Helly Reyne
Hartlite Frontwoman
[Terry Hess]
Greed was never something that drove Helly, so when she took up the position of Viceroy of Tatooine, it wasn't a power grab or a way to climb the ranks. It was solely to do her part in making the galaxy a better place, as naive and sappy as that may have come off to others. The planet had a tumultuous history, to say the least, from the Hutts to the Imperials all the way to becoming swallowed by the Confederacy. She intended to show the people of Tatooine that the Confederacy was standing beside them instead of looming over them.
Plus, what other Viceroy would perform live concerts for their people?
She sat behind the pilot's seat of an ugly, which appeared to be half TIE Interceptor and half X-Wing, while the pilot and her planetary guide, a Jawa named Kniibi, landed at the city known as Bestine. She was told of its history with the Galactic Empire and how it's held power ever since, but she had no intentions of settling down there. It was a relic, and she would need something new, something that could be painted without desecrating centuries-old architecture.
"Capitol bill-ding," Kniibi said to her as they landed with a thud. This pilot may not have been the most graceful flier, but she knew both the planet and how to avoid sticky situations while on it. She was pointing at the largest building in sight other than the arena, with most other structures and roads branching off of it. It was all made of sandstone, the planet's #1 resource in all likelihood, and before they had landed, it appeared to blend in perfectly with its surroundings. A sea of gold and beige, depending on where the suns hit it from.
The two hopped out of the fighter and immediately Helly was thankful to be wearing boots for the thick sands she dropped down onto. A part of her wanted to go barefoot, but she knew better than to trust sand that had been sun-baked all day every day.
"Who's in charge here?" she asked as she followed the short, but quick legs of the Jawa.
"Lutrillian man. Name Kalaha. Big gambler."
A small maintenance droid on treads just barely taller than Kniibi bumped into her leg from behind as it passed her to catch up to its Jawa creator. "Well, I've taken big risks in the past, so maybe I can meet him eye to eye."
"Doubtful," Kniibi responded almost immediately with no inflection in her voice, as was her default.
A human man glanced only briefly their way as he swept his front door free of built-up sand. She found it strange, considering she hadn't felt a single breeze during her admittedly brief time on Tatooine thus far.
As they entered the capitol building, she noticed that the guards at the front entrance looked like little more than the average bouncer. They didn't speak a word to her, but they also weren't raising a finger to stop her from entering, which she took as a sign that they knew to expect her. The inside made it appear larger than it was from the outside, and it looked to be a relic of several pasts, taking design influences from its original water-world colonists, the Galactic Empire, what appeared to be Huttese trinkets, and of course Lutrillian flair.
Tucked away near the back was the open door to Kalaha's office, where he sat back in his wooden seat upon taking notice of them there.
"The Confederacy's representative for Tatooine?" he asked, his hands crossed over one another atop his desk.
"Helly Reyne," she answered with a bow, "appointed Viceroy. But please, don't think of me as a superior-"
"I wasn't going to," he said abruptly as his unblinking eyes remained locked onto hers.
She nodded slowly, saying, "Then we're off to a good start, I guess... I only want to foster good relationships with each of the settlements on Tatooine. I won't interfere with Bestine in any way, other than the Confederacy aid I'll be rationing out. Unless you want a concert held here sometime. That arena looks like it'd fit a decent crowd."
"Our arena is for fighters," he said sternly. "If you want to test your skill against a hardened warrior, then I don't doubt that you'll draw in a crowd. None of your noise that you affectionately call music."
Pursing her lips, Helly took a deep breath through her nose and said, "Alright then! If there's any way I can aid your city, let me know so I can keep it in mind."
"You'd be better off not showing your face on Tatooine," he told her. "For your own safety. You're not Tatooine material, you're a spoiled Coruscanti child with no fangs. Send Bestine your cleanest water and supplies, but don't expect a close relationship."
Placing her palms firmly on the desk, she loomed over the man and said, "I've survived on a hostile planet with hungry wolves chasing me down. I survived the invasion of Coruscant. I've even survived death itself. Tell me again how I'm not Tatooine material?"
Kalaha cracked a smile, then broke into laughter, the reason for which Helly would have to wait and hear for herself. "Survival here is different, girl. The way you talk, the way you look at someone, the deals you make, those are the traits of a Tatooine native. If you don't have a killer instinct, you'll sink beneath the sand you walk on. This is a warning because I like you for your patronage; don't speak to the next settlement's chief the way you spoke here. You'll be taken advantage of in a heartbeat. Be suspicious. Never let your guard down. And I was kidding; of course you can play your horrible music in the arena. Tourism is good business."
With a barely-contained sigh of relief, Helly removed her hands from the desk and took a step back. "Thank you. I'm glad to be working with you, then, and I'll see you when we next do business."
She turned and began walking out of the office only to hear Kalaha's voice once more.
"No handshake? Really?" he said as Helly immediately turned back around. "That's awfully rude of you..."
Helly extended a hand and shook while blushing. "I'm so sorry, I was trying to put on a cutthroat edge, I figured it was appropriate..."
"It's impolite at best is what it is..."
"Again, I'm so sorry. Uh..." After they were finished shaking, she awkwardly pointed back to the doorway. "I'll be... on my way, then? So nice meeting you, like sincerely."
Kalaha grumbled under his breath as Helly showed herself out, Kniibi and her droid following closely behind. Once they were back in Kniibi's fighter, Helly groaned. "Well, that couldn't have gone any worse. Where to next?"
"Mos Eisley," she said as she was already preparing for takeoff. "Good cantuna. Popular."
"Think I should just meet with the leader and be like... Hey, what's up, I'm the Viceroy, peace?"
"Don't know pole-tics," Kniibi responded simply as the craft parted with the ground.
Helly sighed. "Yeah, I know..."
