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Calm Before the Storm (Star Wars Rise of the Empire) IC Main Thread

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Kara and Lars on way back to the Lucky Hand

Kara was near silent when Lars expressed no interest in 'anything else' before returning him to his ship. She had thought it a generous offer but whether she just wasn't his type or he was just too dense to take her meaning she wasn't fully certain. "Good luck" she said curtly as if she didn't really mean it as way of a dismissal for her passenger. "Let your Captain know I have cleared him for departure."

Jiljoo and Alythra on board the Lucky Hand

Jiljoo listened to Alythra's take on her patient/client/indentured servant and had to struggle not to role her eyes at her friend's insistence that Sev wasn't bad beneath the lies and violence. She loved Alythra like a sister but couldn't help but think she was sometimes just too understanding. Her empathic skills might give her insights into their 'true' potential, but it had been Jiljoo's experience that most creatures rarely lived up to that potential. She wrapped herself as best she could in a clean towel though it barely covered her cleavage of the lower edge curve of her ass. Jiljoo was hardly shy though she wondered if her friend would even wear that much on their way to find her quarters and hopefully her belongings.

Now clean and refreshed Jiljoo lead her friend to her quarters, her new home while they would be together. The timing should have been about perfect, with the Captain and Pilot having enough time to fetch the lady's baggage. Jiljoo gave her friend one last hug before heading to her own quarters to dress. Throwing on another short skirt and tank top, practically her entire wardrobe with the exception of her recent purchase, she headed back to the medbay. She looked down at the sleeping man, he was a pretty thing, it would be a shame to have to waste him. She spoke to the med droid in her native tongue, asking if the patient would remember what she told him if she woke him. He fussed as such gadgets were prone to do, suggesting it was unwise, but yes, he would remember.

Jiljoo smiled as she looked at him again, this time tapping his face lightly as she leaned over him, her smiling blue face and heavy cleavage welcoming him back to consciousness even if just briefly. She waited until his eyes fluttered open. She pointed to herself, slender blue finger planted just above her breasts. "Jiljoo" she said warmly as way of introduction. "Alythra friend." She nodded as if Sev were a rather dense child and needed lots of visual feedback to understand. Her smile feel away as she poked his chest this time, away from his wound but hard enough to make her point. "You hurt Alythra, Jiljoo hurt you." She said as if for emphasis her finger now poked at his fresh wound through the bandage and would certainly be tender even with the benefit of the sedative. She smiled again, as sweetly as before then kissed his forehead, her lips warm and soft.
 
Sev awoke in a haze of bleary fatigue and confusion. Had he left the ship yet? Surely he had - why else would there be a large-breasted Twi’lek in his face? Must have been some night, he decided. He didn’t remember any of it. But then, she tapped herself on the chest. ”Jiljoo,” she declared, “Alythra friend.”

Aleethra? he wondered muzzily. That doesn’t sound like a Twi’lek patronymic.... Then he hissed in pain as she jabbed him in the chest.

“You hurt Alythra, Jiljoo hurt you,” she chirped brightly, before kissing him on the forehead.

“Look,” he groaned, rolling his tongue around the Ryl syllables, “I have no intention of harming her.” He knew he’d never pass for a native speaker - even without lekku, his accent was strong - but most sentiments appreciated it if you tried to speak their language. “I just need to arrange payment, and I’ll be out of her hair.” Grunting and straining, he sat up and immediately began batting the droid’s hand away. “Go away,” he insisted in Basic. “I don’t need a sedative.”

Actually, he probably did. Rest was important after a severe injury, in order to let the bacta work. But he had no desire to lie helpless in a strange ship. Especially when he was broke and in debt. “So... Jilljoo, was it?” he continued in Ryl, moving one hand in an approximation of the lekku-gesture for friendliness. “Would you help me find my gear? That way, I can go and get things taken care of.”
 
Nykei shrugged, focusing her attention on loading up the chests of Alythra's things. Their newest crew member was nice, and Nykei found the nice ones usually had something to hide or some ulterior motive. Genuine kindness went beyond her experience.

"I'm sure she'll be a fine fit, Captain. But we could still use another crew member. You know, in case things get hairy. Someone skilled in a firefight, to have our backs. You know how things are, when you get away from the core." Hell, even on the core...


Alythra changed into a clingy beige dress, stretched taut over breasts and hips and leaving her back bare, save the thin straps that kept it together. She was brushing through her hair when she sensed strong emotions from the medbay. Aggression, and pain. Sev and Jiljoo...

Damp hair clung to her exposed skin as Alythra made her made to the infirmary, and she walked in on Jiljoo kissing Sev on the forehead. That...was unexpected. Despite the affection of the act, the tension in the room was palpable. Even to those without her gift in the force, Alythra suspected. So she watched, unable to follow the conversation in Ryl, but getting an understanding of the underlying intentions. Sev was trying to run again.

"You need to rest, recover from your injuries, and well...we both know you don't want to stick around Coruscant any longer than necessary. So...why not stay aboard the ship? This would give you a chance to heal, and take you away from your troubles with the Imperials." She sat beside him and Jiljoo, taking the moment to examine how he had healed so far. "I haven't asked the Captain yet if this would be acceptable but..." Alythra laguhed, brushing dark hair behind her ear, "Well, I can be very persuasive."
 
Kam couldn’t help but nod in agreement, noting the dark look in Nykei’s eyes. While he didn’t know the former swoop pilot particularly well, he knew her well enough to know about her trust issues. “I’m sure she’s fine, Ny,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I just... I dunno, I feel it.” He moves his hand before it became awkward, then went to grab another chest of Alythra’s things. “As for another crew member, I’m sure we’ll find someone to fill the space. Hell, they’re probably waiting somewhere close by.”

Once the last chest was loaded onto the repulsor dolly, Kam began pushing it out towards the hangar bay. The captain glanced over at the pilot, once again admiring her form. “So... Might be a little outta nowhere, but...” A sympathetic look graced the smuggler’s features. “You don’t have’ta answer, but what all did they have to replace? After the crash, I mean.”
 
Jiljoo and Sevastion in the Med Bay

Hearing her native tongue, spoken even as crudely as Sev managed it brought a smile to Jiljoo's face. He was charming in a scoundrely sort of way. She puzzled a bit at his reference to 'getting out of her hair', the entire phrase a bit alien to her but understood it to mean he was going to try and leave. She giggled a bit as the somewhat clumsy medical droid attempted to sedate him only to be rebuffed, reeling back on his heels clumsily. In reality it was amazing that Lars had managed to get as much dexterity as he had out of a Secretary Droid, but it was still funny to watch. She wondered if Alythra might not be better off if Sev slipped away, she could always earn more credits. But he was awfully cute, she couldn't help but think.

As she noticed her friend, Jiljoo had almost forgotten how sensitive Alythra could be to intense feelings and the blue twi'lek was prone to passions of both the love and hate variety. She blushed perhaps a slightly darker shade of blue as she realized Alythra had caught her in the act of threatening her patient with acts of violence, something she knew Alythra would never condone. Jiljoo loved Alythra like a sister, well maybe more like a VERY close kissing cousin, but she always felt the direct approach was better than trying to convince someone to do something they didn't really want to do. So as Alythra used her words, Jiljoo pounced, straddling the sitting up patient until he was prone once again. While she was quick and stronger than she looked, she was not all that heavy so she needed all her weight to keep the man down on the table. She practically smothered him with her deep blue cleavage before she had him back down on the table.

As the teetering secretary droid tried once more to sedate Sev it looked something like a 3-way wrestling match. Jiljoo couldn't help but start to laugh at it all. Her blue lips parted and showed brilliant white teeth even as she bounced on top of Sev as Alythra began her diplomatic approach. Jiljoo did at least try to avoid injuring Sev any more than he already was, so once she got her boobs out of his face she had to lean back, her pelvis riding atop of his. The thin sheet and her short skirt leaving little between them. "Yes, you listen, you stay." She said in Basic, then added in Ryl "...and we can work on your Ryl." Her tone taking on a bit sweeter demeanor, at least for the moment.
 
“I’m sure you can be,” Sev replied, laughing along with the Zeltron. “But nonetheless, I fear I must... go away!”. The last was directed at the... by the Crystal Mountains, was that a protocol droid with the syringe? Whatever it was, it gave him more incentive to bat the droid’s arm away again.

“Sir,” the droid insisted patiently, “I must insist. You are not yet recovered from your injuries.”

“I said no,” Sev repeated. “And if-yaaaa! He slammed back into the medical bed as Jilljoo landed on his lap and pushed. He found himself staring into a delightfully expanse if cerulean cleavage, hands resting on sleek bare thighs that clamped around his hips. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, he felt himself beginning to respond.

“Yes, you listen, you stay,” she purred in her broken Basic, before shifting to Ryl and adding "...and we can work on your Ryl."

“Look,” he replied in his accented Ryl, “I’d love to stay right here and work on my Ryl for hours. Demonstrate how well my tongue works certain phrases, and show you my skill with hand-lekku. But,” he tried to push her off, and only succeeded in moving her against his erection, “I have things I need...”. Something hissed against his neck, stinging a little. The droid! The damned droid had snuck up on him! “I... really can’t...” he mumbled, fighting the sedative. “Gotta... gotta go.” Speech was hard, and he wasn’t sure if words were forming, now. “Broke...”

His head sagged back, and he began to snore.
 
Nykei looked down at her arm, and flexed mechanical fingers in sequence. "24 bones in my right arm, from my fingers to the elbow. My arm was severed below the joint, originally, but arming the prostethic to elbow gave me the most mobility." The best chance to return to my career, she thought, but didn't say. It was thought the prostethic would give her even greater reflexes, in truth, it might have. But what did reflexes matter when your confidence is shot?


Alythra frowned, watching Sev doze off under the power of the sedative, "He's a stubborn one." Then she smirked, and turned to Jiljoo, "But so am I." She offered a hand to the twi'lek, so she could climb off the unconscious man without injuring him further.



Nykei and the captain returned to the ship, loading the crates into the cargo bay. On the way there, they passed the medbay, and caught sight of Jiljoo on top of Sev, and even fully dressed, the sight was provocative.

"Are we interrupting something here?" Nykei asked, raising an eyebrow at JIljoo. She didn't think the Twi'lek liked the newcomer, but Jiljoo was full of surprises.

Alythrea helped the twi'lek off Sev. "Not at all, though, I am glad to see you, Captain. Since Sevastian is still recovering, can we take him with us to our next destination? I would consider it a personal favor to me, and would be willing to compensate you for your troubles. How ever you decide if fair."
 
Kameron winced while Nykei described her injuries, shaking his head. “I didn’t know it was that bad...” he murmured, lapsing into a silence afterwards.

The silence lasted until the two of them reboarded the ship. The captain couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight in the medbay. Jiljoo was straddled on Sevastien’s waist, holding him down while Lar’s repurposed protocol droid gave him another sedative.

”Are we interrupting something here?” Nykei asked, raising an eyebrow at Jiljoo.

Alythra helped the Twi’lek off Sev. “Not at all, though, I am glad to see you Captain. Since Sevastian is still recovering, can we take him with us to our next destination? I would consider it a personal favor to me, and would be willing to compensate you for your troubles. However you decide is fair.”

Kam raises an eyebrow, looking pointedly at Nykei as if to say ‘See? What did I tell you?’ “I don’t see anything wrong with that, Lady Alythra,” he said, smiling. “I don’t think I could live with myself if I left a wounded man to his own devices when I could help him out.” He straightened the repulsor dolly, setting it against the bulkhead. “And you don’t have to worry about payment.”
 
If anything, Jiljoo's smile widened as she felt Sev's arousal beneath her. His chest might still be a wreck but below the waist he certainly seemed to be functioning normally and he still had a very pretty face. She even managed to grind against him just a bit as he mentioned 'hand-lekku, he certainly knew how to charm a girl. With Sev sufficiently distracted the pseudo medical droid managed to zap him once again with a sedative. As he began to fade she put one blue finger to his lips as if hushing a child and said "Sweet Dreams" in Ryl.

Jiljoo turned to listen to her friend say how stubborn they both were. "Oh I know." She said as her blue fingers entwined with scarlet, happily taking the offered hand but not soon enough to avoid being seen riding the unconscious patient by both the Captain and Nykei. She simply shrugged her shoulders as if the scene required no real explanation.

The twi'lek bounced lightly back down onto the floor, her heavy breasts giving one more bounce before they settled. She listened as Alythra asked if Sev could go with them and hearing the Captain's agreement she slid open a drawer. She pulled out a couple of medical restraints, nudging her scarlet friend and nodding towards Sev as if to ask if she should restrain him. Her look suggesting that she might enjoy it even if it wasn't purely medically necessary.
 
Alythra laughed at Jiljoo's suggestion of restraint, but shook her head. "No, hun, I don't think that's necessary. BUt keep them close, yeah? I am sure we will have need of them shortly."



Taking off wasn't a hassle for Nykei, even though they were off schedule. The imperial officer had already signed off on their ship, after all. With a wanted man on board, and no reason to stay on Coruscant, hitting a quick getaway was the best option for everyone. But it wasn't until she input the coordinates that Nykei realized where they were going.

Taris. The beating heart of the swoop racing circuit. Nykei hadn't been in years, and hadn't any desire to return. But she needed the work, and thus had to go where the work led, even if it was a place that haunted her past.

The journey passed in relative peace, quiet hours spent in the swirling lights of lightspeed. Whispered conversation and giggles occupied Alythra and Jiljoo, but Nykei stay out of that. Joining their Captain, Nykei asked, "So, what is the job on Taris? I am guessing it's more than just shuttling Alythra around."
 
Consciousness returned in degrees as, this time, the sedative wore off naturally. Once he realized he was awake, he feigned sleep for a minute longer in an effort to determine where he was. There was a smell of antiseptics and metal in the air, and he could feel the thrum of a hyperdrive engine and artificial gravity in his bones. Bloody hell, he realized, I’m still in the ship.. There was no feel of restraints, though, and no sense of a pressor pinning him down, though. So, it wasn’t all bad. Hell, hyperdrive meant he was well away from Coruscant and the inquisitive Imperial Revenue agents.

Opening his eyes, he carefully sat up.

“Do be careful,” the protocol/medical droid cautioned. “Your wound is healthy g well, but will require several hours yet before it is fully mended.”

“Understood,” Sev croaked, looking around. “Might I have some water?”

He slowly drank the beaker the droid offered, and looked over his possessions. Someone had fed his clothes into an autovalet, leaving them clean and competently mended. That same someone had taken the last berth of confiscating his disruptive and vibrosaber, and the diamond knife he kept in his boot for emergencies. But they hadn’t restrained him, so they were clearly counting on his good behavior but taking no chances. He shrugged as he buttoned the grey shimsilk of his shirt. No harm in displaying manners, then.

The layout of the ship was unfamiliar, but not alien. It had the feel of any number of light freighters he’d been in over the years, and it wasn’t hard to make his way towards a central area that - like so many others of its kind - served as a common room. As he approached, he heard a feminine voice. “So, what is the job on Taris? I am guessing it's more than just shuttling Alythra around."

The speaker was, he discovered, the lovely cyborg he’d half-thought he’d hallucinated. And she was addressing the ship’s captain. Putting on his best smile, he cleared his throat as he approached. “That is a most excellent question he declared, letting them know he was there. When they looked at him, he offered a small bow. “Sevastian tel-Florindel Sergovia Organa-Nahal,” he declared, addressing Kamern. “You have, I believe, assisted me with some trifling legal matters that would have made my stay in Coruscant most unpleasant, and so you may consider me to be entirely at your service for the entirety of this voyage, and if there is some matter in which I may be of assistance when we make planetfall you need but name it and I shall consider it a command.”
 
Kam had been lounging in the common area, boots up on the holoprojector table in the center while he tooled around on the Holonet. He lifted his gaze when Nykei wandered over, and a sympathetic look crossed his face.

He was about to answer when a rather cocky-sounding voice interrupted, making him turn around. Their as-of-yet unnamed passenger was standing, dressed in his recently-cleaned clothes. Kam’s eyebrows rose, and he couldn’t help but marvel at the man’s quick recovery from the wound. “It’s, uh, a pleasure,” he said, chuckling at Sevastian’s flowery words. “Kameron Brenner. Captain of the Lucky Hand.” He offered his hand for the Alderaanian to shake.

Once Sevastian shook his hand, he turned back to Nykei. “To answer your question, we’re gonna take down the Hutt slime who tried to take you out.” He turned to the holoproj and manipulated a few controls, bringing up a likeness of a Hutt crime lord, surrounded by his staff and slaves. “Ghoutta the Hutt. Current leader of the Desilijic Hutt family. Notorious for spice and slave trade, black market weapons, stolen ships and speeders...” He looked over at Nykei. “The usual stuff, y’know?” He keyed in a couple requests, then pulled up a Holonews article from a few years prior. “There never was enough evidence to pin his slimy ass, but it’s said that there was a credit trail leading from the guy who crashed into you to someone in Ghoutta’s inner circle.”
 
As she caught him following her to the wrong speeder he cleared his throat and stood up straight in an instinctual yet completely ineffective attempt to regain his dignity. "That would be cor-actually no. When I was serving I had to wipe a protocol droid," he responded. "It had been assigned to-" he stopped as he realized she was already inside her speeder and half-jogged to the other one, quickly starting it up.

"Oh, so you came in directly through customs and then got merged into the Imperial Army after the occupation? Wow. I bet that was a change." He'd heard that a lot of those officers were promoted in order to build their loyalty to the Empire. Threats, propaganda, and even bribes paled compared to just a quietly nicer lifestyle.

When she asked if he missed it, he shrugged. "I'd be so close to retirement now...hard to say, though. I mean, doing the swoop racing thing was a great experience. I, uh...wasn't a pilot. I just managed the pit droids. When Nykei-our pilot-got injured, that kinda put an end to that gig. Seemed like a less than great idea after that, but I do get discounts on Imperial droids, so there is some benefit. I'll always have that as long as I don't get into any trouble with them." He nodded non-commitally at her request to contact her with anything suspicious, remembering how he'd been recording her as best he could earlier to potentially report that if things went south.

He was caught off guard by the offer, and briefly considered it, but his paranoia outweighed his desire. He didn't really know much about her other than that she had some arrangement with Kam, but with all that seemed to be going on, he wanted to get back to the ship. "I think we should get back. I have a 'med droid' that hasn't really proven itself, and we do have a patient of sorts."

***

Once dropped off back at the ship, Larasen intended to learn about their "guest," but seeing Kam in launch prep meant telling him he was cleared for takeoff and then immediately running back to the engine room, listening to the recording he'd taken and deleting it since it was mainly shit.
 
Jiljoo reluctantly put the restraints back in their place but they remained handy if needed. She scooped up the patient's clothes ostensibly to get them cleaned and repaired for his recovery, but she also wanted to make sure he didn't have any weapons, at least until she was satisfied he could be trusted. She returned the cleaned and pressed clothing, admiring how fine they were as she placed them near the medbay station where he slept through the effects of the sedative. She took a last admiring glance at his features before returning to her own quarters to secure his weapons. She examined each one, she noticed right away that the disruptor had been fired recently. Ghastly weapons, she thought, her nose crinkling slightly with distaste as she examined it. She serviced the unfamiliar weapon with care and resisted the temptation of disassembling it, at least for now.

She visited Alythra to discuss their newest crew member and then headed to the common room. Sev was not the only one listening to the conversation and Jiljoo had been ready to announce herself but froze when she heard mention of Ghoutta the Hutt. As she listened she blinked tears away once more then felt a surge of affection for her new Captain and short time owner. She decided it was time to offer him the trust he clearly deserved. As Kam talked about the lack of evidence, Jiljoo decided to enter the conversation. Her clear command of Galactic Basic was a contrast to her usual choppy sentence fragments, her seriousness also contrasted with her usual sing songy tone. "That is because the only witness died in the crash." She looked at Nykei, acknowledging their shared confidence from earlier that day, though so much had happened it seemed almost long ago that they had confided in one another. "But if that is your plan Master, count me in." Her smile returned as she emphasized the word master, a last vestige of her simple slave act.
 
Kam looked up, staring basically through the holo of Ghoutta’s entourage at Jiljoo. He went silent for a moment, taken aback by her clear command of Basic, so different from her usual pidgin. Her native Ryl still gave her words an exotic accent, but they were measured, clear, and easily understandable. And, of course, he flushed lightly at her use of the term “Master”.

“Jiljoo, how’d you know that?” he asked, stepping around the holoprojector consol. He wasn’t upset with her; in fact, it was quite the opposite. He’d heard the quiet sadness in her tone, and could feel it as well. “Was your ‘master’ one of Ghoutta’s crew?” He walked over and placed a gentle hand on the Twi’lek’s shoulder. “I know it might be hard, but we’d appreciate anything you could tell us about him and his underlings.”
 
Nykei turned her attention towards the newcomer, who introduced himself in flowery language. She'd seen his kind before, the suave charmer, who could talk his way into and out almost any situation. His sort were fine for an evening, so long as you didn't trust them any further than you could throw them. Working with him made Nykei uneasy, and she resolved to keep a close eye on him.

The mention of targeting Ghoutta led Nykei to frown. Not because she hadn't dreamt of getting revenge on that fat bastard, because she had. But Ghoutta was powerful and well connected, and you did not simply cross him. Not if you expected to see another sunrise. Nykei wasn't sure this was a great move with such a small group, but her desire for revenge overcame her better sense.

"Jiljoo told me about her late fiance. The man who..." ended my career and his life in a single desperate move to protect his beloved, "Well, the man Ghoutta hired to take me out. That's enough evidence for me. But you have to know it isn't going ot be easy to hit the Hutt. Tell me you have a plan that isn't going to get us all killed."
 
Jiljoo's eyes welled up with tears as she prepared to explain. She looked gratefully to Nykei as she explained the most difficult part for her. By the time Nykei had finished she was ready to explain at least one option. "I can get you close, he will remember me." She said as one lekku spiraled about Kam's forearm like a serpent, just below the hand on her shoulder. She squeezed gently in a genuine gesture of affection, not like the playful taunting she normally gave him. "Ghoutta wanted me for himself, to make me his slave. Val did what he did to try and save me from him." She began to fill in additional details of the story. How Ghoutta had owned Val's swoop bike, his contract, he practically owned Val himself. Jiljoo had still been technically free, but Ghoutta controlled everything on Taris, whether he owned it or not. He had threatened to take Jiljoo from Val and to prevent it he had agreed to throw a race.

"After the crash..." Jiljoo struggled to keep the tears from streaming from her face. "...I stowed away on this ship. I ended up a slave anyway but at least not to Ghoutta." A smile returned to her face as she looked up again at Kam. "Then you won me!" She said, spontaneously throwing herself against him in an embrace that was short but passionate.

"If you take me to Taris and play my Master convincingly, it will get you and your..." she looked around at the parts of the crew in the room "...and your entourage, close enough." She already had the makings of a plan in her head, but she knew Kam wouldn't like it. She kept it to herself for the time being, at least wanting him to know that what he desired was possible, even if the price might be high. She also doubted Alythra would willingly sign up for what she had in mind and it was damn hard to keep a secret from that beautiful Zeltron.
 
“That’s not a bad start,” Sev said, “but you’ll need a little more to than just a pretty runaway slave to get close to Ghoutta.” When the conversation had first stated, he’d settled back and ignored it as much as possible. His declarations had been mere politeness, after all, and he had no intentions of actually getting involved in their dealings. But now he smiled as everyone looked at him, seemingly surprised he was still there. “Because he’s a player, and he doesn’t hayve an interest in small-timers. At best, he’d have one of his lieutenants offed to buy her. At wort, he’d have one of his lieutenants kill you and take her.” He glanced at Jilljoo, letting his gaze linger appreciatevly on her. “Unless there’s more to you than just a simple slave, that is.”

Leaning back in his chair, Sev propped his booted feet up. “But he’s heard of the lovely Jilljoo, and he’s heard of Sevastian Sergovia as well. Because I’ve worked with him.” A pause. “Well, I financed my last ship through him, a sleek Sphryna I named the Anathodes.” His expression turned wistful and then hard. “Sadly, the schutta decided he’d rather have my ship and the whole take of my raids than the captain’s share I was paying him.”

Drumming his fingers on his thigh, he suddenly perked up. “Still, when the Anathodes fails to return to port, and when I turn up alive and in company with a promising young smuggler and the delightful Twi’lek he’s set his black pulmonary sacks on, well, he might just be intrigued enough to want to talk.”
 
Kam gave a soft grunt of surprise as Jiljoo launched herself into his arms. He couldn’t help but chuckle, though, holding the girl close. “As much as I hate bein’ called ‘Master’, I reckon I could suffer a little while longer,” he said, nodding in agreement with her short but simple plan.

”That’s not a bad start,” Sev said, “but you’ll need a little more than a just a pretty runaway slave to get close to Ghoutta.”

Kameron turned to face the Alderaanian (he was guessing on Sev’s accent), placing his hands on his hips as Jiljoo stepped back. “And how, exactly do you plan on getting to him?” He then listened as Sev laid out a secondary plan, eyebrows raising at the fact that Sev had leased a ship from the notorious Hutt. “We could go in under the guise of returnin’ Jiljoo to him, and maybe wanting start a smuggling contract.” He gave a wet laugh. “Not that we actually would, mind. I’ve no intention of sellin’ my soul to a Hutt.”
 
"Alright, we can get in," Nykei acknowledged, spanning her gaze between Sev, Kam, and Jiljoo, "But can we get out? Most of us might want revenge against him, but we can't let that desire cloud our judgment. Ghoutta is a powerful enemy, and he will come after us twice as hard, if we manage to pull this off."

At that, the engines dropped out of lightspeed, "And that's my cue. We will be planetside in about 90 minutes, and I have to get things ready for the landing. I don't want to go into this half-cocked." She turned towards Sev and Kam now, "If things go south, you are lucky; you'll just be killed. I have about a 50% chance of being lucky, too. But Jiljoo..." She looked over at the Twi'lek, and remembered her earlier remark. I won't be taken so easily again. "Jiljoo has the most to lose here. Keep that in mind as you make your plan."

Nyeki held Jiljoo's gaze for a moment longer, before turning towards the cockpit.
 
Jiljoo felt a shiver run down her supple spine as Sev looked at her as one would a prized possession, it had become a common enough feeling for her but one she would likely never get used to experiencing. "He's done more than heard of me." She said somewhat under her breath but listening desperately for an alternative to the plan she had in her own head. It would be a one way trip for her, it would be worth it if she could see a look of fear in his large slug eyes just before she blew him to bits, but she would prefer to live to enjoy it herself.

"Come after us?" Jiljoo replied to Nykei with shock. "If we go through with this, either he dies or we do." She stopped short of saying 'we all do', still hoping a better plan might emerge. She doubted they hated him enough to trade their lives for the wretched gangster. "We either need to kill him, or leave him weak enough that his enemies do it for us, and he has many enemies."

She hoped she had their attention, she knew her deception might be difficult for them to process or even to trust her, but she was laying her cards on the table for them. "If we are in his casino, he won't simply kill you and take me, that would be bad for business." She told them, knowing that even Ghoutta had some limits on his worst behaviors. "He does love games of chance..." She said with a smile as she looked at Kam, remembering how easily he won her and this ship.
 
“He does love his games,” Sev agreed idly, observing the fear in Jilljoo’s eyes. “Especially when the deck is stacked in his favor...”

Games. That gave him an idea. He checked his pockets and found, to his relief, tat his datapad hadn’t been lost alon with a small fortune in gems and precious metals. Thumbing it on, he called up a file and started scrolling through it. “The first night I borrowed Iantho Halfri’s identity,” he said slowly, “I took the liberty of going through his records. Purely so I wouldn’t embarrass him if I encountered a friend or colleague, you understand?” And to know who to avoid. “A number of his contacts were referred to by code names, and it appears he was involved in some shady dealings. Money laundering, primarily. But one name intrigued me, because it came with a face and a location.”

With a flourish, he projected an image of a dark-skinned man. “This face, on Jedha. The face...” he made a dramatic pause, “of the terrorist leader Saw Gerrerra.”

He tossed the pad on the table. “So, I’ve got the outlines of a plan forming. Our Captain,” he pointed at Kam, “presents himself as a gunrunner in need of a loan to acquire weapons that he can sell to the Nedha terrirists.” Leaning forward, his voice dropped conspiratorially. “You’ll offer a repayment of the loan in cash, plus... well, offer 10 percent of the profit but let yourself get bargained up to 20 if need be. And you’ll offer Jilljoo as collateral.”

He looked over at the Twi’lek. “Not leaving you with him, mind. Just dangling him as bait, to get him to agree.”

His attention turned back to Kameron. “Now I’ve got a few ideas about how to get the weapons, because we’ll need to make a few actual runs to make this work. And it’ll be profitable. Risky, mind, but profitable. It has to be, to get Ghoutta hooked. The money’s rolling in, an he gets Jilljoo if we fail, so it’s a win-win for him.”

Leaning back, he grinned. “While we make the runs, we find a friendly Imperial Customs agent. One that’s ambitious and morally flexible. Why? Because it’s always good to have a friend. But we get this agent involved, and feed him Ghoutta. Once we’ve made a few runs on the Hutt’s redits, he’s not just an annoyance feeds by the vices of a population that the Empire wants pacified anyway.” He leaned forward again, suddenly. “He’s a terrorist supporter, and the Empire will make an example of him and his wild outfit, as a warning to the other cartels.”
 
After spending most of the flight catching up with Jiljoo, Alythra spent some time in her room. Engaging in the tradition Zeltron exercise, Ven'yasah. A series of stretches and poses that improved flexibility and strength. Once her muscles were warm and limber, she took some time to meditate, drawing on her connection to the living force, and it's connection to all living beings. It had been a very stressful day, and this routine brought her peace.

Checking her credit account again brought Alythra out of peace. The wider galaxy was not as generous as Zeltros, with many planets lacking any social safety net, leaving the poor at the mercy of the powerful, many of whom delighted in lording their power over others. And as broke as she was, she couldn't even afford a trip to Zeltron. She'd have to take a job, on Taris.

After setting up her schedule, Alythra got several offers that would replenish her credit account, and selected one with a familiar name. Once the arrangement were made, she left her room in search of Sev. He would repay his debt to her, one way or another.
 
Jiljoo was rather reserved in her catching up with Alythra, not wanting to betray her intentions towards Ghoutta. She did catch her up on how she had escaped the crime boss' plan to enslave her, even if it did end up having her enslaved to another, it got her off of Taris and free of the beast's clutches. It was difficult to keep her emotions in check so she let them out freely, hoping her flood of fear and anger would distract the empath from the group's true plans.

Leaving her old friend she went to catch up to Kam. She was concerned his niceness was going to be a liability if he couldn't convincingly cover it up. It was a little strange for her talking to him normally, though she suspected it would be odd for him as well. "May I come in?" She asked as she tapped at his door. "I never really thanked you...properly for freeing me." She told him, a hint of seduction in her voice. "But I think you are at least going to have to act like a proper Master to fool Ghoutta."
 
Kameron was just lounging in his quarters, flipping through something on a datapad, when Jiljoo tapped on the door. “Come on in,” he called, sitting up on the large, rather opulent bed. The furniture wasn’t anything of his choosing, but rather something left over from the ship’s previous owner.

When Jiljoo entered, Kam motioned for her to sit on the bed with him, scooting to the edge of it to listen to the lovely Twi’lek. His brow furrowed as she spoke, and he gently place a hand on her thigh. “You don’t have to thank me, Jilj,” he said quietly. “I hate slavery as much as anybody in their right mind should.” He couldn’t help but sigh as she said that he’d need to play a slave owner to fool their Hutt target. “You know that’s gonna be hard for me. I... I don’t think I’d be a very good master.”
 
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