[right][h3]Khulbe's Palace - Telsa[/h3][/right][hr]
Telsa, now relieved of her case of contraband, strode out onto the landing pad and toward the ship, hot on Jast’s heels. “That went well,” she suggested. The captain nodded. 

“Better than I expected,” he replied. “Say one thing about Khulbe the Hutt, he gives you a fair enough deal,” he said, striding up the [i]Raven[/i]’s boarding ramp no sooner than it touched down. Like Jast, Telsa had been no fan of the 25% up-front price, but the back-end reward for bringing in the chemist, or even just the formula, was more than enough. It put them in an interesting position. It freed them up to travel without issue, served as marginal compensation, and gave them more than enough reason to go on a bounty hunting expedition. That said, this was an expedition that put them up against one of the most powerful criminal enterprises in the Mid Rim. 

“This is Pyxis we’re talking about, though,” she cautioned, hoping to raise the issue sooner rather than later, but Jast was already engaged, mid-conversation with Val, who had been standing expectantly at the top of the [i]Raven[/i]’s boarding ramp. 

“I will tell you all the details as soon as you tell me why the hell we have people falling out of my ship,” he answered their blue-skinned mechanic. 

“There must have been some sort of issue with the lock on the external hatch down there. I’ve been looking into it,” she offered in return, but even as she spoke he turned down a corridor, following Boqorro’s voice. 

Telsa came to a stop, hands on her hips as she followed him with her eyes until he was out of sight. She looked at Val, who hit a button on the side of the rampwell. After answering her touch with a heavy [i]chunk[/i], the ramp ascended. “He’s not happy about this one,” Telsa said. Val waved a hand as she waited for the ramp to finish closing. 

“He’ll get over it,” she answered easily. Val and Jast had a long working relationship. Jast had never given her the story in full, but from what Telsa had pieced together Val had been a farm girl on Ryloth, repairing agricultural vehicles when Jast picked her up. Why exactly Val had signed on with Jast—why Val was working on a Rylothian farm after graduating from a Core Worlds university with a degree in mechanical engineering—Telsa had never figured out. There was some kind of story there, she figured. Point was, they’d been flying together for three years and then some, and trusted each other implicitly. 

“Yeah,” Telsa agreed. “We got a good deal,” she continued, appraising Val of the situation. “I’m going to prep the valves for release so we can off-load the cargo.” She moved for the cockpit. Val followed, the Twi’lek’s nose down in a datapad as she considered what looked to be a readout of the [i]Raven[/i]’s internal sensors. “So, who’s our surprise guest?” Telsa asked. 

[[@Saix] [@The Wyrm]]

[center]- - -[/center]

[right][h3]The Raven Trespass - Boqorro[/h3][/right][hr]

“And that’s all I got out of her,” Boqorro finished, having relayed his conversation with the prisoner thus far in full. Jast nodded, regarding the Zelosian with pursed lips and narrow eyes. 

“Thanks Boq,” he answered. Boqorro nodded and took his position against the wall. The captain turned in full toward their pale, green-skinned prisoner, who still sat on the chair Boqorro had commandeered from the mess. “T’a? That’s your name? My friend here tells me you speak Basic. Is that correct?” After receiving an affirmative response, the captain pressed on. 

“Perfect. Now, T’a, you are on Nar Shaddaa, at the primary place of business of one of the most feared crime lords in all of Hutt Space. You’ve broken the laws of both the Galactic Republic and the planetary government of Ord Mantell by trespassing on my ship, and you've offended my sense of hospitality by complicating a tremendously important business opportunity for both myself and my crew. So, what am I supposed to do with you? Because the way I see it, I can fly you back to Ord Mantell and hand you off to the local law enforcement authorities there, or I can dump you in an alley here on a planet with one of the highest murder rates per capita in the entire galaxy. I'm not sure I would feel particularly terrible either way.” 

Boqorro smirked as Jast finished his little speech. Boqorro wasn't much for words, but he appreciated the captain's affinity for them. Of course, Jast was far more bark than bite. In Boqorro's experience, you watched out for the quietest people in the room. Those were the real killers.

[[@Mistiel]]