Private Chasing a Rumor On Epica

[Ben Khal]

Epica City, Epica
The Western Reaches

Nine hundred years after refugees fleeing the Yuuzhan Vong invasion relocated to Epica, upending the economy and social order, the planet is now a booming center of commerce. The Hydian Way Trading Company is headquartered in the capital, overseeing trade with thousands of systems and is the primary supplier of goods to the majority of the region. Class divisions remain a grave concern, as the merchants grow wealthy while the descendants of native Epicans labor at the bottom of the social hierarchy...

Ben stopped reading and rubbed his tired eyes. He hadn't gotten much sleep on the shuttle ride here, and while the local accommodations were acceptable, his mind was restless. Epica was an interesting planet, not so different from Hapes. The palaces and mansions of this world couldn't compare to the splendor of home, but the sharp difference in quality of life between the haves and the have-nots was felt just as keenly. The people he had interacted with at the hotel seemed friendly enough, though they were constantly trying to get him to spend more money. First he found that the only parking available required payment, then the concierge claimed that his reservation was made for the wrong day and couldn't be refunded, so he had to pay double. To top it all off, the following morning he had learned, to his unpleasant surprise, that the hotel breakfast was not complementary.

All of this would have been more bearable if he had a more concrete reason for being here. But Ben was chasing a rumor. Supposedly, a cultist token similar to the one he'd encountered on Ukatis two years earlier had resurfaced in a pawn shop located in the slums of Epica City. The shop owner probably had no idea what it was, nor the danger it posed. Such tokens, taking the form of small coin-like disks engraved from solid gold, radiated the Dark Side in such a way that they could influence people's behavior over time, affecting their minds.

As the streetcar came to a stop, Ben tucked his datapad away and pulled his hood over his head. Stepping off and onto the rainy street, he immediately headed for the pawn shop. He was determined to continue the work Master Oukranos had begun, and that meant investigating every lead, even if it turned out to be nothing.

Soliane Desari​

 

[Soliane Desari]

CHASING A RUMOR ON EPICA​

"A city... why did it have to be a city..."​

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Location – The slums of Epica City
Objectives – Retrieve the artefact for her patron
Tags – Ben Khal


Home was but a hazy memory, a faraway thought that could still provoke longing upon her lost heart. The smell of flowers, be it poisonous or no, and the humidity breaching your lungs with every breath... It stood no chance compared to the murky air and the rancid odour which met her in the slums of Epica City. But her client could not be disappointed now, not when this was her chance to get more credits in her hands than just the ones needed to survive the day. Her pockets had been practically empty after the ride here, and not to mention the greediness of the Epican traders...

Yet as Soliane tried to navigate her way through the narrow, crowded streets – her hand firmly on her pulsing scanner – the objective became only clearer. One way or another, that artefact would come into her possession. And those words were like a mantra on her mind, a steady word of encouragement in a time of uncertainty. She put on her pace, her boots stepping in the ever-growing puddles. All until she noticed her scanner starting to vibrate against her palm. It can't be far now... The rogue pushed it further up her coat's sleeve and approached a cozy and small shop.

Small was almost an exaggeration, as it was almost an alley squeezed between two other buildings. She did not bother greeting the older Bothan owner, whose fur immediately began to shift a bit at the attitude. It was probably nothing, added to the mantra. Meanwhile, Sol's gaze began to roll over the crowded tables. All of them were covered in common spaceship parts and junk, as if anyone was possibly after that. Only when the far end of the decor was behind her did her concealed scanner beep. Loudly.

Soliane tried to move her finger to turn it off, as her gaze fell upon one of the piles of metal scrap. With some struggle, she pushed it aside, only to notice a glimmer of gold at the bottom of it. "This ought to be a quick job..." She muttered to herself and reached out. Her sleeve dragged past a sharp edge of one of the steel plates, ripping it open. "Kriff-" Yet as she flinched, her fingers managed to grab the disk.

Now came the tricky part...

 

[Ben Khal]

The musty smell of used goods hit Ben's nose as he entered the pawn shop. Various items lay strewn about on the display tables and shelves, running the gamut from old toys to starship parts. He saw no visible signs that indicated how it was all organized, so he turned to the lone employee and asked, "Hello, is there a section for, er... old coins?"

The Bothan shopkeeper looked as if he wasn't used to being asked questions. "No, no," he replied gruffly. "No sections. You find something you want, you pay for it."

"I see." Ben left him alone and began walking around the store, making it appear as though he were browsing the inventory. He closed his eyes and opened himself to the Force. I know the token is here. I can feel it. Let me be the one to find it...

The stench of dust and grime faded into the background. He felt the pulse of life around him, the bodies and souls of the people inside like flames flickering across his consciousness. And below that was the Cosmic Force, which bound the universe to its will, its destiny, its judgment. It pronounced the orientation of the stars and the fate of whole worlds. But right now, it served him as a map of Light and Dark, guiding him to the source of the evil presence he had sensed as soon as he opened the door.

A shrill beeping caused him to open his eyes. At the other end of the glorified aisle which was the store building there was a woman. Short in stature and delicate looking, she held a scanner in her small white hand. Ben's brow furrowed, trying to figure out what exactly it was scanning for. Precious metals, perhaps?

The glint of gold seemed to confirm his guess as she picked through the pile of junk to retrieve a small disk. But it wasn't just any gold. It was the token!

Ben's heart leaped into his throat. There was a sound of tearing fabric - her sleeve had gotten caught on a jagged metal edge - and then the woman turned to walk away, her prize clutched in her fist.

He had to get it away from her. There could be no question; the token was a dangerous item imbued with the Dark Side. There were various ways he could go about taking it, but the one which minimized the risk of her retaliating or trying to flee was the one which required him to act immediately. "Excuse me," he said, getting her attention. "I wouldn't buy that coin if I were you. It's... bad luck."

Soliane Desari​

 

[Soliane Desari]

CHASING A RUMOR ON EPICA
"A city... why did it have to be a city..."
​

Location – The slums of Epica City
Objectives – Retrieve the artefact for her patron
Tags – Ben Khal


Clumsiness was the result of inexperience, the not-knowing how or when to act. It was a foolishness that only time and practice could remedy. But such ponderings were of little use when she had drawn the eyes of not one, but two individuals in the shop. Her dark eyes dotted from the furred alien, to the hooded figure that appeared to be in certain... meditation? Was it a trance of sorts? Did the golden disk have any influence over it? A petty suggestion.

Soliane tried to find another escape... On one side there was the entrance, with a horde of people moving about, a cover, or an obstacle. Then she noticed the rain drip through the holes in the ceiling, if she were quick enough-- Bad luck, the stranger had said. A warning, that when grazed would show its spiky threat. Yet, coming from a boy almost a decade younger than her. Should she truly be concerned? Soliane wasted her time by looking over her shoulder, sliding her hood back just a bit. "For an obscure token in a junk shop, you're quite... knowledgeable about it." Her voice tinged with something foreign, something not from this region of the galaxy.

Her eyes trailed over the few features she could notice, her head tilting in unison. Whilst there was an underlying curiosity regarding the identity of this young stranger, her mind alerted her of the risks. She had been wasting time and revealing too much of herself to the wrong parties. In a swift motion, she tugged the hood further over her head and began to pace (then run) out of the shop, sliding the token into her pocket. Taking a sharp left into the ever-growing horde of Epicans trying to get home amidst the worsening weather.

Soliane had planned to deliver the artefact in the wealthiest part of the city, if she could even make it there in time...

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