Episode 2: Jewels of the Core

With no bounty collected and two crewmembers killed on their last mission, the Scimitar was once again looking for another job. An easier one, and preferably, one that paid well. Ok, well, maybe one that just paid period.

Jyot stood in engineering, eyes closed and listening to the sounds of the engines. He’d been on board long enough that he could just tell by the sounds and the vibrations if anything was amiss. Right now, things were running smoothly. And it was a good place for him to do some thinking.

Ali had remained behind on Bryndar. Even thought she had stated it was because she wanted to stay to salvage the Republic ship, Jyot knew that wasn’t the reason. Ali had never been that greedy for cash. She like adventure, sure, but the money had always been secondary. She had stayed because she didn’t want to continue with the Scimitar. Her relationship with Jyot, the stress of the situations they had faced—it had all been too much for her to bear and still keep up her icy public front.

Jyot had understood. He didn’t make a big deal out of it, or cause an embarrassing scene for her. He just shook her hand politely, smiled, gave her a peck on the forehead, and wished her good luck. Another love lost, but… there were plenty more women out there. The Galaxy was a big place.

Which lead him to think about where they were headed next. They had new crew aboard. They needed a job. They were on the Outer Rim. So, naturally, Alec had decided to visit Space Station A12-76--a pit stop in the middle of the Galaxy, a place to gather info, re-supply, get a drink, check mail, and chat with a contact of the captain’s who went by the name of Zeek. If anyone had a job going around here, Zeek would either know about it or, at the very least, point them in the right direction.

Jyot exhaled meditatively. Now that the job with the Jedi was over and done with, they could go back to hunting more ‘normal’ bounties. He liked that. Normal was good.

((OOC: Ok, so since we’ve got new crew on board, now might be a good time for them to explore the ship and give their opinions of their new ‘jobs’. We should be docking on the Space Station in under an hour.))

Alec sat by the console in his cabin rubbing the space between his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. He had this unending headache the last day, since they left Bryndar, he ad a theory what was causing it, but that would mean he was insane. He heard an almost constant unintelligible whisper, sometimes the familiar voice of the Jedi that died saving his life and he had even seen her for a brief second just after they left the icy world.

He couldn’t concentrate or sleep for all the noise he could hear inside his head, If he wasn’t insane, he would be soon.

Alec was going to wait until he got to A12-76 before he’d try to get something to help with this problem, but it was too much for him to handle. He stood up and walked out of the room taking the short few steps to the Med-bay. “Anyone here?” He called.

((Joint post with SM))


From the other side of the operating bed/table, Raelyn's voice answered. "Your new doctor rearranged the place, and then thought he ought to be sleeping," she murmured. Then, she stood, rising into view from behind the bed. "I can wake him if you like..."

"That won't be necessary," Alec stated. "Just point in the direction of the headache pills."

Raelyn smiled faintly and shook her head. "No," she said softly. "Point one, I haven't a clue where they are. Point two, they won't help you."

"I thought your brother was the doctor and you were just his odd little sister," Alec grumbled as he walked over to one of the cabinet and opened it to look for some pills.

Raelyn laughed. "He is, and I am," she replied simply. She quickly added, "Just... don't rearrange things... Cole gets cranky when that happens."

She fell silent for another moment and then insisted, "But really, medication to dull your pain-inducing nerve endings is going to do very little for you."

"What would you know?" Alec snapped.

"I know what I see," Raelyn replied. "Or rather, what you see... what you saw, what you hear..."

"Sure," Alec dismissed, finding the pills he wanted and taking two out of the container. He quickly popped both in his mouth and swallowed. "You're a little mind reader." He stated putting the bottle in his pocket and walking out of the room.

"Yes, that's right," Raelyn agreed, walking out behind him. She poked a finger at his shoulder. "You been seein' a Jedi..."

"We all did, remember? She disintegrated when a plasma grenade exploded." He continued, pretending nothing was wrong. Raelyn sighed.

"But you did after that. And whispers too... little voices in your head." She stopped walking, though he did not. "Like I said, headache pills won't help you..." She grinned. "You got yourself a Jedi conscience..."

"And a psychic pain in the ass," he called out as he walked into his room and closed the door behind him. Raelyn laughed and returned to the med bay.

"At least he didn't ask me for help in getting her out," she concluded aloud. "I'm a reader, not an exorcist..."

The hum of the Scimitar as she glided through Hyperspace was like the sweetest melody to his ears. Maybe it was being on a frozen rock for the better part of the past month or maybe the hyperdrive was just particularly pleasant. He snorted and headed out of the cockpit, into the common room.

"We should reach the station in about an hour, folks. It's nice to be back aboard a ship again, especially one that isn't a garbage barge like I've been on the past two months. "

Latch glanced up at Kadis and resisted smirking at their new pilot. He'd thrown himself headlong into the role after Alec had decided to let him stay on board, going over every nook and cranny of the Scimitar, oftentimes to Jyot's chagrin. "It's like he's trying to steal the Scim away from me," the blonde engineer had complained.

Despite that, the new additions to the crew had transitioned and integrated fairly well. Kadis was still irascible and outspoken, but a bit more tempered now that he was off Bryndar. Ellie had almost squealed with delight at being given a new fighter to pilot and had set to work customizing it to suit her desires, spending a bulk of her time in the hangar bay. Colin had also gone a similar route with the medbay, rearranging it to suit tastes. He was as particular about placement of things as Stitcher was, which was only mildly amusing to Latch, as the Corellian gunner had grown fond of the young medic over the short time he had been with them. Raelyn was the odd one out, often flitting about the ship seemingly lost in her own world, to the bemusement of Alec and the rest of the crew.

Pocketing the sabacc chip he'd been idly flipping through his fingers, Latch stood and headed aft towards the galley, intent on finding something to eat.

The sound of her boots on the durasteel floor of the ship sounded almost alien to Ellie, despite the fact she had been on ships for the better part of her life. It had only been - what, a few weeks, a month or two? - since she had been on a ship...but it seemed to feel like it had been so much longer than that. Regardless, she was glad that she had finally managed to return to the place she loved, and get her way off of that damn ice ball of a planet.

She was currently finishing her very first circuit of the ship, managing to find herself wandering first through the empty galley, then through the med ward, the dormitories, cockpit, common room, and finally into the engine room. She had left the engines for last, knowing that she would find herself lost in the complicated machinery. The last thing she was expecting to find there was Jyot.

Coming to the door, she lifted her arms and rested her hands against the top of the door frame as she looked out into the large section of the ship, finding the mechanic standing there, seemingly in his element. "After all that searching...it would seem we have a Jedi among us this entire time." she said, grinning and biting down lightly on her lower lip as she noted his apparently meditative state. She waited for him to turn around and spot her before dropping her arms and walking into the room, her fingers sliding into her back pocket. "Having fun, Jyot?"

"Fun?" Jyot grinned at Ellie as she approached him. "No, but if you have something special in mind, I'm up for it."

He smiled flirtatiously and gave her a wink. "So, you finding the ship, okay?" he asked her. "Fighter to your liking? 'Cause you know if you need any help with any mods on her, just let me know. I'll be right in there." He pulled out the hydrospanner he always kept handy in his back pocket and flipped it deftly into the air, letting it free-spin a few times before catching it again in his hand. "They don't call me 'Spanner' for nothing."

He frowned a bit then. "But you don't have to call me that," he added. "Jyot's fine."

He moved closer to her. "So, you hungry, El? Thought I might head to the galley. See if anything's cookin'."

"Down boy," she said, a grin just as playful as his surfacing on her lips. So she hadn't been imagining the way he eyed her from time to time...and though she suspected that something was significant - or, at least, had been significant - between the mechanic and the pilot that had stayed behind...a bit of harmless flirting couldn't really hurt, could it? "This retail's not for sale."

She looked up at him as he drew closer, the height difference between them only becoming more and move obvious with every step. "I actually haven't found the fighter yet." she said, her smile a little sheepish before turning flirtatious again. "But I've been working on mods on swoop bikes since I was seven - I think I should be able to handle a little fighter."

As he came to stand before her, she looked up into his eyes and raised her own eyebrow. "Here's the question, though," she said, "Do I not have to, or would you rather I didn't?" she asked, her hand extending so that her finger came dangerously close to touching his chest before she stepped to the side and slipped by him, moving further into the room. "I was actually planning on looking over a few of the machines. I'm curious - even if I'll never have to touch them."

Latch decided he missed Stitcher even more now as he stirred the small pot over the first. The young medic had also been an exceptional cook and had provided the crew with many a tasty meal over the course of their travels. With him gone now, everyone was forced back into fending for themselves or trying out culinary experiments, which wasn't a project suited for a crew of professional bounty hunters.

The chime next to the stove dinged, so Latch extinguished the flames and moved the pot off of the heat. His concoction of prepackaged nuna didn't smell all that bad, but he hoped the taste was at least somewhat passable. Ladling up a small amount, he brought the spoon to his lips and tasted his creation. "Mmm..." he murmured, pleased with his effort. "Could use a bit more spice though..." He reached over to the next cupboard and withdrew a shaker of spice and sprinkled some liberally over the stew. He stirred a few times, then covered the pot with a lid as he pulled out a plate and dinnerware.

As he set the small mess table, he had a thought to have Jyot try some as well. Grabbing another place setting, he set it on the table, then swung out the door and strode down the hall towards engineering. Poking his head into the large room, he spotted Jyot standing in the middle of the floor. "Hey Jyot, I've burned up some nuna, want to give it a try?" As soon as he spoke these last words, his eyes focused in behind Jyot and upon Ellie. "And you're welcome to it too, Ellie," he offered. "That is, if you dare try a Corellian man's cooking attempt."

"We should reach the station in about an hour, folks. It's nice to be back aboard a ship again, especially one that isn't a garbage barge like I've been on the past two months. "

Arelyn looked up at Kadis, studying him. They had not gotten off to the most auspicious of starts, but Arelyn didn't hold grudges, especially against people she had to work with. He'd proven himself a capable pilot, though his skill in battle would prove to be the true test of his abilities, especially with regards to herself and Latch as gunners. Now that he was aboard the ship, he seemed more amicable than he was on Bryndar, a function of better surroundings, no doubt.

"It's probably a lot warmer here than what you've been used to," she remarked quietly, rubbing a piece of cloth down the barrel of her rifle.

Kadis laughed. "That's not really saying much, but yes. You could probably space me and I'd still feel quite warm. This is like a vacation resort, at least, when that bloody..." He glanced behind him. "...droid doesn't decide it's terribly amusing to hover right next to me while I'm asleep."

He sat down and put his feet up. "What do you keep that damned thing around for, anyway?" It was rhetorical - Zip wasn't totally worthless, just incredibly annoying.

"Just be happy Jyot disables his dart launcher when we're all aboard, otherwise we'll all be eating the durasteel floor right now." Arelyn threw a disparaging look at the little hovering droid as she wiped down a vibroblade, then inserted it back into its sheath. "I can't wait until the captain finds a new set of programming protocols for him. I'd rather not be tranqed to death while I'm sleeping."

She stretched her arms over her head, feeling the tendons and ligaments pop satisfyingly. "I hope this station we're heading to has some decent amenities. I'd really like a nice bubble bath..."

Kadis rubbed the side of his neck - Zip's dart launcher might not be operational, but it didn't stop him from jamming the barrel into his neck any time he got the opportunity. "A12-76 isn't much. The Giddy Gammorrean dropped by there for a refueling. There's a reason it's got no proper name. People call it a pit stop in the Outer Rim for a reason. There's enough Corellian booze there to submerge the Scimitar, though."

He grinned and shook his head. "Blasted Spacer cliches. I hate Corellian whiskey."

Like before Alec say at the desk by his console rubbing the space between his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. Raelyn was right the pills weren’t working and his headache persisted getting worse as time passed. He closed his eyes for a few moments trying to concentrate on something other than the continuous pain he felt, but it was futile. He slowly opened his eyes and looked into the consoles screen, it was off and reflecting his image back at him in the darkness. In the reflection over his shoulder he also say the dead Jedi behind him, his expression didn’t change as he looked at her reflection and slowly shook his head.

“You’re not there.” Alec said out loud in an attempt to convince himself. “You’re just an illusion.”

“I’m not an illusion.” Son’Ti replied, Alec swivelled his chair right around to see that Son’ti was actually standing there. “At least I don’t think I am.”

“So you’re Ghost?” He asked. “Why are you haunting me?”

“I’m not a Ghost and if I was I wouldn’t be haunting you.” She Stated taking a seat on the edge of Alec’s bunk. “I’m in your head.”

“Well, Get out!” He ordered.

“Trust me Mr Tannis I wouldn’t be here if it was my choice.” The incorporeal Jedi explained. “I am here simply by the will of the force.”

“Why?” He simply asked after a long pause.

“That I do not know, Perhaps I am here to teach you, guide you, aid you…”

“Or the force has a twisted sense of humour.” The captain conjectured.

“I have a tendency to agree with you on that point.” She smiled. “Either way you’re stuck with me, in side that head of yours.”

Poking his head into the large room, he spotted Jyot standing in the middle of the floor. "Hey Jyot, I've burned up some nuna, want to give it a try?"

As soon as he spoke these last words, his eyes focused in behind Jyot and upon Ellie. "And you're welcome to it too, Ellie," he offered. "That is, if you dare try a Corellian man's cooking attempt.""Food? I'm there, man," Jyot said. "We can do the engine room tour later, El." He gave Ellie a once-over look, grinned, then sidled carefully around her and headed for the door.

"So," Jyot said to Latch, "when we land on the station, how about we pay a visit to Zeek's? I'm dying for a drink. A good one, that is. And I think Alec might be needing one, too. Have you noticed that he's been acting a bit odd lately? Talking to himself and stuff." He shivered. "It's weird."

Latch rubbed his temple as he led Jyot into the galley. "Yeah, he was acting pretty strange around that Jedi chick too. I just thought he might be under some sort of Jedi voodoo, but then she went and got herself blown up." He shook his head. "Cap'n really hasn't been right since."

"Yeah," Jyot agreed, taking a seat. "Nothing a few Corellian whiskeys won't fix, eh?"

"I hear you," Latch said, bringing over a plate of steaming nuna. "Hopefully you won't need whiskey to fix you up after you try my cooking." He sat down in front of his own plate of food. "It's kind of hard not having Stitch and his cooking around anymore."

Jyot stared at his plate for a moment, then stabbed a chunk of nuna with his fork and put it in his mouth. He started to chew, then slowed, then swallowed. "Ye--ah," he agreed slowly. "Not sure if our new doc cooks, or even if his sister does, but I think we're all gonna miss Stitch."

He readied himself for the next bite, but before he could make the transistion from fork to mouth, he felt a grin start, a laugh coming, and couldn't stop it no matter how hard he tried. "Latch," he said chuckling, "not that I don't appreciate your efforts, man, but this is got to be the toughest nuna I've ever had the misfortune to eat!"

He finally was able to take a breath and then said, "Maybe we should ask Alec if we can hire a cook for a our next job, eh?" He wiggled his brows. "Hey! Maybe we can find a nice Alderaanian waitress on station that's sick of her job and seeks adventure."

""Latch, not that I don't appreciate your efforts, man, but this is got to be the toughest nuna I've ever had the misfortune to eat!"

"Hey, just be happy you can actually chew the damn thing, okay?" Latch shot back, grinning a stupid grin of his own. The nuna was pretty damn tough. Still, at least it was edible.

"Hey! Maybe we can find a nice Alderaanian waitress on station that's sick of her job and seeks adventure."

"Somehow, I don't think you can convince Alec to bring aboard yet another woman, with your track record," Latch chided his friend lightly. "Though by some miracle we do have three on the ship currently. Albeit, one's an absolute nutter..." Latch rolled his eyes at the thought of Raelyn and her oddities. "And the other's a Mistryl and could probably snap your neck into five pieces if you thought nasty thoughts about her." He chuckled, then leaned towards Jyot, a conspiratorial look in his face. "Lucky for you, our third lady doesn't seem to be put off by your lecherous ways, for whatever reason."

((Joint post with Jasra))

"Something smells.." Raelyn began, coming into the common room. "... mmm... sorta... well... not totally burnt..."

"Crispy?" Jyot suggested. Raelyn frowned thoughtfully.

"Nnooo..." she drawled. "Umm... well, maybe... keep listing adjectives..."

Slighty carbonized? A bit over well-done? Not quite vulcanized?"

Raelyn laughed. "Aren't we being a little overly helpful this mo... is it morning?" She frowned. "No. There's no such thing aboard a ship, drifting - albeit at high speed - through space. Time, day and night have no existence where it's all black... and artificial light."

"Well artificial light aside, my stomach says that it's dinnertime." He looked at the plate, then grinned before taking another bite. "Apparently," he said, as he strained to chew. "You cook, Rae?"

With a shudder, Raelyn answered, "I dispise the activity..."

"But she's the one that kept the two of us alive when it was just us," Colin added, coming in behind her. With a glare to her brother, Rae muttered a few things under her breath. The doctor laughed. "What's wrong, Rae? Can't I want to taste your cooking again?"

"Hey, in my book, if she doesn't burn stuff, she can cook. Besides, everyone should pull their weight on this boat. " He raised his brow. "And we don't have a full time cook. I was thinking about asking Alec to let us hire one, but... maybe it's better we hire internally. What do you say, Rae? Fancy being the ship's chef?"

Raelyn shook her head stubbornly. "Hells. No."

"You're good at it," Colin pointed out. Raelyn made a face at him.

"Still no," she answered stubbornly. Colin chuckled.

"That's fine, Rae," he said. "You don't have to do something if you don't want to... and I wouldn't want to embarrass you by telling you what you ought to do. Do as you like."

Raelyn stalked out and Colin grinned at the people around the table. "She'll take the job. Give her 'till tomorrow and you'll start finding her in the kitchen. To her, 'you don't have to' is a challenge."

Jyot raised a finger in acknowledgment. "I'll remember that. Thanks."

Alec walked out of room and from his perspective Son’ti followed him, as he was the only one who could see her and the fact she wasn’t corporeal meant she wasn’t actually following him. Unfortunately for Alec he was also the only one who could hear her and she seemed to be taking advantage of that. For the past ten minutes she had been talking about all the possible reasons why this had happened, however on the plus side Alec stopped hearing the whispering.

Still followed by the Jedi Alec walked into the Common Room.

“And further more.” Son’ti continued. “I do not feel that it is entirely necessary for you to continue your work as a bounty hunter.”

“Just go away!” Alec shouted in the middle of the room, to the person no one else could see.

At Alec's outburst, Jyot blinked then gave Latch a strange look before looking back at his captain. "Erm... ok-ay," he said slowly. "It was just a suggestion, boss. If you don't want her to be the cook, then... fair enough. I'm sure we can find one... somewhere. Someplace. Else."

Again, a look to Latch. "Awkward...." he sang softly to his friend, then cleared his throat.

Kadis had been staring at the wall, thinking about, well, nothing. Hyperspace had always had a sort of eerie tranquility, like a soft silk pillow being pressed against your face. He nodded at the Captain.

"Just go away!"

He jumped, then looked around. Tannis was staring over his shoulder, looking behind him. Kadis reached down to his blaster, wishing he hadn't taken the one with no stun setting. "Uh, Cap'n, do you, erm, go need to lie down? We can handle the approach to the station."

Oh, hell no. A schizo Captain? Why me? Why is it always me?

"I'm... sure there's a reasonable explanation for this... outburst," Colin said slowly. He frowned at Alec. "There is a reasonable explanation, isn't there? Captain?"

He stared past the captain, puzzled. No one was there, and yet it seemed as though the captain had been yelling at someone who'd been following him. Wierd, Colin thought to himself.

"Awkward...."

Latch glanced at Jyot and nodded. He turned back to Alec standing in the middle of the common room and frowned. Their captain did seem to be losing his grip on sanity, and that didn't make Latch very comfortable. What made him even less uncomfortable was the slight ringing he heard in his ear and a faint, almost ghostly whisper at the edge of his hearing. He couldn't place where it was coming from, but he couldn't help but be drawn to the words Alec was muttering...almost as if the captain was replying to someone.

"I'm, uh, I'm gonna be in the cockpit. We should be coming out of Hyperspace momentarily."

He edged out of the room into the cockpit and sat down. A handful of minutes until they dropped out of hyperspace. He occupied himself with fiddling with various gauges and generally trying to occupy his mind away from the inevitable conclusion that Cap'n Tannis was a few cards short of a full deck.

The vibroblade hummed it's low tune as it cut it's way through a light armor layer and then into the skin of a Rodian saboteur who had managed to blow up the cat-like creature's most precious thing: his ship. With a cold smirk on his face, the Cathar lifted the groaning Rodian up against the wall with the vibrobalde as deep as it went inside the green flesh.
"Nothing to lose anymore. Tell me who payed you and I might make it swift for you" Jhamrok grunted at the Rodian who laughed in the crackling and annoyingly high voice before spitting in the Cathar mercenary's face.
"Fine. Have it your way" Jhamrok said, twisted the vibroblade ever so slightly and pulled, severing a major organ inside the Rodian which would cause an irreversible and painful death within 48 hours.

As the Rodian slumped down in pain, Jhamrok pulled the blade out, wiped the Rodian blood on it's clothes and then took a step back with a cold look in his eyes. The white figure looked at the docking ring entrance nearby where his ship had once been but where now only debris floated outside of the ring. He flexed his joints with loud pops and cracks sounding in the corridor before the man continued onwards, leaving the Rodian to die alone but not before attaching a tracker on the saboteur in order to make sure that if he was taken by his accomplishes, Jhamrok knew where they were and thus who payed for the hit.

“Um… Yeah, I just have a bit of a headache.” Alec lied to the doctor. “Just venting my anger.”

Alec walked around the table to his seat and looked at the food on the table, he already felt bad and he knew eating what Latch just made would not make him feel any better.

“Anyway Jyot.” He addressed his mechanic. “When we touchdown you and Latch’ll go to Zeek and get a Job, Nothing too heavy just so it pays to keep us movin’.”

“Who is this Zeek, if you don’t mind me asking?” The doctor curiously said.

“He’s a middle man for Mercs, Smugglers, Bounty Hunters, basically low-lives, He’s discreet and trustworthy so both the people who hire him and are hired by him know they get a good deal.” Alec explained. “He always has some work, so he’s a good person to know in our line of work.

Colin nodded thoughtfully. "Suppose he would be," he murmured. Raising his voice a little, he added, "Captain, if you need something for that headache, don't hesitate to ask. The Scimitar's infirmary is remarkably well-stocked for its size... not to mention the few things I've added to it."

Then, another thought struck him. "Ah, and what are Raelyn and I to do while you're going about business? Can I hazard a guess? Heads down, keep to the ship, I suppose?" There was an air of teasing to his tone, but it was obvious he'd been in such situations on other ships.

Kadis watched the timer. At the two minute mark, he flipped on the intercom. "Captain, we're about to drop out of Hyperspace." He felt vaguely uncomfortable. Maybe it was just paranoia, but he couldn't shake the feeling something rather bad was about to happen.

They always talk about ships lost in Hyperspace.

Every Spacer had heard the stories about ships who's Hyperdrives had malfunctioned during a jump and failed to switch off, leaving the ship trapped in Hyperspace, forever. Rumor has it that the Katana Fleet, the legendary two-hundred Dreadnought Republic Battle Fleet, was among those ships. He shivered, then shook the old spacer stories out of his mind. The Scimitar's hyperdrive was in good repair.

The counter ticked downwards, and Kadis watched it with worry, his hand resting on the manual switch. It wasn't very precise, but first flight on a new ship was always good reason to be cautious.

"Right, so when we dock on the station," Jyot was saying to Latch as they finished their food in the common room. The ship suddenly jolted, and Jyot rolled his eyes. "Correction... if we dock on the station without our pilot running the Scim into the station in the process," he shouted loudly, hoping that Kadis would hear him in the cockpit.

He sighed, then continued. "Anyway, I want to go and check my mail before we go and visit Zeek. And maybe check out the 'parts' store." At this he wiggled his eyebrows. He wasn't talking 'engine parts', but being in mixed company, he didn't feel like he could just say, he wanted to stop in to check out the exotic dancers at 'Shakers'.

Kadis proved to be a decent enough pilot as he'd brought the Scimitar in with a minimal amount of fuss. Latch was glad that they had made it in a reasonable amount of time, since he was looking forward to being able unwind following their rather stressful mission. He was also keen on finding some decent food, as his culinary experiment on the ship had left him desiring something easier on his stomach.

As he and Jyot exited the spaceport, they looked around to take in the sights. "Ah, good to see that some things never change, eh?" Latch remarked to his friend. Indeed, Station A12-76 looked exactly the same from when they'd last made a stop here. It was a pretty isolated station, and that made it a prime spot for a mercenary crew like the Scimitar's. At first glance, it seemed to be devoid of amenities and scarce on services, but an experienced spacer would know where to look and who to contact in order to uncover the hidden goods. And Jyot and Latch happened to be two such spacers.

"Do you think we should hit up Zeek first, then go fishing for 'parts'?" Latch asked, looking over at his fellow Corellian.

"I think we need 'parts' first," Jyot said rather pleadingly. "I mean, first things first, we got to keep things running smoothly and we can't do that without stocking up on 'parts'. At least, I can't. Besides, nothing ever changes here. Zeek can wait."

Jyot headed in the direction of 'Shakers', not necessarily a seedy type of cantina, but a place where one could get a decent meal and a drink. And where they showcased exotic dancers, most of which were humanoid.

"Hmm... wonder if that Zeltron is still there...." Jyot wondered aloud to himself. "Capria? Carlia? Curia?" He shook his head as he couldn't remember her name. "Meh, doesn't matter. I'll know her when I see her."

Alec’s headache was beginning to die down, it still hurt like someone had stuck a lightsaber in there and scrambled his brains, but it was better than before the Jedi had explained the situation. He still wasn’t up to doing any work that is why he sent Jyot and Latch to Zeek, the middleman trustworthy and good for a job so it would only take the Mechanic twenty minuets for his to get one. Then again it was Jyot so twenty minuets of work would be added to the forty minuets he’ll spend watching scantly clad women dancing around. Alec could only hope that Latch would stick to business and Jyot wouldn’t be a bad influence.

As it may be an hour before the two returned Alec already informed everyone else that they could have some shore time on the station but to keep a com-link on them in case they had to exit quick.

For some reason the Jedi had gone away somewhere since they dropped out of hyperspace and the Captain hadn’t seen or heard from her. He decided to take this opportunity to check out a few things he hadn’t had the chance to do before, he was doing the basic background checks on Kadis, Ellie, Colin and Realyn. All seemed to check out but for some reason while doing looking up Realyn Lark he kept thinking of the same name Katrine West.

Zip flew into the room, Alec must have forgot to lock it. “Undesignated bounty Alec Tannis, I scanned passers by outside the ship and found four separate bounties. Bounty 05863, bounty 09…”

“Stow it Zip, A12-76 is Zeek’s territory, We try to take down a bounty here without his say so we get blacklisted.” Alec Interrupted. “But I do have a job for you, look up the name Katrine West on the Bounty sheets.”

Zip was silent for a moment. "Bounty 05441, Katrine West, associated with bounty 05458, Aidan West. 05441 was wanted for connections with a classified Imperial project. 05458 was wanted for leaving his post without leave. Searching deeper... the two bounties were siblings, 05458 was ten years older than 05441." There was a short pause. "It is useless to pursue these bounties, undesignated bounty Alec Tannis. They were turned in and are scheduled to be executed by Imperial firing squad in approximately twenty minutes."

Inside Shakers, Jyot and Latch took a seat at a small table. Jyot ordered two Corellian ales (his and Latch's usual fare) from the well-endowed human waitress, and then he leaned back comfortably in his chair as as the next 'show' was announced to start.

"I love this place," Jyot said to his friend as he sipped his drink. "Nothing beats mindless, but fascinating, entertainment after finishing such a strange job. Lost crew, picked up passengers, and, to top it all off, we didn't even get paid for anything." He rolled his eyes. "And what the heck is up with the Captain? Talking to himself, and headaches, and actin' all... weird." He took a sip of his drink. "All I can think is that Jedi chick did one of those mind whammy Force things on him before she got blown up."

A Twi'lek dancer appeared on stage, looking very sexy, very exotic, very fit, and very much like...."

"Oh, great. Speak of the Jedi and her twin appears." Jyot eyed the dancer over critically. "Well, maybe not her twin," he conceded. "This one's prettier."

The dancer smiled seductively at him, and Jyot seemed to quickly forget his prejudices. "So, Latch," Jyot started, "what kind of jobs do you think Zeek'll have for us? I'm not really interested in an Imperial bounty this time. Too much bother. What about you?"

Latch swirled the last of his ale in his flagon before downing it in one gulp. "Truth be told, I'd really rather have nothing to do with the Imperials anymore," he answered his friend. "The Empire preaches peace and order and all that good Imperial indoctrination. Unfortunately, on most worlds, those terms translate to oppression and suffering." He glanced over at Jyot. "Not our place to do anything about that, but I'd certainly rather not contribute any more to what they stand for."

He threw his head back and shook out his long mane of hair. "Besides," he continued, adopting a more jovial tone as the dancers swayed seductively closer, "It's the non-Imperial jobs that tend to be more fun. Remember that time we had to deliver that dance troupe of Twi'leks to Nar Shaddaa?"

"I know exactly who blew up my ship. If you'd just let me go in there and let me speak to Zeek..." The Cathar grunted at a large guard stationed outside of Zeek's current residence on the station. The guard raised his hand at the feline man and shook his head.
"Zeek has given strict lines of conduct to all mercenaries and bounty hunters on this station. Nobody, and that is nobody, is to feel threathened here. And you know it just as well as any, Jhamrok. Now, if you want a bounty, I can be of service and let you in but I won't let you in just because you want his blessing on a station patron being killed" the guard said and Jhamrok stepped back with a low growl under his breath. The mercenary was not at all happy with this.

The Ships Captain left his room thinking about the name Katrine West, he figured the name must have been on a bounty sheet or something while he was looking for work. This was still odd as Alec had a tendency to forget names of bounties he had captured yet alone ones he never went after. He walked down the corridor into the common room thinking about what Jyot was probably doing, he had been gone for about twenty minuets so chances are he was slipping his money into some dancing Twi’leks underwear. Alec smiled at the predictability of his mechanic, Alec will call him in about ten minuets to check on the mission.

Alec gave the room a quick look and realised that it was empty, the crew had either left for some shore time on the station or were elsewhere on The Scimitar. He grabbed himself a drink of water and took a seat at the table while looking at a datapad with the inventory.

((OCC- ok guys if you want to talk to Alec here’s your opening.))

Kadis had his feet up in the cockpit, watching the station's broadcast of Win or Die, some propaganda holodrama starring Garik Loran.

"The Imps must be desperate for more Stormtroopers if they commissioned this garbage."

Still, it was mildly entertaining, in a similar sense that a stun baton in the mouth was funny. He rolled his eyes, then turned his attention back to running a systems diagnostic on the navicomputer. He was uncomfortable with large groups, had been for years, and his stint on Bryndar hadn't improved him any in that regard.

He shut the holodrama off, then stood up and headed out to the common area. Diagnostic programs ran themselves. He sat down in one of the chairs and nodded at the Captain.

"Jyot still not back yet, boss?"

Latch threw his head back and shook out his long mane of hair. "Besides," he continued, adopting a more jovial tone as the dancers swayed seductively closer, "It's the non-Imperial jobs that tend to be more fun. Remember that time we had to deliver that dance troupe of Twi'leks to Nar Shaddaa?"

Jyot's eyes twinkled. "O-h, ye-ah," he sighed. "That was an awesome job." His grin widened as reminisced while his eyes were still fixed on the dancer slowling gyrating in front of him. "They were very, erm... flexible." He glanced askance at Latch. "Accommodating, I mean. Didn't mind using the cargo bay to practice their routine in. Not at all." He sighed longlingly. "Maybe Zeek'll have something like that for us, huh? Nice, easy, babysitting come transport job for beautiful women."

He leaned forward and tipped the dancer a credit chip, before downing his drink and rising. "Guess we'd better go see 'ol Zeek and find out huh? Besides, Alec will probably be wondering where we've gone off to anyway." He shrugged. "Well... not wondering per se," he clarified, knowing that Alec knew damn well what he'd be up to, "but you know what I mean." He patted Latch on the shoulders. "So, shall we?"

It didn't take but a few minutes for the two of them to walk to Zeek's place. And outside the door, a very disgrunted-looking Cathar was arguing with the guard.

"I know exactly who blew up my ship. If you'd just let me go in there and let me speak to Zeek..."

"Zeek has given strict lines of conduct to all mercenaries and bounty hunters on this station. Nobody, and that is nobody, is to feel threathened here. And you know it just as well as any, Jhamrok. Now, if you want a bounty, I can be of service and let you in, but I won't let you in just because you want his blessing on a station patron being killed."

Jyot nudged Latch with his elbow as the Cathar growled. "Yup," he commented aloud. "Bounty hunting is one thing, assassinations... something completely different." He smiled at the guard. "Hey, Harvey," he said casually. "How's it hangin?"

"Good, Jyot," the guard replied in kind. "Been a while since I've seen you. Business been good?"

"Not as good as it could be," Jyot replied. "Last job was, in a word, bad. In a few words, it was really, really, really bad. We lost our medic and a gunner." He paused. "And our net profit was like... negative 3000."

The guard winced. "Ooh, ouch."

"Yeah. Zeek in?"

The guard looked at the Cathar again, then nodded at Jyot. "For 'non-threatening' friends, he's in."

Jyot exchanged a look with Latch, who gave him a little nod. "I dunno, Harvey. If I were you, I'd be inclined to let him in," he said, looking the Cathar over. "He looks 'friendly' enough to me. I mean, he hasn't drawn any of his weapons yet, has he? That's got to count for something in the area of self-control, right?" He motioned to the door. "So, can we...?"

"Oh! Sure, yeah. Go right in," the guard said to Jyot and Latch.

"Him, too?" Jyot asked, thumbing at the Cathar.

The guard frowned, but after a moment of thought, nodded. "Just you remember what I said, Jhamrok," he reminded.

The three of them entered into Zeek's establishment.

The Cathar watched as the two crew members of the Scimitar approached the guard and spoke with him, even managing to get the feline inside with them. He followed as they entered, but gave a loud growl and showed his teeth to the guard as he passed. Once the door closed, Jhamrok turned to Jyot and Latch and looked at them suspiciously like observing their mannerisms and trying to read anything about them from their body language.

"Who's your captain?" he finally asked after a while once he had managed to deduce that neither of them was really in charge of their two-man group. It wasn't hard to deduce it and neither was the point that they had a well guarded ship, possibly by sentient beings, since they were comfortable enough not to carry heavier weaponry or equipment with them and seemed ready to leave as soon as they got a new job.
"I would wish to make arrangements for you to get me off this station in your ship" Jhamrok continued while staring at the two.

"Captain's Alec Tannis," Jyot said, not at all intimadated by the burly Cathar. An experienced spacer Jyot was confident in his ability to protect himself, and besides, he and Latch had been to this station so many times it was almost like a second home to them. "And our ship's the Scimitar." He grinned proudly. "Suppose you've heard of it," he continued. "Most spacers in this sector have." He held up his finger. "But we're not a passenger ship, per se. We're hunters, like you." His eyes flicked over the Cathar. "Well... not exactly like you since we're Corellian and don't do assassinations, but you get the general idea."

Jyot looked across the room. It wasn't crowded, a few tables here and there with the notorious and not-so-notorious and a few wannabe-notorious sharing a drink, some conversation, and possibly information on their next job. And at the table in the back, sat Zeek--comfortable, casual, and looking rather relaxed and unhurried as usual.

Turning his attention back to the Cathar, Jyot said, "Now, Jhamrok was it? My captain charged me and Latch here with gettin' us a new job. Mainly 'cause he's got other things to do, but that's besides the point. But he didn't say anything about picking up any more passengers. Still... you look like a capable sort. And we might be able to convince the Cap'n in taking you on as an 'enforcer,' if we get another job. Temporary-like, mind," he added. "The Cap'n likes sure bets when it comes to crew. Can't be too careful in this business. You understand."

He nodded to the table Zeek was at. "We're going to talk to Zeek o, see what he's got going, and you're welcome to come and sit with us. But do as Harvey said. Don't try to get Zeek to give you sanction to assassinate or you can find another way off this station on your own. So, what do you say? Make peace for the moment, and settle your grievances later?"

"The Scimitar, eh? Alec Tannis is the captain of the ship nowadays?" Jhamrok asked after all the questions were asked and gave a hearty laugh.
"I doubt your captain wouldn't hesitate to say no to my presence. Last time I was aboard that ship, Alec scrubbed the floors and I was barking orders as the first mate" Jhamrok noted and gave another hearty laugh before crossing his arms in front of his broad chest and turning to see Zeek. He shook his head slowly with a glint of joy showing in his eyes.

"Oh, but go ahead. I'll follow you to your ship after you're done. I doubt I'll be any good for a job now that I have no ship to travel in. It's a shame, really. My ship was a beaut..." the Cathar told them and leaned against the wall, waiting for them to approach Zeek and do their thing. Frankly, he couldn't wait to see the Scimitar and Alec again. It wasn't really a shame he had left his post on the ship only slightly before the incident that caused the loss of most of the crew, but it would be fun to see how the ship had been repaired and if it looked anything like it used to.

"Ah, so you know the captain and the Scim already, eh? Must've been before our time," Latch said, indicating himself and Jyot. "With the way Alec's been these past few weeks, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind taking on another crewmember." He shot Jyot a surreptitious glance and grinned slightly behind his hand as he scratched the side of his face.

Pulling a chair up at Zeek's table, Latch twisted it around and sat, his chest pressing into the backrest as he eyed Zeek. "So, do y'have anything for us today, Zee?

Though Raelyn had pleaded with Colin to come into the station with her, the doctor adamantly refused, and insisted that his sister ought to stay with him. To this, she reluctantly agreed, "but only if I can decide what we're watching on the Holo-Net." A little amused, Colin agreed. They had been watching for a short time, with Colin protesting only twice, as Raelyn was flipping channels at a rapid pace, almost faster than Colin could track. When she finally stopped flipping, Colin realized they'd landed on a public Imperial execution. His heart lodged itself in his throat.

"What is this?" he demanded hoarsely. Raelyn glanced at him for only half a second.

"Execution," she answered, flipping away. Colin slapped her hand and flipped the channel back.

"Who are they?" he asked softly. He glanced around and closed the door to his quarters. "Kate... who are they?"

"Aidan and Katrine West," Raelyn answered calmly. She stared her brother in the eyes and added coldly, "We agreed to disappear, Aidan. Death seals the deal."

"Death of innocents?" the doctor pressed, greatly distressed. His sister rolled her eyes.

"Do you really think I would replace us with innocents? You don't know me very well..."

"How could I?" Aidan shot back. "You were taken as a young teenager."

Katrine shrugged. "They are not innocent. By the standards of the Empire, I suppose they may be considered innocent, but many lives have ended by their hands."

"I still don't like it," the doctor muttered. His sister shook her head and changed the channel.

"It's done now," she said dismissively. "Case of the West siblings is closed. They are dead."

Colin was silent for a very long time. Finally, he muttered, "I bet their parents are devastated..."

Alec looked up at his new Pilot. “We’re on a Space station with a bar called ‘Shakers’ and it’s only been twenty minuets. Once you’ve been around longer you’ll come to realise if Jyot can ogle at women, he will, for a very long time.” He laughed.

“So how you been finder The Scim?” The Captain asked. “All running Smooth?”

Kadis grinned and leaned back, scratching his neck as he did so. "I know the type, boss. Just has to stop and look at the Twi'lek in the short skirts." He shook his head

"The Scimitar is running fine, as far as I can tell. He must show nearly as much attention to the ship as he does to dancing girls. Runs like a new boot, although it could do with a restocking of holodramas, I must have watched the entire Face Loran Collection twice in transit."

((Joint post with StarMark and R-Nine. ;) ))

Zeek sat at his private table with a Datapad in one hand and a Cigar in the other, as the two humans and Cathar approach he inhaled one puff of smoke. Placing the datapad on the table he looked and smiled at the Bounty hunters.

“Tyrell and Vax Right?” The professional middle-man asked knowing he was right. “You’re on Tanis’ crew right. I hope he’s fine.”

Jyot shared a secretive look with Latch, and then said, "Yeah, Alec's doing ok." He motioned to an empty chair. "You busy? We've got some spare time and wondered if you might... know of a job going that we might be interested in."

“That depends on the kind of work you’re looking for.” The large man stated pointing his cigar at the chairs inviting them to sit.

"Easy work, Zee," Latch said, taking a seat. "Our last job didn't turn out so great, so something like a blue milk run is definitely in order."

Jyot frowned slightly. "Erm... when did the Empire ban blue milk?" he asked Latch sotto voce.

Zeek laughed at the ‘joke’ Jyot had just made. “Blue milks are in short supply these days.” Zeek informed as he took another puff of his Cigar. “The Empire are making the simplest of jobs harder than those old Jedi Trials.”

“Well, we could do with a simple, and most importantly, a paying job,” Jyot said.

Latch nodded in agreement. "Money's good, and even the most meager amount would be a vast improvement over our last payday. Not that you should give us something low-paying, that is," he added hastily.

“I have a couple of jobs for low level smuggling into the Core, although I have got some enforcement work that may be more up your alley.” Zeek explained looking down at his datapad. “Unfortunately the only bounty job I got is anything but simple. I’ve had it about five months and no one’s accepted it, I mean who would want to go after ‘the Sisters’?”

Jyot's brow raised with interest. "The Sisters?" he queried.

"Don't think Alec would be too interested in smuggling or enforcement, to be honest," Latch said, wrinkling his nose. "So tell us about the bounty work."

"Yeah,tell us more about these 'Sisters'," Jyot prodded encouragingly.

“I’d have thought people in your line of work would have heard about them.” The contractor stated leaning in closer. “They’re jewel thieves--five of them, the best.” He took the datapad and brought up their files and handed it to the mechanic.

“They had the misfortune of getting on the wrong side of a Crime Lord in Nar Shaddaa. You probably heard of her. Carmen? Anyway, she contracted them to steal something for her and they gave her a fake.”

"And now Carmen wants someone to track them down," Latch said, finishing the line of thinking. "It surprises me someone like her would let this go for five months."

“She hasn’t.” Zeek informed. “The last ten of her men she sent after them all ended up with toe tags or haven’t been seen since, word has it she’s been after them a year now but has only offered the contract to independents the last five months. Long story short, she wants them alive and Carmen’s a woman whose use to getting what she wants.”

Latch sighed at his friend. "Yeah, that sounds about right for us," he told Zeek, scratching his head. "We could probably get them to give themselves up by sticking them in a room with Jyot for a while. They'd be running to Carmen within hours."

"Hours?" Jyot stared at his friend deadpan. "Ow, Latch, that hurts." He put his hand over his heart. "Right here." He grinned then. "But yeah, Zee, the job sounds right up our alley."

“I wouldn’t take this job lightly.” The older, wiser man warned. “These women are attractive, intelligent and extremely deadly. Look download the data into the chip attached to the pad and take it back to your ship, if you still want the job go at it at your leisure.”

"Right...how much is Carmen paying?" Latch asked.

“Twenty thousand a piece, which you can double if you bring all five.” Zeek informed, taking another puff of his cigar. “But if you want my opinion, I’d get as far away from this job as you can. Trust me you do not want to get tangled up with ‘The Sisters’.”

"Leave it to you to give us something crazy when we ask for something easy, Zeek," Latch groaned, only half-mockingly.

“If they’re pretty, I wouldn’t mind getting tangled up with them,” Jyot assured Zeek. He exchanged a look with Latch. “We’ll take the job.”

Zeek laughed once again. “As I said easy is as rare as finding a Jedi these days. In these times easy is hard, up is down and light is dark.” Zeek smiled. “If you’re this determined I’ll consider it yours, but remember even if they don’t kill you, failure will put you on Carmen’s bad side.”

Jyot shrugged. “That’s not hard for me to do.”

Not only was the Scimitar doing fine, but the Headhunter was too.

With the new-found free time on her hands, Ellie had managed to find her way into the smaller ship's docking bay, a smile lighting her lips once she'd realized what she'd found. She wasted no time hesitating before practically throwing herself in the cockpit. Seeing as she was the new pilot for the fighter, she figured that she was entitled to getting accustomed to it and its controls.

Running a quick diagnostics, she watched the view screen display the many different systems, upgrades, and modifications that had been made to the small craft throughout its years of service. There was a lot that she would have to work on - adjusting it to her own personal modifications would be the first step, of course - but for all the use that she was certain this thing had seen, it was definitely in very good shape. Either the prior pilot was one hell of a flier, or she didn't give Jyot quite enough credit.

Within the hour, the would-be mechanic had already found the tools stored in the hangar and had taken them out, teasing the crane that kept the ship secure and in place until its hull was hovering just above the durasteel floor. With her orange jacket left hanging from the corner of the wing, gloves that seemed almost too big for her slim wrists and tiny hands had appeared on her wrists, along with a pair of goggles over her eyes. Ducked beneath the ship's hull as she was, making her own adjustments to the systems of the machine, her small frame seemed to all but disappear from sight.

((Gotta keep her doing SOMETHING...>.>))

After stunning her brother with the revelation that others were dead when the two of them should have been, Raelyn opted to wander the ship. Just to be familiar with the place, she said. But she wasn't really trying for that. After all, she'd already been over every nook and cranny she could find. It was the minds aboard the ship that fascinated Raelyn Lark. And as she wandered down into the cargo bay, she sensed a mind absorbed in technical jargon.

"Great," she muttered aloud. "A techie..." She recognized the mental voice as Ellie's, and decided on a whim to drop by for a visit. It wasn't very difficult to find her, though she was all but hidden from view beneath the Headhunter. With a crooked smirk, Raelyn watched and listened for a moment. Then, she spoke:

"Having fun down there?"