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Vinca showed off an unfamiliar symbol. The Rebel Alliance's symbol was red. This one was blue. He could've been trying to take them for fools, but Vinca seemed too excited for profits for that to be the case. If she could not trust a smuggler's character, she could trust his greed. Besides, Klara wasn't the type to judge an organization by the color of their symbol; she would judge them by their activities, which was highly illegal and demanded immediate suppression.

"I'm sure we can arrange for a suitable reward, assuming Mr. or Ms. Fulcrum ends up in our custody." ...Or ashes floating in space, but Klara figured her compatriots would certainly prefer the former to the latter. "Of course, there's a commensurate penalty for wasting Imperial resources, so do keep that in mind."

"We will have to regroup with the rest of our outfit to coordinate before proceeding, but we'll be sure to contact you when we've made the preparations."

Huh. That was... surprisingly insightful and straightforward. Almost all of the six core questions were answered in a single sentence. Klara was almost impressed! Sadly, that missing 'when' was quite salient, but she had her own suspicions: "Let me guess: this guy calls you for pick up?"

While Vinca sat on that question, Klara translated the conversation so far on Vanovar's behalf. "...I asked him for a time, but..." She shrugged. She wasn't very hopeful. Worst came to worst, they'd just have to stake out an entire system or cross reference notes from other leads, but maybe the Rodian would show his hand and give them a heads up. "Does Mr. Inquisitor have anything he wishes to inquire?"
Klara's eyes narrowed, lips turning up just a touch. The bug-eyed bastard was changing his tune now, wasn't he? It simply went to show that negotiations, like everything in life, was much more fun when you could throw your weight around. Best not to get caught up in the satisfaction, though. Smugglers and politicos were cut from the same, crafty cloth. A healthy level of suspicion was important, especially when he was being so cooperative now.

Suddenly, Klara jolted.

Karabast! What the hell was that? It was like getting a knock on the door, but mentally. It took her a second to register what had just happened: Jedi witchery. Would it kill for him to have given a more thorough warning? Useful as speech without speaking was, she didn't know how to feel about one of her teammates rooting around in her mind with occult powers. Mostly, it was yuck, but she let it pass this time.

The question was valid, though. Vinca wanted to speak Huttese the whole time, which was inconvenient enough for her to know it was likely one of his only options. Had he known how to speak Basic as opposed to simply listening to it, he probably would've done it already. "Well Mr. Rumen, it's great to see that you're deciding to answer some of our questions," Klara repeated for Vanovar's sake in her best cheerful officer voice. "I'm sure we're all glad that an upstanding citizen like yourself is willing to contribute to the well-being of our dear Empire. I suppose you can start by telling us about how you get your 'high quality' merchandise."
'I ought to shoot this Rodian.'

There were a litany of reasons why that was absolutely not the case, but it was moments like these that reminded Klara why she took up piloting over a cushy political office: a proton torpedo dealt with annoyances a lot more effectively than a strongly-worded letter. Without visibly losing her composure, she plucked her military ID off the countertop. It was always best to look at silver linings: now she didn't have to play pretend.

Fortunately for their merchant friend, Inquisitor Pythis caught on faster than her ability to decide whether she wanted to deal with the paperwork for discharging a blaster pistol into a suspect (and the added hassle of digging through the ship's flight and communications records). There was a silent appreciation for the man's sense of theatrics. A subtle show of force was very tasteful, but she wagered the Rodian didn't have the same respect for the aesthetic value of understatement.

"Let's not play too coy now that we're all being honest," Klara piped up. "Mr. Rumen, you look like a reasonable Rodian. I'm sure you understand a reward for assistance leading to a major arrest and a bit of bureaucratic quid pro quo--some wheels greased, some red tape cut, some looks-the-other-way, et cetera--goes a long way in your line of work."

She shrugged.

"Or we could simply waste everyone's time on the song-and-dance of official inquests, paperwork inspections, and freighters impounded under reasonable suspicion."

@rush99999 btw are you going to write a thing with your newfound knowledge or are you waiting for me to start some trouble?

Not saying I know what thing I was gonna have Klara do, but just making sure you aren't waiting on me.
Ayyyyyyy join the club
Nothing but Hutt-speak. Old Corellian freighter. The suspect description was coming together and it was looking green and bug-eyed.

Klara glanced over at Vanovar as the Rodian spouted his mercantile drivel. It was one of those 'get a load of this guy' looks. It vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by the much more amicable mien she'd been putting on. "I'd wager he's trying to pitch us these farming parts for a couple hundred credits," she pointed at one of the boxes Vinca gesticulated at. "And I think that box has droid parts? Hard to see."

If he was playing at ignorance, then she would, too. He sounded like the kind to let stuff slip while gloating. One probable cause later and they could start playing Good Troop, Bad Troop.

"We're not looking for those. Not a farmer. No droids." Klara told Vinca in Basic, making the appropriate gestures as she spoke. She made a show of looking around at the exposed stock. Nothing illegal, obviously. The real good stuff must've been aboard still. "Need more 'equipment'." She tapped her holster. "Friend in town recommended you. 1000 credits."
//Roger, roger. Thanks for the intel, Corporal. Routing towards Vinca. //

At a glance, the YV-865 freighter didn't seem to be anything special, but Klara woagered you couldn't take a step inside that thing without stumbling over an aftermarket modification. It wouldn't automatically mean Vinca was a rebel, though--just that he was a galactic entrepreneur.

...Who might have been a rebel.

It was statistically likely, at least.

The fact he spoke Huttese didn't hurt the odds either. Then again, so did she, but she doubted that the Rodia had foreign language electives.

"There you are!" She butted in unannounced, addressing Vanovar first. "I've been lookin' all over for you." She put her hands on her hips as she made a show of looking over the Rodian's shoulder at the neatly stacked boxes. "You buyin' replacement parts for the ship or somethin'?"
So assuming I appear early enough to hear the salespitch, what is this guy saying in Huttese?
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