Private Bandits, Blasters, and... Babes?

[Tempo]

TAGS: Rayne Lo'to

​

Tempo, or Agent T as he was known in certain circles, squinted at the suns of Tatooine before pulling his face covering tighter. He was cruising on his speeder bike, a small package tucked securely in its compartment. The delivery was simple enough, or so he thought—a straightforward exchange. But something felt off. His rosette eyes narrowed; he didn't like the tingle in his spine. A feeling he usually trusted.

Just as he approached a valley, his suspicions proved true. Out of nowhere, a group of blasters fired from the hills, and Tempo swerved violently, barely dodging the shots. "A setup! Typical," he muttered, his clawed fingers gripping the controls tightly as he tried to make an escape.

In his haste, however, he didn't notice the oncoming sandstorm in the distance. When it hit, it hit hard. Unable to navigate through the blinding dust and buffeting winds, Tempo was struck by a flying piece of debris. The speeder bike careened out of control, crashing into the ground.

His body ached, his leg wounded and possibly fractured, as he lost consciousness, the swirling sands becoming a hazy blur.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Tatooine
Tags: Tempo

Rayne had hunkered down as a sandstorm passed. She hated weather changes. Something as simple a change in the wind could put her on the backfoot, and she didn't have the means of navigating sand storms like the Jawas did. It was through now, at least, and the young woman threw open the door of her walker to let the smooth, non-sandy wind hit her face. It was a lot less refreshing than she had hoped for, unfortunately.

But something was caught by her heterochromatic eyes, a blip of lavender in the sand. Rayne dropped the ladder of her walker and made her way over to find a rather young boy, no older than 13 it seemed.

Her heart practically broke just looking at the sight. The young individual had taken a blow to his head, one that had clearly knocked them out. Rayne brushed the boy off with a gentle hand before scooping them up in her arms, carrying them back to her walker where she would delicately hoist them up and inside. She'd clear her bed of her plushies and lay the child down, immediately getting to wrapping up the wound on their head. The Twi'lek would then prepare an ice pack to put on the boy's head, gently tucking them under a thin sheet before setting off towards her kitchen (which was more or less a step and a half away from her bed).

She'd prepare some hot chocolate for him before he woke up. Yeah, that was a good idea.

 

[Tempo]

TAGS: Rayne Lo'to

​

It had been several hours since Tempo was left unconscious, sprawled face-down in the desert sands, before Rayne stumbled upon him. Despite his small, willowy frame being laden with an assortment of junk and gear, he was surprisingly light—easy for her to lift and carry back to safety.

By the time darkness blanketed the desert, Tempo found himself adjusting to the change in temperature inside Rayne's makeshift walker-turned-infirmary. Slowly, he began to stir. His long, pointed ears twitched erratically, reminiscent of an animal ensnared in a distressing dream. Signs of activity were evident; he shifted restlessly, his body tensing and relaxing in intermittent spurts.

Finally, his rosette eyes fluttered open, and he snapped to alertness. A surge of searing pain in his leg followed almost instantly as he tried to move. With a pained, squeaky cry, he collapsed back down onto the soft bedding.

He lay there panting for a few moments, his eyes transfixed on the ceiling above as he eased into the waking world.

"Where...am I?" he murmured, his voice tinged with uncertainty as consciousness gradually returned.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Tatooine
Tags: Tempo

"Where...am I?"

Oh, he was awake. Rayne turned the stove down, placing a lid over the hot chocolate to keep it warm. They'd want to save that for when night fell and the desert became cold. The tall scrapper made her way over to the side of the bed, looking down and giving the boy a gentle smile, like one might expect of a nurse treating a young patient.

"My home," a vocoder spoke, the voice of a female-coded protocol droid emanating from ceiling. The tone was as soft as a synthetic voice could be. "You got caught out in that storm, hit your head pretty bad. I bandaged up what I could see, but you may have other injuries."

She turned for a moment, coming back with a flask of water, which she delicately slipped into the boy's hands, all while maintaining her smile. The Twi'lek would briefly check the young individual for a fever before taking a seat on the edge of the bed, brushing her Lekku over her shoulder as she contemplated her next course of action. Rayne was no doctor. The only thing left to do was see what he felt.

"How do you feel?" she asked. "Any other wounds? I can make you a splint for anything you may have sprained."

 

[Tempo]

TAGS: Rayne Lo'to
​

Tempo's eyes scanned Rayne cautiously as he held the flask of water. For a moment, his instincts told him to be on guard, to prepare for betrayal. But something in the way she smiled at him, the way she moved with a kind of domestic ease, chipped away at his natural suspicion.

Tempo looked up at Rayne, his rosette eyes widening ever so slightly. For the first time in a long while, he felt a wave of something unfamiliar wash over him--was it relief? The sense that, maybe, he was safe here? Her smile, her gentle movements, they all seemed so genuine.


"Your home, huh? Convenient," he finally spoke, though the edge in his voice had softened. He took a deeper sip from the flask this time, locking eyes with Rayne as he did. There was a flicker of something in his gaze, not quite trust, but perhaps the beginning of it.

She checked him for a fever, and he didn't flinch. When she sat, he let himself shift, trying to find a more comfortable position despite the pain that still danced through his leg. "Feels like a bantha trampled me," he mumbled, but there was less bite to his words than before, he couldn't help but let out a tiny, almost playful sigh. "But a very polite one, mind you," he mumbled, his lips curling into a small, awkward smile.

Meeting her eyes again, he noticed an earnestness there—a genuine concern—that he hadn't allowed himself to see in people for a very long time. "But if you're offering a splint, then... thanks; I have some sort of pain in my left leg... " he said, and for a moment, he let the gratitude seep into his voice, unguarded and sincere. "Got to keep the gears turning, right?"


Tempo wouldn't readily admit it, but part of him was relieved to have been found, to be offered some level of care. And for that brief moment, his guarded exterior fell away, showing a glimpse of the vulnerable young individual he really was—a young individual who had once known the warmth of family, and who, perhaps, still hoped for it in some hidden chamber of his heart.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Tatooine
Tags: Tempo

Convenient? Rayne glanced around for a moment. Her walker was kinda small.

"Sorry," she added. "It's not really a house of any kind. Just a walker with all my stuff in it."

He seemed tense, full of mistrust. That she very much understood. Rayne had grown up homeless on the streets of Nar Shaddaa. She knew how cold the galaxy could be. At least it was already clear that she was starting to get through to the boy. She was given the okay to assess his left leg, so Rayne did just that, gently prodding at it before locating what was very clearly a sprain. Rayne went and received a splint and some wrap, as well as a bacta shot.

"Hold still," Rayne told him. "Some bacta will do your system some good, but it may sting a little."

And in a moment the shot was done and over with, and Rayne very delicately began to wrap the young individual's leg up. The Twi'lek would tie the top in a nice bow, at least to give it a more cheerful appearance, and before long she'd be smiling down at the boy once again.

"There we are," the Twi'lek spoke through the vocoder again. "Oh, I'm Rayne. It's nice to meet you."

 

[Tempo]

TAGS: Rayne Lo'to

​

Realization flickered in Tempo's eyes as Rayne explained the walker, her home on wheels. It sparked a memory, pulling him back momentarily from the care and concern that had enveloped him.

"Wait a minute, a delivery... I was on a delivery!" His eyes widened. The edge returned to his voice, but it was tinged with anxiety rather than malice. "Oh man, my client's gonna kill me. Figuratively, hopefully."

He looked at his broken gear, at the sand that had infiltrated every pocket, and sighed. But before he could spiral further into his thoughts, Rayne's gentle touch on his leg pulled him back to the present. Her hands moved with a kind precision that made it hard to maintain his tough exterior. He tensed as she mentioned the bacta shot but relaxed almost instantly after. "That wasn't so bad," he admitted, watching as she neatly tied a bow on his bandage.

He couldn't help but chuckle at her attention to detail. It was whimsical in a way he'd long forgotten. "Look at that. Even made it look cute," Tempo said, his tone softening considerably.

Finally, as she introduced herself, he felt another layer of his guardedness peel away. "Rayne, huh? Well, I'm Tempo, but most people just call me t. or, Agent T."

He paused, considering the right thing to say, the balance between his natural wariness and the undeniable kindness that had been shown to him. Finally, he opted for honesty, a rarity for him.

"It's, uh, really nice to meet you too, Rayne. Thanks for the save. I owe you one," Tempo said, letting his eyes meet hers. He offered a small, genuine smile, a rarity in his hard-fought life.

He was impossibly small even for his age at least if he were compared to other kids his age that were human. He was perhaps just a tiny species.

He moved to attempt to stand which he robobly shouldn't be doing with a semblance of concern. He didn't know what became of his packadge or his bike by this point and that was gnawing at his conscience.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Tatooine
Tags: Tempo

"Oh."

Rayne gave a gesture for Tempo to remain seated, opening the door of her walker and climbing down back out into the desert. His speeder was nearby, just underneath some sand. She hadn't worried about it too much, given the state of the boy, but she did notice it's presence. The thing was totaled, but there was a storage compartment that was still very much in tact that probably had that package he was so worried about. She investigated and retrieved the small package, climbing back up with it in her left arm, her smile still present. She'd offer it to Tempo with a rather proud look on her face.

"Your thingy is okay," she assured him. "Well, uh, just that. The speeder is in rough shape. Looks like you blew a fusion coil, but I haven't really assessed it further than just a glance."

The Twi'lek tilted her head, giving a concerned frown. Someone so young shouldn't be running cargo, not when it was so dangerous. She didn't really like the idea of children being forced into dangerous situations.

"I can repair it later," Rayne decided. "You should try to rest. Night is coming. It's gonna get pretty cold. I have some hot chocolate on the stove, okay?"

 

[Tempo]

TAGS: Rayne Lo'to
​

As Rayne gave the gesture for him to stay seated, Tempo couldn't help but feel a knot of tension tighten in his chest. He watched her climb down and disappear from his line of sight, leaving him alone in the walker. The walls suddenly felt closer, the small space more isolated. It was a discomforting reminder of how vulnerable he was right now, injured and far from his own outpost.

However, the moment Rayne returned, his tension began to unravel. When she produced the package, his eyes lit up in a mix of relief and surprise. "Oh, you found it! That's—wow, thank you," he stammered, gratefully taking the small parcel from her and inspecting it. "This package contains some important medical supplies; I was supposed to deliver it to a family on the outskirts of Mos Eisley. They're far from any regular trade routes."

He paused, letting Rayne's information about his wrecked speeder and her decision to repair it later sink in. "Ah, the speeder. I was afraid of that," he sighed. "You're willing to fix it? You really are a lifesaver."

At the mention of hot chocolate, Tempo's ears perked up, visibly relaxing even more. The thought of something warm and comforting appealed to him greatly. "Hot chocolate? I haven't had that in... a long time. It sounds good, actually."

Rayne's frown and concern didn't go unnoticed. "I know it might seem odd, someone my age doing these runs," Tempo started, looking a bit uncomfortable as he spoke. "I live at a small outpost about twenty miles west of here. It's a rough place, but it's home. "

Suddenly, he smiled, "You know, having some hot chocolate at the end of the day might just become a new tradition at my outpost. Once I get back, of course." It was a small thing, but in this moment, that small thing meant the world.

Tempo's eyes moved to the flask of water Rayne had given him earlier, then back to her. A thought struck him, and his face lit up with a newfound brightness. "Oh, speaking of help, I'd like to offer something in return for your kindness. My outpost is situated near a natural spring. We have a decent supply of fresh water, which is not something you come across often in these parts."

He carefully set the package down on the bedside table, then reached into his gear to pull out a small data pad. With a few taps, he brought up a map and zoomed in on the location of his outpost. "See here? This is us. If you're ever in the area, feel free to stop by. "

The earnestness in his eyes was unmistakable. For a brief moment, he looked beyond his years, aware of the value of community and support in a world often devoid of both. "Water's a precious commodity out here. I'd be honored if you'd accept it as a small token of my gratitude."

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Tatooine
Tags: Tempo

"That's very sweet of you, but keep the water for locals," Rayne insisted, her smile returning. "I frequent Tatooine, but I'm really not centered out of anywhere. I can get my water refilled elsewhere, and I'd rather not take what others will have need of."

She was a scrapper, not a leach. The idea was that she redistributed tech and materials back into circulation. Sure, this was ultimately for her own gain, but she was still at least putting something back into the wider galactic economy. The young woman would rather not take any more than that. She was perfectly content continuing to live her life in the same way she was at the current moment, not being a blight on the water source of those who may need it far more than she did.

Rayne made her way over to her stove, pouring some hot chocolate for Tempo before returning, to the bedside, handing him the steeping mug with a warm expression. The evening hour had drawn in, and already the heat of the desert was beginning to quickly escape, unable to be withheld by the sand of the desert.

"I wouldn't mind a location to stop at between scrap runs though," she noted, trying to prop up the young courier's generosity. "Good salvage is pretty spread out. It might make the process more bearable."

The Twi'lek didn't like people thinking they owed her debts, so that would do, she thought.

 

[Tempo]

TAGS: Rayne Lo'to ​

Tempo carefully cradled the warm mug of hot chocolate between his hands, savoring the sweet aroma that wafted up to meet him. "Thank you, this smells amazing," he said, his ears perking up a bit before taking a cautious sip. The liquid warmth seemed to dissolve some of the tension in his muscles, and his eyes brightened visibly.

Hearing Rayne's words, he nodded appreciatively.

"As for a stopping point between your scrap runs, you're more than welcome. Honestly, it'd be nice to have someone familiar pass by now and then. You'd be safe there; we're off the radar as much as possible. I try to keep the outpost a secret, especially from the local cartels." His expression turned serious for a moment. "They don't really take kindly to someone messing with the natural—well, unnatural—order of things."

Tempo's ears twitched excitedly as he delved into his passion project. "I'm working on a terraforming initiative. The idea is to gradually bring life back to these arid lands. It's a long-term project, but even if it's just one Dasani Water Bottle at a time, it's progress. One day, there might be enough greenery here to call it a proper oasis."

His eyes returned to the mug, and then back to Rayne. "So, consider my outpost a sanctuary. You can rest, refuel, and maybe even find some parts that could be useful to you."

He took another sip of his hot chocolate, this time a little more confidently. "And who knows? Maybe one day you'll stop by and find a garden where a desert used to be."

​

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Tatooine
Tags: Tempo

"And who knows? Maybe one day you'll stop by and find a garden where a desert used to be."

"That would be lovely," Rayne decided with a nod. "Anything that isn't dry and abysmal would really make this place perfect."

She hated the heat, and dry places in general. A little oasis in the blaze of the twin suns would really do this place some good, she thought. Rayne was very much a supporter of that idea.

Suddenly, the tink-tink-tink of sand hitting the side of her walker began to pick up, with the vehicle shifting ever so slightly under the new found pressure beyond the safety of it's walls. A grimace came to her face as she silently sighed, hanging her head with a great deal of frustration. That really put a wrench in her day, and her plan to assist Tempo with repairing his speeder. They would have to wait for another wave of sand to pass.

"Round two, I guess," she noted through her vocoder. "It's been like this all day..."

 

[Tempo]

TAGS: Rayne Lo'to

​

Tempo's ears perked up at the sound of the intensifying sandstorm outside, and he shifted restlessly in his seat. "Another sandstorm? Really? Ugh," he sighed, clearly disappointed. "I was hoping we could fix my speeder soon. I have a delivery to complete, you know?"

Despite his impatience, he took another sip of his hot chocolate, as if to remind himself to appreciate the small comforts. "But this hot chocolate is really good, so thanks for that," he conceded, managing a small, grateful smile towards Rayne.

His eyes widened a bit at the sound of the storm battering against the walker. "It sounds like it's going to be a long night," he said, a hint of youthful restlessness in his voice. "At least we're stuck inside with hot chocolate, right?"

He pondered for a moment, looking up at Rayne. "You know, you could always stop by my place between your scrap runs. It's... it's not much."

With a final sip of his hot chocolate, he set the mug down and looked earnestly at Rayne. "Anyway, thanks for saving me. And for the hot chocolate. It's nice to meet someone who's kind."