Thick As Thieves
It was dawn deep in the Desilijic lands of Nal Hutta. The dense fog that had settled in the previous evening was being swept out of the Choopoola Bogland by the warm gentle morning breeze. The bright yellow giant Y'Toub was just beginning to peek over the distant horizon of the delta that opened up in to a sprawling murky shallow lake. A widely varied chorus of sounds of nature joined in to create an orchestra of chirping, whistling, croaking, bubbling, brewing, buzzing and a rare sploosh or splash. The heavier dense canopy forming woodland surrounding Lake Choopoola and its Inlet was of one uniform distinct species, an oversized knotted and mangled trunk and branch towering organic behemoth, the Varlok Tree. Not native to Nal Hutta at all, the species had originated on the true Hutt homeworld of Varl. Traveling with them across the stars fleeing the decimation of their home, the descendants of the original transplants arrived on the world Evocar millennia later. The planet would be renamed Nal Hutta, or Glorious Jewel in Huttese. And the Varlok Tree would again spread and thrive across the landscape, a premonition of Hutt destiny across the galaxy.
Early birds soared high gliding above, keeping aloft with occasional flaps of their large wings, looking down for various forms of potential prey that might scurry beneath. The larger dominant predators hugged the ground prowling or drifted about the marshes, diving down or bursting in to short sprinted swims to catch their snacks and meals. The lower rung consumers bobbled about in larger groups on the waters, ducking their heads under as their bottoms buoyed them to the surface or solitarily plopped upon large lily pads floating about, their tongues intermittently lashing out like tiny whips to snag buzzing insects or even smaller leaping marine animals.
Some distance out from the coalescing of numerous tiny tributaries in to the delta and in the vast shallow lake, a tiny wooden plank oar driven dingy that had seen it's better days slowly drifted with the imperceivable current, still shrouded in the fog that was being gradually carried up and out to sea. At the rear of the rickety several meter boat, a broad shouldered pointy faced orange colored vodran with a cowl and hood thrown over his shoulders and head was in the midst of tending to one of three rudimentary stick, line, hook and bobber fishing poles that were laid out over the water in separate directions. A single stout and thick purple bodied slimy fish flopped about while another lay already exhausted and relinquished to fate beside it. A slow start to the days tasks of feeding an insatiable Hutt. The Vodran carefully pierced and strung a smaller squiggly creature as bait on the empty hook, and tossed it in to the water with a bloop and tiny splash as he laid the rod back down and contentedly observed his lines for activity.
At the bow, a pile of rods and would be accessories sat in a messy bundle while a Klatooinian had a heap of worn but bulky animal skinned clothing pulled up over his shoulder and body as he tossed and turned sides occasionally while grumbling to himself. The Vodran had been taking notice of his restlessness for the last half hour and grown rather bored of it,
"Vell eef you cunt slep, hulp catsh moosters brookfoost!" he prodded at the Klatoonian in his deep distant voice.
The other threw the bulky clothing off his upper half and sat up, snarling back to his counterpart through his dark droopy cheeks that hung loose slightly below his chin line,
"You're so content to catch masters breakfast! Wash maaasters tail! Fetch maaasters whores! Kill maaasters failures! aren't you? Haven't you ever thought about doing something for yourself for a change? Bah!"
The Vodran stared blankly off in to the bog, the hundreds of pinnacles of the thick flat sided boney needles that protruded from his face gained a bit of tensed rigidity, his own dark eyes giving consideration while his dark brown canine-faced companion threw himself back down and pulled the coverings back over himself to conceal the now half risen sun.
". .I cunt theenk oov ahneethung, vut else shud I doe?" he inquired with an innocent naivete and shrug and returned to tending to his poles.
"Keeping fishing, you're doing great!" the Klatooinian proclaimed from beneath the pile of animal hides while waving an exposed arm and hand away in dismissal as the two lonely catches of the morning now lay still panting heavily in a gathering pool of their own secreted ooze on the boat's floor.
Along the shore of the delta bay and spaced several kilometers or so apart, about a dozen Hutt palace fortresses rose up from individual short out-reaching peninsulas as the land snaked across. They were placed meticulously and all together formed a perfectly rounded and even crescent shaped row of pegs when viewed from high overhead, tracing the general natural lay out of the bay's framing land mass itself. The separate fortresses were identical in appearance and style but varied in scale, according to their particular Lord's stature. The formation of a single fortress appeared as numerous puck shaped circular disks of varying individual height and diameter laid out in a uniform concentric fashion and stacked in shrinking dimensions upon one another as they stretched upward until the structures themselves neared a narrow neck like point, where the concentrically placed "pucks" reversed their shrinking diameters and began to grow again at much wider ratios. Layered in much thinner sections, the top region above the thin neck line formed a kind of top piece, head or hat, capping off the respective Palace. The structures ranged in maximum diameter from a mere one hundred to a massive eight hundred meters, and in height from two hundred and fifty to two thousand meters. They had a smooth shiny bronze metallic exterior plated finish, highlighted by diversely spaced turquoise shaded rings with a grainy stone look. Laid deeper in between the layered puck increments themselves, rows of tiny illumination were visible, shining out brightly like tiny pin point LEDs that seemed to mimic lines of gemstones, the whole design coming off with the look of a shallow chalice or goblet from a distance.
Each construct was the private official residence of a Desilijic Kajidic Lord. The smallest of the Lord's Palaces were positioned on the outward ends of the crescent. The largest was Pazda Tiure's, clan patriarch and one third of the Grand Council of Elders. It stood in the direct center of the crescent pattern and was actually positioned within the delta with a couple of the other largest structures on either side as they curved across the landscape, rising up from the shallow swamp covered sediment and founded upon the bedrock deep beneath.
A trio of swoop winged streamline fork-tailed tiny fighters zipped between the various fortress palaces, lacing them with their exhaust plumes. Atop Pazda's Palace and far removed from a large communications array, a bank of half a dozen or so small landing pads sat upon raised platforms, upon one of which a small shuttle rested prone for take off with it's engines at a soft glow and rumble. Shining between it's folded up dagger like wings, the ascending sun's rays beamed through. A pair of heavily armed Gamorreans stood snorting back and forth at the base of a zig-zagged ramp leading up to the landing pad.
Deep inside Pazda's Palace, within one of many of the luxurious ceremonial dens, the Grand Elder and his closest confidants congregated. The tall double chamber doors were closed. Inside, the air was thick and full of moisture and a dim light cast faint luminance throughout giving better definition to shadows than revealing what there was to be seen. A steady stream of steam rolled out from round faced slotted vents flat along the walls spaced at equal intervals throughout the room about two thirds of the height up. The room itself was circular and the walls absent of sharp corners, as Hutts tended to hold an inherent apprehension to squared angles. Pazda had dismissed the flock of servants and slaves that normally accompanied him everywhere he went when his guests had arrived, and now the three beings were left to pamper themselves as they openly discussed tastes, current events, the political climate and their ongoing or newly developing schemes.
Pazda was immersed in a cool mud bath. His bulbous body exposed only from the breast region up. His front was a very pale green and the rest of his skin the shade of a Chandrilan Blue Spruce. The massive tub was set in to the floor and raised only a couple feet. A large glass bowl of some form of green liquid and a number of small squirming creatures each with several tentacle appendages and gaping bottom-feeder mouths sat at one arms reach away. They clung to the inside of the glass with their suction mouths and shrieked individually as the Elder yanked one out and tossed it in his mouth chomping a few times and swallowing. Repeating the procedure in between brief lengths of speech,
". .Granee Elda Anjuluk, dose macca seempass, Koekalo. Chu Mehmet sukasa, boon coppa dah swoozen Beesahdee!?, Doe strog nuppa deese. [Grand Elder Anjiliac, bless his heaving splendor, will go the way of the stars soon. When Mehmet succeeds him, how will the wretched Besadii be kept in check?! Their strength grows now daily.]"
*CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP! GUUUUUuuuuuuuuulllPPP!* . . . . . . *BEEEeeelllllCCHHH!!*
". .Loopa Kajidic foogus dock nek voreesh, sooba wep Ahnjeleeaks trogooma. Ahnjeleeaks voologo, desh vee kappa sooga. . [The Lesser Clans all fear and dare not cross them, only we and the Anjiliacs may exchange glances. The Anjiliacs are too widely respected, so we the Desilijics become their target. ."
*CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP! GUUUUUuuuuuuuuulllPPP!*
". .[They think because we do not command legions that we are weak, but our minds as strong as tails, our minions discreet and in shadow, precise our blades,]"
*CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP! GUUUUUuuuuuuuuulllPPP!*
Planted upon an ornate cozy perch extended from the wall above and near Pazda sat a slender Toydarian with one leg dangled over and the other cocked up, foot planted on the perch. He wore a rather ornate tunic with flared cuffs, gem cufflinks and golden thread lining. A matching and equally fashionable hat slouched to the side of his head. He smiled beneath his drooping snout as he gnawed on a large spoiled poultry leg of some kind. At Pazda's blade reference he perked up slightly and let on a wider grin while patting a short sheathed scimitar at his hip, the Hutt continued, drifting off his main subject and harkening back to a recent triumph in council over the Besadii,
"Lorda Veedo moozah kefka doelash Zose Ee, Drooga chochka doopa yosh! Ho ho ho! [Lord Vedo's gift of Xo's Eye (Kessel), it practically made Durga puke that day! Ho ho ho!],"
*CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP! GUUUUUuuuuuuuuulllPPP!* the Hutt gleamed across the entire breadth of his face with a grin and attempted to express his satisfaction with another belch, but instead gagged and coughed for a moment.
At the other arm's reach sat another glass liquid containing apparatus, two meters tall, it's contents churning and brewing in the lower globe producing some form of vapor or smoke that wafted up it's neck through several chambers. Thick deposits of a resinous substance clung to the interior. Where it had fallen off it left a dark stained translucent ring on the glass, the freed deposits floated about in the mixture beneath. At the top was an ornate jeweled hose that was affixed and extended to a thin long gold mouth piece. When it wasn't in use it sat upon a top mounted wire hook that laid down along the side of the end barrel section. An exhaust vent on the back side near where the hose began relieved the building pressure by allowing a small amount of the smoke to escape.
Now gaining control of his lungs and throat, Pazda reached for the mouth piece and indulged himself a very long deep inhaling. With his lungs filled to capacity, he wobbly reached to place the mouth piece back as excess smoke seemed to billow out his every head orifice while he strained to hold it in. A sedated kind of smile crept across his face before he remembered his snacking and slowly released his breathe, wasting no time tossing another creature in to his mouth, which squealed as he chomped at it.
*CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!* "Poo dada zeepesh Huttuk soshka flakka pawa, moon bahlah eechee sekka dogga Anjuluks, Boogosh! [Too long they've dominated Hutt politics and flaunted their power, we've weathered it only through the Anjiliacs moderation, NO MORE!" *CHOMP! CHOMP! GUUUUUUUuuuuuuLLLLLPP!!*
The other Hutt in company, Bracco Sagami, robust but self-mobile with skin shades of dark blues and greyish creams, laid across a plush finely upholstered repulsor couch. It slightly bounced down and back up adjusting it's hover as the Hutt shifted his weight. He held a very long thin pencil filter between two of his four wide triangular digits, at the end of which was stuck some form of hand rolled cigar. The end of it bore a thick bright red cherry slowly burning it's way down. The smoke wafted up towards the ceiling where it disappeared in mingle with the rolling steam. Bracco narrowed his eyes and nodded his head as he allowed the elder to speak, before he shared his concerns,
"Mah Granee Uldra , Boe kass oppo deesex choo Besada. Doorga basha keelee locca bahsha josek. Jook sheshee mukala goema dose bakka gloomsteem Beesahdee seechen do Keeseel, bok eechee soldrun klatash broogoods pawa inkabunga ekkdum clahmash Granee Kajidic soopa, [My Grand Elder, I agree the Besadii must be dealt with. Durga sanctions Lesser Lords raids and claims to our lands. Just last month we intercepted twelve spice smuggling Besadii agents at Kessel, but with their command over the Si'Klaatan Brigades such incredible power and the climate of the Grand Clan,"
he paused to flick his ashes and take another drag from his long stemmed cigar before finishing his point,
". .[The Izissi will prove invaluable allies when their Servitude expires, but until then they are mere pawns of the Council and subject to Durga as well. . Is it wise to make a move against them now, My Great Ancient Forefather?]. ." he inquired with a squinted eye as he exhaled slowly producing a large dense second hand cloud.
The Toydarian spoke up offering his sentiments as he tossed a large clean animal leg bone down to the ground from his elevated post. Leaning forward with both legs now hanging over he exuberantly made his statements,
"[I served the Besadii before I came to the Desilijics. They are rotten to the tail bone. I will cut every Besadii Lords throat with this blade myself should you beseech me my masters!]," he implored the pair of Hutts in his low raspy tone while only slightly pulling his blade from it's cover. The short exposed section beaming brightly.
Pazda chuckled and deflected the excited assassins fervor before answering Bracco's wariness with a bonafide sermon,
"[Oh-ho-ho, even any army of Repeeshis would not be enough for such open aggression my eager ear and swordsman,"
*SLUUURRRRRRRRRP!* *CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!*
"[My dear cousin, have we taught you nothing of Kajidic in your eight centuries with us? What is a Grand Clan but many smaller? Destiny and TRUE Kajidic as passed from Desilijic to Desilijic says there may only be one clan. A legend exists that is never repeated outside of Desilijic ears, that one day the clans will unite and conquer but then they will collapse in to civil war again. That then the Glorious Jewel will become waste as Beautiful Varl. That the Huttuk Kajidic will crumble and be remade. That then Desilijic will be the only Kajidic to remain. And only then, will Hutt-kind rule the galaxy. . The clans have united for the first time in over twenty millennia. We must prepare for whatever may come next. We will move now and we will move in shadow as Desilijics always have, many secrets have I to share with you cousin. . .]" (TBC soon!)