Credit Score [Smugglers' Alliance]

[Corvetta Salvo]

Cortosis was no household commodity. At least whoever was paying for this voyage was aware of that. There were a decent amount of smugglers on this job's payroll.

The highest volume ship currently in the limping Smugglers' Alliance, Captain Rees' Quintessence was not unremarkable and looked like it was the right craft for this sort of high-profile job. Corvetta had to give Rees props for keeping such an enviable ship. While no one was looking, she had stolen a moment of 'personal time' to dart into the engine room and study the less familiar configurations of this older craft. But the greasy flygirl made sure to only make a very small minor miniscule microscopic tweak to the cell conductors and scram before Curiosity killed the Corvetta.

While she was not the captain and not in charge on this mission, for some reason, people seemed to almost always cast the introductory responsibilities on Salvo. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that she had been here from the beginning (which was not too long ago). Or maybe it was the spunky personality. Either way, the lifelong spacer girl ended up as MOC once again.

"Hey guys!" she greeted as she arrived in the freighter's assembly cabin, smearing onto her cargo pants some of the fresh grease from her recent exploits in the engine room. "How's it crankin'?" Slyly, the smuggler chick scanned everyone present with comedically narrowed eyes, a subtle nod and a devious grin punctuating the display as if everything were just as she had suspected. "Like a bantha in an art gallery, huh."

Spoiler

[member="Alexandra Russo"], [member="Allyson Locke"], [member=Atlas], [member="Colap Ticon"], [member="Damon Riggs"], [member="Davik Tren"], [member="Eliza Steele"], [member="Jace Trent"], [member="Kairon Rees"], [member="Kohai Drenn"], [member="Lenix Ornil"], [member="Listeri Dalane"], [member="Nej Tane"], [member="Robb Killian"], [member=Switch], [member=X30-20G]

 

[Kairon Rees]

"Jarrick," Rees said, turning to his second in command. "What was it that happened to the last crank that fiddled with the ship without my permission again?" he asked, casting a disapproving glance at the stains on Salvo's pants.

Jarrick Hague, the ex-marine who maintained his close cropped hair sighed, knowing the part expected of him. "Bad things Captain, bad things."

"Quite right," Rees replied with half a smile. "Welcome to the ship, the Twins should be ensuring the cargo is well stowed. My apologies if the accommodation is a little cramped. Oh and I apologise if you find any..." he paused and then raised his voice: "...Hairballs left around!"

There was a hiss from the distance as the ship's adopted feline took umbridge. Actually, Kairon reflected, it was the other way around. The cat had definitely adopted the ship, despite his repeated attempts to leave her on port.

"Welcome to the Quin!"

 

[RC 212]

[member="Corvetta Salvo"][member="Kairon Rees"]

Aaaaandddd... It was about that time that Colap popped out of a hidden compartment in the deck of the bridge and came out with a loud "Whoa!"

With a devilish grin that spilt his face ear to ear he laid eyes on the group and took another swig from his silvery flask. The whiskey burned hot and clear down his throat and into his guts. A signature cigar rested smouldering in the corner of his mouth and his messy hair was bathed in the sweet aroma of tobacco.

"You got some nice hidey, holes ther partner!" Colap turned the flask upside down and eyed it with a sad face as nothing came out.

"Too bad ya aint got no more whiskey though."

 

[Thane Drexel]

Thane marched into the meeting room with a data pad in hand. He was the reason they were all here, his mission required a ship and a crew, and this was the best one he knew. Into the middle of the group, thane placed himself and cleared his throat.

"Alright ladies and gents, I have asked you all, and thank you [member="Kairon Rees"] for allowing my mission to go through your ship. We have a task of transporting Phrik Ore, not Cortosis, as I had hoped from Seltos to Ganath in Black Sun Space. The hard part is, Seltos as you know, is in Republic space. We leave there, then go through ASA space then the last jog is through Pubs space again and then the cloud of zero navigation. So I ask that we take utmost care and if any of you have any concerns, please comment now."

[member="Colap Ticon"] [member="Corvetta Salvo"] @the rest of the SA who want to bring their ships in as escort

 

[RC 212]

[member="Thane Drexel"]

Colap crawled up out of the floor and closed the hatch with a small thud. He turned to face Thane and extended his hand.

"Hey there companion. Never met you you before but the pleasures all mine, Colap Ticon at your service."

 

[Davik Tren]

Davik had been lounging on one of the supply crates in the room and gave a nod to Corvy when she walked in. Honestly he was glad to be getting back into the swing of real jobs which he hoped would bring back some of the excitement he remembered from a few years back when he was still working with a former partner. The spacer idly opened his flight bag and dropped the datapad inside before looking back towards Kairon.


[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

[member="Kairon Rees"]

 

[Kohai Drenn]

Kohai could only hope nobody had seen her jump when a particularly well-hidden compartment burst open to her left. How had she missed that one in her initial sweep?

At least she hadn't cried out... right?

Crinkling her nose, the engineer sidled away from that distinctive odor that meant [member="Colap Ticon"] was incoming. How the man seemed to always be smoking without any visible repercussions in sealed star ships was an anomaly she had always been meaning to figure out. No dice so far, though.

Coming to a stop in a nearby corner of the room, Kohai plopped down to the floor, crossing her legs as she sat. This was the part of the adventure where the "grown-ups" typically talked numbers, and she didn't have much to do with herself until they were done. She certainly didn't want to get caught poking around without permission this early.

[member="Corvetta Salvo"] [member="Davik Tren"] [member="Thane Drexel"] [member="Kairon Rees"]

 

[Robb Killian]

Robb leaned quietly against a wall, not far from where [member="Davik Tren"] was seated, as the rest of the team began to file in. He shifted uncomfortably as The Quintessence's assembly cabin became increasingly packed. He scratched at his cheek as [member="Kairon Rees"] addressed the group, he had neglected to shave since his last job and was unused to his thickening stubble. His eyes darted around the room while his right foot, or at restlessly, an unfortunate new habit he had picked up recently.

He nodded along through [member="Thane Drexel"] 's briefing. It seemed like the standard fare to Robb; Deliver cargo from point A to -

"...from Seltos to Ganath in Black Sun Space."

Robb's jaw clenched at the name. Karking Black Sun? His anxiety was slightly relieved as Thane concluded his briefing and asked for comments.

Robb crossed his arms over his chest and forced himself to speak, crowd or no, now was the time. "Forgive me if I missed this bit, but who's the client exactly?"


[member="Kohai Drenn"] [member="Colap Ticon"] [member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Thane Drexel]

To Robb, an old ally, Thane turned and explained.

"He goes by the name Rayl Wilded. He's a smuggler looking for a delivery. Nothing more. We will take all precautions and if we run into to trouble, we will sort it as it comes."

He looked at the others and greeted them as they came.


[member="Robb Killian"][member="Kohai Drenn"][member="Davik Tren"][member="Colap Ticon"][member="Kairon Rees"][member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

How Colap was always able to make the most dramatic of entrances and set everything off-kilter was beyond the spacer chick's comprehension. He had been a wildcard since the very first day they met, talking over the comms like bosses about some intriguingly unique signals coming from the surface of Hypori. Somehow, that encounter ended with them coordinating flight patterns like bosses and evading or destroying centuries-old Vulture starcraft like bosses.

Now that she thought about it, Corvetta considered that Colap might just be... bad luck. Not that she was too superstitious. That was Kohai's department, last she had checked. But bad things seemed to follow the cigar-wielding spacer--though at least he was capable enough to clean up the mess. A through-and-through smuggler type, if ever there was one.

Returning her attention to the super importantly detailed mission briefing the ragtag group was attempting to carry out in as organized a manner as the bunch could, Salvo could not help but raise an eyebrow about the whole Black Sun deal. "What do we got to pass through the hounds if they sniff us wrong?"

[member="Thane Drexel"], [member="Robb Killian"], [member="Kohai Drenn"], [member="Davik Tren"], [member="Colap Ticon"], [member="Kairon Rees"]

 

[Thane Drexel]

Thane looked to the SA leader Corvetta, he was newest of the smugglers to the Alliance, but he had an answer for that. He pulled a flask from his jacket and took a giant swig. He tossed it to [member="Colap Ticon"], then looked back to Corvetta.

"We send us out. They cannot want to handle two drunk spacers, and if they do not believe us to be enough, then I believe the next answer would be these..." He patted his holsters.

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Kairon Rees]

Kairon watched the interchange between members of the alliance with interest. He had no issues with the Black Sun in particular. He was a regular in their space and frequently picked up goods picked up in less than a legal manner. Sometimes they even neglected to wash the blood stains out before attempting to palm goods off on him. He worked well in the piracy circles, as well as he did trading in a core world. His real father was a trader, he'd been raised by pirates.

"Food's always available in the mess," he announced. "Crew always has one sit down meal a day, at eight Coruscant time to ensure all shifts get a solid hot meal. There are eight rooms, my crew already has three of them taken. Share rooms or put down rolls in the cargo bays, get in my crew’s personal space and we’ll have words.

“Now, who wants to talk hyperspace routes?” he asked. Kairon kept a series of data crystals locked in a safe in his room. The most precious items on the ship, they contained a number of hyperspace lanes and routes that had been forgotten over the course of the Gulag-induced dark times. He never left them loaded on the main systems due to paranoia and only loaded each chart as necessary.

Spoiler

[SIZE=10.5pt]Internal Layout[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]
Most of the crew space is in the saucer shaped section at the head of the ship, which is split into two levels. The upper level contains the cockpit, designed for up to four crew members. Behind this is a general living area / office space. A ladder still extends above and below the saucer section, even though there are currently no turrets mounted. However, there are some small spaces here, where the crew will often hide small items they don’t wish to be found in a search.

On the floor below, a central chamber houses to ship’s navigation system and main computers. This room is cooled to 14C. A corridor runs around this and the space outside of this is “sliced” into 8 small rooms. Each housing a bed that folds down from the wall, a washbasin and a wardrobe. The Captains room is larger than the others and has a large desk and personal sonic shower. A final room houses the communal showers.

A long corridor runs through the frame of the ship that connects the front of the ship to the rear. Access to modular cargo bays is from this corridor, which is wide enough to move large items between bays if necessary.

At the rear of the ship, the easily accessible areas are split into two floors. The upper level houses a small canteen and has a ladder to provide access to the ion turret.

The level below is the main engineering room, which provides maintenance access to key engine systems / further smuggling locations.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Crew[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]NPC: Gunslinger: Mai - a bi-polar Cathar who stowed away for a trip and - despite his best efforts - Kairon has yet to kick off.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]NPC: Asmus Janes - Kairon's vain, younger nephew.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]NPC: Jarrick Hague - previously a soldier in a marine corps, not keeps discipline on the ship and tidies up all the details Kairon has no patience for.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]NPC: The Twins - A pair of loading droids that ensure cargo is loaded safely and sensitive items are stashed away.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]

[/SIZE]

 

[Robb Killian]

The briefing concluded as quickly as it had begun, Karion was inquiring about hyperspace routes which meant Robb's part in the discussion was done, for the moment. Kairon had mentioned the presence of food and Robb would be damned if he didn't soothe his aching stomach. After all, who was he to refuse such generous hospitality. Just then, as if on queue, his stomach grumbled again. I need some Caf, at least.

Robb pushed himself off of the wall he'd been leaning against, maneuvered his way through the assembly, and ducked from the room. But not before offering the vessel's captain of parting nod.

The spacer kept his expression as blank as possible until he had stepped through the chamber's threshold where, presumably out of sight, he furrowed his brow and clenched his jaw anew. The thought of flying through Black Sun territory made Robb uneasy, and a little angrier than he would have liked to admit, but he'd been with without work since Corellia and was in no position to get picky.

He kept on walking deeper into the freighter's interior, searching of the ship's "mess". Robb ran his hands through his unkempt hair, shaggy and thick from weeks of neglect, laced his fingers together behind his head, and sighed. The metallic sound of his boots on the corridor's floor panels echoed softly behind him. Nothing to do about it now. It is what it is.



[member="Kairon Rees"] [member="Thane Drexel"] [member="Corvetta Salvo"] [member="Kohai Drenn"] [member="Davik Tren"] [member="Colap Ticon"]

 

[Kairon Rees]

Robb would find the Ship's mess at the far end of the wide corridor. Entrance hatches to modular cargo bay ran down either side of the walk. At the end he'd find the corridor split into two levels. A clear sign indicated the mess was on the higher floor.

Space was at a premium on a transport, so the room was compact. There was, however, always a pot of caff being kept hot.

http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/44228856363823296/5462456E79BFBEFDA9CB9E0892D41A99D48AE54F/

 

[Davik Tren]

Davik listened intently until the end of Thane's speech. And to be honest, it was not the most promising idea he had ever heard of. The Black Suns had never been their friends, nor likely anyones. Even pirates that were considered to be part of their "Empire" were all too often shot up or left for dead like an odd bantha skin that had no use. Flying through their space was a whole other matter in itself.

With little else going on in the main room in which the briefing had taken place, Davik made his way into the mess as well. He sighed and sat on one of the plasteel chairs and then spoke up to Robb. He had noticed his crewmate was rather quiet thus far, and what else was new?

"So, what do you think?"


[member="Robb Killian"]

 

[Nej Tane]

The quiet shaking of the floor, the scuff of shoes on floors, brought Nej to a state of being awake. Immediately, his hand reached out for the slugthrower under his left arm. Nej was a high functioning drunk, a pleasant people pleaser through a bottle of brandy. He stood up in the mess, and then remembered: he had no idea how he got here. He looked around, but shrugged. Dizziness and a lack of food and a deep-need of hydration fueled him to start to make his way towards the steaming hot pot of caff.



So, he poured himself a hefty mug full, and found himself plopped in a chair next to [member="Davik Tren"]."I have no idea what's going on but I'm down for whatever."

 

[Robb Killian]

Robb had been leaning against the counter, fixated on his drink, when Davik broke the silence.

"So, what do you think?"

Robb looked up from his mug to find Davik staring at him from his seat. He took a second to consider a reply and smell his caf. Synthetic or no, this stuff smells authentic. He made to speak, but Nej beat him to it.

"I have no idea what's going on but I'm down for whatever."

Robb blinked and turned to Nej, the man had apprently passed out in here and missed the entire briefing. At least he's...enthusiastic.

Robb turned back to Davik but was hesitant to share his thoughts. He knew he could confide in his crewmates, but he didn't know Nej all that well. He would have to watch his words. "I trust Thane, he's a good man, Kairon too. The job's simple, if on the risky side." He paused to sip his caf before continuing. "But flying through Black Sun territory, landing on a world under their influence, carrying a valuable haul like this, and all without their say-so...it's a gamble..."

Robb took another sip. "Ganath is close to Nal Hutta, really close. We could be dealing with both the Black Sun and the Hutts. Call me paranoid, but the Alliance needs this job to stay afloat, we've been too inactive for too long. This has to work."

[member="Davik Tren"] [member="Nej Tane"]

 

[Kohai Drenn]

The young engineer didn't really have much of a role during this beginning phase of the operation. Waiting a bit for good measure, Kohai figured she had spent the obligatory time hanging around the brains, and it was time to find something else to snag her attention for a while. Tracing her palm lightly along the wall, Kohai began wandered the ship.

Closing her eyes, the girl couldn't help her contented sigh as she imagined the ship she stood in. While nothing could take the 'Cause's place in her heart, the Quintessence was a a beauty worth ogling for a while. It wasn't a conventional beauty, lacking fresh paint or sleek angles, but nothing good ever came from being gaudy in this business.

As she arrived at the aft-end of the ship, Kohai was shaken from her musings by the smell of coffee and the sound of muffled conversation. Making her way up, she followed her nose to the canteen. Gripping hard on both sides of the door frame, the girl leaned into the room, catching some conversation.

"-could be dealing with both the Black Sun and the Hutts. Call me paranoid, but the Alliance needs this job to stay afloat, we've been too inactive for too long. This has to work."

Kohai blinked a few times, shaking off her mild surprise. She knew her shipmate had a bit of a stutter, and didn't really see a point in bringing it up. He was, after all, not brought on to negotiate with anybody. This is why it was always a bit surprising when he got like this. Robb had a funny way of forgetting his speech impediment when he was talking shop.

...She liked to tease him, sometimes.

"That's right!" The engineer shot an optimistic grin towards her present crew, before plopping down on the floor, supporting her chin on an upturned palm. "Nice speech, by the way."

It was almost a family reunion, except for...

She looked over at the stranger sitting next to D, he had a look like he'd passed out drunk on a hard floor and only got up recently. It showed a bit on his face, still. "Hey, there! I'm Kohai, and you are?"

[member="Corvetta Salvo"] - [member="Robb Killian"] - [member="Davik Tren"] - [member="Kairon Rees"] - [member="Colap Ticon"] - [member="Nej Tane"] - [member="Thane Drexel"]

 

[Kairon Rees]

Kairon headed to the cockpit, shouted for his nephew along the way. The lad was stupid and impetuous, but that didn't absolve Kairon of his responsibilities. He had to start teaching him the ways of a smuggler, which would be equally applicable if he could convince the youth to return to his family and take up a more sedentary lifestyle. Rees was certain that if he could get Asmus to settle down with a respectable girl, that the boy would soon want to settle down and stop following Kairon around. The old smuggler's tales of heroics and action in the outer rim had sunk deep. Damn impressionable youth, Kairon thought to himself.

When he reached the cockpit, he brought up a holomap of the galaxy for himself, his nephew and any others wanting to plan. Immediately the computer brought up several potential routes it had calculated.

"Bring in the latest smugglernet details," Kairon said to the computer. Instantly a series of colour splashes appeared near the routes. The smugglernet was an encrypted network over the Holonet. Smugglers and others shared information on the movement of pirates, official patrols and other such hindrances. Kairon reached out and pinched a part of the route that was in a seemingly empty area of space and pulled it off to a separate path.

"There was no reported pirate activity there?" his nephew asked.

"Exactly, distinctly nothing in the last month, but an awful not in the regions around," he explained pointing out the red regions. "They'll be moving here soon and dropping asteroids on the route periodically, if they haven't already." Kairon knew the world of pirating all too well.

"That's a problem," Asmus said, pointing out an official Republic patrol area, that saw frequent stop-and-search's. "But that's a long diversion!"

"No one saw this," Kairon explained, pulling a data-crystal from his pocket. Several alternative spidery lines appeared on the map. Hyperspace routes not on public maps. He found an alternative route and locked it in.

"Anyone else have any suggestions or comments?" Kairon asked of anyone else who may have had an interest in the navigation.

 

[Thane Drexel]

Thane was happy to see that Kairon had star maps for the route they needed to take. He walked up to the chart and learned into the route they would take. It was a good route, less traffic, a black market path. But with that came the possibility of raider patrols. They would need to be cautious.

"My only comment would be to keep an eye out for raiders. Pirates would not likely take this route as it is most likely utilized by the black market or unlicensed smuggling. So the bottom of the pit would be our only worries."

[member="Kairon Rees"][member="Kohai Drenn"][member="Robb Killian"][member="Nej Tane"][member="Davik Tren"][member="Corvetta Salvo"]