Galactic Marketplace

The restaurant's occupants seated within earshot of the three Chiss, their seemingly human male companion, and the apparently human female who had just assaulted him, fell silent, looking up from their meals and turning away from their conversations. Two of these individuals were seated some distance behind the small group, facing the door from the back of the establishment. One was a Wookie, the other a Trandoshan. There truly could not have been a more ironic or conspicuous union.
The Wookiee gruffed under his breath at the Trandoshan, who oriented a slimy eye towards the group who had just disturbed their meal. The two aliens were garbed utterly outside the fashion of their respective worlds, Kashyyyk and Trandosha. The Wookiee wore a light, suit jacket of dark blue, a thin black tie around his neck and a leather satchel that hung from his shoulder. A Verpine shattergun was holstered under his arm, though it remained hidden from sight by the jacket he wore. Atop his head, the Wookiee had donned a crumpled flat cap of the same dark blue as his jacket. The Trandoshan was garbed in a similar suit jacket, though with a light grey button-up beneath it, through which his own black tie was affixed. Whereas the Wookiee wore no bottoms, the Trandoshan wore slacks, but was similarly bootless. A shattergun was housed within a shoulder holster beneath his jacket as well, hidden from plain sight. The Trandoshan wore a trilby upon his head.
The two individuals spoke silently to one another via facial expressions for several long moments as the man called Renan satirically accounted for the woman's actions. After a moment, the Trandoshan nodded to the Wookiee, and both stood and approached the small group. The Trandoshan stopped beside the nearest of the booth's seats, resting a clawed hand upon it.
"Beg my pardon, but my friend and I have seemed to have misplaced ourselves," the Trandoshan said to the group in Basic that strangely lacked a typical Trandoshan accent, and was rimmed instead with a Coruscanti one. "It was our intention to meet with a man named Renan, a Chiss." The Trandoshan nodded towards Renan. "I believe you are the man we seek, sir."
The Wookiee nodded, adding in a surprisingly sultry voice that might remind one of Lando Calrissian, had they ever met the man, "That he is, my friend." He confirmed, holding a small holoprojector showing Renan's face out for the Trandoshan to see.
The Trandoshan thanked the Wookiee aside before looking back to the group, his dark eyes widening as a realization of some sort dawned upon him. "My manners, they seem to have abandoned me!" He bowed slightly. "My name is Haydred Stalker, my companion is Shr'eef. Pleasure to meet you." Shr'eef bowed slightly as well, placing a heavy paw over his chest as he did so. Haydred's secondary lids closed and reopened slowly, his eyes strafing the scene before resting upon the woman.
"We have been following your rather short exchange, my lady, and I do believe you are tactically impoverished, as it were." He gestured his free hand to the weapon tucked neatly against her side by the human man, then to the Verpine shattergun that had at some point appeared in his own.
"As this gentleman-" Haydred looked down at the human male, "Luxum, was it? A pleasure to meet you as well, believe you, me, we have amicable business here, as attachés from our organization to the sir here-...As I was saying, this gentleman and myself both had prior arrangements with the sir here, and therefore I must kindly ask you to wait...your...turn." The last words lost their previously kind inflection as Haydred bit them out, his tongue skating across his scaled lips before disappearing again between rows of razor-sharp teeth.

When the gunshots sounded, there was no sudden movements or sharp gasps from the group at the booth. There was little but silence in the moments to follow, tailed quickly by the sound of the human male's voice, which was more perturbed than anything. Haydred sissed his laughter softly, nodding politely to the man who clearly had the bigger stick as he returned his pistol to its holster beneath his suit jacket. Behind him, Shr'eef growled threateningly, prompting Haydred to apologize.
"Please excuse Shr'eef, my friends. He has never fully grasped what it means to be a gentleman, though the Scorekeeper knows he tries." Haydred said smoothly, before glancing to the Chiss male named Renan seated across from Luxum. He was all but ignoring the woman at this point, as he believed any threat she had posed to be neutralized by the Luxum's impressive display of command over the situation. Similarly, however, the Trandoshan dismissed the human male's demands that he and Shr'eef leave them. Instead he spoke directly to the Chiss male.
"Fleet Officer Nathar'ena'nuruodo," Haydred began, the Chiss' full name coming easily to him, as Dosh was similarly harsh and complex in its vocalization, particularly of nouns. "Myself and my companion were sent as attachés for your diplomatic travels from the Galactic Security Assistance Force. I believe this was coordinated between yourself and my superiors. If you so desire, we can excuse ourselves as the kind sir has requested, until your business is concluded." In truth, the Trandoshan had intended on waiting until Renan and his detail had ended their appointment with Luxum before approaching the Chiss envoys, though the human female's outrageous actions had called for interruption. Haydred awaited the man's answer politely as Shr'eef held his gaze upon the human female, who had yet to act, much to Haydred's chagrin. The Trandoshan was curious to discover what else this man Luxum was capable of, though Haydred was quite content with the number of jagannath points he currently held and was uninterested in testing himself against the man.

Haydred caught the thrown commlink with a clawed hand, stowing it swiftly into his jacket. He nodded and offered a slight bow, Shr'eef followed his example. "We look forward to speaking with you again, sir." The Trandoshan said smoothly. The odd-ball pair of GALSAF commandos offered nods to Luxum before stepping around the Human female and taking their leave from the restaurant. Once outside, Shr'eef took in a deep breath of air, sniffing out the area.
"You need to mind your manners better, my friend." Haydred muttered as the pair turned right and began journeying through the open markets of the city. Shr'eef gruffed insolently under his breath, prompting Haydred to halt and grasp the Wookiee by the sleeve of his jacket. "I'm sseriousss..." Haydred said darkly. Shr'eef had long ago learned that once his companion's speech took on its Doshan accents, he was to be taken with grave seriousness. Shr'eef snurfed apologetically, though Haydred sensed little about the Wookiee's demeanor that told him the words were genuine. Even so, it placated him enough to release Shr'eef's arm. The pair continued walking, their gazes strafing the shops and carts laden with food, spices, weapons, equipment, vehicle parts and myriad oddities. Most of the vendors were Dressellian, with wrinkled sloping foreheads and bumpy craniums, beady eyes, and sharp teeth.
"Our mission is of a diplomatic nature, my friend." Haydred reminded Shr'eef as he inspected a leather belt made of shaak skin. He set the belt down, more impressed with the one he already owned. "The organization cannot afford any more damages to its reputation; working any closer to the Core than the Mid Rim has already become difficult. The Republic's eye is on us, need I remind you?" Shr'eef snarled in reply, telling Haydred exactly what he thought of the Republic and their Jedi. If Haydred had Human lips, he would have pursed them in disapproval.
"All Jedi are our allies, unless we make enemies of them. They are not all like that nanismic Ewok, Rawkill." Haydred continued as if he hadn't heard Shr'eef's comment, proceeding to peruse the goods of the next vendor in line down the road. "If we treated groups of people as if they were all like their worst examples, then you and I would not be friends." Haydred reminded Shr'eef casually. "So this is what we'll do, my furred friend. We'll keep our hands and comments to ourselves, and we'll look and listen instead. We have already been given a task by our diplomatic superior, to bring him what knowledge we can of Galactic History." Haydred turned a piece of local fruit over in his clawed hand before returning it to its place and leaning forward to address the vendor himself, a Dressellian with a greenish tinge to his skin. "I see no better place to start than here." He told Shr'eef, who crossed his shaggy arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. "Excuse me sir, but who might I ask in regards to the Imperial Occupation of your world?"

Shr'eef growled, perturbed by the vendor's comment. Obviously, the Wookiee felt his intelligence had been offended. The corners of Haydred's scaly lips retracted slightly; his specie's version of a smile. "Library, of course. Thank you, my friend." The Trandoshan replied, removing a datapad from his jacket pocket as he led Shr'eef away from the vendor's little shack. "I'm sure there's an learning institution bound to be around here somewhere as well. Perhaps we might find an instructor of such social histories." The Chiss, Renan, had requested they acquire information on Galactic history since the fall of the Empire, a task easily handled by any database with a Holonet connection. But Haydred preferred to work on a more intimate level, learning what he could from people. It was a sentiment Shr'eef did not share, and he expressed this in a series of grunts and growls. Haydred did his best to ignore him as they made their way toward the library, enjoying the moist cool air that filtered through his nasal orifices and mouth. THe walk did not take them long, both Wookiees and Trandoshans have long strides and travel at quick paces on foot, even at a relaxed pace. For this, Haydred was glad. He would have hated to require the services of a speeder taxi to take him from place to place.

The library was located near a collection of administrative buildings just outside the fringes of the marketplace, surrounded by residential and utilitarian zones. The local spaceport was nearby as well. The pair of commandos entered the library lobby through a tall set of double-doors, stopping at a small receptionist's desk just inside the entrance. Haydred rested a clawed hand on the desk's countertop, looking down at the elderly Dresselian female sitting there, her eyes glued to the terminal display before her. She looked up at him after a moment, her eyes widening with a show of surprise Haydred had long grown accustomed to. Trandoshan's weren't known throughout the Galaxy as a knowledge-seeking people, and for good reason. "How may I help you?" She asked, her voice slightly strained. Haydred allowed his tongue to flicker briefly between his thin lips. "My companion and I are hoping to find information regarding Dressel's history, both through the Imperial occupation, and the post-Imperial era." The woman frowned as if her expectations had not been met. She looked back to her terminal and typed for several moments. "What sort of sources might you be wanting?" She asked. "Experiential, if possible." Haydred replied politely. The Dresselian female regarded him for a moment, then returned her gaze to the terminal display. "There are several oral historians in the area. Two of them are staffed at the nearby university. The other is off-world, at the moment. Some sort of extra-regional research endeavor." Haydred retrieved his datapad, setting it on the counter. "Might I have the others' contact information, if available?" He asked. The receptionist nodded, taking Haydred's 'pad and linking it with her terminal. After a moment she handed the device back to him. "There you have it. Though I'm unsure if you'll be able to meet with either of them without scheduling an appointment. I'm don't know how the university handles your sort of pursuits." Haydred returned the datapad to his jacket pocket, shaking his head. "Somehow, I'll figure it all out. Thank you for your time." The receptionist nodded and returned to her work, though Haydred felt her eyes on him as they left the library lobby. They made off in the direction of the university as directed by Haydred's datapad, their wide frames parting crowds with ease. The Trandoshan opened a file containing the historians' contact information and selected one of them for a call. He waited for the commlink to connect, a voice sounding after several moments. The voice asked in Dressellian. Haydred asked, "Basic?" and the voice spoke again.
Of course. Trann Vorss's office, how may I help you? Haydred replied. "I'm looking to arrange a meet with Professor Vorss, this afternoon, if at all possible." The Dressellian on the other end of the connection addressed his pursuit quickly. The Professor will be in Lecture until seventeen hundred hours. I can schedule you for an appointment tomorrow morning at zero-eight, if you want? Haydred thanked her, but declined. After the connection had ended, he tried the second commfrequency. Again, the voice that answered did so in Dressellian. Haydred asked "Basic?" as before and they acquiesced. This is Yorrlan Reevs, who's calling? Haydred was pleased to find he was speaking with the professor himself. Professor, my name is Haydred Stalker, I serve as a diplomatic attachment from the Galactic Security Assistance Force. I have found myself with some free time, and was hoping to meet with you regarding some history."
History regarding what? Reevs asked.
"Specifically Dressellian society during the Imperial occupation in comparison to the post-Imperial sociopolitical climate of the Galaxy." Haydred replied smoothly, as if the words were practiced.
That's a tall order, but my day is open. Stop by my office on the university campus and we'll talk. The Professor replied, pleasing Haydred. Shr'eef did not seem to share his excitement, but the Trandoshan wasn't about to let the dismal mood of his furry friend bring him down.
"It will be my pleasure, we'll be speaking face-to-face within the hour." Haydred returned, his voice as gleeful as a Trandoshan's can be. I look forward to meeting you, Mister Stalker. The Dressellian replied before ending the communication. Haydred stowed the datapad and glanced across at Shr'eef with a single, large eye. "You ought to be more excited about this than you are exhibiting, my friend." The Wookiee gruffed his response, prompting Haydred to wonder why the beast was serving as a diplomatic asset to begin with. GALCOM must have lost their minds assigning such a socially maladjusted Wookiee to a diplomacy position. Haydred merely shook his head as the two continued on down the busy streets of the city, making their way towards the university at a decent clip. Haydred was genuinely excited to have the opportunity to speak with such an individual as a professor of history. Such opportunities were rare despite GALSAF's continuous travels back and forth across the Galaxy.

Luxum had in fact paid the bill. Hospitality and all that. With the matter of the terrorists and the crazy lady taken care of, he rejoined the Chiss.

"Apologies. We try not to set up exclusion zones without cause. It gives visitors a taste of the Market that they wouldn't otherwise have if everyone were kept back 50 meters. Unfortunately, it seems that today is the day everyone chose to lose their damn minds. GALSAF, of all organizations..."

Luxum shook his head and sighed in a long-suffering sort of way normally associated with parents with headstrong children.

"I know neutrality is the preferred stance, but honestly, they've been declared either outlaws, terrorists, or outright enemy combatants by so many people, it's a wonder they're even allowed in the system."

The Shard seemed to realize he was rambling, though one might forgive him for being scatterbrained. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, the fork wound was hurting rather badly, and while it wasn't bleeding freely, it was beginning to ooze through the napkin that had been appropriated as a bandage. Despite the synthetic nature of Luxum's body, it did all the things a normal human body would. After all, a replacement droid that can be exposed by a pinprick isn't much of a replacement.

"So, what can we do for you on this fine day?"

Luxum offered a tight-lipped smile.

"The Market primarily deals with individual vendors and corporate entities. We usually establish trade agreements, technology exchanges and the like by exchanging diplomats."

Luxum nodded in a friendly sort of way.

"Naturally, the actual diplomatic representatives will likely be determined at pay grades far above us."

The request for information was not wholly unanticipated; the Chiss were insular at the best of times, and the Unknown Regions had been especially quiet from the perspective of outsiders. This could mean that they were relatively peaceful, but Luxum was willing to bet that chaos was the cause.

"We thought you might ask about that. A datachip has been prepared with a detailed summary of the events of the last few decades."

The Shard presented the chip to the Chiss.

"Consider it a gift. While Dressel is officially neutral towards all, that doesn't mean we're stingy."

Luxum considered the question for a moment.

"There are, of course, a number of different shops in the Market worth a visit, if you have a time. If you're a fan of fine weaponry, you might want to consider a visit to Eralam's Explosives Emporium. Though the proprietor passed away recently, it's still the source of some of the finest firearms, blasters, and other, more exotic ranged weaponry in the galaxy. Then there's Foyle's Flusterclucks, home to a group of highly irritating but otherwise masterful mercenary architects. They've built some of the most secure facilities in the galaxy, and will be more than happy to work with you, I'm sure. If you wish to establish a formal Embassy here on Dressel for the eventual Ambassador, I recommend a stop by the Capitol Building. They'll be glad to help you make the necessary arrangements.

As far as off planet ventures go, there are two main galactic powers at the moment: the Empire and the Republic. While I'm sure the prepared presentation will go into far greater detail, both are on the ascendant at the moment, and I'm sure both would welcome the chance to establish relations with the Chiss."

"Dresselians prize independence above all else. There are movements to join one side or the other, but..."

The Shard sighed in a long-suffering sort of way.

"Both seem to have lose momentum. There's supposed to be a vote on the matter, to determine whether or not to join a side and which side to join, but as it stands, I doubt anything will come of it."