"Jornea. Come to the engine room." Kit's voice came over the ship-wide speakers with a good deal of irritation. Tava barely registered it. It wasn't uncommon for Kit to be in a bad mood. It certainly wasn't strange for him to want Jornea around.

It wasn't until a little later when Jornea's voice came over the speakers that she gave the com a strange look. "Kartk. Would you be a dear and join us in the engine room please?" Tava switched over to auto-pilot and slipped out of her seat to go see what was going on.

Jornea was more likely to call on Kartk but not to the engine room. Which meant she was probably calling on Kit's behalf. Tava wasn't sure if Kartk would answer those summons. He had become tolerant of the two perhaps, but that didn't mean he was ready to jump at whatever they needed.

Tava strode into the engine room and looked around. She raised a brow when she spotted Kartk's big form near the back and moved in that direction. "What's going on?"

Li'Coby swung around with a happy trill to grin at Tava, but didn't attempt an explanation.  Jornea's head popped around one of the bigger pieces of equipment that Tava couldn't have named if her life depended on it. Kartk twisted to look over one shoulder, revealing Kit wedged into a small crevice. Jornea grinned as she greeted her captain. "Hey Tava. Check it out! They're working together and they haven't bitten off each others heads yet."

Kartk rolled his eyes and turned back to shoving his arm into the crevice. "I'm still waiting for him to bite me."

Kit's muffled voice echoed out of the crevice. "There! That's it. Pull on this." Kartk's shoulders strained and he rocked his body weight into whatever Kit was having him pull on. There was a pause, then Kit spoke again. "Let go."

Kartk released and stepped back. Kit dusted his paws together as he peered at whatever they had accomplished and then wiggled out. He reached for Jornea when she offered him a hand and she swung him out and down to the floor.

"That should do it." His ears flicked back when Jornea tapped him between the ears and gave him an expectant look. One side of his mouth pulled back in a sneer before he sighed and turned to face Kartk. The Kitsune gave the large man a short bow. "Thank you for your assistance." Then he turned tail and disappeared into a tangle of wires.  Li'Coby hurried after the Kitsune with a clipping of hooves.

Jornea grinned in triumph and slid around Tava with a little shimmy of victory. Kartk just shook his head with a small smile.  "Did you need something?"

Tava shook her head and turned to follow Jornea back up to the bridge.  The pilot's limp was almost gone and her bruises had faded to the barest of markings.  Tava glanced over her shoulder as Kartk trailed along behind and smiled.  "I was just curious what would have Jornea calling you down to the engine room for.  I'm glad to see you three are starting to get along."

Kartk grimaced.  "More like tolerating each other."

Jornea put a little spring in her step, apparently excited.  "We should be approaching Herrick in a bit.  Can I put her down?"

Tava sighed, smirking a little.  "Fine.  But try to remember you should still be taking it easy and healing."

Jornea whirled around to give a mocking salute as she skipped backwards, then she was spinning forward again and hurrying off.  Tava could only shake her head and follow along.  She slid into the captains seat as Jornea took her place and took Athena off of auto pilot.  It wasn't long at all before she was skimming down beneath the atmosphere.  Tava eyed the pilot when she cocked her head.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to check out the merc's or the assassins first, but it looks like they've relocated."

Tava got a look out the shield as Jornea picked out a place to land and frowned at the sea of black covering almost a quarter of the planet.  "What is that?  It's not water is it?"

Jornea shook her head.  "Not sure.  It wasn't there the last time I was here."  She shrugged and landed on the edge of the black sea, settling against one of the farther docks from civilization.  Killing the engines, she tapped on the com to broadcast across the ship.  "All ashore that's going ashore."  Then she was up and out of her seat.

Tava glanced at Jornea as she, the pilot, and Kartk trooped down to the starboard hatch.  "I assume both of these organizations have leaders.  Do you know either of them well enough to get a meeting?"

Jornea shook her head.  "The merc leader changes so frequently it's impossible to keep up.  As for the assassins, last time I was here it was Grand Master Virillus.  She was really old, but crazy good.  I mean, she thwarted an attempt on her life right in front of me and didn't even break a sweat."

Tava eyed Jornea, hearing the note of awe in her voice as she remembered the incident even now.  "You think she's still alive?"

"Probably.  I don't think anyone could kill that woman."

Tava had been thinking old age rather than other assassinations attempts, but she didn't elaborate for the pilot.  There was little point in speculation and Jornea appeared to have a healthy dose of hero worship for this Grand Master that would undoubtedly sway her opinion.

They met Kit and Yggdrasil just outside the hatch and the five of them made their way across the elevated docks towards the city.  Jornea and Kit peered over the edge of the dock and into the black sea beneath, then they were rushing down to the end of the pier to go leaping onto solid ground and skidding down towards the strange black growths.

Tava wrinkled her nose as she took a peek herself and decided she didn't like the looks of whatever was growing down there at all.  They looked like vines or tentacles, all a glossy black in color and idly waving despite the lack of wind.  The things certainly looked alive to her, and the massive patch of them just looked ominous.

"Do not approach too closely.  They are detrimental to your health." At Yggdrasil's called warning everyone took another shuffling step away from the patch of writhing black tendrils. Or, almost everyone.

Tava took in a breath to speak when Jornea stepped a little closer. The warning died on her lips as Jornea snatched up a stick to poke at one of the nearer black strands. Instead, she just sighed and rested her hand on her pistol, ready to either fire or jump forward to yank her pilot to safety instead.

Jornea prodded at her victim with the stick and watched as it curled up on itself, looking scared or hurt. Then it was striking forward like a snake. It wrapped around the stick and wrenched it out of Jornea's hand. She yelped in surprise and jumped back. She stared as the tendrils converged on the stick, then slowly left it alone as they figured out that it held nothing they needed.

Jornea turned back to her companions, jerking a thumb over her shoulder as she climbed back up the little embankment and passed them by. "Those things look dangerous. Let's not get too close."

Yggdrasil stared after Jornea for a moment, then looked around at the rest of the group. "Is that not what I just said?" Tava chuckled and slapped his shoulder to get them all moving again.  Kit scrambled after Jornea and she gave him a quick heft up to sit on her shoulder as they led the way into the populated portion of the planet.  At least, populated by people.

The place was one giant market place, with vendors calling their wares and patrons swarming here and there.  Small children went scampering through the crowds, some of them just having fun.  Tava was sure there was more than one pick-pocket to be wary of in this sort of environment.

Jornea halted before they had gotten too deep into the throngs of people and leaned towards Tava, pointing over the masses of heads and stalls to a large building set near the center of the market.  She raised her voice over the noise.  "The building with the red roof is the mercenary guild.  Bottom floor is one massive hiring arena, second floor is training rooms and the top floor is offices.  That'll be where we'll find the leader.  The assassins are much harder to find.  They're more likely to find us before we find them."

Tava frowned.  "That doesn't make me feel safe.  At all."

Jornea just grinned.  "I doubt they'd move against you unless you had a really big price on your head or someone really important wanted you dead."  Tava's jaw clenched and she glared at Jornea, but the pilot didn't seem to realize that both things she had said were true.  "Kit and I will follow you until you get into negotiations, then we'll split.  Kit wants to find some things to replace your prosthetic."

Tava's shoulder twinged in reminder that she was still down a limb.  She slowly nodded and glanced back, finding Kartk already pressing close to her vulnerable right.  Yggdrasil was looking around, fluctuating between a pleased lime green and a vivid emerald color.  She took in a breath, and dove into the crowds.

It quickly became apparent that sticking together was almost impossible.  The streets were just too tightly packed with people.  They just tried to stay within eyesight of each other and not lose anyone.

Tava glanced back to check she still had everyone and ended up grinding to a halt to go back.  Some merchant had stopped Kartk.  The man had grabbed Kartk by the chin and was looking him over. Tava stiffened at the anger and disgust on Kartk's face. She bit her lip when she spotted the tips of his ears turning pink in shame and his hands staying at his side only because of years of conditioning.

As she approached, the merchant smiled at her, guessing she was Kartk's owner.  "This is a fine specimen." The trader lifted Kartk's lip with a thumb to get a look at the big warriors teeth. "I could find some work for him to do if you're interested. Pay you his stud fee."

Tava grit her teeth as the intended work became very clear with that last statement.

"Though, he's good enough I could always pay you four times his stud fee and take him off your hands."

Tava sighed and stepped forward, pushing his hands off of Kartk and sliding between them. "He's not for sale and I'm not breeding him."

The man raised a brow and grinned. "You haven't heard his fee yet."

Tava just shook her head. She didn't want to even hear the number. "Thanks anyways." She glanced over her shoulder before moving away from the still staring merchant. "Let's go." Her crew followed along after her without protest.

She worked her way through the crowds, grumbling a little at the dismissal of basic human rights. Just because Kartk wore a collar he was treated little better than an animal. She glanced to her left as Yggdrasil pushed his way to her side.

"Captain, it may just be my culture difference but, it seems to me that you hold some of your species in very little regard. Why is this?"

Tava sneered. "We had to buy our way off of a dying planet somehow. It's been a hard, long fight for freedom ever since." Tava jumped at the rush of heat at her back and she whirled around to see what was going on. Yggdrasil went a pale mint green as his gaze searched behind them for anyone who might need healing.

Tava took in the scene with growing curiosity and a little nervousness. A large space in the crowd had opened with Jornea and Kit at the center. Kartk stood beside them, tense and flinching as foxfire licked his clothes. He didn't appear to be hurt by the flames.

Which was a direct reversal of the old merchant slapping and dancing in an effort to beat out the blue flames. Kit's tails lashed and his cold yellow gaze took in the old man from his perch on Jornea's shoulder. The fire dissipated, leaving no mark it had even been there and the merchant heaved a sigh of relief. The mans relief was a little premature.

He stiffened when he suddenly had a face full of raging Jornea. Kartk blinked in surprise. Tava had to convince herself that this really was her pilot. Yggdrasil cocked his head curiously. Even Kit seemed a little wary of his friend.

"You keep your hands to your damn self or I'll put em through my carbines you filthy piece of Roax dung."

There was a tense moment of utter silence. Jornea was a head shorter than the merchant and probably a third of his weight, but the man still seemed terrified. Evidently, even without a knowledge of Jornea's usual temperament, the fear her anger invoked was just as potent.

Tava carefully cleared her throat to break the silence before she spoke. "Jornea?"

The pilot lifted her lip from her teeth in a snarl, inducing a shiver in the merchant. She ground her heel into the dirt of the road as she turned, and only then broke her glare. Jornea stalked over to Tava. She felt a cold trickle of fear run down her back as she suddenly had the young woman's rage directed at her.

Jornea spat out words in a venomous tone as she stiffly walked past her captain. "Just because you don't believe in slavery doesn't absolve you of the responsibility." Then she was past and parting the crowds like a knife.

Tava gaped for a moment. Her brows furrowed when Kartk went hurrying after Jornea and the merchant flinched away from him. Yggdrasil arched a brow at Tava in silent question. Tava could only shake her head and follow after them. She cocked her head when Kartk took a repentant posture behind Jornea and followed easily in her wake.

She regarded the trio ahead of her for a long moment before shaking her head and continuing on.  Whatever had happened, they were actually working as a team.  And without prompting or orders from her.  She just hoped Jornea wasn't the type to hold a grudge.