Star Wars: Enemies of the Empire - Unexpected Allies

[SalmonMax]

"Have you forgotten what was waiting for us before?" Arcata asks archly. "She was able to commandeer an Interdictor class Star Destroyer and route it to our destination ahead of us. We are not ready for a direct confrontation. Your courage is admirable, but it's causing you to play directly into her hands. Scrambling to stay ahead of her may not be appealing, but it is for the moment necessary."

[Kel Uno]

"Much as I'm not likely to do too much of it, I'm agreeing with Arcata." Kel agreed emphatically, giving Kayda a look of disbelief. "I'm not keen on getting into a fight with the Inquisitor, or the Imps she drags along, much less so soon. Survival before pride, lady. Your lack of hiding already caused me and my captain a ton of trouble."

[Noir]

"Well.." Mar said as she shifted in his seat to look over at Kayda, "...there is a difference between hiding and not intentionally drawing attention to yourself. Granted, many will likely not recognize what you are wearing as anything more than simple traveler's garb. But those who do recognize it might not be always be people we want attention from. Especially in certain places. There is something to be said for blending in often times."

 

A rapid, heavy clicking on the deckplates echoed down the hall, quickly growing louder and louder until the twin droids ran into the common area. The lead droid just halted in time to avoid hitting Tal, who was standing, causing the second droid to run into the first comically. The two droids then straightened up and faced Kel.

"We have completed our primary assessment of the ship, sir." the first droid stated.

"Our damage report is ready at your leisure, sir." the second droid added.

"Let's here it." Kel told the droids.

The droid began to relay their report, alternating back forth from one droid to the other, each taking a turn to state a point,

1. "The primary hyperdrive is out of commission, but the backup is fully functional."
2. "Flight controls are lightly damaged, but functional."
3. "The engines have suffered damage, but operational at approximately 75% capacity."
4. "The hull itself has suffered little more than superficial damage."
5. "The primary shield generators are blown. The auxiliary shield generators are functional at approximately 75% capacity. The ship can still raise full shields with the use of the backup shield generators."
6. "The fire control systems for both laser cannon turrets and the proton torpedo launcher are damaged and not tracking properly, but still partially functional."
7. "The right side laser cannon turret has been damaged, reducing it's output to approximately 80%."
8. "The ion canon turret has suffered heavy damage and is still functional, with it's output at approximately 65%."
9. "The ship is currently functioning on only reserve power from the secondary energizer."
10. "In addition to the vegetation needing to be cleared off the ship and any related damage repaired, most systems.require at least basic servicing and maintenance."

"That sounds just slightly better than I was expecting." Mar commented, "She seems to be a good ship though. She just needs some love and attention."

Mar looked over the simple, sleek white interior of the ship in contemplation for a moment before nodding to himself and turning to Zaylee.

"And there is no need to call dibs on the captain's quarters. Considering that we had to abandon your ship in order to make our escape, I think it only fair that this be your ship, Zaylee. I am sure that nothing could ever replace that ship, but maybe this one can help ease the loss." the older man said with a small smile peeking out from behind his bushy mustache as he rested a hand on her shoulder.

Tal took a seat, thinking aloud as he went over the information gain of the ship,

"Twin laser turrets. An Ion turret. Rear firing proton torpedo launcher? Hmm.. I am sure there is a story behind that. An extra energizer to make sure there is enough juice for the weapon systems. It could also allow the ship to 'run silent' for an hour or so, when most ships can do it for a handful of minutes at best. All of the aftermarket weapons are visually concealed and sensor baffled too. And a code masker to boot? It is armed arguably better than the Cruiser, with better shields, especially when fully operational. She's relatively fast with a remarkable hyperdrive, if we can repair it. Even the backup hyperdrive is twice as fast as the galactic standard."

"This ship quite a sleeper and rude surprise for anybody who picks a fight with it.. when fully functional, at least."

"The workshop is good for making repairs or maintaining equipment, speeders and droids.The sickbay has a bacta tank? That is remarkable for a craft of this size. This ship is quite self-sufficient, really. About the only limiting factor is food and fuel. That suite in the back is unusual though. Maybe they were shuttling the wealthy or nobility and wanted to make sure they could take care of anything that could possibly happen? Hmm... A good ship, and I am sure she has many stories to tell..." Tal pondered aloud.

[Zaylee Zanne]

The more she heard about the ship, the more excited Zaylee was getting. True, they had traded away a fair bit of cargo space, but they certainly hadn't wasted it, considering the enhanced systems and capabilities the ship had. She really wanted to take a look at the workshop Kel had mentioned. A doubtful grin crossed her lips as the pair of repair droids made their report - she really hoped they were better at maintenance and repair work on the ship than their bumbling manner would suggest. If she had to wipe their memories, they'd lose whatever experience Frick and Frack had developed with the ship.

Oddly enough, despite still holding a bit of blame towards Kayda for costing her the Endless Odyssey, Zaylee didn't seem much concerned with the Jedi's choice of attire. The inquisitor had found them anyway even when Kayda had been hiding. And while Zaylee was sure she was proud to reveal her true status, Zaylee was equally sure Kayda would know when to be more circumspect when the situation required it - she hadn't escaped imperial notice, hadn't survived this long being careless.

"Well, it's the least you could have done," Zaylee replied when Mar made the generous offer of giving her the ship. She tried to sound as if it was nothing more than her due, straightening her slender shoulders primly. But there was too much gratitude in her voice, and when she looked up at Mar standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder, her lips were spread in a wide grin and her cheeks were bright with colour, while she ran a hand over the arm of her chair possessively. "Truly, I thank you for this, Mar." She snorted a small laugh. "Besides, without the Endless Odyssey, I have the time to give her all the love and attention she needs."

Without a ship, how could she call herself a Trader and a Captain? It wasn't home, but the Quasar Ray could still at least be a place to live. Invigorated, able to retain her identity, even if it was only in her own view, she clapped her hands, making plans and prioritizing.

"Okay, we have a lot of work ahead of us, folks." The petite ship captain and mechanic sounded entirely too enthusiastic about the prospect. "I want us splitting up in teams, those of us with any applicable mechanical or technical skills pairing up with those without where possible. I'll see what I can do about Hyperdrive and engines. I need a team to set up a power transfer from the Cruiser, another to clear the dirt and vegetation from the hull and thrusters, and someone to service the life support systems. That's just to start. We'll take a look at the shields and weapon systems afterwards. Kel, take a look onboard computers and make sure the various systems are communicating with each other probably."

She leaned over to Kel, dropping her voice. "While you are doing that, take a look for any ship or captain's log. They'd probably be, uh, secured, but I want to know if there might be anyone else looking to make a claim on this ship. It's pretty unique."

Zaylee popped to her feet, pacing animated as she continued voicing her plans to get the scout ship spaceworthy once more. "When I have a chance, I'll see what other components I can make for you in the Workshop," she said, nodding at Kayda. "Also, people, start thinking about what we're going to do with the cruiser. I know several junkers we can off load it to, quick and no questions, but we won't get many credits for it. Or... we can see if we can contact the Rebellion. They should be willing to pay much more for it, and would make better use of it, but at the least, that will take more time, unless any of you have any entirely too convenient connections with the Rebels."

There was also another option that would likely pay well and wouldn't ask any questions, but as a Trader, Zaylee was loathed to arm any pirates and she didn't consider it a real option. There was also the feasibility that any pirates they met would decide to take possession of the cruiser along with the scout ship, without any transfer of credits at all.

[Kayda Vayawn]

Kayda watched silently as Glint went through his exercises against the remote. She had to stifle the urge to correct his every mistake, instead letting him find his own way with only the general instruction from her now and again. We need to find some crystals thinking to herself her eyes wandering over to the new ship, we desperately need another saber.

After Zaylee had taken charge Kayda had volunteered Glint and herself for the most physical of the tasks , the clearing of the over growth from the ship. Glint had assumed that Kayda would make short work with her saber, Kayda had other things in mind.

As the two labored in the humid air working their backs and legs and arms, Kayda had begun her Instruction. She asked questions, lectured and the two discussed all things that Glint had been taught at the Temple so many years ago and as they continued he began to recall in better detail more and more. After the days labor, She would instruct glint on how to sense and control the force by having him do various things usually while balanced on a ball, some times on his hands or even one handed. She also instructed him with he saber. However with only  one saber the best she could do was show then let him practice with the remote.

This was how they passed the days of repairing the craft.

Kayda called a halt for the night. "You are progressing well Glint, you have remembered much of your training. Hopefully soon we will be able to step things up." They said their goodnights and Kay instead of goignt o sleep took a quiet walk alone through the ship, opening herself to the force, seeking...

[z-Roki Fuja]

“I have basic technical abilities,” he told the newly-confirmed captain as she tried to figure out who would be assigned what tasks. “I could help with the life support -- I have assisted others with that in the past.”

It was a Mon Calamari ship, but he doubted it would be so alien that he’d be useless. Most ships had some similarities in their systems.

“Roki and I can work on that together,” Mar told Zaylee with a nod to the former Stormtrooper.

“I am comfortable with that.” Plus, he wanted to be sure that the system in particular worked: he wanted to be assured of their ability to survive in the cold, merciless depths of space.

[SalmonMax]

"I would be most effective on communications," Arcata reported. Somehow she managed to make it feel like an order about where to put her, rather than simply providing information. "I have training in encryption/decryption protocols, and signals intelligence."

[Kel Uno]

Kel simply nodded when Zaylee gave him her instructions, all the more so with the more private part about looking into the logs. A little thing that would stay between themselves unless the boss decided otherwise.

[Noir]

 

On 12/27/2015 at 5:17 PM, SalmonMax said:

"I would be most effective on communications," Arcata reported. Somehow she managed to make it feel like an order about where to put her, rather than simply providing information. "I have training in encryption/decryption protocols, and signals intelligence."

"Tal and I know the cruiser pretty well, so he can set up the transfer while Roki and myself check the life support systems, but he will need some help, and the droids are best used on this ship." Mar said as he looked to Arcata, "So like it or not, that leaves you, my dear."

"And once you have the transfer set up you will need to keep an eye on it. While you are doing that you can monitor the passive sensors and comms on the cruiser... just in case."

"With the knowledge the droids have of the ship, it is probably best that you take at least one of them to help out, Captain." Mar suggested, adding the title with a smile.

"If you only take one, then we can use the other." he added.

 

The work on the ship was straightforward, but plentiful and easily occupied the next two days...

 

Setting up the transfer of power from the Cruiser to the Quasar Ray took a bit of inventiveness, but progressed well with Tal and Arcata connecting the ships with several cables and hoses to charge the replenish the scout ships fuel stores at least part way.

Tal was an easy enough person to work with. He was talkative, but not annoyingly so, and seemed friendly, often trying to lighten or brighten the mood with small bits of humor. He was still a young man, but quite optimistic and even had a hint of chivalry about him, possibly from Mar's tales of the Jedi along many a late night patrols.

 

Zaylee, accompanied by Frick, serviced the hyperdrives and engines. The output of the engines were reduced by roughly a quarter, and Zaylee could easily see what need to be repaired and placed and even know how to do so, but the small captain lacked the parts to do so, which was a bit frustrating.

With a tuning Zaylee and Frick had the backup hyberdrive purring and ready to go, while it was clear that the primary hyperdrive, with all of the custom modifications made to it, would take some real time, effort and care to repair... if only the parts were on hand.

Working with the droid was a bit enlightening. Though calm when at rest, the droid seemed to be programmed with a certain eagerness that resulted in the occasional bumbling as it moved from task to task, but would set about making repairs quickly and competently when given a chance. The droid almost seemed frustrated though, waiting on Zaylee and at taking the time to use it's vocabulator to speak with her when the verbalized or transmitted droidspeak it used with Frack, it's counterpart, was so much faster.

 

Mar and Roki had already known each other, even if just barely in passing. Mar had a quiet confidence, likely from decades of experience and was far more of a leader than a commander, in general. Rank and position was irrelevant now, not that it ever really impact how Mar spoke to people aside from the occasional superior officer. He was happy to make small talk while they worked, making an effort to get to know Roki better and try to put him a little more at ease with their uncertain future.

The life support systems checked out as well as could be expected with little more than a insignificant power draw, likely from a loose connection or a wire that was had lost it's shrouding. With all the modifications made to the ship, it was no surprise. Either way it was small enough to not be worth the considerable effort to track it down now.

The ship's stores of consumables were mostly gone, so the cruiser's consumables would need to be transferred to the Quasar Ray.

 

With some effort and a slicing pad, Kel managed to get into the ships' logs and began to go through them. The crew did not make note of anything illegal, of course, and the logs were maintained just well enough to not draw attention, mostly listing departures and destinations for small cargo runs and the occasional passenger. The Quasar Ray appeared to be owned by a Maddis Rater, who is listed as Captain, with the 1st Mate listed as Shalima. No other crew are entered, nor are any gunners. According to the logs they functions mostly as a rapid shuttle service for VIPs and had the luxury suite built and sickbay expanded to make sure that any possible issues could be handled. The droids have been with the ship for several years, with Frick and Frack from six years ago, but nothing else of significant interest.

They had managed to acquire a code masker an illegal and were careful enough to only program in a single alternate transponder code for the Typhoon Star.

 

The vegetation encroaching on the ship was significant, but had to be cleared so the hull could be fully inspected. This was simply task though, as the plants grew back rapidly. The rate of growth seemed normal enough, but the plants would replace lost branches, roots and vines at a rapid pace of a couple of inches per hour of sunlight.

Both of the young Jedi could feel the strength of The Force around them while they worked. The moon, though small, was utterly teeming with life. It was comforting in a way as compared to the space stations or the open prairies of Finnare, making the heat and humidity slightly more bearable.

Once the vegetation was clear the hull could be inspected. The hull had been patched several times in various places and a few scorches from laser blasts were clear, but any damage largely superficial. It was clear that the Quasar Ray had certainly seen its fair share of conflicts in just a few decades of service, but the hull was is quite good shape over all.

That night, as the others slept, Kayda walked the corridors of the quiet ship, opening herself to the force, trying to discern and understand the connection the ship had to the Force. It was difficult to pick up though, the connection to the Force was very minor and generally overpowered by the strength of the Force on the planet generated by all of the life and unspoiled wilderness. Frustration began to creep into Kayda's mind which she pushed out with a deep breath as she relaxed, recalling the training of her master, Otoka Bis, trusting that the mystery of the ship's connection to the force would be revealed in time.

 

The next day was much of the same, clearing the rest of the vegetation, and that which had already started to grow back, as well as continuing to monitor the jury rigged power and fuel transfer while the others set about checking the sensors, shields and weapon systems more thoroughly 

The ship had quite good sensors, as it was a scout ship, and they were about the only system that was not in any way damaged.

The initial assessment was correct about the shields though. The shield emitters were fully functional, but the primary shield generators were totally shot and would need to be replaced. Most of the secondary shield generators, a feature common to Mon Calamari designs to which Zaylee had become most appreciative, were damaged, but still functional enough to allow the shields to be raised by going through the extra step of bringing them online.

Virtually every weapon was damaged in some way, with the fire control computers having multiple fried circuits and both side turrets had their outputs reduced, decreasing their range and power, while the rear-firing proton torpedo launcher, and odd place to mount one, still had two torpedoes remaining in the magazine. 

By dusk on the second day the transfer of power, fuel and consumables was complete and what repairs that could be made were done, though they were very minor in the scheme of this. Despite Zaylee's one mechanical ability and her familiarity with mon cal ships, along with the droids, she would need a proper dock and plenty of parts to make any of the major repairs.

 

As the twin suns set on the horizon the well worn crew gathered in the common area for the evening meal where Tubby was demonstrating his culinary talents...

"Well, that about does it." Mar said as he slumped into a seat.

"The Quasar Ray has partial fuel, power is restored and she is restocked. She's as good as we can get her without cannibalizing the cruiser and sending any value it has down a black hole." he explained before drinking down a glass of water.

"Now we just need to figure out where to sell the cruiser. I doubt any of us have the inclination to sell it to pirates. I know I sure don't. A junker would be fast, easy and safer, but we would get only a fraction of its worth. So if we want enough credits to make some decent repairs to the Quasar Ray and have a sum for rainy days, then it looks like we need to get a hold of some Rebels and hope they are well funded and in need of a Customs Cruiser. I do not know any rebels personally, but I know two places we can probably contact them. Other than that, Arcata might know of some rebels, or at least suspected rebels, but I am not sure how they would react to seeing her. I have no desire for a shoot out." Mar mused.

"And we need to figure out how to split the crew to take both ships too." Tal piped in.

 

Spoiler

Any of you can make a Knowledge/Streetwise roll to see if you might know of a person or place to contact the rebels. 

 

 

[Kel Uno]

Kel quietly mentioned Rater and Shalima to Zaylee, as per her instructions, and did not say a word thereafter. When Mar and Tal discussed the idea of talking to Rebels, Kel already had an idea of where to go. "There's Rebel affiliates in a shadowport called the Pit. We can reach out from there."

[Glint]

Glint slumps bonelessly into one of the chairs, running his hands through his hair, he nods in thanks to Tubby as he is passed a plate of.... whatever it is. He doesn't seem to much care about whatever went into it, it's warm and filling. Growing up the way he had, he learned long ago to never turn his nose up at free food. Never know when the next time you were going to eat was. He goes very still as Mar passes him, almost curled around the plate. Only relaxing once Mar was out of arms reach, grip on his fork loosening. His doesn't even seem to realise his reaction and the meal is gone in record time after that.

Sitting back with a pleased look on his face, he picks up a slate to peruse something or other, interjecting here and there.

"I'm personally for trying to find some Rebels, for what it's worth. Junkers will rip you off, from personal experience. And Pirates will agree to pay you whatever, meet up for the tradeoff, then kill you anyway and abscond with both ship and creds. And that's not even getting into the murdering thieves bit. Rather not make deals with them unless absolutely necessary. Leaves me with an oily feeling in the back of my throat."

He stretches, joints audibly popping and lets out a sigh of enjoyment.

"That's better. As far as the who goes where on which ship, I don't much mind, only thing I'm really decent at on ships like these is shooting, and if it comes to that, we're in some serious bantha dung. Only preference is that whichever ship Kayda ends up going on, I go with as well. Beyond that...." He shrugs.

"Gotta say though. Gonna actually miss this mudball, for all that we've only spent a couple of days here, it's muggy as hell and the bugs are bigger than my head, it's.... strangely peacefull. Havn't been this at ease in a long time. Maybe it's just having a purpose again, but.... eh. It's neither here nor there. What do other folks reckon?"

He looks around inquiringly.

[Kayda Vayawn]

22 hours ago, Glint said:

"That's better. As far as the who goes where on which ship, I don't much mind, only thing I'm really decent at on ships like these is shooting, and if it comes to that, we're in some serious bantha dung. Only preference is that whichever ship Kayda ends up going on, I go with as well. Beyond that...." He shrugs.

"Gotta say though. Gonna actually miss this mudball, for all that we've only spent a couple of days here, it's muggy as hell and the bugs are bigger than my head, it's.... strangely peacefull. Havn't been this at ease in a long time. Maybe it's just having a purpose again, but.... eh. It's neither here nor there. What do other folks reckon?"

He looks around inquiringly.

Nodding Kayda shares her opinion.

"I think I would prefer to stay aboard the 'Ray. As for missing this planet, Glint, you and I agree." She scans the room. "I would suggest that it become our base of operations. It is off the beaten track and seems a safe place for us to remain safe while we finish the repairs and then continue with whatever it is we decide to do.."

[z-Roki Fuja]

Roki had been surprised by how much he enjoyed being on a planet. Growing up in a mining asteroid, he’d never really experienced being on a planet’s surface, or the odd feeling of not living under some kind of ceiling. Last night, he’d laid on the top of the cruiser and stared at the stars until he got dizzy. He’d felt like he was going to fall into them.

Yet the freedom of being on the planet was appealing, too. He’d been able to stare into the distance, without an obstacle to his view. That had made him feel dizzy, too, but he didn’t care. Nothing was as bad as the crawling feeling across his skin that was the Force. That was supposed to be the Force, he corrected every time he thought about it.

Tubby deposited a plate in front of Roki as he sat down with the others, which he stared at with disinterest before picking up his silverware. He stabbed his fork into the local tuber hard enough to make a noise. “I can fly the cruiser,” he said, “though not as well as Zaylee. I also would not part her from her new ship so soon.

“As far as where, I’m fine with turning to the Rebels,” Roki finished, taking a bite. It wasn’t like he could get into more trouble than he already was with his former employers.

[Zaylee Zanne]

Zaylee shivered in her seat. Unlike the other force users, she wouldn't miss the planet. She had stayed on the Ray as much as possible, but she could feel the teeming life outside the hull and it unnerved her. It was too green, had too much scent, the lights of the suns through atmosphere looked somehow... wrong to her eyes. It was also filthy, probably teeming with disease, and the gorram weather seemed to changed at a Hutt's whim. Give me less the thrum of the thrusters beneath the deck plates and manually controlled climate any day, thank you!

Zaylee's whole body was sore, having pushed herself hard to get the ship, her ship, in shape to fly, but it was a good soreness. She made pleased noises as she ate, absently acknowledging Tubby's culinary skills. There were many things she was good at - cooking wasn't one of them and she had tended to buy whatever consumables were cheapest and took the least space that still had all the nutrients needed to sustain her and her crew. But if this was what Tubby could accomplish with what they had transferred from the Imperial Cruiser and gathered from the moon, she would have to give more thought to what she took on for food.

She nodded as Kel relayed what he found in the logs, promising herself she'd read them entirely as time allowed, then she nodded at the others. "Well, then, looks like we're heading to the Pit, unless anybody else has a better idea? I don't." Zaylee did know of several shadowports, but trying to keep a low profile as a Trader, she hadn't gone out of her way to make any contacts among the Rebels or the Empire. I guess that's going to be changing... "As for crews... "

Zaylee bowed her head at Roki, a bright grin blooming on her face. "You're quite right, Roki, I'm not giving up the helm of the Ray so soon, even if she still needs a lot of parts and care to be pretty again. How 'bout we keep people with what they are familiar with? Kel and I will take the Ray, with Kayda and Glint to round out our numbers, and you, Mar, Tal, and Arcata take the Cruiser? People can transfer over when we dock at the Pit and in a pinch, if we get stopped by other Imperials on route, we might bluff that you've impounded the Ray and are taking her in."

Zaylee scraped up the last of the sauce on her plate with a bit of bread and popped it in her mouth, then leaned back in her chair as she chewed it down contemplatively. "Not sure about this place as a base of operations," she said after she swallowed. "It out of the way, that's true, but there's nothing here and the repairs we can do on the ship is limited. It'll take some credits to make this place of any use other than a place to hide, so let's see what we can get for the Cruiser first, hmm?"

[Glint]

Glint hmmmed in thought.

"Might not actually be the best idea to fly the cruiser the whole way. One glimpse of that silhouette and they'll be gone quicker than you can say "ID and Manifest, Please". Might be an idea to go and find someone, organise a trade, and then bring them to the ship, rather than it to them. Saves us having to persuade folks that we're not just an incompetent sting op."

He shrugs.

"Just my two creds, but there you go"

[Noir]

Mar nodded to Glint as he took a bite of bread, pushing it to the side of his mouth so he could speak,

"Exactly. The cruiser cannot really fly into the port. It would send people scattering and probably even draw fire, not to mention unwanted attention." he explained before chewing and swallowing the bit of bread.

"The less people that see the cruiser, the better, I would think. So we take both ships, the cruiser goes and hides on a rock or something while the Quasar Ray goes into port to hopefully make contact with the rebels and arrange the sale. Then you and the rebels come to the cruiser and we make the swap." Tal added

"If we get stopped by Imperials, then I don't think bluffing will much of an option. I am sure they are looking for the cruiser and will likely have a 'shoot first' mentality. The Quasar Ray though should be fine though. But if you are stopped, then I would advise against dressing like a jedi and carrying the lightsaber on your hip." Mar suggested motioning to Kayda with his fork.

"I'll pilot the cruiser by myself and stay with her while the rest of you go into port. That way, if I get stopped or discovered, it's just the loss of me and the ship while the rest of you might be able to slip past." the old captain explained with a small shrug.

Mar's suggestions and acceptance of his possible, however unlikely, self-sacrifice for the safety of the other caused Tal's brow to furrow a bit in concern. He had known Captain Mar for some time now. The man had been a mentor and father figure to him and the thought of losing him did not sit well with the young man.

"We might be able to scrounge some parts for at least temporary repairs from the boneyard while we are there." Kel mentioned, which drew some inquisitive looks.

With a sigh Kel elaborated, 

"The Pit is a shadowport in an abandoned mining colony that started as a boneyard for pirate and criminal craft, since they could not exactly take their illegal, illegally modified, or just plain wanted ships to a legitimate junker. The settlement cropped up around it over the years with some making a living by scavenging the boneyard and others make a living by providing goods and services to them and spacers that come through. Now it has most of the amenities of a full port, but docking fees are a bit steep. It's a shadowport, after all. Otherwise you land outside and walk in with a breath mask. But since the Ray is low on a lot of essentials, it might be best to dock and get refueled. Aside from that you can buy and sell droids, weapons, swoops and whatever. There are bars, gambling, pit fighting and the usual shadowport stuff. It's not quite as rough as the name would suggest though, but still watch your step." 

"So any parts we get from the boneyard would be secondhand parts. Not ideal, but something to consider for at least a temporary repair." Kel reminded with a shrug before taking a swig of his beverage.

"If there is a droid shop, then you can maybe get Tubby and the boys checked out. They might need some maintenance and we could get an idea on their programming and how much they have learned. Could probably get the skiff and speeder bike looked at too." Mar thought aloud.

"Well, I updated the Ray's navcomputer, so I can plot our courses there so that we arrive around the same time. Once we make the sale we can either see about making repairs in the Pit, or we can go to a more a more legitimate port where we can get or order parts and make repairs." the broad, older man said as he roses from the table with his plate.

"Shall we?" he asked with a small smile hiding behind his mustache.

[SalmonMax]

"The Pit," Arcata said flatly. "Lovely."

She picked up her datapad and started entering something into it. "I'll compile a list of rebel sympathizers and operatives of the rebellion we know to be operating out of that location and forward them to you before we arrive, Captain. Also...hmm. We...the Empire has no active operatives there, but there is a small network of paid informants. I'll include their names as well, so we can avoid them."

Arcata paused and looked up at Zaylee then. "Anything else?" she asked in a slightly arch tone that clearly implied if there were anything else, it would not be appreciated.

[Noir]

With at least a basic course of action decided upon, the crew set about making preparations to depart the small, remote jungle moon. Mar plotted the course and calculated the jumps for each ship, doing his best to keep them together. Zaylee and Tal began pre-flight checks on the Quasar Ray and Cruiser while the rest of the crew stowed what few belonging they still had and continued to familiarize themselves with the Mon Calamari vessel. The crew then divided between the two ships and prepared for liftoff.

Landing ramps raised while engines hummed to life and with the diminutive freighter captain at the comfortably familiar helm , the Quasar Ray began to rise from the jungle floor, bringing a gleeful smile to Zaylee's face.

"She's looking good." Mar said over the comms, watching the Quasar Ray lift off and looking her over in the process.

"It's sure better than that durasteel brick." Zaylee said back jokingly.

"I have our courses plotted. We should be beside each other for the whole trip, which will be about two weeks with that backup hyperdrive. If we do happen to get stopped by Imperials, let me do the talking, but be ready for a fight." Mar explained as the blue sky outside of each ship gradually faded to the blackness of space.

Several hours later the ships reached the edge of the system where each snapped off into hyperspace...

 

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

 

< Interdictor-Class Star Destroyer, "The Emperor's Grasp" >

The room was silent and dark, illuminated only by a few candles with flickering flames that caused the shadows to dance on the walls.

A soft chirp broke the silence.

A moment later the door slide open, letting the light of the corridor flood into the room, silhouetting the officer standing at the door.

"M'lady. I wa..." he caught himself, noting the darkness of the room and stepped inside, letting the door close, forcing the light to withdraw back into the corridor.

"Pardon me, M'lady." he offered.

 "Yes Captain?" Inquisitor Cynis asked as she sat in a dark chair with a high back, one elbow resting on the arm of the chair and her hand in a relaxed, nearly closed position resting against her lip and chin.

"I was seeing if you had a more specific course for us to set yet, M'lady." the Captain inquired.

"Not yet, Captain. It is difficult to perceive them.... murky... shrouded... almost as if something what protecting them." the replied, her gaze still resting on a dancing flame.

"What does that mean, M'lady?" he asked curiously.

"It means, Captain, that we will have to track them down by other, more mundane means." Cynis explained, lifting her gaze from the candle to the Captain.

"They could be half way across the galaxy by now, M'lady." the Captain said in a near scoff.

"No, Not yet, at least." Cynis said as she thought aloud, "That rescue did not have the earmarks of a well-planned operation and I doubt they had another ship waiting. They must be working on the fly for now, which means the Customs Cruiser is their greatest asset at the moment, as well as their greatest liability. They will need to unload it and switch ships..."

The Inquisitor moved her gaze back to the flame, looking intently at it with narrowed eyes.

"Mar has worked this sector for most of his career. He knows it well, better than most, I would think. He would not risk going too far and just hoping to find a place to sell or trade it. He will unload it here, at the very least, before risking fleeing to another sector... Contact every informant we have in every settlement, station, shipyard and shadowport in the sector and make sure they are watching for that Cruiser. I am not terribly optimistic though, with Kadir helping them. She is not that sloppy, but you never know." she explained.

"Yes, M'lady." the Captain said as he began to turn.

"Oh. And Captain?" Cynis asked in her melodic voice.

"Yes, M'lady?" he asked.

"Round up the usual group of unsavory fellows as well. They may be more successful." the Inquisitor said with a faint smile...

 

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

 

Both ships snapped out of Hyperspace within less than a minute of each other at the edge of the Vasara system. The trip was long, but thankfully uneventful.

The Vasara system was a small system with a single star and only five planet (a single gas giant and several rocky planets) none of which seemed to support life. Between the second and third planets was a somewhat sparse asteroid belt which contained the planetoid that was their destination.

As the ships approached the asteroid belt Mar began inspecting them, looking for a suitable location to land the cruiser. The two ships docked, allowing the crew of the Cruiser to transfer over to the Quasar Ray, leavng Mar behind to pilot the ship alone.

"That looks good. That narrow canyon down there." Mar said over the docked ships' intercom. 

"It's just a few minutes away and nicely concealed. Take your time in port. I'll wait here for your signal." he explained.

"And watch yourself too." he added, showing a bit of her fatherly demeanor.

The two ship separated and the Cruiser descended towards the asteroid as the Quasar Ray sped towards the Pit, bringing the planetoid that it was in/on into view.

 

Spoiler

Unnamed Planetoid
Type: Planetoid
Temperature: Frozen to Very Hot
Atmosphere: Type 1 (in the Pit), Type 2 (near the mouth of the Pit), Type 3 (the rest of the surface)
Hydrosphere: None
Gravity: Low (on the surface), Standard (in the Pit)
Orbital Position: Orbiting between the 2nd and 3rd (of 5) planets
Terrain: Rocky
Length of day: 31 Standard hours
Length of Year: 140 local days
Sapient Species: Varies
Starport: Full
Population: Exact population unknown. Likely a few thousand.
Planet Function: Junkyard, Shadowport
Government: None (to speak of)
Tech Level: Space
Major Exports: Secondhand parts, illicit items
Major Imports: Water, food, junked ships
System: Vasara
Star: Vasara

 

Kel directed Zaylee to the abandoned mining colony that had now become the Pit, a huge shaft dug into the surface of the planetoid. After a hundred meters or so the shaft widened into a massive cavern that must stretch for miles in any direction under the surface. In the center of the shaft a large structure hung, supported by a multitude of walkways (and likely assisted by repulsortlifts). Docking bays, lined the inside of the shaft, each bay identified by huge numbers. A few hundred meters below the bottom edge of the shaft sat the floor of the cavern, strewn with junked ships, abandoned mining equipment and general detritus. Occasional turbolift shafts permitted vertical movement of pedestrians, while crude walkways cut through the junk allowing relatively safe movement on the ground floor. Buildings sprouted up among the debris, occasionally made from the junk itself and usually decorated with holographic signs trying to draw people into the various shops, cantinas, gambling dens, junk dealers and establishments for virtually every type of goods or service, both legal and illicit. Various salvage and labor droids toiled among the junk while larger droids and various salvage craft hovered above, moving and redistributing the junk. From the vantage point above, it was clear that certain parts of the boneyard was sectioned off by crude walls of junk, either marking a junker's territory or containing some hazardous material or possibly lifeforms.

 

 

Zaylee was cleared for docking bay 22, which she quickly located and guided the ship into, where a male zabrak in work overalls flanked by a half dozen armed, rough looking gamorreans waited..

Zaylee slipped out of the pilot's chair and exited down the landing ramp and toward the welcoming comity.

"Docking fees are two thousand credits, all due in advance." the zabrak said matter-of-factly.

"Two thousand? That's near robbery." Zaylee balked, but still took the datapad offered by the zabrak and grudgingly made the payment.

"Go tell it to the Emperor." the zabrak replied with a shrug as he took the datapad back and verified the payment.

"You can set a door code at the panel. Welcome to the Pit." he said with a grin as he pulled out a small remote and aimed it at the wall to which the hoses and cables were connected, causing various red lights to switch to green, indicating that the various fuel pumps and generators were not available for use.

The zabrack and gamorreans then turned and exited casually leaving Zaylee to return to her ship.

 

[SalmonMax]

When Zaylee came back in, Arcata was ready for her; waiting just inside the airlock with a datapad and a set of clothes that might have passed for 'scav gear' before they were washed and pressed. Now she looked like a stuck up aristocrat trying, and failing, to slum convincingly.

She handed the datapad over. "We'll want to start at the Golden Nebula. It's a cantina and gambling den that's long been suspected as having ties to the rebellion. A rebel going by the likely pseudonym of 'Aqui'el' is believed to operate from there, along with a currently unknown number of accomplices."

"Beyond that we will want to watch out for Attl, a Gran starship mechanic operating a business just off starport grounds. He's been on Imperial payroll for several years as an informant. He may have informants of his own with no direct Imperial ties as well, so it's best to stay cautious and keep our game faces on unless we know the situation is secure."

"Right then. Everyone ready?"

[Kayda Vayawn]

Kayda joined the rest of the crew at the interior of the ramp while Arcata was briefing Zaylee, she had donned her robes but otherwise was dressed as before, the only concession was the lightsaber was tucked behind her back under the robe. She noticed the looks and the heavy sigh from the intelligence officer.

Before the officer or anyone else for that matter could speak, she held up her hand to forestall the comments on the tips of their tongues. "Within 1000 meters of this ship there are probably a hundred or more beings wearing robes indistinguishable from these. The Jedi, as far as the Galaxy is concerned, are no more just a myth from a bygone time. With that in mind anyone who is even reminded of such by the way i am dressed are probably already looking for us and have better means of identifying us." She pauses to smile  "The casual observer is not a concern, and if things go bad i will feel better in my fighting cloths. and to be honest those who may expect a Jedi may be more cautious if in the end they see a Jedi."

[Zaylee Zanne]

Zaylee grimaced as she stomped back up the ramp to the ship after setting the code on the docking bay door. Two thousand credits took a majority of the funds she had on hand, but she paid it - the Quasar Ray was her ship now, and it did need the refueling. Still, she hoped they found someone here to buy the Imperial Cruiser for a tidy profit on their part.

The petite woman gave start, barely suppressing a yelp, when she found Arcata practically lurking the moment she stepped on the ship. Zaylee accepted the datapad without expression, and glanced over it as the former Imperial Spook made her suggestions that sounded more like orders. Zaylee wanted to say no just see the expression on Arcata's face - unfortunately, what she said sounded reasonable like.

Zaylee sighed and reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Sounds shiny." She pursed her lips, looking at her crew gathered about. "We should split up into two groups - someone needs to take the cargo skiff to get it, the speeder, and the droids checked out, and all in all, it'll prolly be better if they didn't go alone."

While she believed Kayda was overestimating how many would be wearing robes similar to hers, this was a Shadowport. People here didn't make a habit of prying into the affairs of others. They'd probably see her as a planetsider of one kind or another and at worse, try to cheat her on any dealings. Unless they were already looking for us and had descriptions... Still, she wouldn't stand out any worse than Arcata did. For someone who was supposed to be a spy, she didn't blend in well.

"So, who wants to visit a wretched hive of scum and inequity to go talk with a Rebel, while the others go get the skiff and droids checked out?"

 

[Kayda Vayawn]

Kayda, shaking her head slightly she steps close to Zayle. "Captain, i advise that we forego the side objectives til another time. Even if this is not a hostile port, it is not a friendly one either. Scattering ourselves to the four winds at this time is not a good idea. A few of us should go and meet with contact while the rest remain here ready for any trouble which may arise."

"There's no telling how long that could take, I don't want to be stuck in the ship with nothing to do." Glint realized his mistake the moment he had started speaking.

Kayday turned her head slightly in Glint's direction while keeping her eyes on the Captain. "I do not consider your studies to be nothing, Glint,rest assured I will leave you with plenty to do."  Back to the Captain she starts to speak only to be interrupted by Kel.

"Don't you think it will look just as suspicious if everyone stays aboard the ship?"

She pauses. "Yes that is possible but there is plenty to do outside the ship normal maintenance and such and if i am not mistaken we need to resupply the ships stores which can be done nearby. I simply do not believe that getting embroiled in to many things at once is wise after all, we are Fugitives. Outside of Glint each of us is known to those who hunt us. and the inquisitor is a Force User, it is quite possible she knew we were coming here before we did." She turns back to Zaylee. "I think it best if you, Arcata, and myself go to meet with the contact, Captain."

[Kel Uno]

"No." Kel shook his head firmly in counter to Kayda. "If something like that is possible, all the better we get our stuff done now. Captain, unless you want me to help bring in the droids and repulsorcraft for checkups, I'm going with you." Really, did she think having the 'Force' was a granter of all around wisdom, especially with the underworld when you had an Imperial, ex-Imperial spook, gray area spacer and criminal slicer around to know better?

[Noir]

Tal listened to the report from Arcata and the back and froth between Kayda and the others, thinking to himself.

"A suggestion, Captain?" he said finally speaking up,  "Though Roki and I worked law enforcement, going to the shadwoport bar to meet the possible rebel to sell the stolen Imperial ship is a little out of our experience. So I think the two of us should run the errands while the rest of you, or most of the rest of you, goes to try and arrange the sale. It gets several things done at the same time and makes us look more convincing as spacers who came for some services and good times. We can put the bike and droids on the skiff." he said motioning over her shoulder with his thumb to the cargo bay.

"We all have comlinks, so how about we check in every hour or two? If anybody fails to check in, then the others can come looking. If we finish with the errands first, then we can meet up with you. And if something comes up and we need to go, then we can always cut out errands short too. How does that sound?" the young ensign asked.

[z-Roki Fuja]

The last thing the former Imperial wanted was to be stuck on the ship while other people got to stretch their legs and do things. One good thing about being a Stormtrooper was that there was always work to do on-ship. Here there was always work to do, but they didn’t have the all the supplies to make repairs. There were only so many surfaces to clean, too. Roki had experienced more downtime than he was comfortable with.

“If we get run out of town or have to leave quickly, we need to get all our errands done sooner rather than later.” Roki nodded at Tal, aware that this was probably basic grunt work. He wasn’t offended by being assigned a menial task such as errand-running; it was a good idea, and he just wanted something to do. Plus the military drummed the idea of “big jobs” out of their recruits pretty quickly: the Imperial Army didn’t have any small jobs. Just tasks that needed to be done, no matter how pleasant or interesting they might or might not be.

“So are we all agreed?” he asked, glancing around, eager to be off the ship and back in familiar environments.

[Zaylee Zanne]

Zaylee listened to Kayda and Tal and the others make their suggestions and nibbled on her lower lip as the considered them, but not for long. "I hear ya, Kayda, but I think it best if we get in and out of here as fast as possible." The Force was strange and she didn't know what all it could really do, but seeing the future was pure hogwash. "Tal and Roki." Zaylee nodded at them. "And Glint?" she asked Kayda's student, raising a brow at him and Kayda. No reason not to hedge their bets with their own Force users. "You'll take care of the droids and speeder, the rest of us will see if we can make contact with the Rebels. We check in, say, every two hours. That should be often enough without interrupting any deliberations we're makin'. Okay, let's go, people."

[Kayda Vayawn]

"As you wish Captain." She nods and steps back.

[Glint]

A brief scowl passes over his features at the patronising tone. Letting a quick breath out through his nose, his features smoothe out again as he listens to the rest of the commentary. He nods in agreement with Zaylee in regards to his distribution, before speaking up.

"Sounds good to me. Only suggestion I can make is having a check-in a bit more frequently. Two hours allows a lot of leeway to anyone accosting one of the groups to get away before the next one. And in a place like this, we want to be able to know about and respond as quick as possible if one of the groups find themselves unable to communicate. Once an hour, at least, by preference."

He turns to Kayda.

"Do you have a Blaster you can use? We get into trouble with the locals, you're not going to be able to use the Saber. Not without screaming who we are for the Galaxy to hear. Which is a bad thing, clearly. At least for now. Gotta be extremely carefull going forward. This Inquisitor lady sounds like a bit of a bloodhound."

[SalmonMax]

"Not to worry," Arcata said, with just a touch of wryness. "So long as we don't make a spectacle of ourselves and mind who we talk to, we should be able to get through this without setting off any alarms. The Empire has never had good intel from this..." her lips turned down a little as she looked around again. "...place."

"He is right about the weapon though. Carry it if you must, but if you find yourself using it, then we will be obliged to abort this operation and flee the planet with all speed."

She moved over to Zaylee, ready to join. "You'll find the location of the establishment marked on the local area map on the datapad I provided,"

[Noir]

-Quasar Ray, Cargo Hold-

The cargo skill was a large flatbed with no roof or canopy and rough one meter high walls around. The front and side walls could fold down to function as ramps for the loading and unloading of cargo while along the back wall was a small bench for several people with the controls for the skiff in the corner. It was a simple skiff, not particularly fast or maneuverable, but it served its purpose well enough.

Tal lowered the ramps and looked over to Roki hopping on the speeder bike.

"We should probably park the bike on the skiff until it is serviced. These skiffs are very rugged and reliable, but those bikes can be much more temperamental." Tal suggested.

Roki nodded and eased the bike over to skiff, parking it to the side  as Glint came down the corridor with the droids. Frick and Frack quickly jogged up onto the skiff and folded down into their storage mode, looking like two small crates, while Tubby waddled on board at a much slower rate.

"Sir? Are we going to be receiving memory wipes?" Tubby asked.

"I don't know. We'll see." Glint replied as he took a seat on the bench.

"I would advise against it, sir. I have been refining my sub-routines for some time now in order to better serve, as have the the others, I would think. It would be regrettable to lose all of that, unless you feel that our behaviour has become too erratic, sir." Tubby suggested as the walls folded up and locked into position.

"We'll see." Glint said, regarding Tubby for a moment.

"Of course, sir." the round droid replied.

Tal guided the skiff down the cargo ramp, which Roki closed behind them before hopping onto the skiff himself.

"Let's see what we can find. There are got to be someplace here to fit our needs." Tal said with a smile as the skiff exited the docking bay down down to the debris-strewn cavern bottom below.

All manner of being walked the rough pathways among the junk, some occasionally sleeping in some nook while others stumbled drunkenly around. The multitudes of cantinas and gambling dens were only matched by the number of junk dealers selling salvaged ship parts, repaired speeders, secondhand weapons to droids. Holographic signs and displays were everywhere, trying to catch the attention of potential customers. One sign drew some attention from the trio. It was set up near a crude track made through the junk with a sign that read, "Swoops, Speeders & Walkers". Beside the shop was a small stand, an outdoor bar really, that sold drinks to the handful people who would watch and bet on the occasional informal races.

Various small speeders, speeder bikes, swoops and even a couple of small, personal walkers lined the walls of his garage. It was clear that they had all be salvaged, but seemed to have been skillfully repaired and restored. The shop was run by a Sullistani who always had a small, disk-shaped translator droid hovering near him. He seemed like a decent fellow who looked over the skiff and speeder quickly before giving a price.

"Two hundred credits and they'll be good as new." the Droid translated for him.

 

Spoiler

If any of you like, you can try to use Bargain (or Perception) to try and get the price down, but failure could result in the price going up as he 'notices' some other things that will add to the cost. Or you can accept his price and simply pay him. Tal seems okay with the price and has the credits, but will let Roki and/or Glint Bargain if they want.

 

-The Golden Nebula-

Following the map on the datapad led Zaylee, Kel, Arcata and Kayda through the corridors cut right from the stone with cables and pipes running along the walls splattered with posters and ad displays trying to draw customers to various businesses. Various beings and droids moved through the corridors, on different errands or in search of a particular door.

The upper level of the Pit was mostly docking bays, related services and the better hotels and living quarters the shadowport had to offer. If price was an issue though, once could always find some sort of room down below, though safety could be questionable.

The air of the port had slightly undesirable smell to it from all of the lubricants, fuels, hydraulic fluids, melted/burning electrical components of all of the ships down below mixed and mingled. The smell became stronger as closer to the cavern floor, with it being the strongest when one is out in the junk piles and boneyards, forcing many venturing into the junk to wear breathmasks. The air processors and recyclers mostly cleaned and filtered the air in the upper levels, but they never managed to fully remove the smell.

Following the map the corridor led to one of the many long, open air walkways connecting to the suspended, central spire. The walkway was roughly ten meters wide and well over a hundred meters long. At the end of the walkway was a large blast door flanked by curtains. Above the door a large holographic sign was projected, shifting through several languages and reading 'The Golden Nebula' in each. 

A well maintained greeter droid stood beside the door and moved to address the group as they approached..

"Welcome to the Golden Nebula." the droid said in a polite tone, bowing slightly as the blast doors opened, revealing another set of blast doors.

"Our patron's safety and comfort are important to us. Please enter and wait for the airlock to pressurize with our clean, filtered atmosphere. it should just take a moment." the droid explained. 

With a brief bit of hesitation they stepped through and the blast doors closed behind them. The sound of music could be heard through the interior blast doors as clean smelling air cam rushing into the airlock with a small breeze. After a few seconds the interior blast doors opened slowly, allowing the sound of music, carousing and eating along with the smells that accompany such, to build. With the door fully open two women, a twi'lek and a human, both dressed in nice, though revealing attire, step forward

"Welcome to the Golden Nebula." they say in rehearsed synchronization with the Twi'lek hooking an arm around Kel's arm while the human hooked onto Arcata's arm, leading them into the main room.

The room itself was quite large and probably the nicest appointed place in the port with many tables and booths where people sat, drank, talked and ate. In the middle of the floor sat a circular bar surrounded by several game tables offering variations of Sabacc, Dejeric (against the House Player) and other games of chance. In the back of the club was a large T-shaped stage with several female dancers, of various species, performing sensual dances.

"What would you like? Food? Drink? A game of chance perhaps? Some entertaining dancing?" the Twi'lek asked as she and the human female guided the group to a booth.

[Kel Uno]

"Oh, I wouldn't mind seeing a sexy dancer perform." Kel, with a touch of lasciviousness, told his female escort. Eye candy aside, nothing said 'harmless patrons' like having a pole-dancing Twi'lek showing her stuff in front of you. And Kel didn't need to be an Imperial spook like Arcata to know the importance of appearances in this place. "And a brandy."

[Noir]

"Of course." the twi'lek greeter said to Kel with a broad smile.

She looked over her shoulder and a young, twi'lek woman sauntered over. She had a toned, dancer's body with rich green skin, and there certainly was plenty enough of it to see with the skimpy, purple outfit she wore. Each of her lekku (head- tails) were marked with thin, black stripes while each of her arms were tattooed with scrollwork to around her elbows

She grasped the pole and began to dance and undulate seductively while the two greeters took any drink and food orders before slipping off to fetch them.

Some of the other patrons would occasional look over, most likely a mixture of mild curiosity at the new customers and getting a better look at the twi'lek dancing, but the attention did not seem to be unusual or excessive. Nobody was disarmed upon entry, and indeed many other patrons were armed too, but by and large the other patrons seemed to be enjoying their drinks, games, conversations and entertainment, giving the club an overall good atmosphere, for being in a port like the Pit.

 

[Zaylee Zanne]

As they had worked their waytowards the Golden Nebula, Zaylee's eyes couldn't help but linger on the breaking yards and junkheaps covering the base of the Pit. It was true she wanted new - or at least newish - components to repair the Ray, especially for the heavily modified systems. But having grown up on a Mon Cal ship, she had a great fondness for backup systems and spare components for swift repairs. They might be able to pick some up for cheap or free from the piles of wrecks. Maybe afterwards...

Zaylee rolled her eyes as Kel requested a Twi'lek pole-dancer for their table. A trader captain, she was tight - some would say miserly - with her funds on many things not related to her ship. The gaming tables and gambling machines also got a sniff. That was just throwing your credits away. Then she noticed the subtle looks Kel and Arcata shot her and Zaylee gave a muted grunt.

To make a pretense at blending in, she tossed five credits into one of the gambling machines. She was more curious how the machine actually functioned than how the game was played, but pressed the button anyway, fully expecting to have lost those five credits.

When the twi'lek greeter took their orders, the petite woman - who at times barely looked old enough to enter an establishment such as the Golden Nebula, much to her chagrin - requested a glass of Veronian Berry Wine and a plate of assorted berries and cream. While she didn't splurge on the ship's food stocks, she had a great fondness for berries of all kinds and when ever she stopped off someplace new, she usually tried whatever berries they had.

As she waited for her treat to arrive, Zaylee looked around the opulent room, then glanced at Arcata. She leaned closer to the taller woman and kept her voice low, but not suspiciously so, aware of the eyes and ears about her. "See anything or anyone promising?"

[SalmonMax]

Arcata laughed under her breath as if she'd just been told a joke, then said softly, "No one's being terribly obvious, but that's to be expected even here. Even so, we're deep enough in their territory that it may be as simple as just making an appropriately veiled request of our server."

"When our server returns, perhaps mention to her that you'd like to buy someone a drink. When she asks who, answer 'Aqui'el.' It's a bit of a gamble, but with limited hard data, a leap of faith may be required."

[Zaylee Zanne]

Zaylee was vaguely nonplussed - she had been more expecting that Arcata would know what the rebel contact looked like from some sort of Intelligence file, but it seemed she just had a name. Now, she couldn't help but think the former Intelligence Officer was telling her to buy a drink for 'Aqu'iel' in case something went horribly wrong, so she'd be the one to draw all the attention and not her. Arcata hardly seemed one to gamble or take leaps of faith, at least not when it was her life on the line.

On the other hand, Zaylee didn't have another idea on how to contact the Rebel agent and sticking around the Pit for an undue amount of time wouldn't serve them well. So when the waitress came by with their orders and asked if there was anything else, Zaylee took Arcata's suggestion and offered to buy a drink for 'Aqui'el' and really hoped the waitress didn't ask who it was. On the other hand, in a place like the Pit, Zaylee hardly doubted making contact in this manner was uncommon.

[Noir]

The twi'lek server hid her small bit of surprise well at Zaylee's additional request and nodded with a smile.

"Of course. I know her favorite." she said and nodded before heading back to the bar.

As everybody took their drinks and food the dancer continued her sultry gyrations, each movement accentuating the curves of her supple body while at any moment it seemed her outfit was threatening to shift or slip off and reveal what bit of skin she kept hidden, tantalizing any spectators.

" So you know Aqui'el?" the dancer asked nobody in particular, making some small talk as she slid down to her knees with her hands caressing down the bare flesh of her sides. Her voice was soft and soothing, and though audible to those sitting at the table, anybody further away would have difficulty making it out over the noise of the club.

"I thought I knew all of the regulars, but it is always nice to see some new faces..." she said as she crawled toward Kel and drug a long fingertip under chin, "..especially so good looking." she added before twisting away.

"Old friends of her's?" she asked casually as she hooked a leg around the pole and slowly spun down it.

[Glint]

Contemplating the little droid in front of him, Glint couldn't help but feel discomfited. He knew that, technically, Memory wipes were a thing and they supposedly helped with the Longevity of a Droid, preventing them from developing quirks and keep them running at factory standard but he couldn't help but feel a prickle of unease at the thought. Tubby, Frick and Frack had demonstrated more personality than most Imperial beauracrats. And despite how he phrased it, Tubby had expressed the *desire* to not go through the experience. It felt a bit too much like forcing an organic through a Memory Flush for him to be completely at ease with.

He sidled up to Tal as they proceeded to the Service station, engaging him in a low conversation.

"Hey, Tal. I know it might be a bit unusual, but d'you reckon we could forego getting the droids wiped? I mean, they've been on their own a while, and can be a bit quirky, sure, but it ain't doing any harm to anyone and they do seem to have refined their processes quite a bit."

Tal takes a moment to gather his thoughts before responding.

"Well, nobody really said that they were going to be wiped. I had thought that we were just going to get them checked up, Cleaned, Oil bat, systems check. All of that. I mean, I don't see any issues with any of the quirks they have displayed so far and they seem find to me, so....."

Glint nods in acceptance.

"Ok. Tubby expressed a concern on the matter and it got me thinking. Just wanted to see how we were going to proceed." he flashes a quick smile as they approach the shop. Making their way inside, Glint lapses into silence as Tal explains what they're looking for.

As Tal and the Merchant were discussing prices, Glint wandered around, browsing through the shelves of parts. There was a lot of stuff here. Some of it in pretty decent nick, too. Picking up a particular piece and giving it consideration, he nods with purpose and continues making his way through the shelves, this time with a sense of destination. About 20 minutes of digging around later, and he thinks he's found as many of the parts as he's liable to get. He whistles to catch the shopkeepers attention, holding up the parts.

"How much for this lot?"

The Sullistani shrugs before appraising the items held out, muttering to himself as he goes along.

"Hmmmm. Say about 400 creds for the lot."

Glint hmmm's to himself. He briefly considers running a scam, forcing the price down by visiting a different junker, claiming this one was selling for 350 and then going back and forth to see who would give the better deal. He dismisses the idea after a moment. This is the kind of place where they pull you out of the waste reclamation unit minus your head and hands. Not worth it. And now he thinks on it, he'd prefer to get these pieces new. He nods before offering his apologies. Maybe after his errands.

He then proceeds to wander, putting the stuff back. Making sure to bury the pieces behind other junk and in different places. He meets back up with Tal and Roki, prepared to head out.

"I'm gonna take a quick sniff around to see if I can't find some decent quality components to earmark for Zaylee. So she'll at least have an idea of where some bits are located. Any problems?"

He looks back and forth between Roki and Tal.

[Kel Uno]

Kel sipped his drink, and he most certainly did not pause in his sipping when the sexy Twi'lek slithered over and called him very good looking. Kel didn't go melting into a pile over a beautiful female just like that. A flattering compliment, but it might not even be real, just part of the routine to satisfy the punters here on the part of the exotic dancer.

"Just looking into doing business, honey."

[SalmonMax]

"Which is to say," Arcata filled in after Kel, "We're better than old friends. We're new friends, if she'll see us. A simple business transaction we think she'll be interested, to introduce ourselves. After that, well, who can say? We're well aware she has many friends, but like money friends are something no one ever has quite enough of, no?"

She smiled.

[z-Roki Fuja]

As Glint headed off on his own mission, Roki opened his mouth to barter. Every credit they could save would be a credit they could put into the ship. Then he remembered his father’s advice: never argue about money with a man who’s job is to make it. Tal wasn’t trying to bargain either, and the man nodded. “Two hundred credits,” he agreed, passing over a hundred as a deposit. “How long before you are done with them?”

“About an hour,” he relayed through the translation droid.

“Also, do you know someone who is a reliable servicer of droids?” Roki asked.

“Yeah, there’s a human who runs a shop that’s that away.” The Sullistani pointed deeper into the gathering of shops. “His name is Tobal.”

“Thank you.” Roki nodded and smiled, making a note to dig into his personal funds for a tip for this guy. Waving to the droids, he and Tal went to find Glint. Fortunately, their former stowaway found them outside. “We know where to take the droids,” he told the man. “Let’s go and get them started.”