The Set Up

Chapter II |The Jewel of Yavin | Episode V | 9/?/2016

Much had been discussed and planned the night before. The plan was laid out to use the strengths of everyone in the crew. Twil would spend the day scouting out potential cloud car drivers to assist in the Cloud City Grand Prix, and then in the evening, in the accompaniment of Idozzi and Aris Shen, attempt to schmooze the other bidders participating in the auction, in an attempt to learn more about them. If he could find the right mark, and if he played his cards right, Twil was certain he’d be able to get the bidding high enough to make even a Hutt blush.

It was decided Zanroy would be the one to actually pull off the physical heist itself, so, his task was to scout out the Figg & Associates Museum, where the auction was being held, and where the Jewel of Yavin currently resided. He would also scout out the neighboring businesses’ buildings, for potential ways of getting into the museum.

Dealing with his bounty contract from the day before would also take top priority for Zanroy. The bounty hunter was contracted to kill Zekra Fol, one of the potential bidders. Unbeknownst to his client, Zekra Fol was in fact Tirsia Lek an undercover agent of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). Zanroy decided that an ISB agent snooping around them would be detrimental to their cause. But it would be going against all Bounty Hunter’s Guild protocol to kill an agent of the Empire, he would need more time to figure out this particular issue.

Meanwhile, It was tasked to Rath to handle all technological security obstacles in the group’s way. He would need to gain access to the museum’s security camera’s, get information on patrol routes, and deactivate any other measures set to deter thieves. Having heard that all of Cloud City was under the watch of a particularly powerful android, Rath knew that he had to even the odds.

“First, I’ll need a cybernetic brain implant.” Rath said to Twil, as all the crew were gathered together in the Sovereign.

“I’m sorry, what?” Twil asked, taken aback.

“Cloud City is under tight scrutiny of a powerful android, if you expect me to be able to hack into the city’s systems, screw with their security measures, and finally hack into the banking clan’s accounts to transfer funds into shell accounts, that’s going to take some serious power. I’m good, but I’m not that good. Not yet.” Rath explained.

“Okay.” Twil trailed off.

“When we were buying my stealth tech, I noticed another shop down the way. They should have the goods we need. And I’ve already asked around. Apparently there’s an extremely skilled doctor here in Cloud City. He’s one of the best in the galaxy. And for something like this we need the best. If something goes wrong. I’m dead.” Rath continued, “And if it’s not done quickly, I won’t be able to pull this off in time.”

Knowing time was of the essence, Twil didn’t bother to argue with Rath. He knew the risks, and if he was willing to try, then they’d try. The two quickly made their way to the shop Rath described. The proprietor was a very attractive young Twi’lek, which Twil smooth talked until she was completely under his spell. She gave Twil a highly advanced Aj^6 Cybernetic Implant, at an incredible rate.

With implant in hand, Rath and Twil headed to the surgeon’s. The doctor was a very large human with a penchant for humor. Twil enjoyed the man’s attitude, and enjoyed even more how uncomfortable Rath was around him. With a little talking and a little pheromone excretion, Twil was able to talk down the price, and move up the surgery time.

With Rath in hands of the good doctor, it was time for Twil to prepare for the coming days. First, he had to find a good cloud car, or a good racer. It didn’t really matter which. Rath had done some digging the night before, and had mentioned that there was a cloud car tour company, Cloudscape Tours, run by one Babs Terll, on the plaza concourse. And rumor had it, that Babs’ husband, Merl, used to be Grand Prix champion, back in the day. With a little bit of searching, Twil was easily able to find the touring headquarters.

As he approached, he saw off to the side, the Cloudscape Tours’ garage, and a pair of legs, sticking out from a grounded cloud car. “Excuse me!” Twil shouted a greeting as he got closer.

The rest of the body of the man under the car quickly revealed itself, as the man rolled out from under the car, hydrospanner wrench in hand. “Yeah? What can I do ya for?” The old man asked, as he got to his feet.

“Hi, I’m Captain Twil Pin!” Twil began, “Are you by any chance, Merl Terll?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Merl answered.

“Perfect!” Twil exclaimed happily, beginning to exude pheromones, “You’re just the man I’ve been looking for! I understand you used to be quite the cloud car racer, even won a Grand Prix or two.”

“Oh yeah…” Merl replied, lost in nostalgic thought, “Those were good days, back then. But I haven’t done that in a long ol’ time.”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard.” Twil continued, “But here’s a thought, what if you came out of retirement, just for one day. Relive the glory days!”

Merl gave Twil an odd look, “What’re you gettin’ at, Mr. Pin?”

“Okay, I’ll be honest with you Merl, because I like you. I need to get into the Grand Prix, because the grand prize, aside from a good stack of credits, is an entry into the big auction happening in a couple days. And I need to get into that auction. The only problem is, I’m not much of a racer, and I don’t have a cloud car.”

“Sorry, Mr. Pin.” Merl cut him off, “I don’t do that no more.”

“Oh come on.” Twil goaded the man, “Just think of how great it would be, to relive the glory one last time. To feel the rush of excitement as you fly through the skies and hear the roar of the crowd!”

Twil could see a sparkle in the eye of the old man, he knew he was close, he just needed to put him over the top, “I’ll tell ya what, you help me out, and I’ll let you have all of the prize money. I’m only interested in the auction pass.”

“Hrmm…” Merl thought long and hard about the offer. “Okay, if you can convince my wife to let me, I’ll do it.”

“Great!” Twil said, excited.

The two then went inside the building to talk with Merl’s wife, Babs. When Merl said “wife,” Twil figured he was in. There wasn’t a woman in this galaxy that could resist the charms of Captain Twil Pin. Then he met Babs.

“Hey darlin’, I’d like ya to meet someone. This here is Captain Twil Pin.” Merl hollered over to the middle-aged woman behind the counter, “He’s got a proposition for us.”

Twil greeted the woman, and laid out his offer to the somewhat haggard woman, who didn’t say a word or blink an eye, until Twil had finished speaking.

“So, let me get this straight.” She began, “You want my fool husband to risk his life in that death trap race, for you, and we’ll get a few credits in return?”

“Well, it’s more than a few…” Twil began.

“No way.” Babs cut him off. “I don’t care what you say, Captain. It ain’t happenin’. Good day to ya now.” She said, waving him away.

Dejected and more than a little shocked, Twil left, unsure of how that went so poorly. He spent the next few minutes thinking what he was going to do next. Without that race, there would be no auction.

It was then that he heard a hushed yell coming from around the corner, “Hey, Captain!”

Twil turned to see Merl, poking out from around the building, waving him over. Intrigued, Twil quickly headed over. “Now, I know I’m gonna be in hot water for this.” Merl began, “But what you said just sounded too good to me.”

“Wait, are you saying you’re in?” Twil asked, excitedly.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Captain Twil.” Merl replied proudly, “But if you want any chance of winning this thing, we’re gonna need to get my rig in better shape. She ain’t seen a race in some time.”

“Oh, for sure.” Twil said, “Just give me a list of all the parts you need, and I’ll take care of it.”

Merl and Twil then discussed everything that would be needed to get the cloud car in tip top shape for the race. And planned to leave the car at the Grand Prix overnight, where Twil would have the repairs taken care of, away from the watchful eye of Babs.

Next on Twil’s to do list: if he was going to schmooze the upper echelon of Cloud City, he had to look the part…

While Twil was off gallivanting around Cloud City, Zanroy had real matters to attend to. He had tried to get an audience with “Zekra Fol” at the OREMC (Outer Rim Exploratory Mining Corps.) Cloud City branch, but was quickly shown the door. Whether the man behind the counter knew her real identity or not, it was made clear that Zanroy didn’t belong there. It’s possible that Tirsia had warned the company about him when the two had their run in the other day.

“Guess we do this the hard way.” Zanroy grunted to himself, as he surveyed the surrounding area.

Not far from the OREMC building, Zanroy spotted a public balcony, with just enough cover to stay there without drawing any attention to himself. He knew he had other issues to deal with, but talking with Tirsia Lek was his top priority, so, he made his way up to the balcony, and waited.

Twil spent the better part of the late morning scanning the ritziest clothing boutiques in all of Cloud City. Finally, he found one particular store that had exactly what he was looking for, “Threadborn.” On display, in the middle of the store, was the most luxurious jacket Twil had ever laid eyes on.

“Hello, hello!” A voice from behind cheerfully greeted him.

Twil turned to see an impeccably dressed Lutrillian standing behind him, arms open wide, with a few small Ugnaughts standing behind him. With bravado, the Lutrillian began, “Welcome to my humble estrablishment. I am Solomahal, designer and proprietor of Threadborn.”

“Solomahal!” Twil replied, “So good to meet you! My name is Captain Twil, I’ve been searching all over Cloud City for a clothing store with enough taste and grandeur to fit my needs, and then I spotted this amazing jacket here.”

“Ah.” Solomahal began, “You, my friend are a Zeltron of impeccable taste. I am impressed that it caught your eye so quickly. That jacket is a design of my own making. The very threads themselves are weaved together with cortosis ore, specially melted down to make a fabric that is breathable, comfortable, and more durable than any other cloth (and most armors) on the market today! One of a kind, yes, it is very rare indeed.”

“Cortosis-weaved, huh?” Twil said, eyeing the jacket, “Well, Solomahal, I am impressed. I am in need of something like this, and I would love the chance to premier it tonight, at the Three Beldons Buffet.”

Solomahal’s ears perked up at the mention of that particular restaurant, knowing only the most wealthy and influential people in the galaxy dined at the establishment. “That would be quite the place for this fine garment to finally make it’s debut.” The Lutrillian mused, “Hmm. I could let it go for as little as, say… 16,000 credits.”

“Whoa!” Twil replied, taken back by the price, “I understand the work you must have put into this jacket, but that seems just a little steep, my friend.”

An idea then clicked in Twil’s head. “You know, Solomahal, I can tell that you are an expert at your craft. Your sense of style is clearly second to none. I myself have always had an interest in the fashion industry, being a Zeltron of fine taste, as you can see. So, I’d like to propose this. I’ll pay 8,000 credits for this magnificent garment, however, in addition to that, you and I go into business together. I am a trader by profession. I could get your products out into the entire galaxy, and with this beauty, I can show potential buyers just how great your stuff really is. You profit, I profit, it’s a win win situation.”

The Lutrillian thought long and hard about the proposal offered to him, before letting loose a very wide smile, “Captain Twil, you have yourself a deal. If you prove yourself over the next few days, I will happily go into business with you!”

The two shook on it, and Twil handed over the credits. Before he could say or do anything else, Solomahal turned his attention to his Ugnaught workers, and barked orders at them in a language Twil didn’t recognize. Instantly, the Ugnaughts were swarming Twil, getting measurements and fitting the jacket to him, on the spot. Next thing Twil knew, he was wearing the cortosis-weave jacket, looking more stylish than he had ever dreamed.

“Thank you so much, Solomahal!” Twil said, leaving the store, “I’ll be in touch!”

A mere three hours after going under the knife, Rath slowly opened his eyes. What he saw both overwhelmed and empowered him. A holographic heads up display, that only he could see, was laid out before him. As he drew closer to the conscious realm, he could feel the effects of the implant taking hold. It was an indescribable feeling. His mind was working at a capacity he had never known before. Every moment of his existence could be recalled in vivid detail. Every piece of information he had ever learned was there for him in an instant, like looking something up on the holonet of his life.

Rath couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he realized the power this implant would provide him, and the endless possibilities that were now available to him.

“I take it you are pleased, Mr. Rath?”

Rath looked up to see the overweight, jovial human doctor standing to one side of him.

“Very pleased, Doctor. You do excellent work.” Rath answered.

“I must say, I’ve never worked on one of your kind before, so I wasn’t sure how your body would take to the implant. But you’ve recovered far faster than any patient I’ve ever had. You really are quite the remarkable specimen.”

Rath let out a short laugh, “Thank you Doctor.”

“Well, as long as you’re feeling alright, I see no medical reason to keep you here any longer than you need to be. If you ever have any other surgical needs, I certainly hope to see you again.” With that, the human said his goodbyes and left the room.

As Rath stood, a small med droid came rolling into his room, and handed him a complimentary vacuum sealed warm towel. “Uh, thanks.” Rath said, slightly confused, as the droid rolled away. Shrugging, he put the packaged towel into his backpack, and got dressed.

Once outside, Rath knew the first place he needed to go, Kerros Tower, the administrative hub for all of Cloud City. As he neared, Rath activated his stealth tech and slipped inside the building, unnoticed. While certain areas of Kerros Tower were indeed open to the public, Rath wanted to leave no trace of him ever being there.

The Chiss slyly made his way up a few levels of the tower, reaching a set of administrative offices. Knowing any administrative computer would do, he deftly sliced the nearest locked office, and activated the terminal within. Deciding to test out his implant’s new features, Rath didn’t even touch the keys, as he remotely accessed the computer. All the information he needed was instantly brought up in the HUD before his eyes. With ease, he found blueprints of the Figg Hall Museum, along with any other neighboring businesses. With the files downloaded, Rath cleaned any trace of digital evidence he was there; and just as quietly as he got in, he left, without incident.

Once out in the streets of Cloud City, well away from Kerros Tower, Rath let out a short chuckle, as he deactivated his stealth tech. He had just undermined Lobot, the powerful cyborg network administrator that oversaw the entire city. Yes, he could tell he was going to like this new implant.

Safely away from Kerros Tower, Rath made a call to Twil over comms, “Twil, I got the blueprints.” He greeted.

“Wait. What? You’re already out of the hospital?” Twil’s voice replied, clearly baffled.

“Apparently my body took well to the implant.” Rath answered, “So what’s the situation?”

“We’re good to go on the race. But we’re going to need some parts. I’ll send you a list of the things we need, along with a credit transfer. You think you can get them installed tonight? The cloud car belongs to that Merl guy you told me about, we’ve left it at the race track overnight.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” Rath replied as he read the list that Twil had sent, “I’ll take care of it after Zanroy and I finish staking out the museum. I’m heading over there to meet him now.”

“Alright, let me know if you need any help on my end.” Twil added, before logging off the comm.

“I’ve got the ‘prints, meet me at the museum.”

Zanroy finished reading the message and was now gazing over the nearly empty walkways. Frustrated that he had wasted most of the day, Tirsia had not shown her face.

With more pressing matters to attend to, the bounty hunter reluctantly left his perch, and headed off towards Figg Hall.

“Looks like the place closes in an hour.” Rath greeted Zanroy as he approached, “Make sure you get what you need in that time frame.”

Zanroy nodded as the two walked inside.

“Welcome to Figg Hall.” An extremely bored looking human docent greeted the two, while slumped over the counter.

Neither one gave much of a response other than a curt nod. Zanroy decided to wander the museum. Pretending to examine the exhibits, while in reality, scoping out any security threats and potential escape routes.

After wandering some time, he finally spotted the Jewel of Yavin, on display in the back room. It was huge, and beautiful. He almost felt like the Jewel was calling to him, pulling him in.

Shaking the cobwebs from his mind, he resumed his patrol, taking mental notes of everything he could see.

Meanwhile, Rath was still in the museum lobby. Pretending to be fascinated with some pamphlet handout he took from a shelf by the main desk. In reality, he was eyeing the computer terminal nearby the depressingly bored docent. It was a simple enough system, should be fairly easy to crack. But the problem was the docent would notice the activity right away, remote access or not.

But then he had an idea. And he stepped outside the museum to make a call.

“What do you mean, a distraction?” Twil asked, slumped over the captain's chair of the Sovereign.

“Any kind of distraction.” Rath replied, “I just need someone to get that guy away from his computer for a few minutes. I don’t care if you hire a stripper-gram, like back on Mos Shutta, just think of something.” Rath then ended the call.

“Hmm…” Twil thought to himself, then began laughing uncontrollably.

Many minutes had passed, and Rath was getting uneasy. No matter how bored the docent was, eventually, he would get suspicious of Rath simply standing around in the lobby for that long. Just then, chaos broke out.

Bursting through the front doors of the museum was some sort of human, dressed in a Wookie costume, carrying dozens of balloons. The bizarre creature then let the balloons fly all over the small lobby, and he began singing and dancing for the docent.

The docent immediately began to lose it. Yelling and screaming as if his life was in danger, he tried to get the thing out of his museum.

Rath didn’t waste a second, as he quickly gained access to the computer from across the room, he was able to download detailed security patrol routes and found access to the camera systems. He didn’t have enough time to alter those, but he knew he would be able to the day of the auction.

Having what they both needed, Zanroy and Rath left the building, and the irate docent.

Evening was upon them, Twil was dressed in finery, with Idozzi on one arm, and Aris Shen on the other. The three made their gallant way to the finest restaurant on Cloud City, the Three Beldons Buffet. Aris had mentioned that at least some of the bidders could surely be found there, and so, this would be Twil’s best chance to learn about some of the guests.

Upon arrival at the beautifully ritzy restaurant, Aris quickly spotted her husband, Vorse Tabarith, sitting at a table near the back. Not wanting to cause Twil any trouble, she quickly asked for a rain check, and fled the building.

Disheartened, but not swayed from the task at hand, Twil took Idozzi to their reserved table nearby the other bidder, Kaltho the Hutt. The two watched both Vorse and Kaltho closely, examining their behaviors.

Kaltho seemed more interested in eating course after course of food, than anything else. A personal chef Ortolan, constantly running from Kaltho’s table to the kitchens, and back.

Vorse on the other hand, was much more subdued. His attention was kept solely on the female dinner companions he had at his table.

After sizing up both bidders, Twil took a chance at talking with both of them. It wasn’t long at all before he was in the good graces of Kaltho the Hutt, and just to push Vorse over the edge, he suggested the three of them throw a party at Vorse’s casino, the Pair O’ Dice. With Twil’s remarkable power of persuasion, he soon had the entire restaurant in a rabid froth, eager to party with this enigmatic Zeltron.

As Zanroy and Rath were heading back to the Sovereign, discussing the next steps of the operation, they were interrupted by an extremely loud raucous being caused by a large group of people across the way. As they peered in that direction, they could see Twil, dancing and yelling, leading the most bizarre parade of sentient beings either of them had ever seen.

After exchanging looks of bewilderment, they both agreed to follow the crowd at a safe distance.

Idozzi was amazed at what had happened, and how it happened so suddenly. One minute she and Twil were enjoying a nice meal, and now, suddenly, there was a huge party going on at the casino, with Twil front and center, singing songs and dancing on stage.

It wasn’t all for nothing though. The party had attracted a great deal of curiosity, and Idozzi was able to find a number of the bidders. Try as she might though, she wasn’t able to get as much information as she wanted. Most were either not very forthcoming, or were just too distracted by the party to talk.

She did notice that, of the bidders, the old woman, and the one known as Zekra Fol, were noticeably absent.

“Listen here you bounty hunter trash, you work for the Empire. Which means you work for me.” Tirsia Lek yelled in a hush whisper to Zanroy, both of whom had left the party after Zanroy had found her, now standing in a dark alleyway.

“Marus Grayson is a traitor to the Empire. And you are going to help me kill him.” She continued.

Zanroy gave the woman a long, cold stare before responding, “Yeah, sure, as long as I get paid.”

Tirsia let out an audible scoff, “Make sure he doesn’t make it to the auction. Or we’ll be coming after you next.”

Zanroy continued to watch the woman as she left the alleyway in a huff. He knew what he had to do now. And killing Marus Grayson wasn’t it.

It was the wee hours of the morning before the party finally died down. Exhausted, Twil was about to head out for the Soveriegn, when he was stopped by the casino owner, Vorse Tabarith.

“Captain Twil, I want to thank you for what you’ve done tonight.” Vorse began, “You brought a lot of business my way with this little impromptu party.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure!” Twil said, while wiping sweat from his brow.

“Regardless, I’m setting you up in my luxury suite. On the house!” Vorse replied, giving Twil a hard pat on the back. He then led Twil to where the suite was located.

“Enjoy your stay!” Vorse called out, making his way down the hall and out of sight.

Upon opening the doors, Twil was in shock. It was, by far, the nicest room he had ever set foot in. He quickly sent a message to the others, informing them of what recently transpired, and then collapsed on the cushy bed, immediately falling asleep.

It was very late, but Rath still had work to do. With parts and tools in hand, he made his way to the Cloud City Grand Prix racetrack. Just as he approached the gates, however, he was ambushed from behind, knocked to the ground.

As he quickly, and angrily, got back to his feet, he spun around to see a strangely white humanoid standing before him.

“Uh, hey!” The white creature greeted him.

“What?” Rath asked bewildered, “You knock me down, and then say ‘hi?’ Do you have a death wish?”

“Sorry! Wait!” He yelled out, holding his hands up in the air, “Hear me out. I need your help.”

Rath glared in response.

“Look, I overheard that pink guy talking to that old dude about racing, so he could get into the auction. The thing is, I need to get into the auction too. So, I figured, maybe if I help you win the race, you let me come with you all into the auction.”

“Why do you want in?” Rath asked, curtly.

“There’s someone there that I need to talk to, Marus Grayson.”

“And why do you need to talk to him?”

“I don’t know.”

“Come again?”

“I’ve lost my memory. But a… friend, told me to come here, and to find this Marus Grayson guy. Because he knows something about me.”

Rath eyed the strange man, in an attempt to discern whether he was telling the truth or not. Finally he commed Twil, and explained the situation.

“Okay.” Rath said, handing over the parts, “Twil says if you’re able to fix the race, you can come to the auction with him. What’s your name?”

“Draven. That’s about all I know.”

“Okay, Draven… be here before the race tomorrow morning. The car had better be fixed up by then. And the other cars, well… It’d be just fine if they weren’t, if you catch my drift.” With that, Rath left the strange man to do his job, and headed back to the Sovereign, eager to put the day behind him.