First Reply Dark Depths Of Nur

[Glar Ulchtar]

Location: A small island on Nur, not far from the ruins of the Fortress Inquisitorius

Time: 8:00 am, Far Western Nur Timezone

Equipment: a swimming wetsuit, a Pyke dagger, a rented harpoon gun

The Fortress Inquisitorius was once a mighty stronghold of the Empire. These days are long gone. The Pyke known as Glar Ulchtar was starring at what was left of the fortress from a small, nearby island. He was wearing a wetsuit for diving, and carrying a harpoon gun he had rented from a local whaler, just in case he needed it. Clipped to his side was a Pyke dagger, as his Lightsaber would not function underwater. Glar was no longer a member of that group, but that is a story not relevant to this one. The surrounding sea was very calm this morning. Perfect for a dive.

The reason Glar was diving this morning could be traced back to the Holocron that he had discovered around a month previously. After accessing it, he had discovered that it was created by the Grand Inquisitor. The Holocron also told Glar about the Fortress Inquisitorius. The Fortress was abandoned, and reportedly contained a large variety of things that Glar might find useful, such as an experimental spacecraft, and a platoon of KX Security Droids. Of course, it was always possible that all of these things had long since been stolen or destroyed. However, in Glar’s opinion it still warranted at least a quick check. He had always been a good swimmer, anyways.

Everything seemed to be in order for Glar, but just before he was about to jump into the water, he suddenly felt something. It was not exactly a concrete sensation, but it did not seem to be completely in his head. This of course, was a manifestation of Glar’s force sensitivity. It was definitely responding to a nearby presence other than Glar. How nearby was difficult to say. It was also difficult to tell whether this person was a friend, or an enemy.

 

[Mariah of House Marr]

White-5 and her many other droids and drones remained at the Fyrnock while she went out on her own in her Atargatis skin, it was so fascinating, the freedom it granted in the water. She wasn't properly equipped for a fight, so she was relying on the maneuverability her suit would grant her. She did have a place ashore where most of her equipment and a dry set of clothes was hidden, so she'd be able to get out of this more easily. But for now, she was just swimming.

Though she was aware of the Fortress Inquisitorius, she wasn't sure yet if she'd actually go for anything there. If she did, she'd likely need to bring White. But some proper aquatic droids could be preferable. She was however, unaware of the presence of Glar Ulchtar just yet. Though she was being quite careful, she only had her own senses. Although the necklace she wore was very much a product of force alchemy, and she was well aware of many aspects in the force, she was never a user herself. Not out of choice, but a lack of ability. Even if she wanted to she'd never had a connection to the force.

That was fine with her, she'd gone 80 years without it, she might go another 80 again. She usually avoided the situations where the force would have been useful anyway, she had plenty of other skills to supplement her. Those would simply need to be enough.

Equipment:
mariahs-necklace
Atargatis skin
Personal Aquatic Enviro-Shield Generator

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Mariah of House Marr

The presence seemed to be somewhere under the water. Rather than jumping right in, Glar decided to gradually walk into the water. Like most of his species, Glar had a set of vestigial gills, which allowed him to exist underwater without needing an oxygen supply, but also like most of his species he did not use them very often, which meant that he could only spend around two hours underwater at a time.

The water was surprisingly well-lit by the star which Nur orbited, allowing Glar to see without much difficulty. As he looked around, he saw a large, blue shape passing by in the distance. It was difficult to tell, but it seemed to be the source of the presence that he had felt. The shape was in a similar general direction to the fortress, so Glar began to swim closer to it by necessity.

 

[Mariah of House Marr]

Glar Ulchtar

Mariah was genuinely enjoying herself using the suits ability to freely move around in the water. It was strange how enjoyable it was but there was something familiar to it. She couldn't tell if the familiarity was good or not but she was too busy twirling in the water to give it much mind. She hesitated as she did manage to see movement, she narrowed her eyes looking into the distance, she was still not completely used to looking at things underwater. The clarity of space and many sensors really was something she'd inadvertently become reliant on. Water was just...so distorted.

No, she definitely could see something. It wasn't moving fast, it didn't seem that big. But she kept watching it, she actually decided to move closer, carefully. If she needed to dart away she was ready to do so at any moment. She might have been more likely to just avoid it if it had come from underwater, but it didn't, it was much closer to the surface. And so she thought, and hoped, it might only be semi-aquatic. Or sapient. Though, she was a little mixed on both of those. A sapient might be able to be reasoned with, or might assume she was some rare species and decide there were credits to be had. Then again, she might be able to handle that. But a non-sapient might be just something she could avoid, or something that would try and eat her.

Definitely some potential mixed results on this.


Equipment:
mariahs-necklace
Atargatis skin
Personal Aquatic Enviro-Shield Generator

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Mariah of House Marr

As Glar continued swimming, he noticed that the blue shape was also moving towards him. As the shape came closer, it became easier for Glar to identify some of the shape’s features. It was definitely a life form, and it was clearly one well adapted for swimming. While it was difficult for Glar to tell whether this life form was hostile or not, his connection to the force was definitely telling him that it was sentient. Perhaps this individual could help him? He decided to try waving in the direction of the individual.

 

[Mariah of House Marr]

Glar Ulchtar

It seemed humanoid. Though she wasn't totally certain what species. As it came closer she started to get a better look at it specifically and could tell it had an unusually shaped head...or just a large headwear for the underwater environment. She managed to see it wave to her and decided to return the wave. Making her way closer a little more swiftly. Well, it would either be friendly or not. Might as well find out, and if it wasn't so good...well it'd be time to run.

So long as she didn't see any signs of a trap or hostility, she'd get closer. She knew plenty of sign languages so while underwater talking by mouth wasn't exactly much of an option, she'd still be able to communicate if they in turn knew one of them.

That, or they'd have to surface to talk, if that was an option.

Equipment:
mariahs-necklace
Atargatis skin
Personal Aquatic Enviro-Shield Generator

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Mariah of House Marr

The person waved back at Glar through the water. It seemed like the next step would be finding a way to communicate. Glar thought to himself about the subject. He could try using the Force for telepathic communication, but that seemed risky. Glar did not know any sign language except for a little bit of Pyke Standard Sign Language. Glar was fairly certain that this person would not know any of that. At this point, it seemed like some creative thinking would be needed.

Glar outstretched his left hand, and tried to tap into the force. His fingers felt a tingling sensation, as a large cloud of sand drifted upwards from the seafloor. The sand clouds gradually accumulated into letters, which accumulated into words. Once every grain of sand had settled into place, the person would be able to see the sentence “Can you read this?” The letters were backwards from Glar’s point of view, but would be correct from the other side.

 

[Mariah of House Marr]

Glar Ulchtar

Well that made things easy...no that wasn't the right word. She recognized the species now. Pyke. On the upside, it was a sentient, and it explained the headpiece. On the downside...well the Pykes weren't exactly the safest species to be around. She knew from personal experience in smuggling, those buggers loved their spice and she was pretty sure over half the ones she'd met were actively on it while talking with her.

She was close enough to see him properly now, one quick shove to being within reach at least from her to him, she wasn't sure Pyke's were nearly as fast as the speed the tail gave her. She watched as he waved his hand and he formed words in the air, Now that's clever. she thought. Alright, so he was a force user it seemed. That was a new one for her, not force users, but a Pyke with the force. She nodded at him, she wasn't sure he could see the smile but she did give one. She looked around, there wasn't really anything for her to write with. And the shield generator wasn't going to be big enough even if she turned it on for them both to use. She shrugged apologetically. Well he could write in basic. She tried to sign back to him, "How about this?" but she knew the chances of him understanding were low. She was really wishing she had a waterproof datapad on her now.

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Mariah of House Marr

To Glar, it seemed that the person had understood the words. Of course, it was somewhat difficult for Glar to read the facial expressions and body language of an unidentified alien species while underwater. In response, the person made some hand motions at Glar. The motions definitely seemed to be some kind of sign language, but beyond that, Glar was stumped at what the meaning was. He shrugged his shoulders, or at least made a motion which vaguely resembled shrugging his shoulders. It is not easy for a Pyke to shrug underwater.

Just then, Glar noticed that he was feeling a bit nauseous. Perhaps he had been underwater a bit too long, and needed to take a break from using his vestigial gills. He began to swim upwards towards the surface of the water. He would probably only need to keep his head above the water for a minute or two at the very most. If the person he had been attempting to communicate with was also capable of surviving both underwater and above water, perhaps they would follow him.

 

[Mariah of House Marr]

Glar Ulchtar

He...shrugged right? Seemed like a shrug. She wasn't entirely sure but to be fair, she was somewhat expecting a shrug already. However something seemed to press him to rise to the surface, she followed not far behind. Wasn't much issue with that right? Though she'd continue to keep her eyes out for traps, she doubted that this would be the way a Pyke would try and trap someone.

She reached the surface shortly before he did, likely, thanks to the speed the suit could give her in the water. "Was not expecting to see anyone around here." Mariah would comment once both had their heads out of the water.

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Mariah of House Marr

Evidently, this person was a faster swimmer than Glar, but that was to be expected. What Glar was not expecting was for the person to be able to speak Galactic Basic perfectly while above the water. It would certainly make communicating easier though. As some famous historical figure whom Glar could not recall once said, “A surprise to be sure, but not an unwelcome one.” Something like that anyway.

In response to what the person said, Glar said “I was not expecting anyone either.” Naturally, the next step in the conversation would be to introduce himself. After a brief pause, he said “My name is Franxyal Chotlar, if you were wondering.” He decided that it would be best to withhold his real name for the time being, as he was presumably still being searched for by the Pyke Syndicate, and did not want to tell his real name to someone he had just met. For all he knew, this person could be an informer for the Syndicate, or worse, a bounty hunter.

 

[Mariah of House Marr]

Glar Ulchtar

Thank goodness he spoke basic. Even with a species that makes so many deals with other species, there's always the possibility they simply don't know it. Plus it wasn't like she was meeting him in a market or something. He gave a name 'Franxyal Chotlar' full name...interesting choice. Not that it meant anything, it was hard to match a Pyke to their name due to the near constant helmets. Unless they had a notable rank, then it definitely mattered. Her own was...problematic, but she needn't lie. "Mariah," she responded, only one name. There were plenty of Mariah's out there. Men and women. If he could find her by her name, he could likely find her by much more. Like her ship, far away from it as she might be. Or her face, were she to take the suit off to allow it to be more apparent. She'd lived far too long to avoid her face getting plenty of images on it. But wasn't problematic enough nor famous enough to really be tracked down.

"Guess this could be a bit odd for you huh?" She said with a smile, twirling in the water with it, "Curious thing, it's a suit I bought. Just in case you were out here for some...unique species. Figured I best let ya know."

In spite of the joking manner, she was still aware that even admitting what it was had risks. But she'd rather get them over with now, than end up captured and deal with those consequences.

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Mariah of House Marr

To Glar, it seemed like this person did not suspect that he had given her a fake name. The person then told Glar that her own name was Mariah. Mariah then removed her face, revealing a distinctly human face underneath. Glar had not been expecting this in the least, but did not visibly react to the reveal. She then explained that she was wearing a diving suit. This accounted for why she initially appeared to be an aquatic life form. While it was still difficult to tell, she did not appear to be associated with the Pyke Syndicate in any way to Glar.

Mariah then made a remark about fish poaching, which seemed to be indirectly asking him why he was there. In response, he said “Oh, I am not here for any extreme fishing.” Pointing to the harpoon gun he was carrying, he continued speaking. “I brought this harpoon gun for fending off… inconveniences I am worried about encountering in Fortress Inquisitorius.” It was funny, how even though he had not been a member of the Pyke Syndicate for several months, he still used their default term for hostile life forms and/or droids. In this particular instance, Glar was mostly referring to droids. He decided to wait for Mariah’s response to this before continuing.

 

[Mariah of House Marr]

Glar Ulchtar

Well he at least claimed he was only armed as he was in defense, he mentioned the Fortress, and 'inconveniences' ah yes. That felt familiar. Of course the Pyke's were not the only ones who she'd heard use that, but she had occasionally wandered if some of them got it from the Pykes. They did have a reputation. Still, she wasn't really sure who he might be connected to. Off alone? In an ocean, lightly armed, not even droids with him. It was...odd at least.

She took in a breath thinking, it was almost instinct to try and solve problems...though preferably with a potential reward for her as well, "Ah...that's got quite a history doesn't it." she commented, "Well...I can't imagine there's a whole lot down there worth scavenging if that's what you're after. Maybe a historian or force user would have some value in that, though, I'm quite sure some sith would love to go meditate there if they didn't have to wear any gear for it. Mind if I ask just what you're looking for?"

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Mariah of House Marr

It seemed like Mariah was curious about Glar’s expedition, which was understandable. Like she said, not very many people came here. In response to her question, Glar said “Well, I am not entirely sure what I am going to find. I was told that when the fortress was abandoned, there was a special TIE fighter inside which was never removed. As the original owners of the fortress are all long dead, I do not think anyone will loose much sleep over me claiming it. I do not even really even know what condition it will be in at this point. For all I know, someone else has already taken it. But there are not exactly many good opportunities like this one, so I decided that it was worth a quick check if nothing else.”

After telling Mariah all of this, Glar paused and looked in the general direction of the Fortress Inquisitorius. He then looked back at her. “So, is there any particular reason that you are here?” he asked.

 

[Mariah of House Marr]

Glar Ulchtar

A tie fighter? Shouldn't be surprised. Strange how sometimes old tech was still worth something. Always felt like the galaxy merely made new things as replacements more than advancements. Always moving forwards yet nothing ever seemed to change. Just repeat. Had been a very long time since this thing had been here though, the TIE might have been completely eroded by this point. Especially if there was a more serious water breach. She wandered just how good the security was, and if the place would be safe to enter without the swimsuit...it was a tempting thought. Alternatively she could just use White, that'd be safer. Then she could still get to see and do things there but not risk her own body.

Then he asked her about why she was there, "Well...this actually." She gestured to the suit, "Not that many good places to go for a proper swim to explore the extents the suit would let me...safely. I mean, maybe it isn't that safe. But I've got a ship and security on standby if I need them. So safer than most."

No harm in telling him that, besides, might dissuade him if he did have wrong intentions. "You know, I could help with the exploration if you're fine with sharing anything else down there. Can leave the fighter to you. Though I might need to prepare properly. As wonderful as this suit is, I feel having a proxy go in my place would be better. Have a droid literally made for that. Plus it would remove the need to change into normal clothes, then back, when going in and out. Assuming it has any functioning environmental controls."

 

[Glar Ulchtar]

Mariah of House Marr

Glar listened to Mariah’s reasons for being on Nur, and they seemed to make sense. She also mentioned potentially helping Glar with searching for the TIE fighter. She apparently had a proxy droid with her, that she could use to assist him. It would take a while to get ready though.

Glar then said “Thank you for your help, I am sure there are plenty of other potentially valuable things still within the Fortress, other than just the TIE. As for your droid, take all the time that you need to prepare it.”