Open By Homeward Stars

[Helen Holcomb]

Helen leaned over to speak into the comm, rolling her eyes a bit at Zad's flippant response. She keyed the transmitter before speaking.

"Sorry about my pilot, ground, he's new." She glanced over her shoulder at the door leading back toward the cargo bay. "We have a Rancor Sauce delivery for trans-shipment. Clearance code as follows."

The Lepi keyed a sequence into the freighter's comm datalink, and transmitted it, the modulated tone warbling through the speakers. There was silence for a moment, and then there was a reply.

"Confirmed. Priority delivery and processing. We'll open up for you, proceed."

Helen nodded, and replied before shutting off the comm.

"Much obliged, ground. Out."

As soon as the feed was cut, Helen sagged back into her seat, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Okay. Either that worked, or we're in seriously deep runoff when we land." She said, shaking her head. "Won't know until we land..."

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music IC [Recurring]

Phew. Zad thought as he wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead. He had caught onto enough code to know about ‘rancor sauce’ and ‘buckwheat noodles’ but damn that ‘Chicken Bone’!

The music followed the pilots and crew all the way into the hangar. Zad thwarted the temptation to light one up right there and then as he focused on the cockpit console instead, navigating the Peacock into the bay.

“You did well,” the Ranger complimented the Servicewoman. “Sorry... I tend to short-circuit when I get nervous... Not always but sometimes.” He shrugged. “Usually just means a couple o’ zaps from one Zad and down and out for the count goes the target but eh…”

“What’s your cargo, Peacock?” Called the dock handler. He spoke in a tone that was more relaxed than roasting.

“Catch of Lepi. Couple of nexu.” Zad cooled. "And a weary crew." If the guardsman had bought it then it had not gone over the Ranger’s head.

“Scans confirmed: Lepi and nexu in the cargo hold. Open up and ready to receive, Peacock. Hope you brought some whiskey with you. Base is parched!”

@AutoFox

 

[Helen Holcomb]

Helen smiled, waiting for the comm channel to cut out before speaking again. She helped guide the little ship into the warehouse, the clam-shell doors at the front of which were gaping wide. The structure reminded the Lepi of an airship hangar she had once seen on her home-world.

"Don't worry about it. We won't have to bluff for too much longer... should go down pretty fast from here."

The Lepi reached up to key the ship's intercom, the view of the cargo bay flickering back onto the small screen.

"Alright, team, it's almost showtime! Get ready to move when they come aboard!"

As the little freighter eased down onto the warehouse floor, landing strut hydraulics and engine cooling systems hissing, Helen reached down and drew the weapon the Tolvite airmen had given her. She checked the chamber and then cocked the weapon, nodded gravely to herself, before keying the comm again.

"Ground this is Peacock; can you give us a hand with these? They're an unruly bunch even with the collars and there's just the two of us aboard."

After speaking, Helen keyed the cargo bay's loading ramp. It hissed down, the Tolvite "slaves" careful to remain out of sight of those on the ground.

Helen grinned in a feral way, rising from her seat and nodding back toward the cargo bay.

"C'mon, we don't wanna miss this!"

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Against his better judgment Zad had not, in fact, brought any whiskey with him. Though the fact that ground control was even requesting it beyond joking about it was a healthy sign that they were otherwise bored enough to drink the day away as much as they could. Probably, the employees of this establishment lived rather mundane lives when nothing interesting was happening.

Such as getting raided by Sector Rangers and USH Naval Air Service… The latter was a far fancier title than the former but it was a nice contrast between the simpler soul and the more complex one. Helen had proven to be anything but simple.

“Right beside you, partner,” Zad winked as the pair rose from their seats and made their way to the cargo bay of their borrowed ship. The Ranger checked that all was in order as much as a slaver might: nexu were secure in their cages, Lepi were secure with their will to not become slaves but instead surprise their would-be slavers.

The access ramp of the Peacock lowered just then, slowly but surely, and Zad Ruzed was chief among most as he stood front and center to play his part. He probably looked it with his black leather duster and rough-and-tumble countenance.

The Ranger had his hands on his hips, the sides of his coat pushed back to where one exposed the holster at his hip and the handle protruding from it. It was a gesture that his counterparts would appreciate given the circumstances. For either party to suspect nothing of the other would have been suspicious.

“Corth Wu'torra,” the Bothan spoke as he ascended the ramp like the tip of an arrowhead, with organics and droids flanking him. “I am the supervisor of all import and export. Whether you have whiskey or not, I’ll be needing to inspect your cargo, Lepi and nexu and whatever else.”

Even as he spoke, Corth was advancing further into the cargo bay like this was less of a request and more of a demand lest his guests be put to death. Zad played it cool.

“By all means,” he shrugged, stepping aside to gesture into the depths of the cargo bay. “Allow me to introduce you to . . . ”

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[Helen Holcomb]

The Bothan abruptly found the muzzle of a nasty-looking projectile pistol shoved under his chin. From the gloom to one side of the boarding ramp, a figure emerged, grinning in as feral a way as a Lepi could manage.

"Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Establishment.". Intoned the figure, one of the Tolvite crew. "You are under arrest for sapient trafficking and crimes against the people, property and international community of Tolvis VII. Cooperate and you may live to see a court of law."

The Bothan had of course not come alone. A wide-eyed human a few paces behind tried to bring up a blaster carbine he wore on a sling. From the darkness, there was a muted swishing sound, and a projectile detonated with a soft crump against the human's chest. He went down quickly, plainly quite dead.

Helen jogged forward, dragging the body into the shadows before peering around the open hatch. She ducked back, and turned to the Bothan.

"There are two more guards out there. Call them over. No tricks."

The Bothan, plainly terrified, cleared his throat before calling out.

"Hey, you two! Can you give us a hand with this?"

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Usually, when someone pulled a gun out Zad tended to pull his own out. In this case, his partners were doing that for him, and he still had a part to play. The guards outside needed to believe that all was well and swell inside the ship and go about your business okay thanks.

The Ranger’s form could be seen slipping into the depths with the rest, giving his back to the dock and following behind his guests and their hosts. What he was really doing and where he was really going was something and somewhere else entirely.

As a blaster coughed into the dark and a Human fell into the hands of a Helen to be dragged away, Zad thanked the coordinated speed of his allies and gave them no less. Corth called out to the dock and the two guards came up the ramp.

“Thought we was gonna have the ship’s crew do the unloading, boss!” The organic called.

“Concerned Query: Can this unit expect additional compensation for unwarranted labor?”

“Here’s your compensation.” Just as the droid turned its head Zad’s blaster pistol was staring it in the face. He had appeared from behind after doubling back behind everyone.

But his blaster was just so his teammates could quietly take the droid out with their own. By that point, Zad’s gun was on the Anzat guard not yet shot beside the droid. “Y-You gonna let me live!?”

“Maybe,” the Ranger admitted as he looked between the Anzat and the Bothan. “One of you is gonna give us the rundown of this place. Whoever doesn't is gonna convince the other to by virtue of missing teeth." Zad smiled, showing his pearly whites. He was only...half-serious?

@AutoFox