Log:Hutt Cartel: This little thing of ours
Hutts: This little thing of ours
OOC Date: November 29, 2021
Location: Nar Shaddaa - Ko Hentota
Participants: Fshmaw, Xavier Harcourt, Min Jodo, Jin Jodo and Reverberate as GM
"Make them understand there are consequences." The word passed down by Vutn, the Dug and right hand of Chrouda, had said. Girls were being roughed up at the Twi'lick, a few of the couriers moving between there and elsewhere having accidents and the costs for adding additional security has reached 'annoying' for the people who have been put in charge of the 'dance club.'
So now a group with instructions to remind people why the Hutts are in charge have been dispatched to the lower levels of Smuggler's Moon.
Scajja's in the depths of Ko Hentota is a place that is made up to look 'cheery' in the dank, broken and even corpse laden wastes of the deep undercity.
Not many people knew about it, where to find it, but recognized the perky red letters of the tavern name and most passing it kept their distances. Criminal underlords had taken it, lost it and recaptured it many times and with those instances the name had been changed at almost every new day after the blood and bodies were cleared out.
The current team of enforcers had been given the location by a four armed bandit of broad scruples and entry to the dive was met with a quieting of speech and replaced with the rustle of clothing and the screech of chairs being turned towards the arrival. Not a word said, hands hovering and the air thick as tibanna smoke in a micro-second.
Jin Jodo arrived with the group sporting a dark leather jacket and dark toned trousers with boots. It wasn't the opulent look of a made gangster, but they weren't here to measure style; they were here to make an example of someone. As if to make that message clear, Jin held a long vibro-weapon by its stylish handle with the blade safely housed in its scabbard. This is not on his belt but held in hand, with the blade pointed skyward and tipped back against his shoulder.
Jin was of remarkable height for a human, and a build that complimented it /perfectly/. At the stir their arrival creates, he scowls, moving further in to take a measure of the place. It smelled about as bad as it looked. "Is someone in charge here?" Jin asked, in the tone of business despite looking like he came to conduct violence.
"Sentients of Ko Hentota, Chrouda the Hutt sends his greetings." Min Jodo steps farther into the trash pit they've found themselves in and raises her voice for everyone inside the tavern to hear her. Her right hand is draped over the pistol grip handle of a BlasTech H-11 Blaster Carbine and her left wrist is draped over its barrel shroud. The intent is clear, in so much that it's threatening and proves that she has a gun. Dressed in a black leather jacket and other form fitting black articles, she looks ill-protected, but the emblem on the sleeve of the jacket says everything but. She's Cartel, and just muttering the name of the Hutt would have said so. "Unfortunately, His Eminence is greatly displeased as of late. There are some.. upstarts."
Min casts her gaze around the room. "They're causing problems. Interferring with business. No one likes that, do they? Stifled credit flow is good for no one. Chrouda's generosity starts to dry up. Handouts are given less and less." She's one of the only humans in the room. Ko Hentota is a place of other sentients. Those stuck in squalor. "I would hate to have to show you even a glimpse of that displeasure, so why don't we all make this easy on ourselves. Someone give me a name--any name at all--and if your information checks out, you'll be handsomely rewarded by Chrouda, and things won't have to be difficult."
This. This is what he missed the most about working for the underbelly. Xavier functioned best as a weapon and all he needed was for someone to point in a direction and give him a reason. Donning fiberweave armour under his own dark leather jacket, Xavier stands just slightly behind and to the side of the twins Min and Jin; a roll of his shoulder testing his area of movement in the otherwise unfamiliar confines. He's squishier these days than he'd outwardly admit and age, even for his kind, does catch up to him from time to time.
The dulling quiet of the bar rings loud, but not quite as loud as the ring of Xavier's sword as he draws it from his hip and holds it to his side, rotating his wrist slowly so that the metal can catch what little light is in the room. He says nothing. He doesn't need to. What needs to be said has been handled expertly. Instead, he looks around the space eager to find the first one who will make a foolish decision.
Fshmaw, lumbering up from the rear, all blubber and four steps behind. "Ah, whew. Did we have to park so far away?" Breathless, he leans on a nearby table. He seems an instant from asking for a glass of water!
The Jodo twins make their announcements and demands to a room of mixed concern and contempt levied at them, Xavier and the Aqualish with them. Some with hands creeping closer to jackets and others trying to be less noticeable by this party crash.
"Chrouda don't call the shots down here..." a Trandoshan at the bar, leaning one elbow on it and examining the claws on the other hand, "The Ssssscorekeeper sssshouldn't even be interessssted in your tallies..." one ridge of scales raising over a poison yellow eye. "Why don't you sssscurry off." the hand that had been examined turning to flick in a dismissive gesture. The tone clear, a command not a request.
The room looks between the bar and the quartet on Chrouda's employ. Several weequay reaching for their belts and a particularly husky gammorean snorting irritably. Much of the rest look like they're intent on keeping out, maybe just getting out before it gets worse for any potentially caught in the crossfire.
"Lord Chrouda sends his gratitude for making this matter simple," Jin intones, taking two lengthy steps to unceremoniously smash the blade (still covered by its scabbard) down the center of the noisiest thing in this establishment, the Gammorean. It makes a thunk noise, and the Gammorean reacts by taking hold of the weapon's length thinking it a miscalculation on Jin's part, but the scream of steel that followed announced that was not the case.
Jin spun in place, dragging his naked sword length the full circle to gather momentum for a second strike, this one biting through armor and flesh, which sent the big guy squealing. Its nasty blood sprayed along the wall, and the Gammorean rushed to get AWAY from Jin, who seemed intent to kill it! The scabbard was discarded, and the Gammorean ran right for Xavier!
"I will shoot the first frakker that touches their gun." Min's eyes snap to the Trandoshan. "You don't call the shots anywhere, scalie. Did you forget what kriffing moon you live on? Everything here belongs to the Hutts. You're existence continues by His Eminence's grace. Your--," Min's continued speech is interrupted by the sudden display of violence as Jin attacks the gammorean who'd snorted derisively at them. "Well, I tried." The carbine is up into the pocket of her shoulder almost too fast to register that its barrel is being raised. Min snaps it up, left wrist slipping from the top of the barrel shroud to tucked against the powercell well so that she can pull it back against her shoulder. The safety slips off and her finger slips into the trigger well.
It barks, twice, in quick succession, peppering the Trandoshan who'd attempted to order them out of the bar with two quick punches to the torso that burn away scales and scorch the flesh underneath alike. It's not enough to kill the sentient, but it's enough to hurt him for opening his mouth. "Does anyone else wanna try to negotiate? Or are we done messing around?"
It's pretty much the response Xavier was expecting they would receive and certainly the one he was hoping they'd receive. A gloved hand tightens around the hilt of his sword but he doesn't move right away. He isn't the host of this particular party; just an invited guest.
The attack triggered, Xavier is quick on Jin's heels; blocking the Gammorean's path of retreat in a blur of black. Dark eyes meet beady ones and Xavier's blade sings through the air to drive straight up the pigman's nostril; getting it in as deep as it will go until the point hits skull and resists going further.
A satisfied sneer and a violent twist of his wrist to shred anything within the Gammorean's dome, Xavier pulls the sword out and spins around to stop a Weequay's attack to his side in it's place. Twin slices to the weapon-wielding arm and a hop back. He offers no chance for them to run.
Fshmaw's first shot goes wide, but considering the effort he was putting into the "ha-ha, fatty's out of breath!" act, but with the second shot at... surprising speed, he blows a smoking hole right in the Trandoshan's sass. He asks the Weequays: "You want to live? Walk off."
Gammorean cut up and then that final thrust, the trandoshan behind the bar blasted backwards and sliding down to his backside, head drooping until his chin is on his chest. The patrons of the establishment are scattering, trying to get clear of the area, some running pel-mel for the doors to escape out and away.
The green porcine creature finally hits the ground, the rest of it's body catching up on the alerts that it's now dead. Tumbling forward to hit the floor with an impact that shakes tables and even mugs of ale or beer jutter around before the dust, dried blood, and sawdust begins to settle.
The Weequays? They begin backing up, the bleeding injured being helped by the other while giving the attackers wide eyes in addition to the attempts for a wider berth.
"Hey now... let us not be hasty eh?" one hand up and looking jerkily towards the front, then back door.
"NOW.. they want to be polite," Jin laments to his sister, pointing his bloody blade toward those remaining. He isn't going on the attack for now, he's not blind with rage. They have a business issue to solve, and recklessly killing everyone would solve the issue, but it was better to come back to Lord Chrouda with creds, too. Business could be arranged, and they could be one big happy family, with everyone getting their cut.. one way, or another.
Jin stoops down to collect the scabbard the dead Gammorean discarded, and upon rising, he shared a look with Xavier, nodding his head approvingly. Jin left the talking to his better looking sister.
"Block the exit," Min casts an aside glance to Fshmaw and motions with a quick jerk of her head in the direction of the front door that they strolled through. It won't be the only way out of the tavern. There's probably some exit into some disgustingly fetid alley in the back, but it would require the whole bar rushing that choke point and Min figures they could probably injure a couple before they all escaped. "Hasty? No one here has been hasty." The barrel of Min's carbine is swept over to the Weequay talking. This is how business is going to be conducted now. "We asked nicely. You and your friends decided you were going to tell us what we could and couldn't do. That's not very gracious to your hosts, is it? Walking into their home, kicking up your dirty feet, and then just trying to ignore them when they ask something of you?" Her finger never wavers from the trigger, but she hasn't pulled it yet. "You got somethin' to say, pal? Gonna give me the name that I want? We can also just drag one of you back to the Hutts. I bet they're real good at asking questions."
The Gammorean falls and Xavier stands at the corpse's feet warily watching as his other potential targets are beginning to backpeddle. A whip of his blade flings some of the blood and other vicera from his sword and splatters it onto an overturned chair and the disgusting floor it lays upon.
"I do love when people make bad decisions." A glance to Jin and an acknowledging nod in return, the man scans each and every face around the room as Min speaks to the crowd; his fingers flexing in anticipation. The tension is as thick as the red and green snot oozing from the dead pigman's face and Xavier gives another readying roll of his shoulder. He offers a grin to the Weequay in the hot seat, beard stretching just a bit as teeth show. "Very bad decisions."
Leathery faces turn to one another and back to the Twins at first. Swallowing and attempting to get their backs to a wall, where they can know where at least -something- is certain.
"We're just..." the one starts, "They gave-" the next and the still healthy of the two gives that one a shake as he begins speaking over him, "Used to give the orders, yes? We are humble warriors of fortune... and that fortune cannot be paid to us now." teeth in the nerve filled rictus presented to the lot.
Fshmaw's move to the door stopping any others from escaping now, eyes on the blaster.
"Znicky kept the credits in back, old safe, new lock. We won't stop you taking!" the wounded one squeals despite the jab from the other. "We go, won't be a bother..." both sharing a look again, "You find Znicky's boss that way, yes! Yes!" still talking despite the jabs from the other. "We won't go there. No no. Bad for us, go for there, yes? Yes!"
The uninjured one clamps a hand over the wounded's mouth, hissing out, "Card games... Znicky went to card games with others, they talk business at the fancy clubs and casinos. Once or twice a month... Can find his people there? We're not his people. No no no... Not being paid anymore!"
Jin turns back to watch the exchange between his sister and the Weequays. His sword is eased back against his shoulder again, the presence of blood slowly sliding down the length of the fine metal now that its vibration functionality is no longer activated.
Listening to their explanation, Jin takes the initiative to go 'that' way, the way indicated by one of the two who so convincingly said Znicky went nearby.
Jin kicks open one of the door to peek inside; it's the refresher of which they only had one. Disgusting.
Next door.. KICK. "ZNICKY.." Jin calls out.
"Is that so?" Min steps closer to the two Weequay. Her left hand leaves the barrel of the blaster carbine and she begins to place the muzzle right against the forehead of the one that has his hand clamped over his compatriot's mouth. "How about you let your friend talk? You think you're fooling anyone? He's clearly saying things you don't want him to. I wanna hear it, though. So take your hand off." She might be a short human woman who has failed to intimidate any of the bigger sentients in the bar, but there's no hesitation in her eyes. There'd been none when she'd put two shots into the Trandoshan who now lays dead on the floor. The others with her showed an equal lack of scruples. The press of her blaster carbine to the Weequay's head is not a threat. It's a promise.
Min speaks aloud. "You know what? I'll let my associate here talk with you. Maybe he'll be more forgiving." The associate that had skewered the gammorean's head through with a sword. Min retracts the blaster carbine and goes after Jin, following through into the disgusting smelling refresher with an obvious look of displeasure on her face at the smell.
A perk of a thick, black brow as the information comes gushing out almost like... well. You get the idea. As Jin begins o Xavier is keeping his eyes on each Weequay as they talk -- blabber. And those brows pinch together as he gets a little hint of something. He then points with the tip of his sword at the one trying to silence his friend. "You." A finger raised and then he points to the dead Trandoshan. "Znicky?"
He doesn't wait for an answer, instead making a slow approach to the group of the ones who have been the most chatty. "If that's the case, it would seem Znicky is dead. That was your meal ticket?" A guess. He also doesn't care. "See, trouble is. Znicky got mouthy. And now Znicky is dead. But we're friends here, right? Znicky had some high-rolling friends? A meeting place? Perhaps my compatriot--" a jerk of his head toward Min "--would be appreciative for that information. And, of course, any /more/ information you'd be willing to share."
He leeeeeans in a little. "Now's the time to start talking. I can smell the can from here and I might be compelled to plug some more noses out of mercy."
Fshmaw just leans placidly against the door, either trying to minimize or maximize his gut sticking out from beneath the armored clothing. It's-- it can be hard to tell. He picks beneath his tusks with a pinky.
Door kicking leads to a back office, shabby, battered and with a Miralian woman chained to the boiler pipes that appear to provide the warmth down here, in addition to a few small burns from getting too close. A desk, file cabinet and s battered durasteel safe sitting under papers, raw meat and a small lockbox with Dosh markings on it.
"No! No! No lies! He speaks very very fast! There is card game, there is! But he speak so much, so few facts for so ma-" he shuts up, no longer trying to answer Min now that she indicates the approaching Xavier.
"Yes... Znicky."
The wounded one shrugs off the hand now, babbling rapid fire at Xavier and Min alike; "Fancy club! They like the fancy club and the Emerald most! They go to the Poodoochu Casino when they want to be under hutt noses! Very dangerous! They went to club by Zeltron bar! They play cards, lose to owner. They get mad and throw drink. They like that club."
So why wouldn't the source of this location drift from specific lips? Business is business, until it's personal.
"No tell Znicky's associates we tell. You go to the club, they know. We have to run now!"
Jin is in first and moves for the only living thing in the room, the Miralian. He considers the female a moment, then makes a gesture for her to present her bindings to him. With a seasoned touch, they fall from her wrist, and he takes hold of her by hooking his hand under her arm, pushing her against the wall to check her for weapons.
Jin is not kind, but efficient, and it shows in his silent pattern searching her. "Who are you?" He asks, tone neutral.
"She one of ours?" The question is flat. Business. "I don't recognize her." Min's eyes trace the tattoos on the woman's face, distorted as they are by bruises. "Hey!" Min calls out of the office and towards the front. "Bring one of those Weequay in here! Actually, hold on." Min starts to back out. "Let's not touch that safe yet." This she says to Jin while he's in the process of freeing the woman from the pipes. Striding back into the main room, Min points at the uninjured Weequay who kept trying to keep his friend from talking. "You. Get over here." Her blaster carbine is up, too, though it's by her hip rather than put against her shoulder. "You're gonna open the safe for us." Better that than one of them only to find out its been set with a trap.
"Ah. See? I knew you could be helpful. Just business, afterall." Min and Jin seem to have found something, but Xavier doesn't even regard it until the sister calls out to him. A quick glance to see who has been singled out and Xavier's free hand snaps like a viper to grab the Weequay by a fistful of clothing. "Let's not keep them waiting."
A hard yank not only brings the Weequay to his feet but Xavier continues the momentum and practically throws the man in the direction of the back room; neverminding if he staggers and falls. And he does. Off balance and off guard, the Weequay gets tangled up in a chair and clatters to the ground.
Ever the helpful man, Xavier grabs him by the cuff of his neck, jerks him to his feet, and shoves him forward again. "Go."
Fshmaw leaves off the door, rifling through the corpse's pockets. Probably for a key. "Kriff, my hands are covered in-- ach. Overcooked trandoshan. Fan-tastic." Foosh bemoans the stink of burnt scales and greasy meat that clings to his fur...
"Yit" the Miralian offers, much of the rest coming from her being pidgin basic and her own language slurred through split lips. Blinking slowly and with a dull recognition in her eyes. Not saviors, the likelihood of that are slim. One master to the next; as is the way of Nar Shaddaa too often to count the occurrences.
With Min pointing blasters the Weequay pointed to blinks, rapidly, before he squeals and flaps his hands, "Znicky kept safe! I stayed in bar! I don't know codes! Just a gun! Just a hire... Ohhhh I don't know the opening!!" Speech stalled by his crash and then rough pickup, the weequay looks to the safe and back to the others. Then back to the safe where he edges and begins wavering side to side, scratching at the side of his head and tugging at one of his braids.
"No never no code... ohhhhh..." looking around frantically as he opts to press one of the buttons, flinching as though expecting a shock or worse.
The moment Fshmaw has the door no longer at his back the mad dash is immediate, bar patrons crushing against one another trying to get out, a wet squelching crunch following a shocked scream of one being knocked to the floor and trampled in the panic.
Jin finds nothing of concern to he and his companions, so he flexicuffs the Miralian's hands behind her back and moves her into the hallway and back out to the open bar. She's placed on the ground and against a wall where he pops a squat right there in front of her to get a better look. His only free hand cups under her chin to lift her face and look over her injuries; it didn't look too bad. He released her, "You know anything about that safe in there? Codes? What's in it?"
He must not have been convincing enough though, or maybe her basic was just that god awful. Jin is briefly distracted by the sudden movement of one Weequay, so he turns his head to watch what transpires.
Following behind the paniced alien, Xavier looks into the room with the woman, the saf, and the twins. It's a lot going on for such a small space, truth be told, but what he's focused on most is the one he was tasked with bringing forward. Annoyance creases his features and the sword is put away only for him to reach behind his back, under his jacket, and pull out a slugthrower.
The barrel presses against the back of the Weequay's head and a pull of his thumb clicks the hammer with a loud fatality. "One more time with feeling." Not so much speaking now as he is hissing. "The code or someone who does." Diplomacy at its best.
Fshmaw, assuming everyone who wants so desperately to escape has done so, calmly rises to close and re-secure the door. "Krif them," he might mutter. "... amateurs and cowards. Useless." Anyway, yeah, door's locked again
"I don't know! We don't know! Znicky had code! You killed Znicky! Please I don't know how to open it." the Weequay falls to his knees, hands clasped together. "Znicky safe, only Znicky use. No one allowed to code!" panic seeping into his voice, "I tell you this! I don't want to die, why would I lie? If I lie you gut me! I tell only truths!" The green skinned woman with her face being lifted towards Jin's just blinks rapidly, jaw working and trying to form words.
"Khhhyaash... spaaahs." struggling with basic, flinching at a memory, "No khoode... Hit. Hahht hold." turning over her palms to see healing burn scars making up her palms.
Groveling on the floor now, banging his fists there and sobbing.
The bar itself empty, the doors locked behind them, there's only four figures left in the main room. The dead bodies of the gammorean, Znicky, an anzat with his head crushed and a human whose torso has been trampled so that spears of rib poke out.
Not a single other soul. Not even an injured Weequay.
Jin regrets moving to the corpse of Znicky, the filthy Gammorean. None of his regrets manifest more clearly than the disgusting odors and articles (of which Jin thinks passes as food for this alien) of meat which are uncovered in his search for components to make their journey easier. Upon discovering these wonderful details about the dearly departed, Jin rises up and fights back bile whilst shaking his hands out and searching for something to wash them in. "Nothing here," He remarks about Znicky and any hidden codes.
It surprised Jin the pig-headed alien could remember something as specific as a code given its only language was a sophisticated collection of snorts, squeals, and farts. "Rekk it, make that guy carry the safe out and let's load it up on the speeder. We can haul it back and get someone to crack it open. That sound like a plan? Iiyuck..gross.." He's still shaking his hands out.
Nothing from the dark-haired man as the Weequay begs for his life. Nothing but from Xavier but cold, hard contemplation. He's already come to the conclusion this thing has no useful information and he is rather irritated. But business is business and there are -- when a lucid mind allows -- better options than painting the walls.
Xavier leans in to the Weequay's ear. "Know this. If I see your ugly face again, I will erase it from my memory in the only way I know how. Now, you are going to deliver a message for me to your disgusting friends." The barrel leaves the back of the skull and a flesh-rending BANG! imbeds a slug into the man's right shoulderblade at point blank. Xavier grabs the right arm with his free hand and twists it backwards. "The next time we come knocking, it's talk or die. Understand?" A shove towards the door and Xavier releases the Weequay to live another day. Lucky him.
Fshmaw, while Jin searches a Gamorrean's. every. moist. fold. for a code-cylinder, ambles to the office. He jerks his weapon at the Weequay. "Ask him where brother is. Him escape."
He doesn't have to carry a safe at least, sent off with a shot in the shoulder, stumble running across the bar to slam into the locked door. Slam into it again and then remember to turn the deadbolt before he's off and running into the night! It's a helluva one for the crew it seems.
But no one got hurt!
No one that mattered!
The safe, while bulky... and heavy, is a manageable thing to get back to their speeder and thus back to the overworld itself. Containing cash credits, a few scrawled ledgers with numbers and a few names with little detail. But also a deck of sabaac cards that appear to have holo-etcher fighters worked into the cards.
Engaged with a ring tucked into the box.
It's not a lot, but it's a message and it's a start.
