In with the Old, In with the New [Stargo & Gorda]

[Darth Vulcanus]

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The old halls took a deep breath - dust and cobwebs ripped from the stone as the storm forced its way through the blast doors as they parted. Waddles braced himself against the wall as he entered, his withered legs shaking uncontrollably. A pair of Rodians ducked inside next, blaster pistols tucked close to their bodies and clenching the hoods of their coats. The pair stepped over the exhausted Toydarian and quickly swept the area, giving each shadow a hurried scan with the barrel of their blasters.

Satisfied enough, one of the Rodians turned back ou the doors and waved his hand frantically for whoever was waiting outside. No sooner had the Rodian stepped aside then did Gorda the Hutt squeeze his bulbous body through the doors and quickly slide inside, two more Rodians entering quick on his tail.

When all three had cleared the doorway, the last two Rodians braced themselves against either side of the splitting blastdoor. The rain slowly dissipated as the two strained to push the grinding slabs of metal back together, each heaving against the weight until the lock clanked and the storm became but a muffled howl.

Gorda took a series a gurgling, sloppy breathes, shaking off the water as he adjusted the layers of oversized Bantha-leather jackets hanging over his slug-like body. One of the Rodians marched to Gorda's side and exchanged glances with his Hutt client.

"Should we continue ahead, just in case someone is waiting for you?" the Rodian suggested, blaster still held at a close ready in the direction of the inner ruins,

"Yes...go. If you find anyone alive, bring them to me alive. I wish to meet anyone stupid enough to steal from the Desilijic" Gorda ordered between heaves, unbuttoning his coats to reveal a bare chest as the Rodian called for the rest of his men and they slowly moved further into the heart of the old ruins.

After the Rodians had disappeared into the oily darkness, Waddles finally managed himself to a stand and then into a stable flight. "Master, the storm is getting worse. What if they don't come, we should-

A hard glare from the corner of Gorda's eye turned Waddles into a receeding child. "Then we will stay and begin reclaiming what my Kajidic has lost." turning back into the halls, Gorda took a moment to let the history wash over him. "There is much here to collect and preserve before the renovations begin - even if Jaeel does manage to screw up a simple job like this."

One of Gorda's more recent associates had taken it upon himself to earn his position by recruiting what he had called, "An old family member" he just revived contact with. Supposedly the human was waiting at the spaceport for the mark to arrive and he was to bring her immediately here - to the Ancient Palace of the Desilijic for what Jaeel had promised would be a lucrative deal.

Leaving Waddles behind to greet the pair when they arrived, Gorda continued deeper into the palace - disappearing deep into the shadows.

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

Long ago the name Stargo had meant something, synonymous with intellect and a cutthroat business model that was prized above all else. Beneath the surface things were more sinister, but none other than a select few ever learned the dark truth. The secrets died with the founder, or so the galaxy liked to think. There were a select few that remembered, and the bastard daughter of Zev was one of them. For all of the attempts made by Jaeel to shield her from that ever-expanding darkness and bloodshed, she had eventually found her way into the worst of it, arising changed. Tattoos covered once bare flesh, and there was a look to her pale eyes that hadn't been quite as present before, and it was one any who once knew her father would recognize.

The man she'd come here to meet was one of those that she knew wouldn't exactly appreciate the way she'd changed. Jaeel had been the one to raise her, serving as a paternal figure in every capacity he could manage but still coming up short in critical areas he wasn't capable of filling. But Xavierah loved him all the same, which was one of the reasons she hadn't refused when he insisted they meet on Nal Hutta. The other was for the sake of the syndicate she now led, dubbed Eclipse and currently contained to solely Corellia for the time being, that planet being the only place she could find those still loyal to her name.

Two figures shadowed her as she emerged from her ship, blasters disguised beneath their jackets. A hood was raised over her own head to shield her from the rain beating down, and she carried a pistol herself, pressed against the small of her back. If her father had imparted any lessons upon her, it was that there was wisdom in remaining unattached in most instances.

This was one of those in which she made an exception, made evident by the genuine smile that spread across her face when he came into sight. Certainly the years had changed them both, for better and worse, but he was still the same man she remembered. Her pace remained steady as the gap closed between them, and she pulled him into a tight hug just as soon as she was able, clinging tightly to him for those first few seconds. For just a moment she morphed back into that little girl she'd once been, allowing herself to settle into the embrace. Just as quickly that moment of recompense was gone, and she pulled back, speaking softly yet firmly, "I missed you."

[member="Gorda the Hutt"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

"It's good to see you too, kid" the years had not been good to the Nabooian, but the strength of his hugs hadn't weakened by a day. He squeezed back in the embrace, his long trenchcoat shielding her from the torrential downpour drowning-out the landing ports. "It's too cold to be standing out here, Xav, let's get you inside before the current picks up."

The Nabooian smiled at his own joke, easing out of the embrace and unzipping his own coat to offer to her a covering from the storm. As the two turned he motioned for a Nikto to open the back passenger door of an elongated airspeeder. The door slid open as they approached, unveiling a neon-lit safe haven from the rain. Waiting for her to sep inside the air limousine, he would cover the entrance with the flap of his own jacket.

When he finally managed to climb inside behind her, he sank deep into the cloud-like cushion of the seat nearest the door as it closed. The limo was encased in complete darkness, the windows tinted so far as to completely choke out the light. One could only see by the guide of fluorescent strips lined into the fabric of the interior. The strips glowed with an array of neon colors that bathed the spacious limo in blues and hues of reds and oranges more fit for a nightclub than a vehicle.

Waiting a moment for the speeder to jerk into motion, Jaeel rushed across the aisle separating the two sofa-like seating sections and gently retook a seat - a hand reaching for a fizzy beverage he'd taken down to half before arriving to meet Xaveriah.

"We have some drinks if you need one, water, fizz...alchol since your old enough now."

[member="Xavierah Stargo"]

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

A wave of her hand declined his offer, and she spent the next few seconds studying her new surroundings. She'd ridden in speeders like this to and from her daily private schooling, sans the neon lighting. Most may have called it overkill, but the tinted windows had been a necessity. Her name had been favored just as often as it was looked down upon. Bastard child or not, she was still Stargo's daughter, and throughout her childhood that had meant something.

Things changed quickly.

"The apartment's quieter without you there. It feels bigger." It was no secret that Xavierah had remained on her homeworld, but exactly where most didn't know. Even early on she was taking steps to secure her own safety, modeling herself after the same standard her father had held himself too. On the streets she remained anonymous save her surname that drew attention even after how much time had passed. She'd taken careful time to consolidate allies and power, though presently it wasn't anything too impressive. She was perfectly aware of that. The less others knew, the better.

"There are people still loyal to him, even after how long it's been." Her gaze settled on him, finally, "I was surprised you weren't one of them. Nal Hutta is far from Corellia." She didn't hold it against him; at least, not in the way a criminal would. Though she wouldn't go so far as to admit it aloud, it stung when she'd learned he was elsewhere, across the galaxy. He was the only individual she felt she could actually trust, and without him, what then? His was the only sort of fatherly love she'd ever known, making it hard for her to truly hate him for it. On the contrary, she cared about him deeply, loved him in the way she never had her biological family.

A brief moment of silence passed before she next spoke, nothing about her wavering, "I understand loyalty, but it would be nice to have you around again. There's no one else to trust."

[member="Gorda the Hutt"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

Jaeel was quiet as she spoke, he was always sure not to interrupt her like her father would constantly. An ache of pain shot through his chest at her words, at the thought of how long it'd been since they'd spoken and how he had been forced to leave her behind. He couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for her all these years, having to learn to get by on her own. He'd done his best to check-up on her but, his contacts were not as good as they once were.

Not yet, anyway.

"I'm sure it is, it's a big apartment for just you. Figured you'd have gotten yourself some scantily clothed hottie by now" Jaeel half-joked, but sad eyes soon turned to watch the faded waterdrops beat the window on the other side of the shaded window, "And I wish I could have stayed, kid. It wasn't as easy as just being loyal to your dad...after he died fighting for the CIS...the Syndicate started having second thoughts about the Stargo name."

Zev Stargo had taken the South Systems Syndicate from the hands of a lowly Gendai and turned it into a galaxy-spanning criminal organization. Jaeel had been his second-hand man through it all, even when he started getting his legitimate company closer with the CIS. Something changed in Zev during that time, he got closer to people than Jaeel had ever imagined he could have. Especially that Genisis character he hung about with so often...Jaeel always suspected that perhaps Josiah Denko had something to do with the sudden turning...

"It wasn't an easy choice. But people who'd been in the syndicate before your dad took over decided they didn't like Stargo much anymore. They knew about me, who I was. I was marked...but your dad never talked about you. I knew you'd be safe if I left and so I did."

Turning slowly away from the storm, he took a good look at the little girl who'd grown into a woman somewhere along the sands of time. "Now I have a debt to pay to Gorda for saving my skin. If I run off with you, it defeats the purpose of leaving in the first place."

He said no more, he just waited for her answer as the airspeeder arched over a ridge and approached the ancient Hall of the Hutt Lords.

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

"People are going to know sooner than later." It was a quiet half-confession to what she'd been up to, but Xavierah assumed he'd already had an idea before this. She wasn't so naive as to assume he hadn't been watching over her in one way or another, as that had been his way since childhood. "My name isn't dead yet. People still remember. And nobody's tried to kill me for it yet." She was smart enough to prepare for the worst before it ever happened, perfectly aware that there would no doubt be more than a few that didn't take kindly to her reviving such an old name with so complex a history.

For just a moment silence stretched between them. "I guess I should be thankful he didn't care about me then, since it kept me alive." It was something she'd become numb to far more quickly than anyone ought to have. "Eclipse is going to be more than it was under him. I learned from watching, even when I wasn't supposed to." When you grew up not hearing anything of your family you learned to listen, and she'd become incredibly skilled in finding things she wasn't supposed to. Through the years she'd pieced together a fractured picture of who her father used to be, and she couldn't decide yet if she liked him better as an unknown face.

"Did he know Zev? Your new boss, I mean." The topic changed quickly, and she carefully avoided using the word she felt the never-present man had no claim to. If anything, Jaeel was more deserving, though she'd never really touched on the subject with him before. It was something they both carefully avoided, and with age it seemed that hadn't changed any.

[member="Gorda the Hutt"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

Eclipse. An interesting name for a syndicate, he wondered where she got it from. He wanted to ask what possessed her to use that name, but he thought better of it - he didn't know as much about her time after the South Systems as he wanted to and he didn't want to dredge up more pain than already had been. He was glad when she changed the topic, it lifted a weight from his shoulders and let him breathe a little easier.

"Knew of him. Gorda wasn't important enough when the Syndicate was at its height to really meet Zev." he paused and considered how much he should say, "Gorda came to power after the domino effect from the fall of the Ravens hit. Underworld was in a mess and he took what he could."

The speeder suddenly dove sharply downward, pulling to a hard stop before a gargantuan stone palace rising from beneath the churning swamp of Nal Hutta. The driver exited into the rain, which had only begun pouring harder, and opened the back driver-side door. Jaeel moved to step out but stopped short of exiting into the buzzsaw of rain, turning back to Xaveriah.

He put a hand on hers and leaned in, his voice dropping low - serious. "He might be a Hutt, but he is smart...be careful."

Then he stepped carefully into the torrent and offered his coat against the rain.

[member="Xavierah Stargo"]

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

Knowledge was something Xavierah devoted her time to, if just because she understood the importance of knowing what preceded in order to understand better what would work following. The Red Ravens were a name she'd heard much about when she was younger, and she knew of their rise and inevitable fall, and what they'd accomplished through their history. It was they who eradicated the Black Suns, and so it was no wonder the power vacuum left in their wake was unimaginable. That Gorda had managed to seize power so easily was unsurprising, but that he maintained and grew it was another thing altogether. Turmoil was a constant in the underworld, but he remained in control.

Even someone like her father had been able to respect power.

His warning was acknowledged with a nod, and she raised her hood once more before stepping out into the storm, grateful for the added protection his jacket offered. Her guards followed but were halted soon after at the palace entrance, and she raised a hand in a bid for them to stand down. "I'll be fine. You can wait out here. I can take care of myself." Something that wasn't entirely true, else she wouldn't have need of their presence, but oftentimes a blaster alone was enough deterrence without the trigger having to be pulled. That, and she trusted Jaeel. He might have split loyalties, but he was the only true confidant she had, even now.

With him beside her she entered the palace, head never turning but constantly observant of her surroundings nonetheless, walking as if she had nothing to fear but perfectly aware of her position and where she stood. Before they arrived at their destination she looked over to Jaeel, speaking quietly, "I inherited more than his looks. I'll be okay."

[member="Gorda the Hutt"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

Jaeel didn't stop and turn to hold her like his every muscle told him to. To tell her that she didn't need to be like Zev, that she had nothing to prove. He knew her and he knew that all it'd do in the end was piss her off more...he didn't want that and he didn't need her angry right now.

"Just do me a favor and try to be cordial kid, don't need him spitting slime all over me again" Jaeel joked, sort-of, before leading her through the open gates of the ancient hutt palace. The stench of musk and age-old slime hit him hard - but he'd learned to mask his disgust at Hutt biology well enough under Gorda. "Right this way, try not to gag - alright?"

through the dark halls they continued, passing by dozens of Rodians who were hard at work looking busy. When they finally reached the chambers in the back of the temple, Gorda had already made himself at home at the peak of the Council of Ancients podium. He lay in a throne marked with the Desijilic Clan's emblem - his appraiser's eyes twisting to a closer zoom on the woman.

"Ho-Ho-Ho" his deep, booming laugh shook the shadows, "Welcome, lady Stargo."