Ikki watched the office for Justice's argument after checking out the area, while the Customs office is almost empty. With the few in there he wouldn't be able to rummage around in there like he wanted to. Sorlock decided to listen in to the argument more, perhaps with a little prodding a distraction would be provided.

Not hiding himself to much he waited at the back of the crowd, carefully listening into the argument to find the source and waiting for a chance.

Politics and Economics are a couple of Caddy's strong suites and while the may not know small-town dynamics, she manages several pertinent questions and keeps the conversation going.  She, of course, thanks the officer for the drink and drinks sparingly and primly, complementing him on his choice.

As opportunity allows, she'll direct the conversation from economics and the laws associated with it towards those who would break the law.  "I'm told that the Jabba visit here from time to time.  I'm sure you have your hands full dealing with them - many a story to tell!"

If he begins talking about the criminal aspects, she'll encourage him in some way to show her something on the tablet - thereby hopefully seeing his access method/code.

[OOC: Yet another charm roll is needed here, but I'm aiming to encourage him to brag about his accomplishments, revel in his work ethic, and hopefully reveal something about the ship and possibly cargo we're after.   I'd suggest the wine might give him a drawback that would apply a blue dice and as the natural flow of the conversation, his ego, and the fact that it is likely few others would listen to him, is heading in the 'right direction', I might suggest this could apply a second blue dice.  While I am drinking sparingly, I am also not overly familiar with wines so this might apply a black die.  :-)  1A 2P 2B 1S + Difficulty. Any advantages will be used to attain access/knowledge of his comms device/tablet.]

Ikki listens to the argument evolving in the Justice department. The people complaining are all locals, and they are all angry about raiders.

"The Sand People are everywhere! You need to drive them off! What do we pay taxes for? They've driven us off our land!"

The Imperials are having trouble keeping a lid on the situation. The secretary workers keep trying to defer to the senior clerk, a harried-looking woman. She is trying to get people to calm down or at least be quiet, with no success.

Ikki keeps one eye on the Customs office. The clerks inside are determinedly keeping their heads down, focusing on paperwork and filing and avoiding looking in the direction of the other office.

****

The cantina crowd is appreciative of someone bringing a good mood, and pretty soon the spacers are laughing right along. The locals are mostly glum, but they cheer up as he starts buying drinks.

"Money's tight right now," one says. "I had to sell my farm. When that money runs out, I don't know what I'll do." This is a story that several of the locals share.

"The farm I worked at kept being attacked by Tuskens. Mister Heck lost three vaporators and couldn't afford to pay me. Last week a man came to make an offer on the place and he had no choice but to accept."

"Someone came to offer me a job as an exotic dancer," one woman contends hotly. "I've got a degree in agricultural sciences!"

"Enjoy your drinks now. Pretty soon there'll be no water to spare for brewing around here."

Things aren't as rough for the spacers.

"We were contracted to bring in twenty tons of ferrocrete mix. Someone's building something big."

"The captain managed to get out of paying the import tax on some seeds. The customs guy wrote them up as foodstuffs rather than agro imports."

****

The jablogian, Clebdir, glances around before answering. "Well, Jabba doesn't... that is, he has an interest in some of the businesses in town. And has a warehouse here that... stores some of the things he imports. But most of the business is handled by his local lieutenant, Boss Thrumdush. Yes, he insists on being called 'Boss,' how arrogant. I mainly deal with him, when there's... he likes to make certain that Jabba's shipping business goes through smoothly."

Clebdir checks his datapad's chrono and rests it on the table.

"Businesses?"  She takes a sip of her wine and leans in a little closer.  To anyone else watching, they'd simply appear to be a 'couple' making small talk (and it no doubt provides a little more 'distraction' for the officer.)  "Really?  While it is a quaint location, I didn't expect a Crime Lord to have such interest in the economy of a place like this?"  She's obviously trying to draw him out.  "I hope you don't let this 'Thrumdush' boss you around. You're an imperial officer!"  And then on wim that aims to appear to be alcohol driven, she giggles and adds, "Where is this warehouse?  I think we should head over there right now and set things straight - put him in his place - inspect it!"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:41, Thu 21 Jan 2016.

Clebdir the customs officer's mouth hangs open a bit. You're not especially certain with jablogians, but you've heard that this is a nonverbal indication of irritation.

"The warehouse is a significant source of revenue for the town. They always pay their taxes on time. Quite a number of locals work there. If I choose to let a little self-importance slide, then it's only because I have the best interests of the community at heart."

It doesn't take a Lorrdian to see that there is more to the story than he is letting on. However, pressing him will be more difficult.

Charm & Negotiation checks with this character have increased to 3D. Deception checks have a setback, for 2D 1S total.

That did surprise her.  Despite all the success she'd been having he chose now to react badly to her comment when the conversation was 'light and playful'?  It seemed a little bit... blunt to her.  Maybe even two sudden?

But pressing him isn't her style or indeed deceiving him isn't her style.   She does however know a considerable amount about politics and economics having been schooled in this as part of her 'apprenticeship' and so she adds, "Oh come now.  Don't be silly!   Anyone knows that tax originating from criminal activities is but a fraction of the overall revenues due to the state."  She'll cite further examples and may even quote from memory of a supporting text - though she makes sure to keep the conversation 'light' and her voice low - this is a conversation between 'just the pair of them' and she doesn't want him to worry that someone might be listening in.

Regardless of whether she successfully debates the point, her aim is to help him unwind, help him speak freely, and help him consume a little more of the wine.

Jeron was whatever the person currently speaking needed him to be. He was sympathetic to those who had suffered hardships and loss. He shared the offense to those who had been insulted. To the woman he did smile and say, "While you should be valued for your skills, at least you can say they share my belief that you're beautiful, an' that's a compliment of sorts, right?"

He shook his head at the overall of it though, and turned serious. "Ah, my new friends! It pains me t'hear such tragedies an' hardships. I wish there was more I could do for you! But at least I'm happy t'help you drown away your cares for today!"

To the spacers, he finally got around to commenting quietly after a bit. "Ferrocrete as foodstuffs, or was that a different cargo?" He also tried to discreetly see what the cargo was that they were after.

The two groups of spacers are discussing the relative degrees of corruption of the local import customs agents. One is simply asserting that a big load of ferrocrete has been shipped in by some unknown client. The other is indicating that a bit of fudging on the forms allowed them to save a lot of money on import taxes.

Jeron surveys the spacers' crowd and finds nothing that seems relevant to their mission. He mentally logs the quartermaster of the unnamed ship MR-14452 as probably smuggling spice.

Meanwhile,

Caddanra quickly attempts to backpedal, trying to get the official into a position to be manipulated again.

The Force rolled 3 successes, 1 advantage using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1A 2P 3D 1B.  Caddy Charm.

The official calms down somewhat, and gives out a puff of air. "That may be. Sometimes. But we do have to think about the little people who might be hurt in a conflict. We must consider whether even a corrupt institution might be too big to fail."

Ikki remembered back to what Cole said about the radiers. That Jabba was buying them out from the 'Sand People' attacks. Perhaps a seed of doubt in the empires would help him search the area. If the crowd made enough problems for the office, the clerks would have to get involved and leave their office open.

Clearing his throat and changing his voice as best he can, he spoke up over the crowd "I know the difference between a Tusken Raider and a Rodian in robes! I bet Jabba's paying you to keep quiet about them! I bet most of the attacks had multiple tracks as well!" Sorlock called out over the crowd, hoping that small piece of information he had picked up about them would stir something up. Thank god he had talked to those trackers from Tatootine that one time. After speaking his piece he attempted to disappear into the crowd again.

I didn't roll difficulty since I didn't know what to roll, could you roll that?

20:02, Today: Ikki Sorlock rolled 3 successes, 1 advantage using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1P 2A with rolls of 3(P), 4(A), 5(A).  Deception.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:13, Thu 28 Jan 2016.

The Force rolled 1 failure, 1 threat using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1b 2D.  Difficulty. Net 2 Successes

The crowd of farmers grows noticeably uglier. One of them hurls a lamp, and the civil servants panic. The crowd begins flipping desks and tables. Flimsies and styluses fly everywhere.

In the customs office, the workers panic. Two of them run back, away from the shared space and the other office. The last rushes to the front, where he begins working a crank beside the door. A security shutter begins descending across the door and window.

For the good of the people....   She bowed her head, conceding the point to the Imperial officer though a small part of her is quickly considering her options.  The man was clearly sympathetic to the people.  Maybe, instead of undermining him, she could effectively recruit him?  She raises her close, "Well put.  I am pleasantly surprised to find a man who clearly puts the good of the people first...."  After all, so many of the Imperials she knew would have suggested that the Empire was always 'bigger' and that the needs of the Empire would always come first.

She therefore continues on, carefully angling and directing the discussion in such a way as to open him up, to understand him, and to hopefully recruit him to their cause.

Ikki ducks for cover as the crowd turns violent, looks like his few words had set off a bit more than he thought. However with the Shutter descending, it didn't leave him much time to find some evidence to plant or a manifest to forge but he'd have to do.

Barging his way out of the crowd, he pretends to stumble backwards into the customs office. Regaining his 'balance' quickly, he moved over the desks and quickly searched through the desks to find something he could type on or use as a manifest for their ship.

18:13, Today: Ikki Sorlock rolled 2 successes, 2 advantages using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1P 2A with rolls of 11(P), 3(A), 2(A).  Perception.

Ikki ducks inside the office before the office worker can finish cranking. The man jumps back, startled, to see someone entering. He turns and flees, leaving the office unoccupied.

Alone at last. Except for the angry mob right outside.

Without trying too hard, Ikki locates a stack of forms. It looks like these are the forms of previous ships. They are already stamped with a verifying emblem.

He also spies a safe with a transparisteel door: inside it, there are a number of official-looking pads, as well as an electro-stamp. With it, it would be easy to 'officially verify' virtually any customs-related document.

Meanwhile...

The jablogan demurres from discussing politics further and instead begins talking about his speeder. Apparently it has a bantha-leather interior and greel-wood paneling. Then he sees that his dining companion is, perhaps, not terribly interested in such things. He begins talking about the last vacation he took, on the planet Mrlsst. "They have plenty of beaches on Tatooine, but they don't have beach resorts!" he chortles.

Ikki groans as he approaches the safe, attempting to open it and fiddling with the lock a little with very little success. With his terrible attempt at the safe, it looked like he would have to leave it alone and simply hope that the Caddy could sweet talk them through an old one.

Ikki sighed perhaps he could muscle his way through the crowd and find something in the Justice Office. Shifting through the files, he attempted to at least find a similar ship to use.

14:28, Today: Ikki Sorlock rolled 1 failure, 1 threat using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1P 2A 3D with rolls of 10(P), 1(A), 3(A), 6(D), 3(D), 7(D).  Skulduggery.

Caddy has little more to do other than keep the officer talking.  If she gets the opportunity to direct the conversation towards her new 'goal', she'll do so all-the-while keeping an eye out for her two compatriots.  Hopefully they'll finish their job soon enough and allow her to apply a little more pressure without risking their job.

Jeron idly wondered if the spice was the cargo they were after, but that seemed unlikely. He hung out a bit longer until the credits he had already spent were gone and then said his goodbyes. He left the cantina, looking around. He wasn't sure where exactly his companions would be so he decided to head back towards the ship and see if he saw anything of interest on the way.

As the meal wears on interminably, Caddy puts on a mask of politeness and lets the bragging about money wash over her. Then he stops as his commlink beeps.

He picks it up and puts it to his ear. Caddy can't hear it very clearly, but it sounds like frantic pleading with a background of angry shouting.

The customs officer stands up abruptly and shouts at the restaurant owner that he will have to be back later to pay. The cafe owner nods wearily, and makes no objection.

With that, he excuses himself hurriedly and jogs off down the dusty road.

As Jeron is leaving, he sees a new party heading towards the cantina he has just departed. A kubaz, a klatoonian, and a human are following behind a tremendous Gammorrean, laughing at his grunts sycophantically. The big alien stomps down into the cantina and bellows sometime inarticulate.

She smiles, "That's ok.  We'll chat soon...."  She watches as he stands and hurriedly departs wondering to herself what has him so riled.  So riled in fact that he didn't pick up the tablet that he'd placed on the table during their conversation! Convenient  She smiles, waits for him to disappear from view, picks the tablet up, and then enters the key-code he'd seen the officer use earlier.  Now... what do we have hidden here?

Jeron stepped to the side and paused for a moment, as if looking around to see if someone he is waiting to arrive is nearby or not. He glanced at the newcomers and listened to them, and then followed them in but stepped to the side immediately so he wouldn't attract much attention in their wake.

Caddy consults the reader and finds a very interesting set of correspondences from someone named BT. Most of them are locked behind a separate password, but it seems that the owner hasn't quite gotten around to locking the latest couple yet.

BT: I told you about this weeks ago. You've had ample time to get ready.
Yourself: As I have mentioned repeatedly, I'm not in direct control of that branch. It's requiring extra effort to prepare. Without knowing exactly how long I had to work with, my planning couldn't be as precise as you have come to take for granted.
BT: I imagine you believe you deserve extra compensation. Despite this being very similar to previous operations that have gone smoothly.
Yourself: This is very different. Previous operations were simple conversions, easily handled entirely by paperwork. Now we're discussing an entirely new operation. A new operation that's right on my doorstep.
BT: You expect to renegotiate?
Yourself: My role has expanded. You're expecting me to keep local matters quiet now, not just futz a few forms.
BT: Perhaps you're right. Your performance in your current role has been quite satisfactory. You should stick to that. I may need to bring in someone else to take care of the new role.

The latest reply has not been sent yet. A draft is in the works:

Yourself (Draft): I already have enough information on the import to disrupt your
peaceful operation. If you think I will sit idly to the side and let

Caddy quickly read the unencrypted conversation and then paused.   Who was BT?  And what exactly was his and her recently made 'friend's' role in this?  It was all still unclear to her but ultimately she had means to fight out.

Quickly bringing up the keyboard, she finished the message: Yourself (Completed Draft): I already have enough information on the import to disrupt your peaceful operation. If you think I will sit idly to the side and let mess things up, then you've got another thing coming.  I've added to me staff.  I'll be sending someone over to sort things out.  Meet me at Bkessh at sunset* and don't even think about pulling a fast one. (*Or a planet-suitable time)  She then sends the message, waits a moment to confirm that it was delivered, and then deletes it from the message history before closing the messaging software (hopefully preventing the receipt of further messages until it is opened once again!)

[She is being deliberately inflammatory - hoping to see BT arrive at the Cantina.  I'm not sure if a dice roll is necessary here?]

Now for the tricky part, she returns his tablet to where he'd left it and retrieves her own.  How long she'll have with the other tablet is unclear (in fact, she's looking to see if the officer is returning!) but just maybe she can hook up a link to her own tablet to remotely monitor the conversation and ensure further messages are 'managed' (while, of course, giving her access to further scan the tablet for anything else useful.)

[She'll roll computers.  The stakes here are not control but an attempted connection to the device.  A Pairing of sorts.  Caddy's own tablet holds nothing of her past and next to nothing relating to the rebels so should be 'safe enough' for this kind of thing.  If the pairing is successful, she'll step things up but if it fails it should only looking like a simple pairing attempt - possibly the sharing of a phone number etc!   Caddy's computer are 3A and I might suggest a 1 Boost for having the pass-code and maybe 1 setback for the fact that she's nervous.]

Ikki decided that he had overstayed his welcome. Grabbing what passes he could from a range and knocking the rest over onto the floor. To allow to seem like the crowd had got rowdy in there. He stuffed the rest into his pocket before attempting to get away. They'll just have to make due with what he had got.

Sorlock slowly looked around before making his way out of the office. He'll take a roundabout way of getting back to Caddy. Maybe he's had more luck.

After sending her covert message, Caddy finds Ikki heading down the street towards her. He has a handful of forms in his hand; apparently the ship is one step closer to being a ghost in the beaurocracy.

The group head back to find Jeron, still intent on gathering information from the local watering hole. They see him just as he slips back inside the cantina.

Inside, the mood of the crowd has become somewhat subdued. The gamorrean stands in the middle of the room, looking it over. He stomps over to a table. The four occupants of the table stand up hurriedly and back away. The great beast sweeps his meaty arm across it, knocking all plates and dishes off it. Then he sits down. The chair groans under his weight.

The gamorrean is wearing thick bands of leather with protruding spikes around his arms, his wrists, and his neck. Two of his henchmen sit down with him, while the other goes to the bar. The rest of the clientele seem to be trying to stay still. They are trying to watch him without seemingly staring.

On seeing Ikki....

Collecting her things and having failed to connect the other tablet to her's, she collects it too (it would be remiss of her not to take it - someone here might steal it!)  She then heads outside.   "It went well?"

On the way....

"You got our ship's papers?  Well done."  She smiles, "We'll have to see if we can remove any electronic copies too."  She'll explain that she needs to meet someone at sunset at the Cantina and it probably involves the more criminal elements of this affair.

In the Cantina....

Waving down a waitron, she quietly asks, "So who is the Gamorrean?  Someone to avoid?"  She, of course, accepts her drink and ensures that she tips the waitron as she does.