Jace was true to his word... or more specifically, to his XO's word, as Deuce had been the one to tell the squad that they should expect a mission briefing within the next day.  The four pilots were awoken at the crack of dawn, or the closest equivalent when it came to space-time.  0700 hours according to the local clock, just enough time to get a night's rest even if some had chosen not to actually sleep until much later.

The four, wherever they were found by Deuce, were given an hour to prep and make it to the briefing room... which was a rather generous allotment of time, they were told.  Normally, Jace was pretty punctual according to Deuce, however this morning, he seemed to have been a bit tied up.

All the same, by the time the pilots began to arrive in the Aquila's briefing room, hot caf would be waiting for them, brewed by the XO himself.



(GM: Bring yourselves in however you like, and after a round of posts, I'll get the actual briefing up, rather than force you to wait even longer while I get the details right!)

The first time Deuce had come by and knocked had woken Gates up, but she'd done no more than crack open her eyes to peer at the door from beneath the overhang formed by the bedcovers and her pillow.  When the door didn't open in the wake of that knock, she had rolled over and buried her face in the warmth of the body next to her - that seemed as equally loathe to acknowledge the knocking on the door.  It had been a long night.

...and far too short of a morning, as not ten minutes later, Deuce's fist was once again banging on the door, his voice louder this time, as he announced the - now in less than an hour - morning briefing.  With a groan, Gates had shoved a hand over her face and through the disheveled mess of her hair, tossing a glare and a universal hand gesture in the direction of the back of the door, before she turned back to her now-awake bedmate and smirked, "He's right, that is a generous amount of time. Hate to waste it."

Not quite an hour later, Gates strolled in to the briefing room, cutting it close enough to the start time that it was, in fact, a good bet that she hadn't wasted the time between then and Deuce's wakeup call at all.  Her hair was still wet, the freshly-washed strands falling into her face and tickling at her nose, and on this morning she wore a standard-issue pair of fatigue pants tucked into her combat boots, and a black tanktop that stopped an inch short of her waist, around which rode the gunbelt that held the massive blaster strapped to her hip.

"Sweet, delicious nectar of the gods that is caf, come to momma," she called out to the brew, praising it even as she crossed the room to where the pot was, and started to pour herself a cup. Once she had one in hand, and had taken a sip or three of the dark liquid, she looked to Deuce, "So what've you got for us?"

Huu was came in rather soon after Gates, how much had he slept? Not very much, but then he didn't need it. After all he was a Jedi and proper meditation had meant he'd had more than enough time to spend practicing his forms, focusing his mind and contemplating the greater secrets of the Universe...or at least that was what the rest of the world thought Jedi did and they weren't far wrong with Huu at least.

Walking in his black robes fluttering around him he made his way over and moved to a seat, it was a difficult thing with his breather and eye mask, the sort of casual drinking and eating most people involved themselves in became a very careful song and dance...not to mention most things that the others drank or ate would kill him rather messily.

With a sigh he settled his robes and sat back, fingers drumming on the table surface lightly once before slipping into his lap. Metal on metal before he trapped the more nervous cybernetic hand in his fleshy one, letting the cyber hand run through it's pressure diagnostic while he held it.

Hector awoke with a clear head, sober, well rested and alone...it was terrible. Rising from his blankets, his muscles, tattoos and scars on display to the empty room he spent a moment reflecting on the emptiness that was his heart.

His sister was dead, but his training kept his feelings mostly in check, that didn't make it hurt less, it didn't make him miss her any less. Fingers ran through thick auburn hair and he sighed...

A few moments later he was getting into his clothing, hair still moist from the too hot shower he slid into his armour and strapped on his weapons. Once he was ready he picked up the much abused helmet and slowly, slowly made his way to the meeting room.

It felt strange not to be at least mildly hungover and dog tired, it felt strange not to have the smell of someone else on his skin and the memories, scratches and marks from a night filled rather busily and he didn't know why it felt as bad as it did.

It wasn't his first night to wake alone, but it was all different with one less family member in the world and he hated it.

It was a very grumpy Hex he stomped into the room and grabbed himself a cup of caf, and even grumpier one that pushed himself into the chair as far away from the others as he could before taking a long pull of the strong, strong plain black coffee he preferred and pushed his sunglasses up his broken nose and decided that it was time to keep quite or find himself saying things he'd regret.

Beyn awoke with a large yawn, exposing teeth that were more lion than man as he stretched in the middle of the mess of bedcovers and sheets that he had turned into a nest for sleeping purposes. As a Jedi, he didn't have to sleep, but the feline side of his nature enjoyed it. A lot. So he did, whenever it was possible.

Disentangling himself, he rolled out of the bed after a pause on his back for a second stretch, and in short order had collected his clothes and dressed, shrugging into his robes as he slipped into the hallway. In no time at all, Beyn was in the briefing room with the others, looking bright eyed and wide awake, compared to the rest... even though he didn't help himself to the caf before he took a seat. "Good morning, everyone."

Deuce, after dutifully pouring a cup for himself, and leaving out four others for Beyn, Huu, Hex, and Jace when they arrived, glanced across from his position at the podium to Gates, his expression mostly unreadable behind the shades he almost constantly wore.  "We have a mission," he said at first, punctuating it with a long sip from his cup as the Kel-Dor made his entrance.  "For now, just a single assignment, but Jace and I are working on something a little more long term that will allow you to operate independently.  As was said yesterday, the Republic is going to need all the help it can get, but we're low on resources, which is why this squadron was formed... or reformed, depending on how you look at it."

Deuce waited until the last two members of the small squadron had arrived, before he addressed them more properly, and began the briefing. "We have an assignment for you.  Should be a fairly simple affair given your skills - a task to whet your appetites so to speak, and test your ability to work in the field.  First off, Jace and I will not be joining you on this one.  We'll be working on acquiring some assets that will allow Aquila to operate independently of the fleet.  If you find yourselves in need of our help on this run... then it may be that you're not ready for it to begin with," he said.  It was, perhaps, a harsh statement... but that was the reality of the situation.  Deuce paused there for a moment, and as he opened his mouth to speak again, the door to the briefing room slid open to reveal Jace, who had arrived late as expected.

"Ah, you showed up." The hint of a smirk appeared on Deuce's face, before he nodded. "We were just getting into it.  Care to take over?"

Jace stepped in through the door without much of a pause, looking awake... but still in his usual disheveled state.  He, too, had been in the shower recently, although it was far from noticeable in his case, unlike with Gates, due in a large part to his regulation-length hair.  The clues were there though, in the way his loose shirt clung to parts of his chest, and so on.  Deuce, of course, could tell... but made no indication as he stepped away from the podium.  Jace nodded to him in thanks, and stepped forward.

"You guys are going to Tatooine," he announced, putting as much enthusiasm into the statement as possible.  Tatooine was, of course, nobody's version of a picnic. "Specifically, you'll be going there in search of Havoc Squad, whom you may know as one of the 7th's premier Commando Units.  More recently, they've specialized in hunting down and eliminating various Sith that have gone into hiding.  They tracked one to Tatooine, and have been out of touch for two days now, and you four are going to find out what happened."  He lifted a datapad off the podium and tapped it for emphasis.  "Details regarding their mission have been forwarded to each of your pads.  There ain't much, so I'll summarize."

"They tracked a Sith who called himself Darth Mutari to the planet.  He was, formerly, in charge of one of the Empire's R&D departments specializing in Droids and Mechanized Warfare, although reports say he went insane not long before the Empire was defeated.  He is described as having skills on par with an above-average Sith Apprentice, so he shouldn't be too much trouble on his own.  And he should be alone, too - no known associates or allies.  Supposedly, once he tipped over the edge, he slaughtered his entire crew and disappeared, leaving a bread-crumb trail along the way.  Took Havoc a solid month to track this one down after they caught his trail."  Jace shrugged, and looked around the room, before glancing down at the datapad. "You guys already know the rest.  Havoc tracked him to Tatooine, and we haven't heard from them since.  Could be equipment malfunction, could be worse, so be on your guard.  You'll be taking your Aureks - we managed to acquire three more for our new pilots here - plus whatever equipment you can fit in their storage compartments.  Any questions?"

Hector's head rose when Duece spoke, his eyes slitting slightly as he listened, it was one thing he had learned to listen to. Briefings could be terribly important once you were on the ground, even if it was just to know how much you had to swear at your CO for screwing things up beyond any hope of redemption.

His head tilted to flick up and look at Jace when he walked in, and a small smile crooked his lips as the younger commanding officer took over smoothly mid briefing, this was something that happened more than a few times. Shaking his head he listened carefully, a small crease in his brow growing as he focused on details and the smile vanishing.

Finally he spoke,"Oh, sounds like fun...how much equipment can an Aurek hold and what can we get from the armoury? Or is that just wishful thinking?" He smirked and added,"And do we get paid?"

Jace smirked, turning his attention more directly towards Hex.  "You should be able to fit in the cockpit with your armor - we moved the seat as far back as it would go for ya.  Might be uncomfortable, but it should work.  As for the storage though... you won't be fitting any heavy repeaters or long-barrel rifles in there, lets just say that much.  You can visit the armory if you like, its all standard-issue stuff so get what you need and what you can fit." He then shrugged, and glanced to Deuce before continuing. "And yeah, you'll get paid.  Once we're sure there's going to be a Republic after this is all done."

Gates had never actually made it to a seat, having been lounging near the table that held the steaming hot pot of caf - so she could more easily refill her cup. She had nodded to the other members of the squad as they entered, and she was content to lean against the corner of the table in silence as Deuce and then Jace detailed the specifics of their mission.

Although 'detailed' might have been a slight misnomer, since there weren't many.

She took another long sip of her caf, closing her eyes as the molten wakeup juice made its way down her throat, although she couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Jace's mention of payment almost as an afterthought. She assumed without asking that the payment portion of the job was exclusive to the mercenary, or maybe the Jedi... but she was damn sure the 7th wasn't going to suddenly decide to give her a bonus. "I don't suppose Havoc had any contacts on-planet that we get to piggyback on, eh?" she glanced between Jace and Deuce at that, before she continued, "A safe place to dock in would be a godsend... or are we going to be making our own way from the start?"

At the female pilot's question, Jace all but laughed. "Gates, it's Tatooine.  You're looking on the wrong planet if you want a safe place to land," he replied.  "Fortunately, three Jedi, a big blaster on your hip, and military starfighters tend to dissuade most trouble."  The man then shook his head, his expression turning more serious.  "Unfortunately, we don't have much to go on.  Mos Espa was mentioned in their last report before going dark, so I recommend you start there.  Havoc tends to be pretty subtle... so your best bet might be picking up their search.  Look for the Sith, and you should find 'em.  Crazy Sith should cause a few noteworthy rumors."

Gates snorted, and tossed Jace a dirty look over the rim of her cup, "I know that, Jace!" She smirked, and folded her arms across her chest, before taking another sip of her caf, "I was more wondering if Havoc had a place on-planet that they were working out of that we could piggyback on as a base of operations... but in hindsight, if they've disappeared it probably wouldn't be safe anyway." She shrugged, "Mos Espa's as a good a start point as any... Don't suppose there's any chance of reading those reports before we go?"

"Maybe we need to attach a weapons rack to the outer body of the Aurek, not like there is much in the way of air resistance out in space...and a cover for when we land on a planet.", he sort of mumbled the last as he considered his options, the first time he was being given carte blanche with weapons and of course he couldn't really take any,"Maybe I'll grab a couple ion grenades...."

He glanced up at the 'crazy sith' comment and shrugged,"Depends on what type of crazy, might be more like a spider in it's web than just a crazy killer...."

Huu was silent for most of the meeting but at last he spoke,"Might want to all consider taking something with Ion capacity, if he was an expert at droids and that sort of thing we might want to find something that we can all use that does Ion damage...for Beyn and myself that is likely just to be our lightsabers and the usual but Hex and Kenna might be able to get something more effective for their fighting styles?"

"The report has already been forwarded to your 'pads, but there isn't much in the way of detail.  I've summarized the bulk of it already for you, but go nuts," Jace replied, with a nod.  He cast a strange grin to Hex at his comments, and Huu's as well.  "When it comes to crazy sith... come prepared for a fight, I suggest.  Ion's a good call, but keep in mind he might have a few war droids around - the kind often build with shielding against that kind of attack.  Bring something with some punch... but don't strap it to the Aurek, please.  There might be no air resistance in space... but I'd advise not making a jump with something like that.  You're welcome to try though."

The man then stepped back from the podium and looked around the room once more, before glancing to the chrono. "So, any more questions?  If not, you guys should get to work preparing.  You'll be leaving in about two hours... or sooner, if you're prepped to go."

Hex shrugged,"I'll go grab a few Ion Grenades and I'll be ready. I've really not got much else I can do in the limited space....maybe a few non-Ion grenades but I'm not that excited about transporting too much explosives. Lightsabers can take care of what Ion can't I'd imagine...."

Standing he sighed,"Anyone else need anything from the Armoury while I'm down there?"

Huu nodded at the various answers and then smiled,"I am as ready as I'll ever be. My lightsabers, companions and sabers. All I need is my ship and we are on our way..."

"Gates," she retorted, tossing a glance in the direction of the Kel Dor Jedi Master. "Only a few people get away with callin' me 'Kenna', and no offense Huu, but ain't none of you three on that list." Already she was mentally preparing another list of things to pilfer from the armory, mostly in the form of excess power packs, because there was no such thing as too much ammo. A good rifle, maybe a spare ion pistol if there was one to her taste - although she figured the Jedi and those 'sabers of theirs were going to be more useful against droids, so that was low on her list - a change of clothes besides her flight suit...

"Hey guys?" she paused in the midst of her mental tally and looked up, "Might I suggest some outerwear that doesn't scream 'Jedi Master' as a distance of twenty klicks?"

<< TIME JUMP >>

With preparations complete and running on a timeline, the four pilots of Aquila Squadron managed to launch on time... and from the Nova's position at the outer limits of the shipyards, it was but a short ride to escape the gravity well, and launch into hyperspace.  The jump itself - or series of jumps, to be more specific, took a fair bit longer, considering their distance to the desert planet.  Gates would be used to these by now, while the Jedi, less used to sitting in a cramped cockpit for long periods of time, had to rely on meditation to get through with relative comfort.  Eventually - finally - the alarm sounded once more, signalling an impending reversion to realspace.  This time, when the stars shrank back to distant dots, the pilots were greeted with the sight of a dull, tan colored world - the world of Tatooine.

As the Aureks' systems came back online, and their pilots took in their surroundings, the view of Tatooine would quickly become secondary as the viewscreens were filled with the flashes of distant laser fire.  Up ahead, between Aquila and their destination - but not strictly blocking their way - a battle raged between what looked like an old bulk freighter, and a squadron of fighters.  The freighter was not unarmed, judging by the fire lancing back from what had to be ventral and dorsal turrets... however, armed though it was, it was clearly outmatched.  This was made even more apparent as a distant explosion appeared on the upper hull, cutting the return fire in half.

The scanners came online quickly enough, identifying the freighter as 'Unknown', while the fighters had simply shut off their IFFs; tthe ships were all likely a combination of smugglers, pirates, or mercenaries.  Strangely enough, no distress signal could be found.  Even as the Republic fighters returned to 100% readiness, the battered freighter shifted tactics, aiming to make a run for the edge of the gravity well... but it wasn't going to be fast enough.

None of the ships seemed to have noticed the four new arrivals, leaving the pilots with a choice... they could lend a hand, or move on to complete their mission more quickly.


GM Notes:
- No Intiative, simply post in your preferred order, and actions will be taken in that order as applicable, if any.

The chime of the alarm pulled Gates out of her reverie, and she opened her eyes to the sight of Tatooine in the distance, its dull tan surface tinted a bit more warmly than it actually was, courtesy of the yellow-hued visor of her helmet. ++Welcome to Tatooine, gents,++ she laughed into the comm that connected the four Aureks, her next statement softer and perhaps not intended to be broadcast, as her finger lingered on the switch for the comms, ++What do we have here...?++

After a moment's pause to take in the fight arrayed before them, Gates laughed and keyed up the comm again, ++Now that doesn't even look fair. Shall we see if we can't even things up a bit?++ Before anyone could actually answer, she rolled her Aurek to the side and took off towards the engagement, intent on intercepting the lead fighter with a shot or two across the bow. It wasn't her intention to dive right into full-on combat, instead giving the fighters a chance to bug out when faced with a quartet of Republic opponents.

Hector sighed, stretching his legs as they came out, clearly glad he wasn't a larger person in the small quarters as he waited for everything to come online. Tilting his head he focused on what the HUD was telling him was going on as he watched the various bits of information, his fingers wrapping around the controls as he waited for a choice from their leader.

He nodded, knowing she couldn't see it, before answering++Roger that, let's see if we can make some friends. Good chance we got a smuggler getting nabbed by some pirates but what the heck...++ Bringing his ship around he stayed close to Gates, setting his own guns to low power rapid shots as he aimed to spray a burst across the shields of one of the pirates. Enough to drain them pretty low but not drop them, just to give them a fright.

Huu sent over a single click of his comm to acknowledge and then fell into formation behind the other two, but off to the side and a little back, keeping pace but giving himself time to work on getting a lock for his proton torpedo's rather than actually firing, that way he'd simply give them a warning of how much trouble they were in before he actually started working on ending lives.

A rumble issued forth from Beyn as he jerked out of a meditative trance that might have actually turned into a nap, given his reaction to the chime and the voices of his new squadmates coming over the comm. A few blinks of his feline eyes were all that was necessary for him to register what was going on - as well as Gates' and Hex's thoughts on the matter. ++Making friends with a smuggler may be just what we need, Hex,++ he answered, even as he banked his fighter to follow the two younger pilots. ++After all, we may need a covert way on and off this planet, ourselves. With any luck, more even odds will give them cause to reconsider.++

As you near the engagement, the design of the ships becomes more apparent, both to the naked eye as well as your ships' scanners.  Three of the fighters are of a heavier class than your own - heavy fighters, or bombers, two of them Republic designs from a generation or two back, while one is a more recent Sith design.  The other three still come up as 'unknown', although now you can see why.

The three fighters are what most call Uglies - ships cobbled together from pieces of multiple ships.  The lead fighter - the one targeted by Gates - appears to be the hull of an old Aurek with the folding wings of a Sith Interceptor bolted onto it.  Extremely agile, based on the quick weave it performs to get out of the way of her shots, but likely rather fragile.  The other two are more alike, and almost the opposite of the first.  They look to be formed from the cockpit pod of a Sith interceptor, with a pair of engines bolted to either side, and an array of light laser cannons strapped around them.

After a brief moment of hesitation, and some hasty evasive maneuvers... all six fighters seem to come to an agreement.  The flare of their drives can be visible as they break off the attack on the freighter and careen off in the opposite direction of your own approach, fleeing the scene... albeit with a smattering of return fire from the trailing heavy fighters, which seem to have functioning rear turrets.

++Figured they would do that!++ Gates laughed over the comm, holding her course steady long enough to be certain that the fleeing fighters were, in fact, actually fleeing. Once they had, she banked her Aurek around to roll up on the freighter, keeping her shields up just in case they decided to fire on her as well.

++Unidentified freighter, this is Aquila Three,++ there was a long pause, as she waited for a moment before finishing, ++You're welcome.++

Hector slipped alongside Aquila Three, his own guns and shields still powered up as he did everything but get a target lock on the target. Yeah, that had saved their rear end, but that meant nothing to the scum that were the blockade runners and smugglers of the universe.

They were almost as bad as the mercenaries like him.

Smiling tightly he kept his guns trained on them none the less.

Huu blipped his speaker in acknowledgment of the retreat of the pirates but swung wide of the other two, knowing that Beyn would follow, to present a spread target for the larger freighter and, more importantly, to put him and Beyn on a good attack vector should the freighter decide that it's response to their 'heroics' was to open fire.

Behind Master Huu's Aurek, Beyn's banked to follow, skimming along in the wake of the other. While it wasn't immediately apparent to him what Huu was doing, he clued in quickly enough - and even if he hadn't, his job was to ride Huu's wing and he knew it. In the interim of waiting for a response from the freighter to Kenna's hail, the Cathar let himself relax in his fighter. Sinking back into the seat with his feline eyes half-lidded, he sent his mind out to scan the freighter for the presence of other Force-sensitive individuals.

Just in case.

With the Aureks swinging in around the freighter, the Pirate fighters seemed just about done with things.  They continued to speed off until they were just out of range of missiles or proton torpedoes... at which point, they turned along the Freighter's vector.  They matched its speed, keeping pace and watching, waiting.

The freighter, battered and bruised, did not open fire on the Aureks, contrary to popular belief.  It kept powering forward, seemingly intent on escaping Tatooine's gravity well to safety.  After a moment, long enough that you begin to suspect there will be no reply at all, the comms crackle to life across the channel used by Gates to hail the freighter.

"Now that's a sexy voice," came a heavily accented, almost jaunty voice.  "This is Star Dandy, Aquila three.  Many thanks to the four of ye, things were gettin' pretty dicey there, almost had to dump the cargo.  The Lady would not have been pleased."  There was a pause, likely as the speaker issued orders to other members on the bridge.  Slowly but surely, the freighter seemed to pick up a bit of speed as power was diverted to engines. "We're just about at our jump point, then we'll be outta your pretty hair.  If ye dun mind the curiosity, what's a quartet of Republic fighters doin' this far outta the way?"

Hex cut in quickly at the words from the voice, there was something he didn't like about that voice but he wasn't sure what it was++My voice is almost as sexy, don't you think? The big thing about this quartet is not letting the Republic no we've got them, so we'll cover you to the jump point and you don't mention we've got these babies, got it?"

"What Four says, Star Dandy!," Gates laughed, "And you don't sound too bad yourself. Oughta come an' look us up, when you get back on planet. You can buy me a drink." The grin that was almost certainly on her face behind the mirrored yellow visor of her helmet was evident in her voice.

"We're just on a little recon trip, seeing the sights, sending postcards back to the folks, that sorta thing," she continued. "Mind if I ask who 'the Lady' is?" she went out on a bit of a limb, her gut instinct leading her to take the chance. "We could do with someone who knows what's what down on the dirt, if you know what I mean."

As she spoke, Gates slipped her Aurek in alongside the freighter, knowing that Hex would follow. He had said they would cover the freighter to the jump point, and with those pirates hanging close, well... they clearly needed to.

There was a pause at the other end of the line before the Captain of Star Dandy spoke up once again. "Sorry to say, Four, but your lead's got you beat there.  And if I might suggest, if you're joyridin' in Republic fighters, it might be a good idea to paint over the Republic markin's."  There was a chuckle across the line as the defacto battlegroup continued on towards the freighter's jump point.

"You ever find yourself in the middle of nowhere, honey, and I'll do just that," he said, voice about as sincere as one could get over a comm system.  "Who she is depends on who's askin', love - and it ain't for me to say.  But if you're lookin' for what's new and exciting, you've picked the wrong planet.  Not much goes on around the dusty rock, these days.  That said, if you wanted a postcard shot, there's word of a doozy of a sandstorm brewin' just north of Anchorhead in the Dune Sea.  Should be quite the sight, I'm told - it ain't died down like they usually do overnight."

"Well she's more my type than you are too, so no offense taken.", he smirked under his helmet, let her make of that what she would,"And on a totally unrelated topic, don't suppose you know any good ship painters down there on the dust ball?"

Slipping his ship in behind Gates he followed the ship towards the jump point,"How long do those storms normally last?"

Huu guided his fighter in on the other side, giving the bigger ship proper air cover, knowing Beyn would follow him as he sent a comm message specifically for the furry Jedi++We might want to scan the planet for our target...I'm going to assume he's hiding himself but you never know, I'd like your opinion though...you are better at subtle.++

Let the humans talk to each other, they did have other things to do.

"If you like the sandblasted look, then yeah - painters a-plenty," Star Dandy chatted back, with a laugh. "I don't call Tatooine home, friend, but given the weather I doubt there's many down there that have the time to care about keepin' up a good paint job."  He chuckled a bit more, before shifting away from the joking attitude to answer the actual question that was posed.  "Usually only a day or two.  They can last a while longer I've heard, but only when accompanying bigger weather movements.  Other planets have thunderstorms and snowstorms, Tatooine has sandstorms.  Usually they shift around too, following the currents.  That one's not moved much."

"I'd be willin' to wager that's no normal sandstorm," Gates chimed in, having been lost in a moment of thought. She chuckled, the sound coming through easily on her comm line, "Point taken, Dandy, love. Ain't nothin' we can't fix with a little paint and manpower. I've been itchin' for a new look anyway." Particularly after their last engagement, she wasn't sure that Aquila's standard grey and yellow were still appropriate. Something new, for their new role, perhaps...

++Already on it, Huu++ Beyn's voice came across the commline to the other Master, sounding rather far away. The Cathar followed the other fighter by reflex, his mind stretched out like a net towards the planet already. He had been searching for Force-sensitives on the surface since the humans started talking.

"'fraid I'm not an expert on sandstorms, but Logic says you're right," came the Captain's reply.  Shortly after the agreement, the freighter shifted slowly to one side, angling a little more directly onto it's proper course.  Then, it seemed to accelerate, if slowly.  "Looks like we're in the clear - thanks for the cover, Aquilas.  And Three - I meant what I said about that drink.  I don't go back on my word, an' after this, i owe you one.  The company... well, that's a bonus." The freighter's engines flared bright as the hyperdrive began to kick in. "Shoot straight, Aquilas."  Star Dandy's last transmission came through a moment before the freighter stretched and disappeared into the stars beyond.

Private...[Private to Beyn: While you are unable to pick out any single Force-sensitive beings other than your own squadmates, you do notice something odd.  There's what feels like a dull yet insistent throbb emanating from the northern hemisphere, around the region occupied by the sandstorm.  It keeps a regular rhythm - a steady, low pulse of energy through the Force, neither distinctly dark nor light.]

It didn't take long for the Pirate Fighters to make their move once Star Dandy had jumped out.  Their move was about what everyone would have expected of them - with their prey now out of reach, leaving them with only a flight of Aureks that had more bite than cargo and salvage, the pirates turned tail and headed off.

For the time being, the four Aureks had the space around Tatooine to themselves.

Hex snorted and shook his head,"I thought the roguish flirtatious freighter captain was just a cliche...apparently some people still think it's a real thing." Shaking his head he chuckled,"So, La.....One, where are we headed? Into the storm which is likely not natural or to a port..."

Gates just laughed, "Roguish, flirtatious captains aren't exclusive to freighters, Decrilla, keep that in mind." She lingered in place for a handful of moments, watching the pirates to make sure that they were actually bugging out, before she angled her Aurek towards the planet and set it on the correct heading to go to, "Mos Espa. That was Havoc's last mention, so that's where we start."

"I would avoid that storm, at least until we alter the markings on these fighters a bit... and perhaps even then I might suggest an approach by foot," Beyn chimed in, his voice rumbling over the comm. "I cannot call it distinctly dark or light, but there is definitely a good deal of Force resonating in that area."

Hex smiled and nodded, even if it wasn't seen,"Sounds good...forming up." He was more than a little interested in stripping the markings off the ships, that would be something he's rather rebellious nature would be thrilled to do, then he'd need to see what trackers they had on them...he was sure they did.

Chuckling to himself he wondered what the penalty was for stealing a vehicle from his current employers...likely not very good, but as long as they were facing the Sith they didn't need to worry about that.

Sith, he found his good humour evaporating rather rapidly at that thought. Sighing he shook his head, this was going to be a long, long battle he was going to have to deal with these feelings....one day, not now.

Huu Shie was quiet, his eyes flickering between the various screens that showed the surface of the planet and the screen,"We must try and screen ourselves as well...if that is result of some force user they will be waiting for other force users to alert them by being clumsy, lets be very, very careful."

In the relative privacy of her cockpit, Gates just laughed, "Yeah, you guys have fun with that screening thing. I'll be more worried about getting these Aureks altered up a bit than whether or not some Force user is readin' our thoughts. Can't really stop that," she shrugged, not that any of them could see her, sending her Aurek cruising towards Mos Espa. "Come on, fellas. Let's go. No point lingering out here until those guys come back with friends."

"Yes, that..." Beyn rumbled quietly, turning his little fighter to follow the lead one, "That may be more difficult than we previously imagined. Master Huu and I, of course, can shield ourselves - more or less." But there was little he, at least, could do about the others. His abilities with the Force simply didn't work that way.

--Some time passes--

The trip inbound to Tatooine was spent in relative peace.  Once Star Dandy disappeared into hyperspace, the pirate fighters had quickly fled, leaving the three Jedi and one Republic Pilot in peace.  The flight down towards Mos Espa was a quick one after that, the Aureks making good time.  The starport of Mos Espa, it turned out, was not quite the bustling hive of scum and villainy that Mos Eisely was known for... nor was it completely quiet.  Fortunately, there was plenty of room for a quartet of small, single-seat fighters.  Securing a landing pad designed for light freighters - big enough for all four - you are given clearance to land.  Hangar fees were not discussed, and the man you spoke with over the comms seemed largely disinterested on the whole... on par for a spaceport on Tatooine, for those that had been here before.  Generally, it was assumed that the fees would be negotiated in person.

As the four of you touch down, you note that aside from a pair of Rodians lounging by the fuel pumps at the far end of the hangar, you are left alone.  None approach immediately, giving you time to stretch your legs and plan your stay.  After a few minutes however, you catch sight of a short, portly fellow - human, with a ragged beard and one lazy eye - approaching from the bay entrance.

"Fee's 50 creds per day, paid up front.  No refunds if ya leave early, and if yer stayin' longer, check in for it before hand.  Fee's doubled for unregistered stays.  Fuel's available too."  He began speaking from the far end of the bay as he approached, his voice carrying startlingly well despite his apparent disinterest.  Once he was near enough, he stood with thumbs in his strained belt awaiting an answer.  He didn't seem to care who was in charge of the group.

"Reminds me of home...ish," Gates laughed, pulling off her helmet and tossing it into the seat as she looked around. Before she hopped down from her Aurek, practically ignoring the steps on the ladder to the small craft, she grabbed a black leather jacket from within the cockpit..

"Strike that 'ish', definitely reminds me of home," she grinned, shrugging into the jacket as she watched the scruffy human - clearly the portmaster - saunter their direction. The black leather jacket paired with her custom-fitted flightsuit to give her a rakish air, made all the more nonchalant by the shaggy blonde hair that she ruffled a hand through while waiting for the man to reach them - doing nothing but making it look more of a mess.

Even before he had finished talking, she had already unzipped her flightsuit a couple of inches and reached inside, smoothly pulling out a credstick and tossing it in the fellow's direction. "That should cover us for tonight an' tomorrow."

"Didn't even negotiate....", muttered Hex, as he gathered his gear out of the cockpit of the little starfighter, how they fitted a hyperdrive in these little things he'd never know but it was what it was and they were lethal in flight..that he already knew.

Strapping his weapons to his armour he slipped his helmet under his arm and his shades back in place before looking at the 'dock master' for lack of a better word,"Any suggestions on where to stay? Or more importantly places not to stay?"
This message was lightly edited by the player at 17:19, Sun 31 May 2015.

Huu climbed out of his own cockpit listening to the younger pair talking already and he sighed, straightening out his black robe and making sure his rebreather was in place with a twitch of his cybernetic hand. Sighing he became acutely aware just how much like a Jedi he looked as his robes flowed into place, perhaps this was not the best kind of place to look so but he was what he was and he would always be so.

Grabbing his small amount of supplies he fell in a pace behind Gates, this was something he wanted to let her take the lead in and see what happened.

Beyn had spent entirely too much time cooped up in his cockpit. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy being there - he most certainly did - but he was too large of a being to spend that much time folded up into such a tiny space. So it was that he crawled slowly out of the cockpit, stretching as he unfolded his bulk over the open edge, even going so far as to knead his paws against the side of the Aurek.

"Much better," he grumbled as his feet finally hit the deck plating. Much like his fellow Master, he knew full well what he looked like. Beyn just didn't care. His role within the Temple had sent him to worse places than this, and he had never really needed to hide in any of them - even when tracking quarry that was expecting Jedi. In his opinion, people were often very bad about not seeing what they didn't want to see, and the truly uneducated masses tended to think of Jedi as myths and legends, and not believe that the creature talking to them could possibly be one.

The man eyed Gates warily for a moment, before his gaze tracked to the other three members of the squad.  Kel-dor were not a rare sight on Tatooine, for their homeworld featured similar climates... Cathar, on the other hand, were.  From a more humid world, most tended to stay away from places like Tatooine.

"I'll 'ave ye for two days then.  Either clear our by this time on the second day, or have payment for further time 'afore then," he said, closing an oil-blackened fist around the credstick - after checking to ensure it was of the right denomination, of course.  His squinted grimace turned on Hex next, and he offered a compensatory shrug. "If you've the creds, anywhere will take ye in.  And goin' by the looks of you lot... well, you c'n go where ye like, so long as you're willin' to pay for any damages ye cause."

As if he sensed the man's stare, Beyn returned a toothy grin, and then took the time to casually inspect the claws on the end of each of his fingers. It was true, this wasn't the sort of place he would have chosen to come to, and getting the ever-present dust out of his fur was going to be a right pain, but it could be worse.

"Come on, Hex, Gates..." he rumbled, starting towards the exit. Of course, it wasn't like he really felt the need to tell either of the young humans to get going. Instead, it was a calculated move on his part to give their names - such as they were - to this fellow and the Rodians in the distance, instead of his and Huu's.

"I like that - 'stay where we like'," Gates flashed a quick grin at Hex, and then nodded to the dockmaster. "Two days it is, then. Speakin' of damages," she smirked at the portly gent, lacing her words with a pleasantly threatening tone learned first-hand from Jace, "I trust nothin' of ours is gonna get damaged between now and then, 'cause I'd hate to have to return the favor."

Huu Shie's facial expressions were under his mask and eye covers so the roll of his silver eyes at Gate's posturing was not visible or detectable which was perhaps for the best,"Is there anywhere with accommodations for a Kel-Dor?"

It was unlikely and he was mostly used to wearing his breather all the time but it never hurt to ask, even if he did have to pay just a little bit extra.

Hex' grin matched Gates, clearly enjoying the idea that their very apperance was enough to get them whatever they liked and it was surely coincidence that Gate's final words coincided with the sound of Hex slamming cocking his blaster rifle and sighting down the length of it at a wall nearby to check they hadn't been unaligned in the time they'd been stored.

Clearing his throat he slung the rifle over his shoulder and came to stand half a step behind Gates and on her left side,"Yeah...we need these babies in good shape, would make us pretty annoyed if they weren't...."

Pushing his shades up his nose with his free hand he looked around and echoed Gate's again without realizing it,"'stay where we like'- yes that will work."

Though outnumbered and clearly outgunned, the grumpy dockmaster looked to each of the four in turn, nodding as if to acknowledge their individual threats or greetings.  As Hex capped off each with his own, the surly fellow uttered a low chuckle, his bearded visage twisting in what might have been amusement, provided the right angle and lighting.

"I'd work on that a bit if I were you.  Far scarier folk th'n you lot come through 'ere near daily," he said.  "Don't piss no one off, an' nothing will happen to yer ships.  Make that mistake though, an' you're liable for any damages done t'my bay.  You'll see no harm done by me, but I make no promises f'r those ye cross."  With his point made, the portly dockmaster looked pointedly to the Kel-Dor.

"Don't get many of you folk 'round here that I can recall.  I wouldn't count on it."  He returned his thumbs to his belt and looked around once more.  "If'n there's nothing else, I'll be about my way."