Getting closer to the landing platform and the Blacklight, Dhari noticed that something wasn't right. Four docking bay workers waited at rear part of Dhari's ship, where cargo crates had been stacked and covered with a tarp against the rain. A little further to the right, a man whom Dhari didn't know was clearly held back by one of the Pitlord's mercenaries. The man wasn't at all familiar to Dhari, but his mere presence on this landing pad - a pad that was meant to be off-limits for anyone not dealing directly with the Pitlord - made her worry. She didn't have time to think much about it, though. In front of them, and kept dry by no less than two umbrellas held by two of his guards, was the Pitlord. He waved her over.
"Captain Rast," the Pitlord said. "So, you finally decided to join us." His voice was a deep baritone, but gentle, delicate even, like the long, wavy robe he wore over his tunic and slippers. His face was gaunt, even for a Duros, and the blue teint had gone sickly gray and dry with age. It unsettled her.
"My apologies for the delay, Mr Szyro," said Dhari. "I had some... unexpected company to deal with." That was true in more ways than one.
A thin smile spread on the Pitlord's face. His red eyes further aggravated Dhari's discomfort. "Yes, well, I know all about that. No two days are the same in the Crevasse. One day, all arrivals and departures go smoothly, the next a brash, young runt decides to skip all landing protocols and nearly knock out my outpost."
Dhari opened her mouth to explain, but the Pitlord held up a long, bony finger. "No, no. I don't need your explanation. I need your attention." He came closer to her, his guards walking at his side, keeping him safe from the rain, until finally he stopped, close enough that he towered above her. The sickly sweet smell of exotic perfume stuck in her nose. "By now you must have noticed our guest," the Pitlord said, nodding slightly back towards the man detained by his guard. "I wonder if you know him? You see, the only guests I ever have in my personal docking bay are the ones I invite, and this guys most certainly isn't on the guest list. Yet, his appearance conincides with your arrival."
Dhari looked past the Pitlord, trying to piece together the puzzle. The spacers that attacked her had known of the shipment she was carrying. And now this man had appeared near her ship. He definitely looked like he could be up to no good. Then again, so did everyone else in the Crevasse.
Regardless, Dhari had to figure it out. And fast.
"Captain Rast," the Pitlord said. "So, you finally decided to join us." His voice was a deep baritone, but gentle, delicate even, like the long, wavy robe he wore over his tunic and slippers. His face was gaunt, even for a Duros, and the blue teint had gone sickly gray and dry with age. It unsettled her.
"My apologies for the delay, Mr Szyro," said Dhari. "I had some... unexpected company to deal with." That was true in more ways than one.
A thin smile spread on the Pitlord's face. His red eyes further aggravated Dhari's discomfort. "Yes, well, I know all about that. No two days are the same in the Crevasse. One day, all arrivals and departures go smoothly, the next a brash, young runt decides to skip all landing protocols and nearly knock out my outpost."
Dhari opened her mouth to explain, but the Pitlord held up a long, bony finger. "No, no. I don't need your explanation. I need your attention." He came closer to her, his guards walking at his side, keeping him safe from the rain, until finally he stopped, close enough that he towered above her. The sickly sweet smell of exotic perfume stuck in her nose. "By now you must have noticed our guest," the Pitlord said, nodding slightly back towards the man detained by his guard. "I wonder if you know him? You see, the only guests I ever have in my personal docking bay are the ones I invite, and this guys most certainly isn't on the guest list. Yet, his appearance conincides with your arrival."
Dhari looked past the Pitlord, trying to piece together the puzzle. The spacers that attacked her had known of the shipment she was carrying. And now this man had appeared near her ship. He definitely looked like he could be up to no good. Then again, so did everyone else in the Crevasse.
Regardless, Dhari had to figure it out. And fast.
**************************************************'
Maag Szyro had had a bad day. To begin with, the weather made him sulky. Dampness and rain was nothing new in the Crevasse, but on this particular day it seemed to penetrate his leathery skin more than usual, reviving the old aches in bones and joints that pestered him for years now. Then, he had had to discipline his flight control crew for allowing this pesky little girl standing before him to disobey strict landing procedures. If there was one thing Szyro could not tolerate, then it was disobedience. He had looked forward to threatening the girl with revoking her rights of entry to the Crevasse unless she gave him a cut of the shipment she was carrying for the Cartel. But before he even got to it, that fellow over there had botched an attempt at gaining access to the girl's ship, giving the Pitlord another headache to remedy this day.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, his patience was frayed paper thin when the girl hesitated. "Well?" he barked.
The girl jolted and said: "I don't know him, Szyro. He's a trespasser. If he was trespassing here, he could have been after my shipment, I don't know."
Szyro considered the girl slowly. He tested her words for sincerity or deceit. She sounded sincere enough, but he couldn't be sure. His eyes narrowed. Motioning for the guard to bring the man over, he said: "We'll see about that." He had not come this far in his underworld life by making rash decisions.
If the man followed the guard over to where Szyro and the girl was standing, Szyro would say: "Captain Rast, this man claims to know of your implication in the death of Bochabba the Hutt. He says he's been tracking you ever since -" Szyro leered at her "- in the name of justice."
"What?" the girl exclaimed. "That's bantha poodoo! I wasn't even on Eriadu when that shit went down. Check my logs, you'll see."
Maag Szyro stared at the girl for a moment, digesting her words. Then, he turned to the man and gave him a look, as if to say "Well?".
@Catbert @Rhogar