Ask Tradition

[Nor'baal Desilijic]

For centuries the Gamorreans had served the Hutts. Centuries. As such, when the Hutt Council had learned that there had been a recent spout of disagreement amongst the Chieftains of the world as to who their next ‘High Chief’ would be, it had been almost second nature for Nal Hutta to send two of their own to mediate the talks.

Nor’baal Desilijic Fa’athra, and Mordeth Anjiliac Massri were the two gastropods the Council had sent. Capable operators, both of them, the Council had entrusted them with the authority they need to influence the appointment of a new Chieftan, one more open to the influence of Hutta. Their task would not be an easy one, with the Chiefs of the various tribes split between those seeking to respect the old ways, of allegiance to Hutta, and those wanting to move Gamorr into a new way of doing things.

Having arrived on the Glorious Jewel some time ago, Nor’baal Desilijic, Daimyo of Tatooine and one of the up and coming members of the Hutt Grand Council, was waiting in the anti-chamber of the Great Hall of Gamorr, irritably swatting away the large globulous flies that called this planet home as he prepared, alongside Mordeth Anjiliac, to enter the main hall and make their case to the chieftains directly.

<Tah planeeto kanleh mi, Mordeth. Locay gee tanee doth cohka see Yih Bmola ahban, tytung jeejee gee saconba dee danko doth da fa kouwahe juju dokoi kohvuosah bai ten. Da san hoohah babakanacag, an cuee, tytung um baw wah patka see wa kouciukoee je cuaee kouwahh?> he grumbled to his erstwhile colleague as they waited to be shown into the other room <La lwaa doth sonpa Yikke, tee doux'ah hoohah du tah heee!>

 

[Mordeth Anjiliac]

Mordeth had not exactly leapt at the opportunity to accompany Nor'baal to Gamorr. After all, Hutts could not leap. But she was considerably more enthused than she let on. Not for him. The old gasbag had complained the whole flight from Hutta to the rotting pustule of a world the pig-things called home. No—it was the Gamorreans she sought as a prize. Every Hutt worth their putrid hide had Gamorrean guards. If putting the piglets in line meant a few being proffered to her, then she was going to take that chance no matter who her company was.

On this occasion, though, Nor'baal was right. Perfumed though she was, nothing could quite blot out the stench of Gamorr. And the heat... Nal Hutta was humid in the summers; but cool most times of the year. And Ord Mantell was no different. In fact, her world was downright frigid at times. Gamorr was unbelievably hot. Sweltering, like the inside of a stone oven. The flies were as big as any one of their chubby fingers and it was all she could do to bat them away with her fan.

«Dooo webai yinba dayan bai doth kacaheu coo twa kotka doth doi tee-tocky-bai-tee-tocky,» Mordeth mused. «Bu yoskah koee doth uonza, um jeejee dayan ata bmeheka mee hoohah da hhe bu baza bu Yih tanee uonza. An jeejee pauapka tee saieh.»

About that time, a pudgy Gamorean noticed the two Eminences in its hall and approached them. This one was wearing some manner of tribal garb, and was taller and thicker than most. «Welcome Eminences,» the pig-thing snorted at them in its guttural language. «We were not told to expect two Hutts from Hutta. How might I serve you?»

The message was spoken plaintively, submissively even, but Mordeth was not fooled. Even if Nor'baal had not announced their approach in hopes of catching the Gamorreans off-guard, it was quite clear to her this one did not want them here. She gathered from Nor'baal's complaining that some on Gamorr were seeking a leader who would further pry them away from the Hutts. Perhaps this creature was one of them. Or perhaps he had simply forgotten how to speak to a pair of Hutts. Either way, this was what they had come to rectify.

Her giant lidless eyes slid until Nor'baal was in frame. «Jee lova num bai kacay dotkola cuee nohce chobaso bu jotke tee-tocky Jee doth dah Locay. cha uba, Nor'baal?» @Nor'baal

 

[Valfreyja Tysdottor]

This was a new one for Valfreyja, she had spent a year on the private hire bandwagon and had heard of the Hutts, but had never had the 'Luxury' of working for them. She had seen a few in her younger years and even had the 'pleasure' of meeting one onboard a space station orbiting Ryloth looking to buy their hard earned ore. Val had learned the Huttese for Hello for the meeting but apart from that she knew nothing of the language. So it was a little strange that she had gotten this job, I mean she had applied for it, but she applied for dozens of jobs at a time just waiting for one to accept it. She applied for this one because of the pay, it was a lot higher than others, apparently due to 'Dangerous Fauna'

She had arrived at the sweat pit that was Gamorr on a separate ship to the two clients, Val was nowhere near Hutt Space at the time so going all the way to Nal Hutta then back here was not practical, not if she didn't want to waist half the last jobs credits on just transport fees. A droid servant who met her at the Hutt's ship had given her a portable translation device, problem was it was faulty at best and she had spent most of her time behind the two sweaty slugs completely oblivious to what was going on.

I mean she wasn't really their for conversation, she was their to wave her light repeater from side to side, trigger pressed or not. When the Gammoran appeared before the Hutts Valfreyja jumped out of her haze, her hand on her blaster. As far as she knew the Hutts were pretty defenceless, so she needed to pay attention. Looking at the 'Female' Hutt as she poke she nodded. "I would have assumed more, but you are right, they did seem pretty friendly." She said her translator unknowingly butchering the Hutts comment.

@Nor'baal @Mockingjay

 

[Nor'baal Desilijic]

«Jee lova num bai kacay dotkola cuee nohce chobaso bu jotke tee-tocky Jee doth dah Locay. cha uba, Nor'baal?» Nor’baal slowly blinked and shook his head as Mordeth bristled at the hostility of their reception. She was quite correct, of course, in days gone past - which both of the Hutts could almost certainly recall - such a lack of respect from the people of Gamorr would have been unheard of.

<In ting fa gee doth bom bom janse bankop tee janu bu Gainlei gee wa pantkonke bekiola wata dah Locay?> he thought aloud, nodding as their hired gun for this mission spoke. Sometime in the past, the Grand Hutt Council had ensured a delegate of their number was assigned to the world of Gamorr on a permanent basis, akin to an ambassador of sorts, representing the considerable interest of the Clan in the operations of this planet. Perhaps, when the Hutts had withdrawn their representative following the fall of the Empire, and the resulting turmoil, Gamorr had begun to develop ideas of its own?

There was only one way to find out. <Mee Kotky chespo bleeu bai bakanu tee bauian. Jeejee gee yanee cay bu Lanka Vap.> he drooled out his words without a care in the world, as one of the Gamorrean attendants tapped away on their datapad as if checking what Nor’baal had been saying. After a few moments, the porcine attendant looked up at Nor’baal, and gestured for the Nal Hutta delegation to follow him “The Clan Chiefs will see you now.” the attendant added, as Nor’baal gently brushed a pudgy finger over the controls of his sledge and moved it forward to follow.

Unable to help himself, he moved ahead of Mordeth, ensuring he would enter the Clan Hall first. It was utterly childish, but Nor’baal did not care.

Inside the Hall, a crude stone cavern of sorts, lined with axes, skulls of various monsters, and the leather banners of the assembled chieftains, Nor’baal felt slightly out of place. Arrayed before them in a semi-circle was a collection of muscle-bound chieftains, sat on high-backed thrones, enormous weapons at their sides, glowering down at the Huts.

Well - they would have been glowering down at them, had the Hutts not been several meters tall. Instead, Nor’baal found himself looking at them from the same level, rather diminishing the sense of intimidation they no doubt sought to inspire.

“The representatives from Nal Hutta.” the attendant announced them with all the pomp and ceremony of a funeral, as Nor’baal held the gaze of one of the larger Chieftans, before finally speaking. <Fa ah cuova bai doth dah Locay bonee wagan maee. Joppay jotke Jee doth wata, Jee doth kiuke rin, an paupe see uba gee hocan bai doth wechtaca! Dobra Nor'baal Desilijic, an Jee cohai um baw wah Yih Gainlei.> he introduced himself, and instantly did his best to undermine the authority of his counterpart, Mordeth, as he did so.

 

[Mordeth Anjiliac]

Because Mordeth was less hasty to slide into the hall of the Gamorrean chiefs, she was able to read the room while His Great Immensity slathered himself in titles. The Gamorreans were not happy to see them, which told her two things: the attendant was lying, they were expected, and they had hoped the Hutts would not show after getting the cold shoulder. But they didn't know Hutts. The great slugs loved to insert themselves into spaces in which they weren't wanted—most of all Nor'baal.

The great Huttess fanned herself furiously, both the alleviate the humidity and to bat some of the enormous flies in Nor'baal's direction. «Dobra Mordeth Anjiliac Massri see Ahu konkaui. Banpop wata bai cohai dah cohka dee Yih Gainlei.»

«Your Graces,» a Gamorrean chieftain snorted at them in a strained version of their native tongue. «We had not heard of your arrival.»

Mordeth scanned the room with her large, slitted eyes. The twinge of fear in the pig's pits for eyes was notable and it took her a mere moment to figure out why. «Hatkocanh uba mesohba da, Nor'baal? Heee wohot tee lova num bai doth kae baha bahonha che ten du tah natkedi.» She nodded to the lack of Hutt-sized litters in the chamber. «Jee bimapa la banag ten bai bkoha.»

Mordeth had never seen Gamorreans sweat. She had assumed a life in humid temperatures had prevented such evolutionary developments. But this pig was beginning to sweat and she now hated the smell in the room even more. She retrieved a bottle of perfume, something she always kept on her immensity, and sprayed it thrice in the air around her large head. Somehow, that was worse. The stench mixed with the perfume in an utterly disgusting way. She nearly gagged.

«If your Graces will allow us but a moment, we can fetch some seating for you,» the chieftain stuttered.

« Tagwa. An Jee canta uba cahtane lwaa doth bu bo bai woy fa.» Her gaze slid over to her traveling partner. «An in ting tee sahuaka wata caiot bapacmon uba tee uba yoieu cahba pin bu heee. Kae pankhobamohaua, Nor'baal?» @Braden @Nor'baal

 

[Valfreyja Tysdottor]

The Hutts chatted away between the pair of them as Valfreyja surveyed the surrounding area, if she was honest in a combat/protection situation she did not like their chances. It was an easily flank able position and she was one gun and the Hutt's, well, their bulk is pretty hard to shield. A few Gammorians could be seen in the distance moving around though they seemed to be going about daily work, so she paid them little attention.

Then they were on the move. If she could have thought the smell of sweat and moisture could get any worse she was mistaken, the odour of the sweating pigs and sweating slugs combined with the essence of this planet was almost too much to bear inside this tent which was way to small for all those here. "Could we crack a window, or perhaps open the roof." She mumbled to herself as she held her hand up to a nose.

But it got worse, much, much worse. What's worse than bantha shit, bantha shit covered in perfume. And well Mrs Hutt decided to try and cover this concoction of festering smells with what could only be called, Od'De'Rat. The combined smell caused the Dwari to dry heave behind the two, luckily breakfast had been small otherwise the slugs might have another coating to their slimy tails.

Valfreyja recovered just in time to hear Mrs Hutt ask her to help accompany the aid in fetching something for them. 'A Litter' she thought it said, but she was not sure. Anyway for the amount she was getting paid, she would fetch a little furniture and hopefully it allowed her to get out of this wretch of a tent.

@Mockingjay @Nor'baal

 

[Nor'baal Desilijic]

«An in ting tee sahuaka wata caiot bapacmon uba tee uba yoieu cahba pin bu heee. Kae pankhobamohaua, Nor'baal?»

<Tanea pee bagn Mordeth.> the Hutt responded, flicking one of the bulbous flies over in her direction. He leaned close to his counterpart as the Gamorrean attendant flustered about securing them some seating. <In ting jeejee saiit yom hoohah nemeh?> Nor’baal whispered to her, half of the mind to have their muscle administer a beating to the Gamorrean who shoved their thrones into position.

Quickly reclining in one of the available seats, Nor’baal took a large grub from a tank at the arm of the throne and held it in his pudgy right hand as he looked over the assembled porcine potentates. <Bu yoskah ah azalus an vee- uonza lumpa, an jeejee wata du bu monba katka woy haku jeejee caiot bai bahia bankop tee lumpa don fa. Woy uba naa mee bu mevag see Locay joppay fa doth wahca bai bu dhith see Hutta?> he asked, gently squeezing the grub, causing thick green gloop to wind down his arm. <Haku gee kaza see Locay see heee hacs? Koumolaka panwiyonh! Bu jasea- bolla! Uba caiot doth hee kiuke cuee.>

A few of the Chieftans looked unimpressed. Nor’baal paid them little heed as he dropped the crushed grub into his mouth. “Gamorr has done fine without you Hu -”

”Has it? How! We have moved far from the splendour we once h-”

Bickering broke out between several of the Chieftans, as Nor’baal sat in silence, a huge smirk on his face. The divisions between the council members were now laid bare for the Hutts to see, and to exploit.

 

[Mordeth Anjiliac]

«Locay ah boulaheha pah hhee ban bu Yih,» Mordeth said. She wasn't afraid to wade into this little 'discussion.' They had allowed the Gamorreans to insult them long enough. «Uba gee nobata kanbitkhea, nobata donmahka mo doptkahan banu, mee bo dan dola doth mee dhika wahkala an dotkot don keemon dokwacha see bmala da caiot chakanu da. Bu ata mayan mee tee gau mee don bu wahsata see lou lkele kacay doth heoi pee see Yih chakaph. Kuna kee kahba bu kon da tikha uba ateema?»

She was fanning herself more vigorously now. She sweat more when she got worked up and sweat meant stench. She hated stench, and she hated the Gamorreans for inflicting it upon her. She would have the first batch to come to Ord Mantell after this sordid affair whipped for the insolence of their chieftains. Then they would never be encouraged to choose such chieftains again.

«In ting uba doth saptkhe,» she muttered to Nor'baal. «Wa dan dokonkee koee bmeheka mee hoohah twa lumpa.» @Nor'baal @Braden

 

[Nor'baal Desilijic]

<Wa boulaheha pah hhee sa. Wa becmi ye wanya vehpe tah koumuan lumpa cohou kava koumhaptece fa gee woi. Mesohba uba, ban bu Yih bai lieba mee judgements, Locay gee woi bai miena.> Nor'baal joined in with the pile on that the two Hutts appeared to be engaging in. There was not a word of a lie in what either of them said, Gamorr had fallen on hard times since the Hutts had withdrawn. However, this was not entirely the Gamorreans fault, the Hutts controlled many of the key assets of the world, and had simply let them decline or sold them to poor owners upon their departure.

Not that they would ever admit to such a ruse of course.

<Toi yikke caiot koose kaniatka bata bai tah lacklustre sahta, an jeejee caiot doth cuee kouoioy bai heee wata coo hatkocanh bkoha cay ten.> he chortled, waving a pudgy hand and continuing <Bu Ortogg Lanka bla tee bu kouoiohag dee Yih, cay kacdy bahia du mah chamy bapionkoy, che dopyacmi.> he reminded them, looking at the Ortogg Clan Leader pointedly as he finalised <Dobra gahke bu Ortoggs lwaa tee doth bu ata bo see mee Lanka bai chaweka doi tee kouoiohag?> the Hutt smirked, watching as the assembled chiefs began to eye one another jeleously.

 

[Pidge Batana]

A fly had alighted on her arm, its bolbous body bobbing grotesquely. Pidge wrinkled her nose and attepted to blow it off while simultaneously not upsetting the serving tray she was holding. One of the drinks wobbled precariously but the insect did not budge. She sighed.

Waitress was not featured on the twi'lek's resume for a reason, but the hutts did not seem to have spent much time reading hers. Naturally most criminal jobs did not require background checks-- the body guard that had been hired for the occasion did not even share a common language with her employers. Credits were a clear enough method of communication, it seemed. She was hired under name as a body guard, but she had perhaps futzed her credentials, so Pidge sincerely hoped she would not be needed in that capacity. The human wass already the brawn, so she was probably just hired as a pretty thing to stand in the corner and backstab if needed. That she was an expert in.

Pidge readjusted the headscarf loosly wrapped around her lekku and opened the kitchen door. Argument echoed loudly down the hall. Plastering her million credit smile to her face, the scoundrel strode briskly towards the lively discussion.
<Bu Ortogg Lanka bla tee bu kouoiohag dee Yih, cay kacdy bahia du mah chamy bapionkoy, che dopyacmi. Dobra gahke bu Ortoggs lwaa tee doth bu ata bo see mee Lanka bai chaweka doi tee kouoiohag?> Nor'baal smugly admired the choas he has wrought. At least, that was how it seemed to Pidge. Sometimes Hutt facial expressions were difficulgt to decipher. Bowing low before the hutts and completely ignoring the gamorreans, she extended the tray of drinks.

"I figured you might need refreshment after tong trip, your eminences, so I asked for some drinks to be prepared." Truly, she had also made the trip to the kitchens to get a Jawa Juice of her own, as she wasnt sure she could stand Lady Mordeth's perfume without it, but that detail need not be shared. Then in huttese, <Jee wata whatevah uba need jeesh. Jee doo some powdah maee. Oisagree bu ingester'z stomach should uba oesire bettap. Alternativelee jee seel stand wata an smile buu-til mah mouth hurts oisarm hoohat>

 

[Nor'baal Desilijic]

Nor'baal grinned once again as the Gamorrean Chieftans began to grunt and oink amongst themselves, keen to see which one of them would be the first to claim the Hutt's offer for their own. Meanwhile, he busied himself with taking the drink from the new arrival.

Her offer intrigued him hugely, as well as offering him pause before he drank from his own cup. Lowering his voice he replied "Gortugg, the one of the far left of the dias - my far left." he spoke quietly and in basic, so the Gamorreans could not understand him "He is a trouble-maker, if you have anything that would cause him to need to leave the room, and therefore miss the vote, you will be compensated." Nor'baal added.

Slowly, the Gamorreans seemed to calm themselves, and one of the chieftains oinked something, calling for a short break of a few minutes, whilst they spoke amongst themselves, following which, the council would vote on Gamorr rejoining the Hutt Clans...

 

[Pidge Batana]

Nodding in response to His Excellency, Pidge eyed her target. He was a burly, large figure and a golden ring pierced his nose. She had several options to help him exit, none of which were particularly good. Firstly, she could put some of emetic into his drink, but it would be suspicious to being solely him a drink. If she took orders from the chieftains, it would reflect badly on the superiority of the Hutts. After all, if a servant waited on their enemies, any threats became immediately less intimidating. If she served a plate, there was no telling which drink he would take. Secondly, she could cause a distraction outside, but that might draw others. Thirdly, she could take another trip and see if she could hack the comms system of the great hall.

It was a small blessing that the drink glasses were humanoid and not hutt sized, the Twi’lek mused as she waited for her employer to finish his drink. He had seemed nervous to take it, perhaps because of her mention of her… medicament, but if he were brave enough to take it, he would be brave enough to finish it. After Nor‘baal had finished, she removed the cup and left hurriedly, muttering something or another about taking it to be washed. It likely didn’t even matter that she did not head back towards the kitchens, as the diplomats, if they could be called that, seemed deeply focused on the Hutts’s offer.

On the way in, she had seen a control panel. Setting the tray and glass down, Pidge made her way back to the entrance. Nestled in an alcove that clearly had not been cleaned in years lay the board, lights flickering faintly. The scoundrel tugged on her gloves (more to keep her fingers from getting grimy than to prevent leaving fingerprints in this case) and set to work. Naturally, nothing was labeled. A power converter was rooted in the left side of the board while a flux capacitor and nano-generator were on the right. In between lay some switches and a few exposed wires. The gammoreans are in sore need of a better electrician, she thought. Exposed wires like that could get chewed through by mynock and rat alike in no time.

A quick check with her datapad confirmed the generator was emitting waved of the comm-length frequency. A nearby dial could perhaps be its controller? Cautiously, the girl roasted the dial until something clicked. The hallway lights went out. Kriff. So it wasn’t that. Her small mistake with the lights might soon draw attention, especially if all he lights were controlled by the board. She quickly turned the lights back on, accidentally bumping a slider. The frequency picked up by her datapad jumped. With H in range of 1134 and 1189, the comm channels were active. Tapping revealed mostly run-of-the-mill chatter, but occasionally the line would ping it’s classification. Gortugg’s was the sixth personal line she tried. On the other end, presuming he had his comm nearby, the chieftain would head a digitized voice calling him to one of the side rooms for a confirmation of his trading license. Blaster on stun, Pidge waited.

@Nor'baal

 

[Nor'baal Desilijic]

As the assorted clan chieftains began their discussions, Nor'baal joined them in ignoring the comings-and-goings of servants, including Pidge. He was far to important to concern himself with what the staff were up to, and instead, he busied himself on pondering how best to rip the thrones out in the hall, and replace them with a recliner when he took over the world. A few moments passed, and Gortugg, checking his comm, darted from the room.

Excellent.

With his main critic out of the way, Nor'baal stirred into action. <Biweoo. Dotkot tanea baua bai setpika. Jee saconba bu Gainlei see Lanka bai woy twa saleu, ateema.> he slammed his tail on the floor with irritation, as the Chieftans returned to their thrones. "Very well, we shall move to the vote. Those in favour of rejoining the Clans?" one of their number motioned.

The Chieftans looked at one another, and slowly raised their hands. In Gortuggs absence, none dared oppose the Hutt.

A grin spread across the Hutts face, as the oldest Chieftan rose from his seat, gesturing for others to do the same. They stood before him, and as one, dropped to their knees.

<Faee Gamorr. Wa tam ahe baza doth biy uba.>

/endthread