A Discrete Meeting

[Derath Quinton]

The moment Bardan left the room, Ajjax immediately began to feel rebellious -- and hungry. It hadn't been more then a minute before Ajjax's massive form pushed the autodoc away and strode across the med bay into the lounge. He saw Voth sitting on a couch, fiddling with some cards and a coffee cup across the room, Bardan was still going through the drawers and cabinets, looking for something for himself.

"Arworo," he said rather distractedly. He began searching through the refresher and cabinets for something to eat, muttering, "Ah'sc achuwhrrrcro." Grabbing a rather large dish, dried meat and vegetables began piling high, being picky far from his mind. Digging through the spices, he found some dried ground peppers and applied them liberally, preferring his food to be spicy, though this would barely start an ember in his mouth. Grabbing the entire pot of the liquid energy before Bardan could get to it, Ajjax was satisfied with his meal, and sat down across from Ms. Blue, taking a drink from the pot before digging into the food.

With a second thought, he nudged the plate a tad towards Voth and waved Bardan over. "Acrahowo cooscwo."

 

[kaotickaos]

Carter found himself in a village, nestled in an idyllic alpine valley. Children ran around him, playing and chasing each other in the early morning sun. He walked around, smelling the fresh air so rare these days with the state of the Galaxy. It was sad that these children were here in the first place, all orphans of the war that had gone on for so long, they seemed so happy now, but he could feel the undercurrents of pain coursing through the air. He knew all this, though he did not know why. They were smiling and laughing, but he couldn't recognize their faces. As he tried to focus on them, they seemed to fade away into shadows. The laughter echoed in the air, joviality reverberated on the wind. As a gentle breeze raked across the land, trees gently swayed and rustled, filling in the background with a pleasant drone. A stream babbled nearby, flowing from a melting ice pack higher in the mountains...

A shadow moved at the edge of his vision. He looked for it, but nothing was there. A searing pain tugged in the back of his mind. Screams echoed in his ears. His heart pounded in his chest. He frantically looked around, but saw only children playing. The shadow appeared again. He looked. Again, it wasn't there. Laughter. Pain. Screams. Playing. Shadows.

A man appeared. He was smiling. His face faded as well. The sky darkened. Fire burst forth. Thunder crashed. The earth rumbled. The laughter died. Screams echoed. Pain. Fire. He fell to his knees and threw up his arms. A wave of earth sped towards him. It hit him. Pain.

He opened his eyes with a jump and found himself floating in a tank. His side hurt. He looked around and saw tubes and monitors and realized he was in a medical tank. He remembered the Wookiee. He wondered where he actually was. He pulled the monitors off his chest and began knocking on the tank. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and waited.

 

[Ashiruni]

Lee Ru spent the next several days keeping an eye on his new-found crew, but trying to avoid spending extended periods of time with them. He had learned, early in his career, that having the boss man constantly getting into the middle of things just caused trouble. So while the rest of the crew chatted, ate, and played cards with one another, he spent his time in the brooding over a datapad with the data from Gunnar Sindrulfr loaded into it. He was analyzing the defenses of Ajarix the Hutt and looking for obvious weaknesses, but he was getting more and more frustrated. It was quickly becoming apparent that he was over his ears, so he would have to bring it up before the group and hope their skills were up to the task. Meanwhile, people were returning to the scene.

First, early in the morning, Carii returned. A day later, in the early afternoon, he received a notification telling him that the patient in the medbay was awake. Wonderful, the entire group was on-hand and would shortly be able to contribute. He quickly jumped up and walked into the lounge and mess. "Da last guy bein awakin. My bein talkin to hesa, den wesa bein talkin 'bout disa job proper. Yous mighten bein wantin to bein gaderin da crew." he said to Ral, who was sitting in the lounge, before he went into the medbay.

The Autodoc responded almost immediately to its patient knocking about within the treatment tank. As soon as it finished sending the alert to Lee Ru, it prompted the system to begin cycling the tank and it began draining. Once the last of the fluid finished draining, the front panel retracted inward slightly and spun to the right, leaving a man-sized hole for entry/egress. As Lee Ru walked in, the Autodoc was helping it's newly released patient onto the examination table to ensure that the wounds were properly healed.

"My bein Lee Ru Baas. Yousa bein okeeday and 'boardin da Xijulba. How bein yousa feelin?" Lee Ru addressed the room's sole other occupant, who was probably barely lucid as he lay on the examination table and sensors poured over him. Lee Ru wanted to at least appear polite, however, since the fiasco with the wookiee had caused him a great deal of annoyance.

 

[kaotickaos]

Carter sat on the bed, trying to make sense of the Gungan's words. He was groggy and he was cold, medical exam rooms always were. He blinked a few times and rubbed his side before answering, "I feel like I got into a fistfight with a Wookiee."

He couldn't remember much, but he did remember a table flying at him followed by an angry Wookiee... that's where he remembered the Gungan from, he was at a table near the bar. "Well, since I'm not in a cell or manacles, I assume you're not here for the bounty on me. I'm sure you ran my identity and know full well the price on my head." Carter paused for a moment looked around, then continued, "I don't suppose you have my bike or gear around here, do you?"

 

[Ashiruni]

"It bein right der." Lee Ru nodded toward the pile of kit the autodoc had removed and placed tidily in a corner. "And my not bein knowin whosa yousa bein. But my bein knowin dat yousa bein standin down da wookiee dat bein tryin to bein killin mesa, and my bein knowin dat mesa bein havin da high-mula job to bein doin, so mesa bein figuring yousa might bein wantin to bein joinin usen. If yousa bein wantin to bein leavin, yousa bein welcome to bein doin so, but if yousa bein wanting to bein havin da job, wesa bein havin da briefin in a few minutes. My bein outside." Lee Ru pointed back the way he had come, turned around, for once without his little hopping dance, and went back into the mess hall.

Once there, Lee Ru walked over to the Dejarik table, plugged a holocube into the projector, and mentally prepared himself for the briefing he was going to have to give in a few moments. It was going to be a long briefing, but nobody else would be able to give it, and all eight of them were depending on him to provide suitably correct and accurate information. He hoped his homework was accurate.

 

[Derath Quinton]

The past couple days had been somewhat uneventful for Ajjacsevge. An almost overwhelming quiet, broken from time to time with some laughter during a game of cards and some small talk between him and Bardan, filled Ajjax's mind. Ajjax played cards with Bardan and Voth for some time after Lee Ru had gone to sleep, alternating between who would play against who. For Ajjax and Bardan, the games were a much needed distraction for the heaviness on their minds and hearts, some light giggling and chuckling escaped their mouths. After they'd finished a best out of three, Bardan and Ajjax left Voth to herself for the better part of the day while they went off to check up on their armor and weapons, with Ajjax very vocal about the condition Bardan's equipment was in.

When the gungan awoke, Ajjax was still very much apprehensive being around him, unsure of when the next volley from a stun rifle would come his way. For the most part, they rarely acknowledged each other whenever Lee Ru showed where the armory was stationed, barely a passing glance was shared. Neither trusted the other, the only bridge that kept the two from getting at the other's throat held by Bardan, Voth, Ral, and the prospect of riches.

That night, Bardan had elected to keep to himself while Ajjax and Voth played another few rounds of sabacc, a data pad floating between hands as their translator was not to be bothered. Ajjax shared small tales of his life as a prince of Rwookrrorro and of his life-debt to Hondo, reminiscing in the past between games while fiddling through finger food. Voth listened... or rather, read... intently of the tales that a near-two-hundred year-old wookiee prince had. Ajjax purposely left out the little detail of his exile, and his employ with a rather brutal hutt crime lord. Ajjax hoped Voth would have been satisfied with the tales, but curiosity seemed to be her constant companion as she attempted to delve in deeper into the tales. Her questions came, though try as he might, Ajjax couldn't shrug through them all before he excused himself to his room, making a point to announce his intentions on the datapad.

The following morning, after a night filled with music, he returned back to the lounge and found it was all to himself, for a little while at least when Lee Ru came and went without much of an acknowledgement as he entered the medical bay, returning after several minutes. Something was up, the wookiee knew. He wondered if he should grab Bardan from his quarters, but thought against.

His helmet donned and with music still playing loudly, Ajjax bobbed his head back and forth to the rhythm, seemingly not giving a care in the world.

 

[Vitriol Blue]

After several exciting, yet uneventful, days aboard the Xijulba, Voth awoke, still thinking of Ajjax's stories of his royal life. How fantastical and romantic it must have been but, why was he here of all places. Voth was determined not to press Ajjax, despite her interest, out of courtesy to her temporary ship mate.

She kept to her quarters for the morning, entertaining herself with writing, a passion that she never shared with others. Eventually Voth decided to make her way to the mess because sleep never left her easily and coffee, good coffee, was a must. Lee Ru and Ajjax were already present and Voth could tell that Lee Ru was thinking, he looked even more strange when thinking. Looking at Ajjax she nodded quietly at Lee Ru as if to ask Ajjax what was happening and she fiddled around looking for some coffee. She rummaged through the cupboards, being a bit more noisy than she had to, while watching Lee Ru. She loved watching people and studying their behavior and he was certainly a curious fellow. After brewing the same unsatisfactory brand of coffee that she had tried yesterday, she carried a cup to Ajjax, hoping that he liked coffee, and she sat down next to him. Holding her cup to her lips she blew gently on the scalding drink and watched Lee Ru as if he were entertainment.

. o 0 ((This is going to be good. How many times has he done this? Is he always like this? I hope he pulls it out, really nails it, and we can go along and get filthy rich. The gambler in me wants to put my money on "fantastic briefing," it's sure to pay a motherlode.))

Speaking over her coffee she addressed Lee Ru "Do you need help with anything Captain?" As she said "Captain," she left her tongue pressed slightly against her upper lip and she grinned. The emphasis that she placed on that final word was either a jab or a legitimate sign of respect, only she knew for sure.

 

[Ral]

Over the last couple of days Ral had become acquainted with the Gungan's ship. It was of an interesting design, Mon Calamari if he wasn't mistaken. He hadn't seen anything quite like it, but then again, he wasn't too familiar with Mon Cal designs. When Carii arrived early from her parent's house Ral was ecstatic, well as ecstatic he dared show anyone, even Carii. After they learned the ins and outs of Lee Ru's ship they decided to head into market, out of armor of course, and bought some weapons and supplies. Things the two suspected they would need on Lee Ru's crazy plan. Upon returning to the Xijulba Ral began a game of sabaac with Voth where he was alerted that Lee Ru was calling a meeting in the mess hall.

Leaving for his new crew quarters, Ral made his way to Bardan's room. Pausing outside Bardan's room. Taking a peak inside he could see the other Mandalorian sitting on his bed. With a clearing cough Ral attempted to get the other's attention. "Bardan, the Gungan has asked for us to join him in the mess hall. If you want any information on this job you might want to go."

Tapping on the doorframe with his knuckles Ral left to get his wife before returning to the mess hall where he took a seat and waited for the Gungan to begin explaining his plan to the crew.

 

[Bardan Kex]

The past few days had gone by quick enough, the first evening on board and the next day were spent playing games with the various other members of the crew, for as long as Bardan could tolerate at least. The days leading up to his current position on top of an assortment of other things had left him feeling out of the mood for company. So after the games he had drifted off to his quarters and the ships maintenance area to work on repairing his damaged armor, fixing the easier to repair chest armor first, then working on the helmet with its cracked visor and damaged computer systems. When the Mandalorian couple, whom it seemed to him he worked hardest to avoid had, announced their trip to the market he had made sure to throw them credits to help pay for supplies for the ship and a small list of things he needed for his helmet repairs as well as a new jump suit.

"Bardan, the Gungan has asked for us to join him in the mess hall. If you want any information on this job you might want to go." came Ral's voice. Having lost himself in work to keep his mind from drifting, he had failed to notice the other Mando step through the door. Bardan had made a point to keep open, even though he desired time away from the others he had decided it would be wise to keep himself open to the others, should he be needed. Resting the freshly repaired helm on the bunk beside him Bardan rose and pulled slightly faded 'new' black jumpsuit up over his undershirt, zipping it he turned to address Ral, while gesturing for him to lead the way.

"May as well find out what sort of ride we are in for."

 

[Ashiruni]

Lee Ru was staring intently at the holographic gaming table."Do you need help with anything, Captain?" Lee Ru startled. The normal thing for most sentients would be to jump slightly as the quick reaction muscles kicked in and then slow down as the realization was made. Lee Ru, however, was a fighter. He didn't even realize what was happening as he threw himself into a roll to his left, grabbed his pistol from his holster, and came up in a crouch with the pistol pointed toward the table. Then, with no apparent threat, he began to take stock of the situation.

"Don't bein doin dat!" he said as he realized what happened, "My not bein guananteein yousa safety if yousa keep bein spookin mesa liken dat." He holstered his weapon and tried to remember what it was she had asked that startled him. "And no. My not bein needin anydin. Dankee for askin, but my bein havin it handled. My just bein needin to bein dinkin 'bout dis for a bit." With that said, he returned his attentions to the table and continued his thinking.

A moment later, Derek left the Medbay and joined the party, deciding for whatever reason that he wanted to listen to Lee Ru's Proposal. Lee Ru looked around the room. He looked at each one of the individuals present, and pondered why they were all there, what their goals were, what they wanted to achieve. Then, with an apparently final, lingering look at Kojii, he started his briefing.

Spoiler: Translated for you lazy folks.

Most of you know the basics of my plan. We're going to go to Coruscant, open a bunker filled with extremely old artefacts that are worth a fortune on the market, then use that money to buy parts and equipment to kill Ajarix the Hutt. The devil, however, tends to be in the details, so lets go over those. I have uncovered something of a public secret among fairly high level bureaucrats and functionaries: in an agreement with the various governments of Coruscant, the Galactic Museum had a vault of ancient museum pieces they kept here, on the moon of the ninth planet in the Coruscant system. The museum placed the more valuable items in this vault, and used replicas and holograms to make the public unaware of the deception.

Improcco, the planet our vault orbits, is a typical, ice-covered planetoid outside of the habitable range. To my knowledge, nothing important was ever placed there, and the limited intel I could gather from that system mentions no interests or bases on any of the outer planets or moons as of one hundred eleven days ago. The moon is more of the same, so despite the sith taking over the system, we ought to have enough time to get into the vault, abscond with a significant amount of high-value items, and get clear before the Sith can cause us too much trouble. As you all know, hyperspace travel inside a solar system is virtually impossible, with even the shortest jumps having margins of error in the tens of millions of kilometers range from the gravitic distortions, and sublight travel is fairly slow. Coruscant is on the far side of the system from Improcco right now, which further complicates in-system hyperspace jumps by putting the star directly on the shortest route, so we should have nearly a month if they try to make it in sublight. If they do decide to risk killing themselves via an in-system hyperspace jump, we should still have at least a day or two before we even need to worry. I want to be out of the system in less than twenty-four hours to help minimize our risks.

The vault itself is a black-box affair. It is old, built sometime before the Ruusan Reformation, but it was continually maintained and updated until the Fall of Coruscant to the New Sith Imperium. It has been a decade, but the designers undoubtedly built the place to last. I do not know what defenses, traps, or alarms the site has, nor do I know how much stuff is left, but I do know that they evacuated the personnel in a hurry. It has been ten years since the place was manned, so I expect that most of the facility will be unpowered. Grab anything that you think we can sell and will not kill you while you are carrying it around. If your backpack or satchel fills up, go dump it in the Xijulba. We will be parking her by the door, so feel free to come back as often as you need to. I think we should spread out to cover ground, but we do not want to go too far from backup, so two man teams are best. We also need to maintain communications links to all four teams in case we encounter something unexpected. I suggest keeping a smart person and a fighting person with each, and leaving two fighters with the ship on guard duty. It should be a blue-milk run, but we should not let our guard down since we know rather little of the vault itself. Once this part of the quest is completed, we will discuss where to sell the artefacts and we will jointly come up with a plan for taking on Ajarix's defenses. Are there any questions, comments, or suggestions?

"Most of yous bein knowin da basic idea of mesa plan. Wesa bein goin to Coruscant, lootin some stuff for da mula to bein buyin da wangzappers, spark-ouchees, armor, and food," Lee Ru made a pointed glance toward the wookiee, who had nearly eaten his own body weight since he'd arrived, "dat wesa bein needin to bein killin Ajarix da hutt. Da poodoo bein in da details, dough, so wesa bein talkin 'bout dose. My bein findin out a big, bombad secret dat da Gallactic Alliance not bein tellin berry many peoples: Da Galactic Museum bein havin dere vault on da moon of da ninth planet in da coruscant system." Lee Ru pushed a button on the table in front of him, and a representation of the Coruscant system was displayed. It's eleven planets in their accurate locations for the current date and with the most up-to-date information on the system that Lee Ru had been able to obtain, which was from a rebellion recon fly-by of the system One hundred and eleven days prior. Tags marked each planet, and the moon of Improcco, the ninth planet, was outlined with a double ring. "Da vault was bein used to bein hidin da shiny stuff from da peoples and dey bein using replicas and holos to bein makin da peoples bein dinkin dey bein seein da real ding."

Lee Ru paused for a moment, spending the time to catch his breath and take stock of his audience. It also gave the group a chance to study the hologram properly. "Da planet da moon bein orbitin bein da usual ball of ice coverin da rock and bein too far from da sun. My bein knowin dat dey not bein puttin anydin else on da planet, nor anywhere else in da outer system, as of da flyin by dree months ago. Da moon bein just like da planet. Wid da Sid bein at Coruscant and usen bein at Improcco, wesa should bein havin da time to bein lootin da vault before da sid bein gettin dere. Yous bein knowin already dat bein tryin to made da lightspeed jumps inside da solar system bein bad bombin, and dey bein takin forever to bein gettin dere with dere slow engines. Coruscant bein on da fardest side of da system from Improcco right now, so dey bein havin mooie fun tryin to bein jumpin drough da star to bein gettin to usen. My bein dinkin dat wesa bein havin a day or two before da sith bein getting anywhere near usen if dey bein idiots and jumpin, and if deysa bein smart, wesa not bein havin to bein worrin at all. Just to bein smart, dough, my bein dinkin wesa should bein gone in less dan twenty four hours from our bein showin up.

My not bein knowin much 'bout da vault itself. It bein berry old, but dey were livin dere 'til da Sid bein bombin Coruscant ten years ago. My not bein knowin if dey bein able to bein settin up traps or droids or bombs, but my bein knowin dat dey bein evacuatin while da Sid bein bombin da planet, so wesa should bein findin some good loot. It havin bein a longo time, dough, so my bein 'spectin da power bein off. Bein grabbin anydin yousa bein dinkin is worth mula, bein droppin it in da Xijulba, den bein doin it again. Wesa probably bein needin to spread out. My bein knowin it bein a hugo place, dough, so wesa should bein going in groups. Two people should bein 'bout right. Wesa bein needin da smarter folks," Here lee Ru paused for a moment, pointing out all three women in the room, "to bein pickin one of da rest of us each, den bein tellin dem da expensive stuff. Dose yousa not bein takin bein stayin behind to bein makin sure wesa not bein loosin da ship. It probably bein a milk run, but my bein wantin usen to bein smart 'bout dis and keepin on yousa toes cause wesa not bein knowin much 'bout what bein in der. Once wesa bein finishin dat and bein gettin da money, den wesa bein talkin 'bout da defences Ajarix bein havin and wesa all bein dinkin 'bout how to bein killin hesa. What bein yous dinkin 'bout dis?"

 

[Ral]

The plan seemed simple enough. But if there was something Ral had learned in his years of fighting it was that planning and execution were two completely different things. Still, the plan didn't sound like it should become that complicated. Looking around the room Ral noticed the expressions of those who were with him. The Wookiee was hard to tell, he didn't have a lot of experience with Wookiees or their expressions. It seemed like a crazy plan, but if it worked the pay off would be nothing short but ridiculous. Ral could probably retire with the money they would make from this job. His gaze settled on his wife. She looked back at him and he could tell that she thought the plan was crazy, and yet still worth trying. Nodding at him she smiled and that was all Ral needed to know from her.

Satisfied with the Gungan's description of the heist Ral nodded his head. "Well, it sounds like a solid plan. Still, without knowing the strength, or disposition, of the Sith in the system, it could turn on our heads very fast. That and the uncertainty of what we'll find once we land on that moon. But..." Ral paused for a moment as he considered what to say. "Either we'll get tangled with some Sith which should make this interesting, we breeze through and make lots of money, or we get there and find an empty vault, in which case we're right back where we started. We're in, especially if this makes it easier to put one over on Ajarix."