Among Droids and Sand: Jedi

A free-form writing forum set in the Star Wars Universe...

Moderators: VagueDurin, Nichalus

Post Reply
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Among Droids and Sand: Jedi

Post by Dahdtoudi »

Garrett Freelight set his juri juice at the corner table and took a seat, brushing of dust and sand as he did so. He gave a worn out sigh as he took his first sip of juri juice. At least it wasn't watered down. In fact, it was quite the opposite: extremely strong. He guessed that in this place it was cheaper to not water stuff down.

The young Jedi glanced around at the shabby Tatooine cantina. It was a sandy, run down little hole in the sand, full of all sorts of space scum. Although, in comparison with its surroundings, it was pretty well off. Garrett crunched on a piece of sand from his last sip of juri, and began digging around for it with his tongue. Next time the council asked him to go speak with a Twi'Lek mayor on Ryloth, he'd need some persuading. Although, in all aspects, it was just bad luck.

Garrett ran over the brief space battle in his head. Some pirates had pushed an asteroid some distance out of its home field when its gravity well pulled Garrett's B-wing out of hyperspace. Probably exactly what they were counting, however, more for a freighter convoy than a lone fighter. Garrett had to flee into the rocky field and play cat and mouse, and managed to pick off a few of them before the rest gave up or fled or whatever. Garrett didn't know. Didn't care that much. It was their loss either way. If they had captured or even destroyed his ship, all they'd find in the exterior hold would be some food stuffs and extra clothes. A whole lot of effort for no gain at all.

Garrett jumped slightly when a hefty hand clapped down on his shoulder, holding tight, and shoved him down the bench seat into the corner, a large togorian taking his seat. Across the table, a bothan and a rodian took a sit, grinning mischieviously. The togorian just looked menacing.

"Can I help you guys?" Garrett asked with a curious raised eyebrow. He didn't need Force powers to tell that they didn't mean very well.

"You don't look like you're from around here, kid," the bothan said, sneering his yellow teeth at Garrett, or at least, the yellow teeth that hadn't fallen out yet. Garrett glanced at his clothing a moment. No, he guessed he didn't look very local at all, with a padded jacket and a clean shirt and cargo pants. The clean part was the big hint.

"Uh, yeah, I suppose you're right," Garrett said, glancing at each of them curisously. What were they trying to get at? "You wanna sell me clothes or something?" The bothan chuckled, and the rodian smiled a little more, if that was smiling really. The togorian just looked dumb and angry.

"Nope, not really," the bothan sneered. "We were just curious, how much do you have on you?" The bothan's grin faded into dead seriousness.

"Pardon?" Garrett replied, glancing at the three.

"How many credits do you have on you?" the bothan reiterated. "Do you have anything of value?"

"Oh," the young Jedi replied, his curiosity gone. He shrugged. "Nothing really. A couple Republic credits, a few tools. Nothing that's really worth the trouble."

"Trouble," the togorian growled, showing his teeth.

"Like my friend said, we don't like trouble either," the bothan said, crossing his elbows over the edge of the table. Garrett put an elbow on the table and rested his head on his fist, glancing around the cantina. It was quieter than before, and several patrons were glancing in his direction. He yawned nonchalantly, almost naively. "So," the bothan continued, and Garrett glanced at him, "why don't you empty your pockets for us?"

Garrett lifted his head off his fist to allow his fingers to do a little wave in the bothan's direction. "You don't need my belongings," Garrett assured the bothan, closing his eyes slightly. "You should go on your way, and bother someone else closer to your number."

"Maybe we don't need your junk," the bothan replied, nodding obediently, something besides his own brain instructing his mouth. In his head, the bothan was confused, not quite understanding where these new thoughts were coming from. "C'mon, boys. Let's go bug someone else." The rodian looked at the bothan, confused and accusing. He asked the bothan something, but Garrett couldn't follow it. How anyone understood rodian he didn't know. "I dunno. Just don't feel like bothering this one. Don't really know why, but I don't." The rodian retorted something agitatedly, and sounded like he was quoting someone. Probably something the bothan said. Garrett glanced at each of the three, nervousnes building only slightly. His meager mind tricks worked well for one person, one dumb person, but not three dumb people. The bothan looked confused, the rodian looked angry, and the togorian was watching the other two with his same expretionless scowl. "Fine, fine," the bothan said in submittance. Garrett sighed and looked down at the table nervously. "My friends here don't think quite like I do, so I'm afraid you're still going to have to empty your pockets."

Garrett glanced up at the bothan, frowning. Idiot. With a reluctant sigh, Garrett reached inside his jacket, pulling out his lucky datapad stylus from his shirt pocket, and set it on the table. Reaching in the other side of his jacket, he produced his lightsaber, and set it on the table, but kept his hand on it, glancing around at the three. He held his stern frown, and suddenly their arrogance faded into fear and nervousness. Garrett kept the saber close to him, so the other patrons of the cantina might not see it.

The rodian leapt out of his seat, crying out "something-something-something-Jedi," and pointed an accusing blaster at Garrett's head. The bothan stayed in his seat, his hands under the table, probably holding some other sort of weapon. Now the entire cantina was staring at them for sure. The togorian gave an enraged below, grabbing Garrett around the collar and heaving him over the table and out of the booth, slamming him into the bar between two stools, knocking over his juri juice as he flew.

Garrett carried his saber with him, but impact on the sturdy bar knocked the Jedi weapon out of his hand, the cylinder bouncing away and under a table. Garrett groaned, clutching the aching back of his head. The togorian stood, and took a few charging steps, however, Garrett knocked him back with a quite telekinetic blow of Force energy, sending the large, cat-like creature stumbling backwards, to catch his balance on the table that Garrett was just enjoying a juri juice. Not really, though. It wasn't that good in the first place, but neither was this.

Garrett reached out for his lightsaber, using the force to pull the glimmering cylinder towards him. The weapon slid and clattered across the floor towards him, but got cought underneath the bothan's boot, who leveled a blaster on Garrett. Garrett pushed himself off the ground slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements. Away from the group, other patrons were making their way carefully out, leaving only a select few of the curious. Garrett kept his eyes fixed with the bothan's until he stood. The rodian was still standing, with his blaster still leveled on Garrett. The lone Jedi raised his arms away from his sides in surrender, and closed his eyes.

His eyelids twiched sporadically as he focused on the Force, trying to see and feel everything around him. There was the table leg of the second table from the door, and the lit tobac stick abandoned by a fearful patron, and the rows of liquor bottles behind the bar. Garrett sighed, and opened his eyes. The aliens before him looked angry, ferral, ready to kill. He could feel their fear of him, however. Garrett wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

Behind him, the liquor bottles began to tingle and rattle lightly against each other, some sort of tremor rattling through them. Garrett closed his eyes and focused again before leaping into the air, using the Force to pull him towards the high ceiling of the cantina as he tucked into a backspinning ball. The bothan and rodian opened fire, their shots barely missing the quick moving Jedi. The togorian roared. The two didn't see the wall of liquor bottles that were flying towards them, lifted off of their shelves by an invisible hand. The togorian did, and dove to the ground. When the two did notice, they covered their heads and ducked as quickly as they could, bottles smashing against them as they did.

Garrett stretched out of his spin, landing behind the wall of liquor as it flew. The togorian was back up, and Garrett had to quickly duck under the creature's swinging arm. Behind the togorian, a stool lifted off of the ground and flew spinning, crashing against the cat-creature's back, staggering him only the slightest bit. Togorians were big, mind you.

In a split second, a fury arm swung at a Jedi, a lightsaber buzzed to life, a togorian howled in pain, and a a fury arm fell to the ground, sinjed fur stinking the air. The bothan and the rodian was huddled on the floor amidst shards of glass and mixed liquors, and the togorian stumbled back into a wall, clutching the stub that used to be his arm.

However, someone was behind Garrett, and the Jedi spun around. The safety of a large blaster rifle clicked off as its barrel was leveled three inches from Garrett's face. "I hope you're going to pay for all that, Jedi," the bar tender growled angrily. There was no one else in the bar, and Garrett's saber died away back into its hilt.

"Uh," Garrett stammered, trying to find his words.

OOC- Ok, so this thread is basically open. I'm using a character from the MBT, and this is basically to portray his journeys. Garrett's a young Light Jedi, just recently knighted under the Jedi Council, and the timeline is almost parallel to that of the MBT, but a little bit prior. We'll find out exaclt how far along it is as we go.

Hope someone joins in. :P
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

All Formaj Hendricks had wanted was a drink. Something to quench his thirst, cool his pallete, and maybe get him a little intoxicated while it did the other two things. So, in persuit of that noble goal, the portly speeder mechanic had trudged down the street and through the stifleing heat of Tatooine at midday. It had been an arduous journey, especially for one of Formaj's girth. Being fat did not lend itself well to survival on desert worlds.

When Formaj reached the cantina he'd been heretofor trudging towards, he noticed that most everybody else seemed to disagree with his taste in establishments. While he was headed towards it they were leaving it, though a small crowd was lingering outside. That, in Formaj's experience, could mean only one of two things: the authorities had arrived, or the authorities had not yet arrived - in which case there was probably a fight on.

Formaj pursed his lips and looked up at the twin suns of Tatooine. He looked back down at the cantina. He'd come for a drink, and by the Force that's exactly what he was going to get. Undaunted by the prospect of a fight, he walked up to the door and pushed his way past the rubberneckers. They looked on in confusion, awe, or in some cases complete neutrality.

As the door closed behind Formaj, he noted two things. First: the place was a mess. Second: Any of the drinks he could have purchased were part of that mess. This second point did not make Formaj a happy man. Upon further consideration, Formaj deigned to notice the other people in the cantina.

One was a fairly battered Rodian, one was a Bothan who looked like he'd had all of his teeth knocked out in whatever fight had just finished, one was a Togorian who's arm was on the floor some distance away, one was the very unhappy looking bartender, and one was... Formaj blinked, because the last one was holding a lightsaber. It wasn't switched on, but Formaj would have bet anything that it wasn't a personal shaver.

Formaj reached behind his back and got a firm grip on the highly illegal shortened double barreled blaster he always carried with him in case of emergancies. Then, he cleared his throat. "Excuse me, sirs," He addressed the crowd in general, just to make sure everybody was aware... "But I think that's a Jedi you're hasslin'."
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

The bartender gave the fat man a glance; Garrett turned slightly to observe the newcomer. Anyone who walked into an emptying cantina had something up his sleeve, and the man didn't seem to need anything else to look mean. Great, Garrett chided mentally. Just what he needed, right?

Then an idea clicked. A crazy one, but it was better than staring down the bartender's blaster. Garrett clipped his saber to his belt before raising his hands in the air in nostalgic greating. "Jimbo!" Garrett cried. Then again, this plan might face him against someone else's blaster. Well, they always said hindsight was 20-20. "Good to see you again! I thought I might find you here." Garrett aproached the man the way a childhood friend aproaches a collegue, although, in this case, it was more like an uncle.

The bartender followed Garrett half-heartedly with the blaster, curious and confused all at the same time. It seemed like there was a lot of that. The fat man didn't look too pleased either. Garrett didn't breath through his nose when he embraced the man in a tight hug before he could object. "Help me out, here," he hissed pleadingly in the man's ear. "This," he said more loudly to the bartender and releasing the fat man, resting an arm over the man's shoulders, "is the man you want to see. He runs a very healthy mining corperation out of... of..." Garrett struggled, trying to remember all those boring astrology lessons. Which one was the one with the mines? "Kessel, is it?" the improvising Jedi asked, glancing at the fat man curiously. "Oh, well. It doesn't matter. This man will take care of all you need. We'll be back tomorrow to sort it out."

Garrett tugged on the man's shoulder, indicating the time to exit. "Hey, wait a minute!" the bartender barked, raising his blaster with more confidence now. "How am I suppos--"

"You shouldn't worry about it," Garrett said soothingly, pausing and waving a gesture with his hand. "You can trust us."

The bartender grunted. "Oh, well. I shouldn't worry about it. I can probably trust you." That sounded oddly familiar.

"C'mon," Garrett murmured at his new friend. "Let's go."
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

Having previously noted that all of the drinks in the cantina had been dashed upon the floor, Formaj had absolutely no problem with leaving the establishment. He followed the Jedi's lead and walked jauntily out into the street, where the scortching heat of the planet's dual suns once more accosted his poor bald head.

To compensate for this, Formaj whipped off a ratty piece of fabric he'd been alternately wearing around his neck and using to wipe the sweat off of his face. This he unfolded and placed over his sunburned scalp. "Well," Formaj said as he and his new Jedi acquaintence shuffled along down the street a fair distance from the cantina, "I guess I'd better formally introduce m'self. I'm Formaj, Formaj Hendricks - sole owner and operator of Formaj's Speeder Repair." He gestured vaguely towards his shop, which could be seen further up the street.

Formaj removed the rag from his head, used it to wipe off one of his hands, placed it back on his head, and offered the newly cleaned hand out to shake. He chuckled as the Jedi gingerly took it and shook, obviously not convinced it was clean but not wanting to offend. "Why don't we go find another bar," Formaj suggested, finding that he still wanted a drink (and figuring that the Jedi owed him a free round). "And you can tell me a little bit about who you are and what happened back there."
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

When they left the cantina, Garratt's hand imediately swung to shade his squinting eyes against the bright light. This place was a lot different than Corellia.

Garrett nodded as he shook the man's hand, swallowing his own hygenic protests. "Garrett Freelight, delagate of the Jedi Council," he replied. He glanced down the road in the direction Formaj indicated, pondering the possibilities of the shop. Maybe he knew someone who could fix a B-wing...

"Uh, sure," Garrett replied, going along with the man. He hadn't actually intended to spend much more time with the man past apologising for the debacle back at the cantina, however, he supposed it wouldn't hurt. The man didn't seem quite as angry as he suspected he might be.

As they moved down the street, exchanging idle chit-chat, with Garrett explaining how his fighter had been damaged during a fight, and Formaj giving the basics of why he was stuck on Tatooine, Garrett was slowly beginning to loath the planet with a fond heart. It was hot everywhere, and everywhere smelled bad. There wasn't a direction you could go to where some cut-throat wasn't goggling your belongings and your personal build, gauging how much it would take to down you. However, it was still rather exciting, and held a unique character about it. Another good thing, if you could call it could, is there always seemed to be another cantina just down the street.

"So," Garrett said, seating himself in a center table this time, where he couldn't be cornered, "you've been here long?" This cantina's juri juice was little more balanced, also.

OOC- Hope you don't mind the liberties I'm taking with Formaj, Mark. Although, I think we're both pretty comfortable with each other. If you mind, though, just let me know. It just sort of blends in with my style, and keeps it moving a bit.
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

Formaj nodded between sips of his drink, which Garrett had thoughtfully purchased for him. Setting the caustic substance on the table, he decided he could elaborate. This was a Jedi, after all, and if there was anything Formaj's experience had thought him it was that you could trust Jedi. Well, most of the time.

"I've been here for about four years now," The speeder mechanic replied. "And trust me, it wasn't my first choice of places to set up a business. My first choice was Coruscant, and I did fairly well for awhile. This was while the place was still in Imperial hands, mind you." Formaj took another sip of his drink. He didn't know whether or not Garrett had wanted a complete backstory, but if he didn't want to hear it all the Jedi had to do was interrupt. "Got involved in some fairly illegal things there, so I got run out by the authorities. After that I headed to Nar Shadda, and set up shop there. Had to start all over, since the bloody Imps had confiscated all of my stuff on Coruscant."

While he spoke, Formaj kept an eye out on the rest of the cantina. He was fairly certain that the goons from the first one hadn't followed Garrett in an attempt to get revenge, but that didn't mean they couldn't have called on friends. And if those goons had been working for the local Hutt slime, then they could have some potentially lethal friends, and lots of them.

"You ever been to Nar Shadda, kid?" Formaj asked, addressing the Jedi with a familiarity he hadn't used with anybody since the last Jedi he'd known. Before Garrett could answer the question, Formaj pushed on. "Never mind, if you have been you'd know it was a lousy place. If you haven't been, now you know it's a lousy place. Just like on Coruscant, I got m'self mixed up in a few illegal things. This time it wasn't the authorities that ran me out, if you know what I mean."

Formaj shifted his weight in the uncomfortable chair, and it creaked and groaned in protest. He ignored it. He hadn't had a cantina chair break on him yet, despite his weight. He wasn't that fat, after all. The speeder mechanic brought one meaty hand up to rub at his chin. "I figured someplace out of the way would be good for awhile, so that's why I'm here on this force forsaken ball of sand. Don't know how long I'll stay, but the universe usually has a pretty good way of telling me it's time to move on."

As if on cue, four rather ugly looking thugs entered the cantina. This in and of itself was not unusual. The fact that they spent a little too long looking at the table where Formaj sat, on the other hand... "Hey kid," Formaj addressed the Jedi, "Whaddya say I show you my shop. Like, now. Right now." Formaj flicked his eyes meaningfully towards the bar in the hopes that Garrett would get the idea.
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

Garrett nodded as the man went on about his life, adding the occasional "Yeah," or "Go on," as the conversation went on. Garrett hadn't really needed to listen, but he had nothing better to do, what with his B-wing out of commision for a bit.

"What d'you--" the Jedi began, furrowing his eyebrow in curiosity, trying to figure what Formaj's meaning was before following his lead towards the entrance of the door. "Oh!" It clicked. "Right, yeah, yeah. But, urm... How do we get past..." The Jedi lowered his voice and glanced in the direction of the thugs, taking a casual sip from his juri juice.

The unique character of Tatooine was beginning to get to the young Jedi. In less then an hour, he had ran into seven different thugs, all with the apparent intent of assaulting him. Pleasant hospitality, he thought gingerly.
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

"All of these places have back doors," Formaj replied, keeping an eye on the thugs at the bar. "In case the authorities show up. You just have to find 'em. Just kinda look around, but don't look like you're lookin' around. Be casual."

Slowly, casually, Formaj continued sipping at his drink. The thugs were talking to the bartender, probably apologizing for whatever mess they inteded to make of Garrett. After a moment, however, the bartended nodded and walked away. The thugs stayed put. This puzzled Formaj. Usually good squads didn't have the sort of tact it took to wait until their targets left the cantina before killing them. Belatedly, Formaj noted that the bartender was now headed towards his table.

Formaj blinked, and looked at Garrett. He'd thought the Jedi had said something about that back door, but whatever it had been he'd missed it. And now the bartender was at their table.

"Excuse me, sirs," The Duros began, "But those gentlemen over there would like to have a word with you. They assure me that they don't intend to cause any trouble." The bartender looked from Formaj to Garret expectantly, probably hoping they would make the same promise.

Formaj looked at his Jedi companion. "Well kid, it's your call."
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

Garrett had spotted what looked like a door, however, a few spare tables had been stacked in front of it, and then a most polite barkeep, especially for Tatooine, aproached them.

Garrett looked over his shoulder at the waiting thugs. They didn't look like they didn't mean any trouble. Garrett shrugged when he looked back at Formaj. "Think we should go to them or they should come to us?" Formaj shrugged. Garrett thought that it may piss them off if they made the bartender go back like a personal secretary and request that they aproach the table. However, if Garrett and Formaj went over there, it could just make it easier for them to kick 'em where it hurts.

Garrett sighed, sliding his chair away from the small table and stood, taking a last swig from his unfinished juri juice. "I suppose we should go to them, then." With that, he turned and, sifting through the crowd as he went, aproached the small team.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Garrett greeted as politely as he could as he stopped well out of the reach of any arms. "The barkeep said you wanted to speak with us?" Garrett glanced back at Formaj, who was still squeezing his way between the patrons.
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

OOC:

Bleh, I hate typos...
Usually good squads didn't have the sort of tact it took
Should read:

"Usually goon squads didn't have the sort of tact it took..."
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

OOC- lol Well, I got your meaning. Posted, BTW.
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

OOC:

Aye, so I noticed. :)

Unfortunately, techinically I'm supposed to be at work right now... so posting will have to wait.
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

OOC- lol Fair enough. Whenever you're ready.
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

The four man gang watched Garrett approach the bar, each looking like a wolf with it's eye on the next meal. The apparent leader of the gang nodded when Garrett spoke. He wasn't very big, and didn't look very tough, this leader of thugs. It was enough to make you wonder what he was doing in charge, until you looked at his eyes. When you looked at his eyes, you knew... you knew, because they held an inner glow that spoke of an intelligence none of his cohorts could hope to match. "Yeah," The leader added a verbal reply to match his body language. "Have a seat, Jedi," The man spoke with surprising neutrality, considering his outward appearance. He gestured to the barstool immediately to his left. "There's an issue we need to discuss involving a Bothan's teeth and a Togorian's arm."

Formaj watched this with keen interest as he pushed his way after Garrett. He'd saved the guy from an unpleasant end once today, he wanted to be ready in case he had to do it again. "Ironic," He muttered, deftly maneuvering his drink so that it didn't spill as he was jostled. "Usually it's the Jedi that do all the butt saving 'round the galaxy." Luckily, or rather very oddly, it seemed that the goons who'd summoned Garrett didn't seem to be spoiling for a fight just yet. Formaj arrived just behind Garrett, and attempted to look as menacing as possible... which for him was very menacing indeed. He crossed his arms for good measure (which was tricky, since he was still holding his drink) and put on his best "I'm the bodyguard from hell" look. Why he was doing this for somebody he'd just met, Formaj wouldn't have been able to answer just then.

Formaj took a sip of his drink - another tricky feat, since he didn't uncross his arms when he did it.
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

Garrett glanced at his demeanor, searching for his saber. It wasn't anywhere visible. So how...

Oh. The yellow toothed bothan and half wit company. Fantastic. "Um, yeah, about that," Garrett began, taking a seat at the bar and leaning one arm against it. Unlike his new found friend, he wanted to keep things friendly. "You see, I was just sitting, enjoying my drink, when those guys came up to me with intent of robbery."

Garrett glanced over the four. If he wanted to, he could likely cut them all down. But he didn't. He'd rather stay away from trouble. He didn't exactly want to go spreading around a reputation of innocent thug slaying for the Council.

However, something didn't quite fit. The man he was speaking to was thoughtful, the keen-type. He didn't need the Force to tell that much. The three other gorillas behind him held a different look, however. If the man wanted Garrett beat up, it would have gone down by now, so why bother speaking?

"So, if it's about that, what exactly do you want?" Garrett spoke his mind, furrowing an inquisitive brow.
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

The thug leader looked only slightly confused when Garrett explained how he'd been attacked. To understand this slight confusion, it is nessecary to understand how the incident was reported by the Bothan and his gang to their immediate superiors. It went something like this:

"We were just doing our job, you know, shaking down the locals for some protection money, when we ran into this Jedi. See, we wanted to back off, ya know, 'cause, ya know, we was told not to mess with Jedi. But he musta been an enforcer or something, 'cause he started with the force using and threw all the bottles in the joint at us, and cut off Bruiser's arm, and then this other guy, a real big guy who musta been another one of Into's enforcers, he comes in and works us over. See, we didn't want no trouble..."

Into, it will be explained later, is why the conversation continued on a more sedate note, without any of the usually brain bashing.

"Ok," The leader of the goon squad spoke as Garrett finished, "Look. There's no need to play innocent. Either Into sent you to show us who's boss, or you decided to have some fun of your own. That's understandable. I do it all the time. But look, if it's the first case then i've been instructed to tell you that the shipment is just a little late. Into will get his spice. We don't have any illusions, ok, messing with a crime syndicate run by a Jedi is suicide. And now we know Into's got Jedi enforcers, so you can tell him whatever lingering doubts we had are flat out gone. We'll get him his spice, just dont' mess up any of our guys to make the point."

The thug's leader straightened up in his barstool, and looked Garrett in the eye. "And if you were just having fun, force user, I reccommend keeping it a little cleaner." Now the man stood and glanced over Garretts shoulder at Formaj, who was doing his level best not to look outright surprised at what had just been said. Without another word, the thug leader turned and headed for the exit.
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

Garrett raised his eyebrows and exhaled, as if to blow away all that stress and confusion. He glanced back at Formaj with a mischievious grin. "Well, I'm intrigued. Aren't you?" The Jedi grinned broadly. These thugs were technically in New Republic space, although not really on a planet under the New Republic's care. Still, any trafficing through the government's space was illegal, and should definately be investigated. Especially a drug syndicate guided by a Jedi at the helm.

Without waiting for Formaj to answer, the young Jedi jumped up from his stool and opened his mouth as if to shout something, but paused and thought of what to shout. "H-hey," he called after the thugs hesitantly, unsure of how it might sound outloud. He changed his tone to be as menacing as possible. "Mynocks-for-brains!"

The thugs paused and looked back at Garrett, angry looks flashing behind their eyes. They didn't like that. But Garrett couldn't hesitate. After all, he was one of... what was his name? Itol? Intam? Into! That was it. Garrett was apparently one of Into's Jedi enforcers, and he needed to act like it. The thugs stared at Garrett, waiting for him to continue.

"I know how it must look," Garrett began, holding an entirely new persona of bravado. It was still slightly unsteady, however, he had been trained for all kinds of situations, including improvisation. "But sometimes, you dimwits need to be done a lesson to. And that's exactly what he sent me and my friend here to do." Garrett strode up to the group nonchalantly, glancing over his shoulder to check if Formaj was following his lead. More quietly, he continued with the thugs. "Moreover, Into's not so sure about you guys, so he sent us to make sure you guys do the job right. Sort of observers, we are, rather than enforcers. However," Garrett added quickly, realising a minor mistake, "that's not to say we won't enforce."

The Jedi glanced at each one of them straight in the eyes, looking for their reactions in order to ignore what ever his might have been on the outside. Quickly, still carrying his feigned auro of bravado and fearlessness, he glanced back at Formaj. If Formaj didn't follow, than his friend was just staying behind to check up on some other matters. If he did, than Garrett owed this man a lot. A lot that he didn't need to owe, and a lot that Formaj didn't need to be owed.

Right now, Garrett wasn't exactly sure of what he was doing, but he thought he might play it by ear.
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

This guy's nuts, Formaj thought as he watched Garrett address the thugs. Just what the hell does he think he's doing?

The leader of the thugs stood and stared coldly at Garrett as the Jedi finished speaking. He didn't look at all happy, and his eyes were narrowing in the kind of way that usually indicates a barely supressed homicidal anger. Luckily, he was smart enough to know that letting that anger get loose on a Jedi would be bad news for all involved. He took a few calming breaths under the guise of staring down Garrett for a few more moments.

"Into," The man began calmly, "Sent you to keep an eye on us?" He sounded almost as if he didn't believe what he'd just heard. He thought about it for a moment, glanced at Formaj, then nodded tightly. "Fine. Follow us, we'll take you to Sheda." Warily, the man turned and headed for the exit again. Garrett and Formaj fell into step behind him.

"Look kid," Formaj muttered under his breath to Garrett as the two made their way down the street after the goon squad, "I don't know what kind of hero stuff you're tryin to pull, but this is dangerous. Sheda is dangerous, Into is dangerous... hell, getting mixed up with any of these crime rings is a bad idea." As he spoke, Formaj kept an eye on the men he was following. He didn't want them overhearing anything that could cause trouble. "If you're lookin to stay alive, I'd advise finding a transport off this rock." He gave Garrett an appraising look. "But if you're set on getting yourself into trouble... well, I guess it's been awhile since I've gotten into a decent ammount of trouble m'self."

Smiling, Formaj put the rag back on his head and started walking with a little more pomp. If he was supposed to be a badass enforcer, he may as well have fun acting like one.

*************************************************************

Sheda's headquarters was a fair distance outside of town. Like the late and unlamented Jabba the Hutt, Sheda had a certain paranoia when it came to personal security. The building where she headquartered her operation was build like a small fortress, complete with guards on patrol and E-Web blaster emplacements conspicuously displaced in strategic positions. It was all highly illegal... so of course the local authorities wouldn't touch it with a ten foot gaffi stick. Whether that was because they were on Sheda's payroll or because they just didn't want to bother, nobody could really tell.

Akto, who Garrett and Formaj had learned was the name of the smarter-than-your-average-thug, stopped his speeder in front of the complex and gestured for them to get out. The two fake enforcers, who had been sitting in the rearward seats, hopped out and narrowed their eyes against the sun. Akto joined them, as did two of his three stooges. The third drove off around the complex with the speeder, presumably to park it somewhere where it wouldn't get stolen by Jawas or wrecked by Sand People.

Silently, almost somberly, Akto led Into's newest enforcers into the complex. They drew curious looks from those who saw them, mostly because they were new, mostly because Garrett was obviously not the scum of the earth type that usually got into the club. None one bothered them though, which was probably just as well.

Sheda's office was on the topmost floor of the complex's tallest tower - which meant it was three stories up. The door was made of a very expensive looking hardwood, and guarded by very dangerous looking Gamorreans with very lethile looking vibro axes. They let Akto and his two guests pass, but made the two stooges stay behind. Beyond the door, the office was ornately decorated with - oddly enough - plants. Small trees stood in the corners of the office. Leafy vines wound their way up walls and around several pieces of furnature. The smell of wet soil and green things was heavy, something that only a person native to Tatooine could appreciate fully. Even Sheda's desk was designed to hold two potted plants, one on either end where they couldn't get in the way. A large window at the back of the room provided all the sunlight the plants would ever need, and illuminated the room perfectly.

Sheda herself was an exotic sight. Human, she was surprisingly small of stature with dark hair and a dark complexion. Her eyes were even greener than the plants she decorated her office with, and flashed with a certain kind of annoyance when Akto stopped several feet from her desk. "Akto," She began, eyes moving to Garrett, Formaj, and back again, "This had better be good. You know my policy on outsiders in the compound."

"Into sent them as..." Akto paused and gave Garrett a distastefull look, "Observers. It seems he doesn't fully trust our ability to come through on our promises."

"Is that so," Sheda said softly, her voice at complete odds with the temperature of the room. She gave Garrett a look that made it perfectly clear what he could do with his observations. "Well then, I guess we'd better work to fix that." the dimunitive crime lord stood from behind her desk and gave Formaj an equally cold look. It seemed anything to do with Into was little welcome around these parts. "And what are your names?" She inquired.
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

Garrett was busy pondering how exactly menacing he was looking at the moment, adjusting to what he thought might be it, when the ice queen of the and palace spoke to him. "Uhm," he began, stammering a little as his brain stalled slightly as it scrambled for names. His brief panic resolved, and his face relaxed as he looked back at the woman. "I'm Garrett, and this is..." He paused lightly Formaj was from around here. They might have been able to look him up. "Is..." he repeated.

"Jimbo," Formaj said with a nod. Garrett nodded in accordance, looking back at the woman.

"It's nothin' to take too personal, ma'am," Garrett said, being more polite with her than he had with Akto. Somethings never changed. "Into just thought you guys were due for a checkup, is all." Garrett began to reach behind his back out of habit, before quickly changing his mind to crossing his arms across his chest for more menace. "So, we're just taking a back seat and making sure you guys handle everything smoothly." Garrett wanted to try and remove any chances that these goons would have them do anything that they simply wouldn't have the knowledge to do. After all, Garrett had never heard of... of... Sheda? Sheda. Garrett had never heard of Sheda before this point. Even Formaj had heard of her. He was glad that the goons hadn't sent them to go find Sheda on their own, though.

So still, it left Garrett and Formaj standing before a crimelords amazon desk in the middle of Tatooine's sand, either waiting to be found out, or waiting to slip in under the radar. Which of the two hadn't been specified yet.
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

Real friendly type, Formaj found himself thinking as Sheda regarded them for a few silent moments. He also found himself thinking things like Just what have I gotten myself into, and This Jedi had better know what he's doing...

"Very well," Sheda said at last, still looking far less than pleased. "I'll have rooms arranged for you to stay in while you're here. Until then, you can tell Akto what you want to see and he'll take you to see it. But don't get in the way." Sheda herself started for the door, apparently having things that she needed to do elsewhere. She breezed past Garrett and Formaj like a gust of wind from Hoth, pausing just outside of the office door. "How long," She inquired, "Are you planning to stay?"
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

Garrett shrugged, jutting out his jaw in ignorance. "I don't know," he said with a light nonchalance. "How long will it take for Into to get his spice?"

The Jedi let his hands drop and shifted his weight to one foot. "All we're really here to do is to follow that spice to its destination; make sure it gets there on time and in one piece, y'know? We'll be outta your hair as soon as that spice is at Into's door."

Garrett glanced around, searching for something. "So," he said finally, coming up empty with a shrug and his palms facing the sky, "where is this spice?"
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

"The shipment hasn't arrived yet," Sheda said evenly. "Our courrier got wind of some kind of military activity in the area he was going to travel through. Decided to take a detour... better safe than dead. At least, that's how it works in my operation." Obviously, Sheda was under the impression that Into and his men were far too reckless where such things were concerned. "The spice," She finished, "Will be here tomorrow. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other business to take care of."

With that, Sheda turned and walked away, leaving Garrett and Formaj alone with Akto. Formaj let his gaze wander over to Akto, and cleared his throat. "So," He inquired, "How about those rooms?"

Several minutes later, the two men stood in what turned out to be a very nicely decorated room. It was Garrett's room, Formaj's was down the hall a little ways. Unlike Sheda's office, there were no plants in either room. It seemed that the illusion of distance from the desert world outside the compound was one Sheda kept for herself. Still, despite that fact, Formaj was impressed with the decor. It was rather expensive, and clearly something only important people would have had access to.

"Well, this is nice." Formaj remarked as he sat down on a well padded chair. He put his feet up on the footstool that was nearby and fished around in his breastpocket. After a second he pulled out a short, fat roll of some leafy brown substance. He put the roll in his mouth and clamped down on it with his teeth before lighting the exposed end. "Yessir," He said around the cigar, "very nice indeed. Even has air conditioning. But you know, of course, that eventually they'll figure it out... and then they'll kill us." Formaj paused and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Kinda puts a damper on things, eh?" he asked with almost inappropriate cheer. Formaj didn't entirely trust that the room wasn't bugged somehow, and he hadn't the faintest idea how to check for such devices. He hoped that Garrett would be just as suspicious and careful.

"So what do we do next? The spice doesn't arrive for another day, according to Sheda. That gives us a little while to hang around and do... eh... whatever it is you wanted to do here," Formaj prompted, hoping to get some idea of what Garrett had planned. Up until his point, he'd just been along for the ride. He wasn't one to shy away from random adventures... hell, it'd been far too long since his last one. But he did usually like to develop some sort of plan for those random adventures, somewhere along the way. Something that didn't involved getting killed, for instance.
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

"Well," Garrett said, sighing as he relaxed into a plush chair on one of the sides of the room. "First, we get comfortable, then we sit and think about what the weather's like..." The Jedi trailed off as he tried to think. He wasn't quite sure of what they would do in the meantime. "Past that, I suppose we should try and find any bugs they have set up in here; I guy deserves his privacy, right?" Garrett yawned and rubbed at one of his eyes, trying to rub either sleep or grit out of it.

The Jedi ended the yawn with a grunt and began pondering how they would spend their night in a crime boss's headquarters. Likely with one eye open, that was for sure. However, Garratt had always heard of how the Hutt crimelords were always notorious partiers, with guests and music and the like. Did Sheda have a social side, holding events for the other scum of the universe, or what? From what Garrett saw of her, she didn't seem very entertaining, or one that would enjoy entertainment for that matter.

"So, what've you heard about this Sheda-woman?" Garrett asked, looking to Formaj. "You've been around longer than I have. Into never mentioned her much."
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

Formaj grunted and took another moment to puff on his cigar. "After Jabba died," The speeder tech explained, "There was an understandable power gap in the underworld. Now, you wouldn't think of tatooine as a very nice place to set up shop, but it's got a long history of lawlessness. The Old Republic, the Empire, the New Republic, hell even the Imperial Remnant... it doesn't matter who claims this dustball, nobody ever does much with it except put down a few troops and a flag. They don't care what goes on around here, which means it's the perfect place from which to start a criminal organization."

"With Jabba gone, somebody was bound to rise to the top and take over," Formaj continued. "For a little while it was Black Sun, but then Xizor died and it all fell apart. Now there's a rough balance of power between rival crime organizations. Sheda runs one of the up and coming ones, not the largest by any means but certainly one to look out for. Give her a few years, I think, leave her alone, and she'll have wormed her way into a very respectable position. Into, as you know, runs one of the bigger rackets. Probably has something to do with the fact that he's a force user. Keeps people like Sheda on a leash, or tries to. Some people think that if it wasn't for Into, she'd already be in control."

"That's about all I know," Formaj sucked in a lungful of smoke from his cigar, letting it out slowly. "Aside from the basics, of course. She deals in just about everything any respectably unrespectable crime lord would deal in. Spice, murder, smuggling, bounties, extortion, slaves and more." Formaj regarded Garrett for a second, then fumbled around in his pocket and produced another short, fat cigar. He held it towards his Jedi companion. "Care for one?" He inquired.
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

OOC- Sorry, Ducky. Been real busy. I'll try and get a post up as soon as I can.
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

OOC:

No worries, I've been pretty busy m'self.
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

"No, thanks," Garrett said with a shake of his head and a wave. He may be a guest at a crime lord’s abode, however, that was no reason for him to pick up nasty habits.

The Jedi pushed himself out of the comfy chair he was sitting in and paced about the room, picking up various decorum as he went, glancing them over with the nonchalance of a guy just examining their worth. However, he couldn't see any bugs on them. Didn't mean there weren't any. "So, how deep do you think we are, there..." He paused, trying to remember Formaj's new name. "... Jimbo?" He smiled, amused at the whole hoax.

OOC- Yeah, not much, but better than nothing, right?
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

OOC:

After all this time, it sure is. ;)

I'll work up a post once I re-read and figure out just what the heck was going on. *chuckles*
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

OOC- Well, take your time. I sure did.
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Devil Duck
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 6:29 pm

Post by Darth_Kuangduk »

"I think," Formaj rumbled as he put the proferred cigar back in his pocket, "That we're in so deep it would take a few hours and a couple dozen mining droids to let us see the light of day again. Not the deepest I've ever been into something, but still not on the cheery side. At least we're not down to six feet just yet. That's something I hope to avoid for a long, long time."

Even though the room didn't have any windows, Formaj could tell that it was getting on towards a Tattooine evening. It was an almost palpable change in the air, something that natives of the desert world learned to pick up on after a few years. As the desert world got colder, what little moisture was in it's atmosphere began to condense and settle. It was just a slight change in barometric pressure, but it was detectable nonetheless, even indoors.

"Well," Formaj said with one last puff on his cigar, "No matter how deep we're in it, we're in it. Can't very well go back now, can we?" The portly speeder tech stood from his chair and looked about the room. He located an ashtray on a nearby table, and trundled over to put out what was left of his cigar. Instead of leaving the stub in the ashtray, though, he put it too back in his pocket. Good cigars were hard to come by, after all.

"Besides," He added as he started for the door, "This oughta be fun." With a grin and a wink, Formaj pushed the control that would open the room's door. As it slid aside, the large speeder mechanic was startled to see a young, blue, and scantily clad female Twi'Lek standing in the doorway. The girl - Formaj couldn't bring himself to call her a woman - jumped in surprise. Clearly, she hadn't expected the door to open when it had.

"Whaddya want?" Formaj growled, recognizing at once what was going on. The girl was a slave, and she'd been sent by Sheda as a show of crime lord hospitality. Had Formaj been in his room, he probably would have been answering his own door about now.

"I..." The girl stammered for a moment, then gathered herself. "Are you Garret?" She asked.

"No," Formaj grunted, standing aside so the girl could see into the room. When she saw Garret, she stepped past Formaj and bowed slightly. "Mistress Sheda sent me to tend to your needs," She told him demurely. Formaj, safely behind the girl, gave Garret a look that spoke volumes about just how disgusting he found slavery. He briefly thought about saying something, but held his tongue. It was clear just what sort of "needs" Sheda'd had in mind when she sent the girl, and now the ball was in Garret's court. Time to see just how the Jedi handled the situation.
"Ah, my lord, is that... legal?"
"I will make it legal."
Posts: 438
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 6:49 am
Location: Six Feet Under

Post by Dahdtoudi »

Garrett gave a glance at Formaj, looking for any sort of aid. Obviously, the old Tatooine resident didn't have much likeing for slavery, but past that, Garrett was on his own. His mind raced over all the factors of the situation. As a Jedi, he should refuse any sort of "services" the slave girl could provide. As a person, he should treat her kindly, and not as a slave at all. But, he was neither here. He was a Jedi working for a crime lord, infiltrating the cartel of some Tatooine lordling. Still, he couldn't...

A thought sprung up, and Garrett gave a smile, mischief twinkling in his eyes. "Well," he said, confidence seeping off his words, "you tell Lady Sheda that there is only one woman I would want to tend to my needs." Garrett glanced at Formaj with a smug smile. Crisis averted.

He looked back at the twi'lek girl, still young and hesitant in her actions. She had her hands clasped together in front of her, so tight it looked as if she was trying to restrain herself. Perhaps she was trying to control the urge to cover up her bare flesh, or perhaps it was to keep herself from breaking down into tears. She looked down at the floor, and around at the room quickly, before looking back at Garrett. "As you say, master," she said quietly before turning and heading for the door.

Garrett's smile faded, a sadness filling him. She was so pitiful; broken and yeilded. He knew he never wanted to be called "master" like that again. He looked up at Formaj. "Perhaps not so fun after all."
I bet I have less than half as many posts as some of the people who've been here less than half as long as I have...
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 22 guests