Cuz why not?

[Laira Darkhold]

Duro, Orbital City​

​

Duro wasn't as famous as many of its local counter-parts. Corellia had always been famous and had more eyes on it now given the Netherworld event that had wrecked the primary planet before Laira's birth. Even if the other four planets were fine, everyone liked to focus on the Corellia itself. New Plympto had been home to a few rebellions in ancient times, enough that she had seen it several times when she was studying history. Denon was the second galactic Capital according to people from Denon, making it a poor man's Coruscant. Nubia and Loronar had shipyards, Lujo had been the site of a battle in the war against the One Sith. But Duro, wasn't as widely popular as those planets.

The Duro lived mostly in orbital citys that floated above the polluted surface of the planet. "Fun." Laira whispered to herself as she looked through a small set of Identification papers in a small hidden compartment on her ship. One had a diplomatic stamp 'Laira Vereen-Organa, Crown Princess of Alderaan', she almost scowled looking at the little plasticard with her picture on it. As good as she looked in that particular picture, Nope. She took up one, as legitimate as it could be, that labeled her Laira Darkhold. It was the name she used when she wanted to be unknown or an individual, not recognized as the Princess of Alderaan or instantly pegged as a Mandalorian, sometimes it was better to go on one's own. She had found out early in life that Laira Organa-Vereen wouldn't ever be her own person, but just someone's daughter.

She wore little more than a spacer's outfit, trousers, shirt, vest, boots with her side arm on her hip and her spear tucked away on her back. Laira smiled as she walked down the ramp, handing her ID to the Duros just long enough for him to scan it and move on with his life. "Just fuel for me. My droid can handle the labor." It was little more than an engineering droid, but it could handle refueling her ship, since she didn't want anyone playing with the ship and bumbling around until they found something illegal or frowned upon. The Duros standing at the bottom of the ramp waiting for her didn't seem to mind the concept of not having to work to get paid and shrugged, returning to the little rundown office of the beaten little poorside of town spaceport.

Laira waved back at the droid as its mood become one of melancholy ::Of course. Let the droid do the work::. "Yes, you are on my ship and use my oil and parts, you will pull your weight. Its not like you make us any money." The little droid shrugged and went about his work, leaving Laira to go sight-seeing around the Orbital City. How many times would she get a chance to come visit a place like this, to be just another spacer making their way through the galaxy? Maybe she could even find something to smuggle for someone?

 

[Gorm]

Gorm frequently passed through the Core worlds on business-in fact, most of his trips were conducted as business, this instance of his trip to Duro was know different.

Gorm had arrived on Duro to inspect the newly acquired ship-yards commandeered by the great Commerce Guilds of the new and ever-growing Confederacy. He had helped strike the deal with local Duros businessman who were interested in expanding their economic horizons through organizations like the Trade Federation, as many CIS worlds in the Mid-and Outer rim had large access to resources necessary for the construction of ships and droids.

The shipyards in question were in the process of being retro-fitted to support the construction of TF ships, as of yet, what these ships would used for was unknown to Gorm. Nonetheless, Gorm had been successful and had managed yet another profitable deal resulting in an impressive small fortune for himself and the CIS, a whole 2 1/2 billion credits! The local government had provided this as a starting subsidy for the support of future small business ventures in the area and as an initial investment into Gorm's securities firm, as he was, primarily, a Banker first and foremost. Of course such a transaction would not go unnoticed, and would more than likely attract undue attention as many would covet such money, as such, Gorm needed to find a way to transport it back to Confederate space, specifically the polluted Metalorn, where his organization kept its assets....

[member="Laira Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Laira walked through small crowds, making her way to the lower market district, where the normal people spent their hard earned money on knick knacks and gear they liked, clothes, groceries even. She was fascinated by some of the little trinkets in one stall, looking over each little turquoise colored stone and wire ornaments with wonder in her eyes. How people could spend their meager earnings on something so trivial was beyond her, not because she didn't appreciate art, but because it was so simple. She had spent weeks at a time with little to no material wealth, and her father had raised her to survive on her own in the wilderness. She could appreciate the art, but it just seemed such a waste for people that had so little when there were necessities they could barely afford.

She smiled at the Cathar behind the desk and handed him a small handful of credits before taking the one she liked best, resembling a little wolf or some other canine creature. It reminded her a bit of Blu to be honest and her cabin was decidedly lacking in any personal touches. "Thank you," he said with a gruff voice, grated through his furred throat. "No, thank you sir." She tucked the little ornament into her pouch and moved on to the next stall looking over the things. She didn't have much cash left, her father had only given her a relatively small amount of money when she left home, and though she could always ask for more, she preferred the thought of earning her own way. Her father had given her equipment, a ship, even a droid in the cargo hold, and Laira was grateful for those gifts, but there was something about buying something with her own money.

The orbital city was lovely, hundreds of sights to see, thousands of places she could visit. She flagged down a passing Skakoan that stood out in the crowd. The Core had been controlled by the Republic, one of the Techno Union and old CIS's enemies back in the day. Granted, the Republic had fallen quite far, but he doubted the people of Chazwa held the Union in high regard after its capital had been razed by the One Sith and Techno Union alliance years ago. Perhaps an outsider like a Skakoan "Sir, do you know where one might find work transporting goods or maybe doing some surveying or salvaging. I can do all three, but I don't know where to start looking for someone willing to pay for it." She laughed awkwardly. How strange it must be for her to approach some stranger and ask where to go for work on a planet they might not know anything about.

[member="Gorm"]

 

[Gorm]

Gorm was taken aback. Of course being an off-planet Skakoan he knew he would stick out like a sore thumb, but he did not realize that he would garner such attention unwarranted-it seems no one in the galaxy paid any heed to the Skakoans, this was very new for him. It made him suspicious of the specimen before him. Perhaps she knew of the money and would swindle away? Nonetheless, Gorm needed to get his shipments off planet and the local operation he had helped was in sore need of new pilots for their goods-in this case the passage of credits from facility to the vaults.

"Ah, well, yes-what is it exactly you said you needed again? Oh yes! Work, Work- I know where you may find a job." -he said in a deep metallic voice.

"Today is your lucky day I suppose, I don't know how much of a risk taker you are, but I just so happen to have a proposition for you--(static break)--"Do you see that large freighter? That is the investment of several Chazwa merchants, holding a value of almost 2 billion credits, at the moment, it has been quite difficult finding-trustworthy pilots from this star-portwilling to take on honest work--(more static)--Many of them don't trust me or my employer and are of an unsavory character if you understand."

"Otherwise, the only other contractors I can point you towards are through the Trade Federation, they're always looking for salvagers and pilots to transport and protect their wares and besides that, there is near constant demand for salvagers on Duros surface as well as on a number of foundry worlds, like Metalorn"

He peered down at her in a quizzical manner- "So what do you say? A simple enough job. All you have to do is name your price."

[member="Laira Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

This particular Skakoan had work available, which was fortunate given her situation of quickly having her credits disappearing. At this rate she'd be running out of fuel money by the end of the month and would have spent the last of her spare change well before then visiting all these weird shops on planets she had only ever read about. Duros wasn't as expensive as some planets she had heard about, but it wasn't exactly a beacon of hope for those with an economic disability like her own.

"Didn't the Trade Federation help sack Chazwa during the war?" She wasn't sure, but she remembered the Union had. The Trade Federation had been separate, but not entirely. ATC and Hegemonic had been with both organizations, and the sacking of Chazwa had been initiated in response to Republic attacks on ATC property, but there were crazier things that happened. Plus there were plenty of Ex-Republic member worlds that were happy to work with their former enemies now that the Republic had been demolished by the Mandalorian Clans after a decade of fighting the One Sith. "No matter, so long as they pay you history is not important, I suppose." Her history lessons weren't all encompassing, but the Sacking of Chazwa by the Better Business Bureau and Friends was one story her father didn't mind telling her since it happened at the same time as the Republic Civil War her mother had taken part in. Laira furrowed her brow at the other planet's mention. Then again, this Trade Federation could always be a different organization with the same name.

"Also, no, not going to plague zombie infested Metalorn, as tempting as that might be, you'd run out of money paying me to go to there more than once. Not after what the Sith did to it before they collapsed." Blockaded the planet, infected the water supply among other things. Sent some kind of Sith Spawn to the planet's surface and used orbital strikes to turn the once shining world of the Core into a hellscape as the One Sith's last hooray before fading into nothingness.

"What would I be transporting to and fro?" She asked, leaning back against the post of one of the merchant stalls. Always good to know what she was getting into. Laira was relatively sheltered and had limited unsupervised social interactions, but she wasn't a complete fool in that regard, just outgoing and bored of sitting at home being who she was. Besides, this guy didn't even know who she was, or if she was remotely reputable. And she could only carry so much cargo before she would have to stack crates in the living space aboard her ship and it was notably less than most small freighters could manage.

[member="Gorm"]

 

[H3xle]

[member="Laira Vereen"] [member="Gorm"]


Nothing said transient like walking through a crowded market place on a crowded orbital station with your duffel slung over your shoulder. The young scion of Clan Cadera moved from the lift in precisely that way, black duffel bag hanging from his hand over his left shoulder, his right hand swinging freely. He wore a pair of well loved combat boots, with a pair of comfortable, lightly armored pants over them, and a light colored shirt. Over the shirt was a dark brown leather jacket, the dust of a dozen worlds seemed to give the jacket all the character it could hold.

​Bryson stepped to the side as he glanced over the stalls and wares from just off the lift. The Skakoan talking to the beautiful redhead caught his eye. More for the redhead than the Skakoan, truth be told. He didn't let his eyes linger too long, though. He wouldn't want to be caught staring, and there were other sights to see in the crowded market.

"If you aren't going to buy anything, shove off!" A voice spoke from behind him, irritation writ throughout the short sentence.

Bryson turned with a quirked eyebrow. He'd been off on an expedition for the past long while, and he never relished this type of person very much. Pushy, angry at the world, and never mollified by anything. He turned fully, his eyes locked onto the shop keeper's eyes as he did. After a moment in which the shop keeper seemed to notice both the size of the man he was speaking to, and the maser scattegun nestled across the small of his back, though Bryson made no overt move towards it; Bryson glanced over the wares on the table. They were an assortment of knick-knacks that hel no real value, but were of fairly exorbitant prices. Bryson's eye caught the glimmer of a peculiar coin shaped pendant with a symbol of an eye in a stylized fashion. In a movement smoother than a river stone, he placed a single coin on the table and took the pendant. The coin would pay for a bit more than the pendant was listed at. Bryson then looked the shop keeper in the eyes again and raised both eyebrows. 'We all done?' was written all over the look, though he still had yet to speak a word.

Then, Bryson turned and began to walk slowly up the way towards the Skakoan and the redheaded lady his right hand now occupied by flipping and catching the coin shaped pendant time and again in mid air. Though he mostly moved in a constant, slow fashion, he would stop briefly to look over the wares of one table or another as he moved.

 

[Gorm]

The Skakoan continued to stare blankly at the small framed being before him, he was aware of the misdeeds of the past and was careful to bring it up, still it had been long enough since the last conflict touched Duro, and the Trade Federation she mentioned no longer existed, the TF Gorm was simply a Nemoidian run legacy business. The Techno Union as it had been for some time, was a mockery of what the original TU of Skako had been and had achieved little in the way of matching its technological prowess, THAT Techno Union was many years gone by now, discarded to the dust bin of history-its leader tried to make a government out of a good name and bastardized it. It made Gorm think a moment, the possibility of reforming the old Techno Union, back the old industrial giant from the old clone war, reclaiming his peoples reputation all at once-but this was just speculation.


He responded "You would be surprised how quickly the Duros are able to come to terms when the chance for riches and prosperity become the topic of discussion" pausing only a moment "Economics and Credits pay no heed to politics, where there is fortune and opportunity to be made, political woes can so easily be tossed to the wayside."


"I have several shipments of Stygium crystals that need to get from the surface of Duros back to the yards as soon as possible, or else production schedules will fall well behind. The Duros will be demanding payment of course"(he presents a data-card with the payment). "The credit haul in the freighter I mentioned before"? He pointed "Those are to be transported to a vault on (where else better to hide vast amounts of credits and tech. than on one of the galaxies most hellish worlds he thought to himself?) Metalorn, of course with a very hefty payment, no doubt along the way mercenaries and pirates would assault you for it and of course, the planet itself is a hell scape"


"So--(metallic buzzing)--whats your price?"

As he says this, Gorm noted a rather dangerous looking individual with a swagger in his step approach, forgetting the girl a moment he braced himself, scanning for any weapons he may hold-Gorm stated "Are you here for business, if so, what is it? Do you need something?"

[member="Laira Vereen"] [member="Bryson Cadera"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"I suppose so long as credits are good, people forget their woes." Laira grinned at the statement she knew to be true all too well. Certainly a good chunk of money could soothe over rough relationships and sort out many disagreements. Some things couldn't be forgotten, but some could easy be lost so long as the situation remained mutually beneficial. "I don't necessarily have a problem with taking stygium anywhere. I figure you'd rather your people handle billions of credits rather than independents. I'd say, thirty five percent the market value of the stygium I'm hauling is fair." The idea of accepting to haul two billion credits to Metalorn and just disappearing wasn't lost on her, she'd be set for a long time, likely the rest of her free life if she could get away with it, but double-crossing her first client on her first job was a little too much. "Which yards do you want the crystals transported to?"

"I will of course need to see the money before I worry about loading up the cargo." It was better they not exchange names after all, it would be easier for them to part ways after this particular job if there weren't more to follow that she felt like doing. With a haul like this, Laira could continue gallivanting around the galaxy for a few more weeks, long enough to find steadier work with someone. There was so much of the galaxy to see and so much to do before she became a prisoner like her mother, stuck with responsibility to her people. Her mother and father had held great responsibility for most of their lives, both leading people or helping to lead at young ages. That was what frightened Laira the most, that her freedom could be lost before she even turned thirty. "I can carry twelve and a half tons tops by the way." The rest of the space in her little ship was occupied by numerous systems like a fuel converter, a hangar compartment, and a prisoner transport, all things she didn't need all at once, but she used every so often.

She turned to see the new arrival, someone she didn't know. He was very tall, like her father and looked to be about as wide as well. Big, heavy, and broad. His stature and mannerism practically screamed mercenary or bounty hunter. Laira arched an eyebrow at the newcomer, "Hi there." she said with a little wave in his direction. "You two know each other?" She didn't bother to go after her weapon, her senses didn't detect any aggression in either individual, and though she had a job to do now, not all the specifics had been laid out to her.

[member="Gorm"] [member="Bryson Cadera"]

 

[H3xle]

[member="Gorm"] [member="Laira Vereen"]

Bryson continued to follow the line of stalls, stopping every so often to peruse the wares, getting reacquainted with civilization. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Getting reacquainted with civilization often lead to Bryson running off on some expedition to some forgotten or unexplored world, so tedious did he find the day to day goings on of galactic wars, and changing regimes.

"Are you here for business, if so, what is it? Do you need something?"

Bryson stood to his full height from smelling a ripe pear. He deposited a coin on the table, smaller than the one he had used to buy the pendant, and picked up the pear before turning to the Skakoan. He took a bite of the pear as he looked the Skakoan up and down. A small line of juice trickled down from the corner of his mouth, which he wiped away with a single digit of his right hand. He turned towards the redhead as she spoke before he had a chance to reply.

"Hi there." she said with a little wave in his direction. "You two know each other?"

He was careful not to give her the same scrutiny he had given the Skakoan, as he was sure he would get caught up staring as he did. He looked her in the eye for a moment, as he finished chewing the bite of pear and swallowed. He answered the young woman first.

"I've never known a Skakoan personally, no." He replied, his eyes glancing from Leira to Gorm. "Never had the chance." He glanced back at Leira before answering Gorm's question. "Can't say I've ever been propositioned so openly..." He said, looking to Gorm with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "What work do you have?" He then took another bite of the pear and began to chew slowly.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Neither have I." Laira said with a bit of smirk. It wasn't hard to find the alpha male in the room, or at least, find all the people that thought they were. They all carried themselves the same way and acted incredibly similar and it painted them clearly. "I'm afraid I never caught your name," she said, looking at the Skakoan businessman. There was a lot about him that set of warning signs about his intentions or his nature. Openly admitting to having billions of credits was a good way to get robbed or taken hostage, and though she had originally considered not exchanging names, as the conversation continued she wanted more information about her potential employer. Her attention turned back to the newcomer "Or yours. Perhaps I should start introductions since one of you is about to pay me. I'm Laira Darkhold." The alias wasn't the greatest stroke of genius she had ever had, but she and her father had worked to get all the proper papers for it, a little bit of info for a background check, though not much, even registered a ship to her name off Bothawui. She was just some teenager from the mid-rim that hadn't done much of anything yet.

Hopefully that would ease some tensions between the three of them, though the concept of flying around with several tons of Stygium was still a bit daunting, Laira felt up for it. Evading some pirates wasn't very hard, she had a bunch of options for how to do so. What concerned her more was the manner in which she had been propositioned. He was just some random businessman she bumped into in the poor section of the market district and had already mentioned several things most people would play close to the vest. It was possible he was trying to impress her, and it was simply lost on the young woman, but Laira had her doubts. It seemed like she was being set up for a double-cross at the finish line like she was some nobody.

But then again, she was just some nobody right now. Barely any money, looking for work, and a spacer with little to no experience or reputation to call on to attract reputable clients or anything deserving of recognition. She had a nice ship her father had paid for and helped design, but that didn't make her worth all that much. "Now, you were saying about that stygium you wanted shipped." She batted her eyelashes at the Skakoan, "As I was saying before our guest arrived, I will need at least half my payment now." She wasn't skilled enough with mentalism to try and add some persuasion to the statement through the Force or she would have tried it on the Skakoan. The alpha male wasn't that important to her in the scheme of things, he was just a passerby in some armor much like the suit she had on her ship.

[member="Bryson Cadera"] [member="Gorm"]

 

[Gorm]

"You probably are wondering why I'm so liberally giving you my information, well, lets just say you are the least trifling character in the whole of this place, the majority of whom would take me for a ride leaving me high and dry if you know what I mean, also, you made it quite convenient for me by approaching so suddenly looking to do exactly as I had needed done."


"Also, as I said before, there are not many looking for work as a pilot here on Duros as much as it may have been in the past. You have a good look about you, as if you had air of some kind of greater upbringing, so I find you trustworthy." Gorm thought to himself: You also seem like quite a naive character who I could use on short notice-why hire a full time pilot that you would have to pay a regular pricy salary when you can just low-ball a private spacer to do simple jobs? It seemed cost-effective in the short run, the droids that would normally do all of this were not allowed here on Duro for one reason or another-stigma more than anything and Gorm had to think fast. Luckily this plucky individual happily managed to come by- a simple solution to his problem.

What she did not realize is that the stygium in question was to be refined for the purpose of cloaking military grade equipment and military starships, and under law in this region of space, the production and sale of stygium crystals was prohibited-barring that you had government approval and paid all necessary duties and taxes which is exactly what Gorm had wanted to avoid. Duros and the surrounding systems had a virtual monopoly on stygium and its use was only purposed for national use as opposed to private-Gorm wished to circumvent this. Stygium was rare in places where he operated in the Corporate sector, C.I.S. space as well as amongst the Hutts, no doubt shipbuilders and private contractors would pay a hefty price to see it in a refined state. By smuggling and producing in secret, Gorm would have no loopholes to jump through; buyers would be lining up by the score for the TF's cloaking warships unavailable in say, the Galactic Alliance.

"I will be willing to pay you full price if you can discreetly move my shipment off world to my warehouse here in Chazwa-(static)-My name is trivial to you, but if you must know, it is Gorm." Gorm looked back to the other human, obviously trying to appear macho-quite puzzling to the Skakoan, no one on Skako cared for such things, if we wished to find a mate, it would be done arbitrarily, arranged and under-gone like a business transaction. If one wished to have a family the process was artificial. Human notions of 'passion' and 'love' or 'manliness' are deemed illogical and essential fallacies of that race- for a Skakoan, there are no such things. "I do have work for you human male, but I'm afraid its nothing befitting of someone I deem, a warrior of some kind? All the positions entail are for piloting work, handling and moving valuable assets along a set route chain of various vaults and moving these items for my clientele, no more no less I'm afraid."
looking back to the female "Again how much are you willing to do this for? 25,000 credits, more perhaps? For piloting work, my cap is double that." [member="Laira Vereen"] @Bryson Caldera

 

[H3xle]

[member="Laira Vereen"] [member="Gorm"]

Bryson stood there and silently watched as the two conversed. He didn't feel like he was intruding, as he had been drawn out of his mini shopping trip by the Skakoan, so he just continued to eat his pear while they talked. He chewed slowly, in an almost mechanical manner, though he obviously enjoyed the pear. He made a mental note of the names of the two, though refrained from giving his for the time being, though not out of any vanity or secrecy.

"I do have work for you human male, but I'm afraid it's nothing befitting of someone I deem, a warrior of some kind? All the positions entail are for piloting work, handling and moving valuable assets along a set route chain of various vaults and moving these items for my clientele, no more no less I'm afraid."

Bryson raised his eyebrows and smirked at the Skakoan, the mirth quite obvious in his eyes.

"I assure you that I am more than a dumb brute. If you've got a piloting or cargo handler spot on a temp basis, I'm up for it." He took the last bite of his pear and chewed it while looking around for a trash receptacle. He quickly discarded it when he found one, not having missed any of the conversation as of yet, as Gorm had returned to speaking to Laira.

"Again how much are you willing to do this for? 25,000 credits, more perhaps? For piloting work, my cap is double that."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"I can do the Chazwa run for fifty thousand. It is expensive cargo after all." Laira smiled at the Skakoan and held out a credchip for him to transfer credits to. That was one of the great things about credchips, they could be basically untraceable if handled correctly and could hold large sums of currency. "Transmit all the coordinates for where to pick up and where to deliver to me and I'll get right on it."

She had only landed for fuel and some shopping, so the young woman could leave as soon as the mood fancied her. Payment upfront was good, it implied a level of assurance she wasn't just being set up. The cost seemed low, but then again she wasn't an expert. In her mind fifty thousand was chump change, especially to someone claiming to have billions of credits at their disposal. Her life had been filled to either extreme, never as an average person. Either she had no money or less than a few hundred and was expected to make it on her own in a jungle or mountainous region for weeks, or she had nearly unlimited funds and seemed allergic to price tags when she went shopping.

She turned to the newcomer. "Well, it was nice meeting you mister 'Not just a dumb brute' but I really must be off soon boys." Laira stayed, waiting for her to be handed her sum of credits waiting on the Skakoan while the two postured for dominance in their own ways. It was adorable watching boys try when they were small, it was much less cute watching grown men. "Best of luck with whatever it is you end up doing." Her attention returned to the Skakoan who was in the process of paying her, "I suppose I'll be seeing you again soon mister Gorm." Laira smirked at them both, eager and zealous to be working and earning, even if to her it felt very low, which it was not.

@Gorm @Bryson Cadera

 

[Gorm]

"Very well 50,000 credits it is. Don't look so disappointed, any other long-term pilot with regular pay would be getting less for such work."
he stated with finality.

"Do ensure that the contents actually does get picked up and does get to the desired locale. I'm sure you don't want a bounty on your head. I'm happy our little deal could go through. I suppose we will see each other again-at least once.
--(static)--
Goodbye. "

[member="Laira Vereen"]

 

[Gorm]

Gorm reframed his attention to the brusque human male. "I meant no offense, I just did not believe that such simple work would befit someone of your nature, I took you more as a mercenary type, a professional soldier"

he paused speaking more hushed.

"That being said, the Commerce Guild and associates are always looking for individuals willing to act as guards and-engage in aggressive negotiation if you understand. Then again, if you are interested in piloting, there are plenty of slots available-much of the goods here on Duros have been laying at the dock for much too long, in fact, I have a back log order of Impervium awaiting transport to Corporate Sector space. If thats something you are willing to do, and since this is once and done as of yet, what is your starting price for such work. As I told Laira, starting pay is 25,000-cap is 50,000. Since I'm feeling generous, I'll match the female's the same. What do you say?"

Piping in one last time he also asked- "If you want a full time position, feel free to stop by the offices of the TU, TF or Commerce Guild near the shipyards, there we can negotiate a contract if you wish."

@Bryson Caldera

 

[H3xle]

[member="Gorm"] [member="Laira Vereen"]

"Well, it was nice meeting you mister 'Not just a dumb brute' but I really must be off soon boys." Laira stayed, waiting for her to be handed her sum of credits waiting on the Skakoan while the two postured for dominance in their own ways. It was adorable watching boys try when they were small, it was much less cute watching grown men. "Best of luck with whatever it is you end up doing." Her attention returned to the Skakoan who was in the process of paying her, "I suppose I'll be seeing you again soon mister Gorm."

Bryson grinned at Laira, before turning back to Gorm.

"I meant no offense, I just did not believe that such simple work would befit someone of your nature, I took you more as a mercenary type, a professional soldier" he paused speaking more hushed. "That being said, the Commerce Guild and associates are always looking for individuals willing to act as guards and-engage in aggressive negotiation if you understand. Then again, if you are interested in piloting, there are plenty of slots available-much of the goods here on Duros have been laying at the dock for much too long, in fact, I have a back log order of Impervium awaiting transport to Corporate Sector space. If thats something you are willing to do, and since this is once and done as of yet, what is your starting price for such work. As I told Laira, starting pay is 25,000-cap is 50,000. Since I'm feeling generous, I'll match the female's the same. What do you say?" Piping in one last time he also asked- "If you want a full time position, feel free to stop by the offices of the TU, TF or Commerce Guild near the shipyards, there we can negotiate a contract if you wish."

"I'll take fifty thousand and run security for her." He said nodding to Laira. "I run a gunship. It can couple magnetically to her ship, and I'll run her only when we run into some of those pirates and scoundrels you mentioned earlier." He reached into a back pocket and slipped out a credstick towards Gorm, then looked at Laira. "You won't mind the company, will you?" He asked her.

A moment later, his eyes tracked to over her shoulder, then he looked back to her and nodded. A few seconds later, a person came up, bumped into Bryson almost casually, and walked away. Bryson didn't even flinch as it happened, just slipped his left hand into a back pocket and pulled his jacket over it. The he turned back to Gorm.

"All of my business on station is complete, I can leave at any time." He mentioned, glancing back and forth between Laira and Gorm.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"I wouldn't mind the company I suppose. So long as you behave yourself. Besides, two ships means more cargo hauled." And hers wasn't built to optimize the amount of cargo being carried like it was to be able to do many things. There was only so much a single gunship could do against a beskar plated craft before it could respond in turn. The Explorer wasn't as much of a brute as the unmodified Rekali-class, but she had some firepower to her.

She glossed over the mention of a bounty. The Skakoan didn't know who she was and didn't know anything about her and that was a good thing. If she hadn't have been as good as an actress she would have burst out laughing about it. Instead she would just act like he hadn't said anything of the sort and move on, but her mind was tinkering now that she had been threatened out of the blue like it was common practice to trust people with millions of credits of Stygium, pay them up front, and then act like they needed some ultimatiums in order to be trusted. "Well, now that I'm paid, I'm off."

Laira took a few steps away from the two before turning, "Oh yeah, I'm at Port Sixteen C on the south side of the city. I'll meet you in the holding pattern on the way down to the surface." She gave him a little wave and returned on her path away from them. They had to go retrieve the crystals, load them up, and then take off. With the loose government following the fall of the Republic and the dissolution of the One Sith Empire, there weren't many regulations between Duros and Chazwa. Maybe just the Mandalorian Clan's stretch of space that was rabidly monitored and patrolled by only one or two clans, Ordo who had a long history of nobility and honor, and Vereen, with a much shorter history, and one more prone to raiding. They wouldn't even need to be evaded if she did get stopped by them, she would just have to be careful how much she revealed to her guest.

The short trip back to the space port had Laira feeling spry, excited even. "Come on Ee-Eight, we have a job to do." Her voice fluttered across the hangar and the droid's shoulders dropped, his slouch returning to his posture like he was fighting with the desire to just lay down and give up. ::Of course we do. No rest for the wicked I suppose.::

"I don't know about you, but my mother I always said I was an excellent child." Laira grinned as she walked up the ramp, knee-high boots thumping against the metal as she did. ::She said nothing of the sort. Devil Child more likely.:: She grinned, brushing red locks out of her face as she made it up the ramp and deactivated the security lock. "I don't think she used that exact name..." The door slid open and the melancholy droid followed her through moving for the cockpit while she detoured into her cabin to change. When she flew, she liked to wear her armorweave underneath her clothing. It was a zero-g suit coupled with a hermetic seal and could be fitted with an oxygen supply which she wore on her belt just in case anything happened. She was a much better pilot than her father, but he had drilled contingencies into her from as early as she could remember.

[member="Bryson Cadera"] [member="Gorm"]

 

[H3xle]

"Well, now that I'm paid, I'm off." Laira took a few steps away from the two before turning, "Oh yeah, I'm at Port Sixteen C on the south side of the city. I'll meet you in the holding pattern on the way down to the surface."

"I'll see you there, keep an eye out for a gray mandalorian gunship." He replied, then waited as she walked away and Gorm paid him.

With a salute, he pocketed the credstick and made his way back the way he had come. He ignored any of the stalls as he did, instead moving with a purpose towards the lift. He took the lift up to the small ships docking level, and smoothly exited the lift while the crowd mulled near the entrance. As he walked towards the berth he had rented, he flipped the coin shaped pendant to a small child that was inconspicuously sitting at a stall. The child deftly snatched it out of the air and pocketed it in one smooth motion, causing a smile on Bryson's face.

He ducked into his berth, pulling the scattergun as he did and clearing all corners of the berth before moving towards his ship. He was always careful when it came to security, his training and temperament would allow nothing else. He then climbed aboard his gunship, slid the scattergun into a holster attached to his command couch, and then slid into the command couch himself. He tapped a few commands, waking up his pair of R7 droids that he had attached to the gunnery spots, one foreward, one aftward. Then he cleared his exodus from the station with the control tower and moved quickly into space and into the holding pattern. He opened his hailing channel as he neared the section of the orbital city that would have housed Port Sixteen C.

"Brute to Laira, ready to go when you are." He called out into the airwaves, then waited for her response as he brought up his sensor suite and began to track nearby ships.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Of course it would be a Mandalorian Gunship. The man reeked of the stereotypical Mandalorian machismo she had seen most of her life, been raised surrounded by it. Been raised by it in regards to her father. Those types were everywhere, it seemed they were a dime a dozen in the galaxy these days. Then again, they were better than pompous nobles looking to get ahead politically by courting a princess.

The redhead slipped into the pilot's chair, swiveling around and locking it in position facing outward. E-8 slowly walked in and stood by the door as it sealed behind the engineering droid. All the start up lights were green, and all engines were go. Laira pulled her headset on, the ear piece and microphone simple, but necessary in many instances. The HUD came up and the ship pulled away from the hangar and into the holding pattern as ships were assigned exit vectors based on their destination. Being headed for the planet they wouldn't have to wait all that long.

"I see you." She said aloud over the comms, marking the mandalorian ship on her sensor board as a friendly. "Alright, hopefully Gorm's people will hand us his shipments without much trouble." After the flight control gave her clearance to pull away, she tilted the controls and the Rekali-class shifted away down towards the surface of the planet, following the coordinates the Skakoan had provided to pick up the stygium. "So, do you wanna do the talking to these guys, or should I?"

[member="Gorm"] [member="Bryson Cadera"]

 

[H3xle]

"I see you." She said aloud over the comms, marking the mandalorian ship on her sensor board as a friendly. "Alright, hopefully Gorm's people will hand us his shipments without much trouble." After the flight control gave her clearance to pull away, she tilted the controls and the Rekali-class shifted away down towards the surface of the planet, following the coordinates the Skakoan had provided to pick up the stygium. "So, do you wanna do the talking to these guys, or should I?"

"You go ahead and do the talking, I'll stand back and look menacing." He said with a grin audible in his voice. He pulled his gunship to her ship's six o'clock high and stayed back a few dozen meters, playing overwatch as they descended into the atmosphere. On his navigation board, their destination was plotted out, with a course to fly being presented. Playing the part of guard ship, Bryson kept his ship mobile, spending a few moments above her, a few moments below her, but always with clear lines of fire in case someone came at them from the flank or front, as well as the back.

"So, Laira, do you often take jobs from random Skakoan, or did he draw me in on a pre-planned job out of the blue?" His voice was nearly jovial as he asked. He was truly interested, as he, too, had essentially trusted a random Skakoan to give them coordinates to a cache of crystals to take out of the system on the down low. Of course, he was also flying in with his ships weapons in a ready state. When on the ground, he was sure his scattergun would be able to get them back to their ships. Also, beauty aside, he got the feeling like Laira might be able to hold her own in a fight.

[member="Laira Vereen"] [member="Gorm"]