Private Sand in One's Eyes

[Khoe Ghafara]

~ Theme ~
Maleiah Kozan Lily Rhodes Snees D'ner Nicai (I know you're sitting this one out but Ko Vuto )​

Shadows on Tatooine were always a sight to behold for off-worlders, or maybe that's too much praise, perhaps a curious phenomenon. People marched up and down the busy market streets of Anchorhead, trailed by the typical 1 and a half shadows bestowed upon them by the mid afternoon suns. They were in search of many things, all thanks to the planets renowned selection of goods found nowhere else, with no prying eyes from the galaxy at large. A great place to go in search of weapons, ships, libations or perhaps something more elusive, one could only imagine.

In spite of this eagerness of commerce a more sinister vibe in Anchorhead prevailed. Shopkeepers ready to close shop and board up, children accompanied with their parents grips ever so slightly tighter and travelling at a faster pace, it kills to dilly dally. The mood was set to a backdrop of recent events that troubled even the most hardened of residents or at least left them weary. Multiple times in recent months a group of thugs, pirates thieves whatever you'd call them had raided the city in wild displays of aggression, no consideration to mortal life only arriving to plunder. What differentiated them from a more stereotypical and hell manageable Tusken raid was the speed and the firepower, They'd strike at random and with lightning speeds aboard armoured speeders all equipped with automatic repeating blasters. People were afraid, and for good reason.

Khoe found herself here for a similar reason as the other shoppers in the market. cheap merchandise, on a recent excursion to Cathar not only did she leave her ship there forcing her to take public transport to peruse the worlds stock, she also got her speeder destroyed. thus she found herself here, storming out of a used speeder dealership after a failed bartering attempt with the Keshiri salesman unaware of the current sentiment of locals but always rarin' for a fight.

"Five thousand credits, That's hyperlane robbery! I heard this place had good prices I could get it for that price on Hosnian." Khoe muttering to herself. readjusting the strap on her satchel as she manuvered through the crowded bazzar.

 

[Snees D'ner]

Nicai Khoe Ghafara Lily Rhodes Maleiah Kozan Ko Vuto

Snee’s wide, glowing yellow orbs sparkled with mischief as they peered from beneath the hood and out the viewport of the Sandcrawler. With his wiry arms and nimble fingers, he maneuvered the controls with expertise, pushing a series of switches and buttons as the massive fortress-like vehicle was guided across the barren landscape. As it drew closer to Anchorhead his excitement was tangible; the settlement would potentially bring opportunity for trading and scavenging.

Just off to the side, a glimmer of light reflected off piles of scrap metal, now beckoning him forward as though it were hidden treasure. A cackle erupted from his mouth, and he twisted the throttle; the Sandcrawler responded with a growl. Its engines roared to life, and with another flick of his wrist, the throttle would surge higher, launching the behemoth forward. The vibrations rattled his entire being.

Clouds of sand were left in its trail. Snees' ears were filled by the excited shouts from those of his tribe echoing through the corridors and cargo bay. It was a symphony of joy. As the speed increased with each passing second, the vehicle would roll over dunes of sand, causing the wheels to lift off the ground, resulting in others bouncing from their seats. While exchanging glances, anticipation hung in the air around them.

As they reached their destination, the machine began to slow, and eventually came to a gentle stop. In a flurry of movement, Jawas erupted from the vehicle like a swarm of ants, working in unison as they descended to the ground, eager to explore. The desert was their playground.

 

[Maleiah Kozan]

Anchorhead, Tatooine

The harsh rays of the Twins beat down on the inhabitants below. Like many arid worlds, this place was one of harsh life and dry horizons. Despite all of the history connected to this sand-ball in the Outer Rim, it was nonetheless one of the furthest places from a civilized world one could find. Maleiah felt out of her element in this place. Her kind came from a planet of storms and rain.

The eyes of her chiropteran Jensaarai armor scanned across the bustling marketplace of this frontier town. A pit stop to gather up on supplies and fuel as she patrolled this sector of space. She walked around, noticing the various wares that were hocked and advertised. She had known places like this all her life. In a sense, it was slightly comforting to be in the familiar.

And yet, her hand always drifted near the lightsaber on her belt. Tatooine was a place of danger above anything else. The feuding grounds for criminal syndicates. Lawless gangs that roved on swoops. Even the relentless hordes of its native sentients, whom could raid at any time. She turned her attention to a vendor, selling various fruits and meats. A scarred Dug with a disgruntled expression.

“Achuta” She greeted in Huttese, ”Jogan fruit and bantha jerky, if you have any.”

The Jensaarai kept her eyes over her shoulder, always observant, as she slid some credit tokens to the Dug. Her patron grunted and shuffled off to search for her request. One could only imagine the dangers and adventure that awaited her…

Snees D'ner | Nicai | Khoe Ghafara | Lily Rhodes | Ko Vuto ​

 

[Nicai]

Nicai sifted through the piles of scrap metal looking for anything that could be considered useful. His head was full of previously failed ideas, and ways to make them better. The diminutive little man just didn’t have access to the right tech. If he did, he’d be as his late great uncle often said “filthy stinking rich”. So as he pulled another broken fuel injector from the pile for the umpteenth time he began to feel just a bit dejected. Maybe he’d leave the scrap to the Jawas and try to get rich some other day.

As Nicai had the thought, he could feel a familiar rumbling in the sand underneath his foot pads. He turned his head, saw and then heard a sand crawler headed straight for the pile. He recognized the sand crawler. It was the one that belonged to his buddy Snees' folk. As they approached the tiny Nicai struggled to get out from underneath the piles and over a sand hill.

The ramp of the sandcrawler fell and extended in front of Nicai. He ran to greet them. They ran to the pile. Before he knew it he was knocked over by a wall of overexcited Jawas and buried under the sand. He should’ve known better than to get between a Jawa and scrap they hadn’t yet got their hands on.

“Utinni!” He heard one of the Jawas say as they raised a metal casing in the air over their head. “Yeah? Utinni yourself, Pal.” Nicai murmured to himself as he scratched the sand from his fur. Once he was clean enough he got up and spotted his buddy Snees among the rabble. “Hey Snees!” He said excitedly as he patted the Jawa on the back. He’d recognize those yellow eyes anywhere. “Let your new, ole’ buddy Nic hitch a ride to Anchorhead will ya’?” He said and signed in what he called Tatooine Style Sign Language. A little rough and incomplete grammatically but it got the message across. He assumed they were headed to Anchorhead based on their vicinity and the direction they drove up from.

Khoe Ghafara Snees D'ner Maleiah Kozan Lily Rhodes Ko Vuto​

 

[Khoe Ghafara]

Snees D'ner Maleiah Kozan Lily Rhodes Nicai ​

Khoe continued down the busy street, stepping with determination, she could of sworn she'd seen another used speeder dealership but all of these desert streets looked the same too her not to mention it was hot, like, Mustafar hot. She could really use some kind of cold drink she glanced at a stall where an armoured individual stood Maleiah Kozan awaiting an order, she could only imagine how sweaty they were. A small table sat next to the booth where two Jawas enjoyed cool looking drinks, Khoe looked at them, licking her lips drenched in her own sweat she stopped to peer at the menu over the shoulder of the knight before her.

"Hey do you speak Huttese? I can't read a single thing on this menu, don't want to accidentally order Curry or something." Khoe muttered to Maleiah.

In the distance a commotion could be heard, not close enough to cause Khoe any alarm, it was a busy market day after all.

 

[Snees D'ner]

Nicai Khoe Ghafara Lily Rhodes Maleiah Kozan Ko Vuto

It didn’t take long for the Jawas to scurry away from the towering vehicle as though they were rats fleeing. Soon Snees emerged from the cockpit and landed on the sandy floor with a soft thud. His clan mates quickly cleared a path for the precious scraps of metal they had acquired, while Snees' large yellow orbs widened in excitement as a familiar voice reached his ears - the voice of Nicai, accompanied by a hearty pat on the back.

In the distance he could hear cheers as their joy was palpable, lifting a hefty piece of scrap together, pooling their strength like a machine. With a new sense of purpose, they began to load their finds into the Sandcrawler. They worked in synchrony, expertly tossing different scraps inside, as though they were treasures to be sorted.

With a combination of beeps and chirps, he began to communicate, the words a mix of high pitched squeaks and guttural sounds that echoed across the very dunes around them. Snees pointed eagerly to the Sandcrawler. He then hopped up and down, while gesturing back and forth to convey his message. It was his way of saying yes.

In one swift motion, he grabbed the Chandra Fan's wrist and tugged him towards the transport vehicle, eager to head for Anchorhead and continue the journey. With a grin, he leapt back into the cockpit, eager to push the throttles and leave this spot behind. Sand began to kick up from the treads as they moved forward.