting my time, sweetheart, that's for sure. If those whores out there looked half as appealing as you, I'd have no problem letting them hang around here. But to answer your question, yeah, he's here. Mostly keeps to himself when he's not delivering cargo, he's sitting in the booth closest to the door, definitely can't miss the sight of him."
Samus nodded and turned in the spot, aware that the owner, along with a large number of his customers openly gazed at her rear as she sauntered over to the booth in question. Cautiously, she crept up to the final booth and quickly discovered what the owner had meant by 'the sight of him'. The alien had an almost reptilian appearance, though possessed a number of humanoid features that provided him with a face that could display expression. He gnashed away at his meal, razor teeth tore the meat apart with every bite, sending food particles dropping down to his overalls, adding to his already shabby appearance.
"Are you Choris?" Samus asked, doubting that the slovenly alien before her could ever have such sensitive information hidden away.
Choris looked up at her with his deep orange eyes, his mouth gaped open as the silhouette of her body filled his vision. He wiped a hand across his overalls to remove some of the grease, before reaching his hand out to Samus, which she reluctantly shook. "That I am, Choris Kesik at your service. No matter how desirable your cargo may be, I'm the guy who can get it to its destination in one piece. But you, Samus Aran, need no introduction."
Samus slipped into the booth and crossed her legs, tapping her wrist to bring up a holographic image of a blank face, with only a few lines of information beneath it written in various alien languages. Most importantly, it displayed the hefty bounty price that had only grown over the months. "This man has been appearing on bounty lists across the galaxy, engaging in every illegal and immoral trade possible. From smuggling weapons to warzones, to trafficking and profiting from an underground slave trade, this person has managed to become one of the most reviled beings out there, yet so little information is known about him. Even his face remains a mystery. I had nearly given up trying to track down what seemed to be a ghost. That was, until you decided to reach out to me. Why?"
The slob of an alien went back to his meal, noisily consuming everything on his plate, with virtually no consideration for social etiquette. "Maybe I'm just naturally inclined towards altruism?"
Samus narrowed her eyes as she caught him sneaking yet another glance of her body, focusing his gaze on her toned stomach. "I'd prefer it if you didn't play games with me, I have little patience for it, especially when there are innocent women suffering because of this vile creature. If you truly have the information that could lead to me tracking him down and ending his cruelty, then I would recommend that you give it to me."
Choris replied with a guffaw. "I do have it, travel in certain circles and you can find out a lot of dark secrets, if you catch my drift. Very frightening people, the sort that take retaliation for betraying their secrets to a deadly level. What's stopping me from ending up dead if they find out what I've done? Where's my incentive?"
"So much for altruism, " Samus rolled her eyes, folding her hands into her lap, the very picture of elegance. "I can guarantee that the trail will end with me, your involvement won't be uncovered. Is that sufficient?"
