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Topic:  Bits and Bytes
StarFruit
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StarFruit
 
[VE-ARMY] Gunnery Sergeant
[VE-ICS] Privateer
 
Post Number:  599
Total Posts:  799
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  Bits and Bytes
February 16, 2012 8:24:49 AM    View the profile of StarFruit 
OOC:
Shit this suuuucks. But whateves. Anyone can join really.


The new, big hat was heavy. Granted it was a metaphorical big hat. Or maybe it was just the amount of liquor that was sitting in the new;y appointed Captain's stomach.

With a happy groan and shiver after she swallowed yet another shot of some sort of fiery tasting liquid, she slams the shot glass down onto the bar. "Oi! Can I get another?" Her voice rang loud and clear as she twirled the shot glass around on the counter, her other hand tapping her fingers against the polished wood. If anyone had been nearer to her it would be obvious that was she far more than just a couple shots in. Why, the woman was rather sloshed, and yet her experience with both spice and heavy liquor allowed her to keep her composure. No one would see this particular Jae Caldwin stumbling about. If anything worth an audience were to happen, it'd be her introducing someone's face to her fist.

"Ya celebratin' something tonight, darlin'?" The bar tender's smile was genuine and full of amusement. Jae was one of his regulars and despite how she drank heavily on a normal basis, he could tell when there was a special occasion behind it.

The woman's eye sparkled with a childlike joy as she saw the new shot set in front of her. "I guess you could say that." The new shot was downed in a moment, the empty glass once again being twirled about on the counter. "Got a lot to do before I can really be excited about it, though."

The bartender, a human male in his mid-fourties, had always been good conversation for the drunk or high Osker. He was kind, he was entertaining and he supplied to woman with her liquor. "Heh. Well yanna how the 'verse works: get some, give some." He had taken to cleaning a few glasses since the one-eyed woman hadn't yet asked for another shot.

"Yeah, frak that. I just want everything I need, and don't wanna give nothing back." The shot glass spun in a circle on its side.

The bartender chuckled lightly as he watched his glass closely, ready to grab it should it start going off the side of the counter. "If only, if only. What ya need to do, though? Said ya got a lot of work?"

She picked up the glass and set it right side up again, staring down at it. "Gotta find a crew. Got myself a new baby, but it won't be too useful without some hands." She pick up the glass and gestured with a nod, the silent signal for another shot.

The bar tender quickly complied, taking the glass with a gentle smile and setting it behind the counter on his work area. With a quick hand the glass was filled once more and set back down in front of the newly appointed Captain. "Ah, what is she?"

"TL-1800. She's getting mods done at the yard right now." The pride Jae held over her ship was obvious as she spoke. Her eye gained a little twinkle and she seemed to perk up, her shoulders no longer slumped and heavy from the large amount of booze she had consumed since first walking into the cantina. Despite being a techy, despite not being a super pilot or even having a vast knowledge of ships in general, boy did she love the few that she could call her own. The Renegade Ghost was her first and her best, her home for a while. CyberPunk the one she had used for her more covert and important spice smuggling operations. Now she had this brand new light freighter that was still without a name and still without a crew.

As she toyed with the new shot in front of her, the woman's mind drifted off to how exactly she would go about finding a crew for her new toy, and once again she could feel the weight of that big metaphorical hat. The only people she knew who she'd actually want to deal with on her ship already had their own duties, their own ships and their own crews. Sure, Rivvett could do quite a bit, but that little simian-esque Slicer droid wouldn't be able to play medic, co-pilot, mechanic and extra battle hands. The little thing sure would try though. The thought brought a smirk to Jae's lips as she finally downed the newest shot.

"How ya gonna find yaself a crew, Jae?"

The woman scoffed and ordered another shot. "I suppose I could just threaten people. Unless you think my purdy smile would work?" She gave the tender a big, cheesey smile while batting her eyelashes.

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ASL||Gunnery Sergeant StarFruit||2SQD||1PLT||1COM||1BAT||1RGT||VEA||VE
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CAP'N||Captain Jae||Datastream||Eyesore||Osk Company
Havock
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Havock
 
[VE-ARMY] Major
[VE-DJO] Dark Jedi Knight
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Post Number:  1806
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
February 16, 2012 8:42:37 PM    View the profile of Havock 
The Ninety Niner was not the nicest bar in Eyesore, which meant it was pretty crappy. Havock swatted at the flies that were on a kamikaze course for her face as she entered the establishment. Stepping over a large man passed out on the grotesque floor and dancing around several people stumbling between the half broken chairs, she kept her eyes on the woman sitting at the bar.

"So any luck yet?"

Havock nodded to the bartender and motioned for him to fill her glass with whiskey. She drank just to fit in and pass the time. She learned long ago that drinking alcohol did basically nothing to her. It entered her body and her cells laughed at its attempts to make her woozy.

"Heyyy you." Jaenna leaned heavily on her hand as she spoke her head bobbing slightly from the amber liquid she was consuming. She must have had an indulgent number of shot to get to the point of slurring words.

Havock took a sip of her drink. "Missed me yet?"

Jaenna downed a shot then wrapped her arm around the blonds neck pulling them both close and ran  a finger down her nose. "Maybe a little." She sighed and leaned back slightly. "I don't even know where d'start."

The younger of the two Osk captains smirked. "Probably not here babe. There is an air of desperation here.' She looked over at the bartender who was watching the two women intently. "No offense of course."

He jerked as if caught and scurried away.

"How about we take a stroll around the shipyards, I hear they are quite romantic in the night." Havock cocked her head to the side. "Well romantic if you like gas of unknown origin, small dots of spice sticks lit like life day lights, and women of unseemly professions singing mindlessly off key."

Jaenna smiled and reached over to down Havock's drink, then looked back into the blue eyed woman she still had her arm around. She bleched loudly enough for half the bar to turn briefly and giggled. "So yea...what'd you say?"

Havock blinked then pointed a finger at Jaenna's chest then back at her own. "Walk?"

"Oh yeaaaa, okay!" Jaenna quickly kissed Havock then zipped out of the bar with an agility no one should have possessed that drunk.

"Well this should be entertaining."
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Kami
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Kami
 
[VE-ARMY] 2nd Lieutenant
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
February 21, 2012 8:03:31 AM    View the profile of Kami 
“Hi chuba da naga?!”

The Rodian’s squeal of pain was almost deafening as one of Kami’s men drove a brass-knuckled fist into the alien’s unprotected chest.

“Hi chuba da naga! Hi chuba da naga!” The words burst free of the beleaguered Rodian in terror as his assaulter pulled back his arm for another blow.

“What do I want?” Kami gestured for her man to hold, “I want the King’s cut.”

“Noolee moolee bana kee cheel'ya cu kuna ku chu chu.” The Rodian cast out his green hands before him in supplication, “Pee wom me doopee.”

“What did he say?” Deznim spoke up for the first time since the beginning of the crude interrogation, stepping into the bleak light of the hangar to address Kami.

The ever-neurotic Ryn had been the one who had noticed the lapse in payment and brought it to Kami’s attention. Ever since the King had abruptly materialized back on Eyesore the powerful merchant guild that had arisen in his absence had sought to test the boundaries of his control. Those that had openly continued to defy his authority had quickly vanished in the months since his return to the throne, but even now, almost a year later, some continued to challenge him by subtle means.

The most recent swindle had been the calculated skimming of profits from those spoils automatically claimed by the King and Osk as a result of Company membership. While most Oskers put on the necessary show of irritation when it was their time to cough up, few rarely sought to take more than was their due. After all, the King and his Captains offered sanctuary and a degree of protection in a universe that was generally far more hostile than even the dodgiest bars on Eyesore’s main strip.

“He says he has no idea what we’re talking about.” Kami flicked her gaze to Deznim, “He says we have our facts wrong, and that he’s always paid his cut.”

Deznim snorted air violently out of his beaked nose, “Of course he did.”

Kami’s hand dropped to her side and around the barrel of the heavy blaster strapped to her thigh. The Rodian reacted to the movement, reeling up and backwards in a desperate attempt to forestall the shot he knew was coming. When the blaster bolt did hit, it struck him from behind, drilling a neat hole through the gap between the alien’s two bulbous eyes.
 
The second of Kami’s guards holstered his blaster from the shadows behind the dead alien and automatically stood forward to aid his comrade in disposing of the body.

“Was that really necessary?” Deznim’s mustachios fluttered as his yellow eyes surveyed the mess.

“Yes.” Kami ran a hand through the tussled mane of her dark hair, turning away from the scene, “He wouldn’t have told us anything useful anyway.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever become as desensitized as you are to all this.” The Ryn admitted, the sentiment nothing new. Deznim had never entirely approved of Kami’s methods of justice.

“Anything less is a show of weakness.” Kami murmured, her attention shifting to the duo making their way across the otherwise deserted hangar a few hundred meters away. Both were stumbling, though it seemed that one of the pair was the cause of the awkward pace. The sound of their voices carried easily despite the distance.

“…not sure you need any more Jae.” One was saying, the tone fond despite the degree of exasperation, “Not for ten at least.”

The string of curse words that sounded in response needed no translation.

Kami tilted her head towards Deznim, “Dez…didn’t we just give that drunkard a Captaincy?”

Deznim hesitated before answering, quickly finding the necessary information in datapad which seemed to be permanently glued to his hand, “Today. Only a few hours ago in fact.”

“She moves fast.” Kami said wryly, her gaze still following the couple, “Does she have a ship?”

“A TL-1800 that is currently docked for repairs.” Deznim replied immediately, “Why…what are you thinking?”

“We need someone for that Dantooine run Dez.” Kami turned her full attention to the Ryn, “Someone looking for a rep. Someone with nothing to lose.”

“She doesn’t have a crew.” Deznim shot back, “And she seems far too intoxicated to fly.”

“That never seemed to hinder Vasili.” Kami countered easily, crossing her arms as she sensed a potentially lengthy dispute, “Besides. She’ll have a crew. I’ll make sure of it.”

Deznim sighed and lowered his datapad in a sign of defeat, “Fine. Do whatever you want. But I’m going to get some sleep.”

Kami was already striding across the hangar floor towards the two wayward Captains.

Havock, the less wrecked of the two, was the first to react, spinning about with a blaster in hand as she became aware of Kami’s presence. She relaxed visibly as she recognized her friend.

“You do know it’s dangerous to go for a stroll at this time?” Kami said by way of greeting as Jaenna belatedly noticed her.

“Only when you’re roaming.” Havock flashed her a pointed grimace, “I could desperately use another shoulder to carry some deadweight though.”

“I’m fiiiiiiiiiine.” Jaenna pushed herself free of Havock, almost collapsing to the ground before she rediscovered both of her feet, “Just thirsty, that’s all.”

“Handy that.” Kami caught the woman’s single green eye, “I happen to have a VIP lounge at the Harlot. A lounge stocked with some of the finest whiskey planetside.”

Sensible still despite her condition, Jaenna forced herself to stand up straighter, “What’s the catch?”

“The catch is that you hear me out on a business proposal I have for you.” Kami looked to Havock, “That includes you as well. I may need more than the one ship.”

“Whiskey you say…” Jaenna looked to Havock, who shook her head and fought to repress her smile.

“So?” Kami placed both hands of her hips, “Do I send one of the boys ahead to prep the Harlot’s stocks for a hammering?”

Jaenna readjusted the ridiculously large hat on her head, “You got yourself a deal.”
|| Retired ||
[LoR][CoR][IG][GCA][BC][BM][CDS][EW][ES][GRP][GS]
------------------------
|| Krath Scholar || Krath Order ||
CM/KS Kami Sharpe/Lion L-01/Krath/Dark Jedi Order/Vast Empire

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Valthir
ComNet Member
 
Valthir
 
[VE-ARMY] Senior Sergeant
[VE-DJO] Adept
[VE-ICS] Pirate Overseer
[VE-VEEC] Editor
 
Post Number:  496
Total Posts:  681
Joined:  Nov 2010
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
February 21, 2012 8:55:38 PM    View the profile of Valthir 
The bar was nearly empty by the time the two women stumbled out of the door, one leaning heavily upon the shoulder of the other. Aero knew both, though they were no more than acquaintances met by pure chance some time before. His lips curled up at the thought of the mission that had brought them together, though the grin quickly turned into a scowl as he remembered that he had left a perfectly good starfighter practically welded to the redhead’s hull.

He pushed up out of his seat, heading towards the door. As he passed by a particular stretch of the wall, he snatched his knife from its resting place. Even while slightly drunk, his accuracy with the knife had been top notch, something that again brought a grin to his face. The bartender hadn’t thought so of course, judging by the faint muttering and wary glances he cast Aero’s way every time the man let the knife fly towards the wall.

The far side of the bar was hidden mostly in shadow, as nearly all of the lights in that part had either been busted or short-circuited. Regardless, the shadows had hidden Aero from most of the bar, with the notable exception of the bartender, who had made it habit to keep an eye on Aero at all times. Because of this, the three men that followed the pair of women out of the bar missed seeing Aero, though the same could not be said for the reverse.

Aero’s eyes narrowed as he watched the lecherous glances that they had cast out the door as they exited. He ground his teeth for a moment, teetering as he tried to decide what to do. He could stay in the bar and drink to his heart’s content and remain perfectly safe, while the two women could possibly be raped and killed. Or, he could venture out in the dark in pursuit and hopefully prevent the rape and/or murder, all while trying to avoid being killed and/or raped himself. He glanced over the bartender, who was watching him closely.

“I don’t give a damn what you do. Just get the hell out of my bar before you hurt someone with that thing.” the man said, jabbing a finger at Aero’s blade.

He offered a shrug in reply and left. Out in the darkness, a regular being would have no idea where to go, the dimness of the lighting in the area making it next to impossible to see further than ten or so feet. But Aero had a bit of help. He blinked and flicked his eyes to the right, providing the necessary cues for his handy dandy goggles to switch to night vision. As a field of grays popped up, he swung his head around carefully, and managed to pick out three shapes moving down the street a long distance off. His eyes flicked to just past them, where he caught a brief flash of movement. A few more eye flicks, and his goggles were zooming in. Yes, the men were definitely pursuing the two women.

Readjusting his knife in his hand, he set off down the street at a jog, switching back to normal vision as he neared them. Drawing close, he slowed and silently padded forwards. The men heard and saw nothing, only a concussive boom in their ears and dizzying flash of pain as Aero slammed two of their heads together and cracked the hilt of his knife into the other’s temple. They went down without a struggle, and he quickly dragged them into a nearby alleyway, silently thankful that he avoided killing them.

Standing back up, he brushed his hands off and moved back out onto the street. He cursed as he realized that he had lost the two women, which meant that he had also lost his chance at regaining possession of his starfighter. Deciding to continue on down the street in the direction that he had last seen the pair, Aero walked on.

Soon, the street opened up into a wide plaza of a sort. He sighed as his gaze swiveled to each possible route that the pair could have taken. It wasn’t until he moved on into the plaza that he heard the voices carrying.

“I happen to have a VIP lounge at the Harlot. A lounge stocked with some of the finest whiskey planetside.” came a voice from inside a large building to his left.

He briefly debated his next actions, but had it decided for him as he heard the next words.

“What’s the catch?”

The words were drunkenly spouted and the voice was vaguely familiar. Aero decided that it was one of the pair, the one that had been celebrating her promotion.

“The catch is that you hear me out on a business proposal I have for you.” the first voice spoke again, “That includes you as well. I may need more than the one ship.”

He frowned. There were multiple people then. The pair might have found someone else.

More words drifted across the empty space, from the mouth of the newest Captain, “Whiskey you say…”

Their voices were growing louder as he approached, carefully maneuvering himself closer. He didn’t want to startle anyone and get a blaster bolt between the eyes.

“So? Do I send one of the boys ahead to prep the Harlot’s stocks for a hammering?”

He peeked around the corner to see a group in the distance. The two women he sought were facing another women. In the darkness, he couldn’t really tell her features and the night vision would only make everything less detailed.

“You got yourself a deal.”

He shrugged inwardly and stepped out.

“Need a pilot?” he asked loudly.

All the beings in the hangar reacted instantly, except for the drunk one. Producing blasters from various places, they trained them all on Aero, who slowly moved closer.

“No need to shoot, no need to shoot.” he wasn’t sure what else to say, so he tacked on, “I come in peace.”

He grimaced. It sounded stupid even in his head.

A woman, the one that the pair had been talking to, stepped forward, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Aero nodded towards the two women, “I followed them from the bar. They had few unsavory characters on their tail and I decided to follow behind to make sure nothing bad happened.”

The woman’s lip quirked, “How chivalrous. Where are these . . . unsavory characters?”

“Right now? Most likely still lying in an alleyway. They’ll probably be waking up in a few hours with a hell of a headache.”

The woman turned to one of the pair, the redhead, “Havock, do you know this man?”

Havock stepped forward, pausing a moment before nodding, “Aye, I do. He served on the Bitch a while back, for a little bit at least. Aero, I think his name was.”

“In my defense, you did basically kidnap me and force me stay on your ship.” he pointed out.

She shrugged, “That I did, at first.”

He pressed on, “Also, if you recall, you still have possession of a certain starfighter that belongs to me.”

She frowned, “You mean that fighter that you bolted to my hull without my knowledge?”

The unknown woman snorted, “Havock, you mean to tell me that you let some random space jockey attach a starfighter to the hull of the Bitch? Really?”

“Don’t look at me like that Kami. I was incredibly busy around that time. I can’t help it that I didn’t notice one more piece of junk attached to the hull.” she shot back.

She turned back to Aero and continued, “It’s still mostly in one piece. We did take a few parts out of it to patch up the Bitch, though most didn’t stick and we scrapped them.”

“But the fighter is still in one piece right?” he asked, a bit desperately.

She nodded, “It is.”

He grinned and bowed deeply, “Then I would like to offer my services as a pilot to whomever needs me. In return, I would ask that my starfighter be returned to me in it’s current state. I can get back whatever parts you took.”

The woman, whose name was apparently Kami, turned to Havock, “What do you say? I have no idea who he is, but if you trust him, he can be Jae’s pilot.”

Havock stared at Aero for a while before finally nodding, “I don’t trust him, but he did seem to know what he was talking about during his daily lectures to the occupants of the Bitch’s cockpit.”

Kami nodded, “Welcome aboard then, Aero.”
Valthir
Adept of the Dark Jedi Order
Privateer of the Osk Company
Squad Leader of Blackjack Squad

SL/SSG Valthir/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE
TRN/AD Valthir/Lopen/DJO/VE
Brightstar
ComNet Member
 
Brightstar
 
[VE-ARMY] Platoon Sergeant
[VE-ICS] Privateer Captain
 
Post Number:  677
Total Posts:  710
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
February 21, 2012 10:26:07 PM    View the profile of Brightstar 
"Wait, what are you doing? Gorram it!" Bright swore as a series of sparks blasted up from the top hatch of her new ship. Okay so it was a piece of junk at the moment, but she swore that it would look and run like new when she was done with it. It was moments like this she wished that Havock were helping her with repairs.

"Um, Star, the diagnostics computer just died." The voice of her pilot crackled through the headset attatched to her ear.

The red head swore colorfully and kicked the closest thing to her, it just so happened that that thing was one of the mechanics provided to her by the starports staff. The green skinned Rodian let out a squeek and stopped working to  glare up at her.

"Don't give me that look just fix it. And fix it right." Bright growled. She realized that she was acting out of her normal character in her harshness, but this was her ship. She herself was a fine mechanic, but she wasn't as talented with the machinery as Havock was. And computers were a touch and go subject for her at the best of times. No, that area was Jaenna's niche in the galaxy. "Where are those two when I need them?" She asked.

As if on que, a loud and clearly drunken voice filled the mostly deserted hangar. Bright looked up from watching the Rodian mechanic. Across the wide bay she could just see two women coming into view.  "Well she certainly didn't waist anytime getting herself hammered." Bright muttered.

"What was that, Boss?" Her pilot asked.

"Nothing Raal, make sure this idiot continues the repairs, I'm going to go meet someone." The violet eyed captain replied as she climbed off the hull of the YV-100 that she now called her own.

"I hope it's a better mechanic." Raal grumbled darkly.

Shutting off the comlink ear piece, Bright broke into a light trot just in time to see a woman that she hadn't seen in forever, appear from the shadows. A grin formed on her features and she picked up the pace.

Either she was getting slow or she had misjudged the distance between her and the ever growing group. She joined them in time to hear, "Welcome aboard then, Aero."

"Mind if I join the party?" Bright asked as she sauntered up to the group.

"What in the seven hells!" Kami muttered turning to face Bright. "Am I broadcasting a 'come and talk to me' message or something?"

Bright tilted her head and lifted a brow. She shrugged at the other woman and looked at the wobbly Jae. "You know, I don't ever recall seeing her so unsteady. Though I imagine the excited gleam in her eyes means that someone offered her something more to drink." It wasn't a question by the way that she had phrased it, and from the smile that sprang up on Jae's features, Bright was certain that her hypothesis had been confirmed.

"Hell, why not join us, Brighty Briiiiiggghhht." Jae giggled and stumbled leaning heavily on Havock's shoulder.

Bright's eyebrows rose again as she watched her longtime friend. "Doesn't she ever make you dizzy?" She asked the blond woman. "I wouldn't want to intrude. And I have a crew to commision for the Hellcat."

"Join us anyway, if only to help Havock get Jae from point A to point B in one piece." Kami said.

Bright nodded and made her way to the new captain's other side. It was not comforting to know that she was now within easy reach of Jae's cybernetic hand. She'd survived this long around Jae by remaining safely out of it's reach and harboring a healthy, albeit hidden, fear of the one eyed woman.

"Lead on Kami." Havock said with a slightly relieved smile.
SL/PSGT Brightstar D'Jonoc/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/1REG/VEA/VE
[*QW 12*][RCoD][EW1][EW2][ES1x2]{RES}(SRP)(SCA)(PT)(ESA)(AS-5)

"For your sake, I really hope that isn't a challenge."


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CAP'N|Captain Bright|Hellcat|Eyesore|OSK Company
Garryll Gates
ComNet Expert
 
Garryll Gates
 
[VE-ARMY] Captain
[VE-DJO] Adept
[VE-ICS] Privateer Captain
 
Post Number:  1851
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
February 22, 2012 12:03:35 AM    View the profile of Garryll Gates 
The Captain of the ship seemed lost in thought, pacing in front of the ship’s torpedo tubes. His crew lounged around; some played cards, some were tinkering with the ship’s guts, and an imaginative trio were painting the features of some type of creature onto the ship’s hull.

With a sigh, the man sat down, his back to the front landing strut of the gunship. His crew ignored him; the whims of their Captain would make themselves clear if he needed them, or wanted something.

“So I’m just saying, we’ve got this ship and we haven’t even broken her in yet,” whined his pilot. “I want to rip something apart with these guns.”

“Look,” replied the Captain, and jammed a cigar, unlit, into the side of his mouth. “Eyesore’s Osk’s. We can’t blow holes in shit just because you want to try out my new toy.”

“So get us a job, with assholes who shoot back,” the pilot continued.

“Finding a job ain’t like taking tea, Baillo,” the Captain replied. “I’m sure a job isn’t just going to waltz on by and -”

Four women (one nearly debilitated by her state of alcohol consumption) were having a raucous conversation. A man with goggles hovered a few feet behind.

Gates’ pilot pointed at the group with an idiotic grin on his face. “Three Captains and the Lady of Osk don’t get together for drinks, boss.”

“I hate it when this happens,” Gates said, standing and slapping the dust off of his pants. “When shit goes down, I can’t help but feel excluded if I’m not invited.”

The Captain adjusted his hat, shifting it from where it had been hanging by its thread on his neck and placing it on his head, like it was his official Osk rank feature. With a glance over his shoulder, he could see a few of his men milling about in the general vicinity of his ship, the Bloodfist.

“Collect the men,” he ordered, turning to follow the Pirate procession as it stumbled through the hangar. “It looks like we’ll have some excitement today, after all.”

The four Pirate women were moving slowly, two of the women supporting a third. The man turned as Gates closed within a dozen feet of the group, and a knife appeared in his grip, fast as thought.

Gates kept his thumbs tucked into his belt, but his palm rested on the handgun at his waist. “C’mon, man. We’re all friends here.”

His voice drew the attention of the four women, who turned. The leader of the little band was Kami herself, and she sighed. “Another one?”

The three women turned out to be Havock and the two newest Captains - Brightstar and Jaenna.

“Looked like you guys were going to be having a blast,” Gates replied, waving his cigar around with one hand. “and me an’ my crew are bored out of our god-damn minds. They’re just itching to blow something up.”

He stuck a thumb over his shoulder, pointing at his ship, and the men and women scurrying over it. “And it’s got a bit more punch than most of the freighters Osk runs. Ya won’t regret it if we get in a fight.”

“Well, if it’s a party anyway,” Kami said in resignation, “You might as well come along too.”

Company Commander of Phoenix Company |Tactical Officer of the Army | Adept of the Dark Jedi Order | Captain of the
Bloodfist in the Osk Company
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TRN/AD Gates/Lopen/VEDJ
Longtime leader of Blackjack Squad
For Tadath, for the Empire.

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Kami
ComNet Sultan
 
Kami
 
[VE-ARMY] 2nd Lieutenant
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
February 22, 2012 8:14:46 PM    View the profile of Kami 
The lounge of the Harlot was a nice change to the dingy back room usually frequented by Kami when she needed to discuss business. The plush couches, like the walls, carpets, neon lights and other assorted furnishing were a garish red that would have hurt the eyes were it not were the dim lighting of the establishment. The faint sounds of whistling and catcalling were audible from the lower floor where the Harlot’s exotic shows took place, loud enough to shadow low conversation, yet not intrusive enough to make talking difficult.

The small group of assorted Captains and crew members followed Kami past the sparsely occupied VIP section towards the set of lounges placed on a small dais at the rear of the room. The second-in-charge of Osk settled into a battered looking armchair with a degree of familiarity, crossing one slim leg over the other as the rest of the company made themselves comfortable. An alien bartender approached almost immediately with a tray of whiskey and the appropriate number of red crystal shot glasses. Without a word he set the tray in the middle of a table shaped like a pair of breasts and retired to give the party some privacy.

“Here’s the rundown.”

Kami didn’t wait for the Captains to taste the aged whiskey before starting. Her notorious patience had taken a beating as of late.

“We were contacted a few days ago by a representative of the People’s Alliance of Dantooine.”

“A representative of the what?” Gates tipped a significant amount of the bottle into his glass until it was brimming, “Nutjobs?”

Kami shrugged her shoulders in response, “Possibly. But their sanity isn’t particularly relevant. Not if they’re paying.  See the AoD is under the impression that the local New Republic Governor is snatching up the communities medical supplies and making a bundle on the black market. The Governor claims the war effort has cast a heavy toll on the stock that they’re allotted.”

“And the locals think he’s full of shit.” Havock finished for her, “So they want us to do something about it?”

“In a fashion.” Kami span her empty glass between her fingers, “The AoD doesn’t want to physically challenge the government. They just want their meds.”

“So we drop down into enemy territory, toss ‘em a few medpacs, then go on our way.” Jaenna ignored her glass and took a swig straight from the bottle as it was handed to her, “They paying well?”

“Very well.”

The Captain of the Datastream slammed the bottle down, “I’m in.”

Kami leaned forward, “Just so you’re aware, there is a significant chance that we’ll come into contact with NR forces. They’re mostly local militia in the guise of lawmakers and are pretty lax, but they have blasters none-the-less. There’s also a strong possibility that some of the locals, those who have been paid off by the Governor, will interfere when they get word of the drop.”

“Wait…Kami.” Havock raised an eyebrow, “You just said we.

“I’m coming as well.” Kami stated simply.

Silence reigned momentarily as the small group waited for some form of justification. When none was forthcoming Jaenna cleared her throat loudly, “Fine by me. Whose ships are we taking?”

“The Datastream is an unknown,” Kami answered immediately, “So it would be perfect for the initial run down. Gates, if you and your men are in, I'm sure Jae could use some backup in the event that things get out of control.”

“You know me Kams.” Gates tipped his glass towards her, “Pay and the prospect of shooting and I’m keen. Besides, things have been awful quiet around here lately. The boys are getting restless.”

Kami’s gaze swept to Jaenna, “This is your job Captain. Yours and Gates. You have discretion to do whatever you think is necessary in whatever fashion you deem fit. You also have complete control over your crew. I’m not coming along to spy or interfere, just so we’re clear.”

“Crystal.” Jaenna nodded, “As long as you can hold and shoot a blaster you’re welcome on board my ship.”

“Appreciate it Captain.” Kami rose to her feet, “I’ll leave you to discuss the details, I have some matters to see to before we leave.”

Placing the still empty glass back on the table, Kami turned and strode away from the small group, her mind already mulling over the irrationality of the last hour. Ever since her people had received the transmission from Dantooine she had been unable to get the prospect on going along from her mind. It was an incredibly stupid idea. Even more so since she had responsibilities and duties on Eyesore that would not benefit from her absence. But for someone who rarely self-indulged the opportunity was too good to miss.

She was going along to Dantooine: consequences be damned.
|| Retired ||
[LoR][CoR][IG][GCA][BC][BM][CDS][EW][ES][GRP][GS]
------------------------
|| Krath Scholar || Krath Order ||
CM/KS Kami Sharpe/Lion L-01/Krath/Dark Jedi Order/Vast Empire

------------------------
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[This message has been edited by Kami (edited February 22, 2012 8:20:08 PM)]
StarFruit
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StarFruit
 
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
March 5, 2012 9:13:53 AM    View the profile of StarFruit 
It was until she had stepped out into the dank and musky air of Eyesore that the actual amount of liquor she had consumed hit her. The woman had been so deep in her solo celebration that she had apparently lost count of just how many shots she had ordered and downed in the span of only a few hours. It was no matter, however, for even while she stumbled down the streets, helped along by Ayme, she was able to keep her composure. Well... most of it.

The minutes, or hours for all Jae knew, that had past were all scrambled about in her brain. She had to play catch up every few minutes, playing a big game of scrabble in her mind, just so that she could comprehend what had gone on and what had been said. Despite how confused her mind was, her gut had apparently taken over and accepted the mission that had been handed out. Once the light-bulb of this fact flickered into existence in her mind she was mostly back in one piece, looking around the lounge of Kami's ship and noticing the bottle of whiskey she grabbed however many moments ago.

After a final swig, a satisfied smirk and a happy smack of her lips she turned to Ayme and laughed. "This should be fun, yeah?" She placed the bottle back onto the table they all sat around and settled back into the rather comfortable seat she had found herself in, leaning over to Ayme and resting her cheek against the woman's shoulder for a moment. "I need a crew, though. The 'Stream won't run on just my awesomness."

"Your ego is showing." Bright poked fun at the newly appointed Captain with a light chuckle.

"Eh, you love it." The one-eyed woman hiccuped softly and sat back up, rolling her shoulders. "But seriously. Who's gonna help me run the 'Stream?"

Ayme and nudged Jae with her elbow. "Most of us are gonna be on the 'Stream with you, we can help."

"Won't do. I need my own crew. Coz what am I gunna do after this mission-ma-bob?" Despite the fact that she was slowly coming back to her 'sober' senses during the semi-serious discussion, most of her words were still jumbled together. "Plus, ya'll are too cool to take commands from me, yo."

A wave of laughter rolled through the group.

Bright settled back into her seat, glass of whiskey in hand, smiling. "Taking commands from you? Seems a little dangerous if ya ask me."

"I've done it before. Some of the most terrifying experiences in my life." Ayme grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the table and took a swig, only to spit it out in surprise as she was playfully smacked on the side of the head by the one-eyed captain.

"Hush you. That's why I want some more... expendable bodies for my crew." Jae grabbed the bottle from Ayme and took another swig then nestled it between her knees, a sense of possessiveness coming over her as she held onto the bottle with both hands. "So... where to find a doc, a secondary pilot, a gunner and a couple other bodies that I can torture?"

Her vision was still swimming in the liquor she had consumed, her mind entirely engulfed in the effects of being as drunk as she was. Despite the ability to keep a general sense of seriousness during a serious discussion, she was still sloshed, that much was rather obvious. Even despite her being as intoxicated as she was and the discussion going on she was still able to inwardly enjoy the fact that she was a Captain now, that she had her own ship and would soon have her own crew to command. Something about that lifted her up, causing a constant smile to light up her face, keeping a certain sparkle to her sea-foam eye.

OOC:
Short but I moved it along... Short of. :|

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CAP'N||Captain Jae||Datastream||Eyesore||Osk Company

TRN||Uninitiate Jaenna||Order||#Cabal||Sect||VEDJ
Havock
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Havock
 
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
March 5, 2012 9:17:09 PM    View the profile of Havock 
"Okay, we can look for a crew, but the Bitch is grounded for a few weeks so I'm going with you like it or not." Havock pointed the neck of the whiskey bottle at Jaenna in place of her finger so she could take another drink before she relinquished it. Her eyes kept glancing over to make sure this time she wasn't going to be smacked while drinking.

Jaenna giggled then quickly recovered and looked confused. "Wait, why is the Bitch grounded? What'd wrong wi'd her?"

The new Captain frowned and grabbed the bottle out of Havock's hands causing a spray of amber liquid to hit the blond in the face. She turned to glare playfully at the sea-foam green eyes that were twinkling with mischief before answering. "I may have accidentally broke the drive shaft in the cockpit."

Jaenna coughed. "How the hells you do that?"

"I couldn't reach my pistol and needed to hit Bird with something."

Brightstar laughed so hard she slipped and fell to the floor. Jaenna raised her eyebrow at Havock then smirked.

"My God you women are insane." Garryll muttered under his breath. Aero nodded next to him silently watching in horror.

Kami just held her temples, massaging them lightly as a soft groan escaped her lips.

"Okay so you need a crew and fast, typically there's a ton of mechanics looking for work at the shipyard every morning. And being that it's about morning they should be lining up. Its a start right?"

Jaenna jumped to her feet and would have fallen over if Aero's shoulder hadn't been close enough to grab on to. "Let's go." She slapped his back in appreciation then pointed towards the exit of the Harlot.

Kami grabbed the bottle of whiskey out of Jaenna's hands and winked at her as she placed it back on the bar. The group made their way across the tarmac towards a group of men and women in varying states of sobriety looking for a days work.

Jaenna walked up to the first man who looked her up and down and smiled suggestively at her. She pushed him up against the gate and got directly in his face. "So you work on ships ya?"

"What is your deal lady?"

Havock put her hands on Jaenna's shoulders and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Dearest, you may want to try not to assault the potential employees."

Jaenna looked oddly at Havock. "But won't they be confused when I assault them later on?"

"I thought we were working on that."

"Seriously, what is wrong with you two?" Garryll crossed his arms and shook his head in disbelief.

Jaenna released the man and backed off in a huff. "Okay well how about this one?" She pointed at the next man.

He looked young, no older than twenty and wore a dirty coverall. He pushed his glasses up to the top of his nose. "H-hi, I'm..."

"Don't care, you wanna go for a ride? You have to fix shit that breaks or I toss you out an airlock."

His eyes went wide but he nodded. "I'm real good  at that Cap'n."

Jaenna smirked at Havock. "Okay one down, lets find the pilot next."
XO | MAJ Ayme 'Havock' Katash | VEA | VE
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Garryll Gates
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
March 9, 2012 7:45:12 PM    View the profile of Garryll Gates 
Their party grew as the young mechanic tagged along with the hodge-podge of Oskers. Jaenna led them with the confidence of a conquering general, the swagger of a prize fighter and the coordination of a three-legged nerf.

In her wake, the Captains varied from mildly amused - in Havock’s case - to practically despairing - in Garryll’s.

“This is the last time,” he reiterated to Aero for the third time, “that I ever get brow-beaten into doing something by my pilot.”

The man with the goggles nodded empathetically, though it was hard for Gates to tell with half of the man’s face covered by the high-tech device he had strapped to his head.

Jae held up several fingers and ticked one down. She threw a glance over her shoulder at the young mechanic at the rear of the group. “Mechanic down! What’s your name anyway?”

“Uh, the guys call me ‘Screwball,’ but my real name is -”

“Right! I need a pilot!” Jae continued. “Ayme! Lead me onwards!”

“Just keep going straight,” Havock replied, pointing. “Pilots usually like to gather far away from the rest of ‘em - it’s probably their fighter-jock mentality.”

A dozen men and women with various levels of spunk and who oozed ego sat around a make-shift bar - some clever captain had rolled out a few chairs and tables and broken out booze.

Jae bowled right in and sat down at a table filled with pilots and grabbed her new neighbor’s bottle from before him.

“So! I’m in the hunt for a pilot, and I hear this’s the place for it to be!”

“Hey,” Gates muttered to Havock, “This seems to be going better than with the mechanics - “

As if he had jinxed the very situation, it got ugly, very, very quickly. The pilot who had had his bottle stolen attempted to grab it back. He did manage to get it back, but it was cracked into the side of his head. A man further down the table, assumably the first man’s friend, pushed his chair back, but unintentionally upended the table.

Drinks flew, and curses flew a second later. In under five seconds, the entire collection of pilots and some crews were involved in a brawl.

Havock and Bright dove into the melee to reach Jae. She didn’t need her fellow Captains’ help, but they weren’t trying to help her - they were just trying to drag her out of trouble again.

Gates assumed the same stance as Kami, hand on forehead, frown on face. “I can tell this is going to go well.”

One of the pilots stepped towards the last three Oskers not involved in the brawl, but Gates and Aero reacted before the man could even swing his fist at them. In a flurry of motion, he was cartwheeling past them, and crashed in the midst of a card game that had been going on between a half-dozen crewers. As the money in their midst scattered, tempers flashed and the fight just seemed to spread.

Kami glanced over at the two men, and sighed. “And you two aren’t helping the situation.”

The three female Captains stumbled back out of the fray. “To the Stream!” Jae shouted, one nostril leaking blood, but a much greater deal of it on her knuckles where it looked like she’d slugged someone but good.

The party turned and snaked their way past the fighting that seemed to be broiling throughout the entire hangar bay. Gates dug his comlink out of his pocket and dialed up his own ship.

Bloodfist! Come in, you bastards!” Gates barked into the link.

“What? What is it, Cap?” crackled the voice of Baillo, his pilot. “Griff’s keeping the riff-raff away from us.”

“Get the crew aboard and get ready to take ‘er off,” he replied. “We’ll link up in orbit; I’ll be joining the rest of the Captains aboard the Datastream for the moment.”

“Roger that, Cap. See you in space.”

It took little time for the group of Oskers to make their way to Jae’s ship, and they finally climbed aboard. Jae scrambled into the cockpit, Havock on her heels. It didn’t look like she’d managed to recruit a pilot during the brawl - to no one’s surprise - so they’d have to take it up themselves.

A crash echoed from the docking ramp, but they were lifting off a second later. Gates stumbled down the halls as Jae took the ship up, but managed to make his way into the entrance hallway. Half a dozen men and women looked sheepishly at him as they stood awkwardly in the hall.

“Lovely,” Gates muttered, then shouted over his shoulder. “Well, we’ve got some more tag-alongs.”

Company Commander of Phoenix Company |Tactical Officer of the Army | Adept of the Dark Jedi Order | Captain of the
Bloodfist in the Osk Company
TO/CPTGarryll Gates/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE [SCP][RoM][ICE] [IH] [CCA] [BC] [SRP] [AS-4] [ES1] [CoS] [EW1] {RESx3} [ESC09] [RoTx2] [CRoS] [AoT] [CoZ][CoDS][VT][CRoM][KAD][RCA][*QW 12*](3.1)(1.1)

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For Tadath, for the Empire.

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Valthir
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
March 9, 2012 9:34:47 PM    View the profile of Valthir 
Aero bounded up the ramp, whistling a tune he had heard in the bar. Twirling his knife, he zipped through the corridors, memorizing the layout unconsciously as he walked. The cockpit came up suddenly, and he dipped inside. Suddenly, he came to a stop, confused. In the pilot’s seat, the one-eyed pirate sat, her hands just then moving towards the controls.

The big man, Garryll, moved out of his way as he entered and Aero stepped up to the pilot’s seat.

“Umm, I don’t mean to be a bother, but isn’t the entire reason that I was brought was to pilot this ship? I mean, if you don’t want me here, I can go raid the galley. That bar fight a little while ago, though brief, has whetted my appetite. But as much as I like partaking of other’s edibles, I also like piloting. So what shall it be?”

During his little speech, the woman had sat back in the seat and blinked her one good eye, apparently still a tad bit drunk.

“This is my ship. I pilot my ship. No one else.” she snarled.

Aero didn’t move, but was slightly taken aback by the tone, “Frak, woman. You can take the damned ship if you want it so bad. I’ll be the galley, not that any of you will need me.”

He started to return back the way he had entered, after casting a scowl in the One-Eye’s direction, but stopped as a command rang out, “Wait.”

Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw the redhead look away from him and lean down to converse with the captain of the ship. He wasn’t able to hear the murmurs, but he could read faces pretty well, and the captain’s face was giving away a wealth of information.

The most obvious and already well-established fact was that she was drunk. The second fact was that she was incredibly possessive of the ship, a fact that Aero found both odd and familiar. His respect for her increased a bit, as he recognized the possessiveness that he himself felt for many of the ships and starfighters that he had been in over the years. And yet another fact presented itself. She was very, very close to the redhead. An image passed through his mind and he snorted, mentally shaking it away.

As if the noise had signaled the end of the pair’s discussion, the redhead stood back up and beckoned Aero back, “You’re the pilot. Take the seat.”

He stepped forward hesitantly, eyeing the captain who apparently still refused to get up. Following his gaze, the redhead sighed and grabbed the woman roughly, yanking the pirate to her feet. Dragging her to the side, Aero stepped around them and slid into the pilot’s seat, his hands already working before he even settled down. It took a few seconds to get acquainted with the particular set of instruments, but once satisfied, he immediately began to start up the ship and lift it off. Smoothly, they rose off of the ground and shifted through the air, rapidly accelerating into the atmosphere.

Midway through the flight, Aero called over his shoulder, “It’d also be quite helpful if I got some names. Mine, if you don’t already know is Aero. One-Eye, you start.”

He heard a scoff and then slap to his head.

Reacting instantly, he threw a punch blindly, not bother to look, and was rewarded with a solid thud and a whoosh of exhaling breath.

“You do NOT hit the pilot while he is piloting. I don’t care if this is your ship. You can beat me bloody any other time, but not while I’m in this seat. You do that again and I’m just going to give up the controls and walk out, the rest of you be damned. Have we reached an understanding?” he yelled, his head still throbbing from the blow.

He had halfway been expecting another slap and was pleasantly surprised when none came. He heard a sullen, “Yes.” from somewhere to his right, and nodded.

“Alright. I did not mean any disrespect by calling you that, but I had no other way of identifying you, so I had to make do with that. Now, what is your name, so I can refrain from calling you that again.”

“Jaenna.” came the reply in the same sullen tone.

“Thank you. Redhead?”

“Havock.”

“Seems apt. Big man?”

“Garryll Gates.”

“Green-eye?”

“Sharpe.”

“That’s it? Alright then. Tattoos?”

“What?” Gates said.

“The one with the tattoos, one on each arm. What doth thy name be?”

“Brightstar.”

“Alright. Now that we’ve all been properly introduced, I’ll shut my trap and go back to piloting.”

As he stopped talking, silence fell on the cockpit, as nothing but a faint whirr of machinery and gadgetry and the occasional cough could be heard.
Valthir
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Havock
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
March 11, 2012 8:52:05 PM    View the profile of Havock 
“Are we ready to move yet? I'm not getting younger ladies.” Kami's dark hair was a blur as she stomped by each member of the cobbled together crew. The woman gave the impression of authority and stress, which Havock knew to be a combination one does not screw with if they valued their existence.

Havock leaned against the cockpit entrance lazily as she kept a watchful eye on Jaenna as she searched for something in the storage compartments.  “Aero should be putting us in hyperspace soon, he's just navigating the traffic now so we can link up with Garryll's ride.”

Garryll walked up to the dark haired pirate lord with a datapad open to a navigation file. “I found a convoy heading to Dantooine along Myto's Arrow.” A hologram of three cargo vessels spun slowly above the datapad. “After we hook up with my ship we should have time to intercept them when they come out of hyperspace to stop at this outpost.” He clicked a few more buttons and a very small space station replaced the ships. “Its on Myto's Arrow one jump from Dantooine space, nothing more than a cantina and supply station run by a really smelly hutt.”

Havock nodded. “So we get on the station then figure out a way to liberate the medical supples from the convoy, oh and hope the NR assholes didn't have a similar idea.”

Jaenna leaped up from behind a couch with a large bottle of whiskey in her hands. “I like it, I may be able to come up with some kinda...identification or something for us. After I see how this whiskey has aged.”

Kami looked aghast at the amount the new captain was able to consume but didn't seem to care as long as they were moving towards the objective. “And if we can't do this quietly?”

“Then we see what the guns on our ships can do.” Havock attempted and failed to keep the smirk off her face. “It's worth a shot not to kick up the dirt, then we can hand over the supplies, everyone is happy, and we get our credits.”

The Datastream shook as it internal docking clamps engaged on their target. The comms lit up a moment later with a message from Aero. “Okay Gates, hop on your ship before one of these bloody pirates in system gets a dumbass idea.”

Brightstar appeared from the rear of the ship and sidestepped to avoid walking into the auburn haired captain drinking greedily from the whiskey bottle. “I've been checking your upgrades, Jae, everything looks in good order for the mission.” 

“Good job Bright, we've got a plan. You'll like it, we get to be sneaky.”

Brightstar raised an eyebrow and looked the blond haired woman up and down. “Right and when have you ever been sneaky...Havock?”

Jaenna ripped the bottle away spraying amber liquid as she burst out laughing.

Havock's gaze narrowed on the red head. Garryll just shook his head and with a quick salute jumped across the hatch and made his way over to his own ship. After several minutes the docking clamps disengaged and she could feel the ship move free from Gates'.

Jaenna walked over and put her arm around Havock's shoulder with a grin on her face. “Oi Aero, lets do this ya.”

Havock raised her eyebrow. “Yea and while we wait, why don't we get you some shut eye. We need you sharp when you make those fake ID's right?”

“Pfft, you just want to get me in bed.”

Kami shook her head and grabbed the whiskey bottle out of Jaenna's hand causing a loud hey to escape the womans lips. “Oh no, if you two.... Carry on, do whatever, just be ready before we come out of hyperspace. Beyond that I do not want to know.” The dark haired woman landed on the couch and tossed the bottle in the corner with a clank against to durasteel walls.



OOC:
If you need to know: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Myto%27s_Arrow  <--- I did not just pull that out of my ass.    We are in hyperspace, obviously, feel free to get to know the Datastream and someone find that mechanic we brought on board, he seems to have scurried off. Maybe he's in the engine room, and Bright saw him, heck if I know I just remembered him now. Carry on my good people.


OOC:
edit: sorry kami
XO | MAJ Ayme 'Havock' Katash | VEA | VE
SM | DJK Ayme 'Havock' Katash | Lion Sect | Lopen | VEDJ | VE
PRT | CPT Havock | Broken Bitch | Eyesore | Osk
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[This message has been edited by Havock (edited March 12, 2012 6:15:40 AM)]
Kami
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  RE: Bits and Bytes
March 13, 2012 12:52:22 AM    View the profile of Kami 
Kami remained motionless on the couch for the next hour, trying desperately to grab a few minutes of sleep. During her stint in the corps she had perfected the art of stealing rest when she could, whether suspended mid-air, curled up under a table, or even standing up back to back with squad mates. Since then the capacity to force to her body to perfect stillness (no matter the occasion) had deserted her.

Her gaze slid to the discarded whiskey bottle a few meters away. Booze had helped for a while. Until she had lost control and almost killed herself in the progress. The memories from that particular spiral were still hazy. One bar after another, each more sordid than the last. The only thing that had kept her alive during those weeks in a drunken stupor were her combat skills. That and Tanus.

Kami rolled to a sitting position and raised a hand to her throbbing head. There were far too many bad memories, and as of late, no good ones to keep the unhealthy ones at bay. That wasn’t to say that she didn’t love her job. She did. She was damn good at it. But recently she’d lost track of why it was she was even doing what she was doing.  For friends? For wealth? Power? They were all acceptable motivators. So why then did she feel so lost?

She came to her feet and ran a hand through her tussled hair. If she wasn’t going to sleep there was no point driving herself crazy. The Datastream was deathly quiet, the only sound the gentle whirring of the ship’s engine as it propelled the small crew through hyperspace. Kami considered hunting down Havock but discarded the idea as soon as it flashed into her head. She and Jae barely got enough time together as it was, let alone before Jae had been granted captaincy. Sporadic missions and strange times would make their relationship even more difficult over the coming months and she didn’t want to be the one denying them some quality time together.

Finally, she turned in the direction of the cockpit and started forward, her boots clacking loudly on the metallic floor. The Stream was a nice ship, with a lot a potential. Of course, with any ship, it wasn’t exactly homely until the Captain adjusted every single niche to perfection. That process took a lot of time and a hell of a lot of credits. But eventually the Datastream would have a character that was specifically unique.

Kami thought briefly of the Zephyr, off with Vasili somewhere in the unknown. She missed her ship sometimes but it was more nostalgia for old times than any underlying sentiment related to vessel itself. She was just too much of a ground pounder to adjust completely to the spacer mentality. It was just too ironic that she had ended up in a position working every day with a ragtag group that were ultimately connected by their love of flying and plundering.

She hesitated in the doorway of the cockpit, “Room for one more?”

The pilot called Aero span about in his chair, surprise evident on his features, “Thought I was the only one awake.” He tilted his goggled head towards the empty co-pilot chair, “Take a seat.”

Kami crossed the small space and folded her long legs underneath the extensive control panel. She ran a hand experimentally over the knobs and switches before her, “She’s beautiful.”

Aero offered her a wide smile, “You’re speaking my language.”

“I try.” Kami slumped back in the chair, her eyes searching the void of hyperspace beyond, “I’m one hell of a fraud though.”

Aero snorted, “Not from what I’ve heard about you.”

“Yeah well…” Kami grimaced, “There’s the rep and then there’s the reality.”

“True.” Aero leaned back in his own chair, “You ain’t half as scary as I thought you would be.”

Despite herself, Kami laughed, “You should see me most days. I’m a bundle of nerves and irritation. I always tell myself that I need a holiday.”

“Is that what this is?” Aero’s gaze flicked to hers, “A nice relaxing raid to let your hair down?”

Kami’s smile faded, “Something like that.”

Silence reigned for a few minutes, though for once, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Aero sat easily, seemingly comfortable with the quiet, not bothering to pursue a line of questioning that was clearly difficult.

It was Kami who spoke first, “I hear you’re handy with knives.”

Aero shrugged his shoulders in response, “Handy enough to use them effectively.”

“I prefer knives as well.” Kami turned towards him, “Perhaps we should have a contest sometime?”

Aero’s smile flashed again, “You’ll lose.”

“Whatever you say slick.” Kami fell into the routine of swagger with an easy familiarity, “You haven’t seen my ‘knives.’”

The pilot offered another snort, suitably unimpressed, “You’re on.”

Silence stretched out again, longer this time.

Kami span back towards the controls and the view of the void visible beyond the cockpit, “Mind if I stay here for a bit longer?”

Aero followed her gaze, something like empathy flashing briefly on his features,

“Nope. Stay as long as you like.”
|| Retired ||
[LoR][CoR][IG][GCA][BC][BM][CDS][EW][ES][GRP][GS]
------------------------
|| Krath Scholar || Krath Order ||
CM/KS Kami Sharpe/Lion L-01/Krath/Dark Jedi Order/Vast Empire

------------------------
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Havock
ComNet Expert
 
Havock
 
[VE-ARMY] Major
[VE-DJO] Dark Jedi Knight
[VE-ICS] Privateer Captain
 
Post Number:  1854
Total Posts:  2413
Joined:  Feb 2009
Status:  Offline
  RE: Bits and Bytes
March 25, 2012 8:53:55 PM    View the profile of Havock 
Havock stood behind Rivet with her arms crossed. Her muscles felt so tense it was as if her body was clamping down, folding in upon itself. The job was simple enough, but somehow the simple ones always ended up sending her to medical. Havock found herself suddenly missing Wes, her medic on the Bitch.

"Files completed Havock." The mechanical voice broke through her thoughts returning her to the darkened crew area on the Datastream.

Without a word she reached out a fist, then struggled to relax the muscles and present a palm to the droid. The datapad she recieved contained the cobbled together crew members fake identification for the job. "So the transports called the Vassa, we have any intel on the number on board?"

"No." Brightstar walked up beside the blond captain. "I asked him twenty minutes ago when he first found the documents on the Vassa."

"You should be asleep, we will be coming out of hyperspace soon. Can't promise rest for a while." Havock didn't make eye contact with the red head. Their friendship had it's ups and downs over the years, and since reading people was never her forte, Havock just choose to avoid any confrontation that could deteriorate things farther.

"How is she?" Brightstar leaned over further against the consol Rivet was working at, until she could see the other womans face.

Havock looked up against her better judgement then took a long deep breath. "She's sleeping. Best to leave her that way for now."

She nodded in thanks to Rivet and stepped to move towards the cockpit for an update when a small hand clasped down on her forearm. Havock locked eyes with Brightstar and fought the impulse to rip her arm away and push the red head into the bulkhead. "Got something to say Rain?"

"Ayme...she's..."

"Drunk." Havock sighed and rolled her eyes. "She was having a good time, its not a crime yanno. She didn't know we were going to get a job on the way home. I know that woman, by the time we land she will be back to her typical ass kicking self. Now get a cup of caf, a shot of whiskey, or whatever it is you need to do to relax."

Brightstar seemed reluctantly satisfied by the words from the younger woman and released her. Havock didn't look back as she walked. She thought the days of people being overprotective of her were in the past. That was something she loved about Jaenna, the woman had never once acted overprotective, even when Ayme was a green recruit. She knew that Brightstar's heart was in the right place, but things had become strained none the less.

"Is Garryll in position?" Havock's voice must have been louder than intended in the quiet ship, both Aero and Kami jumped at her question.

"He's going to come out a bit to our six, give us time to pull off our end of the deal." Aero answered matter of factly as Kami just regarded the young captain.

Havock nodded at the pilot then handed the datapad out to Kami. She took it and looked back up with a raised eyebrow. "She's awake?"

"Hell no, Rivet handled it."

Kami's face still held confusion but she shrugged it off and got to work memorizing the intel. Another figure entered the cockpit causing everyone to turn and look. "Umm hey guys, we about to land?" The young mechanic looked completely out of place among all the other pirates.

"Hi Mechanic boy. Yes, we are coming out of hyperspace." Havock took a handful of steps towards the boy, looking him up and down. "You are going to stay on the ship though, need someone to keep her warm."

Havock turned to the others in the room, which now included Brightstar who was leaning against the doorframe. "Read over our cover, we are just merchants looking to unload some extra med supplies. This ship will be looking for a profit I don't care how honest they are. Supply and demand folks, they are on their way to Dantoonie they will take the bait. And if for some reason they don't Garryll and Aero here get to try out their weapons and we can fish out the supplies as they float by in space."

She pushed past the mechanic and Brightstar on her way to the crew cabins which sat beyond the crew area. Havock glanced at Rivet as she passed, he was still working away at the various data pulls Jaenna had in place to gather intel for future jobs. She keyed in the private code to the captains quarters and stepped into the dark room.

With a slap of the controls the lights came up in the room elliciting a groan from the occupant as she rolled over in her sleep. Havock just smirked and walked over to the small kitchenette area to pour a cup of strong caf. The mug steamed as she walked over and sat in the bed.

"Wakey wakey eggs and bakey."

Havock breathed in the caf then sat the cup on the table next to the bed. "Jaenna, we are almost there time to get up."

She grunted and swung a clumsy arm in Havock's direction, missing terribly.

"Yea, yea, I know. Go away Hav." She laughed at the nod then leaned over to whisper in Jaenna's ear. "Hot caf, and I promise lots of terminals to hack."

"Ugh don't rhyme." Jaenna pulled the pillow over her ears.

Havock patted Jaenna's back then reluctantly stood. "See you in the cockpit sunshine."
XO | MAJ Ayme 'Havock' Katash | VEA | VE
SM | DJK Ayme 'Havock' Katash | Lion Sect | Lopen | VEDJ | VE
PRT | CPT Havock | Broken Bitch | Eyesore | Osk
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