Unattended Baggage (Tal)

[Vex]

Daryn slid into the navigation seat on Ante Up, combing his fingers through that unruly black mop of hair to pull it back from his face a bit. It was only marginally successful, but he barely noticed. The action was more force of habit than anything else. He'd let it grow out more in the last few months. It was currently at that phase where you couldn't pull it back and where it didn't quite want to do what you wanted to do. Of course, that had always been the case, but it was moreso now. Tucking a particularly errant bit behind his ear, he let those flashing green eyes roam over the console readings while his hands moved unbidden over the controls with barely more than subconscious thought.

Flying this ship was like breathing to him; he didn't have to think about what to do...he just did it.

His shirt was crisp and white with a mandarin collar that stood at attention around his throat. It tucked into those blood-striped pants (even though he'd worn them without care before, he now felt that he'd earned them) and eventually, into those gleaming boots. That bantha-hide jacket was draped over the back of his seat. By appearances, Daryn had just about returned to his normal, devil may cry self.

The truth, however, was slightly more complicated.

Completing the final checks needed before exiting hyperspace, he glanced over to his little astromech co-pilot. "How are we looking, House? Anything unusual in the readings?" House "be-yooped" a negative, which caused the smuggler and sometime bounty hunter to grin. "Glad to hear it.... hate to have anything odd happen. Had enough of that in this stretch of space." House be-yooped and warbled again in affirmative while Daryn stretched out in the chair, watching the countdown tick away. As it finally hit zero, he palmed the hyperdrive control and slide it forward, watching as the lines and whorls of hyperspace bled away to the darkness of space and it's trillions of pinpoints of starlight....

...with the burgeoning crest of the planet Mandalore hanging below his ship.

"Get in touch with docking control, House. Set us up with a docking bay and shoot the docking number to Kiva so she can let our contact know where to go to drop off the cargo."

He'd been more than a little surprised when he'd come back from a run to find a message from Lia's mum on the HoloNet for him. She'd apparently needed a favor and he'd come to mind. He'd been a little bit wary...after all, he had a fair idea of what the woman was like and was, unbelievably, MORE stubborn than her daughter. They'd got along well, but he'd certainly never expected to wind up talking to her again...not with how things had ended between him and the merce-... Special Ops woman.

Contacting her back, it became a bit more clear about what was going on. Apparently some of the clan was on Mandalore and they had some artifacts or some such that they wanted to sell. With the war going on, Mandalorian items were becoming highly sought after and people were paying mint to have them. He couldn't really blame the family's desire to capitalize on it...he'd seen how things were in some of the Mandalorian controlled zones. He also understood why she wanted someone like him to do it. The buyer, apparently, was on Mustafar. Not only did they have to get through most of Republic space, but onto a Jedi-controlled planet too. It wasn't exactly something your average Mando freighter hauler was going to manage.

They'd haggled back and forth. He liked Kiva and the clan. Even though they hadn't needed to, they'd made him feel welcome and at home while he'd spent time with them. It had been a nice change of pace. That pace hadn't stayed, of course...battle and blood had taken him and Lia away. It had wound up, ultimately, coming between them until he couldn't take it any more. That wasn't Kiva's fault though...and he wasn't about to say no to a friend. He'd even offered to do it for free, but she wouldn't have any of that. Daryn had been lucky just to get her to agree to only pay for expenses.

Cleared to land, he followed the landing trajectory allotted to them, angling the nose in as he began to break through atmo and toward the surface. It didn't take long before he was settling down in bay 23, running through all of the post-flight checks and powering down.

Hooking his fingers into the collar of that jacket, he pulled it from the chair and held it over his shoulder. "Schedule us for refit and refuel, House. I don't plan on staying overly long...just long enough to get the cargo and take care of any of the particulars." House warbled an affirmative as Daryn slipped from the cockpit and towards the cargo bay. Cycling the ramp, he walked down it and glanced around.

Now...where was his contact and the cargo?

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Once upon a time on Mandalore…

There was a docking bay.

On that docking bay stood a man.

With that man was a large metal crate.

In that metal crate was a very expensive rug.

And you wouldn’t believe what was rolled up in that rug…

---

The man, Conrad Hoff and member of the Shiros clan, still couldn’t believe what he’d been told was in that crate when it had been delivered to him. The rug alone was worth some money, and how Kiva had gotten hold of it he didn’t know…or want to know, for that matter…but what Itani had told him was inside the rug that made that crate need such special care? That family was just straight twisted…always had been.

Shifting his weight anxiously from one foot to the other he pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the home rolled cig that was barely held between his lips. A couple of puffs and the end glowed a bright orange, the routine of puffing on the end in his mouth helping calm him a bit. He just couldn’t understand what the hell the Firians’ were up to…well, Phelan’s according to Italia. Poor girl. Just off of Ordo and now having to deal with a whole new kind of mess…it was a wonder any of those kids were sane. Still, he felt bad for whoever got to deal with this crate next.

“Speaking o’ poor sob’s…how much ya wanna bet that’s our ship?” The Concord slang and accent would only reach the audio sensors of the burly droid standing with him as the weathered man looked up at the sky with a hand shading his eyes, watching the ship grow ever closer. The droid, one used mainly for manual labor around the farm these days, had seen better days too…the fading and chipping paint on its body mirroring the scratched and chipping colors on the few pieces of armor on Conrad. It wasn’t much, no more than he wore to work in the fields really…leg gear to protect from animals or damage done while using equipment, gauntlets worn for the same reason and to get temperature and moister readings, and that was about it. Sure he could have worn the full get up, but he wasn’t expecting someone who wasn’t mando to be coming in to take…well…the crate and contents.

He was in for a surprise.

The moment he saw the younger man his graying eyebrows just about went into his slightly receding hairline. Kiva had said the smuggler wouldn’t be what he was used to, but this was just…awkward…especially considering all the tension between their people and the Republic. Maybe he should have expected it…but the whole thing was beyond his reasoning, really. Sending what was in this crate into the Republic, with a man who was from the Republic?

“Oh fer Manda’s sake…” he swore quietly and considered having his droid tote his ‘package’ right out of there again. “Kiva’s lost ‘er damn mind.” Still, she’d never cracked yet…always seemed to know what she was doing…and if Itani (crazy as the kid was) knew what was going on and was alright with it…”Dammit all,” he cursed again before stepping away from the crate a pace or two to get the kid’s attention. “Ov’r here kid. Get yer rear in gear.”

The gravelly voice was not at all pleased, and threaded with hints of doubt and anxiety…he really just wanted this whole thing out of his hands.

[Vex]

Daryn paused there at the edge of the ramp, shouldering his way into that jacket and rolling his shoulders a bit. There were some people moving around...hauling crates and other materials here and there, setting up for loading and unloading. There were the refit/refuel crew already making their way toward Ante Up to hook up and get him ready for his departure. He was about to step in their direction when he heard the voice calling out, none-too-gently or pleasantly. His hand came down to that low-sling holster with it's blaster resting there. Glancing over, he took in the older man's appearance...the oft worn and roughly loved armor...the matching droid...yeah, something about him just screamed Clan to the Coruscanti man, but he held up a hand, gesturing for him to wait a minute.

Moving over to the refit team, he saw them looking at him and heard snippets of the conversation. He'd stalled his studies of Mando'a back when he'd put that whole part of space in the direction of his sublights, but that didn't mean that he forgot. Daryn Destrell rarely forgot anything when he had been truly interested in it. So it was with the language. He still had a lot to learn, but he knew enough to get by...enough to understand some of the less than flattering things they were saying about him. "Su cuy'gar!" He grinned amiably as he greeted them, clasping the first on the shoulder, catching them off-guard. <<"And yes, this Coruscanta osik does have local currency... does know exchange rates... and won't pay double the rate. Talk to Kiva Phelan and clan Shiros if mad. Top it off, I've got a long way to go.">> Thinking a second, he gave them another, slightly smug grin to their shocked and slightly sheepish features. "Gedet'ye?"

After getting a couple of of hesitant nods, he clapped them both on the shoulder again and moved away to the man that had called him over in the first place.

The man's tone had seemed tense...but hell, he'd heard similar tones while dealing with Mandalorians before. He chalked that up to not being in the club. There wasn't much he could do about that right now, was there? Taking the man in a bit more now as he neared, however, showed a fair amount of anxiety that he couldn't really attribute to the man having to talk with an outsider. That had him curious. He took another glance at the "package" that he was near. Wonder what could be in it. The fact that it was Mandalorian meant that, at least for now, it wasn't exactly legal to cross Republic borders. That hardly concerned him...maybe this guy had larger concerns...was worried about the deal falling through? Who knew?

Reaching him, he held out his hand to grasp the other's, shaking it firmly. "Su cuy'gar..." Pumping it firmly, he'd look him in the eye levelly. "You are Conrad Hoff, yes? Kiva told me I'd be meeting you. I'm Daryn Destrell. I'll be your friendly neighborhood smuggler for the day."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Con wasn’t the least bit happy about being told to wait for any number of reasons, not the least of which being the ‘cargo’ settled beside him. Still, he had little choice in the matter, his reply to the spacer being a grunted huff and a folding of his arms. The situation grew more and more uncomfortable with each passing moment until he nearly said something again, but thankfully the younger man seemed to finally be on his way over.

“Yeah, yeah…same,” he grumbled as he rushed the handshake with several swift pumps of his arm before letting go again. “Have ya got th’ info from Kiva ‘er what, Kid? I want this gone from my hands.” He jabbed a thumb in the general direction of the sturdy crate without so much as a glance to it. “I dunno what that woman’s got inta her mind, but that’s gonna be your probl’m here soon. This sorta smuggling’s ori’suumyc, if ya ask me…now let’s see that info so you can get gone with it.”

[Vex]

The man seemed all to ready and willing...indeed...eager, to have this cargo off of his hands. When people acted like that, it tended to mean that there were things that were not on the up and up. Granted, he was a smuggler (on occasion) and the entire profession wasn't exactly about being on the up and up. However, there was a difference between the standard shady deals...and thing that might get you killed.

Were things any other way...were the requester anyone else, he would have walked away from this all now. He would have canceled the agreement, buttoned up "Ante Up", and put Mandalore to his sublights without a second thought. After all, he was rather fond of life.

This was Kiva though...a personal request from her for help. She wouldn't put him in any real danger...of that he believe wholeheartedly (if he knew the truth of the contents...he might reconsider that belief). Despite his misgivings, he nodded his head, drawing out his datapad and pulling up the information.

"Of course...right here. Delivery to Mustafar, final coordinates and drop off provided upon arrival. The rest of the particulars are here." He would offer up the datapad for inspection before he eyed the crate that the man had gestured toward. Drawing out his commlink, he'd key it up to get the attention of House. "Finishing up the particulars, House. Cycle the docking bay and cargo ramp to prep for loading." A bee-oop and whistle was a response to the affirmative before the connection was broken again.

Tilting his head, he let his eyes taking in Con again. "Anything particular I should know about this cargo? Special considerations?"

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Taking the datapad he scanned it over with swift eyes, knowing what to look for in a communication from Kiva. So far it all checked out…and the kid did fit the description she’d given him. Huffing a little, Con handed the datapad back with a nod. “Yeah, tha’ looks ta be ‘bout right then. All matches what I’ve got, anyway,” he admitted and looked over to the crate and the droid that stood beside it.

“Anythin’ ya should know? Special consider—yeah…handle with care,” he almost laughed, his voice extra gravelly with the amused tone. “Don’ drop it, kid…whatever ya do, just…be careful with it.” He shook his head a bit, thinking about just what was in that crate and hoping the contents would be ‘out’ for a good long time. He’d been instructed not to say anything about the sleeping red-head inside, but he was finding it extremely difficult not to. Yeah, it was time for him to get the hell out of here.

“Duster an’ I can get it in an’ settled fer ya then we’re gone…just show us where to put ‘er.”

As soon as Daryn would let him he’d get this crate up in the ship and out of his hands so he could go back to dealing with his (much less convoluted) life.

[Vex]

"No worries on that count, mate. Customer satisfaction is my number one priority. I've never had a compromised shipment and I don't intend to mess up that track record now. This should be a blue milk run." Grinning, he gave the man a wink, slapping him on the back with a smile as he lead him toward Ante Up. The ramp was already lowering and the cargo hatch was cycling open to reveal House waiting there patiently. Trilling at them and trailing off with a 'beoop', House bounced from one roller leg to another, happy to be having a cargo and a mission.

Daryn led Con and Duster up the ramp, showing them the spot that he'd chosen for the container. He'd taken the liberty of already preparing the maglocks on the deck, setting them the required distances to accept the incoming load. As soon as it was brought up and settled, he activated the locks and checked the hold, finally satisfied that it wasn't going to be going anywhere.

Once that was out of the way, he'd settle up with the man on the final details of the shipment and get confirmation from House that they were refueled and ready to go. It all seemed to be in order. Shaking his hand, he'd lead him back out of Ante Up. "Say hello to Kiva next time you talk to her and..." He paused a bit, giving the man a rueful smile, "and see if she can pass on my regards to her daughter and that I hope she's doing well."

The words were said in passing as they parted ways and he moved back up the ramp. House already had it cycling up and Daryn stepped off into the cargo bay while the bay door sealed shut. Drifting by the box, he slid his hand along it and patted it lightly. Quelling his curiosity, he bounded down the hall towards the cockpit.

It wouldn't be long before that custom freighter had Mandalore in its sublights. Turning his seat towards the navicomputer, he began manually imputting the trajectory and calculations for the flight to Mustafar. It would be tight, but, with his own little tweaks, he had enough fuel to get them there in one shot. Cross-checking the calculations and sending them to House for a double check, he fed it into the system and received the green light.

Buckling in, he flashed a grin to House. "Blue Milk...here we come." He slide the control forward, watching as the stars began to elongate until they were enveloped in the hypnotic swirl of hyperspace.

Too easy...

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Chances were high that Daryn hadn’t caught the grin and silent laughter as Conrad had walked away, giving a little salute in return to his comment about Kiva and her daughter. If only the poor kid knew. Well, he’d know soon enough anyway, that was his guess anyway. “Sure…sure.”

---

Inside the crate something was waking…stirring groggily…and beginning to feel very cramped, very confused, and very upset. It wasn’t angry yet, but it was most certainly getting there. Whatever drugs that thrice damned Itani had used on her, she was not liking them…nor was she liking the fact that she couldn’t move more than the tiniest bits. It was stuffy, and dark, and she felt like she’d been packed into a tube after being beaten and drugged…mainly because she was in a sort of tube and had been drugged after being hit hard enough to daze her and keep her from struggling. Not exactly a beating, but it was close enough in her book.

That Butterbrain was so dead after this.

Groaning a little at her hurting head and heavy limbs, the woman tried to figure out just what was going on…or rather, what she was stuck in. At first her mind jumped to ‘I’m buried alive!’…but the lack of ‘earth’ scent, the scratchy feel of whatever was around her, and the fact that it had been Itani who’d done this got her turning her mind to trying to figure out a different scenario. Slowly her fingers began picking at the solid confines of what she was wrapped in and her brow furrowed a bit. It felt like…a rug?

”The hell, Itani?” she muttered to herself and tried to wriggle herself enough to get her arms up and closer to her chest. No luck there, however, as she was wrapped pretty well. With no small amount of grumbling she attempted to figure out if maybe she’d forgotten something. Was she supposed to be doing something specific that required this? No…no, she was pretty sure that there wasn’t any reason for this. Not a logical reason, anyway. As she lay there, attempting to figure this puzzle (and likely prank) out, a soft click was heard, muffled by the material around her.

She’d have tilted her head at it…if she could have.

Another few moments of pondering the sound and she began to wonder how she was staying so wrapped up in this carpet…or really, why it hadn’t threatened to let her unroll when she’d tried getting her hands up. Trying to ignore the rising heat and general smothered feeling, she did her best to get the carpet (she was fairly sure it was something similar) to unroll. One way and then the other she tried to rock, only getting minimal action at first, but slowly the crate started to tilt…only to be snapped back to its original position by the magnetic hold between the deck and the metal box.

[Vex]

Daryn rechecked all of the ship's instruments and was reassured that everything was as it should be. They would be in hyperspace for some time...but that didn't bother him. It was a fact of life when you were a spacer; you learned to pass the time. He was planning to eat in a few hours, but for the moment he felt like getting a workout in. Something about his interaction with Conrad had him on edge. He didn't know why, exactly, but it did. The best idea seemed to be to work off some steam, so he headed to his bunk so he could change and get in a workout.

30 minutes later he was in a simple black tank top and gray sweatpants, working through a circuit of exercises. He had some Corellian Spaz Rock reverberating through room that had once been one of the spar crew rooms. His tousled hair was stuck against his neck and brow the same way the damp shirt was stuck to his form. As he finished up the seat, House warbled over the ship intercom.

<< Alert ----> Daryn. Anomaly = Cargo Hold. Recommend investigation. >>

Daryn listened, racking the weight and grabbing his towel to wipe off. "What kind of anomaly, House?"

<< House = Unsure. Scanners Detect Cargo Movement. Reason =/= known value. >>

"Okay, I'll check it out. Keep monitoring from the bridge."

<< House = Wilco. >>

Throwing his towel over his shoulder, Daryn padded out of the room and toward his bunk again. It never hurt to come prepared, after all, so he grabbed his blaster pistol before heading to the cargo hold.

As he neared it, he heard the unmistakeable "thump" of something coming to land back on the ground. Peering inside, he didn't see anything except for the cargo he'd just picked up from Conrad. Something about it didn't look right though....it took him a second to realize what.

The seal on the lid had open.

He could tell because it was slightly off-kilter. Green eyes widened when the crate rocked again and the lid slid more. As it went back the other way, it upset the balance on the lid enough that it slid away and clattered loudly to the ground. Daryn brought up the weapon, expecting something to jump out of it. When nothing was immediately forthcoming, he cautiously stepped closer.

Inside...all he saw was...a rug. A simple, rolled-up rug. What in the Force? The container rocked to the left again and he backed up. Something was in there... "What in the nine hells did you stick me with, Kiva?" He mused the words to himself, making his way to the box, finally poke the rug with the barrel of his blaster and speaking up. "Um...do you...come in peace? I'm armed and very dangerous..."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Panic was really trying to set in as she struggled but got nowhere. Another material-dulled thunk and the crate hit the deck…then something else hit the deck…

She paused, listening, hoping that wherever she was the noise she was making wasn’t going to lead to a blaster being aimed at her head. Still, chances were that 1) it would lead to that and 2) whoever tried to aim a blaster at her head had a 50/50 shot at aiming it at her feet instead. Okay, so that wasn’t exactly reassuring. Good thinkin’, Lia…sheesh. Even so, nothing seemed to be happening…certainly no tramping of the heavy feet of guards coming to check out what the sound was. The frustrated and angry woman inside was about to sigh a bit in temporary relief when she thought she heard something.

Again she lay silently, straining to hear past the material (and Manda knew what else was between her and the sound) to figure out if she was imagining things or if she’d actually heard movement. Nothing else could be heard, however, so she went back to her vain attempts at trying to tip whatever she was in onto its side. Huffing in frustration, the mando’ika knew that what she was doing was pretty damn near pointless. Dikut’la vodika wrapped me up tighter than a Coruscanti hooker in a dominatrix outfit, she thought, none too pleased. The weight of the material around her was really taking a toll on her, the stifled feeling growing stronger by the moment. If she couldn’t get out of this soon she was going to lose her cool, and considering she didn’t know thing one about where she was…that could end up being very bad.

The only comforting thought was that she was….pretty sure….that Itani wouldn’t put her into a position she couldn’t get out of again if things went sour.

Muttering a litany of mando’a curses under her breath, she attempted to make some room for herself…or shift…or…hell, do anything other than lay there on her side. That was about the time she felt something press down on the material around the area of her gut.

Frelling hell…

“Mm…oo yoo…ome n pee? I’m arr-d an ery da-erous”

For a long moment she lay very still. At first it was because she was trying to make sense of the muffled words, though that didn’t take long considering the press of material just below her ribs. Then, of course, it was an attempt to decide just what she was going to do. Furious over the situation, and wanting no more than to get the hell out of this bind, she didn’t bother answering in more than an angry growl and another stubborn rocking of the crate…at least, not at first. As the rocking continued, half growled and muffled words could be caught…well, sort of, anyway. Between the thumping and clanking of the crate against the floor and the way the rug muffled her already vehemently growled words, chances were whatever she said was not intelligible.

The anger, at least, had given her enough drive to nearly get the crate tipping over…

[Vex]

Whatever was in that rug stopped when he poked it. To be honest, he wasn't sure if that was a positive thing or not. He still had no real idea what it was...or why it was in a rug in a crate, but he was starting to curse Kiva and her clan to no ends in his mind. "Frelling son of a Sith, Kiva...just what are you playing at and why is this on my ship? I mean, really?" He was starting to wonder if this had all been an accident...the crate opening now. There were only a few ways to open them...via timer, proper spatial conditions, or manually. He certainly hadn't opened it and neither had House. The other two options could only mean that something particularly fishy was going on.

Sighing, he rubbed his face with his free hand and combed his fingers back through his hair. As he stepped forward to try and see about unraveling the rug and see what "surprise" was waiting for him, the crate began to rock even more violently. "No...nononononono." He tried to stop it, but it was too heavy and the last bout of rocking was more than the passive maglocks could handle. "House, re-engage the mag-....eeek!"

Okay, that wasn't the most manly of sounds to be made, but when you had a durasteel shipping container tipping over toward your feet, manliness didn't have a lick against the ten little space piggies. He jumped back and out of the way, toward the end of the crate as he allowed it crash over onto its side. His tootsies, at least, were safe. He brought the pistol down, sighting it on where whatever inside was going to be coming out.

"House, lock down the cargo hold."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Sometimes, what you think you want to have happen, ends up being something you'd really prefer not to happen...unfortunately for the cocooned woman, this was one of those times. As the crate finally started to tip, the auburn thought that maybe...just maybe...this hadn't been such a good idea after all. With a little yelp the feeling of falling caught her, seemingly flipping the galaxy on its ends before--

KTHUNK!

Jostled, but no worse for wear, she felt whatever she was wrapped in come loose and fall, making her roll a bit with it. Now that she was far less bound, the woman struggled against the rug, forcing herself to roll a few more feet before finally being able to push the rest of it off from around her. No doubt Daryn would be quite surprised to see a very familiar, and very ruffled, looking head....and, well, the rest of her too. She, however, didn't know he was there....yet.

No, instead she had been slapped in the face by her beads as she flipped over and sat up on her knees, trying to figure out just...where..."No frellin' way..." This cargo hold looked entirely TOO familiar. As she surveighed the situation rapidly, green eyes finally came to rest on none other than Daryn himself. "Oh this does it! What the hell're you an' that damn Butterbrain up to, Destrell?!" Holding up a hand almost immediately, she shook her head, not sure if she was happy to see the man or angry over the situation.

"Wait...first: what the hell was I doin' in that crate, and did ya have anything ta do with it?" Narrowing her eyes at him, she tried to ignore the fact that most of her armor was missing as well. 'Swear to Manda, I'd best get that armor back from Itani or he's dead meat.' "And don't ev'n think about lyin' to me, flyboy. I'm feeling mighty grouchy right now."

[Vex]

Daryn cringed as the crate crashed onto its side with a resounding "thunk" that was dangerously reminiscent of a Bith ritual gong and the carpet inside began to unroll. It wasn't a smooth, flowing roll...the dimensions of it were more oval, causing it to unravel quite awkwardly. He didn't know what it was that was causing that until the rolling seemed to falter for a bit. The momentum of the roll had waned before it seemed to force itself to go further.

Well, to be correct, what was inside forced it to go further. The realization of what...of who...it was caused his jaw to drop and his gun hand to lower. When Lia began go off on her (albeitly, justified), tirade, he found himself still at a loss for words. There weren't many times that Daryn could honestly say he was speechless, but almost all of them had happened in the company of this one, singularly infuriating and confusing woman.

Composing himself while she rattled off her litany of interrogatory questions, he hit his comms. "Stand down on the alert, House. Release the locks on the cargo hold and prepare the guest quarters. It seems we have some unexpected...company."

Holstering his gun, Daryn raked his fingers through his hair, turning his back on her and muttering out a litany of Mando'a that was none-too-flattering about her brother. He turned back to her. "Grouchy? You are grouchy? I just became complicit in the illegal smuggling of a war criminal across Republic space because sentimentality had me agree to do a solid for your family."

"Lying to you would require me to know the trying in the first place, Red. I have no idea why you were in that crate. I certainly didn't know you were in it. I'm not in a habit of smuggling ex-girlfriends away from their homes, especially when said ex-girlfriends can kill me in about eight different ways before she's got to start getting creative."

He moved toward her, taking that hand she was holding up and pulling her to her feet. "I can honestly tell you that I have no idea why Itani put you in the box. I also have no idea why he'd make me smuggle you clear across Republic space along the longest continual shipping route poss-...gorram frelling son of a nerf hearding bosh'tet!"

You could watch the transition in his features as he spoke. His mind was working through things at the same pace he was speaking and things began to fall into place almost immediately. "I'll kill him..."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Slowly rationality came creeping back to her mind as she kneeled there, watching him and listening. When he told her that he was, honestly, clueless on why they were facing each other under such unusual circumstances…well, she believed him. That, however, made her frown deeply. Just what were her clansmen up to? As Daryn laid out the reasons why he wouldn’t have had any reason to 1) lie to her and 2) have anything to do with this, she was trying to put together what she remembered of the past few days since the taking of Ordo with what he was saying. Nothing seemed to make sense, though. Not on her end, anyway.

Obviously it was different for him.

As he helped her stand, she tipped her head to the side at his cursing. Something had clicked for him, but Lia didn’t have the slightest idea of what it might have been…or why. In fact, she had the distinct feeling she didn’t know a lot of things right now…and she didn’t like that one bit.

”Yeah, well get in line…but would ya mind slowin’ down fer the rest of the class, first?” Putting her hands on her hips, she settled her weight onto the leg that wasn’t still sore. ”I just rolled myself outta a carpet inside a box after bein’ drugged. I’ve got no clue what the frell is goin’ on here at all. Mind helpin’ me catch up on what the HELL is goin’ on?”

[Vex]

It’s highly possible that Daryn would have continued to rant if she hadn’t interrupted him there. Lord knows the man could talk up a storm when he wanted to. His personal diatribe ended, however, when she spoke, snarked out her question, and then sought for some clarity from him. He let his ire trail off into a glower and a fading growl before nodding with a sigh. Finally, he’d gesture for her to follow him before turning away and heading toward the exit that would bring them to the rest of the ship. “Yeah…yeah. Come on, House is setting up a room for you. I’ll find you something to wear…might even still have some of your old stuff here, who knows? Might as well get you comfy, because you are going to be here for a while…”

As they walked along down the hallway, Daryn stuck his hands into his pockets, slumping his shoulders a bit. Idly, he’d wondered just how a reunion between the two of them would play out. Of course, none of his ideas had ever put THIS situation into the equation, so he was on his heels about how to handle it. A part of him had been happy that he hadn’t run into her when he’d touched down on Mandalore. Another part of him…well…that other part was more complicated. He figured it was better to kick that part in the tenders and lock it away before it could hurt anyone.

Shaking his head, he let that longer mane of dark hair partially obscure his face from her view as he began. “I got a message from your mum a couple cycles ago. She had some family business she said she wanted to take care of… clan with some items that they wanted to sell to an interested buyer. Only problem being, the buyer is in Mustafar and your people aren’t exactly welcome with open arms right now… attacking the Republic and all. They were looking for a third party transporter…someone that could pass through Republic space without issue and land, especially given the upgraded security protocols for Mustafar. Your ma thought of me… or so it seemed. I figured it couldn’t hurt…it wasn’t anything REALLY illegal insofar as cargo was concerned. Seemed easy enough…figured I’d do a favor for her…for old times, you know?”

Sighing once more, his features took on a more wry expression. “She insisted on paying and on the route I needed to take. Seemed odd to me at the time, but I’m always customer oriented and smart people don’t go pissing off Kiva unnecessarily. Not if they want to keep all their parts. On occasion, I like to pretend I’m a smart person.” He quirked his mouth a bit in a self-deprecating grin as he looked over at her.

“Anyway…after flying down to meet with the contact…Conrad Hoff was the name… I saw he was acting kind of skittish and strange. Granted… pretty much every Mando treats me weird, so it’s hard to baseline. He was all too happy to get rid of it…even seemed to be warning me of the cargo. Guess I know why.”

“So…basically…we both got set up and put in a situation where we have no choice but to be in each other’s company for a couple cycles. It’s at least a day and a half until we get to Mustafar. Then we’ve got to restock and resupply…then the trip back. Republic regs require all ships to be down for at least a full day… so you are stuck with my sterling company for five days, minimum.”

Arching a brow to her, he queried her lightly. “Any idea why your mum would want to concoct such a plan?”

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Nodding a little the (very confused, and irritated) woman started after Daryn as he headed out of the cargo bay. She doubted there were many of her personal effects left here on the Ante-Up, but there had been a few things of clothing she’d discovered she’d been missing when she unpacked on her new ship. Of course, in the whirlwind of activity that followed her arrival on Ordo she’d had other things to worry about besides a few missing articles of clothing. Sighing a little at his comment about her being there a while, she wondered if this was really going to be a good thing. She’d thought, in her moments of ‘free’ time (and when her mind wasn’t gnawing on itself over all the difficulties the militia forces were facing), about if she should try to find Daryn and…well, even then she hadn’t been sure. The point was she’d thought about this meeting, but…well, this certainly hadn’t been one of the scenarios she’d conjured up.

As they walked, she wondered what he was thinking about all of this, but it was pretty obvious (to her at least) that he wasn’t exactly happy. With his hands in his pockets and his shoulders slumped he looked rather dejected. It was a sad state of affairs, really, and she hated it. She might not ever admit it, but she certainly felt guilty. It was enough to get her running a hand through her lengthening red hair as she (barely) limped along beside him. Sighing again, Lia knew that she would have a few choice words for her brother and her mother when this was all over with. What the hell were those two up to, trying to get her and Daryn in such close quarters when things might blow up at any given moment between them?

….or not.

Muttering under her breath, the red-head huffed a little and sighed again. This was some sticky mess her family had gotten her into…and poor Daryn. Now was he not only smuggling a person, but a –wanted- person into Republic territory! A Jedi controlled planet at that! Couldn’t her buir have been a little more clever? Still, she’d been clever enough to conjure all of this up and make it happen. Dratted mothers!

Italia was so busy thinking over this information that she totally missed Daryn’s glance at her, a pensive (if mildly frustrated) look on her face. With furrowed brows and the hints of a frown she finally tried to shake it all off with another sigh (likely not the last, at that) and shrugged a little at his question, finally looking over at him. ”Yeah. I got a few good ideas that could be lumped inta one. Sum it up an’ you’ll likely get somethin’ along the lines of ‘she wants ta give us time ta work things out’….or somethin’ similar.”

Only after the fact did she consider that, maybe, that had been a rhetorical question. Pulling a face that hinted at some form of embarrassment, she shrugged a little and folded her arms. Manda knew she was really thanking the fact that she’d gotten a short kolto treatment after that last battle or she’d have been hurting more than a little bit of a sore leg. That was the last thing she would have needed in all of this: a bad attitude because of pain.

”Well, it’s either that, or she figures I’ll die of stress out on Ordo. Either way, really…”

[Vex]

He couldn't help but flash a little smirk at her rather candid and straight-forward response to the rhetorical query he'd posited to her. Of course he knew what the answer was. They both did. Maybe he hadn't put the proper amount of snark into the words. He'd have to work on that. He was usually pretty good when it came to snark. He'd be very sad if he somehow managed to lose that ability to snark. After all...if you didn't have snark, what DID you have?

As she realized her error and attempted to tack on an addendum, he shrugged a bit at that. "Can't say I blame her. I heard about some of the fighting...everything going on. I still keep my ear to the holofeed. I'm glad, if surprised, that you are still alive."

His eyes flickered up and down her frame as she walked. That hitch in her step was slight, but what Daryn hadn't had in combat skills or experience, he'd made up for in observation and quick thinking. His hand came up to her shoulder, a light guide to the side toward the room that he'd kept her stuff in. It was momentary...his hand lingering for a second in something dangerously close to longing before he pulled it back suddenly. You might have thought that he'd seared it on the casing of a hot speeder engine.

Keying the door, he'd step inside, his presence causing the lights to turn on automatically. There were several boxes on the bunk, all carefully labeled and neatly placed. Gesturing around, he'd shrug to her. "Well, it's not much...but make yourself at home. You know where the galley is, the 'fresher. Mi Ante is su Ante."

He moved back to the door, pausing with a hand on the frame to look back over his shoulder at her. Green eyes flashed through that brown mop of hair. "Take a seat and get your weight off the leg. I'll go grab some med supplies. I boosted the stock a while back, even got some kolto packs. We'll take a look at the leg. Go and get yourself comfy."

With that, he was gone again, all but fleeing the room and to the relative safety of the hall.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Yeah…that level of snark needed work. Apparently he was getting rusty. That, or she was just being bull-headed enough not to notice…that was entirely possible also. Still, his reply had her huffing and looking a little indignant. ”Only th’ good die young, right? I’mma live forever.” That answer wouldn’t make him feel any better about the situation, and she knew it wouldn’t, but it wasn’t meant to either. She’d grown a prickly hide these past few months, more prickly than normal anyway, and it showed when he inadvertently insulted her prowess as a fighter and survivor.

Of course, logic told her that he wasn’t doing anything of the sort, just being realistic considering the situation, but for some reason it stung at her pride enough to give him a snarky remark in reply. Maybe it was because of how close she’d come to not being alive a number of times as she had been working there, the fact that more than one of her friends had died instead of her, or because of her, or right beside her, or…or…or...The truth was simple, he’d hit too close to home and it had touched a nerve that decided to play itself off as pride instead.

As he guided her off to the side she glanced over at him, giving him the ghost of a smile before his hand recoiled from where it rested on her shoulder. Biting back a sigh, she leaned against the wall as he keyed the door and moved into the room. A few small boxes were settled on the bunk neatly, labeled clearly and precisely. The sight made her frown for half a moment, vanishing before he could see it when he turned back to her. He’d taken good care of her things, it seemed…and that made her feel just absolutely wretched. Giving him another little smile, she’d nod and step inside. ”Thanks, Dar…appreciate it.”

She’d really left this much behind? What, had she been planning on coming back or something?

…Well…

Turning back to him as he spoke again, she quirked a brow at him. ”Huh? My leg?” Blinking once or twice Lia chuckled after a moment. ”Oh…it ain’t so…..bad?”

…and he was gone.

”…Nev’rmind…just…talkin’ to myself. Don’ mind me, just crazy’s all.” Huffing a sigh, she headed over to the boxes and ran her hands along the tops of them before shaking her head a little. ”Stupid…”

[Vex]

Daryn walked down the hallway a bit and made sure he was out of view before he stopped.  Facing the wall, he'd sigh, leaning his forehead against the cool metal.  Whatever he'd been expecting from her mother, it certainly hadn't been this.  It took a lot to shake him and throw him off his game.  This was like a level ten on the Richter scale.

He took a few moments to try and pull himself back together before he moved back up to the cockpit and heard House's querying warble.

"We have a guest, House.  It seems the clan decided to play a little joke on me and pack up Lia as a to-go box.  She's going to be sticking with us while we hit the location, refuel, and head back."  Raising up his hand at the accompanying tones that House gave him, he nodded.  "I know, I know, it's going to be interesting getting through security, but we don't have a choice.  We'll look too suspicious if we come out of hyperspace and then jump back into it...and we don't have enough juice to make that happen anyway.  We've got to land...keep her out of sight, and get out of there as quick as possible."

House sounded less than pleased with that idea.

Sighing, Daryn pulled out the medkit from its station and moved back toward the room.  Knocking, he'd slip back in, rattling the kit a little bit before leaning against the desk and popping open the top.  Pulling out one of the kolto pads, he'd look to her.  "What did you do to your leg, anyway?"
 
 And then, before he could stop himself, he started asking more.  "What have you been up doing?  When did you even get home?  What happened, Lia?"

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Popping one of the boxes open, she found a couple of her shirts and pants (three shirts and two pants, to be exact...but who was counting, right?...Right?) settled neatly within along with a few other articles of clothing that must have escaped her in the rush to pack. It made her want to sigh at herself as she sat down on the edge of the bed. What had she been thinking? Sure while she'd been on Ordo she'd thought about Daryn (rather a lot at that)and had struggled with her desire to find him after she was done there...but she always squashed those thoughts within moments with an iron will. She'd hurt him too bad to do that sort of thing to him. Besides...she couldn't afford to have her mind stuck on him when things had been so...unpredictable...and dangerous while building up the militia. It had required her full attention and whenever she thought about him, she was most certainly not focused.

Like now...

She'd be toying with the shirt in her hands idly, lost in her own thoughts, when he returned, the rattle of the med kit more announcing his presence than his actually entering the room. Certainly she saw him enter the room through her peripherals, but it didn't quite register until that point. Looking up she tried for a little smile that wasn't entirely convincing (even though it wasn't entirely false). As he pulled out that kolto patch, asking her a stream of questions, she shook her head a little...taking in the look of him (from his longer hair all the way down and back up again) as if she were trying hard not to let any of her emotions get hold of her.

Shrugging a bit, she'd sigh slightly. "Just some shrapnel injuries. Nothin' new, really. Already been treated...just a li'l sore still and bein' cramped up in that crate didn't help it none," she replied, finally just setting the shirt in her hands down on her lap. She had to mull the other questions over in her head for a moment, trying to decide if he really wanted to know or if he was just being....no, she didn't think he was anything but curious. There was that look he got when he was genuinely curious about something and she sure as hell saw it right now. It was almost as if he hadn't been able to help himself.

She wasn't sure if she was happy about that or not...he shouldn't have gave a damn about any of that....ah well.

"Well...I never did get home yet. That frellin' butterbrain of a vodika ambushed me en route. Was passin' through Mandalore ta drop Conrad off when he said he was around. Met up with 'im after droppin' Con an' after that..." She shook her head a little, the rest more than a little fuzzy. There'd been something about dinner, and a drink or two, and then...well, she'd never trust Itani when he offered to buy dinner ever again. "As fer the rest..."

She had to sigh a little, thinking over everything that had happened. What did she say to answer him? Maybe the less she said the better for everyone involved? It would be a starting place anyway, she supposed. "Was buildin' up a militia on Ordo as an advance ta Mandalore an' the rest of the military. Was a hell of a lotta work ta do an' li'l help doin' it, but it worked out." Shrugging again, she'd run her fingers through her hair, ruffling it up a bit. "How 'bout you? I mean, since ya left..." she shook her head a little. "You been okay since then?"