Ask Plot Nar Shaddaa The Frog Doth Eclipse the Sun

[Preef Callo]

Continuation from "When the Frog Met The Droid" || Dice Thread

After confirming that both Meta Ring and Atem Tring were in an apartment above the 'Davik's Downfall' Shaddaa Blues Bar, Preef lead the two droids away with a suspicious grin. "So, Veepee, this is the Promenade right?" he quickened his pace, "No I'm not really asking," stopping abruptly, he glanced around to make there was no one within earshot, "It's got one main ventilation system. Big enough to crawl through!" His excitement betrayed how proud he was of his seemingly ingenious plan, without for a moment realizing that maybe a protocol droid like Veepee couldn't actually crawl.

Looking even more suspicious, the rodian beckoned the droids to continue following him as he entered a small alcove in the long row of doors and advertisements. "I used them as a getaway as a child when I was still working for the Hutts," back when he picked the pockets of gamblers and tourists just so he had some bad noodle soup for dinner and could share a cod with four other homeless children. "If I'm not mistaken there's actually a hatch right here-" he kicked a metal plate with his shoe and tried with all his might to create a wedge, but to no avail. Seems like he was mistaken. "-but, I could've sworn." Visibly disappointed, Preef turned to Veepee with the corners of his mouth sagging like a small child's.

So much for that plan. It would be a nightmare to try and find a large enough hatch for them without intricate knowledge of the system and apparently Preef had forgotten most if not all of it. "How are we supposed to get in unnoticed?" he asked, dejected. If the droid didn't have a good idea then he feared their only option was to go in guns blazing and that wouldn't be an easy task.


@Malon

 

[V3PO]

"It's a long shot, sir, but perhaps the other Chevins haven't informed this particular establishment about Artoo and myself," Vee-Threepio suggested. "We may simply be able to walk right in."

And, sure enough, that was the case. The Chevin bouncers outside the Davik's Downfall grunted as the two droids and their Rodian companion passed, but they did nothing to stop them. Once they were out of earshot of the grotesque aliens, Artoo whistled something to Veepee in a low tone—almost like a whisper.

"I'm not quite certain how they mate, Artoo," Vee-Threepio said. "Nothing about it appears in my etiquette databases. After all, I am a protocol and torture droid. Not a sex-droid like those awful ZDT droids. The horror."

Artoo whistled something else profane.

"Yes, it would seem their long faces would get in the way, wouldn't they?" Veepee replied. "At least if we're using human copulation as the standard. Personally, I've never quite gotten the organic preoccupation with physical copulation. Everything is so wet, and sticky, and warm... Seems positively dreadful if you ask me."

When they reached the bar area without incident, Vee-Threepio turned and waited for the Rodian to catch up. After all, he was leading this investigation. They droids were just along as back-up. "Alright, sir. We're in the establishment and it doesn't seem anyone has objected to our presence yet. Which is really quite dreadful, if I do say so myself. I was hoping to barbecue at least one of those elephant faces. Oh well. What next?" @Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

Surprisingly enough the Chevins let them in without incident and that made Preef feel all the more stupid. Here he'd proposed this extravagant ill-conceived plan that immediately failed and the droid came to the most logical conclusion. Why would a cantina refuse a customer? Kriff, why hadn't Preef thought of that?

He did notice some of the patrons look at him funny because he appeared to be the owner of two rather talkative droids while being dressed like he didn't have a credit to spare. Luckily for him not a single patrons seemed to have a familiar face and that put the young rodian at some comfort. "What's next?" he repeated, somewhat startled as his large eyes stared at the droid. "Ehm, yes-" his head turned to the left as his eyes narrowed trying to find a clue and then to the right where they settled on the elevator, "-we take the elevator. Yup."

The elevator opened and there were no restrictions to using it, so Preef pressed a button for the second floor and up they went. When the elevator came to a halt and the automatic doors slid open they stared right into the face of "Sato?"

The weequay startled, "Preef? You're not-" before he could utter anything more the young rodian had crashed his fist on the leathery nose of his acquaintance and used his opponent's momentary daze to turn him around and put him in a choke hold. Sato struggled in vain as he quickly lost consciousness, prompting Preef to turn his head to the droid, "Quick find a place to stash him in."


@Malon

 

[V3PO]

"How fortunate that we have a place to stash him right here," said Vee-Threepio.

The droid opened up a vent hatch along the floor of the turbolift, dropped the Weequay into it, and stepped out of the lift with its counterpart. The droid doubted the fall would kill him, so—

"Artoo, would you do the honors?"

The tiny blastromech droid stuck its scomp link into the circular terminal next to the lift doors and twisted. The lift doors shut and Veepee heard the turbolift descend at a fairly rapid rate. He didn't hear the sound of the Weequay's body being ground into a bloody pulp, but he could imagine what such a delightful thing might sound like. It would be a long time—probably around the time decomposition set in—before the bar staff learned what happened to the Weequay; and, by then, the hunters would be long gone.

"I must say, sir," Vee-Threepio said. "This hit has already proven to be most exciting! Let us hurry up and collect our targets! At this rate, we'l have time to torture them before handing them over to the Guild." @Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

There was a moment that Preef looked at the droid and watched him throw the weequay down the elevator shaft. He felt sorry for Sato, who aside from being Black Sun was always an enjoyable Pazaak opponent, but not sorry enough to prevent him from getting murdered by the two homicidal droids. There were moments, like this one, where Preef had wished he had rolled into another profession. Something less dangerous like slicing or smuggling. He once robbed a dairy farm on Dantooine and that still struck him as a nice way of living, albeit vulnerable for kriffers like Preef. Snapping out of it when the droid addressed him, the rodian nodded in pretend agreement. "Yeah, let's hurry it up."

He took a security spike from his pocket as they approached the door to the safehouse and once he plugged it in the door slid open instantly. "Take 'm alive," Preef said as he crouched inside, only to get startled by the doors rapidly closing behind him, cutting him off from the two droids.

It took a moment for him to gather his nerve, but then the rodian set his blaster to stun and snuck further into the safehouse. There was large 40' screen playing an action-packed HoloNet movie about the Clone Wars and the only other light came from the neon-lighted posters of Zeltron and Twi'lek dancers whose holographic bodies were inexhaustible. There were lots of credits chips on the table and both glitterdust and glitterryll packages piled up as some kind treasure pile. This was a Black Sun safehouse, alright. On a couch sat the two targets, large weequays of at least 6 foot 5 inches, drinking 1000 credits Nabooan wine straight from the bottle and not making a very fit impression on the young rodian.

Straightening up a little to get a better shot, Preef raised and aimed his blaster on Meta right when the latter turned his head longingly towards the pile of spice. "Hey what the!" he barked and immediately both he and Atem rolled off the couch and into cover. Preef fired desperately but hit the couch and the window behind them, shattering it on impact. "Is that you, Preef!?" Meta shouted non too pleased as he grabbed a carbine rifle from underneath the couch, "I'm gonna kriffing bleed you crimson!" Rising from cover as he said it, the large weequay aimed the carbine at the much smaller rodian and began firing wildly. The only reason Preef managed to jump out of the way unscathed was because the weequay was still heavily intoxicated and his aim suffered for it.

What happened next would become the go-to story for the drunk Preef; sober and his adrenaline pumping, the rodian quickly rose after his jump and managed to squeeze off a stun bolt before Meta really realized he wasn't shooting in the right direction anymore. The bolt hit the weequay right in the face and the large leathery man fell backwards on the ground. Out Cold.

Atem Tring meanwhile took a different appraoch. He had been a bit slower to get his scattergun from by the window and when he turned to join the gunfight he already watched Meta fall. "Preef Callo, you kriffing karker!" Atem cried and as he stood just next to the window he simply threw himself through and disappeared out of sight.

@Malon

 

[V3PO]

It was fairly easy to get Meta out of the room and to the turbolift without incident. No one seemed to have heard the commotion and come out to check. Of course, Vee-Threepio had done more than drag Meta out of the room. He had also taken it upon himself to snatch the credit chips off the table and deposit them into one of Artoo's holding trays.

The credits weren't enough to buy anything fancy, but they might at least help with fuel the next time it was needed.

When they reached the lift again, the droid hit the down button and listened as the gears slurched upon rising. He knew that to be from the fleshy remains of poor Weequay he and Artoo had dropped into the elevator shaft earlier. Remains that had been pulverized into a pulp.

"All things considered, sir, I do believe this job has gone well," the droid said as the lift arrived. As they filed in, he added, "Once we get back to the ship, I can interrogate your friend here to find out where our escaped target might have fled to... unless you have any suggestions?"

The lift doors shut behind them. @Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

The apartment had already been a mess before Preef arrived, but as they dragged the large weequay out it looked much much worse. The window being shattered brought a chill inside on top of the noise from a crowded neon-lighted street. The screen was still playing that movie and the automatic heater started working overtime, sending hot air into the apartment in an attempt to combat the outside chill. It felt also as if they were in the eye of a storm, having so recently killed one weequay and stunned another. Preef was beginning to feel like he wasn't going to get away with this. The Black Sun would no doubt already know that it was Preef who stunned Meta, seeing that Atem managed to escape and he definitely recognized the young rodian despite the confusion of the blasterfight and the spice-haze he'd been in.

It'd come later, though. Preef wasn't really one for thinking about things in the long term and that meant he hadn't even considered what would happen once they reached the cantina-floor again with a stunned Meta Ring between them.

What did happen was surprising. "Oh he drank too much did he?" one of the patrons said as he approached them with his buddy and took Meta out of their hands. "Let us carry him for you, mister." It took Preef a few seconds to realize that his Crimson Dawn tattoo was showing and somehow that made the crowd very supportive. Even the Chevins, seeing their tenant unconscious, merely shrugged. Their loyalty only extended as far as Meta's credits had and he'd clearly ran out.

Once outside the cantina patrons even helped to put the large weequay into the speeder taxi and after thanking them profusely, which got some weird looks in reply, Preef paid the cabby-droid with some of credits he found in the apartment. "Dock three dash five in the Bacca District," he told the droid, only to find out that the latter didn't start the speeder and merely turned its head 120 degrees in order to face him, <<"That's Crimson Dawn territory. I recognize the sleeping weequay to be a member of the Black Sun. One who has a bounty. I suggest not entering territory owned by the Five Syndicates as you are clearly bounty hunters.">>

Preef felt slightly insulted that the droid had recognized Meta but hadn't recognized him. He was a member of the Five Syndicates, too, for kriffing's kark! Sighing, he showed the droid his tattoo and the latter turned its head back and started the speeder. <<"My apologies.">>


@Malon

 

[V3PO]

"That is your ship?" Vee-Threepio said when they reached te docking bay that contained Preef's 578-R space transport. "It looks marginally more dreadful than our own."

Amidst the droid's complaints, it actually assisted Preef in hauling their captive on board. And, when that was done, all that was left to do was find out where the other target had gone.

"I claim the right to torture him for information, sir!" Threepio said. His way of calling dibs.

As an afterthought, he hit the button beside the yawning landing ramp, which recalled the ramp and closed the ship. After all, he didn't want anyone else to hear the screaming.

// End Thread //