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- Apr 28, 2015
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VERGENCE
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[fancybox4="http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/216/c/b/Rusty_Ship_Interior_by_Vonmurder.jpg"]"Hey, Mah-too... whatever-guy, we're coming into the edge of the system. Might wanna git yerself up here, fasten in real nice."[fancybox2]
A man robed in a white shozoku steadily made his way through the creaky corridors of a moderately sized freighter. However, his steps were not a sign of dignity or the radiance of calmness. It was caution; never before had Xeus found himself on such a rusted and slapped-together vessel. Live circuits sparked on 'self-made' panels, which were hunks of wall gratings that the pilot had torn off to more easily get to specific junctions in the ship's inner workings, and had never put back together. Cooling fluids periodically leaked from all over, rust was everywhere, and only a hour beforehand, Xeus' foot went straight through the floor panel near the refresher. Xeus' walk was slow because he'd never been in a ship that literally felt like it would have either fallen apart or just blown up at any moment. It was astonishing that common sense hadn't told the pilot that his vessel ought to have been condemned as unflyable, and a regret that Xeus himself hadn't taken any real notice of the freighter's dire state until they were already well into hyperspace.
"Well, it's certainly been an... interesting trip, friend. Appreciate you taking on an additional passenger."
"Oh, no trouble at all," the pilot said, making several adjustments to his instruments as he simultainously began fixing a lever that had broken off the moment he'd touched it, "Force folks like yerself help keep away pirates, bad mercs—them kinda kin."
There is no pirate in the galaxy that would rob such a rust bucket.
"That so?" Xeus looked away, out the painfully worn and scratched up glasteel windows as the glow from Tatoo I and II began to reflect from the planet. Every word was a forced sincerity, "Glad I could help."
The turbulence hit as the shine of a bright orange penetrated the glasteel, so much so that Xeus could finally see at least some of the planet below, even with the windows in such sub-standard shape.
"Yep, that there's Tatooine herself," the pilot said, as every bolt in the ship seemed to squeak, with a few snapps!, as the ship passed through the planet's atmosphere.
Xeus did his best to ignore the obvious failings of the ship.
Tatooine... "What can you tell me about it?"
The pilot shot a sideways look to Xeus, raising his eyebrow almost as if in disbelief, before breaking into a light chuckle.
"I'll tell ya this much, boy; wherever it was you came from is a boomhawk's better sight than this place."
Xeus' eyes narrowed at the pilot's bizarre expression, but understood it nonetheless. In truth, Xeus had heard of Tatooine's reputation before. Most of the galaxy had, in fact. The cesspit of the galaxy. The armpit of the Outer Rim. Dungheap of the Hutts. The list went on, and all of them bad. But in spite of the negative, something else had drawn Xeus to this planet. It was something inexplicable, indescribable. It had to be felt, sensed. There was an essence here, something calling him, born from the Light, but silent as a delicate whisper. But gentle as it was, it was slightly, but steadily, growing stronger. He knew this was the right world.
The freighter ship touched not-so-steadily down in Wayfar, a settlement that bordered much of the planet's most inhospitable regions, in the deep South-Eastern region. It was always said that Tatooian cities had their own peculiar stench, but as Xeus exited the bustling spaceport, he discovered it firsthand. It was like the odor of various pollutions, hyperdrive exhaust and festering desert molds, all rolled into one. He couldn't understand how some sapients actually got used to the smell, let alone lived in it. It also didn't take Xeus long to notice the standard of living there. It was a slum, one massive slum city. Makeshift houses built out of old machine slabs and starship hull pieces and bulkheads. There were no real roads, only empty paths that served as them. It was enough to make one wonder how Tatooine had, so often and for so long, gone under the radar, even with the Hutt's influence on the planet.
By the time Xeus had recollected his thoughts, he'd realized he didn't know where he would be headed next. This wandering thoughts broke his concentration. It was not a hopeless situation, but a slightly annoying one. Meditation often brought on clairvoyance, and without wasting any more time, Xeus sat down by the side of the road, crossing his legs and planting his fists together, out in front of his chest. The Force was active around him, directing him. And he was sure, that in one way or another, it would do so again.[/fancybox4]