Dominion The Spice Must Flow (Kessel | HSC)

[Naren Cors]

Location: Kessel | coaxium mine
Objective 2 - Coaxium
Tags: @Howlrunners | Lirka Ka

“Sounds like two votes for splitting up,” Naren responded to the suggestions. He looked at the gathered team and he shrugged. Breaking up the misfits seemed more likely to work than counting on them all to work together as a unit. “So let’s see…” Naren rubbed his chin while looking over the team. Sal seemed like the person Naren would prefer to work with, but he wondered if their skills were a little redundant for a full assault. That being the case he moved on to the other possibilities. “Mando Teen Barbie, Mando Tank, the Droid that can’t stay still or scary armor guy…girl?” Naren shrugged and looked to Sal. “I just shook loose from teen angst. I think I’d like to hang with Scary Armor.” Mandos seemed to always have a problem when he used the Force.

He kicked a nearby rock and checked his blaster and lightsaber. “Don’t worry. I can keep up just fine. Been keeping up for decades. Not showing any signs of slowing down at all. I’m kinda an up close and personal killer. If that’s how you operate too I suggest you take the lead. If you are better from far back I’ll take the lead and you cover my back.”

He looked around. “Unless someone else wants to take Scary Armor as a partner.” He gave a shrug. “You rest can form your own plans.”

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

<What? No Mandalorians,> Gorba grimaced, abruptly turning to look for his hookah pipe as he felt the onset of a massive migraine. <Not yet.>

He found the pipe, stuck it between his lips, and puffed a few times before sighing.

<We are here to... sling spice. Yes. Not your spice. You want giggledust, yes? I can supply that, but it is not grown on Kessel. Elsewhere. You and I may discuss later, @Xyoz.>

The Hutt turned his good eye on Scarlett Zann . <Do what you want. You want a mine? Fine. But if it has accidents,> he looked past her and at the Pykes, who looked displeased, then back to her. <Just remember I warned you.>

Gorba sat back.

<Very well. The Exchange will handle the ports. Zann and the Pykes will have the mines. The Krakens will... keep other pirates away. The Bareesh are satisfied with our discounts. What of the Lotus?>

He turned toward Azar Kortun, knowing that A'ti would be pulling her lekkus off trying to rewrite the terms of the deal.

 

[Sal Katarn]

Objective Two

Sal snorted.

"No sense wastin' time tryn' to find a dancin' partner," he rasped, his words low and hoarse, as if someone took sandpaper to his vocal chords - which weren't far from the truth.

"Reckon we get on with it."

He nodded to Doroko Bral and Hilal Vizsla , "If Narens and Lirka are team one, that makes us team two. You seem to know what you're doin', Bral, so why don't you get this show on the road."

Katarn finished triple checking his sidearm and waited for the mandalorians to forge the path.

 

[Azar Kortun]

Azar purses his lips, considering the words of the other syndicate heads, starting with the Zanns. He gave her a broad, congenial smile. “I do apologize. I must admit that most humans and best humans all sort of… blend together to me. So many I find it hard to keep track of.”

As the others spoke, he interlaced his fingers, listening, while his tendrils tasted the air around them. None worth a meal still, which was disappointing. He was getting… hungry.

“The Lotus finds any and all terms acceptable,” Azar responded with a wave of his hand, watching this newcomer talking in some strange dialect that he could not interpret. Slings, he could make that out. It was interesting concept, but he wasn’t sure what they had to do with spice. “We need only a little now and then to set the stages for our productions.”

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Mandalorian Armor

Objective 2

Hilal jumped at the many people surrounding her, looks like the Hutts have their own hired guns as well. That's what Hilal gets for not always checking her radar. "Hey guys!" Hilal grumbled. "Don't sneak up on me like that! I could've vaporized you all!"

The young woman sighed heavily as she listened to the plan of attack. "Got it," Hilal said. "Let's go and clear these guys out!"

Sal Katarn

 

[Lok Xiangu]

EN ROUTE TO TATOOINE

It was a long trip that was about to meet its end. A huge shipment of spice was to be delivered to a syndicate of criminals in the Tatooine system. It would be a huge payday and a way to get their “name brand” recognized within other criminal organizations in the wide stretch of the Galaxy. Why so? They were trespassing territory that belonged to a particular sect of Mandalorians. Warriors that became honorable lawmen and protectors for foreigners, discarding the ways of their warmongering philosophy which was known to ravage countless systems.

Dangerous, but it was something Lok was confident in handling. Sure there was a disagreement between him and Sable, but he ultimately got his way; though he always got his way.

“Trust me, with what we’re packing it’ll be enough to down a Mandalorian,” he said to his companion, a smuggler and scoundrel which was hired. Time would tell if she worthy to be on payroll and trusted with other jobs.

“Ever fought a Mandalorian? Need to know, so I know whether to babysit you or not.”

Hailyn ​

 

[Xyoz Maji]

And just like that Xyoz deflated. The man frowned, rubbed at the back of his neck. Turned from the gathering. "Man why even invite me if it's got nothin to do with Giggledust?" He pouted before wandering off, still rubbing the back of his neck. When Giggledust was on the menu, he'd be all over that.

No reason to stick around now, though.

 

[Doroko Bral]

Objective 2: Coaxium
Tags: Howlrunners | Hilal Vizsla | Sal Katarn | Naren Cors | SC-ID "Cairo" | Lirka Ka

Doroko's helmet turned slightly towards Lirka as she spoke. He could hear the disdain. Doroko was under no illusions of the sort the Hutts would hire. He was there for the pillaging and destruction of Mandalore by the now defunct Sith Empire in conjunction with the Silver Jedi Order, now known as the Silver Jedi Concord. The Bral clan had sought revenge and carried it out. Yet time had not been kind to the empires of old; the Sith Empire was no more and the Jedi Concord seemed to be waning. Still, the thought that he might enact some personal vengeance against those that allied themselves with the Force was tempting. Perhaps another day. The only thing more important than revenge was honor and Doroko had taken the role of Howlrunner under contract, he would hold his thoughts at bay for the time being.

"That's suitable to me. Lirka and Narens, you will take the nearest east entrance of the mines. By the looks of it there should be two guards near the entrance. I suggest dispatching them silently. After some distance you're likely to meet patrols and miners." Doroko indictated the guards and the entrances on the three-dimensional holographic map with red dots indicating organic lifeforms. "We will take the entrance to the west. The guards are standardized in static positions and in patrol routes, though they seem to be sloppily regulated in timing. You're likely to meet heavy resistance formed primarily of underdeveloped discipline. Be aware that the tunnels form junctions consistently throughout the mines. There is a high chance that we will cross paths; check your targets." With that Doroko switched off the holoprojector for the time being and slipped it into a pouch on his belt.

"Lets get to work." He stated in response to Sal Katarn as he turned towards the west and trudged off towards the entrance. Doroko slung his Mandalorian Assault Rifle over his shoulder and drew his two Stun Pistols; which were magnitudes more quite than the overtuned blaster rifle common in now ancient Mandalorian culture. "I will incapacitate the two guards and any witnesses. Sal and you-" looking to Hilal "-will dispatch and dispose of the corpses as I guard the entrance. We'll proceed as quietly as possible from there. I've a feeling that team one will have already gone loud by that time. If they do, we'll make our way through our tunnels, working the upper corridors until they've been cleared and then wiping out resistance that emerge from below as well as any reinforcements from guard patrols. I will keep moving forward; use me as your shield. I will need both of you to take a position on my flanks as I will be unable to keep fully aware of all fronts and junctions will soon surround us on all sides."

After a minute they reached the west entrance. Doroko paused before rounding the last rocky corner. "Ni urakto talyc parjai. Ja'hailir Kad Ha'rangir." (I am the hard-won, bloody victory. Witness me, Kad Ha'rangir.) He muttered under his breath in Mando'a, his demeanor changed. With another deep breath in Doroko stepped around the corner raising his stun pistols. Time seemed to slow for Doroko, but in reality time had continued as it had always done. The two guards were right where the recon droid had shown on the map. The guards seemed relaxed, complacent. They were not expecting an assault. Doroko lined up the left guard, he was unsuspecting, he pulled the trigger. His head turned to the right, the guards now turning their heads. His padded finger squeezed the the right trigger. Both fell to the ground like dolls before they could get more than a single shocked syllable from their mouths; their weapons falling beneath them. A worker had his back turned to Doroko and as he now looked over his shoulder the stun pistol fired again; the worker dropped hard to the ground. Another worker emerged from the threshold of the mines. He too dropped to the floor incapacitated. No more remained conscious as Doroko continued to march towards the entrance. All of this took place within a handful of seconds.

 

[A'ti]

Objective 3: Consortium Council
Tags: Gorba the Hutt The Prince Azar Kortun Cass Gemini Scarlett Zann

---

A'ti held the datapad that belonged to Gorba and made the adjustments in real-time to the contract as the Consortium leadership deliberated on the terms. Once it seemed that all had been agreeable to the terms put forward she cleared her throat and read allowed in pristine Huttese "<By the concurrence of the most esteemed leaders of the Hutt Space Consortium, in accordance with terms deliberated at length and with sound mind, declare the following when in regards to the planet Kessel and matters pertaining to Spice thereto: Rights to the operation of the spice mines shall be to the Zann Consortium and Pyke Syndicate; order of appearance of the names herein shall not dictate seniority or maturity of claims. Where as the ports of Kessel be concerned the authority over all port activity shall be the purview of the The Exchange. Security of all layers of orbit of the planet of Kessel shall be the responsibility of the Kraken Coalition especially in matters where the operations of Kessel be threatened by unassociated organizations in respect to the membership of the Hutt Space Consortium. In compensation the Kraken Coalition will be given economically viable discounts on the products originating from the spice mines of Kessel. Where as business dealings between the Bareesh and the operators of the spice mines of Kessel be concerned the Bareesh shall be afforded economically viable discounts to the spice originating from said mines.>" taking a silent breath from her nose so as to not appear winded, A'ti, looked towards Gorba then the rest of the leadership at the council table "Should these terms be acceptable I will require you to place a drop of blood within these containment vessels as immutable proof of consent." as she spoke several Twi'lek servants entered the chamber and with them each held a silver plate in their hands. On the plates were a thin need and a transparent tube of a thin size. A few drops of blood would fill the container with the precious liquid. Most likely to later be affixed to the base of the durasteel plaque on the wall. Once it was engraved with the proper terms.

 

[SC-ID "Cairo"]

Objection II
Kessel Mines

Tags: Hilal Vizsla | Sal Katarn | Naren Cors | Doroko Bral | Lirka Ka
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Cairo was patrolling in a small group when he finally decided the wait was long enough. The groups bickering would lead them nowhere, so if they weren't already attacking, he would. As his patrol group reached an intersection, he moved left towards one of the likely points of entry for the Howlrunner's, to reunite with them and defeat their foes with more firepower than he could on his own.

Of course the attack would most likely need to be done quietly, for the time being at least. He sifted through the schematics of the mines as he guided his patrol straight ahead to the entrance. Hopefully the Howlrunners would be there, if not, he would deal with the mines on his own. He activated the vajar launcher on his right hand as he guided the patrol through an archway. The moment they passed it and were clear of workers, he launched the projectiles as the flew forward, then back around to the guards. All four of them hit, with two guards standing, mouths open at the murder which just took place.

He hadn't seen them as they had been around the corner, but he couldn't let them make a noise. Without hesitation he unsheathed his vibro blade and charged at them, their shouts barely making it out of their mouths as the droids blade ran through the firsts stomach, and then slicing the head clean off the second. The shout had been heard though, as he heard the footsteps of at least 4 guards around the corner. Activating the repulsor cannon on his left arm, he turned the corner and fired it at the approaching guards, launching them all away.

He finished them off with his blade, before moving to hide their bodies. He noticed as cut on his arm, something he hadn't noticed before. His disguise flickered as the damaged arm seemed to shut down, though quickly came back online. Sighing as he realised he would need repairs after the job, he activated his cloaking mechanism, cancelling out the disguise suite, and crept his way towards the entry, meanwhile killing anyone he came across.

 

[Scarlett Zann]

As the bargaining has quickly gone around the table with most of the crime families putting in their piece and suggested changes, Scar opens the vile and puts her sample of blood in the required slot. She looks to Gorba and nods before standing "Any other business to discuss?" she asks before she will permit herself to leave.

It was time for Scar to return to her fleet. All this talk over stupid spice and splitting the profits here, have really given her the itch to go do some raiding and plundering.

 

[Siv Dragr]

K A R J R

Tag: Lok Xiangu | Hailyn

Siv reflexively flexed his hand as he sat in a dark booth in the corner of the Mos Espa cantina. A half month in the bacta tank and invasive surgery had repaired the gaping hole left by the besragr on Tython, but the injury was still seared in Siv's mind. It was as if his brain hadn't been able to comprehend yet that his hand was fully healed, and it needed to remind itself every so often that his hand was not a bloody mush of pulverized flesh and bone.

The air inside the cantina was warm and stuffy, but cooler than the outside. The city was baking in the middle-day heat of Tatooine's twin suns, and Mos Espa's residents were doing pretty much everything they could to escape the heat. If that meant sipping lukewarm alcohol in a dusty cantina, then so be it.

Why Siv was on this backwater, sunbaked hellhole was beyond him. Even more so was why Vren Rook seemed to like this place so much. Sure, the fantasy of living on the frontier was nice, but Siv preferred to live it out on planets where his armor wasn't working overtime just to keep his body from sweltering in the heat. But there was a job here to be done, and credits to be earned. And if there was anything Siv needed, it was credited. Trying to build a home on Kestri of all places and repair broken armor racked up the bills quickly.

There had been a tip-off of increased spice smuggling in the sector ever since the Hutts had gotten their hands on Kessel. Smuggling was ever-present in the galaxy, especially the lawless Outer Rim, and most of the time it was benevolent enough to not be an issue. If worlds weren't getting their import taxes on precious fabrics and stones, it wasn't too much of an issue for a Karjr to care. But spice had been outlawed in Enclave space for a very good reason, even if it was a substance that was hard to crack down on when even Mandalorians would sneakily partake in it. Whatever the morales of the drug were, stopping this ring on Tatooine had a big paycheck behind it, so Siv was more than fine to spend his time waiting in the sweltering Tatooine heat to scry any information he had could from the locals. Perhaps what he was looking for would walk right into his lap.
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[Cass Gemini]

Spoiler: Gear and other links

Equipped:

• Calypso's Thunder
• Harlequin sabers
• Gravpack
• Viper mk2 skinsuit
• Thermal Detonators

Ship:

• Midnight Kyber
• 4 x Sciss stealth fighters

NPCs:

• Crew of the Midnight Kyber

Tag: Gorba the Hutt Azar Kortun Scarlett Zann
Wearing: This outfit

Objective 3 - Consortium Council​

Cass laughed and raised her glass, she knew what Scarlett Zann was doing, Cass had not intended offence but her way was easily taken that way. "Of the Zann consortium? I apologise for not recognising you sooner, your reputation is clearly outrunning your picture at the moment. We should talk some time yeah?" she offered the woman a go on her rum bottle, Cass was well known for only liking very good rum, she hoped the pretty young woman would take it, as a gesture of peace but if she didnt it didnt really matter.

As the group discussed more about spice Cass, she chipped in "Sure, I'll take a fee for keeping away other theives, guess that all will depend on what comes after you, imperial custome firgates will cost more than idiot chancers. To the mines, the spice and the smuggling isn't my style but I'm sure I know a couple of the Kraken who would go for it."

She looked over at Xyoz Maji "you looking to take a pop at the mandos then? Those bucket heads can go hang, I'm a bit bored of dealing with them at this point, but aren't they persistent, like little armoured rats." she laughed at the idea and continued listening to Gorba. There wasn't a lot for her to do, she came because she was a syndicate head but this wasn't really Kraken business so she would leave it to the more world bound types, a mine was an asset, but it was also a liability, something someone could attack that wasn't you. And she liked it when they attacked her, because she usually won.

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

Objective 3 - Consortium Council

The thin needle pricked one of Gorba's pudgy fingers and a bead of blood bubbled up and dripped onto the plate held by a Twi'lek servant. Of course, it could have been poison, but then Gorba had spent most of his two hundred plus years developing immunities to many various types of poison. And he had had the servants vetted. Obviously. Being assassinated by one's slave was such a common trope among Gorba's kind that he took great measures to ensure only the most loyal surrounded him. Beings like Brutus, the captain of his bodyguards, who had been brain washed with thousands of years worth of cultural indoctrination to view the Hutts as gods. Or A'ti, who showed a particular devotion to him.

Yes, he appreciated her greatly. It was after all so hard to find talent these days. Seeing as how the Bryn'adul had slaughtered most of them and the Silver Jedi had liberated the rest.

His one good eye watched the other crime lords as they bickered, a smile once again creeping onto his face despite the near-splitting headache in his skull.

This was good business.

 

[Sal Katarn]

Objective Two

With a grunt, Sal strode along behind Doroko Bral . He didn't care too much if the big armored fella took lead, but he what he did care about was having to clean up the mess. This was a dirty job and Sal weren't no psychopath who enjoyed blowing the heads off innocent people. Still. A job was a job. And the workers out here knew the risks. Besides, not like Sal could refuse any job the Hutts offered him now that he was dangling off their debt strings like a puppet.

The mercenary mosied on along the trail of stunned bodies and paused over the first.

There were only so many ways to go about doin' this quietly. Sal didn't take no pleasure in knife work. Too messy. He let out a sigh as he reached into a pocket of his coat and pulled out a magnetically clamped silencer, which he clicked onto the barrel of his slugthrower.

"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered.

The stunned guard lay slumped on the floor. Katarn raised his gun and shot him twice in the back of the head.

Then he moved along to the next one.

It weren't honest work. But it paid.

Hilal Vizsla

 

[Sable Mur]

It was par for the course that Lok Xiangu spent the time it took to travel reassuring himself and their hired help that they could do whatever it was they'd have to do, albeit with the caveat that their companion's skills were up to snuff. "She's.. a runner, Lok, why would you be here if we had hired someone that could do the heavy lifting for us?" Sable asked as she walked up to the two of them. "I can handle a blaster." The smuggler retorted, evidently lacking the same reverence for the warrior people that Lok seemed to hold. Sable, for her part, shook her head with a low whistle.

"Look, I didn't want to have to get into this kind of a mess this early to begin with but just because we're doing it doesn't mean everything is as tight and secure as we'd like it to be. You need to be careful and you need to treat this a bit more seriously." Sable said to the two of them - she was sure Lok could.. well she assumed he could do fine if it came to a brawl between him and someone in Mandalorian armor, she wasn't quite so certain that someone who was more about smuggling contraband could do the same if they weren't at least as concerned and serious about things as she was. Unlike either of them Sable was vastly underprepared for anything involving shootouts or actual hand-to-hand violence, instead she was much more prepared to be their way in and off the planet without getting into that kind of a hairy situation in the first place.

Lok was here, aside from being her partner in the first place, to make sure that if things got too heated that neither of the other two were going to get killed.

"Just stick to the plan - I do the talking, she does her job of getting the product in and out, and you keep us safe - and there won't be any babysitting in the first place."

 

[Lok Xiangu]

EN ROUTE TO TATOOINE SURFACE

The only one he’d have to look out for was Sable, since the hired smuggler could handle herself. Words wouldn’t convince and persuade Mandalorians, only simple stuff such as strength and power was something to persuade them. They worked for money, but they weren’t easily bought unless they were scum and only had interest for themselves.

“I am taking it serious, running through some Mandos ain’t something I’m always looking forward to,” he retorted back to Sable, truly he wasn’t being himself as usual with the carefree and arrogant nature of his. “So yeah, I ain’t screwing around. Besides there are better places I wanna be to be alive for,” mischievously winking at Sable, surely she would get the sly message from him.

“But alright, let’s get us down and hopefully get the hell outta here soon,” their light freighter approach the infamous sphere of Tatooine, flying towards the designated coordinates with their client. No one had intercepted them yet…a good sign.

For now.

He much rather dealt with any danger on land than in space or air.

Sable Mur | Siv Dragr ​

 

[Sable Mur]

Between the two of them she wasn't sure who bothered her more right now. On the one hand there was the smuggler they'd hired, went by the name of Coral rather than the actual name on their identification for some reason, who seemed entirely relaxed and not at all concerned with either the job or their own well-being. Lok Xiangu on the other hand was acting every bit the show-off he could be when he was in the mood to be one, she gave him a sarcastic smile in return for his wink. "Alright, I'm bringing the ship down now, shouldn't take too much time for us to reach the surface." Sable said as she tilted the flight stick forwards.

There were still at least a dozen or so minutes before they'd land, of course, but it was the brief quiet she enjoyed before a job started. "Locked and loaded." The woman in the back chimed in to let her know she was ready to land. Sable hadn't been entirely convinced they needed hired help but she also wasn't exactly confident that Lok was nearly as capable of defending the two of them if things went as south as he kept implying they could go, either. He didn't seem willing to trust that their companion could do the job up to his standards, either, but he also hadn't put up nearly as much of a fight over paying her as she had thought he would.

Though that was probably because she was the one footing the bill.

 

[Lok Xiangu]

TATOOINE SURFACE

The infamous dunes came into view as they descended further and further from their altitude. Whatever settlements that stood were few and remotely scattered from each other. What else was new from Tatooine except the various Galactic powers which had come and left; from the slimy Hutts, to the ruthless Imperials, and now to the honorable Mandalorians. Their shipment would not be delivered to one of the bigger settlements such as Mos Eisley. They could, but there would definitely be a shootout.

Instead they had agreed to a severely small town, no more than fifty people. Probably was less than that.

“Huh, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone were cousins with each other,” sure was sad if that was the case. Peculiar how a sad, yet strange place can host living beings.

“Well, let’s get a move on. Would hate to miss the scenery,” obvious sarcasm as there was nothing but sand, people, and whatever buildings there were.

Sable Mur | Siv Dragr ​

 

[Siv Dragr]

K A R J R​

Tag: Lok Xiangu | Sable Mur

A ping on Siv's transponder drew his attention. Being a Karjr of the Enclave afforded him access to resources that most bounty hunters would salivate over, and that included the Enclave's network of probes and passive scanners that more or less monitored interstellar travel through Enclave space. Alone, it it was a bunch of data that hardly anyone could sift through and make sense of the mess. But when one knew what they were looking for, or monitoring certain parameters, it became an extremely useful tool.

With his tip-off, a freighter bound from Hutt Space had been identified on an approach vector to a small settlement north of Mos Eiseley. An amateur attempt to be inconspicuous, but whoever was piloting would quickly learn that safety was found in a crowd. Standing up from his table, he threw a credit chip onto it before leaving the cantina. Though he hadn't ordered a drink, it was a good idea for the locals of Tatooine to see Mandalorians as generous protectors rather than tightfisted overlords. Siv could afford small amounts of charity as long as it went to the cause.

A couple of moments later, and Siv was rocketing away from Mos Eisley in his CVT-48 Outlander-class Starfighter, flying a tight formation barely clipping Tatooine's sand dunes as he raced north. Keeping low to the ground like this allowed for rapid landing and deployment, though Siv had practice in high-altitude insertions. He just didn't like to have to if the situation didn't warrant it. And this hardly did.