A Series of Ridiculous Events

[Ben Merasska]

"Welcome aboard, Mr and Mrs Van Kleef," the yacht attendant said, handing back Ben his ticket. "Please enjoy your trip, and be sure to leave us a good Zelp review!"

Ben nodded awkwardly and stepped forward, pulling his bag in his left hand while his partner's was laid in the crook of his elbow. The Star of Barady was a huge yacht of a type Ben was unfamiliar with; a newer design that must have been introduced during his time away from piloting as his main profession. Now, he was a freighter captain, and apparently a criminal.

"Please remind me to never ever ever again take jobs that require me to leave my ship," Ben whispered to his companion. "I don't know what I was thinking."

They had landed on a nice planet, a peaceful planet, with plans to simply lay low and enjoy a little vacation after a horrible and very dangerous adventure. Beaches, warm weather, and best of all: no one was trying to kill them. It was all Ben could have asked for, all he did ask for in fact. But like all good things in Ben's life, it came to an end in the most ridiculous manner possible.


Three Days Earlier


"Okay, Shuvin," Ben said. "You can do whatever you want. Just don't spend all our money. And come back every night, so I know you're still alive."

"Yeah yeah, okay dad," the Togrutan sixteen year old said, not even looking back at him as she hefted her bag with a towel, and sunscreen, some stylish uv glasses, plenty of reading material and made her way out of the landing bay to enjoy some time at the beach.

"And Shuvin," Ben called. Shuvin turn back around with an exasperated sigh, dropping the uv glasses down her nose to take in the freighter captain wearing a black A-shirt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeveless_shirt), and pair of trousers with lots of pockets. She lost some of her exasperation at the sight, mostly because she'd bought that clothing for him; at least now he looked good. And maybe he'd make a move on that hot blonde that had traveled here with them and get rid of some of that frustration. He needed to get laid, that was sure. "Don't come back with any diseases please."

Shuvin shot him a very rude hand gesture and walked off. Ben sighed and then, very happily, set up a ladder to get himself on top of Alderaan, his Ghtroc-720 freighter; a utility bag of tools was set aside, and another with parts sticking out of it at odd angles was set beside it.

"I'm not going to die today, oh no," Ben hummed, tossing a couple rags and a drink into the bags also. "Just going to fix up my ship and take it easay, oh yeah."

[Cerie Moreau]

Traveling with Ben Merasska had been mostly quiet since they'd left that no-name backwater world full of crazy killer zombie children and their slavers. Crazy Killer Zombie Children. Sounded like some bad holo you'd watch on a late night binge-watching trip. Except for the fact that it'd actually happened. She could still remember asking Ben if stuff like that happened to him on a regular basis, and despite her initial skepticism at his denial, so far things had been as smooth as he'd insisted.

Meeting Shuvin - after that damn collar had come off at least - had been enjoyable... in a way. The young Togruta always seemed to be staring at her in the strangest ways. Not out of some perceived recognition, but it was more in line with a... a match-maker? Only the Maker knew.

For her part, Cerie had remained mostly on the peripherals of Alderaan and her crew. She participated in meal times and other light talk, but mostly stayed in the bunk that'd been provided for her. Having left her own ship behind during their escape, she'd had more than a lot to consider; mostly, where to go from here? Oh, she'd provided what she could on their few stopovers, purchasing food supplies and other small things from her now dwindling savings, but it wouldn't be long until her reserves ran dry and she would be nothing but a mynock. She would have to find some way to be more useful than just another body on board.

Which was what made her hang back as Shuvin trotted off to spend her downtime out and about.

Cerie had retreating back to her small cabin, and pulling out her last sixer of 'That's No Moon' and an unopened box of cheese crisps, the blonde made her way back out, heading down the side corridor on her way to the lowered boarding ramp.

Stepping outside, she paused, blinking a few times to acclimate to the sunlight. It really was a beautiful day, and Cerie couldn't fault Shuvin for wanting to spend her time out and away from the confines of Alderaan. The girl was a whiz with machinery, but she was also a teenager, and beholden to all the things that came with being sixteen. And usually, that meant boys.

Her trip up the ladder was a careful one, but she managed easily enough, and it wasn't long before Cerie was standing atop Ben's ship. He stopped his humming and looked at her, and in answer she smiled, lifting up the six-pack and the box of Cheez-O's.

"I brought some late breakfast."

[Ben Merasska]

"Oh! Cheez-O's! Breakfast of champions," Ben said, standing up from the open access panel, where he'd begun to work. Cerie handed over one of the beers she had brought up also, and Ben took it with a sense of content, and caught sight of the name and logo, an irreverent design of the Death Star floating in space. He paused for a moment to just look at it, before taking a few swigs. It was good.

"What do you have planned for today?" Ben asked, reaching down into the box and grabbing a couple of the snacks. "I figure it's going to be pretty lazy. Might go out and look for some parts later."

The landing pad they'd set down on was open to the air, instead of being closed in, as were the other landing pads around them; many street vendors had taken advantage of the location of the starport and had set up in the streets between landing pads, hawking their wares and food to those passing by them. Ben sat down and looked over all of it, letting his legs dangle down into the opened section of the hull he'd been working on. He picked up a part and looked it over. It had come from one of the Shit cubbies, and it definitely looked like it wouldn't hold together for more than a few minutes at most.

[Cerie Moreau]

Popping the cap off her own bottle, Cerie took a long drink before she too dipped a hand into the box. Coming back up with a fistful of the small, square crisps, she tossed one into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Moving to sit beside him, she gave a contented sigh.

"Not a clue."

She swallowed, looking out over the expansive line of landing pads and the vendors that littered the area. Each one seemed so hellbent on making the next person to pass waste credits on their cheap souvenirs, and in a way it was hypnotizing. But, Ben's musings on a lazy day seemed much more enjoyable to consider, and the blonde turned back to look at him with a grin.

"I like lazy days."

Of course, there was also the gundark in the room, and she intended to address that sooner rather than later.

"So, I've been thinking," always one of those innocuous starts to a conversation that had equal chance at going good, or very very bad.

"Seeing as how I left my ship back," the hand that held the bottle lifted to carefully wave at the air, "... on that other planet, I'm kinda in a weird situation. I don't have much more in my savings, and I know I've been trying to be useful by buying stuff, but my credits won't last for much longer."

Cerie took another drink.

"I need some way to get income and, well, I was hoping you could use another hand... "

[Ben Merasska]

Ben took a long gulping drink of his beer and looked back over to Cerie.

"Well," he said, feeling guilty and scared. The memory of the crazed children still haunted him at night, which he felt even more guilty for, as those were much better dreams than the ones he usually had. "Sure. What can you do?"

He listened and went through the bag of parts, hoping there was a better one sitting in there, but as he went on, he noticed that all of them seemed in less than ideal condition. By that he meant they were all pretty much shit, and he wasn't putting them into his ship even if it meant he'd be stuck here for the next few days. Ben grumbled to himself internally. Cerie was low on money, he was definitely low on money, and Shuvin was probably out spending hers on pedicures and manicures and condoms. They'd need to pick up a job while they were here, it was looking like.

Great.

[Cerie Moreau]

"Well," she made a face as she looked out at the area ahead of them. Sitting on Alderaan, enjoying a bit of sun, Cheez-O's, and a beer, Cerie couldn't help leaning back and propping herself up on her elbows.

"Well, I'm no good with engines or anything, but I can get us places."

She'd caught a few tidbits in her time around Ben and Shuvin. She wasn't necessarily one to eavesdrop, but some stuff couldn't help but be heard.

"You ever heard of Lok s'Ilancy?"

[Ben Merasska]

"Wait a sec, she that... uh... she's some bigwig Alliance lady, right? The name sounds familiar. For all I know, I could have hidden under her table during a bar fight or something." Ben frowned in thought. "What's she gotta do with getting us places?"

[Cerie Moreau]

Cerie gave him a look then, blinking in mild surprise.

Still holding her bottle, she extended a finger down one side of her face, intersecting an imaginary line through her right eye.

"Pretend I have a bit of a glaring facial problem."

[Ben Merasska]

"I don't know if I can do that," Ben said, bringing his eyes up to her face. He frowned again, seeing something very very familiar. It was sitting there, teasing him, a memory perhaps? It was in the back of his mind, on the tip of his tongue, even though it was ephemeral, a mist he could almost make out.

"Nope. Lost me." Ben said finally. "I take it you look like her then or something like that?"

[Cerie Moreau]

Welp. Now she was stumped. He looked like he was trying to remember, but it seemed the light was having a little bit of trouble coming on. It'd been a long shot anyway though, and Cerie wouldn't fool herself that anyone outside of the Alliance would know Lok s'Ilancy. A heh[/]i, and she took another swig from the bottle.

"She's got decent enough pull, if I'm to go by some of the places I've been able to get into. A little bit of makeup, some contacts, and an Alliance uniform will get me a [i]lot of places," She sent a sideways look to Ben. "... and out of a lot of unfortunate searches."

[Ben Merasska]

That got Ben's attention.

"Out of unfortunate searches, you say?" Ben said thoughtfully, idly scratching the side of his neck in an absent tic. "Well now, that could be very useful, all right."

Ben shrugged after a moment, as if tossing aside any qualms or worries. He certainly seemed more relaxed now than he had before.

"Sure. Welcome to the crew, Cerie. If you want, that is. I know you asked an' all, but I don't know how you lived before... this, but we aren't very rich. Things are bound to get tight, and there'll be times when I won't be able to pay you much. It's not a bad life, but I just want you to be sure of what you're getting into; I'm not gonna give you any false promises or mislead you about it. There's a lot of people out there tryin' to do this, but it takes a certain type to want to live this way. If you decide now, or at any point in the future that you want to walk away, I'll not hold it against you."

[Cerie Moreau]

"As long as you don't toss me out on the street," she laughed, "... I'll be happy to stay and do what I can."

Which was the absolute truth. There was a strange feeling of reassurance that she now felt, and Cerie let out a sigh of relief. Even if Ben spoke of possible lean times, the thought of at least having somewhere to stay was comforting in its' own way. After all, she was no stranger to times being hard.

Cerie flashed a smile to him, and held her bottle up in a toast.

"Hard times just make us enjoy the good that much more."

Another long swig, and she leaned over to look at the bag of parts and tools that he'd brought up with him.

"So. Seeing as I'm the new kid on the block," she reached in, pulling out a rather junked out looking piece of... something... with a mess of wires and connections dangling from its' cracked and grease-caked casing, "... how about you show me where this is supposed to go?"

In the rubbish bin, I hope.

[Ben Merasska]

"Oh. That's a power coupling capacitor. You see, it goes here," he gestured and then pointed at a spot in the open access hatch, which was dominated by bundles of wiring going every which way of what seemed to be hundreds of colors. "It helps the motivators and shielding systems that use more energy store what they need instead of drawing it off the rest of the ship's systems, like engines and life support."

Ben said the last blandly.

"What we have is still in working order, but because they deal with so much power and regulating its use during flight, capacitors tend to fizzle out very quickly, or need tune ups to see if one of their parts are in need of changing or repair. And this one," Ben held up the greasy, cracked capacitor in one hand, "has nothing left to pillage to keep up the others."

Ben dropped it into his bag with a look of discontent.

"It was our last one, too," he grunted, wiping his hands on a rag. "Looks like we might need to go bargain hunting. Though pickings will be slim in a resort like this. We might need to go further into the city itself to find a good parts dealer that has decent prices."

[Cerie Moreau]

"Oh."

She looked at the useless capacitor, a feeling of relief that it was not destined for installation. Of course, the thought that the one currently lined in wasn't long for the world either didn't exactly fill her with excitement. The blonde looked down into the open panel, her eyes darting about the tangle of wires and knobby bits.

"Well you know," her gaze lingered for a short while longer, then tracked up to give Ben a conspiratorial look while holding a single Cheez-O out for him.

"... if there's an Alliance base here, I can probably get us one for free."

[Ben Merasska]

Ben took the Cheez-O and looked at Cerie with a grin.

"Let's not get a mark on us unless we have to," he returned, popping the snack into his mouth and chewing. "I'm sure someone around here has this."


***

THREE HOURS LATER


"I can't believe no one around here has this!" Ben grumbled to himself as he and Cerie walked along a fairly crowded street in the city proper. "Four shops, hundreds of parts, but nope, no capacitors!"

Ben was growing more than a bit frustrated at their lack of luck.

"We'll try one more," he said. The time it took to find the next parts shop was hell on him. Finally, a storefront became visible, with Maggi's Ship and Repair Parts written very blandly over the door. Ben led them inside, and was confronted with a fairly neat if somewhat dark showroom with shelves and hooks displaying all manner of the most common parts. Sitting around a table by the checkout counter were two men, a Rodian, and a Bothan playing what looked like a game of sabacc. They all looked up at them without saying a word, their previous conversation obviously interrupted by the two travelers' entrance.

[Cerie Moreau]

In its' own way, seeing Ben's frustration bubble out was rather funny, but she kept any laughter to herself as they kept on with their search. It was a serious matter, yes, but all the same, watching him rant was almost... adorable? In lieu of a laugh, she let a smirk settle on her lips as they stepped through the door to Maggi's Ship and Repair Parts. The first thing that she noticed was the smell. Grease, machined metal, and the sharp notes of fresh plastic hit her nose rather forcefully. It wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't expected, either. The other shops they'd been to had had a variation of the scents she could now detect, but for some reason it was much more noticeable in the dimly lit interior of this particular shop. It took a few seconds to get used to, but it wasn't too long before her eyes adjusted. Spying the group sitting at the table, Cerie gave a small wave.

"Afternoon, gents."

Not a single one of the table's occupants returned the greeting, and with a suddenly worried henh, the blonde looked to Ben, hoping that he would fare better at breaking the ice.

[Ben Merasska]

Ben looked about twice as wary as Cerie. Opening his mouth to speak, he was cut off by the entrance of a stooped Fallen male with a thin black mustache on his upper lip and a pointed groomed black patch of hair on his chin. Ben thought that it was excellently dyed, considering the reptilian looked somewhat aged otherwise.

"Where are your manners, boys?" he asked, as he exited a back room behind the counter. "We have customers!"

The four sabacc players still eyed Cerie and Ben measuringly. Ben didn't like it one bit.

"What are you looking for?" the Falleen asked, walking spryly for a creature his age towards Ben and Cerie. "I'm sure we have it. One of the best, if not the best selections in the city!"

[Cerie Moreau]

Cerie watched as the Falleen man approached, and his geniality more than made up for the silence given to her and Ben by the group at the table. Her smile returned, though for the moment her courage was still a bit tempered by the lingering looks of those still holding their cards.

"A power coupling capacitor," the words came out in answer to the question posed, and Cerie brushed an errant lock of hair behind her shoulder as she leaned an elbow on the countertop.

"All the other places we've been don't have anything," her smile only grew. "You're our last hope."

[Ben Merasska]

"Power coupling capacitor, eh?"

The Falleen trundled behind the counter and opened up a datapad, and began scrolling through it.

"What sort of ship do you have?" the Falleen asked.

"Ghtroc 720," Ben answered shortly. The Falleen tilted his head and looked up at Ben.

"Freighter, eh? I suppose you must have modified it extensively. Specs?" he asked. Ben grinned wanly.

"I'll just take a look at the selection. I know what I need," Ben answered. The Falleen's genial air dropped slightly for that moment, and his look was just as measuring as the others.

"Well, it looks like we only have one in stock," the Falleen said regretfully. Ben frowned and stepped forward, but the Falleen flipped the pad over, leaving the screen facing the countertop. "And it's reserved for another customer. But we might be willing to sell it to you first..."

Ben felt like he knew where this was going.

"For the small price of a favor."

Yep. This was getting ridiculous.

Ben moved to leave, but found the way barred by the four sabacc players.

He turned back to face the Falleen, who smiled.

[Shuvin Undhi]

AT THE BEACH


How long had it been since she'd had a drink with an umbrella in it?

A sip.

Far too long, in her opinion.

Leaning back in her sun chair, eyes locked on a nearby Human's well toned and sunned body as he spoke into a communicator, Shuvin Undhi had only one thought.

Another sip.

"This is paradise."

[Cerie Moreau]

For her part, Cerie felt the smile on her face freeze, held in a moment of time that saw the four thugs vacate their seats to block the way out. The grinning Falleen seemed to puff up in a show of overall satisfaction, and the blonde finally felt motion return to her features as her smile faded into nothingness. Why couldn't things go easily for once? Like, why couldn't they follow the much more wonderful first part of the day? Everything had started out so peaceful, so lazy. She had expected the rest of their time here to be low key and relaxing. A scowl as she suddenly remembered Shuvin, no doubt sitting on the beach and enjoying the sights. Enjoying quiet and good times. And in that moment, Cerie felt jealousy blossom in her chest as her shoulders squared back and she was pulled back to the very depressing present situation that was above all else...

Not good. So incredibly not good.

A look was sent to the four, then back to the Falleen before finally settling on Ben.

"I thought you said this sort of stuff doesn't always happen to you," she hissed out.

[Ben Merasska]

"It doesn't always happen," Ben hissed back through the corner of his mouth. The Falleen's easy demeanor hadn't dropped one bit during the short conversation. If anything, he seemed amused.

"Now, now," he said, raising his hands as if to placate them. It only made Ben more anxious. "We just need something fetched for us, is all. Simple. Nothing to get yourself all worked up over."

"If it's so simple, why can't you or yours do it?" Ben asked. The Falleen walked over to the disregarded sabacc table and gestured for the two hapless freighter crew to sit. Ben hesitated, but the Falleen's goons stepped up close, and to keep a distance between him and them, he sat.

"Not so simple for myself and mine, I should say. A bit of an unfairly won reputation is our problem. I'm just a simple man of business, like yourself. But what I need is somewhere I can't go, not without asking for trouble I'd rather go without. I'm a peaceable man, you see."

Ben doubted that. He glanced over at Cerie.

[Cerie Moreau]

For her part, Cerie was quick to pull up a chair. She had had enough experience with the act of 'not causing trouble', as well as the more unfortunate act of 'causing trouble', and opted for the former of their options. It was better this way, and as she listened to the Falleen talk, the blonde couldn't help but send an exasperated look to the far wall of the shop. One arm came out, resting an elbow on the table and then followed that with a heavy motion that sent her chin into her waiting hand.

"'Peaceable man', he says."

Her eyes tracked to the Falleen in a skeptical look, and after another moment she blinked.

"You know, these bruisers you got," she jerked a thumb idly at the cadre of sabacc players, "... say otherwise."

She stared a little bit longer.

"Man that keeps company like them, I gotta say - probably earns himself every bit of that unfair reputation."

With a long exhaling breath, she narrowed her eyes, hoping to divine something from the older Falleen's features.

[Ben Merasska]

"You wound me," the Falleen said, sounding and looking anything but wounded. "I'm a business man, as I said. And I take my business seriously. Competitors can get a bit unruly, since I'm so good at what I do, and so I need a bit of protection now and again, yeah?"

The Falleen leaned back, his grin seeming untouchable.

"Now. You're Ben Merasska, and she's a mystery lady. A pretty mystery lady, miss Moreau," the Falleen's grin widened as Ben's eyes widened. "Like I said. I'm good at what I do. Knowing something important will get you everywhere in the galaxy. But I've heard of you, Merasska. You've got a talent for getting out of tight scrapes. Well, I have a job for you. And I'll even be extra nice, and pay you on top of giving you the capacitor you need. Are you interested?"

"Will not being interested result in things becoming less than peaceable?" Ben asked, glancing back at the four thugs. The Falleen's smile turned into a grin.

"I like you, Merasska," he said. "You've got a good eye on you. Able to see where things will go. But yes. Things may get a bit more violent than I'd like them to be."

"Then I guess I have to hear you out then," Ben answered.

"There's a train leaving a smaller town about fifty miles from here. Headed straight for this very city. It's got something I want very badly. It's in a crate, marked. But the trouble is, I don't have anyone who can get it for me. Which is where you come in. Get the crate. Bring it to me. You get paid, your capacitor, and everyone leaves here happy. Doesn't that sound nice and simple?"

[Cerie Moreau]

She'd given a raised eyebrow at the Falleen's knowledge of their names, but in the back of her mind she found herself more than a little bit unsurprised. A guy like him, wearin' that big ol' grin? Yeah. He had cards up his sleeve.

But the mention of the train was enough for her mouth to put start moving, hoping to - by some miracle - put the brakes on this.

"Whooaaa, whoa whoa whoa," her eyes locked onto their 'host', and a finger went up as if to scold him.

"I don't do train jobs. They're too dangerous, the payout is shit, and they're more trouble than they're worth."

Her hands came up, fingers turned inward as she tapped lightly to either side of her upper chest and her voice changed its' cadence, slowing down only a small bit to facilitate over-enunciation.

"I'm a museum robber. Not," again the finger came out to point across the table, "... a train robber."

[Ben Merasska]

"Yeah, she does have a point, train jobs are more hassle'n I'd wanna take — hold up, museum robber?" Ben turned to Cerie incredulously.

"You see, there's a bit of a miscommunication here," the Falleen said, his smarmy grin still in place while he steered the conversation back onto track before it could derail. "This isn't a request. I'm being a gentleman and letting you know ahead of time what your job will be. I haven't kidnapped that sweet little girl of yours, and nothing's happened to your ship."

The Falleen paused.

"Yet," Ben finished for him.

"I have said that you're a smart man, haven't I?" The Falleen laughed. "I think I have. But anyways, I like to make sure that there's a general consensus between all members of a business agreement before going into details. The cut for you will be pretty sizeable when it comes down to it, and these strong-arm tactics are beneath me, but needs must as necessity dictates, yeah? Time is not my ally right now."

"I want numbers," Ben said immediately.

"Depending on how well you do, I will pay you two thousand to seven thousand, on top of that capacitor you need. And the prospect of future business. Tramp freighters are always useful resources."

Ben's eyebrows rose, and he turned to Cerie, as if to ask her opinion without saying a word.

[Cerie Moreau]

A fleeting look of 'sorry I didn't tell you earlier' passed to Ben as he'd given her an incredulous look. A quick shrug, and it was back to whatever business at hand was being bandied about. Didn't matter though; a train job??! Cerie leaned back in her seat, arms crossed over her chest as she very nearly pouted at the scored and dingy tabletop. As it was, her scowl was deep enough to cause a slight ache in her temples, and the blonde huffed an angry breath through her nose as Ben looked at her once more.

"It's not a good idea," she finally started.

Her eyes turned up then, to bore into the old Falleen and his cheshire grin. She wanted to slap it off his face. Really really wanted to. But, for Ben's sake she held herself in check, then went on.

"But, seems we don't have a choice," her head angled sharply as she kept narrowed eyes on their host. "Do we."

[Ben Merasska]

"Now that we're all on the same datapad," the Falleen said with a gesture. One of the thugs moved to the front doors to lock them, while another set up a jury-rigged holoprojector and a third walked behind the counter. The Falleen plugged a memory stick into the projector, and the display flickered on, a train materializing in the air before them.

"A standard magrail train," he said. "Leaves Duneton 0800 local tomorrow."

The third thug came back holding a couple cards, which were given to Ben and Cerie. They were train tickets.

"You'll board it. That's all legal, by the way. A third party managed to get me these. The crate and cargo are going to be stored back here in this car. The passenger cars will be up here. All you need to do is make it to the cargo car, hand over the crate to the lander we'll have flying alongside, and then hop on, or enjoy the rest of the train ride. Done."

"What about guards? How will we know when you're there? Timing, or commlink?" Ben asked.

The Falleen leaned forward, a predator's grin on his green face.


***


Duneton was not a resort town except for the areas around its beaches, and it showed in the inner city. Skyscrapers in the center towered over the arid landscape, which was not desert mostly due to the ocean and rivers that dominated the area, even in the presence of all the residential housing which spread over everywhere like huge beige and tan blocks. The train station was packed with people of all kinds, from those obviously poor to those obviously rich. And while the atmosphere was not cordial, there seemed to be little in the way of fear or resentment from either group towards the other.

Ben gasped a bit, feeling like it was more difficult to breathe than normal in the crowded station. He knew his face was a bit flushed; sweat dripped from his brow due to the heat. Above them, a huge sign display of arrivals and departures flashed numbers in such a way that a druggie would be entranced for hours.

'It'll take three hours for the train to get there,' Ben thought. 'At most, two and a half hours to get that crate and ourselves off this damn thing.'

He glanced over at the Alliance soldiers, most of them on leave it seemed, getting on board.

'I already hate this job.'

[Cerie Moreau]

It wasn't exactly her first choice of places to be. In fact, it wasn't even in her top one hundred. But, here they were. A look to the small group of Alliance soldiers only made her frown before turning away and sidling a little bit closer to Ben.

"We should've stayed with Shuvin and gone to the beach," came the low grumble.

Then a sigh.

"At least we could've gone into the water to get away from the heat."

The matter of the capacitor was the deal breaker though, and the blonde gave a mildly defeated shrug.

"The things a captain does for his ship, eh?"

[Ben Merasska]

"Tell me about it," Ben grumbled back as he found the train's listing on the display and looked around to find his bearings. "We're looking for platform four."

He pushed his way through the crowd, tossing his duffel over his shoulder. Thankfully security seemed pretty lax at the moment. No security or customs officials were scanning bags.

"Let's get this thing done. I suddenly don't want to be here any longer than I have to be."

[Shuvin Undhi]

Shuvin

If Cerie and I aren't back by tonight, and I guess I'm being a bit dumb thinking you would be back tonight either, assume we are kidnapped.

Save us. Or at least retrieve our bodies for a proper burial.

Ben


Shuvin stared a bit longer at the note before shaking her head, her lekku swaying with the gesture (she was very pleased to see they were beginning to get longer and more graceful looking rather than the awkward little stubs she'd had for far too long).

"I can't tell if this is joke or if he's being serious," the bikini clad teen sighed to herself. "Well, I guess my vacation's over."

She commed two delivery places. One for a large box of spicy nerf bites with cool dipping sauce, and the other for a capacitor. Turns out that the main capacitor dealer had been caught selling low grade products, prompting a recall in most storefronts. It was delivery only. They'd have it there in an hour. A thought occurred to her.

Ben probably hadn't known about the capacitor recall.

He could be anywhere, looking around and wondering where the hells all the capacitors had gone off to.

"Damn it Ben!" Shuvin hissed. "For this brand of stupid, I'm not taking off my bikini. I'm still on vacation!"

Bowing to necessity though, she wrapped a towel around her hips. No way she was sitting in some of the dirtiest parts of the ship in just a bikini.

[Cerie Moreau]

With her own backpack on her shoulders, Cerie set off after Ben. She shared his grumbled desire to get this job over with, and in a show of channeling her own disgruntled mood, the blonde navigated the crowds with ease, trailing Ben with ease. The two approached the train, and without trouble they boarded. It was so much easier than she was worried it'd be. Which, usually meant less-than-stellar happenings to come.

It was a concern she voiced in a low tone as the two shuffled their way into their reserved compartment.

"Other shoe always drops," she mumbled, sliding the backpack off and casting her eyes up to the luggage shelves that lined the walls above them.

Always just a little too high. Great.

She sighed, and looked to her partner in this farce of a job. Her backpack was hefted up just a little bit, and she jerked a thumb to the storage bins above them.

"Short people problems and all, you know. You don't mind putting this up there, do you?"

[Ben Merasska]

Ben just nodded and grabbed the bag, putting it up into the storage bin while she rushed to grab the window seat.

"So," he asked quietly, bending his head down to the blonde. "What's the plan again? Because I really feel like 'get out and find our own damn part and run away again' is sounding better all the time."

[Cerie Moreau]

"No arguments here."

It was spoken under her breath with a distinctly indignant tone.

But, there were other things they had to consider, and Cerie loathed the fact that their 'employer' had seemed to cover all of his bases. And theirs.

"But you know, if he's got watchful eyes on Shuvin, then it'll probably make things even more complicated if we try to go rogue and just neg on the deal."

She experienced complications before, and while she certainly had no fondness for the task they'd been given, Cerie wasn't so sure backing out at this crucial point in time would be the best of choices.

"Right now we should probably just stick to the plan."

Which, funny enough (or not), there was none. She let out a long sigh, then angled her head up to meet his eyes.

"So, that being said, we should probably play the part I guess."

She shrugged.

"I could always do for a trip to the drinks car, or whatever it's called."

A second later a small, timid knock sounded at their door before it slid open to reveal a nervous looking Chadra-fan.

"This 328?"

His head craned up, and he let out a confirming mmhmm before looking back down and shuffling inside.

"Good, good."

For her part, Cerie simply stared, blinking in just a small bit of surprise. She'd not expected they'd have to share their compartment, but it seemed that the fates had other ideas.

The Chadra-fan moved to the seats opposite, giving a nod to his 'bunkmates'.

"I was worried I'd have to share with a Weequay or worse, a group of Dugs."

[Ben Merasska]

"I could always do for a trip to the drinks car, or whatever it's called."

"What about the refresher car?" Ben asked. "Privacy, and —"

He was cut off by the Chadra-fan walking in and sitting down, settling itself in a long and drawn out process, while both he and Cerie stared at him.

"I certainly hope we don't get any more company," he said in a grunt to Cerie. The Chadra-fan nodded though as if Ben had addressed the whole cabin.

"Oh I agree. Don't you just hate it when people walk into a conversation or something and then keep talking and what's worse, they don't realize they've interrupted a thing? If any more people come into this cabin it'll get so stuffy."

[Cerie Moreau]

Blinking, Cerie stared at the Chadra-fan as if in amazement. Or maybe it was amazement?

Puzzlement reigned supreme now, and she stared.

"Stuffy. Yeah."

Unfazed, their new compartment mate kept on.

"I mean, it really is a bit nerve-racking when you get too many people in one place, and I don't know about you two, but I get all stuffy and the only way I can stop it is to take this... " Digging in a small pouch around his waist, he pulled out a small applicator bottle of nasal spray.

"It helps, but it also gives me a nasty case of the hiccups. And then it's just impossible to be comfortable, and I start to sweat, which makes my fur get all matted, and I don't think I have to tell you how much of a bother it is to-"

She had to stop him, and in a sudden fit of interruption, Cerie broke in.

"What's your name?" She asked, pulling Ben down to sit beside her, just in case the seat beside her became too tempting for the Chadra-fan to pass up. Even if he'd already sat down opposite them, she didn't want to take the chance that he might switch sides and invade her personal bubble. She wasn't so sure she'd be able to tolerate him sitting right next to her, rattling away about anything and everything.

"Oh! The interruption didn't even seem to bother him.

"My name is Allen. It's a plain name, but you know, sometimes the plain names are best, don't you think?"

[Ben Merasska]

"Oh definitely," Ben said, adjusting himself in the seat next to Cerie. "My name is Ben. I think it might be the plainest name in the galaxy, but honestly I can't think of being named anything else."

The train jolted, and a quick glance out the pane of glass that served as their viewport confirmed that the train was underway.

Allen nodded quickly, leaning forward.

"I'm soglad you are my cabin mates!" he said. "This trip already seems like it'll be much better than the last train I took. I got such a bad case of vertigo I vomited. I'd eaten seafood too."

"Wait fifteen minutes, and then we'll head out to see what we're dealing with. We aren't supposed to be getting the call from his guys for another half an hour," he murmured to her, before glancing back at Allen, who hadn't stopped talking. "This is getting ridiculous."

[Cerie Moreau]

Fifteen minutes??!!! she mouthed, shooting him an incredulous glare.

Fifteen minutes was way too long to have to be cooped up with this motormouth Chadra-fan.

And like an impatient child, Cerie rolled her shoulders, popping her neck.

"I'm thirsty," she spoke pointedly to Ben, interrupting Allen and whatever he'd gone on to talk about.

[Ben Merasska]

Ben pursed his lips together.

"We've only just started," he responded. Cerie just gave him a stubborn look. "Okay. Okay. Fine."

He turned to Allen the Chadra-fan and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, uh, Allen?"

The Chadra-fan nodded.

"Yeah. Uh, looks like she can't wait anymore. We're heading out to the car with the drinks. Sorry, I know this is —"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea! Let's go! I wonder what kinds they have. I have a couple allergies, if I have anything with lactose I probably won't make it to the fresher car."

He stood and opened the door for them, a wide smile on his face.