Noventa - A Star Wars Story

Meeting his hand with his own metallic one, he clasps his tightly. "You're not the worst lawman I've had to deal with, either." Grinning widely and turning around. "Ya'll just try to stay safe 'round here, though. I've made a sizable investment into your operation; rather not have it wasted by you dying on me." Letting go, he nods. "Just keep your ear out to the ground, there may be some work I need done shortly. As my mamma always said 'in chaos, there is also opportunity.' No truer words spoken, I think."

"Well, alright then." Cal said. "That's good enough for me."

After a moment, he held out his hand. "You're alright, Ribmatt. Come by anytime, and not just if there's somethin' else you're looking for us to do. Just to have a drink, or play a few hands of sabaac, or whatever."

"As I told you, Cal, these sorts have nothing they can offer me but temptations and promises of compensation eventually. I got no reason to want them around here...besides."

He looks around outside to make sure his Entourage wasn't within earshot."I think this planet's grown on me some. May not be the nicest planet, but I rather not spend my days looking at a blue sky with a Imperial battleship above my head. So if I learn anything that'll do you any good, I'll make sure you hear about it."

After giving Soren a curious glance, Cal nodded. "Yeah. We would. Quite a bit, actually."

He looked back to Ribmatt. "I'm not gonna try to tell you your business. But I don't think these are the sort of Imperials that you can play along with to get along with. I think if we let them, they'll strip Noventa of everything of value, and probably melt the place down on the way out. Do give some thought to passin' things you hear along to us, huh?"

Somewhere deep within Soren something whispered inside of the lost memories of the changeling. A lingering question that had never been resolved... a question that Soren had run from for quite sometime whilst holding an ever-diminishing glimmer of hope. A foolish, silly hope that caused Soren to occasionally travel down to the spaceport to watch people as they arrived on the surface.

Soren had always run from the risk associated with seeking an answer... but now the risk had chased Soren down. And depending on the circumstances... it just may be a diminished enough threat to actually be able to acquire what Soren long sought without penalty.

"Well if you find anything out... I'd love to hear about it. As I'm sure Cal and the gang would..." He said as the infantile stages of a plan began brewing in his mind.

Ribmatt gave a honest shrug. "Nothing but what he's given me intel on." He motions to Cal. "I mean, I suppose I can find out given enough time, but I have no idea when that'll happen. My bossman might now for sure what's going on, but if he does, I doubt he'll let me know. So I'm about as dark as the rest of you for the moment."

He gives a shrug. "Though, if they're [i]smart[/i], they'll reach out to us soon. People like me and people like them have a...history together; I doubt they'll forget it so quickly."

Banks then spoke up, "I got a request if you don't mind... Not so much an object as it is information... What do you know about these Imperials? Their commander... organizational structure... that kind of stuff?"

"Bit of a tall order, and what the Empire around, it may be a bit difficult to do a proper search. Still, I'll ask around. Worst I'll hear is no and that'll be the end of it." He paused shrugged and nodded. "So I assume then you're not after it for sentimental value?"

Banks for his part just stood there quietly and pondered on what Ribmatt had said about his exploits. So many complications from being who he was... To be someone and no one at the same time.

Kor looked up at Ribmatt's last statement. "Mr. Ribmatt, there is something that i have become interested in finding. But it's something a bit.......particular." Kor paused thinking for a minute "I don't even know if it's on planet or where it is exactly but I'm hoping you have some extensive contacts in the outer rim. While I served I had a special suit of powered armor for missions expecting heavy resistance." Kor jerks a thumb out the window "if say what's going on here counts as heavy resistance and I feel like that armor would be quite useful for what's going to happen in the coming days."

"Last I saw it was on Corellia when I made my exit from the empire's service. I tried to get it to bring with but it was guarded too well. Now that the empire's gone I imagine it's floating somewhere in the outer rim being traded or used. Could you put an ear out for it for me?"

He looks over at the badge and smiles. "They keep pulling you back in even when you're out." There is a nod off respect to it. "Well, don't get yourself killed doing the law's work."

"Well...I prepared as best I could." He shrugs. "My sort of job is one where it doesn't really matter who's in charge. Even if I want them gone." Ribmatt paused and looked at everyone "Yes, believe it or not, my intention is that I want them gone...but I can't take any direct actions against them for reasons that don't concern you."

He gave a slight moment to pause. "Which is why I wanted to make [i]sure[/i] ya'll got your pay today. Might also be making a little shopping trip later. Maybe give me some credits and a list, I'll see what I can find, eh?"

"Well, not most Rangers." Cal said. Reaching up, he pulled back the corner of his vest. Pinned to his shirt was the silver triangle badge of the Sector Rangers. "Guess lawman isn't just a nickname anymore." He said blandly. "Retirement wasn't really doin' it for me, anyway. And besides, I suspect a man's word is even more important in your particular line of work than most."

He let the vest fall back down to cover the badge. "Speaking of, hope you don't mind my askin' about your plans in these..." Cal pursed his lips, "troubling times?"

"Results, in the end are what matter, lawman. Didn't really care how you got there in the end so long as you got there. you gave me the results. As I said, I'm satisfied." He motions for the datapad to be brought to him. "To be honest, I'm more upset with the guards not realizing the cybernetics arms weren't there. If things weren't so desperate right now I would fire the lot of them. So we're good now. Just had to make that one single point clear."

He nodded and gave a smile. "To show you this...technically I don't need to honor the contract anymore. Law's been taken over, I can go back on my deal without worrying about the Rangers or something calling me up."

He paused and shouted over to one of his men, who brought in a case and laid it on the barstool, before opening up the case to reveal a large stack of credits. "5000 credits is yours. I expect that report to be turned into me when the shit around here settles."

Cal kept his eyes narrowed, even if his smile remained. He shifted, just a little, his crossed arms relaxing. "Of course. You've got nothin' to worry about from us. We've dealt straight with you, and we'll keep doin' so. We're not interested in making enemies that we've got no cause to."

He gave a studied shrug. "But if you ask me, if you're not happy with the results, well, maybe you're looking at it from the wrong angle. Don't focus on how good we are, or how fast we did it, but just on what we did. And then think about what a group that's half as good could do with two weeks instead of two days." He nodded. "You'll get our reports, and I think you'll get some good info to act on, if I do say so myself."

"Sounds good..." He moved in over to the bar. "First off, gotta say, I am quite impressed you managed to find someone who could [i]disguise [/i]himself as me so quickly. With the make-up and the arms...Quite impressive indeed. Fooled them well enough that they didn't even realize the guy didn't have robotic arms. Really...really impressive." He says it in such a way to imply the complete sarcasm behind it. "I suppose this goes without saying that, although the point of it was not to have me go in there and request something of my team, since that doesn't exactly [i]test[/i] my security measures in the way I was hoping..." Ribmatt pauses, giving a annoyed grunt. "...It still met within the requirements of my task. So I won't fault you for having a person so talented in disguises in your back pocket. Even grabbed my voice, I hear. Now that's [i]some [/i]tech you got on hand."

He looks over at the newcomer suspiciously and pauses, looking over at him for a moment with his belongings before turning back to Cal. "Listen, if you want to skip over that small detail about who you hired to play me, well, I'll respect your wishes and not pry cause now ain't the time to start looking into it. As you said, Cal, there's a larger situation we have to deal with." He looked him over, not using the playful term of 'lawman' as he normally does. "Though..." He leans into the bar, favoring his right metallic arm as his voice gets deeper in its pitch, like trying to quell something from within. "...And I suppose this goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyways because I want to make sure I'm understood. I [b]don't[/b] want any more reports of me going around to places I've wasn't at. If I ever hear about something like that again without my express permission, I'm gonna come back here again. And it [i]will [/i][b]not [/b]in the role of the friendly man you all know and love."

He paused and looked over at the room, his face turning from the friendly face you've seen him to a look of a man ready to strike and giving everyone a look. "I hope I've made myself clear, then?"

Cal grimaced. Their business wasn't quite done, but maybe it was done enough. Everyone had said their piece, anyway. He gave Soren a quick nod and smile before turning to Ribmatt.

"Mornin'." Cal drawled. "And yeah, we made it out alright. Seems like just about everyone did; the Imperials aren't cracking down quite as hard as the usually like to, it seems."

He folded his arms across his chest. "You here for the datapad? We've got it. After that, maybe we could discuss the situation that we've all suddenly found ourselves in."

This time he didn't bother with his men to enter. It wasn't the time or place for a chance to intimidate. Instead, he would let them be outside for a few moments while they settled up matters. No greater time than the present, really. Other things would be in play soon, and now he had no choice but to prepare for them.

As he looks around to everyone, he glances over at the man who seemingly looked like he was packed up and ready to go. No one he recognized, but then again, that didn't matter all that much anymore. Something was up one of them for sure, and for now, keeping it out of earshot of those guards was the smartest way to go about it.

"Mornin' everyone. Figure I would come over and check up on ya'll to see how you were doing? Hope everyone made it out of that trap in one piece then?"

Cal shrugged. "Leader doesn't so much matter, so long as everyone does their part. That's what it's always been like with the Rebellion. And with Noventa. Sure, it's nice to have a symbol, or at least someone to call the shots. But in my experience, those things fall into place just so long as everyone stands up and tells the invaders 'no' with one voice."

"And who leads this resistance?" Soren asked.

Kor pulled himself back to the now, his eyes sharpened as he heard Soren's question "not quite an army. They have soldiers and some vehicles and an inquisitor." He paused then "but this isn't the Empire, just a small fraction of it. They only have one ship, probably one command structure. There are people here who know how they work, myself included. They just have Noventa city occupied at the moment, forces concentrated at city hall and maybe one or two other key areas. The fact they haven't instituted a curfew or regular patrols shows that they are stretched thin."

Kor may not have been the sharpest vibro knife in the arsenal but he knew how the Empire worked. After over a decade of working with them he had picked up a few things. "They are using fear and big displays of force to control us right now. Between talented individuals like ourselves and a few others, the rangers, and the various criminal elements whose lives will become more complex with the Empire here we have the man power to take them down. They can't hold this planet against unified resistance."