Saga - PT Dreams of Tesserone (All OC's with occasional canon appearances)

I was wondering how Airen was going to get off the station alive! Though with him going back for Myn...maybe that's not a foregone conclusion!

 

The Death Star



Airen pushed through the smoke and flames. The room was boiling from the intense heat of the munitions burning up. A thick, choking, layer of smoke clung in the air. Live wires flickered and sparked in the corner. He stepped over the bodies of men he'd led into combat. A few whailed from their burns, others moaned and cried out for water but Airen knew he couldn't help them. He didn't have the time to save everyone. He had only come back for one person. His friend: Myn Kolvaard.

Airen found his friend. He was lying on his back, unmoving. His face was bloodied and hands charred black from resting near the hot metal of a twisted turbolaser battery. Airen knelt beside Myn and checked his vitals. He was alive though his breathing was shallow. He looked up frantically at the holographic display of the battlefield. The X-wings were reforming to make another run down the trench. Lord Vader's squadron was in hot pursuit. An icy chill went down his spine. He was running out of time.

Airen gently hoisted Myn onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry and sloughed his way out of the gunnery room. He trudged his way down a corridor, remembering the route to the hangar in his mind. He wondered if the rest of the personnel from starboard battery had made their way off the station. He found his answer a minute later when he slipped into the hangar and saw to his horror that one of the shuttles was aflame, wings crippled, and bodies strewn everywhere.

One shuttle remained.

Airen set Myn down on the landing ramp, out of breath, and struggled to drag his friend up into the cargo hold. Debris fell from the ceiling of the hangar bay landing dangerously close to where he stood. One foot after another Airen managed to wiggle Myn into a bunk in the cargo hold. Life support was hooked up and displayed green lights. He breathed a sigh of relief. Myn would live. Airen killed the switch which raised the landing ramp and slid into the pilot's seat.

A voice blared across his comm. unit.

"Rebel base in range."

Airen listened as the shuttle engines whined into action. The radio signals from both sides cluttered the comm. unit. He only picked up bits and pieces. One transmission, however, sent him into a frenzy. He needed to get out of here. Fast.

"You're all clear kid! Now, let's blow this thing and go home!"

Airen punched the throttle and tore out of the hangar bay. He chose a trajectory that would carry him far from the battle as his sensors indicated that the Death Star was falling rapidly away from him.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Airen whispered as the shuttle seemed to take forever to get to the hyperspace rendezvous.

"Stand by to fire at Rebel base," came the Imperial comm. call.

Airen was nearly to the hyperbuoy. Nearly there when a brilliant flash fileld his viewscreen. Sensors blared and screamed as an enormosu shockwave hit his shuttle threatening to throw the craft off course. He held onto the controls tightly and rode out the explosion. Finally, after the longest time, the tremors stopped. He didn't need to turn the shuttle around to know what had happened.

The Death Star had been destroyed.

"Great shot, kid! That was one in a million!" Came a triumphant voice.

Airen killed the communication unit and felt his heart sink in despair. Millions had just lost their lives. This war had taken so much from both sides. He looked down at his uniform and realized in that moment that he was no longer an Imperial officer. He was a veteran. He was a traitor. He was a survivor.

The hyperbuoy loomed large on his sensors. Airen knew that a decision would have to be made as to which direction to head in. He knew that going back to his home, Bastion, would be a mistake. Besides, there was nothing there for him anymore. If he went back to the Empire he'd be shot. If he went to the Rebellion, well, his war would continue. He sat back in the pilot's seat and pondered his future. Then he remembered Tesserone and Roon. He remembered how fondly Myn talked of the family farm. He remembered how Myn had come alive at first mention of his family's estate.

Airen looked back at his friend. There was no question what direction his life would take now. No question at all. He plotted a course that would take him beyond the Cloak of the Sith. Somehow, someway, he knew his life was heading down a vastly different path than any he could have foreseen.


Airen Vehn was heading to Roon.

Tag: Trieste;jcgoble3

 

You know, I half wondered if "Airen Vehn" was going to turn out to be Myn--that the two swapped identities because the real Airen gave his life to rescue Myn. Even though I appear to be wrong in that supposition, I think that Airen is on a trajectory to become Myn in a different way.

 

That would have been a great idea .

 

Tesserone

Roon

The Lambda-class shuttle quietly touched down on the landing pad outside the country manor. Airen quickly flipped through the shut down sequence as his thoughts drfited to his friend. He made his way back to the cargo hold and checked on Myn's status. He was in and out of consciousness. His health had deteriorated since leaving the Death Star hours before. Fluid was starting to settle in Myn's lungs and the internal bleeding had gotten worse.

Airen gently lifted his friend off the bed and walked down the landing ramp into brilliant sunlight. He blinked hard, his eyes fighting to adjust to the first natural light in months, and heard Myn groan. His breathing was becoming more ragged.

"I can get you to a hospital. There's still time to save you," Airen said as he carried mine to the back lawn.

Myn groaned and shook his head. "No time," he replied. "You would be turned in by the authorities."

"Set me down over there," Myn said pointing with a limp hand.

Airen made his way to a small grove of trees overlooking the surrounding countryside. He gently placed Myn in the shade with his upper torso resting against one of the trunks facing a view that was absolutely breathtaking. Airen didn't say a word. He didn't have to. He'd never seen anything so beautiful in all his years. The flowing grasslands to the north, the imposing mountains to the west, the glimmer of the capital city of Nime to the east, and the rolling farmland to the south. It was paradise save for one problem: his friend was dying.

Myn reached underneath his tattered tunic and pulled out a datapad. The back side was scraped and the screen in front was cracked. Airen was surprised it had survived the X-wing attack. Myn coughed and shook violently as he handed the datapad to Airen.

"Read it," Myn said.

Airen opened the article on the datapad and read the document. It was the last will and testament of Myn Kolvaard. When Airen had finished reading there were tears in his eyes. His hand shook as he set the datapad down on the ground and he reached out and clutched his friend tightly to him.

"Tesserone is yours," Myn whispered, his breathing become harder and harder now. "Take care of it, will you?"

"I will. I promise you that I shall take care of this place with every ounce of energy I possess. This home shall be my home. Now and forever. That is my oath to you," Airen solemnly replied.

Myn pulled away and as he did so he added, "There's one more thing."

"Name it," Airen said.

"You must take care of my sister, Lou," Myn said, "you must take care of her even if she refuses your help. This place is hers just as much as it is yours. You must find a way to work together."

Airen remembered a discussion he'd had with Myn regarding his sister back on the Death Star. She was a former Imperial who was now fighting with the Rebellion. The details of the will came back to him now. Myn had stated joint ownership. Airen was to share in the property with Louise Kolvaard.

"I'll find a way. I promise you," Airen replied.

Myn sighed and allowed his eyes to drift toward the horizon. "What a life I have lived. I am thankful to be home. I think I'll rest here for awhile...."

Airen returned his attention to the land and suddenly felt incredibly alone. He looked back at Myn and noticed that he had passed, eyes frozen on some distant point on the horizon. Airen felt a roar of grief fly through him as he wept near his friend's body. He had nobody in the universe. Nobody at all.


Airen Vehn was alone.

Tag: Trieste;jcgoble3

 

Vehn

I remembered you were a good writer from our Intervention days.

Read your first chapter, and it was actually quite good in a nicely understated way.

I was intrigued by the description of Jedha being frigid, despite the desert-style terrain, and that was an excellent image that you chose to spice up the intro.

Good lead in to the character introductions, such as the busy captain, the throw-away line about his 2-in-C not living that long, and I liked that you did not give away immediately, what happened to him.

Lovely touch, having the two explosions coincide with Kolvaard's use of the word.

Excellent descriptions and visuals; keep it up.

10/10

 

One Hour Prior
Tesserone, Roon

Louise Gray, born Kolvaard, sat quietly in the back seat of a taxi as she made her way out to the old family estate of Tesserone. An estate that had been dormant for generations. She hadn't been back in years. She was surprised anyone cared about the place. The land was nearly barren. The house was falling down. The only thing worth remembering was the incredible views of the Roonian countryside.

Louise, Lou, as her friends called her, looked down at her datapad at the message that blared to the surface of the screen and refused to go away. "Unidentified shuttle has landed at Tesserone. The shuttle appears to be of Imperial origin. Two Imperial officers were seen by the security firm approaching the estate."

Lou had received the message from the outdated security system that guarded the old estate. The droids must've been working overtime or else their circuits had malfunctioned. She knew that Myn was away fighting for the Empire. The last message she'd received from him had been a month ago. He was stationed somewhere that had been redacted and was doing well. Either way, something was going on.

The taxi slowed to a halt outside the front entrance. Lou paid her fare, tipped the droid, and got out. She stood in the driveway and hesitated not wanting to go forward. A flood of memories hit her hard. She'd played in the gardens just to the right of the entrance. She'd had her first kiss underneath the archway leading to the motor pool. She'd squeezed her brother goodbye before he left home for good right here in the circular drive.

Those times were long gone.

Lou spotted the Imperial shuttle parked out back and pulled out her blaster pistol. Something didn't feel right. She half expected to run into a company of stormtroopers as she went around the back of the house and passed the shuttle. Instead, she found one set of footprints heading into the grove of trees overlooking much of the acreage. Confused, Lou followed the trail of footprints and what she saw at the end of them made her collapse to the ground in grief.

""That's my brother! Get away from him!"" Lou cried out and pointed her blaster pistol at the Imperial officer before her.

---

Present Time

Airen turned just as he finished digging the grave for his best friend. He let the shovel fall from his hands as he raised them in a gesture of peace. His tattered and dirty Imperial uniform made him the enemy. He could see it in the eyes of the woman who had collapsed to her knees in grief and anger right before him. She hated him. Worse, still, she had a blaster pistol in her hand and had him dead to rights.

Airen felt the words that he wished to say escape his lips. All he could do was stare at the business end of the blaster pistol. His eyes were red from all the crying. His face was covered in dirt. He started to feel like maybe he should've dug a grave for the two of them. Then, and only then, would he perhaps be forgiven for failing to save Myn's life.

"I mean you no harm. I am burying a friend, Myn Kolvaard," Airen said, "I'm burying my friend. You must be Louise."

"It's Lou. Did you serve with Myn?" Lou asked.

"I did. We fought on Jedha, we fought above Scarif, we fought aboard the Death Star. An X-wing attack during the battle of Yavin fatally wounded him. I did the only thing I could think of, I brought him home," Airen replied.

Lou's gun hand shook and fell to the ground. "Why would you bring him here? This hasn't been our home in years!"

Airen felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "Myn talked so fondly of Tesserone. I brought him home so he could die on the only piece of land that ever mattered to him. I can see why he loved it here. It's beautiful."

"Why does this place matter to you so much?" Lou asked.

"Because it mattered to him," Airen cried out pointing back at Myn's grave. "It mattered to him. You and I are the co-owners of Tesserone, Lou. We are the ones who have a chance at making this property something again!"

"Prove it!" Lou said.

Airen cautiously tossed the datapad in Lou's direction. She read the contract. Her eyes watered with grief. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to her brother.

"You can't make this property anything," Lou yelled, "it's in arrears. The county is going to tear the whole thing down and till under the land. Unless you have a lot of money somewhere we're done!"

Airen, in his grief and in his anger, threw up his hands and looked away in disgust. He wasn't going to give up. Not that easily. He hadn't survived some of the hardest battles of the war to roll over and quit now. There had to be a solution. There had to be a way out.

An idea came to him. One that he remembered from a conversation he'd had with Myn aboard the Death Star. It was a crazy idea but if it were true, if it were possible, then it might be the answer to the woes of Tesserone.

"What are you thinking?" Lou asked.

"You ever heard of the Jaded Emerald of Solost?" Airen asked. "If one were to get a hold of said gem it could pay off their debts for generations to come."

"You're crazy," Lou said as she stood on her feet and holstered her blaster pistol. "People have died looking for that gem for thousands of years."


"I'm a pretty lucky guy," Airen said as he walked back to the family manor and started to initiate a call, "and I think I know just where to start my journey."

"Who are you calling?" Lou asked as she lingered behind.

"An old friend," Airen replied. "Someone who conducted business with me on Jedha."

Tag@Trieste;jcgoble3

 

Oh snap! Now Niall's on the hook for Tesserone!

 

OOC: This post will be my last for this story.

Dreams of Tesserone was a short but fun prequel to write. I didn't have much more to add to this story after the events of the Jaded Emerald of Solost. Lou and Airen do end up together. Tesserone is financially saved. My journey with Airen was designed to flesh out some of the holes of the Vehn background, gently touch upon their first contact with the Trieste family, and describe how Tesserone came into being. I believe I've done all that and a bit more.

Thank you, everyone, for reading this story.


Fields of Tesserone shall resume shortly.

 

OOC: As promised at the end of 'Exile from Tesserone', it is my pleasure to return to this story. We'll start off with a very special beginning that involves an adventure written between Trieste and myself around 16 years ago. A story known as the Jaded Emerald of Solost. This is, after all, where the strong ties between Trieste and Vehns were forged during the Galactic Civil War.

And now an excerpt from the final post of Jaded Emerald of Solost to set the scene of what is to come. In this scene, Niall Trieste and Airen Vehn after weeks of being hunted by the Empire and outrunning rival gangs and smugglers have met up with a secret society that has watched over the Emerald for a very long time.

Niall and Airen were successful in acquiring the Emerald but Niall knows something about this secret society that Airen does not and has just pulled out his blaster to destroy the Emerald.

Many thanks to Trieste for our writing this piece oh so long ago and welcome to those who are reading this excerpt for the very first time.


Onderon
Several Months after the Battle of Yavin

Quick as a flash, Niall ripped off a shot at the Emerald, which shattered into pieces under the heat of the laser bolt. Everyone was thrown onto their backs by the resulting shockwave.

As the company regained their feet, an old man dressed in red robes came up clapping. "Well, played, Niall Trieste! Well played! You are quite deserving of your pay."

One of the men handed Niall the suitcase that he had brought, which the bounty hunter verified was full of credits.

"Let me explain, Mr. Vehn," the red robed man said, "I am known as the Cardinal and I am the head of an order known as the Elder Star. We are devoted to...well, our goals are not that important, but we dabble in energies more powerful than the Force of old. What has occured here is the Emerald's sacrifice has created the first point in an energy triangle. Let me show you."

The Cardinal moved to the small crater where the Emerald had exploded and put his hand into the air above. Immediately green light of almost blinding intensity shot up in a pillar from the spot.

"Once the other two points have been activated, then our designs will continue without any impediments. Oh, don't trouble yourself over that, Mr. Vehn, it has all been written in the Books of Fate," the Cardinal said, "I thank you for your support, Mr. Vehn, unknowing though it was."

The three men of the Elder Star Society moved off down the hill and out of sight.

Airen watched the men retreat down the hill and let out a sigh. "Glad this is over. Now I can go home and relax."

Niall shrugged, "Another day, another credit chip. It's been fun, Mr. Vehn."

Airen smiled and held out his hand, "Keep the money...I don't need the 15,000 credits. If anything this mission has taught me to be more careful about what I go after and to have a good reason for going after it."

Niall shook hands with the former Imperial, now a smuggler and sometimes a pirate. "You know, Mr. Vehn, I'm under the opinion that should we ever cross paths again, I'm going to find it a very agreeable meeting. I've put you out of your way enough today, and it's not very far to a little town, if memory serves correctly, where I can get transport to the nearest spaceport."

Airen gave Niall a quick smile and said, "Perhaps, Mr. Trieste. Perhaps one day our paths will meet again. Until then, good luck and take care."

"And you too," Niall replied.

Wiht that the silver armored bounty hunter's jetpack ignited and he shot into the air and over the trees slowly disappearing.

Airen turned around and boarded his ship. Powering up the sublight engines he engaged the throttle and sent the shp flying away from the surface of Onderon.

The Marauder class corvette, Ession, which Airen had bought months ago, entered hyperspace and Airen found time to do something he had not done in awhile.

Sleep.

***

OOC: And so the continuation of Dreams of Tesserone begins. Trieste, if you've recently read over Jaded Emerald you'll recognize the return of an old adversary.

Hyperspace
Enroute to Roon



Hyperspace was short.

Too short.

The trip back home to Roon should've taken longer Airen thought as he was awakened from his sleep as the Ession violently reverted to realspace.

Airen leaned forward in his command chair and peered through the bridge windows. He wasn't near any recognizeable star or system that he'd seen before. One quick glance at the navicomputer indicated he was near Roon but closer to the Hutt side of things. The shipping lanes were clear. Something was wrong.

What pulled me out of hyperspace? He wondered.

Moments later the sound of an airlock being breached filled the bridge. Airen didn't have time to reach for his blaster as a squad of white armored stormtroopers filled the room training their weapons on him. Their impassive faces told Airen nothing but he knew better than to question the rank and file of the Empire's soldiers. Several of their rank parted as a black clad Imperial officer strode through and sneered in Airen's direction.

"At last I've caught the elusive smuggler and pirate, Airen Vehn," the officer stated, "or should I say the former Imperial lieutenant who dishonorably left the Empire and might I add abandoned his post on the Death Star for nothing other than personal gain."

"Remis," Airen hissed.



"At your service, kind sir," Captain Remis Klivian replied with a mocking bow, "and now my reward shall come. Oh, I've chased you for a very long time across systems and through the streets of Coronet City itself. At last, I have you right where I want you. I must say I have been looking forward to this for some time."

"Let's not get too carried away," Airen replied.

"In the name of the Empire I'm placing you under arrest for dereliction of duty, cowardice, evading Imperial authorities, smuggling illegal contents throughout Imperial space, killing officers and soldiers of the Empire, and last but not least, treason," Remis said in a taunting tone.
"My rap sheet's only that long?" Airen asked.
"I gave you the shortened version," Remis replied, "about as short as the hangman's noose when I get done with you."
"So I will be killed then?" Airen questioned.

Remis shook his head, "A figure of speech. No, Mr. Vehn, I have a special place in mind for you. Somewhere far away from here. Somewhere that the galaxy will forget you ever existed."

"Where might that be?" Airen asked as stormtroopers slapped energy cuffs around his wrists binding them together.

"Wobani Labor Camp," Remis said with a hint of pleasure, "but before you go tell me one thing?"

"Fire away," Airen said.

"What did you do with the Jaded Emerald of Solost?" Remis questioned.

Airen's lip curled into a barely perceptible smile, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Remis jerked his head as Airen's stormtrooper escort hauled him away. He was tired of the man's games. He'd survived him long enough to know that he made a cunning adversary and ever wondered how he'd served in his Emperor's military. He wasn't going to trouble himself with the details of Mr. Vehn's sordid Imperial career. No, he was going to revel in the reward that was sure to come for apprehending a most dangerous criminal.

"Sir," a stormtrooper asked, "what do you want us to do with this ship?"

"Torch it," Remis replied, "torch it all."

Tag: @Trieste; @jcgoble3

 

Honored to be part of kicking this story back into gear again. And oh Klivian! What a fun old name to hear again.

 

Wobani Labor Camp

Work.

Eat.

Sleep.

The cycle was endless, monotonous, and soul sucking.

Airen Vehn knew more about assembling small parts, large parts, and even some farming from his short time on Wobani than at any other point in his life. He also knew that Wobani Labor Camp was a place where criminals and enemies of the Empire came to die. There was very little chance of escape as the long shifts, coupled with the rotating assignments, prevented friendships from being formed or insurrection from being fomented.

Airen looked up at the cold, hard, ceiling of his bunk and couldn't help but give the Empire props for their ideas. The Empire always had a plan, a system, some way to break the opposition so that they could never fight back. He'd heard of labor camps like Wobani. Never thought he'd actually be assigned to one.

Airen smarted as his sore muscles screamed at him to rest but his mind refused to be subjugated. He knew that to survive Wobani Labor Camp he had to remain mentally strong, focused, and never give up on his dream of returning to Tesserone. Course, barring some miracle, there was no way he was getting off this rock anytime soon. The last few weeks had been hard since Captain Remis Klivian had destroyed his only capital ship.

He quietly wondered what his contemporary and budding friend Niall Trieste was doing with the nearly 15,000 credits he'd scored following the Jaded Emerald of Solost mission. No doubt upgrading his shiny armor and buying expensive liquor. Or doing something entirely responsible like settling down and fighting the good fight. Either way, Niall was free and he was not.

Airen heard a noise nearby and watched in horror as another patron, a Gran by the looks of him, collapsed to the ground dead. A pair of stormtroopers casually dragged the dead Gran out as the door hissed shut behind them. That was the third cell member to die this week. Airen shook his head and quietly wondered how he'd survive the rest of his life in this place.

Tag: @Trieste (for the brief Niall mention) and @jcgoble3

 

It's my pleasure to join with a guest stint with @Vehn. Enjoy @jcgoble3!



Wobani Labor Camp

"Hey, you in there," a Stormtrooper called out to Airen from the cell door, "time for your food."

Airen's face blanched at the notion. The food around here was recycled waste with some sort of sickening gravy poured over the top. It wasn't fit to feed a gang of Wookiee prisoners much less the slaves that made up the back breaking labor of the Empire's work force.

"Come on you traitor," the Stormtrooper taunted setting the plate on a tray inside a narrow slit in the cell door, "come and get your food! I see they put some extra stuff in here to make this more palatable."

"Go away," Airen grumbled.

The Stormtrooper laughed behind his helmet, the vocoder making the otherwise cheery sound sinister through the electronic edge in it. "Yeah, your precious privacy isn't gonna last much longer, traitor. You're getting a roommate. Hear he's a real gem. Apparently he just disintegrated a guy who looked at him wrong. Imagine what he's going to do to you if he decides he wants your meals." He laughed again and slammed the slit closed, leaving Airen to consider the prospect of his impending company.

---

The cell door slid open without warning, a Stormtrooper standing with blaster rifle at the ready in case Airen tried to make a move (not that he had an opportunity). The gleaming white armor--surprisingly shiny for how dingy the rest of the prison camp was-- was then obscured by a more fittingly begrimed body that stumbled through the door.

"You two lovebirds have fun now," a second Stormtrooper said. This one had shoved the new occupant into the cell. There was clear glee in her voice at this turn of events. "Maybe if we're lucky one of you will still be alive by the time the next work detail comes around. Or maybe you'll have killed each other and we won't have to waste time feeding you. We can stop pulling it out of the garbage."

The two troopers moved off, their laughter somehow still echoing through the cell even with the door securely shut.

Airen's new roommate got up from the slimy floor and pulled his sleeve across his face in a futile attempt to wipe off the mud that obscured it. "Well, now you're making me feel guilty. I mean, if you'd told me this was where you were going to wind up, I would have let you have the damn Emerald."
"Niall? By the Force!" Airen exclaimed embracing his slimy friend,"Ha! I gave up my share of the fortune to see the Emerald destroyed. Apparently I should've taken my cut but not that it'd do me much good in here!"

"Welcome to Wobani Labor Camp. The work is hard and the jailers have their own dark sense of humor. I was on my way home when I was ambushed by Captain Remis Klivian. That man hates my guts. Sold me off to Wobani and destroyed my ship. Wait. What are you doing here?" Airen asked.

“Wait--” Niall said, “someone got paid to put you in here?” He bit the inside of his lip. “Missed opportunity.”

Airen looked confused, but Niall continued on. “I, Lex Niall--” this was delivered with a wink, “--was arrested for the very public murder of a merchant. One who was involved in non-human slavery. And might have also had a bounty on his head courtesy of a competitor and inadvertent believer in the equality of species. And since that murder happened on Bimmisaari, the nearest Imperial penal colony happened to be Wobani where you were also imprisoned.”

"Ah," Airen replied catching on to Niall's story, "I'll chalk all that up to mere coincidence."

“Complete happenstance,” Niall agreed.

"Now that you're here, and now that we know where we stand, I say we settle some unfinished business. From where I'm standing I'd say that we both got royally screwed out of that Jaded Emerald job. Seems the Elder Star Society was pulling the strings the entire time. Someone tipped them off. I have my suspicions but they've long since gone underground."

Niall gave a short hum. Their encounter with the Elder Star Society had bothered him too, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what. He hadn’t picked up any trace of them since Onderon. As a being who made his living finding things that didn’t want to be found, the fact that they had disappeared completely bothered him. He’d ultimately had to move on, for the galaxy kept spinning.

"Anyways, the point is, we need a job and I know just the ticket," Airen continued. "Ever heard of quadanium steel? Used to assemble starfighters, starship hulls, and rumor has it, pet Imperial projects. You see, quadanium sells for quite a haul on the black market. The Rebellion is rumored to pay handsomely for quadanium because they have such limited supplies of everything. I figure we do a solid and apprehend said quadanium and sell it to the Rebel Alliance. Might call it a bit of revenge mixed with a lot of profit," Airen said.

"The only downside is I don't know where we need to look to find a shipment of quadanium," Airen realized, "but if you bust me outta here I'll make it worth your trouble. The next Stormtrooper guard is about to come on duty here in a few minutes."

“Quadanium…” Niall repeated. “That could do. Yes, that could. Of course, something like that’s going to have protection like a Moff’s quarters, maybe more. That’ll take some doing.” He hoped into one of the narrow, hard bunks and grunted as he made contact with the excuse for a mattress their jailers provided.

“Wake me when it’s time for our first work shift,” Niall said, closing his eyes.

"But the guard shift," Airen protested. "It’s about to change. We could make a run for it if we can figure out a way to get out of the cell."

Niall waved a hand. “I do my best thinking when I eliminate distractions. And what’s better than prison to do that?”

Airen was suddenly not so impressed with his new cellmate.

---

The next day

The pair toiled side-by-side in the hard, monotonous gray landscale of Wobani.

“Still working on it,” Niall said under his breath as he brought the hammer down on the bone-jarring rock.

---

The day after that

The slit in the door opened and two trays of sludge masquerading as food were shoved through with little regard for whether the contents remained in the tray or hit the ground. A hard chuckle could be heard just before the slit closed again.

“Still working on it,” Niall said with his eyes closed as he lay in his bunk.

---

The day after that

Niall hopped out of his bunk. “Well, it’s half a plan, but that’s enough to get started,” Niall said. “First things first, punch me.”

After waiting three days longer than he’d hoped to be in this Force-forsaken hole, Airen didn’t need a second invitation. He took a step back and then hauled off at Niall with closed fist. “That work?”

Niall grunted as he got up off the floor of the cell. He put a hand to where his face was stinging after the blow and found that Airen had cut him, drawing blood. “Think so,” Niall said, drawing his breath in from the sting he felt when he touched the cut.

He went to the cell door and began pounding with one fist. “Help! He’s snapped! He’s going to kill me! Help!”

“Quiet down,” someone growled from the outside.

“He’s got a weapon!” Niall continued. “I think he’s going to shank me!” He looked over his shoulder at Airen. “That’s what prisoners do, right? First time in prison, you know,” he admitted in a lower voice before shouting, “He’s going to carve me open!”

The door slid open suddenly and before Niall could fall forward, he was met in the head with a stun baton that sent him backwards, nearly knocking into Airen.

“That wasn’t necessary!” Niall protested.

“On the floor, prisoners,” the Stormtrooper said gruffly.

Niall’s eyes shifted. “Wait.”

“Now!”

“At least stun him too!” Niall said, pointing at Airen. “He’s the maniac!”

A second Stormtrooper showed up in the door. “Oh for Vader’s sake,” she said wearily. She raised her rifle and the last thing the two prisoners saw was the stun circles blinding them.

 

The band got back together....

 

OOC: The adventure continues. Again many thanks to @Trieste for some choice edits, suggestions, and of course, cameos.

Airen snapped back to consciousness with a gasp. His gaze whipped around the space with its metal walls. He couldn’t ascertain where he was, but it was larger than the meager cell he’d been in and he wasn’t restrained. His second thought went to finding something he could use as a weapon. It seemed he and Niall were going to have to fight their way off Wobani.

“Cool your jets, flyboy,” came a voice behind Airen.

He turned around to see an open door that led to a cockpit. Through the viewscreen he could see atmosphere passing away. He realized that the air was filled with the low hum of a spaceship.

“We’ll be out of the system soon,” the voice, apparently the pilot, continued. “By the time they realize this shuttle’s missing they won’t be able to find us. I ripped the transponder out two days ago. Had to do something while you two took your sweet time in there. Kriff, I thought you two were never going to get out.”

"Who the frak are you?" Airen asked as he slowly sat up and rubbed his head, "I mean, I'm thankful to be off Wobani and all but really, stun batons?"

“You’d have to thank my erstwhile friend back on Wobani for that,” a redheaded human female said, popping her head into view through the cockpit door. Her shoulders still had white Stormtrooper armor and her neck bore the distinctive black turtleneck undergarment.

“If Niall had just broken out on schedule, I could have stunned you right away. But nooooooooooooo, he thinks everybody just wants to hang around an Imperial prison for days on end. Do you know what there is for Stormtroopers to do on Wobani? Nothing! I played sabacc for an entire shift!”

Airen grunted. Whomever this individual was she clearly was playing her own game. She might've been an associate of Niall's or even an overly chatty enemy. He wasn't sure but he kept his gun hand near to him just in case this situation got ugly. Ever since the Jaded Emerald mission he'd learned to trust fewer and fewer people in his life. Some of that was due to his own experiences during that mission and the other was that he'd lost a good friend, Myn Kolvaard, shortly before he rediscovered the Emerald's existence.

Trust but verify.

"Before we make the jump to hyperspace," Airen said, "I need answers. Your name, how you know our common friend, and ultimately, your reasons for breaking us out of Wobani. If you fail any of these questions you're dead. Go."

"You have a lot of demands for someone who just got broken out of an Imperial prison," the pilot said, flipping some switches. "Answers before hyperspace, yeesh." She had returned her eyes to the control panels and viewport and was thus out of view. "I'm Nica Balor and I know the great unconscious one there--" here she jerked a thumb through the cockpit entry in the general direction of the sprawled body of Niall Trieste, "--from nights of sweet rapture together, which ought to answer the second and third questions at the same time. Though at this point I'm beginning to wonder if my family isn't right about my life decisions. Getting yourself arrested just to break out of prison. Yeesh. You care to justify why you're worth the trouble, because Niall made a lot more promises of gratitude when he pitched this idea, along with a much shorter timeframe."

Airen laughed and shook his head, "Figures. I'm worth the trouble, lady, because I am one of only two people to have witnessed the destruction of the Jaded Emerald of Solost. I also seem to have value because I served the Empire on their ultimate battle station: the Death Star. Lastly, I'm a solid gun and a good friend. Besides, where we're going and what we're planning to do, you're gonna need my help."

Airen walked over to Niall and gently nudged him with the tip of his boot, "Wake up, Niall. We've got a date with destiny."

Niall didn’t stir from his open-mouthed unconscious state. The craft lurched into hyperspace and Nica stepped out of the cockpit. She was wearing the black Stormtrooper jumpsuit, her hair tied in a bun that could fit underneath a helmet.

“Come on Niall,” she said. “You’ve got company.” Under her breath, but still audible to Airen, she mumbled. “Death Star veteran. Yeesh.”

He remained dead to the galaxy. Nica looked at Airen and rolled her eyes with a sigh. She knelt on one knee and gave Niall a less-than-gentle-but-more-than-perfunctory punch in the gut.

The bounty hunter’s eyes snapped open in a giant gasp for breath that devolved into coughing as he rolled onto his side.

Nica rose and dusted her hands off. “It was that or the water-in-the-face method and I don’t think we’ve got a mop.”

Niall clutched his abdomen as he coughed in between pulling air into his lungs. “That--” cough cough cough “--wasn’t very--” deep breath “--nice.”

“Your princess nap lasted into hyperspace,” Nica informed him. “I think actual Alderaanian princesses snap out of stun faster than you.”

With some level of oxygen saturation restored to his lungs, Niall got onto his knees, from whence he was able to look up at Airen and Nica. “I take it we’re finished with introductions?”

"We're done with introductions," Airen replied, "and now we need to sit down and plan this thing out."

Airen made his way over to the common room where he sat at a sabacc table. He wasn't interested in playing cards. He wasn't interested in solidifying friendships. He was interested in earning a fortune off the Empire's weapons industry.

"Tell me, what do you know about quadanium?" Airen asked Nica and NIall.

"Used to make starship hulls. Incredibly hard to get," Niall said as he got to his feet. Nica didn't give him any assistance. "The Empire controls most of the sources of production because of the military value--so everybody else is willing to pay top credit for it. Anything you'd like to add, darling?"

Niall turned inquiringly towards Nica who had closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Quadanium. Seriously? Quadnaium?" she asked. "That's your brilliant idea? Did you not tell him about the gala idea?"

"Nobody's decided anything," Niall said.

"The Coruscant Metropolitan Museum of Art gala is the social event of the Core, of the galaxy, and we could do a jewelry heist. It'd only take..." Nica waved her hand around as she did some math in her head, "...5,000 credits and we could do it with a seven maybe eight being crew."

"And get what, 500,000 credits in gems that we'd have to take a 30% hit, minimum, on when we fenced it?" Niall protested. "Hear the being out at least."

"Quadanium was used to construct the first Death Star," Airen said, "as well as other weapons of terror. I remember watching as Jedha was destroyed in the first live firing of the weapon on a civilian target. I saw, in horror, as Director Krennic and Tarkin sniped one another while the entire planet was roiled in the most powerfully destructive blast I've ever seen. That day I swore to never serve the Empire again. That day I broke my oath to the Emperor."

"Quadanium, ladies and gentlemen, is where the power is at. If we were to get a hold of a sizeable amount we could assist the Rebellion in their fight against the Empire. Having served in the Empire I know where the closest, and least heavily guarded, production facility happens to be," Airen explained firing up a holoprojector of the galaxy, "Nam Chorios. The crystal mountain planet. Orbiting Nam Chorios is a transfer station where the minerals loaded onto shuttle from the planet's surface get transferred to warships on the tail end of their careers. There's a few hurdles to overcome. Like, we need a slicer, and some Imperial uniforms."

Niall and Nica exchanged a look. "We're all for sticking it to the Empire," Niall said.

"But is the Rebellion going to be able to pay?" Nica finished.

"We've got...uh...cash requirements," Niall added.

"I get where you're coming from," Airen replied, "but I'm more concerned about that weapons grade quadanium ending up in the hands of a criminal syndicate. The Empire, the Rebellion, they will come and go as they please. A criminal syndicate, well, they last a really long time and their ability to affect a great many lives is what is stopping me from going that direction. Look, I threw out the Rebellion because I know some people on Mon Calamari. Some fish that would pay handsomely for quadanium to build cruisers to take on the Empire head on. The war is well underfoot but the Rebels aren't winning by any means. I don't know about the two of you, but being that you're from Bakura, the white boot of a stormtrooper isn't something you want to see continue either."

"It's not been ideal. Could be worse," Nica allowed, "but we're sympathetic."

"As long as you can guarantee payment," Niall insisted. Gently, but he still insisted.
"I can," Airen replied, "I know you're going to have to trust me on this one. The reality is that the Rebels are strapped for cash. Having said that their very survival depends on Mon Calamari's support. Quadanium, a healthy shipment of it, could swing the war in their favor. That's countless capital ships, countless weapons of war. They will pay."

"What sort of resources can the two of you pull together for us to do this job?" Airen asked.

Niall and Nica looked at each other again. "We know some folks," Niall said, "but I think we're going to need a plan before we get a crew."

He slid next to Airen at the sabacc table. "The way I see it, that bit about transport is where to start..."

---

"You've got to get into the window, there," Nica said, pointing.

"I know, I know," Airen agreed, "but you've got, what, a fifteen minute window?"

"Well we've already got two pilots," Niall pointed out, "or are you saying neither of you are good enough?"

---

"This would be easiest if we had droids," Airen said.

"No droids," Niall and Nica said in unison.

Airen put his hands up. Bakurans were apparently touchy about droids. "No droids, got it."

---

"For something like that...we might need a third," Niall hypothesized.

"I know explosives. Imperial Navy, remember?" Airen reminded him.

"You know how to shoot explosives," Niall challenged.

"Oh yeah, well let me tell you..."

---

"Properly executed, this'll be a cakewalk. They'll just give it to us," Nica said as they looked at a map of Nam Chorios together.

"They should give it to us," Niall corrected.

"They will," Airen said confidently.

---

"The timing's going to have to be just right here," Airen said.

"What is it with you and timing?" Niall complained.

"It's all in the timing," Airen said darkly.

---

The three looked at their scribbled notes, which lay in a fan around the holoprojector.

"I think we've got a plan," Airen said as he studied the 12 step outline.

"We just might," Nica agreed.

"Not much wiggle room in it," Niall observed.

"Tight is good. Tight is how we get away with it," Airen said firmly.

"You got an idea where we can get a crew for something like this?" Niall asked.

"I know exactly where to get one."

Tag: @jcgoble3

 

For those who have already read, there was a first half that was initially missing from the post, plus some formatting. All of that has now been restored. Hopefully there are some gaps that are filled in by that...and if there aren't then clearly we wrote too much.

 

Nar Shaddaa
Fifth Borough
The Rusty Blaster

Airen stepped quickly to the side as a drunk Gran exited a darkened alley spewing his upset stomach all over the wet sidewalk. He shook his head as the smell of bile combined with the already prevalent stench of the Vertical City hit him hard in the nose. He could never get used to this place. It wasn't home to him but it was home to countless beings who had dreams of their won.

Nar Shaddaa, the city that never slept. The city that never seemed to do much of anything except keep people down and out. Regardless, there were dreams here in the Vertical City. Dreams of rising above the crime, the filth, the stench, dreams of making something of this crushing mass of life. There were rumors, talks, of developing a professional boloball squad.

Rumors that swirled from the tables of board room meetings to the working class stiffs who made up a growing subsection of the population. Unfortunately for so many there was a long way to go and kilometers of agreements to be reached before professional sports came here. Legal gambling, a safe venue for the sport to be played, and a reason to make Nar Shaddaa, rather than Nal Hutta, the focal point of Outer Rim media and marketing strategies.

Airen looked up through the smog and found the location he was searching for the past half hour. The Rusty Blaster. A bar like so many others and yet different in one key way. Here there were those who were serious about getting out of Nar Shaddaa and also serious about getting back at those who had wronged them regardless of past affiliation. This was the place to find his crew.

Airen entered the bar and did a quick scan. He spotted his target, a woman, at a corner booth prowling across the lightened screens of a datapad with all the ferocity of a vornskyr. He made his way over to the booth and sat down across from his mark.

"Aren't you going to say hello?" Airen asked.



"Hello," came the casual reply, "I wondered when you'd show your face around here."

"Well I had a few complications," Airen said, "besides it seems like you did alright for yourself since I last saw you."

"A few firmware upgrades, a few extra algorithms, a little less Imperial control, nothing too exciting," the woman replied.

"Right, I forgot," Airen said, "you're all about code. I hope you don't mind but I've asked a few of my associates to join me."

Niall slid into the booth next to Airen and at the same time Nica did the same next to the woman.

"So how many of us are pointing blasters at each other under the table?" Niall asked jovially. "Or is that not what they call a 'Smuggler's Moon Hello'?"

Airen laughed and looked over at his female companion. Her face was dead serious. That was to be expected.

"She's so serious because she's a human replica droid," Airen said as he studied Niall and Nica's reactions. He knew Bakurans hated droid, or feared them, or whatever have you. They just didn't care for droids on that planet.

"She's also the best slicer I've ever known. She can get into anything, reprogram any ship, hell, she could have the entire Imperial Navy at the wrong end of the galaxy looking for the Emperor," Airen explained.

"You underestimate my abilities," she replied, "remember that blackout on Coruscant a few years ago?"

"Yeah," Airen replied.

"I did that," she said.

She turned her attention to Niall and Nica.

"What's the job?"

“Hold up,” Niall said before anyone could get into the details. “We’ve got some cultural trust issues with...your kind.”

“Of the stabby-stabby kind,” Nica elaborated. “You know, like in the back. No offense.”

“So for a job where everyone has to work together flawlessly and depend on each other, we need some…” Niall searched for the right word.

“Guarantees,” Nica finished.

“Assurances,” Niall corrected. Guarantees were hard to come by in this kind of work.

“After all, human replica droids cost, what, millions? So obviously you owe being here to someone. Stands to reason you’d answer to them,” Nica said.

"Should you tell them or should I?" Airen asked.

"I'll tell them," the woman replied, "I'm a a prototype. A test model. One of a kind. Unique. Specifically, I was manufactured by a corporation known as the Ypres Initiative named for one of the founding families of II Avali. I was created to give the Ypres Initiative an edge in any corporate business dealings. You see, I find out information and I use that to my advantage. If you're wondering what other guarantees I might be able to offer you two all I can say is that my allegiance is to myself and no one else.

"Based on your reactions to the revelation that I am a human replica droid I assume you're one of two things," the woman continued, "Bakuran or dangerously isolated. Since neither of you seem to be socially inept I'll lean toward Bakuran. Quite simply, whatever you have planned you can already count me in. I just need to know specifics. You do have specifics, right?" the woman replied.

"We have specifics," Niall said, echoing the oddly formal language of the droid. He looked at Airen. "You trust...her?" It was obvious, probably even to their potential slicer, that he'd stopped himself at the last moment from saying "it."

"Yeah, she's done me a few solids. She's good," Airen replied, "so here's the plan..."

Tag: @jcgoble3; @Trieste

 

OOC: The story continues...

A cantina
Six Boroughs, Nar Shaddaa

The next establishment they found themselves in had no name. Or, if it did, it had long since been buried under dirt and grime or had its sign stolen that no one seemed to know what it was anymore. (Or, maybe it was just a good way to not have to pay taxes. Whatever worked.)

“You know, some people might knock this neighborhood, but I think it’s got a certain charm,” Niall said as he looked around the cantina. Not that he could see anything--it was so dark inside the cantina that Niall could barely see his hand if he held it out in front of him.

“If this is your interior design aesthetic…” Nica said. She didn’t finish her sentence, but it was clear she didn’t agree with her fellow Bakuran.

“Look, there she is,” Niall said, giving a nod with his chin in the direction of the bar.

“Where?” Nica asked. It was a legitimate question.

“There.”

“Where?”

“There.”

“Where?”

“Get on with it!” Airen groaned rubbing his temples.

"I see her," Ana, the human replica droid, blandly stated. "Three booths down, against the far wall. Possibly armed."

"Who isn't," Airen groaned, "Oh, one last thing. Do you always have to speak so formally?"

Ana cocked her head as if contemplating her response. "No, I don't. I suppose it has been awhile since I've been around humans. Machine speak is so efficient, so calculating, so clear. Much better than this mouth I was given."

"Well if you're going to hang around us you have to loosen up," Airen pointed out.

"Copy," Ana replied as she returned her gaze to the suspect individual.

"If she talks about 'the mouth she was given,' she's not going to fit in very well if she winds up interacting with the mark," Nica whispered.

"I think she heard that," Niall whispered back. "She's a droid, after all."

"Wait, how did she know what she looked like?!" Nica asked, worry following quickly upon the realization. It was too late to find out because the quartet had arrived at the booth.

It was occupied by a Chadra-Fan, who had a glass of some kind of murky liquid (likely liquor) that seemed to be about half as tall as her. Niall slipped into the booth.

"This is your programmer?" Nica asked. "How are we going to pass her off in front of the mark?"

"Ever see an Imperial slave market?" the Chadra-Fan piped up. "They've got non-humans of every stripe and color ready to be shipped off for service in mines and factories of every sort. Maybe remember your privilege for one second, will you?"

"Knock it off with the High Human sithspit," Airen interjected, "I don't live my life by those principles. Oh, and yeah I've seen those slave markets. They're nothing to write home about. Terrible stuff. How about you tell us just how good you are programming and we may let you in on a job. A job that pays quite handsomely if everything lines up the way we think it will."

"Careful of this one," Ana whispered, "Chadra Fans are known to be feral at times."

"Hey, hey," Nica interjected, putting a finger in Airen's face. "Don't tar us with that brush."

Niall lowered her arm. "Everybody, let's cool off. Nobody's a speciesist here," he said, trying to lower the temperature of the conversation. "It was a tactical observation, I'm sure." He gave Nica a look as if to say, It better be one. "But Big Time is right."

"Big Time?" Nica said with surprise, looking at the Chadra-Fan. "That's your name?"

"Yeah, because whenever I do a job, it's big time," she replied confidently. "Nothing more, nothing less--and sounds like this could be. What the galoot--" she looked at Niall here, "--was going to say is that you make me look like an Imp slave, they won't take a second look at me. They'll think I'm just there to swab the deck or carry laundry." She gave a high, squeaking laugh. "That's what I love about Imps. They think they're the only smart beings in the galaxy. Everybody else has got to be dumber than them or they wouldn't be in charge. And that was true when they got me fired from my job at Autotek. I wrote code and programmed factories of droids for manufacturing, usually on my own. Other beings couldn't keep up. The galoot tells me that you need to run a ship with a bare bones crew." She squeezed her eyes together. "In fact, maybe a crew not much bigger than what can fit in this booth....Anyways, I've done that--twice. I mean, when you think about it, a capital ship is just a large cargo ship with guns and beings to operate those guns. That means crew, which means you need support systems, which introduces complexity, which--"

"Fast forward, Big Time," Niall suggested.

"You can shut a lot of a capital ship off and still operate it--as long as you know what you're doing and not many beings do," Big Time summarized.

"And you're one of the not many beings," Nica prompted.

"I would be." Big Time swung her legs back and forth, even though they were a foot from the floor.

"We'll need a capital ship if we're going to score big," Airen mused.

"Many Venators are being retired as we speak. Destined for the boneyard," Ana pointed out, "perhaps one of those could be of use."

"How do we get aboard such a ship?" Airen wondered, "Won't they be heavily protected?"

"Where do most of the unwanted things in the galaxy end up?" Niall asked philosophically.

Everyone at the table looked at him. He took a drink and the silence continued until his lips parted from his glass.

"Oh, wait, I thought you all knew the answer to that and were going to share meaningful looks. You really don't know?" he asked with surprise.

---

The shuttle dropped out of hyperspace and a grimy planet stared back at them. The five beings, four organic and one droid, peered through the cockpit viewports

"Welcome to Ord Mantell, friends," Niall proclaimed.

"Curious. I thought there was a 31% chance it would be Yarma," Ava mused.

"Slipping there, eh Home Slice?" Nica kidded.

"There was a 67% chance it would be Ord Mantell," the android said, leaving the cockpit.

"That..." Nica fumbled for words, before calling after Ava, "...ruined the effect I was going for!"

"There she is," Airen pointed out at the sulking hulk of a Venator class Star Destroyer. "That'll do nicely."

Tag: @Trieste; @jcgoble3 (always a pleasure!)

 

Ord Mantell

Ana guided the shuttle in around the dormant Venator. Airen peered out from the windows at the old warship and couldn't help but smile. This was perfect.

Faded red paint lines, indicating that it had served during the Republic's war days in the Open Circle Fleet, ran along its length. The running lights were off and the ship looked like it had been mothballed for at least a decade. Pock marks dotted the hull and there was a general sense of decay. Still, Airen knew better than to immediately call the ship unfit for duty. Venators were, after all, a class of their own.

"Ana, what's the transponder say?" Airen asked, "What's her name?"

"Kyriad," Ana replied, "theyr'e calling her the Kyriad."

"Beautiful ship," Airen said as he turned to Niall, Nica and Big Time, "will that work?"

Niall leaned over the pilot's seat as he looked at the old cruiser. The proximity to Ava didn't seem to bother him, or he was too engrossed in what he was looking at to think about it. "Yeah, I think that'll work. The Empire still uses these things for cargo runs. Enough guns to scare off raiders, but not powerful enough that it would be put to better use chasing after pirates and Rebels." He looked over his shoulder and down. "Can you get the slave circuits running?"

"First of all, don't talk about slaves around a non-Human," Big Time quipped. She climbed onto the co-pilot's seat and braced herself against the console, as if getting half a meter closer would tell her something more. "The appropriate term is 'centralized remote navigation.' Secondly, that's not what we need here. We need to be able to run all the systems of a ship like that with just the six of us. Truth is, we'll have to be able to toggle systems on and off--mainly off. But that Clone War tech? It's old, but it's not lost. Current Imperial protocols and programs grew out of it. It's still at the base of modern programming."

"That's a yes?" Nica clarified, trying to get an answer through the technobabble.

"I won't know for sure until I pop the hood, but the answer is yes," Big Time confirmed.

"Park us in the main hangar bay," Airen said to Ana who deftly set the shuttle down in the darkened hangar moments later.

Airen ignited a glow stick and turned back to the others, "Starboard bridge is our destination. Let's get moving. I don't want to stay down here in this hangar any longer than necessary."

The four organics and the droid made their way through the cavernous warship. The turbolifts were barely functioning so service access tunnels were used instead. Before long they were inside the starboard bridge ready to begin their work.

"Big Time," Airen said, "you're on."

The Chadra-Fan needed a lift into the chair at the controls. The power for auxiliary systems like that was out, so she couldn't lower it for herself. Standing on the chair and leaning forward to the console, the Chadra-Fan began typing away, humming a squeaking tune to herself. As she worked, the rest of the party wandered around the dusty bridge, a relic of decades earlier.

"No wonder the Empire wants to scrap this," Nica said, rubbing some dust between her fingers. "We'll be lucky if we can make three hyperspace jumps with this thing."

"That's what the Imperials want you to think," Big Time chimed in.

"What do you mean?"

"This is Republic tech," Big Time continued without stopping work. "The Venator was a KDY product. They were built to last. The Empire? Sure, they have good looking ships, but they've got a shelf-life of 30 years. They're interested in quantity because they've got an entire galaxy to control. The Republic used less force and made do with a more nimble fleet--at least until the Clone Wars forced them to compromise. This Venator is a first generation. It might be old, but it's got a lot of years left in it."

"I'm not concerned with years, just the next two weeks," Niall said. He crouched down to look under a console at the wiring. "This was in a war, after all."

"And survived," Ana pointed out.

"Just because it got through that doesn't mean it'll get through what we need it to do," Niall said, straightening. "Speaking of..."

"Give me a minute," Big Time mumbled. "I'm in, but if you bring up the systems out of sequence you can blow a generator and if you do that without safety systems online to seal the bulkheads--"

"Okay, okay, I get the picture," Niall said, holding up his hands and admitting defeat. "I like air."

"Ha!" Big Time chirped triumphantly. The lights on the bridge went on and the ship was filled with a sense of humming. The group clustered around her.

"Are we ready to go?" Niall asked.

"Not by half. I've got the systems on. I don't have them centralized yet. That's going to take the rest of the day, maybe into the next," Big Time said. She hadn't paused her work. "Don't you all have to go shopping or something?"

"She's got good bones," Airen observed. "Built strong, built to last, take impacts, and dish out some punishment. The Republic knew what they were doing when they designed her. Unlike her descendants she is fully capable of filling the role of carrier. A role the Empire, in all its immense power, fails to grasp to this day. The Tarkin Doctrine won't allow it. The officers who enforce said doctrine don't believe in carriers. They believe in submission. Control. Untenable power."

Airen walked over to a nearby supply closet near the aft section of the bridge and rummaged through the contents. He was surprised to find Imperial uniforms. They were dusty, a bit threadbare, but still functional, still usable. If the mission played out the way he expected then they'd do well for them barring Imperial entanglements they couldn't control.

"Anyone good with a needle and thread? They could use some sizing adjustments," Airen said with a grunt.

Niall came over to look at the uniforms. "Yeah, these are current issue...and they look like the kind of uniform someone who got banished to working on one of these would have gotten anyways. Wouldn't hurt for us to be looked down on if it came to it."

"Hey, now this is interesting," Big Time piped up. "Whoever last flew this already had some systems set to run on auto."

"That makes sense," Ana said factually. The group looked at her, which she took as encouragement to continue. "These ships were, compared to the modern Imperial ship, crew-heavy. The Empire has a much broader fleet presence across its territory, as Mr. Vehn obliquely mentioned. For the sort of work this ship saw at its end-of-life it wouldn't have had the crew to run as intended. They would have shunted some of its systems into central controls."

"Now you mention that?" Big Time muttered. "Could have saved me a lot of planning time!"

"I assumed that was apparent to everyone earlier," Ana said simply.

"So we're complaining about saving time in the execution phase?" Niall said. "This is the oddest crew I've ever been in. Speaking of, about the alterations?" He looked at Nica.

She laughed at the implied suggestion. "What, you think I learned how to sew? I'm not the one who's been living on his own for years traveling the galaxy without a tailor around the corner," Nica said. "Are you really telling me you can't do them?"

"I hate you," Niall conceded with a sigh. "Where's the laundry room on this thing?"

Tag: @Trieste; @jcgoble3

 

OOC: Here we gooo!



Nam Chorios
Transfer Station Tau

Commander Taun Svaar checked the chrono on the wall and frowned. The transport vessel was late. That had never happened in the nearly ten years that he had been in charge of the transfer station. He walked over to a nearby console and checked his messages. Procedure dictated in the event the transport vessel was late for pickup that a message from Command with instructions on how to proceed would be waiting for him in his inbox.

His eyes widened in surprise as a message from the regional commandant, Remis Klivian, informed him that the transport vessel had been late in getting away from its home base and would be arriving fifteen minutes later than usual. The message also indicated that the usual craft for said transport had to undergo routine maintenance and a replacement was on its way. He sighed and closed the message. There was always a day for firsts. Today, it seemed was one of them. How odd.

"Commander," a nearby subordinate said, "we're picking up a disturbance in hyperspace. Vessel emerging in three, two, one..."

Commander Svaar looked up from his console and peered at the hyper buoy where the transport craft usually exited hyperspace. His eyes widened as an aging Venator class Star Destroyer emerged from hyperspace. This was unusual.

"Check the codes and transponder," Svaar commanded to a nearby subordinate, "I don't want any surprises today."

"The codes check out, sir," the subordinate replied, "Imperial transport vessel going by the name Kyriad. Ship manifest and ID numbers match."

"Attention Transfer Station Tau," Airen's voice called out over the comm, "this is Captain Airen Vehn of the Imperial starship Kyriad. Docking sequence initiated. Begin transfer of quadanium upon successful dock."

"This is Commander Taun Svaar," he replied, "expect a boarding party to greet you once dock is complete. Paperwork to sign and all that. We're not familiar with your crew."

"Did you get the message Commander Remis Klivian sent?" Airen asked as the docking sequence completed.

"We did," Svaar replied as he jerked his head to a subordinate. He put his hand over the comm unit, "Run personnel records. Something doesn't seem right."

"That could take up to fifteen minutes, sir. Our connections to Central Command is slow out here. By then the transfer will be complete and they could be gone," his subordinate replied.

"Then I suggest you get started," Svaar sniped back.

Svaar tugged at his tunic and headed for the docking bay. On the way he motioned for a nearby storm trooper escort to join him. Something was off about all this and he swore to himself he would get to the bottom of it as an automated voice erupted throughout the station: "Transfer initiated."

Time was running out.

Svaar and the contingent of Stormtroopers arrived at the docking bay where the Kyriad was taking on containers of quadanium. They were being shepherded onto the ship by workers in drab jumpsuits. Overseeing the work was a set of Imperial officers: three humans.

“Keep it moving, keep it moving,” a female officer with red hair barked. “We don’t have all day.”

The Tau troopers approached the other two officers, a male and a female. “Captain Vehn?” Svaar inquired of the male.

“Senior Lieutenant Stock,” the male corrected.

“Where is Captain Vehn? I have forms for him to fill out and verifications to complete,” Svaar said. This new transport wasn’t getting anything right.

“You think the Captain has the time for this? We’re already behind schedule. We’ve got Admiral Konstantine waiting for this shipment,” Stock said. “As it is, the project is already too far behind schedule.”

“Sir, clearance levels,” the dark haired woman said quietly, enunciating each word precisely.

“Who are you?” Svaar demanded.

“Junior Lieutenant Ana,” the woman said with a salute. “Captain Vehn dispatched me to complete any needed paperwork and take care of any other administrative details.”

“Oh for the love of the Emperor,” Stock said, dashing off to where his counterpart was standing over a prone worker.

“Get up!” the redheaded officer shouted.

“Let me handle this, Lieutenant,” Stock instructed, placing himself between his fellow officer and the worker. The redhead glared at Stock, but stalked away.

“Lieutenant,” Ana said, hailing her fellow female, “allow me to introduce Commander Svaar.”

“Senior Lieutenant Sutton,” the redhead said with a salute. At least these two knew how to properly greet a superior officer. “My apologies for the disruption, but one of your workers was dragging his feet. Probably fell on purpose.”

Svaar grunted. The Tau station workers weren’t worth much, that was for sure.

“Don’t worry, Lieutenant Stock has a way of…motivating such laggards,” Sutton continued.

Sure enough, after a few quiet words, the worker was on his feet and moving a container along. Stock continued to oversee the parade of containers into the hold of the Kyriad.

“But where is Captain Vehn? It’s protocol to verify all transfers of cargoes over--”

“If I may, Commander,” Ana interjected politely. “I think you’ll find that all the necessary files have been transferred and verified.” She handed over a datapad for Svaar’s review. “Everything’s taken care of for you. Once we finish loading the cargo, we’ll be on our way and out of your hair.”

“Might even make up some time,” Sutton observed hopefully. “Honestly, with the dust-poor refueling job we had at Upsilon Station, this kind of efficiency is appreciated. We’ll note it in our report to...in our report.”

Svaar picked up the hesitation. What was it Stock had said before about Admiral Konstantine? And a project? If this was connected to a secret R&D project where a senior admiral was involved, a positive mention might go a long way for his career.

“Of course,” Svaar said, handing the datapad back after a cursory look that showed everything was in order. “We run the tightest of operations here at Tau.”

“As we were led to believe at Upsilon,” Sutton said. “Now forgive me, but let me make sure that my colleague doesn’t get carried away.” She left to look after Stock.

Once Sutton, clearly the most cautious and intelligent of the three, moved off, Svaar said to Ana, “Senior Lieutenant Stock mentioned that these materials are going towards a project.” Perhaps she’d spill the details for him.

Ana tilted her head to one side. “Project? What project?” she asked. Her confusion was almost real enough to be believable, but her lack of affect and neutral facial expression said otherwise.

“Nevermind, Lieutenant. Can’t blame a being for trying,” Svaar said. He turned to the Stormtroopers. “Back to stations.”

Captain Airen Vehn stood on the starboard bridge of the Kyriad as the final containers slipped aboard. Not very long after the crisp looking uniforms worn by Niall, Nica and Ana arrived. He turned around and gave them a wry smile, "So far, so good. Let's cast off and get out of here."

"They were certainly skeptical," Ana commented, "but I was able to throw them off the scent in the end."

"Big Time, take us out. Full speed ahead," Airen ordered as he settled into the command chair.

The Venator class Star Destroyer began to pull away from Tau Station and head toward the hyperspace point.

"Niall," Airen said, "is that device you and Nica rigged up ready to deploy?"

Niall's voice came back. "Just getting some finishing touches with our expert down here."

Ana came onto the bridge. "Captain Vehn, are we working on a project?" Airen furrowed his brow in response. "Commander Svaar asked me about a project."

Big Time shrugged her shoulders as the Star Destroyer made for the hyperspace point. A crackle from the comm. "Yeah, that'd be a little red herring we left for the good Commander," Niall said.

"That would have been useful to know earlier," Ana said simply.

"Pretty sure you sold it just fine, Ana," Nica's voice came back. "Bridge, we are ready to rock and roll."

Before anyone else could say anything else, an alarm alerted the Kyriad to another ship dropping out of hyperspace. It was another Venator, a newer one. One that had a full crew and armed weapons, unlike the Kyriad. It was the regularly scheduled pick up for the quadanium.

"Oh this isn't good," Big Time squeaked.

"Get that thing out now! Countdown to jump!" Airen shouted into the comm.

"Four, three, two--" Big Time counted.

And then everything exploded.

Tag: @Trieste; @jcgoble3

 

"And then everything exploded" is quite the cliffhanger! How are they going to get out of this one?

 

OOC: Enjoy this post you two. It was enjoyable to write.



Deep Space
Not Far From Tau Station

"Commander," a subordinate said, "there's been an incident on Tau Station. It appears that pirates have stolen a sizeable amount of quadanium from our facility. There was an explosion. Our forces were unable to pursue. High Command is demanding to know what is going on and has requested your presence at Tau Station immediately."

"Pirates or the Rebel Alliance?" Commander Remis Klivian asked.

"We're not certain, sir," the subordinate replied, "shall I prepare your shuttle?"

"Do I have a choice?" Klivian replied, "duty calls."

---

Tau Station
Command Deck

"You didn't try and stall them? Ask them questions while your personnel files were returned from Coruscant?" Commander Remis Klivian pressed Commander Taun Svaar as they reviewed the information on the heist.

"Everything checked out," Svaar replied growing more apprehensive by the minute. "The crew had legitimate uniforms, their manfest and dossier was air tight. Every detail was planned well. Even the ship they commandeered was the correct kind. When you sent your message that the shipment would be late I figured that everything was operating within appropriate parameters. I had no reason to suspect anything was amiss until they attempted to jump to hyperspace and the original vessel emerged ready to pick up the cargo."

"You said the ship's name was what again?" Remis pushed.

"Kyriad. Venator class," Commander Svaar replied, "their codes were older but they checked out."

"And did you catch the name of the commanding officer?" Remis inquired.

"We did," Svaar replied, "his name was Airen Vehn."

Remis felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. His back went rigid and his hands curled into fists as he pounded a nearby console, "How did he escape Wobani Labor Camp? The man you were talking to, Commander Svaar, is a wanted criminal. He is one of the most dangerous men alive and was rumored to have found the Jaded Emerald of Solost. I caught up with him after that little operation and sentenced him to death. Of course he would find a way out of Wobani. A man like that doesn't stay down for long."

"You know him, then?" Svaar asked.

"I've hunted him across multiple star systems on behalf of High Command. Lord Vader personally assigned me to hunt him down during the Empire's hunt for the Jaded Emerald. He is a traitor to the Empire, a former Imperial officer, and one of the few men alive in the galaxy to have escaped the destruction of the Death Star over Yavin IV. Somehow he found out about our operation here. Somehow he knew that large quantities of quadanium were being refined and shipped from this facility. Maker knows what he's gone and done with the quadanium now."

"Sir, there was explosion when the Kyriad jumped to hyperspace," Svaar explained, "the ship never got out of the system."

"Show me the security footage," Remis ordered.

The pair watched as the Kyriad left Tau Station and began rumbling toward the hyper buoy. Just as the Kyriad was about to jump to hyperspace a massive explosion erupted where the ship had once been. The new Venator slowly began its docking with Tau Station moments later.

"See? Destroyed. Looks like a reactor overload," Svaar said in a haughty tone, "and that is why stealing old Imperial technology is a bad idea."

"Zoom in here," Remis said replaying the hologram, "there, pause frame!"

"What are we looking at?" Svaar asked.

"See that small device there leaving the hangar bay?" Remis pointed out.

"It could be trash or space debris," Svaar said as he examined the image.

"Resume film," Remis commanded.

The image continued as the small device swirled behind the Kyriad. A tiny ripple erupted around the aging Imperial warship prior to detonation. A blinding flash clouded the security cameras footage at this point before the warship vanished.

"See that ripple?" Remis asked, "consistent with a jump to lightspeed."

"Yes sir," Svaar replied, "I do. Are you suggesting the ship made the jump to lightspeed prior to the detonation?"

"I am," Remis replied, "and I believe the debris you recovered from the crash site, while expertly placed, would not match the serial numbers on that vessel. We need to send out probe droids at once to track down the Kyriad and return the quadanium to this facility at once."

"Sir," Svaar said, "what is the quadanium being used for? I've heard rumors of a special project."

"I'm not at liberty to disclose that information, Commander Svaar," Remis replied, "If that quadanium is sold on the black market it could end up in the hands of the Rebellion. It could change the course of this war. Get me a secure channel to High Command immediately. I must inform Lord Vader of this development. "

"That will not be necessary, Commander Klivian," a mechanical voice boomed from behind Remis. Then came the breathing. The heavy, automated, breathing. "I have come here so you can explain your failure to me directly."



Remis turned and stood ramrod straight as the imposing figure of Darth Vader emerged from the door at the end of the bridge. Vader's foosteps, heavy and imposing, drew nearer as the Dark Lord's cape flowed behind him further creating a terrifying image of power and darkness.

"My lord!" Remis exclaimed dropping to a knee and lowering his head, "What an unexpected surprise."

"Not as surprising as discovering that an Imperial traitor and criminal successfully apprehended the Jaded Emerald of Solost from under our noses," Vader hissed, "and is now in possession of a substantial amount of quadanium. I am most displeased as is the Emperor."

"Lord Vader," Svaar said kneeling as well, "if I might explain. Everything check--"

Remis shuddered as Svaar immediately reached for the collar around his neck. He fought a useless battle for air and was rewarded moments later by death. Remis looked away as Svaar collapsed to the deck, motionless. It was only a matter of time before that invisible hand closed around his own throat.

"My lord," Remis said knowing he only had mere moments of life left, "Airen Vehn had considerable help from Rebel cells during my pursuit of him and the Jaded Emerald. There were other forces at work as well. Sinister forces that thwarted my every attempt. Had I known he had such resources available to him I would have doubled my efforts."

"I grow tired of your excuses, Commander Klivian," Vader replied as he surveyed the command deck, "and because of your lack of oversight the construction of the second Death Star has been delayed."

Remis straightened his posture, down on one knee, and looked Lord Vader directly in the eyes. "I have only ever served the Empire well, my lord. I offer no defense for my poor judgment and will not ask for your mercy. I will gladly sacrifice my life if it means that Airen Vehn is apprehended and brought to justice."

Vader, towering over Remis, brought his fist up and began to curl his index and thumb finger as he called upon the Dark Side of the Force.

Remis felt an invisible hand slowly choke the life out of him and in that moment he knew that his failure was complete. He did not struggle, he did not resist, but merely welcome the death that quickly greeted him. As he faded from this world he heard Vader's final words echoing loudly in his ears.

"Offer accepted, Commander Klivian."

Darkness.

Tag: @jcgoble3; @Trieste

 

No wonder that Imperial office pension fund is so healthy! Not even the non-canon officers get to retire.

 

D'Qar

"Not much of an operation here," Niall commented looking around the Rebel outpost nestled among the rolling grassy hills.

"We only recently found this place," the Rebel officer said as she oversaw the unloading of the quadanium crates. "Though I question the decision made above my paygrade to let a bunch of thieves come here."

"We prefer the term 'resource liberators,'" Niall informed her.

"And if I hadn't seen the funds you're transferring, I'd think you'd be vastly underestimating the value of this much quadanium," Nica said, sitting on top of a stack of crates.

"Glad we're all clear on that," the officer said. She probably wanted the Kyriad out of her hair as soon as possible in case an old warship like it drew unwanted attention to what was supposed to be a deserted corner of the galaxy.

"Be thankful you're getting anything from us. There were other parties, with arguably stronger offers, that we could've sold the quadanium to and I wouldn't have had any qualms about collecting their money," Airen explained to the Rebel officer as he emerged from the hold and stood near Niall.

"Criminals and terrorists, mostly," Ana piped in and tilted her head as if analyzing her own comments, "oh and I suppose fringe elements within the greater Rebel Alliance."

Airen shot Ana a look as if to say go plug yourself.

"Don't mind her. Software must be acting up," Airen grumbled as the last of the crates disembarked the hold of the Kyriad.

"What are you going to do with all this quadanium? Airen asked.

"Return the credits and join up and maybe we'll tell you," the officer said. There was a tiny glint in her eye that indicated she might be enjoying the sparring.

"Actually, about that..." Niall said, sharing a glance with Nica. "If you've got a moment, there's something you might want to see."

The officer's hand twitched towards her sidearm blaster, but she restrained herself. Clearly, stepping onto an Imperial warship was a touchy subject. However, it seemed she was intrigued enough to set her datapad down. Airen cocked his head as if to say, Explain yourself, Trieste. Niall led the way back into the ship and the officer looked around the Clone Wars-era vessel with undisguised interest.

"If the Empire hadn't junked ships like these, we'd be a lot better off in the war against them," the officer said, running a hand along a bulkhead as she passed. It seemed she and Airen shared a similar opinion of the Kyriad's merits.

"I doubt that she could go toe-to-toe with a Star Destroyer without significant retrofits, but it'd be a heck of a lot better than relying on blockade runners and converted transport ships," Nica said.

"Unfortunately, the Empire's probably going to crack down on the remaining stocks of these before anyone else gets such a bright idea," the officer sighed. "That reminds me--you're awfully relaxed for a crew that just stole tons of quadanium from the Empire."

"That's because they still think we're dead," Niall said.

"Probably," Ava clarified. "There is a possibility that they will have discovered our ruse, but even if they do so, they won't be able to track our hyperspace signature."

"On behalf of the Alliance, mind if I ask how?" the officer inquired.

Niall whistled sharply. "Hey, Roxie!"

A burly Devaronian in a tanktop with jumpsuit rolled down to his waist came over, teeth bared in what might be threatening, but turned out to be a smile.

"This is Roxie, formerly Prisoner NC-55491," Niall explained.

"Pleasure's mine," Roxie said, taking the officer's hand.

"Roxie was sentenced to hard labor at the Nam Chorios penal colony for destruction of property back on Devaron," Niall continued.

"I like watching Imperial buildings explode," he said simply.

"When we identified the Imperial facility at Nam Chorios as our target, I hacked into the prisoner files to find someone with experience in demolitions," Ava explained as they stepped into a lift.

"Why buy when you can rent?" Niall asked with a smile, slapping Roxie on the back.

"It was a pleasure to be of service."

"But what did you do?" the officer pressed.

"We rigged up a device from some of the Kyriad's old parts. Imperials left them lying around since they were going to junk her anyways," Roxie said. "Central to it was an old engine core we rigged on a timer to explode. Made it look like the Kyriad went boom instead of jumped out of the system."

"Doing so also obscured our hyperspace trail," Ava added. "Not that the Empire has hyperspace tracking, but they could have attempted to extrapolate our destination using bearing and position."

"At the very least it let us get away before they could turn up the heat," Nica said.

"Nifty. Have to remember that one," the Rebel officer said appreciatively.

"Nearly blew us up getting the timing right," Airen growled, giving a look at Niall.

"But we're all in one piece so everything's just fine," Niall reminded him.

"So what's the big surprise? I trust it's not a platoon of Stormtroopers?" the officer asked. It was clear that she was only half-joking.

"Kind of the opposite," Niall said as the lift arrived at its destination and the doors opened.

The Rebel officer's jaw dropped at a bay full of hundreds of sentient beings milling around.

"What in the nine Corellian hells!" Airen cursed as he spun on his heel and glared at Niall.

"Since when do I run a mercy ship? What do I do with all these people? I'm going to spend the rest of my life ferrying them back home!" Airen grumbled.

"Only part of your life," Ana said as Airen glared at her.

"So back on Nam Chorios," Nica began, "remember how we said we picked up Roxie?"

"Seemed like a shame to go through all that trouble to rescue just one prisoner when there were hundreds we could take with us," Niall said. "With the Imperials focused on the quadanium shipment they weren't thinking about what else there was that could be stolen. In fact, they were so concerned with loading the quadanium that they forgot to check if the beings that loaded those crates ever got off the Kyriad."

"Nor did they think about exactly how many crates it takes to hold that much quadanium," Nica continued. "Eventually, they're going to realize that their cells are less full and their foodstocks are lower too."

"We couldn't get every prisoner, but we could get these," Niall said, "and something tells me that given what they've gone through, they'd probably be interested in joining up with the Alliance. We already know they can work hard--and that's when they don't believe in the cause."

"This is..." the rebel officer began.

"Preposterous? Ridiculous? Insulting?" Big Time said, coming around a corner. "Like they thought I wasn't going to notice a ship like this pulling several tons extra weight. Beings and food have mass you know! Nearly messed up the jump velocity and caused us to go down with that ill-conceived bomb you dropped out of the launch bay!"

"But we're still alive, so it all worked out well," Niall pointed out.

"This is the last time I pull a job with you!" Big Time huffed.

"Given your share, it's going to be the last job you'll ever have to pull," Niall said. "Might be for all of us."

"Speaking of share," Airen said, "now that I have a sudden influx of credits I think I'll go back to Roon and fix up an old home I inherited. How about all of you?"

"I have no need for material possessions," Ana commented, "but I suppose this old warship could do."

"That sounds like a reality holo series. This old warship," Airen teased.

"Shut up," Ana replied.

The group looked at her. The rebel officer shrugged and said, "Excuse me, but while you divide the spoils, I think I'd like to see if these folks are indeed willing to join up. Remember--we're always taking volunteers." That last bit appeared to be her last recruiting pitch for the heist crew.

"I'm gonna buy a planet!" Big Time exclaimed.

"I don't think they let beings buy planets," Niall told Big Time.

"I'll buy a small one."

"Not sure we made that much," Niall pressed.

"Then a moon."

"Still short."

"An asteroid."

Niall hesitated. "A really cheap asteroid."

"Why not just get a ship?" Nica asked.

"Land's a great investment! It's the only thing they're not making more of, you know," Big Time pointed out.

"How about your share Roxie?" Niall asked. "Any major purchases?"

"I'm going to do something good with it. Give it back to the Alliance. It'll buy a lot of blasters, a lot of food for beings who are doing some good," the Devaronian said. "There's self-interest in it, because I'm going to stay with the others and join up. You gave me a second chance springing me from Nam Chorios. This time isn't mine--at least not until the Empire falls. It belongs to something bigger."

"A principled stand," Ana commented. "And you?" This was directed at the Bakurans. "Between you you have a double share."

"You're gonna buy a moon aren't you!" Big Time said with jealousy.

"We've got some plans," Niall allowed. "Not unlike yours."

"Ever read The Count of Mon Calamari?" Nica asked.

"No," Big Time answered.

"No," Ana said, "but I have accessed its entire text."

"Let's just say that it's funny how far having credits and looking the part can get you when breaking into high society," Nica said, wrapping a hand around one of Niall's arms.

"Especially if you've got the last name Balor and you think being from the House of Antrose is the greatest thing since sliced bread," Niall added. "Not that we're naming anyone."

"Because that would be embarrassing for my father," Nica said with purposeful lack of tact.

Airen chuckled and shook his head. "That's the last of the quadanium. We've got our money. I think its time we went home."

"You know the drill: lay low, be careful how you spend it, don't raise any red flags for Imperial authorities, and the like," Niall said.

"Does an asteroid count?" Big Time asked.

"Don't use a realtor," Nica counseled, "and don't buy one next to Coruscant. Otherwise...pretty sure they won't see that one coming."

"And maybe don't get yourself thrown in a labor camp for a while?" Niall suggested to Airen.

“Absolutely done with that. I am co owner of a property on Roon. That planet, especially the countryside, is experiencing s lot of turmoil. Armed gangs, shootings, its frontier stuff. I think I have my work cut out for me. Plus I need to get the other owner back to the ranch that’s in her family’s name. She’s off fighting in the Rebellion. Y-Wing pilot. I might have to join up and convince her to come home.”

Airen extended a hand to Niall. “Thank you for everything. I wouldn’t be here without you. Can I interest you in a ride? You pick. Anywhere in the galaxy.”

Niall shook Airen's hand firmly. "You know...Naboo's not too far away. I hear it's pretty scenic this time of their rotation."

"And there wouldn't happen to be a bounty in need of collecting on Naboo, would there?" Nica asked.

"Absolutely not," Niall promised. "This is solely a pleasure trip."

"Actually, according to current HoloNet postings--" Ana began.

Niall signaled her to stop talking.

Airen laughed and made his way to the bridge. The hodge lodge crew assembled together one last time as he gazed out the bridge windows and saluted the impish figure of the Rebel officer.

“Course, Captain?” Ana asked.

“Second star on the right and straight on till morning,” Airen ordered.

“I am sorry Captain but that order doesn’t compute,” Ana replies.

“Niall,” Airen said, “Naboo was it?”

"Yes," he confirmed, looking into the starscape. "Not a bad place to begin a new life."

---

Naboo

Airen waved goodbye to Niall and NIca as he stood near the main airlock leading into the Kyriad. The pair headed off into the maelstrom of the crowded spaceport and disappeared from sight. He sighed and realized how much Niall meant to him as a friend. The pair had completed two dangerous, but vastly different missions, together and each time they'd walked away victorious. They'd been through some fierce gunfights and some even tenser Imperial entanglements. They worked well together. They were a good team.

"The odds are with you that you'll see him again," Ana said.

"I know but where I'm going I don't intend to leave anytime soon," Airen replied.

"Back home?" Ana asked.

"Back home," Airen replied.

"Second star on the right and straight on till morning?" Ana asked.

Airen let slip a wry grin, "That's right. You've got it. Engage."

The aging Venator class Star Destroyer slipped away from its planet side berth and lifted away from the atmosphere leaving the peaceful world of Naboo behind. Within minutes the jump to hyperspace was complete.

Airen was now richer, wiser, and a little more settled as he began to plan his future and the future of those to come.

Tag: @Trieste; @jcgoble3 (Thanks Trieste it was fun! This concludes our joint posting for now...)

 

OOC: This story has temporarily concluded.