I Need More Ramen

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"Oh." Kurt said with a shrug.

In truth he'd never actually been to this building before, no need to. Linguistics was far from something Kurt had ever even thought about, much less studied. He could understand some things spoken in other languages, Huttese for one, but he never really cared to speak any of it.

Much too complex.

"There's a directory." He said with a gesture through the crowd. "Back of the building."

It was always located in the same place for ease of access. Kalinda was huge, and the buildings on it weren't exactly small. The people that ran the university apparently realized that and decided it was best to have a way for everyone to actually find what they were looking for. Of course it had taken Kurt far too long to actually realized any of that, but now wasn't the time to share such things with Kinsey. In fact he'd keep that to himself until he died.

It was kind of embarrassing.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Good," she stepped and weaved through the throngs of humans and all other beings. Kinsey was barely brushed by others, let alone bumped. She had a way of finding the open spaces - even in chaos and crowds. She moved almost fluidly 'upstream.' She might even have lost Kurt. At least, for a few seconds. The exiting crowds thinned out the further back she got. A lit up panel along one wall signaled the directory.

Stopping in front. her finger swiped along the massive touch-screen to access Professor Gumsworth. After a second, the screen flashed, showing him located on the third floor. Behind them, the sound of several speeder bikes rumbled through the air.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Speeder bikes?

He frowned for a moment, wondering what the heck a speeder bike was doing on campus. They weren't banned or anything, but generally people didn't take them around. Usually most students either couldn't afford the storage fees or keeping the things was too much of a pain for it to be actually worth it.

Kurt was part of the former group. "Find what you need?"

The former Courier asked as he managed to squeeze his way past two young women who had just exited a small classroom to the left. They both gave him a dirty look, though that quickly shifted into a rather obvious oogling as Kurt made it past them.

"Things are winding down for the day I think." He glanced at his chrono. "Just a few classes left."

Night classes weren't common at Kalinda.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Yeah. He's up three floors." Kinsey was oblivious to any oogling and/or Kurt's looks. Her thoughts went briefly to a nautolan friend who she hadn't heard from in awhile. And she wondered if they'd ever been friends at all.

Not a long time to wonder, though.

Booted feet carried her quickly to the staircase, the sound of the parking bikes would tug a frown to her face. "Don't have much time, I imagine." Without an explanation, she started to jog up the open stairway.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

He frowned, looking back towards the noise of the speeders.

Kurt had never been particularly book smart, in fact it wasn't wrong to call him an idiot, but he was pretty good at reading people. He frowned for a moment as Kinsey began to practically hop up the stairwell, running towards, or perhaps away from something. The Courier just stood there for a few seconds, then quickly followed after her.

He didn't take the same rushed steps, but he was only a few feet behind her the entire time.

Like with everything at Kalinda the Stairwell was pretty new, and the marble steps were somewhat slippery. More than once Kurt had to catch himself on the railing to keep himself from falling down onto his face and crashing into the hard rock.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Hopefully Kurt wasn't following too closely to Kinsey, or else he'd suddenly find himself running into her back side as she stopped suddenly on the second floor landing. Hand shot out ahead of herself, catching the shoulder that was about at her waist level to a disgruntled Gamorrean Professor Gumsworth. A series of short, high-pitched snorts left his mouth, several tablets clattering to the floor.

"Whoa, Professor Gumsworth. Kinsey Starchaser. Vagrant fleet. You - um. Left a message with Wesseq?"

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Kurt wasn't walking far behind her thankfully, in fact he managed to stop himself a few floors down from where she nearly ran into the professor.

His gaze shot up at the two of them for just half a moment, though in truth he wasn't really all that interested in what they were talking about. The words 'Vagrant Fleet' sort of rang in his ears for a moment, though he couldn't really think of why they were interesting.

For the moment he decided it was best to stay quiet.

The sound of the speeders had gone, though whether that meant they had stopped or they were just out of the way Kurt wasn't really sure. He frowned for a moment, thinking to himself and once again wondering why there had been speeders at all. It was unusual.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

The sound of the large doors down below swooshed open with clomps of heavy boots filtering up the stairway. The professor oinked rather rapidly. "I know, I know." Kins held up a placating hand. "We've gotta talk. I'm here to get that map of yours."

Voices from the Keenjay clan began filtering up the stairs.

A Gamorrean sized hand tugged sharply on the spacer's arm and began leading her further up the stairs.

"Yeah, good idea. Backtrack." Blues found Kurt behind her. "Psst, come on flyboy."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

His eyebrow cocked.

What the hell was going on here now? A frown slowly crawled over his lips but Kurt decided it was probably best to follow along. The sound of speeders had now been replaced with the tromp of what appeared to be heavy boots, sounding out in the hallway in a repetitive march.

Kurt pulled himself up along the stairs. "Is someone after you?"

The questioned was quietly whispered to Kinsey, spoken at a level that hopefully nobody else would hear him. The School wasn't exactly done up with security, there were a few officers that wrote tickets and did other things but most of the time they sort of just sat around. Kurt doubted they would be any help if something happened, but the way that Kinsey was acting sort of began to sketch out the former Courier. He looked over his shoulder down the stairs.

What the hell was going on?

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

The Gamorrean professor squealed and snorted as he led them to the top floor and down a curving hallway. Kinsey turned to Kurt, not sure if he could speak Gamorrean or had a translator on. "No, after him."

There was another squeal.

"Alright professor, keep it down. After the information rather, that the professor has. Apparently, the wrong kind of people found out about his map."

Another series of snorts as the professor pulled out a keycard and swiped a door. It swooshed open to a very eclectically kept office. Kinsey quickly followed the professor inside. "Yeah, Wesseq sent me. What do you mean only me?"

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Kurt understood Gamorreans well enough.

Tatooine for all of its faults was a planet that could be called incredibly diverse. Every species in the galaxy made its way through Tatooine every now and again, Gamorreans especially appeared quite often. It helped that Kurt's patron in the Boonta Eve Races had been a Hutt, one that employed Gamorreans rather frequently and without even a moment of hesitation. They were a strong people, generally not smart, but Kurt didn't judge them for that.

For a moment the Courier turned back. "What map?"

A frown pulled at his lips for a moment, but then he heard the next bit. He cocked an eyebrow for a moment. Just what the hell was Kinsey actually up to? Why was there a secret mystery? Was he about to get shot by a speeder gang?

From behind him he heard the echo of boot steps.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

The professor scurried over to his desk. Moist jaw sent a most of spittle in the air. Drawers were pulled out. Wasn't long before he waddled back over to Kinsey, holding out a datachit. The explorer looked to Kurt

"Just a map," she spouted off vaguely, pocketing the datachit. The professor grunted indignantly.

"NO. That's not important right now. Listen. There's a ride for you back on platform seven B. Get there and lay low."

Blaster slid into her hand as there was a banging at the door.

"I'm drawing them away jeeze, don't look so shocked about it professor. Yes. Please hide." Kinsey looked to Kurt.

"You might want to hide too. I'll draw them away." Eyes scanned the power cell. Fifty percent. Just her kriffin luck.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Kurt was entirely confused about pretty much everything that was now going on. Apparently the map was just a map but important enough that someone had to run away for it which meant that it wasn't just a map and that Kinsey wasn't telling the truth.

"Now whose lying." Kurt commented off hand.

It was a bit petty to say that, but he didn't particularly care at the moment. There was a part of him that believed he had a right to say it, especially since he was getting somewhat annoyed at the fact that he still had no idea what was actually going on. He frowned for a moment, shifting his weight and looking at the door as fists knocked hard against it.

"Who are these people?" He asked. "Why do they care about the map?"

They obviously did.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Oh please," the spacer shot Kurt a look. The look. "It's not like I'm pretending the map doesn't even exist or I've never met the map before."

She eased to the side of the door and pressed her back against the entrance wall. That gang was coming in, one way or another. She aimed to catch them by surprise after they'd gotten mostly in the place. "I'm just choosing not to give you all the details. Sound familiar?"

That was a squeal of discontentment as the Professor wiggled his way deeper beneath the desk.

"Last chance to hide flyboy," finger hovered over the trigger. Sounded like they'd already short-circuited the lock outside. The door's seal hissed open.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Kurt rolled his eyes.

It wasn't like he was exactly new at fighting. He'd been in the Navy during the One Sith War, he'd fought against thugs, smugglers, even pirates. A biker gang didn't really scare him, though unfortunately he had nothing like a weapon. When he'd joined the University Kurt hadn't taken his blaster, mostly because Jamie had insisted nothing bad would ever happen at the school.

"Just don't..." He trailed off as he moved to one side of the door.

He still had absolutely no idea what was going on, but it seemed like whoever was on the other side of that door was pretty determined to come through, and Kinsey was pretty determined to shoot them when they did. Kurt had no idea why, but he knew he didn't really like being involved. "Shoot me."

Kurt finished as he pressed himself against the wall.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Brows lofted. Heh. No promises flyboy. Had no chance for a quip, though. The door's locks finally puttered out and two burly barabels came barging in. First was caught a stunbolt to the chest. Behind them were three more male humans. She fired at the second barabel.

Take out the big guys.

Problem though. Took more than one hit to get through their thick skin. Found herself backing up to the far corner as both barabels snarled in her direction and headed over. Trigger finger kept squeezing down. At least maybe they were starting to wobble?

A warning noise beeped off her blaster's handle. Blues risked a quick glance down. 2% power.

"Aw, feth." Free hand grabbed the stun baton hooked to her tool belt and went to flick it open.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Barabels?

What the hell?

These guys were serious. Kurt had no idea what the feth Kinsey was into, but whatever it was he didn't really want any part in it. The greater whole of him was tempted to make a break for the nearest window and just jump out, but another smaller voice inside of him said that wouldn't do. He and Kinsey weren't exactly friends, more like acquiantences, but all he could picture in that moment was the disappointment on Jamie's face if he were to just run away.

It wouldn't do any good. "Feth it."

Kurt said as he let out a curse, and then suddenly banked to the left. He saw out of the corner of his eye as Kinsey whipped out a stun baton, though he knew that wouldn't work. Instead Kurt grabbed a nearby chair, hauling it up and letting out a loud grunt.

A moment later he threw the wooden chair directly at the lead barabel.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

The lead barabel grunted in surprise as the chair smacked and broke over his back. He stumbled forward and Kinsey ducked low. There was a shattering of glass behind her as he tumbled over her back and right out the professor's window into the courtyard below.

Probably not dead though.

The second barabel lunged at her. Somehow, she managed to find the space he wasn't going for and instead of a clawfull of her shit, he got a clawfull of curtains. Spinning on her heels, she smacked the stun-baton across his back in a loud-thwack. Two of the male humans rounded on Kurt. The other one she managed to shove into the recovering barabel.

"Time to go!" She yelped to the pilot.

Free hand drew out a blank datachit. "I've got the starmap right here boys. Come and get it."

But not too fast. Stars, they needed to get out of here. Hopefully that gave the professor enough time to get to the transport.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

The two humans dashed forward, both of them rushing as fast as they could. Kurt switched half a second to the right, stepping to the left and hopping behind one of the tables. His fingers laced beneath the wood as he flipped the table over and onto the two men.

His foot kicked forward and smashed into the heavy wood. "Kark!"

The curse rang out from his lips almost involuntarily, mostly because he had absolutely no idea what the hell was even happening. Kinsey had a map, or did she not have it? These men wanted the map, and...what the hell else was even happening? One of the men on the ground began to shift again, pushing against the table. "Ki-"

He got interrupted as he felt a hand wrap around his foot.

"What the hell..." His other foot came in and smashed down against the mans face. "Get off of me!"

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Grabbing a datapad, she smashed it over a third guy's head. He dropped like a sack of nuna eggs. Crack. Stun baton still in one hand she lunged at the arm still gripping around Kurt's leg. The guy yelled out curses that impressed even Kinsey as he finally released Kurt, his other hand already up and protecting her face from Kurt's heel attack.

"Come on!" Reacting on instinct, her free hand found Kurt's and would tug him along and out of the room. Shoulder rammed into another gang member who'd come to check things out. She stumbled and would release Kurt's hand if she even got it in the first place, as she felt herself falling down the stairs with the gang member pancaked beneath her.