Private For Credits and Ulterior Motives

[Palm-Imer]

Palm was not surprised by the Mandalorian's reaction to her confession. She would have liked to feel guilt or remorse at having kept that information from her but truth was she didn't, and she wouldn't pretend to. It was her job to maintain her identity a secret for as long as she hadn't determined the third party wasn't risk. Anyone who met a geminaie would eventually found out about Geminidae, anyone who met an Ambassador could, in the future, become a liability should they make public the experiences shared along the so-called diplomats. How could a planet explain all their representatives being explorers, part-time corporates, mercenaries? Saying it was their hobby simply wasn't going to cut it. No, Palm had no regrets but she would not expect her partner to understand either.​

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She did not voice her agreement even though it existed. It was as dangerous to others as it was to themselves, Palm had seen many lose their sanity to fickle natures. For whatever reason she had silenced, Palm chose to entrust this knowledge to Isabeau and she was not one to back down from her decisions. Keeping her voice calm and peaceful she continued, "That is not for me or any of my kind to decide. That judgement belongs only to those who cross our paths." Would she be happier if Isabeau's trust hadn't been broken? Yes, but she was not going to mend it by going into a detailed explanation of her species at that moment. She would not have her worth judged by something that was not her choice, such as the properties of her genes.​

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Palm could shift her behavior and silence her personality, and she was not ignorant to how that sounded for people who were used to having it the other way around: their actions guided by their temperament. Her nature had nothing to do with treachery, even if it could serve that purpose. And her decision to keep somethings secret was a precaution taken with the purpose of protecting those she served. Yet her actions and the words she shared herself with the other woman had not been deceitful. If Isabeau chose to believe otherwise, Palm would not stop her. It wasn't her place to. "There is plenty more, but nothing I'd share right now." She doubted her reply would soothe the Mandalorian's mood, but silence would be conceding and even though Palm didn't wish to reveal anymore at the moment, she would not mislead her.​

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"I owe no explanations nor can I give them freely. I have a purpose and I serve that purpose, that is all there is to know." There was no harshness in her voice, no attempt to stand her ground. There was only acceptance and calmness. "I do regret you find me unworthy of your trust, but I respect the judgement you have made." She declared, going back to the words she had previously said. Her hands then worked at carefully retrieving the artifacts from the coffer that held monetary value and those she was interested in, in preparation to store them.​

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[Isabeau]

While Isabeau was getting more fired up, Palm remained calm. While a normal person would have scrambled to defend themselves, the scholar remained reserved, leaving the decisions to Isabeau. Even when she raised concerns about their trait of changing personalities at will being dangerous, did the alien just nonchalantly defer the judgement to her. Not knowing what to say about it, Isabeau just threw the woman a sharp look and soundlessly worded "Well" before letting out a silent, brief and angered chuckle.

***​

Standing in the centre of the room with her back turned against Palm, Isabeau closed her eyes and almost shook in frustration as the other woman decided that it was appropriate to tell her that there was more but without going along to actually tell her what there further items were. The young Mandalorian turned around to confront her but was cut off before she could even begin. Listening to the odd justifications which the scholar provided did not make things better.

"Aye, I do!" she said, loudly and with a slight shiver to her voice. "You lie to me many times over and now you tell me that it is because you have a purpose" she continued with an accusatory voice - adding a tone of ridicule upon mentioning 'purpose' - whilst her finger pointed to the ground to emphasise her points. Growing silent after the outburst that had been building up for the duration of the conversation, Isabeau shook her head "Just don't lie to me again" she said with her voice revealing a hint of sadness mixed with a flurry of other negative emotions.

Neither waiting for and uncomfortably long time, not leaving immediately, Isabeau wandered off whilst Palm was arranging for the transportation of the valuables. The young Mandalorian wanted some time alone - but the nature of her task made that impossible. Instead, she moved to the doors at the far side of the room, curiously peering into the ones that already stood open. One of the doors lead directly into a long staircase that went upwards. Another door lead into what looked like a communal sleeping chamber whilst the third open door lead into a corridor which had long since been blocked off by a collapse. While she would normally have shown concern for how much they could carry out or how much further the scholar was willing to push, Isabeau now only put in the bare minimum and simply leaned back against the door frame between the staircase and the blocked corridor whilst waiting for her colleague to finish.

 

[Palm-Imer]

Palm could only offer her attention and her silence at the moment, not wishing to aggravate Isabeau anymore than she already had. For a second she considered pushing herself to not care, to use the very skills that the Mandalorian was berating her for. But she closed her eyes, took air in and decided against it. She sometimes wished her race hadn't developed this particular ability. Feeling was difficult and often hurtful, yet having to choose how to feel was nothing if even more complicated. In this particular case, Palm decided to keep the effect that Isabeau's words had on her. It was maybe naive, to care about the opinion of someone she had just barely met, but if that was what was meant to happen, she would not change for the sake of practicality.

As the final words of her partner came, Palm nodded. Soon enough most of the items that had been in the coffer were now resting within appropriate containers, and she stood up to go retrieve the crown that had been sitting on the floor for Force knew how long. She allowed the other woman her space, and spared no words not only because she believed they would not be welcome but because she couldn't quite bring herself to form any. For some moments, being in deep thought felt both like a comfort and like a curse.

Eventually, all the cases and containers returned to the back pack, which now looked even more solid and full now that she had taken care to properly organize it so as to avoid the items moving around as much as possible. Once more swinging it onto her back and strapping it across her chest, her eyes met the t-visor of the Mandalorian's helmet once more. The time spent in silence had helped her clear her mind, she could only hope they had done the same for her partner. "I still have two containers left. We should press on." Two more items worth taking, and they could leave. It shouldn't be long before they found them.

Unknown to the geminaie, the winds in the chambers and the corridors they had traversed to get to their current location slowly but steadily started to pick up, sharper gusts coming in from the outside. A sandstorm was brewing on the horizon, but Palm would be none the wiser to it until its whistling noise grew strong enough to alert them. They were running a race against an invisible timer.

After pondering on it on it for a few moments, Palm decided to speak once more and extend an offering, should Isabeau wish to accept it. "I will not lie to you again. If there is anything you would ask me, go ahead. But I can't promise I will be able to answer," Some things were just beyond her. Just like the Mandalorian had the resol'nare, Palm had her own code and rules to honor and stay true to.

 

[Isabeau]

Two containers? Okay.

To Isabeau, their relationship was now strictly professional and if the scholar asked for two more items, that was what they would focus on. Standing back upright again, she waved the woman over "Alright, let's look over here then" she said and entered the large communal bed chamber. Once inside, she made her way in to the other end of the room, ensuring that nothing would suddenly emerge to attack them. Moving back to the only entrance and exit from the room, Isabeau started browsing through a pile of tablets - while she had expected more paper from a civilisation that otherwise seemed to have gone extinct in the medieval era, they were on a world with few trees which explained why the tablets might have been more common.

She looked up at the scholar as she spoke, giving her a slow but approving nod as she promised not to lie again. As the other kept speaking, Isabeau turned to glance at the door, hearing a faint sound. Taking the helmet off again, it became obvious that she was concentrated on other matters than the offer which Palm had made. Instead of asking a question about Palm, she inquired of something of a completely different nature "Do you feel that?" she asked as a light and gentle breeze blew across her features.

The distinct whistling noise was what truly gave them an idea of what they were up against. "We need to get out of here" she said - it was probably something which her companion was already aware of. Taking a sizeable amount of neatly stacked tablets, Isabeau started walking towards the exit at a rapid pace. Upping the tempo, she would soon be jogging, and then running. Although it was a bit of a struggle with only one hand, she also took on her helmet as they crossed the grand chamber to the corridor from which they had come. Turning around, she spoke to Palm with a sense of urgency "Give me the bag" - Thinking that the woman could climb well, Isabeau looked to alleviate her burden by letting her jetpack carry their loot.

Regardless of whether she was handed the bag or not, Isabeau would quickly fly over the dangerous obstacle and once again wait for her ally to arrive. If she was given the bag, she would stuff the tablets into it before throwing it over her own back. For a human, the young Mandalorian had a good shape, but if it weren't for the extra power which her armour granted her, the bag would indeed have been quite the burden for her to carry. Once her ally arrived on her side of the mound, Isabeau would put a hand on her shoulder "Are you good?" with a loud voice, now having to compete with the wind as it was funneled through the corridor.

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Palm followed the Mandalorian into what appeared to have been the Zohdash's resting quarters. When it came to antiqueties, not only that made of gold and silver were the ones that held value. In truth, it was often the most inconspicuous items that fetched the higher prices. Most ancient societies could make a necklace, the more meaningful of their remains tended to be more simplistic. It was a good place to look. Her own surveying didn't find anything of interest, but luckily for them both, Isabeau 's had. She had meant to get closer and take a look at the tablets herself, but she noticed the Mandalorian's posture becoming more attentive and tense.

The geminaie stopped moving and only observed, with the thought that maybe the silence could give her some insight into what had stopped her partner. And it did. She heard the faint whistle, and removed the mask from her once more to fear its soft fanning against her face. It came in gusts, and there was only one thing that wind moving rapidly enough to reach so far into the cavern system could mean. "I'm right behind you." She responded, setting any animosity that could have remained within her away to replace it with focus. If they weren't fast enough, they were screwed. It was quite as simple as that, and there was no way of knowing how long the winds had been brewing before they noticed them. Nature had beautiful timing, didn't it?

She knew she could have made the climb with the backpack, but this was about speed and not endurance so the geminaie made quick work of passing the heavy bag to the Mandalorian and removing her gloves. She placed her hands on the wall and easily climbed onto it, using the tips of her boots to create leverage with her feet. Some swings and well calculated movements later, she reached the other side only a few seconds after Isabeau. Out of reflex, her hand met the Mandalorian's forearm when she felt the weight on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. She nodded, "I'm fine, we have to move." Her voice was also strained so that her message could be delivered despite the noise.

Palm made sure to relieve her partner of the backpack. While the jetpack was activated, Isabeau was sure to move faster than her with it, but on foot it would only add to the weight she already carried because of the jetpack itself. She then reassumed her running towards the entrance, asking to gods she didn't truly believe in that they still had the space necessary to get out and the time to escape impending doom. Somewhere along the way her gloves had been lost, but the risk of retrieving them was not worth it. Once she reached the slit in the rock through which they had entered, a sigh of relief escaped her to see it still usable. Her gaze turned on the Mandalorian, "You go first, I'll pass you the backpack and then get out." She had to shout to even rival the whistling, strands of her hair and her cloak flowing wildly around her at the wind's command.

 

[Isabeau]

The Geminaie was fast, there was no question about it. Even for a species adapted to climb, Isabeau had expected her to be a fair bit slower compared to her when she used the jetpack to go straight over the mound. Nodding at the other woman and not questioning whether she had been injured or not, the young Mandalorian turned to keep on running.

It soon became very obvious that Palm had not been hurt as she managed to acquire the bag and still maintained a good running speed. The girl eyed the skeleton by the crates as they rushed past it, wondering if anyone would ever see it again - for chances were that even the path that they found might be buried in sand in the future. Running through the corridor was a particularly harsh task, seeing as the wind coming into the tunnel system blew in the opposite direction that they ran in. Still, Isabeau was not unfamiliar with moving quickly - and quietly - in harsh conditions and this was not an exception. From time to time, she would turn her head to glance at Palm, making sure that she and the bag she carried, were still there with them. Considering the rush they were in, the warrior failed to even notice that her colleague's gloves had gone missing.

Moving at a high pace, the two would soon arrive at the same area as where they first entered. The harsh winds brought her cloak backwards despite the fact that it was of the heavier type designed to withstand a gush of wind. This was an instance where the famed Mandalorian helmet would help its user keep calm as she could still see clearly without the fear of having sprinkles of sand sent into her eyes or wind blowing her hair into her face. The small chamber was different from when they first came, seeing as sand was now littering the floor. Not much could be found by the exit of the corridor, but a fair amount was in a ever growing heap by their exit.

Not staying to argue, Isabeau followed Palm's plan without hesitation and quickly started to make her way out. The further out she got, the deeper her boots sunk into the newly laid sand. Still, she saw no immediate risk of getting trapped which was the most important priority for the moment. "Quick! Hand me the bag!" she shouted, just as she got out. Once it was in her hand, Isabeau pulled it out and kept shouting "I'll go get the speeder started!" but at this point, she wasn't sure if she could still be heard.

With that, the girl turned and took a few steps into a more clear area. Activating the jetpack whilst hugging the bag at her front, Isabeau would make the distance quickly at the expense of having her jetpack set the cloak on fire. She would have to get another one at some point, because she liked the piece a lot - but at this point, it was more important that the jetpack wouldn't be clogged with sand and malfunction mid-flight. Crawling in under the plastic sheet she had left on the speeder, Isabeau dumped the bag between the two seats and started the vehicle up, figuring that they could just go and only remove the sheet when they were leaving. Taking a quick look at the radio clock, she hoped that Palm would arrive momentarily.

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

She swiftly found the widest stretch of the narrow entrance and pushed the bag into it. Ideally they could have afforded to be more careful with it but that was out of the question given the dire turn of their circumstances. Palm pulled her mask up once more and closed her eyes as she readied herself to go out into the whirlwind of golden and rough dust that was threatening to become a hurricane any given second. The last words Isabeau yelled were lost on her, but this was no time to fall prey to doubt. First a leg, then her torso and after a fast but uncomfortable struggle, she was out into the canyon. The place was growing darker by the second as the winds raised the sand to cover the sky and the sun's glare.

The geminaie immediately felt the sharp bite of the sand propelled at such speed against her skin and emitted a groan that could have been considered a growl had her vocal cords allowed for such a noise. Palm used to believe she was used to the inclemency of the wind, it had been a regular offender in the mountains of Geminidae. But only now did she realize that it was her arms that were used to and prepared to withstand its strength, not her legs and certainly not in the softness of this ground. Her advance was much slower than she would have liked it to be, trying to make use of every remotely large boulder in her path to stop the onslaught of the sand and try to catch a glance of Isabeau . She could barely open her eyes.

Palm feared then, that they were too late. Even if they managed to avoid the harshest part of the sandstorm, if the amount of sand was enough to hinder their view as it was doing hers, driving that vehicle would be a death gamble. But that was still better than staying put. She took longer than she would have liked to to reach the speeder. Sand was everywhere on her, something that was very difficult to ignore, but she would put up with it. The geminaie crawled beneath the plastic sheet and all but collapsed into her seat. "Let's go!" Geminaie's were known for having particularly loud voices, it had helped them communicate across the distances the mountains set when exploring, but even screaming at the top of her lungs she wasn't certain she would be heard.

She hoped, truly hoped, that the Mandalorian's helmet had some way to allow her to see even if her fear became a reality and their sight was impeded by a cloud of sand. If it didn't, Palm would have to guide them...and as it stood the trust Isabeau had in her was too low to make that plan something to look forward to.

 

[Isabeau]

A quick thought about the cloak which she had been forced to detach and leave behind passed her mind as she waited in the speeder. Hopefully, Palm would be able to use it to navigate, seeing as fire might be more easy to be detected in the storm. But then, there was also the possibility that the sand and harsh winds had put it out and in the worst case scenario, it might even prove to be an obstacle.

Her concerns seemed to be unfounded as the Geminaie soon entered the speeder by crawling in under the plastic sheet. Isabeau threw a quick glance at her - but the young Mandalorian's desire to leave was great and just as she was given the go-ahead - maybe even a bit sooner - she had the speeder take off. Quickly accelerating as the plastic sheet blew away, she bent down in a forwards lean, using the vehicle's windshield to be able to not have a bunch of sand blow into her visors.

It was a good idea in theory - but the circumstances around them kept inventing new obstacles. The shifting dunes were problematic as it were, seeing as the strong winds caused them to move. While their movement was relatively slow, the poor sight made it possible for rocks and other debris to appear in front of the speeder at a moment's notice. And as they drove, the sand that flew up in the air formed more dense clouds, making the already short range of visibility even shorter. A few narrow dodges had been made after almost crashing into a suddenly appeared rock or a large piece of scrap metal, forcing them into a sharp turn numerous times. "Shab" she exclaimed, letting a bit of her native tongue slip through.

The speeder would decrease its speed - not because of a malfunction or anything of the sort, but rather because Isabeau was slowing it down. "I can't see anything in this blasted storm!" Speaking loudly but keeping her eyes fixed on the path ahead - fearful of any new sudden obstacles - Isabeau continued "We can't go on like this, we need to find shelter!" They sped over this path before on the way to the objective and would, if they were lucky, be close to one of the rock formations. But even that would be dangerous, seeing as how dangerous it would be to drive to an area with even more rocks and considering how fast the sand shifted even the shelter that the rock formation provided would be limited. And the worst part of the storm had not even caught up to them yet. But then, what other choice did they have?

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

The geminaie held onto her seat as if her very life depended on it, and it probably did. Her heart was hammering away within her chest and she could swear it was trying to climb up her throat if only to escape this situation. Adrenalin coursed through her veins, pushing her into a state of alert. But there was nothing to be done. She wasn't the one driving, she couldn't will the storm away...And it didn't take long before the first sharp turn came and her suspicious were confirmed. Isabeau could not see a thing, not unlike Palm who had her eyes sealed shut and her head lowered as she tried to shield herself as much as was possible for her exposed position. Her partner's words were only a light rumbling against the wind, if it were not for the sharpness that fear had added to her senses she wouldn't have been able to decipher her words.

Kark. Shelter, she tried to think where but no place worth the shot came to mind. As it was, boulders were appearing out of nowhere and it was nothing short of a blessing that the Mandalorian had the reaction speed necessary to react. Yet if that changed in any way, either because the storm thickened, her attention faltered or any other disturbance forced her to miscalculate a maneuver...they would be nothing but a mess of metal, flesh and antiquities lost forever in this desert. No, the risk was too high. She had no choice, it would seem as if the universe was conspiring to strip her bare of all her secrets before this little escapade of their met its end.

However, there was no time for explanations, not now anyways. Palm focused, trying to calm her inner turmoil until she could see...clearly. Her eyes still shut, the woman tried to pull on the energy she had shared a connection with since her arrival into this galaxy. The Force responded, and soon enough Palm could figure out their surrounding even when her eyes had failed her. "I can see! Just follow my lead, okay?" She screamed, feeling the sandstorm begin to catch up to them because of the lowered speed. That was not good.

"Speed up!" It would certainly make guiding her more difficult, even though Palm could see she still had to go through processing the information and transform it into clear, well timed indications that Isabeau would have to respond to equally quickly. No, speeding up was not ideal, but neither was allowing the already worn-in speeder to be caught in the sandstorm. "Okay, now turn to the left and go up, there's a tall dune up ahead!" She called, feeling some sand get into her mouth which made her grimace. She kept her eyes closed, the fingers of her uncovered hand placed on her forehead as she focused, if she lost her concentration and therefore the sight the Force gave her, they could end up driving into a boulder at full speed.

She kept the directions coming, hoping with every new one that no miscommunication or any other obstacle found its way in between the guide and the blind driver. Those were moments of tension, and even though she was only sitting in her place Palm could feel her body complain at the intensity. The canyon, which she knew would be the most difficult part of the drive, seemed to have stretched several miles in the time they had spent within the cavern system. It was no secret that everything seemed longer and more troublesome when one was experiencing difficulty, the fact that it was life-threatening difficulty made it feel endless. Eventually they started to gain distance on the storm, and although Palm still didn't open her eyes, she could feel the sand hitting at her with less intensity. The wind was no longer as terribly strong. "Can you see now?" She asked, taking advantage of a relatively straight section ahead that would require no maneuvers.

 

[Isabeau]

Thoughts raced through her mind as Palm suddenly claimed that she could see. Isabeau wanted to glance over to her - but it was too risky as her full attention needed to be set on what little she could see ahead of them. "Perfect, she's a jetti now" The thought passed through her mind quickly as she let her prejudices surface. While the young Warrior had come across a number of Jedi whom she had managed to get good working relations with, she would have preferred someone who wasn't one. Still, it was better than the Sith. But then, for all she knew, Palm might just have gone crazy - it was a thought that was reinforced by the fact that the woman encouraged her to increase the speed. "What?!" she exclaimed, clearly skeptical of the words.

Shaking her head, Isabeau did as the woman asked - it was foolish as a single wrong move could render them both dead but since her own idea of trying to find shelter was just as foolish, the Mandalorian went along with it. While Isabeau had given up on saying anything to her colleague, seeing as how the storm blocked her words from truly getting through, the scholar seemed to possess some very impressive lungs as her words could still be heard despite the tough weather conditions.

"Here goes nothing" she mumbled as she followed the instructions. But it turned out to be for the best as the ended up on a longer dune which provided much more constancy and ease of navigation than hopping between different ones like they had done so far. Slowly but surely, Isabeau's doubts were set aside as they kept surviving because of Palm's directions. After suddenly being told to veer to the right, Isabeau would soon see a few high rocks emerge to the left and when told to take a sharp turn to the left, she would within just a few moments be able to see the rock formation in the path where they would otherwise have travelled.

It would have been better if Palm was the one to drive - the thought took a few laps in her head as she kept driving and following the instructions given to her. The young Mandalorian did her best to brush the thoughts aside, knowing that they couldn't afford any mistakes as they had been near crashing a number of times during the journey back.

It was slow and barely noticeable. But gradually, the winds seemed to be getting calmer and the sight range better. They were by no means safe but the storm was a bit further behind them and it was heading in another direction as them which meant that it probably wouldn't get too much worse. Isabeau was still, however, sitting at full alert behind the steering wheel where she continued trying to see what was in front of them. "I can see enough" she hollered but didn't want to take out the victory too soon in advance "But I'd still like your help" she admitted. The warrior did not like the idea of being dependent on someone when it was not needed - but after struggling for such a long time and concentrating with such intensity, she was not fully willing to trust that her hands would steer them to safety in time when only warned by her own eyes. "Can you go on for a little bit further?" she asked, showing some concern for how tired the scholar might be too.

Still, all the good signs were there as the they could now begin to see further and the dunes barely even shifted at all. As the harsh sounds from the winds grew softer, the worn speeders moans were starting to become more clear for its passengers to hear. If they could maintain their current speed and direction, it would only be a little bit longer until they reached the area where they first met.

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Palm could feel relief every time Isabeau managed to steer the speeder correctly and in time, only for the rush of adrenaline to peak again whenever she identified another obstacle in their way. She allowed herself to be grateful that they made it this far every single time that a daunting and seemingly unavoidable obstruction was sorted through and became just a part of the landscape behind them. That merchant had undoubtedly downplayed the risks of the desert, for when Palm had asked about sandstorms he claimed they only happened rarely and that they would see them coming long before they became a threat. If only this had been true, the Mandalorian and the geminaie would not find themselves in their current predicament. Palm tried to save her anger for later, they first had to get to the outpost alive if she was to chew the man out.

A welcomed sense of calmness between the tension overcame her when Isabeau confirmed that the sand cloud had thinned enough for her to gain back some of her sight. However, she did not immediately loosen her grip on the Force and upon the Mando's next words, she was grateful that she hadn't. Isabeau was right and it would be wiser to keep using force sight for a bit longer, it would be a shame if they smashed into something now after having survived this long. "Its alright, I can keep going!" The strain was real, but if anything keeping her focus should be slightly easier now if the road ahead continued to be gentler.

There were only a few times in which she voiced another warning and indication, in moments when the winds shifted and the sands suddenly became strong again before dispersing. Finally, luck seemed to smile on them and another shift of the wind made it so that it was now blowing in the opposite direction to them. The bad thing was that it put more strain on the speeder to go against it, but it acted as an opposing force to the rage of the sandstorm allowing them to finally leave it behind. When she no longer felt sand colliding against the exposed parts of her skin, Palm finally dared to open her eyes.

There was sand everywhere. A small dune of it rested on the other side of the windshield, enough had accumulated in the floor of the speeder that it looked as though her feet rested on the desert ground. She didn't even want to think about the coarse layer that had now formed between her skin and her bodysuit or look at the sand that must have surely stuck to the cut on her shin which she would later on have to clean. She could even feel a trail of sand falling down the nape of her neck, from all the one that had got caught up in her hair. This trip had made it official, Palm didn't like sand. Not one bit.

...And the speeder's engine seemed to agree, for when the howling winds had silenced and its complaints where heard again they were way worse than they had been on their way to the canyon. Just as Palm finished this thought, a sudden jerk of the speeder surprised her and after it, it started to shake haphazardly as the engine struggled. It was still going, and at least for now it could still be driven normally. Anyways, the engine gained a killer look from the geminaie. A curse in her native tongue escaped her, it sounded like a lot like a threat directed at the speeder. "If this thing gives before we make it to the outpost I'll lose it." Her voice, now no longer loud, carried on her annoyance. It was an empty promise, but a very relatable one.

 

[Isabeau]

She felt a sense of gratitude as the Geminaie agreed to continue helping her navigate the dunes. While the alien still provided her with a couple well-timed warnings, it was still relatively calm compared to what they had just been through. Had she not been so exhausted, Isabeau would most likely have been able to overcome the challenges on her own. But as things stood, she was lucky to have Palm there to help her navigate through the treacherous dunes.

By the time Palm opened her eyes, they had reached a point where the skies could once again be seen and most, if not all, of the sand had already settled. Feeling her shoulders slouch a bit as she dared to let herself relax just a little, Isabeau glanced over to Palm. The scholar seemed to have her eyes on the sand that had found its way both onto the speeder and onto her person. Isabeau had had the entire trip back to get used to it all and thankfully, her clothing had protected her from getting any sand directly on her body. "Thank you" she said - it was a sentence which she said quickly, not leaving many pauses for contemplation or to create an effect of more profoundness. She meant it but saw no point in lingering too much on it. The helmet hid her facial expressions and her tone was relatively neutral which might have made the message hard to read, but it was not a risk the Mandalorian was willing to care much about.

The sudden jerk was most unexpected but nothing which her reflexes wouldn't be able to handle. Clapping the dashboard, Isabeau mumbled a low "Don't give up on me now" as she continued to push the vehicle, forcing it to go on despite its moans. An amused smirk spread across her lips as the scholar seemed more aggressive about it all than she did - not something she was too used to seeing from those with softer professions. "We can't be too far away now. If we unclog my jetpack, I could probably fly back to base" at a first hearing it would sound like a rather selfish thought - but what went through her mind was that she could then come back and pick the scholar up with her rented ship.

Fortunately, however, it would ultimately not be required as the old landspeeder kept going until the building and ship could be seen emerging in the distance - begin as two small dots on on the sprawling sand dunes and slowly turning into more recognisable shapes and forms. "We're here" she said, happy to return to the place where the trip had first started. Once they arrived and she could let the speeder power down, Isabeau leaned back against her seat and let out a relieved sigh. While she wanted to step out of the vehicle and lay down on the ground, appearing weak in front of the merchant was out of the question for her. "We made it" she said with a voice that had been allowed to relax after much tension and strain from having to scream over the storm.

It would not be long before the merchant appeared from behind a wall - whether he had been allowed inside the hut or not was unknown to the warrior, but in the end, she didn't really care either. Before paying any attention to him, she looked at her colleague and scanned for any injuries that might have occurred during the trip through the storm. Underneath her helmet, Isabeau's facial expression showed that she actually cared for the well-being of Palm. While her trust of the woman had been breached and dropped significantly in the tunnel system, fighting a common foe together often worked to strengthen bonds between allies - and that was precisely what had happened now, at least to Isabeau in her opinion on the scholar.

Finally deciding that the woman was alright, she mustered some energy and hopped out of the vehicle. The merchant produced a smile which he seemed to have carried many times before "My dear friends, colleagues and partners, I am so glad that you made it back in one piece" his words were jovial as he opened up his arms, first to give Isabeau a hug and then Palm, unless he was prevented. The man obviously didn't care much for the sand as he didn't show any signs of reluctance upon seeing how much of it they carried. "And I see that you brought back my sweet Tracy" he exclaimed, putting down both of his hands on the side of the vehicle whilst looking at it affectionately. The Mandalorian couldn't help but to roll her eyes upon hearing that he had named what she would rather refer to as a piece of junk. But then, it had carried them through the storm. Rubbing his hands together, the merchant finally got to the point "So, ladies. What have we got?" he asked, eager to see what valuables they had brought and to close the deal they had.

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

Palm nodded at the suggestion, the idea of spending more time in the sand wasn't something she was eager about but there were worse fates and, if the speeder did decide it had enough, it was a simple and practical plan. Even if she hoped it didn't come to that. Yet this time it looked like the desert was satisfied with the perils it had put them through, and the speeder's efforts had been enough to return them to the place where their raid had begun. A sigh of relief escaped the geminaie as she allowed her back to rest against her seat and leaned her head back, simply shutting off most of her muscles for a second to let the relief set in. "No deserts like this one where I come from, I'm very happy about that." She voiced her thoughts without much consideration, simply letting the words flow out of her.

A smile finally stretched her lips as she heard Isabeau's words, the sandy nightmare had officially come to an end. Now she only had to deal with the merchant, but that could wait two minutes until the joy that being alive brought faded away. She chuckled and looked at Isabeau "I'm going to sleep for three days straight when I'm off this planet" Then she got out of the speeder soon after the Mandalorian, making sure to grab the backpack that they were lucky wasn't ripped away from the vehicle and lost in the desert as they moved through the storm. Truth was she was content enough to be back at the outpost that she didn't feel the anger she thought was due when she saw the merchant gallivanting towards them with a smile on his face. She sent a look at her partner, her eyes revealing that she was up to something.

Palm concentrated on herself for a moment and felt how the warm feelings that finally being safe brought were washed away. Soon enough her expression was almost completely blank, were it not for a slight coldness in her eyes. That was the Ambassador's face. Objective, focused, difficult to move. When the man embraced her she made no attempt to remove him, but remained stiff and unwelcoming. If she hadn't put on hold her normal reaction, Palm would have audibly groaned at hearing the name of the speeder.

Palm wasn't in it for the money, not at all, but she knew this was not the same case for Isabeau. Even if it didn't seem like the Mandalorian desperately needed the credits, it didn't sit well with the geminaie to see them walk away with the payment they had agreed upon at the beginning when they were assured the job would be a walk in the park and that the only true danger was getting dehydrated or sunburnt.

"Before I show you what we've dug up from this harmless cave of yours we are going to have to re-discuss our terms, sir." They had come back in one piece, yes, but barely. The tone of her voice was sharp enough to send a chill down the man's spine. It was evident that he knew what she meant and had simply been hoping either things had gone smoothly or that they would let any complaints slip. The man offered a nervous laughter and asked what had happened, faking surprise at the statement. Palm briefly recounted the events, with particular emphasis on the sandstorm and the fact that his dear Tracy would have sentenced them to death had the Mandalorian not been a remarkable driver. The evenness of her tone was in some way more disturbing than if she had actually expressed anger.

Soon enough the merchant had no choice but to agree, he would pay them a percentage per item which in the end amounted to quite a raise in their pay. As she had initially intended, Palm rescinded part of her payment to be able to keep some scrolls, one of the tablets, and an artifact for herself. Once everything was settled and the merchant had seen the goods he had obtained from this contract, that cheerfulness returned to his features. He was still making quite a profit even if he had to pay the so-called scholar and the Mando more than he had wanted to. He said his farewell, and after saying to contact him should they ever be in Ionus again, disappeared into the hut.

When he did, Palm let go of the grip on her emotions and the brightness returned to her eyes, along with a satisfied smile which she directed at Isabeau as she handed her her part of the payment. "Well, still seems a bit low for having risked our lives but that will definitely cover for a new cape." She said, joking as she remembered the garment that the Mandalorian had lost to her jetpack and the storm.

 

[Isabeau]

It looked like Palm and Isabeau had similar views on the merchant and his sub-optimal planning. But their approach was very different. While Isabeau would probably have dropped the issue or beaten the guy up for putting their lives at greater risk than necessary, the scholar seemed to be on a confrontational path.

While talking was never a problem and snapping back at someone felt natural, negotiating was a completely different story. Leaning in against the side of the speeder with crossed arms, the Mandalorian watched the merchant as Palm pushed for greater concessions than he had originally agreed to. But he was not the agent of interest in the conversation as the scholar seemed to take command of it expertly. While her head was still directed at the man, Isabeau's eyes turned to observe the woman.

Unlike before, she seemed stone cold. While she had produced some dull and perhaps even nonchalant answers before, there was still someone there to react emotionally to what was said to her in the cave - but now, she almost seemed a bit like a machine in the way she processed the merchant's replies and countered with well measured arguments of her own. It quickly became clear to Isabeau that, her participation in the discussion wouldn't be needed and for that, she was glad because she never wanted to partake in it to begin with.

A smile formed on her lips as the alien mentioned her feats driving the speeder and it only kept growing as the merchant upped their share of the profits, throwing in a percentage based reward in the pot. "Thanks for the business" she said whilst watching the guy leave for the hut. Taking the credits Palm handed her, Isabeau held the stack between her thumb and index finger "Thanks for this" she said before taking her helmet off to speak to the scholar more directly. "I mean it" she said before letting out a chuckle and half-jokingly adding "I need it" with a friendly smile. While there was nothing urgent she needed credits for, the young Mandalorian did want to upgrade her arsenal.

Finally putting the credits in a pocket, her eyebrows rose "Yeah, I know a good tailor who I could talk to" she said with a light tone and casual shrug. "What about you then?" she asked, looking down at the tablet and scrolls "Going to hide out in an empty corner of the galaxy to decipher what they're saying?" she asked before turning to walk to the ship she had rented. She had not gotten too far away when she stopped and looked back at Palm "And if you're ever in need of a Mandalorian to kick some Sith butt or plenty of experience driving through a sandstorm, you'll know who to call, right?"

Palm-Imer

 

[Palm-Imer]

The geminaie flashed a wide and amused smile at the Mandalorian's words, "No need to thank, it was the least I could do after that stunt he had as pull back there." She commented, chuckling soon after. Now that the adrenaline receded and her she settled into the realization that the job had ended, her body slowly began to ache and make its complaint known due to fatigue, as well as her throat -that had swallowed Force knows how much sand- which now felt dry and in need of quite a generous amount of water. She shifted her weight on one of her feet, abandoning her straight posture and placing a hand on her hip.

"I'm getting myself a pair of new gloves," She raised her bared hands at the Mandalorian, the almost-white spottings in her palms quite evident thanks to the light. The sun was slowly falling behind the horizon but its heat and brightness still dominated the landscape. "And taking these tablets someplace where they'll be more appreciated by the skeletons in the cave." The statement was quite vague, could be a school, a museum, a research center...or a planet whose inhabitants were eager to get their hands on those collarbones buried in her backpack to see if there were any usable and beneficial traits in the Zodhash gene pool. She did not need to add that part.

Palm was grateful to Isabeau for her help, and couldn't help but feel a bit crestfallen by their previous confrontation even if they were now back to an easy, professional interaction. The geminaie decided to walk towards the woman and her rental freighter, this time her smile one of gratitude as she offered her hand to the Mandalorian in a gesture of both respect and farewell that she could choose to accept or not. "Thank you for everything, Isabeau . I will definitely know who to call if I ever run head-first into another situation like this one." She laughed, "And if you ever need help yourself," One of her hands went to the backpack, from it she produced a very small and thin rectangle made of some very durable substance. It was engraved in Nexilis, but below the text there was a commlink number, "ask for me. As you already know I'm a bit full of surprises, so don't hesitate to use that if you ever need it." She said the last part with slight apprehension as she remembered their argument, but truth was that both a politician and an explorer there were a number of situations she could lend a hand with.

 

[Isabeau]

Looking up at the woman's palms, Isabeau was surprised that she had managed to loose them. There was no real reason for a person to drop a glove if it was in the right size since it was in the nature of a glove to remain on the hand until taken off. Naturally, the white spots did not go unnoticed but they were somewhat hidden seeing as sand was everywhere which meant that it was impossible to draw any real conclusions. Whether it was a trait of her species or simply a skin condition would remain unknown as Isabeau eventually caught herself staring for way too long. Maybe she was just tired.

Flashing a tired smile, she tipped her head to the side briefly "Only new gloves for yourself and trying to respecting the dead with the rest of your reward?" she said, taking a brief pause before finishing "very altruistic of you" While the Mandalorian was not necessarily impressed by altruism, she did view individuals who practiced it much more favourably than those who only sought to cause harm and destruction. In a way, it was more admirable than only looking for coin too - but that thought would quickly be pushed aside for the moment.

Isabeau stopped as the scholar walked over to her. She looked down at the extended hand for a few brief moments before taking it. Shaking hands was not something she was used to doing but had come to build a tolerance for when it came to people who were more soft and unlike herself. Just barely managing to prevent herself from laughing, Isabeau produced an amused smile as she gently shook her head "We Mandalorians are known for other things than driving speeders and exploring caves"

Looking down on the odd rectangle, the young Warrior felt its weight in her hand before bringing it up to eye-height. Studying it carefully, it wouldn't take long before the engraved letters could be seen - while she did not understand the language, she did spot the commlink number. Letting out a short "huh", the girl pocketed the item. Although unsure of why she would ever need a scholar, even a good climber such as Palm, Isabeau appreciated the gesture "Thanks"

Taking a few steps back towards the ship, Isabeau slowed down just before she would turn around. Bringing up the odd rectangle again, she held it up almost as if she was going to have a toast "Oya" she said, both thanking the woman again and telling her to stay alive. One more step was taken before she continued speaking in her native tongue "Ret'urcye mhi" and with that, she fully turned to remove the plastic sheet on the ship with a swift and forceful pull before walking up its ramp and start the take-off procedures, obviously eager to get off of the planet.

/End Thread

Palm-Imer