Private Close Encounters of the Profitable Kind

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Val Tessalisk

'Jaster's Delight' sat parked on a landing pad of a little backwater planet on the outskirts of the Outer Rim. Lori couldn't for the life of her remember the name of it. But it didn't really matter anyways, for she wasn't planning on being there long. Her co-pilot and bodyguard Arla tended to the refueling, while Lori set out to do a bit of shopping for supplies in the open air market.

The air was crisp, and so she donned a hooded cloak over her Rebel Ops Armour, which also served as a means to obscure her identity somewhat. To the general public she was the Face of the Eclipse Rebellion and it's leader. Propaganda filled the holonet, both real and fake, of her various 'accomplishments'. And depending on who's side you were on, she was either a hero or a criminal.

That didn't stop her from being wanted. Arrest warrants and kill orders had been placed on her head, as well as bounties by the Eternal Empire. Traditionally those were held only in EE's space. But now the reach was extending further as attempts had been made on her capture as far away as in Silver Jedi space.

So there had to be some caution to be taken, even on some barely remembered planet. Never going anywhere unarmed, Lori carried a couple of daggers, as well as a blaster. More often than not, she didn't need them, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Her eyes scanned the area anyways, just to be sure. But there was plenty of other shoppers about the market. Everyone seemed to be going about their business. So Lori slipped into a booth filled with a variety of weird looking fruits. At least they smelled good!

 

[Val Tessalisk]

A commotion from the nearby cantina drew the attention of onlookers, as a Quarren dressed in ratty clothing came flying out of the cantina doors and into a vendor's stall. Heavy footsteps approached from the open doorway and within moments, a hulking humanoid clad in red battle armor came trudging out into the open. With a helmet under one arm and a glass of neon-blue hued drink in his left hand, the individual opened his snaggle-toothed maw and downed the drink whole before tossing the glass aside with a loud shatter. The purple-skinned, orange eyed behemoth licked his teeth before letting out a satisfied "Ahhhh..."

The Quarren weakly attempted to stand up as the angry vendor berated him in an alien language. The alien took a single step forward before collapsing face down on the ground. The giant stepped forward, looking down on the Quarren who looked back up at him.

"You'd best be running along, pal" said the juggernaut of a creature.

"Oh and by the way, I guarantee when you take your girl home tonight she'll be thinking about me instead of you" he confidently stated with a wink before turning around and heading back towards the cantina. The Quarren groaned in a mix of both pain and humiliation, letting his head fall to the ground. As he was about to re-enter the cantina, the giant stopped and squinted his eyes, spotting Lori browsing the booths of fruit. He'd seen her face from time to time on the Holonet. From what he recalled she was supposed to be some kind of rebel leader; he also recalled that quite a few people wanted her head on a plate.

He briefly considered drawing his modified T-21B and attempting to claim the bounty; he was hurting on credits as of late and the last ship he had got totaled. However on more than one occasion, a bounty target ended up coughing up more credits than the one who wanted them dead. He suddenly realized that he had been staring at her for too long, and she more than likely had spotted him doing so. He looked down and away as if nothing had happened, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall of the cantina. For now he'd see what she'd do; there's a chance that the extended eye contact might have made her think he was indeed a hired gun sent to take her out. If she was the fighting type, he thought he'd be more than enough to handle her. If not, maybe she needed a few people taken out herself and would be willing to make a bargain. Either way, he knew that this presented a potentially lucrative outcome.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

The commotion between Val Tessalisk and the Quarren as they exited the cantina in a non-too-friendly manner was enough to catch the attention of plenty of people in the market, Lori included. It almost looked like a firefight was about to ensue, but there was nothing.

A collective sigh could almost be heard as the giant allowed the smaller Quarren to leave, causing most to believe that it was the result of a minor brawl. Or perhaps the Quarren had insulted the giant in some way. In either case, tensions among the crowds nearby had eased.

Except for Lori. She saw Val's eyes linger in her direction before he took on what could be just a fake stance of indifference. Hmmm...

Lori paid for her fruit and stepped out of the booth, sliding the bag over her shoulder as she made her way through the market. The easiest way to discover if one was being tailed was to clear the area and go somewhere else. So that was exactly what Lori did. She walked out of the marketplace and moved on into a nearby park. There were plenty of trees among the grassy fields which were perfect for picnics, while also providing some excellent cover, should she need it.

She pulled out her commlink and signaled her co-pilot; "Arla? Once she's refueled get her ready. We may have some company."

~Roger that, Captain.~

There was a bit of an annoyance heard in Arla's voice. The bodyguard had warned her charge over going out for walks, but Lori was always a stubborn one. It would just be a waste of breath to argue it further.

 

[Val Tessalisk]

Val watched as Lori finished her purchase and headed off towards the direction of the park. Taking his helmet out from under his arm, the giant placed the helmet upon his head and allowed the rebreather to activate with a distinct hiss of air. After twisting his neck side to side, the Gen'Dai began to shadow Lori at a distance and at a casual pace as to not look suspicious, at least less-suspicious than he already was being a hulking, 7 foot tall monster. Val noticed the glances he received from the locals from the corner of his eye. He was used to being an attention magnet, as not many like him were seen often, especially not Gen'Dai given their reclusive nature. At times it made him feel like a superstar, even though he was far from one and had yet to make a name for himself even on some mudball like this. In his mind, Val began to concoct a series of excuses he could use to start a conversation that didn't involve a shootout. He chuckled to himself; he sounded like some guy trying to think of a smooth line to pick up girls at a cocktail lounge.

Before he knew it, he was but a few dozen yards from where Lori was walking. He picked up his pace and entered a bit of a light jog to catch up with her, no doubt she could feel the vibrations from his footsteps through the ground given his mass. These wanted types were jumpy, so he couldn't rule out the possibility of a gunfight if she suspected he was trouble. And so, Val endeavored to try and come off as non-threatening as possible.

"Excuse me!" Val called out to Lori as he continued to approach.

Val hadn't yet thought of something to say, and so he defaulted to firing off the first thing that came to mind as an opener.

"I'm new around these parts and I'm afraid I'm a bit lost. You mind sparing a few moments to give me some directions?" Val asked trying to sound convincing.

It wasn't ideal, but it was better than something like "How's the weather today?" or "Nice day for a walk!". Now it was just a matter of steering the conversation towards business. Val remained conscious of the potential for violence, and every neuron in his alien body was primed to grab either his T-21B carbine or his knife.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

And there he was. Lori saw Val Tessalisk in the distance each time she glanced over her shoulder. He was hard to miss, given his size, most especially while in a park.

Various scenarios ran through her mind. Jaster's Delight wasn't airborne yet, for she couldn't hear the engines overhead. So that meant that she'd have to stall. Luckily for her, she was good at that.

The rhythmic vibrations coming through her booted feet let her know that he had quickened his pace. And given the length of his stride, it didn't take long for him to catch up.

Lori paused as he started talking, his words being so poorly chosen that it was laughable. Intimidating or not, the brute must clearly be new to this sort of thing. Instead of grabbing for one of her blasters, she pulled out a soft melon from her bag and then turned to face him. Val was much taller than she had anticipated, leaving her to feel as though she was a youngling once again. But size didn't matter, right? Speed did.

"Lost? And instead of asking anyone in the market that clearly were locals, you decided to follow me of all people out into a park to ask for directions? Now either you're using one of the worst pick-up lines in history OR you're new to a different sort of game altogether and think that you've found yourself a target." She tossed the melon up in the air about a foot, and caught it again. "So which is it?" As she was talking, Lori was sizing him up, looking for weapons both visible and obscured. It was all part and parcel of finding out what she was up against.

 

[Val Tessalisk]

"Damn" Val thought.

He couldn't help but find the humor in the fact that someone like him just pranced on up asking for directions after making awkward eye contact earlier on. He couldn't blame her for thinking the whole thing was suspicious when even he didn't think it would work.

"Alright, you caught me." he said with his hands raised. No point in continuing the ruse now, it's time to cut to the chase.

"I recognized you from the Holonet; leader of the...what was it? The Eclipse Rebellion? Anyway, seems you've upset some pretty major players in the Galaxy" He said while motioning to her with a nod.

"However I'm not here to fry you on someone else's behalf nor am I here to get your autograph on my armor; I'm here to talk business. Given your...uh..."status", I imagine you probably have access to tons of resources as well some people you'd want to get off your back. Catch my drift?" Val said as he leaned back and put his hands on his hips.

Meanwhile Lori could clearly spot the modified T-21B blaster rifle holstered on his back. From where she was standing, she could clearly make out that the barrel-jacket had been removed, exposing a perforated barrel ending in a funnel-shaped muzzle brake stained a beautiful metallic blue/purple from repeated use. This was likely to reduce the weight of the weapon and make it easier to bring to bear. Hanging from his waist she could see what appeared to be a Lightsaber, albeit one with some crude modifications. It possessed a spiked knuckle guard akin to the primitive metal swords of old. On the bottom of the hilt was a long, ferociously sharp blade that glistened in the light. One might question why anyone would bother adding a metal blade to a laser sword, but it would make a decent additional stabbing weapon in a duel should an opponent be caught off guard. The Jedi weapon had long lost it's chromatic luster, and was reduced to a scratched and dull surface with two red stripes towards the business end.

Around his neck she could also spot a necklace of some kind, with an odd jewel as it's centerpiece. The leather strip that made up the main part of it was old and frayed in some areas, indicative of it's age. However the odd "jewel" didn't seem quite right, it seemed more...."exotic" and shimmered with a bright blue from within. It's surface was cracked and worn, as if it had been broken off of a bigger chunk long, long ago, but none of these took away from the alluring nature of the gemstone.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

As Val Tessalisk spoke, Lori continued to toss the melon in the air repeatedly, always a foot in the air or close thereto.

Her eyes were trained on him however, or rather his helmet. Through the tone and fluctuations in his voice, it was almost difficult to tell whether or not he approved of the Rebellion or not. Some people saw her as a hero, while others saw her as nothing more than a vigilante terrorist. Clearly he was aware of the price on her head, or at the very least he knew of the warrants.

But what the giant was suggesting had caught her a little by surprise, as was noted when her melon tossing rhythm was disrupted for a moment. "Autographing armor? That's a new one. I'll have to remember that." Merchandise. Eclipse Rebellion Merchandise. That would be pretty wicked and easily something that could serve two purposes.

"Are you trying to tell me that you're looking for a job?" He carried a few....interesting weapons. Not to mention his jewelry. The crystal within seemed to have a life of it's own, which was strange within itself. She wasn't trained or gifted in the Force enough to know whether or not it was a special crystal of some sort. It was best to leave that to the experts. "I don't exactly take applications in person. Especially in these types of circumstances. I'm sure you can understand why..." Spies and infiltrators. That's what it mostly boiled down to.

 

[Val Tessalisk]

"Essentially, yeah. That's what I'm asking" Val replied.

Val relaxed his posture and spoke with an tone of honesty

"Look, I know you're probably worried about spies, but do I honestly look like a super-sleuth? I don't exactly blend in, on account of being what I am. Spying and infiltrating isn't my forte as you might imagine. I'm more of a sledgehammer than a scalpel. However given the kinds of people who want your head on a silver platter, I think a sledgehammer is exactly what you need to get rid of them."

"And.." Val continued,

He reached behind his back to grab his T-12 carbine. He held the weapon in both hands and held it in the air, standing in a pose almost reminiscent of a hero in an action flick.

"Make them think twice about bothering you" He said confidently with a wink of sincerity.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Well this was unexpected.

The surprise was clearly written on Lori's face, as Val Tessalisk went on about offering his services. Not to the Rebellion, but to her personally. She put the melon back in the bag, tilting her head to the side a little as she thought it over. She could easily use someone like him, if not so much for getting after Imperial targets, but to maybe aid her in capturing criminals as well.

Hmmmm....

"I do have some targets in mind....But how much is this going to cost me?" Surely someone like him doesn't come cheap. At least he looked skilled enough, and was able to not overdo it, as evident minutes prior with that Quarren. Such a thing was important. The last thing that she needed was innocent blood on her hands. Let the Imperials have that. As the Face of the Rebellion, she couldn't afford to have her name tarnished not only by Imperial propaganda, but by the truth as well.

Maybe she could get Jaster Awaud to look into this guy for her.

 

[Val Tessalisk]

Val gave a toothy grin from behind the faceplate of his helmet. Looks like this endeavor is actually going to bear fruit, and things would be looking up for him. Slinging the rifle on to his back, Val began to state his terms.

"Well for one, my old ship got totaled a while back and ever since, I've been stuck here doing small jobs. So a new ship would be nice so I can be mobile again. I don't think you want to have to give me free rides everywhere" he said.

"It doesn't have to be a space-yacht or anything. Just something that flies, has some kind of armament, and spacious enough to fit me. As for targets....how's 10,000 credits per bounty sound?"

Val was merely spitballing a number, but would be open to negotiation.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori folded her arms across her chest, relaxing her stance as Val Tessalisk began stating his terms. They were....somewhat reasonable. But only if it was for someone that she knew and trusted. Yet she had only just met the giant.

"You're good in a brawl, know how to hold back. But how do I know that you won't just take the ship and run? I had to earn my ship, through hard work and cuts of my profit to it's maker. Yet I knew the maker very well and there was no risk. With you, there is plenty of risk." Again she tilted her head to the side as she looked up at the brute. "What do you suggest or offer to put me at ease?"

The former owner of MandalArms and MandalMotors would have expected nothing less from her, especially as she ran his businesses now. Lori wished that he was still alive, for he would have more ideas in mind on how to make this work for the benefit of both parties. She was green in it all, however, she didn't like to portray that she was.

 

[Val Tessalisk]

Val immediately knew how to respond: he didn't like what he was about to say, but he was confident that it would help put Lori a bit more at ease.

"Alright, how about I do the first job free of charge? Think of it as a gesture of good will and a sign that I'm not going to flake on you" He offered.

He really didn't like the idea of having to do a job for free. He knew he wasn't a pushover in combat by any means, and even the strongest of foes would have trouble putting him down for good, but he still would have preferred to get at least some compensation for it. He supposed that the payoff would be well worth any potential harm. He'd also have the element of surprise on any prospective target: nobody would expect a Gan'Dai mercenary to be on their trail. At best, they'd expect some 3rd rate bounty hunter. Boy were they in for a surprise.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Technically it's not for free if you're getting a ship out of the deal. There is still the chance that you'll run..." Perhaps she'll put a tracker on it somewhere. Or maybe some kind of remote kill switch. Lori was an expert in hiding places afterall, and she is much smaller than Val Tessalisk was. So there was that advantage in that she could hide it somewhere he couldn't reach.

"However you've got to earn my trust. When acquiring targets, I want civilian casualties to be non-existant if it all possible. My enemies have no qualms in collateral damage, but I can't have those in my employ with the same disregard for innocent lives, Imperials especially."

She wanted to trust Val, felt that she could. However there needed to be assurances for that. Lori didn't want to be played. People still saw her too much like a kid anyways.

"If you can agree to that, then I'll let you know who your first target is."

 

[Val Tessalisk]

"I can't 100% guarantee that nobody else will get hurt, but I'll try to minimize casualties. Sometimes situations will arise where there's no easy way out. I'm sure you know that." Val stated.

Val had a history of "doing what's necessary over doing what's right" as often times, the situation required just that. He didn't like the wanton slaughter of bystanders if it was avoidable, but sometimes battle forces you to make hard decisions.

"Look. I understand that you have a reputation to protect and you're concerned for the people, I get it. You also don't want me running off as soon as I get a ship. If you have the resources and targets as I think you do, I won't be going anywhere. I'd be an idiot to pass up a job opportunity like this. I may be big, but I think I break the stereotypes that are associated with size and brawn" Val stated with a tone of honesty in his voice.

Val hoped he was close to swaying her into cooperation; he hasn't had a decent job since he landed on this rock. Most of it was just enough to scrape by on food and shelter at a two star motel downtown. He knew he could to much better than this, and he hoped this was his ticket to breaking free from this cycle.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori nodded, satisfied that Val Tessalisk wasn't going to go on some kind of slaughter. She knew that there tended to be innocent casualties. The Eternal Empire's hired goons were notorious for such things. And it was used against her if she wouldn't surrender to them quick enough.

"Alright. I think that I've got a ship for you to use. I don't exactly have it here, but we can go get it. And as for your first target; his name is Subject 73 Red . I want him brought to me for questioning. He's been a part of an unwarranted attack on a theme park on an innocent world that has resulted in many deaths. He's a super soldier that pretends to be a Jedi, yet has been seen with Imperial leadership and siding with them. I need to know who's side he's really on." The attack at the theme park was at her own wedding, with her being the target for capture or kill. However it was deep in Jedi space which should have been safe. That was a few months ago now, and her husband disappeared not long after, presumed to be dead due to their connections being severed. But she didn't tell anyone about that. She pretended that she was still a newlywed instead of a widow. There was no reason to give her enemies the satisfaction of seeing her wallow in grief.

 

[Val Tessalisk]

Val's face lit up behind his helmet.

"I'm glad that we were able to come to an agreement" He said.

Finally, it seemed like he was going to break out of this rough patch in his life and get back on the proverbial horse. He's had quite a few in his 2000 year lifespan that he always managed to overcome, and this one was no different. Val bowed like a butler in an almost exaggerated manner.

"Val Tessalisk, at your service! Now let's go get that ship so I can go "meet" our friend, shall we?" He said insistently.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori bowed her head as Val Tessalisk introduced himself. "Yes, let's."

No sooner did those words come out of her mouth that the Jaster's Delight flew overhead. Lori pulled out her commlink and opened the channel to Arla. "Perfect timing. We've got a customer coming on board."

~A customer, Captain?~ Arla's voice didn't hide the sarcasm at all as she landed the ship in the park to pick them up.

"Yes, I'll fill you in when we're on board."

~Oh I can hardly wait.~

Lori snickered a little and then waved Val over to follow her. "This way. It'll be a bit of a journey to the shipyards, but we'll get there." They had to navigate around the current known battlefields, so their route wasn't going to be very direct. But they'll get there. At least she was bringing some fresh fruit on board.

 

[Val Tessalisk]

Val watched as the Jaster's Delight flew overhead, and couldn't wait until he got a ship of his own. He missed the exploration, visiting new worlds and traveling the galaxy. Maybe one day he'd finally settle down somewhere, but that wouldn't be for a while: there was a whole galaxy out there waiting. Val followed Lori's lead and boarded the ship. He had to slightly duck under the threshold of the door in order to actually be able to get inside. Hopefully his will have a door big enough for him to fit inside; he didn't have a conventional biology like most other races in the galaxy, but he'd rather not have to constantly duck or hit his head on the way inside.

Val raised his hands to remove his helmet, but stopped just short. Not yet. He'd have to get more acquainted with these folks before he got comfortable taking it off. Lori had already seen his face, but not close enough to make out any distinct detail. He preferred to keep it that way for now. He only removed it in cantinas to eat and drink, but he usually secluded himself to dark corners where he was less visible. He didn't worry about the townsfolk who saw him after flinging that Quarren out of the cantina; he doubted they'd remember him or even see him again.

"You got an armory on this thing where I can store my weapons?" Val asked as he looked around at his surroundings.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori led Val Tessalisk inside, hitting the switch to close the door. "Arla, we're in!" she shouted before widening her stance for a moment to maintain her balance as the Jaster's Delight lifted from the ground.

As Val asked for an armoury, she headed to the little armoury that she had. Mostly a couple of trunks and cabinets. But at least she had something. Lori wasn't the type to carry all the state-of-the-art weapons that her company built on her ships. She just brought what she needed. Up on the wall though was her archer's bow 'The Hornet' along with a quiver filled with assorted arrows. "There's space in the left cabinet. I've also got bunks, refresher and a kitchen. She's not a large ship, but she's home. Get yourself acquainted. I'll be in the cockpit shortly to get Arla up to speed."

Lori made her way over to the kitchen and deposited the fruits in the icebox, before heading up to the cockpit. There she saw Arla at the controls, guiding Jaster's Delight out of the atmosphere. "Picking up strays, are we?"

"No. He's a new employee."

"Right. A stray. You'll have to be careful with them. You know what the Empire's agents are capable of."

Lori flopped into the co-pilot's chair, remembering the shapeshifter masquerading as her husband for a time, before they were married. "I know, Arla, I know. We're just taking him to his new ship and then he's going to go look for Red."

"Oh he is, is he? We'll see about that."

"Just take us the safest route near to MandalMotors. Jaster's navigational intelligence should help."

"Yes, Captain."

 

[Val Tessalisk]

Val took a look at the armory with mild disappointment; you'd think someone like her would have a lot more onboard to protect herself with. He supposed it didn't matter, that's apparently what this "Arla" was there for. Val opened the left cabinet and simultaneously unslung his T-21 blaster, making sure to fully collapse the stock. The stock didn't budge at first, probably needing some lubrication, but eventually gave in with minimal effort. Val placed the blaster in the locker as well as his lightsaber before closing the locker door. He exited the armory and stretched as much as he could in such a relatively confined space.

"Pretty nice place you got here..." Val thought out loud as he looked around at the various equipment and knick-knacks around the ship.

He managed to locate a padded metal stool to his right and went over to sit down. The stool creaked loudly from his weight and for a moment he thought it would give out on him. He adjusted his position to shift his weight and the creaking mostly stopped. After a few moments went by, he reached into the collar of his armor and grasped the strange gemstone on his necklace. The blue shimmer of the gem still shining brightly from it's semi-transparent surface. He stared at it for a moment before closing his fist and gripping it tightly, closing his eyes as well.

Just then, he could feel her: calling to him from somewhere beyond. He could feel her "life essence", if he could call it that, pulsing through the crystal. All at once, he felt her warmth, her presence, her love. It was almost intoxicating to be able to experience these feelings as if she was right there next to him. His fist began to tremble slightly and he frowned with his eyes still closed. She'd been gone for centuries, but sometimes it felt as thought she had passed on only yesterday. Val's mind became flooded with memories of her, reminiscing of every special moment he had with her. He was in almost a trance-like state as he went down the memory rabbit hole, the world around him fading away until all that was left was Val and Her.