Sunken city, sunken treasures

[Ugohr Poof]

Aquilaris, an oceanic world once famous for podracing, was known nowadays as being only a source of seafood and fish. Yet, somehow, Ugohr sensed that some long-lost treasure was out there somewhere in the deep waters of Aquilaris. An ancient lightsaber, a blaster perhaps. Or a collection of droids would be just fine for him to find. Or some long-lost wreckage of a vehicle with a famous owner, even though that item's most famous owner wasn't by any means the last one. He had to get to the heart of the matter before the dark-sided factions did. The lure of treasure was sufficient to lead him and a few foolhardy light-sided adventurers to that planet.

For this reason, he temporarly left behind his position as a command-level officer of the Rings of the Lord to embark on this journey. For some reason, the Galactic Alliance seemed not to be a faction that favored the usage of armored units in ground combat much. Dulvoyinn was mostly a spaceborne operation; the Force knows that armored vehicles have no place in boarding action. But as he prepared his equipment, such as a lightsaber, a comlink... he came to the realization that some other stakeholders may not be species that live underwater, like Gungans, Nautolans or Quarrens...

"Once wesa arrive on Aquilaris, wesa need to rent a bongo or submarine with a tractor beam; issa possible dat treasure issa too big for any una adventurer to carry on itsa own"

[member="Reen Lorgon"] [member="Devyn Lynton"] [member="Grudge the Grutt"]

 

[Devyn Lynton]

Devyn loved finding new adventures anywhere he went. It was like a thing he had going on that he would not get to live any planet with a little bit of a fun exploration which he would get to remember when he was older. Of course he kept a diary in order not to forget anything he did so that he would be able to read through it when he was old and gray and remember all the good times.

Every time he went somewhere, he wrote down a little bit of an intro in the diary -- all of his expectations and thoughts and opinions. And that's what he was doing at that moment.

"What even is Aquilaris?" he wondered. And indeed, even though he had a map of the galaxy in his ship at all times (yes, a paper map with the most important planets on its), he had never ever really looked up on it.

Guess it wasn't a really important planet, then.

He was headed towards the planet - he was not there yet - so he still had plenty of time to write down his thoughts, though. Of course he would need a suit which would let him stay underwater for a while, just in case he couldn't get to a submarine. He'd heard the leader of this group or whoever he was was going to make the exploration pleasurable for everybody.

But just to be sure, he had taken the suit with him.

 

[Ugohr Poof]

Ugohr had to remind himself that he wasn't there to eat grilled fish, and yet he knew that Aquilaris' Floating City, the capital and largest city of the planet, was home to a marina or two, and, next to the marina, a Gungan-operated restaurant where he could eat grilled fish much as he was used to on Ohma-d'un or Ringo Vinda (the latter having actual fish farms with Aquaharvesters only since the Netherworld Event, which caused him to live on that otherwise-desert planet for a while) So he headed straight to the marina, with the equipment he was carrying for such an operation. In a pinch, he could use his lightsaber as a flashlight, especially in deeper waters as they operate away from the sub or boat, whichever they rented.

In addition, since the Bongomeken Collective had a location on Aquilaris for centuries, he expected that marina to have tribubble bongos, in addition to utility trawlers, oceanic yachts, such as sailing sloops or ketches, or motorized yachts. The rental office is Gungan-built, with hydrostatic bubbles similar to those used on Ohma-d'un and Naboo, and is Gungan-operated, too. Lining the curved wall upon which were pictures of various boats for rent, all of which were uncrewed, as they were when they were delivered to the marina.

"What are yousa looken for?" the Gungan rental officer asked Ugohr.

"Mesa looken for a treasure worth muy moolah, in da briny depths of dis planet"

"Wesa no rent bongos to adventurers looken for treasure unless theysa know about wair to looky for issa"

Then Ugohr proceeds to use a mind trick on the rental officer. "Yousa will rent usen a bongo loaden with boomas for una week"

"Mesa will rent yousa a bongo loaden with boomas for una week"

The rental officer showed Ugohr a bongo that could seat five and had a ventral booma launcher fitted on it. Except that Ugohr was the only one that knew how to operate a bongo-mounted booma launcher. Since the other adventurers had not yet arrived on Aquilaris, he could go to that seafood restaurant to wait on the others, probably ordering takeout; man the trip to Aquilaris made Ugohr hungry.

[member="Devyn Lynton"] [member="Reen Lorgon"]

 

[Reen Lorgon]

Reen had taken an odd job this time. He didn't usually hunt for treasure, however today was a different day. What they were looking for was ancient, possibly from the old galaxy, and was located on an aquatic world. Being a sea born species such as he was, it would be an easy job, and he could even get a valuable artifact from it.

His ship landed on a nearby platform, which to his knowledge wasn't in use by anyone. "Gree, stay here." He said to his droid, before disembarking from his ship. He looked around at the people, most of which were Gunguns. Their speech pattern annoyed him, but they were mostly nice and friendly. He saw one that seemed to look like the man who had brought this to his attention. Moving over, he looked quickly around the restaurant.

"You happen to be Ugohr Poof?" He asked in his most business like voice.

[member="Ugohr Poof"]

 

[Ugohr Poof]

Ugohr just received the local calamari specialty dish for three from the takeout counter, which was salt-and-pepper with lemon juice sprinkled alongside some green and red peppers, as well as onions. Certainly Ugohr being Gungan, he felt most comfortable in the Gungan district, which was full of hydrostatic bubbles in shallow waters, some of which are above-water. And, of course, he knew that aquatic species wouldn't pass up a chance to eat seafood. But even if there was some non-aquatic species involved, seafood was still a delicacy well-appreciated by so many that lived on worlds that could actually produce seafood. He heard the voice of a blue-skinned Nautolan asking whether he was Ugohr

"Yes, oh yes, mesa Ugohr Poof"

The population of Aquilaris was made up of humans, as well as a combination of water-dwellers, like Nautolans, Gungans, Calamari, Quarren, each with their own districts in the Floating City, all of which have their own marinas. Among the population of Aquilaris, rumors abound about some long-lost lightsaber, whose most famous or last owner belonged to a species inhabiting the planet. Or blaster; what all these rumors have in common are that weapons with famous owners in the "prequel" era are involved in all cases. Possible names of past owners of the treasure that lies in the briny depths of the planet include Ahsoka Tano, Jar Jar Binks, Kit Fisto, Jamillia...

"Da ruins of da Old City may be oursa first place to looky for treasure"

[member="Reen Lorgon"] [member="Devyn Lynton"]

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

A padawan was going on a treasure hunt, and Nefertari had asked to come along. Personally, she wasn't in it for treasure, she was in it for the experience. She was supposed to meet the jedi from the Galactic Alliance in the Gungan district on Aquilaris. She didn't mind a bit; the hydrostatic bubbles still gave her a sense of security, even after she'd been away from Naboo for years.

She could sense a light side presence near the takeout counter.
Approaching him, she asked
"Yousa Ugohr Poof?"

[member="Ugohr Poof"], [member="Reen Lorgon"]​

 

[Ugohr Poof]

Ugohr sensed the incoming presence of a light-sided Force-user that was noticeably better trained than he is, coming for the counter and asking for whether he was Ugohr Poof, using Gungan pidgin.

"Oh, yes, mesa Ugohr Poof. Mesa sense that yousa here to take over mesa training, if temporarily, since mesa last master issa dead. Yousa want calamari?"

Ugohr refrained from talking about his role within the Galactic Alliance armies: he was, simply put, the Alliance's chief minesweeper by virtue of commanding the Alliance's only minesweeping unit. As a result they are deployed sparingly and his last mission on Malastare led to the destruction of a tank squadron. Under normal circumstances, if there is no suspicion of mines being used, they would rather deploy an ordinary armored unit, rather than the Rings of the Lord. But perhaps Ugohr was assigned to hunt for that treasure because rumors abound about not only "prequel-era" dating of the treasure, but also that the treasure is located in a mined area underwater. To the Alliance, Ugohr could sweep both land and naval mines... One has to ask why would someone place a minefield around treasure, rather than to collect the treasure outright? Whatever the reason is, it must have been some party uninterested in the treasure that did it.

"If yousa wish, yousa may rent some scuba diving equipment."

Ugohr didn't need it; as a Gungan, and many of the aquatic species that lived on Aquilaris, he could do scuba diving without the need for special equipment. But since Nefertari wasn't from one of those aquatic species dwelling on the planet that could do scuba diving without special equipment, it may be wise to rent a wetsuit alongside with some oxygen bottles because they won't always be in the bongo.

[member="Reen Lorgon"] [member="Nefertari Sovint"]

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

"I am sorry to hear about your master. I can take over your training for a time if you so desire."
She smiled at his offer of calamari, yet politely turned him down, saying She'd eaten already.
"I will return when I have prepared."

Nef went to a nearby shop and showed the keeper her rebreather
"I am looking for a few spare canisters for this, do you have any"

"Issa no problem. Sirty mula each."

"Thirty credits for each can?"
Nef utilized her mind trick
"I will buy eight, but you will sell them for fifteen."

The shopkeeper looked somewhat puzzled to be giving half off
"Okeeday. Mesa sell for fifteen."

Soon, Nefertari returned to Padawan Poof. She was wearing a rented wetsuit, her belt on her waist with her master's lightsaber hanging from it. She wouldn't try to tell the story of it's previous owner unless asked, but the hilt clearly didn't originally belong to her.

"I am ready to depart when you are. I have enough oxygen for a full twenty four hours."

​

[member="Ugohr Poof"], [member="Reen Lorgon"]​

 

[Ugohr Poof]

With the bongo outfitted with a supply of boomas, Ugohr placed the calamari platter on the bongo's central cup socket. He knew that he was responsible for the supply of boomas and that he would have to pay any boomas he ended up using out of the security deposit he paid. With all his equipment well-placed, in position, he also had a metal detector just in case. Although the bongo's ground-penetrating sonar would do just fine so long as they were inside the submarine. While the startup sequence of the submarine is being activated, he loads his waterproof R9 droid inside the submarine, thinking that he could come in handy for slicing into doors if he feels like caches of information would lead them to the treasure or if he is facing some door made of phrik, cortosis or beskar that is computer-actuated.

"Master Sovint, mesa ready, wesa can depart. Da Nautolan claims hesa can follow usen without da need for scuba diving equipment"

Nautolans being aquatic species, he can dive to about 60-70 meters deep before he gets intoxicated but, in Aquilaris' context, that was a rather shallow depth. Trawlers could cast nets up to 150 meters deep on this world, although the nets could catch rather limited hauls, perhaps a couple of tons each time; they couldn't catch that much out of a school of fish. Hopefully they won't get caught in a trawler's net... as the hydrostatic bubbles are ready, Ugohr takes the helmsman's seat in the tribubble bongo they just rented.

"May da Force be with usen"

[member="Nefertari Sovint"]