Public Nostalgia´s Gambit

[Vashra Foss]

Vashra Foss stood at the edge of the landing platform, the engines of her ship, the Red Dagger, cooling with a low hum behind her. The familiar sights and sounds of Nar Shaddaa enveloped her like a long-forgotten cloak. Neon lights flickered in the distance, casting a garish glow over the grimy streets below, and the unmistakable scent of oil and desperation lingered in the air.

Years had passed since she last set foot on the Smuggler Moon, and yet, here she was, heart racing as if the city itself were calling her back. It was odd, really - nostalgia was a luxury she couldn't afford. Vashra had built her life on the sharp edges of survival, closing off parts of herself that could be perceived as weak. But Finon had a way of slipping through her defenses, stirring feelings she thought long buried.

"Why the hell am I feeling this?" she muttered under her breath, scuffing the toe of her boot against the metal platform. Her gray-green eyes scanned the bustling crowds below-hustlers, smugglers, and thieves alike. Every face she passed was a reminder of the life she had escaped, the shackles she had broken.

But Finon… he was different. He understood the dark humor of their shared past, the twisted games they played to survive. She couldn't remember the last time someone made her feel like she belonged-like she was more than just a blade and a name on a bounty hunter's list.

"Focus, Vashra," she breathed, shaking her head to clear the thoughts swirling in her mind. Nostalgia was a dangerous game, and she had no time for weakness. She was stronger now-crafty, ruthless, and feared. She had risen from the ashes of her childhood, clawing her way to the top of a world that had tried to crush her.

But then again, maybe that was the very reason she was here. To prove to herself that she had truly outgrown her desperate beginnings. Meeting Finon was a test-a way to show that she was no longer the scared girl running from her past. She was the predator now, a survivor who thrived in the chaos of Nar Shaddaa, forged by this crucible instead of broken. With a deep breath, Vashra adjusted her jacket and tucked a stray strand of blue-dyed hair behind her ear. She stepped off the platform and into the fray, heart pounding not just from the thrill of returning home, but from the anticipation of seeing Finon again.

In this city of lost dreams and broken promises, she steeled herself for whatever lay ahead. She would face it head-on, armed with the knowledge that she was no longer a victim of her circumstances. She was Vashra Foss, and she had stronger, harder and meaner than this place.

She got this. She was willing to trust Finon but if he ever betrayed that trust….

Then she would be as unforgiving as the jungle they had both grown up in.

Finon Nalle

 

[Hava'ssi Crow]

((sorry to interrupt with an OOC, but what time period is this, so I can know how to join?

 

[Finon Nalle]

Nostalgia's Gambit​

Finon paced his apartment anxious of Vashra's arrival. It had been a few years since he visited Nar Shadaa, or his apartment. it still reeked of must and rat feces. Finon can clean that up later. Cracker the massiff Finon had adopted just days earlier has gotten way fatter, as Finon spoiled him rotten. But the noise. The neighbors are still as loud as ever, as couples arguing babies crying, and people partying. but than Finon heard a small (Knock, Knock).

Vashra Foss

OOC: Hava'ssi Crow It takes place in 902 - 3 ABY so you can join in what ever way you want as your own story on Nar Shaddaa!

 

[Hava'ssi Crow]

✦✦✦ Hava'ssi ✦✦✦

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HAVA'SSI WAS BLEEDING, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.

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Yes, he had won, but it was not without consequence. He gripped onto his side and dragged himself out of his TIE Fighter, which he had stolen years before. He looked around to see a couple of people glance his way before continuing with their business. Now, the pain was becoming just a dull thumping on his side. What was he doing here?
Ah, yes. The pirates.
He barely remembered launching an attack on the pirate ship that was transporting slaves and containing a Yam'rri. The last moment he could grasp was putting the captives into escape pods and turning around to feel a jab in his side by a spear that pierced through his armor. He had escaped, but now he was severely injured and could barely see through the throbbing.
The moon had been nearby when he entered. He had never been here before, and he didn't want to stay. He hated to beg, but in this moment, he needed to let go of his pride.
"Doctor! I need a doctor!"
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[Vashra Foss]

Finon´s home was actually in a respectable part of the Nar Shaddaa undercities. That meant blaster fire was considered a nuisance even before it went semi-automatic and you could buy safety from the street gangs or the oxygen tax collectors – the guys who got paid for letting you breathe. Perhaps the ugly guy knocking on Finon´s door as she arrived was short of cash. With one hands clutched at his side he looked the part like he had been in bad trouble. But then Vashra did not know this species or how they looked t their best.

"Doctor! I need a doctor!"

Sounded like a male – whatever his people were called. So either he wasn´t a local or a good friend of Finon. Otherwise you just don´t knock on random doors in Nar Shaddaa asking for help.

Third option, considering the tell-tale double bulge of two blasters under the guys dirty cloak – this was the lamest attempt at break and entry she´d ever seen. Then he really wasn´t from around here. Nobody alive on Nar Shaddaa would open the door to a complete stranger with guns. If he bled to death at your door step you could always collect and sell the corpse.

But this dude was really desperate and in bad shape. He didn´t even notice Vashra´until she stood right behind him and placed the tip of her knife where his dripping body fluids created a wet stain on his clothes.

"Easy," Vashra whispered where she thought his ears would be, "Keep your hands qhere I can see them and no funy moves or you won´t need a doctor anymore. Or anything else for that matter."

Then she called aloud through the closed door, not caring how sensitive the aliens hearing might be

"FINON! IT´S VASHRA! OPEN THE DOOR! YOU GOT ANOTHER VISITOR AND HE´S LEAKING!

A few moments passed, then Finon opened blaster at the ready. A true son of Nar Shaddaa.

"If he dies, I claim his guns. I´ve seen him first."

Finon Nalle Hava'ssi Crow

 

[Finon Nalle]

Nostalgia's Gambit
​

Finon opened the door, blaster in hand. a Kaleesh male, and Vashra with a knife pointed into him. "Every time I see you, you have a knife poking into someone." Finon said jokingly. He looked down. Blood. "Alright come inside. I have a bacta stim in the cabinet, can you grab that for me Vash? As for you." Finon pointed to the Kalee man. "Get in a chair while I patch you up. So, do you wanna tell us what happened?" Its not everyday you see a Kaleesh, they very rarely left their planet, or colonies. It was especially rare to see one on a planet like Nar Shaddaa.

Vashra Foss Hava'ssi Crow

 

[Vashra Foss]

While Finon went for the medpack Vashra could watch the Ugly pass out, not completely cold yet but cold enough to take inventory of his belongings. Could as well pay for the hospitality.

A pair of blasters. Always useful.

Ratty clothes now soaked and damp from the guys body fluids. He was leaking fast and his clothes had only been good for the fire bin to begin wth.

Maybe his organs could be sold if he kicked the buckrt assuming there was demand for species.

Not much to cash in on.

A datapad, scorced slightly by the blaster bolt that had turned Ugly into a medical emergency. Some stuff coded. Would require a slicer. But some newsfeed accessible, common stuff from the Nar Shaddaa billboards.

As Vashra scrolled through the entries she froze. Human emotions kicked in, disrupting her cold efficiency.

Zobba the Hutt had placed a very public statement all over the public bounty hunter boards.

The same Zobba the Hutt who had enslaved her parents and tried to turn her into a piece of entertainment..

The slimy old slug made an offer no one could refuse.

1 million credits to whoever brings him the head of the person who robbed his private vault.

ONE MILLION creds. Enough to retire in style and never be bothered by scum again.

The emotions cooled off quickly. Vashra had one million reasons to think straight again.

ONE MILLION....

Or just half of it, for the sake of old times?

Or whatever had been in Zobba´s vault.

"Hey Finon, looks like its Life Day here, after all..."

Finon Nalle

 

[Finon Nalle]

Nostalgia's Gambit
​

Finon looked at the datapad in total disbelief as he stared at the number. 1,000,000 credits... But then he noticed Zobba the Hutts name, That slime had been the one to enslave Vashra and her parents. "So the old Hutt got what was coming to him huh?" It had been many years since Finon even thought of the name Zobba. And he really didn't miss it. "With that money maybe we can either retire, or at the very least buy a way nicer ship, in a way nicer part of the galaxy." Perhaps it was time to retire early, but Finon isn't suited for domestic life, 6 months in he would probably blow his brains out, because of boredom.

Vashra Foss

 

[Vashra Foss]

Vashra was scared. Not because of the old Hutt an of the memories his name on the holo board brought back. She was above that these days.

It was because she was willing to part with 500 grand and leave them to Finon. Whr was about him that she was willing to do that rather than stick a blade between his ribs after the job was done. She had discarded partner for much, much less without a second thought, without the faintest feeling for remorse. What was wrong with her? Had she not learned the lessons well enough. It´s number one first and always. Sentimentality was the fast track to death.

Yet she was willing to split the fattest ransom she had ever heard of - a cool million - with Finon and be good with it. Was the murderous, cold-blooded gal getting soft? No way!

But still…

What was it about this guy that she didn´t want to stab him in the back, quite literally?

She´d cross that bridge when they were there. First, they had to kill the Rancor before they could skin it.

"Zobba has been around since the Clone Wars," she mused aloud, "Must be around 1.000 years old now and near the end of his line. With that reward every bounty hunter and every old grandma on Nar Shaddaa will be searching for the culprit and they will be all over us like stink over a wet Wookie."

She looked at Finon with a dangerous gleam in her eyes, the gleam that reflected a mountain of credits and something else, an old score waiting to be settled "Where do we start, being faster than the competition? You worked as a thief. Who could pull this off with Zobba and where would the thief go to cash in?"

Finon Nalle

 

[Finon Nalle]

Nostalgia's Gambit
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Finon thought for a long moment, sitting on the question. "While I don't know who could have done it, I can tell you that depending on what was in there, they would do different things, for jewelry for example they would take the jewels out and re-cut them to make them look unique then sell them for the maximum value." Finon took a moment, still wrapping up the Kaleesh male. "Now, these Hutt's always have VERY sensitive info and that is most likely what was stolen. And given these Hutt's are usually VERY rich, the thief is going to hold on to them, and most likely hold them for ransom." Finon finally finished on the Kalee. "Does the datapad say anything about where we meet Zobba or an associate?"

Vashra Foss

 

[Hava'ssi Crow]

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Hava'ssi was thankful for their hospitality, but he was also suspicious that they might expect credits from him afterward. He listened intently to their conversation, intrigued by the mention of a hut. His breath hitched when Finon Nalle touched his wound. He wanted to take his mask off badly to breath, but he knew that he was already wanted by plenty of bounty hunters and that it was too risky. He already made a scene by banging on his door.
"I owe you a great debt," he huffed to the two of them, "but I'm afraid I don't have many credits on me right now."
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[Vashra Foss]

"No credits, huh?" Vashra didn´t bother to put her knife away just yet, rather cleaned her fingernails with it.

"Not a good way to start a conversation or make new friends."

Perhaps he could be useful. When they were going after Zobba´s prize any additional muscle and blaster would be as long as the blaster aimed in the right direction. If necessary he´ll make good cannon fodder too.

"We might have a idea how you can work off your debt but first we both really like to hear who fixed you up so nicely just in case the guys come to finish the job."

While she was listening Vashra scrolled through the datapad. Never mind it belonged to Mister Ugly. Of course Finon was right. There had to be some contact information. Vashra wondered for a moment how it would vbe to talk to Zobba and his underlings again. Like visiting the ghosts that haunted your childhood. But hopefully lucrative this time.

One million credits don't stink even if they drip with Hutt slime.

"Here´s a point of contact. An anonymous holonet address."

Hava'ssi Crow Finon Nalle

 

[Hava'ssi Crow]

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He sighed. Why did he have to come here? This lady was clearly not too fond of him, especially for his looks (as he could tell,) but he hoped he could change that. Without these two humans, he would have been dead. And he was already targeting the huts, wasn't he? He sat up and gave Finon a nod of thanks before turning towards her.

"Listen, I will work for you to repay my debt, but I will fight on my terms and my terms only. I'm not much a warrior as my deceased father was, or you are, but when it comes to it I can get the job done. The Yam'rri have enslaved not only my people, but also other species. I was decorated with this injury from a spear while capturing a slave ship. As you can see, I managed to escape. You mentioned that gaining friends meant carrying credits. But I say that showing loyalty and honor in combat with gain...friends. True friends. Yes, I will fight for you, but I will NOT submit to the morality of this moon by looking for spurious relationships."
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OCC: (I will not be active tomorrow, so I decided to go ahead and reply before going offline.)

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[Vashra Foss]

It was a faceless connection – literally. A black shape vaguely humanoid, faceless, indistiguzisable frm a shadow set against the background of dim computer lights, the voice electronically distorted.

"What havce you got?"

"Curiosity," Vashra replid flatly, "What do you now about the person who liberated Zobba´s files?"

With the electronic distortion the laughter sounded like a breaching ships hull.

"Fishing for credits? If we knew enough to tell you, the note wouldn´t e o the bounty board t begin with. We are not going to do your work. Came sightseeing on Nar Shaddaa and want to make a quick, easy credit? Not going to happen … little dancer."

There it was. Her ld monicker foreshadowing the plans Zobba had had with her until she had escaped and written a big, fat NO! across his planbs.

"Shocked, aren´t you? You should be."

Vashra took a deep breath, gathering se of her wits. The little dancer had hit the mark, deeper than she wanted to think about.

"Who are you, old acquaintance? Since this is a reunion it seems, show your face."

Another creaking laughter.

"Not really little dancer. Maybe Zobba will put out a contract on you as well. He is still upset about the way left and the trail of corpses. It is so hard to find sane personnel these days. Get the vault back and mayb he´ll forgive you. Of course keeping the data is not an option. Good hunting."

The shadow terminated the connection and left Vashra with bad memories of her past rushing back.

That was not good.

***

OOC I: Don´t take it personally Hava´ssi, Vashra is fond of very few people unless they are named Vashra or Finon

OOC II: I had a bad cold for the last two and may be slower to respond


Hava'ssi Crow Finon Nalle

 

[Vashra Foss]

Vashra looked more closely at their wounded guest. He suddenly started to look much prettier. Like a pretty good wildcard, an unknown factor when it came to Zobba and his minions. She wondered idly who the shadow with the distorted voice was. Someone from her past in obbas palace for sure, not that this narrowed don the number of suspects too much. She would find out and find a way to eliminate the shadow.

Old debts to pay and all that…

For now she need a front, a faceade to hide behind so that the knowledge of her past did not become a liability. Second, she needed a clue as to who had looted Zobba´s database.

But one thing at a time. Wildcards first.

She turned to Hava´ssi, patched-up, rugged and armed.

"We have an opportunity to make some nice credits. Alll of us. You think, you can pose as a bounty hunter?"

***

OOC: Let´s drive the plot a bit to keep Hava´ssi entertained, only in a way that Finon can easily jump in again.

Hava'ssi Crow Finon Nalle