And So It Begins (Apillis)

[Dee]

Kalyn's ears were still ringing from the unexpected explosion that had just gone off nearby only moments before. None of them had quite expected pirates to put up this much of a fight. They had superior numbers, plenty of firepower, and apparently, small grenades. Who knew? The blast had shaken the room and two of her fellow mercenaries had been caught in it. A third had been knocked to the floor before wailing in pain as a piece of shrapnel embedded itself in the back of his leg. He struggled to crawl to safety, but was a very slowly moving target. He fell under blaster fire and soon joined the list of the dearly departed.

The group had backed themselves into the spaceport's spaciously sized cantina as they exchanged blaster shots with the pirates, hoping it would give them decent cover and force their enemies to funnel through the entrance and make them easier to pick off. It seemed like a good idea at the time but reinforcements arrived and they soon found themselves overwhelmed and cornered, and now suddenly they were trapped. They still would've had a good chance to get out of this, if they hadn't just lost half of their members. Kal herself had rolled behind the bar right before the explosion, and luckily it had protected her from the brunt of any flying debris, metal, and heat from the blast.

This was where Kalyn had ended up, and the situation she had gotten herself into this time. On some small, isolated space station on the outskirts of the Mid Rim, that apparently had a bit of a pirate problem. One that had decidedly turned into a pretty big pirate problem in the last few hours or so. They were used to the occasional attempted raid, but nothing quite like this. These raiders had come down on the station unexpectedly, and in numbers no one would have predicted. Whatever the explanation for the large numbers, the security team there just wasn't skilled or numerous enough to handle the full force of this invasion.

Only a short time ago herself and a few other random fringers, ship captains, and bounty hunters were recruited by the station's security forces to assist in repelling the attacking pirates, and offered credits as compensation for their help. Apparently no one really had a good idea of just how many men strong these pirates were. None of them had expected things to go as poorly as they did. Kalyn wasn't having the best of luck with these things lately.

She kept her blaster raised and ready, the other still resting in its holster for now, and glanced aside noticing that the two remaining mercs - both men, a Zabrak and a Twi'lek who looked like this was the most combat he had seen in his life - had much the same idea as her. "Any plans to get out of this?", the Zabrak yelled over the sounds of blaster fire. Which stopped a moment later. There was a pause of silence before they heard what almost sounded like a cackle come from the other side of the room, right before a second grenade sailed across the bar, hit the wall, and bounced off it before dropping toward what would have been right on top of them. Kalyn barely even thought before she caught it in mid-air and tossed it behind her, back over the bar and returned it to its original owners. She was just so generous that way.

There was the sound of some frantic scrambling before a second explosion rocked the room, and she wasted very little time after. She leapt to her feet and vaulted over the bar, pistol raised and ready to fire at any pirate that even vaguely looked in her direction. Her two 'friends' stood as well, remaining behind the bar for cover and readying their weapons to pick off any pirates they saw. Kal rushed for the entrance, taking shots at enemies as she moved and trying to use that moment of recovery they may have needed to her advantage.

A sharp whistle was given to grab the attention of her surviving companions, along with a jerk of her head toward the door; signaling them to follow if they were as done getting nearly blown up as she was. Both of them jumped over the bar - well, the Twi'lek more flailed as he tried to climb over it - and scrambled over to the door as blaster fire erupted in their direction again, following Kal who began a sprint down the hallway. Regrouping and pushing back when they had better odds and positioning was the goal. After recovering from the blast a few of the pirates gave chase, rushing from the room and pursuing the retreating mercenaries.

"Well! This got exciting quick!" Kalyn apparently couldn't manage to to keep quiet even as the three bolted down the long corridor of the space station that stretched out before them, weaving to keep themselves moving targets and ducking the occasional bolts that nearly made their acquaintance with their skulls. She and the Zabrak, whose weapon of choice was a blaster rifle, occasionally fired back at them while moving to keep them at bay and pick some of them off. The Twi'lek, it seemed, was just doing his best to run forward and avoid an early death. Probably for the best. His aim was bad and he'd probably hit one of them instead if he tried to shoot while moving. The Zabrak was the unfortunate one of the group and as two shots hit him in the back he went down and fell lifelessly onto the floor. Neither Kal or the Twi'lek stopped. As they kept going the shots eventually stopped, and it began to sound as if their pursuers had given up.

They rounded a corner and Kalyn pressed her back up against the wall, taking a moment to quickly catch her breath. The Twi'lek did much the same, though he didn't seem to think it wise to stand anywhere but right in the middle of the hallway. He also unsurprisingly seemed quite a bit more winded than she did. Kal leaned slightly to peer around the corner and down the hall to keep eyes out for the pirates. A quick glance was given toward her Twi'lek partner, now the only one other than her left, who continued to stand out in the open.

"You know, ya might wanna--"

The man angrily interrupted her what was likely to be sarcastic statement, "Frak this! Everything's gone to hell! I'm done with--" A sudden blaster bolt cut his sentence - and existence - short as it struck him in the side of the head. He toppled over in a slumped mess of limbs and headtails. Kalyn glanced down at him, unphased.

"Well, yeah ya are. Tough break, bud." Her gaze quickly shot to the end of the hall, catching sight of two pirates who were apparently the persistent ones of the bunch. They began to quickly make their way across the corridor and toward her. She disappeared back behind the wall and began to quickly ponder her options. But well, she wasn't much of a planner. It didn't take her long to decide that she had no interest in this game of chase. Not when she was on this side of it. She slowly and silently holstered her blaster.

She waited, listened to the fast paced thumping footsteps as they approached, intent on chasing her down. She waited a bit more for just the right moment. As soon as the pirates were about to round the corner one of them instead found himself meeting Kalyn's fist, which smashed right into his face and caused him to stagger with a startled yell of pain.

He didn't get the chance to stumble far. Kal grabbed him by the fabric of his shirt and pulled him toward herself, using him as a human shield as his buddy frantically raised the rifle he held and started to unload it at her. Multiple shots hit his former comrades back before Kalyn rushed forward, shoving the now lifeless body roughly into the pirate who stumbled and struggled to regain his balance. Before he could the woman's blaster was out of its holster with amazing speed and a shot shattered his knee cap, causing him to cry out in pain and collapse to his other knee. Kal shoved the barrel of her blaster into his chest.

"YOU FRAKIN' BIT--" His body convulsed once as Kalyn's gun went off and he slumped to the floor with a heavy thud.

"Oh I'm sorry, I interrupted you. That was rude. Won't happen again!"

As the woman holstered her pistol she took a moment to get her bearings and assess her situation. All the men she had been working with, dead. The men who had hired them... probably also dead at this point, if not scrambling to get off the station. She could still hear blaster fire and yelling echoing throughout the space station, the sounds loud and numerous enough to be traveling through the corridors. She quietly mused to herself as she listened; she had no interest in being stuck on the losing side of a fight again. It was time to go.

[Apillis]

A barrage of laser cannon fire filled the void surrounding the space station and the assailing pirates, both firing upon one another--one to conquer, the other for survival. Whether it be kismet or an understated unfortunate bit of luck, just as Averia's frigate was falling out of hyperspace she found herself in the mild of the immense barrage between the two sides. Her skill as a pilot could even leave a Jedi Ace taken aback via her ability, though naturally as a Warden of the Sky, piloting in the great vastness of space was her forte. But when there are so many blasts being fired with either side uncertain whether or not she belongs to the side of their respective enemy, it becomes exceedingly difficult to evade all of their attacks no matter how good of a pilot one might be. Averia's frigate upon first coming out of hyperspace was pelted several times by the vessels of pirates obliterating her shields, it was only because of her skill as a pilot that she managed to near the space station seeking use it as a means to avoid the pirates fire; but unfortunately it was the space station's guns fired upon her as well, and unable to avoid all of which that was directed at her ship the Nao Victoria was blown out of the sky.

What control she had left over ship was minute, but what was worse was that her ship was drifting towards the vastness of space, and with her losing control of the ship as rapidly as she was--if the ship is not to be finished off by either the station or the pirates, then she would be left drifting out into the void where the terrible fate of slow and lonely death would all be what was left for her. Therefore, out of desperation she opted for what she felt was her only real option, landing her ship as it was--massive gashes blown into its hull and the engines in a blaze--was to attempt to crash land it on the space station itself. Steering with any accuracy or competence at that point was out of the question, thereby she attempted to just try to crash land at the space station's main port. The moment she neared the port, her flight path was knocked utterly off angle upon the blazing engines instability ignited into a catastrophic explosion that blow off a third of the ship from its back-end hurling the ship toward the market districts.

The burning space smashed, crashed and ripped its way into the market district gorging a massive scar into the district. Averia was uncertain for how long she was unconscious, but the moment she came to her entire body felt like she had been the punching bag of a shock-boxer. Her head was pounding with a vicious headache and a sharp pain at her left temple, gently pressing a hand there--it was tender and she could feel a warm liquid... and what seemed like a small cut. Pulling her hand away she looked at her palm, and sure enough--she saw her own blood. Rolling out of the pilot's seat of her ship, just looking upon it from the inside it was blatantly obvious to her that it was beyond repair. The interior practically gutted entirely--the ship that had been her home since she was an infant, had been utterly destroyed along with the two droids she had known for just as long.

Pain shot through her entire body with each step as she walked hunched over, and her arms around herself with her teeth clenched tightly. Only a few steps from the pilot seat the maintenance hatch was on the floor amongst the metal floor panels. Throwing it open, she crawled her way into it to making her way through the maintenance shaft to the outer maintenance hatch to exit the ship, albeit all there was gargantuan blown open gaping hole several meters wide caused either by the crash or a hit she took by either the space station or the pirates, or some combination of all of the above. It did not matter at this point as she simply tumbled out of the ruined frigate, crawling away from the wreckage there amidst the destruction of the market district caused by the crash.

The ensuing chaos in the area caused by the attack compounded with the crash was immense. But what she did know was it was not safe for her to linger near the wreckage, either the space station's authorities or the marauding pirates will come after her. Pushing herself through the pain she felt shooting through her entire body, she could only assume she had several bruises and perhaps even a fracture or two, nevertheless she ran as far and as fast as she could until collapsing several blocks away down alleyway. Her eyes slowly turning to the side gazing off into the distance where the wreckage of what was everything she had and the only remaining links to her childhood and memories of her father... in flames. Verklempt she begun heavily on the verge of hyperventilating with the realization she has literally lost everything not just to her name but of her family... everything... gone. But choking down her emotions while swallowing hard, it was only in that moment it even dawned on her she was sitting in alleyway with her back against the outside wall in back of a cantina.

Forcing herself to get onto the move she slowly picked herself back up, and with a heavy ram of her shoulder with a bit of projected strength of the Force behind it, she slammed the backdoor to the establishment wide open before her clumsily stumbling into the place. With a hapless stumble and fall, she hit the floor, and once again found herself having to pick herself up off of the ground. When she got onto all fours, she turned her gaze upward finally getting a look at the cantina. Its interior was a mirror for the space station itself--a blood-bath. There were bodies scattered about the ruin of the place, she could not tell which were pirates or just fringers caught in the crossfire.

Beside one of the bodies was a vibrosword, which took hold of, her own weapons were still on her ship--likely burned up with it or just lost for good at this point. Taking the vibrosword in both hands, she reversed her grip on the weapon stabbing the tip of the blade into the floor using the vibrosword as a crutch to pick herself back up onto her feet. A shooting pain shot through her torso coming from her right side. Wrapping her left arm around herself under her chest, she figured it may be a fractured rib. She then went on to use the vibrosword as a cane in a way as she continued on her way. Breathing heavily from a mixture of pain and exhaustion, she paused in her steps as she saw a young woman... perhaps about her age--a green eyed brunette with blasters at her side... holstered for the moment. But Averia's heavy steps wit the clattering of using the vibrosword as a cane on top of her labored breath, likely altered the woman to her presence.

But Averia's pride and dignity never exactly let to yield to her own diminished disposition as she raised the vibrosword prepared to defend herself if need be as those eyes of eye--those bright blue eyes of hers. Determined and unflappable.

[Dee]

It was time for Kalyn to lay out her situation and what she needed to do. Get her stuff if possible. Find a way off the doomed space station. Shoot anyone who got in the way. Done. There, that was easy.

As she rummaged through the gear of the recently deceased pirates for anything useful she paused at the approaching sound of heavy footfalls, and the clinking of metal against metal. In the blink of an eye one of her blasters was drawn and leveled on the source. Another woman, human-looking with very noticeable pink hair, hobbling her way toward her with the use of a vibrosword for balance.

Kalyn smirked a touch as she stood to her full height and took in the other's appearance. She was looking pretty beat up, like she had ended up on the wrong side of a fight. Which wasn't so surprising considering the chaos surrounding them. But just a quick glancing over of her features and her form suggested that she was no pushover. She was a fit looking woman who seemed no stranger to the feel of a vibrosword in her hands, resilient despite injuries that would cause many others to roll over and give up. She was probably pretty easy on the eyes too, behind all that blood and bruising. Ah, who was Kal kidding, she was pretty easy on the eyes right now. That didn't change the fact that her blaster remained aimed at the other with the trigger ready to be pulled without hesitation.

Kalyn, of course, couldn't keep her mouth shut, "You look like someone who's seen better days. Or weeks. Or months. Or years."

That seemed to get a reaction. Kalyn's head tilted slightly as she further sized up the woman who was now holding her sword raised. That grin of her's never faltered despite the other's wordless response. To be fair, she was pointing a gun at her. It was difficult to judge which side of this conflict the pink-haired woman was on. She didn't have the uniform of a security officer so that thought was out, but she easily could have been some random fringer or a pirate. There was only one way to find out.

"Tell me you're not a pirate, darlin'. I'd hate to have to shoot someone so pretty."

[Apillis]

Briefly Averia's brow arched with a combined labored breath and a grunt as she lowered her blade, switching her grip on the hilt to once again use the vibrosword as a make-shift cane. She continued on her way walking passed the young woman, heading for the thrashed establishment's front entrance. The entrance door automatically sliding open, Averia took a trice to lean against the door seal to rest and catch a breath. With a slight glance over her shoulder she uttered to the young woman, "Best you scavenge what you can and find a ship, there isn't anything left here."

She looked up through the view ports and the torn gashes within the shielding walls of the space station as she glared at the pirate outfit ships swarming the space station as their artillery pounds it to dust. In spite of the ensuing chaos and violence transpiring in the streets, it went largely ignored by Averia herself. But she carried herself regardless of her current diminished capacity and somewhat hobbled physically--with a prideful dignity and eerie level of compose. While within she had a torment of emotions stirring, she kept suppressed and compressed and buried to maintain her calm and severely intense focus at the task at hand: survival.

As she slowly made her way for her destination--the main space station docks--she hobbled along with her scavenged vibrosword as a cane. Shots directed at her were deflected, batted, or knocked away with her vibrosword as she continued slowly making her way for the main space port of the station. What caused her to merely press on was the awareness of the one for whatever her reasoning, the young woman she encounter earlier following behind her--firing at those who fired upon them. Averia's perceptions are nothing shy of keen, giving her an uncanny clarity of what and who were firing around her proximity.

Finally nearing the space port, Averia paused--her breath labored with a bit of heaving. She needed rest and medical attention, and she knew it... but if she were to survive this--she had to press onward. Glancing behind her to see the young woman still there, Averia scoffed in irritation, "You're still there."

Pushing herself ever forward Averia uttered in a waspish monotone, "I don't need your help or pity. You're better off moving on to save yourself.", she presumed as to why the young woman was following her. Though in reality she did need help, but her pride and severe sense of self-reliance caused her to refuse to acknowledge the aid she clearly needed.

[Dee]

"Heh." Kalyn chuckled to herself as she watched the woman standing across from her lower her weapon and begin to hobble her way past her. There was no threat here. Kal lowered her blaster but kept it held in her grip and at the ready. She turned to watch the pink-haired woman as she stopped to rest. Kalyn's grin grew wider as the other spoke her advice.

"Actually I was thinking of stickin' around. The explosions outside and people tryin' to kill me all make for a very cozy and welcoming environment." The sarcasm in her statement wasn't particularly hidden. "But your idea is good too, why didn't I think of that?"

It was admirable how the other woman carried herself despite the pain she must have been in. She was clearly determined to keep moving on no matter what it took. But as she limped past Kalyn had gotten a closer look at the shape she was in, and it wasn't looking good for her. She wasn't going to make it very far on her own. The question was, why should Kal care? The injured woman didn't seem very interested in any help. Then again, they were both likely headed the same way anyway. If she was also headed for the spaceport it was possible she had a ship, and that could be convenient. Either way, no harm in keeping an eye on the other woman as they both made their way there. At the very least, she'd be another target for the pirates to shoot at.

Kalyn followed along behind her as she slowly and unsteadily made her way along, keeping the other's pace and remaining alert the entire time. The speed at which the other - despite her wounds - reacted and defended herself from the pirates who inevitably showed up to shoot at them was nothing shy of impressive. As the woman in front of her deflected blaster bolts left and right Kalyn did her part; both blasters were drawn and anytime a pirate showed up in her field of vision they had mere moments left before her shots took them down. Some of them were hit before they could even get shots off themselves, which took a good amount of strain off of the woman in front.

As they neared the spaceport a moment of pause was taken to rest. She smirked at the way the other acknowledged her presence before responding, "We happened to be goin' the same direction, so I figured no harm in takin' care of some of those pirates for you. Suppose I could've just stood back there until you soaked up some shots for me. I'm sure in the shape you're in you woulda been just fine though, right?"

That eternally persistent grin remained plastered on her features as she looked over the other woman again. Her labored breathing and struggle to stay standing upright didn't go unnoticed. "You're probably right, I would be better off on my own. But we both know you wouldn't be, sweetheart, and I'm feelin' particularly charitable today myself."

The blaster in her left hand was returned to it's holster. Kalyn extended her now free hand and arm out to the pink-haired woman, an offering to help support her as they moved.

"I'm a lot more sturdy than a makeshift vibrosword cane."

Kalyn caught some movement in the corner of her eye and without hesitation her gaze turned toward it, blaster again lifted and aimed. She fired and a disgruntled looking man who had been aiming a rifle in their direction tumbled to the floor. She turned back to the other woman as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred.

"Plus, I shoot things, which is another advantage."

[Apillis]

The irritation was clear on Averia's visage, but she did not exactly have the energy to rebuke the young woman. The only response she could muster was a scoff while trying her best to move on as she hobbled along. The violent urge to punch the smartass in the face was most definitely there, but attempting to would not help Averia in her current predicament; and as much as she refused to acknowledge it, she needed the young woman. Which for someone as proud as Averia, it was a wounding blow that made her seethe inwardly all the more. Truth be told, her aggravation certainly able to be sparked by the snarky woman following her, it was less about her and more to do with the disposition she finds herself in.

Self-reliance and individualistic independence was something that Averia's pride definitely centered around outside of ability and prowess. But what has transpired today has largely maimed that, despite the front she is putting on in front of the woman with her. Part of her begged for time to simply fast-forward and for the agony she finds herself in to be over with, because she was not certain for how much longer her fortitude can sustain her composure. She could feel that it was already starting to slip away from her, and that terrified her.

Bright pale blue eyes popped open wide when the young woman unexpectedly moved in, and made herself a prop for Averia to lean on. She looked at the woman utterly thrown before turn her head away and scoffing to hide her vulnerability attempting to continue to maintain her dignified composure, "Whatever.", she grumbled loath to concede to the young woman's point and aid, but given the circumstance Averia knew she had no real other option if she hoped to survive. It was all so humiliating, she hated it.

"You're too forward for your own good", muttered Averia--her annoyance obvious in her tone, "You're too cocky... And loud."

Heading deeper into the main spaceport of the space station, just glancing about things were already not looking promising. Many of the hangars the pirates had carpet bombed, which left little in the way of selection for a ship they could steal. Yes, 'they', much too Averia's further humiliation, given her current condition she was inwardly beginning to concede to the further reality that she needs the woman's help to procure a ship to escape with, so much to her dislike, Averia finds herself tied to this mouthy woman at least until they escape this space station and reach a safer port.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a couple hundred meters from them a damaged hangar, but a light freighter within it appearing to still be in operable condition. It looked like a run down freelance import/export shipping freighter, but given the situation, they could not be picky about the vessel they procure to escape with. With a slight head tilt in the general direction of the hangar containing the light freighter, Averia simply muttered, "There. That one."

[Dee]

"You're too forward for your own good. You're too cocky... And loud."

Kalyn gave a look of mock surprise, "Really? Huh... No one's ever told me that before." It was pretty clear at this point that sarcasm was a tone that frequently found its way from her mouth. With an arm curled around the other woman's waist to keep her standing upright, she had no trouble supporting the extra weight while they continued on their way. She kept their pace slow enough as to not put too much strain on her. As long as bombs weren't falling on their heads they could take their time for now.

Her expression shifted back to that signature grin as she looked forward again, "Name's Kalyn Duren, by the way. I'm pretty sure the pleasure's all mine." The other woman was clearly not too happy about accepting her help, and wasn't too crazy about her either. The way Kalyn spoke and acted didn't earn her many friends. She had no false notions about how people tended to feel about her.

She glanced up to look over the indicated ship. It could've been worse. It actually reminded her a little of her old ship. Kalyn wasn't a person who needed luxurious surroundings to feel comfortable, so it would suit her just fine. That is, unless the woman she had been helping wasn't intending to let her stick around. She seemed to have accepted the fact that right now she needed Kal, but no telling how things might play out once they were some place safer. Things could get pretty awkward. But Kalyn would deal with that problem when it arose.

The sounds of chaotic fighting could still be heard in the distance as some brave - or maybe naive - souls kept up the one-sided battle for control of the space station. Blaster fire and unintelligible yelling had become expected background noise at this point, but the two were able to approach the ship's hangar without much incident. Kalyn paused for a moment before offering her blaster to the other woman. "You any good with one of these, babe?" Her grin widened a touch before she continued, "Things're pretty quiet right here but for all we know there may be someone 'board your ship who won't take too kindly to our showin' up."

(( Edit: Messed up font code. ))

[Apillis]

"Yes", Averia answered under labored breath trying to ignore being called 'babe' as they moved closer to the vessel, "If someone is aboard that would be unfortunate.", she stated before finally admitting, "Because it's not my ship. We're going to merely... make use of it without the owner being aware of it.", essentially tactfully saying that they are going to steal the damn thing. But at the moment there are little other options given this is a fight for survival.

As they approached the main loading entrance of the light freighter was already open, which was a sign of concern to Averia as that meant someone was onboard. If it was the owner, she would merely try to convince them to let she and the irritant with her to passage upon the ship until they at least reached some place out of harms way. But were it anyone else--then their only real option would be to take it from them. It was merely one of those unfortunate realities of the sort of situation they find themselves in. The frontier of space is an unkind place, and only an iota of the time does it ever show itself to be charitable. This day has clearly been one of its uncharitable norms.

Hobbling her way up the loading entrance ramp into the vessel, Averia paused--she could feel it--sense it--danger. There were five inside. Each with violence resonating from their presence within the ship, "Ready your gun.", Averia simply stated as she pushed off of Kalyn to stand on her own two feet again. She ready the vibrosword in her right hand, her left arm wrapped firmly under chest around her torso as she cringed in agony with ever step, "Stay behind me. I will draw their fire. Shoot them as they come."

The moment the passenger door of the loading entrance slide open, Averia hobbled her way inside, and there they were within the central hub of the light freighter were the consoles to access its systems reside. They needed to get the ship up and running before anyone of them could pilot it. As fate or dumb luck would have it, the five appeared to be among the pirates ravaging the space station, and Averia and Kalyn caught them before they could make off with the ship as one of their pirate outfit's halls for the day. In an odd way, this put Averia at easy knowing that it would not be the owner she would be dealing with, for given the pirates being there instead was a sign that the owner or owners of the vessel were likely dead. While certainly callous to be grateful for such a thing, at such a time as this--it simply made things less complicated and that was something to grateful for.

The moment they saw Averia standing there, they drew their blasters and begun firing. But it was something Averia had already perceived. As weakened as she was--she had the Force with her still, she had not been utilizing much until moments she was actually being fired upon for the very situation such as this--conserving her strength for something far more life-threatening. Using the Force to block or bat away a stray shot fired at her was relatively nothing for her ability, and with the loud-mouth in her company she could leave the shooter(s) to her. But in the situation, where it is five all taking aim and firing at her, she needed what strength in the Force she could must to knock away so many shots with a vibrosword, and so while Kalyn popped each one of them off. In her current diminished capacity that took much out of her.

With a fluid grace as she stood herself upright in a proud posture, her moved with a fluidity--a grace almost like calm flowing waters. Each blast directed at her was deflected and batted away by the flash of the singing blade of the vibrosword held in right hand. She watched one by one their bodies drop by the shots fired by Kalyn, not ceasing her focus until the fifth fell before them.

Dropping the vibrosword on the cold metal floor of the light freighter, Averia moved over the consoles the pirates were seeking to access the ships systems. As she went over the ships systems herself, it was obvious to her the pirates were ont he verge of having the ship fully powered up. Quickly she finished starting up what systems that had yet to get to, and hurriedly hobbled her way to the cockpit--slipping into the pilots seat, and begun firing up its engines. Glancing over her shoulder taking notice the woman with her, she finally introduced herself, "I'm Averia.", stating it off-handedly as she begun to pilot the vessel to lift off.

[Dee]

The grin on Kalyn's face briefly shifted to an amused smirk as the other admitted to the ship not being her's; and that they were taking it anyway. "Sounds good to me." She clearly had no qualms with that idea.

The ship's entrance was already open, which was probably a sign that she had been right in her earlier statement. The other woman shared her thoughts it seemed. She shifted away from Kal's support and explained what she planned to do. Kalyn's head canted as she looked the woman up and down again. In her shape, going in first was pretty dangerous. Well, it was her decision to make.

"Your choice, Sunshine," she replied as she shifted to hold her blaster ready again, and to draw the other as well. Of all the pet names she'd been cycling through, that one had amused her the most. Yet not even that had gotten any reaction out of the other woman. What a shame.

Everything began to move fairly quickly as they entered the ship. They found themselves face to face with a small group of pirates who immediately began shooting at them. Always so friendly, these pirates. Her companion did exactly as she said she would and drew their fire away from Kalyn. If watching how the other women deflected those blaster shots earlier was impressive, Kalyn wasn't entirely sure how to describe what she was watching her do now.

Of the initial hail of blaster bolts that flew their way, not a single one of them struck either of the two women. Using that vibrosword, every single one was deflected with speed that Kalyn wasn't sure was possible for an ordinary human. Kalyn herself waited for the right moments and openings, and as soon as she saw one she took it without hesitation. She was focused despite the chaos, and every shot was made with exceptional precision. Not a single one she took missed its target.

The first three pirates dropped quickly before the remaining two realized what was happening. One in his panicked state continued to fire on the vibrosword-wielding woman as if surely this time he would hit her, or the next time, or the next... The other had more brains than his counterpart, and as Kalyn stepped aside to fire a low-aimed blast around the other woman he took his own at her. Kal felt a sudden burst of heat and pain in her left shoulder; her grin gave way briefly to a gritting of her teeth and she let out a quiet grunt.

Green eyes immediately snapped to the source, that one remaining smug-looking pirate who seemed far too pleased with himself. Before he could even realize how short lived his momentary victory was her right arm was raised, blaster already aimed and two shots were quickly fired. He wasn't looking so smug anymore as both hit him one after the other and he collapsed to the floor to join the rest of his friends.

With the skirmish now over, Kalyn slowly returned both her blasters to their holsters. Her entire shoulder was enveloped in the familiar burning sting of a blaster shot wound. Kalyn was no stranger to that sensation. It didn't feel that bad; it would be fine after some treatment. No big deal. A grin once again returned to her features before she stepped over to the fallen bodies of the pirates.

As the other woman hobbled herself over to the ship's consoles Kalyn quickly sifted through the pirates' equipment. None of them had anything particularly useful on them. With that conclusion made she began to drag the bodies over to the entrance ramp and toss them outside one by one. Luckily she was strong enough to handle that task without the full use of her left arm. As the last departed pirate was sent rolling down the ramp with a shove of her boot Kalyn pushed the button to bring the ramp back up and shut the hatch. With that done she made her way to the cockpit to check on her reluctant partner.

She was already in the process of getting the ship off the ground. Kalyn watched her, amazingly in silence for the moment. Kal drew no attention and paid no mind to her own injury. She'd been shot too many times to count, what was once more? She bore the stinging pain in her shoulder without showing any outward sign of it. So far so good, as long as she didn't need to use that arm anytime soon.

The other woman finally introduced herself. "Pretty name." Kalyn responded with a widened grin before she turned to move from the cockpit and take a quick look around. It was a good idea to check for any stragglers and get an idea of what their newly acquired ship had on it. Averia, it seemed, had getting the ship in the air handled.

It had all the fairly typical, expected accommodations for a ship that size and for its likely purpose. Most conveniently for the moment: no more pirates hiding out anywhere on it. She'd have to take a closer look around to make sure any necessary supplies for survival were still there and intact later. For now, the best find was the medbay... with a single kolto tank. Perfect. With that, Kalyn returned to the cockpit. "Good news, darlin'. As long as we don't get blown outta the sky in the next five minutes, there's a kolto tank you can soak in."

[Apillis]

Though Averia heard Kalyn's mention of a kolto tank--at the moment she was more focused on flying through warzone between the pirates and the space station. The light freighter they had taken was vastly more sluggish than hers was, which worried her greatly. A slower, less maneuverable ship naturally makes for an easier target. But the second a significant distance between them and the space station was made, Averia with a moments hesitation was quick to set in hyperspace coordinates to make the jump to lightspeed. Just as the hyperdrive begun to kick in, Averia glanced to her side looking upon the pirate vessels, taking note of their logo painted upon their ships' hauls.

Her failure this day to stop their tyranny within the sky left her in a diminished capacity, but she vowed to herself there would not be a second time. Should she cross paths with them again, or perhaps even hunts them down like the curs they are that need to be put down, Averia will be amply prepared for it. Jedi preach nice flowery lines about inner-peace and letting go--restraint in regards to such things, but vengeance--revenge has its necessary moments as well. A part of her blood seethed with the want of spilling the pirates blood for what they had done this day.

When the stars of the void became nothing distant brilliant lights streaking across the darkness around the vessel. Slowly and groggily Averia rose from the pilot seat given they were out danger, at least for the moment. But upon seeing Kalyn's shoulder as Averia hobbled passed her, she grabbed Kalyn forcefully by her shirt and roughly pushed her ahead of herself, and continued to this until they reached the small medbay of the light freighter. Pulling out a medical kit after sitting Kalyn down, Averia utilized a burn treatment ointment with a medicated pad and kolto gel on a bandage applied to Kalyn's blaster wound, then used more bandages to wrap up Kalyn's shoulder. The moment she bandaged Kalyn up however, Averia pulled her off the seat and pushed her out of the medbay.

Not even thinking to shut the medbay door behind her as her eyes started to go out of focus, she could feel herself starting to slip away. With the amount of pain she was in, and just how much of her will she had to use to over-extend herself just to keep going after surviving her crash that cost her everything to her name. Shakily continued to push herself to keep moving trying to force her own body from at last giving out. Jedi have been known to use such techniques, and Averia herself had been doing the same via what she learned from her father, but she had essentially been doing since the crash--it has been what was sustaining her, hence another reason as to why she was not utilizing much of her power in the Force to escape, she was already using so much of her will in the Force just to remain conscious so she could survive.

Slowly she turned toward the kolto tank and stumbled toward it as she begun removing her clothing down to nothing, and crawled into the kolto tank. Upon it sealing up upon her entrance, and filled up with kolto, she just managed to place the breathing mask over her face before the kolto reached neck level only to seconds later completely fill up the tank with her floating within it. It was then she finally let herself slip away into unconsciousness leaving her treatment and recovery to the ship's medbay computer as it regulated her vitals for its healing process.

[Dee]

There was silence between the two women as Averia maneuvered the ship through the battle going on around them. Kalyn braced herself with her hand against the wall as she watched. The ship was skillfully piloted through the chaos - Averia was a woman of many talents, it seemed - before they were a decent enough distance away to initiate light speed. In the aftermath, everything was quiet and calm.

Kalyn watched as Averia struggled to stand and was about to comment on the other woman's piloting, when she was suddenly grabbed by her shirt and shoved. She quirked a brow as she stumbled a step or two, though her grin didn't fade. Averia shoved her again, and again, through the ship as they moved toward the medbay. Kalyn laughed loudly with amusement as she allowed herself to be pushed around by this woman who could barely even stay upright on her own. In another time and place she probably would have been much less cooperative. But this was mostly just funny to Kal; enough that she would humor the other.

When she was shoved down into a seat she laughed again, realizing what was happening. "Gettin' pretty forceful there, gorgeous." It seemed she still wasn't done playing the pet name game. "That's fine by me, but you should probably be worryin' about yourself. I'll be fine, you look ready to hit the floor any second now." She was ignored completely as Averia gathered what was needed to treat Kal's blaster wound. She gave a half-shrug with her good shoulder before she began to unbutton and slowly pull off her vest, followed by her shirt.

As the clothing was nonchalantly removed it revealed strong looking arms and a healthy, well-toned torso - which all may have been considerably more pleasant to look at, were they not marred with scarring. She was practically covered in them, imperfections of all shapes and sizes that branded nearly every inch of her skin. Kalyn treated all of this with indifference. She seemed to care very little about being almost topless in front of the other woman.

Averia said nothing as she worked, and Kalyn herself was surprisingly quiet as well. She showed no outward reaction of discomfort. The only real sign that she was hurting at all was when Averia first started treating the wound; a sudden, involuntary twitch and tensing which her arm suffered as a sharp pain shot down through it from her shoulder. She resisted any wincing and hid the occasional gritting of her teeth behind closed lips and a clenched jaw.

Averia did a good job of patching her up. Better than Kal herself would've done; she tended to be sloppy when tending to her own injuries. But she wasn't given much chance to relax or even thank the other woman. As soon as Averia was done wrapping Kalyn's shoulder the slightly taller woman found herself pulled from her seat and shoved yet again, this time right out the open medbay door. Kalyn gave a smirk as she peered over her shoulder, "Tossin' me out, just like that?" She laughed as her shirt came flying out shortly after. She caught it as she spoke again, "Alright, see ya later then!" She wandered off, slowly and carefully putting her shirt back on but leaving it unbuttoned for the time being.

They'd gotten away from the space station, acquired themselves a ship, had some time to recover... The main question was 'now what', now that all of that was over. They both shared an equal 'claim' to the new ship of theirs, and probably had entirely different plans and goals from that point on. It was hard to say, considering they knew nothing about each other. Averia was probably going to take a few hours to recover. Once she was, all of that could be figured out. For now, Kal decided to keep herself busy before she got bored.

She took another closer look around the ship. The pirates had left some of it in disarray and Kalyn took it upon herself to fix some things up a bit. While in the process of doing so she found that there were still a good amount of supplies on board. Most importantly quite a bit of food and water, and perhaps her favorite find: an almost full bottle of Corellian whiskey. She'd fix that too.

She decided at one point to check on Averia. She had completely well meaning intent when she entered that medbay, but she was only human, and a glance through the clear glass of the kolto tank was taken. She'd been right in her initial opinion, that was for sure; Averia was definitely a woman who was easy on the eyes, with a body that was undeniably appealing. Regardless, her eyes didn't linger long. Kalyn Duren was many exasperating things, but a creepy sleazebag wasn't one of them. She checked Averia's vitals and made sure her treatment was going exactly the way it should. With everything looking good she picked up the other woman's clothes from the floor and laid them out for her along with a couple of towels before leaving again.

Kalyn settled herself in the ship's cockpit so she could keep an eye out, just in case. Leaned back into the captain's chair with that bottle of whiskey she'd found, she just let herself relax for a while. Her still somewhat achy shoulder would benefit from it. Allowing her mind to wander as she stared off into endless space, she managed to lose track of how long she was sitting there. The sound of footsteps behind her caught her attention, and she casually spun around in her chair to face them.

The bottle was placed down on the floor beside her, not quite as full as it had been at the start. Kalyn grinned as her eyes settled on and studied a much healthier looking Averia. "Mornin', sunshine. Feelin' better?"

[Apillis]

Slowly coming to within the tank, the medbay computer recognizing Averia coming to--draining out the kolto fluids into the tank's base. With the drop of the fluids emptying from the tank it eased Averia down to its base. Her bright blue eyes opened to find herself laying curled upon on the base of kolto tank within the tank itself. As she rose to her feet the tank automatically opened up for her. Groggily from being unconscious for a fair bit of time, she stepped out of the tank. Her steps were weary and tired, she still needed more rest. But the pain she was experiencing was largely sub-sided or entirely remedied.

With careful steps she walked over to the medbay supplies, removing a medkit from one of the supply cabinets within the medbay. As she went over the medbay computer's medical scan diagnosis of her injuries. As she suspected, she had a couple fractured ribs. From the medkit she obtained she wrapped up her chest snugly. Later she figured it best if she had another soak within kolto tank, but only after she got some food in her system and slumber for a spell. Even after bandaging herself up she took a moment to pause to gather herself, there was a lot that had transpired within a short amount of time. The very thought that she has lost everything to her name--to her family's name--centuries worth of her family's collected knowledge... all of it gone within mere minutes. Despite it breaking her heart, that extreme sense of pride and dignity she tries to continually carry herself with managed to scarcely fight off her succumbing to despondency.

Lethargically she begun drying off what areas of her body was still wet from the kolto fluids of the tank as well as drying off her hair with a towel that was beside her nearly laid out clothes. But it was she she begun to put her clothes back on did she freeze in recollection. Her eyes going wide in dismay... She never laid out her clothes neatly before entering the tank, she tossed them aside as she sought to get into the tank before she collapsed into unconsciousness. But who would have done such a thing? There was only one other person aboard the light freighter that was the irritant--... That was when the obviousness of it all finally sunk in--it was Kalyn who did it, which means she also saw--

In a rush Averia quickly got herself dressed, then barged out of the medbay sprinting in a fury. The flippant, nonchalance of Kalyn's greeting sparked her rage to even larger flames as her eyes flared wide incensed as she abruptly grabbed Kalyn by the collar of her shirt, and with the iron gripped grasp on the collar of Kalyn's shirt, picked the woman up and slammed Kalyn's back against the metal corridor wall of the cockpit, "What did you see?!", she yelled with a demanding snarl brimming with her anger.

Averia as proud and introverted as she is a very reserved personality, and the humiliating and embarrassing thought that someone saw her in such a vulnerable and indecent disposition such as being naked quite simply infuriated her. The ire itself wrought simply from the humiliation she felt from it. After all, she is a very private and solitary individual, everything about herself she guards jealously, which includes her modesty. And for this irritating, mouthy mercenary woman to have seen her at her most vulnerable like that, it was a humiliation for Averia that she could not simply abide.

[Dee]

The response Kalyn got to her greeting was to be roughly grabbed by the collar of her still unbuttoned shirt. "Was it somethin' I said?" The next thing she knew she was being torn from her chair and slammed violently into the wall of the cockpit. She let out a grunt through clenched teeth as her back smashed against the hard metallic surface. It was soon engulfed in an aching pain from the sheer force she had hit the wall with. That was probably gonna leave some bruising.

It didn't take a genius to realize what Averia was so furious about and what her question referred to. It was a pretty intense anger this other woman was directing at her. It really should have given Kalyn pause and made her think about the words that would come out of her mouth in the next few seconds. She forced a wide grin to overcome her cringing, "Pretty much everything." Not exactly the most defusing of answers...

Kalyn didn't resist Averia just yet. No effort was made to overpower her or break out of her hold. One of Kal's hands lightly rested against the grip of a still holstered blaster. Averia had made no attempt to restrain her hands; in less than a second she could've had one or both of her blasters drawn on the other, irate woman. Yet she chose not to. She would give it a bit more time, see how things unfolded before she went down that route. This sort of situation wasn't an entirely new one to her, and she'd be lying if she said this was the first time a woman had been this angry with her. They didn't typically slam her violently into walls though. Only sometimes.

[Apillis]

It is difficult to articulate the amount of rage Averia felt in that moment, it was an indignity she could not exactly suppress. Despite her generally composure most times, when Averia's sense of self is offended or humiliated, she proves to have an incredible temper. It was something she has always had since she was a child, normally quiet and reserved, solitary--as she has tended to be all her life, but it is always the quiet ones that must be watched out for; and Averia is no exception to the rule. Her severity came go from calm waters to a raging tsunami unsettling quickly when when an affront has been made toward her.

In this case, despite the situation itself being an innocent one, Averia was blind to that reality by both ignorance and her anger. All her rage allows her to see is her privacy and modesty being violated, and that being an extreme indignity in her eyes. The intense burning fury behind Averia's flaring wide bright sky blue eyes as she glared right into Kayln's eyes. Her grip on Kalyn's shirt tightening as her teeth clinched tighter and tighter. Spots begun to appear in her sight as her head became light and dizzzy. It was her exhaustion catching up with her as her anger bled out what energy she had regained from her brief soaking within the kolto tank.

Her grip loosened as she staggered a couple clumsy steps away. Resting an idle hand on her brow as her dizziness increased while struggling to remain on her feet, "Never again...", she barely managed to mutter to Kalyn meant as a warning, but losing every shred of its impact in her current condition. Just as she turned to attempt to stagger toward the crew quarters to lay claim to the nearest available bed within the light freighter, she collapsed with a heavy crash upon the vessel's unforgiving metal floor. Embarrassing. The woman fainted.

As she faded away--she tried to remain conscious, but it was no use--despite her will her body shut down in spite of her. So there she lay at Kalyn's feet unconscious after only a seconds prior she was on the verge of attempting to toss the mercenary woman through a wall. This day could not get any worse for Averia, then again... the day is not over, yet.

[Dee]

The grip that Kalyn held on her blaster tightened in unison with the hold Averia had on her collar. This was looking like it might escalate and she was ready to deal with it in whatever way she had to. Then just like that, Averia let her go and stumbled back.

"Never again..."

Not exactly the most intimidating words at the moment. A brow was raised as Kalyn watched her try to stagger away, only to collapse with a heavy thud onto the floor before her feet. Kalyn stared down at the unmoving woman with a touch of uncertainty. After a moment her hand shifted away from her blaster to scratch at the back of her neck. "Been a pretty rough day for you, hasn't it?"

She stared down at Averia as she silently considered what to do about this situation. She couldn't rightfully blame her for being as angry as she was. She was probably in a lot of pain from all those injuries and Kalyn tended to push people's buttons. She hadn't really explained herself, so any misconception about her motives when she went into that medbay was pretty understandable.

After some brief thought Kalyn shrugged before moving to crouch down next to the unconscious woman. She did her best to ignore the renewed aching of her shoulder and back as she lifted Averia up, cradling her in her arms and carrying her across the ship toward the crew quarters. Kalyn carefully laid the other woman down into one of the beds, even making sure she had a pillow and to pull the covers over her. Despite the fact that this woman looked ready to knock her head off her shoulders only minutes prior, she tried to make Averia comfortable.

Kal returned to the ship's cockpit and retook her seat. She reached down for that bottle of whiskey and took a quick swig from it. As the burning liquid traveled down her throat she stared forward at the ship's controls. She wasn't sure where Averia had set their course for when they jumped to lightspeed, but it didn't really matter where they were going right now anyway.

Kalyn placed the bottle back down, shifted in her chair to get more comfortable and decided she'd remain there for the time being. She let herself relax again and slowly shut her eyes. She soon found herself drifting off. Killing a bunch of pirates, escaping from a space station, getting shot, and almost being thrown through a wall could take it out of a person.

She didn't fight it; the ship's computer would alert and wake her if anything went wrong. Her hand rested against the blaster at her side as she found herself slipping into what would be an appreciated nap. The last thought she had was that with any luck she wouldn't awaken to a punch in the face or with a vibrosword to her neck.

[Apillis]

It was tough to say how long Averia slept but it was numerous hours that time drifted by. Her dreams carried her no where in slumber, there was only restful darkness and peace of mind. But with the abrupt flashes of fire within her mind with an all too familiar voice similar to her own uttering, "You've come home." woke her immediately from her slumber. She sprang from her deep sleep, sitting up from the bed she now found herself in, even with a blanket draw over her. Averia was confused for a trice, but the obviousness of what had happened did not elude her. Taken aback she stared off for a second, before simply tossing the blanket aside on the bed, while removing herself from it.

The red flashing light of the navigational console within the lobby of the light freighter made it clear to her that the abrupt vision that woke her from her slumber was in fact an approaching reality. Albeit, it was precisely what she intended, for the fiery place was the destination that she set the course to for the vessel to follow upon making the jump to hyperspace.

Casually walking to the cockpit, the moment she entered it she saw the unconscious irritant in one of the crew seats of the cockpit. Averia assumed by the sight of the whiskey bottle in Kalyn's hand she past out from severe inebriation. With a slight annoyed sigh, Averia kicked Kalyn's leg firmly, "Wake up.", she said with a stern tone as if speaking to a soldier derelict in their duties, "We're almost there."

The Strata took her seat in the pilot's chair, and immediately altered the vessel's shields to being environmental heat shielding. The moment she did the flashing red warning light shut off, while Averia went about the work of prepping the ship to come out of hyperspace in a hostile environment that they are about to enter. In the next instant the streaming starlights vanished to what seemed like a sunset sky in space itself. In the distance surrounded by enormous orbiting space debris both in size and scope was a blazing star even at the immense distance the ship was from it, the shear magnitude when compared to other stars was staggering.

However, as Averia flew the ship they were not headed toward the star... that would have been idiocy of the highest order. Where she flew the shit was toward a metropolis--a large industrialist city blatantly influenced and forged from the power of manufacturing and the technology forged for militarism as it rested upon the surface of great asteroid once part of a planet. In the distance beyond was space station, even by its silhouette it looked militaristic by design and the few silhouettes of Sith capital ships in its vicinity only confirms such estimations.

"That city there is Grautus, a city as sacred as it gets for Laitra", Averia mentioned as she flew the vessel in toward the city's spaceport, "The space station in the distance there is Heimil, it's a colony of my kind and a Sith manufacturing base... This is part of Laitra space. Our reason for being her is to--... well... steal a better ship than this one. If you're not up for that, then you can catch passage at Grautus' port... go wherever you like."

Glancing just over her shoulder to look back at Kalyn she went on to warn, "The Laitra and my kind, the Strata, are all Force-Sensitive and can be quite... temperamental... People talk about how dangerous places like Nar Shadaa or Tatooine can be... Honestly the times I visited there I felt safer than I ever did growing up in Laitra space. If we're caught attempting to steal one of their vessels. Laitra law enforcement will not be seeking to arrest us, it will only be to kill us."

[Dee]

A rough kick followed by a firm "Wake up." brought Kalyn back to the world of consciousness. Her eyes shot open so suddenly it may have seemed that she'd never been asleep at all. Green eyes shifted to look at Averia, a grin flashing to her features as she released the hold on her blaster, "Appreciate the gentle wake up call, darlin'. And whereabouts might 'there' be?"

She shifted in her seat to stretch out her limbs as she silently - probably much to the other woman's pleasure - listened to the answer. Kalyn slowly rolled her injured shoulder. There was still a light ache, but much of the pain she'd felt earlier had passed thanks to a mix of kolto and sleep. Even her back didn't seem to be bothering her much. Maybe she'd lucked out and hadn't been bruised.

Kalyn squinted slightly as she peered out at the massive star in front of them, her eyes needing a moment to adjust to the sudden shift from the trailing blues and whites of hyperspace to the bright, orange glow it shed on everything in sight. Her gaze shifted to the massive space station in the distance. She had to admit it was an impressive sight.

Kal glanced aside to look Averia over as she spoke of Laitra, Strata - "her kind", apparently. She'd heard of them before, and of places like Grautus and Heimel, but only by name. As far as she knew she'd never met one until now, and she had never before actually been to Laitra space. Kalyn had been all over the galaxy in the last six years of her life, seen many different places and met plenty of different people of all different species; but she stayed out of Laitra space. They were particularly... tough on law breakers, as Averia just confirmed, and allied with the Sith. The Sith were best dealt with carefully and Kalyn wasn't very fond of walking on eggshells.

The woman who sat beside her looked ready to kill Kalyn only a few hours prior. Now here she was: calm, and offering a fairly good reason to stay with her longer. Interesting. Averia's words and warning were quietly considered. It was clear what the easiest and safest choice to make was. It was also the more boring, uneventful, and less lucrative choice. Kalyn rubbed at her jaw as she wondered to herself just how nice those Laitra ships were. Call it curiosity. As for the Laitra and Strata themselves... Well, she was always up for a challenge. She was going to see this one through to the end.

"Ain't got anything better to do. I'm in." Her grin radiated with confidence and a complete lack of worry; it likely flew very close to cockiness. As Averia piloted the ship closer to the city Kalyn took the time to ready herself. She checked that the bandages on her shoulder were still holding before she rebuttoned her shirt and vest. She shifted aside the holster hanging from her left hip to double check that her sheathed knife still rested beneath it. Her blasters were taken from their holsters one at a time for her to quickly inspect and make sure she didn't need to do any last minute maintenance on them. It was as if she was subconsciously following a mental check-list, one that she had gone through countless times before.

As she did all this she seemed unwilling to allow them to just sit in silence despite what the other woman in the cockpit may have wanted. Averia was an interesting woman - or so it seemed - and at least for now they were remaining partnered. And yet, they knew next to nothing about each other. It wasn't an atypical situation for Kalyn to work with someone she barely knew a thing about; but she wondered who Averia was and what drove her. "Outta curiosity, you seem pretty shameless 'bout stealing from and fightin' 'your people'. Have ya already ended yourself up on the wrong side of their law?"

[Apillis]

Averia could not help but find a certain amusement when Kalyn asked about willingly being on the wrong side of Laitra 'law'. For, sure, there were definite laws, but really as a pirate would say about their 'pirate code', Laitra law was more or less simply 'guide lines' than true laws. If caught breaking them the punishment was severe, but if one had enough influence or if there was no proof that one committed a crime, in spite of everyone knowing an individual committed (the) crime(s), well... most everyone had a tendency to look the other way. At which point the wronged party would have to find another avenue for exacting 'justice'. Thus, as mentioned, the laws while called 'laws' are really more or less 'guide lines' to the conventional proper conduct the Laitra wish for everyone to follow... and may kill for failing to.

"They allied with my enemy...", Averia answered Kalyn as she nodded toward the Sith vessels floating around Heimil in the distance, "They'd understand.", she off-handedly remarked in conclusion referencing the Laitra and Strata understanding that her turning against them was out of vengeance toward the Sith. While Averia understood it was the Sith Aristocrats who were responsible for the execution of her father, had he been caught by the current Sith Empire now lead by its true leaders the Sith Lords of the Sith Order, the results would have been the same. Whether executing him for being an 'abomination' as the Sith Aristocrats saw Force-Sensitives, or executed for defying the Sith Empire, the execution by tyranny was all the same--the reasoning behind the actions of the tyranny is superfluous.

"It may not just be the law enforcement after us.", Averia further mentioned, "The line between law enforcement and military is very... blurred to the Laitra, and if we damage or destroy their droids--which we'll have to--the military will be after us. It's considered a crime against the Laitra people to bring any harm to their droids, treason in my case. Either way this plays out--they'll be coming for our blood. If we're fortunate we will be able to avoid the more elite number."

Averia could not completely hide the concern in her voice to her last statement, she dreaded encountering one of the Inquisitors or other wetwork soldiery, or the patrolling guards of the more higher caliber ranks. Each with their own deadly arsenals, and all Averia had was a crappy vibrosword she scavenged off of a corpse, and a loud-mouth smartass with a blaster in tow. However, the only comfort she seemed to be able to find was if successfully stealing one of the Laitra's vessels and handing over its schematics to the Mythics on Aiaru, if that is not slap to the face to her people, what is? But it is certainly something that will earn her being hunted down and killed over, Kalyn as well for that matter. Averia felt a tug of guilt over that, but Kalyn can make her own decisions, she was not the woman's babysitter.

Within the civilian docks of the city, Grautus, Averia landed the ship, truthfully just to abandon it. A generic light freighter was not exactly some thing that fit what Averia needed, she needed speed, and enough room to live within, and something capable of getting out of danger she knew she was bound to get into given the life she leads. And if Kalyn was going to remain in tow, she needed a vessel with enough space that she does not wind up cracking the smartass' skull against the bulkhead in a fit of rage. Familiarity breeds contempt as they say, and Averia already had a healthy store of it.

Stepping outside of the shabby vessel, Averia took in the familiar sights and smells of what essentially had been her home during her preteen and adolescent years of her life. Nostalgic in a way, and in a way she was a bit sad, for she knew, after what she does today... she likely will never be able to come back. Was this essentially her small scale method of at last declaring war upon her own people and even the Sith after so many years of seething over the death of her father? Maybe. It was difficult for her to say, but surprisingly easy decision for Averia to decide to make. They betrayed her by allying with the Empire that executed her father, since the Laitra's doing so, the vengeance that Averia felt toward the Sith was reduced to a simmer after so many years, but now it would not be too much to say that it is ablaze once again, and that hatred she in turn felt compelled to direct at her own kind for their betrayal.

The seen of Grautus had changed since she left it a couple decades ago. Its industrial fires of the grand manufacturing plants of the Laitra still resounding with the noise of machines and the power of technological creation for a new era. Surrounded by them the civilian structures of the masses and their hustle and bustle moving about the streets dwarfed by the populace of maintenance and worker droids scurrying about the dense crowds of sentients in which the serve. The peculiarity of the Laitra's droids playing out before the residents of the city as the droids mimicked the daily monotony of 'human life' with an almost surreal comedic artistry and implied social commentary to it. But the ominous marching of the Laitra sentinel droids following a Laitra or Strata soldier or law enforcement officer's command as they patrolled the streets. While smatterings of Sith soldiery to made their appearance among the populated streets. With the blazing orange-yellow sky with the silhouettes of ships of war looming over head, the scenery was almost hellish in certain regard from its clear imperialistic ambiance the city held... And yet... Averia once called it home, and on a certain level still felt as though it were.

Of the Laitra that were most commonly seen on the streets appeared to be adolescents, most were clearly street urchins eyeing what they perceived to be 'new arrivals'. The crowds themselves appeared to be heavily mixed with the variety of species of varying near-humans and humanoids, but still with humans themselves as the greater of them as a mass. The odd Strata technomancer standing about plotting out the future expansion of the city from their could glean through the Force, and while it all seemed so random and chaotic amidst the oppressive order brought from both the Laitra culture and the Sith Empire, the dichotomy of it all found its own flow and synergy.

But as Averia and Kalyn neared the military docks of Grautus' spaceport, she could see standing within a spire of a look out was a Laitra guard, and a couple others ahead blocking the entrance into the Laitra military spaceport. It was common knowledge to Averia that she could never sneak passed them with the sharp perceptions they are trained to possess as lookouts and guards, and Averia herself possessed no ability to hide her own presence within the Force. There was only one Averia knew to handle such a situation...

Glancing to her side, she warned Kalyn with a quiet voice, "Get ready...", the implication clear in her tone.

[Dee]

A simple nod and a "Fair 'nough." was the response to Averia. Kalyn figured there was a story to go along with that answer she'd been given. She'd have to find out what it was later. She paused at Averia's mention of military - 'elite', at that. One would think a woman who had just gotten shot a short time ago would be more interested in caution after hearing that. Yet her response was an amused smirk and a continued lack of concern, "Dangerous people tryin' to kill me? I'm real unfamiliar with that sorta situation. Hope ya won't hold it against me." After that much required sarcasm her attention was back on the blaster she was looking over.

A short while later the quiet beeps and hums of the ship's consoles and computers gave way to the bustle of a crowded, lively city as Kalyn stepped out onto the loading ramp after Averia. She drew in a deep breath as she took in the sights and smells of her surroundings before moving after the other woman. She walked alongside her but followed her lead as they traveled through the crowded streets. Cities of this size weren't exactly a new sight for Kal but they were always intriguing in their own ways. She preferred to get a familiarity for her surroundings, but didn't allow her attention to stray too far from Averia for very long. She trusted her enough to work with her; not enough to think backstabbing wasn't a potential outcome of this situation.

She did take note of some things. Such as the sheer amount of droids around, and the apparent commonality of ragged looking teenagers wandering about. One of which Kalyn noted was eyeing her, and the blasters at her sides, from the mouth of an alley she and Averia would have to pass with an intent stare and a grip on a poorly hidden knife. The teen's glance was returned, green eyes locking with the other's gaze as the distance between them closed. A brow was raised, her grin widened as her fingers lightly and deliberately brushed against the handle of her blaster. Despite the amused look on Kalyn's face, her stare on the girl seemed to intensify the longer it remained locked on. The teenager stared back, and comprehended the silent message: 'I'd rethink that decision'. Her eyes snapped away suddenly, staring off at something - or probably more accurately, someone - else. Kalyn smirked to herself as she looked forward again, passing by the young vagrant without incident.

Kalyn's alertness perked when her and Averia's steps brought them closer to a guarded entrance that would block their advance. Averia's quiet warning was heard and a response given, "I've got a notion things're about to get eventful then?" She readied herself to react quickly to whatever might happen in the next few seconds, and took particular notice of the guard up in the nearby tower. With a grin still emanating confidence Kalyn glanced aside to Averia, "I'm always ready." In a flash her gaze snapped to the guard pacing atop the tower. Her guns were quick drawn, and after the sudden announcement of their intentions by the familiar high pitched sound of bolts leaving the barrels of her blasters, two shots sliced through the air toward her intended target.

[Apillis]

It would not be too much say Averia was hesitant at first. These were her own people, despite their allying with her enemy, this was her culture--her lineage... her heritage. It was for second, but only for a second that paused in hesitative reflection upon the act of treason she was about to committ. And perhaps the trio of Laitra guards knew it, too. For she could feel that they perceived her own hesitation as their gaze slowly turned toward her and the loudmouth.

Yet it was only momentary as she pressed forward approaching the pair at the gate flanked by the droid units they commanded to guard with them. As she approached quietly under her speaking just over her shoulder, "The second you have the opportunity... get a bigger gun from the droids... something that makes explosions... We may need it."

The moment Averia was before the pair at the gate as the one in the tower watched from above. The guard on the left side of the gate waved for one of the droids to step in Averia and Kalyn's path. With a disembodied digital feminine tone, "Authorized personnel only.", analytical eyes observed them closely in that moment awaiting a response.

"Inquisitor Averia. Serial number 001117092.", Averia with the direct efficiency of a soldier. It was a long shot, but perhaps her name still held weight.

Albeit that hope was shattered when the cold dispassionate voice of the Laitra sentinel droid answered back, "Authorization invalid.", but before Averia could respond with anything more Kalyn had her blaster at the ready taking shots at the guard in the tower.

Weapons were being drawn at blinding paces. The droid before Averia burst into lightning charged pieces as Averia stood there with her left hand extended to where the droid's chest was before exploding to bits. The droid's commanding Laitra guard charged simultaneously with her peer, but was blown away by a telekinetic wave. The guard's peer at the gate within that fraction of a second clashed blades with Averia. The droids taking aim at her in that moment as well was yet another thing that elicited concern.