Public The Great Trade Fleet Regatta (Trade League, trade companies, spacers, anyone businessy/outer rim)

[Vera Tillian]

Suarbi 7/5 System

Spoiler: Trade League Tags

Tera Highwind Finley Dawson Mi'la Undari Van Hill Len Vert

Spoiler: Background and Ideas

So, this is the first 'official' faction thread for the Rimward Trade League, setting the story up from the beginning with the signing and approval of the League Charter. Open to anyone with merchant fleets to show off, deals to make, businesses to invest in. Trying to include both the official/legitimate roles of the Merchant Marine, Rescue Service, and private trade fleets with the more seedier, more questionable, scoundrel spacers like Han Solo, so there's room for both to take place. Just be respectful and communicate with writing partners, especially if it affects other people, like say, trying to steal their ship. And please don't drop in an attacking fleet.

The political debates, the referendums, the marches, and the protests were all over now. The charter had been written, amended, amended multiple more times, sent out for a mass referendum, referred back for amendments, revised, and now finally, passed. The Rimward Trade League was officially in business. Literally, in this case, since its first goal was strengthening economic ties between the member-worlds. And to celebrate, all the trade fleets not on route were rerouted to the Suarbi system for a great festive launch of the first ceremonial trade cargoes about to move through the League. All the big shipping companies wanted to be there so they could talk to clients how they supported the League and free interstellar trade from the very beginning.

Of course, the League had to do its great show of power and influence as well, despite not having any of its ships yet, other than what were donated to the Rescue Service by the local defense forces. Even most of those weren't fully ready for operations yet, but their crews and officers were expected to be in and around the crowded spacelanes, both to show they existed, and to maintain some semblance of order and traffic safety.

It may be a giant spaceship festival, but the Rescue Service was going to make sure it was a safe spaceship festival.

Even if it meant borrowing other government ships for the occasion. There was plenty to do, after all. The system, with its one gas giant and thirteen moons, countless space stations, and busy intrasystem lanes were now crowded to capacity with ships from all over the Outer Rim. The Susefvi Defense Force was there in full force, every ship's hull scrubbed and gleaming, with the interiors polished for school tours and guests. Tillian Family Enterprises had recalled their entire trade fleet, ranging from light freighter crewed by a young family to their massive bulk freighters that took thousands of metric tons of reconstruction supplies to Coruscant. The other Susefvi merchant fleets were, as well as those from the other member worlds of Svivren, Sevarcos, Kirdos III, and Elshandruu Pica. Granted, the CEOs and stockholders of many of these were constantly checking their holowatches and calculators, but they enjoyed themselves, even if it was costing them.

There was, after all, more than enough business to go around for this week. Every major company in the Outer Rim was invited, every system in what had been the Outer Planet's Alliance had been invited to send representatives with the authority to write and sign contracts. It was a festival of ships, but also a festival of commerce. Even CIS representatives and corporate officers were invited. No need to give a cold shoulder to the closest galactic superpower, often the next star system over.

Credits and drinks were supposed to flow freely. But that of course had its downside. Many of the shipping companies were completely honest, but this was the Outer Rim, after all, and there's a seedy underside to every silver lining. Smugglers had come under the guise of legitimate tramp freighters, shipjackers, identity thieves, and all those unsavory sorts who were eager to make a quick profit from an excited crowd in big events that filled the streets of Yumfla on the surface, a dozen different civilian space stations, and the entire fleet that hung in orbit, with endless shuttles running around the clock, transferring people back and forth.

In other words, it was a security nightmare and a scoundrel's wildest dream. Which, in all fairness, the League was more than half scoundrel in its roots, so perhaps that was only to be expected. Encouraged, perhaps. "Free trade and free space" was their unofficial motto after all.
==================================

Yumfla- Rimward Rescue Service Provisional Headquarters

Newly promoted Lieutenant Commander Vera Tillian squared her shoulders, ensured every last strand of hair was carefully clipped in place, and placed the white captain's hat on her brow. She tweaked it, carefully adjusting each side until it lay completely flat on her forehead. Her first command, her first ship, even if the Frontier's Hope was still in the construction cradle getting its last pieces put together over the volcanic world of Sullust. It would be ready to receive its skeleton crew for transfer to Susefvi, including herself, the bridge tactical officer, the rest of the command crew, and enough enlisted members to make sure everything worked well.

But not yet. For now, she and her crew were tasked aboard a local patrol ship, maintaining safe traffic flow throughout the system, ensuring nobody crashed into another vessel, and enforcing the 'don't drink and fly policy' that helped prevent the bulk ore and refinery vessels from crashing into each other or the moon below, filling the mostly-pristine oceans and grasslands with toxic and chemical waste.

Vera buttoned up the top of her uniform, took a deep breath, and strode out of her quarters in the sprawling building that was simultaneously the headquarters of the Susefvi Defense Force and the Rimward Rescue Service until the latter's main administrative center could finish construction. She was supposed to meet with the rest of her crew on the shuttle up to their ship, where they'd replace the previous shift and resume patrol duties. Not exactly what she had signed up for when she volunteered for a commission and promotion in the Rescue Service, but it was at least a start. The thought of future missions in her ship, her own ship, filled her with excitement. A ship and a crew sailing out in the farthest reaches of space, rescuing stranded ships, resolving emergency crises, protecting against pirates. She could practically see it already. But first she had to not mess anything up this week.

Day by day. She could do that. But there was a lot that could go wrong in a day. So think smaller. An hour at a time. She could do that. Not as much could go wrong then. But at the speed of spaceships... maybe a minute at a time. No, that could be too short.

One decision at a time. That she could manage. While the weight of responsibility still hung heavy, it at least seemed manageable when she thought of that way. Then again, she wasn't having to make any decisions yet.

==============================================================================
Locations/Ideas/Hooks:
1. Regatta- The main attraction for many of the tourists, civilians, and business leaders, the regatta showcases the various trade ships and merchant fleets operating in the area of the League and the Outer Rim, giving landlubbers a taste of life in space, and helping potential business partners get a strong sense for who they might be working with and what might be carrying their cargo.
2. Space Station Business Center- Several of the various space stations orbiting Susefvi have been set up as business centers with leasable office space, databanks, and secure comms for making deals, conducting business, and inspecting products. Also an excellent cover for shipjackers and corporate spies
3. Yumfla- the capital city of Susefvi, this waterside town is also a place for celebration, housing most of the foreign guests, dignitaries, and the like. With high rise offices, old town business estates, it's the perfect place for solid ground. And its waterside has plenty of dive bars and questionable cantinas that attract the underworld of the Outer Rim, making business deals of their own, often of a more cut-throat, questionably legal nature

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

YUMFLA- DOCKSIDE HANGAR BAYS

Aeshi peeled grease-stained gloves off her durasteel hands, replacing them with the synthskin, sealing it to the natural skin of the rest of her arms. A hydrospanner slipped into the toolbelt and she gave the gravsled a push, letting it gloat out from beneath the hull of the new Stardream. She'd been running company ships for the past few years, leased out to her tramp merchanting enterprises, and the deals she could make on her own with the ships. But now she'd finally found the right ship to put in the work for her next ship.

One a little different this time around. Pure blockade runner. Transponder codes, multiple. Illegal, of course, for both Susefvi, the new League, and just about every planet in the galaxy. But that was why she was doing these refits herself, a few droids, and some of the old, hardbitten family mechanics. Tillians only. Nobody would ever know outside the hangar. Sensors to see where every ship in a system is at. Encryption module. Tractor shrouds. Ion sinks. Enough weaponry to blow a hole in most cruisers. And shields that can take just about anything. HIMS, of course.

There'd be no repeat of L-49. Not again. She'd burn her ship down to the reactor fuel before letting that happen. And hopefully, burn any Imps with her in the process. They wouldn't get her so easily again, that was for sure. Her hands clenched at the thought, but she let them relax and slowed her breath, She shrugged back into her flight-jacket, buckling the gun belt underneath the jacket. Not the best days to be carrying those out in the open. Too many Susefvi lawmen about. Not that they usually bothered Tillian Family Enterprises business, not in this part of town. They had an unspoken, non-financial understanding. But it was the new League lawmen she wasn't sure about. Sector Rangers recently commissioned by the Rimward Trade League and authorized in their jurisdiction. It was those she wasn't sure about. Well, them and the new Rescue Service. She appreciated most of what they were doing. As long as they didn't get in her way. One of her innumerable cousins was an officer aboard one of the new picket-cruisers meant to run interdiction, patrols, and rescue patrols.

But for now, she wasn't planning on taking her ship out of the hangar until those fleets were gone. The merchant-fleets were crowding her space-lanes. Sure, they made the big money for the worlds and the trade companies, but they were... big. Clumsy. Slow. Hulks. No opportunity for freedom or to strike out wherever she felt like. She'd be richer with bigger ships, but she wasn't after the money. It was the freedom she wanted. The freedom of the stars, freedom of the void.

Hence, the Stardream.

But for now, she had a festival to enjoy. Maybe even business deals to arrange. Not with the regatta above. No, her business was with the rest of them lurking here dirtside around the docks. The big containers ships docked not far away, bobbing gently on the tide. Sailors and longshoreman taking care of their business, while the spacer's stuck to theirs on their side one block over, with dive bars nestled in between old warehouses, some converted into warehouses and some into docking bays for starships. Spacer scum, the lot of them. Her people. Well, some of them. The good ones, at least. Lot of bad folks more interested in profiting off of other people. Worst kind of spacefarers. She was a Warden and she'd do no business with them. And would put them where they belonged if she got the chance.

This would be the challenge. Finding the right sort of job that didn't hurt anyone. Well , maybe nobody but a few governments that needed to be knocked down more than a few pegs.

 

[Lorne Kantera]

Yumfla, Dockside Cantina
Tags: Aeshi Tillian

The bar had no name. It'd been thrown together for the festival, a place designed to profit off of the sudden influx of spacers and then quietly vanish when the great regatta was over. Its proprietor, a hunchbacked Arcona with the telltalle golden eyes of heavy salt addiction, knew the hustle well. Nothing in the bar actually belonged to her, and therefore none of it had to be paid for. The warehouse itself was vacant, between owners. The chairs and tables were abandoned cargo crates. The alcohol had been quietly skimmed out of shipments, a bottle at a time.

Most bottles didn't even have labels, so ordering a drink consisted of pointing at one and hoping its contents tasted good.

Lorne Kantera was on his fourth round of "that purple one on the middle shelf", which wasn't too bad; you got used to the sourness after a few swigs, though it was hard to tell whether that flavor was intentional or just meant the bottle had been improperly stored. He wasn't paying all that much attention to it anyway. His focus was on the game in front of him. He held a fan of sabaac cards loosely in his right hand, his left arm casually draped over the back of an adjacent cargo crate, his feet propped up in front of him. It was key to his strategy.

No matter how good or how awful your hand, always look like you haven't a care in the galaxy.

A sea breeze rolled in through the open warehouse doors, carrying the smell of salt, algae, and fresh-caught fish. Lorne breathed it in, savoring the sharp tang of it. He loved piloting the Wayward Wyrm, but there were sights and smells unique to each planet he visited, and he loved making those memories everywhere he stopped. He didn't let it distract him, though. He only needed one card to finish an Idiot's Array, but without that card, his hand was worthless, easily beaten. And he could tell that the hulking Shistavanen across the table would call.

At that moment, the night sky filled with bursts of bright colors - fireworks from the regatta above, painting Susevfi's low orbit in a dozen enchanting hues. Everyone turned to look at the display, cheering and clapping at this gift from the Trade Fleet festivities, waving their commemorative hats and model bulk haulers up at the line of freighters launching the beautiful rockets. Lorne casually waved the arm that was draped over the crate, never moving his eyes from where everyone else was looking, his look of wonder still in place.

Waiting silently inside the crate, a little BB unit popped out a manipulator arm and passed him the card he needed. Thanks, Beebo, Lorne thought, casually sliding the card along his sleeve and replacing the useless one in his hand. The firework display faded for the moment, and the other players turned back to the game. "Call," the Shistavanen growled. Lorne smiled. "Idiot's Array," he announced, and laid down his cards. The rest of the table grumbled and slammed fists against their makeshift chairs as he raked in the credit chips.

"Just lucky this time," he said, offering a bashful look and a shrug. "Tell you gentlebeings what, I'll use that pot to buy us all another round, and then we can go again. A chance for your revenge. Whadda ya say?" Lorne grinned widely. He was having too much fun.

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Lorne Kantera
====================

Aeshi paused and surveyed the length of the waterfront. It was busier than normal, for this part of the week. It was to be expected, frankly, given the crowds that surrounded the world with fanfare. Her boots scuffed on the ancient duracrete with each step, pushing through the fish slime and salt that encrusted the walkway. There was a crowd gathered around the entrance to one of the nearby empty warehouses.

She paused at the corner between the shipyard and the warehouse and studied the scene. Lots of folks coming and going. More than a handful of local toughs lounging around on milk crates and pallets around the door, while the big cargo door remained sealed shut. Light shone dimly from inside and muffled voices could be heard from the street.

As the stream of big speeder trucks slowed, she picked her way across the boulevard, dodging puddles from the storm the night before and assorted puddles of sick. They'd all be washed away soon enough, but not yet. Early morning, after most of the hard drinkers and revelers had disappeared. Get it cleaned up before the tourists looking for a sea-cruise showed up bright and early while the spacer trash and criminal scum slept off their hangovers.

She paused and gave a hard look to the toughs on guard who stood to challenge her, but then saw the logo on the jacket, and sat back down. One of them was a third cousin of hers.

The door creaked open as she stepped inside and surveyed the scene. It was a disaster, with no qualms about safety regulations of any sort. But what did she care? Long as they didn't burn anything down, there'd be no problem. Off to one side, she could make out a series of card games being played, while unmarked bottles of booze were being sold from a makeshift bar counter.

Aeshi grinned and headed further inside. This time, she let her flight jacket hang open to reveal the gun resting there. Not that she'd used it. She was a Warden of the Sky after all. But if they watched her gun, they'd never see her boot until it smashed into their jaw. She wasn't looking for a fight, but in this part of town?

It was to be expected.

 

[Vera Tillian]

The crowds surged around her as she made her way down the street to the government shuttle service. More than a few, especially the younglings, paused to stare at her uniform as she passed. Brand new, only revealed to the public in the past few days. Vibrant blue with golden rank epaulets and captain's braids over the tunic, with a white beret. She had to admit, it was an incredibly striking uniform and she admired herself while wearing it too.

But, none of them stopped her or asked her anything, and she was able to get through to the shuttle depot. The Tactical Specialists checked her identification chip and then waved her through with a salute, before ushering her forward. She hurried to the small landing pad where a collection of shuttles were in a continuous cycle of landing and departing with a new crew of spacers. A steady stream of blues and golds moved through the temporary depot and she found herself mingling with her peers as she slid into one of the shuttles.

The shuttle pilot saluted as she stepped aboard. "Destination, ma'am? Highest ranking officer dictates first destination."

"Thank you, Petty Officer," Vera answered as she returned the salute. "Rescue Service Orbital HQ will be fine. My temporary command will be docking for crew change shortly."

None of the current ships had a full permanent crew at the moment yet, as they didn't have the personnel fully processed for that. Instead, they had a permanent skeleton crew to oversee engines and the essential systems, while command crew and enlisted personnel rotated through. It kept as many ships operating as they could manage and helped increase familiarity across the fleet. It worked out well enough that way.

A few more crowded into the shuttle and the doors sealed shut with a hiss. Beneath her boots, the deck vibrated as the engines increased their power. She felt that familiar lurch in her stomach as the shuttle left the ground and began its shallow approach to orbit where it would meet with the station headquarters.

Not too long of a ride, from what she remembered from her commissioning aboard the station. Her family had practically filled half a gallery at the ceremony, and nearly embarrassed her with their cheering and applauding, louder than anyone else. But they were Tillians. It's what they did. They stuck together and supported each other, no matter what others thought. It was something she hoped to bring to her crew and give them that same feeling of family.

 

[Lorne Kantera]

Aeshi Tillian
===============

The second round didn't last any longer, or go any better for the others, than the first. The definition of insanity, Lorne reflected, grinning as he raked in another pile of credit chips, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. By that definition, going in against him at sabacc was pretty karking insane. He was a good player on his own merits, more than capable of winning far more often than he lost, but when these poor idiots made it so easy to tip the scales in his favor... well, they just didn't deserve to keep their money.

The grumbling was louder now, getting to the level of dangerously discontent, but Lorne wasn't worried. He felt the familiar buzz in his head and twitchiness in his fingers that meant he was pretty thoroughly soused, and he'd already trounced these fools at cards, so the last item on his checklist of nightly amusements was to scab up his knuckles against someone's face. Well, maybe not quite the last. The smuggler looked up just as a slender young woman walked into the makeshift bar, a blaster at her hip, striking grey eyes taking in the scene.

"Better luck next time, gents," Lorne said, making the credit chits disappear into his jacket pockets without taking his eyes off the newcomer. He ignored the increasing chorus of complaints as he stood from the improvised table, though he kept senses honed through many a brawl and attempted mugging directed behind him, in case of trouble. The smuggler crossed the cantina with a liquid, semi-drunken grace, weaving around cargo crates and dancing patrons, slipping but never quite falling in the puddles of spilled alcohol on the floor.

Lorne reached the bar, if a scavenged length of deck plating set on top of a pair of tall crates could really be called such, in time to intercept the new arrival. She was younger than him, early twenties, but he could tell that youth didn't mean inexperience or naïveté; even beyond the gun, she gave him the sense of someone who could handle herself, and had been doing so for a while. She hadn't dolled herself up to be here, unless smudges of engine grease could be called makeup. She came as she was, a spacefaring professional like the rest of them.

Lorne respected that. It was a waste of time and effort to pretend to be someone you weren't. Unless you're running a con, he amended.

"The purple one's kinda sour," he warned by way of introduction, leaning casually against the bar - and then quickly standing when it started to shift under his weight, prompting the Arcona barkeep to cuss at him in Huttese. "Lots of folks drinking the green one on the far right, but most of 'em ain't human, so maybe not so good for our taste buds. Top shelf blue is a little sweet, but it kicks hard and finishes clean." He sighed dramatically. "No labels means a hell of a discount, but I don't know how I'll find any of 'em again."

He extended a hand toward the young woman, flashing a winning smile. "Lorne Kantera. Can I buy you a drink?"

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Lorne Kantera
--------------------------

Aeshi nodded to the Arcona at the bar as she placed one hand on the bar, hard eyes inspecting the crowd around the room. None of them were particularly familiar to her, at least not by name. She recognized more than a few of them from other shipping companies and shipyards based out of Yumfla. The Arcona bartender simply nodded at her. The alien too was familiar enough for the dockside semi-legal business scene.

"<How's business?>" Aeshi asked, speaking Huttese. The alien blinked salt-reddened eyes and gestured to the crowd, squeaking something in mostly Huttese. Aeshi just nodded and turned to take a look at the broader scene around her. One of the gambling games was finishing up, with some very unhappy members staring darkly after the one who had left the game.

To her dismay, he approached her directly, with the clear motions of someone who had far more than enough to drink. She suppressed a grimace and let one hand sit calmly on the butt of the pistol, just in case.

He came closer still and Aeshi stifled a groan as he leaned against the bar, nearly pushing it off its stands onto the ground. "A drink?" She scrutinized him. A bit too drunk to be particularly dangerous, at least from what she could sense in the Force and see. "Go ahead. Might as well launder at least some of those credits you snatched from your companions."

Her hands relaxed slightly, but only barely. "Topshelf blue then."

Not that she was going to drink much of it. She preferred only to drink her own products, but she didn't have any of it on hand. So it would have to do. "Captain Aeshi Tillian," she added after a moment.

 

[Lorne Kantera]

Aeshi Tillian
===============

The long on the young woman's face, and the tone of her voice, told Lorne that he had not made a promising first impression.

Oh well. The night was young, and he was in much too good of spirits to be overly concerned. "Launder them?" He asked, gasping and putting a hand to his chest in mock outrage. "Is a friendly game of cards considered an illegal enterprise now? A sad day indeed for fun-lovers everywhere." He grinned and raised his glass, then noticed that it was empty. "Two from the blue bottle, top shelf, please." He slid a few credit chits over the makeshift bar, then collected the drink that came his way. Probably time to start sipping, pace himself.

He didn't, draining half the drink in a single swig. "Tillian, huh? Any relation to the 'Tillian Family Industries' Tillians? I don't think any of these under the table beverages are the family cola, if you're here to bust us for that." Lorne's tone made it clear that he was only joking about the last bit, though he was genuinely curious. He'd been in the Outer Rim freight business long enough to hear about plenty of shipping companies, big and small. If this young woman worked for the company, or was some kind of company heiress, well...

Maybe that could get him a job. He hadn't started the night looking for one, but he took opportunities where he found them.

The crowd of disgruntled sabacc players was getting a little louder now, muttering to each other and directing dark looks at his back. Lorne casually dropped a hand next to his holster, not quite touching it, just reassuring himself that it was ready to go. Guns weren't his first choice in a cantina brawl - bottles, chairs, and fists were more fun and caused fewer legal problems - but if one of them drew on him, he wouldn't think twice. For now, though, he was still doing his best to hold a pleasant conversation, unpleasant surroundings not withstanding.

Because as much fun as it might be, he got the feeling that participating in a bar fight definitely would not impress this one.

 

[Ardon]

Ardon was here because his family was here. And he would stand behind them all the way. Politics was not something he ever planned to get involved in. Even when he could speak properly it didn't appeal to him. Speaking, negotiation, that was fine. Politics was like it's own weird land that he didn't think he fit well in. Course, now, he doubted he'd even want to open his mouth in a situation like that. Fortunately, he'd never have to. There was plenty of other people to do that. He could do what he loved, fly.

For now though he was just walking around, listening to people talk, watching people gamble and inevitably get upset when it didn't go their way. Wouldn't surprise him if there was cheaters at half the tables. That was something he wasn't so keen on. It was one thing to count cards, but when you start intentionally stacking the deck or pulling tricks to get cards you really want, then it just goes into the realm of unfair. He might not fight someone over it, but he also didn't gamble with people often either. At least not strangers.

Ardon, crossed his arms just looking at a table as they continued to gamble away their credits. His attention was diverted to the bar for a moment, thinking on getting something before noticing Aeshi Tillian and Lorne Kantera . Aeshi was a cousin, he didn't recognize Lorne. Though he didn't recognize a lot of people here. His inherent need to be near something familiar ended up with him walking over towards the two.

"Ardon = requests whiskey shot please." he said to the Arcona Bartender pointing to one of the drinks and smiling. He could understand a lot of languages, speaking them was not so easy. He folded his hands together in front of him and nodded to Aeshi Tillian and Lorne Kantera . "Ardon = Greeting you. Ardon = wonders if you are enjoying yourself?"

It took a lot of work to not stress out every time he talked. He was still not quite used to his way of speaking. Of course his family was good about what happened. But not everyone was going to be that way. And it took a lot of work to try and not care too much about the results of speaking like that to people.

 

[Jerrick Shado]

There was only one reason a Mandalorian would be here, for the drinks of course!

"I tell you, I've never seen so many Spacers in one place looking to do business in such an official fashion. It's insane! More insane then coming back from the dead, and I already did that!"

Jerrick was telling the bar tender, his helmet next to him. The man's face was young, his hair shaved on the sides with length on top. A tattoo crept up his neck, coming from who knew where. With keen eyes, anyone would know it was a chimera, a mythical beast, one Jerrick thought simply looked awesome as ink in his skin. He didn't act like one's typical Mandalorian, they were normally, all professional, and business only.

"Ya think anyone needs a gun? Well...needs someone to shoot a gun, they can't have mine. That would be just silly!"

Jerrick had finished. The tender of the bar looked astonished as the attitude of the man before him. He was talking not stop and hadn't even ordered a drink yet! One could only imagine what this being would be like with a few hard ones in his system.

Aeshi Tillian Ardon Lorne Kantera Vera Tillian

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Lorne Kantera Ardon Jerrick Shado
================

"Uh-huh," Aeshi said, glass in one hand as she stepped away from the bar and let her gaze circle the room again. "Only time card game winnings are legit are in casinos and competition matches." She eyed the angry group of players that were huddled together now and shooting fiery glances towards her apparent companion. "If you played fair, they wouldn't be working up the guts to stick a shiv in your spine."

She took a small sip and moved further away from the bar. "Yes. Tillian Family Enterprises is my family's business. I'm a ship captain, working contracts for them and independently with my own credits. It's my great-great-uncle who runs the company. And I'd be happier if there was some of my whiskey here. At least then I'd know at least one of them won't end up killing me. " She gave him another look out of the corner of her eyes, seeing another she knew approaching. "And yes. I was the one who got the family into distilling and do it all myself."

Aeshi waved crisply as Ardon approached, his unique gait and appearance marking him out from among the variety of aliens crowding the dive around them. "Thanks, Ardon. It's well enough. Just finished up some work on the new Stardream. How about you?" She wasn't quite sure if the brain damage and replacements let him enjoy things or not.

She jerked a thumb towards Ardon, "My cousin, Ardon. Also a captain in the family business." She pointed her chin towards Lorne. "Lorne Kantera. Not sure what he does, except for questionably win at cards in illegal cantinas." She looked back at him. "What do you do when you're not doing that?"

Not far away, a Mandalorian was chattering away with the Arconan and everyone in the vicinity, and trying to crack jokes, maybe? She had a hard time believing that, honestly. Every other Mando she'd met had been more stoic and serious than the Jedi, with even even more inflated egos that they somehow managed to squeeze into their helmets. They could use more troubleshooters for the company. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to have a Mandalorian on the payroll, as long as he wasn't about to start spouting things about The Way and Crusades and trying to start a war with everyone he encountered. She leaned closer to Ardon to ask a question.

"Any idea who that is? Or if they're looking for work?"

 

[Lorne Kantera]

Aeshi Tillian | Ardon | Jerrick Shado
=================================

Lorne shrugged off Aeshi's disapproval the same way he shrugged off everyone's: with a chuckle, a smile, and a swig of his drink. His family felt much the same way as the other captain about his choice of lifestyle, and there was a time when Lorne would have cared about the judgement. He remembered the life he'd lived before he'd taken to the stars, the quiet life of a public servant, working behind the scenes to try to improve lives on his unremarkable backwater of a homeworld. The memory made him shudder involuntarily; he'd hated every minute of it.

He let her clear disapproval pass without further comment, though. Some things weren't worth arguing about.

It was interesting that Aeshi was here, working as a cargo pilot; Lorne would've figured she could live easily off the proceeds of the family enterprise without having to take on such dangerous, uncertain work as interstellar transport. But then, it was still a relatively small shipping company, and maybe the proceeds didn't trickle down all that far; a great great uncle was pretty distant, after all. Or maybe she was a little like him, whether she wanted to admit it or not. Maybe the thrill of this business, the freedom, was what gave her life meaning.

Someone else approached, someone who spoke like a droid. He was young, still just a kid, and Lorne could pick out a bit of a family resemblance even before Aeshi confirmed that theory. Prolific lot, those Tillians. He was sorely tempted to make a wisecrack about the kid's speech patterns, but he made himself hold his tongue; no use alienating these folks, not when getting in good with them might lead to a good contract or two. "That's me," Lorne said as Aeshi introduced him, smiling and holding out a hand for Ardon to shake.

"So much judgement," the smuggler said, chuckling as Aeshi put emphasis on questionably and illegal. "Live a little, friend, you're here too." He addressed the next bit to Ardon, though it was intended for both of them. "When I'm not offending Aeshi's ever so upright and law-abiding sensibilities, I'm a cargo pilot myself. A good one. Quick, discreet, no questions asked. Never been arrested, at least not with charges that stuck, and I've never lost a shipment to pirates. Not bad when you're based on Batuu."

Out of the corner of his eye, Lorne watched the Mandalorian at the bar. He seemed like fun, a possibility for if this didn't pan out. The smuggler could always use a drinking buddy, and that would be a good consolation prize if the Tillians decided they were too good for him.

 

[Ardon]

Aeshi Tillian Jerrick Shado Lorne Kantera

Ardon nodded his head simply as she said she was doing 'well enough' and had worked on her ship. "Ardon = alright. Ardon = was getting bored." he said. His voice didn't really have too much emotion in it, but he was indeed capable of the. He had trouble properly expressing that with words naturally, even inflection in words was something that was quite difficult.

He was amused at the introduction she gave for Lorne. In spite of her less than applauding introduction of him, he basically just moved on reaching out a hand to shake. Ardon reached forwards and shook it in turn, "Ardon = saying hello."

Ah, maybe not moving on. Lorne commented on the judgement about his gambling ventures. He wasn't one to speak on legality, but to him there were limits. Assassins, thief's, pirates, those were all out of the question. Questionable gambling just fell in with thievery in his mind. But, he wasn't going to accuse the man. He'd clearly missed some of what had gone on before he walked over.

Now it was Lorne's turn to introduce himself. So a pilot, according to him, with a good record in the past. At least that was of course his claim. But whether or not it was true it didn't mean he wasn't a good pilot. "You = sound quite proud of your skills. You = must get plenty of good jobs. If story = true: you = quite a record." it was said in exactly the same tone as before but it was meant somewhat lightheartedly. Though, it was true that if it was true that was a good record. Technically Ardon hadn't lost anything either, but he hadn't been doing this long either. And he had a family to rely on for their experience in telling him what to do.

Aeshi leaned over and asked Ardon about the mandalorian, he turned his eyes to see Jerrick Shado . He was a lot more talkative than he thought mandalorians were supposed to be. He always thought of them as the...shadowy brooding type, callously shooting someone and then leaving the body.

"Ardon = checking." He said, he took a step back, looking over the man as Ardon connected to a nearby station to hook up to the holonet. Rushing through bits of information as he simply stood still before taking his shot of whiskey and gently sipping on it. Staring at the glass as the information ran through his cybernetics.

Well...interesting. The man had a history that's for sure, he seemed to have lost some height compared to the information Ardon could find however. The man had been in some impressive fights, including a force user. And he was a part of an experiment. Made Ardon wonder if that was what caused his unexpected personality.

Ah, now that was perfect. He found Exactly the info that Aeshi wanted.

He stepped forwards again smiling slightly. "Ardon = found him. Mandalorian = Jerrick Shado. Jerrick = skilled and experienced. Jerrick's past = involved in a super soldier project. Jerrick = looking for work. Work = wide range, mercenary, smuggling, squad training, security, military, covert ops."

 

[Jerrick Shado]

Jerrick continued to sit there talking the bartender's ear off before taking note that the bartender was no longer willing to entertain the mercenary. Standing up with a stretch, the Mando slid the helmet halfway on, asking for a water to go with a straw if he would be so kind. After receiving his drink, Jerrick began to walk away before noticing that another was looking his way.

Slowly, the Mandalorian turned in the direction of this man, before standing at attention and giving the being a friendly wave and a large grin on his face. Either the man was sizing him up, or his attention was simply intrigued. Either way, Jerrick was curious enough begin a slow stride at the man.

Almost halfway there, Jerrick let out a greeting: "Greetings fellow person!"

Ardon Lorne Kantera Aeshi Tillian

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Ardon Jerrick Shado Lorne Kantera
==============
Aeshi snorted at Lorne's comments about her uprightness and law-abiding sensibilities but otherwise didn't say anything. Instead, her eyes continued to move along the makeshift bar. "Yeah, I'm here," Aeshi agreed, "And I don't really care for legalities except when it puts my family and my people in danger of violence or close inspection from the law." Her hand sat comfortably on the butt of the pistol by now, and much of her gaze was locked onto the losers of the card game who were working themselves up to something. "Kark, I lost both hands running a First Order blockade during the war."

The Mandalorian turned towards them now and offered a greeting, which was helpful. If those gamblers were really psyching themselves up for a fight, she was more than willing to let the Mando take the brunt of the assault, if he could be swayed to their cause. And not to throw down at everyone for the thrill of it. She hoped not, anyway. Her durasteel fists could hammer a lot of things, but she wasn't quite so eager to try it on beskar.

"Batuu, eh?" She asked, after a moment, and her cousin has spoken. "With that so-called smuggler queen?" Her lips twisted in a wry smile. "If a smuggler gets famous, I don't think I'd trust them to get a job done with discretion."

Aeshi turned so her back was to the bar and facing the rest of the room. She tilted her head to listen as he listed off the Mandalorian's job qualifications and capacities. "Hey, fellow person," Aeshi answered, trying to hide the unease she felt at the way it was phrased. "Heard you might be looking for work?"

She paused for a moment, back to Lorne. "And if you're good as you say and don't risk the company reputation around the local galactic neighborhood, might be some for you too."