Ask Tatooine Acquiring the Boonta Classic - Part I: Dealings

Ikraggo the Hutt

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The BD-510 Stargale courier slowly landed in the Mos Eisley starport after a rather long journey all the way from Nar Shaddaa, and from it stepped a Hutt, a protocol droid, a Trandoshan and a Toydarian. Ikraggo took a breath, but quickly regretted it as he had a rather rough coughing fit from the very dry air that characterized the desertic planet that was Tatooine. He looked at the Toydarian with a smile. "Alright Vako, I hope you enjoyed the trip? Once we're all gathered, we're going to head to our destination for the dealings" he said in Huttese, humming some as he scanned the area with his eyes, looking for the other people he had hired for the job.

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Vako Yizok

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The very second they exited the ship Vako felt dust particles collecting on his wings. It was Tatooine, a dirty dust ball on the edge of no where that Vako had hardly heard of. It had no prominent purpose in all of galactic history from what he knew other then being a watering hole for smugglers and traders heading to the Unknown Regions or into the Core. The air there reminded him greatly of Toydaria, but it did not have a shred of the humidity, only the heat.

That was not well suited to the Toydarian, who had often preferred humid environments, but what could one do? The Galaxy was full of uncomfortable places, and Vako often made places uncomfortable for others.

"Tri'dak do pido nut'a do ze me ra" Vako answered back in Huttese, his first language before he learned Basic. Toydarians had their own language, but it was seldom worth speaking anywhere away from Toydaria. "The dealings I hope go smoother then the ride." Vako had said.

He gazed up at the two suns coming from between an awning and squinted his eyes. This was a difficult place.

Swinging his blaster rifle to his hands, moreso to get it off his side to prevent a bead of sweet sweat pouring in, Vako presented a more menacing physique. Mos Eisley did have a reputation and Vako was not about to be caught up in it.

"You lead the way. But best keep that pistol primes." Vako mentioned to the Hutt. "I think we're small fish in this dusty pond, so best to show your teeth."


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Cadu Leszek

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It had been years since Cadu last set foot in Mos Eisley - or anywhere else on Tattooine, for that matter. Yet, unremarkable as the desert planet squatting on the outskirts of civilization was, the Kiffar bounty hunter found that it had left a lasting impression on him. Some things here were guaranteed with greater certainty than the primary points in the programmes of Core World politicians (though that hardly surprised anyone). "Invest your time and effort in Tattooine," the scorched soil underneath his feet seemed to say, "and you can expect three things: unbearable dryness, sweltering warmth, and ample opportunity - if you're willing to stoop low enough."

As of late, Cadu had been very short of stature.

In spite of what people might think, bounty hunting was a noble profession. Criminals are criminals, even if a criminal in one being's eyes is a freedom fighter in another's. And, contrary to what his former colleagues in the Sector Rangers had projected, Cadu finally got things done. More so than as a Ranger. And the Corps couldn't even financially take care of their own in need. At least now, Cadu had reclaimed the agency necessary to keep Miraq in the hospital and out of the morgue.

The memory of his old partner flooded the bounty hunter with emotion, but he was in public, so he did not allow himself the tears. Besides, his client would be there soon, and he didn't want the Hutt to see his tears and make his own assumptions. This was a different type of job. With bounty hunting, Cadu could lean heavily on his credentials (or used to, before his falling out with the Guild), but working directly with the client? Cadu had heard many stories about jobs of that nature, and most of them had a foul ending. Now, working as muscle for a Hutt seemed simple enough, but Hutts were slippery, and so were their dealings. Cadu was prepared to do what was needed to keep his footing.

The starport personnel had, after much convincing and the casual exchange of a few credit chips, provided Cadu with a rickety chair while he waited. He decided on a shaded area underneath an awning close to the wall, where the stone - though hot - would hopefully provide some respite from the heat. His clothes were earth-colored and loose-fitting: a shirt, cargos, lace-up boots, and a long, thin piece of fabric wrapped around his head like head scarf, covering his mouth and his short black curls. Even with his mouth masked, breathing the dry, dusty air felt like walking through a sawmill while the blades were running. Being uncomfortable made him irritable - mostly because it was unnecessary; the backpack at his feet that his chest armour was strapped to contained his full-coverage helmet with a filtration system. A faulty one, that is. He really needed to get that fixed. But in order to get something fixed, you need to credits to pay for it. And so far, there had only just been enough to pay for Miraq's treatment, power packs for his blaster rifle, and provisions. Even The Determination was suffering under the weight of too frequent usage and too little maintenance.

This thing better pay off big-time.

Luckily, Cadu didn't have to wait long. Within the hour, a star skiff descended upon the landing platform, and out of it strode a Hutt, a protocol droid, a Trandoshan, and a Toydarian. Odd crew, he thought. He'd fit right in. As the four of them passed the awning under which Cadu sat, the bounty hunter heard the Toydarian say something about being small fish in a murky pond or something similar. Cadu's Huttese wasn't great, but so far it had been good enough for him to get by.

"And here's the final fish that has yet to join the schoal," Cadu said - he hoped.

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Lucien Sloan

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Lucien found the fish reference ironically amusing. Seeing as the cloth covered shouter was speaking to the Hutt, Lucien took it as a sign he was among the others that had been hired. The Morganian's agreement had been tenative. Ikraggo had not said too much about what was going on.

The momentary pleased expression went away as the dual suns glinted off the hull of a ship passing by overhead. This was the first time the Morganian had set foot on Tatooine. Prior to that he had only been as close as one of the
small space stations.

A short distance away the man's custom interceptor sat in a hangar. R6-66 would let him know if anyone came to mess with the ship but he knew that typically people didn't dare try to mess with others given that there were penalties when it came to the starport.


The stuntman who had been invited by Ikraggo and chosen to dress to fit to at least some degree. He didn't have a blaster or anything like the others sported. Instead he simply had a fusion cutter on his hip. Once the slug was close enough to hear Lucien without needing to yell he would speak up. "Don't tell me you called me out here just so you can have me chauffeur you around town."

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Ikraggo the Hutt

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The Trandoshan who accompanied the Hutt - and was clearly his bodyguard - chuckled lightly at Vako's remark and said "Don't worry my friend, the bossss knowsss how to deal with eventual threatsss. He'sss not asss lazy asss other of his kind" he said. And indeed, Ikraggo today wore a belt to which was strapped his Power 5 blaster pistol in case it was needed. Even with that, the Trandoshan was also armed to his teeth, holding an A-280 blaster rifle.

The Hutt smiled widely as he saw the other two scoundrels approaching them, and spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Well well, welcome to Tatooine my friends! I hope you enjoyed the journey. So, to make things brief, we've come here to take over one of Mos Eisley's most famous attractions: the Boonta Classic podracing course! That's why I've hired you my friend. I know that you're a very good pilot" he said looking at Lucien. "Even though I don't mind walking, the course is quite far away from here, so a speeder would be a faster mean of transport" he added, pointing at the back of his star skiff, which opened, revealing a speeder truck.
 

Vako Yizok

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There had been other Hutts that Vako had worked for, quite a few in fact, but this one was young. Very young, the dead giveaway was the fact that he was out on the mission on his own. Most of his kind tended to sit in the back and let various small minded goons take care of their dirty work. Or even their good work at that. Vako had been on more than a few missions that were nothing but Rodian and Weequay and not a lot of detail other than have a blaster with the safety off.

The others joining them on the planet did not unsettle Vako, but they did not put them at ease either. The Toydarian like to think that he came ready for most situations, but the heavily armored thug that approach them from the front noting his place among the fish almost gave them the impression that he was underdressed. Armor wasn't exactly an option for Toydarian's, any extra weight would keep them from flying, so speed was the best ally they had.

"I don't know where Boonta Eve is." Vako started. "But I can imagine the owners got too high of a price. It's not exactly the reining fame anymore." Vako said with the knowledge that the new Republic it outlawed the sport.

The issue was not that a race can be held in the core worlds, it was more the fact that broadcasting a race could get a hefty fine any cantina that was showing one. He did not keep up with sports much, but he heard a lot more about other forms of racing than he did about pod racing anymore. He did always find them fascinating though, and wouldn't have minded an attempt to raise one if you got the chance.

Who could deny the call of being blasted forward by starship engines through a ravine.

"Honestly we might even be able to skip the ask and..." Vako got a snide smile and stroked that blaster rifle in his hands. "Get straight to the answer."

There was no telling what kind of security that owned a gambling den like that would have, but everyone standing there worked in the business for management could change at the tip of the hat, or the pull of the trigger.


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Cadu Leszek

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Cadu had approached Ikraggo the Hutt and his entourage at the same time as another person, a human, dressed as smartly as the Kiffar was dressed practically. They converged on the Hutt like twin meteors entering a planet's atmosphere. It seemed almost rehearsed. The bounty hunter decided it was a good sign of things to come.

The Hutt briefed them about the details of the job, and then a quick round of introduction ensued. Quick being the keyword. Scoundrels, while quick-witted and usually chatty, had a tendency to keep the exchange of information pertaining to their person to a minimum - especially in contexts of some apprehension. And apprehension was abound, it seemed, in all the parties. Cadu, who logged his loaded backpack over one shoulder and his blaster rifle over the other, did his best to slot into his usual gregarious self. However, the sun bore down on him and added extra weight to the gear he carried and shortness to his temper. So, when the Toydarian suggested that they skip the niceties and go straight to aggressive negotiations, the Kiffar's thunderous laughter was a little less genuine and a little more affrontive than he would have liked.

"We can all appreciate a cavalier approach, Mr Yizek," said Cadu. "Though I'm sure it has worked well for you in the past, I assume our employer has a more... sustainable policy in mind. There should be plenty of opportunity to whip out the blasters later." He put the backpack down by his feet and slung the blaster rifle more securely around his shoulder. The head scarf unwrapped by the instruction of his hands, one of which ran through his wet curls whilst the other dapped the sweat off his face with the cloth. He was eager to get going, if for nothing else than to get out of the sun for a while. "Perhaps, our employer," he said, looking at Ikraggo, "could elaborate on their plan on the way?"

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Lucien Sloan

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Lucien headed towards the speeder truck though he looked at the Hutt with a curious expression. He was expectingg more details to follow. "Humble transport. Makes sense. Hopefully you'll upgrade though I hope." The stuntman wondered if Ikraggo was the type to have a hot temper. He didn't have a decent gauge of the slug's ways just yet. Supposeduly Hutts were also resistant to jedi mind tricks. Maybe their behavior was an indicator of their resistance or just their state of mind. The same could be said for Toydarians. Curious

Checking the speeder truck out he had to admit maybe for a Hutt a truck was the more available option. Not all Hutts were automatically wealth crime bosses. But judging by the way the muscular Hutt spoke he intended on taking the initiative in that direction. The mirrors and repulsion settings were good even to his limited seat adjustment while the others got onboard.

Pulling out his personav he was able to pull up the navigation directions for the main stadium seating area where the starting line was also located. Lucien knew very well about pod racing and aspired to even be in a race before he died. Ironically it could be the thing that killed him. The near-human revealed himself to be kiffar if Lucien had to guess judging by the facial tattoos. But he voiced his own ignorance to the plans and desired revelation. The truck thrummed to life after every one was aboard and they took off at a steady pace.


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Cadu Leszek

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Vako Yizok

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The drive through the desert had to be rather hard, and just as fast. Though the truck had not been the most luxurious ride, it got the job done. The suns of the world were quite hot, and dried out moist skin very quickly. Species with a naturally tough physique had an easier time there, but others would always struggle. Not every world was perfect, and this desert was not an exception to that rule. The faster a vehicle went, the faster one could be out of the dune seas. It allowed them to avoid being picked off by scavengers or raiders, or having a vehicle malfunction of a most unfortunate nature. Out there, it was not likely that anyone would be getting help any time soon.... or at all.

The Toydarian had sat with his back to the cab, small by comparison the seat that was there for him. Though his wings could have carried him quite a distance, it would not have been fun or easy to cross the desert.

When Mos Espa came into view, Vako's eyes narrowed.

"Why didn't we just land out here?" He asked to no one in particular. It had taken over an hour to get there, baking in the uncomfortable desert sun, and it appeared that many people were just as content landing their ships in the desert surrounding the town. Maybe they had needed fuel and shelter for the ships, but he assumed they'd handle a little sand if they were handling space.

They pulled up to their destination, and Vako unharnessed himself, and began to hover. Whether the others were up to it or not, Vako loomed over the truck slightly and brought his rifle to bare. He did not see anyone that appeared immediately threatening, but kept an eye out. He was quick to give and assume violence, and this place screamed of a place that such may be necessary.

"Alright. Someone do the talkin' fast. It's hot and I hate to be baking without a drink in hand." Vako loomed and leered, attempting to find a nearby place where his latter desire could be taken care of. He spied a small drink stand with some chairs and cloth overhangs providing shade. That would likely be his best bet, and he'd be there in a moment.

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