Ask Back to Fiana

[S’kenji]

If there was something that S’kenji hated was the times when he was forced to stay for a long time on his homeworld. Since he had received his mother’s ship and visited other planets, the Acolyte had come to despise the lack of technology of his planet. He couldn’t believe how his people could be happy living like primitives.

Normally, he would be piloting his mother ship, using the fact that he had offworld clients interested in his clothes to stay away from his homeworld. Unfortunately, his ship malfunctioned, leaving him incapable of traveling out Fiana.

Now he was visiting the tiny spaceport of Teakroof, hunting for someone that could fix his ship. S'kenji really hoped that someone there would be capable of helping him, but so far the mechanics that he saw couldn’t do anything. The worst part was that he needed to maintain his facade of a good boy, since everyone and their mother knew his family.

With a loud sigh, the Fiani continued to move around the spaceport, hunting for a competent mechanic. The Acolyte was nearly sure that he would need to call someone from another planet to give it a look.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

— Image

Location: Fiana, Teakroof Spaceport

___Sleek couldn't remember the last time she had gone to Fiana. She had been on Nar Shaddaa for so long, content to live her newfound life with her shop, that she never considered returning to see her father or the mechanics she grew up alongside. So, after much deliberation, Sleek chose to close shop for the week and go home to see familiar faces.

___She had spent the day with her father, drinking tea, eating fresh food, and catching him up on the events of her life since she left for Nar Shaddaa. Their discussions were amiable, and the time together was uplifting, instilling a newfound sense of resolve and confidence that she was doing the right thing. He had always been nothing short of supportive in every endeavour she tackled, and all her years away had done nothing to weaken that resolve.

___Once she finished visiting her father, Sleek went to the spaceport to catch up with the mechanics she learned from and show them how her skills had developed while she was away. It didn't take long for her to fall back into the routine of helping, causing her to spend the better half of the day assisting in repairs and maintenance and teaching them things they didn't know.

___"Hey, Kachi, bring me some inertial dampeners! If we en't get these ruttin' things replaced, someone's gonna get corpsified real soon 'cause-a the sheer G-force bein' caused by these sublight engines durin' takeoff!" she declared, stepping out from behind an open maintenance panel blocking her from view. Sleek dusted off her palms, looking around the hangar. "I'll show ya how t'replace 'em better, too! En't nothin' wrong with how y'do it, but my way's faster, promise."

@LouJoVi

 

[S’kenji]

S’kenji was already giving up finding someone that could help him when he heard voices coming from a hangar. Curious, he peeked inside and saw a female Fiani giving orders to mechanics. He didn’t see her early and wondered if she could help him. The woman seemed to know what she was doing, even teaching those around her. Perhaps he finally found someone useful.

The young Fiani entered the hangar, walking toward the woman. “Hello! Do you work here?” he asked, while getting close to her. “My name is S’kenji and I have a ship that isn’t working well.” his smiled friendly at her, while he was studying her. From the little that he heard her saying, the Acolyte noticed that she knew many things about ships.

He couldn’t avoid thinking how strange it was to see a Fiani with that much knowledge. All the mechanics that he talked with today could only do the basics about fixing ships, being more competent in working with the primitive mechanisms that his people still used, even if the Galaxy abandoned those thousand years ago. All of them being useless.

This woman was an exception. Perhaps she would be able to fix whatever problem his ship had and then S’kenji would once again be able to leave the planet and seek the freedom of the stars.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Sleek looked over at S'Kenji as he entered the hangar and addressed her. She sighed.

___"Nah, just pretendin' I work here fer a laugh. I got everyone convinced," Sleek replied, taking a rag out of one of the pouches on her waist to clean off her hands. "I actually en't work here, just visitin' from Nar Shaddaa t'catch up with friends and hel out," she chuckled, shaking her head. Once her hands were clean, she draped the rag over her shoulder. "Well, I s'pose ya en't know what's wrong, eh? Y'need someone t'take a look'n figure it out," Sleek said, her talk being interrupted by a male Fiani calling out to her.

___"Yeah, just set it down! I got a kid here what needs help with his bird," she called out to him. "While I'm helpin' 'im, go run a diagnostic on the hyperdrive. Should be back by the time y'get that sorted," Sleek finished. She looked back at S'Kenji. "Y'can call me Sleek. Lead the way, kid, lemme see what y'got goin' on."

@LouJoVi

 

[S’kenji]

S’kenji watched the woman stop what she was and turn to talk with him. He was surprised with the revelation that she lived in Nar Shaddaa, being the first Fiani that the Acolyte knew that lived outside of their homeworld. It was indeed a surprise, since few of the individuals of his species were interested in leaving the planet.

Or at least it was what he thought, since he never met a Fiani living outside their homeworld.

“Yes, I don’t know much about fixing ships.” the Acolyte said to her. There was only some months since he had received the vessel, this way S’kenji was still getting used to it. He had learned how to pilot, but dealing with the mechanic part of it was still new. He preferred to seek a professional rather than meddling with it and causing more problems.

After all, the ship was his only way of getting away from his family.

He couldn’t say much more because a male Fiani approached the woman, asking something about the ship that was fixing early. This conversation made S’kenji realize that really needed to learn more about mechanics, because he barely could understand what was being said by them.

Once she finished, S’kenji could continue to talk with her. “My ship is in a hangar. Come, I’ll show it to you, Ms. Sleek.” he obviously knew that it was a nickname, but the Acolyte wanted to maintain his facade of politeness. If she followed him, the young Sith would walk with her to where his vessel was.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"Miss? Please, kid, y'can just call me Sleek. Call me Iko if y'want, but ya en't gotta call me 'miss.' I'm feelin' old enough as it is," Sleek scoffed, the end of her sentence punctuated by a chuckle. She followed S'Kenji as she led him towards the hangar his ship was in, looking up at the starship as it came into view. Sleek pursed her lips and nodded.

___"A YT-2100, huh?" she asked aloud. "Well, that already points me t'the engines. Y'fly a bird like this without handlin' the engines correctly, they get mighty temperamental," Sleek theorised. The woman picked up her pace to walk past S'Kenji and closer to the ship, semi-circling it as she spoke. "Would help t'know what kinda problems y'been havin' with it so's I can narrow it down a bit more. Can't get her in the air? Gun problems? Navigation issues?"

___Sleek turned to face S'Kenji again, waiting for him to elaborate on his problems to allow her to diagnose and solve the issues faster.

@LouJoVi

 

[S’kenji]

”Okay, Sleek.” S’kenji said, while smiling at her. Since the woman wanted something less formal, the Acolyte decided to call her by the nickname. “You don’t seem to be too old.” he gave her a friendly smile, while thinking that the other Fiani couldn’t be much older than him.

When they arrived at the hangar, S’kenji showed his ship to Sleek. While his mother owned it several years ago, the vessel was still in perfect state when the Acolyte received it. Only recently it started to have problems in flying, then two weeks ago it stopped flying completely.

The Acolyte simply nodded while Sleek talked about how a YT-2100 was temperamental. He had no idea how a ship could have temperament, so he decided to agree with the specialist. “See, it started having problems flying. First it started to get slow and took too long to leave the ground. Some days ago it stopped completely.” he explained, while walking with her toward the engines. “Do you think that there is a way to fix it? I need it to deliver the clothes that I make.” and to do his Sith business, but the woman didn’t need to know it.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___As S'Kenji elaborated on his problem, Sleek grunted in response.

___"Yep, sounds like an engine problem," she said. "These YT-series ships're great, but C.E.C started makin' 'em afore they worked out all-a the problems 'cause some corpo spy leaked their designs," Sleek continued, planting her hands on her hips. "They rushed production without testin' the design, and the engine's one-a the things what ended up bein' tetchy."

___As she finished her explanation, Sleek walked around to the back of the ship, eyeballing the engines. Her brow furrowed, S'Kenji's question going momentarily unanswered.

___"I can fix it," she finally answered. "If I had t'take a guess, engine failure in ion thrusters tends t'be 'cause material got eroded from the accel grid, causin' it t'structurally fail," Sleek continued her theory. "I can go in and temporarily fix it up by restorin' structural integrity t'get ya where y'need t'go, but it en't gonna be a permanent solution. Yer gonna wanna take this bird somewhere t'get a new engine, kid. I'd do it here, but there en't a whole new ion engine just layin' 'round fer me t'install."

@LouJoVi

 

[S’kenji]

S’kenji tried to pay attention to what Sleek was saying, but he didn’t understand much of her talk about the technical problems of the ship being related to some corporate leaking. He should start reading more about mechanics, or he would start to look completely lost during such conversations.

What he could understand was the fact that she hadn’t answered his question about fixing the ship. The Fiani immediately took it as a bad omen, believing that there was no way of making the vessel fly again. If it was the case, all the freedom that he had during his life would disappear and he would become a prisoner in Fiana.

Rather than feeling relieved when Sleek said that she could fix it, S’kenji already expected a but coming. As she continued, his fears were confirmed. Fixing his mother’s ship wasn’t going to be easy as he previously thought. “Well, maybe you could show me where I can buy it? You could fix it, then we travel here to find the new engine. I have money.” well, it wasn’t a lot, but maybe it was enough to buy it.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Sleek didn't appear to be bothered by the absentminded staring from S'Kenji. She worked and talked with people who didn't have the technical knowledge she did all the time, so his blank stare was a drop in the ocean. Instead, the woman smiled with reassurance.

___"Yeah, I can show ya," she said. "Y'lucked out. I own a starship repair service on Nar Shaddaa. I'm sure I got an ion engine what'll fit yer bird," Sleek answered confidently. The woman turned as if to address somebody, only to remember she didn't have her droid. Sleek clicked her tongue and sighed, striding over to a cart with assorted tools on top of it. She grabbed the handle and wheeled it closer to the ship.

___"When y'say y'got creds, kid, how much're y'talkin'?" Sleek asked. "No, I en't tryin'-a scalp ya, neither. People tend t'have dif'rent ideas-a what's considered a lotta creds and how much things're gonna cost 'em. I wanna make sure we're on the same page afore I send y'all the way t'Nar Shaddaa fer somethin' y'might not be able t'afford," she elaborated, picking up an arc welder off the cart before strapping her goggles over her eyes. "These repairs're free, by the way. I en't gonna charge ya fer these, but that ion engine's a dif'rent story."

@LouJoVi

 

[S’kenji]

”Then this is good.” S’kenji said when Sleek told that she owned a starship repair service. It would explain why she knew so much about ships and how they worked. At first he thought that she was only a simple freelance mechanic. He would check if her establishment had a good evaluation in the HoloNet before finishing any business with her.

When she asked him about credits, the Acolyte became unsure of what he should say. S’kenji had some savings, but he wasn’t sure if it would be enough to buy a new ion engine. He wondered if she would allow him to pay in installments, if the money that he had wasn’t enough.

“I have 2,000 in my account right now, but I can make more until the end of the month. I have some clothes to make and sell that will give me more 1,000.” he said, trying to convince her that he could afford the engine. When she mentioned that this repair was going to be free, S’kenji felt relieved. “Thank you! Maybe you could go with me to that shop of yours after finishing here?”

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"A couple thousand, huh?" Sleek asked, inhaling through her teeth. "Yer normally payin' 'round ᖬ4,500 fer a new ion engine. Since this one en't new, I'd be willin' t'let it go fer that much. That said, I en't wanna take all-a yer creds, so I'll cut ya a good one-time deal fer ᖬ1,000," she continued as she plied her trade, sparks flying as the woman worked to restore the structural integrity of the engine. Sleek would occasionally reach inside with a gloved hand to set the pieces in their proper places.

___"Consider it a gesture-a good faith that maybe you'll remember me and come t'my shop fer yer future ship'n'droid repairs," Sleek added before she started welding again. "That aside, en't feel right t'take what last credits y'got left. I can tell y'want off this rock somethin' fierce, and I understand that feelin," the woman sympathised. She understood how it felt. She knew the feeling of wanting to find somewhere else to go and do something else with your life than stay on Fiana. Many people were happy with their lot in life on the planet, but she wasn't.

___"How's that sound? Fair t'you?" Sleek asked. "Name-a the shop's Sleek's Shinies, by the way."

@LouJoVi

 

[S’kenji]

S’kenji felt relieved when Sleek said that the engine wasn’t going to cost all his savings. Before the ship broke, the Fiani had planned to spend it on other things. However, he would have given it all if the woman had asked. His way of leaving the planet was worth every credit.

“It’s perfect! Thank you! I’ll always visit your shop when I need a repair.” the Acolyte said, while smiling at her. He would also remember of leaving a good evaluation about her establishment in the HoloNet, she deserved it for being nice enough to sell him the engine by this value. However, S’kenji would also start saving money for a better piece in the future.

“Can we go to your store right now?” since she was already here, S’kenji thought that it could be a good opportunity for them to fix the ship at once. Besides, she could fix the ship if something happened while they were traveling. He didn’t want to have it stop while he was in the middle of space.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"En't no problem," Sleek answered as she completed the last adjustments on restoring the engine's integrity. Once finished, she pulled her goggles off her eyes to secure them on top of her head again. She put the arc welder on the cart and kicked it away with her foot, dusting off her hands. Her ears rose to a point at S'kenji's question, and Sleek chuckled with amusement.

___"I en't able t'leave right this second," she answered. "Y'gotta understand, I'm here on a kinda vacation. I en't slated t'leave fer a couple more days," Sleek explained her situation. "That said, I can add the coords-a my shop t'yer navicomputer so y'can find me real easy when y'got the chance. Yer engine'll hold up fine fer that long," she continued as her droid scurried over and jumped to land on her shoulder. Sleek turned to face S'kenji.

___"If yer willin' t'wait that long, I'll make sure yer first in line t'be serviced whenever y'show up. If anyone else is there, I'll tell 'em yer a priority customer and get y'squared away afore anyone else. Sound reasonable t'you?"

@LouJoVi

 

[S’kenji]

S’kenji watched Sleek finish the last repairs, mentally taking notes about what she was doing. He had decided to learn the basics of fixing a ship and watching what the woman was doing could be a good start. The Acolyte would later seek ways of practicing by himself, perhaps even visiting the spaceport more times.

He felt disappointed when Sleek said that she wouldn’t be able to go with him at the moment. The young Fiani had hoped that they would be able to solve all the problems of his ship at once. He also wondered how someone would like to spend vacations on a planet like Fiana. There was nothing interesting here.

“It’s a good plan.” S’kenji nodded, deciding that at least this way he would still have the new engine with a low price. “Can you send a message when you return to your shop? I’ll be away doing deliveries, so I’ll make a stop here before going back home.” the Acolyte really hoped that her visit in Fiana wouldn’t take a long time.

@Remileah