Bogged Down (Kita, Buggmeister)

[Kita_Ikari]

The last Sangwa stood in her way, eyes narrowed as Kita held her ground, lance gripped tightly in her hands. Lowering its head as it stared the Sith apprentice down, the beast gave a deep growl, teeth barred and drool dripping from its mouth before making a leap for her.

Crouching low, she thrust quickly and forcefully her lance into the creatures stomach just seconds from meeting her with teeth and claws. "HAH!!" She yelled as she struggled to whip the creature over her head skewered on her weapon. The adrenaline began coursing through her veins, helping to provide the needed strength to send the wolf like creature flying and barreling into a tree before landing amongst a pile of rocks. It remained unmoving as a loud THUD and sound of stone became disturbed from the sudden impact, crumbling from underneath the Sangwa's weight.

Catching her breath as she made sure the creature wasn't going to rise again, she turned to see the other sangwa had been slayed by the teacher and now riding the biggest one as it bucked about trying to rid the Neti from its back. Kita gave a slight smile wanting to laugh at the scene of it. It was a odd sight to see and one she hadn't expected coming from Sa'ato. Thinking quickly, she cut through some of the vines nearby wrapped around a tree. Pulling it, she checked the strength and decided to swiftly join together a few in making it stronger. It took seconds to make a makeshift rope of the vine before throwing it at just the right second, entangling its back legs as they hit the ground and pulling tightly. This caused the sangwa to fall forward, dirt and mud flying from the impact on Sa'ato as he fell with it atop its back. In the moment it became incapacitated, the young Sith apprentice ran forward with her lance in hand and pierced through the pack leaders neck as she pushed the neti out of her way so as to not get harmed. Kita managed pinning it to the ground with her blade, its loud whines from her death blow echoing through the forest before starting to fade into silence.

Falling limp, she yanked her vibrolance from the flesh of her kill and spun it before holding it out aside herself and deactivating it. She looked at the neti and extended her free hand in hopes of helping him up. "Think we can come back later after we get our supplies?" Her bright blue gaze shifted over to the corpse of the Sangwa. "I wouldn't mind having the skin brought back with me to give to Tormentous." She said happily.

[Master Buggie]

Buggie had gotten his fill of information from the two Ogemites that had generously shared their table with him. It wasn't often that a sentient entered a cantina-- even a makeshift one such as this-- and actually got something out of it other than a fight. Hospitality was short in supply in this galaxy, and the Ogemites seemed to enjoy the company that Buggie provided. Ignoring a tightness developing in his throat, Buggie intended to thank the Ogemites for their assistance, but was cut short when they shared a conspiratorial eye and asked if Buggie had any extra space onboard his transport for another load of cargo. Buggie unconsciously rubbed his face alongside his multifaceted eye and thought for a moment before responding. He wasn't keen to reveal that his twin transports had the capacity to haul just about anything this moon had to offer, and he certainly wasn't looking to ferry the Ogemites to another system, despite their friendly nature.

"What do you have in mind?" Buggie offered in a noncommittal fashion.

The two Ogemites told Buggie that they had heard a dealer with a load of black market weapons was currently on the moon, seeking transport for their illicit wares. While the Ogemite duo lacked the courage to take on the job themselves, they were wondering if they could refer Buggie and, no doubt, collect on a small finders fee along the way. A load of weapons did pique Buggie's interest, but the specifics were yet to be ascertained and he wasn't willing to commit just here and now. With that in mind, the Ogemites offered to bring Buggie to the dealer so that he could learn the terms of the job from the source himself. Unable to ignore his innate sense of curiosity, Buggie agreed, and the three departed the small shack in search of the dealer.

As Buggie walked alongside the Ogemites, he couldn't shake the feeling in his throat. Feeling the sudden urge and reflexively hacking, a wad of phlegm shot out from between Buggie's mandibles. The Ogemites stopped and asked if he was okay, to which Buggie, after taking a moment to gather himself, concluded that the swamp and mildew that characterized the moon may have been giving him some sort of reaction. Buggie did recall that he had been touching near his eyes, which seemed a little irritated at the moment now that he was cognizant of his health. Whatever had caused the reaction was minor enough that Buggie was willing to continue, and so the small group resumed their journey further into the spaceport.

[Professor Mors]

Sa’ato lay on the ground for a few moments after the melee had ended. In the immediate aftermath of the scuffle, the Neti was glad his flight helmet masked his face as he stared incredulously up at Kita. He had expected some indifference to their beastial ambush, but the young woman’s carefree demeanor- her glee at their success was disheveling to say the least. Nonetheless, when the initial hesitation passed, the academic finally took Miss Ikari’s hand and lifted himself back onto his feet.

“I don’t see why not”, Sa’ato offered freely, “Provided that our future business partners don’t give us much in the way of resistance”. Indeed, if pressed, it seemed more likely the duo would have to make a hasty retreat with their loot in tow. The professor paused then and weighed the matter in his head, before his shoulders stiffened. Stretching out his hand, the Neti scattered his thoughts beyond the clearing, combing it for any stragglers that meant he or Kita any harm (Life Sense).

Content with the lack of metaphysical response, Sa’ato knelt down before the corpse of the largest beast and swiftly carved away a good fistful of muddy hide. “If we have to leave in a hurry”, the professor explained as he tucked the sample into one of his belt boxes, “I can probably produce a synthetic for you using this”. Such a gesture might sully the notion of a proper trophy, the academic realized, but he felt it worth suggestion anyway. “Well, at the very least”, Sa’ato commented dryly while attempting to scrape the muck off his trousers, “We now look- and likely smell local”.

Turning back about to continue their march toward the local outpost, the Neti could do little to hide the occasional growl and hiss as he steadily reduced his left arm back to its normal proportions. A little while later, after what would have been a pleasant walk without the survival suit, Sa’ato strode enthusiastically toward the entrance of the run-down watering hole before stopping in his tracks once more. The professor’s mind was suddenly clouded, and his feet turned leaden almost instantaneously.

Someone- or something was dragging the exterior of the academic’s spirit like a fish caught net. More than that, it was a confluence, a gravitational nexus that was inhaling nearby energies as naturally as a gyre consumes water (Sense Force Disturbance). “There is a- stirring”, Sa’ato whispered to Kita almost inaudibly, “Do you feel it? We’d best be on guard”. Shaking his head in an attempt to dispel the sensation of weakness plaguing his body, the Neti attempted to stride confidently into the bar, quickly occupying one of the few seats at the counter before turning to its attendant, “One of whatever tastes the least like battery acid, for my companion”.

[Kita_Ikari]

Kita didn't understand Sa'ato's hesitation before grabbing her hand and pulling him up out of the mud. Giving him a moment to get his bearings, she smiled happily knowing she would maybe get a chance of bringing the creatures pelt with her. The young Sith apprentice watched silently as her partner stretched out his hand to there surroundings and sensing for any remaining Sangwa. Kita knew there wasn't anymore lurking in the foliage, but it was nice to see the Neti being cautious. Now that she had been training more frequently to hone her skills in the force, she didn't have to even try reaching out to feel a living creatures energy unless it was farther in the distance. Kita didn't doubt for a second Sa'ato would catch up.

Kita tilted her head slightly as the neti walked over and began cutting off a piece of the Sangwa's hide. Before asking, he had already told her what he planned to do if they weren't able to come back for the pelt. "I'll settle for it...but I wouldn't want to give a synthetic pelt to my master." There was a slight pause as she thought about that. "I'll end up keeping it then if it comes to that." She added. Kita smirked as Sa'ato began brushing off the dirt off himself and looked down to see she had also gotten mud on her outfit in their battle with the creatures. "Its just as well."

The Sith apprentice didn't bother asking as she watched her partner shift his arm back to its normal anatomy. From the sound of it, she had already figured doing that caused some amount of pain. "Ok. Let's get going then."

Moving on through the forest, Kita and Sa'atos remained in silence as they made their way to the cantina. The walk had been almost nothing to the Sith apprentice, even after battling the Sangwa's. She had been through so much training with both Tormentous and Warvanus since making her way back to Jacobi from the spire that she had built not only some muscle tone, but stamina as well. She did worry about the neti though. She couldn't afford for him to get killed or injured if things went wrong. She could read from his body language alone that battling the Sangwa had depleted his stamina more then she realized as they both suddenly stopped outside the entryway.

Turning her thoughts away from her partner she stared at the door, a prickling feeling at the back of her mind hit instantly within the force as it touched her, warning her something was off here. (Force disturbance) With eyes narrowed, she looked to her partner. "Yes. I sense it." Quietly following alongside Sa'ato, her blue gaze glances over the people and atmosphere of the place before sitting next to him. Kita's brow raised as the neti scholar ordered her a drink. "Battery Acid? ...What have you been drinking?" She asked teasingly.

[Master Buggie]

The bartender, unamused, gave their best imitation of the Neti's wooden visage. After a moment, they reached over to a cloudy-rimmed tumbler that was untouched, at least to the casual observer. To the keen eye, a lone streak in the condensation along the side of the tumbler indicated that whoever was drinking at the bar last had at least touched the vessel before deciding to not drink its contents. That, and the liquid inside was still chilled enough that the cup had not been sitting for very long. There was only a moment to notice such things, though, as the bartender picked up the tumbler, emptied it behind the bar, quickly ran it through a tub of cloudy water, and dried it off before refilling it and presenting the drink that had been ordered.

The bartender mumbled something about how with so many others having come and gone already on this day, the shack was running low on cups to serve with.
---
Buggie pulled the A280 blaster rifle up to his shoulder and looked down the sights. The gear was legitimate; these A280 blaster rifles were reputed to be some of the best armor-piercing blasters when they were first produced, and their reputation had held up in the decades since. The dealer-- who had introduced himself to Buggie as Monarch-- was an old, but kindly looking Human male. He wore a thick, but groomed, moustache on the top of his lip that still held a bit of brown color, though overall its shade was being overtaken with grey. His hair was shock white and Buggie observed that it was longer for an older Human. The man's hair touched the nape of his neck and it was combed neatly back with a healthy part on the left side of his head. He had a smile that, even for a non-Human observer, drew in whoever happened to be on the receiving end of it.

And at this moment, that was Buggie, "This is the K-model, the most recent iteration of the classic design. You'll find it to be a little lighter and the standard power packs are much improved. The galven coils are about fifteen percent more compact than those of the H-model. What that boils down to is that a lot of users report that there's more control than the predecessor model, particularly if you're firing repeatedly."

Buggie pulled the weapon from his shoulder and checked each side of the weapon to verify the claim regarding the coils. Buggie was no weapons expert, and he hardly ever handled a blaster rifle, but he had handled the earlier iterations of the A280 and knew its characteristic center bulge which housed the galven coils well enough.

"You certainly know your product," Buggie said, nodding to Monarch and the Ogemites that had accompanied him, "The A280 has been a standard-issue model for the Galactic Alliance and its predecessors since the days of the First Rebellion. One thing I'm not looking for is unwanted attention from the Alliance. I have to ask, friend, how did you acquire these weapons?"

Monarch's first response was only the flash of his now-characteristic smile.

[Professor Mors]

(OOC: For reference, Sa’ato is wearing a full flight suit with helmet and gloves. His Neti identity is completely obscured. Trying to rock the whole double-identity Sith thing, so unless specified otherwise, assume he’s covered up)

Eyeing the paltry beverage with muted disgust, the Neti’s only sign of contempt was a slight tip of the head as he slid the foul brew toward Kita with an extended finger. “I really hope that isn’t the only thing you sell”, Sa’ato mused dryly as he lightly dropped a handful of silver wupiupi onto the counter top, their edges frayed with a greenish calcium deposit, “It can’t possibly be good for business”. The professor paused, and leaned forward some as his elbows came to rest on the dirtied corner of the bar, “I’d like to think someone could find all sorts of things in a place like this. Information, for example”. Glancing briefly over his shoulder, the Neti turned back towards the disgruntled barkeep and extended his gloved hand, a polished, gilded peggat shining up in the center of his palm, “I’m in need of some equipment for a job. A very loud job. Maybe someone’s docked around here that can help me?”.

[Master Buggie]

The bartender scooped up the coins and deposited them into his pocket. He carried on scrubbing a tumbler without another word.

As the pregnant silence wore on, a patron standing at the corner of the bartop laughed into his cup before taking an audible gulp. He then explained to the newcomers that the bartender wasn't much for talking, but that he'd spoken to another traveler only a few moments ago who might have the type of equipment that they sought, or at least information on where to find more.

"Yeah, a skinny green bug, he was. Dressed up like he was expectin' someone to start wavin' a blaster around at him or somethin'. Left with some Ogemites-- y'know, tall with feathery sort of hair," the patron described, waving his oil-stained hand over his head to illustrate the feathers he referred to, "Yep, they headed out over to the shops, they did. Real hush-hush."
---
Monarch had begun to respond, his voice a smooth timbre as he began to recount how he obtained this windfall of weaponry. The Ogemites were enamored from the beginning of the tale, their tall frames practically leaning toward Monarch, as if the words became more potent the closer they got to the source.

"Kyuk--!!" Buggie blurted abruptly, a wad of phlegm lauching from between his mandibles and striking home with a wet thwak on the weapon that he was holding.

Each of the sentients gathered in the small shop let out a groan of disgust and Monarch's composure broke to the point where he uttered a foul sounding expletive. Buggie was compelled to exit the hut until he could get himself in order. There was something about the bog moon of Bogden that disagreed with Buggie's insectoid physiology. His multifaceted eyes were burning at this point, and he was experiencing an almost coarse sensation within his mouthparts when speaking. He took a moment to reflect on the state of his body with the Force and found that there was no poison coursing through his body. This seemed to confirm that something within the environment was irritating him, and he resolved to step away from Monarch's shop until he could secure a drink to ease the discomfort he was experiencing.

[Kita_Ikari]

Kita took the drink as it was handed to her, looking down at it, she had never really had many drinks before. Not that she didn't care too. She just never had the money or time for such things. Bringing the glass up, she smelled the alcohol first to find if it was sweet or just plain bold. It didn't smell great and that should of been the first clue it wasn't for her. She took a good enough of a mouthful of the beverage and cringed at the taste as it burned down the back of her throat. "O-ok..." She glanced over at Sa'ato trying not to seem pathetic for not handling the flavor of it much less the potency. "I believe I get where the battery acid comment kicks in." She said clearing her throat as she slid the drink away.

The Sith apprentice looked up at the man as he chuckled nearby at the end of the bar. A frown appeared on Kita's face as she glanced over at her partner seriously. "Sounds like the right person we are looking for. We should go and check it out." Getting up from her seat, she tilted her head slightly as Kita started considering the amount of energy the Neti had already used fighting the Sangwa with her. Unlike Kita, the scholar hadn't been training for very long. And his stamina was still being built to handle long session of battle. "If you need to, you can hold onto me for a bit." There was a awkward silence for a moment. Kita didn't want her partner to think she thought he was weak. But she did care for his well being as they went about this mission. "Not that you have too. I'm just offering my assistance." She added.

The Sith apprentice looked away as she considered what might have happened to her if her Master Lord Tormentous saw her offering help to the neti. "He would most likely give you a beat down, and tell you you were weak for showing kindness." She told herself silently. Her brows furrowed at that realization. For training as a Sith, she sure wasn't as ruthless as most. At least not yet.

Looking back at Sa'ato, she stood nearby awaiting for him to get up. "I don't know how long this bug will be hanging around, but lets hope we catch him in time before he moves locations. Time is of the essence."

[Professor Mors]

“Thank you”, Sa’ato whispered softly to the haggard bartender while inclining his head, “That’s very helpful”. The Neti turned to exit and allowed the duo to walk in silence for some time until he was convinced they were out of earshot. “The assistance is expected and appreciated”, the academic commented with a light chuckle, “It is my first weapons heist after all”. Stopping in place, the professor tapped his foot and glanced from side to side while he got his bearings.

There were several ships parked haphazardly on the muddy swamp floor, each separated by crude walls with parapets for maintenance and the occasional fuel silo. It took the elder teacher several moments to scan each vessel from a distance. By process of elimination, he settled on an older, taller chassis that he guessed could handle an arms shipment- or would at least have ample space to hide one. Shrugging his shoulders in that direction, Sa’ato resumed at a brisk pace with the understanding that Kita would be nearby.

“If nothing else, I’ll take care of the talking”, the Neti affirmed quietly, looking over his shoulder for good measure, “I’ll be relying on you to close the gap so that they can’t make use of their product”. The professor then briefly leveled his masked gaze onto Kita and concluded, “It would be best to just kill them so this whole thing can’t be traced back to us- but if you’re adverse to the idea then at a minimum, I encourage excessive force”. Sa’ato stopped short once more. In the distance, he could just catch the emerald sheen of an exoskeleton.

The insectoid had been found at last, as had his two humanoid companions, the species of which the professor could not immediately place. No matter. Increasing the pace of his gait, the academic made a straight beeline for the target transport, waving his arms about to grab the trio’s intention without a hint of subtlety.

[Master Buggie]

Before he could get far, the Ogemites tracked Buggie down and cornered him. They were nearly frantic at the thought of Buggie insulting Monarch's product by spitting all over it, which Buggie attempted to explain by telling the Ogemite duo about the allergic reaction he was having to Bogden's moon. The Ogemites refused to hear it, though, as they carried on asking Buggie why he had insinuated to Monarch that the weapons were too "hot" and why he thought the Galactic Alliance would find out about the stolen weapons. At this point, Buggie's head was spinning just trying to keep up with the fast-talking Ogemites. He wished he could ask them why they didn't just transport the weapons themselves, but that risked irritating the two feather-haired sentients further.

Buggie attempted to deescalate the conversation by turning to who he deemed to be the more reasonable of the two Ogemites. At that moment, the other Ogemite, whom Buggie had apparently judged correctly as the more hotheaded of the two, grabbed Buggie by the shoulder of his camouflage armor and attempted to turn him his way. While the gesture was more pushy than violent, Buggie stepped back and gave a disapproving look at the offending Ogemite.

"Hey now, take it easy!" Buggie advised.

For someone clad in camouflage with a small heater-shaped vibroshield affixed to his shoulder, Buggie certainly wasn't causing the Ogemites to hesitate from giving him a tongue lashing. The shoulder grab confirmed to Buggie that despite the choice of clothing, he was still seen as a relatively unimposing figure. He had dressed himself intentionally in order to keep from looking like a target to any desperate individuals that would otherwise harass him, but the old adage repeated in many systems across the galaxy was proven to hold truth-- the tools don't make the sentient.

Fortunately, a figure clad in a full flight suit appeared and was hollering for their attention, waving his arms about and causing a scene. Buggie was just as confused as the Ogemites, who, mercifully, were too distracted to cause further inconvenience to Buggie.

"Who the kriff is this guy?" one of the Ogemites asked the other.