Smuggling Not Snuggling

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Alistair wasn't shy about telling either of the stories, and thus he broke into the first one just as a flash of lightning scored the sky above them. He wearily watched the buildings that they walked among, scanning his cybernetic eye over the shadowed places. "Lost it to a Hutt."

The Smuggler began.

"When I first got off Tatooine it was with a group of smugglers that had been operating in the Tingle Arm." Joras and the others. He remembered them well, mostly for the bastards that they had turned out to be in the end. "Things went pretty well at first, we were smuggling firegems through Sith space and into Nar Shaddaa. Most of the time things flew under the radar until...well until they didn't."

He shrugged. "New Security captain decided to take an extra look at our ship, we got found out...Gems were confiscated and we got thrown in prison."

Alistair scratched the back of his neck.

"We made bail, but uhh.. the Hutt who owned the gems didn't really like that we lost the cargo." He sighed. "The others ran off, but I got caught. The Hutt made his displeasure clear and said If I didn't get his gems back he'd cut out my eyes and tongue. In the end I managed to get some of the gems but not all of them so the Hutt...in his funny little way decided to make the trade an even one."

An eye for some gems.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

Eyes flickered between his swarthy face and the buildings around them. Long since abandoned. Even in the dark, she caught glimpses of the overgrown vegetation and cracks as nature slowly began to take over - even over the duracreet. The explorer part of her itched the scour the entire city - building by building.

If only they could stay for a few more weeks - even a month or two more!

She doubted Fenn would be okay with that.

"Yeah, if the prison part wasn't bad enough," she mused. It was clear she had her own experience in prison. "Look like a hutt and smells like a hutt. I try to avoid 'em whenever I can. But sith space? You'e got a pair of balls."

Sith didn't mess around. Luckily, her prison days were with the Alliance. She wasn't sure how she would've made out in a sith prison.

"So then how'd you get your cybernetic? Get it yourself from the underground?"

Pausing at a small courtyard, she looked up and pointed. "This might be good for shelter. Looked like it was an old bar and inn." Head tilted to the side. Yeah, maybe that or something else entirely.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

It would do.

Alistair had no illusions about how they would spend their night. It was going to be cold, and whatever building had a roof was good enough for him. The survival pack that he'd brought with him didn't have blankets or anything of the sort, so the better shelter they could find the more likely they were to survive the night. It helped that this planet was seemingly pretty temperate, he doubted that there would be frost overnight. At least he hoped anyway.

"Won it in a bet." Alistair said with a shrug as he walked up to the building, inspecting the door for a moment before he grabbed it's edges and slowly began to pull it to the side. It creaked and groaned, but eventually opened up a little bit.

"Nar Shaddaa." Filthy place. "About two or three months after I lost the eye."

That had been a miserable time and a half. "Some doctor was losing to me in cards, He bet me surgery and a new eye. He thought he had a winning hand..."

Alistair smirked, remembering the mans face when he'd lost. Of course The Smuggler had been cheating the entire game, not that the good doctor ever caught wind.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

"Ha," she chuckled lowly. "I'm surprised the doctor made good on the bet and didn't just pass you off." Richer folk or business folk tended to do that. Easier for them to disappear into upper class levels - like Coruscant. Again, she found her thoughts turning back to Felix and how surprising his actions had been. Still were.

She didn't know Alistair had cheated but wouldn't have been surprised to find out.

"Hope the bet included pain killers." The girl looked up at Alistair as she passed him, squeezing through the opening in the door and venturing into the building first. There were a few abandoned brown, bar tables with a chair or two tipped over. Broken bottles littered the shelves behind the bar. There was a narrow set of stairs in the back that looked as though it lead up to some rooms. Or storage? She wasn't sure.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"If you can't count on gamblers who can you count on." Alistair commented quietly as he followed Kinsey into the bar.

Truth of the matter was that the Doctor hadn't much choice in the manner. The bet had been made in clear view of about fifteen other people, and Alistair's victory had been recorded by all of them. A single word to the local Hutt would have been enough to see the man end up dead, something that The Smuggler was sure had been going through the other mans mind. In the end it had probably been cheaper to give him the eye than to weasel out of it.

Not that it mattered much anymore.

"Thing works good." He said as he slowly peered around the world. "There's fancier models out there though."

He had briefly considered getting an upgrade once, though the prices had nearly sent him into cardiac arrest.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

"Yeah, who can you count on?" She mused quietly. Had Sage had any cybernetics? No. Just those vong implants. Body shivered suddenly.

"I'll check upstairs and be right back." Jerking a second door open, she began climbing the stairs cautiosly. Anything could be rotted. Wouldn't want to fall through. She'd gotten enough of a beating in the crash landing.

_________________________________________________________________________


About ten minutes later, she returned. Steps creaked carefully back down the stairs. "Roof's blown to chit up there. Holes everywhere and it started to rain. Found one dry blanket it decent shape. Looks like we'll have to share."

She shrugged.

Close contact didn't bother her and she knew he wouldn't try anything. Space was always a luxury growing up on a drifter colony of ships. Same with the fleet.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Alistair cocked an eyebrow, and then immediately shook his head. There was no way he was going to be cuddling up to her in the middle of the night, he didn't like her half as much as he should for that sort of thing. Besides, it wasn't going to get too cold anyway and he would rather just stay up.

"No." He wagged his finger at her.

There was no way that was going to happen, and in fact he was pretty sure it was probably some ploy to get closer to him. Better not agree to it and instead just find a comfortable place to hold up. Maybe below the bar or something, a little nook.

He'd never needed much space to sleep.

"I'm alright bymyself." Alistair told her. "Plus I found thus."

He showed her the bottle of liquor he'd found sitting on one of the tables. The seal was still in place, even if the label had rotted away.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

A dark, sandy brow lofted and a shrug rolled across her shoulders. "Suit yourself." Course, she had no idea he thought she was trying to seduce him. The thought would've made her laugh out loud. Instead, she just thought he was a little weird. Then again, not everyone grew up in tight spaces and weren't bothered by being close to others.

In one corner, there was an upturned game table. She pushed part of it to the side. It was a nice little corner, the table acted like a mini wall or shield to the rest of the bar. Plus, it was the opposite side of the smuggler. She eased herself down.

"Happy drinking." A quick laugh bubbled from her throat. "Wonder if it tastes like ship fuel now."

Hands began peeling off her boots, one by one.

Oooooo, that felt good to give her toes some wiggle room.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Alistair pointedly kept his shoes on.

The Smuggler was still more than a little paranoid that something was going to pop out of the woodwork and attempt to eat them, a fear that probably wasn't too far off from reality. For a moment he simply fiddled with the bottle, trying to unseal the damn thing. After a second or two he finally managed to uncork the glass, smiling to himself as he gave the liquor a slight whiff. His nose scrunched, but a shrug rolled over his shoulders and he took a short swig.

The liquid burned across his tongue almost instantly, hitting his throat and leaving a pleasant lemony taste lingering within his mouth. Alistair withdrew the bottle and gave a slight shrug. It wasn't the worst thing that he'd ever tasted, that was for sure. "Reminds me of what the Rodian's make."

Nasty stuff.

"Though that's more blueish." Different consistency too.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

Reaching across her shoulder, she unshouldered her two packs and set them behind her. She'd use them as a pillow. Plus then, there was no way the smuggler would steal from her. She still had to check and see what she nabbed from the shuttle but that would come later. If it was jewels, she was worried Alistair would just steal those and straight up ditch her.

"Believe me. I've had my share of alcohol and things didn't always end....so well."

Sith napped and mindfrakked. Etc.

"If you get sick though, I'm not holding your hair back." A grin flashed across her lips at her own joke. Quite proud of herself. It was a bit damp and chilly in the bar, so she didn't hesitate to pull the lone blanket up over her form and huddled down, nabbing a hydration packet from her pocket.

Stars, she hoped he wasn't an angry drunk. Or a singing one. Eyes began to close.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Kinsey was worrying over nothing. Alistair didn't intend on getting drunk. Past experience told him that sleep in a place like this, in an area where you had no idea what or who was around you was a bad idea. The drink was to warm himself up, but more than that? Not tonight.

Perhaps when they finally got to somewhere civilized. "Don't worry about it."

Alistair said with a wave of his hand as he took another small swig and then placed the bottle onto the counter. He frowned for a moment as he heard something echo, but shook his head and slid the cork back into the bottle. After a moment of silence Alistair shifted slightly in the old rotted chair and pulled his jacket tighter around himself. The thermal setting on his eye once again scanned the room, finding nothing out of the ordinary. Still, he leaned back with his hand on his blaster.

Just in case.

"I'll wake you in a few hours." He told Kinsey. "We're gonna start looking as soon as it's light out."

Hopefully they'd find what they'd need and then they could get out of there.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

"Okay." She murmured. Form was just a small lump beneath the blanket, which, Aliatair might not even see halfway hidden behind that upturned game table. Her body was healing and so, she couldn't fight sleep more even if she wanted to. Once her hydration packet was slurped up, her form remained still except for the steady rise and fall of her chest in a deep sleep. The exhausted kind.

One hand curled around her stun baton beneath the blanket.

Hard to hear anything outside beyond the steady thrum of the rain and rumbling booms of thunder.

______________________________________________________________________

Hours later, a dull, morning light filtered through the dirt-caked bar front windows.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

True to his intent Alistair hadn't slept. He was tired, but it wasn't the first time that he'd stayed up all night long. It helped that the cold had managed to creep into the bar, and although the chill hadn't reached his bones it was at least enough to keep him awake.

"Get up." Kinsey would hear Alistair's voice in a muted whisper, a finger gently poking her side.

There was an urgency to his voice, his blaster was already in his hand and his eyes were flicking up and down as though he were trying to spot something moving through a nearby window. He glanced down at Kinsey for a moment, then back up towards the window.

"There's something outside." He told her. "Or someone."

He hadn't caught sight of it in full, just the brief glimpse of a heat signature.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

Good thing he didn't poke her along her bruised ribs or she would've woken up with a yelp. They couldn't afford that right now with....wait, something outside? Eyes snapped open and for a moment, the explorer tried to reorient herself. Something tingled in the force. Couldn't keep a wrap on her force signature all the time, especially when she was sleeping.

It was the most dangerous for her then because if any other force users were nearby.

Good thing Fenn wasn't a bounty hunter.

The girl sat up, stretching stiff muscles quickly, quietly grabbing her bags and reshouldering them. Stun baton was gripped tightly in her hand. Wrist came up, looking at the power settings. Still had enough charge for a few good blocks on her wrist shield. Blanket lay in a crumpled lump at her booted feet.

Wary gaze looked to where Fenn was. She saw a shadow move across one of their windows. Then heard a voice. Distinctly male.

What were the odds that they were bounty hunters or sith? Probably just other travelers, right?

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"Stairs." The word was quick, terse.

The voice was unmistakable, though the words that it spoke were likely a little hard to recognize. Alistair knew them for what they were of course, weequay. The language was not a common one in most of the galaxy, but it showed up fairly often on Tatooine and other areas of ill-repute.

Weequay were an interesting people, mostly silent and of course incredibly deadly. More often than not one could find them in the employ of Crime Lords all over the galaxy. They made good soldiers, though at times they could get a bit...brutal. Alistair had no idea what they were doing here, nor did he particularly care.

They needed to survive before anything else.

A gentle hand pressed against Kinsey as he urged her up the stairs.

The Smuggler knew that if they were going to make it through this they would need the high ground, mostly because neither of them had any idea how many others there were or exactly what they wanted.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

Fingers tightened around her weapon but she nodded to Alistair. Giving one last glance at the musty windows, she retreated to the stairs. The same from last night. The wood would be wet and slippery. It would be hazardous up there. The floor was so rotted from the holes in the ceiling. There was a real risk of one of them, or both, falling through once they got up there.

"Careful." She whispered and pointed to one of the rotting stairs as she stepped over it and got up to the landing.

Below, she could hear two voices getting louder and the creek of the door that Fenn had opened last night, open wider.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

He frowned slightly.

Weequay.

The language was impossible for anyone else to actually pronounce, and thus he could already assume that it was actually at least two of the aliens. What they were doing here? That was an entirely different question all together. The Smuggler had an inkling, though it was little more than an abject theory based on racial profiling. Not something he'd ever say in more polite company but...

"Smugglers." He told Kinsey quietly as they entered the second story. "Or pirates."

Alistair checked his blaster. "Either way I'm going to guess they won't be glad to see us."

He still kept his voice quiet, not wanting their downstairs neighbors to hear him. This situation was dangerous. If they were criminals it meant that they likely weren't here to be friendly. He only had a single powerpack left and matching the type of firepower that pirates usually carried around was unlikely at best.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

"Or bounty hunters," she muttered. But how would they know about her or Alistair? They'd been flung out of hyperspace and crash landed. So, they were probably just smugglers or pirates. Most likely. Unless their boss was a force user and was close by and happened to feel Kinsey....

She didn't like all these variables. Too many unknowns. And she and Fenn still had to find a hyperdrive. AND fix his ship. If they hadn't spotted it already. Thumb hooked to the back rooms.

"We can try to climb down and sneak out the back?" Hand reached out and slowly nudged one of the dilapidated doors open. Fenn still had her grapple hook gun.

 

[Alistair Fenn]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

He gave it a moment of thought.

The pack that he'd brought didn't have any weapons in it, in fact his entire ship didn't really have any. Alistair wasn't a walking armory, he hardly ever had anything more than his blaster and when he did it was usually just a cryo grenade or two. Unfortunately however that wasn't the case now, and the only weapons they had available was a single heavy blaster and whatever Kinsey was carrying.

The smuggler frowned for a second, glancing up at Kinsey.

"No." Running wouldn't do. "We still need to search the city, and with those goons running around..."

It'd be all but impossible.

"Need to take them down." Find out who the hell they were.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Alistair Fenn"]

"Right." She thought about it. "I'll go first. Let them think I'm alone. Maybe I can find out why they're really here." She snapped the stun baton back to her belt and straightened. This was putting a lot of trust in Fenn. If things went bad, she was expecting him to take them out. He could just as easily ditch her as soon as she went down there.

She didn't see much of another choice, though. They couldn't afford to wait around forever. And they needed to find a hyperdrive and she doubted they could do that sneaking around.