Star Wars Rise of Black Sun [No Longer Accepting New Players]

Nal Hutta

While Xizor was taking a bath, someone or rather something snuck up on him. When the Falleen Prince finally became aware of the intruder, he rapidly tried to grab his handgun. The intruder, however, revealed itself to be none other than the human replica droid Guri. Still a bit shaken from the sudden interruption, the Falleen put his weapon away.
Guri: Sorry, Master, I didn't mean to scare you.
Xizor: Trust me, you didn't... What news do you have to report? Has the search for Aruk's killer started yet?
Guri: Yes, it has. Upon your orders, I hired some men to monitor bounty hunter activity within Hutt space. Like we anticipated, one crew of bounty hunters is on its way to Ylesia. All the others haven't made much advancement untill now. I will keep you updated on their progress.
Xizor: Very well, then you should leave before you are detected. I can only imagine how many persons were murdered in these chambers. Naturally, I don't want to be added to the list.
Guri: I will leave soon enough, Master. First, I need to tell you something else. It appears bounty hunters aren't the only ones looking for Aruk's killer. Not too long ago, a fight errupted here on Nal Hutta.
Xizor: A fight? On Nal Hutta? Nothing strange about that.
Guri: Well, actually, it is. Especially, when you take into account a poison dealer was targetted.
Xizor: I see... You already looked into the matter?
Guri: Yes, I suspect Black Sun's involvement. My men are following the persons involved as we speak.

 

Tatooine: Mos Eisley Spaceport

The question at hand: Who would want to kill a Hutt?
That obvious answer: Another Hutt.

That was the simple logic Resht Yillarni used when he decided to come to this dust ball of a planet. While it was not strictly in the Hutt space proper, it was in their domain of control. And more specifically it was ruled by Jabba Desilijic Tiure, one of the major rivals of the Besadii, who had been kicked off this planet decades ago after Jabba dealt with his strongest rival Gardulla.

If any clan had the resources to kill Aruk it was most likely the Desilijic Tiure, and in that case Jabba was probably involved in one way or another. And the rats in the backyard of a ruler always had a bit of dirt on them.

Resht felt the hot suns beat overhead as he ducked into a nearby cantina hoping to meet a contact.

As he waded through the crowed he took in the lively scene. Bith musicians playing in a corner of the establishment, and all kinds of aliens waddling about doing their business. Resht took note of two beings sitting back to back, both were alone as far as he could tell, being alone in this kind of place was as dangerous as it was rare. Without a group to back you up one was easy pickings for some of the more wild types around here.

The first was a middle aged human man in a brown tattered robe, with greying auburn hair. He kept staring out the slit in the wall that passed as a window, and seemed to be muttering to himself, though was otherwise indifferent to his surroundings. The other was a green skinned Rodian, in a black vest who was gripping a drink in his hands firmly, with a white mucus dotting his forehead as his large eye's wandered the establishment with clear fear permeating from him.

One of these two denominators obviously stuck out a particularly strange

He took four large strides with his long legs, as Resht approached one of the booths and grabbed its occupant with a large burly fist. The Human squirmed somewhat as he readjusted to no longer being on the ground.

"What you looking at buddy."
The man didn't answer right away, though Resht could sense a brief touch of annoyance under the mans calm exterior. "This ain't the kind a place you come alone little man, and it sure ain't the kind a place you take your eyes off your surroundings, what's your game..."

A pair of fingers appeared before his eye's as the man spoke in a calm voice.

"Don't concern yourself with me my friend, I was just on my way out."

The mans words seemed reasonable to Resht, and he lowered the man to the ground slightly, though his instincts told him something was off, he couldn't seem to stop himself.
"I won't concern myself with you human, you were on your way anyways..." Resht shook his head in confusion, but when he came back to focus he noticed the man was no longer there.
Something was odd about that one, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

A couple moments later Resht slid into the booth next to the shady Rodian, who finally made eye contact. "Resht.." the toad croaked. "What did you want, I was kinda busy here berfore you called big guy."

Resht gave a slight smile at the little creature. "Wugo, long time no see, can't I just stop by to meet an old friend?"
He gave in his most convincing voice.
The green skinned creature shook his head not believing it for a second. "First we have never been 'friends' and second even if we were, no way would you come to this place..." he waved his hand around the dark room, though Resht had the feeling he was more referring to Tatooine itself. "...just to see me."
The Chalactan cut the act quickly. "Your in Jabbas court right? I'm on a mission to figure some things out, someone in that slugs court could be of great use to me..."

Already the Rodian was shaking his head. "No, no Resht. I'm a bounty hunter the same as you. And I honor my contracts. You have your mission, and I have mine. Selling out employers ain't so good for business you understand?"
Resht snarled slightly. "Come on Wugo, you know I ain't so hospitable when I get frustrated, cut yourself some slack and just tell me where I can get another lead." Wugo visibly gulped at the implied threat. "Well... uh, I just can't..."
Resht got up shacking the table and barred down on the contact. "wait wait!" He shouted, and the man took his seat again with a glare. "Alright I'll tell ya what I can. Jabba spends most of his time in his palace, but when he's not there he goes to Mos Espa, the Boonta eve classic you know? Its the only spaceport on this rock he bothers to slither to... surely someone there could help ya big guy? Now how bout I pay for your drink and we part our ways?"
He spoke with his arms open in a friendly gesture, though he was still trembling.

Resht simply grinned, and offered a "Thank you" before pulling a quick-draw with his blaster under the table frying the contact cold.
"Off to Mos Espa it is then." he mumbled as he paid the bartender for the mess and went on his way.

 

Nal Hutta

"Malis, This is Captain Tulkis. I have pressing business on the Smuggler's Moon and I need you to prevent our rivals from getting involved. Monitor Xizor at all times. He and his people can not be allowed to interfere."
"Would it not be easier for me to just complete this errand myself. I am but a short shuttle ride from the Smuggler's Moon?" Malis inquired.
"Negative" said the Whipid. "The Corellian says that your presence near Durga is mandatory. Xizor can not be allowed to influence the Besadii while our alliance remains so tenuous. You are to remain where you are and keep me informed, nothing more!"
As soon as he was alone, Malis let out a stream of profane curses. It was not fair that Tulkis always got to grab all the glory while Malis was always left with the
unsung, practical tasks. The Whipid bathed in favors and glory that should belong to Malis,
"Its a tough break, to be pushed aside for the Whipid like that. What are you going to do about it?" a voice whispered to him.
Malis heard these words and agreed with them. It was as if his thoughts had been made real and vocalized. But his internal monologue did not sound like a female.
Malis quickly turned around. Before him stood a beautiful human woman. "Who are you? Who let you in here"
"I am a servant of Black Sun, just as you are." the woman purred. "Xizor sent me.He has things he would tell you."
"Speak quickly then." The Duos replied tersely. "If I like what I hear, maybe I won't shoot you."
"Very well then. The recent capture of the poisoner is something of great interest to Xizor. He has sworn a personal oath to Durga to find the murderer of his father. The Prince is very sympathetic to such things. He has sworn a similar oath to avenge his own murdered family. This is where we come in.
Xizor and Durga promise to pay a handsome sum of credits for any assistance in the fulfillment of Durga's revenge. Any Assistance you can offer us to meet this end will see you richly rewarded. It is my understanding that you know the location of the prisoner transfer?"
"I do" Malis said. "But I'm not convinced I should give it to you. How do you think it would look to the Corellian if Xizor stole his prisoner while I was assigned to watch him?'
"Oh believe me. It will not be you whom takes the fall. Neither you or Xizor will be directly connected to the theft of the poisoner. You did your duty diligently and reported on the activities of the Prince. Any failure, and more importantly blame will be directed at a certain Whipid captain."
This made Malis smile. In addition to the credits, the opportunity to discredit his rival was too good to pass up. "Alright. You have a deal Girl. The transfer takes place on Nar Shadda, in the old Black Sun base. The operatives will already be there with the captive. Tulkis is still enroute to the objective. If you are quick you can pull this off before he arrives."
"Thank you." The woman smiled but there was no warmth in it. It reminded the Duros of a Krayt Dragon he had hunted on Tatooine with the Corellian and Tulkis all those years ago. Malis knew that by making a deal with this woman, he had involved himself in something dangerous, but potentially very profitable for anyone smart enough to take advantage.

 

Coruscant

Glade Myst was a fresh face in the Coruscanti crime family... at least to most. He was getting ready for his introduction to the current leaders after spending his last eight years at university. Not just any university, mind you... the chosen university of the crime families to train their up coming members. Such places do exist, believe it or not. You just have to know where to look.

Glade's Uncle bad got him into the organization through his years of service, but things had changed since Black sun had got involved. Glade wasn't sure what to expect but his confidence was there all the same. He had big plans for his future with this occupation.

"A'Uara," Glade said in a snappy yet pleasent tone. The purple Mirialan women stood to attention immediately. Her skin color made her father's Twi'Lek genetics evident, though she looked more like her Mirialan mother. "I'm tired of waiting... this is boring. Why don't you get me something to eat and a glass of wine. Nothing too strong, I need my wits about me when I finally meet the crime family leaders."

"Of course, sir." A'Uara dissapeared out of the room while Glade stood in front of a window and gazed out at the commotion arpund them. He had been cooped up in that university for so long... he was ready to DO something. Just standing there he was already running scenarios in his head. He saw two shops and a club that would be easy targets, plenty of cash, and no problem on the get away. He saw a government official sneaking out of a questionable establishment... you wouldn't know he was until he walked three blocks and climbed in his government issue speeder. Foolish... Glade's mind wreaked havoc on all the society he could see from his tall sky scraper room window.

"Here you are, sir," A'Uara's voice interupted his scheeming. She held a tray of his favorite snacks. At least, his favorite snacks for a Tuesday. It was tuesday after all. On the tray was his requested beverage as well.

"Thank you," Glade said with a smile. "And you know, I've told you before... no need for sir unless we are around 'official' settings."

"I know..." A'Uara replied with a shy smile. "I'm just afraid one day I will slip up when we are in an official setting."

"No worries," Glade assured her. "No one looses their head for calling their superior by name... usually." He grinned teasingly. "Now... we simply... wait." Glade frowned and started on his snacks.

 

Pax and Ciro
Nar Shaddaa | Smuggler's Moon

Akrish was very eager to get out of Hutta Town. The assassins Pax and Ciro ensured him they would be out of there in due time, and that they had only entered the busy town looking to lose any tails that might have straggled along. The old Black Sun base would only take an extra fifteen minutes to walk to. There, they would meet Captain Tulkis, one of Vigo Shadow Trooper 's most trusted men.

After arriving at the old abandoned base, the three men made sure they were completely alone. Once assured, they began to settle down. As the men started to grow restless, a sudden voice filled the air. "Don't be alarmed, this is Captain Tulkis,". Stepping into the light, the three saw a Whipid emerge. Quite a startling looking species.

Ciro stepped up to meet the man. "Have you come alone?"

"Yes, I was not tailed. I have five operatives with me, however. They are here in case of an abrupt emergency. Also they'll help secure the poison dealer."

Akrish jolted, wide eyed. "What did he just say!? Did he say, "secure the poison dealer?" I do not understand, I thought this was an arms deal meeting. You've tricked me!"

"Relax, I can assure you..."

"No! Absolutely not..I have been lied to. I've agreed to come here under false pretenses. Wha..."

"Enough! We do not have time to argue," Pax stated. "Here is your man, do with him what you must,"

Tulkis nodded his head and began to motion his operatives to secure the target when something caught his, Pax and Ciro's attention. "Did you see that? He asked.

"Maybe it was nothing. Let's just complete this hand-off,"

As Tulkis' men continued to secure the target, Pax and Ciro just didn't have a good feeling about this night. And they could tell Tulkis felt the same way. It was all a matter of time...

General Immodet

 

Nar Shaddaa

It wasn't very hard finding a hitman on the Smuggler's Moon. However, most of the so-called assassins actually were none other than young inexperienced rascals seeking glory. Guri and Xizor weren't left an easy task. They needed someone capable of monitoring and, if necessary, disrupting the prisoner exchange near Vigo Shadowmancer's former Black Sun base. The captured poison dealer probably knew valuable information about whoever killed Durga the Hutt's father, so nothing could be left to chance: the guy could not be handed over to the Corellian Vigo, otherwise everything would be lost. After searching a while, Guri found an assassin with the right capacities. The Rodian hitman didn't have much of a reputation, but he knew just how to handle a sniper rifle. She payed the Rodian half of the credits in advance. The assassin would receive the other half from her after successfully completing the job.

The Rodian hitman already had set up shop before Captain Tulkis and his operatives showed up in the abandoned Black Sun base. In the past, the Rodian had heard stories about this place. Apparently, once upon a time, this building served as the headquarters for a kind of Force witch. The Force witch's powers were so big that none of the Hutt clans dared interfere with her business. Whatever happened to the witch, the Rodian didn't know. He suspected the whole story to be just made up to scare off new people traveling to the Smuggler's Moon.

Then, the moment arrived he had been waiting for. Two mercenaries brought in their prisoner, an infamous poison dealer from Nal Hutta. The Rodian assasssin transmitted recordings of the meeting down below to his mysterious employer. He only was to act after receiving an order from his boss. Not too longer after, the word came. The hitman didn't hesitate for a second: he zoomed in on the poison dealer's head and pulled the trigger. Then, he got up and made his way to the nearest exit.

OOC: This post includes a tribute to one of our earliest players, Shadowmancer. She helped lay the foundations for the Black Sun Game as we know it now.

 

Pax and Ciro
Nar Shaddaa | Smuggler's Moon

It was just a blur. A suppressed blast filled the air, and in an instant Akrish crashed to the floor. No one saw it coming, but the men's fears were confirmed. Someone had got the drop on them. Where Akrish laid, a pool of blood was forming. Under Akrish was one of Tulkis's operatives. The bullet had tore right through Akrish's head, and then pierced the operative in the throat. Clean sharpshooting.

"Secure the perimeter!" shouted Tulkis as his men began searching for the assassin. Ciro cursed to himself and then turned to his cousin, "Of course! It was too good to be true. Nothing ever goes this smooth,"

"Relax, cousin. Focus on the positives. This must mean Akrish was indeed the right suspect. Now we need to know who hired the assassin and then we have our culprits,"

"One problem. We have to catch him,". Pax and Ciro observed the recent scene. The point of entry into the Red Nikto's head entered inches away from his right eye, almost a temple shot, meaning the shooter shot at an angle, not dead straight. Given Akrish's standing position prior to being executed was facing the east wall of the base. Pax concluded the killer established position on the south wall. "Tulkis, keep your men on watch. Follow me, I think we know which direction the shooter came from,".

The three men made their way to the area of question when shots stopped them in their tracks, ducking for cover. The assassin was looking to cover his escape, but he should have been long gone by then. "Anyone get a good look at him?" asked Tulkis. "No, I'll draw him out, take the opportunity if it presents itself," exclaimed Ciro.

As the assassin began to reload, Ciro ran from cover and started spraying his rifle in the direction of the assassin, forcing him to retreat to a different cover. "He's a Rodian".

"I kriffing hate Rodians!" Pax yelled. He opened a pouch in his weapons bag and selected a stun grenade. "Get some!" As he stood and launched the grenade, with clean precision the Rodian shot the canister mid-air. It exploded not far from where it was tossed. Pax and Tulkis were rocked with the blast, forcing them ineffective. That left only Ciro to take down the Rodian as he had moved out of cover and was out of the blast radius.

The Rodian assassin quickly darted for the exit of the base while Ciro was in hot pursuit. Sensing the pursuer gaining on him, the hitman reached for the nearest objected topple over and cover his path. Predicting this move, Ciro leaped in a last ditch effort to take down the Rodian. The move was successful, Ciro clipped the man's legs taking him down.

"I've got you. Surrender!". That was not an option. The Rodian's scaly fist came around in a crushing arch as it purchased Ciro's face. Furious, Ciro returned to the favor, catching the Rodian in the jaw as he remained flat on the ground. Ciro yoked the Rodian up by his shirt and began throwing wild but fierce blows at the Rodian. Getting desperate, the assassin kicked out, connecting with Ciro's shoulder.

Now free to move, the Rodian got to his feet and began to flee again when Ciro tackled him, bringing him to the floor once more. Ciro turned the Rodian over looking to punch him again, but to his surprise a small blaster was now aiming at his face. Ciro moved out of the way just in time for the bullet to just miss his face. However, the blast lodged itself into Ciro's chest, just above his right rib cage.

The Rodian jumped to his feet and hastily made off into the dark night. Shortly after, Tulkis and Pax came running into the area. "You're late. Good job taking your time," Ciro offered sarcastically.

Tulkis was in no mood for jokes. "Well, I hope we've learned something to report back to our superiors,"

General Immodet Shadow Trooper

 

Tatooine; Mos Espa Spaceport

Resht Yillarni began his search without much of a lead. All he knew was Jabba occasionally frequented the Boonta Eve classic. And even that was little help at this time as racing was out of season. Plus amongst rumors the Empire was planning on cracking down on pod racing few people wanted to talk. Tatooine, and the Hutts never followed Imperial law in the first place, though for the most part they sought to keep their dirty dealings under the table. Everyone knew they broke the laws, the Empire knew they broke the laws, just as the Republic once did. But they never flaunted it in their face. There was definitely an undercurrent of fear in the Mos Espa streets as he walked them.

The Chalactan approached an out door diner. The Hot sun was bad, but the outdoors would definitely be cooler than any indoor establishment around, most of which lacked air coolers.

He ordered a simple meal, roasted Gorak, and a drink of water.

The water cost more than the Gorak he noticed slightly annoyed, though didn't say anything.
As he poked the slightly dusty bird, he looked at the crowed. He was good at reading these kinds of places, the creatures and lowlifes that were known to inhabit them all had the same tendencies. Asking questions to the wrong people could end a being up in some hot water, the cheep kind. The fact that he was here alone already drew more attention than he would have liked, though he was careful to maintain as low a profile as he could.

Most sentience wanted to just be left alone, even glancing at one the wrong way could sour your chances of survival. So There Resht sat, as time ticked by. Careful not to arouse suspicion. but also maintaining an awareness of his surroundings. He had good instincts, could tell a persons character the moment he saw them. Made life as a bounty hunter nice and easy.

After the second hour, and third roasted Gorak, he began to fear this was all a waste of time. But just then a Morseerian came up to the bar to order a drink. This being was not like the others he could tell, not a bounty hunter or other vagrant. If he had to guess, perhaps this was an information broker. Someone who likes sitting In these places for the gossip, and willing to sell that gossip to the highest bidder.

Resht had already spent sixty wupiupi on his meal, and he made a mental note to charge the Black Sun extra for it. As he swiveled his stool he gave his best grin. "Heya fella..." He whispered extra quiet like. "I here Jabba the Hutt likes to hang around these parts from time to time..." He carefully slid fifty wupiupi coins in a bag in the beings direction. "I got a business deal to make with him, k? Just tell me what the local gossip involving him are and this can be yours." The four armed masked creature took a moment to peak in the bag. He too glanced around before crouching in to offer a gruff whisper of his own. "Jabba don't come around much no more, not unless there business to have. Word says a being using the name 'Jabba' been here earlier today doin some shopping down at Walds parts." This puzzled Resht, who inquired further. "'Used the name' so it wasn't Jabba?" "Well dis being was no Hutt, had two legs and a Nimban face. Me no know more than that."

Resht sighed somewhat. So now he was off chasing an imposter, and a very bad one at that. Well, it was better than nothing... he supposed.

He gulped his water and left off on a new trail.

 

OOC: To keep things moving along a bit here is a follow up from my first post. Since A Blind Prophet has unfortunately had to pull out I'll start to get a handle for bookman and work him on his way to Coruscant once the rest of the interaction (if any need be left) is finished between him and Conservative Jedi's characters.




IC: Glade Myst, Coruscant

Time ticked oh so slowly for Glade, even with the sights out his window to gaze at. Finally, however, he received the call.

"Master," A'Uara called from across the room where she had been napping on a daybed. "I got the green light. The Crime family leaders are ready to meet you."

Glade twirled around as soon as she called his name, his face eagerly awaiting her next words. He was not disappointing with the announcement. "Fianlly!" he said with a sigh, setting down his nearly finished drink. "It's not polite to keep me waiting like this!" Glade marched to the door and down the hallway to the designated meeting room. A'Uara followed close beside him at a quick pace.

There were three crime Lords present and and four more "present" via hologram.

"Glade Myst!" a familiar voice spoke as Glade walked in the room. Glade didn't have to see the Keldor man in the dark light to know who it was.

"Rish Tayn!" Glade responded. "It's been far too long." The two greeted each other before the council went to their business.

As the council explained, black sun now controlled the happenings on Coruscant and the Crime Families were but pawns... though Black Sun seemed to try and make them feel like "Allies" They knew better, though. With Black sun, however, there was a need for a new position among them. They needed an ambassador... someone to handle the dealings between them and Black Sun. They had heard rumors that a new Black Sun agent named, "Bookman" was going to be centered on Coruscant. As such Glade would likely be dealing directly with him eventually.

At this point there was little else to do but for the council to contact Black Sun and finalize these arrangements with their blessing.

____________________________________________________________________

Bookman/ Polis Massa Black Sun Medical Facility


Bookman was still waiting for his departure to Coruscant. He wondered what was taking so long and his mind began to wonder once more if his choice to join Black Sun had been a wise one. Were they really going to let him set up his own operation on Coruscant? It seemed to be taking a while to actually get the that part of the deal.

 

Nal Hutta
Xizor was very pleased with Guri's efforts on Nar Shadda. The assassination of the poisoner had gone off without a hitch. With the obvious lead on the Hutt killer silenced, Xizor was bought more time to search for alternative evidence to bring before Durga. Guri's reported subversion of Captain Malis to earn the location of the poisoner was also very intriguing to the Falleen Prince. Before, Xizor had assumed that the Duros Smuggler had been a die hard loyalist to the Vigo Council. He would not have expected the Vigo Council to send anyone less than their most trusted operative to personally monitor him. If Xizor could persuade Malis to work for him, than all of his activities towards recruiting Durga would go completely monitored by the Vigo Council. More importantly, he could also use the man to give inaccurate reports about his activities to the Vigos to lull them into a false sense of security before he struck them down. He was just about to call the Duros for a conference when the Duros happened to buzz his com link.
"Hello Prince. I just got word from a certain Captain Tulkis. Apparently, the Corellian had an operation happening on Nar Shadda that had been interrupted. I take it your assistant has informed you of the help I gave you in this matter?"
"She has indeed. Is this why you have contacted me? You do not need to fear. My recompense for your contribution will be forthcoming."
"Oh I am not worried about that at all. Unlike the Corellian, you are known to reward good service. I have contacted you in hopes of furthering our business relationship" the Duros replied.
"You have my attention. What did you have in mind?" Xizor asked Captain Malis.
"I have been informed by the Corellian that the Bounty Hunter Bossk and a Black Sun torturer named Darth Rozic will be arriving on Ylesia soon to interrogate the workers there. Although you may have silenced the poison selle, there are individuals on Ylesia who may yet have the information the Vigos seek. I have a proposal I would like to share regarding this problem."
"Very good. But please refrain from speaking it over the comm. The palace has many ears."
"As you wish. I will meet with you in person than."
Xizor grinned at this development. One could always count on greed in order to manipulate lesser beings. The time was fast approaching when he could ascend to the top of Black Sun.

 

Nar Shaddaa / Nal Hutta

The clothing of Akrish Drem contained a secret dataship which was carefully sewn into the fiber. Although Captain Tulkis intended on taking the chip with him, Ciro and Pax managed to convince the Whipid to wait for a little while. After all, they knew their boss Darth Master Titus got a skilled slicer as an employee. Inserting the chip into a datapad, the two cousins transmitted its content to Titus' headquarters on Manaan. It didn't take long for the slicer to finish decoding the files. Apparently, Drem only had sold one batch of Worrts in the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, no relevant information could be found on whoever purchased the Worrts. The chip, however, did include the name of the smuggler hired by Drem. Reaching out to Shadow Trooper's sources, Ciro and Pax managed to track down the smuggler.

Recording of the smuggler's interview:
So, you want to ask me some questions about that Nikto fellow, Akrish Drem? Very well. Actually, do you know where I can find him? Yesterday, I arrived with a new shipment... Yes, indeed, a shipment containing Worrts. How do you know? Never mind... Well, I arrived with a new shipment, but Drem was nowhere to be found! How dares he, that son of Murglak! He still owes me a lot of credits. Could that be the reason why he decided to flee? To make the matter even worse, not too long ago, a Hutt crimelord showed up. Recently, he had purchased a large shipment of Worrts. However, when he made it back home, he discovered all the Worrt's teeth were removed. The Hutt, of course, wasn't pleased, you know how they are, and wanted to know where to find Drem. I was lucky to make it our alive. So, apparently, Drem didn't only doublecross me, but also some of his clients. Worrts no longer having any teeth, can you believe it? Since I don't allow anyone on my freighter, that means Drem ordered the teeth to be removed before transportation. How cruel can someone really be? Hey, wait, where are you going? You promised to buy me a drink! Get back here!

Exiting the cafe, Ciro and Pax both were thinking the same thing. Someone really made an enormous effort to cover up his tracks. No doubt, the poison used to kill Aruk was extracted from the toothless Worrts. Yet, someone removed the teeth before the Worrts were transported to Nal Hutta. So, that meant the extraction happened on Tatooine, the homeworld of the Worrt. Ciro and Pax knew where to go next: their search had led them to Tatooine.

 

Pax and Ciro
Tatooine | Mos Espa

The cousins touched down on Tatooine shortly after their meeting with Akrish's smuggler. The lead led them to the homeworld of the Worrts. And from the smuggler's testament, they were hot on the tails of a Hutt crimelord. The most fearsome Hutt crimelord on this planet was Jabba, no doubt about that. Pax and Ciro made their way through the busy spaceport.

Parched from their travels and tireless nights, the two approached the bar looking to drown some of their apprehensions. "I'll take a Tatooine Sunset," Ciro called out to the bartender. Pax looked at his cousin and laughed. "You're growing soft, cuz. A fruity drink!? Screw it, I'll take a Tatooine Sunburn!"

As the two crushed their drinks, they overheard a conversation going on to their right.

Just tell me..gossip..can be yours. Ciro and Pax stopped moving and drinking so they could listen in more carefully. Jabba don't come around much no more..unless business..had..here earlier..being no Hutt..Nimbian face.. The two's conversation seemed to die right there. The questioner began to leave when Pax and Ciro jumped up and set after them.

"Wait up! We hear you're inquiring about Jabba the Hutt. We have similar dealings on Tatooine. We're going to take a leap of faith and say you're here on Black Sun duty?"

All the Chalactan did was a slight nod of the head.

"We think we can work together on this job. My cousin and I are following a lead of a creature called a Worrt. A Hutt crimelord on this planet, we're assuming Jabba, might keep these creatures as house pets. The Worrt's are more importantly used for poison, excreted from their teeth. Well, a source told us the source is here, and if we find our poisoner, I think you can find Jabba. So, what do you say?"

ConservativeJedi321

 

Nal Hutta

While Prince Xizor was on his way to meet the Captain Malis, he received a report from his aide Guri.
'Master, the two mercenaries who tracked down the poison dealer are onto another lead. Since I didn't want to loose sight of them, I had one of my men place a tracking device on their spaceship. According to the device, not too long ago, their ship settled down on Tatooine. I guess they finally figured out Jabba's involved in Aruk's murder. Immediately after receiving the news, I reached out to some hired guns. I promise you, Prince, those two won't get far'
'Excellent work, Guri. Let's now see what this Captain Malis has to offer'

 

Ylesia: Guard House.
Having linked up with a crew of Black Sun enforcers, Bossk was able to use their authority to interrogate suspects he was looking for among Durga's guards.
After hearing from one of these Black Sun guys that their own interrogator was also interested in the prisoners, Bossk decided he would have to speed things up a little bit if he wanted to get any useful intel before any potential competitors did. He recalled the one time when he was assigned to kill a Quarren pirate and a opportunistic Black Sun Whipid called Tulkis had trailed him to the Bounty Site and stolen his prize. He would not allow any Black Sun captains to repeat the trick on him this time.
He had spent all afternoon questioning suspects, but they had all proved uncooperative.
"I'm getting tired of asking. Why don't you be a sport and just tell me who paid you?" Bossk broke another finger on the hand of the hapless henchmen. "Everyone will be much happier that way!"
"I told you already. We never saw the guy's face. The chief just told us that we would allow open acsess to the kitchen at the specified times and we would have a bonus hidden in our pay."
"And if I asked this chief, would your stories match?" Bossk growled.
"You killed the chief already madman! He was the first guy you interrogated." The weequay moaned.
"So your story is unverifiable then? I do believe you aren't telling me the truth." Bossk unsheathed his claws and raked them across the alien's face.
As the man screamed beneath Bossk's furious attentions, a commanding voice suddenly shouted out in Huttese ordering the Trandoshan hunter to stop.
Bossk roared in fustration. "I thought I said that I was not to be interrupted."
Durga the Hutt slid into the room in all his obese glory "This mine is mine. I go where I please!"
"Forgive my rudeness Durga. I have been a little bit frustrated lately. Getting information is hard work."
"And what have you found?" Durga queried.
"Regretfully, that information is reserved for me and the client!"
"Yes, Yes Xizor told me all about your contract with Black Sun. They put it out as a personal favor to me, so that makes me your employer by proxy. Anything you would disclose to them, you can also tell me."
"Very well then Durga. Perhaps you should stay and hear it for yourself." Bossk returned to his grisly work, joined in his endeavors this time by Durga himself. The screams redoubled in intensity from before.

Meanwhile, Darth Rozic and his people were landing at the mine. The pilot pulled back in alarm when he saw that he was docking next to Durga's personal ship. "I have a bad feeling about this." the man muttered. He recalled in the briefing that their rendezvous with the Bounty Hunter and the interrogation of the prisoners was supposed to have been done without Durga's knowledge. The Hutt's unexpected presence here threw a hydrospanner in that directive.
"What should we do?" the co pilot asked.
"Inform the Vigo and the council and wait for further orders" the pilot said.

 

Bookman/ Polis Massa Black Sun Medical Facility

Bookman was settling in to his new prison it seemed. It had been days since he had heard anything... from anyone. He was headed down to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat when he received a communication telling him that there was a ship there to pick him up. He frowned and ignored it. He was hungry... then the thought crossed his mind that maybe the ship had some actual clothing on it. Something beyond this grungy blue jump suit. He was still hungry, though. After grabbing a bite to ate as he walked, walking back down the hall and out to the landing pad.

"Sir," a droid voice called. "I am Six-T-Six-T-Six," the droid introduced itself. "I am the pilot for your new ship, 'The Beast.' I am here to pick you up and transport you to Coruscant to begin settling in to your new position. I also have an urgent message from the Crime Lords there. They are requesting a member of their organization be put as a... diplomat, between them and you." The droid seemed to say the word "Diplomat" with a rather doubtful tone.

Bookman stood... one would not be sure if he was staring or glaring. Perhaps both? "Your name is what? Pilot of the ship..." he paused. "What was the name again?"

"I am six-T-six-T-Six," the droid repeated. "The ship is named 'The Beast' and it is-"

"Alright," Bookman interrupted. "First order of business... your name and the name of that ship is being changed. Second, get me some real clothes."

"Uh... but sir, my designation numbers are-"

Again Bookman interrupted. "Just get me some clothes. I'll worry about names later."

If droids could glare Six-T-Six, as he was called for short, would have been glaring quite hard at this point. He turned and clanked back on to the ship mumbling something to himself about this assignment being worst than the last.

Bookman, not wasting any time, boarded the ship and learned his way around. It was a decent ship. Not large, but not small. It would do nicely. Certainly better than a hut prison or a body bag. "Finally..." He breathed a sigh of relief. These past few days had left him wondering if he was ever going to see Coruscant at all. A short moment later Six-T-Six returned with an ship captain's uniform. Bookman cringed. "A uniform? I said real clothes." He took them, though. It was at least a short step up from the jumpsuit.

"It is all we have on board," Six-T-Six said with a nearly exasperated sound.

"I need to take exasperation out of your vocal regulators," Bookman said, almost aimlessly as he took the clothes and started changing where he stood.

"I'm afraid I'm fluent in over a dozen forms of exasperation and several special dialects that include sarcasm... sir," Six-T-Six replied indignantly. "It's not in my regulator... it's part of my programming. Besides, you have business. There is a holo call for you. It's the Crime Lords of Coruscant."





IC: Glade Myst, Coruscant

Glade sat in his lounge waiting impatiently. It had been days since the crime family leaders were supposed to speak to Black Sun to verify his position as the diplomat between the two groups. Of course, "diplomat" was a very... loose term for what he would be doing. It served the office well, though, to have an official sounding title. Glade was so anxious to get out and do... something... anything. If A'Uara had not been sleeping with her head leaning on his chest he would be up pacing, no doubt.

Glade jumped with a start as his com blinked and beeped. A'Uara moaned and shuffled a bit as he scooted away and lay her down on the divan. "Glade," he answered the call. It was from Rish Tayn. "What's the word, Rish?"

"We finally made contact with the Black Sun enforcer taking over Coruscant. Bookman, he calls himself. Looks like he really doesn't care too much who does the diplomacy. The job is all yours."

"Excellent! When will he be here?" Glade asked.

"I have no idea," Rish replied. "I gave him your holo contact. He said he would contact you once he was planet side. Just keep us informed and remember... you work things in the best interest of the Crime Families, and this diplomat position is only the first rung on your ladder to success."

"You're preaching to the choir, Rish," Glade said with a chuckle. "I'll work things to everyone's benefit."

"That's what we like to hear," Rish replied, his voice sounding gravely through the holo distortion. "Contact me as soon as you hear from Bookman."

"Understood," Glade said, then flipped his com off. He scoffed and shook his head. "That Keldor thinks he can order me around... you just wait Rish... you just wait." He chuckled softly.

"Who was that, Master?" A'Uara's voice came, dimly and weakly like the last rays of sun on a cloudy evening. Glade walked over to her and sat back down, laying her head back on his chest. "Did you get your call?" A'Uara asked.

"I did," Glade answered with a smile. "I've got the job... now sleep." He kissed her forehead and put an arm around her. "You need your rest. Both of you do." He slid a hand over A'Uara's stomach as she drifted back to sleep. Though she didn't show, A'Uara was four months pregnant with Glade's first child. Glade swore to make a better life for them. For them all. He had big plans.

 

Combo With Dath Master Titus
Resht Yillarni, Pax and Ciro

"Wait up! We hear you're inquiring about Jabba the Hutt. We have similar dealings on Tatooine. We're going to take a leap of faith and say you're here on Black Sun duty?"

The voice came from behind Resht, startling him back to his surroundings just as he had been prepared to leave.

Once again he turned to face the crowd only to see two strange fellows approach him. He gave his head a slight shift down, he knew most cultures took the gesture to be a nod though on Chalacta it was a predatory warning. Perhaps a futile attempt to be threatening given the circumstance but it was an instinctive response.

These two, he recognized them from his previous observations, they had come in not long after the Morseerian. He had been too wrapped up in his discussion with the informant to give them much thought though. Resht carefully withdrew his arms into his sand colored tunic inching his hand closer to his concealed blaster as he attempted to get a reading on them.

"We think we can work together on this job. My cousin and I are following a lead of a creature called a Worrt. A Hutt crime lord on this planet, we're assuming Jabba, might keep these creatures as house pets. The Worrt's are more importantly used for poison, excreted from their teeth. Well, a source told us the source is here, and if we find our poisoner, I think you can find Jabba. So, what do you say?"

They practically spoke in unison, they were definitely related as they claimed, though how up front they were was strange in a place like this. What were the odds he would come upon other hunters after the same game as him?
This is all very suspicious. But just then he became hyper aware of all the attention the two had drawn to him in their rushed frenzy.

His shoulders slumped in realization of the foolhardy move, that these two clearly weren't a threat hardly made up for the cover they just blew.

He slid the palm of his hand down his face as he sighed in irritation.

In a harsh whisper he grunted. "Follow me." And offered a frustrating gesture off too his right as he quickly moved down a dark ally way not even looking to see if they were behind him.

As to the body language of the Chalactan, Pax and Ciro got the hint the man was suspicious. After a few more moments of silence from the Chalactan, he reluctantly told them to follow him. The three men ventured out of the spaceport bar, out of the spaceport completely and made their way to a dark alley. No eyes or ears to hear and tell tales.

The Chalactan was still tense, not fully trusting these two strangers with highly classified information. Again, there was an all too long pause from the Chalactan's side, so Ciro took the initiative to ease his mind.

"Look, friend. We have been sent on this mission by a member of the Vigo council. Vigo Titus to be exact. Our search for Aruk's killer began on Nal Hutta, then progressed to Nar Shadaa, and now we find ourselves on Tatooine. I am Ciro, this is Pax. On official Black Sun duty. We have told you who we are, now can you tell us who you are? We could be talking to someone who is an enemy of the Black Sun, aiming to gather the same information as us to gain a strategic foothold. If that is the case right now, then we'll have a whole other situation to deal with, but I do not think that is the case."

Pax stepped us as well, "We all want the same thing here. The faster we get details, the faster we are to locating the killer." Hopefully they relieved any suspicions.

They had just passed by a dumpster full of sand, and Resht figured they were far enough away from the watchful eye's of the crowd that they could talk freely.

He didn't turn around right away. Simply responded with audible annoyance. "Y'all haven't exactly mastered the art of subtlety have you? Hutts probably got spies everywhere and now you gone and blabbed the mission to half the town."

Resht shook his head in frustration at the whole scenario as he continued.
"Look 'friend' I ain't very good at teamwork, most of my partners end up dead in a day. So excuse me if I ain't jumping at the shot of putting in a group effort,"

He let a beat pass between them, before shifting his feet to glance at the two cousins out of his peripheral vision. "But still... we're less likely to draw attention by working together. Loners are even more suspicious than blabbers. If you two can convince me you can be professional I'll see about tryin to play nice."

This Resht guy was proving to be more difficult than expected. "Professional? Are you kidding me? Pax..tell him!" Ciro looked more annoyed than both of them. "We've helped liberate the Kessel prison from enemy rule and we've helped the Black Sun countless other times, yada yada yada. Look you two, we are running out of time before our enemies catch onto us."

"I propose that we try to infiltrate Jabba's palace. Right Pax? Back me up on this one. If we can somehow make it into his compound and find toothless Worrts, we would have found our evidence to bring forth to the Vigo council. What do you say, Chalactan? Do you have a better idea?"

Resht couldn't help but snicker at the small outburst that all but proved his point.
But he supposed he didn't exactly have any other options.

Resting his hand on his chin for a moment he thought. Infiltrating the palace could be dangerous. Though he admitted his current lead was somewhat ridiculous in itself, a Nimbanel posing as a Hutt? Not even he could take it seriously, but it was the only one he had at the moment.

"How do you propose we do that?" He asked genuinely curious as to what they had in mind.

 

Combo with ConservativeJedi321
Resht Yillarni, Pax and Ciro

Infiltrating Jabba the Hutt's palace was no easy task. Before that, they were faced with the barren Dune Sea. Jabba's palace was accessible along a sandy road, if you wanted to be seen. Stealth was vital to this mission. No one could see them coming. As a stipulation to this fact, the three men had to navigate around the outskirts of the Dune Sea to approach the palace from behind. The only problem was the palace was situated along a steep cliff. Only a narrow path behind the palace separated the rear wall to the edge of the cliff. Not only that, they would not be able to use this path because guards were busy making rounds all day and night. Back doors were out of the equation.

Given the circumstances of the mission, infiltration was most reasonably to be done at night, for the night blankets them in darkness. Pax, Ciro and Resht made the trek at dusk. The Dune Sea was home to Tusken raiders and even worse, krayt dragons. Luckily for the men, they did not encounter either. Within an hour they approached the palace. In the distance they could see a light show. Jabba's palace was lit like the Coruscant skyline. It was impossible to miss. Stopping at the first rock wall on the perimeter of the palace, Ciro spoke up; "Okay, we need to climb over this rock and then descend it. We have to grapple the cone roofs somehow and attempt to enter between the first and second cone roofs. Following?"



Ciro looked around to see if Pax or Resht had any objections. A couple dumbfounded faces later, Ciro began the climb. It took but minutes to climb to the top of the rock wall.Once at the top, the men began to climb down onto the smaller boulders nearest to the far wall. "Pax, I need a rope." After receiving the rope, Ciro began to twirl the rope around like a lasso and gave it a heave, the best one he could muster. It was hard to tell if it worked since he could not see over the first coned roof, but he tugged and the rope wouldn't budge. It purchased something, hopefully it would hold their weight.

Pax was the first up the rope, then came Rehst and finally Ciro. They had made it! As ridiculous as the plan seemed, and was for that matter, the three of them had successfully infiltrated Jabba's palace. Now the hard part. Sneak around the gang-filled fortress undetected. Inside, things proved to be much more difficult. Around every turn was a Gamorrean guard. Jabba was either paranoid or just prepared for the worst case scenario. Probably both being the leader of a criminal cartel.

The trio had done their best to avoid all of the guards they had come across until the three found themselves trapped in a vent between two connecting rooms. When they had entered the vent, there were no guards near. Unfortunately after they climbed in, a Gamorrean approached and parked his self at their escape route. On the other side of the vent was a medium sized room with one Gamorrean guard and one Twi'lek slave girl. Ciro figured they'd only have to worry about the guard, and not the slave. So he crept to the end of the vent where he dropped down and caught the guard unaware. Two daggers shot out of Ciro's hands like lightning, piercing the Gamorrean twice in the jugular. Before dying, it let out a muffled squeal. By their luck, no one else heard. Rehst did not look impressed.

The Twi'lek slave girl cowered in the corner of the room, afraid the men would kill her next. Pax lifted a finger to his lips, telling her to keep quiet. "Where does Jabba keep his pets? Does he keep Worrts inside the palace?" Confused, the Twi'lek replied, "I do not know of such "Worrt". But Jabba keeps his pets in various places within the palace. Check his bedchamber"

"Greaaaat!" If things weren't difficult enough, now they had to enter the slob Hutt's bedchambers. "Point us in the right direction". As they crept up to the doors to his chambers, they could hear the bustling of the business within the palace. The Hutt and his men were currently feasting elsewhere in the fortress. Lucky for them. Resht pushed open the door. Quite a sight, the bedchamber was. Jabba loved to live lavishly. But they could not take their focus off of their mission, which was already taking too long.

"Over there, what is that?" Resht called. Indeed there they were. Locked in a small cramped caged, about a half dozen worrts lie squished against each other. Examining the creatures closer, the three men noticed all six worrts were without teeth. "I think we've found our evidence,"

Hurriedly, Pax and Ciro gathered photographic proof to show to the Vigo council. They did not want to be in Jabba's palace for another second. Satisfied with their findings, the cousins set off for the exit when they had an eerie sense they were missing something..The Chalactan. He had suddenly vanished without a trace.

Nothing was ever simple.

 

IC: Resht Yillarni
Tatooine Jabba's Palace

As those two mercs got themselves caught up in taking holos of those Warr... Wurr... Ur? Eh whatever they called them, Resht decided to go explore a bit. The palace was quiet, a little too quiet. It was late, and he felt the silent tremors of the dreams its the occupants. He also heard the loud rambunctious snoring of the slug sleeping in the throne room, which Resht carefully avoided as he looked around.

It appeared to be a old B'omarr Monk monastery he observed. That didn't surprise him, Hutts in general semed rather fond of using the old temples as their personal quarters.It certainly made it easier for him to find his way around, he had worked for Hutts before, and once for the Monks themselves. So he had no problem finding his way through the large chambers.

As he rounded a corner he came upon a small balcony which he stood on for a second gazing out upon the blowing sands of the dune sea.

Just then he heard voices.
"Coona tee-tocky malia?"

With a swift, but light foot Resht hid behind the corner he had came out from just in time to see a pink twi'lek in a black robe walk out onto the balcony he had just been on a moment previously. Resht's Huttese was a little rusty, but he could understand the gist of what was being said.

"Jabba has been waiting for your report for three cycles!"
He recognized this one as Bib Fortuna, Jabba's personal Major Domo.
He couldn't see who the Twi'lek was talking to, but he recognized the distinctive squeal of the Gamorrean language. Though he couldn't understand a word of it.

"Well its late now, Jabba is not to be disturbed, so you report to me instead, alright?"
The next squeal seemed hesitant, though it wasn't the short reply one would expect a 'no' to sound like.

"I will relay the message once the master awakes, I assure you." A short pause occurred, before the guard began his report.

"Hm, Why has Mosep Binned elected to stay in Mos Espa instead of moving onto Anchorhead?"
The answer came quickly. "Tax evaders? How could this be? We need every wupiupi we can muster if we are to stay ahead of the game in the underworld. The other families are not to be trifled with lightly, and we need to be ready, now more than ever. I'm sure Jabba will permit Binned to use whatever means necessary to muster the needed funds..."

The conversation grew distant as the two began to walk away, but Resht chose not to follow, for now he had another lead, a name. "Mosep Binned." he whispered. Clearly some kind of financier he could tell. And if you want to find out what a criminal is up to, you gotta follow his money trail.

After a moment he began to retreat, so he might catch up with Pax and Ciro, who he figured probably just finished their little collection.

 

Nal Hutta

As the doors opened, Prince Xizor found his aide Guri waiting for him. Meanwhile, Captain Malis snuck out of the room through the backdoor. After all, neither Xizor nor Malis wanted to be seen talking to each other. Returning to his private quarters, Xizor was brought up-to-date by his human-like replica droid. Shadow Trooper

Guri: How did the meeting go? Did you achieve the results you wanted?

Xizor: The meeting went splendid. Thank you for asking. Why have you come to bother me? Have your men reported back yet?

Guri: Last thing I heard from them, they were following two of Darth Master Titus' mercenaries and a bounty hunter called Resht Yillarni ConservativeJedi321 to Jabba's Palace. I suppose they are waiting for them to come out. At least, if they come out. As you know, a lot of people don't.

Xizor: No news is good news. What else?

Guri: While we are conducting business here on Nal Hutta, a meeting is being planned between the Coruscanti Crime Families and Black Sun. Crime Lord Rish Tayn has assigned one of his guys to serve as a go-between while dealing with our organization.

Xizor: Rish Tayn? Pff, I should have asked the Imperials to get rid him long before! Do you know the identity of this go-between?

Guri: Yes, his name is Glade Myst. Jax Nova He is meeting Bookman, the Hutt servant that murdered Arok the Hutt, in the very near future.

Xizor: My plans cannot be disturbed by people like Myst of Bookman. Not at this stage, at least... Hm, since they are both new to the game, they probably are ambitious. And as we both know, ambition is a trait I can exploit... Before they know it, they will be serving my agenda instead of their own. Soon, my presence on Nal Hutta will not longer be required and then I can return to Coruscant. The only thing I have to do, is wait for Durga to return from Ylesia. Still need to discuss an urgent matter with the Besadii leader...

 

IC: Coruscant/ Bookman and Glade Myst


Bookman had done his "business" with the crime families and accepted their so called diplomat. He didn't care who it was as long as Glade played nice and didn't bother him. Now the ship was ariving. Bookman had been pouring himself over the details of the the Black Sun occupation, it's rules, it's facilities, anything he needed to know. Information was power.

Bookman flipped off the holo as the ship landed. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. Certainly not the most restful trip but he had experienced worse. He felt stupid wearing the uniform, but then a formal attire might be more fitting for this occasion. Anything was better than nothing... or a jumpsuit.

Glade Myst was there to meet Bookman as he stepped off of his ship. "As the newly approved ambasador between our two groups, it's my pleasure to welcome you to Coruscant Bookman," Glade greeted him.

"Of course," Bookman said, trying to sound official. At this point he just wanted to get settled in and relax for the first time in a long time. Then he could delve into business. "Thank you. I trust our dealings will be smooth. I've taken the liberty of updating a few of the terms of the Black Sun occupation, due to my pressence." Bookman handed Glade an updated holo document. "Just a few minor accommodations for myself."

"I'll see to it right away," Glade assured him, though his words seemed hiden behind a slight scowl. "I would like to discuss a new opportunity for our groups, when you have the time. With our local contacts and Black Sun's resources I believe it could be quite profitable."

"Of course," Bookman said once more with a wave of his hand. "I'll have my secretary call you and set an appointment. I take it you have my transportation arranged as requested?"

This time Glade's scowl was not quite so slight. "Indeed," He said dully and motioned towards a speeder. Bookman nodded and entered the speeder. "Well..." Glade thought outloud. "That wasn't how I imagined things going." He headed back to his appartment while skimming over Bookman's "revisions" to the Black Sun terms.

 

Resht Yillarni, Pax, Ciro
Combo with ConservativeJedi321

Resht wove his way through the halls, careful to avoid the main chamber he instead took and alternate route back to the cage room, so that he came in the opposite door they had earlier. Pax and Circo were looking slightly bewilderedly back and the rooms main entrance so they hadn't seen him enter.

"Watch your backs, if I had been a guard you'd both be dead." He spoke with a in a monotone that carried far enough to reach them at full volume but not far enough to alert anyone to their presence.

"Don't be so sure Chalactan. We're a quick draw," Ciro spat at Resht. "Where have you been? Don't give us a reason to not trust you. Not like we did in the first place."

Before Resht could respond, noises could be heard from down the hall slowly making its way to Jabba's chambers. "Time to go!"

The chamber's door was off limits as they'd be spotted so the search for another exit began. The windows were barred off, so that was one less possible escape route. Pax scrambled around deeper into Jabba's room until he found a hatch in the ceiling. He had no idea where it led to, but they didn't have much of a choice at the moment.

"Hurry up, let's get out of here". As they got the hatch open, guards began to enter the room. Audible squeals and then the deep gargle of throaty laughter that followed. That had to have been Jabba the Hutt, returning to his bedchambers.

Resht was the first into the hatch. Then Ciro received a boost from Pax into the hatch. As Ciro climbed through and rolled over, Pax looked up to Resht to give him a hand. For a brief moment Pax noticed a slight hesitation from the Chalactan to help him up. But nonetheless, he extended a hand and they were all through by the skin of their teeth.

They followed the crawl space, which was an air conditioning vent, to a drop off zone outside. What stopped them was about a 35 foot drop to the sandy surface of Coruscant. Pax gathered his rope and held tight as he lowered Ciro and Resht down. Now for him to get out. Pax took out one of his knifes and stabbed it into the floor of the vent as far down as he could, punching it farther and farther into the metal. Then he knotted the rope around the grip of the knife. "Hopefully this will hold".

Descending half way down, the knife gave way allowing Pax to free fall the last 15 feet or so right onto his side. The impact of the fall blew the wind out of him and probably broke a few of his ribs. Ciro gathered his cousin as the mercenaries, along with the bounty hunter, escaped Jabba's palace at the first sight of dawn.

 

Ylesia
"So you can confirm that your boss payed you with Desjillac credits?" Bossk asked the whimpering Weequay. The alien, having suffered so much under the tender ministrations of the angry Trandoshan, was so weak from this experience that all he could manage was a nod. Bossk wiped his bloody claws off on the chest of a tortured henchman, his fangs bared in a happy smile. "Is that good enough proof for you?" he said to Durga.
"It is enough to convince me alright, but it remains to be seen if the council will see things the same way. All of our witnesses are my employees. They would assume that I had these men lie to excuse my attacks on Jabba. To take this thing public, we will need to get our hands with an associate of the Desjillac."
Bossk snorted. "That shouldn't be too difficult. Next time I visit Jabba, I'll just kidnap one of his entourage and poke him till he squeals."
Durga smiled at the Trandoshan. "Thank you for allowing me to sit in on your work. It was a most entertaining and informative experience. There is one question that still plagues my mind. How did the Desjillac know about this mine?"
Bossk shrugged. "That really seems to be the question of the day doesn't it? Black Sun asked my father to have us find out the same thing when they initially hired us. He also said that they wanted this whole operation classified and confidential."
"That is something to ponder" Durga rumbled thoughtfully. "Thank you once again for your help. You will find your payment waiting at the docks and you can expect far more if your investigations turn up anything new." With his payment settled, Bossk took off towards Tatooine. Since his deal with Durga was off the books, he was able to keep the entire payment to himself without giving the guild a cut. This pleased the Trandoshan very much. Not only was he getting paid by two clients for the same job, he was also able to avoid his father's thievery on half his loot. There were some days when he thought that the Guild would be better off disbanded, or at the very least placed under his management.His father was a great hunter once, but his glory had faded much in recent times. It was up to young nad clever hunters like Bossk to make sure that the profession continued to maintain its former glory under the rule of the Empire"
While Bossk was on his way to Jabba's palace, Durga was sitting on Ylesia pondering things. His father had been reconsidering their alliance with Black Sun when in the middle of negotiations he was poisoned by a neural degenerative disease. While the evidence pointed at the Desjillac clan, it remained unknown how their rivals were able to learn of and infiltrate an installation that was known only to Besadii elders and the Vigo Council. The new information Durga had gleaned from Bossk was even more suspicious. Durga had been grateful when Black Sun offers to use its own resources to look into the assassination, but the new revelations that Bossk had shown him suggested a far more sinister motive for their actions; that their search for the truth was actually a cover up for their involvement. Strangely enough, Xizor had hinted to him of such duplicity by the Corellian when they had last spoken on Nal Hutta. Durga resolved to seek out the Falleen upon his return. They now had many things to discuss together.

 

Message from Advisor Immodet to Vigo Darth Master Titus

Just received the pictures that you obtained from Jabba's Palace. Although I had some doubts when I heard about the poison dealer's death, your men really showed themselves capable of handling their mission. However, I am afraid that the pictures of the toothless Worrts won't do. As ridiculous as it sounds, your men might have put the evidence there. We need more conclusive evidence to back up our case. Otherwise, the Hutt Cartels won't support Durga in his quest for justice. Maybe, the bounty hunter who accompanied your men knows something more. After all, he gets payed more if he delivers results on his own. See what your men can find out.

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Mos Espa

It had been a long while since someone last decided not to pay for Jabba the Hutt's protection. However, now such a situation had presented itself once more. A couple of farmers near the outskirts of Mos Espa recently stood up against Jabba, forming a coallition of their own. Mosep Binneed, Jabba's right-hand man, didn't like the situation one bit. He knew more people would follow their lead if he allowed the situation to go on. Even though the farmers were known to be dangerous, the Nimbanel went to meet them on his own. He left all his goons behind in a Mos Espa cantina. When one of the farmers first spotted Binneed, he immediately sent for the other farmers. Soon, the Nimbanel was surrounded by an angry mob.

Farmer: Why have you come, slave of Jabba? To threaten us once more?
Binneed: No, I just wanted to make sure you don't need protection.
Farmer: What do you think? Now, get away!
Binneed: Alright then. I see you don't want protection. That is fine by me.
Farmer: Now, is it?
Binneed: Of course, everyone is free to decide what he wants. Nothing I can do about it. I will just leave you be.
Farmer: And come around with more goons, right?
Binneed: No, who do you think I am? Jabba does not threaten his own people. He offers them protection to save them. Since you are unwilling to accept Jabba's help, you are on your own. Beware of the Tusken Raiders. Normally, Jabba's people make sure they don't reach this point. However, since you don't want help, all of Jabba's services go away. There will be no one to stop the Tusken Raiders from entering this part of town next time. Have a good day.

As Binneed stepped into his airspeeder, he know his trick had worked. He had managed to create doubt among the farmers. Within a few days, Jabba's goons would release some Tusken Raiders near the area. When they get spotted, the farmers shall soon change their minds. Oh, Binneed really liked doing his job...

 

OOC: Very short post sorry

IC: Rozic

Rozic wandered into the interrogation chamber and blankly store at his victims eyes. He fitted a pair of black gloves and readied a needle of truth serum.

"So.... we're gonna start off simple," uttered Rozic as he licked his dry, cracked lips. "Tell me; what's your name? How old are you? And of course what was your job with Aruk?"

Rozic stabbed the needle into his victim and uttered something under his breath.

"I'm going to enjoy this!"

 

IC: Coruscant/ Bookman

Bookman settled in to his new surroundings. The building was large enough, comfortable enough, and thankfully well furnished. He had been pouring over the Black Sun resources and assets, getting a handle on what he had to work with there on Coruscant. To the best of his understanding as long as he was making Black Sun a profit and not causing the organization any problems he was safe. That was his biggest concern at this point. Sure... riches and power were nice, but right now he simply wanted to ensure that he was valuable enough to keep alive.

Glade had mentioned something about... an operation... and profit. Bookman shrugged, it was worth looking at anyways. He called a droid in.

"Yes sir?" the droid said in it's low mechanical voice.

"Contact Glade Myst. Tell him I am ready to discuss his plans for this... profitable venture that he had in mind."

"Yes sir," the droid left promptly to contact Glade.




IC: Coruscant/ Glade Myst

Glad had been setting things in order for his venture when he received a holo call. He figured if he had everything read, perhaps Bookman would be more willing to give it a green light. He picked up to see a holo image of a droid.

"Hello, I am H8T, servant of Bookman, servant of Black Sun. Bookman would like to inform you that he is ready to speak to you regarding your profitable venture."

"Thank you," Glade said, sounding professional and holding in his excitement and aggravation over the long amount of time it had taken Bookman to get back to him. "Would he like the details in person or over holo transmitter?"

"In person, please," The droid responded. "He would like you to come to his office tomorrow morning to go over your plans with him."

Glad nodded. "I'll be there. What time?"

"Whatever time suits you best, sir," the droid insisted.

"Well, I'll plan on an hour after sunrise."

"Very good," the droid sounded his grainy rough voice again. "I'll tell him when to expect you."

With a nod and a flicker of light the holo vanished and Galen set back to gathering his intel, plans, and gear, in order.