[ic] Tales of the Smoking Blaster I

[Endless Flight]

Jeaubert

"You can become a Jedi with the proper training, which I can provide." Jax stood up and stretched his lean limbs. "I haven't been on a ship in so long, I'm not sure I could be of much help, but I would be willing to pay a fee for my passage." He reached down and grabbed the bag next to his fee and threw it over his shoulder. "Come, let us meet your captain." The fire began to wane as the two headed for the exit.

[Endless Flight]

The bartender laughed. "Very few come here by mistake. It's not exactly a random destination for most travelers. Most tend to stay clear of the nebula."

Gen slapped down his cup on the bar and turned toward Louw. A blue liquid mustache ran along his top lip. After quickly wiping it off with his sleeve, he spoke up. "It's been close to an hour. I wonder if that mechanic found those dampers yet." Just as he spun his stool around to get up, Jeaubert and an older man walked up to the pair. Gen elbowed Louw in his side. "Get a look at this guy." It was a whisper, but loud enough for anyone with good hearing to catch. The old man was covered in rags from head to toe and soot and ash covered his exposed limbs.

[Jedi Skyler]

Jeaubert stops for a moment, amazed. "You would pay a fee to be able to teach me? I have never met anyone like you in my life. Thank you. Thank you very much! Let's go meet the captain."

As Jeaubert and Jax head to where the others are, Jeaubert hears Gen's disparaging remark. "For someone with such a silver tongue, you should be a lot more discerning about what you say. This is Jax, and he can pay for passage on our ship. Be nice," he says, an uncharacteristic steel in his voice.

[Mikael Hasselstein]

Louw slammed his drink back, and picked up what was left of his credstick.

"You kids talk fees," Louw said to his crew mates, "I'll go check on those dampers."

He got up and headed back to the repair bay.


When he arrived [provided he did so] he spoke in Durese:

"Hey, Traveler, did'ya manage to find those dampers?"

[Jedi Skyler]

Jeaubert looks at the captain expectantly. "What are we looking at for fees here?"

[Endless Flight]

Jeaubert

Gen looks at the old man with a smirk. "It's gonna cost ya some coin, old man. I don't have a lot of room on my ship for extra cargo." The old Jedi cracked a smile. "I've got enough to cover it." Gen leaned back and shook his head. He found it difficult to swallow that a hermit aboard this space station could give him anything he wanted. But just for the sake of humoring himself, he made a token offer. "Ok. A thousand per month and not a credit less." Jax stood there for a moment pondering the captain's offer.

"That's a fair offer."
"I knew you were...It is?"
"Yes."

The old man gestured toward the exit. "Shall we?" Gen shook his head as if clearing out cobwebs. "Louw's never going to believe this."

The three men walked out of the bar to find Louw.

[Jedi Skyler]

Jeaubert looks a little amazed himself, equally surprised that anyone aboard this station - let alone an old man who had basically been keeping to himself for who knew how long - could have that kind of creds available to him. Thinking it over for a moment, though, he realized that Jax could have come here originally with a good deal of money, perhaps even a nice sum sitting in a bank somewhere, collecting interest, while the Jedi sat in hiding on this VERY out of the way station. Since Jax had been keeping to himself, he wasn't cavorting about spending credits like there was no tomorrow. It was, therefore, not impossible at all that Jax had this kind of money available to him. Shrugging, Jeaubert turns and follows the captain and his new teacher out of the cantina and off toward the ship. A sense of excitement began to bubble in him, not unlike the feeling he got when slicing computer systems successfully or writing a really intelligent bit of code. He knew that his life was about to change drastically, and the thought somehow bolstered him. He followed the two men with a spring in his step, eager to get back to the ship, off this station, and to the business of learning.

[Endless Flight]

Louw had been waiting for a couple minutes when the rest of the crew walked in to the repair shop. Olev walked in with the dampers on a hover cart that were necessary to get the ship back up to snuff. Gen and Olev worked out the details of the purchase and the group was soon back to the ship. Gen got to working on the repairs outside the ship and asked Louw to remain aboard for testing.

As they were boarding the craft, Jax stopped at the boarding ramp, bowed his head with eyes closed for a moment, and then looked at the others. "We better hurry along. I have a feeling we might have company soon."

[Mikael Hasselstein]

Louw took his place in the cockpit from where he could run the diagnostics. He didn't need no crazy old man to tell him trouble was coming. He'd figured that out on his own.

*perhaps now that two crazy old men are telling short-stack that, it'll sink in,* he thought to himself.



[OOC: If he has a moment, he'll prep the nav computer to make sure that they can make a quick getaway when the time comes, even if it's only a microjump. If it's possible, he's going to a system in the Itani Nebula area where there would be access to the Hydian Way. He figures that the Fremond, Nordra, Perithal or Shibric systems would work, and is eager to choose the nearest of them: see local area here]

[Jedi Skyler]

Jeaubert helps get Jax's gear on board and stowed in his quarters, then goes to the bridge to help get preflight done so they can take off as soon as possible. Knowing Jax to be a Jedi, and having all the old stories and legends running through his mind, he knows better than to tempt fate. Slipping on a headset comlink so he can move freely about the ship and help wherever he is needed.

[Endless Flight]

Gen made the necessary repairs quickly (DN: 10, Rolled 13) and hurried up the ramp. He joined Louw and Jeaubert on the bridge. He sat down and began making pre-flight checks. "Everything appears to be OK. We'll be out of here in a minute." As Gen was firing up the convertors and Louw was peering at navigational displays, Jeaubert spotted something outside the ship. He took a closer look through the viewport and saw two figures emerge through the blast door leading out into the space station. One appeared to be a middle-aged Human male and the other a Togruta female. Both drew blaster pistols as they looked around the docking bay.

[Jedi Skyler]

Jeaubert notices the newcomers to the docking bay. "Uh, boss?" he says, a definite note of urgency coming through his electronically produced voice. "We need to take off. NOW." If the ramp hasn't been already raised, Jeaubert hits the control to raise it. Not willing to leave anything to chance, Jeaubert accesses the intercom through his headset comlink. "All hands, this is a hot takeoff. Repeat, this is a takeoff under hostile conditions. We have armed individuals outside. Take a station and get ready for a quick liftoff."

Jeaubert then slips into a seat at a terminal for the ship's computer. He types in a series of commands to bring up the ship's weapons, calling up readiness and a targeting camera for each.

[Mikael Hasselstein]

As Gen was in the cockpit, Louw was content to have the captain fly them out of here, while Jeaubert took pot-shots at them with whatever weapons would be available. Louw was going to get the course plotted in.

[Jedi Skyler]

Jeaubert keys the intercom again. "Jax to the bridge, please. I need an ID on these blaster-toting kark-heads outside ASAP."

[Blue Glowie]

"Alright, old man--grab a handlebar, because this might get bumpy. " Gen wiped away the remnants of his crusty milk 'stache, revved the sublights, and lifted the Blaster into the air toward the bay's exit.

A thousand credits a month!?, he thought to himself laughing.