Private Handy in a Scrap

[Kyyrk]

Tatooine

Shortly after Suns Rise

Mos Eisley
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Voph had risen early this morning. In fact, the suns had only barely crested the horizon and he had already taken to the streets. Why was he here? A question that many had asked of him. In the wake of the Kidnapping of Felacat, and the relocation to Naboo, Voph had been placed on a well deserved administrative leave. Not that a being such as Voph really needed time away from work. But it was, in part, self-inflicted. He had come to consult certain individuals about a matter of utmost importance. He'd caused quite a stir when he had left town, simply walking out into the desert with no food, water, or transport. That had been nearly a week ago. The only item he had taken with him, an ancient quarterstaff covered in runes. ​

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His return might have gone unheralded, save for the state of his dress. His garb had changed drastically, and was clearly that of the fearsome Tusken Raiders that haunted the sands beyond the walls. Though, unlike the Tusken, his head was uncovered, save for a simple cloth band covering his eyes. Rumors spread that this offworlder had spent time among the Sand People, and not only had they tolerated his presence, they had welcomed him. The evening had grown late, and so Voph had retired to a nearby hostel, shedding his Tusken garb for one a bit more suitable for a traveler. ​

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Now, the white haired man strode down the quiet streets towards the Bazaar. The tribe had agreed to share their knowledge. But at a price. An empty bag hung around Voph's torso, slapping against his thigh as he walked. His gloves left the fingers free to handle whatever objects he might find need to manipulate, which in turn revealed his left hand to be the silver-white mechanical limb that it was. Around the ring finger of this mechanical grasp, a curious black band with a softly glowing blue core rested. Against the man's back, a silver rod was securely strapped. A masterwork of metal, with decorations that seemed to be born of the trees themselves. A Lightsaber.​

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As Voph stepped into the bazaar, his mechanical hand brushed against the Sidearm hanging on his thigh. To some, a reassurance it was there. But to others, a warning. Anyone who had bright ideas would be in for a difficult time. Voph wanted to acquire his prize, and begin his return journey before the suns rose too high. He did not know exactly how he planned to go about this particular task. But he did know that he would see what the bazaar had to offer, and collect whatever components he thought best for the project ahead...​

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Emalia Dalton ​

 

[Emalia Dalton]

The dust blew in from the dune sea, lathering everything it touched with coats of red and orange. The setting suns close to falling beyond the horizon.

The Mos Eisley Bazaar was still buzzing, traders and off worlders wandered through the masses of stalls and open shops. The cantina close by bringing frequent traffic, and trouble. Everything seemed normal, but Emalia, while tending to her fathers stall with him, could feel that something wasn't quite right. Her father, Sigor Dalton, the usually talkative man had been quiet the whole day, only opening his mouth for brief interactions with customers and onlookers. If she was honest, the whole area seemed quieter than normal, despite the usual amount of traffic.

What is it? She thought, scanning the crowd of familiar and unusual faces. Breath. It's nothing.

A sharp wind blew through the stalls sending dust into the air and the overhead fabrics that blocked the sun into flourishes. As if on cue, a man, cover head to toe, face half obscured in a cloth mask stood looking straight at Emalia and her father, sharp blue eyes glinting in the setting sun.

"Wait here." Sigor muttered softly to his daughter as he stepped out from behind the stall.

"What's going on? Who's he?" Amelia asked, uncertainty rising in her throat. She had not seen the man before, and his demeanour read as nothing but trouble. Yet despite her body urging her forward, she obeyed and stayed behind the stall as her father approached the man.

Amelia did not have to wait long before her suspicions turned to panic. As her father approached the man, the masked figure reached out and placed his hand upon her father's shoulder. She saw the immediate tension between the pair, but still remained motionless.

Only brief words were spoken before a bright flash of red light burst through Sigor's chest exiting out his back, flinging itself further into the sky.

"Dad!" Emalia screamed as she watched him drop to the floor.

The masked man looked up, raised his gun at her, and without a second though sent a blast flying across the bazaar. Emalia, as if on instinct side stepped the blast that shattered into the wall behind her. The man, knowing he was out of time, turned and ran, blending almost instantly into the already scattering crowd.

 

[Kyyrk]

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H E L P​

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Voph heard the shot ring out across the Bazaar, and was already in motion. It wasn't his jurisdiction. Not officially. Not while he was on leave. But he was never one to leave the unfortunate of the galaxy to their fate. His senses were already cast into the crowds, so when the second shot rang out he was well aware of who had fired. He was tempted to give chase. But he knew that such a thing could wait. A man was lying in the streets, presumably the first victim of the shooter. Voph came to a pause over the man's body, his head still tracking with the gunman as he fled the scene. Voph's brow furrowed in what the eyed beings might have seen as narrowing one's eyes.​

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Voph inhaled deeply, then looked down to the man at his feet, crouching down and calmly calling out, "Someone get me a medkit!" Voph easily pushed the man over to lay on his back, assessing the damage from the blaster wound. Rather grim, from the looks of it. The man might make it. But then he might not.​

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Voph turned to look down the way at where the second shot had been fired. There wasn't a second victim, that much was certain enough. A smaller being, the man's associate, had just barely avoided the shot, leaving a ghastly scorch in the wall behind their stand. Given the fear radiating from the young woman, and the threads of the Force connecting her to the man Voph now knelt over, he could only assume that they were family. Daughter, it would seem. She seemed familiar somehow. Perhaps one of the crowd that had seen him return to town the day prior?​

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None of that mattered right now. Voph turned his attention back to the man below him. No one had managed to procure a Medkit yet, and time was running short. Voph placed his organic hand upon the man's chest, and felt the Force flow through him. His brow knit together with the strain of what he was attempting to do. Healing powers had never been Voph's specialty. And what few he did know where dark and profane. Nothing he was willing to use on an innocent man. He only hoped what he could offer would be enough...​

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Emalia Dalton​

 

[Emalia Dalton]

Emalia watched, stunned as the new figure knelt over her father's body. There was something strange about him, something different. His face half covered where his eyes would be made it difficult for her to understand how he was moving with such ease while supposedly unable to see.

Her mind was racing, torn between trying to help her father or chasing down the masked figure who had sent him falling into the dust and sad. She had always kept a small knife strapped to her thigh whenever she worked the stall, too often one needed to defend themselves and their wares from the numerous miscreants that roamed the streets of Mos Eisley. But this? This was different. It was a small weapon, designed for subtlety and defence, yet being all she had, she intended on using it.

She darted around the stall and ran over to her father, kneeling down and looking into his semi-vacant. She reached for his face with her free hand, touching it gently, tears darting down her cheeks. She looked up and across at the man kneeling with her.

"Please help him!" She sobbed as she held her fathers head. She looked down at him once more, this time seeing the wound the blast had caused. Suddenly an anger and fear she had never felt before took her over. She stood up looking the way the man had fled, determined on inflicting a similar fate on her attacker.

 

[Kyyrk]

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H E A L ?​

Up close, Emalia could see Voph for what he was. Standing at just over two meters tall, the man was a titan of muscle. The way he carried himself, the precision of his movements, and the many scars adorning his face all marked him as a man of war. One who lived and breathed of combat. But his demeanor now suggested that it was not for the love of the fight, nor the thrill of the hunt. No, there was something more to him. A nobility behind why he fought.​

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But for now, fighting was not important. Attempting to save the man who had been shot was consuming his focus. A soft glow emanated from the man's hand as the Force as the flesh began to knit itself together. Voph suppressed a grunt as the Force began to take effect. Unbeknownst to the girl now begging for his help, Voph was not exactly curing the wound. But he would have a much better chance of surviving such a thing than the merchant.​

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When Voph spoke to the girl, his tone was quiet. Calm. The deep rumble of a crisp imperial accent pierced the hubbub of the frantic Bazaar. "Do not let your thoughts tarry on him." Voph turned his head to look at Emalia, almost as if he could feel her inner turmoil. Or perhaps he could just see her watching the void where the gunman had once been. "Focus on what is important."​

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Emalia Dalton ​

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[Emalia Dalton]

Emalia paused for a moment, her eyes lingering on where the gunman had been. The soft words of the man in font of her calmed her mind in a way she had not felt before. She took a deep calming breath, almost unconsciously as she turned her head to observe the man who had spoken to her. She realised now, in her clearer state of mind, how large the frame of her new found helper truely was, the man, while still over the body of her father towered over her.

She looked down at his hand, emanating with energy, his face, covered in cloth, and the silver rod attached to his back. She had heard of such beings before, but had never seen one on the flesh. "Jedi?" She managed to stammer. One word was all she could manage. So much had happened so fast, and now her fate seemed to rest in the imposing figure before her.

 

[Kyyrk]

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H E L P​

Voph shook his head quietly as he looked back down at the body laying beneath them. The glow faded away, and Voph remained stationary for a moment. He didn't move for a long moment before finally sighing quietly, reaching up to brush his fingers against the body's eyes, closing them. "No. Perhaps in another life." Voph stood, turning to face the incoming security guards. Well, brutes, more like. But regardless, they were certainly what passed for law enforcement in these parts. Voph had half a mind to speak with Rayne about her staffing choices. But for now, he held his tongue.

"Big Man causing trouble? Big man one of Sand People."

Voph frowned slightly as the Gamorean squealed at him in his native tongue. His organic hand moved to a leather pouch on his hip, and withdrew a small rectangular object. It was barely offered to the Gamorean before it was snatched away for inspection. There was a notable pause before the piglike figure spoke again. "No disrespect Big man. Loss brute this area." Whatever Voph had shown them, it had earned their attention. For a moment, they spoke in hushed tones, Voph gesturing as he spoke, clearly illustrating the crime scene.

Voph glanced back at the girl behind him, frowning. After a moment, he excused himself from speaking with the Gamoreans, and walked back over to her. He knelt down beside her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We should move him off the streets."

Emalia Dalton

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[Emalia Dalton]

Emalia watched as the man interacted with the brutish Gamoreana, she expected a fight, yet was relieved when they seemed to let him be. Who was he? None of this made sense to her, she had only seen the pig-like men attack anything they deemed even slightly a threat. She looked back down at her father, questions racing through her head. What now?

Her attention focused back on the task at hand as Voph placed his hand gently upon her shoulder. Was it the size of the man, something he said or they way he moved that made her feel calmer than she believed she should be? Whatever it was, it didn't matter, all she knew was the new sense of clarity she felt.

"Please, we have to take him with us?" She pleaded in reply as she wiped away the last of her tears. "Our home...my home isn't far. Just a few streets away. "Can you carry him?"

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph nodded once, turning to lift the body of the girl's father off the ground. Voph carried him with a reverence that few offered the dead in this day and age. And for a moment, Voph seemed much older than he originally appeared. In spite of his white hair, Voph only seemed to be in his third decade. But the way he carried himself hinted at a being much older than thirty. A being that had seen too much death, too much destruction.

Voph waited for the girl to stand and lead the way before he began to walk. The first few steps were silent, but then he began to speak. "I am sorry I was not able to help more. It is always sad when such things happen to our own. And to know that had I been a moment sooner, I might have stopped it." Voph relapsed into silence for a moment. "I can arrange for help to be provided to you, if you need it. Or will you be able to fend for yourself when this is all over?"

Emalia Dalton

 

[Emalia Dalton]

Emalia heard the words but did not register them for a few moments. Her focus lapsing, the walk to what had once been her family home, now solely hers was an automatic one, one of habit. After a few moments silence she spoke. "I can bury him myself, he always loved the dunes, so that's where I'll let him rest."

As she led her helper through the streets she cared little of the looks and whispers shared by onlookers, all she cared about, all she could think about was what she was going to do now. The stall seemed pointless without her father, it was his idea of a life anyway, not hers. One thing did seem clear to her in the mist of so much confusion. She needed to find the murderer, find out who he was, find out why, and find out if she had it in her to provide the same fate to the man who had thrust her life into chaos.

After a few long minutes the pair reached her home, the small apartment fitted into the side of a larger building lined with similar arrangements for others. She punched in the door code and walked inside, allowing Voph to duck through the doorway too small for him as he followed. She gestured to the bed in the side of the main room, one of two, as if asking Voph to place her father down. "There is something you could help me with." She said looking up at the giant man in front of her. "Help me find the killer."

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

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H U N T​

Voph was silent as he laid the body to rest on the indicated bed. When he stood, he paused before turning to look about the living space. Voph did not speak for a moment after the request was posed, clearly mulling the request over. Voph moved towards and empty chair, and sat down. He did not speak for a moment longer, instead reaching across to adjust the gauntlet that rested upon his mechanical hand.​

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"I am willing to help, but only if you adhere to the conditions I set forth." Voph looked directly at Emalia as he continued. "First, if you are to accompany me, you will do as I command. The galaxy is a dangerous place. And I do not care what skill you think yourself to have in a fight. Until you have proven yourself to be a capable fighter, I will have to assume that you are not, for your own safety."​

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"The second is that I be allowed to conclude my business here first. I cannot say why, but it is a matter of utmost importance. And it may be the difference of life and death for many people. I'll not be longer than a day, perhaps two. And then, we will have all the time in the world to hunt your father's murderer."​

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"But most importantly, If I am to help you find the man that did this, you will let me deal with him. There is a difference between vengeance and justice. And I will not help you to enact revenge." Voph paused for a moment, looking down at the floor. He continued to speak without looking directly at Emalia. "I have seen too many lives consumed by vengeance. It is a path that will take hold of you, now until eternity. When you take a life for revenge, it changes you. The person you were will cease to exist, and you will become someone else entirely. And I will not enable that for anyone. No matter their reasons."​

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Voph slowly looked back up at the girl. "And, I suppose we have not yet been introduced. I am Voph. I work on behalf of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the territory in which you reside. I am one of a group of Knights that defend those unable to defend themselves. Not quite Jedi. But not as barbaric as the Sith."​

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Emalia Dalton​

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[Emalia Dalton]

"Emalia. My name is Emalia." She said looked at him, not knowing what more to say. The man in front of her had given her many things to think about. The idea of letting him deal with her father's murderer was something she didn't yet know how to feel about, yet he had offered to help, and she wasn't going to argue with him over it. She wanted to ask him what he meant, the difference between justice and revenge, yet something held her back. The man obviously had experience with such matters, and they seemed to weigh on him, he had said as much. Perhaps she would ask him later.

He had offered to help her, yet he needed time to tend to matters he was not willing to disclose. She wanted to help, at least in some small way as an offer of gratitude. "Take me with you." She blurted out without thinking. The man was clouded in mystery for her, but one thing was clear, he was not someone to be second guessed. Yet even with this knowledge she had little control over wanting to be a part of whatever he needed to do. Realising she had spoken out of hand, she shook her head and stood up a little straighter as if correcting herself.

"I'm sorry." She said, but unable to control herself again she made eye contact and spoke firmer for the second time. "Take me with you. I know you cannot tell me why, or where you're going, or what you plan to do but I want...no I need your help. Maybe helping you can be a small first step in repaying you." She spoke with more confidence this time, hoping against hope that he would consider her request.

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

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H U N T​

Voph arched a brow as Emalia demanded she be allowed to go with him. He seemed, for all the world, to be quite cross at that moment. That was, until he spoke. "Yes, I had assumed as much. People always have a habit of wishing to see justice brought upon those that do them wrong. Such is a natural thing in life."​

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Voph stood, and pulled a small item, indiscernible around his large hands, from his belt. "The lust of power is a fate that all pursue. Even if they claim to be content with what they have. The power to govern themselves, the power to exact revenge on others... You name it." Voph looked back to Emalia from the item he was holding. "To be in a position of power...is exhilarating. A feeling that will corrupt even the noblest of souls. But there is another way." ​

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Voph extended a hand, displaying what first appeared to be a dull piece of rock. But upon further inspection, it was actually revealed to be a small crystal. Dark, hardly reflecting the light. It almost seemed...dead. Voph held the item out to the girl as he continued. "I have not yet done anything worth repayment, child. But I do believe there is a way I can help you. If you accompany me, I will test you. And if you succeed in this, I will make you an offer. One that you are welcome to refuse at any time. But once you accept, should you be worthy, you will tread a road that will be impossible to depart from. What say you?'​

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Emalia Dalton ​

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[Emalia Dalton]

Emalia reached out for the crystal displayed in the man's hand. It, like him, seemed to resonate with a particular kind of energy she was unknowing of, yet it all somehow seemed familiar. She rolled the item over in her hand, puzzled by it's purpose.

The man had given her a proposal she seemed inclined to take, yet everything was still clouded, the man spoke almost poetically, as if there were messages between his words she hadn't quite grasped. After a few moments of thinking her decision over in her head she looked back up at the man standing tall in front of her. "I'm ready, I promise I won't let you down. I have nothing left here." She said with strength behind her words. There was a moments silence between the pair. She looked back down at the crystal in her hand. "What's this?" She asked look back up at him.

 

[Kyyrk]

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F I R S T - S T E P S​

Voph said nothing at first, simply watching the crystal. He smirked to himself as it entered the girl's hands, even though the crystal made no change. For all intents and purposes, it was every bit the rock that it had been before Voph had handed it to her. He did not answer her question directly, instead saying, "Pack your things, then. You have a long journey ahead of you, Emalia." Voph stood, and began to check his belt, ensuring that everything was in place, before checking the rest of his tunic, preparing himself for what was about to come. "If you wish to accompany me on my mission, you'll need to prepare for at least a day's hike into the desert."​

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When Voph was satisfied with his own equipments, he folded his arms across his chest, watching Emalia prepare, head tracking with her every movement, even if there was an obstruction between them. "That crystal is a gift. Its exact purpose, the test of which I spoke. If we have found the mercenary, and you have not been able to divine its purpose, then you will have failed. I have the feeling that you will not, however. You strike me as the kind more open to unseen realities than most."​

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Emalia Dalton ​

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[Emalia Dalton]

Emalia rolled the crystal over in her hand a few time before packing it away in a small pocket attached to her hip. She felt it almost as a connection between her and something larger. The connection wasn't complete but it seemed to be the start of something, something that felt true, like it had always been there, but never available to be seen or felt.

She packed a small bag of things, she didn't have much to begin with so she knew she would be traveling light. She made her way around the two rooms slowly, feeling that she may never see the place again. The feeling frightened her, but she felt peaceful with it, a strange duality of emotions that had never gone together before.

She looked up at Voph, peering at his face to where his eyes should be. She wanted to ask him why he covered them, if they were even there, but she knew that there would be time on their journey to ask such questions. As for now she had one more task before she was finally ready to leave with him. "I have one more request." She said with a sigh. "Please help me bury my father in the dunes. After that I will follow you wherever you go."

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

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R E M E M B E R​

Voph nodded once in response to her request, and turned once more to pick up the body. The walk to the dunes was a silent one. Voph's mind seemed to be elsewhere. He did not speak for a long moment, until they exited the city. "Darcy, bring the Star to my location. I need some tools." There was no audible response to Voph's command, nor did it seem that he was talking to anyone in the immediate vicinity. But as they neared the dunes, it became obvious what Voph had meant. A sleek, alien looking ship slid through the skies overhead, swinging around to kill its momentum and come to land in the valley between dunes.​

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Voph laid the body upon the sand, and turned towards the ship. He was met at the entry ramp by a droid armed with two shovels. He took them both, and laid one upon the sands next to the body he was about to help bury. An invitation to join him. He did not wait for the girl, however, instead setting about his somber task without a word. When the deed was done, he simply said, "I need to retrieve a few items. I'll let you say goodbye." And turned to enter the ship. When he emerged, he bore a traveling cloak, and a large rifle across his back. The ship departed in the manner it had arrived, and the two were left in the dunes with only the sound of the wind as their companions. Voph simply waited until the girl was ready to travel, neither saying nor doing anything that might suggest she needed to hurry. She was to take all the time she needed...​

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Emalia Dalton​

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[Emalia Dalton]

The wind whistled around the pair sending sad and dust into small clouds around them. The twin suns, now disappearing behind the horizon left the landscape cold. The colour of the dunes around them changing from reds and orange to blues and greys. She had experienced this change countless times before, yet this time seemed different. Was different. She was alone, save her new friend, if she could call him that.

Emalia rose from her knelt position down by the sand under which he father now lay. After a few moments and words spoken in her head, she turned around to face Voph who now stood solum and waiting for her. She appreciated the patience the man had, his matter of fact nature was admirable, and comforting.

She patted against the crystal in her pocket and then to the knife once again tucked away at her thigh. She felt prepared, her last task completed.
"I'm ready to leave." She said to Voph. The feeling of leaving the place she had always known hurt, yet was tinted with excitement.

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph nodded once as the girl stated she was ready to depart, and turned to begin walking out into the desert. The suns were setting, but they could still make some headway in the dark. "We'll make better time at night, out of the heat. We'll make camp when we reach..." Voph trailed off, frowning slightly. "Stone's Island. I forget what the modern name for it is. If it even has a name anymore."

Voph sighed quietly, lapsing into silence as he looked out across the desert night. Finally, he began to talk. To ask questions. From his tone, it sounded as though he found Emalia worth getting to know. Almost as if he expected they would share each other's company for some time. "Its been a while since I was last on Tatooine. Well, for any decent length of time. I would imagine that little has changed in way of life? Scrap business seems to not have changed much, from a casual observer."

Emalia Dalton

 

[Emalia Dalton]

Emalia walked along side the man as they made their way through the vast empty expanse. "It's always been the same here. Or at least for as long as I can remember. I grew up with my father, and worked with him for as long as I can remember. I guess he sold scrap but he liked to make things, you know? Tried to make things from the stuff he found, tried to add value to the world." She spoke sadly, realising she was focusing on the past. "Like this!" She said pulling out the knife attached to her leg. "He taught me how to make this."

"Make something beautiful, something you'll be proud of, but always remember why you made it."

"That's what he said to me. Remember it's a weapon." She slowly turned the blade over in her hands looking at the shape and build of it, feeling its weight, as if it was the first time she had held it.

She eventually looked up at Voph as they continued along their dusty path. "You never told me where we're going. You said it was important, but said you couldn't say what. A pause. "Sorry I don't mean to be pushy." She said as she slid the knife back into it's place.