Strange Encounters [Makeb]

[Fatty]

Makeb​

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Anxious-Scrawny-Repent (Repent) was a Barisoni female, who was (as her name implies) a rather tiny specimen of chitinous legs with an unpleasant toothy face. It was hard to breathe here, this part of the strange alien planet lacking significant moisture, and filled with electromagnetic unpleasantness. It made what little of her flesh that was exposed beneath her armored exterior burn and itch.

A brown hooded-cloak shielded the diminutive crustacean from the hot sun, and hid the package she was holding with her hind-limbs under its cape. Scuffling on sharp legs, Repent navigated through the streets of Insa, a little known mining town on Makeb. Her forelimbs grasped with their pincers a datapad which had a chain wrapped around her neck, so that it hung at her chest whenever her claws were not free. It also hung to her chest so that it would see the movements of her claws and record them for translation purposes, as well as to better hear the clicking and hissing of her native tongue. The device was modest by most standards, but it was the most valuable thing that Repent owned.

The religious councils on her homeworld forbid the use of most technologies, though some communities granted exceptions after successful petitioning and a positive judgement. Repent being staunchly a follower of the Reincarnating-Molt did not find herself particularly in favor with the religious communities she found on her homeworld, especially following the Netherworld Crisis some years ago. When she decided to abscond from the planet, she did so as an exile or heretic to some, though she saw her journey as more of a pilgrimage. She desired to see the natural beauty of reincarnation in all of the universe's creations.

Unfortunately, to say that she was down on her luck was understatement. While she was on a planet famous as a tourist attraction, she was stuck. Lacking significant knowledge of the galaxy, and lacking the charisma to earn the respect of other aliens, she has been quickly swindled of all her money and left to the whims of more fortunate beings.

A festival was about to occur in Insa, celebrating all the life that the galaxy had to offer. Despite Insa being relatively small compared to other cities and towns on Makeb, it was projected to attract quite a following from visitors all over the galaxy. Repent was hoping desperately it would attract at least one soul which would take pity on the poor creature known as Anxious-Scrawny-Repent...

[member="Tol-ruhk-zin"], [member="Narayan the Unslaver"], [member="Jubei"], [member="Irajah Ven"], [member="Argos Xalen"]

 

[Mariel Dawnrider]

Mariel had gotten up early for this. REALLY early.

Middle of the afternoon early.

The Songwing rarely stirred before dusk. But she understood that if she wanted to really experience the festival she'd traveled all this way to see, she couldn't sleep through half of it. Moments like this she wished that the compounds in caf actually benefited her. With a wide yawn, her eyes closed for a moment, beak closing again with a series of satisfying clacks. A pair of goggles, polarized to protect her eyes from the sun, perched on her head, and she reached up with a foot to tug them down to the proper location a moment later.

With a flap of silent wings, she went soaring out over the crowd- generous to call it that, she decided, but then she'd been on Empress Teta recently and comparing anything to the press and push there was unfair. It was also early enough, both in a relative and an absolute sort of fashion, so she expected the crowds to grow as the day progressed and fell on toward night. The strangeness of the atmosphere here left a tingling sensation along the crests of her feathers- not unpleasant perse, but certainly unfamiliar. As though the physical manifestation of the knowledge one were being watched.

Wearing a flight vest with pockets, and a cuff on one ankle that held a credit chit for any purchases the Jedi Knight might need to make, Mariel was looking forward to exploring the local colour of the festival. Seeing what the merchants had for sale, sampling the local cuisine. Almost a holiday, in the near constant travel of the hunting archivist. A day to simply enjoy the experience of something she never had before.

[member="Fatty"] [member="Tol-ruhk-zin"] [member="Narayan the Unslaver"] [member="Jubei"] [member="Argos Xalen"]

 

[Racket]

Blue burning engines shot the diabolical furball of madness through empty dark space. Multicolored lights blinked in tandem with blaring alarms screeching throughout the cockpit. "aaaaaaaRGHHHHHH" Racket screamed as madness exploded from the captains chair in the form of limbs that were flung wildly at the control panel. Sure he knew which button to push but it was more fun this way. Plus if anyone were close enough they'd witness what could only be described as an obviously out of control vessel. "SSSSSHHHHHHuuuuuuTTTT uuuuPPPPPPPP!!!!!"

"Atmosphere breach. Impact in 10, 9, 8, 7....."​

"aaaaRRRGGGHHHH HHHHHaaaaaHHHHaaaaaaHHHHAaaaa!!!!!" ​

The rodents fingers gripped and wripped the steering mechanism. His feet planted into god knows what to give enough leverage to throw the ship into a tight spinning barrel role while it veered sharply to the right narrowly avoiding an ancient, in Racket's opinion ridiculously large, column of stone that stood reaching into the sky. Throttle down steering mechanism wripped into his chest pulling the vessel's belly close enough to the pillar to seem reckless as it groaned while climbing higher into the sky.

"HHHHHHAaaaaaaaaHHHHHHaaaaaaHHHHHaaaaaaa"​

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Alarms blared as lights twinkled and the madness continued. A finger flipped a switch. Destination coordinates appeared on the screen that served as a windshield as a highlighter blue outline before meshing with the flight pattern and shooting into the distance as a single straight line. Racket hit autopilot and the vessel slowed rapidly. "THaT iS HoW iT'S DoNe SPaCe BaGS!"

Racket jumped from his seat. Muscles ached from the days of sitting and drinking. "oH GoD. i SHouLD HaVe STReTCHED aFTeR THaT NaKeD PaRTY BaCK oN..... WaiT WHeRe WaS..... LooK aT THaT You'Re TaLKiNG To YouRSeLF aGaiN...... i SHouLD GeT aNoTHeR HuMaN." "You remember what happened last time sir." The ships mainframe said in a female voice over the coms. "YeaH YeaH Yeah..." Racket hit the john. Then the loading bay to prepare for the days fun. Mining lasers filled the 4 extra pistol holsters around his belt while his trusty personally constructed, blow your head off if this space nut sneezed, blaster sat comfortably on his right hip. A row of nades lined the outer pockets of his combat trousers.

"2 minutes from coordinates. Sir it appears that there is a large gathering taking place within 50 kilometers." ​

"i'Ve GoT To aDJuST HeR SPeaKiNG FuNCTioN." Isotope-5 baby. In and out. Racket had done it hundreds of times. Today would be no different. He could almost feel the credits lining his pockets almost as well as the lurch under his feet from the vessel landing in the long forgotten caverns the had been where the Sith and Hutt Cartel had fought for the remainder of the unique substance.

[member="Fatty"] [member="Mariel Dawnrider"]

 

[Argos Xalen]

Argos walked down the streets of Makeb with his younger twins siblings, his sister Yearda, and his brother Oredis. The three Lervon were all getting stared at as they left from a meeting for payment of one of Argos' bounties, an old YV-666. Argos wasn't the one getting the most stares though. Yes, he was a living pile of sand, but so were his siblings. Most folk stared at his siblings do to their appearance: Two torsos coming from the same set of legs. Being Lervonian twins, Yearda and Oredis shared a portion of their crystal mass, and while this was decently normal on Yurb, it was a rare sight elsewhere. At least most people were more focused on the festival and not the Lervon there.

As the small group walked down the street, Argos noticed a Barisoni. Odd. He'd never think he'd see one of them here. The silicon based being lowly walked up, looking at the other strange being. He then spoke with the trademarked monotone voice of his kind. "Hello there. What exactly is a Barisoni doing here?"

[member="Racket"] [member="Mariel Dawnrider"] [member="Fatty"]

 

[Racket]

Forgotten Caverns

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"Mining Laser power increasing 10% every 2 minutes as instructed."​

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The blinding light poured from the laser that had been equipped to the cargo bay floor. A minor tweak here and there left the laser in the mainframe's capable hands. The light continued to brighten. At this point the goggles Racket had on were pushing their limits of capability. Two bulging eyes could be seen opened wide in excitement. A sinister grin pulled across the Racmeer's cheeks while his right hand sat casually over the pistol holstered on his hip.​

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"Reaching inner core. Powering down in 3, 2, 1."​

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The blinding light subsided and came to a halt. A perfect sphere had been cut into the heart of the stone column and burned red like embers. ​

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"SCaN THe TuNNeL. GiVe Me THeRMaL iMaGiNG."​

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A blue laser light pointed into the tunnel as far as the eye could see. The single line expanded covering the entirety of the tunnel then shrank back into the single beam of light pointing into the heart of the tunnel. The scan of the tunnel sprung from the floor of the cargo bay as a hologram.​

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"The laser was set to penetrate the core of the column. It stopped 20 meters short. It would appear the storage facility your contact tipped you off to does exist. Congratulations sir." ​

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A fresh cig stick hit his lips. A drag and a puff bellowed. His furry body moved through the smoke. The thermal carbon fiber rope pully, get him out of trouble quick, clipped to his belt right before he set off into the dark Racmeer made cavern. ​

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"eYeS uP. JaM THe SCaNNeRS oF VeSSeLS PaSSiNG BY. SHooT To KiLL aNY uNWaNTeD ViSiToRS. CoVeR My SiX. I WaNT To Be THe oNe LeaViNG HeRe WiTH THe iSoToPe-5. GoT IT?"​

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Ten cig sticks later and a few curses thrown out to the Hutt Cartel had Racket face to face with the ancient vault structure before his eyes. Bulging eyes gave the excitement away. Who cared. This was the moment we'd all been waiting for. Time to cash in. A hologram of an ancient dark hooded figure sprang to life. It's words full of malice and menace. Racket waslked through the blue light that was the body. Draw, aim, blam. The hologram disappeared as quickly as it had come after a blaster bolt shot through broadcasting port at the top of the structures door. Pistol holstered. An ancient holopad beside the massive doors sprung to life under the mercy of the rodents fingertips. Two minutes, countless back doors, rewritten code splicing, and a little can do attitude was all it took before the ancient doors creaked loudly and slowly began to separate. ​

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"i'M iN. RuN a THeRMaL SCaN oN THe iNNeR CHaMBeR aND SeND DoWN THe WeLCoMe WaGoN."​

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Dust and debris littered the floor. Empty canisters used to house the valuable substance lined the walls. All appeared to be empty. The blue beam appeared on the back wall of the inner chamber. It expanded covering the room before compressing back into a single beam of light. ​

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"One dead organic life form. 500 empty cannisters. 1 full cannister."​

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"BiNGO"​

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A smile spread across the rodent's face. A hover cart with the word WeLCoMe hovered into the chamber before coming to a stop in the middle. The full canister was loaded onto the wagon and sent back to the ship. Old decayed robes and skeleton lay on the ground in the corner of the room. Greedy fingers rummaged around the body. A metal rod with a clicky button on the side was attached to the belt along with a talisman that looked expensive. The rodent pocketed both and slapped the bracer on his right forearm. The carbon fiber rope yanked hard lifting him into the air pulling him weightlessly back to the ship. ​

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[member="Fatty"] [member="Mariel Dawnrider"] [member="Argos Xalen"]​

 

[Fatty]

As [member="Argos Xalen"] addressed Repent, the scuttling creature almost didn't hear him. Sounds were often less important to her people as a form of communication, and thus her kind often tuned out that sort of noise unless initiated by movement first. She herself might not have acknowledge the large ghostly sand creature had said anything (though she saw it well enough with only a grain of fear in her heart), if not for her datapad vibrating on her chest. Quickly, the Barisoni clasped the datapad, read the speech in basic and activated a recorder. Her claws moved in strange motions that seemed to carry meaning, sometimes clasping or unclasping. The motions were swift, and done very quickly, she did not have a great amount to say. Some of her clicks and hisses were recorded as she did this as well. Once she was done, the datapad stopped recording and issued out an audio log to be heard, with basic characters displayed on the datapad as they were said for further clarification.

"Festival here in Insa. Come to see. What are you?" The Barisoni's claws seemed to clasp each other in a nervous way, like a human might with their hands.

In the distance, though it might not be visible to all patrons here in Insa, a blinding light seemed to assault one of the mesa pillars jutting out into the sky. Then there was smoke, and briefly Repent feared that there may be danger on the horizon. She activated her datapad once again, and did the dance of communication she is so used to, while it translated it all into a basic approximation.

"Do you see that too?" Then she pointed, to indicate what she was referring to.

[member="Racket"], [member="Mariel Dawnrider"], [member="Tol-ruhk-zin"], [member="Narayan the Unslaver"]

 

[Racket]

Forgotten Caverns

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRrrrRrrrRrrggGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" screamed the rodent flying through the massive hole that still steamed from the laser that dug through ancient layers of stone. Someone needed to pay for such actions. No really. Someone would have to pay a pretty penny to fix the structural integrity of that column. Racket enjoyed the thought as he laughed to himself while spinning through the air upside down.. His body weightless. Click. The latch holding him secure released dropping the maniac to the stone floor below.​

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Scurried steps moved the crazed animal around the cargo bay of his vessel. Orders were barked out towards Karen, most inaudible, as he handled the Isotope-5 with as little care as needed. The glow rod and medallion were thrown roughly into the ship's vault. Racket stepped to the edge of the cargo bay door. Unzipped; pssssssssssssssss. Eyes crossed in pleasure of a heist done right. If there was one thing in this galaxy this crazed rodent enjoyed it was credits in his pocket. A fresh cig stick hit his lips. Smoke hit is lunges. Zip. He looked down into the hole one last time. Two armed thermals found his palms. They launched from his outstretched arms shooting down into the hole. Slowly the blinking orbs faded from site.​

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KABBBBOOOOOOOOMMMMM​

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"Explosion has effectively filled the hole. Rubble now makes up the majority of what was the tunnel."​

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"oLD NeWSSS! KKKaaaaRRReNNNNN!!!! GeT THaT SLiMe BaLL oN THe HoRN. TeLL HiM i GoT SoMeTHiNG WoRTH HiS TiMe."​

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Fire bellowed from the massive engines of the ship. The familiar lurch wrapped it up. Racket scurried to his cockpit. The ship climbed into the atmosphere cutting through massive white fluffy clouds before breaking into the cold emptiness of space. Wrist slammed. Engines burned white hot. Within a split second the little monster punched into hyper-drive.​

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God Help The Next Planet He Was Headed Towards​

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[member="Fatty"] [member="Argos Xalen"] [member="Mariel Dawnrider"]​