Mr. Slender
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Poster of the first Non-Admin Character
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Posts: 290
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Post by Mr. Slender on Feb 25, 2015 20:34:01 GMT -5
In the face of different crises arising in and outside of his ship at the moment, Bax just had to let out a short chuckle under his breath as he watched the blip of the other ship get closer to home. After Kara posed her very well deserve question he spun around with a slight smirk, but a dismissive look in his eyes. In a way he was grateful for the near arrival of the togruta's would be murderers. At least they had helped cut through part of the faux pleasantness he'd sensed in her actions since the beginning. With a swift motion he drew his blaster with a single motion and aimed it square between her ample cleavage.
"This is just a very nasty coincidence, but I'm starting to think it's a good thing. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, will you kindly tell me what you did to these men to make them mad enough to leave you to die?" He asked in a cold tone, completely drained of the goofy, jovial voice he'd be using somewhat earlier.
"Ask much as I hate to admit it, I somehow trust an unarmed woman more than at least two armed men. Even if they plan to leave peacefully I doubt they'd give me a good enough bounty on your ass, for my trouble. However, I can make this work for the both of us if you'll do your part. In case you're curious whether or not you can trust me, consider I could've just sealed you inside that pod to starve you,or shot you at anytime since I went off to grab my blaster." Bax continued, gesturing throughout his exposition with his free hand, but keeping the other absolutely still and ready to fire.
"I assume they're gonna be hailing us in the next few seconds, I suggest you make up your mind fast. You decide to cause trouble, and I'll be just as happy to have you off my ship. Compensation be damned."
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Post by Grand Moff Poobah I on Feb 26, 2015 8:20:44 GMT -5
He leveled a blaster directly at her. The situation was now more precarious than it was previously. Not to say worse. A leveled blaster was probably less fatal overall than being trapped in a pod in space, but the immediacy of the death was the catch. That blaster would be much more immediate, which she was keenly aware of as she stared at it. However her eyes flitted up to the very serious look on his face as he asked the questions.
"You need to work on charm," Kara began dryly. "They're smugglers. On retainer for a Hutt. I damaged the pod, was planning to stage an emergency and coax them into evacuating when we hit the system, then make the drop myself."
It was the truth, more or less. She might've done it a little before the system if she'd had the chance. However that fact was something she had every intention of playing down. And their problems of playing up.
"They decided it'd be fitting to dump me in the pod. Why they're having second thoughts now I don't know, but I doubt it's a sudden surge of conscience, and I strongly doubt they'll give you a single thing for me. I, on the other hand, can at least give gratitude. And I'm hardly in a position to cause you much trouble, given which one of us has the weapon."
Hopefully he'd see some reason. If not, the only weapon she had available was a particularly unpleasant piece of dried meat held in her right hand. It would be little more than a distraction if it was needed.
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Mr. Slender
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Poster of the first Non-Admin Character
Posts: 290
Posts: 290
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Post by Mr. Slender on Feb 26, 2015 10:38:49 GMT -5
The junker had been expecting Kara's troubles to have started over something like this, but to actually hear her explain the situation made him let out a short, forceful burst of laughter. Charm be damned, he had to have a good laugh at her expense. Bax also had to admit the smugglers did have a great sense of poetic justice. Even after the outburst ended he maintained an amused grin, and used his free had to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye, before continuing with his proposal. However, he stopped just as he formed his lips to say something, then stopped and holstered his blaster first.
"Alright, you're right. Handing you over wouldn't be too profitable. Against my better judgement I think we can form a temporary partnership, if I can just trust you won't do anything underhanded for less than an hour. Can I?" Bax asked in a stern tone, with an added edge as the console behind him started to chirp with an incoming message.
"Alright, long story short. I'll kill them for you, you get their ship, and I get the cargo. Go seal yourself back in the escape pod and I'll handle the rest. Put some speed on it!" He stated, before turning his body partly around to work the console, while still keep an eye on Kara if she decided to try something stupid. The prospect of getting back in the broken pod couldn't have sounded good, but at the moment it was the only way he could keep her safe, and out of the way, during his plan. After taking the time to clear his throat and put on a decent smile, Bax switched on the holodisplay to answer the hail.
"Hello, gentleman. I believe you're looking for a certain Togruta, am I right?"
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Post by Grand Moff Poobah I on Feb 26, 2015 23:10:54 GMT -5
Sikaara would have protested, but she got no further than an indignant snort before the human was already starting to open a channel. It was all she could do to avoid being caught in the frame. From that standpoint alone she made her way back to the pod, but if he honestly thought she'd seal herself in and trust purely in his charity, he was in for something else. The shapely Togruta woman went no further than sitting in the hatchway, one of her brown leather boots resting on the steps up, and the other draped over her knee.
She took the time to finish eating the meat. She'd be damned if she went back into a pod on an empty stomach.
If she'd had a little more notice she'd have grabbed a repair kit and some blankets as well.
The Togruta woman sighed softly. This was shaping up to be a miserable pain.
-----------------
Meanwhile on the Drunken Mynock
Kandon Barek pulled the cigarillo out from his mouth, and eyed the console readout.
"Hey Torve, check it out. That's a G-9. Old bastard innit?"
Torve Desilik moved over to the side and looked.
"We could take it easy. But my real question is, where's that bitch we left here? That pod wasn't going to make it anywhere."
Kandon shrugged, puffing away at the cigarillo again. "Dunno why you care. Good riddance."
"On the other hand, you've seen her body, that might be useful. I can think of a few Hutts who'd like that on hand."
"More like your hands."
Torve opened a channel. There were a few moments of delay, in which the duo squabbled, before the face of a totally average human man appeared, mentioning the Togruta.
"She still alive?" Kandon asked apathetically. Torve punched him in the shoulder.
"Prepare to dock, we'll take her back. Trust me, friend, we'll be saving you a headache."
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Mr. Slender
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Poster of the first Non-Admin Character
Posts: 290
Posts: 290
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Post by Mr. Slender on Feb 27, 2015 0:01:14 GMT -5
Within seconds of putting on his best reassuring grin, Bax started having trouble maintaining it after catching a glimpse of the guys Kara was running from. Even for smugglers the pair seemed to have been leading a rough life, or had just not put in any extra time into grooming or cleanliness. Not that the junker was that attentive in that regard either. The real difference between them and him seemed to be the vicious vibe that they seemed to radiate. After finally seeing them, in the flesh so to speak, Bax had to admit he probably would've tried the Togruta's plan too if he had the chance.
"She's already given me one. I haven't let her out of the pod yet, and she's been yelling all kinds of stuff to try and "persuade me" to do so. She's all yours, I'll be waiting at the docking umbilical for you two."Bax replied to the pair, putting added emphasis on the part about Kara, before switching off the link with a relieved sigh.
Returning to his standard expression the junker undid his suit's sleeves, slipped them inside, and proceeded to zip it firmly shut. It wouldn't be air tight without the helmet obviously, or that operable without the chest plate currently on it, but it'd get the job done for his purposes. Next Bax reached for the back of his belt, retrieved a small remote from his sleeve, and then stuffed it into his right sleeve. The assuming device was all the weapon he was going to need for this plan to work. That and the cooperation of a certain Togruta.
"You heard me say I have you sealed in that pod, so go ahead and get inside, or not and wind up dead in the next few minutes!" Bax yelled up towards Kara, while gathering up a blanket from a nearby utility closet and an emergency decompression mask. The mask he stuffed down into the baggy neck section of his suit, but the blanket he tossed roughly up to the Togruta. A second toss sent his belt comlink sailing up towards her hands. "Don't want you to get cold, and we'll keep in touch on that thing. Don't call me, i'll call you."
Right after he was finished giving Kara her current order, the sound of something latching on to The Drifter's boarding hatch heralded the arrival of her old friends. "Showtime." Bax whispered under his breath, as he moved over to a wall panel and started the hatchway to open.
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Post by Grand Moff Poobah I on Feb 27, 2015 10:00:20 GMT -5
Kandon looked as apathetic as before, and Torve grinned a little too sinister in fashion to be reassuring. Then the image cut out.
------
Sikaara was finished with the meat by the time the brief exchange had ended, and fortunately her predatory reflexes resulted in a very clean catch of both the items so unceremoniously thrown her way. They were welcome as well, especially now that the plan had clicked into place for her. The spacesuit was on properly now, and Bax wanted her inside the pod. Sealed. That probably meant he was planning on an explosive decompression. Hopefully he had something to hold on to. Or boots that would hold on for him.
Either way, she didn't question it this time. The Togruta hurriedly hoisted herself above the hatch with her arms, pulling her knees to her chest, and then dropped inside in a single fluid motion. The door was closed a few heartbeats later, and the hiss of the seal forming verified it was done.
Perversely somehow the pod was still cold, despite sitting open in the warm bay.
The rust-skinned alien pulled the blanket tight around her, and trusted it would last her however long this took in comfort.
------
The hatch onboard Bax's ship slid open with a long, slow hiss. On the other side was the unpleasant visage of Torve. In person, he was even uglier. His nose must have been broken at least five or six times in his life, he had enormous arms like some kind of beast, and he wore an expression reserved only for people incapable of hiding that their profession was illegal. The blaster carbine in his hands said that much as well. He stepped through the doorway, eyeing the pod.
"Well, well. Just how we left it, innit?" Torve mused, before looking at the junker. "'Spose you're hoping for some kind of reward, but see here, not having her around, well that's reward enough. Easy on the eyes... But nothing else. Well, maybe one other thing."
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Mr. Slender
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Poster of the first Non-Admin Character
Posts: 290
Posts: 290
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Post by Mr. Slender on Feb 27, 2015 21:52:54 GMT -5
Bax had been in the middle of forming a wide smirk as the hatch slowly opened, but his lips quickly returned to a simple line upon seeing one of the pair he'd planned to kill in the flesh. Partly due to surprise for the other not being right behind him, and partly because the one front of him was just so damn hideous. The bastard was a long pair of ears and an extra set of arms away from being a Gundark. In fact, the junker kne he wouldn't have been able to look him straight in the face, if he and Kara's lives didn't probably depend on it.
"*Heh* I hear that. I was tempted to try and get me a piece of that myself, but you guys showed up before I could make up my mind. Had to weigh the cons of forcing myself on a woman with very sharp teeth." Bax explained to the horrid man, while he managed to crack a tiny smile with much effort.
Not having the man's partner there in the cargo bay made this more complicated than he would've liked, but still seemed doable in Bax's mind. Explosive decompression no longer seemed like a viable option, with one smuggler more than likely protected from it via a closed hatchway.
The next plan the junker can up with was much less complicated, but somewhat more troublesome to him.
"Alright, so she's all yours.I'll go ahead and pick up the pod if you want too take the whole thing, via repulsorsled." He continued as he calmly stuck his hand behind his back, as if reaching for a hard to reach pouch, and slid the hidden remote down his sleeve.
With that achieved without being shot, he pushed a series of three buttons in rapid succession for three important results. The first was for turning on the Maglocks on his spacesuit's standard boots, the second was for turning up the power to the tow cable's electromagnet tip to maximum, and the third was to reenergize the magnet currently attached to the pod right then.
Within seconds almost any metal objects not tied or welded down came flying from the surrounding area in an alarming number. It not for his boots, Bax knew he would've been slung up against it already with all the metal in his suit. However, the magnet accomplished its mission perfectly: disarm the ugly psycho.
The moment he saw the carbine get yanked from the man's hands, the Junker hit the off button, and the following shots from his blaster were drowned out by the metallic clanging of hand tools and silverware clattering to the ground.
Bax let out a breath of relief after staring at the smoldering hole that had been the smugglers face, just for the fact he was infinitely easier to look at this way.
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Post by Grand Moff Poobah I on Feb 28, 2015 10:42:37 GMT -5
Bax's primary plan may have failed, but his quick thinking had produced impeccable results. It was executed flawlessly, and Torve was much prettier after the face reduction surgery. However, after the report of the shot the comm link on the corpse to crackle to life. Kandon had heard.
"Torve," Kandon called. "What was that? Did you kill her? I told you this was a stupid waste."
At about the same time, Sikaara decided by virtue of the sudden lurch of the pod and the sound of blasterfire, that pounding on the hatch was wise. However, midway through hammering on it with the heel of her hand, the Togruta realized there was one very convenient thing she could resort to with a nice atmosphere on the other side. The large red Aurebesh letters over the safety panel read "Release of Emergency." While whoever had built the pod failed at simple translation, their ability to make an emergency release was about to be tested.
Sikaara's hands pried off the panel, and the leather glove thankfully provided some insulation from the cold of the handle. And when she pulled, the door blew off with a surprisingly quiet thud. In fact, the clatter of the door hitting the metal deck was considerably louder. A lop-sided frown appeared on the Togruta woman's face, as somehow she'd expected, well, more. As to Bax, he could just deal with it. If he was alive.
Tentatively the woman peered out, her tall montrals emerging first like the periscope of a submarine. They told her that one man was standing and the other lying on the floor. Her eyes gave more information though, Bax had emerged victorious, which she was intensely grateful for. Taking down Torve while armed with a blanket and a comm link would have been problematic at best. Intensely problematic. Her mind was still working out the sequence. Apparently the fact Kandon hadn't been there threw a wrench in things.
However...
Sikaara deftly maneuvered herself out of the pod.
"Do you have a third plan?" She demanded of Bax. "If you don't I do."
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Mr. Slender
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Poster of the first Non-Admin Character
Posts: 290
Posts: 290
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Post by Mr. Slender on Feb 28, 2015 15:07:37 GMT -5
Before Bax even had a chance to take a celebratory breath after successfully ad-libbing after a murder, the squawking of his victim's comlink stirred some panic. The junker had never been a good fighter. In the past he'd always relied on treachery, subterfuge, and pragmatism with a dash of luck to survive his battles, and this instance was no different.
The ugly bastard currently laying dead at his feet would've definitely won in a straight fight, but a brilliant us of ingenuity and surprise had laid him low. In the interest of maintaining the element of surprise, Bax dove for the comlink attached to the smoldering corpse, hoping to reach it before the other smuggler sensed something was wrong.
"Stop your yelling! I just shot that smiling bastard in the face. He was making a stink about not getting paid for his trouble, so I gave him a taste of my blaster. I got the bitch and I'm bringing her back over, we're about to have us a good time." Bax said into the comlink, with his best imitation of the dead guy's distinctly rough voice. He didn't know if this was going to work, and before the other man could reply the loud smash of the pod's hatch against the hull nearly made him yell.
It took ever ounce of Bax's self-control to not voice his reaction to being startled over the still open line, but he still threw a hate filled glare towards Kara as her montrals emerged from the opening.
In that moment shooting her seemed like perfectly reseasonable response to that assault on his ears and nerves. After releasing the comlink's speak button the junker muttered "idiot" under his breath, directed to no one in particular, before scooping up the dead man's blaster carbine. He still didn't trust Kara enough to leave weapons just lying around.
"Yes, I have a plan, and it starts with you walking through that hatch . Preferably with your hands up and a sad, tortured look on your face. I know you can pull that off, and I don't want the other guy to get antsy if he sees you first looking anything but frightened." Bax explained in a commanding tone, while motioning with the carbine's barrel for Kara to move towards the umbilical.
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Post by Grand Moff Poobah I on Feb 28, 2015 21:33:59 GMT -5
Kara threw the hate-filled glare straight back at Bax.
Her hands did go up, but only because the junker had a blaster pointed her direction. Of course that didn't stop her from launching a barrage of scathing criticism, which she hoped would be more effective in the long term.
"Your plan is awful. I'm serious, it's bad, and you should feel bad for it. You sound nothing like Torve, he sounded like a Toydarian who gargled broken glass and whiskey, you sounded like a Gungan choking on its own tongue."
It wasn't the best insult she'd devised but hopefully it was accurate enough to lay the proper foundation for her plan, her much superior plan. It all came down to the lucky fact that Torve was dead. Incredibly lucky fact.
"Kandon's not an idiot, and he's probably going to shoot whatever comes through that door first, which happens to be me. Now that might be very convenient for you, but it's not on my list. But," Kara held up a hand to gesture emphatically, "We're lucky Torve is dead. See, I know these people. Torve didn't have a brain even before you put a blaster bolt in there. Kandon, Kandon's reasonable, he can be persuaded. Let me get on that comm link and have a go. And put that blaster down, you look like you want to be an action hero."
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Mr. Slender
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Poster of the first Non-Admin Character
Posts: 290
Posts: 290
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Post by Mr. Slender on Feb 28, 2015 21:57:37 GMT -5
"I gotta agree with you..." Bax stated, after letting out a cross between a groan and sigh, while being forced to listen to Kara's mouth.
"Torve did sound like a Toydarian who gargled broken glass and whiskey. I'd like it better if you sounded more like a woman fearful for her life, instead of a monkey lizard after a pot of caf." He continued in an obviously annoyed tone. The junker really wasn't a fan of criticism, and the fact he invlovment was squarely on Kara's shoulders made he want to put a blaster bolt through them.
In face of mounting irritation, Bax had to crack a small devious grin after the togruta admitted she'd more than likely be the one shot here. If that happened his problems immediately shrunk to killing the other guy, and finding away to fly his new second ship somewhere to strip it down to the frame.
"Ugh, fine! I don't see you shutting up unless I gave you what you want, so give your 'superior' plan a try. Also, I'll be keeping the blaster where it is, thank you. I'd like to have extra firepower handy when this all goes bad." The junker said,nearly muttering between his teen, before dropping the borrowed comlink into her palm with excess force.
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Post by Grand Moff Poobah I on Feb 28, 2015 23:22:02 GMT -5
Kara had obtained at least a partial victory. He still had three weapons to her zero, still had one trained on her, but at least now she wasn't going to be used as a blaster-sponge. The comm link in her hand was reassuring, reassuring because it was the only bit of actual control she'd had yet. It felt good to finally have options, to be able to influence and direct. Her fortune was going to change. That prompted a thin smile. It was positive enough that she'd overlook his damned monkey-lizard comment, besides she knew the comparison was absurd.
The moneky-lizard had nothing on her.
She flipped on the comm.
"Well hello Kandon, looks like we meet again."
There was a momentary pause before the reply crackled through.
"Where's Torve? Dead?"
"Either that or doing a really great impression of a man with a hole in his forehead," Sikaara replied amiably. Her tone was nothing but friendly, a calculated move.
"Then we're in a standoff," Kandon observed.
The Togruta's lips curled up into a very toothy smile as she heard the reluctance in his voice. He was on the ropes already. Just a few select touches would be needed.
"So it seems. But, there's two of us over here, and just one of you over there. Not good odds Kandon..."
"But I could blow up that bucket of bolts with two good shots," Kandon replied, trying to re-establish the position of strength he was rapidly losing.
"Sure you could, but why bother with the hassle? I've got a little math problem for you. What's a load of spice in profits, divided three ways? Not as good as one that isn't divided at all is it? You're sitting on a nice easy load of credits. Why complicate things?" Kara crooned into the comm link, the very voice of casual reason.
There was silence on the other end as he tried to think it over. Coming from Kara, it wasn't trusted particularly. But there was a solid amount of truth in the words, and that couldn't be denied.
"All right," came the reply after a long silence. "You got lucky today."
The comm link shut off and Kara grinned at Bax.
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Mr. Slender
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Poster of the first Non-Admin Character
Posts: 290
Posts: 290
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Post by Mr. Slender on Mar 1, 2015 0:00:38 GMT -5
After their little exchange, Bax wanted nothing more than to see Kara's plan crash and burn, but unfortunately had to admit it'd probably work shortly after she started working it. Kandon was definitely smarter and more level headed than the ugly guy, so much so it was a mystery why the worked together, and really weighed his options well. Under any other circumstances he sounded like just the customer base Bax liked.
Hearing Kara continue on about the spice and her logical points was honestly chilling in a primal kind of way. Like watching a predator slowly chewing up another animal while you watch intently. Bax had pegged the togruta as such a predator, but more of say a kathhound instead of a krayt dragon. He was lucky to see her work without it being his profit she ruined.
After the conversation ended, the junker turned his face away from Kara's smile to fume at her success, but spun back around with an indignant smirk of his own. "Ugh....I had planned on taking everything valuable down to the last hydrospanner before I gave you the ship, but I guess this comprise will do..." He remarked flippantly, before smirking and shouldering his new blaster carbine.
"I don't supposed after we toss the dead one out the airlock I'll be getting lucky tonight, eh?" Bax added, making his hopes known and bypassing all the pleasantries once again.
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Post by Grand Moff Poobah I on Mar 1, 2015 10:22:24 GMT -5
Stripping the ship might have been Bax's preferred goal, but success against Kandon was more of a long shot. And with her skin on the line, Sikaara had a definite preference for less reward beyond her own safety. Besides, if anyone at the drop had known Torve and Kandon she'd have had some rough explaining to do. This was safer. Considerably. However, the question that the man asked flippantly prompted a mental shift. The Togruta woman hadn't evaluated him up until this point as any kind of object of personal interest. The only sexual thought she'd had was curiosity over the best way to manipulate his desires.
The Togruta's green eyes flitted up and down, analyzing the man. Average of height and build, not extraordinary, indeed able to blend into a crowd reasonably well without being particularly remembered. The short growth of hair on his face was rugged though, and the eyes... Hazel, very expressive... Kara's expression was neutral, but it was quite clear she was mentally weighing the options from a personal standpoint. She'd already weighed the options from a more mercenary standpoint before, and that answer had been inconclusive. This time...
"Probably," She said, a slight curious look etched on her exotic features.
The sound of the other ship detaching echoed, and it moved away. The ploy had worked very successfully.
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Mr. Slender
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Poster of the first Non-Admin Character
Posts: 290
Posts: 290
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Post by Mr. Slender on Mar 1, 2015 17:50:56 GMT -5
Not truly expecting Kara to waste any time shooting down his comically blunt question about boning her, Bax took a step or two towards Torve's body, before stopping in his tracks after noticing she was giving him a good look over. He didn't bother asking the togruta what criteria she was looking for in a partner, but instead just raised a curious eyebrow and awaited for her answer.
Her anticlimactic single word response brought a wide grin to the Junker's face, as well as a short round of chuckling, before he spoke up himself. "I like that answer!" Bax replied, while strolling over to the corpse with a new spring in his step. As he rummaged through Torve's pockets, he jokingly contemplated taking up Sabacc if his luck was going to stay this well from now on.
With the search done, and a few more credits to add to his pocket, the junker dragged the dead man by his arms into the closed umbilical airlock.
With Torve in place he moved to the hatch's control panel to seal it and prepare to space the trash, but suddenly stopped his hand an inch above the exterior door release. Turning around, Bax threw a sly smirk in Kara's direction.
"Wanna do the honors?"
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