Of Stars and Savannah
- Thread starter Ender
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Big post coming. Essentially, the story of how our characters Akira and Elliot meet. Just let us wade through our inboxes and find the already done stuff.
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- Joined
- Jun 17, 2010
- Messages
- 803
- Reaction score
- 0
She could see the light from the fire burning low, and all seemed still in the camp. Dropping to her belly, she slithered to the edge of the clearing. She was just another whisper as Shili heaved a heavy sigh and the tall turu-grass swayed in the wind. In the darkness, the huntress was all but invisible.
Her hunting party had set out from their village at daybreak, and had happened upon the strange tracks about an hour before noon. After following the trail for roughly a kilometer, she had dismissed the rest of her party to continue the hunt while she investigated the source of the tracks. They had protested, saying that the chief would not be happy about her wandering off alone again. But she had told them that the chief would be more upset if the party neglected their task and came back to the village with nothing to feed their people with.
The young Togruta had found the camp just before dusk, and had observed quietly, making sure to stay camouflaged in the grass and kept her mind clear so that she would notice if anyone were approaching her hiding place. There were seven... people... camped around this dusty patch, but they were like no people she had ever seen. A few were quite wide, and seemed strong, but others were not. A few also seemed to be able to grow different manners of manes, not unlike some of the predators on the savannah, and yet they weren't beasts. They were people for sure, that walked upright like she did, and their arms and legs generally seemed to be in a similar proportion to hers. But they stood out from the surroundings so much! They were so loud; she was astonished they hadn't attracted every beast on the savannah to their campground.
After ensuring that it was safe, she crept into the trampled clearing. As she came closer, she noticed one of them still seemed to be awake, sitting near the dying fire with his eyes half-lidded. Apparently they were smart enough to set a guard. A pity he was probably not a good one. Easing the vibroknife from its sheath on her belt, she felt it fast in her teeth and proceeded to creep quietly between the sleeping figures on all fours.
A few scraps of what she had seen them eating earlier lay forgotten on a tray beside one of the creatures. She paused for a moment, watching the person to see if they would stir, then snatched up the half-eaten block of food before bouncing back a few paces, crouching near the grass. She took her knife back into her free hand and sniffed the hard, dry bit of 'food' she held, and then nibbled it. It crumbled off, but it tasted as if she were eating the dust between her toes. Scrunching her face in distaste, she discarded it before creeping back into the camp.
The Togruta came up alongside one of the less hairy of the creatures. He was not small, and was in fact rather tall, just not quite as heavy as some of the others lying about. A satchel lay on the ground near him, next to an empty bedroll. Snatching the bag up, she pilfered through its contents. There were quite a few small digging implements, a lens, and some stiff brushes. She puzzled over the items, wondering why on earth someone this person's size would dig with such a small shovel. Why dig at all? A few items she could make neither heads nor tails of, appearing to be nothing more than simple rocks. But the blaster on his belt caught her eye. Or at least, she assumed it was a blaster. It was about the right shape, but much... smoother than any she had seen. Even though she knew she shouldn't, she reached for it, attempting to loosen it from its holster.
"Look El, all I'm saying is we've been out here two kriffin' weeks. We ain't seen hide nor tail of your treasure," said a green Twi'lek. He was too greasy for Elliot's taste, but the young Mandalorian showed no indication of it.
"I hear what you're saying buddy, but you need to hear what I'm saying. My work takes time. Quality work, it's not something I can rush, you know?" Elliot asked, adjusting the strap of his belt. It was hanging too loose and his blaster pistol was hanging low. The Togruta held quite still as she noticed a commotion brewing in the camp. Slowly and quietly, she began to stuff the treasures she had found back into the satchel and slung it over her shoulder. It looked like a display of dominance, for whatever reason, between one of the pinkish, maned beings and another person who looked like a mutant of her own species, as though his skin were the wrong colour, and his montrals and third headtail had never grown in. Neither of them were backing down, it seemed.
"Oh, I hear what you're saying Elliot," the Twi'lek said, as two others rose from their beds. A total of seven men were there, and Elliot figured he could get back with just the remaining three. The Twi'lek produced a vibroblade. "Oh I hear you. Boys! Show me his satchel!" he ordered.
"Hey, boss, I can't find yer satchel..." said one obviously slow Human. "What'd you do with it?"
The Twi'lek looked over at the slow man, a moment Elliot seized to slam his fist into the green thug’s face, who staggered back several feet. The third hired gun, a Zabrak named Dil, charged him with just his fists. He threw a punch at Elliot, who countered it by breaking the Zabrak’s arm. The slower hired gun raised a blaster pistol and took aim at Elliot. Seeing the weapon, Elliot dived as the man fired the blaster pistol. The entire camp was awake now, watching as the former Mandalorian took down three opponents at once with mild amusement. The others were the ones Elliot had hired before the ones who stayed because they liked him. Meanwhile, Elliot tumbled towards the armed human and then shoved his elbow into his opponent’s jaw. The man staggered back and fell to the ground. Then there was the distinctive noise of a blaster rifle being primed.
Trump card time, Elliot thought. He reached into his belt and produced a silver tube. He pressed a button on the tube and a length of bright blue energy sprang from the cylinder. The Twi’lek dropped his rifle, and looked like he had seen a ghost. The blaster rifle fell and fired, the shot echoing loudly. Luckily, the bolt went harmlessly into the grass, or so the group thought. Elliot stared down the Twi’lek, who motioned to the slowly moving Human and Zabrak and the trio ran into the tall turu-grass.
“Good thing ‘tis your ship, innit boss?” one of the remaining men asked.
“Sure is, Vessk, sure is.” Elliot replied, and he began to look about for his satchel.
The huntress had tried to sneak back to the safety of the turu-grass as the display turned violent, but a shot from a dropped rifle with a hair trigger nearly struck her in her bare foot. She sprang to the side in surprise and dropped her vibroknife, but slipped in a pile of dishes and crashed to the ground loudly. Heads swiveled in her direction, and one of them pointed at her before shouting, "Intruder! Thief! She's got the boss's satchel!" She couldn't make sense of the words, but knew she was in trouble. Pulling the vibropike from the holster on her back, she back-flipped away from them and sprung to her feet. Pressing a button to activate her weapon, she pointed it menacingly in the direction of the strange aliens.
"Leave me alone!" she shouted at them in her native language, not realizing they probably couldn't understand her. One of them lunged at her, but she sprang away from the clumsy bull-rush and struck the assailant in the ribs, and then in the back of the head with the blunt of her vibropike, knocking him even more off balance. A swift kick took him to the ground, and she pounced on his chest, pinning his arms with her knees and pointing the head of the pike at his throat. "I said to leave me alone!" she shouted again in her language, and looked at the other denizens of the camp. "Come closer and I'll kill this one!"
"Hey..." Elliot said in soothing tones to the Togruta warrior on top of Vessk. As the victor of the dominance struggle approached, even as cautious and non-threatening as he was, she pointed the pike closer to the Zabrak she had pinned. She had seen the display with the lightsabre, a weapon she had heard elders speak of. Every now and then, a Togruta who had been raised off-world would come to their village, with one of those weapons on their belt, seeking recruits for their Jedi Order. "Hey, let's not do anything stupid here missy," he said as he tried making himself physically smaller. This, hopefully, would make him less threatening. "Saker," Elliot called to their translator."Saker, tell her to calm down," he commanded the droid. It came forward and faced the Togruta, standing behind Elliot. They had a few droids back in the village, for maintenance, but she had never seen one shaped like a person before, and had never heard one speak. She was surprised when it spoke to her in her own language, asking in mechanical tones for the return of the satchel Elliot nodded with Saker's words, approaching slowly, and low to the ground. He repeated Saker's words pacifyingly as he moved. Elliot was approaching this like any hostage negotiations, with a bit of beast handling. But she still didn't believe the bit where they meant her no harm. Only seconds ago they had seemed more than willing to kill each other, and the one trying to bargain with her had been the most effective fighter in the bunch. And he had that lightsabre. It was obvious to Elliot that she was a native. "Ask her if she speaks Basic," he ordered, and the droid complied.
Despite her suspicion, the Togruta withdrew her weapon from the throat of her hostage and pulled off the satchel, rattling the akul-tooth headdress and necklace she wore. She tossed the bag back to the man crouching in front of her, then placed both hands back on the pike to threaten her prisoner properly again. The translator droid asked her if she spoke Basic. Basic? What in Shili's good name was that? Recalling the off-world Togruta and the language they communicated in, she decided to give it a try.
"Who... who are you?" she finally asked slowly. It was obvious she was not comfortable with the words she spoke. "What thing are you?" Elliot heard the forced Basic. It wasn't great, but he preferred to speak directly to her rather than through a droid. He smiled a little as he grabbed his satchel and checked it, finding all its contents were accounted for.
"Thank you. My name is Elliot," he said, gesturing himself for emphasis, and waving his men off. They backed away cautiously. Elliot, meanwhile, continued smiling, a smile that reached his eyes. He backed away as well, and then straightened up, his blaster pistol hanging from his belt. "I am looking for some sort of building in the forest, or some sort of unnatural looking hill. Do you know where I can find it?" he said slowly. "If you need help, just ask Saker," he said, gesturing to the protocol droid.
The Togruta looked confused for a moment, trying to understand what he was telling her. She was pretty sure he said his name. She switched off the vibropike, and pulled it away from the foreigner's throat, backing down a little. She didn't make any move to get up off of him, however. She pointed at the speaker, and then said questioningly "El-Lyot?" She had trouble wrapping her tongue around the pronunciation. But she pointed back to herself and said more confidently, "Akira."
The huntress jumped to her feet quickly and backed up several paces, lest the person she had beaten decided to come after her again. She held her weapon pointed at the strangers, showing that she was still on the defensive. Her steely eyes glanced back to the tall grass behind her, and she was tempted to bolt, but she was still curious about these outsiders. Most of the explanation of why they were there was lost on her, because it did not sound like an answer to one of her two questions.
"You no Togruta," she said in her broken, heavily accented Basic. "What thing are you?"
Vessk scrambled away, grabbing his neck tenderly. Elliot glanced at him before turning to Akira. "I am," Elliot said, gesturing to himself, “a Human. I am from Mandalore." He pointed up to the stars. "From the biggest dustbowl next to Tatooine... and I'm looking for this," he said making hand gestures to accompany it. "Very important." he added, and motioned for his astromech droid, Ticker, to assist. He displayed an ancient hologram, with projected modern day features. It looked like an oddly shaped hill with a phoenix on a piece of metal at the front. "Have you seen this?"
Akira parroted the words back to Elliot, while somewhat miming his actions. "Humon?" she said questioningly, before pointing at the sky as he had and added, "from Mandulor?" She raised her pike to be slightly less threatening as she looked curiously at the hologram of the strange hill, and was fascinated by the droid projecting it. But she shook her head in dismay. "I do not see dis," she said flatly, but then gestured out into the night, where she knew the thick jungle sprang out of the savannah. "Ven might see. Ven might know. Ven sees much." While still standing apart from them a bit, the Togruta relaxed her guard and stopped pointing her weapon at them.
The sound of grass rustling behind her made Akira jump in towards the camp center, and her vibropike was quickly pointed in the direction of the sound. She could detect something large moving through the plant growth and it was moving fast. She gestured for the men to arm themselves, pointing at the spot where she could sense the predator's movements. Only seconds later, it came bounding into the clearing with a vicious snarl. The orange-pelted beast was almost a meter and a half tall at the shoulder, with long, thick, powerful legs and sharply clawed paws. Two long, heavy horns similar to the Togruta's montrals curled out of the canine's skull, but it was the long muzzle filled with two rows of razor-sharp triangular teeth that turned Akira's stomach to ice. She let loose a battle cry, attracting the akul's attention. It cleared the gap between them in a single bound, but she turned her pike sideways just in time to ram it into the monster's gaping mouth. The force of its charge was enough to knock the Togruta from her feet, but she held on to the shaft of her weapon for dear life. As long as it was stuck gnashing on it, the akul wasn't disemboweling any of the people present. Unfortunately, the slobbering monster made gripping her weapon difficult, and Akira’s grip slipped as the akul through her lifeline into the grass.
Elliot recoiled from the beast’s charge. Quickly, he grabbed the nearest rifle and took aim. The akul was struggling but Elliot had a steady hand. A slow trigger squeeze, a few deep breaths and the quick spraaaatz! of the blaster rifle. The powerful blast caught the akul straight in the chest and burned its way into the heart. Akira yelped as the akul lurched forward and collapsed, pinning her underneath its massive, hairy body. She gave another yelp, this one of indignation, when she realized it had died on her and she tried to worm her way out from under the heavy carcass. Elliot lowered the rifle and approached the Togruta. "You alright?" he asked, offering his hand. He was unsure if the gesture would translate but he hoped it did. She noticed the offered hand and accepted it as she was pulled from under the akul and to her feet. She was trembling and her hands were shaking from the adrenaline blasting through her system after that brush with death. Spotting the rifle held in Elliot's other hand, she realized he must have been the one who shot the beast.
"You..." she panted, "You a... how do you say? A great warrior. You killed the akul. He preys on my people. I am in your debt." She bowed her head to him, but there was something imperative left to do. She knelt beside the akul's enormous head and pulled open its mouth, then picked up a sizable rock.
"Heh," Elliot laughed quietly. "Try telling that to my sister." He gave a smirk as the young Togruta began to work off the teeth of the akul. She wasn't too bad looking, a girl he'd probably hit on if found in a bar. But she could be a key to finding the artefacts, so he'd rather keep her around. "So this... Ven? He might know where this hill is?" Elliot inquired. Akira didn't answer until she had knocked every tooth out of the akul's muzzle. In the end, there were roughly a hundred teeth in all, and her hands were covered in blood from the extraction. She snatched up an empty sack that was lying on the ground and put the teeth inside before drawing the string and fastening it to the strap around her chest that secured the holster for her vibropike. She also retrieved her weapon and returned it to its sheath.
"Ven is not he," she finally replied, straightening up and facing Elliot. "Ven is us. But the Ven may know your hill. If'n we leave now, we can get to Ven by morning. Come. We go now." Without waiting to see if he or his companions would follow, Akira disappeared into the turu-grass, expecting them to come along.
“Hey, wait a moment!” Elliot called after her. He motioned for his companions to stay put, grabbing a three day pack and setting it in his tent. He donned his armour, orange Beskar'gam, but kept the helmet in his pack. Then he started out behind Akira, quickly catching up with her. "So uh, Akira, tell me about the Ven," he said as he followed her through the grass. The men would stay put for three days, before coming to find Elliot. That would be plenty enough. Elliot's rifle was secured in place on his back, and the pistol on his side. The sabre was glinting off his belt and the satchel hung from his side.
"Ven are proud and strong," Akira said as Elliot finally caught up to her. "We are many fine hunters and warriors. Many have killed their akul. But Ven are... outsiders are rare. Very few find us. Jedi mostly. And mostly Ven Jedi. But Ven control this area, and know much. See much. If'n you hill be near, the Ven will know it. If'n not, you walk many weeks before you find other people. Maybe three if'n you run fast. But we shall see how fast you runnin, El-Lyot." Smirking at the heavily-armoured Human, she broke into a sprint. She knew she wouldn't keep that pace all night, she'd slow down to a light trot, but she wanted to see how long he could keep pace. He had proven himself a capable shot, but she wanted to test his endurance.
"Kandosii...." Elliot murmured as the Togruta bolted. He smirked and followed suit, swiftly moving into a sprint. Despite all the weight, he moved somewhat easily. For a few minutes at least. Moving through the grass, his foot suddenly caught on something and he went tumbling to the ground. He turned to find a plate of metal with a phoenix emblazoned on it. "By Mandalore." Elliot said with a smile. He held it up and activated a light. The phrase From the ashes, rise again was written below the phoenix. He flipped it over where the words Model #64729 Android were embossed.
Akira dug her heels into the ground and skidded to a stop when Elliot fell, landing hard. "You unharmed?" she asked, jogging back to him and crouching by his side. She saw the piece of metal he inspected, and the bird engraved into the plate. "This is the creature you search for?" she inquired. Judging by the excitement in his eyes, it was something important. "What thing is it? What is your find?"
"This, Akira, this is Phoenix Enterprises," Elliot said with a broad grin, turning to show her. "Phoenix Enterprises original android body." Then he looked up at the Togruta, a fire in his eyes. "There was probably a warehouse here. So the safe house MUST be here." He stood, dropping the plate. "Take me to your people, quickly."
"Safe house?" Akira asked as she stood up and started leading the way again, but walking at a hurried clip. She was curious as to why he was so excited by the find. "Safe from what? What thing are you looking for, El-Lyot?" she asked. "Why should you find old androids when there is new? They would be lesser, yes?" Based on the few old service droids kicking about the village and their rather limited uses, surely some older scrap would be even more limited in its functions.
"For several reasons," he replied. "The one I am looking for is made by an ancestor of mine...or well, it is an ancestor of mine. In a manner of speaking. Long story. Secondly- oof." Elliot grunted as he jumped off a low rock. "Secondly, the robot I am looking for is one of the most advanced ever." He smiled as he continued to move. "And it's very important to me."
Akira nodded, thinking she understood, but what she thought Elliot told her left her even more confused. "You're... you are a robot’s child?" she asked incredulously. She shook her head in disbelief. "Come, we will hurry. We will go to the Ven." She set off at an easy canter in the direction of the village, believing that Elliot would keep up, for a time anyway.
Two hours after dawn they reached the edge of the jungle. Akira yawned widely, displaying a set of sharp fangs. As her stomach growled, she knew she would look forward to a thimiar or two before laying down for a rest. But it was good to be off the plains and under the cover of the towering jungle. The trees were massive, some trunks spanning several metres in diameter, and the thick green canopy was hundreds of feet above them. A chorus of birds were beginning to stir and sing. The world above them was coming alive, and many different creatures were on the prowl in the canopy. Another kilometre into the jungle, the village came into view. Most of the buildings appeared to be metallic bubbles with large windows, sitting atop wide, circular platforms that were interconnected by an intricate network of bridges, ladders, and over-hanging branches. Akira led the way up a set of stairs to a broad platform raised a few meters over the jungle floor, and pressed a button on a terminal by a large support tower. The loop of cable overhead began to turn, and after several minutes a suspended cabin came into view. "Keep clear," she advised, motioning for Elliot to come stand next to her. When the cabin finally did come to rest on the platform, the door inside opened automatically and she stepped inside. As soon as Elliot followed suite, she placed her hand on the panel by the door, causing it to shut and the cabin of the lift lurched into motion. It didn't take long for them to be high above the forest floor, and they even began gliding over some of the lower-lying structures in the trees. The orange- and red-skinned denizens could be seen puttering about, taking care of their daily chores, a few of them looking up at the lift as it progressed towards its berth. "Welcome to Ven," Akira said with a smile to Elliot.
Elliot was in awe, this was a truly anicent civilization before him. With actual wheel technology, a smile spread across his face as he looked around while the lift moved. "Akira this is...amazing!" he said enthusiastically. He then looked at Akira. "We need to find that safe house more though, come on."
Akira quirked a smile at Elliot. "Why so much hurry?" she asked him. "Your ruin is not leaving. If it is found today or tomorrow matters little, if'n it can be found." The cabin came in to berth and the doors slid open, letting them out onto a large, round, dish-like platform. A couple of Togruta men were lounging around the ladder up to the next platform, all of them armed similarly to how Akira herself was. They ceased their casual conversation and reached for their vibropikes when they saw Elliot come through the door. Akira raised her hand and they paused. "Stand down," she said in Togruti. "The outsider is here with me. He means our people no harm.”
"He does not look like some emissary," one of the men answered back. "He is armed, and protects himself in sheets of metal. Why should we trust him, Akira?"
"I said stand down, Tak!" Akira growled. "This man has killed an akul in single combat. Yes, he may be a warrior and not an emissary, but he has earned the respect of the Ven, so you would do well to give it to him!" Begrudgingly, the guards did stand down, but they still eyed Elliot suspiciously, and scrutinized the Togruta woman. She beckoned to her companion to follow her up the ladder, and offered him a hand up at the top. "Stay close," she said in a low voice to him. "Ven does not often see outsiders among its people. They will look, and they will not trust you."
"I see," Elliot said bluntly, tailing her closely but taking note of everything he saw. "I need to come back here."
As she had said, many Togruta eyed Akira and her company with curiosity and suspicion, and many stared openly at Elliot. Several Elders took refuge inside enclosed structures and beckoned the children in to join them. Nevertheless, they still peeked out of the windows inquisitively. The pair gradually made their way to the largest structure in the tree, one of the metallic bubbles located in the very center of the village. The chamber inside was brightly lit, and adorned in the pelts of many different creatures. At the far end of the room sat a tall, strong, although slightly wizened Togruta male in a high-backed chair that had an akul pelt tossed over its arms. A woman stood to either side of him with vibropikes drawn, and they crossed them in front of the elder at the sight of Akira's companion.
"What manner of creature do you bring before our leader, Akira?" one of them growled at her, but Akira hissed back, appearing both angry and indignant.
"Stand down, Kei," the elder said as he stood from his chair. The many akul teeth adorning his body rattled as he stood and shoved the pikes apart so that he could walk through. Akira features softened as he approached, and she placed her hand over her heart on the right side of her chest and bowed her head before addressing him.
"Zhane, I have-"
"Brought someone to see me, hmm? And tell me child, does this Human speak our language?"
"No, Zhane," Akira answere, training her eyes on the ground at his feet.
"Where are your manners? Have I taught you nothing? Why do you think I taught you Basic at all?" he scolded, but then turned and smiled at Elliot. "Greetings offworlder!" he said in perfect Basic. "I am Zhane Ven. Welcome to Shili, and to the village of Ven. What brings you to our fold?"
"A pleasure Mr. Ven." Elliot said, bowing.
“Please, call me Zhane. We are all Ven here," the man insisted.
"My name is Elliot Marren and I am looking for an artifact. An ancient android." The Human then pulled out a holo-emitter and displayed the safe house. "This is where it is kept. Or rather, it should look like this." He shrugged. "We predicted that 14,000 years of weathering would make it look vaguely like this. The door takes a special key to open, or plenty of explosives." At the mention of explosives Elliot grinned."Which I just so happen to have. Anyway, Akira here mentioned that you may know where this safe house is. So I ask, do you?"
Zhane listened intently to what Elliot was looking for, and stroked his chin as he reflected. "Yes, I may know what you are looking for. A structure, swallowed by the plains. About twenty years ago there was a drought. Water supplies dried up and thus many of the herds were forced to move to better pastures. As a result, our hunting parties had to travel further from home in order to find any food. I was a young hunter myself at the time.
Many kilometres from here, the far side of the jungle opens onto a plain, cloven in half by a wide river. Many more kilometers downstream, the river runs off a shear precipice and the waterfall spills into a lush valley below. At the top of the waterfall, a strange, metallic structure juts from the ground. It is incredibly rusted, and much of it has eroded to dust. But you can climb inside through some of the holes in it, and the space is cavernous. It almost looks like the remains of some manner of aircraft, maybe even spacecraft. Never mind that though. In the valley, there is a place where the river splits in twain. Betwixt the river's offshoots is where your hill lies. It is no short distance, however. It takes the swiftest runners a week to reach the far side while pressing themselves to the limits of their strength. For most, it will take anywhere from a tenday to a fortnight. To reach the waterfall? Another week easily. Then you must figure how to descend the cliff without breaking your pretty neck. After that, another day's run to where the river splits. Many hundreds of kilometers lay between you and your prize. If you need anything from the Ven, ask of it now. Rest and recuperate as you will. But you should start walking soon."
Akira was fascinated by the description of the trail before them. Never had she been so far from home. She was unaware even to the famine that had been upon her people in the months prior to her birth. Her stomach turned to ice though when she finally made eye contact with Zhane and saw how stern his gaze was when it fell on her. He knows.
"Now Kei, T'Rani, please escort Elliot Marren outside. Show him around and help him find whatever he needs. I must speak alone with my apprentice," Zhane said, his calm facade beginning to melt as he sat back down on his throne. The two guards came and flanked Elliot as they prepared to escort him out, with Kei sneering over her shoulder at Akira. They all know. So that's why Kei was so hostile.
Her hunting party had set out from their village at daybreak, and had happened upon the strange tracks about an hour before noon. After following the trail for roughly a kilometer, she had dismissed the rest of her party to continue the hunt while she investigated the source of the tracks. They had protested, saying that the chief would not be happy about her wandering off alone again. But she had told them that the chief would be more upset if the party neglected their task and came back to the village with nothing to feed their people with.
The young Togruta had found the camp just before dusk, and had observed quietly, making sure to stay camouflaged in the grass and kept her mind clear so that she would notice if anyone were approaching her hiding place. There were seven... people... camped around this dusty patch, but they were like no people she had ever seen. A few were quite wide, and seemed strong, but others were not. A few also seemed to be able to grow different manners of manes, not unlike some of the predators on the savannah, and yet they weren't beasts. They were people for sure, that walked upright like she did, and their arms and legs generally seemed to be in a similar proportion to hers. But they stood out from the surroundings so much! They were so loud; she was astonished they hadn't attracted every beast on the savannah to their campground.
After ensuring that it was safe, she crept into the trampled clearing. As she came closer, she noticed one of them still seemed to be awake, sitting near the dying fire with his eyes half-lidded. Apparently they were smart enough to set a guard. A pity he was probably not a good one. Easing the vibroknife from its sheath on her belt, she felt it fast in her teeth and proceeded to creep quietly between the sleeping figures on all fours.
A few scraps of what she had seen them eating earlier lay forgotten on a tray beside one of the creatures. She paused for a moment, watching the person to see if they would stir, then snatched up the half-eaten block of food before bouncing back a few paces, crouching near the grass. She took her knife back into her free hand and sniffed the hard, dry bit of 'food' she held, and then nibbled it. It crumbled off, but it tasted as if she were eating the dust between her toes. Scrunching her face in distaste, she discarded it before creeping back into the camp.
The Togruta came up alongside one of the less hairy of the creatures. He was not small, and was in fact rather tall, just not quite as heavy as some of the others lying about. A satchel lay on the ground near him, next to an empty bedroll. Snatching the bag up, she pilfered through its contents. There were quite a few small digging implements, a lens, and some stiff brushes. She puzzled over the items, wondering why on earth someone this person's size would dig with such a small shovel. Why dig at all? A few items she could make neither heads nor tails of, appearing to be nothing more than simple rocks. But the blaster on his belt caught her eye. Or at least, she assumed it was a blaster. It was about the right shape, but much... smoother than any she had seen. Even though she knew she shouldn't, she reached for it, attempting to loosen it from its holster.
"Look El, all I'm saying is we've been out here two kriffin' weeks. We ain't seen hide nor tail of your treasure," said a green Twi'lek. He was too greasy for Elliot's taste, but the young Mandalorian showed no indication of it.
"I hear what you're saying buddy, but you need to hear what I'm saying. My work takes time. Quality work, it's not something I can rush, you know?" Elliot asked, adjusting the strap of his belt. It was hanging too loose and his blaster pistol was hanging low. The Togruta held quite still as she noticed a commotion brewing in the camp. Slowly and quietly, she began to stuff the treasures she had found back into the satchel and slung it over her shoulder. It looked like a display of dominance, for whatever reason, between one of the pinkish, maned beings and another person who looked like a mutant of her own species, as though his skin were the wrong colour, and his montrals and third headtail had never grown in. Neither of them were backing down, it seemed.
"Oh, I hear what you're saying Elliot," the Twi'lek said, as two others rose from their beds. A total of seven men were there, and Elliot figured he could get back with just the remaining three. The Twi'lek produced a vibroblade. "Oh I hear you. Boys! Show me his satchel!" he ordered.
"Hey, boss, I can't find yer satchel..." said one obviously slow Human. "What'd you do with it?"
The Twi'lek looked over at the slow man, a moment Elliot seized to slam his fist into the green thug’s face, who staggered back several feet. The third hired gun, a Zabrak named Dil, charged him with just his fists. He threw a punch at Elliot, who countered it by breaking the Zabrak’s arm. The slower hired gun raised a blaster pistol and took aim at Elliot. Seeing the weapon, Elliot dived as the man fired the blaster pistol. The entire camp was awake now, watching as the former Mandalorian took down three opponents at once with mild amusement. The others were the ones Elliot had hired before the ones who stayed because they liked him. Meanwhile, Elliot tumbled towards the armed human and then shoved his elbow into his opponent’s jaw. The man staggered back and fell to the ground. Then there was the distinctive noise of a blaster rifle being primed.
Trump card time, Elliot thought. He reached into his belt and produced a silver tube. He pressed a button on the tube and a length of bright blue energy sprang from the cylinder. The Twi’lek dropped his rifle, and looked like he had seen a ghost. The blaster rifle fell and fired, the shot echoing loudly. Luckily, the bolt went harmlessly into the grass, or so the group thought. Elliot stared down the Twi’lek, who motioned to the slowly moving Human and Zabrak and the trio ran into the tall turu-grass.
“Good thing ‘tis your ship, innit boss?” one of the remaining men asked.
“Sure is, Vessk, sure is.” Elliot replied, and he began to look about for his satchel.
The huntress had tried to sneak back to the safety of the turu-grass as the display turned violent, but a shot from a dropped rifle with a hair trigger nearly struck her in her bare foot. She sprang to the side in surprise and dropped her vibroknife, but slipped in a pile of dishes and crashed to the ground loudly. Heads swiveled in her direction, and one of them pointed at her before shouting, "Intruder! Thief! She's got the boss's satchel!" She couldn't make sense of the words, but knew she was in trouble. Pulling the vibropike from the holster on her back, she back-flipped away from them and sprung to her feet. Pressing a button to activate her weapon, she pointed it menacingly in the direction of the strange aliens.
"Leave me alone!" she shouted at them in her native language, not realizing they probably couldn't understand her. One of them lunged at her, but she sprang away from the clumsy bull-rush and struck the assailant in the ribs, and then in the back of the head with the blunt of her vibropike, knocking him even more off balance. A swift kick took him to the ground, and she pounced on his chest, pinning his arms with her knees and pointing the head of the pike at his throat. "I said to leave me alone!" she shouted again in her language, and looked at the other denizens of the camp. "Come closer and I'll kill this one!"
"Hey..." Elliot said in soothing tones to the Togruta warrior on top of Vessk. As the victor of the dominance struggle approached, even as cautious and non-threatening as he was, she pointed the pike closer to the Zabrak she had pinned. She had seen the display with the lightsabre, a weapon she had heard elders speak of. Every now and then, a Togruta who had been raised off-world would come to their village, with one of those weapons on their belt, seeking recruits for their Jedi Order. "Hey, let's not do anything stupid here missy," he said as he tried making himself physically smaller. This, hopefully, would make him less threatening. "Saker," Elliot called to their translator."Saker, tell her to calm down," he commanded the droid. It came forward and faced the Togruta, standing behind Elliot. They had a few droids back in the village, for maintenance, but she had never seen one shaped like a person before, and had never heard one speak. She was surprised when it spoke to her in her own language, asking in mechanical tones for the return of the satchel Elliot nodded with Saker's words, approaching slowly, and low to the ground. He repeated Saker's words pacifyingly as he moved. Elliot was approaching this like any hostage negotiations, with a bit of beast handling. But she still didn't believe the bit where they meant her no harm. Only seconds ago they had seemed more than willing to kill each other, and the one trying to bargain with her had been the most effective fighter in the bunch. And he had that lightsabre. It was obvious to Elliot that she was a native. "Ask her if she speaks Basic," he ordered, and the droid complied.
Despite her suspicion, the Togruta withdrew her weapon from the throat of her hostage and pulled off the satchel, rattling the akul-tooth headdress and necklace she wore. She tossed the bag back to the man crouching in front of her, then placed both hands back on the pike to threaten her prisoner properly again. The translator droid asked her if she spoke Basic. Basic? What in Shili's good name was that? Recalling the off-world Togruta and the language they communicated in, she decided to give it a try.
"Who... who are you?" she finally asked slowly. It was obvious she was not comfortable with the words she spoke. "What thing are you?" Elliot heard the forced Basic. It wasn't great, but he preferred to speak directly to her rather than through a droid. He smiled a little as he grabbed his satchel and checked it, finding all its contents were accounted for.
"Thank you. My name is Elliot," he said, gesturing himself for emphasis, and waving his men off. They backed away cautiously. Elliot, meanwhile, continued smiling, a smile that reached his eyes. He backed away as well, and then straightened up, his blaster pistol hanging from his belt. "I am looking for some sort of building in the forest, or some sort of unnatural looking hill. Do you know where I can find it?" he said slowly. "If you need help, just ask Saker," he said, gesturing to the protocol droid.
The Togruta looked confused for a moment, trying to understand what he was telling her. She was pretty sure he said his name. She switched off the vibropike, and pulled it away from the foreigner's throat, backing down a little. She didn't make any move to get up off of him, however. She pointed at the speaker, and then said questioningly "El-Lyot?" She had trouble wrapping her tongue around the pronunciation. But she pointed back to herself and said more confidently, "Akira."
The huntress jumped to her feet quickly and backed up several paces, lest the person she had beaten decided to come after her again. She held her weapon pointed at the strangers, showing that she was still on the defensive. Her steely eyes glanced back to the tall grass behind her, and she was tempted to bolt, but she was still curious about these outsiders. Most of the explanation of why they were there was lost on her, because it did not sound like an answer to one of her two questions.
"You no Togruta," she said in her broken, heavily accented Basic. "What thing are you?"
Vessk scrambled away, grabbing his neck tenderly. Elliot glanced at him before turning to Akira. "I am," Elliot said, gesturing to himself, “a Human. I am from Mandalore." He pointed up to the stars. "From the biggest dustbowl next to Tatooine... and I'm looking for this," he said making hand gestures to accompany it. "Very important." he added, and motioned for his astromech droid, Ticker, to assist. He displayed an ancient hologram, with projected modern day features. It looked like an oddly shaped hill with a phoenix on a piece of metal at the front. "Have you seen this?"
Akira parroted the words back to Elliot, while somewhat miming his actions. "Humon?" she said questioningly, before pointing at the sky as he had and added, "from Mandulor?" She raised her pike to be slightly less threatening as she looked curiously at the hologram of the strange hill, and was fascinated by the droid projecting it. But she shook her head in dismay. "I do not see dis," she said flatly, but then gestured out into the night, where she knew the thick jungle sprang out of the savannah. "Ven might see. Ven might know. Ven sees much." While still standing apart from them a bit, the Togruta relaxed her guard and stopped pointing her weapon at them.
The sound of grass rustling behind her made Akira jump in towards the camp center, and her vibropike was quickly pointed in the direction of the sound. She could detect something large moving through the plant growth and it was moving fast. She gestured for the men to arm themselves, pointing at the spot where she could sense the predator's movements. Only seconds later, it came bounding into the clearing with a vicious snarl. The orange-pelted beast was almost a meter and a half tall at the shoulder, with long, thick, powerful legs and sharply clawed paws. Two long, heavy horns similar to the Togruta's montrals curled out of the canine's skull, but it was the long muzzle filled with two rows of razor-sharp triangular teeth that turned Akira's stomach to ice. She let loose a battle cry, attracting the akul's attention. It cleared the gap between them in a single bound, but she turned her pike sideways just in time to ram it into the monster's gaping mouth. The force of its charge was enough to knock the Togruta from her feet, but she held on to the shaft of her weapon for dear life. As long as it was stuck gnashing on it, the akul wasn't disemboweling any of the people present. Unfortunately, the slobbering monster made gripping her weapon difficult, and Akira’s grip slipped as the akul through her lifeline into the grass.
Elliot recoiled from the beast’s charge. Quickly, he grabbed the nearest rifle and took aim. The akul was struggling but Elliot had a steady hand. A slow trigger squeeze, a few deep breaths and the quick spraaaatz! of the blaster rifle. The powerful blast caught the akul straight in the chest and burned its way into the heart. Akira yelped as the akul lurched forward and collapsed, pinning her underneath its massive, hairy body. She gave another yelp, this one of indignation, when she realized it had died on her and she tried to worm her way out from under the heavy carcass. Elliot lowered the rifle and approached the Togruta. "You alright?" he asked, offering his hand. He was unsure if the gesture would translate but he hoped it did. She noticed the offered hand and accepted it as she was pulled from under the akul and to her feet. She was trembling and her hands were shaking from the adrenaline blasting through her system after that brush with death. Spotting the rifle held in Elliot's other hand, she realized he must have been the one who shot the beast.
"You..." she panted, "You a... how do you say? A great warrior. You killed the akul. He preys on my people. I am in your debt." She bowed her head to him, but there was something imperative left to do. She knelt beside the akul's enormous head and pulled open its mouth, then picked up a sizable rock.
"Heh," Elliot laughed quietly. "Try telling that to my sister." He gave a smirk as the young Togruta began to work off the teeth of the akul. She wasn't too bad looking, a girl he'd probably hit on if found in a bar. But she could be a key to finding the artefacts, so he'd rather keep her around. "So this... Ven? He might know where this hill is?" Elliot inquired. Akira didn't answer until she had knocked every tooth out of the akul's muzzle. In the end, there were roughly a hundred teeth in all, and her hands were covered in blood from the extraction. She snatched up an empty sack that was lying on the ground and put the teeth inside before drawing the string and fastening it to the strap around her chest that secured the holster for her vibropike. She also retrieved her weapon and returned it to its sheath.
"Ven is not he," she finally replied, straightening up and facing Elliot. "Ven is us. But the Ven may know your hill. If'n we leave now, we can get to Ven by morning. Come. We go now." Without waiting to see if he or his companions would follow, Akira disappeared into the turu-grass, expecting them to come along.
“Hey, wait a moment!” Elliot called after her. He motioned for his companions to stay put, grabbing a three day pack and setting it in his tent. He donned his armour, orange Beskar'gam, but kept the helmet in his pack. Then he started out behind Akira, quickly catching up with her. "So uh, Akira, tell me about the Ven," he said as he followed her through the grass. The men would stay put for three days, before coming to find Elliot. That would be plenty enough. Elliot's rifle was secured in place on his back, and the pistol on his side. The sabre was glinting off his belt and the satchel hung from his side.
"Ven are proud and strong," Akira said as Elliot finally caught up to her. "We are many fine hunters and warriors. Many have killed their akul. But Ven are... outsiders are rare. Very few find us. Jedi mostly. And mostly Ven Jedi. But Ven control this area, and know much. See much. If'n you hill be near, the Ven will know it. If'n not, you walk many weeks before you find other people. Maybe three if'n you run fast. But we shall see how fast you runnin, El-Lyot." Smirking at the heavily-armoured Human, she broke into a sprint. She knew she wouldn't keep that pace all night, she'd slow down to a light trot, but she wanted to see how long he could keep pace. He had proven himself a capable shot, but she wanted to test his endurance.
"Kandosii...." Elliot murmured as the Togruta bolted. He smirked and followed suit, swiftly moving into a sprint. Despite all the weight, he moved somewhat easily. For a few minutes at least. Moving through the grass, his foot suddenly caught on something and he went tumbling to the ground. He turned to find a plate of metal with a phoenix emblazoned on it. "By Mandalore." Elliot said with a smile. He held it up and activated a light. The phrase From the ashes, rise again was written below the phoenix. He flipped it over where the words Model #64729 Android were embossed.
Akira dug her heels into the ground and skidded to a stop when Elliot fell, landing hard. "You unharmed?" she asked, jogging back to him and crouching by his side. She saw the piece of metal he inspected, and the bird engraved into the plate. "This is the creature you search for?" she inquired. Judging by the excitement in his eyes, it was something important. "What thing is it? What is your find?"
"This, Akira, this is Phoenix Enterprises," Elliot said with a broad grin, turning to show her. "Phoenix Enterprises original android body." Then he looked up at the Togruta, a fire in his eyes. "There was probably a warehouse here. So the safe house MUST be here." He stood, dropping the plate. "Take me to your people, quickly."
"Safe house?" Akira asked as she stood up and started leading the way again, but walking at a hurried clip. She was curious as to why he was so excited by the find. "Safe from what? What thing are you looking for, El-Lyot?" she asked. "Why should you find old androids when there is new? They would be lesser, yes?" Based on the few old service droids kicking about the village and their rather limited uses, surely some older scrap would be even more limited in its functions.
"For several reasons," he replied. "The one I am looking for is made by an ancestor of mine...or well, it is an ancestor of mine. In a manner of speaking. Long story. Secondly- oof." Elliot grunted as he jumped off a low rock. "Secondly, the robot I am looking for is one of the most advanced ever." He smiled as he continued to move. "And it's very important to me."
Akira nodded, thinking she understood, but what she thought Elliot told her left her even more confused. "You're... you are a robot’s child?" she asked incredulously. She shook her head in disbelief. "Come, we will hurry. We will go to the Ven." She set off at an easy canter in the direction of the village, believing that Elliot would keep up, for a time anyway.
**********************
Two hours after dawn they reached the edge of the jungle. Akira yawned widely, displaying a set of sharp fangs. As her stomach growled, she knew she would look forward to a thimiar or two before laying down for a rest. But it was good to be off the plains and under the cover of the towering jungle. The trees were massive, some trunks spanning several metres in diameter, and the thick green canopy was hundreds of feet above them. A chorus of birds were beginning to stir and sing. The world above them was coming alive, and many different creatures were on the prowl in the canopy. Another kilometre into the jungle, the village came into view. Most of the buildings appeared to be metallic bubbles with large windows, sitting atop wide, circular platforms that were interconnected by an intricate network of bridges, ladders, and over-hanging branches. Akira led the way up a set of stairs to a broad platform raised a few meters over the jungle floor, and pressed a button on a terminal by a large support tower. The loop of cable overhead began to turn, and after several minutes a suspended cabin came into view. "Keep clear," she advised, motioning for Elliot to come stand next to her. When the cabin finally did come to rest on the platform, the door inside opened automatically and she stepped inside. As soon as Elliot followed suite, she placed her hand on the panel by the door, causing it to shut and the cabin of the lift lurched into motion. It didn't take long for them to be high above the forest floor, and they even began gliding over some of the lower-lying structures in the trees. The orange- and red-skinned denizens could be seen puttering about, taking care of their daily chores, a few of them looking up at the lift as it progressed towards its berth. "Welcome to Ven," Akira said with a smile to Elliot.
Elliot was in awe, this was a truly anicent civilization before him. With actual wheel technology, a smile spread across his face as he looked around while the lift moved. "Akira this is...amazing!" he said enthusiastically. He then looked at Akira. "We need to find that safe house more though, come on."
Akira quirked a smile at Elliot. "Why so much hurry?" she asked him. "Your ruin is not leaving. If it is found today or tomorrow matters little, if'n it can be found." The cabin came in to berth and the doors slid open, letting them out onto a large, round, dish-like platform. A couple of Togruta men were lounging around the ladder up to the next platform, all of them armed similarly to how Akira herself was. They ceased their casual conversation and reached for their vibropikes when they saw Elliot come through the door. Akira raised her hand and they paused. "Stand down," she said in Togruti. "The outsider is here with me. He means our people no harm.”
"He does not look like some emissary," one of the men answered back. "He is armed, and protects himself in sheets of metal. Why should we trust him, Akira?"
"I said stand down, Tak!" Akira growled. "This man has killed an akul in single combat. Yes, he may be a warrior and not an emissary, but he has earned the respect of the Ven, so you would do well to give it to him!" Begrudgingly, the guards did stand down, but they still eyed Elliot suspiciously, and scrutinized the Togruta woman. She beckoned to her companion to follow her up the ladder, and offered him a hand up at the top. "Stay close," she said in a low voice to him. "Ven does not often see outsiders among its people. They will look, and they will not trust you."
"I see," Elliot said bluntly, tailing her closely but taking note of everything he saw. "I need to come back here."
As she had said, many Togruta eyed Akira and her company with curiosity and suspicion, and many stared openly at Elliot. Several Elders took refuge inside enclosed structures and beckoned the children in to join them. Nevertheless, they still peeked out of the windows inquisitively. The pair gradually made their way to the largest structure in the tree, one of the metallic bubbles located in the very center of the village. The chamber inside was brightly lit, and adorned in the pelts of many different creatures. At the far end of the room sat a tall, strong, although slightly wizened Togruta male in a high-backed chair that had an akul pelt tossed over its arms. A woman stood to either side of him with vibropikes drawn, and they crossed them in front of the elder at the sight of Akira's companion.
"What manner of creature do you bring before our leader, Akira?" one of them growled at her, but Akira hissed back, appearing both angry and indignant.
"Stand down, Kei," the elder said as he stood from his chair. The many akul teeth adorning his body rattled as he stood and shoved the pikes apart so that he could walk through. Akira features softened as he approached, and she placed her hand over her heart on the right side of her chest and bowed her head before addressing him.
"Zhane, I have-"
"Brought someone to see me, hmm? And tell me child, does this Human speak our language?"
"No, Zhane," Akira answere, training her eyes on the ground at his feet.
"Where are your manners? Have I taught you nothing? Why do you think I taught you Basic at all?" he scolded, but then turned and smiled at Elliot. "Greetings offworlder!" he said in perfect Basic. "I am Zhane Ven. Welcome to Shili, and to the village of Ven. What brings you to our fold?"
"A pleasure Mr. Ven." Elliot said, bowing.
“Please, call me Zhane. We are all Ven here," the man insisted.
"My name is Elliot Marren and I am looking for an artifact. An ancient android." The Human then pulled out a holo-emitter and displayed the safe house. "This is where it is kept. Or rather, it should look like this." He shrugged. "We predicted that 14,000 years of weathering would make it look vaguely like this. The door takes a special key to open, or plenty of explosives." At the mention of explosives Elliot grinned."Which I just so happen to have. Anyway, Akira here mentioned that you may know where this safe house is. So I ask, do you?"
Zhane listened intently to what Elliot was looking for, and stroked his chin as he reflected. "Yes, I may know what you are looking for. A structure, swallowed by the plains. About twenty years ago there was a drought. Water supplies dried up and thus many of the herds were forced to move to better pastures. As a result, our hunting parties had to travel further from home in order to find any food. I was a young hunter myself at the time.
Many kilometres from here, the far side of the jungle opens onto a plain, cloven in half by a wide river. Many more kilometers downstream, the river runs off a shear precipice and the waterfall spills into a lush valley below. At the top of the waterfall, a strange, metallic structure juts from the ground. It is incredibly rusted, and much of it has eroded to dust. But you can climb inside through some of the holes in it, and the space is cavernous. It almost looks like the remains of some manner of aircraft, maybe even spacecraft. Never mind that though. In the valley, there is a place where the river splits in twain. Betwixt the river's offshoots is where your hill lies. It is no short distance, however. It takes the swiftest runners a week to reach the far side while pressing themselves to the limits of their strength. For most, it will take anywhere from a tenday to a fortnight. To reach the waterfall? Another week easily. Then you must figure how to descend the cliff without breaking your pretty neck. After that, another day's run to where the river splits. Many hundreds of kilometers lay between you and your prize. If you need anything from the Ven, ask of it now. Rest and recuperate as you will. But you should start walking soon."
Akira was fascinated by the description of the trail before them. Never had she been so far from home. She was unaware even to the famine that had been upon her people in the months prior to her birth. Her stomach turned to ice though when she finally made eye contact with Zhane and saw how stern his gaze was when it fell on her. He knows.
"Now Kei, T'Rani, please escort Elliot Marren outside. Show him around and help him find whatever he needs. I must speak alone with my apprentice," Zhane said, his calm facade beginning to melt as he sat back down on his throne. The two guards came and flanked Elliot as they prepared to escort him out, with Kei sneering over her shoulder at Akira. They all know. So that's why Kei was so hostile.
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"Simple enough." Elliot said with a grin, walking with the guards. His Orange armor matched a few of the Togrutan's skin and he looked about the living relic of a village again. "Ok, can I find a place to take a moment to rest up? Get my gear sorted out?" Elliot asked one of the Togrutas. "I won't need long. only eight to ten hours."
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The two women escorted Elliot higher up into the village, guiding him to one of the outlying communal rest buildings. It was small, and didn't see a terrible amount of use, but it provided a great view of the rest of the community, and its citizens could be seen puttering about and doing their chores. Kids were chasing each other about a platform on a tree limb a few metres below the rest house. Back in the village centre, however, it wasn't fun and games for Akira.
"But we needed to know what was trespassing on our land!" she said, defending her case. "They could have been a threat!"
"None of your excuses, Akira!" Zhane scolded. "Your disregard for the people in your care has cost us a brother! He trusted you with his life! You betrayed him to satisfy your own curiosity."
"I was defending our people!"
"You were being selfish!" The chieftain of the Ven stopped his pacing to stare her down, reminding the young female of a great hunting cat. Zhane sighed and settled into his chair, rubbing his forehead. "You have disappointed me, Akira," he said in a low, dangerous voice. He was done yelling now. He wanted her to listen to him, not simply hear his words. Apparently she was listening, or so her injured expression would have him believe. "Your right to succeed me is forthwith null and void-"
"But Zhane!" she protested, but she held her tongue as he raised a hand to wave aside her interruption.
"-as are your hunting rights! You are banned from accessing the lift, and the Tak has already been informed as to such. You will remain in the village where I can keep a careful watch on you, so that no more of the Ven suffer from your stupidity." Akira winced at the insult, and her knees gave out. Tears began to form in her eyes, obscuring her vision.
"Please, Zhane, I thought-"
"No, you didn't! That's the problem, Akira. You never do! You never listen to anything anyone tells you. But you will listen to me. If not as your elder, or your leader, or your mentor, then as your husband."
"I was just trying to... keep our people safe!" the distraught young woman sobbed. "I thought they would be fine on their own!"
"ENOUGH excuses girl! I have passed my judgment! Now begone from my sight before I decide to take your tongue from you as well!" Zhane snarled. Stumbling to her feet, Akira bolted from the building, retreating up into the tree. Every person she passed stared at her accusingly, or so she perceived. She didn't stop climbing until she was far above the highest structure in the village, and perched in the upper branches. Drawing her knees to her chest, she buried her face in her hands and wailing uncontrollably. Her shoulders shook with her heaving sobs, and a few nearby creatures even took wing, driven off by the frightful noise. What purpose did she have left? Everything she had wored for had been taken away so quickly. She could never face the Ven, or her parents, again with her head held high.
I must leave this place. Tonight.
In the late day, after composing herself, Akira had learned where Kei and T'Rani had taken Elliot. She waited until the village was bathed in starlight and in the silence of sleeping Togruta before she slipped into the cabin silently. He seemed to be alone. Placing a hand on Elliot's shoulder, she pressed a finger to her lips and signaled him to be quiet. "If'n I bring you to your safe house to finds your robot, you take me with you, off Shili," Akira whispered into his ear, then looked at him expectantly. "You agree?"
"But we needed to know what was trespassing on our land!" she said, defending her case. "They could have been a threat!"
"None of your excuses, Akira!" Zhane scolded. "Your disregard for the people in your care has cost us a brother! He trusted you with his life! You betrayed him to satisfy your own curiosity."
"I was defending our people!"
"You were being selfish!" The chieftain of the Ven stopped his pacing to stare her down, reminding the young female of a great hunting cat. Zhane sighed and settled into his chair, rubbing his forehead. "You have disappointed me, Akira," he said in a low, dangerous voice. He was done yelling now. He wanted her to listen to him, not simply hear his words. Apparently she was listening, or so her injured expression would have him believe. "Your right to succeed me is forthwith null and void-"
"But Zhane!" she protested, but she held her tongue as he raised a hand to wave aside her interruption.
"-as are your hunting rights! You are banned from accessing the lift, and the Tak has already been informed as to such. You will remain in the village where I can keep a careful watch on you, so that no more of the Ven suffer from your stupidity." Akira winced at the insult, and her knees gave out. Tears began to form in her eyes, obscuring her vision.
"Please, Zhane, I thought-"
"No, you didn't! That's the problem, Akira. You never do! You never listen to anything anyone tells you. But you will listen to me. If not as your elder, or your leader, or your mentor, then as your husband."
"I was just trying to... keep our people safe!" the distraught young woman sobbed. "I thought they would be fine on their own!"
"ENOUGH excuses girl! I have passed my judgment! Now begone from my sight before I decide to take your tongue from you as well!" Zhane snarled. Stumbling to her feet, Akira bolted from the building, retreating up into the tree. Every person she passed stared at her accusingly, or so she perceived. She didn't stop climbing until she was far above the highest structure in the village, and perched in the upper branches. Drawing her knees to her chest, she buried her face in her hands and wailing uncontrollably. Her shoulders shook with her heaving sobs, and a few nearby creatures even took wing, driven off by the frightful noise. What purpose did she have left? Everything she had wored for had been taken away so quickly. She could never face the Ven, or her parents, again with her head held high.
I must leave this place. Tonight.
In the late day, after composing herself, Akira had learned where Kei and T'Rani had taken Elliot. She waited until the village was bathed in starlight and in the silence of sleeping Togruta before she slipped into the cabin silently. He seemed to be alone. Placing a hand on Elliot's shoulder, she pressed a finger to her lips and signaled him to be quiet. "If'n I bring you to your safe house to finds your robot, you take me with you, off Shili," Akira whispered into his ear, then looked at him expectantly. "You agree?"
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"You want off world, hun?" Elliot asked a little surprised, but he kept his voice quiet. "I gotta transport my hands to Corellia first...but how do you expect to pay, Akira?"Elliot turned, his armor was off and his utility jump suit was on. He was holding a rappelling line in one hand, and a bottle of Tiihaar in the other. "You work for me for awhile and that'll be fine." Elliot took a swig of the sweet alcohol and gave Akira a once over. This was the equivalent of his third glass and he was a little bit buzzed. "Fine. We leave before dawn, ok?"
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"We leave now," Akira said firmly, unaware that Elliot was possibly intoxicated. "You have transport? We can go to your people. They will not wait so long for you to come back, me think. Come, get your things, then follow me." She didn't wait long for him to grab his armour before ducking out of the hutt and circling around its perimeter to the outstretching branch. Crouching, she crawled along the tree limb and gripped the craggy bark with her fingers and toes. As the branch narrowed and split off, she paused on her perch to wait for her companion to catch up. It was about fifty feet to the edge of the platform, and she didn't see him yet.
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"Yes," Akira replied quickly. "You came from th' stars. You must have a transport. As long as we stay low and follow Zhane's route, we can get to you ruin before th' runners. Zhane was angry with me. Very angry. Zhane does not want me to leave the village. He will send others to find me when he discovers me gone." They came to a place where the branch they were crossing melded with a second branch from the next tree over, having fused centuries ago after coming into contact and growing around each other. Akira was careful as she changed her facing, preparing herself for the descent down the steep branch. By the time they reached the next tree's trunk, they would only have about a hundred feet left to descend. It was still problematic, but they would be able to do it. Well, she was concerned about Elliot. If that pack had his armour, it must be quite heavy, and something seemed wrong with him, as if he wasn't all there. Hopefully he didn't slip up. She'd hate for her ticket away from a life of shame and captivity to fall and break every bone in his body.
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"Jeez..." Elliot muttered, looking down. He was lucid enough to work, but he had enough alcohol to make it difficult. Luckily his armor wasn't impeding his movement, just his speed. He continued to follow Akira, hoping his legs wouldn't fail him. We need to hurry back then. You said you can help me find the safe house?
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"Follow the trail. Fend off the predators. Hunt and forage. These things and more I can do. But you must take me away from Shili, to another world. I will not be Zhane's prisoner." Upon reaching the second tree's trunk, Akira looked for another branch, but the nearest was a thirty-foot drop and fifteen-foot gap away. Using the trunk to pull herself upright, she caught her breath for a moment, and looked up to check on Elliot's progress. "We are going to have to jump," she said, pointing to the next limb down. "I will go first. I can throw you back rope and you can zip across."
After a few moments of standing and preparing herself, Akira leapt out into the open space. The adrenaline was surging through her veins as she plummeted, and landed with a grunt as she collided with the massive tree limb. Holding on tightly, she tried to pull herself up on top of the branch when the piece of bark she was gripping came loose. She yelped as she dangled by one hand over the open space and the all too distant jungle floor, but got a grip on the side of the branched and managed to swing a leg up to hook on. She panted as she pulled herself up and caught her breath. That was too close.
Uncoiling about half the rope slung across her torso, Akira tied one end to her vibroknife and wrapped the rest on a sturdy, vertical offshoot of the branch she was standing on. She then threw the knife up to Elliot, the blade burying itself into the bark by his foot. "Tie it down and use some strap or another to slide across!" she called to him. "Make sure you use your legs to brace before impact!"
After a few moments of standing and preparing herself, Akira leapt out into the open space. The adrenaline was surging through her veins as she plummeted, and landed with a grunt as she collided with the massive tree limb. Holding on tightly, she tried to pull herself up on top of the branch when the piece of bark she was gripping came loose. She yelped as she dangled by one hand over the open space and the all too distant jungle floor, but got a grip on the side of the branched and managed to swing a leg up to hook on. She panted as she pulled herself up and caught her breath. That was too close.
Uncoiling about half the rope slung across her torso, Akira tied one end to her vibroknife and wrapped the rest on a sturdy, vertical offshoot of the branch she was standing on. She then threw the knife up to Elliot, the blade burying itself into the bark by his foot. "Tie it down and use some strap or another to slide across!" she called to him. "Make sure you use your legs to brace before impact!"
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Elliot was ok with heights, but this...this was INSANE. Either way, Elliot tied down the line and searched for something to use as a strap. Finding a blaster strap, he slung it over the line and made a leap of faith. "FIERFEK!" Elliot screamed as he flew across the line, letting out a whoop of joy before landing. "That was amazing!"
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Akira lent a hand to help Elliot get stable as he landed. Then she took her knife back from him and cut the line. She still had about 50 feet of rope left, and didn't want to leave it just hanging there. Some long, thick vines were dangling from their current perch, and the Togruta began to pull what appeared to be a fairly long one up to them. "Give me your bag," she ordered the man. "It's too heavy. Don't want to trust too much weight to the vine. Might snap. We lower it down. You go down without it." With that, she tied the vine in a solid knot around the bag's straps and began to ease it to the jungle floor. It came up about fifteen feet short of the ground. "I will go first, then cut the bag loose. You follow when I say so."
She tried to calm herself before attempting to lower herself over the branch, but adrenaline still had her system supercharged. She wrapped her leg securely in the fine to slow her descent, and hand over hand, lowered herself from the tree. When she got close to Elliot's bag, she drew her knife again as she untangled her leg, then began to make the cut. The vine snapped and Akira landed, the pack clanging loudly and stinging pain from the impact prickled in her legs. "I'm down!" she called up. "But it's a bit of a drop!"
She tried to calm herself before attempting to lower herself over the branch, but adrenaline still had her system supercharged. She wrapped her leg securely in the fine to slow her descent, and hand over hand, lowered herself from the tree. When she got close to Elliot's bag, she drew her knife again as she untangled her leg, then began to make the cut. The vine snapped and Akira landed, the pack clanging loudly and stinging pain from the impact prickled in her legs. "I'm down!" she called up. "But it's a bit of a drop!"
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"Screw that." Elliot said, attatching the rapelling line to the tree. He hooked up his harness and jumped down the side of the tree easily. He landed with a loud thump next to the Togruta and hit the electronic release on the rapelling line and it came down with a whirr. "Where to next, Akira?"
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"We must go, go fast. Someone must have heard us. We run to your transport, then we find the ruin," Akira said breathlessly. Steering wide of the platform for the gondola up to the tree, she raced through the dark jungle. When they reached its edge, she took half an hour to try and pick up the trail they had left the day before, and at pace that was all to slow for her taste, they managed to backtrack to the camp. Not even daylight helped to hasten their pace, much to Akira's dismay. Although it was easier to follow the trail, she was too tired to run, and could only bring herself to a light jog. She hadn't slept or eaten at all in two days now, and her body barely had any energy reserves left to spend. This only served to heighten her distress. No doubt Zhane now knew of her desertion, and had sent hunters to chase her down.
"El-Lyot," she said as she stopped for a breather. "Lift me. I need to see above the grass." The Togruta didn't give him much of a choice as she practically climbed onto his shoulders and pulled a pair of binoculars from her belt. She scanned the savannah for over five minutes before she spotted the stirring grass that could only be a hunting party. "They come for me, maybe two hours from closing on us," Akira said anxiously before jumping down. "But we are very close to your camp now. I hope your men can be packed before they catch us. Else, they should prepare to fight."
"El-Lyot," she said as she stopped for a breather. "Lift me. I need to see above the grass." The Togruta didn't give him much of a choice as she practically climbed onto his shoulders and pulled a pair of binoculars from her belt. She scanned the savannah for over five minutes before she spotted the stirring grass that could only be a hunting party. "They come for me, maybe two hours from closing on us," Akira said anxiously before jumping down. "But we are very close to your camp now. I hope your men can be packed before they catch us. Else, they should prepare to fight."
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Elliot was wheezing, there was Togrutan hunters after them and they were about a click from the camp site. "Oi, oi! This is Elliot to my guys!" Elliot took a breath and jumped over a tree trunk before continuing. "Look guys! Get the camp ready to roll in the next 15 minutes or you'll be subjected to Togurtan torture!" he ordered, taking a huge breath. Then he switched off the helmet mike and spoke to Akira. "You better be able to get us to the site!"
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Akira's toe caught on a root jutting out of the ground, tripping her up. Panting, she pushed herself back to her feet and kept going. Every muscle in her legs and chest was on fire, and her feet felt as heavy as lead. She could hear the war cries and chants of the hunters even over this distance, and it was enough to make her panic. "Come on, El-lyot!" she gasped, grabbing his hand and frantically trying to pull him along faster. It took them fifteen minutes to cover the last stretch before they busted through the grass and into the campsite. As soon as they did, Akira's legs gave out and she collapsed, gasping and coughing on the ground. When she looked up, she found herself staring down the barrel of a blaster rifle. The Togruta glanced over to the Mandalorian, her eyes full of fear, her face pleading for him to call off his friend.
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Elliot didn't say a word, instead he scooped up the Togruta in his arms. "Put that damned thing away!" he yelled, carrrying Akira to a speeder bike and setting her gently on it. He looked around the camp, and like he ordered, it was squared away. Elliot mounted the speeder and shot off, making sure Akira was safe on the bike.
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The Zabrak carrying the rifle, the same one she had taken hostage the night before last, looked surprised by Elliot, and put the blaster away as his boss carried the exhausted Togruta off to the bikes. There was a large landspeeder there as well, laden with the supplies of the camp. The Zabrak and the two droids loaded up into it, and the rest of the men camped there boarded on the remaining bikes. As the engine roared to life, Akira by instinct threw her arms around Elliot's waist and held on tightly as they shot off. The red and white turu-grass blurred into a shifting sea on pink beneath them as they skimmed a few feet above the top. The rest of the crew caught up quickly. Akira hugged even tighter, hiding her face in Elliot's back. She had never imagined such speed overland to be possible, and the idea of falling tied her stomach in knots with fear. Not to mention, the land so quickly flying by beneath them was nauseating to try and watch, so she dared not look. Still, the worst of her fear was put to rest. They were safe. There was no way the hunters could catch them now. She had no idea where they were going, but they would be impossible to track traveling this way. And soon, soon she would leave Shili, possibly forever.
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Elliot stopped the speeder in front of his ship, the Adventure, and pulled Akira off the bike and hit the open button on the ramp after waving his ID card in front of it. Elliot carried Akira to a bed and let her down into it, it was a body contouring gel bed and would feel like nothing ever felt before to a Togrutan like her. The tall Mandalorian Archaeologist then collapsed in a nearby chair, managing to pull a rat cube, taking a single bite then throwing it against the wall."Forgot how much that stuff sucks." Elliot said to himself and the world at large. He stood, walked to the kitchenm got himself some tapcaf in a flimsi cup and then came back to where the Togrutan was.