Flying on the Edge of a Razor

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

Echoy'la. A planet Kurayami had heard quite a bit about since the Crusaders began their expansion. It seemed an interesting place. The only known source of beskar outside of Mandalore itself. The location was not as well known but he had received word from Alkor as to the coordinates. Inputting them carefully and triple checking after doing so, Kurayami turned off he 4x Phantom jammer on his craft. He had to admit for as old as some components were it had worked admirably, though there was the issue of needing to replace it eventually. The engines were long overdue for a complete overhaul and the hyperdrive was getting to be temperamental enough to annoy him. Plus while it was a good mobile home of sorts he was going to need a second ship for missions such as this one. Something that didn't take up quite as much space when landed. From what he had been able to gather of Echoy'la it was a gas giant, though there were places where the atmosphere was breathable without any filtration, he would rather not take the risk. If the intel was right and it was indeed a gas giant that would mean something akin to platform cities would be the norm.

While he was in hyperspace, he decided now would be as good a time as any to do a bit more digging on the world he was going to visit. Mando'a seemed to be the most commonly spoken language there. He knew a bit, but was definitely not fluent in the tongue. It had been necessary to learn the basics as a merc, but it had still taken him a long while to be able to speak and understand what relatively little he did know. All Alkor knew is that this was to be a business meeting, what exactly that entailed he had left vague. Having seen the state of Alkor's Stealth-X however made Kurayami a bit sad. Not that it was in disrepair, but a Corellian deserved to be the owner of at least one ship that was able to function as a home away from home if need be. The thought brought to mind how much time he actually spent in space, jumping from planet to planet, wherever interested him for the most part, with stops at Nubia to check on the company and see how things were going on that front. Slow but steady seemed to be the way it went in the luxury ship business when the galaxy was constantly at war. He wouldn't complain though, it funded his explorations and outings, kept him able to make sure his 'home' was functioning and not a complete deathtrap. When some more information popped up on Echoy'la Kurayami opened the file and projected it on the glasteel cockpit.

He scanned for any mention of cities. It wasn't long as it seemed there were few, but one kept appearing. 'Little Keldabe.' Pulling up data files on the city yielded rather limited results, but it was enough to find that they exported beskar from one of the dwarf moons around the planet and utilized Little Keldabe as a sort of trading hub. His ship should be able to find a pad to land on there. If need be he and Alkor could meet onboard the A-12 transport as it was plenty big enough and was relatively well stocked with all kinds of different drinks and food from across the galaxy. Some of the refreshments were of questionably legal status, but no one needed to know about those, besides it was a good side income to sell a case or two on occasion. As he dropped out of hyperspace at the predetermined coordinates he sent a quick transmission to Alkor to let him know he was simply waiting for clearance and to be directed to a landing site. Nubia StarDrives would soon have an interesting new project to work on, strictly under wraps of course and totally off the books, but sometimes the big advancements came through questionable means.

[member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

Oranges and grays lay beyond the transparisteel that Alkor stared through. Echoy'la was the first place he had called home since Muunilinst, and a multitude of years had passed since the rebellion. The sensation of being "at war" all the time was nothing new to him, but the culture was abundantly different. Instead of treating wartime and peacetime as separate entities, the Mandalorians preached a doctrine of "total war." Their lifestyle had combat so deeply ingrained that hardly anyone bothered to question Alkor's more violent habits. He was just another merc among many. While part of him felt frustrated that they were so accepting, another piece of him was wholly relieved. Acceptance was a rare sensation for someone who had spent most of their life on the battlefield. This new family was a welcome departure from the enmity he faced in many other regions of the galaxy.

They were also incredibly open about their expectations of him. He paid a flat fee for enrollment in the guild, which covered various scouting fees that the Crusaders employed to get the word out about their services, and it provided him with premier access to the mission boards. There was no official tax, and the overhead costs fell to him directly to cover. It was a more simplistic lifestyle than that of Assassin to the Dark Jedi Order. He still did contract kills, but he did so on his own terms now. In a way, there was a freedom in the ability to choose. Perhaps that made him more evil, yet it also gave him a sense of self he had never felt before. Killing was all he knew, it was all he had been allowed to enjoy, but at least now he got paid for it. That made everything better, right?

When the transmission came through for him, a light blinked on his buy'ce and he picked the helmet off his desk. The weight as it slipped over his head was still somewhat foreign, but he had begun to adapt. With a shift of his left eye, Alkor picked up the origin and skimmed the words. The decryption ran quickly and without much hassle, and in moments he was speaking into the vox unit to voice-type a response. A few subtle commands later, the words returned to [member="Kurayami Bloodborn"] that he would be given clearance in five minutes time, and to fall into a landing pattern until given further instruction.

Alkor hailed air traffic control and gave them the codes to clear the other Corellian for landing on the Pad for his Little Keldabe, a private location that belonged to House Verd. Isley had given him free reign with the knowledge that their work would benefit the collective, and so they had use of several of the Crusaders' technicians in whatever endeavors they undertook. As the group fell under the jurisdiction of no proper governmental body, they were a bit more lax as to which laws they needed to adhere to. If nothing else, Kurayami would not need to worry over tariffs and hounding inspections this far from civilization.

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

Kurayami was already toying with some different concepts for the overall appearance of the craft. There were a few things to pull from, but he still didn't have access to much of the Nubian designs, he would have to work out a deal for production rights on those. No worries, he could always solve that problem at a later time. Alkor's transmission came through while he was still messing with everything and trying to select what engines he wanted to use to power the design. Five minutes until clearance, he followed the instructions set forth and entered into a holding pattern, all that was needed was a couple quick commands to initiate the landing procedures. Giving up on propulsion for the moment he moved on to possible weapons loadouts and worked up a few. Granted they weren't his best ideas but that was the beauty of design work, multiple drafts and only the final one mattered.

When the signal was sent to him that he was cleared he responded in the affirmative and shut off his datapad as he angeld his ship towards the designated pad and began a controlled descent. The A-12 transport shined brightly in the light as Kurayami piloted it down, it's chromium hull gleaming. It was a short trip from orbit down the Little Keldabe, and as he neared the pad he initiated his final approach, lowering the landing struts as he did so. The ship landed with a slight bounce and the atmospheric seal hissed as the ramp lowered. The sight that would have been seen is not what any would have expected. A man dressed in an old flight jacket, with utility styled slacks that displayed first class Corellian bloodstripes and a rebreather in place. At his hip hung an old lightsaber, and there was a glint of mischief in his gaze. He approached Alkor with little hesitation, stopping only to make sure the ramp closed on his ship.

Standing in front of the Dark Jedi, Kurayami extended his hand in greeting.

"Been a while old friend, I heard you were in the market for a new ship. Well I think I can help you out there, Stealth-X's were great, but like me I suspect you want something that will leave others wondering exactly how suicidal Corellians get. Come let us talk, I have a few basic ideas in the works, but this one isn't just for me, your input will be valuable as well."

[member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

He took a sip of his ale- Mandalorian Tihaar was about the only thing he could get this far outside the core- and his face twisted a bit in contempt. The only good drinks came from Corellia, and no matter what he did, nothing else ever got to tasting quite adequate. He strode to meet Kurayami on the landing platform and slipped the buy'ce back over his head before the door slid open. The atmosphere was breathable in this area for the most part, but trace amounts of the toxic gases that broiled below often rose up to make life hell for those who enjoyed the outdoors too much. It was better to err on the side of caution when you lived in Little Keldabe.

"Welcome to the Echoy'la colony," he greeted. "It's hardly Coronet city, but it is still very much home." To hear Alkor say as much of any place seemed strange. Through the voice distortion of a Mandalorian helmet, it sounded almost comical. He took the other Corellian's extended hand and gave a firm shake. "I would very much like to bring the Corellian face back to fighter piloting," Centaris admitted. "I spent my youth wishing to be in a cockpit, and even though I got that wish, I never flew a ship that felt like one of the old Fresian horses they were always on about in the core. The galaxy deserves to see a few wild stallions."

His dusty black cloak fluttered slightly in the winds that whipped up from below, and Alkor's ragged, suited his beat up bucket. With a few adjustments and some proper armor plates, he might look like the genuine article. Keira Ticon was still trying to convince him to bite the bullet and wear some 'gam.

Alkor gestured for Kurayami to enter the city among the clouds. "Let's hear what you've got in the works," he said.

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

"Thank you for the invite. Did what reading I could on the place on my way over. Gotta say pretty impressive that there isn't a ton of info out there about this place. There are few places that can compare to what Coronet was. Always good to find a place to call home. Mine is on the landing pad behind us."

He chuckled as Alkor seemed to grow wistful for a quality fighter. He could understand he want for something that was fast and handled well, he had certainly contacted someone who knew how to make that a reality.

"The Corellian face has never left, though after our planet was cut in half far fewer were left to make much impression. The old squad I was with were mostly Corellians, whether exiles or just wanting to see the galaxy. I was one of the latter, had always had that insatiable wanderlust. Working as a merc was good money, let me see exotic places, meet exotic people and then kill a good number of them. Hard to say no to something that gains you a good kill count, multiple ace status, and still had some sort of code of honor."

Alkor wanted to see what he had in the works and once they were within the city Kurayami answered the question. Not with the blueprints just yet, but a quick overview of components he was thinking of.

"Of course. As a long time A-Wing pilot I have an love for fast ships that pack a good punch. Warheads and droids would add too much weight to get the speeds and maneuverability I am looking for. I hope you have good reflexes becaause if everything works out right, this will leave any other fighter in the dust and turn twice as fast as an A-Wing. Any twitchy movement is likely to get you killed. I can show you the blueprints once we sit down."

To emphasize his point, Kurayami pulled out a small holo-projector, letting it rest in his palm.

[member="Alkor Centaris"]