Log:Slaves? What Slaves?

Slaves? What Slaves?

OOC Date: November 7, 2016
Location: Mayhem
Participants: Ax, Hex, Kasia Ciph, Naelyn, Defiance, Waywards

CoreStar Spaceport being a giant pillar in shape, a turbo-lift is required to get to the landing pad if you aren't a ship landing on a pad. The turbo lift requires a fingerprint scan to get in, because Stavros built this and was at one point very paranoid about everything, so Hex greeted Ax pre-lift and has escorted him into the hangar for a meeting presumably arranged by the talented, sparkly, aesthetically pleasing Naelyn. The meeting room is the humble interior of Hex's new VCX, but it's got a table, a circular couch surrounding it, and a few throw pillows that have to be Kasia's doing. "You can have anything to drink that you want, provided that what you want is tea," Hex offers hospitality (of sorts) and a grin, when they get up to where Nae awaits here in the lounge. "You want some tea?"

Naelyn is laying on his back, on the floor, in that grey suede, its the one where his chest is out with the nipple rings showing but he's drapped a thin light green blanket over his chest and his head is propped up on one of those throw pillows as he is busy placing something sparkly and pink under his tongue and closing his eyes as he exhales through his nose. Very chill.

Ax follows along, keeping quiet, his eyes carefully observing the setup. He'd left his pet tailring, usually a constant accessory for the Echani, aboard his ship, the Lost Soul. The Defiance hangar was a smaller version of his own newly acquired setup here in the Corellian District's starport. Once aboard the ship, he seems to be paying more attention. "Tea or water is fine," he says as the pilot and smuggler in him takes more interest in the ship than anything else at the very moment. "Interesting design. I haven't been on any of the VCX-series before." Then he spots Naelyn, laying on the floor and this raises the man's brow.

Hex just takes it in stride that Nae's on the floor. He seems to find this a not unreasonable place for one's favorite Sephi hybrid to lounge. Tea was already made, waiting in a warmer in the VCX's modest lounge, and Hex peers around the ship with an appreciative twitch of lekku. "It does what I need it to do," he confirms of the ship design, setting a cup down for his guest, himself, Naelyn, before taking a seat on the couch thing around the table. He doesn't elaborate on what, exactly, the VCX needs to do, but raises a brow. "So, Naelyn tells me you wanted to speak to me?"

Naelyn props himself up on his elbows, looking between the two men before pushing himself up further, giving a quick sniff and shaking his head slowly. He takes a deep breath and bows his head politely. "Greetings to you both."

"Well, it seems we share some common interests, or at least it seems like we do from what I have gathered from our trivial little friend there," Ax says, nodding towards Naelyn as he takes his tea. "And, in this trying time here on the Smuggler's Moon, people with common interests should band together. Also, I believe we share some other friends, namely the Greystorm family." He looks back to Naelyn, giving the man a nod in greeting, but turns his attention back to Hex.

Hex is sitting at the lounge's couch/table situation with Ax, while Nae is lounging on a floor. With a throw pillow. See Kasia someone appreciates your throw pillows! "Naelyn is like a brother to me." Odd pair of brothers, that. One little, one big, one sephi, one Twi'lek, one graceful and classy, one.... never either of those things. But Hex seems to mean it, and smiles. "He's brought me insight I've come to rely on. I think we do have common interests, Ax, I'll lay it out -- I've been stealing slaves, and rehoming them. I was a person somebody owned once, and I didn't much care for it, and now all these years later, I found a group of miscreants that've been down to help me do that. The Cartel owns slaves, and as such, they're no friends of mine. Nor me of theirs. I'd had a mind to disrupt their operations some, but me and my people took more heat for that than I can handle. We're not an elite fighting force, by any measure."

Naelyn is quiet as he just listens to the two manly non-humans converse about serious matters, idly reaching out for his tea as he rolls over on his side and look between the two, staring at Ax or Hex as they each speak.

"I've been smuggling slaves off of Nar Shaddaa to my winery on Naboo. Hell, I bought it with that very purpose in mind. From there, I've been helping them contact their families and giving them a safe place to recover until we can find a place for them to live free," Ax says, laying it out as well. "I helped Naelyn with funding for his circus and gave him a shuttle to assist with this matter as well." Ax smirks, sipping at his tea. "Maybe we can help each other out. The Waywards have wealth, we have a facility offworld that is both calming and secluded, well away from prying eyes. We also have assets other than money we can bring to bear, and this Hutt is no friend of mine either. In fact, I recently purchased a new starfighter, one without ties to the Waywards, with the sole purpose of using against the slug and his minions. We aren't a mercenary company, but we have a few that share my passions and have skills to back them up."

Though Kasia didn't know the exact purpose, she did know there was a meeting taking place, and makes her way onto the ship to join it. If a bit late. The reason for her lateness might be apparent with the somewhat swollen nose, and bruises along the bridge, along with a pair of black eyes that are beginning to show. Someome smacked their face into something! "Hey," she greets politely, smiling slightly at the trio. She can't smile much more than that without it hurting. She is, however, pleased to see people using the pillows. See Hex, people like them!

"Kasia, Ax," Hex introduces, scooting over so she has a place to sit, "Ax, Kasia." He doesn't seem surprised to see the state of her poor face, but he does look concerned. And one of his lekku is bruising up, two. Just one. Maybe they got into trouble somewhere. Back to business, though. Hex rests his elbows on the table and laces his fingers together, green and black. "I work with an organization on Ryloth, but they're not the best resource for non-Twi'lek slaves, and the Lost Circus's resources are generous but finite," he replies. "Your winery sounds like it's got a degree of stability and permanence I don't have. Nar and Ryloth, frankly, aren't nice places. Not like Naboo, Naboo is, you know," he searches for the right word, "Lovely. I want to send people there, if you're offering."

Naelyn's breathing stops for a moment when he takes in Kasia's face, and he eyes Hex with a tiny squint, raising his hands a bit and he does this kind of finger puppet show in quiet inquiry. Two fingers press together like two people making out, or headbutting eachother and then, he uses a pillow like the furniture or bed for the two and then something happens before finger one does something and finger two falls off the 'bed' aka the finger with the sound effects of 'umph umph dunno' 'no no wrong' 'ahhh, wtf that does not go there' 'ahhh ouch the floor' and then arches an eyebrow questioningly before giving the other question with finger puppets. Lalala, finger two is walking along, then finger two opens a door and WHAM, finger one is back off the 'bed' aka the pillow. Its an importan series of questions. Okay. And what he says is. "I have not been to Naboo as a free person but the material there is lovely, fashion gorgeous..."

"I am definitely offering. I can handle up to fifty or sixty at a time without raising attention or overflowing housing there, but if the need arises, I can bring in double that. It's in the mountains, so winters can be a bit cold there, but we keep proper provisions on hand in bulk. Of course, we still produce a limited quantity of wine while there, so as to not raise attention to our ongoings, and for those who have nowhere else to go, we can provide long-term employment." There's a slight pause as Ax looks to Kasia. "A pleasure, ma'am," he says to her. His attention then goes back to Hex. "I was born and raised on Socorro, a planet who's culture is very much about freedom. The locals are pirates and smugglers, though not the traditional pirates you have in mind. Primarily, they targeted Corporate Sector and Remnant vessels, taking their goods and their slaves, many of which grew to be pirates and smugglers of decent wealth." He then looks to Naelyn, but doesn't say anything to the man, no he looks back to Hex, letting hi words settle. "So, if I can help, I will. If I can do something to help you disrupt operations with the Hutts here, then I will. If you need backup, I have fighters, freighters, and full-fledged Carrack battle cruiser at my disposal."

Kasia slides into the space that Hex made for her, biting the inside of her lip as she spots Naelyn's miming act, but she doesn't remark on it. Maybe not wanting to do so in front of company that might be more civilized than the lot she's usually with, or simply wanting to see Hex's response to it. "A pleasure to meet you too, Ax." She pauses for a moment. "I think we've almost met once before, I saw you after you were shot by the First Order on the parmac, but it's hardly what I would call a formal introduction." She goes back to being quiet and listening to the conversation, gaze moving back and forth between Hex and Ax. "It would be good to have another place to send people," she remarks, glancing to the side at the Twi'lek. She seems for a moment about to say more, stops, and then goes quiet instead.

Hex stares at Naelyn and the finger puppet show, stares at it goes from making out, to unfortunate sexcapades, to getting hit with a door, and turns a darker shade of green across the tops of his cheekbones. Fortunately, Ax is here, so he can pretend he never saw any of that. So instead he's just discussing Business while blushing furiously. "Fifty or sixty is about the max I can pull on a single acquisition anyway," he agrees. "I can and will send them to you, Ax, the very next time I go out. We got some resources, but frankly I need more. Our cover, technically, is that we're a cargo trading organization called Defiance Barter and Acquisition Guild, but within the boundaries of Hutt Space I guarantee I'm not fooling anyone. I hope not to need your fighters or your Cruiser, but could be at some point I might. We're only fifteen people. Most of what I can offer in return is slicing, possibly pilots, and a few people inclined to be combat heavies or diplomacy. Depends what my people agree to. They're ah... an odd bunch. Defiant. Aptly named."

Ax chuckles. "Well, there's a reason we took the name Waywards, maybe this is the beginning of a good friendship. On paper, and in many ways, we're a cargo guild I guess. It's how we made our fortune, but by far it is only something we do to pay the bills and make sure we have the assets to further our other goals. I have one of the best ship engineers in the galaxy working for me, and I'm not just saying that because she's my wife. I also have a very competant slicer, and more than one smuggler. Our numbers have dwindled over the past year, as a few like Jax and his wife joined the Resistance or started families, or the likes. I've also not been trying to do as much recruiting as I should, but with things going on like they are, it is very difficult to find those you can trust. Eebua knows I'm up to something, but he doesn't know what and has no proof, so I'm sure he'd love a spy in my ranks if he doesn't have one already." He sips more at his tea, draining the last of his glass and setting it down softly. "My biggest concern, however, isn't the Hutts. It's the First Order, if they bring their sorcerer here, I'm not sure how long anyone can hold out. The man is a beast, capable of things that most would consider impossible. So, I might have need to call upon you, at some point in the future, if you have combat pilots or soldiers willing to assist me on a guerilla-style assault, a hit and fade run or two, something to weaken the Hutt and First Order allegiance if possible."

Kasia listens to the conversation between both men, but something of what Ax says makes her face lose a touch of color, and she stiffens in a way that she doesn't bother to disguise. "I am going to be frank, I am disinclined to attempt to go against the First Order," she remarks, glancing at Hex in some attempt at silent communication, though it's hard to say whether anything is actually communicated. "We're fifteen people, and we've had too much attention from them already. If you want to fight them, the Resistance seems better suited to go up against them than we ever will be."

Hex is tracking this conversation all the way up until the word 'sorcerer,' and then he sits up, drawing in a sharp breath. "No," Hex replies, lekku shifting with the motion as he shakes his head. "No. This sorcerer you speak of?" Hex taps his cybernetic hand with the opposite forefinger. "I've met him. I've seen him. I've felt the evil rolling off of him as he did things to me that cannot, should not, be possible. He cut me to pieces. With all due respect, you got no idea what you're up against with that man. If he is a man. I can't fight the First Order, and I won't. You need an army for that, you need the Resistance. I am not an army, and I can't risk turning that horror's attention on my people. They don't know that nightmare. I don't want them to discover it."

"I'm not asking you to fight them, I'd rather focus on the Hutts, but in such a fashion that it tears at the alliance between the two," Ax says with a sigh. "And yes, I know what I am up against, and he scares the hell out of me as well. I might actually know more about that man than most. His name for instance, and what exactly he is." There's a slight pause. "I have not suffered his torture, but I've seen firsthand his attrocities. I was at Sereno well before the Resistance showed up." Ax looks to Kasia. "And yes, the Resistance might be a good choice, but they seem to have gotten themselves labeled as terrorrists again, at least those here on Nar Shaddaa."

Kasia slides closer to Hex, and after a few moments slides an arm around behind his back, giving him a gentle squeeze. "Doing anything that puts a strain on their relationship still risks putting us in their line of sight, and given what the First Order has already taken from us, we won't be doing that. Regardless of what the Resistance might be labled as, they've got more people, more money, and more weaponry to throw at this fight than we could hope to have. If you want to cause a rift between the Hutts and the First Order, they're the people you want to talk to, and you've already got contacts on the inside, so that makes it easier for you. Frankly, right now, their being here and being the one fighting the Hutts works to our advantage, because so long as the king slug is busy fighting battles close to home, he's less inclined to be paying attention to what goes on further away."

"I want nothing to do with the Order. /Nothing/," Hex repeats. He sounds like he's keeping himself together, but also as though something might be fraying underneath, hellish memories brought up from the depths by the mention of the Sorcerer who dismembered him. "I did my time. I cut the lock on the building of corpses they burned on Felucia. I executed unarmed troopers on Bayuir. I gave half my body and most of my sanity on Sullust. I did my time. I want out of that war. If you want to act against slave holders, if you want to get slaves to freedom under the cover of this chaos, I can do that, and I will. That's where I can make an impact. The Order - I can't. But if you want to fight terror, you need terrorists, and those who are still fighting with the Res are good people. As Jax can confirm."

Ax raises his hands in surrender, "Alright alright. No First Order or Hutt action, got it. Rescuing slaves, perfectly acceptable as long as the ones holding those slaves aren't working with the First Order, which means the Hutts. I'll keep that in mind. My facility on Naboo will be at your disposal, whether it's a place to take repatriated slaves or in need of a place to hide out should you draw some heat on yourself."

"We appreciate all of your assistance with that," Kasia assures Ax with a small smile, leaving the matter of the First Order, and that whole fight, behind for now. She gives Hex another gentle squeeze as she glances up at him. "That's what we'll focus on for now," she says, more to reassure the man beside her, than to add to the conversation at large.

"The Hutts I hit are the ones that aren't Eebua," Hex replies to Ax, with a slight shake of his head. "And I hit the places that he's not looking. It's all I can do, especially now, Defiance is licking its wounds. I got a war crimes charge on my head, bounties on a third of my people, and half us beat all to shit. I can't tackle the big boss, I got to fray the edges. The Res goes to the bathroom together in larger groups than my whole team."

Ax nods to Kasia and Hex. "Alright, we'll focus on that then." The man stands up. "Hopefully this will work out for both of us. I should get back to my facility. You'll discover that we are neighbors." He pauses, "of course, we're still in the process of getting fully moved in. I bid you both a good evening."

"I hope that it will," Kasia looks up at Ax as he rises, but she remains there beside Hex, one arm around him. "Thank you for your time, Ax." A pause. "And welcome to this starport. If you have any questions about which restaurants can be trusted, or... well, anything like that, feel free to ask and we'll be happy to tell you."

"What? All of them can be trusted," Hex regards Kasia with genuine surprise when she indicates maybe some restaurants can't be. But that is a discussion for another time, and he gets up when Ax does, with a nod. "I'll reach out to you next time I got an acquisition lined up. Hopefully soon... just had a bunch of other fires to put out first. Ma'allesh... safe travels. Watch your back out there."

"I've been operating on Nar Shaddaa for years now," Ax says with a smile to Kasia. "I recommend the Golden Orb, I have a private table there you are welcome to use so that reservations aren't necessary. Maybe the two of you can enjoy a nice evening on me there," he adds. Then his attention shifts to Hex. "Safe travels to you as well." And with that, he's off.