Private Aki-cusing the Ancients

[Xzaien]

Aki received a holo-communication one late afternoon. The message was sent from somewhere within his own ship, likely as a sort of "masking signature" from him going to investigate where the true location of this sender. Whoever it came from, offered quite the reward for exchange of gaining the artifacts. A few million credits and interestingly. A small squad of mercenaries cloned from Aki's own DNA. An interesting sort of business prospect. The message was sent by a "A-Kota" likely some sort of former Jedi turned Bounty-Hunter employer. Nevertheless, the message read as following:

"Mr. Aki. My employer has heard so much about your exploits. Frankly, she is quite impressed of your accomplishments over the course of the last few months. Therefor, she has allowed me to come to you for a high-priority job. Provided that you agree to our terms, confidentiality is quite needed during this venture. Your job is to head to Kamino. You may have been there before, but now its just a barren water world now. You are to go and secure both the ancient Fett Genome if you can, and the schematics of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 Clone Trooper armors used centuries ago. This is a high-risk venture as no one has been down to Tapoca city in almost three-hundred years. So if you succeed in this venture, I will personally see to it that you become a permanent associate with my employer's Bounty Hunter corps. We will supply you with a dead drop of scuba kit. Once you are finished simply meet me at its surface. Look for a LAAT. Here is the coordinates..."​

After the message, was a set of Coordinates to Kamino, and by extension where the sunken ruins of Tapoca City is. The most likely venture that Aki would have to go through was a massive labyrinth of swirling tunnels, surviving separatist war droids and probably a few sea monsters. But the reword for completing this contract was quite astonishing...

Aki Angunasuktuq

 

[Aki Angunasuktuq]

Tags: Xzaien
Attire: Whiphid Furs

Sitting within his quarters, Aki consulted the various plans with a tusked scowl. The location of the bounties original sender was hidden but that wasn’t a new revelation for the Whiphid, he frequently was unaware of where his clients were located and he didn’t have the technological know-how to track them down. Not that he really cared where they were.

Sitting amongst a fur-strewn room, he finished the final preparations he needed before making planet fall. Along with his spears, daggers and his he had brought along a new addition to his hunting pack.

A UPR-17 slicing droid.

Made from a modified marksman H training remote, the grey ball was capable of slicing into protected files and servers, or so Aki had been informed.

It better, or I will return and eat that Rodiaj for his lies.

While the Whiphid hunter was under no illusions of the difficulty of his task, the droid was there to cover the gaping whole of technological knowledge and skills that Aki lacked. Normally he would turn down a contract like this but it came with the opportunity for greater future hunts and that he was unable to turn down.

Rolling up his furs, he finished his prep and began to walk to the exit ramp. Normally a 2.2 metre tall Whiphid would attract attention but, amongst this crowd, he hoped that he may be able to blend in as his cover was a Rollerfish spearer.

Kamino had a great number of aquatic life and the roller fish was amongst them. A common species it nonetheless took a reasonable amount of skill to correctly fish them for they needed to be speared in the right part of their anatomy to bring the carcass up whole without ruining the meat.

Amongst the rest of the travellers the freighter was dropping off, Aki stepped out into the rain and began to follow the others to blend in, eyes alert for the signs that would indicate his next step.

 

[Xzaien]

Aki landed planetside. Judging by the state of the last remaining floating cities of the Kaminoans, they have seen better days. As he walked into the main atrium of the largest building on this sea of floating buildings he could spot a large box in the middle, just sitting vacantly ontop of one of the Monuments of the Clone Wars built centuries ago. Judging by the pinging on his Datapad, this was the dead drop that had the scuba equipment for this next expedition.

If Aki took a long look at the rest of the building, there were many exits and entrances leading to different parts of the facility. Clearly, Tapoca city was a few hundred meters below the waves of Kamino. Likely, the Galactic Empire blew it to pieces before they fled to the Unknown Regions. Aside from this revelation, there were many tour guides. Not of Kamino origin, but of Human and even stranger. They were completely identical. Perhaps meeting with one of these Tour Guides could tell Aki where to find the ruins of Tapoca City.

There were also many grey-armored Guardsmen wearing some white Clone-Trooper Esque Armor. Likely a homage to the largest order in Kaminoan history. Presumably, these men were also Clones as they walked in a particular way and even spoke in a strange way. Likely, after Tapoca city was scuttled, all that was left were a few cloning tanks to be refurbished by the surviving Kaminoans after the Galactic Civil War. Who knows.

Aki Angunasuktuq

 

[Aki Angunasuktuq]

Tags: Xzaien

Strolling throughout the Kamino streets, Aki found that it was actually quite a pleasant planet despite the anecdotal evidence he had been given. The hunter always found it best to get information from those who had been planetside as opposed to reading the official reports and such on the Holonet.

Although finding anyone who had actually been here had been a task in of itself.

By all accounts, the planet was a grey, rain-soaked monument to the failings of history, first the clones of the republic and then the hubris of the Empire. A world where the technology of the inhabitants had been their salvation, like a fire within the proverbial blizzard of the galaxy, hoping it would provide sustenance and salvation but in turn, attracted the attention of predators.

Aki grunted loudly at the thought, causing nearby passing Ithorians to start and hustle away a little faster.

This is what happens when you live out of balance with your ecosystem, when you try to separate and become above your world instead of a part of it.

Looking out at the heaving tides, the Whiphid couldn’t say he envied the end result. An ocean full of ruins that was all that really remained of the Kamino legacy, while salvagers, guides and smugglers crawled all over the civilisation’s corpse in the manner that scavengers are like to. Soon, it would be picked clean and hopefully this world would recover, spawning a more moderate society, perhaps more in tune with their oceanic environment.

Not that this is my concern he thought, standing before the box that had been left conspicuously laying in the open. His immense muscles handled the weight with ease and walking through the downpour, it seemed nobody thought what looked like a mere freight-hauler was too out of place. Ensuring that his slicer droid was in it’s waterproof Arabore skin pouch, Aki opened the box with surprising delicacy for such a feral being, he began to take the scuba gear out and upon inspecting each part, wrapped it into the furs he carried about his person. All of it looked in order although he wouldn’t be using the scuba suit itself. His thick fur was suited for swimming within the frigid depths of his homeworld and would be more than suitable for the Kaminoan oceans.

Now prepared for his trip, he now needed the location. Matted fur hung like dreadlocks around his tusked mouth as he looked through the downpour at the guides, hoping to find what he was looking for.

It was always a difficult choice when mingling with others during a hunt, do you find someone at the bottom of the food-chain, disposable if necessary and wouldn’t be missed.

As he sat and watched, Aki noticed that many of the vessels were packing nets, spears and weapon onto fishing vessels.

My gear wouldn’t look amiss there.

Grinning, he walked over to the guides to book a trip, content with his plan. All he needed was the dive location and then he would hope aboard a fishing vessel where his weapons would not only fit in amongst the others, he may even be able to scavenge some more.

 

[Xzaien]

Before Aki stood a small group of part-time Fishermen. Each of them was nearly dressed in rags, but if Aki looked toward the ships moored in the dock he could see that there were the most high-end fishing boats available on the Galactic Market. Impressive, surely it was judging by the vast wealth found to be fishing in Kamino's swirling waters and protection from the hundred-feet tall rogue waves which were extremely common in open ocean.

As Aki approached the Group of Fishermen, at least two of them took the hint and began to walk away. All save for one. As he turned, Aki could see that he was clearly a Bothan judging by his matted and rather intricately braided beard. This Bothan's Right eye was milky white, and he walked on a simple wooden cane. Likely carved from a bit of driftwood dropped off from offworld travelers. This Bothan was old, probably at least a hundred and fifty judging by the amount of gray that completely took off his previously dark brown fur. He looked up at Aki, not phased one bit. He tapped his cane against the wet ground gingerly before speaking.

"I hope you speak basic son. Yes, I payed the debt fifty years ago, and no. I didn't tell the Sith about it. So get out of my face you ugly furred idiot. And if you're not a kriffing Bounty Hunter and infact a Tourist. Two-Hundred Credits and I can take you out to the ocean to do whatever the bloody hell you want."

Aki Angunasuktuq ​

 

[Aki Angunasuktuq]

Tags: Xzaien

Seeing the others walk from, Aki growled softly, the smell of engine oil and fish still strong in the air. As a Whiphid, his sense of smell was extremely sensitive and intermingled with the smell of wet fur he could smell the ozone tang of a charged blaster around the Bothan.

If he plans on robbing me out in the ocean well, I hope a whole Bothan is enough to satisfy their stomachs.

Opening his bag slightly, the hunter showed the fisherman a quick glimpse of all the spears, knives and arrows that were within.

“I want to go fishing. Also see Tipoca ruins.”

Fishing into the bag he withdrew two hundred credits, leaving him now with no further money for this trip.

“You better be worth.”

 

[Xzaien]

The Fisherman shrugged, not before shaking his head and gesturing Aki to his boat. Some strangely well-built thing designed to brave the rough waters. He would walk a bit, with himself being rained upon almost the moment he walked out the door. He'd walk slowly, really. Painfully, slowly. It was as if this Bothan really hated the prescence of Aki's shaggyness directly assaulting his eye sockets. But nevertheless, he would walk straight to his boat. Hopefully followed by Aki.

He'd turn around to look at Aki for a moment before rolling his eyes and dissapearing into the crew compartment. Leaving Aki to stand alone in the rain. Likely, the door into the crew compartment was locked and judging by the Fisherman's unhappy scowl. Aki was going to sit outside for some time now...

The boat soon rumbled to life beneath Aki's feet and soon started to slowly enter the waves of Kamino. It would be about thirty minutes before the boat stopped seemingly in one random spot in the ocean. What was odd, was that the rain suddenly stopped, allowing the local sun to blaze nicely against the lukewarm waters below. Glimmering gently. Soon, the Bothan would leave his humble abode and would greet Aki face to face.

"Okay. So here's what's going to happen. You can get done with your little sightseeing, and then we'll leave. You got three hours so piss off my boat. If you don't come back in three, I'm leaving your damned furry arse to drown."

If Aki leaned over the side of the boat, he would notice that the water was extremely clear. Just below the surface, some 100 meters lay a large dome of sorts jutting out of the seabed. Yep. This is Tapoca City, or... what remains it. Thanks to the Empire of old, the place was scuttled when the Kaminoans decided to rebel against the Imperials by cloning their own army. Likely, the gene seed of Fett's DnA was still down there, preserved and waiting to be recovered.

Aki Angunasuktuq