Open Out of the frying pan...

[Elkras Arrieta]

Elkras had no sooner knelt down next to the port engine, multitool in hand, when a shot flashed by the front of the Comet. "What the--? Hey!" Elkras hurried back to the cockpit, shaking a fist in indignance at the ISC frigate as the request was made again to transmit his codes. Behind him, Captain Archer beat a hasty retreat back to the Bravebird; Elkras wanted to protest, but he'd have done the same if their positions had been reversed... heck, he probably would've left as soon as the Ranger outed himself.

Regardless, the situation had gone from bad to worse. Bravebird's retreat meant that the next shot could blow him to smithereens without collateral damage, and the frigate, vastly superior in firepower even if the Comet was fully functional, was not playing around. Even the Ranger seemed taken aback by the sudden escalation, and the voice of Yuuta Graves broke through Elkras' thoughts.

The smuggler's reply was laced with resentment, although his frustrations weren't directed specifically at the Ranger. "Seems like he's a 'shoot first, ask questions later' kind of guy. No wonder nobody likes the ISC..." Elkras closed the comm channel and paced towards the back of the ship. Thanks to Bravebird's power transfer, he had at least two hours of emergency power left with which to fix the engine. What he didn't have was time, and the hairs on the back of his neck tingled as the threat of a follow-up shot weighed on his mind.

"Kark!" The sound of fist on metal echoed through the freighter as Elkras struck the port engine with his fist in frustration, turning back towards the cockpit with the intent to give Souther a piece of his mind. But to his surprise, the engine spluttered and hummed to life. He thought about doing the same to the starboard engine, but he didn't trust the Captain Souther to wait patiently. One engine would have to be enough.

Returning to the cockpit, Elkras opened a public channel so that Bravebird and Death Painting could also hear the conversation. Lights flickered on as the port engine restored most systems, and Elkras was careful not to divert any power to the weapons or shields; no sense in giving the Carrick an excuse to space him. Besides, that power was discretely being funneled to the hyperdrive, and his navicomputer began plotting a short hyperspace jump as Elkras cleared his throat.

"Captain Southern, you're not going to believe this" he said, making every syllable ring with earnest charm- one of the many skills he'd honed while growing up on the streets of Nar Shadda. "But the transponder is, unfortunately, not functioning. I've got my codes here, but we're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. Do you have something to write with? Six... nine... four... two... zero..." The identification code for Starskipper was slowly relayed as Elkras kept an eye on the navicomputer.

@Forsythe Crowholde @The Good Doctor @Nor'baal

 

[Horst Souther]

"Captain Southern, you're not going to believe this"

"You're right. I'm not. Close channel." Souther shut the channel off, and signalled to his gunner. "Disable the engines."

His command was followed and the Frigates gunnery crew executed a standard ship disabling procedure. A brilliant flash of light from one of the fore mounted double turbolaser cannons mounted on the DP-20 Frigate, which lanced toward the engines of the freighter. As it was presently unshielded, the shot would disable the engines - rendering them useless.

Another shot blasted through the ventral medium laser turret of the freighter.

With the ship rendered immobile, and unable to exit the system via hyperspace, Captain Souther reopened the comm link, broadcasting to all three of the other ships in the immediate space.

"Starskipper, you are under arrest. Surrender into my custody at once, or your ship will be destroyed."

 

[Aden Archer]

As the Bravebird was still getting away from the Starskipper, flashes of turbolaser cannonf fire reflected off the visor on Aden's helmet. He grimaced and was glad he got away when he did. Aden would look at his sensors to see if the other ship was survived or not, as he phyiscally look back in his position. Again, hopefully he would.

Aden would wonder if perhaps the ISC navy vessel is acting too rashly, but in the end there is nothing he can do about it. Fighting against it would be dangerous in both the storm term and bad, he can't risk it.

Now then, Aden would then push buttons on the dash and begin plotting a course to lightspeed. Next course: Naboo. The Bravebird would be inching further and further away from the spat going on between the Starskipper and the Carrick. If not interrupted, Aden would see blue and white lines through the viewport, and then his ship would make the jump to lightspeed.

Naboo is a nice planet... or so he heard.

@Forsythe Crowholde @SlagathorTheUnknown @Nor'baal

 

[Yuuta Graves]

Arrieta made no effort to conceal the frustration in his voice, and the comment about nobody liking the ISC admittedly stung a little. Yuuta, however, didn't bother to attempt to mollify the Starskipper's captain and instead watched as the Bravebird moved away from the Corellian freighter. Aden probably had no plans in getting caught up in the trouble Arrieta found himself in – perfectly understandable, to be honest. The warning shots from the Carrick were crystal clear, and Captain Souther probably had every intention of issuing out an arrest for the pilot of the Starskipper...

Will you look at that? the Ranger thought to himself upon receiving the broadcast from the frigate. Speak of an arrest and it shall come... or is it "be done"?

Yuuta closed his eyes and took a deep breath, one hand pinching the bridge of his nose to stave of an impending headache. He could just comm Souther and tell the man that the Ranger's business here was done, but the dark-haired male shoved the thought aside. This might not be his business any longer given that Souther had ordered for Arrieta's surrender under his custody, but he wanted to see the end of this predicament. If Arrieta turned out to be a criminal, Yuuta would be more than willing to file a report and do whatever following paperwork relating to the case at hand. However, if the captain of the Starskipper turned out to be an ordinary fellow with an equally ordinary and legal job making his way through the galaxy, then Yuuta would see to it that the man received proper compensation and an honest apology for having to go through this arrest.

@SlagathorTheUnknown @The Good Doctor @Nor'baal

 

[Elkras Arrieta]

Click. Elkras barely had time to process that the Starskipper had hung up on him when the frigate opened fire. The Comet rocked as it took two direct hits, knocking out the engine and the ventral turret and dashing all hopes of an escape. Once again, the emergency lights flickered on and Elkras was left fuming in their red glow as his freighter began slowly spinning in space... again.

The smuggler took a few moments to run through his extensive vocabulary of swear words before turning his microphone back on in response to Captain Souther. It was a public channel, audible to the Bravebird and the Death Painting. Good. Elkras had one final, desperate card left to play. Like most spur-of-the-moment choices he made, this was a risk... but if Souther kept calling the shots, Elkras would probably be welcomed into ISC custody with a blaster bolt between the eyes.

"I will surrender... but only to Captain Graves" he announced.

@Nor'baal @Forsythe Crowholde @The Good Doctor

 

[Horst Souther]

"Very well. Captain Graves, you may make the arrest - but be reminded, you are in ISC Space, and will be executing this arrest on behalf of the ISC." Souther replied curtly.

Keeping his ship's weapons live, Souther would wait for the man to be taken into custody, whereupon he would instruct the Ranger to transfer him to the brig of his frigate.

 

[Yuuta Graves]

There was no need nor time to process the surprise that crossed the Ranger when the captain of the Starskipper made a broadcast about his surrender. Yuuta should've expected that Arrieta would choose to surrender to him instead of Souther, but the thought never crossed his mind. He was usually perceptive in these kinds of things, but perhaps it came as an unexpected request for the Ranger given the fact that Captain Souther himself was intent on making the arrest himself.

Yuuta blinked once, twice, head tilting a little to the side like a confused Corellian hound upon receiving Souther's curt response. Hands moving to the controls almost on autopilot, the Death Painting began his approach towards the Starskipper and would mimic what Aden had done earlier.

"10-4, Captain Souther," Yuuta told the captain of the Carrick over the public channel. "Proceeding with the arrest."

With the Corellian freighter finding itself adrift and without power again, the Ranger retraced the steps the captain of the Bravebird had done earlier. There were things that remained to be considered given that he was piloting a light courier, but with careful maneuvering and a bit of guidance from the Force (it wasn't cheating, really!) the Death Painting soon became the anchor that stabilized the Starskipper. Arrieta would feel his freighter begin to stop it's slow spin. Connecting to the freighter's docking ring wasn't an issue, and Yuuta hit the comms again to address Arrieta.

"Captain Arrieta of the Starskipper, this is Ranger Yuuta Graves of the ISC. You are hereby under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can and will be held against you." He paused, taking a deep breath, and continued. "If you're able to open your ship's docking ring then do so now, then face the door backwards with your hands up where I can see them. I will be grateful for your compliance."

Switching to a private channel between the Starskipper and the Death Painting, the Ranger then added, "Sorry for the trouble, man. But if you're not into some shady stuff, rest assured that this'll be over soon."

The dark-haired Ranger then got up from his seat, made his way towards the cargo hold where his own ship's docking ring was, and waited for an all-clear from Arrieta. Yuuta decided to leave his vibrosword in his weapons locker, opting to carry a stun baton, his DG-34 Peacemaker, and a pair of handcuffs instead. The weapons were mostly for show, however – if ever Arrieta decided to try anything funny, he would find himself locked in a Force Stasis.

"Please don't be a criminal," he muttered to himself while he waited, hands clenching and unclenching on his sides.

@SlagathorTheUnknown @Nor'baal @The Good Doctor

 

[Elkras Arrieta]

The seconds ticked by as Elkras awaited the blinding flash of lasers from the Carrick, but to his surprise Souther accepted his request. Letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, the smuggler reflected on the irony that he was actually grateful to be getting arrested. Of course, that didn't change his opinion of Souther or the ISC, but at least he could theoretically enact his revenge at a later date. The Death Painting docked several minutes later, thanks to another amazing display of piloting; this time by the Ranger. Certainly much better than Souther could do... The bloke probably sits in a chair and gives orders to other people...

Elkras did as Ranger Graves asked, first cranking open the docking ring and then standing with his hands clasped behind his head, facing away. Yuuta seemed like a decent enough fellow, and Elkras had no quarrel with him. Besides, the Ranger was also his best hope at getting out of here alive. Elkras didn't want to admit it, but he was rattled from the Carrick's disabling shots. If the goal had been to intimidate him... well, it had succeeded. Even Captain Archer knew better than to stick around, exiting via hyperspace. Lucky...

"There's a DL-44 heavy blaster on my right thigh" he said as the Ranger stepped into the cabin. "There's another one under the seat in the cockpit; those are the only weapons in here." That I know about, he silently added. Although he was certain he'd been over every inch of the Comet since stealing it from Zirga, Hutt vessels had a reputation for concealing weapons in the strangest of places.

Hidden weapons, however, were the least of his concern. "I'm just an honest spacer moving dolium" he said. If he was lucky, this Ranger would feel bad for him and only do a cursory examination of the cargo hold; enough to see that the front row of crates indeed housed the metal that made up the bulk of Ryloth's legal exports. The heavy dolium crates in front served a double purpose; not only did they restrict access to the rest of the cargo hold, they held the lighter crates behind them in place. It was those crates, full of ryll, that could get Elkras into real trouble.

All the better to keep the Ranger's attention split. "Check my ship as much as you want, but please, please"- an honest note of desperation punctuating his words- "you can't turn me over to Souther. The guy's likely to shoot me on sight, the way he's been acting."

@Nor'baal @The Good Doctor @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Yuuta Graves]

Yuuta stepped into the cabin, dark gaze immediately finding the captain of the Starskipper. The fact that Arrieta followed the Ranger's instructions to the letter had Yuuta quietly sighing in relief. The other man's actions might have earned him some plus points from others – and he'd earned some of the Ranger's, to be honest – but Yuuta would not fall into complacency just because the person he was arresting was being cooperative. There was no reason to suspect Arrieta but that wasn't enough reason to let his guard down.

Yet.

Charcoal eyes immediately found the blaster the blond had spoken of. Yuuta closed the distance between the him and Arrieta, waving a hand lazily towards the DL-44 and pulling it out of its holster using the Force. It would probably feel as if the Ranger himself was taking the weapon with his own hands if it weren't for the fact that Yuuta had stepped in front of Arrieta, the latter's blaster floating swiftly into the Ranger's waiting hand.

Openly displaying that he was a Force-user technically wasn't a power move for Yuuta – just a reminder that if the captain of the Starskipper planned anything shady he would be met with full-blown resistance.

"Mind taking that blaster in the cockpit with me?" he asked Arrieta with a smile, probably made a touch creepy by his pale visage and the prominent dark circles under his eyes. Yuuta might have been sleep deprived but the situation was more than enough to alert him back to wakefulness.

He would have tried to get a read on the other man through the Force but he refrained from doing so. The desperation in Arrieta's voice was more than enough proof to see how rattled the guy was at having his ship shot for the second time.

"That's unlikely my call to make, but perhaps I can make a petition to have you under my custody until we made contact and landed on the nearest ISC planet," Yuuta assured the other captain. "And thank you for your cooperation. I'll check your ship thoroughly." The smile on the Ranger's face widened. "Every nook and cranny. Gotta prove to Souther that you're just an honest spacer, right?"

With that, he would gesture for the Starskipper's captain to lead the Ranger to the ship's cockpit. Just because the poor bloke was scared and desperate to be under anyone's watch except Souther's didn't mean that Yuuta would show Arrieta his back. He was sympathetic of the blond's plight, sure, but Yuuta wasn't an idiot.

"About your ship, I have a feeling that I can't win against Souther if he'd push with having the Starskipper aboard the Carrick. But maybe we can compromise with me being the one to inspect your ship. You good with that?"

@SlagathorTheUnknown @Nor'baal

 

[Elkras Arrieta]

Elkras was expecting the Ranger to disarm him manually, so when he felt his blaster begin to move out of its holster while Yuuta was standing in front of him, he nearly jumped out of his boots. Surprised as he was, the smuggler managed to limit his reaction to a startled yelp and a quarter turn to his right, eyes frantically searching for someone who wasn't there.

Hazel eyes returned to stare at Yuuta's sleep-deprived face, shock and discomfort written plainly across Elkras’ features. “Please tell me that was you.” This mission was already perilous enough, with his fate resting on how generous Souther was feeling; the added mumbo-jumbo did little to calm his nerves. In addition, Yuuta’s threat to search the whole of the Comet was not lost on him, and with a sinking feeling he prepared himself to be unceremoniously marched in front of Souther in stun cuffs. Swallowing a sudden lump of discomfort, Elkras silently led the way towards the cockpit.

Those used to a larger cockpit would be disappointed; the Y2K-series light freighters had room for only two chairs, one in front of the other. Making sure to keep his movements unthreatening, Elkras nodded towards the front chair. “Blaster’s underneath that one” he said, indicating the front chair. He remembered how causally the Ranger had disarmed him earlier, with nothing but a wave of the hand. “I, uh… I thought the ISC didn’t like space magicians?” he prompted, trying to make casual conversation while the Ranger searched his ship.

@Nor'baal @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Yuuta Graves]

Others would have revelled in the open shock and discomfort Arrieta felt upon witnessing what seemed to be a display of power, but Yuuta didn't. In fact the Ranger only felt even more sympathetic towards the captain, but there was no hint of regret from using the gift he he had been bestowed with.

An apologetic smile was Yuuta's only offer at the rhetorical question, and he followed Arrieta's lead just as silently. Charcoal gaze immediately alighted on the front chair where the other blaster was. Maneuvering past the other chair, the Ranger bent down to manually reach for and remove the second blaster from its hiding place, trusting that Arrieta wouldn't do something foolhardy behind his back. Weapon secured and finding itself clipped to his belt beside the DL-44, Yuuta then gestured for the spacer to follow the Ranger's lead this time.

Better yet, they should really just walk side by side towards the cargo hold. He didn't need Arrieta feeling even more uncomfortable by letting the latter lead the way with the Ranger behind him like an ominous wraith. Yuuta would make an initial sweep of the place and, once Arrieta found himself in one of the waiting rooms aboard the Carrick, would follow up with a more thorough search. Every nook and cranny, like he'd told the blond spacer earlier. He wouldn't presume to think that Arrieta might have perceived a threat between the lines, but Yuuta – being the soft-hearted bloke that he was – was intent on proving that the latter was indeed a simple spacer.

But if he wasn't?

The answer would be crystal clear and would brook no argument. Yuuta was a Ranger, and he had a job to do.

The Starskipper's cargo hold was unassuming enough, and true to Arrieta's word there were rows of crates inside, all loaded with dolium of his words were to be trusted further. Yuuta would gesture for Arrieta to enter the cargo hold first before stepping inside. His question about the ISC and Force-users was not unexpected – in fact it was something Yuuta was asked about on a daily basis. Displaying yet again the abilities afforded to him by the Force, the Ranger telekinetically pried open the nearest crate and glanced at its contents.

At least the guy wasn't lying about the dolium. Perhaps he should just proceed with thoroughly checking the cargo hold. That way both Yuuta and Arrieta would be free of Captain Souther's scrutiny...

But then again it would depend on Arrieta himself – more so what his behavior would be while Yuuta searched and moved the crates at random.

"They didn't. They don't," Yuuta replied casually. Through his peripheral vision he surveyed Arrieta's reactions, searching even for any minute change in the latter's expression or body language while the Ranger repeated the process on the next crate, then another. "Being Force-sensitive almost had me turned down when I enlisted as a Ranger for the ISC. The interviewer kept asking me if my space magic would hinder my upholding of my duty as a Ranger, going as far as looking at me with this weird, judging look as if I had the absolute temerity to be born being connected to the Force. You know what I told her?"

Yuuta covered the crates he'd opened and shot Arrieta a bright grin.

"'If you're more concerned about me and my weird space magic rather than my willingness to serve and protect the citizens under the ISC, then you're more than welcome to stamp REJECTED on my file.' But at the end of the day, the ISC is more concerned about keeping their sentients safe. So, here I am."

@SlagathorTheUnknown @Nor'baal

 

[Elkras Arrieta]

Why did they have to hire this guy? Elkras thought to himself as he listened to Ranger Graves' response. Of all the Rangers he could've been searched by, he had to get one that was incredibly competent and dedicated to their job.

Still, he couldn't resist a sarcastic remark during his last few moments of freedom. "If the ISC was concerned about keeping their citizens safe, maybe they'd better start looking at their own people. I certainly don't feel safe when my disabled freighter is getting shot at!" Elkras paused for effect; maybe he could shame this Ranger into abandoning his search before he popped off one of the lids of the spice containers. "Is this what passes for a legal search in the ISC? I have rights... I think" he added. His bravado quickly fell and his tone shifted from bluster to concern. "I do have rights?"

@Forsythe Crowholde @Nor'baal

 

[Yuuta Graves]

Arrieta gave nothing away while Yuuta picked and inspected crates from the front stack at random. An approving smile was the only giveaway that he commended the spacer. It was either he was really telling the truth or he was just that good of an actor. The Ranger lifted a hand and pointed at another crate, one he hadn't opened yet, and Pulled it through the Force. He didn't simply drop the crate, instead he lowered it carefully to the ground while he listened to the captain of the Starskipper speak.

The other man's blatant sarcasm wasn't lost on Yuuta, the comment prompting a hearty laugh from the dark-haired Ranger. He understood the sentiment behind the remark. If Yuuta was being honest he, too, had been really startled when the Carrick shot at the spacer's already disabled freighter. Even he himself would feel resentment towards ISC as a whole if he had been a simple spacer and some government frigate shot at his ship.

However, it raised a very real concern that the government he served was being seen in a negative light because of some of the sentients who chose to serve the ISC. Yuuta couldn't exactly fault Souther for issuing an arrest, and while he had the right to blast a suspected criminal's ship to kingdom come still wasn't... fair, in the Ranger's point of view. Arrieta was being branded as someone suspicious, but even then he was still innocent until proven guilty of a crime.

Laughter abating, Yuuta's expression shifted from amused to serious, stern.

"You're absolutely correct," he agreed. "There will always be recruits and officials who would wish to hold a firm position within our ranks to further their own personal goals. Those who will make the citizens they've sworn to protect feel as if they aren't protected at all. I'm not saying I've personally met someone like that, just the thought that there certainly are Rangers, captains, lieutenants – you name it – who are exactly like that."

With another wave of his hand the crate's lid was pried open, revealing more dolium inside. At Arrieta's question about rights, Yuuta shifted his gaze from the crate to the spacer's face. Another smile split Yuuta's face.

"You do have rights," the Ranger told him almost jovially. "Actually, you've already exercised them, and you're still doing it." The lid was placed back on the crate and, with another gesture, it floated again and began to move towards the cargo hold's entrance. "When you told Souther that you'll surrender to me instead of him, you're exercising your rights. When you told me to search your ship – that's another one. The fact that you aren't being cuffed and marched off towards Souther's custody is yet another exercise of your rights as a free sentient."

Yuuta turned to fully face Arrieta, his smile turning a little brighter than usual.

"Now, if you're willing, I'll help you exercise your rights as a free sentient even further," declared the Ranger as the floating crate stopped beside Arrieta. "Let me just reiterate what I've told you about your ship earlier: 'I have a feeling that I can't win against Souther if he'd push with having the Starskipper aboard the Carrick. But maybe we can compromise with me being the only one to fully inspect your ship.'"

Stepping forward, Yuuta extended a hand towards Arrieta. There was still no reason to suspect the man of illegal activity, and the Ranger wouldn't use the Jedi Mind Trick on the captain as if the latter was some sort of common criminal.

"Are you good with that, Captain Arrieta?"

@SlagathorTheUnknown @Nor'baal

 

[Elkras Arrieta]

Yuuta Graves seemed a decent fellow, all things considered. Elkras had the inking that, in another life, he and the Ranger might've actually gotten along. But the causal ease with which Yuuta inspected the cargo with a wave of his hand- somehow not opening any of the ones containing ryll- only added to the tension that Elkras was feeling.

One line from Yuuta's lecture on his rights stood out to him, and he accidentally ignored Yuuta's proffered hand as its significance washed over him. "Wait- you said that I told you to search my ship?" Quickly, he ran through his recollection of their conversation and realized that he had. "Huh. I guess I did." Then, another thought occurred to the spacer. "Does that mean I can ask you to stop searching my ship? Since... uh... there's no reason for you to be doing so?" Elkras would be amazed if that was the case, but he had to try.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Nor'baal

 

[Yuuta Graves]

The spacer's attention wasn't on Yuuta's offer, but it had remained on the latter's discussion about the former's rights. The Ranger didn't need the Force guiding him where Arrieta's thoughts were heading, and when the blond had blurted out one specific thought Yuuta was smiling again like a tooka that got the cream.

There was something about Arrieta that made him somewhat likeable, and he was exceedingly lucky that Yuuta didn't have a reason to use the Force to get a proper read on him. He was lucky that the genuine concern he felt when his ship got shot at earlier had struck the Ranger's sympathy for him. Maybe that was why Yuuta only limited his use of the Force to visual and physical displays and not the telepathic ones.

Had the circumstances been a little different, Arrieta's lies about being a simple spacer would already have been outed rather brightly, with Yuuta forcing – no pun intended – the other man into submission. The ryll he had been smuggling would have been found out as well. He would be handed off to Souther without a fuss. Or maybe the Starskipper would have already been blasted to kingdom come once Yuuta had extricated himself and the Death Painting from the smuggler's ship.

The Force favored Arrieta today, however, and he was in luck that of all the ISC Rangers he would have come across today it had been Yuuta Graves.

"Actually, you can!" replied the Ranger, bright smile still plastered on his face. With a wave of his hand the crate that floated beside Arrieta glided back to where it had been taken, the dolium rattling inside as the crate was put down. "Though there's actually a reason why I'm doing this... SOP, you know, since you're in ISC space... so it had to be done. I'm very sorry about this. I can see you're still shaken from what Souther did earlier, and I can't blame you for wanting this search to stop now."

The hand that extended towards Arrieta now found the man's shoulder, a friendly if somehow sudden touch. "I wouldn't have stopped searching if I found you slightly suspicious, but all I see right now is a spacer who's been scared by today's events. On behalf of Captain Souther, I would like to apologize for the scare you've been caused and the damage made to your ship. I wouldn't mind giving you a ride to the nearest planet, and then we'll see what we can do for the Starskipper."

An earnest look crossed the sleep-deprived Ranger, and his smile softened a little. "Not everyone in the ISC has a stick up their backsides, you know."

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Elkras Arrieta]

As Yuuta agreed to stop the search, Elkras couldn't keep his jaw from dropping open. I can't believe that worked! It seemed that his luck had somehow held, and while he found the Ranger's brilliant smile and physical contact unnerving, he did appreciate his honesty. There was no one to keep Yuuta accountable- certainly Souther wouldn't- but as the search ceased Elkras managed to pick his jaw up off the floor.

"Uh... thanks" he managed. Apparently, as the Ranger said, not everyone in the ISC had a stick in their backsides. Only the important ones, I guess...

As grateful as he was to have the search end, Elkras had no interest in abandoning his ship. "I'll stay here with the Co- er, Starskipper" he quickly corrected himself. "Otherwise I'm just asking to have my cargo stolen or claimed by whoever comes along next. I can try fixing the engines" - Elkras was proud of his repari skills, but he hadn't inspected the significant damage the engines had taken from the Carrick, - "but you're right that I'll probably need a transport. What is the nearest planet, anyways?"

@Forsythe Crowholde @Nor'baal

 

[Yuuta Graves]

The look of utter surprise on Arrieta's face prompted an amused chuckle out of the Ranger. Maker, had the blond not met a single law enforcer who respected a sentient's basic rights? If he hadn't then it sucked, it sucked in the sense that either the ISC Rangers' presence within ISC space were stretched too thin or some of them were – pardon the word – complete self-servig asshats. Painted a sorry picture against the wonderful image and actions President Thorne and his constituents were making.

It seemed that not all fish rots from the head. Wait, was that statement correct? He'd have to ask his wife once he got home – she was the linguist between them, not him.

His datapad, which he hadn't realized he was carrying, chimed a notification just as Arrieta made a blunder that should've been easily noticed by Yuuta. The Ranger's attention was taken by his datapad as the spacer caught and corrected himself. Catching the second half of the spacer's words, Yuuta frowned lightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch–" he said but a look of realization crossed his face when he put two and two together. Of course the spacer couldn't just leave his ship, nor the cargo it carried. Yuuta smiled and gave Arrieta a nod. "Ah, of course. Even if we're in ISC space we still get reports of small-time pirates and smugglers raiding ships and passing through."

The Ranger gave the cargo hold one final, sweeping look before walking out. "Siskeen, I believe." He pulled out his datapad, smiled softly at the sight of Marizo's name on the notification, and quickly checked the Death Painting's current coordinates as well as the nearest planet. "Yep, Siskeen. I can try and help with the engines, but I'm no professional, so... Anyway, I have food and drink in my ship, if you're running low or something. Least I can do for what happened today."

With an awkward shrug the Ranger stepped out in the hall, already typing a draft of the report that he would submit to his superiors.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Elkras Arrieta]

Siskeen. So he'd almost made it to the edge of ISC space; just a few parsecs more and he'd have been in unclaimed territory-outside of the jurisdiction of Souther or Ranger Graves, and, by extension, probably dead. His current situation wasn't much better, but at least things were moving in a direction that was less likely to get him killed. And Yuuta's offer to help try to fix the engines was generous.

"I've been over every inch of this ship" Elkras said, with pride, "But I'd appreciate a second set of eyes. The port engine, which had been the better of the two, got nailed pretty good; perhaps the starboard one is better off. I'll pass on the food, though, thank you" Elkras said, wondering just what it was that ISC Rangers ate and deciding that he'd rather remain ignorant. Elkras lived a simple life, with most of his credits going towards keeping the Comet running, but his upbringing on Nar Shadda had instilled in him a deep respect of a good meal; as such, the Comet boasted higher-quality meals than what might be found on similar ships.

Elkras grabbed his toolkit and walked over to inspect the damage to the starboard engine, immediately deciding that it was a lost cause and letting out a stream of curses that would make a Hutt blush at the sight of the starboard engine. The Carrick appeared to have scored a direct hit, leaving an inoperable lump of smoking, twisted metal that had once been an engine. He turned to the port engine and cursed again; it was not in any better shape.

"That son-of-a--!" Elkras' voice echoed through the ship as he angrily strode towards the cockpit, intent on giving Souther a piece of his mind; consequences be damned.

((OOC Note: Rolled an 8 and a 10 (out of 100) for the state of the Comet's engines))

@Forsythe Crowholde @Nor'baal

 

[Yuuta Graves]

The Ranger was visibly glad that his offer of help wasn't being turned away. In fact, Yuuta had been terribly pleased to have Arrieta sort of trust him despite the treatment from Souther. Some folk would've assumed that the dark-haired male was only offering help so as not to further malign the ISC's image, but that was far from the Ranger's thoughts. He enlisted so he could help, and right now he was just glad that he could do it for the blond spacer.

Pride carried out rather blatantly in the captain of the Starskipper's voice as he talked about his ship, and Yuuta didn't even ask nor insist any further when his offer of food and drink was turned down. Given how well-kept the ship's interior was – at least what he'd seen so far – the Ranger could wager that Arrieta was more than capable of fending for himself. So instead of commenting any further the Force-sensitive Ranger simply followed the Starskipper's captain as the latter went to inspect the starboard engine.

Arrieta let out a string of curses at the damage, and even Yuuta himself couldn't prevent a slight cringe from crossing his features. The port engine didn't fare better. Following the spacer to the ship's cockpit, Yuuta would quickly intercept Arrieta and placed a firm hand on the other man's shoulder to prevent him from reaching the comms. The grip on the spacer's shoulder wouldn't hurt, but it would be obvious enough that the press of his fingers spoke of a hint of authority.

"Don't," pleaded Yuuta, a contrast to the stern grip on the spacer's shoulder. "It'll just make things even worse than they already are."

He wouldn't expect for his words to somewhat calm Arrieta down, but the Ranger wanted to avoid escalating the situation yet again.

With the extensive damage to the starboard and port engines, the Starskipper was pretty much a dead hunk of metal in space. Yuuta glanced towards the direction of the Death Painting and tentatively said, unknowing if his suggestion would earn him Arrieta's ire, "I could give you a ride to Siskeen, now."

He didn't need to tell Arrieta to abandon his own ship. It was either he take the offer now or not. The dolium in the cargo hold could always be replaced.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Elkras Arrieta]

Only Yuuta’s firm grip and the fact that the Ranger had previously been helpful stopped Elkras from making good on his intent to chew out Souther. The smuggler, still visibly frustrated, managed to calm himself enough to at least listen as Yuuta offered a ride to Siskeen. Elkras’ jaw tightened as he realized that hitching a ride with the Ranger was the best of his limited choices; the other being drifting along with the disabled Comet until he perished.

Part of him wanted to choose the latter option; he was already running dangerously low on credits, and replacing even one engine was expensive. That problem, however, paled in comparison to the massive one he was about to inherit by not delivering his cargo on time. The Pyke Syndicate would not be pleased. There was also the mystery of just who had been shooting at him in the first place coming out of Ryloth, but that was also a problem he wasn’t equipped to deal with at the moment. After a few moments of internal deliberation, Elkras acquiesced.

“Fine. But Souther had better not use my ship for more target practice!” Elkras said. He would continue to the cockpit, assuring Graves that he was only going to set the onboard security system. A few minutes later, he had joined the Ranger on the Death Painting with a small satchel with a change of clothes and what few credits he owned inside. He’d wait to ask for his DL-44s until they landed on Siskeen.

@Nor'baal @Forsythe Crowholde