Gasp, Chapter 50! First milestone get~
Vol 1 will likely conclude with Ryloth. I am not sure where Vol2 will take us. We shall see!
Apart from Chewbacca, what crew would you readers like to see Samus take in?
Happy reading!
*
I saw the Toydarian clerk fluttering his wings, meeting me at eye level. He buzzed in a constant motion. He was round-bodied, eyes both sharp and calculated. He greeted me with a smile, seeing as I was looking to do business here. I even saw his pointed teeth.
"If you're looking to exchange then come no further. You may call me Bargos. I am but a humble merchant here on the second level. Just making it up here alone is a challenge that many fail. Most off-worlders like you take their business elsewhere on the bottom floor.", The Toydarian clerk said as he called out to me.
"Yeah yeah, humble merchant. Sure.", I retorted, not trusting this Toydarian one bit. I mean, they uphold one's honor and are quite respected as a species overall, but many of them are like Watto. Greedy like no other.
"All I need is your identification and we can proceed with your intended business.", Bargos said, causing me to grin beneath my helmet.
I didn't beat around the bush. You see, I kind of don't have any form of identification. Not yet, anyways. I brought out enough Credits, if you catch my drift.
"I think you can look the other way.", I answered, reaching into my Power Suit, and brought out a single ten thousand Credit gold ingot. Seeing this, Bargos simply smiled again.
"Republic Credits, eh? Not much use out here, but you procured one of the best ones. This has other uses we can use. State your business.", Bargos replied, swiping the gold ingot from my hand with his claws. He quickly stored it away, acting as if it was natural to him.
"I want to know, what's your primary currency here in the capital of Toydor?", I asked. That part, I wasn't sure of. I doubt this place has been secured by the Hutts yet, seeing as the Toydarian King is still ruling over the planet. But my doubt was quickly cleared away.
Bargos' wings buzzed louder with amusement in his eyes.
"Really depends on who you're dealing with. Our planet serves as a major crossroad where it holds many influences. But I take it you are not from any of them. Bounty hunters typically aren't.", Bargos responded. "We see all kinds of currency here. The most important one? Information. Rub our backs and we rub yours. That's worth far more than any single gold ingot with a logo stamped on it.", Bargos continued.
"It truly is down to information gathering. I don't particularly fancy keeping secrets, but if someone pays me to gather some information, that's definitely an option. I plan to head out onto Nar Shaddaa soon, but I have come here with a goal in mind.", I answered, only to point my right finger straight upward. "I need to access the upper layers, whatever it costs, I can pay for it. I also have a bargaining chip of my own to get in, I just need a path there.", I continued to explain.
After all, I have the Toydarian King's seal on me. But if I flaunt that off to just anyone, they'd likely assume it's fake. Now if I had a secured route that led me to the upper layers where security is more tight, they could recognize the seal. That's my target. It serves little to no use down here.
And yet, all I heard Bargos do was scoff.
"So you want to go into the spire, eh? Hah! Even some fancy-smancy Toydarians don't make it in there. You won't meet anyone like that here in the lower layers. You can purchase an escort to lead you into the middle layer. You'd need much more gold ingots than just one. And with the war going on with the Republic and Separatists and all, security has been tighter than ever. They're barely letting anyone in.", Bargos responded.
'Heh. Glad I know the King personally then. I wish I could just fly up there in one fell swoop, but I'm not that stupid.', I thought to myself. A glint of light streaked across my eyes as I saw Bargos greedily rub his hands. Or claws?
I glanced past Bargos and looked at a nearby holodisplay on his back wall. It showed a map of sorts, showcasing Toydor broken up into different zones. I could see a couple Republic markers displaying several low altitude assault gunships lurking around. Not that I'd be super worried about this. I have Ahsoka's personal speed dial in the form of a holopad, so if I wanted to get in touch with Anakin, it wouldn't be hard to do so. But is this my ticket to the next layer, or layers, perhaps?
I'd be more worried if this was Separatist ground. But the Republic sure does quick work, don't they? King Katuunko promised them they'd be allowed to build a port or ports out here to assist ferrying their goods and military transport to other areas of the Outer Rim. Just looking at this alone, that's already in progress.
"Has Toydor been favoring one faction over the other lately?", I decided to ask.
"More to the Republic as of late. Those Jedi managed to secure some ties with His Majesty, but I do not know how.", Bargos responded. "But the Separatists are still lurking around here, even in Toydor. Unless you have a proper layout of where you want to go into the spire, trouble will come finding you. Especially here in the lower layers.", Bargos answered.
Hearing that, I paused. I smiled inside my helmet. Is that a quest I'm smelling? Or is it the desperate look in Bargos's eyes?
"I feel you aren't saying this for no reason. I've just flown into town, but like I said, I have to head upward, no matter the cost. Once I'm past a certain way, I can take it from there. I could pay you for the services, but it is as you say, Bargos. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. It sounds like you have some trouble you're having difficulty in dealing with.", I replied.
Once I said that, it was Bargos's turn to pause. His wings buzzed for a moment, and glanced his eyes around the corner, acting as if he was trying to make sure no one was watching us. I mean this marketplace was buzzing, if you know what I mean, haha! But that doesn't mean there's no one lurking around the corners. He made absolutely sure that no one caught a whiff of our discussion before his eyes turned serious, and glanced back at me.
"You are a bounty hunter, yes?", Bargos asked me, wanting to make sure.
"I am. Just a slight catch, however. I'm an unlicensed one. That is partly why I have come to this planet.", I answered, but keeping it vague enough that my real intention is to meet the Toydarian King.
"It doesn't matter. People like you come here in droves. As long as you have the skill to back up what you do, I do not care either way. To be honest down here in the lower levels, turf wars between crime syndicates have grown at an alarming rate, despite His Majesty keeping our planet neutral for the most part. It isn't just the Hutts who have started dealing in contraband here on our markets. The Black Sun has started clashing with them, and it's starting to disturb my trade routes. You stop their next clash that is set to take place tomorrow at dusk, and I'll give you a ride up toward the middle layers.", Bargos offered, giving me an unexpected task.
I didn't immediately answer him. A turf war, eh? That sounds pretty common here out in the outskirts of the Mid Rim where it's just a little farther out until you arrive at the Mid Rim. I'm sure the Hutts have a big influence here in Toydaria, but if another syndicate comes crashing on their doorstep, that could pose a problem. And what's even worse is, I'm pretty sure the Black Sun assists the Separatists in secret. The Hutts recently allied themselves with the Republic, so in a way, this is just another cog in the machine of this war. I'm treading upon it once again. I fear this may happen more and more no matter where I go in this damn galaxy.
But who am I to turn down some fun like this? Especially if he's offering me a free lift into the middle layers of Toydor. From where I'm bound to run into some royal guards that I could present His Majesty's seal!
"Where do I sign up?"