First Reply She's a Good Time Cowboy Casanova

[Kinley Pryse]

You've been hit by... you've been struck by...

"I'm not reckless. I just don't have time to be careful."
​

Kinley Pryse was fast asleep, boots propped on the flight controls, hat tipped low over her eyes. The hum of her ship was calm, steady, that is until the alarms shrieked like a banshee in a wind tunnel. She bolted upright, boots thudding to the floor, shoving her hat back atop her tousled brown hair. Red lights strobed across the cockpit. Incoming vessels, three of them, trying to box her in.

A comm crackled to life. "Unidentified vessel, power down and prepare for search and inspection."

"Chit!" she hissed.

Without hesitation, she yanked the controls upward, sending the ship into a steep vertical climb. A chorus of metallic crashes erupted from deeper inside the ship. She winced. Forgot to lock down the galley again. Great. That mess would have to wait. So would the cargo, especially the kind that didn't do well under scrutiny. Sure, the smuggling compartments were top of the line, but why roll the dice when you could just punch it? She twisted the yoke hard, sending the ship into a tight barrel roll and cutting a tight arc between the patrol ships. They weren't ready for her kind of flying. As she weaved and dove, their formation scattered in a scramble to keep up. Inside, though, things were faring less well.

A loud bang, then the sound of colorful swearing echoed down the corridor. Moments later, a bleary-eyed man stumbled into the cockpit, hair in complete mutiny, one hand bracing against the doorway, the other clutching a half-spilled cup.

"What in the frak is going on?!"

Kinley didn't look up, but the corner of her mouth curled into a grin. "Gotta be honest, love, I forgot you were here." She didn't have more than a glance to spare at last nights mistake. She had some fancy flying to do before she worried about the awkward morning after goodbyes, because one thing was for sure;

They would never catch Kinley Pryse.​

A Smooth Criminal

 

[Alistair Abbott]

Aboard a Galactic Empire Raider-Class Corvette

​

This was perhaps the stupidest situation Alistair had found himself in yet, and that was a pretty long list. He pulled at the collar of his stolen Imperial uniform and stamped his feet in an attempt to restore circulation to his feet. "Why do they make these boots so tight?" he muttered under his breath. What was worse was that the boots weren't even the most uncomfortable part of the ensemble, that prize went to the blaster tucked into his uniform. It had an unfortunate habit of, well, bumping into an area between his legs.

He leaned on the console in front of him and stared into the screen, his vision lost in the blinking lights. The metal was cool under his grasp, much like the rest of the ship. The boss was so paranoid about hitting the wrong button or pulling the wrong switch that he hadn't adjusted the temperature control. Now he and the rest of the crew stood around trying not to shiver.

Another crew member walked past him, a large man who had been squeezed into the tiny uniforms of the Galactic Empire. The man had obviously struggled so much to put the garb on that he had omitted the belt entirely. Alistair held back a laugh. The man hardly resembled one of the Empire's finest. None of them did, especially large Trandoshan who was sculking around the back of the ship.

"Alistair, we're approaching the ship" the Captain Rico barked. "Quit slouching and bring up the scan". Alistair stood bolt upright and grimaced. He stared at the screen, trying to remember the sequence of buttons he needed to press. Honestly, the situation would have been less stupid if he had actually joined the Imps. Instead he was dumb enough to join a Black Sun gang impersonating the Empire.

Eventually he gave up on finding the correct button and reached out with the force. He felt the twist and turns of the console before him, the hum of energy beneath his fingertips. He felt its connection to the rest of the ship and felt himself get pulled into the tangled mess of pathways, into the network of information. At the very last moment, he managed to pull himself back before he got lost completely and went back to his task. Even behind his closed eyelids he could tell that the monitor was rapidly flicking through different screens, until eventually stopping. Alistair opened his eyes and squinted at the screen.

"Uhhh, looks like we have a ZH-40 Light Freighter" Alistair said to the Captain. He read out the transponder ID, which elicited a barking laugh from the boss. "Forget the transponder, she's no doubt spoofed it. We just need to know type of ship it is". When Rico was pleased with himself he'd have this lopsided grin. Now his smile was so wide it made him look like a bizarre impressionist painting.

"I've got a man on-board transmitting the location to us. Now that we know it's a Tribune-Class, we know it's definitely her". The man turned away before he could see Alistair's eye roll. He didn't know what Rico's relationship with Kinley Pryse was, but he did know he wanted the woman's ship. He wouldn't shut up about it in fact. "Get on the comms and hail her, and try to sound like an Imperial".

Alistair grumbled and activated the communications to the freighter. Clearing his throat, he spoke into the microphone: "Unidentified vessel, power down and prepare for search and inspection."

It took virtually no time for the freighter to immediately start evasive manuvers, But Rico didn't miss a beat. "Ion cannons, take her down" he ordered into a handheld radio (they couldn't figure out the ships PA system). "I want that ship disabled not destroyed".

 

[Kinley Pryse]

You've been hit by... you've been struck by...

"I'd surrender, but my ship doesn't have reverse."
​

"These guys don't move like Imperials." She muttered under her breath as she swung around in a tight loop. She could practically feel the ion cannons locking on her. It made her grin. Whoever was aboard that vessel clearly wanted to talk, but Kinley wasn't in a talking mood. She had jobs to run for Black Sun and little time to chat.

"Are you on the run from the law???" The tousled hair man was still shrieking. Honestly Kinley had already gotten sick of him. She rolled her eyes, still not facing him and muttered, "that's the last time I swim outside the criminal gene pool" before dropping the ship into a dive. The truth was the man in question was wanted by Black Sun and Kinley was the one delivering him. Or at least she was until this little imperial fiasco.

She switched over her receiver and sent out a blast of coordinates to any ships in the vicinity, wondering if Black Sun was around to save her bacon, and then she switched over to the communication line with the Imperial ship.

"Gotta say I'm getting dizzy. What is it you boys want?"

Alistair Abbott

A Smooth Criminal

 

[Alistair Abbott]

​

Alistair watched with mild interest at the spectacle outside the bridge window. The freighter ducked and weaved through the oncoming fire with a practiced ease. Whenever the ion cannons seemed like they were about to get a lock, the ship would dodge at the last second. Alistair snorted. Kinley Pryse was toying with them.

Captain Rico was less amused. "Damn it to hell, can't you idiots hit anything?!" he screamed into the radio. He spotted Alistair and gave the man a death stare. "Stop laughing fool and come over here". The captain gestured out the window. "Do your magic hand-waving thing". Alistair groaned inwardly as he moved away from the console and up to the window. He stared out into the darkness of space, scattered with a dusting of distant stars. He wouldn't have been able to spot the smaller freighter outside if it weren't for holographic display tracking its movements.

Alistair frowned. "I don't know, Boss" he said slowly. "It's pretty far away, I've never manipulated a machine at this distance before". Rico chuckled and placed his rough hand on the smaller man's shoulder. It was not an entirely friendly gesture. "Let me remind you of a few facts" the captain said in a low voice. "You owe me. A lot. And I've been kind enough to let you repay your debt in the service of my crew. But if you aren't going to be of use…" The man shrugged. "Well then I'd have to recuperate my losses selling you to slavers".

Alistair felt like there was an iron ball in the pit of his stomach. His easy-going grin was gone. He nodded and moved closer to the window. He heard the radio go off, twice. The first was a request for assistance from other Black Sun ships, not that there were any others in the area. The second was some sort of mocking reply from Kinley, but Alistair didn't hear it. His eyes were closed; his hand outstretched toward the window.

He reached out blindly, feeling his hand touch the cool of the glass. He felt the glass soften under his fingertips, then it felt like his hand passed through the window and into the void. He reached out with the force, flailing about as he searched for the freighter. It felt like he was far away from his body, and the sensation was far more uncomfortable than any tight-fitting boot. He had to constantly fight off the panicked urge to open his eyes as he searched deeper and deeper into space.

He was about to give up when he felt it. It was like the warmth of a small fire. It was slippery and difficult to pin down, but now that he had found it he wouldn't let go. The sounds of the corvette's bridge disappeared while pin-and-needles ran up his arms. He could feel the freighter now - its honeycomb structure, the complex weaving of electronics. It was like it was alive, a flighty and quick animal. He was also surprised to find the force, or what he thought was the force, within the vessel. It traced the outside hull in complex patterns that he didn't understand. And at the heart of the ship was something very strong in the force, a strange object that was tied into the entire network. It reminded him of long ago, of a time when he held a strange crystal in his hands.

He didn't know how long he had been standing there, lost the maze of the ship before he came to his senses. He reluctantly traced his way back from the main computer and followed the wires to the engines. He felt them blaze brightly, constantly changing intensity to allow for the ship's complex manoeuvres. He frowned as he planned his next course of action. He couldn't shut the engines down, that was a nigh impossible task. But there was something smaller that he could interfere with. He found the component he was searching for and tried to activate it. The sensation was much like trying to unscrew a lightbulb in freezing cold water. Nevertheless, he felt the something give way.

Alistair opened his eye and lowered his hand Rico looked at him with scepticism. "Well?" he said. Alistair didn't turn around. "If I've done this right, then I've toggled the power regulator" Alistair said, rubbing his numbed hands together. He felt even colder now, and very tired. "Her ship should go into low-power mode and be more vulnerable".

He didn't stay to see the Captain grin and to hear him bark orders. He didn't hear the renewed fire of the ion cannons, as they once again targeted the freighter. Instead, he struggled to stay conscious as he collapsed onto a nearby chair.

 

[Kinley Pryse]

You've been hit by... you've been struck by...

"Relax. I lie way better under pressure."​

Kinely was in the middle of a maneuver when her ship lurched and switched over to low power mode. "What the frak?" She tried switching back but it was as if something was jamming the computer. A moment latter the ion cannon caught them and the lights flickered and stalled. She cursed under her breath and unstrapped herself from the pilots seat.

"Listen here Nerf, looks like we are about to have company so do me a favor and keep your trap shut."

Of course if Kinley had known that the vessel was Black Sun and not Imperial it would have been different. The Underlord frowned on members of the syndicate fighting amongst themselves. It was a nuanced thing but could get them into a lot of trouble if this escalated.

She got ready to be boarded.

Alistair Abbott

A Smooth Criminal

 

[Alistair Abbott]

​

Alistair was woken by shouting and cheering. He groggily looked out the nearby window to see Kinley's ship floating in space, immobile. It seemed his intervention had worked. The man grunted as Captain Rico shoved a blaster rifle into his hands. "Nice work there kid" Rico said. His lopsided grin was so wide now that the man looked like he was having a stroke. The captain picked up the radio. "Keep those ion cannons locked onto the ship. Crew, prepare for boarding". Alistair stood from his seat, doing his best to stay upright as the world spun around him. Eventually his vision levelled out, though now he was fighting off an urge to vomit.

"Captain" Alistair started, hesitantly. "What exactly is your beef with Kinley Pryse ?". He'd never seen Rico in such a good mood, and he'd never have a better chance to ask. The older man chuckled. "Her? Nothing. I barely know her, and I don't think she knows me". The captain scratched at his unkempt stubble. "Nah I just want her ship, that's the real prize". Alistair frowned. He knew Rico was lacking in the brain department, but he didn't think the man was that stupid. "But she's Black Sun. You'd really risk the trouble of attacking one of your own just for a ship?". The captain's laugh was harsher and meaner now. "This happens all the time, kid" the man said, still sporting his sideways smile. "Everyone does it, but a few of us are smart enough to get away with it". He leaned in closer, and Alistair had to resist leaning away from the man's horrid breath. "That reminds me" the man continued. "I'm going to need to extend your length of service with the crew. See I can't have you running off and telling anyone about this until the heat has died down". The man leaned back and gave a lazy wink. "You understand".

Alistair had never before felt the cold anger that rushed through him now. "Of course" Alistair said, with a polite smile that didn't reach his eyes. He should have known this was going to happen. Alistair was too much of an asset, Rico was never going to let him go once he learned about his 'little trick' with the force. The best he could hope for was a one-way trip out of the airlock. "I better come with you, Captain" Alistair continued. "You'll need me to disable any on-board security". The captain squinted slightly, before nodding.

They arrived at the hangar shortly later. A group of various humans and aliens were all dressed in Imperial space suits, holding a wide range of non-Imperial weaponry. The captain had convinced his crew to disguise themselves with the Galactic Empire's uniforms, but no one could be convinced to part with their favourite weapon. "We'll do this like every other boarding run" the captain shouted to the crew, slightly too loudly. "After a spacewalk, both squads will board through one of the docking rings. Take out any droids and security systems but leave the crew. The man aboard is one of us, and I want to talk to Pryse myself. I'm not figuring out another ship by myself again".

Alistair kicked off his boots as he started to put on the spacesuit. It was surprisingly more comfortable than the Imperial uniform, if a bit bulky. Once suited up, he followed the crew as they stood at the edge of the hangar. An alarm blared as the hangar bay doors started to open, and each of the crew held on to the railing with dear life as the room depressurized. Alistair stared out into the abyss, took a deep breath, and jumped.

 

[Kinley Pryse]

You've been hit by... you've been struck by...

Kinley doesn't run from danger. She negotiates with it, over sabacc and spice
​

Inside, Kinley was preparing for the arrival of the Imperial boarding crew. The whole thing felt off, too quiet, but less formal. Her gut told her something was wrong, but she'd have to play it move by move. No rushing this one.

She descended into the ship's hidden cargo hold, stashing what needed hiding, and making a few adjustments just in case. When she returned, she rolled her eyes at the jittery passenger peppering her with nervous questions.

"I thought I told you to keep quiet."

With the airlocks stabilized, she disengaged the security locks. The door clicked—ready to welcome unwanted guests.

She set a bottle of liquor and a few glasses on the table, then leaned back into her seat, calm and collected as ever.

"Welcome aboard, boys."

Alistair Abbott

A Smooth Criminal

 

[Alistair Abbott]

​

For several minutes all he could hear was his breathing. He hated space walks, even when he had micro-thrusters built into the spacesuit like he did now. He felt like a speck of dust floating in a formless void. The darkness of space seemed to push in on him, threatening to swallow him whole. He felt his heart quicken as he fought down a wave of panic. Only when he set his feet on the exterior of Kinley's ship did a feeling of control start to return.

Now he could hear more than his breath. The clank of his boots made a discordant melody as he strode along the hull of the freighter. He nervously skirted around one of the turbo lasers, but the turret remained immobile. The ship must still be disabled, he thought. He spotted one of the other pirates and started following, pushing his magnetised boots forward into a kind of half-shuffle.

He made it to the edge of the freighter to find two pirates gathered by the docking hatches, blasters drawn. They looked at him briefly, motioning to stop, before turning back towards the entrance. He was confused by their hesitation, until he saw the open hatch in front of them. It hadn't been forced open; it hadn't even been locked. Kinley Pryse was welcoming them in.

Alistair hesitated as well, until Captain Rico brushed past him. The light within the airlock bounced off the man's helmet as he made his way inside. With the captain leading the way, the others seemed to lose their fear and followed close behind. Alistair reluctantly entered the airlock as well.

Once everyone was inside, the heavy steel door closed behind him. Nearby vents hissed loudly as the room re-pressurised. Alistair felt his ears pop as he removed his helmet. The others had done so as well. The captain still had his lopsided grin, however the other two crew members looked wary.

"Welcome aboard, boys" came a call from deeper within the ship. For a moment, no one responded. "Kinley Pryse" Captain Rico shouted in his rough voice. "You're under arrest, by order of the Galactic Empire". Rico nodded for the others to move ahead of him and enter the room. Rico and Alistair followed behind.

Alistair looked around as they slowly approached, desperately looking for an advantage. His best bet at getting out of this situation alive was to side with Kinley, but the odds weren't exactly in his favour. As well as the three pirates with him, he knew another four were entering via the other airlock. They, plus the captain's 'informant', made eight combatants. Which meant four each for him and Kinley. Assuming she didn't shoot him first. Even with the element of surprise, it didn't seem like a survivable situation.

Two pirates, a trandoshan and a twi'lek, rounded the corner and entered the room in which Kinley sat. Rico entered next and Alistair, after a shaky breath, followed.

 

[Kinley Pryse]

You've been hit by... you've been struck by...

She Plays the Long Odds and Usually Wins
​

"You're under arrest, by order of the Galactic Empire"

Kinley was sitting next to a table that had extra chairs and a bottle on top of it. She had what looked like a toothpick in her mouth and was leaning back in her seat as if this was a social call. Immediately she watched as two pirates, a trandoshan and a twi'lek entered, followed by the man who spoke and a younger man whose baby face made him stand out. Her eyes lingered on the kid for a fraction of a second longer than anybody else. In her line of work, and especially in the gambling dens, you learned how to read people quickly. The kid was here against his will, which wasn't particularly her problem but it could be useful in the future.

"Please, the Galactic Empire hasn't been relevant since that blond kid blew up their favorite toy." She slid the bottle forward and indicated the empty seats.

"Why don't you take a seat and tell me why you are foolish enough to pick a fight with Black Sun?"


Alistair Abbott

A Smooth Criminal