What I Am

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

"Yeah they're better." He frowned for a second, half remembering what had happened in the apartment. He would need to wear earplugs...or something if they were going to go after these people. His frown went on for a moment more and then he half turned to Spark, gently pulling her down so she could get a closer look at the screen.

"See this?" He pointed out a particular sensor trail. "That's a trace on the ships ion engines."

Munin seemed rather excited by that.

"Those engines are custom made, they're part of a stealth drive system that was marketed by a junker in the outer rim." He smiled at her. It was a unique system sold only to a very few amount of customers.

It was a lead, the first one they'd had in months.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

She perched lightly on Munin's lap, staring at the terminal. "I worked on some hyperdrives when I was with the outback, with Jorus Merrill and Coren Sta--," voice trailed off. She frowned. "You don't think...it's related. Do you?"

Wait. He said junker. Hopefully not.

She wondered if this group after Munin was related at all to anyone from the Outback. All those she knew from her time with that group, she couldn't imagine any of them doing anything like this. And besides, it would've had to be set-up before Spark even went with the Outback, especially if they did this to Munin and Huginn when they were kids. #orearlier

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

For a second he looked concern.

He could tell that the idea worried her. "I doubt it."

Munin said the words carefully, if only because in truth he had absolutely no idea whether the assumption was correct or not.

"The outer rim is pretty big, and there's plenty of junkers." He smiled at her and gently cupped her cheek. "I'm sure your friends had nothing to do with it."

At least he hoped they didn't.

If it turned out that people Spark had worked within the past had kidnapped him, brainwashed him, and then implanted him with...whatever...it would probably cause some tension in their relationship. He frowned slightly, pushing the thoughts away and deciding it was best not to even consider the option.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

Stomach twisted and she gulped. Blues beneath glass-lenses finally focused on his face and his cleared eyes. "I hope not," she said quietly. But again, if they had been involved, it would've been way before she knew them. #whatretheodds?! #dontask

She blinked at him and blinked again.

"So what're you saying?" Realization worked across her pale face. "You want to go after them? You can't do that. Not with...what they just did to you today."

She frowned.

"But they won't be expecting me if I go and follow this lead."

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

"I'm not letting you go alone." That would be made clear instantly.

He simply couldn't let her.

"They tried to kill you." Probably not true, they likely didn't even know that Spark was alive...but that wasn't the point. Whoever these people were they weren't going to play any nicer with Spark than they did with Munin. "Going in alone would be suicide."

He pointed out to her. "At least with me we know they want me alive."

That was why they had knocked him out instead of just bombing their apartment from orbit.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

Her frown deepened. The gangly-limbed slicer stared at him silently. His tone and as much as she didn't want him to go, he wanted the same for her. It would either be together or not at all.

And yes, they wanted Munin alive. But that's what she was afraid of. Others had wanted her alive as well and look how that turned out. Sometimes torutre was worse than death.

"Fine."

Sandy-brows scrunched together. "If we're doing this, we go together." Finger came up and lightly jabbed him in the chest. "No unnecessary risks or chances. And we need to figure out how to stop that signal, sound, whatever it is, from messing with you. Okay?"

#beingserious

As for the unnecessary risks, she'd TRY to apply it to herself, as well.

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

He frowned for a second.

"What if..." Oh she was going to hate this idea. "What if we don't..."

Spark was just as protective of him as he was of her, so the idea of him giving himself up was likely...unpleasant for her. He knew that if she proposed anything of the sort he'd probably go haywire and just tie her to the nearest comfortable surface so she wouldn't go anywhere. The idea was too dangerous, and a part of him knew that, but Munin also knew that it was probably one of the best options that they actually had open right now, especially if they got close.

Munin let his fingers gentle tap on her side, as if he were calming himself. "We can head to the junker, ask a few questions...make it obvious."

This was the part she would hate.

"Then when they come after me, we let them take me." He winced a bit. "You can track me and we can find their headquarters."

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

Hands lifted and rested on his shoulders, thin-fingers pressing in, as if she was keeping him there, in one place. Head shook in the negative before the words tumbled from her mouth.

#lolwut

"No."

She stared at him quietly, wondering if she'd imagined him saying what he just said. "No. No-no," head was still shaking. She finally managed to become still. "We don't know enough to do that. What if I can't track them? What if I can't get to you?"

If they didn't have any force dampening things, it would be different. Maybe. But these people were tied to the red codex and they hated force users. She'd be hard pressed enough to recover Munin, let alone track him, if they had anti-force user stuff in place. She'd be as vulnerable as on Jakku. And Mun would be...lost.

A shiver went down her spine.

"We don't know enough," she repeated firmly.

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

"We can put a tracking chip in me." He insisted, wanting this to work.

This was an opportunity. More than anything else it was a way for them to actually see what the feth was going on. Munin was sick and tired of always having to be one step behind, of not knowing. At least this way he could get some answers, at least this way he would be able to know what was going on. "You could follow me that way."

His eyes were almost begging.

What else were they going to do?

"If we just attack them they'll run." He said quietly. "Disappear again like that Keep."[/color

He frowned. "I'm sick of not knowing."

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

Thin-lips pursed into an even thinner line. They operated through life very differently. Because of circumstances, she'd learned to travel the galaxy as a ghost and learned very quickly that there was no shame in running. He on the other hand, learned to put on masks and many other faces to blend in, in the open.

"I don't want to fight them," #withtheriskoflosingyou. "I wanted to do recon. Find out more about them. Sneak in and out. We had no intentions to fight them at the Keep." #duh

It was clear Munin wasn't thinking rationally or logically. She'd just been there herself - back at the apartment when she saw him like that.

"Even if tracking you wouldn't be a problem, getting you back would be. Look what they did to you at the apartment! Can you imagine what would happen if they took you?" Sandy-brows scrunched together as much as her frown.

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

He understood where she was coming from. The plan was risky, no, beyond that it was downright stupid. Running into something like that would be incredibly stupid, and of course she was right. There was a chance that they could do more to him than just knock him out. He frowned for a second.

"I..." Munin looked down, as though he were ashamed.

Perhaps he hadn't really considered every angle of his little plan. He hadn't really though about Spark's feelings either. Of course she wouldn't want him thrown into danger like that, the chance of losing him would be too great. For a second he stayed quiet, trying to think of something to say, eventually he let out a long sigh.

"Okay." He said quietly. "I'm sorry."

He just wanted this over with. "But...what if we recon and they see us? Disappear. Then we're just back with nothing."

That was his other great fear. It was clear that these people weren't done with him, that they wanted something. He couldn't force Spark to live a life on the run...even if she already technically was.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

She knew this was important to him. She'd lost all her memories once, found out that she'd been given a technovirus. She searched for answers for a long time after that. #couldrelate #beentheredonethat

At least he was finally being rational.

"Okay. Well," she took a breath. He'd be a liability if they did this. He was too emotionally involved, not to mention the risk of the power these people had over him to control his body. It'd be better if she went alone.

He'd never let her. Just like she'd never let him.

"We figure it out if it comes to that. They might take us both."

Bony shoulders shrugged. Head mulled over other plans silently. He'd be mad if she did something and snuck off. If it saved his life, would it be worth it? Maybe it wouldn't come to that.

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

He thought for a moment, simply considering the situation and the options they had. Either of them going alone wouldn't work, simply because the person left behind would be absolutely furious with the other. Knowing that, Munin and Spark would have to go together. Yet that would be difficult in it of itself, mostly because Munin himself would be rather recognizable to the people they were trying to go after in the first place. He frowned for a moment and then looked at Spark.

"I think I have an idea." He said quietly.

It wasn't the best one he'd ever come up with, hailing back to something he and Huginn had worked on a while ago. "We can use holographic Disguise Matrix's."

He told Spark.

"They're little machines that use holograms to make you look like someone else." That would at least allow them to go to the junkers place without anyone recognizing him, they would just need a new ship.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

Lips pursed in thought. It made sense. She could potentially make them invisible with the force. #whitecurrent But it would take a lot of energy and if there were anti/force measures out into play...

A slow nod came next. "That should work," with a slight pressure on his shoulders, bony-butt self scooched off his lap and stood. As if reading his thoughts, she carried on his conversation. "For this ship, we could ditch it on the way or we could just scramble the IFF codes. What do you think?"

She eased into the pilot's seat and began putting in coordinates toward their destination in the outer rim. "There's an underground outpost where we could pick up a new one. I have some friends..."

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

He shook his head. "Better to leave it somewhere."

At least for a while.

"We need something completely new." Preferably something that wouldn't get any second looks, perhaps an old YT freighter or something or the sort. It would be easy enough to hide in and still fly around. He and Spark didn't need much, just something comfortable for a few days so they wouldn't have to give up what little comfort they had. "I'll have to contact my sister."

Huginn could get the prototypes for him.

"She'll send out the machines to us." Though it would likely take a day or two.

In truth, Munin would still rather have just gone in on his own and have Spark follow him, but it was clear she wouldn't go for that plan.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

She began typing in coordinates. "Ord Mantell. There's an Underground Safe House there at the Dingo Darr's Chop Shop. They should be able to help set us up with a new ship. But Mun," she finished typing in the coordinates. It'd take them a day or so.

Chair swiveled and she faced her boyfriend with a very serious look on her face. "You can't sell this information to anyone," she winced. She didn't want him to think she didn't trust him. She did. She just had to make sure.

"Promise?"

#pinkyswear

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

"Of course." He told her, a slightly hurt expression crossing his features. "I wouldn't betray your trust like that."

It was true.

He liked making money, he liked building up his network, but he would never do anything that could end up hurting Spark. The Underground was all but unknown to him in all honesty. They likely had troves of data on them, but Munin hardly knew every bit of data that he and Huginn had collected. The Red Codex sort of made that entirely impossible. He frowned for a moment, wondering if Spark actually believed that he was doing something like that or if she was just stating the obvious.

He hoped it was the latter.

Munin had tried his very best to be good for her.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

"Okay," the ship gave a slight thrust forward as the nav computer read the coordinates and altered their hyperspace jump. Long-lines filled the cockpit viewport. "We're all set. I just need to make a call," she stared at Munin a moment longer, then slipped free from the pilot's seat and wandered down to the small area with the acceleration couches.

Comm slipped free from the pocket of her skinny jeans and she dialed up a friend of Jorus from her Underground days. Converse-clad feet began to pace back and forth in the small space.

#encryptcodeactivated

"Yeah...I can't believe it either. It's been a long time. Nope, haven't seen him. I've got a favor to ask you...."

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

Munin left her alone for the time being.

The situation wasn't...well it wasn't like they were fighting or anything, but this was definitely the most strain their relationship had ever been under. Everything that had transpired over the last few hours, the good, the bad...it was enough to make his head spin. He frowned for a moment and cast a glance over towards the door. He wondered briefly if they could actually resolve this, if they would actually be able to make it through this without something happening to either of them.

Slowly he swiveled his chair turning towards the comm-system.

His message to Huginn was much shorter than one might expect, a simple detail of what had happened at the apartment, the sensor logs, a request for the HDM prototypes, and then of course a quick line about how he and Spark were okay.

They didn't need more than that. "Alright."

He said as he clicked send, wondering how Spark was getting along.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

"...great. See you then." Freckled-nose scrunched in thought as she clicked the comm off and slide it back into her pocket. Didn't take her long to plop down on the sofa. Hunching over, elbows dug into her thighs as her palms came up to cradle her blonde-haired head.

They'd be okay. This wasn't anything new. At least, that's what she kept telling herself. She'd felt so safe in that apartment and that was the worst of everything. Her feeling of safety - of being settled had been robbed and she didn't know if she'd get it back. It was a small thing because she and Munin were okay.

#fornow

Stomach twisted and for once, she wasn't hungry.