No Man's Land

[Andanian Ategann]

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Finally, the last stop in Andanian's first big smuggling run. It was funny how much the young Imperial Runaway's life had changed in just the past day. Or...was it two days? He could hardly tell anymore. Just last week, he was resting in a bunk above his older brother, Tormax at Imperial Academy, still convinced that the Galactic Alliance was a terrorist organization that needed to be put down in order to keep the peace in the galaxy. After a night of regret, he found himself flying off of Anaxes in a stolen imperial starfighter after flunking out and failing to live up to Academy standards. His life-long dream of becoming a Stormtrooper had been taken from him, so he would take back from the Empire. A misfit.

Funny how he then ended up in the Alliance's ranks. Starting out simple, he was told to gain the Alliance's trust and prove he was no Imperial spy by performing three smuggling runs alone in an old, generic freighter to improve Alliance relations across the galaxy. Fondor, which became a bloodbath after meeting some unique bounty hunters seeking to take him home to the Empire, had been done and the fourth moon of Bestine, the most peaceful, rural world, went the smoothest.

Now, Andanian could only wonder: What the feth do Hutts like so much about Tatooine? It's dusty and gross! Makes me miss Anaxes, frankly.

Andanian's new contact, a Hutt named Jelle who lived with his cousin on Tatooine, apparently expressed his desire to support the Alliance's ascension in the galaxy financially. Of course, there was a catch. He asked for extremely valuable, illegal-to-transport-freely, microscopic organisms of which Andanian was never told the name of in exchange for his support to the Alliance. Who better than to transport such goods than a man with nothing to lose? A Smuggler.

It wouldn't be too hard. Julle and his cousin, who apparently had a hobby of studying biological organisms in their humble abode on the outskirts of Mos Ila, would be awaiting the transport of their illegal organisms in their home. Andanian flew his freighter into the dock of the Mos Ila spaceport and began to load the plasteel crate containing the organisms onto a hovering platform that would allow for easy transportation across the surface of Tatooine. Might need to rent a speeder, this will be a heck of a hike otherwise.

Because he was bound to get searched, Andanian stuck a rack on the very top of the crate full of old magazines containing cooking recipes and real estate offers of the century. Boring stuff. Any guards wouldn't dare search the entire crate if he saw that.

Just as the young imperial thought, two armed mercenaries, probably hired by the local authorities because keeping the peace around the scattered cities of Tatooine was hard enough, stopped Andanian as he began transporting the crate down the loading dock of his freighter. Just like the guards on Fondor did, they popped the crate open and grunted, seemingly taken aback at how dull the content looked. They nodded to one another and waved, "Alright, trader, move along."

But this was Tatooine. Something was bound to go wrong for an imperial outlaw on one of the galaxy's most lawless planets.

Strolling down the streets of Mos Ila, one hand on top of his cargo, three thugs almost seemed to jump out of the shadows nearby, all dressed in black jackets and coats, and pointing pistols at Andanian instantly. They all appeared to be human, but their faces were covered with masks and hoods. They looked more like assassins, even carrying short vibroblades on their hefty-looking utility belts. "Andanian Ategann, imperial outlaw, stop where you are!" the one directly in front demanded.

Surrounded and alone, Andanian's eyes widened beneath his set of hefty goggles, withstanding the light, dusty wind of Tatooine for him. He put his hands on his head and silently cursed, blasted bounty hunters are everywhere in this damned galaxy...

Suddenly, Andanian discovered they were not alone near this part of the street. He saw a woman, a pretty one at that, nearby. Perhaps she'd see him if he stared. His hazel eyes locked on to [member="Kaileann Vera"]. He was no force-sensitive, but maybe she would see him being visibly mugged by a group of assassin-type thugs and want to help.

Unless she's a typical Tatooine native and wouldn't give a damn.

To be safe, he made a quick, loud whistle with his lips. She might have been offended, as it could have been mistaken as a wolfcall to her, but that was exactly what Andanian wanted. Look at me, girl, I could use a hand here!

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Andanian Ategann"]

Well things escalated quickly!

It was like a Rodian stand-off! One would practically hear the high noon music playing in the background. But, it wasn't like the cool kind of standoff where one would argue for a millennia who shot first. Oh no! This, well... this was Tatooine at its finest.

It would figure that her stop to Tatooine to gather parts for the Messa would turn out like this. She had been specifically looking for a new shield component for her home, Kurt having gone off to do a delivery. ATC was big here and it made sense to go straight to the bantha's mouth when it came to parts. Supposedly, a piece of tech left over from the old Empire, a modular shield system that would work on a more reactive path than constant.

So there was this guy. He was quickly surrounded by three other thugs with horrible hair choices - the mullet wasn't in style anymore bud! - and saying some pretty mean things. Well, at least from what she could figure out from the place where she was standing at holding a back of Kasei nuts she just bought.

Tip toeing closer, she managed to hear a bit more. Andanian Ranger?! O-hhh boy. This was not good. She reverted to her nervous habit of nibbling on the bottom of her lower lip.

Well... she could help him, but then if she got caught the boys on top would be really upset with her. Brown eyes would glance back. But... but.... arggggh!

"Hey! Leave him alone!" the lone high pitched voice would echo down the market to the three bounty hunters. Which was rather comical considering it came from a girl more apt to be working a cantina than going toe to toe with bounty hunters.

Yeah, Top won't like this...

 

[Andanian Ategann]

The hunters all turned to the girl, who all got a bit more distracted.

"Mind your own damn business!"

"Walk away, girl, or we'll haul you off, too!"

Little did the girl know this distraction - moving the eyes and the focus of the three men - was enough for Andanian to try to get himself out of this mess. Unlike every other time he would be attacked by bounty hunters, it seemed he'd have to handle this group himself.

His hands moved quickly, reaching for his weapons while the hunters were making sure the girl walked away so she wouldn't be a witness. Two men were close to him, one on the left and right. Andanian's left hand grabbed the handle of his handheld scattergun and levelled it knee-high at the man, since Andanian was still on his own knees. His right hand drew his revolver out of the holster on his belt, then pointing up at the right man's back.

Simultaneously, the triggers were pulled. The scattergun in his off-hand was like firing a cannon, the recoil almost smacking him in the face with what little control he had in his off arm. However, Andanian managed two shots at the right man with his revolver. Controlled blaster shots both planting themselves directly on the hunter's spine instantly killed the man. As for the unlucky bounty hunter on the left, the scattergun would tear his legs in half and cause him to scream in agonizing pain as he felt the blood begin to drain from his body.

The third hunter, directly in between Andanian and @Kaileean Vera, immedeatly turned around to the unbelievable scene and gasped, levelling his blaster pistol at Andanian, who remembered his imperial academy training and combat-rolled to the left. The blaster bolt still struck the very top of his right shoulder, unfortunately, sending a stinging wave of pain along his arm.

Despite the shock of being shot, Andanian exited his roll and got up to a knee, firing his revolver with his now-damaged right arm three more times at the last thug, who took cover behind a nearby moisture evaporator and avoided the shots.

Andanian quickly followed suit and ducked behind a pile of garbage. "Hey! Girl! Get down!" he yelled, aiming above the pile again and unloading the rest of his revolver at the thug's cover, which did nothing.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Andanian Ategann"]

"GAH!"

Duck down she did! Before he had even given the warning Kaile was scattering over to find cover. The pew pew of red bolts would lance through the air, striking at the nearby moisturizer evaporator.

One more bolt barely missed the top of her head! It was so close one could have said they shot her hair! However, this was no Space Balls parody, and dealt with real life consequences. Mainly, Kaile nabbing her own morp stun weapon. With one of the moisture evaporators at her back, she quickly set the dial to humanoid. Okay, this should be good to knock them out, she mused.

Granted, she didn't see that the guy had already made quick work of the trio. So when she went glancing around her little safety perch, all she saw was a cloud of dust from the commotion and the groaning painful cries of people on the floor.

Wait?! What happened?!

Carefullike, Kaile would hold her blaster out in a crunched position. Here's to hoping she wouldn't accidentally stun the wrong guy!

 

[Andanian Ategann]

A few more exchanges of blaster fire, including a particularly well-placed shot from the last hunter blasting Andanian right in the side, the young imperial runaway managed to plant a shot from his revolver into the neck of his foe and let his corpse fall to the dusty, sand-covered road.

He exhaled, sitting down and clutching his wounds. He still has the first wound on his right shoulder, and now the new one on his side that burned a hole in his coat.

He groaned, then called out to the girl who helped him. "Hey, uh...you wouldn't happen to have any bacta, would you?"

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Andanian Ategann"]


Kaile peeked over the side of the moisture evaporator, her face blanching at the sight of blood and just… death. There was so much death.

Had that really been necessary?

Honestly, she was starting to look at the other guy with his messed up shoulder a bit suspiciously. She cautiously stood up, watching him with wary eyes as he floundered on the floor holding his wounded shoulder.

“...Doubt bacta will help them any now.” she would nod her chin over to the trio. There could have been other options.

Why did he have to kill ‘em all?

 

[Andanian Ategann]

He winced when she touched his shoulder, trying to think of something besides how much it hurt. He heard the concern in her voice, which was nice of her until he realized she was talking about the men who just tried to take him away. "Huh? No, not for them, for me. The biggest kolto tank in the galaxy cant save them now.

He sighed, "Help me up, at least?". To him, it was necessary. This wasn't the first group of bounty hunters he had fought off, but it was probably the first time he'd done it all himself. He was a bit surprised himself that he managed to pull this off. "Thank you, by the way. If not for you, they probably would be freezing me in carbonite and hauling me off to Coruscant to be tortured by Sith Lords."

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Andanian Ategann"]

Big brown eyes went swiveling over to the man asking for help. Her expression was rather grim, but she tucked away her morp blaster none the less on the holster at her belt.

“Bounty Hunters are just doing a job. Same like baking a cake or waiting tables at Dexter’s.” she didn’t approve the killings, but he was hurt. With a sigh that blew her strawberry blonde bangs away from her face, she wandered on over and held out her hand.

Pulling him up by his good one, she gave a glance around. There were already people eyeballing them.

“Well, reckon we should get you somewhere nice and tight lest others come wanting to poke more holes in your skin.”

Without further ado, she simply began to tug on his hand and led him away. “Come on!”

 

[Andanian Ategann]

"Oh! Hold on!"

Before letting himself be dragged away by the next beautiful girl he met on a smuggling run, he retrieved the black, plasteel crate floating a few inches off of the ground containing the goods he needed to deliver. He supposed Jelle the Hutt wouldn't mind if he was slightly late. He was wounded, after all, and the Hutt's biological cargo was well-preserved.

Taking his goods with him, he tailed [member="Kaileann Vera"], curious where she would be taking him. Once again, he wondered if this woman was a bounty hunter as well, guised as a gorgeous woman on a backwater, outer rim world to lure in young outlaws like himself.

He had time to think about what she said about the bounty hunters. She was right, of course, but that didnt mean he was going to let them carry him off to his doom. That wasnt how this worked. Andanian wasn't going to roll over and accept his fate just because he felt sympathetic toward them. They knew what they signed up for by manhunting. If they were killed on the job, they should have been better at their jobs.

He decided not to debate it. This girl would be more willing to help him if he wasn't trying to make himself out to be an enemy of hers.

 

[Kaile Vera]

THey wouldn’t go far. To be frank, she just shoved him into a building whose door was covered by a rug after peeking inside.. Sand and dust flew into the air and one would be prone to having a mild coughing fit.

“Get in there,” she would whisper, intending to get him out of sight for the moment. A scowl came across her face. It was a small circular storage pourstone building. Not much around, but by the looks of it, was used by the vendor next door as an extra storage space.

A gesture over to a cargo box near by would direct him to sit. “Sit!” as if the additional words would make it all the more clearer just incase.

Oh she was upset. Being a Lorrdian meant that one’s body language was tell all. Thankfully, only a Lorrdian would be able to really understand her - but the general gist of it is there.

Slipping her satchel off her back, she set it down to start looking through it. “Just unbutton your shirt there now… can’t look it over with it still on.”

 

[Andanian Ategann]

The tone of her voice, though hushed, sounded distasteful. Was this because of the shootout? She clearly didn't like how Andanian defended himself. Did she just not like him? Was he an evil man for his self-preservation?

He sat down where she commanded him to and set his coat aside, unbuttoning his shirt he wore underneath to better examine his wounds. The skin on his right shoulder and the right side of his torso was burned and a little bit bloody. It was enough to make Andanian wince.

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Andanian Ategann"]

Kaile could read the man's rather confused state. A body told a wealth of information; or a Lorrdian, that was kicked up to the umpteeth degree. They were able to determine emotional states, validity, and even intentions with uncanny precision. He wasn't at all tracking where Kaile was or why she was upset. It was enough for the woman to gesture with her hands as she was wont to do when she spoke.

"They weren't shooting you just yet." she tried to explain, pulling out a small medkit. "Not to say that you shouldn't protect yourself... one should. After all, aint no one like the notion of getting holes on their skin."

She took a step towards him, bending down low to look over the wound. Oh it was a nasty thing. She clucked her tongue. "There's always some other way..."

Might be just an idealistic philosophy, but Kaile didn't like snuffing the life out of folk unless she had no other choice. Even then, she felt terrible.

 

[Andanian Ategann]

Admittedly, Andanian didn't feel too guilty over killing some men who wanted to turn him in for money. The only part he felt a tad guilty of was how he dragged this girl into all of it. He watched her as she examined his wounds and could practically smell the guilt running off of her, even though she never did anything to harm those men. He could tell she had a pure heart. It radiated through her gorgeous, chocolate brown eyes he glanced at for a moment before peeling his hazel gaze from them.

"Well...sorry for dragging you into this mess. The Empire is ruthless in tracking down their outlaws. I've had to get help from a lot of people to help me out with it, including the Alliance. I do appreciate it. Really. Next time...if it'll make you feel better, i'll try not to resort straight to shooting." he didn't say this just to appease her. He felt guilty himself for pulling her into his problem. He had to do something to help her, and offering to buy her a drink wouldn't be enough. Besides, this girl didn't seem like that type.

He sat his back against a metal box and let her tend to his wounds, deciding to strike up a more casual coversation to try and ease some of the tension in the room. "I'm Andanian. In case you couldn't tell, i'm wanted by the Empire, which is why every planet I travel to has a few bounty hunters looking for young, scruffy-looking guys with imperial accents who sound completely out of place on a backwater, roughneck world like Tatooine."

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Andanian Ategann"]

“It’s fine. The ‘Verse ain’t the sort to knock on the door all polite like and invite itself in,” that was the first half smile the man would receive from the young woman. Opening up the Med-pack, she took a few of the bacta wipes from their protective packages, fluttering them out a bit before brown eyes rose to meet his gaze.

“This might sting a bit,” she warned, the sickly sweet scent of bacta rising around them both. Ever so carefully, she began to clean around the raw wound. She registered what he said, letting it take root in her mind. Well now that was interesting…

“I take it you’re former Imperial then?” He had mentioned the Alliance. What did he mean by that? Was he part of them now?

 

[Andanian Ategann]

Andanian closed his eyes and grit his teeth, the bacta pad feeling like he was being stung by a colicoid. Focus on talking, not the pain.

"I'm surprised you didn't make that assumption the second you heard me speak. My accent is like a scarlet letter outside of Imperial space. Yes, native-born to the Sith Empire, but no longer. I fly for the Alliance now because they're the only people in the galaxy who don't care that the Empire wants me back on Anaxes." that would be all he mentioned of the Empire wanting him. He was still afraid the girl might find him worth knocking out and taking to Anaxes for his bounty. He didn't know she was probably a part of the Alliance as well, and would also have no reason to go travelling into alliance territory. He opened his eyes again and noticed her staring back at him this time, meeting her gaze and seeming to loosen up a bit.

"Thanks again. Don't think i've met anyone with such hospitality before. This would have been the last place I expected to meet someone like you." he said, chuckling softly. He briefly tore his ice-blue eyes from hers to glance behind her and make sure that nobody was watching them, as well as making sure his cargo crate was still where he left it. The whole reason he had come to Tatooine, and the Alliance would not be happy if he lost such valuable cargo and fethed up a perfectly-good fundraiser from your friendly backwater Hutt with a biology hobby.

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Andanian Ategann"]


"Folk can come from all walks of life, Mister Andanian." Kaile would reply, frowning in concentration as she wiped away scorched flesh and blood. It didn't look so good, but once one started to clean it up, might make for a good clean surface to place the bacta patches.

"Just 'cause one speaks one way don't mean thats where they be born or raised." being a Lorrdian herself meant that she had that uncanny ability of being able to mimic any accent, including his patrician Imperial.

At the mention of rare hospitality, Kaile gave a half smile, but her expression told something serious, "All folk are capable of compassion. It's that tiny voice in the back of the mind. " she bent to toss the dirty bacta wipes and went for a bacta patch.

"Just 'pends if they stick 'round enough to listen." the slight crinkle of the cellophane then her curious little flicks of her fingers as she attempted to comically ensure the patch didn't stick to her fingers.

"Almost done," her warm breath would fan over the wound as she bent low to inspect it again. With careful precision, she would start to smooth it over.

 

[Andanian Ategann]

The shoulder wound started to sting less as she tended to it, which was a relief to the young Imperial. But the treating of his physical injuries was not the only relief he felt. Her kind words were another, words he had heard rarely from higher-ups on the side of the Empire, where he could name only one Sith who supposedly contained such compassion, and it just so happened to be the man who placed the bounty on his head in the first place. He smiled in return to her, nodding, "You're right. It may sound alien to someone like you, but I even know of certain Sith with compassion. It really can be found anywhere. Just feels like a lot of people in the Alliance don't realize that. When I first met them, it took them a while to trust me. Had dozens of blasters stuck in my face when they heard me speak...heh" he rambled, still focusing on talking and not that he was being treated of his injuries.

He adjusted his thick, shaded goggles on his head and fumbled a hand through his auburn-brown hair, "So...what's your name? What do you do around here?" this entire event with this girl has made Andanian very interested in her, and he's met a lot of people - pretty girls included - and not a one had been so curious and intelligent. Not to mention so compassionate.

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Andanian Ategann"]


"Hmm?" Kalie's eyes would perk up at the question. "Oh." a bit absentmindedly before she gave a sweet smile. "Kaile." she told him, smoothing out the edges of the patch and then giving it one last look over.

"Reckon yous good to go now," she sang with that same soft smile. As it was, that should do him well until he got to a doc. "Yous should still get that checked though." she advised, taking a step back to crumple up the trash and start zipping up the med kit.

"Well, that's good to hear Alliance folk weren't so quick to shoot you down then." which would only drive her point home about not having to kill folk to detain them.

"Whats there to know about them anyways?" ever the agent, she was prone to fish for information.

 

[Andanian Ategann]

He smiled, "Kaile? I'll be honest, not a name i've heard before. That's good though. It's unique."

He pressed a hand against the box he sat against and pulled himself to his feet, wincing but sighing when the stinging faded away. "What's there to know about the Alliance? Well, being an ex-imperial myself, after their recent rise to power, I always really saw them as nothing more than terrorists and criminals who wanted to overthrow the peace the Empire was bringing with their inevitable end to their war with the Galactic Republic. It just felt wrong that right after their victory on Contruum, which cut the republic in half and made them cry uncle, this band of rebels began to rise and start shanking the Empire in the side while they were wrapping up their war with the Republic. It's like they were just...begging to keep the galaxy in a perpetual war."

Andanian had to take a deep breath to keep speaking, "However...after I...deserted them," which was more-or-less a lie, Andanian wouldn't give all of the details to someone he just met. Even if he was starting to really like this girl. "I found the Alliance by accident and after I started working for them, making smuggling runs to potential allies and such, they're really starting to look more like a band of people who just want to keep the peace that the Empire seems to be...ruining in many places." Once again, not entirely the truth for Andanian. He just didn't want to get off on the wrong foot and wanted to start making some real friends.

He chuckled, rubbing the bacta pad on his shoulder and beginning to pull his button-up shirt back on, "Forgive my lecture. I tend to do that." After pulling his coat back on as well and dusting it off, he took a few steps back over and secured his cargo crate. "...I take it you're off, then?" he asked, turning to her almost a bit regretfully. Being the Lorrdian she was, she could probably tell from his body language how interested he was in her.

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Andanian Ategann"]

Thing about Lorrdians, they are horrible folk to try and pull the wool over their eyes. They read intentions in the subtle movements of the body, enough to be able to discern truth from lies. There was more to the story with his background as an Imperial. She didn't need to be a Galactic Alliance sleeper agent.
"It's fine." that was all that needed to be said. She wasn't too comfortable right now, and while she was okay and making sure that Andanian did okay, it still unnerved her what had occurred earlier. Maybe a little bit idealistic for a sleeper agent, but she wasn't one who was made to live their lives in the trenches.

She would tighten the straps of her satchel and give a faint smile. A roll of her shoulder came next, and her arms went slipping through her satchel's straps.

"Well.. Tatooine is a pit stop." she told him. Arceneau Trade had a new shipment of interesting ship parts that she wanted to try and barter for the Messa. New shield technology. With luck, Kurt would let her try it out.

"I'll go outside and make sure it's clear." she shined him the sweetest smile, turning on the ball of her foot to head for the door.