The Ties That Bind

[Cassius Droma]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdqjb0X3_RM
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The VCX-100 light freighter Spectre Melody broke the atmosphere of Tholon, immediately meeting its harsh dry air and sandy winds. The rocky planet was only inhabited for one purpose – mining. As such, the only structures on the surface were of an industrial appearance, with small outposts dotting the landscape. Over time, the main spaceports had become centers of commerce in their own right, with bulky and rusted freighters ferrying to and from their hangar bays with great frequency.

The Spectre blended right in with this crown, landing in an unassuming hangar bay next to an older Barloz-class medium freighter. As the landing gear locked into place and the instruments shut down, Cassius Droma looked out from the cockpit glass, noticing that the spaceport already looked as rough on the inside as it did on the outside. Luckily, the usual security measures would be active, as well as his K-X series droid keeping watch.

Before long, Cassius descended the loading ramp of the Spectre, his lightsaber hanging off of his belt. He was dressed in normal spacer gear, so he probably wasn’t going to catch the casual observer’s eye. As it was, he liked to keep a relatively low profile.

Once again, he was in a dirty corner of the galaxy on the hunt for, what else, an artifact. This time, he knew where to find it, but getting there would prove to be a challenge. His ship was in good shape, but he had insufficient charts to navigate to his destination. The artifact he was clamoring for was on a derelict space station in the middle of a debris field, which in itself was in a tumultuous nebula. It was a pocket of the galaxy that even more detailed star maps wouldn’t have information on.

However, he’d figured that since Tholon was close by, at least some sort of scavenger or even one of the local mining companies had explored it in order to scout it out for potential value. So, he went to the central hub of the spaceport, where spacers and miners alike lounged and had drinks and food before heading out to their next destination. Striding up to the bar, he asked the tender,

“Hey there – I’m looking for someone who can navigate the nearby nebula to the galactic south – know of anyone?”

[member="Siala Vash"] | [member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Siala Vash]

Blending with the rough-looking denizens of the spaceport, she watched as a VCX-100 light freighter set down. A smile curled her lips. Right on time, she mused silently. Though Siala had never met the pilot of the said light freighter, she knew about him – everything that Mar Dellaeon had told her.

There had been some hushed gossip about some kind of artifact lately, whispers that she was curious about herself. But, she wasn't here just to satisfy that curiosity. Mar Dellaeon had taken an interest, and that meant that he was willing to shell out some credits, credits that she sorely needed. Siala didn't even have a ship of her own these days. Even if she had the credits to secure one, she realized that it was too dangerous to travel alone... at least, it was for her.

And so, she was here now... doing Dellaeon's bidding.

The crime-lord collector had even dropped her here himself. It was one of the closest points to this rumored artifact, and he'd bet on the fact that [member="Cassius Droma"] would come for it, too. Dellaeon had worked with the young man before but was hesitant to contract with him directly again. But, he was fine contracting with Siala as she was relatively unknown. She had the motivation, she just needed to get in with the artifact hunter and hitch a ride on his ship.

Following at some distance, she watched as the blonde man went for the bar. She slipped into the central hub but remained close to the wall. For now, she would simply wait and listen... she was very good at eavesdropping.

[member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Gren Blidh]

The layer of smoke that hung in the air of the cantina bar obscured the dark silhouettes hunched over their tables all around. This place was a dime-a-dozen around the galaxy; clanging of glasses and laughter filled the air, souls meandered to and fro, using the darkness as their ally. Some came simply for a drink, some came to cut deals while simply pretending to come for a drink, some came to not be seen or heard at all.

And in the center of the room, with Jawa juice streaked across his shirt, the bartender laughed in the face of [member="Cassius Droma"].

"Heh! Good one, kid. What'll it be tonight?" Then, after realizing his joke had deadpanned, the bartender's smile lapsed and he narrowed his eyes at Cassius.

"Oh. You're... serious."

The bartender swallowed, his eyes nervously glancing from left to right, as if in search of some unseen shadow. His gaze lingered on one particular table for barely a perceptible second longer, though its lone occupant was obscured from view. He leaned in close to Cassius, to speak in a hushed tone. Perhaps [member="Siala Vash"] had heard the Jedi's question, but she would have difficulty hearing the bartender's muted response.

"Look, information like that don't come easy around here. Lots of people here, they ain't lookin' to have their names thrown around to strangers. Understand?

Least not for free." The 'tender shrugged and cleared his throat.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius followed the bartender's gaze as it worked its way around the room, lingering for a little bit longer on a particular spot. He noticed that while he could make out the singular shape of a person at the table, the dim lighting and smoky atmosphere didn't permitted him a good enough view for him to identify who it was.

The Jedi nearly rolled his eyes when the bartender asked him for money in exchange for the information he was asking about. Typical behavior for inhabitants this far out. On the one hand, the concern was valid - unscrupulous characters were keen to skulk places like this, and Cassius had come up against more than his fair share of them in artifact hunts like this, whether it be scavengers, pirates, or more lately, a cult. His senses were at their peak during this part of the mission, and he was always a little bit on edge. However, he needed to put himself out there in order to make progress.

On the other hand, this guy could just be looking to make a quick buck.

Quickly and casually sliding a small 100 credit chip across the bar, he asked for a meiloorun nectar, but his intentions were pretty clear.

"Any astro-navigators you know could help," he said, "send them my way."

Grabbing his drink, he took a seat at an empty table in the corner, far away from prying ears.

[member="Siala Vash"] | [member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Siala Vash]

Siala's blue eyes narrowed slightly as she listened, and when the conversation at the bar became hushed, she canted her head. Shady deals were always done quietly, and the background noise didn't make it any easier to discern. Turning a small glance over her shoulder, she watched as [member="Cassius Droma"] left the bar.

Returning her gaze to her table, she'd just caught a glimpse of Droma settling at a table in the back. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket as she contemplated the options. Drawing a Coruscanti Clove from the pack, she stuck it between her lips and lit up. The fragrant smoke joined the haze of the cantina, and she puffed absently for another moment.

No matter how she sliced it, it seemed that she'd have to end up at the table in the back one way or another. She could play it cool or she could lay her cards out. Rising, she stopped at the bar to grab a quick drink before making her way over to Cassius.

“You look like you could use some company,” she said, offering a dazzling smile.

For now, she'd keep those cards close...

[member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Gren Blidh]

The bartender looked down at the 100-credit chit on the countertop, then back up to [member="Cassius Droma"]. The Jedi was overpaying for his meiloorun nectar.

His stubbly hand reached out and slid the credits behind the counter.

"Sit at the corner table, over there," He nodded over Cassius' shoulder, and then turned his back to him to tend the glasses behind the bar, as though the conversation had never taken place.

It would be some time before Cassius' inquiry found its way to Rinn's ears. By that time, the Jedi's corner hideaway had already attracted another visitor, and a conversation was already occurring. [member="Siala Vash"] was a sight unseen before, and her features wouldn't be easily forgotten by Rinn, especially in a hole-in-the-wall on the ass end of the galaxy like this one. The one-eyed man's silhouette hung over the table the two sat at for a moment, his long black smuggler's coat casting a shadow that preceded him, before Rinn finally took it upon himself to sit at one end of the circular table uninvited.

"You my new competition or something? You've got some cheek," He said gruffly at Siala.

 

[Cassius Droma]

It didn’t take very long for someone to approach him from the bar. Stone-faced, Cassius only quirked an eyebrow as the young woman sat down opposite of him. It hadn’t been long enough for the bartender to already tell someone about him, had it? There were many possibilities at play here, and with Cassius’s sometimes pessimistic attitude, he thoughtfully eliminated the positive ones.

She didn’t strike him as much of an astro-navigator, and a prostitute would be more forward. No, she was here for… something else. Cassius reached out with his senses, but her intentions were clouded, perhaps due to her own insecurities. Either way, he gave her a somewhat friendly nod.

“I suppose I could,” he replied, shifting only slightly. Now, for some reason, he was more hesitant to take a sip of his drink. He decided to anyways, just to keep up appearances. “How’d you make your way out here?” he asked casually, trying to pry a little.

After some time, a new stranger approached the table. This man was certainly gruffer, the eyepatch only helping to cinch the look. He addressed the woman first, and Cassius gathered that he had been sent by the bartender.

“I take it you’re a navigator, then?” Cassius asked, leaning forward a little. He didn’t want the conversation to get side-tracked with some sort of trivial squabble.

[member="Siala Vash"] | [member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Siala Vash]

Siala had a seat, returning the subtle nod given to her by [member="Cassius Droma"] with one of her own. Her dark lashes fluttered as she took in his appearance. He was clean-cut and that did make him stand out here in the cantina, but other than that... there wasn't much else to say. Save for that his expression made it clear to her that he was one of those... the sort that was rather difficult to read. Her brows lofted every slightly at his question.

“Oh, me?” She asked, and gave a little shrug. “I hitched my way here. I don't have a ship of my own...”

It was hopefully just enough to hint that she did need a ride out of here. But, before she could continue, a dark shadow fell over their table. She turned her head slightly to see the rugged coat of a man and then tilted her gaze up towards his face. The new arrival certainly did blend in here, the rough kind of man that found this sort of place appealing, for whatever reason.

“Competition?” She echoed him, “Well, we'll just have to see about that. And, cheek is my specialty.” Her darkly lined eye winked softly.

Siala folded her hands atop the table, she wasn't going anywhere just yet. Her eyes flickered back and forth between Cassius and [member="Rinn Bledh"].

 

[Gren Blidh]

Lights flashed, silhoetting Rinn in sapphire as a new song came through the cantina jukebox, sending its steady pulse through the club. The conversation between the three at the corner table was entirely ignored by the rest of the bar. Rinn preferred it that way. Still, he wished he was sitting where [member="Cassius Droma"] was. He didn't like having his back to the rest of the club; it made him instinctively uncomfortable. His eye innocuously peered over his shoulder as Rinn craned his neck ever so slightly, before turning back to [member="Siala Vash"], furrowing his brow.

"That's right," He responded to Cassius in the affirmative to his question. He still didn't know what the girl's role in all this was, but he would get to that later. "My name is Rinn. I hear you're looking to go through the nebula - not exactly a walk in the park."

Or something that had been accomplished ever, in fact, at least to Rinn's knowledge.

"What's the cargo?" He asked. "Just you and-" His unpatched eye shifted towards Siala as his stony frown remained, "-A little cheek?"

 

[Cassius Droma]

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the brunette woman who had yet to introduce herself. At the moment, Cassius was beginning to think this woman just wanted to leech off of him in order to get a cheap ride off planet. Find the handsome, rugged spacer, flutter her eyebrows, and she'd be off.

Unfortunately, Cassius was a little harder to convince than that.

The one-eyed spacer had introduced himself as Rinn - Cassius had to smile a little at that. The man was the namesake of his homeworld, as if it had meant to be. Maybe the galaxy was a smaller place after all.

"Cassius," he said, gesturing to himself. "And that's right, the nebula. There's an ancient space station in there that I need to explore." He'd keep the details vague - neither one of them needed to know exactly what he was looking for.

"I've got my own ship, I just need a navigator. As for her..." Cassius turned to the woman. The skeptical spacer-pilot in him said that she could be trying to join their little posse for a number of reasons, whether that just be a free ride, to rob them, or someone had sent her. Either way, it would be beneficial to keep her around. Also... the Jedi in him wanted to help wayward souls, even if they had bad intentions.

"She's free to come to, if she likes."

[member="Siala Vash"] | [member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Siala Vash]

Siala flicked some ash from the tip of her cigarette, letting it fall to the dusty floor. As the two men exchanged names, as well as bits of information, she took a small drag from the Coruscanti Clove. A smile curled her lips as the eye-patched man referred to her as 'a little cheek.' And, that smile only grew as the good-looking spacer said that she was welcome to join them.

“She'd be delighted,” She said, still grinning. Her name was the only one that had yet to be spoken, it was time to provide her own introduction. “Call me Vash,” She canted her head slightly. “Siala Vash.”

She leaned back slightly, sitting casually and relaxed.

“So, it seems you have your... navigator?” She let her dark eyes flicker towards Rinn, figuring that he was here to serve that purpose. “What would you want with an ancient space station?” She asked, brows lofting.

Mar Dellaeon was probably watching... or listening, he'd be pleased that she'd at least managed to get aboard Droma's ship.

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Gren Blidh]

[member="Cassius Droma"] was an awfully trusting person to let a complete stranger like [member="Siala Vash"] hop aboard his ship. Her story of an errant wanderer didn't sit well with Rinn. There were a lot of ways to get off world, any number of ships to take, especially for a woman who had good looks on her side. Hitching a ride on a ship that was about to travel through an as-yet-uncharted nebula was not the sanest of choices. This Siala Vash was up to something. Could she have been sent by Anover-Chase Industries?

It was Cassius' ship, and he was only being paid to navigate. But Rinn would be watching Siala Vash very carefully.

As for Cassius' motivations, that was also on Rinn's mind. The girl had simply asked the question first, but Rinn was equally waiting for an answer.

"It must be some space station, to traverse an uncharted nebula for," He added.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Now the woman had a name - Vash. He sensed no deception from her as she introduced herself, nor malicious intent in general. There was something that he couldn't put his finger on, but that was why he was having her come along. If she could, in fact, fool his Jedi senses and was here to spy or perhaps worse, he'd rather have her near where he could keep an eye on her than somewhere he couldn't.

The question of the importance of the station was raised - a reasonable one. These people wanted to know what they were getting into. Granted, Cassius couldn't put all of his cards on the table just yet, as there was still the possibility of someone else listening. Also, he needed to make it so that he, as the funder of the mission, was the most valuable thing to them. If they knew there could be an artifact that they could sell for much more than he could pay them, they could easily turn on him.

"There are some important research opportunities on the station of the anthropologic variety," Cassius said. "Important historical data. No one's been able to access it yet, hence my desire to go."

Taking another look around the bar, he placed his hands on the table and stood from his seat. "We should be going soon. You guys need anything before we ship out?"

[member="Siala Vash"] | [member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Siala Vash]

Research? Historical data? Well, that sounded boring. Her smiling face didn't betray the fact that she had an idea of what Cassius was really after. Of course, the details were quite sketchy... Dellaeon didn't even know what this... artifact looked like. He was counting on Siala – well, he was actually counting on Cassius – to find it. She would just need to sneak it away.

Their navigator's posture told her that he was... wary? Or, maybe he was just a bit skeptical. If his experience matched his weathered appearance, then he probably knew that it was easy to get stabbed in the back. Especially in places like this.

Siala herself was feeling quite good about this. She preferred the company of men, simply because it generally offered her a layer of protection. After all, she was still very much on the run from her ex-fiance and his men. This was probably the last place he'd ever look for her, but now she had a sturdy spacer and a rugged merc... she just needed to get them wrapped around her finger.

“Ready,” She chimed in a pleasant tone, glancing from Cassius to Rinn.

[member="Cassius Droma"], [member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Gren Blidh]

"There is one more thing," Rinn replied to [member="Cassius Droma"]. "Payment."

The man's proposition interested Rinn greatly. As-yet-undiscovered data was enough to convince the wild-spirited Rinn to agree to the expedition, but the former smuggler had learned some business acumen during his time as a smuggler. Namely, if one excelled at a certain service, to never perform it for free. He was still unsure what services [member="Siala Vash"] had to offer, but Rinn supposed he would find out soon enough.

"It will not be an easy journey for me to perform. I'll do it for ten thousand credits - five thousand up front."

Rinn was open to some negotiation on the latter number, but he would start with that.

"But if this space station is as promising as you say it will be, I'll give you all your credits back," He threw that offer in as a statement of good faith. Credits alone were not what motivated this spacer.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Vash announced she was ready, but Rinn still wanted to know about payment - reasonable enough. The asking price was also agreeable, as it was actually what Cassius was planning on paying him, seeing as how it was so dangerous. The stipulation that he'd give all of the credits back providing the station was interesting enough surprised Cassius, however. Maybe this navigator had an inquiring mind like he did. Granted, he wasn't sure if he'd offered to give credits back like Rinn had. People have to make a living, after all.

"Deal," Cassius nodded to the one-eyed spacer, "but let's get to my ship before I hand anything over. I wouldn't want anyone around here knowing I have that much cash lying around." And also, he didn't have that much on him to begin with. Trained Jedi he may be, he also wasn't a fool enough to believe he could hold off an entire bar of mercenaries and scoundrels.

He stood from the table, leading the pair out of the bar and towards the spaceport. Soon enough they reached his hangar, and sitting there was the Spectre Melody, his VCX-100 light freighter. Standing under the ventral cargo bay doors was T-4D4, his K-X series droid companion. The tall droid was working with a hydrospanner as the group walked up. He turned around and his head tilted in a quizzical look.

"I thought we were only going to pick up one navigator," the droid said, tossing Cassius a small black plastic container.

"We are," Cassius said, similarly tossing the container to Rinn. Inside were five thousand credits worth of chips. "This one has yet to completely prove her usefulness." Cassius handed Vash a mere one thousand credit ingot - incentive.

Cassius went up the boarding ramp and T-4D4 closed the ventral cargo bay. As the passengers climbed the ladder from the cargo bay to the cockpit, they would notice an RZ-2 A-wing interceptor fit snug in the cargo bay, ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.

Settling into the pilot's seat, Cassius pointed to the chair directly behind his, saying, "You can access the navicomputer from that terminal." Cassius buckled in as T-4 ran the preflight checks and got the engines warmed up. Once Cassius had cleared their takeoff with air traffic control, he lifted the ship off the landing pad and sent them hurtling towards the upper atmosphere.

[member="Siala Vash"] | [member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Siala Vash]

Vash arched a brow as Rinn brought up the subject of payment. Yes, she'd forgotten that these rough types could also be shrewd businessmen. And, credits always did interest her – the more the better. Idly, she pulled a small compact from her pocket and checked her eyeliner... but, she was listening closely. A smile curled her lips for a moment, Mr. Bledh really did not have a clue about this station and the value it truly held.

With any luck, it'd stay that way.

And, Cassius was sharp, Vash had to give him that. He was quick to lead them away from the eyes and ears and quick trigger fingers of the cantina. She followed him out, her arms swayed gently at her sides, her strides long and casual, almost like a lazy cat. When the reached the hangar, she took in the ship before fixing Cassius in a bit of a sidelong glance.

She let out a low whistle. It was a nice ride, one that she wouldn't have minded running off with herself. Vash's eyes narrowed slightly when the droid spoke, but she regarded him with indifference. She watched the credits being tossed about, and she found a single credit ingot in her palm a moment later. It wasn't all that much, but it was something.

The woman flashed an appreciative smile and stuck the ingot into her pocket.

But, if she came through... she'd have more than her fair share from Mar Dellaeon. As they followed Cassius into the cockpit, she did notice the A-wing. Well, now... this might work out to her advantage.

[member="Cassius Droma"]| [member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Gren Blidh]

The Spectre Melody wasn't the fanciest ship Rinn had ever laid eyes on. It certainly wasn't the most expensive. But it certainly was a step above the hunks of scrap Rinn had found himself on before, and it would do nicely for their trip. And the credits that slid into Rinn's coat after changing hands from [member="Cassius Droma"]? Those were even nicer.

Surpisingly, Cassius had also slipped [member="Siala Vash"] her own payment, essentially for doing nothing up to this point except looking pretty. Either this man was too generous with his money, or he knew a thing or two about motivating people. The man's lightsaber on his belt also did not go unnoticed by Rinn.

"That won't be necessary," The smuggler replied to Cassius, as he sat next to him. Where they were going, no navicomputer could help. "All I require is to be brought into space. I'll make the calculations there."

The good news was that if Siala was here to capture him, she probably would have tried to make her move already. Something else was motivating the girl. Rinn couldn't tell what it was yet, but he knew that Siala shackling herself to this mission with Cassius was no mere accident or coincidence. She knew something the rest of them didn't.

Rinn furrowed his brow and closed his lone visible eye as he prepared his brain to make the calculations for hyperspace. He was still able to ask Cassius a sidelong question at the same time.

"So, you're some kind of Jedi or something?" He motioned to the lightsaber barely visible at his side.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius raised an eyebrow as Rinn said he wouldn’t need a navicomputer. What kind of navigator didn’t need a navicomputer? Was it possible to do all of those calculations in one’s head? Cassius couldn’t even fathom it. Mathematics, for the most part, was never exactly his specialty. Perhaps he truly had picked the right navigator for the job.

Not that he trusted him or Vash yet, though. Casually, he activated a magnetic lock on all of the doors to the quarters, lounge, galley, and engineering bay. This would restrict them to the cockpit and the main corridor behind them, as well as the cargo bay below.

The Spectre Melody broke upper atmosphere, the tan sky giving way to inky blackness with pinpricks of light. Before long, they were coming up on the jump point. As Cassius made the first preparations to spool up the hyperdrive, Rinn asked a question that seemed casual on the surface, but was indeed important to Cassius’s identity.

“Depends on your definition of the word,” Cassius answered slyly, a small smile quirking at the edge of his lips. Across the galaxy, people defined themselves as ‘Jedi’, yet Cassius wouldn’t exactly align himself with them. “In the most general use of it, sure,” he continued, hoping to clarify. “I like to think of myself as a good guy, try to help people when I can, use a lightsaber instead of a blaster, that sort of thing.”

Placing his hand on the silver hyperspace handle, he nodded to Rinn. “Ready whenever you are.”

[member="Siala Vash"] | [member="Rinn Bledh"]

 

[Siala Vash]

Siala fixed Rinn in a bit of an incredulous glance. Just how was that supposed to work, unless he happened to have a navicomputer in his head? But, it was the next piece that really piqued her curiosity. Her dark eyes followed as Rinn motioned to Cassius' side, where she could only see the smallest glint of something.

Jedi. Was he really?

She leaned back in her chair, fastening her crash webbing... but listening very closely. Her eyes cut towards Cassius as he spoke. While he seemed reluctant to group himself with the Jedi, he was definitely a force user.

Well, then. Mar had conveniently left that part out when he'd told her about Cassius. Or, perhaps, he didn't even know. Well, this certainly threw a spanner into her plan. Siala would have to tread carefully. But, she threw on a sly smile nonetheless and glanced back to Rinn.

“Yeah,” She said, “Let's get to it, then.”

She smiled sweetly.

[member="Cassius Droma"], [member="Rinn Bledh"]