Ask Finding the Unfindable

[Kaldar]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled. Looking for 1 other person who can post every 48 hours or so!​

Kaldar had - with great effort - finally tracked the trail of the artifact he was after. The fifth shard had been in Imperial space once upon a time before being taken by the former Lord Commander into the southern reaches of former-Imperial space.

After discovering that the former Lord Commander had practically vanished off the map, he'd managed to find out that a bunch of his things had been scavenged by salvagers. Salvagers sold a great deal of their goods on Bespin in the lower reaches of one of the mining colonies where crime and the black market ran rampant.

So that was where Kaldar had arrived to. The cloud city floating above the gas giant, and he headed down toward the underside of the city. His lightsaber was concealed under his jacket, and the world around him grew dirtier the deeper he went. People became less inviting and more suspicious, and Kaldar couldn't help but think that this was just the kind of place where people didn't ask questions if something went wrong.

Just toss them over the side, and it's no more concerns, he thought to himself as he went down to start searching the junk dealer's shops.

 

[Thel Xeros]

Having earned praise from Darth Tempest for obtaining one of the shards of Palpatine's crown, Thel became interested in seeing if he could acquire another one of the shards. Tracking such an object would take time, which fortunately he had.

It took time, but bribes, interrogations and doing a few favours resulted in a tip off. Rumours that it might be sold off through the black market on Bespin. Arriving on Cloud City, he set off for the underside as swiftly as possible. He had chosen to wear his usual robes, his lightsaber concealed at the back left side of his belt.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar picked his way through the lower streets of Bespin and past several of the drug-addled locals before finally coming to a junk shop run by a particularly tiny-looking Rodian.

Hello, what can I help you with, he began in Rodese, only translated because of the EZpods translation piece in Kaldar's ear.

Hey, I heard that some of the scavs sell stuff here. I was hoping to peruse your stock, he said, offering a disarming smile as he leaned against the counter. He had yet to see any evidence of the other Sith, and frankly, even if he had seen the man, their paths had never crossed before so Kaldar wouldn't have been able to spot the man out as a Sith.

Come on back, I'll show you what I've got, the Rodian said, leading Kaldar back deeper into the store. A store that was filled with all manner of items. Some locked up behind cabinets, other stuff out for perusing, and everything in between.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Eventually, Thel made his way to the lower levels of the city. The streets were cramped and busy. Not the nicest of surroundings. He had spent a lot of time on rough planets, so he was used to it. It would be good to go somewhere nice for a change though. Down-and-outs lay in alleyways, presumably users of spice or some other type of substance.

There were a number of junk shops and pawn shops on the lower levels. The shard, if it was on Cloud City, could have fallen into the hands of any one of the dealers down there. Thel realised he needed to be patient. Four or five shops later and his patience was beginning to wear thin. The dealers seemed clueless, or they were doing a good job of feigning ignorance. All he needed was the right piece of information to point him in the right direction.

Walking down another miserable street, he spotted yet another grim looking junk shop. There was a Toydarian perched on a chair behind the counter. Worth a try. He approached the small creature. “Excuse me, I am looking for an object. An antique of imperial origin,” he inquired politely. “Oh really. Well, I wouldn’t have anything like that. We don’t really get much imperial stuff around here.” It was a similar answer to the ones he had received from the other dealers. Here we go again. “Are you sure? I had heard rumours about certain valuable imperial objects making their way down here recently.” Thel’s tone of voice was firmer, but he didn’t expect much from the diminutive dealer. “Well, I might know someone who could help you. I would need the right incentive though.” A bribe. Most things seemed to come down to money; not that he would persuade the Toydarian with credits. Pulling out a tiny pouch from the back of his belt, he opened it and poured a small amount of the contents on the counter. Gold dust. Thel’s connection with a spice operation was lucrative and meant he could afford small luxuries. He placed the pouch on the counter as well. “It’s yours, if you tell me what I want to know.” The Toydarian’s eyes lit up. “I want to check this is genuine, then I will tell you.”

-

After verifying the gold dust was genuine, the Toydarian provided Thel with a name and place. Thel preferred to deal with things peacefully, if possible. If it was a false lead, he could always try an alternative approach. The name given to him was that of a Rodian called Oppo. They ran a junk shop not far from the Toydarian’s. Supposedly they had come into possession of a number of objects salvaged from a high-ranking imperial.

Thel entered the Rodian’s shop, but he couldn’t see the Rodian. Looking around, the shop seemed to be full of the same rubbish that the other shops were. He couldn’t sense the shard, like he had with the one he found on Atravis. That didn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t there. Noticing a service bell on the counter, he pressed it. Hopefully the Rodian would be out to serve him soon.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar started looking around inside the shop without any real direction for what he was looking for, unfortunately, and as it turned out, the Rodian wasn't much help either. When the alien wasn't looking, Kaldar rolled his eyes.

Yeah, I know, I know, he said, waving off the Rodian's third attempt to tell sell him a suit of old Galactic Empire stormtrooper armor. I'm not looking for stuff from 100 years ago, I'm looking for something current Empire, he said.

Imperial Knights or military. Stuff like that, he said. The Rodian nodded along and started leading him further into the store (and if Kaldar had to guess not any closer to what he wanted) when a bell rang out front.

Keep on looking, I'll be right back, he said, before heading back toward the front. Kaldar nearly lost all spinal integrity as the man left, but that was fine, he'd just look on his own, then.

Hello and welcome to Tiecho's shop! What can I do for you!? the Rodian asked in Rodese of the newcomer.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

After Thel waited for a short while, a small Rodian stepped into view. They greeted Thel in what he assumed was Rodese. Not a language he spoke. “Do you speak basic,” he asked the Rodian bluntly. He wasn’t going to patronise them by speaking in an exaggerated and slow manner. The Rodian shook their head, indicating they didn’t speak it. He had an alternative. Given the underside’s connection to the black market, there was a chance that dealers might have some knowledge of Huttese. He wasn’t fluent, but he had picked up a few basic words and phrases in his travels.

“Do you speak Huttese,” he asked in Huttese. The Rodian seemed to recognise the words. “A little.” He didn’t waste time. “I want new imperial items. Do you have them?” He could sense that the Rodian suddenly seemed slightly uneasy. “No, nothing. Sorry.” If the Toydarian had been telling the truth, then the Rodian wasn’t being honest. He decided to go along with their answer anyway. “Ok, thank you.”

He left the shop but doubled back when the Rodian moved out of sight.

The Rodian went back and found Kaldar. They were in a flustered state. “Are you some sort of an imperial? You turn up looking for current imperial goods and then this other person turns up straight away looking for the same thing. What is this?”

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar kept looking through the shop as the Rodian went to the front, and he promptly found absolutely nothing. In fact, the more he looked around the more he wondered if the Rodian had what he was looking for at all (roll 3/20).

The frown on his face deepened and he kept poking around for a few moments more before the Rodian returned to promptly ask him if he was Imperial. Kaldar's face twisted up in a look of confusion that belied his understanding of what might have prompted the question.

Do I look Imperial? Do I look old enough to be Imperial? he asked. At eighteen years old, he certainly could push himself to pass as "too young" to be part of any Imperial unit.

My dad's a collector, and I was trying to get out in front of a Father's Day gift for him, he explained patiently. The mention of someone else here looking for Imperial things pointed him toward the fact that he might actually be in the right place. Kaldar didn't believe in coincidences, and the fact that someone else was here meant he needed to be all the more careful.

Look, man, I just figure someone around here has to have the stuff that got left behind when the Imps pulled out. You're not the guy then maybe you can point me to the person who is? he offered. Maybe it was the mention of going to someone else or maybe it was the slight nudge that Kaldar put against his mind with the Force, but the Rodian helped up a suction cup-tipped finger.

Wait here, let me see if I have anything, he said, and disappeared toward the back of the store. Kaldar wasn't entirely convinced that the Rodian was going to actually come back with anything, but he would be patient for the moment...

Patient and keeping an eye open for someone else coming into the store. Hopefully, the Rodian had only mentioned the stranger to Kaldar and not the other way around.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel quietly made his way deeper into the shop, moving between the various shelves and display cases. He suspected the Rodian was in possession of imperial objects. Even if they didn’t have one of the pieces of Palpatine’s crown, they might have an imperial item that could be of interest. Swiftly moving through the store, he didn’t spot anyone else.

He could sense a faint dark presence. Not strong enough to be an object like the one he was looking for. Perhaps another force user? Given how densely populated the lower levels of the city were, it was too difficult to pinpoint the exact source of the presence.

Reaching the back part of the shop, he witnessed the Rodian enter a small door which quickly locked behind them. Maybe they kept salvaged imperial items there? Instead of storming in, he decided to opt for the more patient approach. He moved into cover behind a shelf, pretending to browse, and kept an eye on the door to see if the Rodian emerged with anything interesting.

(7/20 Dice roll)

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar kept perusing through the junk in the store before finally deciding that the Rodian wasn't coming back with anything useful, and he instead navigated over to the other man that had now entered the store.

Hey bro, you don't know anything about old military tech, do you? My dad's a big collector but I don't know crap about it, he asked the other man. He stepped in closer until he was within speaking distance of the other man, sliding up next to him to look at what the other Sith was looking at.

As it turned out, the other Sith had stopped next to a set of old - and particularly worn out looking - speakers for a stereo.

Oh man, are you into stereos too? he asked after the other Sith had answered the initial question. He gave him a friendly tap on the bicep with the back of his own hand to accentuate his excitement.

Sorry, got distracted, no but really, you couldn't give me any pointers about military stuff, right? he asked. For all he knew, the man was in the military. Or a bounty hunter. As it turned out, people in those lines of work had a specific way about them in many cases.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel kept his eyes on the door, waiting for the Rodian’s return. He could always wait and then try to sneak into the room when the Rodian was out of the way. He was beginning to doubt that the Rodian had part of the crown.

He was so focused on thoughts of the crown that he only noticed the man who approached him when they were close. His head snapped in their direction when they began speaking. “No, unfortunately not. I’m interested in military memorabilia, but I’ve only recently started to collect it.” His voice was flat as he answered the question. He glanced down at the man’s hand as they tapped his bicep. “Yes, I am interested in stereos and other antique audio equipment,” he answered politely. “Unfortunately, these things aren’t of much value,” he said, gesturing towards the speakers. He wanted to keep conversation to a minimum. He wasn’t interested in engaging in any prolonged interactions with strangers.

“I don’t think I would be much help. Have you tried asking the Rodian that runs this shop? Maybe they could help you. I think they only really speak Rodese though.”

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar wasn't getting much from the man, and the man pointed him back in the direction of the Rodian as an option. The Champion's suspicions were still up, but he decided that maybe the best route forward was a more aggressive one. Or rather, one that more aggressively pursued the prize.

Where was that Rodian.

Ah man, alright, well it was worth a shot, he said. Yeah, maybe I'll look for him, he said with a nod. At this point, he was quite certain the item wasn't out in the main store, which meant it was either in a secret stash or it wasn't in this location at all.

Well, best of luck with your antiques and your stereo, I guess, he added, though apparently the man had already declared the stereo useless. And of course it was.

Kaldar instead headed back toward the back of the store where the Rodian had disappeared to and made sure he was out of sight of the other man before slipping through the back door to confront the Rodian. Or more specifically, to look for the item itself.

Alright, Kaldar, think, he told himself as he slipped into the back area. More junk seemed to line every free space, but he finally set eyes on something that looked more promising. Some more modern era equipment that he moved over and started to look through, not having seen the Rodian... yet.

OOC: Just as an FYI, knowing someone is FS can only be done when they are actively using the Force and even then it can be difficult to pinpoint the "who." @DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

“Hopefully you find what you are looking for,” Thel said to the man. He began to slowly walk in the opposite direction to the man, as he pretended to keep browsing. Once he felt sure the man had moved on, he made his way back to the door. The Rodian hadn’t returned, so he felt it was time to take a more direct approach. He moved through the door.

The back area of the shop seemed to be filled with more of the same sort of junk. Maybe the Toydarian had lied to him about the Rodian having something. Perhaps this had been a waste of time. As he moved around a shelf of objects, he spotted a familiar figure. The man from earlier, sifting through some items. He would rather avoid them, if possible. Unfortunately, as he stepped back, the floor panel beneath him creaked. The sound was loud enough to attract attention. He grimaced, before quickly composing himself.

“Hello again,” he would say to the man, if they turned around.

(OOC: Failed dice roll to pass by unnoticed.)

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar looked around the area before finally spotting what he thought was the prize. He could sense it pulsing in the Force as he drew closer to it, and his jaw tightened as he suppressed the urge to seize it. Instead, he let an Imperial cloak fall over it to conceal its presence.

So what exactly are you looking for? he asked the other man, turning his attention back toward him now. He'd found his prize, but he wasn't going to let it slip through his fingers.

Pretty sure he's got enough crap back here to never find anything, he said. Kaldar's goal now was to simply make the man... go away.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

“I was just looking for the Rodian. I thought I would see if he had anything interesting that wasn’t on display.” Thel agreed with the man’s assessment of the goods in the shop. “So, I take it you haven’t had any luck finding something good?” Looking over at the equipment next to the man, it appeared more modern than the other things he had seen in the shop. He didn’t feel it was worth further scrutiny though.

It was at that moment, the Rodian came around the corner from behind one of the shelves. “Hey, I told you to wait out there!” Thel couldn’t understand Rodese, but the Rodian’s gesticulations suggested he wasn’t in a good mood. “Let’s go out to the front. This part of the shop is my storage. These aren’t display items.” The Rodian put his arm on Kaldar’s shoulder, seemingly trying to usher him away. He pointed at Thel as well. “You as well. I told you we don’t have what you want.” The Rodian spoke to Thel in broken Huttese. For whatever reason, the Rodian didn’t seem interested in dealing with him or the other man. Thel was now fairly certain the Rodian didn’t have anything. If he did, then he was doing a good job of hiding it. There was always the chance that he had obtained items and already agreed to sell them elsewhere.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Ah, sorry, was wondering where you'd gone, he said apologetically before motioning toward the pile of things in the back.

It looks like you've got some of the things I might be looking for. I'll pay you extra if I find something good if you just let me take a look, he said before holding up two fingers.

Come on, two minutes, he said. He gave the gentlest nudge of the man's mind with the Force, and the Rodian seemed to relent.

Fine! Two minutes and no more! he said, and Kaldar didn't waste any time in looking back through the other things in the piles.

You wait out front! the Rodian said in his broken Huttese to Thel, motioning back toward the way they had come.

Roll: 13/20 for convincing the Rodian to let him look @DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

“Fine,” Thel replied. As he turned around, he spotted what looked like a more modern piece of imperial equipment in a pile near the other man. It was the first he had seen in the shop.

He let the Rodian lead him closer towards the front of the shop, before stopping them. At this point, he was sure he was going to return to the Toydarian and take back the gold dust he had given them. However, he wasn’t quite done with the Rodian yet. He felt it was worth investigating the back area of the shop one more time; just to be sure. Especially since he had seen a more modern piece of imperial technology back there.

Thel was patient, but he found that, since he had grown in power, it was easier for his patience to be tested. He still maintained his calm demeanour, but the Rodian had irritated him. “A Toydarian told me you have imperial things. Where,” he asked, in Huttese. It was the Rodian’s last chance to guide him straight to what he wanted. “No. Nothing for you.”

Thel reached out and used the force to begin choking the small Rodian. “Where? Tell me.” The Rodian desperately struggled. “Please, I’ll tell you.” Thel released his grip. “The stuff the other guy is looking at. Imperial items there.” He didn’t feel it was worth wasting any more time on the Rodian. With a swift slash of his saber, they were beheaded. He then moved in the direction of the back of the shop. @Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar wasted no time as soon as the pair were out of the way, and slipped the piece of the crown into his pocket before making for the back. He thought he sensed a fluctuation in the Force and perhaps - if he weren't imagining it - the gentle hum of a lightsaber from the other room, and that was all the more reason to pick up the pace.

Kaldar found himself quite thankful that doors locked from the inside so when he darted toward the back door, it opened for him without delay, and the Sith started making his way at a brisk pace out of the shop and back in the direction of his ship.

With any luck, the other man - if he came back and paid any heed to Kaldar at all - would just write him off as someone scared for his life and fleeing the scene or perhaps even just a thief. At the end of the day, there was little to note about the Sith, and Kaldar was hoping for that as he made his way through the streets and back to his ship. Just another random citizen on an almost-forgotten world. Nothing to see.

After all, that was who Kaldar was: whoever he needed to be to get his job done, and no one to pay any attention to.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel returned to the back of the shop and found the door locked. With a thrust of his arm, he used the force to rip the door out and throw it aside. Entering the back room, he saw that the other man was gone. At least they wouldn’t interfere. Thel began to search.

Unfortunately, after looking for some time, he found nothing. What a waste of my time.

Thel returned to the Toydarian’s shop and killed the small creature without a second’s thought. He took back the gold dust he had given them, before leaving.

The only consolation was that he didn’t know for sure if there had been a shard on Cloud City. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. He had obtained one shard before, and he had been rewarded for it. He could afford to bide his time and wait for another opportunity to claim one of the shards, should another ever be up for grabs.

END THREAD

@Phoenix