Arin gave Devon a sharp glance. "I suppose you have bever said anything that came out wrong or was missinterpreted by others? First of all, I was not even fully certain of what had happened and anyway, this is between me and Mika. I'm not sure if you heard what she said, but she doesn't bear a grudge. I've already come to expect, nothing I do will ever be good enough for Flash, so I'm considering not even trying with him anymore. I just want you to know and understand, I'm not some gloryhound that thinks only about winning - I would have turned, had I had a proper chance. Now, unless you want to try and bust my face in or bite my head off, I suggest you leave me be. I don't need this bantha poodoo right now."

Cor's voice comes through the droid's vocabulator.

"Arin, you have only been in the Talon's company for a very short time and defected directly from the Empire.  Flash is not subtle nor polite a great deal of the time but his caution is understandable - particularly as he is our chief security officer.  In many ways it is his job to be paranoid.  Also remember that at our last debriefing Ms Jax advised that he was at liberty to draw up a security screening process and put people through it if he felt a need - and he has not put anyone through this process, not even you."

There is a slight pause.  She doesn't sound accusatory, just factual.  "His approval - or at least his grudging acceptance - is perhaps the most important you can win, in some ways even more important than the Commander's because if the Commander did not trust Flash to be a good chief security officer he would never have given him the job.  If you wish to alienate the chief security officer your time with the Talons will simply not get any easier, no matter what others' opinions of you may or may not be.  I would advise against giving up on him."

"Oh, yes, he has a right to be paranoid if he wants to be. The problem is, he is not even trying to give me a reasonable doubt. On the contrary - he is riding my ass about everything and assuming the worst before he does his job and figures out, what has actually taken place. I'm just sick and tired of being nibbled to death like I was in the middle of a pack of hungry womprats."

Sheila couldn't hear the conversation that was going on, she was out with Mika, but now that she thoguht about it, she needed to do a couple of things.  Mika was not going to be happy if she hovered, but chances were she could stand one of the droids hovering.  So she needed to talk to Cor and the med droid about that.  And she needed to talk to Heigren.  Let him know what had happened,  She looked back at Mika.  "Having me hover is probably going to bother you, can you stand having the med droid hover in my place, cause you have the choice between us, OK?  "

Another pause.  "I am not in the habit of repeating myself, Arin.  I will do so once.  He could have placed you through a rigorous screening process.  He has been given explicit permission to do so for any of us.  He has not done so.  Perhaps he is..."  She pauses, unfamiliar with the term but guessing its meaning,  "'riding your ass' less than you give him credit for."

"Well, at least it does not feel like that right now, but then again, I must be being oversensitive to the whole thing." Arin was clearly on defensive, thanks to the whole thing, and especially discussion that had taken place. From his point of view, he could have done differently and probably would have, but that was a hindsight and there was no use for that.

In reply to Sheila Masters (msg # 17):

Mika sighs.  "I was checked out at the track.  The doc said I was banged up, but nothing particularly serious.  I got a knock on the head, it hurts, but that's all there is to it.  But if you and the other insist on my having a babysitter, then yes, I'd rather it be a droid."

It takes some effort, but Mika starts mentally reviewing her tools and materials, wondering if she had what she needed to cobble together a restraining bolt.

Cor's other four droids - her R2 unit and three PKs - roll and plod into the hangar at precisely that moment.

Devon glanced round at the arriving droids, then snorted derision.  'Oh woe is you:  people didnt automatically trust you.  News flash for you:  we let you in a fighter that last mission to give you a chance to prove you were trustworthy.  Mostly you did fine; but then you ditched Sheila - your wingman - to go pull some thrilling heroics.  And out on the track today... you ditched Mika whilst you won the race.'

He brandished the datapad again.  'Best justification you come up with for that to say "you didnt want to turn round" and then totally ignore me when I point out that you COULD have turned round at almost any point, and you COULD have commed someone."

Devon tapped at the datapad for a moment, then let it dangle from one hand.  WIth the other hand he jabbed an accusing finger at Arin.
"And don't go claiming thats just between you and Mika - cos it aint.  We're supposed to be a team.  That means we look after each other.  Maybe the Imperials view those Stormies as replacable parts, but that aint the way we do things here, we look after each other.  Her life was more important than that race - but you dont seem to get that do you."

Devon paused, and put his head on one side.  His voice was cold   "I guess that's how you Imperials do things though, isnt it?  Drop anything that slows down your fastest route to where you wanna be?  After all, you didnt hesitate in the slightest about setting up that squad of Stormies and leading them into our ambush.  You gonna do the same to us when we're no longer... profitable?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:00, Mon 12 Aug 2013.

The droid goes very still.  If Cor has something to say about that she certainly doesn't do so.

"Paint me brown and call me a Hutt! I - did - not - ditch - Sheila", Arin said, clearly being about par with a hungry Rancor on his mentality. "If I tell my wingman to steer clear and she does not do that, you pin that on me?! Get a grip! And if this was a team, you'd be handling this much better by not persecuting me like it was me who rammed Mika! I'm fed up being second guessed, fed up with being told how I cold-bloodedly sent the Stormtroopers in to your damn ambush, when there was no alternative and I am sick of being scrutinized for every damn thing I do as if I was not good enough. Hell, this Security Chief is far more dangerous in cockpit than I am because he takes risks that outweight the risk I took with that patrol craft! If you people don't want me around, then take it to the Commander and be done with it. Do you have any idea what my actions meant for me back at the warehouse? If the Imperials catch a glimpse of me, they'll come right after me, because to them I am a traitor and they're not goingto ship me to Kessel mines - that would be lenient. By joining you, I have forsaken my family as I can not contact them - ISB is most likely watching them just in case I'd surface somewhere. I made an error at the track, but for crying out loud - they have their medical team that is far more proficient in keeping people alive after a crash than I am. Now, do you have something else, or shall I just fetch a blaster and shoot myself, so you don't have to bother?"

"Most of us have forsaken our families," Cor comments through D3.  "From what I understand Mr Kismet's comments regarding Ms Masters do not relate to your conflict with the system patrol craft but instead have to do with you breaking formation of the Tallon Weave and thereby rendering both of you in danger to the superior manoeuvrability of the TIE fighters - though I, of course, was not there."  Her tone is reasonable and even.  Chances are high that all she's trying to do is ask Arin to see it from Devon's point of view.

"Don't do anything to the droid.  I've seen those looks before."  Sheila steps to the ship and speaks into the communal.  "May I come in?"

I presume by 'communal' you meant the shipwide, public comms?  :)

Still locking his eyes with Arin as the ex-Imperial continued to try and change the subject, Devon thumbed the button that opened the hatch, letting Sheila in.  Whilst he waited for Sheila to board and the hatch to close again, Devon paced up and down and took several deep breaths - taking the opportunity to calm himself down.

Once the hatch was shut, Devon nodded a greeting to Sheila and said in a calmer tone than he'd been using a moment before.
"We've just been having a chat about why Arin didnt stop to help Mika - or at least alert someone.  So far I think its fair to say we ain't had a straight answer."

He looked to the medical droid (and by extension, to Cor) to see if she wanted to add anything.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:03, Mon 12 Aug 2013.

In reply to Devon Kismet (msg # 27):

Sheila looked very uncomfortable. "I actually came in to talk to Cor about the medical droid doing Kimi-sitting duty, since she stated she would prefer the droid over me hovering.."  She sighed, devon wouldn't let her stay out of it.  "So, as for the race, I saw it, and the crash and I went over to the medical tent immediately but I was in the audience.  There were beautiful replays of the crash for us.  Lots of closeups of Kimi.  Course she's better looking than most of the guys that crash.  And there were plenty of places to turn around if you wanted to.  However, it was also a race, so we weren't concerned with capture, just the crash.  And I wasn't privy to whatever agreements and promises you guys made before the race, or a good lot of what's been said since.  At the same time, I'm not sure what any of you could have done, other than scrape her up and take her to the medtent, or a hospital or back here?"     She sighed again and her face turned red.  "Oh, hell, if I'd been racing and I saw one of you guys crash, I'd have turned around, it was only 50 credits to race, right? and I'd have been damn disappointed if at  least one of you guys didn't come back for me, although I wouldn't say it out loud.  Mainly because you guys are the only family I have left."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:02, Tue 13 Aug 2013.

(Gotta love autocorrect)

Sheila sighed again, she didn't know cor's reaction, but from what Devon had just said, she suspected that Arin was getting it from Devon too. "Look, it was a race, most everyone there was every man for himself, that's the nature of a race.  Arin, just quit saying you wanted to turn back, because you easily could have, you didn't want to, it was a race and you wanted to finish and you figured there was medical personnel . . . . . "  Sigh. "Finishing the race seemed like the best idea at the time, right?"  She stopped, she was trying to help, but somehow she didn't think she was.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:21, Tue 13 Aug 2013.

The expression of anger on Arin's face changed in to one of surprise and perhaps even disbelief when Sheila of all people came to his defense. They had been far from amiable, but she was defending him in a way and that struck him deeper than he had come to expect. "The only thought that crossed my mind was to finish the race and get her help. I am not a medic nor do I have any gear for treating any kind of injuries on me nor the swoop. Thinking back, I should have turned around and headed back, but I wasn't thinking straight. The only thought I could come up with was finishing the race and getting her help. I don't know if you thinkof me as an Imperial spy or whatnot, but you keep on rubbing the Stormtroopers at my face at almost every turn. You think, you'd be fed up with that, if it was you at the receiving end?"

Mika moves over to her swoop and carefully moves it to the place in the hanger she'd selected.  Power and privacy where the two prime concerns, lighting would be good but she could always set up some lights if she had to.

Once that's done, she'll head back into the ship, pick up her tool kit and the other tools she'd bought.  That should have everything she needed to fix the immediate damage that she found, she'd have to go over it in more detail of course, make sure she didn't miss anything.  She might need some extra parts though, once she gets into the improvements.  With a second glance, she picks up her blaster.

Another thought occurs, the galley.  Food didn't interest her at the moment, but she could use a rather large and rather cold drink, something to stimulate her a bit.

In reply to Arin Branden (msg # 30):

Sheila turns on him. "But that is not what you said. Think about that.  And quit making excuses for yourself.  Flash may not like you, but he hasn't DONE anything.  And given how you joined us, I suspect, had I joined under similar circumstances, Flash would have been just as suspicious of me, But then you did break the weave, and you did seperate us during the battle.  Those are legitimate questions that when put together. . . . .  Just think about it while you're feeling so sorry for yourself."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:40, Tue 13 Aug 2013.

Devon nodded emphatic agreement with Sheila, but didnt say anything for the moment.  She was making the point far better than he'd managed - lady was eloquent.  Perhaps they were finally getting through to Arin - that this wasn't a personal vendetta.

R2-A9 beeps at the freighter a few times and the starship opens up.  Once it has the astromech and his entourage of plodding PK mini-mechs heads up the ramp and inside.  They head directly into the hold, apparently just heading for somewhere stable to wait for their owner to tell them what to do next.

The medical droid is silent again.  It seems Cor is either doing something else or has nothing in particular to say at this point.

Arin let out a deep sigh. "Look, guys, this is the problem. Sheila, you've served in the Imperial Navy. I suppose you would agree with me if I said, the Talons are a whole different book when compared with it? I'm a former Imperial Navy officer and even if I don't subscribe to the views they have, it'll take a while before I get my head adjusted to the way you think. I've been taught to put the mission above everything else. I won't lie to you - it's hard for me to change from that way of operating, but I am trying. I should have turned back and checked on Mika - what I did was stupid. However, most of this kind of race tracks have medical teams on standby, far better equiped to deal with accidents than me. I'm just a fighter jock, who can put on a bandage, but that's about it. At the speeds we were flying, you either turn in to a pulp in which case the bandage won't help at all, or you roll with the fall as Mika did. I know you probably don't appreciate how pissed off I am with myself but there's not much I can do about it. And yes, I might be feeling sorry for myself. Would you not, if you were in my shoes? How long did it take you, Sheila, to get adjusted to the Talons?"

If it was worth anything, at least the ex-Imperial was trying to calm down and set a new tone to the discussion. He wanted for the things to be okay with the other Talons, but also hoped, they'd give him a chance.

The 2-1B droid shrugs.

"All right.  I am satisfied with that explanation.  An adjustment to one's way of thinking is certainly understandable and a high-speed race is not conducive to a full awareness of all options."  Cor's tone is as even as always.  "Mr. Kismet, Ms Masters, are you satisfied with that?  I would ask Ms. Trake as well but I suspect she simply wants to put this behind her."

"Just a moment, Cor, I need to explain one more thing to him, cause he;s not getting it." She turned back to Arin, her voice very  serious. "I joined under different circumstance than you, Arin, but If I had joined under the same, I would understand the situation.  You ARE getting a chance, more than one actually, more than I ever got with the pirates I joined. THIS is your chance.  If we weren't giving you a chance, we'd have said thanks and shoved you out the airlock. Unfair as it seems, you have to continue to prove yourself, the empire has been known to shoot their own to get spies in places. And If you really think the commander gave you lead on our pair because he admired your leadership skills, you are stupid, he was testing you. And you very nearly failed, but you got ANOTHER chance, no on blasted you out of the sky when you broke the weave, which I can guarantee you, would have cost you your life, either in space or back on the ship, no matter how the mission went, if you'd still been flying with the imperials.  THe spc, maybe not, but if you'd failed, you'd have been dead and they'd of shot me for not staying with you, which from a wingman's point of view, makes you very dangerous."  She paused a second.  "Now, I need to talk to cor about getting a droid to stay with kimi, I need to contact  Heigren to tell him what's going on, and I believe i offered to buy you a drink. If you're up for it now, we'll find someplace that's not where flash is and talk, any others are welcome and I'll treat them too, if not, that's fine."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:31, Wed 14 Aug 2013.