Assembling the Group ( in character role playing)

After doing a full head spin, Jowmum regains his composure.

You are quite welcome. Perhaps we can sell this new shortcut. What do you say we split the profits, 50/50?

We could always hunt for other shortcuts along our journey. Maybe we can find a whopper! As for splitting it, we can discuss that when the time comes.

*Message to Boris. Looks like we stumbled across a possible revenue source: mining for hyperspace shortcuts.*

Hailey raised her eyebrows at the thought of Boris taking her to jail, but dismisses it.

"You don't even look like an Imperial Investigator. Believe me, I would know. You frown too much, you don't have a camera or a voice analyzer, and there was of course that slip you made back there when you called me the Wraith. That was actually how I knew I could trust you."

"Anyway, I was born on a moon orbiting some gas giant in the outer rim, but my family didn't stay there long. Seems like we never stayed anywhere very long, and it wasn't until I was almost four that I learned why. We were thieves, every single one of us. A long time ago, a family enemy stole my great grandfather's fortune, and we've been stealing it back ever since.
"I never knew my mother, and whenever I would ask my father about her, he'd tell a different story. Sometimes they loved each other very much, but she died giving birth to me. Sometimes she left him and is now roaming the galaxy in search of somewhat more honorable adventures. It doesn't matter to me. The only thing I know for certain of her is that I'm her spitting image.
"When I was ten, we realized I had an incredible talent for pick pocketing. I would always come back with more and more valuable items than any of the cousins who were my age. A couple years later Dad decided to graduate me to locking mechanisms, and I quickly mastered them as well. On my eleventh birthday he put me in the gunner seat of a two man fighter, and I saw stars in the day time.
"There was no saving me after that, I guess. I was born to fly, but none of this silly Hyperspace for me, please and thank you. I love feeling the ship shiver to my every gesture. I used to dodge asteroids with my cousins when I was a kid. Now that I think of it, letting us do that was dangerously irresponsible of our parents, but I guess they figured we'd survive if we were clever enough. We didn't have a fleet of any one kind of ship, just an old fighter here or there. That's how I learned to fly just about anything.
"Have you ever watched a baby learn to walk? It's amazing. Once they figure out they don't need their dad or mom to take them somewhere, that they can get there themselves, it's like you just can't stop them. That's what it was like when I realized I could go anywhere and do anything I wanted. Next thing everyone knew after I was bored of asteroids, I would disappear for a month or more, then come back loaded to the gills with wealth and jewels.
"Then I and all my cousins started taking bets as to who could bring back the best trophies." She grins. "To this day, I think I still hold the record, but I'll have to confer with one of them before I claim that, though. We're always trying to pull crazy stunts to out-do each other. It's all for the family cause, and someday our kids will be benefited by all our hard work."

Talik climbs down and enters the lounge to catch the second half of Hailey's story. She listens captivated by the asteroid dodging, knowing how tricky that is in a simulator, let alone actually risking your life.
I knew I liked you! You got an itch to wander just like me!

Boris looks up as Talik enters the room
There is not much to tell. When I was young I was sold as a slave and bought by kindly Librarian. He raised me and adopted me hense my name. When I grew up I wondered where my parents were. So as soon as I could I sent out to find them. My father may the force be with him tried to prepare me best as he could. Anyway I sent off trying to trace down my parents alng the way I encountered a Twi'lek Mercenary who seemed to be on the same trail I was. So I hung out with him learning more about life than I ever expected to. Then...
Boris pauses for dramatic effect
He tried to sell me to some pirates I was fortunate that some fuel barrels expoloded allowing for my escape. After that I stopped looking for my parents and decided to be a scholar like my father. Unfortuneatly for my degree I forced to travel and I just seem to have the worst luck when traveling. My last trip some crazy husband boarded our ship just before it jumped to Hyper. He then spends the entire time trying to kill every male he thinks she been with in the ship. Then he corners me in the hyperdive room claimming that she had run away with me. If I had not been carrying this.
He gestures holding the Vibrosword.
He would blasted me. Fortunately he was a bad shot and I had time to cut my way in to the access shaft. He was so intent on getting me he never noticed how badly the Hyberdrive was damaged. In the end his suicide cost 25000 credits and two months in the dock. So I guess you could say that I am trying to stay ahead of trouble.
He leans back grinning.
Well our intreped captain what is your story? What drive you into the black?

The "black" itself was my draw. My grandpa would tell me stories of the clones wars, and the brave jedi who fought to keep the galaxy free from the trade federation. He was a foot soldier before they started using clones, and, like Hailey, he had a knack for surviving. Every time he told me an old war story, he would start it by pointing to some unseen place between the stars.
This was my drive to learn how to fly. Between school and working in my dad's repair shop, I logged close to 30,000 hours in a simulator I built simulator eight years ago. I never really got a chance to fly until my dad's Weequay buddy Yaro gave me the chance two days ago.
Now I can't imagine life without the freedom to go any where I want.
*Looks to the droid*
There's got to be more to you than 'just a droid" no-one outfits a voice synthesizer on an astromech.

Jowmum pipes up before the conversation can move away from personal histories.

I might as well take a turn. My memories begin in a robotics lab where I learned I was an uploaded Wookie. When the lab changed ownership, I was put in charge of a rather adventurous child and we had fun growing up together. She was disabled, and used a hoverchair, and we participated in many races her school system put on.

He angles his body down a little bit while the story takes a tragic turn.

She died when she was 22 years old and she willed me to her uncle, a freighter pilot who didn't like Wookies that much. He insisted on calling me by my designation. When I was alone, I liked to go outside while we were in orbit, and watch the stars while thinking about my place in the Galaxy. One day, during the Clone War, we were hauling some junk, I was assigned to repair a slicer droid who had taken a direct hit from a blaster in a recent battle. It's personality was fried, but I fixed up the rest.

My master was not happy I hadn't finished. As punishment he traded me off to Isshbev, a mean Wookie black market information dealer. He removed my existing voice synthesizer and set me to work on maintaining his blackmail archive. The years went by and he was getting meaner by the month. Someone let the Empire know he was helping undermining their efforts and they attacked. The second rate astromech he favored repaired some damage to the port engine, so wthe e managed to escape, but droid hatch got stuck so he didn't make it back inside before we went into hyperspace. I didn't report his passing to Isshbev, out of some passive resistance. When we came out of hyperspace, his friends weren't too happy about learning about him selling them out to the Empire. I was just finishing a manual backup when the hyperdrive started going critical. I shimmied my way into an escape pod and ejected just before the ship exploded.

A ship picked me up. Their leader was understanding of my dilemma. He let me work with them as opposed to for them in exchange for some information. They refitted me with a voice synthesizer and I worked for them for a few years, honing my abilities as a slicer. Eventually, I came into contact with Boris, who compensated my current overseer for my release. I have been searching for my family with him ever since. We haven't made much progress so far, but we have a possible lead on Formos.

Hailey missed the entirety of Jowmum's story with a semi horrified, semi astonished look on her face.

She's never flown before?!

But in light of keeping the peace, she refused to put voice to this thought.

Tali feels that the stories bring everyone a little closer, and the tension that filled the ship only a couple hours ago is all but gone. She leans over and turns on the Dejarik board [OOC: StarWars chess].
The stories are great and all, but surely one of you knows how to play?

Boris takes a look at Hailey's face and starts laughing.
Then he turns to Talik
You spent three years in the simulator and did not touch a ship? Wow that is impressive dedication. You put in more time than most professional pilots. No wonder your reaction time is so quick. But back to Dejarik I would be willing to play you.

Oh? Are we going to be late?
Boris says with a Cheshire grin on his face.

Hailey's face returned to normal when the conversation came to Dejarik.

"I've never played myself before, but I've seen my cousins play, and I'm a great learner."

*turns to the pilot. [OOC: She still doesn't know her name!]* "If you want to play, I can go fly."

As if on cue, an old egg time dings cock pit. Tali yawns, stretches and cracks her neck.
You all know my name, its Captain. The hyperdrive is ready for another go.
She walks with purpose to the ladder and climbs  quickly. A few seconds later you hear over the intercom.
The crew is needed in the cockpit, YESTERDAY! Last one up scrubs ion scaling.

Hailey leaps up and clambers up the ladder. She sits down in the co-pilot's seat, but from a corner of the eye look from Captain, refrains from automatically touching the controls.

Jowmum makes his own way to the upper deck.

Boris Stretches and checks the the normal time required against the amount already put forth in this journey. He feels that there is little he can do in the cockpit.
*Message Jowmum*
Hey when everyone goes to bed remind me to check the rules of rent to own.

*Message to Boris* You got it. What exactly is it you are looking to rent to own?

*Jowmum*
Nothing. I am looking for hidden clauses, or incentive programs aimed at the Corellian Research Group.

Hailey watches the pilot enter in the calculations for Hyperspace.

"You know, I never really liked hyperspace that much. It always seemed so... clumsy. Granted it was fine for getting somewhere quickly when there's nothing interesting to see on the way, but still." She sighs and looks out the window.