Juvex City

Since they had been kind enough to invite him to sit and help himself to a drink, it would be rude to refuse, right? Not that common courtesy would have been a serious factor here. Even if Bey didn't enjoy spirits, which he did in abundance, he was still a gamorrean. They tended to have poor impulse control when it came to putting things in their bellies. It was an offer he'd be sourly pressed to deny.

Bey Kahn nodded slowly, eying the available chairs present with some scrutiny. Being heavy set also came with his species territory. He'd been known to break a chair or two before when sitting on something that couldn't support his bulk. He found a chair he felt confident in and lowered himself down slowly, allowing the piece of furniture to gradually take his weight. There was a slight creak, but when the chair's leg didn't snap under it, he allowed himself to relax and poured himself a drink of what was offered. He took a sip and was pleasantly surprised to find he enjoyed the taste quite a bit. He took a follow up gulp and smacked his lips together before replying.

Alright, well as a I said my name is Bey Kahn. Mmmm, bacon. I'm a blacksmith by trade, but I came to Juvex as a merchant trader aboard a vessel at the port. We ran into a bit of trouble with pirates before entering the system and our ship is in dire need of repairs. The crew and I have spent the day since arriving trying to sell our services and find paying work. It would be difficult to tell with the droid head on his hip translating all his words, but there was a somber tone to his words as he spoke of his crews present situation. My crews like a family, a very unusual family mind you, but a family all the same. The older I get the more important that seems to become. He eyed Boland and Grace especially as he said this. I think that is perhaps something we have in common.

After witnessing first hand the protective nature of the two towards the child, he felt he understood them as well as he needed to. It didn't matter that they were from different species, cultures, and worlds. Nothing mattered so much as family.

He continued, jerking a thumb back in the direction he had arrived from. I was having a bite to eat over yonder, thinking of ways to make myself useful, when I spied your daughter... He didn't know if Maureen was Boland and Grace's daughter, but given their protective nature towards the girl, it was a fair guess. ...and her pet standing by the grave here. Something compelled me to approach. I know that probably sounds odd but it's not the first time its happened before. He put up his free hand, for the other was still holding a drink, almost in a humbling gesture. Don't misunderstand. I'm just a Pig who happens to be good a beating metal into shapes, but sometimes the universe talks to me. I can hear voices coming from the earth. He pointed back towards the grave. Not the sort you hear with your ears. I can hear them in my mind, going on about something called shite-hawks and the like. I can not explain it, but I know the dead are not happy with their current circumstance. If the two shaman on my crew were here, I am confident they would agree. He shrugged. I'm not sure if I was meant to just tell you that or to help you in some way, but here I am.

He leaned back in his chair.

And that's my story.

At the modified Fairwind style vessel, Lack of Faith II, ewoks and tynnans went about their business of offloading cargo and making what minimal repairs they could with their limited supplies. Outside the ship on the landing platform it rested upon, stood a lone ewok with glossy brown fur and an animal hide hood covering his head. His name was Chestnut and he served as Bey Kahn's first mate, so far as their casual command structure was formatted. He was out front of the ship going over a manifest when he was such engaged by Boland and his group of expert mechanics.



Chestnut didn't even bat an eye in surprise. No doubt the captain had enlisted help with the repairs from some of the locals. He never questioned that Bey would come through in the end. With their last captain, the notorious space pirate Tarfang, everything had been a scheme. Bey Kahn wasn't like that. The gamorrean was more of a straight shooter, actually finding them legitimate work that kept them on the right side of the law. He also made maintenance a priority. The ewok tapped the manifest a few times with a furry paw and handed it over to Boland.

Chestnut: "The hyperdrive needs an overhaul. Several of the hulls hardpoints have micro-fractures that have been venting atmosphere, those will need to be sealed. It's not a priority but if you have any spare laser turrets, there are nine housings for them that are currently vacant. We had to sell our defensive weapons for fuel at the last port. The shield generator won't output at more than fifty percent, that's a problem. Also there is a fuel leak somewhere in our sublight drive that for the life of us we can't figure out how to plug." He scratched his furry chin. "Pretty much the only thing that doesn't need maintenance are the sensors, though they'll need to be recalibrated before our next departure."

---

There was something about the raven seated on the woman's shoulder that made Bey Kahn uneasy. It was like its eyes burrowed right through his very soul. Had he seen such a thing as a child on his homeworld, he would have assumed the creature was witch-touched, possessed by the malignant fey as some form of spirit guide. It's what his gut suggested, but he was old and had seen a great deal of the galaxy by this point. He just had to accept that there were some things in the universe he wasn't meant to understand. Besides, acceptance was much easier than postulating its purpose until his brain hurt. Still, it was spooky.

Bey took another sip from his glass, listening as Grace spoke of the dead's desire to return and of something called a life crystal. He said the word aloud, as though speaking it might give him deeper insight into its purpose.

Life crystal... Even the droid head on his hip that translated every squeal he spoke had an uncertainty in its vocal tone. Based solely on the name he speculated it was an object containing a being's life essence, but it could just as easily be something that assisted in bringing a person to life. Or maybe it was something that contained the collective memories of an individuals lifetime. Suffice it to say, he had no idea.

Nope. He finally said. I have someone on my crew who might know more about such things, but I can't say I've ever heard of a life crystal before. What's its purpose?