Aftermath Session VII

[baronsamedi]

I really don’t think we will ever be able to go back to Ryloth. Maybe, but I am a touch skeptical. This mission on the one hand has proven good for the Herd…we got paid and impressed Ms. Rameeda, some of us got protective all-temperature cloaks, and that’s good. But we have also gotten a local crimelord mad at us and betrayed the Empire, and I was sort of hoping we would hold off a bit on getting Stormtroopers after us. I don’t want to be a Grumpy Gus here or anything, but I don’t have a good feeling about this.

Somehow managing to sleep through a night without earning anyone’s wrath, we set out bright and early to get our license to film. Surprisingly, it was turned over without a problem, though Khayall did some careful bribing to be sure everything was smooth. We got in just behind an angry fat Twi’lek so we must have seemed pretty nice; we were quizzed about the nature of our film, and Libeth once again flirted with giving too much of the wrong type of information but never fully took leave of her senses. Anyway, we got the greenlight and set off for the slave market.

I have never seen the point of buying beautiful women as slaves. I mean sure, you can freely ravish them and I will be honest, I could really go for that about now, but it seems like if you have to buy and own them you have failed as a man. Sex is better uncoerced. Anyway, there was a lot of them dancing around…not all girls but mostly…and people setting up and stuff. As the guy with the rifle and such, and the one who can peek over everyone’s heads, I stayed a ways back as the group looked around. Jek was hassled by a Gamorrean guard but before things escalated to a point where I felt I should intervene a Twi’lek came up and called the Gamorrean down. Jek always was a good talker, and I always kinda felt that if we needed to talk to someone Jek should really be the one to do that. He is sorta the mouth of the group, even if he only has one mouth.

Which is weird.

Anyway, the Twi’lek was apparently a guy named Zevar Denek who had spoken to Jek earlier. He had some new proposal for his boss, Draeda Ryell. He also thought Jek was Perrion Salvo, which Jek had neglected to correct him on. Jek went with him to a private tent, and over the com asked me to follow him, which I did. Khayall led the rest of the group to try to get a backstage look at the slave pens.

Jek and Zevar had a long talk. Zevar wanted us to make his boss Draeda Ryell look good on our documentary. Jek was careful to avoid commitment, or accepting the offer, but promised to talk to Libeth. He did accept a small bribe for his trouble, which I thought, was pretty smooth frankly. We got out and met up with the rest of the team; well Jek did I hung back. It seems that while sticking their camera in the faces of various slaves they spotted a Twi’lek girl who ran off with Greegan’s heart…well, whatever Sheela does not own. Namri also was eager to help her. From what I eavesdropped over the com, Jek was hesitant but they managed to scrounge money…to buy her. And support the slave market. I found this ironic enough to quiz Libeth about it on the com, but she came up with some rationalizations for supporting it. I had no problem with freeing the girl, but I did not want Mama’s ghost or the Mother Jungle lookin’ down on me helping to buy a slave. I elected to go check the Bounty Hunter’s office. Sheela went with me, not being comfortable being surrounded by half naked Twi’lek girls for whatever sensible reason.

It seems the Bounty Hunter’s Guild office was still being manned by some poor sop whose job was not to be behind a desk; this time it was ZZ’s partner, a chick named Larc Silonn. She was nice apart from questioning my decision to be a bounty hunter and sort of questioning my manhood a little because I had trouble getting the computer working. She helped me, though, so I don’t hate her. I discovered Jek had, at one point in time, had a large bounty of 8k credits on him placed by someone named “Shackler,” no one else in the group had anything aside from, as we were already aware, Greegan. After I finally managed to make the computer obey, Sheela and I headed back and met the group, who was fairly pleased that, with the help of Khayall distracting the overweight Twi’lek we saw earlier, managed to get their girl. They just had to pick her up in a few hours when the auction was over.

If only it were that simple.

See, we had seen that Gungan guy, named Jonco apparently, walking around being an embarrassment to his species that was known for being an embarrassment for their planet, not that I can remember what planet they are from. I guess they are not too embarrassing. Was it Corellia? Maybe it was Corellia. Anyway Jek kinda hid from him a little, but I did not really think anything of it because Namri was walking in front of me and well anyway I was distracted OK? But anyway Jek had bid on the girl, Elili, and according to Namri he was awful interested in Jek. I know they were not from Coruscant, can’t be that one. Man it is gonna kill me when I remember I am sure of it. Uh, what was I…oh anyway Namri was suspicious but lost track of him.

Jek said Jonco had worked for Shackler, who was a Quarren. He was afraid Shackler had rescinded the bounty thinking Jek was dead and now Jonco would tell him. He would probably be happy to get at us since we annoyed him earlier. So we expected trouble. We were so right.

I am sure it was not Rodia.

We came back and picked up Elili who sure did not look like she thought she was being rescued when Jonco showed up with thugs. He began posturing and generally gloating about how our asses were going to be kicked. I held Elili close and told her not to panic, hiding her a bit in my (all-temperature) cloak. The Guards were starting to look around, and Khayall slipped some credits to one and told him to go tell I-Fel Karn what was going on. Khayall told me later I-Fel Karn was the fat Twi’lek, and he worked for Queen Umber. Obviously, Gungans are not from Ryloth. Jek stalled as best he could, when I-Fel Karn showed up with some of Umber’s goons. So with them, us, the guards, and Jonco’s force it was a four way stand off.

I am not sure who fired, but we decided that was our cue to go. Sigma laid down some serious cover fire that sent Jonco’s goons scrambling for cover, while most the rest shot and ran. I decided since Jonco could easily identify Jek, it would be best to shoot him in the face, so I did. He got a shot off at Jek that Namri was just barely able to step in and block. Jek told us to focus fire on Jonco, and between me, Sigma, Greegan, and Khayall we downed the Gungan, but he was still moving on the ground when we left. He was tough. Unfortunately, that was not the extent of the action. I was using Zoë to shoot so Elili decided she would help and draw my heavy blaster, which she had to hold in two hands. She fired, but managed to do nothing but damage my cape. She kept apologizing but I was really more concerned about our hides than the cape. Meanwhile Libeth kissed Khayall while we were shooting on the run, and not in, you know, a subtle way. Khayall does not seem to know what to do with displays of affection like that. Anyway, we ran and as a parting gesture, Khayall tossed a credit chip to the guard he had been talking to, who leapt up and caught it in his teeth. If we ever return, that guard will be our only friend.

We ran to the Yanab Sunrise and requested clearance to leave. When it was granted, we immediately took off for Susevfi. I was not sad to go.

Back on Susevfi, Libeth gave us a good report in front of Ms. Rameeda. I was happy about that. We were well paid and Libeth expressed hope at working with us again, even though Khayall blew her off. It turned out the droid brain salvage mission was still an option, so we elected to take that. We will be going to Xagobah for that, should be a good run.

Meanwhile we are settling Elili in. She was really kind of surprised by the whole thing, but Greegan, Namri, Aya and I were nice to her and kept her calm. Turned out she can cook and mix drinks, and Jek offered to have her stay on the Sunrise as our cook and bartender. Paid of course, she is a slave no more. She fairly cheerfully accepted. She was actually sold into slavery because of her father’s gambling debts to none other then Draeda Ryell. Awful. Meanwhile, Nika patched my cape even as I was talking to Elili. She is so sweet. So now we get ready for Xagobah. Khayall and I are picking up breathing apparatus for it, not that I really need it, but better to be safe than sorry right. Hopefully we will excel at this mission too.

Maybe it was Kuat.