...Well, I guess that sort of answers what I've gotten myself into. Sort of explains why these folks are preoccupied instead of being civil and noticing a simple friendly greeting.

Glancing over at Thames, the young man held his tongue about his own circumstances before deciding he was going to be involved with this regardless. "...I guess I'm with the Mercenary and Doctor. Not...literally, I mean, I've never seen these two, let alone anyone here in my life. And well, this is assuming you need the help from a wanderer. ...Explorer. Ahem."

Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.

Luluk'k grimaced at the droid's hypocrisy. "Don't the Jedi have a policy of not activating their lightsabers unless it's absolutely necessary? Form 0 and all that."

The truth can oft be more misleading... I'm driven by greed, guilt, rage, and despair, but I'll never try to justify haughtiness.

"Aurora?" Heda was reaching out to shake her shoulder when 9-DOT's lightsaber blazed into life, and out of pure reflex she drew her own sword, toggled her shield generator, and armed her speeder's blaster turret, all in a single fluid series of movements.

For a moment she glared around wildly, the two back-mounted "wings" unfolded and energized and casting the protective shield around her, a translucent soap bubble of energy, until she realized what was happening.

Namely, the crazy Jedi droid actually had a lightsaber.

Heda swore briefly in her native dialect before deactivating shields—the wings folded up as they usually did, jerkily and noisily until she reached over her shoulder to unstick them—and returning the weapons to safety. "You have your point made," she said, somewhat strained as she fiddled with a fastener on her left wing, "now may you not do that unless we are actually attacked? Now—Aurora? Are you well?"

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.

"I'm a weapon... No I'm Aurora.. I'm a weapon for the dark side..", again the thought raced around her mind.

Then Heda voice cut though the thoughts. The thought ran for the calming voice of Heda. Aurora was still free.She just had to listen to Heda, After all Heda had help Aurora keep her freedom so far.

"I will be fine", Aurora muttered.

They can't for the life of them understand why nobody liked being ruled by a group of manic depressive demigods - 4chan

"Keep your focus," Prima advised. "They're trying to intimidate us. They want us frightened. My mother told me about how they hunted Force Sensitives during the reign of the Galactic Empire, and fear is the most powerful weapon a hunter has. It off-balances us, makes us easy to track."

It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.

Aten Shipyards

Thames sighed and MK-4 nodded. Still, the old Wookie wasn't about to let it get him down, he still had plenty of life left.

"So that brings the next question, other than how can you all understand me, Are ya willing to work to get that ship and get the hell off this planet?"

Aten Shipyard

"If you are capable of obtaining a freighter for our use in escaping this planet, then it seems that we must work with your for the time being, elder one," Gark said to Thames.

"Prima speaks true of fear," he added to his companions. "Fear is the tool by which Empires fall to their knees, but do not let it be that which controls you."

Heda nodded. "Concur. All the same we must to the starship," she said. "The tyrant will come to here...I shall rearguard for us until we are off the ground. I fly—" indicating her speeder "—but cannot into space, so must scoop me up."

One more thing. She twitched a control on the bike, and the nose-mounted blaster cannon swiveled and aimed.

Archaic though her armor seemed from the outside, there was nothing obsolete about the interior. The reticle of a helmet-mounted targeting sight popped up in her field of view and settled over the First Order holographic emitter, and Heda pulled the trigger.

The bike's nose turret spat a single line of red fire into the probe with a noise that echoed around the yard.

"Now we go," she said.

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.

Aten Shipyards

Thames smiled "Good. About 90 meters that way is a slum. Check there for the Dravec Spice Gang. They owe me a favor or two..."

MK-4 nodded before walking off in the direction. Not wishing to waste any time.

edited 8th Sep '16 8:05:45 PM by EchoingSilence

"Ugh those bastards? This will be fun."

Auren growls in annoyance at the memory of the last time he had to deal with a spice gang. It hadn't ended terribly for him, but gang members tend to not make the best patients. Especially not gang members with drug addiction problems. Upside, all but the most out of it tend to settle down when their doctor transforms into a giant predatory animal and threatens to rip out their throat.

Click Click Boom Boom

Aurora gripped her saber and walk toward Heda.

"What the plan boss?", Aurora asked.

They can't for the life of them understand why nobody liked being ruled by a group of manic depressive demigods - 4chan

"Oh! When it is 'clean your room' or 'eat your vegetables' or 'please do not spot-weld with Force Lightning close to the generator', it is 'you are not my mother', but when is life-and-death, it is 'boss'?" Heda winked to take the sting out of her words. "I think, we have to do this. My speeder can carry you, Prima, and Gark, very uncomfortably, just...slow. And wobble. If you want hold on to the harness, strongly. Good way to get to upper floor, and then come down."

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.

"What about me? Can this speeder accomodate a Jedi Master? If not, I shall just have to run alongside you all to protect you from harm." 9-DOT proclaimed.

Prima pursed her lips. "We may need to make two trips at this rate. I'd suggest separating Aurora from me. Having us both in the same place is going to be a tempting target for the First Order or anyone looking to get in good with them."

"And you should probably throttle back on the Jedi rhetoric for now," she added, giving 9-DOT an apologetic frown.

edited 11th Sep '16 6:55:52 PM by Dragon573

It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.

"Is within marching distance," pointed out Heda. "And this is speeder bike, not a furummne-drawn family wagon. I can lift two, maybe four warriors up to ambuscade position, two, maybe three stories above, but everyone else walks. Assuming this job is usual business of shooting of guns and clashing of swords, yes?" That last was directed towards MK-4. Speaking of swords, lightsabers, and the like: "also! Anyone wants to hide from First Order because you can use Force:" an expectant pause: "speak up. Would rather know now than in middle of gunfight, yes?"

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.

Niklex sighed, then took out a strange-looking cube and floated it into the air. He motioned with his fingers and the cube bent and warped.

"Don't expect much, but it's there. I'll fight if I have to."

He looked around cautiously, eyeing the rest of the shipyard as the cube dropped back into his hands and he shoved it into his pocket again.

Aurora climbed onto the speeder she punch the other women the shoulder. "Again you use mother. Prisma and you sure like to throw that word around'.

They can't for the life of them understand why nobody liked being ruled by a group of manic depressive demigods - 4chan

Kiera sighed, forming up behind the rest of the group. 'Well, looks like this is what I'm going to have to deal with...' she thought to herself as she glanced around, checking their six, three, and nine o'clock positions for anyone bothering to register the group's unified presence. Of course, given their size and...'unique' composure, just about everyone in the Spaceport was casting glances and leers their direction.

...Well, that's one way to shut off a signal.

...That wookie had a point. Even with all of his travels, at best he'd picked up very few bits and pieces of languages, but...he just shrugged it off. The words came together somehow. Although his thoughts quickly were cut short as, everyone else had seemed to already start moving out and did his best to catch up, trying not to lag behind too much.

Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.

Heda grinned at Niklex and gave one last look around to the group. "Good! We go. Prima and Gark—" pointing "—have our comm frequencies. Good fortune, then," she said, lifting off, "and good hunting."

Aurora in tow, she sped towards a promising-looking multistory building, a floor or two above the docks, looking for a deserted alcove or open space to set down. "Say when you have contact with the spice gang," she said into the commlink. "I would rather not scare them. Yet."

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.

Auren mutters to himself in annoyance as he strolls after the rest of the group. At least when this inevitably went up in flames he already had his medical gear with him. And the speeder assuming it didn't get blown up, could be used to get anyone who was grievously injured back to his clinic fast.

Click Click Boom Boom

Keeping up a slight smile and matching the group's pace, the slightly sulking feline and silent 'Kressh' fellow, this fair-haired adventurer walked alongside them. ...Both of them seemed a little out of place compared to the rest of this group, yet considering the circumstances, that was probably something they had in common, even if it was a little...odd.

"So. Not the two of you have to answer, but well, you both looked a bit better off than the scruffy-looking band that's all tangled together. Natives? Travelers who were here already? Like I said, neither of you have to answer, but, hey, no harm in asking, I suppose."

Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.

"I'll keep an eye out from above while we head over," Gark said.

With that, he shuffled over to the side of the street and scampered up the buildings to a higher vantage point, using his viewpiece to keep an eye out on the area - literally.

Aten Slums

The small team entered into a residential district, different lifeforms abound, various small shops set up with processed food steaming.

And a few humanoids wearing red bands on their arms and legs, MK-4 took note.

"Factual: Those are the Aten Elite Red, the closest law enforcement this planet has. Observation: If we are to find the spice gang Thames spoke of, we best keep careful not to draw their attention too much. The Spice Gang is noted to label their spots with a large "D" letter."

Aten Slums

Gark looked down at the area from his vantage point for anything or anyone suspicious who might threaten the others.