Public Badlands of Duro

[Pahul Vitorbreeze]

Home to the native species known as the Duros, the planet Duro was temperate and decent in terms of tourism in the cities and towns that were nearby. However..The further out amongst the many mountains, plains and even deserts...It can turn pretty chaotic. Creatures and untamed beasts roam the lands and almost everywhere was considered hostile territory. You would be lucky or smart if you were to survive on this planet. Ex-council member and Jedi Master Pahul Vitorbreeze finds himself walking back to the cabin that he built within the wilderness of Duro. He met a few individuals while spending time there and has helped a local family of Duros in the area rebuild their home as well. Master Vitorbreeze looks at this as the rest of his life....Until...​

 

[Scarlett Zann]

PLOPPP!! A body smashes down a foot from where Pahul Vitorbreeze stood.

The badlands on this ugly, sorry excuse of a planet was not much different then most badlands on the other trash of the galaxy. The only different thing here was the job. Flying low over the badlands as their wealthy clients hung out the open doorways with their sniper rifle blasters. They were hunting Cheroka's, a rare horned species commonly found only on Duros. The catch is these creatures were fast and deadly. Because they were deadly, is why the wealthy stayed safe up in the flying ships above.

Scar counted the large stack of credits on the table in front of her as she heard a snap echo through her cargo hold. "Eh.. Scar.. you better get down here" her first mate and captain said over the inner ship communications. "Frack... i lost count" She murmured to herself with a heavy sigh and made her way to the cargo hold where their clients had been hanging by straps out the doorways.

As she approached, she no longer heard the steady stream of blaster fire that had been the norm during the hunt, instead, she was greeted by the sight of her crew and a few of their clients huddled around one of the doors. As she made her way through the crowd, her eyes widened as she found what all the fuss was about. There flapping in the open doorway was the harness of one of the clients, the only problem was, the client and half the harness were not there.

"Frack" She said again loudly. An unsuccessful hunt was one thing but a dead client was an entirely new and worse problem. "Swing her around" She commanded as the ship made a 180 and back the way in which it came. As they approached and then flew over a cabin, Scars gaze landed on a single human on the ground below.

Pahul Vitorbreeze

 

[Pahul Vitorbreeze]

PLOPPP!! A body smashes down a foot from where Pahul Vitorbreeze Pahul Vitorbreeze stood.

Pahul would stop instantly in his tracks and was taken back a step. He would look at the body briefly and blink a few times. His stoic face remained unchanged as he then would look to the skies above to see where the body hailed from. He was no stranger to surprises, as one would imagine, he's encountered many. But this was interesting enough to catch his attention. Taking his hands and fixing his garments, tugging on his linings, he would then cut eyes at the ship above that would make a 180 turn and begin circling back around. Pahul sidestepped past the body and would stand in front of his cabin all while keeping his gaze on the ship above. Contractors? Pirates? A business deal went south and the result was dropping a body out in the wild?

It could have been any of those scenarios but he wasn't sure. He did know one thing. He wanted the body gone just as fast as it arrived. The land was his, and he wanted to be left alone. (at least that is what he believes). The life in seclusion and self-exile was a life of grey indeed. No definitive path or answers for that matter. Only questions and more questions. He had no weapons on him and didn't think he would need to use the force..And even if he did need to, He would not...As it would be detrimental to him. So he would place his hands on his hips, tuck his lower lip, and await the descent of whoever would come down next.

Tag: Scarlett Zann

 

[Scarlett Zann]

As the ship hovered over the old man and his cabin, Scar looked down at him. He wore a thick robe but she could not see a blaster at his side. He was either extremely stupid, or had another way of dealing with the local Cheroka's that she could not see. Perhaps traps? She thought but again saw no signs of them either. One thing was for certain, she needed to go down and retrieve her clients remains. It was bad business to lose a client, especially on an easy job like this, but it was far worse to lose his or her remains too. She reached next to the door and grabbed the emergency repelling rope. She attached it to the same peg the harness was attached to as it was the harness that was bad, not the attachment to the ship, and began to repel down the rope. There was no need to tell her crew what to do, they would go about their business while Scar dealt with the situation. All except her first mate who had his rifle out and sights on the old bald man. He knew her long enough to know what movements or body language she would use if she needed him to take him out.

As Scars feet touched the ground, she unattached herself from the repelling harness and slowly walked up to Pahul. She first glanced down at the body between them and then up at him. He did not seem phased in the slightest by the body which had fallen from the sky. "Rains dead bodies here often?" She joked with him to hopefully break a little of the tension that she felt between them.

His expression did not seem to change and she then wondered if he was one of those Monks that ventured out into the edged of the galaxy in search of peace on vows of silence. That is until...

Pahul Vitorbreeze

 

[Pahul Vitorbreeze]

As Scars feet touched the ground, she unattached herself from the repelling harness and slowly walked up to Pahul. She first glanced down at the body between them and then up at him. He did not seem phased in the slightest by the body which had fallen from the sky. "Rains dead bodies here often?" She joked with him to hopefully break a little of the tension that she felt between them.

His expression did not seem to change and she then wondered if he was one of those Monks that ventured out into the edged of the galaxy in search of peace on vows of silence. That is until

Observing her careful and coordinated movements down the rope Pahul's eyes remained glued to her. The noises hissing from the descent of the ship, the wind that would howl through the trees didn't cause him to lose focus. One would say he was more curious than anything else as to what they were doing. But fate had a strange way of presenting itself. His facial expression suddenly changed to a sly grin as his brow would arch. Now looking at the body he figured it was a good time to say anything. She didn't know it....But she was the first human he had seen in quite some time.

"Nah...Doesn't rain dead bodies...Acid rain...perhaps..every now and then...." He responded while deep in thought and continued.

"Your first mate up there...He can put the rifle down...My days of trying to prove myself are way behind me. So my question for you is this....Do you drop dead bodies out here often?" He would ask and suddenly look up at her curiously while relaxing his hands and cuffing them behind his back. His stance was a traditional one..That of the older generation of Jedi...

Tag: Scarlett Zann

 

[Scarlett Zann]

Him not showing a weapon and his steady nature would normally cause Scar to relax in a situation like this, but the fact that he could sense the cross hairs on him from far above and what had to be a concealed position that her first mate was in, would most likely mean one thing, use of the force. She would raise her right hand, make a fist, then produce 4 fingers out to the sky and then lower her arm, signaling to her mate that it was okay to remove the stranger from his sights and to relax.

"Sorry about that, cant to be to careful these days, especially with a strange man out here in the middle of no where on a badland world." She said as she referred to her mate with the rifle aimed on him.

"No, this is not a normal thing for me, as this pile of death was my client. An unfortunate equipment malfunction sent him flying down here." She said before looking around. The planet was a wasteland except here around his cabin there was actual life and vegetation. "This world, other then here by you would be a good place to ditch some unwanted corpses, however." She joked but was half serious.

"Why of all places in this rich and healthy galaxy, would you choose to dwell here?" She asked him simply curiously.

Pahul Vitorbreeze

 

[Pahul Vitorbreeze]

"It is true I suppose..." He would look around cautiously as if being watched. He then turns to Scarlett Zann . "This place....(He pauses for a moment)...This dwelling has it's advantages...If you know where to build..Where to go..You can survive out here in the badlands...Most of the time.....I stay quiet...Don't disturb the way of nature and it won't disturb you. I can only guess with a body dropping, some unfriendly creatures may be coming to take a closer look at their next meal...In which case would bring them to my doorstep. If you would like...I can help you with that...Client..And...Well....Maybe if you need to rest for a bit, your welcome to my dwelling." He responded while squinting at her. She was young, with a pep in her step, and clearly was a navigator..But there was someone she reminded him of years ago.


"But...Not a lot of time to waste...When these reptilian creatures come around...They don't leave until they drag something back with 'em."​

 

[Scarlett Zann]

Scar walked back and grabbed the rope and returned with the slack in its end. She quickly tied the rope around tge corpse, keeping an eye on the Nan while she did. He did not move, just stood tgere squinting at her after he had offered her shelter. As the corpse was secured, she made another hand gesture to her first mate and the corpse was slowly raised back to the ship.

She then looked back to the man "The shelter sounds nice, I'll join you for a time before I must return to my ship and my clients affairs." She said and then began to follow him to his cabin.

She was going to tell her ship to leave, but thought the reptiles who showed up might be a good shoot for her remaining clients. She simply dud nothing and made it her first mates decision as she followed the man.

Pahul Vitorbreeze

 

[Pahul Vitorbreeze]

The smell of cedar and pinewood would be the first thing to hit Scarlett Zann 's nostrils as they entered the Cabin. As she saw, on the inside, there was a pile of tree trunks that were hollowed out and formed into a divider between two areas of the place Vitorbreeze called home.

A small forge of sorts to the left served as a fireplace. to the right, a hammock a rusted chest on the floor, an area rug, and several tools used for cooking are pinned along the wall. Not too shabby for the man. He had been busy for quite some time. He turned to her and would gesture...

"Welcome to my dwelling..It's not much but ahhhhhh...I do sleep at night. I can make some excellent herbal tea if you would like...In the meantime, you can tell me about where you are from perhaps...And what happens to that client of yours that decided to say hello to me." He would look at her and crack the faintest of smiles.

 

[Scarlett Zann]

Scar was surprised how big it was. The cabin did not look this large from the outside. She made her way over to a hollowed out stump next to the fire as Pahul made some tea. She swung her cloak up to not sit on it, exposing her blaster and light saber on her belt as she did. Tea was not really Scar's style, but she would not refuse the host.

"...In the meantime, you can tell me about where you are from perhaps"

"I am from many places, as I tend to jump around alot with the business I am in." She hinted as not to come out a just say she was a pirate who did most any criminal thing possible to increase her influence and credits.

"...And what happens to that client of yours that decided to say hello to me."

"Well, we will have to see what the customs are of the his family still aboard my ship above. That was one of his sons. So either we have some kind of burial ceremony to perform, in the best case scenario, or there will be a few more bodies littering your planet if things go sour. In any case, we have already been paid so it is a win/win for us.... well other then losing a client and we wont have a good reputation in the sports hunting field anymore, but i can live with that" She said with a smile.

"Although, I am sure I already know the answer to this, but I have some things aboard my ship that could make your stay a bit more comfortable down here, if you would like to see them?" She asked.

Pahul Vitorbreeze

 

[Pahul Vitorbreeze]

“We’ll let me start by saying I’m not used to the generosity of foreigners. Although I am not from Duro, the Duros have been more than hospitable to me. Some of them have me in a high regard because of my st…status.” He responded while lighting a fire. “I suppose i could accept yours as well. Just don’t shoot me.” He would grin while pouring water into a kettle. “So you hunt for sport…Any speciality?” He asks while looking over his shoulder. He was curious to her profession. Especially considering it brought her out here. Meanwhile…Not too far from the cabin..several gutteral noises would break through the sounds of the wind swaying the trees surrounding the area.

 

[Scarlett Zann]

"Your status? You're not a Holy Man, are you? The village Shaman?" She returned a joke to his.

"No, I myself am not a sport hunter. Hunting a living animal or person for is not beneath me by any means, but I do not have time for such pleasantries. No, I merely provide the transportation to and catering of individuals seeking bug game hunting. It's good work in an industry with not alot of competition, so I am able to be very competitive in my compensation and time I put towards it as a profession, which is very little, and I like that." She said.

She enjoyed the warmth of the fire. Heaters on her ship and the rays of the stars while in space are nothing compared to that of an open fire. She almost let her gaurd down, she was getting so comfortable.

Pahul Vitorbreeze

 

[Pahul Vitorbreeze]

"Aha! You got me! Village shaman at your service!" He laughed for a moment and suddenly, as if he remembered that he was not supposed to, his facial expression changed as he cleared his throat. "EErrrnnn....Well..I would say this. If you love what you do..What you do will love you too. A simple mantra." He gave a smile, but this time it was as if it was painful to do so. He hadn't had a conversation with someone in a while. As he continued on, he gave her a cup of steaming herbal tea. It's sweet...Hibiscus..." He said as suddenly he would look to the circular netted window made of reinforced twine. "We're not alone here..."


Tag: Scarlett Zann

 

[Scarlett Zann]

Scar happily accepted the Tea, and quickly brought it to her lips as her host showed a sign of concern as he said that they were no longer alone. Her eyes looked around quickly to see the possible entrances. The cabin looked to be well built, so through the walls was not the most logical entry, Her eyes darted from the make shift window to the door. She felt her blaster and saber at her side but made no immediate movement for them. In fact she refused to show any signs of concern until there was a reason to do so. "This is delicious" She told her host as she waited for him to escalate the situation to a point she should be concerned with.

Pahul Vitorbreeze

 

[Pahul Vitorbreeze]

As Pahul look out of the opening, he then would glance over his shoulder at her. "Well I'm glad you like it. You know, I thi.."

His sentence is interrupted by a scratching at the side cabin wall on the North-East corner. As the noises continued on. Pahul seemed disturbed as if he didn't know what to do. His left hand began to twitch.

"Well..What comes around here...They're known as Acklay . Don't know how or where they come from, but every now and then they appear in search of food." He said as he turned his back towards the door. "If we remain still...We might not be targeted."

As He stood there, the noises grew louder as if the baby Acklay began to circle around the cabin.

 

[Scarlett Zann]

Scar sighed "Acklay?" she asked with a little disappointment in her voice. She had enjoyed the m simple peace that this man provided along with the tea, and now she had to worry about these beasts. "Yes, I have not only heard of them, I bought and traded a pair of adult's to a private buyer a few sectors from here a few months ago...." She sighed again as she said. "They are exceptionally resistant to blaster fire...." She said as she then looked back down at her side to her blaster and light saber. She did not like to wield her saber in front of strangers unless she intended to use it on them, but because it was their best defense against this particular creature, she pulled it from her side but did not light it up just yet. She then became silent like her companion to see if they would get board and just leave. Unfortunately, they were not to be that lucky as the scratches became scrapes as they could tell the creature was trying to enter with purpose, as if it had caught their scent...

Pahul Vitorbreeze

 

[Pahul Vitorbreeze]

The scratching of the creature became louder and louder. Pahul would glance around the room with his eyes following the movements on the other side. As he circled his body to match the direction of the outside noise, he would stop as the noises would cease near the front door. His iris widened as it seemed like it took forever for him to blink. A snapping movement is heard then....Silence...

Pahul relaxes his shoulders a bit and puts a hand up to signal Scarlett Zann 's attention.

"It...It's gone....." He let's out a controlled breath and turns his back to the door.

"It's strange...I never tho.." {SMASH} . Just as Pahul was about to finish his sentence, the Acklay broke in the cabin door with it's hardened skull with a loud shriek. As Pahul quickly turned around he would try to put up his fists but it was too late. The beast would snap and whip his body into the air and attempt to catch Paul in it's mouth to swallow him whole.

 

[Scarlett Zann]

Scar had been trained most of her life in the way of the force but it was mostly in the use of the light saber, force powers, while recieving passing scores in them, she was a bit rusty to say the least. As Pahul was flung into the air, she used the force to grab him and push him towrds the wall out of harm's way. However, her rusty skills with the force meant she could not slow the push or his momentum as he was slung against the wall and then the ground roughly and with a crash. She then pulled her saber from her waist and quickly removed the creatures front two legs at the mud point. The creature whaled about in agony, but it did not disable it. It regained composure, even without its front 2 talons. It made its way after Scar now, lunging and biting at her. She parried the first easily enough but found herself backed into a corner as the second lunge and bite caught her left leg. Not enough to take the leg but enough to send her sprawling to the floor in agony.

Pahul Vitorbreeze