Faction A Place To Call Home, Pt. 2 - "A Glimpse of the Future" (Epican Chronicles, Ch. 1)

[Ivory Stroud]

Location: The Epica System, Epica
Tags: Iliana Röhr ; The Family

A crisp, clear Epican morning blossomed across an azure-blue sky.

Approaching quickly through the shuttle viewport, acres of old vineyards stretched out in all directions - dry & desiccated, brown & dead; their branches twisting & gnarled like the bony fingers of the undead rising from the earth. Beyond them, resting upon a high hill which rose prominently into the sky, sat an old ruined fortification - like an echo of greatness, but forgotten. High earth-tone walls surrounded a number of smaller buildings, with a single large tower in one corner; even at a distance, one could not ignore the yawning portals of caved-in stone scattered throughout the ruins. Much of the battlements had fallen away, worn by time or perhaps destroyed by some kind of bombardment in ages past. A number of awnings & elaborate overhangs were visible, spanning what were surely entrances to & from the smaller buildings - but the wood appeared weathered, old and dry.

A number of trees & scattered vines covered much of the inner perimeter of the battlements, with their leaves rustling gently in the breeze. A single arched entryway, nearly 4 meters wide, appeared to be the “main entrance”, but was oddly protected by a metal portcullis - an archaic invention, surely, and largely outdated by more modern technology. The ground throughout most of the ruins were decorated with pathways of red brick or flagstone, worn from years of use, and a single fountain in the central courtyard was filled with detritus; leaves, rainwater, seeds, and weeds.

Leading up to the archway, a cobblestone path of the same red brick wound, serpentine, up the hill; beginning at a dirt path which traveled between two separate small hamlets located nearby. On either side of the wide pathway, similar gnarled trees were spaced out evenly - providing a shady approach to the top of the hill & the crumbling estate which sat atop it. Some of the bricks had cracked or gone missing, but most were in acceptable shape.

The shuttle swooped low, doing a single circle around the hill before alighting at the very bottom of the hill. A cloud of dust flew into the sky as the ship settled, and numerous wild creatures took flight - disappearing either into the sky or into the dead vineyards.

A ramp at the rear of the shuttle began to descend, and a small handful of individuals stepped from the interior onto the dusty path.

A gust of wind tugged at Ivory's raven-black hair as her booted feet crunched the dirt & small stones. She was dressed for adventure rather than business; sporting a pair of black pants, black shin-high laced leather boots, a loose white shirt, and a black linen vest. A slim-bladed knife was sheathed at her hip, and a large-caliber sidearm - a DDS-77 'Silverhand' - rode barrel-down in a shoulder holster concealed beneath her left armpit. The gun was heavy, but she'd wanted something big for her first venture into the wild Epican wilderness... even if it was unlikely she'd need it.

Shading her eyes with a hand, she took a few minutes to survey their surroundings... settling her gaze on the crumbling ruins of the castle above them first, then glancing down both sides of the road before taking in the sight of the vineyards.

"Well..." She said, "At least it's something."

The disappointment was audible, but she was still excited... even if what they'd gotten for the money didn't quite seem worth it. Stardust Solus Skirae & her team had done an excellent job running off the Primakovs a few weeks before. The Family had finally found the time to make their first visit to their newly-acquired acreage. Their purpose, as Ivory had explained to her companions, was to survey the land & inspect the estate. Planning would begin, barring unforeseen consequences...

 

[Iliana Röhr]

WEATHER:​	Clear & Sunny​
TEMPERATURE:​	26°​

I L I A N A⠀R Ö H R

'Tango Till They're Sore'​

Following the eclectic group out of the shuttle, Iliana's nerves were running high~ not only about beginning her career by inspecting a property with her new employers, but the fact that her new employers, her father's employers, seemed heavily armed and rather intense; in-fact, it made her feel rather insecure about the fact she didn't bring her own weapon, having left it at her flat in Epica City.

Stepping off the shuttle into the warm embrace of the Epican countryside, she followed the 'boss' onto the road alongside her newly-hired assistant- Safiya Mylas . " 'Tisn't too bad, 'can't see it bein' too much of an issue.." she responded with her unwavering view of optimism, waiting for the rest of their entourage to step out of the shuttle.

Eager to get started, Iliana diverted towards a nearby row of dilapidated grapevine as the rest of the group convened, crushing what remained of any dead leaves as she inspected the row to give her an indicator of the condition of the vineyard as a whole- and it wasn't great, or at least she didn't think so..​

Ivory Stroud , Safiya Mylas , @The Family.

 

[Mairéad Solus]

Location: Epica
Objective: Survey the Castello
Tags: Ivory Stroud Iliana Röhr

Spoiler: Equipment:

Beskar'gam
Velmorite bladed lightsaber
Knife on ankle
Ladies Watch
Serenity bracelet
FDS-4F blaster pistol in thigh holster
Empyrean Gland
The Family Finger
Marzanna
Datapad

Mairéad had come here alongside Ivory to the vineyard which would soon make up a not insignificant component of the Fiora empire, their guide was the daughter of Marcella's administrator Stephen and came highly recommended by him. And yet the young woman seemed nervous, to be showing around her father's associates. It made Mai curious what she might have heard from him about them, Stephen was well trusted though, so she doubted there was anything of concern in that respect.

Mairéad had dressed more casually for this than she would normally in the presence of Ivory Stroud , but she felt much more relaxed herself around the Donna over the last period. It also made sense, the vineyard was beautiful, but hardly the place for an elegant dress or an absurdly expensive suit. Her own feet crunched on the ground and she looked around as the wind blue perfect and pure countryside air into her nostrils.

"Well..." She said, "At least it's something."

Mairéad grinned, "Yeah, it's a bit of a wreck isn't it... oh, I've got something to show you." she pulled out her holopad and held it up towards the ruined castle. When she had received images of the castle she had spoken to a couple of the Fiora architects that had worked on Reveries for her and they had both come up with some artist impressions. These impressions had been mapped in 3d so when she held up her holopad the potential plans overlaid on top of the ruins in an augmented reality image that moved with the camera. "So this is Vaughan's vision, and this..." it took a second or so for the new overlay to map. "...Is Elayna's vision. Nothing is approved yet, they just did such excellent work with Reveries I threw them a few thousand credits to create these renders." she handed the holopad to Ivory to look at at her leisure and turned to Iliana Röhr . "How is everyone getting settled in? I assume the temporary staff accommodations have been completed?" She smiled, she knew how important it was to Marcella that her staff were well treated, so getting the facilities for the staff who would be working here ready was a high priority.



​

 

[Safiya Mylas]

Location: The Matrisca Estate, Epica
Objective: Assist Iliana
Tags: Iliana Röhr Ivory Stroud

Safiya had been hired by the estate manager Iliana Röhr as her assistant, her preferred duties had always been animal husbandry so she would also take the roles of stable manager and gamekeeper, but there wasn't yet enough animals on the estate to keep her busy for more than a few ours a day. Walking out with her bosses boss was kind of intimidating for the young woman, she had heard a few rumors about the offworlders from others in the light ball scene. No specifics, but enough to keep her from being late to work today.

She grabbed her gun off the rack and walked quickly to catch up. She looked at the others in the group, they were clearly wealthy, they were dressed the part, but the new clothes and soft skin stuck out a mile off for the tanned and farm tough woman. "Who is up for getting their hands dirty today? We got a few visitors I need to sort out. Any of you hunt?" she gestured at pair of deer that were eating the neglected vine. The plan was to gently move the intonthe neighbouring woodland, it would be easiest to just cull the animals but done properly they could be encouraged to move of their own volition and made into a resource of their own for hunting. She looked at their pistols, they certainly were armed for something, but it didn't appear to be hunting.
​

 

[Jai'galaar Gred]

.Jai would slowly step out behind the others. He had forgone the armor and cloak for something a bit more comfortable, his CRP-02 Mite Cartridge Revolver was the only thing he carried, just to keep ready in case. He looked around at the... well.... It wasn't the worst he'd seen. He walked over to the others, a familiar Nashtah following behind. Ivory Stroud seemed a bit disappointed, but honestly this place looked like it could grow a bit. He though, then started to speak up in agreance with Iliana Röhr as he looked at the plans that Mairéad Solus himself.

"Seems like they've got some good plans there." It was then that he heard Safiya Mylas , with her noting that the deer that seemed to be enjoying themselves eating some of the vines. He smirked a bit, patting Tracker as he looked around a bit.

"Always up for a hunt, but in this case if you want me to just scare them off.... Tracker." The Nashtah panted a little, waiting for the word, and if Safiya agreed, Jai would let Tracker loose on the deer to het them gone.

 

[Ragos Terrek]

Ragos couldn't remember being so nervous, and he's been shot at. He sat practically petrified in his seat, an ancient and somewhat uncomfortable large wooden chair, his feet were elevated by a stool but by no means was he kicked back and relaxed.

He kept his eyes shut tight as every muscle in his body felt strained from his nerves. Ragos tried to focus on the music that was playing, but an ominous mechanical buzz was impossible to ignore and filled him again with near terror. He tried to swallow the lump that had built in his throat but it struggled past the pressure of something wrapped snuggly around his neck.

After a while the buzzing ended with a click and Ragos was now the most nervous he had ever been. The pressure around his throat loosened and there was a snap like the cracking of a whip.

Ragos dared to open his eyes and staring back at him was himself…in a mirror…looking the fething flyest he could ever remember.

"Giamo!" Ragos said to the barber who stood behind him with a hand mirror so Ragos could admire the man's superb work from all angles.

"This is the best got damn haircut I ever got." Ragos said Giamo, an Epican man in his seventies.

Ragos was floored, utterly fething flabbergasted that he looked this damn good. Ragos had never been to a barber who wasn't also Korunai like himself, let alone got his chit cut on a foreign planet like Epica where he barely spoke the language— he had spent the last three days(and nights) with a girl he met at Reveries "learning the language" in between other activities— or been to a barbershop that was so…subdued.

The shops he frequented on Coruscant were full of loud music and loud personalities. Arguments about bocaball and shockboxing, and he'll the best flavor of mupple juice were commonplace, there were people who would spend hours in the barbershop never gettting a haircut and just hanging out, some dudes would wander in and out every couple of hours and try to sell chit to the customers, cologne or bootleg holovids, clothing, jewelry, all sorts of chit, it was fething chaos and that was one of the reasons Ragos loved Korunai barbershops, plus he owned a few. Cash business was the best kind of business.

Ragos thanked Giamo in his native Epican—to the best of his ability—tipped him generously and went to leave. His best friend Jon followed too.

A message came through in Ragos' datapad.

"Meet in one hour. Business."

It was from Ragos new best friend on Epica Vitaly Antantonio. "Business" really only meant one thing if Ragos had to guess and that was spice. Vitaly couldn't get enough of the chit that Ragos was selling and according to him, he could help Ragos get set up up for real on Epica, like major fething deals type chit.

"Ragos Terrek, interplanetary spice dealer" had a good fething ring to it and it sure as hell meant more credits, the least Ragos could do was take the meeting and if chit went right he could go back to Marcy and try to get more product.

Ragos typed up his answer.

"Bet."

 

[Dedata | Celty Ree]

​

Spoiler: Equipment

Weapons	Armor	Gadgets	Vehicle
Sparti Short Spear	Dedata's MK2 Helmet	Modified Datapad running Deda-net	Dullahan
Ianus Kopis	Dedata's outfit	Data spikes
	BURN CORPO SHIT Tanktop	Flow Vape

Tags:
Team Hunter: Mairéad Solus | Kardek Alpha | Jenzid Channsalj
Team Datamine: Nyx N1X3 | Saraiya Darkstar
Team Defender: Samuel Exel

High Season - Tiggy Hawke

Arms stretched high with a moan to match from the satisfying feeling, her feet carried Celty forward off the lift of the Shadow broker. "Dee close her up alert me if anything comes poking around. Otherwise com silence. Today is a different kinda work day." As her arms came down she placed the helmet onto her head that was gripped on one hand.

"Of course Dedata." The VI said through the com of the helmet and setting the lift to close behind.

Dedata approached the speeder wondering if the bits and pieces like chairs that was outside would be fine. Weather these past few weeks had been nice and wind was not to much of an issue right now with the trees braking it. She came to a decision out of laziness and decided to leave it where it was. Her leg swung over the body and pressed the ignition.

Repulsors and micro jet engine powered up, the sound it made gradually got higher pitched as the jet spooled up. Once she readied edge of her small domain it was nothing but open land in straight shot to the Land for the whole Family. The HUD updated while waiting and displayed that she could get going. Pulling back on the throttle the speeder began to move. Dedata's eyes looked past the information displayed to focus on the path ahead. While funny to see behind a screen it was a less amusing thought of smashing into the side of a tree.

Every so often a small clearing passed her and it was a good opportunity to see more of the place and how much there was to defend. Top of that it was a good time to ponder about setting camera's around. They would not be initially for keeping a look out for intruders rather there was an idea that the slicer wanted to implement in her home when it was built. That being frames that would display live nature. The shadow broker and even the business on coruscant, they where to do with work and hearing about Marcella having a forced vacation it was only a matter of time before similar words would be said.

Few knew that Dedata had already been here for a few weeks that being limited to the capos and one more, the details of her being here was more illusive being known only to Skorvek . There was no intention to let on what important work was going on right now till the time was right. Very soon the edge of the woodlands passed her allowing the woman to pull harder. Lowering down chest to the bike the woman pushed the bike to full throttle and increased the elevation from the repulsor.

In the open space the sound of the jet engine traveled far. It was not quiet like this but originally was designed to get away than silent. Logic being a fast get away was one where she would have already been spotted. It had happened once or twice in the past. Her eyes scanned the rolling hills and its grassy plains. Something about this was relaxing to Dedata.

Along the way there was many fun things to see like children playing out in the open or hard working people tilling land perhaps for next seasons crops. Every now and then there was stone walls that seemed to not belong to any place though once in a while there was a ruined building. Made her wonder what cased a home out here on good land to be abandoned. In a bia's thought Dedata assumed it was one of the families that bought the land and evicted.

Epica was filled with the greed of families raised on capitalism and knew how to use it to enslave a society that stagnated because of it. There was no real middle class here, just those with power and money and those stuck in the dirt. A smile reached her lips. "Gonna turn this place upside down epica. The people have more power than you believe." She muttered to herself.

Almost fifteen minutes later she could make out the land and shuttles descend to the plot. Looking at the largest hill close to Dedata wanted to have fun more than anything before settling into a little more serious attitude. Those in the near distance would hear the roar of the speeder and the occasional smaller jumps coming from off the hills. The altitude of the speeder lowered while clinging to the largest hill that had a sheer drop at the otherside. She had spotted it a few times and wanted to jump it, to feel the thrill, the fear and that absolute excitement. Both eyes looked ontowards the peak of the hill waiting till the last second where it was pushed to high altitude kicking it up into the air and then some with the thrust kicking everything forwards. Trails of dirt and rock followed behind.

With every ounce of weight Dedata leaned backwards letting the throttle slip as she backflipped. Time felt like it had slowed down, a buzz ran through every vein and a heartbeat that pounded at a sixteenth drum beat going at one hundred beats per minute. When both rider and speeder came around back right both feet pushed the back of the vehicle down and full throttled to slow the fall enough that the repulsors could do the rest.

Shortly after the stunts and escapades Dedata had reached the meeting points. She pulled up next to the shuttles and parked it up. There was no movement for a second as her eyes drew their attention to the back of her love with a walk that mesmerized. Dedata missed Ivory Stroud these past couple of weeks. A year ago being alone felt like bliss, now it was like she suffered withdrawals and its symptom was a deep empty feeling inside when far away for long and being on com silence.

Dedata did not want to let on what she had been doing, rather it was a surprise. Her leg swung over the seat and stood there for a moment feeling the adrenaline slowly was away. Finding the strength she'd carry herself to Ivory's side.

With a quick glance around she made sure to conceal the message showing the datapad to the donna. "I missed you.

" read the message. After a second it would be slipped back into the large bag attached to the thigh.

 

[Ragos Terrek]

"That is a lovely piece." Said a Neimoidia woman standing behind a glass counter case full of ridiculously expensive jewelry. "Try it on." She suggested.

Ragos clasped the chrono around his wrist.

"Damn, a perfect fit yo." Ragos marveled with a smile.

"It must be fate. You were meant for that watch." The neimoidian woman said.

"That chit nice homie. What you say eighteen carat white gold and how many diamonds on that muh?" Jon asked

"Two hundred forty six" the saleswoman offered helpfully.

"I'll take it." Ragos said.

"Lovely," the sales woman practically purred. "And you will be wearing it out?" She asked.

"Hell yeah." Ragos said

"The price of that particular chrono is—"

"Say less. Price don't mean chit, imma take it." Ragos said cutting her off. She didn't seem offended, on the contrary the saleswoon seemed overjoyed at his response

"See anything else you like?" She asked.

"Yeah!" Ragos exclaimed. "Let me get that too." He said pointing to a piece of jewelry in the case.

"I'll get a box for that." The Neimoidian said and packed his choice up.

A few minutes later Ragos stacked enough credits on the counter he thought the weight of it would crack the glass.

A few weeks ago, spending chit like this woulda been unthinkable but now, after his dinner with Marcella Fiora and after the job he did in Denon, Ragos was on the come up and it was time to let everyone know and if chit went right on Epica and he made a real relationship with the Antantonio family, credits would come fast.

"Yo, ain't that the girl you been staying with?" Jon asked motioning to the girl behind a different counter

"Oh chit, yeah it is." Ragos said and called out to her. "Yo, Adrianna!"

She turned and looked for who was calling her. Her black hair shone in the Epican sunlight coming from the large picture window and when she finally saw it was him she beamed with a smile that made that sun seem pale.

"Ghost, what are you doing here?" She asked in her thick Epican accent.

"Chit was just out shopping. Tryna to spend those credits your friend gave me, ya dig?" He laughed. She laughed too.

"Can you take a break?" He asked her. "There's a cart of sweets out across the street, I'll buy you one."

She smiled, nodded, and shouted to her boss that she would be back in a minute.

The three of them went to the cart where Adrianna ordered for them since she was the best at speaking native Epican. She got herself and Ragos a cone of something purple called "gelato". He eyed it suspiciously but she eagerly dove right in.

"You try." She told him.

Ragos tried. For whatever reason he hadn't expected it to be cold and almost spit his first taste out in surprise but damn was it good.

"You like, yes?" She asked.

Before he had the chance to say anything he was interrupted by an explosion. The street now filled with the sound of panicked screams and a second explosion and a third. Adrianna was saying his name again, her accent just as panicked as everything else around them.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Then he noticed the blood that stained the front of her. "Oh chit." He reached a hand out to touch her, trying to find the source of the blood to apply pressure but he couldn't find it.

"Ghost!" She said again.

"I know, I know, I'm trying." He was starting to sound panicked too.

"Ghost!" She yelled at him.

He tried to look her in the eye but found it hard to focus. Blackness was creeping at the edge of his vision and his legs felt weak. He fell to the duracrete.

"Ghost." Her voice was softer now like it was coming from far away. There was a dull pain in his side and the temperature had gotten real chilly. Ragos looked down at the source of his pain and saw Adrianna's hand pressed hard to his abdomen. She was covered in blood up to her elbow as every beat of his heart forced more and more of his life out from him and onto her despite her best effort to keep him whole.

"I think I got one of them mutha suckas." That was Jon's voice. "They hopped in a speeder but I think I got that dude through the back windah. Oh chit!"

Another pair of hands pressed against his body now, Jon's probably.

"Ragos! Oh chit, Rag, frak." His friend grieved. "Frak that's so much blood. Frak. We need help!" Jon yelled.

"Jon, man listen," Ragos said weakly. "Tell yo sister…tell Keela…tell her I'm sorry man."

Ragos coughed up a mouthful of blood and spat it onto the duracrete next to him.

"Nah man you're gonna be good. Don't worry." His friend lied.

"Feth that. Make sure my kids are taken care of, okay? And tell Dagos…tell my brother that I love him."

Ragos faded into the dark and the world around him was gone. As he had once been before he now was again: Nothing.

Ezio Accetta Ivory Stroud Mairéad Solus Stardust Solus Skirae Jai'galaar Gred Marcella Fiora Xiann Sivron Diocletian Kahmen’’a Saraiya Darkstar Dedata | Celty Ree Kardek Alpha

 

[Ezio Accetta]

Ezio put his fingers through his beard, trying to sus out any stray stands. He had clipped it well afterall. He tucked the small pair of scissors into his jacket and smoothed back his hair. Unfortunately he wasn't that great of a barber to himself up top, but his steady hands and good eye made trimming his beard a breeze.

The barber. That was a place he could go looking. He exited the public bathroom he was in, tucked in his shirt, and went searching.



He walked in through the doors of the barbershop and nearly bumped into a dark-skinned off-worlder and his friend. The first was beaming with his new haircut, like he had landed the lottery. Ezio let them pass before entering himself.

"Hey, Giamo!" He greeted the old barber.

The man smiled at Ezio. "Finally come in to get that mop cut down?"

Ezio smoothed back his salt and pepper hair again. "It's not that bad. I was actually coming in to see about getting a job here."

The old man's face darkened. "Ezio boy, you know I can't."

"What do you mean? I got the steadiest hands you've ever seen, you've said it yourself. I can cut hair."

"But hire you? Sorry Ezio, but, eh, I got enough workers."

"Bullchit!" Ezio slammed his fist down on the counter. His face had turned red and his lips tight. He quickly cleared his throat and glanced around. Everyone was looking at him, even the customers. Two other barbers, three in chairs and four more waiting in the small lobby area. "Giamo, I know you're hurting for good help right now. Please, a couple of shifts a week that's all I ask!" Giamo was turning around, walking towards the back with those annoying small shuffle-steps that old people take. "I'll sweep the floors and take out the trash, I'll stand outside with a sign, I'll call for everyone to come inside, please! Giamo!"

"I can't hire you!" The old man called back, shooing Ezio away with a hand and sad eyes. "If I hire you, I'd lose more customers than you could ever bring in. I'm sorry, my boy." And he disappeared behind a curtain. Ezio's fist shook and he started towards the back. A hand grabbed his arm and Ezio whirled, striking the man with his open palm. The man grunted and stumbled back, holding his face. There was some blood coming from his nose. After seeing that no others were coming to stop him, he turned again towards the back.

Except Giamo was standing there, looking at his injured worker, stunned. "You want a job that badly?" He asked quietly. "Go chase after the man you saw on the way in. He might have something for you. But you never come in here again, you hear me?"

Ezio was like a child caught doing something he shouldn't have. He turned back to the worker, still holding his nose. "Get some ice on that. Try not to touch it too much." He started towards the door. "Keep the ice on until the bleeding stops. And thanks, Giamo."

Once outside he looked around for the dark-skinned man and his friend. Where did they go? He briskly walked down one street corner, then ran to the next. And the next. His head on a swivel. But no sign of him. Giamo was just throwing him a carrot, hoping to get him out of the shop. Ezio kicked a wall and screamed.



"I'm home." Ezio announced himself as he entered his dingy apartment.

"Daddyyyy!" Came the excited squealing of a young half-zabrak girl, a little older than eight years old. She was still in her pajamas, a little pink dress that flared around her knees as she ran to him from the kitchen.

"Heey!" He smiled and knelt, scooping her up into his arms and holding her tight.

"Did you bring home any food, daddy?" She asked. Those eyes were just so huge and adorable. Just like her mothers.

"No honey, I told you we'd be having those fast-ready meals for a while." He petted her black hair and she looked down.

"I don't like how they taste..."

He turned his head, playfully questioning. "Don't you like the blueberry ones?"

"Yeah, but we don't have any left."

He raised an eyebrow. "I thought we had two." She was silent and looked away. "Biancaaa." He tried to catch her eyes but she looked away. "What happened?"

She looked back with teary eyes. "Promise... promise you won't get mad and leave."

"...And leave?" Ezio blinked.

"Like mommy did, when she got mad at you..."

Ezio was quiet for a long moment. He pulled her into another hug. "I promise, honeybun. You can always tell me what happened. I'll never leave you." She hugged him back, hard. Hidden from her, he wiped a tear from his eye.

"I ate it because I got hungry." That made another tear come to his eye. They were down to only having two a day. Well two for her a day, only one for him when he really felt hungry. He was getting thinner by the day.

"Well, that's ok honey. You ate both?" He looked at her, hands on her tiny shoulders. She shook her head, looking away.

"There was a bird." She finally said. "And he kept looking at me through the window. I thought maybe he was hungry. So I opened the bag and let him eat."

Ezio gave a sighing chuckle. His daughter sometimes, she... she was so precious. "How'd he like it?"

She brightened up, smiling. "He really liked it! He was hopping around the table as he ate it."

"He... he was on the table? The bird?"

Bianca nodded. "Yeah!"

"And... where is he now?" He asked, slowly scanning the apartment.

"Well, he went potty on the table. So I put him in the bathroom and cleaned up."

"You put the bird in the..." He stood up and walked over to the bathroom door. He opened it up and a bird, black and feathery fluttered out right into his face. He shouted in surprise and swung his arms in reflex, but the bird cawed and flew past him and around the apartment. He glanced in the bathroom and... Everything was a mess. Bird poo everywhere, starting to dry and crust. He tightened his fist and looked for the bird, willing it to die by his mere eyesight alone. But his daughter was already on the move, pushing a chair over to the window and opening it. The bird cawed, as if saying 'thank you', and flew out.

Ezio shook his fist, then let it go with a sigh. He looked at the bathroom again.

"Bianca, get your coat. We're going for a walk."



Bianca wore her puffy pink coat, something he had gotten her before he lost his job. It was worth a lot of money but the way his daughter clung to it, there was no way he could give that away.

They were walking down a shopping street, despite not having enough credits to fill his pocket. He considered finding a cup and sitting on a corner, but... no. He needed to keep walking. They passed a gelato stand, and his stomach growled. Any food right then would have been good. And then he passed a jewelry store. He got his ex-wife her ring from that store. He stared at it's window and sign for a moment longer, then continued moving on. His daughter was silent the whole time, looking on at the windows in fascination, at the lights and the things on display. Even if they couldn't afford anything, it was still nice to see what the stores had. To see his daughter's eyes open wide.

"Daddy, what are they doing?" She asked, pointing with her tiny hand. Ezio looked up. There was a speeder in the street, men coming out. They had guns. And they raised them.

"Chit!" He shouted, picked up his daughter in his arms and rushed for the nearest archway. He covered her head with a hand and his own head, one hand around her waist and crushing her against him. Weapon fire erupted on the streets. His daughter screamed in fear. Ezio squeezed his eyes shut and tried to make themselves small.

And as soon as it had started, it was over. The speeder drove off.

"Ghost!" She yelled at him.

"I think I got one of them mutha suckas." That was Jon's voice. "They hopped in a speeder but I think I got that dude through the back windah. Oh chit!"

"Ragos! Oh chit, Rag, frak." His friend grieved. "Frak that's so much blood. Frak. We need help!"

Ezio peaked around the corner, still holding his daughter. And he saw the dark-skinned man on the ground. Shot. His friend was calling for help, and a lady putting pressure on the wound. That was a lot of blood. He'd bleed out in minutes if he didn't get some help.

He set Bianca back down and turned her to face him. "Honeybun, I have to go help that man, like daddy used to at the hospital, ok?" Her eyes were wide and she was frightened, but she nodded. "Ok, but I can't leave you alone. If anything scares you just look away." He instructed before running over to the man's side.

"I'm a doctor!" He called, kneeling on the ground. He inspected the general area of the wound then took off his jacket, folding it up. "He doesn't have time to wait for an ambulance, we have to stop the bleeding now." He instructed both of them. He looked around and laid eyes on the jewelry store. The lady next to him had on the uniform. "Ma'am," He asked directly. "Do you have tools to cut gems and repair things in the back of the store?"

 

[Ivory Stroud]

​

Location: The Epica System, Epica
Objective: Inspect the ruins & vineyard grounds
Tags: Iliana Röhr ; Dedata | Celty Ree ; Mairéad Solus ; Jai'galaar Gred ; Safiya Mylas ; Ezio Accetta ; Ragos Terrek

Ivory ceased inspecting the grounds long enough to take a good look at the datapad Mairead held up - The Donna’s eyes going wide as the young woman’s holopad displayed a convenient overlay of the ruins above them. The display shifted & reformed, reading the curvature of the skyline as it displayed a wire-mesh hologram over the old fortress. Mairead explained the difference between the two selections, then handed the pad over - which Ivory accepted, taking a few minutes to inspect the visuals more closely.

As Mairead & Iliana began to converse, and Safiya & Jai’galaar Gred began to discuss exploring the grounds, the Donna was tapping away on the screen… going into detail on the suspected & recommended changes Mairead’s two assistants were suggesting. A satisfied, impressed expression crossed her features and she nodded approvingly, sticking her chin out & puckering her lip in thought.

A few minutes passed until Ivory was satisfied, and handed the datapad back to Mairead.

“Tell them both, good work. I’d like to see a more detailed render of each, as well as a materials list. We’ll know more once we have an inspection completed - I’ll pay for their time.”

Ivory turned to address Safiya & Jai, brushing a few errant strands of black hair from her face which had been dislodged by the breeze. “If you two are going to inspect the grounds, stay on comms. Pay attention to any roads & bridges; I want to know how much traffic we can expect to see. If anyone is coming or going, stopping, setting up camps. Livestock, native fauna. If there’s any predators in the area, I want them either exterminated or tracked down to do so later. Be careful.”

As she’d been speaking, the sound of an approaching engine had begun to grow. Ivory turned toward the sound, taking a step away from the shuttles & shading her eyes with one hand to get a glimpse of the newcomer. Sure enough, it was DeData… who’d arrived just as she’d promised. The young woman wore her helmet, as always, and greeted her lover with the datapad - as always. Ivory gave the woman a bright smile, and reached out, taking Celty’s hand & giving it a squeeze. “You too.” She replied warmly.

Then, it was on to business.

“Alright, let’s go.” She said, raising her voice to catch the attention of those who were joining her on the trek up to the ruins. Checking her gear for a dozenth time, she set off toward the hill which would carry them a few hundred meters up toward the portcullis.

The wind hummed through the trees, carrying with it a multitude of smells - most of them entirely alien. The herbal, sweet smell of wildflowers filled her nostrils; mingling with the distant scent of moldy leaves, sun-baked stone, and forgotten memories. The ruins of the old fortress loomed above the group as they walked up the hill, treading upon old stone bricks which were likely centuries old. Eventually, the towering battlements eclipsed the sun, plunging them into a shady respite from the heat.

As she walked side-by-side with Celty, Ivory swiveled her head to & fro - taking in the large, overgrown trees which provided some shade over the brick drive, and looking over the weed-infested planters on either side of the road. Ahead of them, at the very top of the hill, the massive walls rose impressively into the sky; faded by decades in the harsh Epican sunlight, they still appeared all-too capable of withstanding a siege… though, with modern technology being what it was, the Donna silently imagined it wouldn’t take much to bring them crumbling down.

A shield generator… that might be a good investment. Something to save them from all manner of trouble in the future.

As they reached the top, Ivory took a moment to pause - swiveling around to look down the way they’d come. She looked at the shuttle a few hundred meters below them, then out into the distance… surveying the sprawling fields from her elevated position, and the forest beyond them. To what Ivory assumed was their south-west, a tiny plume of smoke was rising lazily into the afternoon sky; marking a likely village or tiny hamlet.

“What a view…” She said under her breath, then turned back toward the large archway behind her. The portcullis itself was down, and even though it appeared aged, whatever material it had been made from had kept it in good shape. Ivory strode up to it, curling her fingers around the cold metallic frame and giving it a shake.

It didn’t budge, didn’t creak, didn’t flex.

“There’s no way we’re going to get this thing up.” She commented, inspecting the frame. “We’re gonna need another way in. Maybe there’s a break in the wall somewhere?”

 

[Iliana Röhr]

WEATHER:​	Clear & Sunny​
TEMPERATURE:​	26°​

I L I A N A⠀R Ö H R

'Tango Till They're Sore'​

While inspecting the vineyard, a softly spoken voice emanated from behind her~ aimed at the businesswoman, "Oh- uhh, they're not here yet- today is the first time we've looked at the site, then we can decide what we need." Iliana smiled politely at the Capodecina. "Their accommodation will be the first thing to be sorted though!"

She waved off Safiya Mylas as she went off to do her own thing, agreeing with the boss' request to stay on comms.

“Alright, let’s go.”

She followed the group as they made their way through the ruins, burying her head in her datapad as every tiny, miniscule detail was noted down~ noting not only the work that needed doing to make the vineyard operational but also all renovation and repair jobs that were well overdue.

An idea popped into hear head, one that'd surely get them into the central structure, "the winery should have an entrance into the main structure, I'd imagine that the main cellar~ where all the barrels are~ will be underneath it, meaning we, hopefully, should be able to get in through the workers entrance," she pointed at the long row of buildings that formed part of the winery, housing most of the old machines that were now falling apart.

"Though it may be waterlogged, judging by how long it's been like this.."

 

[Vitaly Antantonio]

Heavy iron gates swung open as a sleek red luxury sport speeder came cruising over the threshold, up a winding road to the estate. Vitaly Antantonio sang softly to himself, a song filling his heart with every turn of the drive. Memories of a happy childhood flipped through his mind like a holo as his speeder wooshed past immaculately manicured lawns and impressively designed hedges. One particular turn stood out amongst the others as the place where he totaled his first speeder.

His fourteenth birthday and he had gotten behind the wheel of his brother's speeder and discovered he loved to go fast. Well he cranked on the accelerator and hit the turn in front of the lightball field, disrupted the stabilizer and rolled the speeder six times – which was his record for a while. He'd walked away from that incident without a scratch on him or a lesson learned.

Pulling up to the front of his family's country estate, Vitaly felt a surge of nostalgia and homieness to look on the elegant rugged centuries old stone. Entering the front foyer he was greeted by the familiar family portrait hung on the arched wall. He had been nine the day they had it painted and it had take all day. He remembered being bored to literal tears. He laughed now thinking about it.

It had take a moment to strike him but when it did, he was hit hard by the very best thing in the galaxy. His entire soul smiled the moment he heard angelic singing coming from the kitchen, accompanied by smells so wonderful they defied description. Vitaly followed his nose and ears— and imported Alderaani marble floors— to the kitchen and found exactly who he was hoping to.

He snuck up and wrapped his arms around the wait of the woman who was singing and planted a kiss on her cheek. She yelped in surprise and turned to smack him with the wooden spoon in her hand.

"Vitaly, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" She scolded in their native Epican.

"Mamà, you look so beautiful." Vitaly greeted his mother warmly. She blushed and thanked him. This was no mere empty compliment, Vitaly truly did believe his mother to be beautiful. She was a full bodied Epican woman, not some want to be model who smoked a pack of cigarras for lunch.

Once when he was twelve a boy had called his mother fat. Vitaly broke a lightball bat over his back. The school had tried to throw him out for that but once his father had heard what had happened, Vitaly didn't even get detention.

"Vitaly, you're so skinny, don't you have a nice woman in your life that can make sure you get enough to eat?" His mother asked.

"I have you, Mamà," he said and she pinched his cheek.

"D'ere he is!"

For a large man his father's voice was shockingly soft. Vito Antantonio, head of the family and Vitaly's father wrapped his youngest son in his powerful arms and hugged him like they hadn't seen each other in years.

Vitaly was six foot two and yet his father was still an inch or more taller than him. Anyone who looked at Vito's protruding stomach and thought him soft would be mistaken. He had all the makings of a varsity athlete and in his youth had been a star lightballer.

"Vito, he's skinny don't you think?" His mother asked. His dad hard an arm wrapped around his shoulder and frowned at the question.

"Skinny? Liv, look at 'im, he's in fighting shape!"

His dad shook him roughly and chuckled. It was true too, Vitaly was in probably the best shape of his life since his career as a shock-boxer ended before it started.

A speeder crash had taken that life from him and the irony was, had the crash happened on Coruscant or Taris or any other developed part of the galaxy he could still have all that he lost. He had gotten the best treatment credits could pay for…on Epica and that meant his left hand was full robotic and his right hip was as well. So now he walked with a limp from an outdated piece of machinery and so if he could fight, he couldn't move, not like he used to, but pro regulations didn't allow fighters to be augmented, so he couldn't fight anyway. It had taken Vitaly some time to come to grips with the reality of his life but in the end working for his dad wasn't so bad.

"Thanks, Pop." Vitaly said grinning. "I hate to dash on short notice you guys, I really hate having to miss one of your meals Mamà but I'm going to be late for something." Vitaly apologized. He really was sorry, the kitchen smelled amazing.

"About dat," his father said, drawing a surprised look for Vitaly. "Dis meeting you got with dese…tourists, change it."

"What?" Vitaly asked, genuinely thrown for a loop. He really shouldn’t be surprised that his dad found out about the meeting and yet, he was.

"Yeah, tell them to meet here, give them an extra hour or so, so your ma can finish cooking and your uncles can get here."

Vito clasped a large hand on his son's shoulder when he saw the look on his face.

"Listen, this is still your deal, all the way, but if the family is going to get in business with these people, it's important for me to be there, you understand? You do the talking, you agree to what you think is fair but this isn't a small decision, son."

"Okay, Pop." Vitaly conceded. "You're right, I'm sorry I didn't come to you right away."

His father waved off the apology "Fuggedabout it, but I need a favor from you."

"Anything Pop."

"Yer brudda is coming home soon, he need work, let him help you with this thing okay?"

Vitaly's face screwed up skeptically.

"Vitaly, it's your thing, but Junior needs something, and he is more than family, he's blood. Find him something respectable on this thing and let him earn."

"No problem, Pop." A big smile grew on Vitaly's face at the idea of working with his brother in the family business. "I'll call my guys and tell them to meet here a little later so we can set up."

His father nodded and Vitaly picked up his commlink.

It rang and rang and rang and continued to ring over and over.

"C'mon Ghost, where are you?"

Ezio Accetta Ivory Stroud Mairéad Solus Iliana Röhr Stardust Solus Skirae Dedata | Celty Ree Jai'galaar Gred Xiann Sivron Samuel Exel

 

[Mairéad Solus]

Location: Epica
Objective: Survey the Castello
Tags: Ivory Stroud Iliana Röhr Dedata | Celty Ree

Spoiler: Equipment:

Beskar'gam
Velmorite bladed lightsaber
Knife on ankle
Ladies Watch
Serenity bracelet
FDS-4F blaster pistol in thigh holster
Empyrean Gland
The Family Finger
Marzanna
Datapad

"I'll get them right on it then, they will be pleased." Mairéad replied to Ivory Stroud As she looked at the early renderings of the building and placed her pad away. The sunshine was beautiful and it beat down on the young woman. "I love this planet" she said to noone in particular.

Mairéad smiled at the softly spoked Iliana Röhr . Mairéad had her priorities and was glad the other woman shared them. She followed through as they were given something of a tour. Mairéad also rattled the portcullis that Ivory and Dedata | Celty Ree inspected, it was seized shut and she laughed to herself. "I bet Stardust Solus Skirae would have this thing off it hinges in seconds, but i like it, might be nice if we can keep it intact." as she walked past, her fingers trailed on the metal and trailed ice crystals along as she considered how she might approach the problem.

The women all walked to the main entrance and looked at the large wooden door, the hinges were seized so it took strength to open the old door, but they managed to get in. Mairéad jumped when a pair of birds panicked and flew close by them before escaping through the gaping hole in the roof. From in here they could easily access the main courtyard area for the wineyard behind the portcullis.

The cellar was infact water logged, probably a blocked drain and too much wet rain, judging by the local topography, ground flooding shouldn't be a problem. "My information says we should be in for a a few months of sunshine, if we are fixing the roof and pumping the cellar, now is as good a time as any."

Across the courtyard was a pair of battered and rusted old wheeled convertible vehicles. "Ooh, these are cute." she laughed as she peered in, how old were these, internal combustion engines, no repulsors, manual transmission. She took a few pictures and sent them to Xiann Sivron with a message.

Hey, got a challenge for you Xi, thing you can get these old girls running?

Mai

Mairéad pulled out her bottled water before taking a long drink.
​

 

[Ragos Terrek]

The darkness was cool. Ragos liked it here. He liked it here a lot. Every time that annoying feeling like he needed to go back popped up, he would tell it to feth off. It wasn’t worth it to go back to that chit where it was loud and hot and full of chit to do.

A noise interrupted the dark. His commlink was going off. It rang and rang.

Someone answer that damn comm.

“What is that?” Adriana asked.

“Fething comm won’t shut up.” Jon told her.

Answer the fething thing! Gimme peace!

The ringing stopped.

Praise The Most High

"I'm a doctor!" Cried out a voice he didn’t know.

"Do you have tools to cut gems and repair things in the back of the store?" The voice of the doctor asked through the dark.

“What?” Adriana asked in a panic, unsure if she actually heard the doctor but a second later she seemed to understand his question but maybe not his reason for asking. “Yes, we do but–”

Suddenly he could feel the darkness shift. He swayed and swung like he was riding the tides.

“What…What’s going on….Where are you going?” The panicked voice of the nemoidian woman asked.

The swaying ended with a thud. The ringing was back.

Muffled voices of those trying to bring him back to the bright tripped over one another and then…

Pain.

Searing white-hot pain.

Ragos’ eyes shot open. A stranger was feeling around his insides. The gotdamn comm was still ringing.

Ragos opened his mouth to speak but could only scream in agony. He tried again…nope only screaming.

He collected himself the best he could– which was not very well –

“Jon answer the fething commlink!”

“Rag, man…” Jonn said confused.

“Feth that,” Ragos said, his breath ragged and labored. He could feel the darkness coming back. He couldn’t go back. Not yet. “Grind never ends. Answer the fething commlink, do the deal. Make us rich.”

Ragos would be damned, dying or not, that any mutha sucka, went around thinking he didn’t get the job done. That went for Marcy, for Lana, and double for the bosses.

He would prove he was worth something.

Ezio Accetta

 

[Dedata | Celty Ree]

​

Spoiler: Equipment

Weapons	Armor	Gadgets	Vehicle
Sparti Short Spear	Dedata's MK2 Helmet	Modified Datapad running Deda-net	Dullahan
Ianus Kopis	Dedata's outfit	Data spikes
	BURN CORPO SHIT Tanktop	Flow Vape

Tags: Ivory Stroud || Marcella Fiora || Mairéad Solus ||

Sleep Token - Take Aim

Dedatas eyes locked onto that warm smile bright smile that melted her heart every time as well as brazingly taking her hand. Was hiding what they had stopped. Her mind traced back to life day where they had kissed in front of a trusted few. Her face went red under that helmet. As the two walked hand in hand and others around everything seemed peaceful here, it was thanks to the rolling hills and the strole like place that was scenically beautiful. Even if the building ahead was delipidated it only bolsted to the area, though it would soon change seeing it like this felt rustic to the area.

It was safe to say Dedata had came here a few times to take photos so that she could have them for display. The shade of overgrown trees loomed over them. With a quick glance to her partner Dedata gave it no second thought, she brought up the left hand moving it around the seam of bodysuit and helmet. With a soft pull the helmet came off to reveal the soft breeze against fair white skin and making white silver hair blow softly. Celty did not say a word but smiled while squinting a bit in realization how much the helmet filtered light. A few moments went by till the sun hit her face and turned as Ivory did. "Feth it's so bright." She said with a soft spoken voice and small giggle.

"But you are right, it is a sight." Their hands separated while the Donna inspected the foundations a little more closely. Marcella had seemed to have investigated the area previously too given the knowledge of it's layout. "Terms of some materials, we can clear out some of the area that I have. Wood, clay basics. I'm not knowledgeable in building materials but would be nice to see if we can acquire the same stone. I did read ages ago that mixing salt water in concrete is better over fresh. If I remember right, it does not set all so when cracks form it self repairs. Before you ask, I get bored sometimes and watch strange factual holovids." It really felt like a useless fact that she had stumbled across but now it had relevance.

 

[Ezio Accetta]

“What…What’s going on….Where are you going?” The panicked voice of the nemoidian woman asked.

Ezio and Jon carried Ragos Terrek into the store, his limp body dripping blood on everything. "In the back! Ma'am, watch my daugter please!" He asked while Adriana lead the way. His daughter slowly walked after them, eyes wide and looking at all the droplets of blood. It looked like she was deciding if it would hurt her to touch, or if it looked like candy.


They didn't settle Ragos down as gently as he would have liked, Jon more or less tossing his end onto the back worktable. He looked at them both and gave orders. "I need something to cut with and something hot! Now!" They began frantically searching through the cabinets, the woman's search more focused. A pair of long pliers were on the table already, but he couldn't start digging around yet. The ringing of the comm faded into the background, sounding more like a heart rate monitor.

He pulled out the pair of surgical scissors he had used to trim his beard earlier that day and cut Ragos' shirt down the middle. He didn't see any bullet wounds, he must have been shot from the back. "Jon!" He yelled, "Help me flip him over!"

There was blood smeared all over, obscuring everything. Nearby was a small washing sink and towel. He soaked the towel and began squeezing it over the man's chest, letting the water wash away the blood and wiping it up in places it didnt. Two bullet wounds in the left side, one in the lower abdomen and another in the shoulder.

Adriana came back with a small plasma torch used for soldering wire. Jon returned with a hobby knife. It was probably the closest thing to a scalpel he was going to find. "Perfect!" He breathed and took them. He put the torch to the pliers until they glowed red hot, sterilizing them. He didn't have any imaging equipment to locate the bullet but from the wound it was somewhere in his gut. In a situation like this he was tempted to simply sew up the wound, but not in the gut. Infection and other problems could kill him before blood loss would if it ended up in the wrong spot. He'd have to look for it and dig it out. Good thing it hit low, it wouldn't hit any bones and have a higher chance of creating more debris and missing all his vital organs.

Ezio gave his hands the quickest wash he could before he got them dirty again, slipping his pinky finger, thinned by borderline starvation, into the bullet wound to follow the trail.


Ragos woke up at the worst possible time, screaming and screaming as Ezio struggled to grab hold of the bullet. He had to cut the skin open more in order to fit the pliers in, and Ragos moving made the bullet slip from his grasp. "Damn it, stay still Ragos!"

“Jon answer the fething commlink!”

“Rag, man…” Jonn said confused.

“Feth that,” Ragos said, his breath ragged and labored. He could feel the darkness coming back. He couldn’t go back. Not yet. “Grind never ends. Answer the fething commlink, do the deal. Make us rich.”

Jon went for the commlink and Ezio went for the bullet again. He felt the pliers grab it and slowly pulled it out, dropping the dirty piece of malformed metal into the sink. He looked it over. It was misshapen but whole. No fragmentation. "Sewing you up now. Got it out of you. Hold on. Adriana, put that cloth on his head, keep him cool."

She obeyed and soaked the washcloth some more before draping it on his head. "Is keeping him cool going to help slow his bleeding?" She asked.

"Nope, but it's going to make him feel better during this next phase. Are you sure this wire is the only thing you have?"

"No needle and thread, sorry."

"Well, this might be worse than pulling the bullet out. Jon, got those nice and sharp?" Jon held several small pieces of jeweler's wire and the hobby knife, scrapping excess material off the ends to form a point. He hastily passed them to Ezio. He looked over the first few and nodded, giving the rest back to the man. "Keep sharpening these."

He put the ends of pieces of wire to the plasma torch, sterilizing them too. "I have to make staples and solder them together, or he's going to bleed out. Hurt like a son of a b!tch."

And then with the pliers, he put the first piece of sharp hot wire through Ragos' skin, out the other side, and with a second pair of pliers bent the ends inward to keep it from coming out and pulling the wound closed. He pulled the ends together and put the torch to it, melting the ends together. Ezio did his best to keep the flame away from the man, but it probably burnt his skin just from proximity.

"Alright, next one."

 

[Safiya Mylas]

Location: The Matrisca Estate, Epica
Objective: Assist Iliana
Tags: Iliana Röhr Ivory Stroud Jai'galaar Gred

"Always up for a hunt, but in this case if you want me to just scare them off.... Tracker."

"My word! What is that?" Saf looked at tracker with wide eyes and her cheeks lifted in a smile. "damn, that thing looks mean" she looked behind her and made a clicking sound and an Orbak ran out to greet them. She reaches to its saddles and grabbed an Enrico to Jai'galaar Gred .

"Back home in Yarwod, we do things the old fasioned way, no speeders and a reliable handmade gun, think you can keep up? Should be an easy ride, even for an offworlder" she grinned at Jai and tossed him the gun without warning before hopping up on to the back of her mount, there were more tied up jusy outside the vineyard that Jai may or may not have seen on the way in, but if he was game she would certainly lead him to one. "I'll bring him back in one piece boss" she shouted to Iliana Röhr as they went into the distance. There were more than just deer about, deer attracted hungry viator which was the real reason for the guns. They could trot gently together, of if Jai wanted to hit it harder they could gallop through the grounds. She wanted to show them the destination first, so she knew what the aim was, that was a mile or so our across beautiful rolling countryside. "So tell me, what's you guys deal? Turning up to ab old ruin armed as if you are up for a fight?"
​

 

[Stardust Solus Skirae]

It had been a hard fought battle but the squatters were successfully expelled and then drove off the land with a warning should they ever dare to return not a single one would escape the planet, with that over with stardust turned her focus and energy to the building of the estate, the clearing of the much ignored land needed to be done with rocks and different things in the way star landed a hand carrying things out of the way or to and from where they needed being a general help among the people. Her armor would be gone replaced with farming clothing having just her sabers and blasters on her side those never left her of course she was a mandalorian after all those were part of her religion!

After setting some things down star noticed Ivory Stroud and some of the others by a door, they seemed to be inspecting it and as star grew closer she listened, seemed they were having trouble getting the old door open! Nothing star couldn't easily handle at all!

Stand back, I've got the key riiiight here

Crouching down star placed her hands at the bottom looking for a good grab point before she started pulling up with all her strength

come on ya blasted thing and open!

 

[Jai'galaar Gred]

Jai smiled at Safiya Mylas as she looked excited to see Tracker. He chuckled a bit, patting the Nashta as he looked back up. "He's a Nashta. Real solid hunters and trackers." It was then that She would toss the rifle towards him. The old Mandalorian training kicked in quick, and he'd quickly grab hold of the weapon, a smirk coming across his face. "I may not quit look it, but this isn't my first rodeo." He'd quickly shoulder the rifle to get a feel for it, then grab a mount and follow Safiya.

As they went he'd keep pace with her. She definitely knew the area better than himself so it was the smart thing to do. At the same time Tracker would keep up on his own six feet. And after some time, Jai would get a question he wasn't quite expecting. Why did they all come to a ruin so heavily armed. Jai looked down a bit, thinking of how to explain it.

"Well.... There's a question. A few of us aren't exactly the greatest at making friends in high places, if you catch my meaning. Pretty sure there's some lingering worries that some folks won't exactly be pleased with a few nicer plans. Or you're like me and just don't want to be caught without a weapon. Old habit of an old life... and if I were honest with myself my new one." He looked out towards where he'd noticed a river before, taking a quick breath. "I might could figure it out eventually though." Tracker would meanwhile never stop sniffing the air, catching various scents that would blow through the air.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Ivory & Celty continued inspecting & discussing the gate, while Mairéad Solus & Iliana Röhr inspected a large wooden entry door to one side; eventually shifting the door enough to gain access to the small room within. Ivory remained outside as Stardust Solus Skirae approached, promising a quick entry beyond the large gate.

Celty took a few minutes to investigate the old worn stonework, and Ivory listened as she explained:

"Terms of some materials, we can clear out some of the area that I have. Wood, clay basics. I'm not knowledgeable in building materials but would be nice to see if we can acquire the same stone. I did read ages ago that mixing salt water in concrete is better over fresh. If I remember right, it does not set all so when cracks form it self repairs. Before you ask, I get bored sometimes and watch strange factual holovids."

Ivory chuckled, then commented: "There has to be a quarry somewhere nearby. Maybe the locals know something about the history... could be a good reason to send someone into the nearby towns. Introduce ourselves, and see what our neighbors are like."

come on ya blasted thing and open!

Ivory's eyebrows came up as, after a long pause, the sound of metallic screeching began to emit from somewhere in the stonework above. Suddenly, the large grate shifted violently - rising about a foot & a half then jerking to a stop. A small cloud of dust drifted down on top of them, and Ivory's nose caught the faint scent of rusted metal. With a smirk, Ivory glanced at her Twi'lek companion and reached out, patting Star on her muscular shoulder.

"Don't strain yourself. It looks like Mairead found a way inside. We'll need to open this thing up and put some oil to it. Maybe Xiann can help."

With that, Ivory turned - reaching out to touch Celty's shoulder and let her know they were following the girls.

Together, they made their way inside through the old wooden door into a small building, then out into the main courtyard. All the buildings were dark and immensely overgrown. The worn flagstones, pale cream in color, had been warmed by years of sunlight, and the smell of rotting vegetation and old dust filled Ivory's senses. She paused for a moment just outside, hands on her hips as she looked around the massive expanse... The sound of chirping birds carried on a gentle breeze which ruffled her hair, and Ivory was quiet for a moment - taking in the moment as she dreamily considered how massive a job it would be to rebuild the old fortress into something matching what she'd been dreaming of.

Finally, she glanced over in the direction of Mairead, who was inspecting some old, beaten-up and inoperative vehicles which had been left to rot.

"I'm heading toward the tower!" She called out, waiting for a confirmation before looking at Dedata | Celty Ree & Stardust Solus Skirae .

"Let's do a little spelunking." She quipped, then led the way toward a long wall decorated by glass-less alcoves and a framed door which had long since disappeared.

The interior of the large fortress was almost dark enough to require a torch.

As Ivory stepped inside, she found herself in a large open room; a foyer which appeared to connect to the rest of the gargantuan structure. The stone walls were decorated with moss & vines, and bits of rubble crunched underneath her feet. The air within the building was significantly cooler than it was outside, and through the numerous arched & vaulted windows, sunlight streamed into the space. The vaulted ceiling overhead had caved in in spots, and old, red clay tiles littered the ground. Ivory knelt, picking up a tile she'd nudged with her boot; standing and inspecting it casually before dropping it to the ground where it shattered into a dozen pieces.

"New roof... completely cleaning the interior..." Muttering under her breath, she sighed, then began to circle around the foyer, inspecting the walls.

"This place is so old, but the foundation looks good. We won't need to do much to patch it. We're going to need portable shelters, probably set up in the field down by the road. We can probably source most of the materials locally, but we'll need equipment brought in from off-world. Workers, too. Most of the locals probably don't have the skills we need."

Sudden movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention.

A tiny lizard, about the size of her pinkie finger, raced from one dark corner up the wall and stopped on the stone windowsill of a sun-baked window. The reptile was colored a vivid emerald green, with sapphire-blue spots decorating it's back and tail. The creature peered angrily at her with tiny black eyes, blaming her for disturbing the peace and solitude...

then, disappeared into the courtyard beyond, it's bright skin sparkling in the afternoon sunlight.

Ivory smiled to herself, then continued investigating the ruins.