Golden Link Casino

[Brina Thalin]

Soon, everything was in order. Brina was expected on Coruscant in one standard day, and it looked like everything would go smoothly once she was there. She packed a few changes of clothes--a business suit, a casual outfit, and a fresh traveling suit for the trip back--and a few other necessities. She would be staying at the Link's headquarters, so she didn't need to take much with her. Besides, she thought, I'll be back in a day or two.

 

She sent a brief text-only message to Zara, just letting her know that she was leaving now, and headed down to the hanger. The Crazy Mynock was fueled and ready to go, in excellent order as always. The ship was her one holdover from her smuggling days, and she still loved it dearly.

 

Ten standard minutes later, she was cleared to leave the station, and a few minutes after that, had jumped into the great whirling void of hyperspace, heading for the galactic center.

[Zara Nargal]

Zara observed Ida's new creation, marvelling at the skill of the scientist. She shook her head in amazement at the demonstration shown by the new... droid? The creation seemed very childlike with it's personality or maybe that was because of it's learning process? Whichever the reason Zara had to give Ida her due. "Your creation is amazing."

 

The Link's owner stepped after Ida as she left the laboratory, "You will always be welcome at the Link, Ida. Good luck on your ventures." Zara didn't keep the woman any longer, seeing that she wished to hurry on her way.

 

Turning to face Idejjen and Idarah, Zara spoke, "I will leave you two to get aquainted. If you need me for anything I shall be in my office." The Dathomir Witch headed off down the corridor, soon entering the lift and heading towards her office. As she went Zara received the text message from Brina. Smiling she sent a message in response wishing her good friend a safe journey.

[King Kheldar vos Correlli]

Landing the Silk Road at the Link, Kheldar disembarks, trailed by his droid, and makes his way into the casino proper after passing security. While ostensibly here on business to spread the news of renewed trade (and having compiled a grueling series of reports while in hyperspace transit sent to all quarters of the galaxy), a certain level of exhaustion made Kheldar decide to take a break. He'd relax, check in with Zara and Brina if they were in, then do a few system upgrades for the casino if necessary.

 

Slipping relatively incognito into the casino floor, Kheldar seats himself at a sabacc table, orders a shot of fine Corellian rum, and sets to work having some fun trying to prove the house doesn't always win.

[Brina Thalin]

The Crazy Mynock returned to it's berth on the Golden Link Casino four standard days after it had left. Brina rose, stretched, and made her way back to her cabin, where she gathered up her things, including her new, curious, bright-eyed whisperkit, and headed into the hanger, her two Lyger droids trailing her alertly and silently. She sighed. I'll have to do something about their programming.

 

As she walked towards the turbolift, she thought she recognized the Silk Road, and smiled at the thought that Kheldar was here. She hoped he was here for pleasure rather than business; goodness knew he worked hard enough.

 

Her first stop was to her quarters, where she deposited her traveling bag and whisperkit. The kit eagerly explored its new home, and Brina set up a place for it to refresh itself, hoping that she wouldn't come back to a room spattered with urine. She rubbed the kit's ears. "I'll have to give you a name, little one, won't I?"

 

She changed out of her traveling clothes to her nicer work clothes, and grabbed a quick lunch. Letting only one of the guard droids accompany her, she headed to her office. There was so much paperwork to be done to finalize the buyout of Thorpe Corporation, and she was certainly swamped.

 

However, as she entered, she noticed the door that connected her office with Zara's was open, so she stuck her head in and was pleased to see her partner. "Hey Zar!" she greeted her.

[King Kheldar vos Correlli]

Some time later, Kheldar sat around a dimly lit table, his eyes just barely visible over the top of his hards. Though apparently staring at his hand, Kheldar was looking at his opponents. The two humans were easy enough to read, the Duro and Twi'leks as a common space farers, somewhat less so, but still easy enough, but the Geonosian taxed Kheldar's memory as he tried to read the Insectoid's body language.

 

To bluff, or not to bluff.... that is the question...

 

Downing his sixth glass of Corellian rum in the last two hours, a mildly tipsy, whimsy-filled Kheldar decides to go all out.

 

"Sirrah," he announces quietly, "I think you're bluffing and I'll meet your raise and double it." With a serious expression that brooked no nonsense, Kheldar pushes in his chips, staring the Geonosian gambler down.

 

A low pause hangs over the table, and finally the Geonosian folds, soon followed by the others. Kheldar, with quiet grace, collects his winnings, tips the dealer, and orders a round for his opponents. "It's been a pleasure gentleman, ladies."

 

Cashing in his winnings, Kheldar beckons Cyrion to follow him, swaying ever so slightly as he makes his way to the back of the casino. Stopped by security, Kheldar flashes his credentials and is allowed into the back. While ostensibly on his way to see Zara, he checks in on security measures, throws in some system upgrades he had on the back burner, and enhances the field strength for the vault's singularity- not the least prompted because of his recent encounter with Quintus.

 

Making his way up to the office levels of the Link's Casino, he sends out a few personal comms to the wife and kids, giving them an update on his doings, then resists the urge to check his pocket organizer for businesses outside of the here and now.

 

Arriving at Zara and Brina's office, Kheldar makes his way into the office of the former, giving a light hearted announcement to both Zara and Brina as he stepped in.

 

"Zara! Brina! Long time no see. I've got good news and good news for you if you have a moment."

[Zara Nargal]

Having been totally engrossed in the paperwork in front of her, Zara looked up as she heard Brina's voice, a bright smile crossing her features. "Hey Bri... did you have a good trip?" As she spoke, Zara pushed her chair back and stood, coming around the desk to embrace her good friend in welcome.

 

"Zara! Brina! Long time no see. I've got good news and good news for you if you have a moment."

 

Her smile widened as she towards their silent partner, "So it has been Kheldar, we'd love to hear your good news," then with a grin she added, having taken in the scent of the alcohol, "Do I need to check to see if you've wiped the floor clean?" Zara stepped towards Kheldar to give him a hug as well.

[Brina Thalin]

Brina returned Zara's hug, then turned at the sound of Kheldar's repetitive, slightly tipsy greeting. She grinned at him. "It's been too long, Kheldar," she said as a greeting. "Does this good news of yours happen to have anything to do with the Imperial embargo? Tares Vortex told me you were doing your best to work some of your influence on the Emperor. Were you by any chance successful?"

 

That certainly would be good news all around. It would also provide Brina with an outlet to answer Zara's question about the success of her trip; as far as she knew, Zara didn't know yet if she had been successful herself. Plus, Brina reflected, if Kheldar was here to announce the end of the embargo, then perhaps they could seriously consider implementing the new ideas Brina had been toying with in her head.

 

However, she was getting ahead of herself. Kheldar had yet to answer, and for all she knew, his good news could be simply that he had broken the bank in their casino--something good for the merchant prince, certainly, although less so for the Casino managers. She grinned at the thought and waited to hear what he had to say.

[King Kheldar vos Correlli]

Kheldar gives Zara the hug, chuckling. "Nah, just had some fun at the card tables for a few hands. Thought about it.... but...." he shrugs. "You'll need your money as I've negotiated a cease to the embargo." He grins broadly, waiting for the implications of that to sink in.

 

Helping himself to a seat, Kheldar stretches out. "The results are as follows. The Empire's allowing piecemeal deals with individual Republic systems, not the general government itself. The medium's looking to be Imperial credits at an exchange rate that's been agreed to, so initial business is going to be hard to start again. I suggest we play it cool and keep it to domestics and exotics- staying out of armorments and the like. Civilian ships and the like won't hurt."

 

"This next part is hush hush since i know you're both dedicated neutrals." His tone becomes a bit serious as he relays the next part, suggesting that while tipsy, Kheldar wasn't quite as intoxicated as he appeared. "Bacta's out of the question. It looks like Black Sun has some unofficial, wink, wink nudge, nudge monopoly on the matter on an unofficial official black market in selling to the Republic. I suggest we don't try to get in on that- definitely not at a lower price, but if we can match it at their rates or co-opt their sales by buying what they offer first, we might be able to drive the price up after buying from them." He shows signs of having seriously considered it despite it being flagrant profiteering. "It's a high risk, high overhead investment, but something to consider since I don't think that'd piss off the Empire."

 

"That's the big part of it. Essentially bilateral trade agreements with willing systems is the key. Anything else done through that is icing so to speak. I'll pass this on to Tares and others, though I'm still leary about bacta profiteering- I'd rather not end up in trouble with the Republic either." He reaches into his pearl grey jacket and takes out a worn pocket flask and takes a sip. "Well, here's to the end of the embargo and sunnier times economically."

[Brina Thalin]

Brina grinned. "That is just the news I was hoping to hear."

 

She listened as Kheldar explained in more detail what he had worked out. He was right--it was going to be a hard restart, but Brina felt confident that the Link could weather the storm until it passed. And really, she mused, anything would be better than the embargo being in operation. No, she wasn't worried about it. It was definately a big improvement, and everyone would be free to breathe a sigh of relief.

 

She thought about his suggestion of avoiding getting involved in bacta profiteering. She and Zara would have to discuss it, but while she might not have a problem with the profiteering of other commodities, it didn't seem right to do the same with such a precious medical supply as bacta. Besides, she hated the thought of doing business with Black Sun, and she agreed with Kheldar that she'd rather not make enemies of the Republic.

 

She tucked a loose bit of red hair behind her right ear as Kheldar drew out his flask. "I'll drink to that," she said, and drew out a small bottle of firewhisky and several glasses from her a drawer in her desk. She poured one for herself and offered some to Zara and Kheldar before downing her glass in one shot.

 

As she poured herself a second glass, she glanced at the other two. "This bodes well with our new business deal that I worked out on my trip. The Link has officially bought out Thorpe Corporation. The changeover will happen almost instantly. I think it will be good to have another branch of goods to offer to the public, especially with the high quality of Thorpe Corp's security systems and defensive droids."

[King Kheldar vos Correlli]

Kheldar takes another swift drink in celebration from what Brina offered. "Haven't seen Lycus in ages and ages. Not surprised his business remained, though I still wonder what happened to him. Word is he died, then Mortati and Darkness bought out large chunks of his business- the former using something of a hostile takeover to get his way with extremely aggressive negotiations, then I think Darkwatch securities got a large part of their remaining portfolio, but I think left some of their manufacturing and hardware behind." he shrugs at the memory, now almost ancient history in the galaxy's eye. "Not a bad purchase at all, but still not what it was back in the day."

 

Helping himself to yet another drink, he raises his glass. "Well, here's to the revival... and your... ah... plans for it..."

[Zara Nargal]

A wide grin appeared on Zara's features, "That's wonderful news." She turned towards Brina as she spoke, her eyebrow raising at her good friend's tone. They hadn't had a chance to talk since she'd returned though they would at earliest convenience.

 

With regards to the profiteering from Bacta, while they'd done shady deals in the past Zara had no intention of getting into another war with Black Sun. Things had been quiet on that front and she had no intention of stirring the pot. Smash seemed decent and if she recalled had even requested a room for when the Casino reopened after the mess with the sith.

 

Zara took the shot handed to her, downing it in one hit along with her partner. She was pleased to hear that Brina's venture with regards to Thorpe Corporation was successful. After refilling her shot glass as well she raised it towards both of the others, "To successful ventures"

[King Kheldar vos Correlli]

"Cheers!" Kheldar calls, a slight slur entering his voice as he downs his drink. "Well ladies," he calls, rising unsteadily to his feet. "I think that's the e.end of my good news. I'm definitely tooo drunk to pilot out of here, and I'm shhhuuure as hell not going back to the casino floor to lose my winnings while I'm still in ah... mid-celebra'cion... Anything else I can do to help 'ya out?"

 

Swaying a bit, Cyrion rushes to steady the merchant-prince, who rests a hand on the droid's shoulder. "After I dry off, I'm heading to Gateway to speak with T..Tares. Anything you want me to ah... say to him...?"

[Brina Thalin]

Brina chuckled a little at how drunk Kheldar was. He can't hold his liquor...or he's been at it for a long time, she thought, amused. "Thanks for stopping by and giving us the good news in person Kheldar. It was wonderful to see you again. Give my best to Mr. Vortex and let him know that the comm channels are always open between us if he needs anything."

 

She moved over to stand next to Zara, a wide smile still gracing her features.

 

((yeah...not much else to say...))

[Zara Nargal]

Zara tried to hide her amusement at Kheldar's slurred words wondering if it was an act or if he was really drunk. Regardless, they wouldn't allow him to pilot his ship while intoxicated, even though he had state of the art technology and Cyrion to assist him. "You get a good night's sleep so you can start fresh tomorrow."

 

With regards to Mr Vortex, Zara let Brina answer Kheldar since she had met with him. She turned to Brina, grinning as well. They had reason to celebrate.

 

 

(yeah I know what you mean)

[King Kheldar vos Correlli]

((Ditto- was hoping something would come up that'd be interesting to do, but...))

 

Kheldar saunters off without another word. While getting sleep and getting fresh for meeting with Tares was the rational thing to do, Kheldar was reliving a bit of his earlier, wild card days and was determined to have some fun while he was out. If laws of probability and science got warped i the doing so, then so be it.

 

A short time later, the entire Casino floor is in an uproar. Kheldar is literally surrounded by a drunken legion at a high stakes sabacc table. On arriving back down, his first declaration is a wild call of "Drinks on the house for everyone! And I damn well mean everyone!" yelled at the top of his lungs. The first round met with celebration, continued on to the fourth, then even fifth round. As Kheldar kept buying a small, bitter tasting pill ended up in his mouth from a small side pocket stored next to his flask labeled "Liquid Courage", a small pill that while all but impossible to swallow without gagging, nearly made him feel stone cold sober in a matter of minutes. Still disoriented, Kheldar orders a sixth round for the entire casino floor- an act that set him back thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of credits.

 

Then the fun began as several rich marks- some owners of companies, some owners of entire star systems, were encouraged to have a few friendly, high stakes games with the Corellian merchant- still apparently tipsy as hell. As the ambiance of the casino embraced Kheldar for his generosity, the bets were accepted.

 

At the moment, Kheldar had on the table an entire line of shipping contracts for exotic spices, three clothing lines, and a patent for a new sublight drive being wagered against the collective bets of four star systems, a new formula for a super tough smart metal, a controlling interest in a music distrubution conglomerate, and no small sum of the Link's own credits. Surrounded by enthusiastic supporters, still greatful to him for the drinks, Kheldar plays his hand, watching the drunken attempts of his opponents to read him. He suspected at least two of them feigning intoxication, but noted they went ahead anyways.

 

One revelation of hands later, Kheldar, with a measured sauntering and stumbling, collects his winnings to thunderous applause having more than made up for his expenses this night. Ordering one last round for the bar, he made a bee line for the casino's restrooms- where at that point, despite the toxicifying effect's of Kheldar's sobriety pill (used before at the Last Call as the situation demanded), his booze filled stomach finally gave out in a rather messy fashion, expunging half of his stomach and then some. Cleaning up with some dignity, he slips past the crowds, cashes in his chips- enough to sadly put the Link at slight loss when set against his alcohol purchases (though drunken revelry would eventually still make it a very profitable night) and makes his way back to his ship, instructs Cyrion to put it into auto-pilot and head for Gateway.

 

At the lines of stars turn into infinite white bars with the Silk Road sliding into hyperspace, Kheldar concludes today has been a good day.

[Zara Nargal]

Zara watched Kheldar leave the office, the door closing behind him before she turned back towards Brina. "I've really missed some of the goings on around here of late, what was this agreement with Tares Vortex?"

 

Before her partner could answer, the boards on her office table lit up with messages coming from the Casino's gambling floor. With reluctance to see what their drunk silent partner was up to, Zara hesitantly switched the monitor screen to the casino level. She could see Kheldar's antics and tapped a few more keys, bringing up a smaller window in the corner of the screen, "If he keeps this up we'll be running at a loss. I never thought I'd say this but he's worse than Kat. All those times my brother had his drunken rampages..." she shook her head in fond though resigned rememberance, "Maybe we should set a limit for him when he's drunk...? What do you think Brina?"

[Brina Thalin]

Brina glanced at the screen as Zara showed her Kheldar's antics. She smiled at Zara's mention of her twin brother. "I do remember. Kat didn't care so much for business when he was on one of his rampages, as you call them. As for Kheldar, I wouldn't worry. It looks like he's made the whole level quite happy, and as we both know, happy customers are more likely to drink and gamble. Besides, it might be good for business if these customers leave and tell their friends that even merchant-princes spend their down time here at the Golden Link."

 

She sat down. "Let me fill you in on what has been going on. I told you that I just successfully bought out the remants of Thorpe Corporation. I got a good price, and they are a full subsidiary of ours now. I thought it would be good to expand our line to offer security systems, personal guard droids, and the like. While TC has suffered greatly since Lycus' death, all they really needed was a buyout to get them back on their feet. They've continued to make top-of-the-line products, and I think this venture will be very beneficial for us.

 

"As for Solaris Enterprises, Tares Vortex paid me a visit about two weeks ago. He has taken up the reins of his brother's company and is doing a major reorganization. However, he has very little business knowledge. He came to us looking for partners. He proposed standard trade agreements, as well as several joint business ventures that he was thinking about, including creating new sources for both bacta and tibanna gas. You heard Kheldar mention the bacta idea. It looks like that may be out of the picture now, but Vortex was going to look into terraforming new worlds to increase the supply available in the first place.

 

"I agreed to his proposals. It is another business that could really benefit us, as long as we are shrewd. Solaris has already entered into the same type of relationship with KVC Enterprises."

 

She sat up straighter. "I really think we have something good going here, Zar. The Emperor's embargo has drawn together every major corporation in the galaxy, and together, I believe we can be quite successful while remaining autonomous. Besides, people like seeing big corporations working together. It sets a good morale, and as we were just discussing, happy people spend more."

[Zara Nargal]

"Maybe it might too. Lets hope they bring in more then." Zara murmured then listened to Brina's report regarding what had been going on. All that her partner was saying she agreed with and found herself nodding at various points that Brina made. "Buying out Thorpe Corporation's remnants was a good idea. Their technology shouldn't be wasted. Great idea Bri" Zara grinned at her friend, following it with a wink.

 

With what she told her about Solaris Enterprises, she inclined her head positively as well, "Yes, I agree with you about the partnership. It sounds like a good opportunity for us. If you haven't given the go ahead for the legal's to do their part then do so."

 

There seemed to be a lot of new avenues for the Link which made Zara feel enthusiastic with regards to the future. Tilting her head slightly to the right she made mention of an idea of her own, "How would you feel about having planet side casino's? We could even get someone to run them as a proxy for us... send out kind of a coded message over the holonet asking for new employees..." Zara let it trail off. She hadn't fully thought through the idea though she did want Brina's imput just in case she didn't think it was viable for them to do."

[Idarah]

Idejjen watched as the purveyor of his every step fell from sight with a slight weep. It was not his intention for her to leave and nor was it his intention to be left with a surrogate representation, but, seeing as how it was Ida's last wish, Idejjen felt it good to make do with what he had.

 

Idejjen turned his gaze slowly to the new and gleaming Idarah in hopes of peacefully garnered communication and hoped they could eventually become good friends.

 

"So... Umm" Idejjen said, trying to grasp at something to say, scratching behind his head slightly.

 

"So um what silly?" said Idarah with a slight giggle as she walked up to the big creation and hugged him. "So I guess this makes you my big brother huh?" she finished with a broad mechanical "smile".

Idejjen "blushed" within his solid Twi'lekk form, but overall felt that this reaction was a pleasant discovery and meant rather well for a relationship that wasn't built on more than twenty minutes. "I-I guess I am..." he said with a large smile, hugging right back.

 

"If that's the case though I need you to be on your best behavior and listen to anything and everything me, Zara or anyone we tell you is alright say no matter what it is.... ok?" Idejjen inquired to the machine sentient as it stared right back at him.

"Sure thing Idejjen" she said with yet another "smile"...

 

"Good", the monster rebutted as he stroked his chin lightly. "Would you like a tour around the Casino?"

 

Idarah's blue eyelets sparkled with interest and with glee she took off behind the construct as he exited the lab.

[Brina Thalin]

She thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, I think that might be a good idea, Zara. The Golden Link has been very profitable for us, and while planet-side casinos could lose some of the allure of this one, they are something that should be looked into."

 

She pulled up her datapad and accessed the sketches she had drawn on her way back from Coruscant. "I've been thinking about another space station, this one a hotel first and foremost. Very elegant, state of the art, but also with some berths that are cheaper. I was thinking about having seperate hubs or wings that could be rented out as a whole to corporations or governments. Then we could have some hubs more grand and expensive and some less so. It would also be good for security, because each hub could be shut off completely from the others and the main section of the station, and could act as a giant escape pod in an emergency." She showed her partner the ideas.

 

((OOC: Got the idea from Betrayal; http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Toryaz_Station))

[Zara Nargal]

Zara grinned back at her friend as she brought out her datapad. She looked at the sketches, nodding as Brina outlined her ideas. "That sounds great. With business being as it has been we should be able to get the Capital required to set this in motion."

 

The Dathomiri was very enthusiastic about her partners idea. It looked like an excellent idea and with it being for all walks of life they should get good clientel once it was opened. She moved around the desk and tapped a few keys, bring up their account details. "Yes, this looks viable for us. When do you want to do it?" Zara's grey eyes sparkled with excitement.

[Brina Thalin]

"We might as well get started on it right away," Brina replied. "I'll get some engineers and architects started on the design." She was pleased that Zara thought her idea had merit. She thought it had enormous potential, and would hopefully attract a broader range of clientele than the Casino did.

 

She went back into her own office to make the calls, then worked on other things for several hours. Finally, she poked her head back into Zara's office. "Do you and the kids want to join me for dinner in my quarters this evening? I'll make Corellian food."

 

She knew that Zara would accept, so she winked and headed out, making the short trip back to her quarters. Once there, she changed into something more comfortable, fed her whisperkit, and started to cook.

[Zara Nargal]

Once Brina headed back to her office, Zara went back to her own pile of paperwork. She had gotten a little behind in it and wanted to get back on top. Even so, she couldn't help but wonder what her son Kane was up to. She was missing him and it had been so long since she had heard from him. All she knew was what Kalyani had told her - that Kane was with his father and older half brother. How was he? What was he doing?

 

Zara's thoughts were interupted as Brina popped her head around the office door. "Corellian food sounds great. How could I refuse?" She grinned back at her partner. "I'll gather the girls and we'll be there." Glancing once more at the paperwork she pushed her chair back, deciding that it could wait until after she'd had a good meal and time with her girls and her best friend. Zara left her office, giving her secretary an early mark as she headed back towards her quarters.

 

As soon as she entered the room the sound of laughter caught her attention. What she saw made her join in the laughter. Mellanie was still small enough to be able to 'ride' on Rascal's back, though he had tipped her youngest daughter off onto her eldest daughter, the three looking a tangled mass of arms, legs and fur. The black Panther was getting old now though still enjoyed the 'rough and tumble' games with her children. Zara moved over to kneel beside the large cat's head, petting him till his purring sounded like a small motor, also joining in the 'game'.

 

When they had finished the game, Zara told her girls to go get changed because they were going to Aunty Brina's for dinner. Both jumped up and raced to get to the bathing room first, more laughter following. Zara patted Rascal a bit more before she got to her feet to make her way into her room to change. She showered then threw on a comfortable tunic top and leggings. As she stepped out of her ensuite she shook her head as she found Rascal curled up on the foot of her bed. "Okay Rascal, you can stay there." Normally the large black cat slept in his own 'bed' in the corner of the room. Giving him a final pat she headed into the girls rooms to see if they were ready yet, finding them arguing about what to wear.

 

--

 

The trio walked down the corridor to Brina's, Mellanie pressing the buzzer to let her know they were there. As the door opened Zara apologised, "Sorry we're a little late, the girls couldn't decide what they wanted to wear." Inhaling deeply Zara murmured, "That smells delicious Bri."

[Brina Thalin]

Brina answered the door and waved the girls in. "Well, it smells delicious, but I can't make any promises for taste. I haven't cooked in a long time."

 

She smiled at Melanie. "I've got someone to show you, Mel. Come see." She led Melanie and Kalyani to where she was keeping her new whisperkit. It was creamy white with distinctive dark brown speckled markings. It's large ears quivered, then it dashed forward towards Melanie with a plaintive mew.

 

Brina smiled. "I found it on Coruscant. Or rather, it found me. It still needs a name. Why don't you think of one?"

 

She turned to go back into the kitchen while the girls played with the kit. The timer beeped and she pulled out a cassarole. Letting it cool, she stirred the soup and found that it was ready. She chatted with Zara, just making small talk, as she sliced a loaf of fresh bread. "I think we're ready."

 

She brought the food to the table and poured the girls cups of blue milk. For her and Zara, she winked and pulled out a bottle of Corellian ale. "Dinner is ready, girls!" she called.

[Dashel Illioni]

Dashel had been here before, but maybe not in exactly this position. He faced a rather comely human female who was attempting to bluff him out of the very large pile of credit chips on the table between them and his hand was the stuff legendary bluffs were made of. In short, he had nothing.

 

At least he had nothing if one forgot to reckon with the Force.

 

Subtle touches from the force had long alerted him to the fact that his erstwhile opponent had been cheating even before he had joined the game and had helped him, against his better judgement, decide to join the game.

 

It was after he had joined the game and it had become clear that he was the only competition at the table for her that the jackpots had become astronomical and the number of the players at the table at been reduced to exactly two.

 

The house had certainly taken notice, but that was only obvious if one had the force or knew what to look for. Dashel could see it in her eyes. She knew the house had taken notice and had known what to look for.

 

She was a professional gambler, far above him in skill. Without the force she would have cleaned him out. With it, he had managed to stay in the game and even possibly pull slightly ahead.

 

Dashel was trying to read her eyes as she raised the pot once again. There were now enough credits on the table to purchase a small space station. He personally thought she was bluffing and decided to return the raise to her once again. He blinked when she raised again and effectively doubled the amount of the pot between them.

 

He sighed, sat back and looked around the room at the various people gathered around the table. Kala was in the ring of spectators, just behind his opponent and posing as a bubble headed blonde and from the couple of men that were constantly buying her drinks, succeeding.

 

Bursked and family were back on the GrassTiger, after meeting with Dashel and conforming that he had successfully set up small repair, fabrication and laboratories on several planets, staffed with Droids and several living beings. None were of particularly spectacular talent, but they would do.

 

He turned back to the game and the cards in his hand. As a temporary measure he ordered some cards from the dealer. What he got helped a little but not enough to justify what he was about to do.

 

A new bet quickly increased the pot to four factors above what it had once been. After announcing his bet, Dashel once again watched his opponent's eyes. They widened slightly at the amount of the bet on the table.

 

She called his bet and her eyes widened further at the sight of this cards as he laid them out.

 

How had he, a Jedi, never learned her name?

 

As the thought crossed his mind, he noticed a large Yuzzem crossing the casino floor to the table escorted by a casino security officer. She layed out her cards and began making a move to collect the pot but never made it.

 

Two massive hands belonging to the Yuzzem physically pulled the women from the table and nearly 3 meters into the air. Already petite, she looked even more diminutive next to the massive, clearly angry creature.

 

Dashel stood and quietly opened the formal jacket he had worn into the casino, clearly displaying the lightsabers there.

 

The crowd, security and the Yuzzem immediately quieted, at least long for Dashel to have the creature put the woman back into her chair and gain control of the situation.

 

A security man discreetly approached, and subtly avoiding the Wookie related creature, spoke directly to Dashel.

 

"Jedi Dashel, this Yuzzem has been hunting this woman across the galaxy since her escape from a Hutt crime lord. It appears she was a slave to the Hutt."

 

Dashel looked around the cl\roud and sighed as he realized that the beings here were expecting him to say something, preferably in the cause of justice.

 

"What was her crime?"

 

The Yuzzem responded in understandable Basic, "The Hutt who has put up the reward said the reward was for her knowledge of a sizable amount of money." He grinned at Dashel as he continued, "Half that pile on the table will just about satisfy the Hutt and still make you a profit Jedi."

 

"And the girl?"

 

"He said to sell her to highest bidder possible. I imagine there are several around here that would be willing to bid for her."

 

"Why not take the other half and be done with it?"

 

The Yuzzem's grin widened even further, "Done."

 

"Kala, take her to the Grasstiger."

 

Dashel turned to the security officer. "I will take her to the temple. There we can hope to rehabilitate her then get her a new identity so she can have a clean start. I would appreciate it if the Casino would grant me immediate clearance for launch."

 

The guard simply said, "Of course, Jedi Dashel. I assume you will be leaving as soon as possible?"

 

"Of course," said Dashel

 

Moments later the Grasstiger, with one additional passenger departed for Ossus.

[Zara Nargal]

Reports from the security staff regarding the Jedi Dashel's interception of the misfit and his solution filtered through to the Owners desks for them to peruse at their leisure...

 

--

 

Zara followed behind the girls as Brina introduced her new whisperkit, "He's adorable Brina," she murmured as she watched her daughters fuss over the new addition.

 

Mellanie picked the furball and cuddled it, Kalyani also patting it, both girls grinning as the whisperkit began to purr loudly. The girls began to throw names between them but so far nothing 'fitted' Brina's new found furry friend.

 

Zara followed Brina back to the kitchen, inhaling the lovely scent of the casserole and chatting away. Once dinner was ready, Zara helped Brina bring the dishes to the table and as Brina called the girls she added, "Don't forget to wash your hands"

 

With everyone back at the table Zara raised her glass of ale towards her friend, "Cheers." After she took a sip she picked up her utensils and began the meal in front of her. Her eyes raised up to meet Brina's after the first bite, "This is excellent Bri, I haven't had Corellian food for ages." The girls nodded their heads in agreement to how good it was though couldn't speak as they were making headway in clearing their plates.

[Idarah]

Idejjen and Idarah went off on a rather eventful tour that took several hours. He led her to a few notable areas around the station; he lead her to a shopping center, a lavish casino, a grand suite and then to his room. Somewhere in the middle of it all though, Idejjen's thoughts seemed to catch upon a particular point of interest and he started to monologue to the air as if it was listening intently. The sentient droid, although curious, slipped away from the creation and made her way down a corridor that was supposedly unfamiliar to her.

 

The droid sentient followed a small tracking device that was integrated within the Link's security systems; a tracking device that the droid managed to slip into the system while Idejjen wasn't looking and could now access cameras all across the Link, seeing that Zara was in Brina's room. Naturally there were no cameras in the Executive's room for privacy sake, but there were cameras in the outside corridors that led Idarah to conclude that Zara was there.

 

For the sake of not concerning Idejjen the droid sped her pace and instead chose to hover, igniting her boosters and arriving at Brina's door in roughly 5 minutes from where she previously stood about a kilometer away.

 

The droid timidly knocked at the Executive's door and asked politely if she could see Zara in private”¦

 

She forwarded another message mechanically to Zara's comm...

== Meet me outside... I need to speak with you alone. It's about Idejjen... ==

[Zara Nargal]

The meal Brina had created was fast being cleared from their plates, the atmosphere jovial and relaxed. Zara took her last bite and leaned back in her chair, making herself more comfortable. "Where did you get this recipe from? I'll have to get it off you," the Dathomiri asked. It had been a very long time since she and Kat lived on Corellia. Their mother had always been sad when away from Dathomir even though she'd taken her daughter there from time to time.

 

Zara's thoughts were disrupted by the knock on Brina's door, then as Brina went to see who it was, her comm indicated a message. Listening to the message Zara rose from the table, giving her girls a smile that indicated that there wasn't anything to worry about and that they didn't have to rush their own meals. Walking over to Brina, Zara placed her hand upon her shoulder, "I'll be back in time for desert. Idarah sent a comm saying she wanted to speak with me for a moment."

 

Stepping outside the door to speak to Idarah Zara asked, "What is this about Idejjen that is so urgent?"

[Idarah]

The cyborg looked about quickly from side to side, seeing if any sign of the Security chief was around; her gaze had been faceted with a magnified zoom and graphical detection of a tracking beacon - or any small mechanical devices - located in the creation's left foot and happily, she discovered he wasn't anywhere near their position.

 

Regardless, this wasn't the place to reveal a message this heavy handed. So, electronically locating an empty room nearby, Idarah zoomed over with her hover function on low and quickly used her right index finger tip. This little fingertip, known for many diverse functions opened to reveal a sophisticated lock picking gizmo that quickly made short work of the wall panel's security system. The system itself wasn't broken, but instead bypassed. It would look as if a Mr Jon Doe and Mrs. Jane Doe were living in this apartment and they were opening up the front door.

 

Idarah hurried Zara to get in and then quickly shut the door behind them, making sure it wouldn't open unless she or Zara accessed it.

 

"I know you mean a lot to Idejjen because my creator told me so... It was instructed that I give you this message in private so no one else aside from you, Ida and I knew about it..." Idarah said in a somber tone of hushed reverence. Her normal sparky humor and cute high-pitched persona had been strangely absent as she went about her report...

 

Then, without much hesitation a small viewfinder lens appeared where Idarah's bellybutton might have been amongst the shiny silver scales. The view finder was pretty large and the lenses adapted to particular elements that were meant to be viewed, but in this particular instance it was displaying a recently made hologram.

 

The blue faded figure of Ida crackled into existence as a voice appeared to match.

 

"H-hello?" Ida said to test the microphone, "Oh, ok... It's working." Ida quickly cleared her throat and then what seemed to be a show of pleasant emotions, turned into something of a rather traumatic grimace. "Zara... I have something that I meant to tell you while I was there, but I was too afraid. I will be leaving here soon because I am afraid that I wouldn't be able to deal with the gravity of coming events, but it is an event that I have been regretting ever since I made Idejjen. Idejjen... Is dying..."

 

The hologram of Ida fizzed a little bit, but stayed consistent for the most part in a brilliant blue quality, waiting for a reaction. Then the little blue avatar continued in a similar vocal pattern from before accented with small sobs.

 

"I knew it would happen at some point due to the being's instability, but I had no idea it was so close. When I ran into Idejjen at the Link I took a biometric scan of him and although his body seems fine on the outside, his insides are dying out one by one... Imagine a tomato. Idejjen has effectively reached his expiration date and unlike other living organisms Idejjen's structure is based off of a force anomaly. All of his parts are staying together based on the lingering force energy that was left within them, but as his life goes on and on his body drifts away more and more. The chemical reaction that was once keeping the big guy alive is decaying and...." said Ida through disheartened bouts of crying. "He won't last until a few days after I've made this holo log.... I know you may think it looney for me to have left him, but I am not strong enough to face him like this. I know you care for him in some way and I want you to be with him when he goes. Please? Do this for me?" plead Ida as she wiped away tears from beneath her glasses. "Anyway... I should get packing... Ida out."

 

Idarah closed the message and let the air remain still as Zara watched to whatever extent it was desired.

[Zara Nargal]

Zara had followed Idarah into the room, curious as to why this was so important as to warrant the breaking into an unoccupied room. As the message began to play, Zara found herself holding her breath.

 

Shock was her first reaction to hearing of Idejjen's imminent death. The Dathomir Witch had grown quite fond of her security chief and had taken a personal interest in his well-being. He had intrigued her with his 'changes' and she would honestly miss his company after he... Zara shook her head, focusing on the rest of the message.

 

As Ida's tears began to flow freely, Zara had to fight to control her own emotions. It was very difficult, her eyes beginning to water against her will. She closed them as the message ended, bowing her head as she fought back a sob. Swallowing it back her stormy grey eyes re-opened as she asked, "How long has he got now?"