Public The Gift Of Opportunity [HSC and Criminals]

[Jolene Bastra]

Jo took a big sip, watching as a smile spread across Argos' face. She knew that smile. Her eyes followed his whiskey glass for a moment as he gestured to the crowd. Indeed, everyone present here would no doubt have a certain… reputation.

"Hutts and Sith," she said, canting her head to the side. "Brave man."

She raised her drink to Argos. And she could imagine that anyone that dared to cross him would be brave, too. Brave and stupid. The pits would sure be somethin' to see.

Jolene's eyes lit up at the sight of cigarettes. "Always," she said, plucking up the one offered. "Thanks much." Once her cig was lit up too, the old spacer woman took a long drag, like it'd been ages since her last. It'd been about… well, how long had she been here? Twenty minutes?

"Those Hutts treat you well, do they?" Jolene asked, genuinely curious. Though, she had a feeling that few here would speak ill of their employers. Not smart business to burn bridges. "If they ever need to move anything out my way..." Jolene winked.

Argos of the East​

 

[Argos of the East]

"Used to treat me better.", he said as he ashed the cigarette with a flick of his thumb - letting it fall into a small crystal container.​

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"Back when Gorba the Hutt appreciated my work - but he's been off on some spirit journey or some nonsense for a bit too long."​

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"Leave the rabble to play, they'll eventually start doubting your strength - Gorba keeps it up, might end up that way."​

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He downed the rest of his drink and motioned for another - allowing the bartender a second to refill it. As he moved to take the bottle, however, Argos gripped the base of it with his metal hand, speaking low - almost sensually, but it was rather obvious it was more dangerous than intimate. A soft line that was, he realized, but it worked;​

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"C'mon, leave the bottle.", and the man acquiesced.​

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He poured himself another, took another drag of the cigarette, and spoke;​

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"Cartel's always need more places to push their goods.", he said with a smile returning to his face.​

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"Got a good amount of ships, do ya? Good pilots?"​

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Jolene Bastra​

 

[Mairéad Solus]

​

Location: Saqqar
Objective: Network, chat, party
Tags: Nalah Tezan

Spoiler: Equipment:

Beskar'gam
Velmorite bladed lightsabers
Knife on ankle
Ladies Watch under body glove
Serenity bracelet
FDS-4F blaster pistol in thigh holster
Empyrean Gland
The Family Finger
Marzanna
Datapad

"So a courier of illegal goods?" Mairéad said with a playful inflection, saying smuggler without saying smuggler. She watched as Nalah Tezan 's assistant droid walked away to a safe distance. "Always good to have a few of those sorts on speed dial, the Alliance are far too fussy about sending unregistered arms and spice shipments through public channels don't you think?" she laughed and took more from her drink. She could feel the ziggy was flirting with her, and what was the harm in a little playful flirtation in their profession

She wondered about inviting the woman in to work with her as a casual associate, there was always room for more work later down the line and further development withing The Family, but she appeared to have mentioned the word freelance deliberately so Mairéad supposed she would like to keep that role for now.

"I plan on opening a nightclub on Nar Shadda in the near future, I could do with a courier who knows the local space, could also introduce you to my employers in the core, if you are interested? Casual work, could lead to a more permanent arrangement?"

Mairéad then stopped herself, and grinned before quickly switching to Zygerrian, the dialect of the bottom end of Zygerrian society and a move that would give a very clear hint of Mairéad's origin as a zygerrian slave. She still spoke with a smile, it was a friendly interaction of course, but given recent events there was still a risk the woman in front of her was an agent of the slavers. "Estoy muy contento de saber que todos sus pasajeros son voluntarios, mientras siga siendo así, siento que podemos tener una excelente relación."

 

[Nalah Tezan]

"Yes, but I think you can say 'smuggler' here, Ms. Solus, I don't think anyone would care." She said with a sly wink before continuing. "But yes, I'm a mover of unregistered and highly regulated goods, a business that too few people in GA space seem to appreciate."

Nalah enjoyed a good business discussion, and this was shaping up to be a very good discussion, but a discussion that included some light flirtation from a pretty girl was just icing on the cake. The Zygerrian enjoyed her freelance work as it stood, it gave her options to pursue side businesses and other interests at her leisure, plus it made running away from trouble easier, but she wasn't opposed to more permanent work with the right client.

"What a coincidence, I'm actually something of a native daughter." She paused before chuckling a bit and adding with a tease. "Well, as much as anyone can be native to that rock."

Nalah enjoyed making light of her difficult childhood, but that reality came back sharp and almost painfully real when Mairead broke into a Low Zygerrian accent, the kind that only slaves were allowed to speak. She swallowed, hard, she tried to hide it with a quick sip of brandy but it was clear that she knew where that accent came from and why Mairead had it. Even if her statement wasn't openly hostile, Nalah knew the flesh trade left scars, deep ones.

"No trato con personas y no planeo tratar con ellos en el corto plazo. Te doy mi palabra." Her own accent was Mid-Zygerrian, owing to her father's grunt work as an overseer and catcher. "Y por lo que vale, lo siento."

Mairéad Solus

 

[Pyrrah Tae]

Tower Ballroom | Hacks / Joseph Torson
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Only a few guests were left trickling in now, as the event was now in full swing. He passed around a few more nods of welcoming as familiar faces passed by. Fellow lords and ladies within the Exchange could be seen starting up conversations with various smugglers, slicers, mercenaries, and criminals alike, all with the hope of gaining some new employees.

Returning his gaze once again back to Hacks, he went on to further their talk.

"So, my guess is while you are currently under watch by the Alliance, you are still able to do some work, no?

A small, devilish smile crept onto the pirate's face.

"If you are, then I would love to enlist your services. The payment for this would be worthwhile as well. That is if you are interested."

Raising the glass up to his lips, the man took a drink of the fine whiskey. He patiently awaited the slicer's answer.

 

[Mairéad Solus]

​

Location: Saqqar
Objective: Network, chat, party
Tags: Nalah Tezan

Spoiler: Equipment:

Beskar'gam
Velmorite bladed lightsabers
Knife on ankle
Ladies Watch under body glove
Serenity bracelet
FDS-4F blaster pistol in thigh holster
Empyrean Gland
The Family Finger
Marzanna
Datapad

"Oh, tisk tisk my smuggling friend, you should know better than to apologise for something unless you know they are going to find you guilty." Mairéad laughed back in basic to Nalah Tezan with a smile as she apologised for Mai's past it seemed. It was hard, it would probably always be hard given the first nineteen years of her life, but Mairéad needed to look past that Zygerrian face. Nalah seemed decent enough and interested in working with Mairéad and that was all that mattered.

"Tell you what, I have a shipment on Kashykk right now, its just ale, nothing special, it just happens to be illegal in the Alliance because of some of the ingredients, but gammoreans on Nar Shadda love it. jobs yours if you want it?" Mairéad skid a ship across the table. The job would probably smell of a low risk trial run to a seasoned smuggler, but it was meant to be, this was how these things worked, the amount of credits on offer was roughly the market rate for a job of this type and risk. The job offered, Mairéad settled in and looked the woman up and down, quite curious to know more about her, having never really spoken to many Zygerrians outside of a master-slave relationship.

"So tell me about yourself, what does a Ziggy woman like yourself do for fun?"

 

[Nalah Tezan]

Nalah was extremely glad to see Mairead didn't seem to hold her Zygerrian heritage against her, although the smuggler suspected she wasn't entirely in the clear with just a wink and a smirk. Most ex-slaves avoided Zygerrians like they were radioactive, so this level of calm composure was a relieving and concerning in equal measure.

"First of all, Wookiee ale qualifies as starship fuel in some jurisdictions." She joked, moving along quickly from Mairead's past to their future in business together. "But I'd be happy to help you get past the Alliance, they're overzealous trade laws are my best source of income."

Nalah could smell a low-rent job when she heard one, but this was also the perfect onboarding operation for a smuggler you just met: your connections, your cargo, your destination, Mairead just wanted to see if Nalah could fit into the operation. The Zygerrian knew how this game was played and she was perfectly willing to join in. What she didn't expect was for Mairead to start asking her more personal questions.

"Me? I enjoy a good game of chance, sabacc, dejarik, pazaak. Winning is a great way to relax." Nalah couldn't help throwing in a small boast about her gambling prowess, she was arguably better with cards than ship controls. "What about you, how does Lady Solus spend her spare time?"

Mairéad Solus

 

[Hacks]

"So, my guess is while you are currently under watch by the Alliance, you are still able to do some work, no? If you are, then I would love to enlist your services. The payment for this would be worthwhile as well. That is if you are interested."

Hacks' transparent expressionless face carefully watched Pyrrah, her voice coming from the projectors speakers, "What good do credits do me if I can't spend it?" her head offered the slightest tilt, "A smarter man would pay me with my freedom." She could do the job, without a doubt, but there was always the risk of getting caught. The risk that when caught, she would spend the rest of her days with her implants shut down and left to rot in her cell.

Pyrrah Tae

 

[Mairéad Solus]

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Location: Saqqar
Objective: Network, chat, party
Tags: Nalah Tezan

Spoiler: Equipment:

Beskar'gam
Velmorite bladed lightsabers
Knife on ankle
Ladies Watch under body glove
Serenity bracelet
FDS-4F blaster pistol in thigh holster
Empyrean Gland
The Family Finger
Marzanna
Datapad

Mairéad smiled and raised her eyes, "I tend to avoid Sabacc, traditionally there is no quicker way to end up without a shirt on your back, or a ship." she mused for a moment, what did she like doing for fun? Her lifestyle itself was very enjoyable now, even if the work was exhausting sometimes.

"I enjoy events like this, drinks, music, dancing. One of my clubs has a beautiful balcony on the roof that overlooks the city, I have spent many sunsets up there." It was an answer that felt right. She looked across at the dance floor, and smirked. "Care to accompany me to the dance floor?" she felt like she could relax a little around the woman, regardless of her initial suspicions, and she wanted to dance. So why not? If Nalah Tezan accepted, she would stand and offer her hand, her dress was long but lightweight and would not impede her movement on the dancefloor.

 

[Nalah Tezan]

"That's only a problem if you're bad at the game." Nalah began, taking a sip of her brandy and purring over the top of it: "Besides, sometimes losing your shirt can be fun."

Now that the comfortable rapport had returned, Nalah had no problem sliding back into their earlier rhythm of semi-flirting and banter, if anything the knowledge that Mairead was interested in her skills only encouraged the Zygerrian. As for how Mairead liked to spend her time, a bit of drink and dancing was always fun, probably more so when you owned the club that supplied it, but what Nalah didn't expect was for Ms. Solus to announce she had such a sentimental pass time as watching sunsets.

When was the last time Nalah had really sat down to watch one of those? She couldn't remember, they didn't have much sun growing up on Nar Shadda, and she didn't pay attention to those sorts of details on the job. It was rather sad wasn't it? Thankfully, Mairead was there to shake Nalah out of her brief bout of ennui with an offer to dance, an offer she was more than happy to accept. This sort of ballroom dance wasn't exactly what Nalah had trained for in her youth, but she'd picked up the steps quickly since leaving home, and was confident that she could keep pace with her new partner.

"I would be delighted." Nalah rose to her feet as well, leaving her back with her coat and taking Mairead's hand in her own. The human's hand felt warm in hers, smooth, but like it had been deliberately softened, but with hints of old callouses and scars hidden underneath.

Mairéad Solus