C'mon, It's Just Loot!

[Darth Metus]

The cataclysmic disease known as the Gulag Virus had done more than claim the lives of untold millions and plunge the galaxy into a period of darkness, it had caused the advancement of technology to come to a screeching halt. The numerous corporations which manufactured the various technological wonders to the known galaxy fell prey to planetary quarantines, shortage of workers, and a drastic decrease in revenue which caused many to fall into shambles. With so many of these entities in ruins, it had become a common practice in the years following the Darkness for smugglers, treasure hunters, or those looking to make a quick pile of credits to dive into these ruined facilities and loot all they could. This loot would then be sold to the highest bidder, more often than not a Hutt, and would serve only to contribute to the bolstering of underground entities and criminal armies.

With this process also came heated competition between the various clientele, causing enormous bounties to be placed upon the heads of those few doing the looting. The various parties sought to eliminate any and all threats to their respective regimes, and as such hired bounty hunters and mercenaries to get the job done. As was the case with Isley Verd, who took the job of hunting down a smuggler who had taken to looting the remains Hypori's droid facilities. His client was a disgruntled near-Human residing upon one of the Outer Rim Worlds, whom had an obvious vendetta for the Hutt and wanted to do everything in his power to slight them. Whilst making the voyage to Hypori, Isley toyed with reasons why this man would go so far out of his way to undercut a Hutt crimelord. Was it because the Hutt took something from him, like a family member? Or was he just racist? Whatever the case, his frivolous thoughts came to an end once his vessel touched down.

He had landed about two klicks away from the foundry ruins, close enough to get to his destination in just a few minutes, and far enough away that his ship's cloaking device could mask its landing effectively. The gold-beskar-clad Initiate stepped from the confines of his vessel and onto the temperate world. His helmet was working like a charm, as it always did, providing several sensory sweeps of the area from 360 degrees. He took a moment to switch his blaster onto a setting just above stun: just enough to completely paralyze his target and hurt like nothing in this world, before boldly striding off in the direction of the facility.

 

[Beldorion III]

Beldorion III was a Hutt that most enjoyed. He wasn't always cruel, he rarely murdered anyone, and was known to delve in honest business more times than not. But a weak spot he had even after becoming a Padawan learner was tech, the serpentine slug would do nearly anything to obtain it. This got him into trouble early in life with a non-Hutt crimelord, a rare rivalry developed between the two. Normally this would be irrelevant, with the start of the Hutts' Jedi training, but for these next few weeks he had decided to take leave for a while to visit his estate on Nar Shadaa. He heard though of a Hypori droid facility that had been uncovered, and while Beldorion visited his clan (who would kick him out eventually, seeing Beldorion as a sort of a crazy person, and is treated as an outcast despite his success) and family (they share similar sentiments). Eventually though Beldorion would venture on to his sail barge to leave to the factories, meeting up with the smuggler he had hired to scout out, and scavenge the ruins there. It was little to Beldorion's knowledge, of his rivals ambitions, and little did he known of the Mandalorian that would upset the Kindly Hutt, turning him into his crueler cousin, the Iron Hutt; the spite of scum, bringer of vengaence and justice, and worst of all, now he has a lightsaber (not that he has any training with it all, though).

Where ever the smuggler was now, his Hutt employer was not too far behind, arriving on his sail barge in its appropriate landing zone. The slimy serpent of a Hutt slithered down the ramp, being followed by indentured servants, who found servitude under the Hutt more pleasant than most others, and choose to stay with him then go to another Hutt, after Beldorion had asked them to leave when he began his training as a Jedi. He was glad he kept them, they made excellent company. The Hutt rubbed his stomach and smiled like a Bhudda as he saw mountains of scavenging material before him.

"I could make a whole other Sail Barge out of this if I wanted too! Huh huh huh!" The Hutt laughed with enjoyment, followed by the legitimate laughter of his loyal servants.

 

[Anara Valnor]

"I hate frakking flying..."

Amber eyes stared blankly at the controls of her ship, the readout on the screen before her meaning next to nothing to her. The droid that had been assigned to accompany her whirred, commenting that it would take over if she so desired and Anara smiled, sighing in relief. "That's probably a good idea...Last time I tore one of the landing struts off...Don't ask me how I did that because frak if I know." The droid made a concerned noise and immediately took control of the ship, bringing it into orbit around the planet while it hunted for a suitable landing place. The ship, a relic of a vessel was, meant to transport as much viable cargo as she could find, however, she doubted she would find much of anything.

In no time the ship set down a short distance from the ruins of the facility with no mishaps, a first for Anara. Smiling she patted the droid on its doomed head, as she grabbed her guitar and saber. "Stay put, if you need me just contact me over the com...I'll let you know if I find anything." The droid cooed and turned away as Anara headed for the ship's exit. Slinging her guitar over her shoulder she started toward the ruins of the facility, humming softly to herself as she moved through the crumbling debris surrounding the area.

 

[Darth Metus]

As Isley strolled along, his helmet's sensors began to display a string of recent observations its HUD: apparently there was a group of individuals nearby. His boldness ceased at that very instant and caution was swift to replace it. His fingers swiftly came to dance upon the console installed upon his left bracer, activating one of the many devices built into his armor: a cloaking device which functioned by bending light around Isley in such a manner that it blended him in with his surroundings. Now concealed, the young Mandalorian stepped lively, but carefully, in the direction of his sensors had indicated the group was in.

He came to a halt the moment a particular noise reached his ears: the din of a group of persons laughing, along with the unmistakable "Huh huh huh" accent that could only issue from a Hutt. 'Figures...that damn smuggler must be with his boss..' Isley thought. Then, an idea of pure greed crossed his mind: how much more would the client pay if, not only the smuggler was dealt with, but the Hutt as well? A grin formed upon his lips as he relished in the thought, and only grew once he resolved to go along with it. He resumed movement once again, this time going prone approximately twenty yards away.

He lined up a shot on his blaster, yet before unleashing fire he relied upon his helmet's zoom to confirm that this group was indeed who he thought it was; for he didn't want to slay an "innocent" Hutt now did he? After picking through the crowd, he did indeed find the man whom matched up with the information provided to Isley before hand. This was his target and Isley pulled the trigger. A crimson burst erupted from his blaster, crossed the expanse between him and the target, and burrowed into the left temple of the smuggler. One shot, One kill. The unfortunate male slumped to the ground, deceased, and would no doubt cause a panic within the group once they saw his sudden demise.

Nonetheless, Isley lined up another shot, setting his aim upon the Hutt.

"C'mon big boy, don't move a muscle..."

 

[Beldorion III]

Beldorion watched as the smuggled fell to the ground in a heap. With a slight gasp, the Hutt sensed danger an instant before it occured, and swiftly swiveled back to avoid the shot, and after yelling at his servants a quick order of dispersal, unclipped his lightclub and activated its golden blade. As a Padawan, the Hutt had next to no training in blocking blaster bolts, the lightsaber was merely a deterent in this extent. Beldorion did however posses some skill in telekinesis and responded to the attack by throwing small objects in his assassin's general direction, unsure of his targets distance. He used force speed to assist his unusually serpentine body in slithering closer to his assailant. Beldorion possessed little range in combat, so he reasoned that coming in close he wouldn't need to know how to weild his weapon, its devestating power would do the work for him.

"Grah!" The Hutt gurgled his way toward his new enemy.

 

[Darth Metus]

Isley was a touch surprised that the Hutt responded to his shot by producing a lightsaber, and even more surprised when he took to telekinetically levitating small chunks of surrounding ruin in his direction. 'Is this...the Force?' he asked himself, as it was the first time in his entire life he had been exposed to such abilities. He knew well enough about the Hutt as a species to know that telekinesis was not an innate ability and therefore came to the conclusion that this lumbering Hutt was a Sith (for would the Jedi ever accept a criminal as one of their own??).

"Bring it on you damn Hutt." He muttered.

He was immediately snapped out of his thoughts by a chunk of earth that landed only a mere five feet from his position. That, coupled with the swiftness being employed by the Hutt, inspired Isley to leap to his feet and jog to the left of his charging opponent. He quickly stowed his blaster within its holster and reached to his belt to clasp one of his trademark beskar daggers, as well as uttering a silent command to the wrist rocket launcher upon his left gauntlet. Coming to a hault, Isley let the rocket fly through the hewn objects towards the swift Hutt.

Despite the speed employed by his foe, the rocket itself was launched with immense speed. Furthermore, the Hutt was a rather large target. It was like shootin a rocket at the broadside of a barn, it would be a feat in itself to miss. Nonetheless, miracles happen, so Isley prepared a backup by readying a second rocket and resuming his jog.

 

[Beldorion III]

The Hutts eyes widened, admiring the incredible rocket about to be employed. A grotesque image of himself exploding into goop was not a pleasant one, and he very much did not want to be goop. He knew he would not be strong enough to alter its trajectory, but perhaps it could be blocked. Swiftly deactivating his beautiful lightsaber, Beldorion concentrated on the force as quickly as he could to pull a mound of ruble, debris, and rocky dirt, just barely a moment before he launched his deadly weapon and created a wave in front of him, catching the rocket, which exploded, knocking the Hutt over with only minor cuts from debris he could not control. The trash and dirt ignited in a blaze as it was flung over head far behind him, acting like a catapult in a most humorous way. But danger did not stop there, a second missile of the same caliber would be on its way to cauterize the entire length of the Hutts body. Seeming as the 'wave' tactic work the first time, the Hutt presumed it would work a second. Only this time, instead of shifting it over himself, he would push it back at the assailant. Debris would make a perfect obsticle wall that the straight line rocket would be unable to avoid, with the added advantage the explosion would happen closer to the Mando, and dirty trash would land on him too if he lived. Internally the Hutt laughed at the thought that there could be feces of various rodents and other animals raining down on his enemy's obviously charished golden-trimmed armor. All about his body, there was shrapnel embedded into his hard Hutt skin. They are minor damage, and the Hutt pretty much didn't feel them at all. His skin was quite thick, which he was greatful for. He was upset however at all the junk he was wasting on this good-for-nothing assassin. He killed an innocent man! Well, relatively speaking. This Jedi in training would have to crush this evil-doer underfoot, a most grotesque prospect most would summarize to be the worst imaginable kind of hell in all of Hutt space.

 

[Darth Metus]

'Resourceful little monster, aren't you?' Isley commented to himself. Having witnessed the Hutt's swift employment of the Force in order to stop his initial rocket, Isley had an idea of what to expect as a counterattack for his second attack. Still mobile and still cloaked as before, the invisible Mandalorian activated his jet pack in order to launch himself into the air, thereby avoiding the wave of trash, feces, and other unmentionables that would explode with his rocket in its clutches. He swiftly touched down upon the ground afterwards, resuming his circular jog about the Hutt.

He mouthed a command to the launcher upon his left wrist, swapping it out for a grenade dispenser. He then skidded to a quick halt and aimed his wrists in the direction of the Hutt, firing first another rocket followed by an onslaught of miniature grenade capsules. The wrist rocket was fired first so that, in the event that the Hutt opted to repeat his tactic, it would cause enough of an explosion for some of his capsules to get through the trash and reach its target. The grenade capsules themselves, sixteen in number, each contained a powerful hallucinogen.

As Isley had been taught, those sensitive to the Force required concentration in order to manipulate it. Therefore, it was common for Mandalorians to carry powerful toxins that would cause their Force-wielding opponents to hallucinate, thereby destroying their ability to concentrate and utilize the Force's telekinetic capabilities. This was Isley's intention, to cut off the Hutt's ability to utilize the Force, then to finish him. After launching the rocket and grenade, Isley resumed his circular jog, reveling in the fact that his cloaking device continued to keep him concealed, though its time was slowly counting down.

 

[Anara Valnor]

Her humming had escalated into soft singing as she grew ever closer to the facility, but suddenly she halted in her progress as her song died upon her lips. She could always hear the Song of the Force, its constant melody always in her mind, however, suddenly it shifted and she turned her amber gaze to her left. She was not alone upon the planet, she had heard the Song's of others the second she had set foot upon the planet, but she hadn't concerned herself with their presence until now. One was a comrade, though from his sporadic melody within the Force it was clear to her that he wasn't of a high rank within the Order. The Song of the Force rippled with a sort of urgency as the Song's of those off to her left roared at one another violently; her comrade was being attacked.

Frowning her vibrant eyes darkened for a moment as she darted off to her left, making it to the scene of the would-be battle in no time. The scene before her was a bizarre one to say the least, but she had seen far stranger things during her life. The Hutt fighting to stay in one piece she recognized as a fellow Jedi given his Song, however, his opponent was far harder to pinpoint and label. With a sigh and a shake of her head she slipped her guitar off, allowing everything to fall away as the Song of the Force filled her mind completely. The Force flowed through her and with ease she channeled that power into her guitar, making it sound as though it were plugged into a massive amp. Her guitar screamed to life and echoed across the area for some distance, scattering the attackers projectiles as the blast of sound sent them off course. They were not disarmed, however, and still exploded, sending debris in all directions.

As dirt rained down upon her, Anara grumbled and stepped stepped down from the small mound of dirt she had been standing upon. "Frak! Why can't things ever go as planned..." Mumbling quietly to herself she approached the Hutt, giving him a soft smile before scanning the area. "Are you alright Padawan?" Amber eyes narrowed as she played a few simple notes upon her guitar, searching for the one that had been attacking the Hutt. "So you attack Jedi without cause and then are to scared to show your face?! Some foe you are!" Her voice echoed off the ruins surrounding them and she smirked, purposefully goading whoever had thought to attack the Padawan behind her.

 

[Beldorion III]

Beldorion was running out of things to do, and had little time to think of it. He could try and push the grenades into the rocket, but that required more focus than he could bargain for. Soon though he no longer needed to think, and thankfully if was for the best. Dumb founded and shocked, the fat slug certainly did feel smaller when this- musical Jedi blew up the rockets somewhere else! He also felt quite young when the woman asked if he was alright, Padawan. A small smile crept up on his face, gladdened to hear his title.

"I am, now that you're here!" The Hutt chuckled. He watched as she yelled to his adversary in what he realized was protection. He hoped he was not too repulsive for her sake as he felt the urge to take up arms along side his elder (how humorous that seemed to him!), slithering near her side and once again activating his golden blade.

 

[Darth Metus]

In the instant that Isley had let fly his rocket and grenades, a small hint of satisfaction had fell upon his countenance. He honestly believed that he had the upper hand over the Hutt, and a smile formed upon his face to reflect that confidence....then came the music. The smile was literally slapped off his face by a chaotic wall of sound that spontaneously erupted out of nowhere. It stopped his projectiles in their respective tracks, detonating them in midair and dispelling the resulting fumes with minimal effort. The young warrior let out an aggravated growl, stopping in his tracks in order to face the newcomer who dared intervene with his hunt. It was a woman, standing upon a heap of debris and trash, who then addressed Isley. He could easily recognize an attempt to bait him into revealing himself, and had no intention of doing so, yet the alotted time of concealment came to a close in that moment, revealing him to the eyes of those present.

The young Mandalorian readied his arms once more, taking careful aim at the woman who so easily deflected his attacks. Then, he contemplated this course of action. The Hutt was literally a pain in his backside when it came to using the Force, and this woman swatted aside his weapons with a GUITAR of all things...The two of them combined would most likely be a little more than he could handle alone. So instead of firing, he simply elevated his arms, showing them his hands. This was a sign that he would not attack, at least not yet.

"Padawan?!" He demanded. "Did you just call that slithering mongrel a Padawan? Has the Jedi Order fallen so low that they'd accept criminal lords into their folds?" He pointed an accusatory finger at the Hutt, continuing his rant. "I thought the Jedi were supposed to be the notorious good guys, but now I see that you are no better than the criminal scum you associate with."

Needless to say, the youth was beyond aggravated. The interferance of this other Jedi had potentially cost him a large heap of credits that could have went to the bolstering of Mandalore..

 

[Anara Valnor]

Glancing at the Hutt, she smirked before focusing on their would-be attacker once more. Judging from the man's armor he was Mandalorian and Anara couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Once upon a time they accepted an upstart musician with a huge problem with authority. He isn't what he appears so calm the frak down." She idly toyed with her guitar, leaving her lightsaber resting upon her hip for the time being. With a sigh she ran a hand through her tangled mane of red hair, clicking her tongue in thought. "Listen, I haven't got time for this. I'm on a mission and I suspect he was as well..." Amber eyes cut over to the Hutt, silently telling him to keep his mouth shut before the looked back to the Mando.

Smiling she looked to the Hutt, waving her hand dismissively toward the Mando. "Put your saber away and get back to whatever it was you were doing, the Council will be informed of this." The Hutt would understand her warning, she hoped. Truthfully she suspected that he was on the planet for his own reasons because she hadn't been informed of his presence, so he would need to come up with a good reason for his presence to satisfy the Council. Turning back to the Mando she moved her guitar back to its resting place upon her back as she began to start toward the ruined facility once more. "Now behave children, before I have to really give you both a spanking." Smirking she threw the Mando a wink and turned away fully, a bounce in her step as she began to hum to herself once more.

 

[Darth Metus]

'Tch,' the young Mandalorian thought to himself, amazed at the mannerisms of the "Jedi", 'I've been treated better by Sith.' Nonetheless, he was in way over his head. He couldn't take on two Jedi and his initial duty was done...but that didn't mean he couldn't rub salt in an open wound. That Hutt was a criminal, and from what little the Mandalorian knew about the Jedi Order, they didn't harbor criminals and always turned them over to the correct authorities...or dealt with them themselves. Sure, Isley would be forfeiting his bonus, but there'd be one less Hutt infesting the galaxy if he got his way. A coy smile then appeared upon the youth's lips as he addressed the now-walking away Jedi.

"You must forgive my surprise Lady Jedi. For you see, this particular 'Padawan' is wanted in connection with a vast multitude of crimes. He is a well-known criminal lord within Hutt Space and has many enemies who would want nothing more than to see his head on a platter or rotting in a prison cell." He placed a hand upon his chest, prostrating himself in a polite bow before continuing. "I am but a humble warrior attempting to make an honest living with the skills I have been blessed with. Good work is so hard to come buy in these troubling times, and a job requiring the decimation of a criminal mastermind seems hardly adverse, does it not? I extend my sincerest apologies to the Jedi Order for any offense."

Rising, the youth concluded with a simple, coy remark. "I simply hope that the Jedi Order will uphold its reputation for Justice in dealing with this criminal."

 

[Beldorion III]

The Hutt scoffed. "What more do you expect of a Hutt? If not for the Jedi, I would not be on the road of Enlightenment! My Grandparent, Beldorion the First, had been a Jedi! But he fell to the dark side. I came before the Jedi to redeem his once good name! Yes, I've made enemies, yes, I have murdered. I am a Crimelord, but I assure you both when I say that I am redeemed! Don't try to muddy my name, bounty hunter!" He pointed with an accusing finger, and a scowl.

He then looked to the 'senior' Jedi with a guilty face. "I must admit to you though Master Jedi, I am here not on any mission of any sort. I came here of my own interests, it was just.... It was just the loot that could be found here, that lured me in! I couldn't be helped, you must understand Master. I apologize, I am a worthless Hutt." His head sagged. "I will be leaving then, it is obvious I must stand before the Council. But of all the criminals here," He turned a scowl to the armored man, "I am not one who kills good men." A sense of mourn flashed across his face as his lazy gaze fell over the fallen smuggler.

What a good man meant to the Hutt though was not yet complete. Perhaps he simply pulled in the most money with least amount of criminal effort to the Hutt, but he felt that his ideals of a good person were more aligned to what he was being taught as a Jedi. Did he have a family? Damn it all, I simply can not remember. He tried his best to remember, but even if he had, what would he say to them? Would they even let him say anything? Would they simply blame it all on him, with out a chance to redeem himself in their eyes? How cruel it was to be a Kindly Hutt.

 

[Anara Valnor]

Sighing she pinched the bridge of her nose and suddenly wished she was still in stasis, sleeping the years away instead of playing this game of words. "Frak it all..." She mumbled quietly to herself and looked from the Mandalorian to the Hutt, then back again, her amber gaze boring into each of them. "You know...I have half a mind to let you two get back to what you were doing..." Sighing she ran a hand through her hair, shaking grit from earlier from her fiery mane. In her time, four hundred years in the past, she hadn't been a shining example of how a Jedi was supposed to act and now, hundreds of years later, she was still the same. However, she had to at least attempt to be a good role model since she was one of the few Jedi Masters in the galaxy. Grumbling to herself she leveled the Hutt with a look, "you have two choices, report directly to the Council and I'll know if you don't...or help me complete my mission, then go before the Council. Either way you are going to go before the Council..."

She gave the Hutt a moment to think over his options, before leveling the same glaring amber gaze upon the Mandalorian. She stared the young man down, guessing at his age and then looked to the dead man. The corpses connection to everything that was going on could be dealt with later, but in truth Anara wasn't sure she really cared. This new galaxy she had been brought back into was far harsher than where she had come from and she was still largely numb to everything going on across the galaxy. Looking away from the corpse she leveled her gaze upon the young man once more, frowning.

"I'm sure they will, if its one thing that hasn't changed about the Order its their love for punishing folks. Now since you can't have his head, is there anything else I can help you with?"