The Cloudvale - XS Light Freighter

[Kippen Dell]

-- A stock XS Light Freighter, modded up with bits and bobs that are likely illegal in several parts of the galaxy. --

[Kippen Dell]

From Nar Shaddaa - Lower Docks ===> ierpg.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=narshaddaadocks&thread=611&page=4 <===

“I don’t need subtlety. I’ve got honesty.”

Blunt, ridiculous honesty, but honesty nonetheless. Kippen doesn’t look back at Mago as she heads up the short ladder from the cargo hold and up into the cockpit. The ship’s rather decently built, definitely with Kip’s own touches all over the place. There’s bits of paneling still pulled away from the walls, wiring and other mechanical parts exposed as if she was still working on them up until today. And truth be told, she was. The ship’s a fixer-upper, and though Kip’s made it her baby, she’ll never be completely happy with the upgrades. There’s always more to do. Always more fun to have. And even stepping aboard the ship seems to lighten her mood, as she slips back into her familiar atmosphere.

Oh, the ‘Vale. She isn’t sure what she ever did without her.

Kip slips into what’s obviously the pilot’s chair… if not from the positioning, then from the way she’s got the chair decorated. A soft blanket lays draped across the back of it, multi-colored and sporting several flower designs that look to have been hand sewn. A couple empty glasses lay nearby, tipped over somewhat on the floor and still within reach. The rest of the bridge is alight in an array of colors.. blues, yellows, reds, greens… all from the lights of the mechanical work she’s built into the structure. At a first glance, it would appear Kip’s done it for the aesthetic value.

At a second glance, it’s clear that there’s no rhyme or reason to the lights and consoles built into the wall, and they all likely have some purpose.

As Kip leans back in her chair, twirling it around so that she can work at the main console, a small, floating, globe-shaped droid drifts up from the cargo hold below.

”Welcome back, Captain Dell! I see you’ve gone against all common sense and decided to invite the intruder aboard. I hope I’m sold to a decent buyer and not sent to a scrap heap after he’s done pillaging the ship.”

Kip waves a hand behind her back as she fiddles with deleting a few coordinates from the ship’s route memory.

“He’s harmless. A pain in the neck, but harmless. You’ll get along wonderfully.”

[Kippen Dell]

She hears part of the conversation.. or at least enough to realize that Canderous has made it to the ship. Were she able to actually pick out the words, Kippen might have giggled at the conversation. Instead, she keeps herself mostly occupied by clearing out some of the records and going through Ex-Dee’s pre-flight setup. For a tutor droid, Dee’s honestly not too bad at this. Likely because Kip’s programmed so much into her that the little droid could practically co-pilot the ship for her. …. Kip’s programmed her so much that Ex-Dee /has/ piloted the ship for her, on a few test runs when she’s had just a bit too much to drink and a bit too much drama to deal with the world.

Kippen Dell fully trusts no organic person in the entire universe. But she’d beat someone silly if they even so much as tried to touch the droid.

Mago’s footsteps are met with a turned back, as Kip sits curled up in the pilot’s chair, knees bent as her boots rest against the console. Her fingers are busy tapping away at a data screen, a frown pursing her lips. It’s Ex-Dee who goes to greet Mago as Canderous’ words ring up from below.

”Welcome to the Cloudvale. Captain Dell is otherwise preoccupied with safety pre-checks, but I am sure she’d be pleased to give you a tour of the ship once her time is freed up.”

The little globe-shaped droid hovers before the Mandalorian, blue light blinking in rapid succession as Ex-Dee bounces lightly in the air.

”I am Ex-Dee Two Seven Eight. Tutor droid with modifications. Is there anything I might assist you with?”

“You offered me these credits whether I stayed or not!” Kip calls over her own shoulder, eyes entirely focused on the data screen at hand. “If I’d wanted to run, I would’ve hacked into whatever place you’re hiding the rest of them first!”

Her words are jovial, with an air of something that hints that she may not have been /entirely/ kidding. In either case, her head glances up, looking back at the droid and Mago as the blinking array of lights turns yellow and bathes the cockpit in a false sunlight. Kip’s lips curl into a smile. Something’s working. And she’s happy about it.

“Wouldn’t that have been a sight? A big, grumpy Canderous Ordo traipsing across the galaxy to find one little freighter, leaving a trail of severed heads behind him to find his way back home. Dee, send me the coordinates for Dxun. Let’s get these boys their taxi.”

[Arligan Fett]

Having followed the rest of the group over to the docks from the streets, Arligan makes his way up the ramp a few minutes after Mago, Canderous, and Kip. Licking his fingers idly as he takes a seat beside Manda'lor. Looking at him, he shrugs at the quiet that had overcome the small craft shortly before he'd come aboard and sits his helmet on the open seat next to him.

"So boss, what've you been up to lately?"

[Mago Bralor]

Mago has barely made his way up the ladder when he is greeted by the over exuberant droid bounces its way in front of him, babbling away in a not-quite-human voice. A sharp intake of breath is the only response the friendly glove receives, as Mago's eyes turn murderous. He nearly falls down the hatch as he takes a step backward, forcefully subduing his urge to palm the mechanical monstrosity and slam it into the nearest bulkhead. Mago did not like droid, no, not at all. Sentience in a thing that was not alive was wrong, for more than just ethical reasons.

Regaining some measure of control after that unexpected surprise, Mago tries to assess how to bypass the atrocity. Unfortunately, it was floating smack in the middle of the corridor, directly between him and the cockpit proper. And it was bobbing and weaving in such a way that evading it was unlikely at best. It was infuriating that a sentient piece of metal was preventing him from moving. Normally, Mago would simply dispose of it and move on, but he suspected that Kippen could be come violent if he destroyed her obvious only friend. And so he stood there, with droid and hatch to the cargo bay between him and the cockpit, leaning against the bulkhead, attempting to appear as though his position was completely voluntary. Of course, he could simply ask the thing to move, but that would mean interacting with it, which was, quite simply, unacceptable. Meanwhile, his fingers twitch against the helmet under his arm, aching to smack the damn thing out of the air.

[Canderous Ordo]

Canderous looks over at Arligan while unloading his axe and rifle from their usual place on his hulking shoulders. Boss... to him it was a term reserved for small time gang leaders or lower ranked officers if they allowed it. He starts to correct the young Fett but stops short. He was not Mandalore, not yet. Boss would suit him fine until he had earned back his title. It would be a reminder to push, to climb, to never stop.

"You heard my story, Arligan. I've been recovering. I've literally stayed off the grid as much as possible. Mago has checked for minimal news and such. We're supposed to be dead. We're supposed to be ghosted. That's why you should always do your own dirty work, and not send some slime of a Sith to do it for you."

He stops suddenly and glances around the entrance area of the Ship. Galatea wasn't there. She hadn't walked in with Arligan. He moves towards the entrance hatch, walks partway down the ramp and gives a quick look around. Walking back up the ramp he calls to the cockpit.

"I think Mago's new girlfriend may have left the venture for the time being. Kip, once you're ready wait another 10 minutes just to see if she shows. If she isn't on the ship, then dust off."

He had somehow expected much. His old acquaintance Kavar used to do similar. One second you're talking with the man the next second you're talking to yourself. He makes his way back towards Arligan, he leans against the bulk head adjusting one of his boot fittings.

"What about yourself? I know you came here, but what else has the son of the great Cassus Fett been doing?"

Canderous did not mean the words unkindly, but Cassus did have a bit of an ego at the best of times.

[Arligan Fett]

Sitting back, Arligan shrugs at the thought of telling him everything that had happened in detail.

"For me I'm sure I haven't been all the great warrior my father wanted me to be. Matter of fact boss, I've spent most of my life not even knowing I was Mando'ade. I grew up on Coruscant and ended up being CorSec Sniper Division. One of the best, until I decided to get a little too much loving from a certain senators daughter that is... decided to pick up shop and leave the place for a while, travel around and see maybe Corellia or something."

Leaning forward and craning his neck to look at Canderous, Arligan clasps his hands together before continuing.

"That's when I met my father. Cassus was at the docking port where I was and knew me right away. After that, it was a big family reunion that lasted five minutes. Spent some time on Dantooine pissing off most of the people there because I didn't know my ass from my face, went back to Coruscant and ended up destroying the Red Rues Gang with my vod Salkar."

Sighing at the thought of salkar, he missed him terribly. The wound still dug deep at the idea of his death at the hands of Vhon. Closing his eyes, he looks back up to Canderous.

"After that, came back to Dantooine in time for the republic attacks, the betrayal. I was captured aboard Vhon's ship. That was were I really grew up a bit boss. I was supposed to be killed by some punk who didn't know his elbows from his kneecaps, I took him out before he could do the same to me. At that point, I had a decision to make, run rampant and break stuff until I died, or work smart. So I donned the armor of my enemy."

Sitting back, Arligan gets comfortable.

"After a while, my abilities became clear with the right amount of training. I fought and earned my way up the ladder until I had been nominated by my squad leader to be put on Vhon's escort detail. During the trial run with some vod to test my loyalty, we came across a band of loyalist Mando'ade. Ended up being my father."

Looking around and back to Canderous, Arligan shrugs.

"I failed my test of loyalty, got myself and my dad all shot to hell, escaped Dantooine where we'd found him, and now here I am, talking to you."

[Kippen Dell]

They’d waited long enough. Though Kip gives it the extra ten minutes requested by Canderous before pulling up the hatch and tugging on her headset. The engines make a soft rumble of sound, barely even noticeable as she brings them to life and begins the slow process of drawing the ship out of port.

“Cloudvale. Lower dock, departing,” sounds her casual tones as she shifts position to sit cross-legged in the pilot’s seat.

”You’re clear, Cloudvale. Seven A depart ,” comes the voice through her headset and Kip smiles.

“Roger that. Seven A.”

Kippen Dell’s motions are almost effortless as she glides the ship out of the dock with ease and draws them up and out of the atmosphere. And as she weaves through air traffic, she glances back toward the others-… or toward Mago, at least, standing rather haphazardly against the bulkhead as the others talk quietly down below. A brow raises as she looks at the Commander, then Ex-Dee, then Mago again.

Ex-Dee continues to babble on, with a litany of diatribe about what kind of droid she is and how she can help Mago, Kip pulls the ship up further out of atmosphere, getting just past orbit and to the area where she can really book it. Another glance is offered back at Mago, and this time, her lips curl back into an all-knowing, most devious kind of grin. It doesn’t take a force sensitivity to tell that he’s extremely uncomfortable by the droid’s presence. Hell, Kip’s annoyed by Ex-Dee on a good day. But it’s still remarkably hilarious to watch the Mandalorian cower against the bulkhead and act as if it’s nothing.

“She’s trained… won’t bite unless I tell her to,” Kip offers offhandedly, as she just grins back at Mago. “Maybe you two just need to get to know each other better?”

“My libraries contain quite a bit of information about Mandalorian culture,” Ex-Dee adds, still hovering. “Despite being a tutor droid, my databases aren’t utilized nearly as much as they ought to be.”

Kip turns back to the cockpit, fingers flying across the controls before her as she draws them up and then turns on the modded engines. This time, the ship rumbles with a soft motion as the thrusters power up.

“Dxun, here we come,” she says to no one in particular, before she kicks the ship into gear and they take off to a blur of starlight.

[Canderous Ordo]

Canderous listen's quietly to the more in depth tale of Arligan's life. mid way through he here's the ship come a bit more alive, he can see the exterior light disappearing as the loading ramp is raised, then feels the slight vertigo as the ship slips out of atmo. He looks back at the young Fett as he finishes his tale. Canderous had some way with words, he came across brash and headless, and many time he was. But it's one thing to be reckless alone, it's another to do backed by millions upon millions of your screaming brothers and sisters.

"He stands and looks down at Arligan. You failed your loyalty test, bet you kept your honor. Many do the opposite and are far lesser men then you are. Be right back."

He steps into the cockpit not long after the thrusters kick on, a rumble mutters through the hull. sees Mago looking slightly ornery at the Droid. Canderous smiles. Mago was unsettled around droids, it was odd that he seemed most vulnerable around them.

He steps over behind Kippen, and grips her shoulder loosely.

"Let me know when we near Dxun and I'll give you the landing coordinates. You'll receive your next payment just before we dust off on Dxun. If I can be of any help, you but need ask."

He turns, reaches over the droid and smacks Mago roughly on the shoulder, then looks down at the droid.

"Mayhaps Mago would like to hear about Selkath agriculture. I've found that he is thirsty on the subject."

Canderous smiles a true and deep smile at Mago as he slips down the ladder from the cockpit his laugh bouncing off the bulkhead. He makes his way back to Arligan. As he sits he asks.

"You have served Vhon, very closely." He states it as a simple fact. "What kind of man is he? Tell me what you know of him."

[Mago Bralor]

This had gotten extremely old extremely fast. Mago attempted to half listen in to Canderous' and Arligan's conversation, groaning inwardly at the term "boss" being tossed about without repercussion. But the babbling droid before him continued to make peaceful egress impossible. And Kippen's off-color remark indicated she would not be calling her only friend off anytime soon. Desperate times...

With an almost imperceptively fast lunge, Mago palms the rotund droid, yanking him close.

"This mandalorian does not require tutelage on his own culture. Keep your databases to yourself, and keep your blathering tin case away from me."

His voice is low and harsh, though it was likely Kippen had overhead him. He didn't care. He would not be made to cower in a corner by an overzealous piece of machinery. He pushed the droid away from him, not quite flinging it toward a wall.

[Kippen Dell]

Kip glances back somewhat as Canderous steps behind her and she offers him a thumbs up. More money? This quick into the game? She’s fine with that. Definitely no complaining here. Though it’s not like she’s going to have a lot of time to spend it. And Canderous had better hope to pay for most of the expenses on the trip, or she’ll be out faster than he can say ‘bankrupt’.

“You got it-…” There’s a twinkle in her eyes and she winks before adding, “… boss.”

It’s funny because it does suit him. But in another way, it completely doesn’t. Canderous isn’t ‘boss’. Canderous is death in pretty armor.

Still, she whistles a light tune as she goes back to setting up the coordinates and making sure everything’s steady with the ship. Really, flying a ship out on a job like this is a piece of cake. She doesn’t have much to do other than during landing and takeoff. Set the coordinates. Sit back and have a cocktail. It’s an easy life. Especially when she hears Canderous baiting Ex-Dee and she can’t help but allow the laughter to break through her lips.

However, the laughter is short-lived as she hears a sudden squeak of protest from Ex-Dee and turns around to see Mago ….. Is he trying to rough up her droid? Apart from looking completely ridiculous, it’s enough to make Kip see red. And if he wasn’t friends with Canderous and Kip wasn’t hired by Canderous, he’d likely be blown out an airlock. Instead, she just pushes herself out of her chair, offering a short glance to the stammering and bumbling Ex-Dee with a quick, “Go find something else to do, Dee.”

And then she’s up in Mago’s face.

Again. Seriously. It’s been this whole trip so far.

It might look somewhat amusing as the petite woman steps right up to Mago and grabs for the corner of his flight suit rather abruptly to try to pull him down to her level. Though there’s nothing but fire in her eyes as she hisses to him, “My ship. My rules. You touch my droid again, and I will /mess/ you the hell up.”

[Mago Bralor]

The reaction was much as expected. The girl was not one to shroud her emotions. Mago watches with narrowed eyes as she pushes herself out of her seat. Humans were all very much alike when it came down to it. From Canderous to Arligan to Kippen, they were all driven by their passions and desires to do things clearly not in their own interest and outside their capabilities. How fortunate that much of the known galaxy was inhabited by such predictable creatures.

The Kalzerian allows Kippen to grab his flightsuit, and even allows her to yank him down to her level, but once she finishes voicing a threat she was clearly incapable of following through with, his arm snaps out and one gloved hand abruptly closes around her throat. Mago straightens, pulling the woman off her feet. He wasn't choking her, but the threat closed in all around her and his claws poked at her skin even through his leather gloves. His face mere inches from hers, he curls back his lip, revealing his ebon fangs as his amber eyes flashed dangerously.

"Have a care, child. You no longer frolick among petty crime lords or small time smugglers. You are not required to pilot this vessel. Do not over estimate your value to this party."

His voice was a low growl, more animal than human, and his breath smelled strangely of clove. It was unlikely the two men down below could hear the exchange. Kippen was alone with the beast, and Mago was revealing just how far from human he really was.

[Kippen Dell]

Kippen Dell learns two very important things in a matter of seconds.

The first, being that Canderous really has placed a level of trust in her, because Mago seems to know nothing of the real reason she was hired. Either that, or he’s just trying to scare her.

The second is that Mago is quite effective at scaring her.

A sharp gasp is the only sound Kippen makes as Mago lifts her into the air by her throat. Her hands scramble to claw against his leather glove out of instinct, and her eyes widen as he draws her up closer to speak. She says nothing, fingers just grabbing at his hand to let her go. He’s not choking her, but it’s certainly not comfortable. And despite constantly being used to hiding the effects of the force, it takes more than a bit of willpower to keep from simply prying his fingers apart to drop her. It happens. At first. She can’t help it. It’s a faint tingling of telekinesis that starts to pull his hand from her throat, before she cuts off the sensation. All Kip’s willpower is put into simply calming her nerves and not reacting out of instinct other than a faint squirming and wrenching at his hand with her own fingertips.

He can’t miss the terror in her eyes, as she can’t help but stare right at him. Canderous and Arligan are right downstairs. He can threaten, but he certainly can’t kill her. Though that doesn’t help much as the feeling of his claws stick against her neck and her heart races.

Kippen draws a breath to calm herself. Her gaze shifts somewhat toward the cargo hold, before turning back to Mago. And she retorts with a shaken tone, “That… is not…. Your decision to make.”

[Mago Bralor]

A slow, disturbing smile creeps across Mago's visage, turning his threatening expression plain evil. He laughs very quietly while raising a near invisible eyebrow.

"A man once told me that is better to ask forgiveness than permission."

His eyes slide to when Kippen was gazing, then back to her, his fingers tightening ever so slightly.

"What do you think, little bird?"

[Kippen Dell]

It happens quickly.

Kippen really believed he would put her down after she suggested Canderous might not be happy about his decision. The fact that he seems to become more intent on his motive just causes fear to course through her. And as he speaks to her and she feels the nearly imperceptible movement of his grip tightening around her throat, Kippen Dell slips into survival mode.

She honestly can’t help herself.

The force calls to her and Kip answers the call, lifting a hand from her death grip on Mago’s knuckles. And then shifts to making a ‘shooing’ motion toward him. They’re in close quarters, him with his back to the wall and Kip with her back to the ladder.. and the effect is immediate. The force reacts with the powers of levitation and movement she’d once practiced and grown to known so well. Mago’s fingers are pried from her throat, almost at the same time as he is several inches off his feet to slam rather abruptly into the wall.

The reaction startles Kip likely as much as it startles Mago, and as she drops a near-foot to the ground, she scrambles back toward the ladder. It’s only as Kip puts distance between herself and the beast, gripping the ladder, that she sets a her eyes back upon him.

“Stay. The hell. Away from me.”

There’s a deer-in-headlights look in her gaze and not so much the chill stare he might expect, as she then books it down the ladder toward Canderous and Arligan. And she doesn’t stop moving until she’s found a spot neatly positioned between the two, standing settled back against the wall.

“Is that guard dog of yours always grumpy? Or is it just when he doesn’t get his way?” is all she asks of Canderous, with a laugh that’s a bit more half-hearted and jittery than she would have liked. No, she doesn’t care to elaborate, thank you very much.

((Posted with permission from Mister Grumpy, himself!))

[Canderous Ordo]

Canderous doesn't look up as he hears a deep thump that sounds like bag of grain bouncing off the hood of a speeder. He knows the ship is not the freshest in the skies and every ship has a bit of character. He figures as long as the walls aren't rattling and the cockpit is still attached to the main part of the craft then things can't be too bed.

However, he does look up as Kippen makes her way into the room. He can all but smell the fear on her. Her eyes wide, posture forced, and smile that doesn't meet her laugh.

His eyes narrow just the slightest at her questions. He leans forward a bit, the previous thump he had heard beginning to make a slight bit of sense. But if Mago had tossed her tiny frame against the bulkhead she was taking it rather well.

"Half the reason he's my guard dog is because he's a disgruntled ass. It means he's not busy with his head in the clouds when someone makes a move with a shiv."

He glances behind her for a sign of his Vod.

"What way did he not get, if one may ask? You don't seem his type. Too..." He waves a hand in a generalistic motion. ..."peppy, for one."

[Arligan Fett]

Arligan chuckles quietly at the idea of Mago being anything like a guard dog. More like... an attack dog. With really, really big teeth. And guns, a lot of guns. Of all the people he could have chosen as a mentor, Arligan was suddenly sure that if anyone was going to "toughen him up" it was going to be Mago. But, looking at the utter fear radiating from the young woman before him and Canderous, it wasn't necessarily a laughing matter.

"He isn't exactly a people person, I know, it's hard to tell. But I'd compare him a little bit to a wookie in this case. I saw one of 'em tear a mans arm off for beating him at Pazaak. I'll tell you what, that was a helluva sight."

Patting the spot next to him, Arligan motions for Kip to take a seat, the nervous movement was starting to get to him as he looked at her fidget.

[Mago Bralor]

In an instant, Mago went from in control to slammed against a bulkhead with enough force to cause his teeth to snap together painfully. Simple animal reaction causes him to lunge back forward after his prey, but the girl has already disappeared down the hatch and the Kalzerian is left on his hands and knees. He quickly replays the last few seconds in his head, to ensure himself of what had just occurred. Yes, indeed, that little girl had just slammed him into a bulkhead using nothing but her mind. She had just revealed herself as a Force Sensitive whelp. A deep, gutteral growl escapes Mago's lips at the thought. He had been raised to disdain anyone using the Force, and through his recent experiences, to loathe them. The Force was the single weapon that he had never yet learned to counter. It was dangerous, unpredictable, and running rampant on this ship.

But Mago doesn't heed his initial instinct to follow the little whelp straight down into her hole and finish the job he started. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage, somehow... Her power was clearly raw, not well controlled. The look in her eye as she skittered down to join the others made that clear. Slowly, Mago stands, then swings himself down through the hatch into the room with the others, finding a seat across from them.

"Your powers of observation are somewhat lacking, boy, if you believe it is accurate to compare me with a Wookie."

He chuckles lowly, darkly, and his gaze locks on Kippen's for a mere moment, not long enough for Canderous or Arligan to notice, but long enough for those feral yellow eyes to glint with promise. No, he would not share her secret just yet.

[Kippen Dell]

“Disgruntled ass” is an understatement, but Kip just laughs it off as her eyes shift toward the ladder where she expects the Kalzerian to come rumbling down any minute. Good gosh, what did she do? He wouldn’t have killed her. He would have. He probably would have. But she could have had any other number of options other than using the farking FORCE on him. Distant from the situation, or at least the beast, Kip’s mind broils in panic and regret. Still, her eyes shift back to Canderous as he naturally questions what just happened. And when she smirks back at Canderous, her eyes certainly don’t match the attitude.

For a moment, there’s a brief, pleading look to him, before she brushes it aside in place of rationality. She doesn’t particularly want him knowing about what she just did, either. She doesn’t know what she wants. She’s terrified of Mago’s reaction, and it’s taking him far too long to come downstairs.

“The way that wants me jettisoned out an airlock, because he’s still not happy about you choosing me as a pilot,” she quips.

It’s funny, because it’s true.

But her laughter is almost pitiful in its attempt to sound like she's amused.

Still, Kip looks toward Arligan and just grins at his words, declining to take a seat. Or at least, declining to take a seat until she catches Mago’s form coming down from above. And then she rather abruptly plops down on the seat next to Arligan, eyes locked on the man who sits down across from them. He speaks. She catches that look. And her face pales.

Frankly, she doesn’t know what to say. Or what to do. But she doesn’t really need to do anything, as Ex-Dee saves the day by fluttering down into the lower cargo hold, lights flashing and blinking in her cheerful little display.

“Actually, he does resemble a Wookiee in many ways. Not physically, of course. But the similarities are remarkable. In fact, my databases speak to Wookiees with dark fur that would match the color of his skin. I have yet to find anything about Wookiees with a distaste for Droids, though I’m sure it’s less attuned to a species and more to an individual.”

Kip dropped her head into her hands in the silence that followed, rubbing her forehead to stave off the impending headache.

[Arligan Fett]

Looking at Mago looking at Kip looking at her hands and back to Mago the obviousness of the negative feelings is more than Arligan can really seem to understand. The two had met an hour ago, how in the kark can you hate someone that fast? Well, this was going to need to end and fast. There was a war on between the Mando'ade. If we can't even get along in this little ship, we're completely and totally screwed on the battlefield.

"Mago, Kip, I don't know either of you but if you don't like each other just stay out of each others way. Obviously Mago is too manly to apologize to a woman, and Kip, you're too karking stubborn to admit that he freaks the crap out of you. So make up or get lost, I have a war to fight and I intend to win it. But I can't do that with my own allies stabbing themselves whenever I'm not looking."

[Canderous Ordo]

Canderous knew Mago more than most, but it was unlike him to immediately go on the offensive. It was a smidge unnerving that he could upset this woman so quickly, even more so as he knew she was under his direct protection.

"That's not his decision to make."

He states it as fact, the tone of a Mandalore echoing in his tones.

"If you were threatening me or my mission, he might take liberties. But, violence for violence sake is not his way when we're hanging by the skin of our teeth."

He sees the pleading look in her eyes... and wonders.

Canderous quietly eyes Mago watching his body language as he takes a seat. Then the tiny droid came down rambling about Mago and Wookie similarities. This could only get better if a few Hutts showed up and started reading poetry. Then Arligan begins speaking... he starts strong then rolls down hill.

Canderous slowly turns to look at the younger Mando and speaks softly, his voice the only sound above the hum of the engines.

"I appreciate your initiative in addressing the situation in front of us. However, do not ever presume to dismiss any of my guards or hire-ons again. Ever. "

He leans in close, placing his hand on the Fettson's shoulder.

"Your war is my war, and your allies are my allies. I say this gently as you are still new to your helmet. This is MY war, you are one of MY people, those before you are MY allies. You are a small piece in my quickly growing puzzle. The sooner you learn your place in such things, the less it will hurt you later on."

He stands, his eyes rolling to Mago's.

"Come"

He glances back at the other two.

"Stay here."

He Looks to the droid.

"Continue your lecture on Wookiee anatomy and its differences from other leading races in the Galactic Republic."

He moves quietly away from them and into freight bay. He moves across the room and leans back against the wall, arms crossed, and waits for Mago.

[Mago Bralor]

As the little droid swoops down into the bay and begins chattering away once again, Mago grits his teeth and stares pointedly at the ground, counting slowly to ten. He was not going to plaster the tinny piece of metal against the bulkhead. He was not going to crush it satisfyingly in his hand. Narrowed eyes rise up to gaze at Arligan without expression as he steps up on his soapbox. This day was severely testing the Kalzerian's patience. His fingers dig into the arms of his chair as the boy goes on about things which he knows nothing about. Thankfully, Canderous handles the situation with far more grace and poise than Mago would have attempted, then rises and leaves the room with a pointed look in the Bralor's direction.

Counting to ten once more, the Kalzerian rises from his chair gracefully, sliding past Kippen with a pointed gaze. Let her wonder if he was going to share her dirty little secret. As far as he was concerned, she could sit on a knife's edge for this entire trip. Entering the room behind Canderous, Mago leans against the bulkhead and crosses his arms over his chest, metal clanking on metal. His amber eyes reflect no emotion as he waits for the man to speak. It was clear why Manda'lor had pulled him in here, but unlike some young whelp in the other room, Mago knew offering up his own thoughts without being asked was not how one addressed the leader of one's people.

[Kippen Dell]

Kippen’s eyes narrow to slits upon Arligan, though the words that threaten to come are lost in place of Canderous’ own chiding. Besides, her inability to control her mouth is what got her into this whole mess to begin with. The smuggler just sits there on the edge of the bench, eyes shifting between Mago, Canderous, and Arligan, with almost a nervous twitch.

Of course Canderous would choose to pull Mago aside to talk to him. Or chide him. Or to listen to Mago as he spills the beans about Kip’s force powers and gets her summarily jettisoned out an airlock. Kippen Dell shifts in her seat again, ignoring Ex-Dee’s excited gabbing as the droid falls into more discussion about Wookiees and the remarkable similarities to several common species.

”The Cathar come to mind as a leading contender, though looking at them, one wouldn’t make an initial assumption of their similarities to the Wookiee species. Their bone structure, however, is-..”

Leave it to Canderous to find a way to make Ex-Dee talk /more/ than she already talks. Kip’s eyes lift to meet Mago’s as he offers her the pointed look, and the panic flood back into her features. He’s going to tell. He’s going to tell Canderous she’s a force user. He’s going to tell Canderous that she attacked him. And he’s going to ruin everything.

Her eyes remain on the entry to the freight bay, watching where Canderous and Mago had gone off to, and nearly forgetting the fact that Arligan still sits beside her. It’s only after a long pause, as Kip sits quietly on the edge of her seat while Ex-Dee prattles on, that she seems to come back to herself. A quick glance is offered to Arligan, before her brows furrow and she offers him one quick word of advice.

“For the record, he does /not/ freak the crap out of me.”

”Now, the Bothan race is quite different. But also remarkably similar! Let me elaborate-…”

Kip pushes herself to her feet, moving past the young Mandalorian and toward the edge of the wall where she might better perhaps pick up a snippet of conversation.

“And I’m not stubborn.”

[Canderous Ordo]

Canderous sighs as Mago leans back against the wall, the rubs the bridge of his nose.

"Staying simple. Why does the girl in the next room seem to be losing her fraking mind?"

He uses his elbows to push off of the wall.

"I know I'm far from a psychologist, and I don't deal with subtly well. So, if even my simplistic perceptions are able to sense the fear she's radiating then she must be pretty damn scared, eh?"

He moves closer to Mago.

"I'm not asking, Mago."

He leans forward putting his hand on the wall beside Mago, and leaning in closely.

"Why is the girl scared?"

His eyes lock onto Mago's.

"I want to know what happened in the cockpit. Then I'm going to ask Kip the same. Then I'm going to question the stupid ass droid if need be. But I intend to find out exactly why someone I've put under my protection for the time being has had a near heart attack from being alone with you just long enough to hit atmosphere."

Canderous does not move. He doesn't tense preparing for an attack. He simply stands, his face several inches from Mago's, and waits.

[Arligan Fett]

Sitting back and resting his head in his hands, Arligan crosses one leg over the other in a relaxed pose as Kip and the two uptight men go off on their own. These people were nuts, can't anyone be honest with each other anymore? If they were going to have a productive team, this karking feud between Kip and Mago needed to end. Not to mention the uptight old warrior needed to pull the stick out. The only thing Arligan was afraid of was if he DID end up pulling it out and decided to beat everyone in the shuttle to death.

Chuckling at the sight of Mago wielding a poop covered stick and beating people, Arligan can barely hold it in and just breaks out laughing. This was going to be a long trip.

Deciding to do something productive, Arligan pulls his prized sniper rifle out of it's protective case. Gingerly sliding his cleaning oil over the components and hand cleaning every centimeter of the weapon, Arligan finds his calm again as the drama unfolds around him, wondering inwardly if he should start recording... The Holonet Drama channel would eat this stuff up and ask for more.