Log Date:
	4/5/97

Log Cast:
	Skeezix, Shenner, Tand, Gabrielle

Log Intro:
	Trying to get over her distress over the way things have been
going between her and Paul Nighman, Shenner has flung herself through an
all-day guitar marathon and an all-night drinking binge... only to be
startled anew the next day when Paul returns to the NR base and offers
her an ocarina as a present. Confused by his presence, Shenner has
striven to hold on to her resolve to flee him -- and the turmoil he's
caused her -- by joining up with the NR Army, but she doesn't know
that Paul has run into General Calhoun and already mentioned the
matter to him... and that the very worried Paul has implied that her
decision to do this might not be entirely rational. Or, for that matter,
what Calhoun himself thinks about it....

----------
Skeezix arrives from the corridor.
Skeezix has arrived.
Skeezix walks briskly into the barracks, and begins to scan the cots as he 
  walks down the aisle nearest the east wall.

Parked on the floor and sitting cross-legged before her bunk as though she 
  must have grown roots there -- since this is where the kid seems to spend a 
  lot of her time -- Shenner can be seen holding a datapad in her lap, while 
  with one of her bandaged hands she absently fiddles with the ocarina pendant 
  dangling about her neck. As the door slides open, the girl looks up, casting 
  a veiled green glance in that direction.

"So," he asks as his footsteps grow louder, decreasing in tempo. "How'd you 
  hurt your hands, kid?"

Shenner, noting that the arrival is General Calhoun, eyes him a moment; she 
  first might, just might, be seen to be vaguely relieved, but then the man 
  speaks, and her look goes veiled again. "Played the guitar a little too 
  long," she says, striving for a light air.

Skeezix replies curtly, "Well, at least you'll grow some callouses." He sits 
  down on Shenners bunk and says, matter-of-factly, "I talked to Paul."

The girl momentarily stills at that. Then her gaze drops back down to the 
  datapad, even as she replies, equally curtly, "Yeah?"

Skeezix nods and repeats, "Yeah. You want to join the Army?" He asks this 
  almost as if a hint of disbelieve hides deep inside his soul.

"Yeah, as a matter o' fact..." The kid looks up, features arranged in a calm 
  expression. "Thought about whatcha said, and, well, figured it's about time 
  I got myself a real job and stopped moochin' off the food and water and 
  sleepin' space around here. Been readin' your enlistment holos. What do I 
  gotta sign to join up?"

Skeezix watches Shenner for a moment as she speaks. "Are you sure about this, 
  kid? I don't want to see you join, then back out cuz you made a mistake."

Shenner replies shortly, "I'm sure, yeah." Her expression remains neutral, 
  cool.

Skeezix hmmms quietly and asks, "Well, what would you want to do? I don't want 
  to sign you up as a marine trooper or some armor gunner... I don't want to 
  see you get yourself killed, Shenner."

"I can shoot," the girl counters. "Ain't had much reason for it lately, but I 
  can shoot. I can run. I can get in and outta places fast. I figure that 
  oughtta be good for some kinda soldier."

Skeezix shakes his head slightly and comments, "I'd much rather see you 
  startin' a band or something, kiddo."

Shen's casual mask crumples, ever so slightly, with no more than a slight, 
  brief uncomfortableness in her gaze. Her voice remains steady, though, as 
  she shrugs and says, "It'd be real damned dumb of me to assume everybody'll 
  fall all over themselves to hear me make music. Better have somethin' to do 
  in the meantime."

Skeezix nods, "Yeah, okay, fine. How long have you worked the streets?"

"For music," replies Shenner tersely, "a few weeks on Etti IV."

Tand arrives from the corridor.
Tand has arrived.

Skeezix hmmms quietly and nods as he eyes Shenner from the cot he sits upon. 
  "Well, talk to Jess... I'll probably want you in her Support Corps, or 
  -maybe- the tactical team."

Tand wanders into the barracks and immediately hops onto his cot. Lazily, like 
  a fat cat he sprawls out to relax.

Shenner glances over as Tand enters the room, without turning her head. Most 
  of her attention remains on Calhoun, though, as she tells the General, "I 
  ain't scared o' bein' a fighter, General. And I _can_ shoot. You got some 
  kinda way to test that, I'll prove it."

Tand glances back and forth between the two with a minor degree of interest, 
  however soon enough he lets his eyes drift shut to rest.

Skeezix growls, "I ain't putting you in danger, Shenner. You can join.." he 
  calms down, "But I'm not putting you at high risk."

The girl starts to scowl, getting to her feet, tossing the datapad onto her 
  bunk. "You're gonna tell me that even before I get trained? Prove myself? 
  What's the problem?" she demands, eyes narrowing. "You can just tell by 
  lookin' at me that I ain't good enough to be a soldier or somethin'?"

A quiet smirk comes from Tand as he murmurs to Skeezix, "Anyone who lived on 
  the streets of Tatooine is tough enough to shoot a stinky Stormtrooper."

"Because I -care- about ya, kid!" the General shouts. He chews on his lip to 
  relieve his anger and adds in a lower tone, "The last thing I want to do is 
  order you to die. But it's your choice, kiddo."

Shenner blinks. Then her mouth drops open at Skeezix's shout, and she blinks 
  again, clearly taken aback. Clearly floored.

As Skeezix visibly calms down, he asks, "Now, kid, you still want to join?"

The redheaded girl fumbles at the ocarina hanging at her neck -- an awkward 
  motion, with the gauze still wrapped about her palms and fingers. Her gaze 
  lowers, not quite to the floor. "I... I gotta do... _somethin'_, General." 
  Much lower now, her voice just might be heard to hold a hint of desperation.

Skeezix folds his legs up onto the cot and turns to face Shenner, sitting 
  indian style and leaning his elbows onto his knees. "Why are you choosing my 
  army?" he asks quietly as he rests his chin in his hands.

"Ain't no other armies around here, are there?" The question holds no sarcasm; 
  if anything, Shenner's voice is too small to contain it.

Skeezix nods slowly and asks, "But why the army? Why not the navy, or the 
  merchant corps.."

Shenner shrugs, tinily, now eyeing the floor in earnest. "Don't know nobody in 
  the navy or the corps." Something in her tone might imply an undercurrent of 
  '... who're willing to ask a street rat to sign on with them.'

A smile finally sneaks onto the general's face. "Well, you got me there, 
  Shenner." He sighs and adds, "Well, when do you want to enlist?"

Shenner looks up, slightly. "What do I gotta do?"

"Well, just come back to Kashyyyk with me and Skywalker," he replies. "We'll 
  work things out when we get there."

Shenner's head lifts further, allowing her now confused expression to come 
  into view. "Kashyyyk.... how come?"

Skeezix replies, "Well, thats where the garrison's at."

Shenner sits down slowly on her bunk, looking vaguely daunted, but trying to 
  steady herself. "That's where, uh, Wookiee'sre from, right?"

Skeezix leans up again, and nods. "Yeah.. the entire planet is one giant 
  forest. The garrison itself is being hollowed out of a large Worn'shyr tree."

Shenner nods, consideringly, one hand still fidgeting with the ocarina. "Don't 
  know how to speak Wookiee," she mutters.

Tand has drifted off to sleep.

Skeezix shakes his head, "You don't need to know their language to be in the 
  Army, kiddo... besides, I understand every word of it. Just stick with me, 
  you'll be fine."

A trifle shakily, Shenner nods, then blurts, "So, well. Should I do anythin', 
  before we go, or somethin'?" She looks off across the room. "I better tell 
  Jessalyn..."

Skeezix nods slightly, "Kid... tell whoever you can. We might be leaving 
  tonight."

At that, the girl soundlessly ohs, then stands, suddenly, looking faintly 
  startled and nervous. But she nods firmly. "I'll tell Jessalyn...." This, 
  repeated, low and distracted of tone.

Skeezix gives Shenner a somewhat concerned look and queries, "You want me to 
  go with you?"

"I guess... you wanna stick me under her command, guess we oughtta talk to her 
  about that anyhow." That this directly contradicts Shenner's earlier 
  intentions either goes unnoticed by the kid, or unremarked.

Skeezix nods slightly as he stands. "It's either that," he comments, "Or you'd 
  be my Aide de Camp."

"What's that?"

Skeezix replies, "Basically, the commander's aide."

Shenner's brow crinkles and she looks up at the General again, baffled. "You 
  ain't got one o' those?"

Skeezix shakes his head, "No, kid... and that's frankly a great idea. I'd love 
  to have you as my aide."

Gabrielle arrives from the corridor.
Gabrielle has arrived.

Skeezix currently stands just behind Shenner.

Shenner, fidgeting with the ocarina at her neck, with one still-bandaged hand, 
  apparently has just been startled by something Calhoun has told her. Now, 
  she says blankly, "But..."

Skeezix asks, "But what, kid?" He glances over towards Gabby, giving her a 
  slight smile before looking back to Shenner.

Gabrielle enters the barracks, boots in hand, bare feet visible from beneath 
  the rolled up pant legs. Her hair is wet, braid appearing dark from it's 
  damp state. Her clothes are sligtly moist, though dry for the most part. She 
  looks around a bit suprised at the number of people in the room as she 
  quietly makes her way to her bunk.

"But... hells, General," Shenner blurts, "I don't know nothin' 'bout bein' no 
  aide...."

Tand is sound asleep on his cot, oblivious to those around him.

Skeezix smirks, "The hell ya don't, Shenner. Seems to me you've done a great 
  job of it all your life." He gives Gabrielle a brief quirk of his eyebrow, 
  his smirk redirecting it's aim into her direction playfully.

Gabrielle reaches her bunk, taking a seat on it and tossing her boots to the 
  foot of the bed. She looks up in time to catch Skeezix's smirk, and she 
  smiles back a bit sheepishly. She pulls her braid to the front proceeding to 
  undo the tie and starts to unbraid her hair.

"If I know anythin' 'bout bein' an aide, you better enlighten me," Shenner 
  tells Skeezix, her brow crinkled. The kid glances at Gabrielle and takes a 
  step sideways, glancing between the two officers as if perhaps expecting 
  that they'll want to talk to one another now.

"Remember the Alderaan?" Skeezix asks the young girl. "Remember how you told 
  me about Quick?" He pauses, waiting intently for an answer.

Shenner's mouth quirks tightly for a moment at the mention of Quick, but she 
  nods readily enough.

Gabrielle looks away from the conversing pair, pulling a brush from her duffle 
  next to the bunk and proceeds to brush out the dampness from her hair, her 
  attention focused on working the tangles from the dampened mass of reddish 
  tresses.

Skeezix nods slowly and adds, "And do you remember what happened? You told us 
  what was going on, and we helped him."

You say, "Well... yeah, I remember that, but anybody woulda done that..."

Skeezix shakes his head, "No, Shen, you had the courage to do that... before 
  Kuxli had to retire, he did the same kind of stuff every day, and he was my 
  aide."

Shenner blinks. "Kux was your... oh." She sounds stunned.

Skeezix nods slowly, "Yeah... you still wanna talk to Jes?"

"Yeah..." The kid glances at Gabrielle and offers, "I'll, uh, go find her?"

Skeezix nods slightly, "Okay." He follows the kids glance, and his face 
  immediately grows a tad bit redder.

Shenner eyes the two adults, smiles weakly, then mutters, "Yeah. Uh. I'll go 
  find her." And with that, the kid slips out.

[End log.]