A Trip to Coruscant (Semi-Closed)

[Dalethria2]

After a rather rude occurance at Yog's Bar & Grill (http://pub1.ezboard.com/fthejediloungevisitingarea.showMessage?topicID=149 1.topic), Sanis Prent was led to his ship by a rather quiet young girl. She tugs on his jacket as he carries the boxed leftovers from their dinner, trying to make sure he doesn't drop anything in the murky swamp.

Eventually, Daleethria drags him all the way to where the hanger bay is and stops in front of Sanis' ship. She looks up at Sanis, her eyes wide with curiosity and then look to the packages in his hand. She carefully takes them from him and waits.

OOC~ Obviously, this takes place after Destiny's Call (http://pub2.ezboard.com/fswvstitanicfrm13.showMessage?topicID=4.topic) :)

also another note. This thread is closed but feel free to email me or Sanis if you wish to join ^_^

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis let the brunette girl take the boxes from him as he paid the fuel delivery man. Quickly, the fuel was siphoned into Sanis' ship, and Sanis took the girl's hand as they both climbed into the large freighter. Sanis walked through the main cabin, and showed the girl a comfortable couch.)

You can sit here if you want, or up in the pilot pod with me. I'm just gonna clear my flight plan with control, and we'll shake this little planet off our boots.

(Sanis gathered up several papers, which contained flight codes he needed to recite to Dagobah flight control, in order to be cleared for exit)

[Dalethria2]

A quick look around the main cabin, Daleethria knew this is where she didn't want to be. She followed Sanis out of the exit and headed for the cockpit.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis drummed his fingers across the control console as he waited for control to reply to his request. He turned to look at the mysterious girl, who had suddenly become quite fascinated with the pair of fuzzy Sabbacc dice hanging from the spanner frame on the ceiling.)

Control: Uh...Freighter Layla, designation 3433-Alpha, you are cleared for release into orbit and trans-system flight. Enjoy your flight, and thank you for visiting the Greater Jedi Order.

Sanis: Uh...thanks.

(Sanis clipped his flight plan notepad onto a pallette above him, and secured his safety strap as he began powering up the engines. Noticing that the girl was still enthralled by the dice, Sanis discreetly reached over, tugging her safety strap across her and fastening it. She turned to look to him)

Ready to blaze?

(Sanis shifts forward the throttle, and the freighter Layla begins to slowly slide forward, and flies out of the enormous hangar. Within minutes, Sanis and the girl are staring out at a sea of stars, with the pale blue glow of Dagobah glinting faintly behind)

[Dalethria2]

Daleethria watched Sanis strapped her into the chair and wondered if this would hold her if there was a crash of some sort.

She looked up at Sanis and watched him key the sequence to head into hyperspace. The view before her turned into a swirling sea of stars and her mind reeled back from it. Daleethria stayed focused on the view in front as her eyes glazed over. She stared off, not moving and only breathing very shallow.

Sanis felt the hairs on his neck stand since this was something that she pulled back at the bar.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis watched the girl in her complete awe of the flowing starfield, wondering if this is her first trip offworld. He moves to say something, but instead just smiles, wondering how amazing it must be to see something that he had long-since regarded as routine, for the very first time. Once hyperdrive was fully entered, Sanis unfastened his safety harness, yawning slightly. He reached to the console, and flipped a switch, turning the automatic piloting sequence on.)

Hey...I'm gonna take the hour back to Coruscant and take a nap. If you want, I've got a comfortable bed back in my quarters. I'm gonna crash on the couch in the galley.

(Sanis stood up, stretching slightly, and walking down the steps out of the pilot's pod. He lays down on the rather used-looking loveseat, legs hanging off the edge, as he attempts to get comfortable)

[Dalethria2]

She heard what Sanis said. Somewhere the information was processed in the back of her mind. Right now what was important is to deal with the flood of information that was entering at a fast pace. The swirling sea of stars broke her concentration for a brief moment and that was all it took.

It took ten minutes for her to calm the firing of neurons in her brain and information was tolerable once again. Daleethria tunred her head as if hearing what Sanis said for the first time and looked around, seeing that he wasn't there. It came to her that he offered his room to her and decided that sleep was much needed for her body.

She undid the strap to the chair and stood up. Daleethria already knew the way to his quarters since she was here before. The same trail of random mess led her right to the door. As soon as the door opened, she headed straight for the bed and kicked off her boots and jacket. She slid under the covers, letting the coolness finally turn to warmth before she fell into a dreamless sleep.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis drifted off to sleep, the hum of the engines and gentle rattle of deck plates serving as a backdrop for his sleep. As he tossed and turned on the couch, he drifted into the land of dreams. For some reason the dream seemed to be the same every time. It was a dream full of shiny new starships, money, and bare-breasted women on horseback, bringing him beer. Sanis smiled unconciously...feeling completely at peace. However, tonight the dream was slightly different. As Sanis watched the dream unfold around him, he turned around, and She was there. Not bare-chested like the rest of the images of buxom beauty in his dream, but instead clad in a floral pastel-blue dress, like something Princess Grace of Monaco might have once worn. That nameless girl, who could say so much with no words. Sanis looked at her, then turned and looked back. The Starships, the money, the topless horseback-riding beer girls...were all gone. And yet Sanis did not feel mad or upset. It was like it all made sense, as even the strangest dreams do. Sanis opened his mouth to speak, but the silent brunette merely placed a finger to his lips, as if to say that he shouldn't say a thing, but merely ride out this spiritual rollercoaster with the wonderment of a child. The mysterious girl took him by the hand and began to lead him on...over a grassy hill. Sanis could only follow. To where she would lead him, well...

...and then Sanis woke up. All in all, it was the strangest and yet most interesting dream he had had in a long time)

[Dalethria2]

Her eyes opened quickly as soon as her internal clock told her that the Layla would be breaking out of hyperspace soon.

Arching her back upwards, it cracked and popped to releave the stress and aches from sleeping in this rather uncomfortable bed ... but it was one of the best naps that she ever had. Being locked away at the ROS base did nothing for her. Daleethria practically had to be awake 24-7 to make sure that her Sister, Daalethria, wouldn't haul off and kill Dalethrria at a moments notice. She learned how to sleep with her eyes open very quickly.

She threw the covers off her in a neat fashion, somehow the blanket and sheet folded perfectly in a triangle pattern. Daleethria slid out of the bed quickly and quietly. Putting on her boots, she decided that the temperature on the ship was sufficient enough that she did not need her jacket and left the private quarters in search of Sanis.

She easily found him sleeping peacefully on the couch through her sense in the Force. Walking on specific parts of the floor to not make a sound, Daleethria kneeled down at his side and looked directly at him, waiting for him to wake up.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis continued to sleep, shifting slightly on the loveseat)

[Dalethria2]

Realizing that Sanis is going to sleep all the way through the exit from hyperspace, Daleethria figures she should wake him herself.

Tilting her head to the side, she slowly extended a hand and placed it on his shoulder. Daleethria shook his arm with just the right amount of force to wake him. He might be taken by surprise so she is also prepared incase he wakes up in that state. She hoped he wouldn't.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis mumbles incoherently as the girl shakes him. She shakes slightly harder, and Sanis finally wakes up, falling off the loveseat from his awkward sleeping position and banging his head on the floor slightly. Sanis sits up, rubbing the side of his head as he wakes fully)

Ah...damn...okay, I'm awake, ow...

(Sanis yawns, running a hand through his hair as he turns and looks at the brunette)

Oh...hey, how long have you been up? We should be...

(A beeping sound gets his attention)

...dropping out of hyperspace right about now.

[Dalethria2]

Her eyes open wide as she hears the beeping noise and stands up. Absently, she puts a hand to the spot where Sanis hit his head, rubbing it gently. Slowly the pain and bruise that was forming disappear.

Daleethria fixes his messed up, sleep ridden hair. Carefully placing the strands of hair back to the perfection it once had at the bar. When she is satisfied that he is alright and a little presentable, she heads off to the cockpit.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis was once again dumbfounded. She fixed his hair, and was concerned that he had hurt his head. He'd known her less than a day, and yet she was making more of an impression on him than anyone he could remember. Sanis snatched himself out of his train of thoughts, and followed the brunette up to the pilot pod, seating himself in the pilot's seat. Sanis eased back on the throttle, and the starstreaks shrank into twinkles as they slid back into realspace. Up ahead, the looming planet-city bustled, cluttered starship traffic already visible as they entered the Coruscant system. Sanis activated the comm)

Uh, Coruscant control, this is UCT34345. Requesting permission for landing clearance in Sector 3228.

(Silence echoed back for a few seconds, and Sanis caught himself looking over to the side at the young girl. After a few moments, a static-filled voice could be heard)

Control: UCT34345, your request is noted. Landing clearance in sector 3228 will be given in 15 minutes. Please stand by. Control out.

(Sanis sat back in his seat. There was always something about Coruscant rush hour. Oh well. He turned to the girl, hoping for a rare chance at conversation)

So, I guess tell me a little about yourself...I mean, heh, I don't even know your name.

[Dalethria2]

Daleethria looked out the viewport at the dark grey and black sphere before her. She wondered how it would be like on a planet that was all buildings and technology. Should proved to be most interesting for new senses that she hasn't experienced yet.

Her eyes blinked once and moved to look over at Sanis out of the corner of her eye. Slowly her head turned to meet his gaze, her hair sliding down her shoulders as she tilted her head. Daleethria processed Sanis' question and looked down to the controls. It was just as messy as the rest of the ship. Luckily, she found a data-pad and punched on a few keys. When she was through, she handed the data-pad to Sanis. She leaned back in her chair and went back to her musings about this planet as he looked down and saw one word.

"Daleethria."

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis scratches his head as he reads the datapad. D aleethria? That can't be. Not only do the two of them look remarkably the same but they also have the same...

...Sanis shook the thought out of his head as he descended into Coruscant's atmosphere. As he piloted Layla along her course vector, he looked at Daleethria again. She couldn't be her...aside from the fact that they look identical and have the same name, they seemed to share no other similarities. The Dalethria that employed Sanis a week ago was domineering, rude, and rather unpleasant. Sanis would hesitate being in a locked room 30 seconds with the woman, much less travel the long way to Coruscant with her. However, Daleethria was different from that woman in every way. She was attentive, intuitive, reserved and interesting at the same time. As Sanis looked at her staring out the viewport, his mind wandered.

What if they really were the same person? It couldn't be! The woman who hired Sanis was millions of light years away, and acted nothing like the girl with the same name.

Sanis smiled as Daleethria's eyes lit up at the sights of the supermetropolis. For some reason, seeing her smile like that made him happy. He'd never felt it before, but he could've sworn he was in lo...

...Sanis banked sharply as he avoided an oncoming freighter. Quickly, he threw that thought into the back of his mind. How could he of all people think like that. Hell, he'd seen what happened to his friends when they started down that road. It changed them, and in ways Sanis vowed he'd never be changed.

The women he liked were all the same. Tight leather, big breasted chicks who didn't have time to swap emotional baggage and whose lips tasted of glitterstim. Yet...Sanis still found himself looking at that strange girl.

Daleethria, if that was her name, was the strangest and most interesting girl he had ever met before in his life. A few seconds later, Sanis curbed his emotional tangent and prepared to touch down in a specified docking bay. He switched several controls, and Layla began to descend into the bay...touching down softly. Sanis breathed in and out deeply, shutting down the ship's systems. He turned to Daleethria.)

Well, welcome to Coruscant...my home. What do you say we pay an old grey Wookie a visit?

[Dalethria2]

Daleethria held onto the sides of her seat as the ship jerk hard to avoid an oncoming ship. She could sense a mix of confusing emotions eminating from Sanis that she almost took control of the ship herself, but she knew that he would get it under control for some reason. What was really fascinating about his projections is that he comtemplated that he could love her. Daleethria forrowed her brow since that term and emotion was foreign to her. She decided that was something she would have to study later as the freighter landed safely in the docking bay.

As the final clang of the landing struts hit the bay, Dalethria looked over to Sanis. He may have calmed his mind down but Daleethria could tell that his body was still tense. His heart raced along with his deep breathing. She unfastens the belt and leans over to place a hand on Sanis' heart. No good is it to meet a Wookie when one is so ... stressed out. Sanis could feel a warmth wash over him that calmed his senses.

With a slight smirk, Daleethria removed her hand and headed to the ramp leading off the ship.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis lingered for a few moments, collecting himself. Finally, he powered down Layla, and got together a few things. He reached into his pocket, making sure he still had the collection of credit chits that he had accumulated. Good...they were all there. Enough to pay off the apartment, enough to pay off the freighter, and enough to play with after that. First things first, however. Sanis made his way out of the freighter, catching up with Daleethria. Parked outside the hangar, an old restored X-93 speeder sat ready to go. Sanis gestured to Daleethria, and she hopped in. Sanis soon followed, powering up the repulsordrive on the craft, and heading towards his apartment complex. On the way, Sanis started to talk)

Okay, when we get to my place, I've got to speak with the landlord, Younakka. Now, I want you to keep your eyes open. The old hairball doesn't like me at all, and he's about as crooked as an arthritic Twi'Lek's Lekku. I'm just gonna go in, pay off the place, and then leave. We've got a few places to go, and I wanna get the big stuff out of the way before anybody decides they want to break one of my kneecaps or something. After that, I'll show you around. Its a big planet, so stick close.

[Daleethria]

Daleethria listened intently to what Sanis' mission was on this planet. He was in debt and for some reason it pleased her that the credits she gave him would cover everything. She was also pleased that once business was taken care of, she would be able to see what this planet was all about. Daleethria lives to learn new sensations and information. This planet that was one huge metropolis is a resevior of numerous was overflowing with new information that Daleethria needed to focus a bit more on control. It was easily managed to divert the flux of information on another path.

Once settled mentally, she looked over at Sanis and frowned when he mentioned that physical harm could come to him. She knew that with her along, no one would get close enough to lay a hand upon him.

[Sanis Prent]

(Several minutes passed, as Sanis weaved his landspeeder through the tumultuous horde of Coruscant traffic. Eventually, he came to a tall and rather run-down apartment complex. Sanis carefully parked his landspeeder in the back of the parking lot, and hopped out of the vehicle. Daleethria soon followed, and Sanis gestured to her to keep quiet. Eyes shifting, Sanis was on the lookout for any of Younakka's dirty thugs. He was pretty sure that dirty hairball was on the lookout for him, and he'd rather go straight to Younakka than to have Younakka come to him.

Silently, Sanis and Daleethria walked into the building. Dirty floors, peeling paint on the walls, and other signs of disrepair were quite apparent, as they walked down one of the long halls. Eventually, they came to a big wooden door, with a dirty nameplate on the wall...)

YOUNAKKA - LANDLORD

Well...here we go.

(Sanis knocked on the door)

[Daleethria]

Daleethria let her mind extend around the area to warn herself of any danger to her or Sanis. All her senses were awakened so that any strange smell, unknown change in the air, or sound that filters through her body and mind will register. Standing next to Sanis, she turned her head sideways to the door to listen for the landlord coming to the door and waited.

[Younakka]

Daleethria's nostrils flared as an overpowering stench began to waft on the air, alerting her that their short wait was over. There was an obvious commotion on the other side of the door, objects crashing and breaking on the floor or walls. Apparently, there was some sort of scuffle going on.

Sanis cringed as a very human-sounding scream rang out, followed shortly by an animalistic cry of triumph. It didn't take a huge leap of logic to guess what was going on inside the room. Sanis began to edge away, anticipating what was sure to follow:

The durasteel door slid open with a whoosh, and less than a heartbeat later, a man came flying out of the portal, flailing his arms about and screaming once more. Younakka, the wookiee landlord, walked out brushing one massive palm against the other. Daleethria caught a glimpse of his claws sliding back into the covering of fur, but she said not a word.

"Rarwhat is it? Do you have my money yet? Or am I going to have to *grak* do the same to you?"

The first time Sanis met up with Younakka, he was taken a bit aback by how clearly the Wookiee spoke. He knew enough about their guttural language to get by, but he hadn't expected the thing to speak Basic: hadn't even thought it was possible. But it seemed that Younakka was born with a speech impediment (Somewhat rare on his home planet of Kashyyyk, less so off-world) that actually made everything he said sound more like Basic. Strange, but true.

He snarled impatiently;

"Well, do you have it or not?"

[Sanis Prent]

(He sure didn't waste time with pleasantries. Sanis acted casual around the enraged Wookie. Yeah, he was big. Yeah he was strong. Yeah he had a few dozen crooks on his payroll who would like to kneecap a player like himself, but Sanis played cool. This time, that shifty-eyed mound of fur wasn't gonna lay a finger on him. He had the money.

Sanis flashed a cocky grin as he reached into his pocket, flipping a credit chit onto the desk)

Well Younnie...there's a thousand right there. I believe that squares us away for the month.

(Sanis' smile widened a little, as he ran a hand through his hair)

So, how IS that little side-game you've got going? I heard the Hutt syndicate complied with more Republic sanctions this week, and cut spice shipping yet again. That's got to really yank your fur, huh? But...then again, thats what I heard. After all...I quit spice running a year ago. I know how important the "business" is to you, here, and I wouldn't want to do anything that would prevent you from renovating this...

(Sanis spreads his arms wide, and looks around)

...beautiful establishment.

[Younakka]

Younakka glared at Sanis for a moment, somewhat agitated that he wouldn't get to toss the cocky fool around. Finally, he broke eye contact with him, looking down at the credit chit on his desk. Almost reluctantly, Younakka slapped one massive palm over it, picking it up and bringing it closer to his face so he could examine the amount. Yep, it was all there.

"Rarwhy do you care howrar my business is going? You looking to buy some Spice off me? Or you looking to get youself in trouble?"

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis waves his hands casually)

Hey, just a casual curiosity. As I said before...I'm out of the business. With the New Republic embargoes in place, I'd make a better living as a Nerf Herder...BUT you seem to be doing quite well for yourself.

(Sanis leaned closer)

Oh, and Younnie...

(Sanis tosses a credit chit to the Wookie worth 200 credits)

See if you could fix that leaking faucet for a change?

[Younakka]

The wookiee's nostrils flared, his eyes glowering at Sanis' flippant attitude. He grumbled something under his breath in Wookieespeak, picking up the second credit chit. He stayed silent for a moment, trying to contemplate some sort of a comeback to sling atthe pesky human, but none came. Instead, he raised one furry arm, pointing it at Daleethria.

"Rarwhere is she sleeping for the night? You going to pay double this month?"

[Daleethria]

Daleethria was paying more attention to her surroundings. The smell of this place was .. worse then anything that she had been in. Including her Cell when she was a clone prisoner of the ROS. She calculated in her mind the amount it would cost to repair this place and she almost found humor in the total amount. Something caught the interest of her nostrils as Daleethria peered further to look at Younakka's apartment. A smell that she knew from before with Sanis.

Spice.

She turned to gaze at Sanis with a displeased look and then crinkled her brow to what Younakka said. It seemed quite obvious with whom she was going to be staying with.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis was more than a little peeved at Younakka's prying comment. It damn sure wasn't his business to know, but the dirty old Wookie had more gossip circles than a tabloid press.)

Don't worry about that, Younnie...we're not staying. Just taking care of some business.

(Sanis suddenly had a severe spice craving. Maybe it was just this ratty little place, but it was hitting him pretty rough. He turned to look at Daleethria, and she seemingly read his mind, showing a look of disapproval. Sanis smiled weakly, and rubbed his chin slightly. Geez, maybe he needed the patch, or something.

Sanis turned to Younakka, tapping two fingers up to his brow in a mock salute, then turned to Daleethria, took her by the arm, and headed out. Once he was down the street, he smiled, stretching slightly)

Whew...glad to have that taken care of!

(Sanis turned to Daleethria)

Well hey...whatcha wanna do?

(Sanis started thinking as well....what would an offworld Outer Rim girl like that want to do in a cosmopolitan place like Coruscant.)

Wanna go shopping?

[Daleethria]

Daleethria looked down at her arm interlocked with Sanis' and looked up into his face. This was something that she never experienced before. Someone being nice to her. Granted, Sanis wasn't the most scrupulous of beings but he had a certain charm about him. Daleethria still wondered why her path was led to him and still fully couldn't understand it. She gave him the credits to get him out of debt without thinking.

She tilted her head at Sanis' question and looked out at the street before her.

What need would she have to go shopping?

[Sanis Prent]

(Before Daleethria could reply, Sanis hopped in the speeder. Daleethris soon followed suit, and soon they were headed towards the Ali Teem Galactic Supermall. After 30 minutes trying to find a parking space, Sanis finally pulled his speeder into a spot, and turned off the ignition. He hopped out, and opened the door for Daleethria. Sanis checked his pouch of credit chits, while figuring some things in his head. Okay...apartment rent paid, now the Layla had to be paid off, but that would come later. Minus the freighter payment, he still had a good deal of cash left over, thanks to that job he pulled a few days back, when he stole that bumbling Imperial sniper's rifle.

Yes! He was in the good...and now he had some cash to work with!

Sanis eyed Daleethria, and looked at her well-worn clothes. He raised an eyebrow. After all she'd done to help, one would think she wouldn't mind some nicer clothes.)

Hey, c'mon...I know a great department store here. We can pick up a few things...what do you say?

[Daleethria]

Daleethria exited the speeder and looked at all the different type of ground and air vehicles around her. A lot she actually recognized from her learnings at the ROS but she never had a chance to see them up close.

As Sanis was asking his question, Daleethria wandered off to look at a ground based vehicle. It actually had tires! This truly fascinated her since getting around on something like this had to very difficult on this sort of planet. Kneeling down, she let her hand hover over the tire and then press lightly down to try and figure out what kind of substance it was made of.

[Sanis Prent]

(While Sanis was about to laugh at Daleethria's crazy antics, he knew that they only had a little while to shop. He walked over to her.)

Alright, lets go do some shopping.

(Sanis reaches for Daleethria's hand)

[Daleethria]

Daleethria looked up from the tire to Sanis and had an almost pout on her face. She looked disappointed but could sense that he was in a hurry and there wasn't much time to go shopping. Something that she herself wasn't so sure why it was necessary. Then she took a good look at herself as she stood up.

Crinkling her nose, the lack of cleanliness was apparent. The clothing was dusty and wrinkled up. Her jacket had a tear in the right shoulder. Her boots lacked the luster they once had.

With a smile, Daleethria took Sanis' hand in her own and squeezed it, letting him know to lead the way.

[Sanis Prent]

Rueler's Department Store

(Sanis led Daleethria into the huge and opulent department store. Rueler's was known across the galaxy as one of the most fashionable clothing stores around, catering to both men and women alike, and serving a multitude of species. The store itself was an impressive ten stories tall, and featured a multi-cultural food court inside, serving the finest overpriced food that you'd want to waste your money on.

As Sanis and Daleethria walked in, a group of capitalistic lackeys swarmed to cater to their every whim.

-Welcome to Rueler's, the finest clothing store in the Galaxy!

-How may we help you?

-Will you be buying something for yourself? Or for the misses?

Sanis smiled, and silenced them all by holding a credit chit in the air. He thumbed the value ticker until it read One Thousand, then authorized it, and placed it into the hand of a gaudily-clad Twi'Lek store clerk.)

Take the girl and help her put together a few wardrobes.

(Sanis turned to Daleethria)

And don't let them make you buy what you don't want. Pick out whatever you want, as long as it comes in under a thousand.

(The Twi'Lek cheerfully escorted Daleethria away, much to her confusion. She turned back to Sanis, but he just winked at her, as if to tell her it was okay. With that, she continued to walk off.

As she left, Sanis began to do a little shopping for himself. After all...he could at least pretend to be a cosmopolitan gentleman.)

[Daleethria]

Daleethria stood in front of the mirror wearing a spring fashion that came out of Aqauris. Tilting her head to the side, the flowing blue ribbons of the green dress made her look like seaweed. She turned her head to the Twi'lek and he could tell by her eyes that his customer hated this outfit.

He sighed and found that this was quite difficult. Not only did the girl hate everything that he brought out, she didn't speak, making it all the more impossible to get this done.

Looking around the store, there was nothing that caught her eye right off the bat. Yet thinking about it more, certain apparel did peek some interest. Grabbing the Twi'lek's arm, Daleethria dragged him over to the racks and started picking out clothing herself. The clerk wanted to say something about how chaotic she was making the store but held his tongue. Finally, the girl seemed interested in picking out her own clothes. Which baffled him in the beggining as to why she didn't seem more animate about it in the first place.

With an armfull of different clothing, Daleethria walked back to where the dressing room was and disappeared behind the curtain.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis knew what his tastes were...expensive. And he knew exactly what he wanted, as he walked through the expansive store. Slowly, he began to form up a wardrobe. After all, sometimes jobs went solely to those who were the best dressed of the crop.

Designer Banthaskin Jacket: 750 Credits
Two Althonian diamond rings: 1000 Credits
Zrata Eyewear chrome-effects custom shades: 650 Credits.
Nurokia chrome pocket HoloNet communicator: 900 Credits.
Paltu-skin durasteel-toed boots: 340 Credits.
Yolex platinum wrist-chronometer: 1200 Credits.
14 Ct Gold necklace with large "P" pendant: 650 Credits.
Set of Yrasian silk shirts, and pleated slacks: 1800 Credits.

In addition, as Sanis walked through the store, he occasionally tapped a device at his belt that generated a low-modulation EMP burst...not enough to permanently damage electronic circuits, but certainly enough to render them inoperable for a few seconds at a time. With the clerks attention diverted, Sanis did a little shopping on the five-fingered discount sale. After all, Rueler's might be the most cosmo place in the galaxy, but cosmo costs cosmo-money...the kind that Sanis didn't exactly have at a given time. In his mind...it all figured into counteracting inflation, or whatever. At any rate, it served the place right for gouging the prices on a few items. They wouldn't exactly miss a few things here and there, and Sanis was in his own way enacting his version of Robin Hood. Taking from the rich, and giving to the spontaneously poor...himself.)

[Daleethria]

Daleethria emerged from the changing room and walked in front of the four paneled mirror. She tilted her head back and forth approving of what she put together. The black knee high boots complemented the red pants that she wore, which her sabre hung perfectly at her side from the leather belt. A sleeveless grey shirt outlined her torso, which was outlined in a darker shade of grey. A black robe was folded neatly across her arm and she smiled.

Turning to the Twi'lek, she paid him for this outfit as well as for the other articles of clothing that she found. She picked up the two bags and realized that in this size of a store, it will be most difficult for Daleethria to find Sanis. Too many minds clutter her own ability to pinpoint people in a location. Something else stirred in her senses though. Daleethtia could sense a small EMP burst that happened every now and then. Something so minor would normally be overlooked but to her fine tuned abilities, Daleethria could spot it immediately.

She followed the bursts, picking up the trail and it led her to ... Sanis. Somehow, this didn't surprise her. The only question was why it was coming off of him. Walking over to where he was looking at some slacks, she tugged gently on his shirt so he would turn around to notice her.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis turned around at the tug of his shirt, and looked at Daleethria. She looked good...and Sanis smiled as he looked her up and down.)

Hey...now that's a good getup you've got there. Now you look like a city girl.

(Sanis eyed down at his new chronometer...it was just about time to go take care of some other business. Gathering together his things, he turned toward the door.)

Hey...you ready to head out? Lets go drop by the ship and put some of this away.

[Daleethria]

She nodded to Sanis and had all her new belongings in her hands. Daleethria still looked at Sanis oddly, knowing that he was doing something before but whatever it was, stopped. Following his lead, they made their way back to the landspeeder in the lot. Considering that Sanis had pressing matters to take care of, she fought the urge to go and look at that land based vehicle that was still parked. She bit her lip, a gesture that Sanis had never seen before, and hopped into the speeder.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis quickly pulled out of the parking deck, headed back toward the hangar bay. It wasn't a very long drive, and Sanis took his time. Today was going perfectly. He had gone from neck-deep in trouble to nearly in the clear.

Sanis smiled...it was all working out. He was back in the saddle again.

About 30 minutes later, Sanis pulled the speeder up to the hangar bay. Helping Daleethria out of the vehicle, he gathered up several bags and walked to the hangar bay door. Entering his PIN code...he opened the door...

...to nothing.

Sanis dropped the bags. His freighter, Layla, was gone.)

What the hell...?

[Daleethria]

Daleethria looked around with wide eyes, wondering how the ship was gone as well. She carefully placed her bags on the ground as Sanis stared at the empty space in confusion. Standing close to the area where the ship was last docked, Daleethria closed her eyes and held out her hand. It hovered over the barren landing bay. There were many signatures around the ship but she was weeding them out to find out how many people actually were on the ship in the last few hours.

She looked past hers and Sanis' signature until she found two that didn't match. Daleethria would be able to recognize them if she saw them. She did know they were human but to actually run across them in this big of a galaxy? That was another thing.

Turning around to look at Sanis, she extended two fingers as she walked back towards him.

[MARCUS v4]

Several bouncing pink objects caught Sanis' attention.

Sanis, Sanis, Sanis, Sanis, Sanis....

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis looked down at the half dozen MARCUS units, who were all exceedingly frantic)

Yeah, what? What the hell happened to the ship, MARCUS? I don't have time for this crap!

[MARCUS v4]

One of the cyllinder droids approached Sanis, and spoke for the others.

Sanis, the Layla has been hijacked. Two men broke into the hangar bay and bypassed all security measures. Whoever they were, they were obviously well-trained. No two-bit criminal can bypass my security. I am practically infallible...for the most part.

The pink can-like object began to pace around slightly.

[Daleethria]

Daleethria nodded to what the droid had spoken, confirming that it was indeed two people that took the ship.

Her head tilted to the side to look at these strange droids. Daleethria didn't see them on the ship before so they must have been hiding from her. Walking over to the ones that weren't speaking to Sanis, she kneeled down and touched it. She could feel the droid wanting to flee but held it in place with the Force so she could inspect it.

[MARCUS v4]

MARCUS' visual interface looked at Daleethria.

Excuse me madam, could you please let me go. I have work to do.

[Daleethria]

Daleethria leans forward as her eyes locked with the droids big ones. Her other hand came up and tapped it between the eyes a couple of times, wondering how it spoke.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis began to pace around angrily, running his fingers through his hair)

Dammit! MARCUS, how the hell could they just waltz in and out like that! Krasst! My entire life was in that ship! Did you check with flight control and cross-check their records? Maybe they'll know something.

(Sanis paces around some more)

<font size='10'>AAAAGH! This is un-frelling-believable!</font>

[MARCUS v4]

MARCUS backed away from Sanis slowly

The flight control office confirmed that launch clearance was indeed given.

MARCUS' eyes flashed slightly as he accessed information in a wireless inquiry

Oh my...this is most peculiar. It appears the launch clearance was not given under your name.

MARCUS rocked back and forth slightly as Daleethria prodded his "head"

Will you please stop poking me, Madam? I'm trying to do my job. I am not a toy.

[Daleethria]

Realizing the droid needed to work on the mystery of the missing ship, Daleethria let go of MARCUS. Her attention was then focused on Sanis. He was pacing around and quite upset. Rightfully so. Usually she was good at coming up with something to go on to help evaluate situations but whoever took the ship was long gone. She knows that the only thing she can do is wait for Sanis and his droid to figure out a lead.

Her face was frowned a little with not being of use. Daleethria never felt that way before, let along feeling anything. This was quite new to her. She also knew that she could do something for Sanis is help him calm down, but she didn't know what. All that ended up was her standing up and brooding, trying to understand what was going on inside her.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis sat on a work bench, and began to nervously clean one of his blasters.)

[Daleethria]

Daleethria made her way to where Sanis was and sat down next to him. His hands worked on cleaning his blaster but she could feel his mind furiously trying to figure things out. Looking closer, she could see that his hands where shaking a little.

Reaching over, she placed a hand over Sanis' and rested her head upon his shoulder.

[MARCUS v4]

MARCUS moved over to Sanis

Sanis, it appears that a flight plan for the Layla was filed with Control, under the alias "Steve Dominguez". I do not have any further records on such a name. I am quite disturbed, however, that Control would let somebody with no authorization and only a simple flight plan get launch clearance in your stead.

As one MARCUS module spoke to Sanis, several others began moving around the hangar, looking for clues. One of them stopped at the open hangar doors. He stood there, processing what he saw with his visual indicators, and quickly moved towards Sanis.

Oh dear. It appears that the main hangar bay doors were breached by some incindiary device. There are burn marks localized on the doors edges, as well as some scoring and local structure damage. If I were to assess the situation correctly, the reactive agent would appear to be a thermite derivative.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce Tondry grinned, watching the security holo of Layla's docking bay through the wiretap he had installed. The rat-bastitch little thief was sweating good.

"Enjoying yourself, sir?"

"Damn right, Ludos," Pierce snarled without looking over his shoulder. "People who thieve from me and get caught deserve what they get. Besides- that freighter of his will come in handy with our upcoming op."

"Mmhm." It was Ludos' verbal equivalent of a shrug. "What'll you do next?"

"Oh, I figure in about ten minutes I'll send him a messenger with instructions to meet at my penthouse," Pierce smirked. "Get a few agents together and have them meet me there ASAP. I want this over and done with."

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis slowly removed Dalee's hand from his, and stood up. He held his blaster in his hand, and stared at the door.)

MARCUS, Dalee, lets go...I think I owe a few flight control guys a visit.

[MARCUS v4]

One of the MARCUS modules wheeled quickly over to Sanis.

Sanis, there is a 94.34 percent probability that you are intending to cause trouble on a large scale. That is not very wise, if I may say so myself. Please assuage my concerns and tell me that you do not plan on going to the flight control center to threaten anybody. If the spaceport authorities get involved in this, oh my. I would not like to calculate the probability of us making it out of that building in one piece.

[Sanis Prent]

Yeah yeah...

(Sanis paid little attention to MARCUS' caveat, and instead kept walking towards the hangar door. Oh Frell, he'd like to wring the pencil-pusher's neck who cleared for something like this to happen. How the hell could something like that even slip by them?? It didn't make sense. They had a rule about the ship's owner/pilot delivering the flight plan for a reason!

As Sanis fumed to himself and walked out of the hangar, he stopped in his tracks as he noticed someone blocking his way in the doorway.)

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

A drooly drop of spittle slowly made its way from the corner of her mouth to the floor, only to land on her tan-coloured chest that showed a lot more skin than was wise in any situation. She stood in his way and stared, and wouldn't move, her eyes burning with an intensity that seemed able to melt the hair on his muscular body away with its fire.

He was tall and human, he had small eyes and a definately cute butt, and he looked even better in person than in the 200% life-sized holo she had standing in her office.

And she absolutely had to have him.

Of course she, Sasseeri Reeouurra, a somewhat important personality in certain circles, couldn't possibly just drag any man off the street - well, at least not too often. The coarse and common males she had used in the past to mate wiht were growing increasingly boring, in any case, and she was on the prowl.

And Sanis Prent, as she had come to see it, would be the catch of the day.

She had listened around, and her many many sources had told her a great many many tales about him. He definately liked women, and didn't seem to make much of a fuss what species they were.

Still, she couldn't just let such a prize fall into her hands like this - she would play the game for a while, snare him well and good before dragging him off with her.

Sasseeri's dark eyes glowed with a burning intensity, and her sharp fangs bared for a split second, before she set her face into an inhuman and almost comical grin, and stared up at the tall human.

"Hello therrre, strrrangerrr."

[Sanis Prent]

(The woman blocking his path diverted just enough of Sanis' attention to keep him from charging up to the flight control tower and going on a rampage. Sliding his Corellian blaster back into its holser, he looked at the woman in front of him. She was quite attractive, curved in all the right places, and well tanned. However, there was something about her that....

...Sanis shrugged off the weird feeling. Aside from the little string of drool and the slightly-crazed look in her eye (And Sanis had to admit, some species were just a little...different), she didn't really strike him any differently than all the millions of pretty faces that tended to walk the streets of Coruscant.

But still...maybe it was just a bad day creeping up into an attitude, or maybe it was the way this woman seemingly growled out her "R"s...something was afoot other than business as usual.

Ah Hell, who was he kidding? She was probably just another customer looking for his help. As generally enraged about his current situation as he was, Sanis still felt compelled to take on a job. Hell, it probably wouldn't hurt in the long run.

Allowing the mental tangent to futher distract him, Sanis removed his sunglasses, and looked into the stranger's blue eyes.)

Hey there, something I can help you with?

[Daleethria]

Daleethria followed soon on Sanis' heels, watching the MARCUS droid with fascination still. She really wished she could examine one of the droids but their rather annoyingly well programed AI was causing problems.

She saw Sanis stop and walks talking to someone. Her ears picked up the conversation as she fine tuned her attention in their direction. Then the familiar tickle in the back of Daleethria's mind hit her. The being that he was talking to was much more then she seemed and very dangerous. Her motives were still clouded to her and that actually worried Daleethria more. It was the fact that she was worrying about Sanis that really got her attention.

With quick steps, Daleethria appeared at Sanis' side seemingly to the strange woman. Her arms were held out in a neutral position and her face betrayed no emotion as her mind processed this situation.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri's grin got even broader, seemingly spanning over the entire length of her face. There was something wild and uncontrolled flickering in her eyes as she stepped up closer to Sanis.

Oh he could help alright - in lots of ways.

A suggestive leer sneaked into that grin, and she licked her lips. She was about to bend forward and whisper into his ear when a female human stepped up next to Sanis Prent.

Sasseeri's mind flipped. This was... this hadn't... she'd never... HE HAD A WOMAN??????

Her eyes flickered once, shortly, her face contorting into a snarl, when she finally got herself under control again, and her face turned into a calm mask of friendliness

"My assocjiates tell me you have yourrr fjingerrrs in many pjies, Mrrr Prrrent. You arrre a man of some notorrrjiety, jI seem to underrrstand."

Under that cool, smooth voice, her anger boiled and bubbled, something wild and ferocious at the back of her mind screaming to be released at that female. As she talked, she was mentally digging her claws into the soft female at Sanis' side, imagining splitting her head open with her fangs...

"Well, Mrrr Prrrent, jI am a woman of some jinfluence on thjis worrrld. jI wonderrr jif you would be jinterrrested in dojing some busjiness togetherrr jin the futurrre, forrr mutual benefjit?"

[Sanis Prent]

(Well, when it rains, it pours. Sanis had just finished one job and brought in a fair sum of money. As much as Sanis wanted to take the money and have a night on the town, he realized now that he would probably have to put the funds to a more practical approach...like finding the bastards who hijacked Layla. So, while he couldn't do anything about it now, he could surely make some money while he waited. In the back of Sanis' mind, a determined thought grew:

Whoever you are, I'm going to find you. Nobody steals from Sanis and gets away with it.

His thoughts moving back to the forefront, Sanis remembered what the woman said. She wanted to go into business with him. Well...it was a start at least. Now, it was time to get some particulars.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sanis noticed Dalee approaching. She had a slight look of concern on her face, but otherwise, did nothing. Sanis gestured slightly to her, as if to say he would be okay. He turned back to the strange woman.)

What do you say we discuss the particulars of this job over dinner, Miss...?

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

An oily smile appeared on her face. This was going much better than expected, and the woman seemed to be in his control - probably just one of the bits of fluff he kept around to amuse himself with. She didn't look like one of the common girls, though, and that's what made Sasseeri's mind spin.

She looked back at Sanis, and her doubts vanished. Great skies, but was he damnably sexy! No matter what it would cost her, she had to have him. Preferably soon. Preferably as dessert after that dinner.

Sasseeri held out her hand to him, and smiled a most winsome smile, purring in her smoothest manner.

"Sasseerrrji Rrreeouurrrra. But you can of courrrse call me whateverrr you ljike, sweethearrrt."

Her big eyes winked at him.

"And djinnerrr sounds verrry good. Shall we say 8? Shall jI meet you herrre?"

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis smiled slightly as he shook Sasseeri's hand. The smile turned into a slight grimace, as Sasseeri squeezed down on his hand. Wow, she had a pretty strong handshake for such a lithe girl. After a few seconds, Sanis was able to work his hand free.)

So, how does Paynean's by the Shore sound? They're pretty good when it comes to seafood.

(Sanis turned to Daleethria, and tossed her his comm device)

Dalee, can you book reservations for three at Paynean's for eight o'clock?

(Sanis turned back to Sasseeri)

Alright, meet back here at eight. Nice meeting you, Miss Reeouurra.

(But in the back of Sanis' mind...that tinge of a weird feeling still persisted. Was this more than just a job? Was there something else that she wasn't saying?)

[MARCUS v4]

MARCUS worked idly in the background, but at the same time, allowed several modules to approach close enough to overhear the conversation. The MARCUS module's visual indicators zoomed in on the woman's face.

Oh dear oh dear.

The module intensified its scan of the woman. According to MARCUS' anatomical and physiological database, there was an 84.34 percent chance that this woman was one half Human, and one half Cizerack. MARCUS' visual indicators zoomed out at this revelation.

Oh my. I do not like this at all. Sanis has no idea. Well, I hope she has at least been deloused.

MARCUS continued to listen, and the woman spoke her name in her gutteral dialect

"Sasseeri Reeouurra"

Always one for being thorough, MARCUS quickly dispatched another module to the computer terminal at the other side of the hangar. Once it arrived, the module began to access the General Citizen Database, in order to pull up possible background information on the feline woman. It took several minutes, but what MARCUS found nearly left him at a loss for words.

Oh my. I do not like this.

[Daleethria]

She caught the comm expertly in her hand and looked down, wondering what she was suppose to do with it. Daleethria's eyes grew somewhat wider since Sanis knew she didn't talk. Why would he ask her to make reservations?

The bouncing and fretting droid, MARCUS, caught her attention. A pink droid that could pace without legs would catch anyone's attention. Seemed that the little droid knew something about Sanis' possible business partner.

Daleethria would have to concur. Something wasn't right about this being and her intentions were far from just a simple business transaction. She would have to be very cautious when dinner time came around.

[MARCUS v4]

Although Sanis was busy with the Cizerack woman, MARCUS empathized with Daleethria's situation.

Don't wory, Daleethria. I am capable of transmitting communications independently. I will place the appropriate reservations for you.

As MARCUS said this, another module wheeled over to Daleethria, speaking in a softer tone

Daleethria, I am concerned about Sanis. I do not think he understands who he is talking to. That woman, Sasseeri Reeouurra, is one of the Vigos of Black Sun. She is powerful, wealthy, and ruthless beyond measure. In addition, she has garnered particular notoriety for the execution of several bloodbaths against her enemies.

Daleethria, please be careful. I would not like too see Sanis or yourself hurt.

[Daleethria]

Daleethria pocketed the comm unit and was grateful that Sanis had these little droids to help him out. He seemed like the one to forget details once in awhile when he was conducting business.

Before she could stand up, another of the small units came up to her. As it spoke, her suspicions were confirmed. Sasseeri was someone that Sanis did not want to deal with. Problem, the Vigo already had her sights out to snatch Sanis and she'll be damned to let that happen.

Daleethria patted the top of the droid's head and stood up. She eyed Sasseeri with a cold stare, already calculating the best options to take her out if needed.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

What a nice strong grip he had! She savoured that grip for a while, enjoying the feeling of his hand on hers, and her mind wandered off, imagining the things he would do with that hand of his on the rest of her body.

Soon. After dinner.

She was therefore less than pleased when he told that woman to reserve a table for three. This wasn't going to plan. The other one would be in the way...

But she could work with that. What would be easier than having one of her boys come around and find a way to get rid of the third unwanted party?

Her eye observed the girl closely. Not much of a catch there. Didn't say much either, that one. No, this was no competition for her.

She put on a charming smile and looked Sanis full in the face.

"Of courrrse - jI shall be therrre, awajiting you. jIt has been a pleasurrre meetjing you, Mrrr Prrrent."

She suddenly darted forward, grabbed him by the shoulders and smacked a kiss on each of his cheeks, then let go and marched backwards to where she had come from, leaving a thoroughly stunned and bewildered Sanis behind her.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis watched Miss Reeouurra strut off, away from the hangar area. Feeling quite confused, he scratched his head.)

Hmm...interesting way to show gratitude, I guess.

(Sanis turned back to look at Dalee, and didn't have to look long to tell that she was rather unhappy with the entire situation. Sanis could empathize. After all, Miss Reeouurra came on rather...uh...strong. Sanis walked over to Dalee, and tried to assuage some of her concerns)

Dalee, relax. Lets just think of her like we would any old customer. We'll go to eat tonight, talk about the job, and leave. I have no intentions to make this into anything other than a business call. Besides...

(Sanis placed a hand on Daleethria's shoulder)

...I'll have you there with me, so nothing can go wrong. We'll go out, have a nice dinner, and talk to the lady about the job. Open and shut case.

(As Sanis stopped talking, he wiped away at the wet spots on his cheeks. Hmmm....she certainly did lay it on rather thick. Even Sanis was wondering if this was a simple business call.)

[Daleethria]

Something about Sanis putting his hand on her shoulder sparked ... something inside and she wanted to feel better, but couldn't. She shook her head and looked up at him concerned, pointing to the MARCUS droid that spoke to her about who Sasseeri really was.

[MARCUS v4]

MARCUS approached Sanis quickly

Sanis, I do not like this. Do you know who Sasseeri Reeouurra is? She is one of the Black Sun Vigos. The fact that a person of such power is approaching you in person disturbs me enough, but Vigo Reeouurra is infamous for her brutal terror tactics. She is implicated in approximately 8,000 homicides.

Sanis, I do not know why you have garnered her attention, but if I were you, I would not welcome it. Judging from her dossier of similar encounters with people, there is a 92.45 percent chance that you will experience serious bodily harm or death from her actions. I do not think any job, no matter how much is involved, is worth competing against such risks.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis' eyes widened)

What? A Black Sun Vigo?!?....HER???

You've got to be kidding me! How is that? She can't be older than 28.

(As Sanis thought, he remembered seeing several news reports over the past several months, about brutal hit jobs being done, with large body counts. There was a monorail station about 20 clicks from here that got hit by....)

...Holy Krasst!

(Sanis looked at Dalee with wide eyes, and she responded with a facial expression reminiscent of, "See, I told you so.". Sanis grimaced, and scratched his head. He turned to look at MARCUS.)

Oh Frell, I've really done it this time, haven't I?

(The droid module simply blinked at Sanis)

Uh....umm.....Krasst!!!

(Sanis quickly grabbed his comm and started to punch in several numbers)

I know what we can do...we can cancel the reservations. Heh, yeah! We'll just call this whole thing off. She'd understand if we couldn't make it...

(Sanis looked at MARCUS)

...right?

[MARCUS v4]

MARCUS sprung up onto a nearby table

I do not think that would be prudent either, Sanis. For someone of her reputation, I doubt that Vigo Reeouurra would take "no" for an answer. Now that we are already involved, we should at least try not to anger her.

If you simply go to dinner with her, and appease her as much as possible, we can still make it out of this in one piece.

Another MARCUS module continues to access the computer records. It comes across something interesting, and stops.

Oh my, this is rather disturbing. It appears that a sizeable portion of the murder victims the Vigo is implicated in killing are young men from the ages 18 to 25.

MARCUS began to cycle through several rather-gruesome crime scene photographs

Oh dear, oh dear. I don't like the odds of this, Sanis.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis had begun to pace again)

Okay...take her out to eat. Talk to her. Yeah, I can do that. Hell...maybe even do whatever job she's asking, like I have a choice, dammit.

(Sanis frowned)

...and she'll probably force me to do it for way less than I would usually charge. Ah Hell, like I have a choice.

(Damn, how did he not recognize her face? Hell, it had been in the news quite a bit recently. You can't really miss something like that.

Sanis began to chuckle slightly to himself. Well, he'd always wanted to make it big in the underworld. He just didn't know making it big was so damn harmful to your health.

He looked at Dalee. Her face was showing a great deal of concern, and Sanis suddenly felt rather guilty for the recent situation. He walked over to her, trying to shake off a lot of nerves...both his and hers.)

Dalee, I'm sorry bout this. I didn't know. But don't worry...we're gonna make it. Count on that.

(Sanis began to discretely place a few small blasters into his clothing. One in particular, a wrist-mounted single-shot, would be especially helpful if things got dicey. He could fire it with the flick of his wrist. Once he loaded up, he looked at Daleethria.)

I won't go out like that. I promise. We'll make it out of there okay.

(With that, there wasn't much else to do but wait. Sanis and Daleethria sat at a work bench, and watched a few shows on the holoprojector, while MARCUS accessed the computer terminal at the far side of the hangar, trying to randomly come up with any tidbit of helpful information. The hours passed, and before they knew it, it was nearly eight o'clock.)

[Daleethria]

Continued here (http://pub2.ezboard.com/fswvstitanicstarwarsroleplayingarchive.showMessage ?topicID=3198.topic)