Pirate Scum

[Jaime Tomahawk]

"Where the hell are we going?"

"Where I tell you Mikko - now shut up as your yapping is hurting my head"

He glowered at being dismissed like that, but he didnt dare do any more. While the heat was stunning, the twin suns of Tattooine blasting all moisture from his lips and skin, the woman he was walking just a bit behind seemed to be unaffected, not a hint on her face of the heat nor any sagging of her step - plus he knew that to try to back chat her was to be usually met with a severve and in the case of Janson, a fatal response. She was way too good with the guns that were riding on her hips, way too good for his liking. Even more so as like most of the fringe scum, he was mysongince in outlook, women were for pleasure and entertainment or serving out in the Outer Rim. While he could admire the backside of this particular one, she was able to overcome the sexism of the scum and villany with her fists or the end of her gun.

Tomahawk, the Captain called her. Mikko called her the Bitch from Hell. The entire crew of Idoa probably agreed, but no one dared to even say it safely behind her back. She had this way of knowing... and then you would be assigned the next day to the worst job possible.

He cursed the day the small skiff she flew had docked with Idoa. Apparently she had some job she needed to get done and her and the Captain knew each other. Add some credits and the Cpatain changed course, going for Tattooine. Now while the others were on some mysterious errand set by this bitch, he was being dragged along towards some hovel that they called a town in these parts. He had been in some real cesspits and in fact rather enjoyed them, but this place really seemed to be off the scale with aliens and other dung dwellers. You could catch a disease just by treading in something.

Whta he was secretly hoping was this woman would get her comeuppance and that was about the only reason he hadnt argued hardsr. Nothing like a snotty nosed wench gettign taken down a few levels and with luck he could get a boot in too.

On they walked, until she stopped, glare glasses glinting.

"This looks like it. And Mikko, if you even think for a moment of putting the boot in again, I will personally castrate you with a very rusty knife." He almost tried to protest, but the look she gave him, even with her eyes not visible was enough. "Mercs like you always think that" she growled, turning away. "None of you have an original thought between all of you. May as well be a bunch of frelling clones"

He stood for a second, before catching up with her as she strode into the town. Damnit, how did she know? She wasnt any older than he was yet she just knew what you were thinking and could make you feel like a school kid.

Why had the Captain decided to work with this inhumanly cold fridgid bitch?

[Jiprao]

Day two of a three day stop. Jiprao had never seen so much freight in her short life, and it was the job of three former slaves to load it all in the blistering hot sun.

The wookie teenager was "on break"- meaning, you bother me, I break your arms. And your legs. One of the benefits of being 6' tall and stronger than people twice your age. She took off her hat, running a hand through her fur. It had been a few years since she'd joined the crew of the barge, and she had worked hard for the little bit of freedom she had...

A pair of strangers were wandering into town, a man and woman. The woman looked totally p.o'd, the man trailing behind her. Jiprao shook her head. She was glad she didn't have to deal with either of them.

[Jaime Tomahawk]

Jaime eyes were looking over the town's occupants as well as the buildings (such as they were), searching out for what she had been told was here. What it was she had only confided in with Reyk, the Captain of Idoa, an old friend. She didnt trust his crew - but at least this moron trailing behind her stealing glances at her backside was too stupid to really do anything. That's why he was picked to tag along - look big, dumb and tough. Grunt when he was told to and take the first fire if trouble erupted. In other words, expendible. With the stink coming off him, it would be no great loss if he did get a blaster bolt to the chest. Met far too many mercs like him and probably would meet many more.

Her eyes picked out a young Wookie, paused. Thin yes, young one. Ex slave maybe? Hard to say on that one, but the box next to the Wookie made a thin smile come to her lips.

"It's here" she said

"What's here?" asked Mikko.

"What I want. Now go into the bar and get me a seat". He looked like he was going to reply, but one look was enough to silence any argument. He turned on his heel and disappeared into the nearest tapcafe, while she spied out a few more boxes, noting the markings. Some matched, some didnt.

So... it was here. Exactly like her intel had told her - another top mark for them. Worth the price she had paid yet again and unusually in that line of work she specialised in, honest. Or scared of her retribution. Didnt matter as long as it was accurate.

Tall for a female human, Jaime Tomahawk was darked haired with a few flecks of grey, a smooth face but nondescript, obviously quite fit with twim guns strapped in holsters to her thighs, the leather well worn. A half length coat rode upwards as she used a nearby box to retighen a bootstrap, revealing a white shirt tucked into dark pants.

"Hey gorgeous - can I help ya? Lookin for soething?" asked some fat balding guy.

"You can frell off before I gut you" she growled. Her voice was also remarkably unfeminine, a big contrast to her shape.

"Now now no need for... ACK!" his statement ended in a squark as he was suddenly facing a blaster pointed where it would hurt a lot.

"As I said. Frell off"

He did.

She put the gun away, saw that the Wookie looking. A bit of a grin, a tip of a non existant hat. She turned and went for the tapcafe without a backwards glance.

[Jiprao]

The grin and tip of the "hat" caused a low growl to slip out of Jipraos' mouth. One of the other freighters gave her a nudge, and they continued to load the barge.

[Jaime Tomahawk]

The inside of the bar was a good deal cooler than outside, which made Mikko glad. Also being away from Tomahawk too for a moment, that was even better. And best of all, he could grab a drink. And what could she do about it? Nothing. A few minutes later she came in, took her sunshades off and took a seat (unfortunantly) next to him.

"When your finshed there - call Reyk and tell him we're on"

He nodded, not daring to ask what that meant. She certainly wasnt telling either and frankly that probably was for the best, all things considered.

Eventually he left to do as she told him, leaving a rather attractive woman in a bar full of low lives. And that of course can lead to some rather ugly things.

Mikko came back a few minutes later just in time to see a burly male human go sailing out door, a burn mark on his chest suggesting exactly what he died of. There was another there groaning and cltuching at an arm - and inside was surreal. Tomahawk had another guy on the floor face down, boot on his back with what appeared to be a piece of plasti-steel chair in her hand. Mikko lookeda the chair piece, looked at where the man was and cringed. No... she wouldnt.... not up there...

She did. So fast and hard that it was hard to follow, but the howls of the unfortunatle male were ample evidence where she had shoved the chair leg. Mikko's eyes widened and his eyes were watering in sympathy. Hoy frell, that had to hurt. Tomahawk ignored the wailing dude (except to grind a heel into his back) picked up another chair leg.

"Anyone else want to get frisky?"

Frankly, she was about the least erotic woman ever right now to the species in the bar. There was a lot of hasty retreats and a lot of loudly resumed convesations that competed with the wails of the unfortunate. Mikko made his way over to where she was now resuming her seat, noting a fourth being, this time an alien being dragged out.

"You sure you need me?" he asked, his distate for now changed for awe.

"Yes. Unescorted women can end up causing trouble"

Damn, she wasnt wrong, he thought.

[Jiprao]

The three crew members who were working in the cargo bay could've been pulled from any "walked into a bar" joke - a wookie, a rodian, and a twilek . All together they made for an interesting crew.

Each of them had arrived on the planet, gotten lost, and taken their jobs because they had nowhere else to go. Jip didn't speak anything other than Shyriiwook, and could understand basic - but any other languages went in one ear and out the other. So, they had developed their own "language", consisting of hand signals and noises.

Right now, they were all paused, watching a man come sailing out the door of the bar. Jip merely shrugged and they continued to load the last few crates into the ship.

[Jaime Tomahawk]

That night -

"I heard from Mikko you had a bit of local trouble"

She didnt glance back at Reyk, but a snort made it clear what she thought of the 'local trouble'. "More trouble getting a decent ale from this crap hole than from any of the local scum. Did you think through my offer?"

He nodded, joining Tomahawk outside the room and on the balcony. The coolness of the evenign was so much more welcome over the killing heat of the day, but just like Mikko had, Reyk noticed the furnace hadnt bothered her. Unlike Mikko, Reyk knew Tomahawk. He was a bald man, his muscle no longer as firm as it once was as he was closer to seventy and seriously thinking about retirement. In fact he probably would have if he hadnt gotten Tomahawk's offer. Wouldnt be here and frankly it was only Tomahawk that could have drawn him this far out of the runs he preferred. The profitable ones, now hauling mostly legit cargo. His smuggling days were almost over. "Yes I did. Not real sure Tomahawk, not sure at all. I'm getting old and I feel it in the mornings now. I'm starting to like being respectible too. If it was anyone else, I'da told em to shove it where you shoved that chair leg according to Mikko"

"Only as old as you think you are you told me once"

"Aye, that I did lassie, that I did"

"Lassie? Been a long time since you called me that Dart" she said, a slight grin breaking the harsh expression she usually had

"And since when you learn how to smile? Getting a bit sentimental are ya?"

Her grin widened. "Only knowing your full of it Dart. You might be getting old but your wanting a piece of the action still. And you know I dont believe that getting old bit for a second - I heard what you did to the smuggler that tried to get a drop on you"

"Ah. Got me there lassie, got me there" he grinned, laughed.. then his mood went serious, glum even. "But it's no lie Jaime. I'm getting old. We all are, even you. there's fewer of us left every year and right now..... more of us who knew better days are gone cause of the Rebellion. We're relics of a day long gone that aint coming back"

"I know...." she said quietly. "I know. I feel it too. there's nothing we can do except..... do what we do best"

"And doing it with blaster in one hand, detonator in the other?"

"Hell yes. Why do you think I've crawled out of the Unknown regions? We can have one last hurrah, the time is perfect, while it's all chaos. You rather go out in a blaze or you want to die with a whimper?"

He stood, staring at the stars for a long time. She let him think, not interrupting until he was good and ready to say anything. "You already know the answer General" he said quietly. "I never gave up hope"

She nodded. "Tomorrow then?"

"Absolutly. Goodnight Madam"

"Goodnight". She watch as he left, closed the door behind him, before looking up at the stars herself. How long she was alone in her thoughts, she didnt quite know, but it was quite late before she decided to turn in.

[Jiprao]

Back on the barge...

They'd decided to stick around the outskirts of town untill the morning. The entire crew had been given the night off to do whatever they pleased.

..this of course meant all the male crew members were in the bars, picking up women and being rowdy. The only female crew member, however, took this opportunity to do something she usually didn't have time for.

Act like a total girlie-girl.

The latest fashion magazines and clothes covered the floor of Jipraos' small room. A bottle of pink nail polish rested on top of an unsteady pile of dirty shirts as she carefully applied a second coat to her toenails. It was refreshing to have one night without the guys around, when she could act like a teenaged girl instead of a grunt.

As she admired her work, her mind drifted back to the strange woman from the street earlier that day. She had given Jip the heebies. The young wookie hoped they wouldn't run into her again as she leaned over to change the song playing on her stereo.

[Jaime Tomahawk]

Next morning -

Fininished with breakfast, exercise, showered and freshened up. Black pants and boots already on, with a tight black singlet that would probaly give most men some rather wild thoughts - if they didnt care about their limbs. And as well as the aresnal arranged in front of her on the bed. Hand blasters that went into the holsters on her hips, boot knife, concussion grenades attached to a utility belt, twinned shoulder holsters with of all things slug throwers. Her shirt that had in it's pockets little odds and ends she liked to have at hand like a dart gun and darts for silence, somethign that looked like a pen, a comm link, throwing knives.... it took a few minutes to get it all on and arrange to her comfort and ease of access, then over it all her long duster. Last, dark mirrored eyewear.

And a case that she picked up last before exiting the room.

Choosing to exit via the tapcafe that the rooms for rent attached to, she emerged into the still cool air of Tattooine's early morning, before the second sun rose. Behind her, the bar tender noted that some of the early clients of the tapcafe also exited casually not long later - not the usual fortune hunter types, but older, tougher no nonsense types who didnt look real friendly. And seemed to be armed to the teeth with older, but well used weaponry.

Four of them joined Tomahawk near a hanger about ten timeclicks later.

"Followed?" she asked

"Yep" growled one grizzled and frankly overweight man

"And?"

"Dealt with"

"Fine. I dont want any screw ups Jank"

"There wont be any, General"

"As expected. Reyk in place?"

"As of 100 time clicks ago"

"Very well. One thing you do need to know is that there's a juvenile Wookie on the crew"

"Free or slave?"

"Free from the looks of it. The rest are just the regular type you get around here"

"No change to instructions?"

"None. We got four hunred time clicks - lets get out there"