Having never really developed the skills needed to casually work a crowd and gain information, Kalus will bounce between conversations chatting with the denizens of the court, while also keeping an eye out for who seems to be the most influential player there.
While tables are set up and fine foods and drinks are prepared Taril and Avizzi move about the crowd of beings, making small talk and trying to steer their conversations towards secret projects or dealings with the empire but unfortunately don't glean much.
Kalus watches the crowd, picking out a slender Neimoidian as the most likely candidate for Darga's Majordomo, dressed in robes of dark greens and blues, with a ceremonial headdress that makes him seem taller than he truly is.
Once everything is prepared for the feast, Darga has you all seated at his table.
" Eat and drink friends, I'm sure you'll find all the delicacies from around the galaxy... Tell me, where do you all hail from? "
"Well, Avizzi here is from Shili, Taril is from Ryloth, And me and Kalus here well we've knocked about." She says slapping Kalus on the ass with a sense of over-familiarity.
Kalus gives a riotous laugh at Nomi's ass slap, beginning to be reminded of the old pirate dinners with the Corsairs. "I've bounced all over the galaxy - Outer Rim, Inner Rim. The last place I stayed the longest was Nar Shaddaa."
Avizzi sips his drink and eyes Nomi. "Actually, I haven't been to Shili in a long time. I spent the last several standard years on Brentaal."
" Interesting, very interesting... Did you ever meet Shettora? A fine Hutt, setting up their own "organisation" operating out of Brentaal IV. "
The evening continues with Darga spending most of the time either eating and drinking in excess or boasting about his connections, mentioning at one point that he's expecting an envoy in the next few days from his most powerful allies, an Imperial agent...
As the banquet winds down Darga offers you his guest quarters and Darga's protocol droid TT-663 waddles forward to lead you there.
The rooms are a little spartan but they're comfortable. Six-Six bids you good night and then waddles off back towards the throne room leaving you alone for the first time since you entered the palace.
Kalus holds a finger to his lips once the protocol droid is gone, and begins looking about the room for if there are any holocams hidden away.
Kalus sweeps the room, searching for any bugs or recording equipment but it seems there is none to be found.
Avizzi is tempted to skulk about and see what he can find, but moving at night in unfamiliar surroundings is a good way to find an untimely and unfortunate demise. Just sleeping through the night--albeit lightly, and with his guns at the ready--seems the prudent option.
The next morning you all awake to find a fine breakfast spread layed out for you in the guest wing dining quarters along with a note on some flimsi inviting you to join Darga in his throne room when you are ready.
When you make your way to the throne room Darga is facing away from the room on his massive chaise lounge. He looks through a large window you didn't notice there the night before, perhaps panels in the wall slide away to reveal it. Most of the other beings in the room look through similar windows and you hear the unmistakable sound of blaster fire coming from beyond the window. Igren Demos, Darga's Neimoidian major domo stands beside the Hutt, looking through the window as well.
Looking through a window you see a large arena Gladiators take cover behind bits of rubble firing on one another. A hefty looking gamorean charges at a man, swinging a Vibroaxe into the gunmans back, spraying blood.
" Ho, Ho, Ho... " The Hutt laughs.
It isn't till the fight is finished around 15 minutes later that Darga seems to notice you've arrived.
" Ah, welcome. I've been waiting for you. " Darga says making a gesture to Demos who walks briskly away down a hall. Darga calls the attention of the rest of his court. " As you all know yesterday Warrick Raden's treacherous behaviour was brought to my attention... not only was he stealing from me and setting up competition to my various business dealings around Zarra but he revealed the secret location of my palace to these strangers... All these things I cannot allow, and I say Raden will die for his betrayal! "
At this point two gamoreans drag the sluggishly struggling Devaronian into the room and throw him to the ground next to you. One of the gamoreans takes his vibroaxe and thrusts it out in your groups direction.
" Which one of you would like the honour of carrying out my sentence? " Six Six translates for the booming Hutt.
Kalus watches the end of the arena match, saying little. He's familiar with Hutt cruelty, and knows they revel in this sort of thing, but he's never seen much point to it.
"I suppose I could do it, but it would probably be more entertaining to throw him into your arena, perhaps against a fearsome beast of some variety."
Kalus will step forward, preparing to take the vibroaxe, while waiting to see if the Hutt likes his suggestion.
Nomi scratches some morning crud from her optical sensor, before startled realization dawns.
"That was fast work your, er- Immensity. I'd just as soon kill him as clean my boots after a bantha-drive. To think that one of your own-" And now she looks meaningfully about the room. "-would betray you--you of all beings! Now that you have used him to ferret out all of your enemies' agents will you move against them? Alas that this tool of theirs could not somehow be used against them--it would be like sticking someone with their own vibro-knife."
--- In the Room ---
Taril assumes that they're being watches...standard MO for a Hutt. Despite that she accesses the nearest terminal and tries to get information on the palace and Project Saarlac.
After poking about she gives up and retires...
--- Throne Room ---
Taril can't help but roll her eyes at the typical Hutt dramatics, crossing her arms, her body language almost shouting that the offered task is not something she's interested in doing.
Darga watches Nomi with a calculating look... then speaks with Six Six translating.
" His Eminence, Darga, says that you shouldn't be concerned. Raden has been most forthcoming in the last few hours and there are plenty of leads to follow up on. Darga's swift justice will be an example to anyone else who feels they can get away with such betrayal. However Kalus is to be congratulated on his entertaining idea. Raden shall be pitted against Darga's most fearsome beast. A Roggwart, recently imported from Vendaxa! "
Many of Darga's cronies around the room gasp, clearly excited by the prospect of watching Raden torn apart by an exotic creature.
Raden is dragged off back to a cell gibbering, as it seems it will take some time to prepare the Roggwart for battle.
After a while Darga grows bored and announces a droid race and a large winding track is set up in the Gladiator arena with ramps and pits. Darga waves you all over to him and shows off his personal racing droid, while a Quarren, a Gamorrean and Igren Demos (Darga's Neimoidian majordomo), step forward to volunteer as racers and take interface googles that will allow them to control the droids.
" Some years ago, one of my smuggling ships returned from the edges of the unknown regions with advanced droid interface tech. I had my technicians modify the tech into this set of racing droids. When you put on the interface goggles they allow you to 'see' through the droids photoreceptors and through a simple set of visual commands, control the droid... Would one of you like to pilot my droid in this race? The winner will be handsomely rewarded... "
"I would be willing to give it a try, Mighty Darga."
Kalus steps forward, volunteering himself.
Taril steps forward at almost the same time as Kalus. She tilts her head at the other scoundrel and smiles brilliantly, then looks to their slug-like host, "You have two volunteers, O mighty Darga!" she says, crossing her arms, hip stick out to the side, waiting on the Hutt's decision.
Darga smiles as you both volunteer. " Ah good, this will be entertaining... unfortunately I only have the four droids and three are already taken. Why don't you spend some time looking it over, have a test of the interface and then decide who will be the pilot. " the Hutt then slouches off to make some bets on the race.
Taril looks the visor over, a skeptical look on her face. But after a few adjustment to the coding, she seems satisfied..."Yeah, I can make this work....
Kalus is able to figure out that the control visor will render his piloting ability moot, as it only tracks the eye movements. He decides he can work with it, but no guarantees of success. Exchanging a look with Taril, he says, "You think you can make this thing work?"
Taril nods, holding the visor, she leans in close so that he can see what she modified.
"See here, I've modified the input pathways so the eye tracking system won't get confused. This tech is very alien...either it was designed for an alien with two brains....or 5 eyes... I couldn't tell , but I managed to calm the interface enough that I won't pass out using it." she says with a smile, not revealing her knowledge that the visor might actually hurt her if something goes wrong.
She looks up to Darga, and says, "I'm ready."
"Alright then. You're up. Go impress our...gracious...host."
Avizzi eyes the exchange over the visor curiously, but maintains his place a couple steps back from Kalus and Taril. He's never been one for piloting, so it's time to just watch, and listen.
Nomi resigns herself to watching as well.
" Good, good. " Darga says directing Taril to sit in a reclined chair next to the other contestants. " The first Droid to complete 3 laps takes the prize! Be careful though, the race often gets a little rough, oh ho ho. "
So Firstly make an intelligence check, I'll roll for your opponents and then assign speed points and work out who is in the lead for that lap. Then we can "wager" speed points and roll attacks etc.
For the purposes of talents/abilities the race counts as an encounter.
As the racers settle into their seats and put on their interface googles many beings around the room start making bets between one another on the outcome of the race and a Rodian makes his way about the room taking more official bets.
He approaches your group. " Ah, the newcomers, would you care to make a little wager on the race? Igren Demos is the favourite, I'll give you 2/3 odds on him taking first place. Your friend is an unknown so I'm giving straight 1/1 odds for her. That Quarren is 1.5/1 and the Gamorean, haha, well I'll give you 4/1 odds on him. You never know everyone else could crash hahahaa. " he slaps his leg as he laughs.
" I'll also take bets on who'll be the first to crash... "
Avizzi takes in the wager from the rodian and thinks on it for a moment, glancing at Taril. From the time he's spent with the twi'lek woman, he has a sense of her personality, and he knows that if she's playing this, she's playing for keeps. He narrows his eyes for a moment and turns back to the bookie.
"I'll put a hundred credits on my friend. And I don't know about first, but what are the odds on your favorite Igren Demos getting in a wreck? By race's end, I mean."
Taril sits in the chair, wiggling around a bit to get comfortable.
She takes the visor and checks it over once more, then smiles at Avizzi as he displays his confidence in her, "I'll wager 500 credits on myself" she calls out almost absentmindedly.
Finally satisfied with the chair and visor setup, she lowers the strange device over her eyes and lays back.
As the system initializes she winces a bit as the visual stream almost overwhelms her occular nerve, but a quick adjustment lowers the gain and she can begin processing the visor's output.
She waves her hand to indicate her readiness for the race, and aafter a few minutes....THEY'RE OFF!!!
Taril is absolutely still as all of her concentration is focussed on the input from the droid visor.
The Rodian says that the odds on Igren Demos crashing are 5/1 but when you tell him you want to bet that Taril will be the one to crash the major domo's droid he whistles (or does the Rodian equivalent.
" That's quite a specific wager... Igren has never crashed before... I'll give you 9/1 odds on that, but I think you'll lose friend. " The Rodian says entering the bet into a datapad and handing Avizzi a print out on flimsi detailing his bets.
Kalus will put 100 credits down on Demos crashing.
After all the bets have been taken a hush falls over the room as beings shuffle for positions near the windows or gather around portable vid screens to watch the race.
Suddenly the droids leap forwards as the signal lights change from red to green. The droids flash around the track weaving around stones, leaping over ramps and ducking through tunnels.
Taril grins widely as the race begins, the input from the visor enough to shoot her adrenaline sky high.
She constant reaches up to adjust the visor's parameters, wincing from time to time when the input threatens to overload her senses.
She sees that she's in the lead with Ingren close behind. She banks her droid around an obstacle and sees that Ingren and the Gamorean are angling towards each other, looking for an advantage.
Concentrating, she slams her droid into a skid, careening seemingly out of control towards Igren's droid, smoothly continuing on mere inches away from a crash...
The Gamorean and Igren's droids jostle on the track for position trying to slam each other off the track but only seem to lose momentum. Taril slams her droid into a skid careening towards Igren's. At the last possible second her droid pulls out of the skid shooting forward towards the starting line while Igren trying to avoid the attack sends his droid screaming off the track and into a boulder. The droid smashes, pieces flying everywhere.
There's a collective gasp around the room and a roar of pain as Igren sits up in his chair trying to rip the interface googles from his face.
Nearby the Rodian bookie spins around, eyes wide and mouth hanging open he stares at Avizzi.
Kalus watches the droid racing action, but not so closely that he fails to notice the protocol droid's reaction to Demos's droid crashing. Confused at first, something suddenly clicks for him. We so often think of droids as mere machines and tools, but they also have the ability to think and reason, especially models like protocol droids. I wonder if they consider themselves, in some respects, alive - and if this is like watching others of its kind be killed for sport to it.
Taril smiles grimly as the visor show Igren's droid flash red then disappear. She see's she's got a sizable speed advantage over the remaining two competitors, but doesn't relax her attention, driving her droid onward...
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When Taril crashes Igren's droid, Avizzi catches the Rodian's gaze and responds with a predatory grin, flashing his sharp teeth at the bookie. "She's a real hunter," he says, turning back to see what she does on the next lap. "I'd say double or nothing she knocks out the others just to show she can, but I doubt you'll take it."
As the droids round the track on the second lap The Quarren is still playing it safe, while the Gamorrean's droid seems to be trying to line up Taril's droid getting ready to put on a burst of speed.
As Taril makes her droid travel the circuit a second time, she see's the Quarren falling back. However, the Gamorrean seems made of sterner stuff and is making moves to head her off as she approaches a strategic narrowing of the track.
She accelerates her droid straight at a plascrete pillar, planning to turn aside at the last moment, hoping the Gamorrean will be too occupied with catching up to notice the obstacle....
The Gamorrean's droid accelerates past the Quarren's heading after Taril's droid, jostling together for a moment before Taril manages to break free and swerve clear of the Plascrete pillar. The Gamorreans droid isn't so nimble, crashing against the pillar before spinning in circles but after a couple of spins it seems to regain control, in last place again it starts chasing down the Quarren's droid again.
Racing--and pod racing and its adherents (one in particular) leave a bad taste in Nomi's mouth.
She notes the droid's reaction and sidles up beside it.
"Did you have your credits on that one, TC?" she asks almost offhandedly.
Taril's droid gracefully sails through the end of the 2nd lap, only losing mimimal speed.
Seeing she has a nice lead, Taril contemplates relaxing a bit, but that Quarren might still be troublesome and so she re-focuses and bears down, guiding the droid adroitly through the now familiar obstacles.
Racing--and pod racing and its adherents (one in particular) leave a bad taste in Nomi's mouth.
[dice=perception]1d20+7
She notes the droid's reaction and sidles up beside it.
"Did you have your credits on that one, TC?" she asks almost offhandedly.
The droid answers quietly but clearly distressed.
" Ooh, it's so barbaric! You know, these droids aren't mere remote controlled shells but intelligent and aware... the visors usurp control of the droids and they have to watch as their bodies hurtle around the track completely out of control. "Meanwhile on the track
As the three remaining droids come around on the final straight both The Gamorrean's droid and the Quarren's droid put on bursts of speed. One comi up on the right of Taril's and one on the left!
"I suppose that would be disconcerting. Maybe they could retrieve their memory units, and edit them for piece of mind."
Seeing both of the other pilots coming after her, Taril smiles at the challenge, but ignores the Gamorrean, he wasn't a threat.
With a surge of power to her droid's repulsors, she lifts up into a flip and descends at tremendous speed....right at the Quarren's droid....
" Oh yes, how convenient, just wipe their memories, what a solution. " Six Six replies its voice a little heated as it starts to turn away from Nomi.
Seeing the two other droids moving in to attack Taril boosts the power of her droids repulsors, it leaps up just as the others swerve to crush her between them.
Both droids clip hers as it jumps, but somehow she manages to control the spin as her droid flips and comes crashing down on the Quarren's droid. Taril's droid surges ahead getting a boost of momentum from the landing, shooting forward to leave the others in her dust. The Gamorrean comes in second and the Quarren's droid just manages to limp over the line, smoking and fizzing.
A mix of cheers, groans and a couple of outraged yells erupt around the room as the contestants stand and are ushered over to Darga.
" Ho Ho, Ho! Well done, very well done indeed, I see that you must have a keen intellect Taril, especially in regard to technology! I'm glad my decision to back you in the race has paid off. "
The Hutt presents Taril with a gaudy necklace made of precious metals and studded with large gemstones.
In the background a slightly disgruntled Rodian bookie pays out Avizzi and Kalus's winnings.
" I can't believe it, first time on the track and she crushes Igren and takes out the race! " the Rodian says shaking his head. " Still a lot of people bet on Demos... "
"If I might give you a tip, now that I've taken your money?" Avizzi pockets his credstick with the winnings and nods at Taril. "Never bet against the wild card. You don't shoot a beast until you know you'll put it down, and you don't put nine-to-one odds against a crafty twi'lek."
Taril laughs as her droid crosses the finish line in first place, pulling off the visor and rising, a hand raised in acknowledgement of the cheers and jeers directed her way.
With a toss of her lekku, she saunters over to Darga and accepts his bauble, "It was fun, Darga. " she says, smiling sweetly.
Her smile grows harder as she takes her winnings from the Rodian, grinning at Avizzi, "Don't spend it all in one place, now."
She hefts the necklace, trying to figure out if it has any worth.
"Perhaps I should have taken the same bet you did, my friend." Keydas collects and pockets his winnings, pleased Taril had impressed Darga. This will give us progress towards earning his trust.
He looks to see how Demos is reacting to his loss.
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" Oh yes, how convenient, just wipe their memories, what a solution. " Six Six replies its voice a little heated as it starts to turn away from Nomi.
"Seems like a pretty standard solution to Droid repair actually...." Noni says a bit confused. Sounds like Six Six might need a memory wipe--and soon.
Damn, I missed the end of the race. Gotta keep my mind in the moment.