Employment Opportunities

Xando Puulba was not having a good day. Things had been sour from the moment he awoke in his squalid flat in the Qusco neighborhood of Bantha Town. With one cheek pressed to the cool linoliod floor, he vaguely recalled that he'd fallen there soon after arriving from a long night at the Rutting Bantha. Leering gamorreans danced with clubbed feet across his memories, brandishing frothy mugs of jawa stout and squealing challenges to his malehood if he didn't match them drink for drink.

A quick bite of not-quite-cooked nuna-onna-stick at Felv's Nuna-Onna-Stick cart at the end of Xando's alley didn't help with the hangover, and as the aqualish emptied his stomachs of rancid nuna meat into an old blast crater, the aqualish swore he'd never drink another mug of jawa stout again.

Unfortunately, his day only grew worse after breakfast. He'd been attempting to soothe his aching head by dunking it in a cool if stagnant fountain when his comlink chirped. It was the curse of being a freelancer. He had to answer it or the credits didn't flow into his account.

"This is Puulba," he growled into the comlink, deciding a surly attitude could only enhance his reputation as a mean son-of-a-gundark so essential to his line of work.

"Puulba. This is Vossc. How are you my boy?" came the liquid, almost sunny reply.

Karg it! Not now. Xando wished he hadn't answered the call. Loquillo Cess-Vossc was a local boss, one of the few who hadn't fallen under Rabblo the Hutt's umbrella. They worked together long ago on a few jobs when the Trade Federation claimed Ranjahr, and on a few more even before that. He'd been a reliable comrade in the enforcer business, but he had more arrogance that smarts. Xando wouldn't want the quarren as a boss. But Vossc had been contacting Xando a lot lately, trying to persuade him to quit the freelance life and join his organization full time.

"Hey Vossc. I'm uh- it's good to hear from you again. What can I do for you, big guy?" The quarren's ego was easily stroked.

"I know how you feel about the freelancer's life, Xando, so you know I don't call you lightly. I want to come over and hear my offer again," the quarren said. Xando sighed and slumped against the plascrete fountain, glad Vossc couldn't see his face. He'd only be able to tell Vossc "no" for a short time longer -- Vossc might be small-time compared to the Hutt, but it wouldn't be good to make an enemy of him.

"Vossc, yeah. I'm a little tied up with contracts at the moment, so I'll need to--"

"Break them, Puulba. I'll make it worth your while," Vossc insisted.

"But--"

"How much, Xando?"

"But--"

"How much, Xando? Five thousand? Seven? I'm prepared to give you up to Ten-- call it a signing bonus." The quarren sounded giddy. And strangely desperate.

Ten Thousand?! Xando's head pounded, keeping time with his thudding heart. His credit account had never seen that much at once.

"I'm uh, flattered that you think so highly of my skills, Vossc. But I'm just muscle. Those aren't muscle prices." Xando didn't comment on his genuine surprise that Vossc had money like that to wave around so carelessly.

"It's insane, isn't it?" Vossc chuckled, his bubbling distorted and clipped by the comlink's cheap speakers.

"it's...unusual," Xando agreed. "You've been after me for a long time, Vossc. I owe it to you to hear you out. But I'm not makin' any promises okay?"

"Of course, my boy, of course. Just come to my office this afternoon, right at Second Shift. You can't make a decision unless you know the details. And I'm sure you'll make the right decision once you do."

The quarren beeped off, and Xando stood in the pale sunlight of the Ranjahr City morning, trying to figure out if his headache could get any worse.

He guessed that depended on what Vossc's offer was.