"We are five minutes from the grand unveiling. Now is not the time to start drinking."

Tony leaned back in his chair, looking out the window while dressed in a red suit. Clutched in his hand and half drunk was a glass of scotch, coming from a bottle that Tony had already forgotten the name of. It was probably something fancy, knowing the kinds of things people sent him. His bloodshot eyes traced over the rest of the New York skyline leading out towards the bay, the red veins more of a sign of his lack of sleep than anything. Tony turned his gaze back towards Pepper, who was sporting a matching red jacket and skirt. She had the same look she always had towards him these days: frustration. He raised an eyebrow at her, flashing the usual smartass grin that seemed to be permanently glued to his face when around her. "My mouth was dry. I needed something to drink-"

"There's this magical drink called water, Tony. I know you're aware of it, because you always had me stock overpriced bottles of it in the fridge right behind you." Pepper shook her head as she held up the tablet that she held in the crook of her arm, tapping away at the screen. "I had JARVIS double check the energy readings and run a practice test this morning-"

"JARVIS, run the numbers again." Tony quickly downed the rest of his drink as he stood up, walking over towards the window as he looked down at the street below. The area right outside of the Tower had already been sectioned off for the big event. The press trucks were assembled, and the reporters were already taking their seats. From up here, they looked like ants. For a moment, a thought crossed through Tony's mind. Is that what he thinks of us?

A disembodied voice cut through the awkward silence. "Sir, all readings indicate the reactor is stable. Do you need anything else, sir?"

Tony shook his head, walking back over to his desk and tapping on the glass covering. The desk lit up, revealing an embedded monitor setup with security footage covering all the building entrances and the reactor room. "Just keep me posted if there's any irregular chatter coming from the NYPD or the SHIELD detail."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "If anything happens, Rhodey can take care of it."

Tony shook his head, walking past her and towards the elevator. "And if Rhodey doesn't, JARVIS is going to keep the engine running in case he needs backup."

"You ever wish we just took a job in like, Chicago?"

Adrian Chase knocked back the remainder of his glass, setting it on the bar and tapping its rim to signal the bartender. He couldn't even remember what the name of this place was, but it was one of the few open between the office and his place. He had switched out his blazer for a leather jacket he always kept in his office, hitching a ride with his fellow attorney Alan Welles as they left the office. Adrian's partner in crime hadn't bothered to bring a change of clothes, opting to ditch the blazer in his car and remove his tie. Even with the slight change in appearance, they stood out from the rest. Adrian saw the lingering eyes of a small group of teenagers near the back. He gave them a small smile and a nod as he grabbed the hem of his leather jacket, readjusting it just right to flash the piece holstered to his belt. The teenagers stopped looking real quick.

"Chicago isn't any better than here, Chase. You've seen the crime statistics... it's worse than out here." The bartender arrived, picking up the bottle of bourbon and pouring into Adrian's glass.

"But there aren't any vigilantes in Chicago. Not any big ones." The bartender began to pull the bottle away, but Adrian shook his head. The bartender shrugged and made it a double.

Alan Welles rolled his eyes in response as he took another sip of his beer. "There aren't any big vigilantes in Bludhaven, either. What, every now and then we might get one of the bats, or maybe some freak with a gun and a cool name swing through town for a week or a month. Someone who got lost on their way out of Gotham or Manhattan. But other than that-"

"We've got the Wildcat. Some asshat in a fursuit punching people's lights out and dropping them on my doorstep. Twice, Alan. For fuck's sake, Drew didn't sleep for a week after she answered the door for the second guy." Adrian lifted his glass to take a sip, revelling in the burning sensation.

Alan sighed, shaking his head as he stared at his nearly empty beer. "How's Doris? You've been at the office a lot more since they fished Powell out of the river."

Adrian took another sip and exhaled a long breath. He looked at Alan and shook his head. "You know Doris, she's nagging away that I'm not spending enough time with the kids, same old shit."

Alan chuckled to himself as he slid the beer away. "Hey, at least you got something steady and stable. I'd love to get nagged at every night." After a pause, Alan looked at his watch and groaned. "Guess I'll be taking a nap before I head into the office. Mind if I crash on your couch?"

Adrian chuckled, downing the rest of his drink. "Sure, Al. But you better take the one in the basement. I've got the one in the living room."

The two men chuckled as they settled up with the bartender, making their way out the front of the bar. They circled around towards the parking lot on the side, heading straight for Alan's little Fiat. Of course, even with a decent amount of liquor in him, Adrian clocked the two men who exited the bar behind them. They were moving a little bit faster than Adrian was, clearly trying to catch up. It was only when Adrian heard the distinct sound of metal scraping just barely against metal that he recognized a sound he was familiar with in his youth. Years of camping made him familiar with the sound of unsheathing a folding knife. They were too far from the car, and the unseen assailants were getting too close.

Adrian slowed his pace to ensure Alan got a bit of a lead on him, and slowly turned around. Two men, no masks. The one on the right was holding the knife, and lifted it up towards Adrian’s face as he kept advancing. “No sudden moves, pal. Give me your wallet, and nobody gets hurt.”

There. A threat of bodily harm. Nice assault charge. Close proximity with the knife, no chance to retreat. They’re gonna make me do this.

Adrian took a half step back, planting his foot. As the assailant went to take another step forward, Adrian took the opportunity to reach up and grab the wrist of the hand holding the knife. With a swift kick to knee, the assailant was quickly knocked off balance and fell forward. Adrian spun around and used his other hand to guide the assailant forward onto his knees, moving his hand from the wrist to the knife to disarm the man. The other potential assailant began moving forward, and Adrian sighed. He tossed the knife aside, and quickly scooped up a handful of gravel resting in one of this parking lot’s many pot holes. Adrian was able to get on his feet and step to the side as the second assailant closed in. A quick toss of loose gravel into the assailant’s face was enough to throw him off. It bought Adrian enough time to take a few steps back and unholster his Sig, flicking the safety off as he alternated which assailant he pointed the gun at. Within a moment, assailant two dropped the knife and held his hands into the air. The first assailant remained sprawled on the ground, hands raised slightly to show compliance.

Alan was already on the phone with the local precinct. Adrian lowered the weapon, but kept the safety off. It took the office about 90 seconds to come screeching to a halt on the street nearby. Bludhaven’s finest only seemed to work fast when it was the DA or the Mayor calling. Two officers stepped out, and immediately moved in to apprehend the assailants.. While cuffing them, Adrian looked towards Alan. ”These guys look familiar to you?”

Alan took a closer look at the men, “Vaguely… you telling me these are Scarapelli’s guys.”

Adrian opened up Alan’s trunk, and brushed aside a blanket to reveal his briefcase. He quickly flicked it open, and pulled out a small stack of photos. He rifled through them for a moment under a nearby streetlight, and finally pulled one out for Alan to inspect. ”I never forget a face. And these two have been around a lot of crime scenes connected to our dear friend Tony.”

Alan nodded in relief for a moment, before he narrowed his brow and looked back at Adrian. “Wait… so does that mean…”

Adrian nodded, tossing the photos back into his briefcase and clicking it shut. ”Scarapelli’s getting desperate. We’ve got him on the ropes.”

Factions

The Jedi Order is a shadow of it's former self, but has been rebuilding itself slowly over time. The speed at which force users are trained has escalated, and many who pass the trials are permitted to travel the galaxy as they wish. The lack of oversight and decentralized nature of this new order have raised some concerns, facilitating the Senate's approval to re-establish the Jedi Investigation Corps to ensure the galaxy never has to suffer the destruction of another Sith power struggle. Otherwise, many trained Jedi have gone on to serve the galaxy as healers, peacekeepers, or spiritual guides. Some have earned the privilege of making their own lightsabers, so long as they register with the Galactic Republic.

The First Order is the recently disbanded Army of the Galactic Republic. Old Star Destroyers and some Clone Wars era capital ships ditched the stark gray in favor of deep crimson accents while waging war against the Imperial Remnant. Not all were swayed by the rebrand, as ground troops of the First Order bore re-designed red Stormtrooper armor. However, there are a number of public statements from officers and recruits to the First Order that attempt to classify this military service as penance for the crimes of the Imperial armed forces under Palpatine. Other career soldiers were simply trying to serve their time to secure decent pensions in the hopes of retirement. Many other young hopefuls had joined their ranks as well in recent years. The disbanding process has been slow going, with many First Order capital ships still pending their formal decommission orders.

The skill of the New Republic Rangers is vast, but typically highly specialized. They primarily serve in fringe worlds and are focused on the preservation of peace and security for common folk, with space stations around the mid and outer rim. Rangers defer to local law enforcement (where there is any) with the exception of highly sensitive or dangerous crimes, and are particularly focused on dealing with criminal cartels and the trafficking of people.

Not all Admirals and Generals of the Empire have chosen to answer for their war crimes, and attempt even decades later to hold on to what power they could. These are the Imperial Remnant, isolated cells of power-seeking fascists yearning for a galaxy that was great only to the rich and powerful. Many of their leaders still hold dominion over fringe systems in the mid and outer rim. Others remain hiding on remote, secret bases. Regardless, their presence and their threat to the liberty of all are an existential threat to people galaxy wide. Rumors abound of secret orders and contingencies that the Imperial Remnant are carrying out in secret, and there are even rumors of Clone or Droid armies being constructed in secret for an inevitable full-scale invasion of the New Republic. The reality people know is simple: some men will not face their end with dignity, and will fight until the very last breath… to the detriment of a number of systems and all who live in them.

The Corporate Sector Authority is the closest thing many Mid and Outer Rim worlds have to a functional police force. The Corporate Sector Authority is funded by a majority of the top 500 galactic conglomerates to provide strict rules and law enforcement. They operate predominantly within many industrial star systems as Aerospace Traffic Control and Customs officers, with many Espos (Corporate Security Police) serving as security for corporate cities and facilities.

The Bounty Hunter’s Guild is a loose collective of trackers and mercenaries united in a common goal: making credits doing work no one else wants to. Most official contracts are posted to the Holonet, and come in two forms. Closed Bounties require meetings with the client beforehand to get full debriefs and can only be claimed by a single hunter or a small collective of hunters at a time, while Open Bounties are akin to wanted posters in the Galaxy. All bounties will specify whether they want the target(s) brought in Dead or Alive, with a deduction in the reward if these specifications are not met.

The longest running criminal organization in Galactic History, the Hutt Cartel are predominantly spice dealers. They have a dedicated, neutral sector of space in the systems around Nal Hutta, and several Hutts act as local crime lords in the Outer Rim. The Hutt Cartel is decentralized, in the sense that the whims of the Hutts are fickle and one Hutt’s champion is another Hutt’s public enemy. However, they largely act with a sort of criminal code of ethics, and are well-regarded as paying out for contracts. They pay well for bounties, and are known to operate a thriving black market open for Bounty Hunters, smugglers, and less savory characters.

The Crimson Dawn is a powerful crime syndicate that rivals the Hutt Cartel. While the Hutts are known for bribing local officials and operating in the open in the outer rim, the Crimson Dawn is brutal and dangerous to all who encounter them. The Crimson Dawn has a number of individualized criminal enterprises that report directly to them, most of which are localized pirate bands. They have been known to overwhelm and occupy vulnerable systems, but always manage to clear out by the time major powers and authorities catch wind of their activities.

The Bounty Hunter’s Guild is a loose collective of trackers and mercenaries united in a common goal: making credits hunting people down. Most official contracts are posted to the Holonet, and come in two forms. Closed Bounties require meetings with the client beforehand to get full debriefs and can only be claimed by a single hunter or a small collective of hunters at a time, while Open Bounties are akin to wanted posters in the Galaxy. All bounties will specify whether they want the target(s) brought in Dead or Alive, with a deduction in the reward if these specifications are not met. The Republic is a bit more restrictive on the hunting of bounties within their territories than the Hutt Cartel or Remnant tends to be, but they tend to pay much more for imperials who have evaded warrants than any other bounty on the market.