Private Lurking the Zone

[Judd]

"Someone out here sealed it up." Judd turned, glancing around at the empty hall around them. That meant somebody could still be around, on their side of the door. Probably hiding in a cupboard somewhere. Or lying in wait for the pirates to get sloppy.

Levi asked if the Dowutin had anything for a sealed door. Judd only set his jaw. "No, I don't have any breaching equipment. We ain't exactly rolling in dough at the moment. Unless you think a laser scalpel can cut through this." It couldn't.

“Could try the ventilation system.”

A grunt of affirmation was the only response, as Judd turned, blaster still gripped loosely at his side. That was their best bet. Otherwise, it would be good to have a backup plan. "Maybe they have a plasma cutter around here. I'll poke around if you two find a vent, see what I can find."

- Levi - Jacen Nimdok -

 

[Levi]

"That would take a bit longer than we've got time for," Levi chimed. Jacen was willing to tag along, and suggested the vents. The captain agreed. "Keep your eyes peeled, Judd. For tools or culprits." The dowutin could handle himself, but with the door sealed up from out here, it meant they weren't alone. For all they knew, said culprit was just waiting for a chance to strike.

"Alright, let's be off," Levi walked further back down the hall to where the nearest vent grate was located. He reached up and pulled the latch open, examining the interior. His lips twisted, "You go in first, Jacen. You're smaller than me." It might've sounded like a poor excuse to avoid the frontline, but it was genuine. If Levi got stuck, they'd both have nowhere to go. With Jacen going first, at least one of them would decidedly make it through. Besides, Levi wasn't planning on just giving up from the get-go. "Just a precaution."

Judd - Jacen Nimdok​

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

"Someone out here sealed it up."

"Oh." Did that mean they had to worry about someone lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike while their guard was down?

While Judd went in search of a plasma cutter, Jacen and Levi found the nearest vent grate. As the smaller of the two, Jacen would have to go first—a position the boy did not relish. Despite his predatory nature, walking right into the spider's lair wasn't ideal. But they had little choice.

"Just a precaution."

"Yeah, yeah," Jacen muttered, crouching down to peer inside the vent. Nothing suspicious. He began to crawl inside, trying not to make too much noise. Dust assailed his nose. He began to feel a creeping urge to sneeze.

Judd Levi​

 

[Judd]

Judd turned back to watch his two crewmates leave with a sour expression. If something went wrong in there, and he couldn't get to them...

No. He didn't care. They die, Judd busts open the bridge, gets every share of the loot, and inherits a new ship out of the deal. It was the perfect scenario, really.

Then why was he worried? The Dowutin stamped out the discomfort in his stomach, instead dedicating himself to finding some equipment.

It wasn't too long until the large medic found a locker. Busting it open was loud, he didn't exactly have Levi's slicing skills, but eventually, he was able to tear the door off it's hinges. All it had inside was... rocks. Not even the shiny kind.

"Great. My favorite," The Dowutin grumbled, before continuing on. Not realizing he was being watched.

- Levi - Jacen Nimdok -

 

[Levi]

Levi crawled in behind Jacen, sparing a final glance at Judd before pushing further in. The space was cramped, and the captain was struggling to wiggle through without making much noise. After a time, they began to hear mumbling. Too difficult to make out from here, but it wasn't Judd. Levi stopped, and grabbed Jacen's ankle to make him do the same. The vent made a dull clunk noise as it resettled under his weight.

There was a silence, following by another mumble. One that was again difficult to make out, but it certainly had an intonation of 'What was that?' Levi remained motionless, glancing up at Jacen and seeing him wrestling with his nose's urge to sneeze. The devaronian's eyes grew wide, and he shook his head, mouthing a barely audible, "No. Nooo. Don't. Don't do it."

Jacen Nimdok - Judd​

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

"No. Nooo. Don't. Don't do it."

Levi's pleading couldn't exactly change the mind of Jacen's irritated sinuses. The boy did his best to hold in his sneeze, but whether or not he succeeded was purely the luck of the draw...

Judd Levi​

 

[Judd]

Judd continued his solo mission through the ship, exersizing a healthy helping of caution as he checked corners, walked with a slow, careful gait, and kept his blaster pistol trained on his sightlines. He didn't know if someone was out here, watching him, but he'd lived long enough to know that a careless pirate was as good as dead.

Determined not to be blasted into swiss cheese, Judd kept his guard up.

A few button presses opened yet another storage room, this one containing what he was looking for- industrial tools. Small excavation vehicles, fine tools to help with extraction, and... "Bingo," he finally said, hefting a plasma cutter in one hand. Now, he could bust open the doors, and help his crew...

No. If they failed, and they needed him to bail them out, he could maybe do it. That was more like it.

Here's to hoping nothing catastrophic happened while I was gone, the Dowutin thought grimly.

How much trouble could two pirates find themselves in, anyway?

- Levi - Jacen Nimdok -

 

[Levi]

Thanks to Levi's coaxing (or moreso, just luck) Jacen managed to stifle his sneeze. They waited for a few tense moments, but nobody on the other side seemed any wiser to their intrusion through the vents. Levi silently ushered the kid forward through the vent, which seemed to be coming up on a dark opening. A closet of some kind, perhaps?

Meanwhile, on Judd's side of the ship, a door opened. If he was listening close enough, he might have heard it.

Jacen Nimdok - Judd​

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Finally exhaling the breath he had been holding, Jacen continued to trek through the vents, eventually reaching an access point. He peered through the slats, nightvision letting him make out the outlines of storage shelves in a small, confined space.

After unsuccessfully trying to push the vent open—like the one they had entered through, the latch was located on the outside—Jacen closed his eyes and called upon the Force to release the mechanism.

Judd Levi​

 

[Judd]

Judd had been about to head back to the door with his new toy in hand, when he heard something.

Immediately, the Dowutin's survival instincts kicked in, and he was on high alert, hefting the laser cutter like a particularly heavy blaster. It had come from the hallway he'd been in. With military precision, the pirate marched to the doorway he'd just entered, and with a sudden deep sigh to infuse some bravery, he wheeled around the corner, ready to cut apart whoever was waiting for him.

Instead, he came face-to-face with a little boy. Startled, the child held up his hands. Startled, Judd pulled the trigger on his laser.

Which was deflected by a sudden slash of yellow. Judd's mind blanked with panic, as the Jedi Padawan scrambled away, running down the hall and turning a corner.

"...Welded shut," the pirate said, after a moment. He squinted at it suspiciously. "From the outside. That was fast."

...Of course. Damn idiot.

"Hate to break radio silence, boys," the hefty medic said, pulling his comm close to his face. "But I just saw a baby jeedai. Which means there's probably a big jeedai around here too."

"How brave are we feelin' today, boys?"

- Levi - Jacen Nimdok -

 

[Levi]

Levi was stuck behind Jacen as he tried to open up the latch. To speed things up, he handed him a plasma cutter, "Just use this," He chuffed, not interested in waiting on the boy's Force powers to work. While Jacen worked on that, Judd suddenly spoke up through their comms, revealing the latest hurdle in their plan.

"A Jedi?" Levi grumbled, "Wonderful." A padawan was a nuisance enough, but as Judd said, they'd likely have to deal with a master too. That was much harder. Still, he didn't lose his resolve, "We've gotten this far. We're not going home empty handed yet." He'd managed to escape Jedi before. Sort of. Perhaps this would be no different.

After Jacen opened the hatch, they descended into the storage room. Beyond which, murmuring could be heard. The rest of the crew perhaps? Silently, Levi nodded to Jacen, drawing his blaster and setting it for stun. They weren't here to butcher. Besides, if they really were dealing with a Jedi, a stun blast was harder to block with a lightsaber. And in the worst case scenario, said Jedi would probably treat them a lot more nicely if they didn't murder any of the crew. Levi burst through the door, holding up his blaster, "Nobody move!" He cried.

Jacen Nimdok - Judd​

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

The Force was not with Jacen today. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t get the grate to move. An impatient Levi handed the boy a laser cutter, which he used to slice through the metal grate.

"Hate to break radio silence, boys, but I just saw a baby jeedai. Which means there's probably a big jeedai around here too. How brave are we feelin' today, boys?"

Jacen froze, the laser cutter sputtering off.

"A Jedi? Wonderful. We've gotten this far. We're not going home empty handed yet."

Jacen slowly turned his head to glance over his shoulder at Levi, eyebrows raised as high as they could go. Were he in the leadership position, he would’ve canceled the whole raid and skedaddled back into the safety of outer space at the mere mention of Jedi being aboard the ship. But alas, he was not the captain—so he had to go along with what now felt like a suicide mission.

He turned the laser back on and finished cutting through the vent. Outside the storage closet, voices could be heard speaking in a low murmur. Jacen watched as Levi set his blaster to stun. Was it better to leave their victims alive to avoid worse repercussions, or to kill them all so that no witnesses were left to testify? The career criminals’ eternal conundrum. He set his own blaster for stun and followed the captain out the door.

The crew of the Albedo awaited them. Not only did they outnumber the pirates—everyone was packing. Half a dozen weapons were instantly pointed in Jacen’s face. Explorers and expeditionaries weren’t killers, but they were used to danger.

Behind them was gas cloud with glowing eyes. A Filar-Nitzan. Judging by the sinking feeling in Jacen's gut, this was the Big Jeedai. The boy let out a groan.

Judd Levi​

 

[Judd]

Personally, Judd was ready to get the hell out, too.

His hand hadn't stopped shaking ever since he saw the jeedai. His other hand was too preoccupied with the mining laser to soothe it. There was nothing he could do but ride the wave. Memories he'd kept suppressed were surging to the forefront of his mind. The war...

Unable to help himself, the medic took a threatened step away from where the padawan scampered off to. He didn't want to be anywhere near forcies. Jacen was a rare, tentative exception. They knew the risks. It was time to leave, and if his crew were smart, they'd be right behind him.

But then, more indecision plagued the Dowutin. With any other crew, he wouldn't mind leaving them to face the music. But this one was different. He didn't care about Jacen and Levi. But he might've been starting to, and abandoning them didn't feel right.

. . .

Judd made his decision, and started moving, hoping he wouldn't regret it later.

- Levi - Jacen Nimdok -

 

[Levi]

Levi and Jacen were immediately greeted by a room full of blasters pointed right at them. The standoff had become awkwardly one sided, and decidedly not in the pirates' favor. His expression dropped in surprise, even more so when he noticed the strange gaseous being among them, "Ah." He muttered, clutching his blaster a little tighter.

"You've all got spunk for a few academics. Alright. I can respect that," They all remained tensely silent, "Now before any of you go getting trigger happy, I warn you… we've already set up explosives on this here ship of yours. If we flatline, another of ours has orders to detonate, taking all your precious cargo with us" A lie. But Levi probably lied better than he told the truth.

"I can tell you're all reasonable folk. There's no point in giving up lives for these items. So if you could point us the way to our prize, we promise to take good care of 'em. Thief's honor." He grinned toothily. Of course, if his bold attempt at deception failed, there was always Plan B: The flashbang he was priming behind his back.

Which would promptly be thrown and detonated if necessary.

Jacen Nimdok - Judd​

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Jacen felt as if he were going to throw up, faint, or some variation of the two. Levi, of course, tried to talk them out of this mess.

"Now before any of you go getting trigger happy, I warn you… we've already set up explosives on this here ship of yours. If we flatline, another of ours has orders to detonate, taking all your precious cargo with us."

The Devaronian spoke so convincingly that even the little vampire turned to stare at him in shock. Had he set up charges throughout the ship on their way to the bridge, and Jacen just hadn’t noticed? Force…

The crew of the Albedo was just as surprised. Even the Jedi Master seemed more cautious now, unable to tell if Levi was lying or truthing. “Clever devil,” it muttered. Jacen was surprised that the fart cloud could talk.

“Well, what are all of you standing around for?” another crewmate exclaimed. “Give ‘em the artifact!”

A box was handed to the pirates. Jacen recognized the familiar logo of a Seimei preservation case. He felt a little twinge in his chest, somewhere between nostalgia and ennui. It was the same sort of container his archaeologist parents would use to transport artifacts.

“What is it?” he couldn’t help but ask the expeditioners.

Judd Levi​

 

[Judd]

Just then, an overly-tough voice, ringed by genuine, shaky fear, erupted from their datapad. "You boys alive?"

Judd had dropped the mining laser on the spot, returned to the ship, unable to keep the tremor from his hand. As soon as he'd cleared the docking clamp, he'd shut it up tight, locking it behind him. It was only then that the Dowutin could take a moment to breathe, clasp one hand in the other to stop the shaking.

"Couldn't find a way to crack the door open," he lied, his mouth tasting like sand. "You're on your own."

- Levi - Jacen Nimdok -

 

[Levi]

Levi couldn't help but grin as his gambit seemed to pay off. Even more so as the Jedi begrudgingly admitted to the devaronian's craftiness. He stood much more confident, and reached out to take the artifact container. Around then, Judd radioed back in. For a fleeting moment, Levi was afraid the Dowutin would say something that might undermine the plan, but his initial question may have instead reinforced the threat. "More than alive, friend, we are well." Judd said he couldn't get the door open. The idea of him just giving up on it struck Levi as odd, but he didn't dwell on it at the moment, "We're getting the artifact now. We'll see you on the ship." With that, he promptly turned off the comm, lest they risk incrimination.

“What is it?”

The archaeologists looked between one another, evidently reluctant to give them information. But the one handing it over finally spoke, "It's… well, we believe it's some kind of… star chart. Tracking purrgils in and out of hyperspace," He looked around, as if checking whether or not he should continue, "The people who created the ring sought to fight the purrgil homeworld. This was likely part of that effort."

"Hm," Levi's said, pretending to be interested, "Sounds quite valuable to somebody." He took the box, opened it up to check, and smiled, "Thank you all for your business. You are more than welcome to search for the artifact again, after we've sold it," Levi chuckled, but he was serious. As long as the Outrider crew got their money, he couldn't care less if the Jedi stole it back from the buyer, or from someone else down the line. Such was the nature of this line of work. He turned and delegated the case to Jacen, "Take this back through the vent, I'll be right behind you." They needed to leave quick. No reason to dally, and risk the crew finding out about their little fib.

Jacen Nimdok - Judd​

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

"You boys alive?"

Jacen's expression twitched slightly at the sound of Judd's voice.

"Couldn't find a way to crack the door open. You're on your own."

Jacen couldn't believe it either... and yet he could. Despite all their adventures so far and the camaraderie they'd built, he didn't really know his crewmates. They could be capable of the worst crimes imaginable, for all he knew. Giving up because the door was stuck among them.

"It's… well, we believe it's some kind of… star chart. Tracking purrgils in and out of hyperspace. The people who created the ring sought to fight the purrgil homeworld. This was likely part of that effort."

It took Jacen a moment to remember that purrgils were giant space-faring whales, and not some feline variant of gerbil like the name implied. "Oh. Cool," he said, unable to hide his genuine scholarly interest even as Levi faked it. Perhaps his sincerity would be a comfort to the explorers as they were forced to hand over their treasure.

"Take this back through the vent, I'll be right behind you."

"Yes sir." Cradling the case in his skinny arms, Jacen stooped to crawl back through the vent.

Judd Levi​