The suns of Tatooine beat down upon the rocky ledges of Beggar's Canyon. Nestled in the sparse shade of a narrow overhang, three men crouch. The foremost of the trio, Biggs Darklighter, holds in his hands a slugthrower rifle, trained on the valley below in which half a dozen hairy, fanged wamp rats scurry about, occasionally growling and sniffing the air about them.

"Careful, Biggs," says the muscular Janek Sunber, a hint of mockery in his tone, "You only got one shot."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:57, Thu 19 July 2018.

Biggs grins, though he does not take his eye from the wamp rat on which his rifle is trained. He fires, and the thunder of the shot echoes throughout the canyon about them. The rats scatter, bolting to nearby crevices. All save one, which collapses lifelessly to the rocky ground, smoke issuing from its side.

"I believe that puts me at three to two," he says with just a hint of smugness as he passes the rifle to the third young man, Luke Skywalker.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:25, Thu 19 July 2018.

Janek gives him a mock scowl, but then slaps him good naturally on the shoulder.

"Nothing like a good comeback," he grins.

"We'd better keep moving along the canyon," Biggs chuckles, rising and clambering out into the sun, "Those rats won't be coming back anytime soon. We should find more as we get closer to the main nesting grounds."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:26, Thu 19 July 2018.

Even as he speaks, the low rumble of a sublight drive reaches their ears, faint but growing steadily louder.

Biggs waves at the others to halt, quickly sliding back down into the cleft and drawing the battered blaster pistol at his side.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:54, Thu 19 July 2018.

Janek, who, like Luke, is not wealthy enough to own a personal blaster, draws a long knife from the sheath at his side.

"Hutts?" he murmurs quietly to Biggs.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 04:27, Thu 19 July 2018.

"Maybe," Biggs replies, gaze keen as he waits for the approaching ship to come into view.

Luke accepted the rifle and commented, "You just wait, I'll beat your score!"

When the unexpected ship arrives, he joins the others in taking cover, readying his rifle.

"Out here?  What for?"

Inside the ship, Mittens warns her best buddy, eyes closed in concentration, "Three sentients are watching.  They... don't feel evil?  But one of them is most certainly strong in The Force.  Like... stronger than my master by far.  Weird.  How is he not Darkside with that kinda blatant power?  Wouldn't he have been found by the inquisitors by now?"

Angel skews her lips to the side. She has known Mittens for three years now, so she can tell when Mittens isn't joking around. "Not evil... still, let's be careful. Just 'cause they aren't evil doesn't mean they don't think we are. Maybe it would be best to make them come to us?"

Angel is never without a blaster. But a rifle would be really nice about now. Then again, that is all the more reason for her suggestion of having the three approach them instead of going outside right away just to get shot where they stand.

The ship, a Corellian G9 Rigger-class light freighter, comes into view of the men a few seconds latter, its engine spluttering badly as it begins to descend sharply towards the canyon floor. The pilot seems to be competent, managing to control the freighter enough to avoid a series of outcropping rocks. It eventually splutters and comes to halt roughly on the rocky floor, not far from the corpse of Biggs' wamp rat.

Janek's brow creases, and he glances at Biggs.

Biggs waits for a moment or two, but when no one seems to emerge from the ship, he silently gestures for his companions to follow as he begins to clamber as carefully as he is able down the rocky slope to the ship.

"That doesn't look good.  You think the pilot's hurt?"

Luke hurries ahead of the others, not being nearly as careful about clambering down the slope.

"Hey!  Are you alright?"

"Luke!" Biggs calls, increasing his speed to catch up with his friend, "Luke! Be careful!"

"Great!" mutters Janek, struggling to keep up with his swifter companions, "Probably a bunch of gamorreans waiting to ambush us..."

"Mittens cannot help herself, and must make a dramatic entrance!"

The bay door opens and kicks up a small cloud of dust.  Out from behind the cloud steps a hooded figure, head bowed, and hands tucked into the opposite sleeves.  (( Kinda like this: http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Star-Wa...R3Dw,Qszw~~60_57.JPG ))

Biggs skids to a halt twenty meters or so from the newly emerged cloaked figure, quickly leveling his blaster. He tilts his head slightly to one side, looking perplexed.

"Who are you?" he asks hesitantly.

"Well, it's not a gamorrean," Janek pants, clutching a stitch in his side as he reaches Biggs, "Looks more like an oversized jawa..."

Angel can overhear Luke calling out. Given the stranger's concern, Angel doesn't mind Mittens deciding on exiting the ship.

She shrugs and decides to watch and see if anyone draws a weapon on Mittens, keeping her own weapon handy in case anyone makes any sudden moves. Upon seeing that someone does keep a weapon on Mittens, but isn't firing, Angel calls out from inside, "Her name is Mittens and she is being dramatic on purpose because she's silly. We're not here to harm anyone... just a couple of kids forced to land here."

Luke also comes to a sudden halt when the bay door opened.  He gives a glance to Biggs and his blaster, looking a tad embarrassed.

"Kids?!  Well I'm glad to hear you're not hurt.  But what about the pilot?"

Upon hearing the voice of a young woman, Biggs quickly lowers his blaster.

"My apologies," he says, also quite clearly abashed as he holsters the weapon, "We thought you might be working for the Hutts."

Mittens pulls her hood back and gives an impish smile and wink.  "That's my friend Angel.  You'll soon see she lives up to her name.  Apology accepted.  We piloted the ship together!  ...Because some nasty kidnappers were chasing us.  And you are...?"

"I'm Biggs," Biggs smiles and gives a slight bow, "This is Luke and Janek. We were just doing a little hunting. Kidnappers?" he adds, his brow creasing.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:08, Thu 19 July 2018.

Angel sees Biggs holster the weapon and decides it safe enough to holster hers as well before coming out of hiding and walking out onto the plank so the others can see her. She is immediately hit with the wave of heat and the brightness makes her squint some even in the shade her ship is providing.

But complaining is beneath her. Only the weak complain. So she refuses to comment on the heat and tries to allow her eyes to adjust some. "Nice to meet you. Very refreshing to see friendly faces after the chase we just experienced. Speaking of; in case our pursuers are still after us, we should find somewhere else to be. This ship isn't going anywhere since it's pretty much out of fuel."

Luke has that perplexed look on his face when taking in the newcomers' claims.  "So... a couple of kids own their own ship?  You're in luck that people with a speeder just happened to be out here.  You should lock your ship up tight before going anywhere, though.  And that's no guarantee the Jawas won't begin taking apart while you're away."

Upon seeing Angel, Janek seems to redden slightly.

"I'm Janek," he says quickly, seemingly unaware that Biggs has already introduced him.

"Luke's right," Biggs agrees, "It doesn't take them long to find an abandoned vessel out here."

Mits takes a look at the dead animal not far away.  "I can see that.  Nice to meet you, concerned citizens!  We can tell you the epic tale of our narrow escape in a commandeered ship that we have every intention of returning to it's rightful owner assuming said owner isn't some evil villain ASAP!  And thanks for offering a ride!"

Angel glances at Janek upon him mentioning his name again. Seeing him turning a shade of red, Angel gives him a smile.

Angel doesn't know what a Jawa is, but isn't about to admit that.

Angel says, "Right. I'll lock it up. Thanks." and proceeds to do just that. After all... to be able to steal the ship, she had to have the keys.

When the ship is all locked up, Angel reunites with the bunch and says, "Lead the way."

Luke lets out an exacerbated sigh.  "You STOLE it?!  You'd better hope it wasn't from anyone especially dangerous.  Which describes almost everyone on this planet who owns a ship.  Alright.  Come on."

He waves a hand to indicate which way to the speeder and start walking that way.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:37, Thu 19 July 2018.

At Angel's smile, Janek reddens even more, grinning shyly back.

"Right!" he says, recovering himself as Angel finishes locking the ship, "The speeder is parked just at the top of that-"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:41, Thu 19 July 2018.

He is cut off by the deafening echo of a slugthrower as a pellet strikes the rocky ground a few meters to Luke's left.

"Sand people!" Biggs shouts, peering up at the cliffs far above, "Get back!"

"Sorry I didn't foresee that!" Mits apologizes, snatching the nearest guy to pull him to cover.  Which happens to be Biggs.  "Take cover, guys!"

Angel takes cover with the others, draws her weapon and asks, "How many of them?"

Sure, she is curious what they want, but she figures she'll ask that once she knows the threat assessment.

Luke was giving a confused look to Janek when the shooting started.  He of course dives for cover and readies his rifle.  "Oh great.  First a stolen ship, and now this!"

He tries his best to make out the numbers of the hostiles.

The tusken raiders are skilled at hiding, and it is difficult to determine their numbers. But as more shots begin to pepper the ground about them, they estimate their are at least a dozen of them.

Janek doesn't seem to be in the mood to run.

"Throw me the rifle!" he calls to Luke, advancing to crouch behind a low boulder.

"Come on, Janek!" Biggs calls as he takes cover with Mittens, his blaster pistol drawn once more, "This is no time to try and be a hero."

Janek glances at Angel, and his expression suggests that he feels this is exactly the time to try to be a hero. He then glances back to Luke expectantly.

"You guys get out of here, I'll hold them off."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:38, Fri 20 July 2018.

"Really?!  People made of sand!?

"Wow.  That's a lot of very poor shots."

She pops open the ship's ramp and beacons to the others as she heads inside.  "Their pea-shooters won't even scratch this ship's hull.  And the weapons aren't powered by the engine fuel.  Or you could just stay out here and return fire with pea-shooters."

For all of the catgirl's weirdness, she's finally said something that makes sense to Luke.  Return fire with the BIG GUNS!  He smirks and tosses Janek the rifle.  "You have fun with that.  I'm going to be manning one of this beauty's gun turrets!"

He runs inside after Mittens.

Angel is grateful for Janek's offer, but isn't interested in anyone dying today.

Angel says, "Everyone inside!" and hurries in while firing rapidly and blindly just to lay some cover fire. Wasn't this the very tactic Angel had Mittens use earlier? Stay inside so the others were forced to come to them? And it worked. But will it work on Sand people?

Once she gets aboard, Angel hurries over to one of the ship weapons and tries to get it aiming in the general direction the sand people are at.

Janek catches the rifle and doesn't move toward the ship. That is, until a shot finally finds its mark, grazing deeply into his arm and drawing blood. Janek curses, and firing a wild blast up at the cliffs above, hurries into the ship after the others.

Biggs stands by the boarding ramp, ushering everyone in until all are aboard. He finally brings up the rear behind Janek.

"Nice!" he calls to Luke and Mittens as they prep the turrets. He stations himself just inside the ramp, crouching, blaster trained on the entrance.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:35, Fri 20 July 2018.

"Fire warning shots first, please," Mittens requests, abandoning her dash for the nearest turret in favor of turning around and closing the bay door.

"Not to be presumptuous or anything, but I am sworn to a code of honor that values life and I must do everything in my power to preserve it.  Even if evil sand monsters are attacking unprovoked and deserve to have their sandy faces blasted off.  And that means not luring said monsters into a death trap if scaring them off is an option."

She then pops open a panel to take out the first-aid kit inside.

Luke shrugs, powering up the turret and training it on the enemy.  "Scare them off and they'll likely regroup and call for reinforcements.  But I was going to shoot a warning shot anyway."
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:45, Fri 20 July 2018.

Angel shrugs and fires in the direction of the sand people. BADOOM! "Alright. Then somebody get on the com, set it to speaker and let them know that was a warning shot and they have 10 seconds to either surrender or get out of here before we destroy the entire area. Then countdown for dramatic effect. Bonus if you can speak their language."

Several slug pellets strike the outside of the ship, but Angel's blast seems to do the trick. The shots cease instantly, and those of the party with keen eyes are able to make out a couple of the robed Tuskens rising and hurrying from sight atop the cliffs.

"Sand people don't speak Basic," Biggs informs Angel as he moves away from the sealed ramp, "But they scare easily, so your shot should do the trick. But they'll come back, like Luke says, with greater numbers."

"I'm fine, it's just a scratch," Janek informs to Mittens. He does not stop her, however, when she begins to bandage his arm.

"We'd better get up there as soon as we can," he agrees, "Otherwise we're gonna find ourselves surrounded by whole tribe of the savages."

Mits smiles.  "Nice!  Thanks for accommodating my sensibilities.  No little sand children will be given news of daddy being murdered by those fleshy monsters our tribe hates so much, giving them reason to grow up to get revenge."

Despite what one might think, Mittens is not one to be rough with an injured guy she's annoyed at for crushing on her best buddy.  The medicated bandage is applied with the utmost gentleness.

"If that's just a scratch, I'd hate to see what you'd consider a serious wound."

"The speeder's up past the slope," Luke informs, "So we need to get moving right away if we want to get to it in time."

He heads for the ramp to open it.

At the mention of a 'serious wound', Biggs is reminded of Janek's most recent attempt at matching his feat of 'threading the needle' in his T-16 skyhopper.

Aloud, he simply says, "Let's go!"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:22, Fri 20 July 2018.

Having seen the blast did the trick, Angel shrugs and hops out of her seat to follow the others and once everyone is out, she locks the ship again before following the bunch at a quick pace. She smirks over at Mittens. "Thanks for taking care of Janek, Mittens."
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:26, Fri 20 July 2018.

Janek doesn't know whether to interpret Angel's smirk as a good thing or not. But she did notice, so that's got to be a good thing, right?

"Those savages have probably torn the speeder to shreds," he surmises darkly as he joins the others in exiting the ship.

There is no sign of the tusken raiders, who seem to have all fled, at least temporarily.

The energetic catgirl grins and thumbs-ups in reply to Angel.  "No prob!  I'm sure our heroes would be just as quick to patch us up if the roles were reversed.  I'll take point!  Onwaaard!"

Mits rushes ahead like she knows exactly where the speeder is and she just can't wait to be the first to find out if Janek's prediction is right.

Luke walks along side Janek.  "What would we do without your cheery disposition?"

He holds his hand out expecting to have the rifle returned to him.  "Though the way today is going, I'll bet that won't be the end of our troubles."

Angel looks over at Luke and says, "If it isn't the end of our troubles, we'll deal with them as they come. But a hurried pace is still called for."

Angel calls out to Mittens as she jogs to begin catching up, "Mitts, all you're doing is hurrying up to wait! You don't have the keys to their speeder, do you?!"

“Tell me I’m wrong,” Janek replies to Luke, but with a good natured grin. He then picks up his pace to keep up with Angel. He doesn’t try to keep up with Mittens.

Biggs hurries brings up the rear of the party, glancing up at the cliffs above, and also the rocky clefts behind them for any sign of danger.

"ARF!" Mittens answers Angel, "Don't forget I'm a knight in shining armor!  Always first to face danger head-on!  Suppose an especially spiteful one is in the middle of booby-trapping the speeder?  How else am I going to catch him in the act!  SPROING!"

The catgirl must be a finalist in American Ninja Warrior or something for as easy as she makes hopping up a steep slope look.

Skywalker shakes his head, half smiling at Janek, half weirded out by Mittens.  "Well I hope you're wrong.  But I'm not holding my breath."

He looks up the slope at Mittens.  "Exactly how young are these kids?"

"Fifteen!" Angel answers as she follows Mittens to the location of the speeder. "Mittens' hypothetical brings up a question I was thinking earlier: What do the sand people want anyway?"

"No one knows for sure," Biggs replies, panting as he begins to clamber up the slope at a slower pace than Mittens, "Maybe they hunt for sport, or perhaps they want to scavenge our equipment. Or perhaps they simply just hate us settlers."

Janek grits his teeth as he begins to haul himself up, putting pressure on his injured arm. He does not pause however, determined not to look weak.

"Fifteen, like almost sixteen?" he pants, sounding hopeful, "You don't look that young."

Not that he's indifferent to Janek's suffering, but Luke knows better than to so much as offer a hand lest he wound the man's sensitive pride.  So instead Janek gets a "seriously??" look from Luke for being so transparent about wanting to rob the cradle.

"The other one could pass for five," he mutters.

Mittens busts out laughing, then answers Angel, "Thirty two!" referencing one of her dad's favorite jokes.

"Found it!" she calls back to the others before sweeping the area for booby traps or ambushes.

Angel responds to Mittens' random number outburst with a girly giggle. Angel glances at Luke and says, "We're both 15. How old are you guys?"

Then Mittens claims she found the speeder, so Angel picks up her pace to run to where Mittens was.

Janek gives Luke a defensive "What?" glare in response to the look he receives.

"See, they're both fifteen," he says to Luke, flushing slightly at Angel's giggle, "Not five. I'm eighteen," he continues to Angel, "But I only turned eighteen a couple of months ago. I actually-"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:03, Thu 26 July 2018.

Janek breaks off as his eyes alight on what Mittens is already staring at. The speeder appears to be to have been stripped down by the tuskens. Several panels are missing, the wiring inside hanging loosely out. The rightmost of the three rear turbines appears to have been almost smashed to pieces in an attempt to unsuccessfully remove it.

Biggs frowns as he hurries up behind the rest of the party. He brushes past the stunned Janek to examine the speeder more closely.

"They must be one angry tribe of sand people," he muses grimly, shaking his head, "Looks like we're not going anywhere anytime soon."

Luke is quite a bit surprised by the answers.  When someone says they're "kids," he figures at most they're 13.  This'll be the first 15 year old he's ever met that identified as a kid.  And the childish one doesn't act 15 either.  Nor did she object to being labeled a kid.  But then more important matters present themselves.

"Oh no!  That's going to cost a fortune to fix!"

He sighs and reaches for his communicator to call for a pickup.

"Mittens is feeling bad for the boys now.  And a bit guilty.  Had she and Angel not distracted them with their un-graceful landing...  Well...  Actually?  With as quickly as those Sand People showed up after the boys pointed guns at me...  Yeah.  NOT our fault that the speeder was stripped!  Our little distraction wasn't near enough of a delay to allow for all this damage.  This thing was being stripped before we arrived.  More likely, had we not shown up when we did, the boys would have run face-first into over a dozen armed hostiles with no escape.  So in reality, our fortuitously timed arrival saved their lives!  Must be The Will of The Force.

"We should get back to the ship, though.  Don't want to risk another run-in with those Sand People without the big guns to shoo them."

Lesson learned, Luke, aliens can be quite alien. Even when they share the same species as you.

Angel looks at the speeder, then listens to Mittens. She nods to Luke for his thought to call for a pickup. "The quicker we make it to the ship, the better. Think this speeder can hover enough to be pushed to the ship so we can at least protect what is left of it?"

Janek grimaces at the suggestion of calling backup.

"Fixer's going to be so smug," he predicts darkly, "Assuming you are contacting him, Luke?"

"It is almost worth fighting off a tribe of sand people in order to avoid, isn't it?" Biggs grins at Janek, despite the situation, then grows serious once more, "I agree we should return to the cover of the ship while we wait. As for getting the speeder down, there..." he glances doubtfully down the steep, rocky slope, "There's a danger we may lose control of it and it will end up in worse condition than anything the sand people might do to it."

"Nah I was gunna call my Uncle Owen," Luke answers sarcastically.

He makes the call, doing his best to shift the blame for the situation entirely on the Sand People.  He suggests bringing plenty of weapons.  And enough ship fuel so that the ship won't be at the mercy of scavengers.  Once it's at Biggs' place, the girls can either figure out a way to repay him for the cost of the fuel, or the Darklighters can recover the cost by salvaging parts from the ship.

At the suggestion that the speeder could be taken to the ship he looks skeptical, but stays focused on the call.

"Thanks a bunch, Fixer!"

Mittens' eyes go wide at the suggestion of repulsar-sledding down the slope.

"Oh. My. Gosh.  YES!  Do want!  Must do!  Adventure!"

She jumps into the driver seat and tries to fire up the speeder!
This message was last edited by the player at 03:07, Mon 30 July 2018.

Angel says, "Mittens! Yes, that sounds fun, but that speeder belongs to these nice, helpful people who just asked we *not* do that."

Then looks at Biggs, "If you are so sure the sand people are incapable of tearing a speeder apart to where there is nothing left, then we'll leave the craft. But either way, let's hurry back to the ship."

And with that, she starts hurrying back to the ship, figuring with the short distance, if they DO decide to grab the speeder, they might beat her to the ship by just a minute anyway.

"C'mon," Janek says to Biggs and Luke enthusiastically, "Won't be that hard to guide the speeder down the slope. Let's do it!"

"I hate to be a spoilsport," Biggs replies, starting off after Angel, "But we can't risk further injury while we're stuck out here. And your arm is still injured, don't forget. Look," he adds to Mittens, "After we're out of this Luke or I can take you for a spin in a T-16, maybe even try to thread the needle again. Now that is pure adrenaline."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:30, Mon 30 July 2018.

While Luke may relish any chance to prove his courage against Biggs, this is not such a chance.  For one, the crazy girl was the first to suggest the suicide run.  For another, Biggs pointed out a very important factor - injury.  And the fact that things are dire to begin with.  But how to decline without admitting Biggs is right?  Or looking chicken?  Can't say something like, "good luck starting it... even when it's not half pulled apart." or else chances are the darn thing will start right up.

"You break it, you bought it," Luke says dismissively, following after Angel, "I'll just keep close to Angel to shield her from the shrapnel when you guys explode...  But shouldn't that be the job of the so-called 'knight in shining armor?'"
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:15, Mon 30 July 2018.

Mittens engages the starter and...  Dying technology sounds.  She groans, flops over the side of the speeder, then spills out onto the ground, making her look like she came from a Loony cartoon.

"Awww.  Curse you, fun-slaying Sand People!" Mits exclaims, shaking her fist at the sky while lying flat on her back.

Roll, crawl, stand.  Slouchy, reluctant gait following the group.

"Mittens accepts your offer of pure adrenaline later."

Angel glances over to Luke and comments in a slightly defensive tone. "Mittens is a knight in shining armor when it counts."

Then looks in Mittens' direction. "I really am curious about these sand people... with even the locals having no clue what their motive is, that makes me want to take one of them with us and find a way to extract the truth from them."

Regardless, she is keeping a steady, quick pace towards the ship.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:24, Mon 30 July 2018.

Upon seeing that the landspeeder coaster ride idea seems to have been abandoned, Janek quickly hurries after the others. At the mention of a 'knight in shining armor' he withdraws the longknife from his sheath once more, eyes narrowed as he glances about hopefully for an attack or similar chance to prove himself. He does send Angel a dubious glance as she speaks of extracting motives from sand people. He can't see a sweet and attractive young woman like her having anything to do with a sand person in close proximity.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:39, Mon 30 July 2018.

"We'll need Fixer to contact us when he is getting close," Biggs says to Luke as they reach the valley floor once more and approach the ship, "We'll need to hurry up to meet him, so that he doesn't find himself alone and surrounded by sand people."

Even as they approach the ship, Mittens feels something, the Force perhaps, drawing her attention toward a series of jutting rocks at the foot of the far side of the valley, a hundred meters or so away. She is able to make out a narrow opening in the rocks, large enough for an adult human to crawl through.

Luke glances in the direction of the cave, not even aware of anything pulling his attention to it other than his own instincts looking for places for enemies to crawl out of.

"I told him the direction they ran.  So he'll be approaching from a different vector.  Unless... he decides it'll be fun flying in guns blazing at any Sand People below.  Won't hurt to call either way."

Mits' eyes and ears focus on the cave and she begins to pick up the pace, hurrying in that direction.

"Hey Angel!  The Force is telling me to look into that teeny cave over there!  Cover me!"

Angel has no idea what Janek is thinking, but she did see his glance. "What?" she asks Janek.

Angel trots near Mittens and keeps an eye out for danger, not sure why the Force is suddenly telling Mittens that a cave is a better idea than the ship. And she knows the rule of "never split the party", so she can only hope that it isn't a cave so much as as hidden treasure that will allow escape without hunkering down in a ship with no fuel.

She nods to the others. "Make the call. And I apologize, but as crazy as it sounds, I've learned to trust whenever Mittens claims the Force is telling her to do things."

Janek seems momentarily tongue tied by Angel's sudden and direct address. By the time words manage to make their way out, she has already followed after Mittens.

"C'mon Janek, pull yourself together!" he quietly reprimands himself, then louder, "What cave?"

Biggs doesn't seem to feel that an unexplored cave is a better bet than an armed starship, regardless of its fuel reserves. He also isn't sure who Mittens was saying was telling her to go there, since she doesn't seem to have a comlink. Perhaps it is the same part of her brain that prompts her to charge ahead of the party into danger or try to slide down a rocky, uneven slope in a torn apart landspeeder. Then Angel says it again. The Force. That's definitely what she said. Biggs frowns, halting, glancing at the ship.

"Are you sure?" is all he says aloud, "It doesn't look big enough to fit all of us."

Luke rolls his eyes at the crazy cat being crazy again and calls Fixer.  That her seemingly sensible - if a tad too eager to be extracting info from a kidnapped savage - human friend isn't reigning in her cat friend this time is pretty weird, but not worth interrupting the call for.

By the time she's back at the ship, Mits' other guiding force catches her attention - namely physical limits.

"By the fiery neebray mantas of the Kaliida Nebula this planet is relentless!  I haven't been this parched since the salt mines of Moorja!  Hate to say it, but I need to drink a swimming pool and pronto!"

She heads into the ship.

Angel is happy that physical limitations are giving the Force a rain check for two reasons; she really prefers the ship right now, and if the Force later on says "I told you so", Angel will have the come-back of even the crazy catgirl being too exhausted from this Super Mario Evil Sun Hates You planet.

https://youtu.be/iruIzwUQJXs?t=23s

She then catches herself ranting inwardly and realizes the heat has BEEN getting to her for a while now, so she too hurries inside the ship. "Looks like we're gonna check it out later."

Once inside the ship, Angel makes sure everyone is inside before closing the ship and locking it. She takes a moment to catch her breath and exert a force of will to not say anything about the heat. Then finds a place to sit down.

Janek isn't sure what a swimming pool is, but he could certainly use a drink, and it seems there are drinks to be had on board the ship, so he follows the others up the ramp.

Biggs is glad to see that prudence has once again won the day. Not that he is against exploring and performing dangerous stunts. Quite the opposite. But these are not the sorts of things you engage in when you have a pair of teenage girls to look after and a friend who has been shot in the arm. Once the door to the ship is closed, Biggs pauses to catch his breath.

"Yes, that cave might have to be an adventure for a later date. We should sit tight and wait for Fixer. We have to be ready when he arrives."

"Off-worlders," Luke scoffs to himself, not willing to admit that a cold drink sounds great right now.  Even with having grown up on Tatooine, which puts one in the habit of  having a canteen within arm's reach at all times, it is still a desert.

"I'm not expecting Fixer to be long.  Why delay gloating over our needing his help?"

(( Fun fact: Some scenes of Tatooine were filmed in Death Valley - home of Earth's highest recorded natural surface temperature in history (besides volcanic activity, of course.)  How hot was it?  201 °F (93.9 °C)! ))

Mits raids the kitchen and downs a large glass of water before pouring some for the others with a smile.

"Mittens has reached her limit of delayed adventure.  And only because this has been an incredible adventure in it's own right.  The next time something fun has to be put off, the Dark Side of The Force may take over and someone will have to blast me to keep me from chasing whatever fun thing while screaming like a loony."

Angel will know she's kidding, but it may not be easy to tell for the others.

Angel casually takes a drink of what Mittens offered her. "Thanks, Mittens. And don't worry. I have this kitty on a leash." She pretends to gently pull Mittens closer to her with an invisible leash. If Mitts plays along, Angel will pull her in for a side-hug and then pet her.

She is so happy right now that she never openly complained about the heat.  Angel looks at Luke and asks, "What about off-worlders?"

With her question asked, she takes another slow sip of her glass.

Janek chuckles as Angel pretends to leash in Mittens, giving a satisfied sigh as he takes a swig of his own drink. He then turns to Luke expectantly, glad he didn't make any derogatory comments about off-worlders.

"Yes, Luke, what about them?" he prompts with a grin.

Biggs graciously accepts a drink from Mittens a nod, but his interest seems to be piqued by the ship rather than the conversation. He wanders down to the cockpit, sliding into the pilot's chair and beginning to examine the various controls before him. He grins as he stares out of the transperisteel windscreen before him, seeing not the narrow rocky valley outside, but rather imagining himself in the freedom of the expanse of space.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:18, Wed 01 Aug 2018.

Biggs is such a kindred spirit.  Anything to get off this rock!  Luke doesn't take his time drinking, expecting there to be some dire interruption any time now.

In answer to Angel's question and Janek's tease, Luke gives Angel a "gimme a break" expression and answers, "In short, you're bad luck.  No one ever brings anything but trouble to Tatooine.  Which is part of why I can't wait to leave."

Biggs is such a kindred spirit.  Adventure!

"Fear not, my enlightened friend," Mittens answers Luke, "We shan't be long on your world, and invariably leave a place better than we found it.  But if it's trouble you're wanting to avoid...  Eheh... Um...  Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's nowhere in this galaxy where you can escape it entirely."

Sure, there may be boring worlds where you can get by in a boring job somewhere out there...  Nah.  But even if there were such a place, you'd die of boredom.  Which counts as trouble.

Angel notices Biggs inspecting the ship and gets a small smile, recognizing the thrill of a person's wish to go to the stars.

Angel gave Janek the tiniest of smirks when he seconded her motion for Luke to explain himself. Then turns to listen to Luke.

Angel huhs at Luke's answer. "So.. the sand people only surfaced and attacked because off-worlders arrived?" her tone isn't one of sarcastic rebuttal or anything. More genuinely trying to make sure she understood.

Not for the first time in his life, Janek wonders if Luke might be blind. Trouble and bad luck? Um, Luke, just look at that girl! Her parents knew what they were doing when they called her 'Angel'. He rolls his eyes and sighs, shaking his head at his young friend. Then Angel gives him that smirk, which sends his heart pumping like a shot of adrenaline, and he blushes once more.

"C'mon Luke," he chuckles, slapping Luke on the shoulder with his good arm, "We were hardly out in the middle of Beggar's Canyon not looking for trouble. Admit it, you enjoy a good sand people ambush as much as anyone."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:21, Wed 01 Aug 2018.

Biggs seems to have returned from the stars and back to the dusty floor of Beggar's Canyon. He rises from the pilot's seat, and, giving it a fond pat, he begins to make his way down the narrow corridor to the crew quarters.

"So who did you say this ship belonged to?" he asks no one in particular as he explores.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 06:34, Wed 01 Aug 2018.

Luke can't help but chuckle from Janek's last comment.  "Womp rat target practice is worlds apart from Biggs being chewed out by his folks for another wrecked speeder.  I can just hear it now..."

He takes a mock scalding tone, "'When will you learn to stop running with that riff-raff?'"

His mood improved, he smiles at Angel.  "That's how jinxes work.  But don't take it hard.  Your friend here is confident the two of you make better luck than what precedes you."

Mits shrugs.  "We didn't say.  We were a tad too busy running for our lives at the time.  Quickly followed by a harrowing landing after running out of fuel.  Then saving you guys' lives.  But if I were to take a wild guess, it belongs to a dastardly shipping corporation willing to use slave labor.  Or transport freshly kidnapped teenagers to then be sold into slavery.  I'm no stranger to the type.

"And if you need any support with the parents, I'll be more than happy to vouch for the fact that you were perfectly innocent in the matter of being attacked by hostile savages in a canyon known for such dangerous encounters.  I'll even leave out the part where you pointed weapons at stranded girls."

She's wearing the wrong smile for such a tease.  It's more the kind of smile you'd have when you just offered your favorite treat to a friend.  (( https://avvesione.files.wordpr...e-sweet-friendly.jpg ))

Angel hasn't had a guy fall for her this badly in a while. She half wonders if that is due to all the traveling and training she is usually up to. It is a nice change of pace.

Angel is used to Mittens' antics, but continues to be impressed that Mittens still forgets that the rest of the universe isn't used to her antics.

Angel says, "The ship likely belonged to the slave-traders, yes. But we made enough jumps on the way here to confuse an astromech. Besides..."

She holds up her blaster. "While I have seen enough to know luck is a real thing, I have also seen enough to know I really can make my own luck."

Angel then holsters it again and says, "But yeah... I think your parents will be a lot more forgiving if they thought your speeder got wrecked because you came out here to see if you could help Mitts and I."

"'Saving you guys' lives'?" Janek repeats indignantly, turning on Mittens, hands on his hips, "I'm pretty sure we just saved you girls from being stranded out in the desert and dying of either starvation or thirst. Or womp rats," he adds as an afterthought, "Besides, that's not the first time we've dealt with sand people. We would have been fine."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:41, Wed 01 Aug 2018.

Biggs has finished his exploration of the ship, and chuckles at Luke's impersonation of his father.

"My father certainly has a way with people, doesn't he? And yes, I suspect it might be a while before he lends me his speeder again..."

At Janek's indignant remarks he places a placating hand on his brawny friend's shoulder.

"How about we just agree it was a fortuitous thing that we all happened to meet up when we did?" he suggests. Then he turns to Angel with interest, "Jumps? Where did the ship come from originally?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:52, Wed 01 Aug 2018.

Luke is with Biggs on prioritizing harmony over arguing about who saved who.  His drink finished without the expected interruptions, he takes to exploring the rest of the ship with Biggs.

"So... expect to find people locked up in hidden cages within the wall panels?"

Mittens winces sypathetically from Janek's moving his arm into a disapproving pose.  She instinctively reaches out to try and stop him, but too late.

"Sure.  I'm willing to say I got chopped to pieces and you re-assembled me if it'll get you to stop with the moving that injury around.

"We were at Christophsis.  Our first jump was just, 'Anywhere but here.'  And it took us toward deep space perpendicular to anywhere in the galactic disc.  So we had to jump back to the nearest planet on limited fuel.  And the low tank tells me that it's not likely we'll find any prisoners on board."

Angel says, "I'm with Biggs on this one. We were all in danger and we all fought together. Thanks again for that, by the way."

She looks at Janek with a helpless smile. "Mittens and I are used to being the ones doing the rescuing, and Mittens likes to narrate her life like it's some action adventure novel. No offense was intended."

Angel then looks at Luke. "Good thought, Luke. While Mittens is right in that the chances are slim, it wouldn't hurt to check, just in case."

Janek seems to be regretting moving his injured arm as much as Mittens, but he is not about to show it. His teeth gritted and face white, he cautiously relaxes the arm.

"It's not that bad," he lies to Mittens, his eyes watering slightly, before turning to Angel. And he can't stay annoyed or grumpy with that smile. He smiles back sheepishly.

"Sure, yeah, I understand," he mumbles, "Not offended at all. I wasn't saying... I just... yeah, sorry," he says to Mittens.

"Christophsis?" Biggs prompts with interest as he begins to join the others in searching the ship, "I think I've heard the name. What is it like?"

They search through the ship, and while they do not find any evidence of slaves on board, Angel does come across a secret compartment in the back of the cargo hold. It is covered by a fake panel, which appears to have become slightly dislodged during the flight. Behind it is a locked security box built into the ship, with a passcode panel beside it.

"We do need to get our story straight, though," Luke suggests, "And I think it best if either Biggs or Angel's the one to tell it."

Saying anyone but Mittens would be honest, but not very polite.  He lights up in curiosity at the panel and hidden security box then quickly looks all over for a passcode that might be written on the underside of a desk drawer or someplace.

Mits gets a far-away look in her eyes, sparkling from the memory of it.

"A breathtaking greenish-blue aquamarine gem on the sparkling velvet backdrop of space, she is.  Her cities and highways like marbling criss-crossing her shimmering, crystaline face, lighting her nights and even deepening her daylight beauty.  Round her spins the pearlescant moon with canyons to accent her surface.  It's like they're the treasure of the famous three asteroid belts - bejeweled necklaces from which hang's lady night's prized jewels.  And then the surface.  Oh the sunrises and sunsets!  Like a kaleidoscope of prisms from horizon to horizon casting subtle rainbows of shimmering light as far as the eye can see!  Trust me.  It's a vision you'll never forget."

She pets her hands across the surface of the safe and closes her eyes.  "Talk to me, safe.  What's your secret code?  What's that?  Check the security camera footage?  Of course!  Why didn't I think of that?!"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:17, Thu 02 Aug 2018.

Angel nods to Luke and says, "I'm fine with telling the story. But in short, you guys saw us land and came to investigate. Sandpeople paid a surprise visit while you were busy with me, and by the time we got back to your speeder, they had already done some spiteful damage to it. It's all true and there is no need to embellish on any other reasons why you might have been out here."

When Mittens describes Christophsis, she smiles fondly at the memory of the planet that writes its own poetry just from existing. "It is breath-taking." she comments almost swooningly at the memory before moving on to the matter at hand.

Angel goes to check the security footage with Mittens.

She still wants to take one of the sandpeople prisoner, so while she is thinking of it, she double-checks that her blaster is set to stun.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:34, Thu 02 Aug 2018.

Janek listens to the story but doesn't seem particularly enthralled. As Mittens finishes her description he shrugs with his good arm.

"Well, anywhere is better than this rock," he says flatly, before following Angel and Mittens back to the cockpit with the security footage. He glances at Luke as he passes, who appears to be on a very awkward angle trying to peer under a narrow terminal built into the hallway.

"Luke, what are you doing?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

Biggs is much more taken with the description of Christophsis, his eyes lighting with enthusiasm as he pictures the gleaming gem-like planet.

"Well, I'll add that to the list of planets I'm going to visit as soon as I escape Tatooine," he says eagerly, "It sounds dazzling. Was it your homeworld?"

They locate the security footage. Only the past few days seem to have been saved. The oldest footage is dated at 102.23 standard hours ago.

The ship appears to be being piloted by a male zabrak and a female human. A weequay is asleep in one of the bunks, along with a human man. The final member of the crew visible is a twi'lek male who lounges in a passenger seat behind the pilots, a datapad in his hand. After a couple of hours the ship appears to land somewhere, and the crew depart entirely for the next three hours. Then they return. The zabrak returns to his post, joined by the human man. The weequay goes to his bunk once more, and the twi'lek heads down to the cargo bay, carrying a small package. The human woman joins him, and converses with him for several minutes, and seems to be arguing. At length she leaves, and, glancing about cautiously, the twi'lek moves over to the panel and, carefully removing it, he types in a code.

It is hard to be sure, given the low quality of the camera, but after replaying the footage a couple of times, Angel, Mittens and Biggs are pretty sure he types 3 - 4 - * - 9. Janek remains convinced the first number is a 6. None of them are able to identify the third number.

"Looking for clues," Luke answers, "I remember hearing once that people sometimes put reminders for their passcodes in places like this."

He's like Biggs in being taken by the description.  And in total agreement with Janek.  Either way, his hopes are rising that it'll be sooner than later that he'll be able to escape Tatooine.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:18, Thu 02 Aug 2018.

"Mittens is a daughter of the stars.  Was born in transit between worlds.  My home world is the galaxy!  I'll let Angel speak of her own home world."

After watching the video she comments to Angel, "Now you're doubly justified in deciding that we not activate the distress signal.  That looks to be quite the motley crew, and I doubt they'll be understanding if they should cross paths with us."

She returns to the safe to resume her earlier conversation with it.  "Thanks for the tip!  We found most of the numbers.  The consensus is that the code is three, four, blank, nine.  Would you be so kind as to tell me the third number?  Or would you rather us guess up to ten times?"

Mits listens to the guidance of The Force to see if she can get the right number on the first try.

Upon seeing the footage and hearing Mittens, Angel nods to her. "Yeah... no shining beacons here."

Angel looks at the sand on her and it gives her an idea. She reaches in to her pack for some chalk (She keeps it around for a number of things. Usually pool and archery.) and then blows the chalk onto the numbers to reveal which numbers have been touched the most.

"Right," Janek says to Luke skeptically, before following the others back down to the cargo hold.

"Good thinking," Biggs nods in approval as Angel blows the chalk across the keypad, watching eagerly to find out which keys are shown up.

While the Force does not explicitly tell Mittens what the missing number is, it seems content to use Angel's chalk to show Mittens and the rest of the party. The chalk seems to stick to the numbers one, three, four and nine.

Luke meanwhile, despite not locating any clues as to the passcode, does find a battered blaster pistol and a credit chip attached under the navigator's desk with plastoid tape.

"She doesn't want to speak of her home world, apparently," Luke comments.

"Hah," he proclaims triumphantly upon finding the blaster and credits, "Knew I'd find something."

While he checks the amount of credits on the chip, Luke wears an impressed frown upon seeing the chalk trick.  "Hey, that's pretty smart.  Here's hoping they didn't booby-trap the safe."

Mits was already punching in the code but stops herself the moment Luke suggests it's a trap. "That's... a fair point.  Stand back."

With a deliberateness that suggests she's handled trapped safes before, Mits will tape a piece of string across the final button on the keypad with a long lead on the trailing end, move a heavy panel in front of the safe, then move away to pull the string to enter the last number from a distance.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:06, Fri 03 Aug 2018.

Angel nods to Biggs and Luke for their commendations of her little chalk trick. "Thanks."

Angel takes cover as indicated. Then comments, "Coruscant is where my parents met and where I was born. Like Mittens, I am a child of the stars and have spent much of my life in a ship or on various worlds. But Coruscant is my home and I always return to it."

The combo is obvious at this point, though. 3-4-1-9.

"Woah! Nice!" Janek exclaims as Luke exhibits the blaster. He eagerly joins him in glancing under the remaining desks in the cockpit, however they find nothing further. He is also very impressed by Angel's chalk trick, cursing inwardly that Biggs and Luke beat him to complimenting her.

"City girl, huh?" he says as they move to cover, "I'll get there one day."
This message was last updated by the player at 04:03, Fri 03 Aug 2018.

Biggs also seems impressed to hear Angel is from Coruscant.

"Wow, you're lucky," he says, "Is the planet really completely covered by city? What's it like, being in the heart of the Empire?"

The code appears to be correct, and the safe is not trapped at all. As Mittens pulls the string of her makeshift mechanism it gives a low, happy beep and a small light flashes green. The safe door swings open. The narrow interior is empty, save for a small package which appears to be wrapped in an old cloth.

Luke's credit chip contains two-hundred and fifty credits, but they are Imperial credits, not the local wupiupi or truguts which are used in these parts.

Luke is disappointed by the credit chip, shrugs, and hands it over to Biggs, figuring his family would be the most likely to get use out of it.  "That should help some with the repairs."

He looks a little skeptical when Mittens takes his caution seriously.  "I guess we'll know to relax when you're being cautious.  From the looks of things it only happens when something bad isn't about to happen."

Luke looks expectantly at Angel.  The capitol world would be so exciting to visit!  And the polar opposite of growing up on a farm.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:23, Fri 03 Aug 2018.

Mits immediately moves the panel away, grabs the package, and unwraps it.  Whatever's inside must be really neato!

She gives Luke a "gimme a break" look and shakes her head.  "Believe it or not, an adventurer such as myself has very specific rules on what counts as an acceptable fun-to-danger ratio.  And there's limits to what fun I can get away with.  For example, Traveling to Coruscant would be fun, but certain death for me."

Angel answers Janek and Biggs both with, "Yes, it really is just one big city. Most of it is kind of like being inside a space station. In fact, most citizens of that world have never seen a sky. It has its ups, for sure, but when I first saw the skies of Alderaan, I was sold on visiting alien worlds. I'd give you about... a week before you started missing Tatooine's sky, let alone the amount of daylight in this place. Though to be fair, I doubt anyone would miss the heat of this place. The good news is, there are plenty of planets you can visit that have pretty skies without Tatooine's heat."

She glances at Janek. "City girl... yeah. Yeah, I guess you could describe me as such."

Angel is just as curious about the contents of the safe and goes to examine it.

Janek doesn't look like he agrees with Angel's assessment of how long it would take for him or the others to start missing Tatooine, but of course he isn't going to argue with her.

"Alderaan sounds neat," he says, before adding reluctantly, "Um, where is it?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:26, Mon 06 Aug 2018.

"It's in the core worlds," Biggs replies knowledgeably, "And it's on the top of my worlds to visit. A paradise, compared to here. I hadn't considered that," he admits to Angel when she speaks of citizens who have never seen the sky, "That does sound unpleasant."

He glances at Mittens with a puzzled look.

"Certain death? How so? Is the oxygen content different to natural worlds?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:09, Mon 06 Aug 2018.

Removing the cloth, Mittens finds herself holding what appears to be a statue, around twenty centimeters in length. It depicts a creature with the head of a felinx and the body of a farlus hawk, and is formed of a purple, glass-like material which Mittens recognises as chalcedony.

OOC: It looks like this.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:31, Mon 06 Aug 2018.

Luke is loving hearing about these exotic worlds.  Even if Angel is boasting about the bad parts of the Capitol, it won't deter him from going there some day.

"Anything's a paradise compared to here."

He furrows his brows when he sees the statue.  "Doesn't look all that valuable.  Maybe it's some historical artifact and that's what makes it worth keeping in a safe?  Hmm... I was expecting Fixer by  now..."

He tries to com Fixer to get an ETA.

"Aw?  Who's a cute little birdy-cat?  You are!"

Mits pets the statue and makes "tweet-meow" sounds to pretend that it's answering her.

"I'm sure I can survive the pollution.  No, a very big bad gang with headquarters there wants me dead.  And don't think you collect a bounty, either.  They might promise a reward for turning me in, but then they'd just kill you for ever having associated with me."

Angel of course knows that the "big bad gang" she's referring to is The Empire, but Mits doesn't want any more questions about, "Why would the Empire want you dead?!" or she'll have to explain that all the anti-Jedi propaganda before the fall of the Republic was false, and she doesn't yet trust these guys not to be stupid enough to out her and Angel as rebels.

Angel is amused by Mittens' cat-bird antics and nods to Luke's assessment that the value of the object might be cultural or historical. She also tells herself Luke wasn't referring to every planet in the galaxy being a paradise compared to Tatooine. It's only an expression to say such a thing, after all. Sure, that volcano world with dinosaurs was a paradise to Mittens because she is an adventure junkie, but somehow, Angel gets the feeling this Luke guy would be screaming for Tatooine within minutes of landing there.

She kinda likes him for that, though. Angel likes all three of these guys. None of them seem to give off the vibe of people who use others for personal gain. Wait... cat-bird? Wouldn't such a thing chase itself? She decides to let such silly thoughts to Mittens.

When Luke mentions Fixer, Angel says, "Speaking of..." and goes to man one of the guns, "I'll be on this gun to be ready to lay cover fire for Fixer should he need it."

Luke's comm crackles to life with Fixer's voice.

"Yeah, yeah, kid," he says irritably, "I'm on my way," and, when pressed for an estimate, "Look, I'll get there when I get there, all right? Why don't you just sit tight?"

Without waiting for a response, the comm clicks off.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:13, Wed 08 Aug 2018.

"And that's Fixer on a good day," Janek informs Mittens and Angel matter-of-factually. He then peers over Mittens' shoulder at the statue.

"Yeah, it doesn't look that valuable. But then why'd that guy chuck it in the safe? And what gang is that?" he adds to Mittens, "Hutt Cartel?"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:12, Wed 08 Aug 2018.

Biggs seems fascinated by the statue, but does give Mittens a quizzical glance when she begins her 'tweet-meow' antics. He stretches out a hand, and (assuming Mittens passes it over) turns the statue over in his hand, peering at it appraisingly.

"It is quite exquisite," he says at length, "I've never seen anything like it. And I agree, Tank, they wouldn't have locked it away like that if it wasn't significant in some way."

He passes it carefully back to Mittens, turning to Luke as the comm clicks out, his brow creased with concern.

"Irritable or not, Fixer's going to find himself in the middle of a Sand People ambush if he isn't careful," he predicts darkly, before turning to Angel, "I'm going to head outside and see if there is any sign of them. Keep that turret primed."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:14, Wed 08 Aug 2018.

Luke may be eye-rolling at Fixer's response, but inwardly he's relieved to hear he's still OK.  He pockets the com and sighs from Janek's question.

"Yeah it would just figure that the Hutts have their slimy fingers even in Coruscant."

He casually follows Biggs' lead, assuming that since the girl in the gun turret hasn't seen anything, it's not dangerous to go take a peek.  "Check that thing for a hidden compartment.  Might be that there's a secret message inside or something."

Mits wasn't the least bit reluctant to let Biggs take a closer look at her new pet, trusting he wouldn't harm her.

"Charming," she comments about Fixer, "He's not the sort to get in a fight with Janek over who has dibs on giving Angel flowers, is he?  I'd hate for rude to turn into violent.

"I'll tell you more about just how dangerous my enemies are when I'm convinced that telling you won't get you in trouble.  Let's just say, 'Worse than Hutts' for now.  And yes, I'm aware just how much of the Galaxy is controlled by the Hutts and that they do all sorts of murderous things.  I still stand by my statement."

Mits begins to gingerly rub the base and back of the statue, careful not to damage it in her search for signs of a hidden compartment.  "Good thinking, Luke!"

Angel keeps her eyes peeled for any potential threats, being extra attentive now that people are braving the blazing heat again. Mittens' question about Fixer's temper has merit since Angel has known people to rely on extremely questionable people to save themselves before.

"Tank? You guys have nicknames? I like it." But before she can ask Biggs or Luke if they have nicknames, they are exiting. "I'll worry about the statue later, when I'm not watching out for Biggs and Luke."

Janek flushes at Mittens' jibe regarding the flowers. He isn't being that obvious about his feelings, is he? He is quite glad to have another topic to draw the attention away from him.

"Worse than Hutts?" he repeats, looking doubtful, despite her acknowledgement of the things Hutts are capable of doing, "Um, have you heard of Jabba?"

Then Angel is talking to him again. He grins, not waiting for Mittens' response.

"Yeah," he chuckles, "Tank is my nickname. Biggs doesn't have one. Camie sometimes calls Luke 'Wormie'. Back in a sec," he apologises with hint of macho briskness, hurrying after Luke and Biggs, "Hey, Luke! You can't have both the rifle and that blaster you found!"

Biggs grins at Luke, glad to see the day's ordeal has not quenched his friend's adventurous spirit. He picks his way slowly across the rockly canyon floor, zig-zagging between the larger rocks for cover. He waves a hand for Luke and Janek to spread out, affording them a wider view of the cliffs above.

The sand people do not seem to have returned yet. The canyon is eerily silent as they reach the cliff face and begin climbing up once more.

Luke grins teasingly at Janek and answers, "Who says I can't, Lover Boy?"

He would have given Janek the pistol had he not brought up that stupid nickname.  Instead, Luke tosses it to Biggs before spreading out as indicated.  He makes use of his macrobinoculars to scan those places where the human eye wouldn't be able to make out a hidden enemy.

"Nope.  Never heard of him.  Her.  It.  Whatever."

Once the physical examination is complete, Mittens takes it a step further than most would think to.  She washes the statue then licks it to see if there's any part that tastes different.

"Taftef wike thapue."

Mits also mans a gun just in case.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:35, Wed 08 Aug 2018.

Angel is amused at Luke and Janek being boys at each other. But with every one of the boys out of the ship and Mittens on the other gun, Angel has a moment to call out to Mittens and says, "Mittens! Your thoughts on the recently acquired allies?"

It is Janek's turn to give Luke a 'gimme a break' look. He contents himself with drawing his longknife as he fans out in the opposite direction to Luke.

Biggs lithely catches the rifle, ducking behind a nearby boulder. He watches as Luke scans the cliffs above, waiting for a signal before he continues approaching.

"So, Luke," he calls, his tone light despite the situation, "We know what Tank's feelings are, but what do you make of these girls?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:09, Thu 09 Aug 2018.

Luke cannot see any sign of danger through his macrobinoculars. Of course, it is impossible to see the landspeeder from the canyon floor, but he can at least be sure that there are no sand people snipers currently crouching in the cliffs above.

Mittens, meanwhile, does not find any sign of a hidden compartment in the statue. It appears to be completely solid. Licking it has no affect on it either, and no part of the statue tastes particularly different.

"No signs of danger," Luke comments.

Then he realizes how silly that sounded after Biggs' question.  "The girls?  Well outside the injury and destroyed speeder, I'd say they made an otherwise mundane day of target practice into something a lot more interesting.  But I dunno...  On the one hand I'm kinda hoping that by the time this is all over, they'll take me with 'em when they leave.  On the other, I'm not so sure I want to get mixed up with a pair of escaped slaves who stole a gang's ship.  Still.  I get this feeling like...  It's hard to explain, but the catgirl feels strangely familiar somehow.  Must be I saw one of her kind when I was too young to remember."

Mits returns the statue to the safe and closes it.

"You know how much it gets my hackles up when someone gets all gaga over you," she answers matter-of-factly, "But in spite of my teasing them, I think they're all quite charming in a bumpkinly sorta way.  That Luke guy is the one I told you about earlier.  I'll bet Master could sense this guy's power from orbit.  But there he is, nearly a man an a fringe world run by Hutts, and not a hint of Darkside on him.  HOW?!  Either he's secretly been training as a Jedi since early childhood and is extremely good at acting like he hasn't the foggiest that I'm a Force user, or he's one of history's most pure-hearted champion of righteousness destined to vanquish the darkness with the legendary sword he pulls from a magical stone at the bottom of a holy lake.  ...Or Master's been exaggerating like crazy about the lure of the Darkside.  'There's a very good reason for all this "self-denying mumbo-jumbo," Mittens.  Without it, you'd fall to the Darkside in a matter of weeks.'"

Angel calls back, "The Force works in mysterious ways, right? I'm sure we'll learn all about Luke from his family because we're staying here a while. And thanks for being protective of me as usual, Mittens, but don't expend too much emotional energy on it: I'm still alive and quite unbroken from any cooties. Besides; what do you want me to do about it?"

Angel starts looking for movement in the sand to try and see about perhaps camouflage sandpeople.

Janek decides to ignore his two friends, if they are going to insist on being stupid. He crouches behind his rock, taking the opportunity of not being observed to clutch his injured arm and give a few gasps. Then Luke gives the all clear and grits his teeth, clenches his knife, and rises to approach the cliff.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:08, Fri 10 Aug 2018.

"They've certainly made the day more interesting," he agrees with a chuckle, rising and stealthily approaching the cliff, rifle at the ready, "Familiar?" he adds, sending Luke a quizzical glance, "I'm pretty sure I've never seen her species on Tatooine before... And if her personality is representative of her kind, I don't think your uncle would want much to do with them..."

Luke shrugs.  "Uncle Owen wouldn't want much to do with anyone, I'd think.  Maybe she's like a cartoon character I've long since forgotten.  Who knows."

He scans the skies for Fixer's approach while following Biggs' lead.  "How 'bout you?"

"Right.  You're welcome.  And I dunno.  Looks like the boys are wandering off.  Seems kinda odd.  They musta heard something."

Mits bounds down the ramp to begin catching up.  "Where ya goin?  Did you hear someone call for help or something?"

Angel yawns a little, the craziness of the day along with needing a shower from that heat is getting to her slightly. She is still quite alert, but since little is going on, she didn't see any harm in relaxing slightly.

Angel does wonder why the guys were wandering off. Thankfully, "can't sit still" Mittens is running off to find out.

"That's true enough," Biggs chuckles once more as Luke refers to his uncle's antisocial tendencies, then he frowns, glancing back at the ship, "I don't know what to make of them, myself. They are quite young, yet seem skilled in combat. But they seem quite friendly and honest. Still, I am interested in knowing more about just who these slavers chasing them are. Also-" he breaks off as Mittens comes charging out of the ship, her shouts echoing across the canyon. He pauses in his climbing, waiting for her to get closer before he replies.

"No, we didn't hear anything," he replies when she is a few meters away, "But Fixer will be making for the location of our landspeeder, so we want to make sure it is safe up there too."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:32, Mon 13 Aug 2018.

"C'mon Biggs, are we climbin' this cliff or not?" Janek replies irritably, wiping sweat and sand from his forehead with his good arm.

"Not!" Mittens interjects before Luke can say anything, still hustling to the catch up, "Tell him to meet us at the ship!  There's no sense in risking your necks when it's perfectly safe with the big guns...  Unless...  Wait.  Is he unable to come to the ship?!  I thought you said he'd be flying in!"

Luke sighs and shakes his head.  "He didn't say.  And I didn't press him.  Because he's the kind of guy to make us wait till after nightfall just for getting on his nerves for asking too many questions or suggesting he should use his hopper or asking that he go to the ship first.  'Don't you tell me what to do!' he'd say.  Most likely he'll have sense enough to bring the hopper, so the Sand People won't be a threat till after he lands.  But he's going to insist on having first go at fixing the speeder so that we'll owe him even more.  That's why we knew he'd go for the speeder first.

"You go ahead and stay with the ship.  We've got things covered."

Angel remains alert. For as many of the bunch as are outside the ship, she half-expects the sand people to have maybe miscounted them and figure everyone is out of the ship. So she stays put and stays focused.

Besides. Air conditioning. One of the good things about this stolen ship. Apparently, slavers USE their money to have quality of life things.

Biggs smacks his forehead.

"The girls!" he groans to Luke, "I was imagining Fixer'd have to take his landspeeder since there is no way we'll all fit in his hopper. But if he thinks its just the three of us, he might think he can squeeze us in like that time out at the Mountain Fortress," he grimaces in remembrance.

"Give me the comm," he adds to Luke, "You know Fixer is more reasonable when talking to me..."

"This day just keeps getting better, doesn't it?" Janek says darkly, his mood not improved by the reminder of their previous adventure in Fixer's T-16 Skyhopper.

Luke hands over the com.  "Go for it.  If he brought the fuel like I suggested, it won't really matter what he brings it in.  Well... except if there's an ambush waiting for him."

Mittens smiles and blushes at the thought of these farm boys all cuddled up in a cramped cabin.

"If there's a picture of that, I want it," she mutters before thinking, It's times like these that I wish The Force would warn me about other people's danger and not just my own.  You hear that, The Force?  If you like life so much, let me know if the incoming hero is in danger!

Mits shrugs with a sheepish smile for Janek.  "A day where you survive being shot is a better day than one where you don't, wouldn't you say?"

She coms Angel and explains, "They're expecting their guy to show up at the speeder.  So they were going there to make sure it's safe for 'im.  But maybe Biggs can talk him into showing up at the ship so they don't have to climb the canyon a fourth time."

If there's a picture of cuddled farm boys, it is probably being used as blackmail.

But Angel isn't privy to this conversation. She is, however, privy to what Mitts coms her. "Acknowledged. However they proceed is up to them, but please remind the boys the ship guns can't protect them if they disappear from sight."

The comm once more crackles to life as Biggs flicks the switch.

"By the Hutts, kid! I already told you - Oh, it's you, Biggs," then, as Biggs begins to explain about the girls, "Yeah, yeah, Luke already told me, all right? Of course I'm taking the hopper. Yes, and extra fuel for that starship. Seriously, can you guys just sit tight for five minutes?! All right. All right. I'll be there soon."

With that the comm clicks off once more.

It is Biggs' turn to look sheepish as he passes the comm back.

"Sorry Luke. I should have paid more attention when you were calling him the first time. And sorry for having forced you out into the heat once again," he adds to Mittens and Janek, "Luke's right, of course, if he's in the hopper he'll definitely be able to land in the canyon. We can return to the ship."

Janek glances at Mittens, and shrugs. He can't argue with her logic.

"I thought you promised you'd never mention that hopper trip?" he adds to Biggs accusingly, though he can't help grinning just a little, "All right, looks like we're headin' back to the ship. Again."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:10, Tue 14 Aug 2018.

The Force, meanwhile, maintains a dignified silence. It would appear that either the heroes are not in danger, or that the Force does not like life so much, or that it elects not take ultimatums from Mittens.

Luke is a little jealous of the respect that Biggs commands.  Well... comparatively.  So he takes a bit of pleasure in the fact that Biggs got barked at, and his smug smirk shows it.

"Well it's good we know he'll be able to land in the canyon rather than getting himself in a fix at the speeder.  I was banking on his pig-headedness making things way more difficult than they need to be, but I guess the fact that there's girls involved was enough for him to be sensible."

He shakes his head at Janek.  "I thought you'd be eager to be together again with little Angel, but I won't stop you if you want to go climbing for fun."

The silence of The Force comes as no surprise at all to Mittens.



Once Mits gets back to Angel, she grumbles to herself, "Mittens' sad devotion to her master's ancient religion has not given her clairvoyance enough to avoid crash landing on a desert world.  Was it the 'Will of The Force' that Sand People shoot innocent bystanders?  Or that the entire Jedi Order be wiped out?  'Will of The Force' my fuzzy butt."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:22, Tue 14 Aug 2018.

Angel's perception has been hightened by the brief silence of nobody else being in the ship, so when Mittens grumbles, Angel is able to make out what she says. Besides, Mittens's tone and saying "will of the force" is enough for Angel to know what she's saying anyway.

Angel says, "The Force has two sides, remember. So was it the will of The Force for bad things to happen? Yes. Just that it was the will of The Dark Side. But what's important, Mittens, is that it wasn't your will that sand people shoot at innocent people, so you fought back. The Force depends on people like yourself to do anything at all. Without people, I'll bet The Force would either sit there doing nothing... or just simply not exist."

Angel has paid attention to Mittens' teacher too. She soaked up all she could in the years she has known Mittens.

Biggs is good-natured enough to allow Luke his moment of smugness. He chuckles at Luke's pun, though it is certainly not the first time he's heard it.

"Let's just hope he continues to be sensible, and doesn't try threading the needle or anything on the way."

Janek gives a snort of amusement at the 'in a fix' pun, raising his good hand for a high five with Luke. However, at the mention of 'little Angel' his expression sours and he retracts the hand.

"She's not little," he mutters sullenly, "She's as tall as you, Luke."

Nevertheless, he accompanies the others back to the ship.

Luke raised his hand to accept the high-five, but gives Janek a "seriuosly?!" look when left hanging for that tiny slight.  He just shakes his head with a slight scoff and heads into the ship.

"I'd be surprised if Fixer ever did anything adventurous if there wasn't an audience around to see it."

"You're right," Mits concedes with a small sigh, "If I'm honest with myself I'm just grumpy that I didn't get to be all dramatically heroic and deflect the shot that got Janek's arm.  I'll feel better once I get to do something flashy with my lightsaber.  But as for Mr. Power Level Over Nine Thousand... I'll let Master handle explaining to him why his life isn't going to be all fun times cruising the stars with the Empire idly standing by."

Mits is sure to discontinue any tell-tale discussion once she hears the guys getting back.

Angel nods, but keeps her eyes forward to make sure she doesn't miss out on a chance to blow up enemies. Or spot an approaching Fixer. "If he ever gets to see Luke..." is what she is thinking, but she doesn't say it out loud since she hears the boys returning. "Welcome back, guys!" she calls back.

It isn't long after the farmboys have returned to the ship before Angel's keen gaze spots a vehicle approaching over the cliffs where the the torn apart landspeeder rests. Despite the distance she is able to identify it as a very battered T-16 skyhopper. Its laboring, repulsorlift engine can be heard shortly afterwards. The skyhopper comes to a halt in the air above the canyon, before descending and coming to rest twenty or so meters from the ship.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 00:48, Mon 20 Aug 2018.

A swarthy, dark haired man clambers out of the cockpit, lugging a metal canister full of fuel.

"Oi! Biggs boy! Tank! You gonna give me a hand with this or what?" he shouts ill-temperedly at the ship.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:37, Mon 20 Aug 2018.

"He's in an even better mood than I expected," Janek mutters grimly to Luke as he exits the ship.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:40, Mon 20 Aug 2018.

"Sure thing Fixer!" Biggs calls back as he jogs over to the newly arrived skyhopper, "Easy there, I'll give you a hand!"

Leaping nimbly up the left wing of the skyhopper, Biggs takes hold of the fuel canister, straining as Fixer lets go, leaving him to balance his way back down the wing.

"Should certainly be enough in here to get us back to Tosche Station," he pants as he reaches the fuel cell outlet on the lower exterior of the ship and unscrews the nozzle.

Luke smirks at Janek and asides, "If he didn't find some way to be grating, I'd wonder if he was hit on the head.  I'm just glad he didn't drag his feet getting here."

He then calls out all cheerful sounding, "Fixer, my man!  You're a life saver!  Thanks for coming!"

"Ah fantastic timing!" Mits cheers, bounding down the ramp to check out the rescuer and his hopper.

It may look like junk, but she's not going to complain.  It got the fuel here, after all.  She grins cheerfully at the gruff guy.

"So this is the legendary Fixer!  Your friends had such nice things to say about you!  And I second the thank-you from Luke.  As fun as it's been to chase off Sand People with your friends, I wouldn't want to remain stranded here any longer than needed.

"I'm Mittens, by the way.  You'll meet Angel presently.  What's 'threading the needle' mean around here?"

Angel listens to the yells of Fixer being answered with half-teases about this being Fixer in a great mood. Angel idly wonders why he is, in fact, in a better mood than those who know him expected.

But with everyone spilling out of the ship again, Angel feels obligated to remain in the gunner seat to watch everyone's backs. She is grateful Mittens is announcing herself and Angel for them. And Angel is quite excited about the ship getting fueled up.

Janek, partway through making his way over to Biggs, seems content to let Mittens do the sweet-talking to Fixer. However he turns in alarm as she asks about 'threading the needle'.

"Mittens! Don't mention-"

But it is too late. Fixer had been glancing at Mittens with mistrust and suspicion, despite her flattering words. But at the mention of 'threading the needle' his expression morphs into outright rage.

"What have you guys been sayin' 'bout me?" he snarls, glaring between Janek and Luke, "Ooh, let me guess, 'Fixer can't thread the needle, he's crashed his hopper four times while trying it. Only the legendary Biggs Darklighter can do it'. Well, if you're so skilled, Darklighter, you can find your own karkin' way back back!"

With that, he clambers back into the skyhopper, slams the cockpit window closed, and starts the engine.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:23, Wed 22 Aug 2018.

Biggs, halfway through pouring the fuel into the engine, glances around, bewildered by the fury of Fixer's reaction.

"Hey, Fixer, no one has said anything about-" he breaks off as Fixer slams the cockpit closed, and looks as if he would attempt to run over and clamber up after him, were he not in the process of transferring the fuel.

"Fixer!" he attempts to shout over the roar of the skyhopper's engine, "Hey! Fixer!"

Luke face-palms then heavy-sighs.  "Give it up, Biggs.  You know when he gets like this nothing'll cool him off except giving him space.  You heard 'im.  It's himself he's mad at."

Still, he can't help but feel bad that Fixer's still so angry about that.  Luke feels like there must have been something more he could have done to smooth things over.  But then there's the other part of him getting mad at Fixer for being such a big crybaby and jumping to negative conclusions about his friends.  So he just shakes his head and offers to hold the fuel canister for Biggs.

Mits' eyes go big when Fixer starts shouting.  Then cringes and inhales through her teeth like looking at someone's painful injury.

"Oh Mittens you dumb-dumb!"

The girl slaps her own face with enough force to make her head snap to the side.

"How could you be so clumsy and shatter the kind heroe's fragile heart?!  Noooooo!"

With inhuman acceleration she sprints full tilt at the hopper and leaps onto the windshield, grabbing hold!  (( Tried to find reference pictures...  https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pi...05DC-815_634x520.jpg  https://welcometotwinpeaks.com...sten-foe-785x442.jpg  ))

"DON'T GOOOO!!  PLEASE FORGIIIIVE!!  MITTENS SORRYYYY!"

The pathetic look on her face is offset by how wide her mouth can open.  (( https://wallpapercave.com/wp/wp1865059.png ))

Aaaand there it goes. From Hero to Zero in 3 seconds flat. What in the WORLD is going on out there? She inwardly sighs, but hears Mittens being her crazy self. Expecting the Sandpeople any second, though, there is nothing she can do. The guy brought the fuel, so that is all Mitts and Angel needed.

Then it occurs to her. She could stop Fixer with something very jarring. She fires her ship gun at the spot she fired at earlier, figuring since it was a likely sand people hiding spot before, it could be again now. And whether or not there are sand people there, she will have hopefully jarred Fixer into staying long enough to investigate.

Time to see if this guy cares more about friends and strangers in immediate danger than whatever got his panties in a twist.

Fixer gives a startled yelp as the form of a flailing, wide-mouthed mashi horansi slams against the windscreen centimeters from his face. He stares wide eyed and open mouthed for a good ten seconds, before recovering himself and hastily turning off the engine.

"What in the...? Are you all right?" he stammers, opening the cockpit door once more, clearly unsure whether to be angry or concerned. Then Angel's blast echoes about them, tearing another chunk out of the canyon cliff and drawing another yelp from Fixer as he instinctively ducks and covers his head with his arms. He slowly rises, glancing about, and seeing that there do not appear to be any answering blasts, he turns to Janek, Luke and Biggs with a bewildered look of his own.

"Are they crazy?" he asks without any hint of sarcasm.

Janek seems just as surprised as Fixer by Mittens Force assisted speed and acrobatics, if his wide eyes and dropped jaw are anything to go by. He recovers himself slightly faster than his friend, closing his mouth and staring at Luke and Biggs with a 'did she seriously just do that?' look.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 01:03, Thu 23 Aug 2018.

"So much for giving him space..." Biggs mutters to Luke, wondering if Mittens species does a lot of jumping and leaping on their home planet, "Thanks," he adds as Luke takes hold of the canister and together they angle it up to pour the last of the fuel into the ship. The last of the fuel having been safely transferred to the ship, he places the canister down and wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"I think she just wants you to know she didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Fixer," he says, trying not to grin. He glances up at the cliffs where Angel fired, but can't see any sign of sand people. Still, better to be sure.

"Everything all right, Angel?" he calls up the ship boarding ramp.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:25, Thu 23 Aug 2018.

While helping with the fuel, Luke stared in muted silence at Mittens' over-the-top apology.  He's not sure if her risking serious injury just to stop Fixer's tantrum is more shocking, or the fact that it worked!

"You guessed wrong, Fix..." KERBLAM!

When Angel fires the cannon, Luke ducks for cover just like Fixer.  Upon seeing that the shot was fired at nothing more harmful than canyon wall, he turns a confused look at the others then at the gun turret.

"Up till now I thought only one of them was..."
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:45, Thu 23 Aug 2018.

Mits exhaled in relief that Fixer was powering off the engines, then grimaced in surprise when Angel opened fire.

"TAKE COVER!" she hollers, leaping into action to defend the boys with her lightsaber...

Oh.  Looks like assumptions that The Force had blindsided her again and an army of Sand People had shown up without her sensing danger were unfounded.  Zwoop!  The lightsaber disappears under the robes as quickly as it appeared.

"Mittens has never known Angel to be trigger-happy, so she must have seen something dangerous looking."

She then turns a bashful look to Fixer before bowing low.  "My deepest apologies for my oafish question.  I should have realized from the fact that your friends never discussed the needle with me and Angel around that it was not a topic I was supposed to overhear with my over-sized ears.

"What they did say about you is that they knew they could rely on you to get us out of this pickle.  And that you were the absolute best person to trust with doing so discreetly so as to avoid complications with other, less understanding people.

"I owe you muchly for kindly coming to our rescue so promptly and without any promise of reward, hero.

"...and in my defense, I'm not crazy.  Just eccentric."

Angel calls back to Biggs. "Well everything seems to be OK now! Don't you guys worry! I never stopped watching! And I won't stop watching until we all get out of here!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:08, Thu 23 Aug 2018.

Fixer stares at Mittens a moment longer, his face twisting from anger to confusion to concern. But his expression softens as she speaks of him being reliable and the absolute best person to trust, and then a hero.

"I'm half tempted to tell your uncle, Wormie," he says to Luke, but it is clear that his anger has subsided and that his threat is not serious.

"Yeah," he adds to Mittens, puffing out his chest and assuming a condescending tone, "I'm the guy who fixes up the messes these boys make. Not the first time they've almost got themselves killed by a bunch of sand people and needed me to come to their rescue. Or run out of fuel. You owe me 37 wupiupi, by the way, Darklighter."

Janek frowns as Fixer refers to Biggs, Luke and himself as 'boys' who need their 'messes cleaned up'. He opens his mouth to argue, but Biggs places a restraining arm on his shoulder and gives him a look that reminds him that they've finally calmed Fixer down and want to keep it that way. He gives Biggs a 'do I have to?' look, before sighing and nodding.

"I'll leave you guys to do the sweet talking," he mutters resignedly, slapping Biggs on the shoulder before heading back into the ship and heading over to where Angel is seated by the turret controls.

"You're pretty good with that," he says to Angel, seating himself on a nearby crate, "Seem to have scared those sand people off real good, anyway. Where'd you learn to use one of these?" A gesture at the turret controls accompanies this question.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:56, Thu 23 Aug 2018.

Biggs seems relieved that Janek has decided to let Fixer have his moment.

"Sure thing, Tank," he nods as Janek heads into the ship, "Nice work, Angel," he adds up the boarding ramp. Then he approaches the skyhopper.

"We certainly would have been in trouble if you hadn't shown up, Fixer. And don't worry, I'll pay you back as soon as we get back. Speaking of getting back," he adds, glancing at Luke and Mittens questioningly, "I don't think we have any reason to remain here, now that we have the fuel?"

Luke is visibly annoyed at the threat and nick-name.  But what's also eating him is that Fixer is getting all the hero worship!  He, Biggs, and Tank were the ones risking their necks out in the open in hostile territory.  Tank even got wounded!  But nooo.  Fixer gets all the glory just because he showed up with the fuel anyone could have delivered, and he's getting more than fairly compensated for it.

"Let's load up the speeder.  May as well put this stolen ship to good use."

He follows after Janek.

Mittens giggles at the sound of the word, "wupiupi."  Never heard it before, and it sounds cute and silly to her.

"Wupiupi!  That's the currency around here?  Love the sound of it!  What's the exchange rate for credit-wedits?

"So what's the story behind everyone's nick-names?  You're always the one fixing things for the others, Tank shrugs off getting shot, and... Wormie?  Where'd that come from?"

She grins and gives Biggs a thumbs-up to his question.

"Glad to see you guys getting along again!  And don't worry about this costing so much, Biggs.  Angel's family can easily pay you back for helping us out.  My dad and me aren't as well-to-do, but we repay kindness in our own way, too."

Angel glances over at Janek with a smile, now that he has made himself known. She keeps her eyes back on the viewscreen. "Thanks, Janek. Mom had a friend who had a pilot-training simulator. I trained in it; both to pilot and to use ship gunnery. Just in case. But really, I'm much better with guns, bows, darts.. hand-helds."

She tilts her head, still with her eyes forward, but as if turning an ear to the conversations going on at the ramp. At the mention of Wupiupi, she has a "trying not to laugh" smile. But at the mention of funding worries, she loses her smile, though she doesn't say why.

Luke's annoyance seems to do more to improve Fixer's mood than any hero worship could hope to accomplish.

"Yep, I'm the Fixer and Tank's, well, a tank. As for Luke, well, Wormie just seems to suit him," here he gives Luke a cruel grin.

"I'll get the hopper fired up," he adds, "You want a lift Mitts? I only got one seat," he adds, with a glance at Luke which says 'and you ain't gettin' it'.

"Oh, and a wupiupi's worth, what, seven decicreds these days, Biggs boy?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:30, Fri 24 Aug 2018.

"Closer to six decicreds," Biggs clarifies, before turning to Mittens, "And neither Angel or yourself will do anything of the sort. I'll square Fixer up, and I'm just glad you girls are safe."

Then he turns back to Luke, who's annoyance he also senses. He gives him a bracing pat on the shoulder.

"She's just trying to calm him down, kid," he murmurs, careful not to let Fixer or Mittens hear him, "Let's just be thankful he didn't crash or get himself shot by sand people on the way here. Besides," he adds as they climb the boarding ramp, "Maybe those girls will let us have a shot at piloting the ship back to the Station. Want to go pilot or co-pilot?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:29, Fri 24 Aug 2018.

"Nice!" Janek replies, "Wish my dad had a flight simulator. Bows, darts and hand-helds? You gotta teach me those sometime!"

Janek's ears are not as sharp as Angel's, and so he doesn't hear the wupiupi conversation. He does, however, notice her smile disappear.

"You all right?" he asks gently, frowning with concern.

Luke is making a point to not look at Fixer's smug face while he heads up the ramp, but it's not like he'd want to ride in that dumb hopper anyway.  But to Biggs' question he turns a stunned expression that quickly turns into a big grin.  Sometimes I wonder if Biggs is for real, he's thinking.  But he is NOT turning down an offer like that!

"You know the answer to that!  Don't know how you'll talk them into it, but I somehow know you will."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:31, Fri 24 Aug 2018.

Mittens swallows a laugh when Fixer explains Luke's nickname.  They have NO idea...

She smiles brightly to Biggs and answers with a respectful bow, "Well how noble of you, kind sir!  My deepest thanks!  Please let Angel know I'll be hitching a ride on the hopper to the speeder.  Because... fun!"

Mits then hops onto the hopper's left wing and grabs hold of the vertical fin.  "Ever carry a passenger on the outside?!  Well here's your chance!"

Overhearing Biggs, Angel looks relieved. "Oh, it's nothing." she assures Janek. "And sure... once we are all safely back in your town, we can share skills. By the way; do you prefer I call you Janek? Or Tank?"

She overhears Luke's excitement and wonders what got him so cheery all the sudden. But keeps her eyes forward.

Fixer looks confused as Mittens takes hold of the wing of the hopper, and seems to be about to tell her off. But then his face lights up as he realises that this is something even Biggs or Luke have never attempted!

"All right!" he says enthusiastically, as he climbs into the cockpit and powers up the engine, "Hold tight and prepare to see what a real pilot can do!"

Janek seems a bit crestfallen as he hears Biggs and Luke approaching. He rises from his crate, but cheers up as Angel asks him which name he prefers.

"Call me whichever you prefer," he grins, "Do you have a nickname or anything? And yeah, once we're back to Tosche we can teach each other some skills."

"Will do!" Biggs calls to Mittens in acknowledgement, before clapping Luke on the shoulder enthusiastically, "All right! I'll go co-pilot. Hey! Angel! You mind if Luke and I give this ship a whirl on our way back to Tosche Station? It's a little more advanced than our hoppers, but similar enough that we can definitely get used to it. And there's nothing Luke here can't fly. Oh, and Mittens is going back on Fixer's hopper," he adds as an afterthought, never imagining that the usage of the word 'on' or 'in' could have such significance.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:53, Fri 24 Aug 2018.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Luke's thinking, did I just hear...?  Naw.  Even Mittens isn't that crazy.  No one would ride on the outside of a hopper.  Much less Fixer's...  But very much on the forefront of his mind is the idea of flying the fanciest ship he's ever flown before.  So he's all smiles.

"I'll park us right in front of the speeder so we can push it up the ramp and take it with us.  It'll be just like when I deliver vaporators."
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:41, Fri 24 Aug 2018.

Oh yes.  Mittens is that crazy.  After all, what's the fun in being stranded on a desert planet if you don't go skyhopper surfing?!

"AWESOME!  I had a feeling I could count on you!  And do please stay in front of Angel's ship.  I wanna give her a wave!  Ooh!  Ooh!  Can this hopper go backwards?!  If so I'll be able to see the look on her face!"

Angel's mind races with thoughts at what Biggs just asked of her. But her thoughts only take a few seconds before she responds with "Go for it!"

She looks back at Janek, blissfully unaware that Mittens intends to be literally ON the hopper, and says, "I don't have a nickname yet. So hey, what was the earlier upset all about? I was stuck in here watching everyone's backs and the next thing I know, people are yelling and crying and then all smiles again."

"Nah, hoppers can't go backwards," Fixer replies, looking disappointed for a moment, as though he feels that would be the ultimate way to one-up Biggs. Then his face lights up once more.

"Hey! What if we waited until we were flying ahead of them at full speed, then I cut the engines momentarily. I could spin the hopper three hundred and sixty degrees, keeping the current trajectory, then fire up the engines once more when we are back to forward position. You'd get a chance to wave at your friend. Of course, it'd take crazy good piloting skills to pull it off," he adds with a confident smile and wink.

"Thanks Angel!" Biggs replies as he enters the cockpit and slides into the co-pilot's seat and turns to Luke, "Good thinking! We can try to do some repairs once we get the speeder back to Tosche Station. All right, Captain Luke, let's get this ship fired up and see what she can do!"

Biggs watches Luke's work closely, but quickly notes that the kid is a natural and doesn't need any instruction. Satisfied, he focuses on his own role of prepping the systems and running diagnostics on the state of the fuel cell.

"Systems are prepped and good to go," he informs Luke.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:53, Sun 26 Aug 2018.

"Well, we'll have to get you a nickname before this adventure is over," Janek chuckles, then rolls his eyes, "Oh that. Just Fixer being Fixer and Luke being Luke."

He seems to feel this is an adequate explanation, and does not offer to elaborate further.

Well it's not like Luke's getting ready to jump to lightspeed or anything.  A quick flight like this is as simple as it gets.  Luke gives Biggs a smirk for that "Captain" label and fires up the engines.

"Wow!  Never heard an engine this big purr so smoothly.  And speaking of cats, it was Mittens who set Fixer off, not me.  Why she went so out of her way to kiss his posterior for being one is beyond me, but it worked."

He eases the controls into a graceful vertical takeoff.

"Smooth as silk!  Now this is how ships should fly!"

"EPIC!  You read my mind!  That's exactly what I'd do!  Man what I wouldn't give to have a corkscrew barrel-roll skew flip turnover cobra thrown into the mix!  But sadly, as strong as this kitty's grip is, it isn't quite that strong.  Yet.  Let's give it a go once I can crush a walnut with just two fingers.  Till then, a 360 would certainly turn me into a short-lived human projectile."

She waves at the ship taking off in case they can see her.

"Can you bring me in low and slow over the speeder, though?  I wunna try and hop into the driver seat like they do in the holos."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:09, Mon 27 Aug 2018.

Angel continues to be blissfully unaware of Mittens' antics, since she is staying with the turret.

Concerning Janek, she figures the guy's explanation is, in fact, adequate. Or it would have been if Luke hadn't just fingered Mittens. Angel frowns. "What?" she calls back to Luke. "What did Mittens do to set off your friend? We don't know the guy, so aside from open hostility like making fun of his face or pointing a gun at him, I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around your friend being angered by Mittens. Does he hate cats? Or just her race?"

"Can do, Mitts," Fixer gives her a thumbs up as he closes the cockpit windscreen and starts the engine once more.

His take off is much rougher than Luke's, though of course he blames the skyhopper, not himself. He then accelerates to cut Luke off, his wingtip missing the freighter's viewport by centimeters. He brings the skyhopper down low over the abandoned landspeeder, but as he passes overhead he is flying much to fast for anyone without Jedi reflexes to have a hope of surviving a leap into the speeder.

Biggs seems just as impressed as Luke by the ship.

"Very nice!" he grins, flipping several switches as the ship shifts from its repulsorlift engine to its sublight drive.

"Your friend Mittens made the mistake of mentioning 'threading the needle'," Biggs explains to Angel, not taking his eyes from the controls before him, "It does sound pretty harmless, in her defense, but its a bit of a sore point for- by the Hutts!" he breaks off as the skyhopper wingtip flashes past the windscreen close enough for him and Luke to touch, were it not for the transperisteel between, "What the blazes is he doing?!" Biggs frowns, shaking his head as the hopper drops down toward the speeder below, "And is that...?"

He glances at a decidedly cat-shaped form clinging to the outside of the left wing, then back at Luke incredulously.

Janek had just opened his mouth to back up Biggs in regard to Fixer's unreasonableness, but Biggs' exclamation causes him to glance around, frowning.

"What is it Biggs?" he calls, hurrying out of the turret room and down to the cockpit. He is too late to see just how close the vehicles came to a collision, but no one can fail to spot Mittens windswept form. His eyes widen in disbelief as places a hand to his forehead.

"I guess that settles it," he says matter-of-factly, shaking his head, "She really is insane."

Luke expected Angel's question, but wasn't quite sure how to answer it without sounding like Fixer is more enemy than friend.  Fixer is unstable.  Fixer thinks Biggs is high-and-mighty.  Fixer is reckless.  A danger to himself and others.  Blames everyone and everything else for whatever goes wrong.  Real or imagined.  But Luke is neither in the mood to smooth things over for Fixer, nor does he want to have to explain how Biggs is not any of those things in spite of having threaded The Needle himself...

WHOOSH!  Luke's reaction to the near collision is to freeze up.  Which has the fortunate effect of keeping the nice ship in a stable course.  Had he tried any evasive maneuvers, Tank may have wound up discovering what it feels like to be inside a rock tumbler.

"FIXER YOU IDIOT!" is all Luke can think to say.  But not all his anger is directed at the pilot of the hopper.  The passenger looks like she enjoyed that near miss!

"WOOOO!" Mits cheers from the rush of a jarring take-off.

It's a good thing she thought to grab hold with a second hand, because both feet slipped!  No sooner does she regain her footing than the powerful chaotic forces of air currents around two ships nearly colliding at high speed buffet her from directions that don't seem possible!

"AAHAHAHA!  YEAH YEAH YEAH!"

A slip of the feet at that point would have ended with a Mittens shaped splatter on Luke's windshield.  But fortunately, well-practiced telekinesis can happen instinctively, gluing feet to smooth surface with unnatural tenacity.  Once the maelstrom of eddies stops trying to tear her from the hopper, she releases the death-grip of one hand in order to wave at the bigger ship - the rest of her body racked with involuntary shivers of terror.

What's an appropriate speed for an aerial dismount, she's wondering, And how do I know I'm going that speed or slower?  How do I time this right?

A quick glance at the ground is plenty to tell her survival instincts, "TOO FAST!  WILL DIE!"  But the speeder is getting close.  Just enough time for the Thrill-Junkie Side of The Mittens to overrule the Survival Side.  If I can't handle fear of this low level and still move forward, how do I expect to pass my knight trials much less face the Empire?! is the thought that passes through her head just before she leaps with all her might in the opposite direction that the hopper is flying.  ...a moment too late.  Because like earlier with the powerful thirst instinct, Survival Side still has a say in decision-making. Much better chances of not snapping one's spine if they crash-land onto soil than speeder dashboard, is the reasoning.

In the split seconds before landfall, Mits realizes that she was going much too fast to pinpoint landing in the driver's seat accurately on the first try without cheating and surrendering to The Force - a skill that she's not terribly good at even after trying hundreds of times.  Luke The Prodigy Sywalker could probably nail it after only a couple dozen tries and broken bones, but that's neither here nor there at this point.  If there's one thing Mittens is good at, that's surviving the stupidly dangerous situations she puts herself in.  With what looks like graceful ease, Mits lands in a gymnastic tumble-roll, springs up into a back-flip for more points, then winds up comically face-planted when she tries to land on her feet afterward.  Her hand raises into a thumbs-up to indicate she's still alive.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:24, Tue 28 Aug 2018.

Angel keeps her eyes open for any danger when suddenly, a hopper comes swooping past the ship! Angel barely keeps herself from shooting it down, especially when she spots Mittens on it. Her expression is one of disbelief.

https://tinyurl.com/ybjhjt48

Sure, she has known Mittens for years. Sure, she knows Mittens does dangerous stuff for the heck of it. But apparently, combining that with reckless-driving Fixer was a bad idea.

"She... I'm gonna..." Angel's mind is racing with thoughts and she isn't able to process them all. Angel takes some deep breathes. Then calmly says, "Tank, do you mind taking over the turret while I check on Mittens?"

She is getting up from her seat, as if anticipating his answer will be a yes.

Fixer doesn't seem overly concerned as Mittens rolls across the ground, and doesn't even see the thumbs up. He arcs his hopper around, slowing to come to a rough landing twenty meters or so from landspeeder. He doesn't climb out of the skyhopper or offer to assist in getting the landspeeder aboard the frieghter. He simply crosses his arms and watches the ship land, smiling maliciously at Luke.

Biggs' eyes widen with concern as Mittens strikes the sand below, sending it spraying in all directions as she tumbles and ends up flat on her face.

"Blast, she's fallen off!" he says in alarm, "By the Hutts, what was she thinking?!"

Then Mittens gives that thumbs up and he breaths a sigh of relief, though it does not dislodge the frown from his face.

"Take her down Luke," he says tersely, referring now to the ship, "That is the last time I let Fixer take a passenger. Nice piloting back there by the way. You've got good nerves."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:05, Tue 28 Aug 2018.

Janek recovers himself from the shock of Mittens fall, still shaking his head at both her and Fixer.

"Hundred and fifty percent insane," he is still muttering to himself. Then Angel speaks and of course his answer is 'yes'.

"Sure thing," he says, striding manfully to the turret seat and sliding in. He might not have a clue how to use the thing, but he does his best to look like he's a seasoned gunner, eyes keenly narrowed as he peers at the viewscreen before him. His efforts are not helped by the fact that his fingers are not on the safety lock, meaning the triggers would not fire even if he tried.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:54, Tue 28 Aug 2018.

Luke couldn't turn his eyes away from the train wreck.  How in the world did she survive that?!  Hers must be some part rhino species that's immune to blunt force trauma.

"Thanks.  Looked to me like she jumped off on purpose.  And aren't cats supposed to always land on their feet?  What's Fixer giving me that look for?!"

With skill accustomed to compensating for the rust buckets that pass for vessels on Tatooine, Luke lands the ship with the ramp aligned perfectly with the speeder.  He gets up and heads for the first aid kit.

"You mind accidentally shooting Fixer for me while I patch up the crazy cat, Tank?  Thanks."
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:57, Tue 28 Aug 2018.

Pweh pweh!  Mouth full of desert!  Too bad it's not dessert.

"And in all that, The Force didn't yell, 'danger!' at me," Mits asserts to nobody in particular, "Though I guess if it knew all along that I wasn't going to break a leg it wouldn't need to say anything.  Worth mentioning to Master."

She rolls over and manages to sit up then checks herself for injury.  "Everything in one piece!  Nothing out of joint!  Now that's a good landing!  For the future: do that while deflecting heavy blaster fire.  Speaking of fire...  OW OW OW OW!"

Mits hops to her feet before her butt gets cooked by the scorching hot desert floor.  Then promptly falls over again because her inner ear is still swimming from all the flipping around.

Angel was so focused on getting to Mittens, she didn't watch to make sure Janek had the competence. She just took his word for it that he could. That'll teach her to trust someone for a change.

Luke is instead met with Angel holding a first-aid kit and a look of determination on her face as she is marching to the ramp. She pauses just a moment to look at Luke, her expression softening slightly and says, "Luke. Superb flying." before continuing on towards her fallen friend.

"Mittens! I'm coming!" she calls out before picking up the pace and jogging towards Mittens. She has her free hand on her blaster, though, ready to shoot anyone who might pop up and be hostile out of nowhere. Angel is not in the mood for being ambushed.

Fixer continues to sit with his arms crossed, though he does look slightly worried when the freighter's canon swivels roughly in his direction, unaware that there is in fact no danger of it firing, even if Janek had wanted it to. Upon seeing Luke emerging from the boarding ramp, he opens his windshield and clambers eagerly out.

"You'd better learn to watch where you're flyin', Wormie," he sneers, grinning as he he saunters toward the ship, glancing at Angel, who he has seen for the first time.

"You're the other girl, eh?" he calls as she reaches Mittens, turning in her direction.

Biggs is glad to hear Angel complimenting Luke. He knows Luke is pretty tense whenever Fixer is around, and anything that can help make him feel better is good. He gives Luke an encouraging slap on the shoulder as he rises and hurries after Angel.

However, once outside, he spots Fixer and his eyes narrow.

"That's enough Fixer," he says coldly, leaving Angel to look after Mittens while he approaches his would-be friend, "There's a time for fun and fooling around, but this isn't it. You're lucky Luke's a good pilot or we might all be a dark spot on that canyon wall back there. We appreciate you helping us out with the fuel, but that's no excuse for risking everyone's lives trying to show off. Now, do you want to give us a hand loading the landspeeder or not?"

"Is she all right?" he adds to Angel, looking concerned.

Janek remains in the gunner's seat, attempting to turn the viewscreen about to keep watch on the surrounding terrain. His inexperience with ship gunnery becomes more apparent as the turret jerks from side to side and up and down, clanking against the extreme angles of its socket.

"All clear so far!" he calls to anyone who might still be within hearing distance.

Luke may know he could never take Fixer in a fair fight, but he's had enough.  Even fear of a bloody lip and Biggs taking the initiative isn't enough to keep him from giving Fixer a piece of his mind.  But his thought process is interrupted by the crazy cat...

Mits recognizes the anger in Luke's eyes, and it scares her.  Last thing this galaxy needs is for this guy to go Darkside! she's thinking.  To keep him from talking she bursts out laughing as raucously as she can!

"AHAAHAHA!  YOU'RE SUCH A JOKER, FIXER!  HAHAHA!

"OHMYGOSH THAT WAS EPIIIC!!  Did you see me, Angel!  That was even better than the stunt I pulled on Alderan!  Thank you everyone so much for putting up with my impromptu stunt!  I'm gunna make you all the bestest dessert you've ever tasted!  Home-made ICECREAM!"

Angel can easily see just how scared she is of Luke right now.

"Yeah." Angel answers Fixer. "My name is Angel. Thanks for answering the call. Still got work to do, though..."

Angel's expression was one of concern as she approached Mittens, but then she gets a similarly jarring experience as Luke does when Mittens has her outburst. She spots Mittens' expression, then goes to kneel in front of Mittens' still-prone self, putting herself in the way of Mittens' view of Luke. She gives Mittens a quick once-over to make sure the cat doesn't have broken bones. "Anything broken?" she asks to double-check.

Once she gets assurance Mittens doesn't have broken bones, Angel hefts the girl to her feet and puts Mittens' arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, Biggs, she's alright. Luke, can you help a girl out?" she asks in as soft and girly a tone as she can muster without overdoing it or sounding fake. She is very practiced at this, so it sounds naturally like Angel is just pleading for the help of 'big, strong, manly Luke' since he is nearby.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:26, Thu 30 Aug 2018.

Fixer's smile fades as Biggs reprimands him. He crosses his arm, frowning defiantly.

"Hey Biggs boy, don't get all high'n mighty. No one made you the boss of me or anyone else. I had everything under control, and you're just jealous you didn't pull that stunt. Always were a bad sport. And don't expect me to push that piece of junk on board. Wasn't me who wanted to go out into sand people infested territory to shoot blasted womp rats. I've already helped you guys more than you deserve."

"Oi, Mitts," he adds, "You up for our second stunt?"

Biggs seems as distracted as the rest of them by Mittens outburst. He gives her a seriously concerned stare, and seems to considering whether or not to believe Angel when she assures him Mittens is all right. At length he seems to give her the benefit of the doubt, and nods reluctantly. Then he turns back to Fixer, fists clenched.

"Listen, Fixer, I've had just about enough of-" he checks himself with some difficulty, takes a deep breath, and when he speaks his voice is dangerously calm, "As you say, you've done quite enough here, Fixer. Just go. We'll see you back at Tosche Station, and I'll square you up for the fuel. Mittens isn't doing any more 'stunts' with you. She will be on the ship with us. Just go."

Janek meanwhile, is getting a little bored. He can now appreciate just how patient Angel must be to be able to sit here and watch their backs the whole time. She's such a good woman. Patient, smart, cool and knows how to fight. Ain't no girl on Tatooine like that. That's Coruscant breeding right there. Oh, now what is that cat girl screaming about? Can't she just be quiet for five seconds and stop stealing Angel's attention? Why would someone like Angel hang out with such a crazy girl? Ah well, he guesses he hangs out with Fixer, so he and Angel have that in common.

Still, Luke and Biggs will need his help soon in loading that landspeeder aboard, and his arm is feeling a bit better. What is taking Angel so long?

He spins the turret around a few more times, still struggling to control it, but there is definitely no sign of sand people. He supposes that is something. Still, one of them might shoot Fixer for him, which would improve the day immensely.

Luke's never seen, much less tasted ice cream.  Only heard rumors about the frigid dessert so cold it shrinks your brain.  How's this girl expect to make something like that on Tatooine?  He'll believe it when he sees it.  And needle her relentlessly about not keeping her promises when he doesn't see it.  Was Fixer really joking?

Luke turns a surprised look to Biggs that says, "dude you're scary."

He heads over to the girls to help out with lips tightly shut and "somebody's in truuuble" look in his eyes.

"Ice cream, huh?  Doesn't that stuff cost a fortune?"

Mits slumps onto Angel in relief.  Partly due to no longer cooking on the searingly hot ground, but mostly from Luke not suddenly turning into the next Darth Vader.  (She has NO idea!)

She offers a thumbs-up to Fixer.  "I'm being kidnapped by mommy Angel, Fixer.  I think I'm gunna be grounded too.  But when we get to Tosche Station, I'll tell you all the sweet ideas I've got for hopper surfing, Most Fun Pilot I've Ever Met!"

She whispers to Angel, "I'm deliberately leaving the 'besides Angel' part of that compliment out so he doesn't think you've done crazier stunts and feel like he's gotta one-up you.  Why boys feel like they've gotta one-up everyone all the time is beyond me.  Feeling fantastic!"

Note to self: one-up that last stunt.

Mits straightens out and stands on her own two feet, apparently no longer dizzy.  Declining his help, she turns a sheepish smile to Luke and quietly says, "Sorry for almost becoming a bug on your windshield, Luke.  Obviously Fixer's trying to cover his embarrassment that his hopper isn't in perfect working order 'cause otherwise that maneuver wouldn't have been such a close call.  That Fixer friend of yours is something else!  And here Mittens thought she was bad at hiding her feelings!"

She answers his earlier question in normal conversational volume, "Oh!?  Um... ice cream's very affordable on most worlds.  I guess 'round here ice cream vendors could charge a lot.  I'd give my left arm for a scoop right now!"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:34, Thu 30 Aug 2018.

Angel whispers back to Mittens, "So if I tell him that the reason I'm more fun to you is because I'm a girl, will he consider it a personal challenge to out-girl me?"

Angel looks over at Fixer. Her mind is working at a million miles an hour. Statements like "If anything happened to Mittens, you would be dead now" cross her mind. But she knows that projecting what you intend to do to your enemy is for chumps. She looks back at Mittens. "Yes... grounded." is all she musters before working on getting the speeder into the ship.

Fixer's eyes narrow at Biggs' tone, and he clenches his own fists. Then he directs an annoyed glare at Angel for stealing away his new daredevil friend. But he can tell when not to mess with Biggs, and he certainly doesn't want to stick around and help with the landspeeder. At length he shrugs.

"Fine. Thirty-seven wupiupi, Darklighter, and I'll be double counting. I've got actual important stuff to do back at the station anyway."

With a final defiant glare that encompasses everyone except Mittens, he turns and storms off to his skyhopper. He clambers in, slams the windshield and revs the engine unnecessarily before rumbling off into the air, sending a cloud of sand wafting in the direction of freighter.

Biggs does not appear phased by the sand cloud, and does not move until the skyhopper is well into the air and on its way over the rocky outcroppings. Then he turns to Luke, and upon seeing his expression, gives him a 'well he did ask for it' look in return.

"Don't know what's gotten into him today," he says out loud, shaking his head darkly, "Never seen him that out of line before. Sorry you had to put up with that," he adds to Angel, "You get her into the ship and patched up. Luke and I'll get the speeder loaded."

Janek has by this time realised that he definitely doesn't want to become a ship gunner. Maybe if there was at least something to shoot at... Oh! There goes Fixer's hopper. So tempting. But no, he'd better not try anything stupid. Been enough of that already today. Where are some good old sand people when you need them?

"You guys coming back soon?" he calls out to no one in particular.

"Think maybe Camie dumped him?" Luke answers with a mischievous grin, trying not to look too hopeful that she did.

He watches the hopper disappear and wonders if maybe someday he can be badass enough to make a guy like Fixer back down.

To Mittens he gives his classic "gimme a break" look and answers, "I don't blame you for the near miss.  But seriously, what were you thinking riding on the outside of a hopper?!  Worse yet with Fixer at the helm?!  Didn't you hear him admit he's wrecked four already?!"

Being a native he knows not to touch metal with his bare hands, so he leans his tush against the speeder to push with his legs.

"Keep yer pants on, Janek!  Angel's still scraping the roadkill off the pavement!"

Mits gives Fixer a great big smile and wave as he leaves.  Angel's comment makes her bust out laughing!

"Tell ya what.  Don't taddle on me to Dad, and you can ground me all you like, Angel."

She puts her hands on the speeder's hood to help push then immediately recoils in pain.  "OW!  Hot!  ...Duh, Mittens.  Desert."

Reaching under her robes she then pulls out a pair of sock puppets who then nom the speeder so she can help push.

"What was I thinking?  Something along the lines of, 'By The Force this is going to be fun!  And if the Sand People shoot at us, I'll fearlessly deflect their bullets!  And if the hopper suddenly loses power mid flight, I'll be handy to yoink Fixer out to dramatically save his life and impress all the boys!  If not, I'll impress everyone by doing an amazing aerial dismount into the speeder!  Everyone will be all, 'Wow, Mittens!  That was epic!  How'd you get so awesome!?'  And I'd be all, 'Aw shucks!  Thanks, guys!  You're the best!'  Then we'd all have a good laugh with ice cream and a puppet show!"

When Fixer glared at Angel, she returned the glare with an expression colder than a banker’s heart on foreclosure day at the widows’ and orphans’ home.

Angel says, "There is no reason to give your dad a heart attack over something he has no control over."

She waits for Fixer to leave like the overgrown toddler he is, then looks at Biggs. "It isn't your fault, Biggs."

Angel looks at Mittens. "I saw you, Mittens. I saw that it took *everthing* just to survive. You would not have been any help to us. You would have become a liability. If we did get attacked, you would have been a helpless target the rest of us would have to protect. You're free to do what you want. I'm not giving you ultimatums. But try to remember that actions have consequences..."

She leans in to whisper, "..and The Force does not warn you against the danger you put yourself in on purpose."

Angel gets back to patching up Mittens. "Your new friend doesn't like me, Mittens, and I haven't even done anything to him yet. Now... Biggs? Luke? What does Fixer love and what does he hate?"

Biggs returns the grin at Luke's joke about Camie.

"Don't know what she sees in him," he shakes his head in perplexion, before heading over to the speeder, "Careful Mittens! That's-" he winces as she recoils with her cry, "...hot. Listen, why don't you girls get on board and keep the ship prepped. Luke and I'll take care of this," he smiles to show that he is sincere about this offer, "Don't worry Mittens, you'll get your chance to be a hero. But for now, we just need to focus on getting back to Tosche Station in once piece. Besides," he adds, glancing at the flailing turret behind them and trying not to grin, "I think Tank could use a bit of help with that canon."

He removes his jacket as he speaks, placing it on the hood of the speeder and, with Luke's help, starts to push the landspeeder slowly in the direction of the freighter's loading ramp.

"What does Fixer love and hate?" he responds to Angel as he works, panting slightly, "Loves? Beating Luke and me. Hates? Pretty much everything else, right Luke?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:39, Thu 30 Aug 2018.

"All right, Luke," Janek calls back, "Just makin' sure things are okay. Is what's-her-face gonna live? And do you guys want a hand with that landspeeder? Me arm's feelin' heaps better."

Luke is trying to find a snappy answer to Mittens, but the fact is that's almost exactly how everyone reacted to Biggs threading The Needle.  And pretty much exactly how Biggs reacted to everyone's praise.  Minus the puppet show and ice cream.  Hmm.  There really isn't a non-sexist way to tell her she should leave the daring-do to the men, is there?  ...Aha!

"You should leave the daring-do to the adults," Luke answers, pleased that his comment about Camie didn't earn him a tease.

He thinks some on the question, "Biggs took what I was going to say about what he hates, but I was going to say the only thing he loves is himself.  But that's not entirely true.  There's a reason we asked him over anyone else to bring the fuel.  He may be a bantha bull to everyone around him, but...  something redeemable besides getting the fuel.  Help me out here, Biggs."

Mits looks relieved that Angel isn't going to tell on her.  She's having a hard time answering Angel's excellent points, so she focuses on something else for the moment.

"What's-her-face?!  WHAT'S-HER-FACE?!  This after Mittens deliberately speaks in third person to make it easy to remember her name?!  Glad to hear you're doing better, WHAT'S-HIS-FACE!"

Mits doesn't look or sound angry, just doing a silly imitation with sock puppets flailing about over her head as she heads up the ramp.

"Yeesh.  So much love for Fixer.  I'm sure his girlfriend would give you an earful about his redeemable qualities.  And nobody present can tell me you'd call her a liar when she says, 'He's sensitive.'

(This last part said through her left sock puppet.)

"That said, I cannot deny that he surprised me with actually accepting my harebrained idea of skyhopper surfing into the driver seat of the speeder.  It's rare I meet someone with my appetite for adventure.  And in my defense, I expected it to be 7 on the difficulty meter, which is a level I can do nearly every day in training, but unfortunate circumstances that I choose to believe were beyond his control ramped it up to a 10.  Because I choose to believe that the rest of my new friends would not associate with someone who has absolutely no regard for my life and put me in mortal danger on purpose."

The right puppet points it's nose at Luke and Biggs, "So by being his friends you're already vouching for Fixer's redeeming qualities."

Lefty then tries to sound like Fixer, "Don't know why everyone's so upset.  The catgirl knows her own limits, doesn't she?  Am I a badguy for accommodating her stunt?  That's like saying I'm a badguy for passing a Wookie more weights when he asks for them.  She didn't even so much as twist an ankle for goodness sakes!  Hope nobody teases me for the shape my hopper's in."

Angel does get a very brief wtf moment when Janek says "what's-her-face", but then remembers some people are just slower than others. Mittens' flailing and calling Janek "What's-his-face" amuses Angel, but she barely lets it show with a swift exhaling, her face still a perfect poker face.

Angel looks over at Mittens and says coldly, "It is certainly kind of you to be the Devil's advocate..." finally, she smiles as if she had an idea. Though her tone is candy-sweet, there is something malevolent in that same tone. "I know precisely how to repay his kindness..."

Biggs manages to retain his composure as Mittens has her outburst at Janek and manages to stifle a snort at her 'he's sensitive' joke. However, her Fixer puppet impersonation proves too much for him, and his whole body begins to shake as he breaks down laughing, raising a hand to call Luke to a momentary halt in their efforts. At length he manages to regain control of himself, and, wiping away mingled tears and sweat, he gives Luke a thumbs up and begins to push once more.

"In our defense," he responds, trying to keep his tone serious, "We thought Fixer was going to take you inside his hopper. And once we get back to Tosche Station you will see that it's not like we have much choice in the friend department. But you're right," he adds reasonably, after a moment, "He's not all bad. He's a decent guy when not provoked, and is a skilled mechanic, hence his nickname. I guess he's just never been respected, growing up, and it's left him fiercely determined to get some now."

Then Angel gets that malevolent tone in her voice.

"Oh?" Biggs prompts, raising an eyebrow.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:20, Fri 31 Aug 2018.

Janek seems quite amused by Mittens response.

"Looks like we both just got ourselves some new nicknames!" he calls back, chuckling, "'The Adventures of What's-His-Face and What's-Her-Face'. At least it won't be hard to remember."

He is too far away to hear the puppet show, but definitely hears Biggs laughter.

"What? What's funny?" he calls, "Hey, does someone want to come take over here? There's no sand people."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:14, Fri 31 Aug 2018.

Luke enjoys the fact that Mittens is annoyed with Janek.  And Janek's awesome comeback.  The "sensitive" comment makes him roll his eyes, but the fact that Biggs enjoyed the humor so much puts a smile back on his face.

"Sounds about right.  He'll never own up to risking everyone's necks back there.  Hey Tank!  You gotta hear What's-Her-Face's impersonation of Fixer!  It's a riot!"

He too raises an eyebrow at Angel's malevolent tone.  "Oh lemme guess.  You're going to tell Camie the whole story, aren't you?  Perfect!"

Woman revenge.  They hit you where it hurts.  And in this case, Luke's perfectly fine with that.  But there's something else he wants clarified.

"'Training?'  What kind of training involves jumping off moving vehicles at high speed?"

He's half expecting some silly story like she aspires to be a holovid star.

Mittens is ever so happy that she managed to get Biggs to laugh so hard and she takes a bow.  But all she gets is a smile from Luke?  Maybe this is the reason he hasn't gone Darkside in all these years?  He's just naturally as humorless as a Jedi master?  And his anger is apparently pretty easy to sooth too.  Go figure.  But Angel has Mits kinda worried.

"Very glad you guys enjoyed my performance.  And yes.  If it wasn't clear, I'm apologizing for both me and Fixer for earlier.  Last thing I want is to be the reason a perfectly good friendship takes a nosedive.

"As for my training, I study very hard at the art of being Mittens-like.  I could get you started if you're interested."

Mits is sure to give a wave to Janek once inside the ship.  "Luke's still calling you Tank so I guess your new nickname isn't sticking."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:40, Fri 31 Aug 2018.

Angel nods to Luke. Tattling to Camie crossed her mind. Not what had her smiling, but she decides it best not to mention what she had in mind.

Angel goes to Janek. "Calm down, What's-His-Face. I'm here. Thanks for keeping my seat warm while I was busy." and motions for him to vacate the seat so she can sit at the turret. "Well we have the fuel. We have the speeder loaded. Luke and Biggs, if you guys wanna keep piloting this ship home, you've more than earned the right, in my opinion."

Once the landspeeder has been successfully maneuvered into the corner of the loading bay, Biggs heaves a couple of crates into position to stop the landspeeder from sliding about during their trip.

"We're not angry at you Mittens," Biggs says kindly as he works, "At least I'm not. Just worried for your safety. It's Fixer who should have known better, but as Luke said, he's never going to apologise for anything. And I'll have to turn down your offer of 'Mittens-like' training. Somehow I don't think the human anatomy was quite designed for it..."

His face lights up once more at Angel's offer to keep piloting.

"Angel, you read my mind! Luke, you still up for it?"

The grin that accompanies this question suggests that he knows very well what Luke's response will be.

Janek is more than happy to escape the confines of the gunner's seat, grinning when Angel calls him What's-His-Face.

"No probs, sweetheart. And we still need to find you a nickname, don't forget," he teases as he makes his way out of the room and into the loading bay, before adding to Mittens, "Sorry, guess What's-His-Face just isn't as catchy as What's-Her-Face."

Then he hears Luke mentioning getting Fixer into trouble with Camie.

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" he grins, "And hey, am I gonna get a shot at piloting this beauty at some stage Luke? Oh, sorry, 'captain' Luke?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:24, Sat 01 Sept 2018.

Aaand the crazy girl manages to answer with something sillier than the silliest thing Luke could imagine.  Why am I not surprised?

"Yeah, what Biggs said.  You go ahead and keep holding that monopoly on Mittens-likeness.

He grins to Angel and Biggs and answers, "You bet!"

But upon approaching the pilot seat he stops himself to smirk at Tank's calling him Captain.  "Actually...  Tanks got a point.  What's fair's fair.  And I think we all know who earned the 'Captain' title today."

He gives Biggs a crisp salute then continues.

"Not to mention the fact that he can out-fly anyone on Tatooine.  Besides.  You've gotta experience the handling on this baby!"

Mits is amused that Angel's using What's-His-Face for Janek and it shows.  It also shows that she doesn't like him calling her sweetheart, but at least she tried to not show it.  But Biggs saying he's not mad at her makes her smile again.

Mits shrugs to Janek's comment and joins Angel just outside the gunner seat.  "I'm sure Luke and Biggs will be more than happy to get you caught up on what you missed, What's-His-Face.  And I'm sure Cap'n Biggs is big enough to give you a turn at the wheel at some point.  Angel already has many really nice nick-names, but they're hers to share or not.

Princess.  Beautiful.  Cherub.  Baby-doll.  Her parents really dote over her.

To Luke and Biggs she comments, "Don't underestimate yourselves.  My teacher is human, and he's way more badass than me.  Just... not very Mittens-like."

Angel gives Luke a smile and a nod when he looked her way. Then looks over at Mittens when she peeks in on her. In a quieter tone, she says, "Good to hear everyone back in good spirits. But if what they said earlier is true, we've got a town full of people worse than Fixer to look forward to. So Mittens, let's let the boys take the lead. I'll do my best to smooth things over with their elders, but when it comes to the rest of the town? I highly suggest non-interaction."

She speaks up so the others can hear. "Being Mittens-like is a wonderful thing. But like everything in this universe, it can be done the right way or the wrong way."
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:40, Sat 01 Sept 2018.

“No reason a ship can’t have three captains,” Biggs grins good naturedly, but the excitement on his face shows as he slides into the pilot’s seat and ignites the engine. His anticipation of flying the ship is such that he seems quite oblivious to the ‘Mittens-like’ conversation.

“I’ll take her off and give her a bit of a spin,” he informs Luke and Janek, “And pass over to you after that, Tank. You can pass over to Luke once we near Tosche, and he can take us in for the landing.”

“Wow, she does handle nicely!” he exclaims as the ship lifts off and speeds into the air, “My poor hopper’s never going to be quite the same...”

“Oh?” Janek gives Angel a cheeky grin when Mittens speaks of her having ‘many nicknames’, “We’ll have to see if we can guess a few once we’re back at Tosche.”

As soon as Mittens leaves the room to talk with Angel, he slouches into one of the passenger seats behind Biggs and leans in close, lowering his voice so as not to be heard by the girls.

“So seriously, what do you guys think of Angel? She’s really somethin’, huh?”
This message was last edited by the player at 12:38, Sat 01 Sept 2018.

Luke chuckles at the idea of three captains.  But he's not going to complain that he got elected for the landing.  He grins widely at Biggs' approval of the ship and nods to the comment about the hopper.

"Right?  But just think of the sweet rides you'll get once you graduate from the academy!"

To Tank Luke gives his signature "gimme a break" look.  "Out of this world, you could say.  Hate to break it to ya, though, but she's light years outta your league.  Rich parents.  Travels the stars.  Hangs out with someone who could one-up any man we know.  How the heck do you impress a girl like that?"

He thinks for a bit, trying to come up with an answer to his own question, then shakes his head.  "You don't."

Luke can't contain his impish smile.  "Biggs might have a shot, though."

Good ole momma Angel being the worry-wart for the pair.  Mits wants to say something to help calm her friend's concerns, "If Wormie, Tank, Fixer, and he-who-lacks-a-nickname aren't worried about Toche station, we needn't be.  What's the worst that could happen on a backwater like this anyway?" for example.  But Mittens believes that there is a power even stronger than The Force: Murphey's Law.  Which goes into overdrive if you insist nothing can go wrong.

So instead, the right sock puppet leans in to give Angel a peck on the cheek.  "Thanks for the praise, Angel.  Being like you is so amazing that angelic is a real word.  I'll try and contain myself around the ruffians.  But you already knew I'm much more Mittens-like around trustworthy people."

Angel idly pets the sock puppet, but then says in a soft tone, "Thanks for the compliments... All I'm asking is you not talk to anyone aside from Biggs, Luke and Janek. Don't even talk about anyone besides those three when we're in mixed company."

Upon hearing Luke talk about her some, Angel's expression becomes a "what the heck were you thinking?" expression as she continues in a near-whisper, "Oh... that reminds me: since when do you tell strangers about my family's wealth? If they so much as get overheard saying "Angel has wealthy parents", I become a target for far more skilled professional kidnappers and other people who make a living off of preying on the rich. The only reason I'm able to adventure with you is because I haven't been on the news or anything yet. Once that happens and I become a high-profile kidnap victim, my adventuring days with you are done, whether I like it or not. On that note... which do you think I should do? Persuade the guys that I don't have rich parents after all? Or gamble that I can trust them and tell them to swear to silence about it?"

Biggs is very much enjoying his piloting experience, flying with great skill and speed as they race through the Tatooine sky, the freighter’s shadow a tiny speck on the sand far below. Luke and Janek know that Biggs would love to try some dives and spins to test the ships limits, but controls himself out of a sense of responsibility for the girls on board. And speaking of one of those girls...

“As we’ve also pointed out, she’s also a little young, isn’t she Tank? Fifteen she said. You’re eighteen. Luke, you’re more suited to her age-wise,” he gives Luke a wry grin, “But as Luke’s said, Tank, she’s a bit out of any Tatooine boy’s league if all that stuff about her being from a rich Coruscant family is true.”

Janek scowls at Luke, crossing his arms.

“She’s not out of my league,” he retorts indignantly, “Parents are parents. She didn’t choose hers, just like I didn’t choose mine. And I’ll be travellin’ the stars one day, soon as the academy applications come back. And What’s-Her-Face is crazy, so that doesn’t count.”

Then he turns to Biggs.

“And she’s not that much younger. I only just turned eighteen. Barely two years different. What about you and Kandji? She’s seventeen, you’re twenty. That’s three years!”

He shakes his head, slouching back into his seat.

“You guys are the worst friends ever!”
This message was last edited by the player at 00:41, Sun 02 Sept 2018.

Luke's enjoying the flight too.  He'll laugh when the ship passes Fixer's little hopper and he's watching for it.

Luke rubs his chin considering the points made and shakes his head.  "Just don't want you setting yourself up for disappointment, Tank.  But as the saying goes, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.  On the other hand, I'm not going to make any passes at her.  Because I'm your friend."

And because you can't fail if you don't try.  He'll play it safe and wait for a girl that makes a move on him first.

Mittens smiles at Angel's being so cute but loses the smile when offering to reward the heroes gets turned into "and then Angel dies."  Inner turmoil!

"Fine.  I choose trust."

She marches up to the cockpit to where the boys are with a serious expression.  "Remember me saying earlier I'd tell you my dangerous secret when I trust you more?  I'm a Jedi Knight in training.  The Empire would pay a king's ransom for information on my whereabouts.  Or force you to watch your family members get mutilated to get you to talk.  So I have to ask you to please not talk about how I just walked away from my foolish stunt earlier without a scratch.  From now on I'll be using a crutch and wearing a sling."

Angel feels safe enough to walk out to the others with Mittens. Choosing trust is not an easy option for Angel. But seeing Mittens just throw it all out there makes her curious how the boys will react. Will they even believe what Mittens just said? Even if they do believe, will they now believe Mittens is a terrorist since the Empire is after her? Angel has her hand near her gun, but not on it, ready to draw it and protect herself and Mittens.

She's thinking "...please tell me it was the Force that told you to trust them." but doesn't voice it. She can clear that up with Mittens later.

Biggs had reddened slightly when Janek mentioned Kandji, glancing back to give him a disapproving frown.

“Kandji and I are just friends, thank you, Tank,” he says coolly, “And that’s different anyway. When Angel is seventeen and you are twenty, or nineteen or whatever, I won’t say anything. The fact is-” he breaks off abruptly as Mittens barges in, listening intently to her confession while maintaining perfect control of the freighter. He is silent for a moment after she finishes explaining, his brow furrowed. Eventually he responds, “A Jedi knight? I think I remember my father talking about them once. They were a group of elite soldiers during the Clone Wars, or something?”
This message was last edited by the player at 04:04, Sun 02 Sept 2018.

Janek’s brow is also furrowed as he stares at Mittens, though his expression contains more skepticism than Biggs’.

“So, what, you’re some sort of commando now?” he says, raising an eyebrow, and giving Luke an ‘I told you she was crazy’ look, “And the... Empire is after you?”

He seems to trying to decide if she is joking or genuinely deluded.

Luke knows better about Kandji - honestly who wouldn't be attracted to a goddess like her? - but he's not going to contradict Biggs on a sensitive topic like that.  And this is not the time to point out that she's closer to Luke's age either.  For once, Luke welcomes a Mittens interruption.

Out comes the patented Luke Skywalker "gimme a break" face again.  But there's something about the silly one getting serious that makes him feel uneasy.  Especially the part about harm coming to his family.

"This have anything to do with that glow-stick you took out earlier?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:29, Sun 02 Sept 2018.

Mits is surprised that the boys only have a vague idea of what the Jedi were.  Here she thought everyone knew the legends.  Hmm... How do you explain what a Jedi is in a nutshell?

"The Jedi helped as much as they could during the Clone Wars, yes," she answers in her serious tone.

To Luke she answers, "That is a lightsaber."

She takes hers out to show it to them but doesn't activate it.  "This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight.  An elegant weapon that, in the hands of someone who was born attuned to The Force, can deflect blaster fire.  For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were guardians of peace and justice in The Republic.  Before Chancellor Palpatine betrayed them.

"He knew that so long as the Jedi existed to defend freedom and equality he could never assume power and turn The Republic into an Empire.  So while his Clone Troopers turned against the Jedi on the battlefield, Darth Vader hunted down and murdered the young trainees in The Temple.  Now the Jedi are all but extinct.

"But though they will stop at nothing to ensure that the last embers of hope are snuffed out, they don't realize that inevitably The Light Side of The Force will ensure that brave heroes will rise up and restore peace to The Galaxy no matter what they do."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:01, Mon 03 Sept 2018.

Angel shrugs. "If I were Emperor Palpatine and knew about The Force, I would think The Force is a tool and weapon to be used at my discretion. But even if I somehow got over myself and knew The Force is something much more than that, and that it has a will of its own, I would have an iron grip on everything I could, believing I must make my own luck..."

She looks at the others and says, "Believe what you will. But I'm asking; please do not speak about what you know about Mitts and I, even if you think you are alone. As far as anyone else is concerned, we are just a pair of girls who hit a stroke of luck and escaped some slavers before they had the chance to make slaves out of us. The slavers we escaped were not hutt slavers, so they are very unlikely to come after us here, lest they be seen as interfering with hutts. You have nothing to worry about as far as us bringing any trouble to you. Our intent is simply to find our way off-world as soon as we can so we can return to our families. If any or all of you want to come along when we do leave, you are welcome to. But in the meantime, please: Just don't talk about what you know about us beyond escaping non-hutt slavers. Is that acceptable?"

Biggs frowns at the lightsaber handle, glancing at Luke and Janek to gauge their reactions.

"I don't know much about the Emperor," Biggs replies carefully, "But from what I'd heard it was he who brought peace to the galaxy by bringing an end to the Clone Wars? And I thought it was a bunch of conglomerates and businessmen who brought about the end of the Republic by exploiting all kinds of bureaucracy and by bribing politicians and using their armies to try to attack the Republic? I know the Empire doesn't pay much attention to Tatooine, but they do a lot to build up the core worlds and keep the space lanes safe and clear of pirates."

He glances back at Angel.

"Sure thing," he says, sounding as though he's not sure whether to be more worried for their safety or their sanity, "If you don't want us to say anything about this then of course we won't."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:43, Mon 03 Sept 2018.

"Deflects blaster fire, does it?" Janek replies, glancing at the lightsaber skeptically. If it wasn't for Angel he'd almost be sure that Mittens had escaped from a psychiatric ward and managed to steal a ship. But Angel seems to believe her.

"Look," he says, trying not to sound too rude, "Don't get me wrong, I love a good conspiracy theory. Our friend Windy is full of them. Oh, that reminds me! Did you know he believes Jabba is actually three human men dressed up in a hutt suit?" he adds to Biggs and Luke with a grin, before growing serious and turning back to Mittens, "But seriously, What's-Her-Face, you're sayin' that the Emperor is actually an evil bad guy who, what, set up a bunch of commandos and wiped out their guild because he thought they might stop him from bringing peace to the galaxy, which is also a bad thing?"

He rubs his forehead and turns to Angel.

"Of course we won't say anything if you don't want us to, sweetheart," he says sincerely, before grinning and adding, "But I do think Windy would love to hear about What's-Her-Face's theory!"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:49, Mon 03 Sept 2018.

Luke listens with a thoughtful look on his face - one that says he's quite skeptical of what he's hearing.  Had this all come from a respectable man who knew his dad, that would be a different story.  But coming from this eccentric young teen, it does sound like a wild conspiracy theory.

"You got nothing to worry about," he answers, "We're not interested in giving people reason to believe we're crazy."

Mits sweatdrops at Angel identifying with The Emperor.  ( Sweatdrop: http://stuffpoint.com/card-cap...sakura-sweatdrop.jpg )  She's probably not wrong about The Emperor's attitude toward The Light, but still...  Why does Angel sometimes strike me as a cunning megalomaniac?

She purses her lips, holding back frustration with the skepticism of her new friends.

"If a grave is your idea of 'peace'.  The Empire is quick to label their enemies as 'Pirates' or 'Rebels,' but the truth is...

"Actually?  You wouldn't believe the truth till it was staring you in the face, would you?  Perhaps some small demonstration of a Jedi's power to show you I'm not telling you fairy tales.  Like spinning our ship around with my mind.  WHEEEE!"

The ship suddenly flips into a barrel-roll climb, the controls turning of their own accord!  Mits may not be at Yoda's level of X-wing lifting oneness with The Force, but she can handle something as small as a control stick.  But only Angel would really know the difference.

As soon as Mittens mentions flipping the ship, Angel holds onto something. Her expression shows she was not surprised. But she carefully watches how Biggs handles the sudden barrel roll. Mittens DID warn everyone. Sort of. By announcing what she was about to do. But typically, didn't wait till everyone was ready.

Given his skepticism of Mittens tale, Biggs would hardly have described her claiming she was going to 'spin our ship around in her mind' a warning. He glances down at the control stick in alarm as it pushes against his hand, seemingly with a will of its own. He swiftly wedges his knees under the desk before him to keep from being thrown out of his seat by the sudden violent motion of the ship, gritting his teeth as he clasps the control stick with both hands in an attempt to pull the ship back to a level position. But it is completely jammed, and does not budge. He glances sidelong at Mittens with a mixture of wonder and apprehension.

"You're moving the control stick?" he says incredulously.

Janek had just reclined, arms crossed, into his seat as Mittens began ranting about 'truth'. But he certainly wasn't expecting 'truth' to make itself known in such a sudden and violent manner. He gives a garbled cry of alarm as he is thrown from his seat and sent sprawling across the floor. He attempts to pick himself up, but is thrown against the back of Luke's chair as the ship completes its roll. He curses, a scarlet stain beginning to move across the arm of his shirt as his slughthrower wound reopens. But the injury to his pride seems to concern him far more than the one on his shoulder. He glances instinctively at Angel, abashed, as he struggles to pick himself up. He then glares at Mittens with mingled anger, trepidation and disbelief.

Buckling in would have felt like an insult to Biggs, but Luke's instincts kick in and he grabs hold of his seat a split second before the ship spirals out of control!  Well... out of Biggs' control anyway.  Here's hoping that crazy girl stops this roller coaster some time soon.

Janek's curse makes his stomach sink as he realizes he failed to engage the internal gravity.  Luke had assumed it wouldn't be needed and well... it's more fun to fly a short distance with it off if you're not doing dangerous maneuvers.

"Chuba karking stupa...!" Luke hollers, slapping the on switch for the artificial gravity while still holding on for dear life with the other.

He then tries to reduce power to the engines so at least they'll be spinning around less wildly, but is careful not to cut them off entirely.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:49, Tue 04 Sept 2018.

Once again Mittens is taken by surprise.  Either she wasn't paying close enough attention, or Biggs is just that smooth a pilot, or the internal gravity was turned off after takeoff... but whatever the case may be Mits was assuming that the worst that would happen is the boys would gasp in surprise.  Did not expect anyone to get hurt!  A quick hop is enough to keep herself from taking a tumble, but her heart is sinking.

Maybe this is why Master keeps brow-beating me about how Darkside-prone I am.  I keep hurting people when I want to help.  Wait... I just technically harmed someone with The Force!  Does this mean I need to atone?  Stupid Mittens!  You should be more concerned for the victim not yourself!  You really are Darkside, aren't you?!

Mits voice breaks and tears well up in her eyes.  "Please re-take control, Biggs.  So sorry 'bout the ouchie, Janek.  I uh... somehow assumed that everyone would be perfectly safe.  I'd offer to help with the first aid, but I just can't stop messing things up, can I?  I think... maybe it's time I just go crawl into a hole and cry."

She turns to run to the crew quarters bawling like a baby.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:02, Tue 04 Sept 2018.

Angel looks frustrated and torn. But she reasons to herself that her friend probably needs to cry for a bit and think about what it means to be responsible.

Once she is sure Biggs has regained control, Angel heads over to Janek with a medkit to begin working on the guy's arm and says to all the boys present, "Try not to be too upset with her... as you can see, she's already punishing herself for you. I think she just really likes the three of you, or she wouldn't have been trying quite this hard to impress the bunch of you."

Biggs does indeed regain control of the ship the moment the unseen Force releases its grip on his control stick. He sweeps the ship back into its previous course with a smooth and graceful motion that lends credence to Mittens theory that it was his piloting that had her fooled in regard to the internal gravity. Once the ship is back on course he takes a couple of deep breaths, before turning back to the others.

"What was that?" he asks Angel quietly, glancing down the corridor into which Mittens just disappeared, "Is she telepathic or something?"

He then sends Luke and Janek apologetic glances.

"I probably should have switched that internal gravity on myself. I thought it would be fun to get the 'hopper experience'. But, well..."

Janek knows Angel means well. Of course she does. She's perfect. But her coming to his rescue once again is just a little to much for him.

"I'm fine," he grunts gruffly, looking like he is on the verge of bursting into tears himself, "It's nothin', all right? Biggs, you can take her all the way to Tosche, I don't feel like flyin' anymore. I'm gonna go find What's-Her-Face."

Without waiting for Angel to finish her work on his arm, he rises and hurries from the room, wiping away something that he will never admit was a tear as he departs. He continues just until he is out of sight. Then he slumps against the wall, his head in his hands. He sits there for a minute or two, before rising, wiping his eyes, and then striding as manfully as he can in the direction of Mittens' sobs.

"Oi, What's-Her-Face?" he calls in a tone what while gruff, is not unkind, "You in there?"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:06, Tue 04 Sept 2018.

"You and me both, Biggs," Luke echoes, a bewildered look on his face, "What was that?

"Hey Tank, don't...  And off he goes."

On the one hand, Luke feels that if anyone has the right to be upset right now it's Tank.  On the other, that little girly outburst has restored some of Luke's faith that maybe the crazy girl isn't so weird after all.  So like a girl to make a guy feel guilty when she makes him bleed.

He mutters to Biggs, "She gets in her hopper in a huff and Tank runs off to jump onto her windshield?  Is this 'Be Nice To Idiots Day?'"

The "crew quarters" in this comparatively tiny freighter is nothing more than a couple bunks lining a wall near the refresher, so Mits is not hard to find at all.  But at least she's too busy burying her face in a pillow to notice Janek's own emotional moment.

But Mits hears Janek addressing her so she sits up with her ear-drooped wet face downcast gripping her pants legs to brace for her verbal punishment.

"I know I've been nothing but a pain...  Literally." she whimpers, trying to figure out how to soften his lecture.

Angel is getting increasingly convinced these guys are superheroes. Biggs taking responsibility. Janek manning up and going to try to help Mittens when just a moment ago he looked like he was upset with her. Luke somehow not going dark side his whole life when faced with someone like Fixer calling him Wormie all this time? Or for that matter, when faced with someone like Fixer at all.

Angel says, "What you experienced was The Force. In lamen's terms, magic. Mittens can manipulate the laws of physics to a degree because that is what Jedi know how to do. But super powers or no, she is still just a person like you and I. One who, as you have seen, has an extreme addiction to adventure in all its forms to where she thinks riding on a skyhopper wing is perfectly safe."

She decides against following Tank. For now.

Biggs sends Luke a disapproving glance which makes it clear that this is not the moment for those sorts of jokes. Like Angel, he decides against following Janek for the moment. He knows Tank’s gruff pride and that the best thing he can do is let him have some time alone for now. Instead he turns his attention to Angel. What she is saying still doesn’t make sense, but that control stick certainly didn’t move itself.

“So, she was... born with these powers?” he queries, puzzled, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

In the distance Luke finally begins to see a cloud of dust which he correctly guesses is Fixer’s skyhopper. The dust cloud grows steadily nearer as the the skyhopper is swiftly outpaced by the starship.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:01, Tue 04 Sept 2018.

In the crew quarters, Janek pauses in the doorway, staring at Mittens’ dejected form for a few moments before approaching and slumping against the bunk opposite.

“Think you’re a failure?” he grunts, shaking his head, “You’re flyin’ around with magic powers, jumpin’ off hoppers without a scratch. Then there’s Angel, who can shoot wingnuts off a tabletop with a blaster turret, and Biggs who threads the needle for fun. Meanwhile I’m shot by a random sand person and then fall off my chair. Think it’s pretty clear who the loser is...”

Luke glances toward the ceiling when glared at.  You could almost see a halo appearing over his head.  He's thankful for the diversion that Fixer provides and points.

"'Bout to pass Fixer.  Should we tell the magical girl to wave at her boyfriend?"

How do you handle seeing telekinesis for the first time?  For Luke the answer is to try and change the topic.

Mits is stunned by the answer Janek gives.  Oh great.  Now on top of making 'em bleed, I'm making people feel rotten by showing off.  If the roles were reversed I'd feel crazy jealous.  But this guy's humility is kicking all my Jedi oneness with The Force in the tail!  Not that that was ever my strong suit.  Nor is words of comfort.



Out comes the sock puppet!  It faces the both of them, shaking it's head.  "What are you two moping about, huh?  Nobody, and I mean nobody who can put a smile on Angel's face is a loser!  So what if you mess up from time to time.  So does everyone.  So what if other people can do stuff you can't?  Do you get jealous of Hutts for their ability to swallow humans whole?  Didn't think so.  Angel needs friends, not Mopey McFeelsorryforselfs."

"Easy for you to say," Mittens answers her sock puppet, still sounding mopey, "You're a sock puppet."

"Your point?  I lack the ability to do anything but talk, and sometimes say stuff I shouldn't, but in spite of that I can still make Angel smile."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:40, Tue 04 Sept 2018.

Angel says, "Born with the power... sort of? It's more like you are born with a certain amount of affinity for it. The power is all through the universe and every living creature channels it, but specific people are born with the ability to more noticeably channel it."

She looks at Luke with a somewhat apologetic look on her face. "I appreciate that you are trying to keep light-hearted to cope with what you just witnessed, but teasing Mittens might not be what she needs just this moment. I have a feeling that Janek is doing right by Mittens right now. Misery loves company; perhaps they can comfort each other. Besides..."

Angel looks out the viewscreen. "I have already told Mittens she is forbidden from talking to anyone besides you three. That includes Fixer. The moment those two so much as address each other, I will remove Mittens from the premises."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:49, Tue 04 Sept 2018.

Biggs still seems to be trying to understand what Angel is saying.

"I see," he says slowly, "So how does someone know if they have an 'affinity' for it?"

Luke's words draw his focus back to the dust cloud, which is now only a couple of hundred meters away.

"I agree it's better to let Mittens be for now," he replies, "Although it is tempting to give Fixer a little swoop like the one he gave us..."

Though he gives Luke a mischievous grin as he says this, he does not actually act on his suggestion. He passes Fixer's hopper at a safe distance, and they are pretty sure they catch a glimpse of Fixer scowling at them through his windshield as they flash past.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:25, Wed 05 Sept 2018.

Janek glances up at the mention of 'putting a smile on Angel's face'.

"You really think so?" he says, a flicker of hope in his voice, then he shakes his head, "Biggs and Angel don't mess up,"  but his tone still a little lighter than before, "And you know what I mean," he adds, trying not to grin a little when she talks about Hutts swallowing people whole.

"So where did you learn all that?" he adds, after a moment of silence, "Not the sock puppet impersonations," he clarifies, "But you know, the crazy jumpin' around and controllin' ships with your mind?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:35, Wed 05 Sept 2018.

Luke stifles a laugh when Biggs says out loud what he was already thinking.

"No worries, Angel.  Was only teasing.

"'Remove her?'  You got super powers too?  And please don't just suddenly demonstrate them if so."

"Well OK Biggs and Angel's being perfect is something to be jealous of," the puppet admits, "Did they go to Perfection School or something?  'Cause I could use the lessons."

"Be happy to tell all," Mits answers with barely contained frustration before hopping to her feet, raising her voice, and flailing her arms about, "Once someone tells me what 'Threading The Needle' is!"

It looks like even her pigtails are thrashing about in girlish fury.  ( http://i29.tinypic.com/10rjzfn.jpg )

Angel answers Biggs, "Others who have trained in The Force generally sense you, track you down, and train you. So there are many in history who had an affinity for it... and never learned how to use The Force."

She then looks at Luke. "I don't have any powers. To remove Mittens, all I'd have to do is take her hand with mine and leave."

Then she hears Mittens yelling about someone telling her what threading the needle is. And smiles. "Seriously... I'm telling you about the secrets of the cosmos. What's so important about keeping this threading the needle thing a secret?"

Biggs nods slowly.

"Even so, it must be extremely rare, right? I've never heard of anyone on Tatooine having anything like that. Then again, it's not like Tatooine's population is exactly booming."

"Oh, yes, that," Biggs replies with a grin as Angel asks about 'threading the needle', "There's a natural stone structure at the other end of the canyon, called the 'Stone Needle', due to its having a large hole in its centre. I managed to fly my hopper through it a few months back, with a couple of millimeters to spare on either side. To be honest it was more luck than skill," he adds modestly, "But Fixer has been determined to match the feat, and has crashed a number of times while trying. Hence the reason we try to avoid bringing up the topic in front of him."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:44, Wed 05 Sept 2018.

Janek gives a snort of amusement at the ‘perfection school’ joke. And he can’t help but grin when Mittens demands that he explain the phrase ‘threading the needle’, especially the way in which her arms and hair are flailing about.

“All right, all right! Calm down!” he chuckles, raising a placating hand and wincing as he remembers why it was clutching his shoulder, “So there’s this tiny hole in a rock back there in Beggar’s Canyon, right? Well, one day Biggs actually managed to fly through it! None of us even thought it could fit a hopper up till then. Then of course Fixer doesn’t know why everyone’s treatin’ Biggs like a hero, and says he’ll show anyone can do it. Four tries later all he’s proven is that he’s pretty good at patchin’ up his hopper. So yeah, guess we’re not the only ones who missed out on perfection school...”
This message was last edited by the player at 13:13, Wed 05 Sept 2018.

Luke is sooo glad he doesn't have super powers.  Weeell...  Dropping a freighter on Jabba's head would be fun... but then every Hutt in the galaxy would put a bounty on his head.  So yeah.  Luke is sooo glad he doesn't have any super powers.  Especially since it apparently makes one do crazy stuff just for fun.  But Angel's ability to make Mits go wherever she wants to is even more unnerving somehow.

Luke grins when Biggs half-brags about threading The Needle.  He's convinced he could do the same - at minimum throttle.  But rather than risk Aunt Beru's wrath, and his one and only hopper, he'll just enjoy the glory vicariously through Biggs.

"Maybe some luck was involved, but without a great deal of skill a pilot wouldn't come even close."

And then a horrible thought occurs to Luke and it shows on his face.  But it makes too much sense to dismiss.  "Oh no.  What if the reason Fixer's survived those four tries is because he's one of those people born with that power!?  Is that why What's-Her-Name gets along so well with him?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:41, Wed 05 Sept 2018.

Mittens face-palms when Janek hurts himself again.  Or the sock puppet noms Mittens' face.  Take your pick.  But the explanation is so satisfying that when the puppet releases Mit's face you can just read the "OOOooooooh" on her wide-eyed expression.

"Epic!  That explains everything!  What a weight off my shoulders.  Thank you.  Now let me heal up that wound a bit.  And I'm not taking no for an answer.  Super Secret Jedi Technique: Heal Other!"

Mits pokes Janek in his uninjured arm for just a moment and the pain in his wounded arm subsides significantly.  But it's not gone entirely.

"I'm sorry I can't heal you completely.  Well I can given enough time, but if I did it would raise way too many questions.  But at least now it shouldn't hurt near as bad as before."

She motions for Janek to follow and steps around the corner to re-join the others.

"But I owe you an answer.  I have a teacher.  He's the real deal.  Like in all the legends.  At one with the cosmos.  Master of both combat and calligraphy.  Can take on an entire squad of heavily armed pirates without breaking a sweat or wrinkling his serene face and composes poems while he's at it.  And he insisted that I wasn't allowed to so much as touch a lightsaber before learning the touchy-feely stuff first.  Hence being halfway decent at healing."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:53, Wed 05 Sept 2018.

Angel gives an impressed frown as Biggs explains. "Very impressive, Biggs. And as Luke says, even if luck was involved, I highly doubt the universe's luckiest person could pilot a craft quite so accurately without being a pilot with some skill. But just as much as I admire your skill, I admire your desire to not let it inflate your ego."

Angel, on the other hand, does allow her skills to inflate her ego. Doesn't mean she can't admire it when others are humble.

Angel looks over to Luke. "If Fixer had that power, you and your town would already be either dead or enslaved to him. That power in the hands of someone like Fixer would corrupt him in no time."

Whenever Mittens and Janek approach the group, Angel looks over to them. "Everything alright?"

Biggs chuckles at the idea of Fixer having magical powers.

"I highly doubt that Luke," he assures his concerned friend, "But he is lucky that he hasn't gotten himself killed yet."

He doesn't seem to know quite how to respond to Angel's compliment, so he just gives her a smile, but is clearly gratified. Then Mittens returns, followed by Janek. He listens to her description of her master with interest. It sounds as though she is exaggerating slightly, but still, her master must be a powerful individual nonetheless.

"So where is this master of yours now?" he asks with interest.

Janek stares in amazement at his shoulder as the acute pain subsides at Mitten's touch, leaving only a dull ache, similar to that of a bruise.

"Now that is neat," he says, before rising and following her into the cockpit and listening to her story with the others. He isn't particularly interested in the calligraphy and poetry part of her description, but 'taking on entire squads of heavily armed pirates without breaking a sweat' makes his face light up.

"So how does someone learn to do all that?" he asks, not having heard Angel's earlier conversation with Biggs and Luke, "Can he teach me?"

Luke thinks about Angel's assertion about Lord Fixer's destiny.  Maaaybe.  If he teamed up with Jabba instead of try to take him out.  But no amount of super powers can save you from the wealthiest and most expansive network of crime syndicates in the Galaxy if you try to muscle in the turf of a member.  But at least there's comfort in knowing that evidence is lacking that Fixer has The Force.

He chooses not to add to the questions but chuckles at Tanks enthusiasm.  "Eager to start taking swan dives off Fixer's hopper, Tank?"

"Hunting us down more than likely.  And chances are he's already captured and interrogated the slavers that were chasing us.  But unfortunately we didn't get a chance to communicate our destination, so he's run into a dead end and he's trying to assure my Dad and Angel's parents that we're OK."

Sock puppet pops up again.  "We know from the dock records that the ship was not yet refueled, so they can't have gone far."

"Well can't you sense her location or telepathy at her or something?"

"I do not sense that she is in any danger.  Our telepathic bond is not yet strong enough to go beyond a few dozen miles.  Perhaps if she becomes a master herself..."

"So The Force isn't even telling you what direction they've gone."

"I sense that we will be reunited with them before day's end.  Due to the low fuel reserves they likely had to land some place a little out-of-the-way and await rescue."

"Why haven't we picked up a distress signal, at least?"

"They don't know that the slavers have been captured.  Angel knows better than to paint a target on herself.  When we receive word it'll be a direct call.  Lack of any present danger notwithstanding, we should be ready for the possibility that those who 'rescued' them are less than friendly."

To Janek's question she sighs and answers disappointedly, "He'd be more than happy to teach anyone interested in learning poetry or calligraphy.  But he barely relented to teaching anyone The Force and only because he had a prophetic nightmare about what would happen if he didn't teach me."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:55, Thu 06 Sept 2018.

Angel says, "Yes. The universe would be ruled my malevolent sock puppets who would subject everyone to watching a reality show about hutt romance." her tone almost sounded serious, but she is smiling.

Angel pshaws at Janek when he asks his question. "Biggs didn't need jedi training to thread the needle. If your reason for wanting to learn jedi techniques is based on wanting to be cool or to kick butt, you may as well say you want to train hard to be a politician or lawyer. They wield similar powers and use them ruthlessly more often than jedi do. I'll put it this way..."

Angel pulls out a bouncy ball and hurls it at a wall (away from the others, but in their view). It bounces off the wall, to the ceiling, then to another wall, then comes up behind her, where it flies directly into her her raised left hand without her looking for the ball. "I don't use the force to know where my ball goes. I use lots of practice. Like you guys."

She pockets the ball. "And it's good to see you back to normal, Mittens." she walks over to the kitty to give her a hug.

With her head past Mittens' she looks Janek in the eye and smiles, mouthing the words "thank you" to him.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:05, Thu 06 Sept 2018.

Biggs also seems pleased that Janek and Mittens have successfully navigated their way through their emotional turmoil. Then he grins at Luke.

"No more swan dives," he says firmly with a chuckle. He proceeds to listen to Mittens and Angel attentively.

"You mentioned you were on Christophsis, correct? It might take your master some time to make his way to Tatooine. And even the comm system back at Tosche barely has enough range to cover the planet, let alone halfway to the core. You can stay at our place while you are waiting, if you want? I'm sure my father wouldn't mind. We'd also better work out what to do with the ship. If there is some sort of tracking device on it, it will lead these slavers right to you."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:24, Thu 06 Sept 2018.

Janek risks copyright infringement and gives Luke a 'gimme a break' look.

"Nah, just eager to learn me some poetry," he says sarcastically, but chuckles at Biggs 'no diving' line. And he quickly gives Mittens a grimace when she actually does offer training in poetry and calligraphy.

"Now that is what I call evil!" he adds when Angel speaks of a universe ruled by sock puppets with poor taste in entertainment, and he raises his eyebrows, impressed with Angel's ball trick.

"Is there anything you can't do, Angel?" he asks in complete seriousness.

And then of course the smile and the silent 'thank you' make him go completely red, with a silly, boyish grin of his own on his face. Then he recovers himself, and still grinning like a student who just aced their end of year exam, gives a silent nod and thumbs up.