The Only Good Hutt...

[Dravis Rosilla]

Bilbousa, Nal Hutta

If asked what a Hutt was, most men and women would say they were greedy scumbags with no regard for others. A smaller number would call them greedy scumbags with deep pockets. The Hutts themselves would say they were the best species in the galaxy. Tyyni didn't know what to think.

The small Hutt Padawan sat under an awning at a local cantina, body curled around his frame. Something about the planet appealed to him. Perhaps it was the moisture; while some might deem humid felt good on his slimy skin. Or the scent, which reminded one of rotting foliage. Or perhaps it was the fact that he had the chance to come to the homeworld of the Hutts, his people.

Padawan Oluja had gotten plenty of time to study all aspects of the galaxy, but he had spent a healthy amount of that study time going over the Hutts. He knew that Nal Hutta wasn't their original home, but was adopted by them after their original planet, Varl, was destroyed. Now, Hutta was known for it's criminal organizations, and dark deals, which is why Tyyni found himself there today.

The Silver Sanctum had gotten a tip that a major weapons deal was going down between the One Sith, and a local Hutt. They were given the location of the district it would go down in, and not much else. Naturally, they had to find someone that could blend in with the scum, which brought their attention to the Hutt Padawan. The Sanctum had also assigned a more experienced Padawan to the mission, [member="Sorel Crieff"]. Tyyni remembered her well, she was his first duel. Before then, Tyyni found battle distasteful, but afterwards, he could understand why one could like it so much. It was rather thrilling.

They were supposed to meet up outside of Ghallo's Stump, and Tyyni let his green, cat-like eyes survey the area. No sign of his partner yet, but he could wait.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Nal Hutta was also known simply as Hutta, and was the capital of what was Hutt Space. Located in the Y'Toub system — it was where she was due to meet a fellow Padawan. It was to be a relatively routine mission and her partner was to be someone who fitted in so much better in the locale.

As she came into land, she gazed out on a despoiled landscape of fetid swamps, mould-covered stunted trees, and parcels of wan vermin-riddled marsh grass. If you threw in the industrial pollutants and flocks of ungainly birds,it was not somewhere Sorel would choose to visit. As she approached the spaceport, showers of grimy rain beat against her viewport, only barely masking the stilted, destitute precincts surrounding the area that reeked of impoverishment and decay.

“How anyone could call this the ‘Glorious Jewel’ is beyond me.”

She landed and made her quickly off her ship, looking to minimise her time here. Bilbousa spaceport was crowded with every kind of sentient species and droid model that she had ever heard of. The air was thick with spices and a dense melange of language. As she walked to the rendezvous point she was pushed, shoved, begged at and sized up as a mark before she broke free of the crowds and finally found the place — Ghallo's Stump — and she saw a familiar face.

She bowed politely. “I hope I’m not late.”

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni the Hutt looked up at the fellow Padawan, and bowed back, smiling. "No, not at all, Padawan Crieff!" He visibly relaxed, sinking deeper into himself. "I am just glad to see a friendly face around here. This town is very different from Voss-ka."

Padawan Oluja gestured with one stumpy hand for her to sit, and pulled out a map, lying it flat on the table. As much as he enjoyed the atmosphere on this planet, he wanted to leave as soon as possible. There were too many angry men and sly looks for his liking. "As much as I enjoy seeing you again, Sorel, we should skip the pleasantries. The longer we are here, the larger chance of us being discovered." He looked to her, gauging her reaction before continuing. "We're going to Burn-Town. It's not actually another town, but part of the warehouse district. A few years ago, there was a giant fire, and the whole area was deemed hazardous. Since then, it has been the prime location for deals of all sorts."

Tyyni frowned visibly as he spoke. "We have recieved a tip from a scout that the One Sith are going to be a part of a said deal here, with a local Hutt. We have been tasked with disrupting the deal, discovering the identity of this Hutt, and bringing them into custody." Tyyni crossed his arms. "Not an easy mission."

Tyyni didn't want to mention it would be his first mission, but it was. He had rarely been off Voss before, and the thought of potential faiilure loomed over him. If Tyyni couldn't succeed in a simple mission such as this, how could he ever advance in the ranks of the Sanctum? He absentmindedly fiddled with his training saber under the table. He had no plan, only knowledge of the area, and a more experienced Padawan at his side. He figured that was all he needed.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel smiled. “I can’t imagine there are too many friendly faces around here. Not when you’re a Jedi. And it’s good to see you too. Pleasantries over.”

She sat as he suggested and listened intently, checking out the map as she did. “Not an easy mission? No, but that’s why we’ve been tasked with it. We’re Jedi. And we won’t fail. I’m sure of it.”

She paused for a while before adding, “So, do we have a plan?”

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

'We're Jedi. And we won't fail. I'm sure of it.'

Tyyni smiled bravely at Sorel's confidence. The girl's optimism helped push away his doubt. He nodded to her, and wagged his tail slightly. "A plan? Um..." The Hutt thought hard, letting his tongue slip over his lips as he concentrated. "Well, we have to find out which warehouse the deal's going down in. How we'd do that? I don't know. Then, we have to stop it. Somehow. Then, we track it back to the source, I think." The doubt began to creep back into Tyyni's words, and he twiddled his thumbs.

"The Force will guide us, I'm sure." A weak attempt to muster up some courage. He tried another brave smile, and failed. He didn't have a plan at all. He had no idea how they would find the correct warehouse, or what the two Jedi would do if they did. Tyyni looked down, ashamed.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

Sorel nodded. “Indeed, trust in the Force — and your plan is entirely sound.”

She was not patronising or bolstering his confidence, she was merely telling the truth. “So all we need to do is find out which warehouse. And we’re next to the sort of establishment where perpetrators are likely to frequent. So how about we head in and snoop? Alcohol tends to make lips a little looser, eh?”

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni nodded, looking to the inside of Ghallo's Stump. The patrons were loud, obnoxious, and very much intoxicated. Padawan Oluja steeled himself, and slid into the bar.

Ghallo's Stump was absolutely filthy. It seemed as if the counters hadn't been cleaned in years, and the patrons didn't care in the slightest, as they had an equal amount of grime. Tyyni had always thought 'criminal scum' was an exaggeration, but seeing the muddy shifty people around him, he decided that was exactly what they were; scum. Eyes lingered on the clean Hutt as he slowly crawled along, and his clean friend. Eventually, they went back to their own business, seemingly forgetting all about the newcomers.

Tyyni looked to Sorel with relief, and then a bit of fear. "I suppose we just listen now," he whispered, finding an empty booth in the middle of the Stump. The Hutt sank into a sitting position, and closed his eyes, clearing his mind. Once he had wiped away his distractions, the Hutt began to sort through the sounds around him, careful to linger on each voice as he went.

Every man and woman in the cantina seemed to be a criminal of some sort, each one worthy of the inside of a jail cell. The trouble was finding the correct criminals. One conversation in particular caught his attention, and he listened intently to it.

"... Sith are monsters, greedy monsters." An Aqualish with an eyepatch spat out his words, a disdainful look on his strange face.

"I can only imagine. Sounds like a bad deal anyways." A brown-skinned Zabrak answered, a beaming grin plastering his face. "Dexio should have more common sense. I doubt that Hutt even knows what he's giving away."

"You'd think so. But I've heard he's got a plan. Something about 'playing both sides'. Don't know what that could mean. Dex is a slippery one, that's for sure." The Aqualish ran a hand over his face.

"From what I've heard, Dex is the one getting played. I heard from a buddy they sent someone big. I have no idea how big, but my guy seemed spooked."

They grew silent. Tyyni opened his eyes, letting his thoughts rejoin his mind. "I know who our Hutt is. Dexio Oruai Xioublan; Dex the Hutt. He's a political giant. He controls at least one-sixteenth of the planet, Bilbousa included. But I didn't hear a place. I think we may have to... Uh... Get the information out of those two over there." Tyyni didn't like the idea of questioning the scum. Even if they were lower than low, he didn't like the idea of possibly hurting them for what they may or may not know.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was not impressed by the cantina — or its clientele. But she’d visited worse — or at least as unsavoury — and so pressed on regardless.

For a few moments the two were the centre of attention, but as soon as it was clear they weren’t about to immediately start a fight or something equally exciting, the locals went back to their business. Sorel didn’t want to think what it might be, albeit it at least one of those present probably had information that would be most useful to the two JediSorel scanned the room. Emotions leaked out everywhere and hatred, fear and greed were commonplace. So she dipped in and out of conversations as they progressed through the bar. And she was aware that Tyyni had latched on to one exchange above others, so she waited for him to listen and share what he knew in his own time.

Finally he spoke.

“Excellent work, the Force is a wonderful thing, but sometimes you can’t beat old-fashioned detective work and a little patience. So…I think we have someone to chat to.”

Sorel led the way over to the two and sat down beside them without being invited. She was sure they’d say no even if she had. “Sadly I do not have time for too many pleasantries. My colleague here and I would like the answers to a few questions. I’m not going to insult you by using the old lines about the easy way and the hard way, I’ll just ask outright and I’m sure you’ll oblige.”

“You see we need to know of a specific location we’re sure you know of. And to jog your memory, I’ll mention Dex the Hutt.”

The thing about the Jedi Mind Trick is that you didn’t have to probe to find information. Merely asking the right question tended to bring thoughts to the surface, where, without anything invasive, the memory could be easily read. To aid the process, Sorel allowed her robe to slip, revealing a lightsaber. Relying on their fear to allow her to latch on to their emotions, she would have no trouble scanning any surface thoughts that followed — given she did not expect them to tell her anything knowingly.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

The men seemed to stiffen as the two Jedi approached. The Aqualish patted a blaster at his side, reminding himself he probably had nothing to fear. These were young ones, and he was an adult with a blaster. But as Sorel began to influence their minds, they seemed to sway, in a stupor.

The Aqualish seemed to fight the enchantment for a time, trying to shake it's strangely-crafted head. "What? No, I don't..." The showing of the lightsaber seemed to clinch the deal, and the two men were under Sorel's control, completely pacified.

"Specific location... Dex... Dex. Oh, you's is looking for the mansion."

Tyyni frowned. "No, 'we is' looking for a warehouse in Burn-Town."

The Zabrak spoke up, eyes glazed over. "Yeah. The mansion is there. It's a nickname." He chuckled. "Third warehouse down from Dex's palace. You can't miss it." The thug seemed to fight Sorel's control for a second, just beginning to realize he probably shouldn't have said that.

"Um... thank you. We'll be on our way." The Hutt seemed to contemplate something, and raised one meaty hand, extending his own influence on them. "You two want to forget us, and go back to your drinks." A tense silence greeted Tyyni's ear as they looked to him in confusion. Finally, the Aqualish echoed his words, brightening up at the prospect of drinking.

Tyyni quickly slid away from the table, and turned to face his partner, mouth slightly ajar. "I... You... That... was pretty cool. I hadn't thought of that." The Hutt had been certain they would have had to resort to torture, or a similar tactic. He did a few calculations in his head, and smiled greasily. "Dex's palace is pretty far away, but we could make it just before the sun dips below the horizon. Shall we?" The Hutt Padawan wringed his hands, excited at the prospect of a battle. He had been too constrained to the libraries for some time.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was a Jedi. She was always gentle when it came to any form of Mind Trick. The mind was a delicate thing and she would never risk hurting a fellow sentient — or a creature for that matter, not unless she had no other choice.

So she exercised a limited hold on them. She was merely provoking memories to surface as opposed to outright controlling them.

She allowed Tyyni to question the men as she made sure she kept their resistance to his probing as low as possible. Fortunately their minds were weak, as were many in this establishment she surmised.

And Tyyni knew the right questions to ask as he managed to get so much information from them. And then her fellow Jedi ensured they would not remember the conversation.

“Good work,” she said as they walked away. Or at least Sorel ‘walked.’ “And I think we should. There is never a better time than the present. Lead on.”

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni nodded, sliding beside Sorel, as he tried to keep up with her walking pace. Going fast was not usually in his repertoire.

-A FEW HOURS LATER-

Padawan Oluja crouched low behind a slab of rubble, looking back to his fellow Jedi, urging her to do the same. This 'mansion' looked no different than the surrounding warehouses; a square, dilapidated, rusting, and scorched building. Tyyni didn't see any immediate threats, but it payed to be cautious. Tyyni let his verdant eyes scan along the building, looking for any sign of danger.

Ten meters off the ground, a line of open windows rested, much too narrow for Tyyni to enter, but a humanoid would be able to squeeze through. The walls themselves weren't reinforced or protected in any way. so it would be rather easy, in theory, to knockdown a portion, and get in that way. Then, of course, were the doors, which on a first glance, seemed locked. Suddenly, a loud bang was heard from inside, as if someone had dropped something heavy. Muted swearing followed the sound.

Tyyni looked back to Sorel, a frown once again finding itself on his face. "This is definitely the place, but I don't know what our best option is."

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel kept the pace up. Time waited for no man — or Hutt — and there were criminals to catch.

Finally they found their way to the spot that had been described and she hid behind rubble at Oluja’s bidding. The term ‘mansion’ was an odd one. From the outside it looked as dilapidated as the surrounding buildings. She watched as her fellow Padawan scoured the area for threats and no doubt access points.

She no doubt saw the same options as Oluja. They could try brute force, or Sorel could go in first — but neither appealed.

“There is always the direct approach. We could go and knock on the door.”

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni looked at Sorel with a confused look, which quickly morphed into admiration. Tyyni had an unhealthy obsession with plans. He was a perfectionist at heart, always overthinking things to the extreme. He planned, re-planned, came up with a Plan B, and re-planned that as well. Despite all of his preparation, however, he hadn't thought of simply knocking.

"Ah, I suppose. Straight and to the point. I like it." He smiled, and began to slide his way up to the front door.

The large metal sheet that was the door had a thin line of chain wrapped around it, keeping the hinges from simply blowing open in the wind. The lock didn't look too complicated, but with Sorel's plan, the complexity of the lock was of little consequence. The Hutt made it to the door, and wrapped on the durasteel with his knuckle, creating a dull ringing noise. Silence penetrated the area for a few moments. Finally, someone on the other side unlocked the door, and swung it open. Four heavily-armored guards raised blaster rifles at the two Jedi, scowling. They wore heavy armor, reminiscent of One Sith attire.

The man in front waved his rifle at them, growling. "Get out of here, ya little womp rats, before we squish you under our boots." The men didn't laugh, or grin, or show anything but grim determination. They didn't look like the kind of people that wouldn't hesitate to shoot young ones like Sorel or Tyyni. Tyyni found himself looking to his fellow Jedi for assurance.

This was your plan. What now?

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel chuckled quietly and fell into step alongside Tyyni. “Sometimes the most direct approach is the best. Not always but it’s always worth a shot.”

The Hutt rapped on the door and finally it opened. The welcoming party was anything but welcoming and the man with the words was entirely rude.

Sorel decided to take the lead and spoke. “We are Jedi.” She opened her cloak to expose the hilt of her sabers. “And we’d like to come in.” Her voice was calm and clear, dripping with steely authority. So far she’d not used the Force and would give the men a chance to play ball before she used any Jedi powers.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

The men stared down at them, processing the boldness of the small girl ahead of them. Slowly, the lead man brought a hand to the side of his helmet, and seemed to have an inaudible conversation with someone over their comms. This went on for a few seconds. Finally, the man nodded, brought his rifle to eye-level with the two young Jedi, and fired. Seeing this, the other men in the doorway brought their blaster rifles up, and in similar fashion, attempted to execute them. Tyyni would have none of it.

The Hutt Padawan reacted quickly, bringing his training saber up. He blocked two of the bolts, sending them into a nearby wall. He could do nothing for the others headed Sorel's way but he had confidence in her abilities. Padawan Oluja brought the saber up into a Soresu stance, the dark blue blade tilted down above his head, his other stubby arm held out in front of him.

The One Sith soldiers kept firing on the pair, obviously trained to combat opponents such as Jedi. Tyyni began his orbits with his lightsaber, careful to deflected the bolts away from the pair of Silvers. Through his concentration, he yelled to Sorel. "Agh! This isn't looking good!"

More shuffling could be heard from inside the Mansion. It seemed more soldiers were coming to back up their allies. From somewhere inside came a low, bellowing laughter, too low to be human. With it, the revving of a large vehicle.

No, not looking good at all.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was a Jedi after all – and one that had been trained since she was a small girl. Some things came to her without thinking. Such as the Jedi trait to plan for success and then plan for failure. Both were required – although success should always be the first to be considered.

She had hoped that their presence would be enough to allow them access to the building – but she did not rely on it. So when the guards opened fire, she was prepared. And her Soresu was not sufficiently developed to protect herself let alone her fellow Jedi in such close quarters, so she did not attempt to deflect the incoming blaster fire. Instead she relied on something she knew would do the job.

So she focused and threw up a Force Barrier. An almost invisible bubble surrounded her and the blaster bolts rebounded from it, ricocheting in many directions – including back at the men firing at them. The combination of her barrier and her fellow Padawan’s deflections soon had the men ceasing fire – in case they ended up dying by their own hand.

But despite this apparent success, the noise from inside the warehouse sounded ominous. Realising they did not have time to waste, Sorel lifted a hand and, using the Force, threw the men across the corridor and into the wall opposite. Winded and stunned, they would present no immediate danger.

“Not quite a polite hello, but we’re in at least. After you…” She smiled mischievously and mpoved forwards at the same time.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni looked on in amazement as Sorel threw up an invisible barrier, bouncing back the blaster bolts. The pair made short work of the soldiers, letting their own aggression be their undoing. Soon, all that was left of them were bodies with smoking holes in them. Tyyni looked down at them in sadness. He knew they were beyond reasoning, and war required lives to be taken, but it didn't lighten his mood.

Padawan Oluja looked up at his fellow Jedi as she quipped, offering a small smile in return. "Why, thank you." Instead of crawling along at his usual pace, the Hutt began to gather the Force within himself, and used it to propel into the building, augmenting his speed greatly. They went down a narrow corridor, dim red beams leading on from the ceiling. Everything was much cleaner than expected, the walls polished and well-maintained. Eventually, it led into a large room, and what Tyyni saw made him gasp.

The inside of the warehouse was just as clean as the hallway, the dark metal shined to perfection. Seven guards stood around the area, weapons already raised and aimed at the approaching Jedi. In the center of the open warehouse, a large tank hovered a foot off the ground. Standing in front of it was an imposing figure. The being was around eight feet tall, plated in tough plasteel armor. The helmet rested under the massive soldier's arm, leaving his head exposed. A large, dark-skinned head, with dual white stripes cresting over it's blowhole.

The Herglic guffawed at the Jedi, raising it's own blaster rifle. "Ah, new guests to entertain. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." From behind the massive soldier, the tank's turret swiveled, and fired, followed closely by the rest of the soldiers, who tried to swarm them. Tyyni gasped, unable to react in time to do anything.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was a blend of theorist and pragmatist. She believed wholeheartedly in the Jedi Code but accepted its limitations and her own shortcomings. The taking of a life was a last resort, but she accepted it was inevitable at times. And this, sadly, was one of those times. So she did not dwell on the situation but ensured her focus was on the task ahead.

They made good progress through the building, her fellow Padawan using the Force to aid his speed, Sorel simply running alongside him. The Hutt led the way, and Sorel noted that the building was a lot cleaner and newer from the inside. Walls and floors were almost gleaming and the lighting made Sorel feel as though she was inside a spaceship.

Finally they reached their destination and Sorel took in the scene quickly. An open area…seven armed guards…hover tank…eight foot tall armoured Herglic. It was the last of these observations that had the most impact on Sorel. For a split second at least before the tank’s gun had its own way of muscling in on her consciousness.

She threw up a barrier instinctively – which held against the shot but immediately dissipated. Holding it in place would be too wearing if they intended to do anything other than remain alive. She needed to be proactive as opposed to reactive.

“I’ll take the guards if you focus on the Herglic. We can figure out who deals with the tank later.”

With that she dropped her cloak to the ground and drew both sabers in her hands and activated them with a distinctive snap-hiss. Her preferred style was Form V and so she leaped at the guards, somersaulting over their heads before landing behind them and raising her sabers.

“Hello boys,” she said, “I suspect the pleasure is all yours.”

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni flinched as the tank's shot was dissipated by Sorel Crieff's energy barrier, but the invisible shield was also destroyed. Tyyni looked to the more experienced Jedi, and gulped, steeling himself for what was to come. "May the Force be..." The Hutt was cut short of his mantra by a firing of blaster bolts, which he quickly deflected into the ceiling. "You know the rest."

If Sorel were watching, she would see Tyyni again begin to concentrate, and then spring up into the air, reminiscent of their duel oh so long ago. The Hutt arced up and over the rifle shots headed his way, using gravity to propel himself on top of the whale-man, training saber held out horizontally, spearheading his descent. The large being sidestepped letting Tyyni sail past. The Padawan went into a roll, coming up rather gracefully, and turning around, only to see an angry Herglic advancing with a vibroaxe.

As Sorel would go head-to-head with the soldiers, she would find them easy enough to dismantle, even though they were obviously well trained. The tank was a different story. It's armor was tough, and whoever was manning the guns didn't seem to care whether they hit the other soldiers or not.

"Heh, heh. Little baby Jedi! It was just starting to get boring around here!" The Herglic chuckled as it raised it's vibroaxe, and went into a series of swings and jabs, all of which were narrowly dodged by a writhing Tyyni.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The fifth Form offered two distinct variants. For the current challenge, Sorel adopted Shien. She could not afford to unnecessarily extend time spent in combat by waiting for an opportunity to strike, she needed to create her own openings. She would therefore follow the standard practice of the Form by utilising defence immediately followed by a counter-strike.

Shien was adept at blocking blaster bolts but unlike the third Form, was designed to use an opponent's attack against them. So she began by returning the blaster bolts to their origin. Seven was too great a number to counter attack against, so she would wait to whittle down their number before becoming more offensive with her blade. But she was not aggressive, rather she was controlled and looked to dominate.

The fifth Form was also the most physically demanding, and this was another reason to ensure the fight remained short. But Shien was known as the Perseverance Form for a reason and was fortunately ideally suited to multiple opponents.

So, from a high guard position and her dominant leg held back, she performed powerful step-through strikes to deflect the barrage of bolts back towards the guards. It was known as the “Barrier of Blades,” for a reason. And as she did, she inched ever closer to the men, until they were within saber range.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]