Crystal Run

[Miss Blonde]

Miss Blonde was skeptical of the request she had received from [member="Desmond C'artyom"] and the Imperial Remnant, not because she couldn't make a stealth cloak. No that was easy, all it took to make was Stygium crystals, some wiring, and some durable material. What she was skeptical about was the fact that Desmond wanted to do business and get tech from her, after the fact that they had recently stopped trying to kill each other. But Blonde wasn't one to turn down money, so why the hell not? She needed the cash and the Remnant's credits were as shiny and gold as anyone else's. Though the idea of it still kind of grossed her out.

So having Desmond meet Blonde on the marsh covered lands of Enigma Prime, they would be meeting at a rather strange location even for her standards. Out in the literal and figurative middle of fucking nowhere, there stood a single wooden shack. Now this shack wasn't like any other shack, it had a small dinner area with wooden stools that pulled up to the counter. And behind said counter was a man wearing a dirty apron and chefs hat. His multiple arms performed various tasks as he stood over a boiling pot of delicious smelling goodness, and what might that goodness be? Well at the top of the shack there was a sign that said Dapour's Noodles and they were some of the best in the galaxy.

"I'm telling you Dapour, you could make a lot of money making this a chain. Let me invest in you, you could live it big." Miss Blonde sat herself down at the counter and chuckled.

Wearing her full business suit and mask, she cupped her chin in her palm and let out a sigh afterwards already knowing what the older alien was going to say.

"You know I can't do that. Then there'd be nothing special about them. If people want to taste the best then they have to make the trip. If they could go around the corner and buy them, there'd be no journey. There'd be no magic." The older man said with a smile on his aged face.

"One of these days, Dapour. I'll get you to let me invest in you." Blonde chuckled once more and put her elbows on the counter to lean forward while she sat.

"When Rancors become household pets and Zilos come back from extinction." The man let out his own little laugh then turned his head to look at Blonde.

"Bowl of the usual?" He asked in his kind but steady voice.

"Yes, but have it ready in an hour. I'm meeting someone here for some business." Blonde said with a very optimistic tone.

"Alright then, I'll text you when it's ready." The man started stirring his pot of broth and Miss Blonde sat there patiently waiting for Desmond.

These were the rare instances where Blonde let her softer side show. Desmond had already been witness to it, and she didn't mind showing it around him. But to the rest of the galaxy, she was still that ruthless crime lord.

 

[Desmond C'artyom]

Desmond C’artyom trudged through the marshlands in utter disgust. It wasn’t the brackish water that floated around his boots, the giant leeches or even the mosquitoes that bothered him. It was the humidity. It was hot and moist. He sweated profusely even though he wore only a tank top and jeans tucked uniformly into his boots. He was a Chiss and Chiss did not do hot and humid. He had to hire a guide to find the damn place and the man wouldn’t stop blathering about “The best damned noodles this side of the galaxy”.

He didn’t mind paying the extra fee, it was all coming out of the money Miss Blonde had given him. The Stealth tech, the guide and even the noodles were going to be paid for by yours truly. The reason Desmond didn’t use Imperial Remnant funds was because this was to be a hush hush matter. The Chiss had been meticulously planning it for ever. All though since Abyss’s incursion into his mind he could not remember why. Thankfully the scientist on Kamino he had been working with did remember, and thus reminded him of his need for more stealth technologies.

Only after hours of walking did he finally find the shack where Miss Blonde was said to be. He couldn’t fathom how the woman could be wearing a suit and a gas mask in this weather, but it was Blonde and the Chiss hadn’t the faintest idea why she did anything she did. He approached the bar and took a seat. He wiped some of the sweat off his brow then looked to the Besalisk behind the counter.

“Two bowls of noodles,” The Chiss ordered. Whether Miss Blonde wanted any or not the Chiss was hungry enough for the both of them. His Metabolism, which was used to the cold ran high, and thus he was famished by the time he came to the shack. He reached into his jean pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag. He withdrew its contents and sprinkled them in a fine tobacco leaf. He licked the blunt, sealing it tightly, pressed it to his lips and lit the cigarra. Spice and tobacco, to take the edge off.

The noodles came shortly after Desmond lit up and he pushed a bowl over to Blonde. “Hungry?” He asked between a puff. Without waiting to see if she accepted Desmond picked up two little sticks that lay on the counter and dipped them into his bowl. He ate the noodles as he did everything else in his life, greedily. Then when he finished he picked the cigarra back up and re lit it. “So, how’s the business?”

[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

Miss Blonde was a bit peckish, she could definitely eat. But that didn't change the expression that was under her mask, it was one of almost dumbfounded dry wit that oozed through the metal strapped to her face. What was she going to do? Slurp the noodles through the filter? That was just stupid. So Blonde's eyebrow raised as she stared silently at Desmond who was clearly dehydrated from his march. But instead of verbally lashing out at Desmond she simply raised a finger and pointed it at the mask she wore on her face, it was clear that she wasn't going to be eating noodles right now.

"How you survived infancy is a miracle in itself." Blonde said dryly as Dapour let out his own little laugh from behind the counter.

"Dapour, pack this up for me and keep it warm." Blonde then stood up and adjusted her black silk tie.

"Sure thing, Blonde. You leaving a tip?" Blonde chuckled at his words and she reached into her coat pocket.

"Yeah, don't have a noodle shop in the middle of nowhere." Setting down a few hundred credits, Miss Blonde looked to Desmond and stepped down onto the dirt away from the bar's counter.

"I like the weather, sue me." Dapour said as he took the other bowl of ramen and started to package it for later.

"We're leaving." She said then snapped her fingers.

From the nearby tree line the sound of engines revving started up and soon a speeder pulled up towards the shack. The window lowered and a man with slicked back orange hair looked out of it to greet Blonde and her guest.

"Whose the yes man?" He asked in a very straight to the point tone of voice.

"Just some imperial is all. Just drive." She responded while opening the back seat of the four door speeder and entering afterwards.

She left the door open for Desmond expected him to get in, they had business to attend to and Stygium to acquire.

[member="Desmond C'artyom"]

 

[Desmond C'artyom]

Desmond yawned as he finished his cigar. With a flick of his index finger it went careening into the nearby murky water. Desmond stomach still rumbled and he looked to Miss Blonde's share hungrily. She declined to partake and merely pointed at her mask. It had more or less been a test. It seemed she would not be taking her mask off in front of him again.

He had wanted to see if she would extend him the same trust as she did on Via. She did not and now he had a firmer understanding of where they stood. Mayhaps borderline acquaintances, but frenemies seemed more applicable. Desmond imagined her "image" to be what kept her from doing so and merely shrugged. Nonetheless he did not truly care, so long as she wasn't trying to stab him in the back. More importantly to the Chiss was the fact that she had Dapour the Besalisk pack up her noodles and thus his hopes of eating more of the delicious substance dissipated. She left with a snap of her fingers and Des watched as a speeder appeared from the tree line.

"Dapour if you wouldn't bringing another bowl before I leave,"

The Besalisk merely smiled "Of course lad," and brought the Chiss another helping of the delicious noodles.

The Chiss reached into his pockets to pay the alien, but he merely shook his head. It was evident Miss Blonde had more then payed for his meal. and with that being established Desmond took the bowl of noodles and followed the petite female to the nearby speeder. Behind the wheel sat a flame headed human who referred to the Chiss as a Yes man. This struck Desmond as ironic as the Chiss had performed countless acts of terrorism in First order space, Gallactic Alliance space and even committed atrocities in what many would call criminal territory (Malachor).

He did all of this of his own free will. Not even the Emperor fully controlled the Chiss. Alas to the likes of criminals whom Desmond would never understand he supposed he would appear to be a "Yes Man". But the truth is the Chiss really just had a thing for wanton destruction and so long as the Empire kept the explosives flowing he would remain a "Yes Man". So, as the Chiss hopped into the speeder he daydreamed of a hundred different ways to kill the driver. His favorite involving Bamboo, a curved sword and lots of rope...


[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

The suit and tie along with the mask was less for Desmond and more for where they were going, Enigma Prime was a pretty large mining planet and they had to acquire crystals from various sources. That meant doing business with the locals and when you did business you had to come prepared by looking professional, that was the key to being successful. Unlike Desmond who looked like a hot bag of Bantha ass, and probably smelled like one too. Thankfully Blonde had the gas mask or she'd probably say something about it.

"Orange, how close are we to the target?" Blonde asked as she sat up in her seat.

The driver of the speeder pressed a button on a datapad built into the console of the speeder and would relay the information back to his boss.

"Bout six kilometers ma'am." He stated rather calmly as he banked up and rose high above the tree line.

With the speeder moving along at a fast rate, Blonde needed to get ready as well. Appearances needed to be met so she quickly moved one of her hands under the passenger seat of the car and pulled out a briefcase. Opening it up there were a few objects inside of it, the first of course being a very boxy submachine gun that looked as if it could spit rounds down range and blow it's clip in less than three seconds. She quickly set that on Desmond's lap for him to carry.

"That's yours, I want it back by the way." Blonde continued to root through the briefcase until she found another item.

The item she pulled was a small switchblade that she activated to let the metallic blade gleam in the light of the speeder. She deactivated the blade then tossed it over to Desmond.

"You can keep that, it's force imbued." Blonde then grabbed the last piece of gear in the briefcase and it was a identification chip for the miners guild.

She did business with them very frequently so it made sense to buy into their membership program in order to legitimize her own mines that she owned across the galaxy. With the Kathol outback gone she could finally get back to her phrik mine on Demonsgate.

"That should just about do it." Blonde said with a smile under her mask.

"Closing on target in three kilometers." Orange said from up front.

[member="Desmond C'artyom"]

 

[Desmond C'artyom]

Desmond’s tank had become sweat soaked. His boots and the bottom layer of his tucked in jeans were covered in mud. He did indeed look like bantha ass, and he still wondered how Miss Blonde was handling the heat so well in all that damned clothing. But, then again Blonde did not have to go trudging through a couple miles of muck to get here.

As they drew nearer Blonde dug through the passenger's side and retrieved a black suit case.She opened the box and removed a compact submachine gun. She handed it to Des who proceeded to see if it was loaded, then made sure their was one in the chamber. He preferred something more precise, but knew this would do. She also handed him a small knife and told Desmond it was force imbued.

Desmond tried to imagine what that exactly meant. Would he stab something and it would go flying via crazy telemetric blast of energy or was it just a cool side piece? Whatever it was he shoved the small knife into his pocket and slung the submachine gun around his back.

“If these are business associates, what’s with the guns?” Desmond asked curiously in his Imperial accent. He felt more sweat build upon his brow as the driver announced them closing the distance. A firefight had not been what he had in mind for a business trip, but he enjoyed the thought regardless. But, like any being he was beginning to worry a little and all that sweat wasn't just from the heat.

[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

Letting out a little chuckle, Blonde had expected Desmond of all people to want to come armed. As an Imperial agent he should of been well versed with Murphy's Law and always prepare for the worst possible outcome. It was just something that Blonde did, she always came prepared and ready to duke it out if it came to blows. While she always preferred to simply outwit her opponents, sometimes you needed to speak with bullets instead. All that aside, they were closing in on the target and it was about time for them to get serious about this job.

"Well where we're going it's not the most friendly of places. I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. You'd be wise to learn that lesson, I've been doing this a lot longer than you. Stick with me kid and I'll show you how I run the criminal underworld." Blonde gave the Chiss a thumbs up then looked towards the front seat where Orange sat.

"Bring us in, and notify Saul of our arrival." Giving her order she then sat back and crossed her legs, taking what small time they had to relax.

"Yes, ma'am." Orange gave a nod then the speeder shifted.

For the remainder of the trip (which was all of a minute) Blonde remained quiet until they reached the destination. Unable to see out the tinted windows, Desmond wouldn't have a clue where they were, and Blonde preferred it that way. It was always nice to gauge the reaction of those she brought here. So when they did park, Blonde opened up the door and for Desmond, he'd be able to see a small town and skyline behind it. It all looked fairly normal.

"Watch your step, the first ones a doozy." Blonde said as she once again straightened up her suit.

Whenever Desmond decided to exit the vehicle he'd be able to see that they were very high in the air, and the town that was in front of them was moving. But this wasn't some cloud city, if he looked to his right he'd see a massive leg push up and then move forward. They were on a massive walker thousands of meters large. It was a marvel of modern engineering, and it held an entire city of people.

"We need to get to the mining guild office, let's go." She said stepping down off the landing pad and heading towards the town.

[member="Desmond C'artyom"]

 

[Desmond C'artyom]

Desmond respected coming prepared and he loved fancy guns, but bringing them to a business meeting seemed a tad… Excessive. He tried to imagine how he may look now and smiled. A grizzly looking Chiss, covered in sweat and muck carrying around a submachine gun. It was almost like working for the Black Sun again. He missed the good ol’ days. Blonde claimed to know her way round the underworld and Des believed her. His short stint was nothing in the face of her Empire, so he decided to be quiet and observe. Who knows maybe he’d learn something along the way.

Desmond attempted to get a better look out the windows, but couldn’t truly make anything out. The inch or so of tint did a pretty good job of keeping anyone from seeing out and in he imagined. He wondered if the glass was bulletproof and tapped the window as one might a fish bowl. He sighed boredly and had just begun to pull the knife out of his pocket when they stopped.

Blonde got out and opened the door for the Chiss and what he saw was quite baffling. It was like a giant AT-AT, but with a city on top instead of lasers and a troop carrier. Desmond exited the craft and as he set his feet down he expected to feel some form of sea sickness, but instead was rather surprised to find he scarcely noticed the movement. Blonde began to guide their way to the mining office and Desmond with drew the knife.

Idly flipping it between his fingers he asked “Blonde, who built this city and how?” He asked curiously. It wasn’t every day you saw a walking city.

 

[Miss Blonde]

"My friend Peter!" Blonde yelled back to Desmond as they crossed over the bridge from the landing pad and over to the main platform, the sound of mechanical parts moving and drowning out words.

It wasn't much of an explanation, but it was the truth. There were plenty of large Walker mining camps on Enigma prime, but this one was the biggest. The history of it was less than important, the only thing that mattered was that it was here. Plus Blonde wasn't really all that welcome when it came to the other sites, what the various amounts of armed robbery and theft. Maybe a with a dash of assault with a deadly weapon, but Desmond really didn't need to know about those details.

But now that they were on the main platform they walked through the pathways that served as streets for the massive walker, slowly moving away from the loud grinding of gears and metal on metal. Once they were in a quiet place, Blonde and Desmond continued to step through various workers both white collar and blue, there were even a few kids running along the streets.

"Anyways. It's a pretty cool place, I don't come here often. Most of the time I just pop in to grab some Stygium while I get some noodles from Dapour." She said as she weaved past a few miners carting away some Stygium.

"Just stay close and no matter what, don't make eye contact with Sal. One of the scariest people I've met." And Miss Blonde was saying that.

Eventually the two of them found the Miner's Guild local office and stepped inside, and what you would think one would see was not what they witnessed. Rather than a messy office with papers everywhere and an assistant taking calls, there was almost nothing but white. It was almost surreal. They had stepped in from a world covered in smoke and grime and were now surrounded in pure white as if they had died and this was the afterlife. But it got weirder, not only was there the bright whiteness of the room, there was a simple wooden desk at the end of it , with a sign hanging from it that read "Out To Lunch" in foreign language to Desmond. It was old Antecedent and while Blonde could read it, she was certain that Desmond could make it out that he was on break and would return in a few minutes.

"You can collapse that gun now if you want. We won't need it until we step outside again." Blonde said in a hushed tone.

[member="Desmond C'artyom"]