Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Outer Rim - Space Port
[member="Eira Sjona"]

Knowledge was sometimes a terrible thing.

Val had realized this almost decades ago upon the death of his wife. At the time he had thought himself cursed, broken in some way. He'd been a man who'd rarely traveled from his home and even more rarely seen other species. He'd never known that one could live such a long life as he, he'd never known that those he loved would die before him.

Now he did.

It felt like centuries had passed, though of course it was only decades. He had been burdened with the knowledge of his extended life. He'd watched his wife, his children, and his closest friends simply pass away. There had been nothing to do, nothing he could do. It was a painful sort of knowledge, almost as painful as what he had learned just a short while ago. He'd thought running from his problems had been a good idea, but his return home had been bittersweet.

He'd sat for weeks in that little house he had built, he'd stared at the walls, raged within. He'd tried to find some solution but eventually it had all come back to burn him. Val was lost. He didn't know what to do, didn't know where to go or what the future brought.

For decades he had thought his family lost, gone, and now there was a glimpse of something else, something he never expected.

The giant of a man frowned slightly as he glanced around the edge of the Space Port. The little world he had come to was practically without a name, used as a waystation for smugglers, merchants, and refugees. People came to this world not to find something, but to be forgotten. There was crime here in great abundance, but no one gave him even a second glance. The old and worn clothes that hung from his back were hardly appealing, and besides that his stature made a rather difficult target.

Val glanced about, looking through the market just outside the spaceport and searching for something to eat.

Already he could feel the growl in his stomach.
 
Crowds were a mask, a way of blending in and becoming invisible in plain sight. For someone such as herself, Eira found crowds to be a means of comfort, despite the smell of refuse in the air, the deplorable folk that shuffled along beside her, pickpockets in search of quick credits and valuables from the unsuspecting. Fortunately for Eira, she held nothing of value to steal, and fortunately for the common thief, she hadn't the need to to break off any fingers from their attempts. Gangs however were the real threat here. Turf wars, fights, and murders were a daily occurrence, typically over smuggled arms and spice. Attempts to crack down on such illicit activities had failed, and thus the space port and the surrounding areas were more often than not dangerous places if one wasn't overly cautious.

Of course a bribe or two in the form of protection credits could always be paid and thus secure ones passage, though the fees tended to add up when crossing into another gang's territory. Eira hadn't the credits to spare, not today at least. She had spent her last few credits the day before, traveling between two small villages to reach the star port, hopefully finding a transport to stow away on to reach her next destination, wherever that might be. Home was where she landed, never lingering for too long in one place.

"You!" A voice called, a man. The Miraluka turned her head, vision aided by the Force to see someone pointing directly to her. She gestured towards herself with a finger, and the man nodded. "Yeah, you!" She swallowed, knowing what he was looking for. Quickly he approached, his size rather reflecting that of his attitude. "You haven't paid Tal Rethor your passage fee!" His hands reached forward towards her, settling down into the pockets of her frayed jacket. Finding nothing he parted the opening and felt for pockets in her shirt. His agitation only grew further at the revelation that she may very well have nothing for him, yet Eira remained frozen in place. When finally he dove his hands into the pockets of her pants and, upon coming out empty handed the dreadlocked woman took two steps back, her hands slowly raising. "I don't have any more credits." She finally managed to say. "Your people took everything I had earlier." That hardly mattered, she knew full well. She also knew the thugs of Tal Rethor all carried blasters and that she was likely about to be in danger. The voices began to creep into her consciousness as they always did.

W͔̰͇̬͙͙̼h̹͎̤̯̫͕at ̼͕͔͖i̫̱͇̹͖̺̗ș̹̯̞̠ͅͅ ș̫͔̲ẖe͍̼̺̲͚ͅ ͇̞̜̼̙̗d͔͙̮͈͈̪̩oi͓̱̜͕̖̩n̳̮g̯̺͈̹͙̭̬?̹ ̻̤͉W̠̬̜̝h͈̹͉̯̬y̼͍̙ ͖̹̣̼͕i͉sn̘̝'̖͕̜̫t̞̺̤ ̦̳̤͓̰s͚h̼ͅe ̱̦͖r̜͇͎̪̙̠u̗͓͕̜̣n͎͉̰̩͕͙n̤͔̮̫͍̮ͅin̹g̲̜?̣͍̤̱ ̜͔̪̻̬͍͖D̪̹o̱n̬'͍͙̹̝̜t͙͖̫̩̤͎͈ ̣̹̞̝͎̟̰s̻̘͚̣̩̝ͅt̖̘͈͔a̺͍n̥̘̻d̗̠ ̰͖͇̠t̪h̦̘e̥͖͕͈̹̘̲re͍͉͙̠̰̪̝!̱͚̪̩̟̘
[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]​
 
[member="Eira Sjona"]

Val continued to walk through the crowd. Most people got out of his way just because of how tall he was. It wasn't accurate to say they were scared, but when someone of Val's stature came trundling towards you generally it was a good idea to take a step back and just let him pass through. It also meant that generally Val got a pretty food view of everyone and everything happening around him.

His eyes folded towards some nearby foodcarts, his stomach quickly directing him.

His face remained almost impassive as he wandered forward, hands digging through his pockets as he began to search for the remaining credits he'd gathered from his last journey off-world. He only had a little bit left, but it was enough for a journey off world and some food. All he needed until he reached the next planet. With the crowd parting before him he reached one of the streets vendors, his expression growing more soft. ”I'd like one ple-”

“DONT YOU LIE TO ME MISSY!”

A voice broke through Val's speech, a loud angry brutish roar that seemed to echo for a moment and silence the crowd. He frowned slightly, glancing over towards the yell and spotting a young woman being confronted by a few ragged men. He stared at them, slowly glancing away for a second before looking back.

He wanted to order his food, get on with his day and get out but...

She would want you to help. It was the only thing he could think of. Val offered one last look at the food vendor, almost as if pleading, then stepped over towards the commotion to see what the katk was going on.
 
That subconscious switch in the back of her mind flipped. In only a single breath she saw the man reach for his blaster, position it towards her, and squeeze the trigger. It would go wide and inevitably hit a bystander in the chest, immediately killing him. A man in his late thirties simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. No justice would be found for him, his body left to linger until the smell became enough to warrant its removal, while others simply walked past or over his lifeless body as if it were merely trash in their way. All this, it came to her mind's eye before the thug ever reached further for the weapon at his hip.

None of that would transpire. The Miraluka had already moved before the shot could be fired from the barrel, arms thrusting outwards to shove the man away, falling atop him as the bright green bolt of plasma collided with the building, a deep, harsh sizzling as the shot exploded. Knowing he had missed the Tal Rethor thug made off through the now frenzied and stampeding crowd that dispersed from the area, fleeing in any and all directions to avoid the potential threat of death.

As people raced to and from the area Eira covered her head to protect herself from being trampled. "Get off of me you filthy slave!" The man yelled beneath her, clearly unhappy with his savior's appearance or smell. Pushing her away he stood and quickly vanished into the crowd, leaving Eira to collect herself and sigh. He hadn't known that she just saved his life, likely wouldn't believe it even if she had told him so, but there was little to do about it now. A nice new tear in the knees of her pants served as her reward for her efforts, having brushed against the duracrete walkway beneath her.

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]
 
[member="Eira Sjona"]

As the crowd screamed and dispersed Val's face changed to one of utter confusion. He saw the woman bolt forward and move, saw the man tossed to the crowd and saw the Thug run off into the crowd.

Yet it all happened so fast.

The events rolled into themselves like a ball tumbling down a field, swift and entirely unstoppable. Val watched in silence, his eyes fixed in place on the girl. The crowd surged around him, either assuming he was a part of the trouble or simply trying to avoid him. A few heartbeats passed, and then the square was empty.

Silence reigned for a moment, then he heard the man curse. His orange and blue eyes focused upon the small figure that had been so rudely criticized as a slave, the man scrambling up to quickly get out of the square. Val watched him for a moment, frowning.

Then slowly he looked down at the girl. ”That was dumb.”

He told her plainly. The Thug would undoubtedly return to ‘right’ the wrong that had been done to him, and it was clear this girl wasn't exactly the fighting type. Not from what he saw anyway.
 
Eira stood, brushing off the loose dirt that clung to her already unclean clothing. A hand ran back behind her to ensure that the clasp holding her thick locks of black hair together was still tight. Finding it acceptable she turned her attention to the man now addressing her actions as dumb. This man was large, very large. Eira tilted her head back, cybernetic eyes looking up, though useless as they were as they provided no natural vision, their purpose was to imitate typical human vision. Thus, in order to do so, she needed to appear as if she were looking at him that way.

"Hardly. I saved a life. Even if he didn't know or appreciate it."

Still, there was the whole issue of having no credits and no means of getting off of the planet. Finding work here was a difficult prospect, or at least honest work. Deceiving people was one thing, outright stealing from them was not in her repertoire. She was no good at smuggling, unless of course that meant smuggling herself on board a starship for free passage. That wasn't considered stealing in her metaphorical eyes, as the ship was already destined for whatever planet she ended up on. It wasn't as if she stole food or directed the flight in any way.

"Besides, he was going to shoot me anyway. I didn't have any more credits to give him."

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]
 
[member="Eira Sjona"]

"Offer to perform services in payment next time." Val stated plainly, letting her insinuate whatever she wanted from that.

Val came from a small farming world where everyone knew everyone else and most people were kind enough to lend a hand. Out here however Val knew that wasn't always possible, or even likely. People were far more insular, seeking to protect themselves and what was theirs. He couldn't blame them too much given the harsh conditions, but...well it didn't exactly make for a pleasant spot to visit. Val frowned for a moment, looking around the cleared square before glancing back at the girl.

"He will be back." He told her. "With friends likely."

He imagined the Thug would spin some tale about this girl, how she was dangerous and how she had disrespected him. That type was all liars.

In his time he had met more than a few of those men, some were crooks, others were just how to survive. In the end all of them were scum that galaxy would have been better off without. Val frowned and looked down at the girl, her tiny stature making him think she would not fare well at the hands of whatever was going to come her way. "You should get out of here."

That was more than obvious.

"Probably off-world." Unless she wanted to experience all new sorts of unpleasantness.
 
"I prefer my way. But thanks for the wise council." Eira didn't have a whole lot of dignity, that much could be seen in her attire, but she did set the bar somewhere. Servicing gang members in exchange for not being shot to death was beneath that bar. Hardly worth the effort, or risks involved. Perhaps if the exchange was a little more beneficial on her end. It made little difference now though. She was alive, the gangster was gone, for now at least, and she could carry on with her day. "They always come back." She chirped, "This isn't my first time dealing with gangs." While she wasn't exactly a fighter, she knew how to handle herself, and she did have talents that were beyond the comprehension of common criminals looking to take advantage of her.

"Leaving is what I was trying to do, but I'm not exactly swimming in credits." She had precisely zero, in fact. "So I was looking for a freighter that wasn't so looked after, if you get what I mean."

Most captains didn't take well to people sneaking aboard, especially on planets known for criminal activity. Pirating was a problem in the sector, and what better way to steal a ship than to do it from within? Eira didn't exactly look like a brute, but since when did pirates come in only one size and shape? "If I was to offer services to anyone, it would be to get off this rock." At least she would get something out of that deal more than to continue merely existing.

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]
 
[member="Eira Sjona"]

She was a pirate? Criminal?

His lips thinned for a moment. There was a fine line between that sort of thing, especially out here. Most people were just trying to survive, find their way to something more habitable. It seemed odd to her that this woman would save someones life but then instantly turn around and talk about stealing or stowing away on a ship. Those two things didn't exactly sit well with one another. The giant cocked his head to the side for a moment, inspecting the girl.

"Where are you trying to go?" The question was a bit invasive, but perhaps she would think he had a ship or something of the sort.

Val was no stranger to travel, and though he only had enough credits for himself he didn't exactly want to see this young woman get killed. The man she had saved hadn't been at all thankful, but Val could appreciate someone who would save another. It deserved recognition at the very least. He couldn't fight an army of thugs, but he could get her help off world.

At least in theory.
 
"Anywhere but where I've been." She said rather nonchalantly. "I try not to stay in one place very long." That was why she never cared much for where the freighters she stowed aboard landed, so long as it was someplace new, or at the very least a starport on the opposite side of a planet she'd been to. The Sene Seekers had been looking for her now for several years, and luckily, thus far Eira had eluded capture. For the most part she had even eluded the mercs and thugs hired to track her down outside of her people's ranks. A few bumps and hiccups now and then, but by and far she had used her abilities as a Luka Sene well. Things they had taught her at the academy growing up had paid off.

"It's a long, uninteresting story." Hardly a convincing argument though. "The short version is that I'm wanted for a crime I'm innocent of. Sort of."

She was guilty of what her people considered to be a crime, but not what the galaxy at large might. It was nothing malicious, but her fate, if returned to Alpheridies, may as well be one of a death sentence.

"And I don't plan on being caught."

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]
 
[member="Eira Sjona"]

He frowned, so she was a criminal after all, though she claimed to be innocent. There was a slight flux for a moment within himself, but it quickly faded as he remembered the life she had saved. Val was hardly a moral crusader himself, he'd killed more than a few men in his time. Most of them had been pirates and brigands, but still. He considered for a few more moments, glancing down the street that the thug had earlier traveled on before looking back at the girl.

Briefly he wondered what crime she had committed, or supposedly committed, but he knew that it wasn't any of his business. If she wanted to tell him she would later, but for now it was best that they made a hasty exit from where they were standing. "Come with me."

His voice was gruff, almost as if he didn't actually want to help. Val had never considered himself a Hero. He'd fought pirates, saved lives, but at the time it had been his job. He didn't go out of his way to help people but...her voice still rang in his head. He knew that she would want him to help this girl, that she herself would do anything to make sure someone that saved lives wouldn't get hurt. It was such a small thing, but he just couldn't shake the feeling.

"I'll make sure you get off-world." He had no idea how, but he'd manage it somehow.

He always did.
 
D͓̲̥͕͇̟̭o̭̟̻̪̙ͅn͇͎̣͇̪̻̻'͚̣͙t͖ ͉͈̟̗ͅgo͖͚͙͖̘.̮̹͙̫̼̬ ͕T̞̭̣̭͈̗̙h̤͈̝͔͖͙e̟̮̦̥y̝͚ ̜̙͔c͖̼͖̣̰̘̹o̥ṷ͉͚͉̺̭ͅl͓͍̝̤̥̙d̤ ̠̗̝͉̯ḫ͚͍͖a̱̠̤͈͓ve ̬̻̺̼ș͖͔̣̦͈e͓̬n̫̺̯t͎͇͔͔ ͔̜͖̯̩͕͍h̰̝͉̮i̠͙̬̩m͎̘̟.̭
Eira raised her hand to the side of her head as Valkyrien turned, pausing for a moment. "No. Shut up." Her voice was nearly silent as she argued with herself. "Okay." She finally said, catching up to the few paces he had already made. "Thanks." She bit the inside of her cheek, wondering what it was he expected in return. "I'm Eira, by the way." She forced a smile, despite her nerves. "I don't really have much to pay you with." Not that he didn't already know that. If she had she could have paid the thugs instead of getting into a shootout in the middle of the afternoon.

She cringed for a moment, thinking of what he had suggested earlier.

"Maybe there's something you need other than credits?"

Although it was unlikely that a man of his stature would need protection, not that she could provide it, but perhaps there was something he was traveling for, or after, trying to find perhaps? Everyone had a story of some kind, and while she could massage her way into the man's past and future, she rarely did so against someone's request. It was invasive and violating in some ways.

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]
 
[member="Eira Sjona"]

He looked at her oddly as she spoke, voice a low whisper. For a moment he could swear that she told him...or someone to shut up, but he wasn't sure of himself.

For a moment the giant stayed silent, and then he slowly let his head shake. "You saved a life."

It would be tough to explain his motives, especially now. Aerith had always believed in the good of the galaxy. She had thought that people should help one another whenever and however they could. Saving a life for her had been the ultimate form of that. It was why she had become a Doctor, why she had sought to help so many sick people. He frowned for a moment, letting the memory wisp away before finally he refocused his attentions on the situation at hand.

"The man won't reward you or even look kindly at you for what you did." Aerith would. "But I will."

Then he would resume his search, or whatever he had been doing. "You can call me Val."

Most didn't enjoy pronouncing his full name.
 
She nodded. "Thank you."

Though Eira wondered how exactly he planned to do that. "Do you have a ship of your own or something? How come you're here?"

Most run-down planets people only tended to visit when they had a distinct need, or, like her, were running from something and the only places where nobody would go to find her were slums. So knowing what brought Val to this place was a measure of curiosity for the Miraluka. There was also the curiosity of what exactly he was, given that no standard human would have the body and build he possessed. It wasn't in their genetic code, so he was clearly some form of off-human, like she.

Though for all he knew she was just a regular human. A potential criminal, but a regular human all the same.

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]
 
[member="Eira Sjona"]

He cringed slightly at the question. Part of him had hoped that she would just follow along quietly and not ask too much, mostly because if he had to start explaining his motives for this sort of things it could get...sad. Val had never really hid his past from anyone, there was no point to doing so, but many people acted differently around him when they found out. Taheera certainly had.

"No ship." Val stated plainly, knowing that the answer would probably garner a question or two.

There weren't many people on this world that wanted to be here. The climate was horrid, the people were generally mean spirited, and even the best food was lackluster. It was an unfortunate fact about this place, something that he wished he'd learned before he'd decided to tell the freighter captain he could drop him off here. In the future Val would have to make an effort to learn more about the places he visited, but for now he just had to deal with it.

After he dealt with Eira.

"I'm a..." He frowned, what was he? A farmer? No, not anymore he supposed. "Traveler."

It was true enough. He'd visited dozens of worlds, and seen all sorts of things since Aerith's passing. "I sometimes just go from place to place, working on different ships and doing what I can to get by."
 
"I guess that makes two of us."

If he hadn't a ship of his own how was he supposing to help her any? "Pardon my forwardness, but if you haven't got a ship, how do you reckon we'll be getting out of here other than stowing away?" Not that doing so was anything new for her, and in fact it was what she was about to do before the whole incident a few minutes ago unraveled her plans and painted a nice target on her back for whatever gang she had just crossed. The star port was now quite likely a dangerous place if any of that creep's crew was around.

He still also hadn't quite answered her question either. He said he was a traveler, sure, but not why he was here. This wasn't exactly a place one went willingly unless there was a distinct reason. Reason such as getting lost in the crowd, in search of something, or the unfortunate fate of being marooned by a mutinous crew. One man she had spoken to briefly several days prior had been on world for several years, unable to accumulate the necessary credits to afford a lift after his crew stole everything he had and left him for dead.

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]
 
[member="Eira Sjona"]

He'd really been hoping that she wouldn't ask that. Val was still working out in his head just how he was going to manage to get them both off world. He only had enough credits for one passenger, and maybe not even that. There was no way he could pay for the both of them to get aboard a ship, much less get anywhere. He frowned for a few seconds as they walked, not yet answering her question and instead choosing to guide her towards the edge of town where they'd be a little further from where she had assaulted the gang member.

Val had no doubt in his mind that eventually he'd think of something. Over the decades of his life he had been stuck on multiple worlds, including planets that were downright deadly. This place was miserable, but at least it had running water and toilets. Something to be thankful for.

”Well, I won't be sneaking onto a ship if that's what you're asking.” Stowing away might have been an option for her, but for him? He was so large that most people could spot him out in a heartbeat, especially considering his lack of skill in anything stealth. Val had been made for breaking down doors and smashing crates, not hiding behind them.

That of course left them with very few options, and although he had a few ideas, none of them would really work.

The odd pair slowly wandered the dirt road, Val's head seemingly swiveling from left to right. ”I think I’ll just pa-”

The giant suddenly cut himself off, his lips thinning and his entire body moving. In one quick swoop he grabbed the girl and pulled her into a nearby alleyway, immediately shushing her and pointing to the left of them. There a hoard of men and women rushed forward, each with gnarled hands gripping blasters. At their head was the thug Eira had confronted.
 
Massive arms wrapped around the woman, who, by all accounts was not exactly tiny. Like a feather in the wind he plucked her up and with great force, simply moved her into the alleyway. The surprise of the situation caused her to hopelessly resist an attempt to escape his grasp, a series of small grunts and groans accompanying her wiggling. When finally he set her down and pointed towards the converging gang members the dark haired Miraluka recognized the one leading the hunt. Him. Her nose scrunched in disgust. Extortionist.

The discussion of how they would get off world would have to wait, now that they had a more pressing matter to tend to. Evading thugs.

"Great." She whispered to Val.

Ha̟̘̹̥͙̱ͅr̗̰m h͍̦̟̩i͚̻̠̯m̜.̖̭̜͚͈͙ ̮D̟̺o̜ ̗̠͔̳i̬̝͍̥̤ͅṭ!̥͇͓ͅ ̜̻̹͉͉̝̪Do͓̙͎ ̭̞̦̘i̦̩̘̖̘ͅt͖͔̣! ̪͔͍̼͉̘̼B͓̤̲o̮̗̭̫̬̹̙r͚̞r͉͕͇o̜̥ͅw̭̤ ͉̪͈m̭͈̻̦y̙̠͍ ̱̗p͉̮̫̦͇̖o͕̫̥͍̜̰̳w͔͓e̙͈̳̬̠̘̹r͓̹̹͔̮!͈̖̘̤̜
The corners of Eira's cheeks would pull as she wrestled against her inner voices. To others it might look as if she were somehow in pain. Yet as she withdrew into herself her hand lifted, a fist-like gesture closing outwards as the small group passed. Suddenly the man stopped, clutching at his throat as if he had somehow just been submerged in water, unable to breathe. He grasped and grasped as those around him attempted to tend his ghastly emergency. Eira lingered for what was almost twenty seconds in hallowed silence until finally her hand released and the man fell, gasping.

Quietly she turned, speaking to Val as she made her way towards the opposite end of the alley. "We need to go."

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]
 
[member="Eira Sjona"]

The force.

Val hadn't encountered it many times in his life, surprisingly few in fact, though a recent memory stuck within his mind. He felt a bit of bile rising in his throat, anger, but he didn't say anything. A scowl slowly slipped across his face for just a moment, remembering the Sith Lord that he had met. His eyes narrowed at the girl, watching as her fingers scrunched and the man just outside the alleyway began to flail slight. He took a step towards her, his hand reaching up to snatch away her palm when suddenly she ceased.

He watched as the man outside the alleyway fell to the ground with a muted thump, his chest rising as a breath of air filled with lungs. Val watched him for a moment, then slowly turned towards where the girl was heading. His blue and orange eyes settled on her for a moment, an odd sort of weariness growing inside of him.

The last time he'd dealt with a force user the exchange had not ended pleasantly, the scar across his chest being more than proof of that. Yet the time before that he had managed to save an entire settlement. Briefly Val found himself wondering where Taheera was, knowing that his Jedi friend was likely ranging across some distant planet saving someone. After a few more seconds of lingering Val stepped forward. The debt, or rather, his word had already been given.

He would help this woman, force user or not. "Head towards the edge of town."

Val said as his larger strides allowed him to catch up with her in no time.

"Towards their camp." At the very least he now had an idea of how they could get off this planet. The bandits, thugs, or whatever the hell they called themselves were now all looking for Eira, that meant they probably left their hideout alone. Perfect opportunity to do some thieving.
 
"Towards it?" She sounded rather critical of that decision judging by the tone of her whisper. "I just bought us some time with that distraction and you want to use it by going further into their territory?"

If she had eyes they would bulge and raise in complete confusion.

"Why?" Her voice chirped a bit higher than a whisper that time. "That seems unwise."

If he was hoping to steal a ship Eira could think of no worse place than the heart of the gangs territory. They couldn't possibly be so foolish to leave whatever it was they had there entirely unguarded. She also wasn't some masterful Jedi or anything that she could wave around great powers in the Force at a whim. Her studies and understanding of the Force were vast, yet her application of most abilities found commonly in both Sith and Jedi lacked any sort of refinement. Her people weren't often found as warriors or titled as Sith or Jedi.

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]
 

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