Log Date:
2/28/97
Log Cast:
Quick, Shenner, Leia, Skeezix, Jessalyn, Luke, Jeralic, Avalyne,
Yenz, KuhnDog, Winter
Log Intro:
After a precipitous encounter with Luke Skywalker on Etti IV,
Shenner has become the guest of the NRV _Alderaan_ -- and, following the
dictates of her conscience, has revealed to them that she and her boss
were looking for Han Solo, in the hopes that the NR personnel would help
her contact Grathix. This has indeed happened, but in the meantime,
Shenner has been alarmed to discover that Alora Antieres, the woman who
had sought to convince her to leave Etti IV with her, is a Jedi herself...
but one who has succumbed to the Dark Side of the Force. This has added
another urgency to Shenner's fretful killing of time, while waiting for
the _Alderaan_'s commanders to decide whether Grathix can be allowed to
land on the ship....
----------
Quick enters from the Aft Main Corridor.
Quick has arrived.
Quick walks in with a glum look on his face, and a drag in his step.
The crews' quarters' only other visible occupant at the moment is the gawky
young musician, Shenner; the kid's got 'his' guitar out and a little
datapad, and 'he' looks up at the sound of someone entering.
Quick nods to the 'boy' "why do you hide among the false hood?"
Shenner blinks. "'Scuse me?"
Quick chuckles as if he made a joke, "I can see who you really are, do you
think you fool anybody?"
Leia enters from the Aft Main Corridor.
Leia has arrived.
The redheaded kid's eyes narrow, and Shen's skinny hands still on the strings
of the guitar. "You're sniffin' vapor fumes, pal, I dunno what you're
talkin' about."
Leia slips into the area, moving with a slient grace. Her warm brown eyes scan
the room quietly, settling on the young redhead.
Leia looks at you for a moment.
Quick smiles, "I think you do." upon seeing the woman who slipped into the
room, his eyes go round and he mouths an ohh, and he drops to one knee,
"Princess."
Shenner blinks, at Quick's sudden distraction. The youngster's face shifts
from neutrally wary to blatantly nervous, as 'he' climbs to awkward feet.
Quick stays on the floor with his eyes downcast
Leia turns her gaze to Quick and inclines her head to him, then she shifts her
attention back towards the young boy and offers him a smile, asking in a
quiet voice that seems to already know the answer, "You're the young man
Luke brought here from Etti IV, aren't you?
Quick stands and remains with his head down and the look of shock, and shame
in his eyes.
Shenner looks at the kneeling man, then at the woman; clearly debating whether
'he' ought to fall to his scruffily clad knees as well, Shenner offers
tinily, "Uhm... I'm, uh, the one he brought up here, yes ma'am..."
Quick looks at you for a moment.
Leia's warm smile and friendly gaze remain on the youngster as she speaks, "On
behalf of myself and the New Republic, I want to thank you for aiding my
brother while back on the planet."
Shenner starts turning scarlet, which clashes with the kid's rusty dark red
hair. "I-I didn't do anything much, ma'am..."
Skeezix stirs quietly in a cot near the corner of the room, still asleep.
Skeezix looks at you for a moment.
Quick puts away his sketch pad after finishing sketching the princess, and
pushes the pencil behind his ear. He returns to his head down position.
Shenner's green gaze plummets to the neck of the guitar now clutched in skinny
young hands. "I-I was tryin' to explain to him last night, ma'am, wasn't
anything _brave_ about it, I-I just didn't want the Espos to get him and he
said 'Han' anyway, so, ummm...." Still blushing crimson, the kid trails off.
Skeezix murmers something under his breath and turns to the side, his closed
eyes turning into thin slits in the glare of the 'midday' lighting.
Leia smiles in watching the youth, her warm brown eyes trying to comfort the
young boy. She speaks in floating tones which hold the same warmth and
comforting nature, "Bravery comes in many forms.. you had the oppertunity to
leave and chose not to, and your warnings saved my brother from another
attack by that creature."
"If, um, if you say so, ma'am," the kid mumbles, clearly not buying a word of
it.
Quick keeps his eyes focused on his shoes mumbling something about his being
in the presence of his Princess, he fidgets uncontrollably.
Leia glances between the youth and Quick slightly, "I do hope my presence
didn't interrupt, as that was not my intention."
Skeezix sits up from his cot and glances over to the people in the room. He
rubs his eyes and stretches his back slowly.
Shenner, still standing awkwardly before the Princess, blurts out hastily,
"N-no ma'am, I was just practicin'..."
Jessalyn is sleeping in the bunk nearest to the door, face pale and eyes
closed tightly with troubled dreams.
Leia glances to the guitar and offers a smile, "Oh, you're a musician?"
Shenner bobs that close-cropped head, mutely.
Jessalyn continues to sleep fitfully, the blankets crumpled around her, and
she murmurs wordlessly to herself.
Skeezix releases a low pitched moan of objection to his persistent body and
stands up, forcing himself to awaken. "What... time is it?" he murmers to no
one in particular.
Shenner, as others rouse, looks about in notable alarm.
Leia turns a sidewards glance to the near Jessalyn, frowning in concern at the
woman's fitful rest.
Shenner nibbles 'his' lower lip, and says meekly, "She, uh, was real stressed
out last night, ma'am..." The kid's green gaze flicks around Leia, to
Jessalyn, almost grateful for the distraction.
Skeezix hrmphs quietly, and glances over to the 'sleeping' center of
attention. He leans to the right in more of an attempt to pick out who lies
beneath the blankets.
Jessalyn's bright red hair is tossled over the pillow as her head moves back
and forth, and her fingers clench around the blankets as she gives a quiet
moan, her brows furrowing even in her sleep.
Skeezix perks an eyebrow, snapping to his typical, over-alert state-of-mind.
"Jess?" he murmers.
Leia steps over a bit closer to Jessalyn's sleeping form, kneeling just a rest
a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her quiet voice whispers, "Jessalyn, it's all
right.." in an attempt to comfort her without abruptly waking her.
Jessalyn's lashes suddenly blink, and she stares wide-eyed and wakeful up at
the princess. She gasps with surprise and swallows hard. "Your Highness?"
she whispers with no voice at all.
Shenner, still clutching at that guitar neck, flicks an uncertain glance off
at the door, as if pondering fleeing. The kid just sinks unsteadily down
onto the bunk behind 'him', though.
Leia takes a step back to give Jessalyn room as she wakes, looking to her with
a concerned, yet comforting gaze. "You were dreaming.. "
Quick remains with his eyes downcast and standing rock still.
Jessalyn slowly sits up in the bunk, her wild hair disheveled, and she stares
at Leia for a long moment, a faint smile on her lips. "Yes..." she says,
inadequately. "It was the same dream as before.."
Quick bows his way out unnoticed and he quickly leaves.
Quick enters the Aft Main Corridor.
Quick has left.
Skeezix finally moves after watching Jessalyn awaken, leaning down to pick up
his combat boots and covering his black-covered feet. He pulls the straps
tight and looks around to the other side of his cot for a folded protective
vest. Upon discovering it, he unfolds it and slips it over his upper body
quietly.
Shenner hugs the guitar to 'him', unobtrusively, eyeing the two women. The kid
then eyes the door, clearly considering creeping out after the departed
Quick.
Leia places her hand again on Jessalyn's shoulder and squeezes it gently,
talking in a quiet voice, "Did you ever speak to Luke about your dream?"
Jessalyn clenches her jaw at the princess' question, and nods slowly. "Yes, I
did." Her eyes quickly dart away, hiding her expression.
Leia watches Jessalyn quietly and speaks to her in low tones, almost in a
whisper.
Jessalyn moves her eyes back to regard Leia, frowning slightly as she replies
to her in a hushed voice.
Shenner rises slowly, laying the guitar down on the bunk, and without a word
creeps out of the room.
You step out into the Aft Main Corridor.
Aft Corridor -- NRV Alderaan
You are in the Aft Main Corridor of Deck 2. This deck is the ship's
heart. You can find Engineering on this deck. The crew's and XO's quarters are
also located on this deck.
Contents:
Quick
Luke
Obvious exits:
Starboard leads to X.O. Quarters / Office -- NRV Alderaan.
Port
leads to Crew Quarters -- NRV Alderaan.
Down leads to Security Section -- NRV Alderaan.
Aft leads to Aft Corridor -- NRV Alderaan.
Shenner finally says, roughly, "Is there.... any way to tell if... she got
anything out of me?"
Avalyne enters from the Medsuite.
Avalyne has arrived.
Avalyne heads toward the aft part of the ship.
Avalyne has left.
The Jedi's brows crinkle and he pauses again, pulling you off to the side, an
audible inhalation of breath, "Hmm.. that's difficult. If not nearly
impossible."
Luke speaks softly to the youth, "Well, there may be traces of Alora's Force
imprint, but it could also be muddled with your own." he muses offhand, "I
don't think I'm strong enough to sense something that minute and secondary.
It's difficult. Look, just don't worry about it ok?"
Shenner's mouth compresses into a tautly worried little line as the youngster
absorbs this; finally, heavily, Shen nods, eyes large and liquid and dark.
"O-okay," comes the answer. "I better tell Grath... just in case."
Shenner looks up once more and adds plaintively, "D'you think you guys'll let
him land?"
Luke leans his head to the side, "Doubtful." he folds his arms, "Who is your
boss anyway.. what does he do?"
The kid leans against a wall, fidgety, but at least facing you, now; Shenner
is apparently winning whatever struggle is going on to keep hold of 'his'
composure. But at this query, the redhead looks unsettled again. "I don't
know nothin' except what he told me..."
Luke leans in, "What -did- he tell you?"
Yenz has connected.
Shenner makes an expression somewhere between smile and smirk, answering Luke
lowly, "He's got cards, see... they say he's a vice president of somethin'
called MandalMotors. Didn't pay me to ask anything else about it..."
Luke is standing along the side of the corridor, speaking with a red-haired
kid.
Yenz stands as shipboard security beside the security section.
Luke firms up his folded arms, frowning slightly, "Well what did he hire you
to do? You were fairly evasive about that yesterday.. find my friend?" he
asks.
Yenz heads toward the aft part of the ship.
Yenz has left.
Shenner releases a shaky sigh, stares down at 'his' boots again, then back up.
"Yeah, but... I didn't know that at the time. He, uh, told me he wanted me
to 'frob a shot' at that Drake woman. The Prex."
Avalyne comes in along the corridor.
Avalyne has arrived.
Luke shakes his head, "That's odd." his gaze focusing intently on you..
somewhat scornfully, "..and you were going to do that? ..attack her I mean?"
Avalyne looks startled by the occupants of the corridor. Her grey eyes are
large with concern, and she looks flushed.
Avalyne mumbles softly, "Ex...excuse me." and sidesteps into the medsuite.
Avalyne looks at you for a moment.
Avalyne goes into the MedSuite.
Avalyne has left.
Luke takes a step to the side, out of the path of the woman.
Shenner mutters, "Rotten way to tell a story, bard...." The kid looks up,
actually meeting blue eyes with green, but blinking briefly at the woman who
ducks past. "Um..."
"..you were going to kill her.." Luke mutters.
Skeezix comes in along the corridor.
Skeezix has arrived.
Skeezix appears in the aft area of this corridor, walking foreward towards the
bridge turbolift briskly.
Jessalyn comes in along the corridor.
Jessalyn has arrived.
Luke is on the side of the hall, frowning perilously at Shenner.
Skeezix can't help but snap a sidelong glance at the troubled Jedi, a vagrant
memory flashing through his mind... one long ago on a distant mountain
planet. He shakes his head a few times to relieve himself of the memory and
continues along his walk, tapping a button at the bridge turbolift hastily.
Jessalyn moves down the corridor slowly, looking as if she's just woken up,
and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her hair is tossled wildly about her
face and her features are pale. She stops down the hall and peers at the
others, expressionless.
Clearly oblivious, now, to any other traffic in the corridor, the kid
bristles, meeting the Jedi's frown with an indignant, horrified one of 'his'
own. "_No_!" _That_ comes out of Shenner more forcefully than anything the
kid's had yet to say.
Skeezix turns around after the small call button lights up and looks aftward
to Shennar, perking an eyebrow. . o o O (There's something going on here..)
"So your boss tells you to 'frob' a shot, or whatever that means at Simone,
and you don't think it means attack her? What do you think he wanted you to
do?" Luke replies.
Jessalyn acquires a deep frown on her face. She watches Luke for a long
moment, then promplty and less than subtly turns right around and walks back
up the corridor the way she came.
Shenner's thin face tightens. "Before you start in on me, can I finish my
story first?" 'he' asks, tone brittle. Something about the youngster's face
and stance closes off again, as if 'he' had just been struck.
Luke blinks slowly, offering a smile, "I'm just confused about what you were
aiming to do. It's ok.. tell me the rest, I won't interrupt."
Yenz comes in along the corridor.
Yenz has arrived.
Yenz enters the Security Station.
Yenz has left.
Skeezix hrmphs quietly and turns away as the bridge doors whoosh open. He
steps inside and motions to a few NCO's as if they may want to enter. Soon,
the doors close.
Skeezix goes up to the Main Bridge.
Skeezix has left.
Jessalyn heads toward the aft part of the ship.
Jessalyn has left.
Shenner's gaze flicks right, then left, registering other movements along the
corridor; finally, when it clears, the kid looks past Luke towards the
opposite wall. Expression still wary, Shenner grudgingly nods, and then says
gruffly, "It's like this... I'm a... thief, see. I was pickin' pockets when
Grath caught me."
"Mmm hmm.." Luke responds unaffectedly by this statement. His attention all on
Shenner.
KuhnDog comes in along the corridor.
KuhnDog has arrived.
Shenner goes on bluntly, "I musta impressed him, 'cause he offered me 500
credits to prove I could pick _his_ pocket, then when I did, he offered me
1500 more f-for this job." The kid's voice stays pitched low, emotionless.
KuhnDog heads toward the aft part of the ship.
KuhnDog has left.
Leia comes in along the corridor.
Leia has arrived.
Leia steps into the area quietly, her warm brown gaze glancing about as she
does so.
Luke looks somewhat confused, "I don't see what this has to do with Han.." he
murmurs..
Shenner's face crinkles. "You said you wouldn't interrupt," the youngster
points out, tinily.
Luke smiles, flushing almost imperceptibly. He nods, "Sorry.."
Shenner exhales, studies Luke timidly, then goes on, "Well, so, like, I'm a
starvin' street thief, and Grath offers me all this money, see?"
Skeezix comes down from the Main Bridge.
Skeezix has arrived.
Leia makes her way towards the bridge with a quiet stride, walking near the
wall as to not intrude on the conversation her brother is having.
Luke nods along to certain points in the story, "Uh huh." he seems genuinely
interested.
Skeezix steps out of the bridge, an even appearance on his face. He moves with
a sense of business towards theaft corridor.
Skeezix heads toward the aft part of the ship.
Skeezix has left.
Leia goes up to the Main Bridge.
Leia has left.
Jessalyn comes in along the corridor.
Jessalyn has arrived.
Shenner goes on gruffly, "So, I, uh, thought he wanted me to steal somethin'.
It felt weird that he wanted to bring me all the way here, but I didn't
really ask, see? But then we get here, and I find out you guys are here, and
the Imps, and, um, well, why..." The youngster goes on to explain that 'he'
had proceeded to find out exactly who Simone Drake was, as well -- and that
'he' had confronted Grathix about the nature of the job at hand.
Jessalyn walks hurriedly down the corridor towards the bridge, not stopping as
she passes by Luke and Shenner.
Jessalyn goes up to the Main Bridge.
Jessalyn has left.
An attentive look around Luke's eyes is all he responds with. His head moves
marginally for you to go on.
Grathix, it would seem, assured Shenner eventually that the _real_ purpose of
their job was not to go after Drake -- at least not directly. The kid admits
that Grathix had planned to steal the woman, to force her to confess Solo's
whereabouts. And Shenner finishes, ".... and he said after he got Solo that
was gonna be the end of my part in it."
Luke interjects with a question, lingering in his brain, "Is he a bounty
hunter?"
Shenner frowns. "I told you what he told me about who he is," the kid says.
Luke tugs on an earlobe with his gloved hand, "Well, if you like I'll have
people look into his background. Are you afraid of Grathix, or not?"
Shenner opens 'his' mouth as if with a ready reply, but the kid takes a
breath, looks away, and answers uneasily after a pause, "I dunno."
Shenner considers, then smiles weakly. "Said he was gonna gimme a ship...."
"And Alora?" comes Luke's next question, quickly following the last.
Shenner blinks, then looks nervously up at you. "What about her....?"
Luke shakes his head blinking, "Well you seemed worried about her interest in
you.."
Shenner snorts. "Wouldn't _you_ be worried if a Dark Jedi was interested in
you?" Then the kid immediately grimaces. "Huh. That's stupid, of _course_
they'd be interested in you..."
Luke laughs at that, "Well I don't think you have much to worry about. If she
-did- have ulterior motives with you, there's much about that is centered
around your own choices."
Shenner smirks, and shifts uneasily from foot to foot. "Well, I can't exactly
see any other reason besides her knowin' Grath was lookin' for Solo, for
buggin' _me_, yah know? Sure, I'm worried..."
Luke bends a knee, tapping his boot on the floor while looking up, "It's
puzzling that's for sure. I wonder myself why Alora is here. I've a feeling
it's something to do with Han and Sabbath myself."
Skeezix comes in along the corridor.
Skeezix has arrived.
Skeezix walks in from the south corridor, his gait slow as if he just finished
taking care of something.
Shenner rolls a shoulder in a shrug, but asks Luke uncertainly, "Anything else
you wanna, uh, know?"
Jessalyn comes down from the Main Bridge.
Jessalyn has arrived.
Skeezix has just walked in from the aft corridor. He walks slowly towards the
bridge turbolift, his face calm and placid as if he just finished doing some
important work.
Jessalyn leaves the bridge slowly, her eyes wide and her pale cheeks streaked
with tears. She looks across the corridor to the others, her expression
pained as she catches sight of Skeezix.
Skeezix's gaze passes Jessalyn's and instantly his face is thrown into an
eyebrow-tightened frown. "Major?" he asks, his voice lidded with concern.
"Captain..." Jessalyn's voice is soft with compassion and grief. "May I have a
word with you...?"
Skeezix nods slowly and says, "Yeah... whats wrong?" His voice lowers as
Jessalyn approaches.
Avalyne enters from the Medsuite.
Avalyne has arrived.
Luke sighs at Shenner, "Not at the moment no." his expression seems distracted
suddenly.
Jessalyn puts a gentle hand on Skeezix's arm. "Sir... we just received a holo
transmission. From one of our medical cruisers." She swallows hard, unable
to meet his gaze.
Avalyne peeks out the doorway of the medbay and steps out, looking around
gingerly.
Skeezix frowns, and looks over to Jessalyn's hand as it rests on his arm. His
muscles suddenly tighten.
Shenner nods meekly to Luke, murmurs, "Um.... thanks for talkin' to me...."
The kid steps away, eyes the other two officers visible in the hall, then
frowns and creeps silently off down the hall.
Luke looks up at Jessalyn and Skeezix as Jess speaks, his expression hiding
what he has already sensed.
[Shenner hastens off to the crews' quarters, and Avalyne follows her...]
You enter the Crew Quarters.
Crew Quarters -- NRV Alderaan
This is the crew quarters for the RAF Alderaan. A few bunks line the
walls.
Contents:
Lelila's Bunk
Mistral's bunk
Obvious exits:
Starboard leads to Crew Quarters -- NRV Alderaan.
Down leads to MedSuite -- NRV Alderaan.
Up leads to Main Bridge -- NRV Alderaan.
Down leads to Aft Corridor -- NRV Alderaan.
Avalyne enters from the Aft Main Corridor.
Avalyne has arrived.
Avalyne peers in and notes an empty bed. She steps in quietly and
arranges herself on it.
Shenner slips into the room, heading for 'his' bunk, where the big guitar had
been left lying. When the door admits another arrival, though, the kid looks
up and blinks, tensely, before the woman settles in.
Avalyne smiles to Shenner and offers a soft, "hello..."
You say, "Um... hi..."
Avalyne smiles lopsidedly, "Hi." she chuckles a bit, "I am going to take a
wild stab at the pondering that you aren't from here, either."
Shenner grins weakly. "Good stab."
Avalyne lowers her head and fiddles with the sheets on her bed. "You sure do
sing good... " she paused & grins, "What I got to hear at least, before they
came in yesterday."
Shenner sinks onto 'his' own bunk, relaxing slightly. "Thanks... I been
workin' on it, when I can."
Avalyne nods, "They sure are wringing you dry, it seems. Who was the blond guy
that you were talking to in the corridor?"
The kid blinks. "Uh..." Looking more than a little startled at the question,
Shen answers, "Luke Skywalker. Y'know, the, uh, the Jedi?"
Avalyne blinks, "*THAT* is Luke Skywalker?!" she shakes her head. "I always
pictured him...*taller*"
Shenner smiles sheepishly. "He's taller'n' me, lady."
Avalyne sighs, "Skywalkers and Solos and princesses. I can't get used to this
place."
Avalyne grins and lets out a soft laugh, "I s'pose he is. Me too, acctually.
But I still pictured him taller."
Shenner chuckles, roughly. "You an' me both. I can't hardly see for all this
brass around me...." Shenner mock-blinks, rapidly, as if dazzled by flashes
of light.
Avalyne laughs, apparantly relaxing a little. "I know. Where I am from... Wow.
Its nothing like this."
Shenner lifts up the guitar and lies down where it had been resting, then
rests it atop 'himself'. "Yeah?"
Avalyne nods and grins a little. "Yeah. It's a nice place. Trees and
beaches... A great waterfall. And people are really different there. Nice. I
mean... They are nice here, but everything is so..." she pauses & looks for
the word. "Official."
Shenner strums a bit at the guitar, and points out, "Well, uh, we _are_ on a
military boat, right?"
Avalyne nods & grins, "Yeah. We are. The New Republic military is a bit
different then ours, I guess." she stops & thinks for awhile. "Maybe I just
don't see it over there."
Shenner smirks slightly. "Well, it's all over the head of a street rat like
me..." Strum, strum, pluck a chord, strum.
Avalyne grins & laughs, leaning back on her bunk. "You sure as heck ain't
missing much."
Shenner confides, almost amusedly, "Well, I kinda gotta keep an eye on
everything, you know? I keep feelin' like I'm gonna explode or tork somebody
off or somethin'..."
Skeezix enters from the Aft Main Corridor.
Skeezix has arrived.
Jessalyn enters from the Aft Main Corridor.
Jessalyn has arrived.
Avalyne laughs and turns over on the bed, hugging pillow, "I kn..." she stops
short as Skeezix and Jessalyn enter.
Jessalyn leads Skeezix into the room, supporting some of his weight, her face
pale and streaked with tears.
Skeezix walks into the room, his eyes covered with a film of salty water. SOme
of the water has streamed down the left side of his face.
Shenner, on 'his' bunk with 'his' big guitar lying across 'his' skinny form,
blinks and looks up sharply.
Avalyne sits up, surprisedly, "Jess? Sir?" she stands, "You...Okay?" she asks
dumbly.
Jessalyn leads him over to the nearest empty bunk, whispering softly to him,
and giving Avy a sharp silencing glance.
Skeezix looks blankly over at Avalyne, unable to answer her except for a few
blinks of his eyes.
Avalyne sighs & sits back down on the bed. Her eyes pleeding, aching to help.
Skeezix nods to Jessalyn as she helps him onto a low cot and inhales shakily.
"Th.. thanks.. Jess.." he rasps out, the effort to speak squeezing more
tears from his eyes.
Shenner rolls into a sitting position, taking the big guitar, and immediately
heading for the door.
Jessalyn brushes her fingertips gently over his cheeks, her eyes filled with
compassion and tears. "I'll be here," she murmurs, smiling gently.
You step out into the Aft Main Corridor.
Aft Corridor -- NRV Alderaan
Contents:
Luke
Obvious exits:
Starboard leads to X.O. Quarters / Office -- NRV Alderaan.
Port leads to MedSuite -- NRV Alderaan.
Up leads to Main Bridge -- NRV Alderaan.
Down