Nar Shadaa – Lessons Begin
Things were not going according to plan, but that wasn’t entirely a bad thing. Despite the rough start, things were now looking to swing in Karr’s favor. He had arrived in Nar Shadaa to try to meet with a former Republic Pilot turned smuggler named Malcolm Raynor, only to discover after he arrived that Raynor had fled just a short while before after a run-in with a gangster named Neeska the Hutt.

Although he wasn’t able to meet with Raynor, Karr had arranged to meet with the Sith that had been stalking him, and actually managed to turn him to his side. Karr played to his ego and convinced him that if he joined Karr’s Task Force, then Karr would be able to instruct him in the ways of tactics and three-dimensional thinking. While that was true, Karr also had an ulterior motive. Karr hoped for a measure of redemption from this mission, and all the better if he would be able to drag Darth Firias along with him. It would be challenging, to be sure, but there was also more depth to Firias than the average Sith.

But now, Karr was focused on Malcolm Raynor. Karr knew that Raynor had a brief shootout with Neeska the Hutt’s thugs before getting away. If the Hutt wanted him that badly, then he was probably searching for Raynor’s ship, the Dawnchaser. Which meant that if Karr wanted to find Raynor, he would have to talk to Neeska’s goons.

“I don’t see why we need to talk to them. I could get the information we seek much more quickly.” Firias said to Karr.

“Undoubtedly. And you would also throw up quite a large smoke signal. Have you ever wondered how I always prepared things to hinder you? How I always knew you were coming? It’s because screams and dead bodies tend to attract attention, and gives people a chance to tip-off the target. If Raynor goes to ground, he could disappear. We need to get to him before he knows we are coming.”

Firias did not like the slow approach, but he said nothing more. These lessons were, after all, the reason he had chosen to follow Karr in the first place.

The pair made their way to an establishment, the polite term would be “Gentleman’s Club,” on the west side of the area. This was part of Neeska’s territory, so the odds were good that they would be able to find someone here with connections to Neeska’s organization. Karr hoped he could get the information he needed soon; he would rather not have to deal directly with the Hutt.

As they approached the entrance to the ironically named “Pillow Talk,” Karr wondered to himself how many secrets had been leaked or stolen over the years in places like this. Coming to a stop before the establishment, the bouncer, a rather large barabel wearing some wicked-looking shock-boxing gloves, barred their path. Karr had expected this, so he led off with his carefully prepared witty banter:

“Hey Suzie. How’s the trim tonight?”

An electrical current passed between the prongs of the shock gloves as the Barabel clenched his fist. Otherwise, he looked completely calm.

“Warm, tender, flexible, and off-limits to trash. Now get lost. Members only.”

Karr reached into his pocket and removed a stack of creds.

“But we are members. See, I have my membership card right here.” Karr said as he slid the creds into the bouncers vest.

The Barabel never moved. He looked at Karr and said,

“Thanks for the tip. Now here’s one for you: Scram.”

This wasn’t going to end well.

“Come on, let me in. I’m getting tired of going to your mother’s place.”

The bouncer ground his teeth and clenched his fists, electricity surging across the gloves. His tone held a note of malice in it.

“Last chance. Get lost before something bad happens.”

Karr sighed. “Why can no one just be civilized anymore?”

Karr looked back at Firias.

“This guy is a bouncer for a shady establishment. Trouble isn’t just likely, its expected. Any incidents won’t be over-analyzed. But just to be safe, no weapons or anything ‘extra.’ I’m sure you wouldn’t mind the challenge.”

Karr turned and walked right past the bouncer. The Barabel reached for him, but the black-clad hand of Darth Firias caught his wrist, and Karr strode into the building.

There were men scattered around, in various stages of depravity, and they were still out-numbered by the selection of women available. Women of multiple different species stood or sat around in the main area, which had been decorated to look something like a courtyard, complete with a small fountain in the center of the room, except that everything was awash in soft crimson light. The ambiance of this place could have made it a very appealing bar, if it had the good fortune to have been built in a better area.

Most of the “employees” who were currently unoccupied turned to see who had walked in, and more than a few eyed Karr with what might be called “professional interest,” and perhaps even a surprising bit of enthusiasm.

A few walked over quickly, anxious to stake their claim on him. A few whispered things in his ear that left him thinking “Uh. Um. I know I came here to do… something.” When one particularly attractive woman offered her services on the house, Karr decided he needed to find one of Neeska’s guys quickly, before his capacity for self-expression was reduced to monosyllables and grunting.

“I’m looking for a man.”

The girls looked very deflated. Most walked away. A few decided they would try to change his opinion. Karr looked at the girls who remained and asked them

“Which of you has been here the longest?”

One of the girls brightened a bit, while the others looked at her jealously. Karr put a strong arm around her and the other girls walked away pouting. Karr pulled her close and whispered in her ear

“I need a man who can help me find someone.”

Comprehension dawned on the woman’s face.

“Oh. You’re one of those.”

Her face suddenly became cold and uncaring. Karr subtly slipped a Genosion pearl into her hand. He had arranged for a small stash of precious gems for more ‘discreet’ pay-offs. She glanced at it without moving her head. She gestured to a small bar to the west side of the room.

“Fine. Wait here.”

Karr strolled over to the bar and had a seat. The bartender, an attractive woman who was probably one of the other working girls when she wasn’t serving drinks, offered Karr any number of liquors. No drinks from bottles or any other sealed containers, Karr noted, and then he realized the red glow served purposes other than atmosphere. The crimson lights could hide any number of drugs, aphrodisiacs, or even poisons that could be easily seen in normal lighting. Karr ordered a glass of local wine, but did not attempt to drink it. The bartender offered friendly conversation, obviously glad to be behind the bar rather than working the rooms. Karr waited quite a while, but no one tried to talk to him besides the bartender. Not unexpected. It was a simple psychological dominance game. Whoever Karr was going to meet wanted to show him that he had more important things to do, and he would not be rushed or interrupted.

Karr didn’t mind. The bartender was actually quite pleasant, although he noticed that she had to hide a frown or grimace whenever she talked about her job. She seemed like a genuinely good person, so he asked her

“Do you like your job?”

The question had caught her off guard, and she hesitated, afraid to answer. Karr tried to reassure her by telling her

“It’s alright. I’m not going to turn you over. I just want to know how you really feel.”

A moment of sadness crossed her face, but she quickly covered it up with a fake smile.

“Pouring drinks is actually kind of fun, but I only do that a few times a month. As for the rest… well, I meet some nice people…” her voice trailed off “…sometimes.”

Karr looked into her eyes.

“You know, with your attitude and spirit, you could be a bartender at one of the nicer places on Corusant. Probably even make more than you do now.”

She looked back at him, somewhat stunned.

“Probably. Most of us here don’t actually make that much. We work here for the protection. Most of what we make goes to just getting by. There is no way we could afford to go off-world, much less get by on a new world while we try to get a better job. We are dependent on the gangs here, and that is the way they like it.”

Karr reached out and offered his hand.

“I’m Dargo.”

She reached over and shook it.

“I’m Raina.”

As they let go, Karr slipped a very valuable Corellian Ruby into her palm, knowing that the crimson glow of the room would hide the act. She gasped when she looked at it, but before she could react and give herself away, he leaned closer.

“Okay Raina, get a shuttle to Corusant, tonight. When you arrive, you will see a Coynite man in official clothes, goes by the name of Nason. Tell him Dargo sent you, and he will help you get settled until you find a job.”

She couldn’t speak. A strange man had just walked in and given her a way out. She tried to speak, but he beat her to it.

“You should keep working, or else you might give yourself away.”

She tried to busy herself, but her face was a storm of conflicting emotions. But life of Nar Shadaa breeds no small amount of skepticism. After a few minutes with her thoughts, she looked at him with suspicion on her face.

“Why?”

Karr smiled gently.

“Because some people need to be saved from the dark.”

She suddenly narrowed her eyes in anger.

“My life may not be glamorous, but I’m not helpless, and I don’t need to be saved.”

Karr made a soft, somewhat sorrowful, chuckle.

“I wasn’t talking about you.”

As she began to understand, her face lost the anger it held. Perhaps she was about to say something more, but he would never know. She glanced over his shoulder and, without a word, she began to make a drink. It was time.

Karr turned around. The man walking towards him walked at an unhurried gait. He wasn’t much to look at, lean and well-dressed and cleaned up. Well, ‘clean’ for a gangster on Nar Shadaa, anyway. He sat next to Karr and placed a datapad on the bar-top. Raina placed the drink she made in front of him and moved away quietly. The man looked at Karr, sized him up, and Karr grinned a bit when the man nodded non-chalantly, and two guards appeared at the other side of the room. He took a slow drink from his glass before deigning to speak to Karr.

“I understand that you are looking for someone. What makes you think that I care about this person? For that matter, why should I care about you?”

Karr didn’t like this man. But that was alright. He saw how things would play out.

Karr said “If you give me a moment of your time, I’m sure that you will find my offer very compelling,” as he slid a stack of credits towards the man. He looked at the credits, took them, and said “My name is Niclaf, and you have ten minutes.”

The guards returned to wherever they had been waiting. The introduction was clearly some kind of signal. Time for Karr to dangle the worm.

“I have an offer that will be very beneficial to both of us. I seek the whereabouts of Malcolm Raynor.”

Niclaf was surprised for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.

“Tell me more.”

Karr grinned, He’d taken the bait. Karr had him.

“Our wayward Mr. Raynor owes my employer quite a bit of money. I understand that your boss would like to settle a few matters with him as well. I tracked Raynor here, only to find that he was already gone. I don’t have any leads as to where he has fled to, but a man with the resources of your organization might. I understand that your employer cares more about sending a message, whereas mine only cares about getting his money. If you help me find him, I will capture him. I will take his ship back to my employer to settle his debt, and I will give Raynor to you so that you may deliver him to Neeska. You see? We both win.”

Niclaf was practically salivating. This would surely advance him in Neeska’s organization. By the time Niclaf was finished thinking, he was practically thrusting his datapad into Karr’s hands.

“We’ve identified his ship as making port on Tattooine, but left again shortly after. We haven’t seen him re-surface yet, but when he does, we will know it.”

Karr pretended to browse the datapad with professional interest, but actually he was waiting for the bug he had attached to do its work. The bug was currently changing all the files concerning Raynor’s ship in Neeska’s system. Specifically, it was changing the transponder code. After this, if any of Neeska’s men tried to capture the “Dawnchaser,” they would find themselves face to face with a Republic warship. He was also sending the Dawnchaser’s real transponder codes to his own datapad. When the program finished running, Karr smiled, palmed the bug, and returned the datapad.

“I have what I need. I’ll be in touch.”

Karr nodded and shook the man’s hand. Niclaf was shaking, no doubt anticipating his imminent promotion.

It was almost too bad that when Neeska eventually discovered that the change in their systems had come from his datapad, Neeska would kill him.

Karr walked back out and glanced down. The bouncer lay in a crumpled heap. Firias stood a short walk away. When he approached, he saw the Sith had a large red mark on the side of his face that was beginning to purple. Karr approached him.

“Been waiting long?”

Karr caught a mischievous glint in his eye. Firias smirked.

“Not really. I kept the crowd entertained for a while. So what did you find out?”

Karr pulled out his datapad and began searching through the Republic military personnel files.

“He was here, he was ambushed by Neeska’s people, and he ran. His ship was registered making port in Tattooine, and leaving again shortly after.”

Firias reviewed the information in his head, looking at the available options. Finally, he said

“He’s running. He wants to stay on the move. If his travel is random, then our only options are to follow him planet to planet until he stops long enough to catch up to him, or wait for the transponder code to pop up on a planet we could reach quickly.”

Karr nodded his approval.

“Very good. And what if his travel isn’t random?”

Firias thought for a moment.

“then you try to discover a pattern, and intercept the target at their next destination.”

Karr nodded again. He paused when his datapad brought up the file he needed.

“Exactly. Now think about his state of mind. He’s running. Where do you go when you are scared and need to go to ground?”

Firias’s eyes narrowed, his voice threatening.

“I do not feel fear.”

Dargo spared him a glance.

“And that hinders you more than you know. Being able to put yourself in an adversaries head; to think how he thinks, and feel how he feels, is absolutely necessary in being able to predict how they will react to different situations.”

Karr continued to browse his datapad while Firias pondered this. Karr let him think for a few more minutes before offering his advice.

“Our target just had a group of people try to kill him. He needs security. Where would you go when you need to feel safe?”

Firias looked up, like the answer was written on his brain, and he just needed to see it.

“I suppose I would return to Korriban.”

Karr smiled as he found the information he was looking for. It wasn’t public information, so he didn’t need to fear Neeska’s goons finding him. He nodded his approval to Firias before saying

“Exactly. You go home. Let’s get ready for take-off: we’re going to Alderaan.”