Fox on the Run

[Mishel Kryze]

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[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK2AqiJQX3s[/media]​

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Klöcksenburgh Station, Kal'Shebbol​

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After her time on Zeltros, Mishel Ren found her way back to Monastery. There she met up with Alkor Centaris, a Dark Jedi, a Mandalorian and as it so happened a Mercenary. The young woman explained her quest to the merc, and offered payment in return for his services as a bodyguard and guide. When Alkor learned that Mishel's quest involved hunting crystals based off Jedi Jorus Merrill's Non-Essential Guide. He offered to sweetened the deal, he could take Mishel to meet with Jorus - for a price. Several holocalls and a hefty fee later, Alkor and Mishel were on their way to a mining station simply known as the Burgh. Back at the Bastion, Kaalia Voldaren waited for Mishel's return and when the Ren didn't come back right away. She flipped on the Ren's tracking device, and that's how Kaalia found herself on her way to the old Kathol Outback...​

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[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n95A6G9IxlM[/media]​

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[member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"]​

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[Jorus Merrill]

Like any other Outer Rim station, the Burgh was unique. This particular hangar bay boasted an unmatchable odor of mining solvents, high-end electronics, low-end food, and good old-fashioned rust. Granted, part of that might be the ship. The Wretched Hive, an old medium freighter studded with mining and salvage gear, dominated half the bay's deck space.

Three outlaw techs in grubby overalls chewed street food on the freighter's ramp. One was a middle-aged Krevaaki with hyperdrive coolant worked into the crevices of his orange shell. One was a tiger-striped Twi'lek woman. One was a kid: twenty at most, barely old enough to buy the bottles of lum he was passing around. The dinged-up lightsaber on his belt might pass for an old hydrospanner. His blaster, too, had seen better days.

[member="Alkor Centaris"] wouldn't recognize him. He'd gone into the remotest insanity of Wild Space with his wife, run into an unexpected incident, and come out a whole different person, at least visually. No cyborg hand, no cyborg eyes, no gray hair at all. Same Force presence, though. Same saber. Same cheap lum.

 

[Alkor Centaris]

They hadn't spoken in quite a long time. Nonetheless, [member="Jorus Merrill"] was a man who did not forget kindness, and he'd made sure Alkor had a way to reach him- even if it was through an extensive network of calls from one person to the next, and an eventual meeting. Their shared Corellian heritage spoke volumes about this sort of thing- the people of the Five Brothers were often roguish, and more often than that, flighty.

Especially after the sundering of their homeworld. Kal'shebbol was a backwater world, but for a spacer there was nothing more inviting. People didn't ask questions, nor did they give answers. They just live and let live. In another life, Alkor might have found some peace there.

"I can't make any promises about what the man will be willing to help with," Alkor spat in a thick, Corellian accent to [member="Mishel Ren"] . He'd learned to speak that way with people he didn't really know well. They never questioned it. "But I can at least get him to talk to you. Saved his life once."

It had been a fight with a Sith, and Merrill had come out worse for wear but alive. Alkor remembered dragging him off Sekalus as the single populated city was impacted by a massive starship. Needless to say, the Jedi had owed him a favor.

And somewhere along the line, Alkor got caught up in lightsaber lessons. He wondered how faithfully Jorus had kept to the practices, but that was less important right now.

Alkor wore a cloak over his standard blacks, and he tucked the helmet of his armor under his arm as they walked. "Oi, you wanna share that piss, mate?" he asked, eyeing the lum as it was passed around. He had a blaster on one hip, a shotgun slung across his back, and there were no other weapons visible on his person- unless the crushgaunt on his right hand counted.

Probably not the best way to open a conversation, but passable.

 

[Mishel Kryze]

Mishel was only grateful that her neurotransponder worked and was fully charged. It'd been one feth of a trip from Monastery and honestly she was just grateful that they made it this far. The girl kept wondering when and if Siobhan Kerrigan would notice the leakage in her finances. Rather Firemane Industry and Technology's leakage. "I appreciate it, regardless." She told the mercenary, @Alkor Centaris. She initially just wanted to find the lightsaber crystals but when Alkor made mention that he knew Jorus himself. Well. She couldn't help but seize the opportunity. The station they were at was... well, it wasn't home that was for sure and it wasn't anything she had seen before. The Burgh was a backwater mining station where no one seemed to care who you were or where you were from. Mishel was once more grateful for that, she didn't need anyone to recognize her or even care to recognize her.

As they walked through the station, Alkor spoke and he addressed someone who... Didn't look to be much older than Mishel if he was old at all. This sort of threw her for a loop, she grabbed at her satchel and pulled out her datapad. Jorus Merrill was an aging, older man who looked like he could be her father. He wasn't but the age difference was there and as she looked around, Mishel wondered if this was just someone Alkor knew casually and didn't question him on why he stopped to talk with young man. Little did she know that the young Corellian was indeed [member="Jorus Merrill"] himself.

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

What would she be doing here? Kaalia got off of the shuttle that brought her to Kal'Shebbol, half concerned about [member="Mishel Ren"]'s wellbeing and half confused to why she would be here. She wasn't an advocate of the fact the tracking device could see Mishel wherever she went, but perhaps it was a good thing after all. The brunette had a knack for getting into sticky situations, and the redhead had no idea what to expect.

If she needed a reason to bring her two lightsabers, the fact it was Mishel she was looking for would have been enough. She always carried them however, as they had come in handy in the most unexpected moments in the past. They were hidden within the sleeves of her coat, ready to drop into the palms of her hands with the smallest tug through the Force. Still, the redhead had a hunch that she wouldn't have to get through anyone to find Mishel, and she figured that for some reason or another the brunette had come here on her own volition.

The woman didn't have to search for very long to pick up the familiar Force signature, however. Mishel was close, and likely still somewhere near or within the station. She made her way through halls and doors as she honed in on her through the Force, tracking her down. Most if not all other Ren would've likely condemned her and taken her back to the Bastion, but the vat-grown girl was here for a reason and Kaalia would at least hear her out, and depending on her reason she was even willing to lend a helping hand.

She entered a hangar where she immediately saw the figure of the person she was looking for. "Mishel!" the woman exclaimed, her tone more surprised than anything. "You should've told someone you were heading here. You had me worried for a while." She noticed the other people, and gave them a modest nod to greet them. "I'm sorry to interrupt you all, I was simply looking for her. I'm close with her family." It was the standard thing for her to say when describing her relation to Mishel, and this moment was no exception. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

[member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"] [member="Alkor Centaris"] [member="Mishel Ren"]

The three mechanics eyed the three newcomers. Most of their attention, for one reason or another, was on Alkor. "Keep it in your pants, Shenna," Jorus murmured to the Twi'lek.

Darr, the orange Krevaaki, unhooked another longneck with one weathered pincer and tossed it to Alkor. "So you're Centaris," he said in gutter-fluent Basic. "The way the Captain here tells it, I'd expected more cosmetics." He gestured vaguely toward his own face.

Jorus stood, nodding companionably to the three newcomers. "Hey, Alkor. So this is Sio's kid, eh? One you were telling me about?" He met Kaalia's gaze evenly. "Say hi to her mom for me. Been a long time since we got our stripes."

Shenna'vala, the Twi'lek, snorted loudly but kept undressing Alkor with her eyes. "Not enough prosthetics and hair dye to be a Kerrigan."

 

[Alkor Centaris]

"Not sure I'll be able," Alkor replied in earnest, "mum's footin' the bill, but sheila's never introduced us. Think I embarrass her." The man gestured to [member="Mishel Ren"] and then back to [member="Jorus Merrill"] . "I was serious about the lum, though."

He held his hand out for a few moments as [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] burst onto the scene, and he blinked. For a moment, he thought that he had sensed this woman before somewhere. He did not give voice to the thought, however.

"Well, a friend of the client is welcome as long as the client wants them along, I suppose," he commented. No reason to deny her unless the girl was opposed.

Alkor almost entirely ignored the eyes on him, though for a moment his gaze did grow stern. He was able to soften his appearance generally, but people's emotions often caused him to respond less than amicably. Especially lust or infatuation.

"I've got a helmet to hide my face," he replied to the first man who addressed him, and his gaze moved from the woman to the mechanic. "Surgery is expensive."

 

[Mishel Kryze]

A lot happened in the span of about five minutes, almost the length it time it could take to win a round of Watchover. It was some new-fangled hologame that she had seen on her way from Monastery to here. Alkor mentioned it and a few others as ways for her to keep busy while she was waiting for her neurotransponder to recharge. She stood there in this, hangar? Half-way part of a station, with [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] talking in one ear, and @Alkor Centaris and [member="Jorus Merrill"] in the other. The teen put a hand up to all three parties to get them to pause a moment so she could address them one at a time, first the red head. "I am on a quest!" She declared with hands on her hip, "a quest to find as many lightsaber crystals as I can before going home. I've purchased a small workspace on Siverra. I can craft lightsabers and spend time away from home there. It's peaceful."

She then gestured toward Alkor. "I've hired him as my bodyguard since I won't be able to protect myself the entire time. And yes, my mom is footing the bill, but uh let's just say that's required some handydandy slicer work so she won't notice. I mean, I can't be seen going over my allowance now can I?" Dropping her hands to her side she then gave a thumb toward Jorus. "And this is Jorus Merrill, the Jedi who wrote the guide I was reading on the way to Anoth and Faldos." The brunette spun on her heel and stuck out a hand toward the man, and then gave the twi'lek beside him a look over herself. Clearing her throat she quelled any ungodly desires that might have arisen in that moment, "Mishel Kerrigan, and yes Siobhan's my mother. Unlike her, I have yet to be introduced to a box of dye, and," she held up her cybernetic hand, "don't worry at this rate. I might just have as many cybernetic body parts as the old lady before I turn twenty-one."

"Now then," she looked back over at Jorus, "I was hoping you could help me with your guide, and... if anyone of you know where I might be able to buy a decent freighter? At least around these parts." Mishel turned her attention to Kaalia, "you're more than welcomed to join, broaden your horizons."

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia nodded towards the man who mentioned [member="Mishel Ren"]'s mother, smiling politely. "I'll say hi for you... Sorry, I didn't catch your name." She was fairly certain she didn't miss it, but she figured it would get her the answer anyway. "Name's Kaalia, by the way. Pleasured to meet you." She offered a handshake before turned to the other man who mentioned coming along and offered him the same. "And from what I picked up you must be Alkor." The woman had no idea how Mishel got in contact with the two, but they seemed to be no trouble so far.

Her question to what she was invited to come along with was quickly answered as the brunette explain what she was doing here. "Hm, sounds interesting. I'd be glad to come along. Another pair of hands wouldn't hurt, right?" It definitely wasn't what she was expecting to do here, but she didn't see any reason to pass up. She chuckled at the notion this was being paid by Mishel's mother without her knowledge. "I never heard any of that. I'm staying out of that mess would the leak in finances come up."

"Also," the redhead added, "I could use a crystal or two for myself as well. Perhaps you could help me craft a nice new saber down the line?" She raised an eyebrow towards Mishel.

[member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Alkor Centaris"] [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] [member="Mishel Ren"]

“Good gorram, boss, and I thought you were talky.” Darr burped gently and ambled back up the ramp. He’d put down a couple more lums than the other two, and he wasn’t as young as he’d been. That left all eyes, more or less, on Jorus, who'd taken a minute to formulate a thing to say.

“Well...feth. Yeah, I can help you.” He scratched at his stubble. “I wrote that guide maybe five, six years back for some Jedi that needed a hand. Stanged if I know how it wound up on the HoloNet, but it’s been bouncing around ever since.” He almost mentioned Mara - she knew crystals far better than he did - but something about these people didn’t entirely sit right. When in doubt, leave your kid out of it.

“As for the ship, we can definitely make a thing of that. The Burgh isn’t a bad place to shop, Kal’Shebbol has a ton of traffic, and my folks here are solid at modding anything you need. We could even cobble together something unique, just from the spaceframes and components we’ve got aboard. If Sio’s footing the bill, feth, we can go all out.”

 

[Mishel Kryze]

In all fairness, Mishel's phrases that would indicate Siobhan would pay for anything was well, a lie. But, no one needed to know just whose pockets the money was coming from. It was better for the press, for papers and media to assume one thing rather than to question why the First Order would front money. Even better, the sooner they got the ship the better. "I don't know about all out guys, why don't we start with something basic and go from there? Like that thing?" She gestured to a rather bulky, rusted looking ship. "And I am very, very grateful that you will help me. I am hoping that I can learn more about how lightsaber crystals actually work, and this, this is my big trip for the summer before University." Oh well, feth. She'd have to come up with some actual university that wasn't Avalonia. "Which I have yet to decide on um, where I'll be going."

"Oh..." She replied to Kaalia having heard the redhead, "well, I've got a few designs in mind and a hilt or two already made back on Siverra."

Now she just hoped that Jorus didn't know anything about Siverra or which planet it was actually on. Then again, she could just cough it all out to him once they got on something that would move them out of the Burgh. Like how she had been on Tygara, taken by the First Order forced into adulthood, lost her hand, got shot in the back, fell off the top of Vader's Castle. Ended up on Monastery where she died, and was brought back to life and now no longer has a deep connection with the dark side and instead is completely confused. Because growing up was already hard enough but let's add force powers and alignments to it all to make it that much more confusing. And even better, most likely, a biological parent who would rather shoot you on sight as opposed to, say, hug you. Like normal people. Normal and Mishel were not things that went together in the same sentence.

"And you do have such a lovely face." She said of Alkor, with a smile.

[member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"]​

 

[Alkor Centaris]

Alkor nodded in reply to [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] when she greeted him, but continued to listen to the back and forth between [member="Jorus Merrill"] and [member="Mishel Ren"] . The two seemed very intent on discussing crystals and exploration, and several parts of him wanted to chime in. As someone who spent a great deal of time crafting lightsabers and fine tuning them specifically for combat, the itch screamed in his head to be scratched. He wasn't about to speak out of turn, though. On the other hand, the Corellian in him- the part that wanted to fly free, and to soar on new horizons- that part kept him mostly interested in their chat.

He reminded himself that he was just present as a defense contractor.

"I'll leave the flying to you, then," she told Jorus with a smirk as the man mentioned that he would be willing to help them out. As much as he liked to take to the skies, he was a one man show. His moves weren't suited for freighters or ships that carried more than one or two people. He pulled a stunt once that had a few of the others pissing themselves- and those were some of the most composed men he had ever known. It wasn't a good plan to go straight for a paycut.

When Mishel commented on his features, Alkor glanced at her and blinked slowly. "While I appreciate your kind words," the Dark Jedi told her, "I must remind you that my rate covers defense contracting and asset recovery. Anything beyond those parameters will cost extra." He was so surgical in his words, so dry that one could not deny he was serious. He lifted the helmet overhead and his voice changed, mechanical. "At any rate,"

He turned warmly to Jorus. "You been keeping up with those drills, bur'cya?"

 

[Mishel Kryze]

The teenager put her hand on her chin and waved off the group in question and headed to the boxy lookin' ship. Mishel didn't care who was around and who wasn't around, "hey! You!" She shouted to someone had been working on the dock. "How much for this?" He gave her a price and she added another hundred thousand to the price, "all the bells, all the whistles no questions, no papers just hand it over." And that was that, she put her hands down to her hips and looked at it and then without looking back. "Hey Kaalia, Mr. Merrill," wasn't entirely sure how to address him, "think we can stick a hoverchair ramp on this?" She turned just so that she could see them over her shoulder. Everyone else at the Burgh minded their own business and then she finally addressed Alkor. "As a friend would say, what you do with the money is your own thing, after all, what's life if you haven't got the funds to live it with?"

She waited what felt like ages before the ship was finished or at least flight ready, Mishel slapped her hands together, "let's do this thing."

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[member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"]​