The Stars turned into starlines and the 'Shooting Star' shot into hyperspace.
"So where is that slug sending up now?" Kryystann said as she propped her feet up on the consul infront of her.
"We first have to pick up the spice from Kessel and from there we are to go on to Ord Mantell. There we drop the cargo and collect the payment." Matara responded leaning back in the pilots chair. "It's supposed to be a quiet run, but with you along I'm sure we'll make a little noise."
Kryystann only smiled back at her, letting her completely blue eyes flash with excitement. "So how long is this supposed to take?"
"It shouldn't take us long to reach Kessel, but Ord Mantell will take a few days to reach." Matara answered as she fingered the scar which ran from her left earlobe to her chin. "Let's try and hurry our visit on Kessel. The prisoners give me the creeps, I hate wearing a breath mask and I don't want you to start another game of Sabacc with the guards. Those blaster burns are hard to get off the paint job." She finished as she shot her friend a look of warning.
Kryys threw her hands up in disgust. "I'm only trying to make your life more interesting. What would you do with out me?" she smiled.
Later on Kryystann left Matara in the cockpit and went back to her small living quarters aboard the Shooting Star to get some rest. After changing her clothes and putting on the old long shirt she wore for sleeping, Kryys sat on her bunk cross-legged and closed her eyes. She thought about the fun she had had
antagonizing those idiots back at Nar Shaada and the subsequent fight with the TIE Fighters. But that had been several hours ago and now she was getting bored again. She hated boredom. Boredom meant nothing was happening. If nothing was happening then there was no thrill. Since she had left Lasthunia at the age of 17 she had lived life on the edge and had nearly died at the age of 18 in a cantina fight, that she had started. To most nearly being killed was a situation they avoided, but for Kryystann it was a situation she sought. But then it wasn't really up to her, it was her Lasthunian physiology and culture that caused her to seek the trouble she never had trouble finding. Lasthunians are perhaps one of the most unique races in the galaxy. The planet Lasthunia is a small planet and there are no male Lasthunians. Only females and a finite number at that. At the age of 17 Lasthunian's go off into the galaxy in search of adventure and whatever wealth they can acquire. If they make it to the age of 40 they return to Lasthunia where they go through the ritual of Noctra in which there bodies literally disappear and they are reborn to start the process again. One would think that given the small and finite number of Lasthunians that they would not actively seek out the danger they do. But that was the paradox of the Lasthunian nature, a species incapable of reproducing that actively sought out dangers that could lead to death. And death for a Lasthunian was final, the ritual of Noctra can only be performed on Lasthunia and only at the age of 40. If
a Lasthunian dies before then, she can not be reborn and the species as a whole is that much closer to extinction.
Kryys knew exactly how long she had and she knew that she could not deny her nature so she simply accepted her destiny. However she was not blind to the realization that human lifespans were hard to determine and even though the smuggling lifestyle did not often lead to retirement, Matara's plan was to live a long as she could. Several times Kryys had tried to convince Matara that should she wish to break their partnership she would understand. But Matara wasn't like most of the humans she had encountered, she was loyal and a true friend. Matara understood Kryystann's nature and still chose to stick with her despite all the trouble she caused. Kryys also knew that despite her comments Matara loved the action nearly as much as she did. Finishing her meditation Kryys stretched out on the cot.
She thought to herself that this boredom could not continue, if tomorrow provided no action....well then, she would just have to take matters into her own hands once they reached Kessel.
With thoughts of havoc and mayhem dancing through her head Kryystann drifted off to sleep.
Kryystann opened her eyes...something was not right. She sat up in bed and looked around the dimly lit cubicle. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As she reached for the light there was movement out of the corner of her eye. Kryystann turned quickly and sprang to her feet, assuming a defensive stance for whatever trouble lay ahead. She saw nothing. With all of her senses on alert she got dressed and strapped on her gunbelt. Still feeling the awareness that she wasn't alone she started toward the door when all the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She slowly turned around and there sitting on her bunk was a....boy. A young boy by the looks of him and he was grinning up at her and taking her in with captivating eyes.
"Hello pretty lady" said the boy.
"Hello yourself" replied Kryystann.
The boy got up and walked over to Kryys and took her hand and pulled her down to eye level with him.
"I need your help pretty lady...will you help me" the boy asked her. There was a pleading in his eyes that caused Kryys's heart to reach out to him. There was something about this boy....
"Of course I'll help you, let's go see my partner and we'll...."
"I'm sorry pretty lady, there's no time." the boy interrupted her. The boy closed his eyes and he and Kryystann were no longer aboard the Shooting Star.
Kryystann awoke with a start and was instantly on her feet. The boy was gone and if it weren't for the fact that she was standing amongst a stand of trees rich with vegetation she may have doubted his existence. However as it stood she knew two things for sure...she didn't know where she was and she wasn't on the Shooting Star. She knew the boy wasn't around, she could feel it. She checked her blaster and headed off walking toward what appeared to be some sort of settlement far off in the distance. After walking for a time she noticed a transport headed in her direction so she stopped, awaited its arrival, and prepared herself for trouble...at least she hoped there would be trouble. The transport was a low to the ground vehicle with twin blaster cannons sitting atop on a swivel giving it 360 degree firing range. Two drivers sat inside the machine while six others rode rode in the open in compartments on the side of the machine, three on each side. Krysstann could see that they were armed and as the vehicle pulled within twenty feet of her the compartments opened and the six troops took flanking positions and raised their guns at her. Krysstann heard a whirring sound and saw the twin cannon turn and train itself on her.
"Hands up" yelled the closest trooper.
Kryystan smiled...at least she wasn't bored anymore.
Kryystann placed her hands on top of her head and dropped to her knees. "Well boys it looks like you've got me...now come and get me" she said a sly smile playing across her lips.
The head trooper nodded to two of the others and they holsterd their weapons and made their way to Kryystann. As they approached Kryystann sized them up, They wore standard gray uniforms with black knee-high boots and black gloves, on their sleeve was an insignia for whatever planetary government they served. As far as weapons went Kryys only saw the Imperial issue blaster's at their side and given the Imperial Troop Transport they rode in they either were in allegiance with the Empire or bold enough to flaunt Imperial contraband in the open. Either way they didn't seem none to friendly. Kryystann looked up at the troopers as they stopped directly in front of her.
"Get up" ordered the trooper on the left.
Instead of complying with his order Kryystann took both off guard by lowering her head to the ground. Exchanging confused glances the guards bent down and each grabbed one of Kryystann's arms. As they started to bring her up Kryystann' right leg shot up behind her back and caught the bent over trooper on the right square on the nose driving it back into the man's cranium, killing him instantly. She took advantage of the other's guard surprise by jumping to her feet and planting a kiss squarely on the man's lips. Her free hand was a blur as it grabbed the man's gun out of its holster and planted it in the man's midsection and fired. The man's dead hand released her arm and Kryys pushed him forward as she dived sideways to the left snapping off four shots at the troopers still covering her from a distance. Two shots found their mark and two more troopers dropped to the ground. Rolling as she hit the ground she drew her own blaster and begin running back the way she had just jumped, keeping low to the ground and firing off quick shots to cover herself. The remaining two troops had recovered from the initial shock of seeing four of their comrades felled in under 5 seconds by this seemingly harmless female and they had started returning fire. Knowing she was running out of options and seeing the cannon atop the transport start turning toward her she stopped her sideways progress and charged the troops and the transport. Again taken by surprise by the blue haired woman's actions the troops readjusted their aim and began firing again. However in the time it took for them to readjust their aim Kryys leapt into the air, and due to the lighter bone structure of Lasthunians was able to leap much higher than most humanoid creatures, and fired both weapons at the red panel located at the back of the transport which housed the charging unit for the cannon. Her first two shots cracked the casing and the following shots caused the reaction she was looking for as the unit exploded and given its proximity to the engine caused a chain reaction that tore the transport apart, killing the 4 remaining troops in the process. Landing on her feet Kryystann viewed the carnage she had caused.
"Eight on one...they did have a fully armed transport though...still I guess I should've let them fire first"
Shrugging her shoulder and giggling a little, Kryystann continued on toward the settlement.
Amidst all the chaos she failed to notice the little spy droid off to the distance that viewed the battle and transmitted its data back to its master.
On his throne Warlord Srak watched the strange girl who had just cost him 8 troops and one very expensive transport. He admired her skill and even more he admired her beauty. Stroking his beard he waved his hand and a Togorian emerged from the shadows and stood in front of Srak.
"Rauggh bring her to me....alive"
Without a word the Togorian turned and exited the room to complete his mission.
"Soon my dear, we will see just how talented you really are." With a slight laugh Warlord Srak turned his attention to other duties.
"So where is that slug sending up now?" Kryystann said as she propped her feet up on the consul infront of her.
"We first have to pick up the spice from Kessel and from there we are to go on to Ord Mantell. There we drop the cargo and collect the payment." Matara responded leaning back in the pilots chair. "It's supposed to be a quiet run, but with you along I'm sure we'll make a little noise."
Kryystann only smiled back at her, letting her completely blue eyes flash with excitement. "So how long is this supposed to take?"
"It shouldn't take us long to reach Kessel, but Ord Mantell will take a few days to reach." Matara answered as she fingered the scar which ran from her left earlobe to her chin. "Let's try and hurry our visit on Kessel. The prisoners give me the creeps, I hate wearing a breath mask and I don't want you to start another game of Sabacc with the guards. Those blaster burns are hard to get off the paint job." She finished as she shot her friend a look of warning.
Kryys threw her hands up in disgust. "I'm only trying to make your life more interesting. What would you do with out me?" she smiled.
Later on Kryystann left Matara in the cockpit and went back to her small living quarters aboard the Shooting Star to get some rest. After changing her clothes and putting on the old long shirt she wore for sleeping, Kryys sat on her bunk cross-legged and closed her eyes. She thought about the fun she had had
antagonizing those idiots back at Nar Shaada and the subsequent fight with the TIE Fighters. But that had been several hours ago and now she was getting bored again. She hated boredom. Boredom meant nothing was happening. If nothing was happening then there was no thrill. Since she had left Lasthunia at the age of 17 she had lived life on the edge and had nearly died at the age of 18 in a cantina fight, that she had started. To most nearly being killed was a situation they avoided, but for Kryystann it was a situation she sought. But then it wasn't really up to her, it was her Lasthunian physiology and culture that caused her to seek the trouble she never had trouble finding. Lasthunians are perhaps one of the most unique races in the galaxy. The planet Lasthunia is a small planet and there are no male Lasthunians. Only females and a finite number at that. At the age of 17 Lasthunian's go off into the galaxy in search of adventure and whatever wealth they can acquire. If they make it to the age of 40 they return to Lasthunia where they go through the ritual of Noctra in which there bodies literally disappear and they are reborn to start the process again. One would think that given the small and finite number of Lasthunians that they would not actively seek out the danger they do. But that was the paradox of the Lasthunian nature, a species incapable of reproducing that actively sought out dangers that could lead to death. And death for a Lasthunian was final, the ritual of Noctra can only be performed on Lasthunia and only at the age of 40. If
a Lasthunian dies before then, she can not be reborn and the species as a whole is that much closer to extinction.
Kryys knew exactly how long she had and she knew that she could not deny her nature so she simply accepted her destiny. However she was not blind to the realization that human lifespans were hard to determine and even though the smuggling lifestyle did not often lead to retirement, Matara's plan was to live a long as she could. Several times Kryys had tried to convince Matara that should she wish to break their partnership she would understand. But Matara wasn't like most of the humans she had encountered, she was loyal and a true friend. Matara understood Kryystann's nature and still chose to stick with her despite all the trouble she caused. Kryys also knew that despite her comments Matara loved the action nearly as much as she did. Finishing her meditation Kryys stretched out on the cot.
She thought to herself that this boredom could not continue, if tomorrow provided no action....well then, she would just have to take matters into her own hands once they reached Kessel.
With thoughts of havoc and mayhem dancing through her head Kryystann drifted off to sleep.
Kryystann opened her eyes...something was not right. She sat up in bed and looked around the dimly lit cubicle. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As she reached for the light there was movement out of the corner of her eye. Kryystann turned quickly and sprang to her feet, assuming a defensive stance for whatever trouble lay ahead. She saw nothing. With all of her senses on alert she got dressed and strapped on her gunbelt. Still feeling the awareness that she wasn't alone she started toward the door when all the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She slowly turned around and there sitting on her bunk was a....boy. A young boy by the looks of him and he was grinning up at her and taking her in with captivating eyes.
"Hello pretty lady" said the boy.
"Hello yourself" replied Kryystann.
The boy got up and walked over to Kryys and took her hand and pulled her down to eye level with him.
"I need your help pretty lady...will you help me" the boy asked her. There was a pleading in his eyes that caused Kryys's heart to reach out to him. There was something about this boy....
"Of course I'll help you, let's go see my partner and we'll...."
"I'm sorry pretty lady, there's no time." the boy interrupted her. The boy closed his eyes and he and Kryystann were no longer aboard the Shooting Star.
Kryystann awoke with a start and was instantly on her feet. The boy was gone and if it weren't for the fact that she was standing amongst a stand of trees rich with vegetation she may have doubted his existence. However as it stood she knew two things for sure...she didn't know where she was and she wasn't on the Shooting Star. She knew the boy wasn't around, she could feel it. She checked her blaster and headed off walking toward what appeared to be some sort of settlement far off in the distance. After walking for a time she noticed a transport headed in her direction so she stopped, awaited its arrival, and prepared herself for trouble...at least she hoped there would be trouble. The transport was a low to the ground vehicle with twin blaster cannons sitting atop on a swivel giving it 360 degree firing range. Two drivers sat inside the machine while six others rode rode in the open in compartments on the side of the machine, three on each side. Krysstann could see that they were armed and as the vehicle pulled within twenty feet of her the compartments opened and the six troops took flanking positions and raised their guns at her. Krysstann heard a whirring sound and saw the twin cannon turn and train itself on her.
"Hands up" yelled the closest trooper.
Kryystan smiled...at least she wasn't bored anymore.
Kryystann placed her hands on top of her head and dropped to her knees. "Well boys it looks like you've got me...now come and get me" she said a sly smile playing across her lips.
The head trooper nodded to two of the others and they holsterd their weapons and made their way to Kryystann. As they approached Kryystann sized them up, They wore standard gray uniforms with black knee-high boots and black gloves, on their sleeve was an insignia for whatever planetary government they served. As far as weapons went Kryys only saw the Imperial issue blaster's at their side and given the Imperial Troop Transport they rode in they either were in allegiance with the Empire or bold enough to flaunt Imperial contraband in the open. Either way they didn't seem none to friendly. Kryystann looked up at the troopers as they stopped directly in front of her.
"Get up" ordered the trooper on the left.
Instead of complying with his order Kryystann took both off guard by lowering her head to the ground. Exchanging confused glances the guards bent down and each grabbed one of Kryystann's arms. As they started to bring her up Kryystann' right leg shot up behind her back and caught the bent over trooper on the right square on the nose driving it back into the man's cranium, killing him instantly. She took advantage of the other's guard surprise by jumping to her feet and planting a kiss squarely on the man's lips. Her free hand was a blur as it grabbed the man's gun out of its holster and planted it in the man's midsection and fired. The man's dead hand released her arm and Kryys pushed him forward as she dived sideways to the left snapping off four shots at the troopers still covering her from a distance. Two shots found their mark and two more troopers dropped to the ground. Rolling as she hit the ground she drew her own blaster and begin running back the way she had just jumped, keeping low to the ground and firing off quick shots to cover herself. The remaining two troops had recovered from the initial shock of seeing four of their comrades felled in under 5 seconds by this seemingly harmless female and they had started returning fire. Knowing she was running out of options and seeing the cannon atop the transport start turning toward her she stopped her sideways progress and charged the troops and the transport. Again taken by surprise by the blue haired woman's actions the troops readjusted their aim and began firing again. However in the time it took for them to readjust their aim Kryys leapt into the air, and due to the lighter bone structure of Lasthunians was able to leap much higher than most humanoid creatures, and fired both weapons at the red panel located at the back of the transport which housed the charging unit for the cannon. Her first two shots cracked the casing and the following shots caused the reaction she was looking for as the unit exploded and given its proximity to the engine caused a chain reaction that tore the transport apart, killing the 4 remaining troops in the process. Landing on her feet Kryystann viewed the carnage she had caused.
"Eight on one...they did have a fully armed transport though...still I guess I should've let them fire first"
Shrugging her shoulder and giggling a little, Kryystann continued on toward the settlement.
Amidst all the chaos she failed to notice the little spy droid off to the distance that viewed the battle and transmitted its data back to its master.
On his throne Warlord Srak watched the strange girl who had just cost him 8 troops and one very expensive transport. He admired her skill and even more he admired her beauty. Stroking his beard he waved his hand and a Togorian emerged from the shadows and stood in front of Srak.
"Rauggh bring her to me....alive"
Without a word the Togorian turned and exited the room to complete his mission.
"Soon my dear, we will see just how talented you really are." With a slight laugh Warlord Srak turned his attention to other duties.