Nar Shaddaa - Nima Tarkona
Nima sat with her body turned slightly towards the human male that was sitting next to her. As Master Khulbe’s guest, he was mostly engaged in the deal he was trying to strike with the Hutt but occasionally his hazel eyes would wander towards the young female, absorbing her features. She wore a low cut backless top, it’s fabric straps hung delicately from her slender shoulders to provide just enough material to cover her breasts, exposing her cleavage as the plunging neckline reached the base of her sternum. It was gold in color, matching not only her eye color but also the metal accessories that she had worn for the occasion. Her midriff was bare as the hem of her blouse hugged just underneath her last two ribs and was partnered with tight fitting low rise bottoms that were pitch black in color.
While the human sat to her left, to her right was Master Khulbe. He was smaller than your typical Hutt but still had considerable bulk. Passing a green, three-fingered hand across his protruding chin, Khulbe addressed the man sitting next to Nima. He spoke strictly Huttese, so a silver plated protocol droid was present to translate the Hutt’s speech.
“In addition to your typical smuggle runs, I have a particularly lucrative venture for you Kamen, should you choose to take the job I have in mind.” “Lucrative maybe, but probably more dangerous. What is it you have in that sharp mind of yours?” Kamen was no stranger to dealing with the Hutts and often did business with Khulbe, so Nima was as familiar with the human as he was with them. He had invested interest in the slave women that Khulbe managed, particularly the more exotic species, and had often earned a night with them. She knew she was there to help persuade the human male to take on the job Khulbe had wanted. A kind of unspoken added bonus, if you will, as very few ever had the pleasure of the lethan twi’lek’s company.
“Dangerous, sure, but definitely easier now that the Separatists are decisively on the losing end of this war.” Khulbe admitted slyly, alluding to the task he had in mind for the smuggler.
“And what do you want from that lot?” Kamen asked, his voice just barely giving away to the concern he felt about the answer ahead. He tried to hide his emotions behind the glass of namana liquor that he held in his pale hands and brought it up to his lips to enjoy a taste.
“Nothing that I didn’t think you could manage Kamen, I just wanted you and your crew to collect some battle droids for me. Anything better than a B1 that you could get your hands on.”Nima watched out of the corner of her eye as Kamen tried not to choke on his drink as Master Khulbe finally voiced his wishes. As they spoke she had busied herself with refilling their snack plates and drinks, satisfying her role in this scenario. Before the smuggler could answer, one of the guards ran over, a Falleen woman, and whispered quickly into Khulbe’s ear. Without a word, he turned on the holo projector that was seated in the middle of their wooden table from a control panel in his personal floating chair.
The projection showed a hooded stranger who spoke of the Republic, the Jedi, betrayal, genocide, and finally Imperial order. As the man spoke, Nima had an increasing sense of foreboding and a deep void grew in her chest. She didn’t want to hear his words anymore. Khulbe flexed a digit to change to another broadcast of a temple on what appeared to be an ecumenopolis.
"That's the Jedi Temple on Coruscant…?" whispered Kamen and Khulbe simply grunted in response, waving for him to be silent with eyes glued hungrily to the projection. What she would see next would be the worst thing she has ever witnessed, even having lived under a hutt’s roof for as long as she had. White armoured troops descended upon the temple and it was not long before they opened fire on the building and it's occupants. The wave of despair and anguish that she felt was overwhelming. The twi'lek couldn't understand why she felt so deeply as she watched the high resolution projection filled with countless robbed figures, from very young to very old being gunned down mercilessly by clone troops. Was it the children? Helpless and unable to defend themselves? Or the adults who had tried everything in their power to defend the younglings who had turned to them for protection? Perhaps it was both, as she understood all too well the victims of this tragedy
The twi'lek rose silently from her seat and headed towards the nearby catering table with a serving plate in hand as an excuse to escape from having to watch more of the holo projection. She was on the verge of breaking her calm demeanor and needed to recollect herself. She couldn't afford to allow anyone to see how she truly felt, especially not Master Khulbe.
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