Got my mind on my credits and my credits on my mind

[Chedi Iqari]

Chedi has had a rough couple of days.

Not long ago, he was on Karideph loading and unloading crates on the docks. While there, he had befriended a smuggler, Bane Sera, who had offered let Chedi travel with him and his first mate (a Bothan named Grom) when Chedi was about the lose his job on the docks.

While on their way to Nal Hutta to sell off some of the illegal cargo on board the ship, the trio had a run-in with the local customs authorities. Grom, it turns out had betrayed Bane. There had been a shootout on board the ship and both Grom and Bane were now dead. Chedi was left on the Trailblazer and flown it to the nearest station, Dawn Station.

All he wanted to do was get a drink at the cantina, find somoene to buy the ore on the ship and find someone to hire the Trailblazer for a transport mission so that Chedi fix the ship and move on.

Chedi was about to approach a denizen of the cantina that he thought could potentially be useful when suddenly a Falleen man had materialized from thin air and was sitting at the table next to Chedi. Not sure what to do, Chedi ended up waving at the strange man. "Uhh....hi"

[member="Thuumal Xevshe"]

 

[Thuumal Xevshe]

The air was thick with smoke, the falleen's face solid like stone, betraying no emotion. He had hoped that no one would say anything about his appearance, but clearly that hope was a little too much to ask for. Apparently, so was hoping that the Aing-tii responsible for transporting him here would not drop him on a cantina table. Xevshe looked at the man.

"They've got great furniture here. Very solid." He smirked. "You look like a man who is looking for something... or someone."

 

[Chula]

.

 

[Chedi Iqari]

“How did you know....?” He said with a start. He collected himself and with an air of sophistication that he did not feel said “We are all looking for something. You look like you are looking for some new clothes that actually fit you.” He looked around and whispered to the man “How’d you do that trick anyway? That’s quite an entrance!”

 

[Thuumal Xevshe]

The falleen smiled at the man. He admired the man's gusto. The kid's got spirit, he thought to himself.

"How's about you help me find some new clothes and I'll tell you all about it." Xevshe himself didn't himself know entirely what had happened. One moment he was unconscious on the alien ship and the next he was crashing into a cantina table halfway across the galaxy. He had heard tales of the force, but the power of these beings was something entirely different. Unfortunately, they had sent him on his way without giving him time to learn more. Was it possible to learn such power? Some mysteries were best left unsolved. The Kathol Rift had nearly taken his life once; he wouldn't voluntarily let it have a second chance.

 

[Chedi Iqari]

Chedi puffed up his chest "Sure, man! I can help you with that!...By the way, I'm Chedi. Nice to meet you."

He walked with the man outside of the cantina and into the corridor of the station. It looked like one of the outdoor markets from home. He began to reminiscence about home but had to stop himself. Reminiscence lead to sentimentality and he couldn't expend that energy. He would never be going back to Miridal. He needed to accept that.

"Let's find a stall that sells some clothing. how many credits can you spend?"

[member="Thuumal Xevshe"]

 

[Thuumal Xevshe]

Xevshe followed the man out toward the commerce areas of the station. The station was busy on this day, with all manner of species going about their business. The air was thick with the echos of commotion and smells of alien delicacies. Though the station might be impressive to his clearly less experienced companion, Xevshe was not impressed. Such a place was devoid of the cultural significance of Falleen. He would find a way back someday. From his peripheral vision, he noted a fleeting moment of happiness and concern from Chedi's face.

"Well, as it stands, none." He gestured down to his clothing. "Someone dressed like this probably is going to have much to spend. But let's not worry about that now.

Xevshe took the lead and headed into a few shops. After some time he found some appropriate clothing in a high fashion store staffed by a young female Twi'lek. As Xevshe approached her, he took a moment to center himself. On command, pheromones seeped into the air as his skin color softened somewhat. He flashed a smile at the girl as he pretended to browse the store in her general proximity. He looked away for a moment, timing his glance at her to catch the girl looking at him. Xevshe's smile became genuine when he saw her face get flush as she looked, embarrassed away. After a few moments of this game, he approached her.

"Excuse me, miss. I'm wondering if I could have your opinion for a moment?" He didn't wait for her to finish. "I've selected a few outfits, but I'm not sure what's in style these days. Do you have an opinion on which outfit I may look better in? Your taste is seemingly better than mine." He said eyeing her wardrobe suggestively. The girl smiled and this routine continued for a few moments before Xevshe entered a changing area wearing the long flowing purple robes of a diplomat. After a few more minutes of flirting, the Twi'lek let him walk away with the number for her personal comm channel and two sets of appropriately fitting clothing. As he walked out of the store, he tossed the girl's comm channel into a nearby refuse bin.

[member="Chedi Iqari"]

 

[Chedi Iqari]

Chedi's jaw dropped to the floor. This Falleen man, who frankly had not introduced himself yet (how rude!), had just walked into one of the fanciest clothing stores in the station and walked out with not only two sets of clothing that probably would cost more than Chedi could make in a month. On top of that he walked out with the comm channel number for one of the most beautiful Twi'lek women he had ever seen in his own life. And then he just tossed the number away! Chedi grabbed the comm channel number from the refuse bin and followed the strange man.

"I need to know two things: what is your name and how they krak did you do that?"

[member="Thuumal Xevshe"]

 

[Thuumal Xevshe]

The falleen looked the mirialan man up and down as they passed through the crowd. Xevshe decided his companion deserved an answer. After all, he had just witnessed Xevshe commit a crime and hadn't said anything. Besides, he was too green to be a threat. He hoped. Perhaps the kid could be a way off of this station. He looked out a nearby viewport into deep space. But where would he go?

"Thuumal Xevshe. Well met." He smiled again, lowering his voice for effect. "And that...was another professional secret. Pheromones." He wasn't trying to impress the kid, he just needed a ride off this hunk of metal floating in the middle of nowhere.

"What's your deal kid?"

 

[Chedi Iqari]

"My deal? Well, I'm not someone you want to mess with, that's for sure. I"m a famous smuggler." Chedi said with his chest puffed out a bit. He thought to himself, "You got to fake it until you make it, right?"

He paused...maybe this guy could actually help him get rid of his ore. "Listen, I think that maybe we can help each other. I can use someone like you on my crew. But first a little test. I have some ore that I need to offload. Now I could do it myself but this is a chance for you prove yourself. If you can help me offload the ore for a good price, I'll split the profits with you and hire you on...pending review, of course."

[member="Thuumal Xevshe"]

 

[Thuumal Xevshe]

Xevshe was amused, but his face was stone. This kid's got guts. Perhaps this could work out to be mutually beneficial. Xevshe pondered this possibility for a brief second before he spoke.

"I think that might be a mutually beneficial arrangement. Let me guess, you need a broker? A face. Someone to network and help you move your goods. I can do that. I presume room and board is provided?" He didn't wait for an answer, lest the kid get cold feet. "We need to get to Kal'shebbol." He thought for a moment. "It's at the end of the Rimma Trade Route. We'll need to figure out where we are first. I'd suggest we move soon, it will take time to get there....Captain." He let the title linger for a moment. "What do you say?"

 

[Chedi Iqari]

"Captain...I like that!" thought Chedi. Just as he was about to agree to terms, Chedi felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. Something was wrong. Just out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large Gamorrean followed by the Twi'lek that Mr. Xevshe had gotten his clothing from. "Uh - I think we have company. We can discuss terms and destination on my ship. Better move quickly and come with me!" Before Mr. Xevshe could respond, Chedi was weaving through the crowd to get to his ship. He called out behind him, hoping that the Falleen man had kept up. "Ah! there she is! Isn't she a beaut?" Before him, about 50 yards away was The Trailblazer.

[member="Thuumal Xevshe"]

 

[Thuumal Xevshe]

Chedi's sudden departure caught Xevshe flat-footed. He hadn't anticipated a security response so soon. Stations of this class usually had security of varying degrees of threat response, apparently this one's was mild, albeit quick. Blast! I wasn't done shopping! He thought to himself.

"There he is!" shouted the twi'lek. "That green guy!" The gamorrean waddled behind her, clearly out of breath. Xevshe looked around trying to find the source of the threat. The crowd was thick, and the noise level loud. With so many people in the room, it was doubtful he would find them before they would find him. He beat a hasty retreat, following not far behind Chedi. Behind him the gamorrean followed slowly, grunting orders into a portable radio system.

 

[Chedi Iqari]

Chedi looked behind him and sighed. "Come on, Mr. Xevshe! You're going to have to move a little faster than that! The Trailblazer is just ahead!" He took off in a run towards his ship. He felt in his pocket to make sure that his blaster was nearby in case he needed it. Mr. Xevshe was certainly a talented guy but Chedi wasn't sure he was the type to know his way around a blaster. Thinking about it, Chedi wasn't really the type to know his way around a blaster either but Mr. Xevshe and that big lug chasing him didn't know that.

[member="Thuumal Xevshe"]

 

[Thuumal Xevshe]

Zevshe's boots clapped loudly on the polished durasteel floor, thundering over the low rumble of the crowded hallway. It had been some time since he last ran from anything. It showed. He weaved in and out of the crowd, looking ahead to the Trailblazer. Her hull was scorched with burn marks, some of which surrounded obvious holes in the superstructure. She looked spaceworthy....maybe? Oh well, typical space trash, no time to judge that now. As Zevshe sucked down air, the pungent smell of fuel and exhaust drifted into his nostrils, announcing his arrival in the docking bay.

The pair rushed up the boarding ramp into the ship. When both were on board, Xevshe slapped the ramp recall button hard, sealing the pair safely inside of the ship. He knew they would only have a few moments before the ship would be surrounded. "Get to the controls and let's get this thing moving!" he barked. He collapsed into the copilot's chair and strapped himself in. This was going to be close...

I've fought too hard to get my freedom back, I'm not giving it up this easily.

[member="Chedi Iqari"]

 

[Chedi Iqari]

Chedi attempted to start the controls when all of the sudden the whole ship seemed to turn off. The cockpit was entirely black which was probably a good thing as it would hide Chedi's look of utter disbelief. In his panic, he hit the console with the palm of his hand. Suddenly the whole ship was on and they had started to move up from their docking station. Looking through the window, he could see the guards surrounding the ship but they were already off. He looked at Mr. Xeveshe and said as coolly as he could muster "Sometimes she's a little temperamental." Once he was sure they were not going to be followed, he looked at his companion. "Now, onto Kal'shebbol, right? Let me just put in the coordinates for that." He looked at the control boards and felt a sense of dread. He had only managed to make it to Dawn Station by pure luck. He just pressed some of the buttons and started the hyperdrive and BAM! He was at the station. He thought he saw a part of the control panel that seemed like he could input coordinates and there was a map nearby for him to look for where Kal'shebbol was. He began to look at the map, hoping he was holding it facing the right direction.

[member="Thuumal Xevshe"]

 

[Thuumal Xevshe]

"Sometimes she's a little temperamental."

Xevshe wasn't the least bit surprised that the ship required a bit of percussive maintenance, this was the outer rim. Junkers like the Trailblazer were more common out here than actually functional, well maintained starships. Sure, the whole ship smelled like sithspit, but it had its charms. One of them was that Xevshe was no longer at risk of being arrested for what probably amounted to being slightly more than petty theft. He closed his eyes for a moment to catch his breath.

Suddenly, he saw himself in the slave ship. The smell was unmistakable. He felt a rumble as the Sanhedrim ship tore through the slave ship. The scene moved in slow motion. His body flew across the ship and hit the bulkhead with a dull thud. He saw the Aing-tii lifting his body out of the wreckage and placing him on some kind of medical bed. He felt a sense of welcoming by something. Though he looked peaceful and serene an observer's perspective, his anxiety began to rise as the hallucination engulfed his mind. Suddenly, he saw Kal'shebbol. The trailblazer landing. Chedi. A feeling of answers. He opened his eyes, and wiped the beads of perspiration off of his forehead with his sleeve.

"Now, onto Kal'shebbol, right? Let me just put in the coordinates for that."

The falleen looked over at his intrepid sidekick. He was holding the star chart upside down--and backwards. Xevshe sighed and laughed. "Uh, captain....you do realize you're holding the map wrong, right?" He helped Chedi reorient the map. "Kal'shebbol is right here." He pointed to the map. "It's on the Trition Trade Route."

 

[Chedi Iqari]

"Right...Right. I knew that. I was just testing you. Now, onto Kal'shebbol." Chedi looked at the map again and took down the coordinates. He inputted them into the control panel, hoping he could do at least that right, and said a little prayer as he pulled the lever for the hyperdrive.