Roots

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]


[SIZE=9pt]Choli would half wonder if she should leave Trextan to himself or reach over to poke him on the shoulder. It was a curious sight to see him perched cross-legged on top of the table, still as stone, with only the faintest rise and fall of his chest to even suggest he was breathing. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]He was meditating. The Rogue knew that much from all the times Jannick would sink into his own method of oblivion free from the trials and tribulations of the visions that haunted him. That made her wonder, did Trextan suffer from visions too? Jan had them from time to time; often fairly powerful, somehow connected to some Eye of the Dark Lord that left the former spacer blanched as a white sheet and just as sweaty after a troublesome night. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Curiosity filled her expression, and after a moment, Choli made the decision to simply be as quiet as she could be and head on off towards the garage. However, that didn’t stop her from pausing the few seconds she used to shuffle her pack on her back and observe the Justicar in training in a fleeting guilty pleasure. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]It had taken a while before she could finally find some rest. There weren’t enough hours for her to get some much needed sleep, but she’d survived on less before. Long hours flying distant missions and a lifetime of wandering the desert gave the young woman the added skill of being able to function on little rest. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The only difference being that the awareness that had finally managed to wane in the wee hours of the night came flooding back. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]How does anyone even function? It made no sense to her how Captain Janes, Lieutenant Omar, or Allyson did what they did. Maybe it really had to do with how many drinks they all managed to imbibe and drown themselves in.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Her footsteps would be light; Choli had the ability to transverse along a path rather silently. R4, on the other hand, did not. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The Pebbledrone’s round chassis would crunch against the grains of sand that would eternally coat the floor not matter how many times a broom swept them away. One of the choice blessings of living on a planet full of sand; it was everywhere. A good gust of wind could bring it all floating back. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]There was a heavy thump, thump, thump when the astromech droid went rolling down the stairs into the open dining room area, prompting Choli’s mask of mild annoyance at the disturbance and an apologetic glance at Trextan, unsure how deep his mediation went and if he had been disturbed from his thoughts, “Sorry, he can be pretty loud.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The younger Voidstalker would be presented with the image of Choli in a more interesting desert gear design than others. It was an ensemble of robes, a shawl, and flowing fabric made for ease of movement and air flow. Her raven hair was freshly finger brushed back into a new thick braid, revealing the breadth of her exotic features and the dark frame of thick lashes that surrounded her mesmerizing color shifting eyes. She had her pack on her back and a breathing mask and goggles in her left hand. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Had she had both on, one might have trouble distinguishing if she was male or female; the attire certainly didnt do much for distinguishing the subtle curves across the athletic body that Trextan had barely begun a tentative chart of unknown territory last night. [/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“It's okay,” he said softly. “I was vaguely aware you were both there. Then very aware that R4 was here.” There was a little parp but he didn't know what it meant. Trextan was tempted to ask if R4 was ready to go in his travel bag yet. He slid off the table. His training and relaxed muscles made it seem as if he flowed from it like water. Trextan turned to Choli with a serene expression. It lasted around a microsecond.

The sight of her, regardless of desert attire, provoked a rush of feelings that undid several hours of silent contemplation in one go. Yet he didn't seem annoyed by this. Instead he smiled, gaze meeting hers then flicking away in mild embarrassment. Had she heard how late it had been that he left his room? What did she think about finding him here, perched on a table waiting to greet to morning in silence. Faith was obviously an interesting topic for Choli, Trextan’s own views on what the Force meant were still somewhat mixed.

“Hello,” he said pleasantly as he faced her once more. “I’m not ready yet,” he said rather redundantly with an arch of his eyebrows as he considered the gear she carried in her hands. The night air had been cooler than he had expected and wearing just a loose vest he had drawn on the Force to keep himself warm. If he remained dressed like this when the suns rose then he would end up burned to a crisp.

Trextan started to head for the door to gather his belongings and dress for the trip as quickly as he could. Kellan had shown them the panel in the kitchen with a four digit code to unlock the garage the night before. They needed to go and stock up on some water rather than take from his uncle’s supplies. The justicar had started to take a wide berth around Choli, but changed his angle. He boldly planeted a kiss on her cheek with a quiet murmur of “morning.” R4’s comments be damned, he thought to himself as he headed for his room.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]Seeing Trextan step off the table with the fluidity of a Jakku beast was a curious scene. Well, the meditation seemed to have worked, Choli told herself. He had every semblance of one with plenty of rest and relaxation; at least until turned to face her again. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]It would be a lie to say that Choli wasn’t at least a little bit pleased at the notion that Trextan wasn’t completely unaffected. It was hard to read him at times when he would close himself off into that introverted, broody shell, but this trip at done a number at revealing just a few more facets of the lanky former Sith Apprentice.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Yeah that’s fine,” Choli replied, following the semi -circle Trextan seemed to be taking until he suddenly came rebounding back. The Rogue first felt the tickle of the tips of his hair before the brief kiss and the low greeting of, ‘Morning,’ registered. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Morning.” Her heart had jump started at the seemingly innocuous act, barely having the time to feel the breath on her skin before Trextan darted away to change, leaving her with pink cheeks and a half loopy smile. One that faded to mild annoyance with what followed from the astromech beside her.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]A low whistle along with a knowing waggle of an ocular flap over the Pebble drones face plate gave way to a series of bleeps, [ I saw that! Is he going to check your circuits now?][/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“None of your business and if you keep going at it, I’ll just tie you to the exhaust end of the speeder instead.” R4 gave a small parp at indignation, but kept any quips to himself. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“We’ll be out by the garage!” She called out, trying to keep her voice down so that they wouldn’t wake Trextan’s uncle. It was about four in the morning, still dark outside with plenty of star and moonlight to provide some light. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Come on, I need to make sure you don’t go rolling off once we make it out there.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]R4 gave a hoot similar to a snort. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Well last time was because you kept insisting to be tied on the left side when I told you the right!” Choli tossed back, the girl turning towards the exit that would lead her and the astromech droid towards the alleyway where the garage lay. [/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan heard the continuation of that discussion as they passed his room. He was actually getting the impression that her companion mostly wanted to keep getting some attention from Choli whilst they were here. Trextan didn’t work with droids all that often, but they seemed to display personality quirks that were analogous to the emotions humans experienced. He quite selfishly wanted Choli’s time all to himself but if she went back a long way with the droid it probably wasn’t in his interests to upset the thing too much. But he was going to have to get a binary translator. Actually that could probably get installed on his arm.

The gimer sticks went in his bag with his small collection. There were some power packs, canteen, sporting blaster, the map, and the GADF desert ration pack. His lightsaber remained firmly in the bag. It took him a little while to get the robes on and adjusted properly. They needed to cover his arm and remain loose and free to keep him cool. The fabric was reasonably light so it wouldn’t actually hinder him too much if they got into trouble, he decided. She had smiled when he’d kissed her. He had moved on quickly, but he had noticed that.

Shutting the door behind him as quickly as possible they left nothing behind but the pressed dagobah orchid. As he slipped through the front rooms he heard the garage shutters rolling down again. Rather than return to the kitchen to unlock the doors he decided to give a tentative knock on the door. Perhaps, he thought, this would all be in vain. The bike hadn’t looked like it would run silently.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]The knock prompted a small bleep from the inside, followed by the shuffling of what sounded to be a heavy weight and a small grunt. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“You could have just rolled in the webbing you know…” the muffled words would be heard by the Jedi currently hanging outside of the shuttered garage. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Choli lay bent over the right side of the speeder bike, currently struggling with getting the Pebble drone into the webbing to securing him to the bike. It was a careful balance of weight. They would need to secure their own packs on the left to counter R4’s spherical arse. If they were too uneven then they would be unbalanced… and that would only serve to burn more fuel than necessary with readjustments down the road. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Figuring that only Trextan of all people would knock, a half pant cried count,” come in… almost done.” Reaching up and over the astromech, Choli bent a little further to pass one tan strap over and through a hardier section of the chassis. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]This was the sight Trextan would walk in were he to enter the four digit code then. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“We’ll need to top off with water first…but once…” a huff of air blew the loose strands of hair away from her face,, “ I get him secured --” half pant, “ I’ll put on your pack here and we can get going.”[/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan slipped his pack off his shoulders. He walked up to the left hand side of the bike and looked for how to get it strapped on. Choli was tugging on a strap that refused to give her any slack to work through the difficult spaces. Trextan had the sense to know that even with his prosthetic arm offering to do the task for her probably wouldn't be well received.

Instead as he started to clip his bag to the left hand side of the bag he reached out towards the droid with the Force. It was easy to trace the boundaries of the little sphere and take some of his weight, especially after the time spent focussing his mind. The bike tilted a fraction to the left and R4’s dome swivelled in Trextan's direction. He made an enquiring little bwoo sound. Trextan just smile back at him.

He tucked away the spare straps to try and keep anything from flapping off the bike. With a sharp turn of his head back and forth he found the other bag and went get that mounted too.

“Think the ship that miraculously got us here is still in one piece or the jawas have carted it off? Guess that's unlikely unless there's a less appealing ship around.”

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]The heavy weight of the Pebbledrone lessened, prompting a quick glance up to determine what was going on. Seeing Trextan there with an expression of concentration and then his widening smile answered that quickly. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]He’s smiling more, the Rogue thought to herself, unable to help her own broadening smile. “Thanks.” She added, straightening to take the webbing and levy connections for her to tighten. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“As ugly as it was, I think you don't have to worry about it.” Choli replied, the right corner of her mouth perking up. From under the fridge of thick lashes, the young woman took stock of the current attire the Jedi had changed into. While he didn’t have the attire of a Tusken Raider or a seasoned desert traveler, he certainly would blend in better with the robes and the scarf she had given him earlier. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“You look good.” She commented, giving one last tug to the strap to secure R4, who gave a little beep, and low whistle in tune to Choli’s compliment. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“You’ll shouldn’t get too overheated in that.” Coming round the speeder, the lieutenant commander crossed the distance between them in a slow amble, brows pinching at her forehead as she assessed his gear.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“They’ll smell a bit like Bantha’s ass, but they were a good find. This is quality Chakai muslin here,”. Her hand came out, reaching to pinch a square of the fabric and roll it between her fingers. “They provide a better sweat wicking properties than others.” A cluck of her tongue and her hazel eyes gave a flash of green in humor, “And I see you remembered how to cover your arm. Good.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]With a few feet between them, banter aside, Choli felt as if she were practically glowing. There was pleasure at seeing him, a bit of embarrassment yes, but it was … nice. All the more so at simply seeing him smile more. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Plus that earlier quick kiss to her cheek also had a part in that. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“We’ll head on back to the ship. It would be easier to get the water off of those reserves than haggle the moisture farmers or pay the high prices of the ice deliveries.” There was a single lone ice moon within the Tatooine system that also provided water, but it was regulated by ATC to ensure that the moisture farmers still were able to make a comparable living than having their customers pay the high price of purified ice water. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Besides we can spare it.” A glance back down to his hands and her eyes went a bit wide in inquiry. “Got your goggles and breathing mask? Flick up the hood and you’ll blend in like any other native with those.”[/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

He absolutely beamed at the comment on his looks. The smile thinned ever so slightly in embarrassment when he realised she was complementing him on basically having dressed himself properly. It was still an improvement on the previous day when she had laughed at the clothing he’d brought to Tatooine. Having her this close, smiling pleasantly and looking over his garments seemed a silly thing to get slightly fluttery over, but he still did.

“Assuming the water tank didn’t have holes of course…” he added. The Skor probably wouldn't have given a ship that would have killed him. Probably. It was hard to tell with them whether safety mattered more than tinkering and making a good bargain.

“I was thinking we could probably leave some more water with Kellan when we left,” he said as he turned to his bag and started fishing out his goggles and mask. “The tank on the ship won't even go down an inch filling up the bike, and it's not like they'll need it when we head back.”

Kellan had given them the map, which had clearly been a prized possession of his. He'd fed them, watered them and given them shelter at no cost. It felt right to give back what they had in abundance that the locals did not. Even a few gallons would seem a nice parking gift.

There was so little humidity that the goggles didn't steam up at all when placed on. “Restricts the view a bit, but I guess that's better than sand in my eyes. Do you…” he was about to say ride hard, but thought the better of it. His expression was clearly amused and the tone in his voice betrayed the error he had nearly made. “Ride a bike like you fly?”

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[SIZE=9pt]“What are you trying to say?” The twitch at her mouth managed to convey a nervous rush that Choli sought to hide in amusement. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Do you mean do I sit on a speeder bike like I do in an exx-wing?” Wide goggles were set to perch over her own eyes, the polarized tint-able to lighten and darken based on necessity. They had cost her a bit of haggling but were made of solarium glasteel. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Because if that is how you think someone rides a bike… I worry about how soon you’ll end up falling off.” Her chuckle resonated within the small garage, the girl moving to check their bags to ensure they were secure one last time. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Yeah, it wouldn’t be hard to top your uncle off with water. And even if the Squibs were rather particular about their construction skills, the fact that we made it without blowing up in hyperspace means that I expect at least the water tank to be up to snuff.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]A pause and a roll of her shoulder, “Not like you have a water refresher anyways. It’s just a sonar.” Which meant that they had plenty of water to spare. Trextan could return to Sullust and refill up on what ever he would need there easily. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Swinging one leg over the bike, the girl sat herself down, straddling it with an ease of one who was well used to driving such a vehicle. It was a little larger than she was used to, but that would all balance out once they were out in the open desert. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Alright, hook up your mask now if you like… but it will need to be on once we move to leave the city.” She actually began to adjust her breathing mask on, the gray durasteel fitting snugly over the lower half of her face. With the goggles and mask on, there was little else to distinguish her as the young Lieutenant Commander who had jerked her IV’s out of her arm back on Polis Massa. When she adjusted her shawl to cover her head and drop over the breathing mask, she was just another robed figure that would blend in with the masses at the bazaar. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt][ Ready? ] even the voice changed; Trextan might pick up that there was a voice modular attached to Choli’s breathing mask. It gave her voice a metallic edge, almost neutralizing it to the point it would be nearly indistinguishable that it belonged to a woman. Done on purpose of course. If no one could tell she was a girl and she could blend in to be thought of as a man, all the better. [/SIZE]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Ooo,” went Trextan, leaning back a little. The voice certainly caught him off guard. Now she was closer to what he would imagine of a tusken. Almost entirely hidden in the clothing, and speaking in a slightly menacing tone. They had told stories of the raiders - his family had come from this world - yet but none of them matched up to what he saw in Choli. She wasn't overly aggressive or fond of violence. Perhaps when they raised it was born of necessity.

“Actually I was worrying about falling off too. After all you very nearly made me vomit on the way out of Polis Massa so I was wondering if you were going to dump me in a sand dune for fun,” Trextan said.

There was a moment when he looked at the bike, saw Choli in her equipment and felt the weight of the robes on his shoulders. It was much the same as the previous moments but suddenly it all felt a little real. They were about to cross endless miles of wasteland and look for something the size of a pebble. Choli would guide him and the Force would guide him. If they didn't then he would fail. And he didn't need another failure right now. He needed a turning point. To do something that felt right.

Trextan left the mask for now and walked to the shutters, slapping the control to set then rolling up. Another button and the little light went red to indicate they would lock when they came down.

He straddle the bike behind Choli. R4 was close to him and if he wasn't strapped in tight he could have swung into his knee. The little pebbledrone turned in his direction and gave a little who-oo.

Trextan placed his hands on her waist. He realised that with such a pathetic grip he was destined to land on his ass off the back of the bike so took a more practical hold on her.

“Ready then,” he said in a determined tone.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

He isn’t holding on tight enough.

That was the first thought that came to mind when Trextan tentatively set his hands on her hips. If he hadn’t brought his arms to snake forward and latch a bit more securely, Choli was going to give him another quip on how much he really must want to go flying off the speeder ass first into a sand dune.

[ Yeah,] she managed to say, trying to ignore the slight increase of her heart rate. Really, of all the things to get fluttery about, feeling Trextan’s weight and brush off his chest at her back really shouldn’t be one of them. Or hearing him by her shoulder when he spoke. Much less the way his arms finally encircled her waist to hold on securely for the ride.

Let’s not make jokes about riding hard or holding on tight to my waist.

Those were likely the sort that Omar would love to dish out at about this second. R4, thankfully, only puttered on about being tied to the side of the speeder.

Glancing down, the Rogue plugged in the keycard and started the ignition, the engine roaring to life with a loud, rumbling sound. A blue cone of light illuminated the garage from the rear, the rumbling turning to a steady hum.

[So far so good.] her metallic voice sang, setting her feet in place and then resting her hands on the handlebars. Within a few seconds, the speeder bike carefully flew forward, moving past the threshold of the garage and onto the alleyway. Behind them the gate began to shutter shut, the click clang of it rolling down echoing as they departed.

Next stop, the space port.

And hopefully to a junk ship made of Squib design.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

He didn't know if Choli rode smoothly through the city because it was the sensible thing to do or if it was to let him get used to the riding position. Perhaps it was to test the weight distribution. Regardless of the reason he was grateful. There was a significant difference between riding a bike yourself and holding on to someone else at the controls. As much as he trusted Choli - and he did trust her - it was still an odd experience that made him a tiny bit nervous at first. He couldn't help but notice that her robes smelled of the desert air and not the air that evacuated a bantha’s rear end.

When they found a straight through the streets she gave the throttle more of a push and smoothly accelerated. The bike wasn't quiet but it sounded like it had been well kept. After all this Kellan probably wouldn't have risked his neck by sending him into the wastes on a junk heap. Speaking of which…

The ship port loomed ahead. A single droid manned the entrance and they managed to convince it that the bike was part of their cargo. As she slowed up he hopped off the back.

“I'll go open the ramp.” The ship actually barely had the cargo room for the bike, but he didn't want to go carrying a water container around any more publically than was necessary. Trextan learned quickly when he had a mind to pay attention to what someone was saying.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[ Got it ] It would be a tight fit, but it would be the less risky thing to do. Sensible. That Trextan had the common sense to recall that piece of information and apply it to opening the ramp to the cargohold of the ship was a plus in his favor.

Easing inside, Choli took the speeder in, guiding it until it was firmly set in the middle. He’d have to close the ramp behind them, but at least they didn’t have anything in the cargohold save …. well the junk on the walls of refurbished bits and pieces of a dozen ships. To the casual observer, it would be a ramshackle of used parts. Yet upon closer inspection, the care and detail at riveting the sheets of reused durasteel on all the proper hard points was there to see.

[ Seemed she survived the night! ] Choli cried out, only a token note of amusement echoing along the reverberation of her voice modulator.

[ Know where the water tank is or do you need me to do it? ]

R4 gave a whooo-ooo beep, parp, to say that he knew where it was at and that they should just let him out of his prison. It only prompted a glare from Choli that the droid was lucky enough to not notice due to the goggles and the mask.

However the sharp jerk of her face back over to the Pebbledrone was enough of an indication that there just might be a glare there.

[ It took me a good fifteen minutes to get you on there. No, you can stay. ]

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Par-arp came the sad little noise from R4. Trextan almost felt bad for the little ball of mischief. R4 rotated his head to take in the room and fell silent. The Justicar gave a shrug. He took a plastic container from the wall.

“It's fine, I'll get some quick.” He turned in his heels, the light fabric of the robe flicking out behind him. “Then at least we can go going and you'll have a view.”

He turned the corner and disappeared from view into a dingy corridor. “From your bag!” Came his voice.

Pffpt. Was followed by [Are you going to let him be mean to me like that?]

Trextan pulled back a small metal door in the corridor. It had taken time to find most of the amenities in the ship. If there has been some design put in place before construction had started on the vessel it had been very carefully hidden. The pouring water made a loud roar as it landed in the container. He hoped the locals weren't attuned to such a noise.

Trextan returned and moved to the left hand side of the bike. His right hand carried the weight of the water easily whilst his left felt for the opening on the water tank. It didn't quite take the whole lot so he raised it up and took a long swing from it himself before offering it to Choli. He looked quite silly drinking from a plastic barrel the same size as his chest. This was the last chance to treat water as a common resource, he realised.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[ Oh. ]

Well that was rather silly to try and get a drink of water when she had her breathing mask and scarf already set. However, seeing him offer up the barrel of water for her to drink was enough to prompt a small heh, of amusement.

[ Okay.]. She added, her right hand coming up to search for the clip that secured her breathing mask. It swung open, falling from her lower face and nestling against her scarf.

“Thanks,” although the whole act was rather awkward with balancing the barrel. Taking a good long drink, the girl felt refreshed, even if the water had a slight alkaline taste to it. Nothing was going to taste good coming from a refurbished water purifier. But at least it was better than the taste of the water collected by the moisture farms.

All set, Choli watched him return what was left and open the ramp again, the girl snapping on her breathing mask and adjusting her scarf again. This was it. A quick adjustment to make sure the ramp would shut behind them and they were done.

[ Best get your mask on. ] this time it wasn’t an optional suggestion as much as a firm directive. Sand would feel as if it was blasting against one’s skin flying as fast as they were going to once they got to the open desert.

His arms went wrapping around Choli again, and while the fluttery sensations came back, they were subtly muted. Perhaps that was just her mind going, hey this is just riding a speederbike, get your act together, you need to focus on the route once you are out in the Wastes.

[ Alright, here we go. You two ready?] the speeder bike gave another rumble. R4 gave a small beep parp in confirmation.

Easing back down the ramp into the early morning hours, the trio ensured that the ramp folded shut behind them before once again making headway out of the spaceport and into the main thorough way.

There were a few locals about. A couple of barrel fires providing light as much as the swinging lanterns overhead. The sky was clear, a dark indigo scattered with the light of the stars. Tatooine’s moons hung low, but provided enough moonlight to see. They'd have to cross over through the bazaar and then on out towards where the pourstone buildings branched off into the open desert. There weren’t any gates or fences here. A multitude of colorful banners went flapping against the brief gusts of wind. It was a clear night, they’d be able to cross plenty of distance if it stayed this way.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan found that there wasn’t a city limit as such. The density of buildings slowly reduces as they moved further from the bazaar. They passed an expansive moisture farm and then it seemed they had finally reached entirely open land. Trextan shifted his grip just a little so that he could turned to look back at Espa. It seemed such a fragile and disparate community, clinging to an environment where it had no real right to thrive. These were hardy, stubborn people. That and those who just wanted to get as far from civilisation as possible, often for all the wrong reasons.

The sky was like nothing he had seen before. In a ship it was always well lit inside and viewed through thick glass. Now his eyes could slowly adjust more and more stars seemed to appear until only the moonlight prevented him from seeing further. They were viewing the past through those stars. The closest the great civil war and the distant ones anchored in the times of the Old Republic. And here they were now. On the raggedy edge, likely unchanged in all that time.

With a sigh through his mask he dared to press himself slightly closer to Choli. He could pass it off as making it easier to speak when in reality she was a comfort in this unfamiliar realm. They seemed to have found a comfortable cruising speed. Opening the throttle all the way would probably burn through their fuel he reasoned.

“Do the sandcrawlers move at night?” he asked. He was still keen to see one, despite the chances being slim.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]


Choli barely was able to hear the question above the sound of the speeder and the roaring of the air as she drove. Her head gave a slight turn back, glancing at him over her shoulder through the tinted goggles. He was holding on tight, chest pressed to her back, arms around her waist and his own shielded face by her shoulder. Was he asking about the Sandcrawlers?

Returning to face forward, Choli began to speak, her voice a little louder than normal for Trextan to be able to hear.

[ Day or night. ] again, that metallic edge of her modulated voice reverberated for a moment. [ They have set convoy trails that they take. Normally from one outpost to the next. Although I’ve seen a few of the Jawa clans with their Sandcrawlers deep into the Western Dune sea… by the old ruins. They like to dig up what salvage they can from the underground pits.] well they weren’t as much ‘pits’ as old former Czerka underground bunkers that ran the length of the dune sea for a few kilometers. A large section of them were collapsed, but that didnt stop the shiny obsessed Jawas from wiggling their way in there.

The only problem being that a few of those lands were fiercely protected by local Raider clans… some even took them over for their own, the bunkers offering protection from the desert. A few even had water reservoirs, but who knew if they were drained dry from hundreds of years of use -- or even viable.

A pack of Womprats off to the right spotted the speeder, their yellow eyes flaring and flickering under the desert light. All five began to give chase, attempting rather futility to reach the speeder.

There were a scattering of sagebrush and other craggily looking plants here and there. Behind them, a dust trail began to form,

[ Stupid Womprats will go after anything out here. If you see one, there is sure to be another. Best to not get bitten by them… they carry a nasty disease. Womp Rat Fever. You’ll pass right through any liquids you have and die of dehydration out here. ]

Certainly not a pleasant thought.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

It wasn’t a pleasant thought. Not at all. Trextan hadn't studied the techniques to expel poison from the body or to negate the effects of toxins.

“At least,” he shouted, “I won’t have trouble missing them. When you said ‘rats’ I was thinking a foot long. Not a couple of metres.”

[How big!?] R4 asked from his side of the bike. Despite being able to detect life forms he hadn’t been able to see the womprats from his position.

“You’ll be fine,” Trextan replied. The tone had been enough for him to get a sense of what was going through the droid’s circuits. “Besides if you stayed still they’d just think you were a pretty boulder.”

[And again…] R4 murmured for Choli’s benefit. His head swivelled around to face forwards. All of his little antennae were extended to try and get the best readings in the strange conditions. Trextan held tight and watched the stars slowly fade away as the morning approached. It was some time away. The Justicar had a rough sense of time passing from the night sky moving overhead as they traversed the open ground.

Some time later he shifted against her to peer over her shoulder. From here he couldn’t quite see the dials to see how much ground they had covered. The suns had not started to break the horizon but it was growing light. Now he could see the almost endless dune seas. There wasn't much of a difference looking in an direction.

“How far out from the oasis?” he asked.

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

[ Three hours out. ]. It would be some time before they would reach it, and even then, Choli wasn’t certain that there might be a Tusken Raider Clan or locals camping out alongside it considering it their property. Something that Choli hadn’t elaborated to Trextan yet.

[ Once we get closer I’ll stop about a klick away and scout ahead. ] then she would be able to get a good feel for the place. For all she knew, the oasis had long since been swallowed up by the desert.

The Womprat pack slowed and went down to a trot, snapping their teeth at their fleeing prey. As Choli had mentioned earlier, they were not able to catch up to the speeder. Didn't make them any less dangerous.

It was a rather flat area, with only sporadic dunes dusting the surrounding desert. Every now and then Choli would point out what a distant shadow would be. Acid Lizards, Jakarta, and the occasional Tatooine Howler, whose echoing howl seemed to be as melancholic as it was alarming, their speed making them nothing but a dark blue in the awakening morning light.

Choli was in the middle of pointing out the distant buttes when a distinct wedge shape formed along the horizon. Narrowing hazel eyes gave a squint behind her goggles, attempting to discern if it was a wrecked ship, an outpost, or a sandcrawler. Lips broke wide under her breathing mask and the Rogue gave a turn over her shoulder to glance at Trextan.

[ Hey Voidstalker,] a brief elbow nudge and a nod of her head directed the Jedi towards the Far East side of the horizon.

[ Two o’clock, can’t miss it.] at this distance, it appeared to be an odd, wedge shaped speeder car. It wasn’t directly in the path that Choli would have preferred to stay on. They’d have to leave the route she’d selected to get a closer look. Checking the time, she went over a few thoughts and calculations while she felt Trextan shift behind her to peer at the direction she’d pointed out.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

It would have almost been more interesting to meander through the desert for three hours. To get up close and personal with all the deadly, deadly creatures that seemed to live out here. Of course cruising at this speed for a few hours would likely mean several days of marching. And lots of time getting himself into trouble. Acid lizards sounded as if they would just be a world of joy.

Even through her mask he picked up on the tone of her voice and the way she nudged him. Having leaned in against Choli he quickly sat bolt upright to follow her view. It was impossible to miss the angular shape jutting up from the smooth curves of the dunes. He tried not to shift his balance to the side took get a better view. It was hard to tell the distance to it with no points of reference. The endless dunes were of no assistance. He still felt a little rush of excitement at catching a glimpse of the vehicle.

“How far away is it?” he asked. “And how many live in there again?” Not only had they spotted the jawas, but those at the control room of the crawler had spotted their bike too. Or at least they had seen the trail. A light came on at the top of the crawler, flashing quickly. A signal that they were looking for trade. “And what is that?” Trextan asked, excitement now tinged with wariness.