Letter of Marque

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The air escaped T'yeellaa's barely open mouth in a long exhaled rattle. She regarded the image before her, letting it fill her full attention. A white square. Beyond her, the sights of her quarters dimmed in the fog of tunnel vision. Might as well be in another sector. Deep in a crouch, she stretched her hands wide to either side, fingertips splayed apart, dripping viscous red and blue in thick spatters on the mat beneath her bare feet. Ears forward, she canted her head to nearly a 45 degree angle, taking another deep breath as her back arched. Then in a fluid motion, her hands flew forward.

When the motion stopped, she was on her hands and knees, staring at the canvas in front of her face. Two crimson arcs, nearly parallel, with motion spatters glistened in the center of the white square. A thicker navy blue daub was nearly a perfect circle, a fat blob of paint trailing down to form an inverted teardrop. Frowning, the Cizerack Captain extended a claw, deftly hooking under the paint's trajectory to divert it into a fluid, artful swoosh to nearly intersect the crimson. Rocking back to her haunches, T'yeellaa looked at the image again through half-lidded eyes as she reached for a nearby damp towel to clean the paint from her fingers.

[Kes Akiena]

Perhaps it was a small touch of concern that brought him here. It could also be that he was looking for any excuse to break away from the task of his unpacking.

No matter what it was, Commander Akiena had found himself not exactly roaming the corridors and hallways of Jovan, but he certainly wasn't in too much of a hurry to get where he was going. He'd get there when he got there. It was a nice change of pace from the hurried existence that he'd had on Dac. He passed a few other officers, giving each a nod in acknowledgement. Stopping at as nondescript door as his own was, Kes hesitated a moment, wondering if what he was doing was a good idea. Banishing that thought, his hand came up. Ignoring the chime, his knuckles rapped against the door in a bit of hopeful old-fashioned greeting.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The sound that greeted him on the other side sounded like a commotion. He could have sworn he heard a glass break.

"What??"

[Kes Akiena]

Well.

That wasn't exactly what he was expecting to hear, and leaning forward slightly, the redhead stopped just short of pressing his ear to the door. Instead, he simply angled his head slightly down and to the side before speaking up.

"Captain? Are you alright?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

More sounds. Shuffling, and maybe a muffled curse, although in Cizeri it could've been anything. Suddenly the door opened, and T'yeellaa looked up at the Commander. Her blonde hair had been pulled back in a doubled-up ponytail, but ends were fraying from the hold and cascading down her face. A sheen of sweat and what looked like paint flecked on her face. The paint continued down in streaks and splotches down her white athletic one-piece compression suit she wore. She tucked the paint-stained washrag behind her back, tell-tale stains still gracing her fingers and knuckles.

"jI'm fjine..."

Still catching her breath, she looked at Akiena expectantly. He did, after all, knock on her door.

[Kes Akiena]

"Well I... "

The sight before him was puzzling enough, and the Commander slowly found his way through his confusion.

"... I came by to, ah, um... "

It really was too much.

"I'm sorry; it's just that you've got red on you."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Her eyes traced down to the violent crimson daubs splattered on her compression suit. It hadn't helped that he'd knocked at such a delicate point in her concentration.

"jI wass pajintjing."

She took a guarded step back, mindful to try and shield his view of the canvas with her body. Her hands again in front of her, she doggedly ran the rag over her knuckles, trying to fastidiously clean them all over.

"jYou ssurrprrjissed me."

[Kes Akiena]

"It seems so."

A single eyebrow raised as he sent a strange look to her side, only catching a brief glimpse of the corner of a canvas. A moment later and he returned his eyes to her. The notion of his first officer painting was an odd one, but Kes supposed that there were stranger hobbies to be had.

"Perhaps I should come back later, then?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

He'd placed her, intentionally or no, in a damned awkward place, and her skewed ears and slightly pained expression showed it. Slowly the ears righted, and her expression softened a little.

"No ssjirr jit'ss fjine."

She took a step back, still more or less intentionally between Akiena and her work in progress.

"Come jin. Mjind the messs, and gjive me a few mjinutess forr the ssonjicss."

Not sure where to put the dirty wash rag, she wrung it between her hands. This was damned awkward, and she wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to act. Was this an official visit? Something else? The Commander was an agent of chaos, and whether he meant it or not, his actions seemed to delight in smashing apart the rigors of order she was accustomed to operating within.

T'yeellaa paused just before disappearing into the privy, feeling some social grace that hadn't been met.

"Do jyou want anjy tea?"

[Kes Akiena]

He blinked as he stepped inside, and her question initially caught him off guard. A finger went up as he let an expression of worry blanket his features. It was somewhat teasing, however.

"Ah, I think I'm going to pass on the tea."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

A second later, her brain connected the dots from his blanched expression to conversations past. She sighed, eyes closing as her ears drooped.

"Commanderr, jI'm not jinvjitjing jyou forr tea. jI'm asskjing jyou jif jyou want tea."

She opened her eyes, wearily pointing to the kettle on the hotplate at her desk. Was he being obtuse on purpose, or was the difference actually lost in translation for humans?

[Kes Akiena]

Her exasperation was palpable, and Kes let his smile win over the cautious look he now graced her with.

His fingers now fanned out, and he gestured to the air.

"No tea, but thank you. I'm more of a Ithorian caf man, myself."

He shook his head.

"I was really only coming to see how you were settling in. Plus, I need a break from my own unpacking."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Oh, well..."

T'yeellaa glanced around, looking for the neglected hospitality parcel some well-meaning but clueless Alliance staffer had put in her quarters, full of caf and assorted items she likely wouldn't touch and would be consigned to the bin at any rate. She hadn't expected the Commander to take Krii'aachee tea, the potent hot beverage was out of fashion even among her own people. Ship of the line types like her got weaned onto it as a part of naval tradition as anything else. Stiff upper lip and the like. She wasn't even sure she liked it herself, but you drank it because....because.

Wait.

What did he mean he needed a break? This was feeling less official and more something else. Either way, she was still in paint-sopped clothes, halfway to the refresher with a superior officer who also happened to be male and apparently on a social call. Considering that social calls with males in her quarters invariably resulted in those males underneath her, this had to be yet another massive misunderstanding. Her tail tuft frizzed. Goddess, she was going to have to make him caf, just to make this less weird.

"Commanderr...ssjit down."

Ears flinching, she realized how much like an order that sounded.

"Pleasse."

The Captain pointed lamely at the chair next to him.

"Gjive me fjive mjinutess sso jI can look ssomewhat lesss a messs."

She wanted to add don't touch anything in my room but almost bit her own tongue to keep that off it's tip.

[Kes Akiena]

A conciliatory nod, and Kes side-stepped so that he could lower himself to sit down in the chair she'd indicated. It was - well, it wasn't really all that comfortable. Only as comfortable as his own own furniture in his own quarters. Which to be honest wasn't all that comfortable. He had to wonder if the reason that most Imperials sat as though they had durasteel I-beams jammed up alongside their spines was because they had no alternative in their own living arrangements. It would certainly explain the mannerisms of Captain Wygraant.

T'yeellaa had disappeared into the fresher, leaving him with his own idle thoughts, and Kes leaned back as much as he was able, smoothing down the crisp line in his trousers as if in afterthought.

Briefly, he wondered what General Brecklin was busying himself with; whether the Starfighter Corps was living up to the older man's expectations. He'd not accepted a posting with his old superior only because he'd been advised to expand his own horizons. To work his way up and out of the rut of an old Rebel lifer. And that was what he had done, taking stations on Talay, then another ship, then Dac, and after his brief brush with gross insubordination he had been given the opportunity to head the new endeavor here, on Jovan.

With a Cizerack as his second in command, no less.

A Cizerack.

And like a ton of duracrete bricks the realization hit him, and Kes let out a muted cough. He suddenly felt as though he'd committed the most heinous of crimes, and as T'yeellaa emerged from the fresher, he swiftly rose to his feet.

"I mean no disrespect," both hands came up as if to ward off any frustrated and angry thoughts from her, "... I've no intentions, I swear."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa was already clothed in CHF-issued PT trunks, although the matching top was still bundled casually in a hand as she stepped out of the privy, leaving her upper half bare to the world. The only reason she didn't stand fully exposed before her superior was that she'd let her hair down fully in non-regulation array, with her sunny blonde locks draped over her chest.

"What??"

This was the most bothered she'd seen her Commander to date, and day one had involved zero gravity disasters and getting into a staring contest with a star destroyer squadron. What in Saanjarra's name had gotten him by the tail? Disrespect? Intentions? The Captain's brain was a steel trap, trying to connect his dots.

"Sso then..."

Her eyes widened at the pink hue his face was suddenly taking on. Was that normal?? No, focus!

"...jyou'rre not trrjyjing to mate wjith me?"

[Kes Akiena]

"Oh gods... "

As if he'd be struck blind, Kes abruptly turned away, his head angling further from the sight of his first officer.

What had he gotten himself into?! He'd only been pent up, only been tired of pulling out uniforms and civilian clothes for packing away in dressers. Tired of situating other sundries that he'd felt the need to bring with him.

The redhead lifted a hand to even further cover his eyes, despite the fact that his gaze was on the far wall... away from Captain Meorrrei.

"No... no I'm not trying to do... that."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Oh thank Goddesss!"

T'yeellaa exclaimed, a relieved sigh as she raised both hands to the top of her head, which only caused her hair to part and fully expose her pert breasts.

"jI thought that jyou thought that...jI don't even know what jI thought jyou thought, but that hass to be ssome kjind of sserrjiouss ethjical vjiolatjion...Commander what arre jyou dojing?"

He skulked away from her, hands to his eyes like he'd been sprayed with acid.

[Kes Akiena]

"I just... "

Was there really any way to express his sudden and intense misgivings about this endeavor? Probably not, and so he settled for the best he could.

"I was tired of folding clothes and hanging up uniforms and setting out old mementos. I was... "

In the here and very sudden now, his previous disgruntled feelings suddenly seemed minuscule, and still looking away from her, Kes finished his sentence in a more than defeated tone.

"... I was bored, and thought to see if you were faring any better."

He clenched his eyes shut, despite his already averted position.

"I swear," one arm went out to the side to swipe blindly at the air in some approximation of finality.

"I swear, I swear."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Her ears lowered as her expression of relief and elation transmuted into concern and worry. She took a half step back from her apparently stricken-blind Commander.

"jI'm...fjine. Now, at leasst. jI wass worrrjied about posssjibjiljitjy of prrofesssjional djissassterr and poljitjical djissgrrace. Now, jI'm onljy worrjied about jyourr ejyessjight and what jI hope jissn't a mental brreakdown."

T'yeellaa grimaced. Maybe she shouldn't offer caf after all.

[Kes Akiena]

"Just," again his hand went out, this time to swish about in the empty space between them.

"... just, put your top on, ok?"

And as an afterthouth, he tried to smooth over any percieved slights.

"Not that you aren't attractive, it's just that... well you know... "

By all of the gods above and below, he was no doubt going to have to contact the hanging squad himself at this point.

Yes Sir? Very well, Sir. Execution for one. Tomorrow? Consider it done, Sir.

His shoulders slumped then, and like a man condemned, Kes opened his eyes, stood up straighter, and turned back around to face T'yeellaa Meorrrei. He was sure to maintain eye contact.

"I... "

He so very nearly faltered at the sight before him.

Instead, Kes steeled himself.

"I didn't come here for sex."








Nailed it.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa stood dumbfounded at the Commander's request. A silly, inconsequential request she immediately complied with if it would stop him from acting as if she had a medusoid crawling on her shoulder. At least he'd found the resolve to turn around and look her in the eyes again. Top swiftly pulled on, the Captain pulled her hair free from the neckline and splayed her hands out as if to say ta-da and hope her magical vestment had cured him of his insanity.

And then he went and repeated himself.

"jI know jyou djidn't come herre forr ssex, Commanderr..." she started carefully, hopefully not liable to send him off into another skittish tirade. There was something major in the plot here that she was missing.

"And jI'm glad jyou haven't, becausse that would be jimprroperr and unethjical jin ourr currrent possjitjionss..."

Carefully, she nodded her head to compel him to see her point of view.

"...can jyou pleasse sstop sscarrjing me now, ssjirr."

[Kes Akiena]

"Scaring you?"

So thankful that she was now fully clothed, Kes had to stop himself from placing a hand on his chest over his heart. He already knew that it was beating far too fast for a man of his age. Well, he wasn't that old, but the sentiment... the principle of the matter...

"Captain, I've not had a woman come out of the fresher looking like that for at least a good twenty years."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She gawked. She felt the separation of her lips as her jaw went freefall, and only by force of will did her mouth snap shut. She wrapped her bosom up with both arms, never realizing what a toxic reaction that might be liable to cause. Needling curiosity pushed her to ask just what made the sight of exposed breasts to drive normally steely men to leap out of their skins, but no. No no no she was just going to triage the insanity and leave that matter for a topic of discussion at another time. Maybe when draped in a burlap sack. Standing behind a pane of smoked glass. From a distance.

Her lips were dry, and she carefully wet them with her tongue, hopefully not in a lascivious manner to cause poor Kes to catch the vapors.

"Commanderr, we've both had a verrjy sstrresssful bout of frree tjime. Can we have a do-overr?"

[Kes Akiena]

Kes seemed to fall into his previous seat, and one hand went up to massage his temple.

"Please."

What his second now proposed was infinitely more agreeable than the alternative, and he risked a look from between two fingers at her.

Of course she was properly clothed now, and the Commander breathed a sigh of relief regardless.

"So then... "

Still though, how did one recover from such a massive misunderstanding? His eyes went from her to the painting on the other side of the main room.

"Your painting... ?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa grimaced, but only slightly. While it wasn't the top subject she wanted to talk about, it was so infinitely better than the alternatives that she almost bubbled at the chance.

"It's Tu'aa Hyeeiaali, errr..."

An ear flicked as she looked at the floor, trying to figure a way to explain it best in basic.

"Wholenesss of mjind and bodjy. Mjy fatherr taught me how."

She glanced at the canvas tentatively, it's bare paint strokes skeletal, naked, incomplete. Not yet anything. T'yeellaa sat on the desk adjacent to the Commander, affording her a perch to appraise the slapdash.

"jIt'ss a combjinatjion of medjitatjion, brreathjing, bodjy possse, and decjissjive sstrroke."

Just looking at the yearning empty on the canvas was almost compelling her to drive it to resolution.

[Kes Akiena]

"Ah."

His brow knit as he stared at the beginnings of the painting. At this stage, it was an incredibly simple design, yet the strokes that had been laid out were strong and precise, and had the strange quality of drawing one into the spartan lines. In a way it was almost hypnotic.

"It seems... relaxing."

Still looking at the painting, he went on.

"I taught myself card counting and other little tricks back in the day," he gestured to the unfinished work.

"... certainly nothing as impressive as painting, but space was limited back then, and no one really had the time for larger pursuits beyond making bad grain alcohol in mortar tubes and concussion missile casings."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Carrd countjing?"

She raised an eyebrow. Cheating. It was curious to see the differences in their worldview made manifest. Her stark divides, his gradients. A year before, she would've never given that frivolity the time of day. But she was a daughter of aristocracy, desperate to flee the ivory tower for perspective. And Commander Akiena had exactly that.

"Werre jyou alwajyss ssuch a rrogue?"

[Kes Akiena]

He turned to look at her.

"'Rogue'?"

It was the first time that he'd ever had that moniker attached to him; in years past it'd been 'scum', or the ever popular 'rebel trash'.

"A person takes up strange things," he shrugged, "... downtime wasn't much of a luxury unless you were six feet under."

Settling just a little bit more, the redhead thought about her question though, and one arm came up to lay along the armrest of the sofa.

"Before I got on with the Rebellion, I was starting my second year at a university on Corellia. Wanted to be an architect."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She tried to imagine that. Kes Akiena, hunched over a holoprint in an office, making painstaking changes and quantitative reasoning. Measured, analytical.

"An arrchjitect?" She blurted, maybe too impudently.

The mental image was too difficult to construct. She tried not to think of a room with a leaning floor and a door that wouldn't close. The Commander wasn't an incompetent, she just had difficulty imagining him existing in such a procedural existence.

"What changed?"

[Kes Akiena]

"Who knows."

Kes leaned forward then, his arms moving to rest elbows on knees, hands coming together.

"I just sort of fell in to the cause. My uncle kept up a safehouse, and I started helping him."

He looked up at her then, a crooked smile turning up one corner of his lips.

"Nothing glorious, I promise. I guess I just didn't like how things were going, so I decided to try and help change them."

He gave a slight shake of his head, his eyes once more returning to the canvas.

"I left university and didn't really look back. Never had time to, I suppose. I still dabble every so often, but those times aren't often."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

He played it low key, but T'yeellaa was hungry for more than his cursory humility. Leaving a career to risk very real threats and abandoning all certainty. She'd had her own little rebellion, sure, but it seemed so small in comparison. Were she to have nothing to lose, what would she do? What kind of person would she be?

"So jit jis jyourr own Tu'aa Hyeeiaali, then?"

She had no formal knowledge of architecture, though any Cizerack education worth the cost of tuition was deeply founded in maths. If you didn't understand the way the world around you worked, you were incapable of controlling anything.

[Kes Akiena]

He continued to stare at the beginning of the painting, and slowly nodded.

"I suppose."

He could almost smell her curiosity, and finally angled his head to meet her eyes.

"Deep in its' own way. Instead of a paint, I simply threw my efforts at a galactic canvas and hoped that they stuck."

He gave a rueful shake of his head.

"I'm only one person though. Collective action is what shifts the universe. I serve the Alliance because I still believe in the cause."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jI meant the arrchjitecturre."

Her ears perked as she smiled, getting a little more introspection out of her superior than she'd expected.

"But jI'm glad to hearr what motjivatess jyou. Therre'ss morre to jyou than jI rrealjized when we met, and jI'm glad to be wrrong."

[Kes Akiena]

"Oh that."

Pulling a strange face then, Kes pursed his lips.

"It was really only something that seemed challenging, so I decided to study it. It wasn't an early dream or passion, if that's what you're asking."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa brushed back her hair behind her right ear.

"jIt ssoundss sstrrange to ssajy, but jit'ss almosst forrtunate forr jyou that the warr came when jit djid. Not everrjyone jiss forrunate enough to fjind themsselvess."

The Captain broke eye contact, looking back at the painting, and sighed.

"jI've sseen plentjy of thosse ssorrt. Coddled and sshelterred and sso sself abssorrbed jin thejirr comforrtable sspacess."

[Kes Akiena]

"Lucky is certainly a good word to use," he chuckled while slowly rising to stand.

"I was failing half of my classes."

A wink was sent her way.

"Problem with architecture is that you have to have an eye for design. I can do the math, but I can't draw myself out of a paper bag."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"That would make two of uss, then."

T'yeellaa took the opportunity to rise herself, moving to the hot plate at her desk to pour her own cup. She paused, teacup just below her mouth, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"Dessjign, arrt, fasshjion. jI've neverr had tjime forr that. Feelss too much ljike ssomeone makjing up rruless asss thejy go along."

She sipped the pungent tea, trying not to frown and simply look stoic.

"Mjy fatherr pjicked out all of mjy clothess untjil jI wass ten, to prrevent me frrom wearrjing ssomethjing that djidn't match. And once jI got overr that, jI jojined the mjiljitarrjy sso that ssomeone elsse could teach me what to wearr and what not to wearr."

Her tongue was running loose in her head, and somewhere in the back of her mind she was dismayed by it. Maybe she was just glad to be doing anything other than making a big mistake caused by a big misunderstanding. Or maybe the human's strange gee-whiz charm actually worked on her.

[Kes Akiena]

Watching her sip from the tea, Kes had to wonder at the facial expressions that she was making. It did not bode well to the flavor, and he was suddenly very glad that he'd declined that particular beverage. She'd said something about caf earlier, but after the nearly disastrous misunderstanding that'd occurred, he was certain that it'd take something a bit more strong than caf to wash away this visit.

"Sounds like your father was a good man. Do you still talk to him?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jI talk to mosst of them, at leasst once a month."

That was a strange question to ask. It had taste of finality to it.

"Thejy'rre mjy parrentss."

It was stated for emphasis.

"That'ss unavojidable."

[Kes Akiena]

He blinked as he registered her words. Most of them...?

One hand came up to scratch an itch at his temple, and he glanced away.

Most of them...

Kes didn't really stammer, but when he spoke next it was clear that he was somewhat flummoxed.

"Um, 'most of them'... ?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Of course. T'yeellaa remembered talking to Rai'faani and Aleeha about a minor row back on Corellia when mother had made the questionable decision to invite Kallum Romanoch to a social engagement. This had been before she'd had time to properly attend to her cunning right hand's housebreaking. He'd gone pink at the notion of Cizeri matrimony customs, insisting that the entire room had gone mad. Speaking of pink, the Commander once more seemed to be that particular hue which served as a precursor to a dangerous comeapart, so the Captain eased down her teacup to prepare.


"jYess, Commanderr. That'ss tjypjical. Marrjied women ussualljy take multjiple hussbandss. jI'd guesss fourr to ssjix jisss ussual."

[Kes Akiena]

"... Four to... six... ?"

His exposure to Cizerack customs, or well, the lack thereof, shone rather brightly now. Even moreso than his misunderstanding of 'tea'.

He blinked again, and gave a final nod as the information sunk in more fully.

"Seems a respectable number."

It seemed his crash course in Cizerack customs was indeed just that.

"And you? How many will you have?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Oh, Goddess.

T'yeellaa pursed her lips, deciding how to answer that. Her best solution was to once again reach for her tea, and raise it to her lips as she mumbled the answer at a volume hopefully inaudible to him. Maybe he'd think he heard something rational.

[Kes Akiena]

Well now. That was a response he'd not expected, and Kes pulled his arms back to clasp his hands at the small of his back. He leaned forward only slightly, intense curiosity on his face.

"Come again?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Shit.

The Captain lowered her teacup, swallowing heavily and no longer disguising the grimace, which was for too many reasons. She could just tell him to mind his own business, but they'd already crossed the threshold into familiar interaction. Still, she broke eye contact, trying to find something interesting in space beyond her window.

"Fjifteen."

Still a mumble, but he probably heard right this time.

[Kes Akiena]

This time he kept his expression level, and rocked back just a small bit to once more stand up straight.

"That's a rather large number."

It was certainly not a number that he'd expected to hear.

"I'm told that just one spouse can be costly. I couldn't imagine fifteen of them."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Well, he had that part exact. A large reason atop a litany of others why she was in no hurry to even consider marriage.

"Mjy motherr jiss worrth a forrtune."

T'yeellaa's tail flicked.

"Sshe'ss alsso jinssane."

[Kes Akiena]

Kes gave a half-quirked grin.

"I've met her; she's a very... unique individual."

He could still remember the whirlwind of a woman that was Taataani Meorrrei, and his first and only meeting with her. It'd been a rather muted yet unexpected time, as he'd finally been given a face to the massive amount of funding that'd been given to refurbish the Novgorod.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

If the dialogue shifted to her mother, it might take hours and feel like therapy, so T'yeellaa simply nodded at the Commander's needlessly-polite appraisal of the elder Meorrrei's eccentricities. But more than that, something puzzled her.

"jYou assked jif mjy fatherrss and jI talked. Do humanss not?"

[Kes Akiena]

"Oh they do. Before my father passed, I talked to him whenever I was able."

He smiled warmly.

"It wasn't often, but I did make sure to send him messages when the opportunity arose."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Ss'ai'rreit'ha.

She wished she could've taken the question back, and knew exactly how it felt to have that bandage on the soul tugged at.

"jI'm ssorrrjy."

A useless thing to say, but you had to say something. Now there was an awkward pause and she didn't want the progress they'd made to end on being forced to dwell on the dead.

"Commanderr, would jyou ljike to go out?"

Barring disaster, they were off duty for the rest of the night. It might do them some good to stroll the concourse, see the sights, maybe get something to eat, and continue to get to know each other.

[Kes Akiena]

"Think nothing of it," he waved away her apology.

"My old man died peacefully in his sleep. Sad to say the passengers in his speeder went out screaming like wild tuskcats."

His smile warmed even further at the thought of possibly getting a small lunch. And a drink.

"And I would love to go out."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Her eyes went wide at the recounting of the elder Akiena's fate, and then her tail tuft suddenly poofed, and snapped out of view in shame at her gullibility. That was a joke. Probably. Before she could keep a suspicious look on him, he warmed up to her suggestion, which put her at ease.

"Grreat."

A few seconds went by as she kept up her smile.

"jI have to get drresssed agajin."

[Kes Akiena]

Kes let out a slight laugh.

"Probably a good idea."

He jerking a thumb at the front door while taking a half-step back.

"I'll wait outside."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Ten minutes later

She wasn't lying about her sense of fashion. The door whooshed open, and T'yeellaa stepped out in utterly bland regalia. Freighter denims tucked into boots that didn't match her belt, a shirt a size too large for her, and a CHF PT cap, her hair pushed through the back of it in a lazy ponytail. No makeup, no nail color, no lipstick.

"Rreadjy?"

[Kes Akiena]

For a moment he stared, not quite certain what to make of her current ensemble. But, he'd seen stranger things, and stepping to the side, Kes nodded at her.

"You're a far cry from the model of military parade dress when we first met," he grinned as they started down the corridor, heading away from the officer's block.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Her ears swiveled a bit and she gave a glib expression.

"jI'm off dutjy and jI'm comforrtable. At leasst jI have a brra on."

Foot traffic here was light. A few people in uniform passed, and it felt good to not have to be shaken down for the salute-and-dismiss rigamarole.

[Kes Akiena]

Stuffing his hands into the front pockets of his trousers, Kes laughed.

"And I thank you for that."

The few people they passed only gave acknowledging nods, which the redhead and his Cizerack partner returned in kind. It was a deceptively peaceful walk, and he let himself imagine that Jovan was over the final hurdle of coming back into operation. It was a fallacy he knew, since he was sure that their reprieve wouldn't last, and they'd be once more thrust into the next emergency. Hopefully the station would wait until tomorrow for that, though. He supposed that it could be worse however, and that Captain Wygraant could show his dour face again.

The two stopped in front of a pair of lift doors, and Kes reached forward to push the call button.

"Where are we going on this walk-about, then?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The lift was prompt (and actually functioning), so T'yeellaa breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped inside.

"jI have no jidea. The concourrsse sseemss to be packed, sso jI fjigurre we can fjind ssomethjing of jinterresst."

Honestly, she'd steered clear of the entire area as much as she could for this first week. It was a zoo. The chaos of merchants scrambling to lease shop space or a kiosk, combined with the crush of cargo inbound. Decor, wares, and everything in between. Unless she specifically had to respond to an issue the security detail couldn't sort out procedurally, she'd focused her energies on the Command Deck and the docking spires.

Their inertia was slowing, and a second later, the lift doors parted, revealing a crush of people moving in every direction across the wide concourse expanse. The din of a dozen languages filled the Captain's ears as she dove into the scrum. To every side of them, signs flashed and glowed in every shade of neon, with Aurrebesh script, Cizeri glyphs, and a few other unrecognizable scrawlings. It was an assault to the senses, including olfactory. Perfume, spice, the particular alien aromas of cooking food, the musty smell of livestock, the sweet backnote of blood, and...and...

"Commanderr!"

T'yeellaa pulled Kes sharply to the right, just in time to help him avoid a very fresh accident on the floor.

[Kes Akiena]

Not quite expecting T'yeellaa's sudden grab, Kes was pulled swiftly to the side. He nearly lost his balance, and one hand went out to clamp onto the Captain's shoulder in an effort to keep him on his feet. This was not exactly what he'd had in mind, but the passing sight of what he'd very nearly stepped in was enough to bring him jarringly into the present. Livestock on his station was not something he'd imagined.

He turned a level gaze to T'yeellaa, his hand gripping her shoulder for a moment longer before he released her.

"Why is there livestock on my station?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Her brow knit in confusion at the question. Where were the livestock supposed to go, exactly? While she was trying to parse the question, a floating ovoid droid swooped down from above, hovering over the steaming unpleasantness. The front of the undercarriage sported a cone-shaped aperture. The back of the undercarriage seemed to be an opaque accordion bag. A whoosh of air, a sshwoopth, and a scattering of pink sand over the remnants, and it flew off without delay.

"Commanderr...people have to eat."

She jerked her thumb to a nearby shop, with a cartoon eopie smiling and dancing, and flashing Cizeri script beneath it.

[Kes Akiena]

Staring at the sign, Kes pursed his lips. A sharp exhalation as his brow furrowed.

"What's wrong with a few fast food joints and a smattering of nice restaurants," he bemoaned, afraid of what Cizerack culinary practices actually entailed.

"Nothing bad about a hastily made Rodian kamo," he finished almost sulkily.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa appraised the establishment's appearance. Beautiful tile, good lighting. Attractive host. She shrugged a little.

"Tiia'haa'ko jiss a prroperr djinnerr. jIt doess look ljike a njice place actualljy."

She watched as the eopie's handlers moved the offending floor-fouler closer to the entrance, where it was enticed further on by a handful of sweetroots. Her mouth watered at the prospect. She hadn't had a decent tiia'haa'ko since she'd been home. Looking back at the Commander, her ears lowered a little. Okay, probably not with the human. He was already violently allergic to nipples.

"jYou pjick then." she offered with a conciliatory gesture.

There were an equal number of non-Cizeri offerings within eyesight. She had no clue what any of it was, but she was determined to not be a blubbering baby about it.

[Kes Akiena]

He watched, unsure of exactly what was going on, and not quite certain that he wanted to know. Still though, he'd be remiss if he didn't at least offer a hand in partnership. Kes was certain he'd regret it, but he was made of stern stuff. He reckoned he would be fine. Mostly.

"Well," he gave a gesture and a nod to the Cizeri establishment.

"I'm game, I suppose. I admit my diet isn't usually the healthiest, and if you say it's a proper dinner... "

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She could feel a headache coming on, and tapped at the bridge of her nose. Probably made worse by being close to a good meal that she really shouldn't indulge in.

"Ehhhh......no."

She shook her head, even as she glanced back at the eopie wistfully, and pushed Kes along.

"jYou are not rreadjy forr that. Not even closse."

He'd asked her to be his cultural liason, after all. That was going to involve putting her foot down occasionally.

Another sign caught her interest, however, and her ears perked up.

"Oooh."

Glancing back to Akiena, T'yeellaa considered the difficulty level on this one, watching the blinking pair of neon fish swimming in a holographic circle.

"That one jiss eassjierr game."

[Kes Akiena]

"Easier game?"

Suddenly he wasn't so sure that trusting T'yeellaa for their meal prospects wasn't such a good idea. Of course, Kes wasn't one to back away from a challenge. There had been more than a few instances when he'd found himself in less than ideal situations. Convinced that this was another one of those times, the redhead followed the Captain's gaze to take in the sign.

Finally he blew out a breath, squared his shoulders, and gave a confident nod.

"Very well then, lead on."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The decor of this establishment were completely different than the upscale Tiia'haa'ko eatery. No warm hued decor and tile. The walls seemed spartan, illuminated by cool blue and white lighting. Electronic music thumped inside, but not loud enough to drown conversations. The one thing the two establishments did have in common was an attractive hostman at the front. Not as nicely dressed, but a pretty thing with eye makeup and gelled hair. He flashed a toothy smile.

"Ja irra, rrou'eita. Na siina te?"

T'yeellaa nodded along.

"Te. Vai naalo. Sa'u taai?"

"Siina e."

T'yeellaa fished in her pocket, and authorized a credit chit before passing it off to the host, who air-kissed in thanks, giving Kes a polite-yet-unsure smile as T'yeellaa pulled him along.

The inside of the establishment was dominated by three long bars, arrayed in U-shapes. Patrons sat at bar stools along the length of each, sipping drinks and chattering above the music. The bars were flashy and beautiful, with chrome accents and white tops. But the real attention grabber was beneath the bar tops, as the bars themselves were actually aquariums teeming with an impossible rainbow of brightly colored fish.

[Kes Akiena]

"This seems nice."

His eyes wandered the establishment, taking note of the aesthetic. It was somewhat impressive that in a week's time, places of business had gained a decent foothold and settled well. It was a testament to the tenacity of those making their way in the galaxy, and their determination to thrive.

As the two moved to a pair of empty seat, Kes lowered himself onto one of the stools, letting his arms rest on the impeccably smooth bartop.

"I suppose it would be silly of me to ask what sort of food is on the menu."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

About that time, a popping splash hit the water between the two lengths of bar three seats down, with enough force to send a little spray to both Kes and T'yeellaa.

"Sieen'tai!" applauded a few women around the bar as a waifish young woman with a bob of purple hair came up with a thrashing fish with gold and green stripes. She smiled to her friends, clinked her glass of fizzy cocktail against theirs, and took her time with the drink, while her left hand kept the gasping fish hooked and pinned to the countertop.

"Well." T'yeellaa pursed her lips, rolling her shoulders into a shrug as she half-gestured to the water before them. "jI ssupposse the menu dependss on jyourr rreflexess."

The Captain's right hand lazily slid to the edge of the bar, hooked claws extending from her fingertips as she casually tapped and drummed along it's surface. Her eyes, however, were searching for something else, beyond the bar and just past the purple-bobbed victor, now sucking spilled orange roe off her fingertips.

"Da'a e'ieh!"

Hearing the beckon, a scantily-clad waiter approached. T'yeellaa momentarily returned her eyes to the water.

"What do jyou want?"

[Kes Akiena]

Kes blinked. What he'd just witnessed wasn't... exactly like what he was expecting their dining experience to be like. Breathing in deeply, he let his hands fall still on the bartop, palms down as he licked his lips in sudden uncertainty.

"I... I uh... "

Finally turning away, he looked to T'yeellaa, then followed her faze down to the water and the array of sea life swimming within.

"I'm normally used to my fish being deep-fried and served with stewed kaylo greens."

His features became determined then, as he gave a little bit more of a critical look to the fish. He'd asked T'yeella to be his guide in all things Cizerack, and she was not disappointing. Still, a stiff drink would be appreciated before he went elbows-deep into the fray, and Kes gave a small nod, seemingly to himself.

"Ithorian Pale Ale, if it's served."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

A dawdling blacktop shad caught T'yeellaa's attention momentarily, and she half-heartedly took a swipe at it, missing the mark as it darted away from the surface. She turned to the waiter.

"Ta'ne eissa vee j'Ithorr'ji e beerr'a ko?"

The waiter's eyes widened a little in attempted recollection, ears lowering slightly. He scratched the back of an ear.

"Daai'na te..."

Tail jerking uncertainly, he saw another waiter pass, and gave a sharp whistle.

"Ai Teejaarro! Do'a ei j'Ithorr'ji e beerr'a ko?"

Teejaarro, bussing a handful of picked-clean fish bones onto a tray with a washrag, stood up and turned to face his coworker, looking doubly puzzled.

"j'Ithorr'ji e beerr'a? Ce ta'ai? Ehhh...si daalo na'e forrda ke ta je'jei."

Captain Meorrrei watched the exchange, amused at Kes's request being such a stumper. Their waiter, getting the Cizeri equivalent of WTF from his mate, attempted to find a compromise.

"Si suu'da eiss'e Syragor'i beerr'a, rrou'eita."

He glanced in Kes's direction, then back to T'yeellaa, hoping that would be acceptable. Captain Meorrrei glanced to the human, shrugged a bit, and then turned back to the help.

"Fei." and held up two fingers for emphasis. Relieved, the waiter nodded deeply.

"Da'ne."

He walked away to fetch their order calling out "Su'saa, su'saa!" apologetically to Kes as he left. The Captain looked to her superior, adrift on an edible sea and so lost in translation. She snorted in laughter.

[Kes Akiena]

T'yeellaa's laugh caused a strange look to fall over his features, and he gave her a sideways look.

"If I thought it would've been that difficult, I would've just ordered a water."

Kes let a finger trail into the water, swirling it around to make small patterns that disappeared instantly. Idly, he stared down at the sea life held within the tank, and watched as a smattering of brightly colored fish darted here and there; some escaping potential doom while others were speared by a swift claw. Escape, it seemed, was futile and only temporary. In this tank, everyone ended up in a stomach. It was just a matter of when.

Another few moments passed, and he felt a tiny nibble on his finger. Blinking, the redhead looked down to catch sight of a small, brightly colored fish. Bright spots of royal blue on a backdrop of fiery orange scales while the large, flowing fins seemed translucent with hints of a rainbow of colors glinting with each movement. It was a beautiful little creature.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

At Kes's look, she put emergency brakes on her goose honk of a laugh, lips pressed tight and quivering, a rickety dam holding a river back. If she didn't say anything, she was going to lose it.

"jI thjink thejy werre about a ssecond awajy frrom fljyjing to jIthorr to fjind jit!"

And then suddenly, T'yeellaa saw the wavy movement of orange and blue, and she instantly peered over the counter to Kes's side. Her eyes moved to the Commander, wondering how he'd handle an easy layup like this.

[Kes Akiena]

He'd caught the look of expectancy on the Captain's face. He saw it and felt compelled. She was curious, eager, and not a little bit ready to pounce herself, no doubt.

His eyes moved down to the dancing bit of color still nibbling and inspecting his fingertip. He teased it for a moment more before finally looking to T'yeellaa. His own expression serene, his finger pulled from the water to retract and notch itself on the inside of his thumb. For a fraction he held it. For a fraction he let the delicate balance hang in the air just above the surface of the water.

And then the moment was gone.

His finger flicked out to give a playful thump to the fish and send it darting away in search of safety.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She hadn't been the only one with rapt attention. A few of the other women had also glanced to the rare sight of a human sitting down to fish. Impossibly, he damn-near had it eating out of his hand, and just like that, he let it go on his own terms. It had all the buildup to be something amazing to see, and no resolution, and a chorus of "Anh'ooo'eei!" rose up from a few of them as he let the fish go. T'yeellaa herself tried a last-second swat at the fish to have something to show for it, but the moment had passed, and she only got a splash for her efforts.

In the meantime, the waiter returned with their beer, setting a bottle in front of each of them. A big label, blocky text in both Cizeri and Aurrebesh, the parts Kes could read saying KOTAAI SUPER PREMIUM with a similarly bold-lined drawing of a deer on a coat of arms. Below a few lines of Cizeri glyphs, it continued for basic readers SERVED COLDEST FOR GREATEST PLEASUREMENT. T'yeellaa immediately took a few gulps, scoping out their fish prospects. Pickings were spare on their end of the bar for the moment, so she set aside her beer and focused on her company.

"jI'm sstarrtjing to beljieve jyou'rre a compulssjive teasse, jyou know."

[Kes Akiena]

Kes only chuckled, and shifting in his seat, he took up the bottle that'd been set in front of him. Bringing it to his lips, the redhead gave a cautionary sip at first to test the flavor. It was almost airy, with a refreshing and slightly tangy fruit note that he couldn't quite place. It was good though, and he took a longer drink before swallowing and setting the bottle back down.

"I've been called worse," he finally answered, eyes going back to the fish.

Again his hand went down to lightly dip into the water. It was refreshing in a way, and he waggled his fingers. A few of the colorful fish fish turned in their direction once more, their fins propelling them forward for a loser examination.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The Captain propped her chin up with a hand, and again trolled her free hand in the water as the prospects started to improve.

"jI doubt jyou'd take jit asss an jinssult even jif jit werre one. jYou sseem to deljight jin keepjing people on thejirr toess."

She cast a sudden horrified expression as the character trait reminded her of someone she knew. She drowned that thought with half her beer. The less of her mother that she saw in Commander Akiena, the better.

From her peripheral vision, she picked up a group of four entering the establishment. All male, with designer pants, bright jackets accented with sequins, and other fashion accessories. The ones with short hair kept it impossibly coiffed up. The ones with longer hair wore it streaked with highlights and accented with ribbons. They all sat together, chatting amongst themselves, and turning more and more heads their way.

"And therre arre cerrtajinljy worrsse thjingss than bejing a teasse. jYou could mean what jyou ssajy jin all the wrrong tjimess."

[Kes Akiena]

Kes only nodded, and with his free hand he lifted his bottle back up to his lips, taking another measure of the refreshing brew.

"We all run on different speeds I suppose," he said after swallowing.

His attention turned to the group that had come in, half-turning to afford them a sideways look from the corners of his eyes. Fingers still trailing patterns in the water, he felt another nibble on his index finger. It cause him to grin lightly even as he continued to somewhat observe the garish newcomers.

Another light inspection from one of the fish, and his eyes went to T'yeellaa.

"If you're hungry, I suggest you act soon."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Another swipe, possibly spurred on too soon by Kes's baiting, missed the mark.

"Kosa." T'yeellaa's face screwed into a frown as her ears tilted forward and she shifted her weight on her barstool. Kes Akiena, the not-hungry fish whisperer, was making a mockery of her. He was more interested in the eye candy settling down further down the way.

"Gai'chee." she commented flippantly at the sight of the men, who were certainly making a show of trolling the water. "jI don't thjink thejy'll be eatjing manjy fjissh tonjight."

[Kes Akiena]

"Well I suppose that means more for you then, yes?"

Kes leaned back then, pulling his hand from the water and giving it a little shake to dispel any excess water droplets.

Expelling a short breath, he gave a futile look around as if in search of something that he knew would never be found in the entirety of the establishment.

"I guess there's no hope for a hot-plate then, eh?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Ears perked and eyes bright, she turned a little to face him.

"jI'm cerrtajin jif the Commanderr of thjiss sstatjion wjisshess to have a sspecjial orrderr made, jit can be done wjith a..."

The middle finger of her left hand slipped off her thumb, snapping audibly.

"And jif no, therre arre ssaferr placess wjith a morre human ssenssjibjiljitjy, ne?"

So she was goading him. It wasn't entirely a bit of needling personal fun, either. He was the face of Jovan. A face visible to many people. As his cultural liason, it was only appropriate for her to point out that raw fish was a fairly minor danger compared to what awaited him.

SPLASH

And in a blur with her right hand, she had it. A speckled cutty, sleek and dusky, rose from the water by the grip T'yeellaa purchased around it's gills.

[Kes Akiena]

It was a strange, half-cautionary look that he sent her way, and with another moment passing without speaking, he tilted his bottle up for another sip. It came down on the bartop gently.

Fair enough though, and he decided to play her game.

"A little bit of fresh milk-bread batter, with a half-stick of butter melted in and some spices too. Maybe some pickled green stems to round everything out, with red tubers and Caridan rice cooked in shaak lard."

He blinked.

"Or you could use your better reflexes and grab one of those out for me." He flashed a smile.

"Or share yours."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The cutty flapped and gasped, already leaking red at it's throat from T'yeellaa's fixed claws. She wouldn't have been surprised if Akiena squirmed as much as the fish on the hook. Fortunately, his penchant for gambits was in fine form. An easy smile, and icewater for blood. T'yeellaa smiled.

"jIn the sspjirrjit of djiplomacjy, Commanderr."

Her thumb hooked in deep, and in a series of strong pivoting turns, she severed the fish's head clean, save for the connection at the spine, which she wrenched free with a twist from her right hand. The head laying in front of her still gasping, the Cizerack Captain magnanimously laid the rest of the prize in front of her superior. She couldn't be sure, but she had a feeling he fancied his food without a face.

[Kes Akiena]

Well, it certainly wasn't fried tuskfish, but Kes was no stranger to the more exotic manners in which seafood was eaten. He'd many times over spent evening in many of the kasho bars on Dac, enjoying the myriad of flavors offered by raw fish. Not to mention the often intricate plating methods that showed off the different colors and textures of the edible varietals. Only difference here though, was that their food wasn't sliced up behind a counter.

He looked down at the meal that'd been thunked in front of him. A finger poked at the tender inner flesh, and a moment later the redhead pinched off a portion, held it up to examine it a moment, then popped it into his mouth.

He chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed.

"Not bad," came the verdict, as he brought the bottle back up to his lips for another sip.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa tried not to look impressed, the tightly upturned corners of her mouth betraying her as she finished a mouthful of cheek meat dug from behind the gills. The Commander's bravado had attracted a few amused gawkers who applauded the human's gastronomic courage. As Kes's bottle parted his lips, the Captain tipped her own bottle towards his own, clinking the necks against each other.

"Ja'tuaa a'sskai, jI'll make a woman of jyou jyet, ssjirr."

[Kes Akiena]

"A woman, eh?"

Another strip of meat was pulled out and popped into his mouth.

"First time I've ever been told that."

The fish wasn't near as bad as he worried that it would be, and Kes was surprisingly satisfied with T'yeellaa's choice of venues.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She was about to reply with something dangerously smart-alecky when a sudden cry of "Suu'a tenaai!" could be heard outside. Heads turned in the seafood eatery at once to see a half dozen red-armored Jaanni'saari marines pursuing a woman who was fleeing desperately, pushing aside several people as she fled down the concourse outside. One of the troopers shouldered his blaster rifle, lining the woman up in her sights as a stun blast winged her in a near hit, causing enough nervous system disruption to make the woman fall to the ground. She struggled to get to her feet, her body sluggishly responding to her brain's demands, but by then it was too late. The marines had caught up with her, a half dozen rifles pushed in her face as they all shouted orders in Cizeri.

T'yeellaa was already on her feet, pushing aside her fish head and her beer causing both to fall into the water as she loped into a run.

[Mayael Rakkamar]

"What mean will not buy?"

The place was dark and had a musky smell, as if to hide the identities of those inside, and any unfortunate smells that may accompany it. The description on the lease may describe it as a shop of a more lawful origin but everyone knew what it was. A pawn shop. The man behind the fortified counter had just moments ago been quite interested in the assortment of items she had been pulling out. The exchange had gone entirely to book, with groan worthy jokes tossed in and much haggling over prices. Her bag seemed nearly never ending as he pulled out numerous figurines made of carved stone, both simple and precious.

It wasn't until the shop owner turned one of the figurines over while examining it that he noticed a stamp carved into the bottom of the stand. "This is the mark of the Universal Museum of Arts." The man said as all the humor and wit of their exchange faded out of his voice. "I distinctly remember hearing a story on the holonet about them losing a shipment to bandits on the Axis. They called it a brazen crime. How did these come into your possession?"

On the other side of the counter the Codru-Ji female's face screwed up in thought, one pair of hands rapping on the counter top while the other set laid crossed over her chest. "They fell into hands, yes yes?" Her accent was deep, with rolling R's and long O's. The arms across her body unwrapped and fell toward her hips, reaching for the blaster that was hidden just inside the folds of her coat. The movement was not lost, and the salesman shrugged his shoulders and kneed an out of sight button, causing heavy blast shields to fall over the counter, cutting him off from the rest of the shop.

Mayael swore loudly in her native tongue, snarling loudly at the blast shield even as she smashed on hand on it. An alarm chimed, and even through the blast door she could hear the man talking on the comm with someone. When the word "pirate" rang out she took that as the sign it was time to go, and immediately turned and ran for the door, leaving the collection of figurines behind. They were worthless to her now anyways.

The line of shops outside was busy, but she did not wait for an opening in the crowd. Instead she pushed into the crush of people, using all four arms to shove people out of her way. Over the collective groan and yells she could hear the distinct sound of boots running. She risked a look back, and saw armed troopers just before the crowd closed behind her.

Fear. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Everything had always gone so smooth, like Lady Luck was just dropping everything right in her lap. Now the rug was suddenly jerked out from underneath and she was scrambling for purchase. She had no idea where she was going. Jovan was not as familiar to her, say, Cloud City. She pushed and she shoved and the crowd finally broke ahead of her. She let out a cry of relief as she exploded from the crowd, only to get immediately shot down as the concourse came into view.

This was not the direction she wanted to go. Her ship was docked at the other end of the station. Glancing to the side she spotted another attachement of troopers heading her way, she took off again, but not before pulling her blaster, a hobbled together, heavily modified, and definitely warranty breached weapon, and fired it several times wildly. It made a sound normally reserved for ion cannons and warp drives. The shots all missed their targets, but it did cause the troopers to dive for cover.

And then she was off again, scrambling through the pockets of people, heading deeper into the concourse. The sights and smells would have been fascinating if she wasn't running for her life. She risked another backward glance, and the troopers were right behind her. Damn these cat people! She was in excellent physical condition herself, and this was the first time she had not been able to out run anyone. She tried running faster, all four arms pumping at her sides. A bench loomed ahead, she tried to jump it, and was in midair when her intense pain seized her and she came crashed down.

Mayael tried to catch herself with her hands, but they were trapped, curled up against her chest as she fell to the deck like a fish. She didn't even feel the impact. All the sensation on one half of her body was gone, replaced with intense pain. She tried to climb back up, but her legs were caught on the bench, and then there were rifle barrels in her face. She could hear their shouts, but they sounded far off.

"Con... con... cussion..."

[Kes Akiena]

Kes was on T'yeellaa's heels, his own meal and beverage instantly forgotten as the commotion outside caught his attentions, overriding any sense of decorum. Disturbances on his station were hardly ever a good thing, and if Jovan's track record so far was any indication, this business unfolding now would be much the same.

Stepping out onto the main concourse, the redhead threaded his way through the press of onlookers. Made somewhat difficult because of his lack of uniform, he never-the-less was successful, and sidled up to one of the Cizerack security officers that still had her rifle trained down on a Codru-ji woman.

"What's this, then."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The officer among the Jaanni'saari recognized T'yeellaa and Kes as they approached, pushing open the rough cordon to allow them to enter. For a moment, T'yeellaa conversed rapidly with the officer as two other marines man-handled the Codru-Ji woman, rifling through her pockets for any other weapons or contraband.

"Sa'tuua te nei'ne shaa'saai karra'uua, si saa'i Codru'a to'ei?"

The officer produced a data flimsi for T'yeellaa to read. It was a GalactiPol warrant. Mayael Rakkamar. Wanted for, among other things, piracy, armed assault on interstellar lanes, and receipt of stolen property. The Captain passed it on to her human superior to confirm for himself. She then turned back to the junior officer.

"Ta nua keess'a u'laatai, s'inoa."

Captain Meorrrei held her hand out, and the Marine lieutenant complied, drawing her duty knife from the scabbard at her belt, She turned it over in her grip, laying the knurled composite handle into T'yeellaa's hand. Captain Meorrrei nodded towards the Codru-Ji, and the male soldiers near her hoisted up her incapacitated form as she rambled in slurred words.

[Kes Akiena]

Kes frowned. Not particularly enthralled by this sudden sense of being ignored, Jovan's commander squared his shoulders back as T'yeellaa traded words in Cizeri with the guards. She'd handed the warrant to him, and glancing at it, he blinked in mild annoyance before tapping the small translation icon. Words in Basic instantly replaced the Cizerack glyphs, and his frown deepened.

"I don't-" he looked up in time to see the knife trade hands. The immediate future suddenly became crystal clear.

Furious, he stepped forward. His free hand went out to snatch the blade away, out of T'yeellaa's hand.

"Absolutely not, Captain Meorrrei."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

It took every ounce of effort she could muster to keep her eyes from rolling back into her head. The cotton headed feeling was beginning to recede and it it's place a dull and throbbing pain to match her body's was beginning to emanate through her head from her forehead, which was already darkening and turning purple from the impact with the floor. She was vaguely aware of her hands being roughly seized and pulled free of her twitching body, against the will of the involuntary contraction of her arm muscles. Her view changed from looking up at the faces of her captors to looking them in the eye with no memory of standing up in between.

There were words being spoken, but it was hard to make out the sound over through the haze. There was a knife being waved around, changing hands, and she could only stare in horror at the sharp blade before her eyes finally rolled back into head and she slipped from the world for a moment, retreating back into happy memories of a life before all this happened. She remembered Monte Codru, and her family. How they struggled against the other clans and families of their homeworld. Her family was small and weak, with a tiny castle in comparison to their neighbors. It was a life of strife, always trying to get ahead wherever possible. That was what lead her to engage in her people's time honored indulgence of kidnapping the pups of other families for the purpose of ransoming back anonymously for wealth and power.

But Mayael was caught, breaking the laws of her people, and because of that she was given two options; either face execution or banishment. Many would rather die than leave their homeworld and face the terrible galaxy outside, but Mayael wanted to live and took the option that provided for that. Everything since was a slow decline to where she was now. She had no regrets save for coming to Jovan and getting caught. Grov had given her a great opportunity in his pirate outfit. She had met so many interesting and wonderful people, and gotten to explore her fascination with alien technology and the shameless modification of it. A full life, by many standards. Perhaps not as long as she wanted, but she could hardly complain. So many seconds chances.

May the many arms of Codrushu take her.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Captain Meorrrei's blue eyes flashed in surprise as her superior moved to intercept the blade she carried. There was initial resistance to his hand, but rational order relented in the face of his sudden intervention. The sudden act sent a ripple of discomfort through the marines as well. They shifted uneasily in unison.

"Commanderr..."

T'yeellaa took a deep and careful breath.

"...thjiss woman jiss a pjirrate."

[Kes Akiena]

The knife was turned over in his hands as he glared at it, his eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a deep scowl. T'yeellaa's words registered, but only on the periphery as he lifted his eyes from the bladed weapon to the Codru-Ji woman held aloft.

"I can read, Captain," came the clipped response.

For a moment longer he looked at the captive.

"I'll not condone killing on my station by any of my personnel, and that most certainly includes you."

Still though, that did not mean that lawlessness could go unchecked, and Kes vented a thoughtful breath. While he wouldn't in any way entertain the thought of an instant death penalty, he knew that he needed time to gather as many facts as he could. What he decided after that point would be up to him.

"Take her to a cell."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The marines didn't budge. T'yeellaa felt all eyes on her. While Commander Akiena was openly flouting Cizerack law that didn't yet excuse a breakdown in the chain of command. Captain Meorrrei's ears pressed back as she dressed down the Jaanni'saari lieutenant.

"Ja'eei ta ai!"

The lieutenant flinched, and immediately carried out Akiena's orders, putting her male troopers to the task of frog-marching the unconscious body of the Codru-Ji to the station brig. That left T'yeellaa and Kes in an awkward situation.

"Commanderr, jyou arre djirrectljy contrravenjing Cjizerrack marrjitjime authorrjitjy bjy lettjing that woman ljive."

[Kes Akiena]

Gone was the jovial side of Kes Akiena. Gone was the joking and the good-natured smile and the general casualness. In its' place was an unmoving officer of the Alliance. A stalwart figure with suddenly hard edges and an expression as set in stone as any hard-edged statue. Squaring his shoulders, Kes looked down at T'yeellaa with an air of authority that seemed to radiate outward.

"Captain, we are on a jointly held space station. The Cizerack and the Alliance are working together in this project."

Flipping the knife so that the blade rested between his fingers, he let the pommel come to rest in front of her chest in a silent order for her to take it back.

"I will always be open to seeing things from the other side of the canyon, but in doing so I must remind you that you are just as responsible to do the same."

Before her own fingers could close around the composite handle, he pulled it up slightly.

"Am I understood?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa carefully removed the knife from his grasp, stowing the urge to fitfully snatch it away as her frustration boiled.

"Underrsstood. Clearrljy."

The gathered crowd had given them a wide berth, and wider still for the prisoner who the Captain could see was still being led away.

"The orrderr jiss gjiven and jI rresspect jyourr authorrjitjy to do so."

She turned the blade over in her hand thoughtfully.

"Therre arre powerrful women who won't, Commanderr."

T'yeellaa gestured to the last glimpses of Mayael.

"Crrjimess agajinsst commerrce arre pajid forr prromptljy jin blood."

[Kes Akiena]

With steel in his eyes, Kes angled his head.

"Working together doesn't mean we do things only one way. The sooner you realize that we're not a strictly Cizerack operation, the better things will be for you."

Harsh words, but necessary ones in his mind. With a respectful nod to T'yeellaa, Commander Akiena turned on his heel, following after the captive as she was dragged away.




* * *

The detention wing was a sterile place, with harsh lines and spartan features. It was very Imperial, and with a slight grimace on his features, Kes found himself remembering all too well the 'accommodations' that he himself had had to endure in the distant past. If the Empire was good for anything, they were brilliant in the art of intimidating prisoners. Which, at this point in time, generated its' own problems. This station was no longer an Imperial outpost. As he strode the long length of corridor towards the back of the cell wing, passing recessed doors as he went, Kes came to a stop at the second to last T junction. The guards that had accompanied him moved forward past him, turning to the immediate left and descending the two steps into the alcove before keying in the cell's entry code.

The door whisked up, and the guards filed in, their weapons held ready.

Following after them, Kes entered the small cell as well, and his eyes went to the Codru-Ji woman.

"Good afternoon, then."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

When the world faded back into being she was expecting to be greeted by the festive holiday rope lights she strung through her the ceiling of her quarters back on the Erebus. Instead of shelves strewn with half-finished projects from her workshop she was greeted with sterile walls. She watched as they moved past. It was some time before she realized she was not herself walking and that she was being dragged. At each arm was a burly armed and armored man forcibly pulling her limp body through unfamiliar hallways. She didn't resist, there was no point. Fleeting memories of what happened reminded her to stay down. There was no escaping this time.

There was no way of knowing where she was in the station. Everything was a blur. Everything looked the same. Nothing was said. The only sound was the footsteps to each side of her and her own dragging feet. Doors whooshed and her escort forcibly handled her on to a bench before turning sharply and trooping out of the cell. She slunk down against the wall, her eyes falling shut again. The last thing she saw was the tight buttocks of her Cizerack captors.

"Good afternoon, then."

She snapped awake, a bark escaping her lips. Eyes unfocused, pupils constricting to the light, as she focused on the face. She recognized the man from earlier as one of the knife holders. Hands that would have raised defensively were now bound by stun cuffs and resisted the movements she desired. Instead she left them in her lap, looking up through her messy bangs at the human before her.

"Hello."

[Kes Akiena]

"Seems you've got yourself in a hell of a situation, I'd say."

He bypassed the normal pleasantries, and instead jumped into the heart of the matter by stating the painfully obvious. There was no mirth on his face as he spoke, and lifting the flimsi up that contained the myriad of charges against her, Kes let a touch of disapproval lace his tone.

"This is a long list, Ms. Rakkamar. You're either very brave, coming here, or your better senses have taken flight."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

"Have unload cargo somewhere. Jovan has many merchants who buy no questions asked. This is just, how you say, slip up?"

Jovan was definitely not her number one stop, and a place Grov did not approve for pushing stolen cargo, but it had to go somewhere. The Empire and Alliance's cold war was creating a bigger black market just as quickly as their combines efforts to squash it was tearing it apart. A buyer today could be gone tomorrow, either captured or forced into hiding. You had to roll with the punches, and when you run out of buyers in the area and hot cargo in your hold you get desperate. She had to drop those figurines somewhere. It was just bad luck that they had stolen something too universally known to be resold on this level. Next time she would have to take them to the underworld collectors, if she could find any. If there was a next time.

[Kes Akiena]

"A 'slip up' is a mild way of putting it, don't you think?"

It was a rhetorical question, and Kes didn't wait for any answer that she might have.

"Coming to a station that is jointly run by Cizerack, in order to offload contraband is not exactly the smartest thing to do," a single finger tapped at the flimsi, "Any one of these charges would've gotten your throat slit in a heartbeat if this place was completely under Pride control. As it was, it very nearly did despite Alliance presence."

His gaze was stern, and he let a small bit of silence hang in the air before going on.

"And while Captain Meorrrei would like nothing better than to kill you and be done with the matter, I'd rather avoid having to have needless blood cleaned from the deck of my station."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

Mayael shrugged her shoulders, a gesture she learned from her human companions that was otherwise foreign to the Codru-Ji. "We have die someday. Can't hide forever. That's not living."

She was not afraid. This was not the first time she had her neck on the proverbial chopping block. Her people can screamed for her blood. Even her own parents called for her execution. It was the only way they could escape the tarnish on the family name. Clan Rakkamar would forever be known as kidnappers and an enemy to all other clans, unless they sacrificed their daughter to sate the bloodlust. Mayael held no hate in her heart for her family. She knew the politics, she knew the ways of her people.

Over the years since death had constantly dogged her steps, and she had always scraped by. She had the scars to prove it. Every time was a second chance, every time she learned something and became, in her mind, a better person. This time would be no different. She would hold her head high, look the Alliance officer in the eye, and show she was not ashamed. Not afraid.

"What will do with me? Lock up forever?"

[Kes Akiena]

"Gods I hope not."

It was spoken with a sort of world-weary sigh as Kes moved to sit on the built-in bench along the far wall, facing Ms. Rakkamar. He didn't like having to be the imposing one unless necessity absolutely called for it. Before it had, but now? He was tired of the effort, and if his own experience taught him anything, it never got anyone anywhere.

"I can't exactly just look away, you understand. I'm not about to allow any sort of heavy-handed death penalty, but these," again he tapped the flimsi, "...aren't exactly going to make my job easier."

He inhaled a long breath, letting it out slowly as he looked at her.

"Do you have family, Ms. Rakkamar; anyone that may be able to vouch for you."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

The laugh escaped before she even knew it was building. It was light, full of mirth. Genuine. "No. No. I am outcast from Monte Codru. Ostracized by family. They will no vouch me. They will say kill me. I have nobody, save other pirates like me. Not reputable sources."

She laughed again, still finding the humor in the question about family.

[Kes Akiena]

Her laughter was not exactly expected, and even more so her answer not helpful in any way. Kes angled his head, giving her a puzzled look that soon enough settled into something more perturbed.

"You're bound and determined to fit the noose around your neck yourself, aren't you."

Still though, he couldn't fault her in any way for being so utterly truthful. It wasn't like she particularly had much choice as things went. And what sort of excuse could she give him that couldn't be disproved? She was dead to rights. They both knew it.

Another sigh, and the redhead reached a hand up to rub at his temple in an effort to alleviate the subtle beginnings of a headache.

"Is there anything you can tell me that might help your situation."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

"I graduate top marks from Hallingrad Academy. Headmaster say smart, but unrefined. Lack focus. Good hall monitor. If I had not failed my Hwwafir I would be engineer, or soldier, or clan honor guard. Never could decide. I can cook, good with electronics, have four arms. Better than two, no?"

"Would help if said not do it again?" She shrugged her shoulders again, clearly not expecting that to work at all. The man was fishing, trying to find something, but she was not sure what he was looking for. She was caught, fair and square, and had little to no wiggle room to negotiate her way out of this.

[Kes Akiena]

"If only it were so easy."

She was being truthful; Kes didn't need any amount of Force potential to divine that much. Still though, it fell dreadfully short of the needed mark. His eyes closed, and he pulled himself back up to stand. He didn't foresee any other viable information coming from this first talk, and he needed more time to think on the matter. A small notion had formed, but it was just an inkling of an idea. Nothing that he could work with just yet.

He left the flimsi on the small bench he'd been sitting on.

"I can't promise anything, know that. About all I can assure you of at this point in time is that you won't be killed."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

"You never gave me your name." Her eyes watched the flimsi as it was left behind, making note of it's location, before her eyes turned back to the man.

[Kes Akiena]

Pausing at the door, Kes waved his small escort on ahead of him. The two guards slowly filed out, and half turning to regard Ms. Rakkamar, he gave her a nod and a tired smile.

"Commander Akiena, Ms. Rakkamar."

A gesture to the flimsi.

"Keep that. I'll be back when I've been able to think through this mire, and we can discuss things further."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

"Thank you Commander Akiena." She bowed her head a little bit, trying to clasp her hands together in front of her, but only managing an awkward shuffle with the cuffs. The Commander had been very nice, pleasant even. She held no ill will against the man. Although the cat-person who wanted to stab her to death out on the floor Mayael was less happy with. Still, she was alive, and that was more than she could have hoped for.

When the door shut behind the Commander Mayael made a mad scramble for the flimsi; snatching it from the opposite bench and then sitting back down. Scrolling through the page, she smirked at the terrible profile image and giggle at some of the charges, mentally ticking off which ones she was actually guilty of and which were tacked on or assumed. She was guilty of most of them. Mostly robberies. Only a few murders. Most of the charges were by group association. Mayael herself was rarely the finger pulling the trigger. Being a part of Grov's pirate crew had certainly stained her record far more than she had anticipated.

After she scrolled through the record several dozen times she began to get bored, and started looking for a way to take the flimsi apart. Maybe she could turn it into something else. Something new. Exciting.

[Kes Akiena]

* * *

In truth, it was not a very long time that Kes had needed to think over the problem that now sat in one of the detention cells abroad his station. It had become more an issue of selling the idea to certain parties of his command staff. Which, when all was said and done, was ultimately not their decision to make. He would accept suggestions and criticism, but at the end of it all, his word was the final factor. Just as it had been now. Of course, sitting in solitude within the small confines of his office - if one could call it that - he'd made the choice alone, and without consulting T'yeellaa to any large degree. There was no residual anger at her behavior, as he understood well enough the differences that marked how each of their governments dealt with such matters as they were now faced with. And while it wasn't anything planet shattering, it was still relevant. No, T'yeellaa would be told of his plans, but not until he could gain the cooperation he wanted from Ms. Rakkamar.

His office, situated on the periphery of the command hub, was a simple affair with nothing ostentatious to mark it as anything particular high in standing. It was raised, but beyond that there was nothing else. A small kingdom, a sanctuary a step away from the command hub that he could retreat to. It offered the necessary privacy needed for when delicate matters had to be tended to while still maintaining the trappings of an official setting. His desk was surprisingly clean, with only a small built-in holoprojector and a brightly colored coaster, atop which sat a half-filled mug of cold caf. A datapad rested beside the neglected drink, still glowing as it showed the last page of the report he'd been reading. Behind him hung a large, framed painting of Coruscant. He'd not yet had the time to remove it, and so it remained for now.

When the doors opened, admitting four guards and Ms. Rakkamar, Kes rose to stand. He gave a small smile in welcome.

"Ms. Rakkamar."

A nod to the guards, and they moved to stand at attention on either side of the now closed door.

He waved his hand at one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

"Please, sit."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

When the security guards came for her the bench across from her boasted a clean collection of parts, each lined up and group according to her needs. The flimsi pad hardly resembled itself. Without any real tools she had been forced to use the buttons on her clothes, the latch from her belt, and other bits and pieces to pry the case off the screen, remove the parts, and reattach them until she had created a somewhat functioning receiver. Then it was just a matter of locating an unprotected holonet signal and connecting to it. The connection was terrible, the screen fizzled out often, the audio was almost non-existent, but watching a hack job holodrama was far better than sitting alone in the cell bored.

Now they bustled her along, pushing her through the station. It was a much nicer trip on the way out than it had been going in. Less foot dragging and head lolling. Much more time to observe the wonders of the station as they passed by. The few that she got to see at least. They didn't exactly march her through the promenade. Rather through security tunnels and off-limits areas. She had no idea where they were going. Mayael did not have the best sense of direction and she knew that even if they let her, she would never be able to navigate her way back to her cell alone.

They passed briefly through the command hub, a bright and busy space that Mayael would have loved to explore but was quick cut from and deposited into an office. It was spartan and bare, just like the cell. She grimaced as she looked around. It needed brightening up. Lights and jewels and things that spin and make noise. It needed character. The only defining characteristic of the whole room was the man nestled in the middle of it all behind his very official looking desk, backdropped by a gaudy painting. Color! The room needed color. That's what it was lacking.

At his request she sat, taking the chair to her right. "Commander."

[Kes Akiena]

Once more taking his seat, Kes leaned back in his chair. His eyes searched her face, hoping to divine any sort of new information from expression alone. It wasn't exactly a successful endeavor, and the redhead gave up.

"I've been told that you managed to entertain yourself with the flimsi I left for you to look over."

It wasn't an accusation, and there was no dissaproval to his tone. It was simply a stated fact.

"Resourceful," he grinned, picking up the 'pad he'd previously been reading. "Not exactly what I thought you'd do, but I suppose it is what it is."

Thumbing the scrollbar on the 'pad, Kes leaned forward, holding it out for her to take. He'd queued up a copy of the charges that she'd been saddled with. He had a decent notion that, while many were legitimate, there were others that had been thrown into the mix that she held no involvement in.

"I hope you read it at least, before taking it apart. Now, if you'd be so kind, tick off the items that you're not responsible for."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

With an eyebrow arched she took the datapad and set it down on the desk in front of herself, propped up with one hand so that she could see the screen. It was the same list of charges from before. She scrolled up and down the list, sometimes fingering the entries so that they popped open with more information, such as locations of the incidents, the charges in more details, and so on. She didn't consider herself to have the best memory in the galaxy, but some of them definitely stood out as things she didn't do; things tacked on as a group. She didn't murder people. She killed enemies, in self defense, after they had tried to be goddamn heroes. Her job was to carry her big shotgun and be threatening so that people don't try to be heroes.

One by one she examined each item, either leaving it in place or swiping it away. As she did she mumbled to herself, things like "That Grov.", "That Harris.", and "Yep yep, that definitely me."

After several minutes the pad was handed back. Most of the murder charges were gone, replaced with a lot of theft, illegal salvaging, smuggling, and some assault and arson. Mostly non-violent crimes, because she was never there to hit people in the face or shoot them in the back when they ran. Grov had far more ruthless people for that. Mayael would admit she was unphased by the violence. She came from a violent people. However, her role was always in the salvage team. She was the one with the mind for what was worth taking, what could be used or turned into something else. Her workshop on the Erebus was a collection of half ripped apart machines and the unholy fusion of them. She was good at it, and that was why Grov kept her around. She was the one keeping that ship going and the crew equipped.

She smiled sheepishly.

[Kes Akiena]

Taking the offered pad once more, Kes flipped it back around as his eyes went down the list, noting what she'd ticked off and what remained. Still not the best of pictures, but it was getting more workable. At the very least, a majority of the murders had been checked. A good sign.

"Well. A different picture somewhat, but still worrisome, I must admit." Pursing his lips, he set the pad back down on his desk before looking at her.

"Not exactly the easiest of lives you lead, is it."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

"I've done what necessary to survive. Have no credentials to apply for real job. All records trapped on Monte Codru. My career stolen away by stupid... politics. Find credits where can, carve out new life. I do small jobs, waitress, packer, cleaner. Starving. Cannot afford rent. Grov gave me home. Food. Family. I build weapons, repair ship, scavenge parts. Was it wrong? Maybe. I am no judge of men."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

On the Command Deck

She'd seen the pirate led politely under guard to the Commander's office. Kes simply stood by affably as it happened, like this was a normal course of business. Now they chatted, as humans said. And all T'yeellaa did was tend to a million fires burning at once in the meantime, a good portion of which involved putting off the numerous howls for blood coming from home. Aid and shelter to an Enemy of Commerce, they called it.

In the meantime, Captain Meorrrei had fresh pirate attacks to deal with. Perhaps Commander Akiena would ask her to track down the culprits so he could sip tea with them.

"Captain Meorrrei?"

A human male officer at the operations kiosk looked back at her. She still could barely keep up with the forrda names.

"What jis jit?"

"Our salvage tugs are bringing in the disabled passenger liner from the Gordian frontier."

Ah yes. The latest victim of the pirate scourge. A fattened calf slaughtered while the shepherds dozed. Before an Alliance cruiser or a Korri galleon could ever be called to muster, the pirates responsible had brazenly strolled across the border into Imperial space. They didn't even bother making haste through light speed. Once they crossed the line, they were in another universe, for all it seemed.

"Djirrect the derreljict to sspjirre thrree, and jinforrm Chjief Essk'avarr and Chjief Rrabeak and hjiss sstaff to jojin me therre."

[Anauri Rabeak]

Unlike most of the department heads aboard Jovan Station, Anauri Rabeak had no office, no private sanctuary to call his own. Instead, he had Engineering. Or, as it more often felt like, a triage center. Screens all over one wall listed performance statuses, warning alarms, disability markers, schedules, parts orders, inventories, and all manner of information that only he and his limited crew found terribly useful. The closest thing he had to an office was a desk which more often than not served as a workbench, and an old office chair with mismatched casters.

When the call came over his comm system, he was halfway through brewing a pot of a drink he'd grown to love. Half coffee, half tea, steeped at the same time in a regular stimcaff machine.

Typical. He thought to himself. Brew a pot, get a call. Never fails. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if this stimcaff machine broke. The rest of the station would probably suddenly be flawless.

Lifting the carafe out of its warming plate before the drip had stopped, he sloshed as much of it as would fit into an insulated travel mug, then shoved the carafe back to catch the rest. Mess on the floor, who cares. It was Engineering, no one expected cleanliness.

"Yo, Dinkeberg, Gradoona, you the only two here?" he called out, then looked to the screens. Yep, everyone else was out on assignment. "Come on, spire three, apparently the brass have found something fun for us," he grumbled.

Damn, that Gradoona is so fat, I can hear the diabetes...

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

Imperial relay conduits were delightfully overbuilt. Gradoona squee'd in appreciation for that fact as she manipulated goggles around her broad head before sparking her arc torch to remove the heavy coupler that bound this unit to the rest of the section grid. A shower of sparks gouted to the floor, and seconds later, the coupler hit the deck with a loud clang.

She could do this job with her eyes closed. Sometimes she did. Head aimed at the trouble site, the Herglic assailed the point of interest with a barrage of hypersonic clicks and whistles, getting a much better look within than any set of eyes would tell her from this juncture.

"Oh dear. Well shoot, that looks like a pickle."

Not a simple plug and play job here. Gradoona would probably have to replace not just the relay but also the resistor. She could hear the dissonance of electric current singing off key.

Before she could make good on her intent, her comm pinged, and she glanced down at the grizzled muzzle of Chief Rabeak.

"Okie doke, Chief. Looks like this here coupler's gonna be a bit more of a whopper than I figured anyhoo. Lemme get my tool and gimme three shakes of a penguin tail."

[Ydran Esk'avar]

The Spirit of Chandrilla had taken a pounding, as was evident to anyone looking out the observation ports on either side of the docking spire. A three-hundred meter passenger liner with carbon scars and visibly sparking hull breaches tended to draw a crowd of onlookers, so the Alliance Security forces already had their hands full maintaining a cordon to allow engineering and medical personnel full access to the concourse. Chief Inpsector Ydran Esk'avar prowled between the walls of sentient biomass, which contained tearfully concerned families and loved ones but was mostly composed of the basest species of rubberneckers and opportunists.

"Clear the way! I said clear!" He seized his stun baton from his belt and, with a flick of his wrist, extended it to its full length, and the audible snap of electrical potential was enough to shift all but the most feckless of spectators - who, it turned out, was a slobber-jawed Gamorrean who was still leaning for a view down the broad access tunnel. Curling his canine lips, Ydran swept the porcine hulk aside with a sizzle and a surprised squeal, clearing the way for a knot of serious-faced medics pushing a hover-gurney loaded with emergency supplies down the spire toward the stricken ship.

"Chief!"

The Bothan inspector turned on his heel as a fresh-faced human security officer came jogging out of the concourse from the Spirit. "What's our situation, Mr. Kurzweil?"

"Sir, we still don't have access to either the forward or aft companionways. The forward hatch is blocked by debris on their end, and the aft was damaged in the pirate attack, it won't mate with our docking clamps."

"Damned Imperial technology," Ydran groused. "Do we have any access at all?"

"Yes, Chief - the dock crews have run a tunnel out to a maintenance hatch amidships, but it's only big enough for one or two people at a time. The medical crews are squeezing through now, setting up a clinic in their sick bay."

"Very well, Mr. Kurzweil. Keep the order. There are a lot of frightened people on that boat."

"Yes, sir."

As Kurzweil hurried back down the concourse, Ydran moved to shore up the left edge of the cordon where a family of anxious Omwati had been shouldered aside by an angry and bellowing wookiee. Loath as he was to admit it, he needed the Cizerack forces down here. Alliance security was not yet up to full strength on Jovan - they simply didn't have the manpower for something on this scale.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa arrived in the company of a half dozen Jaanni'saari she'd been mindful enough to muster to support the relief and salvage operation on hand at spire three. Upon approach, her ears drooped at the zoo unfolding at the heavy airlock doors. It wasn't going to be enough. Chief Esk'avar's men were keeping the lines of medics and engineers going - just barely.

"Need a few extrra handss, Chjief?"

Captain Meorrrei approached with a taut-lipped expression, her tail snapping in peevish dissonance at the barely-stemmed chaos assailing the gates. Her marines went quick to work, forming up the cordon where it needed reinforcing most. Two of the heftier specimens headed over to hopefully curtail the aforementioned Wookiee in mid-meltdown. T'yeellaa set about getting the freshest information out of the Bothan as she could manage.

"Do we know how manjy ssurvjivjing crrew and passsengerrss we'rre lookjing at herre?"

[Ydran Esk'avar]

For once Inspector Esk'avar was relieved to see the Cizerack. Much as he deplored their wanton fraternization and barbaric social customs, he could not help but admire the efficiency, if not the brutality, of their law enforcement. And Captain Meorrrei was one of the most efficient Cizerack he'd ever met.

"Captain. The manifest lists nine hundred and thirty passengers, a hundred and sixteen crew, of those one thousand forty-six, we have sixty-three dead, two hundred ten wounded, and another twenty-nine unaccounted for. Our engineers still haven't cleared access to the main companionways."

It was peevish work, establishing a navigable passage to a damaged ship. The docking cowl was equipped with a flexible hood designed to conform to just about any geometry, but evidently the damage to Chandrilla's aft quarter was too severe for even that to form a seal. Difficult to shore up a leaky dam when it wasn't water, but hard vacuum on the other side.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jIt could have been worrsse."

It may have been a cold thing to say, but Captain Meorrrei had seen enough pirate attacks to know how true it was. For now, they'd render aid in a trickle for hope of a stream. Security posted on the cordon, medics in first to triage, and engineers working to make both parties lives a little easier.

A stretcher carted past, carrying a gravely-wounded Iridonian with a full entourage of emergency medics and breather equipment. The highest priority triage cases were being sent back to the station in an agonizingly slow fashion.

"jI need to know detajilss, Chjief."

T'yeellaa was moving to the big picture, as there was nothing to do with the mundane but wait for it to be handled as quickly as possible. She wasn't going to fritter away uselessly, hand-wringing on the periphery while the medics and engineers took point.

"Untjil we can clearr that hatch, we're ljimjited. Get a channel open to the sskjipperr orr the mosst ssenjiorr offjicerr jin charrge. jI need to know who we'rre lookjing forr."

She was straying dangerously close to telling the Bothan how to do his own job, but T'yeellaa's steely face hinted at larger matters in play than simply crime and punishment.

[Ydran Esk'avar]

"I've already been in contact with Captain Voreen to coordinate our docking efforts," Ydran replied. "He reports that they were ambushed by a pair of Weequay marauders at Feswe Minor armed with laser cannons and harpoon guns. Disabled their deflectors, attempted to board, but the Spirit of Chandrilla managed to jump clear with four harpoons still attached."

Which had probably done more damage than the laser blasts had. The liner had approached with its starboard side to Jovan's docking spire, and as badly off as her starboard hatches were, her portside was even worse, venting plumes of atmosphere and plasma visible from any window on the concourse. It was the action of a panicked captain, but even then it may have saved more lives than it lost. Weequay pirates were not generally known for their clemency.

"I'm sure once the ship is secure--"

The Bothan was interrupted by a chime from the commlink attacked to the back of his hand, which he tapped and raised to his chin immediately. "Esk'avar here."

"Chief. The medics have found an injured Weequay in the aft port quarter of the ship. We believe he's one of the pirates."

Ydran shared a quickened glance with Captain Meorrrei and turned for whatever passage the engineers had jury-rigged. "Hold him. I'm on my way."

[Vek Vek]

The sight that greeted Chief Esk'avar and K'ohta'rrou Meorrrei was a rudimentary sick bay swollen with a crush of serious medical emergencies. A few of the worst cases had already been draped with sheets, an identifying chit placed on toes or boots or whatever the most convenient appendage might be. Wading through it all with a Gran assistant, Doctor Vek moved with surprising grace and focus. His medical whites were smeared with blood and ichor as he shined a pen light into a Pantoran's eyes.

"Dilation non responsive to luminous stimuli. Signs of cephalic swelling and degradation of motor function. 20 cc's of nitrilcortizol and 15 cc's ambisynaptol. Patient priority two. Move."

At the sight of two more Alliance officers entering the chaos, Vek Vek was in no mood to pander to their small requests. Impatient fingers snapped at the Bothan, and he pointed to a pale and profusely bleeding Togrutan man.

"Apply pressure at wound site!"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

This was the K'ohta'rrou's first experience of death on this scale. T'yeellaa's ears lowered amid the wailing din, and she forced herself to fixate on the harried doctor and avoid the carnage around her. It wasn't out of callous disregard. A moment couldn't be wasted on succumbing to emotion.

"Doctorr, the prrjissonerr..."

[Vek Vek]

"...will live." Vek replied tersely, not looking up. "Prognosis for other triage patients less favorable. Assist or leave. Questions later."

He'd moved on to a Chadra Fan patient. The small being was convulsing, and it took concerted effort for the Durwi doctor to stabilize him long enough to administer sedative.

"Priority one."

[Ydran Esk'avar]

The ad hoc trauma ward may as well have been an antiques auction for all the pathos it registered on Inspector Esk'avar's wolfish face. The Bothan simply reached to apply pressure over the Togruta's wound where Doctor Vek had indicated, and scanned the chaotic crush of humanoid life until he caught the eye of a broad-shouldered human in a security uniform. The deputy came edging his way through the wounded, but before he could deliver any sort of report, Ydran nodded to the Togruta beside him and said, "Apply pressure here, please, and place yourself at the doctor's disposal until ordered otherwise. Where is the prisoner?"

The deputy blanched a little but relieved Ydran of his post without question. "Aft-port corner, chief, as far away from the other wounded as we could manage. Tlaloc and Yipinsky have him under guard."

"Very good, Mr. Prowse. This way, Captain."

With no further interruption, Ydran charged through the milling crowd to a darkened corner where one cot had been pushed away from the others, and a horned Iktotchi and a Twi'lek-human halfbreed with a halo of short, spiky hair around her freckled, yellow face maintained a surly guard over a moaning Weequay with a bloody mass of bandages where his right foot used to be.

"Chief," Yipinsky said, tipping her blaster carbine in salute. "Found this slimo crawling through the wreckage of a breaching pod near the engine bay. Acts like he don't speak Basic, but he didn't seem to like it when I suggested we oughta space him."

The ailing man mumbled something unintelligible, and Ydran's nostrils flared at the stench of communication pheromones in the air, useless without another member of the pirate's clan to interpret them. "The good doctor seems to think he's in stable condition. Perhaps we can move him out of the medics' way so we can question him without interference."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Fortunately, the Bothan bloodhound quickly made headway around Doctor Vek's triage, finding the prisoner in the care of two of his security staff. T'yeellaa maneuvered from the crush of seriously wounded crew and passengers to where they had the Weequay under watch.

"jIf he can move, let's get him thrrough the entrrjywajy and to the brrjig forr quesstjionjing."

Aside from the mangled foot and other injuries, the suspect didn't seem to have any pressing matters of mortality at hand. T'yeellaa's right hand instinctively reached for her belt to look for a knife she knew wasn't there. No matter.