Just another day in parasites

[Rayne Kelborn]

Tattooine
Local time 1745 hours

Rayne had found herself on Tattooine yet again, it was one of her least favorite places to be if she was being honest with herself.. But her shit The Cloud needed some repairs, it had taken some heafty damage in a recent dog fight and this dust ball of a planet had the cheapest labor, while still having decent parts and end product.

The mechanic, a Toydarian sleezeball, had said it would take several hours to repair the damage it had sustained. As a result, Rayne left her crew to guard the ship, and make sure that slimy insect didn't steal anything, and made her way to the nearest Cantina. It had been a while since her last drink, and just the thought of it had already relaxed her a bit..

A small wind pelted her armor with sand, and Rayne cursed it, Kad I hate this planet.. she said under her breath as she walked. She was fully kitted out, her armor had just been repaired, and her armament, along side her helmet were clipped to her armor in various places.

Finally she reached the nearest cantina to the mechanics warehouse, only a couple blocks walk, but in the sand it seemed like miles. A live band of whatever they were called aliens was playing a decently catchy tune, and Rayne walked up to the bartender, it was unlikely they would have her favorite drink, champagne, here and Rayne opted to instead settle for something a bit less conspicuous. Whiskey.. Please.. She said, her order being filled a moment later by the droid standing behind the bar.

After her first gulp of the stuff Rayne turned to look at the band, and get a look at who all was in attendance...

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Hask Jen]

Hask touched down with his starfighter at the nearest open dock he could find. After the glorious mess at the prison near Geonosis and all the scolding and paperwork that followed he felt that a stiff drink would be a dream come true.

As he climbed out of the cockpit, he already started saying every curse word in the ancient Sith language in alphabetical order. While the sand was nothing new, the heat that crashed over him left him breathing heavily and wishing for an environmental suit. Purebloods weren't built for this by any stretch of the imagination.

He pushed through the heat and sand, pulling the hood of his cloak further over his helmet to try and keep his visor clean. He finally reached a cantina after what felt to him like hours of walking through harsh, fiery hell. As he entered he dusted himself off and removed his helmet, tiupping it over to throw some sand out that got in there somehow.

He walked over to the counter, just plopping down next to some heavily armed lady(@Rayne Kelborn) without a care in the world. He placed his helmet in front of him, the blue-light visor staring back at him.
"Bartender...2 ice cold glasses of water and a glass of whatever the strongest drink in this building is..." he said with heavy breaths as he tried to cool down from the heat.

@Mad Dog

 

[Rayne Kelborn]

Rayne was tapping her foot along to the music when a dark clad fellow took the seat beside her with a heavy thud as he hit the stool. She hadn't paid it much attention at first, then she head a voice come from the person that she thought she'd heard before..

Suspiciously, Rayne turned her head to observe the man, when his helmet came off she saw a face she knew she'd seen before..

What the Fhtagn!.. Rayne yelled as she jumped from her seat, her Renegade Heavy Blaster Pistol already in her hand and leveled at the Sith's head, it's barrel not more than a foot from it's skull. Rayne's finger was pressing down on the trigger, any more pressure and the mans head would melt, along with whatever was immediately behind him.

Some patrons gasped as the Mandalorian woman drew her weapon, and a few people stopped to stare at the exchange, What the Fhtagn are you doing here... Rayne growled at the man, his relaxed demeanor angering her just slightly more than his presence in general.

Rayne kept the heavy blaster aimed at the man's head, if he made any sudden movement she'd blast him, in fact she might just blast him even if he didn't move..

@KinkyPrawn @Hask Jen

 

[Hask Jen]

The glasses were placed in front of him and he just reached for the first glass of water, then the lady next to him flew out of her seat shouting. At first he thought she was responding to something else happening in the bar, then came the very familiar hiss-and-click of a blaster powering up.

He turned his head slowly to his left, staring right down the barrel of a portable turbolaser of a pistol. He looked up from the gun, straight into her eyes. "Lady, I don't know if we've crossed paths somewhere before or if you have me confused..." his tired speech stopped as he scanned her over, recognising the marks of her armour.

He let out a soft chuckle, lightly bouncing in his chair as he laughed. "Well I'll be, never thought I'd actually see you again. Now I don't know about you, but I'm actually really thirsty. So you can choose: Either we take this outside and beat each other senseless for no reason, or I buy you a drink and we discuss this like civilised people like I told you last time." he continued with his tired voice. "I'd prefer if we went with the latter, this heat will kill me long before you pull that trigger at this stage." he said as he picked up the glass of water and downed it in a few gulps, before picking up the other one and doing the same.

He turned his body to face her, gently resting his left hand onto the pommel of his lightsaber. "What's it going to be, Mandalorian?"

@Mad Dog

 

[Rayne Kelborn]

This was the second time this specific Sith had offered her a drink.. was it possible that not all aligned with the Empire were worthless evil cockroaches? No.. no most definitely not.. well maybe... No!... but... Rayne battled herself inside her own head.

Rayne's blaster lowered a bit, still pointed at the man's neck, but not blocking their eye contact any further. It wouldn't be for no reason.. Rayne muttered, I'll drink with you.. But.. You're paying and If that thing comes off your belt I'll put you down faster than a hutt eats cake.. Rayne said motioning with her pistol toward the man's saber, and at the same time clicking the saber she had on her belt with her left hand, I've done it before.. She added.

Cautiously Rayne sat down again, her heavy blaster now in her left hand, still pointed at the man while it rested in her lap. She wasn't just going to trust the man, no way. But maybe he'd earned himself a chance go explain, or at least a chance to have a drink.

Rayne kept her left hand on the blaster, it pointing at the Sith's midsection the whole time, as she reached for her drink again.

What're you doing here? Beach vacay? Thought you'd do a little slaughtering on your day off? Rayne said in an accusatory tone.

 

[Hask Jen]

He listened to her as she spoke, sipping on what he could only describe as hyperspace fuel in a shot glass. He could sense the conflict coming from her and it amused him somewhat, causing a small smile to creep on his parched lips.

When she sat down and rested the blaster on her lap he called out. "Bartender! Any drink this lady orders next is on me, got that?"
He looked at her again, taking as second to register her completely and take in everything. The most peculiar thing on her body would most definitely be the lightsaber dangling from her hip.

"Oh you know what they say about Tatooine...'twice the sun, twice the fun'." he said with a hint of sarcasm. "While I understand the stereotype, I can promise you that I'm not the 'slaughtering innocents' type. Haven't in...six years? I find it both distasteful and a waste of lives. Unless they picked up a weapon and took a swing at me in the name of rebellion, they did nothing to deserve death." he said with a slightly serious tone. Clearly getting tired from the stereotype tied to his kind. "Also you can put that monstrosity away, I'm not in the mood for fighting. I'm not like the other immature bunch with off-centre hormones running around and calling themselves sith. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead already. I just want to cool down and take a break from a very crappy series of events, if you don't mind." he continued, finishing off the shot of fuel and ordering another of the same order he placed when he walked in.

"While I'm not particularly curious as to where you got that, I am curious of it." he said as he gestured to the lightsaber. Mind if I take a look at it? I can't try anything anyway, even if I wanted to." he said with a laugh, gesturing to the gun still on her lap

@Mad Dog

 

[Rayne Kelborn]

Rayne ordered another whiskey, though her own wasn't yet empty, and listened to the man speak, I actually quite hate this dust ball.. The sand... Ahh! It just gets everywhere... Rayne replied.

I'll give you this one chance to prove you're not the innocent child murdering type.. Rayne replied.

Rayne laughed at the man's misplaced threat, she understood the sentiment, but still disagreed, You?... You think you?... Could kill me? Rayne said with a smile, I think I'll keep it out for now, if you don't mind.. Rayne said ok regards to her hand cannon she was pointing at the man.

The red skinned Sith then asked to see her saber... Are you Fhtagn kidding me?... Rayne thought, then said, You think I'm just gonna hand this over?.. A tone of sarcasm in her voice, If you're trying to convince me you're a trustworthy Sith, which by the way isn't a term I've ever said before this moment.. You might be walking down the wrong path with my weapons.. She said, trying to push him into picking a new topic of conversation, she didn't know why, by something about him had already made her believe him, she'd met people on the other side of the war that were decent, it wasn't often, but it happened..

 

[Hask Jen]

"Yeah I had a feeling that won't go down that easily. Had to try at least." he said with a laugh as he clinked his shot glass with hers and threw the contents down his throat and ordered another. Whatever it was, it was becoming smoother more tempting with every sip he took.

"So what brings you here, Mandalorian? You clearly won't come to this wretched place unless you were forced to, so what's your story?" he said cheerfully in a weak attempt at small talk, attentively looking her over. Definitely not how he pictured Mandalorian women to look like...

"Also, mind giving me a name? Or are we sticking with 'Mandalorian' and 'Sith' for the rest of day?"

@Mad Dog

 

[Rayne Kelborn]

Rayne clinked her own glass against his as well, and downed her shot, signaling for another. Finally she holstered her Renegade, My ship has a dent in it, came here to get it buffed out.. She said, Cheaper costs than anywhere else, ya know? to be honest it was a bit more than a dent, but that wasn't important, what about you? She asked earnestly.

He'd asked for her name, but had not offered one up first, uh.. I'm Rayne.. She said, offering her right hand to shake the man's, a little worried she might not get it back, but she was ready with her left handed shock gauntlet should she need to react.

The next round was plopped down in front of them while she waited for the man to shake her hand.

 

[Hask Jen]

"That's probably one of the very few redeeming features that this backwater without water has to offer. As for me, my jaw was knocked around by a Trandoshan with fists the size of my head and then and then the agent that worked with me proceeded to fail in the capture of said Trandoshan." he said in a miserably happy tone. His jaw still clicked around as he moved it. That prisoner better hope they never cross paths again...

"Interesting name. Well, nice to meet you Rayne, my name's Hask." he grabbed her hand and gave it a good, firm shake. He picked his glass up and took a small sip from it. No need to get hammered already.

"So, Rayne, got any other business besides the ship or were you just planning on drowning your sorrows like everybody else in this building?" he asked with a toothy smile.

@Mad Dog

 

[Rayne Kelborn]

Rayne finished her next shot. And called for some water, he had brought up a good point, though she was stuck here, it didn't mean she needed to waste the day, they could find something to do..

Well to meet you Hask.. Rayne said, and meant it. It was strange, she was exchanging pleasantries with a Sith.. a strange sight indeed. She smirked at the man calling her name interesting with a name as weird as his own..

Drinking her water half way, then returning it to the bar, What is there to do on a planet such as this? Rayne asked, she knew of the troubles that beset this planet, but was more just asking to see if he had a local lead, she hadn't seen how he arrived, or if he'd been setting up here for a while, so maybe he had something... Raiders... Sand beasts... Dragons.. who knew, something hopefully, though the idea of galavanting around with a Sith didn't sit right, it did sound like an interesting story.

 

[Hask Jen]

He flashed a kind smile as she replied to him in a seemingly friendly manner. Then she asked what is there to do on a miserable dump like this planet...
"Well, surprisingly there is a few things we can do here. There's always Tusken Raiders terrorizing everyone in the desert. I need a new ship as well so if you feel up for something on the more...dishonest side there's always that. Whatever your little Mandalorian heart desires." he said the last part jokingly as he downed the shot and ordered another

These things might be going to his head right about now. How this Mandalorian could actually sit here in a civil conversation with him is beyond him. Although he's definitely not complaining...

@Mad Dog

 

[Rayne Kelborn]

Rayne kept her wits about her, and stood up, checking her equipment while she did so. Well, lets kill us some slug throwin Tuskens then.. She said, this ordeal would be a test, if she could trust this red skinned saber weilder, then she needed to know. Otherwise, she was just playing with fire.. laser fire.. Rayne sent a written message corispondance to her crew, letting them know where she was going and what she was doing. She may needa pull out if things went totaly south..

Rayne made for the door, she didn't know where she was going, or what she was really doing, but pushing the limits was often her style. Her C13 - Redjacket was still parked in the ship's hold, and Rayne didn't want to walk the Sith right into that, so she'd need another ride. Luckily near by was a UT3 Utility Speeder, and she made her way toward it, pointing it out to @Hask Jen, Get in, you're driving.. She said. It was a relitively slow speeder, but it would do the job for now.

 

[Hask Jen]

He was kind of taken back by her sudden decision.
"Well, alright then." he threw his last shot into his mouth and stood up, following the Mandalorian out.
He climbed into the speeder, starting it up and making sure everything was in order. "I don't know about you, but you're not supposed to let someone drive under influence, especially when they are terrible drivers." he said with a giggle.

As she climbed into the passenger side he threw his lightsabre lightly towards her to catch. It was probably safe to let her in on the lie...

"Take a look at that will you? Thing got banged up badly during my trip to Geonosis and it stopped working on me. Think you can get it back up and running?" he said with a sly smile as he started driving into the Dune Sea.

He didn't take his eye off her, dying to see her reaction of his equivalent of threatening someone with an empty gun.

@Mad Dog

 

[Rayne Kelborn]

I've never driven without influence... Rayne said taking out a death stick. What the Fhtagn... Rayne called out as she caught the saber with her right hand, she stared the man in the face, her eyes wide and brows furrowed, keeping an iron hold on the saber. What the kriff is this about.. Rayne thought, she looked him up and down for other weapons, the absolute absence of them bewildering her. She wouldn't be caught dead with less than four or five weapons on her at any given time. How did it break?.. Rayne asked as she pointed the thing sideways from the ship and attempted to activate it. Nothing came out, no vibration, no electrical snaps or crackles, nothing. Hmm... Rayne muttered, thinking of an opportunity..

What do you want for it?.. she asked, A man needs a working weapon.. How about a E-33 Blaster Carbine? I got a working one, full mags, even trade?.. Rayne said, this saber would be worthless to the man in it's current condition, but she still doubted he'd take the deal. The ground below them was passing by quickly, well as quickly as the slower vehicle would carry them.

 

[Hask Jen]

He laughed out loud at her suggestion and shot her a glance as she pulled out the death stick.
"Even trade? One of the most advanced and dangerous weapons in the galaxy for a simple blaster? Tell you what, you can have that one if I can get yours and the blaster. There's a hell of a bounty you can claim for it so I'd say that's a pretty even trade." he said as the blazed through the desert, the suns setting and the desert cooling making this a very pleasant ride for the sith.

"Also you got another one of those?" he pointed to the death stick. "I'm way too sober for this whole scenario." he quipped with a laugh.

@Mad Dog

 

[Rayne Kelborn]

Rayne obliged the man's request for a death stick, she never carried less than forty or fifty of the things with her when she was out of the house.. What!? Rayne said in surprise, You wanna trade me a broken one for working one, and a blaster... Rayne said shooting the man a confused look.

What makes you think I wouldn't just turn this one in.. Rayne said about her own saber, she wasn't allowed to turn in her saber for the bounty because it came off a Sith that had had two and she already turned the other one in, but Hask couldn't know that.

The shade, and wind from flying so fast altered the noramaly terrible enviroment of the planet, Nice day.. Rayne said randomly.

 

[Hask Jen]

He took the death stick from her. "Thanks."
"Well, for one you're clearly comfortable with that weapon on your hip, so that's not one you just got earlier today. You're keeping it as a trophy which is the equivalent of me strutting about with a salvaged suit of Beskar, so I think you see the problem here. And if it's the 'broken' part that bother's you, I can fix it up in a blink of an eye if you have a proper toolkit and spare parts on you." he explained casually. "Besides, a sith running around with a yellow blade is not exactly fitting, or what do you think?" he grinned as they drove deeper into the desert.
The sun's final rays shone over the cooling desert, creating a beautiful blend of colours through the sky. "It's with views like this that you forget what kind of hole this place actually is. At least it's cooler now, so we can function like normal beings once again."


They finally reached Bantha tracks. After stopping and analysing, Hask spoke up. "Single file, dead giveaway for Sand People. Problem is we don't know how many there are."

@Mad Dog

 

[Rayne Kelborn]

Of course Rayne had a tool kit, her ship had a whole room dedicated to repairs and crafting, though Hask didn't know that yet, and Rayne wasn't sure yet if she wanted him to either.. At least not yet.

I'll think about it.. Rayne said, the blaster she'd offered up didn't matter in the least to her, she'd salvaged it off a dead man on a previous mission. A yellow blade?.. Rayne thought, this guy was getting weirder and weirder as they continued to talk.

They'd abandoned the speeder as they found a large swath of bantha tracks, those things were huge, but mostly useless in battle, unless you spooked them at close range. You're not scared of some slug throwers are you?.. Rayne teased the man, We'll do some recon and make sure we can take them without too much problem before we strike.. Rayne added, she wasn't worried about some savage untechnical raiders in the desert, what she was thinking about was what the Sith planned to fight with..

Well.. lets go, I guess.. Rayne said as she started moving up the trail of bantha tracks, they led up a large dune in the distance, and by the time they got to it, Rayne was wondering why they hadn't just taken the speeder.. though the answer was clear, they'd attract attention if they rode the speeder up here. At the top of the dune, Rayne was prone, crawling over the dune so as not to bring attention to herself. Get down.. She'd say to the Sith, she wanted a clear view of the sand people before they just rushed in guns blazing.

@KinkyPrawn

 

[Hask Jen]

He looked at her in an annoyed manner as they were crouched next to the tracks. "I'm not clad in some legendary armour like you and contrary to popular belief, slug-thrower rounds are a lot harder to block than blaster bolts." he spoke in an annoyed voice, not intrigued at all by her joke.

He followed her on foot along the tracks, pulling his helmet over his head and the hood over his helmet. They laid down behind a dune and peered over. His hip started to feel a lot lighter as he looked over the camp.

In a clearing below them was an entire camp of Tusken raiders. Tents pitched up in a circle with the Banthas placed in a temporary corral. There was easily twenty or thirty of them. "I don't know about you, but I'm not just walking in there with ten or so slug-throwers lobbing rounds at me the whole time...maybe if we spook those Banthas enough we can cause a stampede to disrupt the camp, then move in and cut them down." he planned aloud, speaking more to himself than to her.

He let out a deep sigh then looked at her, the blue lights of his visor reflecting back at him from her. "Mind lending me a gun or something? Just don't tell anybody that I went into battle with a blaster rather than a lightsaber." he spoke softly and shyly, the idea of doing battle without a sword felt like utter humiliation to him.

@Mad Dog