|
Post by Shaman Odin Alfodr on Feb 26, 2013 17:01:16 GMT -8
*Myrkr was a forested world, also sporting plains and low mountains. The high metal content of the flora was known to confuse most sensor equipment.*
|
|
Dav Man'Sell
Member
Posts: 741
Affiliation: The Jedi Order - Jedi High Council/Jedi Praxeum of Yavin IV
Traffic Light: Red
|
Post by Dav Man'Sell on Jun 14, 2013 3:35:52 GMT -8
I think I might have upset them...
He leapt through the trees, sending flora flying and generally tearing at the branches. Behind him, he could hear the many yelps and howls of his pursuers, the thundering sound of their paws, dozens upon dozens of them, crashing into the ground, the plant life rustling violently as they, too, raced through the forest after him. In his hand, wrapped in a thick cloth, he carried what he had come here seeking, and was glad he had acquired it. The damage it had been doi -
- Suddenly, the ground was gone from underneath him, as he crossed the top of a steep verge and found the ground dropping away from him in a steep slope.
Sithspit, dammit, this kriffing planet. Didn't even sense that coming!
His feet hit the slope, and he... sort of bounced... and flailed wildly as he was thrown off balance and tumbling into the thick underbrush. He landed on his shoulder - Kriff! - rolled until being pitched up in the air and coming back down buttocks first - Kark! - and tumbled unceremoniously, flailing, down the rest of the incline, battering and bruising himself along the way. He came to a stop in a very firm way, as he impacted, crotch first - By the swollen sweaty Death Stars of Palpatine!!! - into a rather unyielding olbio tree.
With a groan, he crumpled forward, virtually hugging the tree as the aches throbbed at him from every conceivable point of his body, remaining still there for just a moment.
There was a loud bark, followed by some yelping, somewhere up and behind him.
That can wait a moment. Need to just... sit here for a moment...
The yelps got louder, and was joined by five or six other barks and yelps.
Kinda wanted more of a moment, frik-dammit.
Reluctantly, he pulled away from the tree, and glanced up at the steep hill.
The mass of Vornskrs, all slightly swollen and mutated by their long time spent in close proximity to the object he had just acquired, were all scrambling down the verge after him, jaws snapping and tails whipping around them violently. His eyes went wide, and with an awkward scramble, he pulled himself to his feet and started running again, running as fast as he could.
For the love of all that is touched by the Force, can't a Whiphid get a break?.
He was panting now, his legs screaming, his lungs screaming, his... well, you know... screaming at him to take it easy. Ordinarily, he'd have tucked in to the Force, chowed down on some nice, Light Side pain-relief and energy boosting, but on this - Karking Force-forbidden - world, with the Ysalamiri everywhere, he had no hope. The bubbles of the annoyingly persistent little beggers just nudged his use of the Force away, and he was stuck relying on his own, old and oh-so-weary body. A gang of somewhere in the region of thirty Vornskrs, hungry for the taste of his Force energies, almost literally nipped at his heels. It wasn't just he that they were chasing, either. They were also pursuing the artefact around which they had, purely on instinct tricked by their Force sensitivity, set up their nest - clan? - pack! Yes, pack - , the artefact which he had liberated from there in the hope of restoring a little natural development to the wild life. The artefact that he now clenched wrapped in burlap in his left fist.
Why, he had to wonder, had he thought it a good idea to try it this way? Surely it would have made more sense to simply smash the artefact where he'd found it? Then, maybe, they would have given up a little sooner?
Oh, you dozy, slow witted, numpty.
He took a hard left, diving into a slender, skinny cave, where he hoped he would be able to get a moment's respite. He was fortunate, in that the Vornskr's started barrelling past the cave, continuing to charge onwards in the direction he had been running, leaving him, for a moment or two, pretty safe.
He dropped to his knees, opened the little burlap sack, and dropped the item on the floor before him; an old Sith Holocron, steeped in the energies of the Dark Side. It had been twisting everything for half a kilometre around it's resting place, gradually mutating the wildlife in to Sithspawn. Sithspawn Vornskrs were a scary concept. He had discovered this for himself when thirty of them had tried eating him.
Sithspawn Ysalamiri! Oh crap on a cracker, that's somehow even scarier!
Horrified, and not entirely sure why, by the idea of a Ysalamiri with teeth and a violent streak, he quickly grabbed up the nearest big rock he could find. Giving one last look down at the Holocron, he lifted the rock high above his head, and brought it down hard on the Holocron.
He was thrown backwards, flying out of the cave and into the open once more, as the Holocron shattered and all it's energies came racing out in one big explosion of energy. When he landed, it was with his head, cracking hard into a solid chunk of rock. As stars exploded in his vision and a splitting pain raced through his skull, he groaned, more out of despair than pain.
Pulling himself upright, with his right hand rubbing gingerly at the fresh lump forming on the back of his head, he trotted forward to the Holocron. It was shattered, and even with muted Force senses, he could feel its Dark energies dissipating.
Job done.
A bark sounded, entirely closer than he had hoped, and he turned, slowly, to stare into the eyes of the biggest - Kriffin' - canine he had ever seen.
Woo-hoo, this day just gets better and better.
It snarled at him.
He, with a tone of bitter sarcasm, snarled back.
Then it pounced. And he, with a spring of bitter sarcasm, pounced back.
|
|
|
Post by Eliana Shan on Jun 22, 2013 13:57:03 GMT -8
The forests of Myrkr was the perfect place to hide. The ysalamiri created a massive bubble around the planet, and the heavy metal content made it difficult to conduct a proper scan of the surface. One could go here to disappear from the authorities, from crime bosses, from Jedi and Sith and Mandalorians and everything in between.
But there was one regular visitor to the planet who was hiding from something far worse, far more cold and implacable and uncaring than any Mandalorian, more just and calm than any Jedi, more ravenous and unforgiving than any Sith.
Eliana Shan had constructed her laboratory here years ago, when she had first learned of her unique foe. It was the only place she could go to work on any updates in her technology, without exposing herself. She was hiding from the Force, yes, but while it was not her friend, neither was it her enemy; she could never again wear her signature armour, and had thus constructed a visor with the same Force-blocking properties. But that visor would need maintenance, and it could never be removed while out and about in the galaxy. The solution had been Myrkr: the only place in the galaxy a girl could go to hide herself from the Force.
Eliana had changed her name, her appearance, even her attitude. She had changed everything about herself.. She couldn't go back to Kamino to do her work, nor the mansion on Naboo. She had so many friends, dear friends, still in the universe, but she had never been so alone.
The laboratory was hidden in the forest, disguised as a rock formation. The majority of its interior was actually located underground; the trees outside had been implanted with technological upgrades: defense turrets disguised as branches, monitoring spy cams embedded in the bark. The cave entrance was a dead-end to those who didn't know how to get in. And, without the Force to aid them, any Force-sensitive who stumbled upon it wouldn't even be able to search out the secret entrance.
The tech prodigy came here at least once a month to work on her visor and to satisfy her technological cravings. It had taken a while to set up, and she was not going to let anyone else find it. Every time she visited, she checked the outer shell of the lab for any weaknesses, both structural and in terms of disguise. And every time she left, she activated the remote procedures to cover and fill the cave with signs of long-term abandonment: a layer of fallen leaves, an earthy smell, a few broken twigs, and occasionally signs of being a vornskr den.
Eliana Shan was in exile, hiding from established events that, if altered, would change her own past in ways she couldn't predict.
She was hiding from time itself..
|
|
Dral Marev
Member
Posts: 69
Affiliation: The Mandalorian Assembly
Traffic Light: Yellow
|
Post by Dral Marev on Aug 2, 2013 18:53:51 GMT -8
Two Mandalorians in Black armor with Red, Green, and Blue blazings enter the forest near Hyllyard city and make their way twords a high peak they noticed from the city. They carried Beskads as well as their prefered pistols and rifles, both were equiped with jet-packs which had extra fuel reserves rather than missiles.
|
|
Dral Marev
Member
Posts: 69
Affiliation: The Mandalorian Assembly
Traffic Light: Yellow
|
Post by Dral Marev on Sept 29, 2013 14:26:15 GMT -8
The two mandalorians hiked to the top of the high peak that they had seen from the edge of the city and began setting up a sensor relay aimed at the atmosphere but with defensive dart launchers to protect it from tampering or damage from curious wildlife. They engage an active ID scanner that scans for the Armor Signature of the crew of mandalorians just outside the range of the dart launchers and sends an Access Granted or Access Denied signal to the HUD of the respective Mandalorian. Once the active ID scanner is online and all the Armor Signature codes inputed, they wait for their signatures to be recognized, then activate the dart launchers which fire hypodermic darts calculated based off of the size of the target. When a target is taken down, as well as when the perimeter is breached, an alert is sent to the Mandalorian on watch at the time. Satisfied with their work, they activated their jet packs and flew back into town setting down on top the roof of the Inn they were leasing.
|
|
Panno
The First Order
Posts: 365
Affiliation: Imperial Knights
|
Post by Panno on Oct 19, 2014 6:03:18 GMT -8
Panno had come to this planet much to his displeasure. Apparently he owed some favour to a bloody shade, one that threatened to kill him if he did not come here and get one of those lizards that created a force lizard. Finding them wasn't that hard, one only had to reach out with their mind and find a place where he could not touch. Regrettably for Panno the first one he found was one of those kilometre long stretches that are force free. Regrettable because there was no where for him to land there, the ground was far to rocky and mountainous. So he figured a nice short walk through the woods from the city would be easy.
He was wrong. Twelve people set out to get the lizard. Him, someone who knew how to get them off alive and keep them that way, and 10 men with guns to keep them alive. At the time he thought they were overkill. On the first night they lost three, the second night another person and the third night was the worst. They lost six people. It was only then that the zoologist thought to mention that the local Vornskr were attracted to those who used the force. He was a force user. Fuck.
Now he was alone on a planet with someone who was afraid of his own shadow with most of the wild life hunting for him.
The bags under his eyes spoke volumes about how tired he was. He had gone three days now without sleep. He had opted out of his sword once they got into the bubble. He was to tired to swing it, the lightsaber was much better.
Having heard a rustle in the bushes to his left he thumbed on his lightsaber just as a large Vornskr bitch jumped out. Despite knowing it was coming it still pounced upon him sending them both rolling in the dirt. Losing his grip on the lightsaber Panno grabbed hold of the jaws snapping at his face. Ignoring the drool and slobber that pooled on his face he jerked his head left dodging the stinger on the things back.
Grunting as he felt the claws rake across his armour the Imperial Knight got on top, pinning the beast to the ground. Ignoring the yelps of pain from the beast he twisted its neck until their was an audible pop. Breathing heavily he rose and spun, malice in his eyes.
Feel free to help out any time!
Blake. The Zoologist stood there, equally tired but not having the same skills as Panno stood there mouth agape. The lightsaber at his feet, blaster pistol in hand it was obvious that he was at the end of his strength.
I thought you were meant to be an expert on these things! We are in their bubble of influence. I cant use the force. They are here, but we havent gotten one yet! All I have gotten from this is bruises, scrapes, cuts and pretty soon we will die. Sucking in his breath he calmed himself. I will start a fire and cook this thing. Sleep, I will wake you when the food is ready.
As he gathered wood the zoologist sagged to the ground against a scarred tree and slept. Snoring loudly as the meat cooked Panno wasnt graced with the luxary of rest. He could hear the barks and howls of other hunters looking for him.
|
|
Panno
The First Order
Posts: 365
Affiliation: Imperial Knights
|
Post by Panno on Oct 19, 2014 11:03:22 GMT -8
The smell of roast Vornskr was not a great smell, but having been eating nothing but ration bars for the past couple days this was heaven. What fat there was on the beast sizzled and sputtered as it made its way out of the flesh dropping into the fire below. Panno slept beside the fire relishing the heat and rest. He had spelled off with the xenozoologist 30 minutes before. Those two hours he had watched were awful, between the smell of the meat, the heat of the fire and the snores of the man beside him it took a lot to stay awake. It also helped he had been attacked three times in those two hours. Each easier than the last, the mangy animals that attacked him were nothing compared to the massive female now cooking. He had feared the smell would attract other animals but it seems there were not many in this area.
Waking up with a start Panno grabbed for his lightsaber the blood on his red armour making it a muddy brown. Instead of a whip and gaping jaws he saw the small face of his companion instead.
Come quick you wont believe it.
Leading the errant Knight to a hollow in a tree scattered around the ground were the bones of thousands of animals. Including Yslamri. In the middle though were five pups.
No wonder she fought so hard. Not only were you food but she was protecting her young.
He did not care why she fought so hard, nor for the animal beneath his gaze. For a moment he considered killing them, so that they would not die of starvation. It would be the humane thing to do. Then he had a better thought.
We will take them. Its only fitting. I killed the mother, I should at least give them a fair chance at life.
The sounds of mewing and chirping permeated the air. One even bit the gauntleted hand of Panno as he picked it up. Great, now he had more to look after, but he couldnt kill them. Looking up at his predicament he saw it.
Holy shit.
|
|
Panno
The First Order
Posts: 365
Affiliation: Imperial Knights
|
Post by Panno on Oct 20, 2014 5:27:36 GMT -8
Above them in the hollow of the tree were dozens of Lizards. The prize they had been looking for was now within reaching distance. He couldnt help but wonder at the dead Vornskr that had made this her home. Had she just missed the feast above her? More likely she had been using it as an all you can eat buffet for her and her pups.
Joe get one of those lizards down while I finish the meat.
For the next hour Joe worked inside the trunk of the tree while Panno watched for threats and the meat. The sound of chiseling and hammer blows could be heard. He knew it would be hard slow work but this was painful. Just as he was going to go inside to help Joe emerged with the Yslamri attached to a large nutrient pack. Enough to sustain it for 24 hours with three replacments. After that it would die. Plenty of time to get out of the forest and meet with the damned pirate.
Perfect timing, foods ready.
Using his sword Panno cut large chunks of the lizard off for each of them. It was still bloody inside and the meat was juicy. Fat and some blood dripped down his chin as the flavourful meat filled his mouth. Despite being chewy and stringy the meat was very good. It felt good to have the rush of protein in him. Cutting off some more he cut it into small pieces and fed it to the pups. Sure it was sick to feed them their own flesh and blood but at least they were eating it.
|
|
Galdaart Fel
Retired High Councilor
...not hiding anymore
Posts: 1,565
Affiliation: The Unfair Advantage
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Galdaart Fel on Feb 6, 2015 8:46:36 GMT -8
Finding a spot to land the UA wasn't exactly an easy thing. There was the city, Hyllyard beyond, but (counterpart) has said 'at the edge of the forest.'
Which was an unbroken line of really thick, mature trees, as far as his scanners could see. Wrench had never descended into such coverage before. It took a few minutes to find a location large enough to allow the YG-4210 (which really wasn't that big a ship, when all was said and done) to safely touch down. The ground was a mass of century-old root structures and a small stream, only a foot or two deep, which meandered under the starboard landing pylon. Wrench powered down the main systems and dropped the landing ramp.
Touchdown, (counterpart.) What should we do next?
|
|
Karana Malora
The Unfair Advantage
I don't believe in a no-win scenario.
Posts: 246
Affiliation: The Fel Crew (Unfair Advantage)
Traffic Light: Orange
|
Post by Karana Malora on Feb 9, 2015 12:47:49 GMT -8
Mal sighed thoughtfully, jamming a couple more things in her knapsack as she tried to come up with a plan that wouldn't end in disaster. It’d been so long since she’d been on her own, she’d forgotten how to run the show solo. Plans were not her forte. She was a follower (by choice), not a leader (also by choice), a real ‘fly by the seat of my pants and hope shit pans out alright’ kind of smuggler. Maybe that worked when it was just her on her own schedule. But a rescue mission? These things needed planning. In fact, she should be taking a leaf out of Jace's book and doing some kind of careful spy reconnaissance thing, find out what she’s walking into, plot an exit route, etc. It would totally be the smart, captainy, leadery thing to do.
Unfortunately, that required patience and foresight. Ain’t nobody got time for that shit. Wade could be dying right now! Malora checked the charge on her blaster again. “Next, I go into town, ask a few questions, find out where Grimo the Hutt is chillin’ these days. Authorities usually can’t be bothered with missing persons, especially on a planet full of forest and hungry vornsk, so… Best place to start if you’re lookin’ for someone. Grimo was pretty well connected. Of course, all information comes with a price.”
With a tiny smile, the trouble-maker hooked a dark wayward lock behind her ear and crouched in front of her Astromech friend; bright blue eyes met round dark photoreceptor, [counterpart] to [counterpart]. Most of her wished she could bring him. Wrench was her family, too, even if he couldn't remember it, and since Fel wasn't here, it was her job to watch his mechanical back. “I need you to stay here, keep an eye on the ship for me. If things go south, which they usually do, we’ll need a quick exit.” She rose, ensured her coms frequency was right, and then headed through the ship towards the lowered landing ramp. “I’ll keep you updated via coms, okay?” she added as he followed her. Another smile, a little wave, and Malora departed, traversing the mess of ancient roots and muddy ground as she headed towards Hyllyard City.
|
|
Galdaart Fel
Retired High Councilor
...not hiding anymore
Posts: 1,565
Affiliation: The Unfair Advantage
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Galdaart Fel on Feb 10, 2015 14:48:23 GMT -8
Wrench looked at her for a long time (.078 sec) and tooted an affirmative reply, though there was a part of him that wanted to recite from the Industrial Automaton sales brochure that stated 'a small squad of repair-astromechs could pool their resources and effect repairs more efficiently and in a timely fashion, also negating the concern over attrition in battle.'
He elected not to, but instead wished her well.
I will remain vigilant. I calculate a better-than-average likelihood that your mission will meet with success, (counterpart.)
|
|
Karana Malora
The Unfair Advantage
I don't believe in a no-win scenario.
Posts: 246
Affiliation: The Fel Crew (Unfair Advantage)
Traffic Light: Orange
|
Post by Karana Malora on Feb 25, 2015 23:29:53 GMT -8
Hyllyard City. Basic frontier layout. Tired, squatty, wind-washed buildings, worn roads, more dust than air as a few stragglers hurried to and fro, churning up the now dry, powdery dirt tracked through the city by anyone leaving the forests. The spaceport, the merchandise stalls lining the roads, the shops, the bars, the hotels… nothing was new or extraordinary and everything was roughly used, at least in this part of town.
“Boring,” Malora muttered as she trudged past the nearly deserted spaceport. It was jammed full of ships, but there was barely a person in sight until she hit the main road. Three guesses where everyone was? She only needed one. In a place this lackluster, Grimo’s ‘palace’ had to be the place to go for some kind, any kind of fun, and if she knew Grimo (which she did), it was go big or get the kriff out. You’d think a Hutt fortress of vice would be easy to find, even with all the trees, but the slug always did like making people jump through hoops to enjoy his seedy offerings. No problem. Mal knew just where to get some directions. She made a quick stop to tamper with a blank credit chit first and, after some haggling, rent a speeder bike.
Ten minutes later, the rebel was strolling through the doors of the Nearly Neti Cantina. Mal wasted no time scanning the place. It was busy enough for a dusty border town, she could see that from the corner of her eye, and the décor was very plain an’ simple, lacking the massive flashing neons and blaring party music of the usual dens on other worlds. The bar-tend looked bored, reflexively passing out drinks to the few idlers at the counter. Well, it was time to make his day a little brighter. With a casual, sneaky, practiced move, Malora pulled the zipper on her shirt down just past the danger zone, fluffed her dark hair, licked her lips, and sauntered to the bar. She stood on her tiptoes and bent over the counter a little, resting her forearms on the worn wood.
“What’ll it be?” The bar-tend droned without looking up from the glass he was cleaning.
“Information, on the rocks, with a twist,” Malora simpered, meeting his stupefied gaze with a saucy smile as he took stock of his newest customer. He had that look that guys get when they’re about to indulge their ego and spew out some utterly terrible pick-up lines or engage in some kind of snarky come-on sequence, so the smuggler pushed on before he could start. “I’m looking for someone.” She cocked her head to the side a bit, holding his gaze. “Morbidly obese, dark wrinkly greenish skin, no legs, gold eyes, smells like the corner of an alley? A busy man like you has to hear things, know things… Think you can help me out?”
|
|
|
Post by The Shadow King on Feb 26, 2015 8:15:57 GMT -8
"Perhaps I can be of assistance." The voice was smooth, like freshly oiled skin sliding over silk, though there was a touch of something hard and unforgiving beneath that soft presentation. When she turned, she would see the man that it belonged to, a tall individual at just under a full two meters, and more thin than one might expect, but there was graceful power in the way he moved, like a coiled serpent awaiting the chance to strike. A serpent in truth, really, as his slick green scales and pitch-black topknot instantly named him Falleen. "I am called Xima. Servant of the great lord Grimo the Hutt." His bow was well-practiced and flawless, but somehow seemed to be anything but subservient. His purple and gold robes swayed as he rose and held a hand out, indicating a door leading to the back rooms of the establishment. "If you would like to join me, I can see to meeting your..." His eyes shifted, scanning up and down her body almost too quickly to catch, and the tiniest of smiles pulled at his lips. "...needs."
|
|
Karana Malora
The Unfair Advantage
I don't believe in a no-win scenario.
Posts: 246
Affiliation: The Fel Crew (Unfair Advantage)
Traffic Light: Orange
|
Post by Karana Malora on Feb 26, 2015 19:08:21 GMT -8
"My needs?" She turned to size up the newcomer, ready to drop a snarky comment right in his lap… Her heart plunged into her stomach. For a moment, just a moment, Malora's vision flashed, twisting the image of the Falleen in front of her into Xaxan Zadicus, his angular face leering at her as he chained her to a pole in his offices on Varonat. The sudden surge of memories caught her off guard, and she choked on the words now stuck in her throat as she relived every detail in high-speed. The excruciating agony as he viciously beat her already broken body for defying him, the sharp clink of the chain around her neck against the pole as he forced her to dance for him, the heavy sound of his breath in her ear, his claws tearing into her flesh as he held her down and raped her again and again… The moments in the aftermath, laying on the cold floor, her body numb, drifting in and out of consciousness, and then… …Then, like some kind of guardian angel, Wade fell from the ceiling, broke her chains, scooped her up, and carried her back to her crew. And there he was again, rescuing her mind from drowning in her own memories. Malora fought down the images, blinked once, twice, until Zadicus became Xima. She swallowed, somehow managed to keep her hand from reaching for her blaster, crossed her arms, leaned back on the counter, and fed the Falleen a skeptical look. “Ohh, Scales, you couldn't pay me enough to ‘join’ you alone back there,” she drawled all smuggler-casual, tipping her chin towards the back rooms he’d mentioned, but her light, cheeky manner was gone. The blue in her eyes had frozen over, and her little smile was anything but warm. “I know better than to follow snakes down their holes, regardless of who they’re working for. So why don’t we grab a table, you give me directions, and I can be on my way.”
|
|
|
Post by The Shadow King on Feb 27, 2015 19:45:45 GMT -8
Xima's eyes narrowed as he witnessed the woman's reaction to his appearance, his mind coming alive with possibilities and potentials until it settled moments later on a singular conclusion. This was not the revulsion of a cultural stereotype nor the product of mere racism, true, it was common for his species to be seen with mistrust and aversion in the galaxy at large, but this was much more than that. A member of his species had committed terrible wrongs against this woman in the past. "I see." He couldn't say he was surprised, however. She was a beautiful woman, even by the most stringent humanoid standards. Her fit figure both complimented and accented an ample amount of bosom, which she had purposely put on display as a likely attempt to gain some small advantage over whatever male she found herself matching wits against. Her hips created a gentle curve that led from her waist to her legs, and her legs as well were long and slender, though clearly due to exercise rather than near-starvation. All in all, an exceedingly attractive human specimen, both entirely physically and in what her physicality and attitude told him about her. Had he not been on the job, he might have considered claiming her himself.
"I'm afraid I must insist." His gaze shifted away from her and across the patrons in the bar, finally settling on a redhead perched against a nearby wall. "Sura, please join us in my office." Then he turned and went back the way he had come, followed closely by the redhead and no doubt the raven-haired temptress as well. What she desired was far too valuable to simply give up for as small a concession as a semi-private meeting. He had known that the instant she spoke to him. Once in the office, he took a seat behind a large desk and turned to face her, steepling his clawed fingers in front of his chin. "Lord Grimo dislikes having his business discussed where there are un-solicited ears to hear. Now who are you exactly and what is it that you want so desperately?"
|
|
Karana Malora
The Unfair Advantage
I don't believe in a no-win scenario.
Posts: 246
Affiliation: The Fel Crew (Unfair Advantage)
Traffic Light: Orange
|
Post by Karana Malora on Feb 28, 2015 21:47:10 GMT -8
Desperately? Great. There goes one of my bargaining chips. Man, I must be really out of practice.
Negotiations With A Perceptive Evil Henchman 101. Lesson One: never let them know how much you want something. It gives them power over you, raises their prices, puts you at a huge disadvantage. Any decent smuggler knew that, and if they didn't, they learned it the hard way pretty damn fast. Of course, when you're dealing with an expert manipulator or particularly observant crime boss lackey, well, hiding everything gets a little harder. This wasn't Malora's first rodeo, and it had been a bazillion years since she'd had to ask for help, but she could tell from Xima's sharp reptilian gaze that trying to pull the wool over his eyes was definitely not going to work. He could tell she needed something, and no amount of playacting would get around that.
She took a seat in front of his desk, crossing her legs, leaning back, and drumming her fingers on the arm rests. A quick scope of his 'office' told her there was one visible exit (behind her). Sura, the invited redhead, had assumed the same position she'd been in previously, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Her female presence gave Mal the tiniest bit of comfort, although she knew it shouldn't. A Falleen with a strong grip on his powers could easily turn friends into enemies in the time it would take her to draw her blaster.
The smuggler caught his gaze and held it, keeping her tone the slightest bit hostile. The rest of her seemed relaxed but aware. "The name's Malora. I've done business with 'Lord' Grimo in the past." Short, sweet, and just a little vague, but truthful. Always a good fallback… Of course, she left out the bit about double-crossing the Hutt on her last job (total misunderstanding, it wasn't my fault!), but that was years ago and she had paid him back every credit, so water under the bridge, right? "I've been tracking a man called Wade Connors. Turns out he's here, on Myrkr, and… possibly not in his right mind. Great fighter, and Grimo has an eye for those, so I'm betting he was picked up for the arena not too long ago." She paused, wiggling a toe or two in her boots. "I'd like to hit up a few of the fights, maybe tour the barracks, see if I can't pick him out. I can pay for Grimo's time. Credits, coordinates to a few hidden caches, names of the best black market dealers he doesn't have in his pocket yet…"
|
|
|
Post by The Shadow King on Mar 1, 2015 13:46:18 GMT -8
Malora. That name meant something. He'd seen it before, in the files of his predecessor. There was a job, or rather a series of jobs, that she had been contracted to fulfill, and had succeeded in all but the last, returning the payment Grimo had offered as though that alone would be enough to make things right. Foolish girl. "Connors... That name has no meaning for me, but perhaps Lord Grimo will know differently. If he does not, I am sure you can work out a deal that would permit you an inspection. I am afraid, however, that Grimo will need more than your word that your payment is worth his time." Xima already knew he would be taking this woman to see the hutt, knew that Grimo would be overjoyed to have her back in his clutches after her failure so long ago, but it could not be too easy for her. She may begin to suspect something if there was no requirement of proof for her offers of payment. "Perhaps the coordinates of one of these caches you mentioned, as a show of good faith, would convince him to give you the audience you seek."
|
|
Karana Malora
The Unfair Advantage
I don't believe in a no-win scenario.
Posts: 246
Affiliation: The Fel Crew (Unfair Advantage)
Traffic Light: Orange
|
Post by Karana Malora on Mar 1, 2015 15:46:39 GMT -8
Malora mentally rolled her eyes, but she'd come prepared for this. Sitting forward a bit, she tossed a single datacard on Xima's desk and settled back in her chair again. "That one's on Onderon," she said, nodding at the datacard. "There's an underground bunker. Not sure what's inside, but it's surrounded by a minefield and my source was loathe to give up the coordinates at all. S'gotta be good."
With some effort, the smuggler kept her impatience in check, although at this point she wasn't sure if it was eagerness to get to Wade or the desire to get away from the Falleen. Both, probably. She wished he'd stop looking at her, though. It made her skin crawl. "I'm guessing you'll wanna check it out, right? Make sure it's on the level? Go right ahead." Mal smiled coolly. "But I'm sort of on a timetable, and you're a busy man, so…"
|
|
|
Post by The Shadow King on Mar 1, 2015 15:57:01 GMT -8
Leaning forward, Xima took the datacard without a word and plugged it into his desk terminal, then sent a text-only message to one of his contacts on Onderon. That done, he leaned back again, steepled his fingers in front of his chin, and turned his eyes on the raven-haired woman in front of him. "Would you like some refreshments while we wait? A drink, or a meal perhaps? It may be several hours before I receive confirmation."
|
|
Karana Malora
The Unfair Advantage
I don't believe in a no-win scenario.
Posts: 246
Affiliation: The Fel Crew (Unfair Advantage)
Traffic Light: Orange
|
Post by Karana Malora on Mar 1, 2015 16:10:50 GMT -8
Several hours?! God dammit… "I just ate," she countered, chilly smile growing. "So polite. Your predecessor was a dick. Could've learned a few things from you, I bet." A pause. Malora cast a glance at Sura, still in the same position as before. "But if it's gonna be a few hours, well…" She rose, quashing the urge to run. "…you've probably got other 'customers' and I've got some calls to make," she lied smoothly. "I should get outta your hair. Don't worry, not goin' far, I'll be at table five." Malora headed for the door.
|
|