Ask Unfortunate Coincidences

[Maura Starwalk]

"Ugh, you've gotta be kidding me..."

Maura kicked her foot forward and against the slanted underside of the console in front of her, trying to get rid of the flashing orange 'E' light the old-fashioned way. She knew the ship had been fully fueled when she'd left, so why the hell was she getting the low fuel warning? She kicked it again, but the light stayed orange, so she let out an exaggerated mixture of a sigh and a rumble.

She didn't want to go look at the stupid engine, but here she went, getting up from her seat and begrudgingly making her way into the engine room after dropping out of hyperspace. She wasn't sure exactly where she was, but she was somewhere between the Expansion Region and Outer Rim. It wasn't like anyone was going to stumble upon her, stagnant off a hyperlane... right?

While Maura was away from her pilot seat, the radar began beeping quietly as a ship dropped in and began to approach hers. In the meantime, Maura began inspecting the engine and almost immediately noticed the smell of fuel in the air. No wonder the fuel was low. The ship was leaking gas.

"Oh for fu-"

tag: @Xorism

 

[Sigtryggr Thorite]

Siggy's own ship had been hung up in a faraway yard for repairs for some time now, the young would-be pirate barely made enough these days to cover his own expenses let alone repair battle damage. He'd thought working for a famous pirate would come with a big payday, but the man had gotten himself caught by the ISC and instead left the Deucalian alone again.

Desperation sometimes draws the best out of people, but it can also lead them down a destructive path. With the crowds he usually found himself hanging out with it didn't take long for him to be swooped up into another pirate adventure with the same high promises of credits and stories. The young boy couldn't help but imagine himself being sung about long after he was gone, his people idolized those who struck their way out in the stars to forge their own paths and he wanted to be one such adventurer.

This time instead of flying his own ship, he'd be acting as a passenger on a perfectly innocuous ship. The would-be pirates prowled the space lanes looking for targets of opportunity, while still maintaining some kind of innocent cover. One such target was located by sheer chance, a lost sheep in the vast expanse of space and in clear need of their kind of help.

Siggy might of been the youngest of the quad, but they enjoyed his charm and sense of excitement about traveling the stars. They'd also come to enjoy his ability to open things quickly like they were open doors ripe for the taking. Although this time they were kind of hoping their target would just open up for them.

Dropping out of hyperspace they spotted a lonely craft idling in space. Their 'leader' opened a comm channel and acted all innocently.

"You okay over there? do you require assistance? We'll bring you some assistance."

The transport swung its way behind the vessel, aiming to dock with it. A few tense minutes later they had engaged a lock on the ship and stood quietly with their weapons in hand.

"Alright for the last time, Siggy, you bang on the door and they'll open up. Then you'll barge in and knock 'em over while the rest of us follow you in and cover you. Then we take over the ship and see what kinda valuables they got. Everyone ready?"

Siggy grumbled under his breath, why did he of all people have to go first? Surely it made more sense to send over the bigger boy Percy in as the stumbling fool. If Siggy ran into anyone taller than him he was just as likely to get thrown back whence he came, he thought.

Banging his SB-17 Combat Fusioncutter against the door to let the other ship know they were ready to open the hatch, he waited silently, ready to knock himself into whoever dared open it.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"-ck's sake!" Maura finished her explicit exclamation, her brows furrowed and her lips lifted into a disgruntled pout. If Alex really could hear every time Maura said a bad word, she certainly heard this one (@Valen Pelora). What was worse than a fuel leak in the middle of nowhere? "Pirates, probably."

It wasn't super long ago that she and her master had encountered some rowdy privateering space pirates. They’d ended up getting away, thanks to Maura’s presence being unknown and Alex being, well, the Grandmaster. ”Man, it would really suck if-“

The sound of crackling and distant, muffled radio voices caught the tip of Maura’s ear, and the girl looked up and way from the engine and back toward the cockpit. ”Was that the comms?” A mixture between relief and apprehension filled her chest, but the sound of the ship trying to dock had that apprehension grow stronger. What had they said? She hadn’t been able to quite make it out. Deciding that it was better to be safe than sorry, Maura grabbed her bag, shoved her shit in it, then tossed it into a vent. She grabbed both of her sabers, clipped them to her belt underneath her oversized sweatshirt, and cautiously approached the door someone was banging on.

”At least they’re not just barging in?” Maura, hopeful that they were actually here to help and without much of any other choice, pressed the button to open the door.

tag: @Xorism

 

[Sigtryggr Thorite]

Siggy's heart was racing as the door started to creak open, before he could even stop to recognize the oddly familiar locks, a push came from behind. The smol Deucalian launched forward and into their most gracious host, stumbling a little and knocking his head into her shoulder with a thump.

If Maura was quick enough she might avoid Siggy's dramatic fate as he tumbled down. The remaining pirate crew stepped over the boy and attempted to rush past Maura. If they did, one would start frantically looking for anything of value while the second raised a blaster at Maura triumphantly.

"Hands in da air like you just dun care" the pirate had clearly been listening to too many holovids.

The third pirate came in with a large bag, ready to collect whatever loot they might find.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

The door opened, Maura blinked at the group of men in front of her, and before she could open her mouth to speak, someone barreled into her and sent the both of them tumbling into the ground.

"HEY! WHAT'S THE- OOF!" She was crushed under whoever had landed on top of her. She wiggled underneath him, her clawed hands digging into his shoulder and side as she attempted to forcefully shove the man off of her. "HEY! I SAID- " A surprise foot collided with the side of Maura's head, and she was unceremoniously kicked to the side. Her head began throbbing, her vision briefly blurred, and she felt bile rise in her throat.

Someone was shouting at her, but his voice was distorted. Whoever had kicked her got her right in the ear, which for her sensitive hearing was terrible, terrible, terrible.

The pirates would likely find little of value. It was a loaner Jedi ship after all, and Maura had been well enough to think to throw her bag into a vent and shut the door. Even if they did find it, all they would pull out was a few spare changes of clothes, some Jedi robes, and a datapad. Maybe a handful of credits. Maybe.

Not willing to go down without a fight, Maura reached for her belt and grabbed the first saber her fingers curled around. She ignited it with a hiss, and immediately the room was bathed in brilliant white light as the plasma from her purified blade spilled out from its hilt. She lurched forward and swung her saber toward whoever the man pointing a gun at her was, hoping to slice off the barrel and render it unusable.

tag: @Xorism

 

[Sigtryggr Thorite]

As Siggy saw stars and had to spend a moment collecting his wits, the purate brandishing a weapon towards Maura quickly found that they had picked up a bigger fight than they had planned for. After she sliced it in two, In a panic the man threw the remains of his blaster toward her and attempted to step back and fumble draw a pistol.

The third pirate promptly dropped the bag and looked stunned, clearly not ready to fight a Jedi! He was told they'd be going after easy pickings and nobody would have to get hurt. The first pirate had only found bits and bobs, with something of a disappointed frown perched upon his face. Hearing the saber ignition he turned and gasped, likewise attempting to draw a pistol with all haste.

"Grab her, blue tongue! Quick!" Screamed the first pirate, who seemed to be the oldest, perhaps only a few years older than Siggy. Even with a soggy mind, the Deucalian reflexes kicked in and the boy attempted to grapple Maura's ankles as he twisted his body behind her to avoid the deadly saber.

Grappling her ankles with one arm, he'd try to use momentum to whack at the back of her knees, which might bring her down. In any case this was also the first time he would properly see who it was they were pirating.

"Maura? You're a Jedi??" The astounding familiarity gave all the pirates pause. "Do you know her Siggy?" Asked the stunned pirate, only a little older than he was.

"You could say that..." well things just got awkward.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Her saber cut clean through the pistol and the panic in her assailant's eyes was obvious. Clearly, they hadn't been expecting someone who could and would fight back, especially a teenage girl who looked about fourteen (maybe fifteen) and looked like she'd rolled out of bed. Her hair was frazzled, there was some sort of pasta sauce stain on her oversized sweatshirt, and she was walking around in socks.

The 'easy picking' they'd been eager to rob was the trained apprentice of the Jedi Grandmaster. Even so, she was outnumbered in close quarters and she'd just been kicked in the side of the head, so Siggy was able to grab her and bring her down without too much resistance. Just as quickly as the fighting started though, it ended when Maura and Siggy made eye-contact and realized just who they were fighting.

"Siggy?!" Her jaw dropped. She was just as stunned as he was. "Your tongue is still blue?" This was certainly a cautionary tale against eating hair dye.

"Well, this is awkward." Maura kept her grip tight on her saber, unwilling to stash it away, but she was hoping that this random reunion of sorts would de-escalate the situation. "Uh, yeah. I am," she replied sheepishly, her eyes a little spacey from the concussion she'd just suffered. She really didn't feel that good, but she had to hold out long enough to make sure she was safe.

tag: @Xorism

 

[Sigtryggr Thorite]

Of all the things that Maura could be concerned about, from the menacing pirate crew holding her at gun point, to the being stuck in space thing - the first thing she noticed had to be his tongue. Sweet Freeya, it was embarrassing then and it was embarrassing now.

"Ah, yeah. Someone suggested it made me look more fierce but I'm not so sure." So much for a pirate adventure, he thought. Of all the people in the galaxy he'd run into someone he knew already.

"So are we shooting her or not?" Asked the leader.
"We can't shoot Siggy's friend, Erik" shot back the second.
"Don't use my real name atound enemies, idiot." Scowled the leader.
"She doesn't look like an enemy to me." Replied the second
"That's just a jedi trick, I heard." Piped in the third
"The saber could sell for more than everything we've taken all year." Remarked the leader
"Good luck, Jedi can shoot lightning out their eyes, you'd never get close!" Exclaimed the third.

At this point they weren't even paying attention to Maura and Siggy, the latter giving an amused smirk at the commotion. "What the heck are you doing out here Maura? Are you on a Jedi mission or something?"

The second and more inquisitive boy by the name of Percy spoke up to ask her a question. "Are there more of you? Hidden in the walls or something?"

Siggy wondered if Maura was truly stuck or if it was simply a ruse to find pirates like themselves. If she was really stuck, he supposed they could offer her a ride somewhere. What might happen next would shock you.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Maura was still on the ground with Siggy while his crewmates went back and forth about whether or not they should shoot her, whether or not they should steal and sell her lightsaber, or if she could shoot lightning out of her eyes. Maura grinned, wondering if she could actually convince them that she could do that.

"Well, I was on my way home, but there's a fuel leak," she explained with a frown. "And I dunno, I didn't check," she added with a grin, looking up at Siggy's crewmate. There weren't, but she wanted to see if it would get a reaction out of him.

No longer wishing to remain sprawled out on the ground, Maura got up on her feet and offered a hand to Siggy as well. "So uh, you were going to rob me?" she asked awkwardly, frowning, but not seeming entirely offended. "There's like, not really anything worth stealing on here." Now that she saw Siggy was here, she felt much more comfortable speaking casually with her would-be assailants.

"Do you think you could give me a ride to wherever you guys were heading?" she asked.

tag: @Xorism

 

[Sigtryggr Thorite]

The Deucalian boy listened quietly as Maura spoke, they'd bonded a little since they first met and he immediately knew that he could trust her then and there. But now he was back with his crew and the conflict between the person he was with them verses the person that she knew, was real.

"Uh, well obviously not you in particular but generally, I guess." Siggy wasn't really selling them well, but then again they weren't exactly an elite band of pirates either. He'd been in a combat situation before but he didn't exactly have the best track record fighting against Jedi either.

He thought about the situation for a second, while his friends continued to argue among themselves. One of the pirates seemed to paranoidly be watching the walls for signs of movement. Suddenly he was hit with a wave of inspiration.

"Even better, would you like to join us for a raid?" Siggy had a sneaky-looking smirk on his face, he kind of expected Maura to not be super excited about the prospect of being a pirate, but he had already thought about that. The target was something that they hadn't really had the firepower to tackle on their own but with a super-powerful Jedi with them, it would be a piece of cake.

"There's a Zygerrian slaver that travels through here, from what I've heard he's a real jerk and has a droid security team on board his ship but if we can get past them then it'll be ours!" Slavery was an accepted part of Deucalian culture, so it wasn't that aspect that drove the desire but the potential riches locked away. Though if they had to free some captured souls to make Maura happy doing so, that was a small price to pay.

"What do you think? Don't worry, if you'd rather go home we can drop you off at the nearest station but I just hoped you'd love an adventure just as much as I do," he asked excitedly, hoping she'd be interested.

@lizziie