The Only Good Hutt...

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni blushed heavily at what Sorel was insinuating. He hadn't planned on changing her attire. To be fair, it would complete the ruse, but Tyyni had no intentions to make her feel uncomfortable. "No, no... Ah..." Tyyni couldn't stop his tongue from passing over his lips grossly. "That won't be necessary. I'm sure as long as I claim you, we will be fine. Maybe you should rid yourself of... Unnecessary clothing. Robes and the like." Tyyni felt his face grow hot, and he looked away.

Tyyni took her lightsaber, gripping it protectively. "I will keep this safe, I promise. Now, shall we go down?" Tyyni took off his own robe, folding it, and placing it into his backpack, along with the two sabers. He gestured down to the roving lights and bright signs of the casino below.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was pleased that Tyyni was uncomfortable with the suggestion. Relieved, she nodded her approval and then removed her cloak and jacket. She was left with a vest and her leggings plus boots. She also handed over her utility belt – that clearly marked her as a Jedi.

“I’m ready if you are. Master.” She tried the title for size. She was used to referring to her Jedi tutor as Master, so the title tripped easily from her tongue and sounded sincere. “Do I walk in front or behind you?”

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

"Behind. And perhaps grovel a bit." Tyyni began to inch his way down the hill, having to remind himself not to use the Force to increase his speed. Mental note, buy a hoverchair.

As they went, Tyyni spoke, his words tumbling like an ever-flowing fount. "I am Burgi the Hutt, Son of Gura the Hutt, and this is my slave. I do not know her name, and I do not care. I am here to converse with Dexio about important matters..." Tyyni concocted his backstory, muttering it under his breath as he slivered forward. He looked back to Sorel, an encouraging nod gracing his features before his gaze hardened.

He growled, his mannerism shifting. His chest puffed out confidently as he slid, and he gave all that passed him a condescending look.In the back of his head, Tyyni was concerned with how easily he fell into this role.

Eventually, they made it to the front door of the Palace. An Evocii stood out front, an upturned nose and wrinkled brow staring down the two Jedi approaching. He muttered something in Evocii, a standard greeting. Thankfully, this was one language Tyyni knew fluently.

"Good day. What brings you here, your worship?" The man had a brass collar around his neck. Tyyni concluded he must have been a slave himself, and he felt a pang of regret.

"I am Burgi the Hutt, son of Gura the Hutt. I am here to speak with Dex about matters much too complicated for your small mind. Now, let me pass." The Hutt brought himself up on his tail, green eyes piercing. The Evocii seemed to shrink back from the confidence exuded from the Huttlet, something the Jedi had lacked but moments before.

"Of... Of course, mighty Burgi. Go on." The Padawan slid through, beckoning back to his companion nonchalantly.

"Come along, filth. I am not going to feed myself, now, will I?" The Hutt smiled greasily, reveling in his acting.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded. Whereas many people would bristle at the thought of even pretending to grovel, Sorel had no qualms with it. Respect was ingrained into Jedi and although not subservient, there was an almost automatic level of behaviour she could switch on that mirrored the façade of being a slave. Bowing was entirely commonplace. Listening and not interrupting was another. Referrring to another as your Master was one more.

And so she took up a position behind Tyyni and lowered her head reverentially, keeping pace with the Hutt and remaining silent.

Once they arrived, Sorel stood perfectly still, head still lowered and eyes fixed firmly on the ground half a metre in front of her. Tyyni was convincing to Sorel and she hoped that the Palace guards would have a similar impression of his performance.

They progressed – slowly – and finally reached the front door of the Palace. In perfect time with her ‘Master’, Sorel stopped walking and remained the prescribed distance behind Tyyni.

And once more they were given passage – almost too easily Sorel mused – but then Tyyni was doing a marvellous job of acting and he was a Hutt amongst non-Hutt’s and therefore would have gained a measure of respect automatically.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

As they went into the casino, Tyyni let a small gasp escape him. The inside was enormous, with vaulting ceiling, splendorous lights, and loud laughter. Slot machines lined the walls, and sabacc tables littered the middle, flanked on all sides by gamblers. All the way at the end of the area lounged a massive Hutt. The thing was enormous, slimy grey skin flowing around an overweight and warty body. The being's yellow eyes surveyed the gambling lazily, stuffing something squirming into it's maw. Tyyni felt insignificant in the room, not sure of himself, or his flawed plan. Then he remembered that he had to keep his ruse up, and regenerated his gusto.

He slid along towards a refreshment stand, others parting for his girth. He often looked back to his 'slave' in annoyance, as if prodding her with his eyes. He eventually stopped at the stand, and ordered a bag of chubas. The Hutt took his prize, and then a seat at an unoccupied sabacc table. Tyyni leaned back to Sorel, pointing at the bag, and then at his mouth. "Come now, feed me." Once he was sure none were listening, he whispered to Sorel, presumably as she stuffed frog into his mouth.

"So, how do we want to play this? I honestly do not know where to go from here. Do we kill him? We were told Dexio was part of this, and I do not see a way not getting blasted, even if we decided to go that route..." Tyyni tried not to let his uncomfort show as he took another glance at Dex the Hutt, across a giant casino of dead-beat patrons.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

They’d made it so far without any real obstacles. Now they’d reached the casino – which was a lot larger than she could have imagined. And it was full too. How much money the establishment made each day must have been a small fortune. If not a large one.

And as her eyes took in the scene, keen to still show deference to her ‘Master’ she saw the dais and upon it a massive Hutt. Judging by its size and skin it was much older than Tyyni. She sensed as much as saw it eat something alive but her face gave no indication she’d observed anything. She was a slave after all and only here at her ‘Master’s’ bidding.

So she followed Tyyni and acted as humbly as her talents would allow. Feeding him frogs wasn’t necessarily part of the deal, but they had to make it look good, so she dutifully fed him the amphibians as he shared his thoughts.

Sorel lowered her head, so as to avoid appearing to talk openly with her ‘Master’. Under her breath she said, “We didn’t come this far to walk away now. Let’s say we confront him. Threaten to close him down. Explain we’ve taken care of his warehouse. We could see what he does given that information. Or did you have a different plan?”

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni nodded through a mouthful of chuba. "No, that is a good plan. I think. I don't know. None of my Investigator training has prepared me for how to speak with a Hutt... But I suppose we could give it a try." Slowly, Tyyni brought Sorel's lightsaber and attire out of his backpack, and handed it to her from under the table. "Perhaps it would be best if you stayed here, kept a low profile. Then we do not show all of our cards. If Dex acts unfavorably, perhaps you could rescue me. Besides, maybe he will be more favorable to a fellow Hutt."

Tyyni had come prepared. From within his pack, he produced two earpieces, giving one to the more experienced padawan. "If you think of anything that might help, or if anything goes wrong, converse it to me."

With that, the Huttlet began his slow crawl to Dex's throne.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel listened and understood. She would add nothing to the conversation but could easily distract or confuse, so she understood this was the safest option.

She hid her equipment under the table and popped the earpiece into place. As Tyyni crawled to the Hutt whose establishment they were in, she spoke softly. “May the Force be with you. And take no risks. If a slower option is required, you could always gift me to the Hutt and we could try a pincer movement. I trust in your judgement.”

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Secretly, Tyyni had wished for Sorel to talk him out of his plan, to give him time to reevaluate his options. That was not the case, and the small Hutt found himself inching past patrons and down-on-their-luck gamblers. His nose curled up as he tasted the scent of alcohol in the air, but the general stink of the place didn't bother him. He picked up snippets of conversation, mostly about money, or shady deals. Tyyni was pretty sure one twi'lek was selling deathsticks, something actually quite common on Nal Hutta.

Finally, the Huttlet Padawan made his way to Dex's throne, where the massive Hutt had its eyes closed, eating another squirming form. As he approached, Tyyni whipped on his robe, signifying there was more to his bulbous form.

Just as Dexio grabbed another snack creature, it was wrenched from his grasp, and sent flying by an invisible force. The large crime boss reacted slowly, sluggishly opening one eye, to see Tyyni before him, hand raised. Tyyni smiled, and levitated his lightsaber out of his bag. He decided keeping his haughty persona would help him against a Hutt. He cleared his throat, and spoke in basic.

"Good day, Dexio. I am Tyyni Oluja, of the Order of the Silver Jedi. May I speak with you? It is of the upmost urgency." Tyyni chuckled to himself, trying desperately not to shrink back in fear.

Dexio opened both eyes, as if finally finding a being in the galaxy worth his time. The gigantic Hutt responded in Huttese, monotonous and bland. "Ah... A Jedi, you say? But you are of my kin, are you not? How does a Hutt find their way into the Order." Heads turned, and Tyyni found himself stared at by countless hungry faces. He tried to keep a flamboyant appearance as he responded in Huttese. He wasn't sure if Sorel spoke the language, but he figured Dex would be more favorable to him if he spoke a shared language.

"That is of none of your concern. What is of my concern is your dealings with the Sith, as they have attracted me to your... lovely establishment. I believe you have some explaining to do."

The ancient crimelord guffawed, a disgusting, rotten sound, before responding in Huttese. "Is that so, Huttlet? Perhaps I have made deals with the Sith. Perhaps they gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. But perhaps not." A ring of onlookers formed around the two Hutts, and Tyyni tried desperately not to look over to where he had seen Sorel last.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel noted Tyyni’s progress. She continued the façade of slave and kept her head lowered, relying as much on the Force to tell her what was going on around her.

The establishment was no doubt one neither would choose to frequent – but being Jedi they were obliged to travel to places they would rather not. It was part of the life they simply had to accept.

Finally Tyyni reached the dais. Dex was a massive Hutt and it reasoned he would not be easily intimidated. Tyyni would have his work cut out.

Then Sorel sensed he was using the Force and so she kept her eyes closed and used Force Sight to follow the situation as it unfolded. And sadly Sorel did not speak Huttese and so followed the conversation based upon the emotions she sensed and whatever body language she could pick up.

In truth she was hard pressed to see how the encounter was going. So she remained still and alert, ready to jump in if Tyyni gave the word. But for now, she would let him call the shots. He seemed, at least, to be doing well enough.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni raised an eyebrow when Dex practically confirmed his suspicions. Wasn't this the part where someone pulls a lever, and he drops into the pit with the enormous monster? He knew that Hutts liked to toy with their prey, but deals were always on the table. Tyyni spoke in basic again, so Sorel could understand him. "I'm sure the Silver Jedi would be willing to compensate you for some information concerning these Sith..." Nothing caught a crimelord's attention like the promise of credits. But the large grey Hutt only laughed, speaking in Huttese again.

"Ah, you think you can bribe me, little Jedi? That is not good business. If the Sith discovered my treachery, we would all be dead." Despite the grim message, the Hutt only smiled, as if he couldn't imagine dying as a possibility.

The small, green Hutt spoke back in Huttese, again trying to alleviate the situation. "Then why make a deal with an entity you have no insurance on? That does not sound very smart to me."

Dexio leaned forward on his throne, squinting at Tyyni. "Perceptive, aren't you? You have a knack for business, it seems." He didn't sound overly pleased with the revelation. "What they proposed was too good to pass up."

"Would you be so kind as to explain?" Tyyni couldn't stop himself from looking back at the table he had been at before, noticing his fellow Padawan had left the area. A small pit of unease grew in his belly.

"Resources for protection, that sort of thing. Slave labor is difficult to come by, after all." Tyyni's eyes widened as he put two and two together. The dark emotions in the warehouse finally made sense; it had been the sight for a massive slave transfer. The protection part, he didn't quite understand. They had been threatened?

"What were they protecting you from, might I inquire?" The Padawan spoke in basic again, hoping his ally was within earshot.

"Oh, themselves, mostly. We give them extra workers, we get left alone. It is really that simple."

Tyyni knew what would happen soon enough. He had studied Hutts long enough to realized the only reason he was given this information was because they planned to execute him. Hutts liked to play with their food, it seemed. Tyyni's eyes darted to each side of himself, noticing the anticipation on the faces of the gamblers around him. "Thank you for your cooperation, but I really must be off."

Dexio the Hutt guffawed deeply, extending his arms. "You will be going nowhere, little Jedi. You have been told too much, and you will die with that information." A metallic whirring sound penetrated the area as shimmering red walls materialized around Tyyni's frame, a ray shield projected from the ceiling. In a flash, Padawan Oluja's deep blue blade zipped to life, swinging out at the wall, with no success. "I have only one question for you, little Huttlet. What would you like to be eaten by?"

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was relieved that Tyyni began to speak in Basic. Perhaps it was for her benefit. Maybe it was a ploy. Either way, she was pleased to at least be able to follow half of the conversation.

Then her fellow Jedi switched back to his native tongue. She had imagined the tone of the conversation was less than positive at that point and his change only confirmed this.

But he switched back at a most interesting point. Clearly the Hutt was performing his part of a deal. He gave something up in return for protection. But what? Drugs? Guns? Most enterprises big enough and powerful enough to protect the Hutt would be able to buy these on the open market. Whatever they needed was harder to acquire. Money laundering perhaps? She would find out in the fullness of time no doubt.

Tyyni made it clear the conversation was over and Sorel moved quickly but without fuss towards him. Her head remained lowered and not once did she take in the exchange with her eyes, relying on the ear-piece to hear what was happening and the Force to map out those in play. Nobody was closing in on Tyyni, which was good. But the Force told her something was up, which was bad.

Then she heard the whirring noise and sensed something ahead. Her use of the Force only helped so far, so she raised her head finally and saw it. A red shield had sprung up, clearly trapping Tyyni inside. Sorel glanced around for a power source. It would be outside of the ‘cage’ logically and if she could negate it, Tyyni would be free.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni grew a scared expression as he realized the trap he was in. The people around him, and the Hutt in front of him, only laughed, as if he were a bug under a magnifying lens. Searching for strength within himself, he felt the presence of Sorel, somewhere in the vicinity. Her presence calmed him slightly. He took a breath in, and then exhaled, releasing a gust of warm air. "I... Would rather not be eaten today, if you do not mind."

Padawan Crieff would notice the ray shield emmiter on the ceiling, inbetween a pair of sprinkler heads. The guards around the spectacle appeared to be preoccupied with their trapped guest, so if there were a time to surprise them, now would be it.

Tyyni spoke into his comms, two very simple words;

"Go ahead."

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was no jack-of-all-trades. She almost prided herself in the fact. But that did not mean her abilities were all mainstream. Her interest in ships and more specifically droids meant her focus on learning also reflected this hobby.

As eyes were on the two Hutts and the young Jedi received confirmation in her ear that she should act, Sorel raised her left hand. Centring herself and allowing the Force to flow through her, she focused on the ray shield emitter on the ceiling. It was located between two sprinkler heads. Given the size of the target and her distance from it, Sorel was effectively a sitting duck for a few moments as her entire focus was on that small object.

From her fingers, a purple haze formed – a wisp or two at first and then her hand was wrapped like a large mitten. Then, suddenly, what appeared to be purple lightning burst from her finger-tips and zapped the device. The ions in the stream immediately immobilised the emitter and the ray shield fell instantaneously. Aware eyes would now be on the young woman that just fired purple lightning at their ceiling, Sorel snapped back to the here and now, a hand reaching for the hilt of one of her sabers.

“Good to have you back, Master,” she said to Tyyni with a chuckle in her voice. “Guess diplomacy only got us so far.”

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Briefly, nothing happened. Padawan Oluja felt a stab of fear. What if Sorel had been captured? His momentary fear waned as he smelled the irony scent of ozone in the air, and heard the crackle of electricity. He turned around just in time to see an arc of purple lightning zap the emitter, freeing him from his impenetrable prison.

Tyyni used the Force to zip to Sorel's side, activating his own blue blade. He let a small smile escape him. "Great being back, loyal slave."

The various scum upturned tables, hiding behind the obstructions while firing blaster pistols. Using his Soresu training, Tyyni slashed the bolts away, letting Padawan Crieff get a moment of respite after her show of force. He felt comfortable, deflecting blaster bolts. The situation reminded him of Voss, and endless hours of learning the orbits and spins of Soresu. He put all of his training into his movements, deflecting red blaster shots left and right.

"I suppose... You could call this a form of negotiation." Tyyni smiled, raising his training saber up as another volley rushed past the pair. He noticed Dex hovering away slowly on his hover-throne, a panicked expression on his face. "Let's show these thugs not to get in the way of Jedi business, eh?"

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel allowed Tyyni to take the lead in protecting them from blaster fire as she centred herself once more and prepared to activate her own saber. She had to admit, his defence was impeccable and they were certainly the centre of the storm in the Form’s true sense of the word. Around them was chaos but she felt entirely at peace.

But she could not stand idle and watch him indefinitely so she too punched some blaster bolts back where they came, her approach a little more offensive. Tables were zapped, guards fell and one by one their opposition reduced in number. Which is when Sorel noticed what Tyyni had already seen – the other Hutt leaving the scene on his hover-throne.

She was too far away to try to disable the device in the same way she had the emitter, so her first thought was to close the gap. Which is why she deactivated her saber with a hiss-snap and ran towards the exiting Hutt with Force enhanced speed, planning to jump on the moving throne once she was close enough.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

When one feels 'in the zone', they feel indestructible. Invulnerable. Insurmountable. Oftentimes, this was not the case, which is why it was such a surprise to the Hutt Padawan when he got tagged.

Tyyni fell comfortably into his defense, his blade seemingly everywhere at once as it deflected bolts left and right. Some found their marks on other thugs, but most petered helplessly against tables and walls. What he could not block, he wormed out of the way, making little corrections to how his body swirled on the floor. He played a dangerous game of chicken as he was almost killed numerous times, only narrowly blocking or dodging. Then he felt a burning pain in his tail.

It seemed as if a few gang members had come around the Huttlet to flank him, shoot him from both sides. They had gotten a hit on him, which stung, but not extremely so. He grimaced slightly, but kept up his defense, now doubling his efforts to compensate for the disadvantageous situation.

Tyyni saw his partner speed away towards Dex, and decided to do the same. With a quick gathering of Force, the Hutt sprang forward, vaulting a table, and squashing a couple of guards under his body. He slashed them each across the face, incapacitating them for the moment. With the added cover from the table, Tyyni found his situation much more bearable.

Dexio had let himself believe he had escaped. He had almost made it to a ramp, which had definitely led to some escape pod of some kind. He hadn't expected his trajectory to be set off-course. A small weight pushed itself against one side of his platform, and the entire apparatus tilted off-course. Dex cried out as he was flung from his throne, splatting against the wall. The large Hutt got up slowly, unused to taking any damage of any kind. He cried out something in Huttese, along the lines of 'help', but if his thugs heard him, they didn't respond. Only so much loyalty could be bought.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel landed on the back of the powered throne and was pondering how best to stop it. She could try to disable the electronics using the Force, or she could simply plunge her lightsaber into any critical part of the engine or workings.

As she pondered her next move, she was aware she had company and Tyyni had effectively replicated her approach. Except, whereas she made the throne wobble infinitesimally, her fellow Jedi’s greater mass knocked the contraption off kilter and it threw out its passenger like a bucking Bantha. Sorel herself was thrown from her position but with the Force and her natural balance she landed softly. Unlike the crime boss.

She was aware he was now feeling vulnerable – you didn’t have to speak the language to figure that one out. But she turned her back on him and allowed Tyyni to continue his conversations whilst she faced any guards that felt brave enough to intervene. She figured she would not be troubled and from the looks of the faces of the men that stood near her, she was right. They didn’t run – there was always a chance their boss would prevail – but they didn’t look to engage either. They were clearly unsure which horse to back – to use the gambling analogy.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni gasped in air as he faced down the guards, some of which had been killed by their own bolts. Suddenly, the firing stopped, as everyone realized Dex was down.

The larger Hutt looked inbetween Tyyni and Sorel, anger corrupting his yellow eyes. "The nerve!" He yelled out in basic, an angry expression. Tyyni inched up to the crime boss, rekindling his haughty attitude. "Now I assume you will give us some more information. Otherwise..." Tyyni twirled his training saber efficiently. Of course, the crime lord could have no way of knowing it wasn't a real lightsaber.

"I... Ah..." The Hutt stammered, looking to its guards for aid. None was provided as the thugs looked intensely between the Hutts and the new threat of Padawan Crief. "Fine. These Sith, they... Have something."

"Have something?" Despite his act, Tyyni frowned, concerned. "What is it they have, might I wonder?"

"I don't know for sure. Something big. They came to me, made a deal. I get them slaves, they don't blow up everything I know. Alright?"

Tyyni looked up at Sorel with a brooding look. "Would you like a turn interrogating this creature?" Tyyni tried to avoid the fact that they were technically the same creature.

- [member="Sorel Crieff"] -

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was an able back-up to Tyyni, who definitely had the matter in hand. There was actually something poetic about a Hutt crime lord being called to account by a Jedi Hutt. Perhaps the irony
was not lost on the guards.

Sorel looked at Tyyni. “If I know the Sith, and I may not be an expert, but I know enough to understand they don’t simply share grand plans with local crime bosses.”

Sge now turned to the aforementioned crime boss. “But I know you can do better than that. They must have mentioned something specific. A date, a planet, a means. Something. Anything. At the moment you have some standing with your underlings. To break under Jedi pressure would lower that substantially. Act like you’re in charge, like you want to help us, and we’ll allow you to keep that illusion of control.”

It wasn’t the biggest bargaining chip – but it was all they had.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]