Trouble of the Bounty Hunter Sort(Fae)

[Jazen]

No matter how many times Shine visited them, the Kuat Drive Yards were still one of the most beautiful things he had seen in his life.

There were many things that Shine found beautiful; certain planets, women, scenery in just the right situation. But as a pilot, no place could quite compare to the planet that boasted the greatest shipywards in the galaxy. Fondor and Corellia had decent ones, without a doubt...but they could not compare to the glory that Kuat brought to the shipbuilding business. For him, a pilot, the Drive Yards were a dream come true; thousands of ships were made or repaired here. The diversity of ships, varying in size, make, and class, were a pinnacle of magnificence to the part of him that lived and breathed flying.

It was also the one place in the galaxy he knew he could take the Cat to get proper repairs. Patch jobs made on the run were all well and good...but eventually even they needed to get properly fixed, lest the hull decides one day to get a nice little breach and all space hell breaks loose. Mostly, since it was only Shine and Vis on board, the danger to life was only slightly important. What mattered more to Shine was the possibly of loosing cargo...or worse, taking damage that could not be fixed. Which is why, every now and then, he made the trip to Kuat to have the Cat properly inspected and fixed.

He had the money for it. Plus, his old mentor, Wan, owned his own part of the shipyards. He was usually busy as hell, but he always managed to find time to give Shine the time of day; although in this case, he'd been so busy that he'd told Shine it would likely take three or four days to get to the inspection and begin the repairs. Best he could promise, the old man had said.

Shine was due a little vacation.

That had been five days ago. Shine had spent those days admiring the ships in the areas he could enter, hanging out with mechanics and pilots in the sections of the shipyards fostered towards social activities and letting Vis communicate with his "father" on the planet below. When Wan had finally called to let him know the Cat would be ready today, Shine had been visiting one of the locals establishments yet again, joking with several of the others. Grinning from ear to ear, Shine turned to the bartender and flicked a fair amount of credits his way.

"Next rounds on me mates! That call was met with a chorus of cheers and as Shine settled back into his own seat, his mind thought only one thing. "How could this day possibly go wrong?"

[Faeruy]

Kuat Drive Yards. That was all Shanti had been given by her employer. And she was actually employed this time around; this wasn't a random bounty she picked up on the net. A friend of an employer she had back on Nar Shaddaa had arranged this with her, and Shanti wanted to make good. There were a lot of terrible things a person could say about Hutts, but one thing was for sure - they were rich, and they paid well. She'd take a job from them anytime. She also knew that she wasn't the only bounty hunter after this guy; she was just the only one they knew personally who would go for so little.

She still wished she had a little more information to go off of. Shine Albartos; Dark hair, gold eyes, but human, last seen heading for the Kuat Drive Yards, and he had to be alive. That was the tricky part. If Shanti had all of the proper gear, it wouldn't be such a big deal, she could freeze the target in carbonite and be done with it. But those things were expensive, and so the teenaged redhead was stuck with what she had; a blaster and a vibroknife. And her slicing skills, but until she knew what she was up against, she didn't quite know how those were going to come into play.

It was a good thing for Shanti that the target was at the Kuat Drive Yards - it made it easy for her to get to; it wasn't some backwater planet on the Outer Rim. Unfortunately for her, the first ship she managed to stow away on was one that had been transporting ore and was going to Kuat for a clean-up. It wasn't a fast ship either; she spent two days in the cargo hold of the ship,getting dust and grime all over her worn synthleathers. By the time she got to Kuat, her normally red curly hair was limp and nearly black from all of the dirt. She hadn't showered in days, and there were dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep.

So, she would start hunting for her bounty, but first she needed a shower and a nap. As always, the first place she went to was the nearest cantina. Not only was there usually a bathroom to wash up at, but someone, somewhere, would know of a cheap place to stay for the night. Not to mention, alcohol tended to loosen lips; if she was lucky, someone would have seen her quarry around.

The place she entered seemed promising enough; a wave of cheering fled out the door she opened; somebody was buying rounds. Shanti grinned. Chances were good, if someone was buying, they would be willing to buy for her.

And then she saw who was paying.

She'd seen him before; many times. He'd never seen her before, of course, but she knew the face well enough; she'd been staring at it for the past two days. Shine Albartos. It was her lucky day after all.

Shanti had to play it cool though. It was early, way too early to show her cards. But now that she'd seen her target, she'd keep him in her sights until she could figure out how to get him back to the Hutt. So despite the fact that she looked like she'd been living at the bottom of a very dark and dank hole, she approached the bar, and the man buying the drinks. "So I hear your buying the next round, right stranger?" Shanti gave her winningest grin, which was somewhat diminished by the dirt smudged all over her face. "Now I know I just got here, but that's not my fault; I just flew in. And I'm powerful thirsty. You wouldn't deny a girl just cause she's new in town, would you?" In the back of her mind, Shanti realized she was laying it on a little thick, but that couldn't be helped. She was to tired to modulate properly, and acting was never her strong suit to begin with.

[Jazen]

The sound of drinks being poured and people cheering filled the air for the next few minutes, prompting Shine to chuckle as he ordered his own drink from the bartender. The man gave Shine an approving nod and a quick word of thanks; people like Shine were his favorite customers. Not only did guys having a good day usually tip good, but by buying the people in here another round, it was more than likely that some of them might order another after that. Today was gonna be good for business and Shine knew he'd just made the man's day better. His day and that of the bar waitresses serving out the drinks.

Shaking his head, Shine was about to take a sip of his own poison for the day, a whiskey out of Corellia, when someone approached him. As a man in his profession, Shine's tables always gave him a clear view of a door, allowed him to have his back to himself...and to have an exit nearby in case he had to get out or in cover real fast. Which is why when the woman approached him, Shine clearly saw that she was coming to sit next to him at the bar.

Shine's first thought was that the woman must have just come from one of the many starship docks on the yards. She was caked in grime and filth, something that would have made Shine wrinkle his nose in disgust if he wasn't used to the smell of worse things. Besides, one couldn't expect to work on ships and think they were going to stay clean doing it. It just wasn't going to happen. If you weren't getting dirty, you weren't doing the job right. That aside, a more through study of the woman was in order. So Shine looked past the grime and tried to see what lay beneath.

She was young, that much was clear. Younger then him at least...maybe early twenties? The grime made that part hard to tell. She did seem to have a soft face beneath the dirt...something to ponder later. Her eyes were sharp though; green eyes were something he didn't see often. And although her hair was caked in grit that made it seem black, Shine could see the wisps of red that slid through. Auburn was it? Even nicer.Flashing her a small smile of his own, his golden eyes seemed to glitter in the low lighting of the bar as he responded to her arrival.

"Oooh, you might have heard right. But that was only for the folks who were present when I said it. But your in luck; pretty sure you slipped right in as I was saying it. So I think we can call it safe."

Her next words made his brain twist a little; if she had just gotten in, then all the dirt and grime hadn't come from working on any of the ships here. That didn't mean she couldn't have been a mechanic on a ship coming in, stopping by for some R&R...but ships had refreshers fora reason. That amount of grime and dirt...you would think she would have tried to clean up before coming out to the bar. Curious. And in Shine's experience, things that made you curious were things you needed to be wary of. Still, no need to be uncivil when there wasn't proper cause for it other than a hunch. Yet.

"Not at all. What kind of gentleman would I be if I let a girl go thirsty, right?" So order away." Motioning for the bartender to come take her order, Shine offered his free hand to her. "Shine, by the way. So girl-who-just-flew-in, you got a name or shall I call you that for the time being?"

[Faeruy]

Shanti grinned wildly; not only did she have her bounty, but she would get a free drink from him too. White teeth gleamed in a soot-covered face, and she turned to the bartender to place an order.

"Something pink, sweet, and very strong." She said, and watched intently as he mixed her drink together. One could never be too sure in a place like this. 'Pink and sweet' to some people could very well mean something that would kill her in an hour. Everything he poured into her glass looked potable. He handed her the icy cold glass, and she took a sip, sighing with relief.

She finally turned her green eyes back to Shine. "Can't say I know gentlemen of any kind. Never held much truck with them." Shanti shrugged, sending a pile of dust falling from her leathers. Some poor slave would probably have to clean up after her. Then again, it could be worse. There were always unknown, nasty substances in a cantina. "But thanks for the drink Shine. Cheers." She tilted the glass to her new companion, or rather, her new quarry, and drank deeply. "You can call me Shanti."

This was something that Shanti had not thought particularly long and hard about; she was young, she was unknown, and there wasn't a thing on her on the holonet other then who her parents was, where she lived, and her education. Part of that was her own doing, but part of it was just the benefit of being a nobody. One day she might become notorious enough to have to hide her name, but that day was a long way off. Today, she had no reason to use a fake name, and every reason to use her real one. Deception was hard work, and she was far too tired to confuse herself with it.

"So Shine,interesting name, by the way, what brings you to the Drive Yards? Buying, selling or fixing?" She polished off the rest of the pink drink, then used two dirt-covered fingers to pluck out an ice cube and popped it into her mouth, chomping loudly on it. She hoped Shine hadn't paid too much for it; the drink was not nearly as strong as she had hoped. Besides, the more money he spent here, the less she could pickpocket off of him later. Unless of course he paid for more of her drinks - that would be alright. Shanti stared down into her empty glass, her eyes wistful and forlorn like a sad puppy.

[Jazen]

"Us gentle men are everywhere, if you know where to look. Or maybe I'm just a unique oddity? Who can say; I can say though that its a pleasure to meet you Shanti."

Lifting his drink to tap hers, Shine flashed her a smile before taking another sip of his drink. It was only his second of the day and unlike some of the fools in here, Shine didn't intend to have enough to leave him regretting tomorrow morning. If the Cat was ready today, he intended to waste time at his leisure until it was done, pay the old man a visit, then head right back out into the stars. The repairs had been cheaper then he'd hoped since the old man had done them, but it had still taken a decent chunk of credits. He'd have to re-earn those funds.

"Yea, my parents thought so when they named me. I've never really thought about it much. As for why I'm here, repairing is the reason this time around. My ship can take a beating, but every now and then even she needs a fresh coat of paint. Took longer then expected but I plan to be gone by day's end."

It was then that Shine noticed Shanti was eying her empty glass, her eyes like that of a puppy looking at its empty food or water dish. Chuckling, Shine made a motion to the bartender to keep them coming on her end before turning back to Shanti. "Jeez, you don't have to give that look. You could just ask. Decent company will be a good way to kill some time."

Before Shine could say anything more, his comlink beeped at his side. Frowning, Shine looked to it for a moment before sighing and pulling it up. "What is it Vis?"

"Apologies for disturbing you Shine, but I noticed a curious occurrence earlier. I thought you might want to know about it."

"Can it wait? I'm a bit busy at the moment."

"I...suppose it could. Perhaps I could investigate further to see if its actually worth mentio..."

"Good enough. Call me back when Wan's done or if you find something out that requires immediate attention." Shaking his head, he turned back to Shanti. "Sorry about that; he gets excited over the smallest things sometimes. Anyway...to return a question, why are you here? Not for any beauty contest, not covered in all that grit at least..."

[Faeruy]

Shanti rolled her eyes at his insistence that he was a gentleman. If he was one, then she had met several in the past and didn't like any of them. A boring lot, generally speaking. Of course, if he had a bounty on his head, than he couldn't be that interesting. Nor for that matter, a gentlemen. Gentlemen generally did not run afoul of Hutts, or at least so she had heard.

She frowned when he mentioned leaving at day's end. That didn't leave her much time, and she still had yet to work out how she was going to trap him. Right now her best option was the one she generally found most distasteful. If only she had access to poisons that she could slip into his drink, or any one of a dozen gadgets that other bounty hunters found useful. No - all Shanti had was a blaster, a vibroknife, her wits, and her looks. Not much to go on. She realized she was still looking pensively at her drink, which generally did not endear her to people, so she quickly turned the frown into what she thought was an extremely grateful smile.

"Oh, you're too sweet." She simpered, then handed her empty glass to the bartender. ”Another on his tab.” She said curtly. Something in her tone of voice must have confused or frightened the bartender, because he made the drink rather quickly. In the meantime, Shanti pretended not to listen to Shine's conversation with whoever was on the other side of his comlink and thought about a plan of attack.

Flirtation and seduction would probably be her best route. She could get on his ship, do some minor sabatoge, and get him to go where she wanted. Tie him up, knock him out, whatever, as long as she didn't kill him, and take him to the Hutt. That way she would have her target, wrapped up in the nice little package of his ship. Now she just had to convince him to take her with him. She ran through what she had told him about why she was here. Maybe fake an emergency that he could help with? Something to consider anyway.

By now Shanti had gotten her second drink, and decided to take this one a bit slower. She may have wanted to drink more, but it would be stupider than even she was capable of to do so. Her target was in front of her, and while she had something resembling a plan now, it was still pretty half-baked. Shine seemed to have finished up his conversation as well. ”Friend of yours? He here with you?” She tried not to sound interested, but she realized that the presence of another person could put a big damper on her admittedly already terrible plan.

”As for me, I'm here for work. I'm an engineer. Somebody said they needed someone good people who could work on the ship's navigation systems. I thought, sure I could do that.” Shanti shrugged nonchalantly. ”Unfortunately, on the ship I booked passage on, they thought I said mechanic, and had me do some dirty work for them on the way over.” That would help explain the mess anyway. Shanti had bristled a little at the beauty contest remark, but it couldn't be helped. Stowaways had a hard time using ship showers without being noticed. ”I haven't met my would-be employer yet. After the ride I had, I just need a drink and a hot shower.” Shanti grinned ruefully at Shine. ”You've given me the former. Now as for the latter...” She trailed off, trying not to imply anything. Men generally had better imaginations when it came to such things. Sometimes they were a little too good.

[Jazen]

”Friend of yours? He here with you?”

"Hmmm? Oh Vis; yea, he's my partner. He's overseeing the repairs on my ship. I did ask if he wanted to come with me but he said he'd prefer to remain behind compared to watching me slug back a few and mingle with the locals. Which is all well and good; I meet plenty of people without him watching over my shoulder."

Chuckling, Shine's eyebrow slipped up curiously as Shanti regaled him with the short tale of how she came to this place, all ragged, dirty and needing a drink. As far as grand adventures go, it was pretty bland. But often the most bland stories were the ones that were laced with the most truth; not everyone in the galaxy had a great story to tell of how they got from point A to B. Smiling, Shine downed the last of his drink, signalling the bartender not to bring him enough. He'd been wonderfully bliss for the next little while, but that was more from the good fortunes of the day than the alcohol now in his system. It would take a lot more to knock him off his game, but the last thing he wanted was to be afflicted when he was flying.

Or doing anything else, as Shanti appeared to be suggesting. His body and expression showed none of his surprise, but his eyes did gauge her again, this time reevaluating her based on this new angle. Anyone could tell, grit and grime aside at the moment, that Shanti was striking beneath all that dirt. Shine could only imagine what she'd look like once it was gone; not that he minded a little dirt. He'd ended up looking like that before too. His fortunes appeared to be continuing to rule in his favor. But Shine had learned not to take anything at face value; he'd have to play this one a little bit carefully.

"I've never really traveled by anything but my own power, but it makes sense. Earn your keep and all; that would be useful for those that can't pay in some cases." Smirking at her final comment, Shine put on a look of feigned surprise, just for it. "Why Ms Shanti, are you trying to charm your way onto my ship?" Shaking his head, he rose from his spot, throwing down the credits he owed to the bar for the man to take before offering his hand to assist her up. "I'm sure the refreshers here would be quite adequate but if you want...I could offer to let you use the one on my ship. More private than the public showers around here, don't you think?"

With that said, Shine turned from the bar and made for the door, watching to see if she would follow. As he was leaving, his eyes glanced over to a pair of men that had entered the bar late, just like Shanti. Unlike her, however, the men had glanced only at him...when he didn't appear to be looking. Trouble, it seemed, was brewing in old Kuat Drive town. It was time to see if he could dodge it before it caught up with his tail

[Faeruy]

He was slime. Shanti came to that conclusion very quickly. The Nar Shaddaa girl didn't trust anyone who was a smuggler and yet claimed to be a gentleman. She also didn't trust anyone who called her charming. She was called many things, but charm was never one of her successful qualities. Those who called her charming also tended to be the kind of people who drugged her drink and then tried to steal everything after they had their fun. Never mind that she was actually trying to be pleasant this time around. Never mind that she was actually trying to get on his good side.

So she smiled, hoping that it didn't come across as a grimace. "Now why would you think I want on your ship? Maybe I'm just suggesting we get a room somewhere?" And she almost gagged as she said it. She hated playing the honeypot. She just wished she could blast him and get it over with. But no... she had to play it smart if she was going to collect the bounty. "Though I must say, I wouldn't mind seeing your ship. Let's just say, I'm a fan of good craftmanship."

Not that she knew anything about ships other than how to get into one. Credits, credits, credits, she kept telling herself. It was why she was willing to follow him and pretend to want to use his refresher. That, and she couldn't afford the public ones.

Without a second thought, he was up and out the door before she could even gather her things. She stared at his back for a moment, her green eyes filled with shock and surprise. For a moment she considered not following him, just to show him up. But then she ran into the problem that he might just leave without her.

She wished she had carbonite. Shanti got off of the stool, and hurried after him, a little unsteady after two beverages and no food. It was a very good thing she wasn't dressed to go out. "Hey, wait for me!" She said, and noticed that his expression had changed; instead of the fop, she saw a bit of... something else. Fear maybe? Her own expression darkened in response."Hey, how do I know you ain't got plans to lure me onto your ship and then sell me into slavery?" She asked. Not that she couldn't take care of herself in the event that yes, that was exactly what he was planning. Still it never hurt to be sure with smugglers. And she couldn't think of any reason for him to suddenly get ten kinds of serious.

[Jazen]

In Shine's line of business, being able to read people quickly was about as useful a skill as their piloting prowess. A good smuggler knew when to cut his losses and get out before the going got rough. A great smuggler knew how to win and dodge any trouble before it could come crashing down on his lovely little head. That being said, reading people, seeing in the space of a moment that something was off, could make all the difference in breathing one second and staying breathing the next. So far, Shine was courting the line between the distinction. Sometimes he was good, sometimes he was great. Today, he wasn't sure which one would be the safest bet.

The two men in the corner were trouble waiting to happen. He read it in their body language, in the simple fact that they, among everyone, stood out as simply wrong. While the rest of the bar was lively, either drunk or planning on getting it, these guys looked like a drink was the last things on their minds. Too rigid, too stiff. And the drinks they had...Shine would bet on his life that they were the ones they had ordered when they arrived. Shine knew better than to stare, so his eyes had only watched them out of his peripheral vision. But on the one chance he happened to look over his shoulder, to half glance to see if Shanti was following him, he caught it.

They were looking at him.

Well...it would seem a game was afoot and not one he gathered he would like. But for now, it was best to play on, to act as if he hadn't noticed the possible danger that awaited around the corner. So he put on his best face as he turned to Shanti, hiding the worry as she came quickly up behind him. The play to simply start walking, betting on the fact that she intended to follow by her teasing, seemed to have worked. At least that was still going right. "Maybe I would prefer a room on my ship, for at the very least, I know my ship is properly cleaned. Besides, this way we don't have to pay credits for something free and I can properly stroke my own ego by showing off my pride."

Her wary comment put him slightly off guard for a moment as they exited the cantina, Shine turning to the path that lead towards the hangars where his ship awaited him. Although he kept his face smiling and his body calm, there was no mistaking the slight change in his tone at her mention of slavery. An angry tone, one he barely managed to keep from spewing the venom the word brought out in him. Glancing at her, the smile on his face didn't quite reach his eyes as he answered her concerns.

"You don't. Only my word that slavery is the most despicable act this galaxy allows to be committed and that I would rather swallow my own tongue than even think about slaving someone out. It ain't much, but I promise that slavery wasn't even on my mind when I made the offer and it isn't now. There's much more fun things to be thinking about, after all."

[Faeruy]

Shine really seemed to be on edge, and Shanti had to wonder. Was she the only bounty hunter after this guy? Possibly not. No Hutt she ever knew put all his eggs in one basket. If they did, they didn't tend to last very long. As long as he didn't suspect her, she thought everything would probably be alright. She scanned the cantina as they walked by, but didn't see anything particularly interesting. Everyone here looked pretty rough, and she had a suspicion that a good half of these guys were mercenaries, and probably a quarter of them were bounty hunters. This was the Kuat Drive Yards, though, not Nar Shaddaa, so she could have been wrong about that.

But she had enough warning to not be totally caught off guard when his edginess turned on her. She was still surprised by the venom in his voice when he spoke about slavery. Not what she expected in the least. She backed away from him, holding her hands in what she hoped would calm him down. The less agitated he was, and the more he trusted her, the easier this would be. "Woah woah, woah. Take it easy Shiny. I was just jokin' alright?" She gave him a lopsided grin, but inside she was beginning to understand why the Hutts had a contract out on him. She was vaguely surprised it wasn't a 'dead or alive' but who was Shanti to question the whims of the rich?

She slowly straightened up, the lopsided grin still plastered to her face. He was back to talking about a lighter subject, like 'fun' things, whatever that may be. Shanti had an inkling that she and him probably had very different ideas of fun. "Yeesh, though. Never expected to see morality from a smuggler. I mean, dirty money is money, ain't it? All the same, glad you aren't a slaver as well." Her intent was to keep things light. A joke to ease the tension. But it only took her a moment to realize that he actually never said that he was a smuggler.

No, she had gotten that information from the Hutts.

Shanti's green eyes went wide with dismay. Did he catch her little slip? Or was he too preoccupied with whatever it was that made him wary? Or had she just bungled up her entire mission?

Questions for later, perhaps; as several people came towards them with angry looks on their faces. Shanti couldn't tell if they were angry at her, or Shine, but whoever the were, it wasn't good. Shanti reached for her blaster. "Oh karking..."

[Jazen]

After his short but venomous rebuttal about slavery, Shine spent the moment that followed collecting himself, breathing out the venom and breathing in new life. He rarely got riled over anything, preferring to tackle life with a smile on his face and an optimistic approach to everything that he could. It sometimes got him into trouble, when people thought he was taking things far less seriously than he should, but even then, Shine had been working on being both positive and serious at the same time. Life was far too short to let oneself get bent out of shape over things they didn't have too, which is why Shine preferred this approach. But he could still get angry and slavery was one of those things that even he had trouble masking behind a grin.

When he felt he could speak again without the venom in his voice slipping through, he shrugged and smiled at Shanti, deciding now was not the best time to let the past disturb him. "Right right...joking. Just don't mention such terrible things when there are much better things to talk about in this galaxy."

Shine chuckled at her words, his mind drifting back to the days when he might have done just about anything to make a solid dollar. Even back then though, Shine had a stance on the jobs he took. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the family he'd spent many years of his life growing up with were honest-to-the-dollar cops, but Shine tended to avoid the jobs that directly involved putting people into a poor situation. Unless they were people that deserved such a fate, but Shine rarely had that problem occurring. Being a smuggler wasn't always the "knight in shining armor" of jobs...but there were plenty of jobs out there that Shine didn't always need to choose the nasty ones.

He was about to comment on that, when two things happened in almost perfect time. The first was the light bulb in his head switching on suddenly; he'd never told her he was a smuggler. From his manner of speaking and attire, he could have been any number of professions, but she had named him a smuggler specifically. Which likely meant she knew who he was before she approached him. Warning bells went off like mad in his mind and he likely would have done something about it right then, when the other things decided to chime in. Appropriate, considering it was his comlink.

Putting aside the seed of worry that was growing in his gut, Shine pulled the comlink to his mouth, calmly watching Shanti out of the corner of his eye. "Vis, I was just about to call you. I'm bringing over a guest and it would be a wonderful thing if the ship's refreshers were ready for..."

Vis cut him off mid-sentence, something that the droid rarely did unless something was really important. "Shine, I have verified what I spoke to you earlier about. It would seem there have been several people, according to Wan, asking about your whereabouts. From my own prying, I have discovered why; there is currently a bounty on your head."

If Shine didn't know how to have the best poker face in the world, he might have just let the dread weighing on him show. As it were, he kept calm enough to make it seem like he wasn't panicking inside. Yet. "Oh...you know, I think I may have just discovered that for myself. I'll have to call you back Vis." Turning off his comlink, Shine lifted his eyes up to Shanti, his hand reaching for his blaster slowly...just before he looked past her and towards the men approaching them, their intentions written in their face. His gun was out in a flash, one hand motioning for Shanti to move. Now.

"Looks like we have to exercise before we can relax. I hope you can use that thing as well as you use your charm." Firing off a couple of blasts at the men approaching, Shine darted behind cover as return fire started repainting the walls with lovely blast marks. "I think we may need to visit my ship a lot faster now."

[Faeruy]

Shanti nearly panicked. This wouldn't be the first time she'd nearly gotten killed because of who she happened to be associating with at the moment. It was always a frustrating revelation, especially for a girl who's proficiency with weapons was mediocre at best. She wasn't military; she wasn't even particularly well trained; she was just a street-rat who knew which end to point, and when to pull the trigger. That momentary indecision allowed her to be move to cover, instead of being frozen in the line of fire like a stupid tak. Shanti had pulled out her gun, which she lovingly called a POS, but didn't do anything right away.

Shanti had to think. She didn't want to die, and she was pretty sure they were outnumbered. She had also been eavesdropping on Shine's communicator conversation; not a lot, but enough to catch the word 'bounty'. She had already slipped, and now he knew he was wanted by someone for something. How long would her charade last? Not long she thought, and what would he do then?

She would lose the bounty for. There's no way she would be able to get close enough then.

The redheaded bounty hunter's face was scrunched up in thought, and she was only half paying attention to what Shine was saying. For the moment he still seemed to think she was on his side. Which was useful, but only to a point. They still had to get out of the current mess they were in. An idea occurred to her as she looked at the blaster in her hand. Risky, but if she could pull it off, then Shanti might still be able to get what she wanted. She took a deep breath and pointed. But not at the guys shooting at them.

At Shine.

She placed the blaster directly at his skull. "STOP SHOOTING!" Shanti shouted with more confidence then she felt. Slowly she got to her feet, still pointing at Shine's head. The blast fire had stopped, at least for the moment. Shanti suspected that it was because they were confused more than anything else. "This bounty is mine. I got him first!" Still no shooting. A good sign, so the redhead continued, with only the slightest tremor in her voice. "The Hutt wants him alive right? You can shoot me sure, and steal the bounty, but he'll be dead if you do that. Don't think I won't shoot. Then he'll be worthless to all of us. So let's talk."

It was a bold move, bolder than Shanti liked to make. She could imagine how it looked; a tiny, dirty little scrap of a human; trying to assert her authority over everyone here. She didn't particularly want to shoot because that would mean she would lose the bounty as well, but it was better than dying herself. She just hoped these guys weren't stupid.

Then again, they were shooting at a target that wasn't meant to be killed in the first place, so Shanti didn't have particularly high hopes.

[Jazen]

Of all the things that Shine had expected after the fire fight had started to happen, the one thing that did was the last thing on his mind.

From an outside standpoint, Shine had sensed something was off from the moment Shanti had first approached him. Sure, logically, a girl like her could approach the man buying drinks, hoping to sweet-talk him into buying her share of them with the promise of something more perhaps after. Sometimes there was more, most times she managed to ditch out while the man was drunk or not looking, effectively leaving him in the dust and her buzzed for free. Shanti hadn't done that; she'd approached him for a drink or two, sure, but she'd suggested leaving way too early. That was a good first sign, if Shine hadn't been enjoying his run of good luck so much to notice.

What should have set off his warning bells, and in fact had been until blaster fire had filled the hallway, had been her knowing what his profession was. He had never said what it was, nor even hinted to it in their short chat. When Vis had called in mentioning a bounty on him, Shine had started putting the pieces together, to a conclusion he had hoped hadn't been true. The attack had briefly silenced those thoughts, as active blaster fire was a more pressing threat then superstitions.

The blaster Shanti was pointing at his head was definately more pressing.

Inwardly, he cursed at his poor fortune for picking up, effectively, a lady who only was in his company to sell him out for money. That hurt a little, honestly, but the thought did help to balance out his anger and fear at the situation. Enough so that he could maintain a calm demeanor even as he tried to think of a way out of this blasted rancor-pit. His blaster was still in hand, but it was pointed towards the men from earlier. The mention that he was needed alive gave a little hope to him being able to try and bring his blaster to bear, but it wouldn't have been hard for her to have it on stun. Or cut her losses. It wasn't the best option.

Stall was the best option he had. The other men had stopped shooting, so Shine had a little time to work with. He just hoped he could find a solution before his time ran out.

"Well...I thought you wanted me but I never realized just how much you wanted me. I have to admit; the whole seduce angle was played perfectly. Slipped up with that smuggler part but hey...these guys bought you the chance to fix that I see.

Taking his eyes off Shanti for a moment, Shine assessed the two who had, up until a moment ago, been trying to blast both him and her into smoldering corpses on the floor. From the way they were staring them down, it looked like they were trying to figure out how to take advantage of this situation, or worse, decide whether or not it was in their best interest to cut their losses on this one. Ignoring the little bead of sweat that slid down his brow, Shine was about to turn back to Shanti when he caught a look on the one man's face.

He was smiling. It was right then that Shine realized why; Vis had called in that someone had just come looking for him...these guys had walked in before Vis had made the call. Ignoring the fact that there was a blaster leveled at his head, Shine shot his eyes off to the corridors around them...and caught sight of another two men darting around towards them. Now, while it was true that he was wanted alive it seemed, that didn't mean Shanti was. It also didn't seem to occur to her that blasters had two settings; kill and stun. Or that a crippled bounty was still considered alive.

Time seemed to slow for a moment. The other two men were raising their blasters, just as the two creeping up on them were raising theirs as well. The two creeping up on them, by whatever twist of luck, ended up making their presence known by a misplaced step that made enough noise to draw attention. Considering his options, Shine chose the one that had the best chance of him coming out of this alive. Even if it was only by a very slight margin. "Look out behind you gorramit!" Hoping that Shanti had been turned her attention to the noise behind them, Shine suddenly tackled her out of the way, firing a series of bolts at their pursuers to force them do duck their heads.

Bad idea? Likely. But at least she probably wanted him alive more than these guys did. Besides...she was better looking. And alone. If he survived all this, his best hope of escaping...came from her being the one to take him.

[Faeruy]

The standoff was getting on Shanti's nerves. She wanted this to end. At this point, she would be happy to give up Shine just so that she could get out of there alive. Her hand was shaking, so she kept the blaster pressed against his skull. They would want him alive; they wouldn't care about her. Her green eyes darted around. If everything went belly up, she wanted to be able to run and hide. She didn't get to see the other group joining the firefight. Not until it was too late.

Suddenly several things happened at once. She was shoved to the ground;a heavy body tackled her; immobilizing her. Sort of. In the excitement, her finger slipped, pulling the trigger of the blaster, and she felt the heat from her pistol. In pure reflex, her knee came up; the automatic response to someone larger and male trying to take something from her. "Son of a...." She cursed as she found herself on the ground. Blaster fire was whizzing all around her head.

And then there was the blood. Shanti stared at her fingers; sticky and red. She didn't remember getting shot. Maybe it wasn't her's. She didn't want to die here. Focusing was hard, but her eyes caught a glimpse of red; blood dripping down the side of Shine's head, just over his ear. She shot him. But he was still moving. Was he invincible? Shanti was very confused for a moment though with so much going on around her it was hard not to be. Shine's ear was bleeding, and so was the side of his head. She must have just grazed him. That was good. It meant she still had a chance at living AND at getting money out of the guy.

Although right now she was more concerned about the "getting out alive" part.
The other two sets of hunters seemed to be more concerned with each other than they were with her. Which was fortunate. Her mind was beginning to catch up to what she was sensing, which meant she could plan, and figure something out. Shanti twisted herself around so she was lying on the floor; underneath the rain of bolts; it wasn't much of a view but it was enough.

About fifty feet away, she spotted something useful. A duct, large enough for a person to crawl into. Her green eyes shone with hope. If she could get there unnoticed, she could get out of this. Shine was on his own, as far as she was concerned. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Shanti began to belly-crawl to the grate covering the ducts, praying to every god she had ever heard of not to let the others see her.

[Jazen]

For the briefest of moments, Shine found himself basking in the knowledge that his crazy attempt to save someone trying to capture him had gone right. That's when he heard the shot and something warm grazed his head. Right before it exploded.

Not literally exploded, that would have been the end of it. But for a second, Shine thought it had. His vision went white as his head suddenly blasted with pain and the whole world around him didn't seem to matter anymore. All that mattered was that the blinding, agonizing pain that had engulfed him went away. Shine had been shot before; it tended to happen in his profession even to the best of them. This pain, however, this...this was beyond anything he'd ever experienced. All he wanted to do was curl up and lay there, wait for the pain to go away or something to end it entirely.

But in his mind, amongst the agony that was threatening to overtake him, some part of him shouted against the pain. And it was getting loud and clear. If it hurts this bad, it means you'll still alive! Now get off your backside and stay that way!" Slowly, encouraged by the voice within his mind, Shine fought back the pain and brought himself back to reality. It was almost a relief.

The first thing he did was pull the hand that had went to his injury without the consent of his brain away to appraise it. It was red with blood, as he expected, but not enough blood for the injury to his head to be extremely serious. Head wounds were always something that had to be taken seriously but after another quick check, Shine determined that it was one he could put off for the time being. Then he focused his mind to the situation before him.

He was still where he was before, caught between two groups after his head and a woman who'd almost enticed into the same kind of trap, albeit in a different manner. She must have let a shot when he'd tackled her, caught off guard perhaps. The blaster shot had grazed the side of his head, taking a solid chunk of his ear with it. But he was alive, in terrible pain, but alive. As an additional spot of luck, the two hunter groups seemed to have turned their attention to each other; not working in tandem, but aiming to take the prize from another. That bought him time to escape...something he noticed Shanti was already in the process of.

Normally, he would have let her go her own way. That was only fair after what she had almost done to him. Today was no longer normal. Not only had she just about killed him when he'd only been trying to save her life, she had been after him because of a bounty. He needed to know who was after his head and possibly why. She might not have all the answers, but she might have had enough for him to plan his next step. Considering he'd attempted to save her life when she was going to bring him in for a bounty, Shine figured she owed him something.

That, and she was taking the best escape option for herself. Or rather, would have been if one of the men didn't start yelling to his partner and pointing. Pointing in their direction, or rather, Shanti's. Ignoring the voice in his head that said to let her suffer her own fate, Shine, shot at the nearest group, forcing him to duck instead of take potshots at Shanti before speaking loud enough for her to hear.

"They see you idiot! Not that way; I know a faster one. So if you want to live long enough to take that bounty on me, get up and this way!" Motioning with his blaster towards the opposite corridor, Shine dumped another pair of shots at the groups before making way so she could rush by if needed. Hey, he was going to save her life if she accepted his help. He just wasn't going to let her be behind him this time.

[Faeruy]

Shanti swore and looked back at Shine, torn. On the one hand, she didn't trust him at all. On the other, there was a good chance she was going to get horribly, horribly shot if she kept going in the direction she was going in. Not to mention she would lose her chance at the bounty. She chewed at her lip, frustrated. The money was good. Really good. Better than it should be for some two-bit smuggler the Hutts actually wanted alive. And she was flat broke.

And clearly about to die. So with another round of curses made under her breath, Shanti got to her feet, still crouched down below the line of fire, and started to scurry in the direction Shine was headed. "This better not get us both killed, wermo." She hissed as she passed by him, red curls flapping around her and getting in her eyes and mouth. The corridor wasn't far though, which was all to the good, but it was also more open than she would have liked; it wouldn't be difficult for Shine's pursuers (Shanti refused to think of them as pursuing her as well) to follow them. Shanti stood up as soon as she reached the relative safety of the new hallway and started to sprint. She didn't have a plan, she had no idea where she was headed, all she knew was that she had to get away as quickly as possible.

She looked back once or twice to see if anyone was following her; gun pointed behind in case somebody decided to take a shot at her. But the sound of blaster fire slowly seemed to be dying, which to Shanti's mind meant freedom. She turned a few more corners, just to be on the safe side, and stopped, resting a moment to catch her breath.

She leaned against the wall, head bowed, and panting, swearing with every exhalation. "This was not how this was supposed to go. Frell it. I was not supposed to get killed! What am I gonna do now?" She needed to get off this planet. It didn't matter how, or on what ship, but she couldn't stay here.

[Jazen]

It didn't take long for Shanti to decide which course of action she preferred to take, something that Shine was silently thankful for. The two groups of hunters had finally decided that instead of shooting at each other, shooting at their intended target before he escaped was a much better plan. Blaster bolts coming from both directions made it hard for Shine to aim in either direction without exposing himself, but he managed it long enough for Shanti to shoot past him, hissing threats as she shot by.

Well, she could threaten all she wanted. She was in front of him now, which meant any move with a blaster she attempted to make would be obvious enough for Shine to drop her. But that was a last resort option; she still could have answers for him that might help him better understand this mess and, for the moment, he had the better position to get them. Still, he kept a finger ready to change from kill to stun. No need to kill if he didn't have too.

As soon as she was past him and running, Shine was right on her heels, making sure to keep a small distance between them while keeping her in sight. He also kept to the far side of where she was pointing her blaster behind her, just in case she fancied taking a shot. He almost lost her for a moment when she rounded a corner before him, but by luck he picked the same one and came round it to find her leaned against the wall, muttering to herself.

Keeping his blaster casually at his side, ready to draw in a moment, he let out a deep sigh. "This isn't how I planned my day to go either lady. But neither of us are dead or captured yet and although its against my better judgment to even consider this...I have a proposition for you.

You need a way out of this mess, right? Well, I want answers to why you...and those idiots...are after me. So, if you tell me who set up the bounty and possibly why, I might be willing to get you out of here. Provided you agree not to try and take me yourself.

Better think fast...I don't think it'll be long before our "friends" find us again."

[Faeruy]

Shanti heard the thumping of boots following her, but she didn't make a move, except to look up slightly. Shine. She stared at him balefully through the veil of her curly red hair; it obscured most of her face with the exception of one piercing green eye and a dirt smudged cheek. He seemed in much better shape, and also much better spirits than she was. He casualness annoyed her for reasons beyond her comprehension. Possibly because it seemed he was at the center of all of her current troubles, and she hated that.

She snorted at his question. "Why am I after you? Are you really that stupid? I'm a bounty hunter, and you have a price on your head. Simple as that." She bowed her head again and closed her eyes, grimacing. A dull pain was starting to form just behind her eyes; a sure sign that this whole thing was starting to give her a headache. "You want more details, than that? Fine. I know it's a Hutt who wants you, and they want you alive, not dead. Don't ask me who cause frankly I don't remember and until I get access to a holonet terminal I won't be able to find the name again. I was supposed to take you to Nal Hutta. As for why, I haven't the foggiest clue; Hutts aren't exactly the most forthcoming of folks. Given what I know of you though, I'm not surprised you have a bounty on your head, I just can't imagine why they want you alive. Killing you would probably be doing the world a favor."

She didn't agree to his other condition immediately; she was more concerned about getting off this station alive than trying to turn him in for a bounty. Besides which, if she was going to be successful, then she would have to come up with a plan; she would need a bit of a breather and access to computers. Which, if he got her out of this and onto his ship, would give her exactly what she needed. As long as he decided not to hover.

She didn't hold much hope for that. He seemed like a hoverer.

Shanti sighed, and straightened up, push the hair off of her face. "And fine. You get me out of this, and I promise not to take you down. Okay?" She looked him straight in the eyes; her expression expectant. "Do you have an actual plan for getting out of here? Cause if you don't, I'm going to severely regret telling you anything." Shanti glared at Shine. She was already starting to regret telling him as much as she did, especially about the 'alive' part, which could be used against her at some point.

The promise she gave him she didn't regret. Mostly because she had no intention of keeping it.

A banging noise echoed through the tunnels. Shanti folded her arms across her chest and waited for Shine to do something impressive.

[Jazen]

It took a considerable amount of willpower to avoid rolling his eyes at Shanti's response to his initial inquiry. Obviously, if there was a bounty on his head, the reason for them chasing after him was to claim it. That part didn't bother him; what did was that she called him stupid when it was her who answered part of his statement that wasn't a question. To be fair, he could have phrased it better but really! Did she think he was that dumb to not know why a bounty hunter would be chasing him?

Shine was tempted to shoot back some sharp words of his own, but the rest of her explanation derailed that train of thought in an instant. A Hutt was the one who'd placed the bounty...and worse, depending on how one looked at the situation, that Hutt wanted him [i[alive[/i]. Shanti didn't remember the name of the particular Hutt, but she didn't really have too. It wasn't hard to put two and two together and guess just who was after him. The thought sent such a dark chill down his spine that Shine's expression darkened visibly, his bravado from earlier shattered by this terrifying revelation. Narrowing his eyes, Shine glanced back down the corridor, half-listening to Shanti and half-listening for trouble coming.

Some of his previous confidence managed to crawl back into his face, though it was clear that the knowledge imparted on him had changed his tension. Turning back to Shanti, Shine put on a solid smile. And then he chuckled. "I don't quite have one yet..." he started, as his comlink clicked twice, which made his smile grow just a little wider..."...but I've got a few ideas. Let's start with this one." Drawing his comlink, Shine brought it up just in time to hear a most welcome voice on the other end.

"Shine? Are you alright? Wan said that someone had called in blaster shots and considering what I discovered earlier and the fact that you weren't answering, I calculated..."

"Save it Vis, I'm alright for now. But things are a bit worse then expected. I need you to get the Cat prepped for launch ASAP, and then I need you to come to me. I'm making my way back with a....friend, and we're gonna need your hacking skills. There's a hangar at A12 that's along the route I have to take. Can you meet me there?"

"...I take it this new friend is the guest you spoke of earlier? Very well. For the record, you need to stop running into situations that involve women. It's....eerie, I believe is the word."

"True enough Vis. But we can discuss my poor luck later. Just hurry up, alright? See you soon." Lowering his comm, Shine lifted his blaster and glanced back down the corridor, where the banging was growing louder. Reaching into his jacket, Shine pulled out a pair of small, metallic discs and cast them down the hallway they had just come from. In a few seconds, smoke started spilling out of them, filling the corridor and obscuring line of sight. Tossing another pair in the direction he wanted to go and then the opposite direction, Shine motioned to Shanti towards the proper corridor. "That won't distract them long, but it'll do. Let's go/"

With that, Shine started off down the corridor at a half-run, trying to keep his footsteps from ringing out as much as possible. Every little second counted...especially since he still had to be ready in case Shanti tried anything else too. So much for a good day.

[Faeruy]

"Let me guess. Your situations with women always end poorly. I wonder why." Shanti said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, even as she went sprinting down the corridor. "I know I wanted to kick you in the nuts the first time you opened your mouth. I can't imagine how women who aren't trying to collect your head manage to resist the urge."

Stuck behind the smuggler, she was maddened by the slow pace he was keeping. Then again, he was bigger than she, and wearing heavier boots. Shanti was wearing her most-worn shoes, with soles so thin that she could feel every crack and seam in the floor. She wished she knew the layout of the place better, so she would know how long it would take them to get to A12. Hopefully not long. Shanti wasn't a big fan of running, and she'd already done quite a bit of it today.

The sound of their pursuers were getting quieter; they were clearly losing them this time. Shine lead her through twists and turns, their path getting even more confusing. A good strategy, but still, Shanti couldn't wait to get on a ship. A ship meant safety. A ship meant a computer. It meant something she could hack into.

Hopefully.

Shine had mentioned that his friend had hacking skills, which worried the bounty hunter slightly. She was good, she knew she was, but having another slicer around made things more difficult. They often had more complicated security systems, more firewalls, more booby traps. Because they knew. If she was going to take over the ship, she had to hope that she was clever than Shine's friend Vis.

Or maybe she could seduce him too. He certainly couldn't be any worse than Shine. Maybe, if she was really lucky, he was more corrupt than his partner and she could deal him in for a cut. The bounty was't overly generous, but it was enough to split 50-50 with someone if it came to that.

Well, 60-40, really.

"Are we there yet?" She whined. "I'm getting really tired of running."