My kind of scum

[Vonlin]

Nal Hutta...why the Hutts would call this paradise baffles most people. The Hutts call it Glorious Jewl although there isn't much glory to be found by outsiders. The whole planet is covered in bogs, mud, swamps and sickly but resistant marsh grasslands. The sky is dark and filled with smog from the industrial pollution of the Hutts and all open bodies of water are equally polluted. The few non-sentient species that still exist today have all mutated or evolved to survive the Hutt adapted environment.

The largest city on the planet is Bilbousa, the capital of the planet and the ruling seat of power for the Hutt Grand Council. Bilbousa spaceport is a vast and mostly disorganized hive of activity. There isn't a lot of customs officials found in the spaceport and with the right bribe here and there anyone can land without being given too much thought or being searched. Really the corruption runs so deep its pretty much always assumed you will bribe a customs official to land, or at least if you ever expect to take off.

Today Traask Nadill didn't have to worry about any of that though, for he was already excepted by the Hutts and the necessary bribes and greasing of officials had already been done by the Vesajilics. Anyways word quickly gets around when someone is a guest of the Hutts and guests of the Hutts are left alone as a rule. Especially guests of the Vesajilics, no one wants to get fed to Durggorra's infamous pair of dragonsnakes after all.

No Traask Nadill wasn't to be touched today, no harm would come to him durning his passage for if it did justice would be dealt swiftly and harshly. In fact he would find that the common rabble on the streets would keep their distance from him out of respect...respect and fear of the ruling Hutts. It didn't hurt that he was also a bounty hunter. Bounty hunters are a common sight on Nal Hutta and the public learned quickly to stay out of their way. When someone is as comfortable with killing as a bounty hunter is, the people of Nal Hutta know to avoid them.

When the ramp of his ship would lower, there would be no officials present, his docking bay would be deserted. The only person there would be a Rodian dressed in flowing red robes, the black emblem of the Vesajilics imprinted on the front.

The Rodian gave a slight bow and spoke in Huttese, <"Welcome to Nal Hutta, Honorable Hunter Nadill. This droid can translate for me if you do not understand Huttese.>" He gestured to a small sphere shaped probe droid hovering around his shoulders that was relaying what he spoke. <"I am afraid the master despises speaking in anything but the tongue of his mother, do you understand Huttese or shall I ensure a translator droid is present there as well?">

 

[Rev]

The soft whine of gears in motion filled Traask's ears as he stood on the loading ramp. The shifting metal beneath him was enough to let him know his ship was working fantastically; as it should. With one loud clank as metal came in contact with shipyard the man's towering presence would descend only to be met with the Rodian's eery gaze.

<"Welcome to Nal Hutta, Honorable Hunter Nadill. This droid can translate for me if you do not understand Huttese.">

Traask would eye the Rodian sizing the miniscule creature in the crime world up. A half smirk would grow on the smugglers face before giving him a nod. He understood the Huttese, but he'd never been a fan of speaking it. There was a reason they instituted basic around the universe; so it could be shared as a common language, not to disambiguate between the thousands of other tongues.. But the Hutts were stubborn, and he'd show them the respect their credits earned them.

<"I'm aware of your Master's stance on language.. Just take me to him.">

His voice was cold and direct, just as his persona let off. The weapons that littered his body were more than prevalent letting it be known that his profession was more than an ordinary mans. Pulling the bill of his hat down to better veil the top of his head and eyes he simply pointed onward as if to tell the Rodian it was time to go.

Looking back over his shoulder his hand fell to the wrist attachment on his left inner forearm before hammering in a few controls. The same whine would fill the Nal Hutta air as the loading ramp began to rise, sealing the ship off from any intruders and arming the protection droids from within; security. Next stop.. Durggorra the Hutt..

 

[Vonlin]

The green Rodian bobbled forward in a nod, <"Excellent. Right this way then."> He gestured behind him to the exit of the docking bay then clasped his hands together and swirled around to face it. The representative's red robes flowed around him as he moved towards the exit and then walked through it. He lead them through the spaceport and out onto the street.

The main street outside the spaceport was noisy with hustle and bustle as pedestrians and speeders moved in different directions. The different species of individuals was wide ranging, with no single species making up the majority of the variety. Workers, slaves, smugglers and all other sorts of scum and victims stranded on this world for one reason or another went about their business.

The two of them walked towards a waiting speeder, a red skinned and horned Nikto sat in the drivers seat with the official seal of the Vesajilic clan appearing again, this time on the sleeve of his tunic. The Rodian opened the rear door of the speeder for Traask and afterwards got into the passenger seat next to the driver himself.

The speeder took off, driving through the city of Bilbousa, turning on streets and calmly dodging speeders that dangerously sped through intersections. They passed an enormous Colosseum that dwarfed all of the near by structures, it was recognizable as newly erected. In fact as they drew nearer and began passing it, teams and teams of Evocii slaves became visible, hoisting up banners and putting on the finishing touches, a few slave overseers stood watch over them diligently.

The Rodian half turned around to speak to Trassk again in Huttese while keeping his gaze on the Colosseum, <"This is his excellency's proudest achievement of late, a gift to the city of Bilbousa from the Vesajilic family. It is the new Colossuem for the Blood Sport, it is busy being prepared for the opening games and ceremonies next week. You will have a ticket if you wish to attend, his excellency will offer the city a remarkable offering of bloodshed."> As he turned around and faced the front again he added in as if an after thought, <"And if your a gambling man, there is that too.">

The speeder drove for sometime more, reaching the outskirts of the city and then traveling for a few more miles before a large structure appeared in front of them. It was of course the Vesajilic Fortress and the Hutt clan's seat of power in the galaxy. It was a massive structure, the bulk of it flanked by two identical towers, one east and one west.

(If you haven't yet, you can always read more details on the fortress in our faction thread, at the bottom)​

They approached the fortress palace and neared the only entrance, the large main gate. The speeder pulled to a stop and the Rodian and Traask would exit, letting the speeder leave to presumably head to the fortress's motor pool.

As they walked up to the gate, four Weequay guards stood station, two to either side of the massive doors. There was three bunkers built into the structure of the palace that directly covered the gate. Each bunker bristled with a mounted laser cannon and had a visible guard stationed inside.

When they reached the gate the guards nodded to the Rodian and a holo projected from the gate, it was of a green skinned Twi'lek male, the head of palace security. The Rodian spoke to him, explaining who was accompanying him. The holo soon disappeared and the giant blast door that was the gate began to rise and when it was high enough they would step through into the inner gate chamber. Inside the inner gate chamber there was another blast door, identical to the first.

<"As you can see security is of the up-most importance to the Hutts, I am sure you understand. You will be before his Great Obesity soon, rest assured."> The gate behind them was closing as he spoke, and when it finally sealed shut the second blast door in front of them rose open and they were able to step into the realm of the Vesajilics.

An attractive female human approached them, the Rodian gestured towards her, <"May I present Durggora the Hutt's Majordomo Francsecca Osaii."

Miss Osaii stepped forward, for now she spoke in basic, "Welcome, his excellency is excepting you, follow me. You will have to leave all of your weapons in the ante-chamber to the Grand Audience Chamber before being admitted before His Great Obesity. I am sure you will understand in these dangerous times, Durggorra has many enemies. Rest assured your items will be undisturbed and kept safe, as will you when in his presence. They will be returned to your body immediately when you leave his presence."

She had been walking with him as she spoke, taking them through wide corridors. There was many guards, some of them were security droids built by Vesa corporation and the others were a mix of armed Weequays, Gamorreans, Niktos, Klatooinians and Vodrans. In addition to the guards many others traversed the hallways, guests, workers, associates and slaves alike.

 

[Rev]

Traask walked with the Rodian, unsure of who the man was aside from being an associate to the Vesajilic "clan." As they passed through the busy squabbles that were littered with garbage, pollution, bums, and the like he couldn't help but look over the bugman that had greeted him. Nadill was trying to judge the character and position, was he a simple thug in the ranks.. No. He was higher than that; too intelligent to be a low-life. Yet, something told him this man wasn't the number two or even a high ranking associate in this business venture; still a pawn. As his thoughts wandered a woman jumped out from the slums grasping his right arm.

"Please! Please sir! Get me off this planet! Ask Vesajilic for forgiveness!!"

His shoulder drove out, the bulk of his shoulder pushing her back. His padded muscle taking the blunt of the hit to the weak woman's sternum and dropping her to the street in one solid move. The act drew no ill attention towards himself and the streets merely carried on as they would any other day. His eyes couldn't help but look around, waiting for a reaction.. One that never came.

His eyes lowered from the horizons to the speeder before him, the back door being opened by his "host's" servant. Nodding to the Rodian he would fall into the seat before hearing it click shut behind him; his body somewhat relaxing into the more the luxurious upholstery. As the Huttese bored its way back into his mind he couldn't help but try harder to peer into the vastness that was the coliseum. As they cruised by it and an almost crawl of a pace he would listen to the soft words of the Rodian, particularly at the hint of being able to bet on the bloodshed.

<"I may take you up on that offer...">

His cold tone remained as it had from the beginning; it was the man to his very core. He'd long past distanced himself from ordinary connections with others; it was himself then the world. If the Hutts were lucky they would see that and realize it was as far as the business went. He was no ally; but he was certainly no enemy.

<"..but don't take word to your boss when you've lost his wealth.">

He offered as friendly a laugh as he could muster. It was a forced gesture, but an attempt at making some relations with the strange being. As they approached the fortress he couldn't help but remember the images he had seen in holovids and his own intelligence information. The Twi'lek that came to life in the projection was expected and he simply relaxed into his seat if only slightly more, waiting for their "ride" to continue.

<"When one has as many enemies as Durggorra, I expect security is of the up-most importance. How is it you find men you can trust?">

They'd soon exit the vehicle and he'd be greeted by what he expected to be Durggorra's number two. His initial instinct was to take in her features, she was attractive, but that didn't mean anything to him; this was business. As they walked as a group he couldn't help but take in the "army" that protected the slug he would soon be visiting. His nerves were aching, but he was far from on edge; Hutts were to be respected, they were powerful beyond many's belief.
"You will have to leave all of your weapons in the ante-chamber to the Grand Audience Chamber before being admitted before His Great Obesity."

Traask couldn't help but shoot the woman a look of pure disgust. It was like asking him to part from his own anatomy, but a request he would answer to if only for the one time.

"I trust this will be one of the few times this is necessary?"

Reaching to his hips he quickly un-holstered the two blasters, both of the barrels pointing at Francsecca. He'd turn them in his hand in one smooth motion so both the deadly weapons handles were able to be taken from him.

"..if I maintain business with your Master, I trust we can become partners to some degree. Disarming me is an inconvenience to us both."

The carbine would unsling from his back and the various vibrodaggers that littered his person would all come to be known. Even the holdout blaster he kept on himself nearly at all times would be extracted from its hiding place. All that remained were his wrist-gaunts; items he wouldn't so easily part with.

"..These however I keep on."

They had various gadgets hidden within ranging from flamethrowers to grappling hooks. They wouldn't leave his body and if they wanted them to, he'd take his business elsewhere. They were items that meant more to him as a lifeline than any other weapon he carried on his person.

"If your Master can't trust me with only these, then he won't trust me taking care of his wares and handling his business."

His voice had remained cold, but now is when it stressed the importance of his "mission." He was a bounty hunter and a smuggler, to ask him to remain completely at Durggorra's mercy would be an insult to his character and his reputation.

 

[Vonlin]

((Nice post, BTW normally Osaii will be a player character, but the writer is still developing her profile so I am using her as an NPC briefly here for the full flavor.))

Osaii, Durggorra's majordomo turned first to the Rodian that had accompanied Trassk up until this point. "Thank you, you are dismissed," she said. The Rodian bowed lowly and backed away, then turned and left down a corridor, soon disappearing among the other aliens moving about.

It was no random chance that the Rodian had never introduced himself or his position, the clan didn't like revealing more information about its people than was necessary to outsiders. It helped protect them from potential future sticky situations.

<"When one has as many enemies as Durggorra, I expect security is of the up-most importance. How is it you find men you can trust?">

Osaii replied with a slight smile, "We are very careful," is all she said, leaving some mystery to it.

They finished their walk reaching the ante-chamber to the Grand Audience Chamber and standing outside now. Seeing her approach, the two guards blocking the door to the ante-chamber stepped aside and Osaii and Trassk would be able to enter.

The ante-chamber was a large lounge, with several different enclaves of booths built into the corners of the walls offering some privacy to any that sat in them. Apparently guests were made comfortable here while they might wait to be admitted to the Grand Audience Chamber. There was also a significant increase in the number of guards here, their numbers rising the closer one came to any of the Hutt family members. On the opposite side of the room there was a blast door, presumably it lead to the audience chamber.


"I trust this will be one of the few times this is necessary?..if I maintain business with your Master, I trust we can become partners to some degree. Disarming me is an inconvenience to us both."

She laughed slightly, amused at the idea, "Wishful thinking I am afraid, as you said how can one find men one can trust?" Quoting his own question back at him, "An inconvenience perhaps, but a necessary one. We know nothing of you at this time Hunter Nadill, how can we know you were not sent here by one of our enemies? How do we know that even if you act innocently today, our enemies will not pay you in the future to return and attempt to do us harm? Appreciate that anywhere else you go in the palace you are more than free to carry your weapons, but in the presence of his excellency you cannot be armed. He is a powerful and busy entity and the fact that he has granted you a single audience with him personally is already a great honor, do not push your luck."

As he moved to hand the two blasters to her, she looked at them and made no move to grab them. Instead she turned and glanced at two near by Vodran guards, she flicked her hand in a gesture at the weapons and the two guards stepped forward. They took the blasters gently from him and opened one of several safe-boxes built into the walls, they placed the blasters and in turn all of the other weapons he handed over in the safe-box. They then closed the safe-box, locked it and gave the Key to Osaii, who then offered it in an outstretched hand to Trassk, "For you to hold onto for your own peace of mind."

"..These however I keep on. If your Master can't trust me with only these, then he won't trust me taking care of his wares and handling his business."

She eyed the gauntlets carefully and thought it over for a moment. The advanced weapon scanners built into the walls of this room would have already thoroughly examined the devices. The green Twi'lek that was head of security, from his monitoring position in the control room, would already have a full read out of their specs and if anything on them had been too dangerous he would have alerted her already.

She mulled it over for a moment longer, "Just this once, I will allow it as a gesture to symbolize our willingness to do business and honoring the wish of our guest." Her eyes narrowed, "Don't get used to it," besides once through that door he would be in the heart of their den and have very little opportunity to pull off much.

She placed her hands on her hips, "At some point, we may trust you enough to allow you armed and inside. To reach that level of trust, you have to convince us beyond a doubt that in the event of a conflict you would use said weapons to help protect his excellency instead of trying to cause him further harm. Once we believe that, we may allow you armed before him. If we do not believe you would use your weapons to protect him, we have no reason to let you have them before him."

She moved towards the blast door on the other side of the room, "We are not unreasonable people though. If in the future you do more business with us and you do not feel safe giving up your weapons again, you can meet with one of Duggorra's proxies instead of himself. He has many that speak on his behalf, if you prefer that route. If you want to face his excellency face to face though, you will have to continue to abide by our rules until we trust you more."

She offered a beautiful smile and waved her hand in the air, as if waving the thought away as they neared the door, clearly moving on from the conversation for now. "As I am sure you have been told, our master only speaks in the tongue of his mother, but I see you understand and speak it well, I would advise you to use it when before him if you wish to gain favor. Durggorra is hundreds of years old and the head of a family that has millenniums of history that stretch back before the first Hutt War more than 13,000 years ago...I recommend treating him with the respect he deserves."

They had reached the door now, two Veas Corporation Destroyer Droids flanked it to either side, their shields deployed and their blasters pointed outwards, they were motionless like statues. She stopped between them, her hand on the control to the blast door, "Any last questions?"

 

[Rev]

((I thought so, be a cool character to interact with in the future. Look forward to her not being an NPC.))

Traask remained silent as the woman spoke to him of their ways of finding suitable thugs. It would seem in order to run a business you had to keep secrets and the question he asked seemed to be one of them. Instead of pressing the matter he simply walked along side the more than apparent ranking member of the Vesajilic organization. His questions were answered with respect and a bluntness, all that he really wanted. They may not have been the answers he sought out, but his was happy with them regardless.

"We know nothing of you at this time Hunter Nadill, how can we know you were not sent here by one of our enemies?"

"Then it would appear it is far easier to get information on your Master than it is to get the intelligence needed on me."

He returned the smile she offered him, in a way attempting to use some of the little charm his personality lacked. His mind weighed in on everything she was saying, his legs simply carrying him to where she led.

"How do we know that even if you act innocently today, our enemies will not pay you in the future to return and attempt to do us harm? Appreciate that anywhere else you go in the palace you are more than free to carry your weapons, but in the presence of his excellency you cannot be armed. He is a powerful and busy entity and the fact that he has granted you a single audience with him personally is already a great honor, do not push your luck."

Traask would stare at the two droids that came into view. The drones that appeared as lifeless as the dozens of corpses he had come across through the years subtly hummed in place. It wasn't until he realized they were closing in on the two of them that he'd break the silence his thoughts derived upon.

"Then your organization is smarter than most. He's one of the few with credits in this universe.. and that puts him ahead of the competition, I promise you that."

As they continued their stroll towards the large doorway that would inevitably bring them to Durggorra he began to look over his wrist attachment, hammering in a few commands into the datapad before stopping on a specific file. It was Osaii's next words that stopped him from reading deeper into the encrypted wording.
"Once we believe that, we may allow you armed before him. If we do not believe you would use your weapons to protect him, we have no reason to let you have them before him."

His attention began to shift elsewhere as she began to babble on about meeting with associates that speak on behalf of Durggorra. It never was quite the same meeting a 3rd party on behalf of another, there was too much relaying of negotiations or no give from either party. He'd meet with the slug despite the inconvenience of giving up his weaponry, it was a trust he'd have to earn.

"As I said, credits are what moves me, and Durggorra seems to be the only being in the galaxy with enough to catch my attention. It's not smart business to let your contractor get killed."

He smirked at the woman before looking at each of the droids that had appeared on either side of him. They didn't quite bug him as much as annoy that they needed to be so close. The woman's sweet voice would echo down the halls one last time before he'd hear the hiss of the chamber doors.

"Any last questions?"

He'd shake his head and let that be his final words to her. He'd read the Hutt for what it was, not what others made him out to be. He'd give Durggorra the respect he had earned, but only if that same respect was given; Traask was a loner, and he wasn't about to go into another mans realm without showing he'd earned it. Now it was time to meet the worm everyone had been talking about...

 

[Vonlin]

"Then it would appear it is far easier to get information on your Master than it is to get the intelligence needed on me."

She replied, "With all due respect, and I honestly do not mean this as an insult, but our master is a bit more well known than you in the galaxy I think and therefore it is easier to find information on him rather than yourself, no? You need only ask one of the thousands of individuals who has worked for or with the Vesajilic Family to learn about Durggorra. My senses tell me there is a great fewer people we can ask questions about you to eh?" She smirked and of course she won't mention any information they did have on him if any, no, it was better to keep your hand close to your chest. They would play stupid, that was their style, not let others know what you know. "But I will leave any questions about you for Durggorra to ask, its not my place."

When he shook his head implying he had no other questions, she nodded and turned towards the door, pressing a button on the controls. There was a pause, as a security check went through and bounced back, then the door opened.....

Immediately noise pushed out from the room ahead of them through the opening of the door and into the ante-chamber. There was a general buzz of chatter as dozens of people on the other side carried on different conversations. Music could be heard playing softly above the hum of conversation, somewhere the deep rumble of a Hutt chuckling could be heard. It would be wrong to assume that was Durggora, but Traask would have no idea of knowing that just yet as he would not be able to see the entirety of the room until he fully entered it.

With the noise came various new smells as well, mostly the smell of various foods as there was platters of it all across the room, some of it intended for members and guests of the court and a great deal of it for the Hutts present. Accompanying the smell of the different foods was also the hint of smoke, as the Hutts puffed away at their Hookahs.

The room was very large and had a vast open ceiling, four or five stories tall. The first thing Traask would notice is that to his left, the entire left wall, from each side and from the ceiling to the floor was all glass....and water seemed to be behind it. The glass had to be several feet thick to hold back the large amount of water and extremely strong and durable. On the other side of the glass wall was what appeared to be a massive aquatic tank that was almost as large as the Grand Audience Chamber itself. At first the tank might look empty, but then suddenly two giant figures would dash by...each of them more than triple the height of any man. They were Durggorra's two pet dragonsnakes.

Spoiler: Dragonsnake

They swirled and swam around the tank idly, almost as if dancing. Moving up towards the top of their tank they were now several meters above eye level, floating above the court twirling about in the water...bones could be seen at the bottom of the tank.

The majordomo paid them no heed, as if she didn't notice they were there and pushed forward through the small crowd. Towards the right Traask would now be able to see a live band that was the source of the quiet background music. Towards the center of the room, off centered towards the rear was a large open area, upon it three Twi'leks danced, wearing the revealing uniforms of slave girls. One was red colored, one blue and one orange, all three moved with the grace of highly trained professional dancers.

There were enclaves with booths built into parts of the walls where small groups of various individuals stood or sat, talking amongst themselves and drinking. There was more scattered circles of people across the open floor of the room talking amongst themselves. Guards where everywhere the eye could see and again they were a mix of different Vesa Corporation battle droid as well as the typical alien species.

Those present in the Grand Audience Chamber came in every manner of size, shape and appearance. There was plenty of shady darker looking types, as well as legitimate looking businessmen and off world representatives for various organizations, there was slaves and there was members of the Vesajilic Kajidic although that fact would be unknown. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to who was present. It was difficult to decide if the purpose of all this was business or partying, in reality it was a mix of both because to the Vesajilics the two go hand in hand.

Finally, the focal point of the Grand Audience Chamber came into view. Centered on the far side of the room was a half circle of elevated daises facing the rest of the room. Directly in front of the half circle of daises was the open area where the dancers pranced about, their outfits whirling with their movements.

There were three Hutts sitting there on the daises, the one in the center was significantly larger and fatter than the other two, his skin primarily green. The largest Hutt in the center was on a dais raised noticeably higher than all of the others, this extraordinarily sized Hutt dwarfed everyone else in the room and made the humanoids around him look tiny. He had to be Durggorra, there could be no doubt.

On the dias to the right of Durggorra was Slabba the Hutt, his cousin and one of the Underbosses of the Kajidic. Slabba appeared to be asleep at the moment and oblivious to the activity around him. (A player character in development ha). On the dias to the left of Durggora was another Hutt who presumably was another closely related family member. This Hutt was lazily watching the dancers and eating some large live frogs from a food tank at his side. It had been this Hutt that Trassk had heard chuckling when he entered the room.

Durggora himself was paying attention to a human male that was at his side, the two were talking quietly together. While Durggorra listened to the man talking to him he took a long drag off the Hookah set up next to him on his dias, his left arm holding it to his mouth. In front of him on the dais with the Hutt laying on her side was a fourth Twi'lek in the garb of a slave girl, this one was was purpled colored. Durggora's right arm was resting on the side of her shoulder, his fingers forming a light grasp around her arm. Behind him was the fifth and final Twi'lek slave girl, a green colored one fanning the enormous Hutt gently.

As Osaii and Trassk neared the front of the daises, Osaii cleared her throat and instantly the three dancers moved out of the way and the music stopped. Osaii would lead trask onto the open space directly before the three Hutts. Durggora's eyes shifted from the man at his side to Osaii and that is when she spoke, using Huttese again now, she projected her voice and the room went quiet.

<"Presenting his Great Obesity Durggorra the Hutt, leader of the Vesajilic Hutts, chairman of the Vesa Corporation, father of the Blood Sport and patron to Hutts everywhere!">

Durggorra the Hutt's big head rocked slightly forward in acknowledgement and his large oval eyes went from his attractive Majordomo to Traask. His red colored eyes looked the bounty hunter up and down as he took in the small humanoid, his eyes than rested on Trassk's face. Durggorra's long tail twitched idely and Osaii stepped forward and moved away from Trassk. She left Trassk alone before the crimelord as she took up her spot at Durggorra's side, next to the human male he had been speaking to. <"This is the Honorable Hunter Trassk Nadill, he has come to inquire about the bounties we offer out of our office.">

He pulled the Hookah away from his lips slowly and set it down, lifting his other hand off the slave girl at the same time, he raised them in a welcoming gesture. His massive lips parted and the kingpin spoke, his deep voice a loud rumble that filled every corner of the room, <"Welcome Hunter Nadill may you find the hospitality of the Veasjilics favorable.">

 

[HunterOrdo]

Nal Hutta. A place that had earned a special place inside the large Mandalorians heart. It was, perhaps, one of the single greatest examples of the ultimate truth in the universe, power was everything. The strong and the cunning sat at the top of the world, eating the finest foods, enjoying the finest company, the finest drink, while the weak died in the gutters or learned to serve their betters.

This planet allowed for no mistakes, no weakness, and no mercy. It was beautiful in its way. He had spent four days on this planet, some would call it a vacation from his service under Mandalore. He had come to face another warrior in the sands of the new Arena, Tal something or the other. They shared the first name, but he had never bothered to look closer into the opponent. He heard his opponent was skilled, and that only served to excite Tal Verda. Too long had he been left to instruct Mandalorian recruits, too long had he spent his free time roughing up the worthless and small time street thugs.. It was time for a worthy challenge.

The bench groaned as he repositioned himself. Tal was in full battle armor as usually, resting inside on of the small enclaves of Durggorra palace. Since his arrival, he had been working for the Hutt as muscle. The job offered nothing in the way of honor or a challenge but in return he was fed and given decent sleeping quarters. Just yesterday he had to collect from a local spice trader who refused to give Durggorra his cut. It had been a simple matter of entering the spice traders house and taking his daughter who he than gave to Durggorra. The girl would make a good hostage to ensure Durggorra got his cut.. Although Tal highly doubted the trader would get her back in the same condition. Durggorras slave breakers were.. quite good.

The never ending music, constant barrage of smells, and never ending smoke did tend to tax the Mandalorians patience at times, but he knew better than to attack others in Durggorras lair. Turning his attention to the table in front of him, and more importantly his plate of.. he was not sure what it was to tell the truth. Some type of meat, perhaps Cannok? Had a stringy almost tangy taste to the green meat, but was edible. Next to the plate lay his Helm and Axe. The Axe was not meant for intimidation. It usually sat on his back, but its position made leaning back uncomfortable, so it was removed for the sake of his personal comfort alone.

His long black hair was braided and hung gently behind his back, his face scrunched up in focus on his food as he tore into a green leg of meat. A womans voice cut through the music "This is the Honorable Hunter Trassk Nadill, he has come to inquire about the bounties we offer out of our office." That voice.. yes, it was same woman who greeted him. Os.. something, her name was not of importance. He turned his attention to the central floor look down at the so called honorable hunter.. all he saw was yet another Bounty Hunter. They were a dime a dozen on this planet. The Mandalorian was content to watch from his spot to see how this would unfold.

 

[Silvergaze]

(checking something)

 

[Rev]

The voice of a Hutt filled Traask's ears, to assume it was Durggorra would put him in the wrong, and he was never one for assumption. Peeking over at Osaii his eyes looked over her features for what felt like the thousandth time; she showed nothing. Ignoring the voice upon this realization he knew enough that she would be paying closer attention to her Master, even if she wasn't "present." The voice he heard was some others, was this some kind of a trick?

They'd pass a tank, his eyes tracing over the densely glassed in enclosure. One of the large Dragonsnakes would pass by faster than a shadow could appear and fade. He'd barely had enough time to distinguish what the scaly creature was before being led deeper into the vast room. Each step he took seemed to draw more eyes to himself, it wasn't until he stopped in front of the three worms that he sensed a piercing gaze fall upon him.

Traask's eyes would befall a Mandalorian in the corner of the room. His gaze might as well of come from a statue due to the lack of shyness to turn away from a returned eye. Gritting his teeth some behind his lips, his face would remain emotionless, his own cold stare drawing to the introduction of the ruler before them.

<"Presenting his Great Obesity Durggorra the Hutt, leader of the Vesajilic Hutts, chairman of the Vesa Corporation, father of the Blood Sport and patron to Hutts everywhere!">

Traask's eyes fell onto the entourage of species that danced, catered, and stood around their Hutt leaders; pawns to their Masters will.. His would fall onto the myriad of Twi'lek slave dancers that slowly began to discontinue their services upon Khazka's introduction from the woman who had led him here. It was as if it were all staged, one big show for him to take in.. He found it to be an annoyance more than anything else; everyone here knew the Hutt had power, flaunting it was just asking for trouble in most systems.

<"Welcome Hunter Nadill may you find the hospitality of the Veasjilics favorable.">

Traask would merely nod his head, it forming a slight "bow" to the fat slug that was before him. His eyes couldn't help but wander around the room once more, stopping on the band for a moment that still held its silence; it was eerie. It was Osaii his gaze would fall on next, remembering now her talk to the Nal Hutta ruler before him and how he had come on behalf of bounty hunting, this was true but not the sole reason he was here.

<"Favorable?">

His gaze went to the table to his right, a group of Rodians chowing down on what appeared to be a mixture of slime and mynock wing. The sight was disgusting to say the least.

<"We're businessmen, your Greatness. I come here for that and that alone. Your... hospitality is welcomed, but unnecessary.">

Even when speaking in the Huttese his voice held that chill to it. Traask was a direct man and trying to babble around a subject was in his mind a waste of time and energy. He'd hoped to meet with the slug in more private as opposed to in the midst of hundreds.

<"I merely hope to become a business associate with you, Durggorra. Expending your resources like the rest of these..">

His eyes again fell onto the table of Rodians. They were intoxicated beyond their own state of mind and merely chatting on about who they thought would win in a foot race between the 3 of them.

<"...half-wits.">

His chest would expand as he sucked in a breath of the swampy air, the pungent smell stinging his lungs. Never-the-less Traask stood tall, finally looking up enough so the brim of the hat would show his face to the Hutt.

<"I mean that as no disrespect towards yourself, your Greatness. Only the fools here that should be better using their time.">

 

[Vonlin]

((Heh you referenced his last name, nice. At some point the character Zeal is going to post (the human male Durggorra was speaking to) just a heads up))

As the great Hutt listened to Trassk's words his stubby arms dropped back down. With his left hand he picked back up the hookah and smoked from it. His right hand fell back onto the Twi'lek slave girl, his hands at first lightly caressed her lekku back and forth, sending a visible shiver down her spine. Then without warning he tightened his grip on the lekku and the Twi'lek emitted a short squeal of pain. Durggorra chuckled softly at her without taking his eyes of Trassk the whole time.

<"I mean that as no disrespect towards yourself, your Greatness. Only the fools here that should be better using their time.">

Durggorra lurched forward slightly and his deep voice sounded again, <"Those here are present for a variety of reasons. Hunter Nadill you should not be so naive as to believe you can judge best what their time is good for.">

As tall as the human might stand Durggorra still saw him as tiny, as he did all species besides Hutts. <"Business you say.>" His hand returning to stroke the slave girl's lekku as she whimpered quietly out of fear of punishment. The Twi'lek behind him continued to fan him steadily.

When he spoke it was loud and commanding, filling the whole chamber with a rumble, <"You are in the business of killing people and I have many people that need to be killed, we can do business I think.">

Durggorra set aside the hookah once more and this time he reached his stubby left arm into a live food tank next to the hookah, pulling out a critter of unknown origin and popping it into his mouth. He swallowed the animal whole without a thought, his large tongue licking his lips afterwards with satisfaction.

<"Do you posses any other skills beyond killing?"> To wash down the live food he now picked up a goblet that was larger than a human head and took a nosily gulp of red wine, spilling some on the Twi'lek before him. The moment he set the goblet down obediently a slave stepped forward and from a pitcher refilled what he had drank, Durggorra didn't even notice her.

 

[Rev]

<"Those here are present for a variety of reasons. Hunter Nadill you should not be so naive as to believe you can judge best what their time is good for.">

Traask smirked at the comment, trying his best to not show any disrespect for the Hutt before him. His gaze went about the room more than sure that many of these beings had earned the trust or at least the respect of the worm before him, but that wasn't for him to decide or care about.

<"I trust in your judgement, it is their choice to wallow away in your luxurious confines when there is business to be had and credits exchanged.">

That cold tone his body naturally let off seemed to change at the mention of credits. As if more of a sly tone came over him, the idea of getting rich while these fools sat around and stuffed their gullets nearly brought him to laughter; but he refrained from such an act.

<"...as for business. I trust your servants are capable of sending any business you need taken care of to my ship?">

Traask reached into the Rancor hide duster's deep pocket. Within he extracted a lone holocube that contained all the needed information on his ship as well as the encryptions necessary to get it through the security within. He'd toss the small cube across to Osaii not caring whether or not she was ready to catch the information.

<"Smuggling and hunting exotic animals in particular,">

Traask would turn on his heel and extend his arm outward, his wrist projecting out a holovid of various kills he had made through the years. The images scrolled along from small hordes of Mynocks to his most recent kill a 15 foot Rancor on Dathomir. The very skin of the creature he wore as a trophy in the form of a duster. The images would soon fade and he'd once again face the towering Hutt.

<"..my next expedition will take me to the ice world of Hoth. I'm sure you've heard of the fabled Ice Wampa. I wish to add one of their horns to my collection and possibly a pelt.">

He paused only briefly to continue on with his smuggling adventures.

<"As for smuggling, my ship the Siryn's Call is as capable as any other ship in the galaxy. I made the Kessel Run in 16 parsecs which is no easy task as I'm sure you're aware.">

His eyes focused on the goblet the Hutt had drank out of. The worms were disgusting, letting their own personal wants trump anything else in the galaxy. Even if the Emperor himself strolled in things would barely change, he was almost sure of it. His eyes searched for a bar, curious to see if he could get himself a drink.

 

[HunterOrdo]

This Bounty Hunter was.. different from the others that shambled into the room. He had confidence in his ability, or he was a fool, but either way, Tal Verda was sure he would be an amusing retrieve from the other, guest. He insulted the others in the room, which he supposed included himself, but quickly covered his bases by ensuring the insult did not include the slug as well. This did not help Tal Verda decide if the man was a fool or not, as by insulting this many armed people while being unarmed was a foolish deed for a non-mandalorian, but he did at least not insult the host of this.. party, perhaps he counted on the fact that they would not attack in the middle of Durggorras palace.. if so, he was right.

He doubted the Bounty Hunter truly thought well of Durggorra, but it seemed he was here for work. Interesting that he would insult the others, yet here he was looking for work himself. It seemed he was a Bounty Hunter that enjoyed killing his targets, or that was what he was going to assume from Durggorras comments.. if so, what made him different from a common Assassin?

He was interested when the Hunter began to speak of his other activities. Smuggling was a dime a dozen and not worth his time, but to face off against the great beast of the galaxy, yes, that was worthy of respect. He watched the images, impressed by the feat of killing the Rancor, of course, it also depended on the manner in which he beat the beast. If it was through Explosives than it was no feat worthy of legends and would not interest the Mandalorian. He was confused by his next target. If one managed to kill a Rancor, why go after a weaker prey in the Wampa? It was strange...

The greatest hunt Tal Verda had ever experienced was killing wookies in the shadowlands. A prey that was larger and stronger than even he, that could think and plan, all while dodging the other creatures of the shadowlands.. oh yes, they were a worthy enemy. Many wookies feel to his Axe, but some did manage to give him a few scars as well.. perhaps he would return there after the Arena to hone his skills further.

The large Mandalorian continued to watch the discussion. Perhaps this hunter would show him something approaching honor, or merely the same worthlessness that came with others of his profession.

 

[Vonlin]

Osaii caught the cube and Durggorra mulled over if he wanted a tracking device placed on the ship or not when they uploaded the bounty list, a decision he would make later.

He pulled the Twi'lek in closer to him, forcing her to lay against his belly and pressed her body against his as he spoke, rumbling deeply as ever <"So you do not limit your business of killing to sentential beings but also cross over to non-sentential. What challenge can there be in hunting a prey such as a simple animal after you have spent time hunting individuals who can creatively think?">

A slave girl as if reading Trassk's mind would approach him with a platter of drinks of his choosing if he wished. Durggorra was curious if he would take a drink. For Trassk claimed that he was not interested in the Hutt's hospitality but yet had the opportunity to enjoy it. He won't care either way, but he was curious nonetheless.

<"Smuggling now though that is something else that interests me. In addition to killing perhaps you would be interested in hauling some cargo for us?">

Durggorra would never directly speak of the cargo being illegal in such an open forum. Kajidic business such was directly handled by underlings so that the law could never catch Durggorra in an act red handed. But the implications of what he was saying should be clear. Durggorra was asking him to smuggle indirectly.

He pulled out another creature from the live food tank and pushed it into his mouth, crushing this ones body with his massive mouth before swallowing it. To Durggorra and other Hutts letting their own personal wants triumph everything else was a level of status, a matter of achievement. To rise up to a position so high that you could spend all of your time laying around indulging yourself with every possible want was the true measure of success. The fact that Durggorra did not have to lift a finger but had others do everything for him was a sign of his near god like state.

If Durggorra was ever impressed with Trassk's feats of animal slaying or the speed of his ship he made no sign of it. <"Is there anything else you wished to see to?">

Durggorra's large oval eyes rolled over to to Tal Verda for a moment, he was amused that one of this bounty hunter's potential future targets was in the very room. He wondered how Trassk would react when he learned of it. To try anything here on either of their parts would be foolish of course, but the whole situation amused the giant Hutt. Durggorra the Hutt enjoyed when the little creatures of the galaxy amused him.

 

[Rev]

Traask laughed at the Hutt's comment of non-sentient prey being an easier task to kill then one that could think. In a way he was right, but in so many more ways he was wrong beyond his wildest beliefs. There was no subtle difference in hunting a 20 foot Rancor when being compared to a 6 foot man. Yes the man had a more intellectual brain, but he couldn't scoop up the bounty hunter and bite his head off in one chomp.

<"You humor me, Durggorra.. Thank you.">

He looked at the tray of drinks and extracted a Corellian Ale from it before flipping the appropriate credits to the slave. He might have been a guest in the Hutts palace, but he was no slaver and never quite believed in the trade. He was however more than willing to take slaves for another and dish them out in whatever way they saw fit. If anything the woman would be able to buy a new wardrobe with the small sum handed to her.

<"You've never hunted a non-sentient?">

He looked at Durggorra once more.

<"Wampa.. they blend in with the snow better than any man could; twice as quick as any human could be in the sub-arctic temperatures as well.. Without the proper equipment and training one would die in Hoth's temperatures in hours, some minutes.">

He paused once again to speak his mind on the subject, letting the thoughts come to him naturally.

<"If you can kill a Wampa in its home, you can kill any man that's not in his.">

He'd walk towards the large glass retaining wall that held the Hutts pets. Looking over the scaly creatures he smiled at them before facing Khazka once more.

<"I'd be more than happy to ship anything you need transported. There are storage containers underneath the main cargo hold and various other cargo holds below deck that would suit your trade perfectly I feel.">

He'd tap on the glass where the Dragonsnake swam, watching them collect as if to see what had happened.

<"What of these? I'd like to see what these beasts can do.">

 

[Silvergaze]

He stood off to Durrgorra's side and clasped his hands together behind his back in a non committal manner. His steely gaze was locked on the Rodian in an inordinate fashion due the hunter. The display he put forth with the holo display from his gauntlets was hardly impressive. In today's modern age, anyone with half a brain could put together such a display. He sighed in a quiet fashion as the dialogue continued.

He looked over his shoulder as the slug next to him ate and drank and kept his hands all over the Twi'lek slave in front of him. It irked him that the Hutt kept those slaves to himself, considering that as a biped he was much more suited to 'handle' the slaves than the Hutt was, but such was the nature of the situation. Durrgorra was the boss, not the other way around.

He wondered how the hunter might fair in the blood sport, they were looking for bodies and well, this one talked entirely too much for Zeal. He hated talkers. He hated it most when they were women, women weren't made to talk, they had just so many other useful orifices...and then he nearly shook his head, as he realized his thoughts were seriously drifting off course.

And then, when the hunter went and spoke of wanting to see the Dragonsnakes in action, he desperately wished that the Hutt had a button that would release the Dragonsnakes to mutilate the hunter.

 

[Vonlin]

((I guess we can keep going without Ordos post as he isn't directly apart of the conversation. If he does become more involved or wants us to wait for him we can.))

As Trassk tossed the credits at the slave she was wholly surprised by the gesture and not expecting it, obviously no one had done something like this before. She was so caught off guard that in an attempt to move to grab the credits her balance faltered and the tray of drinks fell from her grasp and came crashing down, spilling across the whole floor in all directions.

Durggorra shifted and made a deep 'errummm' sound looking at the slave who had just spilled drinks across his audience chamber. The slave froze and looked to the Hutt her eyes wide with fear she began to visibly tremble.

Anger in his voice His Great Obesity yelled, <"I think an opportunity to show you the dragonsnakes just arose!"> The slave broke down and began to cry "Please no, it won't happen again your excellency! Please! I beg of you!" Durggorra watched her happily with a hunger in his eyes and licked his lips. He clasped his two hands together and was thoroughly pleased with her groveling but it changed nothing.

The Hutt shifted around and looked to Zeal at his side, he liked this man...blood thirsty, capable and as sadistic as himself. Zeal was one of the few non-Hutts Durggorra respected. Zeal would probably enjoy this next order very much, <"Throw her into the pit!">

The slave in question began wallowing in agony, catching the attention of the rest of the audience chamber, they knew what was to come. The Twi'lek slave on Durggorra's dais whimpered and looked away.

Next to the right wall, by the massive aquatic tank there was a turbolift that brought people up to a metal walk way located over the surface of the water. There was an open circle in the middle of the walkway which exposed directly to the water 'the pit' where unfortunate individuals could be tossed. The use of the turbolift created a sound and vibration in the tank that the dragonsakes had learned to associate with feeding time. Once someone used the turbolift the two dragonsnakes would swim towards the top of the tank and begin circling the pit waiting for their food.

((Silver you can NPC out the dragonsnakes if you want as part of your post, otherwise I will in my next one))

 

[Rev]

Traask sensed more eyes upon him. This time it was the man standing next to Durggorra, arms clasped behind his back. This ones stare was unlike the Mandalorian huddled across the room. Zeal's was far more intense; Traask could tell by looking at Zeal the man was threatened by his very presence. Pulling the brim of the wide hat down he simply gave the ill-mannered bastard a nod of the head.

His eyes would turn to the female begging for her life. His face expressionless as she clawed at the dirt covered floor for any more seconds of life she could muster. Little did she know she was dead long before Traasks arrival ever occurred. As she was picked up her arm reached out for aid from the hunter and he'd simply take a step aside, Durggorra's haunting laugh filling the hall enough to awake the other sleeping Hutt.

He'd turn to face the tank wondering if the woman would be dropped in for them to tear apart or if there was some other means of destroying her. He took a long pull off the glass she had presented to him before pulling it from his lips. The taste was pure, some of the best ale he'd ever come to drink. Crossing his arms he simply waited for what what was next.

((On my phone sorry for bad writing lol))

 

[HunterOrdo]

((Yes, feel free to skip me. I'm just an observer for now.))

Tal Verda watched with distaste as the Hunter gave the slave credits. That was something he did not agree with. To give the weak hope and a glimmer of light was a luxury they did not deserve. He despised such weaklings watching with a distasteful eye as the slave girl fumbled around knocking over the tray that held the Hutts wines the resulting crash covering the floor in a thin layer of wine.

The wine itself was worth far more than the girl. He was not surprised when she began to beg for her pathetic life, but the Hutt would hear nothing of it.. Indeed, Tal found the situation almost enjoyable. The weakling was being crushed by the strong, all was right once more. Oh, how his body tingled to see the great beast in action. A part of him wished to be the one in the tank, to combat the giant monstrosities, but he knew that he had little chance against both beast. Against one he was certain he had a rather good chance, but both.. that would be a challenge worthy of Mandalore alone.

Lifting his helm, he slid it over his helm and stood up having to bend down to ensure he did not hit his head on the roof. Reaching to the table, he pulled his axe and slid it back in its spot on his back. He stepped from the enclave his heavy steel boots echoing across the floor as he went to stand by the group of Rodians, so he could get a better view of the great beast in action. The Rodians only came up to his chest, but they were not worthy of his attention.

He enjoyed the sight of the woman screaming as she attempted to plead for her life from others now. She even reached out to the Hunter, who to his credit did not bother to glance in her direction. Yes, Tal enjoyed this thoroughly. The guard came by dragging the woman along, but to the slaves credit she had yet to give up. Soon she would.. Like others she would release her life was pointless and than sink into pointless and frantic sobbing. Very soon, Tal Verda would see blood even if it was only the worthless blood of a slave.

 

[Vonlin]

((OOC: Seems our thread has been held up by the disappearance of Silvergaze, I'll be gone over the weekend now anyways myself. If he isn't able to post by Sunday night I'll post when I get back and get the thread moving again then, sorry about the wait. Silvergaze is deployed in the navy so something unexpected likely came up/super busy))