Public Quekko's Choice: Seven Corners (Darkwire and friends and passersby)

[Darth Daiara]

"Um."

Her attention pulled from the underbelly, the idea of theft fluttering away like a leaf in the wind. Help was more convenient. This was important. "Something fast?" She pulled a face, clearly out of her depth and reaching for words.

"You know, with shields and-- Guns. I need it to get past check points. So, a clean record. For the core." Her jaw flexed in a bit of agitation. She didn't like sounding stupid, but even she could hear the naivety in her words.

"I was told you were the place for this," she leveled, not wanting to hear otherwise.

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Denon reminded her of her younger years spent as a drifter, visiting various planets and learning much from every destination she'd end up at. It all seemed so long ago now, twenty years. A lot had changed since then. She remembered avoiding areas like Lum Rouge, though. It wasn't everyday that you'd find a pre-owned starship business here.

"Don't mind the nervosity," another voice rang from the entrance as a redheaded woman in her early to mid thirties, with a striking scar running down her left eye, walked into the door. She casually made her way over the salesman/customer pair, and joined the customer's side. "She's still pretty new to all this. I'm here to help her make a decision." Kaalia would've added that price wasn't an issue, but she had met more than enough shady salesmen over the years that looked to make full advantage of that.

Kaalia knew Aradia well enough that she'd decided it was probably a good idea to come along to Denon. While the woman wasn't an expert either, she had picked up enough from her wife over the years that she had an idea of what she was talking about.

Darth Daiara | Jerec Asyr ​

 

[Doc Painless]

"Busy man already," the Doc said as Jerec turned to attend to his newest customers. "Good luck, Mister Asyr. We'll talk another time." The guy was likable enough, and the Doc wished him well. It was a good sign that so many people were already coming to his starship yard; at this rate, they might well burn through his stock within the week. It'd be interesting to see what means he used to replenish it. But the Doc's work here was done. He'd made the connection, gotten a feel for the newcomer and his place. Now it was time for him to go.

After all, he wasn't a paying customer, and it'd be rude if he didn't clear the way for those who might be.

"Hope you can make it down here, Jerec," he murmured as he headed back up the street. "Seven Corners can be a tough town." He'd seen plenty of chummers get chewed up and spit out, falling from Baker's Row or Lum Rouge down into Suicide Slums when debts, addictions, and other misfortunes caught up with them, and it was almost impossible to climb back out of that pit once you were in it. But this guy seemed to know what he was doing, good business sense and all that. So maybe, just maybe, he'd be the next big thing around here.

Either way, the Doc would keep an eye on him. He could be a friend, a contact... or a liability for them all. Time would tell.

 

[Jerec Asyr]

The parting words from Doc Painless stuck in Jerec's teeth like a bone splinter, and he couldn't say why. He put on his sabacc face and refocused on the potential paying customers - Darth Daiara and Kaalia Pavanos , the latter of whom threatened to crack that sabacc face. Leaving aside the fact that, scars and all, she might be the most objectively beautiful woman he'd ever met, she reminded him instinctively of his ex-wife Tuyala. AKA Darth Xul, who'd died on Byss along with many of her followers when the Heart of Palpatine ritual got interrupted. Passive voice intentional. Lots of pain there all around.

Sabacc face. Time to sell.

"Alright, let's get the both of you squared away. Something fast, decent teeth, attention's fine but not from law enforcement, so maybe a little flash...know what, I've got just the thing. Couple of'em, actually. Come on over this way."

Ship number one, at a trim forty-five meters, was a Castillon Stealth Transport. "Shiniest boat I've got if you feel like making a statement. The Outer Rim Coalition built these to slip priority passengers and small cargoes in and out of basically anywhere. Comprehensive stealth suite: non-magnetic hull beats magnetic sensors, classic double-blind hibridium cloaking device with a passive sensor periscope, gravitic modulator beats crystal gravfield traps and other gravitic sensors, thrust trace dampers beat engine wash tracking, and an advanced inertial nav system helps with the whole double-blind thing so you're not running into crap. Military-grade shields. As for teeth, it's got a couple of quad laser turrets and variable-payload warhead and probe launchers. Completely clean - no record, no sketchy past owners."

Ship number two, conveniently right next to ship number one, was a little older, bigger, and less visually flashy: an eighty-meter custom boat called the Role Model. "Now this one, she's a strange beast. Heavily modified mining vessel turned personal transport. The mining gear is multipurpose: tractor-pressor beams, plasma-jets, manipulator arms. And all of that can be swapped out for a handful of turbolasers or warhead launchers if you know a good mechanic, and I know plenty if you want a recommendation. As is, she's got a dual ion cannon and a serious shieldcutter gun. Hangar's got speeder space, little scouting droids, and I'll even throw in a classic little Cricket maintenance pod. There's a bunch more bells and whistles - for beating tractor beams and such - happy to walk you through them if you're interested. Also, while this ship's flagged in Hutt Space for a friggin' audacious heist twenty years back, she's got no record in the Core or anywhere respectable."

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia turned sharply on her heel, her expression the embodiment of a well rehearsed 'but mooooooooom'.

Kaalia wasn't her mother, despite their similarities in hair tone. Aradia looked nothing like Kaalia's actual children, not that she ever saw them well enough to judge. Ever since Kaalia's withdrawal from the Empire itself, she dedicated her full time to her family first, and her apprentice second. Aradia had most certainly not been without proper instruction, she just didn't expect Kaalia to follow her up all the way out in Denon.

Put that action next to the fact that Kaalia had forcibly removed her from the front line, and her presence felt like a lack of faith.

Aradia cinched down on this frustration, a heavy breath slipping from between her lip. "Master," she breathed, in greeting. She could have done this on her own. She wouldn't have let the saleman waste her money. She didn't need hand holding here.

These were all thoughts that raced through her mind, her uncharacteristic agitation nearly driving her to state them. She didn't let herself. She wouldn't give Kaalia any further ammunition. She tucked her hands into her sleeves and simply listened, following the two at a suddenly obedient pace.

Truth be told she understood none of what the saleman had just said, but her opinion was shown by the pull of her attention towards the first ship. She stepped away from them enough to stay besides it, eyeing the flashy curves and sleek exterior.

"...Do they come with a pilot droid?" Aradia wasn't incapable of flying, but given what she was planning...

She shot a glance over her shoulder, adding quickly. "Just in case. You know, for when I'm alone."

Jerec Asyr Kaalia Pavanos

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

From the outside, both ships looked good enough to fly. Though not every tiny bit of info was completely understood, Kaalia was able to get the gist of the descriptions she had been given. The first looked like the simplest choice, it had pretty much everything Aradia had really asked for and could be flown right out of the shop and didn't need any real work done to fit her apprentice's needs. The second had a few interesting extra features going for it, but likely needed a few things swapped out to satisfy.

Ultimately though, it would be Aradia's choice and she seemed more interested in the first. Kaalia walked up close to inspect the ship's surface. Apart from the usual wear you'd expect from a pre-owned ship, it didn't look too bad. After Aradia's question was answered, her master had one of her own.

"Mind if we check the inside?" She wasn't going to make the decision for Aradia, but she'd make sure that the girl knew exactly what she was buying. There was little more important than due diligence.

Jerec Asyr | Darth Daiara ​

 

[Jerec Asyr]

Kaalia Pavanos

"By all means. Everything's clean and tidy. The Castillon was an elite military boat, so expect something a little snugger and more efficient than a passenger transport. The Role Model was a home - lots of character - and again, snug and well put together."

He went and unlocked both ships.

 

[Silais Zelada]

Across the street, sitting at a dingy little restaurant with a sketchpad in his lap, was a Lethan Twi'lek, Looking over the setup of the shop, he had a quiet chuckle to himself about the placement of the business while the soft scratch of pen and paper sounded. A fizzy drink was set beside him, a small satchel there beside his chair.

His outfit wasn't remarkable by any means. Typical street stuff that didn't look like he'd picked it up out of the gutter. He didn't even bother looking at the people while he sketched, enjoying the scene before him and trying to capture the layout as best he could. Occasionally taking a sip of his drink before putting his nose back into the sketchpad.

Jerec Asyr Kaalia Pavanos Darth Daiara

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia slipped into the favored ship-- it's shinny edges catching her unrefined pallet. She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for as they moved through its rooms. Perhaps, she realized belatedly, it would have been prudent of her to research a little before coming to make such a knee jerk decision.

She was lucky to have Kaalia there. In truth, the woman would likely be more of a help than she knew. Still, this did not stop a sense of embarrassment from creeping up. "You didn't need to come all this way, you know," she murmured, dragging her hands over a handle in the kitchenette. She gave it an experimental tug, a table pulling out from the depths of the walls.

Compact indeed. Her stomach trilled in satisfaction as she tucked it back in.

"You could trust me to make the right choice."

But not be on the front line.


Kaalia Pavanos

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia made her way into the ship right behind her apprentice, but for the first few minutes she cared more for getting a good look at the interior herself. It indeed looked to be in good condition; it was still pre-owned, of course, but it was clean and didn't show much in the way of wear. Either it had been given some love before going up for sale, or its previous owner took good care of it.

"Trust me, you're going to be glad I did," Kaalia responded as she made her way over to the kitchenette. She had no idea what to look out for when she got her first ship, and after two flights it refused to get off the ground anymore. It was beyond saving at that point, too. "The next time you're looking for a new ship, you'll know what to look for."

"You could trust me to make the right choice."

"I'm not forcing you to pick either ship." The embarrassment was ignored. There was nothing wrong with a hand when you didn't know too much. "This one looks good, by the way."

Darth Daiara ​

 

[Ishana Pavanos]

"Habibti!" Called out Ishana, Kaalia's wife had been on the other end of the lot looking at a few choice single-seat crafts. The retired Marshal was looking into adding to her Imperial collection, but they hadn't come to Denon for that. "You over here?" Ishana and her wife had recently started their new company that focused on herbal remedies. The Balmorran wasn't entirely lost and finding her wife was fairly easy, all she had to do was look for her sexy redhead with the curves. ​

​

"There you are," remarked the Balmorran as she approached her wife and the apprentice. "Oh hey, you're uh - you're Aradia right? I'm Ishana, a pleasure to finally meet you in person."​

​

Ishana wrapped an arm around Kaalia's waist and leaned up to give the woman a kiss on the cheek. "Did you guys find something?"​

​

"Oh also, babe, I think I managed to secure a new strain for the business," Ishana informed her wife of a deal that was part of why the Balmorran had come all the way out to Denon. "Kids are hanging out with my sister."​

​

Kaalia Pavanos | Darth Daiara​

​

 

[Darth Daiara]

Kaalia's was right. Despite her embarrassment, she was put at ease by Kaalia's approval for the vessel. As much as Aradia was striving for her independence lately, she still held her Master's opinions in the highest of regards. Aradia might have felt confident striking the sale on her own, but she didn't find her decision made until Kaalia, too, cast her opinion.

Aradia looked away from the woman, letting her eyes drag over the foreign space. It was orderly... Manageable. She could see all her things going into all the cubbies, as well organized as the ship's structure. It felt right. The trill of excitement returned, a tight smile stretching across her lips. "It'll do." She twirled the credit chip in her hand as she surged back for the tarmac, ready to close the--

"Oh." She stopped short, a shocked look leveled at Ishana Pavanos . Suddenly Kaalia Pavanos 's presence made sense. Had they arrived together or were they meeting up... now. For some reason, that mattered to her.

She gave the woman another tight smile, nodding her head in greeting. "I... will go settle this then," she told Kaalia, taking several quick side-steps around the two. The behavior wasn't a rebuff, in fact she could often be witnessed doing the same on the family grounds-- squirming of sight rather than risk intrusion.

She had existed on the outside of things for so long, even when directly spoken to... it was her natural inclination to disengage and slip away. She glanced once over her shoulder, getting a longer look of the spouse she had only heard about, before she came up on Jerec Asyr again.

"I want a pilot droid. And a manual. With no food stains," she leveled seriously, gesturing over to her choice.

 

[Jerec Asyr]

Darth Daiara

He'd missed her earlier request for a pilot droid until after she and her...mother?...boarded the Castillon-class. So he had one right here, right now: a generic and taciturn professional model. A used ship got a fault, oh well. A bargain-bin pilot droid crashed everything, that led to Serious Problems. So he didn't scrimp on the pilot droids, and charged only a reasonable markup.

"Got one right here," he said, indicating the nice clean droid in question. "The manual's digital and printable. Feth, you want a hard copy, I'll get the dang thing bound in crosh-hide."

He quoted a price, all included. For a military stealth ship built in the last five years, it was a pretty sensible number.

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Aradia seemed to be impressed with the ship herself as well. Kaalia could see from the way her apprentice looked around that she didn't need to look any further. She was about to recommend Aradia to check if the pilot's seat fit her, but before she could a very familiar and pleasant voice rang through the ship. Kaalia would recognize it anywhere, but that's what happened when you were married to the woman it belonged to for as long as she was.

"Hey, Miala," Kaalia responded as she watched her wife walk over. Her hand was placed over Ishana's as the latter found itself at Kaalia's waist. "It's looking like it's going to be this one. Any ship catch your eye?" Starfighters were a bit of a passion of Ishana's. Kaalia loved listening to her talk about them endlessly, even if she didn't understand everything she said. She helped out with her wife's hobby where she could, but beyond handing tools, she wasn't all too well-versed herself.

Aradia seemed a little nervous around Ishana, which wasn't anything new. Kaalia had hoped she would grow out of that behavior, but it seemed unlikely at this point. "And that's why I hadn't introduced her to you yet," the redhead remarked as her apprentice near-bolted out of the ship. "Even compared to the kids she can be a handful sometimes." It was difficult to adjust when one's entire childhood was spent in slavery, so she couldn't blame Aradia for being the way she was. Hopefully she would adjust in time.

The best thing about retirement was the fact she could spend more time with Ishana. It was a strange thing to say, considering her age, but then again the two kept themselves busy with their new business. Raising four children also amounted to a full-time job, and then some.

Speaking of the business, Ishana also came bearing good news. "We're making solid progress, then," Kaalia beamed as she turned towards the ship's exit. "What time are you meeting?"

Ishana Pavanos | Darth Daiara ​

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia blinked hard, her movements stiff as she handed over the chip. It wasn't her money. Somehow she hadn't paused to think about just how much her new mission would cost.

Kaalia had wanted her to find a path... but Aradia couldn't help but to feel a flash of guilt as she let the man ring her up in silence. Why did she always feel a step behind? She glanced over her shoulders again, watching the two engage easily with each other in the distance. She swallowed hard, ignoring a pang as she turned back to Jerec Asyr .

"No food stains," she reinforced strongly, when all was said and done. She glanced down to her new droid, her very first, and softened. "Does he have a name?"

 

[Jerec Asyr]

Darth Daiara

"I haven't yet managed to get ribene sauce on a digital document, but not for lack of trying." He flipped through the sale papers. "The droid is KX-730, call him what you want. Pilot droids don't have or develop much personality unless you get that capacity put in custom. Here, lemme give you the names of a couple of tinkerers who could do the job."

He scribbled a note by hand, with a hard sheet under the first notebook page to keep from leaving impressions.

3X744
Dash Kessler
Kara Moonlighter
Nova Casamyr
Sylvia Virtos
Yula Perl

He finished the list with an alias he had on hand for Amea Virou

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia looked down to the scribbles, a name striking her. Sylvia Virtos . ...Didn't she use to be at Bastion Academy? Her brows furrows, her expression closing off as she tucked it away.

"Thanks." With barely a head tilt, she turned and left him to his work. Both apprentice and droid approached the pair at a lackadaisical pace, no noise made upon arrival as she listened.

KX-730 made a series of beeps, of which she didn't understand and silenced with a look.

Ishana Pavanos Kaalia Pavanos

 

[Ishana Pavanos]

"Later tonight, but as always it'll be good to bring friends," remarked Ishana who happily stood there grinning like an idiot whilst her arm was still wrapped around Kaalia's waist. Kaalia did mention something about Aradia being a little skittish around folk or it seemed like being about as skittish as a cat who generally disliked people on principle. Not that Ishana could fault the younger woman for it, people were terrible. "Well, hey, how you do what you do is beyond me, habibti."​

​

"I am just really appreciative that you make the time for lil' ol' me and our beautiful family," which honestly, Ishana had to brag a little - damn she and Kaal made some good looking kids. "Nothing here really caught my fancy, I'm stillin' huntin' some ol' FO TIEs to tinker around with at home but I don't think there's anything of the sort here. I'd suggest Lotho Minor but - I'm not a fan of who took over so I think I'll wait it out."​

​

Darth Daiara | Kaalia Pavanos ​

​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Ishana was never shy to voice her own admiration of what Kaalia did, but the very same was true vice-versa. After all that her wife had been through over the years, the Balmorran hadn't let it drag her down. In many ways, Kaalia knew she herself had it easy. She had the Force at her beck and call and without it, she would've never done all the things she had done over the years.

"Work did keep me busy, huh? I'm much happier this way." Kaalia was happy she had left her previous seat on the Dark Council behind when she did and not just because she was able to focus on her family even more now. The distance was able to show her how futile those positions of power truly were in the grand scheme of things, little more than a waste of time. "I married you for a reason."

Kaalia planted a kiss on Ishana's cheek, then walked down the boarding ramp back out into the dealership. "Didn't the Eternals move in there? I could always head down there for you." Even though she had stepped back from the spotlight, getting around nations allied to the Sith Empire wasn't particularly difficult for her.

The beeping of Aradia's new astromech drew Kaalia's attention toward the pair. The woman smiled, welcoming Aradia to join in. "Handled everything, Aradia?"

Darth Daiara | Ishana Pavanos ​

 

[Darth Daiara]

"Could have gotten so many shirts with this," She commented, the guilt still lingering as she handed over the credit stick. Her gaze skipped over them, trailing across the ship at their back-- her ship. Her chest swelled, the flutter returning. Suddenly, the galaxy felt at her finger tips.

"Thank you," came the emotion-packed set of words, leveled at them both. She swallowed hard and looked to the woman that had given her this-- her freedom, this chance, a whole fortune on a ship to chase some dream that brought nothing to the table for anyone but her.

Kaalia did not have to do this and Ishana did not have to remain there and be okay with it. Aradia stood a little taller, made so by the pillar of support that was defining her formative years. Kaalia wanted her to prove herself capable. Now she could.

She cleared her throat and placed a hand on the droids head. "If you want to go I can do any errands you have," she offered, glancing once more at Ishana. It was around lunch, wasn't it? She figured them off to eat.

Ishana Pavanos Kaalia Pavanos