7: Stake Out, Night Out

— David —

"Alllll~right, boyos," Linth slurred and chuckled. "Settle in. We're gonna be here for a while. I've got Sabacc and stories. No rum, though. That's all for me."

David… wasn't sure how to feel about the Weequay spacer. Hell, he wasn't quite sure how to feel about any of the crew's new allies just yet. The Weequay simply occupied a disproportionate percentage of that wariness due to him being rather attention-grabbing. Linth the Spacer was a man who lived large and unapologetic. He wasn't 'in your face' in an obnoxious way, per se… just impossible to avoid or ignore.

Linth had a drunken charisma about him that pulled people in and set them at ease. He was talkative and personable. And even if David knew he should be careful around the guy, he couldn't help but like Linth.

Atom grunted in reply to Linth, "Keep it. Not all of us can operate with a consistently saturated blood-alcohol level."

Linth waved a bow without getting up from where he'd kicked up his feet, "What can I say, it's a gift."

"One that not all of us share," Atom said, shaking his head. "I won't stop you from drinking. Don't think I could. So long as you're ready when shit pops off… well, just don't knock yourself out. The rest of us will have to maintain some semblance of sobriety."

"And for that, you have my condolences, I assure you."

"Hn. Just how it is. Getting comfortable is smart, though. This might take a while."

Atom trailed off with a resigned scowl. He shook it off a moment later, finding a seat to follow his own advice. From there, his scowl turned onto the spot they were watching. David felt him settle into the Force, lying in wait like some kind of predator.

And wasn't that just strange? David was adjusting to the Force. He'd had it his whole life but never a name to pin on the strange feelings, premonitions, and happenings he experienced. Finding out that it was the Force he was feeling shot David's eyes wide open. It felt like he hadn't closed them since. He didn't think he'd want to anyway…

Atom was a pretty decent teacher. He'd explained the basics — the essential detes — to David. The Force was everywhere, in all things. The Force was life and death, change and consistency, Light and Dark, and so many more contradictions. The Force had a will and a way. The Force could be used for many things by those sensitive to it — always respected but harnessed. David soaked up everything Atom taught like a sponge.

It was the kind of knowledge that utterly revolutionized a person's worldview. And as nova as the powers were, the most drastic change to David's life was simply… feeling the Force in earnest now. Letting it in. Reaching out to touch it. Listening to its ebbs and flows. Seeing it at work in every little aspect of the world around him.

… David would never forget the first time he felt the love Mom held for him. Actually felt it. As if he could reach out and touch it if he extended a hand, he was never far from Mom's mind. Warm and comforting like a weighted blanket. Solid. Constant. It'd be there until every star in the galaxy went out.

Feeling that sort of solid, unconditional love made a man better just for having experienced it. Sensing it, confirming it beyond any shred of doubt, settled something David hadn't known was loose in his soul. And Mom's love was only the beginning.

Every new moment of David's life was experienced twofold. Once 'for real', and once in the Force. And more often than not, the Force felt more real than reality. Unconditional love from Mom. Damn-near physical camaraderie from the crew. The way Becca's laugh rang like mad bells and Lucy's smirk mimicked a fox. Atom was constantly brooding, fuming, planning to act, or already acting, which David found both inspiring and hilarious. And then… there was Taati's lust and passion that practically left a mark on David's soul.

Compared to sensing through the Force — looking at the world in a whole new way — the powers Atom was teaching David almost came up short. Almost… Moving things with his mind was still some preem shit. It didn't come easy. But not hard, either. Just took some focus, dedication, and keepin' at it.

Atom started David off with just two Force powers. Telekinesis — which David was pluggin' away at and making decent progress with — and something Atom called 'Force Speed'. The latter was tricky, David found. He hadn't gotten it to work for him yet, not to the supernatural level that Atom claimed it was capable of, at least. It felt like it was just barely out of reach, though. So close that David could taste it, and it tasted like the Sandie…

Most of David's free time this past week had been spent on and with the Force. Because of that, he found himself agreeing with Atom's crusade to the core of his being. The Force itself whispered just how utterly wrong that Kyber-dorph bullshit was. Plus, they finally got to do something about the Hutt gonk they worked for. Atom's plan was all positive, all around.

David had never hated someone or something more than he hated the Hutts. Doubly so, considering Zorba technically owned David's new input. Not for much longer, David promised, Taati would be free. Everything the Hutts touched was corrupted, and they touched everything. The best course of action was to simply burn them out at the root.

Thankfully, they were acting to do just that right now. Technically, they were still in the 'information gathering' stage of Atom's plans. But they were still doing something. That 'something' just happened to be sitting around and waiting for other things to happen.

It was David's first stakeout. And there was some excitement there. Stakeouts were classic edgerunning scenes. But it turned out to be a lot more waiting around than he'd expected. At least the company was good. It was practically a boy's night out! David didn't even mind their new allies joining them all that much.

The guys had drawn the short straws for the stakeout. David had never seen anyone quicker with a 'not it!' than Becca had been. The girls would be busy, too, but once those first few 'not it!'s came through, Maine just claimed the whole stakeout task for the boys.

David, Atom, and Maine, of course. Pilar, David could take or leave. And then, their new allies as well: Shaitan, Coyate the Mando (fraggin' nova…), Shank the Gank, and Linth the Spacer. Ave the Hutt wasn't even worth mentioning. The slug had quickly found reason to beg off doing any work at all. David looked forward to that decision coming back around to bite him in the tail.

"I've staked out worse spots," Maine said. As always, when he spoke, David listened. It was the least he could do for his father — a fact he still had trouble internalizing at times…

"Most certainly," Shaitan gave a short nod. His Basic was as fluent as anyone else's, but he still spoke with a heavy accent that hinted at his mysterious origin. Not even Maine knew where Shaitan came from. "Do you remember the Kenji gig, Maine-san?"

Maine chuckled, "It'll be a cold day when I forget that job, brother. We both stalked that motherfucker for weeks. It was only after running into each other that we made any progress."

"Our venues then were unpleasant."

"We didn't have much to work on or work with. It's no wonder the fixer put two 'runners on that job."

"I recently looked back into Kenji Nostrayo. He was a cousin to Old Man Saburo."

"Heh. Lucky for you to be the one who got to put him in the dirt, then."

"Indeed…"

David listened with half an ear as the two old edgerunners reminisced. The other half of his attention was spent on finding something to occupy himself with. They had a good amount of privacy for the stakeout. Linth's arrangements. The spacer had already proved himself to be valuable, securing them a whole private balcony booth to look out from.

Below, the many duties of a fully functional spaceport played out without pause. A constant stream of sapients came and went. Some were alone, dead set on their paths. Others carried cargo or negotiated dock fees. More still performed errands and maintenance on ships of every size, shape, and shade.

Day or night, trade pulsed like a beating heart here. And according to Linth, it all served Zorba's cartel, "It's the old slug's favorite port. If you work for or with the kajidic, you're likely to see this place's guts once or twice. Even if you don't, the taxes and docking fees paid here go straight into our budgets. Good, honest money, that. It's just a shame that the old slug tends to overreach in everything…"

"What do you mean?" David asked.

Linth grinned a pirate's grin, "Well, he's pissed off some significant people, hasn't he~? He takes too much of a cut for much too long, and suddenly, his best spacer is telling those same significant people all about the inner workings of his favorite spaceport. Isn't that just a shame~?"

Pilar cackled, "Seems like good luck for us!"

"It might just be, at that. You know, I think I'd like a larger cut of all this good, honest money~…" Linth hinted lackadaisically.

"That can be arranged," Atom grunted.

"Cheers, then!" Linth raised his bottle to that. "I'm oh-so-happy to be of service to such significant people. This way, everyone can profit, can't they~?"

"Except Zorba," David noted.

Linth wiggled wrinkled eyebrows at him, "Is that so~? Then, perhaps he should've treated his best spacer better. I do good work for His Slimeliness. What do I get in return? Taxes, docking fees, and shoddy maintenance? Oh, no, no, I think I deserve better."

"Poor treatment seems to be a trend," Shank growled. Quite literally growled. David was pretty sure there was a canine mug under that mask of his. "Zorba stiffs my people, too. But we're just his strong-arm brutes, so he gets away with it. Why should he make sure the Gank Killers under him are happy? Fucking slug doesn't even realize how much good eatin' is stuffed under his slime…"

David stared at Shank with that, almost gaping, "Are you… going to eat-…?"

"Kriff, gonk," Pilar whistled. "… Think you can save a slug skewer for me?"

Shank barked (again, literally) a laugh, "Ha! Good eatin' is for everyone, yes? It is good to meet a human with their mouth on straight."

"Go fuckin' nuts," Atom agreed. "I don't care what happens to Zorba's corpse so long as it is a corpse."

Even with the armored mask in place, David could practically hear the sharp-toothed, snarling smile that came over Shank's face, "I can see this being a mutually beneficial relationship, Alpha. We will make ourselves legends in the packs for the feast we deliver."

"Hn," Atom didn't even glance up from the port below them. "… Don't call me that."

Shank was undeterred, "You proved yourself. Cowed me. Dominated. With magic, maybe. But that still makes you Alpha. Alpha's Alpha, even, since I am Alpha of the packs, and you are the Alpha over me."

"You just said 'Alpha' way too many times for a single sentence," Atom scowled, "Don't bring that bullshit onto me."

"It is the way of the Gank…" Coyate said, the Mandalorian speaking up for the first time with a surprisingly soft voice. "One of the few things about their culture to be respected. The packs are not Mando'ade, but in this, they follow a code. Mando'ade have a saying. Aliit ori'shya tal'din: family is more than blood. The Gank Packs embody that just as the Mando'ade do. There is a certain honor — Ijaa — to be found there."

"… Fine," Atom eventually grumbled. "Just don't call me that in front of Sasha. Or — fuck's sake… — Becca…"

Shank barked again, "Ha! Women are real alphas, no? It is the same in the packs."

"No, I just don't want to give them… ideas…"

Atom returned to his silent vigil after that. David couldn't help but glance at Coyate. The Mandalorian was fascinating. He wanted to hear more about one of the most legendary warrior cultures in the galaxy. Unfortunately, Coyate didn't seem to be the talkative or sharing type.

'Settling in' silence in the balcony booth soon came back. Linth drank lazily with his feet kicked up, and his chair leaned back farther than what should've been reasonably possible. Maine and Shaitan talked old shop in one corner. Coyate and Shank both saw to routine maintenance of their plentiful arsenals, sharpening blades that likely didn't need sharpening as Shank tried to make it a competition. David, knowing he couldn't be as singlemindedly focused as Atom, went back to finding something to occupy himself with.

Eventually, he settled (perhaps predictably) on moving shit with his mind. His blaster pistol floated in front of his face. David dismantled it as Maine had shown him to, only with Atom's teachings acting in place of his hands. Pure concentration and willpower floated components around the blaster's frame. David lost himself in the process and sensations as he put it back together.

Sudden clapping — muffled by a bottle in one hand — and an audible grin startled David out of his trance, "Bravo, bravo, little Jedi boy! That's certainly not something you see every day!"

David looked around and found everyone except Atom looking back at him. Shaitan had his chrome head cocked to one side slightly. Maine had an amused smirk on his lips, and Pilar had seen it before. Shank was staring intently and intensely. Coyate had — strangely — gone utterly stiff at the sight.

David glanced away, watching his blaster as if floated back down into his hand, "… I'm not a Jedi… Same for Atom. Neither of us are Jedi. We're just-…"

"Doing magic~? Like Jedi do~?" Linth cut him off, chuckling. "Oh, but I get it. 'Jedi' is just a word. A title. I've seen plenty of magic during my time as a spacer without a single Jedi in sight. My, my, the stories I could tell~…"

"So tell them," Atom abruptly grunted. "Not like we've got anything better to do. Tell spacer stories to your heart's fuckin' content."

Linth's grin widened, "Why, my friend, I will gladly take you up on that offer! Gather 'round, gather 'round! Ol' Linth has seen many a thing during his years across the galaxy. War, crime, and, yes, even magic. I've been past Coruscant into the Deep Core. I've skirted the Unknown Regions. I've made the Kessel Run more times than I can count! The things I've seen would chill you to your bones like space itself. Listen close, and I might just share a few of my stranger tales…"

David couldn't help but laugh at the old spacer's theatrics. Yet he was honestly intrigued as well. He inched forward onto the edge of his seat, 'gathering around' like Linth had requested. Shank did the same, leaping over the back of a chair to do so with energetic, almost feral enthusiasm. Coyate, Maine, and Shaitan turned Linth's way but didn't bother 'gathering around'. Atom was as unmoved as ever.

"Go on, then, 'Ol' Linth'," David joked. "Where do we start?"

Taking a long pull from his bottle, Linth tutted, "Now, now, isn't that always the question~? We can't start here and now, of course. Nowadays, I've got a whole fleet to call my own. I can call more ships my own in Zorba's kajidic than the head slug himself can. I've got people with people under them. I've got credits to spend and credits stashed away. But I didn't start at the top, boyo.

"Once, it was just me, my wits, my trigger finger, and my reliable Ghtroc 690. I was a young buck back then. Barely turned 14. Just smugglin' to scrape by. But those were days I'll certainly never forget. I collected a fair few while I ran the stars by my lonesome."

"You became a spacer at just 14?" David gaped at Linth.

"Damn, that brings me back!" Maine laughed. "I was the same age when I took my first gig!"

Linth just grinned, raising a whole-bottle toast to Maine for their shared experiences, "Not just a spacer, boyo. A smuggler. A sneaky, crafty, desperate lil' bugger. Mark that last word down. It's important."

"Desperate?" Shank cocked his head like a curious pup.

"Desperate," Maine nodded in confirmation. "Anyone who turns to our lines of work that young is desperate like you'll — thankfully — never know. And a desperate gonk is the most dangerous typa' gonk you can run into."

"Ain't that the truth?" Linth agreed, absently fingering the neck of his bottle. "Desperation saved my hide more times than any other quality I could have. Desperation to make a few bucks, desperation to get away, desperation to keep living over anyone else… Oh, I was good at what I did, too. I had to be. I remember every hidden compartment I carved out in every one of my ships. Only a quarter of them were ever found! But… never underestimate desperation, boyos."

"Never…" Coyate repeated in that surprisingly soft voice of his, conviction ringing through it despite the pleasant volume.

For a moment, Linth seemed all too sober for a man who'd been constantly drinking from a bottle of rum. It was gone as quickly as it came. He shook his head with a grin.

"Now, where was I~? Lone smuggler? Lone smuggler. Hate to spoil my stories, but I did make it out of that stage of my life."

Atom snorted, "You don't fuckin' say."

"Didn't I?" Linth made a show of blinking. "I could've sworn I spoke aloud just then…"

A sudden charismatic grin betrayed his joke, and Linth continued, "Anyway, during those days, I came across plenty of things that could only be considered magic. Never met an actual Jedi — or even someone imitating one — but I wouldn't want to in the first place! Instead, the things I've seen are… even more unexplainable…"

"If they weren't Jedi, how'd you know they were magic?" Pilar challenged.

Maine chuckled, "I've seen Smasher crush a team of Jedi like they were slum rats beneath his chrome boots. It was a slaughter. And it couldn't have been Smasher's first. The Jedi — they're obvious. Lightsabers, powers, and just an overall vibe, ya know? Other magic, though… Yeah, count me interested. How did you know?"

"Oh, you know. It's a feeling. A bone-deep surety. Like that 'Jedi vibe', you'll recognize it when you see it," Linth answered, a performative smirk on his face before it shifted into something uncharacteristically solemn. "Trust me. You just… know…"

David stared at Linth with a question on his mind. He glanced at Atom. Atom didn't even look up as he answered David's unvoiced question.

"A little bit. Not enough to mean anything. Just to feel something."

"Hmm~?" Linth hummed lazily, recovering almost instantly and 'asking' for clarification.

"You're touched by the Force," Atom elaborated curtly. "Barely. But you might notice things others don't."

"HMmmm~…" Linth hummed again, this time in understanding. "Learn something new every day, I suppose. Perhaps that explains some things from the first story I was going to tell. I was nebula-jumping in the Centrality at the time, avoiding the Centrality Security Forces.

"They're a bit more competent than most of the Republic about things like smugglers within their border. Fewer routes to patrol, insular sector culture, you see? Plus, they don't have to listen to that Ruusan Reformation bullshit. Tread carefully if you find yourself there, lest you find yourself on the business end of a hyperspace route patrol fleet. They're not as backwater as their reputation says.

"Anyway, I was nebula-jumping in a nebula called ThonBoka, surrounded by an area of shockingly dead space called the Open Sea. Dangerous place, there. All too easy to get lost in that Open Sea. No planets, no stars, just nothing for a few good light years. And right in the middle of it is ThonBoka. The StarCave. Life in the middle of the void. Life in the middle of dead space."

"Life?" David's face screwed up in confusion. "Life in the void?"

"Sure, it's common enough. Mostly pests. Just like in atmo," Linth joked. "But the StarCave was special. I've never seen any other place like it in all my travels. It wasn't just life. It was life thriving in the void. A whole ecosystem. Carapace critters. Interstellar plankton. And I was lucky enough to meet the ones at the top of that food chain."

Linth trailed off with a grin there. David had to be the one to prompt him to continue. Along with Shank… And Pilar… All in different tones — eager curiosity, a bark, and a cackle, respectively, "Who were they?/Well?!/Did'ja kill 'em?!"

"Didn't need to," Linth chuckled. "Good thing, too. I doubt I could've scratched the leviathans with my dingy little guns. They were a species called the Oswaft. Massive, massive, void-dwelling, and undeniably sapient manta rays. Even the youngins were half a click wing to wing. They were peaceful and transparent, and I could see their brains taking up a good two-thirds of their bodies. Must be the smartest beings in the galaxy, I say! And… they spoke to me."

"Nova wizard…!" David breathed in awe. "How'd they speak to you in the void?"

Linth leaned in close for dramatic effect, grinning and tapping his head with bottle-holding fingers, "In my frakkin' mind! Straight to the source, my friends! They showed me image after image — practically taking me on a tour of their home nebula. I thought real hard back at 'em. And they replied! Must've learned Basic in an instant 'cause they were as fluent as anyone I've ever met. A square kilometer or so of brain mass will do that to a being."

"What'd they say…?" Coyate asked quietly.

"Oh, they were real nice about it," Linth laughed. "Asked me if I was lost. I said I was just taking a shortcut. They thought that was just adorable. Offered to show me around for real. So I got a tour of their home from the big kahunas themselves!

"They showed me the best feeding spots and where to catch the biggest interstellar waves. I nodded along politely, as you do. I said I wished I could've joined them as they were, but I was just an unfortunately air-breathing, pressure-loving meatsack. They even had the grace to sound all embarrassed and apologetic! Then, they escorted me to the edge of their home nebula themselves and saw me on my way. It was — and still is — one of the best detours I've ever taken."

"They escorted you out?" David asked.

"Oh? Didn't I mention?" Linth adopted an obviously fake look of realization. "The Oswaft are naturally hyperspace capable."

Silence. Shock. Stunned awe. A pin-dropping would've shattered eardrums. Even Atom glanced up at that reveal. Only for a moment, though, before huffing and turning back to his watch.

Linth grinned unrepentantly as he continued, "No ships. No engines. They just do it all themselves. Including the calculations. 100% mental hyperspace calculations. Inside a nebula. Even astromechs have trouble with that. That's honestly more impressive than the actual jumping part."

After another stunned moment, Maine let out an impressed whistle, "Daaaammn, choom. When you said 'smartest beings in the galaxy', you really didn't lie."

"Not even a little bit," Linth confirmed. "The Muun wish they had that kind of processing power. Cereans? Two brains can't beat a square kilometer of one. Siniteens? Columi? Maybe… Both of those species can do mental hyperspace calculations. I'd still put my money on sheer mass, though."

"Holy shit…" Shank said. "I wonder what void manta ray tastes like."

"Ah, the age-old question," Linth chuckled. "Unfortunately, I doubt you'll ever find out, my friend."

"… I've never wanted to get off-world more than I do right now," David muttered in amazement.

"The galaxy is vast," Linth said wisely. "Too vast for any one being to know all of its secrets. Keep Ghtroc-king along, though, and I'm sure you'll see your fair share. I've seen many a thing. That wasn't even my only encounter with void megafauna. But that's another story."

"… We've got time," Atom spoke up. "No sign of the target yet. Go ahead and tell another. It'd be a shame not to hear it now that we're all in the mood."

"Wouldn't it just~?" Linth smirked, sipping the last drops from his bottle. Instead of going dry, he immediately produced a flask. "Perfect timing, too. This second story… It requires the good stuff. That first one was a miracle of cosmic wonder. This one… it's darker. Even now, I couldn't explain it for the life of me. Space magic isn't all blessings like the Oswaft. Sometimes… Sometimes, it's a curse like nothing else in the galaxy."

He trailed off, haunted to the point that he seemed like a completely different person. The look in his eyes was far-off. Wrinkled, leathery fingers clutched at his flask. For a long, deadly serious moment, Linth looked every year of his long spacing career. David and the others could only look on in horror and morbid interest.

Linth took a shaky sip from his flask, "… I was a few years older than my time meeting the Oswaft. Still running solo. But that stage of my life was coming to a close. 'Just one more Kessel Run,' I told myself. Just one more…"

He paused for another long moment, lost in the past, "… For smugglers, the Kessel Run is like going all-in on an ever-shifting Sabacc hand. It's treacherous. Unpredictable. But the payday for those who succeed is like nothing else in the galaxy. Kessel glitterstim is valuable by the ounce. Get there yourself, and you can get tonnes of it for cheap. A hundred million credits of profit, all for yourself. Maybe one in ten smugglers live to see that payday."

Linth painted a picture with his words. A vista of danger and crime, risk and reward. David was enthralled. Already, he was on the edge of his seat. Shank and Pilar were right there with him. Maine and Shaitan leaned forward as well, Maine with a grim expression set on his face.

Stories of the most significant solo job of a man's career were universal, it seemed. Stories of everything on the line, with rewards that were even greater. Gone wrong or right, these stories were the kind of thing that reputations were built upon. David could even sense Atom paying close attention to the words spoken, though he didn't turn to face them. And this was just Linth laying the background.

"Smugglers can't walk in through Kessel's front door," Linth continued. "The Republic, the Hutts, and the Pykes — all of 'em — watch the Kessel Trade Corridor with prejudice. Every ship that goes down that route is stopped at some point on it. The Republic will just arrest you. The Hutts' taxes will leave you without an ounce of profit to your name. And the Pykes will take you alive for their spice mines on Kessel itself. That's where the Kessel Run comes from. Can't go in the front way, so we wrap around the back."

"It's the most dangerous route this side of the Core. All nebula-jumping, but the Maw Nebula is dense, always shifting, and just shy of impossible to navigate. You take the 'Run in short jumps — constantly dancing, dancing, dancing around clouds of gas, hidden stars, and rogue planets. It's not all that rare for pilots to emerge from a jump right into the heart of a newlyborn star. You survive the Kessel Run through luck, skill, and even more luck.

"Then, you get to the Pit, and you think you're safe to rest for a moment… It's called the Pit 'cause those who do never see the light of the galactic sea of stars again. But if you thread the needle through the few hundred million asteroids there, you might just be lucky enough to make it to the real challenge of the 'Run. The Maw. A few dozen black holes in a cluster, overlapping so nothing gets in and nothing gets out. It's… an unnatural sight. And smugglers on the 'Run have to use it as a gravity slingshot.

"That… That's where this story truly begins…" Linth visibly shuddered as he said the words, any trace of his usual laidback character gone at this point of the story. "I made it to the Maw and began the realspace portion of the 'Run. All of my sensors were down from cosmic interference. I was flying just by my eyes. And just as I was starting my slingshot… I came across a ghost ship."

"A ghost ship…?" David was just about holding his breath.

"Aye, a ghost ship," Linth nodded. "Floating dead in the void next to Hell itself. If it was just that, I would've just marked it and moved on. But I had to get close to it on the course I'd plotted. And when I did, I saw what happened to it with my own eyes."

"It was… cracked right open. Like a sea shell to get at the mussel inside. Starship-grade materials… popped like a nut. And around it… nothing. No belongings, no cargo, nothing you'd expect from the inside of a depressurized ship. No bodies, either…

"But — and I'll swear this until the last of my days — I saw ghosts in the wreckage. Tall, gangly, unnatural things, with free-floating hair as white as the void is black. They stalked those dead halls. One of 'em must've seen me 'cause I heard a chilling shriek that reached me in my own cockpit. As if the void and my hull meant nothing to the specters. I didn't stick around to find out how true that was.

"Then… as I was punching the throttle to get outta there, I saw what cracked the ship open like that. Out in the gas clouds around the Maw, something moved. Tentacles wider than my ship was long… They writhed in the clouded darkness. A head to match any dreadnought. A hundred glowing eyes peered out at me.

"I knew something then like I knew my own heartbeat. I was nothing more than prey. Everything in the galaxy was nothing more than prey for the Kraken. The realization drilled its way into my skull. It could've only come from the beast itself.

"I'm not ashamed to admit I made star trails after that. Brought myself within 15 parsecs of the Maw to go as fast as I possibly could. I came so close that pieces of my ship were pulled straight into the black holes. But desperate as I was, it worked. The ghosts and the Kraken, neither caught me. I made it to Kessel… and drank myself into a two-day coma before I stocked up on glitterstim and left," Linth finished his story with a half-hearted smirk.

David was nearly speechless as Linth's story came to a close, only three words coming out when his lips tried to work, "Kriffing kriff, choom…"

"Verd ori'shya beskar'gam," Coyate said softly and soberly. "A warrior is more than his armor. You have survived where many would not. Mandokarla: you have the right stuff. Never let anyone tell you differently, Linth."

Some of Linth's usual energy came back with a chuckle, "I never have, and never will, friend. But thank you. It's always good to have others recognize that."

"So, uh…" Pilar spoke up. "Petition to have the crew never, ever go anywhere near the Maw…?"

"Seconded," Atom grunted.

"Third-ed," David nodded almost frantically.

Maine chuckled, "It wasn't an option before, and it definitely isn't one now."

"How did you get off Kessel, Linth-san?" Shaitan asked. "Did you get greedy and try your luck going back the way you came?"

"Hell, no!" Linth exclaimed, laughing. "I loaded up on glitterstim, bit the bullet, and went out the front way. Made a beeline for the first Hutt ship I saw. Taxes are better — barely, but still — than prison or slavery."

"Plus, they didn't find my hidden compartments. I still made a cool 20-mil profit from the trip. Pennies comparatively, but at least I was alive and mostly sane enough to spend it. That first Hutt ship, though? It just so happened to be one of Zorba's. Running to them of my own volition with a cargo hold full of spice like it was a gift earned me a lot of goodwill. That's how I found myself joining up with his kajidic. And as they say, the rest is history."

"Neat and fucking tidy," Atom spoke up with a threatening growl, aimed pointedly away from the rest of them. "Perfect timing, too."

Linth preened like a drunken peacock, "I always did have a flair for timing. I never come early and never too late. The ladies love how I hit that sweetspot~…"

Atom utterly ignored his jape, "… Linth. That ship coming in. Does it look like our mark?"

"Hmm," Linth hummed and made a show of pulling a pair of completely unnecessary binocs out of his jacket pocket. "Yes… Yes, I do believe it does. Lovely little bird, that one. Well-maintained for a YT series. But not too well-maintained. That'd just be suspicious."

"Perfect," Atom rumbled. "Time to earn our payday. Remember, don't touch the cargo. We're hijacking the shipment, not destroying it."

"Quick and lethal, hold the collateral," Maine repeated back with a chuckle. "We've got it, brother."

"Hn," Atom gave an acknowledging grunt, but he was already up and moving.

At the edge of the balcony booth, he stepped up on the railing and just dropped. David scrambled to follow him. Maine, Shaitan, and Coyate were right behind him, professional as anything else they did. Pilar and Shank swore at the rather… dramatic exit route Atom had chosen for them. Linth didn't even bother following them, instead taking the long way around.

David dropped after Atom. He landed with springs in his knees, the Force catching him instinctively. The landing was practically silent as a result. Coyate's was similar, just the briefest hiss of a Mandalorian jump-pack firing before he touched down. Maine and Shaitan didn't bother with silence, landing like the combined ton and a half of chrome that they were. Pilar and Shank scrambled and scaled down from the balcony clumsily.

By then, Atom was already storming on ahead. Dead-set on his goal. A man on a mission. People got out of his way with due haste. David and the others followed through the path Atom carved with his dead-set glare.

Linth caught up to them along the way, coming from the side and smirking, "Dramatic one, ain'tcha, boyo~?"

Atom didn't reply. Linth simply shrugged and fell in line with the rest of them. They came to the lot that their target ship had been headed for. It had just landed and lowered its ramp. There was a lot-droid waiting to process the ship, and someone from it was headed to do just that.

Then, Atom entered… and popped the gonk's head straight off. David didn't even see him draw that blaster revolver he liked so much. Atom's stride didn't break once. Predictably, the droid didn't know what to do about the sudden head-exploding development. Unfortunately, whatever crew was still inside the ship wasn't so code-blocked.

Almost instantly, the ship began to power back up. And it seemed that someone just so happened to be in one of its turrets. Medium lasers turned on Atom. Atom did his best to glare them into submission. It almost worked — David could sense that much in the Force. But… not quite.

A burst of ship-grade lasers tried their best to vaporize Atom. He stood his ground. He held the line. He did something that had David just about gaping at him in awe for a moment. Atom's presence in the Force surged, and David sensed him channeling every ounce of it into some kind of shield that turned away medium laser bolts from a fucking starship. The air shook and ionized outright. Atom's shield held. But he was understandably pinned in place, swearing and straight-up snarling.

"FUCKIN' CUNTS!"

And even as he was, someone inside the ship had taken the helm. It began to move. David swore. He was moving before he realized it. Something clicked in his mind. The Force filled his body, every muscle, tendon, and cell. His Sandie clicked on as well. The ship lifted off and began to run. And David… caught it.

He moved on some Force-infused instinct, finally tapping into that Force Speed Atom was trying to teach him. That breakthrough, plus his Sandie, and David was able to catch a rapidly fleeing starship in mid-flight. It happened in the blink of an eye. Quite literally. David blinked in surprise as he found himself slipping into the closing ramp of the accelerating starship.

The surprise didn't last long. He was inside. He was the only one able to salvage their operation now. And he was moving so fast it didn't even feel like he was moving. Another blink, and David found himself below the ship's turret pod. After it had shot at his choom, David was a touch vindictive in filling its interior with boiling bolts of plasma.

Another blink, and David found himself in the ship's cockpit. The already panicking pilot didn't get a chance to react. David spared him, at least. But he was knocked out cold by a stun bolt. David pushed his unconscious body out of the pilot's seat and took it for himself. The Force drained from his being like a relaxing muscle, and his Sandie clicked back off.

"I got 'em, Maine. The ship's ours," Then, after opening a comm channel to Maine and reporting his success, David blinked one more time. "But, uh… any idea how you land a starship…? 'Cause that might be helpful to know, ya know, considering… I'd kinda take all the suggestions I can get right about now…"

Maine's reply came back very, very confused, "David…? Aren't you right here-…? The Hell-?! Where the frag did you go, kid?! The ship?! Bullshit! That thing was pulling major Gs! And after Atom, the Mad Fucking Gonk, chunked two medium lasers to the face like they were damn burritos?!"

In the background, David could hear Linth laughing up a storm, "Ahahahahahah~! Magic, boyos! Magic galore~!"

"Yeah, Force stuff," David said hurriedly. "I'll explain later! Ship! Land?! How?! Now!"

All of a sudden, Linth was directly on the other end of the line, talking David through everything with a calm, steady, and trustworthy voice and displaying more competence than a 'simple drunken spacer' should've been able to.

"Easy there, boyo. Don't go panicking on me. Lose your head, and the ship, she'll fly you. Talk to her, handle her — she looks like a gentle old girl. A boy like you couldn't ask for a better first. Hand on the stick, ease back the throttle, slow and steady like. Don't worry about the buttons. They'd be useless to you anyway. It's just you, the stick, the throttle, and that gentle old girl. There you go, bring her back around-…"

Somehow, with Linth guiding him through it, David found himself flying a starship like he was born to it. He put it down like a dream. By the time he did, David almost didn't want to let go of the stick. Maybe they'd let him keep the gentle old girl…? After all, a boy never forgot his first.

IIIII

— Becca —

"Good cop — that's you, De'vi! Bad cop — Suunri, ya snake~! Becca cop — that's me! Got it?" Becca grinned as she gathered the new girls in a huddle. "Break!"

"Sure, why not?" Lucy snarked. "This thing might as well go one way or another. Good cop, bad cop, 'Becca' cop is as good an approach as any."

"I almost feel sorry for the gal," Kiwi joined in. "Almost."

"You have permission to go wild, Becks," Sasha allowed. "Get us the detes we need."

"Perfect~!" Becca cackled. "Is there any better activity for a girl's night than interrogating gonks 'til they spill everything~?"

"Yes. Many," Lucy deadpanned.

Suunri — the Falleen Black Widow — gave an audibly amused chuckle, "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Information gathering is a bonding opportunity. We may have our work cut out for us, but there's a fair bit of fun to be had here, too."

"I…" Taati — David's new Togruta input — muttered to herself. "Am SO out of my depth here…"

"S-Same…" De'vi stuttered slightly. "I-I eavesdrop… watch… I don't interrogate…"

"You get used to it, chicas," Gloria cooed soothingly and supportively. "Sink or swim, in a way. If that fails you, lean on us. We'll keep you afloat until you can get your feet kicking beneath you."

With the guys occupied with their stakeout, Becca and the girls had tasks of their own to see to. Information gathering, as Suunri had said. El Gonko — Atom — needed to know more about Zorba's operation. Sasha had taken it upon herself to get that info. Becca dragged the others along and made a night out of it.

Atom had separated the need-to-know detes into four categories: sourcing, processing, distribution, and origin. Where'd the dorph come from? How was it actually made? Who sold it to the public? And what put the braindead idea in Zorba's mind in the first place?

Atom's part was hijacking the operation's latest shipment and then continuing it on its way with the crew at its head. They'd walk in right through the operation's front door like they were just running a bit behind schedule. Why use a choom on the inside when they could be the inside chooms themselves~?

For the other side of things, the girls would grill one of the slug's higher-up lieutenants — who their new allies had identified as vital to Zorba's operation — for everything the gonk knew. Becca just loved it when a plan came together. If both sides of the crew played their parts, they'd have chooms on the inside of at least the processing center and all of the dirty detes they needed to exploit that.

In all, Atom's plans were turning out solid, and he was coming into his role as El Gonko. The role itself was a bit surprising. No one truly expected to become a kingpin. It was just how things played out. And for a guy who'd planned the downfall of a Hutt cartel and gathered allies to see it through, 'El Gonko' was just about the only way things could've developed.

Good for him, Becca thought. And good for the rest of us, too~! Sticking with Atom, the crew would never lack fun to be had. Like now! Becca could barely wipe the grin off her face. Girl's night and bag job all in one~! Nothing wrong with a little abduction and interrogation between the girlies~! How fun~!

Their extract target had been identified and scouted. She was a Sakiyan woman named Sstala. Green skin, pointed ears, a slim and trim figure, severely attractive features, and not a single hair on any part of her body. According to Suunri, Sstala was dangerously competent and firmly entrenched in Zorba's upper circle. She wasn't so much a 'vassal' as she was one of his key assistants.

She handled organization, eddie-counting, and delegation. When Zorba declared his will, Sstala was one of the main ones who ensured it was carried out. That gave her power. Influence. And access to all the dirty little detes the crew needed. According to De'vi and Suunri, Sstala was the one to pull together the logistics that made Zorba's Hutt-brained scheme possible.

The initial bag job had been somewhat tricky. But Becca loved a challenge~… She didn't love the fact that they couldn't go in loud as much, though… Instead, they could only extract Sstala directly from her room in Zorba's palatial tower. With Sasha, Lucy, and Kiwi running the net, De'vi and Suunri's insider know-how, and Becca's enthusiastic application of stun shocks and sleeper spice, the bag job was guaranteed from the start.

They'd walked in and slipped back out with a suspiciously body-shaped carpet in tow. Considering it was a Hutt's palace, the improvised body bag wasn't unusual. Honestly, it was more eye-catching that they bothered to hide it at all. Even that barely got a second chance. On Nar Shaddaa, gonks minded their business, or they didn't last long.

Now, they were in a classic undisclosed location. Dark featureless room, Faraday cage, one-way mirror, the works~! Why Suunri had access to such a room, Becca didn't know. Didn't really care, either. It was probably a kink thing. Most things usually were.

What was important was that they had their target now. They had a plan of interrogation. Good cop, bad cop, Becca cop, and all that entailed. Combining forces, the Sakiyan woman wouldn't stand a chance. And that was before Gloria got involved. Gloria, who could get a brick wall to happily spill its deepest secrets. She was being saved as a last resort. Becca wanted to have her fun first, after all.

Becca and the new girls were left alone with their target as a result. Well, 'alone' since the others were just behind the glass. They began to slowly rouse Sstala, waving 'sniffing' spice under her nose. As the green-skinned woman came back around, Suunri stepped up to the fore.

"Let me take the head," She said, eyes flashing at Sstala with menace. "I want to be the first thing she sees~…"

Becca cocked her head at the implied history there, "You sure? I could scare the lights out of her to start things off right."

"From what I've seen of you? You very well could," Suunri deadpanned, her forked tongue flicking in amusement. "But even that's not guaranteed. Sstala is a tough woman. She has to be to work directly under Zorba. She… knows me, though…"

"Then maybe we should have De'vi be the first one she sees," Becca challenged. "Have her nurse her back to consciousness all gentle-like. Have Sstala let her guard down before we come out swingin'."

"That…" Suunri paused. "Might work. De'vi is well-known in the palace. Gentle, as you said. Kind. Typically acting as a mostly neutral party… Yes… De'vi~? Be a dear and nurse our guest back around, will you?"

"Oh, yes, I can do that!" De'vi chimed and smiled, looking almost like a Stars-damned night light from how bright and pure she was. "Nursing guests out of drug comas is pretty much routine for me and the rest of the harem girls."

As she knelt in front of Sstala to do just that, Becca couldn't help but stare, "… Damn. I almost feel bad. Like I'm taking advantage of her or something."

Suunri clucked her tongue and chuckled, "Ah, yes. That's how she gets you. So pure it's insidious, and De'vi doesn't even know it. Many a being have tricked themselves into her debt, simply from her being as kind and gentle as she naturally is."

"De'vi-ous~…" Beccan punned with a grin.

Suunri joined her with a smirk (one that only looked a little strained, too!), "Yes, quite."

Under De'vi's ministrations, Sstala began to come back around. Slowly, woozily, her eyes began to clear. As she did, she saw De'vi and cracked a small, genuine smile. De'vi returned it threefold.

"Good morning, Sstala~! How are you feeling~?" De'vi inquired.

"Always better with you nursing me around, De'vi," Sstala replied. "Terribly confused, though. I don't remember drinking last night. And you know I don't touch the spice. Where-…?"

She trailed off, looking around the room. De'vi chuckled sheepishly, "Eheh… This won't be easy… But just hear us out, Sstala! F-For me…?"

"I'm in an interrogation room," Sstala stated the obvious. Her eyes quickly locked onto Suunri, "And- You…"

"Hello, Sstala~," Suunri greeted with a slithering smirk on her face. "A pleasure to see you, as always."

"I should've known."

"You don't even know what's going on here yet."

"I still should've known."

"Please, both of you," De'vi pleaded. "This doesn't have to be difficult. Or hostile! Can't we just have a conversation?"

"Sure~!" Becca chimed, inserting herself into the trio. "My fists love to do a bit of talkin'~! If they fail, I'll fuck the information we need outta ya~!"

"Information. Interesting…" Sstala turned to Becca with piercing eyes.

Becca deflated slightly at the lack of reaction, "Aw, that's it? Not even a flinch? You're no fun…"

"I know you," Sstala declared. "You're new. How did you get dragged into Suunri's scheme — whatever it is? Did the rest of your crew get dragged in with you?"

De'vi coughed delicately, "A-Ahem… Other way around, actually."

Sstala raised a painted-on eyebrow, "Curious. De'vi and Suunri, both of you? Following newcomers? Are there others with you?"

"Hey, we're asking the questions here!" Becca snapped back.

"Very well," Sstala relented (or at least seemed to). "You do have me at your mercy. What information do you so desperately need from me?"

"… She's too damn cultured for my tastes," Becca grumbled. "… I'm getting the flamethrower."

De'vi gasped, too adorable and pure for this world. Sstala was utterly unphased by the fiery threat. Suunri chuckled, "Keep it in mind. But I'm sure dear Sstala doesn't wish to be so difficult that we're made to use it."

"Perhaps if you laid out your goals here, it'd be easier for us to get onto the same page and resolve things in a mutually beneficial way," Sstala suggested imperiously.

"Yes! That!" De'vi quickly agreed. "Let's do that!"

"It…" Suunri paused. "Might work. New era and all. Perhaps Sstala would also appreciate getting in on the ground floor. We might not always get along, but I also don't think we've devolved into open hatred and hostility, have we? I could certainly see myself working with you for something this… monumental."

"Kriff!" Becca groaned. "If we're just gonna end up recruiting her, Atom should be here for this! Way outta my expertise. I shoot shit, burn shit, and blow shit up. For diplomacy and compromises and junk… Gloria! I think you're up!"

Sstala perked up at that for some reason, "Gloria? Gloria Martinez? Oh, yes, we simply must end up working together now."

Gloria, entering through the room's only door, paused, "You've… heard of me?"

Sstala smiled, "Idolized, more accurately. It's an honor to meet the Kindest Rose of Night City. It'd be even more of an honor to work with and learn under you."

"Even…" Gloria hesitated. "If working together would entail dismantling an operation you put together? And overthrowing your Hutt?"

"The kyber-spice project? Finally!" Sstala outright exclaimed her relief. "Say no more. I'll tell you everything you wish to know."

"… That was easy," Gloria blinked.

"It's a doomed idea from a doomed Hutt to save a doomed kajidic. And you aren't the one who had to make that idiocy happen," Sstala deadpanned. "If someone is willing to do something about it, I will happily join them. All I'll ask is that I retain my current position in the new leadership and that we all remember my contribution here."

Gloria nodded, "That can be arranged. Especially considering how pleasant you've been as a bag job."

"Cool, another newbie!" Becca threw her hands up in defeat. "Now, what's the deal with all of this kriffin' kriff?!"

"Let's see," Sstala began in a scathingly flat tone. "It all began with Zorba doing typical Hutt things and eating strange alien eggs that were brought before him. As he does. One egg — some kin-something or other insect from Dantooine — caused… a reaction.

"Next thing we knew, he was shouting about 'HIS PEACE!' and 'HIS HARMONY!' and just generally writhing about as high as a speeder. When he came down, he commanded me to make a whole new brand of spice from his experience. After much effort, I managed to locate the source of his high as the Dantari Crystals that regularly occur in Kinrath eggs. I, of course, realized the issues with making spice out of frakking lightsaber crystals… But Zorba was unconvinced-…"

What followed was about as much information as they could've hoped for. Sstala happily sang like a bird. And as the one truly coordinating the kyber-spice operation, she had answers for every question they asked, no matter how incredulous those questions quickly grew.

Lightsaber crystal spice… Not just that, but also sourced from live eggs. Zorba had teams scouring the caves of Dantooine for the stuff, burning out whole hives in the process. The operation was quickly driving a whole species of insect extinct. Which, considering they were giant, venomous bugs, wasn't much of a loss. It still boggled the mind how callous Hutts could be, though.

And that wasn't even the end of it. Zorba had the bright idea of enhancing the new crystal spice with another exorbitantly expensive brand of spice. Yaladai: an addictive mental stimulant and relaxant, however the frag that worked. The stuff cost a thousand credits a dose and ensured that no matter what magic Sstala tried to work, kyber-spice was always going to be a massive loss for the cartel. Again, Zorba didn't see it and just kept pushing for 'HIS PEACE! HIS HARMONY!' as if he had the money to spare. According to Sstala, he very much didn't…

The rumors of dorpher rage on the kyber-spice were real, too. And more than a few of the distributors Sstala had arranged seemed to be hoarding the spice for themselves. In all, Sstala was fed up with the whole operation she'd been put in charge of. And she'd long been fed up with working under an incompetent Hutt.

That was all well and good. They'd gotten the information they needed and more — another new ally, this one with even more pull in Zorba's sphere of influence than the other vassals. But… it was boor~iing~… Becca was bored.

She didn't even get to use her flamethrower! It'd taken her the better part of an hour to find a weapon dealer willing to sell that baby! An hour! For a weapon! In Night City! Ridiculous! As it was, though, she could only hope she'd see more action during the actual coup…

Then, Becca's night got slightly worse when Atom contacted Sasha with an update on how their side of things had gone. Cool spacer stories, chunking medium ship lasers, and David running down a starship in hot pursuit!

"Chooms have all the fun…" Becca could only grumble. "Atom's gonna have to make me something real preem to use during the coup to make this up to me…"