Peenk Montal stepped onto the bridge of her ship, the Long Distance Runner. At one of the control consoles Ano Orinnie was explaining the evolution of stars for her friend, Arla Tel'met. "And what happens when silcon fuses into iron?" Ano asked the blue skinned Twi'lek. "The end, basically." Arla said. "That's when it enters it's stellar death throes." "Stellar death throes?" Peenk asked as she stood beside Baby, as Arla was called by the crew. "That's poetic Baby." "That's me," Baby replied. "The artistic one." "Oh wow!" Ano said loudly when she saw the tight pink bodysuit Peenk wore. "Give us some warning! You almost blinded us." "Unless you want to find yourself unemployed," The blonde told the hairless Ano with a smirk. "You'll keep such comments to yourself. It's my ship, I'll wear what I want." "Yeah, like you'd kick us off your ship," Baby said as she smiled at Peenk. "That's right," Ano said as poked a finger into Peenk's shoulder. "You'd no more likely to throw us off the Runner than Melee." "Just keep pushing your luck," Peenk said as she turned to peer down the ships central passage. "Listen, when the ship's clock reaches 1353 hours, 11 seconds, drop us out of hyperspace." "Wait," Ano said before closing her eyes. After several seconds, she opened them again. "That'll drop us out in the middle of nowhere!" "Oh no!" Peenk said as she turned to head to the stern. "It'll drop us into the middle of everything!" Mulk Kerish, his daughter Seesha Dava, and Melee Orinie, were in the lounge of the private ship, Long Distance Runner. The trio sat listening to some music playing on a Coruscant holonet site, all three regretting the decision to do so. Mulk shook his head sadly. "Why does the Force punish us with this horrible music? There has to be something out there that's worth listening to." "Well turn it to one of the Twi'Lek stations," Seesha said, one of Melee's odd hats on her head. "Their music isn't that bad." "How about I turn it to that station broadcasting from Dak," The Mazuran said, chuckling. "And listen to more of that Mon Calimar opera!" "You do that Papa," His daughter said with a grimace. "And I'll take your lightsaber and remove my own head!" "And I'll take a walk out the port side airlock," Melee said as she lay on her back in the chair, her legs flung over an arm, her booted toes tapping together in boredom. Seesha heard the ship's owner and captain, Corell Peenk Montal's, boots tapping up the ship's central passage. Turning to Melee, who'd also heard her, she smiled and raised her voice. "Well if you really want to hear some bad music, turn it to one of the Correllian sites!" Seesha then grinned at her employer as she entered the ship's lounge. "Their music is as bad as their food." "Watch it!" Peenk said with a flash of anger on her beautiful face. "Don't talk about our music and food, Sis!" Mulk turned to her and blew Lushuu mushroom smoke at her. "And when was the last time you listened to some Corellian music, girl?" "Our music can't be any worse than the Mazuran stuff!" She shot back, trying to wave the sweet smelling smoke away. "Yes it can, Peenk. We Mazuran have no music," He said with a smile. "We have no feel for creating it." "Buir?" Melee cut in with a chuckle. "The only people in this galaxy that seem to have a feel for making music that can be listened to, are the Mandalorians, and the Twi'leks!" "It's damn sure not the Bith!" Peenk complained, shaking her head in revulsion at the sounds of the Bith singer Rosha Dalkylin and his band, the Mad Math Makers. "Is there a reason you're back here Peenk?" Seesha asked as she now lay on her side, her head propped up on a hand. "Or are you just back here to blind us with that pink bodysuit and to soak up some this wondrous, so called music." The blond stuck her tongue out at the grinning Furrene before speaking. "You guys remember the broadcast about that stolen experimental X-Wing?" "Yes," Mulk replied as he nodded. "They have a two hundred thousand credit reward for it's return." "Well Lele detected a weak Navy distress signal. I think it's the fighter. Ano's getting ready to drop us out of hyper space," The beautiful woman, dressed in her form fitting pink body suit, said before turning to Melee. "You said you wanted to try out that new ev suit I bought you. Get it on and hook up the docking tube. There's an additional fifty thousand for the thief. So be waiting for him at the portside airlock, Mulk. They say he's some kind of psycho war criminal." The Mazuran Mandalorian grinned as he jumped out of the chair, and was running down the passage, followed by the girl. "It's time?" Seesha asked Peenk in a low voice, not wanting Melee's enhanced ears to hear them. "Yes," the Human said nervously. "Let's head for the bridge, Big Sister." Melee stepped into the air lock room, a puzzled look on her face. "Marty, why are the lights out in this room?" She asked the short, stocky man who stood beside Mulk. "No idea kid. I've got a couple of my boys on it." "Never mind that, Marty," Mulk grumbled. "let's just see about getting the docking tube ready. That T-65 is too big for our hanger. They say the loony didn't even have a flight suit with him when he took off with the X-Wing." "Mulk, what are you doing with a hull torch?" Melee asked. Mulk grumbled again as he hefted the tool. "Intimidation. Most people have never seen one, so they think it's some kind of heavy weapon. And I'm thinking he probably hasn't either. So I'm hoping it'll keep him in line." "What's wrong, Mulk?" Melee asked as she put her helmet on. "You've been moping around all day." "I have this bad feeling that something has happened to Kinna's group. Something terrible," Mulk said in a low voice. He then checked the seals on the suit until he was satisfied the girl was ready to go. For a moment a sorrowful look passed over the old Mandalorean's face. But just as quickly, it was gone. "But as for you, remember what Kinna and I've taught you. Use the force. Trust it to guide you. I don't feel any threat from this clown out there," Mulk then smiled at the girl. "But I do know this, he's not insane like they've claimed. I sense a great deal of sadness, as well as pain, but that's all. So he might be injured. Now go out there and connect that docking tube." "Yes, Master Mulk," Melee said teasingly, knowing he'd stopped calling himself a Jedi centuries before she was born. Mulk started to say more when the Force warned him of the thief. He bolted for the ships intercom and called the bridge. "Peenk! Turn on all external lights, now!" A moment later Pink answered back "Seesha's turned them on. What's up?" "I think the X-Wing's life support has run out. I got the feeling the pilot was going to kill himself," Mulk paused for a second. "But he's backed off now that he knows we're here," He turned back to Melee. "Move it! We need to get that tube hooked up now!" Joshua sat in the fighter's cockpit, alone. More alone than he'd ever been in his almost thirty years. Life support had just terminated, so he'd decided he was not going to end his life gasping for air like a fish out of water. The only regret he really had was that his family would never know what had happened to him. But the pain he found to be most unbearable, was knowing that he would never see his little girl grow up. The four months he'd been in this galaxy was a nightmare. Knowing that she probably thought he was dead was worse than the pain from the Need. Worse than what they said he went through as a prisoner of war. Shaking his head sadly, he put his hand on the lever that would open the canopy. As he started to pull the lever back, he found himself blinded by a brilliant light. A ship! He slamed the lever back in place, snapping it off. Twisting about, he peered out the canopy at a ship. It was, to him, the most beautiful ship he'd ever seen. "Ok, I'm just a couple of meters away now... and I can see the guy moving around in there?" Melee's voice came over the ship's intercom, sounding confused. "Uh, Peenk, could I get one of the searchlights aimed here?" Peenk and Seesha gave each other a worried glance. "Is something wrong, Melee?" Seesha asked. "Do you want to come back in and let Papa take care of it?" "No, I think there's something unusual here, that's all. And besides, this guy doesn't have the time." "Ok, light on," Peenk said as she flipped the power on and swung the searchlight about. "Ooooh my," Melee said quietly. "What is it, is he okay?" Peenk asked, once again glancing at Seesha. "The Navy left out three small details about this guy," Melee whispered as she placed the docking tube over the cockpit and sealed it. Puzzled, Peenk asked what they would be. "Well, for starters, he's a hottie!" Everyone in the ship broke into laughter. "What's the second," Lele asked. "He's a kid!" Melee's voice blasted over the ship's speakers. Peenk and Lele stared at one another in disbelief. "What do you mean, he's a kid?" Mulk asked quickly. "The reports said he was a Human male, age tweny-nine!" "Weeell," Melee said in a humorous tone. "I'm looking right at him, and he looks to be about sixteen!" "And what would be the third thing," Mulk asked, not seeing the shock on Peenk's face. "He's wearing a skin tight commando stealth suit!" The girl's voice rang out. "And what a hot bod!" "I'm on my way," Mulk's voice trailed behind him as he headed back for the airlock. "He's signalling to me," Melee said, sounding serious once again. "He's holding the lever to open the canopy. I think he was opening it when we flashed our lights. And it looks like he broke it slamming it back in place. I'll just use the external canopy controls." "Oh, by the Force!" Peenk exclaimed as Seesha took her hand. "That was close!" "Ah, Seesha?" Melee was now confused again as her voice flowed from the speakers. "Didn't they say that this was a factory fresh T-65?" "Flown three times before he took it," Seesha answered. "Why?" "Because the external controls to pop the canopy have been burned out by a laser strike," Melee went silent for a couple more seconds. "There are several more burns that I can see. This kid's been in a fight." "How are we going to get him out?" Lele asked the others. "Easy as Ano on a date!" Melee quipped. "I'll use the Force." "I'm kicking your ass when you get back inside!" Melee's sister cut in on the feed from her station in engineering. Melee swung back to face the boy in the cockpit. With a wave of her hand, she manipulated the Force about the stub of the broken handle and pulled it back. The occupant watched with facination as the canopy lifted. Melee then saw the boy smile as the fresh air from the Runner filled his craft. She then gasped as he began to pull himself out the cockpit. "Shit!" Melee swore softly. "This guy's built like me!" "You mean he has perky little boobies, too?" Baby quipped, the crew quickly laughing in response. "Funny!" The older of the orinie sisters shot back. "I mean this kid is nothing but muscle. There's no fat on him." "But you do have a little fat on you," Ano quipped as well. "Your perky little boobies." "Oh, wow!" Melee sang cheerfully as the young man pulled himself through the tube to the ship. "This stealth suit is tight! And ladies? He is packing! Mmmmmm!" Mulk's boots could be heard slamming into the deck as he ran for the airlock room, Seesha, and Lele laughing at his receding form. The two then turned to Peenk who now stood in embarassed silence, their smiles gone. Slowly she grinned. "Yeah, so he's a big boy." "That's not why we're staring at you!" Lele said excitedly. "You said he was a man! As in, an adult, not a kid!" "Okay!" Peenk said in frustration. "I don't know what he looks like!" "How could you not know what he looks like?" Seesha asked quickly. "You've told us so much about him!" "I don't know!" Still frustrated, Peenk tapped the side of her head with a finger. "I mean, I could feel him in the Force vision as clear as if he was standing right here with us. I just couldn't see him. It's so damned weird!" "Ah!" Seesha said with a smile as she bent down to stare the blond Human in the eyes. "I know what you were sensing. It was not the man. What you were feeling was the love you will hold for the man. You were sensing him with your heart." "How could you know that?" Lele asked, amazed at the insight into the Force that the Furrene Mandalorian often exhibited. "Are you kidding me?" Dava laughed. "I was adopted by Mulk and Zanna Kerrish fifty years ago. He's a former Jedi, and the Mazuran as a people are strongly Force Sensitive. I've seen weird Force stuff all my life!" Lele took the tall woman by the hand and steered her in the direction of the ship's central passage. "Get a move on, girl! Your future is right down there in that airlock room."