Racing For The Beyond

[Orbit Chronicles]

-A random story in a galaxy far away-​

A young and vibrant red-colored Twi'lek walked through the alleyways of Corellia, whistling a catchy tune to himself. The pathway he took had nothing to be proud of, trash littering the corners and the edges, practically a second skin to the ground that had to be waded through in some worse parts of the city. There were a few people littered here and there across the narrow stretch, each group keeping to themselves as they either discussed what was happening in their life or were partaking in some style of game that involved gambling for what little they had.

It was a gloomy sight and one that the city didn't help and try to uplift. The sound of speeders above was loud and never-ending, a constant reminder to the ones below that they were being flown over like trash themselves. The only light was fixtures and neon signs that were littered down every path that could be walked upon, adding some sort of haze that had collected over the years. There was constant noise, either angry couples, music, crime, whatever could make noise. It made the idea of serenity and quiet comical and one that was thoroughly shunned by the city, or at least where he was. Formal and ugly metal buildings stretched around where he walked, either bunkhouses or general stores tightly packed together and creating tight veins that the inhabitants used. If one gazed above, one would only find speeders and skyscrapers that pierced the clouds with ease and power. Such a common sight as the sun was a commodity down below.

Even with all of that, the Twi'lek strutted that oozed his carefree nature with each step as he continued to whistle past the dwellers and gamblers. His clothing consisted of a shirt and jacket, both consisting of stains and long dark pants with some boots. It was clear that he was one of them but only added to the almost comical sight of how he stood out from the rest who quietly discussed or played among themselves.

With a turn in the alleyway and a few more minutes of his strutting, the Twi'lek found himself outside a garage, a neon sign of two speeders crashing into each other with a wrench hovering above and wiggling temptingly. It hanged above the door that served as an entrance but right next to it was a garage, half-opened and that proved to be more enticing. It lit up routinely underneath, sparks even escaping outside before quickly becoming extinguished. Voices could be heard on the other side and that's exactly what he wanted to hear.

The Twi'lek approached the garage and did a swift duck to get on the other side. He stood up to his full height when he did, a small smile on his face as he breathed in the smell of oil, sweat, and air conditioner. The idea of working on a speeder all day didn't appeal to him but he could appreciate the smell of hard work. The garage was arranged as it was separated into two levels, the first one being the actual garage with equipment and suspension gear. three speeders already loaded and lifted, unkept tool boxes littered around as well. The second level was where the offices were and lounge for the employees when they were finished, a catwalk above that made an L along the wall to watch over the garage.

With a quick glance around the premise, the red Twi'lek couldn't find who he was looking for and he stepped around in a circle to look for an item to solve that solution. When he found a small wrench, he bent over to pick it up and banged it harshly against the garage door afterward. "Whoop! Whoop! Chulu here! Where are ya, buddy?" With the wrench, it only added to the sound as it echoed throughout the entire garage and rumbled the garage door thoroughly.

 

[Orbit Chronicles]

The piercing sound wasn't hard to miss and even split through the music of the intended person it was for. With a soft sigh, Chet's head slightly dipped into his hand as he let it remain there for a minute. Those precious moments were the ones before he would be dragged into Chulu's crazy ideas and he cherished those almost religiously. After his moment, he pulled out his headphones and stood up from his chair as he slightly zipped up his full but oil-stained mechanic's outfit.

He stepped out from the office on the second floor and onto the walkway, his arms placed on the railing to be rested upon as he came into view. Chet was eighteen years old, his hair cropped to not interfere with his work as he had a pair of goggles rest on top of his head securely. Some stubble was already on his face and his years of constant work made him appear a little older than he was. He wore a mechanic's outfit, it halfway zipped up and revealing a black t-shirt underneath and stained as well. The rest of his clothing was underneath the suit and protected.

Both Chet and Chulu's eyes met each other's and held for a few seconds but the banging continued without any hint of stopping. With a shake of his head, he stood up slightly as he rubbed his eyes before cupping his mouth to assist in carrying his voice, "Chulu! Shut the fuck up!" It wasn't the best that Chet had started to fall asleep and it helped him find some way to be thankful for the ugly banging noise. But it was still god-awful and needed to be stopped for his sanity.

Chulu smiled and simply dropped the wrench and shrugged, "I couldn't think of any other way to get you out here to talk with me." In translation, a faster way to get him out without breaking something. He walked over to one of the empty chairs placed throughout and plopped down onto it as he went with momentum and spun around a few times before stopping as he faced Chet, another smile but plastered on his face uncontrollably, "Guess what I figured out today?" The tone of his voice indicated another crazy idea.

Chet walked down the stairway, hopping off the last step before walking over to the speeder that Chulu sat near. "Something that only you could find and I will probably regret." If the Twi'lek was up for it, sometimes he would make him actually take the time to guess and that wasn't going to happen. Placing his foot on the creeper on the floor, it was pulled out slightly before he turned around and laid his back against it. Pushing off the ground, he slid underneath the speeder and right next to the toolkit that was already underneath, taking the activity to pass the time until his friend spilled it.

Chulu chuckled, "You're lucky this time, it is too good for us to be wasting time about it." The Twi'lek glanced around to make sure it was only the two of them that could hear the words he was about to say. When the coast was clear to him, he rested both of his elbows down on his knees and leaned down toward Chet, his voice still quiet just in case, "I found a ZRX-750, here man." Excitement and anticipation were practically dripping from his voice and onto the mechanic.

Chet had been fingering with machinery, the soft sound of clanking and tightening underneath but it stopped when his buddy finally revealed the reason for his excitement. With his foot again, he dragged himself out in order to peer up at the Twi'lek with a look. He pointed his wrench at him, almost as if was one of those fabled lightsabers, "You're crazy, absolutely not." It was easy to piece together what his friend wanted to do given his history.