Private The Million Credits Question

[Arekk]

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Login: ICEBRK (User: 247199)​

Password: ********​

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ACCESS GRANTED​

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SUB: 9862XZ - READ NOW​

FROM: 247199 ( Arekk )​

TO: 129877 ( Katria Vekarr )​

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Your credentials have been approved and the background check was successful. Meet at the coordinates attached to this holomessage, do not share this message under any circumstance or you'll face aggravating consequences.​

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Contact ICEBRK upon arrival through a holoterminal located at the front entrace of the TRIPLE OVERDOSE CLUB in the ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT in ETHOS CITY, LITHIOS. ​

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The holoterminal will ring three times once it detects your presence, answer the call immediately.​

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Take care.​

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[Katria Vekarr]

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Login: RNGREYE (User: 129877)​

Password: ******​

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ACCESS GRANTED​

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SUB: 9862XZ - READ NOW​

FROM: 129877 ( Katria Vekarr )​

TO: 247199 ( Arekk )​

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Meeting coordinates received and logged. Typical measures to avoid consequences have been taken into account and actuated.​

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Contact with ICEBRK will be made upon arrival through requested holoterminal located at the front entrace of the TRIPLE OVERDOSE CLUB in the ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT in ETHOS CITY, LITHIOS. ​

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The requested materials and equipment have been acquired and stored.​

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Ending communicay and establishing new encryption now. . .​

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* ~ * ~ *
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No sooner had the communication been severed, and the mysterious communication cut short, did June engage the hyperdrive with a unwelcome shudder to the entirety of the Vekarr's Pride. A brilliant streak of blue lights, the continued shudder of the ship from sublight to hyperspace and what would likely be a long journey to an, altogether, unknown world began.

Something the young mercenary wasn't entirely a stranger to, but not something she had expected so soon into her stint with the Outer Rim Alliance.

Ages.

It always felt like ages as she rest herself in her bed awaiting an arrival at the end of a unexpected trek. As though time itself chose to stop amidst the thoughts that rang through her head, despite every measure that might have been taken by those who accompanied her upon the ship. June's ever positive and bubbly mood nor Skiss' constant negativity could pry her from the thoughts that rattled through her mind.

Even the yorshi that perched itself upon her chest couldn't pry her free from the feeling that gripped her. As though something were keeping her planted until there was no further reason to lie comfortably away from the rest of the galaxy. She couldn't remember vividly the last time she'd actively sought work in such a discreet manner, in a way that invited questions that knew they would never be answered.

She dared not dredge the reason, instead relying heavily upon the numbing oblivion that kept the pain at bay.

It was only when the Vekarr's Pride, accompanied by June's high and bristling voice, began to rattle with the sensation of returning to realspace that Katria Vekarr returned to the forefront of her mind.

Prying herself free from the dark emptiness that she'd become mild companion to, she did as the message instructed and found her way through the streets of an unfamiliar world.

The Triple Overdose Club before her, a collective of kriff knew who or what behind her, she waited for whoever or whatever had called her here.

 

[Arekk]

The Triple Overdose Club, Ethos City, Lithios
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For a moment, the music had drew and whisked him to another place, another time. His name being called fell to deaf ears and simply did not register. When it was spoke again, the voice was closer and tickled the hair near the nape of his neck, snapping him back to the bar. "She's here."

After blinking a few times, Arekk canted his head to where the sound came from. He met a manager's sharp gaze immediately and offered his most apologetic smile. "Thank you." led on the brown haired man, "Enjoy the night."

Arekk rose from his seat and ran his palms down the length of his leather jacket to dust off imaginary specks of dust. Another person slipped in, stealing the warmth left upon the cushion while he flagged a passing waitress, "Whiskey neat, double." The woman nodded with a smile, dropping Arekk's order before disappearing among the crowd.

The phone at the far end of the den rang three times. He sat under the flashing lights with a holotransmitter in hand, looking to see who picked up when his eyes fell upon who would be his newest client.

The club was known for its very dim lights once inside and that made it difficult to see her face at first which is why he had to get closer, a tap on the shoulder would do the trick.

"You must be the person."

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Katria Vekarr ​

 

[Katria Vekarr]

The Triple Overdose Club, Ethos City, Lithios
Ambience
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There was no accounting for the time she spent waiting. Each second passing as though the very energy of the city around her was prescribing to her just how fast anything would be. The speeders and crowds almost moving faster than what she would have considered normal. She considered for a moment an altruistic glance over those that were passing by her, as though each and every one of them might deserve some kind of time from her and her expertise.

It was a gesture that was cut short, however, as her attention was once again called elsewhere. Though the apt word would have been pulled, the semantics of the notion hardly mattered as a hand tapping upon her shoulder drew her attention to the new arrival. A man standing there, at almost even to her eye level, with dark hair and a fairly ruggedly attractive complexion; certainly not what she had been expecting from such a place.

But it was hardly the first time she had been deceived by her surroundings. Nor the first time someone seemed almost too familiar to be as unfamiliar as they were.

"I suppose I would be," she breathed, turning herself completely to face the man as one of her hands fell to her hip while the other nestled itself comfortably upon the Verpine Shatter Pistol on her belt. "But that's a rather bold assumption to make without making it clear just who you are. Isn't it?"

She asked, brow raised with a blatantly skeptical expression blanketing her face, as though this was just another one of her odd jobs that would be finished and forgotten in as much time as it had taken to accept it.

After all, this was just another one of those uncharted worlds with people seeking work from those they didn't have to acknowledge long term.

Her favorite worlds.

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Arekk ​

 

[Arekk]

The Triple Overdose Club, Ethos City, Lithios
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The thought passed him like a fleeting shadow, a familiar person was standing right in front of him. Someone from a very forgotten past, of darker and hurtful times, was right there. She didn't recognize Arekk initially as his appearance was drastically different from eons ago, the half mask that covered his scarred skin being one of them.

How long had it been since they last met? Could she still remember his name?

"Of course, introductions are important. I don't think I need one, however.," he said and savored a taste of whiskey. Life was very different now and he took that time to study her face, "Really, Katria?" Arekk left off innocence, because even then they had seen things, done things. Oh, but it all paled in comparison to the last... near five years and a half.

Fact was, she knew him. He had done things though, after he left Nar Shaddaa. A great many things Arekk was not proud of and that was one of the few things he had: pride. The man before him survived, but at what cost?

The smell of cigarra clung to him as he inhaled before continuing,

"Arekk."

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Katria Vekarr ​

 

[Katria Vekarr]

The Triple Overdose Club, Ethos City, Lithios
Ambience
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It didn't take long after her somewhat smug and chiding accusation for the man to come to some level of resorted conclusion. She expected no less of a man that had delivered a message to her over the dark net in regards to supplies one wouldn't normally deliver under normal pretenses. But it wasn't quite the response she was expecting as her posture shifted from an expectant one to one more fitting the moment.

Shock? Or perhaps was it bewilderment.

It hardly mattered as she stood there with her eyes widening by the second. For what felt like nearly a minute she stopped and tried to process the face of the man standing across from her. She remembered his height, his build and even his voice, but it was his face that completely altered every element of her perception as she gazed upon him.

"Arekk," she exhaled in an almost inaudibly hushed tone as her body relaxed and her hands curled up to fold under her chest. It was almost as if the cold had washed in over her from an element that wasn't there. Her gaze cast down, her lungs tugging in a long, hard breath, she watched the distance between her feet as she tried to piece together her memory of his half masked face.

One that almost seemed impossible as she looked upon his face now.

"You know I could easily say I took you for dead," she uttered with a blatant disregard for tact as she took a step closer to him and let her gaze burn heavily into his as her eyes turned from empty, to cold and to heated. "Then you appear out of the void like some Force hopped space ghost and, what? Expect me to just get all wide eyed and sentimental?"

Hypocritical or not, she clearly didn't care.

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Arekk​

 

[Arekk]

The Triple Overdose Club, Ethos City, Lithios
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"You wouldn't be the first one." he said in jest as his blue pools looked straight into her own. Many things had changed but his sense of humor remained for the most part. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm just glad to see you, Katria."

The smoke was so thick, a menagerie of hues and the lights were near not bright enough to pierce it. The tables around them with patrons gambled on anyways - games, he was supposed to join - but she was there.

For the rest of the patrons, Arekk and Katria were standing in their merry way and showed their discontent by growling at the duo for blocking the path. Arekk reached out, fingertips touching her elbow in attempt to gain Katria's attention only to smile at her.

With a small laugh out of no where, he commented, "Do you make a habit of reuniting with people by surprise?" Given the circumstances, it was a little comical and lightened the heavier mood. "You look good."

His glass of whiskey was half-empty minutes after they started chatting, it was his way of making sure he 'remained' in control of himself. The anxiety and nervousness of such reunion could affect even a man of his reputation as it is not usual for people to reunite under these set of circumstances.

"Ethos City treating you well?"

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Katria Vekarr ​

 

[Katria Vekarr]

The Triple Overdose Club, Ethos City, Lithios
Ambience
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His eyes met hers, his blue orbs impossible to ignore despite her animosity towards his humor, and for a moment she felt herself desire to simply let go of all the frustration and simply revel in the moment.

A notion easily forgotten with the first set of words out of his mouth. She'd only known him for a brief time before either of them vanished into the void of space for kark knew where, but she remembered that smug humor. Almost as if it was just the other day that they had last seen each other and that the ambience around them hardly stood different from that of Nar Shaddaa.

She pursed her lips, let her jaw slack a bit with the intent to speak, then halted herself abruptly as the next words fell from his lips into the small space between them.

I'm just glad to see you, Katria.

Stunned, she bit her lip for what she knew would have been the first time in years, and for the first time in the months since her departure from the Confederacy's employ she found herself unable to speak. In that moment it felt as if their brief encounter and small stint together on Nar Shaddaa surmounted to more than a mere few days.

She would have fallen into her mind, immersed in the feeling of whatever it was she was feeling, were it not for the fingers that brushed her elbow and pulled her back to reality. With a stutter in her step and a blink of her eyes she steadied herself and met his smile with a somewhat awkward smile, her arms tightening a bit around her as she shuffled in the space between them just a inch more in his direction as the people passed them by.

"Only if those people poor tact in communication," she breathed as she let her lip loose from her teeth and once again met his gaze with her own. The chuckle registered, his face moving in a way she hardly remembered it being able so long ago, and then he cast a compliment that had her reaching a hand up to pull some of the hair away from her face. "Hardly, you're the one who's like a changed man."

Her thoughts raced, her cheeks flushed slightly and she took a half step back as more people passed them by. Times like these she preferred the company of her guns and a quiet space in her ship.

"Ethos City, huh? Much better than Nar Shaddaa."

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Arekk​

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios
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"The magic of synthflesh." Arekk countered right away, explaining why the half mask was gone. "Changed man, though? Time flies, people change. That's one thing that I can say is true."

The time between they had last seen each other and the present contained too big of a gap to explain his point, too many things had occured that could have the former masked man telling stories for days and days to come. It was better to keep the past in a little box, locked up and thrown into feth knows where.

"I wouldn't know about that, Katria." he said while another ear-to-ear grin adorned his face, eyes getting lost on hers for a brief moment. The smile lingered for the duration of their conversation, he suprised himself that he couldn't keep his gaze off the girl. Enchanting? Definitely.

"This city is a dumpster fire. You never know when is it going to be your last day on the planet. People here love to stab each other in the back, that's how Ethos City rolls. The Hutts wouldn't last a week here."

Arekk proceeded to prod Katria on her arm once more and pointed his head at the exit, inviting her to enjoy the calm of the incessant Lithiori rain that never seemed to end on this planet. A cancer stick on his mouth as well as a drink and a beautiful lady to his side? What else could a man ask for?

"Chit. It's been a minute, hasn't it?" He said in jest, chuckling briefly. "What you've been up to after all these years?"

He wanted to know ALL of it.

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Katria Vekarr ​

 

[Katria Vekarr]

The Triple Overdose Club, Ethos City, Lithios
Ambience
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Magic of synth-flesh was an understatement.

Even as he explained it to her, taking in her words and spinning them into a form of philosophical analysis of his own life in comparison to others, she couldn't bring herself to stop looking at his face. She could hardly believe that something had been achieved with something as simple as synthetic science. That was not what was at the forefront of her mind however, as she resisted the itching urge to reach out and touch his face.

She wanted to feel it for herself.

It was his comment in rebuttal to her remark about Nar Shaddaa that dragged her mind back to reality once more. To the real as he failed to tear his own eyes from her in a manner that would have had her blushing if she didn't possess a self control trained for years in the presence of individuals with little more than aggressive intimacy on their minds.

"If the Hutts wouldn't last a week, it makes me wonder just who runs a place like this. It's commonly known that the Hutts are some of the most savvy minds when it comes to criminal enterprise," she mused as she let her body weight shift in the close proximity to him. She knew what he meant, but she found it hard to believe that humans, let alone other aliens, could achieve what the Hutts still maintained to this day.

She was, thankfully, interrupted from that train of thought as, once again, his hand brushed her elbow in a motion to guide her outside with him. Her arms dropping to her sides once more, one hand slipping into her pocket and the other remaining dormant just over the weapon on her hip, she followed him into the rhythmic rain of the planet as he lead the way.

"A minute, you might say that," she uttered whimsically in tandem with his humor. "Let's just say that I took a job with people I don't work with anymore and tried to pursue someone who really didn't have a clue what she was doing outside of living her special, little, vicarious life."

Bitter though it was, it wasn't far from the truth in her mind.

"Hardly that exciting if you don't count all the various trinkets, gadgets and weapons I've picked up along the way."

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Arekk​

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios
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"The rich reign over the poor, that's the common law everywhere right?" He explained, gesturing with his hands as he spoke to signal out the Senate Plaza in the horizon. It was the biggest buildings of them all, imposing and intimidating. "Corporate people or so called 'corpos' and politicians run this city. They fund all the criminal organizations spread through Lithios, providing them with guns and drugs."

Arekk took a drag of his cancer stick and let the thick cloud of smoke dissipate with the rain, finding shelter under the tin roof that separated the club's entrance with the main street. At that time of the night no soul roamed the Entertainment District as closing time reached, many of the patrons could already be seen leaving the nightclub.

"Sounds like a long story." His hazel-blue pools reached out to find hers as it became a thing of that night, like a deep trance of sorts. "I've known people like that. Untrustworthy, too deep in their own little universe."

"You must have amassed quite the collection, I'm sure? I've got a few trophies I can say I've won from multiple people. Important ones, not just chumps. I'm sure you'd like to see it."

As the night came to its conclusion so it would with Arekk's drink and cancer stick, perhaps Katria would stick around a little longer he thought.

"The night life only lasts so much here. Everyone likes to go home quick as possible because shootouts tend to occur at this time of the night. You don't want to be roaming Ethos City's streets this late."

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Katria Vekarr ​

 

[Katria Vekarr]

The Triple Overdose Club, Ethos City, Lithios
Ambience
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The rich reigning over the poor.

The knowledge was almost as abysmal as seeing it first hand, but anyone who knew the underworld as well as a smuggler, mercenary or bounty hunter knew that there was a lot more complexity to it. One simply didn't walk into the underworld and traverse it's inner workings without getting their hands dirty with either information or blood.

It wasn't a subject that she was apt to discuss openly however, her silence enough to convey that in a similar fashion to how it had been with her father. She'd always known her uncle to be the more vocal of the two, but it was ones voice that often got one silenced.


"It is a long story, Arekk," she muttered as she lowered her arms and let one of them rest on the weapon on her hip for comfort. She was in the presence of the familiar, back in the world she'd known so well, yet she couldn't help but feel tension reign over her in favor of composure. "The Confederacy pays well but I'm not exactly sure I was happy with how they ran things. Maybe it's the free roaming mercenary in me or the smuggler blood of the Vekarrs.

I can't say." She finished as he began to run through the topic of trophies, unashamedly relating his own endeavors in the area by way of enticing sources. It was enough to bring a smile to her lips knowing that he had managed to play and beat those who would have otherwise viewed themselves as pertinently untouchable.

"Why don't you show me, then," she uttered softly, despite what other would consider of her to be a vocally loud demeanor, and took a step forward placing a hand on his arm. She leaned slightly to the left to look over his shoulder and onto the city behind him for a moment before bringing her gaze back to his once more. "Since it seems I'm not going anywhere else any time soon."

While the words would have sounded disinterested or off putting to any who lacked familiarity with her, it was the faint smirk on her lips that followed that she hoped would tell him the opposite.

She was more than happy to show others up in a shoot out, but this wasn't the place.

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Arekk​

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios
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"I like long stories." He followed up with, eyes settling on the neon-lit horizon for a brief moment, contemplating the little things. "Truth is independency from others is key. I know for sure have been exhausted for years of taking orders from others; I make my own luck, run things the way I want them to be. No more ideals to defend or try to 'save' the world."

Arekk had learned a valuable lesson with the Jedi Order, one that would continue to mark him to this day: Nothing ever lasts forever. Not even when you're supposedly the peacekeepers of the galaxy or if you're part of the good ones. Life will come to you no matter what and in a heavy way whether you like it or not.

It's better off by yourself or with someone you really trust.

"Still got that enthusiasm I remember." The fallen Jedi felt a tingle on the nape of his neck as Katria settled her hand on his leathery shoulder. "Come on."

With the tap of a button, Arekk called his NX-249 Airspeeder from where it was parked and it came down next to them, both doors opening to invite them within the cozy interior. The dashboard was modern, almost too technological for someone unfamiliar with such a thing. The seats were made of real leather which was a commodity of Lithios, not many people have access to such material unless you're someone with connections or rich.

"Buckle up. The view is quite nice from up, make sure to not fall asleep during the trip."

Arekk couldn't help but smile.

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Katria Vekarr ​

 

[Katria Vekarr]

The Triple Overdose Club, Ethos City, Lithios
Ambience
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Dropping her hand from his shoulder as the speeder moved into sight, she couldn't help but let her mind stray to the Vekarr's Pride. A new world, a strange world and one that could be attested to a similarity to the planet of Nar Shadda had her feeling more than a little unsettled.

"This is one of long stories I'm sure you'd rather skip," she breathed as she pulled a comlink from her pocket and slipped around the speeder to take a seat on it's passenger side. She wasn't fond of speeders, nor was she fond of the excess of technical layout that riddled the dash, but she knew that his place was more than likely too far away to simply walk to. "I have to make a call first, if you don't mind, but I can do that on the way."

Quietly she nestled into the seat, the comlink rising just near her mouth as she flicked her eyes over at him now and again. She wasn't sure why she couldn't keep her eyes off him, why just looking at him was like looking at the only familiar thing she'd known outside of her family and Skiss. Even still she looked on and waited for their arrival to wherever they were going.

It had been some time since they had docked in an unreasonable, potentially dangerous, hub. Could June handle something like this? Obviously. The notion hardly pertained to her confidence in her pilot, however, as much as it pertained to the idea that should a prize ship like the Pride be confiscated for any reason those on board would likely be killed.

"June, this is Katria, I'll be delayed. Don't wait up, take the ship up into orbit and wait for me there," she uttered quietly into the comlink as Arekk's comment about not falling asleep came to mind. She didn't want June or Skiss anywhere near the planet if things were going to get risky after dark. So with a flick of a switch on her comlink she relayed the authorization codes for departure.

"At least tell me this place isn't too far," she said with a tilt of her head in his direction, amusing herself with the possible polar-optimism in the thought. "I don't like being up too late, because I like to get my beauty sleep."

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Arekk​

 

[Arekk]

Ethos City, Lithios
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"For now."

The NX-249 was a luxury in its own with custom modifications made to adjust to the Ethos City life with blasterproof everything, built-in weaponry to fend off anybody and much more that was too intricate to say. Medium-sized and ready to maneuver any tight spot or area of the ecumenopolis.

"The perks of being rich in Ethos City means you get access to various things. A private docking bay, for example." He countered with rather quickly as he overhead Katria's conversation with what seemed to be her crew on a ship. "I can give you a chip with the location. It's got around the clock security for as long as you need it. Military grade protection."

Lithios was a dangerous place to be if you didn't know the ins and outs of the city, who to talk to and where to safely take your ship with you. Arekk had witnessed countless of innocent people getting shot and mugged, stripped of their belongings and vehicles taken away, Katria was not going to become one of the statistics.

Reaching for the dashboard, Arekk grabbed a little chip that could be hooked up to her commlink to transmit coordinates to the docking bay. It was located two miles away from the apartment in the Financial District where he lived, should any situation arise they would be able to depart rather quickly without wasting any time.

"Beauty sleep? That's cute." He said in jest, a big toothy grin surfacing as he maneuvered through tall sky-scrapers that casted their blinding advertisements of sexual opportunities and technology. "We're not too far from there. Should be five more minutes."

They were already there by the time Arekk finished his sentence, the airspeeder pulling into the private garage that would leave them right next to the entrance to his apartment.

"We're here."

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Katria Vekarr ​