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Old Faces, New Places; [Sassafrass, Open]
Topic Started: Nov 2 2011, 10:43:22 PM (284 Views)
Kura
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She had never been on a planet so populace before. Csilla had had a fairly large population, made dense by the environment and the fact that they were, for the most part, required to stay in approximately the same place thanks to the glacial environment, but even then it scarcely compared to Nar Shaddaa. There were people everywhere, pressed together in a hot, sweaty throng, tentacles and wings and claws always grasping and plucking. She had seen species she knew only from her research and others she was completely unfamiliar with, the strange, foreign mess both frightening and enthralling. She had watched a young alien couple get mugged just a few feet from her, staring on dutifully, forcing herself to remember and learn even as she and Lorne then continued and went on their way, playing the part everyone else played so well, only a few more cold-hearted bystanders. The crowd swallowed the cries for help quickly enough anyways.

So far, the pair of Chiss infiltrators' duty had been straight-forward enough, though it was mixed with parts both fun and not. So far they had gotten lucky, but that would only hold out for so long, especially on a planet like Nar Shaddaa. Danger lurked around every corner, every step they took seeming to draw suspicious glances. Thankfully they were not fools and had learned to hide themselves quickly, becoming just another shifty face beneath a filthy cowl. In fact, Sren would hazard to even say that they were doing quite well. So far, besides the food, no one had tried to kill them and she had been told, under the honor of the insectoid alien's mother, that they food had actually been quite good by Nar Shaddaa standards. She had still been dubious, and righteously so, considering how her stomach had reacted to the "quality fare."

Everything seem considerably more edible now and things were going along fine, or at least surprisingly well, though she did have one complaint. "Ktah," Sren spat in Cheunh, her nose wrinkling in distaste, "Why is it so unbearably hot here?" She was far from used to the warm temperatures that the criminal world sported and it was throwing her through a loop moreso than all the alien species wandering around her. It was making it hard to concentrate, something quite dangerous for the current situation, something they should hopefully remedy sometime soon.

Barely avoiding bumping into something large and covered in spikes, Sren cast a brief glance over at Lorne. "We should get something to eat. Or, more importantly, drink." While it was far too early in the afternoon for alcoholic beverages, she would absolutely kill for some water at the current point. Her eyes roved uncertainly between the smattering of grungy little cafes that surrounded them, wondering which ones would be bad for an off-worlder's pocket and, more importantly, for an off-worlder's health. None of them looked particularly bad, though she didn't quite trust her judgment and such a situation and decided that it was Lorne's turn to decide, part of her privately hoping that he picked somewhere awful so that she could hold it against him later.

"So?"
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Saskei
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New Jedi Order
"..."

Lorne's eyes flicked across the dim screen of his datapad, absorbing every detail of the files he was looking over as he plodded along just being his partner, Sren, who he was more than content to let take point. To an outside observer, it would appear that he was completely oblivious to anything going on around him, especially since he kept taking so long to respond to anything his pretty friend said, if he even did at all. But truthfully, he wasn't really reading at all.

He'd already memorized those files days ago and just had them up now to help project the image he wanted to present. Sren was a capable fighter, but she always had trouble when dealing with other species. She was so used to the rigid honor and straightforward honesty of their people that she could rarely tell when one of them was trying to screw them over.

He was just playing it safe, and though he'd rather not have to use it, if anything bad happened he had his blaster. Besides, standing behind her, at least he had a nice view to admire.

"Huh?" He asked, looking up from his "reading", fully several seconds too late, just as he'd intended. "Oh, right, sustenance. Well, if you want to save money then any of these places will do. If, however, you want something that won't kill you, I know of a place." He paused, already seeing the question forming in her mind. He'd seen that frown so many times before, it always made her nose crinkle in the most peculiar way...

"What? I got a copy of the Hutt's updated smuggling maps of this sector before we landed. They should really fix their network firewalls, I mean, I got them wirelessly. Wirelessly!" He stressed, before remembering she, being she, probably didn't care what that meant. With a sigh, he pointed a slender blue finger off towards one of the many pathways leading out of the current square.

"Just go that way."
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Kura
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"Well, we certainly have enough cash on us that I wouldn't mind something more edible," Sren said a bit too loudly, drawing some very curious glances from those ambling around them. Some of the glances weren't curious so much as they were hungry, Sren had the sense to note them and pull Lorne after her, rolling her eyes at the way his attention was pasted to that datapad. She wasn't so much a fool that she didn't recognize bare greed when it presented itself, that tiny glimmer in eyes and fanged smiles, following the two Chiss as they weaved through the crowd, Sren taking the lead to keep Lorne from walking idly into someone. She knew Lorne enough to recognize that he was likely putting up a show, but that show wasn't helping at the current time.

"What? I got a copy of the Hutt's updated smuggling maps of this sector before we landed. They should really fix their network firewalls, I mean, I got them wirelessly. Wirelessly!"

"My lack of care is astounding," Sren stated dryly. She added a muttered "techhead" for good measure, not quite sure exactly what it was he was talking about. Sometimes, her childhood friend went off on the strangest rambles, often leaving her lost and blinking, feeling suitably stupid. She privately hoped that he felt just as silly and naive when she went off on a ramble about xenobiology, though right now wasn't quite the time. At least she had the sense to keep her wits about her, especially in such a dangerous environment.

After his pointed lead, Sren's dubiousness was growing. "Are you sure we're going the right direction?" she asked uneasily, eyes darting about shiftily. "This place looks...unfavorable." Not that the rest of Nar Shaddaa didn't. She half-expected them to be jumped at any time, though there were thankfully less people about. Still, she couldn't shake that nagging feeling that something was out of place. If she'd had her way, they would still be back in Chiss space, working out some easier stint surrounded by their own species, surrounded by other CEDF members and much cooler temperatures. Not on Nar Shaddaa, wallowing in filth and watching murders and thefts occur on every street corner.

"This place better be good. I think I just saw someone off a Twi'lek in that back alley."
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Saskei
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"This is Nar Shaddaa," He muttered, following after her. "Unfavorable is the standard."

They pushed their way through the crowd with little trouble, but Lorne never felt truly safe. He knew how bad this place could get, if even only half the things he'd been reading about it on the extra-net were true. Fortunately, most people came to Nar Shaddaa to keep to themselves, so as long as they didn't step on any toes, literally or otherwise, chances were good nobody would cause them any trouble. Especially if they looked either too dangerous, or poor, to mess with. He wasn't sure which one they qualified for, but with the same end result, he didn't much care.

"This place better be good. I think I just saw someone off a Twi'lek in that back alley."

"Good is, by definition, interpretable" he murmured, eyes flicking towards the alley. "And it was a nautolan" he corrected, unable to resist smirking a bit. "It's okay, those two are easy to mix up. Anyways, it's called the Sabaac Den. it's a pretty upscale establishment from the looks of it. At least, by Hutt standards. Probably because they own it."
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Kura
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"And it was a nautolan," Sren mimicked, rolling her eyes and attempting, briefly, to get a better view and see if he was correct or not. Unfortunately, doing so probably wasn't the best idea and she abruptly turned her attention away when one of the hulking figures who had performed the deed turned its gaze towards her. Best to ignore them for now and turn her attention back to the task at hand before they drew their attention instead. Whistling innocently, Sren yanked Lorne less-than-gracefully along behind her, arrowing in on the only cafe in sight and one that seemed, for once, to have a small degree of cleanliness to it.

"I'm going to assume that's it," Sren announced, not waiting for a reply from Lorne as she pulled him into the small cafe.It was almost homey inside, if you liked your glassy misted over with years and filth and dirt, your tables scratched deep with graffiti, and more than a few customers already completely wasted, sprawled over tables and chairs without much grace. Still, the sad fact was that it did seem a little better maintained than most they frequented, Hopefully they didn't charge for all the extra disinfectant they used on the bar, which was the cleanest part of the joint, polished to an almost admirable shine.

Padding up to the bar, Sren took one of the few open seats, not even bothering to gesture to the other for Lorne, knowing that he would sit down there eventually, unless he got distracted by some shiny display or something technological he absolutely couldn't avoid. He was so strange sometimes. The barkeep waddled up, an overweight, greasy human whose beady eyes were narrowed at her in a way she didn't quite appreciate. "What'll it be?" he growled, his words hardly understandable behind whatever guttural accent it was he was sporting.

"Water for both of us. And uh...whatever your house special is?" Probably shouldn't have stated that as a question, especially given the leer he then favored them with. He nodded before turning and sauntering off, rolls of fat trembling in a distinctly unfavorable way as he disappeared into the back. "Well this is...pleasant," Sren muttered dryly to Lorne, hunching over the bar and casting a quick glance around, hoping that no one was paying too much attention to them.
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Saskei
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"You're getting the special? Brave." Lorne let out a purposely exaggerated whistle before returning his attention to his datapad. He was almost never not staring at the thing. Not unless there was something else that required his attention, like Sren, or somebody's unguarded computer.

"Well this is...pleasant."

"We've been in here over seventy seconds and have not yet been accosted, assaulted, or provoked" Lorne said with a shrug, tapping the screen a few times. "I'd say that's pretty good for this world."

Finally, he managed to tear his eyes away from the screen and spare a glance at the bar. He flared his nostrils a bit, catching a rather unusual smell, the origin of which he was both curious about and yet did not want to know, and sat down next to her.

"This place is one of the hot-spots for card sharks on the circuit" he explained quietly. "Mostly Sabaac, hence the name, but other games too. It's a money-maker for the Hutt's, which is why they go to such lengths to keep the place nice and quiet. You can't see them, but there's probably lots of guards watching us right now. Cameras too."

Finally, they got their waters, and he set about nursing his with expert precision. It was cold, which was good, and seemed clean, which was surprising. Not bad, overall.

"So...operations commander" He said, purposely drawing out the words to remind her just how hilarious he thought it was that she was in-charge. "What's our orders?"
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Kura
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"This place is one of the hot-spots for card sharks on the circuit. Mostly Sabaac, hence the name, but other games too. It's a money-maker for the Hutt's, which is why they go to such lengths to keep the place nice and quiet. You can't see them, but there's probably lots of guards watching us right now. Cameras too."

Sren let a soft 'ahhh' of understanding, nodding down just as their water arrived. Without saying a word of thanks to the barkeep, she took a quick sip of the water. It tasted like dirt, but was still better than nothing, so she held her tongue from complaining. "Is that why we're here? You want to make a quick buck or something?" She frowned, glancing briefly over at him and hoping that he didn't wind up doing something that would get them both in trouble with the law. Well, screw the law, it was the Hutts she was more concerned about. They meted out justice with about as much delicacy as their bloated, flabby bodies could handle. Which was to say none at all. Pissing off a Hutt was one of the things that even Sren knew better than to do and engaging a Hutt in a game of who-can-rip-off-the-other-player-more was generally a suicidal move. Nonetheless...

"I never learned to play Sabaac," Sren said wistfully, eyes still roaming about the room as she propped her elbows up on the bar and rested her chin in her palms. Lorne appeared to be correct, for not many seemed to be starting trouble or engaging in Nar Shaddaa's favorite pastime, villainy, unless they were doing so in a very stealthy manner. They were out of the sun, too, which was helping considerably to relax Sren. She was almost beginning to feel at home in the dingy little cafe. Almost.

"So...operations commander...What's our orders?"

"Ha ha," she muttered, rolling her eyes and punching Lorne on the arm none-too-gently. In the next moment she sobered, switching abruptly to Cheunh as she began speaking, feeling safe in the fact that very few others bothered to learn Chiss and much fewer learn it well. "Nar Shaddaa is only a...layover point. I haven't received any specific orders, not yet, since none of this is technically happening, but we need to find a ship. And fast." She took a long sip of water, smiling up at the barkeep as he approached them with a plate of something that looked very questionable indeed, setting it down without much further ado before waddling off. Sren stared down blankly at the dish before giving it a tentative poke and then engaging in an even more tentative mouthful.

"Tastes kinda like...burnt circuitry. So you'd like it," she mumbled around a mouthful of food, choking it down with a gulp of water. The second bite was considerably more palatable, and the third. But then back to business.

"Information is what they want. Anything that can get us into a more secure spot, one that the CEDF can milk for all they got. Apparently, the Sith issue is becoming more sensitive. We're not considered valuable, so we weren't informed of the situation," she continued with a shrug. "But still. Time is of the essence, so we need to get a ship, and fast. I have a contact who might be willing to have us aboard, but only if we make ourselves useful." Her tone abruptly took on a patronizing quality, her smile mocking. "I know that's hard for you but please, for once, try to make yourself a contributing member of society, if only for a short while so we can get this mission done with and come home to high ranks and all the lovely politics involved...."
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Saskei
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"There's easier ways to make money" he said , examining the glass holding his water with an almost intense seriousness. "Like getting into a bank's system and moving a few decimal points. Or...you know, nevermind."

She was giving him that look again.

"Nar Shaddaa is only a...layover point. I haven't received any specific orders, not yet, since none of this is technically happening, but we need to find a ship. And fast."

"Oh good, vague assignments with no clear direction are my favorite" he said, only half-kidding.

"Information is what they want. Anything that can get us into a more secure spot, one that the CEDF can milk for all they got. Apparently, the Sith issue is becoming more sensitive. We're not considered valuable, so we weren't informed of the situation...But still. Time is of the essence, so we need to get a ship, and fast. I have a contact who might be willing to have us aboard, but only if we make ourselves useful."

"Maybe you're not" he said teasingly, once again burying his face in his datapad. "Regardless, shouldn't take long to find out whatever there is to know about them...as long as I can get a decent connection..." He trailed off, brow furrowing as he struggled to find exactly that. There was so much wireless traffic coming in and out of Nar Shaddaa all the time, it could be difficult to get a piece of the pie sometimes...

"I know that's hard for you but please, for once, try to make yourself a contributing member of society, if only for a short while so we can get this mission done with and come home to high ranks and all the lovely politics involved...."

"Oh yes, of course mistress" He replied, nodding his head in an exaggeratedly quick fashion. "Whatever you say o'lady of the sciences."
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Kura
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"Maybe you're not. Regardless, shouldn't take long to find out whatever there is to know about them...as long as I can get a decent connection..."

"Assuming they exist in records," Sren added, swirling the contents of the nearly empty glass before her and watching the water shift and twirl. "And assuming they store their information in a database." Everyone did nowadays, though, so that didn't come as much of a surprise or truly matter. Beyond that, she knew absolutely nothing about technology. That was most definitely Lorne's thing and she was content to be left to her medicine and biological sciences.

"Oh yes, of course mistress. Whatever you say o'lady of the sciences."

Sren made a face at Lorne before diving back into the strange dish with zeal, simply wanting to finish it and go back to the grind. They had to locate a ship, after all, and one that would be handy at that. Money was no issue and more than a few ships were willing to take them on, but they couldn't go looking for one at random. They had to find the right one, which usually meant relying on a combination of her intuition and Lorne's skills at digging up dirt. Thankfully, dirt seemed to be in abundance here, and most of it of the particularly filthy kind that one didn't want others seeing.

The second she had finished the cafe's special, the Chiss pushed away the heavily dented plate and turned her attention back to Lorne. "You'd be lost without that thing," she said pointedly, eyes flicking to his datapad. She was surprised her hadn't worn a whole in the thing given how often he used at it and how hard he stared at it. She straightened suddenly, remembering something she had heard of earlier. "I heard something through one of my contacts the other day, in the market. They hinted that someone who might be helpful to us just may be putting together a crew of sorts sometime in the near future, though details were hazy at best. In other words, we need to keep our ears peeled and hope for the best."

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Saskei
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"Everything exists in records" he said, perhaps a little too sharply. But it was the truth, especially these days. If it had ever once gotten anyone's attention, then there was something about it on the HoloNet. Even if it was only one thing, one obscure blurb written by someone passed off as crazy on their private journal that nobody but they and their mother's read...it was still out there. All he had to do was find it, and with something like the Sith, there would be plenty of information to be had. After all, it's not like they were a big secret anymore.

"You'd be lost without that thing."

"I have more" he said casually, ignoring her attempt at getting a rise.

"I heard something through one of my contacts the other day, in the market. They hinted that someone who might be helpful to us just may be putting together a crew of sorts sometime in the near future, though details were hazy at best. In other words, we need to keep our ears peeled and hope for the best."

"Shouldn't be too hard" he said, sounding more bored than interested as he continued to pour over the stream of data spreading across his screen. "Just be careful...hook up's on Nar Shaddaa are just as likely to be ambushes as they are legitimate offers."
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