Ask Coruscant No Arbor-Trary Trade

[The Storyteller]

"Hey!" the Trandoshan yelled. "You say you want the boy to race? Race one of us?" The large reptillian started laughing, which in turn got the Rodian laughing as well. "He doesn't even have a bike! How's he gonna race one of us?"

The Rodian piped up. "You know what, that new bike we, uh...acquired...up on level 591? Real nice rig...the red one. We just put a brand new engine intake on that thing. It should be fast. Real fast. Let him use that one."

The Trandoshan tapped his razor-sharp claw on his bottom lip in thought. "Alright, alright. He can borrow it. Go get the bike. He still has to have someone to race." The Trandoshan poked his head in the door and yelled, "Prospect! Get your ass out here!"

Out of the bar came a Devlikk wearing a black vest without the identifying patches other than one small one on the left chest that said "prospect" and a larger one on the back that said the same. The Trandoshan smiled, showing his razor-like teeth. "Meet Bilo. He's won races on everything from swoop bikes to pods. He can really fly." The Trandoshan laughed hysterically at that pun- an avian species that could fly around a track. He regained his composure and said, "So here's the deal. If the boy can beat the Prospect, you guys can go inside. If not, you owe me 500 credits. And, you're responsible for damages to our bike." He shrugged and held out his hand, extending his claws to Izel. "Well? We got a deal, grandma?"

@Reyn @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel only briefly looked at the Devlikk prospect as he appeared. Who Ruzaan raced was irrelevant. He didn't even need to win really. She just needed him to keep the gang occupied with a good show. Looking back to the Trandoshan she spoke up. "Five hundred tells me you're nervous." She said snidely. "When my racer trounces your prospect, you'll pay us both a thousand credits for wasting our time. And he'll be allowed inside. In the dream world where your birdbrain wins you'll get a nice payout of two thousand yourself. How's that deal, lizard?" She crossed her arms. "Call your boss and his friends out here. I want to give them a demonstration."

She would dismissively turn away without giving the Trandoshan the opportunity to respond, putting an arm around Ruzaan's shoulder and leading him away, leaning over to whisper to him. "Not what I wanted, but the Force works in mysterious ways I suppose, and this could help us retrieve our prize with minimal bloodshed. Your Jedi training should give you enough of an edge to make this look good, even if you don't win. I just need you to keep the gang's attention on the race. With luck I'll be able to slip inside and grab the plant, then I'll signal you, you can pick me up and we'll flee on their own bike. Think you can manage that Padawan?"

Izel would pause to hear whatever Ruzaan's response was, then would stand up straight afterwards, patting him on the shoulder and speaking loud enough to be overheard. "Alright kid, show these fools what a real swoop racer looks like." She walked back to stand beside the Rodian and Trandoshan, doing her best to appear certain of herself.

@Isen @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

The added stakes- namely, the likelihood that he'd be racing in front of Rook Bana- did little to calm Ruzaan's nerves as he walked with Master Izel towards the red speeder. It helped to pretend that he was indeed a hotshot speeder racer who'd done this hundreds of times, but he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't nervous. Ruzaan felt as if there was a Sarlacc where his stomach used to be, writhing and squirming as he did his best to outwardly maintain a confident air.

Fortunately, Master Izel was there to reassure him. Ruzaan listened to the Vratix as she laid out the plan, and while it had its risks for both of them, at least it didn't wholly depend on Ruzaan winning. Ruzaan looked over the red speeder he would be using; it certainly passed the eye test, with a sleek red paint job and an aerodynamic design. The former owner had left a pair of racing goggles in the small storage area underneath the seat, which Ruzaan replaced with his outer robe and his lightsaber. He was careful to conceal the weapon from watchful eyes, but also made sure it was as accessible as possible given the circumstances; only a single layer of cloth hid it as the seat snapped back into place on top of the storage compartment.

As he worked to adjust the goggles to fit around his montrals, Ruzaan looked over the controls. He wasn't great with technology, as it wasn't an important part of the nomadic lifestyle his tribe led on Shili, but fortunately for him the speeder wasn't very complicated. The only confusing part was a blue button near his right thumb which appeared to be missing a letter, leaving only "urbro" in small white text. The brakes were easy enough to find (fitted to the handlebars), and the throttle seemed to be built into a pair of foot pedals, one on each side of the speeder. The pedals corresponded to the twin engines in the back-- one right, one left- and as Ruzaan gently coaxed the speeder forward so it lined up next to the Devlikk, he could feel both the power and maneuverability that this unique setup afforded; he could control the engines individually in order to steer the speeder at high speeds. An experienced rider would have an easy time tearing up the course on this speeder, but Master Izel was right; Ruzaan would have to rely on his Jedi training in order to stand a chance.

Ruzaan breathed out slowly, connecting again with his surroundings through the Force. An air of excitement and nervousness had settled across the gathering crowd- the heartbeat of Corsucant was speeding up- but Ruzaan wasn't thrown off by it as he had been earlier. Instead, he allowed himself to tap into the buzz and static surrounding him, riding its crests and troughs instead of being swallowed in the noise like he had been before. He thought of Master Izel, and mentally wished her well as the countdown started. May the Force be with us both.

@Reyn @Isen

 

[The Storyteller]

A noticeable gasp erupted from the now growing crowd of bikers when the Vratix upped the ante by a substantial margin. Even the Trandoshan looked at ease, largely because it was a sum he could not pay on the off-chance that the prospect did not win the race. Word got back inside that a large sum of credits was on line, and suddenly a number of bikers, three of which leadership patches, walked out of the bar and stood in front of the door. There was a human whose patch said "Vice President," and a Nikto whose patch said "Sergeant at Arms." Everyone was armed with blasters, but the Nikto Sgt at Arms walked with the confidence of being ex-paramilitary, and he had the blasters, gadgets, and detonators to finish the look.

But that was not all, the last individual to walk out was a dark, navy blue-skinned Twi'lek whose patch read, "President." No doubt, this was Rook Bana. He stood right in the middle of the door and folded his arms. He looked at the Trandoshan who was put on the spot and said, "Rask, do you accept these terms?"

The Trandoshan really didn't have a choice. To not accept would look like weakness, and with the club leadership overseeing these developments, Rask could no longer afford to look weak.

"Right, Prez...uh, yeah," the Trandoshan said. "Of course I do." He pulled the prospect aside and whispered something about it being his ass and they would sell his bike if they needed to if they lost. For his part, the Devlikk didn't seem to worried. Bilo was as close to a pro as one could be, and he had the quick-twitch change of direction reflexes that avian sentients seemed to possess. He pulled up beside Ruzaan and revved his engine.

Most of the gang was cheering, but Bana was watching the youngster on the red swoop closely. For someone who came with such credentials as a racer, he was taking his time getting to know the controls on a high-end bike made for speed. Something wasn't as it seems. He whispered something to his Sgt. at Arms who nodded and then to his VP who also nodded. The Sgt. at Arms immediately turned his attention to Izel and made no bones about doing so. The VP locked in on the youngster on the bike. Bana cleared his throat and said, "These are the street rules. Bumping is legal. Physical contact, person to person is legal. If you can kick your opponent, it's within the rules to do. No weapons. You can't shoot them with blasters or hit them with handheld objects. You can't throw things at the other driver or their bike." Bana took a few steps forward and pointed down the street. "Here's the track. You're on Botza Parkway right now. Head in that direction and take a right on Fennel Street then another right on Mopar Drive which loops back to Botza. One more right on Botza brings you right back here. Two laps. First one to cross the finish line twice is the big winner. The police aren't typically here and they don't really respond to calls, but if by chance the fuzz does start chasing you, do NOT bring them back to the clubhouse."

A scantily clad pink Zeltron, beautiful by any objective humanoid standard stood just ahead of the two swoops. She held up a flag, prepared to drop it. Bilo leaned forward and revved the engine. The Zeltron looked over at the young Padawan, bit her lip seductively, smiled, winked, and then suddenly dropped the flag.

Instantaneously, Bilo pushed his levers forward and his swoop blasted down Botza Parkway...

@Reyn @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel's attention was immediately drawn to the gang's leadership as they appeared. And she noticed quite quickly when they eyed her and Ruzaan with suspicion. Not simple thugs after all it seemed. She would need to be careful not to underestimate their abilities like she had with the Trandoshan. The Vratix stood by as Bana explained the rules. Physical contact she wasn't too worried about. If the Devlikk was foolish enough to get into striking distance of a Jedi Padawan she was confident the Togruta would be able to take him apart with ease. Hand-to-Hand combat was part of their training after all. What she was far more afraid of was him simply pulling ahead and dominating the entire race. Ruzaan's Force augmented reflexes should be able to assist him, but the boy would still need to show good judgement. Even with these private fears, Izel stood tall and looked relaxed, giving the Padawan a reassuring nod as the Zeltron was walking out to get ready to start the race.

Once they were off, the Vratix would immediately approach the President to try and speak to him. "You're the one in charge I take it?" She would ask, feigning ignorance. She spoke in a somewhat low voice, indicating she was looking for a private conversation. "Sorry for causing such a stir. I'd been hoping to talk to you woman to man, but your bouncer seems a little to eager to start trouble." She explained. "It's just as well, I think you'll be quite impressed once you see what my racer can do. He's never performed in front of a crowd before, but I think you'll see he has the skills to back up his mouth." She would extend a hand for him to shake, making steady eye contact with the Twi'lek and not showing any indication of fear or nervousness. She exuded an aura that she was quite comfortable with the situation. "Qlaern Xipil." She introduced herself.

@Isen @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

More and more of Rook Bana's gang- including the head honcho himself- began spilling out into the street to watch the race. The stakes were set and the rules were relayed to the participants, and an excited buzz filled the air as the pink Zeltron stepped forward with a flag. Her appearance and the wink were lost on Ruzaan; his focus was on the flag, so he was ready when it suddenly dropped.

Leaving his crowd and his stomach behind, Ruzaan floored both steering pedals and hung on for dear life as he rocketed away. The Rodian was right; the red bike was fast, and Ruzaan found that he could keep pace with the Devlikk as they approached the first corner. The high speed meant that he had little room for error, but Ruzaan surfed the ebbs and flows of the Force; thanks in no small part to Izel's teaching earlier. Coruscant wasn't his favorite place, for sure, but he was able to sustain his connection to the Force in a way that wouldn't have been possible a couple of hours ago.

As the bikes approached the first corner, Bilo had the inside edge so Ruzaan fell in just behind the Devlikk. That was ok with him; first time around the track (which Bilo probably knew better) would be to figure out the layout, and his Force-assisted reactions would hopefully keep him from falling too far behind. Plus, he could drift off of his opponent's bike. He also wanted Bilo's attention split between the track ahead and Ruzaan; given the competitive rules, he knew that Bilo couldn't just ignore him.

@Reyn @Isen

 

[The Storyteller]

The Twi'like biker grinned on one side of his mouth as he shook the Vratix's hand. "Rook Bana, club president." He watched as the two bikes took off, semi-impressed that the youngster didn't get sidetracked by the sexy and scantily-clad Zeltron. Bana nodded over to the Trandoshan and said to insectoid, "Don't take too much offense on account of the bouncers. We're law and order all the time around here, and this is a bar. Without ID, your young friend really shouldn't be inside. It's nothing personal."

After shaking hands, Bana would fold his arms and look Izel, known to him as Qlaern Xipil. "Tell me, Ms. Xipil, what do you want us to do with this young track star of yours? You want us to sponsor him in a race or what?" He lifted a brow and asked, "Or are you just hustling dumb Trandoshans out of their hard-earned money?"

***

Bilo was impressed with the young Togruta. For his first time on this track, he held it together rather well. Both swoops were fast, and Bilo was more than happy to take the lead into the first curve. Of course, Bilo had tons of experience and knew that Ruzaan may be in second place, but he was in excellent position. The slightest bobble, and the Togruta could use the draft to slingshot into first place and hug the inside route.

To combat this, Bilo stayed tight on the inside track, just before the next turn, he sent an infusion of gas into his system with a hard pump and blast. He knew his bike wouldn't lose much speed, it would most coast, and he needed to slow down slightly for the curve anyway. But, knowing his bike, he knew that the gas would ignite would send a fireball out of his rear exhaust. Either the Togruta would drive into it and get a little hot under the caller, or he would have to waste precious time to drive around it...if he had the reflexes do so at all. Between the fireball and the smoke, visibility would be limited right in front of him. It would be a shame if he crashed into the block of buildings by not making the turn...

@Reyn
@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel chittered a bit as Bana insisted that Ruzaan was too young to be in a bar. He was right of course, but she was still surprised they thought so much of it. These were street racers after all. "Oh of course." She replied wryly as Bana claimed it was nothing personal. She was quite certain the Trandoshan was just being an ass for the sake of it. Then he asked why she was there in the first place. This lie was becoming more and more complex, but she had to maintain the act if she wanted to get inside.

"That's the idea." She replied to Bana's question with a nod. "I typically work out of Abregado-rae. I've represented some of the best racers there. Big fish in a small pond, if you will. This one though..." She briefly glanced down the road, though Ruzaan and the Devlikk were no longer in sight. "I think he's my ticket to the big time. And yours too, if you make the investment." She tried to persuade him. "Be his sponsor, and I guarantee you your club will be the biggest name on Coruscant in a year's time." She glanced briefly at the Trandoshan and chittered again. "Hustling your bouncer is just a bonus for me." She added amusedly.

She considered pushing for them to hammer out a deal immediately, but decided to hold off for just a bit longer. Ruzaan and his opponent hadn't even finished their first lap yet. If she pushed too hard too fast he'd become suspicious. If the Padawan could just manage to get in the lead when they passed by the bar again, he might be more inclined to believe her.

@Isen @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Both bikes made the first corner just fine, and Ruzaan mentally congratulated himself for sticking with Bilo thus far. The latter was clearly an experienced rider, well in tune with their bike- that much was obvious when they approached turn #2 and Bilo worked the controls to leave a flaming sphere of superheated gasoline in Ruzaan's path. The Togruta was briefly reminded of the popular racing videogame, Stario Kart, in which players control characters and race around gimmicky tracks whilst throwing all manner of objects at each other in order to interfere with their progress. His favorite item was the X-Wing, power-up that picked up your character and flew quickly over the track before depositing them in a more favorable position. In Stario Kart, being hit by an item wasn't a bad thing; you usually just spun out and were able to continue racing. This wasn't a game, however; that fireball would hurt if he hit it.

To anyone watching, it would look like Ruzaan raised a hand as if trying to shield himself whilst riding through the flames; an instinctive response for most humanoids. As a Jedi-in-training, however, Ruzaan's instinctive response would be to send a Force Push forward, straight at the fireball, which would push the fireball forward- not far enough to infringe on Bilo or their bike, but it would be enough to allow the worst of the heat to dissipate before Ruzaan barreled through the space. He felt the heat burn against his skin and suck the breath out of his lungs, but the damage would not be as much as Bilo had intended. Maybe

The threat posed by the fireball was more than just heat, however- the flash of fire obscured the track ahead. Once again, quick reactions were necessary as the turn approached. Ruzaan's montrals, with their heightened sense of spatial awareness thanks to his connection to the Force, indicated a large, flat object ahead; danger close. Wall!

Ruzaan braked hard and steered to the right, skidding awkwardly around the corner but managing to avoid crashing at the expense of precious seconds. Ahead of him, Bilo had managed to open up a decent lead, and Ruzaan cursed under his breath as he gunned the engine to try and catch up. Bilo was still several meters ahead as they approached the third turn; Ruzaan quickly ran through the rules, weighing the legality of his idea, before finally deciding that it was only illegal if he got caught0 and if he played his cards right, Bilo would be none the wiser.

As Bilo focused his attention on making a clean turn, Ruzaan- still a few meters behind and safely out of line of sight- would reach out with the Force and momentarily squeeze the brakes on Bilo's bike. It wouldn't be enough to cause a crash and to Bilo it might appear as if his brakes were slow to release, but it might be enough to disrupt the timing and momentum of his turn. At the same time, Ruzaan would take a wider angle on the turn, with the intent to keep his speed up and pass on Bilo's left with a slingshot maneuver.

Briefly, he wondered how Master Izel was doing. Hopefully her part was going smoother...

@Reyn @Isen

 

[The Storyteller]

Bana folded his arms and chuckled quietly at the comment of hustling his bouncer. "Shame is, he's smarter than the damn Rodian next to him." The Twi'lek took a deep breath and seemed to look down in front of him in thought. They certainly could use positive, above board and legal publicity. Even down in the depths of Coruscant, law enforcement had been cracking down on them. Bana's little gang had expanded too much too fast, and he couldn't control the new blood like the old hands.

"Tell you what. If you're little guy can beat Bilo and he's willing to patch in...You got a deal."

...

When Bilo tried to release his just enough to drift into the turn...they didn't release. He had the drifting on this route down to a science, and when his bike didn't glide like he expected, the front end wobbled and he almost spun out. Only Bilo's expertise and steady hands kept the bike on the road.

Of course, this meant that Bilo would swing much wider than anticipated because he essentially let the front end go and allowed the momentum of the bike to take him. Plus, if the Togruta behind tried to go wide on a slingshot maneuver, it would mean that he would have to go even wider...giving Bilo a chance to accelerate and keep it even coming out of the turn. If the Togruta tried to squeeze inside of him, well, Bilo would use the rules to his advantage. He would lean to the inside an throw a backfist at the passing racer, hoping to knock him off his back.

@Reyn @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Faced with two options, Ruzaan decided to push his luck and try going inside. He'd managed to more or less keep up with Bilo thus far, but he didn't like his chances of winning against the more experienced rider in a straight race- he had to take a risk and try to end this now. Ruzaan banked inside trying to take the lead, and the opportunity presented itself; Bilo leaned over towards the inside and tried to throw a backhand blow in Ruzaan's direction.

Throwing caution to the wind, Ruzaan decided to risk taking the punch- trusting that the Devlikk's lightweight frame, ideal for racing, did not pack enough power to unseat him if his own plan didn't work. Just before pulling even with Bilo, his swoop mere inches to the right of the Devlikk, Ruzaan reached out with his left hand and attempted to grab onto the collar of Bilo's biker vest. If he was successful, he would slam on the engine brakes, using the foot pedals, and pull backwards, using Bilo's forward momentum and distracted piloting against him; a horsecollar tackle, in Huttball terms, potentially made easier because of Bilo's lean in and the fact that the he had only one hand on the handlebars. If it worked, the Devlikk would find his speeder yanked out from underneath him just as he launched his fist towards Ruzaan.

@Reyn @Isen

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel perked up when Bana took the bait, antennae twitching slightly. "You won't be disappointed, I promise you that." She said with honest satisfaction, although the Twi'lek would likely just assume she was happy to have a prospective deal relatively close to being in the bag. She had talked up Ruzaan an awful lot already after all, she doubted she needed to stress any more how sure of him she was.

The Vratix briefly turned her attention back to the road, tapping her staff on the ground a few times as she waited for the Padawan and his opponent to complete their first lap. It seemed they still had a ways to go, and she had more time than she had originally thought. That was actually a good thing... Potentially. She still needed to get inside. "If you need to set up a few races... When the deal is closed of course, I have some people I can put you in contact with, organize some exhibitions that will draw some interest, hopefully boost your club. And get my racer some much needed clout." She offered diplomatically. Bana seemed a reasonable man so far, if understandably skeptical. Hopefully such comments would go towards endearing her to him, and showing that she took this "business" seriously, and wanted her client to succeed.

She would turn back to the road again, once more making a show of appearing impatient, huffing slightly in feigned annoyance. "Long track..." She muttered, and once more turned to the president. "Sorry... Do you mind if I use the ladies' room?" She asked, nodding towards the bar, waiting for permission to go inside. She couldn't help but feel it was a juvenile tactic... But if it worked it worked. She doubted the Twi'lek would be very interested in holding her up.

@Isen @SlagathorTheUnknown