On Desert Sands I Ride.

[RC 212]

Tatooine...

After escaping Sekalus Ellie had flown directly to Chazwa to drop off her delivery. It was a long trip, and she'd spent most of it tinkering with the hyperdrive, trying to figure out what exactly had shorted out her containment fields. Except there was nothing there to see, they all seemed solid.

A month later found her on Tatooine. She had two purposes for being here. One was to see about a man whom had a map for her, something he;d recovered from a derelict ship around the Empress Teta system. He had said he needed someone to check out the map, and see if they could decipher it.

The second was that not all of her Phrik was delivered. Instead of actually dropping the shipment in full, the shrewd girl had taken a good chunk and stashed it below decks on the Crop Duster. A little goodbye payment to Jonathan and associates, whom were most likely killed by First Order anyways...

That left her in Mos Espa, not as big as Mos Eisley, but still pretty large.

As the twin suns beat down on the sandy rocky streets Ellie trudged through them, letting the aroma of street stalls filled with food, and bantha crap thrust it's way into her nostrils. A couple Cantina were nearby, and there was a few weapons stalls, a speeder rental place, and much more.

Then her commlink rang. She picked it up, holding it close to her face and moving out of the way of a large air speeder zooming towards her.

"Hello?"

"Ellie Raxis?"'

"Who's asking?"

"Reese, we spoke about my map."

"Oh ok, where you at I'm here."

"Change of plans Ellie, meet me at the Sandstrider homestead, west of town."

Ellie growled, the landing here was a waste of fuel to go all the way out there.

"Alright sounds fair, I'll be there."

She cut the line, stashing it back in her belt and moved to the rental shop.

"I need a speeder."

The shopkeeper was a Toydarian, flapping his little wings furious and fast to stay afloat.

"You needa speeder eh? How much you got?"

"I'll give you a hundred for the day."

The Toydarian stroked his chin.

"Ah me thinks maybe more, hmmmmm two hundred."

Ellie pressed her lips close together, annoyance breaking her expression.

"One hundred fifty, that's it."

"Hmmmm.... Ok, but don't break it, you got twenty four hours, and don’t try an steal it haa, I got a tracking chip in it."

"Good to know."

Ellie flipped the credit chips on the counter and took the keys from his hand.

 

[Edric Vanyan]

Nauren yawned as his shrouded body moved through Mos Espa. He hated the heat and wearing what looked like rags that continuously consumed his body only helped keep him cool to a minor degree thanks to how they functioned. But that was all the hope he actually had when it came to being cool on this forsaken planet. But that was not his only problem, he needed work or a way off this dust ball and at the current time he had barely enough for transport. All he would need is just something that could get him going and he would be set.

His eyes traveled to the spaceport where he sighed once more. If only he had a ship, one ship and all his problems would be solved. Instead he had been planet hopping with what money he had eft from his time on Naboo.

"I do hope the stuck up one isnt still hitting people with books... or at all for that matter." His friend probably still did, she always did hae a short temper and as far as he cared it was for the best she was that way.

None the less though his mind had to focus on the hear and now rather than thinking about what had happened now and what he saw first was the speeder vendor and his newest customer. 'Hope that one didn't get ripped off... that toydarian is a bastard when it comes to prices for his cheap crap...' The words ran through his mind as he shrugged and focused in on the girl again. Around his age, maybe younger. Odd one for sure and certainly not a public face had seen before. "What is she doing i wonder..." He always grew curious when it came to new people, and one who was taking a speeder out into the dune sea, now that made him curious.

Perhaps he could find out for himself he wondered, or get his head blown off, hopefully the first as he started walking towards the speeder shop.

[member="Eliza Raxis"] (Missed tagging you)

 

[Garoth Ursull]

"Yo Garoth. Need you to follow this girl" "Buy your own tracking chip, im only here for some days" "Hmmm then i will not charge you the tab of the weekend you didnt pay" he hung up the radio, ready for the job. Standing from the couch in his ship was a problem as he was tired. The girls were up all night watching a movie. plus the present hungover he had...

"Money is money. I´ll go alone then" Mara and Vanadis just slept seven hours so they would wake up in three more. He exit the AT-360 and walked out of the hangar "Just follow someone" thought yawning as he sat on a rented speeder and drove, keeping his trusty lightsaber with him. Even with the light screwing with his vision, he noticed a line of dust coming from the north, and that could meant a tusken caravan or the person who he had to keep an eye. In this cases it was better to try luck and follow that lead.

Garoth drove, keeping a distance from the stranger and thinking about the next planet he was going to leap on

[member="Eliza Raxis"] [member="Nauren Oricion"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Nauren Oricion"] [member="Garoth Ursull"]

The keys slipped in the ignition, and Ellie fired up the speeder, ripping from the parking spot in a hurry. A few minutes later she was racing across the desert sands. Each dune was a ramp, each sink-hole a treasure for her. Piloting ships was fun and all, but these things? She could have some real fun with a speeder.

"Whoo!"

The wind rushed past her hair, making her eyes water like oceans, and her face raw with grains of stray sand. She dipped down into a sink-hole, leaning left to offset her plunge and ran the speeder to full blast. In a full bank she traversed the edges, riding along the walls in a quick series of laps before running up the wall and popping back out.

The speeder gunned over a dune, and she felt gravity lessen, giving her a floating sensation as the bike and herself flew twenty feet high. Ellie leaned in close to the handlebars, streamlining her body, twin sawed off’s and rucksack jostling from the wind drag on her back.

Then she was there. Sandstrider homestead.

With deft hands she killed the bike, cutting off the power and skidding to a halt.

Reese was already there, leaning against the side of a moisture vaporator, his dark green spacers jacket in contrast with the white pale monolith that was caked with beige desert sand and muck.

"Nice of you to show up!" He chimed.

"My pleasure."

Ellie dismounted, swinging a leg over the bike and trudging through the thick dusty swell of sand, feet sloshing around in her boots to Reese.

She looked him over. Typical spacer, black boots, dusty tan trousers. He had on an orange shirt with a green spacers jacket unbuttoned. From both thighs were slung twin DL-44's on a gunbelt that barely hugged his hips. At his back what she suspected was a concussion rifle hung in a bantha leather sheath and his neck was adorned with a red scarf.

His face? It was chiselled, ridden with scars on his cheeks and close cropped stubble to match his short black hair.

"You brought your wits I hope? Old man Sandstrider is eager to have the map deciphered. Keep's Rambling on about some legendary Pirate lord and some Nine pieces of Eight or something."

"Yea I brought em'. C'mon lets go!" Ellie chimed, waving her hand with an enthusiastic grin...

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Eliza Raxis"] [member="Garoth Ursull"]

Nauren had decided to follow the young girl, figuring he had nothing better to do than possibly die in the desert anyways. He really needed a hobby after all this was over.

But none the less that was how he found himself heading after that dirt blown trail left in her wake. She definitely made it easy to follow though her speed at which she went was rather curious too. For a moment he had wondered just how much this woman had used a speeder in the past or if she was a joy seeking youth with a pocket of credits that was ill gotten. Either way he would find out for himself sooner or later.

There was another fact though that drew his attention and it was that he had not seen anyone sent to track her by the toydarian, granted he knew the being was slimy but usually he expected the creature to go to such great lengths. But hey, what did he know. He was still the moron that spent most of his credits on new programs that expanded his datapad's storage capabilities so he could take notes on more that he sees. It was almost an obsession at this point, recording everything he sees and learning about the universe as if it were all a new experience to him.

Either way though that is what brought him out to a small rise where he could look at the homestead in curiosity, his body sitting against a rock with a rifle against his side. They were still on Tatooine after all, the amount of annoyances on a single planet alone makes it amazing anyone chooses to live here.

 

[Garoth Ursull]

"So let gets this straight..." thought Garoth crounching on top of a hill, sensing the surroundings with the force. A simple thing to do as he could be attacked by raiders or a group of tusken. He waited for the meeting down there and the only thing weird was the guy following the girl "...someone following a girl in the middle of nowhere on this type of planet" he take out his lightsaber thinking it was a thief and in this type of situation, he wasnt going to ask someone armed if they were going to murder another person

"Im going to charge that toydarian more credits for protecting the girl" he position himself behind and started approaching without making any sound. He didnt know if he would knock him up or just stabb him, he was going to make that choice in the moment.

[member="Eliza Raxis"] [member="Nauren Oricion"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Nauren Oricion"] [member="Garoth Ursull"]

Reese led the way into the adobe mud hut. As soon as Ellie hit the door the smell of curing meat, and rich hearty bread hit her nostrils. The air was spicy and less humid, a courtesy of the air conditioners here.

She cast a glance around, noting the gas stove and some odd tables and chairs, all carved from ancient wod.

"This way."

Reese pressed on through the kitchen and she found herself in larger chamber. Ellie ducked avoiding hitting her head on the rafters and came face to face with what Reese called Old Man Windstrider. And old he was. Graying hair clung to his half bald head, and tusken raider wraps were wound tight around his lanky thin frame.

His cheeks were rather sunken in, but his eyes blazed with a brilliant amber.

"Ellie Raxis! I've heard much about you!"

Ellie took his hand, smirking and shook it with a firm grip.

"What has Reese been telling you?" She quipped, shooting him a raised eyebrow.

"Oh nothing bad, nothing bad. How was your travels?"

"Well, you had a map you said?"

Sandstrider raised both eyebrows, shooting a smile at Reese and then Ellie.

"You were right Reese m'boy, she is a sharp one. Right to the point."

Reese nodded, picking a piece of tobacco from his teeth with the tip of a knife. His face crinkled in laughter.

"Yeah, better get to it. She's a bit of a wild card."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Enough enough, here."

Windstrider waved to the wooden table, rolling out an old parchment map from a tube. He blew gently across the page with pursed chapped lips, spraying dust across the small room. Ellie grinned wider upon laying eyes on it, leaning in and placing both hands on the table to study the array of lines and points. There was a myriad of numbers across the front, and there a few in the corner too.

A one and an one hundred. Then there was a three under that.

"Amazing! Ink and Parchment? That's ancient! Where'd you find it?"

"Found it on a derelict just outside of Roon. No one had claimed it for some time, so I took it upon myself to explore. Tell me have you heard of the tale of Captain Black Jack and the Nine Pieces of Eight?"

Ellie raised her eyebrow again, sweeping her gaze up to meet the old man's, hungry for the tale.

"No tell me!"

"Good grief here we go!" Reese proclaimed.

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Eliza Raxis"] [member="Garoth Ursull"]

Nauren yawned as his eyes drifted closed in the sun. He could feel something was off and honestly he would deal with it once it got closer because he was not in the mood to move without reason. Stupid thing was, its surprising how well that a voice could be heard when on a desert planet where the only thing one had to worry about when it came to their hearing being clouded was the wind. Protecting the girl ehh? His mind laughed while he remained motionless, surprised that the man was trying to be silent after he had already spoken and gave himself up. Oh well, easier for him to handle.

So he sighed, opening one eye and turning his head as he smiled at the man sneaking up on him, a good two meters separating them at the time he spoke with little care for pleasantries. "Hey, you. Keep your voice down. Cant you tell im trying to sleep here or are you just here to interrupt what had been for once a nice day on this dust ball?" He smiled at the man and waited, full well seeing the saber blade and knowing just what damage that it could do if it touched him. Looked like he was going to have to fight this man if it attacked... what a pain when all he wanted to do was tail a girl and find out why she came out this far.

 

[Garoth Ursull]

(Damn forgot to put "thought..." xD)

He stopped quickly with his lightsaber still in hand "Mmm next time i will tape my mouth. Sometimes i talk alone" Garoth laughed forgetting he was just a second of creating a corpse. He didnt liked "If you were a raider you would have attack me in an instance. Look that girl is driving a speeder i need to keep a watch, so i will thank you if you werent going to steal it" said standing behind him. His thumb was close to the buttom that turn the lightsaber if the stranger would try to engage in any way.

Garoth wouldnt pay that tab of the drinking night he had yesterday so he put his life in the line just for that..."Not the best idea i had" thought still expecting the answer of the stranger.

[member="Eliza Raxis"] [member="Nauren Oricion"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Garoth Ursull"]

"Steal her speeder? I have my own... why would i even think to attempt that when i couldn't bring it with me." His head turned back towards the sky and leaned against his rock in the middle of this desert. "No no, i merely am curious into what would bring someone out this way in this unforgivable desert. Granted i can't achieve much knowing with how i go about this but hey... so are you going to stab me with that saber, or am i going to have to just sit here and imagine you are threatening me. Because right now the thread you provide is very small. and really not of much a wonder." His head turned without opening his eyes, grip tightening on the rifle on his lap and waiting to see what happens.

 

[Lanrek Corso]

Corso backed down, the barrel of his Power5 removing itself from the Duros' mouth.

What girl, Bodge? Corso's mouth curled into an ugly sneer. You spouting some garbage about some payoff doesn't let you off the hook for shorting me half your last payment. This turns out to be a dead end, you better make sure I never see you again, or next time I'll make blue milk outta your frontal lobe.

I swear, Corso! Choobasa rented her a speeder not half an hour ago. Headed for 'Strider's homestead, a hundred fifty klicks West.

And this map?

Just passing on an opportunity, Corso... I know how you like opportunities, and mebbe this makes us square iff'n you get something out of it...

The gun pressed firmly back against the Duros' jaw.

It does not. 40,000 credits in my account by sundown, Bodge. Or next time I see your ugly mug I'm just going to start shooting. Are we clear?

The Duros nodded, and Corso released him, holstering his piece and making for the door to the cantina restroom.

Have a nice day, citizen.