First Reply Its Dangerous to Go Alone

[Kyra Findlay]

Somewhere along the Mara Corridor, a clever trap had been laid. Technology purchased from the Grysk Hegemony in exchange for information on the Galaxy allowed the pirates of Kyra's small crew to pull ships out of hyperspace. Of course, interdiction technology wasn't new by any means. What was special about the Grysk technology though was that it offered them a stationary device that, while cloaked, could detect travel through hyperspace based on a number of factors. They'd been taught how to manipulate the device during their short jaunt through the Unknown Regions, which had very nearly gotten them all killed, but had proven more than profitable. The device watched hyperspace for vessels no larger than two hundred meters in length and hopefully lightly armed. The device would then rip them out of hyperspace, exactly where her and her crews were laying in wait. It was the perfect scam really.

Though like any plan it always posed a risk. There was always the possibility that a CIS corvette or a Silver Jedi patrol would pass through, but even then they'd get the jump on them. Between two heavily armed Stiletto-class corvettes and a squadron of Weequay Battle Disks, there was little that would come out of that point that would scare them. The device was easy enough to move too. It was small enough that modest tugs could move it sector to sector, and if they had to ditch it somewhere, they could rest easy knowing nobody would find it before they did. Thinking about the plan brought a smile to the old woman's lips. The Loth Cat on her lap looked up at her with its big round head and beady little eyes and Kyra's heart almost melted. She lifted the little monster from her lap and squeezed with glee.

"Ma'am," came the voice of one of the Weeqauy officers, "Station's uncloakin'. Looks like we caught somethin'!" And right on time something blipped back into real space within visual range, the vessel careening a few kilometers.

"Finally," she said, tossing the cat to the ground. The cat screamed, but landed on its feet, hissing before scampering off. "Scramble the men and get the Cin Vetin ready for boarding action. I want to be there personally." Moments later, the battle disks that had been floating aimlessly around the two corvettes sputtered to life and began spinning and speeding towards the trapped vessel.

"Eherm," the Weequay cleared his throat over the com, "'tis th' Libertalia. Ye 'ave th' unfortunate luck o' bein' our guest this evenin'. prepare yer ship t' be boarded 'n do nah resist 'n our mateys on th' Shirak won't open fire. We don't really feel like scuttlin' today."

 

[Lucien Kenston]

Lucien, Marc, Tre, and their pilot Kap, stood in stunned silence. Kap assured them this would be a routine run. He said that he has NEVER had any issues on his way to Nal Hutta. Every week he simply picks up stolen goods from his contacts on Corellia, then sells them to willing buyers in Hutt space. Or at least thats what his protocol driod, 3D-FX, told the three of them when they boarded the freighter.

Kap mumbles something in Devaronese to 3D-FX and gives it a bonk on the head, motioning it to respond to the Weequay's message, "Ah well yes, I do believe this is the first instance this ship has been pulled out of hyperspace. And by pirates! Oh my." Kap shakes his head and starts angrily yelling at the droid, hands flailing.

"Lucien can you please handle this," Marc says with his hand hovering above the button to activate the com. "I don't even know what this guy is saying."

Lucien pushes past Kap to respond to the pirates "Uh, yes, this is Han Star... Han Starweaver," Tre laughs in the background loud enough to be heard over the com, "-shhhh! So, yeah we are on official Hutt business, I'd advise you let us pass peacefully."

The whole group proceeds erupt in an argument. Kap yells at all three of them despite not being able to speak basic, Marc berates Lucien for his half-witted response, and Tre continues laughing at the message and this ensuing chaos. 3D-FX throws its arms up and scurries off to safety in the back of the cargo area. Meanwhile, the ship sits idly and completely defenseless to the forces surrounding them, its one heavy blaster cannon sitting unactivated.

 

[Kyra Findlay]

The Weequay communications officer looked back at Kyra with a question on his face. Was this guy serious? What did they think this was, amateur hour? They could hear the laughing in the background for Force sake. Kyra rolled her eyes and waved her hand before standing up and attaching her cape. The Loth Cat padded along behind her as she walked through the sliding doors towards the turbolift, leaving her crew to command the vessel.

"Err...Captain Starweaver, transmit yer mark so we can confirm ye're workin' wit' th' Hutts. We didn' ask fer any support. If ye're lyin' we'll blow ye out o' th' sky 'n scoop yer cargo later. I be sure Agrippa The Hutt would appreciate us lootin' out th' competition. Huehuehue..."

The turbolift hissed open into the small hangar shute that housed the fighters and her transport. Waiting for her at the door was another Weequay, the man in charge of her boarding actions. He was an ex-Alliance Space Trooper and had plenty of experience in Zero-G combat and boarding actions so it was the perfect fit. Further down the hangar she could see the Cyclops crew-mate and a large alien that was a part of her crew stepping onto the ramp of the Cin Vetin. Big Red, as they called him, waved two of his four hands as he walked up. She smiled and gave him a small wave.

"Ma'am, we be all fueled up 'n ready t' go on yer word." Kyra nodded.

"Good."

Moments later the freighter launched and began flying over towards the freighter they'd pulled out.

Lucien Kenston

 

[Lucien Kenston]

Another message comes through the com terminal during the confusion onboard Kap’s freighter, but the infighting only halts after the message comes to an end. All four of them look at each other in silence. “Well, did anyone catch what the man said?”

“I think something about being blown out of the sky? I honestly missed most of that message, thats my bad.” Tre takes a moment to wipe a laugh induced tear off his face, “I just could not stop laughing at Mr. Han Starweaver over here”

“You know improv usually works for me… but yeah, not my best work.” Lucien looks out the cockpit and spots a freighter from the pirates fleet heading their way. “So what? We’re just hosed? Any other ideas here?”

“I think they said they’re with the Hutts?” Everyones eyes dart to Kap, he’s claimed to at least work with them to some extent. Kap shouts something dismissive at them in his native language and storms off. “For fucks sake, this guy doesn’t even speak basic! Where in the galaxy did that droid go?”

“Well, we could just, you know…” Marc and Tre give Lucien a inquisitive look, “Kill the guy and give these pirates his cargo?”

Marc is taken aback by the suggestion, “No way, are you insane?”

“Its either that or we try to join them, there is just no chance of defending ourselves on this thing. We'll be outnumbered and we're already surrounded.”

Marc shakes his head while pacing around the cockpit, contemplating the choices he’s just been presented with. “Just incase they board and start firing, lets pull out the weapons and armor we packed. If I’m dying today I’m not just getting slaughtered.” Tre starts unpacking the luggage they brought aboard, tossing blasters to Marc and Lucien.

“Best case, we bargain with them, worst case-“ 3D-FX abruptly barges back into the room, “Gentlemen, the captain has informed me he may have a solution to this matter.”

“And what might that be?”

“There is a shipment of light Janick ion bombs aboard this freighter, he proposes detonating them once the landing party is aboard.” All three meet eyes in shock at the proposition. “And would that not kill everyone onboard?”

“A hull breach would almost be a certainly, sir”

“Fantastic”

Kyra Quez

 

[Kyra Findlay]

The Cin Vhetin docked with the freighter, shuddering with the impact. With a sigh Kyra stood from her seat, tossing the crash webbing to either side of her. When she got to the docking tube Big Red and a Weequay were already standing there, weapons drawn. With a satisfied smile on her lips she slipped a breath mask over her mouth and readied her blaster pistols. She looked to the pilot droid who had waddled up to them and nodded at it.

"Open it," she said, her voice amplified by the annunciator in her breath mask. The droid's photoreceptors flashed before it looked down at the console and inserted its scomp link into the droid interface. It spun once, twice, three times and the doors for both vessels hissed open.

"Alright!" She shouted, loud enough for anyone in the room to hear, "We've come aboard! Lay down your weapons and bring out that manifest! Let's see what you've got here." She waved a hand to the left and the Weequay secured off behind a crate, weapon raised. She sauntered around looking for anything useful.

Lucien Kenston

 

[Lucien Kenston]

The three of them are relieved to hear a call to lay down their weapons. Assuming Kap pulls the detonator on those ion bombs as soon as he hears trouble, an immediate skirmish onboard would have led to an ugly scene.

They all lay down their blasters before engaging the boarding party. Lucien turns the corner to greet them, “Welcome aboard! Not my ship by the way, us three humans are just passengers.” The pirate captain’s associates remain in position with weapons drawn, “Well the actual captain doesn’t speak Basic so you’ll have to mediate through me or one of my friends here, I’m sure we can work something out. 3D-FX, do you mind providing these nice folks the manifest, and Tre, can you grab your blaster and fetch the captain of this vessel for me?”

“Am I fetching him in a friendly or unfriendly manner?”

Lucien tilts his head to the side for a moment to consider, “Just grab him and bring him up here, make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

Kyra Quez

 

[Kyra Findlay]

Kyra folded her arms across her chest and took an impatient stance, gently tapping her boot. Her one good eye glared warily at the masked figure before her. The captain didn't speak basic, that was fine and not unusual in the Galaxy, especially out in the Mid Rim this close to Wild Space. But Smugglers usually at least understood more than their native tongue, usually one of the dozen or more popular trade languages. Operating this close to Hutt Space though meant they would know at least that language, if not Sy Bisti. She smelled a trap, and she didn't like being played for a fool.

"Stop," she said, raising a hand. She flicked at the Weequay and nodded at the other crew-mate. "Scieve, go with him. Make sure he doesn't double-cross us. Means he can leave his blaster behind too." The Weequay gave a laugh that sounded like sandpaper being rubbed on beskar.

"Myyy pleasure cap'n. I'll make sure he stays nice 'n docile like." The Weequay smirked and walked forward, shoving the other crewmate's shoulder, blaster in hand. When the pair had left and she'd had a few seconds to glance over the manifest she looked back up at the man.

"You're a little young to be running a crew aren't you, adiik?" She didn't leave time to answer. She had questions about the cargo but those could wait. "What language does your captain speak, you'd be surprised how many an old lady like me picks up in her years," she said, tossing the manifest to the large four-armed cyborg behind her.

Lucien Kenston

 

[Lucien Kenston]

Lucien was flattered by the suggestion. After all, he was on Aria living life as usual only a few days ago. Now, he faces exhilarating uncertainty as his ride is hijacked by pirates working for Hutts. Quite the 48 hours. However, assuming they survive, this was valuable experience for the young spacer.

“Only speaks devaronese, uses the 3D-FX unit to translate for him. We met at a cantina on Corellia, paid a couple thousand credits for him to drop us off on Nar Shaddaa, said he was selling stolen weaponry to buyers on Nal Hutta” Lucien pauses but it seems the pirate captain wishes him to continue, Lucien gives a shrug, “Thats all we know, swear… But I might add, the weaponry back there is— quite heavy, so, you may want to tell your guy to be careful lest he blow everyone up”

Kyra Quez

 

[Kyra Findlay]

She snorted. Devaronian? That was odd then that he didn't speak at least one trade language, especially if he traveled into Hutt Space. Or maybe it was that this kid was really just that green and foolish that he didn't bother to learn any other languages besides basic.

"You sure he's not just playing you? Its pretty uncommon for traders not to speak even at least Huttese. In fact, it's downright irresponsible." She planted a boot on one of the shipping containers and removed her blaster, eying it up and down as if inspecting it for blemishes. "In fact...How do I know you aren't playing me right now?" She leveled the weapon at the masked kid and whipped out her com. In response to the sudden movement the large four armed cyborg stopped leaning on the wall and readied all four of his blaster rifles, his masked head swiveling from his captain to the remaining two smugglers in confusion. Twon Ketee weren't very smart, and they usually couldn't pick up on when they were being swindled so his confusion was palpable but expected.

"In fact, it's not just uncommon, it just doesn't happen," she snarled. "Scieve," she barked into her comlink, ", how's it going. You find the captain yet? Should be Devaronian."

-----

Scieve lumbered behind the smuggler as they walked down the hall. His blaster raised to the man's back he was beginning to wonder if there was a captain at all. Then his com beeped.

"No Ma'am, nah yet." He scratched behind his head before shoving the barrel of his blaster into the back of his guide. "Hurry up 'n quit stallin'!! Me trigger finger's gettin' a wee itchy..." He warned. They turned a corner.

Lucien Kenston

 

[Lucien Kenston]

Lucien began to wonder if he had any control over the current situation. Was Kap really going to blow us into pieces? He wouldn't— seemed like a nice guy. Plus, is that really a logical solution here? A little too much time had past though, and the tension in the room was reaching an uncomfortable level. Lucien gives the pirate captain a nod, “Might want to give them another buzz, I’m sure everything is fine but, you know, just incase…”

-----

“Can you relax”, Tre was starting to get irritated at the Weequay, “He’ll be around here somewhere just hiding, I’m not expecting any problems.” The two turn another corner into the ships main cargo area. “Kap! Get your ass out here before this guy kills the both of us…”

Some movement among the massive metal containers can be heard from the other side of the room. The Weequay presses the gun a bit tighter into Tre’s back and leads him towards the source of the sound. The containers form a sort of maze, the two zig-zag before making there way to a clearing. A slick laugh is bellowed somewhere above them. Their eyes dart to the top of a crate, the ship’s captain standing over them.

“Hold it you two,” Kap aims his blaster pistol at them and holds a detonator in his other hand, “Any moves and I’ll blow this entire ship to pieces.”

“Kap I- I thought you couldn’t speak basic! What the hell is going on here?”

“Guess you can’t trust any random guy you meet at a Cantina, huh” Kap takes a brief pause shuffling his feet into a better position, "Crymorah syndicate advanced me a large sum of credits to bring this shipment to them instead of any Hutts, can’t let these pirates walk away with it all... especially if they’re working for one of them. I’d be dead either way.”

“And you brought us along why?"

Kaps lets a quick laugh, “You paid me a couple thousand credits, figured I could pick up a few thousand more if I sold you three young healthy humans to the syndicate… Doesn’t matter now though. Weequay! You better get your captain down here to talk terms before I detonate this payload!”

“Well... shit”

Kyra Quez

 

[Kyra Findlay]

She had to give him credit, the kid was calm for having a blaster pointed at his chest and a Twon'ketee point all four of its blasters at his friends. She sighed and gave the blaster a flourished spin before sliding it back into its holster. What was taking him so long? She waved a hand at the big red monstrosity to signal that the danger had passed and the cyborg quirked its head again but lowered its arms before leaning on the bulkhead again. Kicking herself off of the crate in a show of frustration she started walking towards the kid but stopped when the com beeped.

"You better have good news for me Scieve, what's the status on their captain?"

"Ahoy Captain! Hehe... 'tis Scieve. We found thar cap'n 'n he would looove a word wit' ye." His voice sounded strained and he was emphasizing words strangely. She didn't have time for his games today.

"Good, well get him back down here. We don't know when the next ship's going to arrive and we need to be ready with the relay!" Silence.

"He means no disrespect ma'am, but he would jus' love it if ye came t' th' fore o' th' cargo bay. No weapons." That tipped her off. She lifted her thumb from the transmit button and hissed a curse before shooting a glare at the young armored man. Eyes locked on the man's faceplate she answered.

"We'll be right there. Don't do anything stupid to piss off our accommodating captain, alright?"

"Yes ma'am." Scieve was a good man and a great officer. She'd really rather not lose him today over this foolishness. The comlink clicked off and with a sigh she pulled one of her two blasters from the holster and placed it gently on one of the crates. The other one she drew and held it low, its barrel pointing right at the young lad's gullet.

"Alright mask boy, you're with me. Don't put up a fuss and nobody get's a blaster bolt through the spleen. Its time I met your captain face to face."

Lucien Kenston

 

[Lucien Kenston]

Kap had clearly gained the upper hand. He probably went ahead with his threat to blow the whole ship up, no other explanation for the Weequays change in tone. As it stands, Lucien has no power over the situation... He's being led to the cargo hold with a blaster dug in his back, and theres no telling how things will play out with Kap. That needs to change, and fast.

"Wait," Lucien stops in his tracks a few steps down the hallway, "To be perfectly clear, I'm just trying to get us to Nar Shadaa. I could not care less about the cargo, the captain, or this ship... Bring a blaster you can toss me in case things go haywire, I'll help you kill this guy and offload the cargo so you can get out of here"

Lucien continued after a brief pause, seeking to convince the pirate captain, "You outnumber us onboard and your fleet has us surrounded, all I ask is you let us leave after everything is said and done. And... I'll owe you one"

Back on his home-world, Lucien had little difficulty convincing others to his way of thinking. Out here though? Well, he simply had no experience. Lucien's eyes remained locked with the captain's as he awaited her response.

Kyra Quez

 

[Kyra Findlay]

Kyra rolled her eyes as she pressed forward, shoving him forward.

"Listen kid," she growled, "You're lucky I didn't put a blaster bolt in your karking chest when I got that call. Considering the Devaornain swindled you too most likely, I'll play along. But you will do as I say and you don't get a blaster." The path really was winding and she could see now why it took them so long before. When they walked up on the captain Scieve was locked in stuncuffs, his hands clamped in front of him and the other crewmate was similarly locked up with his hands behind his back. The Devaronian was large and imposing, his horns worn from his years. Her eye narrowed at the man and flicked to her crew-mate before she gripped Lucien by the shoulder and pulled him closer to her, further concealing the blaster at his back.

"I came, sorry I couldn't come alone. Needed a guide."

Lucien Kenston

 

[Lucien Kenston]

Kap had reassumed his position on top of the crate after shackling Tre and the Weequay. Sporting a big grin, Kap takes a long look at those gathered below him. "Would you just look at this pathetic group... I've been making these runs for over twenty years and never have I seen a more artless boarding" Kap stomps his foot and lets out an intimidating yell, "Captain! You should throw this Weequay out the airlock for not blasting me when he had the chance, he's proven quite the fool"

This would end poorly, Lucien thought. Perhaps if he was lent a blaster they could have stormed in and ended things quickly, now however, the risk was too great to just start shooting. If this pirate captain is planning on making a move, she better be a damn good shot.

"Now then," Kap raises the his right hand holding the detonator, "no games before we talk. Step aside from the boy and I need hands in the air, both of you!"

Lucien began slowly lifting his arms, waiting on the captain to make a move, if any...

Kyra Quez

 

[Kyra Findlay]

Kyra shrugged at the Devaronian as they walked closer to him, her old face seemingly only passively interested in what he had to say. She shifted her weight with the shrug, offering her better footing if things did get out of hand. Sher single eye flicked around the small space taking note of escape routes, potential weapons and the exact positioning of Scieve, the other crewmate, and the Devaronian only known as 'Kap'.

"Mandalorians don't care much for art," she said, pulling back her white tunic to reveal a dull blue beskar plate, the iron heart planted squarely in the center. She was unperturbed by the man's shout. "Besides, when you went belly up like you did and sent us this kid," she said, clapping him in the shoulder with her free hand, "We thought we were dealing with some real amateurs, or at the least a barrel of hut'uune." Hut'uun was the word for coward in her native tongue of Mando'a. "But I guess we were woefully unprepared. Oh! How could we underestimate such a fine captain." Her voice dripped with sarcasm and contempt.

"Enough with the games, if you'd rather have blown up the munitions than live to see another day you would have done it the second we boarded the ship. At this point, if big red doesn't hear from me soon you're going to have a very bad day." She shrugged again. "Or you can blow us all to hell. Either way this goes you're ending up dead. The only options you have right now are I space you after this is done, you blow yourself straight to Chaos, or the Twon-Ketee beach there rips you apart and I let him eat you for an extra meal. Alive." She pointed her thumb back the way they'd came for emphasis.

"Now drop the detonator and let my mate go." She was too old for these sorts of blowhards.

Lucien Kenston

 

[Lucien Kenston]

Kap let out a grunt before spitting in their direction, "Great speech mando, but I'm afraid you've misread the situation." In dramatic fashion, Kap presses down on the detonator. The lights in the cargo bay go dark, and the exit doors scream shut. The initial force of the action left everyone shuddered, as for a second they thought he'd really blown them all up. "What the hell just happened?!"

A howling mayday alarm starts to sound, accompanied by swirling red emergency lights suddenly illuminating the room. Kap was nowhere in sight. Droid chatter began to come from the edges of the room, heavy mechanical footsteps were rapidly approaching. Lucien sprung to action, prying the stuncuffs off of Tre and the Weequay. He shot his head back towards the pirate captain, "Gonna need a new plan here, fast!"

Kyra Quez

 

[Kyra Findlay]

Mood​

When the lights shut off she flipped up her eyepatch and closed her authentic eye, allowing the cybernetic eye to adjust to an infrared vision mode. The man dashed to the cargo bay doors which wooshed open. But she was getting old and this kid that she brought along was frozen in place as if this was the first time he'd ever been double-crossed, or in this case triple-crossed. She squeezed the trigger, not bothering to aim. The blaster let loose a tri-burst of yellow energy, illuminating the room for a brief moment but the bolts missed their mark, scorching the durasteel bulkhead around the door as it wooshed shut. She let out a loud Mandalorian curse and slammed her fist onto a crate. They'd have to move quickly. She was right, he wouldn't blow the ordinance while they were all on the ship together, but there were escape pods, or maybe the vessel had its own auxiliary craft.

When the red emergency lights came back on she saw that he was rubbing his own wrists and the kid was standing beside them. Maybe he wasn't entirely useless after all.

"Sorry cap'n, he caught me off guard. I-"

"Apologize later, first we need to-" Then she heard it. Mechanical chattering, not quite the binary that astromechs used but something more menacing. "By the Manda, you've got to be karking kidding me!" she shouted as the droid footsteps grew louder and they revealed themselves. Dome-shaped heads protruded from above the stacks of plastoid containers. They were an older model security droid of Tenloss make from back in the Republic days. She'd dealt with her fair share of the bowl-headed things and they were tough. Reaching into her jacket she pulled out her comlink and thumbed it on.

"Big Red, activate the security droids to defend the Cin Vhetin and tell Louise to get her sorry pink ass up to take your place. We need your help." The com buzzed for a second before a loud grunt and something unintelligible came over. "Yes, if we get the shabuir who did this you can eat him." The droids were getting closer now. She didn't wait for the droids bodies to become visible, she knew they wouldn't. This time she allowed her cybernetic eye to calculate the shots for her and she followed its instructions. She pulled the trigger, sending a trio of yellow bolts streaming at one of the droids' domed heads. The droid lurched backward but reoriented itself and continued its steady march through the boxes. She cursed and scanned the room for the box she'd seen earlier. Returning her concentration to the droids, looked at the kid.

"You know how to shoot a blaster?" She didn't wait for him to answer and tossed her's at him. It was a custom Mandalorian blaster pistol. High stopping power, sleek, and with a fired in a three-round burst meant to put Mandalorians in a casket and was heavier than it looked. "Scieve there's a container by the door," she flicked her arms, deploying a pair of blasters from her sleeves. This old lady was armed to the teeth it seemed. The Veshets weren't nearly as strong as her modified blaster, but they'd get the job done. She pointed one arm at the container and blasted the keypad lock and the box hissed open.

"Manifest said Jaeger blasters. Probably headed for CIS space originally, grab it and get ready to hunker down."

Lucien Kenston

 

[Lucien Kenston]

The situation had suddenly become quite complex. Lucien had quietly hoped the pirate captain, or rather, the Mando, would just blast Kap into Chaos when they walked in. But things are rarely so rosy in the real galaxy. Marc was still up by the cockpit with the other pirates, and Kap had likely run off down some escape route. But now came Lucien's first taste of real battle, and the adrenaline was invigorating.

Lucien caught the blaster and gave it a quick look after finding cover. Custom, slick, and felt like it could kill in one shot. Back on his homeworld he was known for his skill with a pistol in the pit, but these were moving targets not stationary ones. Lucien looked at Tre and motioned his head over towards the open container of blasters. Tre was a bruiser, he'd revel in the chance to open fire on these big junk droids. Lucien smiled at Tre, "You ready?"

Five of the big bodied droids were now in sight and unloading their repeating blasters on their position. Lucien spun up from behind his cover and fired a perfectly placed shot, knocking one of the droids processors clean off. The unexpected recoil caused the blaster to smack him in the face however, and a gash opened up on his right cheek. Worth it. The rest of these things weren't as easy to take down, and it was hard to get a shot off with all the suppressing fire. Luckily, those Jaegar blasters had a clever micro-grenade attachment, and it just so happened Lucien had an idea.

"Tre! Weequay! Flank em' with those grenades while me and the Mando cover you! Those things are dumb as rocks!"

The Weequay looked to the Mando for approval, which she signaled with a repeat of the same order. The two then snuck out behind the crates, trying to find someway around. It felt like they were gone forever, and the stress of the situation had dawned on Lucien. Just how much fire could these droids take? He was in the middle of reloading when one of the more damaged units began to charge their position, knocking over Lucien's cover and sending him back several feet. It slammed its two arms on the ground, attempting to crush him with sheer force. Lucien rolled away in the nick of time. Tre and the Weequay now appear where Kap once stood, and begin to rain the deadly shots of the micro-grenades on the units still functioning on their perimeter. The distraction gave the Mando an opportunity. She jumped on the back of the droid hulking over Lucien, wrangled it, and stuck a shot right in its head sending it crashing to the floor. She hopped off the droid's carcass and gave Lucien a hand. "You just saved my ass from getting turned into pulp... guess I owe you more than one now huh".

Kyra Quez

 

[Kyra Findlay]

Kyra growled in response and pulled the kid up. He was resourceful at the least, but this entire situation was starting to grate on her.

"Don't go giving away debts to pirates you've just met," she said before jumping behind a crate. Where was that big stupid hulking- Before she could finish the thought a mechanical roar filled the room as the sound of durasteel being ripped apart pierced the room. The door leading out creaked once, twice, became dented, and then was ripped from its place as two large, red hands gripped the dented durasteel doors and peeled them back. Dark blood plopped thickly onto the floor from the hands, but the beast didn't seem to mind the cut. The sound caused the droids to halt in their advancing assault and turn their domed heads towards the door. Big red was here.

When the doors finally were peeled back enough, two large arms holding two heavy blasters peeked through and started firing full auto. The blasts peppered around the hull as the hulking mass of muscle and cybernetics squeezed through the too-small doorway. A single red photoreceptor glowed brilliantly as Big Red entered the room. An arm and leg hung precariously out of the beast's collarbone, thick black Devaronian blood dripping down its chest. Well, it appeared that the captain didn't get too far.

"MAMA!!!"​

It roared from its annunciators.

"I'm okay Big Red, go ahead and do us all a favor. Scrap these war-bots would ya?" The beast grunted and leveled its two other heavy blasters at the bots and roared as he let loose on full auto. Now that he could see, the helmet he wore was able to accurately track and target the enemies. The red bolts flew at the droids who had now started to fire on Big Red. The bolts left black scorch marks on his armored chest and exposed arms but nothing seemed to phase him as he roared on. This was why she kept Big Red fed. She had every confidence her crew could take on a small rival boarding party...They would get ripped to shreds by Big Red if they ever made him angry. The barely intelligent Twon Ketee had been bread to hunt and kill one of the most dangerous creatures in the Galaxy, Rathtars, and as such their cybernetic hulking masses could take heaps of damage...Though Kyra knew that once they were back on the ship Big Red would be whining and crying like a baby until she made sure he got some bacta packs and a hefty snack...Besides the Devaronian captain.

When the last of the bots fell in a slagged heap Kyra stood up from her hiding place and took a tentative step towards Big Red.

"BR," she said softly, the beast's heaving breaths filling the room. He'd sustained way more fire than she thought he would and he had smoking pits all over his body. He snarled and turned its photoreceptor on Kyra. She cooed something gently in Mando'a and reached a hand out to wrap it around one of his fingers. She cooed it again and the beast slowly started to slow his breathing.

Lucien Kenston

 

[Lucien Kenston]

Lucien and Tre stare with their jaws dropped at the scene of affection going on between the Mando and whatever that thing called "Big Red" is. "Well uh, thanks for taking care of that guy Big Red, we appreciate it", Tre said as he offered the creature a nervous smile.

Marc and the other members from the Mando's boarding party that got left back before the action started filed in behind them. Marc smiled, "Hey, tried to do something to help back there but that damn droid locked us out of the system... Security footage was crazy though. Was like watching a holo-film, only this time it was people I actually care about in real danger." Lucien and Tre knew he was joking, but, they weren't sure anyone else did.

With the dust settled it seemed that they were in the clear. Kap was gobbled up by Big Red, those giant droids turned to scrap, and that blaring mayday siren finally turned off. Unless he had completely misread the Mando, she'd be letting them walk after all this. But, maybe there was still something to gain for Lucien and his crew. "So Mando, what next? We split the cargo and I get out of here with the ship?", Lucien joked.

Kyra Quez