Are You In? [Jewel Crew]

[Meira]

All had climbed aboard the Jewel and set off for Taris. In many ways, they were embarking on the unknown. And in the same number of ways, Palas was nervous. Unknowns never really worked out well for her. But she'd found herself in a situation where trusting in the unknown was required. She had to trust Lash's piloting skills to get her off of Nar Shaddaa, and then again back on Tatooine. She had to trust Yunas when he told her about his idea for helping her get rid of the spice. Trust... had it really become so hard for her?

After taking off and before jumping into hyperspace, Palas had carefully jettisoned the crates that held the chip that had once been inside of Kess. With that gone and behind them, Palas could breathe a bit easier. She was sure the same could be said for everyone else on the ship. After that business was done, Palas had given Lash the go-ahead to make the jump and they were on their way.

Tatooine and Taris weren't exactly close together, and so the trip had proved to be a long one. Before she'd suddenly gained a crew, Palas tended to spend most of that time sleeping in the cockpit, should anything go wrong. But now she was back to that trust issue. Lash had proven himself as a more than capable pilot. Yunas and Kess were polite guests, and had shown to be useful in their own ways on Tatooine. Doc, well... she trusted Doc no question. So why couldn't she bring herself to simply lie down on her bunk and sleep a spell?

Palas found herself walking around the ship, checking in on Yunas and Kess, on Lash, even on Doc. Rarely every saying anything, she simply seemed to be walking a circuit between the different areas of the ship. She'd even stopped in on the cargo hold a time or two... as if the spice might have up and disappeared. She was starting to get a headache.

Finally, after about her 25th circuit, she forced herself into her cabin, telling herself that she would relax, even if she didn't like it. She left the door open, of course... it was a consession she'd made for herself. After all, a responsible captain couldn't allow such silly things as doors to be a hinderace, should trouble arise. And in her life recently, trouble was the name of the game.

[Otterling]

As always, Doc’s time around Palas had been, if anything, eventful. He’d spent the majority of it staying out of the way but it was hard not to hear about it all and he knew that all of it was weighing heavily on the young twi’lek. She had taken to marching in circuits around the ship so often that when Doc finally stepped out into the hallway, he was half expecting to find a shallow depression in the floor from where it had been worn down. Enough, he had decided, was enough and while he was a horrible conversationalist, it was obvious enough that Palas needed someone to talk this all out with. She was going to drive herself crazy…and him along with it if she kept wandering around aimlessly.

The soft whir click of his mechanical leg accompanied the ship’s medic down the long hallway as he made his way toward Palas’s room. He scratched absently at his rough beard in a gesture that was telling of his discomfort in getting involved in anyone else’s emotional issues but he found himself none the less at Palas’s door. The young woman was indeed in her room though from the looks of her, Doc was fairly certain she was wound as tight as a spring. He rapped his knuckles lightly on the doorframe and then leaned against it, casting his scrutinizing gaze over the woman he'd come to think of as his daughter.

"Hey, darlin. I'm crap for conversational skills but you look like someone who's mind is busier than a rabbit in a krath hound race. I figure it might do you some good to have a sounding board before you strain something with all the pacing you've been doing." Doc eased into the room, seeing no reason to wait for an invitation, he'd never bothered to wait for one before, and plopped himself into a small chair. He folded his arms over his broad chest and shot Palas a look that said he wasn't going anywhere until she was done spilling whatever was making her so twitchy.

[Meira]

Palas had laid herself back on her bed, but her feet still twitched nervously. The crook of her elbow had been tossed over her eyes in an attempt to shut out the world, but she'd not blocked her hearing. And so even though she didn't see him, Palas heard Doc's approach toward her door. That gait could belong to no other being in the galaxy. As it came nearer, she silently hoped he was just on his way to find something to eat. But no, the pace stopped, followed by a knock against the frame of her door and then his voice.

Palas' shoulders shook slightly with laughter. Doc could think that she was laughing at the image he'd created to describe her twitchy behavior, and surely that's what his overprotective ego would cause him to think. But Palas laughed at the fact that he was attempting to connect with her. Oh, how he would puff up and insult anyone who happened by and heard him being sensitive. Only with me. She thought to herself with a little smile.

After a few moments, she removed her arm from over her eyes and turned sideways on the bed, propping her head up with one hand. Her eyes scanned Doc's face, trying to glean his motive for coming in here. Perhaps he was just covering up what he wanted to tell her or ask her with this initial feigned concern. Or perhaps the planets of all the systems in the galaxy were aligned and he was truly attempting to show his concern for her. She smiled again.

It's just strange, isn't it? Having so many people on the ship? I know I'm always talking about finding a permanent crew... but you know how long it's been since I've even had a pilot! And then having to trust these people with the Jewel... with my LIFE Doc! I mean, Lash is obviously a great pilot, but he's the whole reason I'm in this mess to begin with! Then again, he's saved my life twice now, so how am I not supposed to owe him something in return? And that's another thing, I don't like owing anybody anything! It's not a good feeling. You know what I mean? And then there's Yunas... I don't know, he seems to have some motive behind his deal with me, but I'm not quite sure what that is. He seems to have the answer to my problems with his contact on Taris, but what if he's just like that girl's master? Trying to loop me in so he can get the bounty on my head? And the the GIRL! Doc, How could I have been so stupid!? I coulda killed us all by taking her! I mean, we're fine now... I think, but that's not the point! But, but, you know, I couldn't just leave her behind like that! I mean for one we were in a speeder jetting across a wasteland. What was I supposed to do, pull over and tell her to scram? Couldn't have done that! We had some freakin bounty hunter on out tail! She'd have DIED Doc. I couldn't do that. But maybe that's my problem. I care too much, you know? These other smugglers out there, they could give a womp rat's ass about slaves or.... whatever. And THEY'VE got full crews, don't they? THEY have ships that aren't falling apart! THEY'VE got credits!

Palas flopped back down onto her back, eyes fixed on the ceiling. She sighed. Her rant had worked up her heart rate and her breathing, so much so that her chest rose and fell is great waves. She stayed like this for a few moments before turning her head back to look at Doc, her eyes waiting for his response.

[.:Falcon:.]

To Kess, unused to ships of any kind, this was wonderful. She'd been in ships before (boy did that bring up some bad memories) but never one that was actually up in space. Through every viewport, she could see stars speeding by, and the lights of hyperspace that morphed themselves into beautiful patterns.

She had explored the ship from top to bottom- until Palas made her park herself in the lounge and play with the holopod. But boy did that get boring. She could've taken the pod apart- and would have enjoyed doing it- but she got the distinct feeling Palas wouldn't have liked that.

So, she started wandering through the more public areas of the ship. That led her to the cockpit. She came up to the door silently, and stared out the front viewport. The control panels blinked and beeped, calming her. It was so beautiful.

[Otterling]

((OOC: GAH! I'm trying to get used to writing Doc again so forgive me if this post is crap. >__<))

Doc sat quietly and listened through the rant, noting the way Palas’s voice rose to an almost hysterical pitch at several points. The captain had always been a loner, much like Doc himself, and, like him, she had a hell of a time with trust. Had someone asked him only a few short months ago if he trusted anyone, he’d have told them that trust was an empty word meant for naïve fools who hadn’t learned better yet but that was before all of this most recent misadventure started. When Lash had first come on board and Doc had learned how much trouble the man’s presence alone could have cost Palas, he had been tempted to shoot the kid in his sleep. As Palas had pointed out though, Lash DID save them and in the end Doc had relented. Doc still couldn’t say he trusted him, but he had to give credit where it was due, even if it was begrudgingly.

Palas was right that they’d taken on more crew than they’d ever had before and he could see in the young woman’s tension, in that unspoken uncertainty that lay in her eyes, that she was on the threshold of something. She’d always spouted about keeping a crew together for longer than a few runs but over the years, it was obvious she’d become used to doing things alone. Now she found herself surrounded by bodies and people that counted on her. She could either reject it, hide again and push them all away, or learn to accept that she may have just found herself for the first time with a crew that would stick with her. The thought actually struck Doc pretty hard. For the first time in a very LONG time, he had found himself in the same boat as Palas, both literally and figuratively. He had to admit, even if it was only to himself, that he’d found a home here on the Jewel. He was never more comfortable than he was on that ship, listening to Palas give grief to those around her, barking orders and getting them into and out of trouble with alarming speed.

Whether he liked it or not, some small part of him wanted things to stay just like they were. The thrill of their recent adventures, the uncertainty of their future and the quiet moments of camaraderie when everyone had forgotten to be defensive for a few moments had begun to leak in around the thick skin over his heart. These were the days that had reminded him of Terace, of those golden years spent running from one planet to another and always escaping by the skin of his teeth. He was too old for that now, he knew that somewhere inside, but he couldn’t deny the little voice in him that said it would be a much more fitting ending to die on this ship on some grand adventure than it would be to slowly fade away in some filthy cantina or the silent hold of some foreign ship.

Doc sighed heavily and brushed his large fingers over his face, trying to figure out what to say. Bodies were easy to mend. Hearts and minds were another thing all together and he had so little luck with his own that he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to help Palas. His one good eye rolled up to finally meet the lovely face of the young woman before him and as he sat staring at her, the first real emotion he’d ever shown in a long time swept over his face. He felt a completely unexpected and intense sorrow as he stared at Palas in this moment and his own brutal and complicated life flashed before his eyes, overlaid on top of Palas. He saw her for a moment, drunk and tired, scarred and lonely in some filthy bar in a backwater town and he shoved the thought away harshly. Would that be what happened to her if they all walked away again? Would she always be alone? Was that really any better than risking attachment?

Doc cleared his throat roughly and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He stared at the door for a moment before suddenly getting to his feet and slapping the control panel so the door hissed shut. He wasn’t about to let anyone else watch this. He had a reputation to keep after all. Doc eased back into his chair with a grunt, his leg obviously bothering him a bit, and then leaned back and trained his one good eye on her. “Alright...listen up and listen good cause I ain’t going over all this cuddly bantha crap more than once. Yeah, there’s other smugglers out there that have credits and don’t care who they kill or who they leave in the dust. They stab each other in the backs and hire crews that would jump at the chance to carve them up for dinner at the first flash of a credit. But that ain’t you.

They have money comin’ out their ears and they wipe their @$$@## with golden leaves because they sold a load of kids inta slavery. But that ain’t you. And some day someone’s gonna find their mutilated body in an alley way after they’ve been murdered in ways that the authorities will later describe as ‘horrifyingly pornographic’…but that ain’t you either. Cause you got something they don’t…a soul. And it’s a rare thing. There’s plentya men you coulda kept on this ship by selling out your body as pay but you’re better ‘n that. The Jewel ain’t a luxury liner, but it’s better than anything they got cause this ship ain’t just a hunk of metal.” Doc sighed again and looked around uncomfortably. “Look…you gotta choice to make now. Either you look around and realize that for the first time in yer life, you gotta crew that actually respects you and WANTS to be here…or you kick ‘em all out an airlock and move on,” Doc shrugged, “But don't you ever say another word about needin’ a crew after that.” The last words were growled, his voice masking the fact that he’d at some point included himself in the word ‘crew’.

“Mind you, if you go ‘an try to push me out the airlock too….just make sure I get to kick Lash out first,” he added with a sarcastic grin.

[Jenno]

Lash was lounging back in his seat at the helm of the Jewel. Once the hyperdrive was active there was little he needed to do. He could have gone to his bunk and got some rest but he rarely slept. He could go into the common area and see if Yunas wanted to have a game of something but right now the clean-shaved pilot was enjoying one of the simple things in his life, watching as the blue tunnel of light engulfed the ship majestically.

He hadn’t spoken to any of the crew much since their departure from Tatooine. Almost getting hit had put him in something of a reclusive mood for a little while. He had to let his thoughts ferment. Palas was perhaps not the warmest of people but even Lash had thought she’d recognise when he had saved his life in what was quite clearly not the easiest situation for the crew to find themselves in.

But he just had to think to himself that soon he’d have the universe to explore and so many options to choose from. He could journey all he liked in the stars, hopefully avoiding slipping back into his drunken ways. So long as this deal went down smoothly everything would be sorted. He could wave this ship, and its tight-assed Captain goodbye.

When they’d landed in the base on Kuras IV, Lash had gone straight to work, changing into some of his new clothes he started some repairs on the Jewel, he’d bought some clothes with the intention of using them in events such as this. He managed to listen in what his fair Captain was saying to the two newest additions from a different room and he guessed that everything had gone alright. For most of their brief stay in the base the good-for-nothing pilot had been in the hanger with his welding tools, lost within his mind as he cleaned up the Jewel’s cuts and bruises. He took a shower afterwards, since his escape from the alcoholic haze that had trapped him for two years and the potential threat of death that now loomed over him Lash Venedray found himself very much enjoying the little things in life, the feeling of warm water massaging the stress and tension of hard work out of his body and right now, the wonders of space travel.

Lash was simply watching when he felt like someone else was with him. He heard nothing but there was just something in the air, he didn’t feel like he was alone any more. With inquisitive eyes he turned a bit to the right on his chair until he saw her standing there, the slave girl from Tatooine, their unexpected complication. He had spoken to her briefly in the cantina but not much insightful was really said. As she stood there it looked like her eyes were stuck on something. Following her gaze Lash saw that the girl was looking out of the cockpit to the very same he’d just been staring at.

Turning back to her he was once again smiling, though it seemed softer than his usual beacon-like grin. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” He said calmly. “First time I entered hyperspace I couldn’t take my eyes off it, almost landed me in a heap of trouble as well since I was meant to be paying attention to actually flying.” He was glad that this girl seemed to be as captivated by the sight before them as he had been on his first outing. “You don’t have to just stand there. Come sit down,” he said with a gesture to the seat on his right, the co-pilot seat. It wasn’t like anyone used it or any of the other chairs in the cockpit, but Lash enjoyed the fact that this little area wasn’t swarming with life, it meant he could actually appreciate the flying.

He turned back to face the blue tunnel that the Jewel was zooming through. After a few moments he spoke again, “a lot of pilots out there take things like this for granted but I like to think that if you want to be a truly great pilot you’ve got to love every part of flying, even if it’s just sitting back an appreciating a site like this as the hyperdrive and nav computer doing the flying for you.” With a lingering glance he turned to face the girl, assuming she had moved to the co-pilot seat. “I’m Lash, Lash Venedray, pilot extraordinaire.” His age old grin stretched through the warm smile that had previously crossed his lips. “What’s your name?”

[.:Falcon:.]

Kess's eyes were locked on the tunnel. It was beautiful, stranger than anything she had ever seen. Then, suddenly, in the middle of this rapt vision, a voice broke in. Her eyes darted around the cockpit momentarily, her body instinctively cringing away as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't, and expected to be punished for it- but then her eyes fell on the pilot. He was smiling. She just stared back, but he continued talking.

She smiled at his story, feeling her own smile warm. He invited her to sit down. She glanced at the chair, then quietly walked over to it and slid in. It was soft, and yielded gently to her weight. She ran her fingers over a seam in the upholstery, then looked back up to the tunnel.

The pilot had also turned his attention there. She glanced at him just a moment. He looked familiar- then it hit her. The cantina on Tatooine! So that had been him. Just then, he started to speak, his words filling the space between them. Then, he turned to her and introduced himself. "Kesslene." she answered his query. "My name is Kesslene."

Her eyes drifted back to the tunnel, and she nodded to it. "How does it work?"

[Mara]

[...from Setting the Stone]



To try to equalize his nervousness about embarking to Taris, nervousness about whether his research and buyer for the spice would pan out, Trevil the Bothan had decided to spend most of the long trip asleep. After waiting through the initial take-off and time spent before the jump to hyperspace, he had found a quiet corner of the ship and curled up to sleep. It had been such a long time since he had had time for such luxuries, and so the short-stared furred being had slept like a rock for many hours.

He didn't notice the comings and goings of the other passengers, of Palas checking in on him every so often, the girl Kess exploring. Lash was busy in the cockpit, and it was assumed that Doc was keeping busy as well. No one ever disturbed his sleep, as if it were possible to rouse someone in a near comatose state, how tired Trevil was.

So tired that he didn't realize how late it was until he double-checked the time on his datapad. He had fallen asleep much longer than he had planned for, but it had its benefits. No time wasted trying to communicate with the others or dodging probing questions from Palas about the 'contact' he had found to buy the spice on Taris.

In fact, he had given her all the information he could find, preferring her to make all the arrangements for the meeting. It was her spice, her deal. All he was asked to do was find the buyer, someone willing to be discreet. Someone whom Palas could easily deliver her spice to, pick up her credits and leave, without any other being the wiser.

Coming further awake, he briefly went over in his mind the information he had found. There had been only a few buyers who had been available in the time frame they were looking it--the sooner, the better. And of those, the buyer on Taris had been the closest, and so Trevil had recommended the Ualaq Aqualish named Tro Bona. Since Taris didn't have any major cites and was instead a giant planet city like Coruscant, the Bona had recommended a small cantina to meet at to discuss the bargaining. Trevil passed all this information on to Palas, knowing she would know best how to finalize all the details.

Even so, the Bothan had a feeling that his part in the crew aboard the Nui's Jewel was far from being over. Partially this kind of made him nervous again, and he got up from his makeshift bed to head towards the lounge area. Nothing like a game of pazaak to settle the nerves. After he was seated, glad that for the moment the lounge area was empty, he tried to think about his reservations about joining up. He knew he had been given a chance to easily go about and find his team members who had deserted him and get the rest of the credits owed to him. But he still felt a little uneasy, not wanting to trust the beings aboard with a whole lot of personal information.

Trevil hadn't even told any of them his real name, still using his alias from Tatooine, Yunas. Eventually he knew he would have to tell them, or at least change aliases. The only way he could track the Rodian, Zeltron and humans to their location was if they thought they were safe, or that he wasn't following them. Hard to do if they knew a Bothan with the name of Trevil was asking around for them. So he had devised aliases, forgoing his clan name, knowing that he would never be able to go back to Bothawui anyway, because of the bank job they had done there. He might as well forsake his given name in addition.

The Bothan shrugged the thoughts from his head and tried to focus on the hologame. It was best to not look too far ahead. He didn't even know if he would be leaving Taris with the rest of them. If the job went by, certainly Palas would be looking for someone to toss the blame on. Trevil prayed that Bona would be just right enough that she would feel okay making a deal with the Aqualish. Unsavory but not too unsavory a character.

With a sigh and a ruffle of his fur, he programmed another move in the game, his piece moving forward one square. Life was so much simpler when it was considered in a series of moves and counter moves. Trevil just hoped his move wouldn't be trumped by a counter by Palas.

[Meira]

Part of her regretted making Doc so uncomfortable with her rant. But that part of her was very, very small. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched him shift in his chair. She knew, as she often knew about this man, that he was struggling to keep on his indifferent mask. When he stood up to close the door, she knew he'd faltered... was gonna take off that mask. Or at least lift it off his face for a while.

Sure enough, Doc started into it. Oh he tried to make his concessions, tried to sneak in his sarcasm and vulgarity here and there. But this was Doc being nice, supportive. Palas was fairly sure she'd never seen him open up quite this much. He said the word SOUL for crying out loud.

Palas settled into the bed, laying on her side and resting her head on her arm. She smiled warmly at the man as he spoke. Even if he intended his words as a means of chastisement, she could feel the love behind each syllable. As his rant wore down, she curled her legs up close to her body and wrapped her free hand around her knees. Then she laughed. The mental picture of Doc giving Lash the boot out the airlock was impossible not to laugh at.

No. You can't kill him. She said with a giggle. He hasn't finished paying me back yet.

With a sigh, she stretched back out again, then sat up on the bed. Doc was right, of course. Though she wasn't about to inflate his ego by saying so out loud. Instead she stood up, landed a quick kiss on Doc's cheek and opened the door.

Thanks Doc. She said as she stepped out of sight.

They'd be arriving soon, it was time to check and make sure everything was ready. She did a quick check in the cargo hold to ensure the spice was well out of sight and nothing looked out of the ordinary. She then made her way back toward the lounge and the cockpit areas. It was time to make sure her .... crew... was ready to go.

Stepping into the lounge, Palas found Yunas just about where she'd expected him, at the game table. She smiled as she entered the room. Doc really had been a help. Who'd have thought?

[Otterling]

Doc fell silent after his short bout of unprecedented affection and waited to see what Palas would do. He wasn’t about to go around hugging everyone if that was what she needed to feel better so he certainly hoped his words would do the trick; the next option would be to just drug her for the remainder of the trip so that she would stop fretting for at least a little while. Of course, he could imagine she’d shoot him in his sleep if he did THAT but, hell, at least he’d be able to rest as opposed to hearing her parade up and down the hall. Fortunately for them both, his simple words were enough to stir Palas from her mood and he snorted in mock disappointment that he wouldn’t be allowed to watch Lash’s face from the viewport of the airlock.

“Yeah yeah. You let me know when he’s done paying you back…I’ll toss him out then,” Doc said with a smirk. His eyes narrowed though as Palas stood up and walked close and he eyed her a tad warily until, without warning, she placed a quick kiss on his cheek and then activated the door. He’d never admit it, but that small sign of affection meant the world to him. In typical fashion though he growled and swatted at her, tossing a kick at her behind as she went out the door even though he made a point of missing. “BAH! Go on! None a' that.” He grumbled to himself until the door shut behind her and as he sat in the small chair in her room, he put two fingers to the spot her lips had touched and smiled in spite of himself. Of course, no one else would ever be allowed to see it. He cleared his throat even though he didn’t have an audience to show his bluster to and stood up stiffly. “I need a *&*%$ drink. I’m getting soft.”

Doc made his way down to the lounge area, inadvertently following in Palas’s footsteps and when he entered the room, it was to find Palas and Yunas both already there. “Great,” he muttered, “It’s a ^$^##!@%# party.” He looked between Palas and Yunas, quirking an eyebrow at the strange Bothan they had picked up so recently. He didn’t know enough about the guy to trust him and seeing as he had trust for very few even among those he DID know, he found himself wondering at what intentions Yunas really had. Was he going to really help Palas out? Was there really a buyer for the spice waiting for them or was this all a trap they were walking right into? There were simply too many questions, not enough answers, and far too little booze. Doc turned to the right, wandered over to a cabinet and rooted about until he found a bottle of something that looked potent enough to chase the old pains in his leg away for a while. With the bottle tight in his grip, he strode back out the door without so much as a word to either of the other two people and made his way to the bridge hoping to find a quiet seat with a view of the starfield.

When he arrived, however, it was to find both Lash and the young slave girl…what was her name again? Kass…Kell? Kess. That was it. Doc leaned against the doorframe and watched the two of them looking out the viewport. Oh they were a strange crew to be sure. It seemed somehow fitting though. The Jewel was a misfit ship. It was only natural that she’d wind up someday with a misfit crew. He unscrewed the cap on his bottle and drew a long swig off it before limping to a spare seat at one of the radar consoles and plopping down in it with a sigh. “How long till we get there, slick?” he asked, turning to Lash.

[Jenno]

(OOC: I ended this in a way that you guys/Meira could choose if you wanted to have another round before the landing or if Meira wanted to move this straight to the landing. Sorry for the amount of time it took but I have been rather busy this month.)

Lash smiled. “Kesslene, nice name. It’s a pleasure to meet you” he said sincerely. Turning back to face the flight console, the aging spacer couldn’t begin to imagine what this girl had been through in his lifetime. Lash shot a glance towards her, she was dainty, her arms thinner than even his were at that age, and he was no strapping commando. She was new to everything now, was she really safest on this ship? Probably not but where else was there for her? The warm and welcome arms of kindness were a rare embrace in this Galaxy. It was filled with crime and scum that would do anything to preserve their desire to live.

Kesslene would be a target for another slaver, if not worse. Unless they could really find her somewhere she would be safe, she’d be better off on the Jewel. But they’d have to teach and help her along. Perhaps Palas would instruct the girl in what she needed to know. After all, Palas was not a great brute, though she did share similar qualities to one in her personality, and she had managed to survive alone in the universe for quite some time.

When he was asked the question about hyperspace travel, he was quite surprised. Turning his attention away from the flashing lights Lash started his own little interpretation of a definition. “Well, the engine does most of the work. It kicks this pile of well-formed scrap to a speed faster than light. Don’t ask me about the specifics though, the nav computer deals with all the precise information. Just got to have the co-ordinations of the destination you want to go to and so long as everything’s running smoothly you should get there with no problems. And a great view of course.” He grinned with reassurance and sat back in the pilot’s chair calmly.

At the sound of movement behind him he turned around to see Doc had decided to join them. This was a rarity, for him to be in Lash’s presence, especially in what appeared to be a good mood. As the grouchy healer squatted down on one of the seats behind Kess he threw a question at Lash, in a fairly well-mannered fashion as well. Lash pivoted his head a little bit so he could face the Doc briefly with his response, at the moment his hands were lingering over a lever and a series of buttons. “Should be dropping out of hyperspace space in a few moments,” he announced to the doctor, “rare to see you in the cockpit old man.” Lash turned his eyes back to his sandbox as a flashing light indicated the approaching target location.

With a crackle-hiss of the ship’s communication system Lash made ready to spout out one of his ever-sought-after announcements. “Hello fellow travellers, this is your pilot speaking. We’re just about ready to drop out of hyperspace so I recommend you get… whatever it is you might need for this little expedition to Taris packed up and ready to move out. Estimated time until docking is 18 minutes. Lash out.” With a dull stab of static Lash turned the ship comm. off again and after a few moments of switch flicking and button tapping he clamped his hand down on the lever and he pulled it back down towards himself.

A flash of white dots replaced the serene blue tunnel that had been swallowing them earlier. A few moments later and all was as it should be, they’d been spat out of hyperspace and left to drag their way towards the planet of Taris. As the Jewel pushed itself towards the under-construction-city-planet, Lash couldn’t help but mutter. “I sure as hell hope we can make good on this exchange.” He had a lot riding on this deal, more than he liked and once they were down on solid ground Lash would no doubt discover an ambush of nervousness waiting for him. But for now with a ship at his fingertips he felt fine.

[Meira]

Lash's announcement came over the comm. and Palas nodded her head, pleased to know it was almost time to land. She was ready to get this whole thing over with and Doc's pep talk did a good deal to brighten her mood. The spice was ready in the cargo hold and she didn't need anything but her blaster at her side. Interestingly enough, Palas wasn't too nervous now. Usually, any deal made her nervous. Working alone did that to her. But this time she would have at least another person there with her.

Thinking about that now as she strapped herself into a seat, she should be nervous. She'd be taking Lash with her... he wasn't exactly the ideal person to have her back, in her mind, but she wasn't left with many options. Doc, as strong as he made himself out to be, was more of a liability than anything with that leg of his. Kess was out of the question for more than one reason, and she simply didn't trust Yunas enough.

....But she trusted Lash? Yes. She trusted him this far at least. He had as much riding on this deal as she did. They were both working for their lives. Even if she might not be able to trust him later on, she could trust him now. Why was she thinking about it so much? Palas shook her head, maybe she just needed to keep telling herself because she wasn't used to it.

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Sir, you asked to be informed when the Nui's Jewel landed?

Yes, thank you.

Tro Bona removed his clawed finger from the speak button on his comm. Turning to his guest who sat across the desk from him in his office, he bowed his head before standing to his feet.

I apologize, but I have an appointment. If you please.

Bona's clawed hand gestured towards the door. The human who'd been sitting moments ago stammered out his understanding before rising to his own feet and stepping out. Within minutes, a small number of armed men entered the office.

The ship known as the Nui's Jewel is harboring known criminals. You will apprehend the ship and its crew and secure all cargo aboard. However, you will wait until I give the order. Understood?

Yes sir.

The men turned and left the room to prepare. Bona called for two associates to come with him and then made his way toward his armored transport. He was scheduled to meet with the Twi'lek Palas at a nearby cantina. This of course was simply arranged for the ease of capturing those that had Greegar's bounty on their heads, as well as secure the spice they'd stolen. Bona had concocted a lovely plan to take the spice for himself and report to Greegar that it was not on board the ship when Palas arrived. Since he controlled the drug trade on Taris, it wouldn't be difficult to make a profit. That, on top of the bounty would prove to make his day most enjoyable.

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

Lash, you're with me on this one. Everyone else, make yourselves comfortable, we shouldn't be long.

Palas didn't waste her time, she turned away from the people she'd assembled in the common area of the ship. They wouldn't be taking the spice with them to this meeting, so Palas took the exit by the cockpit. She moved quickly across the dock to where a taxi transport was waiting. When she sat down in the back of the transport, she made to give the name of the cantina but was cut off.

Tro Bona will be waiting for you. I'll have you there shortly.

Well, interesting. Palas sat back in the seat and sighed. She wasn't entirely sure if it was a good thing that Tro Bona already knew they'd arrived. But there was nothing to do about it now. She turned her head towards Lash, but paused a moment before she spoke. She was about to tell him to keep his mouth shut while they met with this man, but changed her mind.

Keep your eyes open, ok? I'm getting a weird feeling about all of this.

Within minutes, the taxi slowed to a stop. Palas moved to hand the driver the fare, but the man refused, saying there was no need to pay. Again, Palas got that strange foreboding feeling. But again, there was nothing to do now but move forward. And so she did. She moved forward through the door of the cantina.

Ah, welcome. Please, have a seat Ms. Hak, Mr. Venedray. Tro Bona gestured toward the seats across the table before sitting down himself. I trust your journey here was enjoyable?

There isn't much about having a bounty on your head that's enjoyable. Palas said. She wasn't about to beat around the bush with this guy. He obviously knew who she was, which meant he likely knew about their troubles with Greegar.

Look, you're obviously well informed. She continued before Bona or anyone else could interject. So I'm not going to play games with you. You know our situation, so you surely know we're willing to let our cargo go for a more than reasonable price. So please, let's get down to the numbers so that we can all go home at least a little happier tonight.

Bona chuckled, clasping his clawed hands together on top of the table. I like your spirit. I rarely get to meet with such honest and straightforward people here in my business. It is most refreshing. Well then, I'll get straight to it. I am indeed aware of your situation my dear, you are right about that. But I'm a decent man. I'll pay well for your cargo. How does one hundred thousand sound?

It sounded just dandy to Palas. But she kept her face straight, lifting her bottom lip slightly as if to consider the offer. She took a few moments before slowly nodding her head.

That sounds fair to me. When will you have the money.

You can come with me now if you like.

Behind Bona, two men stepped forward. They seemed innocent enough, as if they were simply preparing to escort their employer back to his office, but there was something about the way they stood that gave Palas a chill. Her eyes flitted over to Lash at her side before she brought them back under control. She relaxed her shoulders that had quickly tightened before speaking.

I'd prefer more neutral ground if it's all the same.

Tro Bona tilted his head slightly His following words carried an unmistakable air of amusement. I think you'll find that all ground on Taris belongs to me, my dear.

And then there it was, a subtle flick of Bona's claw. It was all a set up, a trap. Palas jumped to her feet, only to be grabbed roughly by the arms. Someone behind her removed her blaster from its holster, then there came unbearable pain as her lekku were squeezed. She'd barely let out a cry before the world around her faded to black.

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

Copy that. Ok, let's move.

The ten man team was quick to act after receiving the order. They'd already took positions within the docks to surround the ship. Intel had informed them that there was likely to be at least one being still on board the ship. Quickly, the moved in, took positions at the entrance, then quickly moved in to secure the Nui's Jewel.


((OK everyone, let's get one more post in each. Remember that we are ALL being captured. Once everyone's posted, I'll put up a link to the thread we'll be jumping into.))

[Mara]

With the announcement that they would be landing soon, Trevil saved his game and downloaded his opponent's last move into his datapad, along with all the other past moves. It would be there whenever he came back to it, and in the meantime he could analyze how best to beat the computer brain. Something he hadn't been able to do yet. Without cheating, of course. Playing without cheating or slicing was a real challenge to him. Almost... fun.

He found the nearest crash couch and strapped the webbing around him, preparing for reaching the ground of Taris. The Bothan stared at his datapad. Though he knew almost right away what move he wanted to make next, he checked all the other possibles. Partly to make sure, partly to keep his mind off of the spice deal he had set up.

Somehow, that Aqualish contact had come up too easily. At first he had figured it had because he had set parameters to find the closest being to their location on Tatooine that could buy the cargo off of them with the least amount of questions asked. Not a hard task; in this area of the galaxy there were plenty of businessbeings who didn't want to attract attention to himself. It wasn't until later, though, that he had realized another buyer had actually been closer in location than the one on Taris. Perhaps his program had just glitched. And he figured one buyer wouldn't really be any better than the other.

Trevil's eyes glazed over a bit after staring but not looking at his datapad for a few minutes. He needed nothing to go wrong with this deal. If something did, Palas would certainly blame him, though there was nothing he could do about it. The Bothan would never double-cross someone who still had a purpose in his general scheme. No, it wouldn't be his fault. After all, these beings willing to buy shady cargo didn't exactly put out Holo-ads declaring their legality and superb character.

His fur settled noticeably after the landing when Palas said that he and Kess wouldn't be joining them for the meeting. Perhaps if anything happened, by the time she returned, all would be forgiven. After all, the cantina they were to meet the buyer was a fair distance from where they had landed. Trevil unstrapped and headed back to the game table to finish his pazaak match.

The Bothan didn't really know why he was being so pessimistic about the deal. Why he was being paranoid about things going wrong. So what if this wasn't actually the closest buyer? Palas had asked him to find someone, and he did. And now she was on her way to finish the deal. Plus, she had Lash with her. A bit of a dimwitted human, for sure, but Trevil had confidence that with the two of them together they would do fine.

Now to go back to his game...

---

Three games later, three losing games, Trevil's fur was sticking up all on ends. He had no idea where the girl was, so focused he was on his game. He had been so close the last time, but a move he hadn't seen coming had demolished him. For computers, this one was quite smart, as far as his personal experience. Trevil knew he could just hack in and make the game go his way, but, no, he wanted to win this on equal terms. Despite all the illegal things he had done in the past and might still do, this pazaak game was a sense of honor for him. In some demented part of his brain, he knew he would feel better beating it without cheating.

With a deep breath, he started up a new game. And then there was a crashing sound. Confused, he looked under the gaming table to see if some wires had come loose. No, all was fine. He shrugged in as humanly a way as a Bothan could and sat up straight. Glancing around the room, he saw that the slave girl Kess was no longer napping on the couch on the other side of the room. Trevil was just thinking that perhaps she went for food, and that he was hungry too when something struck him from behind, knocking him from his seat and onto the floor. He was just registering that he had been shot when all thoughts disappeared from his consciousness.



[to Jailbirds...]

[.:Falcon:.]

Kess leaned forward as she saw they were about to land. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lash buckling himself in, and followed his example, fumbling with the harness. She kept her hands carefully away from the controls. She didn't want to make them crash. As the planet came ever closer, Kess smiled. Wow.

When they landed, Palas told them only Lash would be accompanying her, which was a bit disappointing. A whole new planet! After they left, she curled up on a couch and watched the Bothan play a game on the holopod. Her head slowlybegan to dip, and a moment later she was fast asleep.

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

Kess awoke hungry. Glancing at the Bothan, who was still playing at the pod, she pushed off of the couch and went to the galley. After finding a hunk of breead and some fruit, she was headed back to the lounge when the entire ship shook. Moments later, she heard a familiar sound- blasters. She cringed back against the wall. Oh no.

Someone rounded the corner, roughly shouted, and then started walking towards her. "You're little. You won't give me a bit of trouble, will you?" Kess backed away, but he effortlessly reached out and grabbed her around the waist. Kess immediately doze in terror. She had escaped one terror and one captor, merely to find another.

[Otterling]

Doc leaned back in his seat, his half empty bottle clutched in his grip, while Palas gave them all the lowdown on their plan. He didn’t like it. Not one bit. Years of space travel, moving from one smuggler’s ship to another, had given the older man a good intuition about such things and something was screaming that this entire deal wasn’t going to end well. The contact had been too convenient, the buyer too close, the bothan too untrustworthy in his opinion, though that didn’t really count since the list of people he DID trust wouldn’t have taken up one hand to count. More than anything, it bothered Doc that he wasn’t going to be going with Palas to make the deal and he had argued with her till he was blue in the face about it but in the end she had a point he couldn’t get around. He was a liability. His forsaken leg and blind eye meant he simply wasn’t going to be as good in a fight as Lash would, couldn’t move as fast to get them out of danger. It wasn’t the first time he had cursed his own broken body. He doubted highly it would be the last.

Right on cue, a streak of pain shot up through his left hip, a reminder that he was long overdue on some maintenance for his prosthetic. The leg had seen far too many battles and far too little proper upkeep but that was what good liquor was for. If he drank enough, he could drown the pain, both physical and emotional. Doc’s fingers curled tightly over the bottle as he watched Palas leave the room. It was funny how he had that horrid feeling in his gut he’d never see her again and he decided to drown it in a few good gulps of something potent enough to peel paint. He turned an eye to the bothan who was starting up a game again and then looked over at the young girl laying down for a nap. Trouble, the both of them, and he knew it but as much as he hated it, he knew Palas was too good a person to turn them away either. It was part of why he liked her though he’d never admit it aloud. She was a decent being in a galaxy that had little mercy for good people. He just hoped it wouldn’t get her killed.

_________________________________________________

It hadn’t taken long for Doc to get bored watching the bothan play games and the girl fall asleep, about three minutes in total really, and he’d headed back for the relative quiet and comfort of his small medical office to drown his worry in enough alcohol to pickle his liver. He was well underway in this task, his fingers flipping idly through some of the medical records he’d recently taken of the crew, when he heard a loud crash and what sounded like a blaster shot. He wished he could say he was on his feet in an instant but it took him a few moments to struggle into a standing position, the alcohol having dulled the nerves connected to his leg and therefore making it hard to control the blasted thing. He’d barely found his feet, his blaster in his hand, before the door to his room snapped open and he faced three heavily armed and armored men. Their faces were concealed behind simple cloth coverings but their eyes were still visible and all three sets were staring at the blaster in Doc’s grip. He wasn’t going to be able to raise it in time and they all knew it. Their weapons were already drawn and trained on him, it wouldn’t take much to just pull a trigger but it seemed like they were intent on taking prisoners instead since one of them took a tentative step forward and leveled his blaster at Doc’s head.

“Alright, old man. We can do this easy or we can do it hard.”

Doc curled his lip in derision. He wasn’t that old. Why did people keep calling him that? “Ya sound like a retard, boy. Where’d ya learn THAT line? Watching old holovids?” The comment didn’t seem to earn him any points with his attackers as the lead man narrowed his eyes in irritation. Maybe that was the best line he could come up with. A sad thought really. If he was going to be captured, Doc would rather have preferred some witty repartee with someone, some one on one banter to liven things up. Apparently the best he could ask for would be stale lines and clichés. What was next? Was this idiot going to say something cheesy like ‘Don’t make me hurt you’??

“Look, don’t make me hurt you more than we need to.”

Of course, Doc thought as he rolled his eyes. His attention was caught however as the man pulled out a small handheld device and pointed it at him. “Great, what now? You big bad mercs afraid of some ‘old man’? Or is it just that you know I’m gonna break my metal foot off in your ***** so hard you’ll die choking on the taste of my toes if you put those toys of yours away?” The men in the doorway snorted and one almost made the mistake of putting his gun down to take up the challenge, something Doc very much wanted so he could shoot the stupid SOB right between the eyes, but his teammate put up a restraining hand. Apparently they weren’t ALL as dumb as they looked. The leader took a step forward and aimed the small handheld device at Doc’s chest. “What the #$%@()^ is THAT? You gonna taze me or AAAAAGGGHHH!!!!!!!”

Doc spasmed as the diodes connected with his chest, sending a load of electricity through every muscle in his body. His leg shorted immediately, overloaded by the voltage running through it which had interrupted the normal electrical signals it got from his brain. The appendage buckled under him and he slammed to the ground convulsing for a second until the current stopped. The three men stood over him now, silhouetted against the lights overhead. “I was joking you SONUVABAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!!” Another jolt of current tore through his body and as the world faded out to black around the edges, Doc was pretty sure he heard the men around him laughing.

[Jenno]

Another safe landing by Lash Venedray, pilot extraordinaire, that was the sentiment behind the recovering alcoholic’s latest beaming smile. They were safely docked upon Taris, the planet which was gradually being restored by the Republic. As he powered down the piloting controls of the ship, Lash stretched his arms up with an aching glee, it really had been a while since he’d piloted this much, it was a surprise to him how much his muscles had atrophied.

But that wasn’t important right now. Lash had done his job, he’d flown the ship and brought them down nice and safely, now all he had to do was wait for Palas and Yunas to get the deal sorted. Moving into the common room where the others had gathered, he sat down, still grinning, and lifted his feet up onto the table. Cushioning the back of his head in his hands he watched as their fearless leader strolled out to deliver some glorifying speech about the freedom that awaited them. Instead, she shattered Lash’s perfect mental image of rest and relaxation with two sentences. His smile flat lined and as his feet slid off the central table he leaned forward, mouth arching with protest.

“Wait! Why can’t I stay on the ship!?” he called out to the trailing purple lekku of their captain. When he saw that she had either not heard him or, more likely, chosen to ignore him, Lash sank back into his seat and with a sigh uttered the words “ah kriff”. When he stood up his body moved so slowly it seemed as though age itself had seeped out of his muscles leaving him feeling weak and frail. This was not what he had signed up for. Not that he had signed up for anything.

Making sure his pistol was, like always, on his person, he cast a last hapless look to the three lucky ones who sat safe and sound in the comforts of the common area and headed out the same route as Palas. He jogged up a few paces behind her and then slowed down to match her speed. Still caught up in his desire to not be heading to the deal he sparked up something of a conversation. “Do I really have to be the one to come with you on this? I know I’m involved but, I’m the ship guy,” he stated earnestly, “I just fly the ship. Why can’t you take Yunas, he’s the one who somehow knows this guy?” They got into the transport only to have the driver tell them where they would be going.

Lash didn’t really lend any attention to him however as he was still looking at Palas, who was not returning that courtesy. “You do remember my loyalty speech right? About how if we’re not in the air, I’ve got none of it? Face to face confrontation does not sit well with me, I get nervous, I ramble, my palms get sweaty. It’s not a pretty sight!” Lash paused for a moment as his brow knit; he was rubbing his hands together slowly. Suddenly he looked to Palas with a concerned expression. “I think it’s already started…”

She turned to face him; his eyes were wide and open with self-induced worry. Hers were grasped with a sharp sense of wit.

“Keep your eyes open, ok? I'm getting a weird feeling about all of this.”

All the built up anxiety froze in Lash’s muscles at Palas’ response, she hadn’t even been remotely listening to him. “And I’m getting the weird feeling that you’re not listening to me, oh mighty and benevolent Captain.” As Lash sat back he was a bit unhappy that he’d been ignored, but as time passed, and he thought about the things he’d been saying, he realised if Palas had been listening he probably would have been hit. That was something else he didn’t like. Always saviour of the day, always getting beaten up the short twi’lek girl, the two weren’t meant to be so synonymous.

Watching as the driver refused the fare, Lash was set a little on edge. They walked towards the entrance of the cantina, and Lash instinctively leaned towards Palas uttering, “now that I think about it, I have a baaaaad feeling about this.” He wiped his hands upon his jacket as they walked in. This Tro Bona bade them sit and the pair quickly complied. This was one of the rare occasions Lash decided his lips would be better kept sealed.

Palas and Tro exchanged words a few times and Lash got the impression that the Captain was not perhaps used to making offers regarding such, to them, large amounts of money. But the conversation was progressing well enough for the time being, enough for Lash to relax a little bit in his seat. It was taking a lot of strength to stop himself from ordering a drink, or twenty; it would easily have calmed him.

But as soon as the two men stepped forward behind Bona, Lash was victim to his own nerves once again. And he quickly understood that he had good reason to be worried. Here he was, no spaceships, just blaster pistols and muscle, he was easy pickings here. Then with that powerful and self-assured look of amusement, Bona tightened his clawed grip upon them. Lash saw Palas being lifted by strong arms and shifted to protest, but then he was caught in the same situation. He watched helplessly as his blaster pistol was removed from its holster and instantly started kicking up a fuss. “Hey! Give me back my blaster, that’s got extreme sentimental value!“ he cried out. With a brutish bash to the back of his brain, Lash was knocked unconscious. When he woke up his head would be throbbing like another night on Nar Shaddaa.

[Meira]

Woot! Go Jewel Crew!

Alright here's the link to the jail thread: Jailbirds