Star Wars - Episode DCLXXXII, Ch. 2: "Power Converters" Actually Means "Hookers"
 

"They're gone, sir."

"What's all this then?" the Constable demanded through the comlink, "What y'mean they're gone?"

"They jumped to hyperspace as soon as they got out of the atmosphere, sir."

"Ehhh, s'alright. 'Ere somebah'y else's problem now."


Letting the inertial compensators do their job, Kev continued walking through all two of the ship's corridors as he made his way up to the cockpit. It would be about thirteen hours or so until they reached Manaan, so a bite to eat and a night's rest were more than in order. Still, there was something in the air that gave the young man pause.

Literally. He stopped in the middle of the hall.

Reaching into his jacket, Kev'na turned to his left and pressed the entry panel for one of the crew quarters. Jerek and Quiddy's, to be precise. As the door hissed open, the Corellian ignited the bright green blade of his lightsaber, pointing it toward the person occupying the room.

"Hi there, and welcome to the Dee'ja Ray! If you could do me a favor and not make any sudden moves, it would go a long way to helping you retain those adorable limbs of yours," Kev greeted Kira with a grin before calling out over the comm system, "Hey Shay, got something you may want to check out on the lower deck. You should maybe also bring Kier."

"Gyah!" Kira said, jumping back and falling down. "He..hey...I'm not going to hurt anyone or anything...See, I was helping load up some cargo when my antenne felt something block the airflow from the airvents. I went to check it out and got stuck...I just got out of it, though I think something's still in there....If you don't beleve me, lock me somewhere and check it yourself...." She said. "And here...just to show that I don't mean anything..." She reached up and took off her hold-out blaster and set it on the ground, then her removed her belt, which had the holster and extra power packs, and set it on the ground. "Now I'm unarmed....think you can...um...take your finger off the trigger now?"

"Hahaha, that's funny little bug girl," mocked Shay, who had just introduced herself in what she felt was the best dramatic entrance possible, sporting her pirate hat and disruptor, "You're not the first to try the 'I'm unarmed, tie me up' schtick -- I've done it myself, but that's not the story anyone wants to hear about," Shay's words, while a bit menacing, seemed friendly, until she dropped down to the bug girl and held two blasters -- one a disruptor and the other a modified ripper -- within horridly uncomfortable proximity of what Shay assumed would be vital spots to fire on, "Now, let's say I believe that you, an unassuming cargo loader, could sense things in my air vents and that you happen to also be the good samaritan that every blue collar is supposed to be and just felt it was your obligation to get it out," Shay took a deep breath and gave a smirk. The horrible kind of smirk that came from someone who had already made their mind but still felt like talking.

"So, let's assume this fascinating story is true, because I am an absolutely fair captain, right Kev?" before Kev'na could even take a breath to speak, Shay kept going, "Very fair! Now I'm pretty good with faces -- heck, I can recognize sullustans I've met apart! So let's see if your story checks out. I personally hire anyone who plans to go on my ship, especially into my cargo hold, so, little miss, who's your employer?"

"Well, first off, since there's now two of you, so one can check while the other watches me. As for employer....let me just grab the datapad..." She said, fishing around her pockets before pulling it out. "Here you go. Note that the card inserted is a non-rewritable one. You can take it if you want. I don't want to go back there again.....Damn huttspawn's looking for pilots, and yet makes a fully qualifed one haul and load cargo onto ships.....Anyway, it's Dresor Freight. You'll notice that they recieved a request from this ship asking for various foodstuffs and some spare parts for a turret motavator." Kira looked down and said "And if you don't want me around...just lock me up in some crate and leave me at your next stop..."

"Alright, Kev," Shay titled her head towards the vent, "You've got magic sense-y powers, go see if her reason checks out. See, you should've finished your work a lot faster than you did, little bug. You make it sound like you just went in there before we left, so either you're the laziest damn loader I've ever seen or you were horribly interested in whatever is in that vent, if anything."

Shay stepped back towards the wall of the room, leaning back against it as she crossed her legs -- never taking her guns off of the stowaway, "We've had quite a bit of unfortunate attempts on our lives for reasons we aren't sure of in the past couple of hours. You know the typical deal; swarms of protocol droids, angry little astrodroids, constables with thick accents? The fact that you're here on the same day doesn't sit right with me..." Shay paused for a moment, knowing something was wrong.

Oh right, I need to yell at Kev, "Kev, get your ass in that vent!"

"Well, I decided on getting away from that Rodian. And attempts on your lives? What all happoned?" She said, her antenne shooting up in surprise when she heard about the assaults. "Seems my guess was right...they were fired upon.." She thought to herself. "Anyway, guess I should give you my name...It's Kira Sarani."

"Alright, Kev: You've got magic sense-y powers, go see if her reason checks out."

"It's half truth, half lie, and half omission," Kev'na stated after Shay was done with her bit, doing his best to play lie detector, though her partial insectoid physiology wasn't making an already difficult job any easier. With the more heavily armed Twi'lek present, the mechanic decided that the lightsaber was likely no longer necessary and deactivated it. "She's definitely hiding something, I can tell you that much."

"Kev, get your ass in that vent!"

Then again, the lightsaber might have some uses after all, Kev thought to himself as he dug a scanning tool out of one his pockets, opting to avoid what was most surely the more ridiculous route.

"If her planting a bomb or anything is what you're worried about, Shay," he informed her as he looked over the readout, "I'm not picking up any explosives in the vent here. If you'd like, I can run a diagnostic to make sure there aren't any additional blockages in the ventilation system."

It was time to move. The situation was under control. The Kev and Shay heard a familiar scurrying sound come through the vents as Teek Teek made his way back to the kennel.

Q-42X rolled into the room, "I heard shouting and I -" the droideka broke off and gave off a strange string of whistling screeches as it snapped open, arms flipping out. Droidspeak had the best swearing.

The number of weapons pointed at Kira jumped up again.

"Is this in any way connected to murderous protocol droids and fleeing Bespin at gun point?" the droid tried.

Kira's eyes went wide and her antenne sprang upright as she scrambled to get as far back as possable. "A....destroyer!?"