IC: "Adventure in Palesia"

[DeepSpacer]

After a quiet, restful night, the group all wake up before the bruised and battered Monticor Greckel. The local Palesia Holonet is abuzz with the news of a violent shooting in a local speeder lot.

hqdefault.jpg (30.16 KiB) Viewed 5065 times

The deceased victim, it says, is a notorious street-level crime boss named Aks Veetrix. Veetrix was known to have his hands into spice dealing, alien slavery, gambling, extortion, and racketeering, among other things. His notoriously violent bodyguard, Tice Fridus, a one-eyed Dressillian, was found seriously wounded and unconscious at the scene. He’s since been taken into custody. His trial, conviction, and imprisonment and/or execution are expected to take place as soon as he can be arraigned (Justice is swift on Lannik, it seems).

Spoiler:

Aks Veetrix.JPG (12.16 KiB) Viewed 5065 times

Tice Fridus.jpg (27.01 KiB) Viewed 5065 times

The assailants (or, heroes, as some call them) are unknown at this point, and no one has claimed the reward for their capture. Neither, has a competing faction of the underworld claimed responsibility for the assault. But one thing is for sure, there are two fewer criminals in this city today and Palesia is a safer place for it!

[Flamiel]

Anjali works on patching up Monty. "Hold still," she says, biting down on the hilt of a medical gadget as she hers hands use another to scan Monty.

[DeepSpacer]

Some time goes by the next morning. The group heals up, spends a few hours eating, purchasing & modding items, taking inventory of their new possessions. About mid-day Monticor Greckel begins to stir. Moaning and groaning, he opens his eyes and is dismayed. Disappointed to observe his current company, but glad to be alive. He rests his eyes once again.
(At +1 over WT, the night's rest has brought him to 14/14 WT)

Cpt Monticor Greckel injured.jpg (52.91 KiB) Viewed 5051 times

[Doctor Who]

BA snorts derisively, then glances at the others.

[SavageBob]

"Looks like our 'friend' has come to. He's probably hungry. I'm not gonna feed him. One of you wanna feed him?"

[Flamiel]

"Hey, sleepyhead," Anjali humorlessly addresses Greckel. "Have something to eat." She tosses him a ration bar and a water bottle.

"We've got some things to discuss."

[DeepSpacer]

Barely in any state to consume nourishment at this time, Greckel sweeps his arm to gather the items closer to his chest. "Things??? Like what?" he asks, looking towards the Nikto and then back at Anjali. The Nikto? He can figure out. The soldier? Maybe. Two young females? He hasn't a clue.

[SavageBob]

Alamy sighs. She makes a production of going to the fresher, running the faucet, and filling up a glass. She sets it before the captive. "Maybe you won't eat. But you'll need water if you're going to answer our questions. You can start by telling us what you were doing with Aks Veetrix last night?"

[DeepSpacer]

"I didn't do anything except get shot at by him last night. Who are you? City investigators? Internal affairs?"

[Doctor Who]

BA leans in, and gives a very low growl.

"We're your worst nightmare, and we're asking the questions, not you."

Stares into Greckles eyes for a moment more, straightens up, cracks his knuckles, and puts on some vibroknuckles.

[DeepSpacer]

Greckel refrains from asking another question. For the moment, he complies with BA's command. You think he may have been about to say something else, but chose not to.

[SavageBob]

AAA waves BA off for a moment, the threat successfully delivered. "Let's just say we're with 'Internal Affairs.'" Her tone lets him know she may or may not mean that literally. "It's time to start talking, Captain. Come clean."

Spoiler:

AAA; Alpha Squad; Deception (with DP flip):
1 Success, 3 Advantages

Flipped a DP, assumed same as the previous check, but didn't take any additional ones from the 8 . May affect the result if that plays in somehow.

[Flamiel]

Anjali leans in a bit closer, eyes narrowed at the despicable form of Greckel.

Her voice is low, even, and quite serious.
"Yes, Captain. Tell us about your dealings with the general's wife. What do you two have planned?"

Spoiler:

Anjali; Alpha Squad; Force Sense Read Thoughts:
, 2 Light Side

[DeepSpacer]

Anjali has rarely sensed such clear emotions in a subject. The first emotions you sense is "surprise". "Sisira???!!!" he asks, obviously shocked that you are asking about her and not something law enforcement related (like the Nikto). Next are feelings of affection and devotion as his feeling drift to thought of her (Sisira). "Well, what about her? She and are "together". She and the General have been on the splits for a LONG TIME. That was only a move of convenience. He hasn't been treating her right and she's moving on. We're funneling a LOT of his credits through the Bank of Lannik, at the moment. Soon, we'll be taking a large chunk for ourselves and running off to be together!"

[DeepSpacer]

"Colonel...I mean, General Dupar.... He's the one who oversees the Nikto encampment, too. I don't know how he got so many credits to dispose of, but Sisira and I are happy to take them from him! it won't be much longer now. That is, if you let me go, right?"

[SavageBob]

"Dupar, huh?" AAA looks to the others. "We know a General Dupar?"

Spoiler:

AAA; Alpha Squad; Knowledge (Core Worlds):
1 Failure, 2 Advantages

AAA just gets shrugs and blank stares.

[Flamiel]

"Colonel...I mean, General Dupar.... He's the one who oversees the Nikto encampment, too. I don't know how he got so many credits to dispose of, but Sisira and I are happy to take them from him! it won't be much longer now. That is, if you let me go, right?"

"Well, we're here to ensure that those shakedowns of the Nikto encampment come to an end. You have to ask yourself, Captain, what end of that you want to be on? The one that ends with you in a prison cell when the general learns about your embezzlement with his wife, or the one where this general is the one in the cell and you don't have to keep looking over your shoulder?"

[DeepSpacer]

"Well, we're here to ensure that those shakedowns of the Nikto encampment come to an end. You have to ask yourself, Captain, what end of that you want to be on? The one that ends with you in a prison cell when the general learns about your embezzlement with his wife, or the one where this general is the one in the cell and you don't have to keep looking over your shoulder?"

"I've put enough criminals in those cells to know that I do not want to be in one! I don't see how Dupar ends up in prison, but you're telling me that if I help the Nikto leave then you'll look the other way?" says Greckel. He looks to each of the four people in the room to gauge their reaction.

[Doctor Who]

BA waits for someone else to respond, he doesn't want to stumble into another conversation without helping.

[SavageBob]

"Help them leave? The Nikto here are refugees. Why would we want to force them to move again?" AAA shakes her head. "No, we want you to stop shaking them down. You're getting what you want from Dupar. Why do you need to prey on refugees?"

[DeepSpacer]

"Help them leave? The Nikto here are refugees. Why would we want to force them to move again?" AAA shakes her head. "No, we want you to stop shaking them down. You're getting what you want from Dupar. Why do you need to prey on refugees?"

"A refuge here, a refuge there, what's the difference? A refuge by any other planet is still a refuge. It wouldn't hurt them to move along. Lannik is pretty corrupt. Lots of beings get exploited here."

"You want I should convince Colonel, er, uh, I mean, General Dupar to forget about the Niktos?"

[Flamiel]

"Help them leave? The Nikto here are refugees. Why would we want to force them to move again?" AAA shakes her head. "No, we want you to stop shaking them down. You're getting what you want from Dupar. Why do you need to prey on refugees?"

"A refuge here, a refuge there, what's the difference? A refuge by any other planet is still a refuge. It wouldn't hurt them to move along. Lannik is pretty corrupt. Lots of beings get exploited here."

"You want I should convince Colonel, er, uh, I mean, General Dupar to forget about the Niktos?"

Anjali is getting a bit of a temper in her voice now. "That may be, but if they leave it will be by their own choice and not because they're being intimidated, coerced, or exploited by YOU, the Colonel, or anyone else. We're going to be keeping tabs on the situation, and if they continue to be taken advantage of, you're going to be in world of pain, and we'll be spilling everything we know about your dealings."

[DeepSpacer]

Anjali's words seem to have the desired effect. The Captain face goes stoic and a bit pale. He replies, "Okay. I can make that happen, I think."

"Can I go now?"

[SavageBob]

AAA nods. "Sounds like a plan, then. Just one other thing..." She crouches low so as to make eye contact with Greckel. "Weird as it may sound, we seem to share a mutual… enemy. You see, your girlfriend's hubby? We don't like him either. What can you tell us about him? How can we help you take him down?"

[DeepSpacer]

"The General spends a lot of time on Coruscant. He has some Republic duty looking after a sector that keeps him busy. Real busy. Why do you think his wife makes time to come and see me?” he says with a grin.

"I worked for General Fentz on Coruscant, yeah. During the time of the Sith attack which devastated most of the planet. That's where I met Sisira. We fell in love. She said the General was sitting on a pile of credits and that she wanted to move them off-planet so we could elope together. I got a a job with the planetary police here on Lannik and we began transferring credits bit by bit."

"You say you have a beef with him? Well, keep me OUT OF IT. Coruscant’s got over one TRILLION inhabitants and probably a few million in his sector alone!!! Fat chance of running into him there! Plus, lots of the undersectors are run by criminals and gangs since the Republic collapsed and much of the surface was rubble. Now, he DOES frequent a cantina in his undersector, Cantina 571, it's called.

Monticor Greckel agrees to the terms of the deal offered him. In actuality, he takes credits from his own (embezzled) accounts to pay the Nikto a fair wage for their goods and services. A small price to pay to keep things under wraps. This arrangement is acceptable to Nicky, Antazi, La-lana, and the rest of the Nikto. In the coming days, peace returns to the Nikto enclave when a payment is brought to them by the Captain. Word is sent back to Cha on Nar Shaddaa that all is right.