#Story Series: Lessons Learned - Rumors from the Cantina

[fanworldbuildingfun]

LESSONS LEARNED - RUMORS FROM THE CANTINA (”Odessen Bomb”)

“Not again. NEVER again” Artha didn’t bother to lower her tone as she continued flipping the switches in the cockpit “Hear me, Madras? NEVER”

So what if the nicto couldn’t hear her? So what is she probably should have used less force to smack that button that now sagged to one side as a result of her palm slamming on it? The cathar was in a mood and she wanted the world to know it

Especially since she couldn’t throw that mood in the face of her passengers. Of which, there was far more than Artha expected or cared to have on her ship. When she and Madras spoke of the pick-ups she had to make, he never gave her the impression she was going to ferry a good two dozen people on her freighter. The bunk room was all taken up (and oh gods, those brats were going to ruin the beds with their snot and whatever else brats produced). Those who weren’t “lucky” enough to snatch a bed? Those, were parked in the cargo bay, along with all the luggage the motely group dragged in with them. All in all, there was zero free space and zero privacy to speak of and SHE. WANTED. OUT

Flipping on the last switch, the cathar felt the engines turn on and little by little the ship started to raise. The hangar gates were already open – with proper authorizations and permits it took very little time, and wasn’t that a novelty? Piloting out was a breeze. The woman pointedly ignored (and she was perfectly at rights to grumble, can it!) the ambient noise of the crowd as she prepped the ship to blast the planet’s gravity well. Altha might have had the process down to a T, but it never hurt to check.

It also helped to keep her thoughts off the fact that one of the cargo she picked up was a freaking Gen Dai. GEN DAI, kriff it! She thought she was going to lose half her fur when she saw the mountain of a being that towered over the group of aliens she was picking up here. Took her a moment to realize the guy wasn’t dressed in the full-out battle armor his ilk usually had on, and that he probably won’t be a problem…

Yeah, snorted the cathar, that was what she first thought when her fellow smuggler – may his scales fall off – offered her the job.

The first batch wasn’t that bad – even if that one white-haired echani creeped the beejees out of her. The one that stuck to the cargo bay and sat in the corner, staring at everyone like they were the best holodrama he had even seen. And saying nothing, which made him all the creepier

Oh, and the brats. Can’t forget the brats. Little, mostly twi’lek brats that were climbing all over her poor sleep berths. Spreading their little twi’lek germs all over the place. Point in their favor - at least those looked reasonably cute. As much as they could, to the cathar’s eyes. Somewhere on the same level baby kovakian monkey lizards, before they turned into right pests that were a pain and a half to out of the cargo storage.

Altha’s thoughts were interrupted by a violent shudder given by the ship as it broke through the atmosphere and into the space proper. Cursing, the female worked to stabilize her freighter till the remaining tremors smoothed out. Air well, of all things – and just as she was about to exit atmosphere

“Oi! Strap in, we are about to have some turbulence here! If you ain’t hooked up to the nearest seat in the next five minutes, the shiner’s on you!” at least they knew what to do – she caught the sounds of hasty movements before the comm unit clicked off

Now, to finally reach the relative safety and stability of space…

***

“Brat 1, off. Brats 3 through 8, same to you” the cathar looked rather comical as she tried to shake off the plethora of small twi’leks off her body. A quick look to the side quickly turned into glare as the feline realized that one: no. the adult contingent wasn’t about to help her and two: those asses were all too busy snickering at her plea.

Twisting around again – and failing to rid herself of the brats, much to their squealing delight – Altha turned her glare down onto her hang-oners. Male brat number 2 had the audacity to look straight up at her and giggle. Yeah no. Altha might have liked that particular shade of lilac, but not while it was wiggly and full of elbows and hanging off her.

Lowering herself a bit, the cathar froze for a moment and sprung up, jumping up into the air (no more than half a meter, she wanted the baby twi’leks off, not dead). She hanged in the air for about a second of two before gravity reasserted itself, pulling her down. And with the jarring landing, the small hands lost their grip on her and rained down. Some rolled a bit before coming to a stop. Some just dropped on their itsy behinds right by Altha. All of them seemed ridiculously pleased none the less

Altha used the moment to make her escape. That green one a few steps away from her? She looked stunned but the cathar knew how willy that kid (Mera? Oyu? Eh, she couldn’t be expected to remember each individual kid) was. Quick too. And stubborn

She almost liked her, but that did not mean she was going to give the kid a chance to recover and get her clingy fingers on Altha’s forearm again. But lo and behold! It looked like the remains of the adults decided to finally descend from her ship. There were just a few stragglers left, most of those loaded with the last of the packages they came in with

The last one to leave was that albino creeper. He took his sweet time going down the ramp, and unlike the rest he didn’t have an excuse of heavy load. Altha’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him – her vision tunneling to the point that, when she felt a hand patting her shoulder, she almost jumped out of her skin

“Kriffing – are you trying to kill me?!” the cathar bristled as she swirled around, fur standing at an end as she stared up at the bemused face of older twi’lek woman. The twi’lek said nothing – at first. Then those infernal snickers started again

“Jumpy one, aren’t you? But I wanted to thank you – we expected… Well, worse. So thanks” her words seemed sincere. Altha had a biting reply ready to be spit out just at the tip of her tongue – but the infernal twi’lek managed to beat her to it

“Take care of yourself – and do visit when you’re here next time. Oyu would enjoy seeing you again” and with a final pat on the shoulder, the woman was off. Leaving the cathar to fume to herself. Figures the woman would be related to that pest of the brat. The resemblance was uncanny – in their ability to irritate Altha, if nothing else

She snorted at the twi’lek’s retreating back (not knowing her name robbed her of the delight of cursing at her, even if it was inside privacy of Altha’s head) and swirled her head around, finally taking notice of her surroundings.

The place was… Green

Really, really green. And clean smelling.  In fact, if it wasn’t for the distant sounds of construction and something resembling buildings poking out from the nearby rocky outcrops, this place would have looked unsettled. Fresh colony? Huh. By the things Madras implied about this place she expected it to be… Bigger. It was decidedly not. She hoped that old lizardface did not swindle her with this whole affair

A smudge of white entered her peripheral vision. And it spoke

“Miss Altha?”

Not again! It was that echani guy, now standing close enough to be within arm’s reach. How the hell could she forget about him? And for that matter, how come she didn’t hear him approach?

The glare was back on the cathar’s face in very, very short order. The echani, though, seemed completely and utterly unfazed. In fact, he almost seemed serene. And he was holding his hand out in a commonly accepted offer for a handshake. She was in no hurry to accept it though – her eyes switching between the hand and the echani’s face and back. The male’s face remained unperturbed

Huffing, the cathar stuck her hand out, gripping the man’s hand in a firm handshake

“I am Rathos” he paused “I will be your escort for today – we shall be meeting Madras at the cantina” his gaze stopped at the cathar’s face, as though looking for any sort of recognition. Was she supposed to know him, or something?

The thought must have been telegraphed at her face, as, with a quirk of his lips and a small nod, he released Altha’s palm. The blonde creep – wait, it was Rathos, on the off chance the echani was of any connection to the Ekkreth lady Madras mentioned, insulting the employer was a no-no – gestured in the direction of the buildings Altha noticed earlier. Without much ado, he set out, clearly expecting the cathar to follow.

Which, she did

But not before yelling at her droid to lock up and cursing out the guy she had to run to catch up with.

#Star Wars #Star Wars: The Old Republic #Star Wars characters: Originals #Original Characters: Altha #Star Wars Organizations: Eternal Alliance/Galactic Alliance #Star Wars Organizations: Smugglers #Story Series: Lessons Learned - Rumors from the Cantina #Original Characters: Rathos Ekkreth #Planets: Odessen

[self-proclaimed-chaotic-good]

The Kyber Soldier | Bodhi Rook x Reader (Rough Draft)

Words: 2612

Crossover: Rogue One/Star Wars Trilogy x Avengers

A/N: Have been sitting on this idea for a while and I might make a different one with Bodhi x Cassian instead, but I thought I should get this idea out first. I’m also planning on doing more crossovers and I’m trying to keep it short before I turn them into series I can’t finish lol.

Your heavy breathing echoed through the corridors in rhythm with the sound of your bare feet hitting the cold floor, red and white lights fading in and out along with a siren, giving you only moments of visual at a time while your ears rang. A sticky mixture of sweat and blood coated your body and dripped down your forehead, threatening to obscure your vision. It was a nightmare, alright, but it was real. The last thing you remembered was reaching the edge of a platform and diving. The sudden rush of freezing cold water jolted you awake in your sweaty but warm and scratchy blankets, safe within the barracks of the Resistance base. You gasped for air, curling up and holding your head between your legs as you focused on your breathing. It was only three in the morning. You didn’t need to get up until nine, but your past won’t let you.

It had been years since you were recovered from the ice, but only recently were you taken out of your frozen prison and brought back among the living, as they say. So much had changed. You were finally able to meet the famous Princess Leia, now general of the Resistance, and be a part of a good cause to fight against the dark side. There was no one that you recognized among the many pilots, mechanics, or even the cooks. You asked what happened all those years ago, wondering whether your best friend, Bodhi Rook, was able to send the message from Galen Erso about the Death Star plans. You had helped him escape, which led to your capture and it was the last time you saw either of them. General Leia didn’t know any Bodhi Rook, only that a group of rebel spies were able to retrieve the Death Star plans and help them destroy it.

“And what about that group? What happened to them?” you had asked.

General Leia grimaced. “They didn’t make it, but their sacrifice gave the Rebellion hope. The Empire is gone…,” she said, then trailed off.

But the war was not over. Far from it, it seemed. The Empire may be gone, but from those ashes rose the First Order… and the cycle continues.

You decided, now that you were wide awake and there was no way you could try to sleep again, to head over to the hangar and check on your ship. Once you were discharged from the medbay, you wanted to help the Resistance and become a pilot. It’s what you used to do after all, although it was mostly for cargo. General Leia gave you a tour of the base and introduced you to the Resistance’s best pilot, the stubborn, reckless, yet charming, commander, Poe Dameron. He agreed to teach you how to fly the ships, as they were different from the cargo ships that you flew and guaranteed that after your lessons with him, you’d be able to fly everything. Just not as good as him, of course.

It was fine, though, because after taking you to a few small missions, they discovered your hidden potential of being an intelligence officer due to your memory and observation skills as well as your ability to blend in to your environment. Those were mostly skills you had to learn in order to survive working under the Empire, but you never brought that up.

Poe later introduced you to his squad and his friends, his adorable droid, BB-8, following everywhere he went. They were all very welcoming and kind, so much so that you almost cried. Although Jedha was occupied by the Empire, it didn’t stop the comraderie between the people, and you missed it. When you were caught helping Bodhi escape, you were taken away to an icy planet, chained and isolated within a damp prison until they had use for you.

It was warm here. They didn’t push you to open up and supported you in adjusting with the times.

With the top of your flight suit tied around your waist, you popped open a panel and inspected the wiring, tinkering away to distract yourself from the recurring nightmares. Rose had offered to check the ship for you, but rather her show you how to fix it instead. Bodhi once said that if you don’t know your own ship from the inside out, then you shouldn’t be flying it.

Bodhi…

Not many knew about the group of rebel spies that retrieved the plans. Poe, at least, knew more about it, given that his mother was Leia’s personal pilot. During that time, the Rebellion couldn’t afford to risk sending rebels into a suicide mission and had almost given up. The people that went volunteered to go… and they never came back.

You slumped against your X-wing, wiping sweat from your brow and sighed. You were too busy with your head stuck in your ship that you didn’t see the sun rise or the base slowly waking up. A white and orange ball caught your eye, rolling around at the heels of his master in a matching bright orange flight suit. Poe carried a plate from the cantina as he spoke with his fellow pilots before facing you with an unamused expression. BB-8 rolled ahead, greeting you happily with a series of beeps. You patted the droid on their head and saw Poe offering you the plate.

“Rough night again?” he asked, sitting on the ground next to you.

“Yeah,” you sighed, munching on the bread. BB-8 moved over and settled between you and Poe, beeping in concern. “It’s a long story, Beebs.”

“You don’t have to do the mission if you’re not feeling well, you know,” Poe said, swiping the other piece of bread from the plate. You slapped his hand but allowed him to have it. He made a show of it by looking at you dead in the eye and shoving the entire piece inside his mouth. You shook your head.

“As if that ever stopped you on taking on more missions,” you countered. BB-8 beeped in agreement, looking up at their friend and master as if silently recounting the times they had to save him because of his recklessness.

Poe flicked their head playfully, startling them. He then held up a finger as he finished chewing the bread. After swallowing, he said, “Well, I should’ve brought water. Anyways, touché. The mission shouldn’t be too hard. Just meet with the informant and we’ll be the back up in case something goes wrong. It’s a rough planet and people aren’t afraid to shoot you down if you short change them.”

“Got it,” you said with a mock solute, moving the plate away when he reached over to grab more food.

Poe pouted then patted your back hard as he stood up. “Right. We leave in a few hours, so finish that up and get ready. Come on, Beebs.”

-

Black Squadron were in position as you awaited your informant, sniffing at the questionable liquid from the bar. You sat in a secluded corner of the seedy room, eyes scanning the patrons as they drank, laughed, yelled, and smoked an unfamiliar herb rolled in paper. Your informant worked at the trade route of this planet that shipped supplies to the First Order, having access to the rest of the other trade routes and their inventory. It would be a big help to the Resistance to find and intercept the trade routes and gauge the First Order’s next move.

“I wouldn’t drink that if I were you,” Poe warned through your ear piece.

“Poe and Snap couldn’t handle it and threw up for hours,” Kare snickered.

“Thank you, dear,” Snap said sarcastically as she continued to laugh.

“Ignore them,” Jessika finally said, “Target heading up to the bar.”

Your eyes raised to the entrance, seeing a bald man with a battered black jacket and faded work pants. He looked around cautiously, jumping away as a small group walk passed him. You tilted your cup slowly and tentatively tasted the liquid, suppressing a disgusted look. The aftertaste, however, was almost sweet and fruity. You took another sip as the informant spotted you and started to make his way over to you. You felt a strange pull as he froze halfway, his eyes darting to the other entrance. The bar’s buzzing lowered as a newcomer strutted in with a rifle strapped to his back.

“Are you seeing this?” you whispered behind the cup, scanning the figure, having a weird sense of familiarity.

“About five-eight, five-nine. Dark hair, tan skin, dark mask covering their mouth and nose, black goggles on his head, and dark uniform and a prosthetic arm with the Empire symbol,” Snap reported.

“So, the rumors are true,” Poe said, “Be careful, (Y/n). If it’s really who I think it is, you need to be very careful. He can’t reach the informant before us. Let’s move in, guys, this is now an escort mission. (Y/n), go get the informant. Jessika, go and bring the U-wing over.”

“On it,” the group said, setting their new plan in motion.

You raised casually, keeping eye contact with the informant before flickering them over to the back exit. He moved slowly towards that direction with you following a distance behind. The figure scanned the room with wide brown eyes. You hastened your steps as the informant neared the exit, looping you arm with his as you steered him out.

“I’m close behind,” Snap said, “he hasn’t spot you yet.”

“I’ve got the front entrance,” Kare said, “he’s shifting around. I think he knows something’s up.”

“I’m heading to the back alley for you guys,” Poe said, “you two keep visual- ”

“He’s leaving,” Kare said, “same way he came in. Careful, guys.”

“He’s dangerous,” the informant whispered as you reached the alley, Poe rushing over to lead you out. Snap covered your back, keeping an eye on the other end of the alley.

“What do you know about him?” you asked.

“He’s… he’s like a ghost story. Not many people believe in it, only a few people have heard of him. Those who ever survived him or heard about him call him the Kyber Soldier. You guys need to promise me protection and I’ll give you everything,” he said quickly.

“Of course,” you said, prompting him to continue as Poe held a hand up to check out of the alley.

“I’m heading over – shit, maybe not yet,” Jessika hissed, an insistent beeping in the background.

“Jess, what’s going on?” Kare asked, sticking to her position by the entrances.

“I don’t know how he knew, but he found me. He’s shooting at me. Pretty good at it, too,” Jessika said, maneuvering the ship as best as she could, “this is definitely different from an X-wing.”

“Meet us at the edge of the town,” Poe ordered, grabbing the informant and leading the way, “Our X-wings are back at the port. We’ll have to get them after the informant is safe. Kare, let’s go.”

“On my way.”

Snap pulled his blaster out, looking back while keeping up with the group. He extended a hand out towards Kare as she ran over. Poe took his blaster out as well, weaving through the buildings as if he memorized the town’s layout. The informant panted next to you, not used to the cardio work out thrusted upon him. You rest a hand on his back, urging him to push forward and keep up with Poe.

“I think I lost him for now,” Jessika said, “keep on the lookout, he might be heading your way.”

Just as she said it, the figure appeared on the top of one of the buildings, his rifle poised at the group.

“Come on, we’re almost there!” Poe shouted, spotting a wall they could hide behind. He turned to you and pointed at the wall. “Hide behind there. Kare and I will try to flank him- ”

“Blasters are useless against him,” the informant panted leaning against the wall.

“Doesn’t hurt to try,” Poe said as he crouched next to him. He peered over and quickly ducked down as the figure shot. “How did he know we would be here? Did you tell anyone?”

“No, no,” the informant insisted, “No one knew… I think.”

Poe huffed, mostly at the situation than at the informant. The shooting stopped, the wall shaking and rumbling behind them. They all turned as a chunk of the wall broke off and lifted into the air.

“No kriffin’ way!”

You grabbed the informant’s arm and yanked him away as the others lurched forward. The wall came crashing down where they were, leaving a heavy cloud of dirt and dust. Within the confusion, the others managed to get a far distance while you tried to get to your feet, having cushion the fall when you pulled the informant away. You were suddenly lifted into the air, a force holding you up from your neck. You choked, grabbing on to nothing as you wiggled in vain. The figure, the Kyber Soldier, stood at the opening of the wall, a sleek metal arm held high. The metal plates moved as he raised it higher, revealing for a split second, red glowing crystals underneath.

Sensing the informant and the others at a safe distance, the U-wing flying overhead towards the group, you came to your resolve. As the soldier watched the U-wing fly by, he suddenly dropped you and switched his attention to the ship. Before he could do anything, you raised your hand towards him and focused, mustering the energy to repel him as far as you could. His back slammed against the nearest building, a large crater surrounding him. His goggles were knocked off his head, revealing those brown eyes again. He struggled against your hold, his prosthetic hand twitching for control.

“(Y/n)!” Poe shouted from above, the U-wing turning to get you.

You wavered, not wanting them to see your powers. The hesitation was enough for the soldier to break free, flying his hand out and pulling you forward. You stumbled, not being able to resist it, but you could still use your limbs. At the last second, you pulled out your combat knife and thrust it forward. The blade only grazed his torso as he flung you to the side. You sensed the change in direction, finding your balance to slide on your feet. The soldier’s eyes narrowed, picking up the knife you dropped and stalked towards you.

From the corner of your eye, you saw the U-wing hovering out of reach. You waved them away to take the informant back to the base, but knowing Poe, he’d want to save everyone. The soldier drew your attention back as he swung the knife at you. You quickly blocked it, attempting to disarm him before he could strike again. He grabbed your wrist, but you switched the knife to your other hand and thrusts it forward. He stepped back, his prosthetic arm shooting up as he blocked shots from Poe’s blaster. With the distraction, you struck his head and force-pushed him against the wall again. His mask flew off at the impact, his hair momentarily blocking his face as his head slumped.

“Fall back!” Poe shouted.

But you couldn’t. Not now. There was something about the soldier that felt familiar and you finally got him. He slowly raised his head, black hair parting to reveal those wide brown eyes, a sharp nose, and pink lips, stubble lining his jaw line. It was no mistaking who it was.

“Bodhi?” you choked out, your hold on him wavering slightly.

He frowned. “Who the hell is Bodhi?”

#Bodhi rook x reader #Bodhi rook #rogue one imagine #Rogue one x avengers #star wars imagine #reader is force-sensitive #from the idea of Riz Ahmed as the Winter Soldier #Also Bodhi having a prosthetic arm from the grenade explosion #rough draft #riz ahmed

[fanworldbuildingfun]

Lessons Learned - Rumors from the Cantina (”Nar Shaddaa High Tea”)

The ice cubes clanked loudly in the glass as Altha slammed it on the table, caring little if she damaged either. It was shuffled to the side to join its empty brethren as the smuggler motioned for the server droid to bring her another glass of Corellian whiskey. A not-so subtle snort from her companion made the female cathar’s head snap up to glare at him. The man, though, seemed completely unimpressed with Altha’s attempt at intimidation

“Girlie,”  - the nikto male stretched back in his seat, placing his arms behind his head -  “keep practicing and one day you –might– be scary. Not anytime soon, but one day. You going to finish that one?” his head titled in the direction of the new drink en route to the table

Altha pointedly ignored the query, and snatched the whiskey the moment server droid was within the reach, downing it in one go. Immediately after, she bent over gagging as an ice cube made its way down her throat with the rest of the alcohol. It took a few moments of heaving and hecking before the cathar managed to straighten herself – all to visible amusement of the nicto

“Either you shut up, Madras, or I know where I am getting leather for my next pair of boots” no one outside of the feline race would have hoped to achieve the rumbling hissing in which the words were uttered

“And here I thought I should be a good friend and point out you don’t exactly have the creds to slush on booze –“

“Barely acquaintances, and I kriffin know it!” Altha slumped into her seat “You don’t need to remind me”

The previous bluster was all but gone. Almost as an afterthought, she placed the glass – the one she managed to hold onto by some stroke of luck – with the rest of. A scaly, green hand appeared in her line of vision, dropping a small stack of paper napkins before her

“Then clean up and pay attention this time” the mildly-teasing tone Madras spoke in vanished – and so did the carefree look in his eyes

“You aren’t a bad captain, Altha, but neither are you so good I can’t find someone else to go on a run with – “ the man paused, mulling over what he was going to say  “ - and I’m not missing out on this one just because of your prissy mood, kid. I’ve done jobs for these guys before, got my payment, a place to lay low, all at the small cost of timely delivery and sealed lips. Which is more than I can say of you”

The worst part was, Altha couldn’t even say anything to that – the last cargo she carted almost cost her her ship, and all she got for her run were a measly few thousand creds. That barely covered the repairs – and the asshole whom she delivered the goods to knew it. She could still remember that tiny smirk on his face. Oh how she wanted to wipe it off with her claws… Or maybe she did. That would explain the tail she had to drop… A snap of fingers in front her face startled her out of finishing that thought

“Oi, I thought I told you to pay attention” the nicto drew back from where he leaned over the table “Run, money, a spot to park while those Exchange assholes are up and riled, that ring any bells?”

“Keep your head in this, kid. Or I –will- take my offer elsewhere”

“Yeah, yeah – so you keep saying. Going to spit it out already? Ain’t like you to dance around like that – must have been quite something to get you all cagey in a middle of a packed cantina” which, on Nar Shaddaa, was as close as you could get to privacy – there were just too many people to keep track of

“It keeps me coming back. That should tell you something” the man harrumped before going on “Look, the guys are cagey, but they did good by me so far. Ain’t like they are asking for anything terribly under the table – I have zero idea why they would go to freelancers to do the job, but I am not complaining. But this one’s bigger than normal. I need a hand here”

“And so you thought, “My, that stellar gal Altha is just the one I would share the good job with?” the cathar snorted “Because if so, I call your bull”

“Actually, I thought of your big ship” the smile that appeared on Madras’s face was just this side of sleazy “Now, your personality is an unfortunate side effect - ” he barely blinked as a half melted ice cube hit him in the chest “ – but I’m ready to sacrifice my standards for company. Just this once. My ship doesn’t fit that much people…”

The nicto was interrupted by the sudden near shriek of “People?!” that caused a few nearby patrons to turn their attention to their table. Putting on his best sappy look Madras leisurely raised his hand – to drop it right on the top of the fuming female’s head, giving it a bit of scratch. It served both in freezing Altha in her rant, and causing those staring at them to look away, some rolling their (multiple) eyes in exasperation over the perceived couple’s antics.

“What the kriff you you mean my people?!” Altha’s words were just as furious, but much more quiet this time “Because I am not dealing with slavers, Madras, and you better explain why the heck you would ask me….”

“And I just told you they aren’t asking for stuff like that” the nicto retained his sappy look, but his tone was quickly moving into “annoyed” territory “We aren’t talking slaves, kid. This is a transport run – we are picking up refuges, or settlers – whichever, I didn’t bother asking – and getting them from point A to point B. Now will you stop spitting at me?!”

The cathar’s ears pressed to her skull, shutting up her oncoming tirade – though she kept glaring up at the nicto. A moment later she shrugged his hand off her head with a huff “Start with this one, next time. What’s the price?” And was it worth the hassle of dealing with having who knows whom on her ship?

“Three thousand up front. Rest depends on the amount of pick-ups we need to make. We split half and half in both cases” satisfied the cathar wasn’t going to blow up again, Madras made himself comfortable again – and away from the explosion radius of the temperamental female

“Uh-huh. Looks to me you are getting the better cut out of it, if you intend to lump most of them up on me” even half of three thousand was a… Loath she to admit, a good offer – three grand were a cost of a shiny new speeder

“And if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be seeing even those” Madras spent far too long in the smuggling business to fall into a trap like that “Plus, you’ll need me to deliver them. Our guys aren’t exactly the most open – the place is full of nav scrambling tech like you won’t believe. Had to be towed at least part of the way there – no way you are finding the place yourself”

On one hand, a job for paranoid lunatics who may or may not deal in slaves. Artha wasn’t going to just take Madras’s word on that (though it helped). On another, the pay was… Acceptable, and the big guy said it wasn’t his first rodeo for this folk. And the nicto didn’t have the rep of maverick to work just for anyone. Heck, it couldn’t be worse than her last run

“Fine. Deal. You sharing the coordinates now or later?”

The grin on the man’s face could rival that of a loth cat who finally got his prey “Later, kid. Isn’t exactly the place to do it, cantina. Once we are off planet. I’ll holo you”

Pushing his chair back, the nicto got up and stretched. Altha winced as she heard a few bones pop (even the noise of cantina was not enough to cover the sound up), but Madras didn’t seem to care. Lizards

“Oh, and kid?” the man’s face twisted into expression of unholy amusement “Hard as that seems, try to be on your best behavior. Think at least a few of our folk are Imps” with that statement, the nicto walked into the crowd with a noticeable spring to his step

Leaving the female staring at the small mountain of glasses she racked up

Imperials. She just had to jinx herself, didn’t she?

#Star Wars #Star Wars: The Old Republic #Star Wars characters: Originals #Original Characters: Altha #Star Wars Organizations: Smugglers #Planets: Nar Shaddaa #Story Series: Lessons Learned - Rumors from the Cantina #Original Characters: Madras Novaghost