Private Tatooine Blues

[Diodoros]

Location: Tatooine Planetary Penitentiary
Tags: Braze

​

Around the pair other inmates worked, picking away at and breaking down the pale rocks. Others pushed and pulled the materials away in carts. Diodoros, with a bit of a sway in his movements. Carried a pick axe with him in one hand and rested it up on his shoulder. In his hand was a water canteen. Insulated so it was still cool. Easily recognizable as one of the canteens the guards used. Close behind the firrerreo was their Mandallian Giant cell mate who Diodoros handed the canteen to after taking a sip from it.

Approaching Braze he noticed the young teen looked to be in a sorry state. “Yeesh… we gotta work on your tan here Braze. So your snowy skin won't melt.” The golden man was irritating to look at. His shiny skin reflected the suns quite a bit, reflecting away a lot of the light. One practically needed sunglasses to look directly at him. Even now his skin was flawless. His body healing from burns before they appeared. His blue eyes looked over skeptically at the person who was with the echani.

He reached back from the canteen after the Mandallian Giant had a few swigs from it before handing it to Braze. “The guards can be mean can’t they? One time I heard they had inmates out in the desert digging holes for months. Nobody ever knew why…” Diodoros looked over to see some of the guards shooting glances at him for taking some time to talk to Braze instead of breaking down more stones. But beyond that didn’t seem to do anything regarding the firrerreo.​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Diodoros

Braze squinted up at the shiny golden man in all his sunlit splendor as he spoke. Raising a hand, Braze tried to block out some of the harsh sunlight, before glancing toward the other large inmate listening to Dio's story.

He panted lightly, and before he could even form the question why, he was told no one knew the reason behind the story. Braze could only assume the labor was just that; menial work meant to keep them busy, to break their spirits and bodies beneath the punishing twin suns.

When the canteen was offered, he reached up and took it with shaking fingers, managing two small sips before handing it back. Even that little water felt like a spark of life, his parched throat rasping as a few rough, guttural sounds escaped his cracked lips.

"Thank you... yeah..." he murmured agreeing with the sentiment and looking at one of the guards with a mild glare tempered by heat exhaustion.

His gaze dropped to his roughed-up hands, then slowly he shifted to stand. His legs wobbled, and he took a few steadying breaths before finding his balance.

"This isn't a jail," Braze murmured, his voice dry and distant. "It's more like a death camp."

He passed the girl a look, one part warning, and then glanced at the other inmates nearby, watching them drag carts and swing tools under the weight of heat and exhaustion.

"I think the guards are more scared of us realizing we outnumber them than they are of anyone escaping," he added, just loud enough for Arya to hear. He looked over Dio and the other big fella considering the tools every one had.

He let that thought hang, then gave a slow nod toward the line of prisoners hauling stone.

"If enough of us just stopped swinging these tools at racks... the whole place would fall behind in a day."

He picked up his own again, but his grip was looser now his movements edged with pensive thought.

"You know what's worse than dying in the sun?" he muttered. "Dying thinking this is normal." He chirped already starting to sew seeds of dissent among the others.

Braze stared at the ridge where a couple guards stood idle in the shade, watching.

"Bet the Hutts have a spreadsheet tracking how many of us drop dead per shift," he added with a bitter, crooked smile. "And I bet... the guard bet on who's next too or how many... "

And with that, he returned to chipping stone, perhaps picturing each blow might be aimed at more than just the rock, he continued with renewed vigor.

Arya kept her head down, and her hands moving all be it, but slower now. Each word that left that echani's mouth seemed to drag at her arms, like the weight of the truth had found her shoulders and settled in.

"That kind of talk gets people disappeared," she muttered, voice low but not angry.

She glanced around, just enough to see if anyone else had heard him. The guards weren't close, but other inmates might be. Trust was as thin as shade around here.

Still, she didn't tell him to stop.

Instead, she set down the stone in her hands and leaned slightly closer, never looking him full in the face.

"You think you're the first one to say things like that?"

 

[Diodoros]

Location: Tatooine Planetary Penitentiary
Tags: Braze

​

“This one’s right.” Diodoros said, referring to what Arya had to say. “You both are, these are thoughts that pass through every one’s head. You haven’t even been here a day and you’re already thinking about leaving us.” Diodoros let out a sigh, like mocking heartbreak.

“Not sure though if everything we see is the whole picture. I get the feeling this prison might be housing more than meets the eye. I imagine there’s gotta be something that has kept a riot from decimating the entire complex.” The golden man expressed. He knew that the control in prisons was often illusionary. Yet this place often felt pretty understaffed, and possibly too valuable to risk losing as well. Since it doubled as a work camp as well as a manufacturing hub on the planet.

“If you’re gonna do something rash you’ll need to do it right the first time. You wouldn’t be able to have a second chance.” He warned, knowing that when these things failed, which they often did, the consequences were dire. “And you… you know better than to go flapping your gums about anything right?” Diodoros said to the girl, not wanting them to go tattle-tailing. Diodoros didn’t have a good idea of who may or may not be an informant amongst the inmates here.​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Diodoros

​

He was right. It was going to have to be done right the first time.

The work never seemed to stop. In the sun-scorched gut of the quarry, the prisoners carved deeper into the rock, carving out a hollow that bled dust and debris alike. The deeper they dug, the more unstable it became. Collapses were common, sharp, groaning stutters in the walls before a section would give way. Sometimes, someone didn't come back. The guards didn't stop the labor. They just handed out another shovel.

Over the course of three brutal months, Braze endured.

Today he settled into the cafeteria just before the next shift, moving like someone stitched together by heat and exhaustion. The twin suns had exacted a cruel toll. His skin, once pale and smooth, had become a brittle, flaking shell of red and raw flesh where the rays had bitten deepest. Every movement tugged at sun-split flesh. His joints ached with exhaustion and the burn of dehydration and overuse dulled his senses.

Pain was no longer sharp. It was constant, low and grinding, with sand caught under sections of skin. He didn't wince anymore, he just lived in it.
Every motion he made now was just an act of will, and now, seated with a tray of barely edible slop before him, he looked more like something shed from the quarry itself than a prisoner still clinging to life or purpose.

A lump of slop dropped onto Braze's tray from overhead.

"Oops."

The voice was nasal, theatrical, and far too amused with itself. Braze didn't look up at first. He just blinked once, slowly, the stinging in his eyes made worse by the humidity clinging to every inch of the cafeteria walls.

Then a shadow slid across the bench.

The man who sat down across from him wore his sleeves rolled up, revealing wiry forearms covered in tattoos that had long since bled together. He grinned wide, too wide, showing gold-capped teeth and a cracked incisor that caught the flickering overhead light like a knife's edge.

"Didn't think ghosts ate," the man said, tapping the table with two fingers. "Figured you'd just drink the blood of your enemies and meditate it into protein."

Braze didn't rise to it. He flicked the slop off his tray with a twitch of his fingers and finally raised his eyes. The silver in them was dull, ringed with red, but steady.

"Go away."

The man's grin widened.

"Oh-ho. Bite in that one. Careful, ghost-boy. Some of us bite back."

He leaned forward, just close enough for Braze to smell the mix of sweat, unwashed fabric, and whatever passed for contraband cologne around here.

"Name's Rigz. I run block four's betting circle. Heard you've been making friends in the quarry. Whisperin'. Stirrin'. That true?"

Braze didn't answer. He just picked up his spoon and stirred the food once, watching it wobble.

"See, I got a problem with that," Rigz said. "'Cause people whisper too much, they stop listening. They start... thinking." He leaned in, voice a hiss. "And if they're thinking too hard, they might forget who runs the games."

Braze's spoon clinked gently against the tray as he set it down.

"You're mistaking me for someone who cares."

​

​

Spoiler: Click to Expand

(These are the bare minimum things Braze is provided with upon processing.)

• Prison Jumpsuit
• Prison-Issue Undergarments
• Prison-Issue Footwear
• Tracker & Biometric Reader Implant
  
  • Tracks location
  • Monitors heart rate, stress levels, and physical condition
  • Connected to the prison's security system
• Void Stone Shard Implant
  
  • Suppresses Force connection
  • Weakens concentration and reflex-based Force powers
  • Causes lingering unease or mental strain
• Thin Sleeping Mat
• Threadbare Blanket
• Basic Hygiene Kit
  
  • Synthetic paste (multipurpose hygiene product)
  • Toothbrush with weak bristles
• Mess Kit (Shared, Limited Use)
  
  • Metal Tray & Cup
  • Ration Token or Meal Card

 

[Diodoros]

Location: Tatooine Planetary Penitentiary
Tags: Braze

​

Diodoros had already finished his meal, doing so very quickly once he’d seated himself. It was never because he was worried about anyone taking it from him. Not that anyone would even try to or could given how fast he was with it. Sometimes other inmates suspected that sometimes he even ate his plastic utensils by accident.

His blue eyes shifted over to where his little cellmate was sitting, narrowing his focus as they started to be harassed. So the golden man got up from his seat.

As the thin inmate continued to press the echani and pry for information about what the teen has been up to lately. The man seemed to be more knowledgeable than they had any right to be. But after a few moments their presence had been overshadowed, literally.

Diodoros stepped up from behind. His imposing figure loomed over the wiry man. An amused smirk crept over his golden features. “How generous of you… Sharing your food here with my cell mate.” He said, calling attention to the slop that dropped onto Braze’s tray. “Are you sure you can afford to do that? A twig like you doesn’t look like you could spare the calories.” His tone was conspiratorial. Nobody here got much food, so to throw it away so easily seemed noteworthy.

“Tsk- You implying something Golden-boy? I don’t like accusations, especially from someone who the guards go so easy on.” Rigs said back before getting up from their seat across from Braze, now focused on the intervening brute.

“They don’t do it out of respect. You know that. But for you however, they seem rather cordial for someone known for running the gambling in your block. Almost like you’re part of the team-”

“Shut up b-” Rigs caught himself before finishing his statement. By now others in the cafeteria were watching closely. Paying attention to the dynamic two notorious individuals within the prison.

“You wanna finish what you were gonna say, Rigs? Or are you too much of a queen to say it?” Diodoros called out. Putting Rigs under the spotlight and forcing them to act.​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Diodoros

​

Rigz froze with his mouth half-open, tongue pressed to the back of that gold-capped incisor like he was trying to decide whether to spit or smile. His lips closed twisting to the side. His eyes flicked between Diodoros and the dozen or so inmates who'd stopped chewing just to watch. The cafeteria had gone dead silent. Even the swampy scented air felt still.

Then...he grinned. Not wide like before. Smaller, meaner and smug.

"Nah," he said, voice cool and cutting now. "You got the wrong kind of pretty for me, big guy."

He adjusted the collar of his stained shirt with a flick, like he wasn't standing under a man twice his size.

"Besides, I don't got the hips to be 'queen' of this block. That title's taken—ain't it, Your Highness?"

He stepped back slow, all mock-reverence, like he was bowing to a monarch he didn't respect. Palms raised like peace, but his fingers still twitched, like they were used to hiding knives instead of shaking hands.

"You play too loud, Dio. And y' shine too bright. The guards don't ignore you because they're scared; they're watching to see how much longer you burn before you explode."

His gaze drifted to Braze now, as something colder settled behind the smirk. "And you. Still figuring out where the pressure points are, huh? Just be careful when you start pushing them. Might hit a vein."

With that, Rigz backed off a step, enough to break the stare, but not the tension. He turned on his heel and sauntered toward the far wall, shoulders loose, like he hadn't just barely dodged a beatdown. But as he passed a group of watching inmates, he muttered something under his breath.

"You poke lions long enough, they start biting each other."


And then he was gone...

Braze squinted then looked up at Diodoros. "They hell was that about?"

​

​

Spoiler: Click to Expand

(These are the bare minimum things Braze is provided with upon processing.)

• Prison Jumpsuit
• Prison-Issue Undergarments
• Prison-Issue Footwear
• Tracker & Biometric Reader Implant
  
  • Tracks location
  • Monitors heart rate, stress levels, and physical condition
  • Connected to the prison's security system
• Void Stone Shard Implant
  
  • Suppresses Force connection
  • Weakens concentration and reflex-based Force powers
  • Causes lingering unease or mental strain
• Thin Sleeping Mat
• Threadbare Blanket
• Basic Hygiene Kit
  
  • Synthetic paste (multipurpose hygiene product)
  • Toothbrush with weak bristles
• Mess Kit (Shared, Limited Use)
  
  • Metal Tray & Cup
  • Ration Token or Meal Card

 

[Diodoros]

Location: Tatooine Planetary Penitentiary
Tags: Braze

​

As Rigz began to step away Diodoros clenched one of his mighty fists. Not pleased with the idea of them just walking away. The firrerreo craved some violence and a way to vent at the moment. The golden man snarled briefly and growled. Showing a bit of the wild tenacity that hid within every firrerreo.

He ignored Braze’s question before picking up an empty metal tray next to the teen’s. Giving it a quick flip in his hand and then throwing it. Tossing the metal tray like a deadly throwing knife as it rapidly whizzed through the cafeteria and chased after Rigz just before he got out of sight. Zipping just past the other inmate's ear before the tray buried itself firmly into the wall on the other side of him.

The room fell silent for a moment before Rigz looked back at the golden man. Realizing that he had been spared by little more than an inch. But not if that was by choice or error on Diodoros’s part. Perhaps it was just some way for him to show his frustration after feeling robbed of a fight.

“Get down!” Shouted one of the guards as others began to close in and train their weapons on the golden brute. Coming in from multiple directions. Instead of lashing out Diodoros instead complied, raising his hands and laying himself down on the floor.

“I could use the vacation…” Diodoros said to himself, knowing where he was likely to end up after his little outburst. As the guards put restraints on him that may or may not actually work on him they picked him up. The golden man looked over at Braze. “Come find me later…” Knowing full well that the young echani was looking to stir trouble later. A moment later the guards forcefully pulled the golden man away.​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Diodoros

Rigz froze, the thwack of the tray embedding into the wall echoed out.

He didn't turn right away.... Just lifted his hands and slowly clapped.

"Well damn," he muttered. "Guess I struck a nerve."

He turned with theatrical slowness, looking down at the tray quivering in the wall where it struck. Then to the guards scrambling in from all sides to secure Dio. Then, finally, to Diodoros, who was already sprawled out like he'd planned the whole thing.

"You know, they say royalty gets the best cells," Rigz said, pacing backward now as the guards restrained the golden brute. "Hope yours has a view, Dio. I'll send a fruit basket."
He raised two fingers to his temple in a mock salute toward the spot Diodoros had just occupied.


"Enjoy your royal chambers, Your Majesty," he called after him. If he was shaken, he didn't show it in his walk.
He shot a final glance to Braze next, eyes narrowing. But the way he kept glancing toward corners, toward exits… Braze would know. The lion had flinched.

​

​

Spoiler: Click to Expand

(These are the bare minimum things Braze is provided with upon processing.)

• Prison Jumpsuit
• Prison-Issue Undergarments
• Prison-Issue Footwear
• Tracker & Biometric Reader Implant
  
  • Tracks location
  • Monitors heart rate, stress levels, and physical condition
  • Connected to the prison's security system
• Void Stone Shard Implant
  
  • Suppresses Force connection
  • Weakens concentration and reflex-based Force powers
  • Causes lingering unease or mental strain
• Thin Sleeping Mat
• Threadbare Blanket
• Basic Hygiene Kit
  
  • Synthetic paste (multipurpose hygiene product)
  • Toothbrush with weak bristles
• Mess Kit (Shared, Limited Use)
  
  • Metal Tray & Cup
  • Ration Token or Meal Card