Private Red Dwarf

[Trextan Voidstalker]

TREXTAN

Choli Vyn

Approved Planet - Doslosk, One Eye to the Infinite Void

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION Intent: A weird world outside the hyperspace distortion at the edge of the galaxy. A critical foothold for further exploration. Image Credit: Kurzgesagt, Trask Canon: N/A Permissions: N/A Links: Companion Grek, hyperspace distortion at the edge of the galaxy, box...

www.starwarsrp.net

His eyes were slowly coming to adjust to the light. The port was bathed in an entirely different spectrum of light.

They had only walked a few paces from Chloe's ship. The way the world was lit made him feel slightly off.

"What a dim corner of a solar system for a colony," Trextan said.

The convoy had been disbanded. Most of the ships had returned to known trade routes. They had continued along the route. They had picked up some chatter about dangers for supply ships.

"Head to the trade post and see what we can find out?"

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker
Armor- x x x x x | Gear x x x x x x x | Weapons x x x x x

Choli hitched her satchel higher, the strap digging into her shoulder, canvas worn smooth from years of grime and grease. With a quiet grunt, she bent to grab the cargo box by her boots full of salvaged parts she'd fixed up back on the Aurora.

A couple modulators, a cleanedup hydrospanner set, and one vintage fuel stabilizer she hoped still had enough shine to barter.

Credits didn't mean much out here. But tools and parts that worked? That was a language folks still spoke.

"Yeah," she said, eyeing the strange red light bleeding over the outpost rooftops. "Let's see what we can trade for. Filters, backups. Water too…running lower than I like."

She shifted the box against her hip and started walking, boots crunching over rust-colored dust.

"Maybe get some intel on what's going on out here."

Of course, they should also keep an eye out. Who knew just what or who they’d run into out here.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"Yeah, let's keep an ear out," Trextan agreed. He wasn't as eager to rush into danger, but he still held a determination to help those in need. The Jedi spent too much time waging war and not enough time looking out for those most in need.

He had changed in other ways. It was hard to spot the exactly changes. He wore a handcannon openly on his hip, whilst his lightsaber was hidden inside his prosthetic arm.

He looked more like her belonged out here at the edge of civilised space. He didn't look as if he had dressed to fit in. His stride was relaxed, but he walked with purpose. He didn't look like a teenager to be taken advantage of by the locals.

"There must have been so many isolated worlds," he reflected. The maze had been difficult to navigate, but it wasn't supposed to be this close to the Galactic core. Space itself had moved.

Trextan wondered how this world would have looked under a star with a more blue spectrum. Was the ground red or just brown?

They reached a trading bazaar. There were lots of trading stations. Piles of wares in front of each person. There was a mix of home made goods, second hand tools, a surprising range of porcelain arts and food and drink.

"I'll see what I can hear," he said. "I won't go far."

Be realised that a touch of his own fear made it to his tone. That she had been captured without him knowing still sat uncomfortable with him. The sight he had walked into still struck him when he least expected it.

"And I know you can take care of yourself," he said with a smile. "But shout if you need."

---

Trextan was only gone for a few minutes. She would catch sight of him weaving through the crowd and occasionally stopping to talk.

He returned as she was finishing a negotiation and waited patiently.

He picked up the barrel of water she had negotiated for with his artificial arm, throwing it over his shoulder.

"Sounds like a system was thrown just a short jump away. They've been paying a pirate warlord to hit trade ships to try and convince vessels to use their docks as the way point into deeper space. At least, that's the feeling here."

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker
Armor- x x x x x | Gear x x x x x x x | Weapons x x x x x

Choli didn't watch him leave.

Well, didn't let herself watch him, more like.

Instead, she turned her focus on the vendor in front of her, gesturing toward the dented vaporator coil with a clipped mix of Bocci and trade pidgin. Her tongue was sharp and her haggling like no other, snapping off just enough familiar dialect to land a fair deal without getting swindled.

Out here, Galactic Basic only got you so far. Sometimes, it got you nothing at all.

By the time she'd wrapped up and handed over two salvaged parts and a promise to return for a converter, she felt him before she saw him.
That quiet hum of purpose. The steady stride.

She looked up just as Trextan came through the crowd, walking like someone who knew what to look for now. Not brooding. Not tense. Just… aware. Protective.

That, too, was new.

Her gaze flicked away before he could notice.

"Paying a pirate warlord to stir up trouble?" she echoed, voice low as she adjusted the satchel again. Her fingers tightened on the strap.

The memory of a certain pirate captain's cabin crept in uninvited, but she shoved it aside.

"Two wrongs do not make a right," Choli muttered, eyes back on the vendor's next pile of wares.

"Do we know the name of this warlord?" Could very well be one of the crazies or some sort of privateer thinking he was pulling a profit while cutting a bit off the top. Depending on how big of a problem, as Wardens, they might need to get involved.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"Varrek Dross," Trextan replied.

Despite the changes, he still made exactly the same smile. He thought it was an awful name.

"From a ship called the Howling Nova apparently. We're out of reach of a subnet bouy for me to do any research."

He held the water barrel over his artificial shoulder, away from Choli. He was surprised she hadn't yet asked to carry out maintenance on the arm. There had been a time where that arm had been far far more interesting to Choli than the boy attached to it.

"Whether their new neighbours are really paying them," Trextan gave a shake of his head, "Don't know how we could find out. But the attacks are real. Couple of headhunters tailed a freighter until it left the system two days ago."

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker
Armor- x x x x x | Gear x x x x x x x | Weapons x x x x x

Choli crouched to pick up the empty cargo box just as Trextan said the name. Varrek Dross, the name wasn't familiar, buit it wasn't the name that caught her.

It was the faint smile that curled across his face that was half sheepish, half amused. Familiar, and damned if it didn't remind her just how handsome he'd gotten over the years. Her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the crate.

"The name's not familiar," she said, keeping her tone even as she stood, eyes flicking away. Her hazel gaze shifted, softening into a muted grey as she did her bes to focus on the important things. Present day things.

"Then again, pirates are a credit a dozen."

Her brows drew together as the red sun threw darker shadows across her olive skin. She glanced at him then at the water barrel balanced so easily on his shoulder, then quickly looked away again.

"Thanks," she added simply, brushing some dust off her knuckles.

As they walked deeper into the market, the scent of grilled meats and spice hit her first with that thick, rich, and umami aroma. Her stomach gave the faintest growl, and she snorted quietly at herself.

"We could try a meet-and-greet, but if Serenity's aboard…" She gave him a knowing glance. "Not sure how well Chloe would be down for that."

Then, her gaze dipped to his arm. Still walking, but her curiosity won out.

"So… you learned how to keep that thing running out here, or am I gonna find you short-circuiting in your sleep?"

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan hefted the barrel of water down from his shoulder. He set it down in front of them. He had sensed it would only be a matter of time.

He turned his hand over, clenched and unclenched his fist.

"I've had to get the hang of it," he explained. "Working with tools with my left hand is always a bit tricky. Even being artificial, my right fingers are much more dextrous," he said.

The phrase was delivered with an entirely serious tone, but amusement lingered in the corner of his eye. He didn't know where the line was for a direct joke so left the hint.

He threw the barrel back over his shoulder. It was heavy, but he didn't complain. On a shop with a recycler a small amount went a long way.

"Maybe not the time to get involved and I don't know I'd trust another ship and pilot out. After the Alliance expanded again I made contact with a few people. I got the plans for my arm that way. I could see if they could send a squadron of Rangers out this way to make a point."

"So...food?" he said.

That hadn't changed either.

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker
Armor- x x x x x | Gear x x x x x x x | Weapons x x x x x

Choli tried, really really tried, to not to let her thoughts drift where they wanted to.

She was a mechanic. A pilot. A damn Warden now with grease under her nails and better things to do than think about the dexterity of Trextan's fingers and what that little glint in his eye meant.

It used to be easier, back when she could pretend it was all a matter of technical interest...but three years of deep space, shady ports, and too many flirt happy smugglers had burned that obliiviousness right out of her.

Her cheeks warmed. Blast it.

"Well, I can give it a look later," she said, clearing her throat and focusing hard on the mechanics. "Make sure everything's in working order and lubricated well."

Gorram it!

"Yeah, food. Food sounds good," she added quickly, shifting the cargo box in her arms like it might hide her embarrassment. She didn't dare glance his way.

"Let's tell Chloe what we heard about the pirates and let her sort it. For now, provisions."

The scent hit her before the sight did. Something deliciously charred and smokey. A vendor ahead had Kowakian monkey-lizard rotating on a spit and a few sizzling nuna legs crisping on a grill.

The pilot stepped forward, very grateful for the distraction.

"How much for a few of those skewers?" she asked the Toydarian, her voice steady now, like her face wasn't still burning and her heart hadn't skipped a beat.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"I was trying to be subtle with the call backs," Trextan chuckled. He mistook Choli's comment for a deliberate attempt to lighten the mood. Their conversation had been quite heavy.

They had discussed their breakup - something it had been harder to say out loud than he had expected - and how they felt about one another now. A more lighthearted look at how naive they had been felt appropriate.

Her body language within a few steps suggested that she regretted it. He decided to just continue along calmly.

The artificial lighting inside was a little more attuned to what a human expected. It was a nice change from the grungy, dull red.

The toydarian named a price and Trextan's hand went for his credit chit pouch. Choli immediately negotiated him down. She was much more forthright in bartering.

They walked to a little round table at a height for standing. Trextan set down the barrel of water and he glanced around. He spotted on thief but made brief eye contact.

He wasn't a Justicar, he had learned that lesson. He couldn't police every place he visited.

"These smell good," he said, biting off a manageable piece from the skewer and wiping his hand across his mouth and then on his cargo pants.

"It's just crazy right," he said. He was deliberately making conversation and watching her eye colors as he faced her and tried to push past her embarrassment. "Jacen said things were bad when the galaxy reconnected after the plague, but now whole dwarf galaxies have been connected. Space is gonna get wild."

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker
Armor- x x x x x | Gear x x x x x x x | Weapons x x x x x

Choli didn't answer right away. Mostly because her mouth was full, and partly because she needed a second to regroup. The skewer was hot, salty, and just the right kind of greasy to ground her again.

She opened her mouth, encircling her lips around a juicy piece of grilled meat from the skewer before she pulled it off. As she chewed, she gave a low hum of satisfaction. Yeah, this was what she needed, something to fill her stomach. She wiped her thumb along the edge of her lip and let her gaze drift to the bustle around them, pretending she wasn't still simmering from earlier.

"Yeah," she finally said, chewing through the last of the meat with a thoughtful nod. "Wild's one word for it."

Her eyes shifted toward him, colors faint in a soft amber that threaded through the grey. Still pensive, but steadier now. The artificial light helped, too. Easier to breathe here than under that heavy red haze outside.

"But might make for new opportunities. New jobs. Salvage sites, perhaps." It was getting easier, pushing past her embarrassment. Talking shop helped with that.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan was briefly distracted from food. It could be difficult to distract him from a hot meal, but she managed it in combination with his imagination.

Did she eat a skewer like that before?

"Yeah I guess especially for those new worlds. Could be minerals, trade, all kinds," he said. He didn't exactly have much wisdom to offer on how the Galactic economy worked.

"Sometimes I wonder what I would do if there wasn't trouble. It'll never be that way, but sometimes I think that I get by because people offer me credits and meals and parts as thanks for...well...punching problems until they go away. My dad was a soldier and a knight. I don't wanna be thankful for always having trouble to deal with."

Trextan nodded towards one of the columns. There was a posted stuck to it.

"Music band on tonight. Could get ear protectors for Ren."

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker
Armor- x x x x x | Gear x x x x x x x | Weapons x x x x x

Choli chewed thoughtfully before she glanced toward the column with the posted flyer. After a second of chewing thoughtfully, the dark slash of her brows piinched forward.

A band, music, all kinds of noise.

She could already picture Ren pulling a face and retreating into the engine bay with a blanket and a datapad. Still, it wasn't a bad idea.

"Maybe," she said around a mouthful, licking some sauce off her thumb with a flick of her pink tongue.

"Could do us good to hear something that isn't reactor hum or static for a change.... but I've never been to a concert so that will be an experience."

She let the words hang there a moment before her gaze slid back to him.

"And for what it's worth... I think there's more to you than just punching problems. You help people. That matters."

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

TREXTAN

"I mean... I mostly help people by punching stuff..."

Trextan grinned at her. His gaze fell to the table. His expression slowly became more seriously. It was hard to think through everything you said, he reflected. It could be hard to work out why you didn't say something.

He wanted to make a joke, but it was important to be sincere too. He looked back up at Choli.

"Thank you. I think you've always seen the best if me. Or what I could be. I don't blame myself for being confused through. I had a weird life."

"I'm not the only one. Never a music concert?"

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker
Armor- x x x x x | Gear x x x x x x x | Weapons x x x x x

Choli gave a short, amused snort.

"Yeah, well… some folks solve problems with words. You just happen to use your fists."

She leaned her weight into the edge of the table, the corner of her mouth twitching upward before she looked back at him. That softness was there again, just behind the teasing.

"I have seen the best of you," she said, quieter now. "But I have learned that sometimes it takes a while to see what others see... so it is fine."

Then, with a small shrug, she flicked her gaze away, pretending to focus on the dwindling skewer in her hand.

"And hey, I've been to music bars. That counts. Concerts are just… louder. More people."

She glanced sideways, eyes bright. "Alright smart ass, what concerts have you been to then?"

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

TREXTAN

Trextan was left slightly uncertain of what to say for a few moments. He'd managed to push past the way she licked up lost sauce, but a genuine complement was a little more difficult for him to appreciate.

He glanced to the sign again.

"I'm not sure that's going to be much more than a music bar," Trextan said. He grinned back at Choli.

"I'm picture a one floor club with a band, hardly a stadium. And I went to a few when I was small," he said.

"When I was back on Coruscant. Those big concerts cost so many credits these days! I think you can say a band at a bar counts."

Being a Warden was hardly a glamorous career. Trextan knew he could probably make thousands of credits a year by working as a bodyguard in the Core.

"Let's go there tonight then? No using my fist!"

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker
Armor- x x x x x | Gear x x x x x x x | Weapons x x x x x

Choli gave a low and amused snort out of the corner of her mouth, her lips quirking up on the right side as she gave him a mocking suspicious side eye as she took another bite.

"No fists?" she repeated after chewing and swallowing her food, confirming with wry humor like it was the hardest rule he'd ever have to follow. "Guess I'll have to bring the stun baton just in case you get twitchy."

She leaned back in her seat, resting her arm along the table, staring over at Trextan with a sort of searching thoughtful expression on her face at the proposal, as if a little surprised he'd even suggested it.

"Hmm... Alright. One floor band bar it is. Could be good to hear something other than engines and old holos for a change."

She nudged his boot under the table. "You are paying if it's terrible."

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"Guess I'll have to bring the stun baton just in case you get twitchy."

Trextan let out a low chuckle. He glanced with dissapointment at his finished food and let his gaze fall to the food.

The settlement was a bit of a frontier smelting pot. Most people who were satisfied with their lot didn't pick fights, he found. He'd also learned more about diffusing a situation without throwing a punch.

When he looked up she was watching him. A single glance exchanged a little understanding. Nothing more than that he saw her bemusement. After their conversation on the bridge, he hoped she didn't think he was trying to force something.

Then she nudged his boot and he laughed again. No, this felt far too pleasant a light. She was just seeing what she could read on his expression. Not let subtext colour their eyes.

"People would probably prefer a baton to a fist."

"So how bad will I owe you?" he laughed. "What if I get the tickets and the beer. And something soft for Ren if she wants to come."

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker
Armor- x x x x x | Gear x x x x x x x | Weapons x x x x x


Choli noticed the disappointment wash over Trextan's face as he realized his food was all gone, and it amused her.

She chuckled and shook her head, handing him one of her extra skewers.

"Here," she offered, in a tone that left no room for argument. When she gave food, she meant it.

"And perhaps." A slight, perplexed frown crossed her face as she thought about someone preferring a baton over a fist, then she gave a small shake of her head in befuddled remembrance.

"Well, save for that one Devaronian smuggler a few months back," she said, taking another bite of her food. She chewed, then gestured lightly with her kebab stick as she swallowed and added, "She seemed to like the baton a bit too much."

Finishing her food, Choli leaned back, licking her lips and settling comfortably in her seat.

What would he owe me? The corner of her mouth perked, and her eyes melted into a blue touched with amusement.

"Tickets and the beer's a starting point. Anything cold and soft for Ren would surely win her over for the rest of the flight," she joked, laughing lightly, her olive face breaking into a relaxed expression he likely hadn't seen in a long, long while.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan always felt a great sense of gratitude for free food. He smiled as he took the skewer and brought it to his lips.

As she made her comment about the smuggler he has to sharply cover his mouth with his hand. It took Trextan a few seconds before he could chew again.

When he looked up she seemed perfectly comfortable. It was nice to see her like this. It made him feel a pleasant type of warmth. It was years since her capture and a few days since their heavy conversation on the past. They had ended that talk on a pleasant note for the future.

Trextan let his gaze slide away so that he wasn't just staring as he was thinking.

He soaked up the atmosphere for a few minutes. There was no weight of expectation upon him, no one chasing him down and he could genuinely enjoy some company.

---

"Lord Orryx."

The Ren stood at the bridge of his cruiser. One of the intelligence crew had approached him.

"What?" His patience had been wearing thin.

"We picked up a query over old Alliance channels. It could be the young Voidstalker. But no one knows we have a key for that channel. If we use it to set a trap, we'll burn our access."

"Do it. A handful of old war colleagues use that network anyway. And the new Alliance is crumbling. I want those wardens."

---

That Evening

Trextan had to balance a tray on one hand as he made his way back from the bar. The venue was only half full. The band were playing a mix of covers and a few of their own tracks. An atmosphere threatened to break out for the classics, but they couldn't write.

"What was the punishment for an alright band?" Trextan asked Choli.

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker
Armor- x x x x x | Gear x x x x x x x | Weapons x x x x x

"What was the punishment for an alright band?" Trextan asked Choli.

Choli flicked her gaze up at Trextan as he set down the tray of beer and snacks. The corner of her lips twisted into an amused expression, and as she took one of the beers for herself, the sound of the band's music resonated around them.

"We will see how well the next set goes," She replied with a wry twist of her lips, giving his own bottle a beer a clink before taking a deep sip. It had been a while since she'd taken the time to relax like this. Was it back on Dantooine?

"But the genre isn't too bad..." considering it was a sort of nuanced synth punk rock mix that had a great beat.

"What would you say is your favorite type?"