Open Nal Hutta What's a Girl Gotta Do?

[L'Arra]

The green and tan twi'lek jabbered in Huttese, throwing his arms about as if to complain about the very air itself. L'Arra could of course understand every word, but at that particular moment she wish she couldn't even hear the man. She pinched her nose with one hand, resting her right hand on her hip just above the AZ-1 blaster pistol holstered on her leg. It would take less than a second to end him, but then she'd be wanted by one syndicate or cartel or another. Hell, she should probably start paying attention to who's hiring to transport what.

"Okay... okay... yeah, okay... STOP!" L'Arra yelled, putting her hands out so that the twi'lek knew her meaning. She continued in Huttese. "I wasn't given a contact, I was given the cargo, and told I'd be paid when I delivered it to these coordinates." Taking out her EZ Phone, she navigated to a document page showing pick up, cargo, and delivery, signed by both her and the contract giver. "I'm here now, and the cargo is on my ship. Can you get someone to come offload it and pay me, please?"

Of course the twi'lek shook his head, and began another bout of jabbering an incoherent mess of complaints and slurs. L'Arra rolled her eyes with a groan, and reached deep into her pocket, retrieving a small metal container. She opened it and produced a deathstick rolled to perfection from it. Lighting it and shoving everything but the deathstick between her lips back into her deep cargo pant pockets was a quick movement. The first drag she took calmed her nerves. We're not going to kill anybody today, L'Arra, not today.

"You know, I thought I drank myself to sleep every night from the PTSD, but no," she said in Huttese, her tone a solid wall of sarcasm. "Noooo it's you, buddy." She turned her back to the twi'lek and took a few steps toward her AMS-8500 light freighter. Several of the cargo containers, the ones that could be moved by one person, mainly her, were stacked just off the loading ramp. Moving a couple of the boxes, she created a makeshift chair, and sat down on it, leaning back against a wall of boxes as she dragged her death stick. "What's a girl gotta do to get paid around here," she said rather loudly but to no one in particular.

 

[Kaldar]

Nal Hutta was something of an icky planet. The air clung to his skin with its sticky, swamp presence and every breath he took seemed like it was pollution. Still, it was a planet where you could get anything, find someone to do anything, and also where you could make some money if you were willing to get your hands dirty.

In this case, it was small-time territory wars. Since Crimson Dawn had started losing its hand at the game of galactic crime, its mercenary forces, smugglers, and pirates had started heading their own directions. Among them was the Eclipse: a large privateering and piracy force that had a small time hand in smuggling and poaching off smugglers. Put it together, and you ended up with a group of criminals who were more directionless than they had been and were looking for anyone to work with.

Needing to sell? I might be able to help with that, he said, making his way almost out of nowhere as soon as the Twi'lek disappeared.

I've got some people who are looking to purchase if your payer fell through, he said, keeping his hand nice and casually away from the blaster pistol now strapped to his hip.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

L'Arra took another slow drag of her death stick. Her eyes twitched and perked, her black furred, trimmed tail giving an excited swoosh. She flicked the death stick away as she exhaled the smoke, yellow eyes fixed on the man. If she didn't know any better she'd say he was an insurgent, popping up out of no where like that. At least he brought good news, right?

"If they can come offload the rest of it, and give me my due, I'll gladly take the help," she said in basic. "Most of it's spice. Got a few crates of surplus weapons too. "

She sized him up and down, not trying to hide it one bit, as she stood up. Folding her arms across her chest, she shifted her weight from hip to hip. He didn't seem like much at first glance. Had a blaster on his hip, probably one hidden away too just like her. You couldn't do much of anything without a good blaster or two in these parts. "Who's your people?

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar expected it was spice. And if not spice, then it was guns. These were the two options on a place like this, and while he preferred weapons, he'd move spice, too, if it made him money. He wasn't moralistic.

The weight? And your cut? he asked. His eyes flicked over to the crates she had already unloaded, and based on the size he was guessing it was some of the low end stuff sold in bulk. At a glance he'd guess it was worth seven million creds and her cut was probably in the $5,000 range. That was how these jobs worked: the transporters and foot soldiers got paid next to nothing.

And who was she moving for, anyway? Maybe they didn't care who bought it, but someone was liable to get angry.

Eclipse, he said. If she'd been around long enough, she likely knew the name and knew that they were trying to muscle in on this territory. In a way, she'd be throwing her weight behind them and double crossing the Sons of Silence who she was supposed to be selling to.

On the other hand, Kaldar had no qualms with people spilling a little blood. As long as it wasn't his blood, what did he care? He didn't stay in one place long enough anyway, and he still needed to get in good with Eclipse so he could build his own influence. Bringing them a 7 mill credit score from their rivals sounded pretty good to him.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

L'Arra turned a yellow gaze to the cargo ramp of the Lightdancer. "Fifty standard tons total, forty spice, ten weapons," she said, turning back to the man, both hands on her hips now. Her tail swished excitedly behind her, betraying her calm and collected demeanor. Finally she might get paid, and get off this stinking rock. "Cut's four grand; already collected the upfront fee."

She'd heard of Eclipse before, but the word didn't mean much to her. Come and go, that was the life of a freelancer. The inter-syndicate politics wasn't her game; not yet anyway. L'Arra nodded anyway, acknowledging the group. A whole lot of toes would be getting stepped on if she sold the goods to this guy, but the Sons of SIlence should have thought about that before they didn't plan to pay her on arrival.

"You want the whole load?"

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

The mention that she had already collected the up front fee caught him off guard, but his poker face was maintained with a smooth smile. Sounds good to me, he said with a light swivel of his head to emphasize the statement.

She was about to piss off a whole lot of people and possibly even get some people coming to kill her. Kaldar, on the other hand, knew that this was a chance for profit and possibly even a way to push Eclipse to finally take out the Sons of Silence and take over their territory. A twofer and a chance for Kaldar to get in deeper with the Eclipse.

Done. Start working on getting them unloaded, he said, waving a hand at the boxes already unloaded and the rest of the ship.

I'll call my people, he said, disappearing back around the corner and pulling out his EZphone.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

L'Arra watch the man bark orders at her a disappear around the corner with astonishment. She shook her head. Just who the hell did this guy think he was? Unloading was her job. It was the job of whoever was paying. There were times she wondered why she even got into this freelancing shit. Horrible coping mechanisms and bad decisions, she answered herself. Hells, she needed a drink.

"Un-fucking-believable," she muttered as she started up the cargo ramp, dragging crates back down and then travelling back up. Reminded her of moving sandbags from one spot to another because some lazy lieutenant couldn't make up their mind on which crater to fortify and which to not. Luckily she didn't have to do that shit for long after graduating pilot school.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar appeared from back around the corner about two minutes later and started unloading the crates alongside her. Two was faster than one, and the sooner this was over with, the better.

He glanced over at her as they worked and finally realized that she was pretty cute. Not that it changed much but he let his eyes linger for just a touch as he moved one of the crates and rolled it down the ramp. Too bad.

You been running shipments long? Who're you shifting for anyway? Clearly Sons of Silence stiffed you but you've gotta have your own supplier, he asked. He was still flying relatively blind, and he didn't love that.

If they don't pay your employer for his product, maybe they are interested in setting up a new deal. Not with the Sons of Silence, he said.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

His stare wasn't lost on her. She'd been around the block a few times. A girl tends to grow a sixth sense about wandering eyes when she's trapped in an Imperial tin can for a couple years with hormone driven young men. Not that she didn't have her share of the fun. She pulled the handle on the last crate, finding that it barely nudged. A quick nod to her staring partner for help, and the last of the crates were down in front of the ramp.

"Hells, what is in this thing?" she asked, pulling out her EZ Phone and checking the serial number. As she searched the manifest she answered him without much thought. "I run shipments for whoever pays. Granted, they aren't usually as shady as this particular guy was. Told me to sell to Sons of SIlence. Gave a fifth of my cut up front, and sent me on my way. Not that I mind, five grand for all this barely covers the port fees."

Just as she thought, this particularly heavy crate wasn't on the manifest. "This one's not on the list, but it isn't mine," she said flatly. L'Arra stuffed her EZ phone back in her pocket and put her hands on her hips. Her ears twitched, her tail moved in small staccatos of annoyance. Now L'Arra wanted to know what was in the mystery crate, but it wasn't her crate to open. "Take a look if you want, since your people are taking it," she said, turning to the man and producing a deathstick from her pocket. She lit it and took a long drag, her nerves subdued for the moment. "As for your questions, I'm just a freelance trying to make some money. I don't usually get involved in the politics of things, unless those politics involve a good Corellian bourbon."

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar got back to work quickly, knowing well enough how to not be a complete creep on someone else. That didn't usually go over very well with... well, anyone.

However, as he listened to her story and started shifting that final crate, the hair on the back of his neck began to stand up. Something just didn't add up here. She was vague about her employer - and by extension who the Eclipse were about to steal from - and was now shifting crates of unknown origin with unknown contents.

Warning bells from both the Force and his own mental faculties began to set off in his mind, and he took a step back from it.

What're you playing at? he asked, frowning. Oh yeah he could open it. That was a classic way to have it explode in his face.

He took a step back from the crate and the hair on the back of his neck stood up even more. Yes, something was wrong, but he didn't know what it was yet.

You piss somebody off? They put a bomb in your freighter? he asked. No, Kaldar didn't want that crate.

Look, I'll take the rest of it, but that one's... was all the further he got. Most likely, the droid inside had heard them talking about its crate, and the lid burst off all on its own. Two arms came up and it started blasting at both of them. IG series if Kaldar was had seen correctly before he leapt behind a landing strut of the ship.

He was going to scream at the catgirl if it weren't for the fact that it seemed to be shooting at her too. Okay, now it was time for the blaster to come out.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

L'Arra tilted her head, ears flopping to one side. "I don't get paid to open crates, just move 'em," she said, one hand on her hip while the other brought her death stick to lips, pinched between her index finger and thumb to that the cherry was hidden within her hand. She turned back to the crate, shaking her head. "If it was me they were pissed at, woulda spaced me." Far be it for her to care what she was transporting, but something about the way the man become cautious had her on edge even through the death stick. Her ears low and pointing rearward, and her tail was a blur of small, rigid movements.

That's when the lid burst off. Military training kicked and she dove for cover just as the arms appeared. Son of a hutt. She was in cover behind the crates, crates that she was just about to sell. A string of slurs one would only find in a barracks streamed out of her mouth as she picked herself up and sprinted towards the nearest hard cover that wasn't be sold- it just so happened to be the same landing strut the man was taking cover behind.

She slid into it's thing safety behind him, spinning around and making her AZ-1 blaster pistol ready. She was in a standard Imperial crouch; her movements emitted a sense of tactical confidence. Leaning just a small portion of her body out, she lined the holographic sight up with the droid and pulled the trigger in a hammer pair at the droid's torso component before leaning back into the safety of the strut as a stream of blaster bolts answered back.

"Okay, I'ma need some intel on what the fuck I just walked into," she yelled over the blaster fire at the man. "If we live." That last one was murmured, but they were close enough he'd be able to hear. Just her luck. Shadiest man she'd ever met hands her a gig, smuggles an assassin droid onto her ship without her knowing, and it gets set off right as she's about to sell it to someone else? Hells, what were the odds!? L'Arra grit her teeth with a growl, leaned out again and put another hammer pair into the thing's chest plate.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

He was having a hard time believing that one droid could do this much shooting. Boom, boom,, boom... somehow it was twisting and firing in every possible direction. It probably didn't help that all the shooting was now being directed at one landing strut since they were both behind it.

How should I know? It was in your cargo hold! he hissed. Blaster shots slammed into their cover, and Kaldar shook his head. He tapped into the Force but instead of using it to block a blaster bolt, he used it to predict when it wasn't coming so that he could swivel around and fire shots into the chest of the IG droid, knocking it back.

Unfortunately, it barely phased the thing. It started blasting again. Fortunately, that was when the Eclipse mercs showed up, firing their blasters at the droid to keep it suppressed and hopefully give Kaldar and cat girl a chance to gun it down.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

"Not the- oh fuck it," she blurted, easing out to to fire a couple more bolts into the droid's chest plate. There were definitely dents on it, they just weren't enough. The moment a squad of mercenaries showed up and began blasting away at the droid, L'Arra picked herself up and moved. The droid was having a rough time figuring out which target was the most opportune one to shoot at, so only one or two more bolts came her way, passing only inches behind her. Reaching the other landing strut, she collected her breath for a second.

L'Arra leaned out of cover, lined the holographic sight up with the droid's unarmored armpit, and pulled the trigger. The bolt hit home, clearly doing a bit of damage but not quite killing the droid. It spun toward her, firing both blasters at her. She ducked behind the cover of the strut again, hoping the others could put a few shots into the unarmored joints.

She hadn't even noticed that the death stick was still clutched in her lips, and through her sprinting twice now, the cherry had fallen out. Cursing, she took it from her mouth and flicked it away.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Things seemed to be improving... until they weren't. More blaster bolts went off and then there were explosions. First it was a single grenade, then it was the box of weaponry. Then it was the powerpacks inside of it, then it spread to the crates of drugs.

Kriff, there went that idea, he thought to himself. No reason to stick around now.

Go! Get out! he shouted to the pirates who started making for the exit. Kaldar did the same. Whether the catgirl opted to follow, fly off, or fight, he didn't really care. She'd have a hard time doing either of the latter two, so he guessed she would follow him.

He darted for the door at the far side of the hangar and leapt outside as blaster bolts slammed just behind him. His heart was pounding, but he was cursing under his breath. This was not how he thought today was going to go.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

L'Arra watched in what could only be described as astonishment as the crates began to detonate one after the other. Hells, if that wasn't just a kick in the dick. Hearing the man order the mercenaries back ripped her attention away from what would ultimately become her reason for downing a bottle that night. They were dipping out, she should probably do the same. Reaching into her pocket she clicked a remote, and the Lightdancer's cargo ramp began to lift. Had to make sure the ship was locked up tight. It would still be there in the morning, and if there were guards she'd deal with them later.

Using the chaos still unfolding at the crates as cover, she sprinted after the man. Blaster bolts scorched the wall around the hangar door as she approached. As soon as the door slid shut behind her, three loud thunks shook it. A second later and those blaster bolts would have been up her tail.

"There are times I really hate this job," she said, panting and pressing her back against the wall. Guess she really wasn't getting paid.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar was through the door and barely even looked back as he turned hard down another hall and then another before making it out into an alley right down the "street" from the hangar they had just left.

Kriff, he spat, huffing through his nose and looking around the area. Even when he was angry, that threat assessment portion of his brain never turned off, and this place was ripe with danger. Probably a fifth of the population were thugs and most of the others were still crooks in one capacity or another. In other words, it wasn't safe to let your guard down anywhere on this rock.

Finally, his eyes swept back to catgirl. She'd gotten shafted even harder than him. He was out of luck with losing a shipment he wanted to steal, and would have to find another way to get in better with Eclipse, but she... she now had no money to pay off whoever she was shifting that spice for. And it seemed that maybe someone was trying to kill her. She denied it, of course, but Kaldar wasn't convinced.

Good luck with your murder droid problem, he said, and started to walk away. It wasn't his problem, after all.

@TheDudeMike

 

[L'Arra]

L'Arra followed the man for a while until he stopped. She had finally put her blaster pistol back in the leg holster on her thigh, and a new death stick had miraculously appeared between her lips, and despite shaky hands she managed to light the thing. She could feel her nerves calming before she even finished the first drag. Ears that had been straight back perked back up, and her tail now had a lazy swoosh to it.

She tilted her head as he began walking away. Hells, she was gonna be in trouble. Lost a potential buyer, and probably couldn't show her face to the Sons of Silence. That was okay, though. Plenty of of criminal organizations that needed shipments ran. "I'll be seein' ya," she said, tossing a wave his way before disappearing down an alley. she'd have to wait until night to get back to her ship, but it would at least be safe. The Sons of Silence would have moved in and posted guards, but mercenaries aren't the most loyal. They're also not the best if they're pulling guard duty.

Nightfall came hours later, some very sober hours later, and L'Arra made her way back to the hangar. Just as she suspected, guards. Run of the mill types. Some humans, rodians, twi'leks. Nothing big, nothing bad. The two guarding the door into the hangar were easy to get by. One went to take a piss, the other lit a death stick and ruined his natural night vision. L'Arra just slipped behind them and through the door. They were so confused they thought they had accidently triggered it (rolled a 17).

The guards at the ship wouldn't be so easy. L'Arra approached them at a normal pace, waving a greeting. Her yellow eyes scanned the area, taking note that the crates of shipment were all but destroyed and the droid was in pieces at the foot of the ramp where the guards stood. There seemed to only be two of them, but she knew there were probably more up above.

"Who are you?" one of the guards, a human, took a step toward her, hand on his pistol grip. L'Arra raised her hands in front of her, shaking her head.

"Hey now, no need for that. I'm just here to collect my ship," she said. The guards looked at each other, but before they could draw their blasters L'Arra had stepped up between them. "How's about we skip the fighting tonight, boys. I'm more in a mood for a different kind of tumble." She put as much sultry in her voice as she could, even wiggled her hips a little and ran a finger down the human's chest.

The gamble worked (rolled an 11). L'Arra clicked the remote, ignoring the groping hands of the two guards as the ramp fell. "C'mon," she said, taking them by the hands, and leading them into the ship. She let a few corners get rounded before stepping behind the two, pulling out her AZ-1 blaster pistol and putting a bolt in either of their backs. "Hells."

She dragged them to the ramp and rolled them down it, walking down with a blanket to the broken droid. The cargo may be a lost cause, but the droid may have something in it's memory banks about what the hell had just happened. Laying out the blanket, she began to put piece of by piece of the droid on it. They were heavy, but she made quick work of it. Shouts and alarm began when she was already half way up the ramp, dragging the broken droid behind her. Seems the balcony guards finally noticed their two friends at the ship here were dead.

L'Arra was in the ship with the droid and raising the ramp before the first Sons of Silence began pouring into the hangar. Their panicked shooting made for only one close call, and in relative terms it wasn't close at all; the bolt flew through the closing ramp and hit the bulkhead behind her. She'd had closer calls in basic training.

When the ramp was sealed she rushed to the cockpit, firing up the engines and power. The ship initialized with a whirring sound that soon turned into a hum of life. "Alright baby let's get outa here," she said, giving the throttle a love tap. A moment later she was lifting off, the pings of blaster bolts ringing throughout the ship. Wasn't long until there was silence as she sped upwards toward the void of space. L'Arra made sure to spin up the hyperdrive on the way. She wanted to get as far away from Nal Hutta as possible for a while.

@Phoenix