[b]In the life of the Friends of a Jedi...[/b]

"Diggy, diggy hole on a asteroid..." Thrall hummed under his breath and then shook his head, silently cursing. Why did some of the crew keep listening to that bloody song. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, would take him days to get that song out of his system now. "Report?" He asked the piloting section of the bridge.

A commander looked up and nodded, "We just dropped out of hyperspace, only one jump away from Kessel, per your instructions."

"Thank you, please be ready for further orders." He cracked his fingers and started tapping the screen, sending word to the bothan spies, smugglers and some law enforcement contacts they had established together with Tohkran. He preferred to do this without violence and hoped that any of these contacts might have a way to do so. Once the communication requests had been send for updates on his queries he leaned back and began the waiting game, after a few minutes he tapped his fingers impatiently on the armrest and activated the intercom. "Mess hall... prepare some footlong subs and bring them to the bridge please, we all could use a bite to eat.... and if you tell me we are out then I am sorry to say that we have to expect a mutiny."

There was silence for a moment and then a laugh, "Luckily we have plenty sir, bringing them right up, forgot you were back in charge."

The sluissi snorts, "I am always in command, even if beard face thinks otherwise, now bring me a sandwich!"

The regional contact in the Bothan network sends a quick reply to Thrall that no operatives are in the vicinity to lend assistance, they also inform thrall that the mess is out of prosciutto.

He slams his fist on the armrest, "Curses! And the nearest store that has it in supply is 5 systems away!" He blinked, glancing at the questioning looks the rest of the crew is giving him but he shook his head, "Nothing, never mind, has anyone else contacted us?"

A short time later a small light freighter drops out of hyperspace near the Illusion of Grace and hails the bridge on an encrypted channel. "This is Londred aboard the Intimidator, my peers know me as The Artist though." A female voice is heard over the comm when the message is decrypted using one of Tohkrans ciphers. "Was in the area and got your message about a possible job, so tell me, whats it pay?" Londred asked.

Thrall chuckled, "The Artist, huh? Well I am not the type to say what the payment is before explaining what the job is. Associate of beard face wants one of his people out of jail, jail in question is Kessel. Prefer a non-violent option and were hoping you could help out with that, thoughts?"

"Maybe I can, I know some folks that have done the Kessel run before, doesn't sound so hard to me. Question is, whats it worth to you?" Londred replied as a voice in the background outside the scope of the holoimager asked if it was a sluissi that Londred was talking to, followed by a barely heard comment that they eat their own young and that only 1 in 100 actually survive after birth.

"Yeah that's true, meaning I am a tough son of a bitch and I ate my own daddy." Thrall said with his most serious face, barely keeping it together. "I also won the most beautiful baby reptilian award in five sectors. Anyway, how much it is worth to me? Well you might risk trouble yourself getting our man out... unless you also happen to pick up a shipment of spice while you are down there to earn a profit from. So just tell me what you need for expenses."

"Excuse my companion, apparently she learned everything she knows from the holonet... and not the most reliable of sources either..." Londred said with a sigh. "You planning to send anyone with us or just expect the two of us to pull all this off on our lonesome?" She then asked with something of a pout.

"Well, if you don't feel that safe can come along with you along with another associate... is your freighter large enough to allow a Herglic aboard? Tall humanoid species, can reach sizes of 3 meters." Thrall replied, chuckling.

"We've had plenty of big fellas in here before... on the ship too." Londred replied with a sly smile.

Thrall let out a burst of laughter ,chuckling. "I see, well then please dock and be ready to accept two visitors, commander you have the bridge. Miss Artist, I see you and your companion in the hangar." With a flourish bow he ended the call and began slithering to the lift, contacting Marack to join him in the hangar section.

A moment later as Thrall and Marack entered the hanger they could see The Intimidator settling on the hanger deck, the freighter looked almost like a conical atmospheric craft with wings that looked like they were used for airbreaking more than anything else and the engines appeared to be primitive fossil fuel combustion designs from the outside.

"Well... it's a classic at least?" Thrall ventured, looking at Marack, who actually looked impressed and fascinated with the design. "Let's meet our new guests." Thrall continued, slithering towards the craft once it had finished it's landing procedures.

A pressure hatch opened in the forward side of the vessel just behind the cockpit windows and a boarding ladder extended rather quickly while a young woman appeared in the doorway studying a datapad and all but ignored Thrall and Marack, from the cockpit window however an older woman waved the two aboard the ship. assuming the younger woman looked up from her datapad long enough to notice the two and let them pass.

Thrall looked up the ladder, sighed and turned to Marack. "Hey big guy I need a bo-" Thrall began and did not finish as the herglic picked up the sluissi without apparent effort and threw him up towards the hatch. With a yelp Thrall was thrown inside, past the younger woman, who didn't seem to notice as Marack climbed up the ladder and got on the edge just as Thrall collected himself and silently cursed as he checked his bruises.

The young woman glances up for a moment as Marack climbs into view and she starts backwards in surprise for a moment, obviously not expecting someone quite so big to appear as if from nowhere in front of her. She nearly backed into thrall who she obviously had not seen sail past her a moment before and upon realizing that she all but ran for the cockpit.

"Oh come on they're not that scary." Londreds voice could be heard saying from the cockpit as the two heard the engines fire up again, apparently the smuggler was wasting no time with beginning the job. "Come on in boys," Londred called from the cockpit,"We've got some extra seats in here... not sure if you'll fit of course."

Marack glanced around and rumbled from the back of his throat, "I'll stand."

Thrall slithered up to one and lifted himself up in it and coiled his lower body up in it. "A interesting ship you got yourself, well then, let's see how things go on Kessel, I do hope you got the contacts there that can help make this job done smoothly?"

"Contacts?" Londred asked as the ship left the hangar deck and headed for space. "I've never even been to kessel myself before don't know a soul there." She added as she turned around to face Thrall. "But hey this job sounded like fun."

Thrall looked at Londred.... rolled his eyes before closing them and hiding his face in his hands. "I see... well... this will be fun."

Londreds companion watched the two warily as Londred herself put in the coordinates for Kessel and launched the ship into hyperspace. with that done the smuggler turned back to thrall and tilted her head slightly in a questioning manner. "You don't seem like a particularly optimistic chap you know." She stated, "If you have no faith in those you decided to hire for the job why get on the ship in the first place?"

"Oh no I am a optimist on the inside but a very vocal pessimist on the outside, it is very conflicting I know but it seems to work for me. Besides I joined up with a jedi so my sanity is not so much in question as it is non-existent.... say don't suppose you have any stores of prosciutto?" Thrall replied.

"The galley might have some, might want to check the expiry though, pretty sure something was living in the cooler last time I looked in there, its surprisingly roomy in there." Londred said as she turned back to the controls, they were after all not far from Kessel in the first place it would only take maybe 20 minutes to get there from there they had entered hyperspace.

Marack grunted and went to investigate the galley, coming back a few minutes later looking rather amused, "The science experiment tasted rather nice actually, needed some peppers though."

The young woman who Londred had still not identified by name looked almost horrified at the herglics statement before rushing past the two guests and heading for the galley at a flat run. Londred looked over her shoulder and shrugged at the actions of her companion before fishing a pair of magnacuffs from under the console and holding them up as she turned to face Thrall and Marack again. "So which of you wants to play the good cop, and which the bad?" she said with another grin-like smile.

In reply Marack removed his heavy vibro-ax from his back and thumped it heavily on the deck, making a light dent in the metal. Thrall looked at his companion, "I think he will be the bad cop... so I suppose I will be the good cop, I assume we can go by a cover story that we are travelling incognito because of possible pirates targeting prison transports to break out their buddies."

Londred frowned at the deck for a moment as the axe dented the floor plating. "I'm honestly not fussed what story you use." Londred said as the ship dropped from hyperspace near kessel, thankfully outside the recently placed minefield perimeter. Londred may not have had any contacts on kessel itself but she apparently did know something of the place from talking with fellow smugglers. "All you need to do is get me into a cell near the buddy you want to break out." Londred replied with the same smile as she slipped the cuffs over her wrists.

Thrall raised a brow, looking at the now cuffed smuggler, "Might I ask what your plan is?"

"I mentioned my peers call me 'The Artist' right?" Londred replied as the com started beeping that they were being contacted by Kessel control. "You want to take that?" She asked Thrall before she went to the comm and switched it on, one hand now free of the cuffs somehow.

Thrall looked at her hands, "I see... and yes let me take that." He slithered to the controls and accepted the hail. "This is the Intimidator, carrying a prisoner, copy."

"Some species don't understand the concept of a safe word." Londred said quietly to Marack with a wink as Kessel control checked their records.

"Intimidator, we have no record of any scheduled prisoner delivery by your vessel today.... or ever actually..."

Marack let out a quiet laugh while Thrall was replying to the voice, "Well with a war on I can imagine when messages about what prisoners are delivered on what date are delayed or simply lost in the void. As for why this unconventional method of transportation, well last time some pirates decided to ambush the prison transport and retrieve their buddies, so we are attempting a new approach... apparently travelling in a rust bucket does not make you stand out as someone with a worthwhile cargo to even bother with."

Londred whipped her head around to look at Thrall with a hot look in her eyes at his reply to Kessel Control before promptly standing on the end of his tail.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a while before a reply came back. "You are Cleared to Land at auxiliary platform 3, Intimidator. Do not deviate from your assigned flightplan. Control out." The voice at the other end said finally in a tone that was more bored than anything else as a datapacket was received by the navcomputer showing a route to the designated landing platform.

He stifled a cry, glaring over his shoulder at Londred with a warning gaze, thanking for the hospitality, knowing the control officer probably did not even register that as he put in the flightplan in the automatic pilot before turning to the smuggler. "Ever heard off acting? If I seem bored or annoyed with this task instead of eager then they won't suspect a thing."

"My ship is NOT a Rust Bucket." Londred replied, tempted to bring her foot down on Thralls tail a second time. Instead she closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and slipped her free hand back into the magnacuffs. "Don't suppose you have any details on the guy you're breaking out? this trick is unlikely to work a second time you know, I'd rather not break the wrong guy out and need to go back in."

Thrall smirked, smugglers and their ships, "Of course your ship isn't one, but hey my ship isn't a illusion either." He winked and then proceeded to inform her about the details he had gathered from Hoddo about the associate they needed to spring free from prison, as well as the details of a bounty hunter that was on-site, which Thrall was going to contact and see if he could cause a disturbance that would distract the guards so she could get their target out of there.

By the time thrall finished going over the details the Intimidator had landed on the designated pad and a squad of Sun Guard were approaching the vessel from the main facility. At the head of the squad was a man in a repubilic uniform in his middle years, he appeared bored and not particularly happy to be out in kessels thinner than average atmopshere.

"Well, Looks like that's our escort." Londred said as she feinted a beaten and defeated look for the benefit of the guards and republic officer. "How do you plan to get off the ship anyway?" She asked Thrall while turning her back on the guards and climbing down the entry ladder.

Thrall snorts and waits as Marack went first, placing a hand on Londred as if to tell her she had nowhere to run and then turned back and held his arms out, giving Thrall the cue to slither forwards and drop down into the Herglic's waiting arms and then was, thankfully, gently put down to the ground. He gave a republic salute and greeting to the bored officer, eyeing the strange guards, he had never seen those before, at first he thought Mandalorians but their armour seemed different. "Thank you, you are here to take my prisoner, jolly good."

The republic officer waved a couple of the guards forward to take custody of Londred before looking at Thrall with a somewhat glazed look. "Papers please." He stated simply

"My friend, does this look like a ordinary transport? Listen, this here gall annoyed some top brass bigwigs and they wanted her to be put away but they don't want to see her to die, well at least not that soon, so put her with the brokers or something, the middlemen so she can toil in the mines and think back on the mistakes that brought her here." He gave Marack a signal who pushed her forwards to the guards who approached while Thrall continued. "Anyhow, is Dex Jaeger still here? I need to see him on some urgent business."

"That scum..." The officer replied, "Probably at the miners bar near the shipping docks." The guards had taken Londred in hand now but were otherwise not making a move to take her into the prison, evidently waiting for the officer to give the order. "I'm still going to need transfer papers." The officer then said.

Thrall rolled his eyes, "Great there goes my 'bonus' fee I got to take her here, but I suppose I have to share it." He muttered as he reached out, shaking the officer's hand, leaving credits chits with a value of 10'000 credits in his hand. "As I said, she annoyed some big brass... and they don't want her to be found in the system."

The officer smiled as he palmed the credit chits. “I suppose an extra prisoner in the mines won't hurt production any, though looking at her other uses might be found...” He replied with his smile turning into more of a grin.

“Does that mean I can get a proper matress, a clean one even.” Londred said as she caught the Officers look. The officer just sneered at her comment and waved the Sun Guards to take her to the cells where the prisoners with more value outside of the mines were kept.

“If you would accompany me to my office we can finalise an official reason for your visit here to keep up appearances, I suggest you leave your muscle here however.” The officer then said as he turned to Thrall.

Thrall nodded and turned to Marack, "Right, guard the ship and remember where we are parked."

The herglic tilted his head questioningly. "We parked right here?"

"Exactly and don't you forget it!" Thrall replied gesturing with a finger to the sky as he slithered forward to follow the republic officer.

Londred didn't even look back as the guards took her into the prison proper, seeming having accepted her predicament to those that did not know it was a setup. The officer simply lead Thrall through the administration levels of the prison... well the lower levels at least... until they reached his office, upon entering the first thing the officer did was to walk to the far side of the room and took out two tumblers and a decanter from a wall cabinet. He poured two glasses and offered one to Thrall. “Sullustan Gin, I have a trader friend that brings me in a bottle of the good vintages everynow and then.”

"Got a good setup here then, commendable." Thrall replied friendly, taking the glass and toasting the officer. "Curious guards though, had expected clone troopers to be honest." He didn't want to blow off the officer rudely, he didn't knew what Londred was up to but he figured if he could contact Dex Jaeger to create a distraction it would only increase the odds.

“Indeed,” Te officer said as he took a sip himself. “So we need to explain why your vessel has landed and dropped a prisoner while still keeping her out of the records then, how do you propose we do this?” He asked “Afterall you're the one that insists she not be on the official record.”

"Well, smuggler freighter arrive and go at infrequent itnervals don't they? So that shoudl easily be logged as just a spice shipment take-off. As for my prisoner..." He showed a grin, "How many prisoners die in week? Should be easy to neglect one death and have her listed under the name of someone who has recently deceased in the mines." He half seriously, half joking added, "If you give me access I can input it myself in the system."

"You want me to give you access to our systems... I may be willing to take in an unlisted prisoner for some compensation, but that could cost me my position, serving on the front lines is not something I would rather be doing." The officer replied.

Thrall chuckled, "I was joking good sir. But since you did not mention any problem with my proposal of handling the prisoner and my arrival then that is settled? If so I would like to see Dex before I must be off."

“Birds of a feather I suppose.” The officer replied before leaning over his desk and pressing a button. A few moments later a guard opened the door and stepped inside.

Thrall finished his drink and saluted the officer with the empty glass before setting it down, "A good day to you officer, perhaps we will see each other again." He turned to the guard and nodded, "Care to guide me to the miners bar?"

The guard looked to the Officer and waited for a signal from him, all he received was a lazy wave indicating he should at the very least escort Thrall from the prison grounds. “Be aware, you will need to leave in the next four hours or any story I cook up will come under more scrutiny than it could likely stand up to.” The officer advised Thrall as the guard gestured for Thrall to precede him out the door.

Thrall nodded thankfully to the officer and then proceeding to leave the office.

Meanwhile back at the Intimidator Marack stared at his hand and grumbled, putting the cards down that looked tiny in his big palm. "You won again." He said with a snort, shoving a pile of credit chits towards her, "Think your boss and mine will be back in one piece?"

“Londred will be back, no one can keep her penned for long.” Londreds companion replied. After it had become apparent that Marack was not just some big brute, the girl had stopped trying to keep her distance and had wound up playing Sabbac with him. What the Herglic didn't know was how much time the girl spent on the holonet playing sabbac while she looked for information about the galaxy in general.

He looked at the cards and nodded, "She must be quite good at what she does then, didn't catch your name actually." He pushed a small stack of credits forward. "Name's Marack, or big guy according to Thrall."

“Piper.” The Girl replied as she dealt out another hand of cards. “Londred has been doing her thing for many years now, she didn't become known as 'The Artist' through luck.” She then added.

He grinned and laid out the cards, "Pure Sabacc. Well then I trust they'll be back shortly... say think your larder got more scientific experiments gone wrong?"

***

The Miners Bar was as is to be expected a pretty rough looking place. afterall not all the miners on kessel were actually prisoners, some were actually paid for their work or were supervisors brought in to oversee the prisoners work and make sure they didn't screw up. As it was Thrall would soon find Dex in a back corner booth after making some inquiries.

Slithering towards the table he nodded a greeting and quickly spope up before he could be dismissed or send away, "Hoddo sends his greetings."

“Hoddo can stick his greetings up his fat arse.” Dex replied harshly. “Slimy Hutt still owes me for the last job I did for him. I'm stuck here until I can pay for the overpriced repairs, damn backwater.” Dex replied as he downed a beer in one swig.

"Excellent you hate the fat slug too, so I don't have to kiss his arse by praising him to you." Thrall replied wit ha grin, "Right, well then I will be quick, I need a distraction so I can get off this rock... with a resident who no longer wants to use the local facilities if you get my meaning. Tell me how much you need to get off this rock and I will wire the funds to you, right now, right here." He finished saying and brought up his personal computer.

"What kinda of distraction are you after, getting arrested by the prison guards won't really help me get out of here even if my ship is repaired." Dex replied

"You know this place better than me, reckon you know what attracts the guards? And if you don't know anything, know of any terminals you can give me access to with which I can mess around and set off alarms... on the other side of the complex, away from what I am trying to pull off?"

"Any alarm in the prison is liable to send the whole facility into lockdown, I imagine that'll make getting the guy out more difficult than it already is right?" Dex asked as he leaned back and took another drink while he considered.

"Eh I was considering a fake sensor alarm of CIS ships arriving in system to distract them..." He paused and looked around and then back at Dex, "Question, what is the prison guards reaction to a out of control bar fight?"

“They would more than likely ignore a bar fight, and a fake CIS invasion would just lock down the entire system, or did you not see the warships in orbit on your approach, let alone the minefield.” Dex said with a shrug. “A problem in the mines might cause a satisfactory result though, there's no immediate threat and at least a portion of the guards would likely be deployed to make sure the prisoners out there don't try to take advantage of it.”

"Yeah well... don't want to mess with the mines... don't know what certain... ah spice merchants might think if production falters... probably thank me to be honest they can increase prices, look listen all I want is a distraction, if you can pull it off without getting imprisoned yourself or causing casualties, then just name your price and you got it."

"Seventy thousand, that should get my ship hypercapable again so i can at least fly somewhere with cheaper repairs for the rest of it." Dex replied as he leaned back and tipped back a fresh mug of beer.

"Done, and adding a twenty thousand bonus for the trouble I might put you through." Thrall added and showed the hunter he was wiring ninenty thousand credits total.

As the credits started transferring Thralls comm link began beeping at him, id registered it as coming from the Intimidator.

Thrall activated his commlink, "Yes?"

“You finished getting drunk yet scaly?” Londreds voice asked over the comm. “We're all waiting on you to get back here so we can leave you know.”

He blinked, widening his eyes, staring for a moment at his comm device, thinking for a second Marack ahd somehow found a way to do a practical joke on him but then he recalled he had no skill for it. "I... well... you are back already... with the package?"

“A nice bottle of Sullustan Gin to boot, I needed to restock on that, haven't had all the ingredients to make a Sonic Sevodriver in a few months now.” Londred replied casually. “We really should be leaving before the Guards realize what's happened however.”

Thrall was beat for a moment before he finally found his voice again. "I see... ready the ship I am on my way." He turned back to Dex, "Seems my problem is already solved, you enjoy your credits, perhaps we can keep in touch if you are the sort who wants debts repaid, otherwise, have another drink on me." With that he quickly slid a crystal with contact information on the table and then started to scurry to the exit. He needed to get back to the ship...

When Thrall arrived back at the pad the Intimidators engines were already winding up and Marack was waiting to 'help' Thrall aboard.

"Now be care- ack!" Thrall managed to utter as Marack simply lifted him up and threw him aboard, quickly climbing the ladder himself. "-ful... I was going to say." Thrall muttered.

Marack just chuckled and pressed the controls to close the hatch. "Londred came back without raising a alarm boss, you need to be faster than that."

Thrall muttered something under his breath and headed to the cockpit section.

“Have fun waiting?” Londred asked as Thrall entered, not bothering to turn around while her hands lew over the controls to get her ship back into orbit and away from Kessel before some canny guard decided to do a prisoner check.

"You know I should have done this as a job interview, we could use someone like you... probably a trade secret but still going to ask, how in the hells did you got him out without raising a alarm?" Thrall blurted out, still a bit in shock from the surprise of how it all had gone down so far.

“Discretion and not getting caught go hand in hand with being a smuggler you know, some of us are actually quite good at our chosen profession.” Londred replied as they left the atmosphere and started back-tracing the course they had taken in earlier.

"So I see... ok I might have been kidding when I just said that, but now seriously, are you actually interested in being hired to work with us, me?" Not many people could conduct a prison breakout, least of all Kessel... and much less on their own, to say he was impressed was almost a understatement.

"Hey now slow down there slick and slimy." Londred said with a chuckle. "You haven't even paid me for this job yet... speaking of we never did discuss amounts, what AM I getting paid for this?"

"Well since you basically did everything... I was going to transfer the entire amount Hoddo was going to pay me to you honestly..." Thrall muttered.

"Generous of you." She said with a hint of surprise, Suppose that means I'll need to stick around till you drop that guy off then." The navcomputer registered that they were at the edge of the minefield and Londred reached for the hyperspace lever. "Piper and I can kick back our heels and enjoy all the emenities your ship has to offer in the mean time." She added as she turned back to face thrall as the ship jumped to hyperspace.

"The facilities of the Illusion of Grace are at your, and your companions, service." He chuckled, "Perhaps it will make you interested in my semi-serious proposal to hire you."

"Maybe it will. Shouldn't such an offer come from your boss though. Afterall you just spent the last several hours drinking and wasting your time, are you sure you have the authority to offer me a job?" Londred said with a teasing grin.

He let out a snort and then laughed, "Boss left me in charge while he is off being a freedom fighter, now in all seriousness. He trusts me and my judgement and I believe you and your companion would make a fine addition to our group. Like I mentioned on the way in though, he is a jedi and we got a couple of others, if you knew some of the other smugglers we often do business with then you knew that already. If you want to know my story, I was a former indentured slave he set free and he is my friend... who put me in charge of my own ship and a small fleet, so hey I can't complain with the direction he is taken me."

He paused and chuckled, "Also, he lets me get away with teasing and making fun of him." He smirked at that.

"He always did strike me as a softy." Londred replied. "Guess he hasn't changed in the last decade or two."

Thrall blinked and looked curiously at the smuggler, "Eh? You have known about him for 20 years?" He looked her over, "Did your folks do business with him or something?"

"Something like that." She replied with a shrug. "Why don't you go in the back and make sure I did indeed pull the right guy out of that place." She suggested, deliberately changing the subject.

Thrall kept looking at her and then shrugged, 'Will do, oh and Londred. Nice job, my thanks for that." With that he slithered out to get to see if they indeed had the right guy... now that would be something if they had gotten this far and they had got the wrong broker. Luckily it proved to be the right one and all he had to do was relax while they were to rejoin with the Illusion of Grace and make haste to Hoddo's palace.

---
[b]Summary:[/b]
Thrall recruits the assistance of a smuggler to help in the breakout of Hoddo's associate incarcerated on Kessel. Spending 10SP worth of credits to bribe his way on the planetoid and acquire the services of a local bounty hunter in a attempt to start a diversion for the smuggler to safely extract and retreat with the prisoner... only to discover said smuggler, Londred, had already extracted the prisoner without raising alarms or notice of the guards and was waiting on the lazy, slow as ass Thrall to rejoin them so they could get off the rock...