Ask Precious Cargo

[Jace Kryze]

This had to be the most bizarre situation he had ever found himself in. He had successfully taken down someone he had been tracking for a bounty target. The man was frozen in carbonite and Jace was prepared to take off. However, that was when he discovered his ship- parked out in the middle of nowhere- was looted and scavenged for parts while he was gone.

And so Jacen found himself stuck on his speeder with an attached trailer to lug around the carbonite man. The Mandalorian was in a terrible mood and he needed to find a way off the planet immediately. Without an immediate getaway, retaliation was imminent.

The air was hot and he zoomed through the arid terrain towards what looked like a little oasis of sorts. He could spot a few shacks in what looked like a trading depot. Jace hoped to find a way to barter a ride off the planet and keep his bounty with him.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Maeve had ventured to Kessel for a job, yet upon arrival, the woman had to realize that her contractor hadn't just messaged her about it. Someone had snatched the target before she even reached the planet and frustrated as she was, she had flown over to the nearest place for a quick break while her main goal was to lose that inner scowl.

She wasn't too fond of Kessel as she'd rather avoid the Hutts that ruled here, yet the little oasis like spot she had found seemed rather fine and so she had bought herself a refreshment and was basically just sitting outside the little bar she had stumbled upon, sipping her drink through a straw and watching a huttball match on her phone.

The oasis didn't offer much but a little motel, a trading post, the bar and a little shop and the acoundrels that dwelled here were somewhat busy playing Sabacc, so for now they all minded their business while the annoyed Maeve minded hers. That was until she noticed a dust cloud zooming in from a distance and a speeder that suddenly came to a halt. She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to spy who else had stumbled upon this dry ass shit hole, but as a Mandalorian approached, she raised a brow. Now that was most interesting...

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Maeve would hear chatter from a few hunters near her about the Mandalorian that nabbed the local bounty. Soon enough, they gathered up their weapons and started to surround the streets where the Mando was coming in. One of them fired a bolt near the thrusters of the speeder and it sent it spinning.

Jace was annoyed before. Now he was pissed.

He veered into the direction of the skid, the carbonite plate slamming into a few food stalls along the way. Jace’s speeder screeched to a halt and he flipped into the air with his jetpack, twin pistols drawn. He thrust his beskar shoulder up to deflect a bolt fired his way, whirling in to shoot the culprit. Jace landed on the ground and launched his whipcord, wrapping around the legs of one of the hunters to yank him right into the trajectory of a spray of bolts fired by someone else.

The Mandalorian was a whirlwind of motions, kicking up dust and sending bolts flying methodically to take people out. Maeve could have been standing in the middle of it all, and his shots would still graze by her a hair’s breadth away.

Jace rolled backwards on the ground, leveling his blaster over a knee and and shooting someone in the face. He rolled on the ground again, coming up in time to catch one of the hunters. He mercilessly shoved a primed grenade into his mouth before shoving him right into his friends before jetpacking backwards and watching the explosions.

The commotion ended as quickly as it began. Jace twirled his twin blasters in his hands before popping them back on his hips. As the dust settled, he calmly walked over to check on his damaged speeder, stepping past guts, dismembered limbs, and groaning, half dead people on the ground.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

As soon as she gathered what the local Scoundrels were chattering about, she was even more curious. Was he the freaking bastard who had cashed in the bounty and now he was rocking up here after he had received the payment...or was he still in possession of the target?

There was not much room to make up her mind about this all as suddenly, hell broke loose. She flipped the table in front of her and immediately jumped behind it, gritting her teeth and pondering making a run for the bar. However, he had a rather easy game and suddenly, the commotion already died down with a few blaster bolts having barely missed her.

Now she was very pissed. The Mandalorian had crashed his stuff into the food stalls and now she did even spot the Carbonite plate. So he had the bounty after all. Now this was getting spicy. She had her blaster stored and was fairly certain he could also shoot her just like that, so she stayed overly vigilant as she approached.

She raised her hands to signify she meant no harm while she called over, "Hey? You need some help?". Given the current condition of his speeder and the...Carbonite platter situation, it was probably an accurate suggestion. Maeve had a ship nearby, but whether this would end in an actual collaboration - she might have had her doubts.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

When she first approached, his wrist was pointed her way. He studied her through the visor for a moment before finally lowering the hand.

“Not unless you’re a mechanic,” His modulated voice stated. Jace knew he was going to be quicker on the draw than whoever this was by virtue of being a Mandalorian. He could see when people reached for their weapons and the woman had nothing visible she could grab in the time it took him to splatter her brains everywhere.

The crowds around them slowly started to come out - mostly civilians inspecting the chaos outside. Jace took out a few tools and attempted to tinker with the speeder, only for it to hiss and release smoke into his face. The Kryze growled to himself and pulled away, looking around himself. From the looks of it, everyone was terrified of him. Good, that meant they wouldn’t give him trouble for now. However, he remained with his dilemma of being effectively stuck.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

The Mandalorian turned to her, wrist raised, and her skin was laced with goosebumps for a moment. She hated being held at gunpoint, it usually inflicted trauma that got stirred up from deep inside, but he was quick to lower the weapon again. Good. She subtly exhaled the breath she had held and approached the speeder.

"I know some stuff". It wasn't all a lie, but Maeve was anything but a mech genius. She had fixed her ship over and over again, but speeder weren't her area of expertise, yet as she walked around it, the answer was clear. "This is beyond saving. You won't find enough to fix it here", she crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned against the broken speeder.

"Do you need a ride? With that I could help". She met his gaze behind the visor, her inner tension somewhat soothe, but she was beginning to think she was dealing with a classical jerk.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace tilted his head to look at her when she declared it was wrecked. He was about to say something when she leaned against it. That simple gesture alone was enough to make a crucial part from the speeder fall right off. The Mandalorian bristled, staring at the dead thrusters and blown engine. He turned to regard the woman again. What was her deal, anyway? His gaze flicked from her, to the bounty, and then back to her. He was skeptical of outsiders and this one certainly seemed too comfortable around Mandalorians to where he placed her on sus scale.

“Need a ride to the spaceport and can head out from there,” He explained, “How much do I owe you?” If she was genuine, he wouldn’t turn down an offer to jet out of town. No one else stepped forth to help him, and he wasn’t surprised - they just witnessed him massacring a bunch of hunters in this town.

“Why don't I start by buying you a drink?” He said simply. He could use one himself after that bullshit welcoming committee. Jace grabbed the carbonite block, hoisting it up effortlessly over his shoulder. He was a comical sight dragging that thing with him where he went. He stepped into the cantina, everyone else shrinking back at the sight of him. He seemed largely unconcerned by the tables that were on their sides and chairs scattered about.

“Riosan mead for me and whatever the lady wants,” He said gruffly to the terrified bartender before he reached up to pop his helmet off. His vibrant green hair and striking emerald eyes were revealed at once. His expression was what one would expect from a Mandalorian that just got shot at - unamused.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

She didn't miss how he studied her and that he didn't really seem to trust her, but she was the only one who had dared to approach without any hesitation and so she was putting everything on that card. He needed help, but as another speeder part came crushing down, she stepped back. "That...wasn't me". It did however drew a smirk from her as before it had seemed he had literally thought his speeder was fixable.

"Sure, I'll get you there. I usually charge according to the potential threat level though and this", she gestured for the chaos, destruction and death he had left behind, "is quite a bit". Her smirk widened, but she was just teasing, actually. "I'm just messing, you're fine. I'm sure we can settle on a fair prize". Her mood was at least a little better, maybe he could help his, too.

Her eyes did widen as he effortlessly shouldered the Carbonite plate and suggested a drink - as what remained of hers was now spilled, she didn't mind another drink. "Sure, sounds good". She was surprised by how he literally dragged the Carbonite along, but well, it was the bounty after all and Maeve could still keep her eyes on it.

It was amusing to her that everyone just shied away from him and a table was immediately ready for them. He then took off the helmet and Maeve's gaze fell onto green eyes and hairs while she moved up the counter next to him. He was much taller, which made it a comical sight as everyone was seemingly afraid of him and she was quite chill right now.

"I'll take the same". When it came to drinks, Maeve was experimental, with food she was very picky, but she was curious to try the mead. They'd be free to move to a table while more guests fleed, but Maeve didn't mind not being surrounded by those Civilians any longer. "Looks like you're really having blast...did you plan on ended up in this shit hole here?". She hadn't, originally, but he seemed to be to blame for that.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace quirked a brow as she took the same drink as him, “It’s a bit strong for someone your size,” He said with a smirk. If she was going to get sloshed, she would be useless in giving him a ride off the planet. Nevertheless, he said nothing more about it, also ordering some of the local stew so he could eat before dealing with turning the bounty in. He wasn’t entirely convinced the woman wasn’t also a hunter, but he wouldn’t act impulsive if he could help it.

He scoffed at her question, “Oh yeah, this was my plan all along. Who wouldn’t want to coast into town, get shot in the speeder and have the whole town shooting at him?” He quipped with a grin. He clinked his glass against hers before chugging almost half his glass of mead. It was exceptionally strong and she would feel it right away if she drank it. Jace, however, seemed entirely unfazed.

“And I’m sure you were waiting around here for someone to come into town needing a ride,” He said with a smile. Smiles came easy to him, and they worked with his sharp features. He may have had a temper, but there was a casual ease to his demeanor that was in stark contrast to how brutal he was as a warrior.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

She immediately raised a brow as he warned her about the drink, clearly underestimating her abilities. "Oh, I'm sure I can handle it". Obviously, she couldn't get drunk here, and she wasn't even planning on getting tipsy either, hence she'd take it slow, but mead was usually not that strong anyway.

As the drink arrived, she did already smell the strong alcohol in it and she changed her opinion on how mead was fine, but she was ready to try. As he clinked his glass against hers, she took a sip to try, the sweet and sharp notes soon dancing across her tongue. She was no stranger go alcohol, so she didn't flinch, but as she knew she was a lightweight, she had the certainty about having to take it slow indeed.

"It's good", she admitted with a smirk, actually liking the smell, but she found it admirable as he chugged a huge gulp. "I don't know...I mean you made quite an impressive entrance", she met his gaze with a smirk, looking over the glass' edge before she sipped again.

"True...maybe it's a lucky day after all", she gave him a shrug, a smirk still gracing her full lips. He was admittedly easy on the eyes, but Maeve was still wondering whether there was a chance she could end up with the bounty after all. He needed something from her, so she had some leverage as no one else here would give him a ride after he had slaughtered half the town. "Where did you lose your ship?", she wanted to know, fairly certain he had come with one. "Being stranded on Hutt territory without one can be...dicey".

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

He caught her gaze over the rim of her glass and he wondered if there could be excuses to delay the trip further. Then again, it could have been tactics to keep an eye on the bounty that every hunter wanted. When she asked about his ship, he shrugged vaguely, “It’s stripped so it doesn’t matter anymore,” He said breezily, knowing there was no saving that thing. Jace started working on his stew, marveling at how delicious it was.

“I’m not worried about dicey, I can handle myself,” He said as he took another drink, “I appreciate the concern though,” He said with a wink and a grin. Having a woman less than half his size warning him about the dangers of the galaxy was cute.

“So why are you here, really..?” He intoned, waiting for her to give a name, “Couldn’t be for this, could it?” He blatantly patted the carbonite block that was parked next to him.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

"Your ship got stripper on Kessel? Wow...now that's new", she sarcastically teased, her lips curling into a smirk again. She was certain this had happened while she was after the bounty. Perhaps it was even Karma. No one usually stripped her ship because it looked like trash from the outside - something he'd learn sooner or later. She wasn't concerned about it at all.

He shut down her warning and she replied, "Oh, I don't doubt that". She had seen that, it was impressive for sure and she saw a lot of potential. Maybe they didn't have to be rivals, maybe they could even profit from working together. What was an actual concern for him though probably was literally getting off the middle of nowhere.

He was suddenly interested in what she was actually doing here and she knew it had probably bothered him for a while now. He even hinted at the bounty and as Maeve was generally a blunt person, she decided to go with the truth. "I'm Riva", she began, "To be honest, I was here for a job, yes. I then however learned that a certain handsome Mandalorian was quicker", she set her glass back down for now and leaned back a little, relaxing her posture.

"Seems like I can still get a little share by helping you deliver and getting you off this place", she was still a bit frustrated, but smart enough to know pressing for it right now wasn't smart. Perhaps he'd lose the plate...however, she'd have issues in, maneuvering the plate anyway. He seemed a little sus of her anyway, so the truth probably helped their now somewhat shared course. As the stew was brought, she eyed it skeptically before she amusedly remarked, "Well, I hope that tastes better than it looks".

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace only smirked at her response to his question, along with the compliment on his appearance, “When it comes to bounty hunting, that’s a complaint I hear often,” He took a sip of his drink, recalling back to others in his clan that often competed with him for bounties. He paused in the middle of his stew when she commented on it. The bluntness was refreshing, and he chuckled at the quip, “It tastes better than it looks,” He said with a smirk, “Same can be said about me,” Jace added shamelessly with cool confidence. He was no stranger to flirting, and if she opened that door first, he was all too thrilled to step through it.

Before they could continue their chat, the doors opened and two mercenaries clad in armor charged in leveling their weapons and shooting - one of the shots just barely missed Riva. Jace was a blur of movements, first hurling his bowl of hot stew at one of their faces. His pistol was already in his hand and he shot the other one in the face before finishing off the one that was screaming from the hot soup. Jace’s response to the attacks happened in the blink of an eye, and his helmet was back on his head.

“Come on, I think we need to get to the spaceport immediately,” He said as he grabbed the carbonite and started making for the exit. He glanced over at Riva, “Do you have a weapon on you?” He asked before he kept moving. He had a feeling they would have to face more obstacles before reaching the spaceport.

Roll for Jace react to attack: 16/20

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Maeve noticed that while she gave him a name, he didn't do it right away. Instead, he started flirting and she'd lie to herself if she said she wasn't liking where this was going. He was confident, overly confident even, but he was charming too, without seeming too desperate.

"Oh is that so? You know, it's always hard to tell without trying". She gave him a wink while she crossed her legs elegantly. Even if Maeve had recently went through some severe changes, she was still a natural flirt and this one seemed...interesting. "So-" she began, wanting to continue their banter, however they were instantly interrupted.

The Mandalorian had quick reflexes- she was still impressed. Maeve internally cursed herself for having let her guard down, but she was immediately back onto it. The blaster slipped out before he even asked, knowing that she probably needed a blaster rather than her Daggers which she usually prefeered.

"I do. I'll cover you". She wasn't thrilled to be involved in so much drama right away, but she would have ended in a similar spot for sure if she had been the first at the target. "No objections with moving". They were de facto already moving and she did just what she had just promised. "I didn't even catch your name yet", she remarked as they reached the outside, and Maeve immediately scanned for more assailants.

The coast seemed clear for a moment, but she doubted the rest would go so smoothly. "Are they tracking you?", she wondered, however her main assumption was that someone had blabbed. Maybe someone else in here needed to die. But what was really bad about it was that she was definitely in this now, too. So much more keeping a low profile. "Left...we need to get past that huge rock". The rock was indeed massive, but it would provide some cover once they'd reach it, but for now they had to make a run for it.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

To his delight, Riva jumped right to action and had a blaster drawn. While this confirmed that she was also a hunter, she didn’t give him any reasons to shoot her just yet. He edged out of the cantina, chuckling at her asking his name in the middle of the crisis, “Jace,” He said in response as he scanned all around them. When she pointed out the large boulder that could serve as cover, he gave a curt nod.

“Hold on,” He said as his arm snaked around her waist. Without much further warning, his jetpack was activated and they both shot forward abruptly into the air. Blaster bolts resounded behind them, but he was too fast. He dropped down to a crouch behind the boulder, popping a new powerpack into his pistol, “You know you just signed up to get into the same shitty boat I’m in, right?” He asked as he peered over the edge. Now she was a target as well for aiding him.

He sat for a moment, reaching for a gas grenade. He hurled it over at the central square, banking on it providing them a bit of time. He looked over at Riva, “Where’s your speeder or ship? We need to go now,” He said urgently, hoisting up the carbonite and preparing to book it.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Maeve was making a run for it, blaster drawn and eyes narrowed in full focus. She noticed speeders and suddenly heads started popping out behind them, indicating that there were more. Jace. A beautiful name, actually, and oddly fitting for such a warrior, bur before she could comment on it, she was suddenly swept of her feet.

She would have screeched if she hadn't found herself in the air like that before, but this way she just held onto him with her free hand and released a few blaster bolts downwards. She was still relieved as they touched the ground again, but she gave him a genuinely grateful glance for a second.

She caught her breath for a moment and reached into her jacket for a smoke grenade - something that would aid their eacape for sure. "I know...you better figure out a way to compensate me for it". She internally sighed, yet kept her mind focused. "It's back there", she jutted her chin towards the left, basically nodding at a rock formation that would lead them into the area where she had parked her ship.

They'd have a bit of ground to cover still as she had not parked it in an open space. "Run. I'll stay at the rear", she urged him to move and would wait for him to do so, knowing she'd have to take care to avoid getting shot with her lack in armor. The gas grenade was a good distraction, but once they rounded the first corner, she pulled the plug of her smoke grenade which she soon dropped behind them.

She heard motors roaring to life and was afraid they might follow, however, they'd soon had to pass a slightly narrower spot that would curtly require him to maneuver his bounty sideways. "Go! We're still fine but not much longer", she pressed forward through clenched teeth, waiting for something to pop out of the smoke, but so far so good. Once they'd be through the passage, they'd hear the blaster bolts from behind. "Fuck", she cursed under her breath as the first zoomed past, however, the ship would finally come into view.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

“You don’t even have armor,” He quipped back as she offered to stay in the rear. However, there was no time to argue so he simply booked it in the direction she suggested. He had a few bolts bounce off his beskar plates, but thankfully none hit him anywhere lethal. A quick glance over his shoulder suggested that Riva was still alive and kicking.

He spotted her ship eventually, his brows furrowing, “That? That looks like a piece of shit!” He quipped, but he kept running towards it anyway. It looked like something left over from a junkyard that no one wanted. Was that her strategy to avoid getting picked clean by scavengers? Jace bolted up the ramp and crouched down, swinging out his rifle, “Go, I’ll cover us until you’re off the ground,” He said as he urged her to run past him.

From his position at the top of the ramp, he used his HUD to pinpoint and pick off the incoming targets. Hopefully, Riva would begin to take off shortly and get them in the air and out of the chaos below.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

"It does", she agreed, her lips curling upwards as she raced to catch up with him, While her ship surely looked like junk from the outside, she had at least always upgrades the tech and the inside, so that was at least a safe and reliable transport. There was nothing missing as far as she could tell so far, but their biggest issue were those mercenaries anyway.

She opened the ramp from a distance and had no objections with his plan, so she rushed past him and started the engines. The ship would immediately stir up the sand from the ground, given them yet more natural cover to deal with. "Hold on tightly!", she yelled back at him, hoping he'd hear, simply because her plan was to get them out as quickly as possible, not as smoothly as possible.

The Ship rocked, but for as long as they only moved upwards, she kept them as steady as possible. "Get in now!", she then cried out warningly before she'd turn the vessel and would switch into full throttle as soon as the ramp was up. From above, the radars didn't pick up any flying crafts just yet. However, Maeve was certain they'd show up within minutes, so she immediately tried to get them away as quickly as possible.

She'd keep the ship low to avoid raising more attention and would hover over the canyons before she'd bring them straight up and head for the clouds. Jace better held on well, or he'd be tossed around a little. She'd only switch into autopilot once they brought a safe distance between them and the area around the oasis and only then did she start breathing normally again. "Sorry. That was a bit bumpy", she admitted as she walked back to him, exhaling slowly.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace somersaulted backwards when the ramp closed, rolling out of the way of incoming fire. He wasn’t too concerned about the ride being bumpy. He was a Mandalorian and hazardous situations and bumpy rides were just another Tuesday for him. The Kryze anchored himself to keep from jostling around, sticking to a low crouch.

He wasn’t sure what the hell Riva was doing, but the lack of blasterfire meant she was effectively evading any pursuit. When the ship finally leveled out, Jace slowly rose to his feet. He glanced over at Riva, taking his helmet off again, “You are one batshit chick,” He said with a chuckle. Jace’s fingers never left the proximity of his guns, half expecting her to attempt cornering him. As a Mandalorian, he knew better than to let his guard down unless the other person did it first.

“Thanks for saving my ass,” He said, his tone genuine, “I’m still not gonna give you my bounty as a prize,” He added with a wink.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Maeve's inner tension slowly faded once she realized they were truly out of danger for now. Knowing she had a cold blooded armor killer aboard though, she obviously still didn't let her guard down. She knew Mandalorians followed moral codes often, yet she knew nothing about this one's creed, but she was actually rather curious to find out.

Her gaze flicked to the bounty and she didn't bother hiding it. Obviously, there was a part of her that was still frustrated. She didn't necessarily need the credits, yet it would surely come in handy, but in the end she mentally settled on not pushing her luck. She thusbcasually took a seat across from him and gracefully crossed her legs as she met his gaze.

"You gotta adapt to your business", she replied with a shrug, a mischievous smirk tugging at her lips. "And you're welcome. We still haven't discussed payment though, and trust me, the drink doesn't compensate for the dangers you've put me in". Whether he was one of those honorable, perhaps too honorable bucketheads even remained to be seen, yet somehow he struck her as a different type.

"So...what do you have to offer?", her voice was smoother now that she leaned forwards a little, wondering whether he'd be the same wildfire when it came to negotiations.

@Sreeya