[Q12 Nanth'ri TT] Paving the way for the Stormtroopers

[Ross Fisher]

*Your entry has earned 8 XP (x2 for limited challenge)*

Nanth'ri! Now there's a terrible place to end up. The system sits at the junction of the Nanth'ri Route and the Trax Tube. And considering it is less than a parsec away from Daalang, we couldn't just leave it in the hands of pirates now could we?
I started my work there by building on the information ascertained from the criminal Jol Dixun by Commander Storr's investigation. Dixun had been associated with the Mordageen mercenaries used by the pirates to guard their holdings around their base in Mott City on Nanth'ri Prime. Their leader was one Ramara Till. She was a greasy old character, but just the type I could do business with.

I explained to her that the Triumvirate assault on Mott City was a matter of inevitability, and that the pirates would be all but annihilated. But I also suggested that any parties who helped us win the battle would be spared, and might even be allowed to stay planetside; benefiting from the renewed civilisation that we would bring. 

Well, she saw sense in that, but wasn't about to make a deal without guarantees. I left her with my personal collection of antique firearms to act as deposit for the duration of the invasion (not, I'm afraid to say, the first or last time that I have pawned them). In return she gave her best slave as hostage; a Twilek called Lu'vel. I had no conceit that this would prevent her from betraying us if they saw a better opportunity, but I was confident that it would be enough to convince them that we meant business.
Her people were guarding the Mott City spaceport. They agreed to disable all docked ships at the critical hour, and prevent the pirates from accessing the port. This would help us nullify any aerial power they might have, and give our bombers free reign to attack Mott City.

Edited November 21, 2019 by goatman461

[Cylo]

Nice build! I like the wall detailing, the flip out mirror is an interesting addition too!

[Ross Fisher]

@Reaper Thanks! I've stopped applying stickers to my bricks in most cases. It makes them easier to re-use. However, in this case, the mirror sticker was really useful. 

[Darth Bjorn]

Great builds, both of them... The only thing I would change is maybe put the Pirate 'queen' on a throne or a chair - that would make her a bit more of an authority, and finish of the room... It kinda feels like she's been put in a corner? :P

[Ross Fisher]

@Darth Bjorn I understand where you're coming from. I was on the fence about that myself. 

[marvelBoy123]

I agree that maybe a throne would be a good idea, but you have captured the 'lawless' vibe brilliantly into the first build. I really like the second build as well, it feels very realistic and you have managed to retain a feeling of light and spaciousness despite the dark colour scheme. Just a question, is the head for the pirate queen Ursula's from the Disney CMF?

[Ross Fisher]

3 hours ago, marvelBoy123 said:

I agree that maybe a throne would be a good idea

I guess the reason I didn't put her on a throne was because I wrote her as a mercenary boss, rather than a pirate queen. But I guess the rest of the scene is pointing in that direction. 

3 hours ago, marvelBoy123 said:

is the head for the pirate queen Ursula's from the Disney CMF?

Yep, I wanted a female counterpart to this guy:

[dvogon]

Nice builds! That scene with the stormtroopers dressing up is very funny and well done. The ceiling light structure is very clever as well.

Edited November 17, 2019 by dvogon

[Ross Fisher]

Of course what I didn't anticipate was that, during the assault, there would be a change of leadership among the Mordageen. 
Ramara Till was killed in the confusion, and her sister, Brenta Till, assumed command. If she had harboured any thoughts of betraying us, the speed of Commander Bannon's assault left her no time to do so. 
And so, when the dust settled, and I returned to their compound to conclude the deal, there was an added complication.
Till's people were, reluctantly, willing to return my weapon collection, but they had no interest in the Twilek hostage I had for them. As far as they were concerned, she was Ramara's slave, and therefore untrustworthy. They couldn't have someone like her wandering around, so they left her fate up to me. 
All of this left me in a bit of a quandary. I'm not keen on keeping slaves. In a delicate diplomatic environment their use offends too many people to be a benefit. Still, I figured I would take Lu'vel under my wing for the time being. I'm not the type to leave her to the tender mercies of the Mordageen. 

I quite wanted Fnab to have a Twi'lek companion, since one of their cultural proclivities is towards diplomatic work. However, they are also one of the most commonly enslaved species in the Star Wars galaxy, and I didn't want to skip past the darker side of that life. I didn't want my Sig to be the kind to want a slave, but he is an Imperial, so probably wouldn't have a moral objection to it.

In the end I decided to reflect his more pragmatic nature, and highlight the fact that if he doesn't keep slaves, it's because they are awkward in a diplomatic context. Lu'vel will exist in a bit of a grey area in terms of status; Fnab can't grant her manumisson because he was never her owner. But he will protect her from any other claims on her ownership, and you won't see her wearing a shock collar any more. 

Edited November 20, 2019 by Ross Fisher