Chedi Iqari
Mirialan Exile
After leaving Mirial in disgrace, I spent my time as a wanderer going from planet to planet in the Outer Rim. I'd take any odd job that I could but there were often days were I'd go hungry and nights where I would not have a roof over my head. Eventually I ended up in Karideph, where I would work on the docks loading and unloading ships filled with ore and even slaves destined to the Galactic Core or manufactured products and good destined to the Outer Rim. It was back-breaking work and I would often go to my hovel near the docks exhausted, lulled to sleep by the songs of the Kari that you could hear on the winds.
Over the first few months working the docks, I began to notice that sometimes the ship logs did not match our inventory. At first I thought it was a mistake, surely the foreman, a Devaronian named Rakli Gend, had just miscounted. However, over time, it would keep happening: one crate one day, maybe three the next and then nothing for weeks at a time. While out with Rakli at the local cantina, I decided to mention it to him. He simply chucked my shoulder with a guffaw and said "I was wondering how long it'd take you to notice! Welcome to the Outer Rim, kid!" The next pay day, I observe that there were some extra credits in my envelope. When I make eye contact with Rakli, he simply gives a wink and places his finger to his lips.
After that, Rakli would have me load certain crates of goods onto ships that were often a little worse for wear with shifty looking captains at their helms. Over time, those shifty guys started to have names and personalities. There was one captain that I began to get close to, a Corellian named Bane Sera. He and I would often joke and share news as I would load The Trailblazer, his "baby". His first mate, a Bothan name Grom Mahon, while friendly to me on the surface reminded me a little too much of Luwrak Unduli, my rival on Mirial and the reason I'm in this mess anyway. Like Luwrak, there was something behind Grom's mask of congeniality that I wasn't sure I could trust.
As the seasons changed, there was less and less work at the dock and it was getting to the time when I knew that I would be leaving again. I told Bane that I would be leaving Karideph and he decided to offer me a spot on his ship.
"Now it can't be for long- this is a two person job after all, but I like you Chedi and I can at least help get you to your next destination if you don't mind helping out on board along the way," Bane said .
I took him up on the offer and the next day we were off, loaded with some cargo that was meant for the Galactic Core but was headed to the highest bidder in Nal Hutta. Traveling with Bane and even Grom was much more fun than being holed up on some public transport which was how I was used to traveling. We would play games like Trinn sticks and regale each other with stories from our lives - well mainly Bane's life. He had lead such a life adventure, I sometimes found myself wishing that he would let me stay on with him for a little longer.
About halfway to Nal Hutta, the klaxons started to sound off. Grom was at the helm and called out "We've got company!" Bane rushed into the cockpit and exclaimed "Sith Spit! Chedi - make sure that the smuggling compartments are hidden and that the legitimate cargo inventory is accounted for." As I hurried off to complete my tasks, I could hear Grom and Bane talking excitedly as they determined if they could run from the local custom's officers who had tracked us. Suddenly I felt a huge lurch in the ship as Bane cried out "They trying to shoot us!" I make it to the cockpit as Bane is getting the shields up and commanding Grom to man the gunner. Grom moves to the gunner but stops and turn to Bane. Before I can react, Bane is on the ground and Grom is holding a blaster that his is beginning to aim at me. Suddenly the ship makes another pitch and Grom and I are knocked off balance. He looses hold of his blaster. As he is making is way to grab it again I hear him speaking into a microphone that I had not seen before "It's alright, boys. You can stop shooting. I have control of the..." Yet another pitch. The blaster is now at my feet and Grom is looking at me with a look of disdain. I grab the blaster and aim it at him. "How could you betray Bane like that!" Grom gives a smirk - "Now Chedi, you don't want to aiming weapons like that when you don't know how to use them. Hand it over and I'll get you out of this mess." Suddenly I got the feeling that there was another blaster hidden in his pant leg. It was like I could nearly see it there near his ankle. Grom started to stoop down as if to catch his balance but I just knew that he was going to grab a blaster. Next this I know, the blaster in my hand goes off and Grom is dead on the ground. I rush to sit at the helm and place coordinates into the hyperdrive to get The Trailblazer out of here.
Great. It looks like I'm a murder AND a thief now.
Over the first few months working the docks, I began to notice that sometimes the ship logs did not match our inventory. At first I thought it was a mistake, surely the foreman, a Devaronian named Rakli Gend, had just miscounted. However, over time, it would keep happening: one crate one day, maybe three the next and then nothing for weeks at a time. While out with Rakli at the local cantina, I decided to mention it to him. He simply chucked my shoulder with a guffaw and said "I was wondering how long it'd take you to notice! Welcome to the Outer Rim, kid!" The next pay day, I observe that there were some extra credits in my envelope. When I make eye contact with Rakli, he simply gives a wink and places his finger to his lips.
After that, Rakli would have me load certain crates of goods onto ships that were often a little worse for wear with shifty looking captains at their helms. Over time, those shifty guys started to have names and personalities. There was one captain that I began to get close to, a Corellian named Bane Sera. He and I would often joke and share news as I would load The Trailblazer, his "baby". His first mate, a Bothan name Grom Mahon, while friendly to me on the surface reminded me a little too much of Luwrak Unduli, my rival on Mirial and the reason I'm in this mess anyway. Like Luwrak, there was something behind Grom's mask of congeniality that I wasn't sure I could trust.
As the seasons changed, there was less and less work at the dock and it was getting to the time when I knew that I would be leaving again. I told Bane that I would be leaving Karideph and he decided to offer me a spot on his ship.
"Now it can't be for long- this is a two person job after all, but I like you Chedi and I can at least help get you to your next destination if you don't mind helping out on board along the way," Bane said .
I took him up on the offer and the next day we were off, loaded with some cargo that was meant for the Galactic Core but was headed to the highest bidder in Nal Hutta. Traveling with Bane and even Grom was much more fun than being holed up on some public transport which was how I was used to traveling. We would play games like Trinn sticks and regale each other with stories from our lives - well mainly Bane's life. He had lead such a life adventure, I sometimes found myself wishing that he would let me stay on with him for a little longer.
About halfway to Nal Hutta, the klaxons started to sound off. Grom was at the helm and called out "We've got company!" Bane rushed into the cockpit and exclaimed "Sith Spit! Chedi - make sure that the smuggling compartments are hidden and that the legitimate cargo inventory is accounted for." As I hurried off to complete my tasks, I could hear Grom and Bane talking excitedly as they determined if they could run from the local custom's officers who had tracked us. Suddenly I felt a huge lurch in the ship as Bane cried out "They trying to shoot us!" I make it to the cockpit as Bane is getting the shields up and commanding Grom to man the gunner. Grom moves to the gunner but stops and turn to Bane. Before I can react, Bane is on the ground and Grom is holding a blaster that his is beginning to aim at me. Suddenly the ship makes another pitch and Grom and I are knocked off balance. He looses hold of his blaster. As he is making is way to grab it again I hear him speaking into a microphone that I had not seen before "It's alright, boys. You can stop shooting. I have control of the..." Yet another pitch. The blaster is now at my feet and Grom is looking at me with a look of disdain. I grab the blaster and aim it at him. "How could you betray Bane like that!" Grom gives a smirk - "Now Chedi, you don't want to aiming weapons like that when you don't know how to use them. Hand it over and I'll get you out of this mess." Suddenly I got the feeling that there was another blaster hidden in his pant leg. It was like I could nearly see it there near his ankle. Grom started to stoop down as if to catch his balance but I just knew that he was going to grab a blaster. Next this I know, the blaster in my hand goes off and Grom is dead on the ground. I rush to sit at the helm and place coordinates into the hyperdrive to get The Trailblazer out of here.
Great. It looks like I'm a murder AND a thief now.