The Unusual Suspects

[Jack Graves]

Hutt space wasn't like what it used to be. At least that's how the Hutt's tell it. While back Jack caught an interview with an old lorda who bragged about the legions of slaves he had, the oodles of cash, the army of mercs. Fat lot of good that did them in the end, but still the roots of the Hutts run deep and on Nar Shaddaa their influence was king.

While you had to be a little less open about it, this was still the smuggler's moon. Bribery cut into profits, but it didn't slow the flow of illegal goods to the independent systems all around, not even a little. Jack supposed he could respect the Hutt's and their cartel for recognizing one thing. You can't suppress a need. You can curtail desires with discipline and punishment, but if people need something whether it be drug, or weapon, or loose company, they will go to the edge of the stars to get it.

That's what brought Jack Graves here today. Need. While it pained him to come to this corner of the galaxy of all places, the Imperial Regions proved less than helpful with their bureaucracy and the independent world's were a crap shoot. See, this man needed the rarest of illicit goods. Though it was produced everyday the act of refining and distribution was the real money maker in this market. Information, just to be pointed in the right direction. That's all the bounty hunter ever wanted.

So calling in a favor with his guild contact the he managed to get a sit down with Vinny the Shark, a Herglic informant who served as a frontman for the higher ups. Not liking having to waste time with a middleman, Jack calmed himself with the reminder that this was his best chance of finding his daughter. It's the bitter pills that are the most effective as they say and there wasn't a more bitter pill to swallow than the acrid air of The Smuggler's Moon.

Rather than a club or bar, Vinny preferred to take his clients in a semi-formal seafood establishment. In lieu of his armor, Jack decided to don a simple collared shirt and dress pants. He of course kept his holdout blaster quite literally close to the chest and found it odd he wasn't patted down. Perhaps it was expected to have small arms here. It didn't do much good in the end as every entrance had a Herglic bouncer armed to the teeth.

Vinny was large, even for his immense species. That was no doubt due to the two empty plates he was currently polishing with a third on the way. Weighed down with all sorts of fish, shrimp, and some odd squiggling black mass, Jack suppressed his gag reflex and waited patiently. Between bites the broker pointed to a seat and the bounty hunter begrudgingly sat in the proximity which could be generously described as 'the splash zone'. Tapping the table he soon found a plate in front of him. Out of courtesy he took a few sparing bites as the Herglic at last finished his plate. As yet another one was on the way the gluttonous gangster said,

"Well get started here when the others arrive"

Right before digging in further to his one man feast. That left Jack just about as much to digest as Vinny had. Why were others coming to this meeting? He wanted a simple information transfer, but his contact said Vinny tended to prefer services as opposed to credits. That left the bounty hunter wondering exactly what service the Herglic had in mind.

@The Matt @Nor'baal

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

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Gaz wasn't a criminal - at least, not in his eyes. Although the Imperial Republica may consider him that, he technically hadn't done anything wrong besides being on the wrong side at the wrong time. He was yet to kill any Imperial and he really had no plans to - civil wars were stupid in his opinion.

But sometimes, you need to get a little dirty when you had a mission. All searches for his father had been dead ends thus far, and he refused to give up. And that is how Gaz found himself in a cantina on the Smuggler's Moon, his cloak pulled over his armor, and his mask off for the time being. He knew mercenaries had rules too, and showing up to a meeting disguised was likely to get him in trouble, or, at the very least, kicked out. His lightsaber and blaster were on him in case things went south, but he didn't see any reason they should.

Someone else had already arrived and was sitting at the table, so Gaz sat next to them, greeting all at the table with a subtle nod. A waiter offered him something from the plate, but he shook his head. "I don't like seafood," he muttered.

The broker in front of him was uglier than the Acolyte had expected. And as if looking unappealing wasn't enough, he was also absolutely massive. It was a surprise to Gaz that Vinny had even gotten through the door. He watched in well-hidden wonder as the Herglic gobbled plate after plate of food, waiting for the meeting to begin.
@BlackJack @Nor'baal

 

[Norbaal Durga Bareesh]

Nor’baal Bareesh did not normally go out of his way to help other people, especially when those other people did not come with a hefty wad of cash. However, today he was making an exception. Not out of some sudden change of heart, and a move to a more altruistic life, but because he really wanted to see a rival broker smashed out of the game. It was for that reason he was here, chomping on a cigar, rifle slung over his back and pistol at his ‘hip’, moving toward his contact.

”Nee Chasa! Do hoogu de mo.” he boomed in Huttese, dropping the trademark Huttese self-aggrandisement in the interest of trying to get on with Graves and his accomplices. Their contact thus far had been limited to say the least, so he said little, waiting for the man to likewise introduce himself.

 

[Jack Graves]

Jack seemed quite good at attracting unusual characters. A blessing or a curse, he didnt believe in such things, all he believed in was what was right in front of him. Currently involved a morbidly obese space whale competing in bmi with a dapper looking Hutt. Topping it off was a brooding gentlemen who reminded Graves so much of himself it was insulting.

Vinny looked over each of the comers with a glance long enough to get a picture of them but short enough not to slow his progress towards cardiac arrest. He gave a look to Gaz of confusion morphed into repugnance, who the hell turned down fresh squid from the ice seas of Ando Prime? Then there was Norbaal. Vinny uttered a guttural grunt between bites that Jack might say was Huttese, but it was hard to say as it was followed up by the Herglic cracking some crab claws barehanded.

Impressive as that was, the bounty hunter was interested in one thing. Seeing the information broker was between plates, the focused man put his hand up as he said,

"I was told I could come to you for information"

Vinny the Shark surprisingly turned away from the steaming plate of seafood wrapped steak to eye Jack. His eyes rolled back to their whites as a low rumbled came forth. It was nearly intimidating until he simply belched and his eyes returned to normal.

"Ahhh. Marx get my pills." As one of his attendants rushed off, the large alien looked over those assembled and lifted his flabby arms, "Yes. We are all here looking for something. You all need some kind of information and I have the resources to get it...but I need something from all of you first"

Jack reached into his shirt and produced a large folder filled with chips. He hadn't even pressed it to the table when Vinny shook his hand at it,

"No no. Republic credits are no good. What i want is far more...satisfying"

While some might figure Vinny paused for effect, Jack was close enough to hear he was merely waiting for his stomach to settle.

A hologram appeared of a Troydarian. Her name Alga Dayt appeared along with a few other nuggets of information.

"Alga was a colleague of mine and a friend until recently. She stopped communicating with my network which has created a rather embarrassing dark patch where my eyes once saw...that and what she had given me before is now suspect."

Vinny the Shark got his pills at that moment. Veiny arms opened the top as he chugged them down. Licking his lips the lecherous whale looked over the trio,

"I want you to take care of her for me. Dont get me wrong, I dont want her sleepin with the fishes...at least not yet."

A map came up of a city on Troydaria called Izlaz,

"This is where her last communique came from. In a cantina called Juce Sweet. I need you to find her. Figure out why she cut off contact and then tell me...I'll decide from there."

This was all presumptive. Jack leaned in looking something fierce,
"I came here for information..."

"And you'll get it. You all will. You can tell me here or send me an encrypted message on that console over there. Be detailed in your request and when you return I'll send you the information you seek."

Not able to hold back any longer the gangster dove back into eating. With a mouthful of shrimp he said simply,

"Interested?"

Jack looked to the others then to the information. He had come this far, he supposed. Getting up, the bounty hunter headed to the console. Typing away his request.

Need information on Azara Baldr and Tyra Graves. May be under alias. Red hair. Blue eyes. Human. Azara in thirties, Tyra around 20. Need location. Associates. Habits. Anything you can give me.

Finished Jack sat back down this time further away from the Herglic.

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

.

This Herglic was something else. Gaz couldn't take his eyes off the hulking alien as he ate himself into cardiac arrest, damn near overdosed on his pills, and then kept eating, all while talking. It was like watching a speeder crash; he couldn't stop looking, but he definitely should.

He listened to Vinny, doing his best to inch his way away from the slobber that kept threatening to launch itself from the Herglic's mouth to the Acolyte's face. Gaz was also trying to ignore the fact that the Hutt's slimy tail was not even half a meter away from his foot. It was a breath of fresh air when he stood and walked to the console, doing it just to avoid the slime. He had no problem whispering a question to Vinny, but that would mean having the Herglic in his personal bubble.

Looking for the whereabouts of Visrik Fallwen. Presumed to be on Kessel.

He sat down next to the only other human at the table.

 

[Norbaal Durga Bareesh]

The Herglic was hypnotically beautiful to Nor'baal, its rolls of fat titillating his fancy greatly. However, not one to be distracted from the task at and, he tore his eyes away from its sublime eating habits, and allowed his ears to focus on a less salubrious sound than the crunching and sucking of the fish before the brokers mouth(s). The galaxy truly was full of wonders.

Moving over to the human, ignoring Fallwen as he did so, Nor'baal tried to appear as inconspicuous as possible - rather a task for a Hutt of his size, and leaned back in the recliner on the man's table, tapping his datapad as he did so. Nor'baal was an information broker of sorts, or at least, he was damn good at pretending to be one - and, if anything, he was pretty sure he could assist the man with his equiries in some small way...

 

[Jack Graves]

While at any other time before this exchange the Herglic was only giving them a passing glance, he watched them now. Vinny loved information more than food for in truth it was the only thing that filled him. He watched over Jack, then Gaz, then the Hutt who apparently hadn't made a request yet. As the inquiries flowed to him he found their puzzles less than enticing. Missing persons were so common. A needle in a haystack search was difficult yes, but all you got in the end was a little prick or nothing. Still he wasn't here for their information, he was here for them to do a job for him.

"Hey Hutt, you don't want nuffin or you shy?"

Not waiting for an answer, Vinny looked to Gaz and Jack,

"You two, I'll do what I can while you're gone so get goin"

Glad to be out of the obese shadow broker's presence, Jack got up and headed out of the restaurant. On the streets he gathered his jacket tight. Buffeted against the wind he waited outside to see if either of his partners might need a ride. While he was set for company with himself and all, it didn't hurt to have an extra set of hands whilst plummeting through the depths of deadly space.

Crossing his arms Jack looked up to the stars slowly poking out as night descended. She was out there, somewhere, and this obese gangster was going to help him find her. Fate was weird sometimes, but so were her customers. Getting ready to move, the bounty hunter looked to the door as he lit up a cig.

 

[Gaz Fallwen]

.

It would be interesting to see how helpful the Herglic would prove to be. Gaz was legitimately curious, and already eager to get the mission over with so he could get his answers and move on. It was strange how Vinny had needed to enlist the help of a bunch of strangers to do the job--if he was such a good broker, shouldn't he have contacts?--but the Sith tried to ignore his misgivings and stood up wordlessly.

Glad to finally be able to get some fresh air (or, as fresh as it can be on Nar Shaddaa), he walked outside, already reaching into his pouch for a cigarette. He'd recently picked up the habit of smoking spice, only a few days ago when he first got to the Smuggler's Moon. Someone had offered to sell him some, and when in Rome...

He lit up the cigarette as he exited the bar, finding the man he'd sat next to standing around. "Fancy some company?" he asked, taking a puff. "Public transport sucks." @BlackJack