A day in the dunes

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae Kitra was sitting at a small desk inside the white domed shelter that served as their office. It was a cramped and unkempt place that hadn't seen any business in quite a while. The Kitra Family Scrap Yard was struggling, just as it always had been. The salvager and his daughter were the laughing stock of the scrap market in Mos Eisley, but they managed to get by on what meager profit they could scrape up. Valae was set to the task of trying to find a new local salvage, as they didn't have the means to travel off world like many of the others. It wasn't a great business plan, but she did what she could to keep them afloat. A small black dot on the screen nearly sent her shooting out of her chair.

Valae headed out into the scrap yard to find her father roasting out in the early morning suns. Atticus was slumped in a chair with the neck of a bottle dangling between his fingers, it was very clear that he had passed out some time ago. Once again, it appeared that Atticus would be of little help. Even if he was too lazy and drunk to really help, she had to admit that it would have been nice to have come company. With a sigh she approached her drunken father and kicked his chair, barely managing to get him to stir.

“Old man, I’m heading out.” She announced loudly “We got wreckage on the scanner.”

Her brown eyes settled on the sad sight of a man, she watched as he waved her off and proceeded to slip into slumber once more. Valae turned away from him and headed towards her speeder bike. It was difficult for her to see him like this, but she had little sway over him nowadays. Working in silence, she made sure that the hover trailer was hitched securely to her bike, loaded her tool bag, and checked the coordinates one more time. She reached back and tied her somewhat unruly brown hair into a bun before she pulled on her goggles.

“Yep.” She surveyed the scrap yard as she started up the speeder. “Another day.”

Valae set off quickly, determined to get the wreckage first, as she nearly always did. It wasn’t so much a matter of staking claim over a new salvage, keeping it was the hard part. As she was a one woman operation at the moment, it was always easy for the other salvagers to scare her off and take the goods for themselves. After an hour of travel she finally saw twisted metal sticking up out of the dunes. She pulled up alongside the small ship and hopped down off her bike. There was a large hole blown into the belly of the ship, and after a quick peek inside it was apparent that she was late to the party. Most of the panels had been stripped, and anything of value was long gone. Even the lone corpse had been robbed of his belongings.

“Just my luck!” Valae sat down in the sand, glaring at the broken ship. Their credits were running thin and she had been hopeful that this salvage would line their pockets for a while. It wasn’t every day that a ship crashed on Tatooine. She stood up again and brushed the sand off her tank top and cut off shorts. Her eyes set upon the ship again; perhaps there was still something to be found here. It was just then that an object in the sky caught her attention. Another ship had just broken atmo, from what she could tell it was coming in fast. Her brows rose as she watched, it wasn’t clear whether or not it was on a crash course, or if the pilot still had some control over it.

“Looks like my day just got a whole lot more interesting.” Valae nodded to herself.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

This was not how he was expecting his day to go.

Dovan's hands gripped onto the controlling mechanism of his starship with every bit of strength he had, desperately trying to keep it in the air. The temperature was steadily rising inside the ship as it made it's way into the atmosphere of the planet causing sweat to pour down from Dovan's face. He could hear a loud metal clang sound coming from underneath the cockpit, something had come undone during his last jump to hyperspace. Now is the time he wished he had an astromech droid on board, because he was flying blind and had no idea what the issue was. He knew that his only chance to get the ship on the ground as easy as possible.

"Fly! Fly! Fly!" His raised voice yells out as he kicks towards the bottom of ship is frustration. He knew it was less about the danger of the situation, but what it could possibly mean if he crash lands. He had spent the past month searching for the Jedi and how to join their ranks. He had heard people speak of the Jedi and the Sith growing up, but always in the context of their political power. It wasn't until the Wraiths of the Redfall explained more of the history of the Force organizations did Dovan become overwhelmed with the need to find the Jedi. Well, at least after he had been dismissed from the Wraiths.

Even the raising temperature in the ship could not mask how hot he was feeling while thinking back to that moment, a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Yes, he may have been reckless, but out of control? Never. He was just tired of the old men spending their days calling out to an invisible force that seemed to take little interest in them. Dovan cared more for the actual physical representations of the Shadow, things that he could see or feel. Things that made him stronger and better.

No amount of training in the ways of the Shadow or the Force could prevent his old, piece of junk starship from crashing into the approaching sand though. Only the years and years he had spent within the confines of ships and his natural capability as a pilot preventing him from plummeting directly down, nose first into the sand and become a charred skeleton for the wasteland to pick apart. No. He was holding on for dear life. Each vibration of the ship as it crashed was an attack against his goal to find the Jedi, one that he would fight against. Even until the last second.

CRASH

His eyes were out of focus and all he could smell was smoke and fuel, which was a lot more than he could feel at the moment. His head was ringing so loudly he could barely focus, but he was able to realize one thing. He survived.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

"Oh my!"

Valae's eyes went wide when it became apparent that the ship falling out of the sky was not in a good way. She slowly backed up until she felt the bulk of her speeder behind her. It had been her intention to climb aboard, but instead she found herself standing frozen in place. Being in her line of business, ship wrecks were a source of income, but it was a completely different thing to actually see one in progress. Valae had seen her share of deceased pilots and she took no pleasure in taking their possessions, but she had to tell herself that it wasn't stealing if they were dead. This time was much different, she knew that there must be a living person behind the wheel of this ship. A person that may or may not make it out alive. The thought made her shiver, and she tried to peel her gaze away from the scene unfolding above... but she couldn't.

As the ship continued its severe descent, she shook her head, finding it surprisingly difficult to even think of trying to profit from it. She could picture her old man saying that there was no time to feel bad, only time to make good for you and yours. Valae mounted her speeder and followed the path that the ship was burning into the sky with her eyes. If she was going to be the first one there, now would be the time to leave. She started up the speeder and set off in the shadow of the doomed ship. It wasn't long before the ship came to devastating halt, Valae stopped and closed her eyes tight. She couldn't bear to watch. Even though she was blind to the crash, it didn't stop her from hearing the sounds of the ship breaking into the sand. After taking a few minutes to compose herself, she sped towards the crash site, holding a bit of her shirt over her nose and mouth.

"A starfighter..." She said to herself, her voice quiet and muffled against the fabric of her top.

After parking the speeder bike a good distance from the crash she picked up her tool bag and took a few hesitant steps forward. Then a strange feeling made her stop mid-step. Valae turned and went back for her med kit, something deep down told her that she might need it. She walked on at a brisk pace and coughed as a torrent of smoke and fumes assaulted her lungs. When she'd broken through the screen of smoke she narrowed her gaze, trying to look through the haze of watery eyes.

"Any survivors?" She hollered with her hands cupped by her mouth, unsure if there was anyone left to hear. Her attention was focused on the cockpit, trying to see if there was any movement. Valae moved closer, wanting to climb up to peer into the cockpit herself, but the heat coming off the ship told her that would be foolish.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

He was completely disoriented. His vision was blurred, only barely able to make out the wreckage twisted around him. His side was burning, the incredibly hot metal pressed against him. His head pounded and his legs were weak. He was trying to move his head around to see what he could do, but it took every bit of his strength to move at all. Not to mention the coarse sand that had come into the cockpit that was painfully scratching him with every attempted move.

He heard something out beyond his ship though. His bloody ears could not make out what it was, but he knew it had to be a voice. Help? Probably danger. It didn't matter. He opened his mouth to scream out for them, but no words would come. He had no idea what was happening to him. How damaged he was, much less his ship. He continued to try to scream out, the words getting stuck in his throat where only barely audible moans would come out. He was straining with every bit of physical power he had, veins in his neck were protruding as he desperately tried to call for help.

He had no idea what was going to happen. He could easily die here. The only thought he had was a huge risk, but so was was waiting to see if the voice would come to the ship. He strained his body to reach down to his hip, grabbing his heavy blaster. He tried to move it towards the door, but his arm couldn't fully extended towards it. He had to throw his blaster, landing right next to his other arm and pointed towards the door. It took him longer than he could have expected, but he was able to place his finger on the trigger and with what felt like his last bit of energy squeeze it and suddenly the entire cockpit was filled with the sound of blaster fire and the door exploded off of the ship.

He was blinded by the bright twin suns, but all he could do now was drag his body out of the ship. Crawling out of the ship leaving a trail of blood.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae tilted her head towards the ship, listening for any hint of a survivor. After a few moments she began to walk towards the ship, but was suddenly startled as the ship’s door blew off. She jumped so hard that she fell backwards onto the ground and hit with a thud against the hot sand. Valae drew in a shaky breath and pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her eyes scanned the ship again and before she could put two and two together, she saw a man pulling himself towards the door. By the looks of him, he was in pretty bad shape. She scrambled quickly to her feet and ran towards the ship and its lone survivor.

“Are you okay!?” She cried and knelt down next to him. It was quite obvious that he was in fact not okay, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. “D-Don’t worry!” Valae stammered quickly, wanting to assure him that she was there to help. She stood up again and looked around, her eyes were caught by the trail of blood leading back into the ship and she felt panic bubbling up inside. The man’s wounds were serious, far beyond the reaches of her simple med-kit. Valae took in a few deep breaths, trying to gather her thoughts and form a plan.

“Get him away from the ship...” She said to herself and she ran over to her bike. Quickly she steered the speeder bike and trailer over to the ship. She backed the trailer up as close as she could, grabbed her canteen and ran back to the injured man. Valae uncorked the canteen and lowered it to his lips with shaking hands, she let some water pour out slowly. “I’ll get you out of here… I have my trailer here, but I can’t get you there by myself.” She said.

“Can you stand?” Valae reached down and touched his arm, ready to help him to his feet.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

Dovan looked up, only seeing a silhouette of a figure between the blinding sun and his dazed vision. The voice was muffled, he could barely tell anything about this person. But he had no alternatives. He was going to be lucky enough to make it out alive no matter who rescued him. He tried to form an answer, but what he was thinking was not being transmitted to his mouth properly. He didn't know what was happening. Was this permanent? Fear was overtaking his senses, clouding him and causing panic to pour from every pore.

"I...I...I..." He could start to manage the first word, but it came out as stammering nonsense that was soon overtaken with a violent cough. When he looked down, he saw blood starting to dribble down from his mouth. He didn't have long. He had to get out of here and let this stranger help him or kill him, whatever their final objective would be. He mustered up every bit of power within him until he could finally feel words rising from his throat.

"I...I thin...think I can." He nearly spat out as the stranger helped him from the ground. He was still conscious, but darkness was starting to fade into his vision.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae helped the man to his feet, wrapped her arms around his waist and supported him as best she could. She knew that she didn’t have long before she failed to support him, or he collapsed and took both of them down. As she felt his weight pulling her down, she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she summoned the strength needed to get him to the trailer. Valae helped him aboard and pulled him back as far as she could. She panted and pulled the air quickly into her lungs and took a moment to assess their situation again. The pilot had a pretty serious looking head wound and she knew her first priority was to stop the bleeding. She grabbed the med kit, dumped out the supplies, and scrambled to gather what she needed. Gently she set a large pad of gauze onto the wound and with shaking hands she wrapped a bandage around to apply steady pressure.

The afternoon heat was peaking, and Valae had beads of sweat dripping from her brow. She had to get him home. Valae grabbed some rags from her tool bag and slid them under his head before jumping down. She unfurled a large canvas tarp and secured it to one side of the trailer. Valae knew that the sheet of fabric would protect him from the severity of the suns, and the canvas was light enough for air to pass through. After draping the tarp over him she fastened it down on the other side of the trailer. She cast a last glance back at his ship before hopping onto the speeder and taking off as fast as it would carry them.The trip back to the salvage yard felt as though it lasted an eternity. Valae was deeply worried and frightened that she would arrive to find a corpse beneath the white canvas. Silently she willed the man to hold on. As she pulled up to the gate she saw that Atticus had finally moved into the shelter, but there was a small stand of bottles where he had been sitting.

“Old man!” Valae yelled urgently. “Get out here!”

“What?”

“I need your help, hurry up!” Valae motioned to the trailer, but didn’t elaborate. “Get on the speeder, we need to get home.”

Atticus locked up and sauntered over to the speeder bike, tripping once or twice along the way. Valae took off again, setting off for their small family dwelling. At least this was a quick trip, and she filled her father in on the details as they traveled. Once they arrived, Atticus helped get the man into the house, and settled onto Valae’s twin bed.

“Call the doc,” She said looking to her father. “Get him here as soon as you can.”

Atticus left to do his daughter’s bidding. Valae turned her attention back to her injured charge. She had a glass of water and sat down on the bed next to him.

“Can you hear me?” She asked. “We’re going to help you. Can you tell me your name?”

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

There was something like white noise pounding in his head. He could barely focus on anything else, not even the pain that was pouring throughout his entire body. As he felt lifted into the air, there was a brief moment when his vision cleared for a second and he could see his would-be rescuer. It was not what he was expecting. A human girl around his own age. She was small, though the harshness of the twin suns gave her some sense of unnatural weariness that seemed to fight against her natural beauty. She was the voice he had heard from beyond the wreckage of his ship. With her now was an older human man whose ruggedness was apparent in the lines in his face. He wasn't sure how he wasn't found by some scavenger willing to pick apart his bones or animals who would do the same. The Shadow working in strange ways, he supposed.

He felt something soft against his back after being taken in from the harsh terrain outside, he assumed it was a bed. A few moments passed while he laid there and heard his rescuer issuing orders to the older man. His eyes were becoming blurred again. The pain in his legs was intensifying. Suddenly, for the first time clearly, he heard her speak. It was a coolness in the heat of his pain. She was asking for his name. He had to think for a moment before it came to him.

"Dovan." The words barely made it out of his mouth before he suddenly started to lose feeling through most of his body. His eyes rolled into his head and he felt like he was losing control. The pain had become so intense that he was losing functions in his body, including his control. He heard the sound of glass shattering. His ability to control the Force was out of control and sending things in the room flying. The room turned into chaos for a few seconds. Then, as darkness took over his eyes, he finally become unconscious causing the room to become still.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

So now she knew the man’s name was Dovan, but by the looks of things, it had been very difficult for him to speak. She watched him carefully, and her eyes grew wide again when it seemed that he was truly struggling against the waves of pain. Valae heard the distinct sound of glass shattering and she let out a startled cry. A moment later she looked down to realize that the cup of water in her hand had broken. Before she could take in the shards of glass in her hand, a picture flew off her nightstand and hit the opposing wall. Her head turned back and forth as other items in her room seemed to momentarily spring to life and rose up around her. She felt the room fill with a strange sort of energy; it almost felt like the air was charged with static. It was frightening at first, the feeling of static was present in her entire body for a moment, and it felt strangely familiar… as if it had been there all along.

Valae watched in silent shock as the items dropped back to earth and felt the strange energy suddenly disappear. For a moment she sat shaking slightly and then turned to see that Dovan was now lying still and quiet. She realized that he had been behind the strange event, even though she wasn’t sure how, it was just an odd sense of knowing it to be true. Valae jolted again when she felt a hand close around her shoulder, and turned to see Atticus standing there. It was clear by way of his calm expression, that he had not witnessed the preternatural scene that had just unfolded.

“Doc’s here.” He said simply before leaving.

She nodded a few times and withdrew from the room, leaving Dovan a bit of privacy as the doctor moved in to provide treatment. Valae leaned back against the wall outside of her room, her mind a flurry of thoughts. It seemed that hours had passed before the doctor summoned Valae back into her room. He explained to her that Dovan had a very severe concussion, along with several other injuries to his person; broken ribs, burns and bruises. Dovan was now shirtless, but had a bandage wrapped around his chest and shoulder and a cast on one arm. Valae could also see that the doctor had put a weave on Dovan’s brow; the large gash near his hairline was now clean and neatly stitched. The doctor had administered a shot for the pain, and informed her that would last for 48 hours or so. He gave her some drops to give Dovan for any breakthrough pain, and asked that she watch him closely for the next 24 hours.

Although the doctor had assured her that Dovan would soon be on the mend, the next few days would be difficult, and diligent care would be crucial to his recovery. Valae pulled a chair up to the bedside and took her post for the night. She drifted in and out of sleep through the hours of darkness, waking any time Dovan seemed to be in pain or distress to give him medication. She also gave him small sips of water to ensure that he did not become dehydrated. Deep into the night she found herself staring at the wall, feeling the pull of sleep behind her eyes. She’d been determined to stay up until morning, but her head finally nodded forward as slumber took hold. Her mind was quiet, and she went to sleep with one simple thought; a wish for Dovan's recovery. She began to dream about that strange energy, but this time it flowed around her hands, filling them with a peaceful glow...

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

The world has been far away from him. He had dreamed, but it was simple memories. Recalling what had just happened to him. In his mind, it had all looked like some strange painting instilled in his mind. The metal wreckage swarmed around him like careless brush strokes. The reds and oranges of fire burned into his blurred vision, making him feel the heat against his side from before. He wasn't aware of time, but after what seemed like many hours he felt a coolness finally start to wash over his aching body. Rest, medication, and The Force were starting to take hold. His mind was starting to clear as was his memories. With his eyes still shut, he could know clearly recall his rescuer. He also remembered what had caused his crash in the first place. He had been looking for the Jedi and made his way to the planet Bakura, but he suspected that while trying to find information from a seedy group of Twi'leks in an equally seedy cantina, they had started to help themselves to salvaging parts of his ship. The last jump into light speed had caused enough damage without the needed parts that it sent his ship hurtling towards the ground here.

He finally was able to open his eyes again, once again seeing his rescuer sitting beside his bed.

"Where am I?" He simply said, his voice cracking and rough.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

The sun was filtering through the white drapes, and Valae’s dark eyes blinked awake. Valae stirred in the chair and awoke to hear Dovan’s question. It was the first time she’d heard him speak since the day before, and she figured that it must be a good sign. She reached her arms into the air and stretched; sleeping in a chair all night did no favors for one’s back. It had been a long night, and the evidence had taken the form of dark shadows beneath her eyes.

“You are on Tatooine.” She said as she stifled a yawn. “I saw your ship go down, and brought you to our home.” Valae offered the short explanation.

The young woman reached for a small brown bottle on the nightstand, and drew up a dose of medicine for her patient. She moved from her chair and took a seat on the edge of the bed, taking a moment to give Dovan a once-over. While it was obvious that his wounds were still quite serious, he looked a bit better after some sleep. She brought the glass dropper to Dovan’s lips, and slowly administered the bitter medication. It was quite important to stay on top of the schedule provided by the doctor, to keep his pain from becoming too much.

“The doc’ll be coming ‘round later today to check on you.” She moved back to the chair, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable. “Do you need anything? Are you hungry?” Valae tilted her head to the side as she awaited his answer.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

Tatooine. It made sense with his intended trajectory. The ship must have jumped out above the planet. Lucky him. It could have broken down in the middle of the space route. He looked up at the girl. He was definitely lucky.

He started to look around the room before she moved closer to him to give him more of the medicine. He didn't like having to be looked after, but given his current state he figured he didn't have a choice. He gave her a quizzical glance before downing the medicine. Suspicion was bred into him traveling across the galaxy, but again he seemed to have been lucky with his rescuer.

He pressed against the bed to set up and rest against the headboard. Every single muscle cried out in agony as he did it, but he didn't like staying still. Not at all. He reached out to the water she had kept beside him before taking a long swig of it. Washing down the medicine and removing the terrible taste left in his mouth.

"What's your name?" He responded to her question with another one. His dark brown eyes were examining her, but staying locked on her own hazel eyes. He knew his voice was rough and scratchy, which made his already strange dialect seem gravely. He had traveled across the galaxy and picked up nearly every accent across the stars. His words almost seemed to mesh together in his mouth when he spoke in his already quiet voice.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

“My name’s Valae Kitra.” She replied, realizing that they’d never had the opportunity to properly introduce themselves. “My father and I own a small scrap yard.” Valae added, to give him a bit of background. Her eyes were locked with his, though the intensity of his gaze almost made her want to look away, leaving her feeling a bit awkward. She reminded herself that Dovan had been through a lot, and likely was uncomfortable himself. It was probably a strange feeling to wake up in an unfamiliar place, especially given the fact that he'd just been in a serious crash.

“Sorry if I got a bit ahead of myself, we don’t get many visitors out here.” She said, even though she knew that Dovan wasn’t exactly staying with them by choice. It was true that Valae often put her trust in folk a bit fast, but it was her way to be friendly.

“You’re welcome to stay with us as long as you need. I can call in a favor and have your ship towed to our yard; once you’re on your feet you can make repairs there.” Valae said with a nod, knowing that he'd likely want to get off-world as soon as possible. Tatooine didn't have a lot to offer in the way of amenities, unless one happened to enjoy the endless sun and sands.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

Dovan kept his eyes on her for a moment longer. He knew he could be intense, but it was his nature. Not to unsettle, but to examine. He was always question and always curious. For example, why did this girl save him? She was small, not weak but far small than the bulk of muscle he was. And she and her father operated a small scrap yard in the middle of a vast desert. If anything, she would be looking out for herself and herself alone. Yet she not only saved him, but was taking care of him. Carefully and meticulously. She was also offering him anything that she possibly could to make him more comfortable and to help him. Why? Surely his luck was not so good to find the one spot to crash on this planet that would lead him to charity? Or was his mobile life leading him to see the worst in people when it was not needed? As he looked away from her he thought that he wasn't sure if this would be a good attribute for a Jedi or not.

"That would be very kind of you." Dovan's gravely voice continued. "Is there somewhere nearby I can get parts?"

He didn't want to seem too eager to leave, making her think he was not grateful, but the sooner he could be on his way to Sullust the better. Despite her best intentions, he still did feel uncomfortable taking up space in their home.

"Thank you, by the way." He said, looking back to her.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

“We’ve got a modest selection of parts at the moment.” Valae said, figuring it was a better way to say that their scrap yard was mostly empty. “There’s lots of places in Mos Eisley, I know all the players, I can make sure you get a good deal.” The young woman said, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. She knew first hand that the other salvagers at the scrap market were always hungry for off-worlders, it was the best way for them to make a hefty profit. That is if one could make it through the market without getting mugged, stabbed, or worse.

“I’ll go make the call about your ship.” She said as she stood up.

Before walking out of the room, she took a look around and cringed slightly. It'd been a long time since she'd tidied up, there were piles of clothing on the ground, as well as food packaging. Valae scooped up the trash and kicked her clothes into a corner. Mainly making sure that all of her unmentionables were out of view. As she was about to step out, she heard Dovan thank her and she turned back with a smile.

"Don't mention it." She shook her head. "Now, you should get some rest."

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

Dovan spent two days within the confines of the scrapyard. Healing, while also losing patience. The first day was spent almost entirely in the room he awoke in. The second, he ventured around the area - more to get his legs back under him than to explore. Valae came to visit him throughout. Checking up on him, giving him more of the bitter medicine he looked forward to getting rid of, and some times just starting conversations with him. She seemed more curious than just wanting to talk. He told her about many of the planets he had visited when he was younger, told her about his family who lived on Hapes, some of his adventures since he had left. She knew a good deal of ships, he supposed that made sense working on a scrapyard. They talked about their favorite ships, even joked about how his ship was a piece of junk. He liked her. She talked very little about herself though, always asking him questions instead. Her father seemed to keep to himself for the most part, Dovan said very little to him.

Once he felt okay...well, at least he could walk...Valae took him towards Mos Eisley to find his parts. He actually liked the town a lot. It seemed somewhere he could fit in quite nicely, however he still could not wait to leave it behind him. He had a run in with a pair of Duros who accused him of being their bounty who slipped away. It was simple enough for Dovan to use the Shadow, called the Force by the Jedi, to make him stand straighter, look taller, and hide his wounds. Once he added his usual intensity and took a few steps closer, the Duros realized they had already collected their bounty and disappeared into the streets. Afterwards, it didn't take him very long to find somewhere that he could redeem some of his credits, since what little currency he did have didn't make it out of his ship with him. He was lucky again that he had accounts to pull from, otherwise he might have been stuck on the planet far longer than he would have liked. Once he had his money in hand, it was more or less a matter of waving it around until he found the right parts. He also drew the attention of some less than desirable people, though.

Once he had loaded up the parts, he reached down for his comlink to tell Valae he was ready to be picked back up. But something in the back of his mind told him to wait. It only took moving his head a few inches to see a trio of unsavory characters behind him, each with markings that covered most of their faces. Dovan placed his comlink back on his side, better not get the girl involved in this.

"Wha'd you got in that?" One of the men said in cerean, though Dovan had heard it before. He was looking down at the parts Dovan had bought within the city.

"Parts for my ship." Dovan responded. Honesty might not be considered the best policy by many spacers, but Dovan thought it might help in a city like this. Since it would be unexpected. Or it would get him killed.

"I don't see no ship." The largest man said, this time in basic. He was looking around with a grin on his face. "In fact, I don't see nothin' here."

"Or no one." The last of the three men said, each of them were walking closer towards Dovan now. His eyes caught that the last one had a blaster hanging on his side. The first had a stun stick tucked behind in his back in his pants.

"So, no one to see us take his parts, eh?" The one who spoke cerean said with a smile.

Dovan only smiled back.

The largest one was the first to strike. His huge body moved like a mountain towards Dovan, both of his arms swung down towards Dovan's head. Dovan knew he had to use his lack-luster speed against such a huge creature, as insignificant as his dexterity was. Moving underneath his two trunk of arms, Dovan used the momentum to drive his shoulder into the stomach of the monster of a man and tackle him towards the ground. The other two were above him almost instantly and when the first of them connected their boot to Dovan's side, pain poured through his body like fire. He used it to spring off the ground and come up under the guard of the cerean man, close to him and slammed his forehead into the man and knocking him back staggered. He spun around, using the Force to move behind a punch landing on the small man in the side and heard a snapping sound come from his ribs. By this time, the monster was on his feet again and charging towards Dovan. He had no time to move, but felt all the force of the man's charge slam him into the stone wall behind him. Dovan found himself trapped between the wall and the next punch the monster was aiming right at his face. Dovan reached out with the Force, feeling it connect the particles through the air and every last bit of space around them. In his mind, he connected from his finger to the stun stick hidden away with one of his attackers. It came flying through the air and hit the monster of a man in the back of the head, causing his body to tense before flailing to the ground. It wouldn't knock out such a beast, but give Dovan a few seconds.

With his foot, he kicked the stun stick up into the air towards his hands and caught it right before the man with the blaster had him in his sights. He let the stun stick fly through the air and it had the same effect on that criminal that it had on the last. Dovan turned just as the cerean landed a punch right across his face, he felt blood in his mouth and he spat it out. He rose his knee to hit the cerean, but it knocked it away before sending his elbow right into Dovan's gut. The two started to throw blows back and forth, each getting weaker and weaker, but their punches were stronger and stronger as they grew more desperate to stop the other one. The criminals had bitten off far more than they thought with Dovan. He started to hear the largest man rise from the ground. The one with the blaster must have been knocked out by the stun stick, but the monster was not going to go down so easily. Dovan had to take care of this cerean speaking attacker quick. Like an a navigator plotting out his next course, Dovan's brain almost seemed to analyze his next moves for the quickest way to defeat the man. Then, he moved with three simple, nearly lighting fast moves with each movement being incredibly precise. He lifted his foot only to bring it down on the side of the man's knee, hearing it crack as it broke and him fall to his knees. Dovan had the man's arm risen high into the arm, so that when he drew back his free hand and hit him across the face with it, he also heard the man's arm break. Between the incredible pain and the punch across the face, he was unconscious on the ground.

All the remained was the monster. He had finally gotten back to his feet and was shaking off the dust, he still seemed dazed from the stun stick but was trying to find Dovan. Once he saw Dovan, he also saw his knocked out co-criminals around him. Now he wasn't trying to find Dovan, now he wanted to find blood. He let out a roar like he truly was some terrible beast and started to charge at Dovan again. But the roar was cut short by the sound of two blaster bolts. The monster's face became twisted in confusion as he looked down and saw two holes in his legs. He looked back up at Dovan, standing there with the criminal's blaster pointed right at him. The criminal's face turned to pain as he fell to the ground and his roaring continued, this time with suffering behind them. Dovan looked around at what had happened. He tossed the blaster on the knocked out cerean before picking up his parts and starting to walk away, he supposed he ought to have Valae pick him up at a new spot. Best not let her see that. She might not like the last part with the blaster. He wasn't sure if that was something a Jedi should do.

He thought to himself that he wasn't a Jedi yet.

Once he found another suitable pick up spot, he reached down for his comlink to call Valae. He also ripped off a small part of his shirt to cover both of his bloodied knuckles with.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

The past two days seemed like a blur, Valae had continued in her role as Dovan’s caretaker. The young woman tried to give him some space, but often found herself fussing over him. Although it had taken a bit of time to earn his trust, she enjoyed her time with Dovan, especially hearing his stories about faraway places. Valae was definitely feeling a bit attached to Dovan, spending time in such close quarters will do that. Even though she’d given up her bedroom, she found that she didn’t mind, it was just nice to have someone to hang around with for a change. She was encouraged by the progress that Dovan had made, she knew he was still in a good deal of pain, but he was now able to walk about as he pleased.

Repairs to Dovan’s damaged ship were underway; Valae had been able to assist with some of the more basic things. Her experience with ships usually involved taking things apart, rather than putting them back together. That morning, the two had managed to complete a better assessment of the ship, and they had a better idea what they were up against. There was much work to be done and many parts that still needed to be acquired. Despite the fact that she had been nervous about leaving him alone in Mos Eisley, she’d dropped him off in the scrap market to shop for parts. She’d decided that it would be good for him to have some time alone; he probably didn’t want her hovering about all the time.

She looked down to the comlink clipped to the waistband of her shorts and waited for any sign of Dovan’s voice coming through. Valae took a breath in and heaved a sigh. She knew that Dovan was a grown man, and completely capable of looking after himself. However, she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling inside that made her feel overprotective. After all, he was still on the mend. When the call finally came in, Valae hopped aboard the speeder and took off for his coordinates with her trailer in tow. After a short while, she pulled up alongside and smiled a greeting to her new friend.

“So, how’d it go?” She asked with perked brows.

She watched as Dovan began to unload the parts, but she had the feeling something was not quite right. Almost immediately her eyes honed in on the scraps of fabric tied around his knuckles, and she could see scarlet bleeding through. She jumped down from the speeder and grabbed at one of his hands, and looked up to him with a gaze that demanded details.

“What happened?” She asked, still holding onto him.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

His expression didn't change, he often kept the same stoic look, something he assumed was from spending so much time flying around in ships and interacting less and less as he got older. Valae was intently examining his hands. He was not thrilled that she had not only noticed, but had noticed immediately. However, it did make him grow fonder of her. Not only had she done all of this for him, but she actually really cared about him and his well-being. A rare sight in a kill or be killed type world like this, maybe just as rare throughout the galaxy.

"Cut them on some metal in a junkyard." He said, moving his hands out of her own and to his side. He thought it best to keep the kid out of the problems so close to her home. Maybe she would be lucky enough to get off this rock and not have to be drawn into this part of the world like so many other's had been. She deserved that much.

He wasn't sure if she would believe him, but he thought it best to end the conversation regardless. He started to load up the parts onto the trailer attached to her speeder. He thought that the sooner he got off the planet the better for her. He may have more noble intentions, but he wasn't too sure if he was any better for her than the people he just knocked to the ground.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

When Dovan withdrew his hands from hers, she stood silently with her eyes on him. Behind her narrowed gaze she was trying to decide whether or not he was lying about the origins of his wounds. The problem was that Dovan had seemed to wear the same expression during most of their time together. Valae decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and nodded at him before getting back on the speeder.

“Ok, fine.” She shrugged. “You know, if you keep getting hurt, you’ll have to stay even longer. At least that way, I won’t have to sabotage your repairs!” Valae laughed, but she felt bad on the inside, as the thought had actually crossed her mind. Not to say that she would intentionally damage his ship, but more along the lines of working much slower than she needed to, or perhaps temporarily misplacing a part or two. She knew that Dovan had to leave Tatooine, but that didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want him to go.

Once all of the parts were loaded, she motioned for him to hop on the speeder. They took off for the Kitra Scrap Yard, making their way under the hot suns. By the looks of Dovan’s haul, he’d been able to obtain many of the parts needed to get his ship up and running. Valae slid off the speeder as soon as they arrived, and she leaned up against the trailer. She was trying to get up the nerve to ask a question, even though there was part of her didn’t really want to know the answer.

“So, how long do you think it will take to get your ship running?” She tried her best to act casual.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

Dovan smiled at the kid's joke. She was a good kid, she deserved better than this world. He had even thought to himself about taking her with him when he left, expect that his cramped ship would only fit one passenger. He wished he could promise her that he could come back later for her, but he wasn't sure exactly where his path was taking him. Better not get her hopes up when he didn't know if he could deliver on that promise.

The entire ride back to the scrapyard was spent in silence. Mostly because it was very difficult to carry a conversation on a moving speeder, but that hadn't stopped them earlier in the day. Dovan felt like a large part of it was because they both were realizing that his ship wouldn't stay broken much longer. Yes, he wanted to get off this rock very badly and continue with his life, but he also didn't want to say goodbye to Valae. It seemed sentimental to him, but she was the first person to show him kindness like this in a long time, after saving his life on top of that. Within the Wraiths of the Redfall, he had become something of an outsider. It was mostly due to his own arrogance and his willingness to push other's away, but he had certainly become isolated the past few years. If anything, Dovan was loyal and held those who mattered to him closely, maybe too close. He would not soon forget Valae.

When they arrived to the scrapyard, Dovan couldn't help but smile to himself when the kid asked how long it would take to get his ship ready. Luckily his back was to her and she couldn't see his face and grin which had disappeared when he turned to her. He did take comfort in the fact that the melancholy about leaving was not just himself.

"Shouldn't take more than two days if I get started now." He said, starting to load up parts over his shoulder.

[member="Valae Kitra"]