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| - Now normally, Roznak Cantina had only a handful of customers. The restaurant had very few regulars, as the food was not very good, and sleeping in a spaceport scared most people. That was not the case today. There was a long line snaking about the buildings of the spaceport to even enter the cantina, with people of all races sweating under the midday sun. One of the people standing in line was Isolle. The Cathar had wisely changed her garments over the previous night. Instead of the dark-colored robe, she had on a simple shirt and trouser combination, befitting someone of a low station. She kept mostly to herself, refusing to speak a word or even look anyone in the eye. She kept her well-trained eyes surveying her surroundings. The spaceport seemed to be more vibrant during the day. The local populace had resurfaced and was back on the streets, now hawking their goods to the people who were in line. There was still a dearth of soldiers though, and a rather suspicious looking ship was unloading its wares and not being harassed by any dockmaster. That made sense, as the Precinct was no more open than it had been last night. When she had passed through the line, Isolle entered the cantina and looked about the dining area. It seemed that extra tables were ordered just for this day, as every serviceable square foot of space had some sort of group seated, eating, or conversing. The result was a very claustrophobic, hectic room with a myriad of sights, sounds, and even smells that normally she would go to all lengths to avoid. Today; however, would be an exception to that rule. She scanned the sea of people, looking for her dining partner for that afternoon. It did not take her long to find the human, who had noticed her some time before she caught eye of him. The man gestured to her. He was wearing an unassuming black set of clothes and a rather amused smirk on his face. The Cathar had to use most of her self-restraint to prevent herself from snarling. Her light paws carried her swiftly to the table where she looked the Exchange boss in the eyes. "Tosh!" she hissed at him, barely audible over the din of the patrons. "Good afternoon to you as well, Isolle," he said with the same smirk on his face, "Please take a seat." The Cathar glanced at the chair Tosh had gestured to and sat down. She looked the Human venomously in the eyes for a moment, but Tosh was by no means phased. Her stare was returned with an amused smile. After a few moments of bizarre silence, she realized she would have to speak first. "Tosh. The sticks," she said as softly as her voice could allow. "Ah, yes, the sticks. I hear you've got quite the appetite for that stuff now." "I do not wish to play. Give me the sticks," Isolle replied, sinking her claws into the wood of the table. "And here you said that you were never going to touch the stuff. I must say, I'm disappointed to hear that you've gotten such a need for it. It's been what, a few days, and you look like you're going to snap. You really should've known better." "Tosh. The sticks," she repeated, obviously losing her patience. Tosh wagged his finger at Isolle with apparent amusement. "You know better than that, Isolle. I don't just give this stuff away. And, as you might have noticed, I've got the only source available to you on Coruscant," he said, patting a small black pouch on his belt, "So if you want to get it, I suggest that you earn it." The Cather hissed softly, then quieted down. She took a moment to compose herself. Isolle then muttered, "What do you want to know?" "What do I want to know? A great deal, Isolle. But we're not discussing what I want to know, but what I need to know. And what I need to know is Exchange business," he began, his friendly tone now giving way into a more businesslike one. "Some place to discuss Exchange business..." the Cathar noted, looking about at the many people who were dining about them. "Don't be silly, Isolle. Look about you. No one is watching us, let alone hearing us. I told you. Security doesn't even bother to spend agents to the spaceport anymore. Now let's get to the first bit of information. How is the state of affairs on Nar Shaddaa?" "You watch the Holonet, you know how it is." Tosh allowed himself to chuckle slightly. "Ah, yes. I heard all the Republic has to say. 'The collapse of the murderous Hutt Cartel' and 'ending slavery in the Outer Rim.' You don't take me for a fool, do you Isolle? No, wait, you haven't been in the Republic for some time. Well, to put it simply, the Holonet isn't truthful all the time. And it's only been getting worse and worse as time goes on. Unrest is high enough with the disease so the Holonet hasn't given out one iota of verifiable information about Hutt Space and the rest of the Outer Rim since Uu'kav was still Supreme Chancellor." Isolle frowned at the Exchange boss, but Tosh really could not determine why. He was about to ask his question again before Isolle decided to speak up, "Nar Shaddaa was improving three years ago. I could see it with my eyes. Vogga's death, the rise of the Shadow Syndicate, and the expansion of the Exchange. It really did seem like things were going to go well over there. But then Ukabi made his move." "And that's when real news became scarce and we made by with rumors." Isolle nodded slowly. "Ukabi believed the best targets would be the boss first, then the underbosses and everyone else second. Within the first week of his grab for power, Varik Finn was dead. I was frightened. Everyone was frightened. They turned to Godoba the Hutt, thinking that his riches could somehow stop Ukabi. We were fools. Credits can do much, but they cannot slay soldiers. Godoba's most skilled agents could not kill Ukabi, and his enforcers had to guard his properties. He was paralyzed. And with most of the Exchange opposed to Ukabi crippled and Godoba paralyzed, the resistance against Ukabi was hamstrung." "That goes along with some of the word we've gotten from there," the Human replied softly as if to himself. "While Godoba fled to Nal Hutta to discuss the threat with the rest of the Hutt Cartel, two other groups rose to the challenge. The Labor Alliance and the DX Annihilator Network, both upstarts in the power circles of Nar Shaddaa, allied together to fight Ukabi and the now loyal Exchange. The Network provided many deadly droids, while the Alliance mobilized their massive amounts of workers and gangs. They began to fight back against Ukabi. Within two weeks of their alliance and formation of the Shadow Syndicate, they drove Ukabi's forces from the Promenades, and, to Godoba's shame, it was the Network who freed Club Vertica. When Ukabi finally brokered a ceasefire, the Exchange was bent to his will. The Shadow Syndicate was exhausted as well. The people were quick to choose one side or the other. Soon the Syndicate, seeing the rate at which Ukabi's Exchange was recovering, added Godoba to their ranks. They have been in an uneasy ceasefire ever since." Tosh took a drink from a glass, "You think they'll resume fighting?" "I do not know. They will both expand for certain. They need to recover quickly." "Speaking of that, what about the Republic controlled-areas of the Outer Rim?" "I know nothing about them other than that they have recalled several of the armies." "Well then, I suppose that suffices," Tosh began, "Now, give me more details about Nar Shaddaa. How has it weathered Ukabi's grab for power?" "That is a difficult issue. You might know about a group called the Krayt Dragons. They are our enemies and have attacked us more than once. They are thugs and thick-necks who are better at shaking down the weak then running a business. Finn took measures in the past to stop them, but with Ukabi and the other factions weakened, they have become more ambitious," Isolle explained, before pausing for a few seconds, "Tosh, to be simple, it is no longer safe on Nar Shaddaa." The two were silent for a moment. Tosh closed his eyes, breathed in deeply, and then returned his gaze to Isolle. "You are positive, Isolle, that Nar Shaddaa is in no way safe? As in our definition of safe?" "Finn has been murdered. Most of those who are not loyal to Ukabi have gone to Nal Hutta, but even there I felt like I was being hunted." "Ah, and that's why you came to Coruscant." "And that is why I came to Coruscant." The two fell silent again, staring at each other amidst the noise of the cantina. "Now, the sticks," Isolle said at last. "Yes, the sticks..." Tosh muttered, tossing the Cathar the small pouch. Isolle caught the pouch deftly and put it in her pocket. Without another word, she stood and turned from Tosh, but apparently he was not quite through with her. "Isolle, what are you doing this afternoon," he called out. The Cathar turned around. "I don't want anything more to do with the Exchange. Thought you knew that." "No, this isn't about the Exchange. Chancellor Berooken is going to give an address, and word on the street says its going to deal with his replacement. It might be worth your time to hear it." Isolle said nothing and left the cantina, hardly giving Tosh a ghost of a response. The Human leaned back in his chair and watched her leave. He let a smirk break onto his face. "Sorry, Isolle," he muttered under his breath, "But I'm afraid you'll still have plenty to do with the Exchange." And with that he stood to go pay his tab and begin preparations for his next move. Even if the rest of the planet was shut down today, his tasks were never over. Isolle roamed through the streets of Coruscant with a sort of restlessness. Although her nerves had been cooled in one way with death sticks in her system, she also seemed to be agitated from her conversation with Tosh. She had never really enjoyed working with him when she was younger. Even back then the man had a very abrasive effect on her. She surveyed her surroundings to put her mind to ease. An old technique she had learned over the years from being a criminal was to always keep an ear out for rumors, gleaning as much information as one could from tawdry gossip. Today, the banter revolved around the massive influx of people who were on the planet. The major strains involved the alleged arrival of foreign dinitaries, like the Senator of Ryloth, the Governor of Romin, or some Hutt crime lord. Others said that the King of Cinnagar had already checked into Hotel Manarai, while others claimed that all the Jedi Masters were present. Of course, there were other, less certain tales, like a drunken Twi'lek claiming there was a flying Bantha near the Senate Tower, or a very rational young Bothan passionately claiming that he had almost been eaten by a duracrete slug. Normally, Isolle reasoned that only a third of these types of claims could be true at best. But today, she was not so sure. There were many new people about on the planet today. Maneuvering between people and parked speeders, Isolle made her way to the Senate Tower, hoping to find a little solitude. Instead, she found the largest mass of people she had yet seen around a stage that had been set up in the plaza. And, unless her eyes deceived her, the person who stood on it was Supreme Chancellor Berooken. It seemed that she would catch that speech after all.
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