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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Oct 28, 2010 21:29:40 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 28, 2010 21:29:40 GMT -5
((for Lat and FZ. Many apologies if it sucks….sick brain doesn’t work well. x_x))
Dear Goddess, he’s HEAVY! The wookiee, weak from sitting so long in Greegar’s dungeons, needed a lot of help to move him along while being chased in the heat of the day, and it was not making getting out again any easier. The HUD of the Ubese mask she wore marked the nearest exit as they came up on the cross section and her head swiveled south to see more of those idiot little gamorreans (with the added bonus of some twi’lek and human thugs) moving swiftly in their direction out of that stairway. She had the sinking feeling that these guys had guns.
”Crap…left on this hall! Sev, buy me a little time!”
The bulk of the wookiee’s weight shifted onto her as Sev moved to lay out cover fire. Putting her weight into shifting the lumbering sentient in the correct direction, Sam managed to get him to the stairwell and propped against the wall. Pulling up the appropriate frequency on the suit’s gauntlet, she hurriedly keyed in the code as she called out to her companion. ”Sev! Cover! Cover! Charges one, two, ‘n’ four off!” Her voice was distorted and mechanical through the vocabulator, but it would get the point across, her voice also echoing over the comm. Darting up a few steps, she’d press herself against the side of the wookiee to keep him as stable as possible for the upcoming detonations.
Glancing up once more to make sure Sev had heard, she nodded to him once as he slipped back into the cover of the stairway. Keying the detonations caused the palace around them to rumble and crack, bringing the supporting walls of the lower dungeons down on their pursuers and blocking off part of the upper floor to give them more time to get to an exit…that was the idea anyway. It seemed to be working rather well as she heard the shouts of all manner of beings both above them, and down the hall to the south, obviously a bit upset at the…redecorating…she was doing of the hutt’s palace.
Bits of rubble, dust, and sand fell onto the helmet she wore and coated the protective Ubese gear in white powder as she looked down the stairway to Sev through the settling cloud of sand and dust. ”Sev! You still alive after that?” There was little doubt in her mind that he was, but the question just begged to be asked, the uncomfortable heat and pain building up in her shoulder pushed from her mind as more important things came up.
”Still with us, wookiee?” Her response was a shake of the body behind her and a clawed hand on her shoulder. ”Good. Sev, help me out with Worrak…there’s no way I can get him up the…frell.” The door above them opened, flooding the dark stairwell with light. Without a thought, the blaster at her thigh was in her hands and sweeping up to aim…
…Now, some may be asking, just how did we get into this new predicament? My answer: Very carefully…and over the course of about two days…
The Exodus had landed only an hour or so earlier on the desert planet of Tatooine, the baked earth sending up shimmering waves of silvery heat. The rising thermals made landing just that much more fun for her as she was forced to adjust her flight slightly as the ship jittered and threatened to jump as she cut through them to the landing pad. In that hour the ‘crew’ of the ship had been busy enough. The credits Sam and Athar had acquired on Umgul had been exchanged for the currency of the planet, their contact on the planet had handed over the disguise Sam had requested, as well as maps of the palace itself, and the three had managed to procure a decent speeder. This wasn’t to say they weren’t still busy, but at least they were currently busy on the cool ship.
For now.
”No, Athar, I don’t know who the force user was…I was to busy being in shock over the fact that I was a Hutt slave to look around and notice who had a big ‘Force User Here’ sign tattooed to their face.” She replied with a frustrated sigh as she adjusted the bandoleer hanging across her shoulders before going back to programming the gauntlet laying on the table in front of her. ”I’ve told you that a dozen times now. We’ll just have to try and be extra careful, and pray he-she-it isn’t there any more. There isn’t much else we can do about it besides poke around and poking around for that kind of information isn’t--”
”No, it isn’ a good idea, and yah you’ve told meh before bu’ I ‘ad ta ask again.” Those head tresses twitched slightly and he stifled his urge to glare at Sev. He didn’t need his ability to smell how they reacted to one another to know they liked each other…but it didn’t help that he could. If anything it only made him more irritable with the man. There was, however, one thing going for him: the fact that he’d stood up for Sam in the bar on Umgul and hadn’t just left when things got rough. His jaw set slightly as thoughts of just how many things could go wrong with this filtered through his mind. ”You’re certain you can ‘andle your own in dere, kiddo? You put on da Ubese gear an’ you can’t come ‘round to us so easily, remembar.”
Sighing, Sam put the gauntlet down and looked between the two men seriously. ”Yes, I remember…but I can’t be seen in there for who I am either or it would only cause more trouble. We case the place like this or we don’t do it at all. Greegar doesn’t have a problem with you, Athar, and he doesn’t know Sev from a hole in the wall…but if I walked in there without some way to cover up who I am I’d be in deep trouble.” Smiling again, she’d chuckle and shrug slightly, ” besides, it isn’t as if Ubese don’t come around here looking for jobs anyway. I should fit right in.” Standing, she’d pull the gauntlet on and flex her hand slightly as she tightened it down.
”Fine…fine…we’d best be goin’ den…” Without another word the unhappy nautolan stalked out of the small galley and out to the speeder. Sighing, the blond could only shake her head slightly as she picked up the Ubese headgear, peering inside a moment before activating the HUD. ”Sorry he’s such a grouch…he’s just concerned,” she stated, looking up at Sev before moving aside and motioning for him to lead the way. ”Age before beauty?”
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
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Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
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Oct 29, 2010 13:37:52 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Oct 29, 2010 13:37:52 GMT -5
"I'm telling you, my ship is fine. I don't need you to do a complete inspection of my ship, it just needs a refuel. I'll probably only be here a day or two and when I'm ready to leave, I don't want my ship to be dead in the water right after I leave."
"If that's you wanta sir. But I promse you that we'd make er shiny and new, if givn the chance."
Shine flicked the man who was the overseer of this docking bay a few extra credits, knowing that even if the man wanted to try his hand at "inspecting" the ship, those extra credits would stall him.....for a time. Probably even keep the fool alive an extra day too, because Shine knew full well what would happen if he tried to enter the ship without Shine's access code. He'd given him a warning, of course, because he didn't want a man's death on his hands because the man was unaware of the consequences. If the idiot got himself fried anyway, Shine wasn't going to worry then. He politely declined this time and turned off towards the hangar exit.
As he made his way from the hangar, he muttered into a small device in his hand. A few quick words and a whisper of a code and he clicked the comlink off. Well, the fool wouldn't die one the first attempt now at least. The defense system was operating at low power, but should the man attempt a second time, it would hurt more. And the third time would not the lucky at all. Never say that Shine Albartos didn't given people fair chances.
He shuffled past various other traders, smugglers, heck, probably even a few tourists on his way out, feeling the heat despite being under a covered roof of rock and metal. Guess that's what you get from a planet with two suns; and why Tatooine wasn't exactly a home you'd want to buy a ocean manor on. If there was any ocean but an ocean of sand that was. Shine adjusted the bright red scarf around his neck as he came upon light and took a deep breath before stepping out into it.
Out of the fire and into the sun fit the feeling he felt then. Heat rose from everywhere; the buildings, the sand, heck, even off the people. He glanced up to the sky above, a bright blue for as far as he could see. He was aware of the dual suns above but knew better than to look directly at them without the proper eye protection. Sweat beaded his brow and he wiped it from his eyes with his sleeve, for all the good it did him. He was dripping again in no time. He was glad that he had picked up a new attire before he'd left Umgul, well aware that the planet would be like this. Probably never could have dreamed that it would be "this" hot, but he had an idea.
A light white undershirt was clear on his chest, wrapped in a black jacket that covered most of him aside from the area from his chin down to his belly. Black pants adorned his lower body, simple boots around his feet. A bright red scarf covered his neck and descended down his back, something he had brought in case one of Tatooine's sandstorms kicked up. The same could be said of the goggles that were clinging to his hair. In hindsight, black was most definitely not the choice color for this planet, but Umgul didn't have any other colors at the time. Nor did he have the luxury of being able to search for anything else.
Making sure his blaster was holstered to his side, his vibroblade in his pants securely fastened and his tool belt clamped on tight, Shine shuffled through the sand down the street, admiring the simple buildings and markets that littered the settlement. For those who chose to live on this planet, life would be undoubtedly hard. Yet they lived her nonetheless and no matter where he looked, he didn't see despair. He saw life. It took his mind off the nasty meeting he had ahead of him.
But he still had time before he needed to meet with the Hutt, time which he intended to use to actually FIND where his Hutt lived. So shuffling off, he found the nearest bar, where after a quick chat and a few more credits under the table, he had a location. Setting off across the sand again, he eyed the place he needed to go. He'd never meet a Hutt, not in person. He hoped it wasn't as bad as the rumors said it was. But that was a frail hope.
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
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Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
Guardian
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Nov 1, 2010 23:03:12 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Nov 1, 2010 23:03:12 GMT -5
The large freighter shuddered violently as burn in began, the hull turning a bright orange as the heat paneling absorbed the friction of the air as the spacecraft plunged downward. Within it the airman was slowly counting backward from ten, knowing that before he reached one he would black out. He had goen to his bunk and locked the door not wishin Sam, or her nautolan keeper Athar, to see him like this. He hated this brief moment of weakness. In his subconscious he marveled at the rapid change in scenery from the hustle of Umgul's casinos, to the temporary digs in the slums, to the space lanes, and now here; the dust-ball capitol of the galaxy. His breathing quickened as he glanced out the plastisteel porthole at the bulk of the beige planet rushing up to meet them. As the edges grayed out he cringed and braced his muscled for the catastrophic impact that he hoped would never come. ***An hour or so later.**** The moment the struts touched the permacrete of the starport Sev's booted feet clomped through the door to his temporary digs and turned down the hallway toward the bridge. He had awoken as the ship had bucked from a particularly feisty updraft and, gathering himself and his required things up before departing. Everything seemed to be going as planned; he had departed from his standard fatigues, hoping to look a little less conspicuous. The natural colored tunic and rough undershirt went well with the dark brown slacks and surplus boots that made less of a marked report on the metal gangways. Over his shoulder was his well worn and trusted slugthrower rifle, sidearm at his waist, boot knife on the inside of his right and under his arm was carried a tinkered with version of his flight helmet. They wanted him to play the part of security; muscle. If nothing else he looked like a professional spacer. And here I thought my leave was going to be restful...Upon reaching the bridge he found both Sam and Athar with discussions of their plans well underway. He remained silent and as the pair exchanged back and forth he found his way to a soft chair and took a seat. They mostly talked about what happened last time, how there was a force user as part of the Hutt's entourage. Sev's own thoughts concerning the force and the Jedi was limited to them being for or against the republic. With the Jedi he accepted them as protectors, front line soldiers but these rogue force users, sith, he saw them only as another threat that had to be eliminated. He only regretted that he had never fought one before. "I’ve told you that a dozen times now. We’ll just have to try and be extra careful, and pray he-she-it isn’t there any more. There isn’t much else we can do about it besides poke around and poking around for that kind of information isn’t--””No, it isn’ a good idea, and yah you’ve told meh before bu’ I ‘ad ta ask again.” Sev looked up at them and glanced from Sam to the nautolan. He wasn't sure but the head-tails on the aquatic species seemed to twitch; Sev could only hope that wasn't a bad thing. ”You’re certain you can ‘andle your own in dere, kiddo? You put on da Ubese gear an’ you can’t come ‘round to us so easily, remembar.”Sev wasn't fond with the idea of using his wingmate as bait and as Sam spoke at the two of them again he seemed to like it even less. The Ubese disguise seemed like a good idea at the time but for some reason it felt as though something could definitely go wrong. At least she was right about him, he had never been to Tattooine so the Hutts wouldn't know him at all. But is that their mistake or mine?"I should fit right in.””Fine…fine…we’d best be goin’ den…”Sev nodded briefly and stood, watchign after Athar as he stalked up the gangway and out of sight. The Sergeant chuckled at that, pulling himself out of the chair and stretching. ”Sorry he’s such a grouch…he’s just concerned,” she stated, looking up at Sev before moving aside and motioning for him to lead the way. ”Age before beauty?”With a shake of his head and a grin he put both hands on her shoulders, spun her around and pushed her toward the egress gangway. Lassies first.The Sev smelled the dust before they even reached the exit. Everything was so permeated with that blasted sand that he quickly pulled his helmet on, flipped up the combat visor, and pulled the cloth covering around his nose and mouth. Better. Not perfect, but better. Squinting with the brightness difference he stepped quickly after Sam. They had a speeder for this little escapade, Sev hoped it was internalized, covered against the sand. As they strode Sev took in the flora and fauna of the spaceways; off shaped crafts that looked like they could barely fly, modern pleasure barges with jerry-rigged laser cannons. Ships were crammed on the landing pads wherever there was a spare millimeter. There were even single seat fighters here and there, evoking a bit of a reaction from the Sergeant. One of the oddest looked to be shoved into a corner, listing to one side. The port landing strut looked to be snapped; oh well, looked like an ancient pile of scrap anyway. With a gesture he reached out and poked Sam's shoulder and pointed at his ear, motioning to open up a com; it would make communication easier on this ragged dustbowl. Six Lead to Six Five. Ye 'ear meh all righ' ov'r there?
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Nov 6, 2010 21:19:25 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Nov 6, 2010 21:19:25 GMT -5
”Lassies first.”Before she knew it Sev had his hands firmly planted on her shoulders and had turned her about, pushing her toward the ramp out of the Exodus. ”Gah! Sev, oi!…wha?…fine. Shoulda known…blasted man. OkayIcanwalkonmyownnowthanks!” Despite her protests a grin couldn’t help but form on her face with a hint of laughter in her voice at the end as he let go of her to put his helmet on. Now that did make her laugh. Sure she could smell the dust of the desert planet, but it really didn’t bother her like it seemed to bother him, and it made her giggle to watch him immediately react to it like it was going to choke him to death. Shaking her head she stepped down the ramp lightly and out into the brightness of the day. She didn’t much mind the ships docked around their own, she’d seen them already when they’d gone about their business earlier, but she was mindful of the people…very mindful. The tap on her shoulder had her pausing in her walk slightly, looking back to Sev curious as to what he might want. Furrowing her brows a moment she finally lifted one and put a hand on her hip. ”Really, Sev? I can hear you just fine. Alright…alright, fine.” Twisting her hair up, she’d slip the half-mask/half-helmet over her head and secure it down. The thing looked remarkably like a regular face, but was distended just enough that a vocabulator, ear piece, and small HUD could be added. Pulling the hood of the cloak up over her head, she adjusted the comm once again and clicked it on. ”…’ear meh all righ’ ov’r there?””Yeah, I hear you fine Sev…no worries. Hell, I can hear you just fine without it.”Slipping into the back seat of enclosed speeder, she’d lean forward and smile…not that it could be seen under the mask she was using. ”Alright boss, let’s get this show on the road…you’re dropping me off at the Eopie stable two kilometers out of the city, right?” The grunt from Athar had her shaking her head and sighing as she sat back, the vocabulator distorting the sound to the point of oddity, though it hardly seemed to faze the younger woman. The drive there was…uneventful and silent as a sort of mild and unspoken tension permeated the vehicle until they came upon the Eopie stables. Leaning forward once more, she’d give Athar a squeeze to the shoulder and a nod before giving the side of Sev’s helmet a friendly knock or two with her knuckles. Now that’s pleasantly nostalgic…she mused with a grin behind the mask. ”Okay boys, play nice, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…don’t do some of the stuff I would do…and I’ll see you at Greegar’s place for a nice costume party and scavenger hunt.” Her chipper tone might have been lost through the monotone of the vocabulator, but the words would have made her intentions clear enough, even if there was a very subtle layer of “and please, for the love of the Goddess, be careful in there” beneath it all. As she got out and started toward the stables, she’d click on the comm once more. ”Oi, Sev…it begs asking…you got your rifle, yeah?” Old habits die hard… It might not have been a jacket, but she knew the silly thing held some sort of sentiment to him, and it was about all they had at the moment. They were all taking a bit of a risk here, and she didn’t want anything going wrong today. Was she superstitious? …Had she ever denied such accusations? Besides, it was a weapon…better to have one than forget one. Who knew if he would get the subtle layer of meaning to her question, but there it was…practical meaning and superstitious. In next to no time she was on the back of an Eopie and headed for the Hutt’s palace. --------------------------------------------------- Inside the speeder, Athar was far from happy; in fact, he seemed downright surly as they pulled away without Sam. After a few minutes the sea-colored nautolan deigned to speak. ”I don’ like her goin’ by herself. You should’a gone wit her…bu’ no…she’s convinced ya would do more good wit me.” After a few moments of grumbling to himself he sighed and some of the tension seemed to drain from around him, but not much. ”Ahm not sure you realized dis yet or not, but her father was a close friend o’ mine, an’ asked me ta watch out for ‘er.” Those large black eyes would look to Sev after that statement, though he never turned his head to make it obvious. No doubt the man would know what was going on, you got senses about these sorts of things after being involved in lives rife with danger in one way or another. ”Dat doesn’ just apply to obvious dangers, but subtle ones as well. Ta be blunt, I don’ trust you like she does ‘cause I don’ know you, an’ the last thing I want is her gettin’ hurt because of you. So I’ll tell you now while I have you alone: I don’t wan’ you to ge’ too close ta her. You got opposite lives now an’ that’ll mean pain when the day comes dey ask you ta run ‘er down an’ bring ’er in. She’s a good girl an’ don’t deserve to be ‘urt like dat by som’one she care about. You understand me?”
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
86 likes
Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
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Nov 6, 2010 23:43:08 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Nov 6, 2010 23:43:08 GMT -5
Shine had found the journey to Greegar the Hutt's home less of a burden than he had thought it would be, although not for the planet's lack of trying. The blazing heat was a mild hassle, although by the time he reached his destination his clothes were sticking to him slightly from all the sweat. He made a mental note to visit someplace with a more mild climate later. The path to Greegar's had been easy to find as well; he just headed towards the big palace in the distance, which was generally where people were moving away from.
The only thing that was annoying him was the sand. Whenever a gust of wind hit the streets or a speeder slid by, sand had risen in force, pelting whatever was in its path. He could feel the sand in his boots, taste it on his lips, see the dust coating it had given his clothes and he just knew it was going to be mixed in with his hair. When he got the chance, he was going to take a long, long shower. A long, cold, shower. Luckily, his goggles and scarf had manged to keep the sand out of his nose and eyes, for which he was thankful.
Shortly after departing the catina, Shine had found the nearest speeder rental shop and bought the most basic one he could get. He wasn't going to be staying long or at least he didn't intend too, so why waste the money for something fancy? Once he had a speeder, he had shot off in the direction of the palace, carefully navigating through the semi-crowded streets with ease. While he drove, he contemplated what had ever made him think coming here was a "good" idea.
It didn't take him long to reach the Hutt's palace, nor would he have missed it even if he didn't have exact directions. Gamorrean guards were posted at the entrance, their hulking forms resembling giant pigs that had been affected by some genetic mutation. When Shine approached the doors, the fatter of the two had snorted at him and broke into a series of squeals and snorts. Shine waved the air in front of him at the stink wafting from the Gamorrean's breath, trying not to gag.
"I'm here to see Greegar the Hutt about a job. I've already made the appropriate arrangements to meet with him and if you don't usher me in quick, I'm going to be late. And personally, Id' rather not keep a Hutt Lord waiting. So, if you could be so kind."
The Gamorrean snorted again and turned to his comrade, who rapped on the giant metal door behind them. A few moments later, a voice came from a small device on the wall, demanding for Shine to state his name and business. Sighing, Shine repeated what he had told the guards, along with his name this time. The voice went quiet and for a long moment, Shine thought he had been forgotten or cast aside. He was just about to leave when the doors made a metal grinding sound and began to part. Flicking a wink at the Gamorrean, Shine moved through the doors as they were beginning to close, which left him in a dimly lit hallway. Another Gamorrean soon came up from farther in, snorted at him and motioned for him to follow.
They made their way down a series of corridors that seemed to branch off into other passages every few meters, which left Shine to wonder how big this place really was. Shadows moved in those passages and he could have sworn he heard screams of pain once or twice as they descended deeper into the Hutt's home. Again, Shine wondered how wise he had been in coming here to take a job from a Hutt.
The gloomy silence was suddenly replaced by the sounds of music and the dark hallway suddenly exited into a brightly lit chamber. Shine had to cover his eyes as they adjusted to the sudden brightness, but when he was able to see again, even he had to let out a whisper. The chamber was filled with species from just about every majorly known culture Shine could think off; Rodians, Gamorreans, Twi'leks, Weequays and Grans were just the one's he noted off the bat. Other species that he had never seen before also filled the room and a band of Bith was moving into another rather uplifting song. Shine also noted that the room had no shortage of mercenaries and bounty hunters lingering in the corners or surrounded by attending ladies.
Shine tried not to stare at the dancing Twi'lek girls as he turned to face the reason for his journey here. Although when he looked at Greegar, he had wished he had kept his eyes on them. Hutt's were some of the ugliest things in the known galaxy, though anyone that valued their tongue never told that to their face unless they were sure the Hutt was going to die. Greegar was no exception. Shine did his best to ignore a rather nauseating smell as he addressed the Hutt.
"Your lordship. Shine Albatros, as your service. I called you before about maybe running a job or two for you."
When it was the Hutt's turn to speak, a droid came up beside him, translating Greegar's Huttese into basic for Shine to understand.
"[Mr Albatros. I'm pleased to hear your open to doing some chores for me. I've been in short supply since my previous smugglers ran into.....an unfortunate accident. I've been looking for a good replacement for them ever since and I hear good things from my contacts about you.
Sadly, I have some prior business to attend to. You can help yourself to some of the "services" I provide here if you wish. Once I'm finished with my other matters of the day, I'm sure we can talk more at length about what exactly you'll be able to do for me.]"
With that, the Hutt took a smoke of his pipe, devoured a small animal floating in a nearby jar and dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Shine gave Greegar a little bow and moved to take an empty seat in the farthest corner from the Hutt that he could. A mercenary bumped into him as he made his way there, growling at him as he tapped the butt of his rifle against Shine's hip. Shine rose an eyebrow at this, but he gave the man a smile and tapped his unholstered blaster against the man's nether regions.
"You heard the Hutt. So I'm going to sit back here in this corner, have some food and drink, listen to the music and enjoy the view. But if you got a problem with that, we can see if you can lift that rifle faster than my blaster can make you sterile. It would be the more interesting part of my day."
The mercenary growled at him, but a booming laugh from the Hutt and a few words made the mercenary let Shine pass. Planting himself at the table, Shine accepted a drink from one of the Twi'lek slaves, who he gave a polite nod and thank you before sipping his drink and letting his eyes wander the proceedings. When the next "client" to come in was, for lack of a better word, dragged away pleading for his life, Shine winced as that inner voice that was his common sense kicked in.
"One of these days, I hope I listen to you instead of my wallet. Let's just hope that I don't end up like that poor fellow.....and that everything goes right for a change."
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
0 likes
Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
Guardian
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Nov 8, 2010 23:11:06 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Nov 8, 2010 23:11:06 GMT -5
Her words came back clear as day, crackling over the com as it attempted to establish a concrete connection between them. There was something nostalgic about it, her smooth voice breaking over his coms, something that he missed deeply. Even though the audio from the coms overlaid with her actual speech he was happy to have even this, a small connection that tied them together.
”Yeah, I hear you fine Sev…no worries. Hell, I can hear you just fine without it.”
Ah know... he whispered, sighing, hoping that the flood of nostalgic emotion wouldn't blemish the feeling of what needed to be done. Taking a deep breath he stepped up his stride until he matched Sam's. Finally succumbing to the twin suns' bright light on the sand, Sev quickly pulled down the sun filter on his helmet, making him look more the pilot than ever. After a moment they reached the speeder together, Sev releasing a sigh of relief at the closed canopy. Slinging his rifle off his shoulder he opened the door and climbed in, sitting with his trusted service rifle propped beside his right thigh.
”Alright boss, let’s get this show on the road…you’re dropping me off at the Eopie stable two kilometers out of the city, right?”
The vocabulator did its job, the audio coming out in galactic basic but having an odd garbled aspect to it. That particular piece of equipment was essential but Sev was mistrusting of the mask, however he had no say in the matter. It would have to do. He didn't speak on the drive to the Eopie stables, nor did Athar. The tension burned deep inside his chest as the dusty landscape sped by, Sev turned his head to the window and scowled. He knew how this was going to go. Athar had been strangely silent when they returned to the flat on Umgul... he would get the talk here.
When the speeder pulled up to the stables neither of them moved a muscle. Sam, however, leaned foreword over the back of the drivers' seat. Sev watched as she placed her hand on the Nautolan's shoulder giving him a nod. He then felt more than heard a loud rap on the side of his helmet, two distinct knocks. Grinning he glanced back at her through the peripherals and the sun visor, that sense of nostalgia flooding back. He wasn't given a chance to speak as Sam slipped out the speeder door quicker than he had seen her move in a good while. Maybe it was for the best. Turning back to the window he nonchalantly watched her go, smiling to himself. When the coms crackled to life again he had a hard time suppressing a smile as she spoke.
”Oi, Sev…it begs asking…you got your rifle, yeah?”
In response he put one hand to his mouth, suppressing his voice into the headset.
Oh aye... brought another li'l toy along for the ride. That'll be fer when th' real fun starts.
Nodding briefly after her he felt the speeder lift slightly off the ground again as Athar turned away from the Eopie farm. Taking a deep breath he turned back around to at least address the Nautolan on the same level.
”I don’ like her goin’ by herself. You should’a gone wit her…bu’ no…she’s convinced ya would do more good wit me.”
He hesitated...
She's a strong lass... she can take care o' herself.
Soon any sign of civilization was gone and the speeder was soaring inches above the hard packed dust of the desert planet. The suns beat down mercilessly causing the sand and packed dust to ripple with heat.
”Ahm not sure you realized dis yet or not, but her father was a close friend o’ mine, an’ asked me ta watch out for ‘er.”
Aye. Was his only reply as he glanced over at the nautolan. With a quick gesture he lowered the dust catch and lifted the sun visor so he could look into those black eyes unabated.
”Dat doesn’ just apply to obvious dangers, but subtle ones as well. Ta be blunt, I don’ trust you like she does ‘cause I don’ know you, an’ the last thing I want is her gettin’ hurt because of you. So I’ll tell you now while I have you alone: I don’t wan’ you to ge’ too close ta her. You got opposite lives now an’ that’ll mean pain when the day comes dey ask you ta run ‘er down an’ bring ’er in. She’s a good girl an’ don’t deserve to be ‘urt like dat by som’one she care about. You understand me?”
Sev looked back out the main windscreen, glancing in the direction of rock outcroppings and dust demons that had built up around the noonday suns.
Ah understand thus. Ye dinnae trust me because ah'm a republic soldier no' because o' what ah mean tae her. Ah dinnae what they tell yeh out here, but we are no' all mindless, yes men tha' do whatev'r we're told; I still have a choice. Whatever anyone told yeh about us doesn't change the fact tha' I served wit' her. If th' brass gave meh a mission tha' involved taking Sam down ah'd nev'r do it, neither would Archer or Hunter. They served wit' 'er, too. Simple as tha'. We 'ave choice, we all do. Ah'll take th' heat fer disobeyin' orders but it's worth et. She'll always be close tae me heart, lad, whether ye like it or no'.
The pilot scowled at the Nautolan for a long moment until he couldn't bear the sight any longer. Shaking his head he turned back to watch the sand and rock, flipping his visor back down over his face. He even spotted the Hutt's palace off in the distance, rising up out of the sand like an enormous red blot on the horizon. He heard Athar grumbling beside him but only shook his head. The two of them were certainly adamant about the topic but he would not, could not just let Sam fall out of his life... not after finding her again. Everything was still deniable. Archer, Hunter, hell even Jennings would back him... so why did he feel cold all of a sudden?
He mused over that feeling until the speeder finally reached the main gate, a towering construction that was watched over by a pair of portly gammorean guards. Sev shook his head at the ever so common sight. It was easy to pick up a hutt's hangout by the amount of the porcine guards there was hanging about. Such a thing seemed the universal truth all over the galaxy. The nautolan parked the speeder beside several others scattered about and climbed out, Sev doing likewise while pulling the scarf back up around his nose and mouth. Snagging his rifle he slung it over his shoulder and, taking Athar's four o' clock, approached the massive oxidizing portal. At that moment Sev was thankful for the scarf, even with it on the stench was unbelievable. The nautolan didn't seem phased.
I'm 'ere to finish a transaction ah started wit Greegar. 'E ought to remember me; Jammes.
Sev stood ramrod stiff as the Gammorean, with a bored... or hungry look on its face rapped on the structure several times. After a moment a scanner pod, a model Sev recognized from another life, shot out from a recess in the wall, gazed over Athar and himself for a moment before retracting. With a great screech the door slowly opened and Athar, nodding to the guards, entered the cool slightly damn atmosphere of the place followed closely by Sev who flipped the sun visor up and out of the way.
Well, at least its a start...
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
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Nov 9, 2010 19:29:21 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Nov 9, 2010 19:29:21 GMT -5
((for those who haven’t ‘seen’ Athar yet: LINK )) ”She’s a strong lass…she can take care o’ herself.”That didn’t help him feel any better about letting Sam go on her own, but he had left the topic there and pressed on. As he continued, those head tresses absorbed the changing scent and pheromone level of the man beside him. Unease, tension, anticipation (not necessarily a good form of it), a passive aggression which soon turned into open irritation (if not anger itself) and a sort of…protectiveness? Well…it was certainly some sort of revelation to Athar, but he reserved his opinions and judgment for a later time. Who knew exactly what all of this meant…so far he didn’t have the full picture, and he knew it, but slowly he was picking away at both of them (Sev and Sam) to try and get it. Again those tresses twitched slightly, the missing two making him fight back a wince…instead turning it to a slight scowl. ” Ah understand thus. Ye dinnae trust me because ah'm a republic soldier no' because o' what ah mean tae her. Ah dinnae what they tell yeh out here, but we are no' all mindless, yes men tha' do whatev'r we're told; I still have a choice. Whatever anyone told yeh about us doesn't change the fact tha' I served wit' her. If th' brass gave meh a mission tha' involved taking Sam down ah'd nev'r do it, neither would Archer or Hunter. They served wit' 'er, too. Simple as tha'. We 'ave choice, we all do. Ah'll take th' heat fer disobeyin' orders but it's worth et. She'll always be close tae me heart, lad, whether ye like it or no'.”Well…that was quite the little tirade the pilot had gone on…and the scowled glare added a flair he hadn’t seen in quite a long time. That scowl across the sea colored nautolan’s face seemed to deepen, if only to keep from smirking. He didn’t want to give the man the wrong impression, after all, but he was mildly impressed. It had given him quite a lot to think over. The way he spoke about Republic soldiers was, in his experience, a load of bantha fodder…but, like in every group, he had to admit the possibility of there being a few ‘black nerfs’ out there who didn’t always follow every order given. He certainly seemed adamant about his opinion about it, but that could have just been vehement denial speaking. Then there was the almost repulsed way he spoke about any order that might involve harming Sam. Now, she hadn’t talked much…if ever…about her time in the military, but she was just as adamant about the fact that there were four people she believed would never turn her in: Aunna, Hunter, Archer and Sev…in that order, though the middle two seemed to be interchangeable. It had him worried about this Sev from before he even met the man. That she would always put him last on the list, as if never quite certain if he should be added to it or not, said a lot to Athar, but she’d always insisted that none of them would hurt her…ever. Then there was his last statement. While it seemed understated, almost out of place even, it said the most because of that very fact. For a moment he half growled to himself as he debated the situation in the best approximation of Nautila that was performable outside of water. It irked him, but it was something he was fairly certain the man beside him wouldn’t be able to understand. Parking off to the side, Athar pulled his wrap from the back seat and carefully layered the thing around his neck…he’d need it soon enough. Stepping out of the speeder, he hooked the keys onto one of the wraps around a head tress near his head so they would be covered by the others and out of ‘easy pickins’ range. Readjusting his heavy blaster, he’d reach into the back seat and pull out a long sheath. In one easy motion, the belt for the sheath was flipped around his waist and buckled before he locked and closed the speeder. Approaching the thick blast doors the hutt used for his palace, the guards…a pair of gamorreans who’s stench could knock out a rancor…snorted and snurffed and huffed and grunted at them as the two moved to block the door. Like it was going to open anyway, hah! Those head tresses twitched just slightly near the ends as the muscles above one large eye lifted for a fraction of a moment before he finally spoke. ”Ahm ‘ere to finish a transaction I started wit Greegar. ‘E ought to remembar meh; name’s Jammes.” Those large black eyes shifted imperceptibly over to look at Sev and his stiff posture. Pilot is gonna blow all our cover he keeps actin’ like dis, he mused silently as the greasy little porker shuffled over and thumped on the door, bringing out the scanner pod. He gave the thing a slight nod as it looked him over, then looked Sev over, before retreating back into its hole. Moments later the doors screeched and squealed as they opened, the gears working through the years of rust, dust, and sand. Nodding once to the guards, he paced into the darkness, waving off the new gamorrean ‘guide’ that started to shuffle over. Catching the hint, it immediately stopped. Leading the way down the maze of halls, Athar dropped back to walk beside Sev, ignoring the occasional cry of pain from down below or further into the depths of the palace…as well as attempting to ignore the growing stench of sweat and lust billowing out from the central chambers. ”Min’ dat you don’ get so stiff aroun’ da hutt. Da gamorreans are dolts but ‘e isn’t, an’ if you tense up too much around ‘im we’ll both be gettin’ a first ‘and look at his dungeons.” His voice was low and soft, careful to keep it from echoing along the halls as the first hints of music started to be heard. ”Oh…an’ try ta keep your jaw shut an’ your eyes in dere sockets until ‘e’s done talking to us,” he added with a chuckle as he readjusted his head tresses so they all fell behind his back. He wanted them as far away from the Hutt as possible. The place smelled bad enough as it was. Upon finally reaching the main room, Athar casually sauntered down the few steps to the main floor where the twi’lek girls the Hutt was so fond of were dancing. For a moment he simply stood there, thumbs tucked into his sheath belt as he waited. It didn’t take long for the corpulent slug to wave a hand, the band stopping, and the girls with it. Only then would he move to stand before Greegar and bow just slightly…something that always rankled him. <<Ah! Jammes! Where have you been?! That was a very long ‘call’ you were on! Hahahaha! But the gem you gave me was well worth the wait and the lost slave! See the new dancing girls!>> Athar turned and regarded the girls as if he hadn’t seen them when he first came in and put on a lecherous smile before turning back to the hutt and nodding. ”Very good choices, Lord Greegar. Desert flowers, all of them and it pleases me that you came out on top in our littler wager. As for my absence, I sincerely apologize. I would have done better to stay here as things with that job became exceedingly…complicated. I did, however, find myself a new partner and master pilot, so things should run far more smoothly from now on.”If it was possible, that ugly visage got uglier with the pleased look the slime covered creature smiled. Athar, beginning to feel nauseous from the stench of Greegar and his crowd, managed to keep his posture and face passive. For a long moment the Hutt watched the two as he took a long drag from his pipe. Blowing the smoke off into the face of one of the people near the side of him, Greegar cleared his throat and adjusted his tail. << We can discuss our prior arrangements at more length later. Unfortunately, you were gone for so long that I put out another request. I have a meeting about it soon. You understand of course…business is business.>> With that, Greegar motioned to the corner that Shine had recently commandeered. Resting one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other on the grip of his heavy blaster as he swiveled his head around to look in the direction motioned. Not much could be seen of the man sitting there because of the dim light, but with his natural ability to see better in low light he was able to make out a few characteristics, swiftly working to commit them to memory. Honestly, he was pleased with the new development, but outwardly those large black eyes narrowed slightly as he ‘attempted to suppress a scowl.’ Turning back to Greegar, he’d nod slightly. ”Of course. Shall we wait then?” All that was given in return was a grunt that seemed to be in the affirmative, and a casual motion toward the room at large. With that, Athar turned away and pushed himself through the crowd to a corner near the back, where he swiftly pulled that wrap up over his head tresses, nose and mouth as he sat. Glancing over at Sev, he leaned back into the corner. ”And so we wait…”-------------------------------------------------- For some reason, even after the two were long gone and she out in the hot sun on the Eopie, Sam couldn’t get her mind off him. ”Min min guerfel…ke’dem Corellisi wagyx…Lofahchu ets pyroni vyoryn viske…” Her problem? She was currently chastising herself for being a fool, insane, and an arse for not getting her head in the mission…what did she blame? Loyalty…she still wasn’t ready to admit to herself just what her ‘loyalty’ was the beginnings of, all she was willing to admit was that it was keeping her from thinking about the Hutt. Not that she didn’t know enough already, and not that she hadn’t already memorized her ‘new life’…but it was just very odd to her how she couldn’t get Sev off her mind. First and foremost, she was concerned about him. An idiotic thing to do, really, be concerned about Sev. He was more than capable of taking care of himself, had more experience in the military than she did, and if for some reason he couldn’t handle his own (haha yeah right) he was with Athar. There was no reason for her to be worried…but she was. Maybe it was because she was the one that dragged him into all of this, or perhaps it was because she’d just sent one of her closest friends into a Hutt palace with an over protective nautolan who wasn’t particularly fond of Republic soldiers, it might have even been some combination of the two…but she wasn’t stupid enough to ignore the fact that it was likely more than that. What a pickle this is…worried about Sev when I should be more worried about myself. He’d call me an idiot for sure. But if anything goes wrong and…no. Nothing’s going to go wrong…nothing we can’t handle anyway. It was an optimistic outlook, but she tried to be an optimistic person. With her resolve holding steadily on the matter, grey eyes wandered along the desert around her, the Eopie tromping along steadily. The fact that she’d assured herself that everything would work out didn’t have the desired effect, however. Instead of getting her mind completely back onto the task at hand and off of Sev, it simply gave her mind more time to focus on more trivial things. Honestly, she wasn’t certain if she wanted to be more annoyed, or smile…so she opted for both. Honestly the nostalgia hadn’t just sunk its sharp little teeth into Sev, it had bit her pretty hard as well, giving her a feeling of bittersweet happiness each time she’d heard him over the comm. It almost had her wishing he’d come along with her instead…almost. Sighing a bit, she shook her head and eyed the palace in the distance. ”You know…next time you have leave, let me know. I’ll drag you to somewhere nicer than a dustball with a bunch of smelly pigs and a Hutt. Or, Via forbid, we meet up somewhere decent…I hear Kuat’s nice this time of year.” Sure it was a little sudden and likely seemed completely random to him, but she meant every word of it as she urged the Eopie into an awkward motion that could only be it’s version of a trot or…something. ”Side note, I should be there in the next few minutes.” Indeed, she was. About fifteen minutes later, she slowed the Eopie to a walk and dismounted, her boots crunching on the parched and compact ground. ”My pee kasa Meshan. Wata che Lorda Greegar,” she stated, lowering her voice to just above a whisper to the vocabulator would be forced to amplify it…every bit of cover helped. No doubt Sev would hear her anyway, she hadn’t exactly bothered to turn off the comm system. It was odd, and a bit unsettling to her, him finding out first hand some of the things she knew…like her being nearly fluent in Huttese. It wasn’t like she’d ever offered the information, or like they Sevens had needed someone able to speak the language. Well, there was nothing for it now…he was thoroughly entangled in this, like it or not, and not for lack of her trying to dissuade him. Either way, the Gamorreans at the entrance shuffled up and…attempted…to frighten her off with their spears. It didn’t work. Moving that cloak aside slightly, she’d settle one hand on the heavy blaster pistol she’d brought along (not to mention the other goodies she had stashed on her that they couldn’t see) and patted it lightly. Between it and the emotionless mask they seemed less anxious to try and push her off. One of them shuffled back, pounding a pudgy fist against the thick metal and calling out the scanner pod from a small hole in the equally thick walls. Turning her head to look at it, she stared directly back at it, almost issuing a silent challenge…almost. After a long moment, she looked away, readjusting her cloak to settle back over her shoulder properly. As the pod questioned her once more, she gave it the same reply, with the added definition of ‘mercenary’ attached to her alias. That seemed to earn her entry, since the doors finally swung open. With a nod of her head to the pod, she followed one of the guards inside and along the sand strewn hallway.
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
86 likes
Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
Master
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Nov 10, 2010 18:57:22 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Nov 10, 2010 18:57:22 GMT -5
"Yea, I'm really going to start listening to my common sense from now on. It's got a better danger sense than I do."
That thought was swirling through Shine's head as he finished off the last of what had to be his fourth drink. Whatever the drink was, it was stale but stronger than a few Corellian whiskeys that Shine had the pleasure of sampling over the years. It was a good thing Shine was able to hold his liquor or he might have ended up like the poor fool who had suddenly brandished a weapon in a drunken fit. The poor slave assigned to the task was still cleaning up what was left of him.
It had been a decent amount of time since Shine had come here and with every passing second, he was realizing that this was the one place he DIDN'T want to be. The place reeked not only scent wise, but of corruption and wickedness. Of course, Shine had expected that when he had arrived, but he never thought he would have to sit and witness it for a prolonged period of time. Get in, get the job, get out and do the job. That was how he did most of these "way below the law" kind of smuggling jobs; as fast as he could so that he could put them behind him. Why couldn't the Hutt have been able to simply give him whatever chore he wanted done so he could be on his way?
"Because running a crime base means your busy all the time, either screwing one person or another over," his common sense told him. "Try and make sure your not one of those people that gets screwed."
He'd seen bounty hunters come and go, often leaving proof of their job at the Hutt's lap. Men who owed the Hutt debts were dragged in, pleaded for their lives, then were either given a time line to pay that debt off or were dragged to the dungeons to have lord knows what done to them. And one really unlucky girl had been grabbed and dragged off to be added to the Hutt's harem of slaves that were mingling around behind him. All in all, quite possibly the worst place Shine had been in a long while. Nar Shadda wasn't even this bad, at least, not all in one place at once. The drinks were at least doing him the favor of silencing his urge to vomit whenever the Hutt took a puff of that giant pipe or a Gamorrean stumbled its way past him. When he got out of this place, he was going to find the the nearest planet with hot water and treat himself to a long, long, cleansing shower. He just hoped the smell wasn't permanent.
Still, there were at least some things in this palace to distract him from the horrid. The Twi'lek dancers were constantly on the move, a sight to behold with their exotic dances that always seemed to match the music being played perfectly. Shine had twice now just let his eyes focus on them instead of watch a man get dragged off, trying to forget what was going on around him long enough to get what he came for. And speaking of, the music was something in its own right. Bith were good; and this group must have been specifically scouted by the Hutt for their skill; Shine heard a song or two that sounded familiar to something from his home world. Again, another pleasant distraction. He was just admiring one of those said distractions when a strange silence filled the room. Well, not completely quiet, that would have been impossible. But enough that Shine's attention was drawn to its source, which had just moved in front of Greegar.
The good thing about a Hutt is that when a Hutt speaks, it really speaks. Greegar's booming laugh was almost as loud as the song the Bith were playing, although they toned it down a little to make sure that the Hutt's words could be heard by his guests. And quite the odd pair that they were. The one that was speaking to Greegar was a Nautolan; a fairly tough looking Nautolan at that. Though if Shine found the heat unbearable on this planet, he couldn't imagine that that poor fellow was fairing any better. His partner, who was pretty much covered expect for the rifle he bore and a small pieces of flesh here and there, looked equally as tough. And if the Hutt was actually GLAD to see them, maybe this time was worth paying attention too.
Being at the back of the room, Shine was barely able to catch the conversation between them, but what he saw gave him a rough idea. Something about the dancers, joy that the Nautolan had returned....and then Greegar motioned in Shine's direction. Now, while he may have been in dim light, the Nautolan was not and when he turned to face him, Shine was able to see quite well his actions. One hand on sword, one on his blaster....and those giant black eyes glaring at him. "Oh great. That's all I need today; someone else who's upset with me for something I didn't mean to do." Shine cast him a friendly glance in return, though his hand did stray to his blaster just in case. When the Nauto and his buddy took up a seat near him in the back, Shine noticed the Hutt was still looking this way. "Guess that means I'm up again. Joy."
Shuffling his way back to the Hutt's platform, Shine gave him another polite little nod. Greegar was quick to get down to business.
["Now Mr Albatros, you said you only wanted to do a job or two. This I do not mind. Though if you prove yourself worth my time and complete my tasks in an efficient manner,I may be inclined to make your of your services again in the future. Of course, should you fail.....well, I'm sure you've been paying attention.
Now, onto work. The first job I give is always a rather pressing one, to build....trust between you and I. It's something I need done as soon as possible and has great meaning to me, so by completing it, you prove yourself in my eyes. And this is what it is; I have an eager supplier of spice on one of the core words. A low level senator, but he has his uses. However, in exchange for the spice, he wants me to hand over some....personal aides for him as well as a shipment of illegal weapons I have managed to procure. So, your task is simple. Take the parts and the aides to him, collect my spice, and deliver it to me. You will be well paid should you finish this for me. And you'll get to keep your head!!"]
At that last part, the Hutt boomed out into laughter, which Shine forced himself to chuckle along with. Well, at least the job was kind of easy; though Shine wasn't too happy with the fact that he'd be giving slaves over to a corrupt senator. Still, the alternative at the moment wasn't pretty; a joke it may have sounded like, but Shine knew better. That was a threat; do this right, you get money and live. Do it wrong, you'll end up like the new paint job on the floor....if your lucky.
"Well, that sounds like quite the job there Lord Greegar. But you know, for me, should be a walk in the park. I could probably do it blindfolded and with my hands tied behind my back. Though that's only if you want me to show off, its not good for time wise. So, where do I pick up these parts and where am I going?"
["Your destination is Alderaan,"] the Hutt said, taking a long drag from his pipe, ["and the parts will not arrive for a few days yet. Delays I am not happy with, but are needed if I wish them to make it here unhindered. When they arrive, I will have them directed to your ship to be loaded. After that, the faster the better, Mr Albatros. And like I said, do it right and you'll be well paid."]
"Well...Alderaan huh. That's quite the place to smuggle into; and very tough. Plus, I'm going to be hanging around here for a couple of days to wait for the load, which means I'm going to be sitting on what little credits I have. So, if you want me to run this quick, I'm gonna need half now, or when your sure the parts will be here. My bird is gonna need a few tweaks to pull this off, and I lack the credits at the moment. And if your worried I'm going to leave you hanging, place a couple of your boys to watch her. I promise they'll have the laziest days they've had in a while."
The Hutt considered this, his eyes glaring at Shine through heavy set eyelids. Finally, he choked out a laugh and waved to his Bith musicians to start playing again.
["We have an agreement then, Mr Albatros. I look forward to seeing you live up to what I've heard. Enjoy yourself a little longer; I'll have that half transferred into your account so that you may "tweak" your bird to fulfill its task."] With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Shine, which Shine quickly took. He went back to his spot in the back, where the Nauto and his friend were sitting near to, and sighed down into his seat. Leaning over to them, he offered his hand to the Nauto.
"I don't know what I did buddy, but I hate for first meetings to be one of scorn and hate. So let me instead say I'm Shine, nice to meet you and shall I buy you a drink?"
"One of these days, I'm going to learn to shut my mouth instead of poking the hornet's nest. Or....the squid's nest...."
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
0 likes
Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
Guardian
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Nov 13, 2010 0:36:08 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Nov 13, 2010 0:36:08 GMT -5
So, there they were. Two complete opposites, who wanted nothing to do with each other, slowly worked their way down the dark, dank hallway. Sev wasn't so troubled that they were forced to work together toward a common goal but that both of them had Sam's best interest at heart, even if for two completely different reasons. The sergeant, tempted as ever to draw his rifle, was stressed beyond comprehension. This was not somewhere he wanted to be by himself; preferably backed up by a large platoon. Taking a deep breath he steeled himself, remembering that he was doing this for Sam, he had a disguise (albiet a rough one), and they were only scouting. Slowly, as they walked, the edge wore away.
”Min’ dat you don’ get so stiff aroun’ da hutt. Da gamorreans are dolts but ‘e isn’t, an’ if you tense up too much around ‘im we’ll both be gettin’ a first ‘and look at his dungeons.”
"Aam workin' oan it. " As the edge was removed, Sev's footfalls came smoother, more relaxed.
”Oh…an’ try ta keep your jaw shut an’ your eyes in dere sockets until ‘e’s done talking to us,”
Sev caught the chuckle only barely, his mind focused on dropping the pretense of a Republic soldier, just being plain civilian Adamar Sevchenko. He shook his head silently as the Nautolan readjusted his head-tails. The hallways had begun to open up, now; the result of open side-rooms, salt baths, closed doors that all stank of the same rancid mixture of perspiration, love, and other potent odors. He began to hear echoes of music as well as building screams of both pain and lust emanating from the side rooms. Cringing he reached up and flipped the sun visor back in position, hoping to use the eye-cover to visually survey more of the place without attracting undue attention. It also helped that, as they continued, they passed more and more bounty hunters who also wore complete eye-covering and cloth masks.
Finally they reached what appeared to be the main room filled with dancers, guards, musicians, more hunters and there, on the raised dias overlooking the whole scene was the foul smelling worm, Greegar. Sev had to resist the urge to gag, the stench was unbelievable. Remaining at Athar's rear flank he followed the nautolan out onto the floor and, uncomfortable in the awkwardness of the situation, dropped into an at-ease posture. Sev realized the mistake before he even hit the final posture, slipping his thumbs under his belt, mimicking Athar unintentionally.
For that long moment Sev was forced to witness the dancing girls in front of the hulking form of the Hutt; young, petite, not-necessarily human but quite attractive. Each was bound by chain and Sev swallowed, hard; slaves. Honest to goodness slaves...
He hated this force-forsaken place, but not so much as the gluttonous being seated before him. But now, to sell the act, Sev forced himself to mimick Athar's small bow.
<<Ah! Jammes! Where have you been?! That was a very long ‘call’ you were on! Hahahaha! But the gem you gave me was well worth the wait and the lost slave! See the new dancing girls!>>
”Very good choices, Lord Greegar. Desert flowers, all of them and it pleases me that you came out on top in our littler wager. As for my absence, I sincerely apologize. I would have done better to stay here as things with that job became exceedingly…complicated. I did, however, find myself a new partner and master pilot, so things should run far more smoothly from now on.”
The Hutt's voice was like a malfunctioning engine, grating, and painful to listen to. His companion, however, played the part well, not mincing words. However, Sev was truly surprised at the words concerning about a pilot and nodded. He wasn't sure it he was nodding to Greegar or Athar. As he gazed up into the obese, pustule-filled visage he got an idea as to why Hutts were so feared. Their physical qualities alone were enough to make a veteran pilot and military man, Sev, watch the worm even closer. But the worm only watched them then, reaching to the base of the dias, pull a pipe up and into its wide lips. After a few long tokes the Hutt cleared his throat.
<< We can discuss our prior arrangements at more length later. Unfortunately, you were gone for so long that I put out another request. I have a meeting about it soon. You understand of course…business is business.>>
Sev followed the Hutt's motion over to the corner where a form was seated. The light was low and, with the visor up, the soldier could hardly see the being at all but he nodded in understanding anyway. Athar saved them all from the brief tension.
”Of course. Shall we wait then?”
Reacting on a grunt from the hutt Sev followed Athar away from the center and off to the wings where the other being was seated. Flipping the visor up he lowered himself to a seat opposite Athar and exhaled. He was starting to get used to the stench but being so close to the hutt was nearly overwhelming.
”And so we wait…” Sev sighed and propped his head up on his hand. The stranger, who happened to be seated nearby, stood and began moving back toward the center of the room. In his peripherals Sev followed, noting everything he could about the person. He was surprised to see that the being who had business with the hutt looked to be a young man, no more than 25. Aside from the brown hair and black coat he was unable to really discern anything from the angled lines of the kid's face save a flash of gold in the eyes. He swept his eyes back around and glanced at his nautolan partner, fingers interlaced between his lips, eyes narrowed.
For the next several minutes he sat in silence, unmoving, listening to the cacophony of ambient noise. Every now and again he picked out the translator's droning voice and a reply he could only identify as the young man's own. Their business seemed interesting, at least all he could hear of it. He picked out locations and other small packets of words, but his mind wrapped around two; smuggle and Alderaan. His thoughts instantly thought about the Republic garrison there, how quickly he could get a call out to watch for a ship that might be carrying contraband. But it wasn't that easy; it never was.
Soon Sev was deep in thought, avoiding Athar's gaze and keeping as much attention dedicated to his surroundings as possible. When the musicians began again he looked up. The young man, who had just spoke to Greegar, had returned to his seat and, with a moment's uneasy restlessness leaned over the back of the chair and offered Athar his hand. It took much of Sev's mental fortitude to keep from impaling the man's palm with a quick draw of his combat knife.
"I don't know what I did buddy, but I hate for first meetings to be one of scorn and hate. So let me instead say I'm Shine, nice to meet you and shall I buy you a drink?"
Shaking his head and glancing over at the young man he raised an eyebrow at this "Shine."
"Withdraw th' hand noo ur lose it, laddy. We're no' interested in comp'ny."
Mentally he was fighting with the powerful urge to lay the young man out, his right fist balled. This was not the place for idle conversation or introductions. A break in the com's silence caused Sev's head to raise a fraction of a centimeter. Sam... A small smile spread over his face, thankfully camoflaged by his mask.
”You know…next time you have leave, let me know. I’ll drag you to somewhere nicer than a dustball with a bunch of smelly pigs and a Hutt. Or, Via forbid, we meet up somewhere decent…I hear Kuat’s nice this time of year. Side note, I should be there in the next few minutes.”
He stayed intentionally quiet for the first bit, hoping that she would understand the situation. He had not expected the excitable Shine and honestly hoped the young man would not stick around. Slowly he rested his cheek on his knuckle, subtly activating his com.
Roger... He mumbled. Glancing back at Shine Sev scowled at him. Ye deaf an' stupid? Git!
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
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Nov 13, 2010 16:26:25 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Nov 13, 2010 16:26:25 GMT -5
If only Sev could have known half the thoughts his ‘partner’ had running through his head as they stood before Greegar, the man might have found that they had more than a few things in common. Athar loathed Hutts…especially this one. He'd had a personal vendetta against this Hutt ever since the day he’d watched Sam be put through everything these slave girls were going through. True it hadn’t been for more than a day, but it was something that made his obsidian eyes glint with an invisible black fire and brimstone.
As they moved away, those head tresses twitched for more than one reason, his hand tightening almost imperceptibly around the hilt of his sword. As he sat back and attempted to get comfortable, he glanced over to the man sitting on the other side of the low, square, table from him. Sev was eying the younger smuggler who had….cat eyes?...as if he wanted to maul him. Those eyes were something Athar managed to catch a glimpse of as their ‘competition’ stood to go speak to the Hutt, but even then he couldn’t quite be sure. As the young man spoke to the Greegar, Athar felt the eyes of Sev on him once more. Leaning a bit more heavily on the arm he had propped on the table, he took the opportunity to fill Sev in a little.
”Greegar’s lookin’ for a smuggler ta move some people an’ some illegal weapons. When I was ‘ere before dat was the d’ idea anyways. Seem like not much ‘as changed…” he paused a moment, listening through the crowd to the deep bass of the Hutt’s voice. ”Dere’s a place an’ a buyer now…sound like a…a senator o’ some sort. Bah…for spice too.” Stretching out his legs, he’d cross one ankle over the other and fold his arms across his chest as he continued listening to the conversation, a muscle in his jaw working slightly as he did. It wasn’t easy, but if there was any hope of stopping the trade as well than he needed as much information as possible. Finally he’d snort out a grunt. ”Id’yot kid don’t know a damn ting…” he growled under his breath.
As the younger man returned, Athar simply ignored him…at least, that’s what he would appear to be doing. Those beetle black eyes were focused on this ‘Shine’ even as he sat down, already attempting to absorb all he could about the ‘kid’, though his face was kept turned (for the most part) in the direction of the dancers. When, after a moment, the other smuggler leaned over the back of his chair and offered a hand to them, Athar simply turned his head, gazing down at the hand for a moment before giving a slow, and purposeful, blink of his large eyes. Unlike Sev, Athar wasn’t interested in overtly damaging the man; there was no self restraint required, no poorly masked anger (or frustration or…whatever Sam’s ‘friend’ seemed to be feeling at the moment), there wasn’t even a desire to even keep up more than the most simple of masks. And what was this simplistic mask that Athar so easily held? A mask of disdain as cold as the desert nights themselves. When the younger man spoke, that disdain slowly gave way to an almost incredulous smirk as he snorted and shook his head, those head tresses shifting lightly over his shoulders and along his back. The dim light giving his mottled blue and green skin the appearance of a shifting sea, if only for a moment.
”Withdraw th’ hand noo our lose it, laddy. We’re no’ interested in comp’ny.”
True enough. Athar certainly wasn’t interested in company or introductions, and that was about as good a way of saying so as any, but, obviously the ‘id’yot kid’ needed a quick lesson in how to stay alive in a Hutt palace. Smirking more, Athar would glance back to Sev and shake his head slightly and hold up a hand just enough to stop the snippy soldier from stabbing the boy…just in case. Turning back to this ‘Shine’ character, he let out a short, rough, chuckle that almost sounded more like sandpaper scraping together than a chuckle…something far different than even Sev had heard from him.
”Yor not too bright kid. Pha, I almost pity ya. Lucky my partnar ‘ere didn’ do what most o’ dese people will an’ stab ya first, den warn ya second.
Now be a good kid an’ listen to me good, ‘cause ahm only gonna give you dis advice once…
Save yorself some trouble: turn ‘round an’ don’ talk. Evar. Don’ try an’ make friends…you don’ want no one ‘ere as a friend, an’ trust me, da reverse is true as well. But most important…don’ stick your appendages out where dey could be hacked off.” To emphasize his point, he’d pull out the two nubs of head tresses he had left for just a moment before letting the other tresses settle back around them. Certainly they weren’t from the rough crowd of a Hutt’s palace, but the kid didn’t need to know that. ”Got it? Now shut da ‘ell up an’ mind yor own affairs, you do dat an’ you might just live tru da night.”
With that said, Athar turned back to his original position and settled in once more, just barely catching the muffled sound from Sev. Now, it could have simply been a grunt, but the nautolan had a good guess that it was more of a reply to their little blond friend than a grunt. So, for the next few minutes he watched the crowd closest to the entrance hall carefully through the vast peripheral view his large eyes gave him, while (once again) he kept his face more oriented toward the dancers.
Almost twenty minutes later there she was.
The gear was hot and heavy, the mask just close enough to her face to make the sweat building up beneath it make her face feel slimy even to her. The one thing she was thankful for, however, was the air filter…after all, no Ubese was complete without one, and what a difference it made in the making the various…aromas…of the palace more bearable. With her blaster rifle slung over her back, and her heavy blaster strapped securely to her thigh (as well as all her goodies hidden about her person), Sam was almost prepared to see the other Sevens lurking in various corners of the palace as well. It was a shame that wasn’t the case…but at least she had Sev and Athar around…
Lurking.
Likely in corners.
Somewhere.
As she stepped out into the light (what there was of it anyway) of the main room, she swept the area with her eyes. It wasn’t difficult to spot Athar, and where Athar was… She didn’t bother letting her gaze linger, instead rolling her shoulders slightly to let the cloak fall about them more appropriately before moving down the steps with a measured gait, only pausing once she came to the base of the pedestal the giant slug sat on. Oh how she hated this one. Frowning behind the mask, she gave a slight nod of her head to him as he looked down at her.
<< I was not expecting another visitor today, much less an Ubese. Who are you and why have you come?>> The mildly irritated question belied the undertone of curiosity in the Hutt’s voice, those nearest him looking up and tensing like dogs watching for their signal to attack. It wasn’t the most comfortable position to be in, but she ignored them, not missing a beat in her reply.
<< You requested a skilled bounty hunter. One that wouldn’t have a change of heart or sudden stroke of conscience, like the last one you hired. I am that bounty hunter. I am called Meshla, and you cannot do better than myself, Lord Greegar. >> The harsh whisper of her voice through the vocabulator had one or two of those near by sitting back again, not certain if they should laugh at what seemed to be unfounded arrogance, or be truly concerned for the fact that they weren’t entirely sure it was unfounded arrogance. Grey eyes swept the faces and masks of those beings closest to her from the anonymity of that full mask, her HUD blinking movement behind her as the room slowly began to shift its attention toward the front once more. Despite the fact that she felt as if the teeth and claws of every being in there were slowly being bared, Sam held that confident posture flawlessly, refused to bend under the weight of it all.
Greegar, the great lard that he was, watched her silently, puffing on that elongated pipe as minutes seemed to stretch into hours as even the sound of the band faded into nothing but the sound of shifting sand outside in the winds that would pick up every so often. For almost a full two minutes this silent test of wills dragged on between the two, making Athar itch as now he was forced to restrain himself from doing anything. Almost imperceptibly those head tresses twitched and curled at the ends. This had been a bad idea…he should have insisted that Sev go with Samantha as Ubese, but no…instead she was out there alone and it made him want to kill every living thing out there that was looking at her wrong. As that second minute drew to a close, Greegar finally gave a hearty chuckle. << This one has spirit! If you have as much talent as you have spirit, Meshla, I am sure I can find work for you. However, you have no…how should I put this…distinction, no notoriety…in my house yet, I shall have to start you with…smaller tasks first. If you prove yourself worthy of more, I shall indeed give you more. After all, I have heard that the Ubese are among the best when it comes to such things…and I do like to have the best. For now, however, stay and rest out of the suns while my attendants find a suitable mark for you.>>
It was still too early to sigh in relief, but at least the hardest part was out of the way. Nodding slightly in acquiescence, that raspy whisper would be heard once more. << Most agreeable, and many thanks, Lord Greegar.>> Oh, and by the way, I hate your slimy guts for using me as a slave you fat, thick skinned, malodorous, bug eyed, spineless in-more-ways-than-one, slug! Needless to say, she thought the second part, after all, it would have gotten her killed on the spot and she certainly didn’t want that. As the dancers commenced their dancing once again, she stalked up the steps nearest Athar and Sev…but something caught her eye before she ever got past the second sandstone, sand covered, step.
Shine? Yes, she would know those cat eyes anywhere.
Thinking swiftly, she slipped one hand into a belt pouch, her movements hidden by that cloak. Ah the cloak, one of the few things she liked about this gear. It hid everything in a way that made the Kinetic communicator in her very happy. Actually, to be brutally honest, the gear would have been wonderful if it weren’t for the heat. Anyway, what wouldn’t be hidden as easily was the flick of two gloved fingers from out of that very same cloak and the soft patter of flimsy on the table Shine sat at. Hopefully he’d recognize it…and be intelligent enough not to make it too obvious. What he would find was no larger than a business card, with only two things on it, the first was a code, the second was a word.
One. Simple. Word.
Bomber.
As she passed Athar and Sev she let out a little huff as a way of saying hello and headed directly to the most empty section of the room she could find, unslung the rifle from her back, and took a seat, settling the weapon against her thigh and the wall. Once there and settled in, she shut down the vocabulator and leaned back into the darkness of the wall behind her, pulling out her datapad and switching it on. Tapping on it lightly for several moments, the message was attached to the correct sending code and off it went.
=Shine. This was your job?! Goddess help you. Are you daft? I see you met my cohorts…seems like Six-lead doesn’t like you much. I feel bad for you. I’ll try to get him to lay off…you’re already in enough trouble just being here.=
As soon as she said it, she made good on her word, speaking softly into the still open comm link as grey eyes flitted back to Sev. ”Hey Six Lead…you know the guy you keep attempting to kill with your eyes? Take it easy on him. Good pilot, but I'm not sure he’s the brightest bulb in the bunch, if being here on his own is any indication. I’d hate to see you deck another Corellian.” Smirking slightly, she’d let her eyes (hidden by the design of the mask) linger on him for a moment as she slowly scrolled through her datapad’s contents. She had to admit, she sort of liked the look of him out of uniform…or anything that might be considered uniform. Rolling her eyes at herself, she really would turn her attention back the small object in her hands and start going through her messages.
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
86 likes
Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
Master
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Nov 14, 2010 14:35:06 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Nov 14, 2010 14:35:06 GMT -5
Shine knew a threat when it was uttered, but unlike some, it didn't faze him as much as it should have. True, part of him winced internally at it, but he didn't let that show on his face, instead a small grin creased the corners of his mouth. Calmly, he brought his hand back his way; no suddenly jerking back to indicate that the man had scared him nor did he look to find another table. If the man had been truly wicked and meant that threat, he probably would have acted on it instead of giving him a warning. Then again, this was his first time in a Hutt's company; maybe that was just how they acted down here. He really hoped that he didn't stick around long enough to find out what strike two meant.
"My apologies. I'll keep my hand to myself then, I rather like it where it is."
Shine turned his eyes back to the crowd, searching it for the blue skinned Twi'lek that had served him earlier. Spying her, he made a motion with his hand in an attempt to get her attention. It didn't take her long to spot him and with a very gentle gesture, he indicated he would like another drink, a quick wink accompanying it. As she pandered off to retrieve said drink, he rose an eyebrow at how she seemed to be deliberate shaking her behind, but he kept simply chuckled to himself and turned his eyes back to the room. He would have a couple more drinks, he decided, then he would "calmly" hightail it back to his ship. If the Hutt was good on his word, he'd have the credits to give the Cat a good work over, something she had been needing. Shine wanted to laugh though at how he had told the Hutt he needed all that money to upgrade her. Shine hadn't been lying when he said he needed to give the Cat a bit of a tune-up to pull this off; but he didn't need to do that much to pull if off either. The rest of those funds would go towards giving her a few new surprises, some of which would hopefully give him an advantage should this job go south. He didn't think he had outwitted the Hutt at all; merely preyed on the Hutt's need to ensure his "business" went along smoothly.
He was about to calculate on his pad exactly what his intended "repairs" would cost when the man's Nautolan friend turned to address him. Now this caught Shine off guard; he hadn't expected either of them to speak to him after the first man's threat. Sort of a "I don't wanna talk to you, my buddy doesn't want to talk to you" kind of thing. Still, Shine gave the man a polite nod as he turned back to look at him, closing the screen on his task for the moment. When he laughed though, Shine had to resist the urge to cover his ears or wince externally at it; it wasn't a very pleasant sounding chuckle, both to his physical ears and to that little shred of worry in his gut. Luckily though, only words followed that laugh.
”Yor not too bright kid. Pha, I almost pity ya. Lucky my partnar ‘ere didn’ do what most o’ dese people will an’ stab ya first, den warn ya second.
Now be a good kid an’ listen to me good, ‘cause ahm only gonna give you dis advice once…
Save yorself some trouble: turn ‘round an’ don’ talk. Evar. Don’ try an’ make friends…you don’ want no one ‘ere as a friend, an’ trust me, da reverse is true as well. But most important…don’ stick your appendages out where dey could be hacked off.”
The Nauto's speech caught Shine by surprise, as he hadn't expected him to have such a powerful accent. Still, he was able to adjust to it quick enough; most smuggler's could do that and Shine had listened to far more difficult talk over the years. He almost laughed at his good fortune though when the Nautolan explained how things in a Hutt palace usually worked. Okay, so he had gotten lucky with the man. If he ever came back to a place like this, which he really prayed would only happen once more when he collected the rest of his pay, he would make a very big note to follow that piece of advice. Shine did twitch a little at the "not too bright part", although considering where he was, he figured that was par for the course. Half the people in here were probably drunk on something or downing their worries in deathsticks, so it stood that many of them were probably a few escape pods short of a full payload. At least, he knew the Gamorreans were.
When the Nautolan had finished, Shine crossed his arms over his chest, his pad resting under his arm. He stayed that way for a few moments, taking the rest of the Nauto's words to heart. What nagged at Shine about the whole event was not only did the Nautolan go out of his way to give Shine a "politer" warning about what not to do in a Hutt's palace, was that he did go out of his way. Shine had gotten this far in life as a smuggler by priding himself on being able to judge the character of those around him. If you had only time to toss a key to one of two men, being able to judge which one would help you instead of laugh and run off was something Shine felt was a good skill to have. He had his ups and downs with that, but for the most part, he had been right more times than wrong. And in this case....the Nautolan seemed to poke him as one who would help. Still.........best to follow the Nauto's advice for now; he had been wrong before. He didn't use words to respond to the Nauto, merely turned back to the crowd and let out "Mhmmmm" as he returned to work on his datapad.
His drink came soon after and he was in the process of ordering another when he noticed they had another guest. Glancing up from his pad, Shine directed his eyes to the Hutt again, as much as he wanted to puke every time he looked at the giant sack of gas and slime. He was grateful the Hutt couldn't really see back here, made it easier to scowl at the Hutt without fear of retribution. But he directed his attention to the new visitor, which to Shine's pleasure, wasn't some filthy or disgusting fellow of the Hutt. The gear worn by the visitor identified the person as a Ubese, a species known far and wide for producing some of the best bounty hunters the galaxy had ever seen. Shine hadn't had the pleasure(or displeasure) of running into one before but he had heard the rumors and the stories. A Ubese being here meant only one thing; some poor soul was about to face the judgment of a Hutt. Shine made a silent pray to himself, both for whoever the Ubese was coming to make a claim on and for himself, to never end up on the receiving end of said judgment.
Shine's eyes didn't miss the tensing of the Hutt's nearest guards, and keeping them level with his datapad, Shine let his hand linger down to his blaster. If a firefight broke out, he didn't want to be caught off guard by some random bolt....which a quick glance to the guard he embarrassed before told him was "more" than likely. Luckily, no such event occurred and Shine was able to calmly return his hand to the task on his datapad while the Ubese spoke. They spoke in Huttese, which Shine had only a little skill with, so he focused on picking out words he did know. One's such as bounty hunter, change of heart, the name of the Ubese Meshla and of course, the Hutt's foul name. Well, good to see that I'm right about some things still, Shine thought to himself. However, the Ubese's rough tone made it hard to tell whether it was male or female; though its mask suggested the female portion of the race.
Then came the silence. For a palace full of beings deemed to be entertainers or the foulest scum around, the silence was unsettling. Even the Bith were quiet as the Hutt regarded the Ubese with his giant, barely blinking, frog like eyes. The tension was thick but brittle; it would not take much to snap it; Shine actually hoped that the Ubese had chosen his or her words carefully. He wasn't hoping to see another frelled being today. His eyes carefully scoured the room, watching the reactions of everyone he could; just one little pin drop from one of them could be disastrous. When his eyes came across the Nauto and his friend though, Shine could swear they looked more tense than anyone in here. He didn't get the chance to observe more though. as the Hutt's booming laughter abruptly broke the silence Shine turned his eyes back to the worm and the Ubese and sighed in relief. Whatever the Ubese had said, it had caught the Hutt's favor instead of his malice. He waited till the Hutt was finished speaking, just in case the laughter had been a prelude to chaos, but seeing that no such thing was going to happen, Shine turned his attention fully back to his datapad.
He lifted his eyes from his pad when the Ubese came his way, giving her(most likely considering the way her gear was shaped) a polite nod of respect. Movement as she passed caught his eye though and when she was past him, Shine leaned forward and covered the small piece of flimsy with his arm. Carefully, he lifted his arm to touch a button on his pad, then darted his eyes down to it. Only two things littered the tiny sheet, the first being a datapad code. He committed the code to memory as his eyes fell upon the second piece of information, which was only one word. When he saw it, Shine's mind raced as what the word meant struck him like an out of control speaker. No......frelling.....way. The thought pounded into him and it took everything he had not to suddenly turn his head to look at the Ubese in surprise. Quickly he moved, though his actions were calm and as subtle as he could make them. His arm came to rest on the flimsy again and leaning back in his seat, the flimsy slid out from under his arm, which he caught quickly as he made a motion to scratch his elbow. The flimsy vanished into his sleeve with one quick move and Shine proceeded to enter the code it had given him.
=Shine. This was your job?! Goddess help you. Are you daft? I see you met my cohorts…seems like Six-lead doesn’t like you much. I feel bad for you. I’ll try to get him to lay off…you’re already in enough trouble just being here.=
Despite the situation around him and the nasty business he had seen today, Shine let a smile grace his face as he read the message. The word bomber had been used before, back on Umgul by the racer who had showed him how to fly, so to speak. That pilot had agreed to meet him later and it was then that Shine learned that "Bomber" was not only a woman, but a Corellian woman. And a good looking one at that. He had only a short time with Sam, but he had enjoyed meeting her. In fact, he had given her a number to reach him after she had given him hers. He had hoped to run into her again soon, heck, even maybe put out a call to meet for a drink again, but he had never in his wildest dreams expected this turn of events. Guess they both just found out where the others job had laid. Well, what are the odds of this I wonder. he thought. Not that the odds would have mattered to him; Corellian's never believed in odds, only skill and a little luck. Mostly skill.
Shine grinned wider at her words about his job. Yeah, okay, maybe this wasn't the place one should really go for a job. Still, when you needed to money, money that would keep both himself and his pride on their feet, and finding a decent job was scarce, sometimes you had to go the places you didn't. Though after this, he did fully intend to find a more respectable smuggling job; which was an oxymoron since no smuggling job could be considered respectable. Still, one that was smuggling for a better cause than a Hutt's blood spice. At her mention of Six-lead, Shine's eyes turned to look at the two men beside him out of the corner of his eye. Assuming she meant those two, considering those were the only two he had made any form of conversation with, if you could call it that. Since the Nautolan had showed him SOME common courtesy, he assumed that the one that threatened his hand was the one she was referring to. Well, at least he had been right about them being different from the rest of the Hutt's boys; he didn't picture Sam hanging around with folks that were as rotten as the Hutt's breath. Drawing the pad, closer, the padded a quick response before switching his screen back to banking details.
=Well, the Goddess must favor me at least somewhat; how else would I have run into you again so soon. If chance allows it, maybe we could have a chat about how mean she can be.
As for your comrade, don't worry about it. He's been nothing but "honest" in my "very" brief chat with him. And believe me Sam, I'm learning by the millisecond just how deep in the Bantha dung I am; but you don't break an appointment with a Hutt. Otherwise I might be the "test" run Greegar sends you on. Nice attire by the way; almost as choice for this weather as mine ^_~.=
Sending the message, Shine leaned back to the table, scrolling through his information while he kept a close eye both on the world around him....and the tiny indicator that would show he had a new message. He had been more cheerful in his message than he had intended to be but even in this foul mess, another chance to talk with her again had brightened his mood. And with any luck, any other surprises over these next few days will be just as pleasant. Though Shine doubted that very much.
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
0 likes
Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
Guardian
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Nov 14, 2010 20:27:32 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Nov 14, 2010 20:27:32 GMT -5
With his scathing quips against Shine still lingering he found himself speechless as Athar spoke up. It surprised him to no end that this Nautolan, the man that he figured to be overprotective to a fault with Sam, would so willingly give life advice to this whelp. The Sergeant, had he not been so tense, and not viewed the situation as fragile, would have given the lad his own advice. Surprisingly, as he listened, he realized it was very similar to what he would give. Glancing up at the young man as Athar spoke he allowed his eyebrows to rise a little, softening his visage into one of caring, one of understanding; pity. Sure he still wished to lay the whelp out for his arrogance in dealing with the Hutt but pitied the young man; wondering if he knew what he had gotten himself into. Plus, with Athar's description of the situation he had an idea of what the Hutt would do if Shine failed...
As Shine finally backed off, taking the time to get a fresh drink, Sev sighed and shook his head. The more he looked at the kid the less he desired to correct his arrogance; there was something, some feeling that told him the kid was all right. Giving a great sigh he shook his head at Athar.
Cocky kid doesn't know wha' 'e 'as 'imself mixed up in. Ah know wha' Hutts do tae folk, good folk who cross them. Ah need a drink.
Catching nearest server he ordered a drink, Corellian Whiskey for himself, a Nikta as requested by Athar.
And now we wait.
Twenty minutes passed before he noticed the heavily clothed form appear at the entrance to the main hall. There was no doubt it was Sam; though it was dark he could see the unique outline of the armor she wore. With drink in hand he subtly watched her progress, moving in and out of the crowds with a deftness to her steps until finally, finally he saw her before the great slug Greegar. They exchanged a few muffled words and, as Sev watched on, the background noise faded away, band fading off into silence. Tension rose in the room and Sev, who had sat down his Whiskey, saw several beings' hands wander to their belts. Gently he slid his hand down to where his rifle sat, wrapping the hands around the stock and drawing it closer; he immediately drew a tac-map in his mind.
Bar, booths, pillars; good cover. Shoot out the lights for confusion... Sam has the HUD in that mask.
The standoff continued for several moments, no one giving an inch. Then, suddenly, a deep, throaty, grating chuckly burst from the great slug and the tension level fell. Sev gave an audible breath of relief as the background noise picked up again. With another round of muffled conversation she seemed to have it under control and Sev picked up his drink, taking a long draw; the liquor burned as it went down.
A good burn, that.
Only a moment later Sev saw Six-five pass their booth, moving off to the shadows to find her own place to sit. However, he couldn't help but notice a bit of strange movement as she passed Shine and an eyebrow rose. His question was answered a moment later as Sam finally found her seat. A brief burst of static heralded her connection on the coms and he slowly rested his head on one hand.
”Hey Six Lead…you know the guy you keep attempting to kill with your eyes? Take it easy on him. Good pilot, but I'm not sure he’s the brightest bulb in the bunch, if being here on his own is any indication. I’d hate to see you deck another Corellian.”
Sev chuckled, the deep, muffled voice filled with a cautious mirth and edged with alcohol. His reply, however, was all business, soft and serious. He glanced at Sam, glanced at Shine, and saw them both with datapads withdrawn. It didn't take much for him to put two and two together.W=
A lad like tha' don't belong here. Good pilot er no' 'es meddlin' in things 'e ough' no' meddle in. An' th' fact that ye know 'im means all th' more when 'e gets hurt. Hutts dinnae play aroond. An if yer thinkin' o cuttin' im in... ah'm givin' ye a warnin' as a friend; bad idea.
Picking up his Whiskey again he downed the remainder, more than half the glass. With his mind now concerned about another person he returned to scanning the place subtly from under his sun visor.
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Nov 15, 2010 18:09:46 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Nov 15, 2010 18:09:46 GMT -5
“Mhmmm”
Good…at least the kid had gotten the point. His expression, his mannerisms, his reply…maybe not -quite- as tick as I’d suspected. At least ‘e’s a swift learnar it seem. Sev’s reaction to his warning had Athar chuckling on the inside, however. Did the man really think he was all sharp edges? That earned a mild sigh…maybe it was best that he thought that. At least then it was less likely that he’d care to be around Sam. Who’m I kiddin’? If Sam like da man, she gonna find a way ta see ‘im again like it or not, an’ da same go for him ‘ere too…he admitted to himself. Much as he didn’t like the notion, he attempted to start making peace with the notion. Sev’s words startled him out of his thoughts, however, making the smooth skinned alien actually blink and turn his head to look at his human ‘partner’. Shrugging slightly, he quietly gazed at the tabletop, the liquid across his eyes from his swift blink swirled into odd patterns as he thought before they slowly dried once again.
Sam’s arrival, and subsequent actions concerning Shine had him finally taking a drink of that liquor in earnest. The kid had seemed familiar, but he couldn’t pinpoint why or from where, but his face just looked…well, he’d pushed the thought aside but when Sam had tossed something to him, and a hint of recognition flickered across Shine’s face in return, Athar had gotten a bit more serious about trying to remember why he looked familiar. Rubbing his forehead with one hand, Athar leaned against the tabletop, grumbling. ”A big stick…dat’s what I need. Ah need ta get a damn big stick…” Sev’s chuckling had his face setting in annoyance as his mind engraved the need for a big stick to fend all these men off from his ‘ward.’ ”Tell me she ain’t really tinkin’ o’ bringin’ ‘im in? While da extra eyes would be good dis don’ settle right wit me.”
…Maybe that was because then he’d have another man to try and keep from drooling (literally or figuratively) over her.
True, Sev wasn’t to the point of drooling (lit. or fig.) but not only was he Republic, he was a pilot who (from what he’d heard from Sam) was stationed on a ship. That was as good as being a navy man…and navy men, like spacers, had a tendency to have a girl in every port. So what was he faced with? A cocky smuggler who was more likely to drool on Sam than not, and a Republic pilot who had a high chance of being little better than any other ‘sailor’ out there. He just hoped that, one day, someone he could trust would end up coming around so he could stop with all the protective nonsense with everyone who came along. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he’d take another drink before growling quietly.
”…Dat gerl give me more problems…”
From her dark section of wall, Sam couldn’t help but smile as Sev’s chuckling resounded in her ear. Now that was a welcome sound. Despite having heard her fair share of it on Umgul and the way here, she still felt like she’d been deprived of it somehow. Maybe it was the years between the Sevens and now, and her mind was just attempting to catch up on lost time (or laughter perhaps). She almost said something to that effect when he spoke up, all business as usual. Some things never changed…
”Why, you jealous?” She was teasing, of course, the throat mike she’d acquired picking up her tone easily, even with her voice just barely above a whisper. ”Not to worry, Sev, I didn’t even suggest it to him…didn’t even cross my mind ‘til you said something…” There was an almost obvious ‘but now that you mention it’ at the end of that statement. She was quiet as the seconds ticked by, eying the new message that Shine had sent her. That throat mike would pick up her quiet chuckle before she returned to her previous thoughts.
”Look, we could use another set of eyes, this place is too big for just the three of us from what Athar said on the way here. Not saying we ask him for any more help than that…just another set of eyes and ears. He doesn’t have to say anything to anyone, he doesn’t have to go snooping down near the dungeons…but if he can watch the guards up here and tell us when their shifts change so we know for tomorrow, we can get through more easily and the three of us can get much more done. Big, fat and ugly would never know.”
Those gloved fingers moved deftly across the datapad as she flipped back and forth to Shine’s message. She had to agree with Sev, Shine didn’t belong here…but there wasn’t anything she could do besides warn him off, and even then things weren’t simple.
=Oh please…now’s not the time to be flirting. :P And I'm not about to have a chat about that, thanks. Nice attire my rear…my face feels like slime behind this mask. Only upside is that there’s something of an air filter with it. Smell isn’t so bad. Bah, Six Lead’s stern and tough as nails, but I doubt he’d do you any serious harm so long as you don’t act like an idiot. …Did you act like an idiot, Shine? >_> …I mean other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time…
Speaking of wrong place, wrong time and bantha dung, you’re in deeper than you know. None of us are working for this slime ball, Shine, and chances are that if you stick around you’re likely to get hurt…and not for the reasons you might think. I can’t tell you anything like this, but just trust me, you don’t want to be here. =
Despite her conversation with Sev, she still didn’t mention the idea of Shine helping them in her message back. She needed to be able to speak to the other two first, then be able to speak to Shine…and none of that was going to be simple either. Calling one of the slave girls over, Sam turned that vocabulator on once again, letting her voice rasp out. ”I'm going to need a room for the night. The sooner the better. Can you arrange that, yes or no?” The frightened looking Arkanian nodded swiftly in the affirmative. ”How long and how much?” The answer sounded something like “ten minutes” and a sizeable fee (though it was difficult to tell with her voice being so quiet because of her fear). Feeling horrible about frightening the poor girl, Sam couldn’t do anything more than press on and clamp down on her emotions. ”Just the room fee, not the ‘company’ to go with it.” The answer she got was much more acceptable, and she waved the girl off to go get things started. Shutting the vocabulator down once more, she’d speak to Sev.
”I trust you heard that…you two find an excuse to vanish from the main room for a while after I do. If you both can’t, then you come and let Athar handle this room, alright? She was really looking forward to getting this mask off. …And by the way…I agree with you, he doesn’t, but he’s here and there’s not much we can do about it. Kinda like you’re here and there’s not much I can do about it…” Sighing slightly, she’d stretch out and wait, replying to Shine’s message when it came. Quiet as it already was, Sam's tone held a bit of softness to it that was uncommon for her. Perhaps it was something akin to regret that she was feeling, after all, she hardly liked the idea of Sev taking part in something that was...less than legal. It wasn't in his nature, and it certainly went against his Republic training. This wasn't to mention the fact that, for as much as she may not have seemed to mind (or fully grasp) the potential consequences of this operation...she understood all too well, and she didn't want him hurt.
The slave girl was as good as her word, however, and ten minutes and she came hurrying back with a key card. Taking the money, she’d hand the card over and give Sam the directions to get to her room. ”Down the main hall, second hallway to the left, first hall to the right, last door on the left…correct?” This was more for Sev’s benefit than her own, but the girl never noticed, nodding swiftly again and hurrying off once more. Smoothly Sam stood, bringing her rifle with her and slinging it over her shoulder, before walking off toward the room.
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
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Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
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Nov 15, 2010 19:47:09 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Nov 15, 2010 19:47:09 GMT -5
Now that he knew the Nautolan and his rather "charming" associate were friends of Sam, Shine found himself watching them out of the corner of his eye much more. The Nauto was finally enjoying his drink; or drowning himself in some sorrow that Shine was not aware of. But considering the Nauto started drinking AFTER Sam had dropped him the flimsy, he had a sinking suspicion it was in regards to that. But since he had no exact proof, he could only chuckle into his drink as he finished another one. He also became aware that the one she had identified as Six-lead had shot him a glancing look after shooting one to the back of the room where Sam had gone. Well well, at least I paid back the favor from earlier. And I didn't even have to do anything aside from knowing a pretty face. Way to go Shine.A small, but distinct beep came from Shine's datapad, causing him to turn his eyes back towards the device. The beep was, as expected, in response to his receiving of a new message. Doesn't waste time, does she? Shine settled into his seat, pulled open the data about his ship over the majority of the screen, then clicked open the message, careful to keep it open only long enough for him to scroll through its contents. =Oh please…now’s not the time to be flirting. And I'm not about to have a chat about that, thanks. Nice attire my rear…my face feels like slime behind this mask. Only upside is that there’s something of an air filter with it. Smell isn’t so bad. Bah, Six Lead’s stern and tough as nails, but I doubt he’d do you any serious harm so long as you don’t act like an idiot.
…Did you act like an idiot, Shine? >_> …I mean other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time…
Speaking of wrong place, wrong time and bantha dung, you’re in deeper than you know. None of us are working for this slime ball, Shine, and chances are that if you stick around you’re likely to get hurt…and not for the reasons you might think. I can’t tell you anything like this, but just trust me, you don’t want to be here. =As he read them, he could barely keep himself from laughing; both at her choice of words and the fact that there actually seemed to be some concern behind them. Well, that means I've either made a good first impression or she just doesn't want to be picking up the mess her friend makes of me. Oh joy. A passing mercenary made Shine click the message to hide behind the Cat's repair details, Shine's eyes not leaving the screen yet perfectly aware of where the mercenary stood. When Shine could no longer spot him with quick glances out of the corner of his eye(or smell him for that matter), he pulled the message open again to quickly finish reading it. As he read across the part about acting like an idiot, Shine carefully thought about what he had said to her friends. Okay, so by the Nautolan's words, what Shine had done was idiotic....but really, it was his first time in this kind of place. He'd already taken the Nauto's words to heart and should he ever find himself in this situation again, he planned to fully follow that advice. Its a really good stroke of luck I talked to the two people in here that wouldn't gut me just for acting "nice". Fingers flew across his datapad as he pawed in a return message. =There's always time for flirting; it's probably the only thing keeping me from realizing how bad my situation here is. And you may be roasting, but at least you don't have to "smell" this place; I'm going to be scrubbing myself silly for days just to get the base smell out, let alone the Hutt's foul breath.
I didn't act like an idiot in the exact definition of the term >.< Although considering where I am, offering to buy a drink for what easily could have been the most cutthroat bounty hunter in the galaxy would be idiotic.
And as I said Sam, I know. Believe me, I looked at every other option I could; this was the last thing I wanted to do and the last place I ever wanted to come. I'll explain at greater length later if I can, but I had to follow where money could be made. My pride needs repairs and you of all people should understand how much it hurts to let her suffer at length. Speaking of which; I know you can't talk openly here. But I've attached the Cat's personal comm code; not just the one I gave you, an encrypted one that only my deeper contacts use. I've also attached the code to get into the Cat's hangar; its at Docking Bay 33.
Feel free to smack the sense into me then, if you get the chance. Something tells me whatever reason I'm here for and the trouble that comes with it pales in comparison to why your here in that getup with some pretty tough looking backup. If I can help, I'd love to know.=Sending the message, Shine went back to the Cat, finalizing the cost of the needed repairs. As he predicted, it was well within the range of what he was being paid; which meant the extra went to other little dohickies he planned to implement. The sound of that raspy voice Sam's disguise gave off drew his attention from the pad, carefully turning in his seat so that while he still faced forward enough, it was easy enough to turn his head to the point where he could just see Sam out of the corner of his eye, conversing with the Arkanian server. Her message came shortly before the return of the Arkanian girl and he was quick to respond to it when it did. As he finished sending his latest reply, Shine caught Sam moving forward to leave. With the fluid motions he'd come to respect as a skill for a smuggler, Shine rose from his own seat, his eyes apparently focused on his datapad. It was a stroke of luck, or so it would seem, that he barely managed to avoid Sam bumping into him, which he would only glance up for a second with a (fake)look of surprise. Sam, either playing her part well or actually caught by surprise herself, snarled at him as she passed, several "choice" words in Huttese coming from that raspy mask as she shuffled past. Shaking it off, he entered one more thing on his pad before padding towards the exit. He was almost to the door when the Hutt addressed him, asking where he was going. With a simple yawn, Shine merely replied that he was tired and a little woozy from all his drinks, so he was going to retire to his ship so he could get an early start on those upgrades. The Hutt grumbled and puffed in response, but let Shine go with a chuckle. Grinning, Shine headed back down the dark corridor he had entered from; but as he did, he pulled a device from his pocket and snapped it into place on the side of his head. A small screen appeared over his left eye and as he walked the long trip back to the door, Shine carefully tilted his head to each opening he came across while he again appeared to paw at his datapad. What Sam had said about this being the wrong place again and again had him really worried now; and should things go south, he wanted a backup plan. As he exited back out into the (very bright!!) sunlight, Shine gave a grin to the Gamorrean guards, who only squealed and snorted in response. Climbing back behind the controls of his speeder, Shine removed the device from the side of his head and looked down at his datapad; which now showed images of every little nook and cranny Shine had spotted on his way out. Always have an exit plan; or at least, a way to get out really fast should frell hit the fan. Words to live by; or so dad always said. Tucking the pad away, Shine geared the speeder into gear and shot back towards the settlement; he had a date with another kind of lady now.
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
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Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
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Nov 18, 2010 22:32:43 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Nov 18, 2010 22:32:43 GMT -5
As their covert conversation continued Sev felt his stomach drop noticeably. So much so that he quickly upturned his glass and finished the strong liquid in it, a drop of the dilute liquid running down his chin. Jealous? As he pulled the scarf back up and around his chin he let a scowl etch his covered features. For some reason he only partially believed that Sam hadn't given cutting Shine in any thought. The hunch was of the type he had been feeling off and on since he got here, one that supported his gut feel that something wasn't exactly so. Maybe she hadn't, perhaps Shine had instead; he wasn't sure. The feeling normally cropped up when he was flying the Hawk, but to have it come up around Sam was a new kind of strange. There was also the sense that he might not have a call in this, like it was meant to be this way.
Placing a hand on his forehead he gently shook his head as Sam continued to speak, outlining the benefits that Shine would bring to the op. Even with the gut feeling Sev still was unsure. Another body in this meant another corpse if things went wrong and, in his experience, if you didn't plan for the worst possible occurrence you were quickly overwhelmed by it.
"Big, fat and ugly would never know.”
Aye... but ah dinnae ha'e tae like et. From wha' ah've seen from 'im, the lads a liability. An ah hope ye made sure thus was a secure channel, lassie.
The sergeant couldn't help himself, he realized, as he glanced up at Athar. So many things from his life as a soldier were floating to the surface, little niggling paranoid thoughts. Their com channel and datapad link, it would be monitored. Hell, the bartender could have spiked their drinks. It took real conscious effort to suppress the feeling and in his mind he had to keep telling himself; ye're covert, ye're subtle, they dinnae know yer any different than any other bit o' muscle.
”I'm going to need a room for the night. The sooner the better. Can you arrange that, yes or no?”
At her voice Sev casually glanced over at Sam's masked form. A slave, a scantily dressed on at that, swayed nervously back and forth as the vocabulated voice of Sam harshly commanded her to line up a room, sans company. Sev smiled at that and, as the slave skittered away he was unsurprised by her voice breaking over the coms again.
”I trust you heard that…you two find an excuse to vanish from the main room for a while after I do. If you both can’t, then you come and let Athar handle this room, alright? And by the way…I agree with you, he doesn’t, but he’s here and there’s not much we can do about it. Kinda like you’re here and there’s not much I can do about it…”
Sev glanced up at Athar. The nautolan had a finger to his ear listening intently as well, nodding when she mentioned Shine's involvement in this whole mess. When the voice ceased Sev caught the black eyes as Sam's voice faded, giving Athar an intense look through his helmet. Apparently getting the message the alien nodded hesitantly and glanced back toward the hutt. A few moments the slave came back and, with Sam's repetition of the directions, left again. Surprisingly when she stood Shine did as well. Upon passing each other they impacted, the young man giving Sam a look of surprise; another small smile spread across Sev's face.
Subtle.
For the moment Sev sat back, enjoying the music emanating from the stage. It was an up-beat number, one he thought he had heard back in the core, maybe Corellia on leave. With a small smirk he suppressed a flare of nostalgia; now was not the time. They all had a job to do.
Moments passed until, with a grunt and a nod at Athar, Sev stood and moved to the hallways leading deeper into the Hutt's palace. Glancing this way and that, feigning confusion of where to go, Sev took the second hallway to the left, the first to the right, and stepped up his pace until he came to the last door on the left. He stopped just before the door and looked back up the hall from whence he came; no one and rows of closed doors.
Good.
With his hand outstretched he knocked, one two, one two, one, one two. Taking a step back he waited. Sam would recognize the knock, the pattern from the old days.
There was that nostalgic feeling again...
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Nov 18, 2010 23:30:48 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Nov 18, 2010 23:30:48 GMT -5
=Maybe…Goddess knows I could do with a bit of flirting, but it’s too risky. Ubese and all that. Wouldn’t be right to flirt with ya. ^_~ Every other option? I sort of doubt that…you want other options, you should have talked to me. Yeah…buying someone here a drink is just a bad idea, though. They’re all already drunk enough, and drunk or not they’re all pretty much willing to take an arm. I have your comm, yes…ah, right, I’ll keep that one in mind then, I need to talk to my cohorts. Six-lead isn’t looking happy. Until I do that, I can’t say one way or the other if you can help. I’ll be in touch.=
That had been her last message to him before she got up and started moving toward the room. Had she seen Shine’s intent to move? But of course…likely before he even realized he looked like he was going to move. She’d have shamed Brathos if she hadn’t caught that subtle motion, and that just wouldn’t do. Preparing herself for whatever might happen, she was only slightly surprised and narrowly avoided actually colliding with him, his arm grazing hers. Oh yes, she played her part well, snarling at him in Huttese, her hand going to the heavy blaster pistol at her thigh before she moved on.
Straight, left, right, left…slip in the card and…red light turned green and the door slid open with a hiss. Stepping in, she was swift to lock it once more by the time the door closed. It was with great relief that she dropped the hood, pulled off the rifle (and set it aside), unclasped the cloak, unattached the headgear from the rest of the suit and pulled it (and the cloak) off, laying the two things on the bed. It was about that time that the signal came. tick-tick…tick-tick…tap…tick-tick Smiling, she drew her blaster and hurried to the door, unlocking it and aiming for the head. It was Sev…
Lowering the blaster again, she waited until he was in and (when he wasn’t followed by Athar) locked the door behind him. Holstering the blaster again, she shrugged a bit and combed her fingers through the hair nearest her scalp to try and get it back into order with the rest of her ponytail. Bits of it had been clinging to her face, the combined perspiration from the heat and slight moisture build up from her breath having coated her face until it shimmered in the light. Unfortunately that ‘shimmer’ meant the salt was starting to sting at her eyes. Wiping it away with one hand, she pulled the gloves off as well and tossed them to the bed as well. ”Thank the Goddess…hiya Sev, oh and by the way…yes.” She didn’t even bother waiting for him to ask ‘yes what’, but moved toward the bed and sad down on the edge of it, smirking.
”They don’t let idiots fly for Corellia, and smugglers don’t last long unless they have smarts of some kind…so yes, the lines, comm AND datapad are secure. Speaking of not letting idiots fly for Corellia, Shine was a fighter pilot for a Corellian ship, Sev.” Picking up the mask, she shut the HUD down and clicked the comm off. There was no need for it at the moment after all. ”Alright, so…I know you’re concerned, Sev, and…obviously unhappy…” she stated, eying him…or more appropriately, his posture. ”I know he doesn’t seem like much, Sev, but he’s got a few more brains than you might want to believe. I was pretty impressed with him back on Umgul…”
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
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Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
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Nov 19, 2010 0:59:41 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Nov 19, 2010 0:59:41 GMT -5
The first thing Shine had done when he returned to the settlement was search out the nearest cantina and ordered the biggest glass of water he was allowed. He downed the thing faster than he should have, causing him to choke near the end but he made sure not to let one drop of that life-saving liquid go to waste. Letting out quite possibly the longest sigh of relief he'd ever birthed, Shine tossed the bartender an extra few credits as thanks and passed him a canteen. A few credits more and Shine was exiting that canteen with a full tin of water at his side and only the second true smile on his face today. In hindsight, he thought to himself, maybe drinking a fairly decent number of beverages that only dehydrated him more on a desert planet was none too smart. Next time he had to visit the Hutt's, he would make sure to reduce that number considerably.
From there, Shine went about doing a little shopping from the various dealers of parts and otherwise junk that occupied the settlement. There were quite a number of them, which meant that selection was wide, even if the chances of finding the exact parts he wanted was slim, let alone one's in good working order. Though to his surprise, several of the dealers not only had some of those parts, they had them in good working order, minus possible sand damage, in which case Shine was able to get a reduced price. From shop to shop he went, finding the best deal possible by telling the owner that another shop was selling his stuff a little cheaper in order to garner more customers; this worked about half the time to get himself an even greater discount. Ah, the lovely skill of knowing how to haggle prices; what would Shine ever do without it.
Finally, all the parts on his list, or at least the nearest he could get to some of them, were accounted for. Paying a courier to help transport the said parts to the hangar where the Cat rested, Shine pulled that list up once more to do one last final check. New coils for the turrets, a stabilizer for both the hyperdrive and the engines, a piston for one of the landing gears, several kinds of circuits for rewiring, a few mines for the ship's minelayer and replacement recyclers for the air system were checked off in quick succession, prompting Shine's third smile of the day. Now all he had to do was get the output on the engine boosted and look into ordering a small grade tractor beam, if such a thing was possible. It would make catching someone who had taken his load much easier; Umgul had brought that idea to him after the mix up with another crew.
Upon his return to the Cat, Shine paid the courier an extra tip, courtesy of the Hutt's money transfer and waved off the dock master, who was sporting a new lump on his head. Looks like Shine had at least called it when it came to the scruffy looking man. "She all ready to go?"
"All fuelled and readyz she is. Thar was...somethin wrong aboot the entrance ramp, so I's decided to take a gander. Turns out tiss was nothing though." Shine laughed at this and gave the man a credit chip. He had called him indeed. Patting him on the shoulder, he clicked a series of codes into his datapad; the result was a series of powering down sounds and the lowering of the Cat' ramp. He left the man there with jaw hanging open as he carted the new parts into the ship's cargo hold, turned his datapad to signal him if a message was coming through and went to work on the inner repairs on the Cat first. He wanted to shower first, but realized that he'd just be back in there scrubbing off the scent of oil and grim later on, so he let the lingering smell of the Hutt's palace stick for now. Maybe it would get dulled out by other smells eventually.
As he went about his repairs, Shine let his thoughts drift back to the events at the Hutt's palace. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to run into Sam again, let alone so soon. True, he was glad he did; but couldn't his next meeting with her have been at a nicer place or at least, under better circumstances. It was obvious from her messages that she wasn't here to be the Hutt's errand boy, like Shine had come here for. Something else was in the works, something that tingled at Shine's danger sense. And then there was her allies, the Nautolan and the rough around the edges friend of his. Something requiring a three man cell was never a simple task, more so if that task involved a Hutt. But there was nothing Shine could do at the moment; he had grown a respect for Sam on Umgul and he wasn't about to ruin that by poking his nose where it didn't belong......yet. All he could do was wait for her to call or not call, using his work and thoughts of their first meeting to smother the horrors he had seen in Greegar's home. He did hope that her talk with her friends went well; he would give that hand Six-lead had threatened to take if he could spend some more quality time with her, simply chatting....maybe more if things rolled that way.
Thinking about it now, there was one thing that he could do, even if he didn't understand the situation. As he finished working on the hypedrive, Shine pulled open the file with all the images he had taken of the palace's inner workings and the map his device had built while he had been walking. Slowly but surely, he started sorting those images into a readable, workable map of Greegar's palace that he could use to make a quick escape or hide till he could escape. And maybe, if Sam did call, he would have something she could make use of for whatever she was planning. And with that in mind, he went back to his work; both on the Cat and otherwise.
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
0 likes
Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
Guardian
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Nov 21, 2010 22:43:07 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Nov 21, 2010 22:43:07 GMT -5
The moment held Sev within its clutches, the half beat of his heart edging toward caution. The instructions were clear but there was always that mote of doubt, of insecurity that lingered over every being in the galaxy. In that instant he wondered if he should pull his knife, just in case. A dull sound from the room before him forced him back a step before, with a rush of wind the door flew open. Sev was already moving his hand flying to his shoulder ripping the knife from its place, swinging in a tight arc toward the arm holding it ... instead a smile flashed over his lips as he recognized the girl, the gray eyes that could only belong to Sam. The combat knife never passed within a foot of the young woman and Sev, slipping the knife back in place, stepped quickly into the small room.
Nice digs, lass...
It was small, no more than a closet on some of the more luxurious planets. He caught a hint of sweat through his mask as the door closed, Sev's eyes sweeping the room. They passed over the mask, the spartan furnishings then, turning, he returned them to Sam. Her hair was unruly and he could see a sheen from the excess heat built up in the bulky Ubese suit. He shook his head, that look suited her well.
"Thank the Goddess…hiya Sev, oh and by the way…yes.”
Yes tae th' fact tha' we vere nearly killed each oth'r? Ye haven't lost th' Seven edge, lass.
If his eyes were to be believed it was the truth; a Seven was ready for anything. The warm feeling of nostalgia returned as the young woman came back into the room in earnest, finding herself a comfortable seat on the bed. Sev took his seat in the chair across from her, the small dimly lit space feeling as though it may become claustrophobic.
”They don’t let idiots fly for Corellia, and smugglers don’t last long unless they have smarts of some kind…so yes, the lines, comm AND datapad are secure. Speaking of not letting idiots fly for Corellia, Shine was a fighter pilot for a Corellian ship, Sev.”
The sergeant's eyebrows arched, his gray eyes glinting dull in the limited light. He suspected Sam had looked into communication security before coming to this place but, as Xavier always said, "Discretion was the better part of valor." Caution more so in this situation. Finding himself a comfortable position he propped himself against the wall behind him, placing his rifle against the duracrete. He disliked where this was heading though his posture and eyes remained as neutral as he could keep them.
It was difficult keeping ones thoughts to oneself with a kinetic reader as a friend.
”Alright, so…I know you’re concerned, Sev, and…obviously unhappy…” she stated, eying him. ”I know he doesn’t seem like much, Sev, but he’s got a few more brains than you might want to believe. I was pretty impressed with him back on Umgul…”
Et isn't a question aboot wha' e's done, lass. Ets not a question aboot him simply flying er no'. Why do ye think th' Sevens were feared so? We did nae jus' shoot em down... we cleared oot th' place after. On foot.
We're no' clearin' th' air, lass.
Th' lad is inexperienced. True enough tha' skill can do much but worldly livin', experiencin' wha' this galaxy 'as tae offer. That is more important.
It was nauseating how much he reminded himself of Captain Xavier. The man was a hard ass sometimes but they never went in unprepared. Well, there was that one time... Sev forcibly repressed the thought, his eyes sliding shut as a few wrinkles made themselves visible around them.
Shine is not th' right man fer this, an' ye know et. E's no' a soldier, e's no' a ground fighter. The lad would be a liability, an extra factor. We are capable of doin' thus, jus' th' three of us. Ye an Athar ah know can handle yerselves. If'n he comes along an we 'ave tae set off th' charges early, wha' then? When everythin' goes FUBAR ah cannae guarantee tha' I'll be able tae keep 'im from...
Sev's mouth caught, closing an instant later. It was what happened with Brathos, Xavier, almost Sam. His nose and upper lip twitched once and his gaze focussed on Sam's gray eyes. He hoped that she would understand, see reason. Before Sam could speak he glared back up at her.
"The fewer bodies in, the fewer corpses out." Right?
Ah'll no' be buryin' someone who didnae need tae be in th' fire in th' first place.
A feeling of illogical fear washing over him before cooling into his neutral posture and gaze. Shine wasn't a soldier. Shine wasn't someone who Sev should have given a second thought about. But if the boy wanted to get involved Sev wouldn't have it be where he could get killed.
For a mere moment his thoughts flashed back to Coruscant, to his first position in the military, how close he had been to dieing that day, the feeling of cold, the whiteout. He shook the thoughts away, looking back up at Sam, his chest swelling greatly as he sucked in a long breath, letting it out in a rush. He felt a bit of the fear again but this time from a different perspective and he closed his eyes.
If'n yere luck ye might convince me tha he can fly th' getaway. Nothin' front line...
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
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Nov 21, 2010 23:46:52 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Nov 21, 2010 23:46:52 GMT -5
Looking back on it, she likely should have been a bit more concerned about the draw of his knife…the fact that he’d actually started moving it to do damage, but…considering the fact that she’d had a blaster pointed at his head, she didn’t particularly mind. She hadn’t had to react though, they’d both stopped themselves from doing any damage and life had moved on as if that had just been another way of saying hello.
“Yes tae th’ fact tha’ we vere nearly killed each oth’r? Ye haven’t lost th’ Seven edge, lass.”
She’d shrugged slightly and smiled to herself, only giving him a hint of it as she winked (almost flirtatiously) over her shoulder at him. That would be the only answer he’d get to that question before she’d moved on. Watching him settle into a chair across from her, her mind’s eye could almost see the others…Archer, Hunter, Brathos…out in the main palace, keeping a watch on the goings on. After all, it wasn’t such a stretch of the imagination to see them all in a place like this, working to subvert a crime lord. It was saddening that that wasn't the case.
Grey eyes watched carefully as he tried valiantly to remain as neutral in posture as possible. He was good, he wasn’t giving her anything easily, but he still wasn’t that good. Chuckling, she shook her head just slightly as he spoke. Certainly Sam wasn’t dismissing what he said, Sev had very valid points, but it seemed like what she’d said earlier hadn’t quite come across to him. Even as he grew quiet, those deep eyes of is…older than they should have looked…closed and she sighed a little, but didn’t speak up. She would give him the time he needed to say what he had to say without interrupting, something that she wouldn’t have done when she first joined the Sevens and this had been any regular debate between the two. As if there had been such a thing as a ‘regular debate’ between the two back then.
“If’n he comes along an we ‘ave tae set off th’ charges early, wha’ then? When everythin’ goes FUBAR ah cannae guarantee tha’ I’ll be able tae keep ‘im from…”
Watching him, just a touch of sadness crept into her eyes before his were focused on them once more and they were back to being that unyielding grey she’d adopted only a few times before. Brathos, the Captain, the other Sevens…almost herself…she knew very well what he was thinking of, she was thinking it too. Again, she didn’t even make a motion to speak, simply listening to his concerns.
“The fewer bodies in, the fewer corpses out,’ right? Ah’ll no’ be buryin’ someone who didnae need tae be in th’ fire in th’ first place.”
For a moment only she pondered the ice that seemed to seep through his body from the top down. Fear. Why the fear, my friend? Her very eyes seemed to ask the question she didn’t bother to speak. Finally he seemed to come back to himself and she offered a small, comforting, smile, one hand reaching out to grip his knee lightly and give it a light squeeze. That smile widened when he took in that deep breath, and finished speaking, earning him a pat to his knee before she withdrew her hand once more.
”Sev, I was never asking for him to be part of the fighting. Last thing I want to do is get this Hutt angry with him. He’s going to be here either way…no matter what we do. He isn’t going to just up and leave, even if I asked him to. You don’t just walk out on a Hutt like that. Since he’s going to be here, he can watch the guards and their movements, their shift changes so we have one less thing to fix our eyes on. Other than that, I completely agree with you that he’d be best suited to helping us get away fast.
I dunno what you thought I was thinking, but it certainly wasn’t helping us with infiltrating the dungeons or setting the charges…or even fending off aforementioned guards, so relax about that. What I'm most worried about is him doing something rash if we don’t give him something specific to do, right?”
Chuckling a little, she’d perk up and grin at him, folding her arms across her chest. ”You know the rookies, gotta give ‘em something to do so you know where they are and what they should be doing, if only to keep ‘em out of our way.” That’s right, Sev, I’ve caught you trying to do the same thing with me once or twice. Sighing a little, she’d pull her hair out of the ponytail it was in and pull it back again in a futile effort to get it to stop being so frizzy and…everywhere.
”I’ve not told him anything about why we’re here, but he understands that it’s dangerous…if only because of the worm. If you’re really so against us having another set of eyes keeping a look out, then I guess I can’t argue, but I also can’t be held accountable for what he might do.”
Pausing a moment, she’d shrug slightly as she considered all the many things that might go wrong with this whole thing. ”If we have to set the charges off while we’re still in here, we’ve screwed the pooch and everyone in this place is in danger anyway. That includes him, involved or not. Besides, Sev, hate ta tell ya this, but…you’re not Via, you’re not the force, you’re not a deity of any kind...if everything goes FUBAR, you can’t guarantee you’ll be able to keep anyone out of the fire, not Athar, not me, not even yourself and you know it.”
For a moment an impish look crept into her features as she eyed him with a playful (and teasing) sort of curiosity. ”You’re not a deity of some kind…right? If you are, it would make everything considerably easier…though I might have to shun you later on for not telling me sooner.” That naturally contagious grin she had graced her face once more as she teased him, attempting to lighten the mood. The room had seemed to grow considerably smaller since it had started…hell, even though she was sitting on the bed, by this point she felt almost as if the room had closed in just enough to force her into sitting on his lap just to keep from being crushed. Note to self: get spatial awareness and depth perception checked at next possible opportunity.
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
86 likes
Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
Master
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Nov 22, 2010 3:22:15 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Nov 22, 2010 3:22:15 GMT -5
It had taken longer than Shine thought but a wide grin creased his face as he looked upon the nearly finished map before him. True, the pictures he had taken on the way out of the palace had appeared on his screens in the order they were taken, henceforth they would be easy to place into a logical map. However, many of the pictures showed just open passages, which looked the same expect for minor details that one wouldn't normally spot. But Shine rarely missed those little details; a smuggler worth anything had to be able to notice the subtle signs of when things were going bad. And remember the quickest way out and back to safety. So while it took him longer than expected, Shine had finally managed to spot those little oddities and differences in the pictures and placed them to fit.
The result was a map that showed a distinct path from those giant metal doors down the twisting corridor that lead him to the Hutt's chambers, along with every side path and darkened doorway that he had came across. He had luckily been alone on his return trip out, which had given him the little extra time he had needed to add in several extra shots of places one could slip into to hide their form while the guards ran past, as well as the locations of the guards as well. There were patrolling guards of course, who's path could only be guessed, but the posted guards were there for a reason and the likelihood of them moving from said post was nill. Those guards were marked on the map, placed by the location of their pictures in accordance with the before and after shots that came with them.
Well, if the business with the Hutt turned bad, at least he knew the path out and where all the beings that might inhibit said escape were. Of course, he hoped he wouldn't have to find out how good his map was....or did he? Sam being there with her cohorts had been on his mind the whole time. And while he had no clue what reason they were there for, he knew, as he had from the start, that it wasn't to make nice with Greegar. Leaning back in his chair, Shine tilted his head over to the comm controls. For what seemed like a longer time than it really was, he simply watched it, half expecting it to suddenly receive the message he was hoping for. But Shine wasn't one that completely believed in hope; the chances that she keep to herself about what was going on were just as likely as the chances that she would call, maybe even higher. Heck, he might not even see her again before he had to take off with the Hutt's shipment, even though it appeared that she was intending to stick around as well. There was a tugging sadness at this thought; she was quite the interesting person, at least that he had seen so far. If he could only get some more time to talk with her.....maybe he'd get lucky and the call would come later.
Well, as they always say about us; Corellians make their own luck. So if the odds were better that he wasn't going to run into her, then maybe it was time he did something that put the chances back on his terms. Odds? Corellians like myself never believed in the odds, only our own skill and a little bit of luck. Spinning the chair around, Shine shot up faster than he had ever before, humming to himself as he headed back to the cargo hold. For once, his common sense was partially in agreement with him; it questioned how smart an idea this was but it also realized that to do nothing would just be torture on his heart. If she was upset with him for what he was about to do, so be it. He'd cross that bridge when he got to it. Instead of waiting for her to talk, why not just talk myself?
The datapad he'd brought with him to the Hutt's palace was right where he left it, resting on one of the empty crates the parts had been transported in. Snatching it from its resting place, Shine headed back off towards the cockpit. Once he got there, he saved the map to his ship's computers, transferred a copy to his datapad and reentered the code Sam had given him in the Hutt's palace. Fingers flew as he padded in a message, along with a little bit of the map and several of the guards locations.
=Okay, now I know I'm probably crossing some line here, poking my head into a place it shouldn't be but hear me out before you frell me. I don't know what your doing at the Hutt's palace in disguise, or why you need such a disguise or what your two friends are there to help you with but I want to help. Yes, I only met you once and it wasn't for very long. But I'm a good judge of character, comes with the trade and my instincts tell me that your one of those people that does things for a reason. Good reasons, not foul.
Now, I completely understand if you ignore this or rip me a new one later. But I promise, I won't be a burden. Or at least, I'll try not to be. You won't have to worry about watching my back either; I'm sure my front is much more entertaining to watch, but I can cover my bases pretty well on my own ^_^. I swear on my Corellian blood to adhere to what I say; and you know we don't go back on those promises.
PS: If your friends have doubts about me, then I left a little present attached to this message. I'm sure you and them will figure out what they are; there's more where they came from. Hopefully it'll dispel any doubts they have about me. If not, well, hopefully it gives me a few more points in your book. Though if I don't know what its going to be used for, I may have to hold off on sending the whole thing; I would hate for it to be used to bring the Hutt "grievances." ^_~ =
Shine had left out that he would send the whole thing eventually either way, but they didn't need to know that. If he was lucky, whatever they were doing would benefit from the map and as such, they'd want the rest. That would be his backup path into whatever was going down; and if that luck decided to favor him once again, then whatever it was would take a chunk out of that Hutt's giant rear. Oh, he would do the Hutt's job for the money he offered, but that didn't mean he was in the Hutt's pocket. Making the Hutt have a bad day on top of getting paid? What more could he ask for? With the message sent, Shine slid under the hyperdrive to start on the repairs needed there; not much else to do while he waited for a reply. If it came at all.
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