Murder on Manaan

[JessieTaylor]

When Kalo had headed towards the casino, Aerena stopped in her room for a minute. She sat on the bed and looked up at the ocean, watching the sea creatures swim past. It was a good feeling, just sitting there. Nothing that needed to be done, nothing to worry about. And it was so comfortable. It was funny, she had never thought of spending her earnings at a place like this before. She just worked. And worked. It was her life. When she wasn't doing a job, she was sleeping or eating or working on her ship. Or trying to get a job. She never thought of anything else. It was good to just relax, especially now. She needed to catch up with herself. With the galaxy. It was so weird, being in the future. It was so hard to believe. Yet she knew it was true. Not long ago, she had been on a smuggling run in 13 BBY. Now it was 1,023 ABY. Well, she'd catch up here. Get used to the idea of living in the future. Which was the present, now.

Well, Kalo was waiting for her. She got up and walked over to the mirror. She felt so awkward in the dress. She had known the clothes she had wouldn't do for a place like this, and had bought a couple of dresses. She was wearing the one that she hated the least- a black dress that went down to her knees. It was sleeveless and the bottom half was loose. It was somewhat plain, yet it was expensive. And it didn't look bad, she thought. She still didn't like it, though. Dresses made her feel awkward, impeded and venerable. Oh, well. It didn't matter, not here. It wasn't like there was someone here that would try to kill her, and she would have to run or fight. This was vacation from all that. She let her hair out of its usual braid and left the room, hurrying towards the elevator. She entered to see Kalo standing by his new droid, shaking a man's hand.

 

[Outlander]

Tala looked over to Ral, shrugging. She honestly had no idea what they would do with a VIP pass. She guessed it would be useful to have. One more place they could go. She motioned for Ral, glancing at the girl down the hallway. Something felt... different about her. She concentrated, trying to connect with her fragile bond to the force. She didn't have formal training; only her ancestor's instructional tapes. But, she was able to use it sporadically. And maybe this would be one of those times.

 

[LilyNion]

At first, Kheera didn't understand the waiter's joke. That was, untill she noticed that he was pointing at the glass windows. Her smile was in one split second gone, the sweat back on her forehead. Ofcourse, it has to be the type of waiter that makes lame jokes. She planted her elbows on the table with the back of her hands against her cheeks. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to ignore the area around her. Just focus on yourself, Kheera. Ignore the water.. water.. Water! She digged deeply into her own skin with her fingers.Right. Don't think about that! Your food will be here soon, just hold on for a couple of minutes.

It didn't take too long before the waiter returned with the plate. The smell of the meat was out right amazing, with garlic being one of the strongest fragrance. Kheera opend her eyes with the biggest smile on her face, the smell was already enough to calm her down. "No, I'm quite fine. Thank you alot! And tell the chef that it smells amazing! I can't wait to eat it!" As soon as the waiter left, Kheera grabbed the silverware between her fingers and 'attacked' the meat with it. After tasting it, she realized it was Grazer's meat. The flavor of the meat made her taste buds scream of joy. In fact, it was an explosion of different types of flavours. And she enjoyed it, alot. And for that little while, her body as at ease.

 

[Phoenix]

“Seems rather strange indeed,” he commented. It didn’t seem like it would be a good thing for Casino business to have people win so often, though if it drew more people then perhaps the benefit outweighed the cost.

“Tell me, when I finish up a long night of sabacc, where’s the best place to go in the resort? Any particularly nice views or places to look out?” Personally, he was something of a man of solitude. Time to be alone and look out into the sea would be just fine with him.

He waited for a reply, before politely excusing himself. Simple club soda wasn’t cutting it; he wanted to get to the games. Shortly, he found a table and took a seat. The dealer passed out the cards, and the game began. Several of the men at the table seemed to know their way around the cards, but he doubted any had played as long, or intensely, as he had. He had funded most of his teen years with this game, and he hadn’t lost his touch. He won the first hand with nothing but a pair of 4s. Not that his opponents ever found out what he was holding. None of them had had the guts to call his bluff.

After a couple of hands of losing, the other players got tired and left, and Corto was forced to find something new to do with his time, or else find a new game.

 

[Ral]

Well, that was certainly an interesting situation, I suppose. At least Tala didn't go around punching people in the face. The Mandalorian simply sighed a bit hoping that they would be able to go see the bar or the casino soon. When the Twi'lek looked to him, Ral simply returned Tala's shrug as he looked at the VIP passes in her hand. "So, what's the plen gi'l?" He asked, his Concord Dawn accent coming through as he spoke. It happened at times, though he tried to hide his accent, sometimes his natural inflection would come through.

Suddenly, Tala motioned down the hallway after some girl, and Ral raised his eyebrow for a moment as he opened his mouth to speak as he started off after the young woman down the hallway. "Uhhhh... I don't get it. What's going on here exactly?"

 

[Outlander]

Tala stopped as the girl walked off. She shook her head, trying to clear it. She was force sensitive, she knew that much. But, was she a padawan? Hmm. She was going to find out. But there where more important things at the moment. She turned to Ral, trying to smile. "Nothing. Just a weird feeling." Quickly, she pulled his arm and walked over to the elevators.

 

[Nor'baal]

[REGAL DINING SUITE]

''I don't like being interrupted when I eat.'' came the blunt reply from Sly Jones as he lit his Cigar and turned around in his chair, seeing the man in his noble finery. His eyes lit up a touch at the sight of the gold inlay of the mans robe. ''But in this case, I'll make one exception.'' he chuckled, pulling out a spare chair, and pouring the man a drink.

He offered Silas a Cigar and let out a puff of his own before saying ''So, whats the business?''

 

[Nase Talsey]

==[Regal Dining Area]==​

Silas almost frowned at the blunt response and was about to press the issue when the gentleman turned around in an almost confrontational manner, no doubt to stare daggers at whoever had attempted to accost him. Silas adopted a bemused look as he saw the man's eyes widen slightly as he took in Silas' clothes. Sometimes it truly paid to be amongst the best dressed in the room. His father had always reached that power was in perception, that the show was almost if not more important than the actual action. As the man hastily pulled out a chair Silas gave a short, respectful bow. Courtesy was a matter of pride to Silas, he believed that in most situations the appropriate application of respect and humility towards a stranger would make them more amiable. It seemed to be working.

"Thank you sir." He said politely as he slid into the offered chair. He accepted the drink and cigar graciously. "Rest assured sir, I did not come here to waste your time."

Silas then went quiet for a few moments, to let the mustachioed gentlemen wonder what Silas could possibly want. Removing a gold plated zippo, Silas with a deft flick of his wrist he had opened the lighter and lit it in one fluid motion. Cigar in mouth he let the flame touch the butt and puffed his cheeks, with each inhale, the flame began to turn the dried leaves into burning ember. The smoke that swirled inside his mouth was pleasant, a fine cigar, and Silas' opinin of the man rose slightly. Someone who knew their cigars was someone who appreciated the finer things and Silas of all people could respect that.

A cloud of smoke was exhaled before he began. "The business is the acquisition and appropriate application of how we say... lesser species..." Said Silas quietly, with a knowing smile on his face. If this gentleman was who he believed he was, Silas figured he would be able to understand the not-so-subtle allusions to the slave trade, and if not, he did not reveal too much that he could retreat from the conversation without implicating himself. "But first, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Silas of the Noble House Vandron, first amongst the Noble Houses of Senex-Juvex Kingdom." He held his cigar in his left hand and extended his right hand halfway across the table to shake the man's hand.

 

[Nor'baal]

[REGAL DINING SUITE]

Shaking the mans hand as he sat down Sly spoke saying ''Slaves? You want to find some slaves?'' before eliciting a small chuckle as he nodded in response to the mans question. He leaned back again in his chair, as he ordered another drink for him as Silas, before looking at the man, and continuing his conversation.

''What do you need, and what you offering for it?'' he said, waving away the waitress before producing a small datapad as if to make notes. He activated it, the symbol of the Cartel clearly displayed on the screen, before looking back at Silas expectantly.

 

[Nase Talsey]

==[Regal Dining Area]==

Silas was pleasantly relieved that the man understood his implication. The mans handshake was firm but not overpowering Silas noted with satisfaction. He was however a bit put out that the man had no revealed his name, perhaps he enjoyed his anonymity which was understandable with all the unfounded stigma against his their profession. Silas took another couple puffs on his cigar to slow down the conversation, he did not want to seem too eager.

After a satisfying sip of his drink he resolved to begin business discussion. Setting down his glass Silas spoke in a neutral tone. "My family has been in the trade for some time, and I only by happy coincidence recognized your face. You've got, what I hope, is a well deserved reputation. On my homeworld we breed our slaves, isolating their best traits and increasing the value of their children many times. Only the most beautiful and obedient slaves serve our households and only the strongest and most obedient serve us on the battlefield. However, we are always looking for new breeding stock and I would be interested in looking at your stock. If your reputation is known as far South as Senex-Juvex then perhaps there is some breeding potential. Price would be negotiable based upon their performance."

 

[Chask274]

===[ELEVATOR]===​

Firmly returning the handshake, Eric took a closer look at the droid. "Hmm, got a few loose cables and wires hiding behind the CPU, let's see if we can find where they connect to...Ah, here we go!" With a click, a few of the lights on the droid's casing came to life as it's power source kicked on with a faint hum. However, the droid wasn't actively moving or responding. Curiously raising an eyebrow, Eric connected his wrist computer to a port on the droid and began running a system diagnostic. He made sure to keep the device's screen well within Kalo's view, so as to show that he wasn't trying to hijack the droid or anything. After a moment or two, a few lines of error codes appeared on the readout. "Well there's your problem! That merchant gave you a battle droid's behavior core, the cheap bastard. One that dates back for...a very long time, dang this thing's old. Although, with a software update or two, the compatibility issues should clean up nicely, and you'll have your droid running in no time. It might have some personality quirks, however, so it's up to you on if you want to keep it or get a new core."

Disconnecting his computer, Eric stood and wiped his hands clean on a rag in one of his pants pockets. "The updates should be easy to do, just gotta get him hooked up to a computer with a stable HoloNet connection. I could do it for you through my datapad, if you'd like."

 

[Nor'baal]

==[Regal Dining Area]==

The Royal cut straight to the point, and Sly liked it, it cut the need for endless chatter and nicety. Silas' family bred slaves, as one of the many parts of their apparent empire. He checked this information on his Datapad, confirming the mans identity, which matched up to his memory, before he turned off the slate. This was an opportunity to make a great deal of money, acting as a middleman for the royals and the Cartel.

''I can provide a wide range of creatures for you, sentient or otherwise. Name a species you require, and I can have stock bought to a location of your choosing for inspection. As for pay, what is it you had in mind?'' he concluded, before taking another sip of his drink. If this royal was serious about the slave game, he would need to have credits to match his ambitions.

 

[LilyNion]

[OOC: After today I'll be a bit away for 5 days. I have no idea if I'll be able to response in these 5 days or not. You can use Kheera as a NPC if she's needed in the roleplay while I'm not here. Just make sure that you read her character sheet carefully]

==[Regal Dining Area]==​

Kheera moved her eyes around, looking at all the people in the dining area. There wasn't much too see. An old and fat man who ate a giant steak, a highclass lady with this highpitched yet fake laugh who was flirting with a waiter. A few madly in love couples and a Twi'lek family. The Twi'lek family was adorable and enjoyable to watch. And then, there were two humans with a cigar. Both men. While she couldn't understand what they were saying, they raised her interest. One of the two men looked quite noble, if not royal. The other one had a grey mustach, he was quite fancy looking with a suit. While she kept eating from her own meat, her eyes were glued on the same spot. Something didn't feel right. She could sense the Force of the royal looking man with brown hair. It wasn't a strong feeling, like you could've felt with a Jedi or Sith. But it was surely noticable in the distance.

 

[CaptainWolfgang]

==FIVE THOUSAND FATHOMS CASINO==​

"Hey, you!" came a booming voice behind Corto. It's owner was a pale but strong and tall looking Zabrak with a low grumble to his voice. "I could have won more than a few of those hands. You've got a hell of a poker face." he continued, extending a hand to shake. While the Zabrak was certainly intimidating, his grin and poor poker face made it clear that his intentions were more respectful than threatening. "My name is Gao Zen, I believe we might have business together, Corto Terek."

Somehow, this Zabrak knew Corto by name. He grinned and opened the collar of his jacket, revealing a tattoo on his neck. Although the tattoo was some sort of picture, Corto would have no trouble instantly recognizing the Rebel Insignia disguised in the lines.

==REGAL DINING HALL==​

Kheera would continue to eat her meal in peace. Silas and Sly Jones's conversation would go on uninterrupted; and their business dealings disguised by the chatter of all the civilians. The waiters in this resort seemed to have a policy for shady looking deals. They would stay within eyesight, but never go close enough to hear anything. This way they could be waved over should the customer need something-- but wouldn't intrude on any business.

While everyone enjoyed the fine dining, the elevator began to descend, creating a whirring noise overhead for the patrons before stopping on the landing above them.

==LUXURY SUITES==​

While Tala and Ral stood in the hallway, guests began emerging from their rooms and flocking toward the Dining Area for dinner. Among these guests was the snooty Ereena Fasaj, and her husband Tankun. Gonto waited until they passed before leaving the room he was cleaning-- not wanting to incite their gaze.

Tankun Fasaj seemed more interested in going to the casino to gamble than going to the dining hall, and his argument with his wife was obnoxiously loud. The two split at the end of the hall.

==ELEVATOR, ABOVE THE REGAL DINING HALL==​

"By all means, go right ahead!" Kalo said enthusiastically as he exited the elevator with Eric, dragging the droid alongside him by the top. As they exited the elevator, he spotted Aerena approaching. "Ah! Aerena, you're looking nice! Come meet my new mechanically savvy friend." he said. "New Mechanically Savvy Friend, meet Aerena, my traveling companion."

 

[Nase Talsey]

==[Regal Dining Area]==​

This was one of Silas' first solo endeavors and deep inside his heart he hoped that his father would be proud of him. His father encouraged innovation and risk and had never scolded Silas for attempting to do something in the family's best interest. In fact it were excursions such as this that were meant to enlighten and educate Silas about the realities of the galaxy. A small deal such as this that produced even a small net gain was a victory that he would learn from and improve upon.

He continued to puff on the cigar, contemplating what the man was viewing on his datascreen. It was only a few short moments before the man replied, inquiring whether Silas had the necessary funds to pay for his service. At this Silas smiled, a sincere one, it was always about the money and money was in no short supply. Perhaps this man would overcharge him, as long as it were a reasonable mark-up it would surely not be a tragedy if he agreed to pay in order to establish a business relationship and hopefully mutual respect. Silas enjoyed the man's nature, his aloofness, his surety that he had what Silas required. It was clear that he was a seasoned slaver and if he dealt with the Hutts, he was a worthy player at this game.

"Money should not be of issue, will you accept Peggats as currency?. I completely expect to pay high prices for high quality merchandise. As this is our first arrangement, perhaps I should see if quality and variety are not mutually exclusive. I would see 3 of your finest 'entertainment' females, and 3 of your strongest, potentially combat oriented males, their species do not matter as long as they are near-human. I do have a special request, between you and myself I have been dying to receive a Wookiee, not for breeding purposes mind you, I just have a fascination with the beasts and am curious to see one for myself."

 

[Phoenix]

Corto heard a booming voice behind him just after he stood and he stiffened visibly. His first reflex was to reach for his knife, but he stifled it, given the fact that he wasn’t even supposed to have it. He turned to face the man and immediately began sizing him up for a fight. He was a large Zabrak and, although Corto was more than capable of handling himself, the man looked to be rather on the large side. The kind of guy you didn’t necessarily want to fight.

All of this was subconscious; it was something that had been drilled into his head through years of training. He did it without even thinking, but after a moment he realized something: the man seemed to be smiling, and extending his hand. Corto didn’t respond in kind, but as the man continued, he used Corto’s name. Now THAT was strange. And alarming, for that matter. How did this man know who he was?

It didn’t seem that the man bore ill will toward him, and after a moment, he began to understand why. He pulled his collar down slightly and, although it was slightly obscured, Corto could make out the symbol of the Rebellion. Well that was gutsy and not necessarily wise, he thought to himself.

“Perhaps we should speak elsewhere,” he said making his way to the dining area where he found a quiet table in a corner, free from prying ears. “So, I seem to be at a bit of a disadvantage given that you know me and I don’t know you.” He spoke softly, yet decisively. He didn’t particularly like people knowing more about him than he knew about them, but it seemed this one wasn’t a threat. But he knew that could be faked. “What kind of business might we have together?”

 

[Nor'baal]

Sly smiled slightly at the concept of being paid in peggats. Being made of Gold, the Peggat was the staple currency for certain Hutt businesses, and Sly was not against receiving it - given his current trade. Working a few costings out on his datapad, as well as working on some of his potential contacts, Sly put the slate away again, and nodded at Silas.

''This will not be a problem. When would you like to see the merchandise and where?'' he responded.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

==[Five Thousand Fathoms Casino]==​

"Congratulations."

"Such luck, on your first try is almost unheard of, but that's the spirit of this place.

"You are interested in the AquaRave yes? To commemerate your win, I am upgrading you to VIP status! Feel free to visit the Five Thousand Fathoms Club if you cannot wait until tonight for the AquaRave. I do ask though that you do not flaunt how you obtained your ticket-- very bad for business if every winner feels they deserve a ticket."

Although the massive jackpot was unexpected, it was definitely welcome. Khelsea was originally surprised when the Selkath had known that she was looking forward to the AquaRave, but after a few seconds it made sense. It was probably the main event of the evening for the younger crowds, and in reality it was a very safe assumption to make. She accepted the VIP ticket, and despite what Shora had said, Khelsea was sure that VIP tickets weren't as rare as he made it sound. After all, it wasn't good for business to have the VIP areas empty.

"Thank you so much! You're very kind." Khelsea left two thousand credits as a tip, and got up and left the slots area with her friends. Her friends tried their luck, but after unsuccessfully playing a variety of games they decided to leave.

---

==[Five Thousand Fathoms Club]==​

Khelsea arrived at the Five Thousand Fathoms Club, and her assumption was proven correct. The club was pact with guests, and was quite rowdy. As a VIP, she was allowed to bring guests in with her. However, one of her friends was not in the mood for it since he had lost a fair amount of money at the casino, and her other friend decided to accompany him to cheer him up. Khelsea wanted to join them, but they urged her to make use of her VIP pass, and that was how she found herself alone at a rowdy bar in an underwater casino resort on Manaan. The club was massive, with many bars, several elevated dance floors, and luxurious seating all around. However, it was packed to the brim and with the lineup in took almost half an hour to get inside.

Since she was on he own, it was natural for her to head to the bar to look for a drink. If anyone was interested or wanted to talk, they would approach her. She pushed through a crowd and made it to the bar, but the seats were unfortunately full. In fact, full was an understatement. The seats were overflowing, and it was no different at the other bars she examined. Unperturbed, she returned to the first bar she had went to, and made her way through so she could order a drink. If there were no seats, she would just sip her drink standing and observe. The atmosphere was light and happy, and the sounds of laughter and shouting echoed around the room, with the volume swelling so much that occasionally the music was hard to hear.

 

[JessieTaylor]

As Kalo introduced the droid to Aerena, she couldn't help smiling. She looked at the droid with interest. "Well, hello New Mechanically Savvy Friend. You look like you could be nifty." She turned and addressed Kalo. "You know, used to work for a shipyard owner. He had an astromech. Good droid to have around. Used to fix him too, when he broke or malfunctioned. So I know a bit about them." She smiled and shook her head. "Or. Maybe not, actually. You know, he might be a little different. Probably a newer model." She laughed. "He doesn't look too different, though. Maybe the system is still similar? I wonder." She said, looking back at the droid. "Anyhow, so. What now?"

 

[Chask274]

===[OUTSIDE ELEVATOR, ABOVE DINING AREA]===​

Nodding, Eric pulled his datapad from a pouch on his belt. It was an older model, and Eric had been slowly integrating it into his wrist unit for ease of use. As it booted up, he gave Aerena a friendly smile. "Name's Eric Silver, nice to meet you." Once the 'pad had booted up, he connected it to the droid, and ran a quick search for the correct updates. Finding the ones he was looking for, he started them up and set the 'pad on top of the droid.

"So, what brings you two to the resort? I'm here on a personal vacation, wanted to get away from the craziness of the Cartel for a bit, and people were always talking about how this was a nice place to visit."