Trouble Is as Trouble Does

[Amara No'orabi]

"Get back here!"

Amara streaked around the corner of the spaceport and started legging it for the nearest exit. Get to the street, get to the street! she chided herself, heart thundering in her chest. Her slightly ragged scarf flew out behind her like a dusty brown tail as she ran, the credit chips she had stolen clutched tightly in her hand as she ran. Of course sprinting through a spaceport with several screaming traders at your back was never an inconspicuous task and Amara found herself wishing for the chaos and crowds of Straight Street to cover her trail instead of the cold, industrial cleanliness of the port she had landed in. The traders that had brought her from Tatooine had dismissed her as soon as they touched down, but the credits they had promised her in exchange for the work she did aboard their ship while traveling were nowhere to be seen.

So she improvised. As usual. And now she was running for her life through a blasted spaceport. Frustration boiled low in her stomach as she turned another corner and she skidded out; her boots were not designed for traction on metal, but rather for the sand and rocks of Tatooine. She groaned quietly as she slammed into a few heavy shipping crates, but the sound was muffled by the screech of a nearby ship's engines starting and she ducked behind the crates to watch the traders she had stolen from run right past her.

 

[Vega the Chaos Mage]

Vega liked the sight of an outlaw; however, it amused her more to bare witness to pursuers failing to catch the outlaw who thieved their contents. Of course, Vega didn't discriminate. Not everyone was born with a ton of credits to their name; people had to sometimes exercise the more. . . 'inappropriate methods' when they weren't considered to be of a high enough prestige to work lawfully and peacefully with civilization. Everyone had a means of surviving. Some just didn't agree with it. Vega did. But anyway, her thoughts weren't considered to be of importance. Vega liked the look of this thief ducking and diving through the spaceport to flee outside. She wanted to meet her. Perhaps learn from her. As a result, Vega proceeded to follow her outside the spaceport, hopping and swinging off rooftops to keep the girl in her sights. After a while, though, it appeared she outsmarted her pursuers who went the complete wrong way. They weren't fit enough for that kind of sprint; but that's why they had muscle. Muscle Vega recently come to discover they had upon trading with them earlier.

Once the pursuers of the girl were out of sight, Vega descended from the rooftop to touch down behind the girl. The sound of her limbs hitting the ground should have given her away, but she hummed a laugh as she straightened up her physique - just in case.

"They won't catch you. They simply don't have the athletic experience to do so; however, they have muscle. Muscle that will tear this place apart to find you. They pursue as you speak. Tell me - what did you steal that was so important?" [member="Amara No'orabi"]

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara sucked in a harsh breath as someone landed behind her and spun on her heels with a fist raised, ready to fight if the need arose. However, when she saw the woman looming behind her she let her arm drop to her side. Holding up a hand, she took a few deep breaths to steady her racing heart and then cleared her throat. "Credits," she almost panted, holding up the credit chips she had swiped. "They offered me credits and transport in exchange for some maintenance work on their ship, and they only paid up on half their offer so I...acquired what was rightfully mine through more devious means." A wolfish grin crossed Amara's face and she adjusted her scarf, pulling in the end that had been knocked loose earlier and tucking it amongst the many folds the garment offered. Her goggles were pushed up to the top of her head so she could see more clearly and she raised her eyebrows. "You don't want me captured," she said. "Why?"

The woman before her was an anomaly in both personality and appearance. Even the most rampant thieves on Amara's home planet weren't afraid to rat each other out; why wasn't [member="Vega the Chaos Mage"] ?

 

[Torch]

Torch had had enough of this rat beating up on this scarfed girl. He jumped out flamethrower in hand.
"Alright, what is the big deal here? Someone getting robbed?"

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara almost shrieked when [member="Torch"] jumped out, weapon at the ready. She hated blasters, and while it wasn't a blaster it was close enough. The question made her clear her throat. "Um. No. Nope, no robberies here. Everything is fine," she smiled, cursing the fact that she wasn't very good at talking her way out of situations.

 

[Torch]

"Alright then, what is the matter?"
Torch propped himself on a nearby pole.

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara's eyes flickered around the area, desperately seeking a quick escape. "I was poking around their ship," Amara said slowly, hoping that her slumped shoulders and nervous movements would make her appear innocent. "And they weren't happy. I didn't take anything, but they wanted to chase me off anyway."

 

[Vega the Chaos Mage]

Despite momentarily placing her attention towards the newcomer, Vega still listened to what [member="Amara No'orabi"] had to say, and she couldn't help but let another hum play its melody within her throat. 'Good girl', Vega thought. Vega was definitely routing for her if they attempted to the girl off. There was too much of that going around throughout the universe. About time someone got what they deserved - literally.

“Ah,” Vega calmly replied, leaning back against the wall. “No - I don't want you captured. Your actions are justifiable, and you have no bounty on your head high enough for my caring.” She went on to add. “But moving on from that, perhaps we could benefit from one another. Are you open to bargaining?”

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara found [member="Vega the Chaos Mage"] 's presence almost soothing, and when the woman eased back against the wall Amara felt some of her own tension drain from her body. She still skirted away from the muzzle of the flamethrower, but her attention turned back towards Vega. "Good to know," she smiled, and then her eyebrows shot towards her hairline. "Bargaining? Depends on what the bargain is." She had learned not to say yes to bargaining without knowing what was going to be presented first; that was always a road to trouble.

 

[Vega the Chaos Mage]

It was hard to determine whether or not this girl had the force residing within her at the moment, so Vega chose not to bring its knowledge up as a bargaining chip. Maybe later if it came down to it. To be honest Vega had another idea in mind anyway, lips curling into a smile upon thinking about it. She gathered the question on what it consisted of meant the girl was open to bargaining. Vega just had to let tongue dance the right melody to convince her she was genuine in her bargain.

“Like I said earlier, those men have muscle. Probably preparing to go airborne in order to find you, as well. I have a ship docked up which can get us both out of here. I can't say I was genuine with them as well.” Vega said that last speech, sliding her hand down to her respective side to pull a device from her pocket. It had 3,000 credits inputted on the device's screen, and a symbol along the metallic material. Probably a company sign, but it hinted she'd soon be in the same boat as this girl if they didn't leave. “I don't know how much you took off them, but what I do know is you can make more if you take up my offer. Up there - within the orbit of Tatooine - glides a cargo ship stocked with Stygium crystals, belonging to the company we thieved from. Come with me and contribute to seizing the contents and we'll split the loot - 50/50. You seem like you know how to handle yourself in these kind of situations. Experienced, to be precise. But do we have a deal?”

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

 

[Amara No'orabi]

The offer of transport, of more credits too, was tempting. The thought of going back towards Tatooine, however, was not. Especially if it meant engaging in a ship seizure. She might look experienced, but she was nothing but a petty thief from Mos Eisley. Reluctantly, Amara shook her head. "I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression, but I'm...I'm just a street rat really. You grow up in Mos Eisley, you learn how to steal from people, but I've never been involved in anything as big as an in orbit theft like that," she admitted, feeling her cheeks heat up. The woman in front of her seemed strong, clever, and a good ally, but she couldn't risk getting caught, or worse, shot, when she had so much resting on her shoulders. Her mother was back on Tatooine trying to feed up her two bratty brothers all on her own; Amara needed real work, honest work.

She glanced down at the credit chips in her hands. "And besides, I didn't steal that much. Only 250 credits. I don't...I don't think they're gonna be flying around looking for me if you've got a lot more of their money."

[member="Vega the Chaos Mage"]

 

[Vega the Chaos Mage]

"Oh?" Vega rhetorically questioned, prolonging her pose against the wall. The girl looked rough, but not the street-rat kind of rough. That was far from her expectations. Nevertheless, the girl still had Vega's interest, otherwise she would have gone by now. The female exhaled a barely audible laugh to how much the girl said she seized. Not insultingly; she found it impressive now she knew the girl's origins. Most street-rats from Mos Eisely could barely thieve food in the dark from her experience. But she had credits, and if she got out of this, would cease to lose them as well. Yeah - Vega definitely became amused by her.

"Hm, a shame you aren't up for it. To be honest I would have you stay and keep the ship running, now I'm aware of your lack of experience. I wouldn't waste my time bringing you just to get killed by some low-budget trading company. That'd be an insult to both my skills and yours. How old are you, if I may ask?"

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

 

[Amara No'orabi]

A bit of color rushed to Amara's face and she wanted to snap at the woman, but she knew that Vega was right. They would both be killed if Amara went with her; her inexperience was deadly, that much she had learned in life. Memories of being thrown from the swoop rushed to the surface and she unconsciously touched the scar on her face. "Sixteen ma'am," she replied, standing up tall. She wasn't a child, not by far, but she was still young enough to be looked down on by most of the people she ran into. Nobody took a raggedy looking teenager from Tatooine seriously. Except this woman, apparently. "How old are you?" she asked before she could think better of it.

[member="Vega the Chaos Mage"]

 

[Vega the Chaos Sith]

-

 

[Vega the Chaos Mage]

Vega lifted an eyebrow to the girl's confession of her age. She expected her to be at least. . . well, now Vega had given it a thought she didn't know. The girl looked young, but now she knew the truth it was hard to imagine her at any other age. The illusion had been shattered, to be precise. Vega pushed her back off the girl to peer from behind the crates. It was getting dark, and the search lights were being prepared. Search lights probably searching for two females hopefully still out here. Vega hoped to be in orbit before they begun to illuminate. "Well, you've aged very well, for a street rat from Mos Eisely." Vega replied as she calmly maneuvered back behind the crates to remain hidden. Her eyes fell back upon the girl now questioning her own age. Vega smiled to the question. "I tell you what." She added, kneeling down a bit to line her height with the girl's. "Come with me. Staying here pickpocketing and stealing supplies every now and again won't help you. You'll be stuck in a vicious circle - trapped and unable to escape from it. Come with me and I'll make sure your wealth is safe for some time. Stay with me even longer and perhaps I'll tell you how old I am. I'm presenting this offer because I see potential in you. You are only sixteen, but children far younger than you have achieved so much more. IF you decide you wish to return to Tatooine, I'll drop you back off with supplies to keep you covered."

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

 

[Amara No'orabi]

The offer blindsided Amara, and she blinked rather sheepishly at Vega. "I don't even know your name," she blurted out, blushing when she realized how childish the response sounded. But she was about as safe as a blind man stumbling around in a rancor pit on her own. And the offer to be returned to Tatooine if all else failed...it was too good to pass up. "But as long as you make good on your promises, I'm in," Amara breathed, grinning wolfishly at Vega.

[member="Vega the Chaos Mage"]

 

[Vega the Chaos Mage]

Vega mimicked her grin for a second or two, but it quickly faded into a smile. No - they hadn't exchanged names yet, did they? "Then we best be off - young one." Vega replied, patting the girl's shoulder as straightened her figure up. "You can also call me Vega- uhh- you've yet to tell me your name as well, I believe. But keep it to yourself for now if you desire. Right now we need to leave before the searchlights are flared up. I hope your experience in running through streets also trained you to climb rooftops." With that said, Vega climbed upon one of the crates before leaping onto the rooftop she earlier descended from. She spun on her heel and knelt down, extending down an arm towards the young girl to aid her up if she weren't experienced in climbing.

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

 

[Amara No'orabi]

"Amara. I'm Amara," she said just before the woman, Vega she reminded herself, started up towards the rooftops. There was a moment where Amara's heart sped up and her mouth went dry, but it wasn't fear, not really. It was the same thrill she got when she had the rare opportunity to zip around on a speeder, when she boarded a trade vessel to escape Tatooine, and she let it seize her entire being. She hopped up onto the crates easily, she had some strength despite being as thin as a whip, and leapt up to grab the edge of the rooftop. "Thanks," Amara breathed once she hauled herself up, not wanting Vega to think she was being rude but also wanting to prove herself. "After you," she grinned, ready for the chase.

[member="Vega the Chaos Mage"]

 

[Vega the Chaos Mage]

'Amara', Vega thought as the girl hauled up onto the roof. Fancy for a girl from Mos Eisely, but Vega didn't discuss the matter. Judging by Amara's grin, Vega suspected she was confident in what was to come, and she admired the enthusiasm. "Let's go. I'm confident you can maneuver about judging by your history and ability to get up here, so I won't turn my head every second to wait on you. This should be a quick, and easy journey towards my ship. Good luck, Amara." Vega bowed her head before bringing herself back upon two feet. She sprinted across the roof to leap over to the next, lacking a halt in her jumps. This needed to be done quickly so Vega couldn't wait about. The searchlights were ignited and motioning around outside the spaceport. Vega jumped, swung and climbed across structures several times before she finally came to a quick and unplanned halt. In reaction to the sight of the searchlight moving across the next rooftop she immediately stopped and swung back her arm to halt the girl as well. She prolonged their wait for the good half of a minute until the light curled around the other side of the building. From there she hopped across the next and last rooftop to lace her hands around a pipe attached to the spaceport. It stretched up the side of the building so Vega proceeded up its length to reach the roof and quietly crawl across it until they were at least halfway across, knelt down next to an open window. Vega peered inside, immediately acknowledging her craft down within the hangar. A fair drop, but at least it was a safe one. Only then did she decide it was time to lay eyes upon Amara once again. Good. She looked like she followed behind in one piece, at least.

"My ship is down there, but there's guards and its quite a drop as well. I can get us out quietly, but do you think you can make the drop? If you can't you need to tell me. I'll bring the ship through the roof and leave the entrance open for you to jump in if you can't."

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara raced after Vega and almost all thought fled from her mind. She lost herself in the thrill and exertion of sprinting across rooftops, grabbing onto the occasional hand hold to swing herself over gaps when she felt like she couldn't make the jump with her legs alone. Something in her was twisting, surging through her like fire, and she wasn't entirely sure how some of what she did had been physically possible for someone as short as she was, but she didn't question it. When Vega threw out her arm, Amara stopped immediately and remained as silent as possible, taking slow, deep breaths through her mouth so that even her breath was as quiet as possible. She knew all about hiding away from people. As soon as it was clear, she raced after Vega again. Climbing up the pole took an effort that Amara had not been expecting, and there were several times she felt as if she was about to fall or slide, only to be held up by something she couldn't explain.

Once they reached the window, Amara looked down. The drop was significant, especially for someone her size, but she wasn't afraid. If she could roll, her knees wouldn't get damaged and she'd be fine. I can do this she thought, memories of whatever-it-was flashing through her mind. Adrenaline, maybe, but she didn't care at this point. An escape was an escape. "I can do it. There's space enough for me to quietly roll into the jump so I should be fine. Let's do this," she whispered, and with that she carefully lowered herself down and dropped. The brief seconds of free fall were terrifying and thrilling in one breath, and she hit the ground on the balls of her feet, immediately rolling forward so that the shock of the fall wouldn't hurt her. Amara's eyes were immediately flying about, taking in the positions of the guards, and she snuck over to the ship that Vega had indicated, hiding in the shadows of its frame.

[member="Vega the Chaos Mage"]