Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

"Ah still say it's damn near robb'ry these fees." Garth grumbles as he transfers the docking fees for this month to the portmaster.

"Why ah cann'a just park it at th' Ulgo fortress f' free is damn..." His complaints trail off into unintelligible muttering as he tucks his datapad away and glances up at the sky in an absent minded fashion. It seemed to him that space was becoming more of his piloting environment than planet surface of late, and he wasn't sure what he thought of that development.

"Core Worlds are a different sort of place." Tethys hitches her battered backpack more securely on her shoulder. "Careful with different resources than out on the Rim. Liberal with different ones, too. Always something of an adjustment coming from Bankor to a planet like this." A corner of her mouth turns up a little at this admission as she, too, gazes around at Alderaan under its cheery blue sky, eyes narrowing a little against the bright light.

"Def'nitly more...open than th' last planet." He replies as he responds to a beeping from his datapad and looks over the rules and bylaws applicable to the spaceport and beyond and his eyes widen.

"No kriffin speeders? How do we....what the frack is a thranta?" He turns to Tethys with a forced grin. "If'n y' haveta take me in f'r punching a paper pusher who says ah' can't ride Tallulah, be gentle wi' me, yeah?"

The curve of her lips becomes a bit more obvious. "Enforcing Alderaan's laws isn't my business, thankfully. Considering those port fees, peacekeeping services ought to be well funded without my help." She cranes her neck slightly to see the screen of Garth's datapad. "Er... what is a thranta?"

Garth taps away a few times until an image came on screen accompanied by a short piece of information.

"Well, ain't that a thing." Garth comments as he looks around for a thranta vendor. "D'ya think they hire 'em out or we need t' catch 'em ourselves? Ah assume they ain't sentient, mebbe like th' swoopwings on Bankor?" He comments with much doubt and questioning in his voice.

"Must be something like that, yes." Tethys's brow arches subtly up as dark eyes focus on the picture of flying animals, then flick to the skies above. "I can't imagine the planetary conservation authorities want visitors to try catching their own. Maybe House Ulgo has a stable of the creatures?"

With Tethys's gaze otherwise occupied, Garth's fingers were dextrous as they plucked a flower from a nearby garden.

"Well Miss Tethys, ah hope them conservation people won't be too upset wi' me fer this, but this is the Festival o' thousand Flowers right? Ah'm sure ye'll have no trouble receivin' another nahn nahnty nahn."

He offers the specimen to his travelling companion with a cheesy grin.

"How many times do I need to explain this? Every kriffin' month!"

In the nearby hanger, a girl with silvery hair in a tank top and jeans was gesturing somewhat angrily at a much taller Zabrak.

"Look. We'll go through this again, nice and slow. And no, I haven't learnt Zabrak or whatever you speak, so just listen. This" she motioned in front of her "is part of my property. You cannot park your ship here. No" she raised her hands as the Zabrak went to speak "not even when the ship isn't here. How do you know if he'll be back tonight? I can see your ship, it ain't gonna fly for at least another week or two with how bad your flying was before. So no, you can't use it. Go mooch off someone else!"

The staring contest continued for a short while before the Zabrak made some manner of what sounded like pretty nasty insults and stomping over to his own ship. Azura sighed.

"Kriffin' hornhead" she muttered under her breath, arms crossed, watching the Zabrak move his ship out of what was clearly her area near the offices of Midnight Transport.

Garth's grin only broadened at the sound of a familiar voice. His facing wasn't optimal for spotting the silver haired business owner, but he had spent enough time on holocalls with her and Jax over the years to recognize her by voice alone.

With one hand still clutching the fire-rose, his other tuned a commlink on his lapel to a preset frequency before speaking into it. "Now is that any way fer a 'spectable b'iness woman t' talk?"

Garth Wayne Ulgo wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 13, 2021 10:58 pm

With Tethys's gaze otherwise occupied, Garth's fingers were dextrous as they plucked a flower from a nearby garden.

"Well Miss Tethys, ah hope them conservation people won't be too upset wi' me fer this, but this is the Festival o' thousand Flowers right? Ah'm sure ye'll have no trouble receivin' another nahn nahnty nahn."

He offers the specimen to his travelling companion with a cheesy grin.

"Why... thank you." Tethys accepts the flower solemnly. "It's lovely. Though I think I'll leave the other thousand-minus-one to keep growing where they are." Her lips quirk as she brings it closer to her nose for a moment. Of course it has a pretty smell; this is Alderaan, after all.

Then the sounds of squabbling break the morning peace. "Hm. Is that who I think it is?"

The question is rhetorical; Azura's turbulent footprint in the Force is pretty distinctive even after a few years' non-contact, especially combined with all the yelling.

Garth Wayne Ulgo wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 10:14 am

With one hand still clutching the fire-rose, his other tuned a commlink on his lapel to a preset frequency before speaking into it. "Now is that any way fer a 'spectable b'iness woman t' talk?"

"Who the...wait, Garth?" Azura blinked a few times, before picking up a cloth for her hands and moving towards the entrance to the hanger "is that you? What're you doin' here, looking for a payday again?"

Not far away, there was another discussion about fees, permits and transportation.

"Yes, the full season. Hopefully, it won't take that long, but I'd like to be prepared if it does."

Galen transfered the credits and was given the permit.

"Now, about the thrantas. Riding a domesticated animal into the territory of a dangerous predator is likely to get something killed. Beyond that, I have a fair amount of gear to transport."

He crossed his arms as he listened.

"Two rifles, a couple of snares, and general survival epuipment."

He nodded.

"I know I can't carry any of that here. I just have a blaster pistol and my lightsaber."

He shook his head.

"No, I'm not a Jedi. No, I'm not a dark Jedi. I don't even know what that would be. Yes, the Jedi know I have it...."

More Jedi related questions followed.

"Fine. Just the blaster. And, I'll keep the speeder in storage. For now."

Tethys Carrack wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 12:42 pm

"Why... thank you." Tethys accepts the flower solemnly. "It's lovely. Though I think I'll leave the other thousand-minus-one to keep growing where they are." Her lips quirk as she brings it closer to her nose for a moment. Of course it has a pretty smell; this is Alderaan, after all.

"Might be y'll leave others feelin' diff'rent." Garth replies with a polite bow of concession, before Azura recognizes his voice and spots the pair. "Ah seem t' recall yer dance card were rarely empty in th' mid of the liberation, can't 'magine how pop'lar you might be in this 'vironment."

Azura Mora wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 12:53 pm

"Who the...wait, Garth?" Azura blinked a few times, before picking up a cloth for her hands and moving towards the entrance to the hanger "is that you? What're you doin' here, looking for a payday again?"

"Again?" He asks questioningly as he extends a hand for shaking, completely unfazed by the grubbiness of Azura's own. "That'd imply y've got the liquid creds t' pay yer agents. Midnight must be doin' well then I hope?"

Galen Sol wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 12:56 pm

"Now, about the thrantas. Riding a domesticated animal into the territory of a dangerous predator is likely to get something killed. Beyond that, I have a fair amount of gear to transport."

"Child of a one winged swoopwing." Garth blurted out, a common Orosini phrase regarding the possibility of an unlikely event. "Galen y' right bast'd, what brought y' so far from the Viridian?"

Galen looked around and, a moment later, had left the his conversation behind to approach the others.

"Is there a reunion I wasn't invited to?" he asked with a grin. "There's a kath hound out there bothering the locals. I'm here to see if I can do something about it."

Garth Wayne Ulgo wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 2:18 pm

"Again?" He asks questioningly as he extends a hand for shaking, completely unfazed by the grubbiness of Azura's own. "That'd imply y've got the liquid creds t' pay yer agents. Midnight must be doin' well then I hope?"

Azura did indeed the mans hand in her luckily slightly less oily one.

"Ain't seen you around except for a job, so this a social call or..."

She paused, taking one look at Tethys then another at Galen before turning back to Garth.

"Ah kriff, you're not here for Jedi work are you? Did you finally sell out?"

"Long way t' travel fer a spot of hunting. Or y' planning a catch 'n release?" Garth asked as he glanced around carefully.

Four force sensitives, three from Bankor but recently, all drawn to the one place. Was this one of those force vergence things bringing them together? He couldn't help but wonder at the coincidence.

Azura Mora wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 2:34 pm

Azura did indeed the mans hand in her luckily slightly less oily one.

"Ain't seen you around except for a job, so this a social call or..."

She paused, taking one look at Tethys then another at Galen before turning back to Garth.

"Ah kriff, you're not here for Jedi work are you? Did you finally sell out?"

"Truth be told ah am keen f'r a few creds if y' got something need doin', but ah'm mostly here fer somethin' personal. Just so happens 'n ol' friend needed a lift t' the same corner of the 'verse. Now where's that second rate gent y' suffer t' be yer pilot?"

"Should be a simple job." he shrugged. "But, it's been a problem for them for months. It's been awhile since I've done any traveling, anyway."

The Turtle had landed and they had settled what it was they were supposed to do. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could get the Pantoran government to give them back the credits for being here on assignment, in a sense. He didn't need much else really to go around. Still, Hacha wanted that data for the area, and they would be the best option to update their computers with more detailed information about the area, not to mention the proper no-go zones to ensure protocol was maintained.

Some others had started to gather around and, maybe for a moment or two, he could have sworn he saw some of them before in passing. One without a shirt on, if he recalled correctly, for whatever reasons humans wanted to be without one. Though that was not the case in this instance, of course. He never had any dealings with him, though, nor the dark-skinned woman, another vague recollection of his time in Bankor. Just faces he saw, and they really meant nothing to him, in the long run. Humans tended to run together after looking at them long enough, not even looking at their heat signatures on their face made it much easier to keep track of. Just blobs of heat, chattering away at things that had meaning for himself as it did them. Credits. Ships don't pay to park themselves. Even if he could get that money back from the Pantorans, he still needed to provide more on his own for now.

Maybe they knew of som--no, they wouldn't share with a stranger, anyways, if they did. Best to maybe ask the port authority about some potential work.

Nudimsu merely gazed upon them for a moment or two more before shaking his head and continuing to walk past them.

Garth Wayne Ulgo wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 2:18 pm

"Might be y'll leave others feelin' diff'rent." Garth replies with a polite bow of concession, before Azura recognizes his voice and spots the pair. "Ah seem t' recall yer dance card were rarely empty in th' mid of the liberation, can't 'magine how pop'lar you might be in this 'vironment."

"A Jedi's dance card is often full, just not with the kind of dances that lead to flowers," Tethys deadpans.

She follows Garth toward Azura and, in a moment--Galen Sol? Interesting indeed.

Garth Wayne Ulgo wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 2:40 pm

Azura Mora wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 2:34 pm

"Ah kriff, you're not here for Jedi work are you? Did you finally sell out?"

"Truth be told ah am keen f'r a few creds if y' got something need doin', but ah'm mostly here fer somethin' personal. Just so happens 'n ol' friend needed a lift t' the same corner of the 'verse. Now where's that second rate gent y' suffer t' be yer pilot?"

"And I appreciate the ride. Much faster and pleasanter than the timber freighter I meant to take otherwise." Tethys opens a long-fingered hand in Garth's direction in acknowledgement. "You look well, Ms. Mora. I hope Mr. Dolross is also," she adds in a rather more neutral tone than his.

Galen Sol wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 14, 2021 2:52 pm

"Should be a simple job." he shrugged. "But, it's been a problem for them for months. It's been awhile since I've done any traveling, anyway."

"That must be some kath hound, to call you all the way from Bankor," she adds to Galen.