Catch a Ride, Part I

[Omdool]

Catch a Ride, Part I
Practice Run

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Omdool thanked the shuttle driver and stepped out into the murky streets of Zonju V. After living on the relatively clean Druckenwell for almost a year, Omdool had forgotten how bad the smell was. It made even the saltiest of Mon Calamari gag. But that same smell was almost comforting in a way. Omdool had grown up on Nar Shaddaa, where the smell was even worse. He knew how these places worked. He was comfortable here. Corruption flowed through these planets, from the air to the very society itself and using this corruption wisely would be the secret to Omdool getting very wealthy.

The young Mon Cal rushed into the large, multistoried building in front of him. Inside was just as dirty and loud as the streets outside, the overpopulated planet rife with cut throats, petty thieves and other similar dirtbags. Not that Omdool was any different, but at least he had goals and ambitions. As he walked through the markets, he was affronted on all sides by the groping hands of the poorest of poor, the roaming eyes of those better off, and the incessant yelling of both customer and shopkeeper. None of these shops, however were the right ones. Omdool was looking for a Sullustan arms dealer by the name of Mormba. There he would meet a pirate, bounty hunter and a fellow Cartel member. Today that one person would work for Omdool, for a price of course.

A strong draft wafted through the marketplace. Omdool pulled up the collar on his jacket and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. He was wearing the clothes of a simple smuggler looking for an affordable second-hand ride. The one difference was the tiny earpiece he would use to communicate with his partners. He had picked it up a few days before, along with his current outfit. White shirts and dark jackets had never been a favourite of Omdool’s. He grew up on Nar Shaddaa, where a single layer of clothes that couldn’t withstand a knife blade would get you killed. He felt vulnerable and unprotected, but the Rodians were a fairly distrusting species, so wearing a protective vest underneath his clothes would only cause unwanted suspicion.

The plan was fairly simple. A mile or so away was a warehouse belonging to an old Rodian shipping company. They stored a wide variety of starships from Corvettes to Cruisers and had just begun to sell many of them off in a desperate attempt to keep the company afloat. A floundering company on the edge of a heavily corrupted city. A fitting warm up. While Omdool browsed the many ships on offer, the pirate would be stationed above the shipyard. Then they would enter the building as quietly as possible and hijack the most expensive ship they could find. Omdool would be acting as the victim until the last moment, where he would disable the owner and escape on the stolen ship. If all went to plan, then part one of Omdool’s get-rich-quick plan would be complete. If all went to plan, Omdool would be over 300,000 credits richer. What would he do with that money? Probably get a nice apartment, a decent ship. As he waited for his partner to arrive, Omdool contemplated his near future. 300 k might not be a huge amount, but it would be enough to kickstart his career in the Cartel and in the company he worked for, [aeon]CORP. That’s where the money was. That’s how he was going to get rich.