A Runners Run-in with Reptilian Races

[Bohatei Chorva]

Current Participants // Draco Miles
Location // Terminus, South Spaceport

All things considered, Bohatei considered his last job to have gone relatively well.

After all, he made it out alive and with some extra credits in his account. That was success enough for the Zabrak to be content. As for the Contact V, such a journey for the light freighter had taken quite alot of the fuel. He has since locked it up and spent some time refueling and recharging his vessel's reactor. With the internal batteries taking their sweet time to refill, he had chosen to spend some time out in the sun.

And to stretch his legs after such a long trip, of course.

He had chosen to dress lightly for the occasion, a short-sleeved and blue shirt sitting underneath a vest of his main hire. That being the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Contrasting the blue top and darker blue was a purple sash that sits comfortably around his waist to conceal his belt and the combination of vibro-knucklers and a single blaster held on their respective holsters held up by a pair of long pants.

Could never be too careful in such a place, after all.

The light taps of his boots follows Bohatei as he walked, idle seafoam orbs gazing between the various stalls and stores in the streets.

All these choices, and yet he was still indecisive...

 

[Draco Miles]

Perhaps curiosity would make his mind up. Covered from neck to toe in a black cloak, the only thing Bohatei Chorva could see of Draco was her head: adorned with beautiful blue hair, her scales similarly colored, and two white horns, her amber eyes glared at a shopkeeper as she leaned forward

“This item sounds like a scam, 4000 credits for a tiny snack? What is it made out of, shredded Kyber Crystals?”

Seems tensions were high between Draco and this shopkeeper. She didn’t really know much about the world, but she knew some bullshit when she saw it

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

Bohatei soon finds himself in a small food court of sorts. Deciding to get some lunch, the Zabrak glances around at the various stalls unsure of what to get. Vegetables was something he found very little nutrition, much less joy out of eating so it came to the various meat stands that he found himself glancing between. Soon enough, he had chosen a small stand that seemed to be selling skewers.

But not for how appetizing they sounded.

Instead, Bohatei felt something unusual. A presence, prominent and focused in comparison to the ones around her. He is able to see the flowing cerulean locks of the woman arguing with the shopkeeper but in a way he is not used to. When he focuses on this presence, the Zabrak unintentionally taps into something he never had before.

For just a brief moment, Draco feels someone brush against her mind using the Force. A brief and untalented presence reveals itself to her in the form of a Zabrak who stands behind her in the slowly dissipating line.

Bohatei on the other hand, seems in no rush to get anywhere. Standing not too far away in the line, he plays off this strange occurrence by glancing between the menu and the Human at the stand. When he tries to focus again, he finds that her presence was gone to him. It was a fleeting and alien sensation to him, and it showed in the traces of confusion upon his expression.

 

[Draco Miles]

Her arguing stuttered for a moment as she felt his presence brush against her. The inexperience of his spying left a massive trail to him, and as she slammed her hand on this vendor’s counter and left, she locked eyes with Bohatei Chorva , speaking into his mind as she walked past him

“Follow me, boy.”

She noted his CIS garb, and how House Io used to be allied with them. Perhaps he’d know of them, and be willing to join. She foresaw the talent and potential in this boy, so it may be worth it

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

A sudden frustrated slam rings on the air for a moment as the stranger backed up and turned, walking right past the Zabrak and locking eyes with him. Bohatei returns her gaze, although with more curiosity than he had intended to let out. As he starts toward the counter, that feeling returns to him. Unlike last time however, he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

'Follow me, boy.'

"Bwuh? Huh?" Bohatei questions, his eyes looking around for the voice as he reflexively starts speaking without actually putting any thought into his words. As suddenly as the presence of the woman revealed herself, his grip on the feeling begins flickering away again as he loses the sensation. Briefly considering just getting something to eat first, he chooses not to.

After all, he would lose this curious stranger if he did.

Turning on a heel, Bohatei goes to follow this cloaked woman through the streets not too far behind her. A moment of silence between them hangs on the air for a time, before the Zabrak chooses to break the silence.

"Hey, so what was that just now?" He inquires.

 

[Draco Miles]

Good, she had his attention. She looked for a quiet alleyway as they walked, moving through the crowded streets and avoiding contact like an acrobat, twisting and turning through this marketplace looking for someplace quiet… but his words interrupted her search

“Silence, until we are alone”

She said, speaking into his mind once more before finally finding her alley and dipping into it, dragging him along.

“You are unwise to try and spy on me, but you did not know that, did you?”

She was more referring on how he had accidentally made contact with her, not that it was a bad idea to do it in the first place

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

Continuing to follow this cloaked stranger, Bohatei's hands came to rest upon his sash cautiously. Trailing her winding path the Zabrak would narrow his eyes yet again as her presence foretelling her next intrusion into his own mind.

'Silence, until we are alone.'

As he looks upon her with brief and fading clarity, he briefly huffed at the presence that makes itself clear within his mind.

"Gah, quit doin' that. You're freakin' me out."

Bohatei jumps a bit at the sudden grab, finding himself pulled aside into the small alley as he steps back a little once they were both in the alley. To him, this was incredibly suspicious. Not really wanting to wake up 3 hours later in an ice bath, one hand remains firm upon his sash as he kept about a metre's distance between himself and the stranger with curious emerald eyes staring at her own.

"Spy on you? I wasn't doin' that! I was just... y'know, lookin' at you. Whaddaya mean by 'spying' on you?"

The Zabrak knew he probably sounded crazy, but then again she wasn't making too much sense to him either.

 

[Draco Miles]

Her lightsaber hilt moved off her hip and began floating, spinning in midair between them as she kept speaking

“You do not know of your talent in the force? You tried to spy on my mind, not something people can accidentally do without some talent. Never tried making anything float to you? Nothing like that?”

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

Watching her curiously as she spoke, his eyes catch the glint of a length of metal that spun in the air. After just a moment, the Zabrak suddenly steps back as he realizes what it was. Sure, he knew next to nothing about the Force but he knew about the Jedi.

And the laser swords they wielded.

"No, no I don't." Bohatei answers, watching the un-ignited hilt spin in place. "Truth be told, I don't even know what I did. I just... saw you, if that makes sense. It's like..." His lips pursed for a moment, trying to put the sensation into words. "Kinda like lookin' at one of those fancy art sculptures, y'know? Lookin' at something that makes you feel somethin'."

There is a brief pause, before the Zabrak sighed. "Alright, could'a worded it better. But no, I've never really felt somethin' like that before. Never tried anything like it either. Most I know about the Force is that it's that it's called the Force. Not much else."

 

[Draco Miles]

His reaction to the lightsaber was interesting… she moved it back to her hip and nodded. He was fresh, and had potential, but she was not the one to teach him. She wasn’t exactly good at that, and only got lucky with her current apprentice being already somewhat trained in the force. She put her hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye

“Do you want to wield the force? Have your own lightsaber? Have countless wealth at your fingertips?”

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

Bohatei's eyes follow the weapon as it floated back to her belt, disappearing into her dark cloak once more before his own gaze moved up to meet the stranger's own light blue orbs. At the question about the Force itself, his lips pursed. He had never exactly been much of anybody, just a cargo tech who made deliveries and moved on to the next.

Now, a chance to make something of himself had fallen right into the Zabrak's own lap.

He thinks for a moment, before nodding his head.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I've never been interested in the Force." Bohatei replies, nodding his head. "I would like to learn. How do we go about it? I've not exactly found any work here, so I've got time."

 

[Draco Miles]

Her piercing amber eyes glared into his soul like a raging fire. He had the hunch now that this woman was not a Jedi… but her warm smile and the Pat to his shoulder before holding out a blue scaled hand for him to hold was so enticing

“We train, and you forget about this cargo tech business, it’s not worth the Hassle to someone with as much potential as you”

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

There was something intense within Draco's sunset orbs that intimidated the Zabrak. Not that he would admit it, but the sheer intensity within her gaze was immense and practically pierced straight through his own eyes.

After a moment, Bohatei reaches out and took her scaled hand with a firm shake.

"I see. And how would I be earning my income moving forward? Sorry, just that this is all I've ever really done. A little bit hesitant to drop everything I've ever known and dive head first into this type of thing." The Zabrak replies, his tone erring on the side of caution.

"I am flattered that you think that highly of me, though. Thank you."

 

[Draco Miles]

“You can be as mighty as all those jedi heroes you hear about. As powerful as you want to be with no one but yourself to limit your growth. Pay… well, I’m not the one that really handles it, but I’ve honestly never had an issue buying what I want, so you should be fine. I’ll have you speak with someone to get that ironed out”

Oh, she wasn’t alone… a whole company dedicated to force sensitives and paying them for their work was promising, even more so with Draco mentioning how she lives in comfort with ease, so the pay must be quite a bit too. With him shaking her hand, he’d feel just how soft and smooth her scales were, and if he looked a little past that, would catch a glimpse of a white skin tight suit and a fairly muscled leg. The woman before him was not just powerful in the force, but physically as well.

Bohatei Chorva

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

There was something... odd, about how she focused on how strong that the Zabrak could become in her words. Just as suddenly as this was brought up, she moves back to his original concern; payment. After all, what use was a ship like his if he couldn't afford fuel and what repairs he couldn't manage on his own?

"Ah, right, right. So it's like one of those fancy scholarships, right?" Bohatei inquires. He didn't exactly have much of a formal education, so he wasn't sure how schools really worked.

As their hands clasped, Draco might notice the callouses along his palm and knuckles. Behind his grip was a sign of clear strength. While he might be nothing more than a cargo runner, there was a sign of some kind of combat behind the Zabrak's friendly demeanor.

Who notices he was shaking her hand for a bit too long. So he lets go with a sheepish grin.

"Oh, er, sorry. Who would I be talkin' to, anyhows?"

 

[Draco Miles]

Draco, having never BEEN to a school in her life, looked confused by his question… but! Bullshit till you make it, so she just agreed

“Yeah… yeah, like a scholarship. You’ll be talking to a woman named Countess Belasko, I hope you treat her with utmost respect and pay full attention to every word she speaks, she deserves it. Now, what is your name?”

Good to be on first name acquaintances, she thought. She knew her master could help the growing boy learn more about his powers and turn him into a fine warrior/scholar. Hopefully a scholar more than the first… she was delighted to hear his interest, and offered him an opportunity

“Will you be coming aboard my ship then? Or do you have your own transportation?

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

"Ah, right, gotcha." Bohatei nodded attentively, giving a thumbs up in response. At the mentioning of her master's name in such high regard, a brief question runs through his mind at the title. 'Countess? Is this some kind of royalty thing? Crap, I sure hope not..' The Zabrak decides against voicing his concerns, hoping that it simply wasn't the case.

"Oh, right! The names's Bohatei Chorva. I'm a cargo tech for the Confederacy." Bohatei introduces himself, going to offer a handshake out of reflex as he usually introduces himself in order. He catches himself quickly, and returns his hand to his side in hopes she didn't notice.

"I've got my own ship that I can take. Although, I'll need the coordinates and probably an escort. I... dunno how well she'd take to some random freighter from the Confederacy droppin' down onto your master's doorstep. Would you mind helping me with that?" He asks with a careful tone. Bohatei was clearly honored by the offer of being able to delve into what he could truly do, of course.

But he was hesitant. All those years ago, when his boss has retired he promised to make him proud and to carry on their business. So now he had the choice of being able to move beyond it, and truly make something of himself.

The Zabrak chooses to bite his tongue on those thoughts, paying them as little mind as possible.

 

[Draco Miles]

Draco smiled warmly at Bohatei Chorva ’s enthusiasm! She nodded and Pat him on the shoulder before handing him a slip of paper with coordinates on it for starship navigation

“We’ll meet in orbit above the city. I’ll escort you to the planet of Khemost”

 

[Bohatei Chorva]

Some time passes, and Bohatei would leave Draco to get ready to depart.

Soon enough, the Contact V would rise from Terminus' southern Spaceport. The Ghtroc 720 series freighter rising through the atmosphere with only slight turbulence as the young man flicks some switches and gets his antennae running. Turning his ship around and slowing it down to a halt, Bohatei leaned back in the chair.

Was he really going to do this? Throw himself headfirst away from a familiar cycle and into something entirely new and alien to the young man? The Zabrak had spent most of his adult years running freight and pushing crates, and he was about to throw it all away in favor of learning the ways of the Force.

There is a brief moment of hesitance, thumbing the cable of his headset before plugging it in and tapping the side of the device.

"This is the Contact V, awaiting linkup. Waitin' on you, Draco."

 

[Draco Miles]

Did he really have to give up everything though? There was a Sith Lord that still ran a mining operation even when he was part of the Dark Side, and died surrounded by loved ones and family.

Draco was a little faster with her departure, really only needing herself, she emerged from the lake she kept her craft then took it into orbit, where she awaited for Bohatei to contact her via commlink. “Good to see you, Bohatei, you still have the coordinates?”

She was glad honestly that it was only audio being connected, as currently she was in her quarters just laying there like a log