Ask Tatooine Twin's

[Wodan]

When he went to take a look, he honestly hoped that Caelian had some idea on how to fix speeders, because well the Firrerrian had never really taken to mechanical sciences and knowledge. The Echani went towards the burnt out wreck of the landship, by The Force Wodan hoped he would be able to find some sort of complete working motor or even yet a new speeder.

There were sparks and fumes coming from the damaged engine, Wodan could see where the blaster fire had battered into the ship enough to melt the protective casing, with a final shot breaking through. From an idiot's point of view it didn’t seem to have actually hit much, mostly the surrounding metal work but at least a few items were burnt out, he could at least tell that.

If neither of them were able to fix the engine, the best they could probably hope for was to just ride on the engine until he died. Hopefully it would get them to their destination at least, maybe then they could call for some kind of rescue or support. Wodan checked the inside of his jacket, pulling out his emergency sat-holo as well as his own. Wodan’s personal holo had no real signal, maybe he could contact someone but he wasn’t sure if it would go through, the sat-holo had a strong signal but only reached back to anchorage.

“I hope he found a miracle in there.” He said turning back to look at the landship.

@Xorism

 

[Caelian]

He didn't know what he expected to find inside the burnt out shell of a vehicle, but the appearance of some kind of camp-site was not among them. After entering through the narrow main access hatch and snaking his way through its corridors, he suddenly found himself face to face with a sand person. Quick as a flash, Caelian went to reach for his weapon, likewise so did the smaller figure ahead of him, yet each paused as neither completely drew.

A stalemate where they held their gaze and watched each other studiously, awaiting any tell-tale signs of imminent action. It was at this point that the Echani noticed that his would be opponent wasn't entirely well themselves, as time passed he noticed the limped leg and severely damaged clothing. It would seem that this one had either been a survivor of this battle or had in the past been injured in some way, now too slow to join their kin on hunts and resigned to keeping watch over camp.

They didn't seem so scary now that he could see them up close, Caelian weighed his options. They needed help to fix the speeder and if anyone knew what parts could be nearby it would be the person in front of him. There was just the problem of communicating this, and then also trying to convince it to help them. He had a small amount of credits on him and a weapon, perhaps that would be enough to secure some parts they'd need to at least get back to civilisation.

Caelian slowly moved his hand off the weapon hilt and moved his spare hand as if to encourage the tuskan to do the same, which he did. The pair stood in silence, he was hesitant to try communication with the force for fear of spooking him but his options were limited, if he tried to get Wodan here he'd risk something happening which would ruin the whole thing. No, instead he tried a Hail Mary, attempting to sign to someone he had no idea if they would understand.

To his utter amazement and shock, the Tuskan not only understood, but responded in turn. The Tuskans had their own version of signing which didn't always align with the galactic standard and while there were certainly differences that would make it difficult to communicate effectively, the gist would get through.

Making a descriptive sign, trying to imitate a speeder stopping and smoking pointing outside, Caelian hoped and prayed it would be enough that they'd trade some credits for help. The Tuskan struggled a bit before pointing outside and signing what he could only perceive as a suggestion to look, and a potential agreement was struck. Nodding, Caelian moved out of his way as the Tuskan grabbed a small tool bag before he made a path down and outside the landship and approached Wodan.

Now, Caelian was perceptive enough to realise this might spook Wodan in of itself, so he took precaution enough to telepathically warn his companion to what was happening before it appeared in front of him.

"Look who I found, can you believe our luck? Let him have a look and fingers crossed he can figure something out."

@Braden

Spoiler

rolled 18

 

[Wodan]

With the Suns quickly making for the horizon both the light but more importantly the heat of Tatooine began to ebb, Wodan could finally feel like he could breathe on the planet. Caelian had been gone for a long time and the Firrerrian was beginning to wonder if the man was lost or hurt. Could he scream without a tongue? How far did his telepathy thing go? Shit.

Wodan uncoupled his lightsaber and took a pair of steps towards the burnt out landship before he felt the Echani touch his mind. He had just enough time to reclip his lightsaber to his belt as the Sand Person came out of the ship, limping towards him and the speeder. Wodan had no idea if the Sand Person could understand basic, so he just thought really hard and hoped Caelian could also understand what he was saying. ] ‘You sure this is alright?’ He asked as he stepped away from their only form of transport.

Wodan purposefully moved himself around towards the front of the speeder less the native try and jump in and flee with their vehicle. A flick of his finger removing the strap on his blaster just encase. The man seemed to not care about Wodan and went to work on the speeder’s damaged engine. “What did you promise him in return? I hope it's not a lift.” He asked out loud this time, not concerned if he was overheard this time.

@Xorism

 

[Caelian]

The Tuskan's nonchalant approach to his work ethic was slightly amusing to Caelian as he stood back and watched the lad poking and prodding the various parts. "Of course not, he said he'd do it for credits. I think. He was signing earlier, but I'm not fully following it, I think it must be a local dialect."

They'd watch as the Tuskan pulled a number of parts out, some were burnt and damaged, some only burnt and others damaged. It didn't look like he was overly concerned by what he had seen, or at the very least he wasn't being overly emotive. The only tell would be whether he'd stall, pondering which tool to pull out for which part. In some cases, it was simply needing a little percussive maintenance and some scraping to remove the scorching before the component could be reinstalled.

A short time passed before the Sand Person looked to Caelian and then to Wodan, before pointing back to the land ship, indicating that he had to go get something from in there. The Echani nodded and off he went, leaving his tools behind, scurrying through the sand and back up into the access hatch.

"Something's off..." he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the way the Tuskan had stopped in his tracks before quickly rushing off had the normally carefree Echani on alert. If they couldn't rely on this fella to put the speeder back together, they'd have to hazard doing it themselves, and that wasn't a prospect he was looking forward to.

Before they had any real time to plan anything, the Tuskan returned with a small metal part in his hand and a blaster clearly visible on his belt. It seemed that the most damaged part was simply inoperable and would have to be completely replaced, and fortunately he was willing to part with his, for a price. After signing a few things, Caelian's face turned sour before looking Wodan's way.

"Traitorous shit is saying he knows we're dead if we don't trade, so he's willing to trade it for half our supplies, all of them, if we try anything funny. Ballsy move aside, can we fix it without him?" Caelian's concern was shown in his projection, but not upon his face. His hand held steady, but was ready to ignite his saber if the need arose.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Credits made sense, he doubted anyone on this planet did something out of the goodness of their heart. Wodan just shrugged and agreed to the original price to do the work as the Tuskan went about whatever he was doing to their speeder. The nonchalance the man took with his work was concerning, he was either extremely skilled or as clueless as the pair of Sith and was just trying to buy time.

Then he disappeared into the broken landship. Wodan nodded when Caelian broached his concern. “I agree, keep your wits about you. I don’t want to get ambushed again.” He replied, The Force began to flow out of the Firrerrian like a carpet across the sand, searching for any sign of betrayal.

Wodan snarled as Caelian explained the man’s betrayal and new terms. “It’s a deal.” Wodan replied quickly, repeating the comment louder a second time so that the Tuskan could clearly hear him. The pair of Sith needed the man’s knowledge to fix the speeder, a few supplies was better than being stranded out here in the middle of nowhere.

@Xorism

 

[Caelian]

Caelian clenched his teeth together and started signing their agreement to the newly amended terms. The Tusken seemed giddy at his negotiating prowess, refusing to work until he sighted the goods. The Echani groaned in turn and made his way back into the speeder to retrieve the goods. Looking in the back, he found a smaller bag that was less full which would allow him to store the necessary supplies that the Tusken demanded before returning outside.

Caelian dropped the bag at his feet and signed. "There, now fulfil your end of the bargain." He had no idea if the little shit would sabotage the speeder or even complete the work that they had traded for. It would be a completely wild gamble to leave without some kind of assurance that it had been actually fixed.

Content with his plan, the Tusken happily grabbed a handful of tools and went about replacing the damaged parts one by one. A little bit of percussive maintenance and some frustrated grunting noises later, and it was more or less complete. It didn't take a mechanic to notice that it didn't look the same, but they were assured again that it was the only part for days that would do the trick.

"We can't afford the risk that we just gave up all those supplies for nothing, Wodan."

With some reluctance, he allowed the Tusken to pick up his loot. The scrawny little man dipped his head slightly in thanks for the supplies and extended his hand to shake Caelian's, and then in turn walking over to Wodan for the same. A hefty thump echoed through the sand dunes as the Tusken went limp and fell to the sand below to reveal the Echani behind him.

A solid hit to the back of the head with a lightsaber hilt had knocked him out cold.

"Better he comes with us in case it isn't fixed or breaks down again, although once we're there, uh, I don't know what we'll do then. Do you have anything to secure him? Otherwise, one of us is on babysitting duty."

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Wodan had watched the Tuskan work, completely content with his own plan once the repairs were complete. As the alien reached his hand out to shake on the deal once he had completed his side, Wodan gave him a toothy grin, his fangs on show for the creature to see. The Dark Side began to well inside the Sith but before he could let out his retribution for being taken advantage off the Tuskan fell to the ground.

A large laugh escaped the Firrerrian’s lips as he looked over at Caelian, it seemed that even without a word the pair had come to the same conclusion. Though Wodan’s was a little more extreme than his friends. “To be honest, I am not so inclined to keep the dead weight, we only have a limited amount of food and water. Plus even if he's bound one of us will need to watch him. I say we leave him here, at least we know where to find a mechanic if we need one.”

With that said Wodan walked up to the burn out landcrawler and moved inside, he found the little hideaway the Tuskan called a home. A fresh canteen and a bag of Bantha Jerky was quickly grabbed from the side before heading back outside. He held up his findings as he jumped into the passenger seat beside Caelian. “Late payment fee.”

@Xorism

 

[Caelian]

A mutual nod between friends completed the little transaction, agreeing to the terms Wodan now set. They would leave the greedy little man behind where they found him, the work now complete and him providing limited otherwise use. A small devious chuckle escaped his lips as Wodan returned with the ration bags were shown.

With everything in place, Caelian hesitantly jumped back into their own speeder while looking over the controls. With his hand over the ignition, he stood quietly prepared to leap from the sputtering machine in case of sabotage. True to his word, however, the speeder roared to life, albeit how an aged piece of junk might, but working nonetheless.

Shifting down into the driver's seat he remarked, "Seems he did something right at least." With a small thump and pull they were off and away from the scammer's palace. It didn't take long for the familiar dunes to become distant behind them and replaced with new, but still the same old mounds of sand. There wasn't a whole lot of variety in this part of the desert but Caelian attempted to navigate as best he could following Wodan's vague directions.

In the meantime, he'd have a go at some small talk again, if nothing but to pass the time. "What's on your mind friend? is there something troubling you?, or choose another subject if you'd rather not talk about it."

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

As the speeder shot off into the dunes once again Wodan leant back in his chair, placing his feet on the dashboard as he went rummaging through the Bantha jerky. Pulling an extra long piece and stuffing it into his mouth as they bounced off the top of one dune and onto the next. Opening the bag a little larger for Caelian to stick his hand in, Wodan offered the bag towards the mute Echani. “Want some?” Granted it was a little salty for his liking it was better than nothing and the chewing broke up the monotony of the endless sands.

He gave the man a side look as he spoke up, Wodan furrowed his eyebrows for a moment before shrugging and at least opening up a little to the man. “A lot and a little, feeling a little like a cog in this great big wheel of the Empire at the moment. The Academy teachers prattle on that we are special and different because of our strength in The Force. But when it comes to running out here in the galaxy we are the same as any other scrub in the military. We just get to shoot lightning from our hands.”

“I want something different, something more, but I couldn’t tell you what that is or how I can get it. I guess that’s a little reason why we are here.”

@Xorism

 

[Caelian]

Caelian briefly looked at the offered bag of bantha jerky before deciding to indulge, extending his hand to take a few pieces for himself. The dried meat wasn't the most pleasant but a meal was a meal out here in the barren wasteland and it was the first thing he'd had all day.

What Wodan broached caught the Echani off guard initially, a subject much more deep and complex than he had expected to hear. He'd had his own troubles with the academy but his friend's words rang true in his mind. Continuing to listen until the man had said his fill, Caelian held his silence whilst contemplating his own response.

"I could say the same, like I've enjoyed the few missions that I've been able to embark on - some for the empire and some personal. But It's all unfocused, erratic, and without purpose. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy spending time with my friends but what is there to drive me but an unrealistic goal of attaining rank? as you say, in the machine."

Caelian had hoped spending more time with ambitious, driven Sith would somehow start to rub off on him and to some extent it had. The Echani had brought multiple worlds to the empire and had started exploring his own power to some degree, but it all seemed to limited. Whatever Wodan had brought them here for would perhaps illuminate a path forward for the pair, or at least give them something to do that wasn't just a rudimentary mission.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

“Eratic is hitting the nail on the head. We go from rapid expansion to isolationist in an instant, glassing planets to playing nice and spinning honeyed words in the Galactic Senate. Anaris doesn’t seem to have a real grasp of what she wants the Empire to be, let alone the drive to push it in a single direction.”

The endless dunes of Tatooine seemed a poetic fit for the mentality of the Sith Empire. At least in his own eyes, devoid of real purpose, completely random but with some thread of uniformity between them all. “What would you do with it? The Emperorship I mean, if you were in Anaris’ place, or Raze's, what would you do?”

@Xorism

 

[Caelian]

Caelian nodded along with Wodan's commentary on the empire, it did sort of seem that everyone was driving their own path. Each direction pulled the empire in this or that way, without forging any real unity. He himself had been withering under inaction and could see the personal detriment, blow that up to the empire's scale and well, things get erratic indeed.

His next question floored Caelian as he sat there computing the possibility, perhaps a dream, of placing the Echani in such a position. The wealth of knowledge available to that being was great but so too was the immense weight of responsibility. Not only to ensure the empire was being driven in the correct direction, but also to embrace that in effect one would become the father, the shepherd of all Sith, and be there to guide the flock.

"When a man sees his end, he wants to know there was some purpose to his life. If I were to claim such honor, would I be known as the philosopher? the warrior? the tyrant? Or will I be the emperor who gave the Sith Order back her true self?"

Caelian had spent a considerable amount of time pondering such things, but in his position, he was rather powerless.

"Many in our order have loose interpretations of what it means to be a Sith, myself included. During my academy days, my master barely delved deep into the dark side of the force, insisting that I could achieve what I wanted by diplomacy or the blade."

"While this is true to an extent, I do feel like it doesn't exactly follow the old ways from what I've read. The Sith of old were feared, mighty warriors who commanded both respects from their foes and mastery of the dark side. A direction must be chosen, either we are to consume the galaxy and be its masters or consolidate and focus inward until our knowledge and power are unparalleled. None of this half-in, half-out nonsense."

"Perhaps this is what is missing in our empire."

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Wodan couldn’t help but let out a laugh when Caelian decided to become a philosopher. The Firrerrian almost chocking on the Bantha Jerky he had in his mouth. “I was just after a straight answer, not a philosophical statement.” He joked, before Caelian then went on and gave him a more straightforward answer, it was pretty similar in understanding to Wodan. They needed to either become an internal powerhouse, a utopia that everyone would stampede to join, or strike out and remove all external threats to them and their people.

“Well you never know one day you might get there. Especially with that silver toun… brain of yours.” He continued with a cheeky grin. As they hit another large piece of air as they crested a large dune. Night was quickly approaching the pair and Wodan really hoped they would reach their target soon. Even if it was just for the roof over their head, they could go searching for items in the morning.

“We should be getting close, it won’t have any lights, more a ruin than anything. Slow down and get your good eyes on.” Wodan said, sitting up on the back of the chair, a pair of binoculars in hand.

@Xorism

 

[Caelian]

Caelian smirked at Wodan's joking response. Yes, the Echani had a philosophical flair and enjoyed every opportunity to flex that out when it arose. Shaking his head at the thought of ascending to the imperial throne, whether he could or not wasn't the question as to whether or not he would want it.

True the position came with the ultimate power to reform the empire as one saw fit but it also came with a very large target on your back. It would also serve to only distract you as everything became your concern, rather than just the important goals you had set for yourself.

They'd been traveling all day and then some and Caelian had lost count of how many times he had seen something off in the distance only for it to turn out to be another sand dune. Sometimes it would be something more interesting like a pile of junk left rusting under the twin stars. Other times it would be ivory glares coming from aging krayt bones glistening in the daylight.

That is what he assumed this knew glare to be as they crested over another uneventful dune, baking under the hot sun. On the horizon, there was a faint light that reflected toward the two intrepid explorers. They'd come a long way and Caelian wasn't about to get overly excited about another false start, but he pointed it out anyway. Wodan would have a better eye with the binoculars while he concentrated on driving.

"Over there, ten' o' clock on the horizon, another krayt perhaps?"

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

Everything looked equally bland and similar through the binoculars as it did normally, just this time he could see the grains of sand a little clearer. Wodan put them down for a moment to rub his eyes when Caelian called out in the direction of some kind of shiny object. The Firrerrian’s eyes snapped to the location quickly, looking through the binoculars to see if it was what they were looking for.

A smile crept over his face, early signs seemed to signal they had found it. The glint of light was the reflection of the setting suns on an old decrypted moisture vaporator. “Looks like we may have found it. Lets go.” He said smacking the back of Caelian’s chair as he continued to scan the surrounding surface. The vaporator field was massive and they could be just on the edge or right in the middle. Problem was, by his research it hadn’t been touched in nearly a century and a half, only The Force knew how much of it had been swallowed by the sands in that time.

“Keep your eyes out for a homestead, it's probably half buried at best. But this vaporator field is a few hectares so could still be a little way yet.”


@Xorism

 

[Caelian]

The squinting in the distance was a little distracting from the driving but his companion quickly confirmed that they were in the right area. Caelian couldn't help but smile and try to steal another gaze off in the distance, mindful of the dangerously obscure terrain. The windy sand dunes had been a menace all day but if they were closing in on their target then at least that meant they would soon rest and possibly enjoy a nice hot meal after the journey.

Caelian felt Wodan tapping on the chair behind him with confidence. From this distance, he couldn't quite make out what they were seeing but his confidence in the mission was at a newfound high after that boost. Whatever it was they were after would surely aid Wodan in his troubles, and perhaps by extension Caelians.

"A homestead? out here? shit we could drive over it buried in the sand and never know with the way these winds blow." In the middle of nowhere didn't seem like a likely place to settle down, whoever was out here was either crazy, desperate or just really wanting to be alone.

Soon after they would get close enough to one of the moisture vaporizers that Caelian would recognize it and a thought hit him.

"Maybe we can find something on it that will lead us there?" Although if it was dead and rusted, perhaps they'd find nothing.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

“Well hopefully we don’t crash into it like the Bantha.” He replied with a chuckle as they made their way down off the dunes into the basin which housed both the Vaporator and the Homestead. As they neared the metallic structure it was clear the thing was dead, no one had lived out here in years and as hardy as the structures were they couldn’t last forever without maintenance.

“I doubt it has any power but let's see.” He replied, jumping off the speeder and heading over to the metal spire. It was coated in sand, with little to no rust, the harsh Tatooine sand blasting off any which had formed over the past one hundred years. The Firrerrian circled the object hoping for some kind of information. Halfway round he spotted a small marking. “N7.” He said aloud. “Maybe that's its designation. North number seven? Maybe. I guess we try heading south from here.” It was the only lead they had and it was getting dark quickly.

@Xorism

 

[Caelian]

Caelian sat quietly in the speeder as Wodan conducted his makeshift inspection of the vaporator. When he heard the designation, N7, it didn't seem very meaningful until Wodan suggested it could be a direction marker. As the Firrerran leaped back onto their speeder, Caelian applied some percussive maintenance to its compass.

It was a guess, but with time running out and no other options but to try and hope for the best, the Echani turned them onto a course roughly South, away from N7. Caelian watched with concern as the twin stars continued their descent toward the horizon marking the transition into the cooler evening. Worse, traveling at night across the treacherous dunes was dangerous enough on its own but that would require them to illuminate their path ahead which would certainly draw in unwanted attention from afar.

By astute deduction skill or just luck, their journey would soon be met by what they were looking for as they approached another similar vaporator. Slowly circling it at a close distance they would spot a similar marking as well, but this one was marked N6 indicating that they were on to something. With a grin, Caelian accelerated back on the Southern route and in time passed more structures showed their route and the hypothesis continued to be true until something different appeared ahead.

"Wodan, can you see what that is on the binoculars? if that's not what we're looking for, perhaps it's some other kind of base we can use tonight?"

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

N6, N4, N3, they were getting closer and with every second a sense of relief was washing over the Firrerrian. For a time he wondered if they would ever find what they were after, he was working on a combination of gut and information nearly two hundred years old. Looking through the binoculars a laugh escaped Wodan’s lips. “Ahha, yes I think that's it.” He shouted through the wind.

The pair would come upon the burnt out ruins of a homestead, the spherical entrance was half buried in sand, tumbleweeds and sticks and larger stones which had been blown across the flats over the century. The door itself was hardly usable for either without a fair amount of work to clear it out. Next to it was a large pit which housed the main living area for the old family. The pair of suns were dipping below the horizon now. Fifteen minutes or so and they would be without any natural light.

“We can search again in the morning, let's try and find somewhere to sleep.” He said jumping out of the speeder grabbing his bag of supplies, a lightbox and a small generator. Heading towards the hole it too was filled up with the assorted debris of a hundred years, luckily some of the higher rooms looked clear of sand. Jumping off the side Wodan used The Force to cushion his fall in the sand below, before moving to what looked like one of the bedrooms.

@Xorism

 

[Caelian]

Caelian had visited ruins before but those were normally ancient, millennia lost and withered under a vast amount of time. These ruins were more modern and less mystical, but still, they were curiously shaped and marked. Wodan had yet to Illuminate their importance but Caelian kept quiet.

They wouldn't be all the way out here for no reason, but such illumination would have to wait until the next day as the daylight lapsed.

Jumping out of the speeder to join Wodan, equipped with the supplies they had brought the Echani started to scout out somewhere to sleep. There seemed to be some obstructions on the ground floor but he could see one of the higher rooms looked a bit more approachable. "Sounds good, see you in the morning."

Taking care not to drop anything, Caelian made his way up to one of them with a little difficulty. From his newfound elevation, he could potentially see anyone approaching in the distance but that did seem to be a remote possibility.

Laying down, the thermal cover would hopefully be enough to keep away the cool desert air as the temperature dropped quickly.

@Braden