Private Reconnoiter

[Makai Dashiell]

Location : Panatha , Salacia Consolidated Pacanth Reach Outpost
​

Humidity enveloped the high-up landing platform like a thick blanket. Between the sounds of mining equipment and starships, the jungle was loud, a symphony of insects and animals making themselves known in the small attempt at civilization in the mountain mining sites. The current platform was a buzz of activity around a long-range research vessel, its ramp down being loaded with supplies and various tools. A dock worker stood with a datapad manifest, ensuring everything requested for this assignment was being loaded aboard. Fueling droids scattered about, chirping amongst each other as pre-flight checks were in full swing.

Makai stood in the sunshine, enjoying the heat and humidity before having to endure a long range exploration flight. Having aquatic ancestry meant he tended to dislike the dryer air - more of a nuisance than a real issue though. Dressed in simple garb, he looked more like a young spacer rather than someone who had grown up the son of a rich business owner. A rather deranged young Loth-Cat weaved in and out of his feet, rubbing on the calf-high boots of its owner. The creature seemed excited to be going on the trip as well, as it had only been on a handful since being in the care of the young man.

Turning his head from the blazing hot sun, his gaze turned to the corridor built into the mountain. His father had informed him he would be joined by an associate of the company for this exploration trip. Makai suspected one of two things ; it was either someone to keep an eye on him and privately report back to his father, or he was training someone to replace him on how to scout potential mining sites. He had done scouting since he was a teenager and maybe his father thought it was time to pass the baton on to someone else to supervise the processes.

Doubtful. It was more likely someone picked to secretly report back. The poor soul was going to be very disappointed and very bored.

 

[Azula Tindara]

A distinguished walk down the landing ramp of the shuttle Azula had been provided was undermined by the fist loud slap as she crushed in insect.

"Makai?" She called out.

Azula had paused to pull a spray from her bag. She was liberally in applying it to exposed skin. Whilst she'd been given some shots, she didn't want to take some tropical disease back with her.

She knew it was Makai because Judah had shown her a picture of the young man. In the flesh it was easier to see the likeness. What he had, and had not, inherited.

"You got the nicer local wildlife," she said, looking at the loth cat and swiping another insect.

"I am Azula by the way."

Introductions had been slightly lost to the hit of humidity and insect attack.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Makai looked at his traveling companion and internally groaned. What trophy wife had cornered his father? This looked like the type of woman who lived in a Coruscanti luxury apartment,shopped all day, and shipped her stepchildren off to boarding school once her new husband was too busy to care.

Everything about this situation screamed bored housewife looking for adventure.

"Pleased to meet you, looks like you're struggling with the bugs."

The Loth-cat lunged forward and pounced on the dead bug the woman just killed and shook it violently.

"That's Kuro. He will be joining us on this trip but I'll try to keep him out of your way."

Makai moved forward to relieve the woman of her bags, at least he could keep his manners in this less than ideal situation.

"Ship is nearly ready, just a last few supplies to be loaded in. Did you have a good trip out to this outpost? Don't get too many outside visitors."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"To call these things bugs seems to be unfair. They appear to have evolved to carry away small children."

"I can manage the bags, thank you," she said politely.

Azula dropped to one knee to bring her down to the loth cat's level.

"Kuro," she repeated quietly, but the creature was far too pre-occupied with trying to convince the dead bug to come back to life and try to fly away to be hunted.

The note of tension was impossible for the grifter to miss, but she chose to ignore it. She didn't know quite how Makai had been briefed on her arrival.

"Uneventful, I would say," Azula replied, falling into step beside the young man.

"Where are we heading first then?" She asked.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"Oh, well at least it was a boring trip out to the middle of nowhere."

He did his best to not look deeper into the fact the newcomer didn't want him carrying her bags. Especially since she seemed like the Real Housewives of Courscant type. Maybe she was trying to prove something. Or maybe there was something incredibly private in the bags she didn't want him stumbling upon - not that he was going to be digging through them.

"Sorimow System. Not much is known about it so we're going into a big unknown on this one."

Makai led her up the ramp, Kuro dancing between them as they entered the vessel. It had already started to idle during pre-flight checks and testing of life support and climate had taken place, making the interior a much cooler place than the outdoors. He figured it was wise to give her a small tour and let her get settled in.

"Not a large ship, most of the space is cargo bay, holding all of our droids and equipment. This is the main corridor."

There was an open galley and lounge combination,a decent size for the vessel but nothing of note.

"Here's our kitchen, office, lounge, and dining table all rolled into one. Nothing fancy but it gets the job done. Up ahead two cabins, I already took the on the left but if you prefer I certain side I can switch, they both are the same. Just above that the cockpit. I'll let you settle in and poke around and meet you in the cockpit in...ten minutes or so?"

 

[Azula Tindara]

"I'm hardly going to make you unpack an identical cabin because I prefer the starboard view," she mused. "I'll see you in ten."

Azula closed the door behind her and unpacked. She'd brought a bag with a few items. There were credit chits of a few common denominations as well as some electrum crystals and solid chromium.

If there were to be negotiations with locals or competing industry she wanted to be able to talk in whatever language was necessary. Even if that meant the lightsaber and blaster rifle she had brought in a bag out of sight if Makai.

The single blaster pistol that had sat on her hip went back into her bags. If there were pirates, she would have time to arm herself before they cut through the hull.

She found Makai already in the cockpit.

"All good to go?" She asked as she took a seat. Her gaze passed over the instrument panels, but she kept her hands to herself.

"What is known about the system then?"

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"Almost ready to go."

Makai had already input the coordinates for Sorimow the planet into the navicomp so it could be calculating as they began take-off.

Pilots chair swiveled to face her. Kuro the Loth-cat seemed just as curious as to what was going on and poked his head out from underneath his owners seat.

"Just...uh, before we go... tell me about yourself. I mean, I don't expect a deep dive into childhood traumas just yet, but all I know about yourself is your name and somehow you know my father."

Awkward but Makai needed to know if Azula was going to be able to hold her own. There were blaster rifles and various weapons on board and he was hoping not to have to give a crash course in their use to her.

 

[Azula Tindara]

Awkward, she thought to herself, unknowingly mirroring his thought.

"My name really is Azula," she said. It hadn't been, but it was now. It wasn't a lie. She didn't want to start on the wrong foot.

"I know your father because I was trying to steal something that had accidentally come into his possession," Azula continued on her truthful journey.

"I speak between fourteen and seventeen languages, depending on what you call a dialect. I'm not going to get under your feet on this one, just let me know what's going on as we go."

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"Why would you think I didn't suspect your name as anything but Azula?"

Makai blinked slowly, trying to see if his hearing was actually correct. Trying to steal from his father or something similar. The emphasis on her name actually being Azula instead of...well instead of who knew what.

Was he in a parallel universe? Was someone playing a trick on him? Head tilted to the side, ice blue eyes scanning the cockpit as if he was looking for a hidden camera.

"Ah...well....I need to check in at home more often because Dad has told me none of these... adventures... you two have been tangled up in."

Slowly he swiveled his chair back to face the viewport.

"Seventeen languages is impressive. I guess Dad is expecting a lot of local activity on this trip."

Trying to recover from his shock, Making did his best to focus on the task at hand. He could always ponder the situation in the air.

"If you're an experienced pilot, feel free to take the role of copilot. I've got our first set of coordinates entered if you can check those."

Vessel started to rise from the landing pad. It was going to be an interesting trip.

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Ah...well....I need to check in at home more often because Dad has told me none of these... adventures... you two have been tangled up in."

Azula was normally capable of hiding any reaction behind the mask she was wearing. Today, in her attempt at being open and honest, both eyebrows flared a little too quickly before she turned to the controls.

"Not exactly a great pilot, but I'll manage here," she replied.

Azula flicked two switches and watched the text scrawl down the screen. The navcomp was churning through incomplete maps to chart the best course through hyperspace.

As they broke the panathan atmosphere, the computer offered a few different options for routes and entry points into the system.

She chose the ones that carried more risk, but saved time and fuel.

"Locked in for when you want to make the jump," she said.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

Lever was pulled and the star lines faded to streaks, thrusting them into the odd blue-white swirl that was hyperspace.

"Looks like you picked a shorter route. Interesting to see where we will come out at. Maybe we'll get lucky this first time around and hit a jackpot with a few moons."

Makai stretched a little. Until they got into the sector there wasn't much he could do. Couldn't even prep the equipment since they were unsure of the makeup of the planet.

"We've got some downtime. Any questions for me? About me? Concerns?"

 

[Azula Tindara]

"The long distance scans were a little rough about where the planets and moons would be aligned," she said with a shrug. "Space is big and planets are small. And even if I happened to aim us right at one nine times out of ten the sensors will drop us out of hyperspace safely," she reasoned.

Shit, she wanted his son to respect her.

Now she had the chance to ask questions. She could have limited herself, but I'm her new heart-on-her-sleeve approach to life she cut to something.

"What's it like working for your father?"

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"Wow. I thought we were going to start with the standard coworker questions ; homeworld, what one does in their off time, family background."

Fingers interlaced and he placed his hands on top of his head, leaning back to think. Kuro jumped into his lap and went to work settling down, trying to find a comfortable spot.

"It has its own positives and negatives, I suppose anything in life does."

"Positives are spending time together, helping enact the vision of the business. Another bonus is having the ability to do things someone my age wouldn't be in charge of. I was working side by side supervisors at thirteen, just learning hands on and soaking in knowledge. It's a experience I don't take for granted."

Hands were removed from the top of his head, finding a space behind Kuros ears to scratch.

"Negatives are...well, the business can bleed into personal life. Sometimes you just want to shut off but discussions continue after we go home, or in vacation, or meet with family friends. Dad can be focused and a little too hands on in some cases - I get it, I mean...the decisions he makes effects the paychecks and lives of the workers, of everyone involved."

Shoulders shrugged.

"You have to learn to navigate the personal and business in this case. To know your self worth as a son isn't tied to business production. It can be tricky but we've been a duo since I was little."

Head tilted to look at her.

"How do you find working for Dad? Don't hold back either just because of who I am. I'm not going to narc on you if you want to vent."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"How do you find working for Dad? Don't hold back either just because of who I am. I'm not going to narc on you if you want to vent."

Azula gave a sweeping wave at the ship around them.

"This is actually my first job for him, so I suppose we will find out?" She replied.

Azula found his answer far, far more mature than what she would have expected for a man at his age. He clearly hadn't been spoiled too much by his father.

"I knew a Hutt that inhereted his father's business. He did kill and - horribly - eat his father to take it."

"So what do you do with your time off then?" She asked.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"I knew a Hutt that inhereted his father's business. He did kill and - horribly - eat his father to take it."

"Sounds like a great family. Lucky for Dad he's old and probably too stringy to consume. Doesn't look appealing at all.

He noted the first job comment and decided to circle back to it. Sounded like a deep dive into a situation he knew nothing about and hence would have more questions.

"Uh..a few things. Sailing, surfing, fishing... I brought poles if we find a spot or get time by the way. Never going to pass up an opportunity."

Makai figured they could carve out thirty minutes for fun - if they found something that had water of course.

"So my turn. What's your homeworld? What did you do before this? Besides stealing nameless objects."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Yeah, your father mentioned the surfing. Yet looked at me with real concern when I mentioned swoop bikes."

"Which is one of the things I did before, racing swoop bikes," she continued.

That was a slight bend of the truth, she decided, rather than an outright lie. It was too ingrained to just twist her words to what she thought someone else would want to hear.

It wasn't a habit she was going to break overnight.

Doesn't look appealing at all.

Azula had to remember who she was talking to before she unleased her sharp tongue.

"I came from Nar Shaddaa. I was taught my an ex-jedi to be a thief."

Azula snapped back from old habits and shared more than was necessary.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"Nar Shadda explains the swoop bikes. Also, yeah, I would think a swoop bike would be a little more dangerous than surfing. Crashing into a wall at three hundred kilometers an hour means you get scraped off it."

Makai was a little more unphased about the thief thing this time around. He had already been prepared when she dropped the bomb earlier.

"See? This is why I don't trust the Jedi. Acting superior but pulling these stunts. I know you said ex, but still."

At this point he was forming the assumption that either Azula was trying to turn her life around, was on some odd work release incarceration scheme, or was trying to infiltrate the company. He wasn't entire sure but he wasn't going to rush figuring out the logistics.

"In the cargo bay is a terrain bike. It's more utility but I'm sure you might have fun taking it for a spin later."

Makai paused.

"I assume you've met Dad personally,like one on one?"

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Crashing into a wall at three hundred kilometers an hour means you get scraped off it."

"Try five hundred. And more like fused with the building at a molecular level and tossed away with the rubble."

It was one of those things that Azula didn't think about when in the air. It was, to her, the same as not thinking about falling over as you walked.

Azula turned around in her seat and glanced back down the length of the ship, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to see the bike.

"I assume you've met Dad personally,like one on one?"

"Yeah," Azula replied, after a slight pause. She wasn't exactly sure what to explain just yet. It seemed Judah had offered very little information to his son. Typical men.

"Slightly surprised me. He likes to have problems brought to him to deal with personally it seems. At the time I was hoping to bamboozle some low level security controller."

 

[Makai Dashiell]

"Slightly surprised me. He likes to have problems brought to him to deal with personally it seems. At the time I was hoping to bamboozle some low level security controller."

"He's old with no wife to occupy his time with to-do lists and one grown child. What else is there for him to do besides hang around the company? It's not like he's the type to just around on conference calls all day."

Makai turned the pilots chair to face her.

"Really you made a rookie mistake but had no idea you were making it. Should have chose an outpost, he's typically not at those. You chose a main hub, otherwise it would have been some head of security for the facility."

He had noticed her peering down the corridor towards the cargo area.

"Oh feel free to look around. No need to stay here. You can check out that all terrain speeder that goes seventy -five kilometers per hour. I'm sure you're already thrilled."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Oh so you're going to mark my work now?" She asked, clearly amused by this.

"Seventy five when you're right on the ground can be made fun," she added.

His description of her father struck a nerve. If he was so bored, had she just been a brief diversion? Was that what that had been? Now he could ship her off to a distant outpost.

No, that was simply paranoia talking. She faced up to that, accepted it and let the feelings play out.

"The item in question was in a hangar bay at the main hub. I had maybe days before it would be discovered and salvaged before anyone realised its value. What would you have done?"

She wasn't cruel in the question, instead displaying genuine interest.