The time is upon us...

[Ateth]

I would actually prefer that all the shots were coming my way, Jadec was hardly in an ideal position to defend himself what with him dragging the Captain-Supervisor along for the ride. I could handle it.

I was in my battle trance, not so much a force skill I'd picked up as it was a state of mind that I'd worked on over the years. Everything melting away and the only thing that existed was the force and the breath in my lungs. The ting ting of blaster fire and the bzzttt bzzzttt of that fire hitting my saber blade and being deflected back or away. A few more troopers dropped from reflected blaster fire. One stupid trooper tried to close the distance between me and Jadec as we withdrew to the crate cover and with a swift horizontal swing the idiotic trooper's head comes free from his shoulders.

Backing up towards the crate, lightsaber flashing from side to side, my heel hits the edge of the crate and I look down at Jadec, noting his hand covering his hip "How bad is it?" I ask, before turning my head to the barracks.."You run for the door, take this... I'll take care of these guys" grabbing up a transparisteel sheet that's about half the size of his body that was leaning against the wall..part of a starship deckplate I think and rather light all considered..lighter than dragging around mr. meatshield anyway.

Without giving him a chance to respond to that, I'm running headlong for the barracks, lightsaber flashing out cutting through two troopers with one swing. Seven troopers had made it out the door before I got to the barracks. My movements fluid and deadly, a hint of wildness, unpredictable chaotic movements to throw my targets off balance. It was a deadly if beautiful dance, the slash of my saber flashing out again and again, red hair dancing and fanning out like flickering flames as I spun out of the way of one trooper's dive over his fallen comrades, however one trooper gets in under my guard with a stun baton with a jolt as it connects and an audible cracking sound but despite the pain my saber lashes forward and impales the trooper through his chest piece.

There was a rather sizeable pile of bodies in front of the barracks now and I back off, switching my saber to my other hand as the twinge from my side was killing me every time I moved that arm to block a blaster bolt "We gotta go.."

[Maverick2002]

I holster my blaster and grab the transparisteel with my free hand, the other still on my side – Moving with it was going to be difficult but I only needed that extra bit of cover until we reached the door.

As Ateth heads off to confront the troopers spilling out of the barrack I make my move – the slaughter happening was an perfect diversion, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should be doing more. I guess deep down i wasn’t comfortable letting a woman be in the firing line for me, even one as deadly as Ateth was proving to be – I have my reasons for folllowing that mindset, other than being slightly chauvenistic and sexist of course, but there was more too it than that….

Anyway, It was time to move. I hoist the shield up and make a laboured run for it – each step feels like its ripping my side further but I grit my teeth and push on. The sound of the blaster bolts hitting the shield rings through the steel as it becomes warmer and warmer to the touch as the their energy disipates across the plating.

“We gotta go” Ateth shouts as I’m just about level with her, discomfort apparent in her voice – we’re only a short distance from the door. “watch my back, would ya” having noticed the rather secure looking electronic lock on the door. I drop the shield and remove my blaster from its holster, with careful aim I let off a volley of fire towards the lock, the stream of bright crimson bolts impact their target in a flash of sparks and smoke, leaving behind a glowing mangled lump of metal on the side of the door. Using the momentum of my run, I drop my shoulder and charge at the door, crashing through, leaving it swinging on its hinges.

We head into the undergrowth, troopers in pursuit…

[Ateth]

As Jadec is passing me, running for the door, I turn and run along behind him, one blaster bolt coming perilously close to my neck and impacting on the wall in front of us. I can feel the heat of it's passing and I hiss a bit under my breath in pain. It didn't do much damage except leave a nice little scorched burn there, it could have been much worse.

'Watch my back, would ya'..I swivel around and deflect a few bolts, two more troopers drop and behind me I can hear the blaster fire and subsequent sparking of the locking mechanism of the door. Running backwards and out the door, slamming the door back into place. While Jadec is running for the undergrowth I pause a few moments..dragging the tip of the lightsaber up the seam of the door, melting and fusing the metal together before running to catch up with Jadec

"That outta give us a little head start" They'd have to go through the base and around it to follow us and hopefully by then our tracks would have been lost in the underbrush

[Maverick2002]

We continue deeper into the jungle and into thick humid air we had, had a temporary escape from within the base. Thanks to Ateths quick thinking, we had an opportunity to lose our pursuers and it didn’t take long to do just that.

“I think we’re in the clear… for now…but who knows where we are or where your ship is” I proclaim in a slightly breathy voice from the tiredness. I sit down on the edge of a fallen tree and take the time to take a look at my wound – moving my hand with a slight grunt, it was obvious our escape had taken its toll. The injury had opened up and was bleeding slightly, a death sentence in these conditions if we didn’t get back to the ship soon.
Removing the imperial jacket, I rip both of the sleeves off at the seam and tie them together then wrap them around my torso and pul tightly before tying them again. The markshift bandage is far from ideal but would hopefully see me through the jungle ahead of us and stem some of the bleeding.

“So whats the plan now ‘Ateth’”?” The emphasis on her name an obvious dig at the fact she’d been lying about it “Things back there could have maybe, just maybe, gone a bit better but at least we’ve got the parts we need” I gaze around at our immediate area and the daunting realism hits home that it all looks the same with nothing to go off as a reference to find out where we are “I’m hoping you’ve got some special trick where you can find your ship in all of this aaaand not forgetting the welcome party that likely waiting for us there…..”

[Ateth]

The jungle seemed to close around us with it's hot humid air and enveloping folliage and once we're far enough in that we can be sure that we've lost the troopers, it's only then do I allow myself a slight breath of relief. It wasn't over yet though. We still had to get through the jungle and back to the ship.

As Jadec sits down on the edge of that fallen tree, I crumpled into a heap in front of him, choking back a grunt of pain and reaching up to pull the band off the end of my hair, fingers running through it to release it from the braid. I was supposed to be strong, capable, independent..I didn't want to let on just how much I wanted to just lay here and not move. Each movement causing a lance of pain to radiate out over my ribs. Head dipped down, flaming red hair like a curtain veiling my face. It seemed for a moment that I perhaps hadn't heard him say my name, shoulders rising and falling in deep even breaths to the count of four..breath in..1...2...3...4 hold...1...2...3...4 breath out...1...2..3...4.

"You're right...I lied. My name isn't Tiiona Dax. It's Ateth Fittale. I've been going by Tiiona since I left the Empire" my voice is slightly steadier than it would have been had I not taken the time for my breathing exercise "You said earlier you had asked about my past ..the girl in the holo..and I'd closed up. It's true. I did. I've tried so hard to bury my past, to forget it. I'm not the same person I used to be. I've changed, and not for the better" I look up at him through the curtain of my hair, the vivid green eyes haunted.

"I admit..I had my doubts about you, and in your place, I'd probably do the same thing you did. I have a hard time opening up. The girl in the holo was me..a different me..a better me" it's why when he'd asked about it, I'd referred to the girl as someone I'd used to know "I grew up on Dathomir. It's a wild untamed world, but a diplomatic convoy of Jedi came and they discovered my talent. I was about four at the time, and they took me back to Corruscant to train at the Temple. The man in the holo was my Master. When I was ten, we went back to Dathomir on a diplomatic mission to make contact with the more friendly clans. Our trooper escort turned on us..it was Order 66. My Master was killed but I managed to escape into the wilds. I stayed on planet, and four years later I stowed away on a transport off planet. I took whatever jobs I could find to support myself... smuggling, bounty hunting.."

"I met Nirea Danakar then but I called her Mouse..a big attitude for such a small Twi'lek" my lips curl up into a grin at that "Fast forward a few years, after graduating from the Caridan Imperial Academy and serving two years aboard the Independance. The Emperor paid a visit to the star destroyer I was serving on and took notice of me. I became an Inquisitor... It is such a quiet thing, to fall. But far more terrible is to admit it...where once I had been a Padawan in training at the Jedi Temple, I now hunted down and killed my former classmates, teachers, friends...all those who had escaped Order 66. If they did not join us, they died" The pain in vivid green eyes was more than just the pain of my wounds.

"I was given an assignment..to hunt down my former lover. I couldn't do it..so I faked my death, changed my name and tried to disappear. If the Emperor gets wind of my treason...well, you can imagine what would happen.."

[Maverick2002]

The sincere look in those enchanting eyes left no doubt that Ateth had finally let some of her barriers down and it totally took me by surprise. As she described her past. It was almost as if I could feel the emotion coming through her and I clung to every word – the words themselves gave the impression that Ateth had given up on any redemption, that she’d resigned herself to living with the deamons in her past. She mentioned that the girl in the holo was gone forever but deep down, I didn’t agree. Even in the short time I’d known her, the odd smile, laugh and the relief I’d seen were flickers of the person that once was.

As she told me her story, I maintain eye contact throughout but shift around on the log to make myself more comfortable, the odd grimace evident on my otherwise sympathetic expression. “A pleasure to finally meet you Ms Fittale” in a slightly sarcastic tone “I’m still Jadec Seko, ace pilot, crack shot and all round dashing rogue” said with a flash of that charming grin “but” the grin drops ”I’m also Jadec Seko, fugitive and generally wanted man in a least four systems…that I know of anyway”

I quickly continue “now isn’t the time for details but if you really want to know, I’ll tell you….once we’re back on your ship.” Grabbing hold of an outstreched branch I pull myself awkardly to my feet “ Look Ateth, we all have our deamons, hell, its sounds like we’ve both got enough for everyone, but your past doesn’t have to define you, what you do in the present does. Without you allowing me to stay on your ship, my mission for want of a better word, would be over so, for that you have my gratitude” I extend my hand out to her “Lets go take back your ship and get off of this rancid smelling, hot, imperial infested planet”

Although we were safe from any imperial patrols, if we were to listen carefully enough, It would be possible to hear the sounds of the passing maintenance teams, heading towards Ateths ship. …

[Ateth]

It was significant that I actually let those barriers down. I wasn't sure if Jadec realized just how meaningful it was for me to open up like that. It was as if the dam had broken and a floodgate rushed out with my emotions..at least a floodgate where I was concerned. My Master would not have been pleased with this display of emotion..well..as much of a display as it was anyway. I could hear his voice in my head right now cautioning..There is no emotion, there is peace.

My inner emotions were a turmoil as I talked about my past. Anger, mostly at myself..disappointment... resignation... loathing, again, mostly at myself. I was definitely beating myself up, though he also gets the inexplicable feeling that the reason I'm so closed off...is because I'm trying to protect other people. Whether it's trying to protect others from myself or from the possible dangers of affiliating themselves with me, isn't quite clear to him.

He might not agree with my opinion that the girl from the holo was irretrievable and that my past doesn't define me, but it might take a bit more time for me to forgive myself, only time would tell. Tilting my head up to look at his outstretched hand..this was going to hurt...but I reached up with my right hand, the side that wasn't so sore, and with his help, pulled myself into a standing position. The flash of a grimace across my features. "You can say that again..if I never see another jungle or another imperial uniform it will be too soon" speaking of imperial uniforms this uniform has got to GO, and once I'm fully vertical again, I unbutton the shirt and toss it and shimmy out of the pants, leaving them pooled at my feet in the undergrowth.

"Ah much better" I give a little sigh, and then go to dig around in my hip pouch for something. After a moment pulling out a little pad and tapping the screen a few times. A little green arrow appears on it pointing in the direction of a little green flashing blip, A moment of orienting myself and I point into the jungle

"This way. I've activated the ship's remote homing signal, we should be able to find it a bit easier now. I've also activated the locking and security mechanism. If there are imperials out there headed for it, anything short of a heavy duty cutting laser will not get thru and if they do happen to get thru it's set to self destruct" Of course that won't stop the Imperials from finding it and engaging us when we get there but it would pose quite a deterrent to hijacking my baby and taking it somewhere else.

[Maverick2002]

The journey back through the undergrowth towards the ship was much slower than our original out from it – each of our injuries were taking their toll and both of us seemed to be struggling somewhat, even if neither were willing to show it.

I could feel myself going light headed from time to time as we pressed on, mainly due to the humidity and the blood-loss but I wasn't going to stop - In my mind, the driving force was the thought of getting back into the conditioned interior of the ship, where I could get cleaned up and continue our journey to Nar shadaa and back to my goal.

As we get closer to the ship, the sounds of chatter was getting louder and it was possible to see the flickers of metal through the gaps in the dense foliage. I remove my blaster from its holster into a ready position, crouch down and edge towards the clearing to get a better a view. By the ship, there was a group of technicians gathered round a work bench and 3 groups of 4 troopers posted around the ships perimeter. Also near the ship were a few mimbanites, carrying what looked like equipment boxes from one position to near the work bench.

While studying what was going on, it was obvious the technicians were trying to figure out a way to get back into the ship, who knows how long they had been there but they may have already been in. “looks like your lockdown may have slowed them, that was a neat trick” I whisper, still looking over the site.

“What we need is a distraction and I think I’ve seen just the thing” motioning over to the far side of the clearance, I nod towards the ground. It was barely noticeable and quite a way out from the camp but in the distance, it was just possible to see that same shifting dirt we’d experienced on the way out “The fuzzy little things were scared of whatever that thing is, how about we see how the imperials hold up?” a smirk appear on my face “I shoot that, all hell brakes loose and we make a run for the ship” It was a risky plan, maybe even crazy but I was confident it would work, even if I wasn't entirely sure how big or how angry that thing would be once I shot it…….

[Ateth]

On the way back through the undergrowth I made liberal use of my Jedi breathing techniques and pain suppression methods and it was working..for the most part. I just hoped that maybe we'd get there before the imperials, though I knew that was probably a long shot but at least when we do get back to the ship and find that they reached it before we did, I can see my lockdown had the desired effect. They hadn't yet been able to get back into the ship.

I pull out my saber from it's clip at my belt and crouch down next to Jadec, studying the situation, twelve troopers around the perimeter and the group of techs. If I wasn't already in pretty bad shape it would have been no problem taking them out, but with both of our injuries this little snag could be a problem "Well...this is potentially problematic.." I murmur under my breath.

My eyes turn to where he motions and I can see just that slight shifting in the earth and a sly smile turns the corners of my lips up slowly "Ohhh that's good..I like that idea" green eyes twinkle

[Maverick2002]

“I was hoping you’d say that!” the excited tone present even in my whisper. With careful aim I pull the trigger unleashing to two scarlet bolts towards the shifting earth. The shots attracted the troopers attention who had instantly turned to face us but then it happened! The ground around us shook and location where the shots landed erupted into a mass of broken dirt falling around a huge mass of cream coloured armoured flesh with the obvious glint of jet black razer sharp teeth in it cavernous mouth.. The troopers stopped in their tracks and turned to the creature that had emerged, each unleashing volleys of rifle fire toward the greater threat.

“We need to move!” rising from my crouched position i grab the bag of parts and sprint towards the ramp, firing shots at the troopers who were caught between us and the beast, three of which find their mark and take down a few unlucky troopers in the process. The troopers themselves were more concerned with their own survival rather than what we were doing and rightly so.…the rifle fire hadn't even touched the plated underbelly of the worm and had no other effect other than aggravating it even more – In a massive slam, the beast lowered its head to the ground, crushing two techs who were cowering behind some wayward storage containers and began to charge, it was heading straight towards the camp the imperials had set up and where the ship was…

It was moving a quick pace towards us and the camp, mouth wide open within rows of teeth chewing through everything in its way. I was standing at the bottom of the ramp slightly protected by the ships hull “I’ll cover you, get the door open and get us up there!”

[Ateth]

So far so good, it seems like Jadec's plan was working so far. The Imperials weren't bothering themselves with us, instead their focus was on the worm that Jadec's fire had aroused. Now all we had to worry about was not getting chomped on by the very diversion we'd instigated!

I sprinted towards the ramp after Jadec, cutting down two troopers in my way with an arc from my saber passing through the two of them like a vibroknife through bantha butter. While Jadec is covering me, my fingers fly over the control panel at the bottom of the ramp and a slap of my hand against the sensor, it seems like forever waiting for the system to scan my dna before the light flashes green, releasing the security lockout and the door's energy barrier flickers off

"Cmon, lets go before we're worm chow!" I hop up onto the ramp, deflecting blaster bolts with my saber from the few troopers near our position who had realized that their quarry was escaping. Once Jadec get into the ship, I back up while continuing to deflect blaster fire and hit the button to raise the ramp. A few moments later the door seals, the fighting outside and the roar of the pissed off worm muffled by the ships interior.

Extinguishing the saber and clipping it to my belt as I rush down the corridor to the cockpit, summarily throwing myself into the pilot's seat I start the pre-flight sequence. "We're gonna have to do repairs on the run" No way was I sitting around here tinkering with those guys outside.

[Maverick2002]

The ships engines roar into life accompanied by bursts of stabilising jets firing to stabilise it as it lurches upwards through the canopy – branches and leaves are all that can be seen until we breech the top where the view changing from green and brown to a deep grey with the flashes of white lightning from the storm “Well the last stupid idea of mine worked, may as well try another” I rush over to the bag of parts and pull it open, dumping the rectenna and other parts on the floor adjacent to it “we’ve no chance of a proper repair and I’d strongly advise against landing again” the urgent tone in my voice very apparent. While grabbing at the nearby tools from Ateths earlier repair, i pull away a few of the wall panels running between the upper and lower gunner positions “I think, well… I hope I can jury rig these parts internally to allow us at least a small jump out of this system. You just focus on getting us through those damn storm clouds without taking any more hits”

The inner workings of YT model ships was like second nature to me and although this Kazellis-class light freighter was a different beast, there were some obvious similarities. The gun well where I was working was adjacent to the main central power core and the panels I’d removed had allowed me access to the main wiring looms heading to the rest of the ship, all of the cables ran through here before heading off to the respective locations, including the ones to the damaged rectenna.

The ship was buffeting violently as Ateth avoided the worst of the storm which made fiddling with cables even more challenging – my concentration was so high that the pain of my side wasn’t even registering. I systematically used the signal tester on the controls loom, sweat was dripping from my forehead, I knew roughly were too look but finding the “dead cables” was still quite the task…… “got ya” I say to myself, as I group up a small collection of cables, snipping them with the cutters and pulling the slack out of the wall cavity. “we’re almost ready” I shout through to Ateth.

I quickly assemble the rectenna in the shaft of the gun well, using the wall plates I’d removed as wedges and begin the terminate the cables one by one. “Try it now! If it works, you wont be able to align it but just jump to wherever you can and we’ll have to sort it afterwards!”…….

[Ateth]

The situation was far from ideal for repairs but I wasn't about to give the Imperials another chance to clap us in irons. Taking us up at a steep climb, I let my eyes drift shut, trying to put out of my thoughts the pain from my wounds and my exhaustion, stretching out with my senses. It was a bit more of a struggle than it had been on our initial descent. I was tired and it was difficult to concentrate. If my Master was still alive he would have said that... physical exhaustion wasn't relevant to the control of the force. I wasn't 'flexing' any muscles...weight had no meaning. It was only in my mind.

"Woops..sorry.." I hollar over my shoulder at the jostling ride. It wasn't the smoothest trip. The Force wasn't a precise control panel, I was flying on instincts, sensing the buildup of energy in the storm clouds and moving to avoid being hit by the arcing electrical jolts that latticed through the upper atmosphere. But at least we weren't hit and the Imperials down below were too busy with the worm to think about alerting the troops up in orbit about us, so as soon as we cleared the planet, I toggled the hyperspace and the stars stretched into lines.

I REALLY didn't like jumping without precise calculations and I just hoped we'd come out of it in one piece and not smeared across a planetoid. Luck was on our side though, and the short jump brought us out unscathed. "Well at least we weren't reduced to dissipating molecules" After checking the instrumentation, I move down the corridor and lean against the gunwell shaft

"We're in the Prindaar system..near Antar, a gas giant with six moons, four of which are habitable. So far as I know...there aren't any Imperial holdings on Antar 4 even thought technically the planet is under the purview of the Empire. Quite a few of their inhabitants are sympathizers of the Rebelion..not openly of course. After the Antar Atrocity; wherein Moff Tarkin leading Imperial forces, went to Antar 4 and committed massacres against the citizens for their allegience to the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars and then, following the destruction of Alderaan, most people don't make their political sympathies public out of fear. The native race here, the Gotal have developed empathic senses and it leads them to distrust the promises of Imperial diplomats. It should be safe to set down here for repairs"

Returning to the cockpit, I set a course for the fourth moon. According to my readings, the planet was composed sixty percent of water, the other thirty percent around the equatorial region was comprised of grasslands, creating a north and south ocean. The planet's crust is heavy with metals that create a resonate magnetic field in conjunction with the stars; and as a result the native race, the Gotal, developed extraordinary perception to compensate. Finding a nice secluded spot, I set the ship down with a hiss of repulsors.

[Maverick2002]

I let out a huge sigh of relief as I hear the sound of the engines kicking into lightspeed and a sly smile appears on my face with only a slight grimace as the pain from my side becomes apparent again. After a moment, we drop out of hyperspace and ateth approaches from the cockpit “You’re really going to have to teach me how to do that one day” I say to her jokingly, referring to the impressive feat of flying she just pulled off.

Ateth begins to give an update to our position and the system we’re in, but my mind drifts somewhat – i’m covered In the grime from that planet, tired and still in considerable pain all of which meant I wasn’t really thinking clearly “Sounds like we caught a lucky break, hopefully the Gotals treat us better than those damn mimbanites” as she turns to head back to the cockpit, I pull my shirt off over my head, use it to wipe the sweat and dirt from my face then head to shower.

Feeling the water on me was better than I could have imagined, even the sting as it ran over my injury was a small price to pay to feel clean and almost instantly refreshed, I didn’t want to leave. After drying myself and cleaning the wound I used a nearby medkit to patch myself up properly – it was perfect but it should allow me to move almost unrestricted without tearing, so hopefully it shouldn’t bother me anymore.

My shirt was ruined so I grab at my jacket I’d left in the room before our adventure and sling it on, padding down the pocket in the process “it’ll be worth it” I say to myself, referring to the still inactive comm link.

I exit the room, just in time to hear the whirr of the engines backing off and the short bursts of repulsors as we set down….

[Ateth]

"If you were sensitive to the currents of the Force, I probably could" I say while the expression on my face is appraising. Of course, even if he -were- force sensitive, it would probably take quite a lot of work and training for him to emulate what I'd done back there. Of course, some people were just naturals and could pick up quickly what others take a long time to master.

"Mimbanites.." I muttered disdainfully "..if I never see another fuzzy green thing it will be too soon...and to think, I gave them my ring" a little snort given before turning to return to the cockpit and start the entry sequence.

Once we were set down, I left the cockpit and went down the hall to my own shower. Stripping the soiled clothes and leaving them in a puddle on the bathroom floor, I started up the water, letting my hand test it for temperature before getting in. Much like Jadec, the shower was absolutely heavenly after the heat and muggy dampness of the jungle and I allow myself to linger far longer under the stream of water than I otherwise would. Letting the water wash off all the grime, sweat, muck and blood of our ordeal.

There's a twinge of pain radiating from my side as I reached up to scrub my hair, and while under the water my fingers expertly de-tangles and weaves the firey tresses into a long french braid. Once all clean, I shut off the water and squeeze the excess out from my hair before stepping out and drying off, gingerly patting my side and wincing. I stepped out into the common area once dressed in clean clothes, a pair of red and gold scaly-looking pants and a matching tank top leaving my midriff exposed. Jadec would notice along the left side of my waist and creeping up my ribs where I'd been hit by the stun baton, the area there is covered in a humongous nasty looking black and blue bruise. Red mottles the area as if some blood vessels or perhaps a rib or two had broken with the impact, also along the right side of my neck is a bit of scorching from where one of the trooper's shots had grazed the skin, barely missing taking my head from my shoulders.

[Maverick2002]

As Ateth enters the room my gaze drifts towards her “Well I guess you don’t scrub up too badly” the irony in my comment apparent as she somehow managed to look good despite the obvious injuries. “So whats the plan? Repair the ship, restock, avoid trouble? As much as I’m in a rush to get to Nar Shaddaa, I could use a stiff drink and given what we’ve just been through, you’re buying…..i hope you know this place better than I do? I coyly glance at her expectantly.

Now that we have a bit of time to gather our thoughts, my mind drifts trying to process the last few days, the revelations of my travelling companion, the near death situations, those damned mimbanites and of course what waits for me on the smugglers moon, if we ever make it there. From my body language, it wouldn’t be obvious that there was a lot going on in my mind. Surprisingly, of all these things rushing through my head, one point keeps looping around "If you were sensitive to the currents of the Force, I probably could" the words that Ateth said to me when I asked about the flying – its not something I’d ever considered, or something I’d know about if I was. The relationship with my parents was such that they wouldn’t have recognised it during my limited upbringing and after leaving home when I did, no one else was around to notice it either. Could I be ‘force sensitive’ ? what would it mean if I was? These were questions I wasn’t sure if I wanted answered.

Leaving the living space I walk towards the ramp, checking my holster on the way, I swivel round and continue to walk backwards “ come on ‘Inquisitor’, I’ve no idea what they speak here and I might need to trade you for some parts” I wink, turn and exit the ship.

[Ateth]

An eyebrow arches just a bit at his first comment on my appearance "Thank you...I think" I hadn't really intended to 'look good', I just threw on whatever my hand landed on and that would allow me to tend to the injury to my side with a bit more ease. I wasn't about to let him know though, how his comment pleased me. What?? Despite being a cold bitch sometimes I was also a woman and woman liked to be complimented occasionally!

I move over and remove a box from a foot locker against the wall and pull out some bacta patches, affixing them over the mottled skin of my injured side. That should help a little with the healing process. "Bout as good a plan as any. I've set us down in a rather remote area so unless you want to hike to the nearest inhabited settlement we probably won't be visiting any cantinas. I'd rather like to avoid any more entanglements if at all possible" truthfully we weren't TOO far from a settlement, on a world comprised mostly of water with a small strip of plains we couldn't get as far secluded as I would have hoped to be.

"I've never been here before" I reply to his comment that he hoped I know this place better than he does and give a crooked grin '..I might need to trade you for some parts' ..."Ha-ha very funny, I wonder if you'd smell any better than a taun taun on the inside" I say following him down the ramp. I was only joking, I wouldn't really cut him open to find out the answer to that question...or would I?

Outside the ship was pitch blackness, even darker than the jungle planet we just escaped from. Antar 4 was completely obscured by the gas giant Antar. The only light were the pinpricks of stars in the inky blackness of the sky and one of antar 4's sister moons setting the distant water into a shimmering blue green ripple.

Also upon exiting the regulated interior of the ship, there's a sense of vertigo and disorientation along our nerve endings. With a crust rich in silicon, nickel, iron, and the magnetism of magnetite in conjunction with the electromagnetic field of the stars, the moon's inhabitants were forced to develop a unique sensory ability to negate the magnetic effects of their world and for those not force sensitive the combination would play havoc with their senses.

[Maverick2002]

“Oh come on Ateth, we both know you’d never do that, you’d miss me and my wit too much ” continuing in a smug tone “ what’s it going to take for you to admit you need me” just as I finish my sentence, the rush of disorientation hits me and I stagger a couple of steps, its a feeling like no other as all my senses fire off at the same time, not only is it a dizzy feeling but almost as if I can feel everything going on around me, from the air movement, the temperature, the gravity and even what I can only describe as life, as crazy as that sounds – trying to cover it up I quickly regain my composure and carry on.

Stepping off the ramp, the landing lights from the ship illuminate the immediate area before hitting the thick curtain of blackness around us. “Well this is another fantastic planet we’ve ended up on” moving towards the limit of the light “ have you got something that can help us see?”

While Ateth retrieves a light source, I clamber onto the top of her ship to inspect the exterior damage. My jury rigged repair of the internals would need replacing for sure but I wanted to see what else we’d need. On first inspection, it looked a lot worse than it was, a few armor plates missing and laser scoring but other than that, it was an easy-ish fix…if we can find the parts.

Slowly edging towards the extreme of the hull, I drop back down to the ground and stumble yet again - the disorientation hasn’t subsided and with my injury still giving me a bit of discomfort I was far from 100%. I’d made my mind up that I’d follow Ateths lead, as far as I could tell, she didn’t seem to be having as much as a hard time adjusting to the planet as I was…..my usual confident swagger wasn’t as obvious and I couldn’t help shake the bad feeling I was getting….

[Ateth]

"Miss you? I'd miss you about as much as I'd miss a hole in my head" which would be to say, not even...okay, so maybe that wasn't quite the truth there. If I actually admitted it to myself, which I wasn't. He was kind of growing on me. I was about to answer that question about what it would take to admit I need him in truly snarktastic fashion when I see him stumble "You okay?" Maybe I do have a heart.

"Here..this'll help" Reaching into my pouch I pull out an object, circular like a coin with faceted sides and I toss it up into the air where it sticks and hovers around twenty five feet over the ship, and grows in circumference to be about the size of a beach ball before it starts to glow brightly. I move around the ship, tossing up two more of the lights to shed some light at three points.

Once the lights were afixed, I went back up into the ship and retrieved the bag of parts we'd liberated from the imperials. I had some parts of my own too that I kept around for emergency purposes and I toss those into the bag as well as my tool kit and clambor up onto the top of the ship to join him. "Well..we -should- have all the parts we need, just need a little time without distractions or people firing at us to fix up this baby and we'll be on our way again" that was the trick though..time and no people firing on us, that was the tricky part.

[Maverick2002]

“Well well, handy as always” I remark about the light modules now floating around us, amazed at the little gadgets Ateth has collected over time, prepared for anything, a stark contrast for how I usually am, ‘winging it’ would be an understatement.

Watching Ateth as she climbs on top of the ship I call up to her “Can I ask you something?” which was more of a rhetorical question “When we get to Nar shaddaa, what are you going to do with yourself” a slightly sombre tones fills my voice “I mean, you could stick around with me but i think we’ve established, that isn’t your usual style and besides, I’m pretty sure a former inquisitor isn’t going to be the biggest fan of what’s waiting for me there” continuing on, looking out into the blackness surrounding the ship “I’m sure you’ve seen your share of scum but until you’ve been to the smugglers moon, you’re only just scratching the surface” I was aware that I was understating the things Ateth had been through, but that comment was more of a smokescreen to distract from the point – truth be told, I was quite enjoying having a lightsabre wielding vixen as backup but I still wasn’t 100% sure why she was helping given my veiled threat of explosive charges had long been dismissed and she hadn’t really asked what was so important there. What was in it for her? Given I was also growing quite fond of her, I was apprehensive about how she might react once she found out more about me.

Waiting for a reply I remove the small comm-link from my pocket and hold it in my hand, it was still inactive but it would be obvious to anyone looking on that it meant something to me. While holding the object, a feeling of dread and sadness fills my body, something I had never felt before and couldn’t explain. It was feeling like something bad had happened or was about to……..