Tera smirked as she asked for a cup of some water to clear the acrid taste of desert from her mouth. "I'm not curious. I'd just like to know who they're after so I can steer clear. If there are that many hunters here, the bounty must be huge." Tera sipped at the water as it was placed in front of her. "Only profit is in staying out of the way of them."

From the sullustan’s point of view there were credits to be made from the influx of bounty hunters. The spaceport hotel would remain busy until the bounty hunters moved on elsewhere. So the clerk how something to gain from the hunt taking as long as possible so it was evident that even if they knew anything they would remain tight lipped.

The clerk shrugged his shoulders “most our clients prefer to keep their business private and as long as their pay their bills I happy enough with that” he explained.

OOC After Tera’s trip around the market and her drink in the cafe it would be nearly time for her to start work.

Tera smiled as she stood up after having eaten some food. "Catch you later. Time to head to work. I'm beginning to wonder if we'll have any stock left by the time I get there. These people are voracious. Stay safe." After paying her bill Tera decided to take the quick route to work. She suspected her boos might be relieved to see her...and while it might not result in increased pay, it would pay off at some point in the future.

The journey from the spaceport cafe to the souvenir shop was fraught with the same dangers as the market. Noisy off-worlders and recklessly driven and overloaded landspeeders jockey for position in the dusty streets.

Away from the noise of Mos Eisley the first thing Tera notices after the shop’s automatic door clicked shut behind her was the quiet. In fact the shop was too quiet. Tera saw that the shop was empty. Not that it unusual for the small shop to have few customers but Heff too was missing. Tera would have expected to have seen the owner, a soft white furred alien with long pink ears working in the shop but he was nowhere to be seen or heard.

The boss not being around could be many things, but in Mos Eisley it was always prudent to assume the worst. Tera drew her pistol walking slowly around the store. She looked around the store, looking to see if anything was missing or sold, to determine if thieves had wandered off with the merchandise. She moved forward trying to be as quiet as she could, hoping poor Heff was good and healthy, and not for entirely altruistic reasons.

Moving around the quiet shop Tera can find no sign of anything missing. There is nothing untoward or suspicious until she entered the dimness of the shop’s stockroom. In the small room Tera discovers a body on the floor. The furry body is that of Heff, everything else appears normally. From where she is Tera can not tell if Heff is just sleeping, injured or perhaps worse.

Tera slumped. Heff being on the floor could not be good news. She moved quickly to her bosses side, before touching her boss, she had a quick look around to see if there was anything or anyone that could harm her. Satisfied there wasn't any immediate danger she holstered her blaster and then crouched down beside Heff to see what she could to help, the pang of fear that Heff had died ran through her. In Mos Eisley they weren't too fussy about who they arrested for crimes and if she ever attracted the interest of the bounty hunters in town or the authorities they'd find out who she was.

Despite the differences in biology between Tera and Heff it only took her a quick examination to determine that Heff was dead. Searching for the cause of death Tera found a dart sticking out of his neck.

Tera knew she was getting herself into trouble, but her curiosity wouldn't let it go. Resting on her knees, Tera looked at Heff with sadness. He must have upset one too many people. The only positive outcome from this was that Imperials weren't involved. They'd have just disappeared him or blasted him. Tera began to consider who might have been the killers. A dart seemed to indicate a local. Bounty Hunters all used blasters or thermal detonators...or so she'd heard. She tried to think on who might use such a primitive method to kill her boss.

Further examination of the dart reveals it appears to have been fired from a rocket projector and has traces of poison along its tip. It may be possible with the use of either a computer or a medical kit to identify the poison. Tera has not heard of any locals who are known for killing people with poisoned darts.

Tera looked around, by taking the dart, it would condemn her in the eyes of the little authority that did exist on Tattoine, but she could let Heff's death go unanswered. She carefully picked out the dart, trying not to contaminate Heffs body. She was a medic not a forensicist. Yet Heff had given her a job. Not much, but it was something when everything else around was so cheap. Tera vowed to herself to find Heff's killer and bring whoever it was to justice.

Trying not to disturb the scene Tera claimed the dart and made her vow to find Heff’s killer.

OOC next?

OOC:I would not be a typical PC if I didn't look for useful stuff

Tera looked around the store. Since she was now unemployed and no doubt a murder suspect she figured she'd need some funds to get off planet once she'd gotten payback for Heff. She went into heff's office to see if she could find any cash or items to sell. She intended to leave most of it for his family, but she couldn't afford not to look for anything of value that wasn't personal to him. She also hoped she might find a computer and be able to start the search for the thing that killed poor Heff.

Heff’s shop sells mainly junk for travellers and visitors. There’s little that Tera would term as useful, most of it overpriced and of no real use. Heff’s office is similarly lacking in any real value apart from the safe which is locked, the cash register in the shop has a float of a hundred credits in it. In Heff’s office there is a computer.

Tera left the safe, but decided she'd help herself to the float before leaving. Heff's death was murder, pure and simple. She had only one clue to go on, the method of death. She hoped the computer in Heff's office would have something else on it, as well as help her find out who and where the dart came from.

There was little that Heff had to hide so what security Heff had installed on the computer was easily overcome allowing Tera access to a many files. There were lots of mundane files pertaining to running of the shop and the business accounts. Along these files were a handful of personal messages and memorandum either to or from Arno or Slag. Tera has heard of Heff’s friends Old Arno and Slag Flats but had never met either of them.

The computer analysis of the dart confirms that it was fired from a rocket projector and that the traces of poison are Sennari. Research into Sennari reveals it to be a fast-acting and extremely lethal poison.

"Sennari hmmm" Tera thought to herself. She looked for more information on the poison. Eager to find out if it was a local poison, or an off world one. IF it was off world, then likely it would be one of the newcomers, which implied she should look for any information on a bounty hunter that used senarri gfrom a rocket projector.

The other information was good. Arno and Slag might be people she could turn to to get payback for Heff. Tera quickly scanned the content to see how friendly they were towards Heff, before trying to see if there was any hidden information on the computer itself.

OOC:
17:14, Today: Tera Inkari rolled 13 using 1d20+8. Use computer.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:15, Tue 27 Mar 2012.

The unfamiliar computer was reluctant to reveal much to Tera and she could only find the more common data. Sennari was revealed as a rare poison that was definitely from off world but Tera could not pinpoint it down to any particular source or hunter.

The connection between Old Arno, Slag Flats and Heff was that all three were aboard the original colony ship that crashed on Tatooine.

Tera found that last bit of news interesting. She was sure it was relevant and pertinent....but not exactly why. She looked for possible locations to find Arno and Slag Flats and decided that would be enough. Feeling it was time to get out, she moved back to the room where Heff's body lay. It was time to say goodbye. She closed her eyes wishing Heff a safe journey to whatever came afterwards and begging his forgiveness for taking the remnants of the petty cash.

Taking the small amount there was as a termination fee, she left Heff's.

OOC:Where she goes next depends on if she has a lead to go to Arno or Slag's. If she doesn't have any idea where they are to the starport cafe for a ride off Tattoine, else to somewhere where she thinks she can find out where they are.

A little further digging reveals that Slag Flats is an ithorian and some sort of criminal, and that Old Arno is some kind of scout. Based on their occupations neither would doubtless be easy to find but it might be possible or Tera might be lucky.

Tera looked towards the starport. It was tempting. Another world. Leave this one far behind and forget about her old boss. Looking into the sky, the twinkling of another star system beckoned to her....but even then she knew her conscience wouldn't let her just leave Heff's murderers get away with it. Though she avoided the place like the plague, the cantina might offer her some of the information she needed to find the others. She hoped the others weren't also part of some hit list. Why would anyone want to kill those on the original colonisation ship?

OOC Tera is currently at a different moment in time to the other characters. So she can head toward the cantina but I’ll have to freeze this thread until continuity can be established. Sorry for any inconvenience.

We still frozen?

Yeah sorry. The others are a day behind you and I want to see what they're going to do before continuing Tera's story as their actions may alter things. It looks as though they will sleep soon so we'll be closer to synchronising.

Before Tera reached the cantina she heard a pained scream.

OOC Okay join the main game thread 'Leaving Mos Eisley?'. Tera will be in the main street and will be able to see the people in the alleyway and the passing skiff with the other characters on it.