Eight-Six-Seven Five-Three-Oh-Nine

[Corvetta Salvo]

So one of her special mechanic tricks had gone afoul and Corvetta had landed herself a stay at the luxurious Over Mustafar PIlot's Resort--or more accurately, The Piece of Scrap Orbiting that Hideous Planet. At least she had received an upfront payment prior to lift-off.

What was awful about this place was that the only habitable area of the orbital station was smaller than a prison block, and who knew how aged the cantina's drinks were. But at least there was a bar. No one really came to visit the musty traveler's lounge. Usually they docked, picked up their cargo, and scrammed out of this forsaken sector of space. Therefore, Corvetta felt quite comfortable wasting herself on bottles of ancient brandy as no one bothered to stick around. She had gotten more sleep--and more drunk--than she had ever experienced before.

Her brilliantly multicolored hair was mussed and her shirt wet from dribbling as she sat on the lone, dirty couch, bent over another glass of terrible brandy. How low can you go, girl? Why not?

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Tracking Corvetta had been a bit more difficult than expected. Partly because she traveled so much, and partly because of how out of contact Graxin had been with her. It wasn't his intention, of course. His previous misadventures had all been rather violent, and while the companions he had gained, a Nightsister and a wayward Miraluka to be exact, were good company, they both lacked the woman's unique charm. The Apprentice had dropped out of hyperspace above Mustafar, and docked rather hastily. He hadn't mentioned to her that he would be swinging her way, nor did he wish to.

He arrived in the musky, rather disgusting lounge with his head held high. His hair had grown out, and a well trimmed beard now lined his chin. His lips were pressed into a thin line. He wore a simply black hooded jacket and gray pants. all in all, he looked like any other young spacer out for credits, booze, and women. The only thing that differed was the set of metal parts held in his pockets; all exotic and gathered for a single purpose.

He approached Corvetta from the front so as not to startle her, and leaned down to catch her attention. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

There was no way in Fett's name she would have recognized her old pal had his greeting not registered with a previous occurrence that was of some significance to her. Slowly and unsteadily, the boozed-up flygirl turned to face her old companion with a ludicrous smile. "Graxlerod..." she breathed, a hoarse chuckle emanating from her dry throat.

Her eyes jittered, unable to focus clearly as she scanned this 'new' face of her old companion. "How ya hangin', sport?" she asked, feeling at the frizzes and knots in her hair. She was completely unaware of her embarrassing state. "That bad, huh?" she followed, not even allowing him time to respond.

Corvetta raised her glass.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"Pretty well, actually." He mumbled, raising a hand to cup her chin. He narrowed his eyes and did his best to look into hers. Aye, she was only drunk it seemed, not sick in anyway. His hand would fall away. "Why are you drinking so much? Where's your ship?" He stood up to his full height, and folded his arms tight over his chest. There were words he wanted to say, but was unsure of just how to exactly say them.

Instead, he reached down and tugged at her forearm. "Here, let's not stick around in this place, alright?"

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

"A girl's gotta stay hydrated, ya know?" Corvetta rambled, reflexively running over a line she had fed him a long time ago. "I just need my sleep."

Keeping possession of her cup of brandy, she yielded to his grasp and arose from her seat. She was fully trusting of him--perhaps unwisely so--and allowed him to tug her wherever as she followed on wobbly legs. "I was just getting used to the place, Graxle," she half-joked, words running together. Glancing behind, she attempted to wave at the server droid and stuck out her faltering tongue. "I don't think he hates me."

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"I'm sure he's absolutely in love with you." Graxin agreed quietly. He kept a firm hold on her forearm and led her off from the lounge. He hadn't seen her this drunk before, and he did his best to pay it little mind. They rounded one corner, then another before coming out into Graxin's hanger bay. The shuttle he had taken was pretty substandard. An old Gulley Jumper scrapped together from spare parts. It ran and that was all that mattered.

Graxin clicked a button on his wristband and the rampway hissed open. He quickly led Corvetta inside, and closed the door behind them. "Forgive me, I'd rather not leave you drunk and unarmed at a bar. Shady men like to come through these places." He said quietly. No point in giving her a headache. "What are you doing out here Corvetta?"

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

Corvetta could not help but steal a glance at his ship. Despite however mentally impaired she was currently, some part of her brain was at the ready to run an analysis on whatever vessel was brought before her. To the point: It wasn't the same ship she remembered adventuring aboard. And the thing seemed a little beat up.

Even as she was plastered, the seriousness to her friend's tone was sufficiently comprehended and she tried her best to keep her eyes locked on his. "I'm drinking," she answered honestly, though that was already quite apparent. "I got scrubbed 'cause I bricked the TC while trying to short rig the shields." The navigator girl shrugged and finished her cup, dripping half of her drink onto her boots.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Graxin expelled a slight sigh of relief. Alcohol simply made him uneasy. He let her go free from his hand and folded his arms behind his back. "Well then, are you up for another adventure?" He asked calmly. She was drunk...but he could wait. They had the time. "There's a crystal I need to find...on Mustafar. I didn't want to go alone, and I've missed you." The words were all utter honesty. It was just the way Graxin tended to be.

Now that things had settled, it could be seen that the Gulley Jumper wasn't designed much for easy living. Seats lined each side of its single narrow hall; seats that once carried Republic soldiers into battle millennium ago. the cockpit could be seen, and the seats up there were at least leather. It was good enough for two passengers, and not many more. "I'll pay you, of course...and I can wait until your sober."

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

She giggled. "Another adventure? Are you asking?" A silly grin washed over her face as the girl turned up her thumbs in the affirmative, oblivious as her cup crashed to the floor. "Aw, I missed ya too, buddy." Sweeping her hair back, Corvetta blinked rapidly for a few seconds as she tried to accustom herself to her friend's new face. He looked so different--but maybe that was simply because she was loopy.

"A crystal on Mustafar..." she repeated, attempting to look as deep in thought as an utterly drunk person could possibly appear. That had to be his most random quest yet. "Well, that isn't too far from here, now, is it?" Narrowing her eyes, she coughed a hoarse laugh and poked Graxin in the ribs. "You don't have to pay me. I'm totally level."

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Graxin was indeed using the same face, just an older version than before. No plastic surgery or such to note, heh. The Infiltrator winced as her glass fell, but he made no move to stop her. Instead he simply grinned, and folded his arms over his chest. " 'Course it's what I'm asking...and I figured you did. Normal folk are pretty boring."

He canted his head toward the cockpit; then to his intoxicated friend. He ran a hand through his messily disheveled hair and pursed his lips. "Come on now. I'll pay you. We're friends, and I like you, but you need to make a profit when you fly don't you?" He raised a brow and jerked a thumb toward the cockpit. "This junker is outfitted for Mustafar's atmosphere. I'm not the best pilot though. You, on the other hand, are. I'd rather have you navigating those canyons than me....when you're sober."
[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

We're friends, and I like you... What did that mean? Why would he not like her if they were friends? It was a puzzling way to say things, but now was not the time to dwell on such nuances--as if she could in her rather unfocused state. She simply continued to smile at her friend and nodded excitedly as he informed her of his desire to attend to another adventure alongside a certain pilot who went by the name of 'Corvetta Salvo'. "Let's do it!" she yelled, volume control a little faulty at the moment--though it might be observed that her normal decibel level was certainly above average. She pumped her fist to emphasize her enthusiasm.

The flygirl trotted to the cockpit with the grace of an AT-ST. "Why wait 'til then? I can crank it now," she insisted, overflowing with stupid zeal.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"Because you're drunk." Graxen stated simply. His words were emphasized by her rather odd way of walking about, and he followed closely behind her; ready to catch the pilot if she were to topple over. He shoved his hands into his pockets and gazed down at the glittering lights of the ship console. The Infiltrator certainly wasn't the best of pilots, but he had at least flown the thing here. Corvetta was infinitely more talented than he was when it came to piloting. Drunk, however, wasn't exactly the safest time for takeoff.

"Maybe you let me start the flight down and you sleep until we hit atmo? It'll take a bit." Graxen said as more of a command than a suggestion. He settled into the pilot's chair for the moment, and leaned back with a relieved sigh. At least she wasn't dead, and now he had an eye on the sparky--there was no other word he could think to describe her-- woman. The shuttle began to rumble as it slowly came to life, and he leaned forward to eye over his instruments. "That alright?"

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

Corvetta pouted and slumped into the co-pilot's station, earnestly disappointed that she would not have the controls for now but not as much as she exaggerated. Sighing, she decided to confess something odd. "Grax, ya know I have this sleep deprivation thing?" Her head bobbed as the vessel began its initial thrust. She felt like this conversation was out of place, but her drunk mind could not hold it in. "Some sort of insomnia. Had it since I was about thirteen. Most kids don't go their whole life without seeing a steady sun-up, sun-down; keeping to a solar clock."

Corvetta paused, watching the glowing oranges of Mustafar's lava lakes expand as they drew nearer the foreboding world. She felt distant, somehow. She did not like the feeling, and she shivered. "So, you know... I drink a lot."

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"I...see." Graxin gave her a long sidelong glance, and pursed his lips as they grew closer to the planet. He could feel it deep within his core now. His father, the Emperor himself had tasked him with finding his mother's old lightsaber. It had been placed here in ceremonial humiliation, and now, he had asked Corvetta to help him. He tilted his head toward her, and gave her something akin to a sympathetic look. It was the best he could do. "I understand. I had something similar when I was a kid." The infiltrator paused as they slowly began to encroach on the planet. It was beautiful in its eternal cycle of destruction. Any Sith could find a lesson in that.

He reached over with a gloved hand and placed it on her shoulder, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "I'm not judging you."

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

Spewing out the uncomfortable words had been rather sobering in itself, reigniting part of her mind and wakening her from her intoxication. She was not A-O.K. yet, but she was more in control of herself now. "So..." she interrupted, wondering if telling all that had been a good idea. "What's this crystal thing we're looking for? Getting married, and ya got to 'prove yourself' by discovering the rock for your girl's finger?" She laughed but then cut her hysterics as she realized Graxin was weird enough that he just might be on that very mission...

"...Not judging you," she added, quickly.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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The shuttle slowly began to slip into the atmosphere of Mustafar. The shields caught aflame, but just as Graxin had said, they held. Below, rivers of lava spewed up molten rock to greet them. Not a single facility was in sight. It was all wilds and nature, it seemed. The ship flew over the canyons for the moment, and a tracker appeared on the dashboard indicating their position compared to their destination. They weren't very far. "Not married. You'd get too jealous." It was an innocent little quip, maybe even a flirt by the point of view of some. Graxin paid it no mind.
"It's for...I'm building a lightsaber." He admitted in quaint honesty. He pursed his lips, and ran a hand through his disheveled hair The fires of Mustafar cast a flaring light on his face, and he glanced over to her for a moment, amber eyes slightly narrowed. "It's a personal thing."

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

The navigator was caught off-guard by his joke about her being jealous. But why? Why would she be? Was she? Corvetta nervously laughed it off and tried to push it to the back of her mind.

She did not have to try very hard. "A lightsaber?" she repeated, a little shocked at his revelation. It was not exactly a crazy notion--her friend, [member="Kohai Drenn"], had once put together one of those Jedi weapons. But she had never known Graxin to be the most mechanically complicated, and a lightsaber was complicated hardware, to be sure. Still, Corvetta was open to accepting his explanation, and did not want to intrude on his privacy that badly. Of course, she would probably get it out of him sooner or later. "When'd ya get those kinds of smarts, Grax?" she needled.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"I've been learning in my spare time. I need one." Graxin had a slight edge to his voice and a determined look on his face. Up ahead, a massive cliff hung almost a mile above a lava sea. A hole the size of a three story building was right in its center; looking like it was naturally made. Graxin brought thee shuttle to a halt mid-air, and stared out at the tunnel. "I figured that out after the Jedi on Kashyyyk....you alright to take the controls?" He tilted his head toward her, and finally let his arm fall down to his sides. The tunnel was foreboding, to say the least.

"There's a temple...deep within. It's where we need to get to. I can't do it alone." He pushed up from his chair and folded his arms behind his back; drawing in a deep breath to center himself. "So, to put it simply. No marriage. Mister Rade is still a marketable product."

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]

 

[Corvetta Salvo]

She commented absently as he told her something about their Jedi friend from Kashyyyk. "Ya mean Verr taught you to build one of those things? Knew that guy was level." Little did he know that she had met up with the man later on at a Coruscanti bar.

The pilot girl greedily clutched the yoke of the craft and began to guide the vessel through the walls of this sort of tube like it was everyday business. She even rolled the ship abruptly a few degrees just for kicks to laugh at Graxin's reaction.

When he told her about the temple, the pilot nearly lost control of the ship for real when she looked back at him in disbelief. After readjusting altitude, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and expressed her incredulity. "You're kidding, right? Right?" But he did not appear to be kidding. "A frakkin' temple on this rock?" She definitely had heard what he had said about being single, too. She just decided to ignore it for now. She was still thinking about why anyone would build a temple of any sort on this worthless blob of magma.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"Not him. No." Graxin said simply. Then, all of his seriousness faded as he yelped with the ship's lurching. He gave Corvetta the ugliest of looks, and sighed. "I suppose Temple is a bit much. A tomb, rather, for a Jedi. The Sith could never kill her, but they executed her husband and stole her lightsaber." He spoke of it casually. So casually in fact, that Corvetta would likely never guess that he spoke of his mother and father. He set a gloved hand on the seat to steady himself. "It's within the catacombs, and I need the lightsaber. The crystal is inside of it, or so I'm told."

Graxin leaned down a few inches from her, and grinned. "Like cave diving. It'll be fun. Then we'll leave and...do whatever ya like. Just get me through here." The tunnels were indeed a hectic catacomb. A mess of tight corners that eventually led to a circular cavern. They, of course, would need to arrive there first. "Just...don't kill us."

[member="Corvetta Salvo"]