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| - Chalmun's cantina this is, Rasi's first impression of it is, to say the least, not all that favourable. Of course, the commute to this god-forsaken planet or the sand does not help his mood the least bit, such that when he does enter, nothing less than the finest of establishments, one worthy for the finest of connoiseurs would do. And the Chalmun's Cantina does not fit the bill. He wears a non-descript ensemble, dark-brown cloak, nerf-leather jacket and boots, and the rest deserves little mention. His every movement shows a holster attached to his waist, though the exact weapon contained within is not revealed. Another look around, and the man heads towards the counter, taking one of the stools and patiently waiting to be served. The doors to the cantina open and flood the dim room with the brilliant light and a strong gust of desert heat before the figure of Krackor Reincus steps inside. After several weeks of it, he was started to get very tired of going back and forth between Tatooine, Nar Shaddaa and Smugglers. That vacation he'd planned to take was beginning to seem years and years away. Shaking his head, he heads to the bar, ready to order a drink and wait for whoever it was that wanted to meet him here. It'd better be worth it, too. Oh, it should indeed better be worth it or it will be one very cranky Rasi that heads back to the Audacity, and one knows how a cranky XO makes for a very edgy crew. Soon enough the new arrival is spotted, and given his run-in with the man in the past, it does not take long for him to be recognized. With his fizzyglug bottle in hand, who knew a dump like Tatooine would carry this?, the Fondorian gets up and walks over towards the smuggler, stopping within armsreach of the man. "Greetings.", simple as that. Krackor takes his drink when its set before him on the bar and lifts the glass to his lips for a sip, letting the man at his side wait for a few moments before turning to give him a look. When he finally does turn, he gives Rasi a quick inspection and nods. "You. Out here's a little beyond your comfort zone, ain't it?" He says, recognizing the man and figuring that he was the guy he was here to meet. Rasi's impression aside, and Leia can tell from the so subtle expression changes that the naval officer finds this cantina to be the sort of place he wouldn't rate high on his list of places to visit, she has claimed a booth in the shadows against the wall furthest from the door. With a glass of what looks like Corellian ale in a mug of dubious cleanliness curled between her hands, the contents alternately studied and sipped from with a vaguely amused air. "Please follow me, if you would.", Rasi says, taking a few steps back before he turns around to gesture to where it is they are heading. A small booth he pointed out, one in relative privacy and one concealed by the lighting, poor lighting?, of this place. And provided that the smuggler's interest has been piqued enough that he should have followed Rasi, the man presents him to a seat within the booth. One chosen so that should he attempt any trouble, the cloak person already there would receive the maximum amount of protection. In the middle of lifting that somewhat dubiously clean mug of Corellian ale, though to be fair it's probably watered down ale, certainly not the best vintage around. But then, it's Corellian ale, probably only best served if it's super cold and of a temperature sufficient to numb the taste buds. At an rate, once Rasi heads in the direction of the booth the booths occupant turns slightly, lifts the aforementioned mug in a bit of a toast in greeting. When Rasi turns to walk toward the booth, Krackor sighs and remains at the bar long enough to quickly down the rest of his drink and instruct Wuher to send another to Rasi's destination. With that taken care of, the smuggler follows, nodding at a few familiar faces he passes in the room on his way. When he finally gets to the booth, the cloaked figure is given a quick inspection while Krackor adjusts the rifle hanging over his shoulder under his coat in a way that makes it obvious that he's carrying a weapon. In a place like this, you had to let people know you could take care of things if it came down to it. Finally, he takes a seat and leans back into the booth. "So, what can I do for you fine people?" A look taken at his companion and Rasi answers first, "You are no doubt familiar with the Kessel area, you would not be who you are if you were not. Would we be correct in holding that assumption?" A quick sip of his fizzyglug shows that he ends his reply there, he is not in charge of this after all. Brushing back the edge of the cloak from her face, Leia gives Rasi a bit of that same look that she's been favoring her drink and the cantina with, at large. "Give the man a chance to sit, lets offer him at drink at least, for taking the time out of his day to come here." She sets her mug down again and taps it with one fingertip, "Granted, I wouldn't put a great deal of faith in the quality of the spirits, but it's drinkable." Krackor's eyebrows go up at Rasi's comments. "There ain't many people around here that aren't familiar with Kessel, pal. Whether I'm one of those people or not depends on why you want to know." When the hooded figure pulls back her cloak to reveal her face, Krackor blinks. The astonishment only lasts a moment, however, and he simply shakes his head. For some reason, he just couldn't be surprised at seeing the woman here. "I've got a drink coming, thanks. But your boy here can pay for it." he says with a grin. "Of course.", Rasi says in his strongest deadpan, thankfully he's not that much of a miser that he would refuse to pick up the tab, at least not in the presence of the Republic's Chief of State. Now, were she not here..."Kessel is not that much of a secret in certain circles. It has featured prominently in past military engagements between the Republic and the Empire." The slight quirk of a brow betrays the surprise he feels when Leia removes her hood, a glance taken around to see if any are paying particularly close attention. It wouldn't do well to have the CoS captured on his watch. Leia returns Rasi's look with a rather pointed one of her own. After all, he stands out more than she does in the cantina. "And?" Krackor asks dryly. "You're beating around the bantha, pal. Regardless of any past interactions between me and...you people...what the New Republic and the Empire do isn't really any concern of mine." he pauses long enough to lean back in his seat and take a drink. "That is...unless it pays. It might be that I've been in and out of Kessel more times than well..." he glances at Leia knowingly and smiles.."some former smugglers. So if there's something you need done, and you've got the credits, then maybe I can help you out. But lets just go ahead and get to the details, if you don't mind. I'm a busy man these days." "Very well then.", he reaches into his coat and pulls out a datapad, activating it to show a map of the galaxy, a quick few taps on it and it has zoomed in to where he wants. "That's what's more properly known as the Kessel redoubt. It's full of Imperial installations, ships and other such resources. We would like you to go there --more particularly the Kessel, Kubindi and Fvillswing systems-- and then take as many detailed scans of whatever is there as possible." Rasi even says that as though it was the normal thing in the world to ask of someone. Leia slips a data crystal out of one pocket and sets it lightly on the table, "A pre-programmed scan routine. I've set it up so that it cuts down on the time between scan initiation and scan completion, should cut the scan time required by at least a quarter of the usual time required. Drop in, initiate the program, then jump back out. ad you're right," she says with a subtle nod towards Krackor, "some former smugglers don't have as much experience. And this mission requires absolute absence of flash and fanfare, and he tends to create waves of that. It just happens," she adds, another slight shake of her head accompanies her words. Krackor sits up and leans over the table to look at the datapad. "I'm familiar with the area." he says, after its all been explained to him. He'd been there many, many times in his years as a smuggler. "Its a pretty rough system. Not easy to get into or out of unless you know what you're doing. Even.." another glance is given to Leia, along with a smile, "certain smugglers have had their fair share of trouble there. Still, I think its something I can handle." When Leia gives her information, he nods. "Sounds pretty simple when you lay it all out like that. But I can tell you it won't be. How long does it take for your little gadget to work?" "We have already undertaken scans of the area from each system's outer perimeter and there are minefields, space fortifications and other such things out there that prevented us from getting in closer. Your task is to make your way past these 'roadblocks' and spend something like 12 to 18 hours within each system. 12 to 24 ideally, but you can cut it short if you believe that you are about to be detected." With that said, a nod is given to the CoS when she gives the data crystal, he hadn't thought of that. Leia confirms, nodding towards Rasi as she speaks, "this should shave off at least four if not six of those hours. I can't guarantee more than that, but it's the best we could do to streamline the scans necessary. As Cen has already said, however, if there's a chance you'll be detected we'll take what ever scans you can get and be glad of it." Krackor leans back again. "So its not just 'jump in, scan, jump out' afterall, huh." he says, shaking his head. "Not that I'm surprised. I'm old enough and experienced enough to know that things are never the way they're first promised to be." He lifts his glass from the table and considers taking another sip. After a moment of peering into the glass, he grins and downs the liquid and waves for a refill. Afterall, Rasi said he was going to pick up the tab. "So, how much does this gig pay?" A slight shrug, and Rasi settles back in the seat, this part he is not the most experienced to deal with, though he might as well give it a shot. "2,500 credits, all up front?", on any other day he would have insisted on half and half, but these are special circumstances and a little trust and professional courtesy goes a long way. "I'm sorry, I think the good commander misspoke," Leia says softly after hearing the opening figure that Rasi tossed onto the table. She gives a subtle shake of her head and studies Krackor for a moment, "Time in transit, cost of fuel and resources, the inherent danger, time it'll take to conduct the scans, not get detected, and return with it - and return safely, that's the objective, by the by, this is not a suicide run - is going to require a markedly higher number. Ten." If he were anybody else, Krackor would laugh at Rasi's offer. Actually, no...thats not true. Krackor does laugh because thats the kind of guy he is. Twenty-five hundred? Who did this guy think he was talking to? The smuggler strongly considers reminding Rasi of the run he gave those NR fighters over Dac not all that long ago, but decides to hold off for now. He was sure there'd be a time later when it would work even better. Leia also helps him decide to keep quiet on it when she speaks up. With a smirk, he turns his attention to the NR CoS. "Ten thousand? Yeah, that sounds about right. For that, plus another drink, I'd say you've got your man." Oh well, apparently one can't haggle about this like you can with other stuff, what a pity. "Ten thousand it is.", and really, as long as he's not paying. "We have a deal then, you can drop off whatever it is you find by Mon Calamari, or if the situation gets too hot there, at headquarters over at Ord Mantell. If you do not wish it known, just leave it as a private message for me." Leia smiles at Krackor, spotting the smirk on Krackor's face and answering it the only way possible. With a wink she says, "I don't know about that. The price of the drink might just break the bank," she replies in a voice that's clearly colored with wry humor. She nods though, obviously intending to pick up the tab for this as well. "What ever will be most expedient and low risk for you, of course. I'd prefer to verify with my own eyes that you returned safe and sound, but my preference is merely opinion." Krackor snorts at Rasi. "Sure, I'll just swing by Dac and cruise right in. Just like last time, huh pal?" he says with a grin. See, he knew holding off on bringing it up would pay off. When Leia steps in, he nods. "I'll go in and do this for you. But I want five thousand up front and the rest when its over. Plus any extra costs for anything unexpected that I might run into. And don't worry, you'll have proof if it happens." He finishes his drink and sets the empty glass on the table. Leia reaches into that same pocket and retrieves a credit slip and hands it across the table to Krackor with a nod, "I'd expect nothing less," she says aloud. Her words are directed both at the pay up front and the proof that the work will be done. "Unless my read is wildly inaccurate, one does not get to where you are now if you don't do good work or if you're sloppy. That you are where you are now means that you're not light between the ears," a bit of an oddly worded compliment, but the sentiment is genuine. "Naturally.", a razor-thin smile afforded the man at his...quip at the events over at Mon Calamari, not pleased he is by that. But he knows that there is a time and a place for settling accounts with someone, and asking them to do something for you and then seeing to reversing a past wrong...well, that's just not done. "We look forward to doing business with you in the future. There should be more opportunities depending on the successful completion of this one." Krackor gives Leia his best smile; the one reserved for the women he met from time to time on whatever business trip he happened to be on. The kind of smile that sometimes made those very same women swoon(especially when they learned about his bank account) and follow him around all night. He knew it wouldn't have any effect on her, but that didn't mean anything. Whether it meant anything to her or not, it still carried the usual feelings, if slightly altered. Respect(not just for the time-being, either) and power. Those alternated between beings and helped build lasting relationships. Personal and business both. It was clear with Krackor which kind this was. And deep down inside, he was very glad for that. "I've never heard that Leia Organa-Solo ever read anyone wrong. And I truely appreciate your words." he says, raising his empty glass as a sign of respect. To Rasi, he simply nods. "And I look forward to do business with you again soon, as well." Whether he means the type of business they're currently discussing or if he's referring to their previous altercation remains to be seen, but the smile on the man's face hints at the latter.
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