Tatooine heat

[tomcat]

Logar followed the elegant noblewoman into a lounge that sat off of the main entrance to the Acer. The two strode to the bar and a well-dressed man approached, while swabbing out a glass with a clean towel. He eyed Logar, but said, "What can I get you?"

[Jingo]

"I'll take a corellian wine--with ice." she flashed a smile at the well-dressed bartender to put the man at ease. "And don't mind my austere looking companion. He's just paid protection. He'll take a water... You got to keep them sober, after all." She rolled her eyes, sat down her elbows on the bar, with her hands clasped and resting easily under her chin, she tilted her head so the light caught it just right and looked at the bartender. "Nice place. Been here long?".

All the while, she kept alert for danger. From her experience, she didn't doubt that some bounty hunter or Imperial Agent was probably tracking her down--even here in this no-place dust bowl of a planet.

She'll chit chat some with the bartender, flirting just a little so he feels easy and won't get alarmed at Logar's weaponry.

Persuade: 1d20+15 : 6 + 15, total 21

She'll also do a Gather Information to him and any she's sitting next to see if there's any goings on that might be of interest to her or their team,

Gather Information: 1d20+10 : 1 + 10, total 11

[donimator]

Sam was used to barter in his past and disliked the thought of giving up credits when he could offer his service in exchange. It worked on Jovan Station, maybe it will work here. He looked to Ed, "My primary function is a mechanic. I can give you 600 credits now and will work off the balance. I can handle almost anything you throw at me." Sam hoped he could back up his boasts and shrugged to Caden, "If we are here a few days, I might as well try."

[tomcat]

For Farok's post, I am going to leave Brim's reaction to chance... I don't want to start a fight between the PC's, but I am going to give it a roll to see if he will react counter to Farok's embrace. Of course, Farok is one-armed and drinking, so the approach may be seen as a sad, misguided drunk talking to a stranger... until of course, Farok makes his statement of danger.

Brim's intel 14 and I will give a +2 for Farok's conditions. If I roll under 16, there will be no ill-reaction, if I roll above it, I will give you what happens in my next post narrative. Either way, the narrative post will be after I am home from the office.

Need to roll under 16...

Rolled 1d20 : 3, total 3

[tomcat]

Brim was taken aback by the apparent drunk and he stammered, "But, sir! ... I am ... not ... Dak." Then Farok's message passed between the two and the Rodian suddenly went on guard. He looked about left and right to see if there were any immediate dangers, and then at the one-armed man himself. Farok had now pulled away, smiled, took his drink and was moving back into the bar. Brim saw that the room full of gamblers, including Kara, were looking at him. Only the electronic bells and chimes of the slots filled the air. He straightened his shirt and nodded to them all, "Strange..." The word trailed off, and as if a sign, the room went immediately back to what it was doing. Brim looked at Kara and then turned from her, following the stranger. The Corellian sat a bit dumbfounded wondering what to do when the dealer asked, "You in?"

The Rodian followed Farok at a short distance and then moved to where he was now back at the bar. He cautiously approached, "It's been awhile... nice to be able to sit and have a drink!" He feigned a friendly smile and waited on the Twi'lek to serve him. Once the cocktail was in hand, he turned to Farok and spoke quietly, "Not immediately, but will be? What does that mean and who are you?"

Brim wondered if the man in front of him was their contact, or part of Organa's rising resistance against the Empire, or maybe just a good samaritan that had seen something and was giving warning. He sighed. Or maybe he was a charlatan with an agenda all his own.

Ed looked at Sam and Caden, "I have plenty of droids around here to work... it's what I do. So, no... this stuff is credits only, and they need to be the new Imperial credits, none of that CIS or Republic money."

It did not take long for Kaida's wiles to take an affect on the bartender. His concern for Logar, as well as the other patrons' concerns, were soon abated and they all three were chatting. The bartender spoke of Mos Entha proudly - the plush space domes that offered real work and brought in real tourists, with real money. He was happy to be living here where the Hutts had not much influence and the law was legitimate. The Empire had made its presence, but they had left Tatooine for the most part with its own governance. He smiled at the sad fact that the Hutt Kajadics were rooted so deep throughout the sector of space that even the Empire knew it had little hope of taking charge here, and so left the rule in the hands of the crime lords with an agreement that they don't cross any lines too far.

With Kaida's inquiry of what was going on, the bartender answered, "What are some things you like to do? Tatooine is really not that great of a tourist spot. We have sand and heat... and more sand. But there are some things that happen here that don't happen elsewhere. The Boonta Eve classic pod race will be going on in Mos Espa startining in three days. Besides that there are casinos, bars, some nice stores and restaurants... and sand." He laughed at his own joke. "If you decide to head out of Mos Entha, there are some more... unsavory... attractions, too. Fighting pits in Mos Eisley and some other bad things, but you don't look like those kind of folk." He set the current charges for drinks down in front of Kaida, "Can I get you another?"

Kaida noticed that the iced water and wine were 5 and 12 credits respectively. There was a fee for ice in the amount of 5 credits!

[Telcontar]

Farrok signaled his Twi'lek friend for more drinks and they soon arrived. "My apologies, my subterfuge was perhaps a little ill conceived, but it was done in haste. We share something in common, a certain sensitivity to things... These are dangerous times for people such as ourselves, whether you know you have the ability to manipulate these sensitivities or not you possess them, and must learn to shield them from others lest you be hunted like a rat in a hole, ignorance of them is not protection. There is little to fear normally here in Mos Ethna, few Imperials come here on that agenda, but there are those out there scouring the galaxy for people with powers that you have and killing them. You must be on guard."
Farok took a sip from his drink, "We are a rare and hunted breed my Rodian friend, rare and hunted. Ever see a trapped animal gnaw off a limb to get away?" Farok smiled and looked at where his arm used to be the Rodain followed his glance and saw now the heel of the lightsaber, "rare and hunted."

"My name is Farok."

[donimator]

Sam put the plates down, "I'll look elsewhere, then." Sam had the feeling it might be better not to look too new on this rock. He would sport the battered look for now.

[sdrotar]

Sam put the plates down, "I'll look elsewhere, then." Sam had the feeling it might be better not to look too new on this rock. He would sport the battered look for now.

Caden watched as Sam put the plates down and started to walk out of the room, gauging Ed's demeanor - how badly did he want to make the sale?
Perception +9

Rolled 1d20+9 : 14 + 9, total 23

[tomcat]

Caden could see that Ed was very interested in making the sale. The merchandise was not legally procured for certain, and to move it quickly from one's inventory would be the wisest of things, even on Tatooine. But Caden could also see that Ed had something invested in the materials, too, and the man needed to run a business.

Brim gave Farok a long look, reaching out with the Force as he did. It was true, this was the man he had felt upon entering the cantina. Another Force-user, the Rodian mused. "Well, Farok, I am Brim. It is nice to meet another sensitive such as myself. The last two I had known were slain, so I know the dangers that you speak of. Be aware, although I did not know it was you, I did sense you, too, so we both need to work on our hiding skills."

The Rodian took the drink that was handed to him and nodded in thanks at Farok, "So what has you living here on this out of the way world?"

[sdrotar]

Caden could see that Ed was very interested in making the sale. The merchandise was not legally procured for certain, and to move it quickly from one's inventory would be the wisest of things, even on Tatooine. But Caden could also see that Ed had something invested in the materials, too, and the man needed to run a business.

"Well..." Caden paused as they reached the door.
"Ed, let's see if we can make something work here; this is nice stuff, and I don't like having my droid look all beat-up."

As he walked back to the man, he lowered his voice and put his arm over his shoulder.
"I've got Imperial creds; that's no problem. What might be - for both of us - is the fact that these plates don't have serial numbers. Now, I get it, I get it - business is tough all over, and I don't really mind looking the other way. I can take these off of your hands right now and no one's the wiser, but we've gotta meet somewhere in the middle."

Persuasion +11 This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+11 : 9 + 11, total 20

His smile beamed. "Whaddaya say?"

I didn't tamper with the roll - I just modified the post to bold-text the roll's skill for easier reading. By the way, like an idiot, I forgot that in Caden's original char-gen, his great-grandparents settled on Tatooine and were early investors there - it's very unlikely that Caden's never been there before. I modified his "lines" in the previous thread to account for that - they were just for flavor.

[Telcontar]

Farok out of instinct he looked around the immediate area.

"Yes that may be true Master Brim, but I knew it was you and you knew only that someone else was out there. There are two methods of hiding, in the middle of no where where you hope no one stumbles across you, or within a large group where they cant pick you out. In Tatoonie its possible to do both at the same time. This dive is in the middle of no where and filled with transients. Have you had any training? I dont mean the ritual and the nonsense, I mean actual nuts and bolts training? I....well here is not the place to talk about I. I half hoped you would think me a drunk and not follow me. then i could drink in peace with a clear conscious. I traveled around the galaxay to avoid our kind but perhaps all that travel was only to bring me here at this moment."

[Jingo]

It did not take long for Kaida's wiles to take an affect on the bartender. His concern for Logar, as well as the other patrons' concerns, were soon abated and they all three were chatting. The bartender spoke of Mos Entha proudly - the plush space domes that offered real work and brought in real tourists, with real money. He was happy to be living here where the Hutts had not much influence and the law was legitimate. The Empire had made its presence, but they had left Tatooine for the most part with its own governance. He smiled at the sad fact that the Hutt Kajadics were rooted so deep throughout the sector of space that even the Empire knew it had little hope of taking charge here, and so left the rule in the hands of the crime lords with an agreement that they don't cross any lines too far.

With Kaida's inquiry of what was going on, the bartender answered, "What are some things you like to do? Tatooine is really not that great of a tourist spot. We have sand and heat... and more sand. But there are some things that happen here that don't happen elsewhere. The Boonta Eve classic pod race will be going on in Mos Espa startining in three days. Besides that there are casinos, bars, some nice stores and restaurants... and sand." He laughed at his own joke. "If you decide to head out of Mos Entha, there are some more... unsavory... attractions, too. Fighting pits in Mos Eisley and some other bad things, but you don't look like those kind of folk." He set the current charges for drinks down in front of Kaida, "Can I get you another?"

Kaida noticed that the iced water and wine were 5 and 12 credits respectively. There was a fee for ice in the amount of 5 credits!

Kaida shook her head and stood, and slid 20 credits across the counter. "No thanks, Daddy only says one drink. You know how it is. But you've been sweet. Keep the change. I may see you around." She smiled over her shoulder and then nodded to Logar. "Come on," she said under her breath, "We got to see Mr Taxian soon, I suppose. Let's get some rooms for the team first." She didn't relish the thought of going back out into the sun and heat.

  Marked off credits. She'll go to the front desk, once Logar has his combat rifle sufficiently hidden or otherwise non threatening, and reserve two rooms for the night--one for the ladies, another for the men, under an alias. She only has 190 creds left, so if they're too much, she'll sweet talk Logar into borrowing some of his cash. Then out on the street, she'll make contact with the rest of the team via commlink, explain that she has a suite of rooms for them and let them know she's going to help Logar make his purchase.

[watanabe]

Kara was going from zero to drunk in as few credits as possible.  She drained her glass and almost slammed it down on the table, yelling out for anyone who could hear within a few meters.

"Another Corellian Whiskey, cheapest worst brand you have, and make it a triple with no ice."  Kara started to mumble to herself.  "Frakking desert, stupid people live here, only a Sith spawn could enjoy this kriffing hell hole."

[tomcat]

Shawn, the Haggle rules state that on a DC 25 (towards indifferent characters) that you can reduce the requested price by 50%. Seeing as you only rolled a 20, I will still have Ed give a little - you will see it below in the narrative.



Ed looked at Caden. He sighed and returned a wan smile. The machinist did not like being taken, but neither did he like dealing in stolen stuff. He did, of course, but it truly tore at his moral core. "All right, all right... you can have them for 1200 credits, but that is as low as I can go."

The Bestinian could see that Ed was serious - he had dropped the plates to the lowest price he could without giving them away at cost.

Brim eyed Farok and wonderd at his true intent. He sounded genuine, although he did not speak the tenets of the Jedi Order that the Rodian had become so familiar with when he had worked side by side with the Jedi. Still, that was no surprise seeing as they were all needing to hide from the Empire. He also wanted to call Farok on his ability to see Brim, where as Brim could not see Farok - and to the Rodian that answer was simple - Farok had been in a crowded room when Brim entered, so it was a challenge for Brim to find him. For Farok, the only thing that had changed when he sensed Brim was that Brim had walked into the room. Of course the one-armed man knew it was the Rodian! But Brim thought it all a petty argument and let it quickly go - this could be a new friend and ally, no need to get into a competition of words now.

He answered Farok, "I have only seen the Jedi in action. I have never been immersed in their training and philosphies, though I am familiar with some of their tenets." He then bravely revealed from inside his tunic the end of his own lightsaber, "I know of being hunted."

It was then that Brim heard Kara shout out in her alcohol-induced anger, and he saw in the other room as some of the patrons turned a dirty look towards her. Even the pit boss was called over to see what the commotion was about. The Corellian did not seem to have any care regarding her outburst, her attention instead was turned to the the new glass of whiskey that was placed before her. It was apparent to Brim that Kara could end up flat on her face, cussing and drunk, and the cantina would not give a damn - it was in business to sell booze and if Kara's had credits, they would serve her up until she was either beaten, killed, or out of money.

"Excuse me," said Brim. He stood and made his way to the casino room.

Kaida waited until it was her turn and then met with the desk clerk of the Acer hotel. She reserved the room in her alias name and grumbled a bit as she heard the man say, "That will be 375 credits please."

The two paid for the rooms via their combined credits and were given a room key for each, and a beaming smile of welcome. Once done, the two made their way back on the streets. Communication was made to Caden and the rest, and then Kaida and Logar made their way north through the streets of Mos Entha. It was hot and they were once more drenched in sweat. The walk took them out of the business area around the Acer and into a district of tenements and shady garage businesses. Pubs and cantinas were scattered about as well, and the presence of trade in restricted or illegal goods was now prevalent.

Logar looked around to see if there was any sign of the Law here, but like most run down districts in cities, the money was not here, and so the cost of civil services was too high - thus the area was ignored. What this created was a zone of survival of the fittest, and dog eat dog - the soldier was all too familiar with places like this. Both he and Kaida were now very glad that Logar was adorned with his blaster rifle hanging from his shoulder.

They approached a woman who sat behind a table that was set up at the entrance to her garage home. Upon the table were mushrooms that were dried, and other forms of fungus that the people of Tatooine lived on via their moisture farms. One of her eyes was blue while the other was opaque due to cataracts. She puffed on a long metal pipe. Logar asked, "Gorman Taxian? You know where?"

The woman held up one finger and Logar sighed as he tossed her a credit. She pointed down the street, "There... in that pig hole of a place where they sell women cheap!" They followed her gaze to a small building at the end of the street. It was not the kind of place that Kaida wanted to enter, or see what happened within.



Is Kaida going to go in, or does she want to hang out on the street while Logar conducts his business?

[Jingo]

She shook her head as she eyed the run down tenements. How could anyone responsible let entire districts like this fall to ruin?

"I don't know, Logar. This isn't really my type of place," she frowned at the hovel the woman had identified and lowered her voice. She probably could have helped with Logar's purchase; she had a good eye for reading people, but after all, it was his money, and besides she didn't want to be seen in that place. "Look, I think I'll wait out here. Just get in, get done quickly, and keep one ear on your comm. I'll do the same."

Once Logar left, she pulled up her hood to hide her features, and found a spot where she could see anyone approaching and put her back to a wall where she could see both the entrance to Taxian's place and the street. She kept one hand under her cloak holding the collapsed stock of Britton's blaster rifle, ready to bring to bear if needed. Her eyes scanned the streets for any potential threats.

Basically, she doesn't want to look a target by any criminal element.