Living in a Material World [Hutt Cartel / PM Invite]

[Ria Misrani]

NAR SHADDAA​

​

Ume knew the Smuggler's Moon well enough to know where to go for a quick pick-me-up. The mirialan knew it enough to know which Hutts were trying to out-manoeuver the other. The raven-haired, emerald-skinned woman was here to get a score. Word on the streets was that Sotta the Hutt was coming back from his fancy palace out in First Imperial space and with him, jewels. Jewels for the Hutt's guild on Nal Hutta, but he'd be visiting his cantina and casino here on the Vertical City first. So she reached out to a few folks through various information drops and burner holo-calls. [member="[/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=14px][FONT='lucida sans unicode']Cadan[/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=14px][FONT='lucida sans unicode'] Tazi"], [member="[/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=14px][FONT='lucida sans unicode']Causstik[/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=14px][FONT='lucida sans unicode'] Rahn"], [member="Thraxis"] and [member="[/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=14px][FONT='lucida sans unicode']Thrukk[/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=14px][FONT='lucida sans unicode'] Gulpdar"] and the best part was? She didn't know these people from manners!

All she needed was a little help, a girl can only do so much y'know. Sotta ran his casinos pretty tight and she'd cased the joint for the past few weeks. She even scored a gig as a roaming cash girl, her job would be to dispense more cash to the willing and often high, drunk or both... customers. A dollar girl some might say in other worlds, but here it was the intergalactic credit that spoke to everyone. Now, of course, she didn't really have a plan beyond keeping Sotta busy and getting into his vault. Now that was going to be tricky, it was where he normally held court. A tough job for sure but Ume was secure enough in the intel that it would pay off for everyone involved, but mostly her. If the others died, so sad, but more cash for her. Worst case scenario she could claim to have come from another Hutt, and put together some sort of story on the spot. But she'd cross that bridge when she got there... Until then, it was show time.

 

[Causstik Rahn]

[SIZE=11pt]Causstik Rahn sat behind the bar boredly. He had been told this job would make him filthy rich, so he tagged along. But, it was not what the pirate warchief had expected. He wasn’t pillaging convoys, or hijacking yachts. No, he had got stuck playing bartender. Causstik sighed as he tried to scratch an itch behind his head that he couldn’t quite get too. The voices whispered sweet nothings in his ear as he stared out at the crowd milling about the casino. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Look at them all… Worms… Cretins… They deserve no Mercy! You should burn this place to the ground![/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Then Causstik heard another distant voice.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Hey scaley! I’m talking to you!” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]A man in front of the bar wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans was snapping a finger in front of Causstik’s face emphatically. Causstik snapped out of his trance and bit at the man’s fingers. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Careful or you’ll lose those…” Causstik growled. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“I ordered a drink pal!” The man said as he moved his hand away from the lizard's mouth.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Causstik turned round and studied the array of bottles and glasses before him. The man had ordered a whiskey? Causstik couldn’t remember. He had been too busy listening to the voices. Causstik shrugged and poured the man a drink. He turned round and slid it across the table to mister Leathris. Satisfied the man walked away and Causstik went back to crowd gazing. He watched men and women, but he was looking for someone specific.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Causstik had recently smuggled a Slicer chip past the Casino’s security system. Ironically, the chip was disguised as a poker chip. He just had to get it to it’s intended target. A green Mirialan woman whose name he was unawares of. As far as Causstik was aware the Chip was good for one use and you had to know how to use it. Or else Causstik would’ve simply done it himself. She was a serving girl so Causstik imagined she’d soon stop by the bar for more drinks. All he had to do was wait. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]He patted his persons and fear began to dawn on him. The chip was gone! Mr. Leather jacket must’ve taken it! The leather clad man had taken up at one of the sabaac tables nearby and sure enough, he was flipping the chip between his grubby fingers. Causstik cursed himself inwardly and frantically tried thinking up a plan. That’s when he spotted a drunken Duros at the bar. One he knew well. They were casing the place together and Causstik shimmied over to the blue alien. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Cadan. We got problems. I need you to go win that chip back. That snake took it while I wasn’t paying attention!” Causstik whispered to the Duros frantically.[/SIZE]

[member="Cadan Tazi"], [member="Thraxis"], [member="Umedara Zaar"]

 

[Thraxis]

The melodious tune of 'ching' and 'chang' as well as the 'ring ring ring' echoed all about him as he played the pokies the smart way. Also known, as the illegal way. A very small magnet was placed on his hand, his Metalic suit embracing his body. The guards tried to stop him, but he was an Alumni in the Cartel world, like hell they were going to stop him doing as he pleased. A small polka dot tie was the only form of formality he was dressed in as he pulled down the lever, the sparkling lights, the moving colours were electrifying as he turned to his left and right, a few older women damaged by times stampede watched as he cheated, fully aware of the scandalous activity. But did they stop him? Not when he was giving them his payout.

He watched as a guardsman walked by, his eyes eagled and watching as he cheated. He pulled a hand back, a thumb darting the magnet up his arm with a single flick the guardsman walking over with a stubborn stance. The two women slowly moved away, taking a Pokie a little distance away. "Well. Hello there officer. How may I help you today?" He inquired, his features hidden behind the visage of black as the seams of his lips curled, not much the guardsman could do if he couldn't prove him a cheater. The guardsman grabbed and yanked his arm back, almost pulling it out of his socket as he was laid down, using a lot of effort to keep from falling off his chair. "Oh, yeah you know whatever. Just pull me from my chair not like I was doing anything." He sniffed as the guardsman looked up his arm, peeling off the magnet with his eagle eyes. "Now how did that get there?" His words lacked any refinement, any hint of fear or taking him seriously.

"Come with me. You're gonna see the big boss man." The man grumbled, pulling him by the arm as he fell off his chair finally, gravity taking its toll as he pulled himself up, tugged and pulled along Thraxis gave a passing thumbs up, hoping one of the lot that came in with him would catch on that this was the best thing he could cause a distraction. When he thought about it a bit more, he probably should have informed them of his plan rather than just going through with improv. "And trust me. When he finds out what you have been doing, your gonna be in for a world of hurt." He tugged the arm again, Thraxis lackadaisical gallop not enough to keep pace with the storming brute.

He was pressed against a wall, his arms spread wide as the man looked through his armour, in plain view, he was being taken hostage of sorts, "Well, aren't we just all shades of touchy feely. Tell me, is this how you treat your boyfriend?" Thraxis laughed, the man pressing an arm against the back of his head, pressing his mask against the wall that little bit more as he ignored the comment, rolling his eyes as another Guardsman came over, pressing an arm against the wall to make sure he didn't struggle and break free from the hold. "Oh, look at that your boyfriend is here. What a lovley reunion." He continued, his dry wit aggravating the newer guardsman as he reeled his head back and cracked it into the wall, unamused by his antics. "Okay okay. Your not Boyfriends." He paused for a bite before they finally finished their search, teh new guardsman now simply walking behind as they put his hands in cuffs. "Your just Butt Buddies. Nothing wrong with that." He antagonized that bit more before being put in front of the entrance to the Hutt. He hoped this distraction of his worked as planned.
[member="Causstik Rahn"] | [member="Umedara Zaar"]

 

[Jaya Tandris]

"Exactly! The potential payday is nothing to scoff at, think of all the expansions for the Eye we can get. Blend in, watch some people's backs, break out the big guns in case things go horribly wrong, and go home with credits in our pockets." Nobody but the woman Jaya was talking to was around to hear her talk. The duo just entered the hotel room they had booked after they arrived on Nar Shaddaa. The sight was curious to the say least, one had less-than-conventional purple highlights, red contacts and two giant mechanical gauntlets resting on a frame on her back, the other's hair completely dyed a bright blue and her build a lot more scrawny than the other. Within the Eye of the Street they were the two biggest names. Both were co-founders, with Jaya being the leader and Zoey, the name of the blue-haired one, acting as her right hand and extra set of brains were it needed. While Jaya was by no means unintelligent, the other members of their street crew back on Tamanen often referred to the two as Brains and Brawn, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who was who. Jaya just had street smarts, Zoey had book smarts on top of it. As the black-haired woman took the frame off of her back and set it down against the wall, the other woman spoke. "I'm not carrying those things to you if poodoo hits the fan though, you know I can't carry them further than a meter or two." The blue-haired girl had come along to be her friend's backup, making sure nothing would happen to Jaya's prized possessions while she wasn't able to carry them around. "Don't worry, I'll come pick them up myself if that happens. I asked for a ground floor room for a reason, all I need to do is run into the building next to the casino, grab my babies, and go back. Just make sure nobody gets their filthy hands on them, okay?" Zoey chuckled and nodded, pulling out a datapad before plopping down onto the bed and toying around with it. It was nearly time, and with a wave the boxer made her exit from the hotel room.

As the woman entered the casino she looked around to see where the other people she was going to be working with were. A mirialan working as a cash girl was the first to be noticed by her and she gave her the slightest of nods, one that was only noticed if one paid full attention to her. She walked past and moved over to the bar where she saw a Trandoshan talking to a Duros. Realizing they were also involved she went to sit down near them. She then noticed the one acting as bartender was acting a bit frantic. "Is there something wrong?" she said in an inquisitive tone, wondering what the reason for the slight panic on his face was.

Whether he answered or not, she turned her head at the sound of unrest, noticing a Zeltron being pulled of his chair by security. She kept her ear open to the bar to listen however as she was intrigued by the little scene that was unfolding. It seemed whatever the pink-skinned man was saying aggravated the guardsmen, causing Jaya to put a broad smile on her face making it clear she was entertained by what was unfolding.

[member="Umedara Zaar"] | [member="Causstik Rahn"] | [member="Thraxis"] | [member="Cadan Tazi"]

 

[Ria Misrani]

Umedara got eyes on a few of her contacts, a Zeltron man, a Trandoshan and a Duros add in what looks to be a human or two, maybe - then this was her team. Fortunately the cash girl was able to float around a bit, the drawback was that leaving her section could pose a risk to the ruse. "Hey Goldie, wanna trade sections." She asked, and the Cyborg-Cathar woman looked her up and down. "Listen we can get to the cash swap, change the aprons. I've got a few friends I wanna see tonight, and hey I'll owe you big."

She emphasized the last word and the Cathar begrudgingly agreed. The two headed for the cashier where they began the apron swap. The mirialan looked over her shoulder and watched the bar, and tables. Security was definitely going to give the Zeltron a hard time, she only hoped he was up to the task. Sotta had eyes and ears everywhere and it was safe to assume that this place was bugged, bugged to the point it made any Imperial security look tame.

The Hutta was paranoid and with good reason, the Cartel was more at each other's throats these days than going against anyone else. So much so there wasn't much of a Cartel to even speak of what with all the in fighting. Which worked well for criminals looking for a score, like Ume. "Thanks Goldie," she said to the Cathar as she secured her apron and headed for the bar, making a bee-line straight for the bartender in question.

Meanwhile far below the Casino...

Sotta looked at his court and threw his smoke machine onto the floor. "I leave for few months and come back to this? What is this?" He demanded to know, the slug was furious. His court had become a Gamorran stye in his absence. Clearly his majordomo could not be trusted to handle even the simplests of tasks. He called for the Devaronian and the Cyborg, Tixi and Gatonk. Both were brought before him, each one with a different set of skills.

Gatonk was a crass brute who didn't care about much these days, he was the main enforcer. Tixi was the Devaronian sniper who did her job well, maybe too well. "Kill him." Sotta ordered and as the majordomo pleaded for his life the two mercenaries got rid of him.

"Who else will defile my court? Who else is so incompetent that they are not fit to live?" The hutta demanded as he looked across the court. Most were silent, even terrified as the slug sought to clear out, those who were unfit to be there before him. How dare they make a mockery of his court, he had worked so hard here and when he leaves to oversee his trades in First Order space he trusted his people to care for the source of his income. Clearly he was wrong, and as he looked around he noticed someone. A Rattataki male who had once served the majordomo. "You, do you value your life and the work of your master?"

The Rattataki looked at the corpse of the former majordomo and then over at the slug. Back to the corpse and then back to the slug, "first of all that ain't my master, ain't no one my master, second of all I do value my life but I also value my dignity."

Sotta laughed but no one could tell the emotion behind it. "Can you do better than he?"

"Do better than a deadman? Sure, but if you want me to-"

Gatonk's barrel was suddenly placed square against the Rattataki's head. The white and black patterned man elbowed the Cyborg, pivoted to knock the blaster out of his hand. "I believe I was waitin' for the Hutt to ask me a question, sir."

The hutt laughed again this time louder, "I like you, for now you are temporary majordomo. If I like you, you become majordomo if I don't then you die."

"Fine, names Krochax and please if you're gonna kill me, find someone better than this hunk of junk." Krochax said matter-of-factly as he tugged at his jacket and dusted his threads. His heavy boots walked across the duracrete floor, he picked up the former majordomo's tablet. "Says 'ere you gotta meetin' with some Metus fella."

The slug said nothing else and proceeded order his subjects to carry him out to his conference room.

Back up on the Casino, the raven-haired beauty approached the bar, "anyone got any cash they'd like to trade for chips?" She held a casual tone but was definitely eyeing the bartender in the hopes he'd have the chip she was looking for. If not then she was wrong and she'd have to wait for him.

[member="Jaya Tandris"] | [member="Thraxis"] |[member="Causstik Rahn"] | [member="Cadan Tazi"] | [member="Darth Metus"]​

 

[Malok]

Metus had a soft spot for criminals.

The author of this particular fondness was one [member="Miss Blonde"]. For years, she had been his shadow in the Underworld: a demon whose inferno was always burning in support of his Ambition. Their friendship was one that opened Metus' eyes to the merit of the criminal world; which was a far cry from his previous opinion. In fact, a vastly younger Darth Metus had conquered a bloody circle about the Black Sun Syndicate, effectively halting their enterprises. They could not trade, smuggle, or move...and that memory alone still brought a chuckle to the Sith's face.

Now, many many years later, Metus had seen fit to reach out to the criminal elements. He had been given a second chance at life...a second chance at Power...and he would be the last to squander it. Therefore, a meeting had been setup between the Sith and one of the more competent Hutts. And today, Metus would play the part of salesman. He had...a rather tasty product in mind. A concept. Something that could easily be made reality.

But first, he had to wait for the Hutt to arrive. Thus he sat in the conference room, eyed by armed thugs quite thoroughly. It was as if they had never seen a Mandalorian before. Or maybe...their attention was because they had seen a Mandalorian before. Either way, Metus sat, hands flat on the table, until the sound of footsteps reached his ears. He rose and folded his hands behind his back at once, lowering his head in greeting.

[member="Umedara Zaar"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

Somewhere very far far away on a private beach on a equally private island, inside of a rather expensive mansion built on said private island. A blonde woman with a newborn baby under her right arm and a rather large glass of wine in the left watched a Lifetime Original Movie. Was it the best of films in the world? No, but the better question was this. Did she have to deal with the eternal rat race that was the criminal underworld and keeping other enterprises in check through fear and sheer force of will? That answer was a big fat and wonderful no.

All she needed to worry about today was feeding the kids, getting hammered on white wine, and wondering if Santino was going to make an honest woman out of Jessica before his evil twin brother made a move. That sly yet charming devil Edwardo...

However all was interrupted by a call to her comm link. Setting the glass down she grabbed the link and placed it up to her ear.

"What part of I'm seriously retired do you not get? $&@#ing send them an edible arrangement then!" There was a slight pause.

"Yeah I know nobody likes them! That's the point! You get them and then like an hour later you have to throw them away! It's the world's most colorful @&#% you! Right?! Anyways I'm retired so it's gonna sound like I'm hanging up but..." With an abrupt hanging up of her comm link the woman continued to watch and be captivated by that sly devil Edwardo.

Ooc: This is just a little one shot post. I won't be joining you all for your thread. Good luck!

[member="Umedara Zaar"] [member="Causstik Rahn"] [member="Thraxis"] [member="Jaya Tandris"] [member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Ria Misrani]

Crissov. Tixi thought a moment as she looked at his body, Crissov tried to be more than he was. Ambition, that's what killed him she determined as she watched some of the men pull the twi'lek's body out of the court bar. Her eyes went to Gatonk, "be sure the boss's plans are still good. Don't need him worrying about his precious pleasure port." She said, thinking on Sotta's plans for a new station. He wanted it somewher near Riileb as a halfway point between here and Makeb.

Korchax focused on getting things in order but his sights fell on the Devaronian. Checking his leather coat a moment, the Rattataki approached her quietly. "Place is a mess, how in the feth does this guy manage anything?"

"He doesn't - that's your job now." She put it bluntly, "the Hutt Cartel's been in a disarray for years. Always fighting, in-fighting look around. There ain't much of a cartel left after it's all been said and done."

He placed his hands on his hips, "sounds like we need to make a comeback."

"Tixi," a small, thin twi'lek man called, "ready for your rounds?"

"Yeah. I'll be back Korchax, if you need anything let me know."

All the while, Sotta made his way to the conference where where [member="Darth Metus"] awaited him. The Sith had a proposition, one that was interesting enough for the slug to set aside his general dislike for force users. Said something about a product he might like and all the hutta wanted to do was hear him out. If the product was good enough he could use his sway with the jeweler's guild to help peddle the product, depending on what it was. The armed guards that sat in the room with the dark lord moved to make way for Sotta.

The three centuries old creature slithered his way in slowly but surely and looked at the man a moment. Studied him, he took a breath and then bellowed, "welcome, welcome please let us begin our discussions."

​

​

[member="Jaya Tandris"] | [member="Thraxis"] |[member="Causstik Rahn"] | [member="Cadan Tazi"] ​

 

[Jaya Tandris]

After it became clear that the two were too busy with their own business, Jaya got up and stretched for a moment before walking away. It seemed she would have some time to kill before the plan was set in motion, and so she decided to relax and enjoy a game or two. For that, she needed some cash. Might as well introduce myself to one of my partners, I suppose, she thought as she caught another glimpse of [member="Umedara Zaar"] and went to do the two things that were on her mind.

She moved in a fairly direct way towards the Mirialan, giving her a knowing smile as she approached. "I could use some cash. Or is there anything interesting happening soon that I need to keep my eyes peeled on instead of a game?" The question was vague enough to not raise any direct suspicion, but Cupcake was certain Umedara exactly knew what she meant with it. She was itching to get the real game underway. As much as she liked the place, it wasn't anything like the place she frequented Tamanen. Her Tamanen. A spot at the bar was always reserved for her as one of the main regulars, the seat next to it kept free for Zoey. It was where the brainchild of the two, the Eye of the Street, was born. Every scratch on that part of the bar was engraved into her mind. Once we're done, I'm going there as soon as I get off the transport back.

[member="Thraxis"] | [member="Causstik Rahn"] | [member="Cadan Tazi"]