Ras Kendar

Star Wars OC~ Set in the Age of the Empire~ Species: Zabrak female~ Occupation: Smuggler

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

Ras raised a hairless eyebrow as she watched him go, her jaw slightly agape. When he was out of sight, she pursed her lips and grunted. Seriously? This human couldn’t get any fancier. He had a smuggler’s crate, practically armored, and equipped with sensory spoofs? And here all she had to hide illegal cargo in was a makeshift wall panel that she had made herself by gutting something that was potentially important.

It was almost as if he was the real smuggler here. And of more than just “information”…

Hoisting the large kyber crystal off her shoulder, she gingerly placed it into the crate, along with the tubes of the smaller crystals. Just as she was about to shut it, though, a nagging sensation tugged at the back of her mind, causing her to open the crate again. The canister on top practically called to her, beckoning her to take it. Ras stole another look down the corridor, and upon seeing that her companion had not returned, scooped up the canister and hastily unscrewed its lid. There it was, safe inside its protective casing, the interior light of the ship glinting off its clear crystalline surface. It was small, about the size of her thumb, and its edges were jagged and uneven. Ras stared intently at it, studying its surface carefully, absorbing every detail. She had been carrying this thing around for hours and had stowed it on her own ship. Why was she so fascinated with it now suddenly?

The sound of Tank’s footsteps brought her out of her trance. She slipped the crystal into a hidden pocket of her clothing and shoved the empty canister back into the crate, hastily shutting it as she did so. She quickly programmed the passcode, and the lock hissed and clicked shut just as the red-headed human came into view.

“All set?”  He asked as he stopped at the threshold.  At the nod he received, he gestured forward with his head.  “Alrighty, let’s get going then.”  He turned and went back the way he came, passing several doors leading to extra bunks, or to the Captain’s quarters, or what appeared to be a communications suite, before entering the cockpit proper.  Like most Corellian vessels, it had four seats, a multitude of consoles, switches, dials, screens, two control yokes and the hyperdrive controls in the center.  There were a few additional controls and consoles that weren’t standard, with one each for the two rear seats, but nothing looked out of place.  The pilot’s seat looked worn and broken in, the controls well used, but also well maintained.  

Adjusting the ragged cloak about him, he took the pilots seat and began the well practiced routine of the startup sequence, lights activating and filling the cockpit with a multitude of colors.  The hum of the ship became more noticable, the engines warming up, the reactor channeling more power into the intermix chambers, repulsorlifts coming into standby mode.  Activating the comm, he leaned forward and spoke, “Home One Hanger Control, this is Azazel.  Ready for departure.”  

“We read you, Azazel.  Hanger door is opening, you are cleared for departure.  Please use your lifts only until you have exited the hanger before engaging your main engines.”

“Understood. Azazel out.”  He suited action to words, activating the ships repulsorlifts with a noticeable increased pitch.  Outside the windows, the hanger started to shift downwards as the ship lifted, and then around as he gently brought the ship out of its alcove and moved around the central control area.  Landing gear clanked behind them as they retracted, the ship vibrating slightly from the action as the portal leading out into space yawned before them.  A brief line of light flickered over the windows as they passed through the magnetic containment field, entering the space between the larger ship’s nacelles.  A sensor pinged, and he pushed the throttles forward-

-the ship leapt forward, rapidly leaving the Home One behind as he brought it to a new course towards the distant bright star.  

He turned in his chair towards a small holopad in the center console and pressed a button.  “Darcy, please calculate a short hyperspace jump to Jedha.” 

A blue figure flickered into being, dressed in the accoutrements of a gunslinger, complete with a long trench coat and a wide brimmed hat, and a long blue ponytail of hair trailing out from underneath it.  She dipped her hat in acknowledgement, her pupiless eyes taking on a brighter glow.  “Processing now, Master.”  She turned to view Ras and tipped her hat.  “Welcome aboard, stranger.  I hope you don’t have any ill intentions towards the master of this vessel.”  She suddenly drew a pair of blasters from her hip holsters, spinning them in hand.  “Or I may have to get involved.”  

Tank rolled his eyes.  “Oh quit that, Darcy, don’t be messing with Captain Kendar.”  He looked to the Zakrak apologetically, waving at the figure.  “Pay her no mind, she’s been doing this gunslinger look for a least a month now.”  

Darcy smiled, her posture instantly shifting to a more relaxed pose as she holstered the blasters.  “I have to keep things interesting.  Calculations complete and plugged into the navicomputer now.  You will be in hyperspace for less than five seconds.”  

He nodded.  “Understood.”  He reached forward and pulled back on the hyperspace throttles, and the familiar hyperspace stars-spears-swirl affect surrounded them.  Less than five seconds later, he pushed them back forward, and the planet and moon of Jedha leapt into view.  TIE fighters were in greater numbers, clearly searching for something, but not knowing what exactly their quarry was did not give them much to work with.  Tank chuckled softly, shaking his head.  “Keep looking guys, you won’t find anything but us legitimate traders.”  

[zabraki-smuggler]

Ras deposited herself in one of the seats in the back, casually crossing one leg over the other as she checked the sights of her blaster. She felt a combination of relief and dread as they began their departure: relief at finally being off that strange, ungodly wealthy, and uncomfortably clean ship, but dread at going back to Jedha. After literally blasting her way out, she wasn’t too keen to see its sand plains.

But she had agreed to help, and even though it would likely get her killed or dismembered, she was a woman of her word.

The Zabrak then jumped as the hologram, in the middle of its conversation with Tank, pointed a pair of blasters at her. She furrowed her brow in a combination of confusion and amusement as it tried, and failed, to act like an intimidating spacer.

“No ill intentions here, missy,” Ras laughed with a roll of her eyes. “Just tryin’ to prevent a moon from getting blown up.”

Seconds later, she felt the familiar shifting sensation as they exited hyperspace, and instantly her hearts dropped into the pit of her stomach. There were TIE’s everywhere. And she knew damn well they were looking for her.

“What the hell am I doing back here?” She moaned under her breath, quickly second-guessing all of the life choices that had led her up to this point.

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

“No, I should be the one thanking you,” Ras replied, “for being so generous as to offer to repair my ship in the first place. I am no mechanic, and I can’t really afford the services of one.” She chuckled awkwardly and shrugged. “So most of my ‘repair work’ is just patchwork crap that doesn’t really fix anything. Plus it’s been in a few nasty fights, which certainly doesn’t help.” She flashed Tank a sheepish smile. “So…thanks for helping me out.”

When she laid eyes on Tank’s ship, she couldn’t help but pause for a moment and stare at it breathlessly. Before her stood a freighter, not too different from her own, but in much better shape. It reminded her of what her vessel looked like before she stole…acquired it. But this one was loved and well-cared for. Its hull was pristine, despite its battle scars, which only added to its rugged, battle-hardened character. It was very much like its owner in that regard. And, unlike her ship, this one looked enhanced, and looked like it would hold its own in a fight.

The Zabrak, still bewildered, followed her companion up the ramp and into the belly of the ship. “Your ramp lowers all the way to the floor,” she observed in awe. She gazed around at the near pristine interior, which was well-kept, clean, and well-maintained. “I can tell that you love this ship,” she observed. “You clearly don’t replace your vessels every couple of years like I do.”

“Customized Corellian YZ-900.  They don’t make’em like this.  She’s the next best thing to home for me.”  Tank admitted, passing the holotank console in the center of the common area.  He paused, and then tapped the side of his head.  “Ah, almost forgot.”  

He turned around and moved past her, going through a bulkhead door into the ramp and airlock corridor, and then beyond to the cargo area.  A few moments later he returned, the sound of the ramp slowly rising up following behind him while pushing a heavy duty, and well used looking industrial crate into the common area, floating on its built-in repulsor field.  Coming up alongside Ras, he brought it to a stop and pressed a button, lowering it to the deck.  “This should secure your prizes.  I’ve had this for some time, with the idea that if I needed to store something I didn’t want people to immediately detect, I could put it into this.”  He shrugged.  “Never found a thing I needed to do that with though.  So, you can use it.”  

Another button, and the top clicked and hissed apart, revealing that the sides of the crate were thicker than the exterior suggested.  “Had it upgraded to affect sensors.  If they scan it while it’s sealed, all they get back is a reading of packaged foodstuffs.  The interior is shielded, short of it being something highly radioactive anyway, so they won’t pick up what it’s actually holding.  Haven’t even input a security code yet, so you’re welcome to use this.  Normal interface, so no surprises there.” With that, he moved around the crate and headed for the corridor leading to the ship’s cockpit, leaving her to some privacy with what was as close to a smugglers crate as was available.   

[zabraki-smuggler]

Ras raised a hairless eyebrow as she watched him go, her jaw slightly agape. When he was out of sight, she pursed her lips and grunted. Seriously? This human couldn’t get any fancier. He had a smuggler’s crate, practically armored, and equipped with sensory spoofs? And here all she had to hide illegal cargo in was a makeshift wall panel that she had made herself by gutting something that was potentially important.

It was almost as if he was the real smuggler here. And of more than just “information”…

Hoisting the large kyber crystal off her shoulder, she gingerly placed it into the crate, along with the tubes of the smaller crystals. Just as she was about to shut it, though, a nagging sensation tugged at the back of her mind, causing her to open the crate again. The canister on top practically called to her, beckoning her to take it. Ras stole another look down the corridor, and upon seeing that her companion had not returned, scooped up the canister and hastily unscrewed its lid. There it was, safe inside its protective casing, the interior light of the ship glinting off its clear crystalline surface. It was small, about the size of her thumb, and its edges were jagged and uneven. Ras stared intently at it, studying its surface carefully, absorbing every detail. She had been carrying this thing around for hours and had stowed it on her own ship. Why was she so fascinated with it now suddenly?

The sound of Tank’s footsteps brought her out of her trance. She slipped the crystal into a hidden pocket of her clothing and shoved the empty canister back into the crate, hastily shutting it as she did so. She quickly programmed the passcode, and the lock hissed and clicked shut just as the red-headed human came into view.

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

Ras’ heart leapt into her throat. “Actually, there is,” she sputtered. “ ‘Scuse me sir, sorry,” she muttered as she slipped past the wookie, who continued to complain to his captain about the conditions of her ship.

Not like she could blame him for all the whining and the growling. In addition to the overall messy state of both her quarters, the cockpit, and frankly the rest of the vessel, it was in sad mechanical shape. Thrusters misfired, the hyperdrive malfunctioned every other months, the gun turret was stuck in one position. And those were just to name a few.

Taking a quick look over her shoulder to make sure none of Tank’s crew followed her in, she slipped her vibroblade out of the holster on her back and carefully slipped it between two of the panels on the wall. After a few moments of feeling around, she felt the tip of the knife catch on a hidden latch, popping the seal on the panel with a quiet thud. She carefully lowered the panel to the floor, revealing the secret compartment within. There, laying against the inner walls of the smuggling compartment, was the tube containing the large kyber crystal she had found back on Jedha.

“I risked my life for this damn thing,” she mumbled under her breath as she maneuvered the panel back into place. “No way am I letting it out of my sight for too long. Especially with other people working on my ship.”

Granted, she deeply appreciated the help and generosity of Tank and his crew. But there were aspects of the smuggler’s lifestyle that were impossible to turn off at this point in the Zabrak’s life, and one of them was her inherent distrust in everyone. She had learned at a very young age that trusting inevitably led to betrayal, monetary loss, and if she wasn’t careful, death.

And seeing as how she already had a huge bounty on her head without another one from the Empire for this kyber crystal, she didn’t want to take any chances.

Of course, taking the crystal off her ship would mean that she would unfortunately have to trust Tank with it. She had only just met the man, and had absolutely no reason to trust him yet, or ever. Who even was he? Where was he from? And most importantly, was he dangerous? Her instincts told her that he was alright, and that for once she had met someone inherently good-hearted. But even the best instincts could lead one astray.

She sighed as she finished closing the seal on the smuggler’s compartment. If he had wanted the kyber crystal or her bounty, he would have taken them by now. There was no other reason for her to be alive other than his good nature. Given her predicament, and where her ship was currently sitting like a dead bucket of rusty bolts, she had no choice but to trust him.

“I hope you’ve got a good spot for this,” she announced as she descended the ramp back into the shuttle bay, jumping the last couple of feet to the floor.

Tank was standing nearby talking with the Wookiee Engineer and looking over datapad.  “Yea, that does look bad.  And that thing…I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be.  Alluvial dampers?” Grimdal shook his head, rumbling how that couldn’t possibly be it, but possibly a melted thrust control system.  At Ras’s announcement, he looked up from the ‘pad and noticed the container in her grasp. “Ah.  I do believe I have something on my ship you can secure it in.”  He handed the ‘pad over.  “Well, be thorough in your inspection.  Resolve the leak, and provide a list of everything that needs to be worked on when we get back.  If they have approval to board…?”  

At Ras’s curt nod, he gestured to Grimdal.  “…then you should get to it.”  Grimdal roared in approval, and gestured for a team of beings to follow while Tank led the way the opposite direction.  

“I do appreciate you allowing them to board your ship and do some work on it.”  He commented as they moved along a line of workbee vehicles.  “It’s not easy to let someone else work on something that’s significant part of your livelihood.  Though, I have to admit, I wouldn’t mind getting under the panels and seeing what I could work up.”  His warm chuckle slipped past his lips as he pulled his ragged looking cloak around his form.  “But that’s neither here nor there.  Let’s see what we can do to secure your prize and get back to Jedha.”  

They turned a corner, and tucked back into an alcove past a green, brown, and black splotched painted X-wing, the cannon barrels of which were painted with black and white stripes, squat a well used and cared for Corellian freighter.  Four sets of turrets festooned the vessel, along with a long barrel grafted onto the exterior and extending past the cockpit.  A sensor dish aimed forward on the port side of the vessel, while what appeared to be the rod of a hypercomm array did the same on the starboard side.  The light grey painted hull looked to be decently cared for, with what appeared to be some additional thick, dark grey plating over key areas not showing any signs of rust.  That said, there was plenty of carbon scoring on the hull, with a few points pocked with semi-melted burn dents and creases from what was clearly a few hard fights.  As they approached, he reached up and lightly dragged his gloved hand along the underside of the vessel in a gentle caress, clearly a long ingrained habit.  Reaching where the ramp would be, he slid a panel back, tucked an arm inside, and seemed to fiddle for a moment, the sound of clicking slipping out from within the space.  Moments later, the ramp began to smoothly lower to the deck and he closed the panel back up.  Giving her a quick glance he shrugged.  “I had the usual lock shifted further inside so that one couldn’t simply look over my shoulder and get the code, or easily slice it.  Does make it tricky to get the code right though.”  He admitted as the ramp tapped on the deck, fully extended.  

With that, he once again took point, heading up the ramp with quick, hard clicks of his boots.

[zabraki-smuggler]

“No, I should be the one thanking you,” Ras replied, “for being so generous as to offer to repair my ship in the first place. I am no mechanic, and I can’t really afford the services of one.” She chuckled awkwardly and shrugged. “So most of my ‘repair work’ is just patchwork crap that doesn’t really fix anything. Plus it’s been in a few nasty fights, which certainly doesn’t help.” She flashed Tank a sheepish smile. “So…thanks for helping me out.”

When she laid eyes on Tank’s ship, she couldn’t help but pause for a moment and stare at it breathlessly. Before her stood a freighter, not too different from her own, but in much better shape. It reminded her of what her vessel looked like before she stole…acquired it. But this one was loved and well-cared for. Its hull was pristine, despite its battle scars, which only added to its rugged, battle-hardened character. It was very much like its owner in that regard. And, unlike her ship, this one looked enhanced, and looked like it would hold its own in a fight.

The Zabrak, still bewildered, followed her companion up the ramp and into the belly of the ship. “Your ramp lowers all the way to the floor,” she observed in awe. She gazed around at the near pristine interior, which was well-kept, clean, and well-maintained. “I can tell that you love this ship,” she observed. “You clearly don’t replace your vessels every couple of years like I do.”

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

Ras couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m glad of that at least,” she replied as she followed him out the sliding doors. She chewed on her lip as they walked, her head swimming with an infuriating number of questions and speculations.

“An explosive powerful enough to destroy the entire moon,” she mused, more to herself than to him. “Where in the world would they have gotten their hands on something like this? And more importantly, where the hell did it come from?”

And more importantly, who brought it here?

Ras fell into step behind him, her musings giving way to an uncharacteristic and troubled silence as they made their way back to the hangar.

“Those are both excellent questions.”  Tank admitted as they entered the turbolift.  “Main shuttlebay.”  The lift began to whir, leaving them both to their thoughts.  “Who could have brought protomatter, and for what purpose?” He pondered, crossing his arms and gripping at his bearded chin, deep in thought.  “The Tzenkethi are reported to have weaponized protomatter into ground based explosive devices, and into a space-born torpedo.  But they wouldn’t be here in this galaxy.  Certainly not in this time period. That’s not their style.  No, this is more of a precision strike.  And in this time period…it has to be an act by someone trying to manipulate the timeline in this galaxy.  Likely beyond as well.  To what end tho?”  

Without enough information, he couldn’t begin to apply any answers to the questions.  So, reluctantly, he set them aside with a sigh and a shake of his head.  “At this point, there’s just not enough to make a determination.”  He finally admitted, looking up at her with a wry, if puzzled expression, his gaze once more briefly taking in the lines of her jaw and lips before getting to her eyes.  “ If we manage to find the protomatter, we may be able to answer those questions.”

The lift came to a stop, the doors hissing apart and revealing the interior of the shuttlebay.  Stepping out of the lift, he had managed to get a few feet away before a bellowing roar echoed through the bay, prompting him to stop and look in the direction of the source.  Striding toward him was a tall Wookiee, a bandolier draping his torso, as well as a belt festooned with pouches of various tools.  “Why Grimdal, you seem to be more perturbed than when we spoke.”  Tank lightly replied, before becoming serious.  “You didn’t find something troublesome, did you?”  

Grimdal growled, barked and snorted, gesturing in the direction of Ras’s ship and complaining at the fluid leaking onto the deck, and wanted clearance to go inside the ship to try to plug it before it became worse.  He also wanted to be able to complete the evaluation by going through the interior, as their scans weren’t able to get a fully detailed picture.  

Tank turned to Ras with a questioning look.  “That would be up to the Captain.  There may be some items she wishes to secure first?”

[zabraki-smuggler]

Ras’ heart leapt into her throat. “Actually, there is,” she sputtered. “ ‘Scuse me sir, sorry,” she muttered as she slipped past the wookie, who continued to complain to his captain about the conditions of her ship.

Not like she could blame him for all the whining and the growling. In addition to the overall messy state of both her quarters, the cockpit, and frankly the rest of the vessel, it was in sad mechanical shape. Thrusters misfired, the hyperdrive malfunctioned every other months, the gun turret was stuck in one position. And those were just to name a few.

Taking a quick look over her shoulder to make sure none of Tank’s crew followed her in, she slipped her vibroblade out of the holster on her back and carefully slipped it between two of the panels on the wall. After a few moments of feeling around, she felt the tip of the knife catch on a hidden latch, popping the seal on the panel with a quiet thud. She carefully lowered the panel to the floor, revealing the secret compartment within. There, laying against the inner walls of the smuggling compartment, was the tube containing the large kyber crystal she had found back on Jedha.

“I risked my life for this damn thing,” she mumbled under her breath as she maneuvered the panel back into place. “No way am I letting it out of my sight for too long. Especially with other people working on my ship.”

Granted, she deeply appreciated the help and generosity of Tank and his crew. But there were aspects of the smuggler’s lifestyle that were impossible to turn off at this point in the Zabrak’s life, and one of them was her inherent distrust in everyone. She had learned at a very young age that trusting inevitably led to betrayal, monetary loss, and if she wasn’t careful, death.

And seeing as how she already had a huge bounty on her head without another one from the Empire for this kyber crystal, she didn’t want to take any chances.

Of course, taking the crystal off her ship would mean that she would unfortunately have to trust Tank with it. She had only just met the man, and had absolutely no reason to trust him yet, or ever. Who even was he? Where was he from? And most importantly, was he dangerous? Her instincts told her that he was alright, and that for once she had met someone inherently good-hearted. But even the best instincts could lead one astray.

She sighed as she finished closing the seal on the smuggler’s compartment. If he had wanted the kyber crystal or her bounty, he would have taken them by now. There was no other reason for her to be alive other than his good nature. Given her predicament, and where her ship was currently sitting like a dead bucket of rusty bolts, she had no choice but to trust him.

“I hope you’ve got a good spot for this,” she announced as she descended the ramp back into the shuttle bay, jumping the last couple of feet to the floor.

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

Ras squirmed inwardly at the thought of going back to Jedha yet again. After being shot down once and nearly shot down a second time, the last place Ras wanted to go back to was Jedha. Well, second to last. The truly last place would always be Jakku. But still, it was not a destination the smuggler was keen to return to.

But still, it was clear that these people needed help. Tank was obviously on some sort of intelligence mission, and he was going to end up with a blaster hole in his head if he didn’t have some help navigating the underworld. And dealing with Saw’s rebels…he would probably need the extra gun hand too.

With a sigh and a shrug of her red shoulders Ras acquiesced. “Ya, I’m in,” she replied, “I don’t confess to know Saw really at all, and I can guarantee I won’t be able to get us an audience with him. But I can at least help out however else I can.”

“Whatever assistance you are able to provide is greatly appreciated.”  The red-head bowed his head lightly, giving her a smile as he continued.  “I imagine if we can just find someone in his group, we can then talk with them to find out if they have any knowledge of what’s going on.  As a guerrilla insurgent group, that will probably end poorly if I attempted to do it alone.  But having a familiar face might give them some pause, however slight it may be.  That said, I think we should check on the state of your ship.”  He tapped on a button on the console before him. “Tank to Grimdal, what’s the stat-”  

His query was interrupted by the roars and growls of a clearly infuriated Wookiee, who proceed to inform them all that he had never seen a ship brought in in such poor shape as what he had been asked to inspect in all of his long life and how dare they not warn him in advance!

Tank managed to restrain himself from a full grin, his tone affecting innocence while the rest of the crew didn’t bother…sans the Jem’Hadar. “Why, Chief Engineer, are you suggesting that I would willingly leave out information on the shape of a ship?  I would never do such a thing, especially not in retribution for the time some Engineer neglected to inform someone about how there were some crossed wires that led to a sudden ejection from a fighter and nearly sent into sub-orbit, almost as if it was a prank.  For I am a kind, considerate, and caring individual who would never stoop so low as to remember when I was launched in such a manner.”  

There was a long pause, before the Wookiee finally responded, his growls more subdued, tone suggesting that he realized he’d been had as he simply replied that it was well played.  Tank finally grinned widely.  “I’m glad you see it that way.  Now, what’s the status of Captain Kendar’s ship?  Can she fly?”

An emphatic roar followed, clearly saying ‘no’ even without anyone to translate.  In clipped tones, he laid out the issues: slagged alluvial dampners, fused motivators, fouled energy lines, nearly no reactor power, and a whole host of additional problems, with the only positive being that the engines themselves were in good shape.  Not that it mattered, as the ship wasn’t going to lift off under its own power anytime soon, not without a massive overhaul and refit.

Tank’s expressions turned contemplative.  “If we were to put several crews on her, could she be made passably functional again within an hour or two?”  Another negative, emphasizing that they lacked the components on board to make the essential repairs.  

“I see. Well, get a team assembled and begin a thorough evaluation.  Nobody boards or works on the ship without Captain Kendar’s approval though.  Let me know what you find.  Tank, out.”  He looked over to Ras and shrugged sympathetically.  “I guess we’ll have to use my ship instead.”  

Turning to the rest, he gazed at the ship’s Captain.  “Let’s get the probe moving, while Ras and I head down to the ship and prepped for launch.”  The half-Echani nodded and looked to the other officers.  

“Right.  We know what to do.  Let’s get to it.  Dismissed.”  She rose, as did the others, and began to file out of the room, the doors hissing apart for them.  Within a few moments, it was just Tank and Ras left, the stocky man rising slowly from his seat, rubbing at his bearded chin in thought.  

“There are definitely pieces to this puzzle still missing…”  He mused, mostly to himself, as he headed for the doors.  “…I feel that once we find the device, it will begin to provide us with the pieces we need.”  Shaking it off, he turned his blue eyes to Ras with a smile.  “I know you’re not keen to go back, so I definitely appreciate you offering to do this.  On the plus side…”  The doors hissed apart once more as they approached.  “…there’s definitely fewer bounty hunters gunning for you now.”  

[zabraki-smuggler]

Ras couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m glad of that at least,” she replied as she followed him out the sliding doors. She chewed on her lip as they walked, her head swimming with an infuriating number of questions and speculations.

“An explosive powerful enough to destroy the entire moon,” she mused, more to herself than to him. “Where in the world would they have gotten their hands on something like this? And more importantly, where the hell did it come from?”

And more importantly, who brought it here?

Ras fell into step behind him, her musings giving way to an uncharacteristic and troubled silence as they made their way back to the hangar.

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

Ras’ eyes widened at the revelation of the danger they were all suddenly in. An explosive powerful enough to destroy the entire moon? That kind of destructive power was unheard of. Nothing was powerful enough to destroy an entire planet. At least nothing from this galaxy.

All the more reason to believe that Tank was telling the truth about his origins.

“I wouldn’t put it past Saw to use methods that extreme to strike back at the Empire,” Ras replied. “He has, after all, committed many atrocities in the name of ‘the cause’. But he’s not one for suicide missions, at least not that I’m aware of from my limited knowledge of him. He seems to want to continue to live to fight the Empire to the last.” She glanced over at the captain. “If you can indeed launch a stealth probe, it might be worth keeping an eye on his group’s activities if possible, especially within Jedha City.” She gave a shrug. “If he suddenly leaves Jedha we’ll know what he’s up to. And if he doesn’t, well, then it’s safe to assume these are the actions of a group even more extremist than he is.”

“If there is a more extremist group, we may want to find out who they are too.”  C’Ronti posited, looking to the Captain and Tank, both of whom nodded in agreement.  

“Agreed.  To that end, we’ll definitely want boots on the ground.  But I feel a large team will not be the best.  It’s pretty crowded, and the Empire has a strong presence there.  They’ll become suspicious of more than two people walking together.  So I will return to Jedha City and see what I can find, and be in a position to secure the protomatter bomb.”  Tank turned his gaze to Ras.  “If Ras is up for it, I could use a guide.  Maybe see if we can talk to some folks that may be able to point in the right direction, and possibly provide who might be crazy enough to use such a device.”  

[zabraki-smuggler]

Ras squirmed inwardly at the thought of going back to Jedha yet again. After being shot down once and nearly shot down a second time, the last place Ras wanted to go back to was Jedha. Well, second to last. The truly last place would always be Jakku. But still, it was not a destination the smuggler was keen to return to.

But still, it was clear that these people needed help. Tank was obviously on some sort of intelligence mission, and he was going to end up with a blaster hole in his head if he didn’t have some help navigating the underworld. And dealing with Saw’s rebels…he would probably need the extra gun hand too.

With a sigh and a shrug of her red shoulders Ras acquiesced. “Ya, I’m in,” she replied, “I don’t confess to know Saw really at all, and I can guarantee I won’t be able to get us an audience with him. But I can at least help out however else I can.”

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

Ras looked around the table, her brow furrowed in an expression of puzzlement and worry. At the mention of this “protomatter”, everyone at the table seemed to slide into a state of dread. Tank’s expression had visibly sunk, and the atmosphere in the room was grim. Whatever this stuff was, it obviously boded badly.

She zabrak cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to sound dumb or anything,” she chimed in, “but I’m not a scientist. I do supply runs. What’s a ‘protomatter’? If it’s some kind of explosive, then it’s obvious why Saw and his rebels would want it. The Empire is removing kyber crystals from Jedha by the hundreds, and they are the last remaining remnants of the Jedi and of the Republic they are fighting to restore. They would do anything to get the Empire off Jedha for good.”

“They would succeed beyond their wildest dreams if they did.”  Tank grimly replied to her before looking to Nelan.  “If you would be so kind as to explain.”

“Certainly.”  The Voth officer jerked his head down in a short nod, before looking over at Ras.  “Protomatter is a highly unstable form of matter, with exceptional destructive properties.  If used correctly, it has incredible potential for terraforming, but only one group has managed that feat.  Others have used it as an energy source.  However, in its normal state, with a small quantity of protomatter one could destroy this section of the ship. ”  He looked to the graph, continuing, “Based on these readings, there is significantly more than that somewhere in the city.  With the other readings, I hypothesize that there’s a device that could begin a cascade reaction and scour the entire surface of the moon.  At best.”  

“At worst, a runaway reaction may destroy the entirety of it instead and anything within the atmosphere.”  Tank grimaced, leaning back as Nelan finished.  

“In either scenario, they’d succeed in removing the Empire, but at a terrible cost.  And with far reaching consequences.”  He mused darkly.

“Then clearly, our immediate priority is to locate the protomatter, neutralize it, and find out where it came from.  It’s not a substance that’s easily found in the galaxy, so it’s highly unusual that there is enough of a concentration of it here to do this.  There has to be an outside source.” Andy summed up, her silver eyes looking around the table.  “What are our options?”

“W-we could scan the city from orbit.”  Pevro chirruped, looking to the ship’s Captain.  “With our powerful sensors, we could quickly find it.”

“Ill-advised.”  Gamak’ix brusquely replied.  “The Destroyer will not be so incompetent as to miss us in orbit.  They will have the range, and they have plenty of fighter patrols, as well as additional vessels in the system.  We would be victorious, but our ability to leave will be in doubt.”

“Perhaps a stealth probe could be launched?”  Darcy suggested.  “They are warp capable and can move into position relatively quickly, and it can release a pair of satellites to work with it.  It will be slower, working passively, but it will eventually pinpoint the protomatter for the team that goes to retrieve it.”

[zabraki-smuggler]

Ras’ eyes widened at the revelation of the danger they were all suddenly in. An explosive powerful enough to destroy the entire moon? That kind of destructive power was unheard of. Nothing was powerful enough to destroy an entire planet. At least nothing from this galaxy.

All the more reason to believe that Tank was telling the truth about his origins.

“I wouldn’t put it past Saw to use methods that extreme to strike back at the Empire,” Ras replied. “He has, after all, committed many atrocities in the name of ‘the cause’. But he’s not one for suicide missions, at least not that I’m aware of from my limited knowledge of him. He seems to want to continue to live to fight the Empire to the last.” She glanced over at the captain. “If you can indeed launch a stealth probe, it might be worth keeping an eye on his group’s activities if possible, especially within Jedha City.” She gave a shrug. “If he suddenly leaves Jedha we’ll know what he’s up to. And if he doesn’t, well, then it’s safe to assume these are the actions of a group even more extremist than he is.”

[shardanic]

Ras the Iridonian Smuggler

Commission for RBL-M1A2Tanker.deviantart.com

Commissioning for a friend of his…a mysterious OC crafter. Oooooo! When drawing this I realized I hadn’t drawn anything star wars related in many many years. Good times ;D

[zabraki-smuggler]

OOC: A big HUGE shout out to this incredible artist who made my character Ras come to life! She is exactly how I imagined her with the artist’s unique twists. I absolutely adore this image and I am SO incredibly happy and thankful for it! Thank you so much to @jedimastertank for this truly incredible gift, and thank you so much @shardanic for the breathtaking work! And thank you so much to all the people who have given this character love. She’s very special to me. :)

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

“I never actually met Saw in person before,” Ras admitted. “He is one of the earliest members of the initial rebellion against the Empire and is therefore one of the most wanted people in the Galaxy. He is paranoid to the extreme, and very few outside of his rebel group are granted an audience with him. About a year ago I did a few cargo runs for his rebel group. Mostly thermal detonators, spare parts and other equipment, along with some rations. They were dangerous jobs that ran a high likelihood of Imperial capture or death.” Ras shuddered at the memory. “The last run I did for him I got shot down by an Imperial ground-to-air missile…” she cleared her throat to prevent herself from side-tracking further. “Anyway,” she continued, “while he is one of the original ‘rebels’, Saw is no longer associated with the Rebel Alliance. My guess is because his methods are quite extreme. He is more of an insurgent cell than an organized military force like the Alliance.”

She glanced at her new friend again. “Tank here has witnessed Saw’s rebels’ tactics first-hand. They prefer a more direct approach to rebellion against the Empire, and by that I mean openly attack the Imperials and leave none surviving if possible. They have even attacked civilian targets and made it look like the Empire’s doing, just to rally more to their cause.” She glimpsed around at the horrified faces around the table. “And believe it or not,” she continued, “there are a few members of his group that believe even these methods are not brutal or extreme enough. I don’t want to think about the things they would be willing to do for ‘the cause’. But luckily, I’m pretty sure that Saw’s rebels are confined to Jedha. Like I said, I did several cargo runs for them, and I never delivered anywhere except Jedha. I was not granted access to their base, nor do I know where it is. I do know that it is not in Jedha city. It is somewhere in the mountains, in one of the hundreds of caves.”

“So, the Star Destroyer is a direct reaction to this ‘Saw’ and his activities.”  Andy concluded, her expression showing distaste.  

“That’s what it looks like.”  Tank agreed, looking around the table, his own expression grim.  “Doesn’t really explain why we’re here tho.  Not yet anyway.”  He looked to the Voth.  “I hope the tricorder picked up something in my short sojourn in Jedha City.”

Nelan’s claw tapped on a scale on his cheek, before nodding sharply, once. “I believe it might have.”  He reached out and activated his console, the flat LCARS surface lighting up and reacting to his actions, lightly beeping with each touch.  “There was a lot of data picked up, some of which is quite fascinating, but there were some rather unusual readings.  I thought it may have been a mistake, but I’ve had Darcy check the readings as well.”

“I can confirm that the readings were not false.”  Darcy agreed as the holoimage shifted to that of some kind of spectrograph.  “Several consistency tests were applied and the conclusions were confirmed each time.  What your tricorder detected was no mistake.”

Tank looked up at the graph, and gave Nelan a dry look.  “Let’s pretend I have no idea what this shows.  What are we looking at?”

Gamak’ix responded instead.  “Protomatter.”  He gave the table a glance, before continuing, “The Dominion has used protomatter in the construction of explosive devices. They are most effective when properly prepared.”  

At that, most of the faces around the table turned pale.  Tank’s expression turned stony as he looked at the graph.  “Ok…so…I picked up traces of protomatter.  On a moon that shouldn’t have any of it.”  

“That is indeed correct.”  Nelan admitted, his tone somber.  “And, in light of the information just provided, it’s possible that an outside source has provided an insurgent group  a supply of protomatter.  To what purpose, I could not say.”

“It goes without rrreason that an extremist grrroup would use it to destrrroy something.  Perhaps that Star Destroyerrr?”  C’Ronti pointed out, a slight purr accenting her words as a furred finger deftly dabbed at the graph.  “One does not acquire a powerrrful explosive and then put it on the mantle.”  

[zabraki-smuggler]

Ras looked around the table, her brow furrowed in an expression of puzzlement and worry. At the mention of this “protomatter”, everyone at the table seemed to slide into a state of dread. Tank’s expression had visibly sunk, and the atmosphere in the room was grim. Whatever this stuff was, it obviously boded badly.

She zabrak cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to sound dumb or anything,” she chimed in, “but I’m not a scientist. I do supply runs. What’s a ‘protomatter’? If it’s some kind of explosive, then it’s obvious why Saw and his rebels would want it. The Empire is removing kyber crystals from Jedha by the hundreds, and they are the last remaining remnants of the Jedi and of the Republic they are fighting to restore. They would do anything to get the Empire off Jedha for good.”

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

“Just ‘Ras’ is fine,” she said with a nod of gratitude, suddenly becoming self-conscious at the attention.

She suppressed a laugh at Tank’s use of…alternative…terms for her profession. She glanced at the burly security officer and bit her tongue to hide her uneasiness. Someone of her persuasion would definitely be unwelcome company in his eyes. He was a dedicated soldier, driven by a sense of duty, honor, and an upholding of the law. And frankly, she was nothing but a scoundrel, and not even a very good one at that. This chief of security was definitely someone whose bad side she did not want to be on, nor was he someone she ever wanted to test her combat skills against. He towered over everyone in the room, leering over her like a falcon stalking its prey. She shifted under his gaze, which barely faltered from her during Tank’s entire round of introductions. He was appraising her, assessing the potential threat his commander had audaciously brought into his neat and orderly domain.

The Zabrak stole a few glances his way, making her own assessments. She tried not to judge him by his outward appearance, being herself a horned and possibly scary-looking creature as well. He sported a lot of upper body strength. The way he squared his stance as he rooted himself into the floor; his defense was like an immovable boulder in a river. The way his powerful body moved, she could tell that his offense was formidable too.

Still, though, she was here to help Tank do…whatever it was he was doing in this part of space. She owed him her life. Without him, she would be well on her way to being drawn and quartered by the Slug by now. The least she could do was help him in his mission on Jedha. She was no expert, but she had some insider’s knowledge up her sleeve. She sure as hell wasn’t here to get on the bad side of his chief body guard. She just hoped that Tank’s trust and what smuggler’s charm she had would at least convince him that she wasn’t an immediate threat.

Ras looked around at the other officers around the table. Most of them didn’t really look to be fighters, but they were extremely skilled. As the group talked, she got the distinct impression that Tank only surrounded himself with the very best people this “Federation” had to offer. And from their interactions she could tell that they were not just a crew. They were family, bound together with a common purpose and a sense of loyalty to one another. Every crew she had ever been apart of before going solo was comprised of individuals whose sole loyalties were to their purses and their skins. She wondered what the alternative was like…

Tank retook his seat, interlacing his fingers over the table.  “As I explained to Ras, there’s much we don’t know about what’s going on in Jedha City.  Our task is to figure that out.  I’m hoping that the readings I took will help shed some light, but I feel that what Ras knows may be equally as valuable.  For starters, she informed that the Empire is mining Kyber crystals from the moon, under the former Jedi Temple that’s there.  Based on the iconography and other signs, there used to be a highly noticeable Jedi presence here, so they likely were protectors of the Kyber crystals.”  

“It would make sense that the moon is a major repository of crystals.”  Nelan mused, a claw lightly tapping a scale.  “Our readings of NaJedha show it to be a major source of crystal itself.  But why go to the moon, when the planet has a much greater quantity?”

“Because Kyber has unique properties.”  Tank explained.  “Possibly partially sentient, but the most important aspect about them is that they can be used to power weapons or other equipment, easily boosting the output by an order of magnitude.”  

“That would explain the Star Destroyer then.”  Andy pointed out.  “They’re protecting the mining operation.”

“That and the stormtroopers and heavy support units, one of which Ras and I just managed to avoid.  However, I think there’s something more pressing that prompted the Destroyer.  There’s apparently an insurgent group actively resisting the Empire’s mining operation…”  He sighed and shook his head.  “…who apparently chose today to do that again.  Under the leadership of someone named Saw Guerra.”  

Turning his blue eyes to the Zabraki woman, he gestured to her.  “You mentioned to me that you had some dealings with Saw.  What can you tell us about him, or his people?”  

[zabraki-smuggler]

“I never actually met Saw in person before,” Ras admitted. “He is one of the earliest members of the initial rebellion against the Empire and is therefore one of the most wanted people in the Galaxy. He is paranoid to the extreme, and very few outside of his rebel group are granted an audience with him. About a year ago I did a few cargo runs for his rebel group. Mostly thermal detonators, spare parts and other equipment, along with some rations. They were dangerous jobs that ran a high likelihood of Imperial capture or death.” Ras shuddered at the memory. “The last run I did for him I got shot down by an Imperial ground-to-air missile…” she cleared her throat to prevent herself from side-tracking further. “Anyway,” she continued, “while he is one of the original ‘rebels’, Saw is no longer associated with the Rebel Alliance. My guess is because his methods are quite extreme. He is more of an insurgent cell than an organized military force like the Alliance.”

She glanced at her new friend again. “Tank here has witnessed Saw’s rebels’ tactics first-hand. They prefer a more direct approach to rebellion against the Empire, and by that I mean openly attack the Imperials and leave none surviving if possible. They have even attacked civilian targets and made it look like the Empire’s doing, just to rally more to their cause.” She glimpsed around at the horrified faces around the table. “And believe it or not,” she continued, “there are a few members of his group that believe even these methods are not brutal or extreme enough. I don’t want to think about the things they would be willing to do for ‘the cause’. But luckily, I’m pretty sure that Saw’s rebels are confined to Jedha. Like I said, I did several cargo runs for them, and I never delivered anywhere except Jedha. I was not granted access to their base, nor do I know where it is. I do know that it is not in Jedha city. It is somewhere in the mountains, in one of the hundreds of caves.”

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

The Zabrak was quite aware of how stupidly dumbfounded she looked as she followed Tank through the bridge. It was a far cry from the various shuttles, transports, and freighter cockpits she had been aboard. The technology in this place was so strange and sophisticated, and its elegance was incredible. She was never a ship enthusiast, nor was she particularly savvy when it came to their mechanics. But the smuggler knew technological brilliance when she saw it. And this place…it took her breath away.

It seemed like every other crew member was a different species, all working in perfect harmony. Man she recognized, while many she didn’t. The various terminals were completely alien to her, and the holographic interfaces made her shudder thinking of how much each one of them must have cost. She also couldn’t believe how clean everything looked. After being aboard her dingy freighter for so long, in addition to doing business in some pretty disgusting places, she had grown so accustomed to the grime that being in an environment this sterile almost felt awkward.

Ras did a double-take upon seeing the starfield on the massive viewscreen at the front of the bridge. She was so used to the scratched and permanently stained glass of her own cockpit that seeing the outside in this kind of clarity and in this kind of scale was disorienting. She blinked several times as she tried to take it all in. From the safety of the bridge, the darkness of space looked beautiful and serene. If she traveled in a craft like this all the time, she pondered if she would begin to dislike space travel a little less.

She followed her companion to a silver-haired woman seated in what looked to be the captain’s chair. Echani, by the looks of her. The silver hair was a trademark. As the woman stood, Ras immediately caught sight of her dagger. The way the woman moved and squared her stance, along with the way she held her upper body, told the Zabrak that this was a woman whose bad side she did not want to be on. The woman’s hips swayed gently, almost in a nonchalant swagger, not unlike a lot of smugglers the Zabrak had run across. Ras shifted her eyes between the Captain and Tank as to not appear to rudely stare. Her smuggler’s instincts were impossible to turn off. But judging by the way the Captain was looking at her, she guessed the Echani was doing the same.

“Just call me Ras,” she replied, holding up her palms to emphasize her discomfort with the “Captain” formality. She looked back at the Echani. “Thank you again for your help and for saving our skins. Before you arrived, I thought we were goners.” She swept her hand in a half-circle around the bridge. “And thank you for allowing me on board your beautiful ship.”

“Certainly the least we could do for you helping out Tank here.”  Andy nodded towards the short red-head.  “Otherwise, we would have had to get in closer to get him back out.  Ticklish business, that.”  

“Quite so.  Though…”  Tank quirked his lips wryly.  “…it was pretty ticklish on the way out as well, so I suppose we got the same result.”

Andy snorted a laugh.  “I guess so.  Shall I call the department heads together?”  Tank nodded.  

“If you would, please.  I feel we should not waste too much time, if at all possible.  Although, Grimdal isn’t needed right this minute, he’s going to be a bit…occupied.”  

“Very well.”  Andy tapped on the delta just above her left breast.  “Department heads, sans the Chief Engineer, please report to the Command & Intel Display.” 

Tank turned to Ras and gestured to one of the stairwells.  “If you’ll follow us.”  He put action to words, leading the way as Andy and a couple other bridge crew followed.  The stairs curved along the hull down to what appeared to be an observation area with a few unattended, and currently closed down, consoles present.  Reaching the area revealed there was another set of stairs that led back up to the bridge.  Set between the two stairs was another set of doors, that hissed open obligingly for them.  

As the doors hissed open, a large, sleek looking table was revealed with a partially recessed center.  Ringing the table where several small consoles, while along the curved walls were several more flat screens and blank LCARS consoles.  As they filed in, Tank took one of the side seats while Captain Mikaru took the head of the table and activated the console before her.  Instantly, the surface of the table began to glow with a soft, diffuse white light, and a star field appeared, hovering in front of them.  In miniature among the holographic stars was a digital representation of the Home One, the planet NaJedha, and its moon, Jedha.  A few tiny dots were also present, moving towards, from, or around the moon.  

Following behind them, a rotund being entered, his thick blue collar of his tunic just coming up short of his equally thick chin, giving Ras an almost nervous, or certainly skittish, glance.  The next to enter was a reptilian looking being, his green tunic clashing with the brown of his scales, and the pauldrons on his shoulder suggesting armor, but not protecting all that much.  His yellow eyes looked to Ras curiously, and his tilted his head sharply in a greeting nod, revealing a long, equally scaled extension behind his skull.  

A few moments later, the doors hissed open once more, allowing two additional beings to enter.  One being a svelte, brown furred being, her long tail swaying back and forth as an ear flicked towards Ras.  All who entered took up seats…

…sans one notable exception.  A craggy, horned, dark grey skinned being moved past Ras and took up station at one of the seats, but did not sit, crossing his arms and glowering instead, his equally grey uniform creaking with the sound of armor over a powerful build.  He gave her a long look, and something in his eyes suggested that he was suspicious, and had placed a targeting reticle over her.  

“Before we get started, allow me to make introductions.”  Tank rose, and gestured to each officer in turn for the Zabraki’s benefit.  “Captain Mikaru, as I mentioned above, who is half-Echani and half-Trill.”  

Andy wiggled the fingers of a hand lightly, a smile on her lips.  

“Nelen Exil, who is a Voth, is the ship’s Chief Science Officer.”  He gestured to the green uniformed being, who gave the sharp nod of greeting once more.  Tank then gestured to the furred woman.  “C’Ronti is the ship’s Chief Medical Officer…” Her eyes closed slowly, and opened just as slowly as she gave a slight grin, revealing long, sharp canines, her folded hands lightly tapping on the table.  

Gesturing to the potato looking being, Tank continued.  “This is Pevro, of the Hierarchy, and is part of the ships sciences division, but is also the informal head of Intelligence for the ship.”  

“Gr-greetings!”  Pevro nervously replied, glancing to a PADD in his hands and to Ras before going back to the device and tapping on is a few times, lips working furiously and silently.  

The red-head smirked, and then gestured with his head towards the one standing being. “And finally, Gamak’ix, a Jem’Hadar, and the ships Chief Tactical and Security officer.”  

The Jem’Hadar simply looked to Ras, his gaze not changing in the least.  Tank sighed, adding, “Which he takes, quite seriously.”

“As in all things.”  Gamak’ix retorted firmly, his voice deep and ringing with implacable sternity. “For Victory is Life, and one must take those duties as seriously as they would going into battle.”  

There was a sense that almost everyone in the room gave a collective, silent sigh: clearly, this was not unusual.  

The doors hissed open one last time, revealing a tall, curvaceous, beautiful short blue haired woman, who briefly paused.  “My apologies.  I had to wait for a lift to become available.”

“Quite alright, Darcy.”  Andy replied, gesturing for the other woman to join them, who promptly did so. “Darcy is an android, and one of our chief researchers.”  The half-Echani added, following Tank’s cue.

“Indeed.  Everyone, this is Captain Kendar, an…” He quirked his lips briefly with humor.  “…independent acquisitions expert, who acquired me and helped facilitate my removal from the planet.  And took out several of the TIEs and bounty hunters that were pursuing us, using the fully functional turret.”  Darcy and Andy both gave small smiles at the euphemisms used, while Gamak’ix’s eyes seemed to shift subtly, as if moving her from potential problem, to grudging respect.  

“There were many good hits recorded.  A satisfactory battle performance.”  He grunted.

[zabraki-smuggler]

“Just ‘Ras’ is fine,” she said with a nod of gratitude, suddenly becoming self-conscious at the attention.

She suppressed a laugh at Tank’s use of…alternative…terms for her profession. She glanced at the burly security officer and bit her tongue to hide her uneasiness. Someone of her persuasion would definitely be unwelcome company in his eyes. He was a dedicated soldier, driven by a sense of duty, honor, and an upholding of the law. And frankly, she was nothing but a scoundrel, and not even a very good one at that. This chief of security was definitely someone whose bad side she did not want to be on, nor was he someone she ever wanted to test her combat skills against. He towered over everyone in the room, leering over her like a falcon stalking its prey. She shifted under his gaze, which barely faltered from her during Tank’s entire round of introductions. He was appraising her, assessing the potential threat his commander had audaciously brought into his neat and orderly domain.

The Zabrak stole a few glances his way, making her own assessments. She tried not to judge him by his outward appearance, being herself a horned and possibly scary-looking creature as well. He sported a lot of upper body strength. The way he squared his stance as he rooted himself into the floor; his defense was like an immovable boulder in a river. The way his powerful body moved, she could tell that his offense was formidable too.

Still, though, she was here to help Tank do…whatever it was he was doing in this part of space. She owed him her life. Without him, she would be well on her way to being drawn and quartered by the Slug by now. The least she could do was help him in his mission on Jedha. She was no expert, but she had some insider’s knowledge up her sleeve. She sure as hell wasn’t here to get on the bad side of his chief body guard. She just hoped that Tank’s trust and what smuggler’s charm she had would at least convince him that she wasn’t an immediate threat.

Ras looked around at the other officers around the table. Most of them didn’t really look to be fighters, but they were extremely skilled. As the group talked, she got the distinct impression that Tank only surrounded himself with the very best people this “Federation” had to offer. And from their interactions she could tell that they were not just a crew. They were family, bound together with a common purpose and a sense of loyalty to one another. Every crew she had ever been apart of before going solo was comprised of individuals whose sole loyalties were to their purses and their skins. She wondered what the alternative was like…

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

“A voice-activated ship computer that can track the whereabouts of everyone on board…” Ras mused. “…interesting.”

Now that they were alone again, in better lighting, and not running for their lives, Ras was able to get a better view of his face. His outward appearance suggested a far different age than his eyes. The way the blue irises looked at the world around him suggested that they had seen many terrifying and perhaps tragic things. His body language exuded confidence, which she could tell was borne from decades of experience beyond any she had ever known. His bearded face was handsome, but also bore a battle-hardened ruggedness. It added to his charm.

She quickly looked away before he noticed her staring, breathing a silent sigh of relief when he seemed caught up in a memory of his Wookie engineer. His eyes glinted playfully, and Ras chuckled awkwardly. “I feel like there’s a story behind this,” she joked. She shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware of how long they had been alone in this lift. “Your ship is massive,” she commented. “I mean it looked massive from the outside but now that I’m here, well, let’s just say I’ve been to inhabited moons that are smaller.”

“I have heard some say that this class of ship is bigger on the inside, but the reality is a little different.  These lifts aren’t quite as speedy as those installed on Imperial capital ships.”  The Jedi shrugged.  “Something about comfort levels I think.  Built that way, so its working as intended.  Tho, in an emergency, they get a lot faster.”  

As if picking up on the conversation and intending to put a lie to Ras’s comment, the hum of the lift  wound down, and then ended a moment before the doors hissed apart. A gentle wave of beeps washed over them, each one of various pitches and occurring at widely varying speeds, with only one series of beeps having a consistent pitch and rhythm under it all as he led the way onto the bridge of Home One.  

Said bridge was as large as the rest of the ship, shaped in a oblong oval.  The turbolift doors were off to the side and center of the bridge, giving those who enter a view of almost the entirety of it: directly before them was a slightly raised oval area, with a horseshoe shaped crescent taking up the back edge of it and a large crest in the center.  Nestled up to the horseshoe were three seats, the center of which currently had a silver haired woman dressed in a white and black outfit occupying it and reviewing a PADD.  Behind the horseshoe were several stations, with a different crew member occupying almost every one.  A short flight of stairs in the center led up to a raised level, where there were two more stations on opposite sides of them.  From where they stood, there was a gently rising incline in the deck that also led to the upper level, with a matching incline on the far side of the bridge.  

Forward of the center of the bridge, there were two additional stations, with a massive viewscreen directly centered and forward between them.  To Tank’s and Ras’s immediate left, a flight of stairs led down to the deck below.  Each station appeared to have a holographic and a physical interface.  

The silver haired woman looked up from her work to glance at them, and, upon recognizing Tank, stood up and approached, hips swaying easily, her movements graceful and relaxed.  As she drew closer, a dagger could be seen adoring her hip, and, alongside both sides of her head and down her neck trailing under her tunic were a series of uniquely shaped spots.  Her trousers, unlike her top, were more flowing and loose, and with how she held herself, there was definitely a sense of a fighter about her as they met in the middle.  “Welcome back.”  She greeted, clasping her gloved hands behind her back, a small smile on her lips.  “Nelen’s going over the data you brought back now.”  

“Thank you, Andy.”  Tank bowed his head slightly, before turning and gesturing between the two women.  “Captain Kendar, allow me to introduce you to Captain Mikaru, commanding officer of the Home One, tho I refer to her as Andy.  Andy, this is Captain Kendar, owner of the ship in the hanger and someone who I feel may be able to provide us with vital information for this job.” 

The silver-haired woman quirked up an eyebrow at Tank before looking to Ras, her glance taking in all of the Zabrak in an instant and evaluating, not unlike how an Echani would.  It was quite likely that she wasn’t even aware she did it, so natural did it come to her.  “Welcome aboard, Captain Kendar.  I’m glad we arrived in time to keep your ship from taking additional damage.”  

[zabraki-smuggler]

The Zabrak was quite aware of how stupidly dumbfounded she looked as she followed Tank through the bridge. It was a far cry from the various shuttles, transports, and freighter cockpits she had been aboard. The technology in this place was so strange and sophisticated, and its elegance was incredible. She was never a ship enthusiast, nor was she particularly savvy when it came to their mechanics. But the smuggler knew technological brilliance when she saw it. And this place…it took her breath away.

It seemed like every other crew member was a different species, all working in perfect harmony. Man she recognized, while many she didn’t. The various terminals were completely alien to her, and the holographic interfaces made her shudder thinking of how much each one of them must have cost. She also couldn’t believe how clean everything looked. After being aboard her dingy freighter for so long, in addition to doing business in some pretty disgusting places, she had grown so accustomed to the grime that being in an environment this sterile almost felt awkward.

Ras did a double-take upon seeing the starfield on the massive viewscreen at the front of the bridge. She was so used to the scratched and permanently stained glass of her own cockpit that seeing the outside in this kind of clarity and in this kind of scale was disorienting. She blinked several times as she tried to take it all in. From the safety of the bridge, the darkness of space looked beautiful and serene. If she traveled in a craft like this all the time, she pondered if she would begin to dislike space travel a little less.

She followed her companion to a silver-haired woman seated in what looked to be the captain’s chair. Echani, by the looks of her. The silver hair was a trademark. As the woman stood, Ras immediately caught sight of her dagger. The way the woman moved and squared her stance, along with the way she held her upper body, told the Zabrak that this was a woman whose bad side she did not want to be on. The woman’s hips swayed gently, almost in a nonchalant swagger, not unlike a lot of smugglers the Zabrak had run across. Ras shifted her eyes between the Captain and Tank as to not appear to rudely stare. Her smuggler’s instincts were impossible to turn off. But judging by the way the Captain was looking at her, she guessed the Echani was doing the same.

“Just call me Ras,” she replied, holding up her palms to emphasize her discomfort with the “Captain” formality. She looked back at the Echani. “Thank you again for your help and for saving our skins. Before you arrived, I thought we were goners.” She swept her hand in a half-circle around the bridge. “And thank you for allowing me on board your beautiful ship.”

[zabraki-smuggler]

A Crash Landing

@thechaoticgodoflies

((OOC: Thanks for RPing with me!))

Even though she spent most of her time there, Ras hated the Outer Rim sometimes.

This planet looked more like a barren wasteland than an inhabited system. The still, frigid air penetrated Ras’ very bones, and a deep shudder overtook her as she wrapped her coat tighter around her red-skinned body. The white dwarf star that acted as this planet’s only sun was mostly obscured by a thick cover of grey clouds. The air was dry, without a hint of a breeze or snow.

Her ship waited behind her, its landing gear resting precariously on the rock pile the crime lord’s thugs had turned into a makeshift landing pad. Within it was the cargo she was supposed to deliver, hidden cleverly in compartments within the ceiling. Negotiating her price was never one of her strong suits, and it usually ended up in one or both parties at blaster-point. She hoped that at least the crime lord’s hideout was situated far enough away from the Imperial base on this planet. The last thing Ras wanted was to blast her way out of here with storm troopers hot on her tail.

Just as the zabrak thought her horns were going to freeze off, she caught sight of the crime lord and his thugs approaching. His name was Cristof Hunst, a human man with a less than savory reputation. Making sure her blaster was well hidden but easily accessible, she turned to the approaching entourage.

Just as they stepped onto Ras’ landing pad, the grey sky rumbled ominously, the first sounds Ras had heard this planet make since she landed. Both parties looked up and saw something streak across the sky, leaving a fiery red trail behind it. It landed a small distance away, crashing into the cold rock, the impact echoing for an eerily long time in the cold silence. Ras, reckoning it was just a meteorite, shrugged and turned her attention back to Cristof.

“Ras Kendar,” his harsh tenor hissed, “you brought my goods?”

Ras crossed her arms. “You have my payment?”

“Goods first.”

“Let me see the payment.”

Cristof’s stubbled face contorted into an evil smirk.

[thechaoticgodoflies]

Just a simple experiment with the energy of the Bifrost. That’s all it was to Loki when he had the idea to see what exactly the magic was made of. It was always such a vague concept to him, how this energy could transport men from realm to realm. Such a thought even occurred to how far it could actually go. And…if it was connected to the World Tree as the ancient tomes suggest, then that would only give him more questions than answers. 

Music to Loki’s ears. 

And so he stood in the Observatory, the gate activated and he channeled his seidr into it. He muttered words of incomprehension under his breath, trying out a few basic level spells to start his work, only to receive nothing in return. Nothing he didn’t already know, anyway. He called upon more of his knowledge and his power, and even then it yielded little to sate his curiosity. 

But when he decided to increase his magic once more, that was where is his mistake was made. The Bifrost began to feed on his power, and he felt an unnatural pull of his seidr from the gate. He tried to cut off the flow of energy between them, but events had already been set in stone, and the man felt himself being encompassed by the light and taken away with no set destination.

Loki flew longer and faster than he had ever done before, and finally breaking through the tunnel of rainbow colors and cosmic energy, he flew like a dart to the ground, leaving a long trail in the dirt in his wake. Upon impact, he was only awake for a few moments to see the new place he had arrived to, glimpses of boulders and dirt and nothing more as far as he could tell before his vision became blurry and he fell unconscious.

[zabraki-smuggler]

Ras’ price negotiating skills ended as they always did: with both parties pointing blasters at the other. The Zabrak, holding her modified blaster dangerously close to the crime lord’s head, flinched as his blaster nudged her temple.

“We agreed on payment before you set out,” Cristof mocked. “Don’t try to talk me up, Kendar. You know how that usually ends.”

His thugs thrust their blasters forward in warning. Sweat began to bead and instantly freeze on Ras’ hairline.

“Stand down, Kendar,” the crime lord warned, “you’re outnumbered.” He let out a menacing chuckle. “And I think for the trouble you’ve caused me I’ll just take my goods without payment. I might even take your ship too.” His lips curled into a sneer. “And I wonder how much the Empire will pay for a smuggler who sneaks illegal goods through Imperial territory.”

Ras’ hearts raced, a sudden sense of panic overtaking her. She had a feeling this could end up happening, and with her smuggler paranoia she had a backup plan already in place for this type of situation. But it was still an alternative she didn’t want to use.

The crime lord gestured for his thugs to board. They grunted in compliance, marching up the ramp and into the belly of her ship. She knew they would tear her freighter apart and eventually find her cargo, so she had no choice but to enact her plan B.

The Zabrak made to put her blaster away, and Cristof huffed in triumph. She slipped her hand behind her back, and with dizzying speed, pressed the button to ignite the thermal detonators she had placed in strategic spots aboard her ship.

The explosion was deafening, sending shockwaves of fire, sound, and fury through the barren landscape. The blast sent the crime lord and the smuggler falling to the ground. But Ras, anticipating the blast, immediately rolled to her feet and took off in a sprint toward the mountains, where her reconnaissance had told her was an extensive network of smuggler’s caves. Incidentally, it was also in the same direction that meteorite had crashed a few minutes ago.

The crash site was less than a half kilometer away from the cave network, but Ras came to a screeching halt, stricken by what she saw. There was no meteorite, nor any fragmented remains of a crashed ship. But there was a man, human by the looks of him, with black hair and clothed in a coat of black, green, and gold. At first, she dismissed him as dead, as there was no way a lone person outside of an escape pod could survive a crash through the atmosphere. But after closer inspection, she noticed his chest heaving in a clear indication of breathing.

She knew that the area would be full of the crime lord and his thugs within moments, and possibly storm troopers too, but she couldn’t just leave him here. If the crash hadn’t killed him, the blaster fire certainly would. She knelt down beside him, her hearts pounding from adrenaline, and gave him a shake.

“Hey!” she cried. “You alright? Can you hear me? Can you move? We gotta get out of here!”

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

Out of instinct, Ras’ hand flew to her blaster as she frantically looked around for the source of the mechanical voice. She was able to restrain herself enough to simply keep her hand on the holster, but her uneasiness was evident. Her suspicion grew when the disembodied voice seemed to know exactly where this crew member was and what he was doing. Her yellow eyes narrowed as she glanced around wearily. Did this ship know the exact whereabouts of everyone on board? Did it watch everyone all the time? The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as all her smuggler’s instincts screamed to find a way to stay out of sight.

“Yeah,” she responded to his question, “what the frak was that?!”

She followed him warily, suddenly feeling like she was in a gigantic, sentient beehive. Her hand left her holster, but her suspicion did not abate. She shifted uncomfortably at the knowing look he gave her. It didn’t take a genius to guess that she was troubled.

“So, you have a Wookie on board?” she replied in an attempt to distract him from her uneasiness. “You’ll have to tell him to pardon the mess. This ship’s had a lot of problems since I got it and, well, I’m not exactly a mechanic.” She shrugged and flashed him a sheepish smile as she followed him through the doors.

Tank’s lips quirked in the tiniest of smirks: he wasn’t fooled by her quick switch of subject.  “Your smuggler senses are highly honed, aren’t they?  Always on the lookout for a potential threat.  Not that I blame you, it’s a hard life.”  He looked forward as they approached the turbolift, the door hissing softly as they opened to reveal the rounded, carpeted lift.  As they entered and the doors closed behind them, he called out, “Bridge.”  The lift began to gently hum, a pair of lights sweeping down along the sides as it rose.

Turning to her, he continued, “What you heard was the ships computer.  It works via console command, or voice command anywhere in the ship, the latter with some limitations.  It’s not an active computer, per se, like a true artificial intelligence is. It works off of input, so whatever you put in, is what it will give you in return.  Requires you to be rather specific with what you ask of it.”

 A grin spread across his face as a mischievous twinkle flicked in his blue eyes.  “And I have absolutely no intentions of warning Grimdal about your ship.  I want him to fully experience it without any forewarning.  It’s a little bit payback for him doing something similar to me once.”  He laughed.  “He probably thinks I forgot about the incident, but I don’t forget.  I bide my time.”  

[zabraki-smuggler]

“A voice-activated ship computer that can track the whereabouts of everyone on board…” Ras mused. “…interesting.”

Now that they were alone again, in better lighting, and not running for their lives, Ras was able to get a better view of his face. His outward appearance suggested a far different age than his eyes. The way the blue irises looked at the world around him suggested that they had seen many terrifying and perhaps tragic things. His body language exuded confidence, which she could tell was borne from decades of experience beyond any she had ever known. His bearded face was handsome, but also bore a battle-hardened ruggedness. It added to his charm.

She quickly looked away before he noticed her staring, breathing a silent sigh of relief when he seemed caught up in a memory of his Wookie engineer. His eyes glinted playfully, and Ras chuckled awkwardly. “I feel like there’s a story behind this,” she joked. She shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware of how long they had been alone in this lift. “Your ship is massive,” she commented. “I mean it looked massive from the outside but now that I’m here, well, let’s just say I’ve been to inhabited moons that are smaller.”

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

Ras was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the Bothan. That wasn’t a race she came across in her travels very often. But she was thankful for a glimmer of familiarity in this strange place.

She hung back while the Bothan discussed schematics with her captain, half-listening to the conversation while her eyes continued to wander around the ship. She eyed a couple passing crewman curiously, noting the only commonality a strange emblem on their chests. At one point, one crewman tapped the symbol on his chest and immediately began talking to himself. She did a double-take when the pin spoke back to him.

“It must be some sort of communication device,” she thought. “It’s so small. Perfect for stealth.”

The technology here was something she had only dreamed of. She was no mechanic by any stretch but listening to Tank babble on…it was clear that it was very sophisticated, and that he knew his stuff.

She gave the Bothan a polite bow of her horned head as they parted ways. She looked at Tank with a raised eyebrow. “What’s a ‘holodeck’. Is it your version of the HoloNet?”

He looked up to her, re-clasping his hands behind his back.  “Not quite.  It’s more of a room where holographic simulations can be constructed and interacted with.  Useful for a variety of things, from research, to design work, to training and exercise, or recreation.  Which, admittedly, the latter is what they are used the most for.”  

A thought occurred to him, expression becoming curious.  “And speaking of ships, I had mentioned that once we were clear of the planet, it was your call what you would like to do.  But the damage your ship had and how she was handling, I have to wonder if it could even take you to other parts of the galaxy, much less stay within the system, if you wanted to make use of that option.  I think she should be checked out.  If you’ll give me just a moment…”  He lifted his head slightly, his gaze moving away from hers.  “…Computer, what is the location of Grimdal?”

“Chief Engineer Grimdal is currently in Main Engineering.”  A calm, yet rather monotone voice responded, as if from thin air.

“Is he currently in the middle of any dangerous work?”  

“Define parameters.”

“Does he have his hands inside the engines, or something with a lot of electrical current or similar dangerous substances?”

“Negative.”

“Very well.”  He grinned to Ras.  “Means he’ll be able to jump right on this.”  Reaching under the ragged cloak, a chirping sound fluttered out from underneath. “Tank to Grimdal, you busy?”

A series of Wookie roars and growls followed, and he chuckled.  “Ok, besides with your usual duties, are you busy?”  A questioning grunt came, and he replied, “Because we have a guest, and her ship is…” He paused, expression becoming briefly pained.  “…a little rough.  Was banged up before leaving atmo, and became moreso by bounty hunters and TIEs.  Would you be willing to check her out, give me and Captain Kendar an appraisal?”

There was a moment of silence, before there was a bark-roar-growl combination.  “Corellian, YZ-775, if I’m not mistaken.”  

The Wookie growled his ascent, tone suggesting interest, and Tank smiled more widely.  “Thank you.  Lemme know what you find.  Tank out.”

Turning his blue-eyed gaze back to her, he gestured with his head towards the far end of the corridor, where there was a pair of the ubiquitous softly hissing doors.  “Well, let’s continue, shall we?”  He put action to words, and began to stroll towards them.  Through the Force, he could sense her bewilderment and awe, as well as a sudden sharp increase in suspicion.  Her mind was certainly closed off, not that he wasn’t trying, but her emotions were much easier to read.  

“So, would you happen to have any other questions?”

[zabraki-smuggler]

Out of instinct, Ras’ hand flew to her blaster as she frantically looked around for the source of the mechanical voice. She was able to restrain herself enough to simply keep her hand on the holster, but her uneasiness was evident. Her suspicion grew when the disembodied voice seemed to know exactly where this crew member was and what he was doing. Her yellow eyes narrowed as she glanced around wearily. Did this ship know the exact whereabouts of everyone on board? Did it watch everyone all the time? The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as all her smuggler’s instincts screamed to find a way to stay out of sight.

“Yeah,” she responded to his question, “what the frak was that?!”

She followed him warily, suddenly feeling like she was in a gigantic, sentient beehive. Her hand left her holster, but her suspicion did not abate. She shifted uncomfortably at the knowing look he gave her. It didn’t take a genius to guess that she was troubled.

“So, you have a Wookie on board?” she replied in an attempt to distract him from her uneasiness. “You’ll have to tell him to pardon the mess. This ship’s had a lot of problems since I got it and, well, I’m not exactly a mechanic.” She shrugged and flashed him a sheepish smile as she followed him through the doors.

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

Ras pursed her lips as she mused over the possibilities. “So in theory,” she replied, “they could be used to make some sort of bomb or cannon or other big weapon?” She thought about the raw firepower that must be tucked in her coat and swallowed in a dry throat. “In light of that new info, it looks like the Empire must be using them for some kind of weapon research. Maybe to augment the Super Star Destroyers, make them real fleet killers?”

She shuddered visibly, the thought of the Empire having more fire power than it already had sending chills down her spine. “Whatever their motives,” she continued, “good on Saw’s rebels for trying to keep them out of the Empire’s hands.” She chuckled and shrugged at his comment about their tactics. “Considering the Imperials have felt the need to send a Star Destroyer to hover over the place, I’d say their tactics are accomplishing at least part of their intended purpose. They’ve been a thorn in the Empire’s side since the beginning, or so I’ve heard. I’m no rebel, so what would I know. I’m just a smuggler that pays attention to rumors, cantina chatter, and the HoloNet.”

As they walked, an unbidden thought popped into her head, and her expression instantly darkened. “I was about to deliver something with ‘catastrophic’ destructive potential right into the hands of the most insane Hutt in the galaxy,” she commented, more to herself than to him. “That’s just great. I really need to get better about the whole ‘researching the client and the cargo before taking a job’ thing. If my Aunt saw me now she’d definitely have a thing or two to say to me…”

“I highly doubt the Hutt has a clue about that.”  Tank replied, dismissively.  “Hutts are always about the profit line for themselves, in whatever form that takes.  That and their social standing amongst others. They would have been concerned with how many credits they would fetch.  The research is pretty new anyway, and pretty tightly controlled, and only the Empire really has the means to put it to work like that.  Took us awhile to get the information.  Wasn’t easy..”  He stretched the truth once again: they did get a lot of data on the use of Kyber crystals, but that was at a completely different time.  “The one time the First Order has been useful.”  

Taking another corner, he saw a Bothan approach. “Ah, sirrr, a moment?”  The Bothan called, briefly adjusting the holstered blaster at her hip.  

Tank came to a stop, looking to the approaching female curiously.  “Certainly, what can I do for you, Viv'el?”  

Arc Viv’el drew a PADD from a pouch on her hip and held it out to him. “We’ve been worrrking on rrretooling the engines on one of the fighterrr designs, but no matter how much we adjust, we can’t get a betterrr than five perrcent thrust increase.  It was suggested you might have some thoughts.”  She put her hands on her hips, fur fluttering slightly.  She gave the Zabrak a glance, and then did a double take.  “Oh, I’m sorry!  I didn’t realize you were busy, sirrr!”

Tank waved it off.  “Quite alright, allow me to introduce you.  Arc Viv’el, this is Captain Ras Kendar, a…” He paused.  “…acquisitions expert from the planet.”  Looking to Ras, he added, “Ras Kendar, Arc Viv’el, one of the flight and design engineers here on Home One.”  

“A pleasurrre.”  Arc purred, fur flattening as she gave a small bow of her head.  Tank looked back to the PADD, and after moving the schematics shown around, pointed out to the Bothan, “I think what you could try is some focused fuel injectors and possibly a micro attenuator.  That might help with increasing the efficiencies, and give you the thrust you’re looking for.  Check my fighters, I’m pretty sure one of them has something similar to what you’re going for.”

She retook the PADD and gazed at it thoughtfully.  “Oh…yes…that’s possible…I’ll go to the Holodeck immediately and let my team know!  Thank you, sirrr!”  And with that, she quickly strolled off, excitement causing her fur to flutter.  

[zabraki-smuggler]

Ras was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the Bothan. That wasn’t a race she came across in her travels very often. But she was thankful for a glimmer of familiarity in this strange place.

She hung back while the Bothan discussed schematics with her captain, half-listening to the conversation while her eyes continued to wander around the ship. She eyed a couple passing crewman curiously, noting the only commonality a strange emblem on their chests. At one point, one crewman tapped the symbol on his chest and immediately began talking to himself. She did a double-take when the pin spoke back to him.

“It must be some sort of communication device,” she thought. “It’s so small. Perfect for stealth.”

The technology here was something she had only dreamed of. She was no mechanic by any stretch but listening to Tank babble on…it was clear that it was very sophisticated, and that he knew his stuff.

She gave the Bothan a polite bow of her horned head as they parted ways. She looked at Tank with a raised eyebrow. “What’s a ‘holodeck’. Is it your version of the HoloNet?”

[zabraki-smuggler]

Jedha City, 5 BBY

[jedimastertank]

Ras’ jaw hung open. “You’re from Wild Space?” She exclaimed. “I’ve heard rumors that there’s extensive life beyond the Outer Rim. After all, Admiral Thrawn had to have come from somewhere. But this…this is vaster than anything I could have imagined.”

She continued to gape as she took in her surroundings. The corridors were massive and never seemed to end. Everywhere she looked more species she had never seen before came into view, and it was impossible to keep herself from staring despite how rude she knew she appeared. How much life was there beyond the Outer Rim? There must have been an entire galaxy’s worth of species aboard this singular vessel. The hallway they were in chimed and beeped pleasantly, the crew working diligently at their stations and all nodding to Tank as they passed. “For someone who’s ‘just a passenger’, you’ve sure got a lot of reverence around here,” Ras said playfully. “What is the ‘United Federation of Planets’ anyway? And if its so vast, powerful, and obviously loaded, why the hell hasn’t the Empire or the Rebel Alliance heard about them? Just how deep into Wild Space are you from?”

As the conversation turned to the kyber crystals, Ras raised a puzzled eyebrow. “What kind of consequences?” she inquired. “I’ll admit I don’t know much about them outside of their value on the black market, especially now that the Empire has made them a rare commodity. My Aunt used to tell me stories about the Jedi, and that the kyber crystals were used to power their lightsabers. The Empire has been looting the Jedi’s temple on Jedha for years, so there must be some value there. But other than that, I’ll admit I know nothing about them. Except that Saw Gerrera and his band of rebels are intent on keeping them out of the Empire’s hands.”

Tank had the tiniest half-step at the dropping of Thrawn’s name.  In his time, the infamous Chiss Grand Admiral was a complete surprise to what had then become the New Republic.  They had thought at the time that all of the Grand Admirals had been accounted for, so Thrawn’s appearance and tactical brilliance nearly destroyed the New Republic.  So for Ras to be aware of him already… “Either the timeline is more divergent than we originally thought, or the Rebel Alliance’s intel was spottier than even they were aware of.”  He considered, before setting that particular conundrum aside.  

He managed a small smile at the reverence comment: he never took it for granted, reading it merely as respect for the rank.  Even if he did his best to make sure to make the rounds regularly and remain appraised of every crew member, he made an effort to treat them as equals.  Still, he could see how she would come to such a conclusion.  Focusing on her questions, he answered, “The United Federation of Planets is a group of independent worlds that have banded together for common defense and knowledge.  To give an idea of how deep into Wild Space, you could say they’re more into the Unknown Regions.”  It was a bit of an exaggeration on his part, but the Milky Way Galaxy can definitely be classified as being an ‘unknown region.’  “Sometimes they get asked to provide assistance, and this would be one of those times.”  

“As for Kyber crystals, they can be used to channel great energy through them, focusing and attuning them to increase the energy output.  Jedi lightsabers are the most common example, but there has been some word that research has managed to find other uses for them involving weapons or other destructive devices.  The destructive output has been theorized to be on several orders of magnitude.  To the point that its…catastrophic.”  His face slackened, memories of the second Death Star’s superlaser being put to use on two of the cruisers in the Rebel fleet briefly coming to mind before he set them aside, shaking it off.  Focusing on her last comments, he resolved to ask Darcy if she had any details on the Rebel leader.  “If this Saw Gerrera is trying to stop the Empire, either they know something we don’t, or they’re just trying to be disruptive in general.  Some Rebel groups were like that, making a mess for messes sake.”  He contemplated.  Aloud, he continued, “Considering that the insurgents that attacked the troopers in that cargo convoy didn’t seem to be doing more than making a mess, I suspect that they’re not aware of what they’re possibly being taken away for, just that they’re something the Empire is taking and so they’re trying to stop them from doing it. Their tactics were poor though, they didn’t have a follow up plan in place, didn’t try to recover the crystals to deny them to the Empire, and instead allowed themselves to get drawn into a battle.  Hit and run tactics only work when you actually run.”  

[zabraki-smuggler]

Ras pursed her lips as she mused over the possibilities. “So in theory,” she replied, “they could be used to make some sort of bomb or cannon or other big weapon?” She thought about the raw firepower that must be tucked in her coat and swallowed in a dry throat. “In light of that new info, it looks like the Empire must be using them for some kind of weapon research. Maybe to augment the Super Star Destroyers, make them real fleet killers?”

She shuddered visibly, the thought of the Empire having more fire power than it already had sending chills down her spine. “Whatever their motives,” she continued, “good on Saw’s rebels for trying to keep them out of the Empire’s hands.” She chuckled and shrugged at his comment about their tactics. “Considering the Imperials have felt the need to send a Star Destroyer to hover over the place, I’d say their tactics are accomplishing at least part of their intended purpose. They’ve been a thorn in the Empire’s side since the beginning, or so I’ve heard. I’m no rebel, so what would I know. I’m just a smuggler that pays attention to rumors, cantina chatter, and the HoloNet.”

As they walked, an unbidden thought popped into her head, and her expression instantly darkened. “I was about to deliver something with ‘catastrophic’ destructive potential right into the hands of the most insane Hutt in the galaxy,” she commented, more to herself than to him. “That’s just great. I really need to get better about the whole ‘researching the client and the cargo before taking a job’ thing. If my Aunt saw me now she’d definitely have a thing or two to say to me…”