Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire

[Aldous Hofmann]

[member="Colap Ticon"]

"Gladly." Aldous said as he took a seat in the copilot's chair, stim caf went particularly well with the rather mellow strain of spice he had just popped into his mouth. He slowly chewed as he took a long drink of the hot dark liquid, taking time to appreciate the sweet flavor the spice combined with the slightly bitter stim. As Aldous flipped through the proper preflight checks and got himself comfortable. From what he could see it was a near miracle that the vessel was performing at the level it was, though he'd often found that such ship's somehow seemed to defy every law of physics and outperform much newer craft.

The Millennium Falcon came to mind.

The spice and caffeine boost began to settle in and a feeling of contentment overtook Aldous. Wasn't quite the high he got from connecting with the force through nature but he really needed to learn to accept the fact that he'd need to continue using spice to advance in society.

He was learning, albeit slowly.

 

[Lenix Ornil]

Lenix nodded to Arianna and smirked "Indeed they do, though R5 usually mans the Weapons~ gave him a combat inhibitor from an old Droideka so his aim is top notch" he winked~ the proud little astromech blooping in agreement! The Squib lead her to the co-pilot's seat and handed her a headset as he made his com-preps~ responding to Colap.

"You'll get it soon, it'll just come to ya"

[member="Arianna Maneria"] [member="Colap Ticon"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Aldous Hofmann"]

Colap could feel a certain energy around the man. It was a hidden trait of his that he almost never revealed but hell why not? Spinning to face Aldous he chuckled as spice and stimcaf collided in the mans brain.

He had slipped up and let out a faint signature of the force, and in this close proximity Colap felt it, probably because he was not drunk yet.

"How long you been a forcer then?" He asked non chalantly.

 

[Aldous Hofmann]

[member="Colap Ticon"]

"Long enough." Aldous replied with a chuckle. "Can't abide by either the Jedi or Sith though so I'm not really capitalizing on it, they go against my philosophy."

Aldous was an anarchist at heart. He hated anyone who told another being they had to do something or face imprisonment or worse. For most such thoughts conjured images of the Empire of old, but Aldous almost hated the Republic more. While allowing more freedom than the Empire they still suppressed systems and forced others to go along with their "peace."

 

[RC 212]

[member="Aldous Hofmann"]

"I can dig that. My force connection is from my mothers side, never capitalized on it though."

Colap shoved the spinning blaster pistol back into his holster.

"Mostly I rely on it for intuition and it helps me pilot, shoot and do other random things. Never was one for space wizard powers, I can do fine with a good sidearm and a solid blade."

 

[Aldous Hofmann]

[member="Colap Ticon"]

That brought a laugh from Aldous. "Mine too and likewise."

Small talk was something he rarely engaged in. Must've been the drugs.

"How long you been with the Ravens?"

 

[RC 212]

[member="Aldous Hofmann"]

Colap ran gloved hand across the dash, wiping off some dust.

"Been about a couple months. Was doing small time smuggling runs when I fell in on a job with this lot. Paid real nice so I kept on a rollin' with 'em."

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

Lysle moved up the ramp, his feet thundering against the metal and echoed into the night. He gave sufficient time for his fellows to follow before reclining into the chair at the forefront of the ship. It was square-like in nature with a cylindrical cockpit protruding from the bow of the ship. He reached above his head, igniting the ion drive for sublight flight, then flicked the switch for the ramp. Once it was could, it would vacuum-seal the Tachyon, preventing any oxygen from leaking out.

"You're good to roll up the ramp, Raven 3," Lysle reported. Seconds before his own closed, he heard a crash from down the corridor, where his ramp had just sealed shut. "What the kark was that," he blurted out, pushing himself out of his seat and storming down the thinly corridors. He rounded a sharp turn and sighted Isaac on his hands and knees, out of breath, "I... I got a bit lost." He was out of breath, and looked like he almost got his hide stuck. A second longer and he would have been a squashed bug.

"Try not to get lost between that ramp, too," Lysle said in turn. "C'mon, get on your feet, you're sitting in with me." Lysle squatted beside the man and offered him a hand onto his feet. Whether or not he took it, Lysle would lead him towards the bow of the ship, where the cockpit lay waiting for its pilot. It wasn't a big ship, and it seemed cheap, but it was sturdy and reliable. The difference between a Tachyon and any other freighter, you could get a Tachyon for trading in some speedster. Or near enough.

"Raven 3, you're good to lead the way. Initiate sequence for hyperdrive ignition, and activate sublight drives. I want a smooth orbital entry before you head off." Lysle plopped himself down into his seat, releasing the comm. He leaned over and pushed aside seemingly junk from the spare second chair, and the only other chair in the cockpit. The junk was a collection of shockboxing gloves, towels and a holopad that contained a warrant for Lysles arrest in the Dromund system. "Buckle yourself in," Lysle said, reaching for his own harness straps and pulling them taut against his chest. He activated his sensors, and placed his hand on a lever.

[member="Colap Ticon"] [member="Lenix Ornil"] [member="Isaac Ideus"]

 

[Lydeck]

The Kiffar was instructed to pair with two other individuals, namely Aldous and Colap. They seemed older than him, no doubt they had seen their fair share of adventure in their lifespan. They seemed ordinary enough but then again first appearances were always deceiving. His finger tapped the side of his mask causing it to initiate its retraction mechanism, the helmet folding down into various segments before transforming into a metallic collar that wrapped around his neck. His features were exposed now, his amber eyes gazing upon the two men as the ventured off towards the ship, his long long raven hair blowing in Nar Shadaars polluted air.

He followed the two, one of them claiming the co pilot seat. Brahlis chose to sit on one of the seats at the back of the cock pit where one of the various monitoring systems were found. From here he could check broadcasting comm frequencies and enemy chatter. It was a minor role but one that could be effective if they had been found. No sooner did he sit down that Aldous and Colap started talking, his eyes rolling as they both mentioned the Force. It was true. Amongst the Galaxy there were few individuals who could actually harness the Force properly, even rarer were the Jedi and Sith that roamed around. One would be more inclined to win the lottery than run into fully fledged force users. In that respect he should be a millionaire.

He chuckled under his breath "The Force? Who could trust it. All you need is your own instincts and intuition to survive in this World, not some unseen 'magic' that supposedly whispers in your ears. Where I'm from hearing voices earns you a place in an asylum."

[Member=Aldous Hofmann]
[Member=Colap Ticon]
[Member=Lysle of the Hydian Way]

 

[Lenix Ornil]

Lenix nodded and flicked his headset back on "Roger Raven 1, don't follow too closely behind, my custom ion thrusters can leave a damn big heat-wake" he chuckled~ although nowhere near dangerous they did tend to damage paintwork.

The squib flicked his thrusters into life and retracted the landing gear~ the huge vessel backing out with surprising grace and ease~ "R5, set the hyperspace co-ordinates I programmed in before, RAVEN_ALPHA" R5 bleeped and plugged in his data-arm~ programming in the data as the ship finally cleared the hangar, drew her nose to the sky.

Lenix turned to Arianna with a grin "I love this bit" he chuckled and gunned her engines~ making a deafening roar and thrusting the ship skywards with power never expected from a ship her size~ the squibs talented tech skills had obviously done well with their modding.

"Raven 1 and 2 you are clear to follow"

 

[RC 212]

[member="Lenix Ornil"] [member="Lydeck"] [member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"] [member="Aldous Hofmann"]

Colap nodded at Brahlis statement, offering the pot of caf to him with one hand whilst his other moved over the controls. As the beastly interceptor roared up off the platform Colap kept a close eye on the coolant levels. He had rigged the engine to go faster and produce more power, but at the expense of added heat, which would need to be monitored.

"Looks like we're away gents, enjoy the ride."

Another plume of smoke escaped from his cigar.

 

[Isaac Ideus]

Isaac caught his breath and took a seat inside the ship. He heeded the suggestion to buckle up-- ordinary spaceflight was a walk in the park but these smuggling runs were one hell of a ride, especially when exiting and entering atmospheres. Most pilot smugglers were talented, but all were crazy. Moreover, the Tachyon didn't exactly scream "safety". Isaac tried to clear his mind and think of the mission. They were headed towards the Galactic Capital. He was excited to go, and curious if there was any R&R planned.

[member="Colap Ticon"] [member="Lenix Ornil"] [member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"]

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

"Copy that, Raven 3. Setting sublight drives for a good burn." Lysle reached across his dashboard and began to pull back on a wide-grip handle. A deep whine and groan rumbled from the Tachyon as its speed rapidly increased. The vessel began to rear, the viewport displaying a scene of the shooting stars that strafed across the night sky. "Pulling up landing gears," Lysle murmured to himself, eyes quickly checking that Isaac was in his seat, and buckled in. A tight screech was heard, metal scraped against metal with the folding up of the landing gears. "On your eight, Raven 3." He gunned the sublight drives and shot upwards, the force of the Tachyon's action pushing Lysle deep into his seat, head rested. "Ever been to Coruscant?" Lysle asked Isaac, looking over to him.

 

[Isaac Ideus]

"Coruscant? No, never. I heard it's quite a sight to behold. Lots of money to be made there."

Isaac grinned and gave an assuring wink. He was glad to be working, and while your average person may have a moral quandary regarding making a living in this fashion, Isaac relished it. He loved the excitement, the sense of adventure, the power. He savored the struggle as a form of personal cleansing of all those weaknesses that cripple so many fat old men who do nothing their entire lives. Most of all, it was the camaraderie that gave him his greatest pleasure. He was a loner by nature, but the social interaction and sense of belonging were what bred loyalty within him.

"Women" he said aloud. "I hear there's a lot of women on Coruscant... I'd love to investigate these rumors, ya know?" Nar Shadda was a planet full of scum, not a place for romance.

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

"You'll have all the time in the world to investigate," Lysle assured him, "I'll make sure of it." They were pushing through the cloud cover now, and the stars burnt themselves against the viewport. A trillion sparks of white light that twinkled in the infinite distance of the universe. Amazing, was all Lysle could think. He reached forward and began to report in to his fellow smugglers. "Raven 1 to Raven 3, send Raven 2 and I your jump coordinates. I don't want to lose you when we hit hyperspace."

[member="Isaac Ideus"] [member="Colap Ticon"] [member="Lenix Ornil"] @Lydeck @Aldous Hofmann

 

[Lenix Ornil]

Lenix flicked his coms on as the ship pierced the outer atmosphere and into the wild black yonder of space

"Roger Raven 1, R5 patch the hyperspace route to our good friends will you?" he called over~ the red droid blooping an affirmative response to him as it broadcast the route to the other two ships

"I'm taking us on a detour almost parallel to the main coruscant to Tatooine route but diverted to the left to avoid Imperial stops and, hopefully, most rivals, though we could possibly run into some low-level pirates but all should be fine" he said, brushing it off as if they were going to be getting light rain

 

[RC 212]

[member="Lysle of the Hydian Way"] [member="Lenix Ornil"] [member="Isaac Ideus"] [member="Lydeck"] [member="Aldous Hofmann"]

"Copy all Ravens."

Colap flipped the hyperdrive safety and engaged her, plug in in the coordinates as he went. The ship began to lurch into a slow drive and then lurched again. Colap kicked his feet up on the dash and leaned back.

"Easy flying boys. Hopefully we dont run into trouble."

 

[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

[member="Colap Ticon"] [member="Lenix Ornil"]

"I've got a smooth run, we should be hitting hyperdrive in fifty seconds." The Red Raven, a Tachyon-class light freighter began to penetrate through the atmosphere and find itself in orbit, ascending further and further above the planet. Thousands of ships were out here in the dark beyond, all heading back and forth from shipments and runs. "I've got your jump coordinates, I'm good for launch." Lysle brushed his hand over a separate handle that would operate the hyperdrive. His free hand began to run diagnostics on the drives, along with entering the hyperspace coordinates. "Launching," Lysle said, shoving the handle forward. The entire ship seemed to halt for a moment, the stars began to slowly stretch out in front of him. Then it happened. The stars became streaks of white that blurred past him. His ship seemingly vanished above Nar Shaddaa as it entered hyperspace.

 

[Lenix Ornil]

"Jumping now guys, keep coms open" he called over his headset before pushing the hyperdrive accelerator handle all the way forwards and lurching his ship forwards into space~ the huge ship disappearing in a flash and boom of engines!

The Squib got up from his chair, letting his protocol droid take his seat and take control "Let me know if anything goes wrong Ra7"

the droid nodded in a way that said "Please, I've done this a million times"