What happens on Tatooine... [ Phantom Ash ] [ Sofaking ]

[The Conman]

OOC: It's been...awhile, bear with.

IC:

Doneeda looked around the dive of a bar she'd found herself in. Some run-down, rat infested, dung-heap of an establishment calling it's self a bar, if for no other reason than they served watered down, off brand booze. The place reeked with the body odor of at least 10 different species, most of which hadn't showered in, from what the buxom Twi'lek could assume, weeks. All manor of filth was present and accounted for. Literally and figuratively, she thought, noting the dirt on the inside of her cup. A cup filled with a somewhat effervescent, slightly below room temperature...substance. The liquid in question had been plunked down before her a few minutes prior, supposedly some sort of beer...probably brewed in a sewage processor, from what Donnie could deduce.

The bar the Amazonian Twi'lek was gracing with her presence was called "The Wompa-Stompa". She'd been patronizing it with regularity for a few weeks, some bad luck with the Republic having cost Doneeda her much loved, modified, ship. As if by some sort of providence, whenever things went badly for the woman, she found herself right back where she'd started, nearly two decades before. In some shithole on Tatooine. Doneeda pushed the drink back towards the bartender, a large, gruff, ex-Repulic soldier missing an eye, with gray hair.

Wha-, you don't like mah homebrew, sweetness?

He asked, with a poodoo eating grin.

Doneeda just looked at him from her barstool, head rested in her hand, arm resting on the bar.

'Cho pee'd inda cup.

Donnie said, half-heartily. Reality was that the woman, who'd been a successful smuggler, the survivor of many adventures, had been reduced to working odd repair jobs on Tatooine for a few of the spaceports to make ends meet. She was in the bar, across from Yanis, the bartender, nearly every day. In Donnie's mind, the man knew better.

He let out a loud, barking laugh, then took the "Pisswater" away, and returned with a bottle of Corellian Rum instead, pouring out a pair of double shots.

Aye, sweetness, you are. You are. Only one here worth talkin' too, s'far as I'm concerned. Even if you're a might-bit foreign.

He said with a grin, picking up his shot, and gesturing to hers.

Now, get yer pretty self up off mah bar, and take that shot. 's th'only one your gettin' on the house tonight.

He said, patronizingly.

Doneeda's eyes zipped over to the small glass full of a murky-brown liquid. Then back to him, as she moved herself back off the bar and picked it up.

Yarrilize I paid fo'th' drink cha gave me, righ'?

She asked, with a quizzical look gracing her features.

Yah didn't like 'er. How's that my problem?

He asked, the question dripping with mock indigence.

Anja wonner why dis place ess a poodoo heep...

Donnie said, clinking her shot against his, then taking it, figuring she'd lost the fight. The bartender let out another barking laugh, refilled her glass, then left to go get another patron a drink.

Doneeda did a quick glance around the room, and noticed the familiar dross in attendance. Rodians, Bothans, a sprinkling of other more familiar looking humanoid races. Nothing too spectacular. Most were here for the same reason she was, boredom. Her jobs came few and far between. Ships coming out as far as Tatooine weren't typically in bad enough shape to need repair. Even if they did, they generally had technicians on board who could fix the issue before they took off. Most of the people, like Donnie, were there, in the dunghole of a bar, waiting, it seemed. But nobody quite knew what for.

Donnie's thoughts were interrupted by her boobs vibrating. She quickly retrieved the comm device from her bra and popped it open, holding it to her cone-like ear.

Doneeda.

She said, shortly, brushing one of her lekku behind her back.

Hey, you free?

Doneeda looked around, as if looking for a reason to say no.

-ish...?

She said.

Good, then get your fine self down to Anchorhead Spaceport, there's a ship down there that needs some work, and your the one I'm sending.

Donnie thought for a moment. Generally, this meant they had a customer who was difficult, and the wanted to send her to use her...assets...to smooth the situation over, while getting the ship repaired.

She groaned, then decided to switch to Huttese, her contact at the Spaceport spoke it fluently, why he didn't with her was a mystery.

Fine...But I'm not wearing a bikini again, that last time I wound up with a mark on my ass for like a week, you know that? A WEEK!

She said, frustrated.

Calm down, calm down, that was a one off, you know how those Zabrak can get when they feel slighted-

Donnie cut him off.

Then there was the mayonaise fiasco! It's still coming out of my A-

She said, angrily, being cutoff.

Every time, what is it with you, every time I call you for a job, it always comes back to the mayonaise fiasco. Seriously, if your that bent out of shape over it, go see a doctor, they'll probably be able to tell you if it got in y-

Donnie cut him off again, finished with arguing.

Frak it. You pay me in advance, I'm not gonna wait a week again...This had better be legit, I AM NOT going to be swimming in wookie anti-dandruff shampoo again, or trying to find a missing lycerian moth-bat, or getting chased by a Bantha around a spaceport!

After she'd finished her minor tirade, the man on the phone waited a few seconds to respond.

It's legit. Comes from a solid source, friend of a friend, let's say.

Doneeda nearly laughed out loud.

You've got friends?

The man didn't respond, instead, he simply closed comms and left Donnie with Static.

She closed her comm unit, and returned it to it's home under her shirt. She downed the drink in front of her, tossed a 10 credit bill on the bar, got up, and walked out towards the spaceport, which was only a short distance away.

[Ash]

How could you just let her walk away, man? Where else am I going to find a suited navigator on this planet, especially one with a great of a rear as her? On top of that MY SHIP BROKE AGAIN!

Not my problem. Anyway, its not my job to keep your now former crew member from walking away, especially with all the sexual harassment you are known for.

The man who was pacing and doing all the complaining stopped dead in his tracks, pointing a finger at the second man. Bit had his mouth open for a reply, before letting his arm fall and mouth close. That was an unbeatable argument right there.

The other man, face half hidden in the dark grey of his hooded cloak shook his head slowly to Bit. Phantom failed to tell him that, while Bit was trying to keep the now former crew member from taking off, he got a hold of someone, and managed to at least fix the ship. If Bit was lucky, then maybe this mechanic could become a temporary crew member for him.

Bit continued to pace back and forth, not stopping, which Phantom had to give him: wearing a hot jacket and pants like what Bit was wearing now must have been hot as anything, but the man had it going like it was nothing.

Then Phantom's ear implants rang with a burst of white noise before a velvety voice, heard only by him, spoke.

Phantom, I got something for you and your pet pilot. A jedi needs transportation places. They will give you the details. Have fun~

Phantom sighed as the voice cut out on him. He hated getting missions like this with so little intel, but what could he do. Before he had a chance to talk to Bit about it, the spiky haired man walked away.

Im going to get a drink. Comm me when something happens... if something happens.

Once again, Phantom shook his head, getting tired of Bit and his escapades. So now he didn't know that they were getting a mechanic, hopefully, and had a mission to do... well he would be in for a surprise then. A few minutes after Bit left, Phantom's ear went off again, and a man's voice came over.

I got you someone, Phantom. She should be over there shortly... I think you'll like her.

I just hope she doesn't mind a crazy, impulsive, sex crazed drunk.

The man just laughed before the connection was cut, leaving Phantom with his ear ringing like always. He hated the hidden cybernetics he had. On the outside, he looked fully human, but his body was filled with 'improvements'. Now he leaned against a leg of Bit's ship, hood now down to reveal his handsome features.

Meanwhile, Bit was making his way to a bar, if you could call it that. He nearly ran full on into a large breasted twi'lek as he did so, and regretted that he didn't. His eyes, however, were full of lust as he stared right at them, no shame at all, and did walk into the door. Cursing under his breath, the man walked to the bar and ordered the hardest drink he could get, tossing a credit chit down. What better way to waste a day away than by getting hammered?

[The Conman]

Doneeda absently fumbled with her wallet, shoving it in a pocket as she neared the door. Just as the Twi'lek went to reach for the Bar's door, however, a man came streaking in, obviously not paying attention, nearly winding up with his face full of her chest. Not that it seemed, by his expression, he'd have minded at all. Doneeda just smirked, and continued on her way to the Spaceport. Never a dull moment on Tatooine, that was for sure.

Doneeda walked for a few minutes up the road, under the baking twin-suns of Tatooine, enjoying the rays. The one upside to living on Tatooine, she thought, was that it was always nice outside. Well, for some races, at least. Being a Twi'lek, and having grown up on the desert world, the heat and dry weren't really something that bothered her, the sand, everywhere, in everything, however. That was a different story, she thought to herself, coming up on the Spaceport.

Donnie strode into the large, dome-like adobe structure, and the temperature in the shade dropped, noticeably. Not enough to make her shiver, but enough to make her thank herself for wearing her cargo pants instead of shorts. After stopping to grab a kebab with some sort of dead animal roasted on it, she pulled out her comm unit and looked at the Pad number. 16. Holding her "lunch" in her mouth, she used her free hand to key in a code on a nearby door marked "Staff Only". The spaceport let the contractors keep their tools in the room, so they wouldn't get stolen when they were off duty.

Doneeda found her bag, and put it's strap over her right shoulder like a messenger bag, then grabbed her tablet pc and headed out, holding her, as she'd now found out, tasty, lunch in her free hand.

Pad 16 wasn't a far walk, and it only took her a minute or two to reach it from the room near the main entrance to the spaceport. Upon entry, she was greeted with a ship. A rather large, very expensive looking ship, at that. Immediately, she noticed at least a few turrets poking out of the underside of the vessel, and as her eyes descended, a figure, leaning up against a landing leg.

Must be the Captain.

She thought to herself, walking over, Tablet in one hand, kebab in the other.

Hay. Imma mechanik da'wa zen do feex cho sheep.

She said as she approached, finishing up as she closed to within a few feet.

I's Doneeda.

She said simply, then pointed to the ship.

Dis m'paiten?

She asked.

[sofaking]

That was fun. He said, taking a light hop off of the land cruiser as it trundled into town. It sounded sarcastic but down deep where other people couldn't see he really did find his last op fun. Living in the rocky outcroppings of the Wastes surrounding a stash ranch for some slavers, living like a wild anooba, just to be in position so he could slip down and activate a locator beacon for the cavalry. In this instance the cavalry was a rival criminal organization that wanted the stash house. The Tuskan Raiders knew the tiny compound was in the area but couldn't quite find it. Kaylix was there to....replace a greater evil with a lesser one. The Tuskans wanted to set up a chop shop for vehicles and droids they "found". It didn't bother him so much. They would always go about their ways, it was the culture. Now though, he knew right were they were if he heard reports of problems in the area. Stop the bad guys - check. Respect the locals - check. Don't get shot - check. Don't get killed - check. Leave a line in the water - check. Fun and he got a tan. It was a win/win all the way around. 

He looked like he'd just crawled his way out the south end of a north bound ronto...smelled like it too. Work first however. The rough looking man pulled his back pack off both shoulders and reslung it over just the one and headed to the nearest tech merchant. He haggled for a minute but gave up and paid full price for a new communicator. Punching in the specific band width, then the specific frequency, and then the authorization code he waited for someone on the other end to pick up. While the comm puked static at him in starts and stops he lit a cig, taking a long drag that was let out slowly at first but puffed out in a big cloud by the end. A voice crackled over the comms unit. 

"Pinstripe." The voice was stern, no nonsense...official. 
"Never a fan myself, too busy. Gimme flat black on an old hot rod." Silence. 
The voice came back with a sharper edge. 
"Pinstripe." 
"Bloody briar patch you staffy peedunky." 
"Authenticate emerald."
"Really? I know it's you Erskin.......fine. Authenticate ghost."
"Good to hear from you rock hopper, all cleaned up?" 
"I would be if you didn't put me through a lie detector test. The kids are soot, went to bed no fuss." 
"....soot?"
"Soot and sweep? Geez, sleep. Sleep, Erskin. You'll never get field if you don't figure this stuff out. I need a ride back across the neighborhood." 
"Great, glad to hear it went ATP. We'll get you set up with your usual preferences."
He just shook his head. "Stop with the acronyms kid." He powered the communicator down and made a beeline for the nearest hostel. 

It had been early morning when he'd gotten into town and now that he'd had the chance to clean up and beat the sand and dust out of his clothes he shuffled off to the ports. On the way he tried to put together a mental check list of what he needed to do on his next stop. It wasn't going to be easy, maybe a bit more fun granted, but not easy. There was a new and particularly potent designer brand of spice supposedly coming out of Makem Te that had already caused a number of disturbing deaths. New and harder hitting designer drugs were something he didn't need to get out and become wide spread; there were enough already. 

As he walked by repair shops, moisture vaporator salesmen, cantinas, and junk yards he studied the people. He'd never liked this planet, it dried out your dreams and fried your hopes in the heat. The bars were great, he loved the bars sure but that wasn't enough to ever warrant a stay of any length on Tatooine. There were people out on the street just standing around not doing anything, just standing. He flicked the cig away as he neared a group of kids just outside the docking bays and joined the loose circle to watch them play some kind of game with throwing stones at the ground for a few minutes. After picking up on it he fished out the last of his money he'd exchanged for on arrival; four truguts. The kids stopped and looked at him with wide eyes. He gestured to the stones and shook the change, expelling a few short words. The multiracial group of kids threw the stones around again and the winner snatched the money out of his hand taking off like his pants were on fire.

Kaylix chuckled watching them scamper away for a few moments. He wondered what kind trouble he'd just stirred up; they were young and carefree. Lucky. With a hand he held the strap to his back pack while he shrugged the shoulder to readjust it and meandered on ahead figuring his ride should be waiting for him by now. He passed by the various ships with hardy boots scuffing in the sand, dark earthy brown pants hanging loosely around the joints of his frame but with little room at the muscle. Even in the relativly short walk from the hostel to now red and tan dust had kicked up and gathered in splotchy patches on his black sleeveless t shirt, partially covered up by a thin piece of cloth with black and the same dark brown checkered pattern and tassels on the edges of the materiel wrapped around his neck in a loose scarf of sorts. It wasn't an uncommon thing on the planet as it could easily be wrapped over ones head to cover the face and head leaving only a small eye slit. Kaylix, however, had dawned a beaten up grey brimmed hat and sunglasses that made him look almost like an orange eyed bug. On its own the ensemble wouldn't be out of place on a mechanic but the man wearing them had a confident walk and the bag he carried had a subtle hint of military to it. If someone knew what they were looking at it wasn't hard to tell he was ex military at all. 

Turning away all the people who offered him a ride at "great prices" he stopped in front of a ship that didn't have someone at the entrance whoring out a bunk. Digging around in his pockets he studied the ship and the figure holding up the landing gear and the ships mechanic (if the tool bag was any clue) all the while making short, practiced work of lighting and puffing the smoke to life. Dropping his head to watch his feet he headed over to the man and the Twi'lek looking back up a few steps later.

"Your crew got room in the roster to rent out a rack for one? Drop me off at your last stop? I can even take a rotation on the ship to cook." His offer was given in an outter rim huttese twan, unguarded smile, and a removal of the shades with a quick flip so they rested upside down on the back of his hat. It wasn't directed at either of them in particular and both he offered an acknowledging nod of the head. 

[Ash]

Phantom didn't seem like he was waiting long before someone decided to show up: a buxom Twi'lek woman with a tool bag slung over her shoulder. Habitually, Phantom sized her up, switching between visions as he did so, just to make sure there was no funny colored blobs of heat, not that it was easy to tell at times. He smiled naturally, then took on a more casual air.

I'm just a passenger on this thing, but Im sure the Captain woul..

Phantom stopped talking as a second character walked up. He knew the feeling that these type of people put off all too well. The way he walked, held himself, and everything... He would have thought a Jedi would have tried to hide himself better. Keeping all his thoughts closely guarded, like always, he addressed the man in the same tongue that was spoken, Huttese.

There should be an open bunk, but it would be better to address the captain directly when he shows up.

Naturally, Phantom switched back to basic to finish what he was saying to the Twi'lek woman.

Wouldn't mind you working on it. He should be back after he gets a drink from a bar. I will radio him in letting him know that we have two new riders. Call me Adam.

He then switched back to Huttese for the man. He was fairly certain that the Jedi understood basic, but still, it was a small amount of entertainment on this god forsaken planet.

Call me Adam.

[The Conman]

Doneeda glanced over at the new-comer, giving a slight wave with her kebab-hand, immediately recognizing the man as a Zeltron, having had lived on the planet for nearly a year and a half. What puzzled her, however, is she rarely saw them far from home. What with Zeltron being known, basically galaxy wide, as "the party planet", they didn't have much reason to leave. She brushed the question in her mind aside, noticing that the man, Adam his name was, mentioned something about two new riders.

If Doneeda had eyebrows, one of them would be sitting quite a bit higher than the other. The ship looked new-ish, was in decent shape...she was sure he'd misspoke. She was just some big Twi'lek chick, who hadn't even been able to diagnose or repair the ship...If she wasn't mistaken, he'd basically offered her a job. She took a bite of her skewer of what looked to be small roasted, skinless cat, and chewed, giving the ship a once over before responding to "Adam", in Huttese.

So...What seems to be the problem with the thing. Looks fine from here.

Donnie said, taking a step back and looking the ship over once more. The woman knew that it was more than likely that something electronic was wrong. Ships this far out with mechanical trouble generally wind up eaten by the twin stars. Loosing your engines near a pair of stars like the ones Tatooine orbited was basically a death sentence.

I'm going to guess there's something wrong with the computers...or droid brains?

She said, looking for the ramp into the ship.

Donnie had decided to gloss over the "two new riders" bit, she'd come to that bridge eventually at some point she figured. If they needed an extra pair of hands, she'd think about it, but the Zeltron currently standing nearby was making her nervous. Not because of anything about him in particular, guy seemed pretty normal, if a bit short. It was what he was that worried her. It'd taken Donnie nearly a year to figure out how to deal with their...abilities. The emotional projection, pheromones, combined with a pretty face and booze...It was something she'd been on the receiving end of numerous times, and still had difficulty managing.

On that thought, she turned to the man, now to her side.

I'm Doneeda, by the way.

Then turned back to Adam.

So...How do I get on board this boat? You have a ramp...or a ladder...or a rope?

She asked, somewhat sarcastically, taking a large bite off her now nearly finished Kebab.

[sofaking]

If he wasn't used to the common perception of Zeltrons he would have sighed and grimaced. In his situation however, being out and about in a way of life that had him off the home world, it was stranger to feel nothing from someone rather than feeling a recoil or giddy excitement. Recognition was almost as equally rare among his travels and usually spelled bad news for him. That would have to be discussed shortly as it didn't really matter if this Adam character knew the military cant or if he'd picked up on his real profession Kaylix wasn't one to leave things to chance if he could at least try to point them in his favor. He could wait a little longer however, peaceably puffing away at the cig pinched neatly between finger and thumb. As he waited out the other conversation he switched modes in his synthetic eye with a blink that had a slight bit more strength behind it than normal. 

Even without seeing the Twi'lek in thermal it would have been hard to forget her, as unfortunate as that was; he liked to remember people by their emotional signatures or faces if nothing else. This particular mechanic had a few other features not easily overlooked no matter how disciplined one was. Adam however posed a new situation. Either the man was standing in a peculiar spectrum of dappled sunlight or there were significant modifications to his body. That wasn't odd by it's self, not these days. He'd seen a mandalorian so war torn the only organic parts of him were his brain, heart, and left half of his abdomen. Funniest thing in the universe to hit him with a polarizing ray. When Donneda introduced herself he wanted to tell her he'd keep his abilities out of commission for the duration of the trip but not knowing how Adam would refer to him and in which title it was prudent to keep them active. None the less he didn't need those to respond with a smile that only turned the corner of one side of his lips, bringing down an eyebrow at the same time. It was one of those grins you offer a life long friend, but that was his cover's attitude. 

"Danny, myself. Glad to know ya'." 

'Danny' cut a glance towards Adam but diverted his gaze to rubbing out the stub of his smoke on the ground. 

"I s'pose my fixer touched base with you and your people, right, Mr. Adam? Who's the better man to get all the usual guff right with first, before we move on from just introductions? Captain or you?" 

The loose phrasing of "I want to talk out our deal first" wasn't anything to raise an eyebrow over in the slightly less rigid world of independent spacers. And unless his fixer had set him up with an unusually off the wall crew then setting terms and prices was generally the first thing you said or it was the second after a name exchange. Whoever this man was he hoped had a little professionalism about him and he didn't hold any weighty grudges against the Jedi. If he did or his rank and title was mentioned here and now he'd be blown on this planet for half a standard year at least. That was an outcome he didn't want to make anyone pay for or involve more people so he picked his head up and peered from under a tilted brow at the man, silently wishing he could catch on. This was definitely one of the most tedious and tense parts of his job, getting in with new company without raising too many flags. 

[Ash]

Before Phantom had a chance to reply, he saw a rather familiar figure walk into the bay. Bit had a look of disappointment on him, at least until he caught a glimpse of the twi'lek woman. He ran a hand though his spiky hair, and slid in right next to Phantom, arms crossed.

Who's this lovely peach?

Someone who can fix your ship for you, Bit.

Wait a second... You're the chick who I almost ran into at the bar... How did I forget about those tig-ol-bitties alr-!

He was cut off as Phantom nearly folded him in two with a strike to the gut. Phantom sighed as Bit was trying to catch his breath, flipped down a small control panel, and brought down a ramp. He turned back to Doneeda, smiling slightly in a somewhat embarrass way.

Sorry about him. He doesn't know manners. I'm not a mechanic, but it felt like we were loosing power, and I thought I heard something break. Not positive, however.

I can show you what's up. Just fallow me.

Ill tell you the rest soon, Bit.

Bit, now recovered, spoke in Huttese and started up the ramp. He can do small stuff with his ship, but he still needed a mechanic for anything too big.

When Bit and Doneeda disappeared up the ramp, Phantom turned to Danny. Phantom didn't know if it was a side effect of his amnesia, or some memory lost to him, but he did not like any sort of force users. There was an air of mild distrust around Phantom now, but it didn't show on his face. His thoughts were also closely guarded.

I was never in contact directly with your fixer. My own said a Jedi would be here, with whatever details. I am a member of Azura, who, I assume, was contacted by your contact to lend you assistance. I would be the one to talk to. The other guy just flies. Member number Bravo Kilo two zero one, Adam James, if you want the specifics.

Azura, a group of smaller corporations united under one flag, and who wants to bring peace to the Galaxy. Of course, Azura didn't always play nice. They were always hidden in the shadows and out of the public eyes, which was where they wanted to be as they send their strings through the republic. They use to have workings with the Sith and Mandalorians, but the bridges were burned when the war started. Now they, more or less, help out the Republic. Besides that, they have one top operative for the most dangerous missions. The top assassin, sniper, and soldier. Known only by the codename Phantom. No one ever truly knew who they are, or if it one person, only that whoever angers Azura will almost certainly die.

Now, Phantom didn't make himself known by his title, nor would he. Right now, he was just a simple member of an Organization here to help out this jedi.

------------------------------------

Pretty much what Adam said about this thing was true. I ran some tests but the computer didn't find anything wrong. Even some sensors should have went off if there was a mechanical problem.

We lost 45% of total power when we entered the atmosphere, and almost didn't make it groundside. We actually just landed recently, so you're the first one to take a peak at it.[/color]

About the only time Bit wasn't joking around or getting into trouble was when there was a problem with his ship. After Spearpoint fell, he lost much of his income, and couldn't keep his ship up on basic smuggling runs, at least until his little buddy Zwei AKA Phantom AKA AKA Adam offered him a job. And all he had to do was pilot... often into dangerous places.... but at least the coin was good... and hefty... Azura really put out... now if he could just keep a sexy, permanent chick crew member here, then he would be in heaven.

It was a short walk to the engine bay, but they made it, and with a record breaking three short looks to breasts, which was a rather low number for Bit. He felt proud of himself for that, but had no one to give the word to. He went to one of the computer panels, looking at the readouts on it.

Don't be shy around here. Dig in.[/color]

[The Conman]

Doneeda noticed a new person appear. She was about to greet him when he...spoke.

Who's this lovely peach?

Someone who can fix your ship for you, Bit.

Wait a second... You're the chick who I almost ran into at the bar... How did I forget about those tig-ol-bitties alr-!

Doneeda tossed her kebab, adjusted the strap on her tool pack, shook her head and chuckled. She was used to the attention, but she could tell this "Bit" person was going to be...interesting... She was suddenly snapped back to reality when Adam started to explain what was going on. Loss of power, sounds like something broke...a few things popped into Donnie's head off the hop. It wasn't uncommon for something as simple as a focusing coil on a fusion core to go out, or an injector in an engine. Wouldn't bring the house down, so to speak, but it'd certainly ratchet up the "butt clench" factor.

Follow Me.

Bit said. Donnie let out a small "hooray" under her breath as she went into the ship with the man. All the (very short) way there, he told Donnie's bust about what'd happened to the ship. Based on what Donnie overheard of the fairly one-sided conversation, she had a pretty good working theory about what the issue was. Once they got to the Engine Room, Bit setup at a computer terminal. From the computer terminal Bit was at, there was a second, that was positioned in such a way as to give Bit a pretty good view of Donnie from the other side.

The Twi'lek rolled her eyes, and walked off towards the terminal, dropping her bag and tossing the Tablet down on her tool bag. She started going through the power core logs. Basically any of the notes the computer would automatically make about power spikes, or drops, out of spec fuel burn, etc. While Donnie looked through that, she needed Bit to see if he could find any corresponding downstream power surges.

Hey, Bit?

She asked in Huttese. Even though she couldn't use the force, Donnie was well aware of his eyes.

I'm running checks to see if the Core's popped an injector or a focusing coil, could you see if there are any notes about power surges at the engines?

She asked, bending over to grab the tablet from it's resting place on the bag, needing it's diagnostic mode to read a fault code she wasn't familiar with. The Twi'lek pushed her lekku back over her shoulders and read the tablet's output.

EC-2FE87B - Core Temp Out of Spec

Donnie looked down at the Tablet for a second before speaking.

Actually, scratch that. Run an Injector flow test on the reactant injectors for the power core.

She said, on a hunch. Out of temperature could mean over or under, either way it was generally caused by the reactant injectors needing realignment or replacement. Not a big job, by any means. The Amazonian Twi'lek strode over to Bit's station, the taller woman peering over the man's right shoulder, waiting to see if he'd A: run the right diagnostic and/or B: the output of said diagnostic.

[sofaking]

Kaylix watched the exchange with growing amusement. These two knocking around the galaxy together made him feel safer and a little more uneasy at the same time, both for the same reason. Glancing at the ship again and it's visible armaments finally guessing if they could manage all those between the two of them them they were worth their salt, and deserved some respect. As Donneda walked away he called after them.


"Try to put the honeymoon off a bit more, love. I still need him for a jab." Chuckling lightly Adam started explaining his half of the communique to which he turned his full attention. 

Even though he could feel a slight distrust from the man he was relieved to only feel a slight bit, or much at all. This man seemed to have more discipline with his mental state than the pilot, Bit. He let a small twinkle grace his eyes as he spoke.

"Well, if he flies half as fast as his lips ain't goin' to be nothin' but smooth sailin', and I'm like to use him again."

That was a word he'd picked up from one of these less cultured worlds, ain't, and as per usual with him the popular contraction of the less educated fit his persona well; but he kept using it because he just simply liked it. Like his friendly talk Kaylix stayed relaxed and easy going, if he could put this Azura member at ease even a little bit then he was off to a good start.


"I need to hitch a ride with you guys to a planet in grid S-5, Makem Te. Only thing I need to set a rule on is that I don't show up anywhere on the flight. Not the roster, not the manifests, not on the scans at any docks we stop at or way stations. I don't even want to be a part of the statistical number of button pushes for the ship's waste disposal. I vanish on this trip. Now if that means I have to wedge myself between the hyperdrive and coolant tank then so be it, how it happens is how you tell me it does. This ain't my ship an' I know that, you won't get orders on high from me." He held out a hand with an accompanying grin.

"I'd also appreciate it if no one else knew I was part of The Order. I promise I won't even flash any fancy magic. If we need titles keep it to Operator for Republic SOG. Sure you understand that part, Mr. James. What do you need from me? I could lend a hand with calibrating those laser slingers you got."

[Ash]

Sure thing, toots.

Bit brought up the statistical readout on his engines over the past two days, even though they have been on this planet for less than one. It was good to go back sometimes. He started checking over that, seeing if there as anything that he missed. He wasn't the best at finding little things like this.

Now Doneeda asked him to find something else. He minimized the readout, then did as she asked and ran a test on the reactant injectors for the power core. While that was running, he pulled up a holographic board from his console, a little, fancy install job the previous owner of this ship had done, and had the first readout on it.

How we looking?

----------------------

Phantom listened silently to the Jedi as he spoke, keeping every single thought hidden behind his mental barriers, and absorbed everything about this man. It was habit to do this, and he thought nothing of it.

He let out a small smile, a slight curl at the edge of his lips as he stated a single rule for his travel. This was a smuggling ship, and could easily hide a few people. This was especially nice for some sensitive missions that Phantom didn't, or couldn't, fly to himself.

This is a smuggling ship. It will be simple to hide you, and everything about you. It wouldn't be the first time that we had to move someone places.

Phantom smile enlarged slightly as he shook the Jedi's hand.

And no one will know about your profession. It will just be a usual run for Bit, if he can get this thing off the ground. It may look nice on the outside, but beauty is only skin deep. Now as for what you can do, you will need to talk to Bit, and please call me Adam.

With that, Bit signaled for him to fallow, then went up the ramp and into the ship, might as well get this guy situated somewhere.

[The Conman]

As Doneeda peered over Bit's shoulder, the readout started spiting out it's information. The first few lines weren't anything out of the ordinary, but then, A few hours prior, the reactor had gone into a "safe" mode. With considerably lower output to compensate for an injector being dirtier than a Nal Hutta whore. Donnie smirked, why the ship's droid brains hadn't figured this out she couldn't answer, sometimes they were dumb.

Well. Bit. It looks like you've got yourself a seriously dirty injector.

Donnie said, leaning slightly around Bit's frame and pointing at the lines that showed the issue.

You gotta take care of your ship, or it'll stop taking care of you. Your lucky you didn't end up in a star or something.

She continued, looking around the engine bay for the best access to the injector-in-question.

Cleaning a reactant injector wasn't a big job. Donnie could do it in a few minutes, it really was a matter of pulling the roughly beer-can sized unit out, taking a rag or cloth and getting the build up of "gunk" out of the nozzle, then running some compressed air through it. After a few seconds, she strode over to the reactor and knelt down, leaning over the side of it and twisting a small door open, the injector popping out with a small "hiss".

Gotcha.

She said, picking up the small, silver coloured mass, then standing up and turning back to Bit.

See this.

Donnie said, holding it up, business end pointed towards Bit.

Clean it. At least once every few months, that way you'll avoid this black...poodoo building up on here.

She pointed at the tapered tip of the unit, covered in a sooty substance, Doneeda put it on the table and strode over to her bag of tricks, unzipped it and grabbed a rag, then walked back over, and held it out for Bit, her other hand on her hip.

Well, You've gotta learn about the birds and the bees sometime.

She said with a smirk.

[sofaking]

::Apologize for the long delay, work and life :/ ::



"I wasn't going to assume what her experience was though, wouldn't be nice to the gal, but th' plan sounds like a winner." He gestured up at the ship with a thumb. This was starting out to be something like a luxury cruise for him. The last transport he hitched had him in the hold with Nerf herders and their entire livestock. It wasn't the worst smell he'd endured but it was certainly a lesson in patience to sit in that stench for the duration of his trip.

As Adam headed up the ramp he shrugged his pack back into a more comfortable spot on his shoulder he casually reached to the small of his back to withdraw the blaster from it's holster. Following his new host Kaylix habitually dropped the magazine, checked the power cell, made sure chamber was empty, and loaded the clip back in, and holstered the gun again; all within the time it took to walk up the ramp. Mostly he'd started the habit to double check it was safe to bump or pull the trigger and nothing bad happen, but it was also about manners. Keeping up with due diligence on an old school projectile like his was just proper table etiquette so to speak. When his feet found flat floor plating again he dropped his bag off a few feet away from the ramp, then following Adam around until he said, "Ya know, I don't sleep much, if it's fine with you I'll claim a bunk later. I'd rather stay on my feet and do something."

Taking his leave he followed the sound of voices bouncing down the walls until he found the engine room, poking his head around the corner. "Hey, Skipper. Anything I can do around here? I know how to plunge the space john but I'm better at calibrating those AA arrays and launcher targeting. Paint job...inventory...groceries...beer run?" The last idea might have packed a bit of obvious excitement but he was genuinely thirsty.

[Ash]

Hmm... makes sense... I think I have been underestimating not having a true mechanic around for one of these things for a while.

Bit laughed as Donnie stuck the injector in his face, then watched as she put it down, then grabbed a rag from her pack, and held it out to him, a hand on her hips.

Now would be a good time to learn by doing, right?

Bit grabbed the rag, then tossed it on the table, grabbing a pack of cigarette out of his pocket in about the same movement. He took one with his mouth, and a slide of hand later, produced a lighter, lit the cig, and stuck both box and lighter back in his pocket. He just grabbed the injector and rag when their second compadre poked his head in.

Sure, grab a rag and we can finish up these fuel injectors and be bone from this planet.[/color]

----------------------

Phantom clearly heard the sound of a blaster being drawn, then the magazine and power cell being checked, then it sliding back home. Enhanced hearing was always a nice thing to have, but he was surprised this man had a blaster. Most of his kind preferred their little laser swords than a good gun.

And without even waiting for a reply, the man strode away like he had nothing better to do. Phantom would have blew anyone else away, but he let the man go. For now, the assassin had other things to do than babysit some Jedi around the ship.

[The Conman]

Donnie nodded in agreement. Two pairs of hands would get the job done in twice the time, not a bad thing in her mind...then again, she did seem to remember something about working hourly...

So...This "We" thing...

Donnie mused, after Bit took the rag and started on his Injector.

Am I to assume your extending some sort of invitation for me to...y'know, fix this trash heap?

Donnie asked as she strode over to the core, and started working the second injector loose from it's housing. The Twi'lek wasn't entirely sure what his intentions were, but she was hopeful he was interested in having a mechanic on full time. If for no other reason than to get out of the Sand Box.

Tatooine had been her home a few times, and each and every time she came to like it less. It wasn't the heat, being a Twi'lek she preferred the hot, dry environment of the arid world. It was the fact that it was at the arse end of nowhere.

Click.

The injector was free, Donnie smirked.

Gotcha.

She turned around to see Bit seeming like he was about to respond to her question when the other passenger poked his head into their compartment with a query.

About Food, and Beer.

Before anybody could respond, and nearly before her compatriot had finished, Doneeda responded.

YES.

She said enthusiastically in her native Huttese. Contrary to the image her physical being and gender would project, Doneeda actually ate like it was going out of style, possessing an extremely quick metabolism. In fact, the only way she kept any meat on her bones was buy eating a lot and often. The end result was that at this current moment, Doneeda was hungry, having not eaten for nearly 4 hours.

There's the galaxy's best bantha-burger joint in the spaceport...and you can get booze anywhere, so yeah...anywho, place is called Baro's Burgers.

Donnie explained, gesturing in the vague direction she thought it'd be relative to the ship with the soiled injector, small puffs of dust floating off as she did so.

By the time she'd finished, Donnie looked down and realized that her hand was covered in the stuff, and there was a small amount of it piling up on the floor below her right arm, which was attached to the injector via her hand.

She looked from Bit to Adam, to the small pile of black dust, then back to them and smirked.

So. You got a broom?

She asked.

[Ash]

So, you want to join up even though you called this thing a trash heap?

Bit stopped his cleaning, setting the injector on the table, leaned his rear against it, drew out a cigarette, lit it, and let the smoke in. He stayed there for a few seconds, a stony look on his face.

You think you can work on this ship because you have some mechanical knowledge and a nice rack... as far as im concerned, that's pretty much all I need now. Hahaha!

Bit let out a huge laugh. He was only messing around with Donnie, as messing with people and joking around was what Bit usually did. When she quite enthusiastically asked the grunt who Phantom brought with him to go grab some booze and burgers, he fully agreed by nodding his head. When asked for a broom, Bit pointed to a small closet in the corner, where he kept some cleaning supplies.

((Shaddup, I know its short... dont judge me... And if something doesn't look right let me know and ill fix it.))

[The Conman]

Donnie chuckled at Bit's comment. She didn't have any issue with people calling her out for her body, she didn't make any effort to hide anything. If people commented, she took it as a compliment.

It's not really that much of a trash heap.

She said, heading towards the closet where they kept the cleaning supplies, and popping open the door.

Just needs a little TLC is all.

She continued, after picking up the broom and heading back to her small pile of dust on the ground. She'd been able to observe that the ship was fairly new, but it was pretty obvious it'd seen a lack of regular maintenance, so it was fairly obvious to the Twi'lek that they'd been without a mechanic for awhile.

Doneeda swept up the small pile and tossed it into a nearby trash receptacle as Bit leaned back and lit a smoke. Not the most advisable idea in an Engine room, but it wasn't her ship and he was in charge, so Donnie wasn't about to say anything about it. After she'd tossed the dust, she sauntered back over to Bit, to pick up the nearby Injector, taking the opportunity to get in close with him, she leaned on the table beside him, and draped her right arm over his shoulder.

So...

She began, leaning back and using her long reach to pick up the injector from the other side of Bit, sure she felt her chest contact Bit's back in the process.

If i'm gonna be on your crew...I'd prefer to get a percentage of the take on jobs...And one of those smokes, if you don't mind.

She said, with a devious grin, after draping her right arm across bit's shoulders and holding the injector in her free hand.