Something wicked this way comes

[Xel-Naga]

The Chiba District of Coruscant was boring, as usual. Even with all it's hustle and bustle it did not boast any form of entertainment, at least not the kind that entertained Nathaniel Essex. The only things that pleased his little heart could be written down on a list three inches tall- if you could write small enough. Guns, Gore, and Girls, the triple G's as he called them. They were his joys in life and nothing could take them away from him. Alcohol was also a pleasure, but it didn't start with a "G" so he didn't put it on his list- unless he went with Gin and that was weak nasty stuff. So, back to the Chiba District. It clearly lacked Gore of any kind, the girls weren't so bad, and Xel had his heavy blaster pistol strapped to his thigh. Two out of three wasn't bad.

The reason he was in the Chiba District in the first place was because he was looking for something, a organization that called themselves "Black Sun". He thought it was a silly name, but if it paid as well as he heard it would be worth working for it. His contacts on Nar Shaddaa, Corellia, and even here on Coruscant had informed him that such a group existed and that one of it's offices could be found in the Chiba District on Coruscant. Now all he had to do was poke his nose in people's eyes until they told him where it was.

In the end he ended up stepping into a small tavern and joining a table of near drunks. He ordered a round of drinks, sipped his a little, and then dumped the rest into a nearby potted plant. Several more rounds followed. The other men got plastered while he remained nicely sober. And then the men started talking. He had only to place a few subtle words and the subject changed from how high the woman at the next table's thong was riding to the criminal underworld. Another word change it to Black Sun. One of the men turned out to be on the Black Sun payroll. Nathaniel got his name, Van Rokkel, and bid the men goodbye. He stepped outside and leaned against the wall to wait.

The drunks staggered out an hour later and Van Rokkel found a strong pair of arms wrapped around his neck and dragging him into the nearest alley before he even had a chance to cry out. A savage interrogation took place afterwords with Van Rokkel receiving many blows to the face and chest, a durocrete slab to the ankle, a poke in the eye, and the threat of a getting a metal pole shoved up where the sun don't shine.

Eventually Nathaniel stepped out of the alley and adjusted the hang of his black nerf hide jacket and placing a pair of shaded glasses on his face, "Nertz, I got blood on my pants," He said to himself before inspecting the rest of his clothing for blood. Nope, he was blood free save for the splatter on his pants. Must have happened when he scraped his leg on that box while picking that durocrete slab up. Oh well, at least it was his own blood. The interrogation had gone well- well for him that is. The drunkard would have to get a wheelchair and eat through a straw, but he was still alive. He could be grateful for that!

So with a proper directions written on a piece of paper in red ink, Nathaniel strode down the street and melted into the flow of pedestrian traffic. A half hour later he finally arrived before a rather large and majestic building, but he didn't waste any time admiring it. He walked right up to the front door and pushed his way inside. He found himself in a rather quiet lobby... too quiet. He moved cautiously across the polished floor, his eyes darting to every dark corner, shadow, and potential hiding place. His fingers wrapped around the handle of his blaster and he slowly spun as he moved, so that no one could sneak up on him. He got about halfway across the floor before the receptionist coughed loudly. Nathaniel turned to face her and shrugged, "Can never be too careful," He said and proceeded to walk the rest of the distance while only looking over his shoulder twice.

"Hello there beautiful," He said to the person behind the front desk. He wasn't sure if the rodian before him was a man or a woman. The bulge on the alien's chest might be a good sign that it was a female, but then again, he didn't know anything about rodians. For all he knew male rodians had breasts. He raised a hand and smacked himself across the face to banish the bad images that had just flooded him mind, "May I help you, sir?" The rodian's voice was shrill and squeaky, and for good reasons. It was amazing they could even speak basic with a snout like that, and it was a bigger miracle that this rodian could speak it clearly.

"I'm here to see whatever big wig currently resides with yonder walls," He said and made a sweeping motion with his hands that indicated the entire room, "Also could you call for a medical emergency team to be sent to the alley beside the Sol Nova tavern? Oh and if you need my name, people around here call me Xel-Naga."

[Sorsha Kasajian]

"Send him in." spoke a voive over the com.

:: The door slid open, leading into a much larger room ::

[Xel-Naga]

"Go right in," the Rodian squeeked. Xel tipped an imaginary hat towards the Rodian and then walked past the desk and towards the now open door. He paused outside and checked himself over. The blood on his pants was dry now. He straightened his clothing, ran a hand over his bald head, and removed his sunglasses and placed them in a concealed pocket on the inside of his coat.

Finally satisfied with his appearance, Xel stepped through the doorway and banged his hand against the wall just inside the door, "Anyone home?"

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Two women sat at the end of a long table, one blonde and one brunette. The door slid shut behind him and he was immediatley flanked by a Mandalorian. The blonde woman beckoned him over to the table ::

"Come sit down, if you please."

[Xel-Naga]

Xel turned his head slowly and looked at the person beside him. He eyed the mandalorian's stomach, "Someone needs to lay off the synthshakes," He said before flashing a smile and quickly walked across to the table. He pulled back one of the chairs and sat down quickly, like an overactive child on sugar. He grimaced and stood up again, twice as fast as he had sat down. He reached down and adjusted his gun belt and the attached holster, "My apology, but I don't like having my blaster shoved half-up my buttocks," He said, finished adjusted the hang of his belt, and sat down again. This time the blaster laid at his side instead of under him.

"Good afternoon Ladies," His voice was cheerful and gay, and he even winked at the blonde. He said nothing more. He had learned a long time ago that while in the presence of one's future employers it was best to shut up and let them do the talking, otherwise you might end up dead in a ditch on the side of the road with only half of your limbs attached, and that was if you were lucky.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Sorsha waved a hand as Xel stood up ::

"Put the gun on the tabletop, slowly."

[Mato]

:: As fast as Xel had been, Mato had drawn his flechette pistol and had the man covered for a clean shot to the back of the head ::

[Xel-Naga]

Xel froze in his seat, his eyes moving from the brunette to the blonde. As much as he hated to give up his one and only weapon, he valued his life a lot more. He reached down and slowly pulled his gun from his belt, clicking the safety on as he did so. The heavy blaster pistol was laid on the table and pushed out of his immediate reach. Once done he folded his hands together and set them down on the table in front of himself. He was completely oblivious to the threat behind him.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Sorsha waited until Mato had taken Xel's sidearm from the table before speaking ::

"What do you want?"

[Xel-Naga]

Xel shrugged his shoulders, "I'm here to deliver the pizza with extra Jawa bits, or I was until I got lost looking for this place and ate it when I got hungry. And since I will now be fired for missing a delivery, I think it would be in my best interests to look for occupation elsewhere," He lowered his voice and leaned forward a bit, "Rumor has it that this here," He tapped the table with his index finger, "Is a top secret, undercover, base for the Black Sun Criminal Syndicate, slash, Organization. I ain't sure which one it is.

"Anyhoo. My personal businesses have not been as good as I wished they dod, so I thought I'd do better in the grand arena if I joined such a prestigious organization as Black Sun. You may have heard of me before. I go by Xel-Naga. I was plastered all over the tabloids fifty-five years ago, but you look a bit too young to remember back to then, or have even existed. I make to the news every now and then these days, but not nearly as much as I used to," He shrugged his shoulders again, "Just not as famous as I used to be."

[Sorsha Kasajian]

"You appear to be a bit careless, Xel Naga. I find that quality distressing."

[Xel-Naga]

Xel's eyes narrowed, and he wondered if, despite all possibilities, if this blonde woman had spoken with his mother. The very idea was more then enough to scare Xel, seeing as his mother has been dead for over fifty years. Careless? Yes, perhaps he was a bit careless. He prefered the term "carefree". He felt he had nothing to worry about here, and as such he let his shields down and let himself ramble.

Yes, there had been many who dared call Xel careless, or to a greater extension; mad. Of course not many call him that anymore because he the odd tendency to punch or shoot anyone in the face that cracked such a comment against his person.

He opened his mouth to voice a protest, thought better, and let his mouth close with a snap.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

"What exactly is it you have to offer me?"

[Xel-Naga]

Xel leaned back in his chair and lifted a single hand, his index finger rising up and pointing upwards at nothing, "First off, a killer shot with just about any energy based projectile weapon; secondly," another finger was lifted, "I possess a nearly inpregnable suit of power armor that allows me nearly free movement and yet protects me from most projectile and low to medium grade energy weapons. Put the first two together and chuckles over there," He jerked the thumb of his other hand up and over his shoulder towards the man by the door, "Would have a hard time bringing me down; thirdly, I am not the kind of sewer rat that jumps ship at the first sign of leakage. I am incredibly loyal to those I serve, unless they give me reason to break loyalty. I also possess experience in areas such as gun running, illegal shockboxing, and smuggling; although I wil admit I am not very good at it. Add it all together I'm a heavily armed thug with extras on the side," He smiled a little and lowered his hand, his smile disapeared when his hand landed on the table.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Sorsha's lips curled back into a feral sneer, revealing her perfect, white teeth as she nodded ::

"Have you ever done work?"

[Xel-Naga]

Xel cocked an eyebrow at her, "I don't understand the question, Ma'am. Have I done work? Did I not just list out all my many expertise and pervious job occupations? I have worked plenty. I have been working the grand arena of the criminal underground since before you where born. If not for your position within Black Sun I might risk saying that your record pales in comparison to mine, but that would be disrespectful to say."

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Her smile twitched in annoyance ::

"Assassination."

[Xel-Naga]

"Yes, I have done my fair share of assassination. Not a current favorite but something I am quite capable of."

[Sorsha Kasajian]

"I think there's a place for you on Nar Shaddaa. Do you have a ship?"

[Xel-Naga]

"Yes, I own a Utapaun Porax-38 starfighter. It's old and a little beat up, but it flies."

[Sorsha Kasajian]

"Good. I'll let Yurga know you're coming."

[Xel-Naga]

Xel noticably stiffened, "Yurga? As in Yurga the Hutt?" Now that was a name that Xel had not heard, nor dared mention, in a long time.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

"Yurga Desilijic Tiure."

:: Sorsha canted her head in curiosity ::

"Is there a problem, Xel Naga?"

[Xel-Naga]

"No, it's not a problem at all. I just wanted to be sure we were talking about Yurga the Hutt and not some other Yurga."

[Varla]

:: Varla stood up ::

"I suppose I could take him with me. I have an appointment with Yurga this evening."

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Sorsha nodded in agreement ::

"Take the Xiombarg."

[Xel-Naga]

Xel turned his eyes and settled them on the other woman, "Works for me," Was all he said, but inwardly he was screaming and pounding his fists on the walls and floor. He hated having to catch a ride, because it meant he'd have to catch another ride to get anywhere else. He'd much rather take his own ship, the Flying Rock. Oh well, he'd take what he could get.

[Varla]

:: Varla retrieved Xel's sidearm from Mato as she walked to the door, then she looked over her shoulder to Sorsha ::

"I'll see you again at the meeting."

[Xel-Naga]

Xel sat for a moment longer and then pushed himself up onto his feet. He nodded his head to the blonde and followed after the woman currently holding his blaster, "See you around," He said to the mandalorian and then stepped out of the room right behind the brunette, "So, when do I get the privelage of knowing the names of those I work for and with?" He asked as he came alongside the brunette. He had absolutely no idea who the blonde is, who the guard dog is, or who this lovely brunette is.

Not the best way to start off a new job.

[Varla]

"The lady you work for is Sorsha Kasajian, and the enforcer you insulted is Mato."

:: She stepped into the elevator ::

"My name is Varla."

[Xel-Naga]

He considered giving his own name out for a moment, and then banished the thought. He didn't use his real name anymore. He had become the mysterious Xel-Naga a long time ago, and this was no time to give up on the guise.

"So what is Yurga up to these days?" If he was going to work for the slug he might as well know what he was getting into.

[Varla]

"He's running the Kajidic these days, and recently took over some Besadii territory." she replied with a purr.

"And there's going to be an orgy tomorrow evening, to celebrate his birthday."

[Xel-Naga]

Xel clenched his eyes shut, his face twisting in agony as mad images shot through his head, "Pardon me for a moment," He said, turned around, and banged his head against the wall of the elevator several times. He turned back around and faced Varla again, the painful expressions were gone now, "I do hope that we are not invited to this party, otherwise I may have to be fashionably late, by a week or two."

He had no idea how the hutt's got it on, but somehow an orgy with a hutt in the middle did not appeal to Xel's personal desires.

[Varla]

:: Varla looked at him like he was crazy ::

"What is wrong with you?"

[Xel-Naga]

Oh how he hated that look. People just didn't understand. Maybe it would be best to clear things up. He turned his head to reveal the right side of his bare head to Varla. Etched along the side of his head was long, wide gash of a scar. It's purple color had faded with time, but it still looked as nasty as it had fifty years ago, "A hovertruck clipped my head when I was a boy, my brain never recovered. The blow scrambled my brain, resulting in erratic behavior and madness. At the extremes it could result in Schizophrenia and, or insanity," The way he said it was as if he was reading it off a card. In reality he was just remembering back to that day when the doctor had given him and his parents the "bad news".

[Varla]

"Okay ..."

:: the lift doors slid open with perfect timing, and Varla stepped out ::

"... follow me."

[Xel-Naga]

"Right behind you," He said as he pushed himself off the elevator wall and followed closely beside Varla.

[Varla]

:: They entered a large starship hanga, and Varla smiled. Looming in front of them, 160 meters long, was a Minstrel-class Pleasure Yacht ::

[Xel-Naga]

Xel stepped into the hangar bay and let out a low wistle, "She's a beaut, to say the least," He was eager to get aboard and see if it was as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside.

[Varla]

:: They took a hoverlift onboard, and the inside was more opulent than Xel imagined. The interior was richley decorated in reds and golds, and they passed several Rodians as they made their way up to the bridge ::

[Xel-Naga]

Xel admired the ship's interior as they swiftly traveled through it, dropping comments such as 'nice enough to suit a Queen' and other one liners that revealed just how much Xel liked what he saw.

They hit the bridge and stopped there. He stood behind Varla, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes darted about as he studied the bridge.

[Varla]

"Take us out of dock, Captain. We're going to Nar Shaddaa."

:: The Rodian complied and the ship began to exit the hanger ::

[Xel-Naga]

"How long do you think it'll take for us to reach Nar Shaddaa?"

[Varla]

"Less than a solar day, Mr. Naga. Can I get you anything?"

[Xel-Naga]

"Something to eat and a place to sleep would be nice."

[Varla]

"Right this way."

:: She led him off the bridge and down to one of the unoccupied guest quarters on the way to the Throne room. The doors opened to a mixed gathering of humans and aliens, and food & drink of all kinds was in abundance ::

[Xel-Naga]

A smile passed over Xel's face. He always felt at home in musty, overcrowded eating and drinking areas, "Is alcohol served in here?" That was the big question, wasn't it? He could cope without anything alcoholic in his system, but he found that life was much more enjoyable when it was distorted by a few drinks.

[Varla]

"The finest in the galaxy."

:: Varla walked over to a table and a servant poured Zeltronian spiced wine into a crystal goblet. She took it from the girl and held it out to Xel-Naga with a smile ::

[Xel-Naga]

He was really warming up to this ship and this job. He accepted the goblet and sniffed the liquid, enjoying the wafting aroma of sweet, tongue watering, scent. He placed the glass against his lips and let the liquid slip paste his tongue and down his throat. He savored every drop, "Very fine indeed. I have never tasted a finer wine in all my years," and he felt like he'd just drank several hundred, if not thousand, credits worth of wine. He had one of those kinds of minds, always calculating the cost. The only thing that kept him from becoming an accountant was the joy he recieved when he dehumaned a living body.

[Varla]

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my quarters now."

[Xel-Naga]

He raised his glass to her, "See you around, Varla," He smiled and then turned back to the scene. This was his kind of place and he was ready to have a downright party. A few words with whoever was running the music would get something loud and metalic going, an unofficial dance floor would be set up, and then the grinding and jivving could commence. Alcohol would only serve to enhance the experience. If he was lucky he'd go the whole night without throwing up on someone. But that was only if he was lucky.

[Varla]

(NAR-SHADDAA)

:: Varla finished dressing and preening for her appointment with Yurga, then went to find Xel. Waiting outside his guest quarters, she hit the call button ::

[Xel-Naga]

There was a loud snort, followed by a groan, which was, in turn, followed by the sound of something very heavy hitting the floor. The door slid open and there Xel stood, naked from the waist up and only a pair of baggy black pants acting as his entire wardrobe for the moment. He rubbed the side of his head from where the floor had jumped up to hit him as he rolled/fell out of bed, "Varla," He said and then winced, lowering his voice the next time he spoke, "What can I do for you?"

[Varla]

:: Varla herself was practically naked, clad in a metal bikini with purple silk. Her hair was arranged in loose curls about her shoulders and she smelled of cinnamon and honey from the gold bodypaint oiled into her skin ::

"Get dressed. We have a meeting with Yurga in two hours."

[Xel-Naga]

He eyed her outfit. He'd like to get her to himself for a night. Business before pleasure, of course, "I'd dress to match, but sadly I left my silk outfits at home," He winked and then pushed the door further open, "Don't stand outside, do come in. I ain't got nothin to hide," He moved across the floor of his bedroom and walked over to the dresser on beside the bed. He hadn't brought his own luggage with him, bad planning on his part, so he was quite thankful that he managed to scavange up some decent duds here on the ship. He'd have to send for his bags once he got settled.

In the end he kept his baggy pants, they were clean afterall and hardly worn. A tight, dark gray T-shirt was slipped on; which hugged his muscles. Heavy Black boots were donned and tied and a black leather, nerf-hide coat was thrown over it all. The leather was worn and weathered, revealing just how much Xel had used it. His blaster was stapped to his hip and his shaded spectacles were slipped over his eyes, "Ready," He said once he stopped moving.

[Varla]

:: She entered the room and took a seat, admiring Xel's well-muscled form when he wasn't looking. Then she stood and led him off the ship to a waiting transport, which whisked them off to Yurga's pleasuredome ::

[Xel-Naga]

"So..." He started as he found a handy bulkhead to lean against inside the transport, "Anything I should know about Yurga before we meet with him? Conversation topics to avoid, subjects rather left untouched, and all that? Is it considered rude to wink in his presence or is he a hater of poems?" He could tell he'd partially lost her, "What I mean to say is, does there anything he particially dislikes that I should avoid doing or saying?"

[Varla]

"I told him you'd be arriving with me, so there's nothing to worry about. I thought you knew him."

[Xel-Naga]

"Know of him, yes" He answered, "Worked for him, in a sense; yes, but never seen the slug in person or spoken to him directly. I was always handled by underlings. And my work with Yurga was for only a short amount of time. I doubt he'd even remember me," Deep inside he knew the Hutt would remember him. He'd had a perfect record of successful, yet brutal, jobs. But he'd terminated his alliance with the slug and gone independant. He hoped Yurga didn't carry a grudge...

[Varla]

:: She arched a brow ::

"Slug? Please don't use racial slurs around me."

[Xel-Naga]

That remark came from one of the last people he'd expect to hear it, "My apologies," He said, recovering from the shock of someone in a business like Black Sun even asking him not to use racial slurs.

[Varla]

:: Varla shook her head and escorted him in to meet with Yurga. She bowed before him and smiled ::

"Achuta, my Lorda."
(Hello, my Lord)

[Yurga the Hutt]

:: The Great Hutt's eyes widened as she stood before him, enthralled by her beauty ::

"CHOWBASA, VARLA MA SHIBA. UBA SETUKA MISKI."
(Greetings, Varla my girl. You look delicious.)

[Varla]

"Oh thank you!!!" she blushed, looking at him in adoration.

[Yurga the Hutt]

:: Yurga licked his lips eagerly as he pet her cheek ::

"TONA JIJI BANKI HAZ YA JINGA, TAGWA?"
(Tonight we go all the way yes?)

[Varla]

"Anything you want." she purred, sticking out her tongue playfully. "I'm all yours, big bukee." ;)

:: She turned to Xel-Naga ::

"The Great Yurga will see you now." she told him, as a slave collar was placed about her neck by a Nebari. Then she took her place on the dais beside him ::

[Xel-Naga]

Xel stood behind Varla and listened in on their conversation, doing his best not to grimace in disgust, and horribly regretting that he even understood Huttese and wishing he could shut his ears off. The conversation was over in an instant, yet the bad images in his mind would plague his dreams for months. There were just some things so wrong in the galaxy that even a deranged mind like Xel-Naga did not want to think about. Varla based Xel by and he stepped forward, bowing his head slightly in acknowledgement of Yurga's position as his new boss, "Achuta."

[Yurga the Hutt]

:: It took Yurga a moment to draw his attention away from Varla as she leaned against him and closed her eyes. She was an exquisite creature, and he stroked her cheek as his large eyes finally shifted to Xel ::

"XEL-NAGA. JEE SERINA UN BOSHKA DE MOKI JOR JE MASA. HAA NA PE TA WASO ANKO? HO HO HO HO HO!!!"
(Xel-Naga. I Hear you are looking for place with me again. Who is on your back this time?)

[Xel-Naga]

He shrugged his shoulders, "No one, Yurga. Independant bounty-hunting ain't what it used to be. You have to be with one of the guilds these days in order to get any decent work, and guild taxation is at a new high this year. It's not worth it when you walk away with barely enough to refill your blaster and refuel your ship. The rates are much better with the Hutts, or so I remember from when I worked with you all those years ago. I surprised you even remember me, Yurga."

[Yurga the Hutt]

ooc - (finishing up here, but I'm not up to struggling with Huttese again, so just pretend it's Huttese. :p)

ic - :: Yurga's tail twitched impatiently. It was clear he was anxious to get on with his nocturnal activities ::

"BUSINESS HAS PICKED UP, MY BOY. THE QUESTION IS, DO YOU HAVE THE MIVONKS FOR IT?"

[Xel-Naga]

Mivonks? What the hell? Xel did not even want to attempt to imagine what a Mivonk was. His sleep was troubled enough without considering the possibilities of what a Mivonk is based on it's usage in Yurga's sentence. He liked his dreams to be filled with foxy women, not Hutt gonads.

"I'm up for anything you've got, Yurga."