Mercenary Crew: Bounty Hunters: Jewels of the Core

[Black Knight of Keno]

The vibroblade hummed it's low tune as it cut it's way through a light armor layer and then into the skin of a Rodian saboteur who had managed to blow up the cat-like creature's most precious thing: his ship. With a cold smirk on his face, the Cathar lifted the groaning Rodian up against the wall with the vibrobalde as deep as it went inside the green flesh.

"Nothing to lose anymore. Tell me who payed you and I might make it swift for you" Jhamrok grunted at the Rodian who laughed in the crackling and annoyingly high voice before spitting in the Cathar mercenary's face.

"Fine. Have it your way" Jhamrok said, twisted the vibroblade ever so slightly and pulled, severing a major organ inside the Rodian which would cause an irreversible and painful death within 48 hours.

 

As the Rodian slumped down in pain, Jhamrok pulled the blade out, wiped the Rodian blood on it's clothes and then took a step back with a cold look in his eyes. The white figure looked at the docking ring entrance nearby where his ship had once been but where now only debris floated outside of the ring. He flexed his joints with loud pops and cracks sounding in the corridor before the man continued onwards, leaving the Rodian to die alone but not before attaching a tracker on the saboteur in order to make sure that if he was taken by his accomplishes, Jhamrok knew where they were and thus who payed for the hit.

[starmark2k]

“Um… Yeah, I just have a bit of a headache.” Alec lied to the doctor. “Just venting my anger.”

 

Alec walked around the table to his seat and looked at the food on the table, he already felt bad and he knew eating what Latch just made would not make him feel any better.

 

“Anyway Jyot.” He addressed his mechanic. “When we touchdown you and Latch’ll go to Zeek and get a Job, Nothing too heavy just so it pays to keep us movin’.”

 

“Who is this Zeek, if you don’t mind me asking?” The doctor curiously said.

 

“He’s a middle man for Mercs, Smugglers, Bounty Hunters, basically low-lives, He’s discreet and trustworthy so both the people who hire him and are hired by him know they get a good deal.” Alec explained. “He always has some work, so he’s a good person to know in our line of work.

[Writer]

Colin nodded thoughtfully. "Suppose he would be," he murmured. Raising his voice a little, he added, "Captain, if you need something for that headache, don't hesitate to ask. The Scimitar's infirmary is remarkably well-stocked for its size... not to mention the few things I've added to it."

 

Then, another thought struck him. "Ah, and what are Raelyn and I to do while you're going about business? Can I hazard a guess? Heads down, keep to the ship, I suppose?" There was an air of teasing to his tone, but it was obvious he'd been in such situations on other ships.

[Corinthian]

Kadis watched the timer. At the two minute mark, he flipped on the intercom. "Captain, we're about to drop out of Hyperspace." He felt vaguely uncomfortable. Maybe it was just paranoia, but he couldn't shake the feeling something rather bad was about to happen.

 

They always talk about ships lost in Hyperspace.

 

Every Spacer had heard the stories about ships who's Hyperdrives had malfunctioned during a jump and failed to switch off, leaving the ship trapped in Hyperspace, forever. Rumor has it that the Katana Fleet, the legendary two-hundred Dreadnought Republic Battle Fleet, was among those ships. He shivered, then shook the old spacer stories out of his mind. The Scimitar's hyperdrive was in good repair.

 

The counter ticked downwards, and Kadis watched it with worry, his hand resting on the manual switch. It wasn't very precise, but first flight on a new ship was always good reason to be cautious.

[JasraLantill]

"Right, so when we dock on the station," Jyot was saying to Latch as they finished their food in the common room. The ship suddenly jolted, and Jyot rolled his eyes. "Correction... if we dock on the station without our pilot running the Scim into the station in the process," he shouted loudly, hoping that Kadis would hear him in the cockpit.

 

He sighed, then continued. "Anyway, I want to go and check my mail before we go and visit Zeek. And maybe check out the 'parts' store." At this he wiggled his eyebrows. He wasn't talking 'engine parts', but being in mixed company, he didn't feel like he could just say, he wanted to stop in to check out the exotic dancers at 'Shakers'.

[Rogue Nine]

Kadis proved to be a decent enough pilot as he'd brought the Scimitar in with a minimal amount of fuss. Latch was glad that they had made it in a reasonable amount of time, since he was looking forward to being able unwind following their rather stressful mission. He was also keen on finding some decent food, as his culinary experiment on the ship had left him desiring something easier on his stomach.

 

As he and Jyot exited the spaceport, they looked around to take in the sights. "Ah, good to see that some things never change, eh?" Latch remarked to his friend. Indeed, Station A12-76 looked exactly the same from when they'd last made a stop here. It was a pretty isolated station, and that made it a prime spot for a mercenary crew like the Scimitar's. At first glance, it seemed to be devoid of amenities and scarce on services, but an experienced spacer would know where to look and who to contact in order to uncover the hidden goods. And Jyot and Latch happened to be two such spacers.

 

"Do you think we should hit up Zeek first, then go fishing for 'parts'?" Latch asked, looking over at his fellow Corellian.

[JasraLantill]

"I think we need 'parts' first," Jyot said rather pleadingly. "I mean, first things first, we got to keep things running smoothly and we can't do that without stocking up on 'parts'. At least, I can't. Besides, nothing ever changes here. Zeek can wait."

 

Jyot headed in the direction of 'Shakers', not necessarily a seedy type of cantina, but a place where one could get a decent meal and a drink. And where they showcased exotic dancers, most of which were humanoid.

 

"Hmm... wonder if that Zeltron is still there...." Jyot wondered aloud to himself. "Capria? Carlia? Curia?" He shook his head as he couldn't remember her name. "Meh, doesn't matter. I'll know her when I see her."

[starmark2k]

Alec’s headache was beginning to die down, it still hurt like someone had stuck a lightsaber in there and scrambled his brains, but it was better than before the Jedi had explained the situation. He still wasn’t up to doing any work that is why he sent Jyot and Latch to Zeek, the middleman trustworthy and good for a job so it would only take the Mechanic twenty minuets for his to get one. Then again it was Jyot so twenty minuets of work would be added to the forty minuets he’ll spend watching scantly clad women dancing around. Alec could only hope that Latch would stick to business and Jyot wouldn’t be a bad influence.

 

As it may be an hour before the two returned Alec already informed everyone else that they could have some shore time on the station but to keep a com-link on them in case they had to exit quick.

 

For some reason the Jedi had gone away somewhere since they dropped out of hyperspace and the Captain hadn’t seen or heard from her. He decided to take this opportunity to check out a few things he hadn’t had the chance to do before, he was doing the basic background checks on Kadis, Ellie, Colin and Realyn. All seemed to check out but for some reason while doing looking up Realyn Lark he kept thinking of the same name Katrine West.

 

Zip flew into the room, Alec must have forgot to lock it. “Undesignated bounty Alec Tannis, I scanned passers by outside the ship and found four separate bounties. Bounty 05863, bounty 09…”

 

“Stow it Zip, A12-76 is Zeek’s territory, We try to take down a bounty here without his say so we get blacklisted.” Alec Interrupted. “But I do have a job for you, look up the name Katrine West on the Bounty sheets.”

[Writer]

Zip was silent for a moment. "Bounty 05441, Katrine West, associated with bounty 05458, Aidan West. 05441 was wanted for connections with a classified Imperial project. 05458 was wanted for leaving his post without leave. Searching deeper... the two bounties were siblings, 05458 was ten years older than 05441." There was a short pause. "It is useless to pursue these bounties, undesignated bounty Alec Tannis. They were turned in and are scheduled to be executed by Imperial firing squad in approximately twenty minutes."

[JasraLantill]

Inside Shakers, Jyot and Latch took a seat at a small table. Jyot ordered two Corellian ales (his and Latch's usual fare) from the well-endowed human waitress, and then he leaned back comfortably in his chair as as the next 'show' was announced to start.

 

"I love this place," Jyot said to his friend as he sipped his drink. "Nothing beats mindless, but fascinating, entertainment after finishing such a strange job. Lost crew, picked up passengers, and, to top it all off, we didn't even get paid for anything." He rolled his eyes. "And what the heck is up with the Captain? Talking to himself, and headaches, and actin' all... weird." He took a sip of his drink. "All I can think is that Jedi chick did one of those mind whammy Force things on him before she got blown up."

 

A Twi'lek dancer appeared on stage, looking very sexy, very exotic, very fit, and very much like...."

 

"Oh, great. Speak of the Jedi and her twin appears." Jyot eyed the dancer over critically. "Well, maybe not her twin," he conceded. "This one's prettier."

 

The dancer smiled seductively at him, and Jyot seemed to quickly forget his prejudices. "So, Latch," Jyot started, "what kind of jobs do you think Zeek'll have for us? I'm not really interested in an Imperial bounty this time. Too much bother. What about you?"

[Rogue Nine]

Latch swirled the last of his ale in his flagon before downing it in one gulp. "Truth be told, I'd really rather have nothing to do with the Imperials anymore," he answered his friend. "The Empire preaches peace and order and all that good Imperial indoctrination. Unfortunately, on most worlds, those terms translate to oppression and suffering." He glanced over at Jyot. "Not our place to do anything about that, but I'd certainly rather not contribute any more to what they stand for."

 

He threw his head back and shook out his long mane of hair. "Besides," he continued, adopting a more jovial tone as the dancers swayed seductively closer, "It's the non-Imperial jobs that tend to be more fun. Remember that time we had to deliver that dance troupe of Twi'leks to Nar Shaddaa?"

[Black Knight of Keno]

"I know exactly who blew up my ship. If you'd just let me go in there and let me speak to Zeek..." The Cathar grunted at a large guard stationed outside of Zeek's current residence on the station. The guard raised his hand at the feline man and shook his head.

"Zeek has given strict lines of conduct to all mercenaries and bounty hunters on this station. Nobody, and that is nobody, is to feel threathened here. And you know it just as well as any, Jhamrok. Now, if you want a bounty, I can be of service and let you in but I won't let you in just because you want his blessing on a station patron being killed" the guard said and Jhamrok stepped back with a low growl under his breath. The mercenary was not at all happy with this.

[starmark2k]

The Ships Captain left his room thinking about the name Katrine West, he figured the name must have been on a bounty sheet or something while he was looking for work. This was still odd as Alec had a tendency to forget names of bounties he had captured yet alone ones he never went after. He walked down the corridor into the common room thinking about what Jyot was probably doing, he had been gone for about twenty minuets so chances are he was slipping his money into some dancing Twi’leks underwear. Alec smiled at the predictability of his mechanic, Alec will call him in about ten minuets to check on the mission.

 

Alec gave the room a quick look and realised that it was empty, the crew had either left for some shore time on the station or were elsewhere on The Scimitar. He grabbed himself a drink of water and took a seat at the table while looking at a datapad with the inventory.

 

((OCC- ok guys if you want to talk to Alec here’s your opening.))

[Corinthian]

Kadis had his feet up in the cockpit, watching the station's broadcast of Win or Die, some propaganda holodrama starring Garik Loran.

 

"The Imps must be desperate for more Stormtroopers if they commissioned this garbage."

 

Still, it was mildly entertaining, in a similar sense that a stun baton in the mouth was funny. He rolled his eyes, then turned his attention back to running a systems diagnostic on the navicomputer. He was uncomfortable with large groups, had been for years, and his stint on Bryndar hadn't improved him any in that regard.

 

He shut the holodrama off, then stood up and headed out to the common area. Diagnostic programs ran themselves. He sat down in one of the chairs and nodded at the Captain.

 

"Jyot still not back yet, boss?"

[JasraLantill]

Latch threw his head back and shook out his long mane of hair. "Besides," he continued, adopting a more jovial tone as the dancers swayed seductively closer, "It's the non-Imperial jobs that tend to be more fun. Remember that time we had to deliver that dance troupe of Twi'leks to Nar Shaddaa?"

 

Jyot's eyes twinkled. "O-h, ye-ah," he sighed. "That was an awesome job." His grin widened as reminisced while his eyes were still fixed on the dancer slowling gyrating in front of him. "They were very, erm... flexible." He glanced askance at Latch. "Accommodating, I mean. Didn't mind using the cargo bay to practice their routine in. Not at all." He sighed longlingly. "Maybe Zeek'll have something like that for us, huh? Nice, easy, babysitting come transport job for beautiful women."

 

He leaned forward and tipped the dancer a credit chip, before downing his drink and rising. "Guess we'd better go see 'ol Zeek and find out huh? Besides, Alec will probably be wondering where we've gone off to anyway." He shrugged. "Well... not wondering per se," he clarified, knowing that Alec knew damn well what he'd be up to, "but you know what I mean." He patted Latch on the shoulders. "So, shall we?"

 

It didn't take but a few minutes for the two of them to walk to Zeek's place. And outside the door, a very disgrunted-looking Cathar was arguing with the guard.

 

"I know exactly who blew up my ship. If you'd just let me go in there and let me speak to Zeek..."

 

"Zeek has given strict lines of conduct to all mercenaries and bounty hunters on this station. Nobody, and that is nobody, is to feel threathened here. And you know it just as well as any, Jhamrok. Now, if you want a bounty, I can be of service and let you in, but I won't let you in just because you want his blessing on a station patron being killed."

 

Jyot nudged Latch with his elbow as the Cathar growled. "Yup," he commented aloud. "Bounty hunting is one thing, assassinations... something completely different." He smiled at the guard. "Hey, Harvey," he said casually. "How's it hangin?"

 

"Good, Jyot," the guard replied in kind. "Been a while since I've seen you. Business been good?"

 

"Not as good as it could be," Jyot replied. "Last job was, in a word, bad. In a few words, it was really, really, really bad. We lost our medic and a gunner." He paused. "And our net profit was like... negative 3000."

 

The guard winced. "Ooh, ouch."

 

"Yeah. Zeek in?"

 

The guard looked at the Cathar again, then nodded at Jyot. "For 'non-threatening' friends, he's in."

 

Jyot exchanged a look with Latch, who gave him a little nod. "I dunno, Harvey. If I were you, I'd be inclined to let him in," he said, looking the Cathar over. "He looks 'friendly' enough to me. I mean, he hasn't drawn any of his weapons yet, has he? That's got to count for something in the area of self-control, right?" He motioned to the door. "So, can we...?"

 

"Oh! Sure, yeah. Go right in," the guard said to Jyot and Latch.

 

"Him, too?" Jyot asked, thumbing at the Cathar.

 

The guard frowned, but after a moment of thought, nodded. "Just you remember what I said, Jhamrok," he reminded.

 

The three of them entered into Zeek's establishment.

[Black Knight of Keno]

The Cathar watched as the two crew members of the Scimitar approached the guard and spoke with him, even managing to get the feline inside with them. He followed as they entered, but gave a loud growl and showed his teeth to the guard as he passed. Once the door closed, Jhamrok turned to Jyot and Latch and looked at them suspiciously like observing their mannerisms and trying to read anything about them from their body language.

 

"Who's your captain?" he finally asked after a while once he had managed to deduce that neither of them was really in charge of their two-man group. It wasn't hard to deduce it and neither was the point that they had a well guarded ship, possibly by sentient beings, since they were comfortable enough not to carry heavier weaponry or equipment with them and seemed ready to leave as soon as they got a new job.

"I would wish to make arrangements for you to get me off this station in your ship" Jhamrok continued while staring at the two.

[JasraLantill]

"Captain's Alec Tannis," Jyot said, not at all intimadated by the burly Cathar. An experienced spacer Jyot was confident in his ability to protect himself, and besides, he and Latch had been to this station so many times it was almost like a second home to them. "And our ship's the Scimitar." He grinned proudly. "Suppose you've heard of it," he continued. "Most spacers in this sector have." He held up his finger. "But we're not a passenger ship, per se. We're hunters, like you." His eyes flicked over the Cathar. "Well... not exactly like you since we're Corellian and don't do assassinations, but you get the general idea."

 

Jyot looked across the room. It wasn't crowded, a few tables here and there with the notorious and not-so-notorious and a few wannabe-notorious sharing a drink, some conversation, and possibly information on their next job. And at the table in the back, sat Zeek--comfortable, casual, and looking rather relaxed and unhurried as usual.

 

Turning his attention back to the Cathar, Jyot said, "Now, Jhamrok was it? My captain charged me and Latch here with gettin' us a new job. Mainly 'cause he's got other things to do, but that's besides the point. But he didn't say anything about picking up any more passengers. Still... you look like a capable sort. And we might be able to convince the Cap'n in taking you on as an 'enforcer,' if we get another job. Temporary-like, mind," he added. "The Cap'n likes sure bets when it comes to crew. Can't be too careful in this business. You understand."

 

He nodded to the table Zeek was at. "We're going to talk to Zeek o, see what he's got going, and you're welcome to come and sit with us. But do as Harvey said. Don't try to get Zeek to give you sanction to assassinate or you can find another way off this station on your own. So, what do you say? Make peace for the moment, and settle your grievances later?"

[Black Knight of Keno]

"The Scimitar, eh? Alec Tannis is the captain of the ship nowadays?" Jhamrok asked after all the questions were asked and gave a hearty laugh.

"I doubt your captain wouldn't hesitate to say no to my presence. Last time I was aboard that ship, Alec scrubbed the floors and I was barking orders as the first mate" Jhamrok noted and gave another hearty laugh before crossing his arms in front of his broad chest and turning to see Zeek. He shook his head slowly with a glint of joy showing in his eyes.

 

"Oh, but go ahead. I'll follow you to your ship after you're done. I doubt I'll be any good for a job now that I have no ship to travel in. It's a shame, really. My ship was a beaut..." the Cathar told them and leaned against the wall, waiting for them to approach Zeek and do their thing. Frankly, he couldn't wait to see the Scimitar and Alec again. It wasn't really a shame he had left his post on the ship only slightly before the incident that caused the loss of most of the crew, but it would be fun to see how the ship had been repaired and if it looked anything like it used to.

[Rogue Nine]

"Ah, so you know the captain and the Scim already, eh? Must've been before our time," Latch said, indicating himself and Jyot. "With the way Alec's been these past few weeks, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind taking on another crewmember." He shot Jyot a surreptitious glance and grinned slightly behind his hand as he scratched the side of his face.

 

Pulling a chair up at Zeek's table, Latch twisted it around and sat, his chest pressing into the backrest as he eyed Zeek. "So, do y'have anything for us today, Zee?

[Writer]

Though Raelyn had pleaded with Colin to come into the station with her, the doctor adamantly refused, and insisted that his sister ought to stay with him. To this, she reluctantly agreed, "but only if I can decide what we're watching on the Holo-Net." A little amused, Colin agreed. They had been watching for a short time, with Colin protesting only twice, as Raelyn was flipping channels at a rapid pace, almost faster than Colin could track. When she finally stopped flipping, Colin realized they'd landed on a public Imperial execution. His heart lodged itself in his throat.

 

"What is this?" he demanded hoarsely. Raelyn glanced at him for only half a second.

 

"Execution," she answered, flipping away. Colin slapped her hand and flipped the channel back.

 

"Who are they?" he asked softly. He glanced around and closed the door to his quarters. "Kate... who are they?"

 

"Aidan and Katrine West," Raelyn answered calmly. She stared her brother in the eyes and added coldly, "We agreed to disappear, Aidan. Death seals the deal."

 

"Death of innocents?" the doctor pressed, greatly distressed. His sister rolled her eyes.

 

"Do you really think I would replace us with innocents? You don't know me very well..."

 

"How could I?" Aidan shot back. "You were taken as a young teenager."

 

Katrine shrugged. "They are not innocent. By the standards of the Empire, I suppose they may be considered innocent, but many lives have ended by their hands."

 

"I still don't like it," the doctor muttered. His sister shook her head and changed the channel.

 

"It's done now," she said dismissively. "Case of the West siblings is closed. They are dead."

 

Colin was silent for a very long time. Finally, he muttered, "I bet their parents are devastated..."

[starmark2k]

Alec looked up at his new Pilot. “We’re on a Space station with a bar called ‘Shakers’ and it’s only been twenty minuets. Once you’ve been around longer you’ll come to realise if Jyot can ogle at women, he will, for a very long time.” He laughed.

 

“So how you been finder The Scim?” The Captain asked. “All running Smooth?”

[Corinthian]

Kadis grinned and leaned back, scratching his neck as he did so. "I know the type, boss. Just has to stop and look at the Twi'lek in the short skirts." He shook his head

 

"The Scimitar is running fine, as far as I can tell. He must show nearly as much attention to the ship as he does to dancing girls. Runs like a new boot, although it could do with a restocking of holodramas, I must have watched the entire Face Loran Collection twice in transit."

[JasraLantill]

((Joint post with StarMark and R-Nine. ))

 

Zeek sat at his private table with a Datapad in one hand and a Cigar in the other, as the two humans and Cathar approach he inhaled one puff of smoke. Placing the datapad on the table he looked and smiled at the Bounty hunters.

 

“Tyrell and Vax Right?” The professional middle-man asked knowing he was right. “You’re on Tanis’ crew right. I hope he’s fine.”

 

Jyot shared a secretive look with Latch, and then said, "Yeah, Alec's doing ok." He motioned to an empty chair. "You busy? We've got some spare time and wondered if you might... know of a job going that we might be interested in."

 

“That depends on the kind of work you’re looking for.” The large man stated pointing his cigar at the chairs inviting them to sit.

 

"Easy work, Zee," Latch said, taking a seat. "Our last job didn't turn out so great, so something like a blue milk run is definitely in order."

 

Jyot frowned slightly. "Erm... when did the Empire ban blue milk?" he asked Latch sotto voce.

 

Zeek laughed at the ‘joke’ Jyot had just made. “Blue milks are in short supply these days.” Zeek informed as he took another puff of his Cigar. “The Empire are making the simplest of jobs harder than those old Jedi Trials.”

 

“Well, we could do with a simple, and most importantly, a paying job,” Jyot said.

 

Latch nodded in agreement. "Money's good, and even the most meager amount would be a vast improvement over our last payday. Not that you should give us something low-paying, that is," he added hastily.

 

“I have a couple of jobs for low level smuggling into the Core, although I have got some enforcement work that may be more up your alley.” Zeek explained looking down at his datapad. “Unfortunately the only bounty job I got is anything but simple. I’ve had it about five months and no one’s accepted it, I mean who would want to go after ‘the Sisters’?”

 

Jyot's brow raised with interest. "The Sisters?" he queried.

 

"Don't think Alec would be too interested in smuggling or enforcement, to be honest," Latch said, wrinkling his nose. "So tell us about the bounty work."

 

"Yeah,tell us more about these 'Sisters'," Jyot prodded encouragingly.

 

“I’d have thought people in your line of work would have heard about them.” The contractor stated leaning in closer. “They’re jewel thieves--five of them, the best.” He took the datapad and brought up their files and handed it to the mechanic.

 

“They had the misfortune of getting on the wrong side of a Crime Lord in Nar Shaddaa. You probably heard of her. Carmen? Anyway, she contracted them to steal something for her and they gave her a fake.”

 

"And now Carmen wants someone to track them down," Latch said, finishing the line of thinking. "It surprises me someone like her would let this go for five months."

 

“She hasn’t.” Zeek informed. “The last ten of her men she sent after them all ended up with toe tags or haven’t been seen since, word has it she’s been after them a year now but has only offered the contract to independents the last five months. Long story short, she wants them alive and Carmen’s a woman whose use to getting what she wants.”

 

Latch sighed at his friend. "Yeah, that sounds about right for us," he told Zeek, scratching his head. "We could probably get them to give themselves up by sticking them in a room with Jyot for a while. They'd be running to Carmen within hours."

 

"Hours?" Jyot stared at his friend deadpan. "Ow, Latch, that hurts." He put his hand over his heart. "Right here." He grinned then. "But yeah, Zee, the job sounds right up our alley."

 

“I wouldn’t take this job lightly.” The older, wiser man warned. “These women are attractive, intelligent and extremely deadly. Look download the data into the chip attached to the pad and take it back to your ship, if you still want the job go at it at your leisure.”

 

"Right...how much is Carmen paying?" Latch asked.

 

“Twenty thousand a piece, which you can double if you bring all five.” Zeek informed, taking another puff of his cigar. “But if you want my opinion, I’d get as far away from this job as you can. Trust me you do not want to get tangled up with ‘The Sisters’.”

 

"Leave it to you to give us something crazy when we ask for something easy, Zeek," Latch groaned, only half-mockingly.

 

“If they’re pretty, I wouldn’t mind getting tangled up with them,” Jyot assured Zeek. He exchanged a look with Latch. “We’ll take the job.”

 

Zeek laughed once again. “As I said easy is as rare as finding a Jedi these days. In these times easy is hard, up is down and light is dark.” Zeek smiled. “If you’re this determined I’ll consider it yours, but remember even if they don’t kill you, failure will put you on Carmen’s bad side.”

 

Jyot shrugged. “That’s not hard for me to do.”

[ForceFightWMe12]

Not only was the Scimitar doing fine, but the Headhunter was too.

 

With the new-found free time on her hands, Ellie had managed to find her way into the smaller ship's docking bay, a smile lighting her lips once she'd realized what she'd found. She wasted no time hesitating before practically throwing herself in the cockpit. Seeing as she was the new pilot for the fighter, she figured that she was entitled to getting accustomed to it and its controls.

 

Running a quick diagnostics, she watched the view screen display the many different systems, upgrades, and modifications that had been made to the small craft throughout its years of service. There was a lot that she would have to work on - adjusting it to her own personal modifications would be the first step, of course - but for all the use that she was certain this thing had seen, it was definitely in very good shape. Either the prior pilot was one hell of a flier, or she didn't give Jyot quite enough credit.

 

Within the hour, the would-be mechanic had already found the tools stored in the hangar and had taken them out, teasing the crane that kept the ship secure and in place until its hull was hovering just above the durasteel floor. With her orange jacket left hanging from the corner of the wing, gloves that seemed almost too big for her slim wrists and tiny hands had appeared on her wrists, along with a pair of goggles over her eyes. Ducked beneath the ship's hull as she was, making her own adjustments to the systems of the machine, her small frame seemed to all but disappear from sight.

 

((Gotta keep her doing SOMETHING...>.>))

[Writer]

After stunning her brother with the revelation that others were dead when the two of them should have been, Raelyn opted to wander the ship. Just to be familiar with the place, she said. But she wasn't really trying for that. After all, she'd already been over every nook and cranny she could find. It was the minds aboard the ship that fascinated Raelyn Lark. And as she wandered down into the cargo bay, she sensed a mind absorbed in technical jargon.

 

"Great," she muttered aloud. "A techie..." She recognized the mental voice as Ellie's, and decided on a whim to drop by for a visit. It wasn't very difficult to find her, though she was all but hidden from view beneath the Headhunter. With a crooked smirk, Raelyn watched and listened for a moment. Then, she spoke:

 

"Having fun down there?"