Session 3: Nepata (Another Blunder)

(1 advantage 1 success 1 triumph / 2 threat 1 failure) as (1 success 1 threat 1 triumph)

Hailey muses curiously over the Ubese helmet. "Is this really the best you lovely ladies have to offer? I suppose I was hoping to see something... a little more exciting."

"Um... make sure she has a communicator and please try to keep them out of trouble"
Boris ear twitches. He heads to the Shop keeper.
"Do you have any books on the rise and fall of the Jedi Order. I am currently doing a research project on ancient civilizations."

Jowmum searches the entire market doing his retcon shopping before he finds himself in, as irony would have it, the clothing shop and finds Tali and Hailey goofing off in the clothing shop. He get's Tali's attention while Hailey probes the Roswell sisters shopkeepers.

Boris has found a selection of books next door and thinks you will want to take a look.

Tali tries to keep a  straight face, but her eyes sparkle with curiosity at what Hailey's query will uncover.

To Jowmum
Yeah thanks for the info, I'll be over in a few minutes.

Uses datapad to message JM
Here's my info, if you didn't hack it already.

and says through the comm-link
this works too.

My apologies,

*in a whisper, so only Tali can hear*

but I recently picked up some spyware bug from the holonet. More on that later, but Boris is getting some tech books that we can use to finish flushing it from my system.

*Normal*

I noticed a book on freighter repair to keep your ship in top shape.

*Frowns a little*
I know how to fix a spaceship, but that could come in handy, for wiring diagrams if nothing else.
*Does a full spin about, smiles*
But I do appreciate the thoughtfulness.
*Pats JM's dome looking for the fuzzy spot she could of sworn she felt earlier*

Hmm... Oh well...
Turns to see what Hailey has found.

*Wobbles back and forth impatiently*

This feeling is worse than a restraining bolt.

The shop keeper raises his eyebrows slightly at  Boris' request... "While I'm sure your interest is purely academic, that is a very dangerous thing to be researching at these times... But what is very strange is that you are the second person today to ask for that material... " His eyes narrow and he looks at Boris with a mixture of caution, suspicion, and curiosity as he weighs whether or not Boris is trustworthy...

Boris looks surprised.
"Sorry it was major factor in galactic civilization for centuries. Unfortunately, due to the purges most of the information relating to such has been lost. Mandilorian history is much easier to find. Did you say that someone else was looking for this information? Did he have any information? More importantly did he look dangerous?"
Boris asks a little nervously.

"I've already said too much... Yes, sadly, much of the lore has been lost... But as I said before, it's safest not to look to closely into such things, if you take my meaning..." He lowers his voice a bit... "We don't see many Bothans here on Nar Shadaa... What is your business, here, if I may ask? Just passing through? I think not... Maybe you are a spy? Maybe for the Rebels, yes? Tell me about your ship. Is it fast? What do you know about archeology? Have you ever seen any force artifacts for yourself?"

[oops] sorry.. need to read more carefully....

In response to HAILEY'S question, the duros exchange nervous glances. They exchange whispered thoughts in their native tongue... ][Does she look Imperial?] [Well, no, but you never know, could be a spy][We could always shoot them and hide the bodies...][What if they have backup or allies?][We'll have to take a chance sometime. You can't just sit on a haul like this][OK, fine. But you better be right about this. I'm not about to sacrifice 20 years of good business to end up sitting in some Imperial prison. We may have good standing with the HUTTS, but even they couldn't pull us out if we botch this up...][OK. Just keep your blaster close]

"We may have something that interests you... Follow us..."


The twins lead Hailey and Talik to a darkened room at the back of the shop... But not dark enough that Hailey catches a white glint of armor in several boxes...

Is that what I think it is...?

"Laminate Armor (Storm trooper armor). No questions. But we assure it's genuine... 2,700 per set. Take it or leave it. That's our price."



Suddenly, Hailey and Talik feel blasters pressed against their necks from behind. The twins had help!

"And if you tell ANYONE and we mean ANYONE else where you got this we will hunt you down. Across the galaxy if need be.."


The "help" remove their blasters at a signal from the twins.

"Are we clear?"

"I may have seen a Force artifact or two but it is hard to tell whether they are fakes or not without having a force user. I have seen plenty of fakes though. We have a couple replicas back at the university. Actually, the ship booked passage on ran across Dohba on my way here so they decided to turn him in for the bounty. If you have time I can tell all kinds of stories about my attempts to do my research. It seems like every time I go some place ancestral feuds or lost spouses seem to crop up every time I am about to learn some piece of forgotten history. I have been shot twice in the last two days by Dohba's men who had nothing to do with my research. So you can see how my attempts at research are going."
Boris snorts.
"You know it might actually be safer to spy for the Rebels at least then I know who is coming for me."

Hailey thoughtfully pauses while Tali quietly pants. "As clear as a first class hit-man from half way across the galaxy. Yes, we understand perfectly." Hailey takes a deep breath. "Bit dusty in here. I take it you don't open that door too often. Please allow us to give you a token of our appreciation while I discuss this opportunity with my shipmate." She fishes through her purse and manages to remove two bejeweled rings and gives them to the sisters.

Hailey gently pulls Tali aside, but not out of sight. She whispers, low enough to be 'privet' but not so low as to disallow someone with sensitive ears or a sensitive recording device to listen in. "I think they're storm trooper uniforms. They could make fantastic disguises in case we ever needed cover. But there's obviously a lot of risk involved. If we get caught carrying these through Empire territory, well, that's the end of us... I say we pull our cash and buy one, then dismantle it for equipment or parts. We can paint it or something later if nothing else. What do you say?"

As the sisters take Tali and Hailey to the back of the shop, Jowmum tries to listen in. While he doesn't manage to get much of the conversation, he gets enough to become concerned.

*Message Boris for when he is done talking with the shopkeep*

Don't panic now, but I think Tali and Hailey may be getting ambushed by storm troopers.

Fate is dragging kicking and screaming toward a life of crime.
Whispering to Hailey
I suppose it would be prudent to act upon this opportunity, but you're the only one who could wear it semi-comfortably. You've been generous towards my goals, I'll reciprocate. 1700 credits flat. You negotiate the rest.

The shadow of a passing thought crosses Hailey's face, and she suddenly looks slightly nervous. "You know, the more I think about it, we should probably save our funds for more mundane trinkets. I for one don't plan on infiltrating the Imperial Army again any time soon."

Hailey turns towards the sisters, smiling sheepishly. "I must admit, I didn't know you had anything this exciting hidden in your back room. I'm afraid we'll have to pass this time, but if I hear of anyone in need of a fabulous new coat, I'll be sure to steer them your way. I am still interested in a fedora and a thermal blanket, though. Do you have any favorite brands?"

The twins snort in a mixture of (feigned) disgust and exhasperation... "Really... You seemed quite interested in that Ubese helmet, and if you want any better armor than that, this is the best you will find..." "Short of robbing a Mandalorian of his or her Beskar Gaam..." "But no one is that stupid..."  One of the twins addresses Talik: "Is your friend always so indecisive? She has wandered around our entire shop for roughly two Galactic standard hours, tried on half the outfits we have, somehow managed to get us to trust her enough to show you our rare haul, and you still haven't bought anything of value... I have half a mind to charge double for all the trouble you've caused us, and you're fortunate we like and trust you so much. Most other vendors around here probably would leave your carcasses in a trash compactor." Her twin turns to her "Hush, you! Do you want to get us reported? and no customer is going to buy when you treat them so rudely... I'm truly sorry, Miss. She can get that way sometimes... And we do appreciate the gift. You have no idea how many of these things we sell to the Jawas. And a few to the obnoxious, greedy aristocrat tourist who complains about our prices even though they could afford 10 times what we charge... Most are too sheltered to even realize they aren't real gems... You do realize these gems aren't real, right? Let's see...For the thermal blanket, one's really as good as another, though it comes down to the quality of the interior lining. Some tend to decay rather quickly, and others have fiberglass composites that can cause a rash... We tend to steer clear from both those brands here, of course... Galactica Manufacturing makes a pretty good one, that will cost you about fifty creds. For the fedora, Our top of the line is made from specially treated Ghest leather on Rodia. Water resistant, wide brim sure to keep you cool... Due to the unique hazards involved in their construction, 60 creds would be a bargain... If you can settle for a lesser product, we do have some straw hats, that will cost about 10 creds, but this Ghest-hide Fedora will last you a lifetime..." The other Duros tries one last tact on the laminate armor... "You know, storm troopers aren't the only ones who wear laminate... Just the most famous... We could paint it for you with a custom design to make it look like old clone trooper armor. Or even Beskaar Gaam to someone who's never seen real Beskaar... But it's your call... Yes, there will be an element of risk involved... But that's life... And I'm sure we could find a suit to fit the Twil'ek if you can do without the helmet..."

"Tali! I'm sure they have more than a couple of hired help."

Hailey turns to the sisters again. "My utmost apologies, ladies. It is part of my line of work to be foolishly curious, and I recently came across a job which would have been a lot easier if I'd had one of these at the time, but that business is over now, as I must keep telling myself every day.

"So I'll take the fedora, not the straw hat, and two thermal blankets. Oh, and that blast vest I was looking at earlier. The one with the pockets in the front, not the one with the camouflage pattern.

"And when we're done with that, or before, I'm interested in selling the rest of my jewelry."

*Jowmum
"Everything all right?"
Boris then continues talking with the proprietor of the book story talking about various exploits, historical events, and the currant political situation. He is careful to minimize his involvement in any thrilling heroics while not out right lying. He explains that he is a student for the university and trying to get through all these scrapes on a stipend. He continues talking lost in the flow of information until someone interrupts him.

Jowmum is able to focus better on the conversation behind the closed door well enough to tell that storm troopers are not, in fact, in there with them, rather their armor. He thinks a sigh of relief and bumbles around, waiting for his shipmates to come out. He looses his focus when Boris messages him.

Clank! Plop.

Jowmum bumps into a rack with various accessories and a Ghest-hide Fedora lands right on top of his cueball. He sticks a few tools up to keep it from sliding off.

*Message Boris*

False alarm! They are just shopping for storm troopers. They should be coming out any moment now.