Wisdom of the Ossein

[Irma Kinton]

TRAMMIS III ORBITAL SERVICES, THE OUTER RIM...

The Ossein, it seemed, didn't like to set down on planets.

Irma Kinton, star-trotting historian and pilot for hire, felt slightly disappointed at that, looking down through one of the big, curved transparisteel viewports of the old 500-series platform at the blue-green globe of Trammis III. The planet below was advertised in the travel holozines as a tropical paradise, home to spectacular wildlife such as titanic dinosaurs. It had always been on Irma's list of places to visit when she got the chance, but sadly, it would not be on this trip.

Irma couldn't really blame the Ossein for never setting down on the planets they visited; landing was a good way to make oneself vulnerable, and given what the interstellar wanderers had had visited upon them over the course of the last few centuries, vulnerability was something they simply could not afford. They stuck to their small fleets, journeying from planet to planet as they plied their merchant trade, staying one step ahead of any who might be tracking them with ill intent in the process. The side effect, of course, was that those tracking them with benign intent didn't have it any easier.

Tagal had been a big help, there.

Irma glanced back along the corridor, seeing the much taller human standing and looking around at the rather dreary offerings of the Trammis III orbital services. His ship, a massive Gorath Janteel galleon, was docked to one of the station's four docking arms, and was visible behind him. Making the trip aboard such a large vessel had felt like heaven to Irma, who was used to the claustrophobic confines of her tiny starfighter. The trip also went faster, given that unlike the starfighter, Tagal's ship did not have to stop at every refueling station along the way.

Turning to look in the other direction, Irma saw the Laogot Fleet.

Together, the ships of the Ossein fleet easily out-massed the station they were collectively docked to. In classic Ossein style, the fleet's many ships had docked with one-another in a huge interconnected cluster, with smaller ships both from the fleet and from the planet below buzzing around it like bees around a hive. The fleet was connected by a single boarding tube to the station, extending from inside the cluster, presumably with the fleet flagship at the other end.

Irma looked back again at Tagal, giving a shrug.

"I guess we found them..."

@Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

Searching for the Ossein was a treck and a half but the time just kind of flew by when they were onboard his ship. There was more than enough room when you were on the Galleon to just relax in whatever way you really wanted. A lot of the crew played card games through their time in hyperspace or something similar.

Tagal usually spent his time in hyperspace working in the small forge he had had set up on board, making vibroblades and the like for the crew and for sale if they wanted to give some samples of his work to people they met along the way. Irma had taken to spend a lot of time wandering the halls of the ship and he could appreciate it - the Galleon could literally hold four of her ships in the hanger without issue after all.

The station they were docked at was a bit run down and it was smaller than his own station but it seemed a decent enough place. It wasn't as crime-ridden as one would think from looking at it directly.

As for the fleet itself?

It was all seemingly connected to a Gorath-class freighter, a lot of smaller freighters and fighters and the like hovering around it like angry bees hovering around a hive.

"... mines bigger." he joked immediately, "Packs more of a punch too."

He hummed once.

"So how do we play this?"

@AutoFox

 

[Irma Kinton]

Irma rubbed her chin at Tagal's question, biting her lower lip. The Tintinna had spent so long focused on finding the Ossein that she hadn't given much thought to getting the information she wanted from them once she did. Rather short sighted of her, she supposed, but it was no use worrying about that now.

The Tintinna crossed her arms under her bosom, tapping her foot in thought for a moment before looking back over her shoulder at Tagal.

"Well, you wanted to make some trade deals with these people, right?" She said, smiling. "We should probably lead with that. I'm pretty sure I'd have to talk to their Noyon if I have a chance of finding out what I need to know... and he'll be wanting to talk to you I imagine."

The Tintinna grinned, and started walking. The station's circular concourse curved away to the docking arm where the Laogot Fleet was moored, and if the giant cluster of interconnected ships hadn't given its presence away, the temporary signage out front did. At the entrance to the docking arm, colorful holosigns extolled the wonders to be found in the Laogot Fleet's collective holds in a dozen and one languages. Standing beside the entrance was a stocky male human, dressed in what looked like antique pilot's gear, armed with a blaster on his hip and a long vibropike held in one hand. As Irma approached, the "guard" - Irma was certain he was mostly for show - raised his free hand in a wave of greeting.

"Greetings from distant stars, fellow travelers!" He called, beaming. "I bid you welcome to the Laogot Fleet, if you bring not with you your weapons. We-..."

The guard trailed off when Irma gave a crisp military salute.

"Greetings, Jazaq." The Tintinna said, smiling widely. "My Noy and I ask permission to come aboard, and to speak with your illustrious Noyon, if such can be arranged. My Noy has a business proposition to discuss which may benefit the both of you greatly."

The guard blinked, looking up at Tagal, and then back at Irma.

"I-I'm actually only Ajil, ma'am, but thank you!" Replied the man, saluting back, although not so crisply. "I'll pass on your message. A moment."

The guard produced a comlink from a pocket of his flight suit, speaking into it for a moment before nodding to Irma and Tagal. He moved aside slightly.

"Go right ahead. There'll be someone to escort you to the Noyon at the end of the docking spire."

Irma smiled at the guard, nodding in gratitude, before walking past him. Once she and Tagal were walking through the connecting corridor, the Tintinna grinned.

"I've been studying... Noy means captain, by the way."

@Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

She was right - approaching them with something to sell and a trade relationship to set up was probably for the best. It would mean that they had to take him more seriously than if he was just the captain of a ship. Or maybe that part was what was going to endear him to them?

He honestly didn't know much about the Ossein because everything he tried to find on the holonet was horrifically biased against them because it was published by the Sith Empire.

Tagal followed along with Irma and he really didn't need to say or do anything as she talked their way onto the connecting corridor towards the fleet. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk.

"Alright - I was worried you were calling me something strange." he joked, "I wouldn't have liked it if you were introducing me as your Daddy or something."

As they began to approach the next area, Tagal decided he should probably ask some questions.

"Alright so I know nothing about these people." he admitted with a frown, "Are they all going to turn out to be some backward-knee, environment suit wearing, no-immune system having, vaguely human-like, cute accented nomads with amazing hips?"

... a man could hope!

@AutoFox

 

[Irma Kinton]

Irma raised an eyebrow, looking over at Tagal. "That's... oddly specific." The Tintinna remarked. "Isn't that from-"

"Welcome!"

Irma jumped slightly, turning from Tagal to see that the two of them had reached the end of the corridor, where a male Rodian wearing another archaic flight suit was standing beside the hatch connecting the station and the extended docking arm. The Tintinna looked up at the Ossein, adjusting her glasses.

"Oh! Um, h-hello!" She replied. "Were you sent to escort us to the Noyon?"

The Rodian gave a slight bow.

"The admiral will be happy to hear any business proposals you may have. Our fleet is a place of fair commerce... whatever the Sith may have to say about that."

The Rodian touched the door control, and stepped into the connecting corridor, inclining his head.

"Follow me, if you would."

Irma couldn't help but hear the note of bitterness in the Ossein's voice when he mentioned the Sith. The Tintinna supposed she understood; the Ossein had been culturally gutted by the Sith, after all, even if that had been centuries ago. What she hadn't expected was for the Ossein to be this... gregarious. Given what they had gone through, she had expected such a culture to be cagey, defensive...

"Thank you!"

Irma followed after the Rodian, thinking to herself.

Well, no, this makes sense. She thought to herself. Whatever happened to them, they're still merchants. They have to be friendly and polite, and open to new opportunities... and I'm sure that friendliness hides all sorts of secrets.

Eventually, Irma, Tagal and the rodian descended into the tangle of interconnected ships. Outside the transparent walls of the docking tube, spacecraft of all descriptions were linked to one-another, beings visible moving between them through other docking tubes. After a little longer, the tube they traveled through emptied into an open space, the hold of the Gorath-class bulker that was the flagship of the Laogot Fleet.

Irma blinked in surprise.

Inside the cavernous main hold of the bulker was the most raucous bazaar the Tintinna had ever seen. Dozens of stands and even full-blown shops built into shipping containers filled the space in three dimensions, with beings of all descriptions moving between them. Irma's eyes widened when she realized how they were moving; they sailed through the air, pushing off surfaces to launch themselves on trajectories. It took the Tintinna a moment to realize that they weren't actually flying, but floating; evidently, the hold's artificial gravity had been turned off.

It took the Tintinna a moment loner to realize that she was floating as well. She wobbled in the air unsteadily.

"Follow me!"

Irma looked up to see the Rodian push off, aiming for a hatch at the other end of the market. The Tintinna bit her lip, orienting herself, squirming her hips a bit before doing the same in pursuit. Almost immediately she started tumbling, but as she drifted, she worked her arms and legs in order to stabilize herself; she found that she seemed to have an instinct for it, straightening out into a smooth glide.

"C'mon Tagal!" She called.

@Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

... He didn't sign up for this.

Tagal signed up to meet a weird mixture of aliens and the like who had set up a strange kind of migrant fleet. Hell, he had even signed up to see about setting up new trade opportunities. What he hadn't signed up for was finding himself in some kind of bizarre, well, bazaar within the cargo hold of a ship so very like his own.

Wait.

Did this mean that his ship could actually have a bazaar in it? Sometimes Tagal honestly forgot just how much space he actually had in his ship but seeing things like this really brought home the idea that he really wasn't using his ship's space as effectively as he could be doing.

Sighing, he pushed off with his feet, floating through the air after Irma. In face, he almost outpaced her, having put a touch too much power into his pushing off.

He grimaced as he had to correct his course by grabbing a bar from a local stall and pushing off from it to re-orientate himself.

"This is new..." he muttered before calling out to their guide, "I don't suppose the meeting place has, you know, gravity?"

He could hope, right?

@AutoFox

 

[Irma Kinton]

The Rodian Ossein guiding Tagal and Irma looked back at the human, smiling a little. He came to a stop against the bulkhead around the hatch, catching a handhold and bracing deftly. He gave a little shrug.

"Our destination has gravity; it has been specially prepared for the Noyon to meet with outsiders." The Rodian gestured around. "I suppose it must seem strange to someone who didn't grow up in the fleet... we Ossein have very little space to work with, compared to you planet-dwellers. Cutting out gravity makes it easier to maximize our use of space."

"That's actually kind of brilliant!"

Irma came sailing in, quickly realizing that she had put too much momentum into her push. In a brief moment of panic she windmilled her arms, only succeeding in putting herself into a tumble as she bounced off the bulkhead with a squeak. The Rodian quickly reached out to catch her, steadying her in the air as he pressed the release for the hatch.

"Careful, little one! And I'm glad you approve." He said, as the hatch swished open. He gestured inside. "Please, through here."

Beyond the hatch was another short corridor, and then a turbolift. It rose up a few decks, depositing the trio in a chamber with a large panoramic view-port at one end. It looked out on the cargo hold-come-bazaar from a high angle, and in the center of the chamber was a dais, upon which reclined a Hutt.

Irma stiffened briefly, a lifetime of holos having conditioned her to be wary of such creatures. Beside her, the Rodian gave a salute.

"Jevellith Noyon! These are the beings who wished to speak with you regarding a business deal."

The Hutt had its back to Irma and Tagal, and with a soft mechanical click, the dais rotated to bring it around to face them. The Hutt was like most of its kind; an obese slug, with dark yellow skin and, when it had turned enough for its features to be seen, huge green eyes with feline slit pupils above an impossibly wide mouth. It took Irma a moment to notice that perched atop its head, rather incongruously, was an old leather flying cap, complete with a pair of polarized goggles, though the lenses and strap had been enlarged to Hutt size.

It smiled.

Irma had seen a Hutt smile in old holodramas before, butt in those the expression had been closer to a sneer. She was therefore surprised to note that this being's smile seemed jovial, and its eyes sparkled with something like mirth. The creature gestured with one of its flabby arms to a pair of comfortable-looking chairs near its dais.

"Welcome, fellow travelers!" The slug boomed in accented but otherwise excellent Basic. "I am Jevellith Hactur, Noyon of this fleet. I welcome you aboard my humble flagship, and bid you make yourselves comfortable."

The slug's gaze shifted to focus on Irma.

"I see you take your business dealings seriously, human, bringing the customary gift of an appetizer!"

Irma's eyes widened in shock at the Hutt's words, and she took a step back. The Hutt licked his lips, holding his gaze on the Tintinna for a long moment.

"I-I... what?!"

Jevellith Noyon erupted in a booming laugh, rocking on his dais and shaking his head.

"Fear not, little one, I jest!" The Hutt settled back on his dais. "Nevertheless, you are... expected. It is one reason you and your friend were able to see me so quickly."

The Hutt moved his gaze to Tagal.

"But we shall come to that later. For now, sit, and tell me what it is that brings you aboard my ship, Mister... Saxon, I believe is your name?" He gestured around at the room. "I'm afraid I must apologize for the accommodations. Five or six centuries ago, we would have the use of a proper stateroom, but..."

The Hutt looked wistful for a moment, and then gestured to the seats again.

"Tell me what is on your mind."

@Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

Tagal understood why zero gravity could be a good thing but he wasn't built for the stuff - most living creatures weren't in fact - so he was already beginning to feel a little bit sick. His movements were a bit stiff in the zero gravity now, trying not to do anything that would cause him to spin at all.

"Give me a planet and the beauty of gravity any day..." he muttered, "A standard Mandalore G would do me the Galaxy of good right about now."

It would stop him from feeling sick to his back teeth at least.

What did not help the lingering sense of sickness, however, was the revelation of just who the leader they were meeting was. Or rather, just what species the creature actually turned out to be. Hutts were unappealing at the best of times but right now just looking at him made Tagal want to hurl chips.

No.

No... he was a Mandalorian, master of his own body. He would will himself not to react and it would all be fine he was sure. When the Hutt made the crack about eating Irma, Tagal reacted a little bit tetchier than he usually would... he drew one of his blaster pistols and drew himself back up to his full height, all traces of sickness gone in an instant.

"If you slither one inch closer to her, I'll blast you to pieces."

It was a cold threat that he backed up by stepping forwards to stand slightly in front on Irma, his free hand on her shoulder in preparation to pull her behind him fully if things got worse. Of course it turned out to not be needed as it was a joke - which prompted Tagal to holster his blaster.

"Sorry about that - force of habit." he apologized with hands raised slightly, empty, before taking one of the offered seats, "I am here representing myself and Blackwell Independent Technologies. We're interested in the Osseins market. Irma here is... interested on a more personal level."

@AutoFox

 

[Irma Kinton]

The Hutt's eyes all but crossed as they focused on the muzzle of Tagal's blaster, but when the Mandalorian put it away, he gave a dismissive wave, settling back on his dais. He pulled out a datapad from somewhere, pudgy fingers surprisingly nimble on the controls, punching up a bit of information from somewhere in the device's memory.

"Personal reasons! Interesting... my people have been wondering about your motives since we caught wind you were trying to track us down."

The Hutt's large, green eyes shifted briefly from the datapad, regarding the Tintinna for a long moment.

"There is something... familiar about you, little one. Perhaps you are...?"

The Noyon of the Laogot Fleet shook his head, returning his attention to the datapad, and then shifting it once more to Tagal.

"Blackwell Independent Technologies! Your reputation precedes you." Rumbled the Hutt. "I make it my business to keep tabs on the Galaxy's business dealings, and I must say, your little firm has surfaced in my feed more than once over the past few months."

The Hutt turned his datapad to make the screen visible, showing several independent news articles that covered recent Blackwell dealings and acquisitions.

"Of course I am willing to hear out whatever you propose. The 'Ossein market' does cover a lot of ground, though; are you seeking some sort of arrangement with the Laogot Fleet? Or do you simply wish to market your products to my people?"

He smiled.

"You should know, I have very little influence over the latter. We Ossein are independent in most things, including our spending habits."

@Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

Tagal was getting a little bit confused here - was this Hutt trying to say that he knew about Irma's relation to someone who had joined up with these guys in the past? He supposed that the Hutt might be old enough but that would be a stretch even for the long-lived slug people, especially when it is still such a coincidence that they would run into this particular slug.

Or, as the Sith and Jedi liked to say, he supposed it might very well be the will of the Force making sure to stretch history to their liking.

"We're getting our foot in the door of Galactic economics." he agreed with a small smile, "I'm mainly the R&D guy I'll admit but I'm having a ball working with them and I have a space station set up dedicated as a foundry at the moment as well."

Pausing for a moment, Tagal shared a look with Irma.

"Probably a little rude if I just answer with 'yes', right?" he joked lightly before expanding upon it, "I would be looking for either. The chance to put our goods before your people on their market and also if there is anything mutually beneficial that we could agree on."

@AutoFox

 

[Irma Kinton]

The Hutt regarded Tagal, nodding slowly and stroking one of his chins thoughtfully. Shifting on his dais, he looked past his two guests.

"Tol Jazaq!"

Irma turned to look, seeing that the Rodian who had guided her and Tagal to the Noyon's audience chamber was still standing by the turbolift. He had been lounging against the wall with his arms crossed, but he came swiftly to attention.

"Yes my Noyon!"

The Hutt shifted his gaze back to Tagal, seeming to consider something a moment, before turning back to the Rodian.

"Prepare an encoded copy of the Master Itinerary for our guest, and a datapad configured for its viewing."

The Rodian gave a crisp salute.

"It shall be done, my Noyon!"

With that, the Rodian turned and entered the turbolift, which swished closed and departed. The Hutt smiled widely - there was really no other way he could - and folded his arms.

"As I said, I cannot require my people to purchase your products; times are hard for us, and we are discerning folk when it comes to our credits."

The Hutt turned to look over his shoulder at the vast bazaar below, before turning back to his guests.

"I will take the step of purchasing some of your merchandise for myself, and offering it through my personal holdings. If the others of my fleet like the look of what you bring me, perhaps they will recoup my investment."

The turbolift returned, and the Rodian emerged from it, walking quickly over to Tagal and handing him a old model datapad. On the screen was a large chart of the Galaxy, marked with what looked like courses and timetables. The Hutt, meanwhile, nodded.

"What you hold in your hand is an itinerary of all the known Ossein fleets, within the next 3 months. As you can see, we collectively form a very extensive distribution network, at least in certain parts of the Galaxy. We cannot go into the Sith Empire, but the rest..."

The Hutt shrugged his massive shoulders.

"For a nominal fee, your company may make use of our services in shipping your products. It would be well worth your money; my people practically invented interstellar logistics, after all."

The Noyon waved his hand back at the market.

"In return, I would like your company to make a selection of decent quality items available to Ossein merchants, exclusively. We would buy them wholesale, and sell them retail, through our fleets. I ask that they be unique to us only so that their sales do not directly compete with your regular retailers."

@Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

A Master Itinerary huh? It sounded like the words had capital letters for emphasis even when spoken aloud so he went along with it for now. It also sounded like something that very few people actually got a copy of so he would have to remember to be grateful for it, even if it turned out to be something wholly unhelpful. By all the reverence that seemed to be put on it however, he honestly doubted that it would be anything but useful though.

Potentially even something profitable, now wouldn't that be a nice surprise?

"Our products speak for themselves." he argued with a small shrug, "If your people have good taste...? I'll make credits."

It was a little bit of a joke and he sealed it with a roguish smirk. Or at least he thought it was a roguish smirk - he hadn't actually practiced it in front of a mirror so it might just be a regular smirk, he couldn't be sure. Taking the datapad with a nod, Tagal looked over the information with raised eyebrows.

If this was, as the Hutt said it was, a list of locations and timings for the fleet? Well it was something that could very well cause a lot of damage to the Ossein if it were to fall into the wrong hands. The honest truth was that if he sold this information to pirates or the Empire? He could stand to make a pretty penny.

Lucky for the fleet, Tagal Saxon hated both pirates and the Empire so he wasn't going to be selling them out.

"I'll take you up on the offer of shipping for my own goods from Mustafar but I'll bring the offer to the CEO for the rest of the company."

His influence had limits after all.

"Exclusively?" he raised an eyebrow, "And what, pray tell, would you want to be made exclusive? Because I can tell you now that exclusivity is not a part of our business model. Preferred status so you get it slightly before others...? Well that's something we can discuss."

He absent mindedly passed the Itinerary to Irma and scratched behind her ears, more to do something with his fingers than anything else.

@AutoFox

 

[Irma Kinton]

The Hutt let out a long "Hmm" of consideration, before giving a slow nod. His eyes briefly went to the way Tagal scratched behind Irma's ear, and his smile broadened slightly.

"Preferential treatment of our merchants would be acceptable." He agreed. "I cannot speak for all the fleets, mind, I am not Khonoyon, but I will extend your offer to those I can. I think they will be amenable."

Irma, meanwhile, took the itinerary she was handed, and unconsciously leaned into the scratches as she read it, nodding slowly.

"I had no idea your range was so... extensive!" She said, looking up at the Noyon of the Laogot Fleet. "But this must be very sensitive information!"

The Hutt smiled, and nodded, extending a fleshy hand in an unspoken request.

"Yes, it is."

Irma bit her lip, glancing over at Tagal, before passing the datapad reluctantly back to the Hutt. The great slug secreted the pad away somewhere on his dais, before settling back.

"It is information that we do not give away lightly, my friends. You have seen it, of course, but for an outsider to be given more access than that, I'm afraid, will require more."

The Hutt's gaze shifted to Irma again, studying the little Tintinna thoughtfully.

"Which brings us neatly to you, little one. You are... Irma Kinton, if my sources do not fail me?"

Gulping slightly, the Tintinna nodded, unconsciously leaning closer to Tagal as she did.

"Y-Yes sir!" She said. "But how did-"

The Hutt waved dismissively.

"As I said before, little one, we have known of your attempts to find us for some time. You have not been terribly subtle in your search, I'm afraid." He rumbled. "And I would ask... what is it you seek to learn from the Ossein?"

Irma bit her lip, taking in a deep breath, and letting it out. This was her opportunity.

"Noyon... I have come a long way in search of the ending to a story." She said, straightening in her seat and leaning forward slightly. "I am a librarian, by trade... I sought to learn my family's history. What I discovered was someone that my family tried to forget, long ago, who I am trying to bring to light."

The Tintinna gave a brief overview of what she had learned so far about Eice Frex, her distant ancestor. The Hutt, listening, settled back on his dais, rubbing his chin with interest.

"They changed their name rather than be associated with her..."

The Hutt shook his head, gazing at Irma again thoughtfully.

"I thought that there was something familiar in you, little one." He said. "I can remember about 550 years of history. When I met your ancestor, mind, I was a very young thing... only just beginning to venture out of my parent's brood pouch." He nodded slowly. "But I remember her, yes, I remember Eice Frex... she was one of the last of the true Jazaq, a fighter pilot the likes of which I haven't seen since."

The Hutt looked wistful. Producing the first datapad he had been using, he punched up a file, and a hologram filled the space above him, showing a pitched space battle populated by old-fashioned looking craft. The camera seemed to track one sleek, swept-wing pinnace in particular as it weaved and dodged.

"She fought Blackrow, and when the Empire came for us after they fell, she fought them, too... I was too young to fly with her, then, I'm sad to say, but we all cheered for her when she went out. We cheered for all our heroes. We had more of them, in those days."

The Hutt sighed heavily.

"Poor Eice, though, she fought for so long... she lost so much..."

Irma looked up at the swirling hologram, watching the space battle unfold. There was audible comm chatter, and the Tintinna was able to pick out a voice that seemed hauntingly familiar. After several moments, she returned her gaze to the Hutt.

"What... happened to her?"

The Hutt shook his head.

"She had a child." The old Noyon replied. "She met a male she loved, and they were happy for awhile... but he was Jazaq as well, and in those days..."

The Hutt gave another long sigh.

"Not long after he was killed, the child was born, and Eice left for awhile. When she returned, she claimed she had taken the baby somewhere they would be safe, and that was all she would say. She flew for the Ossein again, after that, but she had changed... the war had gotten under her skin."

The hologram changed. Displayed was an image of a long, flat ship, an old Ossein home ship, with numerous old Imperial vessels docked with it. A steady stream of Ossein craft filed slowly from the open hangar bay.

"When the Sith finally took our home ships, I think she broke a little more. She set out alone, claiming that she knew a way to make all of it right. It was the last anyone saw of her."

The hologram vanished. Irma, eyes wide, blinked a little in surprise when it did.

"Do-... do you know where she went?"

The Hutt settled back on his dais.

"I do. She told me, in fact."

Irma frowned.

"Will you tell me?"

In response, the Hutt slithered off his dais, moving up the the window overlooking the bazaar. He stared for a few moments, and then looked back over his shoulder at Irma and Tagal.

"I need something of you first." Replied the Hutt. "From both of you."

@Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

Irma had her answers about her ancestor it seemed but Tagal really did wish that the small Mouse-woman had something better than the truth that was delivered because there was nothing good in the truth that was delivered. There was something heavy-hitting about finding out that your ancestor was basically emotionally crushed by the weight of how the Galaxy was before she disappeared; especially after hearing about how much of a hero she had been before that.

Honestly Tagal wasn't sure that the truth was better than knowing next to nothing about her in this case but it seemed that Irma was made of strong stuff because she wanted to know more.

Of course the Hutt knew more.

And, of course, there was a price.

What was slightly strange was that the price was something the Hutt needed them both to provide? Tagal frowned slightly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Let's hear what you want from us first." he declared firmly, "We're not about to agree to anything blindly."

That was just bad business after all.

@AutoFox

 

[Irma Kinton]

The Hutt turned around at Tagal's words, slithering back to his dais with an approving not. Settling, he punched up something else on his datapad, and handed it to Irma.

"You are quite sensible, Mr. Saxon." The slug rumbled. "One should never go into a transaction blind."

Irma, meanwhile, studied the information displayed on the datapad, yet another chart, though it only showed a portion of the Laogot Fleet's course. She raised her eyebrows, looking up at the Noyon as she passed the device to Tagal for his inspection.

"You're going through there?!"

The Hutt turned to Irma, nodding slowly.

"Unfortunately, yes." He rumbled. "The Laogot Fleet is on a rather tight timetable for this next leg of the voyage, and that is the fastest route we could find. We Ossein are not helpless in the face of pirates, mind, but that part of space is... notorious."

The Hutt spread his hands.

"What I would ask of you, friends, is this. For this next leg of the journey, fly with us. Your starfighter, Ms. Kinton, and your galleon, Mr. Saxon, would be a significant deterrent to the buccaneers who might otherwise attempt to prey on us."

The Noyon nodded slowly.

"Such work is not without risk. While it is likely that the sight of a galleon will be enough to blunt the aggression of most of the bands who haunt that particular region, there is still a chance that you would have to fight."

He turned to Tagal.

"I know that Irma is your friend, but I would not ask you to do this entirely for her sake. We can pay you credits for services rendered, the standard going rate for such work."

The Hutt's gaze returned to Irma, briefly, and then looked at them both.

"Will you accept such a bargain?"

@Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

Well now.

Pirates that were a big enough presence to be a threat to an established fleet such as this one? They were absolutely no joke. They were vultures, sure, but vultures could do a heck of a lot of damage when you poked them back. What was being asked of him was dangerous and it had the potential to be dangerous to not only himself but his crew as well.

When you were the captain of a crew, you needed to think about what they wanted without actually asking them. You had to know without asking them. Asking them would imply that you didn't know what you were doing, that you needed their help. He didn't need their help but to come to a decision but they were always part of his thought process when it came to any mission or route.

Looking away for a moment, Tagal ran a hand over his short-cut hair before ignoring the Hutt in favor of looking at Irma instead. He wasn't here for the Ossein market so much as he was here to help a friend find something about herself and some closure. Was that worth risking the lives of his crew?

"Irma."

Only one way to find out.

"How much does this mean to you? No playing around here - just the truth. What would this mean to you?"

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[Irma Kinton]

Irma bit her lip as Tagal turned to her, the little Tintinna feeling the larger human's regard. Looking back at him for a moment, she took the time to consider what she was about to do.

This is really dangerous, Irma, and not just for you. Are you willing to do it?

The Tintinna stood from her seat, taking in a long breath and then letting it out.

"I've come a long way looking for this." Irma said, crossing her arms. "I've been stalked, chased, shot at... kriff, I've learned to fly a starfighter! I never expected that."

The Tintinna leveled her gaze on the Hutt.

"Whatever it takes, I'm seeing this through to the end. I-..."

Irma looked over at Tagal, and she bit her lip again.

"I can't explain why, but it just feels important. Like there's something more riding on this than just simple closure."

That was true. Ever since she had learned of her ancestor's existence, the Tintinna had felt compelled to learn her story by something more than simple curiosity. She turned back to the Hutt.

"My friend has helped me more than I had any right to expect. I'll help guard your fleet, but I won't ask him to put his ship and crew in danger over my own quest."

The Hutt, settling on his dais, regarded Irma for a long moment. He closed his eyes, giving a long sigh.

"In another time, little one, fleets would have sought out you, not the other way around..."

His eyes opened, and the Hutt focused them on Tagal.

"And you, Human. The little one seems to have released you from your obligations... will you follow her anyway?"

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[Tagal Saxon]

It seemed that he had been released from his obligations. Indeed, Irma had gone out of her way to assure him that he didn't need to do anything more than what he had already done. It was honestly rather sweet and he might have taken her up on the offer but there was just one problem.

He placed a hand on Irma's head.

"You can't release me from my obligation, Irma, because there is no obligation." he told her quietly but firmly, "You're my friend and I've helped you so far because I wanted to; not because of any sense of obligation."

Tagal scratched behind her ears briefly.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm with you till the end of the line."

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[Irma Kinton]

Irma's eyes widened slightly when Tagal placed his hand atop her head, turning to look up at him. At his words, her eyes began to shine. She trembled a little, and after he scratched her behind the ear, she threw her arms around his middle, hugging the human's side.

"Thank you~"

The Tintinna held the hug for a few moments, burying her face in Tagal's side, before withdrawing, sniffing and wiping her eyes as she composed herself. She straightened her posture, turning to face the Hutt.

"We'll do it. We'll escort your fleet."

The Noyon of the Laogot Fleet regarded the Human and the Tintinna, and a smile crossed his lips. He nodded slowly.

"Tagal Saxon." He rumbled. "Any being counting you as a friend is fortunate indeed. May our voyage be a safe one, and may our partnership be forever fruitful."

He looked down at Irma.

"And little Irma..."

He looked somehow sad.

"May you find that which you seek. And nothing more..."

The Hutt straightened.

"Well, then. Both of you, welcome to the Laogot Fleet, at least for now. Mr. Saxon, my XO will visit your ship shortly to give you the details of the voyage, as well as IFF codes, docking protocols, that sort of thing. If you wish, you may dock your vessel with our own grouping, we would be glad to welcome you with open airlocks."

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[Tagal Saxon]

His cheeks flushed a little bit red at the praise and the response he received. For Tagal, what he had said was completely natural and worthy of no reward or special treatment. It was merely a statement of fact almost and that was all he wanted it to be taken as but it seemed that it meant a lot to Irma and the Hutt had been touched by it as well. He wasn't going to try and argue that they shouldn't, he supposed, but it did make his cheeks warm.

He ruffled Irma's hair slightly.

"It's nothing little Mouse."

Thankfully she didn't do anything other than give him a surprisingly tight hug so he didn't have to say or do anything else. To the Hutt he just nodded in acceptance of the praise, not exactly asking for it but not about to be rude enough to turn it down either. He was a little bit leery about someone entering his ship but he supposed it would be alright.

He made a mental note to inform his crew so that they didn't capture and interrogate the poor guy - they were a bit touchy when it came to strangers.

But other than that it seemed that they were done here.

"Come on then little Mouse, let's go blow up some pirates."

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