Djebelle looks meaningfully at Kara: I don't interfere with YOUR work!
Adopting a conciliatory tone, Djebelle ditches the ditzy act and the smile; a more professional approach is clearly needed. "Like I said, Kara's a FORMER Imperial - and she's right: if we were still with them, we'd have kept it quiet. We're here in good faith, and I'm playing it completely straight with you: we were sent here to collect Commander Ackbar. Do you really have no record of that?"
She steps back to give him/it the space to think about what she's said.
"For being where you...," Rann starts to whisper to Kara before pausing and sighing softly, correcting himself and then continuing, "...where we are supposed to be, you would think the welcome could have been a little better. Maybe not hugs all around, but maybe a smile? Or what passes for a smile when one has tentacles instead of a mouth..."
Kara nods once at no one in particular, never taking her eyes off of Salin Glek.
"Ah, I am sorry, a former Imperial, still I will keep my eye on her. You are the ones coming to take Commander Ackbar?" He says politely to Djebelle. "I told him you were not needed as I will handle everything. You should collect your gear and leave".
The girl pouts slightly, as the news is given to her. Maybe it's time to do it "the other way". Gazing at him thoughtfully, she locks eyes - and holds him for just slightly longer than is strictly necessary for mere politeness. Flexing her brain slightly (that's how she thinks of it, anyway), she reaches out carefully to make contact with his mind directly. "Salin Glek. We have a sealed and coded holo-disc for Ackbar. We must give it to him in person. Do you understand, Salin Glek? We must give it to him in person."
Salin hisses and screams in a strange combination of basic and Quarren then says, "The commander is very busy you should give it to me and I will deliver it. You should leave before it is too late."
Kara's eyes narrow dangerously.
"Too late for what, Glek?" she asks softly.
now tongue-tied, Salin backtracks, "I misspoke, too late meaning you should leave in case you ship was tracked. I will take the disc to the commander, Please give it to me."
At the entry corridor a human appears and begins walking toward the party. Salin has hi back to him and does not notice his approach. As he gets closer he looks like a pirate complete with a scar on his face.
"You seem awfully desperate to get the disc off of my new friends' hands," Arannis remarks, making a simple enough observation. "Is something the matter?"
The question is mostly rhetorical. Rann is fairly certain the answer to it is "yes".
Djebelle sighs, and brushes a stray wisp of hair from her face.
Fine. We'll do it the other way.
"It is VERY IMPORTANT that we give it to him IN PERSON. Perhaps you didn't hear me the first time. You will take us to see him, please. NOW."
Djebelle concentrates on overpowering his mind with her own, but not in a way that will do damage. This was a hell of a lot easier when I didn't know or care what I was doing, she muses to herself.
Arannis' usual carefree attitude seems to vanish as Djebelle makes her intentions abundantly clear. His eyes widen slightly as it is not difficult for him to understand that the young woman uses more than just words and a serious attitude to get her point across. Even though he knows what to expect, he nevertheless turns his gaze from her to Salin, fully expecting him to change his tune, so to speak.
'Well, this is... surprising,' he ponders as he watches the interaction between the two. 'Surprising and risky.' There is a hint of worry in his expression and the clenching of his jaw is a clear enough sign of that, at least clear enough to anyone who might be paying attention to him. With a soft sigh, he composes himself, assuming his usual relaxed stance and demeanor. Still, one thing is certain; he is going to have a talk with Djebelle.
Kara takes a step back as Djebelle does her 'thing'. She'd received training in the 3rd Commando on dealing with Force users, but that was all theoretic stuff...
'I mean they told us they were all dead!' She'd be keeping her eye on that woman...a close eye.
This just got a WHOLE lot more interesting.
Salin shakes his head and looks Djebelle in the eyes, "I did hear you the first time, but...yes we should see him"
With this the figure behind Salin steps forward and speaks to Salin with a glare, "Yes Salin, I will take them to Commander Ackbar. What were you trying to accomplish!?"
With this he speaks into his comm "Commander, the couriers have arrived."
"I am lieutenant Pollard, follow me, everyone!" he says with the last word delivered with a stare at Glek.
Djebelle shakes her head. "What was that all about?" She follows the lieutenant, cautiously.
Kara shrugs.
She takes up a position where she can watch the group. Behind and to the right she places herself, so a quick burst can get them all...should it come to that.
Pollard leads you into a large circular chamber. Glek follows along, quiet and sullen. The walls of the room are covered with monitors and control panels. A holo-projector tank fills the floor space on the far side of the chamber. Across the room, hunched intently over a display terminal, are Suskafoo, the two young Verpine, and a Mon Calamari. Pollard leads you toward them, then stops and announces, "Commander Ackbar. These are the messengers."
The Mon Calamari turns and says, "Welcome to our base. I understand that you've traveled a great distance to see me. I trust your journey was an uneventful one?"
Kara chuckles. "Mostly...sir."
Djebelle bows her head respectfully to the Commander, aware that there's a certain amount of tension. She does her best to put everyone at their ease. "As my friend says, things have been mostly uneventful - no more than you might expect in trying to reach a hidden base. Your junior officers are very diligent in guarding your time."
She smiles - perhaps just a little flirtatiously - at Glek and Pollard, hoping to keep on their good side.
Turning back to the Commander, she purses her lips in thought, before broaching the subject. "I gather we are needed for some duty or other - how can we be of service?"
Glek looks concerned, Pollard stoic but gives Djebelle a nod in response to her smile. At this point the door hisses open as three more person enter the room. A Sullustan, a human, and a Trandoshan.
Pollard turns and announces, "Commander the others have arrived"
Ackbar smiles, as best you can tell and says "Yes there is always something to be done. There has been a change and these three were hand picked to join your crew as we will be keeping your pilot to join our test program."
Kara eyes the newcomers, sizing them up.
'Sullustan, blind spot in the rear quarters, easy strike along the top of the spine. Human. Weak spot just under the ear, direct thrust into the brain. Transdoshan, need a knife at least 8" in length, up under the third rib into the right side venticle, avoiding the dermal plate.'
Satisfied she has a grasp of the situation, Kara waits for the Commander to describe the mission.
Thrask walked in to the room and looked down on what he saw before him. It seems his life was always to be filled with disappointment. He was surrounded by creatures hatchlings could beat in a fair fight.
He walked up to the one he saw eyeing him and stood over her with his lips pulled back exposing his teeth.
"Thissss is what you send me with Ackbar? A bunch of weak vermin?" he said as licked his lips. His claws began to come up towards Kara's face but they hovered slightly away from her head.
"The Scorekeeper wouldn't even give me a single jagannath for the group." he said as he looked back to the Commander.
His voice was rough for even a Trandoshan, his tongue split like that of his ancestors.
Kara doesn't move. She shows just as many teeth in her smile.
'exposed three vital points, not very smart. talks too much. breath stinks.'
Thrask looked back and looked down to see the small female chiss was posturing back at him in similiar fashion. He laughed, a rather throaty hissing venture and clapped the clawed hand down on her shoulder hard.
"I like thissss one, for a human she has sssppunk." he said leaning down to eye level with her.
"You look like you wish to try me, should we find somewhere to ssspar soon?" he said licking those false lips of his.
"Sure. From a thousand yards. I'll give you a three-step running start." Kara holds up her right hand, finger and thumb extended like a blaster. "Pew pew." She says as she brushes by the big alien. She doesn't look back as she moves down next to the others.
Djebelle somehow manages to wriggle her way between the two (she does that). Putting on her best smile, she tucks a loose strand of hair back behind her ear and does her best to look harmless (not difficult).
"Hi! I'm Djebelle, this is Kara. What's your name? Pleased to meet you, don't think I've met many Trandoshan! Bet you're good in a fight - you lot follow the Scorekeeper, don't you? What's your favoured score so far? Be nice to have someone to look out for me, I tend to get in trouble a lot, not sure why... I hope we're going to be friends!"
The insults slide right off Djebelle; she knows she's poor in a fight and has nothing to prove. Part of negotiation is being willing to overlook provocation. She hopes Kara's not about to do something rash.
Thrask looked slightly alarmed that someone got within his reach without his permission so easily. He tilted his head at her and his face got within millimeters of hers. She could feel his breath on her skin as he sniffed at her.
"You, you talk to much. What interest would you have in a savage and bloodthirsty fighter? Tell me, how much are you willing to pay for your answersss? Ssshow me just how serious you are about your questions while we are flying and I shall answer...perhaps." he said before drawing back up to his full height and walking away from the group to relax on a console nearby that seems like it's important and in use.
The Sullustan lets Thrask go and moves aside, goggled eyes on the scene in front of him. He leans on the wall, looking at the play unfold. He opens his coat, revealing two enourmous blaster pistols, and draws a worn, slightly rusted flask. Opening it, he takes several big swigs and closes it, replacing it on his belt with worked precision. Huh. Teamwork is going well.
"If I had a credit for every time a Trandoshan said that..." he says, and scratches his stubble, "I'd have exactly 8 credits.", in a quick and efficient tone, slightly tinged with Sullustan staccato, moving his cigar from one end of his mouth to the other, eyes darting between the two. Barely noticeably, his right hand's fingers continuously move in the motion of drawing a blaster, changing the setting and taking a shot.
Gazing at the rest, he then takes off his hat, and nodding his head in a small bow. "Juviest Vood. Pleasure. I'll be your pilot and bodyguard. Though," he continues, nodding at Kara's handling of the Trandoshan, "I don't think you need one that much."
Djebelle - to her credit - doesn't flinch as Thrask gets up close. A bounty on your head from the Hutts does wonders for putting other threats into perspective. She looks thoughtfully at the Trandoshan as he saunters off. She smiles. She adores a challenge.
Turning to the other newcomer, a Sullustan, she offers him her best smile. "Hey! I'm Djebelle, good to meet you. I'm the... negotiator. Fixer. Whatever. I'm the one you want when we're trying to talk our way through things, or blag our way out of trouble."
Arannis also takes a good long look at the newcomers, appraising them like Kara but in an entirely different way. 'Sullustan; nice hat, interesting moustache, nasty habit. Human; eh, human. Trandoshan; big guy, lots of teeth.'
"Now, now," he says mainly to Thrask, hands held open in a placating manner, as he moves a little closer to Djebelle, "I am sure we are all friends here. And you should know, it is considered impolite to... smell people. I think."
"My name is Arannis Crane, though Rann will also do nicely. I am...," he introduces himself before pausing, apparently trying to figure out what he is exactly. "I think I am a passenger, or rather I was up until... well, a few minutes ago."
The third, a human, took advantage of the trandoshan's histrionics to slip into the room and take up a position in an out of the way corner of the circular room. He watches the screen of a datapad intently focused on it as he quietly works.
Jospi is capturing the images of every one of the others and making discreet inquiries into their identities and histories including, records. He may no longer be CorSec, but the Rebellion draws many criminals into it's embrace and he would prefer to know who he is working with and how far he can trust them.
Pollard chuckles at the banter while Glek looks nervous. Ackbar takes it all in and then with a humph speaks, "Are one of you carrying a holo-disc for me?"
Jospi, still tapping at his datapad, absentmindedly responds, "No."
Kara keeps a sharp eye on the players...the data switch is where her team would strike, take out the couriers and grab the data, nice and clean.
Damn but it was hard to get out of her old ways...
Thrask's lipless mouth twitched at the Sullustan's words.
Easy to handle at close range, can survive the few shots to get in close then grab the ears and pull till the blood sprays. Few recover, fewer still remain standing able to handle such pain for their species. Make for good jerky if left out in the sun for a few days on Dosha, attracts a few tasty little treats as well
He grins though as at least the Sullustan understands his prowess. He still looks around eyeing the lot. He was ready to get onto the ship and start trying to find out their weaknesses, he was ready for the hunt een if he must leave them alive and whole.
Djebelle was thinking along the same lines as Kara - although from the other side; she's too often been the go-between, the only one trusted by both sides... She snaps out of it. "Oh - yes! I am. So sorry!"
Smiling slightly ditzily, the young woman reaches into her belt pouch and removes the holo-disk. "Here you are, Commander."
Juviest nods at the disc, I wonder what's on that disc. Still wonder what the shipments are, even after all this time in the business. You can't take the curiosity out of a Sullustan... He composes himself and begins analyzing the situation, before noticing the two blaster pistols on Jospi's sides. Huh. Duelling pistols. Haven't seen a pair in a while. Hell of a punch.
Approaching the blond human, he keeps an eye on the Trandoshan. Always think that you're out to kill them... easier to knock them uncouncious... bypass the adrenaline rush.
"Busy?", he says, looking up to the Corellian who's busy stuffing his face in the datapad. "CorSec, right?", he gestures to the uniform, "I like you guys. Polite and professional. What brings you here?" He takes his flask out again and opens it, letting the scent of whiskey fill the air, before frowning at the fact that it's half empty, taking a small sip and closing it again.
Jospi looks up as the Sullustan approaches. He nods at the first question and gives a small grin at the compliment. "I guess they just need someone to keep an eye on this band of merry beings. I heard you when we entered. You must be pretty good on a stick to be a pilot." The Corellian's smile grow wide at this last statement.
Ackbar takes the holo-disc and leads you over to a holo-projector presently displaying the Roche Asteroid Field. "Let's see what you've brought, my friends," says the Mon Calamari.
He inserts the disk into the machine. The field disappears, replaced by a woman in a flowing white gown. She is Mon Mothma, Supreme Commander of the Alliance. The holo-image speaks.
"Greetings, old friend," says Mon Mothma warmly.
"As you predicted, the Nebulon-B escort frigate has put an end to our supply raids. Your report that the Shantipole Project nears completion could not have come at a better time.
The rest of this message is for your eyes only, Commander Ackbar, and for the agents who delivered it to you. Please pause the holo-disk until all other personnel have left the area."
Ackbar reaches out, tapping controls on the projector and Mon Mothma's holo-form freezes. Pollard and the Verpine take their leave immediately, but Glek hesitates.
The Sullustan smiles at Jospi, before replying, "It's not skill in my case. It's sheer experience. Needed to travel to quite a lot of places in my line of work, and you just learn how to avoid accidents." Be they ineptitude or blaster fire.
Not too good at following orders, it seems., thinks Juviest, seeing the Quarren hesitate obeying a direct order from the Supreme Commander.
"Something wrong?", says Juviest at Glek, putting his hands on his waist, just above the twin blasters. "Commander Ackbar, I wasn't here for the delivery of the disk. Should I go and be escorted by... Glek, is your name?... I think I'd like to see the ship I will be flying."
Djebelle throws a quick glance at Kara and Rann, before looking meaningfully at Glek.
She's pretty sure she won't need to do much more than that. Glek can either argue with a very angry Chiss who's itching for a fight, or he can leave of his own accord. Either way, the end result will be the same, plus or minus a few limbs.
Thrask noticed the words that was offered from the holodisk. He honestly cared little about what mission there was to be offered, so long as he was paid and that it had worthy opponents then he was fine.
He saw Glek hesitating to leave and he grinned. This was something for him to have a bit of fun with, but it seemed the Sullustan got to him first. He didn't let that stop him though as he came up behind Glek and put his four clawed hands roughly on his shoulders.
"I would be happy to dissscipline him if you like. I am sure there are a few non esssssential parts I can chew off him." he said grinning and he gave the poor verpine a slight squeeze with his hands.
Mmm...it has been ages since I have had any verpine, such a delicacy, shame the republic frowns upon such things but perhaps he is a drone...drones are free game I think.
Tact of a rancor in a pawn shop..., thinks Juviest as he sees the Trandoshan scare the scarns out of Glek. "I think you can come as well, Trandoshan." He's a big one. Never had to take down someone as big as him. Yet.
"Glek you will be leaving, the rest of you stay" says Ackbar with a look at Glek. Glek slinks out of the room and Ackbar resumes the playback.
"The Alliance fleet is assembling in the Pothor system. Proceed there immediately with your design team and your two prototype B-wings. Upon arrival you will assume the rank of Admiral. Your first duty is to organize a mass production system for the new B-wing."
Mon Mothma continues, "To the agents who delivered the disk: Thank you for your service; the Alliance owes you a great debt. I must now ask you to perform another service for us. You must safeguard Commander Ackbar, escorting him and his project to the rendezvous point; the location codes are embedded at the end of this holo-disk. Do not take this duty lightly: our agents suspect that there is an imperial informer on the commander's staff.
To Commander Ackbar: Allow these agents to bring you, your team, and the prototypes to the rendezvous point. Trust them as I do. I apologize for the heavy-handed precautions, but we could not risk interception of this message. The new starfighter is too crucial to the survival of the Alliance. Proceed to the rendezvous point with all speed, and may the
Force be with you."
Hyperspace jump coordinates replace Mon Mothma's image, then the holo-disk shuts off.
Still engrossed in his datapad, Jospi doesn't even look up as he moves to exit the communications room with the verpine and Pollard. "Hunh! That's interesting..." He idly remarks at something displaying on his screen.
'of course there is...' Kara muses as Mon Mothma talks about an Imp infiltrator.
'seriously though, four years we tried to find Ackbar and Mothma, and I'm here half an hour and ran into them both...go figure.'
Kara moves over to the door, taking a position where she can step through first and sweep the corridor before the Commander...the Admiral...can come through with the rest.
"Big fella," Kara nods to Thrask, "you're on Admiral watch. Stay next to him. Eat anyone who comes near."
Thrask raised a brow at the blue one. He command was odd but he already knew his job. He looked at Admiral and jerked his head towards the door.
"Best find you a spot on the new ship, the more inconspicuous the better to hide you. Though having experimental ships around us will raise suspicion. We shall take a look over the ship and see if there is any hiding holes to stuff you in in case we are boarded." he said trying to cover all the options as best he could for the foreseeable. If he had to, he'd find a room with only one door that he could block with his body and hold off troops there.
He looked over at the others. "Check over every personnel that wants to follow along with us. Anyone think they can sneak the Admiral on board without the rest of the ship knowing?" he asked as he could do a decent job causing a scene elsewhere to give them a window if need be.
Jospi actually looks up from the datapad at Mon Mothma's proclamation of there being a spy on the newly minted admiral's staff.
"Easily resolved. 'Disappear' one of your staff members and watch what the rest of them do. If the spy is among them, they'll tip their hand. If they don't, congratulations, you nabbed the spy."
Tapping anew at the datapad, the blond Corellian asks, "Pothor system? Let's start on plotting that course. Are you guys the YT-1930... um, Kessel's Folly? I can get her started up and have the NavComp start the calculations for the jump to the Pothor system."
Juviest grunts in agreement. "Now, call me a grizzled old paranoid nerf-herder, but I got a hunch about this Grek character. Though, question is, is he working alone. I suggest calling him over for a debrief or whatever it is you military types do."
"I suggest we don't take anyone else on board the ship but us and the Admiral. CorSec, you seem to know your stuff. Do a sweep before the Trandoshan brings Admiral Ackbar on board."
Turning to Admiral Ackbar, the Sullustan continues, "Admiral, congratulation on your promotion. Is there anyone in your retinue who's personal assistance you can't ignore? Any suggestions or suspicions on how to proceed?"