Journey To An Ever-Shifting Core

[Lief]

The Undercity, Coruscant

Beneath all of the surface splendor, far below what foreign delegates came to see, Coruscant housed slums whose danger and scummy villainy rivaled the likes of Mos Eisley. Known as the Undercity, and spanning planet wide like rotting roots, it was a land of desperation, of failed opportunities. A place most on the surface feigned ignorance of.

Kal hadn't walked these streets in what felt like a millennium. Back then she'd stood at the side of Borsk, a few feet back from Captain Kilian himself, safe as could be. She had never been in any real danger, completely oblivious to the shady nature of their surroundings, and their short stay there had been entirely uneventful. Looking at it now, through the eyes of an adult hardened by rougher years, she was surprised it had gone so smoothly.

Faces leered from every darkened corner, alleyways filled with gangs or backstreet transactions. Every larger intersection had some sort of fight break out, whether verbal or physical, and on more than one occasion now she'd been approached by men and women both selling various wares. Desperation lined the faces of many, and after the first few times she learned to just keep her head down and keep on walking. There were always other people behind her, after all, someone else for them to latch onto.

A bright blue light lit up her face as she checked the datapad for the tenth time, then scanned the rundown storefronts on either side of the street. A soft exhale of relief marked her destination, and without much hesitation she picked up the pace and pushed open the door to Tibsies Cantina.

The place smelled of year old oil and charred meat. With a wrinkle of her nose she slipped further inside, and glanced over the patronage in search of a particularly sleazy Rodian.

The things she did for credits...

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

The Jewel of the Galaxy he had heard some people call it, but this jewel was flawed. The travelers he had spoken too since arriving back on Zeltros told him of the planet, that is some a sight that he had to experience to believe it, to believe such a place was possible. It had seen good times and bad, all most recent in a long history of much the same but regardless the planet thrived .. it had to he supposed considering the population but with such a large, inconceivable number there was bound to be inequity. And so it was. The Jewel was indeed beautiful on the surface, like nothing Vik had ever seen in his life and it took his breath away. He did not believe it possible that buildings could reach to the skies at such heights, the skylanes like roads in the air criss-crossed over the planet and layer upon layer of transports lit up the night sky. It was hard to tell when it was night everything seemed to bleed into itself.

He could not afford any form of accommodation on the upper levels, and so had to find something cheap below the planet surface. That would be an experience alone, he could not imagine living underground which is extensively what it was. He learned that there was over five thousand levels, and he was not even at the half way mark and this place was far from the glittering surface level. Vik learned from his time on Nar Shaddaa and to some degree on Zeltros, to keep his gaze to the ground and keep himself to himself and besides his accommodation was a means to which he could rest, otherwise he had been out experiencing the place.

He had met other travelers the day before and had arranged to meet up with them at a place called the Tibsies Cantina only a couple of blocks away, they would then move onto the upper levels and to a night club to go dancing .. something he had never done before in his life. He arrived just at the same time as a young girl with red hair, "Sorry .. excuse me", he said as they seemed to meet at the same place tried to dodge each other in that awkward shuffle of feet.

The girl seemed to be focused on some sort of metal device, to notice too much and beside Vik was here to meet his new friends. He entered the place, and was struck by the heavy thickness in the air, it was horrible to his senses and dull of light which caused the pupils of his Aelvar eyes to widened. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked for his friends. They did not seemed to be here yet.

[member="Kalyn Shif"]

 

[Lief]

Kal had gone barely two feet when she all but collided with a stranger, forcing her back into a halted position.

As would be expected she was quick to look up from the datapad, having already took note of her contact on the screen regardless, and glanced across to the man. There was something almost ethereal about him despite the fact that he was very obviously human, or near-human at least. Something which she hadn't seen before. Or perhaps she was simply seeing things, it had been a long journey to get to this point after all and food was most definitely necessary at this point.

"Ah, 'pologies," she muttered, though he seemed just as focused on his own tasks as she did and thus he was looking around the place as though nothing had happened. She could live with that.

Stepping around him, Kal sauntered over to the bar where several patrons were sat eating their lunch, and without much thought she slid into one of the seats and leaned her elbows onto the bartop itself. "I'll take a green chooss, ta'," she expressed once the employee noticed her, "and maybe a roast bantha sandwich for good measure."

No harm in chowing down while she was waiting, right?

Turning around in her seat, and leaning back against the bar, Kal sent a quick message to her contact to inform him of her arrival. With any luck he wouldn't take too much longer himself.

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

He looked under his arm pit, the young girl seemed to have found her way there in their collision, and smiled as she made her apologies as if not giving it a second thought. Too focused on the strange device and getting to her destination by the bar. He decided he could not remain standing in the middle of the room sticking out like a sore thumb so he followed her, only since she was going that way. As she turned in her bar stool, Vik slotted into a space facing the bar keep.

"Water please", he asked with a friendly smile, he would reserve himself for the solid drinking when his friends arrived. Not that he knew them well, having only met recently and through the hostel. In quick time the water arrived with less enthusiasm for the order as the keep grunted .. there is no profit on water.

He too turned on the spot, taking a sip of water and looking over the edge of the rim of the glass. An interesting group of people in the bar, some talking and having fun .. a young group of friends he assumed. Others looking in his direction and the girl next to him checking them out, interested in who the new comers were and there was a sense of inquiry in their gaze, once they decided no threat was coming him or the girl, they returned to their drinks and whatever deals they were making. Some were past the point of no return, having dived into the booze not wanting to come out and whatever the reason for that, he would never know. No more secrets, and he had his father to thank for that.

Vik started to reflex on that strange day, heavy with sorrow because of it but he still wondered why, why his father did what he did to him. His eyes flicked to the girl next to him, for a moment watched her poke her finger over the device before she looked up too as if searching for some one. "Your friends not arrived yet either?".



[member="Kalyn Shif"]

 

[Lief]

Her drink was surprisingly quick to arrive, though she knew she'd be waiting a little while longer for the sandwich.

One sip had her politely pull a face, just a very subtle sign that it wasn't at all what she expected, and she could not help but think back to the casino on Lithios which had gotten her drink damn near perfect. Last thing Kal expected to be doing in that moment was wishing she was back to that neon metal forest. It had been an interesting venture, if nothing else.

A voice at her side had her draw her attention away from the mingling groups of people here on their lunch break, and there she saw the ethereal stranger once more. He ordered a water, which probably wasn't the safest of options given where they were. She watched his expression, waiting to see what he thought of the Undercity's water, no doubt new to Coruscant or at least this part of it.

"I recommend getting at least a juice next time," she muttered to him, after he asked his question, "Doubt that stuff in your glass is all that safe down here."

In response to his question she had allowed herself just the slightest of shrugs, but given that they were both seemingly at odds right now - both waiting on someone, or some persons - she decided to humour him. Swiveling in her seat she faced his general direction with an obviously fake pout.

"Simply tragic, isn't it? To be the one who's always on time, only to find yourself stood up or left waiting. What's your story, stranger? Don't much seem like you're from these parts, if you don't mind my saying that is."

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

"It does taste a little .. metalic", he decided she was right and placed the glass back on the bar. He would not order another, he decided to sit on it and at least he looked like he had a drink. Besides he was waiting for people so they would probably move on when they arrive. "Thanks for the advice". He gave her a quick glance and a smile, the old habit of not making eye contact was still with him, a habit of a life time hard to break.

Out of his periphery he saw her turn in her seat, looking his way. He did not really have a concept of time, not like the way the rest of the galaxy did, it was either morning, midday or evening there was no clocks on Midvinter and the daylight hours were a gift which you made the most off. "I .. I wouldn't know", he felt awkward but it was the truth of it. And he was clueless as to what 'stood up' meant.

"No I am not from here, from a far distant place", his mind went to Midvinter like it always does when reminded, he missed home but knew he could not go back for while, not until he reconciled his mind, although it had been several weeks since he was there, and met his father. The events of that was still quite raw.

"Are you from here?". He had learned a lesson of not giving away too much about himself on a first meeting with strangers, which was kind of sad to him. You had to consider trust in the person before letting them know more about you. She could be anyone, as he could be to her, but he had been in trouble for less and had lost that innocents about him. Which was good, he would live as more experience taught him. Vik scanned the room again, friends had not arrived and time was matching on he suspected, and started to suspected they had forgot him.

[member="Kalyn Shif"]

 

[Lief]

"You should try an orgone bubbler," she suggested, when she saw him replace the glass to the counter with no intentions of ordering another, "It's good. Fruity. Not my favourite, but I've been told mine's a girly drink. Most guys won't even try it, not even at my recommendation." There was a grin attached to that statement, which was quite obviously said in jest.

Not bothering to wait and see if he was going to take a chance on her suggestion, she made a gesture with one hand which seemed to get the attention of the bartender and once he was close enough she placed the order herself. Even put down the credits to pay for it. It was the least she could do, given the fact that Sneido was so unapologetically late and he was the only real company in this place. At least until his own friends came around.

"Wouldn't know? You never been stood up before? Oh, you're in for a treat if you're anything like I am. Can be rather anxiety-inducing to wait around, unsure if they're gonna come or not. Don't worry though, I'm sure they're just running late."

What manner of being hadn't ever been left waiting? The more she got to know him in the few minutes they'd known one another, the more perplexing he became. An enigma, almost.

"Which planet? Might've passed it once or twice. I'm not from here either, I'm from The Wheel. You know it?" Who was she kidding, everyone knew of the Wheel, it was a staple in this Galaxy though it was far from a planet. Most looked at her strange when she revealed that fact about herself, saw it as unnatural for someone not to have a homeworld, but it was all she had known.

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

The girl next to him was chatty, which was fine since there was not much else to do as neither of their friends had arrived. She spoke in a strange way, well strange to Vik using phases that seemed odd to him and he was not that sure of the meaning of them, but before it knew it he was presented with a new drink that seemed to be a concoction of many but he politely thanked her and took a sip. "Well it is much better than the water", which it was and took away that nasty taste in his mouth. "Thank you", he cheered her and took another taste of it, whether it was a 'girly' drink he could not tell and he wasn't really sure what that meant anyway.

"No no I can't say I have been stood up before", the simply reason being that no one was in his life that he would have to wait for, he had always kept to himself until leaving Midvinter. So he did not suffer from any anxiety over the waiting or anything like that, if they were late so be it. If they did not come, that mattered little too, he would simply move on and go see something of the sights of the planet of which there was many.

"I'am from Midvinter", he said finally and took a sip. "What do you mean you are from the wheel?", the only wheels Vik knew of where the ones of the carts the Valkyri use to transport goods along the road.

[member="Kalyn Shif"]

 

[Lief]

Everything fell to the wayside the moment Kal heard the word Midvinter.

It was a planet that hadn't really cropped up on Galactic Maps until recent years, whose people had remained isolated first by circumstance and then by choice. It lay within the Arm of the Galaxy, far beyond the end of the Perlemian Trade Route, yet it had managed to garner quite a bit of intrigue all the same. Most of it was not positive, at least she doubted it was deemed positive in the eyes of the natives who - if reports were to believed - had suffered at the hands of the ever expanding Empires of both present and old. Power hungry megalomaniacs who sought to bring all under their control.

How odd it must have been to realize you weren't alone out there, and then to be met with such force. Even when she'd first heard tale of it all she'd felt bad for the poor Midvinterians (was that even what they were known as?); To see one of them right before her eyes was something she'd never expected in this life time or the next.

"Oh my goodness," she said, her sentence broken up to give emphasis on each of the three words, "I can't believe this. And you aren't lying, either," she could tell as much from the look in his eye, the way he held himself, he had no reason to lie. "I'd heard stories of Midvinter, but it seemed so far removed that I had a hard time believing. What's it like there? Is it as cold as everyone claims it is?"

Kal bit her lip to slow her overexcited mind, truly she wasn't trying to offend or anything in fact she seemed absolutely ecstatic. Sat on the edge of her seat, drink and purpose there quite forgotten.

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Midvintermites, Midvintertites? mites go up, tites go down. That is how he remembered it. Vik's thoughts at cross purposes.

However he all but choked on his drink at her sudden show of excitement about his homeland. More than he had expected, and to think that someone all the way out here in the Core knew of it. Her reaction had drawn them both unwanted attention, as a far table of two men turned their direction with a snarling expression. Vik was none the wiser as to why they were displeased maybe it was simply because they were there in this bar or their conversation had been interrupted or who knew really. There was a sense of dulled senses about them, the drink playing a large part in it. Which had also make their minds aggressive.

"Well, ah .. no. I don't lie". He turned a little uncomfortably back to face the bar keep and the wall of bottles behind him. However, he keep an eye on the men by use of the mirror lining the wall behind the bottles. I have to get myself a weapon, the thought at good one.

"It is very cold there, part of its charm", he was distracted, it seemed the men still were interested in them. Not only that, his friends had not turned up and most likely would not, he suspected they went a different way this evening which was fine as he would find his own entertainment. "You know those guys?", he asked her, "Over in the back at the far table". One of the men got up from the table and started heading their way to the bar.

Vik dropped his right hand to his side and curled him fist, he could feel the cold of power within him beginning to form and there would be a noticeable drop in the temperate of the room. His green eyes remained fixed on the man, and deep within him lurked a danger that even he had never experienced before.

[member="Kalyn Shif"]

 

[Lief]

"My old Captain was stranded there once," she further explained, when he seemed surprised, "had all these stories to tell. Claimed the natives were near-giants, but welcomed him like one of their own. The rest of the crew and I, well, we thought he'd made the whole thing up, or spent a weekend drunk and had exaggerated memories, but..."

Kal shook her head.

"Clearly not."

Almost made her sad for all the times they'd rolled their eyes, and jested with him over it. Especially given how he'd gone out in the end, taking a blaster bolt for her. That had the girl frowning something fierce, guilt lining the same expression, before she snapped herself out of it.

It wasn't until that moment that she realized her barfriend was both distracted and concerned by something behind them. Having the same idea as he to look in the bar mirrors she was surprised to see a couple of brutes headed their way.

"Never seen'em before" she confessed, reaching for her blaster. When she noticed he wasn't doing the same - had this man really come so far without a weapon? - she looked at him in surprise. Then, without much thought, she slipped her knife from her belt and slid it across the bartop to him. "But this ain't looking too good, no?"

Then she rose from her seat, not actually drawing the blaster but allowing her fingertips to brush against the cool metal all the same, and turned to face them. After all they were clearly headed for Midvinter Man and her. The other patrons at the bar were in booths or at tables, and she could clearly see they had drinks back at their own booth.

"Can I help you boys?" she asked, voice smooth and expression ditsy and rife with naivety. "You're lookin' awfully tense."

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

His hand reached across the bartop and took up the small knife the girl had passed to him, it vanished into his sleeve although Vik still held the tip of the handle. His eyes never left the mirror, Kalyn had turned to directly speak to him, and he could see the main one looking at them both, they had keep a reasonable distance so if weapons were drawn their blasters would do all the talking and a knife would be of little use. "Skeeto sent us", the main man said with a gravelly voice referring to his boss the Rodian. He stepped forward just a bit eyeing of Kalyn.

"He wants to meet with you back at the warehouse", Vik did not like the grin on the other man's face as the leader of them spoke. "He was not expecting you had company", his head nodded toward Vik still sitting with his back to them. Rather then give them any more reason to be wary or entice conflict, Vik turned his in seat slowly and grinned as he spread his arms wide.

"Meet the brains of the operation", he said with a heavy helping of confidence, but he hoped Kalyn would play along, because something was not right in this scenario. The two men looked at each other in confusion, they did not know if they could take this man with them or not, as it was only the girl Skeeto was expecting. Vik however, was not prepared to let Kalyn go this one alone.

Vik had no idea what business Kalyn had with these men or Skeeto, nor what they dealt in and if she needed his help now, he would provide it. He had no doubt she could handle herself, but outnumbered in a warehouse was an entirely different thing. The 'terms and conditions' were not acceptable.

[member="Kalyn Shif"]

 

[Lief]

Kal shook her head.

"I ain't knowing any Skeeto," she told the one who had spoken to them, tssking under her breath, either they'd gotten the name of their boss wrong or they were winging it and weren't really in on the operation. Neither of which made her particularly happy or comfortable in their presence.

The last thing she wanted was to be abducted, again. It hadn't exactly been the most pleasant of experiences... Though she doubted they could do much worse than the Kiffar had. Just the memory made a shiver run down her spine, though she did her best to ignore it so as not to appear weak or afraid. Both of those could easily spell disaster.

When Vik stepped up to the table, so to speak, she turned her head toward him and gave a short nod.

"Aye, that he is," It wasn't as though she really knew where this was going, though, "But I'll stress it again. I don't know Skeeto, and I ain't going nowhere with you. So why don't you fella's go back to your seats, finish those pretty little drinks of yours, then scram?"

If they were working for Sneido then she might have been blowing her chances at a good job, but it was better safe than sorry. If anything negative came from it on the Rodian's end, well, she'd tell him how incompetent his brutes are and walk away. Whether that meant leaving green rodian goop on the ground or not would remain to be seen.

[member="Vik Velkarson"]