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| - Chalmun's Cantina -- MOS EISLEY -- Tatooine Chalmun's Cantina. Often called a 'wretched hive of scum and villany' by those who don't fit in either of those categories; and rightly so. Today is like any other day on Tatooine. Outside the cantina, blistering heat plagues those who dare to go out under the twin suns. Inside, 'hot' is a terrible understatement, as the room can only be considered slightly more comfortable than outside. However there is one difference in the cantina. Where most beings are crowded together drinking and talking in various languages throughout the room, there is an air of quiet concern. The corner farthest from the entrance has been cleared entirely of the usual clientel. In their place are a motley crew of various beings, each looking like the mercenaries they are. In the center of their group, seated alone at a table is a being that was once as familiar on Tatooine as the very sand itself. Ephant Mon, former right hand man of Jabba the Hutt, reclines in a large cushion, quietly sipping from a large bowl as he surveys the crowd. For a moment, a bright shaft of light pierces the inside of the dusty cantina. A shadow darkens it as another patron enters from the street, and then the brilliance disappears once more, leaving things as they were before the newcomer arrived. He undoubtedly draws looks from around the room, for that is the nature of places like this. Cowled in robes, a hood over his head to shade from the brutality of the suns, the individual draws that hood back now that he's inside, revealing the distinctive features of a Sullustan. Seen one, seen them all, it's said. Enb'Zik gives his eyes time to adjust to the darkness, reaching out initially with another sense instead to 'see' what he's walking into. He glances to those still looking his direction, then turns and begins to cross the room, heading toward that back table and the being settled there who is infinitely more recognizeable in a place like this. The newcomer is noticed first by Mon's guards, who shift slightly as they watch the Sullustan approach. Slowly, almost lazily, the Chevin's eyes rise from his drink and lock on to the being headed his way. He'd known a few Sullustans and knew that while they were somewhat lacking in height and strength, they more than made up for it with their intellect and skill. It is these thoughts that cause a smile to appear on his toothy trunk as he motions for his men to let the Sullustan through without any problems. Observing the guards and shifting his gaze to one and then the other, Enb'Zik pauses until they move back again. His manner is simple and calm, not unlike that of another Jedi entering a similarly hot and dark impoundment on this same planet some years before. Not unlike, but not entirely /like/, either. The 1.6 meter Sullustan moves quietly toward the Chevin's table, folding his hands behind his back as he stops there once more. "You are Ephant Mon?" he queries. Ephant Mon dips his trunk into the large bowl on the table in front of him and takes a long, and rather loud, drink. Satisfied, he leans back and gazes at the Sullustan for a moment. "I am." he says, nodding his large head slowly. "And you must be another fine adventurer. Seeking treasure, I bet!" he laughs softly. "Sit, sit. Have a drink." he says, nudging the bowl closer to the center of the table for Zik to have a sip if he chooses. With a slight nod, Enb'Zik moves to the Chevin's right side and takes a seat there. He turns his eyes to the bowl but doesn't immediately take the being up on his offer of hospitality, instead spending a very brief span of time regarding the beverage through the tendrils of the Force for any sign of danger. It takes a lot to get a Sullustan drunk, but as little as any other race to harm him otherwise. He moves easily, performing none of the shuffling of shorter members of his race and having no need to hop up onto the bench as some might. "Thank you," he responds. "Seeking treasure of sorts, yes. I found your offer to be worth looking into, at least. What can you tell me?" Ephant Mon smiles, not upset in the slightest that the Sullustan didn't take the offered drink. "I can tell you many, many things, my friend. Many, many things indeed. But you are not here for tales. No, I will tell you about the treasure!" he says, shifting his massive weight on his seat and nodding. "Lets see...where to begin...As you may or may not know, I was once very close to Jabba Desilijic Tiure; Jabba the Hutt to most of the galaxy. However we parted ways on the day of his untimely demise and I have since moved on to greater things. You see, I am enlightened, my new friend. I have given up my old ways and have devoted my life to religion. Unfortunately, I have fallen on hard times lately and am in quite a mess, financially. This is where young adventurers such as you come in." "I don't know how familiar you are with Hutts, but I know quite a bit about them. They are not very trusting. Not at all. Even of their closest allies. A Hutt may fill his entire palace with treasure, but only a fool would believe that everything that Hutt valued would be right there in that one place." The smile on his trunk widens for a moment before he dips it into the bowl again for another drink. "Nearly all Hutts are like that. And Jabba definitely was. The old slug had several secret vaults scattered across the galaxy and each one was filled with all manner of valuable items and artifacts. I have searched long and hard and I have managed to find several of those vaults. Unfortunately, I found them too late and they had all been looted or destroyed." Ikihsa leans back on his bench as he listens, his eyes on the considerable bulk of the being with whom he's speaking, even as he observes others around him at the same time. He is patient as Mon gets around to telling what he has to say. He wonders briefly what a religious devotee would need with money, but even the religious can't hide from the real demands of real life -- bill collectors won't take God in lieu of payment. The being's motives bear more thought, but that's an issue for a little later. "So you believe there are more of these vaults left to be found," Zik surmises, "which you hope have not also been looted or destroyed. You have reason to believe they have not? What kinds of artifacts to you suspect there may be?" The Chevin nods excitedly. "I /know/ there is at least one more vault. As I have said, I was very close with the Hutt and while I might not have known all of his secrets, I knew a great deal more than he thought I did! I know there is a vault that I haven't yet found. Whether anyone else has found it or not remains to be seen. Sadly, in my old age I can no longer strike out in the galaxy on adventures. I am needed elsewhere and I have neither the resources or the energy to continue my search alone. That is where young adventurers such as yourself come in!" His trunk twitches and he begins to cough, almost as if it add weight to the talk of old age. When the coughing fit dies off, he clears his throat and nods. "As for what could be inside...I have as good of an idea as you do. But with Jabba being who he was...there is just no telling. It could be anything. Absolutely anything." The Sullustan nods and turns his eyes away from Ephant Mon to one of his guards while he quickly runs over the facts as he understands them now. There likely /is/ a vault, but someone may or may not have already found it. Enb'Zik cares little for the treasure that may be there, except that it might contain old artifacts related to the Force -- Jedi, Sith or otherwise. Ultimately, that's his purpose for being here. This could turn out to be a significant discovery, or it might be a tremendous waste of time. Something, though, had led the Sullustan to suspect the former. Zik looks back toward the trunked, tusked being and leans forward, bracing his forearms on the table. "You have people out looking for this treasure already," he states. "I'm not in this to get insanely wealth. Consider me to be part of this as a collector of one or two items, so I don't need the whole cache to myself." Mon claps his large hands together and laughs softly. "Of course, of course. Though you would be entitled to a share of the treasure for your part in finding it! And can all be worked out once the whole thing is done and over with." he says, nodding his large head as if its all been decided. "You'll want to know how to get started, I'm sure. That is one thing I can tell you for certain. I know of two good leads that you could follow. One would be to attempt to gain access to Jabba's old palace...Draga's palace now, I suppose. There could be something useful there. The other would perhaps be a little easier to get to, but a grim location all the same. The place where Jabba met his death. The pit of Carkoon. There is a chance that there could be something there, buried in the sand, that could help you in the search." Mmph. Draga's palace, while safer for him now -- probably -- than the last time he was there, would not be a good bet. He could probably couch his identity within layers of armor, but it would be risky. The Pit of Carkoon would be marginally safer, but that's an awful lot of sand. Still, a better bet than Draga's. There is a third option, though... Zik looks up from his thoughts, "Has anyone you've worked with yet expressed an interest in having someone around with, say, particularly good observational abilities? Perhaps there's a team that's already a little further along on the search that could use my assistance." Mon's black eyes peer across the table at Zik for a moment before answering. "There is another who is currently searching for the vault. I'm not sure about his progress just now, though. Perhaps you could locate and assist him in the search. The two of you working together could turn up more than each of you working seperately." He says, smiling. "Yes...the other's name was....Malif...Malif Tal-Tahn, I believe it was. A good fellow. Very eager." Malif. Enb'Zik takes that bit of information with a stoic expression, but his mind now races to a decisive conclusion. If Malif is looking for treasure, it may not be any more entirely related to the money than Zik's on purposes. Furthermore, Malif is closely associated with Malign, and if Malign is looking for the same thing Zik wants, it wouldn't do to have him reach it first. And by working on his own, Zik would be starting off behind. Working /with/ Tal-Tahn would at least catch him up. A nod slowly starts. "Yes," he answers, "Yes, I think that would work." Mon's large hands come together again in a loud clap that causes some others in the cantina to look their way. The Chevin's guards give them a reason to look somewhere else. "Excellent, excellent. That is great news, I can tell you. Most excellent." he repeats, rocking back and forth in his seat. It is then that one of the guards closest to the Chevin leans close to its employer and whispers something quietly. After a moment, the smile already plastered on the Chevin's face grows larger. "I have just received wonderful news. Just in the knick of time, our friend Malif has sent a message to update me on his progress. I believe you should be able to find him on Bespin." Ikihsa watches the guard in silence as the being delivers his message. "Very well, then," Enb'Zik allows himself a smile as he replies, "It seems we have a partnership. I will make best time to Bespin and can meet him there." He inclines his chin toward the individual who brought the update, "Perhaps your guards can let Malif know you're sending someone to join him?" "Of course, of course." Mon replies, smiling. "And who should we tell him is coming?" he asks, peering closely at Zik. The Sullustan hadn't given a name yet and like any good criminal, former or otherwise, Ephant Mon didn't do business with anyone he didn't know. And of course, he had to be able to give a name to Malif. The Sullustan shifts minutely and smiles. "He'll know me as Jailbird," Zik replies, certain Malif has heard that before. "If he doesn't remember me, you can tell him I'm a close associate of his doctor friend on Caspar. That should jar his memory sufficiently." Ikihsa tilts his head as if to see whether that's sufficient, suspecting it will be in a place like this, where everyone has something to hide. Indeed it works just fine here in one of the seediest places in the galaxy. And it wasn't like Mon couldn't put the word out and find out who this 'Jailbird' really is. Afterall, he was Jabba the Hutt's right hand and head of security. "I will send word as soon as possible." he says and to enforce his words, he waves to one of his guards to go off and take care of it right away. "Good luck in your search. I will be eagerly awaiting more news." Enb'Zik slides out of the booth and turns to face the Chevin before bowing. He does so both deferentially and respectfully. "I thank you for your assistance. May it be that we all find what we're looking for, both monetarily and spiritually." He exchanges a meaningful expression at that last word, a reference to Ephant Mon's religious work, as well as to his own dedication to the Jedi Ephant Mon inclines his large head and smiles at the Sullustan. "Indeed. If all goes well, we should all come out of this far better off than we went in." he says. "Good luck, Jailbird. May the Force be with you." As Ikihsa straightens, he regards Ephant Mon thoughtfully. "And with you, as well," he murmurs finally, wondering now just whom he's dealing with. He reaches out in the Force, but if Mon is a user of that power, he's better at hiding it than Enb'Zik is at finding it. He allows himself to smile again, then turns to go.
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