To Walk the Tight Rope

[Riamah]

Ailuros almost felt odd on the ground after having spent so much time in flight. Once in a while the young cat needed to get out and stretch her legs. She preferred to be alone or with only a small group, not really into large and crowded planets and tonight she was alone.

She was out on her first mission to gather information on the politics, leaders and factions that were near to home. In asking around, Ailuros had heard rumors around about a derelict spacecraft that was supposedly filled with treasure. Now the treasure didn't interest her much, but the ship did.

Her people didn't wear clothes or if they did it was only when they went to battle, so the only thing she wore was a belt filled with the tools of her trade and her weapon. Sitting in a cantina at the bar, she was talking to the bar tender asking her questions.

Hoping to get a better idea of where this ship was supposed to bed, she sipped on the drink purchased and wondered if anybody else would be searching for this treasure filled ship.

[member="Duncan Pierce"]

 

[Duncan Pierce]

Soaring through the galaxy recollecting clues, information and rumors for jobs or something fun to do, Duncan heard about a ship that was filled with treasures, landing in the nearest planet he could find ask to the computer in the ship to stay alert and analyze every ship near the planet, the man puts his long coat, clip his blaster pistol SE-14C and run to the nearest cantina, once inside the man went directly to the bartender.

"One corellian whisky and leave the bottle" he said and place the credits for his drink "Tonight I have a big score, I don't care about the ship but the treasure, whatever it is I'm sure someone is going to pay a lot for it"

The man didn't have inner voice so probably someone else would have heard what he said, he didn't care tho, actually it was good if someone heard him and wanted to help, after all steal a ship by his own didn't sound like a good idea.

[member="Ailuros"]

 

[Riamah]

People came and went from the bar, both customers and servers with their drinks. Ailuros' tail was upright and it's tip swishing back and forth on it's own. If she wanted to control it she could, but tonight felt like letting the tail do as it pleased.

A lone man several years older than her a few inches shorter walked up to the bar ordering a bottle of whiskey and mentioned the ship she had heard the rumor about. Once his bottle was in place with a glass for him, the cat turned his direction. Her whiskers almost shivering on her face and her ears perked forward.

"Do you know where the ship can be found? I've been hearing talk about it and wanted to see if maybe I could bring it back."

Picking up her glass again, she took a drink waiting on the man to answer.

[member="Duncan Pierce"]

 

[Duncan Pierce]

Before he could pour the whisky in his glass girl got closer and ask if he knew anything about the ship, the girl wasn't human she had feline like features, a tail, whiskers and cat like ears, he had heard about this species before the Triannis, never saw one and the interesting thing about the girl is that she was naked, and that's something you don't see every day in the galaxy, in any case Duncan took a drink of his whisky and speak

"Kind of, I know it's near this planet, the computer of my ship is analyzing the perimeter if it founds something, it'll tell me, want to join? The more the merrier!"

[member="Ailuros"]

 

[Riamah]

Ailuros had caught him mid-motion to filling up his glass when she approached and spoke to him of the treasure ship. He took a moment to fill his glass and take a drink before answering her. His answer was good to hear and she smiled at him, her small canine fangs showing before the smile ended with her taking another drink. It was only water since she needed her wits to learn about things and remember them.

"I was looking for a partner as well for this. I wonder what kind of ship it is and it's size? It's rumored to carry treasure, but I'm more interested in the ship itself."

Setting her glass down, Ailuros twitched an ear to face outward to hear if anybody else was talking about this ship. There wasn't any she could hear and turned it back to Duncan.

Extending a paw like she had noticed others doing when first meeting, she introduced herself.

"I am Ailuros."

[member="Duncan Pierce"]

 

[Duncan Pierce]

Duncan observed the girl, it was interesting and at the same time amusing twitching her ears, she was interested in the ship instead of the treasure that was good for the man, he accepted the handshake and speak

"Duncan Pierce, it's a pleasure [member="Ailuros"], I can feel this is the beginning of a nice partnership, you want the ship and I want the treasure we complement each other in this mission"

The man gave another sip to his drink and he heard a beeping sound, checking the communication device in his wrist he knew what that sound meant.

"Bingo!
We have our big fish, it's time to go fishing"

Duncan ask Ailuros to follow him and went to the deck where the "Black Hawk" his HWK-290 was, he activate the landing ramp "Ladies first" said making a little bow, once inside a mechanical voice started talking

"I found the mystery ship, it looks like a CR90 Corvette, I'm tracing a route to the abandon ship"

"That's Hawk, the computer of the ship, feel like you're in your home and if you need something you can ask me or Hawk" Duncan sat on the pilot seat and got ready to take off, the treasure seemed more and more interesting now that he knows it is inside a Corellian Corvette, those ships are huge.

 

[Riamah]

The man provided his name and shook her paw. She agreed they would make a good team for this adventure and looked forward to working with him. After they each had another drink, a beeping came from his wrist and the cat look at it curiously. Her ears tiled forward listening to the sound. Evidently his ship had found what they were looking for and that it was time to go.

Falling into step with Duncan, Ailuros followed him to his ship and she climbed on board when he offered her to go first. A robotic voice greeted them with the information regarding the mysterious ship and that a route would be found to it soon enough.

Giving herself a quick tour of the ship, she decided to join Duncan in the cockpit. Taking up the seat next to him, she listened to the sound of the engines powering up and couldn't help but be happy at the sound she heard. This man appeared to know his ship and took care of it.

"Thank you for letting me join. I think it'll be difficult to take the ship now we know what is. I also highly doubt we will be able to pick all the treasure if there's any left. Do you know how long the rumor has been around?"

Sitting back in the seat, she would look at Duncan with her full attention.

[member="Duncan Pierce"]

 

[Duncan Pierce]

Duncan smiled when Ailuros's eyes shined once the ship took off, he was enjoying having a partner that's not the computer, he took a minute to be sure that the ship was functioning perfect and then answer

"You're welcome, it's nice to have a partner around, I don't really know how much the rumor has been around, I heard a lot of things wandering the galaxy but it sounds recent to me, in any case what really worries me is the fact that it's abandon, I mean it's a CR90 Corellian Corvette, those things are huge it seems weird that all the crew left the ship just like that, in any case if there's still a treasure I'll take it."

The man grinned, he was happy not only had a partner but she was interested more on the ship than the treasure, and even if there wasn't a treasure just the fun of an adventure was enough to make Duncan happy. Once the route was traced he ask Hawk to show a hologram of the CR90 Corvette, the computer obey and in front of the co-pilot controls appear the hologram of the ship

"The CR90 Corvette is a ship made by the Corellian Engineering Corporation, it's width and length are 48.6 meters and 150 meters respectively, it's heavily arm with turbo lasers turrets and the crew number goes from 30 to 165 although the minimum crew needed it's usually of 7 counting engineers, pilots, gunners, etc."

"Amazing ship isn't it?
Doesn't seem to hard to pilot, once we land in the docking bay and we're done exploring we should head to the cockpit and see if the two of us can manage to pilot that thing."

Normally he would leave the autopilot but this time he feel like flying by himself, after all the ship wasn't too far it would take them at least two hours to find it.

[member="Ailuros"]

 

[Riamah]

In the minute it took for Duncan to answer, Ailuros had looked around the cockpit and figured out what most of the lights, buttons, dials and levers meant or did. He gave her a smile as well and said it was nice to have a partner around. She had been used to working with her team so could easily work with this man. Their goals were different, but the target was the same.

"Perhaps some illness or atmosphere leak caused the crew to abandon ship. Maybe there was rumor of a curse to the treasure or an item in it."

She was a little superstitious and if there was a curse or rumor of one, the cat wanted to know.

Turning to look at the hologram provided by Hawk and the details of the ship, she listened and nodded.

"It is quite a ship. Depending where the controls are located and it is in any condition to fly, then we could of course try to fly it. Are you sure the docking bay is open? Maybe have to latch on or tether across to see of a way in."

He piloted the ship himself instead of letting the autopilot do it. It would take a little longer, but what need was there to hurry? The ship would still be there.

[member="Duncan Pierce"]

 

[Duncan Pierce]

"Hey if the Force is real a course might as well too, that makes me want to get the treasure even more!"

Always dreaming to hit the jackpot and this could be it, even if in the end it's nothing the thrill of the adventure was enough for him, a couple of minutes passed and he speak again.

"So... What are you doing in this Galaxy?
First time I met someone of your species and I figure you're not just the type to jump at any rumor that we hear in this galaxy, in my case I just want to have adventures and travel and visit as many planets as I can, of course for that I need the ship on point, I need the credits so I work as a Bounty Hunter or Smuggler it depends on what people need, but it's just boring for me I'm not a hardworking guy it has to be something really interesting to catch my attention and get me in full Business mode"

He laughed.

[member="Ailuros"]

 

[Riamah]

"Oh, I hope there's not curse. Do you think there might be a songsteel blade or anything? All I heard was treasure and abanded ship. What is really considered treasure though? Not everybody thinks of the same thing."

The look on Duncan's face made it look like he was day dreaming slightly and it made Ailuros smile slightly. It wasn't a large and toothy grin since her longer canines might scare him off. The cat face also didn't really display smiles quite the same way as it did for humans. He came out of his musings and asked what she was doing and that she was the first her species that he'd met.

"I doubt you'll meet another off Trian. My race is called Trianni and well we're cats and very curious."

Moving so she wasn't going to sit on her tail, it draped itself over the side of the chair next to Duncan and she looked at him quite openly.

"I'm an adult in my people and we have led a secluded life on our little planet. We don't know what's out there really."

Opening her arms, she motioned to the galaxy in front of the ship before looking back at Duncan.

"So I was sent out to learn what's out here."

[member="Duncan Pierce"]