Star Wars_ The Old Republic_ Revan - Drew Karpyshyn [93]
The directions the customs official had given her were simple, and she found her destination without any trouble. From the outside, Larvit’s shop didn’t look like the kind of place one would chose to conduct illegal business. It was situated in the middle of the street, and its window boasted the same official government seal she had noticed on virtually every building she’d passed along the way.
She stepped into Larvit’s store and made a quick evaluation of her surroundings. It looked like a cross between a pawnshop and a supply post. The tall, gray-haired man behind the counter was wearing a red shirt and black pants, both freshly pressed. On his left shoulder were several bars that probably represented some kind of military rank, and the left breast pocket was emblazoned with the same symbol that adorned his window.
Meetra had expected to find herself in a shady black-market operation, but clearly she was in some kind of official government-controlled business. Still, she had nowhere else to go, so she marched straight up to the gray-haired man and dumped a handful of gems on the counter.
“Please present your Imperial identification card—” he started to say, but the routine greeting died in his mouth when he saw the small fortune scattered across his countertop.
His eyes went wide, first with greed and then with fear. Leaping from behind the counter, he rushed to the front of the shop and quickly closed and locked the door.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded in a low voice, peering through the window to see if anyone had noticed his sudden dash across the store.
Meetra slowly brought her right hand up to the lightsaber hidden at her belt. “I was told you’re the man to see about business I want to keep off the record.”
“I am, I am,” Larvit assured her, regaining some of his composure. “But you can’t just toss your stuff out on the counter for anyone to see. What if an Imperial inspector happened to wander in?”
“Sorry,” Meetra said. “I didn’t realize it was a big deal.”
Larvit snorted derisively. “Great. A Subjugate. Here’s a tip, off-worlder. Next time you visit Dromund Kaas, learn the customs first.”
Meetra nodded and let her hand drop, but she remained vigilant.
“How did you find out about me?” Larvit asked. “Who sent you?”
“Does it matter?” Meetra replied.
Larvit shook his head and made his way back over to inspect the stones still sitting atop the counter.
“Is this the full extent of your collection?” he asked, picking up one of the gems and bringing it up to his aging eye for closer inspection.
“It’s as much as I’m willing to sell right now.”
“I understand,” he said with a smile. “Do you need the credits immediately, or can you wait a few weeks?”
“What’s the difference?”
“I can offer more if you give me time to find the right buyer,” he explained.
Meetra shook her head. “I don’t have that kind of time.”
“That is unfortunate,” he said sympathetically. “That will have to be reflected in the price, of course.”
“Of course.”
“I’m willing to offer seven thousand Imperial credits for the lot,” he said, leaning back and crossing his arms to signify the price was non-negotiable.
Meetra wasn’t about to fall for such an obvious ploy. Even though she had no concept of what an Imperial credit was actually worth, she had done enough haggling in her day to know that his opening offer was merely a baseline.
“Twenty thousand,” she countered, knowing it was a ridiculously high number.
“Even if you could wait to find a buyer I could never go higher than eighteen,” he answered. “I’ll give you ten.”
“Make it fifteen and I promise I’ll come to you first the next time I’m looking to deal.”
“I’ll give you twelve,” he said, wagging a finger in her face. “You won’t find anybody else who’ll go higher than eleven!”
“I’ll sell them for thirteen