The Quiet Lands

[Aster Rose Baelor]

Lessons bored her. As far as Aster was concerned, she had already learnt everything she needed to know when it came to academics. After all, she already knew how to speak proper. Whatever she couldn’t write she could draw and whatever she couldn’t read she’ll just ignore! There was always a way around these situations so what did it matter if she skipped a lesson to ten?

Aster inhaled a deep breath as she looked up at the clear blue sky. Today is too nice a day to be cooped inside a dingy room and listen to uptight old people lecture me about boring poodoo, she thought while she waited outside the Galatine spaceport for her guest.

The teenager watched enviously as reunited families exited the spaceport full of excitement. Lucky karkers, she thought to herself. The only family she had left as far as she was aware of was an uncle who was too busy for her and probably a few cousins she had yet to meet but at least her familial relationship with the Full Metal Emperor had its benefits.

***

The bureaucrat stared at the document in front of him, dumbfounded. ‘Give Aster a tempoary visa four ‘er frind’ signed ‘Esamoo Bayla (Empor of d Ion Empieah)’ it read. He was no stranger to forged documents but this was the poorest attempt at forgery he had seen by far. What this a joke? What did the girl expect from this? The man wondered with a frown.

“So, are you going to give me the visa or what?” The teenager asked impatiently.

“This document is a forgery and not even a good one at that,” he replied bluntly.

“A forgery? No way! Look, my uncle even signed it at the bottom here.” The girl pointed at the almost illegible signature.

“That is not how ‘IsamuBaelor’ is spelt, Miss Moreau.”

“What? Do you seriously believe that someone would misspell the Emperor’s name?”

“There is not denying that his name is misspelt on this document.”

“Uncle Isamu really did say that he’d allow my friend a temporary visa but I thought this would be more legit.”

“Really?” The man asked with a raised brow.

“Yeah.”

“Well, why don’t you get him to write you another one?”

“The Emperor is a very busy man. Are you sure you want me to disturb him over something so trivial? I’m sure he would be most displeased if I did, especially if I were to add that you were rude to me.”

The bureaucrat was not an idiot but he knew when to pick his fights, this one was not worth it. How troublesome could this girl’s friend be? He wondered as he sent her the document.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

No weapons. No dubious substances or items of any kind. Just Kyra, Kyne, and a commlink. Incase she needed to contact [member='Connor Harrison']... That had been his rule, after all. And she supposed she was want to follow it.

As she stepped from the shuttle - not even her own ship! - Kyra gave a very small sigh. She felt so helpless having no weapons on her person, but she didn't want to upset the customs officers anymore than she apparently already had. Her employer had briefly mentioned the difficulties involved in acquiring a VISA for her to visit. Just how strict a world was this?

Oh well, she was here now. She touched the sonic servodriver on her belt, and cursed. Hopefully they wouldn't find reason to take that from her, it was just a tool for undoing bolts and the like. She had quite forgotten it was even there.

Thankfully she had the documents all in order. VISA, proof of identification, and some other bits and pieces they'd asked for. Force, she had never had to go through so much work to get onto a planet before. She was surprised they didn't want a blood sample.

... They didn't, right?

They did not like the look of Kyne. Not one bit. But she gave them some bullshit about the pup' not being able to survive without her express presence and care, even threw them some documents which... sort of... hinted at it. In the end, after being fully checked over in what many would consider a humiliating fashion - though Kyra wasn't known for embarrassment unless Connor was around, damn him to Chaos - she was finally permitted entry.

That was just the first step.

Now she had to find Aster.

Her boots clacked ever so slightly. They'd have been considered heavy by some standards, but she had worn them for so long now that they didn't even hinder her. Same went for the duster which snugly fit her body and swept down to her ankles. Who knew what this world had on offer? Maybe the hide it was made from would protect her from the worst of it, and if nothing else it would protect her from the elements.

"Can't believe I don't even have my blasters..." It was a tragedy, truly it was, but at least she was safe in the knowledge that they were tucked away on her ship, which was on a completely different world. Oh the joys of finding transport to get her back home, but she would worry about that later.

[member="Aster Rose Moreau"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

Searching for one in a crowd of many was like searching for a needle in a haystack - seemingly impossible, however, Aster came prepared. In her hands was a sketch pad that she had brought with her which she had taken out of the bag slung over her shoulder. With the book open in her hands, she flipped to the page that she had bookmarked earlier with a scrap piece of paper. ‘[member="Kyra Sol"]’ were the two words written on the page in large bright pink letters with her slowly improving handwriting.

Aster held the homemade sign held high above her head as she peered into the crowd in search for Kyra. After a few minutes of fruitless waiting, she tucked the sign under her arm and reluctantly made her way to the spaceport’s arrival bay.

Envy gathered in her as she walked past the happy families - a painful reminder of what she had never known and tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of her late mother. A mother whose face she could barely remember with a voice she had long forgotten. It distressed her to be in an environment with so many happily families.

Aster blinked back the tears to hide her distress and carefully weaved through the crowd, into the arrivals bay and held her sign high up over her head once more as she scanned the faces of those who had just arrived.

 

[Lief]

For such a tightly controlled and hard to enter world, the spaceport was damn full! Kyne hung close to her, his maw rubbing against her outer thigh every so often when one of them had need to avoid someone. Strangers, strangers everywhere. Odd species', strange clothes, unintelligible languages. Though mostly humans. Mostly basic.

Was this some Imperial world?

They did prefer humans over any other species, she'd heard... Not that she'd experienced it first hand. She did a very good job at avoiding worlds with too serious a hold on them. Jedi, Sith, Imperials, anything like that was to be left alone. Although Connor, it seemed, would have her join up with the Sanctum.

Jedi. Great.

He was good though, fun to be around if a little frustrating at times. The pair butted heads more than they did anything else!

Her eyes scanned the crowd once she was free from the immediate area surrounding customs. Out into the arrivals bay. Her unseen cybernetics kicked in with a specific blink of her eyes, and she was able to focus more readily. Her brain whirred, drawing on all the information she'd gained about her host, snatching what it could directly from the Holonet.

A world of sources appeared before her very eye, her own interactive screen that nobody else could see. Transparent enough for her to still be walking. It hurt her head, most of the time she avoided using the implant. But it had its uses. Such as finding a needle in a haystack.

With its help it took her just a few moments to spot Aster, flourishing a sign over her head. A slight smile wormed its way onto Kyra's lips, before she banished it from sight.

She was here on a job, not for fun. Best she act professional.

Stepping over to where the young girl was waiting, Kyra dipped her head into a very suble nod of greeting. "Miss Aster Moreau?" she asked, looking the girl over. Seemed decent enough, but looks were deceiving.

[member="Aster Rose Moreau"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Aster’s face lit up as she noticed a tall woman with dark brown hair approach her. The wait was over. Kyra had arrived. Her planned adventure could finally begin.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Please call me Aster. I hope our border security did not give you too much trouble. The Iron Empire is careful about who is let into our borders so as to protect our people.” Aster explained as she returned [member="Kyra Sol"]’s nod and flipped the page of her sketchbook to one with a sketch of the map of the continent[/SIZE] with a red circle quite a distance away from Galatine.

[SIZE=14.6667px]Tearing the page out of the book, Aster offered it to Kyra. “This red circle is the location of our destination, the Quiet Lands. I do not know much about it aside from what I overheard from gossiping maids but apparently, it used to be the city of Clarent until a plague ravaged the city, killing all its inhabitants. As far as I heard, shuttles no longer stop at that city so we will have to rent an airspeeder or speeder bike to travel there.”[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]Aster paused to allow Kyra time to examine the map before she continued. “[/SIZE]Seems like quite a long trip doesn't it? What do you think we will need in the way of supplies?”

 

[Lief]

Kyra returned the smile as the last few feet between them were closed rather abruptly. "No trouble at all, ma'am... Though I would like to ask if there is somewhere I can purchase a blaster. For your own protection, of course. Who knows what we'll be up against on this adventure of yours."

Her hands ached for her own blasters, those she had created herself with salvaged materials. She couldn't risk losing them to border patrol though. Best she find somewhere to buy temp ones from.

Lowering her gaze to look upon the sketched map, Kyra used the moment to take a snapshot of sorts which she stored for later. Okay, so the implant was useful... Not that she'd give the woman who had installed it the satisfaction of finding out.

"Quiet Lands... Apt name given its present state, if what you heard is true. I daresay we may find need for rebreathers and enviro-suits, I'm not tempted by the thought of catching some disease..."

The smirk on her lips admonished the seriousness of her tone however.

"An air speeder could make short work of the journey, if we take the beaten path..." She shrugged just a touch "but if you want more of an adventure, ma'am, we could stop just here..." She pointed to an area which once held an outpost. Now the building was as empty and decrepit as the City no doubt was, but it would provide their speeder with ample cover. "Then we could continue the rest of the way on foot. See what wildlife this world has to offer."

As for supplies... "You're probably used to high class dining, ma'am, but rations would be best. Lightweight, condensed, easier to carry more of it. Aside from that, we'll likely want some tarp and sleeping bags... A medkit" - not that she knew how to really use one, but oh well - "and any other things you personally need. I already have my essentials. Save for a blaster..."

Any finer food could be hunted. Wood could be collected for a fire. Water fetched from the river. Most medkits had water purification devices or at the very least solubles which did the same job. "Make sure you dress for traveling, ma'am, and have a sturdy set of boots."

[member="Aster Rose Baelor"]

 

[Aster Rose Baelor]

A dull pain throbbed in Aster's right shoulder at the mention of a blaster. She knew exactly where to find one - if her tutor had not moved it that is. "I remember a few blasters being stored in the training grounds' storage locker but I'm not sure if they're safe to use. Last time I fired one, I lost balance and dislocated my shoulder," she lamented and gently massaged the area.

Aster tilted her head and furrowed her brows and she considered where she might find a pair of enviro-suits and rebreathers. "I don't know where I might be able to find either of those items but I think the old One Sith armours that we had brought with us might have a rebreather. Do you think that'll do?" Having only recently commenced her formal education under the behest of her uncle, there was much that Aster had not considered before she decided she wished to visit the Quiet Lands.

'The beaten path?' those three words piqued her interest. "Sounds good," Aster nodded as she stared at the point Kyra pointed to despite not understanding what an 'outpost' was or how to read the map.

"What type of air speeder do you think will be suitable for this journey? There are a lot of places where we can rent one or, we might even be able to borrow the one I usually get driven around in. As for the rest of the items, we should be able to easily find them in the stores around the city and you don't need to worry about me not being used to anything less than high-class dining. I may hide it well with my pretty dresses that I wear now, but I grew up on the streets of Coruscant and there was none of that there." Although she had grown up on the streets, a completely different life to the one she had now, she had learnt to speak proper as she had sometimes fancied herself a princess, waiting for her prince to whisk her away and live happily ever after - like in the stories her mother used to tell her. Therefore, it only seemed right that she prepared herself as much as possible for the life of a princess, it would be rather embarrassing for her prince if his princess couldn't even speak proper. She was considerate like that.

"Air speeder, supplies, home, training grounds. Sound like a good order to proceed with?" Aster beamed, excited to finally commence the adventure.

[member="Kyra Sol"]​