8. Mutually Aggressive Scheduling

Tony peered around the corner. No one there. Without turning his head, he flicked his eyes to the left hall of the T-section. Nope. No one there either. It made no sense! Both the halls were dead ends and the rooms were locked. He'd know. Tony tried to open them just yesterday.

Letting out an Italian curse, Tony hissed, "I thought you said he went down this hall!"

"Did! Saw Ala Ja go in!" protested Gis. Tony flinched at his voice. The Saurin didn't seem to get the idea that the earpieces were powerful - it sounded like Gis was shouting in his ear.

"Bet you weren't paying attention," a young voice taunted. Tony frowned. Gis was teenager, but his skin was pretty much armor. Why was there another kid out here, one that was most likely unarmed? None of his other crew members was this young, right? He'd know-

"Hold on... Hoviv? Who let this kid...?" Tony asked.

"He isn't in any danger. Jedi are peacekeepers," Shoragg answered.

"Gis didn't see, Hoviv didn't see!" Gis accused.

"Gis is correct. You were assigned to do the same task," FRIDAY said with a hint of smugness.

"Kids, no fighting. Just... find me that Jedi," Tony said, running a hand through his hair.

"I have spotted him. He is currently crossing the courtyard," FRIDAY revealed. Tony immediately started jogging towards the general area.

"Head back to the ship," he urged the two kids as he passed by them. The two teens scowled rebelliously as he went around the corner, but FRIDAY confirmed that they were going back.

A few of the servants and Chiss gave him odd looks. Tony knew that sneaking around would seem more suspicious if he was caught, so Tony merely grinned and gave them a nod.

Assuming that he was meant to be there, they left him alone.

"Hold on, did Friday just hack into the security system? That's illegal, isn't it?" asked Galee as Tony rounded a corner and spotted the Jedi. "You're not allowed to do that." Tony ducked behind a pillar, snagging a pebble. He weighed it in his hand, surprised at its lightness. Even through at full force, it probably wouldn't make a bruise. Peering at the Jedi, he chucked it at him and hid again.

"Technically, you being here is illegal," Charell pointed out. "I mean, we never got permission to even be on this planet."

Through the reflection on a slightly cracked window, Tony was amazed to find the Jedi sidestepping the makeshift projectile, allowing it to skim harmlessly across his chest. The guy turned in the direction the rock came from... Tony's direction.

Dang, I should've ducked behind the tree! Tony thought angrily. Thinking quickly, he bent down, snagged a twig, and threw it at the tree. The leaves rustled quietly. Tony counted three seconds before the Jedi turned to the plant. Keeping an eye on the man's reflection, Tony doubled up and ran - er, made a 'tactful retreat.

-I don't like people handing me things-

"Okay, the most I've got is supersensory, maybe some precognitive abilities," Tony told an unconvinced Gis from the seventh - better not tempt fate, you see - story of the complex.

"Watch."

Tony fixed a mirror that showed the reflection of another mirror, showing the Jedi on the ground, directly under the window he had led Gis to. He was talking to a security guard 'thoughtfully.' Tony wasn't sure how he managed it. All he did was frown and nod. Apparently, that's all you needed to do to seem thoughtful. Then, Tony grabbed a bucket of soapy water and began pouring it. To tell you the truth, water seemed anticlimactic.

What the heck, Tony thought with an inward shrug, just dropping the entire buck and remaining water down too. Gis stared at Tony, stunned, before moving to look out of the window.

"No!" Tony yelped, reaching out to snag Gis's arm. He dragged the Saurin away. "Are you crazy? No, don't answer that. I know you're a maniac. If you look down, they'll see you. Just use the kriffin' mirrors I spent twenty minutes on."

Gis looked at the mirror, then at Tony, who peered up at it himself.

"Son of a blaster," Tony cursed, realizing the action had already happened and they had missed it.

"Ghrakhowsk missed," Gis pointed out.

"No, I didn't miss, thank you very much! I know my trajectories and angles! I got a Master's Degree on that sort of thing! That-that Jedi moved out of the way! He heard it coming or something and moved out of the way!" Tony ranted.

Gis gave a deadpan look and moved towards the door.

-I don't like people handing me thingsFrowning, Tony had FRIDAY rewind and replay the security footage she nicked from the building. As it played again, Tony had a cold feeling overcome him, making the hairs on his arms stand up. Slowly, he turned and looked out of the room and down the hall to where Gis and Hoviv were arguing about something-or the-other.

He turned and looked back at the video.

"Hey Fri, is it just me, or do you see the Jedi walk right past the kids too?" Tony asked uncertainly.

"Boss, I'd like to confirm that Gis and Hoviv allowed the Jedi Master to pass," FRIDAY's voice came over the speakers, her intonation reflecting his uncertainty. "Permission to hack all camera feeds the Jedi enters?" she suggested

"Permission granted," Tony agreed. A single screen appeared in front of him, then it was covered by another. The display flickered for a moment, then disappeared. "Friday?" Tony asked, alert. His fingers twitched as he resisted reaching for the control panel. His girl had everything under control.

"Just a moment, dad. just recoding and refiguring some things." The displays came on, but this time there were multiple feeds playing at once. "The old one only showed one at a time," she said in explanation.

Tony nodded approvingly. "Good job. The one in the center's real-time, right?"

The two of them grew silent as they reviewed everything. This time, instead of looking for obvious displays of power and red mist, Tony fixed his eyes on the people on-screen. Unlike how everyone noticed how he stood out, not a single one of them batted an eye at the Jedi. He squeezed between two Chiss in a conversation, and neither of them missed a beat. It didn't make sense. The Jedi was in kriffin' Harry Potter robes!

"Order everyone to stay away from the Jedi, Fri. I want to make sure it doesn't have lasting effects. Keep an eye on the lil' maniac and the anti-maniac, let me know if they start acting oddly. If the Jedi comes within twenty meters of anyone in our crew, tell them to get out of there. Immediately."

-I don't like people handing me things-

"Boss, I lured them under the main scanners under false pretenses. Their brain waves match up to the data I collected last week. There's nothing wrong with either them."

"Nothing wrong, or nothing you can spot? Seriously, how do we figure out if there's mind control?"

"I... I'm sorry boss. I don't- There's not enough data to form conclusions at this point."

"Okay. Keep an eye on them, Fri."

"You can count on me."

-I don't like people handing me things-

Honesty, the Jedi dude was a huge letdown. He wouldn't let Tony touch his 'lightsaber,' wouldn't use the Force, and wouldn't show Tony any of his cool Jedi moves. Tony spent the next three hours asking for scans, both from the Jedi and the people he encountered. He was refused each and every time, with the same, placid expression from the Jedi. The Chiss just looked at him like he was crazy. Tony offered to find out what made Jedi different from the rest of the population, which was met with open hostility. The Jedi somehow noticed FRIDAY's orb trying to scan him on Tony's orders, twisted out of the way, and hurried away.

Everything else was going well. Galee sweet-talked her Chiss gentleman into returning the book and the Rodian collector decided not to press charges. With the human slavers and their minions caught or disposed of, much of the tension between the two dominant species on the planet seemed to be dissolving. Chiss and Rodian children could be seen playing together.

The adults, though cautious, occasionally mingled with each other. The chasm between them was large, but it was slowly healing. The Jedi had done his best. Only time could do the rest.

"Hey, Suff'," Tony said causally, leaning against the console. "Where can you find the Jedi? Like, headquarters, hometown... that sort of place?"

Suffee looked suspiciously at him. "Why do you want to know?"

"I figured that if there's more Jedi, the chances of one of them letting me scan them is higher than in a lower population," Tony said with a shrug.

"No," Suffee said, rolling his eyes. When Tony made to argue, Suffee calmly pointed out, "You said this was a democracy. We want to keep bounty hunting and helping people. All of us.

No one wants to go to Coruscant. I'm pretty sure Kristoff has a restraining order on him there. The only way you can go to Coruscant is if you, as captain, seize total control of the ship.

Are you willing to do that?"

Tony hastily shook his head. No, Tony would never take complete command over his team. Not like Rogers did, where there was no chance of arguing. "No! I'd never-"

"Good." Suffee turned from him. "Concentrate on matters that affect this ship and the people. If none of us has shown Force sensitivity by now, we cannot weld it and it matters not.

Magic is wild. Focus on science," he dismissed.

But wasn't magic just a higher science? The rules of this universe seemed different than Tony's original world. "Okay. What's next?" Tony agreed quietly. Suffee showed him a hit on some smugglers that recently hijacked a ship and kidnapped the crew. This was interesting. And dangerous... "How'd you like your very own armor to inhabit, Fri?" he asked aloud, knowing FRIDAY was listening in.

"I admit that that would be a relief," FRIDAY told him.

"Put the rest of my armor on hold. We're saving up to get you a complete suit!"

"But what about-"

"Don't worry, Fri. Extermis, remember? I'll be fine and you'll be up and ready to protect me."

"Okay, dad," FRIDAY agreed. "I want pink. Hot pink and gold."

"Flashy and stylish. You take after your father," Tony said fondly. FRIDAY beeped in response, letting Tony know that she was slightly occupied helping one of the other crewmembers.

Tony wandered out of the ship and perched on one of the last crates of 'cherries' they had left.

"Oi, off!" a voice complained loudly. Tony shriveled around, seeing a surprisingly buff Rodian loom threateningly over him.

"Oops, sorry!" Tony said, raising his hands in apology. "Carry on." He got off and waved at the crates.

The Rodian growled and lifted the crate onto a luggage cart of some sort. He sneered at Tony and muttered loudly to himself, "Le nochka tuo halackne ladda buchat!"

"Friday, what did he say?" Tony asked with a frown.

"Boss, you don't want to know," FRIDAY told him, turning her attention back.

Tony drew himself up and put his hands on his hips in a 'heroic' pose. "No, really, I want to know. I'm channeling Captain America, here. Hate on bullies and all that. Come on, tell me!"

"He insulted your manners and your looks," FRIDAY admitted.

"Great, now give me a Rodian insult, one that Shoragg would smack me for using anywhere near his kid." He checked to make sure neither Shoragg nor Hoviv were anywhere close. Or any other Rodian, for that matter.

"Boss, I don't think this is a good idea," FRIDAY warned.

"Insulting me isn't a good idea."

"Dad-" FRIDAY pleaded.

"Friday, do as I say."

"Golo nochta mootoe, ne linga sochack," FRIDAY said.

Tony repeated it to the Rodian, who snarled at him but was unable to swing a punch, due being busy carrying the crates. "Thanks Fri," Tony said, feeling better now that his daily dose of mean moves was out of the way. FRIDAY didn't respond. "Come on, Fri, don't be like that!"

"I should have expected such crassness from a bounty hunter," Tony heard. He turned to see the Jedi master.

"Sifo-Dyas!" Tony exclaimed. "I didn't expect to see you here."

The Jedi examined Tony closely. Tony didn't like the feeling. It was as if Wanda was in his head again. True, he couldn't really sense that she was in his head, but the idea was just as bad. His crew did say that Jedi had mystic powers or something, and he did see the Jedi use some power over perception. "You are different," the Jedi said.

"Everyone's unique, as paradoxical as it sounds," Tony said, unimpressed at the vague words. He resisted the urge to tap the center of his chest to check that his arc reactor was still there. It wouldn't help against such delicate mind manipulations, after all. The only thing it defended his mind from was Loki's blatant mind control. It did nothing against Wanda.

"You are blunt and insult with an ease like breathing, yet you do not truly mean it...often," Sifo-Dyas muttered. He narrowed his eyes and reached for Tony. "Are you Force-sensitive?"

Quickly, Tony snatched his wrist out of the way, glaring back at the Jedi. He took a step back to show that he didn't appreciate being touched without his consent. "How would I know?"

asked Tony. Looking at the Jedi, he could see that the man didn't quite understand that Tony was slowly getting pissed.

"I see," the Jedi murmured. "You are Anthony Stark technically of Nar Shaddaa due to some experienced hacking, registered under the Bounty Hunting Guild with the Millennial Falcon under your name. Expect a meeting with me at a future point in time."

Tony straightened up at the clear power play. The Jedi had searched him up on the 'holonet' or whatever it was called. Even more worryingly, he somehow knew that FRIDAY had hacked records! The watch on Tony's right had snapped into place as a thin repulsor glove, humming with power. Tony pointed it threateningly at the Jedi who posed a harm to FRIDAY. The Jedi took no notice, not even looking up as he pivoted. Instead of tensing up like most people would have done if they knew a weapon was pointed at them, Sifo-Dyas left with a casual stride.

"Crew, I think we got a Jedi after us," Tony said into his earpiece. "It wasn't my fault, I swear it!"

- I don't like people handing me things -

The Jedi left immediately after that odd encounter. The 'Falcon left just hours later with a few, large containers of some sort of tea and scented woods.

FRIDAY's armor, the Iron Maiden, was a slow project. While she was decent at it, most of the initial credits FRIDAY made through stocks was just blind luck. After that, while the flow was steady, it was slow and not a viable source of income for anything other than fuel and food. Even funds for those ran low at times, depending on the jobs they took. The 'Falcon crew were careful to make sure that their jobs either helped those that would otherwise be ignored, to keep out of the way of more experienced bounty hunters. This took down most of the high-paying jobs that were available.

Tony was glad to help people, he really was, but having low funds was maddening. There were so many things he could do but not enough time or credits to do them, but he would make it happen. His father made a multi-million dollar company out of the slums of New York. Tony could make a multi-million credit company out of the shadows of Nar Shaddaa.

Some smugglers-turned-slavers that they ran into on the way to some desert planet - Tattoos or something - to drop of the remaining freed slaves were taken down without a problem, even with Tony's unfinished Iron Man armor and FRIDAY's suit still offline. Tony's crew was like a well-oiled machine. They'd been working together for years in broken-down spaceships, where you had to depend on others to warn you if a metal sheet came loose and was about to crash down into you. Even with the addition of 'outsiders' like Tony, Chewbacca, and Kristoff, they knew how to work together. Working together in a repair crew was apparently more useful than the trust-fall exercises that Rogers had them do in training. Figures.

The bounty hunting guild let them have those smugglers' ship, but Tony and the crew decided to give it to the remaining three people in the cargo hold. He really wanted to help them, but they were honestly a drain on resources. They didn't trust him, but Tony still wished them the best. He actually had no idea what they were planning to do. The murderous spark in their eyes suggested that wanted to take revenge on those that tried to enslave them, but Tony hoped he was wrong. He couldn't ask them - they wouldn't trust him with a real answer anyway.

The fate of those seven aside, Tony had lots of work repairing the ship. Key word: had. Tony must've not given himself enough credit, because he was finished even before they decided where to go. This left him in 'command deck,' eyeing Galee's backside. She was on the console again, tapping out a message. "Galee has friends? No one told me Galee had friends," Tony joked as he waited for Suffee.

"Takes one to know one," Galee shot back with a smirk.

"I'm wounded!" Tony cried out, sliding to the ground. "Only a kiss from a fair maiden would save me now!"

"And you think I'm a maiden because...?" Galee teased, giggling as Tony spluttered. She finished typing her message and sent it. "Yes, I'm a maiden," she told Tony, pecking him on the cheek. He tried not to ogle her backside as she flounced off. Though his past secretaries would beg to differ, Tony tried not to sleep with people he respected, especially if they were going to hold that position for a long time. Galee wasn't going anywhere, and Tony wasn't going to spoil his friendship with their best infiltrator. It reminded him of something...

Romanoff. She was a spy, infiltrating Stark Industries. Tony tried to keep his mind off the Russian assassin. It wasn't fair to compare the two. Though she definitely not anywhere close to the Black Widow's league, Galee was loyal and that was more to Tony than all the skill on the planet.

Tony tore his eyes from the closed door, starting when he realized someone was in front of him. He was so distracted, he hadn't heard Suffee walk in.

"-ut it all in here," Suffee finished tiredly, giving a wan smile to Tony.

"Thanks," Tony said, frantically trying to think of what he could have been talking about. His eyes fell on Suffee's drawn snout. Tony eyed the smile, noticing how fatigued the Rodian seemed. It seemed that being co-captain wasn't a good fit for the Rodian. It was a shame - Tony really thought Suffee could've been the Rhodey to his ship.

As he was about to speak, asking him about it, FRIDAY's voice came on over the PA system. "Space turbulence," she said flatly. Right on cue, the ship gave a noticeable wobble. Used to being inside roughly shaken transports, Tony had no problem staying up. He belatedly looked over to Suffee, wondering if the alien needed help staying up. He was right on time to see Suffee go down flailing. Tony winced at the fall, but the turbulence was already over.

"You have to sleep more. Seven hours a day, Suf'," Tony scolded, reaching his hand out to help Suffee up to his feet.

Belatedly, Tony remembered how much the Rodian hated hypocrites as the upturned lips on Suffee's snout pulled down in a scowl. "As if I can't hear you pacing back and forth every night! I know you don't sleep. You're always in that workshop," Suffee spat out in fury. He would have gone on, but Tony cut him off.

"Whoa, stalkerish much?" He raised his hands as Suffee did his best to loom. "Okay, okay! I get it. I'm sorry."

Suffee huffed, holding out the datapad. "Just get it." Tony stared at the data pad. It was so close, but he couldn't- "Is something wrong?" Suffee asked with a frown.

Realizing he had took a moment too long to reach his hand out, Tony deflected, "No, no! Everything's alright." He fumbled, trying to grab at the data pad, cringing all the while, but Suffee twisted it out of reach.

"Friday, what's wrong?" Suffee asked, this time to his AI daughter.

"No! Friday, don't-"

"Boss doesn't like having things handed to him," FRIDAY said quickly, before he could order her to silence. Sneaky girl.

"Psychological or physical trauma? Have you seen a therapist or received counseling? If I trigger it, how do I-" Suffee trailed of as neither of them answered. FRIDAY's camera was trained on Tony, who stared unflinchingly back.

"Dad," FRIDAY said simply. Tony looked away.

"Why didn't you say so?" Suffee asked instead, turning and setting the data pad onto the console next to him. "Go on," the Rodian said with a raised eyebrow, waving his hand expectantly at it. Suffee glanced at the console, then leaned heavily on it.

"I didn't want to cause you trouble," Tony offered weakly, surprised that Suffee didn't just wrest his hand out and force the object into it. Maybe his fellow captain was simply to tired to.

Suffee looked up for a long moment at the ceiling. Tony resisted the urge to tell him that FRIDAY was, in fact, not located in the ceiling. "It's no trouble," Suffee said patiently. "Actually,

it's probably less trouble. Now, I can just call you over and make you get the stuff instead of walking across the entire ship to find you!"

Tony looked at Suffee the way he examined politicians and snakes. He couldn't tell if he was lying or not. Reaching out, he picked up the datapad. He glanced up at Suffee. No outward reaction.

"Okay..." Tony said hesitantly, stepping back. "Thanks," he blurted, making a tactful retreat from the room. Behind him, he heard Suffee ask FRIDAY a question. Tony touched his earpiece cautiously, wondering if he had to classify some more data before FRIDAY revealed it. "Get more sleep!" he yelled just before the doors closed. What? Tony liked having the last word.

Tony quickly ran down the hall to the recreational room instead of the workshop. It was best he didn't go where Suffee expected him. Suffee was tired, but who knows? The Rodian could certainly hold a grudge long enough to track him down for that last bit.

"Dad?" FRIDAY hedged. "Suffee wants to know if we can go bounty hunting, or if you want to transport cargo."

"That's it?" Tony asked, surprised. "No digging after my deepest, darkest secrets?"

"No. Dad... I think they're good people," FRYDAY told him sounding uncertain.

"Even Gis?"

"I have calculated a less than 27% chance of an additional betrayal," FRIDAY reluctantly admitted. "Personality algorithms based on prior experiences suggest that loyalty, once earned, is a key trait and highly valued for most of the crew members on board. Except for Chewbacca. I don't like Chewbacca," FRIDAY said with conviction.

"Aw... my little girl's feeling protective of her younger bro!" Tony cooed. He reached the end of the hall and checked to make sure Suffee wasn't waiting for him around the bend. "She still back in that room?" he asked.

FRIDAY flashed a camera light at him once to confirm, then continued their conversation eloquently. "Am not," FRIDAY argued.

"So was the rest of all that just sibling rivalry? Was ickle Fri-Fri feeling jel-ly of her new baby brother?"

"Don't call me that," FRIDAY demanded petulantly.

"Jealous," Tony sang softly as he reached the end of the hallway.

In retaliation, Friday slid the door close faster than it was theoretically able to. Tony ran face-first into it.