No Retirement for a Smuggler (Callum / Kassey / Open )

[Noxu Za'tire]

Corellia Spaceport / Three Months Ago

No time for the old anymore? Pfft, there was no such thing as old in the older smuggler's eyes; in fact, he was just as young and spry as he was when he first started his entire smuggling work. Retirement? That was long gone, now it was time to get back into the groove of things, and to figure out just how he was going to get this entire show on the road. His first step, was to make some quick holocalls to some neighboring smugglers, and it came as no surprise to him when they didn't remember who he was.

"Zetai? Nope, don't know you."

"Zesius? Never heard of you."

It was a resounding disappointment as he came to the realization that no one remembered him, maybe he didn't leave that much of a mark on the galaxy as he'd hoped? No matter, he had a business now, and up until just recently had only dabbled in legitimate work. Now, it was time to expand on the horizons of the Fenzati Corporation to encompass more of what the galaxy had to offer.

For a few months now, he'd been working on the name of the company, and the reputation it would have down the line. It didn't come as much of a surprise when he'd started to slowly make a name for himself, and even become at least slightly more known in the unknown reaches of the galaxy. The Underworld was the place he wanted to be, and it was where he would always have his roots. Things have changed for better.

Corellia Spaceport / Present Day / Mid-Day

It was time to get the show on the road. Everything was prepared, and everything was good to go. He'd acquired a new job, and one for off-planet dealings. Most of the work he'd done up until recently had all been local, but now it was time to move on elsewhere. The galaxy was his home, and that was where he would spend most of his time doing work. Smuggling, 'twas the life for him.

"Are we ready to go?" He asked out, turning his attention back to the crew behind him, as he stood at the ramp up to his XS Freighter, Light Stock ship. The two millennia old ship had sat, and it looked as though it was still made from the old metals of the Old Republic era. He'd kept the ship in fantastic condition, and always managed to repair every dent, mark, and slight scratch that may have been placed upon the metal.

There was no time to waste, but as always, he was one to betray his own rules. "I'm not one for fancy little chats, like the lot of you know..." he began to say, bringing up a cigarra from his pocket, and lighting it. "That's why I'm not going to give you one." With that being said, he dropped the cigarra down and stepped on it; it was a mark to start a new era of smugglers. He always had a vision, and now this vision was coming true. "Welcome to the Maximus." He said with a bit of a wry smirk and turned away from the crew, continuing up the ramp. Once he'd made it to the top, he tapped in the old code on his console.

Taking a step inside his ship, he took a quick gaze around it. Up until now, the ship hadn't been in use at all, and in fact, had just gotten out of its renovation to be able to be made for smuggling again. He didn't want anything fancy installed on the ship, and in fact, had kept it the way he'd had when he originally received it as a gift from Kassey. The walls were in pristine condition and the flooring was shining and new. Running his right hand along the corridor as he entered the ship, he slowly made his way around the hallways, inspecting each of the rooms.

Sure, he had been the one who worked on the ship, mostly alone as it was his hobby, but it was still so new to him; it was good to be back at work, and doing what he'd always loved--smuggling. Passing by the cargo hold, he took a quick look in and made note of all the supplies that were in place and secured, ready for transport. Walking past the med-bay, he looked at the two large kolto tanks that sat in each corner of the room, along with the resting tables. "It's good to be home.." The older smuggler said, taking a quick gaze along the hallways again and made his way toward the bridge.

Taking his seat in the cockpit, he leaned over and tapped a key on the comm by his side. "Whenever you're all ready to go, well... it better be right now, 'cause I'm not wastin' any more time." A light laugh escaped his lips as he couldn't handle waiting any longer; this was going to be a good day, he was sure of it. Starting up the engines to the ship, he'd made sure to waste no time in shutting the ship's doors and closing up the loading ramp. The engines rumbled for a brief moment as they started, but quickly came to a quick, and smooth calm as they came to full power.

In moments, the ship began to lift off from the ground, and tilt upward toward the skies; seconds later, the ship's engines revved up and the ship propelled forward, aiming for the skies, breaking the atmosphere and leaving Corellia.

 

[Kassey Draclau]

"I'm too old for this chit."

Kassey sat in the co-pilot's seat, but contrary to what she had just said, the brunette was in the seat, spinning it in circles like a child who was put in the cockpit for the first time. Oh, yes, a lot has happened, years have passed, both of them showing their age, and Kassey even had a couple of kids that were more like adults now, and very close to it. Sometimes, it was so hard to believe, but at others, it was something she always wanted. Finally, when the girl started to get a little dizzy, she stopped in her seat, and headed front towards the ship.

"What did you say? Something about..chatting and wasting time? Because, well, that's what I heard." She chuckled a little, but then she looked back over to the captain of the ship. This ship. This was a ship that Kassey had gotten for Noxu years ago as a gift. She'll never forget that day when he climbed aboard it and ran around it like he was a kid in a candy store. She felt proud, happy, and her friendship with Noxu never seemed to leave them by any standards. If anything, certain events had brought them closer, like family more than anything. Finally, she turned her seat over towards him, and then she gave him a small salute just as the engines roared to life. It was kind of like music to her ears, she enjoyed the sounds, sights, and smells of a ship prepping for take off.

Her hands went to strap herself in, tightening the harness a little as she manned the co-captain's controls, and she gave him a wink. "Aye, aye, Captain. Leaving Corellia, and prepping for hyperspace."

"Oh, right, while I'm at it...where are we going again? I tend to not pay too much attention to you or else I fall asleep.."

 

[Callum]

Callum could barely contain his chuckling. The mischievous smirk that spread wide across his face was a trademark expression of his. In fact, he never went anywhere without it.

Whistling a happy tune to himself, Callum steered the ship he was piloting slowly through the massive hanger. When would Kassey ever learn? Every time she changed her security systems, her passwords, he just broke in again. Truthfully, he had Kassey to thank for being the slicer he was today. She just gave him so many opportunities to hone his skill... Every time she "upgraded" her tech, it was like she was challenging him to do it all over again. For practically Callum's entire life he'd been subtly getting under the woman's skin in little ways like this. Sure, it was light hearted and fun... but at the end of the day, the woman would still be irked. The image of her nose all wrinkled up with annoyance when she would later return to discover her Fair Jewel had been moved from the place she'd left it was just oh so satisfying. Mother dearest would be so proud; and so would father, though he wouldn't admit it while Kassey was around to hear.

Speaking of father... Callum casually glanced over at the clock on the Jewel's console. Almost immediately, his dark blue eyes went wide. "Fuck, I'm going to be late...!" Hurridly, he landed the Jewel in the hanger, making sure to lock it up securely again behind him. More securely than Kassey had left it, anyway.

Sprinting through the hanger bay, Callum burst out the front door, very nearly colliding with a woman and her husband as they walked past. He spun on his feet in a half circle, barely maintaining his balance. He began to apologize, when words failed him. Man, she's hot... One of his thick brows quirked and he shot the lady a debonaire smile, momentarily distracted. "Well, hello there. Are you tired? Cause sweetheart, you've been running through my mind a--" He deftly dodged the punch her husband threw at him, while the woman gaped, flabbergasted. The grin remained on his face. "Sorry, can't chat. Dream of me!"

He tore off running again. Checking the time on his wrist watch, he swore and ran faster. Dad is so going to kill me. Glancing ahead of him, he saw a speeder idling at the side of the road, it's owner having stepped inside for just a moment... Sucker. Welp, one man's idiocy was Callum's fortune! Without breaking his stride, Callum leaped into the seat of the speeder over the back of it. Pulling a device out of his pocket, he plugged it into the console, hit a couple quick buttons, and overroad the controls until they were awaiting his commands. Punching the accelerator, he sped into the distance with his new stolen ride.

The speeder careened to a stop a reasonable distance away from where his dad's ship would be docked. After all, couldn't leave evidence lying around where it might be traced back to him. Not that he had much to worry about... this was Correlia, and times were still pretty rough. A stolen speeder wasn't high on the list of crime mystery priorities. He'd be fine. Running again, he made a break for where he knew his dad's ship would be taking off from. Come on, come on, come on... Yes!!! It was still docked, halleluia. He stopped to catch his breath for a moment. "Callum, you idiot," he said to himself, grinning with wild relief through his heavy breathing. "Should have known father would never have left withou--"

And then, the engines roared to life. The boarding ramp began to close.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUU-"

More running. Gods, he needed to start doing more cardio. As the ship began to lift, he dove for the slowly raising ramp. His body rolled along the ramp until he barrelled right into the entry, just before the door closed behind him. "Uuuuuughn," he groaned, lying on the floor in a heaving sprawl. He gave himself a couple minutes to actually catch his breath this time. That was close... too close. Don't want to have to explain this one to pop... not while Kassey is around, anyway. At least he'd been the only one there to witness his grand entrance. The rest of the crew were in other parts of the ship. Standing to his feet, Callum dusted himself off and casually straightened his clothes. He made a quick visit to the refresher to rinse his face, hair, and arms of the salty sweat from the running. Once he was cleaned up and all the evidence was gone, he strolled to the cockpit with his hands in his pockets, nodding at crew members he passed, and winking at a few of the more attractive ladies. He even stopped to stare at one particularly pretty one with a friendly grin as he backed through the doorway into the cock pit.

"Dad, did you see that lady in the green shirt with the red hair? She's got to be part Zeltron.... Oh, hello Mrs. Draclau." Any trace of previous mischief was gone, and now he was seemingly just his casual, charming self as he approached the two of them -- absolutely nothing to hint that he'd been up to anything disreputable just prior to this. Taking her hand, he raised it to his forehead and bowed with a subtle flourish. "Always a pleasure," Callum told her with a friendly smile. Then, before the ship got going too fast, he took one of the other empty seats and strapped himself in, knowing Noxu would fill him in soon enough.

 

[DurokNe'Ja]

"Where is he?" Durok growled as he waited on the command deck of his Palleaon class star Destroyer. The ship was waiting on the path of a trade route leading from Corella. He was in unoccupied space, just barely but it was enough to keep a torpedo from being shoved up his ass. His sources had said that some of the competition to the South Systems Syndicate was using a smuggler to get some new product into their labs. They didnt have much to go on but Futile wasn't one to give up oppertunity when it knocked, even after all the times that he opened the door and got punched in the face.

"We aren't sure sir." A merc responded

The wait was making the Gen Dai very restless. If his sources were wrong someone would be paying the price dearly.

"As soon as you pick up a ship matching the description we have, grab it from hyper space and bring it into the hanger. Ill be in my quarters." The armoured beast turned and began his stride to the doors of the command deck, his reflection glowing in the pearly floors of the ship. He stopped as he passed the captain of his personal ship. He turned his head slowly, his eyes meeting the captains behind the dark eye slits of his ancient mandalorian mask. "The next news you better be good or accompanied by the ones who gave me the information." His voice slithered through the air, and the captain nodded

"Of course sir."

 

[Osos Ned'lx]

Osos walked up to his Boss on the Star destroyer. His wings vibrated nervously, mostly because he knew what his Bos''s anger was like. He had seen it directed at another being. He wished he had been able to close his eyes when that happened. He made sure he was out of reach of Durok's large fists, then spoke.
"You called for me Boss?"

 

[DurokNe'Ja]

Durok looked at the pirate, he had been around a while now. It was time for Durok to see the bugs skill. "Yes, we are tracking a smuggler, one of my spies thinks he is carrying precious cargo...he is a human." Durok paused as he studied the insect "i want you to take your ship and scout the trade route in case our sensors miss him. if you pick him up, follow him and relay his destination when you get there and will take care of him and his employers in one go."

 

[Osos Ned'lx]

"Yes sir Boss. By the way I see you heeded my advice about the flame projector."
Osos made a salute, then walked back to his ship in the hanger. He asked the deck officer about the refuel and reload, and satisfied with the answer, boarded his craft. He then left the Star Destroyer's hanger bay, and went off in search of his target.

 

[Noxu Za'tire]

He leaned back in his chair as he always would, and attempted to bring his legs up to rest upon the console. "Ow, ow... ow..." He muttered a bit. Okay, maybe he wasn't AS spry as he used to be; did he really just get a cramp in his leg? Yes, yes he did. Dropping his legs back down he sat up and leaned forward, rubbing at his right thigh where the got the cramp. "Ah, damn... knew I should've stretched first..." He admitted, leaning forward.

Just a few moments later, he heard some steps coming up behind him along the corridor to the bridge, and he sat upright. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted Kassey, and gave her a light nod. "Well, well, look who it is. Glad you could make it." He said with a teasing tone, while subtly moving his right hand away from his thigh. No one ever needed to know.

"Oh, right, while I'm at it...where are we going again? I tend to not pay too much attention to you or else I fall asleep.."

"Yeah, you're right, ... that's why I'm not tellin' you, sweetheart." He smirked, turning his chair over to face Kassey and tilted his head a bit to the side. It almost became ritual for the two to work and to harass one another; he wouldn't want it any other way. Kassey had been there for him in the past, and he'd always attempted to be there for her as well--if the pay was good enough, at least. "Then again, if you're good...." Before he was able to finish his thought, another one came walking along the corridor.

"Dad, did you see that lady in the green shirt with the red hair? She's got to be part Zeltron.... Oh, hello Mrs. Draclau."

There he was, his troublesome son; he reminded him so much of himself--not exactly. He was far, far more troublesome. There was only room for one smooth Za'tire in the family, and it certainly wasn't Callum. "You're late again." Turning his attention to his son, he just leaned back in his chair some more, getting quite comfortable. "That'll dock your pay at least five percent. Maybe next time you'll make it on time." Oh, he knew, since Callum wasn't there when he gave his long speech outside the ship. "Actually, make that ten percent. I think that was the second time you were late this week." He didn't remember, but it really was fun. After he was done docking Callum's pay, he just gave his patented wry smirk at him. "And for the record, why do you think I hired the Zeltron?" Sure, he shouldn't be flirting, he was married after all; but Ryori wasn't here, and well, what was the harm in a little flirting--as long as his wife never found out, that is.

"Here's the job. We're transporting some SLV-16 from Corellia, to Rhen Var." He started out simply; as far as he remembered, Callum wasn't too well-known with the galaxy, and he'd hoped to explain the trade routes. "We're going to be takin' the Parlemian Trade Route, so it'll take a little while longer." Setting in the course, he leaned back in his chair.

This was the life.

 

[Kassey Draclau]

Kassey just rolled her eyes at Noxu, and then she chuckled a little. "Really? You're still calling me sweetheart? I would have figured that Kassey would have been imbedded in your brain by now." She looked back over at the controls, getting ready for prep, just as Callum had walked in. Oh, the boy had grown up, sometimes a little too much. It was a harsh reminder that her own children were growing up, especially Jewel and Isis. She still had a few more years of child like qualities with Ayden, but still, Callum seemed to sprout up tall, and looked like (and acted more like) his father every day.

"Callum, you know it's always a pleasure to see you." She smirked, and then took her hand back gently from him, as she went up and above the atmosphere of Corellia. One Noxu had stated the destination, Kassey's fingers typed furiously on the dash as she programmed just where they were headed, along with a system check, making sure that they were clear enough for takeoff.

Soon, the atmosphere of Corellia had disappeared from underneath of them, and she turned back over to the boy. Kassey had raised her finger in the air, pointing up in just some random place, more of stating a point than saying much anything of worth. "I hope that you're saying out of trouble, slugger. I can't tell you all of the other systems I had to reprogram from the last little trick you pulled on my ship." Kassey turned back to make sure things were good to go, and be sure that hyperspace was started up.

Now, Callum she had a lot of respect for. He was very intelligent, very knowledgeable in the galaxy around him, he was very aware of the current situations he was in. He brought a sense of humor to them, which is a trait she had known and loved even, in Noxu, but sometimes, that would get one into trouble if they weren't careful.

"I won't expect that from you again, right, slick?"

 

[DurokNe'Ja]

Durok Watched out the command deck view port once again, his form casting a shadow across the captain of the ship who stood with his hands on the small of his back. The height of their employer was usually enough to keep them in line, one does not look at a 7 foot tall, bulky monstrosity such as Durok and not feel fear.

"Sir!" The XO yelled from his spot in the crater like hole in the Bridges command deck "Radar has picked up a small ship coming through hyperspace!"

"Does it match the description of the smuggler's ship?" Durok called, his eyes still studying the stars

"Yes sir." The XO answered

Durok grinned under his helmet, finally the wait for this bastard to show up was over "Drag him from hyperspace and trap him in a tractor beam. Be sure Osos is notified of his position and boards him as soon as the ship exits Hyper Space, to make sure the rat doesn't destroy or dump his cargo. Then dispatch two Predator T.I.E fighters to support him. Once Osos is on the ship, drag it into the hangar."

The XO answered with an "aye, sir" and went to work to prep the fields that would snatch the ship from Hyperspace and pull it back into real space.

"Sir, wouldn't it make more sense if we follow them to their destination?" The voice of the captain rang into Durok's ear, igniting his anger like turning on a light switch

Without warning, Durok turned and slammed his palm hard into the throat of his captain, his fingers wrenching into his neck like a vice. "You think being my captain gives you the right to question me? You do not question a God." Durok growled as his metal platted fingers squeezed tighter and the captain choked violently, his face turning dark blue "You are obviously not the captain I thought you were."

The rest of the bridge crew ignored the scene as if it were not happening, not even turning to look when the sound of the captains neck snapping echoed off the reflective walls of the room. Durok let the lifeless body fall into a limp pile on the floor before turning to the XO "Captain, do you see fault in my plan?"

The newly promoted Captain gulped, his whole body shaking "None sir."

Durok nodded with satisfaction "Good...very good, then be sure my orders are carried out to the letter."

"Yes sir, right away sir!"

 

[Osos Ned'lx]

Osos's wings buzzed in exhilaration when he heard the transmission from the Boss's ship. Finally! The hunt would be on! He powed up the tractor beams and missile launchers built into the corvette. He sent an order to the various beings that he had recruited for his ship to get to their battle stations. He knew some of them were humans who resented having an "alien" in charge of them. His mandables clicked in amusement at the thought. He asked his deck officer, a Weequay, what the status on the ship was.

"The shields are warmed up, tractor beams one and two are ready, and the proton torpedo launchers are ready to shred hulls. The boarding shuttle is ready as well Captain."

"Good. We will not fail the Boss."

 

[Callum]

"You're late again." Callum blinked, looking away innocently. Aaaaaand here we go... "That'll dock your pay at least five percent. Maybe next time you'll make it on time. Actually, make that ten percent. I think that was the second time you were late this week." His sapphire eyes narrowed slightly at his father in a resigned glare. Then, just as quickly, the look was gone and he shrugged like he didn't care. There were a number of people that Callum had leverage on, and his father was one of them. It was all about timing.

He smiled his most winning grin at Kassey from where he sat. "Of course not, Mrs. Draclau," Callum told her, sounding completely sincere. "I've been good, I swear. Been finding other things to occupy my time with, I promise." Blatant lies? He could totally pull them off. While she may not believe him, which would be understandable given his history with the woman, there was absolutely nothing in his expression to hint that he'd already moved her ship again. It was then that he remembered the extra suprised he'd left for Kassey: This time, he put his own programming in place, complete with new security entry codes and launch commands. This time when Kassey finally found her ship, she wouldn't even be able to get on it unless she was able to get past his encryptions or bribe the code out of him. He chuckled mentally, already anticipating watching the scene from the hidden cam he'd set up. Oh, how he loved her tantrums and fits.

Now, what was the other matter he needed to address? Oh, right. His docked pay. His eyes on the radars as he fiddled with a few dials, Callum casually spoke up. "Hey, dad? You know those pictures from that bar on Zeltros we went to a couple months back? The ones you didn't want mother to see? I was looking at them earlier and I'm not entirely certain, but I may have accidentally left them on the kitchen table. Was mother supposed to be out tonight, or staying in? I can't recall......" That had been a very interesting night, and Callum had gotten all sorts of photographic evidence. Noxu had been drunk, one of the few things Callum could say he'd never been. He made it a point to not drink much. Dulled the senses, and it was more fun to be sober in the company of drunkards anyway. His father hadn't done anything unseemly, buuuuuuut a few of those pictures could certainly tell an interesting tale that Noxu would never, ever want Ryori to hear.

A happy wife was a happy life. Supposedly. He wondered what Kassey would have to say? Surely she wouldn't be able to help but chime in at Nox having been up to something. Oh, the drama... he truly thrived on it.

Making sure their detection equipment was running properly, Callum casually waited for them to drop out of hyperspace. Since it was impossible for them to detect anything while in hyperspace, there wasn't much he could do until they were out. Then, he would begin his work of making sure they weren't being tailed and keeping an eye on their surroundings, the radars, radio frequencies, all that good jazz.

 

[Osos Ned'lx]

The Pillager waited in the inky black of space, her hull painted to match. They waited like a spider, knowing that their prey would be there soon, just not knowing when. He pulled up a starchart, seeing the suspected origin point of the smuggler's vessel and his own position. His wings buzzed, making a pleasant tone. They would be here soon. He sat back down n his captain's chair. Osos then pulled out his shatter gun, the one he had made himself, and started looking it over with his unblinking compound eyes. Just to pass the time.

 

[Osos Ned'lx]

[Is this still alive?]

 

[Noxu Za'tire]

(No, this isn't dead. Just took a day to respond, sorry!)

Hyperspace was such a wonderful thing, especially when it came to traversing the galaxy. Nothing could stop the ship, without ripping it to shreds; of course, the only problem with Hyperspace was when you stopped. You were vulnerable to anything that would happen, and you were no longer protected by that speed.

Nox looked over to Callum as he started to pull his leverage against him, reminding him of that simple drunken night he had when he'd gone to a strip club. First off, how was he supposed to know that Callum knew how to work that holorecorder and snap those pictures? He was only fifteen at the time! Second off, he definitely was there on a job, and he had done absolutely nothing else, which would warrant his wife to shred him to pieces, put him back together, and shred him up again; so he didn't have to worry about that, at least. However, his heart sank a bit when the threat loomed over his head that he'd show her those pictures.

"Listen, son,.." (Yep, the writer visibly shivered when he said that) "...I don't know what kind of trick you're tryin' to pull on me, but just think of it this way. If you try to pull that on me, first off... I'm just gonna stop this ship and turn us right back around, and then you definitely won't be gettin' any pay." He snerked at Callum, not at all upset with the boy but certainly entertained by his attempt at leverage--if only he'd tried it on someone who wasn't always right at all times, even when he was wrong.

Not too long after, the ship came out of Hyperspace, and was now coming to a stop, so they could set in their coordinates to continue on the Trade Route. Just up ahead, Nox saw out of the corner of his eye, what seemed to be a bit of a large ship before them, but he thought nothing of it. What could possibly go wrong? A few more seconds, they'd have the coordinates locked in, and be on their way. Of course, he had absolutely no idea that the ship was already prepared for them and most likely had their tractor beam locked onto his ship.

Turning his attention to Kassey for a brief moment, he just gave a small smirk. "I'd call you 'Princess', but I remember the last time I did that. It didn't end too terribly well." A smirk spread across his lips as he leaned back, waiting for Kassey to input the coordinates, so they could continue on their route.

 

[Osos Ned'lx]

(It's ok, my sense of time can be a bit screwy sometimes )
Osos's examinations of his weapon were interrupted when his first mate called out from the scanners.
"Sir,target vessel has arrived! Shall I activate the Interdiction Field Generator?"
"Do so immediately. They will not leave the system. When the Generator is up, fire a shot across their nose on my order."
Osos stood up and made his way down the bridge to the viewscreen. He could clearly see his target, and was eager to pillage them. He pulled up the ship's transponder and sent a hailing signal, not willing to fire just yet, for fear of damaging the supposed cargo he had to capture.

 

[DurokNe'Ja]

A spark of light from the dark of space and then, faster than the blink of an eye, a ship appeared from thin air as it exited Hyper Space. The ship was familiar to the 5,000 year old Gen Dai, it was an XS light freighter. He hadn't seen one of these ships since the days of the Old Republic, smugglers used to use them all the time to try and sneak their cargo past Sith blockades. The frame of the ship was illuminated by stars and it brought back good memories that had been locked far back in Durok's memory for a long time. If he had skin he was sure it would be crawling with the excitement of the opportunity to live his earlier years out in glorious detail, last time he had to deal with an XS it was a blood bath...he hoped this time would not disappoint.

"Captain, trap that ship with the tractor beam and hold it in place for our pirate friend. Once he has boarded begin to drag the ship to Hanger 1." Durok commanded, his dark eyes focused on the ship that was about to be in his grasp.

"aye, aye sir." the merc captain answered as he began the process and started the dispatching of two Predator class TIE fighters from the ships hanger. Durok smiled under his helmet, and turned to march towards Hanger 1, he would enjoy this.

 

[Kassey Draclau]

Kassey rolled her eyes at Callum when the boy gave her bantha shit, which she could tell from meters away. "Callum. You're a cute kid, you know that? I'm sure that one day, when you're a little older, you'll find a girl that believes every single word you tell her because you're cute. That's your gift. However, you gift is not that of lying, and I believe this is where you take after your dad."

Kassey chuckled a little, and then looked from Noxu to Callum, back to Noxu. "You're both full of shit." She grinned at that fact, which was true. They both had the good looks, that was for sure, but when it came to what came out of their mouths? Kassey was prepared to either laugh because they had that humor about them, or not believe a word they said unless they were completely sicere. It may take him far in life, to an extent, of course.

But really, her thoughts on that matter trailed off until Noxu said that word. Her eyes shot open slightly, and she gave him a fake, sideways grin. "Exactly. Kassey or Kass will do just fine. Or, you can call me Queen, that's always a good one." Kassey's fingers moved across the dash when they got out of hyperspace, and she typed the coordinates of the trade route, when she had seen something on their radar. "What the...." She muttered, and then her hands moved to get a better look on the radar.

"Noxu! Incoming, we have two fighters heading towards us.." She said, and then she checked their systems, when the ship began to bounce just a little bit. "Gods dammit, we have a tractor beam keeping us in place. Noxu! I need your fantastic piloting skills to get out of this one. We're trapped and have approaching ships."

 

[Osos Ned'lx]

Osos stood on the bridge, watching his target in satisfaction. The Boss unexpectedly ordered the Star Destroyer's tractor beam on the ship, so all he needed to power was the Interdiction Field Generator. He ordered the warning shot across the target's nose. Nothing major, just a turbolaser shot. He contacted the two TIE Predators, telling them not to fire just yet. He headed down to the boarding shuttle, along with a squad of the Boss's mercs. He engaged the shuttle's engines and flew it closer to his target, watching the turbolaser bolt flash past the viewscreen and into the depths of space. He activated the comm, hailing the target.

"Greetings, I am Osos Ned'lx, and you have something my Boss wants. Now, will you let us on board nicely, or do we have to blow a hole in your hull?"

 

[Callum]

"Mrs. Draclau, you flatter me. You better be careful. If your husband knew you felt that way about me, I doubt I'd be around much longer." He winked at her.

When Noxu spoke, Callum just grinned. His father was good, but then again Callum was still the student here. This game wasn't over yet. "I'm pretty sure if I showed mother those pictures she wouldn't let you cut me out of the paym-- Oh look, company."

They dropped out of hyperspace and had an escort waiting for them. How quaint. "Woop," he said as the warning shot was fired, leaning over and promptly checking the meters, making sure nothing had actually been hit. The young man wasn't worried in the slightest. His dad's freighter was more than equipped to handle some space battle and a tractor beam. Smugglers had to be prepared for those kind of things, after all. Not to mention, as if his father wasn't already a fair hand at keeping a ship in shape, his mother was practically a goddess among mechanics. The two of them souped up this vessel pretty damn good over the years. Extra fire power, more potent shielding, some shrouds, tractor pressors. The ship may have looked like a well-maintained piece of junk, but it was quite prepared.

That, however, was for Noxu to take care of. At the signal of a flashing light that signaled the hail, Callum grinned wide. "Oh look, father, they want to talk. I got it!" Always trust Callum to be the socialite.

Hitting the button, Callum put on a headset and accepted the call. In a cheery, casual voice, he engaged in conversation. "Greetings, my good sir Osos! This is Rupert Von Cankle you are speaking with. Blowing a hole in our hull is quite unnecessary, thank you. We like the ship intact and space ready. I'm not certain what it is you believe we are carrying. We are a simple group of travelers on our way from A to B. Escorting a few guests as it were. I'm fairly certain one of them is a Zeltron, my friend. Really, if you could see her... That ass, and her brea-- Ah, but I digress. You're more than welcome to come aboard and take a look see...."

He grinned. "...if you can guess the password."