"Smugglers and Jedis, what could possibly go wrong?" ONL & 0mano0 1X1 IC

[ONL]

A hangar somewhere on Tatooine.


"1248 blasters, 1249 blasters, 1250 blasters, all functioning with no way of tracing them!" Latha Witon could finally say after having had to count every single blaster in her shipment, unaccounted shipment of course. Her contractor smiled as he ordered his grunts to close the boxes and place them on his skiff that would take them to a disclosed location. But Latha cared little to nothing for this, and all she wanted was her credits.
"And the payment?" She said to her contractor holding out her hand.

-"Of course, we're always happy to pay. 5000 credits up-front for the transport of 1250 blasters, right here. I'll be sure to inform my master of your success, and as always, we've never met." The droid answered Latha and handed her the credits, Latha nodding back and taking the credits without replying. She had better things to do than to chit-chat with that droid, its manners always annoying her. No, she had much better things to do.

Latha made sure her ship was guarded, not that she trusted the guards that much, and safely locked before she walked out of the hangar, heading for the cantina. It was her usual spot to cool down after her jobs, and the Tatooine heat if you didn't how the weather was on the planet. Upon entering, the usual stare from the ENTIRE cantina came crashing down on her, though it lasted no more than the blink of an eye, she was used to it. She ordered her usual drink and sat down at a table, alone and merry after thinking of what she could use with her credits. "Looks like I can finally upgrade I6-B3, and maybe even get a decent cold-resistant shield that the ships needs?" She said to herself as she drank the heat away and took a rest after what had been a long job.

[0mano0]

Melburu sat alone in the corner of the cantina, she was staring into the empty glass which was full to the brim moments ago. She noticed a Twi'Lek enter the cantina, only looking up for a moment. Melburu made sure her lightsaber was still covered up by her robes, she can't risk anyone noticing it. After staring at the empty class she thought maybe another drink wouldn't hurt.

She started towards the bar, but for some reason the ground was near her face. Laughter was filling the cantina, the laughter directed at her after being tripped up by some random thug. Melburu looked around for the culprate, the next thing she saw was a overweight bum standing over her.

He chuckled "Lady had too much to drink eh?" laughter filled the cantina once more. Melburu kept silent, she needed to get out, she couldn't be center of attention. About to leave, she was jerked back as she felt a strong grip on her arm. The overweight bum. He stared into her eyes "You're a pretty lady aren't ya?" he observed her "Why don't I take you home pretty lady?" He had her lifted above the ground by her arm, Melburu looked around for support. There was none.

[ONL]

Latha sat quiet in her corner of the cantina, when suddenly laughter filled the room just as the smoke and smell of drinks did. Latha saw that someone had tripped over and fallen face first into the ground, and she couldn't help but chuckle for herself, she did enjoy watching people making a joke of themselves, helped her think of other things, especially things she didn't want to think off. She would have gone back to her drinking, hadn't it been for the lady who tripped nearly being violated by some fat drunkard, who also happened to be a associate of the Hutts.

Still, Latha wasn't about to see someone getting raped, not again would she allow such a thing to happen, she had to do something. Latha was quick on her feet, her blaster in her hand pointing at the fat bum and walking towards him. "Let her go." She said in a ordering tone, the man turning around to Latha and simply laughing. Latha didn't laugh. "I said, let her go. Or else I'll make sure you never step out of his cantina again. Leave her be, now."

The silence that followed was total, only the cantina band kept playing their rather annoying tunes. The fat bum looked down at Latha, as if he was about to beat her. Suddenly he pulled after his blaster, but Latha was quicker and fired her blaster into her eye, killing him. And as if nothing happened, the cantina went back to normal, as this was all to common. Latha walked over to the lady and helped her back on her feet. "You okay? Let me get you something." Latha said to the lady, helping her to her own table and getting her something to drink. "It's nothing fancy, but it should help get you back on your feet, and keep you from falling straight on your face."

As they sat there, Latha knew that now this lady would be an enemy of the Huts, and Latha herself would after this have quite a few problems if she were to deal with them again. "Look, after what happened, I would recommend you get of this planet as soon as possible. You don't mess with Jabba the Hut. What's your name by the way?"

[0mano0]

She needed to process what just happened, she was a little woozy from the drink she had earlier. Melburu looked over to Latha, words slowly escaping her mouth "T-thankyou for saving me back there..." then she looked down at the drink. She slowly went to pick it up taking a small sip, then chugging it all down. Feeling a bit better she goes on to the Hutt situation "I-I can't leave Tatooine...it's safer for me here, this is my home!" although she didn't really like it there, it was far away from the home she really missed. She dreamed of going back to Coruscant, one day.

"Maybe Jabba won't care about what happened here! I just can't leave..." she got up from her seat and started to walk towards the exit, stopping at the exit she looks back at Latha "Thankyou for all your help, I am very grateful." Melburu goes through the exit towards home.

[ONL]

Latha looked at Melburu when she said that she couldn't leave, and Latha knew that if she didn't then she would be dead. But she also had no intentions of forcing the lady to leave. "I hope you are right, but I know that once you piss him off once, you better be important to him if you want to live another day. But if you need me, you can find me here or at the hangar, just ask for someone called Latha." Latha managed to say to Melburu before she left the cantina, and she watched her walk out. Latha turned back to her own drink, ignoring the looks the cantina gave her, she just didn't care.

A little while afterwards, Latha had finished her drink and left the cantina as well. She was tired, and quickly made her way back to her ship. Inside she was met by her droid.
"Hi I6-B3, lock down the ship and have the weapons ready for activation. I might have pissed off some of Jabba's workers..." She said to her droid, walking past it and going to bed. It had been a long day, and after what had happened back in the cantina, she was feeling a little sad for the lady. And for some reason, she hoped that Melburu would find her way to the ship.

[0mano0]

She made it through the doorway, somehow uninjured and not caught by any roaming stormtroopers. Feeling more relaxed in her little home, she turned on the lights and flung herself in her favorite seat. Melburu grabbed the lightsaber from her belt and set it on the table, she was glad someone was there to help her. Glad that there was one kind person on this crummy planet. She remembered the dangers of getting some unwanted attention from Jabba the Hutt, paranoid she got up and closed the curtains shutting out the bright lights of the twin suns.

Sitting down once more, she felt uncomfortable now. She knew Jabba would get word of what had happened to an associate of his, knowing that a connection would be made to her.

The title of 'Jedi' here meant nothing but some bounty and credits. Melburu hadn't sensed the presence of another Jedi in a long time. She always wondered if she was the only Jedi left in the galaxy, but she does try to think positively, hoping that there are others out there. Maybe one day she won't feel so lonely.

[ONL]

As morning dawned and it was "safe" to venture out onto the streets once more, Latha woke up from her sleep to get ready for a new day. She did what she used to do every morning, well every normal morning when she wasn't being either hunter or shot at, and eat and did what little of fixing her looks she did. She wasn't of the type that dancers of her race were, she did the hard and dirty work, so make-up was little needed nor useful. Still, she didn't want to look like the an asteroid field, and did what she had to do to look presentable.

Latha made her way out of the hangar and out onto the streets, passing vendors selling all kinds of merchandise from all over the galaxy. The Imperal soldiers standing guard argued with someone, as it usually was when criminals and the Empire met, nothing new. But Latha wasn't looking to buy anything right now, she was looking for work. So she headed to the place she usually found her work, and it was once again the cantina she had been before night fell upon Tatooine.

[0mano0]

Slowly she opened her eyes to find the sunlight shined through the window, she had slept on the couch and was quite uncomfortable. She stretched for a minute or so. Her stomach growled, she knew she needed to eat and she didn't have any food with her, the only place with good food around was in the cantina and unless she learned how to cook real fast she'd have to go to the cantina. Quickly she grabbed her lightsaber and attatched it to her belt, making her way through the door and outside.

Immediately as she stepped out from the safety of her home, she was getting strange looks from everyone passing her. The looks started to disturb her as she remembered Jabba's associate laid dead on the floor, the image wouldn't go away. She put her hood up hoping no one would regognise her in the cantina, but she doubted it would work. As she neared the cantina, Melburu spotted a bounty poster next to the entrance. She couldn't have read it fast enough, '5,000 credit bounty for a woman and a Twi'Lek in connection to the murder of an associate of Jabba the Hutt.'

Melburu quickly grabbed the poster, scrumpled it up and threw it a away. Maybe no one had seen it. She looked around her, most likely there were more posters around. She just needed to get off this horrible planet, then she remembered that the Twi'Lek. Latha. She said to come find her in the hangar, maybe she has a ship. First she needed the food and drink, needing some more energy before she did anything else. She quickly ran into the cantina.

[ONL]

Latha sat calm and steady at a table, discussing her new job as a smuggler. Nothing amazing really, it was the kind of cargo she was used with, and it payed well so she didn't complain. Her new contractor, a human under a different contract than Jabba the Hut, seemed keen on getting this business over with in a hurry.
"Deliver those crates with droid parts to Ando and receive payment on arrival? And also a a crate with...what did you say it contained?" Latha asked her contractor, not having been told what the last crate contained.

-"Nothing that your little pretty head should worry about. Now I want my goods delivered as soon as possible, my employers don't like their staff wasting time. And remember, time is.."
"..Credits, I know, I know. I'll get going then, doesn't seem I have much choice really."

With the deal in place, Latha was about to leave the cantina and head for the hangar and her ship, when she ran into someone wearing robes. She didn't see at first who it was she had ran into, but she quickly found out. "You've got to watch out where you're running, are you alright?" Latha asked Melburu, but before she could get an answer, she heard the bartender whistle to her. Latha turned around to him, and he nodded towards a figure in armour questioning people around the cantina. She knew what was going on, and helping Melburu back on her feet, she dragged her out of the cantina in a hurry. "Come with me, looks like Jabba the Hut wants this deal sorted out quick and clean. We got to leave, come with me."

[0mano0]

Somehow she was back outside the cantina, she squirmed out of Latha's grip. She made a face at Latha "I agree, it's time for me to leave this horrid place, but I am hoping you have some food with you?" her stomach growled as she said this. She quickly looked from left to right "I hope your ship can move quickly, I expect that no one would give up that much credit just because their bounty went off into space, they might follow." Melburu didn't really know what else to say, she just waited for Latha to respond and lead.