(Ankhural) Zia's Return: No More Animals

[Herrith Hendarsin]

@The Captain @Darasuum @Zoonn Kaban

Not a lot of people knew about Ankhural. More specifically, not a lot of people knew exactly what Ankhural even was and where it was located. A perfect place to hide, whether from the rest of the galaxy...or in this case, hiding from truth seekers. That's what Herrith thought, anyhow. The previous venture on Tatooine had yielded only a lead, another breadcrumb in the journey.

Whoever she was looking for was playing the long game. A very long game. And it seemed he knew his stuff. That's what she had decided to label the mystery pilot, a he. Of course, it could all be wrong once she found him, or his corpse, but for now it was good for sake of identification. All he'd left were coordinates to Ankhural and more cryptic clues. Sya, her sister, had provided limited help, since if she couldn't hack it she was essentially useless.

Her contacts had probably never set foot on this planet. This was one of her old stomping grounds, a place to run off in case there was too much heat. Of course, she and this pilot must have had a lot in common. Tatooine, and now Ankhural. It was a lot of thinking to worry about, in a limited capacity to do so. The datapad had yielded some help, though; it seemed that it was on some sort of timer to decrypt more of the logs, and she was told to look for a trader, an Umbaran, by the name of Phorse. Real specific. This planet stunk of Umbarans. But a few old friends could help with that.

Herrith shut off the datapad and looked around at the city, waiting outside the fairly small spaceport for her contacts to arrive. They likely weren't satisfied with the previous catch, and she wouldn't be surprised if none or only some showed. Nor would she blame them. A few credits was chump change, and they needed a bit more to spur them on. This was a personal mission requiring some external help, though, so resources were limited. But the Zeltron had been sure to pull a few strings and would toss in some goodies. Of course, by this time she was dead broke.

Hopefully something would give way. This was losing steam fast.

Spoiler: OOC

Here's the second thread. I'm requesting to add some goodies for you all, I know Dara wants a PIPE but if you need/want anything, chime in. Essentially, we're going to be wandering Ankhural, this'll be mainly a gang beat-up, some nice interrogations, and the like. I'll DM for the NPCs.

 

[Daesha Keever]

Well, that last adventure with Herrith had turned into a massive cluster-fark, with the quartet barely escaping a pack of anoobas on Tatooine only to limp away with some vague clues and the name of a planet, situated firmly in the ass-end of nowhere. Most sane people would have given up at this point, most mercs would be calling it quits. Hell, maybe even the crackpots would be thinking twice, but Daesh'afenn was none of these things, she was Herrith's boss, and for that reason and a sense of friendship with the zany Zeltron she decided to show up on Ankhural. The entire planet was a crime-ridden dust bowl, combining all of the charm of a Hutt-controlled colony and the gorgeous atmosphere of a dead desert planet. Simply majestic. Regardless of how uncomfortable this was going to be, Daesha wasn't going to give up on Herrith now, no matter how close or far off they were.

As for the others, Daesha couldn't do anything about the Echani, but she decided to put the screws to Zoonn a bit after their last job hadn't ended so well. He wasn't hard to convince, he still seemed to be on board with this project, but threatening his rum supply via Old Porky probably got him here faster than he otherwise would have come. Hopefully he just kept that information to himself, Daesha still wanted to keep Herrith in the spotlight on this mission since it was her gig after all.

Moving through the spaceport, which was disturbingly crowded with Umbarans of all people, the shady farkers, Daesha finally located Herrith. Being a Zeltron, the pink humanoid stood out even worse here than she did on Tatooine, surrounded by a sea of short, hunched, pale-skinned, hunched-over Umbarans.

"Please tell me everyone is here already, because I really don't want to spend my day neck-deep in Umbarans."

 

[Chiffon]

__________

The Vari boarding skiff flew through the airspace effortlessly with the Echani behind the controls. She had two astromech droids in her possession now. One was hers, Sparky, that she had for quite some time. The other she had acquired after she helped turn in the bounty for James Logan to Nem'ro. She had sold his ship as well and most of what was on board for some credits that paid for her rocket boots in her armor now. The second astromech with a simple name she had re-dubbed Coaster because she mostly used him to hold any drinks whenever she was lounging around. Habibah figured if one got damaged or malfunctioning she could toss the other one out and not have to worry about it. But Sparky she liked a little more because he had a grumpy side that reminded her of a seasoned warship engineer she once met. Coaster though, she had wiped its memory and it would have no recollection of its previous master. It was a backup appliance on her ship, Vice.

While the woman was pale her white complexion was light. The Umbarans that moved about the space port after she landed seemed to lack the color of life. Nagai seemed similar but these people just seemed to exude a state of depression. Not a lot of parties held on the planet she supposed. The woman made her way to the meeting place, refitted with her gear since the last time she had worked for Herrith on Tatooine. The bounty huntress picked out the blue skinned twi'lek a mile away considering she was the only other non umbaran aside from the group meeting presently. The besadi's foot steps were not noticed by the primary colored female. As soon as she made the comment about spending time neck deep in the local populace Chiffon walked past her.

"That makes two of us."

 

[Zoonn Kaban]

Upon reaching the meeting point Zoonn almost immediately saw the group, the hulking green Nautolan waded through the crowd of pale -pale was painting these creeps more colorfully than they really were- towards the incredibly hued crew he had been working with. He got quite the dirty look from an Umbaran who the ash from his cigarra fell on, shrugging it off he eventually made it to the group.

"Well then, looks like I'm last ta the party again. What's on tha menu this time Pinky?" he asked before dropping the butt of his cigarra on the ground and grinding it out with the heel of his boot.

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith looked around at the Umbarans with the normal look of distaste on her face. Her group had arrived, and she didn't blame them for being at least a bit restrained on their confidence in her abilities. Their colorful tints would definitely garner attention. The reason for being here was a bit hard to explain, but Herrith would do her best, seeing as last time they pretty much had no direction whatsoever. She was getting better at this, that's what she kept telling herself.

"Alright. So apparently we're here because there were some old contacts or something of my mystery pilot, scattered all around this settlement. And there's only one settlement on this whole planet, so that pretty much narrows it down. Ankhural is a scum world. Expect all manner of thieves, thugs, and anyone and anything trying to stab you in your kidney. We've got a few locations around the area, including a cantina, a market, and, uh, a slaver outpost. It's got no affiliation with the Hutts," she nodded to Chiffon, "and it's a small fish in the big ocean. But pretty soon it'll blow up, plenty of candidates come to Ankhural. So that's less competition, as much as I hate slavers."

 

[Daesha Keever]

A Zeltron, a Rutian Twi'lek, a Nautolan, and an Echani, in a see of Umbarans they all stood out like gigantic, sore thumbs. Daesha was actually glad for this in a sense, as it made sure she could tell who to shoot and who not to shoot, she knew who was on her side here. It was rather nice, having people she could depend on in a bad situation, but for now she wasn't the one that needed backup, she was here for Herrith.

The plan seemed simple enough as Herrith explained it, someone on this ball of darkened dirt was a contact of the Zia's old owner, and the four of them needed to track that someone down. They had a few options on the table for places to look; a cantina, a market, and of course a slavers' outpost, because why wouldn't there be a local slavery ring, every backwater crime-world had one.

"So, where do we start?"

 

[Chiffon]

__________

The woman thought about the situation and the options available. Herrith's words gave light to the possibilities they could choose from for their next course of action. But it made the Echani's mind stray to an old cartoonish story regarding a talking Akk dog and the a group of rascally children. They always would find some bit of the story where they thought it was one thing but it was really the other. Chiffon wondered if she would find herself in a similar situation on this planet. She stayed silent and waited for someone else to come up with a plan. All she thought about was a direct approach. Kick down a door and ask where the person was until they got an answer.

 

[Zoonn Kaban]

"I vote we start at the cantina." Zoonn declared happily. He had a thirst and no flask on him so he REALLY wanted to go get some rum.

He also spent alot of time in bars and knew how to work the kinds of people in them, the shadier the establishment the better since the owners were willing to take smaller payments for turning a blind eye whilst you worked someone over at a shadowy corner table.

Spoiler: ooc

SOOOOO sorry i took so long to post. I thought i had already but...well I'm dumb.

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith smiled to herself as the group seemed to be open to being led by her questionably stable self once again. She had given them the plan, some options, and the Nautolan had even recommended the cantina, which she responded to with a short chuckle. Seeing as the two of them were pretty much decided, as she also was looking to get a drink in to forget this planet for a little while, she nodded.

"Drinks first, then. Pirate's paying. Right?"

She winked to Zoonn and started walking backing off to make sure everyone wasn't getting lost in the crowds (or kidnapped, for that matter) before turning and leading the way through the pale humanoids. Many growled their distaste, or shot bad glances, but just as many kept to themselves. On a frontier planet like this, outsiders weren't too common or uncommon, and some liked them while some definitely did not. A few turns down some sketchy alleys, and they were where they had to be. The only good cantina on the settlement. Big Rock, that's what they called it.

She stepped aside and looked to her colleagues, waving them in with a smile. The charm of Ankhural was coming back to her. All the good vibes of Tatooine, minus the heat, with a negative of a bunch of creepy pale people. Win some, lose some.

Spoiler: OOC

I'll get a Storyteller post up...'soon', detailing the external people we're looking for. For now, we'll stick to what we've been doing. Thanks all!

@The Captain @Darasuum @One For Sorrow

 

[Daesha Keever]

The bar it was then, as Zoonn was quick to chime in about his desire to hit the cantina, no doubt fueled by a desire to get drunk on this mission. The man had all the self-control of a happy dog, but he was a functional drunk so Daesha held her peace when Herrith agreed to take them all to the bar first. Plus, the bar was undoubtedly going to be the least unpleasant place they had to visit today, if a slave market was also on their docket. So Daesha followed the rest of her crew through the streets and into the 'Big Rock' cantina.

@Darasuum @One For Sorrow @Herrith

 

[Chiffon]

__________

The woman had consumed alcohol on the last job before they had even started their mission. This time they would be imbibing during it most likely. The Echani would not object to it though she would likely abstain from it this time. She wanted to have somewhat of a clear head this time. Work had come up in large amounts in the past couple of weeks and it was not ideal for her to be strung out too much between venues. The woman would follow to the drinking establishment, hands resting on her waist to look both alluring as well as ready to draw any weapon necessary for a potential threat. Today was not the fun party side of Chiffon.

 

[Zoonn Kaban]

Zoonn grinned as they all agreed to head to the bar, he didn't intend to get too hammered but he would definitely be imbibing.

As soon as they reached the 'big rock' cantina he headed straight to the bar, getting the attention of the rather dull witted looking Umbaran barkeep. "Listen up mate an' listen close," he started, leaning over the bar, "First off, me mates an' I was never in this karkhole. Second, we drink fer free." he declared as he subtly waved his hand, to an onlooker it would simply appear like he was someone who spoke with alot of hand movements. Nobody wpuld know he was using the force to bend the man to his will. "Now, gimme a bottle o rum, good stuff. Not the kark ye keep in plain sight. An' when the commodore o'er there comes an' talkes to ye yer gonna answer any question she has. Honestly." he added with another hand wave.

"You and your friends drink free. The commodore gets the truth." the dimwit responded in monotone as he got out a very fancy bottle and handed it to the Nautolan pirate.

Zoonn took the bottle and went back to the gang, "There we go. Bit o' booze. Opened a tab fer us. Barkeep's all warned up fer ya pinky." he declared with a huge kark-eating grin on his face.

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith admired the pirate's bold venture, and had expected it to be returned with a laugh and a threat of death. Surprisingly, he did as requested, and she ordered a bottle of Corellian whiskey, leaning against the counter and nodding to her friends as she popped the top. Returning her gaze to the owner of the bar, who seemed to be in a slight daze, the Zeltron snapped her fingers. As he returned, she took a swig of the drink in her hands, smiling to the Nautolan in thanks. Whatever he had done had pretty much made this guy complaint to anything. Impressive.

"Alright, we'll start things off simple. And on an off tangent, Chiffon and Daesha, you guys can look around if you'd like, search for some info. Zoonn, you too, unless you'd rather enjoy your drink. Expect some people dressed as smugglers to be your go-to guys and gals. But...keep an eye out for trouble, too. We don't know if my pilot had a lot of enemies."

Winking, she went back to interrogating the bartender.
"Ever heard of the Zia? Fathier-class, some nice red paint on the sides. Used to stop by this settlement from time to time. Ring a bell?"

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, as though weighing whether or not to say something. In a strained tone, he nodded with a 'Yes'. Herrith narrowed her eyes slightly, then dismissed it and continued her questions.
"Do...you happen to know if anyone who crewed it was still here? Any tips on the captain's whereabouts? Maybe some more backstory on what exactly it is?"

As her questioning continued, the bartender replied with fairly vague answers. They were the truth, just...not with enough information. Like he was reluctant to answer. It could have very well been lack of knowledge, too. All Herrith could really do was keep asking. And that was her plan. Surely someone around here knew something. It was a small settlement, and the Zia certainly wasn't ancient.

Spoiler: OOC

I'll be gone till Sunday, guys! Once I get back, I'll get a DM going for some people who don't really like the idea of us snooping around. Otherwise, have some time where I don't pester you with pink!
@The Captain @Darasuum @One For Sorrow

 

[Daesha Keever]

Daesha had to figure out how Zoonn was able to get people to just do what he wanted by talking to them, if the man didn't have a penchant for beating the ever living kark out of people she'd consider him for a more diplomatic position. In any case, it got them free drinks and no questions asked, so Daesha didn't bother to question him now over it and instead decided to stick with Herrith's plan and go fishing for information.

"Can do boss." The bartender was a good place to start, but Daesha had a few other ideas in mind for how to find the mole with information on the Zia. Scanning over the bar scene, she spotted a group of old Umbarans in the far corner gathered around a holonet projector, playing local race recordings with betting counters on the display. These were race enthusiasts, old ones by the looks of them, so that looked to be as good a place as any to start. She made sure to grab a second bottle of whatever the old men were drinking on her way over, approaching them with a smile as her eyes flicked to their screen.

"Damn, those guys aren't half bad. Are these current races?"

@Darasuum @One For Sorrow @Herrith

 

[Chiffon]

__________

For now the woman would walk up to the bar, take whatever cool drink was offered her and let it sit on the counter, slowly warming to room temperature. She let her helmet fold down around her neck attracting several stares around the cantina. She would wait until one of the other patrons approached her rather than go chasing leads. One individual, a male eyed her from across the establishment. Chiffon looked him up and down, not sure whether his look was one of interest or if wariness. Eventually he would come over to her and offer to buy her a drink to which she let him know she already had one. "But maybe you can help me out. I'm looking for a ship."

"You might want to check the dealership."

"Not that kind of ship." This would only receive a curious look from the umbaran male. "A ship, already owned, probably pink in color, maybe a bit gaudy but a surprising bit of hardware. Anybody brag about a ship like that?" She asked, taking a sip of her beverage for the first time as she waited for a response.

 

[Zoonn Kaban]

Zoonn looked around the cantina, taking several swigs of his fancy rum. The others had gone off to start various conversations in persuit of the Zia, so he followed suit.

Umbarans had this horrible similarity between all of them, he wasn't sure which one to go for until he saw one of the patrons suspiciously slipping out the back. Lighting a cigarra, the big Nautolan followed the Umbaran man and - once they were both in the deserted back alley- he used the force to pull his quarry back to him. Grabbing the man's shirt he pinned the guy to the wall and gave a swift jab to his gut. "Right mate. Fancy ship. Hidden somewhere by someone, ye know anythin' 'bout it?" he started, delivering another jab to the guy's ribs. Zoonn was good at working people over, he knew just the right amount of force to apply to hurt without causing serious damage. "Yer gonna wanna cooperate if'n ye don't want any more a those." he growled, blowing a cloud of pungeant snoje in the Umbaran's face with each word.

 

[The Storyteller]

There was a Morellian dressed in a dusty trench coat which sat in the corner. Apparently a few strangers, newcomers save the Zeltron, which he'd spotted multiple times at this settlement over the years, had come in. Asking around for a very particular ship, and more specifically, the captain. The Zia. He'd seen the pink being a few times, mainly for refueling runs or the occasional need to hide away. She'd never been curious about this ship. It drew an unease amongst whoever was asked. This was a small settlement, and most knew its captain, and more importantly, its lore. None liked to speak about it, like many of the pirate tales, but this was far more localized. The ship in question was a curious one, and he knew as much about it as most others around here did, if not more. After all, every captain needs a good first mate...For now, he'd lay low and wait till they started getting desperate.

The Umbaran who spoke to Chiffon, which at first had carried keen interest in her, suddenly cleared his throat, paling moreso than his skin tone already was, before setting down credits for another drink and briskly walking away. Plenty of other fish in the sea. Echani were pretty, but common. And this one scared her. The Morellian eyed her from his table.

To the Twi'lek, the old men merely smiled, mainly replying with the usual banter, including gentle criticism of the players.
"Some of the greatest ever" and "They were sloppy against X team" were among them. It was a smart move to initiate conversation with a simple topic, and these men had been hooked.

Zoonn's quarry was pretty much petrified, and after a moment of cursing in his native language, he sputtered and spoke.
"Y-ye-m-maybe! What ship? There's a lot of ships around here, none stay for long!"

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith grimaced after a while. No luck. The tender was either very good at being vague, or he was very bad at hiding something. Both ways weren't ideal. She sighed, thanked him with a smile and a wink, then stood to look around, for more interrogations to commit. The hair on the back of her neck was prickling. She couldn't figure out why. It wasn't because this was a new place to her, more that she had this weird feeling...

Either way, she'd keep a keener eye out. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a non-Umbaran, a Morellian, staring down Chiffon. As much as she believed he was just checking her out, it was just as likely he was suspicious of them. Her guard was up now. She decided to catch up with Chiffon and took a spot beside her, gently elbowing her in the side as she ordered a drink.

"We got a spectator. Morellian dude, dusty coat. You saw him?"

OOC: @The Captain @Darasuum @One For Sorrow

 

[Daesha Keever]

Ding ding, Daesha knew she was in the door the second the men engaged her in their conversation, so she was quick to put the drinks on the table and taking an open seat among the race enthusiasts.

"I'll admit these guys are good, but there was this one guy I remember seeing as a kid, flew a real flashy little freighter," She paused, pretending to wrack her brain for the name of the ship she'd been flying all over the galaxy to help create. "What was that ship called? It was something with a 'Z' in it...the Zeo? The Zeta? This ringing any bells, guys?"

@Darasuum @One For Sorrow @Herrith

 

[Chiffon]

__________

Some people just could not take the heat and were intimidated by a forward individual. Chiffon was not one of those people but the umbaran certainly was. He left her alone after paying for his drink and she watched him leave, an almost disappointing look on her face. Herrith would come up beside her, nudging her playfully making her look over at the woman curiously before she verbalized the reason for her touch.

Chiffon did not immediatly look over at the Morellian. Instead she looked across the bar at some of the other patrons but kept in mind her peripheral view, associating the corner so that she was spacially aware of its location. The woman nodded after a minute. "What do you want to do?" She indicated it was Herrith's lead on the matter. She was just here as an extra helping hand.