Indiana Jones and the Sith Stone
Posted by: Darth Danno 11.14.07 12:01am

As the trio continued on, going deeper and deeper into the structure, sounds of merriment and carousing grew louder and louder. They went down a curving set of stairs, and ended up in Jabba’s throne room. As Palpatine surveyed the area, he noticed that every dark corner of the expansive space was filled with different alien races: Jawas, Arcona, Klatooinians, Amani, Givins, Aqualish, Nikto, Anzati, and Quarren, and those were just the species he could identify in the dim light. A band comprised of Bith were set up in an alcove off to a side, and entertained the motley crowd playing some tune the senator had never heard before, and he considered himself quite a patron of the arts.

His gaze continued around the room until it fell upon the form at the far end. Sitting on a raised platform where he could keep watch over his illustrious court, was the massive crime lord himself, Jabba the Hutt. How despicable he looked, Palpatine thought, as he watched the enormous gastropod drop some sort of creature into his own gaping maw and swallow it with great relish. His massive tongue licked his lips as he savored every last drop. How Palpatine wished he could have explored other venues rather than having to resort to dealing with this sort of ilk, but this over-bloated sack of scum had a prominent role to play in this venture, and also in the events to come over the next few decades.

To the Hutt’s left and behind him, stood a tall, humanoid shaped droid, by the looks if it, a Tac-Spec Corporation FIII Footman Droid. If this unit was the Hutt’s interpreter, Palpatine surmised, it must have had it’s programming altered somewhat, as these models were primarily used for serving meals, opening doors, and operating vehicles. However, they did make quite useful bodyguards. All the varied species of life within the chamber stopped whatever they were doing, and turned their collective gazes upon Palpatine as Bib Fortuna led him into the room. The senator surmised that many of them were most likely sizing him up, trying to figure out what he could possibly have of value that one might perchance relieve him of, with or without his knowledge.

“Greetings, stranger.” The droid announced in a voice that brought all attention upon himself. “The illustrious Hutt bids you welcome, and hopes he may be of some service to you, but as he has many commitments this day, he asks that you state your purpose here briefly and succinctly.”

Many commitments, Palpatine thought to himself, suppressing a laugh. That’s quite rich. Though considering the Hutt’s considerable girth, it would probably take the gangster most of the day to simply move from one end of the room to the other. But yes, the sooner he stated his business and left this foul place, the sooner his senses, especially his sense of smell, would thank him.

“Most gracious Hutt,” Palpatine began, “Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to grant me an audience with your grace. I represent an individual who prefers to remain nameless, but has considerable wealth and stature. He is very interested in rare historical antiquities, and has recently received information regarding a certain piece that he would very much like to acquire. Now my employer knows of a person who is quite skilled at retrieving such items, but has no means of contacting him, or retrieving the individual to bring him here to complete said task. He has since made inquiries, and has discovered that Master Jabba here, would be best suited to provide references as to certain individuals that would be up to the task.”

The droid relayed Palpatines wishes. The Hutt’s eyes narrowed as he studied the figure before him, then barked something in Huttese.

“Please forgive my Master,” the droid pleaded, but he is not quite sure exactly what it is you require of him?”

Palpatine smirked slightly; he knew he should have used words with fewer syllables, or spoken slower. “My master is in need of hiring an individual who is willing to travel quite a great distance to bring someone here to aid in the search for a certain artifact that he desires.”

Again the droid translated for his master. The Hutt nodded his comprehension, and replied once again to the Footman droid for translation.

“I believe the type of person you are referring to is a bounty hunter?” The droid questioned. “Master Jabba has quite a few acquaintances in that particular field. Perhaps if you could give him more information, he would be better suited to provide you with an individual best suited for the job.”
Always looking for an angle, Palpatine mused, Hutts can smell a chance to make a profit from a mile away, and the more they can get their slimy hands into your doings, you can bet the more it’s going to cost you. “I do beg his pardon, but being a humble servant, I am only allowed to divulge so much information to his Huttship, the rest is for the…bounty hunter’s ears alone. Suffice it to say, the individual must be highly qualified, if he is unable to complete his task, there will not be time nor resources to hire another.”

The Hutt grabbed another small creature out of a nearby dish and shoved it into his mouth as the droid relayed the dialogue to him in his native tongue. Little did either of them know that in preparing for this meeting, Palpatine studied the Hutt language quite extensively, so he would know exactly what was being said. The crime lord turned slightly to talk to the droid, but never took his eyes off of his guest.

“My Master understands completely.” The Tac-Spec acquiesced, “Unfortunately, talent and skill of the caliber you are speaking of does not come cheap. Nor does Master Jabba’s…finders fee. Perhaps you could simply cut out this middleman you seek, as your illustrious host knows of many individuals who are quite capable of locating such…”

“I do appreciate the gesture,” Palpatine interrupted, “but this item is such that my master believes there is truly only one person who can retrieve it for him, and my employer is willing to make sure both the bounty hunter and Master Jabba come out of this deal quite satisfied monetarily. Simply let me know what this will cost, and I can have the necessary funds transferred here in short order.”

The Hutt listened to the translation, and then gave his reply.

The droid nodded, then turned to face their visitor. “In what form of currency, my Master would like to know. Are we talking Republic credits, or…”

“I can have the funds transferred into whatever form his Lordship prefers, but this information is needed rather quickly. Also, if we could have a list of possible candidates, rather than just one, to be sure my employer has the right person for this assignment.”

The droid nodded his understanding, passed the information along to his boss, and upon receiving his response, relayed it back to Palpatine.

“Master Jabba would be more than happy to supply you with what you require, but he requires one third of his payment now, the next portion when you pick up the list, and the final third to set up the meeting between yourself and/or your employer and whomever you decide to use.”

Palpatine nodded. “Agreed. Now all we have to do is settle on the price.”

To the senator, this part of the negotiation seemed to take longer than the entire trip out here, but it was a necessary evil, and over soon enough. The price was agreed upon, and Palpatine vowed to return in the next few days with the first portion of the payment. He would then return with the second installment in a few weeks time, once Jabba had the list compiled, then return a final time with the last portion to pay for setting up the meeting once a suitable candidate had been chosen. As he left Jabba’s palace and made his way back toward his waiting landspeeder, he was surprised to find it hadn’t been trifled with. As he climbed aboard, started it up, and made his way back to town, he knew he could have gotten the same means by other avenues, but also knew the true nature of these creatures, he knew the Hutt’s interest had been peaked, and that if there was a way to double-cross Palpatine, and take whatever “his master” was so desperately searching for, for his own bloated self, he would find the means to do so, and that was exactly what Palpatine was hoping for.

Darth Danno