Log:Array Consortium: The Inheritance, Part Three: The Yellow Man

The Inheritance, Part Three: The Yellow Man

OOC Date: September 11, 2017
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Participants: Adhar Gann, Sion, Xuut, Si Olorar, Mara Jade

And so the Captain has gone for a drink - not at the Blue Light, where he often goes, but at Pakko's Place. Odd choice, considering, but it's unlikely someone's going to cause him trouble dressed like a bloody bounty hunter as he is. Smuggler in battle armor. Someone must owe him money...but the Captain sips his flat beer in peaceful reflection.

Sion doesn't get in here that often, either. But Wiz had sounded a trifle concerned under his usual chirpy enthusiasm, so she'd strapped on her blaster and gone looking for her captain. And /this/ is where she finds him? Well, it takes all kinds, right? Besides, a down-and-out place like this is one even dangerous people avoid, most of the time. The derelicts here mostly just want to drown their overwhelming sorrows in peace. Which does leave the question of why he's wearing armor... She steps over to join him. "Strange surroundings, boss. Got something on your mind?"

"It's a place for rough people," Adhar says, sipping his beer and looking up at you. "So I'm right at home. Have a seat, Sion. I'm buying."

"Nothing strong. If you're wearing armor, I want clear eyes for watching your back," Sion replies, taking a seat anyway. "Is someone looking for you?"

"Pakko's beer won't get you drink unless you sat here all day," Adhar says with a chuckle. "It's beer-flavored water, essentially. And yes, same guys from earlier this week. I know I've kept you busy this week, but a lot has happened."

"In that case, pass on the drink. As for the troublemakers, I half hope they show up," Sion remarks wryly. "I'd prefer a straight fight to all this skulking and sneaking. I guess they can't take a hint?"

"I killed five people last week," Adhar says with a shake of his head. "Self defense or not, it doesn't matter. Not happy about it at all." He looks at you. "You did a good job last week with that gun runner, Sion. I was glad I could count on you. Well done."

Sion quiets down at that, though she does nod in understanding. "I try to be useful," she replies. "I've been plugged into the sims a bit too much this week, though, just in case we don't run into trouble on the ground. What's up with all the sudden interest in us?"

"My uncle." Adhar squeezes the bridge of his nose and sighs. "So we went to Corellia, my friend Mandl and me, where my uncle's inheritance to me was stored. Turns out it's a ship - a damned /fine/ one - and the papers have been signed over to me. Soon as we left, some Rodians pulled a drive-by on us." On closer inspection, it's clear that he has scars on his face, a thin quarter-starburst at the lower corner of his right eye. Looks like frag damage. A few other scars, a bit thicker, part his hair below his right temple.

Adhar Gann adds, "And then some punks tried to round me up down at the Gearhead district a couple of days ago."

"I hope someone was around to help in the Gearhead district," Sion murmurs, frowning. "We'll have to get you to a good clinic once this is over, to do something about those face ornaments. But at least you're still alive. I'm sorry I missed the trouble."

He shrugs. "I don't mind them. Reminds me not to put my face too close to cover while taking fire." Adhar yawns a bit. "Oh hey, we took on some new hands, by the way."

"Well, I don't mind hearing about them, if you feel like talking," Sion replies. "Some of them might be as elusive as Mara."

"She's got a lot on her plate," Adhar says with a nod. "We've a dedicated engineer now, Draxth - he's Sluissi, by the way - and a young Chiss fellow named Nuuru. He's green as they come, though, but determined. He and I stole back a ship from some thugs on Ord Mantell; he won a sabaac tourney, and some jackass Dug put his personal ship up as a market - and when he lost, beat the kriff out of the kid and called me to come get him. Can't imagine they thought that was going to go unpunished. Nobody steals from /my/ crew and gets away with it."

Adhar Gann makes a dark sound in the back of his throat and lifts his mug to take a draught of his beer.

"Sounds like he's led an interesting life," Sion says, wincing in sympathy. "How is he now. Did he get the ship?"

"He did," Adhar says wistfully. "A Belbullab-22, most beautiful fighter came out of the Seperatist systems during the Clone Wars." He chuckles. "He's a good lad, just a couple years older than you, though I'd mark he's a bit less mature. Fancies himself a ladies' man, too, so watch yourself and tell me if he gets handsy." Rules are rules, after all. "I reckon he got real suprised when I helped him get that ship back, though."

"Somehow I doubt he will. Aren't Chiss supposed to find intellectual prowess and cleverness attractive?" Sion recalls, smiling a little. "I don't think he'll find much to like about me, if he's like most of them. Still, having a fighter around could come in handy."

"Chiss might be occasionally elitist," Adhar says with a snort, "But they aren't /blind/. You wander around in your skimpies like you do a few days, and see if you don't have him panting after you. He's a good lad, but watch yourself anyway, all right?" A beat. "Mind you, we get this new ship, you'll have your own cabin. My uncle's ship is...quite a beast."

"I've never heard /you/ complain," Sion replies, not without some amusement. "But I'll keep it in mind. Old habits aren't easily shaken." She has to give the matter of a bigger ship some thought. "Just how big of a ship is this? I mean, a cabin of my own would be great and all, but I've still got to fly it around, and that might be a problem if it's heavy and slow."

"That's because I'm almost ten years older than you and trying to keep my mind on business," he points out. "Besides, I'm the captain. Doesn't matter what I think." He finishes his beer and waves for another. "It's a YZ-775, but heavily modified. Luxury appointments, for one. Hydroshowers, naturally. Three quarters of the cargo bay's been converted into a single-fighter drop bay."

"Actually, your opinion matters most," Sion replies, knowing something about ship command structure. "With that kind of escort support, I don't think we'll miss the extra space. Hopefully our clients won't, either."

"You know what I mean." He chuckles. "But yes, it's a damned big step forward from the Voidhome, which is saying something considering she's brand new. We can find this ship and claim it, we can sell off the Voidhome and kit her out like a real fleet ship."

"As much as I like the /Voidhome/, more space would be nice," Sion admits, smiling a little.

"Right," he agrees. "So the idea is, we secure the ship, get her running, and then sell off Voidhome to further outfit her. Voidhome's brand new, so we should be a good amount of money. New hardware on Socorro, you know. Something to think about. Alternatively..."

The doors to Paako's open, and a knot of people enter: a very pretty Wroonian man, a pair of human toughs, a Gamorrean. All in some form of armor or another. At their head, a smiling young fellow, an Echani in a yellow suit. His smile, though wide, is absolutely curdling.

"Adhar Gann." The Echani calls it out from the doorway, as though he were proclaiming the smuggler's name for president. "There you are."

Sion, thinking about that, glances up at the sound of someone calling the captain's name. "Friend of yours?" she has to ask, her faint smile growing just a bit plastic. The Wroonian catches her eyes. "He's cute. Bet he's the dangerous one."

A new arrival into Pakko's Place, a Chiss dressed rather plainly in modest attire steps inside. He wears his long mid-back length hair in a single pony-tail, freeing his sapphire hued skin and glowing red eyes to be freely seen. He pauses, glancing around the room before stepping casually toward the bar.

"No he isn't," Adhar says, looking at the reflection of the men in the bar's cracked mirror. "I shot his partner the other night, /and/ his boss. He can't hit the broad side of a barn." He takes a sip of his beer and says, "Ran off like a coward. Well, at least he had the sense to wear armor this time around."

"Adhar Gann." The Yellow Man chuckles, but the sound is barbed. "Come on. Don't make a third time, friend."

"So much for my instincts. I won't waste time trying to blast him, promise," Sion replies, glancing at the Yellow Man. "What's his deal? I'm guessing he's a large part of our problem?" Under the table, she's sliding her blaster out of its holster, hoping the smoothness of the motion will hide it from the gathering of goons. They'll need all the tactical advantage they can get.

"I don't know who these fellows are," Adhar says with a sigh. "Just that their boss wants my new boat." From the sound of it, he isn't going to take /that/.

Slowly he turns around, staring at the knot of people with a dull expression. "Right," he says, "I'm here. I can still kill at least two of you without someone drawing first, and I like to aim for commanders - so keep that in mind before you do whatever you've come to do."

The Yellow Man, running a hand through his combed-back hair, laughs. "You've got me figured wrong, Captain Gann," he says. "No, these lads are here to protect me from you, it's true, but I'm not here to do violence with you."

"Good," says Adhar, "Because that pretty one's a crap shot." Said Wroonian bares his teeth, surging forward - and is stopped by a hand belonging to the Yellow Man, who extends his hand to firmly keep the slender thug in check.

"Please, Captain," says the Yellow Man, "I'm here to offer you a deal. That's all. Won't you share a table with me?"

Adhar frowns. "I'm not giving up that ship," he says. Final word. "So you're wasting your time."

"If he can afford all that protection, somehow I don't think he's the kind that thinks he has to take 'no' for an answer," Sion says softly, giving the lot a mock-worried look over, maintaining her role as a cautious friend of the captain. She glances at the Chiss who just came in, unsure just who he's with. Though he does look young...

Xuut continues to drift until he is at the table nearest the Yellow Man. His eyes, a fiery ruby red, shift to look the savage looking Wroonian over before he returns his eyes to the leader. A slow movement slips the flap of his jacket a few inches to the right, enough so to reveal the hilt of the Vibrodagger sheathed at his side. His hand comes to rest there, an almost lazy movement as he dawdles, waiting quietly to see what will happen.

"Captain." The Yellow Man smiles a bit more widely; his silver eyes are polished mirrors, shining with malevolence. "Our employer simply wants to make sure that he - and you - receive what you want in life. Our employer wants the Moonstormer. He's willing to give you whatever you want in exchange."

Adhar sets his jaw. "He can eat a big bowl of steaming hot pudu, then."

The Yellow Man chuckles, and closes his eyes. "Captain. You realize, regardless of what happens here, my employer /will/ get that ship, yes? Even if you find it. Even if you claim it. He would rather see it burn in space, with everyone on board, rather than let it fall into someone else's hands."

"Well, that's very sad for him," says Adhar, pursing his lips, "But here's the juice: the next person tries to keep me from taking this ship, I shoot. The next ship that tries to stop me, burns. I don't know what it is about people thinking they can decide what I get, or what my crew receives, but I'll be chained alive to the suns below if you - or your employer - thinks they can get me to behave the way they want me to." That said, he flips back his cloak, revealing the elegant shape of a Socorran blaster at his hip. "So who's gonna be my sixth and seventh for the week?"

Somehow, getting what you want isn't always as good as it sounds. Sion had wished the trouble had just shown up, and here it is... and she's nervous, no matter how confident she tries to appear. But it's not like she didn't ask for it. Her blaster drawn under the table, she waits for the response of the Jerk Squad. Then, with a 'what the heck' shrug, she takes advantage of the captain's distraction and lifts the weapon from beneath the table, aiming it casually at the Yellow Man. "Personally, I'm looking forward to getting my own cabin. I'd really rather not have that hope taken away. /Really/."

Seeing the situation quickly deteriorating, Xuut sighs and slips the vibrodagger from the sheath at his hip. Not pausing, least any of the other goons see him before he can make his move, the "Hiss" leaps forward, reaching forward with his elbow in an effort to wrap the Yellow Man in a choke hold and tighten his arm against the man's windpipe. His Vibrodagger comes up to rest directly against the man's temple, vibrating tip pressing with enough force to break the skin. "I came here to have a quiet drink!" Xuut yells loudly in the man's ear. He jerks the man around, seeking to put the Yellow man between his body and that of the other thugs. "All of this talk about stealing a ship makes me want to steal the ship. What ship is it?" He likely comes across quite unhinged.

Suddenly, Xuut has a lot of blasters pointed at him. The Yellow Man lets out a hiss of pain, and between clenched teeth orders them to "Stand down, stand down!"

"Aaaaall right..." Adhar stares at the crazed Chiss for a moment, who has managed to make things /much more interesting/. He clears his throat, and draws his pistol, keeping the barrel pointed at the ground, one hand out. "That's not necessary, friend. I'm sure that if you let this fellow go, nobody need have any trouble. Isn't that right?" He stares at the Yellow Man, giving him a 'just go with it' sort of look.

Taken a bit by surprise at the sudden move of the (very) strange Chiss, Sion can only stare for a moment. But in a second she's got the goons covered, not bothering to move. "I'm with the Captain. This doesn't have to get stupid."

< Mara Jade and Si Olorar arrive. >

You two have walked into a standoff.

A knot of armed and armored beings - Wroonian, two humans, and a Gamorrean - stand just inside by the door, currently pointing guns at a crazed-looking Chiss holding a knife to the temple of a very surprised Echani in a yellow suit. The Captain is at the bar, and so is Sion; he has a pistol in his hand, barrel turned to the ground, and is apparently trying to defuse the situation from the way his free hand is extended. Sion, sitting next to him, has her gun out as well, but doesn't look very happy with the situation either.

So, yeah. Exciting times.

"Yeah!" Xuut screams, likely in a deafening volume directly into the ear of the Yellow Man he has in that choke hold. "Stand down, you bunch of ugly bastards!" this last bit toward the rest of the room at large. "This situation doesn't have to get any uglier than this one I have held so tenderly in my arms, you dig?" Another press of the point of that vibrodagger to show that he means business. He chuckles in the Yellow Man's ear, the sound bubbling up into a loud laugh before he says, "I think I can make this all pretty easy. I'll just take this one with me, and he can show me where this ship is, and I'll take it for myself! I can get a lot of Spice for the amount of credits I can sell an entire ship for!"

Mara Jade steps into the bar along with Si Olorar, "And then he says.." her words drift off as green eyes sweep swiftly around the room and both hands drop on pure instinct to pull both blasters from their holsters. They are not fully raised, but they'd give someone a good kneecapping at the moment. Calmly she looks to Adhar then to the rest. "Captain. Are we in a situation here? Are we winning?"

"That's what she said?" Si says finishing Mara's story though as he quickly accesses the situation. His hand goes to his own blaster, a DL-30. The twi'lek not actively aiming it at anyone. His lekku curling and twisting in annoyance. He waits to find out who to shoot or not to shoot.

"No way are you taking him," one of the human toughs says. "You take him, it's gonna be through these guns!" He makes to say something up, but the arrival of yet /more armed people/ makes him stiffen up. Even the Gamorrean no longer looks as nearly as juiced about this potential fight.

"We're good, Mara - and I'm pretty sure we can violence from happening," Adhar says, voice growing hard. "They're outgunned."

He looks to the Chiss now. "He doesn't know where the ship is," he says. "And neither do I. Now, you people can come in here and threaten all you want, but the fact is that neither side knows where this boat is, but if you think you're gonna get it from me, you're gonna have to throw a lot better caliber of men at me to make it happen. Now let him go," he says with icy calm, "Or my whole damn crew will shoot your legs out from under you the same as they'll do anyone else who doesn't put their weapons away and leave. Now."

Sion smiles wickedly and shifts her aim to the Wroonian's legs... or perhaps just a little higher. "And I'm sure we'd enjoy it, too. Hi, folks! Good timing!"

Xuut sputters in disappointment when the news is dropped of the goon he's holding not knowing where this mythical ship is in hiding. "You don't know where the ship is?" he says incredulously, actually turning his head to peer at the Yellow Man before he shoves the man away from him. "I swear, you people, first you interrupt my drinking, then you give me false hope of stealing a ship, I can't believe you..." grumble, grumble, grumble.

Mara Jade nods calmly to Adhar's response but her weapons do not lower, arms spread into an easy vee to aim at two targets should it be necessary. "Understood Captain." She quirks an easy smile toward Sion's remarks and replies, "Sion. Sorry we're late but it looks like we're ever so fashionable for it, hmm?"

"Sion. Captain." He gives Sion a wry smile, "I'm not sorry for being late. They couldn't have planned for our sudden and unexpected arrival. It crushes hopes." He then asks, "Captain, can I aim a bit higher? Center mass is easier to hit than feet and leaves more permanent reminders."

"Hopefully that won't be a problem," Adhar says, quirking a brow. He looks to the Yellow Man, who collects himself after sputtering his way to a stand, touches his temple and finds blood on his fingers.

"No," says the Yellow Man in a low, soft voice, as if he were talking to someone far away. "That won't be necessary. But I tell you, Captain. When we meet again, you will not enjoy it."

"Last man that threatened me got shot in the neck," Adhar says. "I got no problem doing it again."

"Not a threat, Captain," the Yellow Man says coldly. "Just a promise. We'll see each other again."

And with that, assuming nobody attempts further shenanigans, the Yellow Man leads his crew out the door.