Unknown Regions Salvage (Open)

[Armand Temi]

Armand went to the ships canteen and programmed in two cups of stimcaf. As tired as he was, a hot drink sounded relaxing and since he could still feel the trace effects of the SonicServodriver, he figured the a stimulant wouldn't completely keep him awake all night. He took one of the cups to Ornil and said, "I don't want to keep you from your work so I'll be in the quarters. But please don't hesitate to ask or have one of your droids let me know if you need me to bring you anything else."

He went back inside the ship and stretched his long legs out on one of the ship's bunks. He pulled out his datapad to check his messages. There were a few messages from his family, one from his Jedi Master and a barrage of text messages from one of his most active clients, Mistress Malkite. She had almost single-handedly created his clinic's high demand for Abyssin cells and other types of skin treatments which prevented her from aging. In fact she was constantly pestering him for more experimental treatments lately, her anxiety about growing old turning into full-blown OCD. But perhaps he would find something on this trip that he could use on Malkite. Or at least find a unique gift for her in Wild Space to reward her for being such a good customer.

[member="Lenix Ornil"]

 

[Wan Min Brightsky]

Wan Min smiled as she opened the door for Alena. Her bunk was as messy as the rest of the ship: Clothes were scattered on the floor, stacks of datapads lay on every open surface, and paper notes for salvage operations lay in uneven stacks on the tables and floor.

"Go ahead and lay down. That bed is surprisingly comfortable. Try to get some rest Alena. I'll be right outside if you need me," Min said tenderly to her friend. She kissed her softly and made sure she laid down.

She threw the toggle switch to turn the lights off and turned around to see Alena's eyes close. She smiled softly at her and closed the door. Min made her way to the galley and grabbed a few of the datapads with the salvage information. Time passed quickly as Min jotted down notes on a spare notepad. D4 came in a few times during the night to check on her. Some time between reviewing schematics of a Hammerhead-Class cruiser and looking at large debris orbital mechanics, she passed out with her face pressed against a datapad.

At 0600, D4 rolled into the room and jolted her awake by poking her with his robotic arm. Beep, whoop beep!

Min groaned at the sound of the little utility droid beeping in her ear.

"Alright D4, I get it. I fell asleep working last night, give me a minute to wake up" She said to the droid as she lifted her head off the table. She stumbled over to the mirror in the fresher and looked at her reflection. I need to ask Alena about looking good in our line of work, because I look like hell! Min thought to herself. She had 30 minutes before the rest of the salvage crew got there. Thirty minutes to freshen herself up and look presentable.

She stumbled into her bunk and threw on the lights.

"Sorry to wake you up sweetie, but we've got company coming in a little under a half an hour to go over the final plans for our mission," Min said to her very hungover looking friend.

Min grabbed a pile of clean-looking clothes and quickly changed. She noticed Alena giving her the not-so-subtle once over as she did.

"If you want a free show, come back later on when I'm not busy!" Min said, giggling a bit at Alena's thought process. Leave it up to Alena to think about sex when we've got a mission to start up, she thought.

She quickly ran out of the room in wrinkled, but clean clothes and grabbed her comm unit. She had remembered to grab the comm channels of the other crew members before they left so she could contact them.

"Hey everyone, this is Wan Min over on the Star's End. If you all could come over here in fifteen minutes, we can go over the final plans for salvage and be on our way. Sound good?"

[member="Armand Temi"]
[member="Piraiba"]
[member="Lenix Ornil"]
[member="Alena"]

 

[Alena Reckar]

Alena woke to Wan Min pulling an entire G-class star into the room. The light caused her to throw an arm over her face as the light seared the front of her brain. As Min teased her Alena slowly uncovered her eyes, giving them time to adjust. Min was snaking her petite frame out of her clothes, and the view of soft breasts and thighs reminded Alena's stomach she was hungry. No there's a random connection if I ever knew one. She thought to herself as she sat upright and rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. Min was opting out of a shower, something Alena refused to do. She took off her shirt and bra, then kicked off her boots and slid out of her pants. Her partner was slipping into worn, but nice enough, clothes and readying herself for the morning meeting with the rest of their team.
"I'll be there in a few," Alena muttered as Wan Min rushed out of the room jabbering into her commlink. She rolled her eyes and grabbed a towel out of the locker opposite Min's bed, then rooted through her drawers for something to wear. After turning down a number of items, she opted for plain black pants and a grey tank top.

The shower water was nice; warm, like a hug. Alena washed quickly to allow herself as much soak time as possible and spent the next ten minutes leaning against the back of the shower and enjoying the spray on her chest and stomach. Her brain still hurt from the liquor, though she could have come out worse for wear had Min not shown up to cut her off when she did. Oddly, her stomach felt fine. Talk about your blessings, huh? Alena thought to herself as she turned off the 'fresher. After toweling dry and pinning up her hair, Alena applied a smidge of eyeliner and a passing of blush, then threw on her tank top and pants and reached for her boots.
We are going to have a lot to talk about, aren't we? Alena wondered as she pulled on the first boot and laced it up. Kissing, pet names, these had all appeared out of no where the night before and now Alena was waking up in Wan Min's bed as if they'd been married for years. The situation made Alena feel uncomfortable and she felt she needed to extricate herself from it for a while. She gathered her clothes, wallet and wrist comp, tossing it all into a bag and slipped out of the landing ramp of the Star's End. Alena disappeared to her own vessel to drop off her clothes, then pulled on a slim-fitting blue covert coat to ward off morning's chill.
Not wanting to talk at the moment, Alena made sure to return to Wan Min's side just before her final briefing was supposed to start. Alena grabbed a quick snack and made her way to the Star's End. She waited patiently for the others to return, but was silently hoping for some haste. For now, all Alena wanted was to return to the cockpit of the Arse End and log hyperspace coordinates.

[member="DasGeneral"]
[member="Armand Temi"]
[member="Zaahir Asad"]
[member="Lenix Ornil"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Armand's alarm went off about an hour before he heard Ms. Brightsky's call to meet her and the other crew members at The Star's End. As he yawned and stretched in his borrowed bunk aboard the Squib's ship - which he had found out was named Thunderflash - he realized that between the cantina drink and the exercise, he had slept soundly through the night. He turned on a light above the bunk so he could see as he gathered his belongings. He had slept in his clothes but hoped he could get a halfway decent shower on Ms. Brightsky's ship. Armand grabbed a small bag with his personal gear: a jacket in case it got cold, some medpacs and credits. He also brought along the small box of cells and then quietly opened the hatch, so he wouldn't wake Ornil.

Armand made his way across the docking bay where The Star's End sat ready for their salvaging journey. Once he got close enough, he called out her name: "Miss Brightsky! Dr. Temi is here and I believe I'm right on time."

[member="DasGeneral"]
[member="Zaahir Asad"]
[member="Lenix Ornil"]
[member="Alena"]

 

[Wan Min Brightsky]

"Mister Temi, pleasure to see you this morning. Please, come aboard and wait inside for the rest of the crew. Once everyone is gathered, we will start the final briefing," Wan Min said, shaking Temi's hand and gesturing for him to come aboard.

Min greeted the rest of the crew as they arrived. After weeks of prep work and research, she was ready to get off Selvaris and be on her way to a nice payday.

"Okay, thank you all for coming here this morning. Since we've all gone over the targets of salvage at the cantina, we don't need to go over it again in detail. Remember, once we leave hyperspace, our target is a partially or fully intact Hammerhead-Class cruiser. Set scanner dispersal to wide area, no one has been in this system for a few thousand years and no Republic surveys came out here after the Galactic Cold War. We might find something of value out there besides the ships on the other planets or moons. On the datapads in front of you are the orbital paths that I believe we will find the bulk of the debris and hull fragments located within. Once you find something resembling a hull, notify the rest of us on the comms and we will check it out together," Min explained.

"Mister Ornil, your vessel has the best chance of snaring our elusive Hammerhead-Class in a tractor beam, so once we have found our target I would like you to come in and hit it with your tractors. Once we have it secure, we put on EVA suits and make our way over to the hull and do a damage assessment. Mister Temi, you and Mister Asad will split off and search for Mister Temi's elusive biological materials that je would like to salvage. Remember, anything that looks intact and worth something, let me know. We'll catalog it and I can contact my friends in the antiques market and get it on the way to an auction. Anything you find in there is yours, I won't take a cut of the profits of the sale. As for my antique broker, you'll have to negotiate with him. He's a Wookie, the only one running an antique auction, and he isn't known for his...negotiating skills," Min said to Ornil and Asad.

"Mister Piraba, you and Mister Ornil will go into the engine compartments and inspect the status of the fusion reactor and the hyperdrive engines. The odds are good that nothing is intact since the Sith liked to go for the engines and weapons first. Anything that can be reactivated, go ahead and give it a try," Min said to Piraba and Ornil.

"Remember once we do a survey of the ship and find it to be worth the effort of salvaging it, we'll bring it out of the debris field. We drop it in a stable orbit that I've designated 'Orbital Path Sierra-One' on your datapads. Salvage should take no more than a day or two. After that, we can spend as much time as the rest of you want in system looking for other targets of opportunity for salvage. I've budgeted around a week total in system for our contract and additional salvage targets. This system is as far from shipping lanes as you can get, so no chance of any hostile encounters out there or civilian shipping. We'll take our time, and once we have decided to leave we make for Selvaris. I will notify my client once we return and he should take no more than a day or two to arrive," Min said and waited for responses.

"Mister Ornil, you, Mister Piraba, Mister Asad, and Mister Temi will be aboard your ship, the Thunderflash, and Alena and I will be aboard the Star's End. My ship has pretty limited rations for more than two or three people and I don't have a lot of room on this little ship. I am sorry about this, if we need to transfer one or two crew members over during the salvage we can do so. Let's be on our way at 0745. Rendezvous in high orbit. Coordinates are on your datapads, due galactic north of planet 'Tera Lush,' Unknown Regions, unexplored map hex at edge of galaxy, Thirty Lightyears north of Tera Lush. System designate URSD-00741-E75, we all set?" Min asked.

As the rest of the crew left to go to the Thunderflash, she turned to Alena. "I already contacted port authorities while you were getting your things at the Arse End. You're paid up for three weeks mooring on Selvaris. I need you here on the Star's End with me, alright? Besides, we can make the time go faster if you're here..." Min said to her and gave her a seductive look.

She waited for Alena's response and headed up to the bridge. She took out a small communications device, hidden under the control panel and keyed the mic.

"Forecaster, Forecaster, this is Klutzy Dreamer please respond. I say again Forecaster, Forecaster, this is Klutzy Dreamer please respond. En route for salvage op, Unknown Regions, northern sector. Will identify additional salvage targets for the Alliance. Please advise," Min said into the mic. She turned around and saw Alena looking at her.

"Um...Sit down Alena, we need to talk about something."

[member="Armand Temi"]
[member="Alena"]
[member="Zaahir Asad"]
[member="Lenix Ornil"]
[member="Piraiba"]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

 

[Alena Reckar]

Wan Min read off the coordinates to conclude the final briefing. Alena raised a hand casually to get the group's attention before anyone started making for their vessel. "We won't be jumping directly there. No one else knows about this location except for us, as far as we know," Alena reminded them. "Let's keep it that way. Take a minimum of two alternate vectors before queueing in the actual approach. Space them out too, feel free to get creative, but I don't want anyone tracking us." After a moment, Alena added, "And sweep your hulls for tracking beacons, just in case. I'm a bit paranoid, but I'd also rather not get shot up over junked ships. It's happened to me before..." She waved her hand dismissively, signaling her piece was over.
When she caught Wan Min's eye, the small woman announced her charity, drawing Alena's ire. Little prick... Alena thought to herself, though she knew it was her pride talking, not her sense. To be honest, she was going to enjoy traveling with Min, even though the previous night's events were likely to complicate their time together somewhat.
As if she had read Alena's mind, Min stowed away the commlink device she'd been calling to a certain Forecaster on, whatever that was about. "Look, Min, can we save it for the hyperlanes, please, I'd rather not hash it out now..." In an attempt to placate the woman, Alena reached forward and left her hand to rest on Min's hip, cradling it gently as she stepped towards her sort of lover. "Let's just get things started first, then we can...I dunno...start on us?"

[member="DasGeneral"]

 

[Piraiba]

Piraiba groaned in fatigue as he stood from his most recent kill. The creature that lie dead upon the ground had been as large and heavy as he was. Its exoskeleton plating had been hard to pierce with his lightsaber, but Piraiba had immense strength to place behind the hilt and overpower the creature's natural defenses.

All around the feline he could hear the sound of battle and screaming. His Sith compatriots fought valiantly, but they hadn't been prepared for this invasion. The tides were turning against them.

The Togorian's ears then pivoted as he heard the buzz of wings coming up from behind him. Immediately the beast spun around and thrust his white bladed lightsaber out into the direction of the incoming opponent. The blade connected, but it wasn't a Diathim he saw on the end of his blade, but rather the lithe form of [member="Ellifain Verrona"] with the most horrified look of terror on her face.

The mortified feline screamed at seeing the death of one of his dearest friends on his own blade.




Piraiba snapped awake with a shout as both of his white lightsabers ignited and shot out from pure involuntary muscle impulse.

It was just a nightmare ...

The Togorian deactivated his weapons and slowly pushed himself to his feet. The nightmares had been becoming more frequent since his father died in front of him months prior. It was like a floodgate had opened unleashing all of the bottled up emotions and terror for the battles he had waged over the years.

This nightmare had been one of his earlier battles. It was during his time in the now defunct Sith Empire. There he followed his friends Sable and Sven into an invasion against the Diathim and Maelibus of the moons of Iego. He hadn't truly killed Ellifain. Actually the Diathim he had killed had taken the illusion of a childhood friend. One he hadn't seen in so many years that his memory had faded the girl's face. His mind had actually replaced it with Ellifain's, whom he had actually met later.

Reliving that illusion was still gut wrenching no matter how much he told himself it hadn't been real. Thankfully his commlink buzzed shortly after with Wan's voice to take his mind off of the dream.

~~~~~~

The Togorian followed [member="Armand Temi"] as the man walked into the Star's End. It didn't take long for the crew to gather. Piraiba waited patiently as Wan Min started to lay out the plans.

"Hah Piraiba has negotiation. Everyone is afraid of Wookies because Wookies might pull their arms off. This one will pull Wookie's arms off."

The humor and excitement faded as she continued.

"This one does not know of hyperdrive or engines."

The Togorian looked down at the Squib curiously. Smaller creatures tended to be crafty with mechanics. Perhaps [member="Lenix Ornil"] simply needed him to carry tools. That was simple enough.

Someone who knew Piraiba would have thought it odd for the cat to take part in a salvage mission. Truthfully he hoped getting away from slaughter would help his mind settle.



[member="Alena"]
[member="DasGeneral"]

 

[Lenix Ornil]

The squib turned up very late to the meeting, but was thankful Wan Min hadn't started. He'd ended up falling asleep on the job of welding the repair plate on his sublight drive, which R5 ended up fixing and bringing a blanket to cover the squib as he slept in the engine room. He was still very tired but awake enough to hear all the instructions. He looked up at his new crew with a grin

"Of course Miss, she will be able to hold it steady just fine. Anything that can be repaired, you are looking at the one person who can repair it!" he exclaimed proudly.

He noted the huge feline's concerns about joining him on the mission and gave his leg a cheerful bump with his small furry elbow "Don't worry big guy, nothing complicated, just heavy lifting and some muscle incase we activate any ancient droids by accident and they don't seem friendly" he could see the big cat was going to be out of his element, but he'd had many more in the same position before, and had managed to source an appropriate EVA suit for the big cat.

"I understand, Thunderflash can easily accommodate three extras for at least 6 months, though-" he turned to the three "Don't imagine I'm letting you have free reign, these supplies are expensive! Obey my ship rules and you' will be fine. If not? I'll drop you off at the nearest asteroid" the Squib, though diminutive in size could certainly talk big! Though it was his ship in the end so no one could really argue

The Squib nodded at Alena as she explained the old salvager's trick "What? You expected me to fly direct? I'm almost offended" he chuckled "But of course, I'll have a droid scan the hull before we leave for double measures, just incase. Right then, docking bay Sixteen for those who want to go grab an early drink before we go, if not just follow me" the Squib turned to the door and dipped his cap in respect for Wan Min with a smile~ the squib able to see what the bickering with Alena was hinting at before handing her a small data card "This will keep comm contact along a private channel for emergencies, though I'd like it back after, they're expensive to make" he smiled "Good luck, and see you soon!"

[member="Piraiba"] [member="Alena"] [member="DasGeneral"] [member="Armand Temi"] [member="Zaahir Asad"]

 

[Armand Temi]

The Squib laid down some pretty firm expectations for their time on the Thunderflash. But they seemed fair enough because they were all strangers and he was the owner of the ship. Besides, Armand knew that beneath his scrappy exterior Ornil had been very generous to him in the short time they had known each other. He hoped to return the favor and would make sure he would pay credits for any food or drink he consumed from the ship's supplies.

And then there was the Togorian who would come in handy as lending muscle to anything they found during the trip that would be too hard for any being not of his size to carry. Once the crew found the Hammerhead-class relic, Armand doubted there would be danger from something living but one never really knew what was out there in space.

As the Hapan doctor followed the Ornil and Piraiba, he did hope he could be useful to the crew. Salvaging operations could be dangerous especially if a ship wasn't in the best shape and if one of the crew fell from a great height or sliced themselves on jagged metal, Armand could triage any type of minor wound or injury. As they walked to the Thunderflash he thought of what he was hoping to find out there in Wild Space. Ideally if Armand could locate bio-matter from an extinct life-form and it had been organically or cryogenically frozen, he would be able to bring it back to Hapes and then try to grow the lifeform again in his private laboratory. And then depending on if it were a viable plant or animal material, he would then publish the results in The Hapan Science Journal and hopefully would win some type of award. Maybe he would even get to meet the pretty Hapan Senator, Persephone Callas.

As they walked, Armand turned to Ornil and asked, "What are your ship's rules again? I don't know if I saw those posted anywhere but I could be mistaken." Then he looked up at the Torogian and knew he shouldn't be intimidated but still was slightly fearful of the majestic cat creature in spite of himself.

[member="Piraiba"] [member="Alena"] [member="DasGeneral"] [member="Zaahir Asad"] [member="Lenix Ornil"]

 

[Wan Min Brightsky]

Min motioned for Alena to sit down. "This isn't about you and I, I need to tell you something. Please, sit down."

Alena worked the controls and the Star's End made its way off of the surface of Selvaris. The buttery white clouds broke as the Star's End powered its way through the cloud bank and towards the upper atmosphere. The upper atmosphere of Selvaris gave way to orbit and interstellar space beyond.

"Listen, I know you overheard me sending out a signal. Let me explain. A few months back, I was working a salvage operation out on the Outer Rim, past the Seswenna Sector, a routine salvage operation for a buyer on Tatooine. He wanted me to track down an old Alliance Escort Carrier that had been crippled during a run in with the Empire. I got out there and found the ship. There was enough there to make the sale and fill my credit accounts for a while. Just as I was preparing to activate my tractor beams and get out, I was jumped by a group of raiders. They came at me from all sides. They were too powerful. The ship was crippled, I was venting atmosphere. I was on my last breath practically. I sent out an emergency signal and out of nowhere these...X-Wing fighters jumped out of hyperspace and took them out. They saved my life, Alena." Min explained and waited for a moment to allow Alena to think and respond.

"They offered to escort me back to their command ship. When I got there, they helped me to repair the ship and got me on my way. They didn't even take my salvage. I promised them that I would help them however I could. They told me that they were the Rebel Alliance, that they were out to destroy the One Sith, the Imperial Remnant, any power in the galaxy that sought to oppress the people. You know me, little old Wan Min, Miss Idealist, Miss Sheltered-Millionaire's-Daughter, Miss I've-never-seen-real-poverty. I've seen things out here Alena, things that made me stop and think and reflect on how little I knew of the galaxy and how much pain and suffering there was out there."

"They gave without expectation of reward, so in return I promised them I'd help them out. I told them that I'd help them by finding salvage targets. Out here in the Outer Rim and the Unknown Regions there are enough shipwrecks and half-destroyed hulls to let them do some real good. I know this is a bit much to take in, but I...I feel like I'm doing something good for a chance. Like I can help make people's lives better. Even if it is just doing my job, you know?" Wan Min said and waited for Alena's response.

She threw the toggle on her scanners and saw the Thunderflash waiting at the rendezvous point. Min hit the comm button and signaled, "Thunderflash, this is Star's End, let's get going!" With that, she wrenched the lever forward for hyperspace and began her journey to the salvage grounds.

[member="Alena"]
[member="Armand Temi"]
[member="Lenix Ornil"]
[member="Piraiba"]

 

[Alena Reckar]

Alena sat down and let Wan Min talk without interruption. The story was a harrowing one, and despite her openness policy, she hadn't bothered to tell Alena about it until now, which ticked her off a little but was fine. What made her real mad was Wan Min's willingness to get roped in with a bunch of firebrands and vigilantes.
Once she had finished her story, Alena leaned forward in her seat and smiled slightly at Wan Min. Then she smacked the other woman sharply across the cheek. Not hard enough to really hurt her, just hard enough to leave a slight mark and get her attention. "Are you mad??" Alena demanded, standing over Min with her fists dug into her hips. "Jumping into bed with brigands like the Rebel Alliance, have you gone daft!?" Alena glanced toward the viewport at the hyperspace tunnel swirling before them, gesturing wildly with one hand toward the emptiness of space.
"If they want to be do-gooders and save my girlfriend from bandits and raiders, that's fine, but don't think you have to go joining their cause just to say thank you. You're going to get me killed, you're going to get yourself killed, which is worse!" Alena ran a hand through her blue-grey hair, chewing on her lower lip while she fumed and stalked back and forth across the cabin.
"You blew your lid last night chewing me out for endangering myself on every dirt-covered world across the entire Rim. You gave me this...this poodoo about how you didn't want to lose me and see me run my life into the ground, and now you're running errands for the Alliance!?" Alena felt herself running out of steam but she wasn't quite done yet. She turned to stare Wan Min down, her dull red eyes were alight like fire.
"Do you know what people like the Sith do to people who help their enemies? I don't even care if it's simple smuggling, I don't care if we're three-quarters of the whole kriffing Galaxy away from Coruscant, I'd rather not have to suffer through watching Sith flay you alive with their stupid lightsabers! You want to better other peoples' lives, that's fine, but let's better ours first and when we can afford it, we'll start making tax-deductible donations to orphanages in the Core, how does that sound?"
When Alena looked back to Min her eyes were wet. Dammit, I'm at it again. She clenched her jaw and sat down heavily in her chair, then spun herself away from Wan Min to look over console readouts that didn't need anyone's attention, least of all hers.
Yes, Alena was angry, but mostly just surprised. She didn't appreciate the hypocritical nature of Wan Min's mission with the Rebels, and the danger they might incur as a result was a glaring concern. Even so, Wan Min's desire to help others in a Galaxy that didn't favor those who tried, only made Alena appreciate her more...

[member="DasGeneral"]

 

[Wan Min Brightsky]

Min reached up and held the place on her face where Alena had smacked her. It stung a little bit, but she supposed that was the least that Alena could have done to her if she had wanted. Her eyes were damp and she felt like crying. She looked over to where Alena was sitting, her backed turned to her working controls that were already automated. They had a few more minutes until the ship dropped out at its first set of coordinates far enough away from the salvage site that no one following them would be able to tell their final destination.

"Alena I...I'm sorry. I should have told you about what happened. I was afraid that you wouldn't come with me. I wish you had been there with me a few months ago when this all happened. I needed support, Ale," Min said, using Alena's old college nickname. She knew that would at least get her attention. No one but Min called Alena that name.

"I promise that they have never asked me to do anything dangerous or risky. I never smuggled cargo for them, I've never carried an Alliance officer or soldier on my ship once. I ran one salvage mission for them and that was it. If...if it means that much to you then I'll leave the Rebel Alliance at the end of this mission. I'll break all ties with them Ale. I won't put what we have, or what we could have in jeopardy because of this," Min said. She stood up and walked over to where Alena was sitting and put her hand on Alena's shoulder. She turned Alena's chair towards her and looked her in her beautiful, tear stained red eyes.

"I missed you so much. Please don't think I was trying to hurt you by not telling you to begin with. I just wanted to protect you. You've been through so much, and it's not fair for me to ask you to put up with this. I just wanted to do something good for once in my life. I spent so long not helping anyone, I just lived for me," Min explained. She started to get choked up looking at her lover's sad eyes.

"There is so much pain in the galaxy, so much anger and sorrow. The Sith and Imperials latch onto that and use it. If more of us did something, tried to help our fellow creatures, then maybe they wouldn't have so much power over us. I'm an idealist and a fool, I know it. But, I just wanted to do something for other people for a change. Maybe after this mission you and I can find a way to do that. A way that isn't just giving money to orphanages, but isn't as dangerous as working for the Rebel Alliance either. Make this galaxy a better place to live?" Min said.

She reached over and flipped the hyperspace lever, bringing the ship back into normal space. She bent down and softly kissed Alena's cheek. Min quickly typed in the coordinates to the salvage site and threw the lever once more, sending the ship hurtling back into hyperspace and towards their large paydays.

[member="Alena"]

 

[Verd Skirata]

He paused for a moment to think, Then activated the frequency he had been given. "Star's End, This is Prudii. I was told that Klutzy Dreamer was on this vessel, and was going on a salvaging mission from our Employer. I wanted to know if you needed a hand with the op." He sat back and waited for her reply. He had thought that he should use the code name to get ahold of her. not knowing who would be listening on this frequency.
[member="DasGeneral"]

 

[Alena Reckar]

Alena sat and fumed for a minute more as Wan Min explained herself, touched Alena, kissed her, returned to the control console. She felt her cheeks burning with anger, but it began slowly from a boil to a simmer fairly quickly. That was classic Alena, volatile enough to burn those who cared about her, but rational enough to recover from it swiftly. The downside to that was Alena was able to move on while those she'd hurt were still reeling from the pain she'd caused them. Wan Min was made of tougher stuff, but she still didn't deserve the full brunt of Alena's wrath. Alena took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead, unable to look at Min for the moment. Clumsily she pulled a cigarette from the breast pocket of her jacket and lit it, inhaling deeply and sending smoke streaming from her nostrils.
"Min, you're not wrong, it's just...sudden. You should have come to me ages ago, when this all happened. Urngh..." Alena pressed her palm against her forehead, failing to stem the headache that was resulting from her outburst. "Of course you weren't trying to hurt me or any of that poodoo, you're not mean." Alena pulled from the cigarette again and blew smoke up at the ceiling of the cabin. "I'm sorry, Minnie, I overreacted..." Alena used her own petname for the woman that had quickly stuck their second year at university. "You're passionate, and kind, and that's all and well, you're just not street smart. You're...street stupid, which is why you should have come to me. We can help these people, we just have to be...careful about it, is all."
Wan Min was right, Alena knew it was her father talking when she'd slammed Min so harshly for wanting to help. The Galaxy had lost its marbles and needed more people who liked building, rather than destroying. Alena herself had just been so focused on surviving all these years that the prospect of building a better life had dissolved at some point on the horizon. Maybe it was time to rebuild her plan for the future now that she could have one.
"I didn't want this to turn into a conversation about us, but I guess there's no avoiding it." Alena put her cigarette out early; smoking had never really been her bag to begin with, but it did help when she was stressed. "I'm not going anywhere, and I don't hate you. About what you mentioned last night..." Alena frowned, surprised she was even saying it. "I'd like to sell the Arse End when we get back to Selvaris...I guess I won't be needing it to live in anymore..."

[member="DasGeneral"]

 

[Wan Min Brightsky]

Min gave her the brightest smile she could plaster on her face at the news that Alena wanted to sell the Arse End. She couldn't help but squeal with delight.

"Force, are you serious Ale!? You want to sell your ship and stay? I'm so happy to hear that!" Min said and threw her arms around Alena.

"But," she said while grabbing the cigarette out of Alena's hand, "You're going to have to cut this stuff out! I know you liked to smoke these in college and it's alright once in a while, but they aren't very healthy!"

"You and I will figure out a way to help the Alliance if and when we can. I don't want to take unnecessary risks any more than you do. If they want me...I mean us to run any risky missions, I'll opt out and we can do something else. I may be street stupid, but I'm not without common sense!" Min said.

Just as she was about to say something else, her Alliance comm channel buzzed.


"Star's End, This is Prudii. I was told that Klutzy Dreamer was on this vessel, and was going on a salvaging mission from our Employer. I wanted to know if you needed a hand with the op."

Min grabbed the comm unit. "Chit," she muttered as she reached to activate the comm. "Speak of the Sith and they will appear," Min said.

"Prudii, this is Klutzy Dreamer, we could use a hand on this salvage op. Coordinates as follows: due galactic north of planet 'Tera Lush,' Unknown Regions, unexplored map hex at edge of galaxy, Thirty Lightyears north of Tera Lush. System designate URSD-00741-E75. We have another ship running salvage with us that will meet us as the rendezvous. Make sure you're not followed. Klutzy Dreamer out..."

She put down the comm unit and turned to Alena.

"Looks like we get to test out our theory sooner than expected..."

[member="Alena"]
[member="Verd Skirata"]

 

[Verd Skirata]

"Affirmative! See you there, I will bring a few ships with me as well. 2 Tegaanalir-class Patrol Ships and a Beskaad-class starfighter." He sighed, then punched in a set of illogical jump coordinates, made sure his Tegaanalir's had the same vectors, then punched his ship to hyperspace, grateful for his hyperdrive ring, and astromech droid.

 

[Lenix Ornil]

The Squib laughed at Armand and pat him on the back "hah! YOu should know by now, do I look like one for rules? Just don't break anything or kill yourselves and listen to me at all times. Other than that and wasting my ration supply you're fine"

He led them all onto the Thunderflash and soon was prepped for takeoff, bringing the passengers up to the bridge with him as he prepared to liftoff~ the huge ship shaking on its landing legs as it slowly lifted off the ground. The huge crustacean-esque cargo vessel lumbering towards the sky before the mighty sublights kicked in and threw the ship towards the sky like a javelin, letting out a boom of acceleration as it hurtled towards the outer orbit and prepared to jump

"R5, programme in our course and scramble the signal, we don't want any lazy vultures tracking us" he smiled. The Astromech bleeped in reply and stuck his data-arm into the console. The control board flashed and whirred as it calibrated the alternate signals and hyperspace coordinates before the huge ship lurched and threw the ship into hyperspace.

As the blue flashing wonder of hyperspace filled the windows, the squib left his post and rubbed his hands together "Drinks anyone?"

[member="Piraiba"] [member="Verd Skirata"] [member="DasGeneral"] [member="Alena"] [member="Armand Temi"]

 

[Alena Reckar]

Alena smiled and reached forward, slipping her fingers over the waist of Min's pants and pulling her close. She tightened her knees against the other woman's thighs and buried her face in her new lover's stomach, hugging her. "I'll be happy to move in, Minnie. Though I can't quit smoking since I never really started." Min was all about rules. Rules, regulations, standards, procedure...such words were dirty talk to her cute little ears. Alena decided they wouldn't survive in a relationship if she let herself be bothered by Wan Min's living standards, and opted to simply accept them. The Arse End had been lawless, at least the way Alena ran things, but it had never been a home. Whatever new ship Wan Min managed to concoct during their time in the Rim wasn't like to be much nicer in terms of amenities but Min would be there, so that made it home enough.
Alena kissed Min's stomach as her commlink beeped again and she turned her attention to the caller. "Looks like we get to test our theory sooner than expected..." Wan Min muttered as she closed the link. Alena's lips considered frowning at the comment, but she felt happy enough to let it go. She kissed Wan Min again on the belly before letting her go, then stood and stretched; she hadn't slept as well as she'd thought. I suppose my hangover's just playing the long game...
Alena stepped toward the cabin door, "I'm grabbing some caf, I'll get you a cup." She turned to leave, then hesitated. "I know I laid a lot on you, Minnie...I'm sorry. I'm still no better at handling upsetting news than a gundark, so...thanks." Alena pursed her lips and tapped on the door frame of the cabin as silence fell between them. She clicked her tongue and stepped out, making her way to the ad hoc break room that kept all the food stuffs. She walked down the hall, her boots ringing on the metal deck below, then closed the door to the break room behind her and put some water on to boil while she gathered mugs and caf packets.
As she waited, Alena leaned against the wall. What are you doing? A voice asked inside her head. You'll make this girl happy for a while and then muck it all up, like you always do. You're no better than your quitter of a mother. You'll take off, just like she did. I wish I'd never met the queen, or had you. I'd be living it up right now on some casino world, with better company than you lot. The voice continued. Alena felt her jaw clench. If I'm such an osik human being it's only because I learned it from a dush buir like you. And it's about the only thing I learned, so bugger off you miserable hut'uun--
At that moment the water had begun to boil. Alena unballed her fists and wiped her wet eyes and cheeks. I must have lost track of time...osik I'm losing my mind...
She made the caf without any further interruption from her dead father, and returned to the cabin with a smile on her face. "Here ya go babe," Alena chirped, setting her own mug down on the console in front of her chair and handing the other to Wan Min. She drew one leg up, resting her chin on her knee and sipped at the caf. She watched Min take her own mug and drink from it. She really is beautiful, you know. Alena thought to herself. Inside and out. I'd like to be that kind of pretty one day. Alena smiled to herself and drank from her mug again. At least one of them was.

[member="DasGeneral"]

 

[Piraiba]

Piraiba dragged a metallic metallic crate noisily up the boarding ramp. Four men normally would have transported such a thing, but he did so relatively effortlessly on his own. There he left the crate in Lenix's cargo bay. It contained all of the Togorian's weapons, and possessions. He didn't necessarily pack light, but then again it literally did contain ALL of his possessions. He didn't have an estate on some planet just full of useless trinkets and assorted junk.

The feline then followed the rest of the crew further into the ship. As he approached the bridge, he could start to feel the shuddering of the propulsion systems lifting him. A sudden burst of adrenalin hit him as he realized the ship was taking off. It clenched his heart painfully and made him sick to his stomach as the massive beast slowly lowered himself down to hands and knees. There he adjusted into a sitting position and pressed his back against a portion of wall closest to him. He closed his eyes then and tried to lean his head back and relax through the panic attack.

It wasn't a moment later until he heard the inquiry from the squib. Drinks? Not the best idea.

"Piraiba does not like ships. Give this one a moment..."

[member="Lenix Ornil"]

 

[Armand Temi]

"Drinks sound like a splendid idea," said Armand. "What would both of you like? Allow me to pull my weight a little by getting you both some refreshments."

Armand stood and checked the ship's entertainment console. "Ah Pazaak. I haven't played since I was in the Hapan Royal Navy. Or I suppose it may have been recently at a bachelor party. Either way, I'm rusty but would anyone fancy playing cards with me? We could play Seven Card Comet if you prefer."

Armand had never played Pazaak with both a Togorian and a Squib but there was a first time for everything. "I wonder how the rest of the crew is doing on the Star's End? Should we check in?"

[member="Lenix Ornil"] [member="Piraiba"]