A hiss of air from the ship’s door was her welcome to the surface of Nar Shaddaa as the ramp swung open.  In truth, Ardana’s original welcome had been an argument with a landing operator over the comm’s that had threatened to rape her mother, kill her kids and do worse to her pet monkey-lizard if she didn’t pay his outrageous price.  While the money to land was of little concern to her, since it was the Order’s funds, she still had to make it look like she was something of a normal traveler.<br/><br/>Taking the first overpriced pad would have likely brought far more attention to her than she wanted for her first hour on the planet.  While she had never been to Nar Shadda before, Ardana had certainly visited many other worlds that were as thick with crime as Kashyyk was thick with trees.  Life was a day-to-day risk of eat or be eaten and connections were often the key to survival.  Information was free flowing and a customer overpaying for anything would quickly gain an unwanted reputation with unwelcome visitors.<br/><br/>So, Ardana had ‘shopped around’ for a pad.  Her intel dossier had told her the general area to land and she had found the Highground Market Docks for a decent amount of credits and the haggling didn’t involve any direct threats to her well-being.<br/><br/>However, while discussing the price, she had learnt a great deal more of Nar Shaddaa from orbit.  It had taken her the better part of 30 minutes to find a landing platform.  While searching the queues, she saw a group of old Headhunter fighters attack and disable a seemingly unarmed ship.  Ardana had started her decent and the Headhunters were still swarming the incapacitated vessel.  It’s cause and final outcome were unknown to her but a blatant attack on a vessel in orbit spoke clearly to anyone who saw it – Nar Shaddaa was a wild and ruthless place where might made right.<br/><br/>And now, as the ramp lowered, her nostrils were greeted by overwhelming smell of noxious fumes, untreated waste and disdain.  The landing pad, despite being the Highground Market Docks, was on one of the lower levels of the city.  Any hope of seeing the sun was ruined by the thick, unending cloud of smog that hung over the city like a shroud.<br/><br/>But still, Ardana was far enough down that she couldn’t even see the smog cloud.  That cloud managed to seal into the planet a<br/><br/>These docks were about what one would have expected – a small docking bay that barely held her ship despite the sizable promises from the landing controller.  The walls were a dull color and likely hadn’t seen a coat of paint in several decades and several sections of the walls had been removed and never replaced.  Most of the lights worked but little more could be said.  Trash and debris littered the floor, including tables and old chairs that someone had likely left as trash.<br/><br/>Giving a quick look around, her mind sifted through the files of information her Master had given her concerning the situation.  Nar Shaddaa had been a moon that had been ruled by the Hutts for millennia and their rules were enforced through a network of guards, assassins and small armies.  They were rife with bribery and secrets that traded as freely as groceries were on Coruscant.  The Hutt Lords fought with each other more than outside forces.  Their constant wars to out maneuver the other and destroy each's family were nearly legendary across the galaxy with hates that went back centuries.<br/><br/>And the Jedi had allowed it to exist with little interference.  They certainly did not condone it but removing the disease would have likely killed the patient.  The Jedi and Republic would have suffered heavily in the attempt and who could fathom what power might shift into the vacuum of the dead Hutt kajidics.  It was a problem with no right answer.<br/><br/>However, this time, Ardana was no on the Smuggler's Moon for any mere slave dealing, spice trade or assassination.  Instead, the Council had detected a strong disturbance in the Force and one that was centered on Nar Shaddaa.  Information through the normal methods of the Jedi was lacking on the planet.  The Hutt's were notoriously strong against the Force and were ruthless with painfully disposing of any perceived traitors, especially to those dealing with the Jedi.  Instead, the Council had turned to Republic Intelligence.<br/><br/>Approaching the inteligence officers with words of a 'feeling' did little to quickly bring an answer.  After days of looking over what information they had, her Master had settled on one single Hutt that seemed to pique his interest.  Parella the Hutt had risen to a surprising point of prominence within the merciless Hutt hierarchy.  His father Marko the Hutt was still alive but his son had largely taken over as leader of his clan and his father had seemingly allowed him to do so.  The shift in power was unprecedented.  And with Parella's rise had come a rise in influence that had surprised even the more senior houses.  Parella, like most Hutts, specialized in stims, spice, blackmail, theft and any other type of vice you could imagine.<br/><br/>But Parella had excelled in slaves.  His organization seemed to have an unnatural ability to acquire slaves as if they walked into his own palace.  While no Hutt would overlook a slave for hard labor, Parella had a taste for sex slaves and he sold them to the highest bidder.  His slaves - baring an intricate lace-like tattoo around their neck - were being found even on Coruscant and they always seemed well versed in their trade.<br/><br/>So, her Master had sent her to investigate Parella the Hutt.  Now, Ardana was on the humid, poverty stricken world of vice and villiany that was Nar Shaddaa to find a slave trafficing Hutt and discover what this 'disturbance' might be.<br/><br/>Her contact was supposed to meet her on the landing pad, but he was no-where to be seen.<br/>