Mondder

*The schools are back up, but plans might be changing. It all depends on the whim of a single man.*

*It was some place, he had to admit; Mondder, the capital of Etti IV, and the very HEART of the CSA. In many ways he was grateful for what the Corporate Sector had offered him - as a Ryn, he was persecuted all over the galaxy for his species reputation as thieves and spies. In a twist of irony, he, Jack Atlas, was setting out to repay the CSA with those very services. Privateering services to be exact.*

*Silently, Jack walked along the boardwalk of the cities hangar district, nervousness knotting his belly. He didn't know if he had gotten his commission yet...and soon, very soon, he would find out if his bid for letter of marque AND transport had won out among the other bidders. It was a simple affair - the CSA was looking to revamp their privateering revenue, and as such had been recruiting privateers for some time now. The deal was simple; anyone who had experience flying, and the credits, could bid on one of the Corporate Sectors fine ships - an Etti light Cruiser. The winning bidder would win the ship (no strings attached) as well as a letter of marque. Essentially, you were bidding for a job.*

*Up the boardwalk a ways, a group of about six sentients gathered. Five were assorted aliens, with the sixth clearly being an "Espo" an officer of the Corporate sectors brutal police force. Increasing his pace, Jack quickly caught up to the group, catching the tale end of the Espo's address.*



*There was a brief silence in the murmur of the assembled sentients...and nervously Jack flicked his tail back and forth. Briefly, the Espo read over the envelope, before looking back up.*



*With disappointed groans, the assembled sentients dispersed - and Jack walked forward to claim his prize. Almost flippantly, the Espo handed the envelope to him, before walking off himself...*

*It was over in mere moments...without fanfare, without extended congratulations...Jack ALMOST felt empty as he looked at the envelope. That feeling quickly faded though, as he opened the envelope to seize the palm sized holo emitter within...the feeling was then replaced entirely as the emitter came to life, displaying a tiny replica of his new ship...*

"MY new ship..."

*It hit him like a load of bricks...*

"CAPTAIN Atlas."

*It had been twenty four hours since he had claimed his ship, and already there were more problems than he knew what to deal with. The proud owner of brand new Etti light cruiser, the 125m vessel could carry nigh thirty individuals through space, sported ten quad laser cannons, powerful shields and engines...and was completely worthless without a crew. Literally. Without a minimum crew of about fifteen, the ship couldn't even leave its birth...and so the adventure started...*

*Walking through Mondders space port, Jack looked up and down the long aisles of vendors and stalls. These individuals sold their wares to the newly departed at the space port - a bustling a hustling affair. Many shouted out goods to passersby, while others caught the eyes of sentients with shiny goods. Jack himself stood atop a box (being a Ryn sucked sometimes in the height department), and cupped his hands to his lips.*

"Privateering vessel seeks crew! Pay, bed, and food included! one year contract!"

*His voice was lost in the crowd by the boisterous salesentients around him...and with a frown, jack hopped off his box and vanished. Several minutes late,r he reappeared...with a VoxBox 300; putting the device to his lips, he spoke.*

:: ::

*The din died down nearly instantly, with several sentients snickering and booing at him. Others though, looked interested. Dialing down the volume, he began again.*


:: ::

*The Universe was a large place and Yanira had many places that she could have ended up after departing from a certain planet a few months prior. She had hopped into her small fighter of unknown origins and made her way from the planet of the Sisters of Night to another place. She knew naught where it brought nor did she care to know her destination. So she had gotten into her ship and left the planet to go out to wherever the Force tugged her towards. The darkness had this way of calling to her and pointing her down certain paths. So she followed it without a thought, without a desire.

All Yani knew right now was that whomever was using that VoxBox in front of her to project his voice was being very loud. She flexed her wings and pressed her hands overtop of her ears. She looked towards the man who was using the infernal device and she strode towards him, her fists clenched at her side. She was not enjoying the sound one bit. Walking closer, she hissed as she pulled the edges of her black robes around herself. Though she enjoyed feeling a bit more... free with what she normally wore, she understood the necessity of not attracting too much attention to herself.

Not that an enormous S'kytri who stood seven feet and two inches wasn't going to attract attention. Especially not with her wingspan. A few of the bystanders stared at her and drew back when her massive wings unfurled and she strode forward with a purpose.

She hailed the one who had used the box with a wave of her hand.*

"You may not want to be announcing to this entire planet what your intentions are. Pirating is not always welcomed. But enough of that: You said that you're looking for crew? Where do I sign up."

*Her fingers continued to move quickly across the datapad, careful to avoid the sticky tabletop while logging in data and formulas. There was only the occasional pause to glance towards the larger S'kytri. The abomination that was Yanira drew plenty of eyes, but not, Nedya knew, because of any of the same social prejudices against genetic anomalies and different-colored skin that their own kind harbored, but rather because of how interesting she was. Not to mention physically attractive by most humanoid standards.

Nedya'ven, with her smaller stature and quiet nature, could very nearly blend into the background despite being of the same avianic race. And so it was that when she pushed away from the small table and wove through chortling crowd, most eyes remained fixed either on Yanira or the male with the voice modulator. With her light-colored eyes still cast down on her datapad, her quiet, scholarly murmur joined with Yanira's as she stepped beside her.*

"Statistically, the chances of either party being able to maintain and honor a full year of contractual agreement after having been randomly selected from such a small and debase hiring pool as this station has to offer are astronomically low. Therefore, I have drawn up some basic provisionary language that will allow either of us to break the contract early should the terms of agreement not be met to mutual satisfaction."

*She pressed her thumb against the datapad as an electronic signature, then without asking, picked up Yanira's clawed hand and pressed her pale thumb against the signature block as well. She pressed a few keys before offering the screen to their potential employer.*

[action:opz60f08]Gammoreans. Trandoshans. Ubese. These were pirates, privateers, and mercenaries. Two beautiful and exotic S'kytri was NOT exactly what Jack Atlas had in mind. His eyes latched onto the females as they spoke, his mood growing increasingly...skeptical.[/action:opz60f08]

[quote="Yanira of Skye":opz60f08]"You may not want to be announcing to this entire planet what your intentions are. Pirating is not always welcomed. But enough of that: You said that you're looking for crew? Where do I sign up."[/quote:opz60f08]
[action:opz60f08]At that, Jacks mouth quirked slightly, his gray eyes twinkling with mirth.[/action:opz60f08]

"Aye, something tells me you haven't had much experience in the business - privateering is perfectly legal with letters of marque. Something that the CSA has been kind enough to grant me. [action:opz60f08]He waved the envelope slightly, accentuating his point.[/action:opz60f08]

[narration:opz60f08]Inwardly, he had to wonder at the tall ones...exotic look. She looked like some kind of cross between a stenax and a S'kytri, what with the horns and all. The small one, as she approached, seemed more analytical...perhaps a good engineer? Slicer? Comswoman? Inwardly Dante counted the jobs and passenger capacity...they had room for forty. perhaps he shouldnt be so skeptical of the two. A hand helping was a hand not gone wanting after all.[/narration:opz60f08]

[action:opz60f08]He began to open his mouth, when the small one handed him the datapad she had been working on.[/action:opz60f08]

"...Mmm."

[action:opz60f08]Reading over it, he shrugged, giving it only a glance before handing it back.[/action:opz60f08]

"Six months minimum. One month warning before quitting. No exceptions."

[action:opz60f08]If they weren't warriors...he would need their expertise until he could find replacements. If they WERE warriors...well, as the perceptive avian had pointed out; they probably would be around for THAT long. Shaking his head, Jack crossed his arms.[/action:opz60f08]

"And just what ship roles are the two of you looking to fill? Any skills? Specialties? Education and training?"

*Her brows lifted slightly before her nimble fingers made the adjustments on the datapad.*

"I have experience in navigating star charts, programming, and some basic understanding of mechanical engineering. Spent some time around someone who had a talent for it."

*Though she did carry an assortment of weapons visible on her belt, including a firearm, vibroblade and, oddly, a Trandoshan claw, Nedya intentionally neglected to inform the Ryn of her formal training in warfare, tracking, and trapping sentient prey. It was not the sort of employment she was looking to ever endure again.

She shifted her eyes to Yanira.*

"I am not familiar with my colleague's education..."

*...but she had no doubt it it was extensive, and could be practically applied to mercenary work. There was a subtle flicker of Nedya's gaze towards the lightsabers within the taller S'kytri's possession. Users of the force always had years of formal training.*