Chp-18: Various Interludes 2
Chp-18: Various Interludes 2
Koran Bulgo
Edin System, Belt Haven, Duros Dugout
Koran sipped on his drink, a mediocre attempt at one of the newer Mindan brandies that was far too sour, and tried not to show how nervous he was. He and his five other crewmates had just finished selling the cargo they had 'stolen' from the Minda system.
It was a ploy, and a risky one at that. The idea being that if they could pull that off, they might be invited to the Pirate Sovereigns ship.
And so, here they were, taking small sips of low alcohol drinks hoping they would be approached. The crew were scattered around the bar, sitting in their own corners trying to gather information.
Belt Haven was trashy, to say the least. It was a wonder the place somehow managed not to fall apart under the weight of its poor construction and shoddy repairs. Every level held countless small alleyways and hideyholes. It somehow manages to have a homeless population.
It was the most stressful mission he had ever been on, and he'd worked for the Crimson Dawn back in their heyday. Admittedly, he hadn't been more than a low level merc, so there wasn't much to compare to, but still.
He stroked one of his chin horns, well groomed as was Weequay practice. While there were others of his kind in the bar, none sent pheromones his way, and so he did the same.
It was as he was reading about the Edin governors latest speech, lie filled lothcat dung about unity and the like, he heard some footsteps approaching him.
Turning off his PDA, which had been purposely scuffed to maintain cover, he turned to meet the new arrivals. This was the moment, the roll of the dice that determined whether he would be invited to the new pirate hierarchy or if he was about to get killed for outdoing some raider scum.
"You the new guys?" said the leader in a dry voice. He was a well built, and quite tall Nikto. His reptilian skin was scarred around the mouth, where a breathing apparatus was attached. Koran noted the small patch sewn into the bandana around his neck. The image of a human skull with two crowns sitting atop it.
"That depends" drawled Koran, quirking a brow at him "Who's asking?".
The man sat across from him. "Vulite, agent for The Crowns, that's who."
"Who are they?"
Vulite seemed taken aback for a second, before a low, raspy chuckle reverberated through his throat. "You new here?"
"Got into the sector just a week ago, found some luck in Minda and heard that this was the place to sell"
"Mmm…Minda is a gold mine recently. Lotta ore, lotta merchants. Lotta mercs too. You got anything good?"
Koran hummed. "Sold pretty good. Coulda gotten more, but the crew was antsy for a real drink and, like you said, lotta mercs. You here for something?"
"A deal. An offer, if you will. The Crowns are growing, and we need all the raiders we can get. Rewards are split between all members, but the more you take the bigger your bonus."
Koran raised an eyebrow. "We've been here all of a few days, and your already offering a job? Seems…rushed. And rushed jobs are bad jobs."
"Hah! I like you. But no, the jobs are not rushed. This isn't an offer as much as it's a…interview of sorts. Your crew did well, but not well enough to get a day one offer. Keep up the good work, and we'll see if you have a place in The Crowns."
"Nice to know y'all have standards, at least." He replied. "Hope we make a good impression."
"At this rate, we'll be seeing each other real soon." As the Nikto stood up and made for the door, Koran sent a discrete message to his team through a hidden button on his suit. The team knew that meant to get to the ship without drawing attention.
They had their foot in the door. Now it was time to slip in.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Darna Sabrir
Minda System, Ugea, Accordia
As Darna was packing up for the day, tossing her PDA and thermos into her bag, she thought over the past few months. Ever since the Governors rant about slavery nearly a year ago now, a debate had raged within her. It had only grown throughout her time here.
The Rebellion.
She'd left because the risk to her life was not worth the miniscule difference she felt she was making. All the raids, attacks, sabotage, and propaganda, yet the Imperial machine kept on moving.
And yet, she still held sympathy. How could she not, after all she had seen and experienced. But despite that, she was hesitant to engage with her old friends in orbit. Multiple times she had been invited to go back to the orbital yard, but every time she had made an excuse.
She didn't want to face Sid, knowing that she couldn't support her. Minda had become home, and the Empire here didn't feel like the Empire she knew. When the flags weren't up, it felt like the stories that she had heard about the High Republic. A place of prosperity and peace.
It was with thoughts like these that she made her way towards the Governor's office, to tell him goodnight and ask him if he needed anything.
As she knocked on the door, a faint "come in" was heard. Entering, she saw Governor Mola at his desk going over paperwork, a cup of his favorite hot cocoa cooling on his desk. Mugwuffin was asleep on her tree shaped bed just behind him, but popped an eye open as she entered, as though scanning her, judging her.
Mugwuffin could be scary sometimes.
The Governor himself looked dead tired. Bags under his eyes, he had been working a lot of overtime due to the recent pirate attacks. Mining companies had begun to complain about the constant pirate attacks, especially since the new promised anti-pirate flotilla was slowed down. It had been slated to arrive a week ago, but an incident with a series of faulty fuses in the Gladiator meant that when it arrived in Muunilinst, it was put directly into a dock and would be delayed by another week.
Looking up, he greeted her. "Hey, Darna, what is it?"
"Late, sir. It's late. You should go to bed, like I am."
He looked at her with confusion, before looking out his window and realizing the time. He shot an accusing glare at Mugwuffin.
"Why didn't you tell me the time?"
A light purr.
"That's no excuse."
The creature trills.
"Oh, so you want me to drop dead of exhaustion."
A yip.
"You know that means no more BBQ treats, right?"
Mugwuffin immediately jumps down from her little bed tree and grabs the Governors sleeve, tugging him towards the door.
"Oh, so NOW you care. What a rat."
As he seemingly bickers with an animal, Darna can't help but be reminded of her own conviction. Of why she worked here. She wasn't here for the Rebellion, nor the Empire, not even for the Governor, no matter how good a boss he was.
She was here to find a home. Accordia, no, Minda, was that home. And she would protect it from whoever sought to bring chaos.
It was with that thought in her mind that she said goodbye and left for her quarters, a million half baked plans running through her mind, slowly but surely being pieced together.
Minda would stand strong. She was sure of it. Because she would ensure it.
No matter what.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kel Loyu
Muunilinst System, Muunilinst Orbital Dockyards
The Muunilinst Dockyards were large. Not as large as Fondor or Kuat, but larger than most. It was a testament to the Muun's economic power that they were able to afford dockyards like this all the way in the outer rim.
She looked out from the window of her ship as Kai docked in the refueling station. Kay was dressed in plainclothes, ready to go out and pay for the fuel while they stayed inside. Someone had to keep an eye on their beskar, and Kay was the most personable of the three, best suited to interactions. She negotiated most of their contracts, actually. Very persuasive.
So Kel stood there, on the bridge with Kai in the pilot's seat, facing out of the hangar they were docked in. The shipyards stretched in front of them, large disconnect platforms with so many ships flying between them they looked like they were tied together with ropes.
"You sure about this plan, Kel?"
"...No."
He looked up at her, the question clear in his eyes.
She refrained from letting out a sigh. For all that she tried to be honest with them about the state of affairs, she rarely showed her own weakness. They looked up to her, and she could not allow them to believe that she wasn't ready.
"While I am not sure of the course we are taking, it is the only one that has presented itself to us. We have few other choices, and while it's a long shot, it's better than taking no shot."
"So we're just flying blind, huh?"
"Everything is going to be okay. I'll make sure of it." She said.
Kai looked at her again, this time with a sadness in his eyes that she didn't quite understand.
Before he could say anything, Kay came barging in, excitedly waving her hands.
She bounced up and down, sending her short curls flying as she pointed out of the cockpit window.
"Look, look! It's huge!"
As they both turned, both Kel and Kai's eyes widened. Engines burning upwards and away from the dockyard was a massive, six hundred meter Gladiator-II-Class Star Destroyer. The beast of a ship was escorted by almost twenty other ships of varying shapes and sizes.
An Imperial Flotilla.
Kay continued to speak, either not noticing or not caring about her siblings' shocked states.
"I talked to the dock workers, apparently that fleet is heading for Minda! That's where all the pirate attacks are happening!"
"Flotilla, not fleet" Kai corrected automatically.
"Whatever, it's still awesome! If Minda needs that kind of firepower, then there has to be plenty of work, right?"
Smiling as she slipped into the co-pilot's seat, Kel was feeling good. A bounty rich system was perfect for them. Might even be able to snag some longer term contracts.
Life might be going in their direction after all.
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Hi there folks! Saw some people saying that Las's POV was good, but lacked a lot of interaction or interest. Considering that he won't be leaving the office for most of the story, since it's where he does his work, I decided that expanding on alternate characters would help flesh things out.
And for those degens over on QQ, yes, I did want to include a muscle mommy, for I am a man of culture. The Adeptus Sororitas vibe was unintentional, I just like white hair.
Also, wanted to know whether or not it's worth it to continue to post on Sufficient Velocity, and instead just stick to SpaceBattles and Questionable Questing. I rely on reader commentary to improve my writing, understand the lore better, and in general guide the story in a way I find interesting. I don't get more than 4-5 comments on a chapter over on SV, and I'm not sure if it's worth it to post there. Let me know what you think.
As always, feedback and commentary are appreciated.
Thank you for reading!