Private Please don't say Bakura if you don't mean it

[In Rhan]

Bakura was lovely, but was it ever dangerous. Fine beaches, far enough away from the more famous resorts of the Galaxy that the prices weren't ridiculous. In fact, they were downright agreeable! That might've had something to do with the fact that it was a hop skip and single jump from Bakura into Sith territory, though. The touristy portions of the capitol, Salis D'aar, were largely policed in such a way that kept the tension invisible to an untrained eye. Wandering too far off of the beaten path would show that the REST of the city was on a knife's edge. Closed shops, unwelcoming alleys, and glaring natives who half-expected every smiling group of offworlders to be a psychotic saber-jockey or their entoruage.

In tried not to think too hard about what that meant for her, here with her loving Sith girlfriend. Was she the entourage, or was Nisyha? Did it really even matter?

War would probably come to Bakura soon. It had before. That meant a couple of things to In Rhan. It meant the opportunity to haul vauable freight offworld before the tide of red sabers turned their way. It meant getting a couple of souls off of Bakura to somewhere safer, potentially. It meant... flowers.

One specific flowers.

The Bakuran fire philodendron. A rare plant, unique to Bakura's atmosphere. An ambitious phildendron, with massive and beautiful red-green leaves shaped like daggers. Rumor had it that the leaves of the Bakuran fire philodendron weren't only gorgeous, they were delicious - a potent back-of-the-tongue spice when dried out and crackled into near powder. In had had a Bakuran fire philodendron on her list for quite awhile, but she hadn't had a reason to go find one. Now she did. And so she would. All she needed was a stem cutting.

Balancing a datapad in one arm, In walked down a beach at a brisk walk with a frozen drink in her hand - the third or fourth she'd had today. Bakura was simply too hot to endure without aid, and that aid came in the form of rum and ice. The Bakuran tourism board forbid selling the iconic plant to tourists, but In wasn't about to let that stop her - what was a smuggling compartment for if not getting rare things offworld without needing to indulge customs officials. "My source says that four months ago, a wild specimin was seen in the background of a selfie taken by some surfers around here." The Pantoran reported, slurring her words slightly. She was exuberant, full of high energy and good spirits - and good spirits. Clad in a denim skirt and a white bikini top, the Pantoran's wide-brimmed hat kept most of the sun off of her as she wandered along the shore.

She had a duffel bag full of beach accoutrements, some sample-taking equipment, and the remaining half of the granola bar she'd had for breakfast - the only solid food she had put in her body since leaving the hotel this morning.

Niysha Kirie

 

[Niysha]

In was clearly struggling with the climate in a way that Niysha could barely sympathize with. Training on Korriban and Kaas had largely inured her to the heat, and tapas made up for the rest. It was one of the things that Niysha considered breaking her self-enforced taboo against teaching In anything of the Force for; she was so susceptible to heat that it made her life legitimately inconvenient at times. Just one little lapse in her strict self-discipline to let In know she was wildly Force-sensitive and could totally wander around deserts without sweating...

Nope. Zero Force training. That particular cycle of abuse ended with Niysha.

Bakura had some interesting plants, and it was close enough to Sith shores that she got very complicated feelings. On the one hand, it was an extremely safe place for her to be, since all she had to do was dig her lightsaber out of In's duffel bag and flick it on to immediately be immune to legal action. On the other, being in proximity to Sith borders without being inside of Sith borders was always monstrously dangerous. The self-appointed true heirs of the galaxy didn't tend to send warnings before they started bombing your population centers from orbit.

Today, though, it was the plants that were important. Plants, and plant-derived alcohol. Niysha nursed a margarita well-secured in a plastic mug and kept pace with her frenetic partner across the beaches of Bakura. For once, she was even dressed for the occasion in something other than black; In had assured her that her airy haltertop was deep red, and she could tell by the denim fabric of her capris that they were probably blue. She had no idea what color her sunglasses were, but she'd opted for those instead of a blindfold, as they were much more water-resistant.

"Four months is a long time," Niysha commented between sips of fermented cactus goodness. "If it's still there, though, it might be rugged enough to survive the switch to a greenhouse environment."

The sand here was much nicer than Korriban. Fewer bones and gritty fire, more soft and tickly and pleasantly warm.

Kirie | In Rhan

 

[Kirie]

Kirie wanted to punch the droid. She wanted to punch the droid really bad. Maybe she could adjust her 'no violence' rule to only include organics?

'No- No. Listen. Disregard previous instruction. No- I don't want an upgrade! Do you have any services going to Batuu?'

"Statement: Certainly! One ticket to Batuu. Please present your chain code or Alliance Standard ID."

'I don't have those- can't I just buy a ticket?'

"Statement: You're welcome! Thanks for flying Bakura Link Transit."

'No- wait. I still need a ticket.'

'Statement. Of course! Please present your chain code or Alliance Standard ID..."

The positive of no longer having a voice was that her scream of frustration was inaudible, even if the contorting of her muscles was no doubt attracting attention.

​

It was only after the fourth attempt to buy a ticket that she ended up on the beach. It seemed to be a different thing every time. She didn't have the requisite ID. She couldn't prove her port of origin. There was no travel profile under that name. So many words each time just to say that there was no karking way that Kirie was getting a shuttle off Bakura. Not legally, anyway.

She was considering resorting to hitchiking, but the prospect of trying to convice the rough-and-ready spacers in the port that the weird freak with not enough money and suspiciously Sith-like tattoos was worth the trouble of hauling somewhere. And that was even ignoring the fact that every person she talked to ran the risk of being dangerous themselves. It was going to be exhausting, and after a night of unending bureaucratic nightmares, Kirie had nothing left in the tank.

Hence the beach.

On a whim, Kirie had picked up a two-piece from a stand near the spaceport with a slightly higher cut than she was used to, and scoped out a chair with an umbrella on the waterfront to dump her bags. The bathing suit was cheap and made her feel a bit exposed, but it helped her fit in with the crowd and stopped her clothes getting covered in sand while she lounged.

She had seen an ocean before, but never been so close to one. She found the smell of salt and the spray of the sea comforting, even if she was too nervous to do more than dip her toes in the water, in case the tide somehow wrapped around her ankle and pulled her under. Besides, she had to keep one eye on her stuff the whole time. Bakura seemed like a planet with a plentiful population of thieves.

Kirie did her best to just relax, but her nerves were fried, and her mind just kept circling back to how she was going go get off this low budget holiday destination of a planet. Worse, the longer she lazed around the less comfortable she was. The sun had crept across her skin while she'd been dozing and she'd earned herself a wicked sunburn across the shoulders and bridge of her nose. She'd pulled her thin shawl over her shoulders, but was sun-tired, and parched, and growing hungry.

Stars, this had been such a stupid plan.

In Rhan | Niysha ​

 

[In Rhan]

In fluttered her hand about the brim of her hat as through trying to scoo away a bug. "Hardiness has so very little to do with it. What I need to do is get there before any other gardeners with sharper eyes and less knowledge get there and try and dig up the whole damn thing." In complained. "It's a philodendron, you only need a stem cutting to get a full thing going. So unless some greedy schutta knows better and wants to keep the whole bit for himself..."

In spotted a Zeltron with long legs and a seedy-looking blonde sunbathing while a tween played nearby and stormed up to them with her data pad. "Excuse me! Have you seen this plant?!" She asked with a little more force and a bit more slurring than she'd likely intended. No dice.

She made her way over towards an irritable-looking woman and what appeared to be her bodyguard. In wasn't sure WHY she thought of the second woman as a bodyguard - she looked to be fairly short and top-heavy and smiled sweetly when approached. Neither of them had seen the Bakuran fire philodendron, either.

Useless tourists. Who came to this planet for beaches and drinks, when there were rare plants to find?

In's intermittent interrogating left her no clues up and one mojito down - which she swiftly replenished.

The Pantoran's teetering path brought her towards the most beige-looking woman she'd ever seen - albeit severely sunburnt. Something about her gave In pause, and she staggered to a stop to consider the feeling. In glanced briefly towards Nisyha before moving forward while tucking her datapad under her arm.

"Hey. You alright?" In asked gently while crouching down a little - as though she were trying to not spook a deer.

Niysha | Kirie

 

[Niysha]

In's quest was noble, and Niysha very, very badly wanted to support her in everything she did, but as they approached what had to have been the most terrifying woman Niysha had ever seen, she hung back a bit. It was incredible how someone could be low-key murderously hostile and high-key adorable mom at the same time. She did not engage, and was very grateful when In went off to get another drink.

Eventually, further down the beach, they finally happened across an actually interesting sight - one that didn't activate her prey instincts in the slightest, unlike the last couple - and In, unsurprisingly, locked on like a missile. It wasn't surprising; sparks attracted sparks. It was a quantified phenomenon that in any situation in which there were multiple Force-sensitives, they'd wind up careening towards each other to the direct defiance of whatever their previous objectives or activities had been.

This woman was... not quite as bright as In. In's untrained, untamed fire burned far too bright to be ignored by anyone who had even the slightest sensitivity for that sort of thing; this young lady was more subtle. She could've been missed on a couple of cursory planetary scans for Force-sensitive children, for instance. Otherwise, she looked shockingly similar to In in a lot of ways. Niysha was quietly concerned she might wind up confusing the two of them at some point.

The general tint of her aura towards the edges implied she was very mildly hurt, but without any visible wounds and in the middle of a very hot place, chances were it was a sunburn. Maybe mild heatstroke? Probably not that severe. Without hesitation, she reached into In's pack and pulled out a cold bottle of water, offering it to the complete stranger before her with a smile. "Regardless, you look a bit warm," she explained with a smile from behind her sunglasses. "Here."

Kirie | In Rhan

 

[Kirie]

The wind brought the sound of slightly slurred words her way, and Kirie turned her head in curiosity to examine the pair that were zig-zagging their way up the beach, stopping by pretty much everyone they saw, including a rather intimidating pair of women that Kirie had made a note to steer clear of when she'd been picking out a spot to set up. The taller of the two, the Pantoran, was teetering around with a drink in hand, followed by their seemingly more measured companion. Kirie felt a pang of envy at the sight of the beverages in their hands was about to write them off as just another set of tourists, until she heard mention of the plant.

Why would they go all this way for a shrub? They definitely didn't look like scientists. And, if they were, why would they do so while drinking? Kirie supposed she was about to find out, because the both of them were heading her way now. The blue one with enthusiasm, the one with the curls less-so.

"Hey. You alright?"

Kirie blinked and her brain short-circuited. That wasn't in the script. She was supposed to say 'have you seen this plant.' Kirie stared up at them stupidly for a few moments, before finally kicking herself into gear enough to speak.

'Yeah. I'm just.' Kirie stopped in the middle of her expression, and she looked a little defeated. 'No actually.' Kirie glanced despondently towards the spaceport, the roof of which could be seen from the beach. 'I was supposed to just be here for a transfer, but now I can't get a ticket off-planet.' Kirie was about to continue, but then she realised the Pantoran was probably just being nice, and didn't actually want to hear the whole story.

"Regardless, you look a bit warm. Here."

'Thanks-' Kirie began signing. Something seemed off and she hesitated. Was it that one of the people seemed to be staring past her? Maybe. Whatever it was, Kirie felt distinctly like she was missing something important. She pressed on, signs deftly flowing from her shoulders through her fingers. 'Thanks. This isn't one of those scams where you make me pay for it after, is it?' Kirie hesitated, but after a moment she took the bottle anyway in hope it wasn't leading to a shakedown. Being robbed on the beach would be a perfect topper to one of the most annoying days she'd had in recent memory.

'So, you two are looking for a plant?'

In Rhan | Niysha ​

 

[In Rhan]

In looked very thoughtful and concerned, watching Kirie's expression cycle from being unsure to defeated to hesitant.

At least she took the bottle of water.

"I'm sorry." In began gently - because the poor woman looked like she'd had a certified Real One and might be near the end of her rope. Strange how In kept running into people like that. "I don't know any sign languages." She confessed.

Now, just because she couldn't conveniently communicate with this woman didn't mean that In wasn't going to hear her out. Clearly something was wrong, and while she didn't know this person? In was fairly sure that somebody should do something to help her. People with their lives together didn't come to the beach to pass out in a cheap two-piece until they sunburned and then radiated misery at the first couple to interrupt a nap. Not this close to Sith territory, anyway. Teetering slightly, In fished the datapad from under her arm.

Thick, chunky, with specialized tools for Miralukan use, In took a moment to open a word processor before offering it to Kirie. "My name's In. This is my partner, Niysha. Could we try again?" She offered hopefully. "What's wrong?"

If nothing else, the prospect that somebody might actually need her help had done wonders to sober In up. While she was still sporting a fairly decent buzz, the lanky Pantoran woman was locked in and focused on Kirie. Intently enough to keep her balance as she crouched beside her lounger.

 

[Niysha]

In approached with confidence and attempted to intervene in someone else's challenges, as she always did. Without fail, every single time she found someone else suffering, In Rhan was there to champion their cause. It was one of the greatest parts about her, and it had stiff competition with all of the other parts (which were also great). Unfortunately, this time, the challenge might've been... slightly mismatched.

Even if In had a solution, Niysha had a better one. She held up one hand to stop In from passing her datapad over to the very quiet girl in the very modest swimsuit and offered her partner a smile. "Actually, In, I've got this one. I'm a little rusty, but..."

Niysha handed In the glass that still had the remainder of her margarita so she could bring up both hands to better communicate. She spoke and signed simultaneously, as best she could. "I'm a little rusty, but I picked up most of that. This isn't a scam and you don't owe us any money," Niysha responded, her speech notably slowing down to match the slightly sluggish pace her hands were moving in. "I think you said you were stranded- No... wait... stranded?" She missed the sign twice, so she switched to fingerspelling for the third attempt.

While it was a blow to her confidence to need to go a little primal for one of the words she couldn't quite remember, Niysha was still slightly glowing. She hadn't needed to dust off her ORSL skills for years, since the last time she had to talk to Jawas.

"I think she can hear us just fine, In," Niysha explained, turning to face her partner. She did still attempt to simcom towards the other woman, just in case she was off-base. "But if she can't, I can try to translate."

Kirie | In Rhan

 

[Kirie]

"I don't know any sign languages."

Kirie shook her head good-naturedly to say she didn't mind. ORSL was common amongst certain communities, but rarer in others. Like any language outside the Galactic Core, the chances of running into someone who spoke the same thing you did was a roll of the dice. The Pantoran- No- In, for her part seemed completely unperturbed by the fact she couldn't understand a single thing Kirie was communicating. She just kept looking with a gentle-yet-intense expression, as if suddenly the world had narrowed to only include the three of them.

A cloud passed over the burning sun and her skin tingled with relief. Without the glare, she was able to study In and Niysha a little closer. They definitely weren't scientists, Kirie concluded. But what were they then? Tourists didn't seem right either. Travellers, she supposed. Like Kirie herself was. Importantly, neither of them seemed immediately dangerous, and the dread-feeling in her gut that usually kept her out of trouble was absent. Not enough to trust they had good intentions, not yet, but not a bad sign either.

'It's very nice to meet you, Niysha, In.' Kirie signed, offering a polite dip of her head the way the handmaidens had taught her to greet her betters. She swung her legs out from the lounger and stood stiffly. She was pretty sure at this point neither of them was planning to accost her. But better to be standing, just in case.

"I think she can hear us just fine, In."

'Yes I can hear you fine.' Kirie confirmed, grateful that one of her visitors could sign. She traced a line along her neck, following the twisting pattern of her tattoos, which themselves were stretched and twisted Eternalist Sith symbols. 'These marks mean I am non-speaking, among other things.' Did that make sense? Maybe she shouldn't have brought up the tattoo. Probably it would have been better not to explain anything. But Kirie was still getting used to how she communicated herself. How to gently introduce that she could hear but not speak was just one of a laundry list of growing pains she was experiencing. 'I had an injury...' Kirie added awkwardly.

Not helping. Kirie took a long swig of water, sighing with relief and letting herself level out a bit. She was too high strung for this.

'I have a protocol droid. I'll grab her.' Kirie signed, persevering despite the unsettled energy she was exuding. 'Should keep you from having to translate for me, though I do appreciate it.' Kirie dug around in her bag and produced a tiny little droid, unfurling its little legs and tossing it in the air, where it moved in lazy circles around the three of them. When Kirie next signed, it spat out a translation in near real-time in a crisp masculine voice. That definitely wasn't the right setting, but Kirie would roll with it.

'I'm stranded.' Kirie confirmed, demonstrating the correct sign as she'd learned it. 'My own fault. I came here... Untraditionally, and I don't have the documentation to get a ticket into Alliance space.'

'I live on Jutrand.' Kirie added when that didn't seem like enough explanation.

Niysha | In Rhan ​

 

[In Rhan]

In considered very carefully, wringing all of the silly-fun-rum out of her brain as she listened to Niysha - briefly blazing with gratitude and pride at how impressively well-rounded her partner was. Of COURSE Niysha knew sign languages. Niysha knew everything. She was a legitimate savant of useful things, with a special interest in important information.

'Stranded' was a bit word, anywhere In heard it. Stranded could mean that your ship was out of fuel, stranded could mean that your friends had gone back to the hotel and weren't answering your holocalls to come pick you up, stranded could mean that you'd been marooned, stranded could mean an escaped political prisoner on the run with a dragnet closing in. In wasn't sure what the context here was. That only meant that she had to figure it out.

As Niysha and the droid handled translation, In ran down the facts in her mind.

• Jutrand was the capital of the Sith empire, and not terribly far away. Really, the only thing between here and there was a border - a big mean red border, but In hadn't found a national border in her life that she gave two shivs about.
• The woman was out here alone on a beach just outside of Sith territory, in a cheap swimsuit that looked like it was brand new. She was also sporting a sunburn. She hadn't been prepared to be here, despite the bags she had right next to her. There was a good chance they contained something close to everything she owned.
• No documentation to enter Alliance space, but an implied desire to be there. Away from the Sith Empire, behind a border they presumably wouldn't chase her over.
• Tattoos marking her as mute. But she was mute due to an injury. Smacked of ritualism. Which led to-
• Stranded on the border of Sith space. Alone. Wary of being scammed, but receptive to telling her woes to a pair of random women. Hadn't given her name.

Conclusion: Nobody was going to help this woman. To In's mind, she was on the verge of falling through the cracks - being snapped back up by whatever she'd gotten away from in the Empire, or joining the faceless billions of people who struggled and scraped and died after ignominious lives of strife and poverty. What would she do if some group of goons identified a single woman with all of her things as an easy mark? If her droid were busted up? In her wildest power fantasies, In could help every every such person. In this life, though, she could still help one or two.

In glanced over her shoulder towards Niysha, completely sure that Niysha already knew full well where In's mind was at and what she was about to say. Really, the confirmation was more courtesy than anything else. She then turned her focus back to Kirie. "Where in the Alliance do you need to go?" In asked softly, intently. "Do you have people waiting for you there?"

 

[Niysha]

Ah. Tattoos. That was a color thing, then. Niysha gave a silent, apologetic smile and simcommed back, as smoothly as she could manage "I'm sorry I didn't catch it, then. I can't see colors." Even though she didn't need to keep signing, the Miraluka decided that was probably the best course of action; she hadn't had a chance to stretch her legs with this particular language in a while, and more importantly it might make this slightly lonely young lady feel a bit more welcomed.

Her story wasn't unique, but it certainly wasn't as common as the other difficulties people tended to face on the border of Sith space. Living on Jutrand didn't mean terribly much in the grand scheme of thing. It wasn't as big as Coruscant or as famous as Nar Shaddaa, but an ecumenopolis was an ecumenopolis. Every one of them had a population that might dwarf ten other planets or more. Just being from Sith space didn't mean much... especially considering she was sensitive, but didn't seem trained. Jutrand was a capital world. They would've scoured the place for every dim spark they could find to draft for more fodder.

Hmm. But going coreward without papers...

Well, In had already drawn her own conclusions. That just meant that Niysha needed to go along with them. Maybe they'd talk about it later. If she was going to be providing passage to a pity case for free - again, like she had with Niysha, who could not judge this decision by any measure - then at the very least the Miraluka needed to pull her weight and be the welcoming-but-logically-prudent half of the negotiation.

"Just a second, In," she interjected, hands moving a little faster now that she was a bit more warmed up. "Are you being hunted? That's not a dealbreaker, but if you are then it'd be nice to know." Niysha tried to offer an encouraging smile. "Forewarning is the difference between an encounter and an ambush."

And they'd dealt with ambushes. But jeez did she prefer to know how much lightsaber to pack.

Kirie | In Rhan

 

[Kirie]

Kirie's mind turned over a few times trying to puzzle out how the conversation had turned to this. These casual not-grifter plant-hunting girlfriends were what, offering her help? Or at least hinting at it. There had been no mention of any assistance, yet. But anyone could see the spark blooming in In's eyes. That rare and innate desire some people had to help the Galaxy's various lost puppies from being kicked, just like Quinn. If the roles had been reversed would she even have spared In a glance? She didn't know, but she was a little afraid of the answer.

Oh. She'd been staring at In for slightly longer than was comfortable for any of them. Kirie's cheeks reddened a touch, matching the hue of her burn, and she signed out a response.

'Well, Tython eventually, but anywhere over the border is good. The internal shuttles are much easier.' When she had been planning out the journey, it had seemed so much simpler to be dropped in neutral territory, to avoid a hostile border crossing through a warzone, or the inevitable detainment that would come if her escort's hyperdrive logs had been audited. Now, Kirie wasn't so sure. 'I don't know anyone personally, but I have some names.' Excellent. Suitably vague, slightly suspicious. It was a wonder the pair of them hadn't walked off in disgust.

Oh well, she had never pretended to be some sort of covert operator. Just a person bending the rules and making trouble for herself in the process. Carefully, Kirie extended the first thread of the idea that In seemed to be circling around.

'Are you two... Headed that way?'

"Are you being hunted? That's not a dealbreaker, but if you are then it'd be nice to know."

'Oh no.' Kirie signed. 'I'm not important enough to warrant that. Besides, my transport here took precautions.' It seemed to her that the three of them were circling around the same assumed fact. Kirie suspected that correcting them and insisting she was not a defector, just a traveller committing some light treason, was not really a difference worth quibbling over.

Besides, her conduct was serious regardless of her intention to return. If she'd have had to break her communications silence to call Quinn for help, there would have been questions, then accusations, then who knows what. She was in just as much trouble as In and Niysha thought, just of a slightly different kind.

Well, actually, Niysha didn't seem quite as convinced. It wasn't so much that she was outwardly skeptical, but it was obvious enough to her that Niysha was less ready to trust Kirie and her story than In was. That was fine, and Kirie didn't blame her. No doubt she was only looking out for her and her girlfriend.

Still, the flicker of hope in Kirie's chest had wavered a little at her question. What would win out: In's seeming desire to help people, or Niysha's apparent common sense?

Unless of course she'd got it all wrong.

'Wow, I really hope you two aren't kidnappers.' Kirie signed with a grin, the first smile she'd managed that day. 'Had enough of that for a lifetime.'

'Sorry, funnier in my head.'

In Rhan | Niysha ​

 

[In Rhan]

"I am so far into the red on kidnapping - you have no idea." In promised blithely. "I've been farkling up other people's kidnapping attempts since I was twelve." She fumbled through her bag - amidst all the sample-taking jars and tools, next to a blaster and a conspicuously cylindrically-wrapped hand towel was a modest kit for beachgoing. Notably, a beach towel, which In spread out on the sand before sitting on. Secondly, a bottle of vanilla rum she'd added cola to this morning. In took a hit on principle and offered it to Niysha.

"Tython's not a problem for me, but it might be for you. Or whoever your people are." The Pantoran woman explained plainly. "The GA's in flames right now. It's all over the news. Now, that'll make it pretty simple to get you wherever you want to go - the attack on Coruscant has them swerving resources and bodies."

She gestured between herself and Niysha. "We're freight haulers. Independent owner-operators, if you're familiar with the business." In explained. To own your own ship and negotiate your own contracts outside of a corporate body was risky, but it also meant you didn't have to split the take. Further, it was the umbrella under which most smugglers fell. "We go where the credit is good. And there's some credit to be made in the core right now."

There were a lot of people who needed a ride away from Coruscant right now. In might even accept payment from some of them.

It wasn't like In to dance around a subject, or to circle it looking for the right tactic to approach. The blue-skinned woman gave Kirie an appraising look, then glanced up at Niysha once more. "You seem like you need help." In stated quietly. "And I don't know if you're going to get it here. So I'm offering it. No cost, no expectation aside from being honest with us about what you need and what problems might arise." The Pantoran explained plainly. "If your pride won't accept a free ride, we could always use a third pair of hands around the ship."

 

[Niysha]

Ah, beach towels. They were getting comfy, then. Niysha took a seat and a sip of rum-and-cola when offered, then handed the bottle back to In and fixed her sunglasses. "Normally we just run freight or passengers, but we have some experience with off-the-books work." Her fingers were much faster now that she'd brushed off the cobwebs. She'd absolutely need to make a stop by Tatooine in the future for some more practical experience, but for now, she was probably fine.

"We're currently on shore leave after raiding a Hutt yacht to free slaves at cost." The cost was 'the barge, and some of our rarer plants.' That one hurt more than just about anything else. Fortunately, the common ones were either intact or easily replaceable. Double-fortunately, Chromslor had flown under the radar, so they didn't need to track down another nurse's hat and stethescope.

The human seemed more than a little nervous. It wasn't surprising, though it was definitely sub-optimal. In was going to help this girl or else feel absolutely awful until she did, which meant that the easiest way forward was to make everyone very comfortable with the arrangement. As always, In offered free transportation to wastrels, and that sort of thing tended to be difficult to just... take at face value.

"Tython is fine for us," she reiterated, accepting the silent corrolary of "especially if I stay on the ship." While Niysha was hardly the most conspicious or dangerous darksider in the galaxy, it wouldn't do for her to compromise someone else's pilgrimage by running afoul of whatever low-rent Jedi they had scanning for boogeymen on the temple grounds.

In a quiet moment on the sand, with a gentle breeze blowing through, and the company of two singularly exceptional young people, Niysha came to two very important realizations: first, both of these women were brighter sparks than normal and neither one seemed to have any real idea of what to do with it... and second, In's newest find hadn't introduced herself.

"Mm," she prompted quietly. "We actually didn't get your name. I think that's an appropriate price to charge for passage into the deepest, most Jedi-ridden, only slightly on-fire part of the galaxy."

Kirie | In Rhan

 

[Kirie]

Don't-cry-don't-cry-don't-cry-don't-cry-dont-cry. Kirie pressed her lips together and successfully managed to blink back the misty eyes that came with the wave of gratitude that overwhelmed her. Maybe it would have been better to tread a little more carefully, ask a few more questions and make triple sure In and Niysha weren't anything that constituted a threat. But she didn't. The palpable relief she felt wash over her scrubbed away any remaining suspicion, and Kirie found herself trusting the pair of them implicitly.

'You're going to help me?' Kirie confirmed. She wanted to follow that up with 'why?' but that would definitely be pushing her luck. "Just be grateful." Kirie thought to herself. "Just be normal." 'Thank you, In and Niysha, really.'

To stop herself turning to mush, Kirie instead considered In's mention of her line of work. Independent freight haulers. That had to be code for something, especially with the stress In had put on the words. Unfortunately, being from the backwater she was, Kirie didn't know what the kriff she was talking about. Whatever. Maybe once she worked up the confidence she could ask In what she meant. At least she'd probably be nice about it.

Then there was the war, the trouble brewing in the Core that Kirie new would only bubble over and draw in the Sith with it. That was why she had to sneak around, to try and execute this half-baked plan, because the usual rules, the usual protections, they were being thrown into disarray.

Kirie's eyes followed the bottle jealously as the pair passed it between them. She wanted to think it was just thirst, but she knew it wasn't. How much easier would it be to deal with this whole interaction if she was a little buzzed? In and Niysha definitely had the advantage in that regard, and Kirie was starting to feel the urge to do some catching up. She didn't ask though, even she knew that would have been crazy, just sipped her water again.

"We're currently on shore leave after raiding a Hutt yacht to free slaves at cost."

'Freeing slaves?' Kirie asked, raising a brow. 'Well, you're in good company.' She held up her hands for the pair to inspect, from the barcode on her wrist, to the decorative shackle, and the ugly scarred brand of the Kainate on her forearm. She figured the exactly symbols would be largely incomprehensible to anyone who spent their time on this side of the Blackwall, but together the picture they painted was still fairly obvious. She was common. Common in a way they both seemed to be, and that was comforting.

'Kirie Corsell.' she signed, overriding her logical brain before it could force her to use the alias she'd adopted for the trip. 'Neris' was a stupid name anyway. 'Of Weik.'

Niysha | In Rhan ​

 

[In Rhan]

That fairly settled things, at least as far as In was concerned. She'd never met a slave she hadn't wanted to free, and hadn't ever met a slaver she didn't want to dunk into one of the Dancer's molecular furnaces. While she'd been convinced that she and Niysha were going to help the beige girl before, In was now utterly galvanized and ready to make some truly egregious mistakes on the behalf of the struggling and downtrodden. SOMEBODY had to stick up for them, and the Wardens of the Sky had yet to reveal themselves.

"It's nice to meet you, Kirie." In replied quietly, offering the bottle of coke'n'rum once she noted she had some water in her. "We'll get you to Tython. Don't you worry."

She nodded towards Kirie's arms, eyes darting from the tattoos up to her eyes - brand, shackle, barcode. Mark, restraint, commodity. Fury churned in her stomach. "We can find somebody to get those off of you, too." In promised solemnly. "A slaver's mark is a horrible thing to have. It means never being safe from opportunistic bounty hunters, mid-level bureaucrats, slave catchers - the dregs of the galaxy. As I'm sure you know."

In raised a palm in a placating gesture, should Kirie object. "I don't intend to let you pay for what you didn't have any say in." She promised. "And removing the mark that somebody thought gave them claim over another person is more than enough reward as far as I'm concerned."

In sat back and grinned, folding one long blue leg over the other. "We can leave whenever you want. Right now, even. We came here for a plant, but if you wanna put some lightyears between here and there - I totally understand." She promised. Then, more seriously. "Believe me when I promise that there is no force they can send after us to retrieve you can both catch me, and won't cause an international incident." In swore confidently. "I'm very, very good at what I do."

Niysha | Kirie

 

[Niysha]

In was getting all proud again. It was always cute to see.

Niysha once again kicked herself for not keeping abreast of modern news; if this had been an old family name, like Zambrano or Draclau, she would've had a keen and immediate understanding of what she was dealing with. Fortunately, since it wasn't any of the old, scary, dangerous names, Niysha could rest comfortably with the understanding that this was probably some random street kid who'd been dropped into the Sith wood chipper like countless others - including herself - and that she was likely completely harmless.

The matter of tattoos was a little more confusing. So much of Kirie seemed to be wrapped up in the visible light spectrum, and that locked Niysha into a position of complete ignorance. She didn't know if In had any tattoos. Honestly, Niysha didn't even know if she had any tattoos, though she was pretty confident she would've known if someone had held her down and stabbed her repeatedly for a solid hour. At least the Miraluka understood about the idea of marking things so other sighted people could determine who owned what, and was vaguely aware that this was done to living people on occasion. So if they had to deal with that, then they'd have to deal with that.

Instead of engaging with Yet More Color Stuff Again, Niysha chimed in on the topic of In's proficiency. "In the time I've been on In's ship, she's dodged pirates, navigated a Planeshift breach, and escaped the close-orbit gravity well of a star. We've never once seen a shipping officer. If you need to get somewhere efficiently and quietly, I'd say there's no one better." After a moment of pause, she smiled over at her partner. "But I'm admittedly pretty biased."

Knowing that, for the moment at least, they weren't going to have to dodge bounty hunters or Sith assassins let Niysha relax a bit. Until they learned more about the situation, they'd never know how safe it was, and it'd never be completely safe to run through Alliance territory while it was actively on fire, but at least Niysha was relatively confident that she didn't need to meditate in the common room with her lightsaber in her lap.

...That was going to be another conversation to have. Did she need to come clean about "red lightsaber and lightning magic" before Kirie was trapped on a ship with them? Or would that scare her away from what might've been her only chance? Not the sort of decision that was made lightly, or alone. Niysha kept her mouth shut for now.

Kirie | In Rhan

 

[Kirie]

Kirie had already told In and Niysha she was pleased to meet them when they had introduced themselves, so she merely dipped her head respectfully once again, a shy smile playing upon her lips. Their assurances of safe passage made her heart leap, and she found herself feeling almost fortunate that she had ended up stranded here, since a ride from the pair was almost guaranteed to be safer and more comfortable than the cheap-as-chips regional shuttle she'd have been taking, the kind that smelled like rancid food and exhaust fumes, with stained seats and rattling durasteel bulkheads.

Almost enough. It had still been a pretty terrible day, and while her tolerance for suffering was high living amongst the Sith, the same couldn't be said her ability to live with inconvenience. Since she had moved in with Quinn she had enjoyed luxury and seamless service in almost every aspect of her life, her proximity to the Princess allowing her to inherit from her privileged life. As a consequence, Kirie was finding herself to be rather less hardy and resilient to doing it tough than she once was. That extended to unexpected beach holidays.

Then, In presented her offer of removing her various marks, something that Darth Anathemous had done for her at her urging. But, her feelings about her markings had begun to grow twisty and complicated. On the one hand, In was right. They were each foul and horrific in their unique way. The brand on her arm signified her belonging to cruel Sith from whom she'd found a tentative freedom; the code on her wrist brandished her identity to anyone who cared to know it; The marks creeping up her neck depicted her injury as a sacred thing, and even the Shackled Star on her wrist, itself a symbol of freedom, was a sick visual reminder of all the worst parts of her life.

On the other hand, that was not something Kirie was quite ready to leave behind.

'I've been thinking about what you are saying a lot.' Kirie signed, her expression grave. 'Maybe, I'll want to get rid of it all in time, but right now I need a reminder of what I have endured, that I am strong.' Stars, that sounded stupid. Whatever. Point was that she wasn't ready to take In up on her offer, kindhearted as it was.

She turned to Niysha, gears slowly turning in her mind.

'I don't understand what you meant earlier. Most of the tattoos aren't colour-' Kirie began, then she stopped, and her brow crinkled in confusion. 'Do you mean that you can't see colour, or that you can't see anything on the human spectrum?' Now that she was looking for it, there was a certain something about Niysha's additions to the conversation. Always perceptive, sure, and able to track her just fine, but her commentary was distinctly... Unvisual. Which meant what, that Niysha was blind, or that she saw differently? Kirie wasn't sure, but she wondered if the big black sunglasses were more than just a fashion choice.

Kirie was also amazed by the tales of their feats together. Some of it seemed fantastical on the surface, but she had seen enough crazy stuff to quell the sceptic inside her. In and Niysha seemed ordinary, but also strong and competant and trustworthy, and that was as good a combination as she could ever hope for, voracity of their exploits aside.

'That is pretty impressive.' signed Kirie eventually with what she hoped was sincerity. 'Sounds like I was accosted by the right people.' She smiled, but a moment later her expression grew quizzical again.

'Wait, why did you come all this way for a plant?'

Niysha | In Rhan
​

​

 

[In Rhan]

'I've been thinking about what you are saying a lot.' Kirie signed, her expression grave. 'Maybe, I'll want to get rid of it all in time, but right now I need a reminder of what I have endured, that I am strong.'

In's growing righteous resolve calmed slightly, sublimated with an understanding smile. "I get it." She promised quietly, waving a hand as though to brush her offer away like a cloud of smoke. And why wouldn't she? She'd never been a slave, but there were some corners of the Galaxy where the child of failed mutineers and pirates, a former stripper, a vagabond, a blue collar worker without a corporate patron - they weren't that far away from being property. In wasn't ashamed of her own roots, and the way they steadied her growth. She wouldn't fault Kirie the same sort of pride in her scars and badges of honor.

She reminded herself to temper her zeal as well. Wanting to help somebody was a good thing. Dragging them off towards a salvation they didn't want was an oppression. At the very least, a betrayal that risked making Kirie's hardships about her own feelings.

The Pantoran woman hitched a thumb towards her partner with a warm smile. "Niysha's blind. Asterisk." She explained casually. "Sees through the Force." In breezed right past this as though it barely registered being worth conversation, continuing quickly into important matters. "We're here looking for a Bakuran fire philodendron, a local flower." In explained, flipping through her datapad to bring up the picture she'd been thrusting at tourists all morning. "Our garden was devastated recently by a bunch of goons, so we're replenishing some. The fire philodendron is gorgeous, has a fantastic scent, and makes for a wonderful spice when prepared correctly."

"More to the point, it also matches the ecological profile of the galley, so it won't disagree with any of the plants we already have there." In added cheerfully. "It'll be nice to shake things up there, scent and colorwise. If we can get a couple of stem cuttings from a healthy specimen, we'll be able to smuggle them off-planet without issue. Then!" She lit up. "The real fun part starts."

Kirie | Niysha

 

[Niysha]

Ah. So, In was finally comfortable enough with their relationship that she was in "actively explain my partner's biological limitations" territory. That certainly was a bit of a change from a couple of months ago, when she was giving Niysha fake names to total innocents because she was worried about incriminating information. Very few things were more incriminating than "this woman literally cannot see."

Still. It was fine. Niysha tapped her sunglasses to indicate her eyes silently in time with In explaining her situation, then turned her attention to the real meat of the discussion.

P l a n t s.

"About half of our ship-by-volume is hydroponics, if you ignore the cargo bay. It got stolen a little while ago, and the guys who took it weren't terribly kind to our garden." The Miraluka shrugged and grinned slightly. "It's sad to see some of our favorites go, but replacing them is almost as rewarding as raising them. On top of that, the Bakuran fire is something we're lacking." They had seasonings, tubers, berries, but nothing so capsaicin-rich.

Jutrand was a horrible, polluted, soulless ecumenopolis, but Kirie looked pretty soft. Chances were she was the kind of pampered that had actual plants. Even so, the Dancer might very well have a few species she hadn't seen yet... and maybe even more than she was used to. Niysha crossed her arms in pride, giving up on simcom just for a moment without realizing she was even doing it. "A month or so ago, the ship was basically a flying botanical garden. And it's still fresher than any ship I've been on. At this point I'm so used to waking up to organic tea that it's hard to sleep without it."

Kirie | In Rhan