One Ticket, Non-Refundable. (Sage)

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

A slow, steady durge of humming reverberated in J'ktal's throat as he folded and packed his clothing inot matching suitcases. There was little in his wardrobe that was not silk or fine cotton or linen. As it was, he sported a pale gray casual dress shirt, and a pair of pinstriped black slacks. Unless he was on some kinf od assignment that called for grubby clothes, he rarely dressed in antthing less than office casual, and always looked expensive.

Laying in the last pair of socks, the Death-Shadow closed and locked his suitcase with the biometric locks, then set it on the floor. He was preparing for a trip back home, and his Master, Sage Hazzard, was to accompany him.

They would take J'ktal's Shadow class ship, so it would be cramped conditions, but at least they would be plush crapmed conditions. Leather furniture, real wood paneling, and thick carpeting were only a few of the finer touches to be found in the ship's interior.

J'ktal loaded his suitcases and sword bag onto a small handcart and wheeled it out into the hallway, locking his door behind him. The cart's right wheel squeaked mildly, but it was no large concern. All it had to do was make it to the lift, then down to the hangars where J'ktal's craft awaited.

It was a large affair, painted a matte black with small bits of white pained on to resemble stars. When piloted by the right beast, it was virtually invisible to the naked eye in deep space. But J'ktal was only concerned about the cargo bay, and he neatly stacked his bags before pulling the handcart to the side. He was ready to leave, and now only waited for Sage's arrival.

[Sage Hazzard]

The Jedi Master wore casual slacks and a slightly tattered button up shirt. It wasn't a dress shirt persay but it was one of two of his shirts that had buttons, so it would have to do. He carried his clothes in a large duffel bag, slung over his shoulder. Some might see Sage as unsophisticated. The truth was he was used to not being tied down to material things. The only objects of any value were on his ship, which he never let be anchored unless there was a hand on-board to unanchor it. One he trusted. He never wanted to be tied down. Often he'd go on month long trips, where no one knew where he was. Where he could do his work. Work normal Jedi would frown on. Only now that he had Padawans again did he allow himself to become grounded.

"Mr. Anajii!" It would appear odd for a Master to assign such respect to a Padawan, to the of being formal in addressing him. It was because despite their differences and conflicting points of views, Sage respected J'ktal more than he had respected a Padawan in a very long time. Mainly because if only he would base all his prowess, intelligence, and abilities on a firm Jedi Code, he could be a historic one. The last one to hold such respect in Sage's eyes, he fell madly in love with. "So this is Salek! Perhaps you should rename it Stealth!" He said with a well meaning chuckle.

He yelled because he couldn't see him. J'ktal must of been inside the ship.

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"Here, Master Hazzard," J'ktal called as he walked slowly around from the cargo hold. Under the left sleeve of his shirt, he wore a watch with a seemingly oversized band. It was two and a half inches, and about a quarter inch thick, made of what appeared to be brushed aluminum. Though it was well designed, for all intenets and purposes, it did not seem to fit his personality.

"Let me take this," he offered, taking Sage's bag from him and stowing it carefully, then returning while the hatch closed, though it never appeared that he hit a button to make it do so. "Are you ready for this trip? Did you report to the medical bay and get those innoculations like I said?"

[Sage Hazzard]

Sage was relieved his bag would be stowed. With J'ktal repeatedly mentioning how compact his ship was, he was starting to think it would be nessecary to even sleep with the thing. Seeing the ship, Sage couldn't help but wonder if J'ktal wasn't embelishing a tad bit. Atleast from Sage's point of view he was. Cramped was riding in a sardine can of a refugee transport under the armpit of a Wookiee, on a week long ride across the cosmos.

"I did. I had to wait an hour in line to do it but I make certain of it."

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"Good, in that case, come inside, and have a seat. I'm afraid there is only enough room for one in the cockpit, but there are a few othe seats with restraining straps for the takeoff," J'ktal explained as he walked around to the entrance hatch, which seemed to open magically, having not been triggered by anything visible.

The interior of J'ktal's ship could be best described with the term 'opulently compact'. It lacked for nothing in refinement, only in open space. The hallways were narrow, but lined with plush black carpeting, and the walls were covered in textured umber wallpaper in the top half, with a wide band of darkly-stained mohagany burlewood running the perimiter of each room, and trimming many other places. The furniture was black and gray, soft leather, and the living quarters even boasted a large holovision screen, and a minibar.

"The counch converts into a bed," J'ktal explained, "And there is a bathroom throught hat door complete with both sonic and water showers. Please limit water use; this ship is not desinged to house two beings at the same time for an extended trip. No eating beyond that bulkhead, and please take care to use coasters and the refuse bins. That seat has restraining straps hidden in the seams, so I suggest getting comfortable for now, I am ready to take off if you are."

[Sage Hazzard]

The ship screamed sleek. Sage's ship was a fraternity's locker room compared to this.

"I'm ready," Sage smiled.

He sat in the seat J'ktal suggested and snapped on the restraining straps.

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"Good," J'ktal said, the enterance hatch closing seeming of it's own accord.

Takign a small elevator designed for a single occupant only, J'ktal removed the large watch he ahd been wearing and stowed it in his pocket. Beneath its wide band was concealed a small silvery plate which seemed to grow directly out of the mongoose's skin at the underside of the wrist. A set of small plugin jacks were built inot it, and they were very similat to the larger jack on his neck. The watch had a form of remote control that hooked to the jacks, and was operated by the cybernetic portion of his brain, giving him mental control over parts of his ship as a remote would over a televison.

The cockpit of the Selak was a very off affair for a craft of its size. It had only one seat, and was ringed with control panels, and displays. Slipping down into the plush leather from behind, J'ktal strapped himself in and straightened his cuffs before plugging a set of wires into his wrist, and a larger one into his neck. Immediatley his left eye glowed green and red with interal HUDs and he flipped on the power switches with his right paw. Openign a channel to the living quarters, the Death-Shadow spoke evenly, "Countdown to lift of in T minus three, two , one. Good morning."

The engines of the Shadow craft rumbled, and the frame shook. Slowly, the bizzarre craft lifted from the landing pad, and ascended into the heavily trafficked skies. Because of his sybernetic connections, J'ktal did not have to use as many manual controls as a standard Shadow pilot would, and he found himself able to focus on acrobatic maneuvers, weaving through traffic as his ship unfolded to resemble a flying man, or, a flying mongoose, as it were. For fun, J'ktal turned on the large viewscreen in the living quarters, and split it inot four panels, each showing video images from cameras mounted around the Shadow. Within minutes, the majority of the traffic was gone, and the Selak broke through Coruscant's atmosphere, with permission form the local authorities, of course.

Once they broke free of the planet's gravitational pull, J'ktal enabled the artficial gravity generator, and set in a course for the auto-pilot to follow before unplugging himself. Normall, he would remain int eh cockpit for hours, watchign the stars gracefully drift past as he hurtled through space, the dream of his species for millenia. But, with a guest aboard, he felt obligated to entertain, especially since the guest was his Master.

Summoning two handles to lower from the cieling, J'ktal took hold and tucked his legs up against his chest, then yanked himself up fromt eh seat and rolled ove backwards, exiting the cockpit in an elegant acrobatic maneuver.

"I trust the takeoff was smooth enough down here, Master Hazzard?" he asked while descending on the elevator once more, then stepping back behind the mini bar. "You may remove those belts now, we should be quite safe. Care for a drink?"

[Sage Hazzard]

"Yes," Sage answered J'ktal's question. He unstrapped and started for the mini-bar. "Please."

The Jedi Master admired the room again, now from a different vantage point.

"Oh. I'll have a brandy. Your pick."

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

J'ktal reached down beneath the counter and withdrew a short, cut crystel tumbler with an elegand design running all around it. It was followed by an antique glass bottle with a label in Nehantite script, loosely corked. "Twelve years, a personal favorite," he commented as he poured the dark amber liquid into Sage's glass. "This is not normal brandy, but brandy-wine. It may not be what you are used to."

What J'ktal did not explain was jsut how expensive it was. He didn't wish to mae sage unconfortable knowing he was drinking a glass worth most men's weekly paycheck. For his own drink, the mongoose put the bottle away and withdrew a taller tumbler, and a few ice cubes. Mixing soda water, lemon juice, and dry gin, he stirred in a slice of lime and took a sip. He did enjoy a good Tom Collins every now and then. "I may not have everything back here, but I did rather well in bartending class in my younger years."

[Sage Hazzard]

Sage took a sip of the brandy-wine and quickly agreed.

"Bartending class? Another mandatory skill for a Death-Shadow?"

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"No," J'ktal chuckled, shaking his head in a rare display of real feeling. "That I took on my own. I figured that as long as I would be entertaining, I better know how to do it right. Though I fear I have forgotten most of the obscure drinks by now."

[Sage Hazzard]

"Well, this is an excellent brandy-wine, J'ktal. That's enough for me."

Sage turned from the bar, drink in hand, to the holovision screen.

"Watch much TV, do you? Or just the stars outside the ship?"

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

Stepping out from behind the bar, J'ktal looked back toward the elevator that led up to the cockpit. "Usually I would just sit int he cockpit for a while and watch the stars, but, that would leave you bored in an unfamiliar place. What kind of host would that make me?"

Sipping at his iced drink, the gray mongoose walked around and took a seat on the small couch, folding open the holovision remote from the couch arm. "I am connected to most major broadcasting stations, and have a small wealth of movies and serialized shows recorded, as well."

Pressing a button, the giat screen flickered to life, and was instantly filled with a massive directory of stored programming, first in Nehantite, and then translated to Basic with the press of another button. "As much as I enjoy space travel, I do find it gets old after a while, so I avoid long trips unless necessary."

[Sage Hazzard]

Sage stood before the holovision screen and sipped his drink.

"Yet they are often nessacary," Sage commented before taking a sip. "So does that mean you're not much of a tourist? Jumping from world to world."

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

Sighing, J'ktal leaned back in his seat and took a moment to reply.

"In my profession, Master Hazzard, ther is little time for sight-seeing. If I am to go somwhere new, it will ften be for a specific purpose, and moe than likely there should never be any record of me having been there, if you know what I mean. I cannot ask for free time when it is being paid for by another's credit."

[Sage Hazzard]

"Understandable," Sage paused. "Perhaps I could show you Naboo one day, then."

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"Is that where you are from?"

[Sage Hazzard]

Sage nodded, taking a sip of his drink.

"I grew up just outside of Threed. "

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"A country boy, then?" J'ktal asked, though the question was rhetorical. "In some ways, I envy you. Nehantish is not known for rolling green hills, or fertile farmland. No matter what my family's fortune, we could not afford so lush a landscape as Naboo hosts. I will have to visit there again, someday. Sometime when business is not what calls me there."

Taking a drink from his Tom Collins, the Death-Shadow tapped the remote with his pawtip idly, scrolling through his lists of programming until he found a suitable film to watch. Dimming the interior lights, he tapped the play button, and the wide screen went dark before introducing a title screen.

"Kagemusha," J'ktal announced as the "Tohoscope" image appeared on the screen. "It is an old film, have you ever seen it? It is about an emperor who is injured, and dies, so a double is found to take his place. He is the least suitable person for the job, but realizes the importance of honor and loyalty."

[Sage Hazzard]

He had business on Naboo...?

"No, I haven't," Sage said as he stepped back enough to see the entire screen. "Honorable thing to do. But is that right, when it means decieving the commoners?"

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"If it were to avoid a civil war resulting in the deaths of both soldiers and civillians, then deception and dishonest tactics are honorable," J'ktal replied, unwaveringly. "Sejah knows it, and respects that rule. He would have died to save his people, and his honor would have been maintained."

The screen opened on a large wroom with a wooden wall to the back, and wo men sitting on their knees off to one side, anotehr in chains to the right. The camera did not move at all for at least fifteen minutes as the opening played out.

"Have a seat," the mongoose offered, indicating to the second seat on the couch. "It is small, I know, but there is room enough for the both of us to sit comfortably."