Later that evening found the two ladies once again back in a seedier section of town. This time they were apprehensively watching a backwater night club frequented by mostly non-human species from the roof of the building across the street. Sorah Kavel handed the macro binoculars to her friend. "This isn't going to be easy. We're going to stick out like a gundark at a Cratzien festival in that place."
"I'd like to think I'm a bit more attractive than a gundark," Marla laughed, holding the binoculars up. After watching for a moment she added, "We might stick out a bit, but I think we'll be fine. I've seen one or two humans enter or exit the place, and almost every being is armed in some fashion."
They talked quietly, formulating a plan before eventually packing up and heading for the club. "Times like this I wish we had some more back up," Sorah said to her friend as they were crossing the street.
"You say that like we have any backup," Marla said grimly. If things didn't go well, it could get pretty ugly.
The Swokes Swokes who stood guard at the door, acting as a bouncer glanced at them and grunted something in what the ladies assumed was Swoken, but didn't stop them as they walked past and into the establishment. The bar itself was exactly what they expected it to be. Racous music filled the place, but not so loud that business couldn't be conducted quietly in the booths located in the alcoves around the perimeter of the room. No serving droids were found here. The kinds of people who frequented the place were secretive and didn't like to take the chance of some altered serving robot eaves dropping on them when delivering their ale or other grog. It was dark, and smokey in here, as well as hot and humid and packed to the brim.
They pushed their way to the bar and ordered drinks, then asked where they might find Deevum. The barkeep didn't seem suspicious at their request and immediately nodded his head in the direction of one of the darker booths where a Rodian was sitting by himself, nursing a drink and studying a data pad intently. They paid for their drinks, thanked the bartender and headed toward this Deevum.
He was a typical looking Rodian male, that is to say he was green with a long snout, cone shaped antennae and large, round, multifaceted black eyes. Sorah assumed that he probably had some distinguishing character that other Rodians could discern, but to her they all looked alike.
He looked up as they approached. "May I help you?" he inquired.
"Oh, so you speak Basic?" Marla replied.
"Yes. I find that in my line of work it helps to speak many languages fluently. I also speak Huttese, Bocce, Dosh, Mando'a and Durese in addition to Rodese. I also understand Shyriiwook, but of course no one can speak that but a Wookie. How may I help you ladies?" He said. They were surprised at just how good his Basic was despite the strange accent and the tendency to emphasize words incorrectly on occasion since most Rodians didn't bother learning much more than Huttese besides their own language.
"I hear you're in the information brokering service, and information is what I need," Marla said.
"Most information can be had... for the right price," Deevum replied. "What is it you're looking for?"
"The name of the being or beings who hired this man recently," Marla replied, pulling out a data pad and tossing it on the table. On the screen was a picture they had taken of the would-be assassin after the healing meds had taken affect.
Deevum glanced at the picture, then looked up at the two ladies. "I'm sorry, but client confidentiality is never for sale. Now if there is nothing else I can do for you, then I'll have to ask you to move along." He started to pick up his data pad again.
Sorah had had enough. She stepped past Marla and slammed the data pad down on the table. "Look, friend. That sleemo killed my boyfriend and tried to kill me. We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but in the end you'll talk just like he did," she snarled. She leaned in low and menacing. "Choice is yours, and frankly, I'm in a bad mood. I kind of hope you choose the hard way."
The Rodian gave an expression she could only assume was supposed to be a smile. "I think you should look around. You're outnumbered. Making trouble will only end badly for you."
"Wrong answer," she said and grabbed him by the shirt collar, yanked him to his feet then slammed him against the wall. Instantly the music stopped and weapons all over the club were drawn and pointed at Sorah and Marla.
Marla stood with her back to her friend, two blaster pistols drawn and aiming back at the hundreds of guns pointed in their directions. "We just came for some information," Marla yelled at the room full of hostile alien beings. "Put your weapons away, we'll finish our business and be on our way."
No one moved.
Deevum laughed. "If you take your appendages off of me now, maybe I can convince them to let you live."
"Tell me what I want to know, or else," Sorah said.
The Rodian chuckled again. "Or else, what?"
Sorah slipped something out of her pocket and held the object over her head for everyone to see. "Or I blow us all to the next dimension," she said, then flipped the switch on the thermal detonator.
The room was silent except for the beeping of the tiny nuclear thermal device.
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