Private A Second Beginning

[Arris Windrun]

Desevro - a cold world that was unpleasant to look at, and far worse to live upon. What was once a sprawling urbworld had been largely reduced to decay by centuries of warfare that ended a long, long time ago. Much longer than even the time Triaso was from, and yet the echoes of that war lingered. They lingered in the arctic chill and roving storms caused by environmental instability, and in the darkness that entrenched itself in soil and urban ruins. It carried with it the ghosts of torment and hate from those who fought, and the fear and suffering of those who were caught in the middle.

It was the destination that Arris mentioned to the Jedi on Nar Shaddaa, and they arrived at a makeshift spaceport in a reclaimed settlement in a valley between some mountains near the equator. From the skies above, a picture was painted. Visible Sith Temples rose in the distance, and between them and the settlement was the unmistakable view of some kind of warcamp. Ships, tents, and other prefab structures dotted the open field.

The spaceport itself at least resembled many backwater ports like it. There was about every flavor of spacer one could imagine, from the wildcat miner to the obvious smuggler, and just those who flew to get by.

"Well, here we are... How would you like to get started?"

Arris said as if this were any other town in the galaxy.

Triaso Latain

 

[Triaso Latain]

Triaso stepped off of the ship with Arris, eyes squinted as she tried to adjust to being out in sunlight again. Her vision had gotten better than it was, but that didn't mean it was good. She could make out shapes, even some minor details, but she remained sensitive to light as her eyes struggled to remove dilation when she needed them to. She didn't much care for this planet; if she knew that Sith temples were going to be present, she probably would've elected to stay on Nar Shaddaa. She kept that to herself and ignored the oppressive feelings that flowed through the force and permeated the atmosphere.

Adjusting her new poncho, she let out a breath and watched the mist of it dissipate in front of her before she answered. At least with her new outfit she wouldn't stand out too much. The poncho covered modern but modest clothes, a long sleeve shirt over basic trousers that ended in calf-length boots at her feet. Her lightsaber was tucked away under the poncho, where it was still accessible but not visible to the naked eye.

"I guess a job would be prudent. I know beggars can't be choosers and all, but I'd prefer one that's not too... Unsavory. Morals-wise, at least."

From what Triaso had gleaned, that was likely a tall ask unless she settled for manual labor, which likely wouldn't pay well enough to get her off-planet anytime soon. Maybe if she played her cards right she could get a ship of her own someday.

Arris Windrun

 

[Arris Windrun]

Arris stopped to look at her, poker face as usual.

"Unsavory?" She grinned.

She looked ready to laugh as if Triaso made a joke, but when the Jedi failed to grin in return, Arris grew confused.

"Oh... You're not kidding." The cyborg turned to face her. "There's a saying where I'm from... 'A job's a job."

Unsavory? Morals-wise? "Sheesh," she muttered under her breath.

Arris shook her head and kept walking, hopefully with the Jedi in tow. If Miss Poncho delayed, Arris would be sure to wave her along, annoyingly if that's what it took. They would walk as they talked.

"Listen, Tree, if you want to spend your waking hours sludging shit for a meal and a bed every day until you die, be my guest. There's a whole heap of backwaters to pick from. Hell, I'd even foot the travel bill again, but..."

The blonde cracked her neck - one way, then the other - it made a sickly and unnatural sound like it weren't all bone and flesh under there.

She continued, "I reckon you'd start flirting with the barrel if it came to that, yeah?"

Triaso Latain

 

[Triaso Latain]

Triaso stared blankly back at Arris as the blonde expected her to laugh, evidently not in on her own joke. She followed after Arris as she continued their walk, not requiring any further encouragement. Though the past few days had been rough for her, Triaso's soreness had grown exponentially more faint, no longer hampering her limbs as she was able to move around like a normal person. It still hurt, but it wasn't debilitating anymore.

She considered Arris' words as the cyborg led her, lips pursing. Admittedly, the thought of toiling away in a mine or something for the rest of her days didn't appeal to her. Ideally, whatever job she could land here would pay enough for her to get off-world sooner rather than later, but maybe she'd have to stretch her morals a bit for that.

"What do you have in mind, then? I'm not looking to shakedown civilians for crime lords and I'm not a no-morals merc. No offense, just not my thing."

The Jedi wasn't really sure what to expect, but she hoped that Arris had some ideas in mind. Where was the cyborg leading them, anyways?

Arris Windrun

 

[Arris Windrun]

At first, Arris was just mildly annoyed. It wasn't until the 'no offense' that the Jedi's words pissed her right off.

She stepped in front of her and stopped. Though her expressions were difficult to read - eyesight or not - her anger rippled clearly with an aura. A metal finger pressed itself firmly against Triaso's chest.

"No. I am offended," she began. To improve upon her point, Arris emulated the woman's own voice to near perfection.

"I'm not a no-morals merc. I'm not gonna shakedown civies for crime lords," she snorted. "No offense..."

Her voice returned to normal, albeit angry. "Do you think this shit is a choice for--" She cut herself off. "Never mind."

Arris backed off. Clearly, Triaso struck a nerve, whether or not she gleaned why. Though maybe it had something to do with Arris being a street rat from Talus.

Triaso Latain

 

[Triaso Latain]

Even hampered in the force as she was, Triaso could feel the anger radiating off of Arris at her words. She flinched at the finger jabbing her, not expecting that kind of reaction from the woman. Though she'd known her for a very short amount of time, she'd been easygoing and generous up until this point, when the Jedi had clearly struck a nerve. When she heard Arris replicate her voice back at her, she had to stop herself from reacting in irritation, biting her tongue.

She takes a breath, nose flaring as she lets it back out before she responds. When she does, her tone is a fair bit more sympathetic, voice lowered, "I'm sorry, Arris."

Triaso purses her lips, "I only meant to set my own boundaries. I didn't consider if I was crossing yours, and my intention wasn't to insult. That's on me."

She presses an open palm to her chest to gesture to herself, taking a breath, "Tell me where I went wrong, and I will do better. I owe you that and much more for the kindness you've given me."

Arris Windrun

 

[Arris Windrun]

Arris didn't expect the reaction she received, the immediate apology for it all.

"Tell me where I went wrong, and I will do better. I owe you that and much more for the kindness you've given me."

Grey eyes narrowed for a moment, then lightened up. "Forget it," she dismissed it with the wave of a hand.

The cyborg was ready to keep walking, but stopped, having changed her mind. She turned back to Triaso.

"Just..."

She gestured to the spaceport around them and the people walking within. The vast majority were spacers of an outlaw's disposition. The corporate sector was an ugly place, after all, littered with corrupt authorities, opportunistic pirates, and the occasional cultist.

"It's the way of life out here. If your starship runs out of fuel, you find a way to take it. If people stand in your way, you hurt 'em if that's what it takes.

"There's a difference between being a psychopath and surviving, yeah?"

 

[Triaso Latain]

As Arris gestured to those surrounding them, Triaso looked around, seeing the somewhat blurry browns of people in long coats, as well as the distinctive holsters at nearly everyone's hips. If the jedi could see any better, there'd be no doubt as to their disposition; she got the point nonetheless. Triaso wasn't a judgmental person, or at least she tried not to be, to middling success. Hearing Arris's words, she nodded slowly, seeming to understand. Morals were a luxury to the desperate.

"I get it."

After a moment, she sighed, "Very well. Did you have something in mind? I take it you're not just walking us somewhere for fun."

Remembering that Arris had mentioned having a job that needed her on this planet, she wonders if she was expected to help with it. Not that she'd be opposed. She'd basically freeloaded off of the kindness of this near-stranger for several days; it'd be the least she could do to start to repay the favor.

Arris Windrun

 

[Arris Windrun]

"Somewhere fun? On Desevro?" She snorted.

Arris continued walking, leading them through the starport concourse until they exited the building. It was already quite cold indoors, at least comfortable with a jacket for most temperate species, but outside was absolutely frigid - arctic, in fact. The starport sat atop a plateau that looked down into the valley below, where Sith ruins stuck out defiantly among urban decay. Their pyramidal architecture was not unlike any other temple of the Old Sith era, when such structures could be found on dozens of scattered worlds across the Outer Rim.

At the base of the towers was a gathering; a massive camp filled with starships, tents, and makeshift structures. The cyborg walked to the edge of what could only be described as a "lookout" spot.

She leaned against the railing. "A salvaging operation has had a pirate problem lately, an hour's speeder ride out from here."

The planet was covered in the crumbling remains of cities and strongholds, from Xim's Empire and the Tionese Hegemony to more recent occupations. No matter what, Desevro seemed destined to be a graveyard of empires.

"The job is two parts: One, we escort a small convoy to bring them replacement workers and equipment. Two, we put an end to the pirate problem."

Arris turned and gave Triaso a shoulder pat and smiled. "Helping the working class doesn't sound so bad, does it?"

If this Jedi was going to have a sense of honor, then the Talusian wondered how best to appeal to it.

Triaso Latain