The Rains of Dathomir

[Tribunal Power]

Coronet City, Corellia

Coronet Commercial Spaceport, 0640 Local Time​

Xiu had thought mission-jitters were a thing of the past at this point in her life, but as she stood on the top floor of the Coronet Commercial Spaceport's Processing department with a falsified manifest in her hand, she felt them in her spine. It had been a long time since she had done anything so covert; taking a wanted criminal ship to the Inner Core was ballsy enough, but to land on kriffing Corellia, and then expect them to stow a shipment of weapons on your ship-- that was just insane.

Lucky for the so-called "Rains of Dathomir", Saffron was fed up with sanity, and needed a change of pace.

But there was something else that made Xiu nervous as well. On this job, she was going to be partnered with another smuggler-- one she'd never met. Apparently she was of some repute, which helped to ease Saffron's concern, but working with someone new on such a dangerous job was hard to swallow. They wouldn't even be in the same ship, which meant Xiu had to rely on this smuggler's piloting ability to keep up with her, or they would both be caught. The Republic's prisons were better than the Sith's, but Saffron didn't fancy the idea all the same. She's never been caught, and she wasn't going to start now.

"Your client's shipment is being loaded on your sister-ship now," said the pretty blonde clerk behind the desk, her nails tapping on a duraglass datapad. Xiu supposed that meant the other smuggler was here. They had agreed to meet up in the Processing floor, and Xiu figured the desk was probably the first place the smuggler would look. The attractive clerk added, "Your passengers are being collected and will be preparing to board shortly. Thank you for your patience."

"Okay. Thank you," replied Xiu, giving her a smile with a little extra sugar, just because she was cute. It felt odd to have a commercial attendant speak that way about the Final Word. The Word was a lot of things, but a luxurious passenger liner was definitely not among them. Unbeknownst to the Corellian government, the passengers weren't just civilians looking for cheap passage; they were Dathomiri war heroes, one a renowned tactician and the other his personal guard. The man, who Xiu knew only as the "Rainmaker", was apparently responsible for planning previous insurgencies against the Border Alliance on and around Dathomir. The whole movement had been small-scale so far; but now, they were planning something big, and it was time for the Rainmaker to go home.

Xiu had mixed feelings about helping her homeworld. On the one hand, the people of Dathomir murdered her father and cast her and her mother into the wilds, like litter around a garbage can. On the other, it was the only home she'd ever known other than space, and somewhere on the planet's surface, her mother still wandered. She wanted freedom for her mother. And the insurgents had a point; sooner or later, either the Border Alliance would see it necessary to occupy the planet, or the Sith would, and the planet would become a battleground. Dathomir wanted no part of it. Somewhere deep down, Xiu wondered if it could be avoided at all; but if there was any way to do it, it would be with a grassroots movement by its citizens, all coming together as one.

The blaster pistol concealed in Xiu's messenger bag felt heavy. As long as she didn't leave the Processing department, she wouldn't be scanned. While she hated carrying the weapon off-body, it was better than being entirely unarmed while in hostile territory. If shit went sideways, she needed a way to cut a path to her ship, even if she would get blasted out of the sky. So far, however, the credentials the Rains had given her seemed to be working flawlessly.

Hopefully, her partner in crime had the same luck.

@Darkwasp

 

[Darkwasp]

The mocha-skinned beauty stretched her arms high above her head; twisting her back in various directions, in an attempt to fight off the stiffness from the long journey. There were several loud pops, as her vertebrae slipped happily back into place. Bahati cooed contently. There was nothing quite like feeling the blood rushing to places where it should have already been. Several men hefted large crates of cargo onto Ms. Fortune. Ever the overprotective mom; she watched them men carefully for several moments, before feeling comfortable enough to walk away and allow them to finish their jobs unsupervised.

Absentmindedly fiddling with the strap of her heavy blaster's holster, Bahati was lost in deep thought.
It was the first time that she had been offered a job that involved another smuggler. And though her contact insured that both ships were necessary to complete the mission, there was a nagging sensation in the back of her mind that she could just be there as a decoy. The shapely pilot physically shrugged. There was nothing she could do about it if she were to be the decoy; the pay was good, and she was confident enough that she could get away from just about anything. After a quick walk and a short elevator ride, Bahati arrived on the Processing floor. This was were she was she was supposed to meet her counterpart for the mission.

The caramel beauty was a litany contradictions, as she approached the main desk of the room. Her skin was creamy smooth and soft, but underlying muscles rippled and pulsed - revealing the hard; tough interior - with her every movement. Her gait was a weird amalgamation of arrogant swagger, and sultry invitation. Her outfit screamed "come and get me. I'm available", but the utilitarian pockets strewn about the sexy jumpsuit and the blaster cradled snuggly at her hip said "I mean business". The one thing about the smuggler that was a definite; was her confidence. Not only did she travel with that supreme heir; but her name boldly emblazoned across her mid-riff and the tattoo that read 'make your own luck' over her left breast, were strong signs of Bahati's self-love.

Bahati's eyes scanned the woman in the waiting area. There was a combination of beauty and cuteness in the woman's face; a dangerous and effective coupling in their line of business. Bahati assessed that her counterpart had gotten out of many a tight scrape with just her looks alone. The neatly groomed 'bob' and bangs not only added to the woman's cuteness but kept her hair functionally out of the way; unlike Bahati's unruly mane. The two were about the same height, but Bahati was sure that she had several pounds over the other woman. Bahati's full lips, suddenly curled into a bright smile, as she approached the woman.

"Bahati Rhen." the curvy thief exclaimed enthusiastically, as she extending her right hand. "And you must be....?" she continued; letting the question hang in the air, in hopes that the woman would respond in kind.

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry. I had to write this quickly (over several days), so it might be slightly disjointed. PM me if you have anything that you need me to clarify. :(

 

[Tribunal Power]

The station was bustling with activity as the 0700 rush began, but even amidst the busy crowd, Xiu noticed someone different. She walked different, swayed different-- she projected an air of confidence. She watched her for a moment before realizing she was approaching, and wondered if this was her contact. Even when the strange woman took a look at her, Xiu didn't look away; she wasn't bashful, and felt that it was good for those around her to know they were being watched and measured.

When she introduced herself, Xiu turned to face her. She was almost relieved that the woman was her partner on this mission; she had command presence, something so many lack so sorely. Beyond that, she was a tall drink; she had it, and she knew she had it. Xiu couldn't help but grin a bit-- she saw a little of herself in the smuggler. The woman was a slender sip of caff in a sea of dirty water, and she tasted very different-- or so Xiu imagined.

"Saffron," she replied, giving her a crooked grin and a subtle wink, "and pleased to meet you, Ms. Rhen. I was worried I'd get stuck with dead weight on this one-- you look plenty lively to me." She turned to approach the windows of the commercial deck, where, off to the left, the aft of the Final Word could be seen jutting from amidst the dock threads. "This job," she said with a sigh and a shake of her head, "it's a tall order. We'll have to caravan pretty tight to make it through customs-- close enough to help each other out."

The job was a big risk, and both of them knew it. There were a lot of moving parts, any of which could fail at any time; it was enough to set even the best smuggler on edge. Xiu turned slightly and peered at her askance, through the corner or her eyes, and leaned in slightly to add in a low voice, "Can I count on you if shit goes sideways?"

 

[Darkwasp]

The traffic within the Processing Center began to pick up, as it closed in of the time when the more... traditional transporters began filing their flight plans and preparing for their day. Bahati thoroughly ignored the extra traffic; instead focusing her attention on the 'babe' in front of her. Her smile widened with the introduction, and she took a moment to commit the name Saffron to memory. There was a loud raucous, as a man unabashedly stared at the two beautiful women and tripped over a nearby trash can. Bahati stifled a laugh, as she listened to her counterpart explain the parameters of the job.

"Saffron; flying and sideways shit are my specialty." she exclaimed with a confident grin. "And please; call me Bahati"

The exotic smuggler followed Saffron's eyes toward a ship that was being loaded. She extrapolated that it was the babe-o-licious brunette's freighter. She was unsure from this vantage point, but it looked like one of those sleek Alabaster Freighters. Bahati released an audible sigh. Those things were fast; almost twice as fast a Ms. Fortune currently was. She lightly bit at her full lips, as she tried to formulate a way to break the unpleasant news to Saffron.

"Is that your baby?" Bahati queried, pointing to the back of the triple-engine freighter being loaded. "Alabastor? Those sweethearts are fast" she continued; whistling appreciatively. "Unfortunately ma baby is topping out at 45 right now. Do ya think that will swing it?"

 

[Tribunal Power]

Glancing over her shoulder to the gentleman who was picking himself up off of a trash receptacle, she grinned wickedly and turned back to her own affairs. He wasn't worth her time. Her new comrade, however, seemed to be; the woman reassured and took the introductions to a casual level. Xiu smiled and nodded at her. "Alright, Bahati," she replied.

Xiu caught a glimpse of her biting her lip before motioning to the visible part of the Word. While she appreciated the lip-biting, which made her look even more desirable, she appreciated Bahati's ship lust even more-- she had the same kink, if you could call it that. Giving off a grin, she glanced to the ship and back, giving a nod. "Yep. That's the Final Word. She's been with me a few years now; need to upgrade soon, but she's been loyal in the meantime. I'll miss the speed." Her compatriot commented on her own ship's speed, and Xiu shrugged it off, replying, "That will be fine. Even at my speed, I won't be outrunning customs fighters. If it comes down to it, I'll lay down some fire for you to get up to speed, then haul it. If we can make it to hyperspace, we should be alright if we move quick enough. Hopefully it doesn't come to that."

She turned to face Bahati, leaning her back against the frame of the duraglass viewing port. "What are you flying?" she asked curiously, folding her arms. For a discerning customer like herself, it had to be something interesting.

At about that time, she noticed the pretty girl at the desk waving at her-- that probably meant he passengers were boarding the Word. It was time to get things rolling.

 

[Darkwasp]

Bahati continued to smile, as Saffron spoke. There were so few pilots in the galaxy that truly appreciated what a ship was. The unknowing; relegated the seamless cohesion of circuitry and mechanics, that swirled in a symphonic dance, to a mere 'it'. They didn't understand what the ship was doing to keep them alive. And as a smuggler, Ms. Fortune had definitely done her fair share of keeping the caramel skinned beauty alive.

A slightly pained look fell across Bahati's face. "An upgrade?" she queried, almost as quickly as the words had escaped Saffron's lips. "What's wrong with her that a little love and care couldn't fix?"

Bahati turned toward her counterpart, leaning heavily on the transparisteel window. She listened intently as Saffron explained away the need for speed in this particular assignment. With the verbal affirmation, Bahati's shoulders visibly dropped; showing a visible cue of relaxation. She turned her head; her almond eyes peering across the bay below them, as she searched for the proper answer to the next question presented to her.

"It's an old family ship." she finally answered. It was the best and most accurate description that she could come up with. Even when her great grandfather first rescued the ship, he knew very little about it. "She's a little old... and is costin' me more than I make, just to keep her runnin'... but I wouldn't trust any other with my life." she continued; as s nostalgic smile washed across her face.

Bahati's eyes naturally followed Saffron's, as they tracked towards the desk. There was a woman signaling her partner from the desk. Bahati pushed herself from the window with a slight groan. She twisted and bent at the hip several times to make sure to get the blood flowing to all of the extremities that had leaning may have reduced.

"Alright! Let's get this show on that road!" she said loudly; rubbing and clapping her gloved hands together. "I'll haul some stuff, and you make sure we don't die." Bahati continued, with a massive smile and a knowing wink.

 

[Tribunal Power]

She asked about upgrading, and Xiu couldn't help but smile. As much as it pained her to give up the Word, the ship had always been a hold-over until she got her affairs in order. "Let's just say I'm playing up a few angles, and a ship this size would no longer meet my needs." The Word has been a great lover, but she always knew what this was, she thought with some amusement.

"A family ship, hm? What's her name? Must be nice to have that history-- the closest thing I had to a family ship had to be sold off when the family split up. Funny how things go sometimes. I don't think I could have parted with it any other way." Even now, Xiu still remembered fondly her days on the Common Cause; most of the crew were dead, now, or in Republic prison beyond her reach. Only one was still in contact, and only recently after a long period of silence. A family ship without family would only remind her of what she'd once had. Hopefully, she would soon have a new family ship-- and a new family.

The two began to move back toward the desk to prepare to leave. When her companion announced their mission's beginning, she snickered and nodded, replying with a sly grin, "I'll do my best, but no promises." Drawing her datapad, she swiped a few images on the screen and said, "I just sent you my comms connection. Link up so we can keep in touch out there on a closed frequency. And be careful out there, hm?"

She tapped on the desk idly to bid regards to the attendant, who nodded to her with a professional smile. Casting a lingering look at Bahati, the saffron pirate turned on her heels and walked with a beckoning sway back toward the docking hall of her own ship.

The woman was on her mind as she left. Bahati Rhen, she mused with her crooked grin, picturing her. She let out a breath through pursed lips as she stepped onto the lift, pressing the button to take her down to her ramp. She pictured the smuggler's walk, from her confident stride to the high hold in her shoulders to the ebb and flow of her hips. As Xiu boarded through the cargo ramp, she scrunched her nose; it seemed the smuggler had made quite an impression on her. Still, she needed to think with her head; smugglers were shifty, and she didn't trust her quite yet. Still, she had no choice but to entrust her with backing her up in this mission-- hopefully she wouldn't pay for it in the end.

As she entered, she checked her datapad to ensure that Bahati had linked comms, and to ensure that her guests were aboard. Before taking off, she would go down to check on them, but first she wanted to test the comms. "Do you read me?" she said simply, turning to head for the cargo hold.

 

[Darkwasp]

The mention of the ship size no longer meeting Saffron's needs intrigued Bahati. Normally such a statement meant an increase in size and capacity. An increased size and capacity usually meant an increase in business or contract size. The caramel skinned beauty's expression immediately became more contemplative; a closed lip grin thinly attempting to vale the gears turning in the smugglers head. Someone willing to upgrade their ship to meet demands, was obviously receiving a huge jump in income, and Bahati was wondering how she could get in on the action.

She shook her head clean of the thoughts as she focused on her counterpart's questions. Though Ms. Fortune had been through a great deal and got her and her ascendants out of a great deal of tight predicaments, it would have been a much nicer history if someone would have attempted to get the failing ship in a much more useable condition. It was something that was a clear drive to the cocky smuggler. She was either going to leave her offspring - assuming she had any - with a much better ship than she had inherited, or she was going to die in a blaze of glory. Either way; she would be in a happy place, when she left this cursed galaxy.

"Ms. Fortune" Bahati answered with another huge smile. She realized that to many who heard the name for the first time; their minds would immediately go to the word 'misfortune'. It was a running joke in that family that the ship always brought the pilot good luck and at least a mediocre sum of wealth, while the rest of the galaxy thought of the ship as bad luck... and while the ship did seem break down or malfunction at poor times, it always seemed to produce an outcome better than expected in the long run.

Bahati merely gave Saffron another reassuring smile and wink, at the cutie-pie's information of the sent frequency and the request of the smuggler to be careful. It wasn't for the fact the Bahati didn't have a million things to say... It was mainly due to that fact that she was trying to remain mysterious and alluring. There were many times in the past that people told her that she talked too much; a natural action that was harder control once she had been drinking, but this prompted her to try to be less... mouthy when she met new people.

Bahati made her way quickly to Ms. Fortune. She shook her head dejectedly at the half empty cargo bay of the large freighter. It was unfortunate that she had so little time to properly prepare for this particular mission. She preferred to travel with full cargo, and even more preferred to have more... illicit cargo... camouflaged among standard shipments. She would have had the cargo hidden in the secret compartments onboard the ship, but an empty freighter was way more suspicious than one with unmarked crates.

Bahati quickly made sure that the cargo was firmly secured, as she made her way to the ship's cockpit. Flipping a few switches and tapping a few virtual buttons on one of screens, the feisty pilot synced her comms with the Final Word. Throwing a light headset onto her head, she began prepping Ms. Fortune for takeoff.

"Alright, DeeZee, Prime the engines." she ordered a reprogrammed and well-used-looking protocol droid in the co-pilot's seat.

The engines of Ms. Fortune roared into activity and warbled out several times, before finally remaining fully active. The rear loading ramp slowly rose into a closed position; again, whining and complaining as it did so. The freighter slowly ascended. The landing gear sighed, as they were relieved of the heavy weight of the large craft. The struts retracted happily into the safety of the ships haul, as Ms. Fortune's engines glowed and powered it quickly from the clutches of the landing bay, and into the freedom of the planet's open sky.

"This is Ms. Fortune. I read you Final Word. We are up and ready for acceleration to escape velocity." Bahati informed, as she waited for the Final Word to appear in her view port so that they could remain in close proximity of each other.

 

[Tribunal Power]

"Great, I'll meet up with you in a few. Just checking the cargo. And don't worry-- this is a secure channel. No need for flight etiquette here, it's just you and me." She knocked on the door of her cargo hold's auxiliary room, folding her hands behind her back. When the door opened, the man stood before her with a confident look on his face. He had long black dreadlocks pulled back and tied with a blue cord, and a heavy build covered with a long bantha-leather coat brown overcoat. He smiled dimly at her.

"Captain Saffron," he said cordially. "It is good to finally meet you." Behind him, another man sat in a durasteel chair, halfheartedly looking up to see the interaction. Xiu gathered that this was his bodyguard.

"Likewise, Rainmaker. I just wanted to check on you and introduce myself before we leave."

The man smiled. "No introduction necessary. We are comfortable and ready to be gone from this planet."

"Good," she replied, smiling in kind. "That goes for both of us. Enjoy your ride."

She departed from them and made her way back toward the cockpit, pondering her passengers as she did so. This 'Rainmaker' looked like he'd seen his share of combat, and she hoped he could give her homeworld what it needed for the freedom it deserved. Normally she didn't pay much attention to politics, but this time it had admittedly caught her attention, and she wanted to help.

As she reached the cockpit, she took a seat and began the breakaway sequence. The docks had given her the greenlight for takeoff, so she sealed the ship and hit the thrusters, lifting away from the pad. Her landing gear retracted as she turned about, and soon the sky sprawled out before her. "I'm with you," she said through comms. "Let's get moving."