(Star Wars d6) #38 - Destination: Alderaan

   The Current Crew of the Pretio

Ne'vets Aharo - an exotic animal broker, both legal and otherwise, majority owner in the Pretio.

Evus - Twi'lek free mercenary, Ne'vets' armed muscle with a keen eye and a tendency to shoot first.
Tarrie - Human pilot "under contract" to fly the Pretio, and drive the Piscopo.  Brother of potential terrorist, rebel  Latorna Savvn. His climbing skills are suspect, but his grenade skills make up for it.  Edging a dangerous lifestyle of drugs, booze, and loose women
Frokazza - Wookie co-pilot, mechanic, and unarmed muscle. Very distrustful, and that anxiety gives him skin issues.

Duk'k - Sipsk'ud Bounty Hunter, recently rescued by the crew.  Offering his services in order to get off this barely existing hunk of mud.  His warning shots are dead center mass kill shots.

Kafla Thingvellir - Billionaire entrepreneur turned zoological enthusiast, in search of the Translucent Chromatic Trapper.

Destination: Alderaan 

With the (soon-to-be) Thingvellir's Translucent Trapper 

Safely secured and sedated in the hull of the Pretio, 

The crew has taken Kafla Thingvellir up on his offer 

To transport the creature to Alderaan for the 

Imperial Zoological Symposium and Exhibition.

Recently paid for their services by the eclectic billionaire, 

What will the crew do with their hard-earned gains, what hijinks

Can they get themselves into, and what the heck 

Is a Symposium?

After weeks of tedium of searching for the elusive Translucent Trapper with billionaire and amateur biologist, Kafla Thingvellir, the crew found themselves with the second most tedious thing:  Personally flying Kafla to the Imperial Zoological Symposium and Exhibition on Alderaan. Even with helping him set of the required display and presentation required to "name" his find, there was plenty of downtime, so the core crew would congregate in the cockpit, drink cheap hooch, and shoot the proverbial breeze.

Tarrie set a nerve early, "I know he's like awesome and stuff, but can we trust him."

"As much as his warning shots!  Did you see what he did to that baby Pengo!" Nev'ets exclaimed.

"Hey that used to be me...."  Evus whined.

"Shoot more younglings, and you'd get your street cred back."  Frokazza roared.

During the flight, Evus helped Frokazza which some much needed maintenance on the ship, as well as repairing the gun turret on the Piscopo, and preparing for future investments, specifically a bacta tank and figuring out where else guns could be mounted on the ship.  

Stopping at Wroona to refuel, Kafla felt great about the adventure.  He no one longer cared about all the fame he was about the garner from the discovery.  Bigger deeds were already on the horizon.  In order to talk to others about his deed, he offered to buy the crew a real meal in the city, a chance to mingle with others.  No one on the crew argued with a free meal.

Tarrie took one last look at the Trapper before leaving for dinner, doling out another dose of the sedation medication keeping it unconscious... just in case.

A few drinks into dinner, and Kafla's annoying story came with a shocking reveal.  He wasn't interested in the fame or money, per se.  Rather, the recognition and a few credits will get him a noble title and a chance for his kid's to live better opportunities. 

Plus, with his money, he could achieve his life-long dream of building and living in a castle.

Only thing the kept Tarrie from wringing the neck of Kafla was the fact that the pilot went blackout drunk on his fourth drink.  Within the slurry which was his mind, he pondered shooting Kaflas, but by the time the Wookie returned from the refresher.  Tarrie was collapsed beside even druken Kafla.

Days later, the Pretio arrived in Alderann.  They were still days early for the symposium

Even before Tarrie had powered down the engines, Kafla has manually lowered the cargo lifts, and a whole team of humans were unloading everything related to the Translucent Trapper.   A few early bribes looked like they greased the bureaucratic wheels of customs.  Before Ne'vets had filled out his first customs form, Kafla was be off the ship, at his hotel, and hiring a team to revise his presentation.

Before he left, he thanked the crew again for his help, told them to do what they wished with all the other samples they had collected and cataloged. 

"Hey, I've confirmed my presentation for the Translucent Trapper will be in the sports arena.  Big reveal!  I'll get you tickets sent to your hotel room. If you're going to do anything here, you'll need new clothes! 

Tarrie was game, "Shopping Trip!!!"

They left Ne'vets with a crushing pile of paperwork and paid a taxi to transport them to the downtown Alderaan City shopping district to fill all sorts of needs for the crew.

Frokazza picked out a pair of overalls, to prepare for the alleged Alderaan prudishness.  He also wiped out most medical stores for enough of his skin salve, and a few steroids to help with the skin condition, so it would clear up before they needed to visit the symposium 

Tarrie had spent hours in a back-alley stretch coverall outlet store.  Grabbing two "perfect" pair, he found a gold chain with his name spelled out.  He also bought a monocle on a whim.  He then disappeared into the higher end clothiers, and no one could find him.

Evus wandered off from the downtown and found a small multi-alien alley marketplace.  There, he found a Toydarian selling throwing stars and plethora of other items to fit in his room.

Duk'k bought a formal outfit, befitting his Sipsk'ud heritage, and a new set of battle armor from a Toydarian blacksmith named Hujess at his shop Horseshoes and Stuff .   And don't forget about his night vision goggles.

Ne'vets finally made it to their hotel later that night.  He immediately went to the cantina inside, "Beds and Steins." to find the crew.

It was trivia night, and the crew was doing horribly to "Win Beds and Steins Money"

The crew had dressed up their new outfits and were celebrating their good fortune with drinks.

Evus wore a power suit without a shirt underneath.

Frokazza was feeling mighty uncomfortable in his Wookie overalls.

Duk'k had stowed away his new armor and had come down in business casual: A sleeveless turtleneck and mirror shades.

And Tarrie?  Tarrie had found some flamboyant demon bird costume.

Ne'vets had questions, "Did you get robbed?"

"No, why?"

"Nevermind, you look good."

"I'm saving up for a codpiece and a cane." Tarrie interjected

Ne'vet could only follow up with, "We'll blend in well.  I think your subtleness can still attract attention."

After a great night out, the spent the next few days, finalizing the displays and presentations and dispersing around the campus at night.  

Everyone else knew that Ne'vets was up to some late-night gambling, but no details who or how well he was doing.  He was coming back with all body parts attached, so they didn't see a reason to push their luck.

Evus tried to audit a course at the University in veterinary sciences.  Not much to add to his own skills, but a "Free" Twi'lek takes advantages of those opportunities.  

Tarrie spent weeks outside a college campus. with too much available to drink.  He was banned from the cantina for yelling out wrong answers during Trivia.  One night, he left his pants to his costume back at the hotel, and never came back.  He had even eluded the searches of his closest friend, Frokazza.

With all those worries, the rest of the crew finished up the presentation, studied it, and packed it up for the university staff to assemble in the Convention Hall, "Unknown Lizards of Uninhabited Worlds."

No one expected Tarrie to show up, but as it crept closer to the morning open, there was still no sign of Ne'vets.  That left Evus, Duk'k, and Frokazza at the display, with at least 5,000 scholarly folk working their way into the facility...

Next: #39 - The Imperial Zoological Symposium and Exposition