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gothwarlocks · 3 years

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17. How were you introduced to the fandom? 25. What type of ship would you fly? and 30. Do you have any headcanons (was thinking of how you've talked about the underground scene in SW but this can be about anything)?

thank you Raven!! 🖤🥰

Placing under a cut bc I ended up rambling a lot! It’s a long post.

17. How were you introduced to the fandom?

I didn’t actively participate in any true Star Wars fandom for a while, actually. When SWTOR launched in 2011 I was about 16 and hadn’t had great interactions with SW fans since the majority I bumped into were gatekeepy cishet men, and being a closeted gay trans kid... lol, you get it. I mostly just chatted with irl friends about stuff I was excited about. And also, the fandom wasn’t really established too well on here yet, so there’s that. I would peek around tumblr occasionally but short of a couple people chatting about it or posting fanart there wasn’t a sense of community yet (at least, from what I saw).

In 2010 though, idk If anyone will know about this at all but if you ever heard of Clone Wars Adventures I was very very present there haha. I interacted with mostly other teens or the occasional chill adult that was there for some reason (this was a very...kid-oriented online game). I was hounded a lot by other players bc I would always be top 5 on the leaderboards for a couple of the silly little minigames :) it was really fun, actually! I would log on and since you can see peoples’ online/offline status, I would get messages within minutes from players wanting to challenge me to a 1v1 of some sort lol. There was also instanced housing, and there was more free reign on building stuff, so people got really creative. I myself built a functioning cantina/music venue on the roof of my Coruscant apartment (which should not have been reach-able lol) that was sometimes used for group chilling.

If anyone ever is interested, look up some videos. The things players would build and boundary-break to do is very cool lol. Once SWTOR launched though, players that had formed friend groups or guilds just migrated there. It was interesting to see!

25. What type of ship would you fly?

HMMM there are so many ships around in the EU lol. Almost too hard to narrow it down... When I was a kid I was obsessed with A-wings, X-wings, and Naboo starfighters. From SWTOR, I think my favorite ship is either the Phantom, for it’s sleek and elegent design, or the smuggler’s freighter, for it’s cozy and communal atmosphere.

30. Do you have any headcanons?

Oh yeah!! Like you mentioned I do love thinking about subcultures in the galaxy and expanding on that, but here’s a few for SWTOR and EU(?) that I enjoy:

(Sorry in advance for how many run-on sentences there are and if anything just sounds harebrained lol. CW for talk of transition, I suppose!)

Dathomirian Zabraks in the Old Republic Era... I just accept that their witchy culture(s) have existed for millennia, but were just very isolationist and did their best to remain undetected from the rest of the galaxy--different groups could have had other policies though. The group portrayed in CW could be maybe the last group to survive, or something like that (since in Jedi Order it’s presented like that, right?). Anywho, as a matriarchal culture that unfortunately enslaves Zabrak men, I think they would have a unique take on gender. I think trans women/trans feminine people would be wholly embraced and exalted as having “ascended” out of the male lower caste for discovering who they really are, and trans men/trans masculine people would be, well, not so cherished(?) having--and I say this as a trans man--“lowered” or “belittled” themselves. The witches can change/enhance body shape through magic, as seen with Maul and Savage. So I imagine they would help trans people that want to physically transition to help fit them into the social roles they were always meant to have, and beyond that there isn’t much to blink at. I headcanon Lorn still has the skin pigmentation of a Datho witch (and he retains some of their powers), but his tattoos are given to him by fellow Zabrak men and his horns and other body characteristics are given to him through witch rituals. And as for non-binary Dathomirian people, I would hope they just have the choice to belong to either the witch clans or Zabrak tribes. I’d love to hear a non-binary person’s take on this, to be honest 👀

Rattataki should have little to no sexual dimorphism, and they could stand to look more...alien. (Plus, they desperately need lore-building.) I just think of all the species they could have done this for out of the game, this one could have been it.

I also just absorb and adopt a lot of HC’s I see going around for all sorts of stuff, here’s a few of my fav that aren’t my own:

Twi’leks having headgear designed for trans or gnc twi’leks to help them express themselves. Also lekku accessories in general are very cute and fun to think about.

Cathar behaving a little bit feline... In cute ways :)

Togruta with sharp teeth and montrals that can grow into all sorts of forms!

Sith Purebloods having black sclera and pointed ears is a pipe dream of mine but it’s cool if they don’t given their integration with Humans.

#long post #ty again!!! I got to word-vomit for a bit lol

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wizardsnwookies · 6 years

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FOC122817 - Smash and Grab

“I’m thinking we hit them hard and fast, rush in before anyone has a chance to understand what’s happening.” Vrssl’s face was tinted a pale green from the holo reconstruction of the club pieced together from the droid footage. Thanks to their new toy they now had mapped every inch of the building.

What they couldn’t see from the social media photos was the two hallways on either side of the bar. To the Right was nothing special, refreshers and an emergency fire door at the end of the hall. The Left was were all the goodies were.

Just past the VIP lounge was the storage room, Rugor knew from his crash course upon hire that this was where all the alcohol stock was. It also had a red light just above the door jamb, Karl told him this was lit whenever they were “entertaining” and if he saw it on, it would be best if he found something else to do.

Further down the hall was another fire door, just opposite a flight of stairs that led up to a short hallway and eventually a door on your right leading into the small office where Kara was being held.

“So what are we thinking? Distraction?” Rugor leaned back and examined the floor plan. The Whiphids downstairs would have to be taken out of the equation, otherwise upstairs would be a death trap.

GRROOOONK

“Normally I’d say go for it. But your face is all over the holo net after your fight with the Rancor. You step foot in there it may cause more problems than solve.” Vrssl shook his head, it was a shame too. Graalbar was usually their go to for this kind of thing, it would make things much more difficult if they had to bench him.

“What if we cut the power.” Vrssl perked as the idea struck him. “Where do you need to be to do that?”

“There’s a power box in the storage room, not a problem.” Rugor smiled.

“Ok, now we’re getting somewhere.” Vrssl leaned in and placed a finger into the hologram, distorting the image near the end of the hallway. “We cut the power. This is our entry, blow the fire door, go up the stairs and overwhelm them.”

“We have to make sure both the Zabrak and Aisha are upstairs before we do this. Best we do this after closing.”

“Right.” Vrssl nodded and pulled out his comm link. “I’ll get my explosives guy to hook us up with remote charges, should have them before you start your shift.”

Rugor stood and sighed to himself. An honest night’s work as a barback was far less exciting, and clean, as a scoundrel. They had come to the ship straight from the club and he still smelled of back water, syrup, and death-stick smoke.

“I’m going to hit the refreshers than get some sleep, wake me when we’re ready to go.”

The evening passed in much a similar fashion as the previous night had. Rugor did his duties as bar back, and during trips to grab more stock from in back he took the opportunity to plant the charges. The electrical box was easy enough, he had a valid excuse to be there, but the fire door was a little more tricky. It was just the briefest of moments when he should be collecting another bottle of sparkling Corellian wine that he chose. When the Whiphids were occupied keeping an eye on one of Aisha’s visitors, he found a blind spot in the camera system (as guided by Vrssl and his spy droid) and made the drop.

He watched the VIP lounge while he worked. Aisha rarely left, when she did it was either to the refreshers or upstairs to the office. But she had plenty of visitors. All night, people of all species came and went, welcomed up to the lounge for a brief chat in hushed tones, sometimes an exchange, but never more than a few minutes before leaving. Business conducted in plain sight. The Zabrak made only the briefest of appearances from upstairs, but when he did Rugor was careful to notice what appeared to be the hilt of a vibrblade on his hip.

Slowly the crowd lessened after last call was announced, the lights were turned on, and the cleaning began. He was wiping one of the tables clean when the last of the Whiphids on the floor disappeared into the security room.

“It’s go time.” He whispered in his comm link before pocketing it and braced himself.

---

Jan Van Eyre crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the woman on the lounge couch. This would be the third night in a row he would be camping out on the floor of the office just to keep an eye on her. He missed his bed, and he wished Aisha would make up her mind what to do.

The Togruta sat in the office chair and bit on her thumbnail, a bad habit she picked up somewhere, it was a signal she was thinking things through. Overthinking, most likely, but he wasn’t about to question her now.

“I don’t know why you’re fussing over this so much. Just kill me so I don’t have to look at you two for another night.” Kara was only half kidding, she was bored, cramped from the bindings, and was wondering when the rest of her crew were going to-

BOOM!!

The entire room shook and the lights went out overhead. Wafting in from the open door Kara could smell the distinct burn of explosive charge. One further, it had just a hint of spice to it. It really didn’t serve any purpose, it was an ego thing among bomb enthusiasts. Each maker had their own signature, something to tell others in the know that “I was here.” The hint of spice, specifically Kessel spice from the northern hemisphere, that was Vrssl’s.

“What was that?”

“What do you think Jan, it’s a raid!” Aisha drew her pistol and grabbed Kara by the collar and yanked her on her feet. “Take care of it.”

Jan nodded and took a deep breath, trying to find his “wind.” It was there, he was connected to it. Time to go to work.

The Zabrak drew his vibroblade and peered around the corner, the single whiphid guard in the office with them nervously follwed a few convenient paces behind. The smoke and dust from the explosion was still settling, but he could see light pouring in from the alley. They had blown down the fire door. He would see them soon.

Clank.

Clank

Droids. Jan readied himself before the shined, rounded torsos crested the stairs. Strange looking droids at that, although somewhat familiar. In unison they stepped up and lowered their right arms, fist clenched, and red light exploded from their wrists.

Jan felt his body jerk to one side, almost like an involuntary twitch. That tended to happen sometimes, he figured it was an extension of his instincts. Whatever it was, it saved his hide more often then not, so he learned to go with it. He followed the jerk and threw himself against the opposite wall and a scorched hole exploded from where he would have been.

His ears were ringing as the droids kept firing. Some kind of arm mounted repeater. A custom job, no way these are legal. Either way, his trembled in his hand and reminded him that all it would take was one swift cut and the threat would be over.

Jan was already running towards the droids when a third form towered from the darkness, uttering a beastly roar that hit him in his chest and told him something was very wrong. At first he thought it was a double cross, one of his own men had come to kill them and clean the whole place out. When the vibroaxe cut through his armor and bit into his chest he stumbled and in the glow of blaster fire saw that it was no Whipid he faced, but a Wookie.

Behind him the guard fired off round feebly trying to fend them off, doing what he was paid to, not to think. If he did, he would know his energy would probably be better spent running. Jan reached out and arm and let his “wind” explode out of him, it was all he could think to do. The air rippled, settling dust and smoke was pushed back into the air, a horrible THUNK sounded as both droids were dented horrible before they and the Wookie toppled over.

“Alright,” he though. “Let’s see if we can turn this around.”

---

Aisha huddled on the floor where she had thrown herself and her captive after what sounded like a small explosion hit just outside the door. No smoke, but the air pressure seemed to spike for a moment, and a gust of wind blew in through the open door.

“Alright, Jan’s got this. Just breath, we’re not done yet.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”

Aisha turned and pointed her blaster at a small figure that already had his own repeating pistol trained on her.

“Impossible...how did you-”

“You should tell your buddy to be more aware of what happens below his knees, that is after you call him off.” Vrssl smiled and nodded to Kara who was grinning ear to ear.

“It’s about time you guys got here. They kept me in binders the entire time, even when I used the refresher! Seriously, who does that to someone?”

Outside another spike of air pressure blew in and a more sizable explosion was heard, only this time it was accompanied by the smell of acrid smoke. Vrssl sniffed and frowned, digging the barrel of the blaster into the top of the Togruta’s head.

“Ok, seriously. Call him off now, or I blow your brains out.”

Aisha looked into the creatures eyes and saw no bluff there. She was cornered. What killed her most was not knowing if Jan had the upper hand or not outside. She could roll the dice, call his bluff and hope Jan made his way back in before the worst could happen. Aisha let out a heavy sigh, knowing she was never much of a gambler.

“Jan, stand down. They’ve got the upper hand it seems.” Aisha glared back at Kara. This woman had been nothing but trouble for her.

A few moments passed before Jan entered the room, sword sheithed, and with a heavy gash across his chest. Behind him a lumbering wookie and...the bar back from the other night?

“What’s going on boss?” Rugor hung onto his pistol but had it lowered to keep the show going. Just before Aisha called the standoff he approached Graalbar from behind posing as if shoot him, hopefully get the Zabrak’s trust enough to get close for a fatal shot.

“It’s fine, just some business.” Aisha said.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Rugor smiled and turned to Vrssl, much to the surprise of both Jan and Aisha.

“Well, Aisha was about to tell us where our money is.” Vrssl popped out a small pocket blade and tossed it to the gungan. “But first I think Kara would appreciate getting out of those binders.”

Aisha’s eyes darted between them all, trying to piece things together. She knew the wookie well enough, the fighter from the holos. Which meant Kara was in league with all three of them.

“Ah, so I take it you are the crew that took out Nik?”

“What does this have to do with our money?”

“I apologize, I was merely trying to re compensate a client.” Aisha let herself sit up a little straighter. They were talking, now this was a situation she could maneuver, maybe even get control over.

GRAAAAH ROOOONK

“He’s getting very impatient.”

“Right. The desk, there’s a button hidden on the edge of the top. Push it and a panel on the right side will open. It’s all there...I hadn’t gotten a chance to deposit it yet.”

Vrssl kept the blaster trained on her while Graalbar followed instructions. From inside the desk he pulled out a large soft bag that appeared to just barely be able to zip closed.

“That’s my duffel.” Kara acknowledged.

“OK, that’s a start, now let’s talk about compensation for our troubles.” Vrssl had no smile to offer, he knew what the acrid smoke meant. His droids were most likely scrap. After all that time and work...

“Of course. I’m willing to offer you fifty thousand if we can all just walk away from this.” Aisha felt the tension in the room ease a bit, credits had a tendency to do that.

Rugor looked at Vrrsl with a raised eyebrow. “That about cover it?”

“Kara? You were the one who was stuck here for three days.” Vrssl nodded her way and before he could finish his sentence the woman walked up and in a fluid movement threw her fist against Aisha’s draw, sending her sprawling onto the floor.

“EVEN IN THE REFRESHER!!!” Kara stood over her and yelled out her frustrations, satisfied to see a trail of blood appearing at the edge of Aisha’s lips.

“OK, yeah I deserved that. Again, nothing personal, I was just doing right by a client.” Aisha sat up, not bothering to wipe the blood from her lip. “He pays me quite a bit to keep his collection stocked.”

“A collector? Of Jedi and Sith artifacts...” This got Vrssl’s attention. Graakus’s little hobby didn’t bother him, it was something to inflate his ego. He didn’t plan on doing anything with them, someone else however might not be so inclined to be so passive. “Who?”

“I don’t know, and you know I wouldn’t tell you if I did.”

“So, you’re totally fine with handing off items of power to someone you have no idea about?”

“Credits are credits.” Aisha shrugged.

“So, you sent Nik?”

“I delegated the job to him, I have an organization to run. He said he had some connections he could work to get tips.”

The group exchanged glances. “One of them by the name of ‘Charmer?’”

“I wouldn’t know, you’d have to ask Nik.” Aisha was starting to get tired of this line of questioning. She needed to get things back on her own terms. “So, what happens now?”

“Now, you work for Graakus.”

Whatever Aisha was expecting out of this whole thing, it wasn’t this. “Then you might as well kill me. I would never work for that slime.”

“Don’t be dramatic, so you take a pay cut, big deal.” Vrssl rolled his eyes and put away his blaster for the moment. With Graalbar in the room he wasn’t worried about anyone trying anything stupid.

“It’s more than that.” Aisha’s eyes filled with a fire and her posture became rigid and erect. Behind him, Graalbar noticed the Zabrak mime her attributes instinctively. “Graakus deals with slaves. He deals in drugs. He deals with the Empire. There is nothing he won’t do just to keep him wallowing in his opulence, and look where that has taken the city around him. Huttown is a slum.

“Meanwhile, my organization works to keep the slavers and drug runners out of the metropolitan area. Our protection racket keeps them safe from the gangs that spill over from huttown. And we would never stoop so low as to sell our souls to the empire.”

Vrssl put his hands on his knees and knelt down, crooking his head curiously at her. “Are you a rebel sympathizer?”

“The rebels are idealistic fools. A ragtag group of people who got lucky and now have all hell reigning down on them. While I have no faith in them, I have sympathize with their cause.”

Vrssl stood and paced the room for a moment. She was an odd breed of crime lord, at least out of the ones he had encountered.

“So tell me, would you be willing to offer something else?”

Rugor raised his eyebrows at Vrssl in surprise and even the wookie through all his fur looked shocked at the question.

“After seeing what you have to offer here tonight. Absolutely, and I have your first job at that.” Aisha stood to her full height and settled her clothing. She was back on top again. “Kill Numb Nib!”

#Star Wars Saga Edition #role playing games #campaign diary #fistful of credits

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wizardsnwookies · 6 years

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FOC122117 - One Night at the Neon

“Ahhh, Graalbar. I hope you found what you were looking for?” Graakus waved the group into his audience chamber, a glass of pale green liquid resting in his grip. Graalbar led them in walking in tandem with a twilek assistant assigned as a translator. Rugor and Vrssl hung back for the moment, Graalbar had already done the initial legwork and all they had to go on was second hand knowledge. They wanted to hear what Graakus had to say before speaking for themselves.

When Graalbar shook his head the hutt frowned and set his glass down on a floating platform. “Pity, did you at least get something useful?”

GRAAAAAR ROWRK GARRRR

“Aisha...working in MY facility?” Graakus narrowed his eyes and stood to full attention on his mechanical legs. “She’s getting a bit too cocky for my taste."

Graakus calmed himself by reaching out and taking a long pull from his glass. He sighed, letting the veins bulging in his neck calm and settle before continuing. “Kara is a valued asset, and I would like to see her returned if possible, but more importantly I think I have let this problem with the Togruta go on long enough. I’ve stayed my hand for the sake of appearances, taking her out directly would all but bring my organization to the surface.” He looked at the three of them and smiled. “Personal vendettas are far more simple and tidy.”

“ ‘Simple and tidy,’ so I assume that doesn’t mean ‘a pair of rampaging battledroids set loose in a crowded night club?’” Vrssl seemed disappointed.

“As much fun as that sounds, I would prefer something more quiet. Besides, her organization could prove to be a valuable addition to my own.” Graakus placed the empty glass on the platform and pressed a button on the curved edge, sending it back to the bar for a refill.

“A merger?”

“If possible. She has a second in command, a Zabrak by the name of Jan Van Eyre. Make him the offer, all of their assets, all of their ‘employed’, everything goes to me. I will make sure everyone is treated as well as can be expected of their level of usefulness.” He paused as the platform returned with his drink and he took a long, sensuous sip.

“However, and this is non-negotiable, Aisha Hannah must die.”

GRAAAAH RONK

Graalbar folded his arms expectantly.

“Then something most unfortunate happens to her little club. A generator explosion perhaps? Everyone dies, and with it, her organization begins its decent into nothingness.”

---

“This guy is a ghost.” Rugor frowned and tossed his data pad on the lounge couch next to him. He had been on the net, both surface and dark net, for hours and found only hints and mentions of this lieutenant of Aisha’s. “But wherever he DOES show up, it’s bad news.”

Graalbar made no acknowledgement, ever since he had gotten back his new Rancor-hide armor from Graakus’s armorer he had done nothing but admire it. He sat with a can of leather polish, gently massaging the paste into the hide with a piece of scrap cloth. Vrssl only briefly looked up from his own business, scrolling local shop ads for personal shield generators for his new battle droids.

“What about the club layout?”

“Are you kidding? It’s a public establishment, of course I got a layout. With all the selfies people post of themselves there on social media I can map every nook and cranny of the joint.” Rugor squinted his eyes as he corrected himself. “Except for two halls in the back.”

“Why not?”

“Must be off limits to the public, or the refreshers, or both.” Rugor shrugged. “This is a good start but there’s still a lot of question marks.”

“Like the Zabrak.”

GROWWWR ROOOOWR

“I’m sure you could very easily handle him.” Vrssl nodded to the wookie, having finally joined the conversation. It was certainly an option, take out Aisha’s second in command, send her a strong message to get her to the table. “But I think he’s our best bet to make a deal, remember Graakus wants her head.”

RAWWWRK

“Good question, how do we get his attention?” Vrssl turned to Rugor now who had picked his datapad back up, something coming to him during the discussion.

“Dunno...we could cause a little trouble at the club. Bomb threat, rowdy customer,” Rugor’s eyes flashed to Graahlbar when he said this who nodded in turn, flashing a toothy grin.

“Unfortunately I think he’s a little too high profile now for that. The holo is all over the net right now, the minute he steps foot in the place people will recognize him.”

“Funny you should say that.” Rugor spun the datapad around the four images stared back at Vrssl, one for each of them, and each with a sizable number next to them. “We’re still wanted by the Empire.”

Vrssl smiled, quickly catching on. “Which means Aisha is harboring a known fugitive. Would be a shame if someone were to drop an anonymous tip.”

Graahlbar slumped back into the couch and tuned out again, this line of thinking was out of his wheelhouse. Shame, he was looking forward to facing the so-called “Ghost” Zabrak.

“Just one problem, we don’t know for sure they are holding her at the Neon.” Rugor pulled the datapad back across the table. “We should probably confirm that before we do anything.”

“Right,” Vrssl reeled himself back from the edge of fiendish glee. “Then there’s the matter of how we are getting her out of there with troopers swarming over the place?”

RAAWWWR

“Of course we’re not forgetting about the money.”

Rugor exhaled deeply, letting his thoughts sink in. As much fun as it would be to bring the empire down on Aisha, that would bring in a lot more problems than it would solve.

“Stakeout?”

“Sounds like we need a spy droid.” Vrssl’s glee returned, he spun around in his seat and hit the comm link. The shield generators for the battle droids were merely a finishing touch on a completed project. His tinkerer’s fingers were getting twitchy, a new toy was just what the doctor ordered.

“I was thinking I could just apply for a job...” Rugor arched an eyebrow.

“Why not both?”

---

The Neon Cantina gave off a bright magenta glow that tinted nearly two full blocks of the metropolitan area a pale pink. The sign on the top of the squat building was lit from sundown to sunrise, and could be seen for miles above the city. A beacon of the nightlife and promise of upscale access that Shail offered in stark contrast to the slums of Hutt Town. A dull thud permeated the walls as the music inside continued to entertain those lucky enough to be gained entry, which was not as easy as it appeared.

When Graahlbar dropped off Rugor and Vrssl on the side of the street they were greeted with a line of species that lead to the front door and a velvet rope. A short, attractive, female human held a datapad in her palm, her bob-cut hair dyed the same color as the sign above her. Towering over her was one of the many Whiphid’s they expected to encounter tonight. It (their gender rather difficult to tell from a distance) was dressed in formal attire, and stood with their massive arms crossed in front of them.

“You go in first, I’ll wait in line.” Vrssl checked himself in the side mirror, standing on his toes to do so.

Rugor gave him a look. “Really?”

“Trust me.”

Rugor shrugged and gave himself a moment to figure out the angle he wanted to use. He caught a glimpse of himself in the glass when stepping out of the speeder and was reminded that he was far from a looker. Something visible was probably out of the question. Although it made him feel dirty to do so, he’d play on the stereotype of his species if need be.

“Name?” The human female didn’t even look up from the datapad on his approach, her tone marked someone who had spent many nights having to shoo away the riff-raff who claimed to be a ‘friend or relative’ of the owner.

“Actually I was looking hoping to find a job.”

“Not hiring.”

“You need security?”

The Whiphid offered a chuckle at this. Finally, the female’s face pulled away from the screen long enough to shoot him a cold glare. “Not. Hiring.”

“Come on, I’ll take anything. Bus boy, janitorial, bar back-”

She was turning to the whiphid to have him escorted away but stopped halfway. “Bar back?” She gave him a once over before pulling up her wrist where a comm link had been subtly hidden in her sleeve. “Karl...I think I’ve got someone for you. I’m sending him to you, Gungan, kinda shabby looking-”

“Thanks for that.”

“-If he doesn’t report to you inform security.” Her hand lowered before she could get a response. The cold glare returned. “You hear that?”

“Crystal clear.”

“Good, then I won’t have to repeat myself.”

The inside of the Neon was more than pictures could do justice, there was an energy there that could be felt coming from every inch of the place. Rugor looked around at the clientele as he made his way across the floor, noting the security guards exactly where Charmer said they would be. The Neon attracted all kinds it seems, wound up spacers looking for a night on the town, a gand who was proving to be a surprisingly good dancer, and an overweight Twi’lek male with two very attractive females, one human, one Twi’lek, doting over him. Must be loaded, was all Rugor could figure.

As he approached the bar he let his eyes drift upwards to the VIP area, elevated a meter over the rest of the club. From this angle he could only see the tops of ferns and the heads of the occupants, two Whiphids, and sitting on a very large louch couch, a Togrutan female.

“You must be my new Bar Back.”

Rugor was snapped back to attention by a middle aged human male with light scruff on his face. He tossed a bar towel over his shoulder and ducked out from behind the glass top counter.

“You mean, I got the job?”

“Right place, right time it looks like. It’s been busy lately and I can’t afford to be picky. Name’s Karl, if I’m not tending bar you’ll be working for Elania.” Karl nodded over his shoulder to a human female, her hair was also died purple, but her shade was much deeper, and half of her head was shaved.

“I appreciate the opportunity.”

“Sure, sure. Let me give you a quick tour and we’ll put you to work.”

---

Vrssl looked at his chrono and frowned. He had been waiting far longer than anticipated. The female working the door was proving to be very stingy letting people in. Every now and then someone would come up on the list, but it wasn’t until half a dozen people left before she made her way up the line.

Her eyes scrutinized and weighed against some kind of internal standard that the public was apparently not privy to. She paused in front of each person before either moving on or giving a sharp, “You” before letting them in.

A few attractive females were let in first. A Rodian who Vrssl could only assume was considered well groomed for his species. A sharply dressed Devaronian. After a few rounds of this, Vrssl was starting to take it personally. He looked up at the person in front of him and cringed. A male Twil’ek, not un-attractive, but his dress was much to be desired. He had a button up shirt that was the right style and color, but it was buttoned all. the. way. And his pants were far too high.

“How long have you been waiting?”

The man turned at the voice but his eyeline was far too high to see who had adressed him.

“Down here.” Vrssl sighed.

“Oh, sorry?”

“I said, how long have you been waiting?”

“Too long.” The Twil’ek scoffed and cast a dirty look to the front door. The female had her nose in whatever work her datapad offered. “Did you see that Gand they let in? What’s he got that I don’t have?”

“Well, for one thing he slipped her a few credits, something you might want to keep in time next time if I’m not here to help you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Bend down.” Vrssl grabbed his shirt, not requesting, and began to work. He freed two buttons, un-tucked one side, adjusted his head tails, lowered the waist line... “Yeah, that should about do.”

The Twil’ek blinked and turned to look at himself in the reflective surface of the faux windows installed in the front of the building. “I don’t get it, how is this different then how I was dressed before?”

“I know you don’t get it, it’s fine. Next time she shows, just look like you don’t care about getting in either way and you should be golden.”

“But I do care about getting in.” He clearly wasn’t getting it.

“I know...I know, just, trust me on this. And if you do get in, just remember who helped you?”

Vrssl smiled to himself and waited. Sure enough, twenty minutes later another large group exited the building and the sour looking door check girl made her way back up the line.

A rowdy group of humans and a random Twi’lek. A Kel Dor with very fine looking clothing, breather polished to a high shine.

“You.”

She passed on a grubby looking Toydarian who grumbled as they flew out of the line before finally stopping at the Twil’ek. Her eyes narrowed, puzzled, and gave him a good, long, once over.

“You.”

“Really?” The Twil’ek’s face lit up, eyes wide with surprise.

“Want me to pick someone else?”

“No, no. I’m in. Only...” He pointed back at Vrssl. “He’s with me.”

---

“Hey, new guy.” Karl looked up from the screen embedded into the counter and his hand immediately got to work on a new drink order. “You want a chance to make a good impression on the boss? Here’s your chance.”

Rugor took hold of the fluted glass by the stem, careful not to warm the ice cold, green cocktail. Slowly he made his way around the corner, and ascending the soft carpeted stairs to the VIP lounge. At the top of the stairs a Whiphid turned to look over his shoulder, saw the glass and stepped aside granting him view of the entire area.

The lounge was more comfortable than the main floor, less chaotic. Sound dampeners brought the music down to a more tolerable level, and the lighting was a steady soft glow of pinks and greens. Exotic ferns flanked the couch where Aisha lounged, playing on her data pad, and a large quartz table sat in the center of the room.

Aisha lifted her eyes from the pad and lowered it, reaching out for her glass and studying this new face in front of her.

“You’re new.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Karl’s bar back, just got hired today.”

“Ah.” Aisha lifted the glass to her lips, her eyes rolled back, almost bored. “Well, you’ll find I’m very fair to my people. You play by the rules, do your job, we all get along just fine.”

“I appreciate the opportunity working here. I offered to work security but they laughed at me.” Rugor was still feeling the situation out. He wasn’t quite playing up the stereotypes just yet, but he wasn’t letting on just how on the ball he was either.

“Yes well, as you can see we have that taken care of.” Aisha smiled and let a hand wave at one of the whiphids to her side.

“I didn’t mean just the rough stuff. I have other talents.” Rugor stepped up to the couch. “May I?”

Aisha furrowed her brow at first, but after a moment’s pause she laughed to herself. This was different, most new hires were too scared to look at her, let alone ask to sit with her. What the hell?

“Why not?”

Rugor sat and snatched up the data pad, his fingers flew across the surface and before she could see what he was doing the data pad was spun her way.

“Just a few of my extracurricular activities.”

The net was open to an online review page for the 23 Restaurant. Aisha was aware of the establishment, who couldn’t be? Its policy of discrimination was something she took to personal offense, and the inclusiveness of her own establisment she saw as an antithesis to it.The rating for the 23 had plummeted in the past few days, and recent reviews and comments ranged from negative to abysmal.

“You did this?”

“A simple bot program, posts a new review every few minutes or so. They’re also have non-human nights on Fridays now.” Rugor smiled and it wasn’t all for her benefit. He was still quite proud of this particular bit of programming on his part.

A smile grew wide on Aisha’s lips and her eyes blinked elegantly before turning to look at him. “Bravo.”

“They wouldn’t let a friend of mine in.” Rugor shrugged and stood. “Just figured I’d show you, didn’t know if you would need skills like mine in the future.”

Aisha’s mind was already working in overtime. What a delicious new asset that just so happened to drop right into her lap. Oh the things she could do.

“I just might.”

---

Last call came with one final glorious mix over the speakers. The liquor poured as patrons made their parting shots to sobriety before stumbling into the night. The whiphids made their rounds urging those already too inebriated to open their wallets to find their way to the door. All of this passed without anyone knowing that within one of the magnificent purple ferns by the bar, hid a tiny military grade spy droid, ready for Vrssl to take control from the speeder parked around the corner.

“Nice night?” Vrssl offered a playful jab as he climbed into the passenger seat next to a very bored Graalbar who had spent the last few hours reviewing the holos of his battle with the Rancor.

GROOOONK RAAAWK

“Oh come on, I’m just teasing. We’re all working tonight.” Vrssl found his datapad tucked in between the seats and fired up the droid remote program. “And it’s time I clocked in.”

The screen flickered to life with a dark and obstructed view from inside the fern, but the audio receivers were working just fine. The music had died for the night, and only the light hum of carpet cleaners could be heard over the speakers. With quick and precise swipes and taps, Vrssls fingers glided across the screen and the droid stood upon it’s tiny mechanical legs and silently climbed out of the foliage.

GRAWRK ROOONK

“Well, I think the best place to start is the security room, see if there were any whiphids we missed.”

RAAAWR

“I see him.”

Vrssl maneuvered to follow the towering form of one of the hairy bodyguards as he strode across the main floor. His jacket had been removed and was hanging casually across his arm as he played with a small data pad. He made his way out of the main room and took the first right into a heavy, secure door, swiping his card for entry.

Silent as a breeze, the tiny droid skittered across the carpet and slipped inside just before the door closed behind him.

“Hello, boys.”

In all there were seven whiphids in the room, most were fussing about near a row of lockers, ending their shifts and changing into more formal attire. Directly opposite a massive computer station took up the entire wall and part of the corner. A single whiphid sat inputting some kind of data at one of the stations, just beyond the security screens still glowed with life.

“Bingo. Let’s see what we have here.” Vrssl loved security cameras, more often than not they gave more information than they protected. By looking at the cameras, you knew exactly what whoever owned them thought was worth protecting, and therefore, what was worth taking.

The droid climbed up the wall effortlessly and made it’s way onto the console, positioning itself so that the entire computer bank was in view. One in the coat room where a female Twil’ek was putting on her own jacket before leaving for the night. Four on the floor, each pointing in an opposite direction. One on the VIP lounge. One for each hallway behind the bar. And one more, that appeared to be an upstairs office.

Vrssl smiled and looked over to Graahlbar. In the office he saw three figures, Aisha and the Zabrak were talking on one side of the room, going over data on a computer desk against one wall. But what was of real interest was the final figure, flex cuffed and sitting on a small couch, Kara looked quite put out.

“Bingo.”

#Star Wars Saga Edition #campaign diary #role playing games #fistful of credits

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