Arriving at Worlport on Ord Mantell
Chapter III | Episode VIII | 6/23/2017
The next day was a day of revelations for the crew, in their own personal ways. While some of that time was devoted to restocking on much needed supplies, most of it was spent talking with Elaiza.
Rath was unsure what the others had discussed. He had his assumptions, though. He knew that Elaiza had begun training Zanroy and Twil in the ways of the Force. But with as little time as they had, it seemed to Rath the equivalence of teaching a youngling how to pull the trigger on a heavy repeating blaster.
What Elaiza had said to Rath weighed heavily on his mind, though. Tried as he might, he couldn’t get the thoughts out of his head, as he tinkered with the new weapon he had been designing. Everything he thought he knew had been turned upside down. And now, he wasn’t sure of anything.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted, however, by a loud voice emanating from outside the ship.
“Captain Twil, we have you surrounded. Come out of the ship, and face me, now!”
Checking one of the external cams on the ship, Rath could see some sort of cybernetically enhanced humanoid with seven large, well-armed troopers of unknown origin, two of which were prepping mortar launchers aimed directly at the ship. In addition, several docking clamps were lowering down onto the Sovereign, ensuring that if they even tried to escape, the ship would be torn to pieces.
“Rath, see if you can hack into those security clamps, gain access, and when I give the word, get them off my ship!” Twil began barking orders, “Idozzi, R5, get on the turrets! Zanroy, Draven, you’re with me!”
“Wait, Twil!” Draven shouted back, “I know him.”
Twil stopped dead in his tracks, “What?”
“I know him.” Draven repeated, “He’s the guy that gave me information to go to Cloud City, but, I thought he was dead.”
“Is he friend or foe?”
“I’m not sure.” Draven replied.
“Ok then. You hold back, and I’ll see what he wants.” Twil then opened the boarding ramp, and slowly began to exit, holding his hands in the air. “Hey there!” He began, exuding pheromones, “First off, who are you?”
“Give me the Arkanian, Captain Twil. I don’t care about you or your crew. Just give me the Arkanian.”
“What’s an Arkanian?” Twil asked, genuinely confused.
“Don’t play dumb with me Captain. Hand him over!”
“Ok, well, firstly, can I ask for a name?”
The cybernetic man let out a sigh, “I believe he calls himself, Draven.”
“Ah,” Twil replied, “Well, I meant, can I ask your name. I kinda like to know who it is that’s pointing guns at me and my ship, makes things a little more pleasant.”
The man almost growled, “You may call me the Doctor.”
“Okay, Doctor, why do you want Draven, is there something we can help you with? I’m not too keen on handing over one of my crew members for no reason.”
“He is mine.” The Doctor replied, viciously.
“Twil.” Draven interrupted, walking out on the boarding ramp. Immediately, all the troopers’ guns were aimed at Draven. “It’s ok. I don’t think he means me any harm. And he might be able to answer more questions about me. Everyone else that knew me is dead. He might be my only lead.”
Before he let Twil respond or protest in any way, Draven began walking down the boarding ramp, heading towards the Doctor.
“When will he be returned to us?” Twil asked.
“In my time.” The Doctor hissed.
As Draven grew closer, however, the Doctor’s body language shifted considerably. He almost seemed happy, to Twil. The Doctor then awkwardly embraced Draven, hugging him. Draven did not respond in kind.
Without another word, the Doctor began escorting Draven back into the city of Taelucema, the troopers following at a distance. Then, finally, the docking clamps were released. And all was as it was.
“Captain Twil, what was that all about?” A new voice asked.
Twil spun his head, to see Venlana Sipal approaching the Sovereign, “I have no idea.” Twil replied, shaking his head. His mood immediately changed then as Venlana began walking up the ramp. “Come on in!”
Twil escorted Venlana into the hot tub room, to discuss business.
“You have a hot tub on this ship?” Venlana asked, shocked.
“Of course!” Twil replied, “How about a dip?”
“Oh, I really shouldn’t.” Venlana replied coyly.
“Oh come on.” Twil goaded her.
Venlana quickly relented, and before long, the two were in the tub, sipping drinks R5 had brought to them on some sort of rudimentary drink tray, while music and a light show was playing in the background.
“This is all wonderful, Captain, but we really need to discuss business now.” Venlana said, almost reluctantly.
Twil sighed, filling the room with his pheromones, “If you insist.”
“So, we’ve got a ground crew on Ord Mantell right now, they’ve discovered that the Sorority is definitely on planet, somewhere. But they’re not sure where. They do know that there is someone there that can give you the answers you need. Who that person is, I don’t know, you’ll have to meet with one of our men on planet. He’ll meet you at the Worlport spaceport.”
“That all sounds good.” Twil replied, “But I’ve got to ask you, why are you doing this? You’ve already admitted that you’re a part of the Sorority, what do you gain from this?”
Venlana took a moment to respond, “I just know that I could do it so much better than her. The Queen rules the Sorority with an iron fist, she treats us like garbage. If I were in charge, it’d be so much better.”
“And if I help you take control. What about us?” Twil asked, “Would my company and crew be safe from the Sorority?”
“I think we could work something out.” Venlana said, coyly, clearly infatuated with Twil. “But for now, I really must be going, before Tyber gets suspicious.”
The two said their goodbyes, and Twil began barking orders again, to get the ship ready for takeoff.
The next few days were uneventful as the ship flew through hyperspace. They were on their way to Ord Mantell, but first, there was the matter of dropping off Elaiza. Twil had wanted to make sure that she was left on a safe planet. Rath made the suggestion of Ithor, it was on the way, and it was a relatively peaceful place.
Once they had arrived at their destination, it was time to say goodbye to Elaiza. Twil, Zanroy, and Idozzi were at the boarding ramp, while Rath held back a ways.
“Well Elaiza, you’ve been quite a character. You’ve caused us a lot of headaches, but have also been such a great help to all of us.” Twil said, “I know it’s not much, but I’d like to make sure you have at least a little something to help you on your way.” He then pulled out a credit stick for 2,000 credits, and handed it to Elaiza.
Not expecting this at all, Elaiza suspiciously accepts the credits. “Thank you, Captain.”
Twil then pulled Elaiza in for a hug, yet another action Elaiza did not expect. Twil then whispered something to the old Jedi that the others couldn’t hear.
After they were through, Idozzi hugged Elazia as well, thanking her.
Just as she was about to leave, Zanroy spoke up, “Wait. You never told us your full name.”
Again, taken aback, Elaiza responded, “Well, I’m not sure why it matters at this point. But, you can remember me as Elaiza Ren.” She then headed down the boarding ramp, with her children, but turned back one last time to add, “May the Force be with you all.”
Zanroy and Twil both bowed in respect, while Idozzi waved goodbye. Rath, of course, remained stoic, not moving an inch until the boarding ramp had closed back up.
Rath remained in his chambers for the rest of the flight. It would be another day before they reached Ord Mantell. Even he could feel the melancholy air that pervaded throughout the ship. With Draven, Elaiza, and the twins gone, it was unusually quiet. And he knew that those losses would be affecting the very emotional Zeltron, Twil. But that wasn’t the cause for Rath’s own feelings of discomfort. The things Elazia said still echoed in his mind. The implications of what she said tore at him.
R5 then entered his room, informing him that the ship was nearing Ord Mantell. Rath stared at R5 for minutes on end, not saying a word. This confused the droid, but Rath said nothing in response to his probing.
Finally, he got to his feet. Realizing he no longer needed it, he took out the old blaster pistol he had stolen from the Kubaz spy years ago, and was about to put it away in his private locker.
R5 then beeped at Rath, asking for the blaster.
“Why do you want this?” Rath asked, suspiciously.
R5 beeped again, stating “Reasons.”
Rath looked at the droid with a look R5 knew all too well.
R5 beeped again, stating that he’d be more effective.
“You’re plenty effective already, buddy. Besides, you’ve already got a holdout blaster upgrade. You don’t need an extra blaster.”
R5 beeped again, angrily. Letting loose a volley of droid curse words.
Rath raised an eyebrow, “You really think that’s gonna work on me?”
R5 angrily bumped Rath’s shin before leaving the room.
“Hmm.” Rath mused to himself, removing the pistol from the locker, before heading to rejoin the rest of the crew.
As the crew disembarked at Worlport, Twil was greeted at the ramp by a very large Trandoshan. “Docking fee.” He greeted Twil, indifferently.
“How much?” Twil asked.
“Depends on how long you’re gonna be here.” The Trandoshan responded.
“Well,” Twil thought to himself, “I think that’ll probably be two days.”
“That’ll be 500 credits per day, then.” The Trandoshan replied.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Twil interjected. “That is one steep fee! Does that include, like, full fuel and a wash or something?”
The Trandoshan immediately perked up, “I don’t think you understand, Captain. That fee is for your protection.”
“Ah, I see. It’s that kind of a spaceport, eh? What’s your name?” Twil asked.
“Security.” The Trandoshan answered brusquely.
“Okay, Mr. Security,” Twil began, “How about I buy you your favorite case of beer, and we cut down that fee, and you fuel my ship?”
The Trandoshan eyed Twil suspiciously, “Hey, JR!” He called back behind him to a droid. “Do Zeltrons lie?”
The droid spent some time processing the question, before answering, “Unknown.”
“What are you trying to pull, Zeltron?” The Trandoshan asked angrily.
Before Twil could respond, Vexx walked out to the top of the boarding ramp, “Captain Twil, before you go, the ship is in desperate need of some supplies.” Vexx announced.
The Trandoshan’s focus immediately went to Vexx, “Captain, you have a Vexx unit?!”
“Uh… yeah.” Twil responded, slightly confused.
“I had one of those growing up!” The Trandoshan exclaimed, “Captain, if you let me talk to your droid, I’ll waive the docking fees and refuel your ship for 200 credits!”
“Umm… Okay.” Twil responded confused.
Without a second thought, the Trandoshan ran up the boarding ramp, and began sniffing Vexx, “He even smells like my old droid!” He called out, happily.
Deeply disturbed, but not wanting to ask any more questions, Twil and crew headed towards the spaceport exit. Twil made a comm to R5, “Make sure he doesn’t get on our ship, or take Vexx.”
R5 responded by sending a private message to Rath, “Bet you wish you’d given me that blaster now, jerk.”
Rath just shook his head in response.
Before long, the crew was greeted by a Toydarian, “You must be Twil.” He said.
“Yes I am!” Twil greeted the Toydarian, “You must be Venlana’s contact.”
“Sure am. Now, the place you’re gonna want to go is in the Jewel District. When you get there, a drop off man will give you security passes. Use these to get into the most lavish casino in the jewel district. This casino is owned by a Herglic named Illo Vandin. Vandin owns a majority of the casinos on Ord Mantell, and is a very powerful man. But, rumor has it that he has information on the whereabouts of the Pirate Queen. Oh, and one more thing. Weapons are not allowed in the Jewel District. You’d be wise to follow this rule. Vandin doesn’t like it when people don’t follow his rules.” With that, the Toydarian left, without another word.
Deciding to take his advice, Twil and crew headed back to the ship to drop off their weaponry. While Twil disarmed completely, Zanroy was more suspicious; he left his gun, but kept his lightsaber hidden, along with a concealed vibroblade. Meanwhile, Rath technically had no guns to speak of, thanks to his new invention classifying as a tool, not a gun. So, with that the crew was good to go.
Twil hailed a taxi, and they rode to the Jewel District. There, they met their second contact. The man was nondescript, wearing simple coveralls. Rath noticed, however, that he did have a concealed holdout blaster. He handed Twil an envelope with the passes inside, and then he left.
The four then entered the Jewel District and reached the casino. On arrival, they were forced to go through a rudimentary security pat down. It was largely uneventful, except for Twil. The man that was to check him refused to do so, calling over another security officer. “That’s all we need around here.” He grumbled, “More Zeltrons.”
Twil shrugged off the remark and the four made their way to Illo Vandin’s private office.
The room reeked of opulence, gilded walls, the finest of furniture, and a ridiculously large aquarium containing several fish, including one particularly large carnivore.
Not long after arriving, the Herglic, Illo Vandin, entered the room. “Ah! You must be Capatin Twil!” Vandin greeted them, jovially.
“Yes, I am.” Twil answered, “I understand you have information on the Pirate Queen.”
“Indeed I do, Captain, but nothing is free here in the jewel district.” He said with a sly smile.
“Ah, I see.” Twil replied, “A little I scratch your back, you scratch mine?”
The Herglic laughed, “I like you Captain. You understand business. And by the looks of you, you also understand how to enjoy the finer things in life.”
“Of course!” Twil replied.
“But your… companions.” Vandin continued, “I mean, honestly, look at them. So serious. They don’t know how to enjoy the finer things in life.” Vandin then walked straight up to Zanroy. “You know, Captain. I don’t like it when people don’t trust me. Tell me, do you trust me?”
“Enough.” Zanroy answered curtly.
“Hmph.” Vandin snapped his fingers together, suddenly, two burly men, carrying a sack with some sort of squirming creature, entered the room. “I hate people that don’t know how to enjoy the finer things in life captain.” He then watched as the men deposited the creature into a tube, near the aquarium. With the push of a button, the creature was sucked down the tube and out of site. Vandin then put an arm around Twil and led him to the aquarium, looking upwards, gesturing Twil to do the same.
As they looked up, Twil saw the creature being dropped in the aquarium. “I trust you’re a man that can appreciate the finer thigs in life.” Vandin said, as they watched the poor creature get devoured by the large carnivorous fish.
“Alright.” Twil said, taking the Hergllic’s arm off his shoulder. “You can stop with the scare tactics. They don’t work on me. I’m a man of business. I enjoy making money. And I trust you enjoy making money too. So, let’s get down to business.”
Vandin let out a low laugh. “Very well captain. In order for me to give you the information you seek. I require you to do a simple job for me. Deliver this package to my contact in Rusty Reach, located in the Scrapyards.” Vandin then produced a small package wrapped in thick blue plastic, covered in anti-tampering security tape.
Twil took the package, and said, “Oh, is that all?” May I ask what’s inside?”
“Now, now captain. Do you ask all of your customers what’s inside every package you ship?”
“I see.” Twil replied, “Sure, we’ll take care of this.”
“Very good, Captain. When I receive confirmation that the deed has been done, you will get the information you seek.” Vandin, along with his men, then left the office the way they came.
“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Rath said, once Vandin and his goons were gone.
“Yeah.” Twil agreed, quickly ushering the others outside.
Once the four were back in city proper, they returned to the ship to retrieve their weaponry. When they arrived, they found that “Mr. Security” was sitting on the ramp, with Vexx, rubbing Vexx’s shoulders. Deeply disturbed, the crew asked no questions, and headed back into the ship to get their guns.
They then rented a speeder to head off into the Scrapyards, a colossal junkyard that covered a good portion of the planet. They had the coordinates of Rusty Reach, but the terrain was difficult to traverse. They took the speeder as far as they could, but eventually reached a point where they had to walk on foot.
As they traveled, they encountered a group of junkers being attacked by two very large, club wielding Savrips. Not knowing what the situation was, and not particularly caring, the four decided to go around the encounter, with little difficulty.
Rusty Reach was within sight at this point, but they needed to travel through a canyon of junk first. As the entered, they were greeted by yet another Savrip. There was no avoiding this one.
Realizing their situation, and eager to finally see some action, Zanroy fired off a shot from his blaster, hitting the Savrip square in the shoulder. Enraged, the Savrip began to charge at Zanroy, seeing this, Rath took the opportunity to field test his new weapon. Setting it to the acid cartridge, he pulled the trigger and let the acidic goo fly. It covered the Savrip’s body and face, burning him horribly, while entangling him in the sticky substance. Twil, then took aim, but missed completely, striking a mountain of garbage next to the large creature. This caused debris of all sorts to come toppling down, including a very sharp piece of scrap metal that bore directly through the Savrip’s skull, killing him instantly.
“Well, that worked out nicely.” Twil remarked happily.
Just then the four heard three very loud thudding sounds as three more Savrips jumped down into the canyon, ready to attack the crew of the Sovereign…
