Everything that belongs to Lucas/ Bioware/ Obsidian is (c) by them. Serenity and crew and anything that's his (c) Joss Whedon. Anyone who has not seen either the Firefly series or the Serenity movie, go watch them!
"I still don't see why you need me." Sionet pouted at the helm, watching the gauges to make sure that the trail they were blazing was safe.
"You're the only one foolish enough to risk you ship blazing new hyperspace routes." Canderous took off his helmet. Even in the darkness of space, the helmet was still hot.
"Saluira had to pull puppy eyes while telling me just how much money I would get for doing this. I never could say no to that combo." Sionet glanced over at the old mandalorian with his steel hair cut short and a full beard. Sure, she had helped the Republic in the war, but she was comfortable in his presence. It probably had something to do with Shinobu. Shinobu had traveled with Canderous before, so he wasn't likely to make trouble. Tack on all the other Jedi on her ship, and it was damn impossible to think anything without the rest of the crew knowing.
Sionet thought over the last few of years. They had been hell, no two ways about it. Shinobu was forced to carry Darth Revan's memories, to play her while saving the galaxy. What the council did to her almost lost her the love of her husband, Carth Onasi. He had been a captain at the time and was now an admiral. That role just about killed her physically, too. Sionet knew her during the war. Both had run parts, medical supplies, weapons, you name it for the Republic during the war. There, they had met with General Isled ap Owain and Brigadier General Saluira Nolan. Somehow, they became sisters.
Saluira had been wounded near the end of the war. Sionet wasn't sure, but somehow, Saluira ended up turning her back on both the Jedi Order and Revan. She followed Shinobu and became what others called 'noble smugglers'. Sionet knew that Saluira had angered a lot of hutts by running their slaves back to their homeworlds. It had been her running wookiees that had let her meet her husband; Galvin Ofera, pilot and rake.
Isled had surprised everyone by returning to the Order after the war. She'd been exiled, which annoyed Sionet no end. Ten years later she returned to fight off Sith, Sith lords, make new friends, and fall in love with Atton Rand, also a pilot and scoundrel. After fighting a witch who had become her mentor for most of the trip, Isled left for the Unknown Regions to find Revan. When Isled came back, she told everyone that Revan was fighting the True Sith, and that Isled felt she was needed by the Republic.
Needless to say, Atton jumped up and married Isled before she could blink. Sionet was happy for all three of them. She knew that once they could see past their own husbands, they might try to play matchmaker for her, but that didn't worry Sionet. She never stayed in one place long enough for anyone to make a match. Her ship, the Gilded Seishou and the sky was all she needed.
Turning her head at a noise, Sionet looked up to see Saluira walk in. She was a petite woman who seemed to almost float everywhere. Her light brown hair was braided and coiled at the back of her head. Her light skin almost glowed in the light from the console in front of Sionet, aiding her urethral beauty. Her blue eyes were taking in the small cockpit.
"How's it going?" Saluira looked over Sionet. She was tired, but wouldn't give anyone the controls, no matter that there were at least four people who could pilot her ship. Titan red hair was pulled back in a braid that hung down her back, wisps that had escaped gently brushed her forehead. Her eyes took on a silver glow from the light of the gauges as she looked them over again. Sionet's left hand tapped out a metal-on-metal tune, as she glanced around her. Sionet had lost her whole left arm to the Sith while helping a master get supplies during the Jedi Civil War.
"As well as blazing new routes ever goes. Why did that kid chose my ship, again?"
Saluira sighed. As much as she loved Sionet, her mercenary attitude could be a pain. "Mical chose you because the Order and the Republic doesn't have any ships to spare, and out of the four of us, you have the largest ship."
Sionet waved her hand, but dropped the argument. She was getting paid, and hanging out with her friends. Right now, things were calm, so Sionet figured that she had it made on this job. Before she could ask about the others, one of her alarms shrilled. Swallowing her curses, Sionet checked to see what the problem was. She gritted her teeth when she saw that there was a planet in the way. Punching the comm, Sionet jerked her head at Saluira to sit.
"Everyone, strap into something." Turning off the comm, Sionet dropped them out of hyperspace, into a light asteroid field. Far away, she could see the planet, along with other ships of a cruder, more angular design than most. Weaving through the field, Sionet made her way over to the planet without much fuss. One or two small asteroid hit the back of the ship, causing the engine to increase in pitch.
Last time I heard that, I had to drop a lot of money to fix her up. Let's hope it won't be too much. Clear of the field, Sionet made to dock with out fuss. After docking was done, Sionet got up and made her way to the engine room, passing the rest of the crew on her way.
"That wasn't too bad." Shinobu, taller than Saluira, but willowy in stature with her short black hair pulled back in a ponytail, green eyes laughing as she watched Sionet.
"Better than the last time Atton flew after saying that line." Isled was between Shinobu and Saluira. Her black hair pulled up into a wrapped top knot, with two braids on the left side of her face. Her black eyes checking everyone for bruises.
"Thanks a lot, babe." Atton stood up, from his chair, straightening his brown ribbed jacket. "Where are we, anyways?"
"According to the rather snippy woman on the other side of the comm, we're at the Eavesdown Docks on the planet Persephone. Core looking world, too." Sionet passed the others to finish her trip to the engine room. Taking a quick glance, she could tell that the hyperdrive was what needed repairs. Sighing, she poked though it, figuring out what parts she needed. Sitting back on her heels when she finished, Sionet could tell that nothing major was damaged. But, they still needed the parts and time. Something that, if she were to believe Mical, they didn't have a lot of.
Making her way to the cargo bay, she could see the others, gathering. "Basic repair, little time tuning, and we should be able to fly out of here in no time."
"But we don't have that much time!" Mical was worried enough that he almost started pacing.
"Well, we're gonna have to make time. I told you that this was dangerous work, and we're lucky to get out of that mess up there with such little damage. Galvin and I will go exploring; see if there are any vendors that know ship parts." Sionet stopped when the crew exploded into complaints. After a few minutes, she shouted loud enough to get everyone to quiet down. "He and I are the only ones that don't have a picture to go with our reps. I'll call you all as soon as we get information."
Before there could be anymore arguments, Sionet grabbed Galvin and walked down the ramp into the Eavesdown Docks. The place was a bustle with different people, just like any other shady dock that she'd been in. The main difference was that this one had tech that she'd never seen, people that dressed oddly and ships of different designs than she would have believed possible. Other things were the same, though. The smells, people selling wears, and people willing to talk with the right grease. As it turned out, Republic credits were known, but rare enough that one credit told her everything about this planet and universe as well.
Glancing at the ship that she had stopped in front of, she could tell that it looked a little like hers. She shrugged and put it behind her. Pulling out her comm, she told the others that there was a man by the name of Badger who knew the parts vendors pretty well.
"Badger? He'd wouldn't know a capulizer if it bit him."
Surprised at the voice, Sionet turned to face a young woman, dressed in a smudged mechanic's jumpsuit and a T-shirt. She was holding a colorful, slightly ragged parasol to shade her face from the planet's harsh sun. "What do you know about Badger?"
"That you don't deal with him unless you have to."
Sionet was getting annoyed at all the people listening in to her conversations. Looking up, Sionet could see a tall man with short brown hair. His brown coat had a few patches and what looked like a piece of duct tape one the left arm. A dark colored shirt, light colored pants, boots and a holster strapped low on his hips.
"I suppose that you know where to find decent parts?" Sarcasm dripped from her words, but seemed to bounce off the man.
"I don't know too much, but Kaylee here might help you. Provided one of the others can go with her." Looking over the woman, the man stuck out his hand. "Mal Reynolds."
"Sionet Antilles." Sionet took the hand, and was glad to see the firm grip. This is a man who knows what he wants, and protects what he has. Odd, finding a kindred spirit out here.
Mal let go of her hand, sensing that she was an honest enough woman. Glancing down at Kaylee, he asked her. "You got a preference who comes? Other than the doc, he's busy."
Kaylee sighed. She knew Jayne should learn how to duck. It would cause less trouble in the long run. "I'll take Shepard Book, if he's willin'. You gonna come too, cap'n?"
Sionet hid a smile at the cute face that the woman who Reynolds had called Kaylee was making at him. She could see him trying to stand firm, but slowly breaking down.
"Fine." Pulling out a small black box, he spoke into it for people called Wash, Zoë, and Book. Sionet waited till she could see two more people walking down the ramp. The woman was tall, dark skinned with her curly hair pulled back. She was dressed like Mal, and Sionet sensed that they had a long history. The man next to her was shorter, pale, with blonde hair and horrible taste in shirts. Seeing them together, Sionet figured that they were married. An odd couple, to be sure. But given what she had back on her ship, it wasn't that far out.
The man Sionet believed to be Wash jerked his thumb back at the ship. "Book's busy with River. She's antsier than usual today."
Sionet jerked her head to lead them back to her ship. No one really talked, but not for lack of trying on Kaylee's part. She was a bundle of happy energy. Sionet smiled a couple of times, drawn into her bubbly personality. Back at the ship, Sionet stepped into the cargo bay. It was quiet, till she heard a female voice yelling. A male voice responded, and Sionet figured that Shinobu and Carth were at it again.
"Don't mind the background noise. Three recently married, kinda makes it loud." In seeing the knowing look on their faces, she knew that her guess towards Zoë and Wash was right. "Galvin, you can show whoever wants to go to the kitchen. Kaylee, you can follow me to the engine room."
The group spilt, Zoë and Wash getting food, Kaylee and Mal going to the engine room. On the way, Mal looked over at Sionet. "Haven't seen a Firefly-class this heavily modified before, looks like she'd hold up well, though"
Sionet frowned slightly. She'd never heard her ship refered to as a 'Firefly-class'. "I bought her from a man who was… nuts." Sionet tossed Mal a small grin. Coming to the engine room Kaylee stopped in the middle of the hall, almost being run over by the other two.
"Kaylee, what in the specter hell do you think you're doing?" Mal was a little worried by the look of wonder on her face. He might have a hard time getting her back to Serenity.
Kaylee breathed in wonder at the sight before her. "Cap'n, I've never even seen one of these before."
Sionet muscled her way to the front of the group. There, next to the hyperdrive, was a very smug looking Atton.
"Well, thanks for saying, but I'm―"
Before he was able to finish, Kaylee ran into the engine room, past Atton without looking at him, to brush her fingers reverently over the top of the hyperdrive.
Sionet bit her lip, but it wasn't enough. She laughed so hard at the look on Atton's face that she bent over to try and get air. "That's… a… hyper…drive." Atton glared at Sionet, feeling more confused than embarrassed at Kaylee's behavior. Finally gaining enough air to stand up, she walked over to Kaylee. "She's what needs to be fixed. Can you?"
Kaylee looked up at the woman. "I… don't know. Nuthn' on Serenity looks like it would work. You can always come with us, we're headed out to Beaumonde, there would be plenty of vendors there that know what you're lookin' for"
"One problem, boss. We can't fly there, too little fuel if we use the engines." Atton was glancing between Sionet, the woman who was more interested in the engine than him, which hurt a little, and the man on the other side of the doorway. Tortured past is written all over this guy.
Sionet glared at Atton, who walked out before she could yell at him. Sighing, she knew that he was right. There was no way she could get to this 'Beaumonde' without a working hyperdrive. Hearing Kaylee say something, Sionet pulled herself out of her thoughts and focused on the two people left.
"No, and that's final."
"Come on, Cap'n, they need us! We can't leave them stranded here!" Kaylee was pulling out her best begging face, one that she reserved for getting needed parts for Serenity.
Sionet laid a hand on Kaylee's shoulder, causing her to look up at the woman. "I can pay you for passage, food, and fuel to bring us back."
"Define 'us'."
All three of them looked over to see Isled waiting for an answer. She was looking stern, but the curiosity in her eyes dampened the effect.
"Ah, that would be most of us. I'm going, Carth, Atton, Jolee, Saluira, and since I know there is now way of separating any of you, Shinobu, you and Galvin will also be coming. Can always use the extra eyes when looking for a bargain."
Isled eyed the three of them before nodding. "Alright, then. When do we leave?"
I want to make this clear. I pulled a 'I reject Bioware's reality and subsituted my own' with the Revan character. Shinobu never was and never will be Revan. They look a lot alike, but aren't the same person. The Council forced Shinobu to carry Revan's memories in hopes that she would save the galaxy. She did, and Revan (who lived from the fight with Bastila) went off to fight the true Sith. Confusing, I know, but I didn't like the idea that Shinobu was Revan. Nothing like having 20 hours of character building go to waste I'm working on a short-ish one-shot piece that will help explain the whole 'Shinobu is Revan but isn't' thing. Needless to say, its taking longer than I thought it would, but it's getting there.