Skip 1

*With Nedya's arm no longer wrapped around him, Oz found that his intelligence began rapidly returning.* *None of these guys weigh anything less than two hundred (and weequay over there looks to be north of two forty, at least), which means that in a fist fight physics would tend to favor the other side. But at least their blasters weren't working. Wait...* *A moment of concentration.* *Ok, NOW their blasters weren't working. But that still left things like fists and feet and knives. I was no good with fists and feet and knives.* "Come on guys... we're kind of in a rush." *Planting a hand on his chest, Xestan shoved Oz to the side as he kept moving closer to Nedya, steadily increasing the output of pheremones.*



"Hey! Wait just a minu..." *Oz cut off as the weequay stepped forward and drove a fist toward his face, fortunately for Oz, his brain was running on overdrive from adrenaline and the calculations involving body positioning and application of force and direction of momentum came second nature to him even under normal circumstances, so it was almost laughably easy to avoid the punch. The kick that followed? Not so much.* *Gyah!!! I told you I'm not cut out for this!* *Oz hit the wall of the alley with a crash and dropped immediately to his hands and knees (hand and knees actually, since one hand was on his chest where the weequay's foot had impacted.* *Ow.... That kinda hurt... a lot. I wonder if there's any permanent damage. That would be just my luck. Meet a gorgeous girl, then get attacked and killed by goons. Why does the universe hate me? What did I ever...* "Heh... hehehe... haha." *Turning from his prey, Xestan leveled a stare at Oz and his laughter.*

*Oz raised a hand and pointed to the ground just shy of Xestan's feet.*

"That shadow." *That wasn't the answer they'd been expecting, but upon inspection of the shadow (it was cast by a light somewhere past the end of the alley), they managed to follow it all the way to the clawed feet of a , easily three meters tall and wide enough to obscure half the alley.* *Finally! Some good luck for a change. Now you all might be wondering who the mysterious stranger with the long shadow is, and I might be inclined to tell you. Unfortunately I've just been kicked in the ribs by a two hundred and forty pound weequay and it's kinda distracting. Suffice it to say, he's not a bad guy.*

*There was a flutter in her chest. Her breathing came in shallow gasps, which only seemed to make it worse. Interesting...no, odd...no, bad. BAD.

Nedya became intimately aware of the changes to her body chemistry, and the physical reaction to the goon was bordering on the embarrassing. The S'kytri was fully aware of what was happening, having studied the nature of this species, before. He was manipulating her through the Falleen's ability to control their own pheromones. Nedya had always wondered if the S'kytri were vulnerable to such a strange influence.

Turns out, yes. Yes, they were quite vulnerable.

Her lids grew heavy as her hands dropped away from her weapons. She kept her ground, neither retreating nor approaching, though she was having a difficult time deciding why she wasn't moving. Her hormones warred with the rational part of her brain. Bad. This is bad. He's not nearly so appealing as you are feeling...shut it down, shut it down, shut it DOWN.

They were exchanging words, but Nedya wasn't listening. Her eyes were on Xestan, somewhat out of focus, lips slightly parted. What a strange feeling. She would have to remember this later, if she survived. Danger, remember that word, Nedya? Fought so hard to live this long, going to be taken down by a chemically induced flare of lust? Asteroid to Nedya, come in, Nedya.*

*He looked up at the sound of the deep voice, his brows rising at the size of the cragmoloid. Suddenly, he barked at the other two.* "Grab her!"

*The weequay shoved his beefy hands against Nedya's winged back, knocking her into the falleen's arms.* Ow, hollow bones, can't breathe. *The quarren, meanwhile, lifted his blaster to fire at Craig. He clicked it a few times, looked at it in frustrated shock, pulled the trigger again, then threw it to the ground and began to run. The weequay found similar trouble with his blaster. Surprised by how light in weight the S'kytri was, Xestan flung her over one shoulder, and then he and the weequay shoved past Oz to follow the quarren down the alley at a full run. Focused as he was on making good his escape, the excretion of the pheromones began to wane.*

*Pain was a double-edged sword when it came to focus. It could sharpen your awareness, and it could be horribly distracting. Fortunately for Nedya, the cracked bones in her wings effectively did both, like throwing a bucket of ice water on a vinecat in heat. As her mind began to clear of the chemical influence, she acted quickly, before she could reflect further on it and change her mind to once again decide rubbing up close against the goon might be anything but unpleasant.

She drew forth the small blade that was her vibrorapier, and slashed its needle-thin point across the back of the falleen's knees, severing his tendons.*

*He collapsed on a howl, pitching the S'kytri forward to collide against the alley wall and slump to the ground. The weequay and quarren did not slow for their comrade, continuing to run like mad and leaving him behind.*

*Ya know, for such a big guy, Craig was awful quick (or maybe it was just that he's three freaking meters tall and has legs long enough to fit that height). By the time weequay had realized the blaster was completely out of the question and it would be better to run, his shoulder (and half his chest) was enveloped by one massive hand and he was invited to make acquaintances with the nearest wall (and by invited, I mean forced. face first).* "Thanks Craig. This is... uh..." *What was her name again? Nalia? Natalie? OH! Right.* "Nedya."



"I think I might have broken a rib. Or he did at any rate." *Oz hooked a finger at the weequay and winced.*



"Oh. Right. Of course." *Go figure. A pretty girl shows up and suddenly she's the only thing Craig can think about, like somehow he's got a chance. As if that would ever happen. Why is it that men always get so malleable when a pretty woman is around? Doesn't matter what species or where they're from, pretty girl equals the best behavior they've got. It positively sickens me. I mean, where's the compassion for a suffering super-genius?*

"Nngh..?"

*She blinked her silver eyes rapidly, one hand lifting away the dark gray curtain of hair that had fallen over her face. Her mind was still in a haze of pheromones, but she was fairly certain the choice she had made was the correct one. Fairly. Voices pervaded her clouded mind, and she looked from the cragmoloid to the human, and back again. Friend? Ah, no, she recalled now. Nedya'ven didn't make friends. But for the time being, not a threat.

Her eyes trailed down the length of the cragmoloid's trunk-like nose and then back up again with a questioning raise of one brow. She just barely managed to bite back the impolite question, "What are you?"*

"Ah...right. More humiliated than hurt."

*She gingerly attempted to extend one wing, then, to her credit, stifled the flinch as her eyes watered.*

"Won't be flying anywhere anytime soon, though. Oz okay?"

*Boy?! As if being kicked in the ribs wasn't bad enough, now Craig had to go and humiliate me in front of a gorgeous woman. The jerk. Though to be fair, I'm pretty sure he just saved my life. And the gorgeous woman. A lot of good my brain did me then. Have I ever told you how much I hate goons? I'm going to have to start taking a bodyguard places. I wonder if Craig's still working for Rogas...*



*And that answers that question... In all honesty, the only reason I'd come here before Rogas arrived was to avoid seeing what he did to that beautiful work of art I left him in charge of. Do you have any idea how emotionally taxing it is to see one of your babies charred and burned and breaking to pieces? (it's a bit like watching them get blown to pieces, but in slow motion)* "Yeah yeah, I was just on my way back. Nedya wants to come too." *Before Oz could take three steps, Craig held up a massive hand to stop him.*



"No, it's not like that." *Oz tried to push through the hand as his cheeks flushed a deep red, but it didn't budge.* "It's not like that, okay! She volunteered all on her own! Honest!" *Why does everyone always assume I have to lie to get girls to like me? I'm a genius for crying out loud! Smart is the new sexy! I just wish more women would realize it... And technically, I did own half of centerpoint station. For three whole hours!*

*The hand dropped and Oz pushed forward, heading for the spaceport.* "We can take my shuttle, it seems yours has been looted." *Oz paused, his eyes narrowed, then started walking again, albeit a bit more angrily.*

*What did I tell you? Huh!? My. Luck. Sucks.*

*Her long and pointed ears twitched at the exchange between them. It was amazing how much could be revealed without two people engaged in dialogue fully realizing it. She would be intruding, but it was more practical for her to continue forward with her plans, and this Craig was not revoking her invitation.

She brushed herself off as she rose, her eyes glancing at the falleen once more before turning away. Funny, he did not seem nearly so interesting now as he did before. For a moment, she had almost felt like she was in love, and now, a complete return to apathy. Fascinating creatures, falleen. She would have to make detailed notations of this before the memory of it faded from her completely.

Oz was displaying signs of agitation, so Nedya lingered back, walking side by side with Craig, instead.*

"I did, indeed, ask to follow. I am interested in learning a thing or two about his data manipulation- ..."

*A thought occurred to her, furrowing her brow. She removed her blaster from its holster behind her hip, took aim at the ground just to the side of her feet, and pulled the trigger. Nothing.*

"....Interesting."

*Now, how had he managed that? Nedya'ven was still chewing over this mystery as they boarded the shuttle. Her mind only half aware of her surroundings, lost as it was in its own puzzle box.*

[quote="Galdaart Fel":1o1za822][force_speak:1o1za822]No shot.[/force_speak:1o1za822][/quote:1o1za822]
[i:1o1za822][color=#BFBFFF:1o1za822]*She jerked violently, then flashed her teeth in a grimacing look of alarm. Another force user-? One that had penetrated her mind and detected her presence, in fact, though that was no real challenge since she had been keeping the connection open with Seros. She pushed up from her seat and checked the overhead and rear readouts, but no lock was on her. She was certain of that. She held her breath, but no shots were fired from the shrinking Loronar, either, not that they would have been able to hit her anyway; just as the disembodied voice himself had said.

At first, she thought the unknown entity had directed the words to her, but as the silence stretched on, it gradually dawned on her that the force connection had been entirely...inadvertent. Kaali's jaw worked as she pondered the implications of that, and the potential for complicating her life it might hold. Or the potential for taking advantage. She silently berated herself for that sort of thinking. Ought to open a channel of contact to the transport, show her lack of hostile intent, explain her actions. Her colorless hand went so far as to hover over the comlink, but her fingers never flipped the switch. She withdrew it.

Contact them and explain what, exactly? She cursed aloud. Seros had warned her to use stealth. Better to just disappear for a few hours. She lowered herself into the pilot's seat once more and continued to Skip One's station.*

---

The MC-18 light freighter lowered onto one of the landing pads of the station's docking bay amid the other diverse ships of varying size and makes. She rose to shrug into the monk-like robes of the Jedi, hesitated, then pulled them over her shoulders and secured her weapons belt around her waist. She was not a Sentinel anymore, she knew. Chaos had tainted the specialized and focused control that she once had a mastery of, and now she walked with one foot in the light and the other in the dark, weakening her power in both. Yet she wore the robes, still, hoping against hope that the knowledge would return to her.

Disembarking from her ship, she made arrangements for maintenance repairs and refueling, then flinched as it drained what few credits she had. If she expected to be able to eat again, it would require some fancy negotiating, which she did not want anyone to be a witness to. Suddenly, Kaali's presence in the Force was cut off, gone in the blink of an eye and severing the connection utterly that she had, up until this point, been maintaining with Seros. The strength in which she could disguise or hide her signature, as she had been forced to do nearly non-stop since her encounter with the Sith Lord, had grown tremendously. She hardly needed to concentrate on it anymore. The Echani traversed the corridors further into the station, seeking out the minds of the traders to pick out one that would be most open to her version of bargain hunting.[/color:1o1za822][/i:1o1za822]

*I thought I was used to the craziest, most hair-raising, daring piloting by now, but I nearly lost my breakfast as the Millennium Eagle shot and slid and bumped and twisted it's way through the asteroid field surrounding Skip One. Apparently, the experience was a thousand times more nerve-wracking when you weren't the one doing the flying. The two-toned shrieks that Scrappy had uttered, and his veritable stream of binary curse words (before I mercifully shut him down), indicated that I wasn't the only one disturbed by our flight path.*

*But finally, and none too soon, we were through what might be termed the deep space equivalent of an endless stone avalanche, and the dark chasm that cut into the depths of Skip One loomed before us. Success! You could now add Sam Ghomesz to the rather short list of pilots crazy enough to attempt the deadly stunt and good enough to survive.*

***

*After leaving the Captain and Seros behind on the bridge, I had hurried to follow Jace to the bottom deck and inventory the supplies. Jace had mentioned something about some friends who had resupplied the ship (what was all that about, anyway? Fel seemed to know, since he hadn't questioned it), and it was quickly evident that he was telling the truth. One stowage compartment was filled with food, and another with maintenance equipment, for keeping the Loronar's systems in order. A quick glance into the third compartment showed that it was ... empty. My eyes lit up, however, as I observed the last compartment, which was racked from deck to bulkhead with weaponry of all types. Jace stood, with his back turned, examining one of the weapons. I longed to do the same, but I had a lot of ground to cover in the next few hours, and so I slipped away on silent feet, unnoticed.*

*Making my way up a level to the Millennium Eagle's berth, I quickly gathered up my travel chest and my other kit, and moved it to one of the unoccupied crew cabins. Opening the chest, I picked out my gun belt, and holstered my DL-44s. Checking my pockets, I found the suspicious datacards, and slipped them into a side compartment of the chest, locking it separately. There was no sense in carrying those with me to Skip One. Closing the chest, I turned to go, then stopped, glancing down as I reconsidered my outfit.*

*I'd put on work clothes, expecting to have to help Fel repair the UA myself, but now that I'd been given a new assignment, I'd be a lot safer wearing my armor. My stomach ached just thinking about what had happened the last time we'd visited the Skip. There was no way in space I was going to let myself get shot again this time. Re-opening the chest, I stripped down to my jumpsuit and buckled on my armor. Tightening my gun belt, I slung my helmet over my back, and slammed the chest shut. It locked itself with a satisfying click.*

*Next, there was the little matter of recruiting a crew for the operation. Locating Sam, I quickly explained the situation to him. We would need the Millennium Eagle, since it was the only bird still flyable. And I wanted Sam to come along, too. It was a pretty simple case, really: First, he knew his ship way better than I did, and could more safely guide it through the asteroid belt. Second, someone had to fly the Eagle back after dropping me off on Skip Five to retrieve the Bronze Star. The third reason I kept to myself, but surely he guessed it: his "Jedi" magic.*

*Fel had recommended that I also draft one of the passengers. Sky seemed like the logical choice, as I knew the most about him, while the Noghri a little too sinister and too quiet, and Faith seemed incapacitated by her grief. Wade's friend did not take much persuasion, although he was clearly hesitant to leave Faith. I explained what sort of place the Skip was, and that while Captain Fel would not dump them here, but would wait for a safer port, Sky could help pay his fare and ingratiate himself and his friends to Fel if he were to help us on our supply acquisition mission.*

***



*And so there we found ourselves, staring out once more at the mingled graveyard and parking lot that defined the interior of the monstrous, ancient underground hangar, and listening to the soft hiss of the Eagle's engine cooling systems. Here and there, the half-gloom was enhanced by neon signage, or the spotlights from a cargo hauler in the midst of offloading contraband. Small groups of armed sentients moved about cautiously, some of them hauling packages, while others stumbled slightly as they walked, as if drunken. All around them, derelicts lay eternally berthed, side by side with living, breathing, functioning ships. Some carcasses looked as if they had not been moved for a century or more. It was an eerie sight, made even stranger by the swirling clouds of exhaust gas that never seemed to fully dissipate.*

*But Sam and I had seen it before, and no doubt Sky had seen similar sights, and worse, in the Underworld on Coruscant. Unbuckling my safety restraints and reaching out a loving hand to power on Scrapheap once more, I motioned to Sky.* "Come on. Let's find a dealer, get our supplies, and get off this rock before someone decides to make trouble for us." *I exchanged a glance with Sam's seemingly emotionless faceplate, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. He would stay with the Eagle, to guard it from thieves, and in case we needed a quick evac.*

[color=#80BFFF:co580euw]"This reminds me of the old factory district pad."[/color:co580euw] [action:co580euw]The one full of old bulk freighters that had been abandoned way back during some war or another and never reclaimed. Most had been turned into scrap metal and recycled, but there were still enough intact that the runners had made a relatively safe home there for a few years, and even shared it with a swoop gang. That had been when he'd gotten his hoverboard, and the nickname that went with it.[/action:co580euw]

[quote="Liya Tawaza":co580euw][narration:co580euw]But Sam and I had seen it before, and no doubt Sky had seen similar sights, and worse, in the Underworld on Coruscant. Unbuckling my safety restraints and reaching out a loving hand to power on Scrapheap once more, I motioned to Sky.[/narration:co580euw] [color=#FFBFFF:co580euw]"Come on. Let's find a dealer, get our supplies, and get off this rock before someone decides to make trouble for us."[/color:co580euw] [narration:co580euw]I exchanged a glance with Sam's seemingly emotionless faceplate, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. He would stay with the Eagle, to guard it from thieves, and in case we needed a quick evac.[/narration:co580euw][/quote:co580euw]
[color=#80BFFF:co580euw]"Right behind you, gorgeous."[/color:co580euw] [action:co580euw]And he was, his eyes wandering back to her as often as they were on the rest of the skip looking for potential danger. She wasn't really his usual type, he tended to go for the high-born senator's daughters, but there was something appealing about her soldier's confidence (and the rest of her for that matter).[/action:co580euw] [color=#80BFFF:co580euw]"So you know where we're going, right? Because I haven't got a clue."[/color:co580euw]

*The place was rife with smugglers and low life scum. How Kaali despised them and wished them ill things, but then she caught herself, and smothered those negative feelings within her. She thought of Seros, instead, and wondered which of these asteroids the Loronar had headed towards. She would have to seek him out again, once her own vessel was taken care of.

The resupply depot was filling up quickly. She pulled her cowl low over her eyes and folded her arms, standing out of the way of the line. She had already placed her order, and was now observing how much business this trader was receiving. He could afford to lose a few credits, by her observation. She wasn't doing him any real harm. Bodies jostled and voices barked at one another, a sea of impatience with undertones of violence nearly drowning out her other senses. But such things could be used to her advantage, if she played these pawns just the right way. Her primary concern, however, was not anything to do with monetary problems, but rather how she was going to get close enough to that Loronar or its crew in order to find Seros among them. He had urged her to use caution and stealth. Her eyes closed in thought.

Why?

When they opened again, she fixed her silver stare on the newest arrivals to the supply depot, a pair of humans or near-humans by the looks of them, but there was something about them that caught her attention. Perhaps it was the way the towering female carried herself, with a stateliness and precision that was militant enough to show experience-earned confidence in a fight. Or the expression on her face, which is one Kaali herself had recognized in her own reflection a few times. She shifted her attention to the male that accompanied her. His dark brown eyes were on his tall companion, watching her with more than just professional interest. The corner of Kaali's mouth lifted. Then she allowed her gaze to wander elsewhere, though her senses had heightened and her attention remained on the dull conversations in a variety of languages around her.*

"Actually, I've only been here once, and we left in a hurry." *I triggered the release for the boarding ramp. Sounding unconcerned about this minimal experience, I glanced over my shoulder at Sky as I continued.* "So I didn't get the full tour, but I remember where three supply dealers were. Let's hope at least one of them is still in business." *Times like these, it helped to have a photographic memory.*

*There was a slight pop, and a rush of air outward into the relatively low-pressure environment of the Skip, as the hatch opened. With a dull crunch, the ramp landed on the uneven, debris-strewn hangar floor. I recoiled slightly, nostrils flaring, as the putrid smell of mold and raw fuel oil practically slapped me in the face. The magnetic containment field that held the atmosphere within the giant cavern mostly kept the air from escaping, but there wasn't much of an air quality control system.*

*In silence, I led the way out of the ship, and paused for a moment, then turned left and set out down a roughly straight pathway between two column of eerie derelicts.* "Keep an eye out for a cantina, with a red neon sign, 'Red Shift' ... it should be right up ahead." *I needed a landmark to work from, and that seemed as likely as any other. Right now, we were still in a part of the hangar that I didn't recognize, which was probably just as well. Someone might have recognized the Eagle more easily if we'd landed in the same darn spot as last time.*

=R5-E1 "Scrapheap"=
*Trundling along about three meters ahead of his mistress and their passenger-conscript, Scrappy had all his sensors extended and tuned to the highest power as he scanned the pathways around them and the nooks and crannies of this dreadful, filthy starport. The complete lack of any central authority to clean up the joint for decades (at least) had created a circuit-destroying level of mess. If this hadn't been a place where his mistress almost died, the neat-freak droid might have lost his focus. But not this time.*

*As his sensor dome rotated, R5 continuously tried to rectify their surroundings with the scene of their last adventure. But there was too much interference from decaying reactor cores and other waste, and he could only 'see' at most a few hundred meters. The best he could sense, not too far ahead and on their current path, was some sort of public gathering place, with a large number of sentients entering and exiting. The facility itself was not visible yet from their line of sight, with a derelict YG in the way, but some of the patrons were --- shadowy shapes up ahead, in the gloom.*

*There was a good chance they were being watched. Did Liya see them yet? Scrappy tooted a quizzical warning.*

"Right... cantina. Sure thing." *He was only half paying attention to her words, well half attention to her anyway. Maybe a quarter of his attention was actually on what she was saying, so it didn't really come through very clearly, but he did get the gist of it (that gist being that there was a shifty cantina somewhere that she had to find). The rest of his attention had been shifted to the Run's patrons and shops, shops that reminded him almost too much of the ones in the undercity that him and the runners had constantly been looting.* "Actually, I'll be right over here." *He pointed in the direction of what looked to be a fairly large purveyor of all things necessary for a trip into space (also known as a resupply depot). The place looked positively ripe for the picking, and it would just be bad manners to pass it up without so much as a look-see.*

*Whistling an idle tune as he sauntered over with hands in his pockets, his eyes wandered aimlessly around the crowd and the depot itself until he spotted the figure of a robed and hooded woman standing alone. Initially, his eyes only paused in an attempt to divine what manner of woman resided beneath the cloak (it made for a good mystery, and what self-respecting con-man could pass up a mysterious woman?), but a moment of examination revealed... well, nothing actually. Which was weird. Normally he was really good at reading a potential mark, which meant that she was either an exceptional mark, or she wasn't a mark at all. He was betting on the latter, since she was scanning the depot the same way he was; which made her a thief or con-man(woman) like him. Quirking his head to the side, he stared at her for a good four seconds before meandering his way through the assorted peoples in her general direction until he wound up dropping into a chair within talking distance and tilting his head to the side again as he looked at her.* "So are you here for the goods or the company?" *She was also way too clean to be from around here, which made her a newcomer and probably not someone who would stay long, which in turn meant that she was in the perfect position to rob someone blind and disappear.*

*Beneath the hood, Kaali's silver eyes stared back at the approaching humanoid. Inwardly, she cursed. She'd been too obvious and caught someone's attention. She was not experienced with or accustomed to blending into crowds. Though she kept her dark force presence hidden at almost all hours of the day, now, that did not disguise that she did not quite belong on an isolated rock of smugglers.

Her focus stayed on him as he moved comfortably through the crowd, as he was not bothering to hide his intended destination. But as he lowered into a nearby chair, an uncomfortable-looking contraption that looked glued together from various scrap metal and attached to other scrap-metal chairs to make a sort of bench, her gaze lifted to the tall woman that he had disembarked with, striding further away. Either the man had a shockingly short attention span with females, or he was about to con her. Hell, everyone here was trying to con someone else, even her, so that was a reasonable suspicion.

She returned her eyes to his without moving from where she was.*

"Is there anyone who flies all the way to this dilapidated asteroid for the company?"

*She lifted her chin slightly, indicating towards where she last saw his female companion.*

"No doubt you're here for the same reasons I am."

*Though it wasn't entirely true. She needed supplies, yes, and there were a trio of burly looking men that were either mercenaries or hunters by the state of their armor and dress. They'd likely have a hefty sum in their pockets to filch. But the only reason she was on this miserable rock tricking lowlifes from their ill-begotten goods was to see Seros again. She was growing increasingly agitated. The longer this took, the longer she would have to keep her Force smothered and disconnected from Seros, the further away the crew of the Loronar might be taking him from her without her even knowing it. She muttered a growl.*

"Rodder...wish they'd hurry up with my crates."

[quote="Kaali Xsato":3er7u3be]"Is there anyone who flies all the way to this dilapidated asteroid for the company?"[/quote:3er7u3be]
[color=#80BFFF:3er7u3be]"Well... I did."[/color:3er7u3be] [action:3er7u3be]Which he actually had, more or less. It had started as a mission to save Wade, then turned into running for their lives, then become a flight to the far reaches of the rim with a crew they knew next to nothing about. All in all, he was a long way from home and the company was the only interesting bit about it.[/action:3er7u3be]

[quote="Kaali Xsato":3er7u3be]"Rodder...wish they'd hurry up with my crates."[/quote:3er7u3be]
[color=#80BFFF:3er7u3be]"Oh yes, rodder indeed. He should know to have the crates good and ready well before you arrive."[/color:3er7u3be] [action:3er7u3be]The sentence was uttered in a voice that clearly communicated sarcasm. So much so that even a deaf barabel would have been able to see it.[/action:3er7u3be] [color=#80BFFF:3er7u3be]"Seriously though, why the rush? There's all kinds of interesting people just waiting to have their ill-gotten gains ill-got by someone else. You and me? We could be that someone else."[/color:3er7u3be]

*My attention was drawn away from Sky as Scrappy let out a binary exclamation. He had wandered farther ahead than his previous three or four meter cushion, but now he'd stopped, waiting for us to catch up. There was a shadowy crowd loitering up ahead, as if outside some public establishment. The surroundings weren't right for the cantina, however. As I rounded a battered old derelict and came into sight of a small collections of shoops, I didn't initially realize that one of them was a rather prosperous supply depot. Instead, my focus was on the people, and making sure I didn't recognize any of them.*

*Sky muttered something about being "right over here" and I almost turned to give him a warning, but then thought better of it. He was a native of Coruscant's underworld. He knew at least as well as I did, and probably better, how to stay safe in a criminal den like the Run. So let's see just how dangerous the den was today.*

*As Sky split off, I took a few steps further, until I caught up with Scrappy near the center of the open area. There were three very plainly dressed Rodians and tough-looking, muscular orange male Twi'lek leaning up against a mangled brick wall on the far side, talking in hushed voices. One of the Rodians was gesturing animatedly, repeatedly drawing a box in the air with his hands. Perhaps some sort of cargo dispute?*

*A Toydarian with a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder flew diagonally across my path, about two meters above my head. I watched him casually out of the corner of my eye, but he kept going, and quickly disappeared from sight. Turning slightly, I spied a number of other mixed groups, mostly humans or near-humans, standing or sitting around in nervous bunches, keeping their heads down. Four Weequays stood around a ruined barrel, drinking and playing some sort of card game. Three other burly, armored toughs were standing not to far away, eyeing the drunken Weequays with visible disgust. Soldiers of fortune, I tentatively identified them. They didn't look quite as refined as I would expect for a bounty hunter, but still rather wealthy. All in all, it seemed like the usual crowd. A few pirate or smuggler crews, and a few common criminals. No one looked especially dangerous except for the Toydarian, and he was gone.*

*This definitely wasn't the vicinity of my last adventure on the Run, but maybe ... yes! That was it, I realized. Many of those loitering nearby were keeping at least one eye on something. Following their gaze led right to the front door of the largest shop, a supply depot selling everything from restraining bolts to foodstuffs to rudimentary armor. So that's what they were waiting for --- their orders to be filled.*

*Well then. Bother the Shift. We'd just buy what we needed here. Motioning to Scrappy, I began to walk casually towards the entrance. As I did, I caught sight of Sky once more, siting off to one side, and apparently talking to a hooded and cloaked figure that looked out of place with the rest of the filth. Pretending not to notice, I joined the line waiting to make purchases. Despite the size of the depot, there wasn't much space for customers inside, and the line began in front of the door. That explained the loitering outside. Picking out a reflective piece of metal cowling lying to one side of the doorway, with 'OpE-N' scrawled on it in barely legible basic, I used it as a mirror to keep an eye on Sky and his new acquaintance.*

*I wondered what he was up to. It was doubtful he would betray me, with Faith and the Noghri still aboard our ship, and it was just as unlikely that he had met someone he already knew all the way out here. That meant he was talking to a stranger, and for reasons that he believed to be harmless to himself or our mission. The stranger (A female? It was hard to tell from the reflection) seemed to want to avoid attention, yet was overdressed for this rock. This should be interesting. I'd stay out of it for now, and see what happened. Maybe I could learn something more about our passenger while I waited my turn.*

[quote="Calanon":3u2ru9ne][color=#80BFFF:3u2ru9ne]"Oh yes, rodder indeed. He should know to have the crates good and ready well before you arrive."[/color:3u2ru9ne] [action:3u2ru9ne]The sentence was uttered in a voice that clearly communicated sarcasm. So much so that even a deaf barabel would have been able to see it.[/action:3u2ru9ne] [color=#80BFFF:3u2ru9ne]"Seriously though, why the rush? There's all kinds of interesting people just waiting to have their ill-gotten gains ill-got by someone else. You and me? We could be that someone else."[/color:3u2ru9ne][/quote:3u2ru9ne]

[i:3u2ru9ne][color=#BFBFFF:3u2ru9ne]*Her slanted eyes narrowed to slits before widening again, the silver in them flashing with a temper that had been born from the dark side, and not her natural personality. Just what was he implying of her when he said he was seeking 'company' on a rock like this? And there was no doubt what else he thought of her as with his suggestive smile and invitation to steal. Her voice was a growl.*[/color:3u2ru9ne][/i:3u2ru9ne]

"I think you have mistaken the reason for why I am here! I am no thieving wretch, and my reasons for being here are none of your-"

[i:3u2ru9ne][color=#BFBFFF:3u2ru9ne]*She grunted and pressed her hands over her now gold-tinted irises, steadying her breathing until the cold burn of the dark side was smothered once more beneath her force conceal. Her biting tone had been far more defensive than it should have been considering that she was better than these vagabonds. ...Wasn't she? Kaali lowered her hand from her eyes, and though they rested on the tall, slender male in the seat before her, her attention was actually focused on her peripheral vision, where the three armored mercenaries were eyeballing the rowdy Weequays. Temptingly distracted. Was she not, at this moment, entertaining the idea of relieving them of their blood money? One of the three men removed his strangely spiked helm, revealing a leathery hide and reptilian facial protrusions. Nikto. Not as unintelligent as they looked. Her pupils dilated as her focus returned to <Sky.> She might need his help after all, but not in the way he was suggesting.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.*[/color:3u2ru9ne][/i:3u2ru9ne]

"My apologies, that was unnecessary of me." [color=#BFBFFF:3u2ru9ne][i:3u2ru9ne]*A strange lilt had entered her words, the faint hint of an accent she had lost long ago, but was more pronounced when her words were not biting.* [/i:3u2ru9ne][/color:3u2ru9ne] "I am just not fit for company. Of any sort."

[i:3u2ru9ne][color=#BFBFFF:3u2ru9ne]*There was a loud, metallic sound of impact followed by the distinctive whirring of a motor as the crates she had been waiting for were loaded onto a repulsorlift cargo carrier. Finally, things were beginning to move.*[/color:3u2ru9ne][/i:3u2ru9ne]

Spaceport

YZ-775 light freighter, the Makkitotosimew - Bridge

*Sighing in relief, Connie leans back in the co-pilot's seat, running her pale skinned hands through her sweaty, chin length black hair as she looks over at Dees, in the pilot's seat across from her, and says chipperly,* "Nice flyin' babe, *then, reaching up to flip the pickup mic of her communications headset down in front of her mouth as Dees begins powering off the repulsorlifts and other systems they won't be needing in preparation of doing her post flight routines, tells Dax, who had been manning the ship's weapons as they had navigated the perilous asteroid field to get to Skip 1,* Looks like we didn't even need ya, huh? My girl is that good. See ya outside Daxie! *Removing the headset and reaching for the switch to open the ship's intercom, Connie announces cheerfully,* Attention all passengers, we have set down at our final destination without, like, smackin' inta anything on the way or nothin'. Yayyy us! Local time is 17:00, weather is . . . about what you'd expect for bein' inside a big honkin' asteroid. Please collect all your belongin's and disembark in an orderly fashion. *Shutting off the intercom, Connie asks Dees,* Need any help with anything?"

*Dees, being the type of pilot that likes ta do everything herself to make sure it gets done the way she wants it done, says she'll handle things herself and so Connie, after getting up and giving Dees a peck on the cheek and a hug around the neck, says,* "I'll comm ya if we, like, go anywhere, 'kay babe?"

*Taking her her black Neo-leather jacket from the back of the co-pilot's seat, Connie pulls it on over the black, short sleeved tee and olive colored cargo pants she is wearing with a pair of unlaced combat boots as she makes her way to the boarding ramp, meeting Dax, a gangly male Rodian and Mack, a bald headed, powerfully built male human with an ugly scar winding from the outside corner of his left eye down to his jaw, along the way.*

*The trio walk down the boarding ramp, Connie in between Mack and Dax and chattering away cheerfully about the flight through the asteroid field, and then wait for Ade and anyone else that will be disembarking from the ship to join them. Mack, as Connie and Dax talk, walks around, his right hand resting lightly on the handle of the blaster holstered on his thigh, keeping a wary eye on any beings nearby since it is his nature to, when in the company of Adrien Draykon, always expect the worst and be on the lookout for it to arrive at any time.*

*She watched the craft arrive. 770-series. Big ship to fly through the 'field. Pilot had skill, no arguing that. She was leaning against the landing leg of some long-forgotten scow which had no doubt been rotting on the Skip since the Clone Wars. The incessant wind, ever-present in the 'Run, would have sent her white-blonde hair flying in all directions, had she not tied it into several loose braids, hanging where they may. The hulk of the scow was little more than a shell, loose panels and access ports clanking in the wind, adding to the background din.

The Corellian vessel had touched down 300 yards distant. She adjusted the range on her goggles, getting a better view, and licked her lips. The first one down, the Nagai, must have been Vinti. The anxious one - Deiter. Third down the ramp was a gangly Rodian - no doubt Dax.

Not exactly what she would have expected -- but then, these sorts of things never went exactly to plan, did they? She slid the goggles down her nose, looking over the top with crystal-blue eyes, and drew back the left side of the duster she wore, exposing an expanse of leg, each adorned with a holster and tugged on a thigh-high, straightening the ripped garment.

A group of workers passed her, whistling their intentions. She replied by pushing her goggles back up to rest on the bridge of her nose with her middle finger. Her show was not for them.*

*Finally back on the Run, it's been such a long time since he's had a chance to get back, he wondered how old Hilo was doing and if he was still running the Shift. He could use someone with an ear to the ground and Hilo seemed to be that kind of guy. Of course he needed to be careful when here, as always, there's always another bounty hunter looking for him and amazingly his clone isn't distracting any of them. He wondered if that was intentional of whoever it was that created the thing and he had a good idea of who it was**He stood and grabbed his trench coat and pulled it on then made sure that his enforcers were fully loaded and where they should be before he exited his room**A long trip, a nice nap, he was energized and ready for action now**As he walked down the ramp to meet the others his eyes rested squarely on Mack for a moment**He just couldn't get his help but wonder how well Mack and he would get along, but he wasn't reaching for a gun and he seemed to not care as much about what had happened at first glance. Maybe they could put it all behind them**Adrien's stare left Mack to scan the horizon as he continued down the ramp, focusing his eyes in a to zoom in further**He didn't see anything of note out there, instead he simply saw people rushing around trying not to be noticed or trying to be intimidating, but what he was was everyone moving, except one. Target acquired. He couldn't get a make on her, it was someone he'd never seen before but she was certainly attractive, whoever she was or for whatever reason she was here, there was only one thing that Adrien could think, she's the perfect type of bongo or BH that would be able to get one over on him with her looks. Given his recent run ins with people that knew how to get to him so well he wouldn't be taking any chances*

*He reached the bottom of the ramp and patted Dax on the back before turning his attention to Connie* Things go south and you don't have the drop on someone you get outta here, understand? There are more important things to worry about. *She'd know what he meant. The crew. He didn't care a lot about much else**He let his gaze stay with her for a second longer before moving onto Dax* Not out of your sight. *He nodded and then turned to Mack, he met the man's eyes and gave a silent nod**An apology among men, a way to check and see if everything was good between them*