Ask Devaron - All Signs Point to Quesh

[Aska Ryun]

Theme​

In a small and primitive tavern, located on a trade route that linked Montellian Serat and Assarda, Devaronian farmers and villagers alike congregated inside. Spotted amongst them were interstellar travellers, mostly hunters searching for their next trophy kill to bring home to their Core World clubs, yet all mingled amongst one another. Tales were told, glasses clinked, tears wept by those unable to handle their liquor. Some travellers who sought to experience a night with the local population would spend their hard earned credits on both booze and rooms above. An average night in the village of Hulis, to say the least.

“Ay, then I told her ‘You ain’t never met a man like me!” a burly man laughed as he drew in a crowd at the bar. A select few of the other patrons bit to his tall tale, leaning in with laughter and questions. Others simply rolled their eyes, cocked an eyebrow and proceeded to drink their beverages.

“Sure, sure. You sound like every Chadwick that comes through here, pal,” the Devaronian bartender replied as he wiped down a glass. “Big and strong and full of steel… Until shit hits the fan and you’ll cower like the rest of ‘em,” This comment, the boastful brute did not abide. Shooting upward from his stool like a roided rancor, he slammed the counter with both hands. The sound echoed through the bar but a few of the more astute noticed that it was in parallel with the sound of something being dropped on the floor above.

“Boy, I’ve seen more broken bones and shattered skulls than you’ve seen tits!” the man bellowed, spawning a snicker from a nearby elderly Devaronian man.

“That ain’t sayin much,” he chuckled in unison with the cheerful crowd as they jested their local barkeep, un-phased by the toxic masculinity of the traveler. “Just sit down, lad. Ain’t no one here gonna pick a fight with ya so lose the attitude,” Instead, the man turned and faced the senior and pointed a thick finger in his direction.

“Best believe it, old man! It would take an act of fate to put me on my ass! An asteroid falling from the sky! A-”

As he spoke, a second and much louder impact was heard from the ceiling that silenced the entire bar. As everyone glanced up to the ceiling, the old and rotting timbers that served as trusses began to crack loudly before finally giving way. Two beings fell from the sky and landed directly atop the ogre of a man. One, a wiry young Devaronian being strangled by a young woman in a leather jacket.

”That…. Hurt…” Aska groaned as she held her target between her bicep and forearm. It seemed that the descent not only silenced the blowhard beneath her but had also sapped any fight that remained in the Devaronian.

“Alright! Alright! I’ll tell you where he is! Just… Let me go!” the man forced out between struggling breaths. Releasing the man from her grip and pushing him aside, the young clone stood above him as she worked on regaining her own wind, proceeding to look up through the hole she had created, willfully ignorant of the shocked and prying eyes of the bar patrons.

”Alright Ali!” she huffed. ”Get down here! He’s decided to cooperate!” Reaching into her pocket, Aska tossed a handful of credits on the counter without acknowledging anyone as she grabbed the man by his collar and began to guide him into the dark street. ”Sorry for the mess,”

@Bex @Nor'baal @Taz​

 

[Alisaah Tila]

When Aska shouted back upstairs, anybody in the tavern below would have been able to see the green eyes and red face of a female Togruta, looking down at everyone with a panicked expression. How her mistress had managed to cause property damage this time she had no idea. They had come to the tavern to find the Devaronian - a man named Jimmekh. Ali had believed they would simply talk with him and acquire the information they needed, but as tended to be the case when traveling with her mistress, things were not quite that easy. The Devarionian had not wanted to talk to them so things got rough quite quickly. He had tried to run from them but the clone had given chase, leaped on him with her arms wrapped around his neck and on hitting the floor, fell through it. The only explanation could have been that the floor was old, possibly even rotting away, because there was no way they landed with enough force to knock through a floor in good condition.

"H-how did that happen?" squeaked Ali, realising that not only had her mistress caused considerable damage to the tavern, but now everybody was looking at them, "I'll be right down..."

The frightened Torguta then disappeared from view, only to reappear moments later, coming down the stairs like any normal, civilised person might do. The patrons of the establishment near her turned and stared at her, which made the slave feel uncomfortable, but most of them were still stunned by the human woman that had just caved in their favourite drinking spot. Ali came running up to Jimmekh and her mistress who by now were making their exit onto the street outside.

"Are you okay, m--" the Togruta began to ask, before stopping herself. She was about to call Aska "mistress" again but had been told before that on Republic and FWA worlds it could land the clone in big trouble. Instead she busied herself with trying to brush off Aska's coat that was now covered in dust and splinters. Ali paid no mind to Jimmekh, who looked very annoyed with the woman that had just RKOed him through a ceiling.

@Nor'baal @Taz @Tulos

 

[Yannik Btar]

IT WAS RARE for Yarrik to make stops over on worlds he had recently concluded work on. Normally he was on to the next job as soon as possible, however, work had slowed from a flow to a trickle of late, and so here he found himself, sat in a dark corner of an equally as dark bar, on some world he cared very little for. He was scrolling through the holonet on his datapad, nursing a drink, and otherwise, minding his own business. He had his rifle on the table, and his pistol at his hip - this sort of joint being the sort of place that didn't much care for security.

And that was certainly made even clearer when a tussling pair fell through the roof, and onto a surly bunch of so-and-so's at the bar.

And to think I could have missed that, Yarrik chuckled to himself, seeing a silver lining to not having his workload full. His right hand dropped to his pistol, just in case things heated up, but, for the timebeing, he sat and watched.

 

[Covax]

Covax had stopped in this tiny tavern to get a drink and perhaps even a job to pay for the fuel he had just burned off doing a job for a Sith noble of all people. The music wasn't great, the people were little better, but the rum. The sever droid had just left him his second jogan fruit rum and coke. Covax took up the glass and started to drink as he turned toward the crowd at the table and leaned on the bar.

The human merc turned just in time for the sealing to burst open. The people at the table mostly scattered, save for the loud mouth, who was nice enough to absorb most of the human woman's fall. Covax took another drink from his glass, enjoying the sudden change in the environment. Glancing upward to the hole above as the woman on the ground yelled to someone above.

Glancing around the room however, the merc was getting the feeling that the locals were not enjoying the show as much. Several thuggish looking men were starting to move toward the woman on the table, and from across the room, a Gamorrean...bouncer. It was hard to tell.

Covax finished his drink and placed it on the bar. Following the pair out the bar as the Togruta also appeared. "She looks great." He replied to Ali helping to shove the ladies out the door and into the side street.

@Tulos @Bex @Nor'baal

 

[Aska Ryun]

Throwing Jimmekh out into the street, Aska looked over her shoulder to acknowledge her Togrutan companion with a smile. Falling through a floor wasn’t exactly something she would consider a good time but it would make for a good story regardless. Behind Ali, however, a new face had elected to join them as he ushered them from the bar and prevented her from answering the girl. She wasn’t surprised that her presence was likely to no longer be welcome after her ‘incident’ but you didn’t get far in the Outer Rim by simply letting a stranger remain in a position to sink a knife between your ribs.

”And just who the hell are you?” Aska directed her question at the man (@ ) as they all joined the still recovering Devaronian outside. It didn’t really matter to her who this man was or who he believed himself to be; she wasn’t going to simply question Jimmekh in front of some random thug.

Of course, this was when the Gammorean appeared in the doorway. His gargantuan size dominated the opening and as he reached in beside the door frame for a massive club, he was soon joined by a collection of Devaronian patrons. None of them looked exactly pleased.

“And where do ya think you’re takin’ Jimmi, girl?” one of the man asked from behind the bouncer, his bravery clearly elevated with not only the muscle at their disposal but their two to one advantage in numbers. “You can’t just waltz in here, destroy our tavern and then expect to walk on out with one of our own,” he growled, accompanied by a series of oinking sounds that Aska could not understand.

”Why can’t things just be easy for a change?” Aska spoke aloud though to no one in particular as her hand settled on the butt of her SE-45, a look of exhausted frustration displayed across her face. Even if this newcomer turned out to be a friend rather than a foe, things did not look to be in their favor...

@Bex @Nor'baal @Taz

 

[Alisaah Tila]

It appeared that they had been followed outside. First of all a large bearded man (@Taz) appeared next to them, rushing them out of the tavern and interfering with Ali's attempts to brush her mistress' jacket off. Quite understandably, Aska demanded to know who this stranger was. The two women had arrived on Devaron alone. They had intended to find Jimmekh, ask him their questions and be on their way. They did not need any additional trouble, but before the stranger had a chance to answer, more trouble showed up.

A Gammorean, flanked by various Devaronian patrons from the tavern, spilled out of the doorway and demanded to know what they were doing. They also took umbrage with the fact that Aska had just smashed a hole in the ceiling of their favourite drinking establishment. Ali could understand why they were upset, but her green eyes saw her mistress reaching for her blaster already. The Togruta was still not keen on resorting to violence, so attempted to reason with the mob gathering in the doorway.

"We... we only wanted to ask Mr. Jimmekh some questions, sir" she said politely, "And we're really sorry about your ceiling. There should be enough credits on the counter to get it fixed up good as new." Alisaah always had an endearing way of talking to people, regardless of who they were, but unfortunately in this instance, her charm had no effect. The Gammorean had already gone for his club and a number of the Devaronian's produced blasters.

"Be quiet girlie! You two are gonna pay for this with more than just credits. You won't be showing your faces here again, or anywhere for that matter!" shouted one of the Devaronians who proceeded to aim his blaster at Aska. The other armed tavern patrons aimed their weapons at Ali, Aska and the stranger, who Ali thought by now must be regretting his decision to follow after them. The Togruta gulped, fearing that this would happen. She really did not want to get violent, but she had learned by now that she at least needed to be able to defend herself and her mistress, so she timidly went for the blaster clipped to the back of her shorts, pulling it up in front of her, but looking quite awkward doing it.

@Nor'baal @Taz @Tulos

 

[Covax]

The former Free World soldier continued to shove the ladies through the door, despite the protesting. Not exactly harshly but with an amount of force that implied he had the physical ability to toss one or both of them if he really wanted to. He really couldn't explain why in the verse he was helping them rather then watch from the sidelines, but here he was.

"Apparently the dumb ass saving your hides" Covax replied to the apparent human (@Tulos ).

He turned to face the Togruta now. A look of complete confusion on his face as the female appeared to be pleading or perhaps apologizing to the growing number of thugs that were about to burst through the doorway. "Are you really..." He thought to argue with her but could see her sudden look of regret as she gulped.

"Fuck!"

Quickly taking out a thermal detonator from a pouch on his belt, armed it and tossed it at the feet of the over sized pigman. "Down", he shouted at Aska. Then shoved Ali out of the doorway and downward, covering her body with his own as the explosive went off. Vaporizing just about everything within ten meters of the Gammorean.

@Tulos @Bex @Nor'baal

 

[Aska Ryun]

Innocent Alisaah always had a way of making the clone chuckle. As she attempted to soothe the angry mob, Aska smirked as her hand remained tightly wrapped around the blaster on her hip, her thumb moving to flick the switch that would take the SE-45 from a lethal charge to it’s stun setting. She had no intention on hurting anyone that didn’t need to be hurt and while she knew all too well that Ali’s efforts would be in vain, it wasn’t as though she expected anything less from the near pacifist Togrutan. As one of the Devaronian’s began to spit venom in their direction, the clone leaned towards her partner and whispered in her ear.

”You ever gonna learn to shoot first and ask questions later, kid?” Aska joked. She knew all too well that her friend would rather settle things with words than violence but the life of a mercenary is one of constant battle. A lesson she would learn in time? Or perhaps there was something here that Aska could learn from Ali? Regardless, it seemed fate had decided for them as a Devaronian man interjected and made their intent clear.

As the crowd began to surge forward and out into the street, Aska pulled her blaster from it’s holster and aimed it at Gammorean when all hell froze over. As Covax pulled the thermal detonator from his satchel, the steely glare of determination vanished instantaneously to be replaced by dread.

”No! Wait!” she yelled but as the grenade left his fingers, she knew the only option she had left was to duck. Turning on her heels and leaping at Jimmehk, pinning him to the ground and earning a second round of complaints from their prisoner, Aska covered the back of her head as the detonation rang out. Turning herself to see the damage, her frustration grew.

”Whoever the hell you are, you’re a fucking moron!” Aska barked as she scrambled to her feet, Jimmehk’s collar in her free hand. Civilians that had still been in the streets late at night began to rush home in a panic as their screams rang out across the forest. ”You just murdered a dozen civilians in Republic space!” Had they been almost anywhere else, she would have admired and appreciated his aide but this was not the place. Fortunately, the primitive village had little in the way of surveillance and they may yet manage to escape without being identified as anyone who had seen their faces were more than likely dead (Except @Nor'baal of course)

”Ali, we need to get the hell out of here,” Aska continued to growl before pointing at Covax with her blaster, albeit with no intent to shoot nor threaten the man. ”You should too. I know you were trying to help so stick close and we’ll make sure we all get somewhere safe,” As she turned to push Jimmehk into the dark woods, she turned back to Covax one last time. ”And for the love of… Please don’t kill anyone else, okay? Not unless we actually need too?” she added before hurrying herself and her captive away from the flaming remains of the tavern.

Spoiler

Norbs has made mention of internet issues keeping him from posting until monday. Lets just move along until then and we can catch him up when he's back online.

@Bex @Taz

 

[Alisaah Tila]

The Togruta nervously held her blaster. She very much did not want to have to use it, even if her mistress was going to tease her for it, but then something happened that she wanted to see even less. The large stranger who had followed them outside produced a thermal detonator - something she was now familiar with herself, having used some in the lab on Coruscant - and just tossed it among the gathering mob of locals. There was a loud bang which obliterated the doorway and part of the front wall. The bomb disintegrated the Gammorean, the group of angry Devaronians and would likely have wiped out others inside the drinking establishment if they had been situated too close to the door at the time.

Ali had screamed in horror, watching the detonator fly through the air towards the locals, but it was cut short when the hulking figure of the stranger collided with her. The man tackled her to the ground as the explosion had gone off and she found herself pinned beneath him. He was very heavy. When the chaos had subsided, Aska had told the Togruta they needed to leave, already manhandling Jimmekh towards the trees. The problem was, she couldn't leave if this strange man was still on top of her.

"E-excuse me... please can you get off me? I need to leave" she asked timidly. The Togruta was actually very scared of this man, but since he was right there, she thought it best not to antagonise him in case he decided to vaporise her too, "I don't want any trouble, I just want to get out of here. This is bad... really bad..."

@Taz @Tulos @Nor'baal

 

[Covax]

Heat and smoke washed over him as the blast wave past. He pushed up on his arms and got his knees under him as he sat up and took stock. Covax had a slight ringing in his ears as he looked at the remains of the door and the mob. Chard ash and a gaping hole in the wall were all that really remained. "Poodoo", he said aloud. He knew the grenade was a bit excessive for a bar fight. But he also knew the mob wasn't concerned with killing any more then he was.

It was him or them, like it always was. Like the long bloody nights on Nar Shaddaa. His mind almost drifted there again, but was quickly pulled back to the here and now. The human screaming at him in anger and frustration, and why wouldn't she. "You pissed them off, I just did what I had to." He replied to the human woman. "Murder is a bit harsh. They raised there weapons first," he continued. It was a stretch either way, but she was not wrong. This was the edge of republic space and not the rim. If a Ranger worth there badge got wind of this he could possibly do time, or worse.

At that point both Covax and the human woman seemed to both realize that the Togruta was still halfway under him. "Oh...are you ok?" He asked as she she told him to get off. He got to his feet and was about to reach down to give the other female a hand when Aska pointed the pistol at him. His natural reaction was to move his own hand to the hand cannon on his left him. He didn't want to pull it though, and even if he did she had him. Suddenly confused now as she offered him to come along. "In for a credit..in for a pound I guess." he said she turned toward the woods.

Once again he reached his gun hand down to Ali. "Well all I wanted was a drink," he replied to her comment about not wanting trouble, then took her hand and helped her to her feet. He looked back at the carnage he caused once again before starting to follow his new companions. "Really bad..."

@Tulos @Bex @Nor'baal

 

[Yannik Btar]

Pushing his table over, Yannik moved quickly to shelter behind it, scooping his rifle up as he did. Waiting for the heat to die away, he rose from behind the table, rifle in hand, and slid his helmet into place. The large human who had thrown the grenade was defending his actions, and Yannick did have to admit, he didn't really see what he had done wrong. Sure, it was a bit much, but they had tried to kill him first.

The young Togruta, however, seemed a little more focused on getting out of here. And given that 'here' was currently a bombed shell, soon to be swarming with law enforcement, Yannik decided to help.

"You know how to make an entrance." he laughed at the heavy-set grenade thrower "And given my record, when the Rangers turn up, they'll probably just start shooting anyway, so thanks..." he sighed "....guess your problems, just became my problems." he walked toward the Togruta, and offered a hand.

"Get up. Where's your ship?"

 

[Aska Ryun]

Ushering their captive towards the tree-line, Aska looked back over her shoulder to see a second newcomer had appeared. A Mandalorian? Here of all places? Maybe there were more in the galaxy than she had been led to believe since she had earned her freedom. Regardless, the clone wasn’t eager to remain here any longer. She had come here for one purpose and until that was achieved, she wasn’t leaving.

”My ship is a distance away to the west. Safe. Secluded. And it’s staying there until I’ve gotten what I came for,” Aska hissed through clenched teeth as she shoved Jimmehk into the dark forest.

”Kurrsk isn’t a fan of random visitors, y’know! He’s not gonna be happy if you just show up at his camp and start asking questions!” the Devaronian stammered as he was guided further away from his village. Aska didn’t care what he had to say. She knew that Trandoshan was a friend of Klied’s and that was plenty good enough for her.

However, now there were two new faces who had not only brought down on them potential legal issues but had also interfered in the plans of Aska and Ali. She couldn’t simply send them on their way; they were witness to her essentially kidnapping a villager and could easily offer her and the Togrutan’s descriptions to the law enforcement when it arrived. That left her with two options. Dispose of them… Or bring them along. And who was to say they could be trusted? Until she was sure, she would hold off on prying for Kurrsk’s location.

Finally a safe distance away, the village no longer in view nor the sounds of screaming villagers in mourning to be heard, Aska pushed Jimmehk to the ground harshly and pointed her SE-45 at him as he shivered from the cold. Starting a fire, however, was likely not a good idea. Turning to Ali and the two men who had followed, Aska sat down on a fallen log and pulled a much needed cigarra from her jacket. Lighting it and hiding the burning embers by keeping the smoke inside her enclosed palm, she blew the smoke into the air with a questioning eye.

”You shit stains gonna give us some names? Or should I call you Streakmark One and Two?”

@Bex @Taz @Nor'baal​

 

[Alisaah Tila]

The Togruta tentatively accepted the help of both strangers to get back to her feet, grabbing a hand each. When she was standing again she started to brush herself off and clipped her blaster back onto her shorts. The second stranger was wearing full armor. It was Mandalorian, though Ali still did not know who or what Mandalorians were. The only previous time she had seen this kind of armor, was when she had watched Poffo's Hutt Ball game. Two of the players on the opposite team had been wearing a set and the Togruta had thought they looked cool. Not being able to see this newcomer's face was unnerving however, and Ali became increasingly conscious that her mistress and Jimmekh were leaving her with two strange men and she needed to follow them or else she'd be left behind.

The Togruta squeaked and simply ran after her mistress without another word. She was frightened, especially by the large man that had just blown up a group of bar patrons with a grenade, but the two strangers followed along behind anyway. Aska had some back and forth with the man in the armor regarding the location of their ship, but the slave and her owner had come to Devaron to find someone. They couldn't just leave now because a stranger had created a problem. Jimmekh also started piping up, telling them all that Kurrsk, the Trandoshan they had come to find, would not be happy with them if they showed up to his camp unannounced. He'd no doubt like it even less if they started bringing vandals and murderers to his camp with them.

When they reached a clearing, Aska had sat down on a log after shoving the Devaronian to the floor and brandishing her blaster at him. The clone had taken out a cigarra with her spare hand and started smoking it. The Togruta dutifully came and sat down next to her mistress, keeping her company whilst she waited to see whether Jimmekh would answer the clone's questions about Kurrsk or not.

@Nor'baal @Taz @Tulos

 

[Covax]

Covax glanced over his shoulder to see the Mando reaching down to Ali as he spoke to the group. In truth he didn't really know what to think of him. Having only met one during his time as a soldier, his experience with the metal heads was limited at best. As Ali to her feet he watched her dust off. Suddenly realizing how oddly dressed she was for a bounty hunter ?

The question of ships suddenly made the towering merc realize his was in a clearing to the north. He was even more thankful he decided not to put it in port now that he'd blown up a bar. Ali's squealing snapped his attention once again, and he watched as she darted for Aska. "You're welcome," he muttered under his breath.

Giving a sigh he then followed the pair of females for a time. He understood that the bar explosion was a problem but lugging this dude out for miles was a bit much. When they finally came to a spot the 'human' female was happy with, they stopped. Covax looked around to size up the area, an old habit from his military days. He quickly turned to Aska as she decided it was time to get acquainted.

"Cute. But fuck you. If you two amateurs didn't shit the bed bring the house down, maybe I wouldn't of had to blow it up to save your asses." He growled toward Aska after calling him a shit stain, "And for the record, if I wouldn't had flag bags on me I would have used them first." He leaned down to he was face to face with the human. "Covax, you can call me Covax."[/abox]

@Tulos @Bex @Nor'baal

 

[Yannik Btar]

”Kurrsk isn’t a fan of random visitors, y’know! He’s not gonna be happy if you just show up at his camp and start asking questions!” Yannick rolled his eyes behind his helment. So it begins. he thought - always the same, the shit hits the fan and the criminals start the grovelling.

”You shit stains gonna give us some names? Or should I call you Streakmark One and Two?” the more boisterous of his newfound compatriots sniped, and as he went to reply, he fell silent - 'Streakmark Two' got there first.

"Cute. But fuck you. If you two amateurs didn't shit the bed bring the house down, maybe I wouldn't of had to blow it up to save your asses." Yannick nodded along as the other man spoke, signalling his agreement. He waited for the man to finish before responding himself "Yannick." he said in a clipped manner, bringing up the rear, weapon in hand.

 

[Aska Ryun]

The man known as Covax had earned a smirk from Aska as she leaned backwards on the log to get away from the smell of the man's breath, keeping her blaster trained on the increasingly shifty Devaronian before her. If there was one thing about the grenade happy thug, he had guts. She could respect that.

”Well Covax… Yannik,” Aska turned to face the Mandalorian, clearly the more quiet and reserved of the two. From experience, it was the quiet ones that had a tendency to be more dangerous than anyone would expect. Of course, being Mandalorian was another dead give away of that. ”It seems perhaps we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot,” Pointing to another downed log across from her and Ali, Jimmehk situated between the four of them, the clone proceeded to take a draw from her cigarra as she waited for them to sit. Or not, it didn’t matter. While they were both clearly armed and wild, Covax had at least stepped in to their aid. She didn’t believe they would turn around and try to waste them in the woods now. Not after burning at least half a dozen farmers.

”My name is Aska. This-” Nodding to the Togrutan at her side, Aska kept her eyes on the two men. ”-is my friend Alisaah. And this whimpering sack of bantha shit is Jimmehk,” the woman smirked as she jabbed the captive in his ribs with the toe of her boot.

”I’ll admit, destroying the bar was a bit… much,” The smug look never faded as she recalled the memory. ”But Jimmie here has a tidbit of info I need that stands to make me a lot of money,” It was then that the Devaronian finally spoke up once more as he rubbed his side.

“This forest will eat you sleemos up and spit you back out before you even reach the ridge! Trust me! You’re better off leaving these two bitches to die out here!” he raged, though a tone of pleading was evident. Clearly he hoped that they might find pity for him and return him to his village. Aska simply huffed before placing her boot into his side once again.

”As much as I hate to admit it, he’s probably right. Lots of shit out here that goes bump in the night. You’re clearly not afraid of getting your hands bloody so I have a proposition… If you wanna make some credits to take back home, that is,” She didn’t trust them, of course not, but an extra blaster or two when traversing unknown territory couldn’t hurt. And who knows, maybe they’d prove beneficial going forward.

@Bex @Nor'baal @Taz​

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Ali shifted uncomfortably in her seat on the log as Covax marched over and stared her mistress right in the face whilst swearing his head off. The Togruta was used to Aska swearing but she herself tried never to do it. She was not an aggressive person, but the impression she got from Covax was that he very much was an aggressive man. Not only could he curse enough to compete with Aska, but he'd already blown up a group of people at a moments notice. Ali did not want to get on his bad side, and even though the man was staring and growling at Aska, rather than her, the Togruta clutched onto her mistress' arm. "Please don't shout, we aren't here to fight anyone... we just wanted to speak to Mr. Jimmekh..." she said timidly to Covax.

Her green eyes drifted away from Covax towards the mysterious man named Yannick. He barely said a word compared to Covax and the fact that his face was obscured by his armour was even more unnerving. At least with Covax you had a good idea of where you stood with him, but Yannick could be thinking anything and you would have no idea. Ali was unsure whether they should be trusting either of these two strangers and hoped Aska knew what she was doing.

@Taz @Nor'baal @Tulos

 

[Covax]

Covax was still glaring at Aska, visibly still irritated by her comment. However he was quickly puzzled by her smirk. His jaw then cocked with a different kind of irritation, as he now assumed that the comment was now nothing but a test. As she cocked back and wiggled her nose he glared again before rolling his eyes.

The merc's attention would suddenly shift to Ali as she felt the need to add her feelings to the situation. There was something to this little partnership between the two females. Everything about the Togrutan told the former soldier that she was a slave, or at least once was. But what did that did that make Aska?

When Aska spoke up to give herself and Ali a proper introduction the merc gave a snort laugh. "Friend...hmm." He shot. Aska continued of course, seemingly ignoring the comment. While the horned thug decided to try to get on the merc's good side. Covax just gave a sigh, and then kicked the devaronian in the other side Aska wasn't already pressing on.

"Nothing out here I haven't seen or killed before. Aside from perhaps a force user. Besides, from what I've seen you could use the help. I'm not even sure Ali here knows which side of that blaster to hold and which one to point."

@Tulos @Bex @Nor'baal

 

[Aska Ryun]

Aska ignored the passive aggressive deflection to her introduction of Ali. The Togrutan had not yet learned the truth of her servitude and until she was sure that the girl was prepared to accept that she was, in fact, a free woman… Well, Aska would let her live in her naivety for a while longer. She worked better with a clear mind and while she had learned a lot in the last few weeks, she was still a long way off from being a true merc. She needed Ali’s mind in the here and now.

As Covax delivered his own swift kick to Jimmehk’s ribs, the clone let out a hearty laugh in response to his cries of pain. Poor Jimmie was not having his greatest day and it was only going to get worse. Pushing herself from the log, cigarra in her lip, Aska used her free hand to draw one of her vibrodaggers and leaned in to place it on the Devaronian’s throat.

”Guess you’re stuck with us, punk,” Aska smirked, pushing the edge deeper into his skin but not enough to start drawing blood. ”Kurrsk is a friend of a friend and he’s sent us to find him. Don’t much care if he likes his solitude. He has info we need and you’re gonna tell us how to find him,” Finally holstering her SE-45, Aska proceeded to grab Jimmehk by one of his horns and yanked his head to the ground, blade never leaving it’s position.

”Will you let me go if I tell you?! For the love of… Take the knife off me, you bitch!” he complained. For a worm, he had a bit of fight in him, she couldn’t deny.

”Pfft, obviously not gonna happen. What if you lie to us and we let you go on your merry way?” Aska responded.

”You’d just track me down again and I’ll be right back in this mess!”

”Seems like a waste of my time when I can just drag you along. Besides, if you’ve got some skin in the game then you’re likely to be honest with me,” Aska began pushing the blade a bit harder now, it’s edge biting through some of his skin and drawing a few drops of blood that warranted a yelp.

”Alright! Alright! He’s hunting along the ridge, due west! Probably about ten clicks from here! Helped him set up camp at the base of Mount Ligina! Just take the damn knife off me!”

Deciding to oblige, Aska stepped up and away from the Devaronian before looking to Ali and the stun cuffs she had clipped to her belt. She said nothing, however, hoping that the Togrutan would understand that Jimmehk needed to be restrained. It was a test of sorts to see if she could bring herself to restrain a mark, a free man, without being encouraged to do so. Aska was prepared to do so if Ali didn’t take the initiative but she needed the Togrutan to start acting independently if she was going to be a part of this life.

”We’ll leave at first light. Big and burly, you mind taking first watch?” Aska requested of Covax as she dropped her cigarra to the ground and stomping it out with her boot.

@Taz @Bex @Nor'baal​

 

[Alisaah Tila]

When Aska left her seated position on the log, and all too familiar scene began to unfold. The Devaronian, Jimmekh, was getting yanked and kicked around by her mistress and Covax. Then the clone pulled her knife to their informant's throat in a moment reminiscent of the time Aska had interrogated her creator, Doctor Ryun, aboard their ship. She had drawn blood from his neck then, and done so again now. The Togruta's green eyes widened and she bolted up from the log. "No! Stop hurting him please!" she begged her mistress upon seeing the droplets of blood dribbling down Jimmekh's neck. Ali then suddenly realised that she had just issued a command to her owner and her face went pale. "I-I-I... I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me..." she stammered, trying her very best not to use the term 'mistress' in front of Covax. Her hands began to tremble, hoping that Aska would be merciful and not punish her too badly for this insolence. This was not how a proper slave was meant to behave. Who was she to tell her mistress what she could and couldn't do to this man?

Her mistress seemingly relented but only after Jimmekh caved under the pressure. Despite her shame, Ali still felt very sorry for the Devaronian. He had only been going about his business before they had shown up and now he had a cut on his neck. The Togruta caught a glimpse of her mistress looking at her, though her gaze seemed to lay more towards her backside where the stun cuffs were laying against. Seemingly she wanted Ali to restrain Jimmekh so that he didn't run away, or potentially try to off them in their sleep. The Togruta approached him tentatively, first applying the cuffs as she believed was required, but then knelt next to him to examine the cut on his throat. "Hey! Get away from me!" objected the Devaronian, trying to squirm away from Ali. "No, you misunderstand" said Ali sadly, "I just want to make sure you're okay..." Her good intentions were not accepted by Jimmekh. He continued to writhe about, not staying still, so the Togruta sighed and gave up.

Soon after, Aska announced that they would be leaving in the morning. But that would mean they would be staying here the night. "W-we're going to sleep out here?" she asked Aska, anxiously, "But what if we get attacked? Or we get cold? Or... or if we need to use the little girl's room...?"

@Taz @Tulos @Nor'baal