Faction Down and Out on Sullust

[Zak Amroth]

PINYUMB, SULLUST
Cecilia Wissen Rabbit

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"Get the hell out of my bar you filthy upworlder!"

"Hey there's no need for that kind of language-"

The bartender threw a mean right cross for a sullustan. When Sheriff Zak regained consciousness he was lying outside on the street staring up at distant stalactites. That's right, he was on Sullust. Maybe underneath Sullust was a better way of putting it. Its surface was barely habitable which didn't seem to bother the subterranean mole people that called her home. It was easy to forget, despite their curious living habits they were an industrious people and cities like Pinyumb remained a rare sight on the galactic frontier.

Dusting himself off he tried to gain his bearings. Roaring engines told him that he was not far from a spaceport. The system straddled a hyperlane nexus seeing all kinds of traffic flowing to and from the Outer Rim. Perfect place to recruit a few emergency deputies for a job that needed doing. He'd told the OPA he could handle things himself, after all he had a reputation to uphold. But a good Judge understood their own limits and even Zak wasn't invincible. Just very talented as well as good looking.

"Maybe I'll have more luck at the docks," he mused out loud.

After giving him a guilty glance one of the passing sullustan pedestrians stopped to slip a few talons in his coat pocket.

"I'm not homeless!"

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Sullust. Cecilia wasn't too happy about it, even more so now that she was properly in the planet. She had lived almost her entire life on planets, exposed to the sun and sky. She didn't even like ships this much but Sullust was an entirely new level. The rock "sky" made her feel incredibly claustrophobic, and the dimly lit cavern left her feeling half blind, as she struggling to identify what was happening in the dark corners of the docks entrance, her inexperience in force sight unable to pick up the slack of her Hapan eyes. It was not helping her developing anxiety, but she couldn't leave, not already. In the past few months she'd finally pulled herself back together after the Je'daii had scattered. Now, she had resolved herself to scour the outer rim for a way to complete her force training. She had followed many threads, and a few of them lead here, to Sullust. Cecilia slipped her hand under her cloak to one of her sabers, and closed her eyes, focusing on the soft humm of the kyber crystal until she had calmed down. Now more at ease, she opened her eyes and started to walk. She'd had her days of feeling sorry for herself, and she'd promised they were over. She would find what she was looking for here, and if not, she would look elsewhere. As long as she pressed on, she would succeed.

 

[Rabbit]

"Kriff!"

If her uncle had been there, he would have cuffed Rabbit over the head for even uttering such a word, but it seemed like a very appropriate word for the current situation. After all, she had been abandoned on whatever planet this was by her newest traveling partner, after he had told her he was going to go buy bantha milk and needed as much money as she could give him. It had only occurred to her after his ship had taken off that whatever that was would most likely be available on world. She had been tricked, and now had pretty much no money left. Maybe Uncle Salvin had been right, and she wasn't really meant for off-world adventures. Maybe the scrap yards of Raxus Prime were her destiny, after all.

Of course, not a single bit of that was going to matter if she couldn't get back there. She didn't even know what planet she was on for sure. Started with an S? She was underground, that much she knew. It was a bit unnerving. She had taken up a spot on the docks, where she had part of her arm taken off so she could work at it. All this stress wasn't good for her parts. Her heart lines especially were being overworked by her accelerated heart rate. And if her heart kept beating this fast, that meant that her lungs would start going into overtime, and if her lungs started freaking out like this, then her lung pumps would go into overdrive and put more stress on the already fragile and patchwork parts-

Whoah. Slow down. She took a deep breath, pausing in her work for a moment. She had to get her bearings. She replaced the servo in her arm, switching the prosthetic back on, the patchwork hunk of junk groaning with protest as it was forced to live a bit longer. She had to know where she was, and she had to know what she was going to do next. Focus. Calm. Deep breaths. Keep yourself steady.

She noticed a young man approaching the docks. A bit scruffy looking, a lot like the scoundrels and spacers that had frequently bought scrap and salvaged parts from her and her uncle for their precious custom starships. Maybe he could help her? Filled with a new sense of hope, she decided it was now or never. She hopped off the surface she was sitting on, took a deep breath, and approached.

"Uhm. Excuse me, sir? I could use some help. I got stranded here by my traveling partner, and I don't have an idea of where I am. What planet am I on? And where can I earn some credits? The servos in my arm are on their last legs."

Zak of Amroth | Cecilia Wissen

 

[Zak Amroth]

"Never seen a sullustan before?" Zak figured the girl must be new around here, "This is their homeworld. Don't worry about the volcano, its mostly inactive."

Pinyumb was carved out of caverns on the southern side of Inyusu Tor, a massive volcanic mountain which loomed over the planet's inhospitable surface. Its gloom did indeed take some getting used to for non-natives but a steady stream of speeder traffic overhead twinkled almost like starlight. Diminutive sullustan pedestrians bustled all over but by the spaceport there were plenty of offworld species as well.

The Sheriff of Terminus on the other hand in his filthy poncho and wide brimmed hat looked out of place in a similar way. He glanced her up and down wondering if a deputy with a malfunctioning arm was worth the risk. Not like he had a lot of options.

"What's your trade?" he asked the hobo girl, "Know anything about tech?"

Zak produced a gleaming aurodium coin out of thin air. He tossed it to her, but before she could catch it the Judge reached out and his coin froze in stasis floating between them. It drew some stares from those walking by but he simply waited for glitchy arm to say something.

Rabbit Cecilia Wissen​

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Location: Docks Entrance
Interacting: Rabbit | Zak of Amroth

No sooner had Cecilia started walking towards the city than she felt a presence in the force nearby. Her own was heavily suppressed, something that had become a cautionary habit as she hopped from freighter to freighter, serving as an engineer in exchange for free transport to wherever it was headed, as well as a few extra credits. Her initial hopes that a Jedi had just wandered into her at the beginning of her search were dashed when she saw the man. If the words "greasy spacer" got up off a page and walked away, they'd look like him. Plus he was carrying a blaster and she'd never heard of a Jedi with one of those. The man was clearly just someone strong with the force, and probably too rough around the edges to attract any potential master. She smiled to herself as she walked past him, moving aside for the cyborg that has started to talk to him. She sounded like she needed help, but the man likely knew more about the area than herself and she wanted to leave this planet as soon as possible.

Just as Cecilia passed him, she heard a clink, and the familiar whisper of the force being used, followed by a soft murmur from the nearby crowd. "No way," she thought. Cecilia turned around, and was greeted with a sight that confirmed what she already knew, but had yet to really process. Grease guy was looking at the cyborg, who's face of utter shock likely bore a resemblance to Cecilia's own as both girls looked at the coin suspended in midair.
"No way," Cecilia said under her breath. This was the first Jedi she'd seen in a year? Was he even a Jedi? "What?" She was beyond confused, but she realized she definitely had to talk to the man. Despite her surprise she still kept her force presence minimal, and she hadn't reached for the sabers under her cloak. The man would have little reason to suspect anything from her unless he focused on figuring it out, and she was reasonably sure that if this went south she could get away. With that in mind, she walked to the two, her face of shock and confusion fitting in with others looking on, though for different reasons.
"That's a fascinating trick," she said to greasy "Where'd you learn that?"

 

[Rabbit]

Sullustan? Were those the aliens walking around under here? Well, at least she had a name to give to them, now. Aliens weren’t too common back on Raxus. People in general weren’t common, in fact. Pretty much only the occasional trader wanted to buy stuff.

Well, at least he was talking to her. He seemed quite nice, in fact. In her recent experiences, most spacers didn’t give her the time of day, let alone actually try and help her. It was encouraging. A glimmer of hope when honestly, she was at her very darkest lately. It made her smile a bit. The volcano bit was a little worrying, but if he said it was inactive, then she had to assume he knew what he was talking about. He at least knew what planet they were even on, after all. That was a pretty big step up from her knowledge of the situation.

“My trade?” She scratched the back of her neck, slightly flustered. “Well, I’m primarily a salvager, and I guess you could call me a mechanic. I build things out of scrap. Built my arm, in fact. I don’t think I would necessarily say I know anything about fancy technology, like computers or slicing, but I can take apart just about anything and-”

Annnddd, what was he doing? Why was the coin floating there? It took a moment for her to even process what was happening in front of her, just now. He had reached out his hand, and the coin was floating. Defying all laws of nature, and floating. What. How. Her look of shock overtook her, and she just stared at him, mouth gaping open.

And then this other woman showed up, and asked the pertinent question. Still taken aback, all Rabbit could do was nod along with the question. Where had he learned that?

Zak of Amroth | Cecilia Wissen

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[Zak Amroth]

Zak grinned at Rabbit . He wasn't sure if glitchy arm was worth the trouble of more than a few coins and a gentle pat on the shoulder until she said the magic words. I can take apart anything. It was like music to his ears. Exactly the kind of talent he'd be looking for. He could tell by her awed reaction that this was a first encounter with the supernatural.

"Learn what?" he plucked the talon out of thin air, "It's a magic coin!"

He already knew that Cecilia Wissen wasn't buying it. Zak resisted the impulse to brandish his Judge's star. Not everyone thought of them as heroes and some folk got skittish at the sight of a badge. Besides he wasn't sure he trusted either of them yet. There was such a thing as too curious.

"How about we make a deal?" Zak glanced between them both, "I've got a small problem that needs taking care of. Give me a hand and I'll give you a ride anywhere you wanna go."

The Judge looked from Rabbit to Cecilia.

"And I'll tell you where I learned the coin trick."

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Location: Docks Entrance
Interacting: Rabbit | Zak of Amroth
Magic coin? He used the force openly, then said it was a magic coin? Cecilia had seen the force regarded two ways throughout her life. Here, and in most of the galaxy, it was mostly a myth, or at least a power for which was reserved great skepticism, and so she hid her powers. Or in places like temples or Aurum, where force use was open and commonplace, and she discussed and used it openly. This Jedi had just used them openly, then almost backtracked. Was he impulsive, a trickster? Cecilia's feeble attempts to put logic to his actions were paused when she heard what he said next. The answers she wanted for a small job?
She almost accepted outright, but caution caught up to her before the words escaped. She shouldn't appear too eager. She was certain whatever greasy had in mind wouldn't be a challenge since both the people he was offering it to were unarmed, and she hadn't divulged any of her skills yet.
"Well, I have some time before they'll need me back on the ship and not much else to do with it, so I'll take your bait." She smiled "And what sort of problem do you have that you need to exploit the local women to fix it?"
She really did have plenty of time, and even if she hadn't she'd be willing to do whatever she needed to get this information. Actual fact around the Jedi in the Outer Rim was a rare commodity, and one well worth her time and effort. Still, the actual source of that information confused her. She hoped that he didn't feel something was off about her. She didn't want to have a conversation about her abilities before she understood who he was and what he was after. As for the cyborg, she seemed to really just be a random person, though nice enough. Perhaps she'd end up with a new friend later.
"Oh, and before you ask," she said quickly, "Cecilia, ship engineer."

 

[Rabbit]

The coin was still blowing her mind, but as the other woman chimed in, she had to force herself to snap out of it. There was discussions going on, and she had to be part of it. She was trying to adventure, and that meant taking charge of her own destiny.

“A problem? Yeah, I can help with that. Do you need something repaired? Patched? Salvaged?”

The payment for this made her think for a moment. Anywhere she wanted to go, huh? Well, where did she want to go? Did she even have anywhere to go? Back to Raxus? She couldn’t go crawling back to Uncle Salvin empty handed. She was going to have to think about it. Come up with a direction, and go. It was somewhat working so far, after all.

Oh. Cecilia had introduced herself. She should probably do that, too.

“I’m Camryn. Camryn Starrider, but you can call me Rabbit. Most people do.”


Zak of Amroth | Cecilia Wissen
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[Zak Amroth]

"Nothing in this galaxy is free," if the Sheriff was upset by the newcomer's shrewd skepticism he didn't show it, "A favor for a favor. There are worse deals than that."

Zak shook his head at Rabbit and grinned.

"I need you to help me break into something."

He gestured around the spaceport.

"Sullust is a respectable port, but there's corruption everywhere. You can think of me as an...independent contractor. Have either of you ever heard of the Cooperative? They're one of the most notorious slave cartels in the southern systems. I have reason to believe they've been operating here in secret. Someone with local customs is on the take."

The Judge glanced around to make sure no one else was taking an unusual interest.

"All I need is proof," he explained, "We get in, grab some evidence. Get out. No one will ever know we were there. Then the authorities can swoop in and take care of the rest."

 

[Cecilia Wissen]

Rabbit Zak Amroth
The mission sounded suspiciously easy, but if the man was going to give her information that she direly needed, she wasn't going to question it. She was sure that even if the task was more complicated, she'd be able to handle it especially with two other-- at least one other capable individual with her.
"I don't know anyone who would call this dungy cave a respectable port, but I see no reason why I can't help it get there."
She had heard of the collective once or twice before, but never much more than a name. it figured then that the authorities would need some help picking up their tracks.
"I certainly have no particular love for slavers either, so I'm in."

 

[Kida Tillian]

Learn the Rim, her mentor told her. Get to know the spaceports, the space lanes, the people, the movers and shakers of both the legitimate and illegitimate markets. So, here she was, the Sullustan city of Pinyumb, disembarking from a greasy old freighter that was going into drydock for a while. Meaning, she was out of a job, and while she had a handful or two of credit sticks hidden within the inside coat pocket, that wasn't enough to hang around drinking in the cantinas waiting for it to be done. Plus, she wasn't trying to get a steady career. She was out here to establish contacts, learn to live alone and undercover for long periods of time. She'd had all the training.

This was just her time to practice and cement those skills, ensure she knew what she was doing. It was part of the reason Veino had told her to try stay within the Outer Rim and allied territories. If something went wrong, there was a slightly better chance that help could be had. She'd asked him about this, but all he did was look away and trace the two oldest scars running down his cheekbones.

She sensed movement in the Force, however, and stopped, stepping into a corner of a building to assess the situation. She couldn't see anyone being explicitly Jedi-ish, but there were others, not Jedi, who could be active in the area. Not far away, a scruffy looking vagabond seemed to be playing some sort of con on a group of younger women. Was that the direction it was coming from?

Kida kept her eyes in that direction, but took some time to go through her spacer's duffel.

Cecilia Wissen Rabbit Zak Amroth