The middle aged bartender would give the Twi'lek a slanted smile as she sweeps a few crumbs off of the bar. 'Sweetie, are you sure you want to be looking into that kind of thing? It's a dangerous business with the way things are going'. She would sigh before gesturing to the back of the bar. 'Look sweetie, I don't know anything about that, but if you're looking for that kind of business, there's a guy in the back there who may be able to help you. I don't know why the boss doesn't kick him out, but, that's Nar Shaddaa'.

As Hetaera looks over at the booth that had been gestured to, she would see a figure hunched over a table. It was clear even from here that he was a Duros. One of the gang that they had though? It was uncertain, but he was the best chance she had of finding this new cook.

Not at all sure I want to be looking into this.. but I'm here.. I've come this far...

Hetaera swallows. Then heads for the Duros in the back.

"Buy a girl a drink? Or perhaps you might help me find something else to spice up this dreary day..?"

Hetaera gives the Duros her most winning smile, as he looks up.

The Duros would glance up from the small glass of red liquid he had been swilling about, and would smile at the Twi'Lek that approached. 'Loos like you've come to talk to the right person gorgeous' he'd drawl as he gestures for her to take a seat in the shady booth. He would hunch of the table slightly as he watches her closely before speaking again. 'So little lady, what are you looking for eh? Booster Blue? Glitterstim? Yarrok? I can get pretty much anything in this town. We've even got a cook working on some new stuff locally, organic types you know? Meant to be the next big thing'.

"The new stuff is what I'm after. I like to try new things.." I don't have the credits to buy, at the moment.. and don't really want to trade... Hetaera suppresses a shudder.

"I'll see you around. When you have something.. fresh .. ready for me."

The Twi-lek turns, and saunters back to the small dance floor, and lets her body release some of the tension that is still with her. Don't want to just immediately run out, like I'm reporting to someone.

In time, she forgets why she is there and just moves to the deep base, arms and lekku undulating unselfconsciously. After a while, she remembers herself, and exits the club feeling considerably better for her little solo excursion.

The Duros would watch the young woman leave with interest on his face, but he would not pursue her. After maybe a minute or two if Hetaera were to glance at the booth, she would find it empty, and would see the near by exit door just closing. Though she may not know it, her line of questioning had set into motion a new chain of events that were going to change things quite drastically.

Maybe an hour or so later, the door to the bunk room that Dashtha had been staying in. Framed in the doorway was the guard who had been overseeing her work, bleary eyed and looking frustrated. She never saw him at this time, not until morning at any rate. 'Get up, the boss wants to see you, now'. He wouldn't even wait for her, he would simply turn around and leave while the door was left open.

She knew the way to the office of this building, winding its way through the poorly lit corridor with cracked walls and peeling paint. At the end of the third corridor was the heavily reinforced durasteel door, and this to was left open revealing the room inside.

This was a stark difference to the rest of the facility. It was an ornate affair with carved wood and carpets. It looked like it belonged in a mansion instead of what effectively amounted to a warehouse. The walls were lined with holo pads, and set near the back of the room was a larch wooden desk covered with various trinkets from the owners life. That owner was the elderly duros sat behind it, dressed in a set of grey comfortable looking robes. These were the sort that were popularised by the upper class of the more civilised planets, they did not belong down in these levels.

The duros was flanked by two hulking guards of the same species, and stood before the desk was yet another duros dressed in a dull red leather jacket. Dashtha would recognise him instantly as the one who is usually in charge of the building. Rud, a foul tempered individual who relies on fear to control his men. He's the one who gives the orders and had been managing her work directly. The older one, she'd not seen before, but by the way he held himself, it was clear who was in charge here.

'Ah, Dashtha, the cook. Please, take a seat' the elderly individual said in a kindly voice as he gestures to the only empty chair in front of the desk. 'I know we haven't met, but I have heard excellent things about you and your work from Rud here. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Jaizon'.

"Hello Mr Jaizon, a pleasure to finally meet my actual employer. I'm sure you have me here to ask how development is coming. But, while I would love to have a long and detailed discussion about the inadequateness of the equipment and support given to aid me, I must ask you keep it brief. The samples don't process themselves." Curtly blunt Dashtha sat expressionless awaiting.

'Very well my dear, I will as you say, keep it brief'. As he speaks he would pull out a draw on his side of the desk, producing a snub chrome coloured holdout blaster. He would aim it at Dashtha for a moment before swinging his arm to point it at Rud.

'Wait, bo-', but it was too late. The blaster squawks once and a bolt of green plasma punches straight into the lieutenants chest. Rud staggers back with a gasp before toppling over and landing with a thud on the hardwood floor.

'Oh, I do hope he hasn't scuffed the floor' Jaizon mutters as he returns the gun to the desk drawer. 'Now, the reason I shot Rud there is because he has been lying to you my dear. He has been backing your endeavours to produce some new strain of spice, but I have not'. He would sigh as he stands up. 'In fact, before I left I gave strict orders that were to sell only three strains of spice in accordance with a gang agreements we have with several other sectors. But Rud got greedy, he got arrogant, and now he got killed'.

As he begins to walk around the table he continues to talk in the ever civil tone. 'Now by this time your samples and resserach should have been removed from the laboratory. I need you to understand, I fund your work, and as such, you will do as I say, unlike our fellow Rud here'. Finally he would come to a halt a few inches from her face, and as she looks closer she can see what the creases and wrinkles were hiding before. There is a hardness to the duros, a steel that is rarely seen in common criminals. 'Now, do we understand one another?'

"You are halting an advance that could help millions, and make you billions. Are you so shortsighted? Are you so against progress? Do these other peons scare you so"?

'Oh dear, it seems that we don't understand one another' the elderly duros would sigh as he moves to sit back down behind his desk. 'This may surprise you dear, but I did not get into this business to help people. If you wanted to do that you should have looked into a scholarship at one of the universities in the core. And how long do you think that this business will last when the hutts find out about your miracle drug? One week? Two? Every gang in this system would descend on us to take it for their own. It has the potential to tear the planet apart, if it works. For that reason, I am making sure that it will not, work'.

He would open the draw and produce the silvery pistol again, placing it down gently in front of her. 'Now, you can either accept your lot in life, that you are a second rate cook for a small operation in the pits of this moon, or, you can't'. He would let this hang in the air for a moment before continuing. 'I think you should turn in. You have a lot of work to do tomorrow now that the course has been reset'.

"Its you're decision to throw away an opportunity. I will find a way to replace my work and you wont benefit from it. And when I am in a position of power, and you are beneath me. You'll regret this conversation."

She stood from the chair and turned to the door to leave guards or no.

The night on the moon passes quickly, though not easily for most that are trying to sleep. It has been a difficult few days for a lot of people, what with the violence and destruction that had become to prevalent. As the sun rises over the city surface life begins to stir once more. Most people begin to set about their legitimate businesses and lives, while others prepare for less 'legitimate' avenues.

In the apartment that the gang had been staying for the night, the silence would be broken by the chip of the stolen com unit activating. It looked like someone was trying to give them a call. Or at least the previous owner, assuming that they hadn't found out what had happened during the attack.

Dashtha is awoken in the usual way, by a guard interrupting her sleep and escorting her in the direction of the lab. As the door to it opened she saw that other than the scientific equipment and some new crates of raw materials, the lab was completely bare. Everything she had been working on, gone. 'You've got booster blue to work on today. Don't mess up, you're on ice so thin you can see all the way to the bottom' the guard would warn.

Shura would be the first to awaken from the beeping. She found the source of the noise and nudged Jace.

"Jace, wake up," Shura said, "It looks like someone is trying to contact the guys we took out last night."

Jace groaned getting up. He still managed to get up at a moment's notice, but that didn't mean that he didn't have to like it.

"Ah, spoiled a good dream, Shura," he muttered as he got his bearings. "Wake everyone else up, if you can. I'll answer it."

Picking up the com unit, he spoke.

"Yeah, boss, what's up?"

Shura begins to silently wake the other gang members, when she realizes that Hetaera is missing.

"Usshkr," Shura whispers as quietly as possible, "Where's Hettie?"

The com unit would crackle and screech for a moment as the incoming call was put through. It was either damaged or very, very cheap. Either way it was good news for Satkaz as the stranger on the other side didn't seem to notice Jace's voice not being that of the original owners.

'What's up? What's up? Swenck, you were meant to be back with our guns yesterday! Where are you? I swear if I find you in another spice den I'm going to buy a flensing knife and turn you into luggage!'

The rant would be paused as the caller takes a few deep breaths. 'Look, Jaizon is back in town, and he's gone and killed Rud. This whole thing is going sideways fast, and we need those guns if any of us are getting out alive! Now, where are they?'

4 minutes ago, Rabobankrider said:

The com unit would crackle and screech for a moment as the incoming call was put through. It was either damaged or very, very cheap. Either way it was good news for Satkaz as the stranger on the other side didn't seem to notice Jace's voice not being that of the original owners.

'What's up? What's up? Swenck, you were meant to be back with our guns yesterday! Where are you? I swear if I find you in another spice den I'm going to buy a flensing knife and turn you into luggage!'

The rant would be paused as the caller takes a few deep breaths. 'Look, Jaizon is back in town, and he's gone and killed Rud. This whole thing is going sideways fast, and we need those guns if any of us are getting out alive! Now, where are they?'

Ah, frakk, gotta get this guy to believe something, J ace thought as he heard the com unit light up. Time to fake it, then.

"It's all gone to ****, Boss. We had them cornered in their little warehouse, but they were expecting us. Most of the guys are gone and the trucks are wrecked. Meanwhile, those bastards skedaddled with the guns. We're trying to find them, but they're a slippery bunch. Think Jaizon got some backup, her- Aw, frakk, I hear something."

I hope this works.

'Cornered?' the voice would roar over the com. 'You were meeting them to pay for weapons! Not bleeding rob them! Aw you wait till I get my hands on you, you waste of skin! Get those guns and meet me at these coordinate tonight, or I'll be sending flowers to your loved ones along with your limbs!' With that the com went dead and a set of coordinates flashed up for Jace. It was easy enough to recognise, it was part of the industrial sight on the edge of the town.

As the sun begun to rise far beyond what the citizens could see down in the murky depths, Hetaera would be able to find her way home after her excursion out into the night. It may have been tiring, but not entirely fruitless at least.

Jace shut the com unit off, just to be sure.

"Well, whoever's on the com isn't quite too happy. At least we're in the clear for now and got a set of coordinates. Looks like the edge of town, in the industrial area."

Usshkr picks up the Communicator. " I guessss we go there to crack ssssome ssskullss. After we find sssome batca." Uaahkr looks around the room his eyes searching. " Where isss Hetaera?"

"Heh..wahh..?"

Hetaera had quickly removed her makeup, and crashed hard next to Shura, upon her return. Hearing her name, she reluctantly rolls over to face Usshkr.

"Well, looks like everyone's back," Jace replied.

"Alright, now that people are up, we got something. Looks like our friends from the warehouse called, managed to fool them into thinking I was one of their guys. Looks like a Jaizon is back in town, and he's killed at least one of our friend's friends. Also gave us the coordinate of an industrial area."

"However..." he continued, looking at Usshkr, "We'll need to find some bacta, since we didn't come out of that scrap that well. Anyone know a place that could be open?"

On 11/16/2018 at 6:43 PM, Edgehawk said:

"Heh..wahh..?"

Hetaera had quickly removed her makeup, and crashed hard next to Shura, upon her return. Hearing her name, she reluctantly rolls over to face Usshkr.

" Where were you little Lady!" Usshkr says in a fatherly tone. " I am to essscort you everywhere in cassse any attemptssss on your life isss made!"

The trip through the sector on the speeder bike was quick thank's to Shura being able to weave in and out of the bulkier landspeeders that blotted the roads. That doesn't stop her however having a near collision with a speeder she doesn't spot pulling out of a small alley in front of her. Fortunately she is able to screech to a halt before striking the vehicles side. The driver flings some well placed insults her way before tearing out and onto the road. 'Such a thing was a common occurrence on the moon, or in fact any city.

After a while she reaches the street she's looking for. It is a large open plan area lined with all manner of shops and cheap takeways for those low on coin or tastebuds. At the end of the street is a small shop withe a large neon sign marking it as a pharmaceutical distributor. Pulling up outside she can see through the grimy caged window that there are shelves lines with all sorts of medicines and drugs inside. A couple of customers move along the rows of shelves, searching for cures to whatever ailes them. She can also see a counter at the right side of the shop, though no one behind it. It may be that they're blocked from view, but the place does look to be open at least.

Jace got off of the the speeder bike when Shura parked it in front of the pharmacy.

"Well, that was fun," he said, trying to steady himself. "Never really liked being on BARCs in the first place."

"Anyway, it's time to head in. Shall we?"

Unacceptable. Simply unacceptable. A new employer was necessary since this one lacked foresight. Thankfully Dashtha was always prepared and the security system to this building had a few backdoors added since she became a resident. A few clicks later all the doors would open to a keycard she held and require new random passwords from before. With that she sorted her few belongings, took the hard drive out her now deactivated assistant droid and made her way down the nearest stairway.