Ask Do You Want to See My Ship?

[Maryenne Vennen]

Maryenne stared at the ship, trying to associate the speed that Hauron said with the vessel in front of her. It reminded her vaguely of a jet from a holomovie that she watched years ago. Beyond that, the Senator couldn’t even give a name to the model. No, the term correct was class. At least that she knew.

“It would be a pleasure.” the Senator said, following the Mandalorian. She paid attention to her surroundings, staring with surprise at the great number of smaller ships that were being stored inside it. This showed that the Rancor Squad was prepared for an armed conflict. Really impressive.

She smiled when Hauron explained the name of the ship to her. “Then I discovered your true love. I thought that it was your armor.” Maryenne giggled. “With all that you said, this ship works well as a base of operations.” the Senator tried to show that she had understood during all this time. However, she wasn’t sure if it was convincing.

“I need to be honest with you. I have no idea what you are talking about. It’s my first time visiting a war vessel, too.” in the end, Maryenne decided to be sincere. “I don’t know why it is called a carrier. Is it because it can carry starfighters?” the Gatalentan vaguely remembers that the Anaxes Naval College had made classifications regarding ships, but she never read them.

“I don’t know if I would ever know how to fire, even if you didn’t disable it.” she approached the ship that Hauron had chosen early. Maryenne hoped that her knowledge about piloting a space yacht and speeders would be enough to make the vessel fly.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

"I can love more than one thing..." The same was true about people. "Armor is sacred to mandalorians but it is starships that give us the freedom to travel the galaxy. Maybe when scientists can put a hyperdrive on a suit of armor I might change my tune." He said jokingly. But he really doubted even if that were possible he would lose a love for starships, or the Dralaalar in particular considering all that it had been through. It was just as much of a home to him as Mandalore was.

The Group Leader chuckled the Senator's confession. "My apologies. We can go as fast or as slow as you want." The flirtacious line was out of Hauron's mouth before he it. He continued on to answer he question. "You are correct, Maryenne. Let me know if you have any other questions. There will not be a quiz at the end of the tour." The mandalorian was very well schooled in warships and naval tactics but did not want to ramble on about subjects that were irrelevant or uninteresting.

Hauron got into the interceptor, expecting Maryenne to follow suite but before he fully sat down he looked at the Gatalentan. Her admittance was not a surprise to the mikkian. Unless someone was a member of the planetary defense force or a interstellar pilot they rarely had the opportunity to get behind the weapons of a starship let alone a military grade vessel. "You'll learn soon enough. Here, let me give you a hand." He climbed back down and would give her a hand up to the vessel. It was very much a modern version of a knight aiding a princess mount a horse. Only in this case the horse was a super sonic interceptor.

Hauron waited until she was seated before he pointed out the controls. "This controls pitch, up and down..." Hauron flattened his hand and turned it into a miniature example to show directions. "...move it this way or that and it will make the ship roll." Gesturing past her feet he would point out the pedals. "those pedals at your feet control the yaw or "left turn" and "right turn" but there are also controls for that at your hands too. Of course here's the throttle and also brakes." He would patiently repeat himself again if the Senator asked him to. "The easiest way to remember the difference between port and starboard is "port" is four letters and so is "left". By process of elimination that means starboard is right. That's how I first learned to memorize it anyways." Once she was situated, he would get into his seat and begin startup procedures. "How are you feeling?" She seemed a little nervous at least.

@LouJoVi

 

[Maryenne Vennen]

”Well, I think that even I would want to use an armor with hyperdriver. It would be fun to travel without needing to carry an entire entourage with you.” ‘And an inconsequential brother.’ she added mentally. “Although, I think that the jetpacks that the Mandalorians use will be the closest thing to having a flying armor for a long time.” perhaps even forever. Maryenne couldn’t understand engineering, but she really doubted that someone would ever be capable of fitting a hyperdrive in suit armor.

“I’m relieved that there wasn’t a kiss.” the Senator said, her cheeks a bit red due to Hauron’s flirtatious words. “Thank you for being attentive.” she smiled at him, being grateful for the Mandalorian having the patience of explaining to her more details about the ships. Details that for others could be pretty obvious.

Usually, Maryenne was the type of person that likes doing everything by herself, but she accepted the hand that Hauron offered to her. She never entered a vessel like this one before and was afraid of falling inside it if not being careful.

Once she was seated, Hauron started to explain to her how to pilot it. And, oh my gosh, there was a lot for her to remember. Her hands moved over the controls, while her feet hovered over the pedals. “Okay, I got it. I guess.” she muttered, reminding the information that he told her. Then she turned to look at him. “I’m a bit nervous, but we can go now.”

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron wondered if there was a deeper meaning behind Maryenne's words. She wanted individual freedom and independence for herself, something that as an honest servant of the people would rarely happen. The Rally Master rarely took the chance to take leave from Rancor Squadron and even then he often found himself working in some capacity to support the enterprising tribe of Mandalorians. "It is fun to think about."

A slightly muffled chuckle came from Hauron and he smiled seeing her blush. He decided to push his luck and flirt a bit more and add a bit of fun trivia long the way. "Mandalorians sometimes kiss with their foreheads. A Keldabe Kiss is another name for a mandalorian headbutt. But rest assured I would be far more gentle with you, Senator." His voice had an innocent teasing note to it as he said her title.

"You're welcome, Maryenne." His helmet center on her when her replied to her thanks. This time his voice lacking the jesting tone and replaced with sincerity.

Eventually the Gatalentan seemed to get an understanding of the basics. He stopped himself when it seemed like he was overwhelming her. "Just pretend we're riding a pegasus or something. I'll be here with you the whole time." He hoped that made things easier.

The two seater interceptor's repulsors and engines wound up to an audible thrum. The body of the ship ascended vertically from the deck of the carrier's hangar before gently hovering forward and maintaining an altitude over the parked starships. The mandalorian was an expert pilot and had grown up traversing the depths of space so the Senator was in safe hands. Still, he wanted to make sure she felt comfortable and flew smooth even if it ended up being fast.

Soon they were flying over the lush landscape of Gatlaneta and climbing higher through the atmosphere. The Group Leader would give them both a slow banking view of the terrain as well as the numerous Mandalorian ships nearby. He looked over towards Maryenne to see how she was doing.

@LouJoVi

 

[Maryenne Vennen]

Hauron’s flirt made Maryenne’s cheeks get red. Now the Senator was pretty sure that the Mandalorian was flirting with her and she had no idea of how to react to this. She didn’t have much experience with relationships, being busy most of the time. First with her education, now with her job. Due to that, she could only open her mouth like a fish.

And laugh like an idiot, too. Because she obviously would make a fool of herself by accident.

Her laugh became more natural when he made the comparison between the fighter and a pegasus. “Yes, a flying horse that weighs more than a ton and can fly faster than any bird. And can fly in the space.” she said, not being able to see the similarity that Hauron had pointed out. However, it had been enough to distract her from the panic attack that she was having.

When the ship left the ground, Maryenne was relaxed. She watched the landscape, while the vessel left the Mandalorian camp. She could watch how the inhabitants of the place walked around the tents and improvised buildings, like miniatures. It was an impressive sight.

However, the best part was when the ship left the camp and started to fly over the Gatalentan forests and green fields. It was a sight that Maryenne never thought that could be so beautiful. “It’s amazing! I lived in Gatalenta my entire life, but never saw how much green there covered it! It’s like we are flying over a green sea.” she smiled at the window, admiring a lake that they had passed over.

“Thanks for this opportunity.” she said, now looking at Hauron’s back. “I think that I don’t want to go down ever again!” Maryenne had barely finished saying it when her EZPhone sounded, announcing that she had received a message. “Sorry, I need to see, it can be important.”

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hearing the Senator's laughter kept his smile for awhile. Hauron would relent with his toying of Maryenne for now. There would be plenty more for later.

The mandalorian was glad to see the mix of excitement and relaxation emit from the Gatlentan as they flew through the skies. "It really is a beautiful world." He replied as they passed a large lake reflecting shimmering sunlight. The banks even had tiny specs that were likely wildlife getting a drink. The Mikkian would be proud if this were his homeworld.

He nodded at hearing her claims and appreciation. "You're welcome. We have plenty of fuel so we can take-." He trailed off as her EZPhone gave an alert. He gave a quiet nod and a gentle murmur of understanding. While Maryenne checked her device he would focus on flying. The interceptor's nose began pointing towards another one of Rancor Squadron's vessels.

@LouJoVi

 

[Maryenne Vennen]

Maryenne smiled at Hauron, before picking up her EZPhone to read the message. Her smile died out, while her face became pale. Bringing a hand to cover her mouth, the Senator started to shake her head. Something terrible had happened and she needed to return home.

“Please, can we come back?” she said, struggling to maintain the calm. “I need to go home, something happened with my brother.” Maryenne wondered if she could tell the Mandalorian what had happened. So far, the man had proved to be very nice, but she didn’t want to trouble him with her problems.

“I need to help my brother. He had some problems with a gang in Kuat due to gambling.” she said, deciding to reveal her problem to him. “He is an idiot, but still my brother.”

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron heard the strain in Maryenne's voice. Something must have happened. A moment later she enlightened him without needing to ask. "Of course." He began adjusting course and heading back towards the camp.

As he changed the ship's path he listened to the senator's explanation but he could not help but ask questions. "Is it an emergency, dangerous I mean?" The Mikkian waited to hear if it need him to speed up. The interceptor was exceptionally fast even in atmosphere so they would have one of the quickest vessels in the galaxy to get them where Maryenne needed to be.

The Group Leader did not want to make assumptions. This could be the end of their meeting today if Maryenne did not feel like sharing her personal life. This probably went beyond the planetary defense against pirates or training of their military. Still, Hauron could not help but feel like volunteering his assistance.

@LouJoVi

 

[Maryenne Vennen]

At first, Maryenne didn’t want to tell the details about what was happening. She felt that it would be overstepping, since Hauron was in Gatalenta with the purpose of helping protect the planet. He wasn’t there to work as her personal bodyguard. However, the Senator feared that this time she wasn’t going to be able to save her brother by herself.

“Since I wasn’t at home, he decided to go to Kuat. There he involved himself in problems with a gang after not paying the money that he lost gambling. He sent me a message saying that they were chasing him.” Maryenne explained, her voice was still shaken. She feared what could be happening with her brother.

“I need to get here and find a way to help him. Maybe paying his debt.” she was sure that it would help. Whenever Joscelyn got in trouble, Maryenne would appear and save him with her money. It always worked. “Can you help me with it? I know that the treaty didn't talk about it, so I’ll pay for your services as a bodyguard.”

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron could feel the hesitation from Maryenne but waited patiently in silence. The Senator would eventually explain the situation in more detail. Even with that bit of information the mandalorian reserved any judgement for later. The bottom line was Maryenne's brother needed help and Hauron was willing to help.

Before he could volunteer his assistance Maryenne would ask for it. The calm and collected Group Leader gave a nod of his helmeted head a moment later. "Happy to be of service. Kuat you said?" The man brought the interceptor to land much faster than they had left. The mikkian pilot was less smooth and comfortable but trying to make all haste for a landing. "Any idea of these gangsters' strength or numbers?" Maybe Maryenne had dealt with this on more than one occasion.

He tapped the controls to call ahead to Rancor Squadron and have them make sure his personal Rasmus class assault ship would be ready. The Beloved Lance would be prepped for take off as soon as Maryenne and Hauron stepped onboard. The Kuat system would not take kindly to a fleet of Mandalorian ships showing up unannounced so a single non-mandalorian class of ship seemed appropriate. The starship possessed a class 1 hyperdrive as well, allowing them to travel intragalacticly with haste.

@LouJoVi

 

[Maryenne Vennen]

”Thank you! Yes, Kuat.” she said, grateful for Hauron having accepted to help her. However, when he asked about their numbers, the Senator got concerned. “I have no idea. My brother was always able to escape from them by giving them money, or I would pay it myself. I never saw them in person, but I know that their group is called the Red Skull.”

Maryenne wanted to have more information, but she didn’t have it. Her brother could ask her help when he was in trouble, but he usually hid from her how dangerous these situations were. Perhaps Joscelyn feared that she would be in panic if he told her everything.

In the end, he was right. Maryenne was really in panic.

When Hauron landed the ship back on the Mandalorian camp, Maryenne jumped out of it and followed him toward a ship that would bring them to Kuat. Before climbing on it, she sent a message back to her home, informing them to send someone to pick Fanuilos. THe poor horse would be so afraid without her.

With that done, they would proceed with the trip.

She prayed that her brother would be well.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Spoiler: Music

Song

They were working with limited intelligence on this Red Skull group. But it sounded like they were motivated by money. Hopefully that meant they could be reasoned with. The Solus would not jump right to eliminating every problem with a blaster bolt. There could be consequences later down the line if he acted brashly.

The combat boots of the Mandalorian thundered up the ramp of his ship one in front of the other until they brought Hauron onboard. He headed right for the cockpit and slipped into the pilot seat. He had not even stopped swiveling in the chair as he began pre-flight checks. The Mikkian raced through them with practiced skill as his hands danced across the controls. "Strap in." He urged the senator in a serious tone.

As soon as the engines were running the ship lifted off the ground and pushed the passengers into their seats, Hauron included. The ship accelerated all the way out of the carrier and continued into the sky at a near vertical incline. The moment they were safely clear of the planet's atmosphere the Beloved Lance made the jump to hyperspace. Maryenne and Hauron would be arriving at Kuat well within the hour thanks to the Mandalorians navigation skills and their close proximity to their destination system and the advanced integrated droid A.I.

The senator and group leader would have dozens of minutes which would seem like ages for Hauron and probably even longer for Maryenne. But it gave the Mandalorian time to come up with a rough plan and contingencies should things turn sour. Waiting was one of the hardest things to do but there was no way of getting around it. Soon enough though, the Beloved Lance would make the typical boom as it exited hyperspace.

"Alright, where is he?" The Kuat System was busy to say the least. With hundreds if not thousands of ships traveling around the various planets in the solar system it would be difficult to pick out any one ship. But Hauron doubted Joscelyn was in a starship otherwise he would have just tried to escape, probably. The Rasmus class assault ship continued to head towards the shipyards that formed a ring around the planet and in turn, its surface.

@LouJoVi

 

[Maryenne Vennen]

Maryenne followed Hauron inside the ship, one of large ones that the Mandalorian had shown her early. If it was in other circumstances, the Senator would have remembered its name. However, now she only had Joscelyn’s safety on her mind and no other detail mattered.

She entered the cockpit, sitting in the chair next to Hauron. The silence between them was sepulchral, being broken only by the sound of the man using the consoles of the ship. It was a stark contrast from their conversation from early. Perhaps when her brother was safe, they would be able to continue it.

The ship left the atmosphere of Gatalenta and jumped into the hyperspace. The distance between it and Kuat wasn’t large, with the two systems being close to each other. However, the trip seemed to take an eternity, with Maryenne constantly thinking if her brother would still be alive when they arrived.

“He is in Kuat City, in a cantina called Star of Kuat.” she told Hauron, shortly after the ship left the hyperspace. “I think that it’s part of the Red Skulls territory.” she remembered that detail and hoped that it could be useful. “Have you ever visited Kuat before?”

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

As Hauron piloted the Beloved Lance towards Kuat he tapped several controls. The communication array onboard the assault ship would allow the Group Leader to give an update to Rancor Squaderon back in the Gatalenta system. The holographic bust of a mandalorian clad in armor appeared on the dashboard. A similar image of Hauron would be appearing in front of Serin Voss, a commander in Rancor Squadron. <"Serin, gather any intelligence we have on a Red Skull gang. They likely deal in gambling, money laundering and blackmail. Do it discretely if you can. I don't want this gang knowing we're looking into them."> It was a long shot but it was better late than never. There was always the chance the mercenaries would come across them again so Hauron wanted to start collecting the right cards to have in his hand. The call ended after the brief exchange, leaving the mandalorian to once again sit in stoic silence.

The tone shift from earlier was palpable. The Mikkian was in work mode, all business and focused on the task at hand. There would be time for soft words and relaxed minds later. But for now he was working a job and would do it to the best of his ability until it was finished.

The Solus Forge Master would not share his exact whereabouts with his own unit. Not because he did not trust them. But rather even encrypted communications had the potential for being intercepted. He trusted his mercenary company to operate independently and protect Gatalenta in his and the Senator's absence. As far as they were concerned it was business as usual.

The ship flew closer to the surface of Kuat, passing ships and merging with the masses of traffic. The vessel was one among many now and innocuous to any observers. The mandalorian pilot slowed the ship to not draw more attention but he still tried to fly through the capital city quickly.

"Star of Kuat." He repeated the name outloud, confirming he had heard Maryenne correctly before answering her follow up question. "Only a few times and not for very long. I never went to the surface, just the ring." He refered to the shipyards that orbited the planet. His mind remembered stopping on long trips for refueling or supplies. But nothing had drawn him to the planet until now. "You?" He returned the question in kind. Any information could help prevent things going from bad to worse.

The Beloved Lance would come in for landing on a floating sky-pad. It was relatively close to the cantina so it would only take them a few minutes to walk there. Hopefully the gangsters were not hot on Joscelyn’s tail. If he was staying in one place he must have a reason for it. Otherwise they would be swooping in to extract him. Dozens of questions and concerns swirled in Hauron's mind but it all of them would be answered in time.

@LouJoVi

 

[Maryenne Vennen]

Maryenne heard Hauron talk with another Mandalorian through a holographic message. Since they arrived in Gatalenta, the Senator had made an effort to learn their language, the Mando’a. She still couldn’t say it, but the woman could understand some of the words that were being said.

However, she was able to understand enough to know that Hauron was ordering the other Mandalorian to find more information about the Red Skull. It made her fear decrease, because she was starting to trust in the Rancor Squad’s competence. They had been very successful in training Gatalenta’s army.

She also trusted Hauron, a lot.

“I never visited the Ring. I went directly to the surface when doing diplomatic visits.” she said, while they approached the atmosphere of the world. “My brother went on one of my visits to Kuat City. It was there that he met the Red Skulls for the first time.” she wondered if putting a chain on him would have avoided that situation.

“He used to stay in a hotel called the First Kuati. Maybe he could be here.” Maryenne remembered that Joscelyn told her that he considered it the best hotel on the planet. Maybe he could be staying there.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Already Maryenne had a better idea of what to expect on Kuat than Hauron. He would defer to her experience if came to getting directions. Otherwise the badger would rely on his personav to navigate the planet.

The expressionless T visor nodded at the suggestion. "We'll head to the hotel if he isn't at the cantina. It seems strange that he would be hiding in the gang's territory though. They either already have him, he's cornered, or its where they would least expect him to be." The Mikkian was just guessing at Joscelyn's reasoning. "If he's been running from the gang he's probably using an alias and avoiding his old haunts." At least that would be the smart thing to do. Then again, the smart thing was to not owe money to a criminal organization.

In a few minutes the Senator and Forge Master were standing outside the Star of Kuat. "Are you armed?" Hauron asked, coming to the realization things could turn to violence. He should not assume himself to be the only one capable of pulling a trigger. Maryenne may even jump the gun if her sibling's wellbeing was threatened.

"We're being watched." A beautiful woman and an armored Mandalorian drew attention. This was indeed Red Skull territory. A pair of bikers leaned on their swoop bikes outside of the cantina. Their jackets sported crimson decals hinting at their association. Hopefully the bikers just saw Maryenne and Hauron as a couple of colorful patrons looking for a drink.

Entering the cantina they would leave the two gangsters to their cigaras and their idle chatter. Inside the cantina were no less than a dozen customers at various tables, booths and spots along the bar. Hauron led the way deeper into the establishment. Eventually, towards the back of the building there was one booth that sat beside the kitchen door. Sitting in a seat with a hood drawn over their head was the Gatalentan man they were looking for. Hauron stood by the table, allowing Maryenne to slide into the booth first. That way if any shooting happened he would be able to shield her with his body at least.

@LouJoVi

 

[Maryenne Vennen]

Maryenne listened to Hauron’s suggestions. When he mentioned an alias, she remembered something that could help. “When he wanted to avoid me, Joscelyn used fake IDs. The most recent one goes by Josh Nuryn.” she explained, immediately remembering the several times that her brother tried to escape from her to go partying and gambling.

As soon as they left the ship in a spaceport, the two found themselves in front of the Star of Kuat. It was exactly like how she remembered last time that she came hunting her brother after he tried to evade her during a visit on Kuat.

“No, I didn’t bring any weapon.” Maryenne confessed. They had left Gatalenta in such a rush that she didn’t even remember to pick one for herself. Now they were entering the territory of a gang, with only Hauron armed. This wasn’t looking good for them, but what could she do now that they had already arrived?

She felt even more nervous when Hauron said that they were being watched. Maryenne noticed the pair of bikers looking at them. The red skull on their leather jackets was an obvious signal of what gang they were part of. The Senator looked away from them and stayed close to the Mandalorian.

Once inside the cantina, Maryenne followed Hauron. She wasn’t used to being in a place like this one, deciding to stay as close as possible to the Madalorian. They sat together in a booth, wondering what they were going to do now. As if hearing her thoughts, the pair of bikers entered the cantina. Their presence made all the customers fall in silence.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron gave a mild murmur at hearing the alias, confirming he had heard it and committed it to memory. The Mandalorian was wholly focused on the job at hand. Maryenne had hired him to serve as her bodyguard and to save her brother. He would put his life on the line to see the job to the end.

"If shooting starts, stay down and do everything I say." He hoped that went without saying. But the Forge Master said it anyways. No doubt the senator's mind was primarily concerned with the well being of her kin. Regardless, in the heat of the moment people tended to forget things, even self preservation.

"Nuryn." He said Joscelyn's alleged alias as a greeting and knew the man recognized the two of them. "How bad is it?" The Mikkian was asking if this was salvageable and were the Red Skull gang still willing to make a deal or was he going to have to shoot his way out of this.

@LouJoVi