BIlbousa Spaceport Nal Hutta 44 ABY
“This place is a drukhole,” said Acantha to her older sister as they stepped off the cargo ramp of the Inquisitorius shuttle she’d requisitioned for their mission. As they ventured out into the port, they both got a nose-full of the pungent odor in the air: rotten eggs and starship fuel. Acantha’s mask did most of the work in mitigating the stench, but her acute sense of smell ensured that even the traces that slipped through the armor’s filtration system left her wishing she had been giving another assignment.
“Masahiro is going to owe me big time for this.”
The duo didn’t make it far before they were approached by two figures: a male Klatooinian and a male Twi'lek. The former was the larger of the two, who was sporting a cybernetic right arm with a shoddy synthflesh job meant to make its metal components look organic. The Twi'lek was smoking an oversized cigar whose odor provided a welcome reprieve from the planet’s stench.
The Twi'lek spoke first, saying, “Welcome to Nal Hutta, ladies. There’s a modest docking fee for any visitors usin’ our facilities. Two-hundred credits and we’ll make sure that nice ship of yours is well taken care of.”
Acantha tilted her head. “Docking fee?”
“That’s right,” the Twi'lek nodded, “Lots of bad people runnin’ about, and we’d hate to see such a fine ship vandalized. Isn’t that right, Ma'an Tee?”
The Klatooinian nodded emphatically. “That’s right, Kreel.”
The Twi'lek continued. “Right. So, you pay us, we make sure no one touches your ship.”
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Melinoë was not nearly as lucky as her younger sister. All she had covering her face was a fabric cowl covering her face from the nose down. Her fist clenched as she resisted the urge to gag. “At least you’ve got a mask,” Mel said, her eyes stinging a bit.
“That sounds more like a threat,” Mel growled at the strangers. Mel doubted they even worked for the dock. They were probably just a couple of goons trying to take advantage of them both. Mel was about to say more when her sister raised a hand to stop her.
Once she was satisfied that her sister had gotten the message, Acantha addressed the two men again.
“Forgive us,” she said, “We’re not used to the way things are run around here. But thanks for looking out for us.” Acantha forced a smile before reaching into her pocket to fetch the credits they demanded. She dropped it into the Twi'lek’s hand. “Good?”
A broad grin crept onto the Twi'lek’s face. “Pleasure doin’ business with you ladies,” he said while turning to leave. “Oh, and welcome to Nal Hutta.”
Once they were out of earshot, Acantha rolled her eyes before looking to her sister. “Sometimes you have to let people think they’re the ones dictating the pace of the interaction,” she said, “That matters as much in places like this as it does in combat. Maybe more.”
A small, frustrated growl was all Mel responded with. She didn’t see the point in letting the men walk over them but she trusted her sister.