Ak'lya
That one kid
Nal Hutta. Home of the fattest, and possibly ugliest, species on the planet. And with Hutts, came the criminals, the shady, the poor in morals. Perfect place for this kind of job. Strask was here on a rumor, of a powerful contact who wanted some old tome of evil power. The Taurannik Codex, so they called it. Whatever it was, he would find it. He was looking for some way to guard from space wizards, and this seemed a good place to start. And where better to start than the information broker? The Quarren working inside had been on the run in Espa, and Strask got him away. Tanees owed him a favor.
Walking in street attire, that which he hadn't lost the feel for yet, he looked the part of the street urchin. Stepping into the seedy cantina, he approached the bar. "I'm looking for some reason. You got any?" The barkeeper nodded, and he was escorted off by a Twi'lek bouncer. "Reason" was the code name the two had set up. Anytime Strask needed information, he called here. He had been given five free calls. He had used none. And if need be, he would use all of them for this.
As the bouncer led him to a back room, he heard a patron complain. "Why does he get special treatment?" The bartender turned and asked, "You looking for reason? Cause that's why he's going back." That drew laughs, and even Strask had to smile. That sure was one good owner. Even though he housed the kind of men the Bothan now went to see.
Tanees operated from a dark, smoky room in the far back. When they knocked, the Quarren seemed to house for a weapon. "Who is it?" He asked, as the nervous scuttling ceased. "A bothan. He came along to see reason. A pause, and the door opened, and Strask was pulled in. "How are you? I thought you had forgotten me."
"No, just never needed to use the call. Now, I do."
"What is it? Some criminal find out about you, and you need blackmail?"
"No, I'm looking for something for a client. A Codex of old. Heard of it?"
"An old man bought a triangle-shaped holo-thing-a-ma-jig, like the Jedi have. He said it contained some old texts on it, but I don't remember where."
"Then pull it up. You owe me five pieces to this free. Beyond that, i'l pay off your debt." He knew the man. He had taken out a loan from some shark, and defaulted. And now, he hid. Strask had seen it when he had rushed to be ready for a fight, in the nervousness the Quarren's tentacles gave away, and in the speed at which this was done.
"If you're not bluffing, you can have everything I know, and keep all five favors."
"How much, and to whom?"
"60,000 to Dredge." Strask stopped and stared. The amount was nothing. It was who. Steve "Dredge" Henderson was famous for having a shorter payback time, and killing his debtors.
"The money will be transferred as soon as I'm out of here. You can pay it from there."
The Quarren calmed visibly, retrieving a datatape from his desk. "Name, address, item description, worth estimation, and entirely by appraiser. You wanted the Taurannik Codex? Here's a segment. Saved on an encoded format." The smile on his face now fixed, he transferred money from an alternative account into Tanees' bank. The Quarren was set. And Strask had his lead.
Walking in street attire, that which he hadn't lost the feel for yet, he looked the part of the street urchin. Stepping into the seedy cantina, he approached the bar. "I'm looking for some reason. You got any?" The barkeeper nodded, and he was escorted off by a Twi'lek bouncer. "Reason" was the code name the two had set up. Anytime Strask needed information, he called here. He had been given five free calls. He had used none. And if need be, he would use all of them for this.
As the bouncer led him to a back room, he heard a patron complain. "Why does he get special treatment?" The bartender turned and asked, "You looking for reason? Cause that's why he's going back." That drew laughs, and even Strask had to smile. That sure was one good owner. Even though he housed the kind of men the Bothan now went to see.
Tanees operated from a dark, smoky room in the far back. When they knocked, the Quarren seemed to house for a weapon. "Who is it?" He asked, as the nervous scuttling ceased. "A bothan. He came along to see reason. A pause, and the door opened, and Strask was pulled in. "How are you? I thought you had forgotten me."
"No, just never needed to use the call. Now, I do."
"What is it? Some criminal find out about you, and you need blackmail?"
"No, I'm looking for something for a client. A Codex of old. Heard of it?"
"An old man bought a triangle-shaped holo-thing-a-ma-jig, like the Jedi have. He said it contained some old texts on it, but I don't remember where."
"Then pull it up. You owe me five pieces to this free. Beyond that, i'l pay off your debt." He knew the man. He had taken out a loan from some shark, and defaulted. And now, he hid. Strask had seen it when he had rushed to be ready for a fight, in the nervousness the Quarren's tentacles gave away, and in the speed at which this was done.
"If you're not bluffing, you can have everything I know, and keep all five favors."
"How much, and to whom?"
"60,000 to Dredge." Strask stopped and stared. The amount was nothing. It was who. Steve "Dredge" Henderson was famous for having a shorter payback time, and killing his debtors.
"The money will be transferred as soon as I'm out of here. You can pay it from there."
The Quarren calmed visibly, retrieving a datatape from his desk. "Name, address, item description, worth estimation, and entirely by appraiser. You wanted the Taurannik Codex? Here's a segment. Saved on an encoded format." The smile on his face now fixed, he transferred money from an alternative account into Tanees' bank. The Quarren was set. And Strask had his lead.
