Log:Hutt Cartel: Kneel
Kneel
OOC Date: August 18, 2016
Location: Emerald Club, Nar Shaddaa
Participants: Eebua Gnuda, Hex, Nar Shaddaa Civil War
The short story: Eebua is so over Hex stealing his shit.
The long story:
A Rodian messenger comes calling upon a certain penthouse in Dacon Tower around mid day, the pale blue fellow dressed in casual street clothes and carrying a Rancor hide messenger bag slung across his shoulder. He carries on his person a plate duraglass lcd invitation addressed to Hex. The Rodian delivers his parcel and then disappears without another word. The screen bears an invitation for Hex to come and check out the Emerald club in the Hutt District, now under new management and freshly rennovated.
Upon arrival to the club, Hex will find it full to capacity, apparently the grand opening brings with it free drinks from the owner of the establishment. Loud dance music thumps with enough volume that bass frequencies vibrate chest bones. Hex is left alone for the most part, simply ushered inside with warm smiles and scrutinizing gazes from security, until finally a pretty faced Twi'lek female approaches and clasps Hex's elbow and giggles. "Hey... you're cute! Have you been to the VIP downstairs yet?"
Kasia must not have been home when the Rodian delivered the message, to urge caution and research into who exactly owns such a club in the Hutt district, and why they're issuing a personal invitation. There are a lot of poor Hex choices that occur in the absence of Kasia. He doesn't seem to know what to make of this invite, but he has a lot of threads spun among a wide variety of places these days, and maybe this is a tug on one of them. Which it is. Just perhaps not the way he was expecting.
Upon arrival to the Emerald Club, he doesn't fit in, particularly. He doesn't drink, he doesn't dance, he didn't bother to dress up, and he spends a while circulating around letting confusion bleed a little bit into annoyance. Why's he here? Ah, then -- one of his people. It's hard to say what surprises him more, this girl calling him cute, or trying to touch him. He is atypically shy about a pretty lady trying to touch him, but if she succeeds in the capture of his elbow, he will be more or less resigned to it. "No," he answers her dryly, "It's the I-P part, ka? I'm not an important person."
The female Twi'lek bats her eyes and tosses her head, lekku curling enticingly as she gazes up at Hex, her form swaying to the beat of the music. Her laugh is melodic as she giggles in delight at Hex and reaches forward to brush fingers across his chest. "Well you are very funny, anyways, good looking. Tell you what... why don't you come with me?" If he doesn't resist, her fingertips light on Hex's elbow will attempt to gently pull him along across the room and toward a gently sloping ramp that descends through an ornate door flanked by two feral looking Trandoshan guards. They cast a cursory glance over Hex, but do not make move to block the way.
Aaaa, she keeps touching him! Hex doesn't recoil, seeming to think that doing so might be rude, but he definitely looks like he has this in the 'nobly suffering for a cause' category rather than the 'aw yeah hot chicks' category. Either way, he allows himself to be steered towards the VIP lounge, and it's around the time he notices the guards are Trandoshans that he starts to wonder about this whole situation. "Who, exactly," Hex asks his guide, "is it that owns this club now?"
Another melodic giggle bubbles forth from the Twi'lek as she pulls Hex along down the ramp. Hex might note the steadily growing grandeur that builds with each step toward the VIP, the ramp itself made of the same ebon black granite as the floor of the VIP they step into. The lighting is dim, almost completely dark as the pair step fully into the VIP, small lights inset into the floor along the outer walls casting a dim red glow up walls, and providing just enough light for the slightly darker forms of other bodies writhing together on the plush padded furniture. The Twi'lek girl's fingers slip from Hex's elbow at the same time a slight hydraulic hiss can be heard from behind as durasteel blast doors slide closed behind the group, muffling the music from the club above. A few steps ahead of Hex, the same giggling female voice drifts through the near darkness as the Twi'lek skips ahead, "Ahh, you will find out. The Lord is most eager to meet you!"
Hex looks around. Increasing opulence! Okay.. maybe not bad. Increasing dimness. Could go either way, but maybe not bad. Blast doors closing behind them. Well. That might be bad. Hex pauses a moment in contemplation of his own morality, drawing up the current list of things he regrets, like not finishing the last of the take-out dumplings, making speciesist comments about humans in front of Kasia, setting his bank account password to 'password', and quitting drinking. But there's no help for it, there is no choice but to continue following his Twi'lek Beatrice through the levels of this tastefully decorated hell. "Great. Eager to meet me, that's.... great."
If the deepening darkness and closing blast doors were not enough of a bad open, the melodic giggling of the Twi'lek girl giving way to the booming and gutteral laughter of something much more sinister, something much more natural to the underbelly of Nar Shaddaa might be. A deep rumble of laughter booms through the darkness, louder still than the thumping bass heavy music that manages to filter into the room. The laughter gives way slowly and transitions to speech with a deep voice that manages to sound both gravelly and wet at the same time, and unmistakably threatening, "killee stoopa... uba jeedai killee copah goba copah nobata togwa fwanna hakku chowba stoopa che dwana h'chu..."
In retrospect, he really shouldn't be surprised, and this sort of thing was bound to happen sooner or later. So there they are, Hex is standing in front of the Hutt lord, a lone little bug with a reputation for poking things that squash bugs. He has a look that problematic slaves get - which is fitting, since he was one, once. Lekku drawn back and down in a way that suggests he knows he's vulnerable. Powerless, and defiant. "Nice club," Hex eventually greets. "I like what you've done with the place."
Lord Eebua Gnuda is a massive Hutt, towering at seven feet from floor to head not counting the huge tail that extends far out behind him and curls back in upon itself. The majority of his bulk is a deep scarlet, nearing the shade of blood with a slightly lighter shade along his belly. Hateful purple eyes glare down at Hex as the Hutt shifts to basic, his watery voice gurgling forth from between slimy saliva colored lips, his thick tongue waggling about inside his mouth as he forms the words. "You are the worm that has been stealing my property." It is more a statement, a hateful accusation than question.
Hex twitches his lekku in displeasure but stays where he is, adopting an at-ease posture, a relic from his recent tenure in a rag tag army a long way from here. He doesn't deny it, but replies, "We've got different definitions of the word 'property.'"
Large purple eyes narrow down on Hex as Eebua listens to the Twi'lek speak. If Hex is very good at reading Hutt facial expressions, he will know that disobedience or disagreement is not something that Eebua is willing to play party to. "SILENCE!" the huge crimson Hutt roars down at Hex. "You are treading where you do not belong, worm! Do you think yourself beyond my notice? Or perhaps beyond my retaliation? I /am/ Nar Shaddaa." The great Hutt's hands flex at his sided as he reaches into a gold plated pot at his side and pulls out some small squealing animal. Lifting the poor thing to his slimy mouth, he bites the head off and spits it forward to roll across the floor to Hex's feet and then throws the rest into his great maw and crunches it with a satisfied sound. "One chance. You have one chance to prove yourself useful to me and change your antics. Heed my warning or I will strike you and those you hold dear down."
Hex may or may not be any good at reading Hutt expressions, but he's at least smart enough to understand the tone, and to grasp that if Eebua is spitting severed heads at him in a distinctly 'that could be you' sort of way, the Hutt probably isn't happy. He seems resolute, at first - he's holding his ground, he's holding his gaze, but then... ah, that bit at the end, isn't that always the kicker? His will fails, him, his gaze drops, and there's no defiant response. Eebua wanted silence, he got silence. The message has clearly been heard, and the worm doesn't look so confident now.
"KNEEL!" Eebua commands with a roar, his voice booming around the room. If the threat and tone are not enough to command Hex's respect, if not fear, perhaps the gradually growing light that slowly reveals the mass of beings in the VIP lounging about watching the exchange will be. That... or the two Trandoshan guards that have walked up behind Hex and shove blaster rifles into Hex's back threateningly. Eebua glares down at Hex for a while and then says, "Useful, worm. You belong to me now. Dacon Tower is not beyond the reach of Eebua... nor is that pretty human you have been seen with." The gurgling laughter slides forth from the slimy maw again.
He told himself that this would never happen again, that he would never let himself be in thrall to someone who tells him to kneel in front of watching eyes. What memories that brings up! Never again, never, ever again --! But the stories a person tells himself are just stories, and reality is something very different. Reality has more firepower, and people to protect. Hex stays on his feet until there's rifles jammed into his back, and then what's he going to do? He drops to his knees, and regards Eebua with loathing that's only slightly less that that he might have for himself at this point. "What do you want?"
That gurgling laughter continues for a while at this, Eebua smiling broadly at the sight of Hex on his knees. "Oh, it will not be that easy, worm. For now, I would be quite pleased for you to exist and know that you are mine. That the Hutt's you so foolishly struck out against has you so comfortably beneath his thumb. That you are but a pawn under my command. And when I have need of you, I will call for you. Be ready, and know that you are being watched, always." That malicious laughter flows hatefully forth once more as Eebua glares at Hex, almost daring him to disobey, Transoshan blasters aimed at his back.
Nothing else Eebua could say would light a fire quite like 'you are mine', but Hex isn't in a position to do anything about it. He can't do anything with that fire, arson is going to have to wait. Revenge and protection have to wait. Stealing more slaves has to wait. Becoming a worse pain in the ass has to wait. It all has to wait until he can get off his knees, until he can get out of here, and back to territory where there aren't Trandoshans with guns at his back. He simmers in resentful silence for a few more moments, then tries to scrape together something that isn't insulting. "I'm sorry?" Hex tries. "And flattered by the attention. No, for real!" he insists, lest the reptiles shoot him for being cheeky.
Eebua glares hatefully at the Twi'lek kneeled before him for a long while until he finally lifts a hand and gestures dismissively with one hand. "Remove him from my presence and ensure that he knows that I am serious before you release him," he growls to the two Trandoshans who step forward immediately and bend to seize Hex beneath each arm and lift him to his feet. "Be watching for my summons, worm. I will have a task for you soon. And remember that the safety of the human girl and all you care about hinges upon your obedience," Eebua says toward Hex a beat before the Trandoshans turn and step toward the exit where blast doors are now sliding open.
Hex is summarily hauled back to his feet. "Now that I've been shown... wisdom... I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful relationship," he assures. "My lord." And off he goes with his Trandoshan buddies...
You test your Bluff skill at a 100 difficulty.
-Failed- (-35).
...who are gonna pistol whip him for being insincere. lol.
Booming laughter echoes out toward Hex from behind as Lord Eebua Gnuda hears Hex's words. "Ensure that our deal is sealed in the old ways," Eebua calls out to Hex's Trandoshan escorts. "Sealed in blood."
The Trandoshans hiss their approval and understanding, iron grips tightening on each of Hex's arms as they march him up the ramp and through the main club and then into the alley outside of the Emerald. Turning back toward the building, Hex's lekku are clenched in hand as are both arms moments before his face is slammed hard into the building's wall with tremendous force.
Hex knows he's in the shit now. Oops. Should have shut up, would have saved so much trouble! "Why can't we ever seal things in something else?!" he flails without success, "Like new ways, sealed in a mild fruity wine?" There's no hope though, they're going out. Out of the club. Out to Ass-whuppin' Alley. "AAAAAAA---" owwww the lekku! "NNGGFFFHHH" owwwww the wall. That's how it goes for a little while, AAAAA-NNGHGHHFFFH. Everyone in earshot knows so much better than to ask.
The Trandoshans in charge continue to slam Hex's head into the unyielding wall again and again, occasionally switching as they grunt about who can bounce his face off of the wall the hardest. Once Hex's legs give out beneath him they let him fall and then take their aggression out on him with heavily booted feet. Once they are finished, a booted foot steps on a lekku, and then they walk away, leaving him to bleed in the alley.
