Ask Picking At Carrion

[Dhari Rast]

Getting closer to the landing platform and the Blacklight, Dhari noticed that something wasn't right. Four docking bay workers waited at rear part of Dhari's ship, where cargo crates had been stacked and covered with a tarp against the rain. A little further to the right, a man whom Dhari didn't know was clearly held back by one of the Pitlord's mercenaries. The man wasn't at all familiar to Dhari, but his mere presence on this landing pad - a pad that was meant to be off-limits for anyone not dealing directly with the Pitlord - made her worry. She didn't have time to think much about it, though. In front of them, and kept dry by no less than two umbrellas held by two of his guards, was the Pitlord. He waved her over.

"Captain Rast," the Pitlord said. "So, you finally decided to join us." His voice was a deep baritone, but gentle, delicate even, like the long, wavy robe he wore over his tunic and slippers. His face was gaunt, even for a Duros, and the blue teint had gone sickly gray and dry with age. It unsettled her.

"My apologies for the delay, Mr Szyro," said Dhari. "I had some... unexpected company to deal with." That was true in more ways than one.

A thin smile spread on the Pitlord's face. His red eyes further aggravated Dhari's discomfort. "Yes, well, I know all about that. No two days are the same in the Crevasse. One day, all arrivals and departures go smoothly, the next a brash, young runt decides to skip all landing protocols and nearly knock out my outpost."

Dhari opened her mouth to explain, but the Pitlord held up a long, bony finger. "No, no. I don't need your explanation. I need your attention." He came closer to her, his guards walking at his side, keeping him safe from the rain, until finally he stopped, close enough that he towered above her. The sickly sweet smell of exotic perfume stuck in her nose. "By now you must have noticed our guest," the Pitlord said, nodding slightly back towards the man detained by his guard. "I wonder if you know him? You see, the only guests I ever have in my personal docking bay are the ones I invite, and this guys most certainly isn't on the guest list. Yet, his appearance conincides with your arrival."

Dhari looked past the Pitlord, trying to piece together the puzzle. The spacers that attacked her had known of the shipment she was carrying. And now this man had appeared near her ship. He definitely looked like he could be up to no good. Then again, so did everyone else in the Crevasse.

Regardless, Dhari had to figure it out. And fast.

**************************************************'

Maag Szyro had had a bad day. To begin with, the weather made him sulky. Dampness and rain was nothing new in the Crevasse, but on this particular day it seemed to penetrate his leathery skin more than usual, reviving the old aches in bones and joints that pestered him for years now. Then, he had had to discipline his flight control crew for allowing this pesky little girl standing before him to disobey strict landing procedures. If there was one thing Szyro could not tolerate, then it was disobedience. He had looked forward to threatening the girl with revoking her rights of entry to the Crevasse unless she gave him a cut of the shipment she was carrying for the Cartel. But before he even got to it, that fellow over there had botched an attempt at gaining access to the girl's ship, giving the Pitlord another headache to remedy this day.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, his patience was frayed paper thin when the girl hesitated. "Well?" he barked.

The girl jolted and said: "I don't know him, Szyro. He's a trespasser. If he was trespassing here, he could have been after my shipment, I don't know."

Szyro considered the girl slowly. He tested her words for sincerity or deceit. She sounded sincere enough, but he couldn't be sure. His eyes narrowed. Motioning for the guard to bring the man over, he said: "We'll see about that." He had not come this far in his underworld life by making rash decisions.

If the man followed the guard over to where Szyro and the girl was standing, Szyro would say: "Captain Rast, this man claims to know of your implication in the death of Bochabba the Hutt. He says he's been tracking you ever since -" Szyro leered at her "- in the name of justice."

"What?" the girl exclaimed. "That's bantha poodoo! I wasn't even on Eriadu when that shit went down. Check my logs, you'll see."

Maag Szyro stared at the girl for a moment, digesting her words. Then, he turned to the man and gave him a look, as if to say "Well?".

@Catbert @Rhogar

 

[Kel Dryden]

Things were getting worse by the minute. Under normal circumstances, the news of Tal finding the pilot would've been great. But now that pilot was heading for the ship and was about to tear through the web of half-truths that Kel had carefully crafted to sway the local crime-lord to his way of thinking. The fact that the pilot was a green-skinned attractive alien only complicated things further. But a job was a job, and Kel was in the middle of one. Naturally, replying to Tal with everyone listening was out of the question.

When the man with the guns and guards tells you to come closer, chances are you wouldn't ignore his request. Neither did Kel, who followed the guard over to the big boss and the hottie who didn't even know what she was in for... As long as Kel could play his cards right. Luckily, the indignant Mirialan got a little distracted and played into his hand. So when the old Duros turned towards the goggly-helmeted spacer, he already had an answer, delivered with more confidence than ever.

"Of course you weren't on Eriadu," A muffled chuckle followed, as the helmet turned to the Pitlord. "Bochaba business venue was on Nar Shaddaa, and Eriadu has always been Crymorah's turf. Odd to bring it up." The truths continued to get weaved into the story; even if they didn't prove the Mirialan's complicity, they provided some food for thought. But if Kel's plan was to work, he had to make it a feast.

"I'd recognize it anywhere," he pointed towards the black-hulled freighter, confidence beyond bounds; just like a magician who was prepared to astound the public with a mind-blowing trick. "There's a dint on the ventral side, next to the landing gear." The spacer took a hesitant sideways step towards the ship, making sure that the guards and the Pitlord would see both his hands... for now. "Come on, see for yourselves!" he made another step towards the ship, prepared to lead the way and gesturing everyone to follow: the Pitlord, his guards, the dock workers... Even the Mirialan girl—captain; keep your head in the game, Kel—whose only fault was working for a wrong Hutt.

Depending on what happened, and who and how followed him, Kel prepared to make his move on the way to the ship. Or, failing that, right underneath the freighter.

@Casmer @Rhogar

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

"Jaw up, Kel." The Mandalorian laughed into the comm. "I got unfinished business with the Captain." Tal mused into the comm, he had settled amongst the natural earthy tones of the Crevasse, cloaked in that as well as darkness. His DC-17x was in sniper modulation. "I got you in my sights." He'd trail his companion as he walked.

He was more than ready for some loud clash, in fact he really wanted it. "When this pops off, keep her safe. I'll try to take out the early stage lunger, then I'll draw the guards. If I can get your ship up and and running, we can make a clean break. Thoughts?"

He knew it was gonna be tricky. And instead of rushing in, be figured it would help to discuss the strategy at this point.

@Casmer @Catbert

 

[Dhari Rast]

As soon as the man spoke, Dhari knew she had made a mistake. It was an honest mistake, a mere incidental swap of two planets, the result of being taken by surprise. But the man - whoever the kriff he was - was quick to utilize it to his advantage.

"Of course I meant Nar Shaddaa," Dhari said, grimacing at the man. "Way to profit on a slip of the tongue, nerf herder." She turned to looked at the Pitlord. "Szyro, I have no idea who this man is, but his timing is a little kriffing convenient if you ask me."

"I didn't," the Pitlord said, gaunt face staring at Dhari, sending shivers down her back. "Were you on Nar Shaddaa, Captain Rast?"

Dhari hesitated. "No, I- Mr Szyro, you checked the ship's manifest! If I had a hand in downing Bochabba for the Crymorahs, why would I still fly with the Hutt Cartel's underworld identification codes? And risk bringing the shipment past you? I could have just sold the bloody lot to Crymorahs."

She sent the man another icy look. She was trying to keep her cool, but on the inside she was fuming. And now the kriffing headache's returned. Great.

****************************************
Maag Szyro considered the girl's story. True, she had mistakenly named Eriadu as Bochabba's place of operation, which - even if it were a slip of the tongue as she said - was a mistake blatant enough to warrant scrutiny. But the rest of her story did make some sense.

Yes, why risk discovery by me when she could have sold the spice to anybody with creds in their hands and ambition in their heads?

Of course, there was the possibility that she had spied a bigger price, going for his shipment of spice before defecting to the Crymorahs. The mere thought of that made his blood boil. But Szyro was nothing if not a patient man. Quick decisions were often bad decisions.

Suddenly, the man started walking towards the girl's ship, speaking about identification marks on the ship that he could recognize. It didn't proof anything, but it would give some more creedence to the man's story. Normally, Szyro absolutely hated interruptions, hated it when nobodies to the reins in conversations here, in his domain. But the man spoke well, and Szyro needed to stretch his legs anyway - his joints were aching.

"Stop, Dryden," he growled. "Show some respect to your elders and wait." Then, he walk over to where Dryden wanted him to go, his guards following right at his side, umbrellas held high.

"What?" the girl exclaimed. "Why are you humoring this piece of -"

Szyro spun (at least he tried, old age making it more of a gradual turn), sending a searing look towards the girl. "Don't overstep, Captain Rast. It would be a very bad policy." Turning once more, he followed Dryden, interested to see what the man had to show him.

@Catbert @Rhogar

 

[Kel Dryden]

Tal... Thinking about some "unfinished business" while I'm surrounded by a bunch of cutthroats. Through the earpiece of his helmet, Kel could hear everything that his accomplice was saying to him. Maybe Tal could even hear what the others were saying to Kel. But replying over the comlink while standing in front of the people he was trying to trick? That'd blow his cover outright. Keep 'her' safe? The kark, Tal?! I'll be lucky if I keep myself safe. Tal's last question—asking a walking Kel for thoughts—almost made the enforcer groan.

There was little time to come up with a plan. He needed to have the audience distracted... Ideally, dazzled. He needed to be aboard the ship... Ideally without the Mirialan or the Pitlord's thugs tailing him. But getting inside the ship would mean losing Tal's cover and potentially getting cornered inside. Decisions, decisions...

When he heard an indignant exclamation of the green-skinned lady behind him, he realized that its was the only opportunity. Hopefully, the pouting Mirialan had already drawn their attention. He stopped walking with a quiet "Oh shoot", raising his hand in the air, as if warning those who followed him to stop. Hopefully, the one who was intended to receive the message would interpret it properly.

Turning his head to looking over his shoulder in a split-second, the man shouted in a desperate attempt to warn everyone: "Watch out! Sniper!" The hand that he had raised in warning now pointed towards the cliffs on the opposite side of the platform. Hopefully, the previous distractions and suspicions—and a shot from Tal, which would be good right about now—would mean that everyone would react to the non-existent threat. At least for a moment. After all, a moment was all Kel needed to prime and toss a concussion grenade from his belt.

That particular grenade was designed exactly for circumstances like the ones Kel was finding himself into. Exploding on impact rather than on a timer, it would emit a blinding flash of light, its concussive force messing with the hearing of everyone nearby. Unless interfered with, it would land in the middle of the crowd consisting of the Pitlord, his goons, and the unlucky Mirialan captain. But interfering would be problematic: hitting the grenade or trying to drastically change its course would probably cause a detonation.

Kel himself would turn away and duck down, pretending to avoid the invisible sniper. Hopefully, the concussion grenade and Tal would do their job before anyone would have a chance to even train their gun at him.

@Casmer @Rhogar

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

Whether it was dumb luck or impeccable timing, Tal was already squeezing that trigger. Something about the way the Duros spun towards Dhari. He could tell by the face through his scope, that he didn't like his tone. Game time.

Tal exhaled slowly as he squeezed the trigger and not even a second later, the bolt would zip past Dhari's head before ripping a hole through the Duro's jugular. "Kel, use the confusion and get to your ship! I'm moving to the Blacklight! With luck, she'll think I'm on her side." He squeezed off another bolt, skimming it along Kel's helm to sell his call out. "Going mobile!"

Tal would rise to his feet and jump from his perch, activating his jump boots to propel him a little farther and into a safer land. Mid jump, the rifle was slung and he'd pull the ion cannon, firing off a round upon landing. The resulting blast will kill another two guards and Tal would sling the ion cannon to draw his peacemaker, stepping towards the Blacklights ramp. "Dhari! Let's go! Stand behind me!" He'd yell out as his free hand waved her over to him and hopefully, to safety. He'd then grunt as a bolt pinged off of his beskar helm, causing him to twist and lower to fire three bolts into the man's codpiece and dropping him.

@Casmer @Catbert

 

[Dhari Rast]

Everything that could happen seemed to happen at the same time. The man whom the Pitlord had called Dryden yelled out that a sniper was honing in on them. Immediate, the Pitlord turned to Dhari, said: "Is this your trick, Rast? I'll have yo-"

Dhari felt something searing hot whizz past her right ear. She flinched, instinctively moving away from whatever it was. She was about to yell something back at the Pitlord when she saw the Duro dropping to the ground, clutching his jugular. Kriff, she managed to think. And then, deafness and blindness consumed her in an instant. She didn't know where from, and she didn't have the wherewithal to figure it out. She stumbled into one of the Pitlord's guards, who, having been blinded and concussed himself, was flailing about with his limbs. His elbow rammed into Dhari's temple with the force of a hammer.

The last thing she heard before passing out was the distant voice of Nakadr.

@Rhogar @Catbert

 

[Kel Dryden]

Orchestrating a perfect escape was easy for Tal. He had positioned himself far enough from danger, not surrounded by the Pitlord's thugs. Apparently, he had met the pilot of the Blacklight while Kel was searching for the ship. But most importantly, he did not experience the concussion grenade going off nearby. Even though Kel knew what was coming and turned away from the flash, it couldn't protect him from the concussive blast.

The blast that prevented him from hearing a part of Tal's sentence. It also prevented him from hearing Tal going loud and engaging the guards. Staggered, Kel turned around, grabbing a blaster from the holster on his belt. The whole routine took him longer than it usually did. But with eyesight retained, he'd still manage to do it sooner than the guards would regain consciousness. That's when he saw them quietly falling down, one after another. He didn't hear the blaster shots, nor did he care about in the confusion.

Kel's plan had always been to take the insurance shots, grab the ship, and disappear that anyone would be the wiser. And that's what he did, aiming shots with a trembling hand with one incapacitated person at a time. The last one he'd aim the gun at was the Mirialan captain, who seemed to have been knocked unconscious already...

One thing the enforcer wasn't taking into account that his blaster had been set to stun mode. A necessary precaution when you do bounty hunting and need to bring someone in alive. If the concussion grenade or Tal's weapons hadn't taken Seeing the green girl out cold already, he took some extra time, shaking his head from all the ringing going on inside. "Kriff, this thing packs a punch," the enforcer mumbled; mostly to himself, just to check if he could hear himself already. Although the air had escaped his lungs, the words were silent to him yet.

@Casmer @Rhogar

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

As Tal yelled out to Dhari, she'd be knocked unconscious. Kriff. The Mandalorian would wade through the chaos, peacemaker leveled and squeezing rounds off into torsos and limbs alike. It had a stun, but Tal was allergic to using it. At least when it called for real damage.

Stopping at Dhari's side, he'd lift her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Tal couldn't envision Kel leaving his ship here, so he would assume the other Enforcer was already heading for their ship as he carries the female captain to hers.

Bolts would ping off of his armor as he walked, one or two finding sweet spots in the armor and piercing his thigh and shoulder opposite of Dhari. His next three bolts would kill the final guard that was blocking the ramp, before he quickly ascended it and hit the controls to lift the ramp. He could hear over the dead guards comms that so far, nobody was coming, which meant they were at least clear for take off.

"Alright Dala... Let's get you to the cockpit.." he'd carry her quickly to the cockpit and drop her down into the co-pilots seat, taking a quick moment to check her injury. Happy that she'd live, he dropped into her pilots seat, and began to power up the Blacklight. "Hopefully.. this osik goes good from here out.."

@Catbert @Casmer

 

[Kel Dryden]

Truth to be told, Kel wasn't quite sure what was going on. Who shot whom, where Tal was, or even if any enemies were still alive and standing. The ringing in his head was subsiding, but it was still worse than any hangover he had been through. In all the excitement, he only noticed Tal picking up the green-skinned captain knocked out by... well, whatever did that. Unfinished business with the girl, huh? Seemingly, Tal valued his prize more than his partner's life. A reasonable assumption, given that he wouldn't have to share the bounty then.

But one thing Tal was right about: Kel wasn't going to leave the Black Swift in this pit. So while the Mando thought with something other than his brain, Kel hit the button on the wrist-mounted controls. The jet-boots engaged, lifting the helmeted man above the ground, as he tried to remember the approximate position of the Black Swift. Shouldn't be a long flight.

The enforcer didn't need to fly towards the Swift itself; just far enough away from the platform that had turned into a site of a massacre at a moment's notice. He could run the rest of the way and get airborne, intent on catching up with the slower Blacklight. After all, it would have to get back up from the lower levels while the Swift was parked on top.

@Casmer @Rhogar

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

Tal was no master pilot, but he figured he had enough know-how to get the Blacklight up and running. Ramp lifted, thrusters engaged, he would guide the ship right on out in the most clear path as possible. So far, nobody seemed to notice and that was perfect. As they reached the final reaches of the Crevasse, they would be hailed by hangar control.

"Rast, it's Banna. I didn't expect you to leave for another hour or so."

Tal leaned back in the pilots seat. "Sorry, Banna. Captain Rast can't quite come to the comm right now. I got her bleeding out, your Pitlord too. Today, you just got robbed by Taldorak Trenessar. Give the Hutts a kiss from the Crymorah. Oh, and if you don't, Banna. I'll come back here and kill ya too. Just for shits and giggles. Blacklight out."

"Wai-" the comm would cut out as the Blacklight angled towards the atmosphere, Taldorak now firmly punching the throttle to get the speedy craft moving.

"Well, I got you cleared, I got Kel cleared. And now I got myself likely a massive bounty with the Hutts. Could be worse, yeah?" he'd say to no one in particular. That's when he remembered and broke out his handy dandy handheld black light and put it on the dash in front of him. "The inquisitive minds really want to know."

@Casmer @Catbert

 

[Kel Dryden]

Things were going remarkably smoothly. Kel disengaged the jetboots and landed on one of the empty walkways as if it was nothing. The rain and the time of day (or rather, night) helped—few people were out there to take the walkways. It was an easy jog from there back to the Swift. Though by the end of it, the residents of the Crevasse started catching on to what had happened. At least Kel saw some people running around on his way back. And when Black Swift was taking off, Kel also noticed that the flight control was unavailable. Whatever happened, it seemed like the hornets' nest was well and thoroughly stirred.

Without anyone to stop him, Kel steered the Swift towards the exit from the Crevasse. All that remained was keep up with the ship and make sure to get the share of the bounty. The Blacklight had almost just reached the edge of the radar range, but the Swift's speed meant that it wouldn't be for long. Perhaps he could even pass it off as pursuing the guys who had messed with the Pitlord. Wouldn't it be nice to save face, get the Crymorah money, and pin the trouble on someone else?

// Exit thread
@Casmer @Rhogar

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

Onward the Blacklight fled to the atmosphere as Tal really had the need for speed. He'd activate his comm. "Kel I'll send my jump coords. As far as I know, you're in the clear, I'll explain later. Tal out." He would cut the comms and send Kel the jump coords before he plotted them on his own. "Alrighty.. Once we get into hyperspace its a hop-skip away."

He wasn't entirely sure why he was talking to himself, but frankly? It was no fun. So... He would turn in his chair and nudge Dhari with his boot. "Hey, Dhari! Up and at em!" he'd exclaim, hopefully loud enough to wake her up. If it didn't, he'd give her the good ol'fashioned shoulder shake.

@Casmer

 

[Dhari Rast]

Dhari was jostled back to consciousness. Everything hurt. Like, everything. Bones, joints, muscles, they all sang with aches that she didn't know you could have. She blinked her eyes open, only to reel from the multi-coloured neon landscape that met her gaze. A headache, whose epicenter seemed to be in her right temple, rode the neurons in her brain to even the remotest parts of her skull, encapsulating her head in a throbbing pain. She instinctively reached up to cover her eyes, and when her hand graced the bridge of her nose? Well, more pain. Yeah, that's fractured, she thought.

Outwardly, she managed little more than a groan. With a force of will that seemed superhuman in her current state, she managed to sit up. The ringing in her ears had died down enough for her to make out the unmistakable chirps, beeps, and boops of a cockpit. And not just any cockpit. Those chirps, beeps, and boops spoke a language that Dhari was intimately familiar with. It was the old, rusty tongue of the Blacklight.

And then she remembered. The Pitlord. The stand-off with the man he'd called Dryden. The explosion.

Shit.

She contemplated opening herself to the Force. Immediately, the response from the knot at her core was exhileration. But she wouldn't. She just wouldn't.

Regardless, she didn't need the Force to know that she was not alone in the cockpit. Eyes still closed, she said, groggily, voice muddied by her broken nose: "Come any closer, and I- I'll kriff you up."

@Rhogar @Catbert

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

'Nakadr' would laugh "Welcome back to the land of the living. Easy there slugger, you have quite the shiner. Might be time to invest in a helmet." Turning in his seat, he'd lean forward and inspect her injuries. "Yeah.. Not much I can do for these... And you're welcome by the way, for carrying you aboard your ship and to safety." He added.

He'd also exhale a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. She was fine, a little worse for wear, but she was fine. Why he cared so much? He didn't know. He was almost positive she set him up and used him and that.. That excited him more. "Dhari.. How many fingers am I holding up?" he'd ask, alternating between two and three. Despite the playing, she would actually hear the concern in his voice. "Game face, hun, let's work out the details of this rescue. Compare notes and whatnot."

@Casmer

 

[Dhari Rast]

Dhari relaxed a bit when she heard Nakadr's voice. She was still confused, though. What was he doing here? Why were they in her ship? And what the kriff happened back there on the landing platform? So many questions needed answering.

Dhari grunted in reply to Nakadr's words. When he asked her how many fingers he was holding up, she countered with a hoarse "How many am I holding up" and a hand gesture that Rordon Gamsey, arguably the Galaxy's most foul-mouthed cook, wouldn't dare to sport even in the dingiest cantina in the Outer Rim. She righted herself and leaned back against the ship's bulkhead. "We'll do that in a moment," she said. "Toss me a stim from the glove compartment, will you?"

@Rhogar @Catbert

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

He'd smirk at the gesture. "There she is." He opened the compartment and dug in for a second before handing her a stim. He didn't bother looking at what else was in there.

"I.. may have killed the Pitlord. I don't like being told where I can't go, so I snuck past he guards to keep an eye on ya." It wasn't entirely a lie. "Truthfully, I didn't like how he was talking to you, so I squeezed the trigger."

He had decided to break the bad news to her little by little. "That may have kicked off a bad party. You got hurt, I got us out of there, and your ship took minor damage during the escape."

@Casmer

 

[Dhari Rast]

Dhari didn't believe her own ears. Must've been something other than adrenals in this stim. She gazed blankly at Nakadr. "You killed the Pitlord?" she said, tone devoid of warmth. "Maag Szyro? You killed him?" She tried to stand but the pain in her head forced her back against the bulkhead. "Who cares about my ship? What. The kriff. Happened?" she growled. Realisation lit up her face. "Dryden," she muttered, before adding, louder: "What happened to him? The guy the Pitlord apprehended on the platform. I think he was trying to steal my ship. If you saw what the Pitlord did to me, surely you saw him too."

@Rhogar @Catbert

 

[Taldorak Trenessar]

'Nakadr' sighed. "Well, that's the thing babe.. he's not the only one.. and had i known prior to taking the job, he would have been. But.. names Taldorak Trenessar.." He'd let the revelation hang in the air a moment.

"Kel and I are working together.. but.. I don't want to hurt you and you have a possible opportunity here. I give you my cut, you join me or lay low. They think you're dead."

He hated every second of the lie. Every single one. So he had to come free.

@Casmer

 

[Dhari Rast]

The implication of the Mandalorian's words sunk Dhari's belly into her guts. She was suddenly aware of how exposed she was, sprawled on the ground like a wounded animal, unarmed and at his mercy. Even still, all she could express was stone cold anger. "You played me," she said slowly.

She could feel herself reaching out for the knot inside, the beast that dwelled there and wanted nothing more than to be set free and let loose upon this man. She was half a mind to use the Force to summon her lightsaber. But she knew how capable Naka- Taldorak was at fighting. Even against a Force-user with a lightsaber, he was likely to be able to hold his own. He was a Mandalorian, after all. Besides, he was in charge of where her ship was flying. For all she knew, he could have plotted a course to a Mandalorian enclave or something worse.

No. As much as she would love to make him pay for this, she had no other option than to play his game. For now.

Dhari snorted. "I should have known. The kriff would a Mando be doing in the Crevasse, if not for some big prize." She sat up straight again, taking on a non-threatening posture, even whilst her reflexes and her concentration were primed and ready to ward off an attack. "You'd be willing to give me your cut of my shipment and let me go?" An almost hysterical chuckle came over her. "Too kriffing good to be kriffing true, Mando. Besides, there's no 'free' after this. Even if the Pitlord's goons think I'm dead, the Hutts he was working for will learn that I'm not, sooner or later. This spice is their kriffing spice! And before you give me that shit about the Crymorahs being the head honchos of the underworld now and all, let me tell you this: the Hutts have been calling the shots for kriffing centuries. Do you really think this setback will prove to be anything other than a bump in the road for the Cartels, in the grand scheme of things?"

@Rhogar @Catbert