“Zadarian Brandy.”

[Jamo Jakatta]

The bartender accepted the payment of credits for the beverage and slipped a small glass beneath the counter, dropping a few ice cubes in for good measure.

“So where’s the boss?” the boy asked, shifting forward on his stool.

The barman didn’t answer, but instead silently uncorked the brandy and began pouring the smooth liquid into the tumbler. Jamo peered down over the counter at what was going on – couldn’t ever be too careful with bartenders; they tended to have a ready supply of nasty drugs ready to spike your drink with.

“Hera, that’s her name right?”

Still, no answer. The alcohol was slid forward into Jakatta’s hand, the glass clinking against the metal band around his wrist. With his free hand, he ruffled the hair on the back of his neck. This was going nowhere real fast.

“Right. Well. How about…”

Jamo slid his pistol out of its holster on his hip and pushed it up onto the bar counter as he took a sip of his drink. The bartender seemed surprisingly calm, and responded by drawing a side-arm of his own which trained instantly on Jamo’s forehead.

It took a lot of effort not to snort Brandy out through his nose at this point.

Jakatta rocked backwards on his stool and grabbed his blaster, trying with the minimum amount of cool to point it right back at the bartender.

“Put the weapon away, sit down, shut up and enjoy your drink.”

Jamo obeyed. He wasn’t stupid - at least not in the face of a rail gun.

[Remkah]

Stepping around Jamo and taking a seat on the barstool next to him. A faint nod toward the bar tender, and the gun was lowered and stowed back beneath the bar.
Remkah drew deep on his cigarette and squinted at the young man, as smoke curled up in whisps around his eyes. He placed his gloved hand (the leather kind with the fingers cut out of them) on the bar and tapped lightly.

"Good way to get yourself killed, doin' that"

He referred to the pistol stunt.

"Got a name to go on any toe-tag we may be using?"

[Jamo Jakatta]

Cradling his drink between both palms, inadvertently warming it, Jamo tilted his head sideways to look up at the man that had spoken to him.

“Jamo Jakatta.”

This man looked like he could possibly be an employee here. This in mind, Jakatta looked back down into his drink before taking a sharp sip, gulping down a mouthful with a grimace.

“… You?”

[Remkah]

Remkah watched Jamo's body language. There seemed no more threat here for the moment.

"Remkah"

He stated his name simply. He was the captain of ShadowFaene Fortress. The 'go-to' guy who filled in the holes, kept things running like a well-oiled machine. He had been in the employ of Hera DrenKast for years and was an invaluable player in the SFF outfit.

"What's your business with Hera, Jamo Jakatta?"

[Jamo Jakatta]

“Just seeing if there’s anything I can do around here. Straight up looking for work,”

Jamo gave an evasive shrug as he slid backwards a bit on his stool, taking another sour nip of his brandy.

“You work for her… d’you know if she’s looking for anyone to do errands for her?”

[Remkah]

"Hera's always got an eye out for someone who has something worth offerin.' "

Another drag on his cigarette, a slow exhale, as the Captain sized Jamo up a little more.

"So..what can you do besides stick a gun in a bartenders face. We got plenty of guys that can do that."

[Jamo Jakatta]

Well, that obviously hadn’t been a good move for business. It would have been wiser not to threaten Hera’s bartender at gun point, but it always looked so cool when hunters did it in the holovids.

“Fix things?”

That was a start. Jamo was no star mechanic, but he could tweak and refit till the banthas came home. He wanted to add something like ‘smooth out problems with panache’ but after his unceremonious display of his having no grace, it wouldn’t have been at all believable.

[Remkah]

"Fix things, huh."

A slight twitching of decision around Remkah's mouth was the only indication that he was giving this some worthwhile consideration.

After a few moments, he butted out his cigarette and swivelled off his stool.

"Follow me."

The Base captain waved off the barman who was looking for payment for Jamo's drink..and maybe a little excercise for good measure. Jamo noticed the man's disappointment and parting glare as he followed Remkah through a side door and down a long hallway which lead out onto a small docking bay.

As his boots echoed on the duracrete floor, a woman's voice called out from beneath the main structure of a Delta Class JV-7 Shuttle.

"I dont know Rem...there's no reason the "Evader" craps herself when we make the jump into hyperspace. Least not from what I can see."

"Maybe I can help"

Hera didn't even bother looking up from her work.

"No thanks - Ive already spent half an hour rewiring what you helped with earlier."

Remkah confided to Jamo loud enough so Hera could hear him.

"She always says that when she doesn't got a good answer for anything."

This brought the blonde head up to investigate and her glance fell immediately to the stranger standing beside Remkah.

"Who's this?"


"Ahh, this is a friend of the barkeep..Jamo Jakatta. Say's he can fix stuff. Maybe let him take a look."

[DarthHERA]

Hera frowned. Not so much at Jamo, but at the thought of the barkeeper having any friends.

She climbed down and gestured with her head towards the area she was working on.

"I have a vague idea its a problem with the Adjustable stabilizer fins, but I dont know how to clean em up."

[Jamo Jakatta]

A distasteful look came over Jamo’s face

“Stabilizer fins? … I know the last two batches supplied were faulty, but otherwise you don’t often see many problems with them.”

With the look of a trained mechanic about him, he lowered himself into the niche where Hera had been, to inspect the problem.

“You often get the bust ones on CR90’s, they have a tendency to shatter in two on the just to hyperspace.”

Frowning, Jamo gave the fins a tug before looking back over to Hera and Remkah. This was a problem he wasn’t quite sure how to solve, but he couldn’t let that on if he was going to land himself a job.

“… You got a wrench?”

[DarthHERA]

Jamo looked up to find the wrench already held out waiting for him, Hera having anticipated his need for it in order to do a complete inspection. She'd required it herself earlier.

She exchanged a glance with Remkah who shrugged in a non-committaly, yet hopeful way.

Speaking to Jamo she assured him, "Anything you can do is appreciated."

[Nasseeri Haalleerraa]

Every now and then a stroll through the 'guest' hangar bay was in order, just to keep tabs on who was coming and going. Nasseeri made sure that she memorized every face that passed through the bar and every ship that landed.

DrenKast had an excellent database, both legal and otherwise and the Cizerack liason made sure that she was tapped into it. Out on the tarmac, Nass pulls her jacket tighter around her, the night chill poking holes in her normally hot-blooded hide.

Making careful note of the ships not famailiar to her, Nass slips into the bar, her blue eyes darting swiftly along those present. One new face greeted her but she had a feeling that someone else should be around.

Leaning forward, she slides a few credits to the 'tender without the benefit of receiving a drink.

"jisss therrre sssomeone ji am missssssjing?"

[Remkah]

With one hand, the bartender took Nasseeri's credits, with the other, her pressed unobtrusively a small button on the underside of the bar counter.

Out in the guest hangar, the overhead security monitor changed its scope of view from the doorway entrance, to show the length of the bar.

Remkah lifted his eyes as the flicker of motion caught his attention.

"The Cat's 'ere" he observed to Hera.

Back inside, the bartender made his best effort at a smile, which came off more as a pained grimace.

"Oh...just the usual riff-raff" he replied to Nasseeri.

[Jamo Jakatta]

With the wrench in hand, Jamo shifted under the ship and began tinkering with the fins. For some time, he knocked at various links and couplings with the tool and made thoughtful sounds. Eventually, after he had decided he had been at the stabilizer long enough and nodded to himself.

“I think I’m done…”

Pushing himself backwards, he sat up and looked towards Hera, stating confidently:

“Done.”

He stood up and cleared his throat before handing the wrench back.

“So let’s get going, to talk… away… from here,” he added, spreading his arms to shield the ship.

[Nasseeri Haalleerraa]

Glancing over her striped shoulder at the one newcomer, Nass sniffs the air lightly the wishes she hadnt. This hyu-man smelled terrible and his stench almost made her eyes water.

Swinging her head back to the bartop, she sniffs again, picking up an entirely different scent. Inhaling deeper, Nasseeri anaylizes it - male, from the trace of pheromones left behind and young, no strong scent of dominance here.

Leaving the bartender with more a baring of her teeth than a smile, Nass slides off the stool, letting her keen sense of smell lead her down the hall and towards the hangar bay.

[DarthHERA]

"Well," Hera said, pleased that Jamo seemed to have repaired the ship and come through with the needed goods.

"..lets take her for a test run, whaddya say?"

The holovid screen showed Nasseerri coming down the corridor that would lead her to the guest hangar bay.

"Lets go." Hera said with authority.

[Nasseeri Haalleerraa]

Emerging through the hangar doors, Nass catches a glimpse as DrenKast, Remkah and the new one board the ship.

The upper right portion of her lip curls at the underhandedness of the Faene mistress, once more emphasizing to Nasseeri that this hyuu-mann female cannot be trusted.

She wouldnt belittle herself trying to catch them. But she would be here waiting when they returned.

[Jamo Jakatta]

With the trio boarding the ship, Jamo cleared his throat as he feel perspiration forming on his brow. He knew that there was no chance of the ship lifting off, though he was still following along with the idea simply to put himself in with a chance of getting a little employment. He waited, to see who was going to pilot the craft, whilst silently praying that some act of God would intervene and either give him the liberty of a miracle or just cause him to faint then and there.

[Remkah]

Remkah took his place in the pilot seat and began the preliminary flight check.

It was all pretty standard and all pretty routine and as he flicked switches and levers and checked readings and gages it slowly dawned on him that things werent exactly working like they should.

He slowly swivelled his head to look questioningly at Jamo, and slowly understanding dawned on the SFF Captain as the young mechanic struggled to keep a non-comittal face.

Turning back feigning intrest in his intrument readings, a slow crooked grin spread across his face. Jamo was buggered now.

[Jamo Jakatta]

Jamo chewed absently on his lower lip. If there was a fan anywhere around here, right now, there would be some feces hitting it right about now.

[DarthHERA]

Standing right behind Jamo so that her voice made him jump at her unexpected closeness, Hera addressed Remkah, but the question was most pointedly for Jamo.

Her voice was even, and it made it all the more unnerving.

"Whats the hold up?"

[Jamo Jakatta]

“I-I… uh… don’t know. Sure you got full fuel cells in this thing?” Jamo laughed nervously as he looked backwards at Hera.

[DarthHERA]

Her face was blank - Jamo's nervous laugh failing to elicite a response.

She walked over, looked over the instruments, glanced at Remkah who shook his head slightly, and then she sighed heavily.

Looking back up at Jamo now, the expected anger was not there in her eyes. Instead it was more of a resigned stubbornness, which confused the young mechanic some.

"You think Im an idiot? Did you honeslty think I wouldnt see what you are doing?"

Jamo made as if to speak, sliding a quick glance to Remkah (who shrugged) and then back to Hera. But he never got the chance to say a word in his defence. Which, he would shortly realise, would not be necessary anyway.

"If you are trying to sell me a higher grade of fuel cell, its not going to work. Ive used these cells for years - And" she went on defensively, "..And while they may not be the latest and greatest that you young techno-nerds like to use, they are still the most reliable no matter what shiney slogans the big companies try to cram down my throat."

Hera was just getting wound up. Her pet peeve was people who just discarded perfectly good equipment for the latest fad simply because it was new. Remkah...in fact all the SFF crew...almost knew this speech by rote, Hera liked to spout it so often. He slumped down in his seat, recognising it and because he knew it was a long one. But, fortunately for Jamo, he was going to be spared it, as right when Hera was reaching her high points, Nasseerri's irritating voice broke in over the intercom, declaring her intention to meet with them on a matter of grrrreat importance.

In a burst of temper, Hera yelled out.

"Why doesn't that CAT ever go away!!"

[Nasseeri Haalleerraa]

It was almost a purr. Anytime Nass could wiggle the needle under Hera's skin was a good day indeed.

"jyesss, jitsss jimporrrtant! ji mussst alwajysss make sssurrre that the Prrrjide getsss jits fajirrr sharrre of the prrrofjitsss."

Her voice was low and soothing, completely devoid of any undertones - and it infuriated the 'Faene boss even more.

Nasseeri grinned from her spot on the decking.

[DarthHERA]

Hera watched the Cizerack through the view port...and fantasized about running her lightsaber through the felinoids gullett.

Nass waved coyly to her, and Hera growled audibly.