Flashback: Paying the Fare

[Dekkan Fray]

Triewahl Docking Station​

​

​

Six Years Prior​

​

​

A large thoroughfare of space traffic zipped by on either side of a wide chasm. Across the way a similar escapade was occurring. The bustling docking station hosted all manner of creatures and sentients boarding and exiting various space-worthy vessels (and some not so much). Credits exchanged by hundreds of thousands of datapads all logging the collective traffic comprising a sea of destinations. Various small time shops hosting a variant of cuisine for all tongues and star systems alike. The larger ships didn't dock here though, these were mostly for inter-rim traffic. It look longer, didn't have on-board galleys or, or sleeping quarters. However what it lacked in luxury, it made up for in privacy. Just you, perhaps a few of your friends and a pilot or two. Sidewalks crammed with people from all walks of the Galaxy shuffling baggage around in all manner of sizes and shapes. Speech of various tongues mixing together into an indecipherable din of noise.

There, seated or more hunched at ground level sat one particular man. He didn't look impressive, and in point of fact was not all that impressive in and of himself. Dark hair hung on around his weather-beaten face, with the makings of a two month old beard. Human by the looks of him. The cloth of his shirt was thick, somewhat dingy but relatively clean. A pair of dark trousers and shoes that looked worse for the wear. The muscle structure of his arms evident, as were the working man's hands clearly visible. Each arm propped up on bent knees while a sack sat between his feet and just inches away from fingertips. All of his life possessions rolled up unceremoniously into one makeshift container. Not even a glance upward as people walked by with their own affairs. Most ignored him, as he was quite ignorable in his current state. He wasn't focused so much on them either - his thoughts were his focus, and they were dark - and full of pain.

Resting precariously atop the gunny sack was a single ticket. A ticket that was meant for one of these passing shuttles. It didn't matter which one, they all took the same fare. A purchased ticket that allow passage. Once inside you paid the fare of the trip, but this was just a reservation. You needed one in this busy of a system. Something that would guarantee you passage off the station and to where you need to be. That was the problem - Dekkan didn't need to be anywhere. He wanted to, but he had no destination in mind. He would preferred not to have to make that decision, but he was the only one who could make it. The hints of liquor were on his breath, but that wasn't unusual. Those hints had been on his breath for the last couple of years. Not that it helped that much. Awake was bad, asleep was worse, made clear by the lines on his face and the heavy bags under his eyes.

What was he waiting for though? There were plenty of ships to choose from, plenty that were open and waiting for his ticket to be punched, and to take him where he wanted in the scope of their reach. Dekkan had wrestled time and again with getting up, choosing a ship and taking off. Maybe he'd cycle through the on-board maps and just blindly stab at a spot on it. Maybe he'd find something more amusing here on the station. There wasn't a shortage of work, but there wasn't much that kept his mind occupied and his body tired enough to sleep at peace. There wasn't peace, hadn't been since...he didn't remember really the last time he had a good night's rest. It was always, always interrupted. So for now, here he sat. And he'd been there for over three hours.

[member="Sophia Denko"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

"One please." Sophia stated as she placed the needed credits on the counter. She was more the type to fly herself where it was she wanted to go. The young woman was a pilot after all but lately she couldn't fly. It wasn't that the former Navy Captain didn't want to, it was that the military had told her she was incapable of doing her job. They told her to go on leave and rest after her incident but they didn't understand that she needed her job to keep her mind off of what happened.

She had tried to keep herself busy and the nightmares at bay though other activities such as cooking or working on her ship however nothing seemed to work. Sophia knew than that in order to get better she needed a change and so here she was getting on the first ship out out of here. The young woman didn't know where she was going but that didn't matter she was just going.

After thanking the attendant she picked up her ticket and walked to the lower level to find her ride out of here. Sophia hadn't gone much on her own in fact the last time she went anywhere on her own she ended up in the custody of a few Sith Lords. The physical scares had faded over the past few weeks but the mental scars were still there. She doubted at times that they would ever go away. She was damaged goods now and there was no way the military would take her back. Sophia had failed her family whom she only ever wished to please.

A sigh escaped her lips as stood just staring out into the distance at the slew of ships awaiting for a passenger. Tapping her foot she looked around at all the ships wondering how she ever was going to chose one of them. The brunette wore simple clothing a black shirt and jean. The backpack on her back she shifted back and forth from shoulder to shoulder as she just stood there.


[member="Dekkan Fray"]

 

[Dekkan Fray]

Sheer diversity was always present in most of the Galaxy. Almost all functioning planets were melting pots for species from all across the known Galaxy. Even some unknown were able to sneak through from time to time. Humans were just one of many, but there were still enough of them to make the species dominant in most sectors. Still, one would be hard pressed to find a more full mix of species than in a busy space port such as this. Dekkan wasn't window shopping though, and he wasn't people watching. The man had other things on his mind, things he wished he didn't have to deal with. Dealing with them though was as much of a joke as any, as he hadn't found a real way to come to terms with what had transpired, and try and do something about it. Years ago these thoughts were the furthest thing from his mind, but that life wasn't something he was proud of either.

Another thing seemed to be ever present with a crowd of people this large, all in various modes of travel was crime. It was everywhere, and everyone was capable of it. Dekkan knew that much all too well. Even a person with the greatest of motives could do the most unspeakable things if given the right circumstances. Though it didn't take a lot, but a bit of greed, some desperation, and no where else to turn to make a situation go from bad to worse very quickly. things were not well in the Galaxy - and in general with this large of a crowd trouble was always brewing. Today's trouble came in the flavor of a Ssi-ruu who had evaded customs and had passed through with a large metallic hammer of which he seemed to be highly sensitive about. There was some disagreement of it's legality once it was out in plain view - and that led cause to a dangerous chase.

Dekkan first heard it down-wind over the din of the crowd. Some snarling, and a few patrol officers rushing passed him to aide in what seemed to be a disturbance a few clicks south of his position. The man though hadn't raised his head. It was none of his business, and he wasn't aiming to make it his to begin with. There were officers for that, and by his lazy count - about five. In hindsight, they should of had more. It wasn't long before a breakaway occurred. The rush of reptilian feet and a snapping tail that cracked back and forth slamming sentients back and forth came to fruition. Officers tailed on either side trying to avoid the dangerous curling of the Ssi'ruu's tail and hammer. He swung it wide to dispatch a few officers and kept on charging. That's when the light show started. Blaster bolts came into play nearly hitting other pedestrians. Granted the officers were careful, but it was only adding to the madness of the chase.

Things started to edge towards his location, causing his cool blue eyes to lift and watch the stampede running towards his location. A few thoughts went through his head, doing some calculations on the incident, and none of them seemed to be too healthy for the lot of people being pushed out of the way. Things took a bad turn though, as a blaster bolt sliced across the reptile's left leg causing it to roar and charge on a path he hadn't expected. Dekkan's eyes flew to the intersection that this particular maddened monster was just about to plow through. She was there, a brunette who had just began to plot her course to one of the many landing ships. Seconds before the collision happened, the lean frame of a man became horizantal and clasped onto Sophia throwing her to the ground and rolling over his own body to get her out of harm's way. A mere second later the business end of the Ssi-ruu's hammer came crashing down where she had stood -- cracking the pavement. Two more blaster bolts seized forward and stunned the lizard dropping him where he stood.

Flat on his back, with Sophia prostrate over his own, Dekkan left out a cough to the side as he blinked from the sudden fuzzy vision of colliding and landing hard on the pavement. He may have been an un-interesting bystander, but the man had reflexes that could stack up against some Force users. Split second decision making, and an instinct to help save a life. It could have been anyone he supposed, but he was glad that at least one family wasn't going to have to bury a child before their time.

[member="Sophia Denko"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

Sophia hadn't even noticed the commotion going on with the lizard or any of it. The ex-Navy Captain had been far too busy stuck in her own head daydreaming. Lately she found herself doing that as she wished to be anywhere but where she was right now. She wished that she could be back home on her ship with Turin making him clean the starships as punishment for his latest prank. She wished she could tell him how much she loved him and missed him. It was too late now, he was gone and it was highly doubtful that she would see him again. A tear streamed down her face as she thought of this which she quickly brushed away before anybody to see her crying. She was supposed to be brave, a soldier not a baby or weak. Tears were a sign of weakness.

Before she even knew what was going on Sophia was flat on her back with some man over her as she caught a glimpse of a lizard type thing run past her it's tail leaving right where she had been standing. It was at that point her mind began to process what had happened this stranger, whomever he was, had just saved her life. A part of her wished he hadn't and had just let her die it would have been easier. The pain both physical and emotional would have been over and she would have been at peace. As it was she was she was still alive to struggle though the pain.

Emerald eyes glanced into her "savior's" eyes which she found to be similar to her own, full of pain. A small smile appeared on her face as she addressed him. "Thank you. I owe you my life. Let me buy you a drink or something it's the least I can do." Sighing she shook her head. "I should pay more attention to my surroundings. I'm Sophia Walsh by the way."

She had been trained to protect and serve the people to be able to take care of herself in these sort of situations. Sophia knew this just at the moment it was all lost to her. Everything she used to be was lost and she was left with nothing. Sophia's parents had begged her to come home however she couldn't. Sophia couldn't explain it, she just had to go and here she was now helpless on the ground. She didn't think things were that bad but perhaps she really was that far gone.


[member="Dekkan Fray"]

 

[Dekkan Fray]

He wasn't some big damned hero. Far from it actually, and he had the scars to prove it - both physically and mentally. Dekkan would never associate himself with the word, because he well knew that for several years he'd been quite the villain. Despite his intentions and his motivations - his actions spoke volumes louder. Perhaps to one or two people that really knew what he was doing, and why he took such extreme measures it might of been viewed differently, but that wasn't part of the picture. What he was now though, was a wreck. He could move, and he was still rather young and in shape, but he'd lost a lot of his edge, mainly due to the alcohol. Turning over to his side, he gave another cough as he pressed both hands to the permacrete and leveraged himself up to a slumped sitting position. His back resting against a docking station computer terminal. Running a calloused hand through black locks of hair, and leveling his cool blue gaze at Sophia for a moment longer.

"Don't mention it." He offered, not exactly one to collect life debts, or put that much pressure on an issue of common decency. A glance was given towards the crowd that was gathering around the capture and detention of the Ssi-ruu in question. The hammer might of not killed Sophia, but it would sure would of made a lasting impression. "Just bad timing is all. There's worse ways to die though - far worse than a blow to the head." His eyes shifted back as he looked her over again. The promise of a drink wasn't anything special. His bag across the way had a canteen for just such an occasion already. That's one thing he stocked in excess now, as it seemed to at least dull the pain of his thoughts some. It took more and more every year to do so, but it still had something of an effect. Another glance off into the distance, this time into the sky lanes, watching the traffic zip by. That is until he realized the last part of her response, and turned back with an apologetic look. "Dekkan, sorry about that - got a lot on the brain, and I'm not entirely sure a shuttle ride's gonna clear it either."

Drawing one leg up to rest his arm over the kneecap. He wasn't in a rush to get his bag, although he was keeping track of it, there was an entire police force and a mob of onlookers to wade through to reach it. It was honestly too much hassle, so why he had some time, he figured he'd indulge in some conversation with the woman he'd just clothes-lined out of harm's way. He hadn't been very chatty with a lot of people lately, and he had kind of lost touch with actual conversational skills as of late. It would do him some good he figured to actually keep one going for more than a minute. Neither was going to go anywhere for now, as the docks were temporarily closed in this sector to get a security ship down here to take away the prisoner.

"So what's got you day-dreaming on a busy port like this?" He asked, tongue-in-cheek and with just the hint of a smirk playing on his face before it vanished. Apparently the man could mask his own issues rather well when he wanted to be personable. It wasn't great bed-side manner, but he also wasn't a doctor. He really didn't know what he was anymore. He had no profession, no career, and no family to speak of. Dekkan was floating around the Galaxy hopping from place to place in hopes that the next jaunt would actually change something. So far he'd been striking out on that pipe dream.

[member="Sophia Denko"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

Being stomped on also sounded like a bad way to go but being kidnapped and tortured wasn't great either. Force lightning hurt like no other and it was a skill that if she was a Force-Sensitive that she would like to learn. As it was she was just a girl, nothing more.

Sighing she sat up on the floor and looked to her feet for a moment. Debating if a shuttle ride would clear her head or just make her long for her ship even more. Sophia wasn't sure what she was doing. The young woman ought to just go home to her parents but she was a failure now, a disappointment. Everything that she had been dreaming of had been flushed down the toilet the night they took her.

"I was dreaming of what could have been, what I lost in an instant. I never knew how important it was to me until.." Her voice drifted off again as she remembered the first time they met a smile appearing on her face. She would more than likely never see him again but at least she had her memories. "I'm sorry, I doubt you want to here my sob story."

Sighing she pulled her knees to her in a hug leaning her head against them. "Why won't a ride help clear your head? Do you just want to get out of here?" She questioned picking her head up and looking around the mess. As time passed she was less and less liking the idea of a ride herself.

[member="Dekkan Fray"]

 

[Dekkan Fray]

Well if that wasn't hitting it on the nose, nothing was. Dekkan was somewhat amused by how surgically her explanation hit home. For certain, there were different reasoning and circumstances, but the feeling was the same. That gut feeling of loss, of a void, of a directionless wandering plight that ate at you from the inside out like a haunting cancer. Oh yes, he certainly could relate to her situation and he actually felt bad that someone else was going something that affected them the same way. That in itself would be notable progress had he been visiting a shrink in the last couple of years -- but he didn't go for that sort of thing. The glass bottle of 'drown what ails you' was his only counselor, and it was a silent one at that.

"When it comes to bottled up problems, you're talking with a veteran." Dekkan smirked slightly as he idly brushed some of the permacrete dust off his trouser pant-leg. "We both know running around the hyperlanes ain't gonna cure much. Maybe a different change of scenery, but that's about it." He said, his tongue was loose on the edge of his lips as he wet the dry skin. A drink that made you forget about pain and problems, but also sucked the moisture right out of you. An amazing blend of stupid that he'd been holding onto for sometime now. "Still, I suppose something has to change. Playing the odds." A thought that he knew was a cop-out, but at least it made some kind of sense. Enough sense to rationalize a journey here and there while he tried to cope. "It's not so much this place though - it's as good as any...lizards aside." A nod of his head in the direction of the captured and detained Ssi-ruu being hauled into a transport while muzzled. "Just hasn't changed anything."

It was apparent what Dekkan was after, even if he didn't fully realize it himself. He wanted change, something to fix his circumstances, fix his past and the errors he'd made that were many. Unfortunately in the future, no matter where you were, nothing could change the past. He'd have to confront that sooner or later, and by the looks of things he had opted for later. His disheveled appearance, and tired eyed visage told the tell well as any. Sophia on the other hand didn't look that badly shaken about her past. She still seemed rather well put together and taken care of. Not the type that looked like she crawled into a bottle every night to try and shut her eyes for a few hours.

"I just don't have a heading, or rudder to steer. Hard to get out into the black without a direction. Costs you more credits that way, and generally makes for a lousy journey." That was essentially the problem. No promise of his situation changing here, and nothing to speak of out there to run to. He'd pay the fare, if he only knew where it was supposed to take him.

[member="Sophia Denko"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

He didn't know it but he was hitting on her situation to the T. She had a lot of bottled up problems and she knew running from them wasn't going to change a thing however Sophia had no clue where to go or whom to turn to. The young woman's father had offered to take her back in but she didn't want to bother her family anymore with those sorts of things. They had her sisters to take care of and worry about. They shouldn't have to deal with her silly issues too. Rescuing her ought to have been enough. She needed to deal with the physical damage on her own.

Sophia did her best to keep herself pulled together during the daylight hours. It was hard work pretending that everything was ok and nothing bothered her in the slightest. It was hard work trying maintain the image of perfect daughter when you were dying inside. When every night the same images replayed in your head over and over again. The young woman got no sleep or rest but she didn't dare let others know. This was her cross, her burden to bare. When the nightmares came around she wished she had him to hold her and keep the demons away but he was gone. It was her fault too that he was gone.

"We could go somewhere together and try to forget things if even for a little bit." She lightly smiled as she thought of just running away. The thought of going with him even though he was a stranger was slightly comforting as well. Sophia would at least not be alone than. "Maybe even dare I say we could talk about our problems. It may help? I don't know.." She sighed as she waved her hands in the air. "I just don't want to be alone."

The old Sophia would have never done this but the old Sophia was dead. She couldn't go back there, not after everything that had happened to her. She had to do something but what that was the young woman hadn't a clue.


[member="Dekkan Fray"]

 

[Dekkan Fray]

They said that misery loves company, they said it because it was true. Rarely did those wallowing in despair, and aching from the pangs of heartache want to be alone. Although rare, it wasn't completely unheard of. Some people retreated inward when the past came to haunt them, and others looked for solace and pity from those in the Galaxy that would lend an ear, or a friendly arm. Dekkan apparently was the former of the two camps of thought. He wasn't a man who opened up and talked about his problems -- of which he had many. He chose to bare that burden in silence and in drink. He'd tried various methods for attempting to rid himself of the past - yet never desperate enough to try and take his own life. However horrific, he had enough sense not to off himself, knowing it wouldn't solve anything, wouldn't atone for any of his mistakes. It would simply be another to add the long list of dirty laundry.

"I was never the best at math, but that sounds like an equation of disaster." Dekkan mentioned his hands loosely moving as he talked. Adding a negative past to a negative past wasn't going to give the promise of a brighter future. While talking could be a balm for the soul, airing dirty laundry only made other people realize what a heap of garbage you were carrying. "Talking that is." He clarified, understanding that his initial response might be construed as harsh. It had certainly been a while since he'd gotten into dialogue. "I'd rather spare you the long story - you'd sleep better without knowing it, trust me." He offered in passing while he looked at the ground beneath his feet, his left hand latching onto a pebble to feel the texture. That was pretty much the reason he didn't get into the long and drawn out tale of his past with folk. He cared enough not to want to put people through what he was dealing with. They didn't deserve that weight, and he wasn't about to hand it over because they ignorantly asked for it.

"Wouldn't mind the company though." Dekkan said after a moment's reflection, drawing his coral blue eyes up from the pebble in hand. "If it's only gonna be for the ride." The man added in as he tossed the pebble to the left, about a meter away where it dropped over the edge of the docking lane and fell into the long obscure blackness between the two adjacent stations. He still had no direction in mind, no course to steer by, but if he was going to wander the black aimlessly, a friendly ear, and someone with a weight on their shoulders might make the trip a bit more bearable. "What's your dess?" He asked, slang for destination. He didn't have one, just an seat on a charter, and from there it'd mostly be a blind stab on the data screen to get him to the next port. No harbor was his home, and the home he had known was a long and distant memory. Much like Sophia he couldn't go home - though in his situation, he'd be drawn, quartered, and killed if he did.

[member="Sophia Walsh"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

Sophia was all sorts of messed up however she would never have come out and shown it. She had always been taught to be strong and put on a poker face which is why as of late she had been alone. It was easier that way for all parties and after being honorably discharged...she didn't know what to do. The Navy had always been her dream and in five seconds over a mistake her dreams had been crushed. She knew not what to do with herself now. This here seemed as good as anything. It was better than hiding under her blankets and crying.

She could only nod in agreement at his testimony on talking. Sophia never had been one for talking anyway. She had always been taught if you have a problem you keep it to yourself. It was just in this case she thought talking would perhaps be better than silence. It was the silence now that killed her. Visions of everything that had occurred those days danced in her head. It was enough to drive anyone crazy but somehow she mustered through it on a daily basis and plastered on a smile. If he didn't wish to speak however she wouldn't force it. Company was enough for now.

"Ya, just the ride," she lightly smiled looking up from her hands which were currently placed on top of her lap. After the ride they could both go their own separate ways to wherever life took them.

"Uhh..." She stuttered a little when he asked where she was headed as she didn't rightly know herself. The thought was somewhere she could just blend in and have a fresh start. "I don't know, anywhere. I was thinking somewhere crowded that I could start over. Somewhere nobody knows my name." She shrugged as she glanced from one side of the port to the other. She didn't much care where she went, anywhere but here.


[member="Dekkan Fray"]

 

[Dekkan Fray]

Siren lights faded fast as the port security force had shuttled off their capture, the lizard and his hammer separated and and now ferried off in the distance. Triewahl dock was now a thriving and moving mass of sentient life again. The scene had been scrubbed, the threaten neutralized and life had resumed. Like it had never happened save for the whispers and gossip, and a few holo cams in the area. Otherwise just a freshly paved crack in the permacrete that could have ended up with Sophia's body laying upon it, and broken. They were both broken though, not so much in the physical sense, but both of their lives had seen heartache and pain, and neither had really been able to move out from that place of despair effectively. What hope did they have moving on together? Dekkan wasn't sure, but he also didn't have any cards in his hand anymore to bluff. Company was, at the least, a distraction and he needed all of those he could get. Pale blue eyes shifted across the pathways of foot traffic to his untouched satchel sitting across the way, and he began to rise to his feet.

"I'll get my bag." He offered with a non-chalant tone to his vocals as he left the dock's edge and began to cross the stream of people. Barely even lifting a hand to urge someone out of his way. His form bumped and bounced off of others like an errant bearing in a holocade game. Finally reaching his satchel he scooped up the ticket and headed back for the woman. Shrugging the leather strap over his chest, and tucking the ticket into his trouser pocket - Dekkan circumvented another large horde of sentients and came up towards the docks. Giving a long soulful gaze at the chasm between the two docks and the space traffic running through it. It was lonely out in space, and cold too. A very similar pair of emotions haunted the man's sashaying gaze while he tried to follow a few crafts before they zipped out of sight. "I know the feeling." Dekkan said, shifting his head to the side and looking at Sophia for the time being.

A name. What was in a name? For Fray, it meant a lot of things. It meant family and what had been taken from him. The name of a war criminal who'd been in dealings with the seediest scum of the Galaxy, and it meant the distance he'd tried to put between that name and his own. The name of Dekkan Fray had been put out on bulletins throughout the holonet for mercenaries and bounty hunters alike. He'd encountered a hand full of them already. Apparently they hadn't been up the task as he was still standing. Still, every time it had gotten harder for him to find another scrap of nowhere that didn't have his name on the capital wall for fugitives. Shifting towards one of the consoles, he drug out the ticket and slid it over the scanner, instantly putting him in the queue for an awaiting shuttle. Stepping aside, he'd let Sophia do the same while they waited for their passage.

"Next stop, salvation." Dekkan breathed out the sentiment, but he wasn't exactly banking on that.

[member="Sophia Walsh"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

Sophia had it all, a loving family, a man she loved and the job she dreamed of as a little girl. It was only now in her darkest hour did she realize how lucky she had been. She had taken it all for granted and the price for that had been losing it all. The young woman understood her family still loved her but how could she face them? She had put her father though so much and now he couldn't retire because he had to worry about his grown daughter. She had really messed up this time and she didn't know how she was supposed to move forward.

It wasn't as if she didn't try to move forward and be a better her. She wanted to get better and make her father proud of her once again. She did well until nightfall when the demon came out which kept her from sleeping. She would most of the time lay awake tossing and turning or get up and bake. Cooking seemed to always calm the young woman down which is why she did it so much. This left her with more cookies than she could handle which she donated to the local shelter. They loved when she cooked for them which also seemed to bring a smile to her face. It was better than nothing and at least she was doing some good.

If she had a bag, she would have been apt to go retrieve it as he was retrieving his however Sophia had nothing. She thought the best thing for her was just to leave everything behind. The young pilot needed a fresh start and a chance to prove what the Sith did to her would not ruin her. She wouldn't allow them to win.

As she waited she glanced about the crowded station of all the happy bubbly people going off to their destination on business or perhaps even on holiday. They all knew where they were going except her and Dekkan. It was a small comfort knowing that she wasn't alone in that or this ride.

"Ya, salvation.." She mused as she slid her ticket to put herself in the queue for a shuttle as well. What she really needed now was a drink as the events of that faithful day were playing out once again in her head. "We could go somewhere crowded. I'm not sure if your wanted anywhere." If he was, she wouldn't judge after all who was she to judge?

There shuttle had arrived so it was time to make a choice as to where they wanted to go.

[member="Dekkan Fray"]