Adventures in m-State

[Jon Burke]

Jon’s negotiations seemed to be complete. The chief had a tribal elder guide him to the temple and the to the starchart. It turned out to be an entire wall of one of the central chambers. The chart itself was an inlaid mosaic of painted tiles, shaped crystals of various colors, and a rainbow of jewels.

The jewels represented stars and a few major planets. Jon recognized most of the chart based on star arrangements and clusters. There were a few areas that didn’t seem to match what he expected to see according to the known formations surrounding them. One in particular stood out…

It had to be special. Based on the small representative size of the gem it was a planet. Based on the gem used - a rainbow gem - it must be very special.

A quick scan confirmed what Jon suspected - it was the only location represented with that particular stone. He wondered if the Kielbasa had any idea of its value. If it would matter to them… there were no signs that any of this work of art had been scavenged. It obviously was their most valued “gift” from the ancients.

From Aiden’s description of his finding at his latest dig site, that was the planet they were looking for. Now if they could extrapolate its location from the information on this chart and that Aiden brought back from that site, they would be in business.

Jon carefully recorded the entire wall several times using different magnifications and filters. When he was satisfied, he smiled and nodded to the elder who lead him out of the temple.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jon sat next to the chief sharing a last parting drink. Now he had to make good on his part of the deal.

Partly because he didn’t want to have to repeat the journey through the desert and partly because he wanted to tell the academics to kiss his arse, he decided to completely ignore their “no technology” policy around the tribe.

He opened his comm unit and sent his astromech droid a command to take off and fly the Baudo to the open area near where he’d left the crawler.

Within a very few minutes, his ship made its appearance and landed. It drew the attention of some of the Kielbasa, but, in general it appeared they were familiar with ships landing on their doorstep. Jon wished he had a small bomb to drop on the research center for the hoops they made him jump through to get to the temple. It was obvious they didn’t enforce those regulations on themselves.

Having no bomb, he had to content himself with the realization that he had, after all, completed his task. Now it was time for him to get to their rendezvous on Naboo.

​

[member="Rekha Kaarde"]​

[member="Melanctha Dallamoor"]​

 

[Aiden Merritt]

Aiden didn’t know exactly why the simple touch of her soft fingers on his face felt so good. He placed a hand over hers and held it there, prolonging the contact.

“Yes, I’m so very sure,” he answered her earnestly. He moved her fingers to his lips and kissed them. “I never want to be separated from that touch again.”

An unpleasant sensation reached him through the force… darkness was approaching. He looked up almost fearing he would see sith ships dropping out of hyperspace. Nothing so dramatic made its presence still…

“We need to hurry.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Even hurrying it took three hours rather than the two he’d hoped for. The longest delay was due to Mel having to decide which trunks of clothes to leave. Not that Aiden limited her, but, the Baudo itself did. He let her servants pack the hold as full as they could before they all had to admit they couldn’t pack anymore into it.

Then the goodbyes… Aiden could tell Mel’s parents had mixed emotions about this hasty marriage. They also were pragmatic enough to understand its necessity. Still, they hated to see their “little girl” leave not knowing specifically where they were going and when they could come home.

Although Aiden had a good idea where they were going, it wouldn’t be wise to tell anyone in the Hapes Cluster where that was to be. He would only tell Mel after they were underway.

He stopped her at the entrance to the Baudo, grinned at her and scooped her up in his arms and stepped across the threshold and the hatch closed automatically behind them.

“Welcome aboard, Duch’a AlGray. How does Naboo sound for a honeymoon?”

[member="Melanctha Dallamoor"]​

 

[Melanctha Dallamoor]

The Duch'a AlGray, Mel looked into the eyes of her....husband. wow, husband that was one word she had not ever thought she would utter with pleasure and glee. She had long expected to be married in some loveless marriage meant only for power and resources.

How Aiden had ever come into her life she would never really understand but she knew this, she was so glad at whatever forces guided his life that brought him to her.

She would miss life at home, but now she had another adventure ahead of her. No, not just her, them. They was a life for them that lay ahead.

She smiled without reservation or concern that someone would see it.

"Naboo sounds wonderful, lake country, water falls, elegant buildings built of an old architecture, and you, it's perfect." She hugged him tightly, "If I had not said this before you should know it now" she whispered to him, "Thank you for coming to get me, thank you for everything you are and Aiden...I'm in love with you"

She laid her head on his shoulder.

[member="Aiden Merritt"]

 

[Jon Burke]

Jon waved goodbye to the Kielbasa that had gathered around their pavilions at the sight of his ship and his impending departure. They seemed unconcerned and, for the most part, uninterested, in him, his ship, and whether he stayed, left, or simply sank away into the sands.

The feeling was mutual for Jon. As soon as the ship landed, Jon dug the case of Whyrens out of hold and presented it to the chief. Before he made it back to the ship, the chief had already drunk the first bottle and was started on his second. What a waste of good whiskey, Jon thought irritably as he sealed the hatch and headed to the bridge.

He did a quick systems check - basically verifying everything his droid had already done prior to piloting the ship over the dunes to rendezvous with him. He plotted a direct course off-planet to the course he needed to leave this secluded arm of wild space - approved vectors be damned.

The plot laid in to the first jump point, Jon leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes. The astromech droid spoke for the first time saying, ‘Jon Burke, there is something you should know…’

The remainder was cut off when two hands grasped Jon’s shoulders and began a very pleasurable massage.

Despite his fatigue, Jon was immediately wide awake and jumped up from his seat, reaching for the force and the defensive skills it offered him. He relaxed somewhat when he recognized his uninvited guest.

Katie stood there wearing only one of his long sleeve dress shirts - minimally buttoned up. She gave him a ‘cat that ate the canary’ grin and said, “I knew you wouldn’t play by the rules. I decided I’d hitch a ride back to civilization with you.” With another wider grin she unbuttoned the shirt completely and let the shirt slide down around her shoulders like a stole and added, “I’ll make it worth your while.”

Jon’s right brow arched as he considered his options. Finally he said, “Katie, you’re a bad, bad girl.”

​

[member="Melanctha Dallamoor"]​

[member="Rekha Kaarde"]​

 

[Aiden Merritt]

Aiden spun the Baudo up and took off very carefully for the benefit of his new in-laws who were watching intently. He noticed, and deeply appreciated, that they had the little starship’s fuel topped off as well as all the consumables.

He rather liked having Mel sitting in the seat beside him. After all the years he had spent flying alone to distant dig sites, having Mel with was very different… and exciting.

When the course to their first jump point was laid in, he turned in his seat and placed a hand over hers. “The normal routes in and out of the Cluster were tightening up with sith surveillance when I came in. I only made it because Jon gave me his codes. I think on the way out, we’ll play it safe and use a smugglers’ route an old Jedi Guardian named Dallas Taylor taught me. There’s actually a smugglers’ moon deep in the nebula we could make a short stop on… for a night… or so..."

They took the Lorell Route out of the Rifle Worlds deep into the Lorelli Reach. When they worked their way through the Knot Holes and finally reached Chosper, they were at the end of the established routes.

Aiden pulled up an old chart of the Cluster given to him by Master Taylor and worked his way cautiously into the Transitory Mists, following the course specified to the letter.

About two thirds of the way through the mists, a large open area revealed a small moon-sized planet. Aiden landed next to a small lake that had a cabin-like building on its shore.

Aiden stood and picked Mel up. He carried her to the master berth - now their master berth. He planned for them to have a change of clothes and go spend the night in the cabin. For some reason, they never got out of the Baudo that night. It proved to be a night Aiden would never forget.

[member="Melanctha Dallamoor"]​

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

Ok she thought he talks a lot and feels a genuine need to explain it all, she didn't know whether to smile or frown. But she being her, she smiled, "ooo all sounds very by the book."

She took in every detail of what he said right up until he said he was looking for a pilot, she remembered what the YU 410 looked like and she could fly it, so now did she play coy or just come out with it.

Rekha thought carefully about what she was doing and what she needed to do, she could use a break from everything, and perhaps some fly time with a bunch of strangers would help with that. "I know a pilot" she smiled trying to make this conversation go a little easier, and for her to be more friendly.

"What's the pay for the pilot, and where are you planning on going?" She asked as dinner was served and as usual they brought Rekha the same food each night the staff was on it tonight.

She opened her water looking at Craig across the table. He seemed on the up and up, and if the job was worth it, she'd be taking a trip.

[member="Craig Janson"]
[member="Jon Burke"]

 

[Craig Janson]

Craig sensed from Rekha’s non-verbal indicators, that she was more interested in the pilot’s job than her words indicated. Why, exactly, he wasn’t sure.

Normal pay for an employed freighter pilot was different from that of the full captain of a ship, if piloting was all they did. Pilots were only responsible for navigating and flight control. The captain was responsible for the entire operation of the ship - ship maintenance, legal flight regulations, freight and freight regulation, passenger safety, and so on - as well as either performing or overseeing the piloting functions. Obviously a captain was more valuable. Either Jon or he could assume the duties of captain… but then there was that Whyren’s time they both wanted to have available.

“It depends on the qualifications and experience of the person,” he answered her. “For a pilot we would expect to pay about 10,000 to 15,000 credits per month. For someone experienced enough and willing to assume the responsibilities of ship’s captain, our starting offer would be 12,500 credits a week.”

He gave her an appraising look and added, “That’s higher than normal because the job will be intensive. It will be a long flight through relatively unknown space with what we are expecting to be potentially significant navigation challenges. After we leave Naboo, there will be few if any planetary landings for planetside time.”

“It’s going to a long flight with an unknown length of stay at the destination. It all depends on what we find. It the expedition proves to be profitable we can also offer a captain a ten percent share.”

A pilot wouldn’t warrant such an offer, but, a person that was willing to be responsible for the entire ship would be worth it to the team. Obviously a captain would be better than simply hiring a pilot.

“When I take possession of the ship, the first stop will be Naboo. I’ll have one of my M&R teams go over it from stem to stern making sure everything is ready for the voyage. That’s where the team is meeting to interpret the information my partners have gathered together. That’s when we will know more about where we are actually going.”

He leaned back in the chair and asked, “So Ms Kaarde, do you know anyone up to the task?”

[member="Rekha Kaarde"]​

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

[member="Craig Janson"]

She leaned back as well, and then began contemplating all that he said. A flight through relatively unknown space. A mission months long. the pay was high because they didn't know what they were going to run into, well that was her interpretation of his words, not what he said.

She did know a few that would jump at such an opportunity, those that needed the credits. then there was herself. She looked at the bar, the staff while it was true enough that they did run it without her, and that she could trust them, if she offered herself for the job they'd be left alone, without a certainty of her coming back or when.

She set her green orbs upon his, "How big of a crew would be going?" Ask questions she told herself, as many as you need to in order to make a decision don't just jump into it. both feet, hair on fire.

She picked up her glass now she wished she had something stronger, "I can recommend a few, I just need to nail down all the other little details cause most of the pilots I know, will be risking a lot to go, they'll need to make sure it's in their favor...and...are you going? Or you just doing the hiring?" She wanted to know..for....her own two cents.

 

[Craig Janson]

“I think we’ll only carry four or five souls on board,” Craig answered reverting back to his old familiar military flight parlance.

“I will definitely be along for the adventure, along with my old college roommate and partner Jon, and our xenoarcheologist Aiden. If we hire a pilot, Jon and I will assume the captain’s responsibilities. We would rather have a fully rated captain on board though, and just be available to assist with shipboard activities.

Craig didn’t realize he had just casually dropped two names from Rekha’s past. If he had any idea, he might not be sipping his Whyren’s so casually as he waited for her response.

​

[member="Melanctha Dallamoor"]​

[member="Rekha Kaarde"]​

 

[Jon Burke]

As much as Jon appreciated Katie’s enthusiasm and skills, he found her company onerous. He dropped her at the first open port coreward of Wild Space, Oberon. She had requested Ryloth - something about a threesome with a couple of Twi’lek she’d met in a cantina somewhere - but, Jon wasn’t inclined to oblige. He still smirked when he recalled the clinched fist, foot stomping, angry pout as he’d thrown her bag out on the tarmac on Oberon.

Jon laid in waypoints for Naboo. It wasn’t far, but, there was no direct route requiring several course adjustments. Fortunately, his autopilot could handle the program without his intervention. He engaged the AI and walked wearily back to his berth. After two days with Katie, he could use about a week”s sleep. Unfortunately, he only had three days before he would be dropping into Nabooian space.

​

[member="Melanctha Dallamoor"]​

[member="Rekha Kaarde"]​

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

if he had said his friend Jon or his friend Aiden she would not have thought twice about it, but he said them together the same sentence. She nearly dropped her fork, dropped everything what was she going to say?

Feth.

See now part of her wanted reach across grab his collar and ask him where they were. But there was no hiding the look on her face, he'd likely begin to wonder what he said wrong.

"Ok I can pilot the ship, and ship board activities.

God she couldn't think straight jon Jon JON!!!

She covered her face with both hands rubbing hard she had to be dreaming had to be sleeping, she stopped accidently on purpose she bit her tongue the pain ripped through her making her wince, yep she was awake.

"When do we hook up with Jon and Aiden?" Jon and Aiden smile just naturally appeared there she had not felt this happy in so long that she might just a jig on the bar.

[member="Craig Janson"] [member="Jon Burke"]

 

[Craig Janson]

Craig cocked his head to the side and appraised her through slitted eyes. There was something behind her reaction that he couldn’t fathom. She was almost… well, giddy, for lack of better word. Then there was the way she said ‘Jon and Aiden’ - as if she knew them. But how could that be possible?

He glanced around the bar. It was nice enough for the location and the normal clientele but it wasn’t exactly a 5-star establishment. An infusion of cash would probably be a financial windfall for her. Maybe she was just excited at the prospects of having a high paying contact.

“Okay….,” he drew the word out as if lost in thought. Her reaction had his spidey-senses tingling quoting an old holovid he’d seen as a kid. “I’ll draw up a contract with the captain’s terms I stated. What ships have you piloted. Anything similar to the 410?”

He took a sip of his Whyrens and answered her other question. “We are going to meet on Naboo. One of my dry docks is there and we’ll do the final refits we need for the trip. Aiden is coming in from finishing some family business on Hapes. Jon will be arriving from Wild Space. We… will be leaving as soon as the sale is finalized. We’ll leave Naboo when we are confident in the ship and the plan.”

He could read it in her eyes. There was something going on in that pretty head of hers. “Is there something I need to know, Rekha?”

This was going to be an expensive excursion. He needed to make sure that he wasn’t bringing problems into the mix at the beginning.


[member="Rekha Kaarde"]

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

[member="Craig Janson"]

Oh she had his attention he had picked up on it, well what did she expect she practically broadcast the whole thing. There just was no way there could be two people associated together like that with the same names, and this love of adventure.

But.

That meant Jon was still having memory problems, didn't it. She looked at Craig, how do you ask that question? You don't. She closed her close for a moment as if taking a long blink and then reopened them to set her gaze on Craig. I"ve flown fighters, couple version of the YT, a baudo, and even an old flying brick that nearly cost me my life. I can fly almost anything." Her time with the Alliance had gotten her a few friends, most of whom were gone now. She lifted her drink in silent salute.

"Naboo huh, I've always liked Naboo, swimming, boating. Mostly the boating" She had never been the sailor kind of girl but well things change. But she always loved the water it was like going home to something warm and cozy, even if the first steps were frigid.

"Need to know? Sure I like feather, good wine, water, flying, and I eat a lot of green things." It wasn't she couldn't get proteins, she just well, couldn't always afford them.

"anything I need to know, like should I bring my own weapons? and I do have a room to myself. right." It wasn't really a question that was her basically saying, I want my own room.

 

[Craig Janson]

Craig smiled. That was a smooth but obvious dissimilation. It was an answer to the question but not the true answer. He decided not to press the issue. Everyone had their own secrets and a right to them. He just hoped this secret didn’t come back to bite him on the arse.

“If you have a favorite weapon feel free to pack it in with your gear. We are going into an unknown area and Jon and I will definitely be prepared for… unpleasant encounters. And of course Aiden is a jedi and he will also be prepared in his own way.”

He gave her a sad puppy face, implicitly teasing her that she was wanting her own room. “This 410 is already set up as a research vessel. The port pod is all laboratory and the starboard pod is divided into five cabins. The forwardmost opens directly onto the bridge and is assigned to the captain.”

He tipped his glass of Whyrens to her and added, “A perk of the position.”

His datapad chirped and he turned it so that he could read it. His eyebrows raised in surprise as he shared the information with her. “That was my agent. The sale has already been finalized… faster than I thought possible.” He leaned back in his chair and looked at Rekha thoughtfully. “It belonged to a university on a world being harassed by the One SIth. They were desperate for funds and apparently anxious to liquidate.” He shrugged, “Their loss is our gain.”

“We checked its flightworthiness out prior to making our offer so we can leave anytime you can square things away here and pack your gear for an extended voyage.” He looked around the bar and knew she had business to attend to before she could leave. “How long do you think you’ll need?”


[member="Rekha Kaarde"]

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

Rekha looked over at the staff her eyes grew sad, "About three hours should do it. They're use to me going off but it seems like I just got back so.." Yeah she was close to them they were her family here. They watched out for her she watched out for them. They'd understand why she wanted to go, they'd say it was alright, but they all knew it wasn't and that they wanted her to stay.

"Thanks for the job Craig" She was sincere. She saw them look away, "Yeah, please excuse me. I"ll meet you. Enjoy your meal" Rekha got up and went over to them, "who is up for a drink on the house" She put her arms around their shoulders and walked with them. She looked back at Craig she'd invite him but some things were meant to be done alone.

There were details to discuss just in case she didn't make it back they had her will, the lawyer, everything they'd need to make the bar their own and do with it whatever they wanted. POA given so they could make sure the orders were taken care of, and the passwords for any of the regulars. and what to do for the thranta.

After about an hour of standing there with them, drinking she headed off to her rooms. Pack what she needed.

Ok...pack..

1 old style DL 44 blaster
Clothes, typically all the same colors and styles, not many never was a clothes thranta
Her Ewok. Her holos.
A glance around and no one lived there anymore. Everything was in the bag.
except that case of whyrens, private stock, and the case of veronian wine.

It was almost three hours, she wondered if Craid was ready. She walked slowly with her bag she wasn't sure about leaving ever, but hearing the roar in the bar she knew it would be alright.

[member="Craig Janson"]

 

[Craig Janson]

Craig met his agent at the ship and completed the paperwork required to finalize the purchase. After the man left he did another walk around of the research ship. Yes, a week or so in his shipyard on Naboo and this baby would in top shape and he would have no hesitation taking it anywhere the quest lead. But, first things first…

Rekha should be arriving soon and the ship was stored in the rear of a vast brokerage warehouse. The staff would never clear a passage to the hanger doors before morning moving the vast number of ships required piece by piece.

He looked up at the clearance overhead. It was tight and the irregular sizes and heights of the ships made plotting a course challenging. One of Craig’s talents, however, was three dimensional flight perception and piloting. It was why he had excelled as a fighter pilot. Yes, there was a way. It would be close in a couple of areas but it was doable.

He contemplated leaving it as a test for Rekha’s piloting skill but… he just enjoyed flying too much to let this chance pass. He made his way quickly to the bridge, closing the hatch behind him on the way.

He didn’t bother starting the main engines. This was a job for maneuvering jets only. He raised the ship vertically until it nearly touched the ceiling of the vast chamber. There were many places where ships between him and the exit were still too tall to pass requiring a meandering course. He spun the ship 360 degrees on its horizontal axis coming to a dead stop - partly testing its maneuverability and partly simply showing off to the shocked brokerage employees scrambling out of his way.

He began by slowly slipping the ship sideways lining up his first passageway. Then the fun really began. He worked his way forward, then side to side, up, down, back and forth, once even having to rotate the ship 180 degrees on its side to slip through a tall, narrow passage moving faster and faster as his confidence in the ship grew. Finally reaching the clearance deck he spun the ship 360 degrees again on its horizontal while lowering it to the deck. He laughed at the horrified expressions on the deckhands but then blushed at the sight of an equally horrified Rekha Kaarde standing watching with her pack slung over her shoulder.


[member="Rekha Kaarde"]

 

[Aiden Merritt]

They stayed by the lake on the hidden moon in the Mists three days. They were three days of bliss for Aiden. Three days when he learned more and more about his new bride and loved each new secret revealed. He would have opted to stay longer but he had a schedule to keep though not yet revealed to Mel. He didn’t want to spoil their honeymoon of sorts by telling her what lay ahead.

Once again ensconced in Aiden’s Baudo, he carefully piloted them on through the Transitory Mists following Master Taylor’s course. Exiting near Vena, Aiden plotted the course waypoints into the navigation computer for the legs required to reach Naboo.

It was an agreeably long way - five days. Five more days alone with Melanctha. He activated the autopilot and after a glance to confirm everything was working properly, rose and returned to the main cabin where she was waiting for him.


[member="Melanctha Dallamoor"]

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

She stood there not quite sure how to take what Craig was doing to the ship, and it had to be him right? Spinning that ship around like it was some children toy.

She nudged the guy standing next to her, "You let him do that?"

She had to admire him in one way, he didn't seem to care that he was reacting like someone who was sitting in the pilots seat for the first time. still she couldn't pass on the opportunity to gave him a glare. It alone should scold him for pllaying with the ship.

She motioned with a single finger for him to put it down, like now. It wasn't her name on the title of the ship, but she had a responsibiity which kicked in the moment she agreed and took the job.

What the feth.

She rubbed her forehead like she was stressed, all while she looked down at the floor containing the smile. Once composed she headed to where she could get her hands on....well where she could access the ship.

[member="Craig Janson"]

 

[Melanctha Dallamoor]

[member="Aiden Merritt"]

Mel more relaxed than she had ever been in her entire life, for three days reveled in the arms of her husband. Even the most simple of things became infinitely more important, the simple touch of a hand, a caress to the cheek, and words shhared. Not just the ones in moments of intimacy but discussions about the day, what to have that night for dinner for alll the times that she had dinner it was more important to her because Aiden now sat across from her.

The future was bright and now there was word that Sith forces might be withdrawing from Hapes, her parents would be safe. She was glad for that news too she had worried. But how long would it take and was it just a rumor.

She looked to the door when Aiden came back, "everything ok? Will we make it through the Mists without a problem?" The mists contained dangers everyone knew it.

 

[Craig Janson]

Craig shut down the thrusters and met Rekha at the hatch. “Welcome aboard, Captain. Let me show you to the bridge.”

He grinned at her - indeed it was something like a boy with a new toy. “I wanted to bring her forward to the hanger doors and couldn’t resist… ummm… adding a little extra to the maneuver. That’s the closest I can come to acrobatic flight these days.”

He unconsciously rubbed at his right ear. Inner ear damage received when he was shot down over a contested planet fighting for the Republic caused severe vertigo when he underwent high-G turns. He didn’t necessarily miss being a fighter pilot but he did miss acrobatic flight a great deal.

“All right, here we are. Your cabin is the forward one on the starboard side. Look command and control over and see if you have any questions. I’m going to look over the stores and see of we need to stop by the provisioning docks before we leave the system.”

[member="Rekha Kaarde"]​