I'll Fly Away (to Coruscant) [Ash]

[Dr. Jake]

Like so many other mornings, Jaren was waiting for a contact at the spaceport. Well, one of the spaceports anyway, as Corellia had hundreds or thousands. This contact, again like so many others, had met Jaren in the cantina while looking for a pilot.

He had obliged for two reasons. One, the job payed exceptionally well, and two, the final destination was Coruscant. He needed to get to the city-planet for his own, personal reasons.

There was a ship by the name of The Errant Lady impounded on the Republic's capital, a ship he wanted. Badly. Not only was it perfect for smuggling, it was armed well and had quite the cargo capacity. Most crucial of all, it would be free; once it was relieved from the Republic's hands anyway.

His contact was late. Not a good sign by any stretch of the imagination. Impatiently, Jaren waited, propped up against the cool, metallic walls of Dock IV. As a half-hour dwindled away, the crimson skinned Twi'lek was all but convinced that he had been forgotten, when his datapad let out a beep.

Drawing the pesky device from it's place on his belt, Jaren quickly surveyed the screen for any news. The message on the screen was very polite, very bull*hitty excuse.

"Unfortunately, we had to cancel." Read the first line of the text. Jaren read no more, but said, rather loudly,"Jactna! That Son of a schutta!"

Realizing that his obnoxious rant would accomplish nothing, Jaren made his way, for the umpteenth time, to the spaceport's cantina. He took the familiar route through the main lobby, left at the first corridor, and right to the cantina. The Trandoshan bouncer said nothing, as he recognized the Lethan Twi'lek from his previous visits.

On the outer rim worlds, cantinas were far more tolerant of weapons and such, but here in the core, most cantinas required weapons to be left at the door. Without a word, the smuggler gave up his holster and pistol, winking at the large reptile as he did so. Once the blaster was safely locked away in the nearby footlocker, he was OK'ed to enter the establishment, interestingly named as The Starside Refuge. Every time Jaren came here he wondered about the name. All he really new was that the establishment was owned by a retired Ithorian explorer who had sustained some sort of leg injury.

Once inside, Jaren took a seat at the bar. Waving the bartender over, he ordered some Hapan Ale, a drink he hadn't had in years. After the black and gray clad pilot received his beverage, he took an experimental sip before really beginning to enjoy the ale.

Now came the fun part. Jare'Nabala would sit there for a couple hours, listening closely to the conversations around him, hoping to overhear a job opening. In the meantime, he would browse his datapad, searching for jobs in a more technologically sophisticated manner.

[Ash]

SLAP!

The crack of skin on skin was exceptionally loud in the cantina, or so it seemed to Bit. The woman he was trying to woo into having a good time with him tonight. The entire thing backfired, earning him a nice red hand-print across his cheek. The woman stormed off, leaving him standing with a grin on his face and a half destroyed cigarette in his mouth.

As soon as she was out of the cantina, Bit sat back in his boot seat, taking another swig of his Corellian ale. He didn't let something like this get him down, especially when it wasn't that important. Woman were a dime a dozen, so if one got away, there were many to replace that spot.

He just finished his ale when a Rodian nonchalantly set a datapad on his table, then walked off as if nothing had happened. Bit knew this routine well, as he dealt with it many times in the past. He checked to see who caught the drop, leaned against the wall with a leg on the bench seat, and read over the contents of the pad.

It was from the exchange, not surprising. Bit did work with them for a few years before formally quitting, but was still on relatively good terms, overall, with the Exchange. This datapad was a request for a drop of cargo from here to Coruscant. What it was, Bit didn't know, but the pay was good. He chuckled, ordered another ale, and tossed the pad across the table. His drink arrived a short time later, and Bit toasted to his new luck. He would leave in the next day or two.

[Dr. Jake]

Frustration didn't come easily to Jaren, but an entire hour of fruitless job searching, a cancelled job, and the complete lack of any sort of independent transportation had him feeling particularly pissy.

Downing the last bit of his ale, he stuffed the Datapad back into his leather bag and payed for his drink. For once, Jaren didn't feel in the mood for drink or sex. He forced himself up and was about to leave for the hotel, when he spotted a Rodian dropping off a package to a seemingly random patron.

Being a former smuggler, Jaren had dealt with the Exchange and other such organizations countless times. That was the way they operated; Directly, quietly, and impersonally. Out of curiosity, the Twi'lek seated himself to the right of the stranger casually, as if he hadn't noticed the scene unfolding moments before.

The bartender gave him a perplexed look as he re-seated himself, as the girl had just witnessed him leaving. However, he had tipped her well so she went on about her business, her eyes thanking him.

The stranger to his left was a Human, probably the same age as he. He looked like the spacer sort, a bit rugged, but not overly so. Jaren could totally relate to that.

"So mister, who is it you're working for, and do they need a pilot?"

Jaren winked and gave one of his boyish, crimson grin.

"How rude of me! I'm Jare'Nabala, but you can call me Jaren."

[Ash]

Bit didn't much pay attention to the red skinned Twi'lem man who made a seat change to one a little closer to where he was sitting. Bit was watching the dancers some meters away from where he was. Still, when a voice sounded next to him, he didn't jump or seemed startled. Little surprises like that never really got to him, nor affect him.

"Pilot? Man, I'm the best pilot one could find. You sound like a Pilot with nothing to fly. Call me Bit: Professional Entrepreneur."

Bit put a fresh cigarette into his mouth but didn't light it. He turned fully to study the man who was speaking to him: a red twi'lek man. He looked to be about the same age as Bit, give or take. He wondered what pushed the man to talk to him.

[Dr. Jake]

"Nice to meet you Bit."

Jaren extended his hand, mocking formality. This wasn't great, Bit was a pilot himself. That meant that the Lethan Pilot needed to do some serious talking to get in on the job.

"You must be one of them Jedi, 'cause you got it all figured out. I am indeed a pilot without a ship, and since you seem like a straight shooter I'll be honest with you. I need safe passage to Coruscant, and I'm more than willing to work, drink, or sleep myself there."

Though there was a lot more to his tale, Jaren didn't want to flood the man's ear and get on his bad side. On the other hand, he could pay the Human for passage to the capital, but money wasn't exactly something Jaren had loads of.

[Ash]

"Right. Well, I may be able to help you out. I happen to have a ship that may or may not be heading to Coruscant here in the next day or too, depending on how much trouble I get into while im here. I also may or may not have need for an extra hand with some work. Why don't you have a seat in my office and we shall see if we cant work it out."

Bit winked at the red man and turned in his seat in a silent signal for Jaren to join him at his table. It would be easier to talk this way, rather than lean over the bench seats to voice what they wanted to, and it would be less conspicuous.

[Dr. Jake]

Shrugging his shoulders, Jaren obliged the Human. He seated himself directly across from Bit. Speaking in Basic he began.

"Well Mister Rook, I have a wide variety of skills that could be of use to a respectable ship-owner such as yourself. I was in the Navy for two years, there I flew just about everything smaller than a corvette. Shuttles, fighters, freighters, you name it. I also served as a translator for the military, so I speak five languages rather fluently. I'm not bad with a pistol or an arc welder, but don't get me wrong, I'm no mechanic and definitely no gunslinger."

The Twi'lek kept up his carefree attitude, even when negotiating a job offer. He was just a transparent person.

"In exchange for my help, I'd like you to bring me to Coruscant. Doesn't matter where on Coruscant, but I need to get there."

[Ash]

Bit chuckled lightly, taking a sip of his drink. This man really, really wanted to to go Coruscant. Despite his carefree attitude, Bit could tell that whatever was on Coruscanr was really important to the man.

"Alright. You can be a deckhand. Just help upload and offload a little bit of cargo that should stay out of the spotlight, and i'll get you to Coruscant."

With how much Bit's crew had been been rotating in and out, he was more than happy to get some free help. This man would be useful, he knew it.

"I planing on leaving tomorrow, so we still have some time. Spend it however you wish, but don't be late to Bay 32, or else you will be left here."

Bit had a warm smile on his face, and a joking tone on his voice when he was speaking. Unless this guy was really late, he wouldn't leave the ruby-skinned man behind.

[Dr. Jake]

When he heard that he would be a deckhand, Jaren almost cussed the man sitting in front of him. Then, he brought up "cargo that should stay out of the spotlight."

Jaren was good at many things, one of them was hiding illegal substances. One had to be if they were going to make a successful career out of smuggling said substances. He didn't know if it was weapons or spice, but he did know how to make it unseen.

The pilot still didn't like the position of deckhand. He would much rather be in the cockpit or at the comm station. Regardless, he had a trip to Coruscant, and there was no way in Hell he was going to screw it up over some false sense of pride.

Besides, he would be Captain of his own ship soon, and the trip would be little more than a footnote in his past.

"Whatever you say, Captain."

The Twi'lek said playfully, adding the slightest sarcasm to his last word.

[Ash]

Bit laughed, downing his drink and ordering himself a new one. The rest of his night consisted of binge drinking, dancing randomly with other people, and, finally, taking back a woman to his rented out apartment for a little bit of fun. Upon waking up the next morning, he didn't feel anywhere up to speed.

He woke up to a nice hangover, his head pounding as he dragged himself out of the bed taking a long shower, and performing all of his normal morning duties. When he went back to the main room, he saw that the woman was gone, as were her clothes. He shrugged, dressed himself in his usual attire, and left the room.

It was already paid for, so Bit just left the room keys in it. He took a nice, long walk to where his ship, Archangel, was sitting with all of hits large beauty. Bit loved his yacht like nothing else, and its elegance belayed its hidden speed and power.

He went inside, beginning a normal power up as he prepped to leave. He was waiting on the maroon Twi'lek from the day. When his ship was warmed up, Bit went outside, ordering some droids to move cargo around to his liking. He didn't really need it weighed evenly, but he preferred it that way.

[Dr. Jake]

Jaren's crimson eyelids fluttered open. He thought he was dreaming at first, as his eyes saw nothing but a dump. Then he remembered. He had only paid for a dump.

Getting up from the rickety bed, which didn't have a woman in it for once, the half-naked Twi'lek went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He saw himself in the dirty mirror, revealing a reasonably sober, crimson face. The smuggler had learned his lesson with hangovers and the first days of a new job, they usually didn't mix very well.

Once he was quite done with his hygienic activities, Jare'Nabala dressed himself in a clean set of clothes and packed up all of his belongings. Taking a last look around the piece of *hit motel room, he left out the door, bag in hand and pistol by his side.

It wasn't long before Jaren found the appropriate docking bay, using the address he had been given the night before to navigate the precarious Coronet streets. The bay was occupied by a large ship, a Coulé class by the looks of it.

Seeing no one but a few laborers , the Lethan Twi'lek proceeded to the extended entry ramp. Looking through the door, he saw no one. Shrugging he called out, hoping the man, "Bit" was here on time. If Jaren could be prompt and professional, anyone could.

"Hello! Jare'Nabala reporting for duty!"

[Ash]

Calm down, boyo. Its all informal around here.

Bit walked around one of the crates, a droid moving something behind him and taking it onto the lowered ramp of his ship. His red skinned friend was standing by the ramp. He looked eager to get going. Bit set on one of his grins, and lit up a cigarette.

Alrighty. Just make sure the droids put everything in a neat and even manner. No need to have anything shifting around on us. I'll be getting things done up in the cabin.

Bit walked by the man, clasping his hand on his shoulder, then went up to the main cabin, where he began his flight checklists and got in touch with ground control so they could get the hell off this planet.

[Dr. Jake]

When his "boss" emerged from behind a stack of crates and spoke, Jaren nodded his way. It was the universal sign of hello, goodbye, and affirmative, two of which applied here.

When the man chided his formality, the pilot couldn't help but laugh. If anyone knew informal, it was Jaren. The Twi'lek rarely took anything seriously, especially decorum and social pleasantries. With charming good looks and a blaster, he didn't need to.

His job was simple enough, and with the half-bottle of rum he had in his duffle, it might have been enjoyable. Especially if the sexy little Mirialin he saw earlier would be flying with them. In that case, it would definitely be a riské voyage.

Once Bit entered the ship and attended to his Captain mumbo-jumbo, Jaren went about his assignment. He entered the cargo hold up the loading ramp and found most everything to be in perfect order, droids rarely made mistakes after all. It was a good thing he checked behind them however, as a crate labelled "DELICATE" was placed between two heavy looking boxes.

After discovering they were far to heavy for him to lift alone, Jaren summoned one of the loading droids over and instructed him to remove the crate on top. Shaking his head, the Lethan Twi'lek removed the delicate cargo and placed it in an isolated, appropriate place.

The discrepancy was most likely caused by the utter lack of translation protocols in the droids, as the text was in Rodese. Shrugging his shoulders he seated himself on a crate and kicked back, inspecting the droids' work in comfort.

[Ash]

Getting clearance to take off wasn't that hard to get for Bit. He was making a legitimate run of cargo, had the proper codes, so, after a short delay, permission was given. Smiling to himself, the man rose from his seat, and went to go check on the progress below.

All seemed to be going well. Nothing was out of order, and everything was stacked neatly and orderly. That was exactly what he wanted. He watched as the last of his cargo was brought on, and went to go find his new red skinned friend. He found him sitting on a crate monitoring the work: Bit would have been doing the exact same thing.

Well, seems like all is well here. You saved me some work, mate. We're about to take off, so make sure the last of the cargo is safely strapped down. Radio up with the intercomm when everything is good and we shall take off.

[Dr. Jake]

"Sure thing boss man."

As bit walked away, Jaren rose to check up on the final stages of loading. The droids seemed to be finished, most of the crates arranged in neat stacks and rows. Still, he decided to check each stack individually in an unusually thorough manner.

A few minutes later, the scarlet-skinned pilot concluded his inspection, finding nothing of consequence. Relieved that his bit of "work" was finished, the Twi'lek eagerly strolled over to the intercom wall fixture. He made sure to grab his bag before doing so, as forgetting one's belongings in strange cargo bays was gnerally not advisable. After examining the set of buttons for a few seconds, he pushed a green one labelled "Bridge."

"Everything looks good down here Bit, we're ready when you are."

Surveying the expansive cargo bay once more, Jaren climbed the flight of steep durasteel stairs into the cabin. He found the cabin to be unusually luxurious and spacious compared to most smuggling vessels. Finding a seat in one of the chairs in the main room, the former smuggler relaxed a bit as he waited for Bit to give him details about his quarters. Shoot, if he was lucky, they wouldn't be far from those of the Zelosian he had seen earlier.