Our quartet of protagonists, consisting of the Sullustan pilot Proiah Pron, smuggler Kilian Asteeds, fringer Dirk "Spanner" Yutani and the mysterious droid self-designated FL-AR3, had negotiated a deal to take a load of ryll to Hutt Space and sell it, keeping a portion of their cargo for themselves. They needed to go there to get the Vagrant transponder modified. It was captured as part of a mission to capture the smuggler Bandin Dobah. The Vagrant was registered to someone named Erdric Garralia. They couldn't really travel many places that had strong Imperial presence without risking the ship being impounded as stolen. And they needed credits to have the work done.
The Vagrant’s crew spend a couple of days resting and recuperating. Kilian’s leg wound is healing thanks to the stimpacks from the inhabitants of New Meen, and Spanner has acquired a nasty cough from inhaling the dust on this planet. Pron is recovering from the space sickness that felled him before the attack against Angu Drombb and his thugs. FL-AR3 spends a lot of time scanning the surrounding desert for signs of unusual activity. Spanner spends his time helping the Twi’leks repair their settlement, and also spends time talking to B’ura B’an about the liberation movement. It will be about a week after the festivities die down that the miners will be able to ready the cargo for transport.
The journey back to Nabat is uneventful. B’ura B’an accompanies the team once more, advising them to visit Nyn to debrief her before continuing on their way. The Nabat spaceport seems particularly busy today. As the speeder is guided through the city gates, you can see a great crowd milling about the landing pad. It seems that a number of craft, freighters of all sizes, have arrived today. Trolleys and droids bearing trade goods from worlds all around the Outer Rim push their way through the crowd. Humans, Twi’leks, Bothans, Trandoshans, and Aqualish are among the myriad species negotiating deals with buyers and spaceport staff.
Before long, Pron notices something interesting and his gaze is drawn to a tall cloaked figure standing beside one of the entrances to the lower levels of the city. The creature seems to be surveying your position through a pair of electrobinoculars. As Pron carefully points this out, he lowers his hands, and you can see that he is an alien with an elongated green-black snout in place of a mouth. The alien’s eyes are hidden behind heavy dark goggles. He seems to be a typical member of the Kubaz species.
Kilian decides to make a move in that direction. However, before the smuggler can get far, the Kubaz dips into a shadowy doorway and he slips away into the tunnels beneath the spaceport. As Kilian and the others reach the position in which they first saw him, they find that there are several
discarded insect parts lying on the floor where the Kubaz once stood; legs, shells, and wings littered on the ground. Could this be Thweek or just another Kubaz?
Spanner has recently learned that the species are clannish mammals native to the planet Kubindi; their world was enveloped in Hutt Space during the last decades of the Republic. FL-AR3 adds that they are a relatively new sight on worlds such as Ryloth. Also, Kubaz eat insects and have poor relations with insectile species such as Verpine, Geonosians or Killiks.
The team heads to their ship to check on its status. As promised by Nyn, the Vagrant rests untouched in its assigned berth, its rectangular hull coated in a fresh layer of Ryloth's ubiquitous red dust on this part of the planet. Pron runs a practiced hand along the landing strut, checking for tampering. "No new scratches," he mutters, relief warring with habitual suspicion. Inside, the familiar scent of recycled air and lubricant greets them – a welcome anchor after days breathing grit. FL-AR3 immediately plugs into the main console, humming softly as diagnostics scroll across the screen. "All systems nominal. Hull integrity uncompromised. Power reserves at eighty-seven percent." The droid's photoreceptors pulse a steady blue. "The transponder is now flagged as 'Erdric Garralia - Stolen Property' across Imperial databases."
Pron notices that there is a holo-message in the system. Firing up the controls, the team learns it was received two days ago. The message is from one Garin Veris. Veris is an enforcer for Teemo the Hutt, who currently has a bounty out on the team. Veris was also the one who warned them about Teemo's anger and the dispatch of several of his agents to hunt the team down.
A partial image of the man appears on the holovid. He is dressed in dark armor and wears a closed helmet. Veris' message is short and to the point: "Teemo's hunters are closing in. Word has already reached Teemo about the 'little incident' at New Meen. He's not happy at all."
- Garin Veris.jpg (23.33 KiB) Viewed 1503 times
Dirk leans against the bulkhead, his cough echoing hollowly in the cramped cockpit. "Oppose Teemo? We have a bounty on our heads." Kilian traced the fresh scar on his thigh through his trousers. "Veris sounds like he's dangling bait. Good work?"
Pron's large eyes scanned the docking bay outside the viewport, nervously tracking a pair of Rodians arguing over cargo. FL-AR3 emitted a low-frequency hum, its photoreceptors pulsing blue. "Analysis: Veris' phrasing suggests mutual antagonism toward Teemo. His warning about hunters aligns with observed Kubaz surveillance. Probability: 77.3% that Thweek represents an independent variable."
Kilian snorted, running a hand through his dusty hair. "Independent? That bug-eater's probably Teemo's tracker. Veris just wants us softened up before his own play." He jabbed a finger at the frozen holo-image. "Notice he didn't offer credits? Just 'good work'."
Pron's large, liquid eyes blinked rapidly. "But... opposing Teemo? We have ryll to sell! Credits for the transponder scrub!" His voice pitched higher. "Without that, every Imperial port scans us as stolen goods!" Spanner reminded the Sullustan pilot that the ryll would not be ready for more than a week however.
Kilian slammed a fist against the console, making the holoprojector flicker. "Veris plays us. Thweek's out there sniffing, Teemo's bounty hunters are closing, and now he wants *more* sabotage? With what leverage?" He paced the cramped entryway, boots thumping on the grating. "Our cargo's useless without safe passage. That Kubaz wasn't sightseeing."
Pron's large, dark eyes darted nervously towards the viewport. "Perhaps Nyn... she seems to have come through with her promised protection? We should debrief her. Maybe she has... options?" His voice wavered, the lingering nausea from the hyperspace jump still evident in his pallor.