Chapter 3: Archaic

[Rogue 4]

Layla was working on mass pheromone production when she heard the footsteps in the hall. They were different from the ones of these bored guards, who were all now down at the end playing a game of chance. She looked over to the door just in time to see the face of the bounty hunter whom had captured her.

She jumped off of the cot, walking limping quickly over to the door. "Well if it isn't Jaing Skirata. And you look nearly as bored as I do."

[Drake 53]

Jaing made a show of looking from side to side. "I didn't realize you could see through my helmet. Are you some kind of Jedi?" He paused then, a little too quickly, added, "No, I suppose not. Otherwise you would have used your meddlesome powers to escape capture long ago."

Without turning his head away from Layla's door, Jaing could see the guards at the end of the hall in his helmet viewscreen. They didn't even seem to notice his presence. He took a step up to the door. "So that's the stink my suit scrubbers have been working so hard to filter."

[Rogue 4]

"Stink?" Layla asked, wrinkling her pretty little pink nose in offense. "If you took that helmet off you'd see how much it doesn't, stink, but I'm sure you won't do that. But if you could find somehow to channel the Force into me, that would be great."

Edited June 5, 2008 by Rogue

[Drake 53]

"I heard those other crazy barves, the Sith, could do that. Sadly, I would be sooner to shoot one than ask it the secrets of the trade." Jaing tilted his head to the side. "So...how was dinner? The family doing alright?" He chuckled.

[Rogue 4]

She groaned, placing her hands on her hips and looking over to him. "Dinner was a ploy. Deign's just trying to catch me offguard in the hopes that I'll tell him where I hid his sister." She smirked proudly. She wouldn't tell him where Sena was.

[Drake 53]

"Sena Argos, huh?" he said. "I'm sure I could track her easier than I tracked you. However, Mr. Argos seems to forget, at random, my many uses...or that he even hired me sometimes." He hooked a thumb back to the security camera watching them. "And despite the fact that we're being watched, I'm sure he won't even bother."

[Rogue 4]

"He won't. He'd rather me suffer." Layla said, frowning. She wanted to move off the topic. She wanted to know if Jaing Skirata was of any relation to Takeshi. Still, she didn't want to use his name, and give the cameras information on who the other members of her squadron were.

She crossed her arms, leaning her side against the door. "I've been meaning to ask you a question though---what does the name Falco Skirata mean to you?"

Edited June 5, 2008 by Rogue

[Drake 53]

"It's a big clan so it would take some remembering. Luckily, I have nothing better to do." Jaing paused, then asked, "Why are you suddenly interested in my clan, anyway? Most of them are dead or scattered, anyway."

[Rogue 4]

"Because I'm bored, and because I know of some of them." Layla said, trying to sound casual. "And it's not every day I get to ask a Mandalorian about them."

Well, that's not the biggest lie I've said all day. "That and since I got here you're the only person who hasn't either restrained me, detained me, hit me, or had thoughts of molesting me, so I figure you're a good target for a conversation."

[Drake 53]

"And how do you know I don't intend on doing any of those things?" Jaing asked. "Because the thought of molesting you certainly has it's appeal."

After a long pause, and without hinting at all that he was joking, Jaing finally said. "Very well, I suppose I can humour you. Falco Skirata was my father's brother. He was the biological son of Munin Skirata. Last I heard, he was on Kuar. I never really bothered looking much into it."

Edited June 5, 2008 by Drake

[Rogue 4]

So Jaing and Tak are cousins. "What incredible irony," She mumbled to herself. What were the chances of being captured by your lover's cousin and being sold to your evil ex-boyfriend. Her life was starting to take on all the sick charm of a bad romance novel.

[Drake 53]

Jaing noted her subtle reaction of surprise. He was good at reading people, even if they thought of themselves good at hiding it.

"I don't suppose this has anything to do with that Mando I fought, does it?" he asked. He sounded disinterested, however he was slightly curious as to who the other man was. No doubt, Jaing could do the research and the data tracking and find out sooner or later. However he wouldn't be getting paid for it and his curiosity wasn't quite worth the effort.

[Rogue 4]

"Perhaps," She said indifferently. Yes would be an addmittance, No would be taken as a denial. "It seems to me though you're just curious to know who you fought. And don't try to deny it. I'm very empathic."

[Drake 53]

"You Zeltrons sure are a self-righteous lot. I've never met one who hasn't reminded me of their innate ability to go nosing about your business," Jaing said with a smirk, to himself. "And I had no intention of denying my curiosity. That Mando'ad fought well."

[Rogue 4]

She grinned. "Of course he did." And when he comes here to get me, like I know he will, you'll be the one lying in the dirt, Jaing, not him.

[Drake 53]

Jaing continued, "He fought well and he died well. It's not customary to kill a fellow Mandalorian...unless you're getting paid enough to do it. However, he was knocked out and probably would have suffocated on his own blood. Unless someone happened to come along to help him, of course."

[Rogue 4]

She crossed her arms and turned away from him, biting down hard on her lip. "He's not dead. He can't be dead."

Jaim would have gotten to him in time, wouldn't he have? She needed to believe that.

[Drake 53]

"You're not the only one who can read people," Jaing said. "It seems to me as though you have feelings for this barve. And don't try to deny it. I'm very empathic," he added in a mocking tone.

"Well, if he is your mate and he is alive, I suppose I won't have to worry about his vengeance rampage as I havn't been contracted to get in the way."

[Rogue 4]

"Good." Layla said with a sigh, walking over to her cot. "Do yourself a favor...if Deign tries to contract you, deny him. Otherwise things might get more complicated for you than you'd like."

[Drake 53]

"We'll see," said Jaing, "...how good the pay is. Try not to rot too fast, Nasrin."

He turned away and continued down the corridor.

[Rogue 4]

"Have fun pulling the frag grenade out of your ass, Skirata." She waved lazily, laying on the cot and looking up at the ceiling. Her cheek was throbbing, and her heartrate was showing no sign of slowing anytime soon.

She hoped that Tak was alright. She needed him to be alright. She couldn't be the reason the person she loved died. She'd lived through a lot...but she wasn't sure she could live through that.

She missed Ayana. Right about now she should have just been arriving on Zeltros. Her little baby girl would be waiting there with Layla's cousin, wondering where her mama was.

Layla was trying to be strong, but those thoughts brought tears to her eyes. Right now she just wanted to hold both of them in her arms so she knew they were okay.

[Drake 53]

After answering what he could and what he felt like sharing, Takeshi went to his new temporary quarters and sat at the desk there. He activated the computer terminal and set up a video comm for Zeltros.

[Rogue 4]

"Relax Lira. I've got a call from Coruscant now. I'm sure that's Lay--"The audio came in first, and after a brief moment of delay an image came up on the display. It was that of a Zeltron woman near fifty, and she seemed to be speaking to someone else off of the screen. She turned her head to the screen, and she blinked in confusion upon seeing Takeshi's face. "You're not Layla."

[Drake 53]

Tak nodded his head. "Mrs. Nasrin, hello. My name is Lietenant Takeshi Beskar from the New Republic Defense Force Starfighter Corps. I am an associate of your daughter, Layla. It is my duty to inform you that your daughter has been kidnapped by a bounty hunter working for Deign Argos of the criminal organization Archaic on Corellia."

[Rogue 4]

The woman's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Argos?! She was supposed to be safe there! She said there was security...you let that madman get a hold of her?!"

"Aunt Niole, calm down...let me handle this." Layla's cousin was a couple years older than her. She stepped into view, holding a small zeltron girl in her arms. Ayana. "Lieutenant Beskar, what happened?"