Something's Burning

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Saffron"]

She wasn't going to drop it, that much was clear at this point. Perhaps she was trying to nail him to the wall, perhaps she was just interested in her business ventures here, but either way she wasn't just gonna let it go. The fact of that was more than obvious at this point.

Fine.

If that was how she wanted it then he would get straight to it. "Nari is cruel, sadistic, and downright vicious."

That wasn't too uncommon for Hutts. Jabba, a Hutt that had once been famed for nearly ruling Tatooine had fed people to Rancors just for fun. As a species the slugs where wholly unpleasant and entirely without regard for any sort of life. They were egotistical to the core, caring only about what got them the most money. Yet most of them weren't stupid. They knew what to do and where the line was, how they could best survive in their environment.

"She's short sighted." He glanced back again, still noting her limp. "She's trying to bleed Allecto for everything it's worth."

A foolish mistake that would eventually kill the city, or cause an even worse revolt.

 

[Saffron]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

“Bled it how?” Saffron would follow, prodding Alistair with her deceptively honeyed voice to continue. It was hard to imagine Saffron otherwise; she appeared equal parts delicate as she did reinforced by quiet strength. Her dertermination to glean more information from the scoundrel was persistent; even if it came in the method of quiet inquiries.

Another since at the pain on her ankle; although it was likely nothing compared to the shot the man had taken. Small blessings that a blaster would sear a wound shut

The tunnel was tight, small, but Saffron wasn’t tall so she was able to pass a bit more comfortably. Now it was a question on how she’d get to her guards...

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Saffron"]

”How do Hutts always do it?” The question wasn't a sarcastic one and was clearly tinged with more than a little bit of bitterness.

Alistair had no fondness for the Hutts, in fact just the opposite. One might have called it downright hatred. There was good reason for it. He had a Hutt to thank for what had happened to his eye, not to mention a dozen other grievances that he had with the slugs and what they had done to some of his acquaintances over there years. There were a few good ones, but by and large Alistair figured most of them were absolute scum.

”Bullying, mercenaries, and torture.” He frowned. ”Mari has a stranglehold on this place.”

She was the big boss.

For now anyway. ”It helps that she was one of the first to get here of course, but…”

He shrugged. It wasn't like the Hutt was the only one who had put time and money into this place. Allecto had been built mostly by it's citizens, not by Nari or any other crime lord or builder. Like Mos Eisley and Mos Espa this place had sprung up because of the people. No one else.

 

[Saffron]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

One didn’t have to be an empath to tell that the scoundrel took his greviences with Nari the Hutt a bit too personally. There was history there. Of what sort it was hard to say, but there had to be more to the story. The more Saffron knew then the better she could come up with the appropriate tactic to do business with. It was all a carefully constructed game. Like Dejarik. She just had to know the pieces and their strength.

“Besides Nari, who else is involved?” Saffron would ask. She could get more information on why he had a grudge with Nari, but it would be good to know what or who else was in play.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Saffron"]

"Here?" He shrugged, looking back.

She was still hobbling, probably not a good sign if they found that the riot had spread to the rest of the city. He didn't like the idea of getting stuck with the mysterious business woman, particularly because she had a blaster on him. He wondered if he thought this was still some scam of his to work her over.

He wouldn't put it past her.

"No one that I know of." The smuggler said with a frown. "Nari probably talks to the Hutt Council."

Every Hutt did in some way shape or form. "Those bastards want their grubby little mits in everything."

The thought made his stomach turn for a second. At the very least he had a modicum of protection from most criminal lords. His debt to a much more...threatening organization kept him somewhat safe, as long as he didn't cause too much trouble. He just hoped this riot didn't breach that line.

 

[Saffron]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

The Hutt Council. That was a possibility, but Saffron hadn’t heard that Nari the Hutt was part of the Council itself. It bore some investigating, something that she could potentially get Linna to research. That didn’t explain, however, who else would be under Nari’s control.

“There must be someone else that Nari trusts then. Who is her second in command? Her lieutenants. In order to keep control of Alaco, there must be a chain of command. How else would she continue to hold such a strong hold on this city?” it might have been built on the bones of a former Imperial Star Destroyer, but that was still a large area to control.

He certainly didn’t have love for the Hutts. The more Alistair spoke, the more Saffron could glean that there was a personal vendetta there.

“I reckon you have history with Nari then?”

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Saffron"]

"I'm not a rival crime Lord, I don't know her entire outfit. She has a Lieutenant or two...dockmaster is one of em' but more than that I don't really know." Alistair sounded somewhat annoyed at the persistent questions.

Sure he knew a little bit about Nari, but it wasn't like he knew the in and outs of every operation that she controlled and maintained. He supposed that he could find out, but that would be dangerous.

"I only know what I know because I live here." Well, that was putting it one way. He had no apartment or place to live, but he liked Allecto. Mos Espa reminded him too much of his childhood and Mos Eisley was...weird. He preferred Allecto. It was still like home but different. The Hangar Fees were expensive of course, but he'd made a few friends and managed to keep them down one way or another. Though that didn't help the fuel prices. "I've had run ins with the Council."

He scowled. "Bad ones."

That was on Nar Shaddaa though, when he'd been running with Captain Sira.

A shiver ran up his spine as that memory was brought to the forefront of his mind. He still remembered what the needle had felt like going into his eye. The screams still echoed in his mind. At the time they hadn't even seemed like his own.

 

[Saffron]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

Ah, so he only knows enough to ensure the longevity of his skin.

Blonde brows gave a slight arch, only to furrow in the dull ache of her ankle again. The more she would place her weight on it, the worse it could get. There wasn't much she could do about it now. She had no pain killers and while she was Force Sensitive, her aptitude was focused to a niche skillset and that didn't include dealing with any pain.

Taking a deep breath, the woman slowly ambled along behind Alistair, her fingers still curled around her blaster. Just in case .

"Ah, I take it interactions that you wish to keep to a minimum." putting it lightly. "Then why would you incite a riot that could gain Nari's attention?" that was contradictory wasn't it?

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Saffron"]

"I told you." He reiterated. "I didn't do it to draw anyone's attention."

Alistair sounded rather annoyed. "I didn't even do it on purpose."

She had found him out, at least partly. There was no doubt in his mind she knew the truth of the situation, at least the fact that he had started the riot on purpose. He truly hadn't done it to get Nari or anyone elses attention, he'd simply wanted to get out of any trouble that he would have found himself in by snooping on a conversation he had no business listening to. Of course admitting that would get him into more trouble, and he had no doubt this woman would just shoot him.

Better to keep lying.

"I was angry about the fuel prices." He glanced back at her, watching her ankle as she almost folded over it again. "I didn't want any attention from Nari, or the other Hutts."

Time to play the sympathy card. "They took my karking eye, I don't want them taking more."

 

[Saffron]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

He was being truthful about being angry about the fuel prices. He even was honest about his dislike of Nari and the Hutts. What he wasn’t being forthcoming with was that he did indeed cause the riot on purpose. Either he didn’t want to admit it or simply wanted to hide it. Perhaps, in the end, it was done to save his own skin.

“My condolences.” Saffron replied, her voice taking on a more comforting tone. If he was thinking of playing her through emotions, he really did not have an understanding on how Companions were trained. Then again, most of the galaxy didn’t. They simply believed them to be highly paid escorts when they were anything as basic as that.

“How did it happen?”

They were coming to a crossroads in the maintenance tunnel. They could go right or left.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Saffron"]

Whether she knew it or not, she was playing into his hand now. The story of how he lost his eye was, admittedly, a rather sad one. More importantly it was the truth, and that alone would help him out immensely in this little talk.

He smiled for a brief second, then wiped the expression away. "I was running with a crew out of Nar Shaddaa."

Alistair knew he had to tell the whole truth here.

"Smugglers." He looked back at her with a frown then looked ahead again, eyeing the fork in the road before eventually choosing to go left. That direction would take them back towards the hangar bay, exactly where he had said it would at the beginning of this. "I was nineteen, new to the business. We were carrying some firegems for one of the local Crime Lords. Of course the Hutt's knew, but...we hadn't paid the tax."

A sigh escaped him. "They caught us, or rather they caught me. The others didn't come back, didn't want to give back the firegems. Hutt made a deal. I had 24 hours to get him back his gems, for every one missing from the take he would remove a part of me."

His lips thinned.

"I got them all in the timeframe except for one..." He reached up and touched his necklace. "Bastard started with my eye."

 

[Saffron]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

He was telling the truth, that much was evident.

“Started?” her tentative inquiry would follow, her hazel eyes drifting over the scoundrel’s form as if to determine what else could be missing. Under as many clothes as he had, it could very well be anything.

They’d turned left, towards the hanger bay. The entire are was unfamiliar to Saffron, but she had to trust that Alistair was concerned enough to not get another hole in his hide to take her where he said he would. Another thought came that he was still wounded from her earlier blaster shot.

Saffron was naturally compassionate; Alistair may very well play her into his hand. It didn’t mean that she would be foolish. None the less, there was a softening of her expression, when the wince of pain from her ankle wouldn’t rise.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Saffron"]

”According to his own rules he got to take one thing.” Alistair had managed to retrieve all but one of the gems, and even that he'd tracked down after the fact. Hed been in pain, one eye, and the rage he'd felt forced him to seek vengeance. The Smuggler had spent weeks tracking his old crew, finding The last man and eventually taking back what he saw as his.

The last gem now hung around his neck, a reminder not to trust anyone.

”He could've made it easy.” Alistair explained softly. ”Taken a finger...toe...kark even an ear.”

He took a deep breath. ”Instead He took my eye.”

There was an intense bitterness to how he said those words. Clear and unadulterated hatred burned through his tone. Alistair wasn't xenophobic against most species, he didn't care if you were a Rodian or Twi’lek, but Hutt? He despised Hutts with an unbridled passion.

”Laughed while they did it too.” He continued. ”Thought it was funny.”

 

[Saffron]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

So that's why you hate the Hutts. it wasn't just Nari. He had a bone to pick with all of them. That furrow of her brow would deepen. There was such a bitterness to his voice. In the way his spoke, the way he held his body, even with that blaster wound. He had plenty of venom and bile when it came to them.

"That's terrible." Saffron would murmur quietly, her voice low and soft but still audible above the hum of the air filters that ran the length of the destroyer. They still had to maintain as much of the sand out of this place.

A pause and the young blonde woman brought her hand up to the bulkhead. She needed a few moments to rest. Wincing through the ache of her ankle, she took a few breaths.

"Then what would you change here? Beyond the fuel prices. Or does that really matter to you?"

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Saffron"]

Alistair stopped, glancing back just long enough to catch that Saffron had stopped walking.

Good.

He knew that he needed to stall their walk somehow. The Smuggler was sure that the riot was still raging, and he needed Nari's mercenaries to either quell it or decide it wasn't worht their time and withdraw. Running into them now would be an utter disaster, especially if blondie was still tagging along with him. Saffron could very well turn him over and that...well it wasn't really an experience he wanted to have, not with the memory of what had happened to his eye firmly in his thoughts. "It matters."

Alistair commented as he turned to face Saffron.

"I'm not heartless." A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "I just look out for myself first."

Like everyone else on Tatooine. "I'd treat things fairly. Everyone gets the same treatment, everyone can still make a profit things just...have to be more reasonable."

It sounded logical, though of course it was hard to tell if he was being genuine or not.

 

[Saffron]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

"And what would you consider being more reasonable here?" she'd ask him. A few more seconds, the blonde told herself. Although to be honest, it was starting to throb more. None the less, she had to keep her mind sharp. On their current predicament and what to do with the city itself.

She'd come to find a way to get MaraTibx involved. To find balance. But the city had a life of it's own and it appeared that Nari the Hutt wasn't keen on letting go of her monopoly. Which mean that to encourage her to do otherwise would require some mighty persuading.

The sort Saffron wasn't sure how to begin in the first place. She needed more information. For now, Alistair was the only one who was giving it to her.

Besides the fact that they were trying to save their skins.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Saffron"]

He leaned on the doorway, putting his weight against the metallic hull and relaxing slightly. From the way she was standing it was obvious that she didn't really want to go anywhere, the pain in her ankle likely getting worse the longer they moved around. "Why don't you sit down."

Alistair offered.

"I'll tell you the rest of what I know." It was more than obvious that Saffron was trying to dig up as much information as she could about the operation of Allecto. For what purpose he didn't really have any idea, but he saw an opportunity to stall here. He doubted Arceneau Trade would be any worse than Nari, hell...he doubted that the Sith would be any worse than that karking slug. He reached up and ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh. "Allecto is like any city on Tatooine."

He started. "Taming it...just isn't possible. We're a free people, always have been."

The Smuggler wasn't entirely sure if Saffron was actually from here, but she worked for Arceneau and that meant she had to know at least a little bit.

"But..." He shrugged slightly. "We're not all criminals, we can be reasonable. Be fair to us and we'll be fair to you."

 

[Saffron]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

"I am fine." Saffron would insist, intending to straighten. She still also had that blaster in her hand. It might be pointing down to the ground but it was still there.

Alistair was very likely to not forget about it.

"And what would be reasonable?" there were many ways to go about it, but it just depended on scoping out the place. Meeting people. Finding out what people truly wanted.

From there it would be a bit easier to find the proper path. Whether to wine and dine, propose financial gain, an attempt via manipulation, or buy out. Oh this would all go behind the scenes; Arceneau Trade and its subsidiaries had to maintain that perception of neutrality. But they had some weight and reputation they could use to their favor as well.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Saffron"]

Alistair's eyes flicked to the blaster for a few seconds, lips thinning.

He honestly thought that the weapon was a bit overboard at this point. He clearly didn't mean her any harm, and with how her ankle was hurting he could...no, that was a stupid idea. Taking the weapon and running off wouldn't do much for him, especially if she wielded as much power as he thought that she might. Better to make the safe play, better to keep on talking. "Not gouging everyone on fuel prices would be a good start."

A shrug rolled over the smugglers shoulders.

"Maybe offering credits for frequent visitors." That wasn't done in Mos Eisley or Mos Espa, but it was always something that he'd thought should happen. "Tatooine doesn't see a lot of trade, usually smugglers, whatever Arceneau brings in, not much else but..."

He trailed off for a second, thinking. "Allecto is new, and it can grow fast if given the opportunity."

New things always did.

 

[Saffron]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

At the mention that Arceneau didn't bring in much trade to Tatooine, Saffron gave the scoundrel an expression of disbelief. Arceneau Trade with the Southern Systems Business Bazaar single handedly brought the bulk of trade to Tatooine. It not only contained the main headquarters of the Trade Company but also had been the site of the Southern Systems Bazaar Expo and Auctions for the last twenty years.

Had he been living in this wreck all this time?

Attempting to keep her bearing, she followed up with, "The Southern Systems Business Bazaar brings trade to Tatooine every year." granted, cities like Allecto with being so new wouldn't see the benefit.

Not until it lived through it's first bazaar. One that was coming up in the next few weeks rather quickly.