Enter a Spectre

[darthexedo]

"You may wish to strap in, my lord, this could be a short trip." Ruane pulled his own straps around his shoulders and snapped them in place as he deftly maneuvered the Grinning Spectre around satellites and slower moving traffic.

Nuro climbed into the co-pilot's seat and leaned forward to tap at the display. "I thought you said you've flown here before." Ahead of them, Coruscant loomed. Up close and definitely not a holorecording. The visible defenses were more intimidating than Nuro had given the Republic credit for.

"I have. Once. We weren't exactly worried about being arrested at that point. Darth Malgus was causing a bit of scene at the Jedi Temple at the time."  Ruane slowed the freighter and reached for the comm. "I guess we'll see how good my impersonation of a Republic accent is."

Nuro tucked his lekku closer around him. His face was still colored with bruises and he gave Ruane an irritated look. "Well, don't look at me, I contributed a smuggler that would have gotten us past this."

"He ran off before I could even raise his pay, my lord." Ruane thumbed the comm and plastered on a wide smile.  "Coruscant Control, this the Grinning Spectre out of Nar Shaddaa, requesting permission to land at the Senate Spaceport." He held up a hand to silence Nuro, watching the comm tensely.

"What's your cargo, Grinning Spectre?" The voice on the other end sounded bored and Ruane couldn't blame him. He'd probably had this same conversation several times already today.

Ruane actually grimaced. "Hutt kindness and generosity." A cargo hold that was even questionably full of air, much less anything of value. "Gotta belly full of holes patched with mesh tape, buddy. Some kriffin' pirate decided to make off with everything that wasn't bolted down. We're here to see Jedi Phinea and make repairs."

"Here to see a Jedi, right." Ruane didn't need to see the traffic controller's face to note the disbelief. It was clear even over the ship's second-or-third-hand comm. "Names, please?"

Ruane made a face. "Cap'n Folen Tirise. My first mate is Nuro. And I don't give a kriff about the Jedi, I just wanna get this bucket of bolts flying straight again. She ain't in the air, I ain't getting paid. My first mate wants to see her. Twi'lek business, I dunno."

Nuro scowled and barked out, loud enough to be heard over the comm, "Stoopa!" Despite his strong Kaas accent when speaking Basic, he spoke Huttese with an almost-convincing Nar Shaddaa accent.

Ruane could feel tendrils of the Force brushing against his neck and he made a cutting motion across his throat as he gave the Sith a stern look. Now was not the time for Sith temper. How to explain, with an open comm, that he'd counted on just that reaction from the Twi'lek Sith Lord? "Look, buddy, can we land or do I need to get the escape pod ready? We ain't got all day if you know what I mean." They really didn't. He'd been monitoring the situation in the cargo hold, and sooner or later the patches were going to give way completely. They were already straining the temporary shields just to keep a seal on the cargo hold door to prevent loss of atmosphere.

"Docking bay three, and have your identification ready for inspection upon entry." The operator sounded less bored, which made Ruane wince, but also less suspicious, which gave him a glimmer of hope.

Ruane decided to push his luck one more time. "Look, I got identification but my first mate don't. Busted him outta some work detail on Nar Shaddaa, okay? You can talk to the Jedi. He's tellin' me she's some kinda family."

"It may take time. We would have to ask you to remain with your ship while we follow up." 

Ruane feigned outrage. "Can you believe this, Nuro? Leave a planet for a while, an' come back to suspicion all around. A kriffin' Imperial boarding party is sounding downright friendly right now."

Nuro, for his part, seemed to have caught on to the fact that it was an act. He crossed his arms, shooting the comm an insolent, stormy look, and muttered, "Jee ritke banag bai neu mah whokena." Louder, he added, "Stoopa."

There was the reaction Ruane was hoping for. The controller sounded exasperated now. "Captain Tirise, just have some identification. We'll sort the rest out later. Docking bay three."

"You got it." Ruane reached to turn the comm off, then gave a relieved sigh. "My lord, you may wish to contact Jedi Phinea from the passenger compartment and let her know we're about to land and that she may be contacted by security forces later. I suspect Lord Iqbal and whoever else owned this ship ran it less than legal. We shouldn't have gotten quite that warm of a welcome."

"Right, Captain Folen. Whatever you say." Nuro stood, giving Ruane a stern look. "I didn't realize you had a Republic identity."

"You didn't ask. You know my men and I are former Imperial Guard. I had quite a few responsibilities with the Guard. A few of which necessitated a secure Republic identity. I'm a retired Republic military officer, a pilot, and I last worked as a freighter captain out of Corellia during the conflict with the Empire. As long as the Jedi haven't gotten overly zealous with my Master's records, my acquisition of the Spectre can be explained away. Smugglers are notorious gamblers. It's one of many reasons they dislike spending any time on Dromund Kaas." Ruane winced as the ship hit the atmosphere and the hull groaned in protest. He swore he could feel pieces of metal shearing away from the holes that the pirate missiles blew into the cargo hold. "I should have properly gutted that Zabrak worm when I killed his master." His hands tightened on the controls as the ship shuddered. The Spectre listed dangerously to port, and he only just managed to get it back into its designated lane before it could collide with a mass transit speeder. "Assuming we land in one piece, we only have a few more minutes. You should probably contact Phinea, my lord."

Nuro nodded. "Try not to get us killed. I would like to get back to my master mostly intact." He started to leave the cockpit.

Ruane frowned at his back, but turned to pay attention to his flying again. "He's not who you think, my lord."

"What?" Nuro turned to glare at Ruane's back, but the Guard didn't turn back around. He let those "fingers" of Force energy curl around Ruane again, and was surprised when something rebuffed him.

"The Setekh Feraan you knew has changed. Drastically. You don't serve him anymore. You might do well to find out who you serve now, before you do anything rash." Ruane never looked back, never showed Nuro the eyes that glowed just a bit more orange as he channeled the distant power of his Master. Only made available because, clearly, they were being watched through the Force.

Nuro sounded suspicious. "Wouldn't he be mad at you for telling me this?"

"Respectfully, my lord, I keep to Imperial protocol, but I have not been subject to any Sith's whims but my Master's for a long, long time. I work with Darth Exedo out of respect and because we serve a common goal, but I am not and will never be his underling." He slowed the ship as they approached the correct docking bay. "Two minutes until we're landed and able to disembark."

Nuro stared at Ruane, eyes slitted, still suspicious, but turned away to move towards the passenger compartment and the larger holo there. He punched in the frequency quickly and recorded a message quickly, "Phinea. We've arrived and we're at the Senate Spaceport now. Once we get out of here, we'll be at the Senate cantina until you arrive. Phelan has a hankering to see how the other half lives, and I could use food that isn't over-processed mush. Meet us when you can. Nuro out."

Ruane managed to get the Spectre inside the hangar with only minor difficulty. Starboard thrusters cut out unexpectedly, and the resulting list while they were entering the hangar sheared off the sensor array. Ruane gritted his teeth. Just another piece of equipment to replace, but at least on Coruscant, they had more access to Corellian parts for the thing. He winced. He would have to contact someone to add more credits to Folan's accounts. He pushed a button on the comm, plastered on a grin, and said in a cheery voice, "Hey, listen Deryck, buddy. You know that job you owed me for? You know, the Corellian gig? Listen, I gotta collect on that debt. I know you guys are short on credits now, but it's a tough galaxy, you know? So are we all. Guy's gotta eat, ship's gotta fly, you got me? Get back with me soon." Ruane cut the transmission. As secure as they were able to make the Spectre's transmissions, he had no doubts the longer-range transmission he just made to Nar Shaddaa would be analyzed by the SIS. He only hoped that despite its destination, an Empire-affiliated research lab, that it was innocuous enough to escape too much scrutiny but specific enough for Keller to get the drift.

Behind him, a voice said softly, "The Corellian gig?" Nuro could move quietly when he wanted to, and he stood leaning against the bulkhead behind Ruane now, as the Guard gingerly set the Spectre down.

"The Emperor had an interest in elements of the Corellian war. The Jedi eliminated those elements, despite concerted efforts to shake them. Keller knows what I'm talking about. It's just to give him a frame of reference when he messages me back. Shall we?" Ruane gestured towards the cockpit exit and headed towards it himself, pausing only to tap a code into a security panel, shutting everything in the cockpit down. "Might as well get this over with. Hopefully, this identity hasn't been leaked to the Republic."

"And if it has?" Nuro gave him a hard look as he shed his robe and fussed over the spacer's leathers that Ruane had given him. He had blasters on both hips. His lightsaber was tucked away inside his jacket, out of sight. A constant, low level application of the Force kept him looking healthy, instead of the pale and corrupted creature that normally lounged about in RGS's Nar Shaddaa facility.

"If it has, then I am sure between us we will be more than a match for the security they have on hand at the moment and we can flee to the lower levels of the city to regroup. With the Force, we might even avoid a fight altogether." Ruane strapped his electrostaff to his back and a pair of blasters to his hips, then straightened his jacket and his wide-brimmed hat. "I would prefer to avoid a fight if at all possible. We didn't come here to single-handedly storm the planet. Darth Exedo is watching. If my efforts aren't enough to convince them, then a stronger application of the Force may be needed."

Nuro narrowed his eyes. "You know, this wasn't supposed to be an ordeal."

"Things change, my lord. In character now, Nuro, we don't want the stuff-shirts getting itchy, right?" The last bit was said in a close imitation of a Corellian's friendly drawl, and the Twi'lek only crossed his arms and glowered in response. Ruane gave a raucous laugh as the airlock opened and they stepped down out of the ship.

Three bored-looking security personnel were there to greet them. One was more distant, analyzing the bits of the Spectre that fell off as they entered the hangar. One, whose insignia proclaimed him to be a sergeant and the ranking member of the trio, stepped up. "Captain Tirise?"

"Come on, fellas, I retired years ago. Cap'n Folan. This is Nuro." Ruane motioned towards Nuro, whose injuries and put-out-feline demeanor only dissuaded them from greeting him at all. "What can I do for you?"

"You want to explain what happened? " The sergeant gestured towards the holes in the Spectre's underside, which had widened considerably in the descent through the atmosphere.

Ruane whistled appreciatively. "Don't make Corellian birds like this anymore, do they? Pirate got a real hankering for good Narsh adrenals. Took the whole kriffin' batch and practically left us stranded."

The sergeant winced in sympathy. "They've gotten worse since Zakuul took over. I think the Eternal Fleet has been hitting their operations."

"I know they've been makin' my life hell. Both of the kriffin' bastards. How's an honest pilot supposed to put holes in some Imps and make a  couple credits when every son of a Hutt is out there waitin' to pounce? I've snuck into Imp bases an' didn't get as many blasters pointed at me as I've had in the last three days." Ruane huffed, then held out what looked at first like a credit chip. "Stuff-shirt comm-jockey said you'd need to scan this."

"Yeah, protocol. Sorry." The sergeant held up a device and scanned the chip, then his eyebrows shot up. "Sir, I didn't realize..." He looked torn, finally lowering the device and stammering, "Captain Folan, I mean. It's good to see you. I didn't realize we'd be inspecting a war hero."

"Told you, I'm retired now. Crossed blasters with enough Sith. Anything else you need, sergeant, or can we get goin'? I gotta date with a pint of ale or three and a nerfburger. Or three. I haven't decided yet. I miss real kriffin' food." Ruane winked to ease the sting of his words. "Gonna be here a while gettin' this old girl back together again, if you wanted to talk later." Something materialized next to him, possibly just having turned off a stealth generator, and Ruane reacted without thinking, as his training demanded. One moment, he was grinning, at ease with the Republic soldiers. The next, his face was devoid of any emotion as he whirled, almost too fast for even Nuro to follow, the electrostaff almost magically at a fourth soldier's throat.

The fourth soldier stood absolutely still, eyes wide, staring at Ruane's cold, strangely-colored orange eyes from inches away, as the Guard held the sharpened tip of the electrostaff to his throat. "Uh, sergeant, I, uh. I checked the damage. Story checks out."

Nuro shifted, restless. His hands fell to the blasters at his side and he looked around at everyone else. Two of the soldiers had blaster rifles pointed at Ruane. The sergeant just stood staring, startled, as if he hadn't truly seen Ruane before.

Ruane broke the spell, relaxing and pulling back the electrostaff, flicking it off and giving them a half-hearted smile at the same time. "Sorry. I'm a little jumpy. Damn Imps have an ah, interesting way of making themselves memorable, if you catch my drift. No harm meant, huh?"

"Must have really been something." The sergeant still looked uncomfortable, but he gestured to the others, and they lowered their weapons. Nuro relaxed when they did, and pulled his lekku closer around his throat. "Come on, let's go, guys. I may be back for that talk later, captain, if you don't mind. I think I want to hear more about that."

Ruane gave an uncomfortable smile, but nodded. "Not at all. I'll pour a couple pints and we can talk all you want."

The sergeant gave him a weak smile in return. "Thanks." He looked between them and said more firmly, "Welcome to Coruscant."

When they were out of earshot, Nuro said dryly, "Da doth chatpop wa kouwauevasa." That was almost a disaster.

"Reflex, buddy. You'd be jumpy too, if some crazy Sith lady and her pack of assassins had a hate-on for you. Glad that crazy manka cat's locked up. Think I'd sleep even less if she was still around. Come on, I got a date with real kriffin' meat on a bun." He clapped Nuro on the back, then led the way through the spaceport as if he'd been through it a million times before. After the second lift ride, he grinned. "This place really is somethin'. Should visited years ago. This ain't nothin' like home." They reached the lobby and he looked out at the Senate building off in the distance with a wide grin. "Ain't nothin' like home at all. Come on!"

Nuro found himself following in the big Guard's wake as he made his way towards the Senate and the market underneath it.

Twenty minutes later, they lounged in chairs with pints of Corellian ale and plates full of greasy Corellian food. Nuro ate his greedily, but Ruane only nibbled at his, washing it down with generous droughts of ale. He was working on his third refill and except for a slight flush to his cheeks, showed no more signs of of the alcohol than when they walked in. He held a few of the cantina patrons' attention as he finished a story, a wide grin on his face. "...and that, ladies an' drall, is why you don't make fun of a Sith's hat. I think I picked bits of that Hutt's stupid statue out of my ship for the next week." Laughter greeted that pronouncement and he took a long drink from his pint glass, finished it off, then winked at the bartender. "Worth it, though. Hey, how 'bout a refill, sweet thing?"

Nuro looked up from his food long enough to say with an unwilling smile, "Fa doth stoopa. Uba doth nyowkee uba doth tee poodoo." It was stupid. You're lucky you're not fodder.

"Skill, not luck." Ruane grinned at Nuro and balanced a credit chip on one finger deftly before flipping it to the bartender. "So, where's your...what? Sister? Cousin? You told her we were here, right?"

Nuro nodded. "Jee jot uen wa wankee. Ua noa-a wata, ua doth bakanu ten." I left her a message. She'll be here, she was expecting us. He did pull out his datapad, though, tapping out a text message into it as he sat there.

"Hope she's not gettin' the third degree from security. Thought I was tryin' to set down on the wrong planet for a sec. Hey, is that the Rotworms on the holo? Turn that up, I missed the game." He leaned forward, digging into his plate now as he watched the huttball game.

Nuro just shook his head and sipped at his ale. They would either escape notice or get thrown out as tourist nuisances.

Comments

[phinea]

Phinea looked at the SIS Agent waiting outside her door. Rather, the apartment (lush and richly appointed, though she only ever used one room) given to her for use in Coruscant. "Knight Phinea? May I have a word?"

"I was just on my way out," Phinea frowned gently. "But sure. What do you need?"

"We got a message from a Captain Folan at the spaceport, coming out of Hutt with a twi'lek named Nuro, said he was related to you?" The agent looked over Phinea, appraisingly. As he was human, she didn't have to read his emotions to know what it was he was thinking. Humans could be so disgusting sometimes.

"We know one another, yes; he's reached out to me for some aid and I intend to give it to him," Phinea raised a brow ridge and crossed her arms. "That isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

"Well..."

---

Twenty five minutes later, Phinea entered the cantina that Nuro had indicated. There were two notable things about her - one that she eschewed the usual long brown robe of the order, and today that was no exception, but two, that her lightsabers were very clearly out to be seen. Despite motherhood and war, her cheeks still had the roundness of youth to them, her violet eyes bright and clear.

"Didn't mean to keep you waiting," she smiled as she walked up to Nuro and Phelan. "Ready to go? Or did you want to finish eating?"

[darthexedo]

"Hello, beautiful." Ruane was on his feet to greet Phinea almost as soon as she stopped in front of them. Underneath the battered spacers' leathers, the hat, and the easy-going mannerisms, something a lot sharper and more dangerous lurked, assessing her. Especially the lightsabers. Eyes tainted orange by the touch of the Dark Side flicked to her lightsabers and over her choice of clothes. His wide smile never really reached those eyes. "Cap'n Folan Tirise. I dunno how much Nuro's told you about me, but I swear, the bad stuff is all exaggerated."

Nuro pushed his plate away and gave Ruane a hard look, jerking his head towards the door.

Ruane caught the hint and put a couple credits on the table, then headed towards the door. "You know what? I think we're good, why don't we get somewhere more private, beautiful? I think Nuro could use some rest, he's had a hard couple days." Ruane moved as if he owned the place, seemingly perfectly at ease, but for a Force user, even Nuro who was getting tired by this point, there was a tense watchfulness, especially when he passed two robed Jedi deep in conversation.

Nuro, for his part, kept his head down and strove not to use any more of the Force than he had to. The lingering shadow of the Dark Side might keep him safe enough if he didn't do anything stupid.

Ruane shot Phinea a grin. "Nuro didn't tell me his sister was so good looking. I might not have been so curt with that comm-jockey earlier if I knew. You got a...I dunno, office or somethin' around here? I thino even Nuro would agree we been stared at enough today."

As if the both of them weren't visibly armed, Ruane carrying a sharpened electrostaff almost as tall as he was, through the Senate marketplace.

[phinea]

Phinea's lekku twitched at the tips with her annoyance as Ruane continued his act. She wasn't so stupid as to believe the high praise that didn't meet his eyes, and - having heard the lines so many times from other spacers - could feel irritation ticking at the back of her head.

Still, she smiled at Nuro, and while she didn't make any direct movement toward him, beckoned them to follow her, "I've got a place, and it isn't far. Just come on."

[darthexedo]

Ruane's chatter dropped off once they were mostly alone and he dropped back to take up more of a guard position beside and just a step behind Phinea and Nuro. Not in character now, he fell into step with Nuro almost without thinking, and the easy grin was gone. Cold orange eyes flicked over everything and everyone on the street with them. Only once did he duck his head and pretend to adjust his hat as they walked, and that was when they passed a group of Republic troopers in armor.

Once they were past, Nuro shot a curious look over his shoulder and Ruane answered in a soft Imperial accent, "Republic special forces. I fought that unit on Corellia. I think I actually recognize that lieutenant."

Nuro's lips thinned and he rewrapped his lekku around his neck. He leaned closer to Phinea and said quietly, "It is good to see you again. Sorry about all the trouble. Some Zakuul knight has a problem with us and it's getting old fast."

"It's going to be dealt with when I get back. I've allowed the Sith's wait and see approach, but it's become a liability. The last thing we need is the Eternal Fleet gunning for us when we're on the verge of winning military support." Ruane paused as they passed a group of people, then said softly, "When we get inside, I'll check your bandages, sir. I may need to apply more kolto."

Nuro gave an appreciative nod. "My leg's starting to cramp."

[phinea]

"Hopefully it won't be anything to worry about while you're here," Phinea murmured as they walked. A Zakuul kngiht showing up to her private home would be disastrous, and Phinea didn't want to think of the problems that would arise. She nodded to a speeder parked nearby.

"That's me." It was a beauty; Xhaelas had a weakness and it was distressingly fast speeders, and had insisted she use it while she was home. "It won't take us long to get home and then, I don't know, wherever you've figured out you'll be staying, Nuro."

At least Xhaelas would be happy about that.

[darthexedo]

"I doubt it. We lost them when stopped off on Dromund Kaas. The pirate attack was unrelated." Ruane helped Nuro into the speeder, and then sat down himself.

"I actually asked around and one of the Jedi we've been working with offered his apartment while we're here. It's not too far from here." Nuro smiled at Phinea. "So, no worries about us finding a place to stay."

Ruane said dryly, "I'm actually glad. Less of a chance of SIS spying in a private apartment. As much as I enjoy playing the part of Folan, I start to get on my own nerves."

[phinea]

Phinea laughed quietly and put the speeder into gear. It was... fast and that seemed to bother Phinea very little as she traversed the traffic ways. "Oh, hang on," she added as an afterthought.

Xhaelas lived in the upper levels of the city-planet, and they climbed ever-higher past the glossy cream-and-gold buildings that caught the sun. "I'm glad; but I did have an entire listing of places, including my apartment - which I think is actually too big for a jedi, so it would've been great for two people." Or twenty. The fact it was enormous was so unsettling.

Who did they think she was?

Still, it was barely twenty minutes before she docked the speeder in the garage of a very good-looking building, high above the Coruscant smog. "Alright, just a short elevator ride up and I'll have to remind Nurae to mind her manners."

Phinea pushed away her nerves; Ruane wasn't suppose to meet her daughter, Nuro's niece, and yet... there he was. She was all smiles as she turned to them, and they certainly did reach her eyes. "Follow me." She hopped out of the speeder and ran a hand over one lek before heading down a brightly-lit corridor.

[darthexedo]

Ruane helped Nuro out of the speeder, and when the dark side spiked around him for a second and he stopped, clutching his leg, Ruane threw an arm around him to help him down the corridor to the elevator. Ruane gave him an easy smile that was pure smuggler. "Easy, Nuro, buddy. You've had a rough day. Let's not scare anybody in the hallway, huh?" When it seemed like Nuro was still going to stumble, he picked the smaller Twi'lek up easily. At sputtered protests, he grinned. "Don't worry, I'll put you back down in a sec, just gonna get you where you ain't gonna fall over. Ain't never understood how Twi'leks manage not to hurt anything falling over on their head-tails."

Nuro gave Ruane an insolent look, but the relief of not walking through the muscle pain was enough that he just leaned his head back and sighed a moment. He reached over to Phinea's shoulder, once they were in the elevator, and tapped a code. It'll be fine, don't worry. This trouble isn't related to us specifically, they're mad at my master and we got caught in it. They won't follow us. Out loud, he said, "Eeth mi joniu, Jee canta Meecooda kohcha." Put me down, I think I can walk.

Ruane chuckled and eased him to his feet. "Alright, but be careful. We already caused enough of a scene today, buddy. Maybe think about layin' low for a couple of days an' recover, now."

Nuro swayed, but stayed standing, even if the dark side was a bit stronger around him. He strove not to use more than necessary. Just enough not to alarm anyone. As much as it gave him pleasure to see the weaklings on Nar Shaddaa tremble before him, he didn't want his family feeling the same way. He gave Ruane a speculative look. He wasn't entirely happy, himself, at Ruane meeting his family. Just as he hadn't been happy at the Guard going through his things. Quietly, he said, "These people. Your word, Ruane, no harm comes to them. Ever. Or I will flay you."

Ruane's nostrils flared, he narrowed his eyes at Nuro, but nodded slowly. "As long as my allegiance to my Master is not in question, no harm will come to them."

[phinea]

Phinea pretended like she hadn't heard their hushed exchange as she put the security access code in and let it take them up to their floor.

The door opened to a warmly lit foyer, and it was clear that Phinea's near-Spartan tastes hadn't been taken into account anywhere. Xhaelas's time as an Imperial slave had given him an eye for finery that his more-or-less-secret wife hadn't ever developed.

"Hey, I'm home...!" Phinea called as a protocol droid stiffly walked past them in the hall. Before the droid could get a greeting out, there was a small, greenish flash barrelling down at them through the foyer door.

"Mum! Mum! We learned about engines today and they're really cool! And--" the small, squeaky twi'lek girl ran facefirst into her mother's thighs, setting Phinea back a step as she scooped her up, "I want to be a Princess-Queen-Archaeologist-Doctor-Jedi-Engineer now, can I? Please? Pretty please?" Nurae stopped her flood of words to look over her shoulder at Nuro and Ruane. Her accent - doubtless thanks to Xhaelas - was almost imperial-sounding on some words and pure Republic Basic on others.

"Hey, hey, slow down there, kiddo. This is your Uncle Nuro and his..." Phinea looked over at Ruane as she tried to pick a word out that Nurae wouldn't want to peck to death. "Friend, who brought him to visit us."

"Oooh..." Nurae peered at her uncle. Much like Nuro, she was a nice, green color, with her mother's bright, cheery, violet eyes. She seemed to be appraising him, and tilted her head. "I remember you from Mummae's holo! Hi!"

[darthexedo]

Nuro practically beamed. He pulled his blasters off, belt, holsters and all, and handed them to Ruane, then moved over closer to Nurae. His accent was pure, upper class Dromund Kaas. "Hello, Nurae. Your mum told me about you. I've been eager to meet you." Injuries forgotten for the most part, he gave Nurae a mischievous wink and reached into his jacket. "I found something on Voss I think you might like." He pulled out a plush mowvorr, in bright purples and blues, much like the real animal.

Ruane's accent, on the other hand, was more cosmopolitan. It had a harder edge, even if it did sound somewhat Republic at times. To a trained ear, it was a Ziost accent, deviated from the more standard Dromund Kaas accent due to Ziost's former status as a trade hub. He smiled at Nurae, and this time, at least, it was a smile that reached his eyes. "My name is Phelan, and I piloted the ship that got your uncle here." He pulled his own blasters off and handed both holster belts to the protocol droid. "If you would, please make sure these are out of reach. The safeties are on, but I'm sure there's no need for them here." He kept his electrostaff at his back, either not entirely convinced of the safety of the apartment or else so used to its presence he forgot it entirely. He slipped into a parade rest, keeping a watchful eye on Nuro.

Nuro, for his part, was too happy to see family to even worry about his injuries for the moment. "So, princess, queen, archaeologist, doctor, and what else, now?" Nuro grinned.

[phinea]

Nurae squealed and half-climbed over her mother's shoulder to get the toy before reeling back to look at her mother, as if asking permission. Phinea made a noise as their balance shifted, and put her hand on her daughter's back to keep them from both bowling over.

Phinea nodded and Nurae lurched forward again, small hands out for the toy. "Nurae--"

"Thank you, Uncle Nuro," Nurae caught herself quickly and beamed at the Sith Lord. The protocol droid took the weapons from Ruane, and hurried off to put them in a safe place far, far from small fingers. "What is it? It's fluffy!"

[darthexedo]

"It's a mowvorr. They live on a planet called Voss. It's a planet full of bright yellow grass and trees, and the people have eyes like bugs and all the people and animals are brightly colored." He grinned. "Mowvorr are like cats. And they're just this same color." He made a noise like a cat's growl as he handed it to her, then grinned. "My...friend's apprentice brought a mowvorr kitten home as a pet. I don't recommend it, they're hard to house break."

Ruane coughed. "I think, my l...sir, you're making it sound better than it is. The little beast is cute, but it likes to eat pillows...and toys." He winked at Nurae.

[phinea]

"Mow..vorr," Nurae repeated as she clutched it to her chest, then wiggled impatiently to be put down. "Thank you!"

Her mother breathed a sigh through her nose, as if quietly relieved that Nurae had remembered her manners. It was hard to keep track of things when she was gone so long out of the standard year. Nurae looked up at Nuro as though she continued to assess him.

"They wouldn't eat my toys. Mummae," Nurae looked up Phinea who was handing her weapon belt off to the protocol droid. "Can I have one?"

"...While I would like to give you everything, I'm afraid this is a question for your father." Phinea replied and shot Nuro a Look.

Nurae was thoughtful for a moment, then turned on her heel. "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD." She yelled as she ran through the foyer door and down a hall. "WE GOTTA TALK."

"And on that note, Xhaelas has his hands full when I'm not around."