Well This Just Got Awkward for Me

[Gray Raxis]

Gray was waiting at the dock of a space station for his friend Zey to show up. He had gotten a request from a local trade group to deal with a pirate ship that was making things very difficult in their routes. With so much conflict going on lately, the pirates had gotten worse which meant Gray's life was getting better. He knew troubled times were not good for society as a whole, but as a mercenary it just meant he had an over flow of work coming his way. He didn't like the idea of people getting the raw end of things, but he also had to make a living and it just so happened it helped out those people as well.

Gray was not wearing his usual armor this time around. He had on his gray shirt and pants trimmed in dark blue and leather duster over them. He still had his boots and gauntlets from his armor on as well as his blaster pistol strapped to his right leg, but that was as far as his protection went. He was leaning against a freighter that was going to be used in the mission he himself had devised for the job. He was in a pretty good mood because of this seeing how clients rarely let him get away with doing his "overly reckless" or "just plain stupid" ideas. So what if he wanted to drop into a pirate base off of a low flying ship and begin shooting as soon as he touched ground, or even before then?

Gray had been sure to have his pilot friend hired on as well for a generous price as well, seeing how Gray was not a good idea to do that himself. He had to crew down to two people as well, so that meant less people the client needed to pay. It worked out in everyone's favor. He just needed to give Zey the details when she got here. His good mood even saw him whistling an upbeat tune.

[member="Zeynab Kazzat"] [member="Jack Raxis"]

 

[RC 212]

Location: Aboard Tortuga Station

[member="Gray Watcher"] [member="Zeynab Kazzat"]

Tortuga, the scum station of the known Galaxy. Althea as here after a stint on the Mara. Raiding was fruitful without the interference of local law. The Mara was for the most part wide open. The Emerald Dragon was docked somewhere below her, but that wasn't the primary vessel she'd been using fro Raiding lately.

No she had an Action IV and two Marauder Class Corvettes that were serving quite well. She was son her way to another raid, assembling extra crew and paying off tabs she'd run up for repairs. The Captain stalked down the corridors, her Trandoshan first mate in tow.

"Kinvar, when are we getting new blasters? I thought I asked for them last month?"

"Sssssooon."

"Ugh, silence then."

Here they were, a dirty Cantina. They needed six additional crew for the Marauders. This place was in the bowels of the station. The most wretched part where beggars and diseased citizens of the Pirate population lived. But there were also legends here, such as One Eyed Regor. One Eyed Regor could find you anything you needed.

She knocked on the door, waiting....

 

[Yula Perl]

“Long time no see.” Zey grinned at Gray as she approached him, a cup of hot caf in her hand. She had arrived not too long ago and immediately took toward finding some sort of stimulant to keep her awake and alert. She wasn’t feeling all that tried right now, but she’d be cursing herself later if she didn’t at least try to load up on caffine. If that’s even how it worked, anyway. Sometimes she flew better when her hands were shaking.

The Miraluka was rather pleased when Gray had contacted her about piloting a mission for him, and even more pleased at the amount of compensation she would be receiving. She hadn’t been on a job with him before but was excited about it. Sometimes her clients could be too serious, but she knew that Gray would at least banter with her.

“So, should we get this show on the road?”

[member="Gray Watcher"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Zeynab Kazzat"]

Gray was still humming to himself as Zey came up. He smiled back at her and said, " Oh definitely. Someone is actually letting me cut loose for once, and I'm almost as excited for that as I am to see your pretty face." He winked at her, even though as usual she couldn't see him do it.

Gray lifted himself out of his leaning position and walked over to Zey. He patted her on the shoulder as he got to her and said, " You look absolutely beautiful today Zey. I hope you are ready for some fun, because I don't know if I can hold back much longer." He was nearly bouncing on his feet as he said that. He was feeling incredibly giddy now and ready to get started. He added as he got to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, " Lets board the ship and I will catch you up on the details for the job."

[member="Althea Raxis"] [member="Jack Raxis"]

 

[Yula Perl]

“Now, we both know that you’re the pretty one, Gray.” Zey chuckled as he draped an arm around her, pinching his cheek for effect. She patted the side of the freighter, running her hand along the smooth metal as if she could feel any potential wear and tear of the ship. Not that she really could from that, but hey.

“So, what sort of trouble are we going to get into today? Whatever it is can’t be too bad if you’ve only got about half of your shell on.” She gestures to his armor, or lack thereof. Zey had already taken to checking out the controls, humming in satisfaction when she found them to be quite standard and easy for her to manage.

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Zeynab Kazzat"]

Gray was really in a good mood and would have been sure to squeeze Zey a bit when she pinched him. He followed her into the ship and said, " Nothing too bad, just going to lure a pirate ship that has been plague a trade route lately to board us and then blow their ship up with them inside of it."

Gray got himself seated in the co-pilot seat, even though he was not going to touch the controls himself. He said as he entered in the coordinates into the nav computer, " The plan is to fly out to their usual ambush spot and fake we have lost control. They will board us seeing easy prey, and while they do that I will sneak onto their ship. I will plant some explosives, cripple some key systems, and then get back on board our ship. You will hide in a special compartment near the cockpit until I get back, once I am you will undo the boarding bridge. Then we fly off as I set the explosives to explode and we leave the pirated deep in space with no life support."

Gray smiled at her as he turned to look at her. He said, " So how does that sound to you? Came up with the whole plan myself and got them to go along with it."

 

[Yula Perl]

By the end of Gray’s explanation, Zeynab’s goggles had begun to slip off of her face. Quickly readjusting them to prevent a potential wardrobe malfunction, the pilot cleared her throat. “That, uh…” She scratched at her head, at a loss for words. “Did you get them drunk first?” She placed her hands on her hips, a frown tilting her lips. “So what happens if they try and take down the ship while I’m hiding and you’re blowing things up?”

She’d done some questionable, even stupid things for money, but at this point she had to wonder how much faith she had in the mercenary. At the same time though, it did seem sort of exciting.

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Zeynab Kazzat"]

Gray said in a completely serious tone of voice, " If any of them, and I mean any of them touch you, then I will see to it that they wished for a more pleasant death." He smiled and said in a more relaxed tone, " It won't come to that. They will be too busy unloading the 'cargo' in the hold to think about why there is no pilot. Pirates aren't the brightest bunch usually. Clever, but not bright. If they do think something is up, I will cause a distraction and make sure they don't close the draw bridge. They won't even think about shooting at the ship if I am busy shooting at them inside their ship. The plan sounds crazy, but it will work since it is the two of us. We minimize the risk of discovery and minimize any potential for things to go wrong. The plan was designed so I am the one in the most danger. I won't let anything happen to you at all."

Gray stretched his muscles a bit in his seat after he had finished. He knew his plan sounded stupid, but this kind of thing worked more often than people realized. It was hard to find two people who didn't want to be found, especially when there is a huge distraction in the form of a 'huge haul' going on in the background.

 

[Yula Perl]

Well. Zey tilted her head to the side, caught off guard by how much Gray had thought this through. She felt a little bad for misjudging his plan at first, but she’d backed out of work before if it seemed too risky. She’d rather stay alive and free rather than blown to bits or rotting in a cell somewhere. Then again, if Gray had survived as a mercenary for this long, he had to be doing something right.

A grin appeared on the woman’s face in place of her frown and she shook her head. “Alright, alright. Let’s just get this party started already.” Cracking her knuckles, the Miraluka took hold of the controls, turning on flips and switches as she went. A low hum filled the craft as the engines roared to life. “What “cargo” are we hauling anyway?”

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Zeynab Kazzat"]

Gray was glad she had decided to go through with his plan. He usually had a Plan B, but his Plan B involved him doing the whole mission himself and he likely would have actually crashed the ship before ever making it to the spot he needed to get to. He was really glad he knew an attractive pilot at times like this. Of course the attractive part had nothing to do with her piloting skills, just made for a more enjoyable flight.

Gray smiled and said as she took off, " Rocks with a hologram over the top of them to look like valuable supplies and some actual cargo that is expendable. The expendable crates are the ones they will see first. Pirates like to check those things some times, and are never happy when it is just rocks." He laughed as he remembered something and said, " Of course they are even less happy when a semi-naked man pops out of them shooting two blasters off into the crowd with wild abandon. For the record, it wasn't me doing that. An old merc friend of my dad's did it. The guy was muscular, but he was just as ugly." He added after a moment, " Of course I think it might be fun to do that once in my life. Just instead of a crate, I'd like it to be a cake. And instead of blasters, I'd like it to be sparklers."

 

[Yula Perl]

Zey guided the ship up and out of the hangar, pulling upward on the controls as they ascended away from the station. Typically her jobs were quieter. Well, if quiet could be measured in pirates. Smugglers often took more dangerous routes in terms of dealing with asteroid fields and space monsters that wanted to eat you, all to avoid detection of the law. Or pirates. Pirates were pretty bad too.

She couldn’t help but laugh at the imagery from Gray’s recount. “I’ll let you know when my birthday is and give you the chance to fulfill one of your dreams, then.” She paused, feeling a memory resurface. “On time, my dad and I were hauling spice to Nar Shaddaa. Picked up some straggler who was going the same way, dad got a fair price outta him for transport. The guy inhaled nearly a quarter of our cargo, found him passed out in the hull.” A wide grin stretched her lips as she spoke. “I was around eight at the time. Had no idea what spice was. I think the old man had me convinced that it was something adults put in their coffee, or whatever.”

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Zeynab Kazzat"]

Gray chuckled and said, " For you Zey, I'll jump out of cake any time!" He listened to her story and said, " Sounds like a good dad to me. My dad never did anything like that, but he did tell me a lot of stories about the jobs he had been on. He always had such a dry sense of humor it was hard to tell if he was being serious or not. Don't think the dry part rubbed off on me so much as the humor did."

Gray waited for them to be out of the hanger and into space before he said, " So Zey, ever think of working for a company as a pilot? I know of a few companies always looking for skilled pilots and smugglers. James Justice owns a really good company actually. You should try seeing about getting hired on by his company." He smirked and said, " Although I wouldn't mind hiring on such an attractive pilot as yourself either. Can't really promise a decent, or even regular, pay though. Well not in credits. Messages and pick-up lines I can do regularly."

OOC: You should look into joining Justice Shipping. It is a faction run by James and they are very active. Good group, and I am technically a part of it. >.>

 

[Yula Perl]

“So you learned from your dad, then? How old were you when you started going with him?” Zey eased up on the controls, as they cruised at a moderate pace. She couldn’t remember a time in her early childhood where she wasn’t on a ship, becoming her father’s co-pilot at a young age.

Zey was mildly surprised when Gray brought up the idea of her working for a company. Sucking her teeth, she sighed with a hint of exasperation. “Tried that once, didn’t work out to well. I like be able to choose my own jobs, you know? Companies can be pretty strict about that.” She paused, considering the other side of things. “But, it would be good to have stable employment. I’ve heard of Justice, should probably look into ‘em myself first.” Chuckling, she shook her head. “Massages don’t put food on the table. But pick-up lines might get you somewhere.”

OOC: I’ll def look into it once I get more settled in with Zey!

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Zeynab Kazzat"]

Gray smirked and said, " I don't know, if you gave me a massage I would put food on your table for you... and likely more." He added after a moment, " I really could use a pilot though. I got my droid Key to fly my ship right now, but you can never really replace a person with a droid for something like piloting. Can't replace that firm rear of yours either. It just has a nice sway to it." Okay he might be feeling a little too giddy at the idea of getting to blow up a pirate ship right now while having a good pilot to back him up.

Gray coughed once right after he finished his earlier line and added quickly, " My dad started my education when I was old enough to hold a blaster pistol. He didn't let up on me until he was satisfied I was passable for a Mandalorian trained fighter. It was hell, but it was fun."

 

[Yula Perl]

Zey simply shook her head at the comment about her behind, used to it by now. If he were more tasteless with his comments about her appearance he’d earn himself a smack upside the head, but she found them to be in good fun. Also, she was a little distracted by the idea of signing on with a company, or even working for him. She remained silent for a few moments as she thought, the friendly vibe still coming from her.

“Mandalorian?” That caught her off guard a bit, and she tilted her head toward him. “I thought that Manalorians were all serious business. Guess you really must be one hell of a merc, huh?”

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Zeynab Kazzat"]

Gray smiled at Zey and said, " I'm the Half-Mandalorian Merc. I go in guns a blazin' and accept either victory or death!" He paused to take a breath and added, " At least that is the way people look at Mandalorians. It is interesting what kinds of responses I get when I mention that little detail."

Gray remained silent for a bit before he turned to Zey and said, " I should give you a heads up. I'm going to be getting more serious as soon as we get to the job site. So don't be expecting to hear how wonderful your bottom looks while all of it is going on. I mean it will still be true, but I won't be saying it." He got a more serious look on his face before he added, " Zey, I have something important you need to know. It is a very serious life or death matter, so please listen closely. Your have the perfect curves for your figure. It is just astonishing how perfect they area. Just remember that and no one will have to die from over stimulation when they see you."

Gray was likely not going to survive this trip, and it was unlikely the pirates were going to be the ones who saw to it either. He just smirked at Zey, even though she couldn't see him.

 

[Yula Perl]

Zey feigned a hurt expression, pouting at Gray’s words about the lack of attention her behind would receive during the job. “You’d better make up for it with double the complements after this is over.” When his tone switched to something more serious, the fake frown fell from her face into a more neutral expression, listening closely to this important information that he was about to tell her.

She figured that it was going to pertain to the mission, but it quickly took a different turn. Letting out a laugh, Zey let go of the controls with one hand to rub at her hairline, still snickering. “If that were true, then I would be a pretty good mercenary in my own right. I hope that these pirates are mostly female, no doubt they’ll fall victim to the Half-Mandalorian Lady Killer and his deadly pickup lines.”

She shook her head, that typical grin still on her face. Sometimes her clients were entertaining, but not like this. If he didn’t get them both killed, she’d probably give him another ride in the future.

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Zeynab Kazzat"]

Gray smiled and said, " So the pick-up lines are so bad they will kill women from the sear shocking of hearing them? Not sure how you have survived this long then because I am throwing my best material at ya. You must be the most resilient woman of all time, and I would gladly grope you for it." He kind of half hoped she didn't notice what he had said there at the end. He was really running out of good material by this point....or was he? He smirked and added after a moment, " So Zey I know the real reason you are blind. It isn't because you are a Miraluk. The real reason is because you are just so beautiful that looking directly at you for too long will cause your eyes to explode from the overwhelming wonder of what they are seeing. And you lost your sight because you looked in the mirror a little too long by accident."

Gray hoped that didn't get him into too much trouble. He was enjoying this flight far more than any he had had for awhile. He was thinking of his next moment of brilliance to tell to Zey when the ship's nav computer began to beep. Gray stopped the beeping and said, " Alright, we are here. Time to get my last line in before serious mode. Zey you are a beautiful woman and a true delight. I would love to take you home to momma... if she were still alive."

 

[Yula Perl]

He’d gladly what now? Zey wondered briefly if she should come up with a clever retort, or smack him. Or both. Maybe she’d heard him wrong? But knowing him, she probably didn’t. Luckily for him, he continued on with another terribad line, one that the pilot had to snicker at. And then, she smacked him anyway. Playfully upside the head—not meant to injure him. “You’d best keep your hands to yourself, Gray. Unless told otherwise.” If she could wink, she would have then.

Zey began to slow the ship as the navigation system began to beep, bracing herself for Gray’s next line. She enjoyed the merc’s easygoing nature and friendly demeanor, but her smile faltered at the end of his last few words. She paused for a few moments before figuring what the hell, leaning in and giving Gray a peck on the cheek. “Get out there and make your momma proud.”

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Zeynab Kazzat"]

Gray wasn't at all surprised he got smacked upside the head, but he was glad it was playful. He just smiled as she spoke to him. He said, " Lets just hope you tell me I can one day." He was getting ready to stand up when she suddenly leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed, not expecting that at all. He faked a cough for a moment to try and cover up the blushing, but he was sure to have failed at it. He said after, " Well seeing how beautiful the woman sitting next to me is that just gave me a kiss, I'd say very proud right now." He stood up completely and added, " And by the way, I'm completely serious as I say that."

Gray got to the cargo bay. He grabbed a bag off the floor when he got there and checked the contents. All of the explosives seemed to be in order. He took two earpieces out of it and zipped the bag back up. He headed back to the cockpit with the bag hung off his shoulder. He held out one of the earpieces for Zey and said as he put the other one in his own ear in a smooth, practiced motion, " Take this Zey and put it in your ear. They are on a closed channel with each other that is encrypted. The pirates shouldn't notice it and we will be able to communicate with each other. I want you to put the ship into distress and then follow me. I'm going to show you to your hiding spot. I have a hologram over the hatch to make it look like it is just a normal part of the wall."

[member="Jack Raxis"] OOC: Now is a good time to jump into the thread if you want to on Althea.