It was a rather dismal and dreary day on Excarga, the smog from the various mining machines and the refining factories having washed over this particular district and blanketed it in a nearly impenetrable fog that most were wise enough to mask up for or stay inside and avoid entirely. The typical hustle and bustle of this town was subdued, had been for a couple days now given the unusual occurrences around its outskirts. Not the least of which being the signal which had seemed to overtake all the usual entertainment and commercial advertisements, with almost every other station fading into static aside from this new one.
:"And welcome back my fellow faithfuls to WHM 155.6, the best Holomedia broadcast this side of Sith space!":
The loudspeaker which had once relayed news and missives from the city center blared the broadcast in the mostly empty street, making the few which did brave the alleys and road to collectively roll their eyes without pausing their strides. One among the few was a bit more hurried in their pace however, a young Twi'lek girl pushing a repulsorcart which had a fairly sizeable crate strapped to its surface. She skirted around what people there were on the sidewalk and turned down one alley, trailing halfway down it before suddenly veering off down another. After navigating a labyrinthine series of turns and twists between the overcrowded buildings in this district, she finally stopped outside of what must have at one time been a simple storefront but which now was more ramshackle metal than anything else.
She reached up to knock on the establishment's door, swaying back and forth on her feet as she waited patiently for a response. A metal slit slid to the side and a pair of yellow eyes peered down at the little blue Twi'lek, the slit sliding closed and the door itself opening a moment later. "Thank you Qihk!" The girl chirped as she pushed the cart inside, passing by the Trandoshan door guard who gave her a simple grunt in response. Her Dosh was still a bit amateurish but she knew the sound for 'welcome back' well enough. Inside the seemingly random storefront beyond the barricaded windows and door was a relatively bustling little den.
Some of the other guards and the pilots were occupying themselves by playing some hands of Sabaac at what had once been a round cantina style table in the rough center of the room, jeering and chatting with one another. As the girl passed by them a couple offered a wave and gave a hearty, "Tiare!" in acknowledgment but most were too occupied by their cards. Not that Tiare herself minded, she knew that such things were sacred among smugglers such as them. Although she did flash a grin to those that did pause to greet her, though she didn't stop her own stride towards the back end of the den.
:"That concludes the report for our fighting brothers and sisters on Eos, you get 'em folks! Next up we have one of our classic tunes 'Keep your blaster by your side' performed by our very own WHM choir-": The receiver was switched off with the press of a button, much to the chagrin of the Rodian looming over the holotable next to it. "Hey that's one of the good ones!" His complaint was met by a dismissive wave from his boss, a Devaronian who turned away from the holotable to instead smirk at the approaching Twi'lek. "There's my girl, and with a present too!" Tiare beamed and left the repulsorcart, running to leap into the boss's opened arms.
"I delivered that canister just like you asked Pa! Those Pyke guys said they would send you the credits tomorrow." Despite the smiling expression on her face, the Devaronian's twisted into confusion at her remark. "Did they now? Then what's this you've brought with you?" She squirmed out of the hug and patted the top of the crate with a proud look on her face. "When I was on the way back this guy in robes came up to me and offered it to me. Said that I was 'blessed' and looked like I could use a new toy!" The Devaronian and the Rodian exchanged glances as the former moved to inspect the crate, much to the excitement of the young Twi'lek.
"Sanguine Defense Works eh?" The boss muttered as he ran a hand over the writing stamped on the outside of the crate next to the lock. "Yep yep! I went and had a peek earlier, go on look!" Tiare was practically vibrating in place next to the Devaronian as he pulled on the lock and lifted on the clamp to pull the crate open. Within lay a weapon that he hadn't seen before, some kind of blaster to be sure but not a model that he knew of. "SD-B1?" He pulled out one of the canisters that lined the crate alongside the weapon, seemingly its ammunition if he had to guess, before handing it to the Rodian.
"It's cool isn't it? I didn't even have to steal it! That robed guy must not have been in business awhile like you have Pa." Tiare's grin faltered slightly at the silence of her adoptive father and his right hand, tilting her head to the side to see what they were both staring at. The canister that the Rodian now held had some blinking light on the side of it, an extra little device that seemed like it had been attached to the canister rather than being part of it. Before either of them spoke a knock on the door echoed loud enough to bring even the Sabaac table to silence, with Qihk eyeing the door warily.
"Tiare, behind the table. Now." The girl furrowed her brow but a quick look from the Devaronian made her scurry behind the holotable nonetheless. He pulled his blaster pistol from its holster at his side and nodded to Qihk, looking to the rest of his crew as they also quietly drew their own blasters and began to slowly occupy more defensive positions rather than crowding around the table. The Trandoshan slid open the slit and hissed out a warning to whomever was on the other side only to be greeted with a smooth voice in kind. "Have you heard the good news?"
The door was suddenly blown back off its mounting, but not by an explosion or any such violent means. It almost looked as though a gust of wind had just thrown it off. Albeit a wind strong and persistent enough to push the door and Qihk with it against the wall, pinning him to it as a robed figure stepped beyond the threshold with one hand raised towards the trapped guard. His masked head turned towards the tense smugglers, each with their fingers pressed against the triggers of their weapons but none having fired a shot yet due to their surprise at the sight. "My apologies for the improper entrance, but I do come in peace. Or rather, on business."
Behind the robed figure came a handful of soldiers with their blasters raised but similarly silent for the moment, taking up positions around the entrance and the robed figure yet none of which would provide much protection or cover should a firefight breakout. They were confident it seemed. The figure extended his free hand towards the Devaronian across the room. "May we speak?" The boss glanced to the Rodian and then to the rest of his crew before nodding, straightening up and very slowly holstering his blaster pistol. "Splendid." The robed figure folded his hands together and just like that whatever had been holding Qihk and the door against the wall released them, letting the Trandoshan push the door off and step away from the wall with a growl.
But the robed figure and his guards hardly seemed to mind, in fact the guards shifted back to simply guarding the entrance while the figure strode across the room to stand before the Devaronian and the Rodian. "Again my deepest apologies for my impropriety, I simply wished to expedite our meeting." He gave a small bow of his head. "I am Brother Vengon, I presume you are Jic Grak? Head of the Grak smuggler outfit?" The Devaronian narrowed his eyes at the dark visor of the robed figure and gave another nod. "I am. What's it to you?" Vengon perked up to respond but paused, his hidden gaze drifting downwards somewhat but Jic wasn't sure why until he felt a pair of small hands suddenly wrap around his leg.
"That's him Pa, that's the guy that gave me the crate." Tiare muttered as she stared up at the robed figure, earning a small sigh from Jic. "Yeah I assumed so darlin'." Vengon chuckled at the exchange, a deceptively warm sound. "Yes, the weapon is a gift. A preview of what we can offer you and your compatriots. Should you choose to accept our business deal of course." The Devaronian and the Rodian exchanged a glance again, the former noticing the scowl on the latter's features. "And what exactly is it that you want?" The robed figure seemed pleased by the question, gesturing around them at the ramshackle den.
"Well we want to propose a business partnership you see. We supply your crew with equipment and even ships, although that can be discussed later down the line of course, as well as protection from more...unsavory elements and all that you have to do is continue your operations as normal and occasionally provide some courier and transportation services for us. As well as giving us some insight and keeping us up to date on the goings on of your line of work." The rather blank look on the Devaronian's face wasn't one of confidence in the offer, but Vengon was undeterred.
He took a step closer, earning a twitch from the Rodian and Jic as he leaned in to speak in a much lower and more covert tone. "We all know that your business has been tragically undercut by the rise of the Black Sun Syndicate as of late. If they expand into the Kessel Sector then independent smugglers such as yourselves could very well wind up being forced to join the Syndicate or go out of business altogether. I'm here to offer you an alternative. We won't even take a single credit from the profits you make." That piqued Jic's interest and confusion, which must have been the intent given how smoothly and seamlessly the robed figure straightened up.
"Then what do you gain? Just a few smugglers on your payroll?" This seemed a bit much for a simple recruitment. "Ah well you see Mr. Grak, our organization has no love for the Syndicate. In fact we'd much rather they...go the way of the Core these days. In flames." There was a venom which crept into Vengon's words for a moment but it was gone as quickly as it had arrived. "Your outfit's business practices haven't drifted into the more despicable forms of trafficking as of yet and we'd hate to see you have to resort to such efforts due to competition that you can't beat. So, we'd like to ensure that the Syndicate doesn't simply snap up groups such as yours to expand their already overgrown operations. If you catch my drift?"
Jic still had no idea what the masked man was attempting to get across, not fully at least. Nothing that made sense to him at least. Tiare for her part however perked up from behind her adoptive father's legs and raised her hand as though waiting to be called on to speak. Although she didn't wait at all to begin speaking. "So we get more cool guns from you guys?" Vengon let out an amused hum and stepped around the three of them, looking down at the Twi'lek as he did so. "That and much more, so long as you're willing to receive and abide by some simple terms and conditions. You young lady could even benefit more than the rest of this crew, have you ever made use of your gifts before?"
Tiare blinked in confusion, tilting her head in spite of the protective hand that Jic rested on top of her head. "Gifts?" Vengon hummed again and gave a brief tut. "I see you really haven't heard the good news after all." He reached over to the receiver and clicked it back on, letting the broadcast's music filter into the den as he looked back to the Devaronian. "Allow me to be more frank then. We wish to see the Black Sun extinguished. The first step to accomplishing such a thing is to stifle their economic growth, such as by propping up rival businesses that they can't simply buy out or conquer. Interested?"
:"And welcome back my fellow faithfuls to WHM 155.6, the best Holomedia broadcast this side of Sith space!":
The loudspeaker which had once relayed news and missives from the city center blared the broadcast in the mostly empty street, making the few which did brave the alleys and road to collectively roll their eyes without pausing their strides. One among the few was a bit more hurried in their pace however, a young Twi'lek girl pushing a repulsorcart which had a fairly sizeable crate strapped to its surface. She skirted around what people there were on the sidewalk and turned down one alley, trailing halfway down it before suddenly veering off down another. After navigating a labyrinthine series of turns and twists between the overcrowded buildings in this district, she finally stopped outside of what must have at one time been a simple storefront but which now was more ramshackle metal than anything else.
She reached up to knock on the establishment's door, swaying back and forth on her feet as she waited patiently for a response. A metal slit slid to the side and a pair of yellow eyes peered down at the little blue Twi'lek, the slit sliding closed and the door itself opening a moment later. "Thank you Qihk!" The girl chirped as she pushed the cart inside, passing by the Trandoshan door guard who gave her a simple grunt in response. Her Dosh was still a bit amateurish but she knew the sound for 'welcome back' well enough. Inside the seemingly random storefront beyond the barricaded windows and door was a relatively bustling little den.
Some of the other guards and the pilots were occupying themselves by playing some hands of Sabaac at what had once been a round cantina style table in the rough center of the room, jeering and chatting with one another. As the girl passed by them a couple offered a wave and gave a hearty, "Tiare!" in acknowledgment but most were too occupied by their cards. Not that Tiare herself minded, she knew that such things were sacred among smugglers such as them. Although she did flash a grin to those that did pause to greet her, though she didn't stop her own stride towards the back end of the den.
:"That concludes the report for our fighting brothers and sisters on Eos, you get 'em folks! Next up we have one of our classic tunes 'Keep your blaster by your side' performed by our very own WHM choir-": The receiver was switched off with the press of a button, much to the chagrin of the Rodian looming over the holotable next to it. "Hey that's one of the good ones!" His complaint was met by a dismissive wave from his boss, a Devaronian who turned away from the holotable to instead smirk at the approaching Twi'lek. "There's my girl, and with a present too!" Tiare beamed and left the repulsorcart, running to leap into the boss's opened arms.
"I delivered that canister just like you asked Pa! Those Pyke guys said they would send you the credits tomorrow." Despite the smiling expression on her face, the Devaronian's twisted into confusion at her remark. "Did they now? Then what's this you've brought with you?" She squirmed out of the hug and patted the top of the crate with a proud look on her face. "When I was on the way back this guy in robes came up to me and offered it to me. Said that I was 'blessed' and looked like I could use a new toy!" The Devaronian and the Rodian exchanged glances as the former moved to inspect the crate, much to the excitement of the young Twi'lek.
"Sanguine Defense Works eh?" The boss muttered as he ran a hand over the writing stamped on the outside of the crate next to the lock. "Yep yep! I went and had a peek earlier, go on look!" Tiare was practically vibrating in place next to the Devaronian as he pulled on the lock and lifted on the clamp to pull the crate open. Within lay a weapon that he hadn't seen before, some kind of blaster to be sure but not a model that he knew of. "SD-B1?" He pulled out one of the canisters that lined the crate alongside the weapon, seemingly its ammunition if he had to guess, before handing it to the Rodian.
"It's cool isn't it? I didn't even have to steal it! That robed guy must not have been in business awhile like you have Pa." Tiare's grin faltered slightly at the silence of her adoptive father and his right hand, tilting her head to the side to see what they were both staring at. The canister that the Rodian now held had some blinking light on the side of it, an extra little device that seemed like it had been attached to the canister rather than being part of it. Before either of them spoke a knock on the door echoed loud enough to bring even the Sabaac table to silence, with Qihk eyeing the door warily.
"Tiare, behind the table. Now." The girl furrowed her brow but a quick look from the Devaronian made her scurry behind the holotable nonetheless. He pulled his blaster pistol from its holster at his side and nodded to Qihk, looking to the rest of his crew as they also quietly drew their own blasters and began to slowly occupy more defensive positions rather than crowding around the table. The Trandoshan slid open the slit and hissed out a warning to whomever was on the other side only to be greeted with a smooth voice in kind. "Have you heard the good news?"
The door was suddenly blown back off its mounting, but not by an explosion or any such violent means. It almost looked as though a gust of wind had just thrown it off. Albeit a wind strong and persistent enough to push the door and Qihk with it against the wall, pinning him to it as a robed figure stepped beyond the threshold with one hand raised towards the trapped guard. His masked head turned towards the tense smugglers, each with their fingers pressed against the triggers of their weapons but none having fired a shot yet due to their surprise at the sight. "My apologies for the improper entrance, but I do come in peace. Or rather, on business."
Behind the robed figure came a handful of soldiers with their blasters raised but similarly silent for the moment, taking up positions around the entrance and the robed figure yet none of which would provide much protection or cover should a firefight breakout. They were confident it seemed. The figure extended his free hand towards the Devaronian across the room. "May we speak?" The boss glanced to the Rodian and then to the rest of his crew before nodding, straightening up and very slowly holstering his blaster pistol. "Splendid." The robed figure folded his hands together and just like that whatever had been holding Qihk and the door against the wall released them, letting the Trandoshan push the door off and step away from the wall with a growl.
But the robed figure and his guards hardly seemed to mind, in fact the guards shifted back to simply guarding the entrance while the figure strode across the room to stand before the Devaronian and the Rodian. "Again my deepest apologies for my impropriety, I simply wished to expedite our meeting." He gave a small bow of his head. "I am Brother Vengon, I presume you are Jic Grak? Head of the Grak smuggler outfit?" The Devaronian narrowed his eyes at the dark visor of the robed figure and gave another nod. "I am. What's it to you?" Vengon perked up to respond but paused, his hidden gaze drifting downwards somewhat but Jic wasn't sure why until he felt a pair of small hands suddenly wrap around his leg.
"That's him Pa, that's the guy that gave me the crate." Tiare muttered as she stared up at the robed figure, earning a small sigh from Jic. "Yeah I assumed so darlin'." Vengon chuckled at the exchange, a deceptively warm sound. "Yes, the weapon is a gift. A preview of what we can offer you and your compatriots. Should you choose to accept our business deal of course." The Devaronian and the Rodian exchanged a glance again, the former noticing the scowl on the latter's features. "And what exactly is it that you want?" The robed figure seemed pleased by the question, gesturing around them at the ramshackle den.
"Well we want to propose a business partnership you see. We supply your crew with equipment and even ships, although that can be discussed later down the line of course, as well as protection from more...unsavory elements and all that you have to do is continue your operations as normal and occasionally provide some courier and transportation services for us. As well as giving us some insight and keeping us up to date on the goings on of your line of work." The rather blank look on the Devaronian's face wasn't one of confidence in the offer, but Vengon was undeterred.
He took a step closer, earning a twitch from the Rodian and Jic as he leaned in to speak in a much lower and more covert tone. "We all know that your business has been tragically undercut by the rise of the Black Sun Syndicate as of late. If they expand into the Kessel Sector then independent smugglers such as yourselves could very well wind up being forced to join the Syndicate or go out of business altogether. I'm here to offer you an alternative. We won't even take a single credit from the profits you make." That piqued Jic's interest and confusion, which must have been the intent given how smoothly and seamlessly the robed figure straightened up.
"Then what do you gain? Just a few smugglers on your payroll?" This seemed a bit much for a simple recruitment. "Ah well you see Mr. Grak, our organization has no love for the Syndicate. In fact we'd much rather they...go the way of the Core these days. In flames." There was a venom which crept into Vengon's words for a moment but it was gone as quickly as it had arrived. "Your outfit's business practices haven't drifted into the more despicable forms of trafficking as of yet and we'd hate to see you have to resort to such efforts due to competition that you can't beat. So, we'd like to ensure that the Syndicate doesn't simply snap up groups such as yours to expand their already overgrown operations. If you catch my drift?"
Jic still had no idea what the masked man was attempting to get across, not fully at least. Nothing that made sense to him at least. Tiare for her part however perked up from behind her adoptive father's legs and raised her hand as though waiting to be called on to speak. Although she didn't wait at all to begin speaking. "So we get more cool guns from you guys?" Vengon let out an amused hum and stepped around the three of them, looking down at the Twi'lek as he did so. "That and much more, so long as you're willing to receive and abide by some simple terms and conditions. You young lady could even benefit more than the rest of this crew, have you ever made use of your gifts before?"
Tiare blinked in confusion, tilting her head in spite of the protective hand that Jic rested on top of her head. "Gifts?" Vengon hummed again and gave a brief tut. "I see you really haven't heard the good news after all." He reached over to the receiver and clicked it back on, letting the broadcast's music filter into the den as he looked back to the Devaronian. "Allow me to be more frank then. We wish to see the Black Sun extinguished. The first step to accomplishing such a thing is to stifle their economic growth, such as by propping up rival businesses that they can't simply buy out or conquer. Interested?"
