Saving the Common Man

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

[member="Orrico Wayke"] [member="Tirtus Vex"] [member="Neo Calix"] [member="Luther Ando"] [member="Daiya"]



Jaster's Sparrow was about ready to take off from Commenor. Well, sort of. In Lori's mind it was. Still there was more supplies to pack into the ship for the journey. She didn't really tell anyone where they were going. At least, not yet. She just told some of the crew to meet her at the landing pad near the Royal Palace that was heavily under reconstruction after Commenor's liberation.

Some of the crates were too heavy for her to lift, so Lori had some help from her mom's guards. But she didn't tell them what it was all for, outside of being overly prepared just in case. Packing wasn't her strong suit, especially when it came to a bunch of crates that she needed to fit inside the Mantis-class vessel.

So there she was, sitting on top of one of the crates outside of the landing ramp, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she worked on replacing one of the toggle switches on her jet pack Ol'Sparky. It was good to have her hands on it again. It was good to have her home free of the Sith and Imperials that were trying to rule over them.

But there were others that needed help. And that was what she was planning on doing. Helping people.

It was just better if her parents and guardians didn't know about it. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them....Right?

 

[Kyyrk]

Orrico stepped down the loading ramp, nose buried in a datapad as was quickly becoming his usual state of being these days. He glanced up at [member="Loreena Arenais"] perched on top of the crate. His sleeves were rolled up past the elbow, and his brow glistened with sweat from his efforts helping load the crates. "I tell ya, lil' lady, you better have a damn good reason to have all this packed, or lemme tell you..." He looked around the landing pad for a moment, catching his breath, before turning back to Lori, "...I quit."

He cracked a wry grin, and held up his datapad. "Think I jus' 'bout got a manifest drawn up, Should have everything checked off." He slipped the datapad into a small pouch that hung behind his back left pocket, and turned, pointing into the ship as he continued. "I moved some o' them crates cause the gentlemen you had loading them...well...I hope they're better at scrappin than they are loading, that's bout all i'll say..."

He stepped the rest of the way down the ramp, and pulled a rag out of his back right pocket, and used it to wipe the sweat off his brow. "Though if Mister Vex is still with us, I might let him take this next leg so I can catch some shut eye. Feelin' mighty tired, and I wanna take full advantage. If ya don' mind my askin, where is it we'd be goin, anyways?"

[member="Tirtus Vex"] [member="Neo Calix"] [member="Luther Ando"] [member="Daiya"]

 

[Tirtus Vex]

Tritus walked over to his two crewmembers from the opposite side of the landing platform. After the liberation, he'd wanted to see the planet a little, check the damage as it were. It was... heavy to say the least. The Sith had been allowed to stay for too long in his mind, but there wasn't much else they could've done before the siege.

"I'm with you Wayke, you'll have to put up with my superior flying skills for a while longer." Tritus remarked, it was one of the few times he'd made a joke, and he was oddly proud of it. Turning to the captain, he scanned the boxes arrayed behind her. "Unless we're heading to the Unknown Regions, I'm not sure we need all this captain. We could do with an explanation."

[member="Loreena Arenais"] / [member="Orrico Wayke"] / [member="Neo Calix"] / [member="Luther Ando"] / [member="Daiya"]

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

Neo strutted across the hangar to where his new found crew stood, he being the new guy was eager to impress in anyway he possibly could, whether that was unloading crates off the ship or fighting for the lives of his crewmates as well as his own, he was down to do it. The fiery red head's eyes shone like lapis lazuli when he looked across the hangar.

Neo listened in on the conversation at hand. He was quite the pilot himself but would keep his mouth shut

[member="Tirtus Vex"] [member="Orrico Wayke"] [member="Loreena Arenais"]

 

[Daiya]

"I know we just got here," the girl was saying as she entered the hangar bay ahead of a Wookiee who towered over her mere five foot figure. She paused to let a pair of workers with a loaded gravsled go by, their cargo destined for one of the ships inside the cavernous chamber. This close to the Royal Palace on Commenor, the ships spoke loudly of their high-end nature, with sleek lines and pristine hulls —though one or two bore the scars of the recent battle to end the planet's occupation— and the sight of them was truly awe-inspiring for the Wookiee's teenaged companion. Or it would have been if she had been paying attention. "But you said it yourself, this planet isn't stable, and after the whole pirates thing I figured a public transport ship was a bad idea."

Tawrrowaldr spoke in his warbling tongue of growls and barks, and the girl frowned at him, craning her head to glance up at his, "That's not even possible, you can't always protect me." Her face changed as she flashed him a toothy grin, "Besides, you have to sleep sometime."

"And look, Tawrro!" She cried, dancing forward with wide steps that sent her blonde hair flying, whirling on one toe with a grace that the utilitarian work boots shouldn't have afforded her and gesturing broadly with her arms to the ship in question. The MandalArms vessel appeared to defy all classification; it was half freighter, half gunboat, and didn't seem to care in the slightest. It was a spaceship fit for its owner, who hadn't exactly announced herself as royalty back at Plenty's where they'd met the woman. But on a world only just recovering its autonomy, anyone connected to the rethroned monarchs was a figure of interest, and it hadn't taken long to figure out her family. "That's a ship for a Princess! A Princess of a world that just kicked Sith arse. Do you think they're going to put her in danger?"

The series of yips and rolling yowls that ushered from her guardian's throat as he reached her position again sounded rather snarky to her. The teen let out an automatic chuckle at that, moving back in step with him, all too happy to let their argument end there. Besides, they were practically at the doorstep of the Princess' ship.

Doorstep, open cargo bay hatch, same difference.

"Hey, Loreena," the girl poked her head between the taller men standing around the seated Commenor princess. She was still surprised by the young woman's attire and posture, Loreena wasn't like any ship captain or spacer the girl had ever met before, but it put her at a comforting ease. Especially seeing Loreena looking so relaxed, seated serenely upon a cargo crate while hangar workers packed in other supplies into the ship's bay behind her. The girl gave a short wave toward the woman, and then angled so it directed towards the other crewmembers. "I'm Daiya. Loreena hired us. Me and," she gestured as Tawrrowaldr stepped in behind her, crowding out the two men closest to the crate serving as the impromptu forum, "this is Tawrro. Tawrrowaldr, I mean. Are you all her crew?"

[member="Loreena Arenais"] | [member="Orrico Wayke"] | [member="Tirtus Vex"] | [member="Neo Calix"] | [member="Luther Ando"]​

 

[Luther Lewis]

The cell was hot and far too crowded for his liking. He kept his thoughts simple: focusing on the burn of pain from his shoulders, as a contrast to the sharp bursts of agony from the wound on his side. The pain was bad, but he distracted himself with thought of last beach holiday.

The padawan in front of them eventually lowered her hands. Letting out a deep sigh she opened her eyes, the weariness clear on her face. He had spied her at the other cells and surmised that she had been chosen to root out any Sith force-users lurking within the arrested civilians. She looked tired, no doubt she felt an exhaustion that defied comprehension.

“They are clear” the padawan said to the security officer, before leaving. Luther resisted letting out a sigh of relief. Jedi were hard to fool, but fortunately the woman had only been looking for the presence of the force and hadn’t thought to look past the surface of his mind. “You” the guard said, pointing at Luther. “You’re first”.

- - - - -​

​

“Name?” the Captain said, seated behind a massive wood desk. “Xaiver Cortez” Luther replied, he'd expected the Security’s Captain to have a well-furnished office, but this was ridiculous. The man was far from the ascetic type.

“All right let’s see here” the Captain said gruffly. He looked even more tired than the padawan, somehow. “Caught trespassing in the Palace Gardens by one Alkor Centaris. Claimed to have been disappearing and reappearing out of view. Seen with a lightsaber. However, only items of note are one forged passport”. He flipped the page and frowned. “Detainee has second-degree burns across the shoulders, and a blaster-shot wound on the left side”. Luther pain seemed to double, and he gritted his teeth to prevent himself from crying out.

“Detainee is not a force user…” the Captain nodded to himself and closed the folder. He took a big swig of his cup of Caf and gave a Luther an appraising look. “I know what’s going on kid” the man eventually said. “Yeah?” Luther replied hesitantly. The man nodded and took another swig of Caf. “You sneak into Commenor with your fake passport, lay low awhile but get caught up in the crossfire” . The next swig finished the cup, prompting the man let out a happy sigh. “You run the wrong way, get caught in the gardens by a crazed Mando, who attacks and arrests you”.

Luther was quiet for a while, before letting out a resigned sigh. “You’re good, Officer” Luther said. “That's dead on”. The man nodded, a smirk on his face. “Look kid, I sympathize. I really do” he stood up now, revealing a hefty gut under his uniform. “And I think we can make a deal. You see, my cells are full of Sith scum, and I just don’t have room for a kid with a fake ID”. He had moved around, so he was standing behind Luther’s chair now. “Now if this kid, who has no right to be on Commenor, was suddenly not on-planet? Well, then there would be no issue”. He moved back around and sat in his chair, which squeaked in protest. “So, we have a deal?” Luther grinned. “Of course”.

The man once again nodded, satisfied. “Loreena Arenais is looking for a final member for her crew, I’ll pull some strings and get you on the roster. Be off Commenor with 24 hours and we’ll have no problem…”

- - - - -​

​

He didn’t head straight for hangar. If he was to be a spacer, then he needed to look the part. He bought new clothes, dumped his bloodstained rags and freshened up. Next was a decent blaster pistol, plus a stop to the doctor to change his dressings and pick up meds.

‘Flat broke, now I really am part-scoundrel’ he thought, as he headed towards the Jaster’s Sparrow. The rest of the crew was already aboard, it seemed. He approached the group, quickly straightening his jacket.

“Sorry to interrupt. I’m Xaiver Cortez, I’m looking for a Loreena Arenais?”

| [member="Loreena Arenais"] | [member="Orrico Wayke"] | [member="Tirtus Vex"] | [member="Neo Calix"] | [member="Daiya"] |​

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori looked up from her work on the toggle as [member="Orrico Wayke"] spoke up. She snickered as he joked about quitting, knowing full well that he wouldn't do such a thing. He was growing too fond of her. She had a habit of picking up guardians much in the same way that her Mom [member="Lady Kay"] had a habit of gaining allies and getting into trouble.

He asked where they were going then, and as she was about to answer, [member="Tirtus Vex"] appeared with pretty much the same question, among other things. "I'll fill you in once everyone is here..." The last time that she did that though, she had lost half her crew. Hopefully thus time it'd be different. As far as she knew, they weren't going into a war zone. Still, she was expecting that there was a chance that they'd have to fight.

Lori looked to [member="Neo Calix"] as he came nearby and gave him a little wave before she fit a screwdriver behind her ear. The redhead was easily spotted. But then again, so was everyone on her underdog crew.

She grinned as [member="Daiya"] and her wookie guardian approached. It was SUPER easy to pick out those two! Lori had met them at Plenty's, one of Chasin City's most popular restaurants. "Hi! Glad you two could make it! This is my crew. Well....some of them, actually. But they are awesome people." Tawrro would of course be quite useful for loading the crates. She was sure that Orrico thought of it too.

[member="Luther Ando"] approached next, calling out her name. Her FULL name. Inside, Lori grumbled to herself. She didn't like giving out her full name. When people discover that she's a Princess, they tend to treat her different. Some even stay away from her so that they don't risk getting into trouble. Fortunately her and her twin brother, [member="Caedyn Arenais"] were kept out of the public eye for the most part. But still...things were different now. The spotlight was on Commenor and it's leaders.

"You've found me. But I prefer to be called Lori or Captain,
If you don't mind. So what can I do for you, Xavier?" The guy looked almost like her twin brother. That was really creepy. He better not be her brother in disguise to babysit her or they'll be some hell to pay!! Or so she thought anyways....

 

[Kyyrk]

Orrico's brow arched towards [Member="Loreena Arenais"]. Arenais? Like the royal family here on Commenor? That was...interesting. He made note to ask her about it later. He didn't keep his attention on her long, however. He turned to look at the assembled crew. Certainly more...interesting than the last one. And a Wookiee among them, no less. Hopefully this one had a decent grooming regimen. People usually thought twice about crossing a crew with a Wookiee among their numbers.

The girl tagging along behind him was young. Younger than the captain, likely still a kid by most metrics. But, so long as she was willing to carry her weight, she was certainly welcomed along. The young redhead...There was something off about him. Orrico couldn't quite put his finger on it. He wasn't...human, exactly, but Orrico couldn't peg exactly what kind of being he was. Either way, strong and silent type worked.

Finally, he turned his attention to Xavier. Something about the way he carried himself looked familiar. Orrico could tell through the subtle movements that he was wounded, he'd seen enough battlefield injuries to know when someone was nursing a wound. And...the name sounded familiar. He made a note to ask about it later.

"Well, lovely to meet you all, I'm Orrico." He offered a small nod and wave as he said this. "Retired from the First Order navy some years back after my fighter took a nasty hit. Don't worry, I ain't gonna stick a shiv in yer ribs just for the sake of hearin folks scream." A wry smile followed this one. "I will, however, mess you up somethin fierce if you start screwing with the internals on this baby. Capun picked me as the pilot for her first venture, and I happily continue to serve as such, but I am, first and foremost, her mechanic. So, you see anything wrong with this ship, I wanna know about it, and don't you touch nothin till I get eyes on it. This here's a beauty and an antique in some eyes, and I'd rather us not mess up the lil' lady's ship."

[member="Luther Ando"] [member="Daiya"] [member="Neo Calix"] [member="Tirtus Vex"]

 

[Daiya]

Another person joined the assembly of awesome people, as Lori had put it, and Daiya gave the man an abbreviated wave as well. Lori didn't seem to be expecting him, and it caused the girl to look over the man with a closer eye. His attire seemed right for a spacer, a little bit fashionable, a lot a bit comfortable, with a blaster pistol within close reach. He didn't look uncharacteristic, either, a face that read as tough but didn't scream creepy or threatening. And none of the others seemed concerned, as one who introduced himself as Orrico launched into a spiel about himself.

So Daiya turned away, her eyes wandering about the faces of the crew, and the hangar itself. They fell upon other ships in the bay, some shiny and new, and she marveled at them. No one from the seedier parts of Denon had any right to bear witness to these majestic vessels, and yet here she was. Not only standing before such ships some considered to be vintage and collector's pieces, but now a part of the crew of a real life princess. After the speedy escape she had made off Denon with Tawrrowaldr, and their violent encounter on the way here, the whole situation felt surreal, as if she were in a dream and was about to wake up again. If only she could have seen this happening, then it would feel real.

Idly, the girl settled upon the action about the D5-Mantis before her, watching as the hangar workers began loading crates from a new sled, all marked with a specific name of brandy. Her eyes widened at the sight of the drink name, the crates were rather large and too big to be a personal supply for the ship's crew, even collectively. The girl turned back to Lori, who had been engaging with the newcomer in the meantime, biding her time to let the woman captain get introductions settled.

"What's with all the booze?" Daiya piped up suddenly, instantly conscious of the attention her comment had attracted. But after a sharp growl from Tawrrowaldr, she bristled instead, no longer caring about the consequences. Her rebuke to him was innocent enough, but carried the melody of a teenager's brashness. "What? There's like three huge cargo containers, who needs that much?"

[member="Loreena Arenais"] | [member="Orrico Wayke"] | [member="Tirtus Vex"] | [member="Neo Calix"] | [member="Luther Ando"]​

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

And there was [member="Orrico Wayke"] laying down the law, so to speak. He was more than a pilot or mechanic. He was a friend and guardian, regardless of the fact that she was paying him. After losing [member="Jaster"] of Clan Awaud to death in battle, she needed another to look up to and learn from. Yet it was Orrico that found her first.

Maybe they both needed eachother.

"Yeah, this ship isn't fully paid for yet. I'd rather have it survive past it's warranty."


Her attention was drawn to [member="Daiya"] and her questions on the crates. Most particularily the brandy. "Someone with a drinking problem?" Lori snickered. The brandy was of course a cover story for what they were really up to. "Just making a delivery, is all. To the Embassy District in the First Order capital. Nice and easy, right?" Whether or not everyone knew of the tensions between the two governments because of the recent liberation was anyone's guess. She just hoped that they didn't know...

[member="Tirtus Vex"] [member="Neo Calix"] [member="Luther Ando"]

 

[Luther Lewis]

“Alright, Captain it is then” Luther replied. He looked around at the rest of the crew. They were an eclectic bunch; he had forgotten how varied spacer crews usually were. There was a chiss, several humans, a wookie and…was that a kid?

“It’s embarrassing to say, Miss” Luther continued, shuffling on the spot. “I used to serve with the Galactic Alliance. Strategic Information Service, in fact. I fought in the battle, but now Commenor don’t want me. Something about tension with the First Order”. He broke out into a wide grin. “But you’re flying straight to Dosuun; talk about irony. You could use me, I used to scout around there. I know the spacelanes”.

This was perfect, a ship going express to First Order space. And to the capital no less. It couldn’t have been better if he planned it. All he had to do was not blow his cover and jump ship at their destination.

“Technically I’m already a part of the roster, albeit a last-minute addition” Luther said with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, greased a few palms to get a position and a Commenori ID”. He chucked the passport over, so she could inspect it. Hopefully that would ease any worries of the FO identifying him. “But it’s up to you. You are, after all, the Captain of the ship”.

| [member="Loreena Arenais"] | [member="Orrico Wayke"] | [member="Tirtus Vex"] | [member="Neo Calix"] | [member="Daiya"] |​

​

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

Neo would take a step forward as he heard the commotion over how they would get to the embassy and of course it was he who would lead them, he had done guard duty all over that planet, Neo stood to the right of hid captain, the young empath knew when something wasn't right, he could feel greed and corruption flowing through the other man Neo would for the first time speak "Captain a word if I may" he said in his normal gentle tone, he hardly ever raised his voice

[member="Luther Ando"]
[member="Loreena Arenais"]
[member="Daiya"]
[member="Orrico Wayke"]
[member="Titus Vex"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Orrico arched a brow at [member="Luther Ando"] as he mentioned a history with Alliance SIS. He glanced sidelong at [member="Loreena Arenais"] as she mentioned the First Order capital. "If we're goin there, we're gonna have to be careful. They'll have eyes all over the place. Though, I'm sure our small party could handle it." Orrico looked at Luther again. "Particularly given the shared history Mister Cortez and I have with Intelligence. Course, at this point the First Order's probably re-written their playbook, but..cross that bridge, yeah? And on an unrelated note, you and I will have to swap stories some time." Orrico offered the man a wry smile as he turned back to Lori. "I'll be on board the ship if you need me for anything. Once we're airborne and underway, I still intend to get some shuteye."

Orrico turned and walked up the ramp, making his way to the cockpit of the ship. He sat down in the pilot's seat, and began laying in the course to the capital world of the First Order. He pulled out his datapad, and activated the music program, setting it against the computer console as he worked. It had been a while since he was last in First Order space, and he couldn't exactly say he was excited to go back. But, the boss had spoken. So, they would go. He just hoped that his history with them, and the recent conflict on Commenor wouldn't cause...issues.

[member="Neo Calix"] @Daiya @Tirtus Vex

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori caught the passport that [member="Luther Ando"] threw to her and looked it over. "Greased a few palms, huh?..." She chewed the inside of her cheek. More than likely he was sent to babysit her, and maybe report back to her parents or whomever else was in charge of seeing to her safety.

"Well, if you know so much, I suppose that you can stay and help out some." She tossed the passport back. Hopefully no one would try to boss her around, just because she was young. [member="Orrico Wayke"] knew how to treat her. The two hadn't even really had an argument yet. All in good time though. It was bound to happen at some point.

Lori got to her feet, slinging her jetpack on, although that was more to carry it than for going for a ride. She raised a brow as [member="Neo Calix"] asked to speak with her. "Yeah sure. Just one sec..." She looked to [member="Daiya"] , Tawrro and [member="Tirtus Vex"] . "Once we get these crates loaded up and clearance to leave, we'll be on our way." With a polite gesture, she invited Neo to walk with her away from the earshot of the crew. "What's up? Did you change your mind?"

 

[Daiya]

"I guess we should get inside, Tawrro?" Daiya suggested as the crew began to breakup into preparatory tasks. With a throaty whine, the Wookiee agreed, and Daiya led the way up the loading ramp and into the ship's cargo bay. She weaved her way around the loaded cargo crates, the three full of brandy now stowed inside the vessel as well as several others for the trip to the First Order capital. Wherever that was, Daiya had never been one to pay much attention to galactic geography.

She more concerned, in the moment, to finding her way around the ship than finding a planet on a map. The ship was a maze of staircases, far more than she expected. Her homeworld was a planet of lifts, and in some cases ladders. Only the most opulent places had staircases, even on a sprawling ecumenopolis, space was at a premium for most beings and staircases took up far too much space for the simple act of changing floors. Besides, no one had time to traverse dozens of staircases just to get places when a lift was much faster and less exhausting.

Poking her head into various chambers, Daiya eventually found the bunkroom, four cavities built into the bulkheads for sleeping, and pretty much no privacy. She paled at the thought of sleeping in one of those bunks with another member of the crew so close by. It wasn't like the girl was expecting her own room with a locked door, but she didn't imagine the accommodations would be this spartan. As Tawrro ducked his hairy head into the room, though, she put on a brave face and went to examine the storage lockers set into the adjoining wall.

"I think this one's empty, we can put our stuff in here," the girl remarked, shrugging the pack off her back and gesturing to the one worn by her Wookiee guardian. She avoided his gaze as he took it off, and focused on hefting it into the locker. "Craters, Tawrro, what did you pack? Duracrete bricks?"

The Wookiee turned from surveying the room, and growled at her. She ignored him, continuing to struggle with his overladen pack, which refused to lift more than a few inches off the ground for her. She wondered idly how she looked, straining and grunting to lift a bag that a Wookiee could heft with ease, probably even a Wookiee child. Sometimes being a Human really sucked. A hairy hand on the top of the pack stopped her, both in effort and thought, and she finally looked up at Tawrro.

He let out a low growl, his voice barely audible between them. Daiya could feel the dampness in her eyes in an instant, she hated how much that tone could affect her. Tawrro only brought it out when he wanted to cut through her facade of bravado, and it worked all too well. Even without his transliterator, which had broken in their escape from Denon, and with her middling grasp of Shyriiwook, she could understand him all too well now. "Well, where else am I supposed to sleep? This is where the crew bunks, and we're crew now."

Another growl and a few sharp barks. She started as they hit her, and closed her eyes momentarily, feeling a tear escape to roll down her cheek. Daiya quickly wiped it away. "Well, then I'll sleep where you are. We'll make it work. We always make it work."

Tawrro's last growl made her freeze, and she grasped futilely to stop him as he picked up his pack and hoisted it back onto his body. He turned to leave the room, and the girl stepped quickly, grabbing his hand and planting her feet. The Wookiee turned to look at her, his eyes flashing the same warning he always did. She had her own weapons in this war, however, and shone her damp face his way, letting the tears cascade freely now. "Please, I can't keep running away. This will work, let me...let me just talk to the Captain, uhh, Lori."

Daiya let go of his hand, and Tawrro stayed rooted. Good, she had stopped the old soldier's retreat, at least. "It'll work out, I promise. Just let me talk to her, please," the girl said again as she moved forward, stepping deliberately towards the ship's hatch again, out where Lori still stood talking to another member of her motley crew. A crew that Daiya intended to be part of, one way or another.

""Please."

The plea repeated as the girl let go of Tawrro, her hand trailing behind her until she turned around and headed back out of the ship and toward Lori once more.

[member="Loreena Arenais"] | [member="Orrico Wayke"] | [member="Tirtus Vex"] | [member="Neo Calix"] | [member="Luther Ando"]​

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Quiet words were exchanged between [member="Neo Calix"] and Lori. And when it was finished, she nodded and turned to head back into her ship. "All aboard!" A glance was given over her shoulder as she looked to see if she could spy [member="Gray Venasir"] . He should be arriving soon. The crates were nearly all loaded now, but not quite, so he still had a few minutes left before the ramp was raised.

"It'll be a little tight in here for the journey. Sorry about that. her eyes fell on [member="Daiya"] as the girl was already making her way to her. At least there'd be someone else here that she could relate to in some way. Lori smiled brightly to her, getting a bit excited over the mission ahead of them. "Do you wanna bunk with me? It'll make more room for the others if you do. That is if Tawrro wouldn't mind."

No doubt [member="Orrico Wayke"] would spend most of his time in the cockpit, along with [member="Tirtus Vex"] and [member="Luther Ando"] . It was going to be a long trip. Hopefully they will all get along. But there was bound to be some tension. She just had to keep it all together until after they had come back home.

 

[Gray Venasir]

Gray walked into the hangar [member="Loreena Arenais"] had told him to, after they had talked and he had joined her crew. In the hangar was a beautiful ship, a little retro, but he guessed it could match the newer ones. Besides, looks don't define something. He saw some men and a wookie load crates on the ship for the trip Ahead. There were no one else in sight outside the ship, so the rest of the crew was probably in the ship already. He ahdn't been told anything about the rest of the crew, not how many there were, not of what species(although it didn't matter to Gray), if all of them were teens like Lori. He didn't know anything. But he'd have the chance to get to know them on the way to First Order Space, as it was far away.

When he walked over to the ramp, the men had gone aboard and it didn't look like there were any more crates. He went a few steps up the ramp and knocked on the wall. "Knock knock. Lori? Have I come to the right Place?" he said in a raised voice. He heard sounds coming from around the ship, and held his right hand Close to his blaster, in case he had been betrayed, or was at the wrong Place.

[member="Orrico Wayke"] | [member="Tirtus Vex"] | [member="Neo Calix"] | [member="Daiya"] | [member="Luther Ando"]

 

[Luther Lewis]

He was in, and while it didn’t seem like they all liked him, he could live with that. He moved pass the others and boarded the ship, shrugging off his pack into one of the lockers. The kid was here with the Wookie. They seemed to be in some sort of argument, so he left them to it and went to explore the ship.

He let out an appreciative whistle as he strolled through the engine room. The components of the vessel were impressive enough, capable of bringing the ship up to great speeds, but it was the hyperdrive that he was in awe of. It wasn’t a hyperdrive in actuality but some kind of biodrive, a variant form of hyperspace technology used by the Yuuzhan Vong. This one wasn’t Vong tech however; it said ‘MandalBioEng’ on the side. Luther frowned at the use of Mandolorian technology and shivered as the burns on his shoulders started again.

Next stop was the communication and navigation systems, of which he’d be spending most of his time working on. This too was a superb array of technology. The main communications set up included complex encryption and decryption programs, and there was a large suite of long-range sensors. ‘What I wouldn’t give to have this at the Bureau’ he thought. Shame he didn’t have the same kind of funds as Commenori Royalty.

He sat in the navigator’s chair, positioned perpendicularly behind the two pilot chairs in the cockpit. It was nice and comfy, which was very much needed for a long trip. He booted up the navigation systems and chewed his lip as he considered the route. Getting out of Commenori space wouldn’t prove too difficult, then perhaps they could travel down the Hydian way. He would have to speak to the captain about that, but for now the priority was to prepare for take-off and find a cup of caf.

| [member="Loreena Arenais"] | [member="Orrico Wayke"] | [member="Tirtus Vex"] | [member="Neo Calix"] | [member="Daiya"] | [member="Gray Venasir"] |​

 

[Kyyrk]

Orrico didn't look up from his work as [member="Luther Ando"] sat down behind him. "Route's already picked out, greenhorn." Now he turned to look, almost a knowing gleam in his eye. "Unless you have a better one?" The route he had already laid in took the ship in a beeline towards the Corellian Trade Spine, diverting course at Javin for the most direct route the Nav computer could get him towards Dosuun. Orrico stood, and turned off the music from his datapad, tucking it back into the pouch hanging off his back pocket. He stretched, before turning back to face Luther fully, leaning back against the control console, and folding his arms over his chest.

"So, help me understand something. You say you used to work with the Alliance. SIS, as a matter of fact. Commenor has no use for you because of tensions with the First Order, and you used to scout around First Order space?" Orrico watched him quietly for a moment. "You...how did you put it, greased a few palms to get here? Even went to the trouble of getting a Commenori ID badge?" Orrico's eyes narrowed for a second, glancing briefly at the door, then back to Luther. When he spoke, his tone was hushed. What he was saying was private, between him and this...Xavier Cortez alone.

"Now, I don't pretend to know everything, Mister Cortez. But I do know that if you were a spacer, y'don't grease palms to get on a ship like this. Not unless your other options are...well..." Orrico let the thought hang for a second. "Now, I'll do you the service of keepin' my mouth shut round the rest of the crew, provided you don't go givin' me a reason to start talkin' about you. But, if you want me to believe you're here 'cuz you just love the smell of the open spaceways...well, you got a lot of convincing to do."

---

[member="Gray Venasir"] [member="Loreena Arenais"] [Member="Daiya"] [Member="Tirtus Vex"]

 

[Daiya]

Daiya smiled brightly at Lori's suggestion to bunk with her. Not only did that resolve Tawrro's fears for her safety, but she would get to live with an actual real-life princess! The girl could barely contain her newfound elation as she bobbed her head in affirmation, the action tossing her blonde curls and shaking out the strands of colored pink and blue highlights. Raising a hand to tuck her hair back, Daiya felt herself turning into the hand, as if it was a shield against the world. "Yeah, that sounds good. No, great! I'll go tell him."

She flew, there was no other word for it. Up the ramp she went, back into the cargo bay where the great Wookiee was waiting for her. He held her bag in his hand, and it looked dainty there by comparison with his large body. The mirth inside her almost bubbled out into laughter, but in a second she remembered the tone of their argument. She should still be upset with him, but she wasn't feeling the need any longer. "It's fine," Daiya told Tawrro, reaching to grab her bag from him. "Captain Lori's gonna let me bunk with her. And she won't let anything happen to me. Girls stick together, you know?"

Tawrro seemed unconvinced by the tone of his growls and yips. Her elation fizzled a bit from his consternation, and she found it tempting to settle back into a cross attitude with her self-appointed guardian. But no, Daiya resolved, she was right here. This ship and crew was their best choice at the moment for safety, and bunking with Lori would keep her the safest altogether. "If you want," the girl started as she grabbed her bag away from the Wookiee, her smile staying fixed on her face somehow, "You can sleep in front of her room." She hoisted her back onto her back, pulling her arms into the straps. "But I'm staying on this ship."

With that, she stuck her tongue out at the Wookiee in a childish taunt, turned away and left him the in the cargo bay as she headed up to the top level to find Lori's, and now also hers, quarters.

[member="Loreena Arenais"] | [member="Orrico Wayke"] | [member="Tirtus Vex"] | [member="Luther Ando"] | [member="Gray Venasir"]​