By Paths that Seldom Mortal Goes

[Ultimatum]

"Alright then. Let's go." Ultimatum made his way down the loading ramp. Outside, one could see the stars and even the sun of the system. There was little atmosphere outside of the dome that contained the entire facility. It was a relatively common practice, from years ago, to try and colonize planets by simply building living areas on a normally uninhabitable planet. It was still used sometimes, however mostly there were attempts to simply terraform planets so that it would not require as much maintenance as a fully encased world. The main difficulty with such things was getting ships in and out, but as was usual with organics, they had figured a way around it. There had been two major types of systems for this: the first and less used in the past few centuries, was basically a massive airlock made for ships on the side of the dome; then there was the later creation of shielding, like those used in ship hangars. The latter was what this colony used. A large hole in the dome near the spaceport had a shield for ships to pass through, but did not allow air out.

Ultimatum's attention however was on a cyborg human who was waiting nearby, obviously the owner of the landing pad and was waiting to be paid for his landing pad. Ultimatum had his way to the organic and began talking to him. "Greetings."

The cyborg had a particularly nasally accent, some organics would have found it annoying. "Hello yourself. You new here?"

"Yes. We will not be here long. Five hours at the very most. Is it possible to be refueled while we wait?"

The man smiled, his left eye glowing green. Ultimatum had always found it strange that most organics did not make unusual colors for their cybernetic eyes. It seemed almost a rule that cyborg eyes had to be red or blue. This guys had enough individuality to go green at the least. "Yah we can handle that. Three thousand credits for landing. Beyond that, the expense of fuel and anything else that may come up. Can you pay?"

"I can pay. I would also like some work done on the engines. I think there may be an issue in the hyperdrive."

"Aye, we got some mechanics that can work on that. I'll call them up now."

Ultimatum nodded as he waited for the man to finish a holocall, he looked forward to catching up with [member="Ryn'Dhal"] and [member="Lady Kay"] after this was done. This place had some things that would be interesting to see.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled and bowed her head to [member="Ryn'Dhal"] as he proposed being her personal bodyguard. "Why thank you, good sir. I'd appreciate it."

As they left [member="Ultimatum"] to pay for the mooring and fuel, Kay spoke quietly to the young Padawan. "We should be careful. If it's anything like places like Tatooine, then we can't pretend to have a lot of credits. Otherwise they could try to hold us for ransom. That's why I stick to shopping for teas. They are relatively inexpensive and take up so little space."

Kay continued on, glancing around at everyone and everything, yet trying to not seem as though she was too much of an outsider. It was odd to be within a dome of this magnitude, but impressive all at the same time. At least she wasn't alone.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

The padawan couldn't refrain from laughter. "Ma'am, I am but a humble padawan, I don't have any real money to mention. Just enough to sustain me, and my ship, really." But, he'd nod. She was right, the two, if caught off guard, could prove to be more than adequate hostages when held out to the right individuals. He questioned how readily his Order would come to seek him. He was still relatively unknown. Sure, he'd gotten to know the Grandmaster's wife somewhat, but that was a minor connection. His master... no, she'd not likely, as he chose this path for himself, the consequences would fall upon himself to deal with. At least, she did not quite seem the type to go out of her way for a foolish padawan.

A shrug would be given, as he brought his mind back to the present location. Eyes began scanning about for potential threats, as he tended to do in new places. None seemed to stand out too much, to the padawan's relief. But, moving on from that mission objective, he'd begin assisting [member="Lady Kay"] with locating a suitable stand selling various teas... or, he would, had he any clue what exactly they were looking for.

He was glad to have company, even in doing as mundane of a task as visiting a market. He did note, however, the curious glances he was receiving. Though, it made sense, given his attire, though he still believed he'd get more funny looks, and a higher chance of being accosted, had he gone un-shrouded.

[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"] had a ship. That already made him richer than Kay, for she had none of that, not even a home or staff. It's a self imposed poverty due to most of her money going towards freeing slaves.

As they walked through the market, she noticed a few of the odd looks, but pretended not to notice. She stayed away from any of the weaponry booths and the like, stepping into the food ones instead. There she picked up some bread, meat and herbs, asking about each one that was unknown to her. Haggling the prices was the fun part, but she managed all the same, pretending that it was the last of what they had.

She then plopped her wares inside of her satchel and carried off, letting the other merchants know that they were just browzing.

"Anything that you'd like to look at?"

[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

The mechanics had come quickly. There were five of them, most short and somewhat burly. Not a single human among them. Ultimatum absently wondered if the human population was in control on this colony. He hoped not, it was a practice far too common. He was interested at the variety apparent in this group. There was a Utai, Sullustan, a Southern Mustafarian, Gand, and one that Ultimatum could not identify. He was surprised at the Mustafarian, it was rare to see one of them off planet. Definitely not impossible, just not common.

The mechanics were not very energetic, perhaps they had done this too often. Ultimatum lead the way back into the ship, leaving the owner of the landing pad to take care of the fueling. The engine room was not far from the ship's entrance and they soon were looking around the room. Each seemed to have their own area of expertise. The Sullustan and the one that he could not identify were both working over the Hyperdrive. He watched them work slowly, for their lack of enthusiasm they were thorough. Ultimatum did not have the overall knowledge of the ship's inner workings, there was too much for his memory banks to contain.

They all had their own set of tools and some of them were pulling their tools out to repair or tune that which they saw. The Gand especially, seemed to be busying itself with some of the engine's power systems. The Utai turned and spoke something to the Mustafarian who laughed, a sound that Ultimatum only recognized as such due to the fact that he had spent a lot of time around them. The Utai then spoke to Ultimatum, who had to translate it for himself to understand.

"Not a ba' ship you got here. Not been use' much has she?"

It took Ultimatum a moment longer to respond in order to collect the language for his use. "Yes, I bought this not long ago. You should see the ship I have in the shipyard back on Mustafar, its still being repaired. It's shaping up quite nicely however."

"If you pay for the ticket I will go anywhere you bloo'y well please." That remark was followed by chuckles around the room.

"Maybe I will. I'll talk about it with your boss."

"Goo' luck with that, he's one cruel sob." With that the Utai turned back to his work and Ultimatum thought on that.

---------------

Outside the human cyborg smiled as he ordered the workers to refuel the ship. It would be a relatively quick process, the team he had here was very efficient and had lots of practice. After they were done he had a holocall to make. He had been paid a very hefty sum to let someone on Mustafar know that this very unique droid had arrived. He did not know why, nor did he care. Money was money here, and everyone needed to make enough to survive.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Ryn'Dhal"]

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

"Honestly, I am just enjoying the walk. I don't get much in the way of idle time as of late. My life has been occupied at length with training, or repelling Sith. But, a leisurely stroll... Especially with someone who knows me behind my mask. It is.... therapeutic." He smiled, the tone in his voice giving evidence of this fact. He'd clasp his gloved hands behind his back, choosing this instead of behind his head, as that motion instead would have revealed his lightsabers, which would not be ideal.

If this trip could remain easy like this, the grand adventure would have ran like a nice vacation for all involved. That'd be nice, right? "None of these vendors have anything that really incites my curiosity. At least, not that I can see without pushing for any wares they might have hidden away from regular consumers eyes." He'd muse, before continuing. "I don't believe I need any new emitters for my sabers... Master Matsu is one of the finest craftspersons in my Order..." A slight shrug was given, before turning his gaze to [member="Lady Kay"], a smile still clear in those golden eyes. "So yes, there is nothing I really need to look for here. I am more than content just being your accompaniment."

[member=Ultimatum]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay had to do all that she could to stop herself from patting [member="Ryn'Dhal"] on the head as he spoke of her helping him with this...therapy. Maybe it was the type of sentient creature that she was, his mannerisms and his overall joy on this leg of the trip, but she could hardly control herself. The repelling of Sith though, that was something that she'd have to talk about with him later. Or at least ask what he had meant by that.

As they walked, she couldn't hide away from a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Having Ryn here with her was wonderful, however she was noticing that their upbeat attitudes were standing out from the others in the market. Hmmm.

"Shouldn't be long before [member="Ultimatum"] joins us. How about we get a bite to eat, hmm? I know that I just bought some food, but that's for cooking later on our journey. And it might give others less reason to stare at us.." How much were they going to stick out on other worlds? Probably a lot more, and they were going to have to try to adapt if they were going to get in and out easily.

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum was surprised at how quickly they had finished their work. The mechanics were soon packing up their tools and walking back outside the ship. Ultimatum took a moment to look over the work, very good. They must have had some training, but he wondered where. Were they professional, had they gone through a educational facility or learned on the job? He did not care overly much, their workmanship proved themselves.

He stepped out of the ship to see that the mechanics had probably returned to where they had come from. He also noted that the people taking care of the refueling were finishing up. They pulled away from the craft and pushed their equipment out of the way while they finished the last pieces. The owner had a smile on his face that seemed unusual, but then again organics were strange to begin with.

The man waved before turning and leaving. His job was done. Refueling and repairs complete, he had completed all his obligations to this visitor. It was time to move onto other things.

Ultimatum meanwhile closed the ship and activated its minimal security systems. Then began walking into the town. It was an interesting sight and he looked forward to seeing what there was. He might find something that he could use, as compared to most places selling things for organics. Perhaps he would find [member="Ryn'Dhal"] and [member="Lady Kay"]. Time would tell.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Ryn nodded in agreement, noticing how much more prevalent the stares were becoming. He'd make note of a 'nice' cantina off to the right. "Perhaps there? I'm not terribly used to the concept of... 'dining out'.... So, just hoping to follow your lead here...." He'd say, trying to keep the smile audible in his voice, though beneath his robes gloved hands would be wrapped securely, but loosely, upon hilts of sabers.

He was ready, should something negative happen. Last thing he wanted was to have a fight go down on the first world they visited, but if it happened, he would be ready to react, He'd reach out with the Force, feeling the threads, perceiving any and all possible threats that he could, trying to discern what would happen, who would attack, if at all, before they'd actually do it.

He'd reach, and probe, and suddenly realize the Rodian, puffing on a cigarette on the left side of the street, was the most likely candidate to attack them, if anyone in the immediate vicinity was going to. So that would be whom Ryn would take care to keep in his peripheral vision, or at least monitored carefully through the Force.

[member=Lady Kay] | [member=Ultimatum]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay looked to where [member="Ryn'Dhal"] pointed and nodded in agreement. "Yes. That's a good choice. Come on." She smiled a little and headed towards it, stepping inside once she reached the door.

She couldn't reach out through the Force like Ryn could, not while she was in hiding. Using it felt like a beacon that would only bring the Sith to them. And the trio didn't need that attention to top off what they already had.

Kay approached the counter and ordered a couple of meaty stews and glasses of water. She then guided Ryn to one of the tables and sat down. "Shouldn't be long until we get our food. And not to worry, this isn't fine dining." She glanced around, noting the eight others that were in the establishment. Each of them seemed to be busy with their own meals and conversations. But, you never know.

Moments later their stews and water arrived. Kay paid for them and then looked to Ryn as she picked up a spoon. "I hope you like stew." It was curious to see whether or not he'd take off his mask, or just lift it a little to spoon the stew into his mouth.

[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum did not want to call the other two, drawing attention would not be the greatest idea at this time he guessed. He walked through the crowd, making a general assumption of where they had gone based on the original direction that he had seen them go. He did note quite a few gazes that struck him as dangerous. There were also a number of creatures that he was unsure of what they were. It was interesting to see the diversity here. Very few other places in the galaxy saw so many different species in so small an area.

He walked by booth after booth until he thought he recognized the two in a small cafeteria. He began making his way over when he felt something bump against him. There were so many creatures moving about that he could hardly keep from touching. The difference was the force behind the knock, it felt less like a shoulder, more like something hitting hard, not enough to beat Ultimatum back, but enough to get his attention. He turned to see a red scaly tail disappear into the crowd. A lizard like head appeared over, looking towards the droid with an apologetic look. It then turned back and slowly disappeared beneath the other organics, Ultimatum wondered what it was, aside from being something he recognized. He put that away as something to look into later.

He continued walking into the little store. He made his way slowly to [member="Lady Kay"] and [member="Ryn'Dhal"]. "How are you two doing?"

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

The soup was rich, meaty, and the padawan realized with that tell-tale groan from his belly that he was famished. The padawan would artfully lower his hood even lower, deepening the darkness in which his mask and face resided in. As he'd carefully do so, his mask came of subsequently, the combined effect giving the opening of his hood, in the dim lighting of the cantina, an almost void-like appearance. The spoon would rise, and the end of it seemed to disappear utterly into the voice of the mask, as Ryn would enjoy his meal with [member="Lady Kay"]. A low groan of pleasure would be emitted. A simple stew, yes, but rich, and meaty, just the way the predatory humanoid prefered. "Oh yes, most definitely approved." His melodic voice flitted out of the darkness of the hood, a stark contrast to his current appearance.

A short time later, after his bowl was cleared, the third member, and leader, of the part arrived. Approaching as Ryn was returning his mask onto his face, the padawan smiled broadly, the act of which was most obvious in his plainly visible, highly expressive eyes, as well as his melodic voice. "Quite well. We have supped, and have enjoyed a quiet beverage, and as of yet encountered no ill from the locals. I will call a successful meal where I find it." He'd quip, his spirits quite high at the moment due to firm ground beneath his feet, no hyperspace around him, and warm, meaty stew in his belly. "I'd gather the ship is refueled and ready for the next leg, sir?" The padawan found it not at all difficult to treat the Sentient AI with the same level of respect he'd give a Military leader, or even a Jedi Knight or Master. Artificial or not, this person was a person, and a good one. Ryn had no issues with respecting that.

[member=Ultimatum]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled as [member="Ryn'Dhal"] ate his stew, glad that he liked it. She ate hers in turn and then gulped down her water. It was then that [member="Ultimatum"] arrived. She bowed her head to him and shared in Ryn's sentiment. "Yes it's been nice and quiet for us. I picked up some fresh food and breads so that I can cook on our journey. I didn't sea any fresh tea leaves, but perhaps on the next stop I'll find some. I still have plenty of stock, but there's always room for more."

She smiled, enjoying the adventure so far. Everything has been going well. But that didn't mean that they should drop their guard.

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum was glad to hear that both of them seemed to have done alright for themselves. He had been concerned that the nature of the place would lend itself to trouble, however nothing seemed to have come of it. That was a relief and Ultimatum felt confident enough about security around the plan that he felt somewhat relaxed. It was probably a mistake, it was more than likely too early to make an informed decision about the status of this trip. After all, this was only the first stop on what seemed to be a long trip.

"It is all ready when you two are. Take your time, at this point there is no rush. What have you two seen of this place?" He was somewhat certain that the other two did not want to stay too much longer and he would agreed. He was interested in the planet even so. There was no reason not to learn about some of the places that they went through after all. If nothing else, it would expand cultural horizons, something that Ultimatum was still accomplishing with all the traveling he had been doing.

--------------------

Back just outside the ship, the Gand mechanic was explaining that he had possibly damaged some of the components that he had been working on in the ship to the landowner. Predictably, the human was quite upset, it would mean calling back the droid and getting him to open his ship. The shipowner would more than likely then make certain that the job had been done before continuing whatever business he had on this rock. That would mean that the ship would be here longer and therefore take up space that could be servicing another ship. Which meant less money made. Even if he tried to collect an overtime payment it would not make up for the space and time taken up.

He decided that he could wait for a bit. Perhaps the owner would be back soon, check on his precious ship or something.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Ryn'Dhal"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Oh good, the ship was ready. Kay finished her water and then set her dishes to the side of the table for pick up. She smiled at [member="Ultimatum"] and opened her satchel for him to let him peek inside. "We've seen just a part of the market. I picked up a few cuts of meat, some bread, herbs and vegetables. It'll do us good to have a little variety in our meals." She closed up her satchel and placed it on her lap. "Other than that, some of the wares were a bit expensive and not quite anything that I'd need for this trip. We thought that we were drawing a bit of attention to ourselves, so we decided to come in here for a bit."

Kay looked to [member="Ryn'Dhal"] not exactly sure if he was prepared to go back into the ship yet, especially as she didn't know how long the next leg of their journey would be. "Ryn, shall we head back or did you want to stretch your legs more?"

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Turning his mask to face [member=Ultimatum], Ryn would voice his only real concern over this adventure. "How long do you foresee the next leg of our adventure being in Hyperspace?" The longer the duration, the more likely occurrence of a shift happening. Depending really on that factor would determine how eager the padawan would be for dust-off. He didn't see much on this planet to give him cause or desire to remain, but enjoying a few more moments of Conventional Space definitely rendered potent incentive for remaining planet-side in advance of another extended duration trip through Hyperspace.

A bit of movement caught the felines eyes, a glint of metal. What Ryn could only hazard to guess might have been a possibly a small data-stick or some compact data-pad, or worst case a knife or similar instrument, being shifted from one hand to the other of a shady looking rodian in the corner. Ryn made no motion to draw attention to the mostly inconspicuous action, but mentally filed it away. His heightened senses would keep the alien's location locked to the best of his ability. If trouble was indeed afoot, Ryn'Dhal would get the drop on it before it could get out of hand, should this individual seek to continue on their perceived course.

[member=Lady Kay]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum, taking into account his friend's susceptibility to long term exposure to Hyperspace, had calculated the approximate time. Fortunately it seemed that at this point it would be less time than previously. The next planet was closer, several light-years closer. "I would expect no more than thirteen hours, however I believe that the actual time spent in hyperspace will be closer to eight hours. Should be easier than this first jump. We are headed to the Vassek System, a bit of a sideways step to avoid First Order space. We will be passing through the Sump system on the way, there is not much there. The one planet that has seen galactic history is completely uninhabitable due to toxic marshes. That is what is left of the planet after a mining corporation bought it from the natives. Nasty business, mining like that. Anyways, eight hours. Think you can handle that?" The question had a bit of humor in it, though it was a serious concern. He did not expect any problems to arise, but it was always important to cover possible issues.

The droid's sensors were nowhere near strong enough to punch through the wall of organics and various other materials, and because he was looking the wrong way. He did not see the Rodian, nor could his sensors detect any sort of weapon in this area. He had put a reminder in his system to make a more sensitive scanner for weapons and that sort, but for now he figured that between two Force users, with two varying degrees of abilities, and his scanners, when they worked properly, they would be able to handle what threats there were.

------------

The Gand had figured a way into the ship, he had always been a good mechanic. When the alien had tried to explain the landowner simply shook his head. He did not need to hear all the technical information on a process that he would never fully understand. There had been one concern that the Gand had put to rest very quickly. That was the question of a security system.

Having expected there to be some form of alert system should someone try to break in, the mechanic had used a few carefully placed electrical shocks through the system to momentarily disable first the locks and then the security itself. It was amazing what could be accomplished with so much technology being accessible from a panel on the back of the ship. When the locks had disabled, the other mechanics had pulled down the loading ramp. None of them wanted the Gand to get into trouble, after all they had all been through so much together. They had their difficulties but underneath the somewhat stern rulership of the landowner they had grown to be friends.

The Gand had then moved aboard the vessel to begin work on the components. Beyond that he would also need to find a few things. They knew what their boss was up to and they did not like it.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Ryn'Dhal"]

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

As they were striding down the road towards the port, Ryn could feel them. Feel the followers. He'd turn towards the side, heading down an alleyway abruptly, seeming to leave the two behind. As soon as he entered into the alley, he'd spring into the air, feet tapping lightly for the briefest of moments on each side of the alley, before reaching the roof, silently. Stalking low to the roof, he gestured for the other two to continue moving forwards without him, before pointing to his eyes with his index and middle fingers, then motioning to imply he was keeping an eye out.

As Ultimatum and Kay continued down the road, Ryn was able to pinpoint their pursuers. Three trailing behind, four preparing to intercept up ahead, and two to each side coming down alleys. As they converged, halting the droid and woman's forward motion and cutting off escape routes, the 'leader' started his speech. "Oy! Dat yoor ship o'er dere?" His thick accent leaving the large humanoid seeming possessing of questionable intelligence. Big, possessing of a large gun, and the 'loyalty' of his followers. "An whar ees yoor 'ooded friend?" he asked, eyes scanning the area.

Unfortunately, the man did not look up. Sailing high over-head, the masked padawan touched down right in front of the big man, a sweep of his arms sending his three near-by lackeys sprawling on their rears, weapons clattering across the ground. Standing to his full, albeit somewhat diminutive height, his molten golden hues narrowed through the slits of his mask. His voice came forth, distorted and somewhat sinister sounding through his mask. "You have made a mistake. You have but one chance. One chance to leave. I have better things to do than deal with your kind of filth." His cloak would be swept back, giving just the leader of the gang a fleeting glimpse of the curved lightsaber-hilt on his hip.

"Make.... your.... choice...." He'd growl.


[member=Lady Kay] | [member=Ultimatum]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"I think that we can handle that just fine [member="Ultimatum"] ." Kay answered his earlier question as they left the establishment to head back to the ship. She slung her satchel over her shoulder. Going to a world that was full of toxic swamps made her question whether or not the air was breathable. Hopefully the right equipment was on board that would help protect them.

As they headed back to the ship, she raised a brow while [member="Ryn'Dhal"] took to the rooftops. He saw something and was looking out for them. She gripped the strap of her satchel as she walked with her friend. It was when the four blocked their path that she realized what was going on. Were they trying to rob them? No sooner did that happen, than Ryn soared from above, landing on top of them and flourishing his cloak. It was neat to see him in action. She turned around to face the three behind them, drawing her blaster out from her satchel. She had it set to stun, but they didn't know that. Kay aimed it at them and tried to look like she always had perfect aim, a far cry from reality. "Don't move or you lose your legs!" Oh she felt silly...

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum was glad that [member="Lady Kay"] believed so. He had assumed his feline friend would be capable of handling the relatively short time in Hyperspace. He wondered if the effects built up over time or if it was more of a momentary stress thing. He noted that the street thinned out some, there were fewer people on it than before. He assumed that perhaps it was just the time of day, gangs came out and caused trouble to those still on the streets.

He wondered a little about his [member="Ryn'Dhal"]'s reason for jumping off. But then he just assumed that he had a reason. Either way, it was not Ultimatum's place to question. It turned out to be a good idea. As they were stopped Ultimatum wondered what this was about. The question struck him as odd. What were they here for? However, Ryn's timely appearance seemed to put an end to any thought of peaceful discussion. Ultimatum's reaction was similar to Kay's, his blaster pistol appeared in his hand. It was set to stun as well, but he knew that. The weapon was always kept on stun unless he manually put in a different load out. He smiled inwardly at the statement on Kay's part, it fit her personality.

"You saw him coming. You have any idea what he wants?" He directed the question to Ryn without saying names, there was the possibility that their enemies did not know the names of their targets.