The sun hung low over the jagged rooftops of Sydney, casting long shadows down the alleyways of Darlinghurst. The year was 1985, a time when the city was transforming, but the streets still belonged to the gangs. Behind the glitzy facade of high-rise buildings, the underworld simmered with tension.
Tommy "Smokes" Bannister leaned against his rusted Holden, the tip of his cigarette glowing in the twilight. He was a relic of an older time—hard-nosed, quick to anger, but respected by his peers. The Bannister family had run their gambling rackets and nightclub protection schemes for decades, keeping the police in their pockets and the rival gangs at bay.
But things had changed. The rise of immigrant gangs from Vietnam and Lebanon was threatening their stranglehold. New faces, new rules.
Tommy snuffed out his cigarette and glanced down the street. His partner, Richie, a wiry kid with sharp eyes and a quicker tongue, jogged over. "Got word from Terry," Richie panted, his voice tight with excitement. "The Minh brothers are making a move. That heroin deal up north—it's going down tonight."
Tommy's face hardened. The Minh brothers were Vietnamese newcomers with a reputation for ruthlessness. If they managed to secure the heroin trade in Sydney, it would mean the beginning of the end for the Bannisters.
Tommy threw the cigarette to the ground. "We can't let that happen. Tell the boys to meet us at the docks. We'll pay these Minh brothers a little visit."
Richie nodded, pulling a black revolver from his jacket. "We gonna talk it out?"
Tommy smirked. "Not tonight, mate".